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Tehran , Iran -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iranian protesters are vowing to continue their anti-government demonstrations into Wednesday night , despite violent crackdowns and arrests . Witnesses in Tehran tell CNN the demonstrators number in the tens of thousands . The protests are timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy . Iran celebrates the embassy takeover as an official holiday , and tens of thousands showed up to hear anti-American speeches in front of the building that once housed the U.S. diplomatic corps . Many chanted `` Death to America . '' The anniversary was also an opportunity to reignite the anti-government protests that were sparked in June , following a disputed presidential election . Thousands of protesters ignored warnings from Iranian authorities to stay home , many chanting `` Death to the Dictator '' and others saying , `` Obama - Either you 're with us or with them , '' referring to the U.S. president . Riot police and pro-government Basij militia turned out in force to quash anti-government protests . `` We were running from the police in the alleys off of the main streets , '' said Soheil , an opposition protester , who gave only one name for security reasons . `` Strangers were opening up their garages so we could hide until the police went away . I ran into a garage for about 15 minutes . When I went back into the main street , I saw riot police arresting a group of young men , then putting them inside a bank and locking the door . `` Only God knows what will happen to them after that . '' iReport : Iranians take to the streets . Soheil , like many other of the demonstrators , took part in the protests this summer . As with previous demonstrations , many images of Wednesday 's protest were uploaded to the Internet on the site YouTube.com -- including video of protesters walking over an image of Iran 's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei . Another clip showed a group of women being beaten by what appeared to be Iranian security forces . Witnesses said many Iranian women took part in Wednesday 's demonstration , and were frequently targeted by the Iranian security forces -- which is what also happened during the summer protests . Video posted on YouTube showed many protesters beaten on the head with batons . Iranian reformists have chosen key anniversaries to protest the hardline government -- the same anniversaries chosen for government-sanctioned anti-American rallies . Wednesday 's was the biggest annual anti-American observance of all . On November 4 , 1979 , Islamic students stormed the U.S. Embassy . They held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days . There were also small pockets of protest on Wednesday in the southwest Iran city of Shiraz , according to a resident who witnessed the protests . Demonstrators marched down the main street of Shiraz , yelling `` Death to the dictator '' and `` We will not stand down to you , together we are united , '' according to Najmeh , who only gave her first name for security reasons . There was strong police presence on the streets , and the police force seemed much more organized than past occasions , she said . Earlier in the day , opposition supporters marched defiantly in Tehran 's Haft-e-Tir Square , witnesses said . Many held up their hands in V-signs . Others shouted `` Allahu Akbar , '' or `` God is great , '' which has become a slogan of protest . Police blocked all roads leading to the square , creating massive traffic jams . Witnesses described helmet-clad security personnel beating demonstrators with batons and firing tear gas at Haft-e-Tir Square and in a neighborhood a few kilometers north . `` I had never seen that many riot police and security personnel , '' a witness told CNN . `` They were brought in by the busloads . As soon as crowds gathered somewhere , riot police were there within minutes . '' The opposition showed Wednesday that even after five months of government crackdown , people were still willing to take risks . The disputed June 12 presidential election triggered Iran 's most serious political crisis since the Islamic revolution toppled the shah . Led by opposition candidate Mir Houssein Moussavi , thousands of Iranians protested what they believed was a rigged vote that returned hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to office for a second term . In the election aftermath , the Iranian government arrested more than 1,000 people and accused reformists Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi of spreading anti-government propaganda and fueling anger among the public . But despite warnings from the government , Iran 's reformists have largely refused to back down . They released the names of 72 protesters they say were killed in the unrest that followed the election -- more than double the government 's official number . Both Moussavi and Karrubi were prevented from attending Wednesday 's rallies , according to a reformist Web site , Norooz News . Karrubi 's son told the Web site that his father tried to reach the Haft-e-Tir Square rally on foot , but he was blocked by anti-riot police , sparking clashes with his followers . Police fired tear gas toward Karrubi , hitting one of his guards on the head , and causing Karrubi and some of his supporters to fall to the ground , according to Norooz News . Karrubi and his followers returned to their vehicles and drove away when , at one point , security forces attacked and damaged Karrubi 's vehicle , the Web site said . Video posted on YouTube showed Karrubi briefly opening his car door to a crowd of cheering supporters , who chanted , `` Honorable Karrubi , help the people of Iran . '' Iranian authorities had warned Karrubi to not participate in the marches , saying he might be the victim of a suicide attack , according to Norooz News . Moussavi was unable to join the demonstration after his car was prevented from leaving his office , according to his Facebook page and a report on a reformist Web site . Cell phone and Internet connections were cut in the area where his office is located , and dozens of plainclothes motorcycle riders blocked the entrance and chanted slogans against Moussavi , the Web sites said . Read analysis from Hamid Dabashi , author of `` Iran : A People Interrupted '' In Washington , President Obama said the world continues to bear witness to the Iranian people 's `` calls for justice and their courageous pursuit of universal rights . '' `` Iran must choose , '' he said in a statement late Tuesday . `` We have heard for thirty years what the Iranian government is against ; the question , now , is what kind of future it is for . `` It is time for the Iranian government to decide whether it wants to focus on the past , or whether it will make the choices that will open the door to greater opportunity , prosperity , and justice for its people , '' he said . Obama noted how the embassy takeover reshaped U.S.-Iranian relations . `` This event helped set the United States and Iran on a path of sustained suspicion , mistrust , and confrontation , '' he said . `` I have made it clear that the United States of America wants to move beyond this past , and seeks a relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran based upon mutual interests and mutual respect . '' Obama said America has demonstrated willingness to work with Iran over nuclear issues by recognizing its right to peaceful nuclear power and accepting a recent proposal by the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency . `` We have made clear that if Iran lives up to the obligations that every nation has , it will have a path to a more prosperous and productive relationship with the international community , '' Obama said . CNN 's Reza Sayah , Sara Mazloumsaki , Mitra Mobasherat , and journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report . | NEW : Reformist leaders stopped from attending anti-government rallies , Web site says . Marchers gather in Tehran on 30th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy takeover . Anti-American rallies mark 1979 hostage-taking after students stormed embassy . Protests by reformists followed disputed June presidential election . | [[4828, 4904], [4828, 4853], [4907, 4940], [5463, 5482], [257, 361], [257, 269], [280, 361], [1590, 1620], [3173, 3191], [3194, 3264], [257, 361], [257, 269], [280, 361], [2551, 2571], [2574, 2617], [595, 610], [635, 748], [4018, 4156], [4734, 4744], [4750, 4827]] |
MORROW , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jobless for nearly a year , Michael Rivers was about to walk out of his house a few weeks ago to catch the bus for another daylong employment hunt when a radio announcement stopped him . With Ludacris at her side , single mom Joya Montgomery , 26 , proudly displays keys to her car Sunday . `` This is Ludacris , and I 'm giving away 20 free cars . ... '' The famous rapper was pulling an Oprah in his hometown of Atlanta , Georgia . The rapper announced that if listeners were able to pay the taxes , registration , tags and insurance , they should go to his nonprofit Ludacris Foundation Web site and write 300 words about why they deserved new wheels . `` And make it good , '' Luda warned . Watch Ludacris talk about his `` stimulus '' plan '' Four thousand people took him up on his challenge , and in a few days , more than 2,000 essays poured into the Nissan South dealership in Morrow , Georgia , that had teamed with the rapper on the used-car giveaway . See and hear the winners tell their stories '' Rivers ' essay was among them . `` I did n't even wait ; I just continued out that door to the community center , sat at a computer and let all my emotions come out , '' he said . Rivers described riding the city bus with his 14-year-old daughter to make sure she arrived safely at school and how he recently celebrated the small victory of getting his 17-year-old autistic son , who ca n't tolerate crowds , to stand calmly for a few moments outside the bus stop . He does n't live near a grocery store so he has to bring home the food he can carry on the bus . Rivers was laid off from his job as a court clerk in the summer of 2008 , and making job interviews on time is n't easy when the bus is often late . But on Sunday afternoon , Rivers was giddy , slightly bouncing as he spoke . He stood shoulder to shoulder among the 20 winners and their friends and families waiting to see their cars . `` I do n't care what it is , '' Rivers said . `` I 'm grateful for any car with four wheels because it beats two heels . '' Winners received 30 days of free gas , which will be a big help to Joya Montgomery , a 26-year-old single parent of a 4-year-old , 8-year-old and 3-month-old . She has been waking before 5 a.m. and walking to the bus stop , while it 's dark , with her children to begin a long journey to her job and to drop them off at school or a friend 's home . `` It was scary at times , '' she said . `` You do n't even know who 's out there . I was always looking over my shoulder . `` I just ca n't believe I won . I 'm real happy . '' In the parking lot , the crowd was dancing . But the bass of Ludacris ' latest single blasting from the dealership 's loudspeakers was secondary inspiration for one Atlanta grandmother . Fifty-one-year-old Vermelle Jackson was so excited to have a 2005 Mercury Sable to drive around grandchildren , nieces and nephews that she swiveled her hips around and dipped it shockingly low to the ground . `` Lord Jesus . ... He brought this car to me , baby ! '' she shouted , arms raised . `` This is God 's work ! '' Actually , the giveaway idea came from Chris White , the jovial , hand-shaking manager of Nissan South . `` I knew someone who knew someone who knew Luda and , you know , we just made it happen , '' White said . The concept seemed like a winner for everyone . Like many dealerships , Nissan South has not yet been reimbursed for the money it spent upfront during the federal government 's Cash for Clunkers program that allowed customers to trade in older cars for $ 3,500 or $ 4,500 credit . When the popular program ended August 24 , the car dealer did n't want to turn away customers who kept streaming in , expecting to get the same discounts . So Nissan South continued giving customers identical low rates and taking their used cars . The Cash for Clunkers program and the continued discounts totaled nearly $ 800,000 in the hole for the dealership , said owner Scott Smith . `` We 're grateful for the Clunkers program because it really helped business , but it 's a lot of money to be without , '' he said . At the end of the year , the cars given away under the Luda program , which were not technically acquired during the Clunkers program , may be eligible as charity tax write-offs . `` We like to think of it as not being about the write-offs , '' White said . `` It 's more like we had a chance to do something positive in the community that is going through a really hard time right now . '' White helped place a few radio spots and within two days , more than 2,000 essays had been sent in . That number quickly shot to close to 4,000 . Ludacris and his mother , Roberta Shields , who directs his foundation and helped give away the cars Sunday , and the rapper 's foundation staff of about a dozen helped read the essays . To validate the stories they found most compelling , they made phone calls and interviewed people who knew the finalists . `` We ended up calling a homeless shelter to reach one gentleman whose cell phone had gone out , and he was recharging it , '' Shields said . `` We did n't know if we 'd get ahold of him , but we finally did . All he wanted was a car to help him go out for job interviews . '' Ludacris was particularly moved by the story of a Sudanese refugee who has experienced every hardship imaginable , the least of which was a broken-down car . The two sat down Sunday and had a long talk . `` That 's one of those stories that really had me like , man , I thought I had faced some adversities in life , '' the rapper said in a quiet moment away from the crowd . `` But I 've not faced adversities at all compared to what he 's been through . I can not imagine going through what he 's gone through and still be that strong . '' Mading Duor , who escaped civil war and was providing for his four children on a school maintenance worker 's salary , was crossing a street in Decatur , Georgia , when a driver ignored a crosswalk and hit and killed his 4-year-old son . Karen McCrea , who attends church with Duor , wrote the winning essay . `` I do n't expect anyone to understand -LSB- what I have been through -RSB- , but I know that people come to me with a good heart now , '' he said . `` I could n't believe it when she called me to tell me . I said , ` You are kidding ! It can not be ! ' '' Neither McCrea , from Atlanta 's affluent Buckhead area , nor Duor , neatly dressed in a shirt buttoned to the collar , seemed like Ludacris ' demographic . They nodded their heads to his music anyway , smiling . `` Oh , I know his music , I know it , yes , '' Duor said . `` I will play it -LSB- in my car -RSB- . '' | Some 4,000 essays received after dealership partners with rapper for giveaway . Atlanta-raised celebrity gives used cars to single mom , laid-off worker , refugee . Program also is way for dealership possibly to write off cars as charity . | [[919, 928], [931, 999], [4557, 4567], [4573, 4616], [4617, 4661], [4617, 4628], [4642, 4661], [4125, 4147], [4150, 4192], [4251, 4304]] |
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jazz master Wynton Marsalis says the blues is the true American music -- the heartbeat and unifying principle of jazz , country , R&B , gospel and other styles -- but it 's been relegated to the back of the bus by greed and the legacy of racism . Marsalis grew up in New Orleans , Louisiana , son of Dolores and Ellis Marsalis . He was a trumpet prodigy , surrounded by top-notch musicians and steeped in the city 's eclectic music . He was encouraged to excel by his father , a jazz pianist who instilled in his son a love of musical excellence and integrity . Marsalis plays classical and jazz music with equal mastery . He is artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center and has won nine Grammy Awards and the Pulitzer Prize in music . He will be awarded the French Legion of Honor on November 6 . In an interview Tuesday , Marsalis talked to CNN.com about the primary position of the blues in American music . The blues is our root music , American born-and-bred , but it 's been treated like a stepchild of dubious origin , granted only secondary status , in Marsalis ' view . It suffuses Broadway , Tin Pan Alley , rock 'n' roll , country-western , gospel , bluegrass and more , but never got its financial due or the respect it deserves . Marsalis says that 's because of racism -- it was the music of a whole people granted only secondary status -- and its inability to make a lot of money . He also talks about his father , how slavery has affected the nation , and some lessons to be learned from jazz . CNN : You have a DVD out called `` Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis Play the Music of Ray Charles . '' That 's jazz , country and R&B . What do those styles have in common ? WYNTON MARSALIS : The blues . It runs through all American music . Somebody bending the note . The other is the two-beat groove . It 's in New Orleans music , it 's in jazz , it 's in country music , it 's in gospel . The other is the down-home sensibility that 's sophisticated . That 's why Louis Armstrong could play with Jimmy Rogers . Ray Charles is actually the embodiment . He and Willie Nelson came ` round in young manhood at a time in the late '40s early 1950s when all of the American music , root music , was all combined . It became segregated in the mid - to late - '50s . Carl Perkins had a hit in 1955 -- `` Blue Suede Shoes . '' It was on the R&B charts , it was on the country charts , it was No. 1 on the rock and roll charts . -LSB- It was -RSB- basically the same music , so there was an intersection point . It 's like in cuisine , that would be like fried chicken and red beans and rice , it would be like potato salad and barbecued ribs . Someone in Texas not going to eat barbecued ribs ? CNN : What led to the compartmentalization of these kinds of music , that came from the same roots ? MARSALIS : Money and racism . I do n't know which one came first . CNN : Why was blues not regarded as something of value in this country ? MARSALIS : It came from who we did n't like . That 's what it was -- it was n't that we could n't see it . Who it came from , we did not like them . CNN : So do you include African-Americans in that ? So black people did n't appreciate it ? MARSALIS : They did n't appreciate it . They do n't now . That 's part of the whole kind of self-hatred that comes from that type of slavery that the black American still labors under . That racism was heavy . The legacy of it -- it was n't just 50 years . It was seven generations , and if a generation is 33 years , ... seven or eight -LSB- generations -RSB- . That 's a long time . And to recover from it has proven to be very difficult . CNN : So is that what 's going on with rap ? MARSALIS : No question . Rap is the repetition of the minstrel show . But it 's not going to go away , it was too many people . If it had been 100,000 people , it can go away . ... But it ca n't be millions of people and their descendants . -LSB- Slavery -RSB- was a very powerful and successful system . And it went on for a long time . In the aftermath of slavery ... there was a retrenching , and -LSB- it turned into -RSB- the type of racism that was experienced by people who came to the North . That consciousness has begun to shift , in the last 30 years . And that 's 20 or 30 years of just thawing and shifting that 's attached to 330 years -LSB- of slavery -RSB- , and the thought you can get up and you will be better ... that 's just asinine , it 's absurd . CNN : But did n't the blues come from this , being marginalized ? MARSALIS : The blues was like a solution to that , an antidote to it . But the blues is not only Afro-American music . CNN : So , you 've written that it 's not just African , it 's American . What about America gave rise to the blues ? MARSALIS : It is America . It 's that combination , those tensions , the east-west tensions , the kind of tension of being a slave in the land of freedom , and the land of freedom itself , the Western mind , the concept of soloing across time , the call-and-response of democracy , direct call and response , the kind of optimism that is American in nature , is in the blues . There are elements in it that are African and there are elements of the American take on Europeanism . It 's integrated , it 's like a person whose DNA is integrated . You start to try to figure it out -- but you ca n't . That 's how the blues is , that 's why it fits with everything , country-western , bluegrass -- everybody 's playing the same music . CNN : You write that jazz leaves room for individual creativity , but you have to listen and allow the other musicians to participate equally . So what 's the lesson for the nation ? MARSALIS : We have to have an overall cultural objective , which we do n't have . ... We then fight under the flag of a position , the left or the right , black or white , old or young . It 's very simplistic . We do n't know our cultural history , we do n't know we are together , and because we do n't know we are together we ca n't act in that way . And that 's the main thing our music , and the history of our music , can teach us as a nation . The one concept that has to be at the heart of the American experiment is integrity . The integrity of the process is very important . If you come up on the bandstand you have to be at least trying to swing . If you do n't really want to swing or play with the musicians , there 's nothing they can do , because you have the freedom to destroy it . CNN : Your father set an example . It sounds like you got a lot of your ideas about integrity from him . MARSALIS : Yes , he sure did . From him . He was n't segregated about any music , he did n't care , you could play pop music , funk , he 'd say `` right , great man . '' He was a jazz musician . He was n't uptight and always railing about somebody . What he did was very clear , and what he thought about being a man , he did n't look at a boy like that . I remember he sat in with our funk band one time . ... We 'd go to his gig , there 'd be six people . We 'd go to our gig , there 'd be thousands of people , dancing having a good time . We were playing a dance at a high school , he did n't know any of the music , but he played all of the music we had . We were laughing , we said , my daddy did n't know any of the music and he did n't know any of the tunes but he was playing better than us . CNN : When you were playing in a funk band in high school , did you look at your jazz musician dad as old school ? MARSALIS : No , no , never , I never suffered from that misconception , because he was so much hipper than the people I was around . Philosophically , he knew more than we did . I 'd bring people to see him . He never tried to act like a child , like a kid . I never thought I knew more than him , he was on the case . CNN : What are the components of jazz ? MARSALIS : The main three components are the blues , improvisation -- which is some kind of element that people are trying to make it up -- and swing , which means even though they 're making up music , they 're trying to make it up together . It feels great , like you 're having a great conversation with somebody . Sometimes you get in a good coordinated groove , and it just continues to happen . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Wynton Marsalis . | Wynton Marsalis : The blues is at the root of all American music , but was never given its due . Marsalis : Blues unappreciated by blacks and whites alike , due to racism and money . Slavery was 330 years , shift away from racism 's effects only in past 30 years . He says Americans do n't know their cultural history : There are solutions to divisions . | [[0, 24], [56, 187], [828, 851], [854, 940], [941, 993], [1746, 1782], [191, 274], [1273, 1401], [2904, 2970], [3172, 3211], [4200, 4237], [4240, 4262]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 219-year-old document that stemmed from alcohol tariffs to pay off Revolutionary War debts -- and signed by Alexander Hamilton -- became the property of The National Archives on Thursday . This document , signed by Alexander Hamilton , discusses tools for customs agents to determine alcohol content for imported spirits . The historic letter , which has been the property of the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives -LRB- ATF -RRB- for the past 35 years , chronicles the federal government 's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol . In the document , Hamilton , the first United States secretary of the Treasury , discusses tools for customs agents to determine -- for tax purposes -- the alcohol content of St. Croix rum and other imported spirits . Historians said the document is a notable footnote in American history . In 1789 and again in 1790 , Congress imposed alcohol tariffs to pay Revolutionary War debts . In response to the tax on imports , Americans began distilling their own spirits . And when the federal government began taxing those beverages , citizens staged the `` Whiskey Rebellion , '' harassing and threatening federal agents in several cities . But in 1794 , the government squelched the uprising , helping to establish the federal government 's authority in disputes with individual states . Even non-historians might appreciate the timelessness of the dog-eared document , given its skillful use of bureaucratic language to deliver bad news . One eye-glazing , 76-word sentence probably can be summarized as follows : `` We do n't have the thermometers you 'll need , so for now , use the ones you 've got . '' The document , dated Dec. 18 , 1790 , is an original draft of a `` circular letter , '' an official memo that would have been hand-copied and sent to customs officers , historians said . `` In this circular letter , Hamilton attempts to provide customs officers with new tools to more efficiently do their jobs , '' said Kenneth Melson , acting director of ATF . Hamilton notes that he is sending a hydrometer -- used to determine the specific gravity or density of liquids -- to ports so that customs officers can determine the proof of imported beverages . Hamilton says he intends to provide two hydrometers to every port ; one to be used as a standard or check . `` But it is not possible in the first instance to send both . Hence one only will accompany this letter , '' he writes . In a postscript , he adds that he is also sending a `` Tin Cylinder '' to hold liquor while its alcohol content is being measured . Archivists said the early history of the Hamilton circular is not known . But in the mid-1970s , an ATF spokesman and autograph collector -- Howard Criswell Jr. -- came across the letter in a catalog from an autograph dealer in New York City . He purchased it for about $ 100 , intending to use it in an ATF bicentennial exhibit . Criswell , now 84 , is retired and lives in Maryland . The document remained in an ATF safe until it was rediscovered by ATF employees during a relocation of its headquarters building in 2005 . ATF officials said they had once planned to frame the letter , but were told that it would be damaged by exposure to light . The National Archives said the document will become part of its permanent holdings and will be preserved in a locked , temperature and humidity-controlled stack area at its facility in College Park , Maryland . | Document chronicles the federal government 's earliest efforts to regulate alcohol . Item is guide for customs agents to determine the alcohol content of imported spirits . Document will become part of The National Archives ' permanent holdings . | [[355, 503], [506, 559], [517, 581], [221, 265], [268, 354], [2177, 2246], [0, 26], [162, 220], [3259, 3456]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Los Angeles firefighters and city crews worked for several hours Tuesday to rescue one of their own : a 22-ton firetruck that was nearly swallowed by a water-logged sinkhole . Two firefighters crawled out of the truck 's windows after it sank Tuesday morning . No one was injured . The incident happened after four firefighters took the truck to the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Valley Village , where flooding had been reported after a water main break , just before 6 a.m. PT . After seeing running water in the road , a fire captain instructed the rig 's driver to back up and had two firefighters get out of the truck to direct it . That 's when the ground gave way and the front of the truck began quickly sinking . The driver and captain crawled out of the truck 's windows to escape . The four firefighters were not injured . Workers had to simultaneously pull and lift the truck to get it out of the sinkhole . Watch workers pull truck from sinkhole . CNN 's Carey Bodenheimer contributed to this report . | Los Angeles firetruck nearly swallowed by sinkhole Tuesday morning . Firefighters in truck were responding to flooding call when incident happened . Two firefighters escaped truck through windows ; no injuries reported . | [[146, 164], [170, 219], [220, 304], [279, 304], [688, 771], [220, 304], [305, 325], [772, 830], [810, 842]] |
Atlanta , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating how an international flight into Atlanta 's major airport landed on a taxiway instead of a runway early Monday . FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said Delta Flight 60 , from Rio de Janeiro , Brazil , to Atlanta 's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport , was cleared to land about 6:05 a.m. Monday on Runway 27R but landed instead on Taxiway M , which runs parallel to the runway . The flight had 194 passengers and crew aboard , according to CNN affiliate WXIA . No other aircraft were on the taxiway , and there was no damage to either the taxiway or the plane , a Boeing 767 , Bergen said . A runway or taxiway collision , particularly with one plane preparing to take off and carrying a full fuel load , would be catastrophic . Bergen said she is n't sure whether or when other aircraft have ever landed on the taxiway at Hartsfield . Both Runway 27R and Taxiway M are 11,890 feet long , Bergen said , but the runway is marked with white lights while the taxiway is marked with blue lights . Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the airline is cooperating with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board in their investigation , as well as conducting an internal investigation . The pilots of the flight have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations , Black said . Bergen and Black said a medical emergency was reported on the plane , but neither offered any details . The incursion came just two weeks after the FAA announced that serious runway incursions were down 50 percent from the year that ended September 30 , 2008 , over the year ending on the same date this year . The FAA said there were 12 serious incursions in 2009 and 25 in 2008 . Only two of the serious incursions involved commercial airliners in 2009 , compared with nine in 2008 . The FAA defines a serious incursion as one in which a collision is narrowly avoided , or there was a significant potential for collision that resulted in the need to take quick corrective action . | Plane landed on taxiway instead of runway Monday morning , FAA says . No other plane was on the taxiway ; aircraft was n't damaged . The taxiway is parallel to a runway , but they 're marked differently . | [[0, 7], [10, 202], [203, 227], [407, 434], [555, 592], [599, 653], [425, 434], [443, 472]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police met a wayward jet that overshot the runway by 150 miles -- while not responding to control tower communications -- and said the pilots were `` cooperative , apologetic and appreciative . '' Authorities are reviewing the plane 's cockpit voice recorder as well as its flight data recorder . The Minneapolis-St . Paul -LSB- Minnesota -RSB- Airport Police report on the incident , released Friday , said officers asked flight attendants to keep passengers in their seats while they checked out the cockpit , where , they said , `` the door was standing open . '' The police report identified the pilot as Timothy B. Cheney and the first officer as Richard I. Cole . `` The pilot ... indicated they had become involved in conversation and had not heard radio communications , '' the report said . `` They indicated there had been no involvement from anyone in the cabin . '' `` Both volunteered to a preliminary breath test with the result being .000 for both parties , '' the report said . The lead flight attendant , the report said , told officers that she was unaware there had been an incident aboard . Northwest Flight 188 -- carrying 144 people and five crew members -- flew past the Minneapolis airport during a mysterious 78 minutes of radio silence beginning about 7:56 p.m. ET Wednesday night . The Airbus A320 was carrying 147 passengers and an unknown number of crew members , according to the National Transportation Safety Board . Air traffic controllers re-established radio contact after the plane had flown about 150 miles past its destination . Watch how Flight 188 drama unfolded '' The National Transportation Safety Board , which is investigating the incident , is hoping the plane 's cockpit voice recorder will either confirm the pilot 's account or provide evidence of another possible explanation , including whether the captain and first officer had fallen asleep . However , approached outside his home Friday , the first officer told CNN affiliate KGW that `` nobody was asleep in the cockpit and no arguments took place . '' Cole was referring to NTSB 's earlier statement that said , `` The crew stated they were in a heated discussion over airline policy and they lost situational awareness . '' `` There 's a lot of misinterpretation going on , '' Cole said , though he refused to comment further . The voice recorder is capable of recording only 30 minutes of audio , federal accident investigators said Friday . The plane was in the air for another 45 minutes after radio contact was restored , meaning that if the recorder was working properly , anything the pilots would have said during the time they were not answering radio calls would have been recorded over . But a former accident investigator told CNN the voice recorder may still provide valuable information , because the pilots could have discussed the earlier events on the way back to Minneapolis . The separate flight data recorder also could prove valuable because it would have recorded actions taken by the pilots during the 78 minutes they did not respond to repeated calls from air traffic controllers , the former accident investigator said . The safety board said Friday afternoon that experts were reviewing the solid-state voice recorder . It said only that the recorder `` captured a portion of the flight that is being analyzed , '' and added there would be no further comment . Watch as former NTSB official calls long silence `` unacceptable '' '' Meanwhile , the North American Aerospace Defense Command , which scrambled fighter jets for the wayward plane did not launch them , said it was reviewing procedures for launching the fighters to track potentially hijacked or suspicious aircraft . At issue , according to a senior U.S. official directly familiar with the timeline of the incident , is the FAA 's apparent delay in notifying NORAD that the Northwest jet was not in contact with controllers . The official , who declined to be identified because both the military and the FAA are reviewing the entire incident , said that the FAA 's request for military involvement came after the plane passed the Minneapolis airport . NORAD scrambled fighter jets at two locations . But as they approached the runway for takeoff , the FAA reported being back in contact with the Northwest flight , and the fighters stayed on the ground . `` My real question is why we did not know of the ` radio out ' situation from the FAA sooner , '' the officials said . `` The FAA is also looking into that , '' the official told CNN . Since the September 11 , 2001 , terror attacks , NORAD has regularly launched fighter jets to track aircraft in unusual situations such as when they deviate from flight plans , lose radio contact or enter restricted airspace . According to a second U.S. official , NORAD is in constant contact with the FAA so it can respond when situations arise . Reported instances of two pilots falling asleep are rare . In August , the safety board concluded its investigation into a February 13 , 2008 , incident in which two pilots aboard a Go airlines flight fell asleep and traveled 26 miles beyond the destination of Hilo , Hawaii , before waking and contacting air traffic controllers . Northwest Airlines is part of Delta Air Lines , which issued a statement Thursday , saying it is `` cooperating with the FAA and NTSB in their investigation , as well as conducting our own internal investigation . The pilots have been relieved from active flying pending the completion of these investigations . '' It said Flight 188 landed safely in Minneapolis just after 9 p.m. Delta suffered another major embarrassment this week when a Delta pilot landed a passenger jet on a taxiway at Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport instead of the runway . The NTSB is investigating that case as well . CNN 's Mike M. Ahlers and Barbara Starr contributed to this report . | NEW : Airport police report identifies pilot and first officer . NEW : NORAD reviewing procedures after delay in learning of wayward airliner . Northwest Airlines flight overshot Minneapolis airport by about 150 miles . NTSB : Crew said they were in `` heated discussion '' and `` lost situational awareness '' | [[586, 688], [3483, 3492], [3495, 3539], [3615, 3674], [19, 137], [1130, 1150], [1199, 1280], [1468, 1494], [1495, 1585], [689, 703], [706, 795], [2099, 2124], [2130, 2134], [2137, 2246]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Indigenous Indians located nine survivors of a plane that crashed in a river in the Amazon rain forest with 11 people onboard , according to the Brazilian air force . The nine passengers were in good health , the air force said Friday . Of the two people missing -- a passenger and a crew member -- one is believed to be dead . The air force did not provide further details . The plane was on its way to deliver health supplies Thursday when it crashed . It had taken off from Cruzeiro do Sul in Acre state and was headed to Tabatinga in Amazonas state . The plane landed in the Itui River between the tribe settlements of Aurelio and Rio Novo . Indians of the Matis tribe , who live in Aurelio , initially located the plane and alerted the Brazilian air force , which sent search planes to the site . Before the passengers were located , at least eight aircraft had been dispatched for the search operation , the air force said . Members of the Matis , an indigenous tribe of about 300 , live deep in the rain forest . Other area tribes were helping in a search for the two missing passengers along the shores of the Itui . CNN 's Mariane Teixeira contributed to this report . | Two people missing ; one believed to be dead . Matis tribe Indians find plane and alert Brazilian air force . | [[318, 321], [334, 346], [665, 691], [716, 743], [665, 691], [748, 820]] |
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. State Department has sold its London embassy building to a Qatari real estate company , the embassy announced Tuesday . The signing of the deal is another major step in the embassy 's plans to relocate from its longtime headquarters in central London to a new site in Wandsworth , on the south bank of the River Thames . It was n't immediately clear how much Qatari Diar Real Estate paid for the embassy building in Grosvenor Square , whose 1960s facade was recently given listed status , meaning its design ca n't be changed . The embassy will continue to operate from the current building until the new one is completed in 2016 or 2017 , the embassy said . Construction is expected to begin in 2012 or 2013 . It was a year ago that the embassy announced it was looking for a new site that is more modern , open , and secure than the current building in London 's West End . It has now settled on a site in Wandsworth and is having a design competition for the new building . When the embassy does move to Wandsworth , it will mark the end of a more than 200-year association with Grosvenor Square , in the historic and exclusive neighborhood of Mayfair near Hyde Park . John Adams , who later became U.S. president , lived on the square from 1785 to 1788 , when he was the first U.S. minister to the Court of St. James . The building in which he lived still stands in the square 's northeast corner . The embassy moved to various locations in the West End before returning to Grosvenor Square in 1938 . For years , it occupied a building on the east side of the square -- a building that now houses the Canadian High Commission . During World War II , the square was known as `` Little America '' because the embassy was on one side and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower 's headquarters were on the other . The embassy moved to its current site , occupying the entire west side of the square , when the building was completed in 1960 . The concrete , four-story structure was designed by Eero Saarinen , who also designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis , Missouri , and the U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel in Colorado Springs , Colorado . Since the September 11 attacks in 2001 , the embassy has caused controversy locally by installing blast walls in a wide perimeter around the building . Neighbors complained the walls were unsightly , and the walls caused the road in front of the building to be closed to traffic . Sitting atop the building at the front is a huge gilded aluminum eagle with a 35-foot wingspan . It is not clear whether the eagle will be considered part of the building 's listed status , meaning it will have to stay on the facade , or whether it can be moved to the new location , according to a spokesman for the realty firm Cushman and Wakefield , which advised the United States on the sale . | Qatari firm buys landmark U.S. Embassy building in Grosvenor Square . State Department moving quarters to new building to be finished by 2017 . Post 9/11 protections have drawn criticism from embassy 's neighbors . | [[366, 477], [2175, 2213], [2216, 2326]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Saudi court on Wednesday sentenced a man who caused uproar by bragging about his sex life on television to five years in prison and 1,000 lashes , according to Ministry of Information officials . Mazen Abdul Jawad talked openly about his sex life on the controversial show . Mazen Abdul Jawad , a 32-year-old airline employee and divorced father of four , spoke openly about his sexual escapades , his love of sex and losing his virginity at age 14 . He made the comments on Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation , which aired the interview a few months ago . Saudi authorities shut down LBC offices in Jeddah and Riyadh after airing the interview on an episode of its popular show `` A Thick Red Line . '' Jawad was arrested shortly after the program aired and charged with violating Saudi Arabia 's crime of publicizing vice . On the program , Jawad is also shown in his bedroom , where he holds sexual aids up to the camera . The room is decorated with Mickey Mouse and stuffed bears in sexually suggestive positions . The cameras gave audiences a glimpse of the room 's nightclub-like chandeliers mixed with seafood-shaped wall sconces , perfume bottles and a book in Arabic , `` 101 Questions About Sex , '' that Jawad calls his `` reference . '' Jawad , wearing a red shirt , explained that he put his phone number and details about his car -- a red Mini Cooper -- on his mobile phone 's Bluetooth . He says women usually call him to ask if the car is for sale but , he boasts , `` some go out with me that same night . '' The episode ended with him cruising the streets of Jeddah in his car looking for women . The show that aired Jawad 's story is as popular as it is controversial in the Middle East . It tackles taboos sometimes never discussed in public . In one instance , a guest admitted he put up his children for sale and tried to justify why he continued to look for the highest bidder even though his kids were begging him to change his mind . Most guests wear sunglasses , wigs and strange clothing to disguise their identities as their lives can be endangered for talking about such taboo subjects . Surprisingly , Jawad did not disguise his identity on the program . Watch report on the uproar over the broadcast '' The episode caused an uproar in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia , where sharia , or Islamic law , is practiced . Pre-marital sex is illegal , and unrelated men and women are not permitted to mingle . The segment in question has been posted on the video-sharing site YouTube since its initial broadcast last month , and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times . Speaking about promiscuous acts `` is a violation of the sharia regulations on the one hand and against Saudi customs on the other , '' police spokesman Suleiman Al-Mutawae told Arab News , an English-language daily newspaper in Saudi Arabia . Before Jawad 's detention , Arab News reported that he initiated a damage-control campaign , apologized for his comments and was considering filing a complaint against the show 's producers for presenting him `` in the worst possible manner by taking two hours of footage and condensing it down to a minutes-long segment . '' Jawad 's lawyer could not be reached for comment . The ministry officials spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity . | Mazen Abdul Jawad , divorced father of 4 , spoke openly about sex escapades . Saudi authorities shut down LBC offices in Jeddah and Riyadh over broadcast . Episode caused an uproar in deeply conservative Saudi Arabia . | [[217, 295], [296, 313], [351, 374], [296, 313], [377, 416], [577, 698], [2254, 2318]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It may run contrary to the conventional image of a sport obsessed with the latest technological improvement but , from Stockholm to Shanghai , players are turning back the clock to take part in the latest craze -- hickory golf . The game , which involves using 19th century wooden-shafted clubs , has proved a hit as national championships in the United States , Australia , Canada , England , France , Germany , Sweden and Finland have blossomed . Companies too have been attracted to the format as a way of motivating staff . `` Golfers love a challenge , '' says Gavin Bottrell , who runs hickory golf days in Britain . `` There 's a saying about modern golf clubs that you can buy any shot out of the shop . Playing with hickory makes people think more about their swing and be clever about their shots . '' Hickory clubs were used widely until the 1930s , when manufacturers turned to more modern materials for construction . However , despite their lesser performance , the attraction of dressing up in old-fashioned golfing garb and hacking around 18 holes with mashies , niblicks and cleeks -- the evocative names given to the clubs used by Bobby Jones , Walter Hagen and Henry Cotton -- has endured . The format has a huge following in the U.S. where devotees gather at historic courses to play an `` authentic '' round of golf . Hampton Munsey , who organizes the U.S. Hickory Open in Morganton , North Carolina , says the size of the field has almost doubled since the event was first held in 2008 . This year 's tournament already has entrants from Sweden and Germany , with players ' ages ranging from 20 to 70 . `` The camaraderie is almost as important as the game itself , '' says Munsey , a member of the Society of Hickory Golfers . `` People feel a certain level of pride at being able to play with the old clubs and do well with them . '' Bottrell , a university researcher , has been buying and selling hickory clubs since 1995 . He now has 60 full sets , which he rents out to companies as a package for $ 934 . Recently , he has noticed an increase in interest from abroad , with amateur golfers from Germany , South Korea and Australia all wanting their own slice of hickory history . But Bottrell 's profit margins are nothing compared to one Scottish collector . In April last year , Edinburgh antiques dealer John Dixon sold 7,000 clubs to a Chinese entrepreneur for $ 193,500 . The load has since been shipped to China in bundles of 20 . `` I think he is tapping into a growing market over there . New golf courses are opening in China all the time , '' says Dixon . `` If they are building so many courses they need the merchandise and the memorabilia to go with it . '' At Bottrell 's hickory golf days , participants try to enter the spirit of the era by dressing up in knickerbockers , neckties , flat caps and braces . `` They usually raid local charity shops and come up with some kind of outfit , '' he said . `` They sometimes look like they 've stepped out of a pantomime . There 's quite a lot of confusion as to what golfers were wearing in the early 1900s . '' | Hickory golf is enjoying a revival in all corners of the world . Companies in the UK are paying up to $ 934 to hire hickory clubs for corporate team-building days . The U.S. Hickory Open draws entrants from Europe and Asia with ages ranging from 20 to 70 . Last year , a Chinese businessman paid $ 193,500 for 7,000 hickory clubs . | [[2070, 2131], [1987, 2069], [1998, 2010], [2022, 2069], [1623, 1661], [2325, 2343], [2346, 2441]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 30 people died and 70 were wounded in shelling on a marketplace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Thursday , according to journalists and emergency services . Members of Islamist militia Al-Shaabab patrol Bakara Market in Mogadishu , Somalia , earlier this month . A local journalist called the rocket fire on Bakara market `` unprecedented . '' `` This was the most brutal shelling , '' according to an ambulance service representative who said they had picked up 61 wounded , but expect the number to climb . Other victims were being brought to hospitals by family and friends . The source of the shelling could not immediately be determined . Journalists saw shell fire coming from AMISOM -- the African Union Mission in Somalia -- strongholds in a fortified district of the capital and from near the airport . AMISOM is the only force in the area believed to have the firepower capable of such an intense attack . However , AMISOM denied any involvement in the incident . The African Union has a 3,400-member peacekeeping force in Somalia , made up of troops from Burundi and Uganda . It operates under a U.N. mandate to support Somalia 's transitional federal government . The peacekeeping force is charged with protecting key government and strategic installations in Mogadishu , including the port , airport and presidential palace . It is the de facto military force of the weak , transitional Somali government . African Union forces have been battling an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia in Somalia called Al-Shaabab . The United States is supporting the Somali government 's fight against the insurgents , including providing weapons to government forces . Al-Shaabab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden 's al Qaeda network . The United States is concerned that Somalia 's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency , as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power in early 2007 . Ethiopia invaded Somalia with the support of Somalia 's weak transitional government . Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report . | 30 people killed after shelling in Somali capital Mogadishu according to reports . Journalists report shell fire coming from African Union Mission in Somalia stronghold . Military force AMISOM has denied any involvement in the incident . | [[0, 15], [28, 42], [675, 720], [957, 1004]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bayern Munich stayed level on points with German Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen after beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in Saturday 's late match . Unbeaten Leverkusen had defeated defending champions Wolfsburg 2-1 earlier in the day , but Bayern joined them on 48 points after 22 matches as Bayern came from behind with a victory that left the two teams separated by just one goal on for-and-against differential . Third-placed Schalke will seek to reduce their six-point deficit on the leaders with victory at home to Cologne on Sunday . Leverkusen took the lead three minutes after halftime at their BayArena ground as Stefan Reinartz pounced to score after veteran goalkeeper Andre Lenz spilled a free-kick by Toni Kroos . The hapless 36-year-old handed Leverkusen a second goal 20 minutes later in unfortunate circumstances as home striker Eren Derdiyok 's header from another Kroos set-piece hit the bar , rebounded onto Lenz 's leg and into the net . Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko pulled a goal back in the 79th minute but his side could not force an equalizer , and have now slumped to 14th place -- 23 points behind the leaders . Borussia Dortmund took a fifth-minute lead against Bayern Munich as Egypt 's Africa Cup of Nations winner Mohamed Zidan profited from a mistake by defender Daniel Van Buyten . Bayern could already have been 2-0 down at that stage as Martin Demichelis and Mark Van Bommel cleared two shots off the line by Sven Bender . Van Bommel leveled in the 21st minute as the Dutch midfielder beat Dortmund goalkeeper Marc Ziegler from 20 yards , then compatriot Arjen Robben made it 2-1 five minutes after halftime when he was set up by France playmaker Franck Ribery , making his first start this year following injury problems . Ribery was again the provider as striker Mario Gomez sealed Bayern 's ninth successive league victory in the 65th minute , cutting in from the left to beat Ziegler on the angle . Hamburg went three points clear of Dortmund in fourth place with a 3-1 win at Stuttgart as new signing Ruud Van Nistelrooy scored his first goals for the club . The veteran Dutch striker came off the bench in the 65th minute with the score at 1-1 to make his second outing since arriving from Real Madrid , scoring two typically opportunist efforts in three minutes as Stuttgart boss Christian Gross suffered his first defeat since taking the job in December . Sixth-placed Werder Bremen crushed third-bottom Hannover 5-1 away , scoring four times in the first half , while Bochum moved eight points clear of the bottom three with a 2-1 win at home to mid-table Hoffenheim . Basement side Hertha Berlin came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at home to eighth-placed Mainz , but are still four points behind second-bottom Nuremberg , who lost 2-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday night . | Bayern Munich stay level on points with German Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen . Unbeaten Leverkusen defeat defending champions Wolfsburg 2-1 . Bayern join them on 48 points with 3-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund . New signing Ruud van Nistelrooy scores his first two goals for fourth-placed Hamburg . | [[19, 92], [104, 167], [168, 253], [19, 92], [104, 167], [260, 350], [2048, 2117]] |
