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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In this tech-saturated world , few things are more annoying than car navigation systems that yell at you for making a wrong turn . `` Re-CALC-ulating , '' the system says in that condescending robot voice , as if it is offended by having to rethink the route . `` Turn left at ... -LSB- sigh -RSB- ... recalculating ... '' Such interactions lead people to think GPS devices are nagging them , said Mark Gretton , chief technology officer of TomTom , a GPS maker . `` The main interaction you have with the device is a series of commands , so that starts the tone of the relationship right from the start , '' he said . `` It 's ` Do this , do that , turn right . ' '' And it does n't help if the computer sounds snippy , he said . Despite advances in `` text to speech '' technology , current computer voices can still be socially tone deaf . Car systems are bossy . E-readers read to us aloud , but they do n't know what they 're reading , so Shakespeare can sound just like a monotone reading of a spreadsheet . None of them can get intonations , pauses or emotional context quite right . Farhad Manjoo , a tech columnist at Slate , compared the Amazon Kindle 's reading voice , for example , to `` Gilbert Gottfried laid up with a tuberculin cough '' and `` a dyslexic robot who spent his formative years in Eastern Europe . '' So what gives ? With more than a decade of voice research under our belts , why ca n't computers speak our language -- or at least sound a bit more human ? Well , they 're trying , tech researchers say , but these machines face a striking number of technological hurdles in their efforts to sound un-robotic . Complex speech patterns . The most obvious reason the computers have trouble is that human speech is almost infinitely complex . There are about 40 phonemes -- or basic sounds -- in the English language , but there are seemingly limitless combinations . To try to get computers on the right track , voice technologists record human actors reading all kinds of wacky sentences , which are designed to elicit as many phoneme combinations as possible . Computers store all these sentences in a database , chop them into sounds , and then remix them to make any possible combination of words . The result is intelligible , but it 's not quite human . A super-high-quality computer voice might require 40 hours of voice recordings in order to sound nearly human , said Andy Aaron , a computer speech researcher at IBM . That 's just for one voice , one accent . Computing power . Aaron said computers that have lots of voice data to pull from can sound , at times , nearly human . But the issue is that not every computer has an entire server farm waiting to process every sentence it would like to say . Mobile phones and GPS devices , in particular , just do n't have enough computing power or storage space to thumb through mountains of voice files in order to sound as realistic as possible with current technology . The result : Corners are cut in the name of workability , and some of the nuances of the spoken language are lost , said Gretton of TomTom . This will improve as computers continue to get faster and able to store more data , he said . Parts of computer voices are also generated entirely from equations and models , not actor-read sounds . Those bits act as filler , and cut down on database sizes , too . Speak thy heart . Another major problem for talking computers is that it 's somewhat difficult for them to replicate the sound of human emotion and inflection . This , however , is a major topic of speech research , and the technology appears to have made some strides . People who record the sentences that are the grist for computer speech sometimes are asked to read in different emotional states . Computers can pull from these sounds if they want to flip the pitch of a computer voice up at the end of a sentence , for example , in order to ask a question . Or they pull from higher frequencies to sound happy or excited . IBM Research has posted a demo of this on its website in order to show the differences between emotive and robotic computer voices . Take this example sentence : . `` These cookies are delicious . '' Listen to that sentence as read by a computer with no emotion . Here it is again , spoken by a computer using a system called Naxpres , which tries to take emotional cues into account . Notice that the voice perks up at the end , as if the computer is saying the cookies are `` de-LISH-ious . '' It makes some difference . Emotional context . But copying the sounds of human emotion is only half the battle . To really make computers sound more human , the machines have to understand what they 're reading -- at least to some degree -- so that they know when to inflect . This part of computer science is much more challenging , said Aaron . Consider another sample sentence : . `` I say tomato , and you say tomato . '' Most people would have heard that line before , and would automatically pronounce `` tomato '' as `` to-mah-toe '' the second time , said Aaron , of IBM . But not a computer . `` How would the computer know that those two words are supposed to be pronounced differently ? '' Aaron said . `` It 's only real-world knowledge that can tell the computer that those two words are supposed to be pronounced differently . '' The same applies to emotions and inflections . It 's difficult for a computer to know how to read a passage of text , and what emotions should apply . `` If you read a passage to somebody , you 're obviously going to read it a way that does justice to the content , '' said Vlad Sejnoha , chief technology officer of Nuance , a company that develops speech technologies . `` If you 're reading a technical report , you 're probably not going to read it in a way that 's much different from a computer , but if you 're reading a poem , it 's a different kettle of fish , '' he said . `` You 're really trying to communicate a lot of emotional meaning through the pauses you introduce and through the pacing and such . That really requires a pretty deep understanding '' of language . ` You want to punch them ' As it turns out , the best computer voices may be those that sound exactly like the person who 's listening . If a computer voice matches your mood , your speech patterns , your accent and your tonal range , you 're less likely to be annoyed by it , researchers said . How well a computer voice matches the listener 's mood is not just a matter of preference -- it 's a matter of safety , said Clifford Nass , a Stanford professor who studies computer voices . In a 2005 study , Nass found that these emotional mismatches may actually be dangerous in driving situations . Sad drivers who get instructions from happy computer voices -- and happy drivers who listen to sad voices -- are more likely to have accidents , he said . The emotionally confused drivers are also less likely to be able to pay attention to the road . So , if you 're having a groggy sort of morning , instructions from a GPS device that sounds like a caffeinated cheerleader might just push you over the edge . `` If you think about it , when you 're happy , you want to be around happy people . But if you 're sad , do you really want to hang around chirpy , happy people saying , ` Let 's turn that frown upside down ? ' '' he said . `` No . You want to punch them . '' Sejnoha , from Nuance , said his company has developed a prototype computer voice system that listens to a person speak and then tries to mimic it . Gretton , from TomTom , said his company has n't looked into matching drivers ' emotions to the voices of their navigation systems yet . But one interim solution , he said , gives drivers many options when it comes to the voices of their computerized companions . TomTom offers a range of downloadable voices -- from the fictional Darth Vader and Homer Simpson to celebrities like the rapper Snoop Dogg . Users can also read a set of test sentences and have their own voices transferred into the GPS -- so that they 're , in effect , bossing themselves around . Perhaps it 's a little less tempting to yell at the computer if the computer sounds exactly like you do -- or as close as technology allows .
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Computers still do n't sound human , even after years of research . But technologists are making some strides . IBM is trying to make computer voices convey emotion . Professor says we attribute human characteristics to computer voices .
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[[3598, 3652]]
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Xe , the private security firm once known as Blackwater , has reached a $ 42 million settlement with the U.S. State Department over alleged export violations , a State Department official said . Darby Holladay , a State Department duty officer , said the civil settlement was reached Wednesday for 288 violations between 2003 and 2009 , when the company personnel were guarding U.S. staff overseas . They involve the `` unauthorized export '' of defense articles and services to `` foreign end-users in multiple countries '' and `` false statements and misrepresentation or omission of material facts in information provided to the department . '' Also , Holladay said , there were violations `` of provisos or limitations on export licenses . '' But the violations , he said , `` did not involve sensitive technologies or cause known harm to U.S. national security . '' Xe is pleased with the settlement , which will allow it to continue to get government contracts . Company spokeswoman Stacy DeLuke also said the settlement `` will resolve outstanding allegations , continues external compliance oversight , and continues and improves compliance measures . '' `` Most violations occurred in training programs for U.S. or allied governments . The vast majority of the exports were eventually authorized '' and that `` most of these violations were committed when the company was undergoing rapid growth . '' She said that in reaching the resolution , `` a number of significant steps '' have been made `` to remedy the situation , '' including the replacement of senior management . In October 2008 , Xe established an independent committee to oversee its compliance procedures . Blackwater 's actions stoked controversy in Iraq and Afghanistan . An incident involving its personnel in 2007 left 17 Iraqi civilians dead in Baghdad . Blackwater lost its contract to guard U.S. staff in Iraq there after Iraq 's government refused to renew its operating license . The company changed its name to Xe , and continues to receive multimillion-dollar contracts in Afghanistan . However , Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in the process of disbanding all private security firms in his country . CNN 's Joe Sterling and Scott Spoerry contributed to this report .
