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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The body of Sen. Robert Byrd , D-West Virginia , will lie in repose in the U.S. Senate chamber on Thursday , two Senate aides familiar with the plans told CNN . Byrd , the longest-serving member of the U.S. Congress , died Monday . He was 92 . Byrd served for six years in the House before moving to the Senate , where he served nine terms . Byrd will lie in repose in a closed casket from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET , a senior Senate aide said . Senators and others will be asked to be in the chamber at 10:30 a.m. , when Senate chaplain Barry Black will give a prayer . It was unclear whether members of the public would be on the floor or watching the proceedings from the visitors ' gallery above . Byrd 's body will also lie in repose at the West Virginia state Capitol from 9 p.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Friday , West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin 's office said in a statement , and `` the public is invited to pay their respects . `` A public , formal memorial service will also take place -LRB- at -RRB- 11:30 a.m. Friday at the state Capitol 's North Plaza , '' the statement said . Manchin has ordered flags flown at half-staff at state facilities in Byrd 's honor , and ordered the lights of the state Capitol dome turned off until further notice . On Monday , West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant said there will be no election this year to fill the remaining time in Byrd 's term , and that the election will take place in 2012 . But the timing of Byrd 's death contributed to confusion about filling the remainder of his term . Two elections will be held in November 2012 , Tennant said -- one to fill the remaining two months of Byrd 's term and one for the new six-year term in the Senate that begins in January 2013 . CNN 's Ted Barrett contributed to this report .
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Byrd to lie in repose in Senate chamber Thursday . NEW : Byrd will also lie in repose in West Virginia capitol . Longest-serving member of Congress died Monday at 92 . West Virginia governor orders flags flown at half-staff .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The wife of CNN talk-show host Larry King suffered an apparent drug overdose last month , just over two weeks after the couple reconciled and dropped their divorce petitions , according to a Utah police report . Paramedics found `` multiple pill bottles all of which were empty '' on her bed , along with a letter a police officer said `` led me to believe that -LRB- Shawn -RRB- King had intentionally taken the quantity of pills . '' Larry King released a statement through his publicist Wednesday saying his marriage is `` still together . '' `` We shall go through this difficult time intact as a family , '' King said . Her father , Karl Engemann , called for an ambulance to come to his Provo , Utah , home around midday on May 28 because he found Shawn King , 50 , unconscious on a bed . CNN obtained the recording of the 911 call from the Provo Police Department . `` I 've tried to wake her up , '' Engemann told the emergency dispatcher . `` I slap her and I holler at her and she opens her eyes halfway and puts them back down again . '' Asked if it could be an intentional overdose , Engemann said `` No , no , no , it would n't be suicidal . '' `` I do n't think she did it on purpose or anything , but she may have overmedicated , '' he said . `` Last night she seemed confused about what she had taken the last time she had taken it . '' He said his daughter did take `` something to help with her anxiety and her depression . '' The police report obtained by CNN said three handwritten pages were found on the bed near her `` indicating that she was leaving , or that she might hurt herself , such as that she wished to be buried in Utah . '' `` At this time it is unknown whose writing this letter was in , however , wording on the letter led me to believe that King had intentionally taken the quantity of pills , '' Officer Martin Webb wrote in his report . `` Multiple pill bottles all of which were empty '' were found on the bed with the letters , he said . The prescription medications included Compro , Prometrium , clonazepam , Ambien , Klonopin , Subutex , Cymbalta and Lyrica , the report said . King was taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center , where she was listed in critical condition later that night , the report said . Coincidentally , actor Gary Coleman died in the same hospital just minutes before King arrived there . CNN was unable to reach representatives of Shawn King or her father . Larry King , however , did provide a statement . `` I am extremely supportive of Shawn , '' he said . `` Reports that we have fought are absolutely false . I love her dearly . '' The couple filed for divorce within minutes of each other in Los Angeles County Superior Court in April . They announced their reconciliation a month later . `` We love our children , we love each other , we love being a family , '' their joint statement said . `` That is all that matters to us . We owe it to ourselves and our children to continue being dedicated to each other . '' The Kings have two sons , ages 9 and 11 . Larry King has hosted a nightly prime-time talk show on CNN since June 1985 . He previously hosted a late-night national radio talk show .
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Paramedics found Larry King 's wife unconscious May 28 at her father 's home . Shawn King found with empty pill bottles , handwritten letter , police say . Larry and Shawn King had filed for divorce , then reconciled , weeks before . Shawn King ca n't be reached for comment ; Larry King says marriage `` still together ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A new study finds that 54 percent of teens talk about behaviors such as sex , alcohol use , and violence on the social networking giant MySpace -- presenting potential risks even if all they 're doing is talking , researchers said Monday . Do you know what your teen has posted on social networking Web sites ? The study looked at MySpace profiles of 500 people who identified themselves as 18-year-old males and females in the United States . References to risky behaviors included both words and photos , the authors said . Not all teens who write about risky behaviors in their profiles actually engage in them in real life , said Dr. Megan Moreno of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health , one of the authors of the study , which appears in the January issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine . They may instead talk about sex , substance use , or violence because they are contemplating doing those things , or because they want to brag without actually doing what they say , Moreno said . Even if teens have not actually engaged in risky behaviors but merely brag about them online , this can still affect their future behavior , said study co-author Dr. Dimitri Christakis , professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington and director of the Center for Child Health , Behavior and Development at Seattle Children 's Hospital . Those who lie about the behaviors to show off may receive positive feedback from others -- comments such as `` that 's great '' or `` I do the same thing '' -- that encourage them to actually try out the behaviors , he said . Apart from that , teens who claim such behaviors are more likely to be victims of bullying and unwanted invitations for sex , he said . In a second study , Moreno and colleagues identified 190 profiles of 18 - to 20-year-olds that contained three or more references to sexual behaviors or substance abuse . The authors then made a profile of their own , called `` Dr. Meg , '' from which they sent a single e-mail to half these profiles , warning them about the risky information and offering information about clinical resources . They found that , after three months , 42.1 percent of the profile owners who received the e-mail -- and 29.5 percent of those who did not -- either removed references to risky behaviors or made their profiles private . `` It 's really not that MySpace is bad or good . I think the lesson is that it 's a tool , and how you use it determines the kinds of outcome you 're going to get , '' Moreno said . Experts say the bottom line is that parents should get more involved in the online lives of their children . `` I tell parents that they should absolutely create their own MySpace and Facebook page , '' Christakis said . The study inspired him to create his own Facebook account , and his 10-year-old already wants to know about his `` friends , '' he said . In some cases , parents should even have their children 's passwords for these social networking sites , especially when the children are around age 13 or 14 , said Vivian Friedman , child-adolescent psychologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham . Friedman was not involved with the study , but she is well aware of the problem . One of Friedman 's patients , the daughter of a preacher , posted nude photographs of herself online , a move that cost her father his job , Friedman said . But she said 54 percent as a figure for profiles with risky behaviors seems too high , given that most of what happens on social networking sites is `` chit-chat . '' `` I have parents that catch their kids bragging about something on MySpace , and when you actually confront them , the kid says ' I really was n't doing it , ' and they can prove they were not at the party where they were supposed to have been drinking , '' she said . Beyond keeping a watchful eye on risky interests and pictures , parents should also use social networking sites such as MySpace -- which had about 120 million users as of this summer -- as an opportunity to learn about their childrens ' favorite movies and hobbies , as well as their top friends , she said . `` You so often hear parents say ' I do n't even know my kid anymore . ' Here 's a very easy tool to get to know your kid again , '' she said . , .
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Study : 54 percent of MySpace profiles of 18-year-olds mentioned risky behaviors . Authors looked at 500 randomly chosen Web profiles from U.S. teens . Many teens took down content or made profiles private after e-mail warning . Experts : Parents should know what their children are doing online .
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UNITED NATIONS -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World leaders , many reeling from a year marked by global economic freefall and a growing threat from global warming and nuclear proliferation , exhorted one another Wednesday to work together to meet those challenges . Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday . In his first remarks to the U.N. General Assembly , President Obama noted that he took office last January `` at a time when many around the world had come to view America with skepticism and distrust . '' He then sought to distance himself from the policies of his predecessor , noting that he had prohibited the use of torture , ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay to be closed and has been working to create a framework to combat terrorism `` within the rule of law . '' Obama called on world leaders to work together to effect the change needed . `` No longer do we have the luxury of indulging our differences to the exclusion of the work that we must do together , '' he said . He vowed to pursue an agreement with Russia to reduce the number of nuclear weapons , to combat nuclear smuggling and theft and to support the non-proliferation treaty . Watch President Obama speak to the United Nations '' He identified North Korea and Iran as countries whose governments `` threaten to take us down this dangerous slope '' and said he is committed to diplomacy in persuading them to live up to their obligations . Obama called for `` more progress '' in the Middle East . `` We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel and we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements , '' he said to applause . Obama left no doubt that he believes the danger posed by global warming is a real one . `` Our responsibility to meet it must not be deferred . If we continue down our current course , every member of this assembly will see irreversible changes within their borders , '' he said . Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi also called for world unity in confronting crises -- such as climate change and food shortages -- but he expressed ire at the world body and the United States . Watch Gadhafi 's rant at the U.N. '' In a 96-minute , rambling address in his first appearance before the United Nations , Gadhafi broached conspiracy theories , urged probes into U.S. military activities and took aim at the structure and the actions of the Security Council itself . Dressed in a traditional Libyan cap and robe , he elaborated on what he said is the unfairness of the structure of the U.N. Security Council , which has five permanent members -- the United States , Russia , China , France and Britain , each with veto power . `` Are we equal in permanent seats ? '' Gadhafi asked . `` No , we 're not equals . '' He said the Security Council has provided not security , but `` terror and sanctions . '' No one should accept the resolutions of the Security Council , he said , adding that the body should be called the `` terror council . '' Watch Gadhafi demand equality '' He also slammed U.S. military actions in places such as Panama , Vietnam and Grenada and called the invasion of Iraq `` the mother of all evils . '' On the Middle East , he said the solution for Israelis and Palestinians `` is a democratic state without religious fanaticism '' and said people on both sides want to live in one state . Still , Gadhafi referred to Obama as `` my son , '' and congratulated him on his first U.N. General Assembly speech . Watch demonstrators for and against Gadhafi '' Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced he is ready to work with other nations . `` Our nation is prepared to warmly shake all those hands that are honestly extended to us , '' he told the assembly . `` We welcome real and human exchanges and stand ready to actively engage in fundamental global reforms . '' He called for a `` return to monotheism and justice , '' calling it `` the greatest hope and opportunity in all ages and generations . '' Ahmadinejad blamed the world economic crisis on capitalism , saying , `` It is no longer possible to inject thousands of billions of dollars of unreal wealth into the world economy simply by printing worthless paper . '' He added , `` The engine of unbridled capitalism , with its unfair system of thought , has reached the end of the road and is unable to move . '' He added that the time has passed for those people who outwardly espouse democracy and freedom yet who are simultaneously `` violating the very principles to which they aspire . '' Ahmadinejad then cited the United States , one of several countries critical of his country 's nuclear ambitions , despite Iran 's insistence that its program is intended solely for peaceful purposes . He was critical of the situations in Gaza as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan , where `` thousands of innocent people have been killed , injured or displaced , infrastructures have been destroyed and regional security has been seriously jeopardized . '' By this time , the U.S. and Israeli representatives had left their seats . Watch representatives leave their seats '' Before his talk , and blocks away from the United Nations , more than 400 protesters toted anti-Ahmadinejad banners and demonstrated in front of the Iranian U.N. Mission . `` I am very angry , '' said Anna Amiri , an Iranian emigre who traveled from Dallas , Texas , to attend the rally . `` We voted for Moussavi to have a change , '' she said , referring to Mir Hossein Moussavi , Ahmadinejad 's main opponent in the election . The results released by Iran said Ahmadinejad won by a wide margin , a conclusion that sparked street protests and violence . Watch Iranian student tell Ahmadinejad `` Be afraid '' '' At the U.N. , French President Nicolas Sarkozy referred to Iran 's leaders in his address , saying , `` If they rely on a passive response from the international community in order to pursue their military nuclear program , they will be making a tragic mistake . '' Addressing global warming and the economic crisis , Sarkozy said the world is on the threshold of an ecological disaster and called on its leaders to `` invent a new world where the follies of yesterday '' can not be repeated . Sarkozy said the world has already waited too long for globalization to be regulated , global warming to be fought and nuclear proliferation to be curbed . He called for the Security Council to be expanded to include an African nation , a South American nation , India , Japan and Germany as permanent members . `` The legitimacy of the United Nations depends on this reform , '' he said . He further called for reform of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and urged that their mission be redefined in the wake of the world economic crisis . In his address , British Prime Minister Gordon Brown listed climate change , terrorism , nuclear proliferation , shared prosperity and the need to eradicate poverty as key issues that must be addressed . `` We must grasp this next set of challenges immediately , '' he said . Russian President Dmitry Medvedev , noting that 2010 marks the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II , took aim at those who deny the Holocaust happened and called for `` firm and joint resistance to manifestations of neofascism . '' He described Russia as prepared to `` follow the path of reductions of nuclear weapons . '' In the annual session 's opening address , U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged global leaders to work together to face many of the world 's challenges : `` Now is our time . A time to put the ` united ' back into the United Nations . United in purpose . United in action . '' He called for tackling `` the threat of catastrophic climate change '' and expressed hope that nations will succeed in dealing with the problem if they work together . He touched on nuclear disarmament , too , saying , `` Let us make this the year we agreed to banish the bomb . ''
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NEW : Leaders from Obama to Gadhafi discuss climate change , disarmament . U.S. , Israeli representatives leave seats during Iranian president 's address . Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi says U.N. Security Council brings terror , not security . Global challenges require unified action , U.N. secretary-general says .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The ski-masked creator of the satirical Twittter account @BPGlobalPR provided the comic highlight of the TEDx OilSpill conference on Monday , prancing around the stage and reeling off one fake BP company slogan after another . A New Orleans , Louisiana , environmental activist provided one of the saddest moments when she recalled losing the most important person in her life at 17 when her father was one of 91 men who died in an oil drilling accident off Thailand . And a conservationist provided one of the most powerful moments when he drew a connection between government regulators failing to require safer drilling practices to decades of deregulation . Carl Safina of the Blue Ocean Institute said , `` The oil blowout , the bank bailout , mortgage crisis , all these things are absolutely symptoms of same issue ... we still need police to protect us from a few bad people ... for the last 30 years , we 've had a culture of deregulation caused directly by people we need to be protected from buying the government out from under us . '' He was called back on stage to take a bow . TEDx conferences are independently organized events , licensed by TED , a nonprofit dedicated to the theme of `` ideas worth spreading . '' Watch TEDTalks on saving the oceans . Throughout the one-day session in Washington 's Woolly Mammoth Theatre , the flip sides of the crisis were invoked : . What we can see -- stained beaches and boats , dizzying patterns of iridescent sheens on the Gulf 's surface , birds drenched in petroleum , miles of boom , some of it hopelessly tangled or unable to prevent oil from drifting into vital marshland . And what we mostly can not see -- beneath the surface , huge quantities of oil and chemical dispersant that , speakers said , threaten to dramatically harm the undersea world . Along with the news that the X Prize foundation would offer a multimillion dollar award for a solution to cleaning up the oil disaster , the speakers shared devastating portraits of the risks and damage as well as hope for the long-term survival of the Gulf . Here are seven views of the crisis as described at the conference . Casey DeMoss Roberts . Roberts , of the Gulf Restoration Network , sketched the ways in which the oil industry has become embedded in Gulf communities that once relied only on fishing for their livelihood . In one example she cited : The shrimp festival in Morgan City , Louisiana , was renamed the `` Shrimp and Petroleum festival '' in 1960 . She recalled her father 's death in an offshore oil accident in Asia and contrasted the precautionary principle used in drug regulation , where products are tested for safety before they 're marketed , to the oil industry , where she said safety precautions are too often instituted only after an accident . Lisa Margonelli . Margonelli is the author of `` Oil on the Brain : Petroleum 's Long Strange Trip to Your Tank '' and a fellow of the New America Foundation . She noted that oil spills tend to be `` politically very galvanizing , '' with photos of oil-soaked birds drawing an emotional public response . The 1969 Santa Barbara spill , which was a tiny fraction of the size of the BP leak , prompted the modern environmental movement , the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act , and led to moratoriums on drilling on the East and West coasts . Instead of cutting back on oil consumption , Americans just grew to rely on getting it from other places . Drilling in the Gulf , where there was no moratorium , helped pick up the slack , she said . The U.S. has also `` exported '' its oil spills , she said , by encouraging oil development in places such as Nigeria , which has had thousands of spills in the past several decades . She added that the military and political costs of getting oil from the Middle East and other regions of the world still have to be paid for , though it hits people when they pay their taxes , not at the pump . Ronald Atlas . Atlas , a microbiologist at the University of Louisville , said while the effects of the leaking oil are partly visible , `` in tragic photos of pelicans , gut-wrenching pictures ... what we do n't see is what 's going on in the world of bacteria . '' He said for hundreds of species of bacteria , oil is a food source , and these can contribute to degrading the oil , eventually turning it into inert substances that do n't damage the environment . But he warned that the process will take years and years . `` What we discovered 40 years ago , you could speed up the process by adding fertilizer , and ... you could get the bacteria to grow faster . '' That research was applied in Alaska , with the result that over a period of years , more of the oil was consumed , Atlas said . He said that by 2001 , NOAA found that 99.6 percent of the oil had disappeared from Prince William Sound , 13 years after the Exxon Valdez disaster . David Gallo . Gallo , an oceanographer at the Woods Hole Institution , has used submersibles and robotic vehicles to map the undersea world and is working with other experts and `` Avatar '' director James Cameron on ideas to stop the leak . He recalled his early days thinking about a career in studying the sea : . `` I knew there were sharks and whales and French guys in Speedos swimming around , but I did n't know that most of the ocean had n't been explored . The seas cover 70 percent of the Earth 's surface to an average depth of two miles . `` We 've only explored about 5 percent of the world beneath the sea . ... The floor of the ocean , that 's a world that has the world 's greatest mountain range , it 's got thousands of valleys deeper than the Grand Canyon , underwater rivers , underwater lakes , and most importantly in a world where we thought there should be no life at all , there 's more life in that world than in a tropical rainforest in terms of diversity and density . We do n't how it works , especially a mile deep . '' Sylvia Earle . Earle is an explorer who has led more than 50 expeditions , logging more than 6,000 hours underwater . She described her campaign , enabled by the 2009 TED Prize , to build awareness and support for creating `` hope spots , '' protected areas in the oceans to preserve sea creatures . She showed videos of whale sharks being tagged in the Gulf a week ago . She feared they could be affected by the spill because of their habit of feeding by skimming the surface of the water . Earle said she believes the toxic pollutants released into the Gulf will eventually be swept into the Gulf Stream , threatening the Sargasso Sea , a favorite feeding place for the whale shark . `` We need to embrace those places that remain within the Gulf system . We think about restitution for the fishermen , for the hotel owners , but we need to think about giving back to the Gulf of Mexico itself , which supports all this life . ... We are all sea creatures , the ocean is home for all of us . '' Watch Sylvia Earle 's TED Prize talk . Carl Safina . Safina , of the Blue Ocean Institute , got emotional when he told a story about a bottlenose dolphin splattering oil out its blowhole and seeming to seek help as it followed a fishing boat in the Gulf . He pointed to deficiencies in the cleanup process , saying the use of chemicals to disperse the oil is a strategy to limit the visibility of the leak for public relations purposes , even though the dispersants may be toxic . Booms wo n't stop the oil in open water ; protecting birds ' breeding sites is self-defeating since birds fly to other parts of the Gulf to swoop down and catch fish , and even cleaning birds can prove useless if they return to the oil-fouled waters , he said . Ultimately , he said , it 's `` not a surprise that if you make 30,000 holes in the Gulf of Mexico , oil would start coming out of one of them . '' `` Leroy Stick '' Stick is the humorist behind @BPGlobalPR , which has more than 179,000 followers on Twitter . Not only did Stick keep his ski mask on to keep his identity a secret , but he even posed for a time on stage as another fake character , `` Terry . '' `` Terry '' is a BP public relations official who said `` we 're sorry , we 're not accepting blame for whatever it is you 're mad at us for . '' He said he wanted to focus on the positive , not the negative , and introduced BP 's Atlantis Rig , which at 7,000 feet is deeper than the Deepwater Horizon rig was . `` Is it safe ? We did n't ask engineers , '' but showed a fake text message asking federal officials for permission to drill it . The phony reply , also a text message : `` Whatever . '' `` If I took off this mask , you would be incredibly underwhelmed , I 'm just a guy that had an idea and I ran with it . I realized I had a tool to engage people thru humor . '' Then he got serious : `` If you think the status quo is unacceptable , then do n't accept it . Shake things up . ''
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One-day TEDx OilSpill conference in Washington provided many perspectives on oil crisis . Experts say much is still unknown about effects of oil , dispersant underwater . Gulf activist describes father 's death in Asian oil drilling accident . Creator of fake BP public relations Twitter account performs wearing a mask .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Soviet spy Oleg Kalugin , who headed KGB operations in the United States in the 1970s and later left Russia to live in America , told CNN Tuesday he is `` amazed '' that Moscow is engaging so heavily in espionage against Washington . Reacting to the recent arrests of 11 alleged Russian spies , Kalugin said that getting the type of information the FBI says the operatives collected `` does not require such a massive assault '' against the United States . `` I am amazed , '' he said . `` It reminds me of the worst years of the Cold War . '' Kalugin also said he was `` amused '' by reports of the arrests . `` It is a sign of the decadence of the Russian intelligence services , '' he said . `` Why do they need to use so many people to get information that is openly available ? '' iReport : The spies next door ? The Justice Department announced Monday that 10 people had been arrested in the United States on charges of being Russian spies on long-term missions in the U.S. . A Justice Department spokesman called the suspects `` trained Russian intelligence operatives . '' An 11th suspect was arrested Tuesday in Cyprus , Cypriot police told CNN . The government 's complaints against the alleged operatives say their mission was `` to become sufficiently Americanized such that they can gather information about the United States for Russia , and can successfully recruit sources who are in , or able to infiltrate , United States policy-making circles . '' Kalugin said that has been a mission for Soviet and Russian operatives for decades : to look for potential spies in the United States with the ultimate purpose of placing them in key government agencies like the State Department , Defense Department and the White House . Kalugin added that he was impressed by the `` efficiency '' of the FBI , which apparently was able to keep the suspects under control for several years . He said FBI agents have not `` lost their focus '' and noted that it is difficult to ferret out such spies . The former Soviet spy told CNN he did not believe that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev knew of the pending arrests during his visit to the White House last Thursday , but his impression was that President Barack Obama did know and it was reflected in a `` rather strained '' visit with Medvedev . Kalugin said he now feels that `` something was brewing . '' He also explained that he is not surprised that several of the suspects are listed as former Canadian citizens . He said Canada , with a large number of Russian and former Soviet émigrés , has been used for decades by Soviet intelligence as a `` jumping ground '' to pick up people for possible espionage operations in the United States . The reports of alleged Russian espionage , Kalugin believes , `` will sober up some minds in the U.S. who believe that Russia is a totally different country . '' Kalugin said former Russian president and now prime minister Vladimir Putin -- himself a former KGB agent -- has restored the role of the intelligence agency , now called the FSB , and its arm that deals with foreign intelligence , the SVR . `` Old habits have been restored , '' he said . `` The United States used to be enemy No. 1 for the KGB , '' he said . `` Now it is priority No. 1 . ''
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Oleg Kalugin headed KGB operations in the United States in the 1970s . He later left Russia to live in America , . Kalugin says he is `` amazed '' at Moscow 's alleged heavy espionage in U.S. Kalugin : U.S. `` used to be enemy No. 1 for the KGB ... Now it is priority No. 1 ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed joined his troops on the front line Wednesday to fight hard-line anti-government Islamists , a presidential aide told a journalist in Mogadishu . `` The president is on the front line leading the fight against Al Shabaab and he is armed with an AK-47 , '' said the aide , who declined to be named . The aide said that the president is accompanied by government soldiers and forces from the African Union Mission in Somalia . The chief of Somali Police , Gen. Ali Mohamed Hassan , told reporters that the drive led by the president marks the beginning of a larger operation against Al Shabaab . Ahmed has a long history of military leadership that has included fighting on front lines . Before he became president in 2009 , he led an Islamist movement that took control of the capital in June 2006 . After the international community -- led by Ethiopian forces -- ran him from power late that year , he began to cooperate with those same international powers . He became president of a U.N.-backed unity government , which led the country 's parliament to appoint him president . Also Wednesday , heavy shelling rocked the capital during the evening , killing at least five people and wounding at least eight , according to ambulance service spokesman Ali Musa . The shelling started after clashes erupted in two parts of the city . Ahlu Sunna fighters -- a Sufi militia aligned with the government -- fought fiercely against al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab near Bakara market while government forces and Al Shabaab clashed in the north . CNN 's Ben Brumfield contributed to this story .
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Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed `` is armed with an AK-47 , '' aide says . He is accompanied by government and AMISOM forces . 5 dead as shelling rocks capital .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan 's confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee concluded Thursday with witnesses for and against the solicitor general , including former military members who slammed her handling of military recruiters on the Harvard University campus . Twenty four witnesses testified about President Barack Obama 's pick to replace the retiring Justice John Paul Stevens on the high court . Kagan herself was not there , having concluded her participation in the committee 's hearing Wednesday after three days of testimony . Democratic senators have openly predicted Kagan would win confirmation as the 112th high court justice , perhaps by the end of July . Her addition to the high court would mean the nine-member panel would include three women for the first time . The 50-year old Kagan has come under criticism from Republican senators who say that as dean of Harvard Law School , she actively tried to block military recruiters because of the Pentagon 's `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' policy that bars openly gay and lesbians from military service . `` Dean Kagan 's clearly unlawful actions estranged the campus , '' said former U.S. Army Capt. Flagg Youngblood . He called Kagan 's actions `` double dealing , '' and a `` condescension to the American rule of law that harmed the interests of the military . '' Youngblood attended Yale University as an ROTC member , and is now director of military outreach for conservative Young America 's Foundation . Capt. Pete Hegseth of the Army National Guard said Kagan `` encouraged students to oppose and protest the presence of military recruiters on campus . '' Hegseth now heads the private group Vets for Freedom . The nominee and the White House have strongly defended her actions , saying that while she opposed the `` do n't ask , do n't tell '' policy , Kagan never kept recruiters off the university and never sought to sidestep the law . Another former military member invited by Republican senators to testify did not appear . Retired Gen. Jerry Boykin , who has been criticized for speeches comparing the war on terror as a Christian fight against Satan and suggesting Muslims worship idols , was disinvited by committee Republicans earlier this week . `` Although General Boykin 's prior comments concerning the war on terror are unrelated to his scheduled testimony on Dean Kagan 's nomination , it is clear that these comments would be used to distract from the very important issues surrounding Ms. Kagan 's actions at Harvard Law School , '' said Stephen Boyd , spokesman for Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama , the committee 's ranking Republican . As Harvard Law School dean , Kagan supported other schools challenging a federal law -- known as the Solomon Amendment -- requiring that recruiters be given equal access or face the loss of federal funding . The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law on March 6 , 2006 . Just four months after taking the job as Harvard 's dean , in October 2003 , Kagan offered students her thoughts in a campus-wide e-mail , saying that to give recruiters equal access to the campus `` causes me deep distress . '' `` I abhor the military 's discriminatory recruitment policy , '' she said then , calling it `` a profound wrong -- a moral injustice of the first order . '' Kagan received support Thursday from the head of the Harvard Law Armed Forces Association , Capt. Kurt White . Still a student at the Ivy League school , White told lawmakers he saw firsthand Kagan 's support of veterans and the military . Her outreach and graciousness `` made a big difference in the lives of the small group of us veterans , '' said White , who was critical of other military members that opposed Kagan 's nomination . Among other witnesses invited by the Senate committee 's Democratic majority were two people who sued their employers , claiming age and sex discrimination on the job . Lilly Ledbetter said she hoped Kagan would be a sympathetic ear to those who bring legitimate workplace suits . `` I learned who is on the Supreme Court makes all the difference , '' she said . The onetime tire company manager alleged she was paid less than her male counterparts for equal work about two decades , but did not find out about the discrimination until she was about to retire . The high court in 2007 ruled against her , saying existing federal law did not allow such lawsuits to be filed so late . Most workers had 180 days to file a claim after the first discriminatory pay decision . Obama , in the first bill he signed when taking office in January 2009 , enacted the Lily Ledbetter Act . It nullified the high court decision , and said every new paycheck received over the years based on a discriminatory act -- regardless of when the first discrimination occurred -- would extend the statute of limitations 180 days . `` If one more person like -LRB- liberal -RRB- Justice -LRB- Ruth Bader -RRB- Ginsburg or Justice Stevens were on the court , '' Ledbetter said , `` then my case would have turned out differently . '' Jack Gross lost his Supreme Court appeal last year , after he alleged he was a victim of age discrimination when he was passed over for a promotion . He criticized the current conservative court for reading federal laws in a way that makes it more difficult for people like him to claim wrongdoing by employers . Other witnesses included leaders of advocacy groups on opposite sides on the abortion rights debate . A number of notable legal conservatives also voiced contrasting views of Kagan 's qualifications . Jack Goldsmith was hired by Kagan in 2004 to be a law professor , and said Kagan showed her openness by hiring several right-leaning faculty members at a campus with a liberal reputation . The American Bar Association told lawmakers why it gave Kagan its highest `` well qualified '' rating , following a detailed evaluation of her to be a justice . `` Almost all of the experienced , dedicated and knowledgeable sitting judges , former solicitors general from both parties , legal scholars from top law schools across the country , and lawyers who have worked with or against the nominee in government or court , describe the nominee as outstanding in all respects and cite specific evidence in support of that view , '' said Kim Askew , who coordinated the ABA evaluation panel . CNN 's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report .
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NEW : Senate panel concludes confirmation hearing on Kagan 's Supreme court nomination . Kagan supporters and detractors appear before Senate Judiciary Committee . Military witnesses say Kagan harmed recruiting efforts . Victims of discrimination call for Kagan 's confirmation .
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Editor 's note : The staff at CNN.com has recently been intrigued by the journalism of VICE , an independent media company and Web site based in Brooklyn , New York . VBS.TV is Vice 's broadband television network . The reports , which are produced solely by VICE , reflect a very transparent approach to journalism , where viewers are taken along on every step of the reporting process . We believe this unique reporting approach is worthy of sharing with our CNN.com readers . Brooklyn , New York -LRB- VBS.TV / MOTHERBOARD.TV -RRB- -- Military checkpoints line the long and winding road from the airport in Cali , Colombia , to the coastal city of Buenaventura . These are expected sights in the long-running conflict we know as the `` war on drugs . '' Plan Colombia , legislation passed during the Clinton administration , provided billions in military aid to Colombia to help halt the cultivation and transport of cocaine . It has had only mixed success . Buenaventura , a strategic port city and maritime gateway to Central and North America , is a haven for the newest clandestine agent in the illegal drug trade : the `` narco-sub . '' As this decades-old conflict has ebbed and flowed , one thing has remained constant : the sheer ingenuity of narco-traffickers to invent and exploit new methods and routes for smuggling . We were granted access to the Málaga naval base about an hour outside of Buenaventura , which has been at the forefront of interdicting these vessels . The Colombian navy said some cartels are allocating increasing resources to the development of new smuggling technology . Several decades ago , Samsonite suitcases and underwear refashioned with hidden pockets enabled upstart smugglers to carry drugs across borders . Today , narco-subs are at the cutting edge of smuggling technology . The Colombian navy has collected a small group of narco-subs and boats at Málaga . They resemble speedboats with their roofs removed , more than any images you might conjure from `` The Hunt for Red October , '' and most of them are n't engineered to be fully submersible . But despite being built off the grid , having a ramshackle appearance , and occasionally malfunctioning at sea , narco-subs are increasingly used by traffickers to carry millions of dollars of illicit cargo , while evading some of the world 's most technologically advanced military equipment . See the rest of Colombian narco-subs at Motherboard.tv . It is unknown how many narco-subs have been deployed . The ones caught so far by the Colombian navy each sports a slightly different shape and set of features -- at least from the outside . But in the dark and musty interior of two semisubmersibles , their shared purpose is clear : to carry illicit cargo , a small crew of men , and enough gasoline for a journey that could last several weeks . What the vessels do not include , said officials , is a bathroom . Miguel Angel Montoya helped spearhead the construction of semisubmersibles for drug smuggling prior to leaving the trade . `` At the beginning , in the times of Pablo Escobar , it was common for planes to leave Colombia and land on clandestine strips in the U.S. or Mexico . Later , that was difficult . ... Innovations in drug trafficking come when the situation hits a crisis state , '' said Montoya . One of his last designs was the `` torpedo , '' an unmanned submersible towed behind another boat on the surface and outfitted with a radio-controlled recovery system in the event the navy captured it . Having temporarily discarded the evidence , the crew could later recover its cargo and continue its journey . The `` torpedo '' represents the height of narco-sub innovation as it was known five years ago . Who knows what might be crawling under the ocean 's surface today . This piece was created in partnership with Dell for Motherboard.tv -- VBS.TV staff .
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Colombian traffickers using homemade submarines to transport drugs . Drug cartels allocating more resources to development of new smuggling methods . VBS gets access to a naval base at the forefront of finding and intercepting the vessels .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It has long been the dream of many a liberal advocate : to have an unabashedly outspoken , cleverly articulate justice who can take on the conservative majority and inspire young progressives for decades to come -- a `` Scalia for the Left , '' as many have called it . If confirmed , Elena Kagan may or may not turn out to be that intellectual counterweight to conservatives Justice Antonin Scalia or Chief Justice John Roberts . But Kagan displayed in her confirmation hearing Tuesday what those two men share -- a ready public wit and disarming sense of humor . Time and again , the nominee sought to subtly charm lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee , many of whom tried to press her for candor on a range of contentious issues such as gun rights , executive power and military recruiting on campus . Kagan 's funny asides during 10 hours of questioning appeared spontaneous , and colleagues say that is her style : someone who is serious about the law but who enjoys a good laugh , often at her expense . Sen. Arlen Specter , D-Pennsylvania , quizzed Kagan on a favorite topic of his -- allowing cameras in the Supreme Court , which most justices oppose . `` It means I 'd have to get my hair done more often , Sen. Specter , '' Kagan replied . The senator paused and appeared not to immediately get the joke . But he quickly recovered . `` Let me commend you on that last comment and I say that seriously , '' he said to laughter in the room . `` You have shown a real admirable sense of humor and I think that 's really important . ... We are looking for somebody who could moderate the court , and a little humor would do a lot of good . '' When it comes to being funny , it helps to have a willing and ready partner . Kagan found that in the folksy , clever phrasing of Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-South Carolina , who asked her about her 1995 statements criticizing past Supreme Court confirmation hearings as a `` vapid and hollow charade . '' `` Let 's try to go back in time and say you 're watching these hearings and you were critical of the way the Senate conducted these hearings , '' said Graham , drawing chuckles in the hearing room . `` Are we improving or going backwards ? And are you doing your part ? '' `` I think you 've been exercising your constitutional responsibilities extremely well , '' Kagan said , smiling broadly and drawing out the word `` extremely . '' `` So , it 's all those other guys that suck , not us , right ? '' responded Graham to huge laughs . On another occasion , Kagan was left giggling by an exchange between Sen. Chuck Grassley , R-Iowa , and committee chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy , D-Vermont . Grassley had asked the nominee about a paper she wrote as a college student that took a critical look at how judges decide cases . `` Is it appropriate for judges to mold and steer the law ? '' Grassley asked . `` All I can say about that paper is that it is dangerous to write papers about the law before you 've spent a day in law school , '' Kagan said . `` I wrote that paper before I spent a day in law school . I was trying to think about whether to go to law school and I decided to write a paper about law in order to figure out whether I was interested in the subject ... So I would just ask you to recognize that I did n't know a whole lot of law . '' Her careful answer brought laughs , and Grassley joked it caught him by surprise . `` You know if I accept your answer , it is going to spoil a whole five minutes I had here , '' Grassley responded . `` Chuck , go ahead and accept it , '' Leahy cut in , to laughs . `` Let me enjoy it anyway , will you ? '' a smiling Grassley said . Late in the day , conservative Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Oklahoma , said he would ask Kagan a `` softball '' question . `` Promise ? '' Kagan replied , looking skeptical at first , and then grinning softly . The biggest laugh of the day came from another exchange between Kagan and Graham . The subject was the not so-funny topic of terrorism and the 2009 attempted Christmas day bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner . `` The Christmas day bomber , where were you at on Christmas day ? '' Graham asked . `` Sen. Graham , that is an undecided legal issue , which well , I suppose I should ask exactly what you mean by that , '' Kagan began . `` I 'm assuming that the question you mean is whether a person who was apprehended in the United States is ... '' Graham interrupted , saying , `` No , I just asked you where you were at on Christmas . '' Without hesitation , Kagan replied in perfect deadpan , `` You know , like all Jews , I was probably in a Chinese restaurant , '' tossing her head and shrugging her shoulders in the process . Sen. Charles Schumer , D-New York , clapped his hands animatedly at the comment . To be fair , the members of the court usually labeled liberal -- Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor , and the retired John Paul Stevens -- all display great legal minds but not much sharp-edged humor or the willingness to engage in spirited debate for which Kagan is known . Justice Stephen Breyer is equally smart and he too shares a sense of humor , but that tends to fall on the quirky , self-deprecating side . On the conservative side , friends of Justice Clarence Thomas -- who almost never speaks at arguments -- note he has a great wit and a hearty laugh . Colleagues call him the funniest justice you never hear about . If confirmed as expected , the 50-year-old Kagan could have years of humorous highlights ahead of her on the bench . With Roberts , Scalia , and Breyer , she could help make the traditionally sober court a little more light-hearted . Schumer paid Kagan a high compliment Tuesday , noting Scalia gets the most laughs during high court oral arguments . `` If you get there , and I believe you will , '' Schumer said , `` you 're going to give him a run for his money . ''
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Confirmation hearing displays Elena Kagan 's sense of humor . Nominee jokes that televising Supreme Court sessions would force her to get her hair done more often . Kagan and Sen. Lindsey Graham engage in humorous exchange .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Reigning world champions , Italy have been held to a 1-1 draw by New Zealand in their World Cup Group F match at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit . The All Whites took a shock lead after seven minutes when Shane Smeltz turned in Simon Elliot 's free kick from close range . Replays showed that Smeltz was offside when Kiwi defender Winston Reid flicked the ball on to him , but the lineman 's flag stayed down . The goal instigated a frenzied period of Italian pressure which eventually told when referee Carlos Batres awarded a penalty after defender Tommy Smith tugged at Daniele De Rossi 's shirt in the Kiwi 's penalty area . Striker , Vincenzo Iaquinta stepped up and sent keeper Mark Paston the wrong way to level the scores . Italy continued to press in the second half but found no route through a spirited and steadfast defense expertly organized by Kiwi captain Ryan Nelsen . Despite throwing on all his three substitutes by the 61st minute , Italian coach , Marcello Lippi and his players found their attacking edge continually blunted . Even their long range efforts were dealt with . In the 70th minute , Riccardo Montolivo 's 25-yard drive fizzed towards goal only for keeper Paston to produce the save of the match and push the ball to safety . The stalemate continued , but New Zealand 's Chris Wood could have won it for the All Whites in the 83rd minute when he shot narrowly wide of Federico Marchetti 's left post . The result leaves Italy progression to the knockout stage in doubt . A win against Slovakia would ensure qualification , but they must rely on New Zealand getting a result against Paraguay to have any chance of topping their group . Coach Lippi said his team lacked `` lucidity . '' `` The result is 1-1 so we just have to pull up our socks and win our next game because we do n't want to go home early , '' Lippi said , AFP reported . `` We are in a difficult situation but we are not in a panic situation . We will have to win the next match . '' For New Zealand , a team ranked 73 places below Italy in FIFA 's official world rankings , the result is one to savor . `` It 's an incredible result and it 's way above anything we have achieved before against the stature of our competitors , '' New Zealand 's coach Ricki Herbert said , AFP reported . `` Anything is possible and we 're doing okay for a team who some say should n't be playing at this World Cup , '' he added . Paraguay outclass Slovakia . In the other match in Group F , Paraguay beat Slovakia 2-0 at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein . Cristian Riveros ' 86th minute strike sealed a comfortable victory for the South American team after midfielder Enrique Vera had given them the lead in the first half . The result leaves Slovakia needing to beat Italy in their final group match this Thursday to have any chance of progressing to the next round . Paraguay , meanwhile , are almost certain to qualify and need just a point against New Zealand to reach the last 16 . Paraguay 's win was never really in doubt as they pressed forward from the opening whistle , while Slovakia was content to sit back and defend . Paraguay took a deserved lead in the 26th minute . Lucas Barrios picked up the ball outside the Slovakia penalty area before slipping the ball through to Enrique Vera who , with Zendo Strba and Jan Durica bearing down on him , clipped the ball with the outside of his boot past Slovak keeper Jan Mucha . The goal stirred a defensive-minded Slovakia into life forcing them onto the front foot , but their new found urgency failed to create any chances of merit as a succession of promising moves came to nothing . Roque Santa Cruz should have doubled Paraguay 's in the 38th minute , when he latched onto a loose ball on the edge of Slovakia 's penalty area . The Manchester City striker fired low , but straight at Mucha , who comfortably saved with his feet . Santa Cruz turned provider in the second half , breaking down the left past Slovakia 's Vladimir Weiss in the 72nd minute . His cross found an unmarked Vera in the penalty area but he directed his header inches wide of Mucha 's right post . But the win was confirmed when Paulo Da Silva was given an age to tee up Riveros on the edge of the box who wasted no time in smashing the ball past Mucha . Weiss went close for Slovakia in injury time , but he and his team toiled fruitlessly in search of a goal for most of the game while Paraguay , who with Santa Cruz , Nelson Haedo Valdez and Barrios had class to spare in midfield .