Yabuli , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Insulated in designer skiwear against a temperature of -15 ° Celsius , three of China 's burgeoning ski set bundle into a gondola headed to a wind-swept mountaintop in Heilongjiang province , Northeastern China . These new members of China 's skiing elite had traveled from Harbin three hours drive away for a day 's skiing at Sun Mountain , Yabuli , and clearly relished hurtling downhill at one of the country 's newest high-end resorts . `` Control your speed '' is good advice for any novice skier , but it could be equally applied to the growing number of businesses aiming to tap into the nascent Chinese skiing industry . Skiing is just the latest market in China touted to `` boom '' as an increasingly affluent middle class finds new ways to spend their wealth and leisure time . The China Ski Association put the number of skiers in China at 5 million in 2005 , up from just 200,000 in 2000 . The association predicts 20 million skiers by 2014 . `` But around 80 percent will probably never do it again , because the experience is so bad , '' says Graham Kwan , CEO of Melco China Resorts the developers of Sun Mountain , Yabuli . It 's a factor that has held back the momentum of the Chinese ski industry , where the image is still one of bumpy nursery slopes crowded with first-time skiers snow-ploughing into one another . `` The industry is n't developing as fast as it should , '' says Justin Downes , president of Axis Leisure , a Beijing-based resort industry consultancy . `` Ninety percent of skiers are still considered beginners and rent their equipment . The quality of the product and safety has often been questionable , service has been poor . '' Kwan hopes Sun Mountain will provide Chinese skiers with a five-star destination resort that keeps novices coming back to the slopes . Others developers are following suit . French resort company Club Med plans to open a dedicated ski village in China at the end of the year , the first of five the company plans to open by 2015 . China 's Wanda group have plans on a resort in the mountains bordering North Korea , and a resort called Beijing Secret Garden is being developed outside of Beijing near the Great Wall . Since opening last year Sun Mountain has gained accolades , including TIME Magazine 's Best Resort Make-over in 2009 . Yabuli was also the site of the World University Games in 2009 , with a reported $ 400 million invested by the government in updating the facilities and improving transport links to the area , making it the base for China 's national ski team . For Kwan , however , transforming a sleepy town with one aging hotel at the bottom of a mountain has been far from a smooth ride . `` To be perfectly honest , it 's been a struggle , '' says Kwan . `` It 's easy to have a mountain in China . People often ask , ` Why did you put -LSB- the resort -RSB- here ? ' There are beautiful mountains -LSB- elsewhere -RSB- , but too far from the market . Chinese people travel like Europeans ; they 're North-South travelers . '' With over $ 100 million invested in Sun Mountain , Kwan hopes it will be the centerpiece of the new face of skiing in China , offering more than just well-groomed slopes and après-ski with a Chinese twist . `` It 's a combination of operations and real estate , you ca n't sell luxury homes if you do n't sell luxury products , '' says Kwan . A new boutique hotel at the top of the 1000-meter mountain will open next year and capacity eventually expanded to 15 hotels . But it is the resort 's real estate that will be just as important to how fast the area develops . Around 75 houses are already built with almost a thousand more nestled on the mountainside planned for the next 10 years . `` The concept of buying a recreational home in the mountains when it 's -20 ° Celsius is not something the Chinese have grasped yet , '' says Downes . `` The ski market -LSB- in China -RSB- is so small that you ca n't expect to put $ 100 million into a project and hope to recoup that any time soon off your ski operations . But the leisure real estate market is also immature in China . '' As well as selling the resort as an investment opportunity , nurturing the culture of skiing is part of the development . Its absence is something that Downes believes is really hampering the market . `` When I went to work in a ski resort it 's because I wanted to ski all day and party all night . The people who go to work in Chinese ski resorts do n't have any aspirations to do any of those things , '' says Downes . A few gold medals by Chinese skiers at the Winter Olympics could help create a buzz around the sport itself , but for Kwan and Downes , presenting a gold-standard lifestyle is just as important . `` All their gear is high-end , because of course it represents their status . And that 's why we 've chosen to go higher end , because those kinds of customers want to be with us , '' says Kwan , who plans to add VIP gondolas with heated seats and sound system at Sun Mountain , as well as slope-side tea service . `` You ca n't just pick up a Whistler or Three Valleys pop it into China and expect it to be successful , '' adds Downes . `` Because while Chinese skiers want all the positive trapping they also want something that is theirs -- food and cultural elements , but delivered at a much higher level . `` The younger generation is getting money , traveling and getting more adventurous , they 're the ones who are going to define the industry . '' | China 's ski industry seen as a huge growth market for up-scale resort developers . China predicted to have 20 million skiers by 2014 . Numerous international developers are building resorts across the country . Culture of skiing needs to be developed as much as resorts for success say analysts . | [[114, 119], [123, 137], [595, 662], [937, 989], [4203, 4263]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced a public inquiry Wednesday into allegations that Iraqis were killed and abused after a firefight more than five years ago in the southern part of the country . The allegations center around the aftermath of a fight in May 2004 at the so-called Danny Boy checkpoint in Maysan Province . Former detainees and the family of a slain Iraqi contend at least 20 people were killed and others were abused at Camp Abu Naji after a fight between British soldiers and Iraqi insurgents . That claim has been denied by the UK Ministry of Defence -- which says the 20 people died in battle and people detained were not mistreated . The probe is called the Al Sweady inquiry -- named after the family of the dead Iraqi . Thayne Forbes -- who retired from the High Court Bench last year -- will chair the inquiry into allegations . The inquiry will look into allegations of `` unlawful killings '' and the `` ill-treatment of five Iraqi nationals detained at Camp Abu Naji . '' Even though the probe will focus on five detainees , attorneys claim nine people were detained and abused . The defense ministry disputes those allegations . `` We have found no credible evidence that those detained , as a result of the attack on British troops and the prolonged firefight at Danny Boy checkpoint , were mistreated , '' the defense ministry said in a statement . The release of a photo published in British media and obtained by CNN about the incident shows an armed soldier standing near four people face down on the ground with their hands bound behind their backs and their faces covered . Attorneys for the men say they were beaten and evidence shows a breach of the Geneva Conventions prohibiting humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners . But , the defence ministry disputes that . `` It is important to remember that our first priority at the end of such attacks is to protect our personnel from further threats , '' the ministry said . CNN 's Atika Shubert and Per Nyberg contributed to this report . | UK to hold public inquiry into allegations Iraqis were killed and abused after firefight five years ago . Allegations center around aftermath of firefight in 2004 at checkpoint in Maysan Province , southern Iraq . Former detainees and family of a slain Iraqi say at least 20 people were killed and others were abused . UK defense ministry says the 20 people died in battle and people detained were not mistreated . | [[0, 6], [9, 112], [135, 141], [158, 245], [246, 312], [460, 561], [902, 1016], [135, 141], [158, 245], [246, 312], [432, 459], [460, 561], [611, 618], [628, 686], [432, 459], [611, 618], [628, 686], [666, 703]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hondurans divided over an ongoing political crisis agree on one thing -- they do n't think very highly of their leaders , according to a new survey . Almost half of Hondurans polled -- 48 percent -- said they disapproved of the job President Jose Manuel Zelaya was doing before he was ousted in a coup on June 28 , said the 2009 Latinobarometro survey . The man who assumed power after the coup , de facto President Roberto Micheletti , received a disapproval rating of 65 percent for how he has handled the crisis , according to the survey . The annual Latinobarometro survey , named after the Chile-based non-profit company of the same name , is among the most highly regarded polls in the region . This year , the poll asked a number of questions that shed light on how Hondurans and other Latin Americans viewed the political crisis in Honduras . A new Honduran president , Pepe Lobo Sosa , was elected last month , though the international community is split on whether to recognize him because the vote took place under the rule of the de facto government . An agreement between negotiators for Zelaya and Micheletti had been reached earlier , but lost much credibility when its implementation did n't go as planned . Zelaya , who remains holed up inside the Brazilian embassy in the Honduran capital ever since covertly sneaking back into his country in September , has called the plan dead . Several attempts to find a resolution failed , despite strong international criticism of the coup . `` It can be said that the force of rejection of all the international organizations , which were raised in a singular voice against the coup and in favor of the restitution of the constitutionally elected president , were ineffective against the local political forces that had expelled Zelaya in an ignominious manner , '' the survey said . The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya 's desire to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution to allow longer terms for the president . The country 's congress had outlawed the vote , and the supreme court had ruled it illegal . Micheletti and his supporters say Zelaya 's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not a coup . According to Latinobarometro , 58 percent of Hondurans disapproved of the coup , while another 28 percent said they approved of Zelaya 's ouster . Those more heavily in favor of the coup included those with a higher education and the elderly , the survey found . Of those with university degrees , 40 percent approved of the coup , compared with 27 percent approval among those with only a basic education , the survey said . Zelaya faced long odds of returning to the presidency because the supreme court and congress , including lawmakers from his own party , were against his calls for the referendum that led to his ouster . These political power brokers , and in general , the Honduran elite that backed Micheletti , likely account for the discrepancy between education level and views of the coup . In Honduras , the elite are more likely to have completed university than others . The low approval ratings for Zelaya point to his thin election victory in 2005 , according to Latinobarometro . The leftist Zelaya was elected with just under 50 percent of the vote . That margin hardly gave him a mandate to push the sweeping constitutional reforms he wanted , the survey said . `` Manuel Zelaya wanted to implement reforms that were beyond what the majority supported , '' the report said . Outside of Honduras , 24 percent of respondents in the other Latin American countries approved of the coup , the Latinobarometro survey found . Asked to rate Honduran democracy on a scale of 1 to 10 , those outside of the country said the Central American nation merited a 5.2 , the survey said . It was the first time that the firm asked for people to give their perception of democracy in a country that was not their own . Latinobarometro also asked respondents in the region whether they believed a coup was possible in their own country . The highest affirmative responses came from countries that have left-leaning presidents . Ecuadorians -LRB- 36 percent -RRB- , Brazilians -LRB- 34 percent -RRB- and Venezuelans -LRB- 30 percent -RRB- said a coup was possible in their country . | The annual Latinobarometro survey is a highly regarded poll . This year 's poll focuses on Honduras political crisis . Poll : 48 percent of respondents disapprove of Zelaya . De facto president gets disapproval rating of 65 percent . | [[562, 595], [664, 719], [169, 200], [204, 214], [373, 413], [456, 533]] |
Camp Lejeune , North Carolina -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On a base accustomed to deploying Marines into some of the most hostile war zones , you would expect some hesitancy when units from here were asked to surge into some of the worst fighting since the start of the war in Afghanistan . This week , the first of 1,500 Marines will be part of the initial wave of President Obama 's surge plan to head to Afghanistan 's restive provinces to support Marines and soldiers fighting a dug-in Taliban force . However , many Marines we talked to in this coastal , scrub pine-covered North Carolina base are more than excited to go , despite the dangers that await them . `` I 'm absolutely ecstatic about the situation . I 've got a good group of Marines that are behind me , so I 'm real excited about the deployment , '' said Sgt. Jason Bendett of the 3rd Platoon , A Company , 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion , based at Lejeune . But combat deaths in Afghanistan are up -- 305 this year , from 155 during 2008 -- giving pause to even the most motivated Marines . `` I think I would n't be human if I was n't worried , obviously this being my first combat deployment , but the Taliban are an experienced group of fighters , and I 'm not taking that for granted , '' 2nd Lt. John Auer , also of the 3rd Platoon , said during some of his final rifle range training before he deploys . Members of this unit say they have been waiting and waiting as they watched fellow Marines deploy ahead of them this year , and they say they are more than ready to go . They were supposed to go to Iraq in June , but as priorities shifted , they were reassigned to Afghanistan 's Helmand province , where Marines are in daily battles with the Taliban . `` Having months to train and putting Marines out in the elements in Southern California , where we train , gives them a chance to see what the atmospherics are going to be like and to work as a team , so this is perfect , and we are really looking forward to this , '' Auer said . `` These guys have a lot of training under their belts , more than Marine units typically get in this situation . Senior military leaders have a lot of big expectations for this team , '' said the unit 's first sergeant , Ronald Neff . Last week , the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , Adm. Mike Mullen , gave some of the deploying Marines an impassioned speech about what they will face . `` We do n't have a lot of time . The slope on this insurgency is going in the wrong direction , and it has picked up , three years , each year to a significant degree , '' Mullen said , describing the deteriorating security situation . `` I believe the strategy that the president laid out , the decision that he 's made , is the right decision . Both those are right , and we will now move out , given our orders , and we 'll carry them out . And again , I could n't be more confident and more pleased that you are going to be at the core of that , '' he told the hundreds of Marines in attendance . Many of the Marines there are young and are facing their first combat deployment . Although all the bravado of a newly minted Marine ready for combat looks and sounds ready to fight , their eyes showed worry and concern for the unknown as they listened to Mullen . `` Best thing you can hope for is that you personally know yourself , that you 're not going to freeze up , '' Lance Cpl. Matthew Jenkins said after Mullen 's speech . `` We 'll see how I react when it goes down in a couple weeks , '' said Lance Cpl. Joshua Williamson . Questions remain , however , about how so many Marines without combat experience in Afghanistan can jump into a heated combat zone . Mullen admitted some concerns . `` We 're obviously not in an ideal situation with respect to that . I understand that , but I have a huge amount of confidence in our Marine Corps based on their ability to adapt , what they did in Iraq , '' he said . There seems to be little worry among unit leaders in the 3/2nd LAR , who have been training and watching their troops grow in skills and confidence in recent months . `` One thing about the Marine Corps is that you always have experience wherever you go , '' Auer said . `` So we 've got Marines that have done deployments before and the training they have given me , I 'm confident to where I can lead my platoon , but I 'm also relying on staff NCOs -LRB- non-commissioned officers -RRB- that have years of experience . `` That experience we have from the different deployments in Iraq , I 'm relying on all the NCOs to carry their weight , and with that I do n't think there is anything that can get in our way , '' Auer continued . For the families of these Marines , deployments are never easy , especially when they know that their husbands and wives are moving to a region known for its hostility . `` I 'm glad he 's going where he 's needed . It would be a waste for him to go where he 's not needed and not be able to do his job , '' said Kim Durbin , wife of deploying Marine Lt. Dan Durbin . `` It 's just not him in the Marine Corps , it 's our family , and we are proud to be a part of it , '' she said . Kim Durbin and her three kids , ages 1 , 3 and 5 , will watch Dan Durbin leave for Helmand province on his first combat deployment in a few weeks . She appears strong for a young mother , but all the preparations a family does can sometimes bury reality . `` Well we 're thankful he 's going to be with us for Christmas , so we just want to enjoy the time we have together . '' But Kim Durbin 's eyes close , and she fights back tears that become a sob . `` I think when we actually say goodbye , it 's going to be hard , but we 'll get through it , and we want to enjoy the time we do have together , '' she said . Families on this base are their own support system . Wives of Marines with husbands who have deployed numerous times help younger families get through the first deployments . `` It 's very difficult , I think , for people outside the military community to understand what they have to go through , '' said Marine Capt. Eric Maedor , who returned from his third combat deployment to Afghanistan weeks ago . His wife , Teresa Maedor , a veteran of keeping the family together while Eric is away , agrees . `` I do n't think when you have ` X ' number of deployments under your belt that it makes it any easier ; you just know what to expect . You know what to expect next time as far as how you need to manage things . Sometimes you worry about them more ; sometimes you worry about them less , '' she said . | Marines , part of initial wave of Obama 's surge plan , to head to Afghanistan this week . `` I 'm absolutely ecstatic about the situation , '' says Sgt. Jason Bendett . Questions remain on how Marines without Afghan combat experience can jump right in . `` When we actually say goodbye , it 's going to be hard , but we 'll get through it , '' wife of Marine says . | [[282, 291], [294, 386], [357, 496], [661, 707], [807, 884], [3552, 3568], [3571, 3578], [3581, 3684], [5613, 5674], [5681, 5702]] |
Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A court order issued Monday blocks five Americans arrested in Pakistan last week from being deported or being handed over to the FBI , officials said . `` All the government functionaries , including federal government or provincial governments are directed not to hand over the alleged detainees -LSB- Americans -RSB- to any American agencies , or any other foreign agencies , '' the order said , according to Faisal Zaman , attorney for the government of Pakistan 's Punjab province . The five were arrested Wednesday amid suspicion that they were plotting terrorist attacks . They were transferred Saturday from Sargodha , a small town where they were seized , to a more secure location in Lahore , police said . The court order was a response to a petition from Khalid Khawaja , a former Pakistani intelligence official and founder of an organization called Defense of Human Rights of Pakistan . Under Pakistani law , any citizen can file a petition with a court . The Lahore High Court scheduled a hearing for Thursday and ordered the government to respond to Khawaja 's petition . A police report on the interrogation of the American suspects , dated Thursday , focused on one identified as Ahmed Abdullah Minni , a 20-year-old born in Virginia . The report said he regularly goes online to watch attacks on the U.S. military in Afghanistan and that he left comments praising the actions . That caught the attention of militants , and he eventually was contacted by a person named Saifullah , the report said . After contact had been made , a Yahoo e-mail account was set up so the men and militants could communicate , the report says . E-mails were never sent from the account , but people would leave messages in the draft section of the e-mail account and delete them after reading them , the Pakistani police report said . `` This mode of communication enabled them to pass on messages without fear of interception by the FBI , '' the report said . It said the suspects made a plan with Saifullah to go from Pakistan to Afghanistan . They gathered in Karachi and left for Hyderabad on December 1 . They tried to hook up with two militant groups , Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa , but neither of them showed interest . The FBI said Pakistani authorities detained the men -- four of whom it said were found to have American passports . Along with Minni , there were snapshots and brief profiles of four others -- Umar Farooq , Aman Hassan Yemer , Waqar Hussain Khan and Ramy Zamzam -- all from the Washington area . Police in Sargodha took a sixth man -- Khalid Farooq , father of Umar -- into custody , and he was undergoing questioning at a safe location . Authorities have said Khalid Farooq has not been considered a suspect . CNN 's Samson Desta and Nasir Habib contributed to this report . | Pakistani court order bars deportation of five Americans . Five arrested last week amid suspicion that they were plotting terrorist attacks . Police report says one of the Americans left comments online praising militants . Militant contacted American after noticing online comments , report says . | [[12, 36], [40, 89], [61, 120], [61, 120], [580, 618], [1293, 1435], [1396, 1435], [1477, 1520], [1539, 1556]] |
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Solferino which led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross . The ICRC is using the date to launch an awareness campaign of its work in conflict-affected countries , featuring photos taken by five award-winning photojournalists . This week we 're bringing you stories from some of the world 's most troubled countries , as told by the ICRC . CITÉ SOLEIL , Haiti -LRB- ICRC -RRB- -- Roudeline Lamy was 23 when she was shot in the stomach . The impact of the bullet sent the small baby she was holding tumbling to the ground . Roudeline Lamy shows the scar from her bullet wound . At 26 , she 's a widow after losing her husband to gangland violence . Roudeline still suffers from stomach pains and her daughter , now three years old , is paralyzed from the waist down . The mother and child sleep on the concrete floor of a shack that floods every time it rains . Since Roudeline 's husband was killed by the gangs , she has had to rely on the charity of friends and her faith that God will not abandon her . With very few State services , God is all the poor in Haiti 's sprawling seaside slum of Cité Soleil can believe in . Two schools and one state hospital serve the ever-expanding population , with aid agencies and religious groups trying to plug the gap . The International Committee of the Red Cross -LRB- ICRC -RRB- has been in Haiti since 1994 and in Cité Soleil since 2003 . Rob Drouen , head of the ICRC delegation , explains , `` Haiti is a fragile state where armed gangs can be used to stir up trouble for political reasons and abject poverty fuels discontent . '' See photos taken by award-winning photojournalist Ron Haviv '' Even among the children . In Cité Soleil , a dozen street children start pummeling a young girl . It 's not known why . But within seconds word has spread that a fight is on . Hordes of children with matted hair and ragged clothes race to the scene , glad of anything to relieve the monotony of yet another day with nothing to do . Weary parents pull their children away , leaving the shaken girl to escape . This is a far cry from the days when families ran for cover from daily gun battles . A few years ago , Cité Soleil was one of the most dangerous and destitute places on earth -- a shanty town torn apart by a vicious gang war for control of the area . United Nations troops have stabilized the security situation in Haiti , the western world 's poorest country , and many gang members are either dead or behind bars . Nevertheless , violence still surrounds the 300,000 residents of Cité Soleil , fueled by hunger and the frustration of trying to survive on less than a dollar a day . I sidestep the brawling children and enter the home of a woman who has suffered more than most . A long-standing resident of Cité Soleil , 83 year old Elevanise Tidor was first caught in gangland crossfire in 1993 . In 2004 she stepped into harm 's away again when she was shot in the breast and stomach . As she undoes her faded dress to show the scars from her mastectomy , she tells me she was later hit by a car and now can hardly walk . Watch Elevanise Tidor tell her story '' Confined to a sparsely furnished corrugated iron shack , she worries about how her children and grandchildren are going to make ends meet . `` My body took the bullets , but my family has been hit the hardest , '' she says . `` I ca n't work or do anything for them . My grandchildren often go to bed crying with hunger . '' That the victims of violence can suffer for years after the event is well-known , but in Cité Soleil the suffering can last a lifetime . With the help of the ICRC , a group of victims of the violence is aiding fellow sufferers . In 2007 , Pierre Wilber founded REVICIS -LRB- Regroupement des victimes de Cité Soleil -RRB- after gang members beat him up for political reasons . REVICIS has already identified 300 victims and is now trying to get funds for social , psychological and legal help . `` There are so many social problems in Cité Soleil that everyone here is a victim , '' he says . `` But we give priority to people visibly scarred by violence , because they have suffered a double blow . '' Brice Osmer is one of the rare victims who can still work . In April 2005 , he was caught in a shoot-out between UN troops and gang members . He was hit three times and lost an arm . Since then he walks the streets selling mobile phone time cards and bags of water . `` On a good day I earn a dollar , but it 's thanks to my wife who sells food from dawn to dusk that my children do n't starve . '' In 2004 , at the height of the gang warfare , the Red Cross ensured that people had safe access to water . Previously , they had been risking their lives crossing frontlines to fill up their buckets . Today , the ICRC works with the water board , maintaining and running 53 communal water points across Cité Soleil , turning them on for a couple of hours 20 days a month . Prospere Borgelin works with the ICRC on its water project . He also works with other international organizations to improve living conditions in Ti-Haiti where he lives -LRB- Ti-Haiti is Creole for Petit Haiti , or Little Haiti . -RRB- . Like other community leaders , he has seen the benefits of working closely with the humanitarian agencies and with the Brazilian troops from the U.N. stabilization mission responsible for security in Cité Soleil . `` The troops have brought security . Communities are beginning to organize themselves . We see the results in that roads are being built , rubbish collected and sewage removed , '' he says . At considerable personal risk , Borgelin has helped the U.N. and the Haitian police arrest gang members in his neighborhood and continues to be vigilant . Like many in Cité Soleil , he fears that the U.N. will pull out before the Haitian police are ready to take over and that the streets will again echo to the sound of gunfire . `` Misery , '' he says , `` breeds violence . And there 's still plenty of misery in Cité Soleil . '' For more about this topic go to the ICRC Website . Have you been affected by conflict ? Send your photos and stories to iReport . | Worst of the violence is over in Haiti , but life remains intolerably hard in slums . Many residents of Cité Soleil bear the scars of gang-related warfare . United Nations troops have stabilized the situation but poverty fuels unrest . | [[2309, 2355], [2563, 2624], [1519, 1655], [2382, 2451]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A woman who helped raise a child with her female partner in Vermont before the pair split can visit the girl in Virginia even though that state does n't recognize same-sex unions , a court ruled Friday . Janet Jenkins with Isabella , the daughter she helped raise with former partner Lisa Miller . Virginia 's Supreme Court ruled that Janet Jenkins and Lisa Miller 's civil union in 2000 gave Vermont , and its law on same-sex unions , jurisdiction over their subsequent custody and visitation disputes . Miller moved to Virginia with the child in 2003 , and a Vermont court granted Jenkins visitation rights . But Miller took the case to a Virginia court , which ruled that Jenkins had no such rights there . The case was considered by legal experts to be the first conflict between two state courts over a major legal question arising from same-sex unions . Jenkins ' attorney , Joseph Price of the Washington law firm Arent Fox , said Friday 's ruling `` just affirms the old principle that when these kinds of custody and visitation disputes begin in one state , that 's where they should remain . '' `` You ca n't shop them around to another state , '' Price said . `` Virginia really had no choice but to enforce judgments and judicial orders from Vermont . '' Vermont is one of the few states that allow same-sex partners to enter into a civil union . Two years after Vermont recognized Miller and Jenkins ' relationship , Miller gave birth to a daughter , Isabella , conceived through artificial insemination . The relationship deteriorated , and Miller and the baby moved to Virginia . A Vermont court later granted Miller a dissolution of the civil union and granted custody of the child to her and visitation rights to Jenkins . Miller then asked the courts in Virginia -- which does not recognize same-sex unions or marriages -- to take jurisdiction of the dispute . A Virginia state judge eventually ruled that Jenkins had no `` parentage or visitation rights . '' The Virginia high court ruling Friday returned the case to Vermont 's control , meaning Jenkins can visit the girl , who is now 6 . Miller 's attorney , Mathew Staver , said he was `` disappointed the state sidestepped the larger legal questions . '' `` This case shows that one state is not an island in the same-sex marriage dispute , and underscores having state laws that protect traditional one-man , one-woman marriages , '' said Staver , chairman of Liberty Counsel , a law firm that fights on behalf of what it calls `` traditional families . '' Miller said in 2005 that she was doing what was best for her daughter and was no longer a lesbian . `` I am Isabella 's mom . I did conceive her ; I birthed her , '' she said . `` I 'm raising her . And in my opinion , Isabella needs to stay with me 100 percent of the time , because I am the only person that she identifies as a mom . '' Miller lives with Isabella in Winchester , Virginia . Jenkins did not offer an immediate reaction to the ruling but said in 2005 that she was only fighting for her rights as a parent . `` Justice will be served for Isabella , '' she said . `` I believe that . And I 'll do whatever it takes . I 'll be with her for as long as I can , or I 'll be without her for as long as I have to , but I 'm her mom . `` She 's born here -LSB- in Vermont -RSB- . She 's always here . '' Price said Jenkins , who lives in Fair Haven , Vermont , was supposed to visit Isabella last weekend , but Miller did n't appear with the girl . Friday 's ruling comes a week after the California Supreme Court 's refusal to delay its recent decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the state . Massachusetts also allows same-sex marriages ; Vermont and three other states permit civil unions , and 12 other states give gay and lesbian couples some legal rights . Virginia amended its constitution in 2007 to decree that marriage is defined as a union between one man and one woman . | Virginia ruling gives Vermont court jurisdiction over case . Janet Jenkins and Lisa Miller were in civil union in Vermont but later split . Miller moved to Virginia with child ; Vermont court allowed Jenkins visitation . Miller got Virginia court to block visitation ; Friday 's ruling overturns that . | [[328, 534], [2008, 2085], [535, 582], [589, 640], [1585, 1624], [1625, 1640], [1699, 1769], [2901, 2941], [211, 233], [645, 685], [2008, 2085]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Anjali Thakur is living in fear in India . She is a mother afraid for her son . `` We are all having sleepless nights , '' Thakur says . Sourabh Sharma -- one of the Indian students attacked in Melbourne . Her son is n't in a war zone or even a country known to be dangerous . He is a student in Melbourne , Australia . `` Three years back when we sent him , '' she says , `` it was one of the safest places for the children to go . '' The Australian government says it is still safe but a spate of vicious attacks on Indian students in recent weeks has parents like Thakur and hundreds of students shaken and angry . From Melbourne to Victoria to Sydney Indian students say they are targets of racially motivated attacks . At least 10 Indian students have been attacked over the past month , the most severe case left an Indian student in a coma , another student was stabbed in the stomach , and a third left with a nasty black eye . So far more than a dozen arrests have been made . Australia authorities say they do n't believe the attacks and robberies are racially motivated but instead crimes of opportunity against soft targets : students who typically travel alone at night on public transportation . But hundreds of Indian students see it differently . They have reacted with protests in at least three Australian cities . Police say at one point Indian students decided to take the law into their own hands and retaliate which has been condemned in both India and Australia . The situation has gotten so much attention Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made several statements on the matter , insisting the attacks are isolated incidents . In an interview on Australian radio he said : `` Every city has violence , let 's put this into perspective , and Australia I 'm advised on the statistics is one of the safest countries in the world for international students . '' In India though the perception of a safe Australia has been shattered partly due to the widespread publicity of the recent cases . The story has been front page news for days while local television media has been going with breaking news every time it receives a report of an Indian student attacked anywhere in Australia . Political tension has even bubbled up between India and Australia with India 's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the attacks and asking Australia does something to safeguard India 's young people . Australia has responded with a 10-point action plan to help safeguard students . A helpline has also been set up . As for Anjali Thakur , she says her son has lived in Australia for three years and never experienced violence ; in fact she says he did n't even know about the attacks in Melbourne where he lives until she called him to warn him . But Thakur has been watching the news in India and seeing a totally different picture of Australia . `` It 's a lovely beautiful peaceful country , '' Thakur says , `` but now what you see on TV and what you hear , that 's a total contrast to what we know of Australia . '' The Thakur family has responded by refusing to let the youngest son study in Australia and keeping their eldest son from enrolling in a master 's program at his university . If that kind of sentiment spreads , it could have serious consequences for Australia 's $ 12.6 billion-a-year education export industry . More than 80,000 students from India study in Australia . `` Any parent will tell you , '' Thakur says , `` they are not going to send a child for the best education in the world at the cost of his life . '' | Spate of attacks on Indian students in Australia makes headlines in India . Students say attacks racially motivated ; authorities say they are crimes of opportunity . Attacks have stoked political tensions between New Delhi , Canberra . More than 80,000 Indian students attend Australian universities . | [[455, 568], [507, 617], [743, 809], [1908, 1916], [1924, 2038], [637, 663], [667, 742], [1005, 1154], [2232, 2341]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At the House Republican strategy session in January , I stood before the Republican Conference and said , `` I am your worst nightmare . '' It was a figure of speech , of course , but my point was that our campaign helped change the political equation for winning elections . No longer is it enough to have big-name identification and big money to win . We demonstrated that principles and policy matter , and if you combine that with hard work and dynamic new media , young upstarts can beat incumbents in a big way . -LRB- I beat a 12-year incumbent in my own party , winning by 20 points . -RRB- . In order to survive in the current political climate , it 's paramount to be on the cutting edge of technical trends . As a young freshman , it is challenging to distinguish myself among 434 other members . If I want to be relevant and productive , I have to work hard to get my message across . Using social media is a great way to do just that . I stay in contact with people through Facebook , Twitter and YouTube . Other members of Congress have also jumped aboard the Online Express . These days , even John McCain is all-a-twitter over new social media . See the latest episode of `` Freshman Year '' Granted , my `` tweets '' will not replace town hall meetings or direct mail , but social media is an important outreach supplement . People like feeling connected to their elected officials . Residents of my district want their voices to be heard and want to be a part of the political process . It has been very important to me that my constituents do n't have to wade through layers of bureaucracy to reach me . My Facebook page , for example , hosts hundreds of interactions each week from `` supporters . '' I post frequently and engage in the comments . I never outsource this type of communication to staff . It 's done entirely by me . That kind of attention builds trust with people . They know what I really think , and they develop a connection with me -- even if we disagree . Twitter has become a particularly useful tool for me . I often tweet several times a day . Followers get an inside look at not only my job , but also my personality -- and sometimes my appetite . When I came to Washington as a newly elected member of Congress , I got a few headlines for bringing a cot to sleep on in my office . Taking my inspiration from FDR 's Fireside Chats in the 1930s and '40s , I began producing `` Cotside Chats '' that are featured on my Web site . These chats give me the opportunity to talk directly with my constituents about the issues I think are important . Social media is a two-way street . It 's a great way to deliver a message , and it 's free . It also provides me with opportunities to listen to what is going on in the real world in real time . With today 's easy Internet access and the surging popularity of social networking , there 's no excuse for politicians to remain in the 20th century . For me , embracing new media and increasing the accessibility for my constituents is a winning formula . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jason Chaffetz . | Rep. Jason Chaffetz : Campaigns today are driven by use of social media . He says using social media is a great way to get a message out . He says constituents want to hear from their representatives , and they want to talk back . | [[927, 978], [1321, 1371], [2653, 2666], [2671, 2691]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hashim Amla compiled his first double century after Jacques Kallis again fell short of the landmark as South Africa continued to punish India 's bowlers on day two of the first cricket Test in Nagpur . Amla was unbeaten on 253 when the tourists declared on 558-6 in the final session on Sunday , then India safely reached stumps at 25-0 in a clash between the top two teams in the five-day format . It is the highest score made by a South African No. 3 batsman , and the highest by any from his country against India . Amla extended his third-wicket partnership with Kallis to a South African record of 340 before his senior partner fell for 173 , having added just 14 to his overnight tally in a subdued second part of his innings . It was the first time any pair have put on a triple century in any matches between the two nations . Kallis edged a delivery from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh onto his pads , and Murali Vijay took the catch at short leg to end a 351-ball knock that put the all-rounder into third equal on the all-time Test century-scoring list with 34 . Amla then added another 108 with A.B. De Villiers , who made a brisk 53 off 88 deliveries , and rode his luck as he was dropped twice on 149 , as they broke South Africa 's record for the fourth wicket in matches between the two teams . De Villiers fell to part-time bowler Virender Sehwag and then Harbhajan removed J.P. Duminy for just nine to have the Proteas 476-5 , but then Mark Boucher contributed 39 to a stand of 78 with Amla before becoming Zaheer Khan 's third victim , and captain Graeme Smith called the innings to a close with 40 minutes left in the day . India openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag survived four overs from pace bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with some positive batting , and will start Monday 's play on 12 and nine respectively as they seek to make inroads into a massive first-innings deficit . They will do well to take the lead of Amla , who was steady throughout his 473-ball innings , hitting 22 boundaries and scoring 55 , 45 and 38 in Saturday 's three sessions . While India relied heavily on Harbhajan and Amit Mishra , who on a helpful pitch bowled only six maidens between them in 99 overs for combined figures 2-306 , Smith has only one specialist spinner in Paul Harris plus all-rounder Duminy , with the medium pace of Kallis backing up Steyn , Morkel and rookie fast bowler Wayne Parnell . Meanwhile , Australia crushed the West Indies by 113 runs in the opening match of their one-day series in Melbourne on Sunday . Batting first , the hosts reached 256-8 in their 50 overs as opener Shane Watson top-scored with 56 in his 100th match , while captain Ricky Ponting made 49 . All-rounder Kieron Pollard took 3-45 for the Windies , while seamer Ravi Rampaul claimed 2-43 . The tourists then slumped to 143 all out in just 34.2 overs as opening bowler Ryan Harris and spinner Nathan Hauritz claimed three wickets each . Doug Bollinger also snared two early victims , including the key scalp of big-hitting captain Chris Gayle , as the West Indies were left reeling on 12-3 . Pollard , signed for $ 750,000 in the Indian Premier League auctions last month , top-scored with 31 from 35 deliveries . | Hashim Amla compiles his first double century as South Africa declare on 558-6 in Nagpur . Hosts India reach 25-0 at stumps on the second day of the opening Test of the series . Amla extends third-wicket partnership to 340 with Jacques Kallis , who falls for 173 . He then adds 108 with A.B. De Villiers and 78 with Mark Boucher , being unbeaten on 253 . | [[19, 118], [221, 281], [251, 312], [315, 417], [71, 134], [538, 611], [633, 664], [221, 281], [1090, 1139], [1470, 1524]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- South Africa pace bowler Dale Steyn ripped through India 's batsmen on the third day of the first cricket Test in Nagpur , taking eight wickets as the hosts were forced to follow on . Steyn took a career-best 7-51 as India , resuming on 25-0 overnight , were skittled for just 233 to concede a massive first-innings deficit of 325 runs . The 26-year-old , whose previous best figures were 6-49 , then took the wicket of first-innings centurion Virender Sehwag as India reached 66-2 at stumps on Monday . The haul took Steyn to 193 wickets in his 37th Test and gave South Africa a great chance of winning the two-match series against a side who usurped their No. 1 ranking in the five-day format late last year . He claimed five wickets in less than four overs after tea as India collapsed from 221-4 . `` We actually had the ball changed when we came out after tea because the seam had popped open on the old one , '' Steyn told reporters . `` We hoped to get a bit of reverse swing -- it worked in our favor . '' Steyn 's strike partner Morne Morkel set the tone when he had Gautam Gambhir caught by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher with his first delivery of the day , with the opener not adding to his overnight score of 12 . Steyn then bowled Murali Vijay for four as the No. 3 failed to play a stroke , and he took the vital wicket of Sachin Tendulkar , the highest run-scorer in Test history , when he tempted the veteran to edge a drive to Boucher for just seven . The belligerent Sehwag then added 136 with debutant Subramaniam Badrinath as he smashed his 18th Test ton before giving away his wicket to Wayne Parnell with an easy catch to J.P. Duminy deep in the cover field . Sehwag hit 15 boundaries in 139 deliveries -- the same amount that the 29-year-old Badrinath faced in making 56 , who took India safely to tea along with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni . But Dhoni fell to left-arm spinner Paul Harris in the first over of the final session , and Steyn had Badrinath caught at midwicket before running through the tail . Proteas captain Graeme Smith made the Indians bat again , despite Boucher not being able to take the field due to a back injury . Morkel again accounted for Gambhir as the opener misjudged an inswinger and had his castle wrecked after shouldering arms , and Steyn had Sehwag caught by Smith at slip for 16 . Vijay -LRB- 27 -RRB- and Tendulkar -LRB- 15 -RRB- added 44 in the remainder of the 23 overs scheduled to be bowled before stumps , but will face a massive task to prevent India going 1-0 down in the series . Meanwhile , New Zealand took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the one-day series against visiting Bangladesh , winning the second match by five wickets in Dunedin on Monday . The tourists managed only 183-8 in their 50 overs as Mushfiqur Rahim top-scored with 86 , and the Kiwis reached their target from only 27.3 overs with Ross Taylor smashing 78 off in a 52-ball innings featuring five sixes . | South Africa paceman Dale Steyn takes eight wickets on third day of first Test in Nagpur . Steyn claims career-best 7-51 to skittle India for 233 to earn a huge lead of 325 . He then dismisses first-innings centurion Virender Sehwag as India reach 66-2 at stumps . New Zealand take unassailable 2-0 lead in one-day series against visiting Bangladesh . | [[0, 15], [55, 139], [0, 15], [142, 202], [203, 241], [203, 241], [357, 372], [415, 522], [2564, 2573], [2576, 2667]] |