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There were dozens of alleged export violations . There was no `` known harm to U.S. national security '' Blackwater lost its contract in Iraq after Baghdad incident .
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[[1865, 1921]]
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MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities do not plan to file charges against a Florida orange grove owner who fatally shot a 21-year-old woman , saying he is protected under the state 's controversial `` no retreat '' law . Bullet holes pocked the windshield of the crashed SUV , and blood stained he passenger seat . But the woman 's boyfriend faces second-degree murder charges in her death , because the woman was shot to death during an alleged felony -- the theft of an SUV . Tony Curtis Phillips , 29 , did n't fire a single shot . He did n't even know his girlfriend , Nikki McCormick , was dead until police showed him an online news story . Police said McCormick accompanied Phillips as he attempted to steal the SUV from a barn in an orange grove near Wahneta , Florida , before daylight Tuesday . Grove owner Ladon `` Jamie '' Jones opened fire as the SUV approached him , according to an affidavit released by the Polk County Sheriff 's Office . Phillips fled ; McCormick was shot in the head and later died . Authorities said Jones is protected by Florida 's `` no retreat '' law , which gives him the right to use lethal force if he reasonably believes his life is in danger . Phillips , however , faces charges because police allege he was committing felony grand theft auto at the time of McCormick 's death . `` Because his conduct caused her death , he gets charged with a felony , '' Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said . Phillips was arrested late Tuesday in Polk County , near Lakeland , after a day on the run . Police said he did n't believe McCormick was dead at first , telling officers , `` Of all the times you 've questioned me , this is a nasty trick you 're playing on me this time . '' He agreed to cooperate if detectives could prove she was dead . Judd said detectives called up the shooting story on the local newspaper 's Web site and `` let him read it online , and that 's when he broke down and cried , and gave us a confession , '' Judd said . According to the affidavit , Jones heard his Toyota Land Cruiser , parked in the barn at his orange grove , start up before daylight Tuesday . Jones told police he grabbed his gun , a 9mm that he keeps with him while working at the grove . He said he could see two people in the SUV as it backed out of the barn , according to the affidavit . He said he saw the passenger 's arm reach outside the vehicle , and believed that person might be holding a gun . The Land Cruiser stopped directly in front of him , Jones said in the affidavit . He said he raised his gun and pointed it at the occupants , shouting `` Stop , '' but the vehicle appeared to be moving directly toward him . `` Fearing for his life , he then fired what he thought to be six to eight rounds into the front windshield of the vehicle , '' the affidavit stated . The vehicle backed up at high speed , crashed through a fence and ended up in a ditch . Jones told police a man jumped out of the SUV and ran away . Sheriff 's deputies found McCormick inside the vehicle with a bullet wound to her head . She was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center , where she died . Jones did not return a call from CNN seeking comment . Authorities will forward their information to prosecutors , Judd said , but are `` not going to file any charges -LSB- against Jones -RSB- at this point , because we do n't see any reason to arrest Mr. Jones , '' Judd said . '' ... It appears , at this point in the investigation , Mr. Jones was completely , legally justified in his actions . '' A Polk County judge on Thursday ordered Phillips held without bond . A public defender was appointed to his case . Polk County Public Defender J. Marion Moorman declined to comment on the charges to CNN . `` We will , of course , be interviewing the client very soon , and will be undertaking his defense from there , '' he said . Phillips told police he assumed McCormick had also gotten out of the vehicle and run away , according to the affidavit . He said he was sorry for what happened `` and said he knew he was partially responsible for her death , '' the affidavit said . Polk County State Attorney 's Office spokesman Chip Thulberry said his office will review the case when the sheriff 's investigation is completed . The Brady Campaign to prevent Gun Violence says Florida is one of 16 states that have enacted `` no retreat '' laws , which some call `` shoot-first '' laws . The laws extend the right to use deadly force beyond a person 's home and into public places . `` The shoot-first law is not needed , '' said Brian Malte of the Brady Campaign . `` This person , regardless of the situation , may have done the right thing , but he can not be prosecuted for doing something wrong if he hit an innocent bystander , '' he said . Other groups stand by the `` no retreat '' laws . `` At the moment a crime occurs , victims do n't have the luxury of time , '' said Andrew Arulanandam of the National Rifle Association . `` They have seconds to decide on a course of action to protect their lives and their families . This law provides law-abiding people with options . ''
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Tony Curtis Phillips , 29 , charged in girlfriend 's shooting death . He was n't shooter but is charged because he allegedly was stealing SUV . Shooter probably wo n't be charged because he is covered by ` no retreat ' law . Florida law says people can use lethal force if they fear for their lives .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- For a man whose previous nickname was `` the Bulldozer , '' balance might not be thought of as one of South Korean president Lee Myung-bak 's strong points . Promises of pragmatism and a more balanced society from the new president . However , speaking to CNN for Talk Asia just a few weeks after his inauguration as president , restoring some equilibrium to South Korean society is one of the key aims of his presidency . `` My country has undergone rapid industrialization and development , as well as democratization , '' he told Anjali Rao . `` And throughout this process , I believe some sort of balance has been lost . The gap between the haves and the have-nots has widened lately , which I believe must be rectified . '' It 's not an unfamiliar sentiment for a politician to express , but Lee 's journey from childhood poverty to the pinnacle of political life perhaps makes him more qualified than many politicians to relate to his electorate . For many of his supporters his life reflects the recent history of South Korea itself . Lee Myung-bak was born in Osaka , Japan in 1941 during the Japanese occupation of the Korean peninsular and returned to Korea with his parents at the end of the Second World War . Without any money to pay for his education , he paid his own way through university in Seoul , at one point taking a job as a garbage collector , working during the day , while studying at night . As a student he led protests against the authoritarian government , receiving a caution from police in 1962 . After graduating he took a job with Hyundai . His hard work and ambition saw that he became its CEO after just 12 years , at the age of 36 . It was as a dynamic young CEO , part of the new generation that was rapidly building South Korea 's industry and economy in the 1970 's and 80 's , he gained the nickname `` the Bulldozer '' for his single-minded approach and tenacity to drive through difficult projects . His transition from CEO to politician came when he became mayor of Seoul in 2002 and undertook one of the city ' most ambitious and popular programs of urban renewal . He was elected on the promise of transforming the city , ripping out a traffic-clogged elevated highway that ran through its center and restoring the Cheonggyecheon stream that had been covered over . It 's completion in 2005 led to a blooming example of the growing emphasis on quality of life in a country that had sacrificed economic and industrial growth for all else . It also propelled him into the international spotlight , with TIME Magazine naming him one of its Heroes of the Environment in 2007 . He has not been without his detractors , however , and even after the election there were questions surrounding his ethics . While South Korea has been trying to shed its image of corporate corruption , just four days before his inauguration as president he was cleared of accusations of stock manipulation . `` During this rapid period , yes indeed , there were a lot of side effects . And one of them was corruption and that transparency was not prevalent in our society , '' he told CNN . `` Now that I am president , such a culture in the political culture , as well as the corporate culture , must change . ''