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Italy held to 1-1 draw by New Zealand in Nelspruit . Smeltz puts Kiwis ahead after seven minutes before Italy equalize through a penalty . Paraguay ease to comfortable 2-0 win against a poor Slovakia . Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros score goals in each half to sink Slovakia .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Word that President Obama might pile comprehensive immigration reform onto his already-full plate reignited calls from some for an urgent overhaul and brought cries from others that the timing could n't be worse . New citizens take the oath of citizenship during ceremonies in Montebello , California , on Thursday . `` It 's more important than ever to address immigration reform right now , '' said Ian Haney Lopez , a professor of law at the University of California-Berkeley . The financial and cultural dynamics of the economy make reform so urgent , he said . `` I worry that in the context of an economic downturn , the cultural response of that economic downturn will be to search for someone to blame , and that someone usually turns out to be a foreigner or someone perceived as foreigner , '' he said . As a financial dynamic , he said , the economy also calls for immigration reform : `` It 's a mistake to understand immigrants as a drain on the economy . Immigrants in fact are the engine of development in this country and always have been , '' he said . Watch : Is the push for immigration reform real ? '' But Carol Swain , a professor of law and political science at Vanderbilt University and author of `` Debating Immigration , '' has little hope that Obama will be the president to reform the system . `` I think the timing could not be worse . I do n't understand the timing behind even raising the issue right now with the economy being as poor as it is , '' said Swain , who has identified with Democrats and independents but recently switched to the Republican Party . `` There 's just so many Americans of all groups that are unemployed or their future is so uncertain , '' she said . `` It 's not a good time to be talking about allowing people who are holding jobs and not entitled to to remain in the country , and continue holding those jobs . '' There are roughly 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States . Obama has supported a combination of enforcing laws and opening up the system . He wants to see a pass for citizenship that would mean having an illegal immigrant pay a fine , learn English and then get in line for citizenship . Critics refer to that `` path to citizenship '' as amnesty . Robert Rector , a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation , said the United States has a de facto amnesty situation now , because laws against hiring illegal immigrants are n't enforced . `` If you did enforce it , it would open up many new job openings for American workers who are currently unemployed and need those jobs , '' he said . Legalizing workers and granting amnesty , he said , `` is a massive bailout for illegal immigration . It 's a pillaging expedition on the American taxpayer . '' Watch arguments for and against immigration push '' But Haney Lopez argues that the populist outrage about immigration is `` based on a myth . '' `` And the myth is that these are people who are sneaking across the border but otherwise have no contact with the country and whom the country otherwise rejects . That they 're wholly unwelcome . And that 's just not reality , '' he said . The United States and Mexico -- as well as other parts of Latin America and Asia -- have had a pattern of circular migration for more than a century , he said . `` We are a country of immigrants , and immigrants have always been essential to who we are culturally and socially . So it 's simply a mistake to see these people as somehow interlopers , '' he said . He sees amnesty as a solution , since undocumented workers are coming to the United States because of the demand . If immigrants were given amnesty and the opportunity to work for minimum wage , Americans would n't see themselves as in competition with the undocumented workers , he said . `` The way to reduce the attractiveness of immigrant labor is to legalize immigrant labor , '' he said . The White House downplayed reports Thursday that the Obama administration would push for reform as early as next month , clarifying that while the issue is a priority , the economy comes first . One senior administration official cautioned that immigration will not be on the same track as other key initiatives , like health care and energy , and nobody 's promising legislation or a vote this year . Watch more on Obama 's plan to tackle immigration reform '' As a candidate , Obama promised immigration issues would be a priority in his first year . He won 67 percent of the Latino vote . Fierce critics of his plan say that 's exactly what this is about . `` There 's no way the American people are going to understand a move , a big move for an immigration amnesty now as anything other than a naked party power grab of putting party interest above public interest , '' said Dan Stein , president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform . Swain , the Vanderbilt professor , said immigration reform is something that must be done , `` but it needs to be done in the right way . '' Involving special interest groups in designing the policy , she said , `` would be disastrous . '' She said the only way to truly reform immigration is by having an independent body develop a package for Congress to vote on . Haney Lopez said that denying a route to legalization is `` antithetical to American values , '' and by doing so , `` we are creating a permanent caste system . '' `` That 's very dangerous for a country like the United States founded on principles of equality and participatory democracy , '' he said . CNN 's Candy Crowley contributed to this report .
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`` It 's more important than ever to address immigration reform , '' one professor says . Another argues reform is needed , but the timing is bad , given the economy . As a candidate , Obama promised immigration would be a priority in first year . One expert says populist outrage about immigration is `` based on a myth ''
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Cape Town , South Africa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The president of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea pledged a series of reforms Monday , saying he wants to ensure peace , political stability and transparency in the central African nation , ranked among the world 's most corrupt . `` However , '' President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo said , `` we must remember that Equatorial Guinea is a relatively young nation , inexperienced and , just like a ship , our comprehensive program of reforms will take some time to turn us around , in time for what is called Horizon 2020 . '' Obiang , who seized power in a 1979 coup , was re-elected in November in a vote that human rights groups criticized as unfair . Obiang won with 96.7 percent of the vote . The government said at the time that the elections unfolded `` in an atmosphere of tranquility and peace . '' Human Rights Watch , however , said after the election that conditions in the country `` cast serious doubt about the credibility '' of the vote . `` In recent weeks , -LRB- the government of Equatorial Guinea -RRB- has stifled and harassed the country 's beleaguered political opposition , denied the opposition equal access to the media , imposed serious constraints on international observers and failed to set out clear terms to allow journalists to monitor the election , '' the organization said in a statement . Transparency International , a nongovernmental organization that examines corruption worldwide , has ranked Equatorial Guinea as among the world 's most corrupt countries . Obiang , speaking Monday at the Fortune/TIME/CNN Global Forum , said his nation would improve in rational use of resources , social sector development , legal institutions , relations with human rights organizations and environmental conservation .
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President wants to ensure peace , political stability and transparency . ` We must remember that Equatorial Guinea is relatively young , ' he says . He seized power in a 1979 coup , was re-elected in November . Nation ranked among most corrupt worldwide .
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Editor 's note : Timothy P. O'Neill , a professor at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago , Illinois , has written and lectured widely on criminal law and criminal procedure . Among his articles was a 2007 piece for the Oklahoma Law Review : `` The Stepford Justices : The Need for Experiential Diversity on the Roberts Court . '' He is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan Law School . Timothy P. O'Neill says there are striking similarities in the backgrounds of the Supreme Court justices . CHICAGO , Illinois -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With the retirement of Justice David Souter , President Obama has the opportunity to bring a special kind of diversity to the Supreme Court : the diversity of broad and varied governmental experience . It is certainly true that the court needs more racial and gender diversity . Yet the homogeneity of the work résumés of the current justices is unprecedented . The right nominee would help to correct this . Many commentators have noted that this is the first Supreme Court in American history in which every justice has come from exactly the same job : judge on the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals . But there are other `` firsts '' that are equally disturbing . For the first time in American history , not a single justice has had any legislative experience . Not one has ever been elected to Congress , a state legislature or a city council . For the first time in American history , not a single justice has ever held -- or even run for -- any elective office at any level of government . -LRB- Although Souter once served as a state attorney general , that is an appointed office in New Hampshire . -RRB- . For the first time in American history , eight of the nine justices attended one of only two law schools : Harvard or Yale . -LRB- Although Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated from Columbia , she transferred from Harvard Law School . -RRB- . Traditionally , the Supreme Court has been composed not only of former judges , but also lawyers who have come directly from serving as senators , governors , Cabinet members , heads of administrative agencies , and even from private practice . Yet it has been almost 30 years since a justice has been confirmed who was not then a federal appellate judge . What caused this change ? Some point to the acrimony that surrounded the failed appointment of Robert Bork in 1987 . Since that time , presidents of both parties have stressed the judicial competence -- not the ideology -- of their appointees . The implied promise is that the technical proficiency of an Ivy League-trained federal appellate judge somehow trumps issues of ideology . This , of course , is an illusion . The cases that come to the Supreme Court are there precisely because they fall between the cracks of established legal doctrine . There is no single `` Ivy League judge 's answer '' to any issue pending before the Supreme Court . For example , take a look at the Supreme Court 's 2006 term . The Court decided 72 cases . With all the justices coming from the federal appellate bench and eight of them having attended Harvard or Yale , did this help achieve consensus ? On the contrary , the percentage of cases in which there was a unanimous decision was the second lowest in a decade . And 24 decisions -- fully one-third of the docket -- were decided by a 5-4 vote , the highest percentage of 5-4 decisions in over a decade . The best example of how there is no single `` judge 's answer '' to Supreme Court issues can be found in the eight death penalty cases decided during the 2006 term . The cases had a variety of issues , including questions concerning the selection of jurors , the giving of jury instructions and competence of defense counsel . Yet every single case was decided 5-4 . In every single case , Justices Antonin Scalia , Clarence Thomas , Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts held for the prosecution . In every single case , Justices John Paul Stevens , Souter , Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer held for the defense . Every case was decided by Justice Anthony Kennedy 's vote : four times for the prosecution and four times for the defense . Looking for a single `` judge 's answer '' to an issue before the Supreme Court is usually futile . In order to decide the great legal issues before the court , a justice needs to bring more than mere legal competence ; a justice also needs to bring real-world experience , values and intuition . That is why it is self-defeating to restrict the range of possible Supreme Court nominees to the small group of sitting federal appellate judges . Supreme Court decision-making would be richer if it included people who had actually written legislation or had run federal agencies or had governed states . As Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy recently said , there is a need to select Supreme Court nominees `` from outside the judicial monastery . '' We should welcome , and not irrationally restrict , the variety of experience that can be brought to Supreme Court decision-making . Professor Lee Epstein of Northwestern has observed that `` Diversity of inputs makes for stronger outputs . '' Obama should cast the widest possible net to find a person who can bring a fresh set of experiences and perspectives to the work of the Supreme Court . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Timothy P. O'Neill .
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Timothy P. O'Neill : No judge on Supreme Court now has legislative background . He says none of the nine have held , or even run for , elective office . O'Neill : All but one attended Harvard or Yale Law School . He says court would perform better if its membership had broader backgrounds .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A woman jumped a barrier at the start of Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter 's Basilica and knocked down the pope , briefly disrupting ceremonies . Screams erupted from onlooking worshippers when the woman ran toward Pope Benedict XVI and grabbed onto his vestments as he walked down the main aisle of the church , video footage showed . He was quickly helped to his feet by his aides -- prompting cheers from the crowd -- and the service was resumed , Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi told CNN . The woman was removed by Vatican guards , Lombardi said . John Allen , senior Vatican analyst for CNN , said such security breaches are n't uncommon . `` As compared to say , the president of the United States , the security membrane around the pope is pretty thin and fairly permeable , '' he said , citing similar past incidents , including one that happened last Christmas Eve . Allen said that generally , these disruptions are caused by people who are n't seeking real harm , but who want to be close to the pope . Benedict began what has traditionally been a midnight Mass at the Vatican at 10 p.m. as officials sought to keep the 82-year-old pontiff from a late night . Celebrants in Bethlehem , the traditional birthplace of Jesus in the West Bank , however , joined the Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal for a midnight Mass attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian officials . Outside the Church of the Nativity , erected over the site Christian tradition says was the place of Jesus ' birth , the faithful gathered under the watchful eyes of heavily armed Palestinian police . But Palestinian shopkeeper Nadia Hazboun said the security situation in the West Bank has improved in the time since the militant Hamas group took over Gaza and Abbas ' Fatah movement abandoned the narrow strip of land between Israel and the Mediterranean for the West Bank . `` It was bad , now it is good , '' he told Voice of America radio . `` I told you , before anybody take the law in his -LSB- own -RSB- hands . But now the law -LSB- is -RSB- with the police . We have security , we have calm , we have now the best situation in Bethlehem . `` Were you there ? Share pictures , video . Christmas Eve in Bethlehem is a popular destination for American Christians , including Iowan Paul Edelman . `` Just the festivities , the idea that this is the birthplace of Christ , and you get to see all the historic places and share it with people from around the world ; it 's a very nice experience , '' he told Voice of America radio .
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Woman tried to reach pope at start of midnight Mass . Christmas midnight Mass held at 10 p.m. ; some say because of health concerns for pope . Celebrants in Bethlehem joined the Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal for a midnight Mass . Outside Church of the Nativity , faithful gathered along with heavily armed Palestinian police .
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MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Fifteen Africans died while trying to reach Spain 's southern coast in a small , overcrowded boat , Spanish officials told CNN on Thursday . Thousands of African migrants risk their lives trying to reach mainland Europe in small , overcrowded boats . Rescue teams located the craft late Wednesday off the coast of Almeria province and helped it ashore . Aboard were 33 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and a dead woman . They told authorities that 14 others , including nine young children , had died en route and were dropped overboard , officials told CNN . The survivors included men , women and a months-old baby.It was the second incident in a week involving African migrants . Authorities said a ship overturned off the coast of Motril , killing 14 people -- 23 others were rescued . Spain is the preferred route to Europe for many Africans . Hopeful immigrants typically pay hundreds of dollars to illegal smugglers for a seat on a small boat . The number of attempted crossings usually increases during the summer months when the seas are calmer , Paco Gil , government spokesman in Seville told CNN . The Ministry of Interior said illegal crossings by boat from Africa declined 54 percent in 2007 , from a year earlier . A total of 18,000 people were tallied . The decline is due to increased sea patrols off West Africa , along with increased repatriations , officials said . More than 56,000 illegal immigrants were returned to their native countries last year -- a six percent increase compared with 2006 . Officials hope the large number of repatriated immigrants will send a message that the costly and perilous crossing could result in nothing more than a trip back home . Immigrants from Latin America , Eastern Europe and Africa make up 10 percent of Spain 's population of 45 million . Morocco and Romania are the leading sources , with more than 500,000 immigrants from each nation . Ecuador has sent more than 400,000 . The total number of immigrants to Spain from sub-Saharan African countries is far less , but their plight on the boats has sparked a great deal of media attention .
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Craft found with 33 people from sub-Saharan Africa and a dead woman . Authorities : 14 others , including 9 children , died en route and thrown overboard . Authorities said a ship overturned off the coast of Motril . Immigrants from L. America , E. Europe and Africa 10 percent of Spain 's population .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Ohio inmate , convicted of killing and dismembering a 22-year-old woman in 1991 , was executed Tuesday using a new , untested one-drug method of lethal injection , state officials said . Kenneth Biros , 51 , was pronounced dead at 11:47 a.m. at a prison in Lucasville , Ohio , the state attorney general 's office said in a written statement . His last words , according to Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman Julie Walburn , were : `` Sorry from the bottom of my heart . I want to thank all of my family and friends for my prayers and who supported and believed in me . `` My father , now I 'm being paroled to heaven , '' Biros said , according to Walburn . `` I will now spend all of my holidays with my lord and savior , Jesus Christ . Peace be with you all . Amen . '' Biros ' execution is the first in Ohio since September , when the governor and federal courts halted capital punishment in the state after a botched attempt to execute another prisoner , Romell Broom . The prison staff could not find a suitable vein for the injections . The one-drug method had never been tried on a U.S. death row inmate . It relies on a single dose of sodium thiopental injected into a vein . A separate two-drug muscle injection was available as a backup , officials said . The one-drug method has been used to euthanize animals . The same drug , sodium thiopental , at a much lower dosage , is the first ingredient in the three-drug method previously used in Ohio , as well as in all but one of the other 34 states that allow the death penalty . Some capital punishment opponents claim the sodium thiopental , which renders the prisoner unconscious , can wear off too quickly , and that some prisoners would actually be awake and able to feel pain as the procedure continues . Biros ' execution was initially scheduled for 10 a.m. , but preparations were delayed as officials waited for a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on Biros ' request for a stay , Walburn said . The high court without comment denied the request about 10 a.m. , and `` we were about an hour behind '' in preparations , she said . The execution began around 11 a.m. Biros died about 10 minutes after the drugs began to flow , she said , but he was not officially pronounced dead until later . Biros , 51 , was convicted of killing Tami Engstrom near the town of Warren . He met the woman at a bar and offered to drive her home , and later admitted robbing and attempting to rape her . Prosecutors said Biros dismembered Engstrom and spread her body parts around northeast Ohio and neighboring Pennsylvania . The crime was `` particularly heinous , with 91 pre-mortem wounds , '' according to the clemency report . Biros claimed he acted in a fit of drunken rage . He was involved in litigation challenging the three-drug method and received a stay of execution in 2007 because of his involvement in the suit , according to minutes of a November parole board meeting posted on the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections ' Web site . His attorney , Timothy Sweeney , had also objected to the one-drug method , saying it was unconstitutional . Sweeney wrote in an appeal that use of the one-drug method would amount to `` human experimentation , pure and simple . '' But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month denied Biros ' request for a stay , concluding that since Ohio had announced it would change its protocol and rely on the one-drug method , Biros ' argument regarding the three-drug method was moot . Biros ' last meal was served about 7:45 p.m. Monday -- pizza with extra cheese , mushrooms , onions and green peppers , along with onion rings , deep-fried mushrooms , Doritos , french onion dip , blueberry ice cream , Dr Pepper and cherry pie , Walburn said . During its meeting last month , members of the state parole board heard a prerecorded statement from Engstrom 's mother , Mary Jane Heiss , according to the meeting minutes . Heiss said her health was not good but she was saving her strength to attend Biros ' execution . `` Since her daughter 's death , she has endured nearly 20 years of constant pain and nightmares , '' the minutes said . `` She believes that the nightmares will end with the execution . It makes her sick that Biros tortured and brutally murdered her daughter . '' The board voted 7-0 to deny Biros clemency . In attempting to execute Broom in September , authorities tried unsuccessfully for hours to find a vein to administer his lethal injection . Afterward , Gov. Ted Strickland announced he would delay the executions of two other men until March at the earliest . Broom 's execution has not been rescheduled . Ohio has put 32 people to death in the past decade . CNN 's Bill Mears and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report .
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Kenneth Biros was convicted of killing and dismembering a 22-year-old woman in 1991 . He was executed Tuesday using a new , untested one-drug method of lethal injection . His attorney objected to the method , saying it was unconstitutional . The U.S. Supreme Court without comment denied a request to stay the execution .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Ohio man says he is seeking a jury trial on a charge of driving under the influence that was slapped on him after he crashed the vehicle he was piloting -- a barstool . The barstool was welded to a small metal frame attached to a five-horsepower lawnmower engine . `` It was just an accident . I mean a little minor accident , '' Kile Wygle , 28 , explained in an interview this week with CNN affiliate WSYX . His homemade vehicle was made from a barstool welded to a small metal frame attached to a five-horsepower lawnmower engine , four wheels and a lawnmower steering wheel , according to the Newark , Ohio , police accident report . Officers responding to a report of a crash with injuries March 4 said they found Wygle nursing his injuries and highly intoxicated . According to the police report , when asked how much he had had to drink , Wygle responded , `` a lot . '' He crashed during his attempt at a U-turn while speeding down the street in front of his home -- a daring move from atop the specialized barstool even for the most nimble and sober of men . Measuring 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds , and after having consumed what he later told an officer was 15 beers , Wygle appeared to be neither . He was treated at a hospital for minor injuries . According to the police report , Wygle claims his unique vehicle can reach a speed of 38 miles per hour , though at the time of the crash he was going around 20 . He entered a plea of not guilty .
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Kile Wygle : `` It was just an accident . I mean a little minor accident '' Barstool was welded to a small metal frame and lawnmower engine . He crashed during his attempt at a U-turn while speeding down the street . Wygle told officers he had consumed 15 beers .
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BUENOS AIRES , Argentina -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On his knees in the soggy soil , 9-year-old Alexis Ocampo digs deep into the earth , his small gardening rake separating dirt from rocks . `` Look , I found a worm ! '' he shrieks . Towering above is Andrea Girardini , calmly instructing Alexis and the half-dozen other children working to clear spots for new crops . `` We can put a squash plant here , and some lettuce over there , '' says Girardini , a director of Semillas al Viento , a community organization that teaches neighborhood kids practical skills that help them put food on the table . `` The children come here and learn how to farm and how to cultivate their very own organic vegetables . Then they bring them home to eat . It 's a wonderful alternative to sitting in front of the computer , '' she says . The Semillas al Viento -LRB- Seeds to the Wind -RRB- farm is located in Isidro Casanova , a poor area in Buenos Aires ' sprawling urban rust belt , where green spaces are few and far between . Five years ago , the football-field sized area was overrun with garbage and frequented by criminals , but following a community effort to reclaim it , it now teems with trees , grass and flowers , as well as eggplants , tomatoes , lemons and herbs . There 's even a small pond where kids and dogs happily splash around . `` I really enjoy being here . It 's like my happiest place to be . The fresh air is great , '' says Alexis . The Semillas al Viento farm is a part of Huerta Nino -LRB- My Garden -RRB- , a nonprofit foundation that works to alleviate malnutrition and starvation in Argentina . Since 1999 , it has helped build more than 50 small farms , many of them in isolated villages in northern Argentina . Despite being one of the world 's largest agricultural-producing countries , Argentina still struggles to feed its people . `` Hunger is one of the gravest problems that Argentina has right now . At least 300,000 Argentine children are suffering from undernourishment , '' says Juan Lapetini , executive director of Huerta Nino . Nearly 5,000 Argentine children have been educated about sustainable farming practices through the `` My Garden '' program , which has also been endorsed by Argentine celebrity chef Martiniano Molina , and won various awards for its initiatives . Typically , the program is introduced first at rural schools , where the crops that students grow are then taken home to eat . The long-term objective , coordinators say , is to have the children create vegetable gardens at home with their parents . `` Getting parents to change their eating habits , and encouraging them to provide nutritious food to the kids is sometimes the biggest challenge , '' says Lapetini . Following Argentina 's economic collapse in 2001 -- when the country defaulted on $ 100 billion in foreign debt -- poverty , crime and unemployment rates soared . The crisis , coupled with Argentina 's lack of philanthropic tradition , led to the creation of HelpArgentina , a U.S. charity that functions as a bridge between international donors and a network of 65 transparent Argentine NGOs , like Huerta Nino . Since 2003 , HelpArgentina has channeled more than $ 3 million in donations to the country , and coordinated the visits of hundreds of foreign volunteers . In January , a group of students from the University of Virginia spent two weeks at the Semillas al Viento farm , working directly with children and instructors to clear additional farming land and build adobe huts and bathrooms . They also left a sizeable donation . `` When you work day-in and day-out with these organizations ... and you know their needs and struggles ... to receive donations from abroad , even if it is a small amount , it literally changes the reality of many of these organizations , '' says HelpArgentina 's Jon Teel . `` Witnessing these changes is amazing . And that 's why we do what we do . ''
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Community efforts have reclaimed lots filled with garbage into urban gardens . Children 's hunger and undernourishment are big problems in Argentina . Organizations hope that by teaching children about farming , they can have access to nutritious food .
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MINNEAPOLIS , Minnesota -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mercedes Gorden remembers August 1 , 2007 , like it was yesterday . Mercedes Gorden was driving home from work on the Interstate 35 West bridge when it suddenly collapsed . `` I remember everything . I remember it being sunny and hot . I had my window down , '' Gorden said . `` The next thing I knew , the concrete started to wave in front of me . '' It was a normal day . Or so she thought . She was driving home from work on the Interstate 35 West bridge that spans the Mississippi River when it started to buckle and collapse during the evening rush-hour traffic . `` The bridge pulled apart in front of me ... and I went sliding , '' Gorden said . Without warning , cars careened into the Mississippi River below and Gorden 's Ford Escort plummeted about 60 feet down into the river bank . `` I said I will not die on that bridge . I am not going to die today , '' Gorden , 31 , said . `` This is not the way I am going to go . '' She was trapped for more than an hour and rescue workers had to cut her out of the car . All of the bones in her legs were shattered and her spine was fractured . Nine surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy later , she knows it could have been worse . Thirteen people died that day and 100 others were injured . One year after the tragedy , many Minnesotans and commuters around the country wonder if their bridges and highways are safe . Watch : Are U.S. roads and bridges safe ? '' The answer is : Maybe . Across the United States , there are about 600,000 bridges . The Federal Highway Administration reported in 2006 that one quarter of the nation 's bridges were at risk . The American Society for Civil Engineers said in 2006 that it would cost nearly $ 10 billion every year for the next two decades to fix them . But the funds used to repair and maintain the country 's bridges and highways are drying up . Some of the money comes from the Highway Trust Fund , which Americans pay for through taxes on gasoline . Faced with higher gas prices , more commuters are carpooling , taking mass transit or driving less , about 4 percent less in May alone compared with a year ago . Interactive : Check troubled bridges in your state '' The federal Department of Transportation predicted taxes will fall far short of what 's needed for improvement projects -- leaving many projects delayed or even canceled . Ryan Toohey , a lead strategist with America Moving Forward , a group that lobbies for private investment to fix the nation 's infrastructure problems , said nearly every state is facing a budget crisis and does n't have the money to solve problems . `` When I hear that many states have close to a majority of their bridges deemed obsolete or structurally deficient , that scares me and I think that finding ways to help remedy those problems that simultaneously relieve states of the burden financially is very , very important and should be a welcome trend in the United States , '' Toohey said . The Bush administration projected that at some point in the next fiscal year , after October 1 , 2008 , the highway account will hit zero , down from $ 8 billion at the start of the fiscal year . Payments for repairs ca n't be made if the money is n't there . U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said , `` Without a doubt , our federal approach to transportation is broken '' and `` it is time for a new , a different and a better approach . '' Peters said one short-term solution may be for the Highway Trust Fund to borrow from the Mass Transit Fund . But she said it would n't be easy to get congressional approval . The House has passed a resolution to inject $ 8 billion into the Trust Fund , but even if the Senate passed it , President Bush has threatened to veto the measure . Some states , such as Minnesota , are trying to get creative in raising money for road projects . `` We are looking at mileage-based revenue structures where people could be taxed based on the miles they travel . We are looking at private sector investments , '' said Minnesota 's Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel . The Minnesota legislature has passed a package of tax increases to raise $ 6.6 billion to improve the states ' roads and bridges . Even after the Minneapolis bridge collapse , not all the bridges in the state are structurally safe . In fact , on July 26 , chunks of concrete weighing about 1,200 pounds fell from an overpass in St. Paul , just a few miles from the Minneapolis scene . CNN has learned that bridge was rated `` structurally deficient '' 23 years ago , in 1985 , and the Minnesota Department of Transportation confirmed it was rated `` structurally deficient '' again in 2007 , just days after the Minneapolis bridge collapsed . Still , the state said it was safe to drive on . Nobody was hurt in the St. Paul bridge incident , but critics like Rep. Jim Oberstar , a Democrat from Minnesota , are demanding action . `` You would have thought the state learned its lesson and done a better job of inspecting the bridges and overpasses , yet this was one they failed to accurately assess ... It was like a meteor falling to the ground , '' said Oberstar , who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee . Sorel said bridges now are supposed to be shut immediately if there is any risk . His department has inspected 1 in 5 of the more than 20,000 bridges across the state and closed at least six . The state also said it has spent $ 390 million on repairing and replacing its bridges since 2003 . Is that enough ? Not for victims like Gorden , who drives by the site of the collapse every week on her way to physical therapy . She wonders how sales taxes can be found to subsidize a new baseball stadium in Minneapolis -- but not for bridges . `` I say how did we get money for stadiums ? How did we get money for all these new stadiums we 're building ? '' Gorden said . `` What 's more important : baseball or safe traveling ? Should we all be afraid every time we cross a bridge now ? ''
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Mercedes Gorden was driving across the I-35W bridge when it collapsed in 2007 . Group : Repairs would cost nearly $ 10 billion every year for the next 20 years . Transportation secretary : Federal approach to transportation is broken . Minnesota has spent $ 390 million repairing , replacing bridges , MNDOT says .
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MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Spain commemorated victims of the March 11 , 2004 Madrid train bombings with somber ceremonies on Tuesday at three stations in the capital where 191 people died in the Islamic terrorist attacks . A bouquet of flowers for a victim of the 2004 bombings is attached to railings near Atocha station . King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero attended the main ceremony at Atocha station , where most of the casualties came when bombs exploded on one train inside the station and a second on the tracks just outside . Some of the survivors of the attack , which left 1,800 people wounded , gathered with the king and prime minister at the train bombing monument -- a circular glass structure in front of the station that was inaugurated on the third anniversary of the attacks . There were no speeches , just the placement of a floral wreath and the performance of `` Da pacen domine , '' a song for peace , by an orchestral and choir ensemble . Other smaller memorials were held at the Santa Eugenia and Pozo stations down the line from Atocha , where the other two trains were torn apart by explosions four years ago . `` This year it was especially delicate to reach the anniversary , '' Pilar Manjon , who lost a son in the bombings and is president of the March 11 Victims Association , told Spanish radio network SER . `` Everything has been stirred up again . There were elections again . '' Zapatero won an upset victory in 2004 three days after the bombings , and was re-elected last Sunday . A Spanish court last October convicted 21 people in connection with the attacks . Seventeen of those were Islamic terrorists and four were Spaniards who were sentenced for supplying explosives stolen from a Spanish mining operation that ended up being used in the attacks . Seven people were acquitted . Various appeals to that sentence are still pending before Spain 's Supreme Court , which is expected to rule on the cases later this year . A few other suspects thought to be linked to the bombings could yet face trial , including two in Morocco and another in Spain . Authorities say Spain remains under constant threat from Islamic terrorism . Al Qaeda reports regularly mention Spain -- among other countries -- as a target , and more than 300 suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested in the country since the bombings . Besides the train bombing trial , a separate trial concluded last month with the convictions of 20 men , mainly Algerians and Moroccans , for Islamic terrorist activity in Spain . In another case , a judge held in prison for investigation 10 men , mainly Pakistanis , who were arrested last January in Barcelona on suspicion of planning al-Qaeda style attacks in Spain , Germany , France , Britain and Portugal . E-mail to a friend .
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Spain commemorates victims of the March 11 , 2004 Madrid train bombings . There were 191 killed and 1,800 wounded after the Islamic terrorist attacks . King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister Jose Zapatero attended with survivors . A Spanish court last October convicted 21 people in connection with attacks .
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London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Counterterrorism officers were Saturday searching the suspected London home of a man at the center of an incident aboard a U.S.-bound passenger flight that Britain 's home secretary described as a `` potentially serious security threat . '' The search , which focused on a upscale block in the heart of London 's embassy district , followed the incident on Friday in which a Nigerian man ignited a small explosive device on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit . The incident triggered an increase in security at UK airports and at Schiphol in Amsterdam , where the suspect in the attempted attack on a Northwest flight went through `` normal security procedures , '' according to the security officials . In the British capital , a spokesman for University College London confirmed they had a student named Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab enrolled in their Department of Mechanical Engineering from September 2005 to June 2008 . The name matched the identity of the suspect said by U.S. authorities to have been involved in an attempted terrorist attack . UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he is following the case closely and has assured the public that police in Britain are working closely with U.S. investigators `` to uncover the full background to the incident . '' `` We will ensure that the UK continues to have in place the most appropriate security measures to protect the public from the terrorist threat wherever it originates from , '' he said . British Prime Minister Gordon Brown added in a separate statement : `` The security of the public must always be our primary concern . `` We have been working closely with the U.S. authorities on investigating this incident since it happened yesterday . Because of the serious potential threat posed by the incident , I have spoken to the commissioner of the Metropolitan police , whose officers have been carrying out searched of properties in London . `` We will continue to take whatever action necessary to protect passengers on airlines and the public , '' Brown added . One piece of information led police to an ornate building on Mansfield Street in London , where Abdulmutallab may have once lived in a basement apartment . It was n't clear as to what police were searching for . U.S. security sources told CNN that Abdulmutallab flew into Amsterdam 's Schiphol Airport on a KLM flight from Lagos , Nigeria . A U.S. administration official said the suspect did not undergo secondary screening in Amsterdam , though Schiphol officials say all connecting passengers bound for the United States undergo secondary searches . Schiphol officials said they boosted the secondary screening for U.S.-bound connecting passengers Saturday , doing body searches and bag checks instead of using the usual metal detectors and X-ray machines . The measures were being implemented at the request of U.S. authorities , a Schiphol spokesman said . There was also increased security Saturday for U.S.-bound passengers in Britain , whether they were connecting through Britain or flying direct . BAA , which operates several British airports including London 's Heathrow , said all passengers on U.S.-bound flights will now be subject to the secondary screening at the gate . The screening used to happen on a random basis . There were no reported delays from Heathrow Saturday , but passengers boarding a U.S.-bound Virgin Atlantic aircraft were told there would be no in-flight electronic entertainment in the wake of the incident . Britain 's Department for Transport said U.S. authorities requested the additional measures . `` Passengers traveling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding , '' BAA said . `` To support this important process , which will take time , we would advise passengers to leave more time to check in and limit the amount of baggage being taken on board the aircraft . If in any doubt , please contact the relevant airline for further information . '' The British Department for Transport said it would assess the measures `` as necessary '' as the situation develops . The incident in Detroit will now focus attention on the searching of connecting passengers , especially those going to the United States , CNN Correspondent Richard Quest said . `` Previously discretionary searches are now likely to be mandatory and , certainly in the near future , all U.S.-bound passengers should expect to be searched before boarding the aircraft , '' he said . -- CNN 's Per Nyberg and Simon Hooper in London , England , and Richard Quest and Erin McLaughlin in Amsterdam , Netherlands , contributed to this report .