Kabul , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An investigation into an attack that killed eight U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan last year said the combat outpost was an `` attractive target '' because protection improvements had n't been made and intelligence assets had been diverted . These were main points in the findings released Friday by the U.S. military into the probe of the October 3 attack on Combat Outpost Keating in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province . The attack killed eight U.S. service members and wounded 22 others . Based on the recommendations in the investigation , Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal , the top coalition military commander in Afghanistan , `` took appropriate action regarding Army personnel involved . '' The report also praised soldiers of B Troop , 3rd Squadron , 61st Calvary for repelling the assault by a force of 300 militants . Commanders must regularly assess `` the value and vulnerabilities '' of combat outposts , said the report , which `` made several recommendations to improve coalition tactics . '' The base had been scheduled to be closed before the attack occurred , and `` needed force protection improvements -LRB- which -RRB- were not made '' because of the imminent closure . `` Critical intelligence , surveillance and reconnaissance assets which had been supporting COP Keating had been diverted to assist ongoing intense combat operations in other areas , '' the report said . It also said `` intelligence assessments had become desensitized to reports of massing enemy formations by previous reports that had proved false . '' All of these factors `` resulted in an attractive target for enemy fighters . '' The military says militants had been planning the attack for days , hiding mortars , rockets and heavy machine guns in the mountains . The assault started around dawn as bullets and rockets peppered the remote outpost October 3 and lasted for 12 hours , pinning down the exhausted troops . One soldier said afterward the insurgency was so fierce that the troops could n't get to their weapons to fire back . They called in air support to help thwart the militants . `` They were under heavy enemy contact , '' Sgt. Jayson Souter said . Four servicemen -- Souter , a fellow soldier , an Apache helicopter pilot and a gunner -- talked to a military reporter about their roles during the Keating attack in an interview posted by the Department of Defense on Facebook and NATO 's International Security Assistance Force YouTube Channel . Chief Warrant Officer Ross Lewallen , an Apache pilot , said a few aircraft were damaged in what was a `` time-consuming endeavor '' governed by tough terrain . He said the morning battle was `` significant , '' but later troops were able to identify targets and eliminate larger weapons . `` One of the primary reasons for the fight taking so long is that it is an extreme terrain , '' he said in the interview . The report said the troops killed 150 enemy fighters and `` found that the soldiers and junior leaders fought heroically in repelling an enemy force five times their size . `` Members of B Troop upheld the highest standards of warrior ethics and professionalism and distinguished themselves with conspicuous gallantry , courage , and bravery under the heavy enemy fire that surrounded them . '' | Lack of protection improvements made combat outpost an `` attractive target '' Intelligence failures also made the base vulnerable to a strike from militants . October 3 attack on Combat Outpost Keating lasted for 12 hours . | [[8, 35], [134, 188], [1589, 1609], [1613, 1666], [1840, 1859], [1902, 1921]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A leading Muslim-American civil rights group is advocating intense grassroots engagement among police and U.S. Muslim neighborhood leaders to thwart the emergence of homegrown Islamic terrorists . A report , issued Friday by the Muslim Public Affairs Council , reflects the shock among American Muslims over the Fort Hood massacre , the arrests of five American Muslims in Pakistan suspected of plotting terrorist attacks , and the arrests of eight Somali-American men on charges related to what prosecutors said were efforts to recruit youths to fight for a Somali guerrilla movement . Titled `` Building Bridges to Strengthen America : Forging an Effective Counterterrorism Enterprise between Muslim Americans and Law Enforcement , '' the paper stresses a division of labor and a collaboration between police and community groups . Police should fight crime , including terrorism , and neighborhood leaders should deal with the causes of radicalization , it says . At the same time , both need to work hand in glove , the paper said . `` We will capture the narrative from those who seek to misguide the young people , '' said Haris Tarin , the head of the council 's District of Columbia office . He was speaking Friday at a news conference in Washington that introduced the 32-page paper . `` One incident of violent extremism is one too many , '' said Alejandro J. Beutel , the author of the report and the group 's government liaison . `` Our community needs to develop more sophistication in dealing with this challenge . '' Beutel , who also spoke at the news conference , said there needs to be a greater emphasis on community policing , an idea that calls for closer ties between neighborhood residents and cops on the beat . Developing closer relations with local Muslims would help police tap `` unique cultural and linguistic '' skills that can spot and head off trouble . The study said police must surmount community distrust , which it says is common and calls `` an automatic barrier to police community outreach . '' `` Unfortunately , in the current political climate , the actions of certain law enforcement agencies -- whether spying on peaceful activist groups and houses of worship without reasonable suspicion , or religious profiling -- have added to difficulties , '' the report said . Such a `` heightened sense of fear and grievances also creates a greater pool of alienated people terrorists can tap into for recruitment , '' Beutel 's report said . Tarin and Beutel said concern about radicalism in the Muslim community is n't new : Books have been published about the subject , and imams at mosques have raised the issue for many years . Speaking at the news conference , Tarin said that Muslim leaders need to `` think outside the box '' and engage young people in cyberspace , on social networking sites and in other social circles where they are coming together . And both men said that all Muslim groups need to work together to help confront problems like the emergence of radical thought and identify sources of discontent . Beutel said the U.S. Muslim community can learn from the experience of the British Muslim community . While there was initial surprise that local Muslims were involved in the July 7 , 2005 , London bombings , Muslims there later realized that militant leaders were tapping into the problems caused by youthful alienation and social issues such as racism , drug use and premarital sex . Beutel cites a study that says many militants had been secular before they embraced radical Islam , but they typically lacked mainstream religious knowledge . He said making communities `` religiously literate '' would help fight radicalism . `` Muslim communities must do their part to reach out and continue to assist law enforcement to bring real terrorist perpetrators to justice , '' Beutel wrote in the report . `` The role Muslim communities should play is in counterradicalization efforts through better religious education , social programs and long-term constructive political engagement . '' | Group wants police , U.S. Muslim leaders to thwart emergence of homegrown terrorists . Report , cites Fort Hood tragedy , Americans ' arrest in Pakistan , Somali-Americans ' arrest . Study says police must undo community distrust , which it calls a barrier to outreach . Muslim leaders asked to engage youths on social networking sites and in other social circles . | [[0, 15], [64, 215], [1905, 1959], [1920, 2019], [1905, 1914], [1990, 2050], [0, 15], [64, 215], [2722, 2883]] |
Harare , Zimbabwe -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The trial of controversial Zimbabwean politician Roy Bennett took a new twist Tuesday when prosecutors told the judge they wanted to impeach their star witness . The prosecution called arms dealer Michael Peter Hitschmann to the stand to implicate Bennett in the procurement of the arms . Bennett is a senior official of the Movement for Democratic Change -LRB- MDC -RRB- and Zimbabwe 's deputy agriculture minister-designate . He has pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism and inciting people to carry out terrorism . He could face the death penalty if convicted . The MDC -- led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai -- says the case against Bennett is politically motivated and was aimed at keeping him out of the unity government it formed with President Robert Mugabe 's Zanu-PF party last February . Under questioning from Attorney General Johannes Tomana , Hitschmann testified he had seen Bennett on television and then had met him at a public gathering . But Hitschmann told the fully packed courtroom that he was not aware of some of the weapons the prosecution claims that he bought with the financial support of Bennett . In addition , Hitschmann -- who appeared relaxed throughout the proceedings -- cast doubt on the authenticity of e-mails that were produced in court which the prosecution said had been retrieved from his laptop and which allegedly reveal that he and Bennett were planning to commit terrorism . `` None of the contents was retrieved from my laptop in my absence or in the presence of my legal counsel -LRB- in 2006 when he was arrested -RRB- , '' he said , adding , `` I do n't know here they came from . '' After that , Tomana started questioning Hitschmann as if he were a hostile witness and not the star witness for the prosecution . Bennett 's lawyers objected , saying the prosecution was trying to `` confuse '' people . At that point , Tomana indicated that he was in the `` preparatory stage '' to `` to lay evidence that Hitschmann was being inconsistent . '' `` The witness -- who is an accomplice witness by the way -- is getting to be a witness in favor of the accused ; we are entitled to start impeachment procedures when the state witness starts showing that he is being unfavorably indisposed in favor of the accused , '' he added . Bennett 's lawyer , Beatrice Mtetwa , said the prosecution had never indicated that it had e-mails which were purportedly written by her client and Hitschmann . She said Hitschmann had submitted an affidavit saying he does not want to testify against Bennett , adding that the statements about conspiracy that were purportedly made by him were done under `` traumatic and unfriendly circumstances '' in 2006 , when he was arrested and later charged with terrorism himself . Mtetwa said the prosecution was attempting to take a statement Hitschmann made to the army and turn it into a statement against her client . `` That is an army-procured statement . What legal basis is there to change it to a witness statement ? The statement was made when he was an accused facing conspiracy charges , '' said Mtetwa . `` During that time the prosecution did not indicate that he had acted in common purpose with the accused -LRB- Bennett -RRB- . '' Hitschmann was acquitted of terrorism charges in 2006 but served a jail sentence for the lesser charge of possessing weapons without a license . The weapons allegedly included six sub-machine guns and two machine guns , which the prosecution produced in Bennett 's trial as part of the state 's exhibits . The judge in the case , Justice Chinembiri Bhunu , who resumed the trial after adjourning it last November , is expected to rule Wednesday whether the state can proceed to impeach its own witness . Throughout the court proceedings , Bennett -- clad in a blue suit , matching blue tie and a light blue shirt -- sat motionless , gazing into the sky once in a while . He laughed out loud when Hitschmann said he first saw Bennett on television punching the justice minister in parliament . | Attorney General tells court that prosecution wants to impeach star witness . Micheal Peter Hitschmann cast doubt on some of the prosecution 's evidence during his testimony . Zimbabwe politician Roy Bennett is on trial for terrorism , banditry and insurgency . Bennett denies the charges , which his party alleges are politically motivated . | [[9, 33], [98, 198], [1187, 1197], [1252, 1293], [607, 614], [661, 715]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Precious , '' a movie about a 1980s-era Harlem teen who strives to overcome abuse , neglect and illiteracy , pulled five Independent Spirit Award nominations Tuesday morning . Stars Gabourey Sidibe and Mo'Nique were both recognized for their portrayals of a mother and daughter in a dysfunctional relationship , with a best female lead nomination for newcomer Sidibe and a best supporting female nomination for Mo'Nique . The film 's success is not entirely a surprise , considering that the Oprah Winfrey - and Tyler Perry-backed Sundance darling has earned $ 27 million at the domestic box office and was received well by audiences during its slow rollout in cities across the nation in November . Sidibe 's work in `` Precious '' has been one of the breakout roles of the year , and the young actress is rumored to be the star of a new series , `` The C Word . '' However , it has n't been all smooth for `` Precious '' : The film earned zero nominations for the Gotham Independent Film Awards , which were given out Monday night . The Gotham awards are a New York-based indie film honor . `` The Hurt Locker , '' by contrast , took home two Gotham awards Monday night , one for best picture and the other for best ensemble . There were no Independent Spirit Award nominations for this Iraq war drama , however , as it was nominated last year . For the Spirits , `` Precious '' is facing off against the Zooey Deschanel-driven '' -LRB- 500 -RRB- Days of Summer , '' `` Amreeka , '' `` The Last Station '' and `` Sin Nombre '' for best picture . `` Summer '' also snagged a nomination for best male lead , a nod for Joseph Gordon-Levitt . On top of the best picture nomination , `` The Last Station '' -- a biographical piece about Leo Tolstoy featuring James McAvoy , Helen Mirren and Paul Giamatti -- is up for best director , best screenplay , best female lead and best supporting male lead . Christian McKay , another relatively unknown actor in the United States , has gotten lots of love from critics for his portrayal of Orson Welles in Richard Linklater 's `` Me and Orson Welles , '' and the Spirit Awards noticed , giving the British actor a nomination for best supporting male performer . In order to be considered , all films had to be 70 minutes long with a budget under $ 20 million , and had to have screened at one of the major film festivals , such as Sundance or Toronto . The awards ceremony is typically held the Saturday before the Academy Awards , but since the Spirit Awards are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2010 , they 're moving out from under Oscar 's shadow and will air live on the Independent Film Channel on March 5 . | `` Precious '' and `` Last Station '' both lead Independent Spirit Award nominations . Acclaimed indie `` Hurt Locker '' did n't earn any nominations , as it was nominated last year . '' -LRB- 500 -RRB- Days of Summer '' is up for best picture , along with `` Amreeka , '' `` Sin Nombre '' | [[947, 1018], [1251, 1325], [1338, 1369]] |
-LRB- InStyle -RRB- -- Chanteuse Whitney Houston is back and she is better than ever ! The one-of-a-kind star is happy , healthy and ready for what 's next . The singer spoke with InStyle magazine and shared her comeback secrets in the magazine 's January 's issue . The 46-year-old sex symbol even gave some tips on how to be alluring . `` Sexy can be sexual without having to expose a lot of yourself , '' she said . `` Your body can express a lot without your having to take off a lot . I try to splash it in there a little bit , just by body movement . '' The stylish singer said for her , less is more . `` A smile , a little glance , the way you lean back says sexy without being too open or offending anyone , '' Houston revealed . `` Because once they 've seen it all , they go , ` Man , I 'm bored with that , ' instead of ` Hmm , what 's she going to do now ? ' '' Check out more of Houston 's exclusive interview in the January issue on newsstands December 18th . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. . All rights reserved . | Whitney Houston spoke with InStyle magazine about her comeback . Singer gave tips on how to be sexy and alluring without having to expose much . Houston said her strategy is less is more when it comes to sex appeal . | [[158, 196], [267, 337], [338, 390]] |
BOGOTA , Colombia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- All that glitters may not be gold , but for Colombia 's narco-molls the most important thing is that it glitters . Yovanna Guzman was 19 when she met drug boss Wilber Varela , and she says he showered her with luxuries . Beauty queens , fashion models , actresses or regular girls made good are lovers of drug capos and above all lovers of the finest luxuries that cocaine money can buy . Few are prepared to speak publicly and even less to appear on camera . Those who date mob bosses do n't want to blow their cover . It could expose their boyfriends to arrest and themselves to retaliation . In addition , it could bring anti-drug police sniffing , ready to seize ill-gotten gains . One exception is Yovanna Guzman , a former beauty queen and model , with a mane of blond hair and a pneumatic figure -- a sure passport into the narco underworld where cup size is more important than IQ . For eight years , she was the lover of one of Colombia 's most ruthless cocaine traffickers , Wilber Varela . He was head of the North Valle Cartel . `` He had two faces . I saw him so tender with the ones he loved , then you see the cartel killings . He always said he was the best of friends and the worst of enemies , '' Guzman said during an interview in Bogota . Watch Guzman describe Varela and how she met him '' The Colombian government accused Varela of running tons of cocaine to the United States via Central America in go-fast speedboats and to Europe in small jets . Should drugs be legalized ? Sound off below . Authorities put a $ 5 million bounty on his head . He gained a reputation for brutality during a yearslong dispute with a splinter faction of the same cartel , led by Diego Montoya , who until his capture in 2007 was listed alongside Osama bin Laden on the FBI 's list of the 10 most-wanted fugitives . Guzman was 19 when she met Varela . He told her he was a cattle rancher . She did n't ask questions and said she only found out the truth when she saw a Wanted poster with her boyfriend 's mug shot . He wooed her with expensive gifts and sponsored her through Chica Med , a second-rate beauty pageant organizers concede was viewed as a cattle market by gangsters looking for new girls . Some mob bosses bought the beauty title as a gift for their molls , though it 's not clear whether Varela paid for Guzman 's title . `` There were the vacations , the cars and the luxury SUVs and , of course , jewelry . There was always jewelry . But there were small details too like flowers , '' she said . `` Of course , the luxuries do n't make you fall in love , but they do dazzle you . When you get dazzled , you get carried away , but then you ask yourself where is the love and my principles ? '' Guzman said Varela 's first gift to her was a Rolex watch , followed by a Cartier watch , diamonds , jewelry , top-of-the-range sport utility vehicles and luxury apartments . She said she now realizes she was being bought and admits she sold herself . `` I feel all of us have a price up to a point . Sometimes you feel luxuries like the designer clothes , shoes and handbags are important . But afterward you realize you 're empty inside , '' she said . Very quickly her drug lord boyfriend locked Guzman in a golden cage . He forbade her to do photo shoots or party with male friends , even though he had a stable of other top model girlfriends . `` He was very jealous , and what 's his is his and belongs to nobody else and nobody can touch it , look at it or mess with it , '' she said . As Colombia 's law enforcers stepped up the hunt for Varela , Guzman 's time with him became less frequent . But she said he always seemed to know where she was or to whom she had talked . At one point , she said , a jealous Varela sent one of his lieutenants to shoot her in the leg . `` When I got shot , I was supposedly never going to walk properly again . The bullet could easily have hit me somewhere else and killed me . But I pulled myself together and I said I 'm not going to be crippled , '' she said . What Guzman would n't explain was the reason for the punishment shooting . She giggled and promised to reveal the full details in a book she 's writing . She said she hopes her experiences will serve as a cautionary tale for other young women on the trail of easy money . Whether or not they will take a leaf out of that book is another matter . Ordinary Colombians seem to have an unshakable attraction to glamorous narco-lifestyles judging by the sky-high ratings of two TV soap operas . The `` Cartel '' tells the story of the rise of the North Valle mob that Varela headed . The sequel , called `` Mafia Dolls , '' portrays women such as Guzman . One of the silicone-enhanced actresses who played a supporting role in both soaps said that since her TV appearances she has received offers from real-life drug dealers , both in Medellin and Cali . `` Those narcos watch TV and are always on the lookout for fresh meat . So I began getting the calls when I appeared in ` The Cartel , ' '' she said . `` I got a phone call from a guy who is a showbiz publicist , and he told me a guy from Medellin was offering $ 7,500 for me to spend the evening with him . '' She said she refused that overture . Days later , a new BMW X5 SUV , with a bow on top , was left outside her home by the same drug trafficker who was trying to woo her . She said she returned the gift but gave no explanation how she found out the return address , given how secretive Colombian mob bosses are . `` All those narcos care about is how big your breasts are . If they want you , the first thing they do is send you to their plastic surgeons to have silicone implants . But it 's them who decide how big you should be , not you , '' she went on . Guzman dares tell her story now for a simple reason -- Varela is dead . He was slain last year by one of his power-hungry lieutenants eager to take over the business . It marked the end of a nightmare she walked into with her eyes wide open . '' -LSB- When I heard the news -RSB- , I did n't know whether to be happy or sad . Varela had his good side , but my freedom does n't have a price , '' she said . `` I felt the golden cage had been flung open , and I could fly again . '' | Former girlfriend of Colombian drug lord admits being bought by luxuries . Yovanna Guzman dated cartel head Wilber Varela for eight years . Guzman says he bought her cars , vacations , jewels but also ordered her shot in leg . She says she felt her `` golden cage '' had opened when he was killed last year . | [[217, 257], [2057, 2090], [928, 943], [946, 1019], [217, 257], [2057, 2090], [2377, 2463], [2794, 2807], [2810, 2924], [3732, 3744], [3747, 3755], [3758, 3828], [6186, 6228]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An infant falls to his death from a second-story window while his parents are making love . Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe star in the Lars von Trier drama `` Antichrist . '' The mother -LRB- Charlotte Gainsbourg -RRB- is consumed with grief and guilt . She 's hospitalized and sedated for days and weeks before her husband -LRB- Willem Dafoe -RRB- , a therapist , insists she return home . He gets rid of all her medications . He will be her partner and her grief counselor , and he will see her through this , if only she will place her trust in him . Not a good idea for either of them , as it turns out . Halloween is nearly upon us , but `` Antichrist '' is a mighty strange kind of horror movie , a wrenching psychodrama for two-thirds of its running time before collapsing into a steaming heap of deranged sadism and supernatural symbolism in the outrageous third act . The movie 's peculiarity can be accounted for in three words : Lars von Trier . The Danish provocateur twice won prestigious honors at the Cannes Film Festival -LRB- with `` Breaking the Waves '' and `` Dancer in the Dark '' -RRB- and re-energized European art cinema in the 1990s with the Dogme movement 's so-called `` Vows of Chastity . '' It 's not often that an art-house director takes up the implements to make a horror film , and for a while , `` Antichrist '' compels with its anguished intensity and audacious stylistic choices , not least the severity that keeps the focus exclusively on this man and woman , neither of whom is named . The prologue -- the child 's death -- is a luxurious , slow-motion rhapsody of explicit sex , black-and-white photography and baroque music , commingling with the infant 's almost ersatz tragedy and finding perfunctory counterpoint in banal close-ups of the family 's washer-dryer . -LRB- There may be a deliberate echo here of the famous sex scene in Nicolas Roeg 's `` Do n't Look Now , '' a far more keenly calibrated examination of grief succumbing to the supernatural . -RRB- . Dafoe and Gainsbourg are riveting as the ill-matched couple . He 's an implacable rationalist , urging her to confront her fears and venture into the darkest recesses of her psyche . She 's not sure he 's ready to share that torment with her . Their bitter , sometimes sourly funny back-and-forth fleetingly echoes the railing , pugnacious and remorseful men and women we find again and again in Strindberg and Bergman . Of course , when those great Scandinavian dramatists wanted to shock us with the ferocity of the battle of the sexes and show a married couple going at it tooth and nail , their only weapons were words . Mindful that he 's up against `` Hostel , '' `` Saw '' and the like , Herr von Trier ups the ante considerably . Hiking to a log cabin in the mountains to uncover the apex of his wife 's fears -LRB- it could be anywhere , but let 's imagine we 're in the neighborhood of Burkittsville -RRB- , the doctor 's little experiment in exposure therapy ends in crushed genitals and , uh , worse . Much worse . It 's safe to say von Trier knows this climax is over the top : `` Chaos reigns ! '' announces a fox , in perfect English , just as the movie goes off the deep end . Chaos reigns all right , and Gainsbourg 's traumatized mom is transformed nonsensically into a raving psycho witch-bitch . This director has often been accused of misogyny for the punishments that befall his heroines -- spuriously , in my opinion . But this time the boot is on the other foot , and for once the charge seems to stick ; no matter that the first half of the movie suggests Dafoe 's smug therapist is due for a comeuppance . Apparently someone had a seizure when the movie showed at the New York Film Festival recently . When I caught up with it at the Vancouver International Film Festival two weeks ago , the screening was punctuated with the single loudest shriek I 've ever heard in the theatre -- that would have been when Gainsbourg gets out the scissors for a spot of ad hoc auto-surgery . There also was a very vociferous walk-out : a gentleman who fairly barked `` You get what you pay for , folks '' as he made for the exit a full 20 minutes before the end . That unhappy camper had a point . Either von Trier is barking up the wrong tree , or he 's pandering to the basest instincts of an audience that 's seen it all before and still demands more , more , more . Beautifully shot by Anthony Dod Mantle and acted with raw conviction , `` Antichrist '' is a calamitous atrocity from a major filmmaker , nothing more and nothing less . If you do n't believe me , go ask the talking fox . `` Antichrist '' is not rated and runs 104 minutes . For Entertainment Weekly 's review , click here . | `` Antichrist '' has met with vitriolic reaction at film festivals . Lars von Trier film stars Willem Dafoe , Charlotte Gainsbourg as troubled couple . Horror goes from moody to over-the-top and graphic . To CNN.com 's Tom Charity , the film is a `` calamitous atrocity '' | [[136, 181], [2033, 2094], [1355, 1440], [4486, 4584]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An additional 440,000 Honda vehicles are being added to a recall initially announced in November to repair a potential defect in airbag inflation systems , American Honda Motor Co. said Friday . The 2001 Honda Civic is among the vehicles covered by the recall . The recall involves driver-side airbags in certain 2001-02 Honda Accords , 2001 Civics and 2002-03 Acura TLs , the company said in a news release . The affected vehicles will require the replacement of the steering-wheel-mounted airbag inflator . `` In some vehicles , airbag inflators can produce over-pressurization of the driver 's -LSB- front -RSB- airbag inflator mechanism during airbag deployment , '' the release said . `` If an affected inflator deploys , the increased internal pressure may cause the inflator casing to rupture . Metal fragments could pass through the cloth airbag cushion material , possibly causing an injury or fatality to vehicle occupants . '' Honda spokesman Chris Noughtan said the potential defect has resulted in six known injuries and one known death . The company will send a recall notice in the mail over the next few months , the release said . Owners may check their car 's recall status by visiting the Honda `` Owner Link '' Web site at www.owners.honda.com/recalls or the Acura `` My Acura '' Web site at www.owners.acura.com/recalls . `` Only certain vehicles are affected , and concerned owners of 2001-2002 Accords , 2001 Civics and 2002-2003 Acura TLs are encouraged to wait to receive a recall notice in the mail before scheduling an appointment with their local dealer , '' the company said . | 2001-02 Accords , 2001 Civics and 2002-03 Acura TLs included . Airbag inflators can produce over-pressurization , company says . At least six injured , one killed by potential defect . Owners will receive recall notices in the mail . | [[214, 256], [281, 389], [1406, 1600], [75, 172], [550, 684], [1603, 1624], [821, 836], [892, 953], [957, 1070], [988, 1070], [1071, 1145], [1406, 1600]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She is only 37 years old , but violinist Midori Goto has already spent 25 years taking center-stage with the world 's best orchestras . Midori first hit center-stage when she was just 11-years-old . Born into a musical family in Osaka , Japan , in 1971 -- her mother and brother are both accomplished musicians -- her own prodigious talents were spotted at an early age by Zubin Mehta , the conductor and one-time musical director of the New York Philharmonic . Inviting Midori to play with the New York Philharmonic in 1982 , he helped to propel her onto the world stage which has been such a large part of her life ever since . She moved to New York to study at the Juilliard School of performing arts and has lead a life entwined with music . Unlike some prodigiously talented people there is no hint of resentment directed toward her and the life she has led . Nor is there any notion of a stolen childhood , despite her admission that she did harbor dreams of being all sorts of other things , from an archeologist or diplomat to a zookeeper or a nun . `` This was my life , I did n't know any other . I took it and I was very happy . Being a child performer opened up opportunities . From a fairly early age I was exposed to different cultures and was traveling round the world . It was a great education , '' she told CNN . Being given the opportunity to learn more about different people and experience different places was only one part of this education . While Midori has been practicing and honing her own skills , she has also been given the opportunity to give something back . In 1992 she set up Midori & Friends , a non-profit organization that brings musical education to young people in New York City . `` I was always interested in education ; not just receiving , but also helping others and being part of the community , '' she said . From Midori & Friends came Music Sharing , a similar organization in Japan , offering programs in public schools and children 's hospitals . While continuing to perform across the world with renowned orchestras she took some time out to further her own education with a degree in psychology in 2000 and in 2005 received her Masters in Psychology from New York University . But music is and remains her first love and the way in which it connects people and stirs emotions is something she believes is one of the most powerful aspects of music . The world today might be unrecognizable from the world of Bruckner or Bach , but for Midori the way people feel and respond to music and emotions remains the same . `` The very basics of being human has n't changed . We may express ourselves differently , but the fact we do respond and do feel that is something very basic , '' she said . And while there are hardships involved in being one of the world 's finest violinists , it still remains a pure pleasure . `` As musicians we 're trained to be self critical so we can get better . But fundamentally we love music . It 's a love that drives us to practice and keep working at it . It 's something I love so much and gives me so much joy . `` With that comes hardships ... there 's never a state of perfection . You try and you try and you try , but at the end you know you ca n't be perfect . It 's humbling , so that it becomes a motivating force , '' she told CNN . Continuing her work outside of the concert hall , Midori was made a UN Ambassador for Peace in 2007 , a role she relishes . While it presents her additional opportunities to talk about issues close to her heart , it 's also a position that nourishes her inquisitive mind and another means to connect with people indirectly through her music . These experiences make the world a little more vivid than it was before . And I 'm grateful for that ; it 's also something that motivates me to continue to do it , '' she said . | Violinist Midori Goto was child prodigy ; played with NY Philharmonic at age 11 . Set up Midori & Friends musicial education group and is a UN Peace Ambassador . Has an MA in Psychology and travels the world playing with leading orchestras . | [[155, 217], [190, 217], [1611, 1646], [3393, 3442], [50, 154], [2016, 2173], [2086, 2089], [2186, 2247]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended the Bush administration 's policies on the interrogation of terrorism suspects Sunday , saying former President George W. Bush would not have authorized anything illegal . Condoleeza Rice says George W. Bush was clear that interrogations during his presidency should break no law . `` He was also very clear that we would do nothing -- nothing -- that was against the law or against our obligations internationally , '' Rice said during an appearance at a Washington school . A Senate Intelligence Committee report released in April showed Rice was among top Bush advisers who approved the CIA 's use of waterboarding -- a technique considered a form of torture for centuries -- on terrorism suspects in its custody . Recently released Bush administration memos showed Justice Department officials argued that waterboarding , sleep deprivation and other coercive practices did not violate U.S. laws against torture . The disclosures have led to calls for investigations of former Bush administration officials . But Rice said Bush `` was only willing to authorize policies that were legal in order to protect the country '' after al Qaeda 's September 11 , 2001 , attacks on New York and Washington . `` I hope people understand that it was a struggle , it was a difficult time , '' she said . `` We were all terrified of another attack on this country because September 11 was the worst day of my life in government -- watching 3,000 Americans die because these people attacked us . '' But she added , `` Even under those most difficult circumstances , the president was not prepared to do something illegal . '' President Obama has banned the use of techniques such as waterboarding , which he called torture . His administration released the Justice Department memos in response to a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union , and he called the legal reasoning behind the memos `` a mistake . '' Unlike former Vice President Dick Cheney , who criticized the release of the documents , Rice did not criticize the Obama administration 's decision . iReport.com : Share your take on interrogation techniques . `` I have said many times that the Obama administration is now in power , and he 's my president , too , '' she said . `` And , I owe him my loyalty . I will not agree with everything that they do . I will not agree with everything that they say . '' | Bush `` was only willing to authorize '' legal interrogations , ex-secretary of state says . Senate report says top Bush officials gave CIA approval on waterboarding . Bush administration memos argued waterboarding did not violate U.S. laws . President Obama , calling waterboarding torture , has banned technique . | [[558, 596], [615, 654], [637, 654], [659, 699], [851, 998], [1696, 1766], [1753, 1766], [1778, 1794]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Singer Chris Brown earned a glowing probation report six months after he was sentenced to `` labor-oriented service '' for assaulting his pop star girlfriend , Rihanna , the judge said Thursday . Brown , 20 , sat silently in court Thursday afternoon as Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg reviewed his probation report . `` It looks like you 're doing really , really well , '' Schnegg said . The police chief in Richmond , Virginia -- where Brown is being allowed to complete his sentence -- reported that he had worked 32 days of hard labor , she said . Schnegg said when she sentenced Brown that she wanted to see him do `` actual physical labor , as opposed to some type of community service . '' The report on his court-ordered domestic violence counseling said he had completed 17 out of 52 groups sessions , she said . The agency running the sessions reported `` you are participating and doing a very good job , '' the judge said . The judge rewarded Brown by signing an order allowing him to again travel outside the United States for concerts . When Brown returns to court on May 11 , 2010 , for his next probation progress report , he will be `` way over halfway there '' to completing his sentence , she said . Brown was sentenced in August to serve five years probation and to spend more than 1,400 hours in `` labor-oriented service '' for the assault conviction . Schnegg also put a restraining order in place , requiring Brown to stay 50 yards away from Rihanna , 10 yards if the two are at the same industry event . The judge issued a strict warning to Brown not to violate the order , which remains in place until 2014 . Brown was arrested after an early morning argument inside a rented Lamborghini on a Hollywood street on February 8 , 2009 . According to Brown 's probation report , the February argument began over an incident at a Beverly Hills party . An earlier , sworn statement by Los Angeles Police Detective DeShon Andrews said the incident began when Rihanna found a text message on his cell phone from `` a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with . '' The pair argued while in the car driven by Brown , the police statement said . It went on to describe the assault in great detail , saying Brown punched Rihanna -- identified in the statement by her real first name , Robyn , and the first initial of her last name , Fenty -- numerous times and put her in a headlock , restricting her breathing and causing her to start to lose consciousness . He threatened to beat her and kill her , according to the statement , and he bit her ear and her fingers . Eventually , the statement said , `` Robyn F. began screaming for help and Brown exited the vehicle and walked away . A resident in the neighborhood heard Robyn F. 's plea for help and called 911 , causing a police response . An investigation was conducted and Robyn F. was issued a domestic violence emergency protective order . '' The detective said Brown sent a text message nine days later , apologizing . Rihanna 's injuries included cuts and bruises inflicted by a large ring on Brown 's right hand , which he used to punch her , the probation report said . `` Officers at the scene observed numerous contusions and abrasions to the victim 's face and forehead , as well as bruising to her left arm near the bicep , '' it said . `` They also saw abrasions to her arms near both wrists and on her upper chest near her collarbone and around her neck . There were abrasions on her left leg and on the inside of her upper lips . '' Rihanna declined to speak to the probation investigator , so the probation report 's details were gathered from police detectives who interviewed her soon after the attack . `` He beat me up , '' Rihanna told the police , the report said . Brown made a public apology in July in a video statement posted on his personal Web site . `` I have told Rihanna countless times , and I 'm telling you today , that I 'm truly , truly sorry in that I was n't able to handle the situation both differently and better , '' Brown said in the Web site statement . `` What I did was unacceptable , 100 percent . I can only ask and pray that you forgive me . Please . '' | Brown has done 6 months of sentence for beating girlfriend Rihanna . Judge reads reports that he is doing well on `` labor-oriented service '' Brown also `` participating and doing a very good job '' in domestic violence counseling . | [[14, 40], [44, 130], [108, 201], [108, 201], [884, 975]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Boston trolley operator killed in a crash last year likely had a sleep disorder and fell into a `` micro-sleep '' shortly before the collision , the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Tuesday . Since last year 's trolley crash in Boston , Massachusetts , there has been another incident on the same line . The safety board , completing a 14-month investigation , faulted operator Ter ` rese Edmonds for ignoring a red signal along the tracks but directed harsh criticism at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority which operates the train system . The transit authority failed to screen operators for sleep disorders while enforcing a work schedule that could prevent train operators from getting enough sleep , the NTSB said . The NTSB 's conclusion that Edmonds fell asleep is partly conjecture , the board acknowledged . Edmonds , a part-time trolley operator , had an opportunity for adequate sleep the day of the wreck , although investigators were not able to determine her sleep history . In addition , Edmonds had been given a break earlier in the day , had not complained to co-workers about fatigue and was found to be free of drugs and alcohol . `` We can not say for certain that she did have it -LRB- sleep apnea -RRB- , '' board member Dr. Mitch Garber said . But the NTSB concluded there was a `` high likelihood '' that Edmonds had an undiagnosed sleep disorder , largely because she was obese and because tests showed she had taken doxylamine , an ingredient commonly found in sleep aids , suggesting she had trouble sleeping during at least one of the nights leading up to the accident . In addition , there is a lack of other evidence to explain why Edmonds failed to slow or stop the train , the board concluded . Tests showed that the stopped train could be seen at a distance of 764 feet , and that `` there were multiple opportunities to slow and stop this -LRB- advancing -RRB- train , '' NTSB investigator Wayne Workman said . `` There was not any evidence that brakes were applied . '' Edmonds ' westbound train was traveling at 38 mph when it struck the other train , which was traveling at 3 mph in the same direction . An estimated 185 to 200 passengers were on the two trains during the collision in the Boston , Massachusetts , suburb of Newton . Damage was estimated at $ 8.6 million . The board also noted that the MBTA had not installed systems on its Green Line to prevent two trains from occupying the same stretch of track , the NTSB said . The systems , known as `` positive train control '' systems , would have prevented the accident , the safety board said . One year after the fatal accident , more than 50 people were injured in another accident on the same line . The Boston accident highlights two issues that have risen to the top of the NTSB 's concerns in recent years , positive train control and operator fatigue . The safety board says positive train control issues were involved in two other light rail incidents this year , a May 8 wreck on the same MBTA Green Line and a June 22 wreck which killed nine on Washington , D.C. 's Metro system . `` If technology exists ... on the other -LRB- MBTA -RRB- lines , why would the Green Line not have everything possible ... to prevent accidents from happening , '' NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker asked . `` I do n't understand that as an operator ; I just do n't . '' The Metro system had a form of positive train separation , but investigators are exploring whether that crash resulted from a circuit malfunction . The safety board said fatigue issues affect all forms of transportation . It noted that two pilots fell asleep during a flight over Hawaii and that sleep issues played a role in a Cosco Busan ship incident in San Francisco , California , and a fatal bus crash in Mexican Hat , Utah . Rosenker said details that surfaced in the Boston trolley crash will guide the NTSB in the future . `` Now it is up to us , because we now are the advocates for these changes , '' Rosenker said . Recommendations resulting from the Boston crash `` raise the bar of safety not only in this system , but across the United States . '' | Obesity , evidence that operator was taking sleep aid leads to conjecture . Transportation board criticized for failing to screen for sleep disorders . Board also notes lack of systems to prevent trains from using same stretch of track . | [[775, 843], [346, 362], [486, 560], [595, 686], [2365, 2374], [2380, 2506]] |