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South Korea 's new president Lee Myung-bak plans for a pragmatic presidency . His rags-to-riches story reflects recent history of South Korea . Named one of TIME Magazine 's green heroes in 2007 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' is an uplifting spiritual , one that 's often heard in churches and popularly recognized as the black national anthem . Timothy Askew grew up with its rhythms , but now the song holds a contentious place in his mind . `` I love the song , '' said Askew , an associate professor of English at Clark Atlanta University , a historically black college . `` But it 's not the song that is the problem . It 's the label of the song as a ` black national anthem ' that creates a lot of confusion and tension . '' The song and its message of struggle and hope have long been attached to the African-American community . It lives on as a religious hymn for several protestant and African-American denominations and was quoted by the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery at Barack Obama 's presidential inauguration . After studying the music and lyrics of the song and its history for more than two decades , Askew decided the song was intentionally written with no specific reference to any race or ethnicity . Askew explains his position in the new book , `` Cultural Hegemony and African American Patriotism : An Analysis of the Song , ` Lift Every Voice and Sing , ' '' which was released by Linus Publications in June . The book explores the literary and musical traditions of the song , but also says that a national anthem for African-Americans can be construed as racially separatist and divisive . `` To sing the ` black national anthem ' suggests that black people are separatist and want to have their own nation , '' Askew said . `` This means that everything Martin Luther King Jr. believed about being one nation gets thrown out the window . '' Askew first became intrigued with `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' while working on his master 's degree at Yale University . He was a Morehouse College music graduate , young , passionate and hungry for knowledge about African-American culture . A fellow classmate suggested Askew explore Yale 's collection on James Weldon Johnson , an early civil rights activist who wrote the song decades earlier . Johnson first wrote `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' as a poem in 1900 . Hundreds of African-American students performed it at a celebration of Abraham Lincoln 's birthday at Jacksonville , Florida 's Stanton School , where Johnson was principal . Johnson 's brother , John Rosamond Johnson , later set the poem to music . By 1920 , the NAACP had proclaimed the song the `` Negro National Anthem . '' `` I remember methodically going into the Yale library every day and sitting there on the floor , rummaging through 700 boxes of James Johnson 's work , '' Askew said . `` I became so fascinated in his life and letters , that I wanted to know more about the creation of the song and how it related to our modern understanding of it . '' He found letters of appreciation to Johnson from individuals of all different ethnic backgrounds . At that moment , Askew had a revelation : The song he 'd known as the `` black national anthem '' was for everybody . Some will call his perspective on the song a contradiction , Askew said , especially because he works at a historically black college . But he argues that universities like Clark Atlanta accept students of many races and ethnicities ; a national anthem for one race excludes others , and ignores an existing national anthem , `` The Star-Spangled Banner '' by Francis Scott Key . `` Some people argue lines like ` We have come , treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered , ' signify a tie to slavery and the black power struggle , '' Askew said . `` But in all essence there is no specific reference to black people in this song . It lends itself to any people who have struggled . '' He 's not the only one who sees fault in a national anthem just for African-Americans . Kenneth Durden , an African-American conservative blogger , responded to Askew 's claims on his blog , `` A Free Man , Thinking Freely . '' He said in an interview that Askew is right to make connections to King 's view of one America . `` King always appealed to the American dream for all , '' Durden said . `` He was a patriot and he never wanted blacks to deny or separate themselves from being American . I think claiming an anthem for ourselves as black people is doing just that . '' What troubles Askew more is that the song became an identity marker for African-Americans . `` Who has the right to decide for all black people what racial symbol they should have ? '' Askew said . `` Identity should be developed by the individual himself , not a group of people who think they know what is best for you . '' Hilary O. Shelton , senior vice president for advocacy and policy for the NAACP , said Askew 's ideas might be far-fetched . `` I do n't see anything that is racially exclusive or discriminatory about the song , '' Shelton said . `` The negro national anthem was adopted and welcomed by a very interracial group , and it speaks of hope in being full first-class citizens in our society . '' `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' is n't meant to cloud national identity or persuade African-Americans to be separatists , Shelton said . It 's often sung in conjunction with `` The Star-Spangled Banner , '' or with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance at NAACP events . `` His presumption is that this song is sung instead of our national anthem -- that we are less American and we are not as committed to America because we take pride in the Negro national anthem , '' Shelton said . `` It is evident in our actions as an organization and here in America that we are about inclusion , not exclusion . To claim that we as African-Americans want to form a confederation or separate ourselves from white people because of one song is baffling to me . '' This is n't the first time `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' has sparked debate . In 2008 , jazz singer Rene Marie substituted the words of `` The Star-Spangled Banner '' with the words of `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' at Mayor John Hickenlooper 's State of the City address in Denver , Colorado . Marie said it was a matter of artistic expression , but critics viewed the lyrical switch as disrespect toward the national anthem , a lack of patriotism and an insinuation of racial division . `` I think that we often try to separate the black experience from the American experience , '' said Marc Lamont Hill , an associate professor of education at Columbia University who studies hip-hop culture . `` It 's a black national anthem , but it 's also a quintessential American song because of its message of fighting for freedom . It 's not ` lift the black voices , ' it 's ` lift every voice . ' '' Askew , though , maintains there 's only one national anthem , `` The Star-Spangled Banner , '' and that `` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' could take on a new role : a message of victory for all ethnic groups in the United States . `` We need to consider eliminating this alternative label of ` black national anthem ' in order to promote unity , '' Askew said . `` I know people will probably think that I 'm a sellout , but I think it is important that African-Americans nationally understand that we should be moving towards racial cohesiveness . ''
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`` Lift Every Voice and Sing '' was written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900 . The spiritual hymn is recognized as the `` black national anthem '' HBCU Professor Timothy Askew claims a national anthem for one race is racially divisive and separatist .
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WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- President Bush has approved the Army 's request to execute a soldier convicted of rape and murder , the White House announced Monday evening . Pvt. Ronald Gray , seen here in 1988 , has been on the military 's death row for 20 years . Pvt. Ronald Gray has been on the military 's death row at Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , since 1988 . His execution would be the first for the U.S. military since 1961 , but the White House said it expects further appeals before the sentence is carried out . `` While approving a sentence of death for a member of our armed services is a serious and difficult decision for a commander-in-chief , the president believes the facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted , '' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said . Gray was convicted of raping and killing a female Army private and a civilian near his post at Fort Bragg , North Carolina . He was also convicted of the rape and attempted murder of another fellow soldier in her barracks at Fort Bragg . `` The president 's thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these heinous crimes and their families and all others affected , '' Perino said . Both military and civilian courts found Gray responsible for the crimes committed between April 1986 and January 1987 . Gray pleaded guilty to two murders and five rapes in a civilian court and was sentenced to three consecutive and five concurrent life terms . A general court-martial at the Army 's Fort Bragg then tried him and in April 1988 convicted him of two murders , an attempted murder and three rapes . He was unanimously sentenced to death . Members of the U.S. military have been executed throughout history , but just 10 have been executed with presidential approval since 1951 under the Uniform Code of Military Justice , the military 's modern-day legal system . Military courts have not yet set an execution date for Gray , who can still appeal through civilian federal courts . The Army also has sought Bush 's authorization to execute another condemned soldier , Pvt. Dwight Loving , who was convicted of killing and robbing two cab drivers in 1988 . The last U.S. military execution was in 1961 , when Army private John Bennett was hanged for raping and attempting to kill an 11-year-old Austrian girl . Bennett was sentenced in 1955 . The U.S. military has n't actively pursued an execution for a military prisoner since President John F. Kennedy commuted a death sentence in 1962 . Six men are currently on military death row . Bush allowed 152 executions as governor of Texas and has signed off on three executions of federal inmates since he became president -- including that of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh , who was put to death in 2001 . CNN 's Bill Mears contributed to this report .