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Police in London searching buildings in connection with Detroit plane incident . Nigerian man center of terror probe after igniting device on Northwest Airlines jet . Airline security stepped up in London , Amsterdam following incident .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Target Corp. this month will open 27 new stores employing a total of more than 4,300 people , the company said . One of Target 's two new Hawaii stores awaits its Sunday grand opening . The stores ' openings will come just weeks after the retailer cut 600 people from its headquarters staff amid what it called weaker-than-expected sales . The retailer will hold grand openings for the 21 general merchandise stores and six full-grocery SuperTarget stores on Sunday . The new sites include the company 's first two stores in Hawaii . Each general merchandise store employs 150 to 250 people , and each SuperTarget has 200 to 300 workers , the company said . In late January , Minnesota-based Target cut its headquarters staff by 9 percent and eliminated 400 open positions . The company , citing difficult economic conditions and sales that did n't meet expectations , also said it would soon close an Arkansas distribution center that employs 500 people and would cut back on planned new-store openings . `` We are clearly operating in an unprecedented economic environment that requires us to make some extremely difficult decisions to ensure Target remains competitive over the long term , '' Gregg Steinhafel , Target president and CEO , said in a news release that month . Retailers in the United States took a hit last year as a weak economy weighed on consumer spending . Retail sales fell six straight months until January , when sales rose 1 percent , according to the Commerce Department . However , retail experts said they were skeptical a rebound had taken hold . Still , two other retailers also announced plans to expand . Kohl 's announced last month that it intends to open 55 stores in 2009 , and Dollar General in February said it is looking to open more than 400 stores . Target reported its fourth-quarter net earnings were 40.7 percent lower than the same quarter a year earlier . Same-store sales in January were 3.3 percent lower than a year earlier . December same-store sales fell 4.1 percent . Target 's new general merchandise stores are in Rogers , Arkansas ; Santa Clarita , California ; Pensacola , Florida ; Bethlehem , Georgia ; Honolulu and Kapolei , Hawaii ; Council Bluffs , Iowa ; Las Vegas , Nevada ; Paramus , New Jersey ; Cincinnati , Lebanon and Reynoldsburg , Ohio ; Broken Arrow , Oklahoma ; Philadelphia and Exton , Pennsylvania ; Memphis , Tennessee ; Houston , San Antonio and San Marcos , Texas ; Midlothian , Virginia ; and Sun Prairie , Wisconsin . The new SuperTarget stores are in Kissimmee , Florida ; Canton , Georgia ; Hillside , Illinois ; and Pflugerville , Allen and Lewisville , Texas . The new locations will increase the number of Target stores to 1,699 , the company said . CNNMoney.com 's Parija B. Kavilanz contributed to this report .
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Retailer 's new stores to open in 16 states . New locations to employ more than 4,300 . Target in January announced headquarters job cuts , reduction of expansion plans .
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Crawfordville , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Chris Beatty got word about the oil spill in the Gulf , like many Floridians , she wanted to help -- but she wanted to help in a very specific way . Beatty runs an organization called the Florida Wild Mammal Association -LRB- FWMA -RRB- in Crawfordville , Florida . The organization houses injured and sick wildlife and nurses them back to health so that they can be released back into the wild . Working very closely with animals , she realized that the region 's wildlife could be in serious danger because of the oil spill disaster . The FWMA takes in over a thousand animals a year -- possums , raccoons , deer and birds . Seeing images of oiled birds and wildlife splashed across the news channels , Beatty wanted to be ready in case they were called upon to take in these animals . After recognizing that people in her community were feeling the same way , Beatty and the FWMA organized a volunteer day and opened their doors to locals who wanted to help out . In just that one day they received roughly $ 19,000 in cash , supplies and free labor , including $ 5,400 in donations and $ 13,600 in labor and supplies . Beatty believes that her community wanted to help because the wildlife is so much a part of what the state is all about . `` The whole panhandle is a rural area , '' Beatty said . `` And that 's what our livelihoods depend on . So without wildlife , we 'd be very damaged . ''
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Florida group gets cash , labor and supplies . Group leader : Livelihoods depend on taking care of wildlife . Shelter nurses injured and sick wildlife back to health so that they can be returned to the wild .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Abby Sunderland says the next goal awaiting her seems more dangerous and unfamiliar than sailing around the world : getting her driver 's license . Sunderland , 16 , answered questions about her rescue and on-land plans Tuesday in Los Angeles , at her first news conference since returning to the United States . Sunderland 's quest to circumnavigate the globe was cut short when a large wave rolled and crippled her boat in the Southern Ocean near Australia . The rogue wave , which she said rolled her boat while she was down below , broke the ship 's mast . A fishing vessel from Reunion Island rescued her . Despite falling short of her goal , she sailed a total of 12,000 nautical miles and became the youngest person to sail around Cape Horn at the tip of South America . While she wants to get back to sailing , she said she will wait a few years before trying to circumnavigate the world again . For now , she plans to finish high school and get back to normal life . Sunderland said she is happy to be home , disappointed that she did n't make it all the way around the world , but proud of what she did accomplish . It 's really great to think that I may have inspired some people to go for their dreams '' she said . `` I mean , I 'm living proof that things do n't always work out the way you plan , but you can only plan so far on an adventure . '' Asked her response to those who said she was too young to have embarked on her journey , she said , `` I 've crossed two oceans , I 've sailed around Cape Horn and Cape Argus -- the question of my age should have been over weeks if not months ago . '' iReport : Sunderland speaks out . Sunderland 's brother , Zac , family spokesman Lyle Mercer , and Jeff Casher , a technical advisor for her voyage , also spoke at the news conference . The young sailor 's mother and father , Marianne and Laurence Sunderland , missed the news conference because Marianne was in labor , Mercer said . They plan to name the child Paul after the captain of the ship that rescued Abby Sunderland , Mercer said . Marianne and Laurence Sunderland have been criticized nationally for letting their child embark on a seemingly dangerous mission alone . In a statement read by Mercer , they said the `` intense personal criticism crossed the line of human decency , '' and that people do n't realize how meticulously they planned the trip . `` Parenting is n't easy for any of us , '' they said in the statement . Abby Sunderland said she and her brother , who set the record as the youngest person to sail around the world alone at 17 last year , have grown closer because of their common experience of being isolated on the ocean . Zac Sunderland said at the news conference that he is n't bitter about his younger sister receiving more media attention for her adventure . While plans for a reality show fell through , Abby Sunderland wants to write about her trip for herself and will consider turning it into a book , she said .
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Abby Sunderland answered questions at her first U.S. news conference Tuesday . She sailed 12,000 nautical miles and became youngest person to sail around Cape Horn . She said she 's proved her age should n't be a concern . Her parents are naming their next child Paul after the captain of the rescue ship .
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South Padre Island , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hurricane Alex made landfall along the northeastern coast of Mexico Wednesday night as a Category 2 storm with 105 mph winds , the National Hurricane Center reported . As the storm lashed a sparsely populated area about 110 miles south of the Texas border , Gulf Coast residents hunkered down in shelters . Maximum sustained winds were 100 mph as Alex moved to the west at 10 mph . At least 1,000 people in southern Texas were taking shelter in evacuation centers as Alex 's winds and heavy rain squalls bore down on the coastline , officials in Cameron and Hidalgo counties reported . Brownsville , Texas , appeared to be taking the brunt of Alex 's outer bands after as many as six tornadoes were reported in the area , officials said . Sgt. Jimmy Manrrique , spokesman for the Brownsville Police Department , said the city was receiving `` an intense amount of rain '' and flood waters were reported to be as high as 2 feet in some areas . In Harlingen , just 30 miles north of Brownsville , wind gusts of up to 65 mph were reported hours before the storm 's expected landfall . No injuries were immediately reported from the twisters near Brownsville , but some damage was reported , including downed trees and power lines , weather and emergency management officials said . Carol Rumsey was riding the storm out in her Los Fresnos , Texas , home , not far from Brownsville and about a half hour from the coast . She told CNN Radio on Wednesday night that her house had an eerie feel as the storm approached . `` You board up your windows and it 's like living in a dungeon , '' she said . `` You ca n't hear anything , you ca n't see anything . '' She said she had considered evacuating as the region was being pummeled by heavy rain and occasional gusts of wind , but said `` this is the price you pay for living in paradise . '' Meanwhile , authorities in South Padre Island closed the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge -- which crosses to the popular vacation spot -- as a precaution ahead of the approaching Alex. At 10 p.m. CT -LRB- 11 p.m. ET -RRB- , the storm 's maximum sustained winds were 100 mph as it headed west at 10 mph , the National Hurricane Center reported . Forecasters said the storm was expected to continue in that direction and move farther inland over northeastern Mexico Thursday . Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles from the center of the storm and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 35 miles , according to the hurricane center . Heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with the outer bands of Alex were affecting the entire Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle . Brownsville received more than 4 inches of rain by Wednesday afternoon , the weather service said . Harlingen Assistant Fire Chief Cirilo Rodriguez said his region was expecting 7-10 inches of rain . Coastal flood advisories have been issued for Louisiana and Mississippi . Minor coastal flooding is expected along the shore due to a prolonged strong southeasterly wind caused by the large counterclockwise circulation of the hurricane . Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that the state is prepared for the storm . The State Operations Center is fully activated , he said , and Texas continues to work with federal and local authorities to track the hurricane and the BP Gulf oil disaster . `` As Hurricane Alex grows in strength and approaches landfall , Texas is ready to handle this storm and its impact , '' Perry said in a written statement ahead of the storm . `` My message to South Texans is to finish your preparations , stay connected to credible information sources and heed the warnings of your local officials , who are closely integrated with the state 's emergency management effort that has been mobilized to prepare for Alex 's impact . '' President Barack Obama issued a federal emergency declaration for Texas ahead of Alex 's expected arrival , the White House said Tuesday night . After the hurricane made landfall around 9 p.m. CT -LRB- 10 p.m. ET -RRB- , forecasters from the National Hurricane Center changed the hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning for the coast of Texas south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande . A tropical storm warning issued earlier remained in place along the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to Port O'Connor . A hurricane warning was in place for the coast of Mexico from the mouth of the Rio Grande to La Cruza , Mexico . The storm continued to move away from the massive BP oil catastrophe near the Louisiana coast in the northern Gulf of Mexico , but it already was complicating cleanup efforts . The storm created 12-foot waves Tuesday and oil-skimming ships were sent to shore from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle . The rough seas may force crews to replace and reorganize booms meant to deter the oil from reaching shore , reported CNN 's Ed Lavandera . Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said that even though Florida may dodge any problems with this storm , the Atlantic hurricane season is just beginning . `` In Florida , we 've had a lot of hurricanes a number of years ago , but we handled them very well , '' he told CNN 's Campbell Brown . `` The difference and the distinction that we face now is that we have a Gulf of Mexico that 's full of oil . So our hope and our prayer is that we do n't have a mixture of hurricanes with oil that could potentially damage the beautiful beaches of Florida . But if we do , we 're prepared for it . '' Pat Ahumada , the mayor of Brownsville , said the city was expecting to distribute 60,000 sandbags and provide shelter for roughly 2,000 families . Utility crews were on standby to handle outages . At the same time , the state government provided 90 buses in case an evacuation is needed . `` I expect about 10 percent of residents to evacuate voluntarily , which already started yesterday , '' Ahumada said Tuesday . `` I see a steady flow of people going out , but no bottlenecks -- which is good . `` We 're not taking it lightly , '' he said . `` We 're ready for a worst-case scenario . '' CNN meteorologist Sean Morris and CNN 's Dave Alsup , Matt Cherry and Sarah Aarthun contributed to this report .
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NEW : Hurricane makes landfall with 105 mph winds . Tornadoes touch down in Texas . Gulf coast residents already feeling the effect . Storm continues to move away from oil spill but complicates cleanup efforts .
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-LRB- OPRAH.com -RRB- -- In the past month I 've eaten poached goat , grilled octopus , the breaded and fried thymus gland of a cow , tagliatelle with rabbit ragu , and the seared liver of a fatted goose . In the past 24 hours , I 've had pulled-pork tacos with pickled onions , blindingly spicy Korean noodles , caramelized Brussels sprouts , and a deep-fried candy bar . For dinner I 'll be grilling a molasses-brined pork loin -- unless I simmer a garlicky cellini bean soup topped with a poached egg . Whatever ends up on my plate , I know I 'll enjoy it . That 's what I do with food . Oprah.com : 4 food blogs we love . I 'm from a region -- between the San Francisco Bay Area and Napa Valley -- that 's riddled with farmers ' markets , an area where Ethiopian or Cambodian cuisine is as plentiful as burgers , and where culinary legends -LRB- Alice Waters , the Kellers Hubert and Thomas -RRB- and hidden-gem restaurants -LRB- Oakland 's Doña Tomás , St. Helena 's Meadowood -RRB- abound . All that foodie culture leaves its mark : I learned to love frisée and arugula before my training wheels came off . But if the area 's epicurean quotient is steep , so is its cost of living . When I was growing up , my parents struggled , and to supplement the high-end delicacies , we did what most broke people do : ate junk food . I still love it . Whenever I fly home from New York , I head to In-N-Out straight from the airport . I covet Long John Silver 's chicken planks . And God help me if I spot a Krispy Kreme . In my cabinets you 'll find Oreos , boxed mac and cheese -LRB- best served studded with hot dog chunks -RRB- , and six flavors of potato chips -- none of them low fat . Oprah.com : Eat like a foodie without leaving the house . Now seems a good time to mention my butt , boobs , and stomach , which are ample . I do n't mind . I 'd rather have curves than agonize over whether I deserve dessert . Plus , I look great in vintage dresses , and , according to at least one small child , my hugs are pleasantly `` squishy . '' My trunk is not so junk-filled that it ca n't fit into an airplane seat -- which is lucky , since one of my goals in life is to eat everywhere I can . Oprah.com : How to eat in your 20s , 30s , 40s , 50s and beyond . I prep for vacations by slavering over restaurant websites -LRB- I call it menu porn -RRB- . Last fall , for instance , long before landing in New Orleans , I knew I 'd be ordering the white truffle risotto at Domenica and the Goody cocktail at the Hotel Monteleone . But I welcome serendipity , too . The best moment of that trip came at Sugar Shack , a funky French Quarter watering hole . Oprah.com : Get the skinny on fat . My husband and I bit into our soft-shell-crab po ` boys and gasped . The sandwiches were perfect -- crunchy , crabby , drenched in piquant mayonnaise . That bite had everything I love about food : the joy , the hedonism -LRB- it was a lot of mayo -RRB- , and the makings of a story -LRB- it 's ridiculous how often we discuss those damn po ` boys -RRB- . I 'd never want to miss out on any of that -- or the dessert of Ding Dongs we served ourselves later . Oprah.com : When anxiety guides your diet . Subscribe to O , The Oprah Magazine for up to 75 % off the newsstand price . That 's like getting 18 issues FREE . Subscribe now ! TM & © 2010 Harpo Productions , Inc. . All Rights Reserved .
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One writer discusses the joys of eating everything . Writer tries pulled-pork tacos with pickled onions , blindingly spicy Korean noodles . She 'd rather have curves than agonize over dessert , she says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Gulf Coast residents wait for a huge oil slick to reach their shores , the spill and the massive response already have begun wreaking havoc on livelihoods in a region where jobs are largely dependent on two ocean intensive industries : seafood and tourism . Stephen Denmark , a city council member in Dauphin Island , Alabama , said Saturday that local scientists are predicting that the seafood crop could take a decade to recover from the oil slick . `` The last two years have been tough already , '' Denmark said , referring to the recession . `` This will be catastrophic to the mom-and-pop businesses , which is 90 percent of the business down here on the island . '' Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Saturday that heavy oil is likely to begin hitting the state 's coast by Sunday or Monday . U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen -- the Obama administration 's national incident commander for the slick -- said Saturday that oil also is likely to reach shorelines in Mississippi and Alabama in coming days . But some Gulf Coast oyster beds and other seafood harvesting grounds are already awash in oil , according to Casi Callaway , executive director of the Alabama-based environmental group Mobile Baykeeper . `` It 's already covering shrimp beds and shrimp grounds in the Gulf , '' she said . `` So it 's here and it 's now and it 's happening . '' Callaway said that the oil could ruin oyster beds for up to two decades . Forty percent of the fish harvested in the lower 48 states comes from the Gulf of Mexico . Vacationers , meanwhile , spend billions of dollars every year in the region . But this week , many Americans canceled plans to travel to the Gulf Coast over the summer . `` I 'm pretty much on pause right now ... it 's just a big waiting game , '' said David Boola , a fisherman who leads boat trips out of Venice , Louisiana . `` I 'm extremely worried because I have customers that -LSB- have -RSB- already canceled trips , '' Boola said Saturday . `` I should be out taking people fishing today and I 'm not . I 'm not making money today . Or tomorrow . I 'm worried about the ` now ' factor , you know ? '' Besides the oil , the deployment of hundreds of thousands of feet of floating booms along the Gulf Coast to protect sensitive land areas has kept many fishing boats tied up at the dock . In Florida 's Panhandle , where Saturday was the deadline for tourists to cancel summer plans at many hotels , phones were ringing off the hook . `` In the hurricane season , you know you ca n't stop the hurricane , but you can prepare ... and we 're great at that , '' said Jewel Cannada-Wynn , deputy mayor of Pensacola , Florida . `` But how do we deal with an oil spill ? It 's a helpless feeling . '' Blows to seafood and tourism are likely to be felt in other industries in the Gulf Coast and beyond . `` It affects the people that truck it , the people that make the ice , the people that -LSB- provide -RSB- fuel -- the labor just to transport it is just monumental , '' said Denmark , describing the long chain of workers involved in harvesting and shipping seafood . `` It 's not just the people that catch it and process it . ''
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Spill and response already have taken toll on seafood , tourism industries . Dauphin Island , Alabama , city official : Seafood crop could take a decade to recover . Forty percent of fish harvested in the Lower 48 states comes from the Gulf . Vacationers spend billions in the region , but many Americans have canceled plans .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ever since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti on January 12 followed by others in Chile , Baja California and Indonesia , many people have asked the question , `` Are earthquakes getting worse ? '' The answer is a firm and unequivocal `` No . '' I know it 's hard to believe given the devastation these earthquakes have caused and the intense level of media attention they have received . However , it turns out that large earthquake frequency has not changed at all over the last 20 years . But do n't take my word for it . Go to the United States Geological Survey website and see for yourself . As of April 25 , 2010 is on pace to have approximately 18 earthquakes larger than a magnitude 7 on the Richter Scale . That sure sounds like a lot , but it 's only one more than last year and very close to the 15.4 large earthquakes per year that Earth has averaged over the last 20 years . Of course , some years are more active than others , but that is to be expected . In fact , in 1995 there were 20 of these large earthquakes , but nobody talks about that year as being particularly lively . The fact that several of this year 's large earthquakes occurred near populated areas only adds to the perception that the overall frequency or intensity of earthquakes has increased . Before the earthquake in Haiti , there had n't been an earthquake of that size in over two months . This ebb and flow of earthquakes is completely natural . And what about volcanic eruptions ? USGS records show they have also remained constant since the 1960s , with between 50 and 70 eruptions each year . Over the last few days , another misconception began to emerge when CNN published an opinion article by author Alan Weisman titled `` Is the Earth striking back ? '' The piece outlined a theory that , as glaciers melt due to global warming , the Earth 's crust will begin to stretch and rebound . It goes on to imply that this stretching could cause not only earthquakes , such as in Haiti and Chile , but also volcanic eruptions . The article even suggests this process is responsible for the recent eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland with its neighbor , Katla . `` threatening to detonate next . '' Do these studies exist ? Yes . Is this really what they say ? No . First , some background . The source of this idea is a series of papers published by the Royal Society in England that looked at the potential effect of climate change on some types of natural disasters . This idea is generally based on the well-known phenomenon that , as Earth 's glaciers continue to melt , the crust rebounds as it is relieved of the burden . In fact , this has been happening for thousands of years since the peak of the last ice age . Several of these papers did propose that climate change could affect certain types of earthquakes on the ocean floor or underneath melting glaciers , however , Haiti is neither on the bottom of the ocean nor under a glacier . As for the Chilean quake , it was caused by the incredible amount of pressure generated as two tectonic plates are forced together . The point is that not all earthquakes are caused by the same forces and earthquakes on the ocean floor or under glaciers could not be more different from earthquakes in Haiti or Chile . It 's like saying cigarettes cause lung cancer , therefore they cause skin cancer as well . The bottom line is that Weisman 's claims that earthquake frequency is increasing and that earthquakes in Haiti and Chile are caused by global warming are unsupported by the scientific articles he uses to form his conclusions . The effect of his article is to take several well-meaning , preliminary , cautious and limited scientific studies and create unnecessary fear and confusion in the general public . If the public concludes that earthquake frequency has increased , it will be wrong . If it concludes that volcano eruption frequency or intensity has increased , it will be wrong . If it believes that earthquakes in Haiti or Chile were caused by global warming , it will not only be wrong , but it will believe it because it was told it was the conclusion of geologists . It was n't . Most scientific papers do not lend themselves to sound bites or headlines . That means the media needs to do a much better job understanding them . For their part , scientists need to be willing to confront these errors before they spread . Whatever effect climate change has on our planet in the future , inaccurate reporting of research leaves the public at a huge disadvantage and can not be tolerated . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ian Saginor .
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Ian Saginor says many people have asked if there 's an increase in earthquakes . He says quakes , volcanoes are occurring at average level . Saginor says the Haiti , Chile , Iceland events are not related to global warming . Only a certain class of quakes might be affected by melting ice sheets , he says .
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[[142, 179], [1907, 2041]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld an incontestable verdict on the conduct of the major cigarette companies over four decades : They are racketeers who carried out a conspiracy to deceive the public and target children with their deadly and addictive products . The court on Monday declined to accept appeals from either side in the massive case that began when the Department of Justice filed suit against the tobacco companies in 1999 . Although the Obama administration and public health groups failed to persuade the justices to reconsider earlier rulings that limited the financial penalties and remedial measures the trial court ordered , the Supreme Court left intact the trial court 's damning judgment : The tobacco industry has illegally profited from selling products that cause disease and death . The Supreme Court 's decision puts the responsibility squarely on elected officials to eliminate the tobacco industry 's harmful influence and take effective action to protect the nation 's health . Congress and the Obama administration should fund a national public education and stop-smoking campaign , and the Food and Drug Administration must effectively exercise its new authority to regulate tobacco products . State officials must redouble efforts to implement proven tobacco-control measures , including higher tobacco taxes , comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws and well-funded prevention programs . The case stemmed from U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler 's landmark 2006 decision that found the cigarette makers guilty of violating civil provisions of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act -LRB- RICO -RRB- . Kessler found that they had acted illegally when they `` lied , misrepresented and deceived the American public , including smokers and the young people they avidly sought as ` replacement ' smokers , about the devastating health effects of smoking and environmental tobacco smoke . '' The companies , Kessler concluded , `` have marketed and sold their lethal products with zeal , with deception , with a single-minded focus on their financial success , and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted . '' In short , they perpetrated the deadliest consumer fraud in history . And , Kessler found , they continue their deceptions to this day . The tobacco industry spends nearly $ 13 billion annually -- $ 35 million every single day -- to market its deadly and addictive products , often in ways that appeal to kids . As smoking rates have declined and restrictions on smoking have multiplied , the industry has introduced new smokeless tobacco products and significantly increased marketing for them . Some of these products look like candy , are flavored like candy and have colorful packaging like candy . They are easily concealed in settings such as classrooms . Even as the FDA begins to exercise its new authority over tobacco products , the industry concocts new schemes to thwart the regulations . Tobacco companies have sought to evade the new ban on deceptive `` light '' and `` low-tar '' labels by introducing lighter-colored packaging for light brands and switching to terms such as `` gold '' and `` silver '' to replace `` light '' and `` ultra-light . '' The color-coded packs seek to perpetuate the falsehood that some cigarette brands are less harmful than others . Each time state and local governments consider smoke-free workplace laws , the tobacco industry recycles baseless arguments against these measures , which are proved to protect health . Every time states consider raising tobacco taxes -- a proven way to reduce smoking , especially among teenagers -- the industry seeks to manipulate public opinion with bogus claims and calculated alliances with less controversial political groups . For example , in Georgia this year , Philip Morris promoted a rally that ostensibly was organized by anti-tax organizations . Big Tobacco 's role was exposed when the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discovered this fine print at the bottom of a rally invitation : `` Paid for by Altria Client Services on behalf of Philip Morris USA . '' These continuing actions make it urgent for the trial court to impose the remedies first ordered in 2006 . They include requiring the tobacco companies to make corrective statements about the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke and their deceptive practices . These statements must appear in newspaper and television advertising , on the companies ' Web sites and on cigarette packaging . The trial court also ordered the tobacco companies to report marketing data annually to the government , demanded public disclosure of more internal documents and prohibited the companies from committing acts of racketeering or making false , misleading or deceptive statements about cigarettes and their health risks . Tobacco use is the nation 's leading cause of preventable death , claiming more than 400,000 lives and costing $ 96 billion in health-care expenditures each year . Elected leaders can no longer stand idly by while the tobacco companies continue to engage in unlawful activity and harm public health . The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Matthew Myers .
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Matthew Myers : High Court upholds racketeering ruling on Big Tobacco , which lied to public . Myers says it 's time to fund education and stop-smoking campaigns . Tobacco industry spends $ 35 million daily to market its deadly products , Myers writes . Big Tobacco undermines laws to control it , he says , so it 's urgent to impose remedies .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The arrests of 11 people accused of being part of an espionage ring under deep cover for Russia shocked their neighbors in the suburbs . Presumably it was also news to President Obama , coming as it did right after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev 's departure . What should not be a surprise to any of us , however , is that Russia continues to spy on the United States . Espionage is a fact of international life and always has been . The first spy manual , The Art of War , was written by Sun Tzu some 2,500 years ago . Espionage fills a vital niche ; a successful operation can provide insight into intentions , plans , and human dynamics that can not be gleaned from intercepted communications or pictures from space . It is safe to assume that since the end of World War II there has never been a day that the Soviet Union or Russia was not spying on the United States , or vice versa . Espionage will continue , even as the United States and Russia work out a new modus vivendi . Presidents Obama and Medvedev may have recently `` reset '' the U.S.-Russian relationship , but that does not mean U.S. and Russian interests or perspectives are necessarily aligned . There remain significant issues of disagreement over European security . The two countries have until recently been at loggerheads over Iran . After September 11 , Russia reluctantly allowed the United States military to operate out of bases in Central Asia , which it views as its own backyard . The two countries belong to the G-8 and the G-20 -- venues not only for cooperation , but also for sparring . Russia also has great incentive to continue its historical efforts to ferret out America 's economic secrets and steal its weapons technology . Frankly , in a world in which even allies spy on one another , the Russian intelligence service would be shockingly incompetent if it were not spying on us . Espionage operations tend to operate on long timelines , and the alleged Russian implanting of `` illegals '' in this country fits the pattern . Juan Jose Lazaro and Vicky Pelaez came to our shores more than 20 years ago ; Richard and Cynthia Murphy reportedly came in the mid-1990s ; Donald Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley in 1999 ; Michael Zottoli in 2001 . U.S.-Russian relations were very different when Moscow Center dispatched these officers . The Bosnian and Kosovo wars , NATO enlargement into Eastern Europe and Russian weapons sales to Iran were roiling the waters in the 1990s . Moscow seems to have calculated that with these agents in place , there was little reason to pull them out , even if relations with Washington were on the upswing . What is surprising about this case is how many illegals were apparently operating together and how little they accomplished or were likely to accomplish . During the Cold War , the heyday of this technique , the KGB typically dispatched such agents singly or as couples . They were usually compartmented from one another , not in networks of 10 or more , since all of them would be vulnerable if there was a single security slip-up . The Soviets also used illegals mainly for assignments too difficult for KGB officers working under `` official cover '' as diplomats or attachés . It 's not clear what , if anything , these new accused illegals were able to do to steal sensitive information or even help other agents . Maybe the FBI will reveal more on that , but at the moment , this operation looks like a waste of effort on Moscow 's part , indeed an embarrassment to its intelligence service . Will this spy flap seriously damage U.S.-Russian relations ? The early signs are that it will not . Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin , himself a former KGB officer , has said that he hopes the incident will not damage the improving relations between the two countries . The State Department said it intends to focus on other things . The United States , of course , can not be expected to like the fact that Russia spies on us , and is briefly entitled to a modest amount of indignation . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peter Earnest .
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Peter Earnest says arrests this week of suspected agents in Russian spy ring no surprise . Espionage fills vital niche , he says , providing information about plans , human dynamics . Accused spies appear to have gathered little information , he says . Earnest : Early signs are incident wo n't damage improving relations between two countries .
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Larry King , the iconic TV interviewer , will step aside from hosting of his prime time CNN show later this year , he said Tuesday . King , 76 , made the announcement with a short posting to his Twitter account , citing his desire to spend more time with his wife and young children . `` I want to share some personal news with you . 25 years ago , I sat across this table from New York Governor Mario Cuomo for the first broadcast of Larry King Live . Now , decades later , I talked to the guys here at CNN and I told them I would like to end Larry King Live , the nightly show , this fall and CNN has graciously accepted , giving me more time for my wife and I to get to the kids ' little league games , '' King wrote . `` I 'm incredibly proud that we recently made the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest running show with the same host in the same time slot . With this chapter closing I 'm looking forward to the future and what my next chapter will bring , but for now it 's time to hang up my nightly suspenders . '' `` He will end his run with Larry King Live on his own terms , sometime this fall , '' said Jon Klein , president of CNNUS . `` Larry is a beloved member of the CNN family and will continue to contribute to our air with periodic specials . '' During his Tuesday night show , King told guest Bill Maher `` there 's a freedom '' that came with his decision . `` I want to expand , '' King told the comedian . `` I want to do other things that I have n't been able to do . '' The idea to step aside came to him after he completed his week-long 25th anniversary celebration , he said . `` I 'm thinking to myself , I 've done 50,000 interviews , '' he said . `` I 'm never going to top this . '' King said he would exit the host 's chair `` maximum November . '' But , he told Maher , `` Then I 'll be doing specials . You 'll see me in other places . '' Asked whom he wants to replace him , King cited `` American Idol '' host Ryan Seacrest . `` He 's curious , he 's interesting , he 's likable , '' King said . `` If he has a great interest in politics , I would recommend him . But I 'm sure there 's a ton of people who could do it . Come on . It 's Q and A. '' `` It 's not easy , '' Maher responded . `` That 's the trick . '' In a telephone call to the program , former first lady Nancy Reagan told King , `` I could n't let you do this without my calling you . You did n't call me and ask my permission . '' King said he had made no plans about his future , but added , `` I 'm looking forward -- I feel open to so many things . Life will be better . '' ABC News Anchor Diane Sawyer chimed in : `` I just want to say , Larry , what a monument of vitality you have built for all of us and I can not wait to see your specials because everybody in the world wants to talk to you and to see you do them in a concentrated way -- when you choose to do them it 's going to be a thrill . '' King 's decision followed months of media speculation about his future as his ratings declined . King was hosting a nationally syndicated overnight radio talk show when CNN founder Ted Turner persuaded him in 1985 to try his interviewing skills on cable TV . `` All I had to do was everything I 'd been doing since I was a kid , '' he wrote in his best-selling 2009 autobiography , `` My Remarkable Journey . '' His gentle but persistent interview style drew big-name guests , and `` Larry King Live '' became a place for major personalities to break news . Billionaire Ross Perot used the show to announce he was running for president in 1992 . And the show was the setting for the historic NAFTA debate between then-Vice President Al Gore and Perot in 1993 , a debate that for more than a decade was the highest-rated program in cable history . King , who was initially based in Washington , became a mandatory stop for politicians . Over his career , he conducted sit-down interviews with every U.S. president since Richard Nixon . His program was sometimes a place of real-time diplomacy . In 1995 , he hosted a program on the Middle East Peace process with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat , King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin . His suspenders , large glasses and vintage desk microphone are as recognizable as the countless celebrities lined up to have an intimate chat with King while the world listened in . And there have been a lot of guests , including Marlon Brando , Nelson Mandela , Mikhail Gorbachev , Paul McCartney , Bob Hope , Frank Sinatra , L. Ron Hubbard , Madonna and Martin Luther King , Jr. . After extensive coverage over many months of O.J. Simpson 's trial for murder , Simpson himself called the program the night he was acquitted . King says that Nelson Mandela was the most extraordinary person he has met . In his autobiography , King confessed that he never plans a question , that he likes to be surprised by the answers . He says he asks his interview subjects to explain things . `` All I do is ask questions , '' he wrote . `` Short , simple questions . '' Born in Brooklyn , Larry Zeiger moved to Miami , Florida , in 1957 . He began his radio career that year with a new name , Larry King . His first television job was hosting a local interview show in Miami in 1960 . While some critics have called King a throwback , he embraced the online social networking tool Twitter . He had 1,648,920 Twitter followers as of Tuesday . On Monday , King used Twitter to respond to a fan 's question about the highlights of his career : . `` Winning 2 Peabody Awards & an Emmy . Perot-Gore Debate a show highlight , '' King tweeted . In addition to earning the Emmy and two Peabody Awards , he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1992 . King also has an extensive film resume , having played himself in 20 movies . King has suffered a decline in ratings . His show , which was once on top , sometimes has come in fourth among cable talk shows during the 9 p.m. hour . King faced highly publicized personal problems this year . He and his eighth wife , Shawn Southwick-King , filed for divorce in April , but reconciled weeks later . King has repeatedly talked about the importance of spending time with his children , including his two boys from his marriage with Southwick-King . `` I 'd love to see Chance and Cannon talk about how their Dad took them to play when they were kids , '' he wrote in his autobiography . After suffering a heart attack in 1987 , King underwent quintuple bypass heart surgery . A year later , he created the Larry King Cardiac Foundation , which he said was to help those `` not so lucky '' to have medical insurance . In 2009 , the foundation paid for 287 life-saving surgeries . And through it all , the interviews continued . `` Only God failed to show up for a Larry King interview , '' said Tom Johnson , who was CNN 's chairman for more than a decade , ending in 2001 . `` Larry has been my close friend since I joined CNN in 1990 , '' Johnson said . `` We never had a single disagreement in my 11 years as CEO , although he never thought much of my suggestions for more shows about North Korea . '' Is there anyone he would like to interview that he has n't so far ? For years , he joked in his autobiography , he answered that question `` God . '' `` And my first question would be , ` Do you have a son ? Because there 's a lot riding on the answer . ' '' CNN 's Alan Duke contributed to this story .
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NEW : King likes Seacrest as a possible replacement . King has interviewed every U.S. president since Richard Nixon . By one count , King has interviewed more than 50,000 people . Says Nelson Mandela was most extraordinary person he has met .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The once-ubiquitous Humvee may become a rare sight in some parts of Afghanistan following a decision by the senior U.S. commander in eastern Afghanistan to restrict the use of the vehicles in the field . Maj. Gen. John Campbell , commander of Joint Task Force-101 , ordered this week that the use of Humvee vehicles outside a military base would have to specifically be approved by a colonel -- one of the most senior field grade positions in the military . Prior to this , the use of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles -LRB- HMMWV , or Humvee -RRB- had to be approved by a lower-ranking officer , according to Task Force spokesman Maj. Patrick Seiber . Seiber said the decision was not specifically in reaction to a number of deadly IED attacks on troops in recent weeks , but is part of trying to improve protection for the force . The Humvee is heavily armored , but its flat bottom and low-to-the-ground profile has made it particularly vulnerable to attacks using improvised explosive devices , or IEDs . In recent years , the military has fielded a new series of armored vehicles with V-shaped hulls to deflect the blast of roadside bombs , but even some of those have been destroyed in large-scale attacks . Campbell 's decision comes amid the release of figures showing that June has been the deadliest month of the war for the coalition across Afghanistan , with 101 coalition troops killed and about 400 U.S. troops wounded . Casualties due to IED attacks continue to skyrocket . The Pentagon reports that in May 2010 , the latest data available , the number of coalition forces -- including Afghans -- that were killed or wounded by IED attacks was 284 , more than double the 104 killed or wounded in the same month last year . The number of overall IED attacks reached 1,128 , compared to 513 in May 2009 . The Pentagon statistics on IEDs include Afghan troop casualties because those units are suffering very high attacks rates , according to the Pentagon .
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Senior commander restricts use of Humvees in Afghanistan . Now use of Humvees outside military base must be approved by a colonel . Spokesman says decision is part of effort to improve protection for U.S. forces . Humvees ' flat bottom , low profile make it vulnerable to IED attacks .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hoping to solve numerous cold cases , authorities on Thursday released more than a hundred photos of unidentified women and children found in a storage unit that belonged to a serial killer who appeared on `` The Dating Game . '' Investigators are trying to determine if some of the people in the pictures were victims of Rodney Alcala , 66 , who was convicted in February of murdering a child and four women between November 1977 and June 1979 . A jury this week recommended a death sentence for Alcala , who appeared on the popular dating show in 1978 as Bachelor No. 1 . `` We balanced the privacy concerns of those depicted in the decision to release these pictures , '' Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement . `` Although we hope that the people depicted are not victims , we believe the release may help solve some cold cases and bring closure to victims ' families . '' See all the photos . A few pictures of men were also found among the portrait-style photos that were discovered in a storage unit that Alcala kept in Seattle , Washington , said Susan Kang Schroeder , a spokeswoman for the district attorney 's office . The locker also contained earrings that belonged to 12-year-old Robin Samsoe , who Alcala abducted and killed in 1979 , Schroeder said . The discovery of the earring in the locker has raised speculation that there may be other victims or that the photographs were trophies to Alcala , she said . `` The idea is to figure out if these are other victims that belong to other cold cases and if they are we can hopefully bring some closure to these victims ' families , '' she said . `` We know that Mr. Alcala used his photography as a ruse to get close to his victims . '' Authorities already believe that Alcala may be responsible for deaths in New York , Schroeder said . `` It 's very possible , '' Schroeder said . `` Mr. Alcala is a predatory monster and we believe that he destroyed many lives everywhere he went . '' According to the Orange County District Attorney , Alcala was convicted in 1972 of kidnapping and molesting a child in Los Angeles County in 1968 . After serving a 34-month sentence , he was released . In November 1977 , Alcala raped , sodomized and murdered Jill Barcomb , an 18-year-old New Yorker who had recently moved to California , the district attorney said . `` The defendant used a large rock to smash in the victim 's face , causing blunt force trauma , and strangled her to death by tying her belt and pant leg around her neck . He then left the victim 's body in a mountainous area in the foothills near Hollywood . '' The body was discovered soon after , and biological evidence was collected , but DNA technology was not yet available to find her killer . The following month , Alcala raped , sodomized and murdered 27-year-old nurse Georgia Wixted , according to the district attorney . `` The defendant used the claw end of a hammer to beat the victim and smash in her head . He strangled her to death using a nylon stocking and left her body in her Malibu apartment , '' according to the district attorney 's Web site . Again the body was discovered and biological evidence was collected , but no link was made to Alcala . All this occurred before Alcala charmed `` Dating Game '' contestant Cheryl Bradshaw in 1988 . Though Bradshaw chose Alcala as her date , she reportedly refused to go out with him . Alcala may have appeared likable to viewers at home , but Bachelor No. 2 , Jed Mills , said he was the complete opposite when they sat together in the green room before the show . Mills said he had an almost immediate aversion to Alcala . `` Something about him , I could not be near him , '' Mills recalled . `` He was very obnoxious and creepy -- he became very unlikable and rude and imposing as though he was trying to intimidate . I wound up not only not liking this guy ... not wanting to be near him ... he got creepier and more negative . He was a standout creepy guy in my life . '' Mills said he still has a difficult time discussing Alcala . `` Just talking about it , I get a tightness in my stomach , '' he said , `` It kind of sinks in slowly . What this guy did , it 's hard to express . He kind of haunts me a bit . '' Two more slayings followed the year after Alcala appeared on the show . In June 1979 , he raped and killed 21-year-old Jill Parenteau in her Burbank apartment , the district attorney said . `` The defendant strangled the victim to death using a cord or nylon . Alcala 's blood was collected from the scene after he cut himself crawling through a window . Based on a semi-rare blood match , Alcala was linked to the murder , '' the district attorney 's Web site said . Though he was charged with killing Parenteau , the case was dismissed after his first conviction in the Samsoe case . In that case , Alcala approached a 12-year-old at the beach in Huntington Beach and asked her to pose for pictures , after which she rode off on her bicycle toward a dance class , the district attorney said . She did not make it . `` The defendant kidnapped and murdered Samsoe and dumped her body near Sierra Madre in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains , '' the district attorney 's Web site said . Alcala was convicted for Samsoe 's murder in 1980 and sentenced to receive the death penalty , but the conviction was overturned by the California Supreme Court . A second trial in 1986 resulted in a death sentence , but it was overturned by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals . As he awaited a third trial , Alcala 's DNA was linked to the murder scenes of Barcomb , Wixted and Lamb . He was charged with the four Los Angeles murders , including Parenteau 's . Anyone with information regarding the identities of the women and children in the photographs found in Alcala 's storage locker is asked to contact Huntington Beach Police at 714-375-5066 or the Orange County District Attorney 's Office at 714-347-8492 .