Tehran , Iran -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Tehran approaches the 30th anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis , in which dozens of Americans where held against their will for 444 days , the Islamic republic is firmly warning against reformists taking to the streets to protest the government . Still reeling from the massive demonstration that followed the country 's disputed presidential election , Iran on Wednesday will commemorate November 4 , 1979 , when a group of Islamist students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran , taking 53 hostages and effectively ending diplomatic relations with the United States . While the government will allow the `` faithful '' to celebrate the anniversary of the embassy seizure , those who `` intend to gather illegally and spread lies among people who gather to peacefully participate ... will be held responsible for their actions , '' said Ahmad Reza Radan , head of Iran 's security forces , according to the semi-official Iran Student Correspondent Association . The government of Iran arrested more than 1,000 people in a massive crackdown after the June 12 election , in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner . In the aftermath of the fallout , the government accused several reformists , including opposition candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi , of spreading anti-government propaganda and fueling the anger among the public . Despite warnings from Iran 's hardline leaders , the reformists have largely refused to back down . They released the names of 72 protesters they say were killed in the unrest that followed the election -- more than double the government 's official number . Karrubi , a former parliamentary speaker , has been especially vocal about the claims of detainee rape . He publishing a firsthand account of one alleged victim on his Web site last month . He has been scorned by government hard-liners , whose credibility and legitimacy have been publicly questioned since the elections . On Wednesday , Islamic authorities tried to pre-emptively silence anti-government demonstrations and rhetoric . According to the Islamic Republic News Agency , Hossein Sajedinia , deputy of operations for Iran 's security forces , said , `` The police will not allow a handful -LSB- of individuals -RSB- to disrupt the organization and safety of this day , by fooling people and the youth . '' | Wednesday marks 30th anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis . Iran is firmly warning against reformists taking to the streets to protest the government . Security forces chief says the `` faithful '' will be allowed to to celebrate the anniversary . Reformists have released names of 72 protesters they say were killed after June elections . | [[33, 104], [181, 238], [228, 288], [641, 711], [1529, 1569]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- American Airlines announced Tuesday it will resume commercial flights into Port-au-Prince , Haiti , on Friday , making it the first airline to do so . Commercial flights ended on January 12 , when a 7.0-magnitude earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and damaged many of the country 's buildings , including some at Toussaint Louverture International Airport , in the capital . The first flight will depart Miami International Airport in Florida at 6:40 a.m. , arriving at 8:35 a.m. in Port-au-Prince , American Airlines said in a news release . `` This is that crack in the dam that we so badly needed and our passengers so badly wanted , to start moving regularly scheduled traffic into and out of Haiti , '' spokesman Tim Smith told CNN Radio . `` We 'll start out with three main flights a day from south Florida , two from Miami and one from Fort Lauderdale . Then we 'll also fly a JFK New York flight into Haiti four days a week . '' Smith said that , despite damage to the airport , the airline was prepared to deal with passengers . `` One of the things we did very soon after the earthquake is that , as we were going in carrying relief supplies , we also sent in some American employees and folks from a construction firm that we worked with on the mainland to actually begin working to repair our facilities there at the Port-au-Prince terminal . '' Haitian customs officials will work out of a cargo facility because of damage at the main terminal , Smith said . `` These flights serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild , '' Peter Dolara , American 's senior vice president for Mexico , the Caribbean and Latin America , said in the news release . `` With commercial air service restored , we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti . '' Also beginning March 12 , American Eagle will commence new service into Port-au-Prince from San Juan , Puerto Rico , and daily flights from the Dominican Republic cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago . `` We have begun our journey to recover from the catastrophic earthquake , but with support from companies like American Airlines , we hope it wo n't be nearly as long , '' said Ralph Latortue , consul general of Haiti in Florida . American has served Haiti since 1971 and employs more than 100 people in Port-au-Prince , according to the airline . Since the day after the earthquake , American Airlines and American Eagle have continued flying into and out of Haiti -- carrying relief workers , medical personnel , humanitarian aid and evacuating hundreds of people . A spokeswoman for Spirit Airlines , which had a daily flight from Fort Lauderdale to Port-au-Prince , said the company was working to gain approval to resume its flights beginning Friday . `` We 're awaiting the response from the airport , '' said spokeswoman Misty Pinson . A spokesman for Delta Air Lines said it was working with Haitian authorities to reinstate service `` as quickly as possible . '' The work on the American Airlines terminal was carried out by Odebrecht , a Sao Paulo , Brazil-based construction company that built American 's terminal at Miami International Airport , said spokeswoman Renata Pinheiro . A cargo building that was undamaged by the earthquake was transformed into a terminal , and immigration and customs services were located there , she said . A terminal that suffered only minor damaged was fixed . `` It was n't a reconstruction of the airport itself , it was really making it operational , '' she said about the effort . The company 's workforce of 75 included 30 Haitian baggage handlers who `` became construction helpers , '' she said . `` Odebrecht 's people trained them to do welding and painting . The really cool thing that we 're super happy about is the fact that the whole thing came about in just three weeks . '' Among the toughest challenges was finding construction supplies , the company said in a news release . Odebrecht solved that by obtaining materials in Puerto Rico and sending them by barge to the Dominican Republic , then moving them by truck to the Haitian capital . `` This has been a genuine labor of love , but also one of absolute commitment , '' said Antonio Pinto , Odebrecht 's project executive in Haiti . `` In the most basic human terms , it is essential to reopen this airport and to reconnect the people of Haiti with their families and friends abroad . '' The company 's other projects include rebuilding and fortifying levees in New Orleans , Louisiana , under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers . | American will resume service Friday morning . The airline has been working to repair earthquake damage to the terminal . Spirit Airlines is waiting for approval to resume daily flight from Florida . | [[19, 116], [1847, 1865], [1868, 1937], [2715, 2792], [2720, 2731], [2744, 2801]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Toyota recalls millions of cars , the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that an average of 25 percent of U.S. consumers who get recall notices do n't follow through and fix their vehicles . The CNN Fact Check Desk wondered : Is there a way to ensure compliance with auto recalls ? Most vehicle recalls involve free fixes for the consumer . • Clarence Ditlow with the Center for Auto Safety , a consumer watchdog group , says there is not a process to ensure that auto owners comply with recalls . The center says vehicle insurers have an incentive and a method to reach car owners who have n't complied fully with recalls . `` Insurers have the VIN -LSB- vehicle identification numbers -RSB- , and they could contact the insured drivers who have failed to comply , '' Ditlow says . Because states are responsible for issuing a vehicle 's registration , Ditlow sees an opportunity for state governments to force compliance . He says that states could refuse to renew registration until the manufacturer 's fix has been made . However , he says , no states have taken this step so far . • According to Edmunds.com , some states do require owners to make the requisite repairs before they attempt to sell the affected car . • Jeanne Salvatore , with the Insurance Information Institute , says that auto insurers will pay damage claims caused by the current Toyota defects , then go after Toyota for reimbursements . • CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis says that new car dealers are prevented from selling a defective car . • If recall communications are deemed insufficient , the NHTSA can require further efforts from the manufacturer . But there is not a mechanism at the federal level to ensure that drivers comply . • Bottom line : If the NHTSA 's 25 percent noncompliance figure is any indication , there could be many affected Toyota models that do not get the requisite fix under the current recall . Although there have been suggestions for how to better enforce recalls , there is no mechanism in place to force drivers to make the change . CNN 's Jen Haley and CNNMoney 's Peter Valdes-Dapena contributed to this report . | Most recalls involve free fixes , but NHTSA says 25 percent of consumers do n't comply . Consumer watchdog group says there 's no process to ensure that auto owners comply . Insurers could use VINs to find drivers , states could refuse registration to force compliance . At federal level , there 's no mechanism to ensure that drivers comply . | [[56, 232], [324, 382], [1786, 1848], [383, 432], [463, 490], [468, 539], [927, 966], [967, 1067], [980, 1051], [468, 539], [1689, 1734], [1717, 1766], [2028, 2075]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Real Mallorca 's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were dented by a 1-0 defeat away to Spanish strugglers Tenerife on Monday night . Gregorio Manzano 's islanders dropped out of the top four following the weekend 's games , and Nino 's early goal for relegation-threatened Tenerife meant they stayed fifth , two points behind Sevilla . Tenerife moved up to third from bottom , still a point away from safety as they seek to avoid an immediate return to the second division , after doubling their points tally earned from the previous eight matches . Last season 's top scorer Nino netted his sixth goal of the 2009-10 campaign in the 14th minute as he ran onto Mikel Alonso 's pass and buried his shot from the edge of the area despite claims of offside from the visitors . Nino missed a chance from a similar position soon after , and in the second half he was denied by Israeli goalkeeper Dudu Aouate , who also did well to save Julian Omar 's rising shot . Mallorca substitute Pierre Webo headed wide with 12 minutes to go as his team , who have a 100 percent home record , extended a poor away run of just one win in 12 trips . Champions Barcelona lead Real Madrid by two points following Sunday 's shock defeat by Atletico Madrid , while Valencia are third a further 10 points adrift . | Real Mallorca 's hopes of qualifying for Champions League dented by Tenerife defeat . Mallorca fail to return to the top four in Spain as islanders ' poor away form continues . Promoted Tenerife move up to 18th place but are still in the relegation zone . Last season 's top scorer Nino nets the only goal of the game in the 14th minute . | [[0, 15], [81, 162], [163, 251], [1059, 1067], [1107, 1161], [258, 365], [580, 675]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Washington manicurist Lidia Schaefer returned to her native village in Ethiopia , she was troubled by what she saw : children walking three hours each way to attend classes held not in a school , but under a tree . Lidia Schaefer sold her house and car and set aside tips and part of her salary to raise money for the school . When she learned in 1998 that one of the girls she 'd met -- Medhine -- had been attacked and killed by a hyena after falling behind other children during the long trek home from school , Schaefer knew she had to act . She began setting aside a third of her salary and all of her tips , and later sold her house and car , to raise enough money to build a school for the village . `` She 's definitely not your average manicurist , '' says Denise Abrahams , a longtime client . `` This is the kind of thing that you hear about Oprah Winfrey doing . '' Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open at CNN.com / Heroes . For Schaefer , it was simply a matter of doing what felt right . `` I do n't work with my head , '' she says . `` I really work with my heart . '' Watch Schaefer 's clients and colleagues discuss her efforts '' Born in Feres Mai , a large village in northern Ethiopia , Schaefer moved to the United States in the mid-1970s when civil war broke out at home . During her troubling visit back home in the '90s , she recalls , `` I promised the children I was going to open a school for them . '' But she had no idea how to tackle such a big project , especially while raising her own two children and working 12-hour days , six days a week . Watch Schaefer speak with CNN 's Larry King '' The motivation to fulfill her promise came with the news of Medhine 's death . `` That really pushed me to do it , '' she says , `` to build a school so that would n't happen again . '' Schaefer lobbied the Ethiopian government to donate land in a central location so the school could serve children from several nearby villages . The decision was made to build a secondary school , since the nearest one was more than 18 miles away . Back in Washington , Schaefer began setting aside money for construction of the school . `` I was working two days for the school , four days for me , '' she recalls . Her clients and co-workers rallied to help , holding raffles and making contributions . Several clients bought individual doors or windows for the school . Watch Schaefer talk about the school '' But Schaefer realized it would n't be enough . To finish the school , she needed to do something drastic . In 2002 , she gave up her symbols of the American dream , selling her home and car . It 's a sacrifice that still stuns her colleagues and friends . `` I could n't believe it , '' remembers salon manager Patty Gonzalez . But Schaefer saw nothing remarkable about her decision . `` I do n't feel like I -LSB- gave -RSB- up a lot , '' she says . `` I want -LSB- the children -RSB- to learn , to get something out of their life . '' Schaefer ultimately raised more than $ 250,000 for the school , which was completed in 2006 . When she went back for the dedication , Schaefer was honored with an elaborate procession through the village . For her , it was gratifying to see what she 'd accomplished . `` I was so happy , I ca n't even describe it , '' she recalls . Today , nearly 1,500 students are educated in the school , which boasts an eight-building campus with 16 classrooms , a science lab and library . `` It 's simple , but it 's nice , '' Schaefer says . Though she 'd hoped to name the school in memory of Medhine , the government -- which runs the school -- instead named it the Lidia Secondary School , telling Schaefer , `` We want it to be your name so that more people -LSB- will -RSB- be like you . '' Schaefer has indeed inspired many others to follow her example . When Ethiopian communities around the United States heard about what she 'd been able to achieve , they launched an effort to build more schools in her region of northern Ethiopia . So far , they 've raised enough money to build 12 schools , due to be completed by July 2009 . Schaefer still sets aside her tips and wages to support her school and has kept up her fundraising efforts to buy supplies . A colleague at the salon designed T-shirts to raise money for desks for the students . Schaefer 's next goal is to equip the school with computers . `` They need computers so they can talk to the whole world , '' she says . Her colleagues and clients say Schaefer serves as an important reminder that people do n't need money or power to make a difference . `` She 's very inspiring to me , '' says Gonzalez . `` I 've learned from Lidia that even if the project is big , if your heart is in it , you can do it . '' Want to get involved ? Check out Lidia Schaefer 's Web site and see how to help . | D.C. manicurist raised more than $ 250,000 to build school in native Ethiopia . Inspiration came after seeing children walk three hours to classes held under tree . Girl killed by hyena while walking home motivated Lidia Schaefer to fulfill promise . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open at CNN.com / Heroes . | [[2999, 3060], [152, 185], [169, 185], [190, 228], [362, 386], [423, 430], [456, 547], [362, 408], [550, 580], [1663, 1741], [1745, 1775], [913, 933], [913, 915], [920, 933], [934, 976]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. troops routinely face the threat of roadside bombs while fighting insurgencies in Afghanistan . They need the most protective clothing the market can bear , and they 're getting it -- for now . North Carolina State University College of Textiles tests the flammability of different materials at this facility . Back home , a battle is brewing in Congress over the next lucrative contract for military uniforms . The issue boils down to the raw fiber used in their construction . Current uniforms are made in the United States , in Georgia , using a fabric called Defender M made by the TenCate company . It is favored by the military for its fire-resistant and breathable properties . But the fabric is made with a type of rayon imported from Austria , which normally would violate the military 's buy-American requirement . This specific rayon can not be produced in the United States for environmental reasons , so Congress passed an amendment allowing it to be temporarily imported . The extension expires , or `` sunsets , '' in 2013 , but that year 's defense budget is being determined now . The idea of the sunset is to give U.S. manufacturers time to come up with a comparable product . At stake : a defense contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars . American competitors have submitted alternatives , but after independent testing at North Carolina State University College of Textiles , the Defense Department concluded that TenCate 's Defender M -- with its foreign-made fibers -- is the most flame-resistant . Dr. Roger Barker , who specializes in clothing flammability at the College of Textiles , conducted a demonstration for CNN . Based on his testing , the Army says Defender M resists fire the longest of other fabrics . `` What the new heat-resistant materials are able to do is add seconds of protection , so that seconds of protection can be the difference between a severe burn or a survival burn , '' Barker said . `` Life and death , '' echoes Sen. Johnny Isakson , R-Georgia , regarding those extra seconds of fire protection . He asked the Senate to extend the waiver . `` So long as it 's the best available in the world to protect our soldiers , we absolutely ought to maximize the use , '' Isakson told CNN . `` There is no American competitor that can meet or exceed it , '' Isakson said on the Senate floor . `` Obviously if there were , then that waiver would go away . '' The U.S. Army 's uniform procurer says soldiers prefer TenCate 's product . `` They have consistently exceeded our expectations . This has proven to be a valuable fabric and well-received by our soldiers , '' Jeff Myhre told CNN . In a letter to CNN , a top military official said the ability to procure the foreign rayon `` a valuable authority . '' `` Our periodic review of rayon requirements within the Military Services and testing of alternative items that are available domestically continue to support the determination that satisfactory quality and sufficient quantity of rayon yarn conforming to the domestic source requirements can not be procured as needed , '' wrote Ashton Carter , undersecretary of defense for acquisition , technology & logistics . Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina , opposed Isakson 's amendment , debating on the Senate floor that it `` permanently extends this waiver and will end all efforts to produce a domestic material to make military uniforms . '' Sen. Jim Webb , D-Virginia , agrees with Graham that U.S. companies wo n't have an incentive to invest in research and development . He says the exception was supposed to be temporary , and `` favors foreign suppliers of rayon over our own American companies . '' He argued on the Senate floor that in due time , U.S. companies would be able to demonstrate an ability to manufacture materials that meet Army requirements . He 's also worried about jobs . `` Some companies , like DuPont , for example , have already lost hundreds of jobs owing to their inability to compete for Army contracts , '' he said . The Senate voted , and the nays had it . No extension , no more imports of this fabric as of 2013 . What next ? The House of Representatives is expected to take up the bill when members return from the August recess . Isakson is confident his argument will prevail . `` Facts are stubborn things . I think when the facts get out they 'll understand it 's the right thing to do . Our armed forces want it and it 's the best thing for our soldiers , '' he said . Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence contributed to this report . | Uniforms made in Georgia by TenCate company , using a fabric called Defender M . It is favored by the military for its fire-resistant and breathable properties . Fabric uses rayon from Austria , which normally violates buy-American requirement . Amendment at issue would continue to allow special rayon to be imported . | [[514, 530], [576, 638], [639, 719], [2576, 2649], [724, 763], [758, 785], [773, 859]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Close to one million strollers have been recalled by their manufacturer following reports at least 12 babies or toddlers had their fingers amputated after they were caught in the hinges . British company Maclaren said the recall concerns Chinese-made models on sale in the U.S. that open with an `` umbrella '' mechanism . The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said customers should stop using the strollers immediately . Maclaren said it was issuing a free repair kit make the hinges safe . The CPSC said the warning concerned models dating back to 1999 sold at stores including Target and Babies R Us . The mechanism `` poses a fingertip amputation and laceration hazard to the child when the consumer is unfolding , '' the CPSC said in statement issued jointly with Maclaren . Maclaren said its Volo , Triumph , Quest Sport , Quest Mod , Techno XT , Techno XLR , Twin Triumph , Twin Techno and Easy Traveller models -- which retail between $ 100 to $ 400 -- were affected . The manufacturer said its strollers met required safety standards , but the recall was being applied voluntarily to `` alert the operator when opening or closing the stroller of the possible risk of injury . '' In a separate statement , Maclaren 's European arm said that no recall was being issued in the European Union , where there had been fewer reported injuries , despite higher sales . `` We wish to reassure our customers that they should continue to use their existing Maclaren buggies since they are safe when opened and closed correctly , '' it said . `` Our advice is that consumers should take the same level of caution and care as when opening or closing a car door or any other moving part that can be found in many other baby and toddler products . `` There are a lower number of similar reported incidents amongst the considerably higher number of Maclaren buggies sold in Europe . If a buggy is folded or unfolded in line with our operating instructions the risk of injury is non-existent . '' • U.S. consumers can contact Maclaren at 877-688-2326 or visit www.maclaren.us/recall to receive the repair kit . | Maclaren says some of it strollers pose a risk of finger amputations . Recall affects nearly one million strollers sold in the United States . Manufacturer has issued kit to make hinges safe . | [[630, 710], [447, 516], [476, 516]] |
Editor 's note : This article contains profanity that some may find offensive . This is part one of a three part series showing different aspects of life inside Colombia 's drug gangs . A gang member sniffs in a cloud of cocaine dust as he cuts the drug with other substances . MEDELLIN , Colombia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A young man with tattoos covering one arm rolls hundreds of marijuana joints in the half-light of a shack , perched on a hillside in a Medellin slum . A 9mm pistol and a .38 revolver lie on his work bench . An old battery-powered radio blares out the salsa music classic , `` Todo Tiene Su Final '' or `` Everything Comes To An End . '' `` I 'm getting calluses on my tongue rolling all these spliffs , '' he laughs , telling me has enough marijuana for about 1,000 joints . He and his comrades plan to sell them for about 50 cents apiece . A few doors away , two other gang members have raided their mother 's kitchen for soup plates , drinking glasses and a blender . They 've just taken delivery of a kilogram -LRB- 2.2 pound -RRB- brick of pure cocaine . Their job now is to cut it and package it in gram bags to peddle on street corners they control . Watch as cocaine is cut '' A female gang member shows up with two more bags , one containing powdered caffeine and the other lidocaine , a dental anesthetic used to dilute the pure cocaine . They mix business with pleasure . Every now and again one of the gang members pulls off the top of the blender and breathes in a cloud of pulverized cocaine . One of them coughs and keels over in the kitchen . Seconds later , he 's back on his feet snorting cocaine off a spoon . `` Breathing that cocaine cloud mellows me out so I need a line to take me back up , '' he says . Standing in the background , snorting lines of pure cocaine off a pocketknife is the gang leader , a man in his mid-20s . His cohorts call him `` Chief . '' He tells me they 'll sell the heavily cut cocaine for $ 1.50 a gram . Higher purity powder goes for about $ 4 a gram . That 's much cheaper than the $ 50 or $ 60 a heavily cut gram costs on most U.S. and European streets , according to estimates from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration . I agree to conceal Chief 's true identity to protect him from the police and rival gangs . As we chat , he dismantles a small caliber pistol . Watch the gangs in action '' `` Around here the only law is the rules of the street , '' he explains . `` The rules do n't change ; they always will be the rules , here or anywhere else . '' A trusted source , who made the introduction for me , tells me Chief is a `` total animal living on borrowed time , '' who has earned so many enemies he can not risk stepping outside the few hundred square yards of his home turf . `` I 'm only human , of course I get afraid , '' he says . `` Afraid my life will end suddenly before I can do anything to get out of this war . '' Since the time when undisputed cocaine king Pablo Escobar held sway here , the `` northeastern commune '' district has forged a fearsome reputation as a recruiting ground for drug cartel hit men and violent gang wars . Medellin is once again in the grip of a vicious drug war . In January to September this year , city authorities say the murder rate has more than doubled with almost 2,000 killings . Officials at the Medellin public prosecutor 's offices say the vast majority of victims were shot , likely victims of rival drug gangs and cocaine capos . Watch marijuana joints being rolled by the hundreds '' That makes Medellin as dangerous as Ciudad Juarez , the frontier town dubbed Mexico 's most dangerous city as a result of the ongoing cartel war there . Authorities in Juarez say killings are up from last year and are hitting record highs . Colombian authorities estimate there are around 130 street gangs -- known as `` combos '' -- in Medellin , totaling some 6,000 members . Their only real loyalty is to the money that drug capos dole out to hire a gang 's services . Capos will supply them with drugs to retail on street corners and occasionally issue them weapons to take on rival gangs loyal to another crime boss . Until earlier this year , Medellin 's drug underworld was ruled by the so-called `` Office of Envigado , '' named after a district of the Medellin metropolitan area . The `` office '' was a syndicate of the top cocaine bosses who agreed on the basic rules of doing business in the area . They shared smuggling routes and acted as the ultimate enforcers if cartel members reneged on deals or debts . But the `` office '' has been ripped apart by infighting . Some senior members were arrested , some of those already in jail were extradited and others cut cooperation deals with U.S. authorities . That left the lower ranks fighting to fill the power vacuum . It 's an internal battle that is still raging . Watch how CNN 's Karl Penhaul got unprecedented access to the gangs '' `` The ones fueling this war are the ones from the other side . They 've f *** ed up Medellin , '' Chief says . `` They 're from Medellin but they 're traitors . '' `` They want to get control of all Medellin so they 're shooting up one gang then another . They 're getting paid to fight . These are wars between the big capos and we 're paying the price out here on the streets , '' he adds . Chief and his allies have stopped rivals intruding on their turf by strictly enforcing what they call `` street rules . '' A day before our meeting , Chief says he helped bury one of his friends who had been gunned down when he ventured into the heart of Medellin with a girlfriend . `` I could n't even bear to take a look inside the coffin , '' he began explaining . `` We do n't really know who did it . But it was that crack head girlfriend who persuaded him to go down there . So we killed the bitch . `` You see that 's street rules . You have to answer for our friend and the only way you can do that is pay with your life , '' he says . Chief shies away from questions about which cartel boss is bankrolling his gang . But clearly somebody has been supplying them with guns . They pose with a Czech-made .22 - caliber rifle and an assortment of semi-automatic pistols -- as well as the wholesale supply of drugs they then sell on the streets . My conversation with Chief is interrupted when another gang member arrives at the improvised drug den . He mumbles to his boss that a local man has been beating up his wife . Chief authorizes his underling to go and thrash the accused man with a pool cue . `` I do n't think we need cameras for this one please , '' he requests . As I get ready to leave I have one last question for Chief : I want to know if he ever had any dreams . `` I 've tried to get out of this but it 's never quite worked out , '' he says . `` I 'd like to sail away in a sailboat . Alone and far away . '' | Drug war raging in Medellin , Colombia , has seen almost 2,000 killings this year . Gang leader says violence sparked by power vacuum as old bosses arrested . His gang sells cocaine and marijuana and he rules through violence . But he refuses to say which cartel boss is bankrolling his gang . | [[3126, 3184], [3185, 3218], [3221, 3308], [6003, 6040]] |
Lexington , Missouri -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police arrested a sixth member of a Missouri family under investigation for allegations of child sexual abuse , police said . Darrel Mohler has been charged with two counts of rape , Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said at a news conference . Missouri police did not have Mohler in custody earlier . On the request of Missouri officials , Marion County authorities went to Mohler 's home in Silver Springs , Florida , and caught him just before he pulled into the driveway , according to a news release from the Marion County Sheriff 's Office . He was subsequently arrested . Mohler told police he `` was aware of what was going on in Missouri , '' and that he had not been there since the 1980s , according to the sheriff 's office . Five members of the Mohler family of Lafayette County , Missouri , were arrested earlier this week after six alleged victims , who are relatives of the five suspects , made accusations of sexual abuse . A sixth person , described as an `` associate '' of the family , was arrested Thursday but released Friday , police said . The six alleged victims -- all now adults -- came to law enforcement authorities with stories of sexual performances , mock weddings , rape with various objects and a forced abortion during their childhoods , according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KSHB in Kansas City . CNN does not identify alleged sexual assault victims . Police did not have enough to charge Darrel Mohler earlier , but after examining the victims ' statements , obtained enough information to charge him , Alumbaugh said . He added that he does not think Darrel is on the run . Darrel Mohler , 72 , is the younger brother of Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. , 77 , according to KSHB . On Tuesday , authorities arrested Mohler Sr. and his sons Burrell Edward Mohler Jr. , 53 ; David A. Mohler , 52 ; Jared Leroy Mohler , 48 ; and Roland Neil Mohler , 47 . More charges against the family members are expected next week , the sheriff said . Current charges for some of the arrested include rape , deviate sexual assault and use -LSB- of -RSB- child in sexual performance , according to Missouri State Courts online case management system . Alumbaugh said that Larry Kidd , 55 , of Kansas City , Missouri -- an `` associate '' of the Mohler family -- was picked up by police following a tip , cooperated with police and has been released . The alleged abuse took place from the mid-1980s until 1995 and possibly beyond , the sheriff said earlier . The documents provide graphic details of the alleged abuse provided by one of the alleged victims . All of the charges stem from those documents , Alumbaugh said . Mohler Sr. , David Mohler and Jared Mohler are all lay ministers in the Community of Christ , the Independence , Missouri-based organization said in a statement . Lay ministers are volunteers who do not receive compensation , said the organization , and none of the three served in leadership roles or worked with children . Mohler Sr. went through the group 's registered youth worker program , but `` his youth worker registration has been terminated and we understand he had no contact with children or youth in church programs , '' the statement said . Some lay ministers might help take care of the church , while others might speak at services , said the organization 's spokeswoman , Linda Booth . The Community of Christ is an offshoot of the modern-day Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It split off from the Mormon church in the 1800s , and in 2000 changed its name to Community of Christ from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Investigators earlier this week searched several properties for evidence , but there were no plans to continue the searches , Alumbaugh said Friday . He declined to comment on any evidence found . CNN 's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report . | NEW : Darrel Mohler , another relative , charged with two counts of rape Friday . Five relatives were arrested Tuesday after six people accused them of abuse . More alleged victims have come forward since initial arrests , police say . Allegations date from the mid-1980s through at least the mid - '90s , the sheriff said . | [[166, 220], [40, 149], [787, 840], [843, 911], [892, 911], [918, 952], [787, 813], [892, 911], [955, 989], [390, 403], [526, 596], [750, 786], [2013, 2031], [2430, 2488]] |
Islamabad , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pakistan 's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani made a U-turn Saturday -- first declaring that the military offensive against Islamic militants in South Waziristan had ended , then saying there is no timeframe for its completion . The Pakistani army is conducting an intense operation to rout militants from their haven along the country 's border with Afghanistan . The militants , in turn , have launched a series of deadly attacks in retaliation . Answering a question from a reporter who asked whether the government will engage in dialogue with the Taliban in South Waziristan , Gilani said the operation was over . `` There was talk of dialogue even during the Malakand Operation . But now , the operation in South Waziristan is over . In fact , at the moment , there is talk of an operation in Orakzai Agency , '' he said . Malakand is another operation that the military is conducting in another region . Orakzai is one of seven districts that make up the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan . Like South Waziristan , it is also considered rife with militants . Gilani 's comments , made in the eastern city of Lahore , were aired on national television . But hours later , he backtracked . `` It could have been in a different context , '' he told reporters in Karachi . These remarks were also aired on television . Gilani also declined to say when the offensive might end . `` We will take military action wherever we get information about the presence of militants , '' he said . When reached for clarification , the prime minister 's office pointed CNN to the second statement . The army did not comment on Gilani 's remarks . A release it sends out daily made no mention of an end to the offensive on Saturday . Instead , Saturday 's release provided the usual breakdown of operations in various parts of the country , including South Waziristan . CNN 's Samson Desta and journalist Nasir Habib contributed to this report . | Pakistan 's Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani tells reporter operation against Taliban is over . Hours later he backtracks on national television and declines to say when operation may end . Pakistani army conducting an intense operation to rout militants along Afghan border . | [[622, 658], [726, 733], [736, 779], [12, 20], [112, 268], [1120, 1138], [1169, 1213], [1214, 1229], [1232, 1248], [1376, 1382], [1388, 1434], [269, 404], [302, 404]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Heavy snow in northern and central China has killed 21 people since Monday , the country 's Ministry of Civil Affairs said Friday , according to state-run media . Xinhua news agency said the ministry did not provide the causes of the deaths , except to note that two school canteens had collapsed in Hebei and Henan provinces since Wednesday , killing four children . The snow began to fall Monday on northern and central Chinese provinces , including Hebei , Shanxi , Henan , Shandong , Hubei and Shaanxi , and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region , Xinhua reported . More than 9,000 buildings have collapsed since then , Xinhua said . Citing the ministry , it said the snow has caused an estimated 4.5 billion yuan -LRB- nearly $ 660 million -RRB- in damages . The ministry said about 159,000 people have been evacuated from their homes or stranded vehicles , Xinhua reported . Civil Affairs Minister Li Xueju has ordered local authorities to provide food , water and clothing to those who are still stranded , `` and to make proper arrangements for people who lost their homes in the snow to get through the winter , '' Xinhua reported . It said the Civil Affairs Ministry and the Ministry of Finance have allocated 20 million yuan -LRB- about $ 3 million -RRB- from their central budgets to Shanxi and Hebei provinces to help move those affected by the snow and to help them build houses . Heavy snow has also fallen on Beijing , but no deaths have been reported there , Xinhua said . | The snow began to fall Monday on northern and central Chinese provinces . Xinhua : More than 9,000 buildings have collapsed since Monday . Xinhua : Civil Affairs ministry says 159,000 people evacuated from homes , vehicles . | [[0, 93], [387, 560], [151, 181], [581, 632], [96, 148], [775, 871]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Investigators are searching property that once belonged to one of five members of a Missouri family arrested on multiple child sexual abuse charges for `` a body or bodies , '' the Lafayette County sheriff said Wednesday . Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said his department and other law enforcement agencies investigating the case are seeking witnesses and more possible victims . `` I believe that there is , and I believe every investigator here , after seeing the evidence , believes there 's more victims , '' Alumbaugh said . `` Pedophiles do n't stop at one . '' Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. , 77 , and his sons Burrell Edward Mohler Jr. , 53 ; David A. Mohler , 52 ; Jared Leroy Mohler , 48 ; and Roland Neil Mohler , 47 , are being held in the Lafayette County Jail with bails ranging from $ 30,000 to $ 75,000 . Six children , who are siblings , came to law enforcement authorities with stories of sexual performances , mock weddings , rape with various objects , and a forced abortion , according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KSHB in Kansas City . The documents provide graphic details of the alleged abuse , provided by one of the children , whose names are being withheld . All of the charges stem from those documents , Alumbaugh said , adding that he expected additional charges based on other victim statements . Read story from CNN affiliate KMBC . Alumbaugh said investigators were also searching several properties for glass jars that some of the victims may have buried containing notes detailing the alleged abuse . Read story from CNN affiliate KCTV . The alleged abuse took place from the mid-1980s until 1995 and possibly beyond , the sheriff said . Additionally , he said , investigators are following other leads as well . Read story from CNN affiliate Fox4KC.com . `` There has been indications there are a body or bodies in various locations , '' Alumbaugh said . Investigators have been working the case since August , he said , when the first of the now-grown children came forward . | Investigators search property linked to Missouri family arrested in child sex abuse case . Officials searching for `` a body or bodies , '' sheriff said Wednesday . Alleged abuse started in mid-1980s , continued at least into '90s , the sheriff said . | [[19, 118], [101, 166], [193, 241], [1682, 1700], [1819, 1827], [1855, 1896], [1601, 1659], [1682, 1700]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- We 're reviewing two $ 99 turn-by-turn navigation applications for the iPhone , TomTom and Navigon . Yes , that 's right , a $ 99 application for your phone to take the place of a stand-alone device that does n't cost much more than that . First off , if you plan to use your iPhone as a turn-by-turn navigator , you 'll need some sort of mount that keeps it in constant view of the sky -LRB- and to keep you from wrecking your car while trying to look at the screen -RRB- . As I was driving around downtown Atlanta , Georgia , both applications spent a good amount of time telling me they could n't get a good GPS lock , even after I dug out a window mount from my box of bits and pieces . Both of these applications have most of the features you would expect ; basically , put in a destination , and they tell you how to get there . Both can save favorites ; both even have a walking mode -LRB- though I have n't played with this enough to recommend it -RRB- . Both take up a ton of space , and both currently cost $ 99 -LRB- though the Navigon had an early buy-in price of $ 69 -RRB- . Navigon also has the TomTom beat on features : An early update added text-to-speech , which means Navigon 's app says the street you should turn on and not just `` turn left . '' Navigon also just released a $ 24.99 -LRB- intro priced at $ 19.99 -RRB- upgrade option that will give you live traffic information . I 've asked TomTom about possible updates , and they say they 're considering what features to add . My early call for the best interface goes to the Navigon app . And this held up the more I used both of them . I find it much more intuitive ; things are where I expect them to be . When I want to change something on the TomTom , I often find myself repeatedly clicking through the categories , trying to find a particular setting . The Navigon 's interface is better for me . An example of the interface conundrum : When I got the software , I hit the `` home '' icon to tell it to direct me to my house . Of course , I had n't set that address up yet . The TomTom told me I had to add it from the `` manage favorites '' menu ; the Navigon app asked me if I 'd like to add it and let me do it right there . Bottom line . Overall , my preference for the Navigon app holds true . I like the look and feel of the maps better , how it switches to night view automatically and its on-screen and voice alerts . The TomTom , by comparison , seems very low-end -- the maps are n't as nice -- and without text-to-speech , the voice prompts fall short . I like to know what street I 'm looking for without looking at the screen . The big feather -LRB- at an additional $ 120 -RRB- in TomTom 's hat is its car kit . Essentially a dock designed for your car , the device adds power , a bigger speaker and a better GPS chip . The bigger chip should help the application be more accurate with your location and provide quicker prompts when you need to turn . But at that point , you 'll have spent more than $ 200 on a navigator that uses your iPhone as its brain . I just got my hands on TomTom 's dock , and although it 's nice and should improve the GPS performance , I 'm not sure it 's worth an extra $ 120 . So , down to brass tacks : Is it worth it to pay $ 99 for a smart phone navigation application when you could buy a stand-alone model -LRB- likely with a better GPS chip -RRB- for the same or not much more ? Personally , I like having it all on my phone , one unit that does everything -LRB- and I probably wo n't forget it in the car to be stolen -RRB- . Other people will probably rather have the stand-alone . And of course , there 's a big caveat : Google . The technology powerhouse has a turn-by-turn application in beta for its Android 2 operating system . It 's free for phones that run Android 2.0 , and word is that they 're in talks with Apple to get it on the iPhone -LRB- word that brought a big hit to the stock of both GPS giants , Garmin and TomTom -RRB- . Who knows what 's in the future for these apps ? But I 'll bet they 'll come up with something to remain at least somewhat viable . | TomTom , Navigon iPhone apps use GPS to give detailed street directions . Navigon app -LRB- $ 99 -RRB- is intuitive : Things are where reviewer expects them to be . TomTom car kit adds power , a bigger speaker and a better GPS chip . Google has beta turn-by-turn app for its Android 2 operating system . | [[19, 119], [19, 119], [1016, 1046], [1522, 1584], [1633, 1662], [1665, 1703], [2643, 2727], [2771, 2794], [3685, 3786]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A major sponsor for Tiger Woods announced Sunday that it is dropping the golf star in light of recent controversy swirling around his personal life . Accenture , a management consulting firm , said on its Web site that `` given the circumstances of the last two weeks ... the company has determined that he is no longer the right representative for its advertising . '' The move ends a sponsorship arrangement that lasted six years . Another major sponsor , Gillette , said Saturday it was `` limiting '' Woods ' role in its marketing programs to give him the privacy to work on family relationships . Woods announced on his own Web site Friday that he is taking an `` indefinite break '' from professional golf . The 33-year-old golfer , who tops the sport 's world rankings , has been mired in controversy since he crashed his car outside his Florida mansion late last month . In the week following the crash , Woods apologized for `` transgressions '' that let his family down , and US Weekly magazine published a report alleging that Woods had an affair with a 24-year-old cocktail waitress named Jaimee Grubbs . US Weekly 's report followed a National Enquirer article before the crash that the athlete was having an affair with a New York nightclub hostess -- an assertion the hostess vigorously denied , according to The New York Post . The statement Friday on Woods ' site was the first time he admitted to infidelity ; in a previous statement , he referred to his `` transgressions . '' The golf phenomenon , who has won three U.S. Open titles and the Masters tournament and the PGA tournament each four times , said in the statement that he will spend his hiatus with his family . `` After much soul searching , I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf . I need to focus my attention on being a better husband , father and person , '' Woods said in his Friday statement . | Accenture : Woods no longer the right representative for our advertising . Company cites `` circumstances of the last two weeks '' Woods announced Friday he was taking break from golf to focus on family . Golfer admitted to infidelity in Friday statement . | [[287, 385], [453, 474], [488, 562], [169, 178], [212, 288], [621, 656], [664, 732], [1515, 1621], [1640, 1709], [1739, 1808], [1363, 1444], [1886, 1925]] |