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Bush OK 's Army 's request to execute a soldier convicted of rape , murder . Pvt. Ronald Gray has been on the military 's death row in Kansas since 1988 . White House said it expects further appeals before the sentence is carried out .
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MIAMI , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A teenager accused of killing and mutilating 19 pet cats in Miami , Florida , has been released on bond and is under house arrest , authorities said Wednesday . Tyler Weinman , 18 , is under house arrest , accused of killing 19 pet cats in Miami , Florida . Tyler Weinman , 18 , was fitted with an ankle bracelet for electronic monitoring and escorted home by Miami-Dade Police . He also has been charged with improper disposal of dead animals and burglary in the monthlong cat killing spree . Judge John Thornton ordered Weinman released after a court-appointed psychologist found the teen was mentally competent and not a danger to himself or others . Weinman , who had been on suicide watch , flashed a quick smile to photographers and reporters as he entered the courtroom . He made no statements at the hearing . `` He 's an innocent man . There 's no evidence , '' said defense attorney Michael Walsh . `` When the case starts to unfold , you 'll see , '' he added . `` The first thing that happened is an evaluation . He 's not a danger . He 's not a threat to himself or anyone else , '' Walsh said . Weinman was ordered to undergo psychiatric counseling twice a week . The teen was arrested at a party in Miami on Saturday night . Police allege he 's responsible for the vicious series of cat killings that has put the manicured neighborhoods south of Miami on edge . Some of the carcasses were posed , police said . Thornton ordered the court file sealed . Investigators said Weinman might have been part of a ring committing the crimes . `` This is an ongoing investigation . We 're looking to see if any other individuals are involved , '' said Terry Chavez , a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade State Attorney 's office . But Weinman 's defense attorney does n't buy it . `` Police say a lot of things , '' Walsh responded . `` There obviously has been a public outcry to solve this crime , and that motivates police in certain directions . And now , this young man has to sit there and bear the allegations , '' he said . Weinman was charged with 19 counts of animal cruelty with intent to harm and kill . He faces up to 158 years in prison if convicted of all counts . He was arrested after phone tips came in to police and he was placed under surveillance . As he left court , the suspect 's father , Douglas Weinman was asked if his son was guilty . `` Absolutely not , '' he said . He also expressed his condolences to pet owners who lost their cats . `` We are cat owners ourselves . We love our pets , '' he said . `` We certainly understand the grief that other cat owners are going through , and we sympathize with them , but it is not our son , '' he added . `` We 've seen him play with our pets for years and he 's a great kid and he plays with pets and he 's fine with them , '' he said . Extra police and a special investigator from the State Attorney 's Office had been working the investigation , which had worried many residents who feared the cat killer might graduate to people . One pet owner , Donna Gleason , said her family cat , Tommy , was `` partially skinned '' and left dead in her yard . `` Part of his skin was missing underneath ... and part of his legs , '' she said . But Weinman 's defense attorney said the police have not gotten their man . `` He 's not a violent kid . He 's just a good kid who 's a victim of circumstance . He did not do this crime , '' Walsh said . Weinman is due back in court July 6 for arraignment .
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Tyler Hayes Weinman , 18 , suspected in Miami serial cat killings , is released on bail . Psychological evaluation says he 's no danger to self or others . Cat killing began in May , but only 19 of 34 are linked to serial killer . If convicted , Weinman could face up to 158 years in prison .
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LOS ANGELES , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Elizabeth Taylor checked out of a Los Angeles hospital `` sore , but intact , '' the actress said in an online message posted Friday evening . Elizabeth Taylor posted on her Twitter account that she was grieving for her close friend Michael Jackson . Taylor , 77 , used her Twitter handle , @DameElizabeth , to tell fans that she was home , just as she did last week to announce she would go into a hospital to `` to complete a test I was in the middle of . '' Her publicist this week denied tabloid rumors that her hospitalization was brought on by her grief over the sudden death of her close friend Michael Jackson in June . Taylor , in her latest tweets , addressed her sadness over Jackson 's death : . `` I 'm home from the hospital sore , but intact . Of course I 'm still grieving for Michael ... I always will . '' `` But as I said before I went into the hospital , ' I am a survivor , ' '' Taylor tweeted . `` I 've had many tragedies in my life , but I guess they have all taught me something . I have to look at it that way . '' `` I have to be stronger and more appreciative of what I do have . '' `` I give love and I 'm surrounded by love ... and I thank God for that . '' Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to update what they are doing using 140 characters or less . Taylor regularly posts short messages to her 116,000 Twitter followers through the account she opened earlier this year at the suggestion of her close friend , author and actress Kathy Ireland , publicist Dick Guttman said . She posted emotional messages earlier this month to counter rumors about how she was dealing with the news of Jackson 's death . `` Although my grief over Michael could not be any deeper , I am not on suicide watch as some of the cheaper ` rags ' would have you believe , '' Taylor tweeted July 5 . A New York Post column published Tuesday quoted an unidentified source saying she was hospitalized because the `` heart 's gone out of her '' after Jackson 's death . Taylor , who uses a wheelchair because of scoliosis , or abnormal curving of the spine , gave fans several days advance notice of her hospitalization . `` I wanted you my friends to know that I 'm going into the hospital Wednesday or Thursday to complete a test I was in the middle of , '' she wrote . Taylor said she declined an invitation to speak about Jackson at his public memorial because she `` can not be part of the public hoopla . '' `` I just do n't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others , '' Taylor tweeted . `` How I feel is between us . Not a public event . '' `` I certainly do n't want to become a part of it , '' she said . `` I love him too much . ... And I can not guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word . ''
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`` Sore '' Elizabeth Taylor `` tweets '' about leaving hospital . Taylor says she went to hospital `` to complete a test '' Famed actress says she still mourns loss of close friend Michael Jackson . Tragedies `` have all taught me something , '' Taylor says .
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Bangkok , Thailand -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thailand has revoked the visa of a Russian pianist accused of raping a 14-year-old boy , an immigration official said Thursday . Thailand 's immigration bureau revoked the visa of Mikhail Pletnev because it believes he poses threats to the country , according to Maj. Gen. Pansak Kasemsan . The development means that even if the charges against Pletnev are eventually dropped , he will be deported from the country . Although the revocation of the visa is already in place , an exception allows him to enter the country while his case is pending . Pletnev was arrested and charged July 6 with raping the teenage boy in the Thai beach town of Pattaya , where he owns a house . The crime carries a maximum prison term of 20 years . The judge released him on a $ 9,000 bail until the criminal charges against him are resolved , with the provision that he return to the seaside town of Pattaya every 12 days to renew the conditions of the bail . That means Pletnev can travel abroad as long as he continues to make his court dates . Pletnev was in Thailand on Monday and is due back in the country on July 30 . His attorney said he left the country Wednesday to see his mother for her 89th birthday . Thailand remains a destination for child migrants , many of whom enter the sex tourism industry , according to the Child Protection and Development Center . `` Pattaya in particular has developed an international reputation for child sex tourism , '' the nongovernmental organization says on its website about the town two hours south of Bangkok . `` Anti-trafficking researchers targeting street children estimate that Pattaya hosts about 1,500 to 2,000 homeless and impoverished children per year , while numbers are increasing . Children search for work , migrating -- alone or with their families -- from Thailand 's northeast provinces , Cambodia , Burma , Laos and Vietnam . '' CNN 's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report .