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Hundreds of portrait-style photos found in Rodney Alcala 's storage unit . Authorities suspect some of the subjects could be victims of Alcala . Alcala was convicted of murdering child , four women from 1977 to June 1979 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A judge in Tampa , Florida , on Monday sentenced Stephanie Ragusa , a former middle school math teacher , to 10 years in prison for having sex with two underage students in 2008 . `` As parents , we place our trust in teachers to provide a safe environment in which our children can learn , '' Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Chet Tharpe said in handing down the sentence . `` You violated that trust in the worst imaginable way . '' Tharpe also sentenced Ragusa to 15 years of sex offender probation following her prison time . Ragusa , 31 , pleaded guilty in April to three counts of lewd and lascivious battery in a March 2008 case involving a 14-year-old boy , and two counts of having unlawful sex with a minor in an April 2008 case involving a 16-year-old student . Ragusa has been in jail since she was arrested in 2008 leaving one of the victims ' homes . Monday 's sentencing included testimony from the victims ' families , who depicted Ragusa as a sexual predator who caused severe emotional distress for their sons . `` Miss Ragusa maliciously and intently preyed on my son and the other boys , '' said the mother of the 14-year-old victim . `` She had access to their charts as far as their emotional behaviors . ... I feel that she was very conniving ... in picking these boys out and preying on them and using that to manipulate them and seduce them . '' Prosecutor Rita Peters also played a phone conversation between Ragusa and the younger victim that police recorded with the 14-year-old 's consent . In the tape , Ragusa can be heard urging the teen to keep their encounters secret . `` It 's ... one of those things you have to take to the grave , '' Ragusa says on the tape , explaining that sex crimes involving minors have no statute of limitations . In arguing for the maximum sentence , Peters portrayed Ragusa as a `` master manipulator . '' `` She is the one that goes in and looks at their weaknesses , '' Peters said . `` She knows exactly what she has to do to get into their lives . '' In a statement before her sentencing , an emotional Ragusa -- wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackled at her hands and ankles -- expressed remorse for her actions . `` I 'm sincerely sorry for the pain and aggravation I have caused to the victims and their families , '' she said . Her attorney , Robert Herce , asked the judge to sentence her to probation with time served , saying she has spent more time behind bars than other people who have faced similar charges . A psychiatrist for the defense also testified that Ragusa has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder . But Tharpe issued the maximum sentence and did not hold back in his final statement to Ragusa , calling her a `` danger to the children in our community . '' `` You not only have disgraced yourself , your family , but also the teaching profession , '' Tharpe said . `` And one thing that I have gleaned out of this sentencing hearing this afternoon is you 're a very selfish person . '' He added that he remained unconvinced that Ragusa had accepted responsibility in the case . `` You stopped only because you got caught and put in jail , '' Tharpe said . As part of her probation , Ragusa must abide by a mandatory nightly curfew , enroll in an outpatient sex offender treatment program and will not be allowed contact with the victims . She also will not be allowed to live within 1,000 feet of a school , day care , playground , park or any other area where children congregate , nor will she be allowed unsupervised contact with children under age 18 . The defense said after the hearing that it was disappointed with the sentence . `` I was not expecting that harsh of a sentence and I think this case did not warrant that , '' Herce said .
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Stephanie Ragusa pleaded guilty in April in the case . Judge also sentences Ragusa to 15 years sex offender probation . Prosecutor paints former math teacher as a `` master manipulator '' Ragusa apologizes to victims and their families .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Young , athletic and troubled -- NFL player Chris Henry might have been a football cliché . After being arrested four times , suspended by the league three times and released once by the Cincinnati Bengals , the wide receiver appeared to be on a personal and professional comeback . But all that ended in December 2009 . Henry died after falling from the bed of a moving pickup during a fight with his fiancée . His death was considered a tragic and bizarre end to a life plagued by behavioral problems . This week , findings from Henry 's brain examination reverberated through the sports world , raising questions about head injuries and safety in high-contact sports . Doctors found evidence of brain damage , called chronic traumatic encephalopathy , that has been observed in retired players who 've had many concussions . Unlike those older players , Henry was 26 when he died . CTE is also known as dementia pugilistica , because career boxers who 've suffered repeated blows to the head have been known to develop the syndrome . Sudden stops and collisions can cause the brain to slosh inside the skull . Its effects are mainly neurobehavioral . These symptoms include poor decision-making , behavioral problems , failure at personal and business relationships , use of drugs and alcohol , depression and suicide . `` The effect on the brain appears to be damages to the emotional circuitry of the brain , '' said Dr. Julian Bailes , chairman of neurosurgery at West Virginia University . `` We think Chris exhibited some of the characteristics of the neurobehavioral syndrome of CTE , '' he said at a news conference Monday . `` We do n't know if there is a cause and effect . '' The neurologists at the Brain Injury Research Institute at West Virginia University did not draw any association between Henry 's actions and the disease . `` His case highlights the fact there is documented damage in someone young and actively playing , '' said Bailes , a former doctor for the Pittsburgh Steelers . Bengals coach : Henry ` beacon of hope ' before death . The syndrome is believed to be caused by large accumulations of tau proteins in the brain that kill cells in the regions responsible for mood , emotion and executive functioning . Tau proteins are also found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer 's disease and dementia . The findings regarding Henry 's brain raised unsettling questions : Could CTE contribute to misbehavior of football players ? If Henry , a seemingly healthy athlete in his mid-20s , had signs of CTE , could other young athletes have this syndrome , too ? Dr. Jon Weingart , professor of neurological surgery and oncology at Johns Hopkins University , said extrapolating from one case , like Henry 's , would be a `` big leap . '' `` That would be misleading , '' he said . `` There 's not enough data . ... To think that this is something brewing in many players -- there 's no data to support that statement . '' Weingart said the relationship between multiple traumas and head hits and CTE is not a proven cause and effect . At this point , it 's a correlation . Sports Illustrated : Concussions and football : Is the game too dangerous for our kids ? In 2009 , the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at the Boston University School of Medicine reported that an 18-year-old multisport athlete who suffered multiple concussions also had CTE , a finding that a neuropathologist described as `` shocking . '' MRIs and CAT scans are unable to detect CTE . Detecting the syndrome requires brain samples , which can not be given until a person is dead . The samples are colored with special microscopic stains . In Henry 's brain , doctors found a tau protein accumulation , inflammatory changes and white matter changes that were significantly abnormal . The fibers in the brain had brown discoloration and showed significant damage . In previous findings of former NFL players , the brown tangles flecked throughout the brain tissue resembled what might be found in the brain of an 80-year-old with dementia . Dead athletes ' brains show damage from concussions . Henry could 've had a genetic predisposition for the type of brain injury , because a majority of the brains with CTE contained the gene called the apolipoprotein E3 allele . `` We may be seeing a genetic trend that Chris is in the 70 percent of those diagnosed with CTE , who have a special genetic sign , '' said Bailes , the West Virginia University neurosurgery chairman . `` Perhaps that may be a clue as to who 's at risk for this to develop . '' Genetic factors could make some people less able to tolerate subtle trauma to their brains . For example , some high school athletes get a concussion and struggle afterward , while others who experience the same degree of head bump recover without a hitch . `` There 's some variability of how someone is able to handle and recover from trauma to the brain , '' Weingart said . Henry 's case has `` sparked a lot of social debate and reflection and was scientifically valuable , '' Bailes said . `` We want to continue to study . We do n't have all the answers . We 're also looking , as soon as we can , to find treatment and prevention , '' he said . NFL medical heads and Goodell convene on brain injuries . The NFL has recently pledged to step up its efforts on head injuries and named new co-chairs and members to its medical committee . The league has also changed guidelines prohibiting a player suffering a concussion to practice or play .
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NFL star Chris Henry was found to have a type of brain damage seen in older players . Findings have raised questions about brain injuries and safety in high-contact sports . Patients with CTE exhibit poor decision-making , behavioral problems , relationship problems .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The California Assembly on Thursday passed a bill appropriating $ 20 million to kidnapping victim Jaycee Dugard to settle her claims against the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation , according to the chief clerk 's office . The bill passed on a 30-1 vote in the Senate and a 62-0 vote in the Assembly , according to CNN affiliate KCRA . Corrections officials entered into the settlement with Dugard , the station said . Dugard vanished in 1991 at the age of 11 . She was found in August 2009 , living in a shed in the Antioch , California , backyard of Phillip Garrido , a registered sex offender who had been on parole since January 1988 . Investigators say Garrido fathered two children with Dugard during her captivity . He and his wife , Nancy , are charged with 29 felony counts in the case . Both have pleaded not guilty . In a report issued in November , the state inspector general 's office found the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation failed to properly keep tabs on Garrido or properly supervise the officers assigned to his case . `` While it is true that Garrido 's California parole was never officially violated , our review shows that Garrido committed numerous parole violations and that the department failed to properly supervise Garrido and missed numerous opportunities to discover his victims , '' the report said . Parole officers failed to investigate utility wires running from Garrido 's house toward the shed where Dugard was held , to check out the presence of a 12-year-old girl during a visit or to act on information the report said `` clearly '' showed Garrido had violated the terms of his release , the report said . Dugard , who is now 30 , her mother and her daughters had filed a claim saying state corrections officials failed to do their jobs , seeking psychological , physical and emotional damages , KCRA said . The settlement process was `` pretty much unprecedented , '' said Jeff Long , spokesman for Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes , who sponsored the bill . The language was inserted into a bill concerning claims against the state . Fuentes is chairman of the Assembly 's Appropriations Committee , Long said . Every year as part of the budget process , the chair submits two bills for judgments against the state , Long said . It was decided that this would be the quickest way to get it through the Assembly , he said . Officials thought the state might have a case if it fought Dugard 's claim , but it was n't worth the case going to a jury , Long said . Because the constitutional deadline for an approved state budget has passed and California is in a new fiscal year without a budget , no appropriations can be made without Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger 's consent . Schwarzenegger has to request the bill be moved to his desk to sign it , Long said . Garrido was paroled in August 1988 after serving 11 years of a federal kidnapping sentence . He also served a five-year term in Nevada for rape charges . The November report from California Inspector-General David Shaw was limited to reviewing the actions of state parole officers in charge of monitoring Garrido from June 1999 until Dugard and her children were discovered . But Garrido was under the supervision of federal parole officers when authorities say he kidnapped Dugard in 1991 , and they also `` failed to detect Garrido 's criminal conduct and his victims , '' the report says . Garrido was only `` properly supervised '' for 12 out of the 123 months he was under California 's supervision , `` a failure rate of about 90 percent , '' Shaw told reporters in November . CNN 's Ashley Hayes and Rachel Brown contributed to this report .
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Jaycee Dugard missing 18 years before she was found in sex offender 's backyard . Settlement process `` unprecedented , '' says lawmaker 's spokesman . Bill requires approval of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger .
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[[1903, 1958]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A man suspected of fatally shooting two Tampa , Florida , police officers is a suspect in another homicide and is sought for questioning in two others , Police Chief Jane Castor said Thursday . All the homicides have taken place since Dontae Morris was released from prison in April , Castor told reporters . `` We just want to make the public aware of who we 're dealing with here in Dontae Morris , '' she said . '' ... he 's a cold-blooded killer . '' Morris , 24 , is accused of shooting Officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis during an early-morning traffic stop Tuesday near downtown Tampa . The officers , both 31 , later died at a hospital . Morris is also suspected in the killing of a man at an apartment complex , Castor said . That homicide occurred May 18 , according to the Tampa Tribune . `` We are continuing to track down some very , very positive leads , '' the chief said , and police remain confident Morris will be apprehended . She said she did n't believe the community was at risk , but said Morris could be moving about , and the situation could be `` unpredictable . '' Meanwhile , Morris ' picture was featured on FBI billboards in Florida , Georgia and Alabama , authorities said Thursday . Although it 's not the first time authorities have featured fugitives ' pictures on billboards , the posting of Morris ' photograph marked the first time authorities could post such images themselves , through a partnership with outdoor advertising companies , said Chris Allen , spokesman for the FBI 's Tampa bureau . `` Beforehand , it would have taken the better part of a day or two '' to get the photos up by contacting the companies , he said . While the initiative was on standby for the Times Square bombing attempt , it was not used , he said . The billboards went up in Florida shortly after the crime occurred Tuesday , he said . Authorities recently decided to feature the picture in Alabama and Georgia . Other states can be added , too , he said -- authorities simply create the alert on a computer and use a drop-down menu to select states . Asked whether officials plan to use the billboards in other states , Allen said it depends on where the investigation leads authorities . Morris ' picture and information was also put on the website of the television program `` America 's Most Wanted . '' Meanwhile , Tampa police said Wednesday afternoon the reward for information leading to Morris ' arrest has increased to $ 100,000 -- the biggest in the city 's history . `` The intensity will keep up until we capture him , '' said Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio . Anyone helping or harboring Morris is `` making a huge mistake , '' she said . Asked about some citizen complaints about being inconvenienced by the ongoing search , Castor said , `` I am very sorry for anyone 's inconvenience . We do n't want to inconvenience anyone , but our ultimate goal is to keep the citizens of Tampa safe ... I believe that anger should be focused on Dontae Morris . He 's the one that 's causing all this . '' Iorio said the evacuation of a building or the closure of a street is a `` small inconvenience '' given what authorities are trying to do . Asked about officers ' anger toward Morris , Castor said police are `` reeling over the loss of two family members '' but are professionals who will take Morris into custody safely if at all possible . She reiterated , however , that the best course of action would be for Morris to give himself up . Authorities have arrested several of Morris ' associates , she said . According to CNN affiliate Bay News 9 , police are also searching for Morris ' 21-year-old brother for questioning . Public services for the fallen officers will be held Friday evening at a church in Lutz , Florida , Bay News 9 reported . Funeral services are planned for Saturday . The officers were shot after Curtis pulled a vehicle over about 2:15 a.m. ET Tuesday , and the driver -- identified by police as Cortnee Brantly -- gave him identification and vehicle registration that did not match the vehicle , Castor said . Running a criminal history check , Curtis found that the passenger -- identified as Morris -- had an outstanding misdemeanor worthless-check warrant from Jacksonville , Florida . Curtis called for backup , and Kocab responded , police have said . As the two attempted to arrest the suspect , he pulled out a gun and shot them both , Castor has said . A gun was not found at the scene , she said , and police believe Morris still has it . Brantly was taken into custody Tuesday and authorities released her after seven hours of questioning , Castor said . Brantly provided police with information , she said , but `` I would not describe her as cooperative . '' Although police had enough information to arrest Brantly , their focus is on apprehending Morris , the chief said . She defended the decision to release Brantly , saying `` there is still a very , very distinct possibility she will be charged down the road ... The community needs to trust in the ability of the TPD . '' Kocab 's wife is due to give birth next week , police said at the time of the shootings . Curtis leaves a wife and four sons , ages 9 , 6 , 5 and 8 months .
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NEW : All 5 homicides took place since suspect 's release from prison . Shooting suspect featured on billboards in Florida , Alabama , Georgia . Reward for information leading to Dontae Morris ' arrest at $ 100,000 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dozens of affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union have issued travel alerts for people heading to Arizona this Fourth of July holiday weekend -- the group 's latest effort to condemn the state 's new immigration law . Arizona 's measure stipulates that police can ask the residency status of people being investigated for a crime . `` Although the law is not scheduled to go into effect until July 29 , the ACLU is concerned that some law enforcement officers are already beginning to act on provisions of the law , '' the ACLU said on its website . `` We hope the alerts provide people with some measure of protection from illegal harassment from law enforcement and inform them of their rights should they encounter it . '' The travel alerts -- issued by ACLU affiliates from as far away as Alaska and New York -- inform people of their rights when stopped by law enforcement in Arizona , the ACLU said . Critics say the new law will lead to racial profiling and prevent police from doing their jobs by undermining trust in the Latino community . City governments and organizations opposed to the law have targeted Arizona with protests and boycotts . But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and other state officials say the law is necessary because of the increasing number of people illegally entering the state from Mexico . In addition , Brewer has said the law does not target an individual 's specific ethnicity . `` It would n't matter if you are Latino or Hispanic or Norwegian , '' she said last month . `` If you did n't have proof of citizenship and the police officer had reasonable suspicion , he would ask and verify your citizenship . I mean , that 's the way that it is . That 's what the federal law says . And that 's what the law in Arizona says . '' In late May , a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll found that 57 percent of those surveyed favored Arizona 's new law , while 37 percent opposed it . The same poll also found that six in 10 respondents found that the federal government should focus on stopping the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. , deporting those already here and supporting more border security .
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ACLU : Travel alerts inform people of their rights when stopped by law enforcement . Law says police can ask the residency status of people being investigated for a crime . ACLU says it 's concerned that officers will enforce law before July 29 effective date . CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll : 57 percent of those surveyed favor Arizona law .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that removes limits on financial damages that can be awarded for accidents off the U.S. coastline , such as the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 workers . The bill updates maritime laws that have been on the books since the mid-1800s and early 1920s . Those laws restricted the amount of money families could obtain to compensate for lost wages and funeral expenses . The bill passed by the House Thursday would allow compensation for non-monetary losses such as pain and suffering . A similar measure awaits action in the Senate . Also Thursday , the U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency issued a directive to BP on how the company should manage recovered oil , contaminated materials and waste recovered in cleanup operations from the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico . Among other requirements , the directive requires the oil giant to give the EPA and state agencies access to any waste storage site and to provide specific plans , waste reports and tracking systems for liquid and solid waste . `` While the states of Louisiana , Alabama , Mississippi and Florida are overseeing BP 's waste management activities and conducting inspections , this action today is meant to compliment their activities by providing further oversight and imposing more specific requirements , '' the Coast Guard said Thursday . `` Under the directive , EPA , in addition to sampling already being done by BP , will begin sampling the waste to help verify that the waste is being properly managed . '' Waste sampling to date has been done in compliance with EPA and state regulatory requirements , the Coast Guard said . The EPA on Thursday also released results from its first round of toxicity testing on eight oil dispersants , including Corexit 9500 , which is being used in the Gulf . In May , the EPA had asked BP to stop using Corexit and to substitute other , less toxic alternatives on the market . BP declined to change dispersant , arguing that it was the best one for the job . The study showed that none of the eight dispersants tested displayed significant endocrine disrupting activity , the EPA said . Damage to the endocrine system is harmful to sea life , and can create reproductive problems . The agency conducted the testing to ensure that `` decisions about ongoing dispersant use in the Gulf of Mexico continue to be grounded in the best available science , '' the EPA said . Of the dispersants tested , Corexit 9500 and one called JD-2000 were generally less toxic to small fish , and JD-2000 and Saf-Ron Gold were least toxic to mysid shrimp , the EPA said . `` We want to ensure that every tool is available to mitigate the impact of the BP spill and protect our fragile wetlands , '' EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said . `` But we continue to direct BP to use dispersants responsibly and in as limited an amount as possible . '' Meanwhile , rough seas in the wake of Hurricane Alex kept oil skimming boats out of the Gulf on Thursday and could keep many tied up through the weekend , the retired admiral in charge of the federal response to the Gulf oil disaster said . Thad Allen , briefing reporters in civilian garb after retiring from the Coast Guard on Wednesday , said seas over 5 feet hinder the effectiveness of most boats used to scoop oil . All but the largest vessels will likely be idled for another three days , he said . `` In general , we 're waiting for the weather to abate so we can continue with recovery operations , '' he said . A ship billed as the world 's largest skimming vessel has arrived in the Gulf of Mexico and was awaiting approval to begin cleaning , according to a spokesman for the Taiwanese company that owns it . The A Whale arrived in the Gulf on Wednesday and was anchored in Boothville , Louisiana , about an hour south of New Orleans . Frank Maisano , a spokesman for ship owner TMT shipping , said it is still awaiting approval to join the effort . Allen said the vessel -- estimated to be able to skim up to 21 million gallons a day -- is awaiting testing . That capacity is at least 250 times the amount that the modified fishing boats currently conducting skimming operations have been able to contain , the company says . Built this year , the A Whale was initially designed to be one of the largest cargo vessels afloat . It was completed at a South Korean shipyard for transporting crude oil and iron ore . However , Maisano said in the statement , when the disaster unfolded , TMT modified the vessel to become the world 's first large-scale skimmer . `` We 're anxious to find out how effective it will be , '' Allen said . He cautioned that the area of the slick in which the ship will be most effective is a `` congested '' site above the ruptured BP well , which could make it harder to operate the 1,000-foot-plus vessel , but added , `` Anything that 's effective we 're looking forward to using . '' Hurricane Alex hit the Mexican coast , more than 600 miles from the center of the Gulf disaster , on Wednesday night with 105 mph winds . It had diminished to a tropical storm by Thursday afternoon , but it continued to stir up seas of 6 to 8 feet around the site of the 10-week-old disaster and forced the postponement of a planned overflight of the area by Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft . And the system 's prevailing winds have affected the direction of the oil slick , steering it away from the western Florida Panhandle toward the environmentally sensitive Mississippi and Chandeleur sounds off the coast of Mississippi and Louisiana , Zukunft said . Researchers have estimated that between 35,000 barrels -LRB- about 1.5 million gallons -RRB- and 60,000 barrels -LRB- about 2.5 million gallons -RRB- of oil have been gushing into the Gulf every day since April 20 , when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank off the coast of Louisiana . In other efforts , the U.S. Navy said Thursday it was sending a silver-colored blimp to aid in oil disaster efforts . The blimp , known as the MZ-3A , will fly slowly over the region in order to view the area where the oil is flowing and how it is coming ashore . It can also direct oil skimming operations . It was on the way to the Gulf region from Arizona on Thursday , the Navy said . In Gulf Shores , Alabama , meanwhile , the official tapped to oversee the payment of claims for damages from BP said he is working to speed up the process and get longer-term payments to those affected . Kenneth Feinberg , the attorney who handled a similar process after the September 11 , 2001 , attacks on New York and Washington , said after a meeting with Alabama Gov. Bob Riley that `` time is the enemy . '' `` This is life for many people , in terms of their financial instability and the need for financial certainty , '' he said . `` We do not have a lot of time . '' Feinberg said Riley has suggested that affected residents get lump-sum payments for up to six months ' worth of lost income rather than month-to-month payments , and `` That is what we plan to do . '' CNN 's Ashley Hayes , Ashley Fantz , Vivian Kuo and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report .
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NEW : EPA says dispersant BP uses is `` less toxic '' on small fish . House passes bill that would allow more damages paid to victims ' families . Coast Guard directs BP on how to manage waste from cleanup . Heavy seas affect cleanup and containment on several fronts .
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South Padre Island , Texas -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Heavy rains pelting northeastern Mexico left at least one person dead and thousands more in shelters as Hurricane Alex moved inland , Mexican emergency officials said early Thursday . A contractor in Monterrey died when a wall fell on him as a result of the rain , Carlos Eduardo Aguilar of Nuevo Leon 's Civil Protection agency said . CNN-affiliate Televisa reported that at least three other people died when a wall collapsed on them in Acapulco , on the country 's Pacific coast . Alex made landfall along the northeast Mexican coastline late Wednesday as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 100 mph , the National Hurricane Center reported . Forecasters downgraded the storm to a Category 1 hurricane early Thursday morning and said it would continue to weaken as it moved inland . The center reported at 5 a.m. ET that Alex was weakening , but still a Category 1 hurricane , moving west at 12 mph with 80 mph maximum sustained winds . Residents on both sides of the border braced for additional flooding and tornadoes . Rivers and creeks were already well above their normal levels Wednesday . Rescuers saved a young man from rushing waters , Nuevo Leon state officials said . Officials closed schools across the state Thursday as they braced for floods . Heavy rains could cause life-threatening flash floods and mud slides , especially in areas with mountainous terrain , the National Hurricane Center said . Are you affected by Alex ? Send photos , video . Power outages were reported throughout the Mexican state of Tamaulipas , where shelters were housing more than 5,200 people Thursday morning , Salvador Treviño Salinas of the state 's Civil Protection agency said . At least 1,500 people were in shelters in the city of Matamoros -- located across the border from Brownsville , Texas -- where flash floods inundated at least 48 neighborhoods after more than 14 inches of rain fell in 24 hours , he said . The storm also affected other Mexican states Wednesday . In Guadalajara , Jalisco , the water reached more than three feet in some streets , Televisa reported . Heavy rains from Alex were also expected to hit the Mexican states of Veracruz , Nuevo Leon , Coahuila , San Luis Potosi and Zacatecas Thursday . In Brownsville , Texas , about 40 streets had flooded by early Thursday morning , Assistant City Manager Jeff Johnston said . Officials predict that the city could see up to 12 inches of rain from the storm , he said -- a significant amount , but less than originally feared . `` We 're keeping a very close eye on the rain , '' he said . `` Brownsville is a very flat city ... When we get a significat amount of rain in a short period of time , it 's very difficult to move that water out of the city fast . '' At least 1,000 people in southern Texas were taking shelter in evacuation centers as Alex 's winds and heavy rain squalls bore down on the coastline , officials in Cameron and Hidalgo counties reported . Brownsville appeared to be taking the brunt of Alex 's outer bands Wednesday after as many as six tornadoes were reported in the area and about 4,000 customers lost power , officials said . But by Thursday morning , all but 60 customers were back on the grid , Johnston said . In Harlingen , just 30 miles north of Brownsville , wind gusts of up to 65 mph were reported hours before the storm 's expected landfall . No injuries were immediately reported from the twisters near Brownsville , but some damage was reported , including downed trees and power lines , weather and emergency management officials said . Carol Rumsey was riding the storm out in her Los Fresnos , Texas , home , not far from Brownsville and about a half hour from the coast . She told CNN Radio on Wednesday night that her house had an eerie feel as the storm approached . `` You board up your windows and it 's like living in a dungeon , '' she said . `` You ca n't hear anything , you ca n't see anything . '' She said she had considered evacuating as the region was being pummeled by heavy rain and occasional gusts of wind , but said `` this is the price you pay for living in paradise . '' Meanwhile , authorities in South Padre Island closed the Queen Isabella Memorial Bridge -- which crosses to the popular vacation spot -- as a precaution ahead of the approaching Alex. Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles from the center of the storm and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 35 miles , according to the hurricane center . Heavy rain and thunderstorms associated with the outer bands of Alex were affecting the entire Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle . Brownsville received more than 4 inches of rain by Wednesday afternoon , the weather service said . Harlingen Assistant Fire Chief Cirilo Rodriguez said his region was expecting 7-10 inches of rain . Coastal flood advisories have been issued for Louisiana and Mississippi . Minor coastal flooding is expected along the shore due to a prolonged strong southeasterly wind caused by the large counterclockwise circulation of the hurricane . Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that the state was prepared for the storm . The State Operations Center was fully activated , he said , and Texas was working with federal and local authorities to track the hurricane and the BP Gulf oil disaster . President Barack Obama issued a federal emergency declaration for Texas ahead of Alex 's expected arrival , the White House said Tuesday night . After the hurricane made landfall around 9 p.m. CT -LRB- 10 p.m. ET -RRB- , forecasters from the National Hurricane Center changed the hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning for the coast of Texas south of Baffin Bay to the mouth of the Rio Grande . A tropical storm warning issued earlier remained in place along the Texas coast from Baffin Bay to Port O'Connor . A hurricane warning was in place for the coast of Mexico from the mouth of the Rio Grande to La Cruza , Mexico . The storm continued to move away from the massive BP oil catastrophe near the Louisiana coast in the northern Gulf of Mexico , but it already was complicating cleanup efforts . Residual effects from the storm will last for at least four days , CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said , and could prohibit skimming and burning of oil in the Gulf at least until Saturday or Sunday . The storm created 12-foot waves Tuesday and oil-skimming ships were sent to shore from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle . The rough seas may force crews to replace and reorganize booms meant to deter the oil from reaching shore , reported CNN 's Ed Lavandera . Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said that even though Florida may dodge any problems with this storm , the Atlantic hurricane season is just beginning . `` In Florida , we 've had a lot of hurricanes a number of years ago , but we handled them very well , '' he told CNN 's Campbell Brown . `` The difference and the distinction that we face now is that we have a Gulf of Mexico that 's full of oil . So our hope and our prayer is that we do n't have a mixture of hurricanes with oil that could potentially damage the beautiful beaches of Florida . But if we do , we 're prepared for it . '' Pat Ahumada , the mayor of Brownsville , said the city was expecting to distribute 60,000 sandbags and provide shelter for roughly 2,000 families . Utility crews were on standby to handle outages . At the same time , the state government provided 90 buses in case an evacuation is needed . `` I expect about 10 percent of residents to evacuate voluntarily , which already started yesterday , '' Ahumada said Tuesday . `` I see a steady flow of people going out , but no bottlenecks -- which is good . `` We 're not taking it lightly , '' he said . `` We 're ready for a worst-case scenario . '' CNN meteorologist Chad Myers and CNN 's Dave Alsup , Matt Cherry , Sarah Aarthun , Gustavo Valdes , Richard Beltran , Brian Walker and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report .
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NEW : Alex weakening , but still Category 1 hurricane . At least one dead in northeastern Mexico as a result of rains . Rescuers save man from rushing waters . Thousands in shelters in Mexico , Texas .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A suspect in a series of bank robberies in which the thief pedaled off on a bicycle has been apprehended , California authorities said Thursday . Hubert Rotteveel , 47 , of Dixon , California , was arrested Wednesday afternoon after two banks in the Woodland , California , area were robbed in just over an hour , Sgt. Anthony Cucchi of the Woodland Police Department said . The robber pedaled up to the River City Bank in Woodland shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday , police said . Wearing black clothing , sunglasses and a white bicycle helmet , he held tellers at gunpoint and demanded money before fleeing on a bike , authorities said . At approximately 3 p.m. , the First Northern Bank in West Sacramento was robbed by a bike-riding bandit . `` As he 's fleeing that bank on his bicycle , '' Cucchi said , `` he passes a police officer from West Sacramento and the dye pack -LRB- in the stolen money -RRB- in his bag explodes in front of the officer . `` He tries a quick getaway and the officer gets right on him and apprehends him , '' Cucchi said . Rotteveel was being held at the Yolo County jail , with bail set at $ 200,000 , authorities said . Authorities believe the suspect may be linked to several armed bank robberies in northern California , including one in Santa Cruz on Monday afternoon .
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Bike-riding bandit has hit several banks in northern California . Two robberies occurred about an hour apart ; robber pedaled off from both . After second heist , dye pack exploded as suspect rode past police officer .
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MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- All 36 crew members of a Spanish fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates more than a month ago have been freed along with their vessel , the Spanish prime minister said Tuesday . `` Our sailors of the Alakrana are free and will come home , '' Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced in a news conference . `` These tough weeks have ended in a very positive way . '' Zapatero did not say how the ship was freed . Spanish media -- including CNN sister station CNN + , which cited a source it said was close to the negotiations -- reported that a ransom had been paid . The prime minister congratulated the armed forces , diplomats , intelligence services , and the government for their role in freeing the ship . He also thanked the political parties that entered into an agreement ahead of the Alakrana 's release , but he did not give details . `` Alakrana now sails freely because many people have contributed , especially the wives and the families of the crew , who have had a very hard time , but have behaved very well , '' Zapatero said . `` I want to say thank you to them for complying faithfully with what I asked of them in our meeting . This has been decisive for us to be able to feel safe in this situation today . '' The fishing boat is now `` sailing freely toward safe waters , '' Zapatero said , adding `` all crew members are safe and sound . '' Pirates seized the Spanish fishing boat off Somalia 47 days ago . The crew included 16 members from Spain and 20 from Africa and Asia . A day after the hijacking , Spanish military monitoring the situation captured two pirate suspects as they left the fishing boat and later brought them to Madrid . The two were indicted Monday on 36 counts of kidnapping and armed robbery . They could face sentences of more than 200 years in prison each because of the multiple kidnapping counts . But the ship 's owner , Echebastar Fleet , and relatives of the crew members had pleaded with the court and the Spanish government to return the two suspects to Somalia , as pirate representatives had demanded in conversations with Spanish media . It is thought to be the first time suspected Somali pirates had appeared before a Spanish judge and been indicted . Spanish media have reported that various other European countries have sent Somali pirate suspects -- which their respective armed forces captured -- to Kenya to face judicial proceedings , but did not bring them to Europe . Pirates have captured more than 50 ships this year off Somalia and are currently holding 12 , including the Alakrana , Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon said recently . About a dozen other Spanish fishing boats had taken refuge in the Seychelles Islands but over the weekend , dozens of private Spanish security personnel arrived there and boarded the ships , with their weapons , to provide security , as other nations are doing for their fishing fleets in the troubled waters . Spain is part of a European Union task force against piracy in the Indian Ocean off Somalia . The Spanish parliament last January agreed to increase Spain 's presence with up to 395 troops and assets , including a frigate and aircraft . Chacon told Parliament before the vote that the fight against piracy `` is of vital importance for the defense of the geostrategic and economic interests of Spain , and will provide security to our fishing fleet . '' CNN 's Al Goodman in Madrid , Spain , and Per Nyberg in London , England , contributed to this report .
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All 36 crew members of a Spanish fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates a month ago are freed . Two Somalis were seized by Spanish military a day after pirates captured the boat . Judge indicted the two on 36 counts of kidnapping -- one for each of the 36 crew members being held .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Religion is a growing factor in world affairs , but the U.S. government tends to view it through the lens of counterterrorism . That 's the conclusion of a two-year study by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs . The success of American diplomacy in the next decade `` will be measured by its ability to connect with the hundreds of millions of people throughout the world whose identity is defined by religion , '' the report says . `` The challenge before us is to marginalize religious extremists , not religion , '' it concludes . The report , `` Engaging Religious Communities Abroad : A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy , '' finds the key challenge for America internationally is to `` understand the role of religion in world affairs and to constructively engage with religious communities around the world . '' The report , presented to the White House this week , was written by task force of 32 experts , including former government officials , religious leaders , heads of international organizations and scholars . Religious communities , they point out , are central players in major developments around the world : the war in Afghanistan , the promotion of human rights , environmental policy and the pursuit of peace . `` Well-organized and well-funded extremist groups also use religion , '' they say , `` to deepen existing cultural and political fault lines and justify militancy and terrorism . '' `` Religion has played a negative role in U.S. foreign policy in the past , especially in relations with the Muslim world , '' notes Thomas Wright , executive director of studies for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the report 's project director . The strategy of engaging religious communities is not trying to circumvent the First Amendment , observed Wright . `` The separation of church and state is vital and must be preserved in foreign as well as domestic policy , '' Wright said . But citing President Obama 's Cairo speech to the Muslim world in June 2009 , Wright said `` the United States has greatly improved its capacity to understand religious dynamics in world affairs . '' The report notes the speech `` set the stage for a new departure in U.S. foreign policy toward Muslim communities '' but `` the scope must be much broader . '' `` Engaging Islam is only one very crucial component of a larger challenge ... engaging the multitude of religious communities across the world as an integral part of our foreign policy . '' Without `` more serious and thoughtful engagement '' with religion , the report says , `` U.S. foreign policy will miss important opportunities . ''
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Chicago Council on Global Affairs issues two-year study on religion , foreign policy . Report : U.S. government tends to view religion through the lens of counterterrorism . It says major challenge for U.S. is to understand powerful role of religion in other societies . Report specifically points out negative relations with the Muslim world .
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Rome , Italy -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Italy has the highest rate of bank robberies in Europe , an Italian study said this week . Of the 4,150 bank robberies that were reported in Europe in 2009 , 1,744 -- or 42 percent -- were done in Italy , according to the study , which was carried out by the Italian bank watchdog Osservatorio and a trade union , CISL . Northern Italian cities , including Milan and Turin , saw the highest numbers of bank robberies , said the study , which was released Wednesday . One of the reasons Italy sees so many robberies is high cash liquidity , it said . The majority of robberies involve direct intimidation , including kidnapping the relatives of a bank employee , the study said . The result for staff is absenteeism , low productivity , difficulty concentrating , disturbed sleep , an anxious state of mind , complications in personal relationships , and irritability , it said . The amount of money lost from bank theft in Italy in 2009 was 36.8 million euros -LRB- $ 48 million -RRB- , the Italian Association of Banks -LRB- ABI -RRB- calculated . ABI has carried out its own studies of the bank robbery phenomenon , the Italian daily La Stampa reported . It found that in two out of every three robberies , the thieves made off with about 15,000 euros -LRB- $ 18,600 -RRB- and took less than three minutes . It also found thieves preferred to use small knives and paper cutters as weapons , and that most robberies happened on Mondays and Fridays . The Osservatorio-CISL study and the one by ABI said Italian banks spend more than 700 million euros -LRB- $ 870 million -RRB- every year on anti-theft equipment such as closed-circuit cameras and alarms . CNN 's Hada Messia contributed to this report .