Lexington , Missouri -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police arrested a sixth member of a Missouri family under investigation for allegations of child sexual abuse , police said . Darrel Mohler has been charged with two counts of rape , Lafayette County Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said at a news conference . Missouri police did not have Mohler in custody earlier . On the request of Missouri officials , Marion County authorities went to Mohler 's home in Silver Springs , Florida , and caught him just before he pulled into the driveway , according to a news release from the Marion County Sheriff 's Office . He was subsequently arrested . Mohler told police he `` was aware of what was going on in Missouri , '' and that he had not been there since the 1980s , according to the sheriff 's office . Five members of the Mohler family of Lafayette County , Missouri , were arrested earlier this week after six alleged victims , who are relatives of the five suspects , made accusations of sexual abuse . A sixth person , described as an `` associate '' of the family , was arrested Thursday but released Friday , police said . The six alleged victims -- all now adults -- came to law enforcement authorities with stories of sexual performances , mock weddings , rape with various objects and a forced abortion during their childhoods , according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KSHB in Kansas City . CNN does not identify alleged sexual assault victims . Police did not have enough to charge Darrel Mohler earlier , but after examining the victims ' statements , obtained enough information to charge him , Alumbaugh said . He added that he does not think Darrel is on the run . Darrel Mohler , 72 , is the younger brother of Burrell Edward Mohler Sr. , 77 , according to KSHB . On Tuesday , authorities arrested Mohler Sr. and his sons Burrell Edward Mohler Jr. , 53 ; David A. Mohler , 52 ; Jared Leroy Mohler , 48 ; and Roland Neil Mohler , 47 . More charges against the family members are expected next week , the sheriff said . Current charges for some of the arrested include rape , deviate sexual assault and use -LSB- of -RSB- child in sexual performance , according to Missouri State Courts online case management system . Alumbaugh said that Larry Kidd , 55 , of Kansas City , Missouri -- an `` associate '' of the Mohler family -- was picked up by police following a tip , cooperated with police and has been released . The alleged abuse took place from the mid-1980s until 1995 and possibly beyond , the sheriff said earlier . The documents provide graphic details of the alleged abuse provided by one of the alleged victims . All of the charges stem from those documents , Alumbaugh said . Mohler Sr. , David Mohler and Jared Mohler are all lay ministers in the Community of Christ , the Independence , Missouri-based organization said in a statement . Lay ministers are volunteers who do not receive compensation , said the organization , and none of the three served in leadership roles or worked with children . Mohler Sr. went through the group 's registered youth worker program , but `` his youth worker registration has been terminated and we understand he had no contact with children or youth in church programs , '' the statement said . Some lay ministers might help take care of the church , while others might speak at services , said the organization 's spokeswoman , Linda Booth . The Community of Christ is an offshoot of the modern-day Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It split off from the Mormon church in the 1800s , and in 2000 changed its name to Community of Christ from the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Investigators earlier this week searched several properties for evidence , but there were no plans to continue the searches , Alumbaugh said Friday . He declined to comment on any evidence found . CNN 's Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report . | NEW : Darrel Mohler , another relative , charged with two counts of rape Friday . Five relatives were arrested Tuesday after six people accused them of abuse . More alleged victims have come forward since initial arrests , police say . Allegations date from the mid-1980s through at least the mid - '90s , the sheriff said . | [[166, 220], [40, 149], [787, 840], [843, 911], [892, 911], [918, 952], [787, 813], [892, 911], [955, 989], [390, 403], [526, 596], [750, 786], [2013, 2031], [2430, 2488]] |
LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 1965 Volkswagen van stolen 35 years ago in Spokane , Washington , was found by customs agents in a shipping container in the Los Angeles port last month , a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official said . The blue van , in pristine condition , was bound for Germany along with several vintage Volkswagens , Customs and Border Protection Port Director Todd Hoffman said . The Arizona company that was shipping the van had no idea the vehicle was stolen from a Spokane auto shop in 1974 , Hoffman said . Customs and Border Protection agents routinely run vehicle identification numbers through the National Insurance Crime Bureau database for all vehicles being loaded on ships for export , he said . They recover stolen vehicles about once a week , but they usually are high-end late-model luxury cars , he said . While it was likely worth just a few hundred dollars when it was stolen , the VW is now valued at about $ 27,000 , he said . Allstate Insurance Company , which paid the original owner for the loss decades ago , now owns the van , according to Allstate spokeswoman Megan Brunet . The insurance company has not decided if it will sell the van at auction -- which is the routine -- or put it to other use because of it 's history , she said . | Van stolen in Spokane found in Los Angeles shipping container . Customs checks VIN , finds van was stolen from an auto shop in 1974 . Van now worth about $ 27,000 ; insurance company is owner . | [[0, 11], [14, 40], [99, 187], [420, 533], [936, 949], [957, 974], [936, 942], [946, 974], [987, 1013], [1073, 1089]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nations honored those who sacrificed their lives in wars on Wednesday , in many cases for the first time without any surviving veterans of World War I. Services took place around the world to mark the 91st anniversary of the armistice signed between Germany and the Allies on November 11 , 1918 . Depending on where it is celebrated , the day is alternatively known as Armistice Day , Remembrance Day , Poppy Day or Veterans Day . In Britain , Queen Elizabeth led Remembrance Day ceremonies in Westminster Abbey , a service also attended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other senior politicians and military leaders . The day has special resonance because the last remaining veterans , William Stone , Henry Allingham and Harry Patch , all died this year . The dignitaries joined people around the country in observing the traditional two-minute silence . The Very Rev. Dr. John Hall , dean of Westminster , began the service by talking about the moment when the guns fell silent in Europe 91 years ago . `` We remember , with grief , the gas and the mud , the barbed wire , the bombardment , the terror , the telegram ; and , with gratitude , the courage and sacrifice . Never again , they said ; the war to end all wars . With resolution we remember , '' Hall said . In Paris , French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe . Australians observed one minute silence at 11 a.m. , in memory of those who died or suffered in all of the nation 's wars and armed conflicts . `` Their loss is a reminder that there is nothing glorious about war . Those called upon to fight know that better than anyone , '' Gen. Peter Cosgrove , chairman of the Council of the Australian War Memorial , said Wednesday . `` But they also know that , when all else fails , it is necessary to fight against the tyrannies that threaten liberty . That cause transcends the ages , and it is a noble one . '' U.S. military forces , especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan , also were to observe Veterans Day , keenly aware of the costs of war . In the United States , the sacrifices of the military in the raging war in Afghanistan and the winding-down war in Iraq stand front and center in the nation 's consciousness . President Barack Obama paid tribute Wednesday to those who have lost their lives in the nation 's wars , as well as to the men and women who currently serve . `` There 's no tribute , no commemoration , no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice , '' he said in a speech at Arlington National Cemetery , on a rainy , overcast Veterans Day . Earlier , the president had laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns . Millions were killed in World War I , which lasted from 1914 to 1918 . France , Britain and the United States defeated Germany and its allies , such as Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire . | Nations honor those who sacrificed their lives in wars on Wednesday . In many cases services took place for first time without any surviving veterans of World War I . Services mark 91st anniversary of armistice signed between Germany and Allies on November 11 , 1918 . | [[19, 88], [2328, 2336], [2341, 2384], [171, 253], [240, 315]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nigerian footballer Stephen Worgu has been sentenced to 40 lashes after he was convicted of drinking alcohol in Sudan where he plays for first division side Al-Merreikh of Omdurman . The 20-year-old forward , who joined the northern Sudan outfit in October 2008 , was found guilty of drinking alcohol and driving under the influence by an east Khartoum court . Alcohol is illegal in the Muslim north of Sudan according to Article 78 of the penal code , although it is not in the semi-autonomous and largely non-Muslim south . The court ordered Worgu to pay a fine of $ 20 for the alcohol consumption , $ 80 for driving under the influence as well as receiving 40 lashes for the incident which is said to have taken place in the capital Khartoum on August 21 . The forward 's lawyer has appealed against the punishment for the player who had previously admitted in interviews that he had struggled to adapt to the different culture and religious life in Sudan . Worgu , who has been a regular for the Nigerian Under-20 side , had moved to Al-Merreikh for $ 2.6 million from Enyimba in Nigeria ahead of Egyptian side Al-Ahly in what was one of the biggest transfers in African football . He had previously been the top scorer in the African Champions League in 2008 after he found the net 13 times but has largely struggled to recapture that form at Al-Merreikh . | Nigeria footballer Stephen Worgu could receive 40 lashes after he was convicted of drinking alcohol in Sudan . Alcohol is illegal in the Muslim north of Sudan according to Article 78 of the country 's penal code . The lawyer for the Al-Merreikh forward has appealed against the punishment handed out to Worgu . | [[0, 15], [39, 136], [202, 225], [283, 379], [545, 705], [380, 427], [422, 469], [779, 851]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Interim Honduran President Roberto Micheletti installed himself as leader of a new unity government late Thursday , a move that drew condemnation from ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya . Making a late night public announcement , Micheletti said his entire cabinet had resigned to clear the way for a reconciliation cabinet to be named . `` This cabinet is a result of an ample participation of different sectors of civil society as well as the political parties , '' he said . `` Tonight with this new government , we 're answering the call for the unity of all people of Honduras . '' He did not identify any of the new cabinet members . Representatives for Micheletti and Zelaya signed an agreement October 30 to form a reconciliation government that would rule until a new president , to be chosen in a November 29 election , takes office in January . The deal included the possibility of Zelaya 's reinstatement to the presidency , but contained no guarantee . The pact called for the unity government to be named by Thursday . The agreement also stipulated that the nation 's congress , in consultation with the supreme court and other institutions , would vote on whether Zelaya would be returned to power . That vote did not occur Thursday . Zelaya told local media that Micheletti 's actions violated the accord , which he called `` a dead letter . '' The reconciliation government , he said , must be led by the democratically elected president of Honduras . `` How can a person who has not been elected by anyone lead a government ? '' he said . Zelaya was flown out of the country by the country 's military June 28 but secretly returned to Honduras on September 21 , obtaining refuge in the Brazilian Embassy . Micheletti sent Zelaya a letter earlier this week asking him for the names of people the deposed president would like to have in the unity government . Zelaya did not answer the letter . Micheletti said Zelaya 's refusal to answer gave the interim president the right to name all the members of a new government . `` With this agreement , we have made an important step to strengthen our democracy , '' Micheletti said . `` Despite the fact that Mister Zelaya did not send any of his representatives ... we 're still looking for an opportunity for these citizens of Honduras to be integrated in the government of reconciliation . '' The Organization of American States , the United Nations , the European Union and the United States condemned the coup and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated . The United States and others imposed economic sanctions , which some analysts say have started to hurt Honduras . Many nations , including the United States , also said they would not recognize the winner of this month 's presidential election if the vote is held under Micheletti 's rule . The United States seemed to shift that position after last week 's accord . Thomas Shannon , assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs , told CNN en Español this week that the United States would recognize the winner of this month 's presidential election even if Zelaya is not returned to power beforehand . Shannon played a key role in obtaining last week 's agreement . The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya 's desire to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution to allow longer terms for the president . The country 's congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court had ruled it illegal . Micheletti and his supporters say Zelaya 's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not a coup . | Interim President Roberto Micheletti announces formation of new unity government . Unity government formed without input of deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya . Negotiators for Zelaya and Micheletti reached unity deal last week . Zelaya calls last week 's accord a `` dead letter '' | [[709, 847], [660, 768], [135, 141], [147, 207], [1299, 1377]] |
MUMBAI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dressed in fancy clothes , she applies eye liner , dabs her nose with a powder puff and the director shouts , `` Silence , rolling ! '' Avika Gor , who plays child bride Anandi in the popular but controversial show . On cue , the star of the show delivers her lines . Meet Anandi , the main character of `` Balika Vadhu , '' an Indian television serial . Twelve-year-old Anandi is a child bride who was married off at the age of eight . She now lives with her husband and in-laws , bound by customs and traditions in their home . The daily soap is just over a year old and already one of India 's most highly rated TV shows . An estimated 74 million people watched it in July . The CEO of Colors , the channel the show airs on , says viewers love it because it 's based on reality . Rajesh Kamat said : `` There is enough research on child marriage , the evils of child marriage . We 've based our storyline on that . '' Kamat added the concept the show was based on is very much real and most of the incidents depicted in the program still happen in parts of India . Even though the Indian legal age for marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys , the law is often ignored . Since it 's an illegal act , it 's very hard to find a record of how many child marriages take place -- but according to UNICEF , 40 percent of all child marriages in the world take place in India . Critics of `` Balika Vadhu '' say the premise -- that child marriage takes place in India -- is the only real aspect of the show . The driving force behind child marriage is poverty , says Puja Marwaha , of the children 's charity Child Rights and You . She says child brides are often illiterate , malnourished , considered a burden on their parents -- and their lives bear no resemblance to the glossy images seen on TV . According to Marwaha , the serial glorifies child marriage . `` To show it as harmless , is a problem . '' `` Poverty is not pretty so the child is not going to be wearing party frocks and looking pretty , contented and happy because that 's not what really happens . What really happens is the child is forced into adult responsibilities too early . Whether it 's the responsibility of motherhood or whether it 's linked to abuse , as is the case many times . '' That , according to Marwaha , is the reality of child marriage . The people behind the show say its goal is not to glamorize child marriage -- but to highlight its dark side . Kamat said : `` Have we depicted it in a way that is entertaining ? Yes . Is the evil of child marriage highlighted ? Yes . Are the evils associated with it highlighted ? Absolutely . '' In between takes on the set of the show just outside Mumbai , Avika Gor , who plays Anandi , does her part to educate the audience . `` I feel very bad about what 's happening to Anandi . Child marriage is very , very , very , very , very , very , very bad . '' Some Indian lawmakers argued the show violated the Indian Constitution and demanded the show be banned . The government looked into it and gave it a clean chit , so the cameras continue to roll on the sets , and the show goes on . | Soap with child bride as central character is one of India 's most watched TV shows . Critics says the show glosses over the brutalities of India 's real child brides . Executive defends show , says it does highlight evils of child marriages . Child brides problem is widespread in India despite 18 being legal age for marriage . | [[2361, 2471]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Washington-based imam told CNN on Monday that alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan approached him for help finding a wife . Imam Yahya Hendi , the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University , said Hasan came to him at least two years ago as the cleric conducted services at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland . `` He said he wanted someone to help him serve , deploy and be understandable and understanding of his own military career , '' Hendi said . `` He saw himself as someone ... continuing his service with the U.S. military till the end of his career . '' The imam said he spoke with Hasan on at least two occasions about his search for a spouse . `` It 's not easy to find , in general , someone who will be willing to travel with you and deploy with you every two years , '' Hendi said . `` But he did want a wife who would stand by him , is -LSB- a -RSB- loyal American , who will help him do his work and his service for the U.S. military . '' The imam 's comments about Hasan 's search for someone who would remain with him throughout his military career were at odds with some statements by Hasan 's family . Relatives have said Hasan tried unsuccessfully to leave the military early -- requests that may have come after Hasan contacted Hendi . The cleric said he did try to help Hasan in his search , thinking of women he knew to whom he could introduce the Army psychiatrist , but he never heard from Hasan again . Authorities say Hasan opened fire at a military processing center at Fort Hood Army Post on November 5 , killing 13 people . Hasan , who was seriously wounded in the incident , was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder -- charges that make him eligible for the death penalty . Two other imams have told CNN similar stories about Hasan 's search for a wife , and about his conservatism and apparent devotion to Islam -- but those accounts seem to be inconsistent with behavior Hasan exhibited in the last few months . The manager of a strip club near Fort Hood has told reporters that Hasan visited the club a handful of times , staying for several hours each time . `` You know , for me , everything that he did is against the teachings of Islam . Killing fellow soldiers , fellow citizen men and women , the shooting , the bloodshed , speaks of someone who did not understand his faith very well . Islam is against going to strip clubs , but it 's also against killing fellow citizens , '' Hendi told CNN . When taken as a whole , Hasan 's actions in the weeks before the attack at Fort Hood -- the giving away of his possessions , his sometimes conservative dress in white Muslim clothing , and his previous defense of suicide bombings during presentations to classmates -- seem to be those of someone who was preparing for his own death , said CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen . `` I think what he was doing was sort of a jihadist ` death-by-cop , ' '' said Bergen , who based his observations on news reports about Hasan . `` Here 's a guy who obviously had personal problems . He 's a loner , he avoids women basically , has few friends , and then grafted onto that , he finds sort of a jihadist ideology as a way of making sense of everything , and he decides to martyr himself . '' Bergen and other experts say Hasan could be someone who engaged in what they call `` self-radicalization '' : the idea that militant religion might provide an answer to psychological problems that someone already has . Hasan remained hospitalized in Texas , paralyzed from the waist down , his lawyer said . He was shot by a civilian police officer , who was also wounded in the attack . | Imam : Nidal Malik Hasan wanted wife who could deal with his military career . Yahya Hendi is third imam to tell CNN Hasan asked for help finding wife . Manager of strip club tells reporters Hasan visited there several times . Hendi says strip club visits violate Islam -- and so does `` killing fellow citizens '' | [[360, 471], [104, 162], [1753, 1831], [1993, 2141], [2060, 2101], [2142, 2153], [2156, 2159], [2176, 2223], [2419, 2461]] |
BAGHDAD , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Five American security contractors were detained in connection with the killing of another American contractor last month inside Baghdad 's Green Zone , sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Saturday . The body of James Kitterman was found in a car in Baghdad 's heavily protected Green Zone . Iraqi and U.S. personnel took the five into custody in an operation inside the Green Zone before dawn on Friday , according to an Iraqi official involved in the investigation into the killing of James Kitterman . The five , who have not yet been charged , were being held by Iraqi security forces Saturday at a jail inside the heavily protected zone , he said . The troops also confiscated weapons during the raid on the suspects ' firm at about 4 a.m. -LRB- 11 a.m. ET -RRB- , said the official , who spoke on condition of anonymity . The names of the suspects and the company they work for were not released . The U.S. military declined comment and referred questions to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad . Embassy officials did not immediately respond to request for comments . Kitterman was found bound , blindfolded and fatally stabbed in a car in the district , formally known as the International Zone , on May 22 . The 60-year-old Houston , Texas , resident owned a construction company that operated in Iraq . The five suspects knew the victim , a source inside the Green Zone familiar with the investigation said . Both the Iraqi and the Green Zone sources noted that the FBI has been involved in the investigation from the start . Once the suspects are charged and referred to trial , the case would be sent to Iraq 's Central Criminal Court , the Iraqi official said . If that happens , it would be the first time U.S. citizens were tried in Iraq since the United States returned the country 's government to the Iraqis . CNN 's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Alan Duke contributed to this report . | NEW : Weapons confiscated in raid of suspects ' firm , official says . Five arrested in death of fellow contractor James Kitterman . Kitterman found bound , blindfolded and fatally stabbed . Victim owned a construction company that operated in Iraq . | [[705, 715], [721, 809], [10, 30], [34, 184], [1118, 1169], [1294, 1355]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Already hamstrung by generations of poverty , environmental catastrophe and strongman rule , Haiti will need years to recover from the devastation inflicted by last week 's earthquake , according to U.S. and Canadian analysts . Haiti 's struggling democracy has survived on international aid and the muscle of a U.N. peacekeeping mission since a 2004 revolt that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide . The magnitude-7 .0 earthquake that struck outside Port-au-Prince has set back efforts to get the country back on its feet `` by many , many years , '' said Stephen Randall , a senior fellow at the Canadian International Council , a Toronto-based think tank . `` I do n't think all of it is lost , but it 's a very serious setback , '' Randall told CNN . President Rene Preval 's government regrouped at a police compound near the Port-au-Prince airport after nearly all of government ministries suffered heavy damage in the January 12 quake . Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive put the confirmed death toll at 72,000 on Tuesday , but estimates of the total number of fatalities run more than twice that high . Mark Schneider , who led the Caribbean division of the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Clinton administration , said much has been done to build a non-corrupt police force and judiciary over the past six years . `` Of the administration and sort of on the institutional side , I think a lot can be salvaged , '' said Schneider , now senior vice president at the International Crisis Group . But he said efforts to redevelop Haiti 's long-ravaged economy may have been set back by `` decades . '' iReport : Search list of the missing and the found . Haiti 's public infrastructure -- roads , power and sanitation systems , hospitals and schools -- was already in poor condition before the earthquake . The flimsy homes built across Port-au-Prince collapsed wholesale during the quake , and hospitals quickly ran out of medicine . Clogged roads , damaged communications and airport congestion slowed the delivery of the hundreds of millions of dollars worth of international aid pledged in the week after the disaster , leading to widespread frustration and sporadic looting around the capital . Once the challenges of feeding , housing and treating hundreds of thousands of ill , homeless and hungry people are behind them , Schneider said , Haitians from all walks of society need to reach a new `` social compact '' aimed at ending its persistent problems . `` The mismanagement of the environment ; the narrow , self-interested actions of the economic elite that deny taxes to the government so they ca n't provide education to the population ; the failure to establish government agencies that can provide services -- all those things are not the consequences of natural disasters , but they make the country more vulnerable when disasters hit , '' he said . Though its economy has grown in recent years , Haiti is still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere , with four-fifths of its 10 million people living in poverty . Its gross domestic product of $ 12 billion in 2008 is a tiny fraction compared to the $ 14 trillion generated by the United States , its largest trading partner . In addition , years of deforestation has left a mountainous country in the middle of the Caribbean 's hurricane belt vulnerable to flooding and mudslides , like the ones that killed thousands in 2004 . And poor construction left unknown thousands of people trapped in buildings that pancaked when the earth moved last week , said John Mutter , a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Columbia University in New York . Full coverage l Twitter updates . Stricter building codes and honest enforcement are necessary , but `` people will never be able to build strong , expensive structures if they do n't have a strong economy , '' Mutter told CNN 's `` American Morning . '' `` The economy of Haiti can not put Port-au-Prince back in place , '' he said . `` It 's a perfect storm . It absolutely needs external intervention from the international community . We have to think of what we 're doing . '' Haiti 's governmental budget of about $ 1 billion per year is derived largely from customs fees and is wholly inadequate for the physical improvements needed , Randall said . Emigres send back more money than that every year , but that money goes to individual families , not to public projects . `` The international community has been pressing the Haitian government to put more stock in taxation , but in fact , the real taxation that 's taking place are the remittances , '' Randall said . `` It 's a form of taxation , family to family , friend to friend . '' But Schneider said the influx of reconstruction aid could be an opportunity for Haitians to rebuild its infrastructure with more concern for its environment -- and to create jobs for Haitians in its construction . `` That 's the way you employ a lot of Haitians , '' he said . Reconstruction contracts should require `` both jobs and job training . '' High-resolution images of damage . The United States has been heavily involved in Haiti commercially , politically and militarily for most of the last century , including occupying the country for nearly 20 years in the early 1900s . The Clinton administration restored Aristide to power in 1994 after a 1991 coup , and a U.S. jet hustled him out of the country again in 2004 following a rapidly spreading uprising against his government . Aristide has called his removal a U.S.-backed coup , an allegation Washington denied . Now the United States is the largest contributor to the Haitian government , while Canada -- which also has a police contingent in Haiti as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSTAH -- is the second-largest . CNN 's Matt Smith contributed to this report . | Quake set back efforts to get Haiti back on its feet `` by many , many years , '' analyst says . Haiti 's democracy survived after '04 revolt with aid , U.N. peacekeeping mission . International Crisis Group official : Efforts to build non-corrupt institutions can be salvaged . Professor : Haitian economy can not rebuild Port-au-Prince , so international aid needed . | [[112, 165], [424, 453], [481, 547], [1549, 1646], [247, 376], [3935, 3999], [4042, 4118]] |
Killeen , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The civilian police officer hailed as a heroine for ending the shooting rampage at Fort Hood Army Post said Wednesday she was washing her patrol car just before she headed to the bloody scene . Sgt. Kimberly Munley was cleaning the car and topping off the gas tank , routine duties at the end of her shift , when she heard the report last Thursday that shots had been fired at the Army post , she told Oprah Winfrey via teleconference . The brief interview was taped to air later in the day on `` The Oprah Winfrey Show . '' Police Senior Sgt. Mark Todd also responded to the scene , where he said they were directed to the Soldier Readiness Processing Center , where soldiers were preparing to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq . Both Munley and Todd did n't know what they were about to face . `` The entire incident was very confusing and chaotic , '' Munley said . `` There was many people outside pointing to the direction that this individual was apparently located , and as soon as I got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill was when things got pretty bad . '' Once inside , Munley , who has been trained in active-response tactics , began exchanging fire with the alleged gunman , Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan , a military psychiatrist , authorities said . They said her shots disabled Hasan and halted the attacks . Thirteen people -- 12 soldiers and one civilian -- were killed . Munley suffered three gunshot wounds , in both thighs and a knuckle , and remains at Metroplex Adventist Hospital in good condition , authorities said . `` The training does take over , '' she said when asked about her quick reactions . `` In that particular incident , we did n't have much time to think . '' `` When I got shot , it felt like a muscle being torn out of my leg , '' she told Winfrey , and added , `` I 'm doing well . '' `` Every day is a progress for me , and things are getting better day by day . And emotionally , I 'm just hoping that the rest of the officers and the injured and the families of the deceased are healing as well . '' Winfrey showed a clip of Metroplex 's Dr. Kelly Matlock saying that Munley 's first words after the shooting were , `` Did anybody die ? '' The 34-year-old mother of two said she recalled asking that , and she never lost consciousness after being shot . `` I was very concerned as to who else had been injured , '' Munley said . Todd was not injured in the rampage . He said he has been a police officer for 25 years and , before that , was in the Army . This was the first time he had been forced to fire his weapon on the job , he said . He also said last Thursday began as a `` typical day '' for him , with only minor incidents . At first , when he heard the shots from Fort Hood , he thought the soldiers were practicing the traditional rifle volleys they do at memorial services . During the incident , Todd said he fired his gun over and over as he 'd been trained to do . Munley , whose husband is in the Army , is 5 feet , 2 inches tall and weighs 125 pounds . Winfrey asked her where she got her nickname , `` Mighty Mouse . '' Munley said her partner at a police department in North Carolina called her that after she was able to help when he was being wrestled for his weapon . The nickname stuck . Todd said he was grateful that he was able to return safely home to his family at the end of that day . `` I just thank God he missed me , '' he said . | Pair who responded to gunfire at processing center say day of shooting started as a typical one . Sgt. Kimberly Munley suffered three gunshot wounds in the November 5 shooting . Oprah Winfrey spoke with her and another first responder , Sgt. Mark Todd . `` Every day is a progress for me , '' says Munley , who 's in good condition at a hospital . | [[2613, 2615], [2621, 2706], [1417, 1453], [1417, 1423], [1491, 1548], [1855, 1888], [1895, 1933]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The British government has apologized and offered compensation to hundreds of people who suffered the effects of thalidomide , a drug once prescribed to pregnant women that later was linked to major birth defects . Thalidomide sufferers and campaigners hailed the move and said it was long overdue . British doctors prescribed thalidomide for expectant mothers from 1958 to 1962 to control the symptoms of morning sickness . The drug , developed by a German firm , was used internationally as a sedative and hailed because overdose simply caused prolonged sleep , not death . Thalidomide also was combined with other drugs to create medications for asthma , hypertension , and migraine , according to the Thalidomide Trust , which supports victims . Doctors and scientists began to notice gross limb malformations in infants starting in 1960 , and scientists linked it to thalidomide the next year . By then , it had affected babies from Kenya to Peru to Japan , though most of the cases were in Germany , where the drug had been available over the counter . There are currently 466 people in the United Kingdom whose mothers took the drug when they were in the womb . Most of them have two or four limbs missing , and some also ca n't see or hear , according to the trust . One of them is Louise Medus-Mansell , who was born in 1962 with no arms or legs . `` It is a bonus , something that we did n't think would ever happen , '' she told CNN about the government 's apology . `` There 's a lot of people today that have been waiting for this apology from the government that have had partners die . '' Medus-Mansell , who recently had a kidney transplant , published an autobiography this year titled `` No Hand to Hold and No Legs to Dance On . '' Health Minister Mike O'Brien said the British government is creating a # 20 million -LRB- $ 32.5 million -RRB- fund over three years to meet the health needs of Thalidomide victims , who are between 45 and 51 years old . The money will be distributed by the Thalidomide Trust , he said , and will help reduce further degeneration of their health as the victims grow older . `` The government wishes to express its sincere regret and deep sympathy for the injury and suffering endured by all those affected when expectant mothers took the drug thalidomide between 1958 and 1961 , '' O'Brien said in the House of Commons . `` We acknowledge both the physical hardship and the emotional difficulties that have faced both the children affected and their families as a result of this drug , and the challenges that many continue to endure , often on a daily basis . '' The problems caused by the drug led the British government to review the marketing , testing , and regulation of drugs , O'Brien said . That included the enactment of the Medicines Act 1968 , which introduced more testing for medicines prior to licensing to make sure they meet safety standards . The Thalidomide Society , which was created in 1962 by the parents of thalidomide victims , said it welcomed the government 's apology . `` I think it obviously makes a great deal of difference -LRB- to the children -RRB- , but I think also for the parents who had dreadful , dreadful trouble in the very early years to convince people that something had happened and it was n't their fault , '' said society secretary Vivien Kerr . `` For them , I think , it 's something to be very grateful for and it 's welcome . '' CNN 's Phil Black and Melissa Gray contributed to this report . | There are currently 466 people in the UK whose expectant mothers took the drug . Drug , prescribed from 1958 to 1962 for morning sickness , linked to birth defects . Also affected babies from Kenya to Peru to Japan , most of the cases in Germany . Health minister : UK government creating a $ 32.5 M fund to meet health needs . | [[1095, 1147], [1129, 1147], [1162, 1204], [163, 203], [189, 203], [209, 250], [336, 460], [2274, 2363], [936, 943], [946, 979], [1006, 1039], [1787, 1938], [1920, 1967]] |
-LRB- Tribune Media Services -RRB- -- Virginia Pozo buys a first-class ticket to Peru on TACA . But it turns out the ticket is in economy class . When she tries to get a refund on the fare difference , her online agency offers her a $ 400 voucher . Is that enough ? And is she entitled to more ? A passenger bought first-class tickets to Peru , but learned they were economy-class seats . Q : We bought two first-class airline tickets to Peru on TACA through Cheaptickets.com . But we soon found out they were economy-class seats . We 've asked the airline for a $ 1,100 refund -- the price difference between first-class and economy-class tickets -- but it wo n't budge . Cheaptickets.com sent a $ 400 voucher that we do n't want . We 've disputed the ticket charges with American Express , but it has denied our claim . It 's obvious to us we did n't receive what we paid for . We 've never sued anyone and I would rather not have to go there . Do you have any other suggestions ? -- Virginia Pozo , San Francisco , California . A : If you did n't get a first-class seat , you should n't have to pay for one . TACA owes you a refund of the fare difference between the two classes . And your online travel agency , Cheaptickets.com , should help you . At the very least , you would expect American Express to take your side in a dispute . So what happened ? From what I can tell , you booked what you thought was a first-class ticket through your online agent . But the airline only delivered a seat in economy class . In fact , it never treated this as a first-class reservation in the first place . Was there a miscommunication between the agent and the airline ? Or between your agent and you ? Maybe . As far as I can tell , Cheaptickets does n't have a service guarantee comparable to the other big online travel agencies , which promises everything about your trip will be perfect . But it 's reasonable to expect that the products it sells will be on the up-and-up , and that if there 's something wrong , it will fix it . Cheaptickets ' $ 400 voucher was a nice gesture , but not enough . Why ? Two reasons : First , it requires you to buy another ticket or hotel room , and second , it does n't come close to making up the price difference between the two tickets . As I read your letter , it seems as if you spent some time on the phone with Cheaptickets and TACA . Writing to the two companies might have yielded a more favorable result . This is one of the rare times when you should have considered sending either a paper letter that included your confirmation and your boarding pass , or , if you 're good with a PC and a scanner , an email with documents attached . Receipts are important to resolving this dispute . You need to prove you did n't get what you paid for . Since you were doing business with an American company -- Cheaptickets -- American Express should have sided with you . Invoking the Fair Credit Billing Act , the federal law that protects you from charges for goods and services you did n't accept or were n't delivered as agreed , might have encouraged American Express to see things your way . I think TACA , Cheaptickets and American Express failed to meet their customer-service obligations . But who 's responsible for your refund ? The correct answer is : The online travel agent who took your money and acted as an intermediary for the transaction . I contacted Cheaptickets on your behalf . A representative contacted you and said the company reviewed its phone transcripts and determined that it was at fault . The online agency refunded you $ 1,100 and let you keep the $ 400 voucher for the trouble . Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine . E-mail him at [email protected] . Copyright 2009 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT , DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES , INC. . | A customer purchased a ticket through Cheaptickets.com . She paid for a first-class ticket , but the seats were in economy . She asked for a refund and disputed the charges with no luck . Troubleshooter contacted Cheaptickets and the company refunded the difference . | [[38, 95], [100, 145], [296, 342], [296, 307], [349, 388], [482, 531], [1369, 1379], [1382, 1447], [1382, 1462], [1467, 1519], [532, 577], [655, 672], [733, 789], [792, 821], [3394, 3435], [3557, 3595]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Britain 's Prince Harry apologized through a spokesman Saturday after videos surfaced showing him using offensive language to describe people in his military unit . Prince Harry apologized for videos of him making offensive comments while on military duty in 2006 . In one clip , a voice said to be Harry 's calls a soldier a `` Paki . '' In another clip , the voice tells a soldier wearing a cloth on his head that he looks `` like a raghead . '' The British newspaper News of the World posted the videos on its Web site Saturday . It did not say how it obtained them . A spokesman for Prince Harry apologized in a statement released by St. James 's Palace Saturday . The spokesman said the prince -- who is third in line to the British throne -- `` understands how offensive this term can be , and is extremely sorry for any offense his words might cause . '' It is not the first apology for offensive behavior by Prince Harry . In 2005 , he was photographed wearing a Nazi uniform to a party . He said he was sorry for that incident . `` It was a very stupid thing to do and I 've learned my lesson , simple as that really , '' he said in a September 2005 interview with Britain 's Press Association , marking his 21st birthday . `` I 'd like to put it in the past now . What 's done is done . I regret it . '' The videos that surfaced Saturday were filmed by the prince himself during his military service in 2006 , according to the News of the World Web site . `` Ahh , our little Paki friend ... Ahmed , '' a voice says as the camera zooms in on a soldier from across the room . The video does not show Prince Harry 's face . The soldiers were waiting for their flight to Cyprus for a mission , according to the Web site . The Royal family said the ` Paki ' term was a nickname for a friend in his platoon . `` There is no question that Prince Harry was in any way seeking to insult his friend , '' the St. James 's Palace statement said . The second video was filmed after arriving in Cyprus , according to News of the World , and shows a British soldier with a cloth over his head . A voice , which the News of the World claims to be Harry 's , is heard saying , '' -LRB- expletive -RRB- me , you look like a raghead . '' St. James 's Palace said , `` Prince Harry used the term ` raghead ' to mean Taliban or Iraqi insurgent . '' Dickie Arbiter , a former press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II , Prince Harry 's grandmother , urged people to take the prince 's words in context . `` Harry is not the same man as he was three years ago , '' Arbiter told Britain 's ITN network . `` You do n't think when you are shooting a video . '' And he pointed out that Harry was serving in the army , where language is not always delicate . `` It is quite common for names to be used in the military ... . He 's a serviceman first and foremost , but people see him as a prince first and he has to be careful of what he says . '' The British Ministry of Defense said it was not aware of any complaints against Prince Harry and would investigate the allegations of inappropriate behavior , according to a written statement released Saturday . `` Bullying and racism are not endemic in the Armed Forces , '' it said . David Cameron , the leader of Britain 's opposition Conservative Party , said Prince Harry 's remark was `` obviously a completely unacceptable thing to say . '' But he told the BBC 's Andrew Marr program that he saw no need for the prince to be disciplined . `` No , he has made an apology ... and I think that 's enough . '' -- CNN 's Katy Byron and Per Nyberg contributed to this report . | Prince Harry apologizes for offensive language used while on duty three years ago . Videos surface of him calling one soldier `` paki , '' another called `` raghead '' British Ministry of Defense plans to investigate allegations . | [[184, 284], [212, 284], [1016, 1056], [1024, 1056], [3497, 3523], [0, 15], [19, 26], [43, 141], [113, 183], [184, 284], [212, 284], [285, 296], [299, 332], [2945, 3136]] |