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NEW : Exception allows Pletnev to enter the country while his case is pending . He is accused of raping a 14-year-old boy in Thailand . His visa was revoked because the immigration bureau believes he 's a threat . Even if the charges are eventually dropped , he will be deported from Thailand .
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-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- In an interview that will air tonight on ABC 's `` World News with Diane Sawyer , '' Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg talked frankly about an upcoming IPO , the Facebook movie , a shady lawsuit and much more . As far as the movie `` The Social Network '' is concerned , Zuckerberg seemed to echo Facebook co-founder Dustin Moscovitz 's opinion that the film seems a lot more exciting than the real-life version of Facebook 's history . `` I just think people have a lot of fiction ... . The real story of Facebook is just that we 've worked so hard for all this time , '' Zuckerberg said in his interview with Sawyer . `` I mean , the real story is actually probably pretty boring , right ? ... We just sat at our computers for six years and coded . '' Somewhere in that six years of coding , however , it is alleged that Zuckerberg signed a contract that would give ownership of his website to a web designer and former associate at Harvard , one Paul Ceglia . Although a Facebook lawyer said yesterday the company is `` unsure '' whether such a contract was ever signed , Zuckerberg told Sawyer unequivocally , `` We did not sign a contract that says that -LSB- Ceglia has -RSB- any right to ownership over Facebook . '' As far as an initial public offering of stock is concerned , Facebook 's IPO is one of the most hotly anticipated by many in the tech world . The company is currently valued at upwards of $ 20 billion and is expected to generate around $ 1 billion in revenue in 2010 . Zuckerberg told Sawyer that , while he and the rest of the Facebook team are still rather single-mindedly focused on product , `` At some point along the path , I think it 'll make sense to have an IPO . But we 're not running the company to do that . We 're running the company to serve more people . '' Of course , Sawyer 's interview also touches on the privacy debacle -LRB- `` We have made mistakes , for sure , '' said Zuckerberg -RRB- and the site 's crossing the 500-million-user mark -LRB- Zuckerberg said the journey had been `` surreal '' -RRB- as well as several other topics . Check your local listings to find out when the program will air in your area , and in the meantime , check out these two teaser clips from ABC . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
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Zuckerberg says `` The Social Network '' seems a lot more exciting than the real-life history . The CEO denies ever signing a contract that gives ownership of his website to Paul Ceglia . `` At some point along the path , I think it 'll make sense to have an IPO , '' Zuckerberg says . The interview will air tonight on ABC 's `` World News with Diane Sawyer ''
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-LRB- Wired -RRB- -- Facebook is primed to announce this week that it 's amassed a half billion active friends , a milestone reinforcing its status as the king of social networks -- a company to be regarded with the seriousness and power -LRB- if not revenue -RRB- of Google , Apple , Yahoo and Microsoft . Five hundred million and rising also makes it clear to anyone not paying attention that Facebook is no fad , that it is a cultural force shaping our collective culture . Even if you have no desire to ever set up a profile , you ca n't ignore it and you are now oddly defined in the negative and left out of the zeitgeist . A service of that size wo n't disappear anytime soon , even if Facebook has hit its plateau in the U.S. . But net users are fickle and the web 's short history includes dozens of sites that were once high-flying that have either since died -LRB- Geocities -RRB- , lost their luster -LRB- Yahoo -RRB- or faded into irrelevance -LRB- Friendster -RRB- . So how could Facebook lose its place at the center of the web ? 1 . Open , distributed alternatives . A pack of college kids drunk on Free Software launched an open-source , federated alternative to Facebook called Diaspora . After collecting an astonishing $ 120K in donations , the group is knocking out code . Meanwhile , there 's other cool stuff going on , including OneSocialWeb , the Appleseed Project and WebFinger . Get enough of these open protcols into decent shape and someone is likely to build them into an improbably powerful stack . Research the LAMP stack , if you do n't get my drift . What might that look like ? An elimination of the need for a centralized home and coordinator of social networking -- where your social profile lives wherever you want it to -LRB- as your e-mail does -RRB- and can interact with any other profile around the net , on your own terms . While it sounds far-fetched , a recent poll suggests that people are as happy with Facebook as they are with their cable company , even if they do find it similarly indispensable . 2 . Google Me . There 's rumors the search giant is hatching its own social network system , despite the fact that it 's just not particularly good at social networking . Its Orkut social network has flailed and even seems to be losing its final two treasures , India and Brazil , to Facebook . Google 's take on Twitter , called Buzz , is n't bad , but it 's not been much of a hit -- despite some fine features such as threaded coversations . And then it 's got Wave and Google Talk , and Google Chat and Google Profile and Google pages and Google Docs . I wonder if anyone has tried stacking any of those together over there in the Googleplex to create a place where people actually want to hang out -- the clear difference between a site like Facebook and a site like Google search . Interesting things happen when people hang out . 3 . Location-based services and the mobile device . With the stunning popularity of pocket computers -- starting with the iPhone , location-centric services such as Foursquare are gaining users at the rate that Facebook used to . Perhaps most importantly , they are figuring out ways to use the addictive mechanics of gaming to create services even more engrossing than Facebook . To compete , Facebook has its own , very well-liked mobile app , and is set to expand how it interacts with the real world . But there 's a real threat here that Facebook could get outflanked by clever kids not too much unlike themselves , who figure out how to create a more potent digital heroin . 4 . The U.S. Postal Service . For those who love dark horses or the old and familiar , there 's always a chance that the world suddenly tires of their Facebook wall or virtual farming and decide to get off the net 's grid entirely . Socializing will still be necessary , of course , so we 'll see the return of sockhops , neighborhood restaurants and church socials . As for written messages , the Postal Service is actually quite good at delivering hand-written correspondence anywhere in the States for a nominal fee . The photo postcard will be huge again . But since the Postal Service is proposing to cease Saturday delivery , its social networking service would be a weekday-only affair . Vive la Poste ! 5 . Overreaching on the part of Mark Zuckerberg . Facebook 's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has changed the culture of the world with his single-minded devotedness to making people share more information with more people . In a world where software can determine culture , Zuckerberg 's unwavering drive to make more and more of the details of our lives public by default has triumphed in nearly every instance over prevailing cultural norms -- with the glaring exception of the Beacon project . But as with all visionaries , there is always the danger that in his attempt to lead his flock to the land of milk and honey , there will come a moment where he steps too far ahead , and the flock abandons the frontier for the pasture , leaving him alone and howling in the wilderness . 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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Facebook is nearing 500 million users , but is it invincible ? A poll says people are as happy with Facebook as they are with their cable company . There are rumors that Google is hatching its own social network system . Location-centric services are gaining users at the rate that Facebook used to .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A woman gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming said she is happy to be alive days after the attack . `` I thought it was the end , '' Cathy Hayes told CNN by phone late Wednesday . Hayes said she was vacationing in Yellowstone on Monday with her husband and a friend . The group was driving through the park when they spotted a bison . `` My friend is from California , and had never seen a bison before , '' she said . `` So we pulled over and went to get a closer look . '' Minutes later , the bison attacked . And it was all caught on tape . `` So we 're here in the park and there 's a buffalo , and he 's just wandering across the road , '' she says in the footage . Hayes , a native of Farr West , Utah , says they were about 30 feet away from the bison when her friend decided to get closer . `` There was another group in front of us , and I never noticed it before looking at the video on my small camera , but you can see a stick fly off the back of the bison , '' she said . `` It looks like it came from the group that was in front of him . Before that , the bison was just chillin . ' '' In the video shot from Hayes ' perspective , her friend falls as he runs away from the charging bison . At that point , she says , the bison turned its attention to her . Hayes crouched behind a tree to protect herself , but it was n't enough . `` There was a pause when I could tell that he was backing up and getting ready to ram the tree again , '' Hayes said . `` I thought , ` He wo n't ram the car , ' so I made a run for it . You can probably see in the video when he got me and flung me up in the air . '' Hayes ' husband was in their car when the attack happened , and was able to scare the bison off by making loud noises . `` He was going to throw his cell phone at it , but it took off . It was gone as quick as it came , '' she said . Luckily , Hayes did not suffer life-threatening injures , but said she is still in a lot of pain . Her knee was swollen to the size of a football , and she had minor cuts and scrapes throughout her leg . Her friend broke his shoulder when he tripped and fell . But for the Utah teacher , it could have been worse . `` I was waiting for black . I thought I was going to die , '' Hayes said . Signs throughout Yellowstone warn visitors to not get close to wildlife .