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Italy has the most bank robberies in all of Europe . Italy had 1,744 bank robberies last year , study finds . Most robberies involve direct intimidation of staff .
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-LRB- Wired -RRB- -- On its tenth anniversary in 2008 , Google promised $ 10 million to the best five ideas for using technology to improve the world , through Project 10x100 -- a neat play on words -LRB- 10 to the 100th power expresses the number `` googol , '' which is a one followed by one hundred zeroes -RRB- . Google 's intentions were good , of course -- $ 10 million spent the right way could have a real impact on these problems , which range from building better banking tools to a real-time , user-reported news service . However , the company 's follow-through leaves much to be desired . Google announced this cash prize contest in September 2008 and closed public voting on 16 finalists chosen from over 150,000 ideas in October 2009 . Over eight months later , the company has yet to announce the winners . Meanwhile , e-mails sent to Project 10 to the 100th 's Gmail account are bouncing , indicating that Google has deleted the address . And the company 's press department has yet to respond to our inquiries about the project . `` We 'll announce the winning big ideas in the near future , '' reads a notice on the project 's website , which lists '' © 2009 Google '' at the bottom . According to Daniel Meyerowitz , who says his idea for mapping ongoing genocides and providing early warning of new ones is a finalist in the competition , Google has not said a peep about this competition in nine months -- despite having apologized for delays as early as March 2009 . `` While genocide and other pressing problems relentlessly advance , it would seem that Project 10 ^ 100 does not , '' Meyerowitz told Wired.com . `` Years behind schedule . Nine months since announcing their most recent delay . How hard can it be to give away ten million bucks ? Harder than Google can handle , apparently . '' Google , which reported revenue of $ 6.77 billion for the first quarter of this year , could practically consider $ 10 million to be a rounding error , so money is n't the problem . And the company already did the hard work of combining the overt 150,000 submitted ideas , many of which were duplicates or complementary , into 16 `` theme '' ideas , on which the public has already voted . Assuming the project is still ongoing , Google will select an organization already involved with the issue to receive a share of the cash with the goal of solving the problem . So all that remains for the company to do at this point is to announce the five winning ideas and the organizations that will receive the money to implement them . `` An inspirational effort which began in the best Google tradition seems to be mired in the worst Google lapses , '' said Meyerowitz , who brought this situation to our attention . `` When can we expect the final projects to be funded ? Or how about just a blog update ? '' Google 's not talking -- not yet , anyway . But apparently , it 's the process of choosing the right organizations to address these issues that threatens to turn Google 's 10th birthday celebration into a 12th birthday surprise . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $ 1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT ! Click here ! Copyright 2010 Wired.com .
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Google promised $ 10 million to the best ideas for using technology to improve the world . Google announced the contest in 2008 -- they have yet to announce the winners . Google reported revenue of $ 6.77 billion for the first quarter of this year .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hours after the arrest of a suspect , thousands of friends , family and fellow officers gathered Saturday to pay tribute to two slain Florida policemen . An emotional funeral unfolded inside a Tampa church as suspect Dontae Morris , arrested on Friday , appeared in court for the first time . He was denied bond , CNN affiliate Bay News 9 reported , and is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail . Morris surrendered after a third party tipped off police , said Police Chief Jane Castor . Police also arrested 22-year-old Cortnee Brantly , the woman believed to have been driving the car at the time of the shooting , Castor said . The arrests came after a massive manhunt and were a relief , Castor said . They meant the department would be able to provide officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis with the honorable tribute they deserve , Castor said . `` This has brought us a sense of closure , and I pray the arrest brings a level of peace to the families of the officers , '' she said . At the funeral , Castor spoke of the `` inherently dangerous '' nature of law enforcement . `` There are some , '' she said , `` who soar in their profession and Officers David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab operated in this realm . '' Bagpipes played `` Amazing Grace '' as a procession of uniformed officers and family members filled Idlewild Baptist Church . A riderless horse stood as a powerful symbol of the fallen . The slain officers ' widows sat solemnly in the front row . Curtis left behind his wife , Kelley , and four sons , the youngest only 8 months . Kocab 's wife , Sara , is due to give birth in the next few days . Castor said the two women were supposed to have met for the first time at a party planned for Saturday night . Instead , she said , their lives became inextricably linked Tuesday by tragedy . The Idlewild pastor told the women that what `` we 'd like to do for you , Sara , and you , Kelly , is to give you your men back . '' `` We wanted to have a place where we could come under one roof as a city and a family and as friends to mourn , to grieve , to cry , '' he said . `` Maybe even to laugh , and to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for us this day . '' Morris is accused of shooting the two police officers during an early morning traffic stop near downtown Tampa on Tuesday . Both men died later at the hospital , according to police . Both were 31 years old . Castor said Brantly was arrested by Hillsborough County sheriff 's deputies in Brandon and is facing federal charges of witnessing a felony , and not reporting it . Brantly was questioned by police for several hours immediately after the shooting Tuesday , but was not arrested at that time . Curtis pulled the vehicle over about 2:15 a.m. Tuesday and Brantly gave him identification and vehicle registration that did not match the vehicle , according to police . Running a criminal history check , Curtis found that Morris had an outstanding warrant for a worthless check out of Jacksonville . He called for backup , and Kocab responded . Police said as the two officers tried to arrest the suspect , he pulled out a gun and shot them . After the shooting , Castor called Morris `` a cold-blooded killer . '' She reiterated that Friday night . `` I stand by my definition of a cold-blooded killer . Thank God he is behind bars right now , '' she said . Mayor Pamela Lorio said she was `` thankful that we have been able to arrest him before the Saturday funeral . Tonight , everyone in Tampa can sleep easier because Dontae Morris is off the street . '' The funeral lasted several hours . When it ended those in attendance stood in silence as the coffin-draped caskets were placed into awaiting hearses . And tears mixed with the rain that had fallen .
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NEW : Thousands gather to pay tribute to slain officers . NEW : Judge denies bond to alleged killer . Dontae Morris was arrested Friday . Tampa 's police community relieved by arrest .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Florida man wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of two Tampa police officers has been arrested , authorities said Friday night . Dontae Morris was turned in by a third party , Police Chief Jane Castor told reporters at a late night news conference . He is being held at the Hillsborough County Jail . `` I ca n't tell you how relieved the men and women of the Tampa police department are , '' Castor said . `` This has brought us a sense of closure , and I pray the arrest brings a level of peace to the families of the officers . '' Morris is accused of shooting police officers Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis during an early morning traffic stop near downtown Tampa on Tuesday . Both men died later at the hospital , according to police . Castor also announced the arrest of 22-year-old Cortnee Brantly , the woman believed to have been driving the car at the time of the shooting . `` She was arrested by Hillsborough County sheriff deputies in Brandon , '' Castor said . `` She is facing federal charges of witnessing a felony and not reporting it . '' Brantly was questioned by police for several hours immediately after the shooting Tuesday , but was not arrested at that time . Funeral services for the two officers are scheduled for Saturday . Castor said the arrests mean the department will be able to provide the officers with the honorable tribute they deserve . Both officers were age 31 . Kocab 's wife is due to give birth next week , authorities said . Curtis leaves behind a wife and four sons , including an 8-month-old . Curtis pulled the suspect vehicle over about 2:15 a.m. ET Tuesday and Brantly gave him identification and vehicle registration that did not match the vehicle , according to police . Running a criminal history check , Curtis found that Morris had an outstanding warrant for a worthless check out of Jacksonville . He called for backup , and Kocab responded . Police said as the two officers tried to arrest the suspect , he pulled out a gun and shot them . After the shooting , Castor called Morris `` a cold-blooded killer . '' She reiterated that Friday night . `` I stand by my definition of a cold-blooded killer . Thank God he is behind bars right now . '' Mayor Pamela Iorio said she was `` thankful that we have been able to arrest him before the Saturday funeral . Tonight , everyone in Tampa can sleep easier because Dontae Morris is off the street . ''
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Suspect Dontae Morris arrested . He was turned in by a third party . Funeral for slain officers is Saturday . Tampa police chief relieved arrests made before service .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chicago 's longstanding ban on handguns , which the Supreme Court this week ruled as unconstitutional , was a complete failure . Two years ago , every student in my first-period English class on the West Side of Chicago claimed to have easy access to a handgun -- even the goody-two-shoes Honors student in the front row . When I doubted her , she looked at me as if I were a fool . `` I could get you one from my uncle tonight , '' she informed me with a quizzical look . `` He might ask me why I needed it , might not . '' Guns were so abundant that there was only , maybe , one big fight a year among the males in our school building because it was understood that the simplest of physical confrontations too quickly could escalate into deadly shootings . `` You have to walk away from a lot , '' observed one former student of mine who has lost several friends and relatives to gun violence . `` For instance , dude deserves to be beat and I know I could beat his ass , but then what ? No one is just going to take an ass-beating , they 're going to want to do something about it . '' And he added , `` Then you got to worry about him and his guys jumping on you . Or more than likely , he 's going to get a gun to show that he 's not a punk . That 's how a lot of these shootings happen , it 's over nothing . '' Violence was so omnipresent that when I returned to school a few days after being shot in the arm with a .22 -LRB- I 'd rather not discuss -RRB- , a staggering number of students lifted their shirts to show their bullet wounds . `` What you going to do ? '' they seemed to say with a shrug , as if this were everyday life . In a city where an average of four people are shot every day , the random shooting death a few years ago of an amazing , beautiful person , Alto Brown , a friend of mine , was reduced to a single line in a three-paragraph newspaper story coldly tallying weekend homicides . `` Everything happens for a reason , '' the pastor said at his funeral . `` He 's now in a better place . '' As gangs and their illegal guns held whole communities hostage , it seemed as if the only people prevented from possessing firearms were citizens like Keith Thomas , who was raised on the West Side and now works as a mentor to at-risk youth for an alternatives schools program in Chicago . `` I do n't think anybody in their right mind would argue that more guns are a good thing , '' said Thomas , who has the scar from a bullet wound on his right wrist . `` But I think the Supreme Court made the right decision . I think right now , at this point , the ban is not helping to serve any real purpose . '' Thomas does not believe that the court 's decision will result in significantly more or less violence , but he does hope that the ruling will force political leaders to seek community improvements beyond just strict gun control . `` It 's not enough to just say we need more gun control . That 's not what 's causing all these problems out here , the guns are the result , '' he explained . `` If we want to stop violence , we need to make real changes . That 's a lot harder and requires a lot more money than just saying no guns . '' In too many low-income communities of Chicago , the schools are in shambles , quality after-school programs are scarce , well-paying jobs are almost nonexistent , and the family structure is in full crisis . It is an easy notion to disregard , but many of these children are struggling daily to thrive in an environment that fosters failure . `` We have to get them early , before they start getting lost , '' Thomas said of the youth he advises , get them redirected with organizations like his and other successful mentoring interventions like the Youth Advocates Programs . `` Once they start believing there 's nothing else , that they have nothing to lose , they 're the ones most likely to do the shooting . '' After a recent weekend in which 10 people were killed and 60 wounded by gunfire , Chicago Mayor Richard Daley continued to argue the necessity of a citywide gun ban . `` Look at all the guns that shot people this weekend . Where did they come from ? That is the issue . '' But one must ask , truly , is it ? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Will Okun .
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Former Chicago high school teacher says guns were abundant in his school . All students in one class claimed to have access to handguns , he says . Gangs and illegal guns held communities hostage , writer says . `` If we want to stop violence , we need to make real changes , '' one man says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Teachers -- like me -- love `` teachable moments , '' so here 's a big one from Monday 's sweeping Supreme Court decision on gun rights and the states , McDonald v. Chicago . In it , the court not only validated individual gun rights , but applied them to every state and locality in the country . Americans know they have rights . Even some of my students who confess to near-total ignorance of American politics know they have free speech , the right to peaceably assemble , and the right to have a lawyer , should they run afoul of the law . But what none of my students know -- and what most Americans also do n't know -- is that we can lay claim to these and other sacred Bill of Rights freedoms because of a different constitutional amendment , a cluster of 20th-century court cases , and something called `` incorporation . '' Early in America 's history , court rulings established that the Constitution 's Bill of Rights applied only to actions by the federal government , not the states . So , for example , if local police tried to shutter a newspaper for publishing legitimate , if unpopular , news , the newspaper would have to turn to that state 's constitution for protection or help , and not to the First Amendment 's protection of a free press . And since every state constitution is different , the actual rights of citizens varied widely from state to state . Moreover , in the nation 's first century , citizens rarely had direct dealings with a national government of limited size and reach . All this changed when the Fourteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution after the Civil War . Several decades later , the court concluded that the Fourteenth Amendment 's provision saying that states may not deprive persons of `` life , liberty , or property , without due process of law '' could now be used to apply or `` incorporate '' key provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states . Note , however , that this process occurred selectively , provision by provision , and over seven decades . The first Bill of Rights protection to be applied to the states was in 1897 , when the Fifth Amendment 's guarantee that private property was not to be taken for public use `` without just compensation '' was incorporated . Following that , the court incorporated free speech in 1925 , press freedom in 1931 , free exercise of religion in 1934 , and so on until 1969 , when it applied the protection against double jeopardy -LRB- being tried for the same crime twice -RRB- to the states . By design , this piecemeal process did n't include everything . -LRB- No one would argue that the Seventh Amendment 's unincorporated right to common law suits `` where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars '' was the equivalent of free speech . -RRB- But most felt that incorporation was at an end , until two years ago . In its landmark 2008 decision , D.C. v. Heller , the Supreme Court struck down the District of Columbia 's decades-old handgun ban as in violation of the Second Amendment 's right to bear arms . This decision was momentous for two reasons . First , it was the first time in history that a gun law was struck down as a violation of the amendment . Second , the court contradicted past rulings that interpreted the amendment as pertaining only to citizen gun possession in connection with the `` well regulated militia '' mentioned in the first half of the amendment , and instead concluded that it protected an individual or personal right to own a handgun for protection in the home . Because D.C. is a federal enclave , the Second Amendment could be brought to bear without addressing the fact that it had never been applied to the states -LRB- the high court has repeatedly refused to hear Second Amendment-based challenges in the past -RRB- . This brings us to McDonald , in which gun rights advocates challenged Chicago 's local handgun ban as in violation of Heller -- but they also asked the court to now incorporate the Second Amendment . A five-member majority obliged . In his majority opinion , Justice Samuel Alito concluded that the individual right to bear arms , while subject to the limits outlined in Heller two years earlier that recognized most existing gun laws , was `` fundamental to our scheme of ordered liberty '' -- the litmus test for judging whether a right was important enough to be applied to the 50 states . Readers eager to learn more about competing theories of incorporation are invited to plow through the five separate opinions that compose the case 's 214 page decision . But whether one agrees with Justice Alito that the right to own handguns promotes ordered liberty because they are `` the most preferred firearm ... for protection of one 's home and family , '' or with Justice John Paul Stevens , who wrote in his dissent that guns in society `` destabilize ordered liberty '' by taking the lives of 30,000 Americans annually , Americans should at least know better today that the path to American rights runs through the Fourteenth Amendment . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Robert J. Spitzer .
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Spitzer : Court validated individual gun rights and applied them to every state , locality . Court 's 2008 decision in D.C. v. Heller was momentous , Spitzer says . The path to American rights runs through the Fourteenth Amendment , Spitzer says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A first half goal from Milan Jovanovic gave Serbia a shock 1-0 win over 10-man Germany at the World Cup on Friday to throw Group D wide open . Germany suffered an early blow in Port Elizabeth when leading striker Miroslav Klose was sent off for his second yellow card , shortly before Jovanovic fired Serbia in front . Lukas Podolski then saw his second half penalty , given following a handball by Nemanja Vidic , blocked by Serbian goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic . The result was perennial challengers Germany 's first defeat at the group stage of a World Cup tournament since 1986 , when then-West Germany were beaten by Denmark . That year , the three-times world champions went on to reach the final . It also marked the latest setback for the tournament 's traditional giants following Switzerland 's win over Spain and Mexico 's win over France . German coach Joachim Loew admitted it was a big setback for his team . `` We had a lot of problems , the double yellow card for Klose , they got the first goal , then we failed to score from the penalty spot -- all in all it was difficult to come to terms with all this , '' he told AFP . `` We 're devastated of course but I 'm still confident we will go through to the last 16 . we have our fate in our own hands still and a good goal difference . '' The result lifts Serbia 's chances of qualifying from group D following their 1-0 defeat by Ghana in their opening game . They are now tied with Germany on three points following the Germans ' 4-0 win over Australia . A win for Ghana over Australia on Saturday would put the west African side firmly on course for a place in the last 16 -- while a win for Australia would leave all four teams tied on three points . Match winner Jovanovic turned in Nikola Zigic 's header from close range following good work down the right by the impressive Milos Krasic on 38 minutes . Two minutes earlier , Germany had been reduced to 10 men when Klose picked up his second yellow card of the game for a clumsy challenge on Dejan Stankovic . Klose , who is chasing Brazilian striker Ronaldo 's record of 15 goals in World Cup tournaments , had earlier been booked for catching Branislav Ivanovic 's ankles , and suspension will now rule him out of Germany 's final group game against Ghana on June 23 . But Klose appeared to be a victim of some fussy refereeing by Spanish official Alberto Undiano Mallenco , with seven other players also picking up bookings for minor offences . Germany came close to equalizing in the last minute of the half following a series of corners when Sami Khedira slammed a shot against the bar but Serbia 's defenders scrambled away the rebound . Serbia , one of Europe 's most impressive sides in World Cup qualifying , had seemed happy to concede possession and defend deep in the early stages with German midfielders Khedira and Mehsut Ozil struggling to find space in the center . Podolski flashed an early volley wide of the Serbian goal and Thomas Mueller combined neatly with Bastian Schweinsteiger on 30 minutes to play in Klose , but the German striker was called offside before putting the ball into the net . Serbia 's main threat came from Krasic down the right , with Holger Badstuber and Philipp Lahm both picking up bookings for fouls on the CSKA Moscow midfielder . Aleksandar Kolarov went close from the second of those , clipping a freekick from the edge of the penalty area just wide of the post . Germany pressed hard for an equalizer early in the second half and looked to be back in the game when Serbian defender Nemanja Vidic was punished for a handball in the penalty area in a virtual repeat of the incident that saw his side concede a penalty in their opening defeat by Ghana . But Podolski 's low shot was solidly blocked by goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic diving to his left . Podolski had already twice gone close , flashing a shot across the goal from Ozil 's defense-splitting pass and then shooting into the side netting after being set up by the same player . Serbia almost increased their lead on 66 minutes when the ever dangerous Krasic cut in from the left to set up Jovanovic but the striker 's low placed shot bounced to safety off the inside of the post . Zigic then glanced the top of the bar with a header , again from a cross from the right by Krasic .
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Milan Jovanovic scores for Serbia from close range in first half . German striker Miroslav Klose sent off for second yellow card . Serbian goalkeeper Stojkovic saves Lukas Podolski 's second half penalty . Loss is Germany 's first defeat in World Cup group stage since 1986 .
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-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- Nokia has taken Apple to task for comments made by Steve Jobs about how users experiencing reception problems on their new iPhone 4 devices should `` avoid holding it that way '' -LRB- `` that way '' meaning a grip that blocks the antenna -RRB- . The maker of Symbian-based smartphones authored a post on its blog called `` How do you hold your Nokia ? '' -- featuring step-by-step instructions on a variety of grips such as `` the cup , '' `` the balance '' and `` the four edge grip . '' The company goes on to note , `` One of the main things we 've found about the one billion plus Nokia devices that are in use today is that when making a phone call , people generally tend to hold their phone like a ... well , like a phone . '' Obviously , this is all a jab at the iPhone -LRB- though Apple is never specifically mentioned -RRB- and its supposed reception issues , as Nokia concludes its post by writing : `` Of course , feel free to ignore all of the above because realistically , you 're free to hold your Nokia device any way you like . And you wo n't suffer any signal loss . Cool huh ? '' On a more serious note , however , you may recall that the two companies are currently embroiled in patent lawsuits and looking to keep the other 's devices out of the U.S. . That seems unlikely to happen any time soon , but for the moment , at least we have a fun aside in the battle between the two companies . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
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A post on The Official Nokia Blog is titled `` How do you hold your Nokia ? '' `` People generally tend to hold their phone like a ... well , like a phone , '' the blog says . The two companies are currently embroiled in patent lawsuits .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After a severe earthquake centered in Pakistan 's Kashmir province killed more than 70,000 people in 2005 , teams from a nonprofit architecture group based in London , England , helped the region start to rebuild . The group , Article 25 , worked with local craftspeople to develop a design that could withstand earthquakes and trained them to build the structures . That experience may provide some lessons for the rebuilding of Haiti , where Article 25 is also planning to help with reconstruction , according to Robin Cross , an architect who is the organization 's director of projects . As in Haiti , at least some of the death and injury in Pakistan stemmed from local building methods . `` The important point is that it is n't generally earthquakes that kill people , '' Cross said . `` It 's generally buildings that kill people . Building design is a way to solve that problem . '' In Pakistan , Article 25 worked with local craftspeople to determine the best way to build structures that could withstand quakes and then helped train people to build them . `` By the time we built 80 to 100 buildings and we pulled out , we were leaving not just buildings , but also a capacity to build , '' Cross said . `` Each building we built there was the site of a training exercise for a team of workers -- concrete workers , carpenters , roofers , plasterers , '' said Cross . `` They have obviously been able to take these skills away . In the long run the idea was that we would do ourselves out of a job . '' Cross spoke to CNN on January 29 . CNN : What is the role of architects in planning the rebuilding of Haiti , based on your experience in Pakistan ? Robin Cross : At this point , the focus is rightly on relief , and the provision of water , food and medical care , the basic life support system . ... What we wo n't be doing is clogging up that quite strained delivery system with the bricks and mortar of longer-term reconstruction . But there is going to come a point very shortly when minds need to turn to longer-term construction planning , and that 's where architects and engineers have a role to play . Our work in Pakistan began quite soon after the earthquake . But the important factor is that it 's still ongoing , that we need to be there for the long run . ... What we were doing there was working with local NGOs -LSB- non-governmental organizations -RSB- , particularly with Muslim Aid , to identify the most vulnerable members of the community who could most benefit from our architectural and design skills , and could n't afford to buy in their own construction expertise , and would be most marginalized and vulnerable in the future . So we worked with Muslim Aid to develop a series of earthquake-resistant buildings which could then be delivered on a range of different sites . We put people in the field to provide quality assurance , to make sure that the buildings that were built would be earthquake-resistant . After a disaster there 's an enormous demand for reconstruction , a demand for materials , designers , particularly builders -- so they will tend to be drawn very rapidly into high-value commercial work , which could leave less financially strong people without access to building skills . That could lead to them building in a poor and unsafe way , so you get into a very dangerous cycle of vulnerability . By building the capacity of local work teams to build , you enable people to build for themselves and break that cycle of vulnerability . CNN : What kind of buildings did you build ? Cross : We were intent on providing an earthquake-resistant home design . ... The buildings are a lightweight frame construction , which means they are able to flex in the event of an earthquake . We adopted the dhaji dewari technique , an indigenous technique developed out of the materials in that landscape . We adapted it and improved its details to make it more earthquake-resistant . ... CNN : How much do these houses cost ? Cross : Approximately # 4,000 -LSB- about $ 6,300 at current rates -RSB- per house . That compares very well with the equivalent house in concrete block , which would normally be used . It is n't just safer than a concrete-block equivalent but it 's also more economical and it 's quicker to deliver . CNN : What 's it made of ? Cross : It 's made of lightweight timber frame with many cross-facing elements , and the gaps between cross-facing elements are infilled with stones and mud and then rendered over with mud . What that generates is a design which flexes when the earthquake strikes , the energy of the earthquake is dissipated through the many framing elements of the building , and the energy is lost in the friction between the timber and the stone infill . ... A concrete-block building which is n't able to flex is more apt to collapse . ... The other thing that 's worth mentioning is that the buildings have a lightweight roof . In the worst eventuality , if the roof collapses , if it 's lightweight , it 's much less likely to kill people . ... CNN : What similarities are there between the building styles in Pakistan and Haiti ? Cross : I have n't yet been to Haiti , and we 'll be undertaking our first visit as soon as conditions really allow that to happen , which I think will be in February or early March . But what I think we will find is that there will be an equivalent vernacular tradition in Haiti from which we can learn a lot . I 'm sure the problem that we saw in Pakistan is shared in Haiti -- in that concrete buildings have been built poorly , without adequate technical supervision , and have proved very vulnerable to the earthquake . A good architect will never decide at a distance what the right technical approach would be , because it 's always important to understand the location . ... So when we go to Haiti , the first thing we will do will be to carry out participation workshops with the local communities , to carry out a needs assessment but also a skills assessment ... so we design the right buildings , appropriate to the materials available and the skills that are present . CNN : It 's still early , but how do you assess the need in Haiti compared to the need in Pakistan ? Cross : All of the information we have at the moment suggests that the need is even greater in Haiti . In Pakistan , the earthquake did enormous damage , but there was still a strong national government , relatively strong local government and a strong military presence in the Pakistan army with which we could collaborate . In Haiti those institutions were already weak and in many cases have been destroyed by the earthquake . The partnerships which we would look to build with local governments may be much harder . ... There 's likely to be an even greater role for strong strategic planning and long-term thinking from architects . ... I should say that you should never see Haiti as a blank slate . You look at the images , you think the damage is so great , it 's a clean sweep -- but you should never see it as a blank canvas on which to impose a master plan from London or North America . There remains in Haiti a social infrastructure , an economic infrastructure , even in the slum areas there 's an economically vibrant infrastructure . It 's those threads of the community infrastructure that we need to find and build a new Haiti around . So all of our work starts with community participation and is part of empowering the local community and making sure that what we design is compatible with their objectives . ... One of the big problems immediately after this kind of disaster is the lack of long-term investment . The funding for short-term relief is good and is needed , but very often at the point of about a year , that funding just falls off a cliff . That 's what I 'm hoping will be improved on in the Haiti response .
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Earthquake centered in Kashmir region of Pakistan killed more than 70,000 in 2005 . London-based nonprofit provided architectural help to start rebuilding . Robin Cross says lightweight framing was used to build earthquake-resistant houses . He says good building design can lessen the toll of an earthquake .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Netherlands came from a goal down to beat 10-man Brazil 2-1 in their World Cup quarterfinal clash in Port Elizabeth on Friday . An early goal from Robinho had put Brazil in command , but in the second half the Dutch drew level when Wesley Sneijder 's cross was deflected into his own net by Felipe Melo . Inter Milan 's Sneijder then headed his team ahead in the 68th minute after Arjen Robben 's corner had been cleverly flicked on by Dirk Kuyt . A miserable afternoon for Melo was completed when he was sent off for stamping on Robben . The Dutch will play either Uruguay or Ghana in the semifinals , but for Brazil and coach Dunga it is a bitter defeat . `` We are all responsible for this situation but I have the greatest responsibility , '' he told AFP . The inspirational Sneijder was surprised to score the winner with a rare headed goal . `` This was my first header here , I do n't think it will happen again , but it was great , '' he told AFP . `` The ball slipped on my bald head and went into the net , a great feeling . '' The 26-year-old added : `` If you can eliminate Brazil , one of the best teams in this championship the first feeling is relief , we always believed in it . '' A Dutch victory had looked unlikely as the five-time World Cup champions took charge from the start . Melo found Robinho with a precise pass through a static Dutch defense and he made no mistake as he swept his shot past Maarten Stekelenburg in the 10th minute . Further chances fell to the Brazilians as Dani Alves set up defender Juan who blazed his volley over . The best move of the match involving Robinho and Lus Fabiano saw Kaka draw a brilliant save from Stekelenburg , while right back Maicon shot into the side netting on the run as half-time approached . There seemed no way back for the Dutch , but a 53rd minute aberration from Brazil keeper Julio Cesar turned the tide of the match . He totally missed Sneijder 's left-footed cross from the right and the unfortunate Melo saw it brush his body before finding its way into the net . More poor defending allowed Sneijder to give the Dutch the lead and when Melo was deservedly shown red it was the end of the line for the South American champions . Only a strong run and shot by Kaka which was deflected away offered them much hope and they might have fallen further behind to Dutch counter attacks .
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The Netherlands beat Brazil 2-1 in World Cup quarterfinal in Port Elizabeth . Robinho put Brazil ahead but an own goal by Felipe Melo saw the Dutch level . Wesley Sneijder scores winner for the Dutch in 68th minute . Melo sent off soon afterwards for fouling Arjen Robben .
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Charleston , West Virginia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He was raised an orphan of the West Virginia coal mines years before the Great Depression . On Friday -- as his body made a final return to the state he loved -- Sen. Robert C. Byrd was remembered as a political titan , champion of the poor , and defender of the Constitution . Political leaders from both parties and every corner of the country came together at the start of the Independence Day weekend to pay homage to America 's longest serving member of Congress , who died Monday at the age of 92 . President Barack Obama , former President Bill Clinton , Vice President Joe Biden , House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell were among the mourners who gathered at a memorial service in Charleston for the veteran legislator . Byrd was `` somebody who knew how to keep the faith with his state , with his family , with his country and his Constitution , '' Obama said , standing before a packed , sun-splashed state capitol . `` His life bent towards justice ... -LRB- and -RRB- immeasurably improved the lives of West Virginians . '' He `` possessed that quintessential American quality , '' Obama said . `` And that is a capacity to change , a capacity to learn ... and a capacity to be made more perfect . '' Victoria Kennedy , the widow of Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy , said her husband considered him `` a modern incarnation of ancient virtues . A Roman of West Virginia . '' `` Someone will take Robert Byrd 's seat , '' she said . `` But no one will ever take his place . '' Byrd , who first entered Congress at the end of the Truman administration , was known as a master of the Senate 's arcane rules and a staunch defender of congressional power . His speeches often were laced with poetry and references to the Greek and Roman classics . He typically punctuated his remarks by the brandishing of a well-worn pocket copy of the Constitution . Over the course of his long public career , Byrd came to be `` seen as the very embodiment of the Senate , '' Obama said . But `` his passion for the Senate 's past ... was not an obsession with the trivial or the obscure . '' It was born of a recognition of the fact that `` we are not a nation of men . We are a nation of laws . '' Byrd also was known as the `` King of Pork , '' using powerful positions in Congress to steer federal spending to his home state -- one of the nation 's poorest . Much of that funding famously went toward infrastructure improvements , most notably road and bridge construction . Clinton recalled an occasion when , soon after he became president , he told Byrd that `` if you pave every single inch of West Virginia , it 's going to be much harder to mine coal . '' Byrd , in response , said that `` the Constitution does not prohibit humble servants from delivering whatever they can to their constituents . '' Byrd 's remains lay in repose in the Senate chamber on Thursday -- a rare honor accorded to only two other senators since World War II . His casket was displayed on the same catafalque used for Abraham Lincoln , John F. Kennedy , Ronald Reagan and Thurgood Marshall , among others . `` The Senate was Robert C. Byrd 's cathedral -LRB- and -RRB- West Virginia was his heaven , '' Biden said Friday . `` There 's not a lot of hyperbole in that . '' Obama has ordered flags on federal buildings to fly at half-staff through Tuesday , except on Independence Day . A proclamation issued by the president said the order was given `` as a mark of respect for -LRB- Byrd 's -RRB- memory and long-standing service . '' Byrd will be buried Tuesday after a funeral service in Arlington , Virginia . CNN 's Alan Silverleib contributed to this report .
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West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd is honored at memorial service . Obama , Biden , Pelosi , Reid and McConnell are among the mourners . Obama : The arc of Byrd 's life `` bent towards justice '' Byrd is to be buried Tuesday .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Natalie Montanaro , 52 , a research assistant from the College of Charleston , South Carolina , volunteered for the U.S. Peace Corps and moved to Romania in May 2009 . Now , more than a year later , Montanaro lives in the small rural community of Brusturoasa , a collection of five villages in the north-east of the country with a population of around 3,000 . Steeped in tradition and religion , life in rural Romania is a far cry from Charleston , as Montanaro explained to CNN : . `` It 's very old world . There are many animals -- chickens , horses and cows . You have to watch out what you 're crossing in front of on the street , especially the cows ! '' Read about Montanaro 's travels on iReport . Montanaro works at the village 's three schools , teaching English to students from kindergarten to grade eight . On top of lessons she gives afternoon conversation classes and teaches the students computer skills after school . But the project closest to Montanaro 's heart is the international cooking day she hosts once a month for the 12 to 15-year-old students . `` They learn about different ways of preparing meals , healthy choices , food safety , kitchen methods , terms , tools , and other things like cooperation , timing , dinner conversation and how to set an entertaining table , '' she said . With no supermarket in the village Montanaro has transformed her garden into a thriving vegetable patch . She explained to CNN : `` I 've planted a garden with spinach , artichokes , red lettuce , rosemary , leeks , peppers and basil , to name just a few . `` We will use these along with other garden staples like potatoes , carrots , onions , tomatoes , eggplant and cucumbers to make more dishes this summer that they have n't had a chance to taste yet , '' she said . For Montanaro , becoming a Peace Corps volunteer has been a life long ambition and one she has not regretted . `` For me , my service has been a blessing . I have been able to fulfil a promise , realize many dreams , live among kind people , learn from others about new traditions , share culture and time with people who are now my friends , '' she told CNN . `` The children are wonderfully expressive , thoughtful , intelligent , and spirited and the beauty that I 've seen here during my days as a Peace Corps volunteer makes everything worthwhile . ''
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Natalie Montanaro volunteers for the U.S. Peace Corp in the rural community of Brusturoasa . She lives with a host family in the village and the Peace Corps pays her rent . With no close supermarket Montanaro relies heavily on the produce from her garden .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The daughter of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has been axed by a BBC television show after she made an offensive `` off-air '' remark , the corporation has confirmed . Margaret Thatcher -LRB- left -RRB- and her daughter Carol Thatcher in Southampton , England in June 2008 . According to reports in the British media , Carol Thatcher referred to a tennis player as a `` golliwog '' back stage during the filming of The One Show last Thursday . The remark was made about a male tennis player taking part in the Australian Open tournament in Melbourne . The term is an offensive word for black people used in several countries . She was immediately challenged about her gaffe but dismissed it as a `` joke . '' The BBC said it considered `` any language of a racist nature wholly unacceptable , '' before adding that it had hoped Thatcher , 55 , would issue an unconditional apology but she had declined to do so . The remark is thought to have upset a number of people on the show , with one BBC spokesman quoted by The Times newspaper as saying : `` We will no longer be working with Carol Thatcher on The One Show . '' However , the corporation said on its Web site that she would not be banned from the BBC as a whole . Thatcher 's agent is now demanding an apology from the BBC , the corporation reported Wednesday . Meanwhile , Thatcher 's spokesman told The Times Wednesday that she made the remark in a conversation with the show 's presenter Adrian Chiles back stage . `` Carol never intended any racist comment , '' he said . `` She made a light aside about this tennis player and his similarity to the golliwog on the jam pot when she was growing up . There 's no way , obviously , that she would condone any racist comment -- we would refute that entirely . It would not be in her nature to do anything like that . `` It is disgusting that we 've had a leak of private conversations in the green room -- the BBC has more leaks than Thames Water . '' The Golliwog first appeared as a character in an 1895 book , `` The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls , '' described by author Florence Kate Upton as `` a horrid sight , the blackest gnome . '' Based on a black minstrel doll Upton played with as a child , the character inspired early 20th-Century dolls by several manufacturers and was used as the trademark of James Robertson & Sons , a British jam and preserve maker , in the early 1900s . The term `` wog '' became a widely used racial slur for dark-skinned people that grew in popularity among some Britons during World War II . As late as the 1960s , soldiers in Great Britain 's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders military regiment wore a brooch of one of the Robertson characters for each Arab they killed , according to the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Big Rapids , Michigan . The term `` golliwog '' is used as racial slur in Germany , England , Ireland , Greece and Australia , according to the museum 's Web site . Carol Thatcher , a winner in 2005 of reality television show `` I 'm A Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here ! , '' was a regular contributor on the BBC prime-time show .
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Carol Thatcher referred to a tennis player as a `` golliwog '' backstage . Thatcher , 55 , described her comment as a `` joke '' BBC axed her as a contributer from the prime-time television show . Thatcher spokesman : `` Carol never intended any racist comment ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama battle over who has the best approach to national security , a new CNN poll finds Americans ' concerns about terrorism have hit an all-time low for the post-September 11 era . A poll finds fewer Americans fear an imminent terror attack than at any time since September 11 , 2001 . According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday , 35 percent of Americans believe a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States is likely over the next several weeks . The figure is the lowest in a CNN poll since the September 11 , 2001 , al Qaeda attacks , which killed nearly 3,000 people . Between 2002 and 2006 , summertime polls typically showed that a majority of Americans believed that a terrorist attack was likely . Last summer , that figure dropped to 41 percent . This summer , it dropped another 6 percentage points . The latest CNN poll also indicates that the war in Iraq remains deeply unpopular . Three in 10 voters favor the war , while 68 percent oppose it . Similarly , a third of voters would like to see the next president keep the same number of troops in Iraq that are stationed there now . See how the poll numbers stack up '' For McCain , who is seeking to highlight his national security credentials and has staunchly defended the U.S. presence in Iraq , the latest poll results may not be viewed in a positive light . `` Sen. McCain 's greatest strength is in foreign policy , particularly his reputation as the candidate best able to fight the war on terror , '' said Keating Holland , CNN 's polling director . `` As the threat of a terrorist attack continues to recede in the mind of the American voter , the state of the economy and other domestic issues are likely to become even more important . That would be good news for Sen. Obama , since the Democrats currently beat or tie the Republicans on every issue except terrorism . '' Another potential problem for McCain may be found in President Bush 's latest job approval ratings . According to the survey , 30 percent of Americans approve of how Bush is handling his job , while 68 percent disapprove of Bush 's job performance . These numbers are roughly consistent with the president 's approval ratings over most of the last two years . They also reinforce the need for the presumptive Republican nominee to create an impression of distance and distinction between himself and Bush . Democrats , on the other hand , are eager to tie McCain to the unpopular outgoing president and portray his possible election as the equivalent of a third Bush term . The poll , conducted Thursday through Sunday by phone , surveyed 1,026 adult Americans and carries a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points .