Leogane , Haiti -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than three weeks after Haiti 's devastating earthquake , many of the makeshift camps housing thousands are starting to function as mini cities . Small markets have blossomed . Some camps have even designated mayors and security personnel . But in others , life still looks as it did days after the January 12 quake . People have only what they dug out of the rubble with their bare hands or acquired somehow else for survival . Recently seen along a row of tents in a camp in Leogane was this hodgepodge of life before and after : . Turquoise hand-crocheted lace . Mazola oil . Ceramic jar that says : `` Fresh Cookies '' Propane stove . Barbie doll . A black rhinestone Bebe T-shirt . Boxes of `` Gourmet '' spaghetti . Bicycle chain . John McCain bumper sticker . NFL towel . Teddy bear . Set of disposable stacked plastic bowls . Amplifiers and scavenging pigs . Box of dog biscuits . Aluminum cooking utensil set . 32-ounce cans of tomato sauce . Cotton squares . Peppermint green . Clarins makeup bag . Plastic baby bottle . Jeans turned inside out to dry . Yellow flip flops . Pen and ink drawing of a woman . USAID bag of rice . Evaporated milk . Red roll-aboard luggage . Blanket . Wood-framed photograph . Bausch and Lomb soft contact lens case . Compaq computer monitor . Frayed Haitian flag . Crayolas . Travel-size SPF 30 sunblock . Pillows . One dust-laden Converse hightop -- hard to tell what color . | Haiti makeshift camps are starting to function like mini cities . Citizens are digging out their belongings and what they need out of the rubble . Everything from turquoise hand-crocheted lace to Mazola oil seen recently at camp . | [[97, 184], [357, 467], [583, 587], [588, 604]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The death of boxing champion Mike Tyson 's 4-year-old daughter after a treadmill accident highlights the issue of hidden dangers in the home . Exercise equipment injures more than 25,000 children each year according to one safety organization . While most parents know enough about covering outlets and keeping poisonous household cleaning products locked away from the reach of their small children , most homes still have less obvious safety hazards that can have disastrous results for curious tots . `` Parents often overestimate their child 's intelligence , and underestimate their abilities , '' explains Chrissy Cianflone , Director of Program Operations at Safe Kids USA , a nonprofit organization focused on preventing accidental childhood injury . Case in point : falls from windows . Though a parent might not regularly open windows in the house , it does not mean a child ca n't or wo n't . Placing furniture close to windows is a commonly overlooked safety hazard ; it allows children to easily climb up and out of the opening . Relying on screens to protect against falls is an inadequate solution , since most screens ca n't hold the weight of a child . Window guards are a safe choice : they offer protection and cost less than $ 30 each on average . Window treatment cords are another common , hidden pitfall . To prevent accidents , parents should tie up any cords from blinds or curtains , high enough out of a child 's reach , and make sure there is no furniture placed close by that would invite little ones to climb . Cianflone warns against unwittingly placing changing tables and cribs within reach of the window coverings . Dr. Gupta : Watch more on hidden dangers in the home '' Power cords are a source of manifold dangers . They can cause electrical burns , strangulation , tripping , and serious head trauma from appliances being pulled down by little hands or feet . Parents should unplug and secure power cords whenever possible , and move appliances out of the way . With respect to home gyms , more than 25,000 children each year are injured from exercise equipment , including stationary bicycles , treadmills and stair climbers , according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission . Many of those injuries are related to power cords . Police in Phoenix , Arizona , say that Exodus Tyson was injured and later died after being strangled by a cord connected to the treadmill , possibly while playing with the machine . Her mother performed CPR after the accident but Exodus was in need of life support by the time authorities arrived . Since it 's usually impractical to unplug a piece of exercise equipment after every use , parental supervision is the primary means of avoiding accidents . Cianflone warns that if you have a home gym , `` make sure to limit your child 's access to that room . Keep the door shut and locked if you can , and if you have to leave the room , take the child with you . '' Furniture tip-overs are another major unsuspected hazard . A 17-year study published in May 2009 by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children 's Hospital found that capsized furniture sent an average of 15,000 children a year to the emergency room . The most commonly toppled furniture pieces are dressers and flat-screen television sets . Pulling out one or more dresser drawers decreases the stability of the piece if it is n't attached to the wall . Inexpensive wall mounting kits , available at hardware and baby stores , can secure up to 400 pounds of weight . Similarly , flat-screen TVs -- lighter and less stable than their predecessors -- should be mounted to a wall when possible . If that 's not an option , Cianflone recommends positioning the set far back on a stand , enough so that a child climbing the stand would still be unable to reach it . Parents should also keep tabs on toy and product recalls , in case any purchases are found to be potential hazards . A simple method to stay aware is to sign up for recall alerts via email from the Consumer Product Safety Commission . A child 's ability to get into certain types of trouble varies with the age and developmental stage of each individual child . For general guidelines , parents can go to Safe Kids for an age-based breakdown of hazards . Most critical is for parents to be aware of their particular child 's abilities and level of curiosity . `` Nobody knows a child better than the parent , so it 's important to be well-educated so a parent can take the steps necessary to mitigate hazards for their own child , '' says Cianflone . | Death of Exodus Tyson puts spotlight on hidden household hazards . Police : Mike Tyson 's 4-year-old was accidentally strangled with treadmill cord . Falls from windows , furniture and flat screens that tip over cause many injuries . Parents need to be aware of their own child 's abilities and level of curiosity . | [[0, 15], [109, 161], [1679, 1721], [1681, 1686], [1692, 1724], [2291, 2308], [2321, 2401], [778, 791], [794, 814], [2958, 3016], [3231, 3320], [4317, 4400]] |
Adults who were exposed to large amounts of secondhand smoke during childhood have lungs that look different on CT scans from those of people who grew up in a smoke-free environment , a new study suggests . The harmful short-term effects of secondhand smoke are well known ; the long-term consequences are n't as clear . Specifically , their lungs have slightly more , and larger , emphysema-like `` holes '' than those with less smoke exposure , says Gina Lovasi , M.P.H. , Ph.D. , of Columbia University , and her colleagues . Although breathing tests showed that the smoke-exposed lungs were functioning just fine , Lovasi said the changes could signal an increased vulnerability to developing emphysema and other lung problems down the road . Health.com : Should smoking around kids be illegal ? Emphysema is a progressive lung disease characterized by shortness of breath , coughing , fatigue , and weight loss . About 24 million people in the United States have emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis , which together are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -LRB- COPD -RRB- ; however about half of those people do n't realize they have COPD . The lung condition is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States , and smoking is a major cause of COPD . Health.com : I 'm a nonsmoker , but I have emphysema due to a rare genetic condition . `` The interesting part about this is that we do n't know a lot about how the lungs change over time and whether they heal completely after being exposed to tobacco , '' says Lovasi , who is scheduled to present her findings on Tuesday at the American Thoracic Society 's 105th International Conference in San Diego . `` We can still see a difference even decades later . '' The harmful short-term effects of breathing other people 's cigarette smoke are well known , but the long-term consequences are n't as clear . To investigate , Lovasi and her team looked at CT scans of the lungs of 1,781 nonsmoking 45 - to 84-year-olds taking part in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis -LRB- MESA -RRB- trial . Health.com : 5 celebrities who had -- or are at risk of -- the lung disease COPD . About half of the study participants said that no one with whom they lived during childhood smoked cigarettes at home , 31 percent lived with one person who smoked at home , and 17 percent lived with two or more smokers . Lovasi and her team checked the lung CT scans for large areas where the density was similar to air -LRB- lung tissue is naturally denser than air -RRB- , and also calculated what percentage of their lungs was made up of these `` holes . '' Health.com : My smoker 's cough turned out to be emphysema . `` The lungs are supposed to have air in them , but it 's important that the air is interspersed with blood vessels so that we can get the oxygen out of the air , '' she says . `` Small holes can expand over time and merge to form larger holes . '' For people who had n't grown up with smokers , 17 percent of their lung tissue had this air-like density , while `` holes '' made up 20 percent of the lung area of people who had lived with at least two smokers during childhood . The more heavily smoke-exposed study participants also had more relatively large holes in their lungs . In comparison , `` someone with emphysema would typically have between 30 percent and 60 percent of the lungs classified as air-like -LRB- or emphysema-like -RRB- using the threshold we used for our study , '' says Lovasi . Health.com : 1 in 3 smokers would kick habit to protect pet . Lovasi says she and her colleagues will be following the MESA participants over time to see how their lungs change , and whether people with more early smoke exposure are indeed more vulnerable to lung problems later on . Enter to win a monthly Room Makeover Giveaway from MyHomeIdeas.com . Copyright Health Magazine 2009 . | Lungs of adults who had grown up with secondhand smoke had more `` holes '' Many `` holes '' -- less dense areas of lung -- are characteristic of emphysema . Even though smoke-exposed lungs functioned fine , there 's concern for future health . About 24 million people in the United States have emphysema , chronic bronchitis . | [[0, 141], [3158, 3207], [3213, 3261], [3677, 3758], [538, 682], [968, 1003], [1006, 1088]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With Wi-Fi access at airports , hotels , and aboard airplanes , business travelers do n't have to look very hard for a wireless Internet connection . Wi-Fi hotspots at airports may put users ' computers at risk , but no more so than at coffee shops , experts say . But with these public wireless hotspots becoming more prevalent , in addition to more travelers using smart phones for Web access , are business travelers putting themselves at a security risk ? The short answer , some technology security experts say , is yes . But they add that the use of Wi-Fi at these spots is no riskier than at a coffee shop . `` It 's a shared medium , and if you can connect to it , someone else can connect to it and monitor your traffic , '' said Marty Linder , a senior member of the technical staff at the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute CERT/Coordination Center . `` That has nothing to do with the security of the network . It 's just the nature of the beast . '' For Fran Hanna , the convenience is n't worth the risk . The sales representative from Chapin , South Carolina , would frequently bring her computer on business trips and access Wi-Fi through her hotels . Hackers tapped into her computer , resulting in inappropriate material being sent through her account . She had to get her computer restored twice , which cost her $ 900 . And while she still is n't sure where she was when she picked up the malware , she said the only wireless device she will bring with her as she travels is a cell phone for voice calls . On the other hand , picking up public wireless is n't a major concern to Brian Fitzpatrick , the CTO of a technology firm in Alpharetta , Georgia , and a frequent business traveler . He generally avoids transmitting sensitive personal or company data using these hotspots . But as he sees it , having his information stolen `` is more likely to happen in some face-to-face transaction than it is even online . '' In addition to open networks , experts say the physical loss of devices poses a threat for business travelers . The combination of replacement cost , detection , forensics , data breach , lost intellectual property costs , lost productivity , and legal , consulting and regulatory expenses sets a company back an average of $ 49,246 per lost laptop , according to a study released in April by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by the Intel Corporation . However , lost laptops with encryption saved companies nearly $ 20,000 , compared with those that did not have encryption , according to the Ponemon study . Encrypted disks safeguard data by scrambling information on them . They unlock that information only when the user enters the proper passcode . `` I do n't know how many times we 've heard about laptops being stolen and they have no encryption on them . And it pretty much means that the bad guys can get to your data . Immediately . They do n't have to know your password or anything , they can just get to it , '' said Patrik Runald , chief security adviser for F-Secure , an Internet security company . And many businesses do not yet require their employees to use passwords on their smart phones , leaving lost devices `` woefully unprotected , '' said Pat Clawson , CEO and chairman of Lumension Security . Tips for staying secure . Despite the potential for security breaches , there are simple steps you can take to keep yourself armed as you connect wirelessly on your travels : . • Use an encrypted disk to safeguard the information on your laptop or smart phone , Linder said , and make sure you log off of your computer when you 're not using it . In most cases , when you hibernate your computer , its memory is recorded unencrypted . `` You can not for convenience close your lid , let your computer go to sleep and believe that if someone steals your computer , your data is protected , because it 's not , '' Linder said . Runald recommended free software called TrueCrypt -LRB- truecrypt.org -RRB- that you can use to encrypt the content on your local drive and on USB flash drives . • Turn off your wireless and Bluetooth connections if you 're not using them , said Clawson . `` Those are electronic doorways into your devices . On my BlackBerry , I can sit there and scan for open Wi-Fi peer-to-peer connections . I -LSB- can -RSB- then gain access to what 's in your files you may have stored in there , your contacts . '' • Use an anti-glare shield on your computer to prevent others from spying , Linder suggested . With such shields , you must be face-to-face with the screen to be able to read it . • Regularly back up the data on your laptop or smart phone , Runald said . Several companies offer backup services , but you can also save information on other computers and disks . Even if your data is encrypted -- eliminating your fear of sensitive information getting stolen -- backing up the data will make it easy to transfer to a new phone or laptop , Runald said . • If you lose your smart phone and do n't want others to access your information , call your provider and request that the device be wiped of information , Runald said . He also suggested considering software that allows you to send a text message to your phone that will remotely wipe it and block others from accessing its content . • To ensure that you 're visiting an authentic Web site and not getting duped by a phishing scheme , some experts suggest logging onto those sites through your company 's VPN connection . But technology company CTO Fitzpatrick says he hesitates to use VPN from a public Wi-Fi hotspot : `` Even though all the traffic is encrypted , '' he said , `` if your machine got compromised in some way , it is sort of a gateway into your network . '' | Wi-Fi at airports , planes , hotels may be risky , but no more than at coffee shops . Study : Loss of a single laptop costs a company $ 49,246 . Use encrypted disks to keep your information safe , experts say . | [[169, 229], [550, 633], [2294, 2318], [270, 283], [3472, 3554]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The relationship between China and the United States is `` the most important '' bilateral relationship in the world , a former Chinese foreign ministry official said Monday . Victor Zhikai Gao , now the director of the Beijing Private Equity Association , told CNN 's Christiane Amanpour that the United States should deal with Beijing `` with respect '' and not be `` too abrasive . '' `` That 's the minimum thing we can ask for , I believe , '' he said on the eve of talks between President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao . Gao pointed out that China is now the United States ' largest creditor nation , holding foreign reserves of more than $ 2 trillion , about two-thirds of which are assets that are denominated in U.S. dollars . `` China-U.S. relations are the most important bilateral relations in the world , '' Gao said . Obama appears keen to put past U.S.-Chinese disagreements behind him as he seeks Chinese cooperation on a host of issues from the global economy and climate change to nuclear proliferation . He 's also looking to China for leadership on how to deal with repressive regimes such as Myanmar and Sudan , both of which are friends of Beijing and major energy suppliers to China . Critics of the U.S. president say he is downplaying what was once a central tenet of U.S. foreign policy , the promotion of human rights and democracy , in order to persuade China to help the United States achieve its foreign policy goals . But Obama insists America `` will never waver in speaking up for the fundamental values that we hold dear . '' Gao acknowledged global concern about China 's human rights record , admitting the situation is not perfect . `` But if you look at today 's human rights issues , and comparing that with what we had 30 years ago , 20 years ago , or 10 years ago , then China has made great improvements , '' he said . Gao said China and the Chinese people are great admirers of America . But he said , `` China 's foreign policy is underlined by the principle of non-interference in each other 's internal affairs . If it is only up to the United States to discuss human rights issues in China , this is unbalanced . '' He also tried to reassure critics in the United States , some of whom have accused China of manipulating its currency to keep the cost of Chinese goods artificially low , about the impact of China 's rapidly expanding economic power . By some estimates , China 's economy will be the same size as the U.S. economy by 2025 , though there will still be a huge gap in economic output per person . `` Let me make the record straight . Over the past few months since the outbreak of the financial crisis , China has continued to purchase Treasury bonds issued by the U.S. government , rather than reducing them in any way , '' he said . `` So I think the American people need to realize that China has applied a very steady hand and very responsible hand in dealing with issues involving the dollar . '' Gao said China has no desire to be an enemy of the United States . `` Both China and the United States need to give each other due respect and need to incentivize each other . And then we can work together towards a better peace and better world . '' | Victor Zhikai Gao is now the director of the Beijing Private Equity Association . Gao says the United States should deal with Beijing `` with respect '' Gao says China has no desire to be an enemy of the United States . | [[195, 212], [276, 403], [2989, 3055], [2998, 3055]] |
Macon , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bettye Webb-Hayes wo n't ever forget the day her son posed a question that stopped her in her tracks . `` Mom , '' the fourth-grader asked , `` am I white ? '' It was a question she had never asked her own parents . It was something you did n't talk about in the days of the segregated South -- especially when your mom was white and your father was a mix of African-American and Native American . She went to the black schools of Macon , Georgia . Now , her son was asking probing questions . `` Why would you ask me that ? '' she said . `` Because everybody at school calls me a honky , '' said the young Cordell , a light-skinned African-American . Twenty-seven years have passed since that conversation . Bettye and her son recently traveled back to Macon to face something that 's been omnipresent their whole lives : the coming together of white and black . They returned for a one-of-a-kind 50th high school gathering . The classes of 1959 , once segregated by race as well as gender , sat down together for the first time in history . Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes arrived two hours early for the festivities . She did n't sleep the night before . `` It 's like waiting for Santa Claus to arrive . I 'm so excited , '' said Mayes , who drove more than 330 miles from Tennessee to attend . Mayes went to Ballard-Hudson High , the city 's black high school , whose most famous students include singers Otis Redding and Little Richard . She came this day `` to celebrate and commemorate . '' `` I could not pass this event up , '' she said . `` I never dreamed of this moment -- just the realization of knowing that we had come together , at last . '' As the 1959 graduates arrived , they welcomed one another . Many first greeted people of their own race . Some had n't seen particular classmates in the 50 years since they earned their diplomas . Gradually , they began mixing and mingling . There was a commonality -- a need to come together for their children , their grandchildren and the generations to follow . Discuss the past , while moving forward in the present . Separated now by ` personal choice ' It sometimes takes a son to see things in a new light . The idea for the meeting began four years ago , when a son told his father : `` Dad , think about how many friends you missed getting to know . '' Those were the words of Wyatt Johnson , a public school teacher in Santa Cruz , California . He and his father , Tom Johnson , were enjoying a father-son trip to Macon in 2005 to rediscover their roots . Tom Johnson is the former head of CNN and was once the publisher of the Los Angeles Times . He 's traveled the world and left his own mark along the way . Yet despite all his accomplishments , there was something he 'd never done : reach out to the African-Americans of Macon from 1959 , the ones he never knew because of segregation . An idea was born . He wrote to graduates of the black school , Ballard-Hudson ; the white girls ' school , Miller ; and the white boys ' school , Lanier . `` We all have deep personal memories of our high school experiences that will remain with us forever , '' he wrote . `` We had lived in a separate black and white world in Macon . ... It is a different world today . We no longer are separated , except by personal choice . '' One white graduate responded with hate mail , a reminder that racism still exists . But on a day in early October , more than 200 people gathered at a Goodwill banquet hall . There was no shouting , none of the in-your-face name-calling seen in recent health care town hall meetings across the country . Here , there were tears , hugs and handshakes . Often , talk of grandkids took center stage at the 16 roundtables . They talked about race and the segregated past that prevented such closeness a half-century ago . `` You 'd think we 'd have grown up together , '' said Alice Bailey , a Ballard-Hudson grad . `` We still have a gift , and that 's a gift of time , '' Johnson said . `` Blacks and whites together , we can do something to make the world better . '' They took out notepads . They scribbled ways to take action . They began making a to-do list of 59 things for the Classes of 1959 . Their goals range from building a home for Habitat to Humanity to writing letters to service men and women from Macon serving in war . They 'd love to persuade the one who sent the hate mail to attend the next gathering . They also want to set an example for the elders of other Southern cities . `` I 'm glad we 've left the past behind , '' said Michael Cass , the 1959 class president of Lanier . The daughter of one those in attendance stood and took the microphone . `` Today , you have inspired me so much , '' she said . Many in the crowd reached for tissues . Linda Carstarphen Gugin said her whole life had been leading to this moment . `` It was the most amazing thing , '' she said . `` It was just like almost immediate bonding between people . '' As the class president of Miller , she 'd carried guilt for the last 50 years for not speaking out against segregation . `` I have tears about this , '' she said , crying . For Bettye Webb-Hayes and her son , the gathering underscored why the question `` Mom , am I white '' could be asked in one era and not another . Listening to his mother and her childhood friends , Cordell said , he was struck by how segregation was `` was so transparent to them at the time they were living through it . It was a way of life , so they did n't acknowledge its existence . '' `` I find it interesting how human nature teaches you to accept things that are -- and some people question the reality , and other people do n't . '' His mother did test the reality of segregation on one occasion . Bettye and her sister went into a Woolworth 's department store in Macon . They sat at a counter for food . The white waitress looked at them skeptically . She could n't tell whether they were white or black . She grabbed a black cook for his input . `` Those are the Webb girls , '' he said . The two were kicked out . Webb-Hayes giggles about the story . She 's proud she tried to break the rules . `` I think she really would 've served us if she thought she could have gotten away with it . '' Watch Bettye tell story of her dad and ` stupid ' Elvis . It was in 1963 when Webb-Hayes realized just how wrong the segregated South was . She marched in Washington , D.C. , with Martin Luther King Jr. that year . `` It was almost like you were listening to God speak in person . '' Years later , Bettye -- the girl who was sent away from the Woolworth 's counter -- would eat Thanksgiving dinner with President Jimmy Carter . Webb-Hayes was the music teacher for Amy Carter , the president 's daughter . Her motto throughout life : `` Just do the very best you can . '' She calls the gathering of the segregated schools `` unbelievable . '' If it 's the last trip of her life , Webb-Hayes , 68 , feels her life 's journey is now complete . `` I was glad to meet new friends today . '' A special thanks to Bright Blue Sky Productions for its help on this report . | Students from former segregated schools of 1959 unite in Macon , Georgia . `` I never dreamed of this moment , '' says Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes . Michael Cass : `` I 'm glad we 've left the past behind '' The group hopes to set example for elders of other Southern cities . | [[1578, 1608], [4519, 4523], [4529, 4556], [4559, 4579], [4441, 4445], [4451, 4515]] |
Vilseck , Germany -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The military released 77,000 of about 87,000 detainees locked up during the Iraq war because there was not enough evidence to hold them , CNN has learned . `` In most cases , if we do n't have anything , eventually they 'll be released , '' said Brig. Gen. David Quantock , who oversees detainee operations in Iraq . Quantock said `` many cases are driven purely on intelligence . '' `` Intelligence does not win a fight in a courtroom . It does n't win the fight in a courtroom in the United States . It does n't win in Iraq . '' According to the U.S. military , 76,985 detainees have been released out of the 87,011 captured during the Iraq war . A CNN investigation found that frustration over the Army 's policy on detainees may have led to the 2007 killings of four Iraqi men by three decorated Army sergeants at a Baghdad canal . Former 1st Sgt. John Hatley , who led the mission that day , told CNN in a letter that the detainee policy has `` extensive flaws '' that repeatedly frustrated soldiers . On Army interrogation tapes obtained by CNN , other soldiers complained about the Army rules for evidence gathering . Despite the high release rate , Quantock said he has confidence soldiers can take basic evidence from a crime scene in Iraq . `` We 're asking them to take basic evidence , which they 've been trained to do , '' said Quantock , who oversees detainee operations in Iraq . `` We 've got the greatest soldiers in the world . And I do n't accept that they ca n't take basic evidence off of a crime scene . '' CNN asked Quantock to explain why , if it were so easy to collect evidence , so many detainees have been released . `` It took us a while to realize , it goes back to my point of we were trying to make the fight fit the Army as opposed to have the Army fit the fight , '' Quantock said . `` I think a lot of times we thought the insurgency would dissipate , we were working closely with the government of Iraq , we were trying to improve the Iraqi security forces , but at the end of the day , it did n't work out very well . We had to get better at taking evidence off the crime scene . '' A January 9 , 2005 , memo imposed detailed standards of evidence soldiers needed before taking in suspected insurgents in Iraq . Quantock told CNN the rules detailed in the memo were in effect through the end of 2008 . The memo spells out that evidence of criminal activity should include photos of `` physical evidence , '' `` the detainee at the crime scene or place of capture , '' as well as photos `` of the detainee next to the evidence . '' Other evidence should include `` statements written by first-hand witnesses to the criminal activity , '' the memo states . At the start of this year , the rules got even stricter . A security agreement with the government of Iraq now requires an arrest warrant signed by an Iraqi judge to detain someone . Asked about the killings at the canal , Quantock told CNN : `` There 's never an excuse to execute anyone . They become judge , jury and executioner . '' | Four Iraqi detainees were killed by three decorated Army sergeants at a Baghdad canal . Frustration over detainee policy may have led to 2007 slayings , CNN investigation found . Nearly 77,000 detainees have been released out of the 87,000 captured in the Iraq war . Watch Saturday , Sunday at 8 and 11 p.m. ET ; read blog posts : Abbie Boudreau ; Scott Zamost . | [[686, 872], [717, 872], [686, 872], [717, 872], [37, 91], [75, 172], [601, 654], [644, 685], [1644, 1682]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 130 people have died and dozens are missing after heavy rains triggered flooding and mudslides that buried communities Sunday and left a swath of destruction in El Salvador , officials said Monday . The death toll was `` preliminary , '' said Raul Murillo , subdirector of the Department of Civil Protection in San Salvador . Another 13,680 people were staying in emergency shelters , he said . Laura Mata , communications manager for World Vision in El Salvador , said 40 percent of the dead were children . About 60 people were still missing Monday afternoon , said Carlos Alvarado , communications director for the government 's rescue efforts . The most affected departments are San Salvador , La Paz , Cuscatlan , Usulatan and San Vicente . He described the latter as the most heavily affected . The government 's Web site said there were 108 landslides , 209 destroyed buildings and another 1,835 damaged ones . In all , 18 bridges were affected , it said . Private , government and U.N. donations have all been promised , but the needs exceeded supplies , with high demand for food , construction materials , plastic sheeting , medications and -- with a cold front expected to sweep into the area Tuesday -- clothes , Alvarado said . Fumigation efforts were slated to begin Tuesday to reduce the chances of disease . `` There 's a lot of work to do , '' he said . Guatemala , Spain and other countries were helping , Mata said . At the 139-bed Hospital Santa Gertrudis in San Vicente , 33 patients sought help overnight in the emergency room , mostly for trauma , broken bones and abrasions , said Dr. Ana Luisa Velazquez , the hospital director . Patients had to be removed from the pediatric unit and women 's surgery unit , both of which were built on low-lying ground and were inundated , she said . Though the hospital had fresh water from its own well , fresh water was in scarce supply in San Vicente , she said . Mata visited the town Sunday . `` All three access roads were completely wiped off , '' she told CNN 's Jonathan Mann . `` You could only get there by one lane . Everywhere -- mud , huge rocks . '' Electricity was largely out , she said . In addition to losing their homes , many people have lost their crops , she said . President Mauricio Funes declared a national emergency and described the loss as incalculable . About 7,000 people lost homes in the disaster Sunday , officials said . Authorities said the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers scramble to reach regions where roads have been washed away . In some of the hardest-hit areas , such as the capital , San Salvador , roads are completely gone , Mata said . `` You would never imagine there were road systems there . ... Huge rocks , mud , water everywhere , '' she said . `` People have lost complete families . '' Landslides on the side of a volcano swallowed up a village in Verapaz , Mata said . iReport : Neighborhood slammed with mud and debris . Residents in affected areas climbed over boulders as rescue crews waded through muddy water , some carrying young children . Homes , trees and electricity poles , and mountains of mud , covered streets . The heavy rains in the impoverished Central American nation were unrelated to Hurricane Ida , said Saul Ezgardo de la Reyes , a government meteorologist in the Center of Prognostics . `` The rains in Salvador are due to the low pressure system , '' he said , adding that it was dissipating Monday . `` We 're waiting for the arrival of fresh air and higher pressure . '' On Sunday , 355 millimeters -LRB- 14 inches -RRB- of rain fell near the Saint Vincent Volcano , southeast of the capital , and 196 mm -LRB- 7.7 inches -RRB- fell on the capital itself , he said . Sunday 's inundations were unprecedented , he said . Hurricane Mitch dropped similar quantities in 1998 , but those values were tallied in three or four days , he said . `` This was in practically four hours . '' A low-pressure system out of the Pacific triggered the disaster , said Robbie Berg of the National Hurricane Center in Miami , Florida . | 40 percent of dead are children , aid group spokeswoman says . Aid is promised , but more is needed as cold front is due Tuesday . At least 130 people killed , dozens missing after heavy rains cause flooding , mudslides . Mudslides unrelated to Hurricane Ida , officials say . | [[423, 433], [493, 536], [1187, 1239], [0, 15], [22, 48], [53, 122], [78, 153], [537, 588]] |
iReporter Doranne Lim chronicles the flooding from Typhoon Ketsana in Pasig City , Philippines . This week in iReport , we received compelling images and stories from major international natural disasters : a tsunami in the Samoan Islands and flooding in the Philippines from Typhoon Ketsana . Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , hosted the G-20 summit , and iReporters chronicled the scene as protesters and police clashed in the streets . One iReporter , Chris Morrow , won an award at the San Diego Film Festival . Check out the video here , or get a better idea of the stories below . • Typhoon Ketsana : Floods from Typhoon Ketsana have left parts of the Philippines under water , killing at least 240 people . Residents in Manila say it 's the worst flooding they 've seen in decades . Residents constructed makeshift rafts to cross the water , some more successful than others . Some of the most compelling images come from photographer Doranne Lim , who showed us the flooding in Pasig City . We put together a gallery of her photos that chronicle the flooding . • G-20 protests : As Pittsburgh hosted the G-20 economic summit , iReporters were there documenting the scene . Businesses boarded up , parts of the city were closed off , and protesters and police clashed in the streets . Several citizen journalists captured photos and video of crowds backing away from tear gas and smoke bombs . `` As a person that 's lived in Pittsburgh their entire life ... I have never seen something like this , '' iReporter Emily Rice said . • Tsunami strikes Samoan Islands : Towering tsunami waves triggered by an 8.0 earthquake left dozens dead and entire villages flattened or submerged in the Samoan Islands . iReporters in American Samoa and neighboring Samoa shared incredible images of the aftermath and compelling stories as rescue workers worked to reach outlying villages affected by the natural disaster . • Chris Morrow wins film festival : One of our superstar iReporters , Chris Morrow , made news of her own recently . Her film `` Wyland Earth Day '' debuted at the San Diego Film Festival in California and won the Best San Diego Film Award . The film follows environmental artist Wyland as he paints a huge mural of the Earth on the roof of the Long Beach Arena . Equally cool : that fellow iReporters were there to share the experience , including TommyYune , MelissaF , promisenews , TheVideoMan , mvalgal , madmurph , dpkronmiller , Thetalesend and cookiecutter . Together , they created the very first San Diego iReport meetup . | Typhoon Ketsana slams the Philippines , flooding the capital . An earthquake and tsunami left hundreds dead in the Samoan Islands . Watch Team iReport talk about these stories and more . Share your stories with CNN at iReport.com . | [[0, 80], [581, 598], [613, 675], [1531, 1563], [1531, 1540], [1566, 1619], [1566, 1656]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Governors in three Eastern Seaboard states Friday called on National Guard troops to help evacuate people from flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida . Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power . Ida lost momentum but not the ability to generate winds and rain as it made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast earlier this week , forecasters said . The National Weather Service had flood advisories in effect Friday for areas of coastal Pennsylvania , Delaware and New Jersey . At least 160 National Guard troops were deployed in sections of Virginia , Delaware and New Jersey to evacuate residents in high-water areas as well as provide cots , sandbags and potable water , according to the Pentagon 's National Guard Bureau . `` About 40 members of the Delaware National Guard have provided support to civilian emergency relief agencies in Kent and Sussex counties , '' the bureau said . The New Jersey National Guard sent 18 guardsmen with trucks to help with evacuations in the Cape May and Atlantic counties , where the governor Thursday declared a state of emergency due to flooding , Guard officials reported . Almost 100 guardsmen with high-water vehicles were helping firefighters in Portsmouth , Virginia . Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency , saying the remnants of Ida had combined with another storm to cause dangerous conditions in some areas . By early afternoon , at least 155,000 customers were without power in the state -- mostly in and around Norfolk , according to the Dominion Power Web site . `` With the National Weather Service indicating that eastern Virginia could experience flooding and storm surge comparable to the effects of a Category 1 hurricane , it 's critical that Virginians make the necessary preparations , '' Kaine said . `` While we will continue to monitor conditions , the commonwealth is preparing for a period of coastal flooding through at least Friday evening . '' | Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power . Flood advisories were in effect Friday in Pennsylvania , Delaware and New Jersey . National Guard Bureau : At least 160 troops were deployed to assist in high-water areas . Dominion Power : By early afternoon , at least 155,000 in Virginia had no electricity . | [[130, 185], [186, 267], [294, 393], [1443, 1461], [1464, 1522], [415, 543], [544, 737], [1443, 1461], [1464, 1522], [1464, 1490], [1557, 1599]] |
Kabul , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday -- the eve of Afghan President Hamid Karzai 's inauguration for a second term -- that now is a `` critical moment '' for Afghanistan , because Karzai has a `` clear window '' to demonstrate what kind of government he will lead . Speaking to staff members at the U.S. Embassy , Clinton said there is a careful and thoughtful review of U.S. policy going on `` because we know this is a turning point . '' `` We want to be a strong partner to people of Afghanistan , '' she said , `` and to the government . '' Clinton met with embassy staff before meeting with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Gen. Stanley McChrystal , the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan . Afterward , she had dinner with Karzai . The two , flanked by their senior aides , met at a second-floor reception room at Karzai 's palace . They spoke about Clinton 's travel schedule and about the planning for Karzai 's Thursday inauguration . They also spoke about the difficulty in accommodating all the Afghans who want to attend the ceremony . The government expects about 800 people to attend in all ; some will have to stand . Clinton 's attendance at the inauguration will show U.S. support for Karzai 's government after an election that was tainted by fraudulent balloting . Karzai is under intense international pressure to clean up corruption within his government , and Clinton was to deliver a tough message on the need to show results , a senior U.S. official tells CNN . The senior U.S. official , who is not authorized to speak publicly about details of Clinton 's meeting with Karzai , said the Obama administration already is discussing with the Karzai government specific `` benchmarks '' that will require Afghan ministries to be certified as `` open and transparent '' if they are to receive direct payments from the U.S. government . If ministries are not certified as open and transparent , they can continue to receive technical assistance , but not direct U.S. funding , the official says . If the assessments determine that the ministry needs additional specific technical assistance to be certified , the U.S. will provide it . Clinton 's first visit to Afghanistan as secretary of state comes as President Obama is deciding whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan , as requested by McChrystal . A major factor in Obama 's decision on how many troops to send to Afghanistan centers on the Afghan government 's ability to partner with the United States to fight the Taliban . In the past several weeks , Eikenberry has sent two cables to Washington expressing reservations about troop increases amid lingering concerns about Karzai and the uncertainty about the government he will put in place . On Sunday , Clinton said she had `` made it clear '' that the United States wo n't provide civilian aid to Afghanistan 's government agencies without an effective certification process that shows the money will be spent on its intended purposes . `` We believe that President Karzai and his government can do better , '' Clinton said on the ABC broadcast `` This Week , '' adding that Obama 's administration was `` looking for tangible evidence '' that the Karzai administration would be more responsive to the needs of the Afghan people . She cited the need for the Karzai government to crack down on fraud and `` demonstrate there 's not impunity for those who are corrupt . '' The senior U.S. official says the United States has certified departments in the Ministries of Public Health , Communications and Finance to receive direct U.S. government assistance . During the next three months , he says , it will assess the Ministries of Education ; Agriculture , Irrigation , and Livestock ; and Rural Rehabilitation and Development . Two assessments will be carried out -- financial and procurement -- at each ministry . If those assessments determine that the procurement , financial , and expenditure systems are adequate , the U.S. will certify them as having the capacity to accept direct assistance . The Afghan government already has announced it is creating a commission that will investigate allegations of corruption . It also says it will create a tribunal in the Justice Ministry that will prosecute corruption cases that the commission has investigated . This U.S. official says the United States is not trying to `` hector , lecture or look over the shoulder '' of the Afghan government , but it does want to make sure U.S. tax dollars are spent wisely . The U.S. , he says , `` wants an Afghan-led process to fight corruption . '' Clinton told the NBC program `` Meet the Press '' on Sunday that the primary U.S. mission in Afghanistan is defeating al Qaeda , rather than making a long-term commitment to rebuild the country . CNN 's Elise Labott contributed to this report . | U.S. policy under review because `` this is a turning point , '' she tells U.S. Embassy staff . Clinton meets with U.S. ambassador , military commander in Afghanistan . Clinton will attend President Hamid Karzai 's inauguration for second term . Karzai under pressure to clean up corruption in government . | [[318, 363], [366, 446], [423, 488], [597, 707], [0, 5], [8, 35], [39, 166], [1359, 1434]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It is n't clear whether the United States will ever be able to declare victory in Iraq , the top U.S. commander there said Thursday . Army Gen. Ray Odierno speaks to reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday . `` I 'm not sure we will ever see anyone declare victory in Iraq , because first off , I 'm not sure we 'll know for 10 years or five years , '' Army Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters at the Pentagon . About 123,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq now , and President Obama says all combat forces will be gone by the end of August 2010 , leaving as many as 50,000 noncombat troops to advise and train Iraqi forces before leaving by the end of 2011 . Odierno has said he wants to draw down the U.S. forces at a faster rate than planned if the security situation allows it . On Thursday , he said he expected the number of U.S. troops to drop to 120,000 by the end of October , and to as few as 110,000 by the end of 2009 . `` What we 've done here is we 're giving Iraq an opportunity in the long term to be a strategic partner of the United States , but more importantly , be a partner in providing regional stability inside of the Middle East , '' Odierno said . Odierno also highlighted continuing security issues inside the country , saying Iraqi security forces have recently seized several `` very large '' caches of Iranian-made rockets and armor-piercing munitions known as explosively formed penetrators , or EFPs . `` If you 're training people ... in Iran to come back into Iraq , and you 're providing them rockets and other things , I call that significant because it still enables people to conduct attacks not only on U.S. forces but on Iraqi civilians , '' Odierno said . At a congressional hearing Wednesday , Odierno said the main threat to stability in Iraq are Arab-Kurd tensions , adding there has been difficulty bringing the two sides together for possible joint patrols . `` We 've had some very good meetings , '' he said . `` But we still have some ways to go on that . '' | U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno makes remark to reporters at Pentagon . About 123,000 U.S. troops in Iraq ; could drop to 110,000 by January , he says . Odierno : Iraqi security forces recently seized caches of Iranian-made weapons . | [[164, 235], [378, 435], [436, 477], [1190, 1197], [1263, 1397]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized on Monday to thousands of adults who , as impoverished British children , were brought to Australia with the promise of a better life but found abuse and forced labor . `` My hope today is to reach out to you all on behalf of this nation -- Australia -- and to speak what so often has been unspoken , and to offer this profound apology , '' Rudd told an audience of former child migrants gathered in the national capital of Canberra and scattered throughout the country . `` To apologize for the pain that has been caused . To apologize for the failure to offer proper care . To apologize for those who have gone before us and ignored your cries for help . '' The so-called Forgotten Australians -- children who came from British families struggling with severe poverty or from institutions in the UK -- were brought to Australia in a program that ended 40 years ago . The program scarred generations of children who were placed in state institutions and orphanages . They later told of being kept in brutal conditions , being physically abused and being forced to work on farms . `` There are tens of thousands -- perhaps hundreds of thousands -- of these stories , '' Rudd said , `` each with its own hurts , its own humiliations , its own trauma -- and each united by the experience of a childhood without love , of childhood alone . '' `` Whatever I might say today , the truth is I can not give you back your childhood . I can not rewind the clock on your suffering , nor can I erase the past , '' Rudd added . `` But what I can do with you is celebrate the spirit that has lived within you over the decades -- a spirit that has stubbornly refused to be beaten , a spirit that has turned you into the survivors that you are . '' | `` Forgotten Australians '' were brought from Britain in program that ended 40 years ago . Children came from British families struggling with severe poverty or from institutions . `` I can not rewind the clock on your suffering , nor can I erase the past , '' Rudd says . | [[736, 783], [874, 918], [909, 918], [924, 944], [775, 783], [788, 814], [736, 771], [798, 876], [1448, 1501]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Most of the world 's 1.57 billion Muslims know that the Holy Quran states quite clearly that , `` Anyone who kills a human being ... it shall be as though he has killed all of mankind . ... If anyone saves a life , it shall be as though he has saved the lives of all of mankind . '' Accordingly , it should come as little surprise to any reasonable observer that when Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan recently committed his shocking acts of mass murder at Fort Hood , Texas , America 's Muslim community of over 7 million felt an added sense of horror and sadness at this senseless attack against the brave men and women of the U.S. armed forces . True to form , many conservative media pundits wasted little time in pointing to reports that Hasan had said `` Allahu Akbar '' -LRB- Arabic for `` God is great '' -RRB- at the start of his murderous rampage . News coverage continuously showed the looping convenience store black-and-white videotape footage of Hasan wearing traditional white Islamic garb . First of all , someone simply saying `` Allahu Akbar '' while committing an act of mass murder no more makes their criminal act `` Islamic '' than a Christian uttering the `` Hail Mary '' while murdering an abortion medical provider , or someone chanting `` Onward , Christian Soldiers '' while bombing a gay nightclub , would make their act `` Christian '' in nature . Simply put ; murder is murder and has no religion whatsoever . Professor Juan Cole of the University of Michigan once wrote that , `` One most certainly does insult Muslims by tying their religion to movements such as terrorism or fascism . Muslims perceive a double standard in this regard : Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols would never be called ` Christian terrorists ' even though they were in close contact with the Christian Identity Movement . No one would speak of Christo-fascism or Judeo-fascism as the Republican -LSB- s -RSB- ... speak of Islam-o-fascism . ... -LSB- Many people also -RSB- point out that -LSB- it was -RSB- persons of Christian heritage -LSB- who -RSB- invented fascism , not Muslims . '' According to Pentagon statistics , there were over 3,400 American Muslims serving in the active-duty military as of April 2008 . The Wall Street Journal reported that many officials believe `` the actual number of -LSB- American -RSB- Muslim soldiers may be at least 10,000 higher than the Pentagon statistics . '' Thus , with thousands of patriotic American Muslim women and men proudly serving in our United States Army in places like Iraq and Afghanistan , perhaps it would behoove our army leaders to consider sending a strong message of American unity by appointing an American Muslim to be a part of the prosecution team against Hasan . This would help show that the mass murders allegedly committed by Hasan have nothing to do with the teachings of our religion . The United States Army can send a resounding message to all Americans and the rest of the world that the social fabric of our country will never become unraveled by murderous -LRB- and irreligious -RRB- gun-wielding felons -- whether it is a Muslim in Fort Hood , Texas , or a non-Muslim on a shooting rampage in an Orlando , Florida , high-rise less than a day later . By appointing a multicultural -LRB- and multireligious -RRB- legal prosecution team made up of military lawyers of all races and religions , we can set a good example to show the rest of the world that our American legal justice system is truly equal for all people , regardless of their race , religion or socioeconomic status . The larger point is that Muslims in America completely disavow and wash our hands of any acts of murder -LRB- or terrorism -RRB- claimed to be performed in the name of our religion . Acts of mass murder , regardless of their time or place , are simply ungodly criminal acts that have no religion whatsoever . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Arsalan Iftikhar . | The Fort Hood killings were not a religious act , says Arsalan Iftikhar . He says reports shooter said `` Allahu Akbar '' do n't make slayings an `` Islamic '' crime . Iftikhar says Islam forbids the taking of human life . Thousands of patriotic Muslims serve in the U.S. Armed Forces , he says . | [[1046, 1125], [2447, 2577]] |