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Attack happened at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming . Utah resident was trying to get a closer look at the animal . `` He got me and flung me up in the air , '' she says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Get a kick out of this : Researchers reported Wednesday finding the world 's oldest leather shoe in a cave in Armenia . The 5,500-year-old one-piece shoe antedates Stonehenge by a millennium and precedes every loafer , mukluk , wader , clog , bootee , stiletto , wingtip , mule , Oxford and cross trainer anyone has ever seen , according to Ron Pinhasi , a lecturer in prehistoric archaeology at University College Cork in Ireland . The effort that resulted in the find dates to 2005 , when Pinhasi and his team of archaeologists first entered the cave about an hour south of the capital city of Yerevan , in Vayotz Dzor province on the border with Iran and Turkey , and decided it looked promising . Two years later , Pinhasi returned , dug down about half a meter and `` started discovering everything , '' including rare , well-preserved organic material such as textiles , ropes and wooden stakes , leading them to redouble their efforts . The next year , they excavated in a house that had been constructed inside the cave and found a pit covered with sheep or goat dung . Below the dung , they found broken pottery and goat horns covering the shoe , said the authors , who published their findings in the online scientific journal PLoS ONE . The right-footed , undecorated shoe -- today it would be a size 5 -- probably belonged to a woman , `` but we can not be certain ; it could be a man with small feet , '' Pinhasi said . A leather thong is stitched through four sets of eyelets in the back and 15 sets in the top . The shoe was lightly worn . Some of the eyelets have been recut , but the sole shows little wear . `` We thought originally it could be a discard , but at the same time , it 's very strange , because we have only one shoe , and it 's in very good shape , '' Pinhasi said . `` It looks like it was more than likely deliberately placed in this way . '' If so , it would join a number of other items that appear to have been placed as offerings . At the back of the cave , the archaeologists found pots full of grain and three pots , each containing the skull of a child -- their jaws removed . `` It 's pretty weird , '' he said . Two leather samples were taken : One was sent for carbon dating to the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit at the University of Oxford and the other to the University of California-Irvine Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Facility ; a piece of the straw was sent to Oxford . Age estimates were the same for all three . Pinhasi said he had no idea how common it would have been at that time for people to wear shoes . His is the second-oldest shoe find ; a pair of 7,500-year-old sandals made of fiber was found in Missouri , he said . But that does n't mean shoes were not commonly used . The fact that so little footwear from those days has been found could be explained by the fact that shoes do n't tend to age well . Had it not been for the conditions inside the cave , the shoe would probably have disintegrated long ago . Though temperatures in the region range from sweltering in the summer to icy in winter , the interior of the limestone cave remains a dry , consistent 20 degrees Celsius -LRB- 68 degrees F -RRB- , key to the shoe 's survival , he said . `` What was exciting was that it is so complete and it looks so much like a modern shoe , with the eyelets and everything . Obviously , these people already knew how to make it . '' And there was a level of sophistication in the product that he did not expect . The cow leather appeared to have been split and cured with a vegetable oil , said Pinhasi , who favors size 10 1/2 Birkenstocks . `` They actually look a little bit like the shoe , '' he said . `` Not quite -- a bit more sophisticated . '' The fact that the cave remained untouched for so many millennia is surprising . It can be seen from a heavily traveled road and is only about 300 yards from a fish restaurant , he said . But government authorities are now posting a guard to keep away looters . `` It 's turning -LSB- out -RSB- to be sort of the most important site in Armenia , '' he said . Though he wants to display the shoe in a museum in Armenia , he first wants to take it to Switzerland or Germany for preservation . In the two years since the footwear was unearthed , the elements have taken a toll . `` When it came out -LSB- of the ground -RSB- , the leather was absolutely soft , '' the Israeli archaeologist said . `` Now , it 's hard as a rock . '' But legislation does not exist in Armenia that would allow him to remove a national treasure from the country , so he is waiting . Meanwhile , the shoe sits in the Institute of Archeology at the National Academy of Sciences in Yereva . On Friday , Pinhasi plans to return to the region , this time to dig in a cave near the one that held the shoe . `` We want to see if it 's unique , '' he said . Even if nearby caves turn out to hold no such treasure , the 41-year-old researcher has plenty of work ahead of him . `` We must have excavated about 2 percent of it , '' he said . `` It could take decades '' to finish the rest .
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5,500-year-old leather shoe found in Armenian cave . Footwear may have been left as offering . In 2 years since shoe was found , leather has hardened .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The trial of a man who confessed to killing a Kansas doctor who performed late-term abortions began Friday , with the prosecution telling jurors they will hear from witnesses to the shooting . Jurors also learned they will hear the 911 calls made moments later . Roeder 's murder trial began in Wichita , Kansas , on the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade , the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion . Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Foulston told jurors that among the trial evidence are blood-shattered shoes , shell casings and a calendar belonging to the defendant that had the day of the shooting circled . `` All those things combined will be the state 's case to show this jury without reasonable doubt that this defendant , Scott Roeder , should be convicted of all charges , '' Foulston said . Throughout the opening argument , Roeder listened without emotion . Roeder , 51 , has said he justifiably killed Tiller while trying to save unborn children . The doctor was shot in the foyer of his church in Wichita on May 31 . `` Dr. George Tiller was pronounced dead at the scene of the Reformation Lutheran Church , '' Foulston said . `` Dr. Tiller died from a single contact gunshot wound to the head . '' She said the gun was never recovered , . Roeder 's defense did not present an opening statement Friday morning . Foulston walked the jury through the crime , saying that Tiller was to be an usher for a Pentecost Sunday service . `` Unexpectedly , a sound was heard , described by many as like a popping of a balloon , '' the prosecutor said . Drawing on what she said was a witness 's account , she said , `` A man -LSB- was -RSB- standing next to George Tiller , with his arms still raised . ... . Dr. Tiller fell to the floor . '' After the opening argument , the jury heard the 911 call made shortly after the shooting . `` Dr. Tiller , Dr. George Tiller , was just shot ! '' a woman told a 911 operator . With Roeder 's beliefs expected to be the focal point of his defense , the trial could become the next forum in the fierce national debate over abortion rights . In several media interviews after his arrest , Roeder expressed no remorse over shooting Tiller , saying it prevented the doctor from carrying out abortions at the Women 's Health Care Services clinic in Wichita . Prosecutors have called the defense argument flawed . `` Case law is clear , both in Kansas and nationwide , that the circumstances of this murder do not justify an imperfect self-defense instruction , '' they wrote in court papers . `` The state urges this court to exclude any irrelevant evidence of abortion , the defendant 's views on abortion and the character of Dr. Tiller , '' they said . Tiller was among the most enduring targets of the anti-abortion movement , withstanding several legal challenges and many death threats , including one in 1993 in which he was shot in both arms . His killing sent shock waves through both factions in the abortion debate , with most from the anti-abortion movement condemning Roeder 's actions . Roeder faces life in prison if he is convicted of first-degree murder . He also is charged with two counts of aggravated assault for allegedly pointing his gun at two other ushers as he fled the church . CNN 's Emanuella Grinberg and Lena Jakobsson contributed to this report .