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CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey finds fewer Americans think attack imminent . Percentage who expect attack is lowest since September 11 , 2001 . Survey also finds strong opposition to Iraq war , current troop levels in Iraq . Numbers could indicate challenge for Sen. John McCain 's presidential campaign .
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London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Unemployment in the 16-member eurozone -- countries that use the euro currency -- is at 10 percent , the European statistics agency said Friday . Unemployment in the 27-member European Union is at 9.6 percent , Eurostat said . Both rates are for May and are unchanged from the previous month , Eurostat said . An estimated 23.127 million people are unemployed in the European Union , Eurostat said . The lowest unemployment rates among European states were in Austria and the Netherlands , where they are 4 and 4.3 percent respectively . The highest rates were in Latvia , with 20 percent ; Spain , with 19.9 percent ; and Estonia , with 19 percent , Eurostat said . Youth unemployment is at 19.9 percent in the eurozone and 20.5 percent in the wider European Union , it said . The lowest rate is in the Netherlands , with 8.1 percent youth unemployment , and the highest rates were in Spain and Estonia , with 40.5 and 39.8 percent respectively .
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10 percent unemployment for eurozone , 9.7 percent for wider EU . Both rates unchanged from previous month . Latvia , Spain , Estonia have highest unemployment . Austria and Netherlands have the lowest rates .
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Lima , Peru -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hours after he spoke to a judge for the first time about his daughter 's killing , Stephany Flores ' father told family and friends at a memorial service that he hoped others would learn from her death . Ricardo Flores said Wednesday he had sheltered his children too much from the evils of the world . `` Sometimes we 're wrong , and I have been wrong a lot . Because I have permitted my kids to know the good , and not the bad . My kids have everything , but also we have to take away from them sometimes , '' he said . `` Do n't commit the error that I made . '' Authorities say 21-year-old Stephany Flores was killed a month ago . Dutch citizen Joran van der Sloot was charged with first-degree murder and robbery after authorities found Flores ' body in a Lima , Peru , hotel room registered to him . Ricardo Flores , who helped search for his daughter when she did n't come home May 30 after a night out at a casino , gave a formal statement about the facts surrounding the case to a judge Wednesday . Later in the day , about 300 people gathered at a Lima temple for the memorial service . Peru 's National Police Chorus sang `` Eternal Love '' while a slideshow of photographs flashed on a projector screen . Longtime friends remembered Stephany Flores as `` a great friend '' with a `` contagious smile . '' Stephany Flores came from a privileged family , but was a humble person who was extremely giving , friends told CNN . She once wrote a list of 23 businesses that she wanted to do well in , and then checked them off one by one as she decided whether she was really interested in pursuing them . At the time of her death , Flores had told her friends she was the happiest she had ever been , they said . Van der Sloot was twice arrested in connection with the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005 , but he has not been charged in that case . Police said van der Sloot admitted that he attacked Flores on May 30 after she read an e-mail in his computer connected with the Holloway case . After killing Flores , police say , van der Sloot took money and bank cards from her wallet and fled to Chile , where he was arrested June 3 . He was returned the next day to Peru . Van der Sloot is being held at the Miguel Castro Castro Prison in a high-security area where only two of the 10 cells are occupied . He has no contact with the general prison population . Van der Sloot 's attorney filed an appeal Wednesday to a ruling that upheld the admissibility of his client 's confession and the legality of his detention . In Session 's Nancy Leung contributed to this report .
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Ricardo Flores , slaying victim 's father , hopes others learn from daughter 's death . Hours before , he spoke to a judge for first time about case . Stephany Flores was killed one month ago . Joran van der Sloot is charged in slaying .
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San Francisco , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jurors wrapped up deliberations Friday and will continue next week in the racially charged murder trial of a white former police officer in Oakland , California , accused of killing an unarmed black man . Jurors deliberated for nearly three hours Friday afternoon without reaching a verdict in the case against Johannes Mehserle . Mehserle , a former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer , is accused of shooting 22 - year-old Oscar Grant dead on a California train platform on January 1 , 2009 . The jurors will resume their deliberations Tuesday morning ; court is closed Monday due to the extended holiday weekend . Closing arguments concluded earlier in the day Friday . Mehserle could be found not guilty , guilty of murder , or guilty of a lesser offense like manslaughter . The shooting was captured on a bystander 's cell-phone video camera . The video was widely circulated on the internet and on news broadcasts , and it spurred several protests and riots in and around Oakland . The trial was moved from Alameda County to Los Angeles due to pre-trial publicity . Bay Area Rapid Transit police were called to Oakland 's Fruitvale station on January 1 after passengers complained about fights on a train . Officers pulled several men , including Grant , off the train when it arrived at Fruitvale . The video showed Mehserle pulling his gun and fatally shooting Grant in the back as another officer kneeled on the unarmed man . Mehserle has said at the trial that he intended to draw and fire his Taser rather than his gun , CNN affiliate KTVU eported . Mehserle resigned his position a few days after the incident and was later arrested in Nevada . He was released on a $ 3 million bond . Meanwhile , police in Oakland are bracing for riots as a verdict nears in the racially charged trial . An Oakland police department website has messages from the police chief and the mayor of Oakland warning people to stay calm . `` We anticipate that regardless of the verdict reached by the jury , demonstrations could occur in downtown Oakland , and potentially throughout the city , '' one of the messages said . `` We will not tolerate destruction or violence . We live here , and we love Oakland . We understand that the community is grieving , and we are in this together . We will get through this together . '' Grant 's family filed a $ 50 million wrongful death lawsuit against the officers involved in the incident . In January , the transit system agreed to pay $ 1.5 million to settle the suit . The money will provide financial support to Grant 's young daughter .
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NEW : Jury deliberations to continue Tuesday . Oakland police and mayor are warning people to be peaceful . A former police officer is accused of shooting unarmed man .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A bill that requires cruise ships to tighten security measures and report alleged crimes is awaiting President Obama 's approval . The Senate on Wednesday passed the Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act , after it received broad bipartisan support in the House with a vote of 416-4 last year . Peepholes on cabin doors , rails no lower than 42 inches and information packets on how to report crimes are some of the changes commercial cruise passengers can expect to see after the legislation takes effect . Ships built after the legislation 's passage also must be equipped with security latched and time-sensitive key technology . The bill , authored by Rep. Doris Matsui , D-California , and Sen. John Kerry , D-Massachusetts , applies to all ships that dock in U.S. ports . Those ships will also be required to immediately report incidents to the FBI or the U.S. Coast Guard , whether the incident occurs on the high seas or at port . `` Current law does n't pass the test of providing common-sense security measures to the traveling public or to help protect them from crimes committed aboard ships , '' Matsui said in a statement Wednesday . `` Moreover , current law does not provide the support victims and their families need in the event of a disaster . This legislation is critical to providing the security and safety measures that all Americans need and deserve . '' The legislation originated with a letter from one of Matsui 's constituents , who said she was raped during a Royal Caribbean cruise by a crew member in February 2006 . Laurie Dishman , who has gone public with her story before Congress , claims representatives of the cruise line made her collect sheets and clothing from her room and put them in a plastic bag . They did nothing more to help her , she said , and the FBI later told her that it would not investigate further because without proper evidence , it was simply a `` he said/she said '' case , according to her testimonial on the internationalcruisevictims.org . Since then , a number of high-profile alleged assaults , disappearances and homicides have helped earn support for the legislation , Matsui spokeswoman Mara Lee said . Last year , a Los Angeles-area man was charged in July with murder in the death of his wife while on a cruise along the Mexican coast , and an Alabama woman celebrating her 50th birthday disappeared from a Carnival Holiday cruise ship . Among the provisions in the bill related to sexual assaults : Ships are required to carry rape kits and a supply of medications to prevent STDs , along with medical staff trained to deal with assaults . The legislation also requires cruise ships to provide passengers with free , confidential access to 24-hour sexual assault hot lines . Vessels also must keep a log of incidents and contact the nearest FBI field office `` as soon as possible '' after a homicide , kidnapping , assault or disappearance of a U.S. national is reported . `` Safety protections in this bill will significantly reduce passengers ' risk of sexual assault and expand the rights of those sexually assaulted on board , '' said Scott Berkowitz , president and founder of the Rape , Abuse & Incest National Network . `` By connecting cruise passengers with the support services available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline and Online Hotline , this legislation provides a vital lifeline for victims on cruise ships . '' Matsui 's office worked with the cruise ship industry in crafting the legislation , spokeswoman Lee said . `` Having a law that 's not going to be carried through would n't make sense , so we 've worked with them to make very common-sense requirements that they can put in place , '' she said . Many of the requirements have already been implemented by the cruise ship industry , which has been working for years to improve passenger safety , said Oivind Mathisen , editor and co-publisher of the trade publication Cruise Industry News . `` This basically means that procedures that they have been implementing for the last several years have been formalized , '' he said . `` The industry supports it because it 's in its best interest that procedures are set down , so in case something happens , everybody knows what to do and there are no gray areas . '' Mathisen said negative backlash against the industry generated by the disappearances of newlyweds and young revelers is undeserved at times , considering that anywhere from 12 million to 15 million people board commercial cruises each year . `` If you look at the total numbers , relatively few people are lost at sea . In the big picture , the numbers are small . But we understand that when you lose a loved one , there 's not enough the industry can do to prevent it from happening again . ''
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Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act calls for peepholes on cabin doors , higher ship rails . Ships must carry rape kits , STD medications , medical staff to treat sex assault victims . Bill also requires cruise ships to quickly report incidents to FBI , keep detailed logs . Legislation applies to all commercial cruise ships that dock in United States .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- New York City already had the highest cigarette taxes in the nation , and a new state law that went in to effect Thursday pushed the price of smoking even higher . The state legislature on Monday approved a bill adding an additional state tax of $ 1.60 to every pack . The bill , which was signed into law by Gov. David Paterson , raised the state tax to a total of $ 4.35 per pack . New York City smokers pay an additional municipal tax of $ 1.50 per pack , so the new tax increase means that smokers in the city will pay $ 5.85 per pack in taxes . That drives the average local retail price up to nearly $ 11 per pack , according to some estimates . And it makes for the highest state-local tax whammy on tobacco in the country , according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids . Chicago is the runner-up at $ 3.66 per pack in taxes , according to the organization . `` I am about to quit because it 's getting ridiculous -- who can afford this ? '' Coney Island resident Louis Torres , 24 , said in response to Thursday 's new per-pack price tag . And that 's just the kind of response anti-tobacco groups are hoping for . But for some New Yorkers , the elevated prices are not as important . When asked whether he would continue to buy cigarettes Jason Mallor , 40 , said , `` Probably . We 're all puppets here . '' He said he has been smoking for 20 years . Carrie Thompson , 28 , reacted to the new price tag by saying , `` I should quit now ... I get that cigarettes are bad . I do n't understand why they are so expensive here , we 're in the most expensive city . '' The tax hike is aimed at generating an additional $ 440 million in 2010-2011 tax revenue to support health care programs . David Sutton , a spokesman for Altria Group , parent company for tobacco company Philip Morris , said he was `` extremely disappointed '' with the increase that makes New York 's cigarette tax `` far and away the highest in the nation . '' `` This huge tax increase will make the present contraband cigarette crisis in New York State much worse , '' he said in a recent e-mail to CNNMoney.com . `` And it will likely not raise the revenue projected , as it will provide even greater incentives for consumers to purchase contraband cigarettes to avoid paying these extremely high taxes and will cause further loss of business to New York retailers selling state-taxed cigarettes . '' -- CNN 's Monika Plocienniczak contributed to this report .
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New state law adds additional tax $ 1.60 per pack to existing state tax . New York City also has tax of $ 1.50 per pack . Smokers in the city now paying $ 5.85 per pack in state and local taxes . State hopes to raise revenue ; tobacco industry fears price hike will drive smokers to black market .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As many as 200,000 state workers in California could see their pay scale slashed to minimum wage , if orders from the governor 's office are followed . In a letter to the state controller Thursday , Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger 's administration ordered the department to reduce the payment of state workers to the hourly rate of $ 7.25 unless a budget is reached soon . `` These are preparations for the prospect of not having a budget passed this month , '' said Lynelle Jolley with the California Department of Personnel Administration . Without a budget , the July payroll , sent to go out the end of the month , would be cut , she said . `` This is not a scare tactic , '' she said . `` This is based on a very real legal requirement . '' The legal requirement was ordered in 2003 , when the California Supreme Court ruled that the state controller had no legal authority to pay wages in the absence of a budget . `` His role is to process the payroll that we give him , '' Jolley said . But the state controller disagreed . `` I will not be following the governor 's orders , '' John Chiang told CNN Radio , calling the governor 's actions dangerous . `` I do n't understand why we would continue to impose greater hardships upon the good workers here in California and delay the economic recovery that needs to take place as soon as possible . `` It 's my responsibility to protect the state 's pocketbook , '' Chiang said , `` and even though the governor is trying to fix a budget , he understands that he had that opportunity , he still has that opportunity , and he should not put people in harm 's way . '' Chiang said he is willing to work with the governor to come up with a better solution . The wage cut directive would not affect state employees who already have a contract , Jolley said . `` Thirty-seven thousand employees are under a contract that protects them , and the state is currently in negotiations with its largest state employee union , the Service Employees International Union , '' she said . That union has as many as 95,000 workers , she said . If the governor 's order is followed , the pay cut would take effect this month , according to Jolley . The workers will get their missed wages once a budget is enacted , she said . CNN 's Patty Lane contributed to this report .
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As many as 200,000 state workers face pay cuts . Gov. Schwarzenegger orders salaries to be cut to $ 7.25 an hour . Directive would not affect state employees with contract . ` This is not a scare tactic , ' official says .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More oil than what would fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool slipped by the cap on BP 's ruptured undersea well due to bad weather on Friday , said Coast Guard Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft . The cap on the well in the Gulf of Mexico , bouncing in the rough conditions , captured 20,000 barrels -LRB- 840,000 gallons -RRB- fewer than anticipated , Zukunft said . Bad weather has also prevented skimming or burning for the past two days , displaced boom and made it unsafe to fly , he said . Crews are standing by to resume skimming operations and survey inland waterways that may have seen impacts due to a storm surge . Shoreline cleanup operations continue with limited weather interruption . For the 12-hour period from noon Thursday until midnight , approximately 9,515 barrels of oil were collected and about 4,150 barrels of oil and 28.6 million cubic feet of natural gas were flared . Thursday 's total oil recovered was approximately 25,150 barrels . High winds account for the cap 's `` wobble , '' said Mark Proegler , a BP spokesman . He noted that forecasters expect rough seas to calm a bit this weekend . The oil is more likely to move east than west along the coastline and , if it rides on the Loop Current , could reach the southwestern Florida coast in a degraded form , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report released Friday . The Loop Current flows northward between Cuba and Mexico 's Yucatan peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico , then U-turns and flows out between Cuba and Florida into the Atlantic Ocean . NOAA predicts that there 's up to an 80 percent that the Florida Keys , Miami and Fort Lauderdale will be affected by the disaster , depending on the weather conditions , currents and recovery efforts . It would reach the shore in the form of tar balls or weathered patches -- not as a slick . The western side of Florida is highly unlikely to be hit , NOAA projected . Hurricane Alex whipped up strong winds and waves before it made landfall in northeastern Mexico late Wednesday night . With Alex fading , many in the Gulf states were hoping they could get back to cleaning up the massive oil spill . The dangerous storm had created choppy seas in the Gulf of Mexico and caused hundreds of oil skimmers to be docked . `` We had to stand down because of the storm activity . Now that oil has been spewed all over the Chandeleur Islands , '' Craig Taffaro , the president of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana , said Thursday . `` We are going out again tomorrow to start cleaning it up . We have to go back out , basically start over . '' Newly retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen announced Friday that since June , the skimming capability in the Gulf has increased more than fivefold -- from approximately 100 large skimmers to 550 skimming vessels of various sizes working to collect oil in all parts of the region as of today.To date , 28.2 million gallons of an oil-water mix has been skimmed from the Gulf 's surface . Shoreline cleanup operations continued Friday with limited weather interruption . The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency , Lisa P. Jackson , planned to tour parts of the Gulf Coast on Friday , a day after her agency gave BP a new directive on how to deal with the clean-up of the massive oil spill . Jackson will hold a town hall meeting in New Orleans and tour areas of Pensacola , Florida , on Friday , which is her sixth trip to the area since the April 20 oil disaster , the EPA said . On Thursday , the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard issued a directive to BP on how the company should manage recovered oil , contaminated materials and waste recovered in cleanup operations in the Gulf of Mexico . Among other requirements , the directive requires the oil giant to give the EPA and state agencies access to any waste storage site and to provide specific plans , waste reports and tracking systems for liquid and solid waste . `` While the states of Louisiana , Alabama , Mississippi and Florida are overseeing BP 's waste management activities and conducting inspections , this action today is meant to complement their activities by providing further oversight and imposing more specific requirements , '' the Coast Guard said Thursday . `` Under the directive , EPA , in addition to sampling already being done by BP , will begin sampling the waste to help verify that the waste is being properly managed . '' Waste sampling to date has been done in compliance with EPA and state regulatory requirements , the Coast Guard said . Researchers have estimated that between 35,000 barrels -LRB- about 1.5 million gallons -RRB- and 60,000 barrels -LRB- about 2.5 million gallons -RRB- of oil have been gushing into the Gulf every day since April 20 , when the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and sank off the coast of Louisiana .
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NEW : Containment cap bounced , allowing 20,000 barrels to get by . NEW : Skimming and burning halted , Coast Guard says . NEW : Loop Current could deposit degraded oil on Florida coast . EPA toured coast Friday after giving BP new cleanup directive .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A bedbug outbreak at two trendy New York retail shops has sounded the alarm among city residents and businesses , prompting calls for the city to examine how it deals with the prickly pests . Hollister , a popular clothing store owned by Abercrombie & Fitch in the fashionable Soho neighborhood , remained closed Friday after a bedbug infestation was found earlier in the week , according to company spokeswoman Iska Hain . And an Abercrombie & Fitch store in South Street Seaport also has been closed by an infestation . Abercrombie and Fitch said Friday afternoon the problem in the SoHo Hollister store had been taken care of and the shop will reopen Saturday morning . `` The company has requested guidance from the mayor 's office on how businesses in Manhattan should deal with this issue , '' the company said in a news release . `` In the meantime , the company 's first priority continues to be its customers and associates . '' The incidents mirror a sharp overall spike in bedbugs in recent years , yet efforts to combat the problem have mostly focused on residential buildings , leaving the issue of contamination in commercial spaces largely ignored . `` We 've had them in banks , grocery stores , movie theaters , judge 's chambers , schools , dentists ' offices -- everywhere , '' said Jeff Eisenberg of PestAway , an exterminating company in Manhattan . The problem , according to Eisenberg , is that bedbugs carry a stigma , which causes many cases to go unreported . `` It 's like a do n't ask , do n't tell policy , '' he said . `` People do n't tell their employers that they have bedbugs in their house '' -- bedbugs that can hitch a ride to the workplace . According to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development , it issued 4,811 violation notices to residential landlords for bedbug infestations in 2009 , compared with 82 in the 2003-2004 fiscal year . For the first half of 2010 , 1,976 bedbug violation notices have already been written . However , such statistics represent only a fraction of bedbug cases in the city , as they come almost exclusively from buildings in the rental market . Owners of bedbug-infested residences are less likely to call 311 , the city 's non-emergency hotline , which then notifies the Housing Preservation Department . Further , landlords of commercial structures are currently not obligated to report bedbug infestation . State Assembly member Linda B. Rosenthal , who recently sponsored legislation to require landlords of apartment buildings to disclose information about an apartment 's bedbug history to potential tenants , plans to address the matter of bedbugs in businesses , though she admits doing so will be tricky . `` People buy a shirt , leave it hanging in their apartment , a bug gets on it , and then they go to work . '' Rosenthal told CNN . `` If you buy a piece of clothing you should assume it 's bug free , but it 's hard on the retailer to assure that it is , because how would they know . '' Treating bedbugs can be extremely expensive , and no insurance policies cover them . `` It would be cost prohibitive on both sides , '' Rosenthal said . The rise in bedbug cases is not exclusive to New York . Last year , the federal Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a bedbug conference in Arlington , Virginia . Speaking to a crowd of 230 academics , agency employees and exterminators , Dale Kemery , an agency spokesman , said the incidence of infestation in the United States has tripled since 2005 . Despite their name , bedbugs need not live in beds . They generally live within 10 to 20 feet of their hosts and avoid light , preferring the dark security of spaces behind headboards , under baseboards and behind hanging pictures .
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Bedbug infestation shuts down 2 stores in upscale Manhattan areas . The critters have become a growing problem in recent years . Emphasis so far has been on residences , but the bugs can hitch a ride to work . Despite the name , bedbugs need not live in beds .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two high-ranking public officials were shot and killed in Mexico late Wednesday , making for four such attacks in the past two weeks . Three of the deadly assaults happened this week . In Oaxaca state , Mayor Nicolas Garcia Ambrosio and Council Member Angel Perez Garcia were assassinated Wednesday evening in the city of Santo Domingo de Morelos , the government-run Notimex news agency reported . A few hours later , gunmen shot and killed the deputy attorney general for the Mexican state of Chihuahua and one of her two bodyguards , the mayor of Ciudad Juarez said on Thursday . La Linea , the armed wing of the Juarez Cartel , claimed responsibility for killing prosecutor Sandra Ivonne Salas Garcia , said Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz . Oaxaca is in southwestern Mexico and Chihuahua is in northern Mexico , on the border with Texas . Two other political assassinations occurred in recent days . Front-running Tamaulipas state gubernatorial candidate Rodolfo Torre Cantu and a state legislator were gunned down Monday morning near Ciudad Victoria . Tamaulipas , also a a border state , has seen some of the bloodiest violence in Mexico in recent months as the Zeta and Gulf cartels fight for supremacy . In Chihuahua , criminals shot and killed Guadalupe Mayor Jesus Manuel Lara Rodriguez on June 19 as his wife and child watched . He was a vocal opponent of the drug cartels . Some observers say there 's little doubt the assassinations are linked to the run-up to elections Sunday for 12 state governorships and municipal and state posts . `` Yes , at least some of this clearly is related to the elections , '' said Andrew Selee , director of the Woodrow Wilson Mexico Institute . `` If you shoot somebody , it 's because you do n't want that person to arrive -LSB- in office -RSB- . '' Samuel Logan , an expert on Latin American gangs and founding editor of the Southern Pulse intelligence report , said criminals are choosing which candidates they can not tolerate . `` It 's evidence of the reach that organized crime has in the political realm , '' Logan said . With so many offices at stake Sunday , `` you have so many possibilities for peddling influence , '' said Logan , who recently wrote a book on the Mara Salvatrucha gang of Central America and is working on a book about the Zetas , which has emerged as Mexico 's most ruthless drug cartel . `` You have to settle the scores one way or another , '' he said . `` If you do n't work for us , we 're going to kill you . '' John Mill Ackerman , an author and professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico 's Institute of Legal Research , said he sees two possible scenarios . `` What the cartels need is government protection , '' Ackerman said . `` They are ready to knock off anybody who refuses to reach an agreement with them or who agrees with the other group . '' Ackerman said he has no way of knowing what happened in Tamaulipas . Selee said he believes the fighting may have taken a toll on the cartels . `` There are several drug-trafficking organizations that are on the ropes and they are striking back , '' Selee said . `` But without knowing the facts of these killings , it 's hard to know . '' Analysts and politicians say each case must be viewed independently . `` I do n't know if you can connect all the dots to each other , '' Selee said . `` They are different criminal groups -LSB- who have committed the assassinations -RSB- , '' said Reyes , the Juarez mayor . `` We ca n't say that they have reached an agreement in doing this . '' Reyes knows better than most the dangers of serving as a public official in Mexico . In March , authorities discovered a decapitated pig 's head wrapped in a blanket . In the macabre package , they found a death threat against Reyes . The next Juarez mayor , who will be elected Sunday , will take office October 9 . It 's a date that ca n't come quickly enough , Reyes said with a nervous-sounding laugh . Asked how he 's dealing with the ever-present danger , he said , `` With much caution . '' The mayor said he is `` taking all necessary precautions '' and has offered protection to all the candidates in the city . Chihuahua state and Ciudad Juarez , across the border from El Paso , Texas , have emerged as the major battleground among cartels seeking access to lucrative drug-running routes into the United States . The Mexican federal government said in April that 22,700 people have died in the country since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels shortly after taking office in December 2006 . Calderon 's offensive was a major departure from the way Mexico dealt with drug cartels . `` There 's no more wink wink , nod nod . Sell your drugs but make sure there 's no blood on the streets , '' Logan said . Nowhere in Mexico are the streets bloodier than in Ciudad Juarez , where there have been more than 4,300 slayings in less than four years . Juarez is the largest city in Chihuahua state , where the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels have been killing each other at a record pace . The city of Guadalupe , where the mayor was killed earlier this month , is in Chihuahua . The deputy attorney general killed Wednesday night also worked in Chihuahua . In February , gunmen ambushed the mayor of the Mexican municipality of Guadalupe y Calvo in southern Chihuahua state . Killed were Mayor Ramon Mendivil Sotelo and one of his bodyguards . Even the police in Chihuahua do n't feel safe . Juarez Police Chief Robert Orduna resigned in February 2009 after receiving death threats . For an increasing number of officials in recent days , those threats have become reality . `` We are seeing for the first time a major uptick in the past few months against elected officials and candidates , '' Selee said . `` It 's related to the intensifying conflicts among the cartels . '' Analysts agree that the violence will continue . And it does n't much matter who is doing it , some say . `` I do n't really care who claims responsibility for it , '' Logan said . `` The bottom line is that this guy was killed . ''
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There have been four deadly attacks against public officials in two weeks . Three of the attacks were this week . Analysts see link to elections Sunday in 12 states . Chihuahua and Tamaulipas are bloodiest states .
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Beirut , Lebanon -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hezbollah 's spiritual leader , Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah , has been hospitalized in Lebanon and is in `` critical condition , '' a source in his office told CNN . The hospitalization comes after widespread rumors circulating in Beirut that Lebanon 's top Shiite leader has been ill and may not live much longer . Fadlallah was born in 1935 in the Shiite holy city of Najaf , Iraq , and completed his Quranic studies there , according to his website . He has lived in Lebanon since the 1960s and became a spiritual leader of Hezbollah after it was founded in 1982 in response to an Israeli invasion . In recent years , however , Fadlallah had become distanced from Hezbollah 's Iran-influenced leadership . His views on various topics , including the role of women , are laid out on his website and are considered liberal for a Shiite cleric . But he never swayed from his criticism of Israel . In a letter penned to President Barack Obama last year , Fadlallah said : . `` The size of support and cover-up provided by your country for the Zionist entity has become known . This entity was established on the land whose people were uprooted by the power of iron and fire . The subsequent American policies have contributed to the loss of the Palestinian cause , despite the ratification of many Security Council resolutions . '' The United States considers Hezbollah , which has close ties to Iran and Syria , a terrorist organization . The Shiite group is a major provider of social services in Lebanon but also operates a militant wing . CNN 's Nada Husseini contributed to this report .
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Grand Ayatollah Fadlallah is hospitalized in Beirut , source says . He was closely associated with Hezbollah when it formed almost 30 years ago . Recently , he has become distanced from the group 's leaders . The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cristie Kerr is the first player from the United States to top the women 's world rankings after her runaway victory in the LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club in New York . Kerr carded a six-under final round 66 for a 19-under 269 total , leaving her 12 shots clear of the best in women 's golf . It was a record victory margin in the LPGA Championship , beating the 11-shot win for fellow American Betsy King in 1992 . Kerr was claiming her 14th career victory on the LPGA Tour and winning her second major after the 2007 U.S. Open . She led from start to finish as rounds of 68 , 66 and 69 left her eight shots clear going into Sunday 's final round . `` It 's a dream performance , '' Kerr told the official LPGA Tour website . `` It 's like you wake up or you dream -- I ca n't even speak right now . Winning by two or three is great , but winning by 12 shots is ridiculous . It 's obscene . '' Kerr made sure of her victory by following six straight pars with three birdies in four holes around the turn . South Korea 's Kim Song-Hee finished second with Japan 's Ai Miyazato tied for third with South Korea 's Shin Jiyai . Miyazato still leads the official money list after winning four times this season , but Kerr has overtaken her at the top of the official world rankings . She went into the major in fifth spot . Miyazato , who needed to finish in second place to keep top spot was impressed with Kerr 's performance . `` That 's almost too good , '' Miyazato said . `` She 's just amazing . I played really good , too , but she is just better than me . '' The close race for world number one will continue at the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic in Ohio next weekend , but Kerr will skip the tournament to rest ahead of the U.S. Women 's Open on July 8 . Kerr is fully aware she will now come under pressure for the top ranking . `` I 'm there now , but I have to prove that I deserve to be there , '' Kerr said . `` So there is still a lot of work ahead . But it feels awfully good right now . ''
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Cristie Kerr tops women 's world rankings after winning LPGA Championship . Kerr is the first player from the United States to achieve the honor . Japan 's Ai Miyazato finishes tied for third but loses top spot to Kerr .
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Baghdad , Iraq -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Three mortar rounds struck harmlessly inside Baghdad 's Green Zone on Sunday night during a weekend visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden , U.S. and Iraqi officials said . No damage or injuries were reported from the bombardment , which occurred about 10:30 p.m. Sunday -LRB- 3:30 p.m. ET -RRB- . The district , formally known as the International Zone , houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy . But there were no injuries or damage reported from the shelling , Iraqi Interior Ministry and U.S. officials told CNN . The district was a frequent target of rocket and mortar attacks during the worst of the war that followed the U.S. invasion in 2003 . A similar attack struck during a Biden visit in September . Biden landed in Iraq on Saturday to celebrate the U.S. Independence Day holiday with American troops , the White House said . He also met with Iraqi political leaders , including Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki , and with former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi , whose political coalition narrowly won an election in March . Iraqi political factions are still negotiating who will lead the new government following that vote . Biden told them after their meeting that `` you must have all voices represented in this government for it to be successful , '' and noted later that a country 's second election -- not its first -- is `` the most important election in a country 's history . '' `` Now there 's a new parliament that 's been seated , and when the new government is formed , it will mark something absolutely extraordinary -- a peaceful transition of power encompassing all the people of Iraq , maybe for the first time in their history , '' Biden said during remarks Sunday at Camp Victory , the U.S. base near Baghdad 's airport . And Biden said the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq will continue as scheduled , with the pullout expected to be complete by the end of August . But he said 50,000 Americans will remain to train and support Iraqi forces , and the United States will remain engaged with Iraq `` diplomatically , politically , economically , culturally -LRB- and -RRB- scientifically . '' CNN 's Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report .
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No injuries or damage reported after attack . A similar attack hit during a 2009 visit by Vice President Joe Biden . The American vice president met with Iraqi leaders . U.S. withdrawal remains on schedule , Biden says .
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Alexandria , Virginia -- Two suspects charged with having served as deep-cover Russian agents living in the United States have told investigators they are Russian citizens and have been living under false identities , according to a court document released Friday . A letter from prosecutors opposing bail for the suspects said that the man known as Michael Zottoli is really a Russian named Mikhail Kutzik . The government also said the woman known as Patricia Mills is a Russian citizen named Natalia Pereverzeva . Prosecutors said that the couple waived their rights to remain silent and made the admissions soon after being arrested at their Arlington , Virginia residence over the weekend . The two were living as a married couple and have two small children . The government document also said searches of the couple 's home and two safe-deposit boxes they rented revealed that they contained cash , passports and other identity documents bearing their false identities . Investigators said they found $ 80,000 in one of the safe-deposit boxes . It was divided into eight unmarked envelopes , each of which contained $ 10,000 in what appeared to be new $ 100 bills , they said . The document said another safe-deposit box rented by the two held $ 20,000 along with passports and other documents bearing their fake identities . Prosecutors said a laptop found in the couple 's home had been brought from Russia to the United States by a co-conspirator and given to Zottoli , as court papers referred to him , in March . The revelations are contained in a letter from federal prosecutors opposing bail for the couple and for another suspect named Mikhail Semenko . The pair and Semenko remain in custody in Northern Virginia . They waived their rights to ask for bail in hearings at U.S. District Court in Alexandria , Virginia on Friday afternoon . Zottoli and Mills , as court papers called her , appeared in court wearing dark-green jail jumpsuits emblazoned with `` prisoner '' on the back of each . They did not speak to each other in court . They spoke only to give their assent when the judge asked if they realized they were waiving their rights to ask for bail . Prosecutors had hoped to get the suspects moved quickly to New York to stand trial with seven others arrested in the case . But attorneys for the three requested a preliminary hearing a judge scheduled for July 7 . Semenko appeared at a separate hearing afterward . He too was dressed in a green jail jumpsuit . He spoke quietly with a slight Russian accent when asked if he understood he was relinquishing his right to ask for bail . Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan ordered that the three continue to be held in jail and cited the government 's contention they are dangers to the community and a flight risk . Following the court proceedings , CNN asked Semenko 's attorney Daniel Lopez why he wanted a preliminary hearing for his client . `` He 's entitled to a preliminary hearing , '' replied Lopez . The defense attorney indicated the government would be expected to reveal more of its case against his client at the preliminary hearing on Wednesday . CNN 's Carol Cratty contributed to this story from Alexandria .
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Couple reveals they had given authorities false names . They and a third suspect in Russian spy ring case ordered held . Preliminary hearing set for July 6 . The 3 are among 11 suspects in the case .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two men have been arrested in California in connection with a string of brazen attacks in the past six months thought to be targeting law enforcement . Nicholas Smit , 40 , is being held on allegations of making a booby trap , assault with intent to murder a police officer and possession of a firearm while on bail , Hemet Police Chief Richard Dana said Saturday . Also arrested was Steve Hansen , 36 , for possession of a firearm while on parole . Authorities are investigating whether he may be involved in seven attacks believed to have targeted members of the Hemet Police Department since December . No one has been injured in the attacks . The arrests came after police served search warrants on the men 's homes in Hemet and Homeland on Friday night , Dana said . At least two more suspects are being sought , and a $ 200,000 reward for information in the case is up for grabs as the investigation continues , he added . The police chief would not comment directly on a possible motive but said one of the suspects made comments during his arrest suggesting that `` he does n't like us very much , '' Dana said . The arrests come less than a week after a suspected arson damaged a police evidence lab , the latest attack aimed at the department , according to authorities . The booby trap-style attacks have drawn the attention of state and federal law enforcement agencies , which have contributed manpower to the investigation and money to the $ 200,000 reward . `` Clearly , an attack on one community is an attack on all communities . By the same token , an attack on a police officer puts all of the public at risk , no matter where they live , '' said Riverside County Sheriff Stanley Sniff Jr. , whose department is participating in the investigation . Authorities have not been able to directly connect the attacks to a particular gang or organized crime , Dana said , even though most of the attacks have targeted members of an organized crime task force . Hemet is one of eight local , state and federal agencies that make up the Riverside County Gang Task Force , which was formed in 2006 to address the growth of criminal street gangs and outlaw motorcycle gangs . The attacks began in December , when , police say , a natural gas line was rerouted into the task force 's headquarters , risking an explosion . On February 23 , a task force member at the Hemet headquarters opened a security gate outside the building , which launched a homemade zip gun attached to the gate . The weapon fired , missing the officer 's head by inches . Subsequent incidents included four city vehicles being set ablaze in the City Hall parking lot and a suspected arson at a police shooting range . `` My personal opinion is that the same people are connected with all of them , but the investigation is not over , '' Dana said .