Grand Rapids , Michigan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I 'm a single father of a 12-year-old boy who every five minutes seem to switch personalities on me . One moment he 's a starving student athlete hungry enough to eat a cow , the next he 's a picky vegan . I 'm told by people much smarter than me that this is normal for a child going through puberty . And so , while I am not an overly religious man , I have found myself meditating on I Corinthians 13:4 to help me get through . Love is patient , love is kind . I believe there is something each of us can pull from that Bible verse . We may not agree on spirituality or the existence of God , but we can agree that love is one of the most beautiful and mysterious forces . When I 'm frustrated with my son , or a friend or even myself , I try to think about the characteristics of love described in I Corinthians before reacting . Be patient . Be kind . I felt the need to lean on that verse last week after yet another ballot defeat for marriage equality -- when voters in Maine repealed a state law allowing same-sex couples to marry . A visceral wave of anger swept over me as once again I was reminded of my second-class citizenship . I wanted to smash something . I wanted to punch somebody out . I wanted revenge . The last thing on my mind was I Corinthians . But at the very core of the debate over marriage equality is that scripture 's concept of love . It 's easy to love someone when there is no turmoil , no conflict . And it 's no accident that `` patient '' is the first word Corinthians uses to describe love -- it 's first because it is most important . No matter how strongly we may feel about each other , we will not always agree , and it is in those moments that we must tap into the mystery of love even more to find a way to first be patient , and then be kind . That is true in marriage and in parenting . And it 's true in this much-accepted notion that we should love our fellow man . I 'm not suggesting the gay community should not be upset -- patient and kind does not mean complacent and apathetic . We must continue pressuring politicians to end civil injustice , but we 're not served if we allow hate and fear to dictate our words . We can not begin to change the nation 's mind if we can not first speak to the nation 's heart . With the economy and the swine flu and the recent tragedy at Fort Hood , it seems that everywhere there is a reason to hate and to fear . But I agree with my buddy Dierks Bentley , who sings in his song `` Beautiful World '' : . `` There 's tears and there 's fears and there 's losses and crosses to bear ; . And sometimes the best we can do is just to whisper a prayer ; . Then press on because ; . There 's so much to live for and so much to love . '' That might seem Pollyanna-ish , but the truth is that even if President Obama signed a law today to make all forms of discrimination based upon sexual orientation illegal , it would hardly mark the end of the gay rights movement . After all , true social change is n't revolutionary -- it 's evolutionary . That means we will have to continue our forbearance with those who oppose us -- from the black pastor who preaches that gay people should not be allowed to marry , to the white , closeted politician so afraid of losing his position that he would vote to oppress his own community . Through all of that , we will still have to find a way to love . Many gay rights activists like to draw parallels between the gay community 's struggles and those of blacks during the civil rights movement . It 's not uncommon to hear them echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. : . `` Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere . '' `` In the end , we will remember not the words of our enemies , but the silence of our friends . '' `` I have a dream ... '' But as the frustration of the gay community grows , it is important that we -- and our allies -- do not forget another of Dr. King 's powerful quotes : . `` Let no man pull you low enough to hate him . '' In other words , hate the sin but love the sinner . It may seem weird to think in those terms because many well-meaning Christians also like to use that last phrase to justify oppressing gay people at the polls . But here 's what 's curious : The quote is from Mahatma Gandhi , a Hindu who said it in reference to his own people 's oppressors , who happened to be Christians . This undoubtedly inspired another one of Gandhi 's famous quotes : `` I like your Christ , I do not like your Christians . '' You do n't have to like either in order to have love in your heart . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of LZ Granderson . | LZ Granderson says gays should show patience after same-sex law defeated in Maine . He says frustrated advocates must reject hate , focus on changing nation 's heart . As they face opponents , advocates should hate sin , love sinner , he says . | [[877, 889], [1957, 1961], [1966, 2075], [2261, 2263], [2272, 2308], [4035, 4049], [4052, 4056], [4069, 4086]] |
Beijing , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The world economy is placing a bet on its future with China , but some Chinese are placing bets on their future with plastic . In rebalancing the world economy , analysts have said U.S. citizens should take cues from the Chinese , where 40 cents of every dollar of disposable income is saved , compared to 3 cents of every dollar in the U.S. . But there are worrying signs in China that some young consumers are starting to emulate the worst habits of U.S. consumers -- like 27-year-old Yuan Shuai in Beijing , whose credit card bets on his future have turned into overwhelming debts . In the last two years , he got seven cards from seven banks and wracked up $ 29,000 in debts . `` I spent money on eating and having fun , '' he said . `` That 's all . '' Unemployed and studying to be a taxi driver , Yuan now has debt collectors from banks turning to his father , Yuan Yizhong , for bill payment . `` The banks told me they could lend to him because he 's an adult , '' his father says . `` Now they hold me responsible and threatened me . '' With no laws for bankruptcy protection in China , those threats can be real . `` If you can not pay it back you either have to go to parents or friends to pay back for you , or you got to jail , '' said Yeongwen Chiang , a consumer expert . Credit card issuance is up 32 percent in China in the past year , according to China Market Research and the National Bureau of Statistics . Credit card debt is up more than 130 percent to $ 838 million . That still pales compared to U.S. credit card debt , but the quick rise have some observers alarmed . With the decrease in exports during financial crisis , China has been working to build domestic consumption , offering subsidies on cars , home appliances and other big ticket items . That has helped China to continue to grow through the recession . During the October holiday week celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People 's Republic of China , Chinese poured $ 83 billion into the economy - a 20 percent increase in spending from the same holiday period last year . By comparison , retail spending in the United States fell 6 percent in September compared to the same time last year . But some of the increased spending in China is with money the consumers did n't have . In the first six months of this year , the number of Chinese consumer with credit card debts more than two months overdue rose 133 percent . For the Yuan family , credit card debt will take years to pay back . `` I have only one son , and he failed to live up to my expectations , '' Yuan 's father said . CNN 's Emily Chang , Fareed Zakaria and Kevin Voigt contributed to this report . | Although Chinese credit card debt is far behind the U.S. , it 's beginning to mount . New credit cards jumped 32 percent the past year . Chinese card debts more than two months overdue rose 133 percent this year . | [[1323, 1386], [1464, 1527], [2310, 2346], [2349, 2396], [2413, 2450]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Colorado couple who said their 6-year-old son was aboard an escaped balloon pleaded guilty Friday to charges related to the well-publicized `` balloon boy '' case . Richard Heene pleaded guilty in Larimer County Court to a felony charge of attempting to influence a public servant . His wife , Mayumi Heene , pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities . The Heenes ' attorneys said prosecutors had agreed to a sentence of probation with the possibility of up to 90 days in jail for Richard Heene and up to 60 days in jail for his wife . The incident occurred in October , when a large silver balloon came loose from its moorings in the Heenes ' yard and drifted over eastern Colorado . Mayumi Heene called 911 and said the couple 's 6-year-old son , Falcon , was inside the craft . Millions of people across the country watched the saga on television for nearly two hours as military aircraft tracked the balloon in the air and rescuers chased it below . Mayumi Heene later admitted the whole thing was a hoax and that Falcon was safe in their home the whole time , authorities said . Watch the moment the hoax was revealed . The couple 's attorneys have said that the threat of Mayumi Heene 's deportation was a factor in the plea deal negotiations . Mayumi Heene is a Japanese citizen but is in the United States legally . `` Even though Mr. Heene would have a triable case , I believe , to avoid the risk that his wife is deported ... we have decided that the best course of action is to proceed as we are proceeding , '' Richard Heene 's lawyer , David Lane , said Friday . The judge is allowing the Heenes to leave the state while they remain on bond . Lane said Richard Heene is going to seek employment in New York and also has plans to go to California . Mayumi Heene 's attorney said she may accompany him on those trips . Sentencing will be next month . Court documents released last month said the couple hatched the plan about two weeks before the incident and `` instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax . '' Their motive ? To `` make the Heene family more marketable for future media interests , '' the documents said . | NEW : Mayumi Heene pleads guilty to misdemeanor charge of false reporting to authorities . Richard Heene pleads guilty to charge of attempting to influence a public servant . Prosecutors agree to probation with possibility of jail time , attorneys say . Millions of people watched the saga on television for nearly two hours . | [[306, 314], [332, 406], [188, 305], [244, 252], [260, 305], [407, 589], [435, 589], [835, 945]] |
ROME , Italy -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Italian government is vowing to fight a European court ruling that crucifixes in classrooms violate students ' right to freedom of religion . The European Court of Human Rights found unanimously Tuesday that the display of a particular religious symbol -- such as the Christian cross -- in a classroom `` restricted the right of parents to educate their children in conformity with their convictions , and the right of children to believe or not to believe , '' a court statement said . The case was brought by an Italian woman , Soile Lautsi , who objected to the crucifixes on the walls in her two sons ' classrooms . Italian courts had ruled earlier that the cross was a symbol of Italy 's history and culture , prompting Lautsi to take her case to the European court in Strasbourg , France . It awarded her 5,000 euros -LRB- $ 7,400 -RRB- in damages Tuesday . The Italian government said it would appeal the European Court 's verdict and leading Catholic figures expressed astonishment and anger . The ruling `` is cause for bitterness and many perplexities , '' the Italian Conference of Bishop said in a written statement . The bishops said they were still studying the ruling , but it appeared to result from `` ideological bias '' and a lack of understanding of `` the multiple significances of the crucifix . '' `` It does not take into account the fact that in Italy the display of the crucifix in public places is in line with the recognition of the principles of the Catholicism as ` part of the historical patrimony of the Italian people , ' as stated in the Vatican/Italy agreement of 1984 , '' the bishops said . The Vatican in Rome , which has been the seat of the Catholic Church for most of its 2,000-year history , did not officially respond to the ruling . But Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told the leading Italian daily La Repubblica he could not understand it , and that no one with common sense could have expected it . `` When I think that we are talking about a symbol , the crucifix , an image that can not but be the emblem of a universally shared humanity , I not only feel disappointed but also sadness and grief , '' he said . `` The crucifix is the sign of a God that loves man to the point of giving up his life for him . It is a God that teaches us to learn to love , to pay attention to each man ... and to respect the others , even those who belong to a different culture or religion . `` How could someone not share such a symbol ? '' Italy has three months to file a request for a new hearing , court spokesman Stefano Piedimonte told CNN . A five-judge panel will examine the request , officially known as a referral , to determine if it raises sufficiently important issues for a 17-judge Grand Chamber hearing . Only the Italian government can appeal the verdict , but other interested parties can file briefs if the case goes forward , Piedimonte said . The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights . CNN 's Hada Messia in Rome contributed to this report . | Italy vows to fight European court ruling banning crucifixes in classrooms . Court ruled Tuesday that display of religious symbols violate students ' right to freedom of religion . Case was brought by an Italian woman who objected to crucifixes on walls in her sons ' classrooms . Government says it will appeal verdict ; leading Catholics express surprise , anger . | [[0, 4], [7, 28], [32, 127], [900, 1037], [928, 973], [103, 177], [523, 563], [547, 563], [585, 655], [0, 4], [7, 28], [32, 127], [900, 1037], [986, 1037], [2123, 2178]] |
London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The British government said Wednesday it will appeal a European court ruling that certain police stop-and-search powers are a breach of human rights . Under Section 44 of Britain 's Terrorism Act 2000 , uniformed officers may stop any pedestrian or vehicle and search them , regardless of whether they have reasonable suspicion of wrongdoing . Human rights groups complain the rules are subject to abuse , but the British government calls the powers an important tool in the fight against terrorism . British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he was disappointed in Tuesday 's ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg , France , because the appeals had previously gone through the British courts and been rejected . `` We are considering the judgment and will seek to appeal , '' Johnson said in a statement . `` Pending the outcome of this appeal , the police will continue to have these powers available to them . '' London 's Metropolitan Police said that because of sensitivity and concerns about use of the stop-and-search powers , they are only being used at `` pre-identified significant locations '' like landmarks , tourist sites , and crowded places , or where certain police operations are taking place . The case began in September 2003 , when police stopped and searched two British nationals who were on their way to a London demonstration . Kevin Gillan was on his bicycle and wearing a backpack when police searched him . He was allowed to go after about 20 minutes , the court said . Pennie Quinton is a journalist who was on her way to cover the demonstration when police stopped and searched her , the court said . Police ordered her to stop filming even though she showed her press cards ; the official record of her search said she was stopped for about five minutes , though she says she thought it was closer to half an hour . Gillan and Quinton complained that the police use of the stop-and-search powers under Section 44 breached the European Convention on Human Rights -- specifically their right to liberty and security , right to respect for private and family life , freedom of expression , and freedom of assembly and association . The case reached the Law Lords , Britain 's highest court , but the Law Lords dismissed the appeal in March 2006 because they said they were n't convinced the police search disrespected the plaintiffs ' private lives . Even if the search did not respect the plaintiffs ' private lives , the Law Lords found , the procedure was in accordance with the law and was proportionate to counterterrorism efforts . Gillan and Quinton then appealed to the European Court of Human Rights , which heard the case in May and issued its ruling Tuesday . `` It 's fantastic news after a long struggle , '' Gillan said , in a statement issued by the human rights group Liberty , which took the case to court . `` I look to the government for a strong response . '' Said Quinton , in another statement issued by Liberty , `` There has to be a balance between private life and security . The court has shown that Section 44 is an invasion of people 's right to liberty and privacy . '' The court found that the `` coercive powers '' of the anti-terrorism legislation amounted to a clear interference with the right to respect for private life . This interference was compounded by the public nature of the search , because it brings an element of humiliation and embarrassment , the court found . Legal safeguards were not adequate enough to curb the wide discretion police had to use the powers , the court found . It said that wide discretion was a cause for concern . `` The officer 's decision to stop and search an individual was one based exclusively on the ` hunch ' or ` professional intuition , ' '' the court wrote in its decision . `` Not only was it unnecessary for him to demonstrate the existence of any reasonable suspicion ; he was not required even subjectively to suspect anything about the person stopped and searched . '' Because officers have no obligation to show a reasonable suspicion , it is `` almost impossible to prove that the power had been improperly exercised , '' the court said . As a result , the court said , the stop-and-search powers were not in accordance with the law . Liberty called on the British government to ensure that Section 44 is only applied when authorities believe it is necessary to prevent terrorism . It should be applied to specific areas and for not longer than 24 hours , Liberty said , which would prevent authorities from applying the measures on a rolling basis and over large parts of a city . Liberty also called on the government to publish notice that authorization for Section 44 has been given . | Britain will appeal ruling against police searches allowed by its anti-terrorism legislation . European Court of Human Rights ruled that searches breached plaintiffs ' human rights . Case was brought by two Britons who were stopped and searched by police in 2003 . Britain says the powers are an important tool in the fight against terrorism . | [[0, 6], [9, 32], [36, 177], [769, 774], [808, 827], [830, 840], [0, 6], [9, 32], [36, 177], [1309, 1315], [1328, 1358], [1337, 1358], [1363, 1408], [446, 536]] |
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The head of ACORN on Tuesday sharply deplored recent videos showing some of the group 's workers advising people how to set up a prostitution business . ACORN leader Bertha Lewis defends her group at the National Press Club on Tuesday in Washington . `` It made my stomach turn , '' Bertha Lewis , chief executive officer of ACORN , told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington . `` It just made you sick . '' ACORN workers who did perform their tasks properly `` did not deserve to have co-workers who did not live up to their standards , '' Lewis said . `` So yes , I terminated those employees . '' At the same time , Lewis defended the community organizing group and punched back at widespread criticism , touting the group 's efforts in helping poor people in the areas of housing and voting . She backed up the group 's legal action in Maryland against the makers of one of the videos . Video , shot with a hidden camera , shows conservative activists posing as a pimp and a prostitute . Lewis said that `` we want to hold them accountable '' for what she said was breaking the law . Similar videos were made at other ACORN offices . `` It is illegal , as Linda Tripp will tell you , to record someone in the state of Maryland without their permission . Just because we were embarrassed by these highly edited tapes , which do n't tell the whole story again , and hopefully that will come out , does n't mean that these people did n't break the law in order to embarrass and attack the organization , '' Lewis said . Lewis was referring to the former White House employee who recorded conversations with White House intern Monica Lewinsky about her sexual encounters with President Clinton , which ultimately led to his impeachment . ACORN -- which stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- was in the headlines during last year 's presidential campaign after GOP allegations of falsifying voter registration applicants . Some of its voter registration workers were prosecuted , and some other employees resigned . But after the recent release of videos , the political criticism grew . In the videos , some ACORN workers advised the undercover conservative activists how to set up a prostitution business involving underage , foreign girls . Along with firing employees , ACORN also is conducting an investigation through an independent auditor . The Justice and Treasury departments are investigating the group , too . The U.S. Census Bureau has terminated ACORN 's involvement in its public outreach program , both chambers of Congress have voted to deny federal funding to the organization , and several states are looking into ACORN operations . In addition , ACORN suspended tax preparation services it carried out as part of an Internal Revenue Service program . And Bank of America announced it is pulling its funding of an ACORN housing affiliate until it is satisfied that all issues related to the organization have been resolved . Lewis contends the group also has been responsive to allegations that some canvassers falsified voter registration applications and turned in those who falsified voter registration forms . `` We were punished for following the law and doing the right thing , and that part of the story was never told , '' she said . `` And so nine months later it finally began to resonate with folks that we had not had one individual who voted fraudulently in the presidential election because of an ACORN registration -- not one Mickey Mouse , not one Donald Duck , not one New York Jet , Giant or any other fraudulent person . '' One of the shadows over ACORN is an embezzling incident involving Dale Rathke , the brother of ACORN founder Wade Rathke . Lewis acknowledged that the founder 's sibling embezzled nearly $ 1 million from the group . She disputed reports that a subpoena from the Louisiana attorney general 's office showed that the amount was up to $ 5 million . Lewis said the claim is `` speculation , `` completely false '' and not based on any documentation . She attributed the contention to two `` disgruntled former board members . '' Lewis ' group works in poor precincts across the country considered Democratic turf . She said e-mails from Karl Rove , when he was Bush 's top political adviser , show that ACORN was targeted to stop its voter registration efforts because `` we were moving too many minorities to vote '' and `` changing the power dynamics '' in local elections . Such critics of the group believe `` we needed to be stopped , '' Lewis said . `` I do think that after 40 years of going after the rich and powerful , I think you make some powerful enemies . I think since 2004 , things have been ramped up . '' Lewis said ACORN has been demonized and news about it has served as a Republican fund-raising tool . She said this form of `` modern-day ACORN McCarthyism has got to stop . '' `` Last week , members of Congress were asked , ` Are you now or have you ever been members of ACORN ? Everybody should take pause at that . Everybody should say , ` Wait a minute . This is not how we have discourse , ' '' she said , making reference to the familiar phrase from McCarthy-era hearings in the 1950s : `` Are you now or have you ever been a communist ? '' Appointed to her post in 2008 , Lewis said she has been working hard to improve the group 's management practices to `` restrengthen , reorganize and put together the 21st-century ACORN . '' `` I 'm proud to say that they 've made it clear to me that I will continue to be tortured for at least another year . If the board thought or our membership thought that I should resign , I would do it in a heartbeat , '' she said . `` I do n't think , however , it is fair to judge me as I 'm cleaning up a previous administration , and now we have real documentation that these are political attacks on us , which is unprecedented . '' | ACORN leader defends community organizing group at National Press Club . Some ACORN workers advised undercover conservatives on prostitution in videos . ACORN 's Bertha Lewis says group targeted due to its voter registration efforts . Lewis : ACORN has responded properly to allegations , fired workers in videos . | [[183, 280], [310, 325], [363, 420], [643, 659], [662, 707], [0, 26], [59, 142], [2160, 2173], [2176, 2278], [183, 280], [609, 639]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Top Chef '' host Padma Lakshmi is pregnant with her first child , her publicist confirmed to CNN on Thursday . Padma Lakshmi will be eating for two on Bravo 's `` Top Chef . '' Lakshmi , 39 , has not identified the father . Her representative told US Weekly that the television personality conceived after a long battle with endometriosis . `` Model , author , and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis , a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America , '' the representative told the magazine . Endometriosis is a medical condition where the uterus ' lining grows in other areas of the body . The often painful condition can cause women to have irregular bleeding and possible infertility . Lakshmi 's publicist also told US Weekly that `` As a result of her condition , this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle , and due to its delicate nature , we ask/implore the press to respect Ms. Lakshmi 's privacy at this time . '' Lakshmi is the ex-wife of famed author Salman Rushdie . She has hosted Bravo 's hit show `` Top Chef '' since its second season and is herself a noted cookbook author . | Lakshmi is expecting her first child , publicist confirms . `` Top Chef '' host had suffered from endometriosis . Lakshmi , former wife of Salman Rushdie , has not named the father . | [[0, 15], [39, 85], [88, 132], [363, 508], [246, 362], [199, 206], [214, 245], [1109, 1147]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It has long been the final destination for terminally ill patients who want to end their lives , offering what many consider to be a dignified way out of their suffering . But now , Switzerland is proposing legislation that would limit the practice of assisted suicide to people who are terminally ill -- or ban it altogether . If either proposal is adopted , people suffering from a chronic illness or who have a mental illness could no longer legally take advantage of assisted suicide . The Swiss Federal Council says it does n't necessarily want to end the country 's liberal laws , which allow someone to assist a suicide as long as they are not motivated by their own interests . But the council says organizations that provide assisted suicide in Switzerland -- such as the well known Dignitas clinic -- are increasingly testing the boundaries of the law , requiring the government to lay out specific guidelines and restrictions . Recent cases have drawn more attention to `` suicide tourism , '' in which people who ca n't legally seek assisted suicide in their home countries travel to Switzerland , where it is allowed . Dan James , a 23-year-old British rugby player , ended his life at a Swiss assisted suicide clinic last year . He had been paralyzed from the neck down in a rugby accident . His illness was chronic but not terminal . James ' case drew headlines when his parents , who accompanied their son to Switzerland , returned home to questions from police . In the end , the Jameses were not prosecuted . Multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy won a high-profile battle in June to have Britain 's law on assisted suicide clarified . Purdy , who has said she wants the option of assisted suicide if her condition deteriorates , wanted to know at what point her husband might be prosecuted if he accompanied her to an assisted suicide clinic . Purdy 's case went all the way to the Law Lords , Britain 's highest court , who ordered the director of public prosecutions to issue a new policy on assisted suicide . He did so last month . Multiple sclerosis is chronic disease and some times can be terminal , leaving open the question whether Purdy might qualify if the new Swiss proposals are approved . At least 117 Britons have traveled abroad for an assisted suicide since 2002 , at an average of two a month , according to Dignity in Dying , which advocates giving terminally ill adults the option of assisted suicide . Switzerland 's Parliament is now considering two proposals from the federal council , the seven-member cabinet that heads the government . Consultations on the proposals will last until March . The first option would ensure that the person committing suicide is doing it of their own free will , and that the person assisting them is not driven by personal gain . It would also make assisted suicide an option only for those suffering from a terminal illness -- not for those suffering from a chronic or mental illness . The suicidal person would have to declare that he has given `` long and proper consideration '' to his decision , '' according to the council . That is intended to prevent spur-of-the-moment decisions that have not been thought through , the council says . Patients must also present two different doctor 's certificates from two different doctors , one stating that they have the legal capacity to decide their options for themselves , and the other stating that they suffer from an incurable physical illness that will result in death within a short period . For those with chronic or mental illnesses , the council said it supports `` comprehensive treatment , care and support , in the sense of palliative medicine '' rather than suicide . Those assisting with suicide face criminal charges if they do n't make sure of these steps , the council says . They must also discuss alternatives to suicide with the patient , and must not accept payment for their services that would exceed the costs and expenses of the suicide . `` This provision ensures that those assisting a suicide are not driven by personal gain , and that their prime motivation is to help the person who wishes to die , '' the council says . `` The Federal Council firmly believes that , by determining these duties of care , the negative aspects and abuse of organized assisted suicide can be prevented , and ` suicide tourism ' can be reduced . '' The council says it prefers stricter legislation for assisted suicide , but it is also giving Parliament a second option for a complete ban on organized assisted suicide . `` This option rests on the belief that individuals working in assisted suicide organizations are never actually motivated by purely altruistic reasons , and may develop a close relationship with the suicidal person , '' the council says . Dignity in Dying said it welcomes the first option , restricting assisted suicide to terminally ill , mentally competent people . `` Individual patient autonomy has to be balanced against the need to protect potentially vulnerable people , '' the group said in a statement Thursday . `` This proposal seeks to address this balance . '' | Switzerland has reputation for lax laws on assisted suicide . Authorities proposing regulations that would put limits on the the practise . Recent cases have drawn attention to `` suicide tourism '' | [[191, 198], [201, 297], [883, 957], [958, 1018]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A U.S. serviceman was among six victims of an early morning shooting at a Ciudad Juarez , Mexico , strip club Wednesday , officials said . Unidentified gunmen entered the Amadeus club in the border city across from El Paso , Texas , just after midnight and fatally shot six men , Chihuahua state attorney general 's office spokesman Arturo Sandoval said . An additional person was injured , he said . Two of the victims were identified as employees of the strip club , a waiter and a security guard , the spokesman said . Another was identified as an American citizen and member of the U.S. Air Force , Sandoval said . A statement from Holloman Air Force Base , near Alamogordo , New Mexico , confirmed that the airman was based there , and identified him as Staff Sgt. David Booher , 26 . The gunmen appeared to have targeted the victims , Sandoval said . `` Everything indicates that these people were looking for these men , '' he said . Investigators recovered more than 30 shells from the scene . Because of drug-related violence , particularly in border cities , Juarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military . At Fort Bliss in El Paso , for instance , a memorandum prohibits its soldiers from traveling into the Mexican state of Chihuahua , where Ciudad Juarez is located . More than 2,000 killings have been recorded in Juarez this year . CNN 's Mayra Cuevas-Nazario , Mike Mount , Dave Alsup and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report . | Air Force Staff Sgt. David Booher shot with 5 others in Ciudad Juarez . Gunmen appeared to have targeted the victims , Mexican spokesman says . Juarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military because of drug violence . | [[0, 15], [19, 138], [520, 540], [809, 857], [1088, 1143]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Charges of rebellion will be leveled against many of those arrested during martial law in the southern Philippines -- declared in the aftermath of last month 's massacre of 57 civilians , the nation 's justice secretary said . Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera made the statement Saturday as the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo defended the martial law declaration , CNN affiliate ABS-CBN reported . Some lawmakers have challenged the legality of the declaration , which allows authorities to make arrests without a warrant . Martial law went into effect Friday night in the province of Maguindanao to impose peace following the politically motivated massacre , said army spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. . He added that Congress would have to approve any extension beyond 60 days . Police and military reports of armed men massing in Maguindanao would lead to charges of rebellion , Devanadera said , according to ABS-CBN . Signs indicated that `` violence was imminent , '' said Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan , operations chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines , the affiliate reported . The armed men were supporters of the politically powerful Ampatuan family , which has been implicated in the massacre , Pangilinan said . At least six members of the Ampatuan family have been arrested , including Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. , according to ABS-CBN . Ampatuan , whose father is governor of Maguindanao , has been accused of directing the killings and has been charged with 25 counts of murder . One of the massacre victims implicated members of the Ampatuan family before she died , the affiliate reported . Over the weekend , authorities raided at least one warehouse and ranch belonging to the family . They confiscated firearms , ammunition and vehicles , Maj. Randolph Cabangbang , deputy of operations for the eastern Mindinao command , told CNN . The military was looking at arresting at least 100 people tied to the massacre , ABS-CBN reported . The Philippine military is investigating its own forces in connection with the case as well , Brawner said . Asked why martial law was imposed 12 days after the killings , Cabangbang said authorities `` were trying to build a case , a tight case '' against suspects . `` But it is taking long to build a case , so I think the government gave us a free hand in arresting those who are suspects , and allowed us to search , even without warrant . So we really need this declaration of state of martial law . '' The president was to submit a written report to Congress on Sunday evening , justifying her declaration of martial law , the Department of Justice said , according to the state-run Philippine News Agency . Political debate had flared over how soon Congress needed to convene after the declaration of martial law , as required by the Constitution . The House of Representatives and the Senate might jointly convene on Tuesday to discuss the president 's report , House Speaker Prospero Nograles said Sunday , according to the Philippine News Agency . Violence in the run-up to elections is not uncommon in the country . The Maguindanao massacre , however , is the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippine history , according to state media . The victims included the wife and sister of political candidate Ismael `` Toto '' Mangudadatu , who had sent the women to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao . He said he had received threats from allies of Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. , the father of the accused mayor , saying he would be kidnapped if he filed the papers himself . Ampatuan Sr. has been taken into custody in the massacre , but was hospitalized after taking ill . Witnesses and local officials say the killings were an attempt to block Mangudadatu from challenging the younger Ampatuan -- a longtime ally of the Philippine president and a known warlord -- in the May gubernatorial election . A dozen journalists who had accompanied the women were also killed in the massacre . Group : Philippines most dangerous country for journalists . Suspicion fell on Ampatuan after a government construction vehicle was found at the hastily dug mass grave that held the bodies of the massacre victims . Maguindanao is part of an autonomous region in predominantly Muslim Mindanao , which was set up in the 1990s to quell armed uprisings by people seeking an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Christian Asian nation . | NEW : Charges of rebellion will be leveled against many of those arrested during martial law . Legality of martial law declaration , allowing arrests without warrants , is challenged . Searchers make arrests , recover arms from a clan implicated in massacre . Martial law follows killings of 57 last week in Maguindanao province . | [[0, 15], [19, 77], [440, 502], [487, 502], [511, 565], [1172, 1259], [1280, 1342], [109, 133], [137, 204], [566, 699], [2137, 2187]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hunger is stunting hundreds of millions of children in the developing world , and more than 90 percent of them live in Africa and Asia , UNICEF says . Poor nutrition is one of the main killers of young children , the U.N. Children 's Fund says in the new report `` Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition . '' `` The report we have launched draws attention to the fact that 200 million children under the age of 5 in the developing world suffer from chronic undernutrition , '' said Werner Schultink , UNICEF 's associate director of nutrition . A lack of food can impair physical , mental and social abilities , the report says , adding that proper nutrition is important for mother and child . The 1,000 days from conception until a child 's second birthday are the most critical for development , according to UNICEF . Undernourished children `` will perform less well in school , they will be able to do less well as an adult and , even worse , their health situation in adult life may be negatively affected , '' Schultink said . `` They are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases , such as heart disease or diabetes . '' UNICEF says nutrition supplement programs have helped deliver vitamin A and iodized salt to vulnerable children in developing countries , boosting childhood mortality . Mothers also are being urged to breast-feed their children for at least the first six months to provide key antibodies and nutrients . Reducing and eliminating malnutrition is feasible , according to the report , which calls on the international community to provide urgent help or face the consequences . `` Global commitments on food security , nutrition and sustainable agriculture are part of a wider agenda that will help address the critical issues raised in this report , '' said Ann Veneman , UNICEF 's executive director . `` Unless attention is paid to addressing the causes of child and maternal undernutrition today , the costs will be considerably higher tomorrow . '' | Poor nutrition is one of the main killers of young children , UNICEF report says . Report : 200 million children younger than 5 suffer from chronic undernutrition . Undernourished kids more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as heart disease , diabetes . Reducing and eliminating malnutrition is feasible , the report says . | [[156, 169], [170, 229], [232, 280], [346, 501], [19, 94], [346, 501], [1064, 1157], [1064, 1071], [1088, 1157], [1465, 1514]] |