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Dr. George Tiller was shot , killed while serving as an usher at Wichita church in May . Scott Roeder says he justifiably killed Tiller in effort to save unborn children . Tiller was one of four doctors in the U.S. who performed late-term abortions .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The father of a missing Oregon boy is asking that his estranged wife be held in contempt of court for violating a restraining order against her , court documents filed Monday show . According to the documents filed in Multonamah County Circuit Court , Kaine Horman , the father of missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman , is alleging that Terri Horman leaked information from the sealed restraining order against her to Michael Cook , a high school classmate of her husband 's . The documents also allege that Terri Horman , Kyron 's stepmother , began a sexual affair with Cook after her stepson 's disappearance and that she attempted to `` abduct '' her daughter from Kaine Horman . Kyron has been missing since June 4 . Terri Horman is the last person known to have seen him before he disappeared . Authorities have asked anyone who was at Kyron 's Portland elementary school that day if they saw Terri Horman after she told police she last saw him walking down the hall to his classroom . Kaine Horman abruptly moved out of the family home in late June , taking the couple 's 20-month-old daughter , Kiara , with him . He then filed for divorce from Terri Horman and was granted a restraining order June 28 . Portions of the restraining order were unsealed last week , however access to the address of Kaine Horman and Kiara remained restricted . In the restraining order , Kaine Horman alleges his wife knows what happened to Kyron . `` I believe respondent is involved in the disappearance of my son Kyron who has been missing since June 4 , '' Horman wrote in his request for the order . `` I also recently learned that respondent attempted to hire someone to murder me . The police have provided me with probable cause to believe the above two statements to be true . '' Monday 's court documents allege that Terri Horman violated the restraining order 's remaining restrictions by allowing Cook to photograph pages of the document , including Kaine Horman 's address . `` The search of Mr. Cook 's cell phone also revealed that a Google Maps search of the address was later performed by Mr. Cook , '' the documents say . `` Mr. Cook told law enforcement when interviewed that he got the address from the paperwork , that he did an internet maps search for the address , but never went to -LRB- Kaine Horman 's -RRB- listed residence . '' The documents say Kaine Horman had requested restricted access to the address information because of `` concerns about the investigation into the disappearance of his son , Kyron , and concerns about -LRB- Kaine Horman 's -RRB- personal safety and the safety of his children . '' Monday 's documents also say law enforcement authorities told Kaine Horman 's attorney that his wife 's `` relationship concerns and sexual overtures to Mr. Cook resemble those made to the man -LRB- that Terri Horman -RRB- previously attempted to hire to murder '' her husband . The alleged sexual relationship between Cook and Terri Horman began on or about June 30 after Kaine Horman had moved out of the family home , according to the documents . Law enforcement said the pair began exchanging text messages that included `` several photographs of -LRB- Terri Horman -RRB- in various stages of undress and graphic sexual activity , '' according to the documents . The documents further allege that Terri Horman went by the gym where Kaine Horman works out `` looking to ` abduct ' her daughter , Kiara , from the gym daycare center , '' citing a gym employee . CNN has reached out to Terri Horman 's attorney and Cook for comment and is awaiting a response . Cook told CNN affiliate KATU Monday that he had not seen the documents but said based on what he has heard about the contents that a lot of it is not true . He also told KATU he would not comment on the case until he consults an attorney . Authorities have not named any suspect or person of interest in connection with Kyron 's disappearance .
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Documents allege Terri Horman violated terms of restraining order against her . Kaine Horman alleges estranged wife engaged in affair with his high school classmate . Papers say Terri Horman gave alleged lover access to information in restraining order . 7-year-old Kyron Horman went missing June 4 .
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Seattle , Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An attorney for alleged `` Barefoot Bandit '' Colton Harris-Moore on Thursday agreed with a request by federal prosecutors that the captured teen fugitive remain in prison -- for the time being -- and said his client does not want to be considered a role model . Harris-Moore gained notoriety for allegedly stealing planes without a pilot 's license and sometimes without shoes . His run from authorities ended on July 11 when he was captured in the Bahamas . Authorities there said he had flown 1,000 miles in a stolen plane from Indiana . On Wednesday , Harris-Moore was returned on a U.S. marshals flight for federal prisoners to Washington state where he faces a dozen state charges including burglaries , identity theft and fleeing from police in a stolen automobile . He also has been charged with the federal crime of piloting a stolen plane from Idaho to Washington state . If he is found guilty of the charge he could face 10 years in prison , according to the criminal complaint . At his initial appearance Thursday in U.S. District Court , dressed in a gray prison jumpsuit , the 6-foot-5-inch Harris-Moore was the tallest person standing as the courtroom rose for Magistrate Judge Brian Tsuchida . Harris-Moore 's attorney , John Henry Browne , waived his client 's right to a preliminary hearing and did not contest the prosecutor 's request that the 19-year-old stay behind bars . If a grand jury hands up an indictment in the case , Harris-Moore would next appear in court for his arraignment in which he would enter a plea . His attorney said he may ask the judge for bail . Browne said he did n't ask for his client to be freed since multiple jurisdictions also suspect him of crimes , which would `` start a traveling road show . '' Following the hearing , Browne told reporters that his client was no role model , despite Facebook sites dedicated to him with thousands of fans . `` He was scared , '' Browne said Harris-Moore told him of what authorities say was two years ducking investigators and police . `` It was not fun . '' `` He 's very bright , '' Brown said , describing his client . `` But probably not very mature . '' U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said in a press conference following the hearing that investigators continue to look into Harris-Moore 's alleged activities and he could face additional federal charges . She also said that anyone who helped him flee from authorities could face charges and that the following Harris-Moore generated was misplaced . `` There is nothing in the acts that should be admired or glorified , '' Durkan said . However the case has spurred talk of book and movie deals and discussion of who would play Harris-Moore on screen . Harris-Moore 's mother , Pamela Kohler , hired an entertainment attorney to field requests for her story . But she was absent in court Thursday despite the fact she reportedly has not seen her son in over two years . `` She really wanted to be here , '' said her attorney , O. Yale Lewis . `` But there was a mix-up with her ride . ''
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A lawyer for the alleged `` Barefoot Bandit '' says his client does not want to be a role model . Colton Harris-Moore makes his first Washington appearance in federal court . His lawyer agrees that the teen should remain behind bars for the time being .
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Beijing , China -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chanthu , the third typhoon of the West Pacific season , slowed down Thursday as it made its way over land in southern China . As the tropical storm drenched a region already inundated by heavy rain and deadly flooding , its top winds slowed to 63 mph -LRB- 101 kph -RRB- . It had made landfall with winds above 70 mph at 1:45 p.m. in Wuchuan City in southern China 's Guangdong Province , the state-run Xinhua news agency said . The government ordered evacuations in severely affected areas , especially in ports , fishing farms on the sea , dilapidated housing and low-lying ground . It urged local governments to step up flood control efforts . No casualties have been reported so far . Torrential rains and flooding this year already have been the worst in a decade , claiming the lives of 701 people and leaving 347 missing , Xinhua said , citing government figures . Chanthu could drench some rain-swollen areas with another 20 inches of rain , said CNN meteorologist Jenny Harrison . As the storm moves by , an area of particular concern is the region along the Yangtze River , which already has experienced the worst flooding in 30 years . Floodgates on the Three Gorges Dam have been opened to control the flow , and pictures from the scene show huge volumes of water pouring from it . Throughout the country , floods have hit 27 provinces and municipalities , affecting 110 million people , according to Xinhua . It said more than 8 million people have been relocated . About 287,000 military personnel have been mobilized in anti-flood operations , and schools are being advised to do what they can to ensure students ' safety .