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Man arrested on allegations of making booby trap , assault with intent to murder officer . At least two more sought in booby trap-style attacks believed to target police . Suspect 's comments during arrest suggest `` he does n't like us very much '' police chief says . Seven attacks since December have targeted police in Hemet , California , authorities say .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When Katy Wilson was born with Down syndrome , doctors told her mother that the infant likely would never walk or talk . Katy Wilson says she wants her athletic successes to surprise people and give them hope . She sure showed them . Wilson , now 29 , has won two international gold medals in the Special Olympics for her gymnastic abilities . She turns cartwheels for her floor routine and does acrobatics on the balance beam . She also goes on public speaking tours . `` Most of all , I love doing speeches because I want them -LSB- the audience -RSB- to be surprised just how good my speeches are , '' she said by phone . Wilson 's story -- and countless other stereotype-bending stories like it -- is possible in part because of the dogged vision of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and the Special Olympics organization she founded more than four decades ago . Shriver , who died Tuesday , started the organization as a sports camp for special-needs kids and adults in her backyard in Maryland in 1962 . The camp , in part , was inspired by the life of Shriver 's sister , Rosemary Kennedy , who had an intellectual disability . The Special Olympics has grown from that small camp into a global organization that helps 3 million athletes with Down syndrome , autism and other intellectual disabilities compete for medals in an array of sports . Her legacy will live in the stories of hope and against-the-odds success she made possible through the Special Olympics . See photos of Eunice Kennedy Shriver '' `` She helped forever alter how people with intellectual disabilities are viewed and treated and respected , '' said Amie Dugan , a spokeswoman for the Special Olympics . `` This is a population that 40 years ago they were beyond marginalized . They were disenfranchised from society . `` It was considered the status quo ... to put them in an institution and never think about that again . And she changed all of that . She brought them out into the light . '' An estimated 200 million people in the world live with intellectual disabilities . That population was largely unseen and voiceless in 1968 when Shriver stepped to the microphone to announce the start of the first Special Olympic Games at Chicago 's Soldier Field . `` In ancient Rome , the gladiators went into the arena with these words on their lips , '' she told the 1,000 athletes in the stadium . '' ` Let me win , but if I can not win , let me be brave in the attempt . ' '' In 2007 , the most recent Special Olympics World Summer Games were held in Shanghai , China . More than 7,000 athletes competed . The sports competitions are held in the winter and summer on four-year intervals , just like the Olympic Games ; people from countries as far-flung as Tunisia , Rwanda and Sri Lanka participate in events that include skiing , volleyball and track and field . Before the program , people with intellectual disabilities were only told what they could not accomplish , said David Tolleson , executive director of the National Down Syndrome Congress . `` Special Olympics emphasizes what folks can do , and it does it in a manner that 's fun and exciting and it offers a sense of community both within the family of those with developmental disabilities as well as with the greater community at large -- the volunteers who come in and have some of their misconceptions or preconceptions cast aside when they realize how much people with developmental disabilities truly are capable of , '' he said . The program continues to expand its global reach , but in many places , people with intellectual disabilities lack basic human rights , said Dugan . Thomas Webb , a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. . Foundation fellow who studies public policy and intellectual disability , said it 's still a challenge in the United States to integrate people with disabilities into mainstream society . No one knows all of the solutions , but Shriver and the Special Olympics have had `` significant impact '' on peoples ' lives , he said . Coming from the athletic Kennedy family , Shriver realized the wide-ranging benefits of sports , said Dugan . `` It 's just a fun way to bring people with intellectual disabilities and their non-disabled peers together , '' she said , `` because everyone enjoys competition and fun and exercise and getting out there . '' The fun translates into experience that helps Special Olympians build communities of friends and succeed in the workplace , advocates and athletes said . Melissa Stokes , 26 , started playing sports with the Special Olympics when she was 8 . She now is a volunteer Special Olympics ski coach in the Denver area and works as an assistant at the Special Olympics of Colorado office . `` We 're like a little family , '' she said of her ski team . She added : `` Because we have special needs does n't mean we ca n't do stuff . We can still accomplish a lot . '' More than half of Special Olympians in the U.S. are employed , according to the organization , compared with an estimated 10 percent of the intellectually disabled population at large . Jeanne Wilson , the mother of the gymnast with Down syndrome , started tearing up when she recounted the moment she saw her daughter -- whose future once looked so uncertain -- standing atop an awards podium with a gold medal draped around her neck . `` It was just amazing because that really gave her confidence . And I do n't think people realize how much it means to a young person who you might have thought did not have a future or might not ever have a chance to walk , '' she said . `` To see her doing a routine on balance beam or a floor routine is pretty amazing . '' Katy Wilson , who lives in Gainesville , Georgia , continues to train as a gymnast . She also goes bowling with a group of Special Olympians most Fridays . They call themselves the Alley Kats , and Wilson describes the bowlers as some of her best friends . `` I love bowling because it is so much fun being out there being able to have friends , '' she said . `` It 's exciting to do bowling because I get a lot of scores . '' When she 's not in training , Wilson works at a steakhouse as a hostess . `` I get their coffee , I get their bread , I get their drinks , I do the silverware , I sweep up , I do the hostess , '' she said . `` Oh , I love the job because everybody 's so nice to me , especially the managers , they give me hope and they 're so excited to have me there and I 'm so happy to be there with them . '' As a global ambassador for the Special Olympics , Wilson tours the country telling people about her life story . She says she hopes it reminds them that everyone can succeed with a positive attitude . She grew up watching her sister do cartwheels as a cheerleader . She modeled her life in her sister 's image , but she forged a life that 's all her own .
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Eunice Kennedy Shriver started Special Olympics in her backyard in 1962 . Special Olympics has grown into a global organization that helps 3 million athletes . An estimated 200 million people live with intellectual disabilities worldwide . Says one athlete : `` Because we have special needs does n't mean we ca n't do stuff '
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Americans gear up for the Fourth of July weekend , coastal areas affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are working hard to keep beach-bound travelers informed . Here are some of the latest updates from destinations affected by the oil disaster : . Northwest Florida . A health advisory was issued Thursday for all beaches in Escambia County , including Pensacola Beach , Perdido Key and parts of the Gulf Islands National Seashore , according to the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau 's website . Extensive oil sheen , tar balls and mousse prompted the advisory urging visitors to avoid contact with oil on shore and in the water . The water along the Santa Rosa Sound on the north side of Santa Rosa Island remains open for swimming . iReport : Share your photos of affected beaches . The Okaloosa County Health Department withdrew a health advisory issued June 24 for Destin beaches . `` The oil impacts on our beaches are intermittent and can change within hours or within a day due to the dynamic nature of the currents and changing wind directions , '' the department said in a news release rescinding the advisory . The department urges visitors to avoid entering the water when oil is present . Large amounts of oil washing ashore prompted the Walton County Health Department to issue a health advisory Wednesday for beaches in Topsail Hill State Park , according to the area 's Tourist Development Council . All of the county 's beaches remain open , the council 's website said . Meanwhile , small , scattered tar balls and oil patches have affected Panama City Beach , but the beaches and water are open , the area 's visitors bureau website said . iReport : A slick trip to Perdido Key . Oil has not been reported onshore in the state beyond northwest Florida , according to Visit Florida , the state 's tourism corporation . Alabama . Stronger winds and surf from Tropical Storm Alex have increased oiling on Gulf Shores and Orange Beach , according to the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau . `` While the storm does not directly affect our area , it is having an impact on the amount of oil reaching our shores and limiting the ability for cleanup , '' the bureau 's website said . The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued an advisory against swimming in waters off Gulf Shores , Orange Beach and Fort Morgan , and in bay waters close to Fort Morgan , Bayou St. John , Terry Cove , Cotton Bayou and Old River . Waters off beaches flying double red flags are officially closed . Last week , the department also issued a no-swimming advisory for Dauphin Island and the Mississippi Sound . Mississippi . South Mississippi beaches experienced significant oiling on Sunday and Monday , according to the Mississippi Gulf Coast visitors bureau . Advisories have been issued for two areas along the beaches in Jackson and Harrison counties . The beaches are not closed , but state officials `` advise people to be aware of their surroundings while recreating . '' Visitors should avoid contact with oil . Gulf Islands National Seashore . All of the Gulf Islands National Seashore sites , which are in Florida and Mississippi , are open , the National Park Service 's website said . But several spots have been affected by the oil spill , and a public health advisory is in effect parkwide . `` If you see or smell oil in the water or on the beach , avoid contact with water and report it to the nearest lifeguard or park ranger , '' the park service 's website said . Grand Isle , Louisiana . The oil 's biggest impact in Louisiana is on the portion of the coast from the mouth of the Mississippi River extending east , according to a state emergency website . `` Most of the Louisiana Gulf Coast , 70 percent , is unaffected by the oil spill and remains open for commercial and recreational fishing , '' according to the Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau website . Grand Isle has closed its public beach , the site said .
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Health advisory issued for Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key beaches in Florida . Mississippi beaches experienced significant oiling earlier this week . Health officials have issued advisory against swimming in Alabama Gulf waters .
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Pocantico Hills , New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Oil-tainted seas , oxygen-deprived zones , overfishing , mercury poisoning ... these days , the search for safe and ethical seafood is enough to unnerve any pescetarian . For chefs , it does n't just mean crossing another fish off our menus . The question has become how do we keep fish on the food chain ? I found one answer last year , at a fish farm called Veta la Palma . Veta la Palma is in southwestern Spain , at the tip of the Guadalquivir River . Until the 1980s , the land was in the hands of the Argentineans . They once raised cattle in what were essentially wetlands , and they did it by draining the land . They built a series of canals and siphoned the water off the land and into the river . But they could n't make it work . Economically and ecologically , it was a disaster . In draining the land , they killed 90 percent of the bird population . And so in 1982 , a company with an environmental conscience purchased the land . What did they do ? They reversed the direction of water flow in the canals ; they literally flipped the switch . Instead of using the channels to pump water out , they pulled water in , flooding the canals and creating a 27,000-acre fish farm of sea bass , mullet , eels , shrimp and sole . In doing so , the company reversed the process of ecological destruction . The farm is incredible , with hundreds of miles of flooded canals and thick marshland , teeming with life . I stood there not so long ago with Miguel Medialdea , Veta la Palma 's head biologist . According to Medialdea , it 's such a rich environment that the fish eat what they 'd be eating in the wild . Because the system is so healthy , it 's totally self-renewing . But Veta la Palma is not just a fish farm ; it 's also a bird sanctuary . Today there are 600,000 birds on the farm from 250 species . It 's become one of the most important private estates for bird life in Europe . You might think a thriving bird population is the last thing you 'd want on a fish farm -LRB- Veta la Palma loses 20 percent of fish eggs and baby fish to the birds -RRB- , but for Medialdea , it 's a point of pride and a testament to the company 's success . `` We farm extensively , not intensively , '' he told me . `` It 's an ecological network . So the healthier the birds , the better the system . '' But the truest measure of their success is much simpler : flavor . Veta la Palma 's fish was the most delicious I 'd ever tasted , starting with the skin . I do n't like fish skin -- not seared or crispy . I almost never cook with it . Yet when I tasted it at Veta la Palma , it tasted not at all like fish skin . It tasted sweet and clean , like taking a bite of the ocean . I mentioned it to Medialdea , and he nodded . `` The skin acts like a sponge , '' he explained . `` It 's the last defense before entering the body , and it evolved to soak up impurities . But there are almost no impurities in our water . '' And that 's an understatement . The water flows into the canals from the Guadalquivir River , carrying all the things rivers tend to carry these days -- chemical contaminants and pesticide runoff -- and when it flows back out , it 's cleaner than when it started . The system is so healthy it purifies the water . The purification is not just for the fish , but for us as well . That river water eventually dumps into the Atlantic . Sure , it 's a drop in the bucket , but I 'll take it . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dan Barber .
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With compromised , overfished seas , Dan Barber puzzled over how to keep fish on food chain . He says he visited fish farm in Spain that restored water flow , fish populations to wetlands . The farm is ecologically balanced , with abundant fish and 250 bird species , he says . Barber : The farm 's system is healthy again -- and the fish it produces are delicious .
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Orange Beach , Alabama -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- On Thursday evening , a boat returned to its dock without its captain -- his vibrant personality and smile gone . On the dock was a wreath memorializing the Gulf fisherman known as `` Rookie . '' His family and friends say `` Rookie , '' whose real name was Allen Kruse , was stressed beyond belief by the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf . On Thursday , a coroner ruled his sudden , tragic death a suicide . Kruse , 55 , a charter boat captain who had been hired by BP to help clean Gulf waterways and render them safe , died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Wednesday on board one of his own vessels . `` Most definitely a suicide , '' said Rod Steade Sr. , deputy coroner for Baldwin County , Alabama . `` No question about it . '' Kruse shot himself with his own gun , kept on board his boat , which was also named `` Rookie . '' He sent two of his deckhands on an errand before killing himself . He did not leave a note , and none of his friends suspected he would do something so extreme . `` He must have had his demons , '' said Captain Bryan Watts . For 14 days , Kruse had been using his boats to haul protective boom off of Alabama 's shores , instead of captaining them on the hunt for snapper and amberjack . A charter boat fishing captain for 26 years , he -- like countless other Gulf fishermen -- found his passion and his career threatened by the undersea oil gusher . `` The day that oil entered the Gulf , my phone quit ringing , '' he said last month in a television interview . Kruse told his family that he believed the Deepwater Horizon oil spill had effectively killed his livelihood as well as the ocean . `` He just thought it was over , '' said brother Marc Kruse . `` He said , ` the Gulf 's dead . ' ... There was no hope that the fishing was ever going to come back ... not in his lifetime . '' Marc Kruse and another brother , Frank Kruse , told CNN they believe Allen Kruse would still be alive today if he had believed he was making an impact against the oil that was threatening the waters he loved . `` If he thought they were doing something that was working , that was effective , they were making a difference , yes , but every day there was a different meeting with a different plan , '' said Frank Kruse , referring to BP 's program to enlist out-of-work fishermen . Allen Kruse did n't have much choice but to join the program , his brother said -- he used to make between $ 5,000 and $ 6,000 a day chartering his two boats , income that had ceased . So , he signed his boats up for the BP program , known as `` Vessels of Opportunity . '' He worked for two weeks straight , his family says , but had n't been paid . Allen Kruse called the program `` madness , '' they said , and told relatives it was a sham . His brothers said he told them that cleanup boats were put in the water close to shore , so people would think they were making a difference . `` It 's just a dog and pony show , '' said Marc Kruse . `` Send them out . Ride around . Let everybody see them . Bring them back in . '' A BP spokesman did not return CNN 's calls for comment . The company has repeatedly said it 's doing everything it can to fund and facilitate cleanup efforts , and cap the ruptured deepwater well . Government estimates say up to 60,000 barrels oil could be gushing daily . Anxieties and frustrations are increasing among Gulf residents over the ongoing oil disaster , according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . The department says it 's concerned about an increase in depression and the potential for more suicides . `` We 're all going through a lot of stress , '' said Tom Ard , president of the Orange Beach Fishing Association and a close friend of Allen Kruse . `` Just stress , starting a new job with BP . It 's something we 've never done before , being in the oil business , so we 've got a lot on our plate . We 've all been stressed out , '' he said . And others might buckle under the strain : `` We worry about that every day , '' said Captain Ben Fairey , one of Allen Kruse 's friends . `` There 's a lot of people on the edge . We feel hopeless . We feel helpless . We do n't feel like there 's an advocate out there , '' said Tony Kennon , mayor of Orange Beach , a close-knit fishing community . `` We 're bringing in and asking all the preachers and all the churches to step up and help . We have a weekly meeting at lunch on Wednesdays where we invite the entire community in for support . BP is there to ask questions . Folks vent , '' he said . `` But the big thing is we have to love each other . We 've got to be there for each other . We ca n't let go . We ca n't give up . '' Still , Allen Kruse 's death could be about more than oil . Fairey said the past few years have n't been easy for anyone in Orange Beach . `` This has been a long-term situation , '' Fairey said . `` This started in 2004 , with a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan , then the next year was Katrina , then skyrocketing fuel prices , fishing regulations , then an oil spill . This has been six years that this area has really suffered a lot of stress . '' Still , nothing has hit as hard as the oil spill , which has robbed fisherman of their ability to make a living -- and now , of their friend . CNN 's David Mattingly and Anderson Cooper contributed to this report . Watch Anderson Cooper 360 ° weeknights 10pm ET . For the latest from AC360 ° click here .
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Authorities : 55-year-old boat captain committed suicide . Allen Kruse had been helping with BP cleanup for past two weeks . Captain did not leave note , but relatives say oil disaster devastated him .
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Havana , Cuba -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cuba has created a `` climate of fear '' among political activists and journalists working on the island nation , according to a report released Wednesday by the human rights group Amnesty International . `` The laws are so vague that almost any act of dissent can be deemed criminal in some way , making it very difficult for activists to speak out against the government , '' Kerrie Howard , the group 's deputy Americas director , said in a statement . The London-based organization reported that the country 's court system and penal codes are used to stifle dissent and urged the government to release what it identified as 53 `` prisoners of conscience . '' The Cuban government was not immediately available for comment but has traditionally viewed dissidents as mercenaries in the pay of foreign governments . Cuba points to a series of clandestine actions by the United States that it says were designed to topple the country 's leadership and overthrow a government installed by former Cuban president Fidel Castro in 1959 . The Amnesty report described the resulting 48 year-old U.S. trade embargo against the communist government as a `` lame excuse '' that Cuban leaders use to justify violating human rights . Amnesty acknowledged that its reporting is based on `` independent sources . '' It has no first-hand research on the island since being banned by the Cuban government in 1990 . The country 's human rights record came under intense scrutiny earlier this year after jailed Cuban dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo died following a prolonged hunger strike . Zapata 's death sparked international condemnation from Europe and Washington and drew a rare statement of regret from Cuban President Raul Castro . But a recent series of transfers of prisoners to jails closer to their homes , and the release of two political dissidents , have raised questions about whether Cuba is slowly changing policy toward its political prisoners . Last week 's release of jailed activist Darsi Ferrer follows a meeting between President Castro and Vatican Foreign Minister Dominique Mamberti , whose visit came amid signs of growing influence by Cuba 's Roman Catholic Church . In May , Cuba 's Roman Catholic cardinal , Jaime Ortega , described a rare four-hour meeting with President Castro as a `` magnificent start '' to talks centered around the potential release of some of the island 's jailed dissidents . Church officials and human rights groups continue to express their desire for more prisoner releases .
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Amnesty says Cuban government has created `` climate of fear '' Group says laws are so vague almost any dissent is illegal in some way . Prisoner transfers , releases seem to hint at policy change . Catholic Church 's influence apparently growing .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Germany laid down their World Cup title credentials with a ruthless 4-0 thrashing of 10-man Australia in Durban on Sunday . Australian attacker Tim Cahill was sent off for a dangerous tackle early in the second period when the score was 2-0 . The result put Joachim Low 's injury-hit team top of Group D on goal difference from Ghana , who earlier beat Serbia 1-0 . A late penalty by Asamoah Gyan gave Ghana a deserved victory in the opening Group D match played in Pretoria . Germany 4-0 Australia . Forwards Lukas Podolski , Miroslav Klose , Thomas Muller and Cacau all scored for the three-time champions in the most one-sided match of the tournament so far . Who 's creating a World Cup Twitter Buzz ? `` Everything worked well and it is important that things went well in the first game , '' Klose told AFP . `` We have earned some respect . You could see that we had fun playing football out there . '' The Germans have reached at least the quarterfinal of each of the last seven World Cups and appear destined for another successful tournament after a scintillating display . After Richard Garcia had given Germany an early scare , Joachim Low 's side almost went ahead when Klose was sent racing through on goal , but he fired his shot straight at Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer . Moments later , Muller found space inside the box and pulled the ball back for Podolski , who fired a first-time shot through the palms of Schwarzer and into the roof of the net . Garcia and Jason Culina both had half chances for the Australians before Klose almost gave Germany a 2-0 lead . Playmaker Mesut Ozil , one of the game 's outstanding players , fed the ball to Podolski , whose low cross was fired wastefully wide by the unmarked Klose . But Klose did not have to wait long for his 11th goal in World Cup finals . Lahm whipped in a fine cross from the right and the Bayern Munich striker darted in ahead of Schwarzer before planting his header into the top corner . Australia made a bright start to the second period and were denied a penalty when the ball appeared to strike the hand of Germany defender Per Mertesacker . Moments later Brett Holman worked some space for himself but dragged his left-footed shot wide . After 55 minutes , Australia were reduced to 10 men when Cahill clattered into Bastian Schweinsteiger and was shown a straight red card by Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez . That decision effectively ended the game as a contest and it was no surprise when Germany extended their lead , as Muller swivelled inside the area and planted a low shot off the inside of a post . Brazilian-born substitute Cacau was the next to get on the scoresheet , turning in a low cross from Ozil . Low 's men cruised their way through the rest of the match to record their sixth straight victory in the opening game of a World Cup . Ghana 1-0 Serbia . Striker Gyan , who plays for French club Rennes , emphatically converted the winner from the spot past Vladimir Stojkovic in the 84th minute to the obvious delight of the partisan crowd . The victory was the first by an African team at this year 's World Cup . Ghana were awarded their penalty after Serbia substitute Zdravko Kuzmanovic needlessly hand-balled a cross which looked to be drifting harmlessly out of his team 's penalty area . Amid delirious celebrations of the African supporters in the Loftus Versfeld Stadium , Serbia struggled to find an equalizer and it was Ghana , the four-time African champions , who should have made it 2-0 before the final whistle . Ghana -- popularly known as the Black Stars -- started the match at a high tempo and created chances throughout the match , never allowing the Serbian defense to settle . This attacking pattern was set early on when Rosenborg midfielder Anthony Annan volleyed the ball wide after two minutes and Ghana 's captain John Mensah headed a free kick wide of the far post in the 19th minute . Ghana continued to press forward in the second half and came closest to scoring when Gyan rose high above the Serbian defense meeting a long throw from John Pantsil , only to head the ball just wide of Stojkovic 's left post . Serbia created fewer chances than their opponents but probably had the better opportunities to score . CNN 's World Sport blog . The giant Serbia striker Nikola Zigic should have given his country the lead in the 58th minute when he met Dejan Stankovic 's cross at the far post but his control let him down and the ball dribbled away to safety . And later , when Serbia had been reduced to 10 men after Aleksandar Lukovic received his second yellow card in the 73rd minute , Serbia squandered a fantastic opportunity to break the deadlock . Striker , Danko Lazovic broke away from Fulham 's John Pantsil on the left goal-line and managed to cut the ball back into the middle of the area which Milos Krasic then struck fiercely at goalkeeper Richard Kingson , who parried the ball to safety . The resulting corner saw Manchester United 's Nemanja Vidic narrowly head over the crossbar . Serbia meet Germany next Friday in Port Elizabeth , while Ghana play Australia in Rustenburg on Saturday .
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Germany thrash Australia 4-0 in their opening game of the 2010 World Cup . Strikers Klose , Podolski , Muller and Cacau all score goals in Durban rout . Australia talisman Tim Cahill is sent off for dangerous tackle in second half . Ghana beat Serbia 1-0 in opening Group D match with late penalty by Asamoah Gyan .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has already claimed many victims -- from pelicans to oyster beds and precious marshland . But there may be one more : a species only just recently discovered . Scientifically known as halieutichthys aculeatus , it is not a thing of beauty . But it lives an anonymous sort of existence on the seabed of the Gulf , some 1,500 feet below the waves and -- like all marine life in the gulf -- plays its role in the food chain . Its more digestible name is the Louisiana pancake batfish . And if oil stays deep under water , the gulf could lose it before it 's even officially recognized as a species . While scientists are uncertain what the long-range effects of the massive spill will be on the gulf 's delicate balance of life and death and its complex food chain , the little-known Louisiana pancake batfish is a case in point of one species whose very existence is in that balance . Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty , an ichthyologist -- otherwise known as a fish biologist -- and assistant professor at Louisiana State University , found himself face-to-face with the little fish during a deep-sea trawl in the gulf with the university last fall . `` We were lucky to get four or five specimen , '' Chakrabarty said . `` The variation we found was enough for me to be convinced that there was something new . '' With a flat , round body resembling a pancake , as its name suggests , this species of batfish does n't really look like a fish . `` If you make an oval between your thumb and forefinger , they 're about that big . Their mouths and bulbous eyes are right in the front of their heads . You ca n't even see their faces if you look from above , '' Chakrabarty said . Not only does it look odd ; it also moves in mysterious ways . The Louisiana pancake batfish uses its foot-like fins , complete with an elbow , to push off the sea floor . Flapping its tail , it swiftly hops across the sand . `` They 're not like a flounder ; they are much more mobile , more like a pancake with feet . They 're bizarre for what they look like and how they behave , '' Chakrabarty said . Pancake batfish spend most of their days resting on the sandy bottom of the gulf . Chakrabarty says it 's impossible to tell how many of them are in existence . `` During my trawl with LSU , we caught probably 100,000 fish and three of them were pancake batfish . It 's a hard thing to guess from that what their population is , but since they 're rare in museums , they 're probably rare in the wild , '' Chakrabarty said . And although it 's not known exactly where they link into the food chain , he said tuna and marlin from the gulf have been found with Louisiana pancake batfish in their stomachs . Even a possibility that one small species could disappear because of waters fouled by oil has scientists pondering what such an event would mean long-term for the gulf , and even beyond the gulf 's waters . `` All of life on earth is a big book . All the extinct things are pages that are torn out of that book that muddle our history , '' Chakrabarty said . He said what is most upsetting to him is that after 200 years of scientific study in the gulf , he estimates 98 percent of its marine life remains unknown . And with the United States ' worst-ever environmental disaster still ongoing , could become unknown forever . `` We know about commercial fish and shrimp . But there are 1,500 meters of question mark between the well head and the surface about the animal life and we really know very , very little . `` We 're making a trade-off between two habitats and putting the more fragile one at risk . If we lose the -LSB- pancake batfish -RSB- , we 're losing a big part of evolutionary history , '' Chakrabarty said . Because it lives in the deep , the pancake batfish is not threatened by tar balls or the surface sheen of oil -- but by undersea oil plumes identified by researchers from the University of South Florida . On June 8 , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that tests done by the University 's researchers proved the existence of subsurface oil clusters . BP continues to dispute the extent of the plumes . But Chakrabarty says this subspecies of batfish could be wiped out even if it does n't directly encounter oil . It lives on small invertebrates that are the foundation for the entire marine food chain in the gulf . And now it may be at risk of either losing its only source of food or ingesting an oil-coated dinner . Chakrabarty says that one ray of hope for the newly discovered species are the oil-consuming bacteria that thrive on crude oil . They use enzymes to metabolize the oil into two products ; new microorganisms and carbon dioxide . Essentially , it is as if they are sucking the oil out of the water . Dr. Samantha Joye , a professor at the University of Georgia , recently returned from an expedition in the gulf to research the undersea plumes . While she acknowledged that the bacteria are certainly a good option for extracting oil from the water , she said they might not get the chance to do so . `` At present , oxygen concentrations exceed 2 mg/L -LRB- two milligrams per liter -RRB- but if concentrations drop below that , it would spell problems for any oxygen-requiring organisms , '' Joye wrote in a blog . And the oil-munching bacteria require oxygen to metabolize the oil . The bacteria also exist in much higher quantities at the surface of the gulf where there is sunlight and warmth . Where this pancake batfish lives , at the very bottom , there are neither . `` Less than one percent of the microbial community in the gulf lives in the deep sea , '' Chakrabarty says . `` It is so cold down there , one to two degrees Celsius , that they will move much more slowly to break down those micro-droplets of oil . '' He is currently working on the original description of the Louisiana pancake batfish for the Journal of Fish Biology and says it should be published by August . By the time it reaches an audience , though , the entry may not describe a species that is , but a species that was .
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Louisiana pancake batfish lives 1,500 feet below surface . For deep-water denizens like pancake batfish , threat is from underwater oil plumes . One expert estimates that 98 percent of Gulf 's deep-water marine life remains unknown . Scientists worry that extinction could come even before species are discovered .
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Toronto , Ontario -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The spotlight is on security -- as well as economic recovery plans -- as leaders from the world 's biggest economies gather in Toronto for a pair of summits this weekend . Leaders have begun arriving for the G-8 summit , which begins Friday , followed by the G-20 summit this weekend . Security , already a major concern , was thrown into greater focus Thursday when a man with five cans of gas and an array of weapons in his car was arrested near the G-20 site , officials said . Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Sgt. Marc LaPorte said the 53-year-old driver had pellet guns , a crossbow , gas tanks and chemical products in his car , and could n't explain why those items were there . He was identified by police as Gary McCullough of Whitby , Ontario . Police said McCullough was charged with one count of possessing dangerous weapons -- an offense with a maximum sentence of 10 years . He 's expected to appear in court Friday . Despite the incident 's proximity to the site of the G-20 summit , there are no specific signs it 's linked to the meeting , said Constable Samantha Nulle of Peel Regional Police . The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , local police departments and the Canadian Military have formed an Integrated Security Unit -LRB- ISU -RRB- to deal with G-20 security , like they did earlier this year for the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver . About 20,000 ISU personnel and security guards are providing security , with the help of fencing and cameras . G-20 countries account for 80 percent of world trade and two-thirds of the world 's population . The G-8 is made up of the United States , Canada , Russia , Japan , France , the United Kingdom , Germany and Italy . When talks get under way , leaders will be hashing out economic recovery plans and some differences on how to proceed . Among the issues : how drastically to cut budget deficits , possibly risking recession , and global financial reform . The United States has been urging other countries not to pull back on stimulus plans too quickly . Britain , in contrast , has recently joined other European countries in announcing drastic budget cuts . The sessions will offer a first appearance on the world stage for British Prime Minister David Cameron and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan. . Both leaders arrived in Toronto on Thursday . Other leaders are arriving Friday . In Thursday 's weapons incident , Nulle said an officer pulled over a suspicious vehicle and discovered dangerous materials in the car . Police immediately sealed off the surrounding area , Nulle said . Police told CNN that another person with weapons and explosives had been taken to court Wednesday , but privacy laws prevented them from sharing more details . CNN 's Jeanne Meserve and Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report .
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NEW : Suspect in weapons incident charged , due to appear in court Friday . Incident puts focus on security as leaders begin arriving . Items found in car included pellet guns , a cross bow and a chainsaw . No specific signs incident is linked to G-20 summit .
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Rio Largo , Brazil -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In response to severe flooding in northeastern Brazil that has left 46 people dead , the government on Thursday announced the release of 500 million reais -LRB- U.S. $ 277 million -RRB- to help victims , national civil defense officials said . The money comes on top of a previous 50 million reais -LRB- U.S. $ 27.7 million -RRB- destined for the two hardest-hit states , Pernambuco and Alagoas . Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday also signed an interim measure of 1 billion reais -LRB- U.S. $ 555 million -RRB- to purchase construction material and equipment for businesses affected by the floods . Aid has also been pledged by the Organization of American States and the United States , which offered $ 50,000 . The death toll from the flooding grew to 46 Thursday , and more than 150,000 people have been left homeless or displaced , according to the government-run Agencia Brasil news service . More than 600 people are still missing , the news service said , citing the nation 's civil defense agency . More than 80,000 residents have been left homeless or displaced in Pernambuco state and about 74,000 have met a similar fate in Alagoas state , the news agency said . In Alagoas , more than 11,000 homes have been destroyed and another 7,000 damaged , Agencia Brasil said . Nearly 11,500 houses and 79 bridges have been damaged or destroyed in neighboring Pernambuco , the news outlet said . Twenty-nine people have lost their lives in Alagoas and more than 600 are missing , Agencia Brasil said . In Pernambuco , 17 people have died . Fifty-four cities have been affected in Pernambuco and a state of public calamity has been declared in 30 . In the Alagoas city of Rio Largo , some survivors searched for the missing Wednesday . Among those who have not been found were Weltgom Melo 's parents , who were dragged away by a heavy current while shopping for food . `` I only ask God for help in finding them , '' Melo told CNN . `` It 's difficult . All I can do is wait for the Civil Defense and firefighters to do their job and help me find the bodies . '' Cicero Aciolo lives next to the Mundau River , which cuts through Rio Largo . He had to run for his life when the water started rising quickly . `` We ran next door and we saw how the water was beginning to rise and we had to climb over walls to save our lives , '' he said . Another survivor said she barely had time to escape . `` Ten minutes , '' Marcia de Araujo said . `` Ten minutes ! Ten minutes ! Just enough time to leave home and reach the neighbor 's house . That 's how strong the flooding was . '' The rain that started late last week has stopped and the enormous task of reconstruction is beginning . CNN 's Rafael Romo contributed to this report .
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NEW : Government approves millions of dollars in funding for flood victims . 46 dead , more than 150,000 residents homeless or displaced in two states . More than 600 people still missing . More than 18,000 homes damaged or destroyed in Alagoas state .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Rescue workers Tuesday recovered the body of a child from debris left by a landslide in China 's southwestern Guizhou province , state-run media reported . The child 's body was the first to be recovered after a rain-triggered landslide buried 107 people from 38 families Monday afternoon . The child , yet to be identified , was found at 5:50 p.m. under rubble in Gangwu township , a rescue headquarters spokesman told the Xinhua news agency . Chances of survival for the others was `` slim , '' rescue workers said . A survivor described the mudslide 's speed , which left little time to escape . `` I called the others to flee . But it was too late . I saw some people behind me being buried , '' villager Cen Chaoyang told Xinhua in a telephone interview . Rescuers had to run three miles to reach the site , which is not accessible by vehicle . Rain and landslides continue to plague the region , Xinhua said . The tourism industry has already been affected by the severe weather . Officials have closed 35 of the top scenic spots in the region , Xinhua reported .
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NEW : 107 people buried have slim chance of survival . Mudslide caused by heavy rain in southwest China . Survivor fled but saw people behind him buried .
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Atlanta , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In December 2000 , Jose Guevara , a former Venezuelan intelligence agent , was introduced by his second cousin to an international fugitive , the target of an international manhunt . Then , spurred in part by the allure of a $ 5 million reward , Guevara helped authorities capture the fugitive , former Peruvian spy master Vladimiro Montesinos . Montesinos ' capture was considered a success -- he had been convicted of an illegal arms trade , embezzlement and abuse of power , among others -- and arguably could not have been accomplished without Guevara 's help . Now , nearly 10 years later , Guevara has not seen a penny of the reward money , and is increasingly unlikely to ever reap his reward . A U.S. appeals court last week ruled that a lawsuit brought by Guevara against Peru is invalid , dashing his attempt to recoup the money . The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned a district court ruling that found Peru should cough up the cash . The U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction over the case because Peru has sovereign immunity , the three-judge panel found , noting that the facts of the case `` read like the latest spy thriller . '' It all began in the second half of 2000 , as the government of then-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori began to crumble . The autocratic leader had seen some cracks in his armor , but his government fell apart after videos of Montesinos , his powerful spy chief , were leaked , showing him bribing an opposition congressman . Other incriminating videos also emerged . `` Montesinos , seeing the writing on the wall , fled the country , first into Venezuela , then , it seemed , into thin air , '' the judges wrote . In April 2001 , Peru 's interim president issued an emergency decree that provided a $ 5 million reward for information leading to Montesinos ' capture . It was to be paid 24 hours after the arrest . But before there was a reward , Guevara had a different relationship with Montesinos , as his protector in Venezuela . Initially , Guevera 's cousin introduced a man with bandages on his face as `` Manuel Rodrigruez , '' and asked Guevara to give him a place to stay . According to the court document , it was shortly thereafter that Guevara understood that his guest was Montesinos , who had undergone facial cosmetic surgery in an attempt to evade arrest . Guevara agreed to take the guest in , as well as to provide security for him , the judges ' ruling states . `` For his part , Montesinos used Guevara as an intermediary to run personal errands and to arrange for the deposit of funds into Montesinos ' accounts in U.S. banks , '' the document says . One of his missions was to Miami to meet with banker Luis Alfredo Percovich , who handled a Montesinos account at Pacific Industrial Bank . Montesinos had requested a large transfer to another bank , which Percovich declined . According to court documents , Montesinos responded by e-mail , threatening physical harm . He then sent Guevara with instructions to the banker . They met at a Miami hotel , where Guevara handed over a letter demanding that Percovich hand over $ 700,000 in cash from Montesinos ' account and transfer $ 3 million to another bank . As he was leaving the hotel , Guevara was detained by FBI agents . Percovich had tipped off the feds . The FBI gave Guevara a choice : `` If he gave the FBI Montesinos ' address and telephone number in Caracas , he would be released , the charges against him dropped , and he would recieve the $ 5 million reward , '' the document states . With both the carrot and stick in front of him , Guevara agreed to cooperate , and Montesinos was captured the following day . But Peru never paid him the reward that it indicated to the FBI it would . So Guevara sued in the United States , and came close to winning his claim . Somewhere in there Percovich tried unsuccessfully to insert himself in the suit . After all , he argued in court , if he had n't called the FBI , they would n't have gotten to Montesinos , and he wanted his share of the reward money . The district court ruled that Peru had broken it 's part of the bargain and , even if Guevara was n't wearing a white hat during this episode , was owed the $ 5 million plus interest . By a thin 2-1 ruling in the Court of Appeals , Peru regained the upper hand .
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A U.S. appeals court ruled that Peru is immune from lawsuits filed in the United States . The decision means that Peru may not have to pay a $ 5 million reward . Jose Guevara says he is owed the money . The case involves former Peruvian spy chief Vladimiro Montesinos .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The family of a Peruvian woman slain in Lima last month said it hopes the eventual trial of Joran Van der Sloot can ease its pain and that of another family thousands of miles away . Van der Sloot , who is being held in Peru in connection with the slaying of 21-year-old Stephany Flores , is also the lead suspect in the 2005 disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway in Aruba . `` I think the pain they are feeling , it 's very hard , '' Stephany 's brother Enrique Flores told CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' from Lima . `` We saw the body of our sister . They do n't have the body of their daughter . '' Van der Sloot , a 22-year-old Dutch citizen , was arrested twice in Aruba in connection with Holloway 's disappearance but released for lack of evidence . Her body has never been found . Van der Sloot has stated to Peruvian police that he wants to talk to Aruban officials about the Holloway case , Aruban Attorney General Robert F. Pietersz said Wednesday . `` I am not worried . I trust the justice in Peru . So , we are just waiting for the judgment , '' said Stephany 's sister-in-law Carolina Jorge . `` We are praying that this case -LRB- will bring closure -RRB- ... for us and ... for Natalee 's family , too . '' Dave Holloway , Natalee 's father , met with Aruban authorities on the Caribbean island Tuesday and told CNN he believes progress is being made in the investigation . He declined to elaborate further . Aruba also will have to wait to see what information may be contained in a laptop computer Peruvian authorities confiscated when they arrested van der Sloot , Aruban prosecutor Peter Blanken said . The FBI will obtain that information from Peru and then share it with Aruban investigators , Blanken said . Authorities in Aruba say they do not know whether the computer contains any information that may help in the Holloway case . Van der Sloot has told authorities he attacked Flores on May 30 after she read an e-mail on his computer connected with the Holloway case . He said he was in Peru for a poker tournament and met Flores while gambling . Police have said they think Van der Sloot killed Flores to steal money she won . No trial start date has been set in the case , but a hearing is scheduled for next week , when Van der Sloot will give his first statements before a judge . Her brother told King that he 's already heard enough . `` He keeps telling so many lies and each time he is changing his version , '' Flores said . `` He just killed her . ... He took money from her . He took ... her car . ... I mean , he sounds like a serial killer . ''
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Joran Van der Sloot is in jail awaiting trial for the slaying of Stephany Flores . Dutch citizen , 22 , is also lead suspect in Natalee Holloway 's disappearance . Van der Sloot 's hearing set for next Monday .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 20 people have died and 55 others have been wounded in continuing fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu , an ambulance director said Thursday . Somali forces have been battling insurgent fighters from al-Shabaab , the al Qaeda proxy in Mogadishu and the rest of the country . The militants are waging a war against the government in an effort to implement a stricter form of Islamic law , known as sharia . The fighting has displaced an estimated 1.4 million Somalis within the country , and more than 580,000 live as refugees in neighboring countries , the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said in May . Mogadishu is bulging at the seams with more than 350,000 internally displaced people -- many of whom are living in overcrowded conditions and on the street under plastic sheets and makeshift dwellings . `` These are the most vulnerable and utterly dependent on scarce aid the humanitarian agencies manage to deliver and meager remittances from relatives living abroad , '' the U.N. agency said last month . `` Hundreds of children are forced to beg in the streets of the capital and many women beg in the main markets . '' The Horn of Africa nation has not had a stable government since 1991 , and fighting between the rebels and government troops has escalated the humanitarian crisis in the famine-ravaged country . The U.N.-backed interim government fights the rebels with the help of African Union peacekeepers . Recent fighting and displacement has been aggravating an already grave demographic reality : About 43 percent of the Somali population `` lives below the extreme poverty line and one in seven Somali children die before the age of 5 , '' the refugee agency said .