CHICAGO , Illinois -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities arrested a man accused of secretly taping ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews in the nude and posting the videos on the Internet , the FBI said Friday . ESPN reporter Erin Andrews claims someone videotaped her while she was nude and posted video online . Authorities arrested 48-year-old Michael David Barrett at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Friday . Barrett faces a charge of interstate stalking , the FBI said . Barrett is accused of taping Andrews while she was nude in two hotel rooms . He then made eight videos that he posted on the Internet , the FBI said . Barrett allegedly filmed seven of the eight videos at a hotel room in Nashville , Tennessee , in September 2008 . FBI agents said they found evidence that a peephole to the door of Andrews ' hotel room had been altered . The FBI learned that Barrett checked into the same hotel at that time and asked for a room adjacent to Andrews using his home address to register for the room . According to a criminal complaint , Barrett tried to sell the videos to celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com . Employees at the Web site also helped in the investigation providing Barrett 's information to Andrews ' attorney . Andrews works as a sideline reporter traveling around the country covering college football games . Barrett will have his first court appearance in Chicago at 10 a.m. -LRB- 11 a.m. ET -RRB- Saturday , authorities said . The maximum penalty for the charge of interstate stalking is five years in federal prison , the FBI said . CNN 's Greg Morrison contributed to this report . | Chicago man accused of secretly videotaping ESPN reporter Erin Andrews in nude . Authorities say Andrews was filmed through peephole in hotel rooms . Videos were later posted on Internet , according to FBI . Michael David Barrett faces interstate stalking charge , authorities say . | [[38, 176], [201, 280], [235, 302], [473, 509], [738, 844], [235, 302], [550, 606], [410, 455], [1431, 1449]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- She 's been called `` America 's mom . '' Strangers stop her for hugs in the airport . And she still dishes up kindly parental wisdom daily in reruns of `` The Brady Bunch . '' `` Brady Bunch '' actress Florence Henderson founded a service to help older adults learn about computers . Now , actress Florence Henderson , otherwise known as Mrs. Brady , has a new mission : Helping older adults learn to use technology . Her new business , Floh Club , is a `` telephone-based technical support service '' focusing on people who did n't grow up with computers -- especially grandparents who want to stay in touch with family but are intimidated by webcams , Facebook , instant messaging or even e-mail . Henderson says Floh Club is `` like roadside assistance for your computer . '' She spoke with CNN 's Josh Levs about her inspiration , her grandkids and `` Brady Bunch '' rumors as the show celebrates its 40th anniversary . See more of our chat with Florence Henderson '' CNN : What made you think of this ? Florence Henderson : I was terrified of computers , Josh . I did n't grow up with them . And I have four kids , and they were always saying , `` Oh , Mom , please get connected . '' And I would go , `` No , I do n't have time . '' But I was really scared . And so , a few months ago I decided that if I felt that way , there must be a lot of older adults that feel the same way , or maybe even some younger ones . I am now sending e-mails , I 'm videoconferencing . I 'm taking photos off my camera and actually putting them on the computer . Facebook , it is so exciting . I mean , I 'm thrilled . CNN : What kinds of calls are you getting ? What have people been calling and saying they need help with ? Henderson : Things like as simple as learning how to send an e-mail . We have all North American-based technical experts standing by . Eighteen hours a day . Seven days a week . They are all very patient and very caring , and they will access your computer remotely , and they will talk you through any problem you may be having . They 'll teach you how to use your computer . CNN : The plans and services range from $ 25 to up to $ 250 for an entire year . You have grandkids . Do you stay in touch with them this way ? Henderson : You know what , Josh ? That 's one of the most exciting things for me is to be able to videoconference because I have a son and his wife and two children that live in St. Louis . I have a daughter in Florida . And they have two children . And now I can actually see them . I have a new granddaughter who is just a year old . I can watch her grow , and I can talk to them . To me , that is the most exciting thing . And so I 'm encouraging older adults to really stay connected and use your brain . CNN : It 's the 40th anniversary of the Brady Bunch . We see sitcom stars come and go . But you , 35 years after the show technically ended , you have stayed out there as an icon . What 's your secret ? What did you do that no one else figured out ? Henderson : You know what , Josh ? I think it 's because I love what I do . I 'm passionate about what I do . I 've always kind of felt that my career was my vocation , and I love staying on top of things . Now I 'm cybermom ! I genuinely love to communicate . And I love people . CNN : I got to tell you , when I said I was going to talk to you today , every person I talked to said I have to get the truth about you and Greg -LRB- Barry Williams -RRB- . You write about this on your blog . Just give everyone the real story . Henderson : The real story is that he always had a crush on me and he asked me to go on a date with him . And so I went . And he only had a driver 's permit . And his brother had to bring him to my hotel , and then he could drive my car , you know , he had a permit . But it was so sweet and so innocent . And he 's still a very dear friend . | Florence Henderson launches a new service to help seniors learn about computers . The `` Brady Bunch '' actress had to overcome her own fear of technology . Floh Club is a `` telephone-based technical support service '' It helps grandparents and others stay in touch with family via e-mail , webcams . | [[196, 303], [249, 303], [391, 437], [438, 454], [469, 540]] |
Kabul , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai 's office contacted the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan about reports the ambassador warned against sending more U.S. troops to the country , a Karzai spokesman told CNN Thursday . Two U.S. officials confirmed to CNN that Ambassador Karl Eikenberry sent two cables to Washington expressing reservations about troop increases amid uncertainty over Karzai 's government . One official , who spoke on condition of not being identified because of the sensitive nature of the cables , said the two communications `` expressed concern and reservations about troop increases in Afghanistan '' until more is known about Karzai 's government after his recent re-election . Separately , a senior U.S. official also confirmed the existence of two Eikenberry classified cables . The official said Eikenberry expressed reservations about troop increases because of lingering concerns about Karzai and uncertainties about the government he is going to put in place . The second official also asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the cables . In Kabul , Eikenberry 's office would not confirm to Karzai 's office the reports about the cables , Karzai spokesman Seyemic Herawi said . Herawi said Karzai will not comment on the reports without more information from the U.S. Embassy . Should more troops be sent to Afghanistan ? Share your thoughts . Eikenberry previously expressed worry about corruption in Karzai 's government and its ability to partner with the United States to fight the Taliban . A senior State Department official told CNN that President Obama 's administration has questions about Karzai 's behavior , suggesting it has been inconsistent . Asked for an official response on reports of the cables , the U.S. Embassy in Kabul said it does not comment on private messages , but did confirm that there had been correspondence between Eikenberry and the president . In Washington , State Department spokesman Ian Kelly declined to comment Thursday on Eikenberry 's communications . `` We are not going to get into the details of this kind of advice , '' Kelly said . `` This is a privileged channel of communication . They have the right to receive this advice in a confidential way , '' Kelly said . `` Ambassador Eikenberry has been providing this kind of advice and analysis to the president and secretary since he arrived , '' he said . `` The president really deserves the right to be able to gather all of this information from all of the different principals , people involved in the shaping of this policy . '' Earlier , White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said , `` We wo n't discuss classified documents publicly , but , as we have said for months , success in Afghanistan depends on having a true partner in the Afghan government . '' Initial reports of cables sent by Eikenberry appeared in The New York Times , Washington Post and Los Angeles Times . All three newspapers attributed the reports to senior U.S. officials , without identifying them . The developments came as Obama told his war council Wednesday that the U.S. troop commitment to Afghanistan is not open-ended , and then asked for revisions to options he previously received for sending more troops , a senior administration official told CNN . The war council -- comprising top Cabinet , Pentagon and administration officials -- met with Obama for the eighth time to discuss a request by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan for up to 40,000 more troops . The meeting lasted more than two hours , according to the senior administration official . `` The president and his team discussed the length of time that it would take to implement the options he 's been presented , '' the senior official said . `` The president believes that we need to make clear to the Afghan government that our commitment is not open-ended . After years of substantial investments by the American people , governance in Afghanistan must improve in a reasonable period of time to ensure a successful transition to our Afghan partner . '' In particular , Obama pushed for revisions in proposed plans for troop increases to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government , the official said . Earlier , a senior administration official and a U.S. military official independently told CNN that one option presented to Obama calls for sending about 34,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan , in addition to the 68,000 already committed to the country . The military official said the plan would send three U.S. Army brigades , totaling about 15,000 troops ; a Marine brigade of about 8,000 troops ; a headquarters element of about 7,000 troops ; and 4,000 to 5,000 support troops . The combat brigades would be brought in gradually , in three-month intervals , according to the military official . The troops would be spread across the country , mainly focusing in the south and southeast , where much of the fighting is , according to the military official . The option has been a favorite at the Pentagon in recent weeks , the official added . That is only one option , the senior administration official emphasized . Three other options , the official said , would be `` different mixes , '' or `` different components of it . '' Despite reports to the contrary , Obama has not decided the number of U.S. troops he will send to Afghanistan , White House officials said . Such reports are `` absolutely false , '' Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said . And anyone who suggests otherwise , `` does n't have , in all honesty , the slightest idea what they 're talking about . '' Republican members of the Senate Armed Services Committee urged Obama in a letter sent Wednesday -- Veterans Day -- to agree to the request for additional troops by U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan . The letter , signed by 10 Republican committee members , said success in Afghanistan will require enabling local leaders to govern and secure their country without substantial international assistance . CNN 's Barbara Starr , Elise Labott , Suzanne Malveaux , Mike Mount , Chris Lawrence and Tom Cohen contributed to this report . | State Department says what ambassador tells president is confidential . Hamid Karzai aides question U.S. ambassador 's advice to Obama . Ambassador reportedly warns Obama against sending more troops to Afghanistan . Ambassador has expressed concerns about Karzai government in past . | [[0, 5], [8, 35], [79, 207], [290, 370], [336, 437], [835, 990], [1427, 1521]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Philippine President Corazon Aquino , whose `` People Power '' movement pushed out longtime strongman Ferdinand Marcos less than three years after her husband 's assassination , has died at age 76 , her family announced Saturday . `` She was the agent of change in Philippine democracy , '' said Ray Donato , the nation 's consul-general in Atlanta . Aquino , the first woman to lead the Philippines , had been battling colon cancer since March 2008 and died of cardio-respiratory arrest at 3:18 a.m. Saturday -LRB- 3:18 p.m. Friday ET -RRB- , said Mai Mislang , a spokeswoman for her son , Philippine Sen. Benigno Aquino III . Funeral arrangements were being set up , Mislang said . Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has also announced a 10-day mourning period for the former president , said Ray Donato , the country 's consul-general in Atlanta . `` She was the agent of change in Philippine democracy , and almost all the Filipinos I know revered her during her presidency , '' Donato said . Aquino had been born into a wealthy family and was educated in the United States . She had not been involved in politics before her husband , opposition leader Benigno `` Ninoy '' Aquino Jr. , was gunned down at Manila 's airport in August 1983 as he returned from exile . The political novice took over the leadership of her husband 's movement after his death and challenged Marcos in a 1986 election , making a yellow dress her trademark and bolstered by the support of the country 's Roman Catholic churches . Marcos had been backed by the United States , the former colonial power in the Philippines , for two decades as a stalwart anti-communist . He and his wife Imelda were friends of then-President Ronald Reagan and his wife , Nancy . But widespread allegations of electoral fraud and a mutiny by the country 's military led the Reagan administration to withdraw its support , and Marcos went into exile in Hawaii . Aquino took office in a country with a $ 28 billion debt , widespread poverty and a persistent Marxist insurgency . She put in place a U.S.-style constitution that limited presidents to a single six-year term and survived seven coup attempts -- including one that was supressed with American help . She also oversaw the closure of the major U.S. military bases in the country before leaving office in 1992 . The bases had been a bulwark of American power in the Pacific since the early 1900s and employed nearly 80,000 Filipinos , but Aquino 's opponents argued the country was too dependent on the United States . Aquino announced in 1990 that it was time to begin negotiating the `` orderly withdrawal '' of U.S. forces . | NEW : Funeral arrangements are being set up , spokeswoman says . President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announces 10-day mourning period . Aquino had been battling colon cancer since March 2008 . She took up opposition to Marcos regime after her husband 's 1983 assassination . | [[654, 692], [710, 823], [377, 383], [414, 475]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A humanitarian plane carrying 17 people -- most of them relief workers -- has crashed during a storm in a mountainous region in the Democratic Republic of Congo , the United Nations said Tuesday . File image of a Beechcraft 1900 aircraft . Search and rescue crews were not immediately able to land their helicopter in the area and determine whether anyone survived the crash in the east of the country , said Christope Illemassene , spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -LRB- OCHA -RRB- in the capital city of Kinshasa . But Air Serv International , the relief group that operated the plane , said an aerial survey has indicated that all the occupants on the Beechcraft 1900 plane died . The plane was on a routine flight from Kinsasha to the eastern city of Goma on Monday , with three stops , Illemassene said . Air-traffic controllers lost contact with the plane when it approached Bukavu , the last of its three intermediate stops . The weather in the area was stormy at the time , Illemassene said . Search and rescue crews spotted the plane 's debris Tuesday , about 9.4 miles -LRB- 15 km -RRB- northwest of the Bukavu airport , Illemassene said . `` We 're anxiously waiting for results from the search and rescue operation , '' he said . `` We 're really hoping the peacekeepers are able to land near the site and confirm whether there are any survivors . '' Air Serv International , based in the U.S. state of Virginia , is one of several groups that provides transport services to relief organizations in the Democratic Republic of Congo . | Flight operators : Aerial survey indicates occupants on aircraft died . Search and rescue crews not able to land their helicopter in the area , U.N. says . Plane was on a routine flight from Kinsasha to the eastern city of Goma . | [[582, 604], [650, 744], [182, 215], [259, 345], [745, 830]] |
GENEVA , Switzerland -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. President Barack Obama called on Iran to provide the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency with `` unfettered '' access to the newly disclosed Qom uranium enrichment site , and Tehran 's nuclear negotiator said the country would cooperate with inspectors . President Obama said Iran must provide inspectors with `` unfettered '' access to the new site within two weeks . Iran says it plans to cooperate `` fully '' and `` immediately '' with the U.N. nuclear agency and will invite representatives of the body to visit its newly revealed uranium enrichment facility `` soon , '' said Javier Solana , the European Union foreign policy chief . The IAEA has confirmed a trip to Iran by Director General Mohamed ElBaradei would take place soon , but no specific date has been announced . A senior U.S. official speaking on background told reporters that ElBaradei 's trip to Tehran could come as early as this weekend . In an exclusive interview with CNN 's Christiane Amanpour on Thursday , Iran 's chief nuclear negotiator , Saeed Jalili , said `` transparency is not something new '' for the Islamic republic 's nuclear program . `` Iran has committed itself to follow all the obligations and the like , '' Jalili said , speaking through a translator provided by the Iranian delegation in Geneva . `` What I want to emphasize is that our cooperation with the agency and the way we look specifically regarding to nuclear energy is that we believe that nuclear warheads are illegitimate and no country should have these kind of weapons . '' He said nuclear energy for peaceful purposes `` is the right of every sovereign state and country . '' Watch more from the Jalili interview '' There were a number of developments at a meeting Thursday in Geneva between Iran and world powers over Iran 's nuclear program ; Solana said the meeting `` represented the start of what we hope will be an intensive process . '' `` I and all the representatives of the six countries were united in underlining the importance of fully transparency and of rebuilding confidence through practical steps . In the course of the day , we had both plenary meetings and bilateral discussions allowing for detailed exchanges on all issues , '' Solana said . The meeting occurred on the heels of the recent revelation that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom , a dramatic development that jacked up tension between Iran and international powers . International powers have threatened more sanctions if the Islamic republic does n't change its ways . At a news conference Thursday after the talks , Solana said International Atomic Energy Agency experts are expected to visit the facility near Qom `` within the next couple of weeks . '' IAEA spokesman Gill Tudor said Director General Mohamed ElBaradei `` has been invited to Tehran by Iranian authorities . He will travel there soon to discuss a number of matters . '' Solana confirmed that world powers and Iran will hold another round of talks before the end of the month , but it is not known where or exactly when . `` An agenda for that meeting will be worked out through diplomatic channels . It will focus on nuclear issues , including proposals previously put forward by both sides . It will also deal with global issues that any of the parties wish to address , '' Solana said . Solana also said the world powers and Iran agreed in principle `` that low-enriched uranium produced in Iran would be transported to third countries for further enrichment and fabrication into fuel assemblies for the Tehran research reactor , which produces isotopes for medical applications . '' Details will be worked out at the next meeting , Solana said . The senior U.S. official told reporters that the enrichment would happen in Russia . `` The potential advantage of this , if it 's implemented , is that it would significantly reduce Iran 's -LSB- low-enriched uranium -RSB- stockpile which itself is a source of anxiety in the Middle East and elsewhere , '' the senior U.S. official told reporters in a briefing Thursday . Jalili , Iran 's chief nuclear negotiator , noted at a news conference Thursday that the parties hope to reach a framework for future talks . The Geneva talks also featured a proposal for Iran to send its enriched uranium to a third country for final processing to ensure that it would be used for medical purposes , rather than a nuclear weapons program . Of the third-party enrichment proposal , Obama said it might be `` a step towards building confidence that Iran 's -LSB- nuclear -RSB- program is , in fact , peaceful . '' The president said Thursday in Washington that he expected to see `` swift action '' by Iran on the steps outlined in the Geneva talks . Watch Obama demand transparency '' `` This is a constructive beginning , but hard work lies ahead , '' Obama said , noting that an `` intensive period '' of negotiations with Iran will be occurring . `` Talk is no substitute for action , '' Obama said in urging Iran to take the necessary steps to meet its obligations under international non-proliferation agreements . `` This is about the global non-proliferation regime and Iran 's right to peaceful nuclear energy , '' Obama said . Iran participated in the talks along with the EU , Germany and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council : the United States , Britain , France , Russia and China . Top officials from the United States and Iran huddled on the margins of the Geneva talks on Iran 's nuclear program . Jalili met with William J. Burns , the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs who was leading the U.S. delegation , a senior U.S. official and a diplomatic source confirmed . The men discussed the nuclear program , a sit-down described as the first face-to-face meeting over the Iran 's nuclear program . The diplomatic source , who characterized the meeting as `` serious and frank , '' said world powers are pushing for a date for International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to examine the nuclear facility in Qom . See a map of Iran 's nuclear sites '' They also discussed human rights issues , including detained Americans in Iran . Among those held in Iranian custody are three hikers who strayed from Iraqi territory into Iran . The sources would talk only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the ongoing discussions with Iran . `` They certainly are historical talks , '' said David Albright , president of the Institute for Science and International Security and a former weapons inspector . `` For the United States and Iran to sit down finally and start to talk about the significant differences between the two countries is extremely important , and I think it 's long overdue . '' Watch commentators on concerns over Iran 's nuclear program '' The existence of the second uranium enrichment facility prompted Obama and the leaders of Britain and France to publicly chide the Islamic republic last week at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh and threaten further sanctions . Iran claims that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes , but many in the international community have accused the country of trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability . CNN 's Andrew Carey , Matthew Chance , Christiane Amanpour and Elise Labott contributed to this report . | U.S. , Iran hold talks on margins of multilateral meeting on Iran 's nuclear plans . Obama says talks are `` constructive '' start but demands more . Foreign policy chief confirms another round of talks coming . Newly revealed Iranian uranium facility is focus for world powers . | [[5449, 5531], [4819, 4854], [2966, 3109], [2988, 3070], [4884, 4897], [4907, 4983], [4884, 4892], [4900, 4983], [2265, 2323], [2407, 2429], [2435, 2492]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- I spoke at TED in 2006 , the year they started to put the talks online . I 'm told that since then , the talk has been downloaded more than 3.5 million times in more than 200 countries . The number of people who 've seen it may be 20 times that or more . I have a stream of e-mails , tweets and blog posts round the world from young people , parents , students , teachers , cultural activists and business leaders of all sorts . They tell me how deeply they relate to the talk and often that they 've seen or shown it many times at meetings , conferences , workshops and retreats . Parents tell me they 've shown it to their children ; young people tell me they 've shown it to their parents . They say they 've laughed and sometimes cried together and had a different sort of conversation as a result . Changing the conversation is one of the primary purposes of TED . Why has this talk had such an impact ? I think there are several reasons . To begin with , the talk is short . The 18-minute talk is part of the genius of TED . In a world of instant messaging , rampant data and overspecialization , brevity is a virtue . -LRB- Even so , I 've seen blogs that strongly recommend the talk but warn that it 's almost 20 minutes long . -RRB- . A second factor is that , based on the audience 's reaction , the talk is entertaining and funny at times , which always helps . And I 'd just had my hair cut . We may never know how much that simple act contributed to the global appeal of the talk . But the real reason for its impact is that what I 'm saying clearly resonates deeply with people of all ages and across many different cultures . I believe that the argument is becoming more urgent by the day . What is the argument ? In a nutshell , it 's that we 're all born with immense natural talents but our institutions , especially education , tend to stifle many of them and as a result we are fomenting a human and an economic disaster . In education , this vast waste of talent involves a combination of factors . They include a narrow emphasis on certain sorts of academic work ; the exile of arts , humanities and physical education programs from schools ; arid approaches to teaching math and sciences ; an obsessive culture of standardized testing and tight financial pressures to teach to the tests . The result is a disastrous waste of talent among students and their teachers . To sense the scale of this disaster , you only have to look at the alarming rates of turnover among faculty and the levels of drop out , disaffection , stress and prescription drug use among students . Even for students who stay the course and do well in education , the rules of success have changed irrevocably . Just look at the plummeting value of college degrees . The waste of talent in education is not deliberate . Teachers are as anxious about this as everyone else , but many of them feel trapped in the awkward groping of national reform policies , many of which misunderstand the problems as well as the solutions . The waste of talent is n't deliberate , but it is systematic . It happens in part because the dominant systems of education are rooted in the values and demands of industrialism : they are linear , mechanistic and focused on conformity and standardization . Nowadays , they 're buttressed by major commercial interests in mass testing and by the indiscriminate use of prescription drugs that keep students ' minds from wandering to things they naturally find more interesting . The tragedy is that meeting the many social , economic , spiritual and environmental challenges we now face depends absolutely on the very capacities of insight , creativity and innovation that these systems are systematically suppressing in yet another generation of young people . Reforming these systems is not enough . The truth is that we are caught up in a cultural and economic revolution . This revolution is global in scale and unpredictable in nature . To meet it , we need a revolution in the culture of education . This new culture has to emerge from a richer sense of human ability . To shape it , I believe we have to leave behind the manufacturing principles of industrialism and embrace the organic principles of ecology . Education is about developing human beings , and human development is not mechanical or linear . It is organic and dynamic . Like all living forms , we flourish in certain conditions and shrivel in others . Great teachers , great parents and great leaders understand those conditions intuitively ; poor ones do n't . The answer is not to standardize education , but to personalize and customize it to the needs of each child and community . There is no alternative . There never was . The good news is that all around the world there are wonderful examples of people and organizations that are making determined efforts to do things differently in education -- and in business , health care , architecture , communities and cultural programs . There are examples of these all over the TED Web site and in the expanding ripples of the TED prizes . TED itself is a great example of the spirit of collaboration and inter-disciplinarily that is the essential to a genuine culture of creativity . What are the principles of this culture ? Towards the end of my talk , I mention a book I was working on called `` Epiphany . '' It was published this year under a much better title , `` The Element : How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything '' -LRB- Viking -RRB- and is now in 11 languages . It draws on conversations with people in science , business , education , the arts , sports and more on how they found in themselves the talents and passions that have shaped their lives . But the book is not about them : it 's about you and your children , if you have any ; and your friends too , if you have any of those . There 's a wealth of talent that lies in all of us . All of us , including those who work in schools , must nurture creativity systematically and not kill it unwittingly . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sir Ken Robinson . | Sir Ken Robinson : We 're born with great natural talents . He says schools systematically suppress many of those innate talents . Schools use testing and other systems to narrowly assess students , he says . He says they devalue forms of creativity that do n't fit in academic contexts . | [[1764, 1777], [1786, 1863], [1748, 1761], [1764, 1840], [1866, 1909], [1764, 1777], [1786, 1863], [1748, 1761], [1764, 1840], [1866, 1909], [3516, 3798], [3705, 3798], [2232, 2330]] |
ONDO , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In the dark of the early morning , the assembled drug agents murmur a short prayer before setting out on an early morning drugs raid . A agent torches marijuana plants found in the Nigerian forests but there could be hundreds more farms . After a few short orders , we set off into the deep undergrowth of southern Nigeria 's forests on a tip-off that somewhere ahead are hidden farms illegally growing cannabis . `` It 's dangerous because some of them have machetes and in the deeper forest they have pump action shotguns that they use , '' explained Gaura Shedow , Nigeria 's narcotics commander for Ondo state . Nigeria 's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency , or NDLEA , are battling to stop drugs illegally transited through the country , from Latin America and Asia into Europe and the U.S. , spilling over into the streets of Nigeria . As we approach the farm , orders go for out for silence and torches out . The agents spill into an opening in the dense forest , and in the red-glow of the rising sun we can make out the unmistakable leaf of the marijuana plant . NDLEA suspects there may be hundreds of farms hidden in the forest - estimating the crop they 've found this morning to be about $ 6,000 . Despite NDLEA 's efforts the farmers are nowhere to be seen , but Commander Gaura remains practical . `` The people that stay in these farms are not the big people . The big men stay in the cities -- they do n't even come to the farmlands . '' Nigeria is on the frontline in the global war on drugs -- an international gateway for cocaine from Latin America and heroin from Asia to abusers in Europe and the United States . It 's not known exactly how much is transited through Nigeria but NDLEA says last year they seized over 300 tons of narcotics . Focusing primarily on the main transit points -- roads , ports and airports - NDLEA claim to have convicted over 1,800 traffickers . Most of them are Nigerian . `` We do have a big expatriate community of Nigerians in Europe and United States , '' explains Dagmar Thomas at the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in Nigeria . `` And there is always the danger that these communities are tapped into by organized crime cartels . '' We spoke to one man arrested for trying to trafficking cocaine to Europe . A young graduate , he explained how after losing his job in Spain he was tempted by the offer of $ 5,000 to transport cocaine packets in his stomach . `` When you are swallowing - taking in this thing into your body it 's just as if you are signing your death warrant ... but this is what many youths do today just to make a living . '' And with low-ranking NDLEA officers paid on average $ 200 a month corruption within the agency is a key concern . `` Yes , certainly there was a lot -- a lot , I think -- of corruption in the agency , '' explained Ahmadu Giade , the agency 's chairman . `` But so long as I continue as chairman of the agency , so long I will continue to dismiss anybody who 's involved in corruption -- I will never spare him . '' But neither do the drugs . Living under a bridge in Nigeria 's over-crowded metropolis , Lagos , Mercy Jon sleeps behind a public toilet with five other people . She prostitutes herself to pay for her cocaine habit . `` Cocaine has destroyed my life - if it was not for the cocaine I 'm taking , I would not be in such a place because I 'm a learned somebody . My parents spent a lot to make sure I go to school , but because of cocaine I 've ruined everything . '' Mercy Jon is being helped by one of only a handful of drug rehabilitation centers in Lagos -- Freedom Foundation . But struggling to find funding to cope with the number of addicts , their founder Tony Rapu is seeing a disturbing trend . `` I actually think its increasing -- in the past few years we 've seen more cases of heroin and cocaine abuse and in the area of marijuana it 's like its getting even more common . '' Watching his officers systematically set about cutting and burning the seized cannabis crop Commander Gaura gestures to the flames . `` We prefer to get to the grass roots and cut it down before it gets to the streets . '' But with the farmers and drug barons still in hiding Nigeria 's drug war is far from over . | Nigerian drug agents patrol southern forests hunting for hidden drug farms . Nigeria is hub for trafficking and fears problem is spilling into its streets . Courier paid $ 5,000 to transport cocaine in stomach ; drug agent paid $ 200 a month . Educated addict now living under bridge says her life was destroyed by cocaine . | [[650, 690], [835, 878], [2321, 2452], [2648, 2696], [3271, 3303]] |
NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Tibetan exile leaders , meeting in northern India to debate a potential new approach to Tibet 's decades-long struggle for autonomy , have voted to stay with the Dalai Lama 's current `` middle way approach , '' according to a spokesman for the spiritual leader . Some have sought Tibet 's independence from China , but the Dalai Lama has sought autonomy . `` The majority of the people have spoken and have requested his holiness the Dalai Lama to continue with his middle way approach , '' said spokesman Tenzin Taklha . The meeting was called after the Dalai Lama acknowledged he had failed in his efforts to convince China to restore the territory 's autonomy . He did not attend the week-long conference in Dharamsala , a town in the hills of north India where he lives in exile . He called the meeting , he said , to offer the exiles an opportunity to discuss `` the best possible future course of action '' for Tibet . Takhla said the Tibetans demonstrated that the Dalai Lama was their undisputed leader , and they hoped China would recognize him as such and negotiations toward a realistic solution could be held . There was a small minority who said they wanted to demand Tibet 's independence , Takhla said . The `` middle way '' approach with Beijing is one in which Tibetans want a level of autonomy that will allow them to protect and preserve their culture , religion and national identity . In exchange , China could continue to claim Tibet as part of its territory . Some in Tibet have advocated independence from China , but the Dalai Lama has long called for genuine autonomy . Tibet is technically autonomous from the central Chinese government , but the Dalai Lama and others have said they favor real autonomy and resent the slow erosion of their culture amid an influx of Han Chinese , the largest ethnic group in China . Learn about Tibet 's history of conflict '' The resentment spilled over in March , when Buddhist monks initiated peaceful anti-Chinese protests in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa . The demonstrations began March 14 , the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Beijing 's rule that sent the Dalai Lama into exile . The protests soon turned violent , with demonstrators burning vehicles and shops . Some protesters advocated independence from China , while others demonstrated against the growing influence of the Han Chinese in Tibet and other regions of China with ethnic Tibetan populations . The subsequent crackdown left 18 civilians and one police officer dead , according to the Chinese government . Tibet 's self-proclaimed government-in-exile put the death toll from the protests at 140 . China blamed the Dalai Lama and his followers for the March riots -- a charge he has consistently denied . | Tibetan exile leaders back Dalai Lama 's current `` middle way approach '' The Dalai Lama , Tibet 's spiritual leader , seeks genuine autonomy from Beijing . Small minority want to demand Tibet 's independence , spokesman says . | [[0, 58], [160, 243], [353, 393], [1580, 1633], [246, 300], [301, 350], [1161, 1240], [1521, 1573]] |
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A new classified directive to coalition forces in Afghanistan puts restrictions on nighttime raids of Afghan homes and compounds , according to a senior U.S. official who has seen the document . The official declined to be identified because a declassified version of the document has not been made public . The directive is signed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal , the top NATO commander in Afghanistan , the official said . The directive comes as the coalition seeks to reduce tension between its military forces and Afghan civilians in an effort to maintain Afghan public support . Nighttime raids in which troops enter private homes have sparked problems for U.S. and NATO forces . The raids are viewed as overly invasive -- a violation of the privacy of the home in Afghan culture -- and they can turn violent . The document orders forces to use Afghan troops at night `` whenever possible '' to knock on doors of residences and compounds , and to use them if forcible action is required for entry , the official said . But the directive also orders troops to `` conduct an analysis '' of whether it is militarily essential to conduct a raid at night or whether it can be put off until daylight , the official said . If troops can keep a target under surveillance but wait for daylight , they then can enlist the aid of village elders , perhaps , in determining if a home or compound poses a threat , the official said . The official emphasized that troops always have the right to defend themselves and are given leeway to use their best judgment on the battlefield . McChrystal also is updating another directive , first issued last year , on conducting operations to minimize civilian casualties , the official said . The updated version , which is yet to be published , will include `` more clarity '' for troops on how to operate in `` escalation of force '' incidents , such as when a vehicle approaches a checkpoint in a potentially threatening manner and troops must decide whether , and when , to fire at it . The official declined to offer further details but said the aim is to make sure even the most junior troops have full understanding of rules and procedures . Some troops and local commanders have expressed concerns that recent rules can inhibit their ability to take action under fire . These directives come as the coalition has been involved in several recent incidents in which civilians were inadvertently killed , and as the coalition conducts major operations in southern Afghanistan . McChrystal released a video message to the Afghan populace apologizing for an incident this week in which 27 Afghan civilians were killed . `` I have made it clear to our forces that we are here to protect the Afghan people . I pledge to strengthen our efforts to regain your trust to build a brighter future for all Afghans , '' he said in the message . The official said the documents may be made public in the coming weeks , after current operations ease . | U.S. official : Directive pertains to coalition forces ' raids on Afghan homes , compounds . Coalition trying to lower tension between military and civilians , keep Afghan public support . Raids seen as violation of privacy of Afghan homes , and they can turn violent . New rules are said to call for use of Afghan troops , analysis of whether night raid is essential . | [[451, 573], [564, 609], [711, 750], [818, 841], [842, 901], [1054, 1067], [1073, 1224]] |
Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- There 's an innocence to Jessica Biel , she says . The actress , who has starred in `` The Illusionist '' and `` I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry , '' wanted to tap into her childlike side for `` Planet 51 , '' a new animated film about an Earth astronaut who lands on a faraway planet that has much in common with 1950s America -- except for the aliens . `` I love that kind of throwback to a more of innocent time and a simpler time and more conservative , '' she told CNN . `` There 's something just kind of attractive about that , those kinds of qualities to me , and I just thought it would be fun . '' `` Planet 51 , '' which also features the voice work of Dwayne `` The Rock '' Johnson , Justin Long and Gary Oldman , opens Friday . Biel sat down with CNN to talk about the film , the challenges of voice work and the difficulty of finding good roles for actresses . The following is an edited version of the interview . CNN : Why did you choose to do something animated ? Jessica Biel : I think I chose this part because I 'm kind of a kid at heart and I really thought the story was so sweet and fun . ... I was n't doing anything . I was able to work in town , at home in L.A. , which is so rare . CNN : You could probably wear your pajamas to work . Biel : Pretty much . Roll in , no hair and makeup . I just always wanted to be a voice in some great movie where some little girl loves my character . CNN : Did you get to meet -LSB- your co-stars -RSB- when you were doing the voices ? Biel : I never saw them , never met them . I mean , I know Dwayne , I 've known Dwayne for a long time . I met Justin before , but I never saw them once . It was such an interesting experience to be there by yourself kind of going through it . But ... it goes fast . You 're there , it 's fast , it 's fun . CNN : Who 's your character ? Biel : I play Neera , who is this lovely 16-year-old girl . ... She 's insecure about boys but also has a sense of confidence for herself , very independent , and is not listening to what the government is saying about this alien -LSB- the Earthling -RSB- who 's landed on her planet . She is standing up on her own two feet , thinking for herself . ... So she 's , you know , she 's trying to find out who she is as a woman . CNN : You do have a strong female character and it 's such a good role model for young girls . Is it hard to find that in films today ? Biel : It is . It 's very hard . I mean , honestly , it 's just rare to find a story about a woman 's experience , about a young girl 's experience . For some reason nobody wants to make those movies . And it 's really hard because there are so many talented women and there are not enough projects for everybody to really blossom and explore . So it 's quite competitive because there 's a small amount of material . CNN : Is it hard for Hollywood to write those kinds of roles ? Biel : I do n't know what it is . I 'm still trying to decipher that . | Jessica Biel lends her voice to animated film `` Planet 51 '' Actress wanted something that reflected her childlike side . Biel says it 's hard to find roles for women that reflect strength and character . | [[195, 252], [870, 922]] |
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The two people who died and the 19 others who fell ill at a central Arizona resort after spending time in a sauna-like `` sweatbox '' were attending a program by self-help expert James Arthur Ray , authorities said Saturday . Two people died and were 19 injured after spending up to two hours inside this `` sweatbox '' at an Arizona resort . The dead were identified as James Shore of Milwaukee , Wisconsin , and Kirby Brown of Westtown , New York , Sheriff Lloyd Waugh told reporters . They were among the 50 or so visitors at the Angel Valley Resort near Sedona attending Ray 's `` Spiritual Warrior '' program . Nineteen others were treated for injuries sustained in the sweatbox , a dome-like structure covered with tarps and blankets . Hot rocks and water are used to create steam in the enclosed environment . Waugh said investigators are looking into evidence that `` may turn this into a criminal prosecution . '' Investigators are looking into similar events held previously in other locations by Ray , who refused to speak with officers at the scene , Waugh said . A follow-up interview is expected to happen . Ray 's publicist , Howard Bragman , did not immediately return calls from CNN on Saturday . Ray posted a noted late Friday on his Twitter page , saying : `` I 'm shocked & saddened by the tragedy occurring in Sedona . My deep heartfelt condolences to family & friends of those who lost their lives . '' On Saturday he posted another message , saying he 's `` spending the weekend in prayer and meditation for all involved in this difficult time ; and I ask you to join me in doing the same . '' The self-help guru is widely known for his programs that claim to teach individuals to create wealth through all aspects of their lives -- financially , mentally , physically and spiritually . Ray , whose company is based in Carlsbad , California , has appeared on a variety of national programs , including CNN 's `` Larry King Live . '' In that appearance , Ray was about to address 3,000 people in Phoenix , Arizona . Asked what he thinks about critics of his teachings , Ray told King : . `` Well , you know , it 's interesting , Larry , because any time a new idea comes to the fore , it goes through three phases . It 's first ridiculed . Then it 's violently opposed . And then it 's finally accepted as self-evident , normally after the opposition dies . '' Angel Valley Resort advertises itself as `` a place to relax and heal ... where powerful earth energies are present and active . '' It was founded in April 2002 by Michael and Amayra Hamilton , both of whom are teachers and counselors there . The resort is on 70 secluded valley acres 20 minutes from Sedona , surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest , according to the Web site . It has Internal Revenue Service nonprofit status as a religious organization , its Web site says . `` There are twenty marked vortexes and angel sites to experience connection with Earth and spirit , deep relaxation , and balancing , '' an online brochure says . `` Angel Valley offers two labyrinths and an Angel Wheel for going inward , finding answers and getting insights . '' No information about the sweat lodge could be found on the Web site Saturday morning , and numerous internal links were not functioning . The use of sweat lodges for spiritual and physical cleansing is a part of several Native American tribes ' cultures . A traditional Native American sweat lodge is a small dome-like structure made up of willow branches carefully tied together and covered in canvas . Rocks are heated in a nearby fire pit and placed inside the lodge , and water is poured over them to create steam . `` We are curious to find out what happened there , '' Richard Moreno , a member of Pira Manso Pueblo tribe , told KPHO-TV . `` I 've been participating in the sweat lodge since the age of 3 and I 've never recalled being sick from being in the sweat lodge . '' Moreno told the station he has never been to a lodge that held more than 20 people . CNN 's Nick Valencia contributed to this report . | NEW : Illnesses occur during event led by author James Arthur Ray , reports say . NEW : Evidence `` may turn this into a criminal prosecution , '' sheriff says . About 50 people had spent up to two hours inside the `` sweatbox , '' officials said . Resort is nonprofit religious organization , Web site says . | [[836, 938], [847, 938], [507, 583], [2645, 2655], [2766, 2793], [2794, 2870], [2873, 2892]] |
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