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Somali forces fighting al Qaeda proxy trying to impose strict Islamic law . The fighting has displaced more than a million Somalis . Somalia has not had a stable government for nearly 20 years .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 160 protesters were arrested Sunday during a violent opposition strike in Bangladesh , police said . Among those held were at least five leaders of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party -LRB- BNP -RRB- . Officers said they provoked the strikers to damage public property . Security forces used tear gas and batons in some areas to break up unruly demonstrations , Police Commissioner A.K.M Shahidul Hoque told CNN by phone from Dhaka , the Bangladeshi capital . About 18 officers were injured when protesters pelted them with stones , he said . But Hoque claimed the 12-hour shutdown had little impact on attendance in government offices . In addition , rail , river and air traffic was normal , although private long-route transport mostly stayed off the road , he said . In Dhaka , between 1,000 and 1,500 activists held demonstrations in small groups , Hoque said . The largest protest in the city numbered about 300 strikers , he added . Iqbal Khan Chowdhury , additional home secretary for Bangladesh , told CNN that road traffic in the city of Dhaka was relatively less . `` Traffic on the road was not like other days , '' he remarked . Protests were also reported from some other divisional headquarters of the country outside Dhaka , he said . The opposition BNP called Sunday 's general strike , the first in Bangladesh in over three years , to protest against the governance of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina . The BNP accuses her government of failure in dealing with corruption and of suppressing opposition voices . BNP leader Fakarul Islam Alamgir alleged security forces were aggressive on Sunday in dealing with demonstrators . Chowdhury denied the charges , saying police were duty-bound to maintain public order . In the meantime , the BNP 's Alamgir said his party would hold a public meeting Monday in Dhaka as a mark of protest . Hasina 's Awami League party-led alliance swept Bangladesh elections in December 2008 in a landslide . She took the oath of office in January 2009 .
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5 leaders of opposition party among those held . Police use tear gas , batons to break up demonstrations . Protests also reported from outside Dhaka .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Russia began to cut off natural gas supplies to Belarus on Monday as talks over unpaid debts continued , Russian state media reported . President Dmitry Medvedev gave the order for Russian energy giant Gazprom to start restricting gas supplies , company CEO Alexei Miller said , according to official Russian news agency RIA-Novosti . Miller said the cut , which began Monday , will be `` gradual , daily and proportional to the volume of debt . '' Belarus has refused to pay Russian gas rates of $ 169 per 1,000 cubic meters for the first quarter of the year and $ 185 for the second quarter , RIA-Novosti reported . The former Soviet republic has instead been paying $ 150 since Jan. 1 , ringing up a large debt in the process . Russia 's action could hurt customers farther down the pipeline . Belarus has said it will be technologically unable to ensure complete natural gas transit to Europe , if Russia cuts gas supplies to Belarus by 85 percent , state media reported . In the past , other countries including Austria , Bulgaria , the Czech Republic , Germany , Romania , Greece and Turkey have complained that their gas supplies have been affected as Russia trimmed output to upstream customers like Belarus and Ukraine . Gazprom is the world 's biggest producer and exporter of natural gas -- and Russia 's most powerful company . It controls 20 percent of the world 's natural gas reserves and operates the world 's largest gas distribution network covering an area from Europe to the Far East , according to its website . Gazprom exports energy to 32 countries and provides around 25 percent of the European Union 's gas supplies . Formed in 1989 to replace the Soviet Ministry of the Gas Industry , Gazprom is closely tied to the Russian government , which owns a controlling 50 percent stake in the company . Medvedev is a former Gazprom chairman . In recent years , an increasingly confident Moscow has used Gazprom to assert its authority over Russia 's former sphere of influence by offering heavily subsidized gas to ex-Soviet countries . But that policy has led to disputes as Gazprom has then sought to raise prices . Gazprom has switched off gas supplies to another former republic -- Ukraine -- several times in recent years in a row over payments and Kiev 's rejection of proposals to hike rates . Those disputes ended earlier this year when Russia agreed to a 30 percent drop in the price of natural gas sold to Ukraine , in exchange for permission to extend Russia 's lease of a major naval base in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol , Ukraine , for 25 years .
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NEW : Belarus says it ca n't guarantee natural gas transit to Europe . Talks to continue over debts owed to Russia by Belarus . Gas cuts will be `` gradual '' Gazprom operates the world 's largest natural gas distribution network .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Five Somali men were convicted of plotting a hijack at sea and sentenced to five years in prison in the Netherlands , in the first trial of pirates in Europe , a prosecution spokesman said Thursday . The court rejected their claim that they were innocent fishermen , said Wim de Bruin , a spokesman for Netherlands National Prosecutor 's Office , noting that no fishing gear was found in their boat . The five were captured by the Danish navy in January 2009 in the Gulf of Aden , off Somalia , after a cargo ship with Dutch Antilles flag was attacked . `` The ship of the pirates was destroyed by the Danish navy , and the pirates were captured and handed to the Dutch authorities , '' de Bruin said . The men are Ahmed Yusuf Farah , 25 , Jama Mohamed Samatar , 45 , Abdirisaq Abdulahi Hirsi , 33 , Sayid Ali Garaar , 39 , and Osman Musse Farah , 32 , he said . They have two weeks to file an appeal , he said , adding that he did not know if they planned to fight their conviction . They had faced a maximum sentence of 9 to 12 years , he added . The trial of the five opened in Rotterdam District Court on May 25 . Another suspected Somali pirate is awaiting sentencing in the United States , where he pleaded guilty in May to hijacking and kidnapping . Prosecutors say Abduwali Abdukhadir Muse led an attack on a U.S.-flagged vessel , the Maersk Alabama , off the coast of Africa last year . He pleaded guilty May 19 in a New York federal court to felony counts of hijacking maritime vessels , kidnapping and hostage-taking for his role in the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean on April 8 , 2009 . Muse faces a maximum sentence of almost 34 years behind bars when he is sentenced October 19 . The pirates who were tried in the Netherlands spent four weeks aboard the Danish navy ship after their capture before being taken to the Netherlands , spokesman de Bruin said . They were held in pre-trial custody while the court interviewed witnesses from the Danish navy and seamen on the Dutch Antilles cargo ship that was under attack , he said . Five Dutch defense lawyers represented the suspects , he said . The trial is the first of its kind in Europe , he said . Germany will soon try 10 suspected pirates who were captured in the Gulf of Aden earlier this year . They were arrested after their attempt to board a German cargo vessel , but the Danish navy ended the hijacking and handed them over to the Dutch authorities , Bruin said . They have since been held in the Netherlands , and Germany requested their extradition about two months ago . CNN 's Eileen Hsieh contributed to this report .
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NEW : Pirates have two weeks to appeal . Trial thought to be the first of its kind in Europe . Suspects captured after attack on ship in January 2009 . They could have been sentenced to 9 to 12 years .
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Germantown , Maryland -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Atlantic Magazine just published an article entitled , `` Are Fathers Necessary ? '' It appears in the June issue , the month in which fathers are celebrated -- not dismissed -- and concludes that fathers are not essential . The primary problem with the article is that it fails to ask its title question to the right group of people . What makes a man a father is the fact that he has children . Had the writer of the piece , Pamela Paul , asked her question of children , she would have gotten a much different answer . Instead , Paul reaches her conclusion that fathers are not necessary by pointing to some researchers who think there are limitations in the available social science research on families . Specifically , Paul references research that questions the data on the importance of father involvement because it compares mother-father families to single mother families . Even though research shows that mother-father families produce better outcomes for children , Paul writes that it 's unclear whether its the father himself who makes a unique difference , and not just the additional financial and emotional resources a second parent can bring . In this case , it is some writers , not kids , who say the darndest things . The problem with Paul 's observation is that in the real world , the actual option most people get is between a single mother family and a mother-father family . The research is not limited by offering those two scenarios as the basis for its findings -- it is addressing the reality on the ground . Despite advances in science , the overwhelming majority of children still come into the world as a result of a man and a woman having sex with each other . So , the question is not , `` Are fathers necessary ? '' It is `` Are fathers going to be involved and what does that involvement look like ? '' The answer to the second question is what makes social scientists so concerned about the benefits of father involvement and the costs of father absence . The reality we are facing as a nation is that one out of every three children lives in a father-absent home and four in 10 are born to unmarried mothers . So , let 's `` ask '' the children if they think fathers are necessary . My organization just gave its Military Fatherhood Award to Master Sgt. Rick Marston of the U.S. Air Force . At the ceremony , as he accepted his award on stage , I noticed his 10-year-old son , Jake , was so overcome with emotion that tears streamed down his face . It was Jake who motivated his mom to nominate his dad for the award . When asked how he feels when his dad is deployed overseas , Jake said he is overwhelmed from the pressure of thinking he needs to step into his father 's shoes while he is away . His inability to do so causes him a lot of pain . If we ask Jake if fathers are necessary , would he say no ? Sgt. Marston and millions of fathers in this country mean the world to their children . I believe that each child has a hole in his soul in the shape of his dad , and when fathers are unable or unwilling to fill that hole , it leaves a wound that is not easily healed . I know -- I grew up without my dad . That is why the article in The Atlantic is so troubling . Good fathers are not just necessary , they are essential and irreplaceable to the children who desperately love and need them . You see , in the real world , we do not have the luxury of finessing research data to reach irrelevant conclusions about families . Here in the real world , we have fathers asking , `` What is expected of me ? '' If our society is not prepared to say , without question or hesitation , that we expect them to provide for , love , and guide their children , then we have indeed lost our way . And there is no question about that . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland Warren .
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Roland Warren says Atlantic magazine article questions whether fathers are essential . He says article reaches faulty conclusion that new research shows dads not crucial . Real-world data analysis shows kids in mom-dad families do better . Warren : Do n't believe it ? Ask kids . Each child has a hole in his soul in the shape of his dad .
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LaGrange , Illinois -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Kaley Shannon first saw the devastation in Haiti while watching the 5 o'clock news with her father . Seeing so many people in need after the January 12 earthquake , the determined girl from the Chicago suburbs wanted to help . `` When I saw those pictures , I realized those kids in Haiti did n't have a future unless someone would help them , '' said Shannon , 14 . `` I knew I had to be that someone . '' Shannon , who is active in her school 's theater , says she got some inspiration from Hollywood . `` Brad Pitt builds houses in New Orleans , Angelina Jolie adopts kids from other countries -- that selflessness inspires me . I wanted to give people hope like they do , '' she said . Her goal was to raise $ 90,000 by this week , which marks 90 days since the earthquake . But to do that , she had to act quickly . She immediately called her friends at her church youth group , who were eager to help . They started brainstorming . `` We had ideas coming out in every direction , '' she said . With Valentine 's Day approaching , the group decided to bake heart-shaped cookies and sell them to make money for the quake survivors . They also settled on a name for their group : Student Hearts for Haiti . `` I 'm not the best baker in the world , but we were determined , '' Shannon said . With the help of their church 's industrial-sized oven , the teens baked 2,000 cookies , selling them to people heading to and from the train stations in the Chicago suburb of LaGrange . `` I 'm absolutely not a morning person , and it was freezing , but we knew our mission was urgent , '' Shannon said . The cookies were a huge hit . Commuters gobbled them up . Even people trying to stick to a diet would drop in their change . By the end of the first day , Student Hearts for Haiti had made $ 3,200 . They sold the remaining cookies at Shannon 's father 's office in downtown Chicago . There , a UPS delivery man decided to buy 10 bags of cookies . He told Shannon he was from Haiti . His mother still lived there , running an orphanage that was badly damaged . `` He gave me the biggest bear hug and told me how proud he was that I was helping , '' Shannon said . `` That gave me an idea . '' The group sent the donations from the cookie sales to the Red Cross and Mercy Corps for immediate relief . But if her kid-run organization wanted to continue , Shannon thought , it should provide a way for kids in the Chicago area to directly help the kids in Haiti . `` I thought after we all saw what we did on TV , other kids in my area would want to help , '' she said . `` Student Hearts for Haiti could give them the tools to do that . '' So with her father 's help , Shannon set up a Facebook page and started calling local schools . They also partnered with Free the Children , based in Toronto , Ontario , to rebuild a school in Haiti . Other fundraising ideas came pouring through the Facebook page : A boy whose father ran a wristband factory donated `` Hearts for Haiti '' wristbands . Shannon 's high school , Lyons Township , donated the proceeds from its King of Hearts dance . Another boy turned his 15th birthday party into a fundraiser . Local merchants in LaGrange and Western Springs put out donations buckets , and so did many of Shannon 's teachers . And 12 local schools started their own efforts . One of those schools was Mary Grace Chizewski 's . Chizewski , 12 , had also been affected by the images of suffering in Haiti . Shortly after the quake , she had reached out to her friends at St. Francis Xavier , and they approached the school 's principal to ask if they could help . `` These kids in Haiti had lost everything . I thought , ` How are they going to succeed in life if they do n't have a school ? ' '' Chizewski said . `` We hear all the time at our own school that we should help others when they are in need -- I thought here 's our chance . '' While sympathetic , the principal told them the school was already committed to several service projects . She was n't sure if there 'd be time . But a couple of days later , the principal got a call from Shannon 's father , who convinced her to help Student Hearts for Haiti . `` I was so excited when the principal called to ask if I was still interested in helping raise money for Haiti , '' Chizewski said . Shannon 's father gave the St. Francis Xavier students T-shirts and wristbands , and Chizewski and her friends spent the next recess planning how to sell the donated items . They put posters up on every floor and used the morning announcements to ask students to help . The group kept a big heart poster in the main office to track their progress . They 'd color in a little more each time they 'd raise $ 500 . When the heart was full , the principal let the whole school know with an announcement on the PA system . On the school 's dress-down day , students wore their Hearts for Haiti T-shirts and wristbands . `` It was so cool to see all those kids in the halls wearing our T-shirts , '' Chizewski said . `` I 'd never done anything like this before . '' In the end , the 672-student school generated more than $ 5,500 . That amount was doubled when Student Hearts for Haiti got a matching grant , which meant that St. Francis Xavier 's effort was enough to build and furnish one classroom in Haiti . With the matching grant from the Moyer Foundation , which was founded by Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife , Karen , the group has raised more than $ 80,000 so far . Shannon says she still hopes to reach her goal of $ 90,000 , and after that , she has no plans to stop there . `` I want to rebuild as many schools as we can , '' Shannon said . `` We 've had rival schools helping ; we 've had kids from the public schools and the Catholic schools , kids who do n't normally talk to each other working together on this . `` I think this has helped kids realize it feels good to be a part of something bigger than just you . ''
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Kaley Shannon wanted to do more for Haiti than send donations from a cookie sale . She used Facebook , phone calls to organize `` Student Hearts for Haiti '' to help rebuild schools . More than a dozen schools have joined the effort , raising tens of thousands of dollars .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the United States will give $ 60 million to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for help to Palestinian refugees on Friday , a move designed to improve the lives of 4.7 million people . The aid comes as the United States and the international community struggle to provide increased aid to Palestinians living in Gaza . In May , in a deadly clash aboard a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza , Israeli forces killed nine activists . Israel subsequently has said it will ease restrictions on aid going into Gaza but will not end its naval blockade . The United States already is the largest single source of support for refugees and refugees and victims of conflict internationally , Clinton said , providing $ 1.7 billion last year , including $ 640 million for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees , or the UNHCR . Clinton made the comments at a World Refugee Day event , co-hosted by the Department of State and the UNHCR . It included live interactive video feeds with High Commissioner Antonio Guterres and an Iraqi refugee family in Syria ; UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie ; and a UNHCR official and a Congolese man displaced because to activities of the Lord 's Resistance Army in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . `` We are all vulnerable no matter how comfortable our lives may appear to be , '' Clinton said . `` But we too , around the world , those of us who enjoy the benefits of the life that we have built or inherited , we too are vulnerable to war and conflict , droughts and floods , environmental disasters as we 've seen even in our own country . '' Clinton said that many of the refugee problems can not be solved simply with humanitarian aid . `` It 's a question of better governance , more accountable governance , of political and diplomatic efforts , of reconciliation and peace , of the growth of democracies and economies . '' she said . Angelina Jolie , with 34 refugee families from Colombia living on the border with Ecuador , said they were `` terrified '' and that almost everyone in the families had someone who had been murdered . `` They are so grateful just to be safe , '' she said .
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made comments at World Refugee Day . U.S. is largest source of support for refugees , victims of conflict internationally , Clinton said . Clinton said the U.S. providing $ 1.7 billion last year .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The volcanic eruption in Iceland is having an adverse impact on international sport with next weekend 's Japanese MotoGP the latest casualty . The Motegi race circuit near Tokyo was supposed to host the likes of Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner for the second round of this year 's championship , but with flights from Europe severely restricted , organizers took the decision to postpone the race . It will now be held on October 3 , between the 14th and 15th rounds in Spain and Malaysia . `` Although the situation is beyond our control , we sincerely apologize to fans who have been eagerly waiting for the world 's top-level race , '' said Hiroshi Oshima , president of the race operators . MotoGP is not the only motorsport event affected , with Formula One teams , who took part last weekend 's grand prix in Shanghai , struggling to get back to their European bases . It has led to fears that the fifth round in Barcelona on May 9 could be called off because there would be inadequate time to freight back the cars and get them ready to race . But F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed fears that it was under threat . `` No . Not at all . There are no problems with the race , '' he told gathered reporters in Shanghai . But other more immediate sporting fixtures have been thrown into chaos , with European champions Barcelona forced to make a near 1,000 km coach journey to play the first leg of their Champions League semifinal against Inter in Milan on Tuesday . Barca 's technical director Txiki Begiristain told the club 's Web site that they were unhappy with the travel situation , which he claimed put them at a disadvantage . `` UEFA must be flexible , '' he said . `` I know that there are n't enough dates to play but in the end you have to make an effort so as not to give one team an advantage , in this case the home team . `` At this moment in time , making a team travel by coach belongs to a bygone age . '' he added . English clubs Liverpool and Fulham are also struggling to get to Europa League semifinal ties on Thursday in Madrid and Hamburg respectively after UEFA said both would go ahead . Fulham confirmed on its club Web site that their match in Germany remains unchanged , while Liverpool told CNN they are arranging alternative travel plans for their tie against Atletico Madrid . Organizers of Sunday 's London marathon have also been left with a headache to make sure their field of elite runners can get to the British capital in time , while Monday 's Boston marathon , the oldest on the calendar , has also been hard-hit with competitors from around the world unable to get to the United States . Moroccan Olympian Abdellah Falil has been forced out of the elite men 's race because of the travel restrictions . England 's cricketers may also have to put their travel plans on hold as they prepare to fly out to the Caribbean for the Twenty20 World Cup . The crisis came about after a vast cloud of ash spewed from Iceland 's Eyjafjoell volcano since last Wednesday . It has forced airlines to cancel flights across most of Europe , leaving millions of passengers stranded around the globe .
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Travel disruption from volcanic ash eruption in Iceland disrupting sport . This weekend 's Japanese MotoGP postponed until October 3 . Barcelona forced to travel by coach to Champions League semifinal in Milan . London and Boston marathons hit as competitors struggling to get to races .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The LA Lakers will play in Europe for the first time in 19 years , when they take part in NBA Europe Live 2010 alongside the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks . The tour will see the Lakers , the reigning NBA champions , and the Timberwolves go head-to-head at the O2 in London on October 4 , the night after the Knicks open the tour in Milan against Euroleague team Armani Jeans Milano . This year 's event offers Europe 's basketball fans a rare chance to see one of the NBA 's biggest stars , LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant . The 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player is excited by the prospect of playing outside of U.S and in particular is looking forward to playing in front of an enthusiastic crowd in London . `` I know how passionate the fans are in the UK , '' said Bryant told the Daily Express newspaper . `` I look forward to putting on a show for what promises to be a great game . '' The Knicks and the Timberwolves will face-off in Paris on October 6 , before the Lakers complete the 2010 tour by taking on another Euroleague team , Regal FC Barcelona , in the Catalan city on October 7 .
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Reigning NBA Champions the LA Lakers will take part in NBA Europe Live 2010 . The New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberloves will also play in the tour . NBA star Kobe Bryant looking forward to playing in London .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Swiss star Fabian Cancellara rode clear of the leading group to win the Paris Roubaix cycling classic on Sunday and complete a rare double having claimed the Tour of Flanders earlier this spring . The ` Hell of the North ' is traditionally an event for the strongmen of the sport who have to negotiate 27 sections of cobblestones and the reigning Olympic time trial champion perfectly fits the bill . He made his move on the 10th from last section of pave at Mons-en-Pevele , about 45km from the finish in the velodrome at Roubaix , quickly chasing down a small breakaway group before opening up a winning gap . Defending champion Tom Boonen of Belgium and the other leading contenders fatally hesitated in their efforts to chase down Saxo Bank 's Cancellara and their race was over . Cancellera crossed the line alone for his second Paris-Roubaix win and only the 10th man to complete the double with Flanders . Norwegian Thor Hushovd beat Spaniard Juan Antonio Flecha for the runners-up spot in a sprint finish , the pair having finally given chase to Cancellara but too little too late . Last week Cancellara became the first Swiss since Heiri Suter in 1923 to win at Flanders . Cancellara was winning his fourth major one-day classic with Milan-San Remo in 2006 , two at Paris-Roubaix -LRB- 2006 and 2010 -RRB- and this year 's Tour of Flanders . I knew that with my form and the way the last weeks were going I would be difficult to catch once I took a 10 meter lead , that they would be scared , '' Cancellara told AFP at the finish of the 259km race .
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Fabian Cancellara wins cycling 's Hell of the North with solo breakaway ride . Cancellara completes spring classics double having won Tour of Flanders . Reigning Paris Roubaix champion Tom Boonen finishes out of podium places . Norway 's Thor Hushovd beats Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain for second place .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British athletics star Paula Radcliffe has confirmed that she will have a second child this year , but still plans to run at her home Olympics in London in 2012 . The women 's marathon world record-holder , who will miss this month 's London race for the fifth year in a row , expects to give birth in September . `` We 're very pleased , '' the 36-year-old told the UK Press Association on Friday . `` We are very lucky that everything so far has worked out as we had hoped . `` As always , when nature is involved it 's very hard to plan , but the idea was that we could get pregnant this year and have 2011 to comfortably come back to racing . Radcliffe tells CNN about her plans for 2012 . `` I plan to run through as before but to come back a bit slower than last time , when I was back a bit too quickly . '' Radcliffe had her first child , daughter Isla , with husband Gary Lough in January 2007 , but has since struggled to regain the heights of earlier in her career . She set the marathon record in London in 2003 and was world champion in 2005 , but finished only 23rd at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after suffering injuries in the preceding months . A fractured toe ruined her buildup to last year 's world championships in Berlin and she subsequently made herself unavailable for selection , then a knee injury saw her finish only fourth at the 2009 New York Marathon where she been seeking a third consecutive victory . Radcliffe has not competed since then , but PA reported that she is still training full-time and recently trained with top American runners in the United States .
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Women 's marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe to have a second child this year . Radcliffe reveals that she is pregnant and expects to give birth in September . The 36-year-old still hopes to run at her home Olympics in London in 2012 . She had her first child in January 2007 but has since struggled to repeat her earlier success .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Australian David Saker has been appointed England fast bowling coach , the England and Wales Cricket Board -LRB- ECB -RRB- announced on Thursday . Saker takes over from Ottis Gibson , who took the job of head coach with the West Indies back in February . The 43-year-old spent six years as assistant coach with Australian state side Victoria , helping them to the Australian state championship twice , and four Twenty20 titles . He was head coach of the Delhi Daredevils in the 2009 Champions League Twenty20 , and an assistant coach during the franchise 's first two Indian Premier League tournaments . Saker played first-class cricket for both Victoria and Tasmania in his ten-year domestic career and is expected to begin his new role before the upcoming ICC World Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean later in April . He told the ECB 's official Web site : `` I believe I can offer the England bowlers a great deal and oversee their development at the highest level . I 'm looking forward to working with the impressive crop of bowlers currently in and around the England team . '' England team director Andy Flower said : `` His -LSB- Saker 's -RSB- record with Victoria in recent times is second to none and he has managed the development of a number of top-class fast bowlers . `` We were sorry to see Ottis Gibson leave the position but we believe we 've found an excellent successor and look forward to David joining us in the lead up to what will be an exciting and challenging year ahead . ''
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Australian David Saker appointed England fast bowling coach . Saker replaces Ottis Gibson who is now West Indies head coach . The 43-year-old had a ten-year domestic playing career in Australia .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- German Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich and Luca Toni have agreed to cancel the Italian striker 's contract . Toni spent the second half of last season on loan at Italian side AS Roma after being deemed surplus to requirements at Bayern by coach Louis van Gaal . The 33-year-old is reportedly a target for Genoa and has agreed to a termination of his contract in order to become a free agent . Toni joined Bayern in 2007 and scored 24 goals in his first campaign at the club to become the Bundesliga 's top scorer , as Bayern won both the league and the cup . He scored a further 14 goals the following season but suffered with an Achilles Heel injury , which recurred at the start of the 2009/10 season . Toni reportedly fell out of favor with Van Gaal and was allowed to leave for Roma in January this year . He scored five goals in 15 appearances but Roma did not seek to tie him down permanently . `` I would like to warmly thank Luca Toni for his efforts and his goals , especially in our double-winning 2007/8 season , '' Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on the club 's official Web site . `` I 'd like to take this opportunity to wish Luca Toni all the best for the future at his new club . ''
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Bayern Munich and Luca Toni agree to cancel striker 's contract . Toni spent half of last season on loan at Italian club AS Roma . Italian was deemed surplus to requirements by Bayern coach Louis van Gaal .
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CNN -- Manchester City announced a deal to sign Spain international David Silva from Valencia on Tuesday as the big-spending English club continued preparations for success in the Premier League next season . Coach Roberto Mancini has already lined up the signing of Hamburg 's Germany defender Jerome Boateng , which will be completed on Thursday , while Barcelona 's Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure is also poised to move to City . Silva is expected to sign a four-year contract once he returns from the World Cup in South Africa . Spanish media reports claim the deal to bring the attacking midfielder to the City of Manchester Stadium is worth around $ 32 million -LRB- $ 39.1 million -RRB- . `` The player 's advisors and officials from both clubs have finalized the details over a four-year contract , '' City said in a statement . Mancini is a big fan of Silva and expects the 24-year-old to be an important player in the club 's charge for honors next season . `` I am so pleased he is coming to us , I think he can make a big , big impact for Manchester City , '' the Italian told the club 's official website . `` In signing David , we are showing the world that we are bringing the best players here and that we hope to compete to win the Premier League . `` When players see what is happening at Manchester City and the ambition they are attracted to what we are building and want to be a part of it . '' Silva came through Valencia 's youth system , helping the club win the Spanish Cup in 2008 following successful loan spells with Spanish sides Eibar and Celta Vigo . He has played 37 games for Spain and scored seven times since making his international debut in November 2006 against Romania , and was a key figure in the team that won Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland . Barcelona sign striker Villa . Cash-strapped Valencia had little choice but to sell another star player due to club debts in excess of $ 500 million -LRB- $ 612.3 million -RRB- . Striker David Villa , who has so far netted four goals in four games at this year 's World Cup , was sold to rivals Barcelona in May for a reported fee of $ 40 million -LRB- $ 48.9 million -RRB- . Speaking about the move , Silva thanked his former club for its support and also announced he is looking forward to playing in the Premier League . `` Firstly I would like to thank Valencia as a club and all of their loyal fans , and my teammates there and staff , '' he told City 's official website . Villa strike sends Spain into last eight . `` I have enjoyed six years at Valencia , they discovered me as a footballer and they will always be a special club for me . The time is right for me to seek a new challenge , and I am thrilled about playing in England with Manchester City . `` I believe the Premier League is one of the best competitions in the world and I want to bring success to City and win trophies for them . '' Manchester City , bought by an oil-rich Abu Dhabi consortium in 2008 , failed to secure a Champions League place last season after finishing fifth in the league despite spending more than # 100 million -LRB- $ 122.4 million -RRB- on new players . More big names are expected to follow Silva to City in pre-season as the club seeks its first Premier League title in 2010-11 .
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Manchester City announce deal to sign Spain international David Silva from Valencia . The 24-year-old will sign a four-year deal at City once he returns from the World Cup . He will be the club 's second signing after Germany international Jerome Boateng . Cash-trapped Valencia already forced to sell star striker David Villa to Barcelona .
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Look here for news updates on the situation in Iran on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution . -LRB- The first timestamp is Iranian time , three and 1/2 hours ahead of GMT -RRB- . 3:05 a.m. , Friday -LRB- 6:35 p.m. ET , Thursday -RRB- CNN reporter Ivan Watson reports on `` The Situation Room '' that `` ordinary activists '' have described feeling `` demoralized and disappointed '' that there were n't as many protesters in the streets as they had hoped . Watson also reported that there was confusion among protesters about where to march and when to hold signs aloft . 1:30 a.m. , Friday -LRB- 5 p.m. ET , Thursday -RRB- About 30 protesters in Sweden threw rocks , snow and ice at police outside the Iranian Embassy on Stockholm 's Lidingo island . At least one officer was hit in the head , said police spokesman Ulf Lindgren . In New York , protesters covered their mouths with black tape and held signs : `` United Nations take action on Iran . '' Solidarity protests also occurred in Paris , France , and in Berlin , Germany . 12:55 a.m. , Friday -LRB- 4:25 p.m. ET , Thursday -RRB- Reports still coming in of what happened earlier in Iran : A university student told a prominent writer that many protestors were afraid to show their support for fear of backlash . `` A sense of confusion and , even anger , prevailed among the supporters of the Green Movement , '' the student said . `` It was hard to distinguish the supporters of the government for the protesters . Most protesters did not take out their green signs . We were mixed with everyone else . I felt very frustrated . Did we go to the protest to increase the number of the pro-government people ? '' The student added that many people seemed more interested in taking things from the government booths that were set up for free milk , juice , food and bags . 11:56 p.m. -LRB- 3:26 p.m. ET -RRB- -- CNN 's Reza Sayah spoke to Mohammad-Taghi Karrubi , the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi , earlier Thursday . He says tear gas was used on them during protests . Watch video . 11:55 p.m. -LRB- 3:25 p.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video of apparent protests in Isfahan , Iran , located 340 km south of Tehran . The city is the second most populated metro area in Iran . 11:55 p.m. -LRB- 3:25 p.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video apparently showing hundreds of riot police on the streets of Tehran . 10:12 p.m. -LRB- 1:42 p.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video apparently showing opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi with protesters in Tehran . 8:37 p.m. -LRB- 12:07 p.m. ET -RRB- -- Witness tells CNN the government was `` really successful in keeping things separated . They got what they wanted , a disruption free rally . '' He added : `` There 's kind of a lot of disheartened people who were expecting more . '' 8:11 p.m. -LRB- 11:41 a.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video allegedly showing tear gas fired in Tehran . 6:48 p.m. -LRB- 10:18 a.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video showing what appears to be an Iranian regime motorbike burning . 6:48 p.m. -LRB- 10:18 a.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch iReport video of opposition supporters in Azadi Square , central Tehran . 11:55 p.m. -LRB- 3:25 p.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video apparently showing hundreds of riot police on the streets of Tehran . 6:23 p.m. -LRB- 9:53 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Opposition Web sites report the wife of opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi was punched and hit with batons . Her Facebook page reports a similar incident . 6:18 p.m. -LRB- 9:48 a.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video that apparently shows a uniformed man punching a shirtless man . 4:38 p.m. -LRB- 8:08 a.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video of protesters apparently stamping on posters of Iranian leaders . 3:30 p.m. -LRB- 7:00 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Mohammad-Taghi Karrubi , the son of opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi tells CNN : `` We are completely disappointed at the behavior of the state today . At the same time we are hoping the situation will be changed and the people who are in power will change their behavior . '' He adds that his brother , Mehdi Karrubi 's other son , Ali Karrubi was arrested at the scene of Karrubi 's attack . 3:18 p.m. -LRB- 6:48 a.m. ET -RRB- -- New video surfaces : Watch YouTube video of purported protests in Iran . 3:06 p.m. -LRB- 6:36 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Source says most major squares quiet with the exception of large number of security forces . 3:00 p.m. -LRB- 6:30 a.m. ET -RRB- -- An Iranian state-run Press TV anchor reports : `` A few hundred supporters of Iran 's defeated presidential candidates have rallied in the capital Tehran . Supporters of Mir Houssain Mousavi and Mehdi Karrubi gathered in a Western Tehran district . Police had stepped up security in the area to prevent possible disturbances . Defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karrubi was seen among the protesters . '' 1:45 p.m. -LRB- 5:15 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Opposition groups claim they 're being prevented from reaching the square by security forces . 1:01 p.m. -LRB- 4:13 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Some protesters are chanting `` Down with Dictator . '' 12:11 p.m. -LRB- 3:41 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Ahmadinejad ends speech with cheers from crowd . 11:59 a.m. -LRB- 3:29 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Ahmadinejad says Iran has succeeded in producing its first batch of uranium enriched to 20 percent and can enrich it up to 80 percent , but it wo n't . Iran says it needs the enriched uranium to treat the country 's cancer patients . 11:54 a.m. -LRB- 3:24 a.m. ET -RRB- -- There are reports that opposition leader Mehdi Karrubi was supposed to meet with supporters , but his car was attacked . The Basij militia broke a window in the car that Karrubi was riding , the Web site Raheh Sabz said . Plainclothed security forces also attacked former president and reformist leader Mohammad Khatami 's vehicle as he headed to Azadi Square . The forces used tear gas and batons to attack Khatami 's supporters , forcing him to abort a plan to walk to the square with followers , the Raheh Sabz Web site said . Two reformist figures , Mohammad Reza Khatami -- the brother of the former president with a similar name -- and his wife , Zahra Eshraghi , were arrested . CNN was not able to independently confirm the opposition reports . 11:33 a.m. -LRB- 3:03 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Ahmadinejihad defends country 's nuclear program , maintains it is being used for peaceful purposes . Follow CNN 's coverage of Iran . 11:29 a.m. -LRB- 2:59 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Protests from opposition have been sparse during Ahmadinejad 's address . 11:25 a.m. -LRB- 2:55 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Ahmadinejihad praises Iran 's progress , citing technological achievements in particular , its space program . 11:13 a.m. -LRB- 2:43 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Ahmadinejihad says the West wants to control the Middle East . `` There are those who stand against us because what they want is to -- control the Middle East and to control the world , '' he said . `` And an independent Iran , a free Iran , a developed Iran , a powerful Iran will naturally be a challenge for their goal . '' 11:00 a.m. -LRB- 2:30 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Ahmadinejad addresses the crowd , discusses the country 's importance in the region . He also lauds Islamic Revolution . 10:56 a.m. -LRB- 2:26 a.m. ET -RRB- -- International journalists have been told by the Iranian government that they can report only on Ahmadinejad 's speech . They are not allowed to report on developments on the streets , according to opposition Web site , Jaras . 10:33 a.m. -LRB- 2:03 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Loudspeakers have been set up throughout the area to carry Ahmadinejad 's speech in hopes of drowning out any potential disruptive protests . 10:32 a.m. -LRB- 2:02 a.m. ET -RRB- -- A witness tells CNN that he has never seen so many Basij militia in the area . 10:11 a.m. -LRB- 1:41 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Iranian TV says Ahmadinejad has arrived at Azadi Square for speech . 9:41 a.m -LRB- 1:11 a.m. ET -RRB- -- Crowds of flag-waving pro-government supporters arrive at Azadi , or Freedom , Square in central Tehran for a planned speech by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad . 8:31 a.m. -LRB- 12:01 ET -RRB- -- Iranians are today marking the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution that overthrew the shah .
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This week , Iran is celebrating the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution . Read Twitter feeds to stay updated on the latest news in Iran . Read CNN 's special coverage of the latest developments in Iran .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A coalition of Iranian reformist groups is urging opponents of the regime to stage non-violent protests on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution next week . The Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front called Thursday for people to march `` with their green colors '' in support of the opposition Green Movement on February 11 . Such protests represent a show of force for citizens who oppose the government 's stiff crackdown on people who demonstrated against the June election victory of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , a vote regarded as fraudulent by many . `` We will show all of the small-minded people who sit on the thrones as rulers , and label any opposition as tools of foreign enemies , the fate of single-voiced -LSB- autocratic -RSB- systems and establishments , '' the council said in a written statement . The statement was issued after opposition leaders such as Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi called for non-violent protests , to make reformists ' `` voices heard to comrade and competitor '' and `` friend and foe . '' Full Iran coverage . `` We come to scream on behalf of the political prisoners , most of whom were present in the 1357 revolution -LSB- 1979 -RSB- and tell them -LSB- the authorities -RSB- that in lieu of imprisonments and violence against the people , you must return to the fundamentals and the original values , '' the statement said , making reference to the years in the Islamic calendar . `` We will tell them to respect the laws and instead of voicing unfounded and fabricated concerns about -LSB- foreign -RSB- plots , to be more in tune with analyzing their own actions . We will tell them that the mirror shows an accurate reflection of who you are and if you break that mirror , you only break yourself . '' Among the groups in the coalition are the Participation Party of Islamic Iran , the Organization of the Mujahedeen of the Islamic Revolution of Iran , the Association of Parliamentary Representatives , the Islamic Association of University Instructors , the Iranian Women 's Journalist Association , the Cultural Association of Islamic Iran , the Unity Party , and the Association of Teachers and Researchers of Qom Seminary School . Authorities are holding a series of events to commemorate the Shah of Iran 's overthrow in 1979 . Celebrations began this week and will culminate on February 11 . The government appears to be trying to clamp down even more tightly on opponents as the anniversary approaches . A leading Iranian human rights activist and journalist was arrested Wednesday , activists said . Kaveh Ghasemi Kermanshahi was taken by security agents who searched his home and took personal belongings , including his computer , the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said in a statement . Iran has been trying and executing people accused of demonstrating against the June 12 presidential election victory of Ahmadinejad . The initial protests broke out last summer and have persisted . At least seven people were killed and hundreds arrested , witnesses said , as they took to the streets on Ashura , a Muslim holy day that occurred on December 27 .
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Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front called for people to march `` with their green colors '' Opposition leaders Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi have called for non-violent protests . Iran trying and executing people accused of demonstrating against the June 12 presidential election .
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