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NEW : Typhoon is downgraded as it crosses over land . Chanthu is the third typhoon of the season . The storm is drenching a region already devastated by floods .
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Miami , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A weather system moving over the southern Bahamas has been upgraded to a tropical storm , with sustained winds now reported at 40 miles an hour , as it heads toward the southern tip of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico . The system has been named Tropical Storm Bonnie . At 11 p.m. ET , it was moving northwest at 14 miles an hour as it approached the northwestern Bahamas , according to the National Hurricane Center . It could pick up strength as it moves over the long stretch of open water in the Gulf of Mexico , but the latest computer models do not show it becoming a hurricane , according to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers . Forecasters had predicted that it would cross over central Florida , but the models now show it passing farther south , over the Florida Keys or the Straits of Florida and then into the Gulf . The storm is expected to pass the southern tip of Florida on Friday afternoon and then make landfall Sunday between New Orleans and the Beaumont-Port Arthur area in southeastern Texas . Myers said it 's more likely to bear down on Louisiana . And on that path , it could push oil in the Gulf from the BP oil spill to shore . But at this point , no oil has spilled into the Gulf for the past seven days , with BP 's crippled well contained with a cap that appears to be bearing up under `` integrity '' tests . BP 's chief operating officer , Doug Suttles , said Thursday that skimmers had been able to recover only 56 barrels of oil the day before , because that 's all they could find . With the weather turning bad , BP has suspended work on a relief well to permanently seal the damaged well . And late Thursday , the federal official overseeing the effort , retired Adm. Thad Allen , ordered ships in the area to come to shore . That could delay operations at the well site for 10 to 14 days . But Allen said there 's enough confidence in the well that it will be left capped and closed during the rough weather . Ships used to skim oil off the surface are likely to have to come ashore as well . Currently , 215 are operating off the coast of Louisiana . Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has issued an emergency declaration , intended to speed state help to parishes that need it , when the storm hits . He said mandatory evacuations are not expected , but parishes might call for voluntary evacuations in some low-lying areas . The weather system is drenching the Bahamas and has caused flooding in Puerto Rico , Haiti and the Dominican Republic . Tropical storm warnings have been issued for Florida 's east coast , from Golden Beach south to the Keys , and along the west coast , northward to Bonita Beach . In Monroe County , Florida , which comprises the Keys , officials warned boaters to secure their vessels and remain in port until winds and seas subside . They warned drivers to use extreme caution on the Overseas Highway , especially on exposed bridges . The hurricane center predicted that the storm would bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to south Florida , with isolated areas receiving as much as 6 inches . The central and northwest Bahamas are likely to receive slightly more , the hurricane center said . CNN 's Anna Rhett Miller contributed to this report .
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Louisiana declares emergency as storm approaches . Thad Allen orders ships at BP well site to shore . Weather system upgraded to tropical storm . Latest computer models show the storm moving into the Gulf of Mexico .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was the stench . That was what really hit Danny Boyle the first time he went into a slum in India . In `` Slumdog '' a poor man wins a place on India 's version of `` Who wants to be a Millionaire ? '' `` There 's this smell you get first of all , '' recalls the British director . `` This incredible mixture of our excrement -- it belongs to all of us -- and then saffron . It 's just this mixture of sweet and sour . '' Boyle 's experiences shooting in the teeming , chaotic port city of Mumbai could also be described as sweet and sour . The director , who is renown for films like `` Trainspotting '' and `` 28 Days Later , '' had never even been to India before he and his crew traveled there to make the critically acclaimed Oscar contender `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' `` It 's pretty mad , '' admits Boyle . `` Everything is extreme . It 's too hot , the tea is too sweet ; everything is kind of too much . '' But , he adds : `` That 's wonderful for drama , absolutely wonderful . '' He and his crew threw themselves into shooting their drama in the streets and landmarks of India 's `` city of dreams '' using passers-by as extras . They also shot in the Dharavi -- Asia 's largest slum -- and Juhu slum which can be seen from the city 's airport . `` Slumdog '' is a classic rags-to-riches story about a young boy from the slums , Jamal Malik -LRB- played by British actor Dev Patel -RRB- , who beats millions of other Indians to bag a coveted place on the country 's version of TV game show `` Who Wants to be a Millionaire ? '' Through the timely story of the young `` slumdog , '' Boyle illuminates the contradictions of present day India -- the nuclear power that does not provide public sanitation for its population -- and Mumbai was the ideal city in which to do it . `` Mumbai is a city of extremes , '' Boyle explains , `` Life is raw . It 's incredibly powerful and rich because their economy is expanding , the richest men in the world are there ... but then there is also this enormous poverty as well . '' Do you think Danny Boyle has captured India in `` Slumdog Millionaire '' ? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . Boyle 's film shows these extremes with great realism . He takes the audience from the cheerfully money-grubbing micro-commerce of the slums where young boys charge slum dwellers to use filthy latrines , to Jamal 's job as a `` chaiwallah '' -LRB- tea boy -RRB- in one of India 's much-publicized call centers , and later , to the Indian game show phenomenon , `` Kaun Banega Crorepati . '' Boyle achieved this realism by immersing himself , his crew and actors in the Mumbai sprawl , and shooting as much as possible in real locations . `` I wanted to feel really involved in the city . I did n't want to be looking at it , examining it . I wanted to be thrown into the chaos as much as possible . `` There 's a period of time between about 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. where it all stops and just the dogs move around , but other than that , the place is just a tide of humanity . '' With limited time in India , Boyle made the decision to travel to the places he intended to shoot and film the cast 's rehearsals there . This was something the film 's star , Patel , found challenging at first . `` It 's daunting at first doing these scenes outdoors with loads of people watching , but they just warm to it and everybody is , like , laughing and they start clapping at the end of the scenes , '' Patel laughs . His co-star Frieda Pinto , who plays love interest Latika , was born and brought up in Mumbai and knows the city well . Watch Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto talking about the making of `` Slumdog Millionaire . '' `` You ca n't stop the bystanders in Bombay , '' she explains , `` It is something that you attract anyway , especially if you have a camera out there and a foreign crew and a song and dance . `` You are definitely going to attract a huge crowd and you ca n't do anything about it . The only thing you can do is enjoy it . '' For Boyle and the crew , on the other side of the camera , the energy and chaos was a pretty intense experience . `` You just do n't have any control in India , '' he explains . `` If you seek it , it will drive you insane . You 've got to go with it really and just see what happens . '' But they did have some tricks up their collective sleeve . Boyle and veteran cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle shot crowd scenes , like the chase through Juhu slum at the beginning of the film , using the people who happened to be passing by on the street for added realism . They wanted to draw as little attention to themselves as possible to keep the crowds looking natural . To achieve this feeling of being right in the middle of everything without disturbing the local communities too much , they used a variety of small digital cameras and digital stills camera . '' -LSB- We used -RSB- a Canon stills camera , which takes 12 frames per second . If people see a stills camera , they do n't think it 's recording live action , '' he explains . For Boyle , who believes his first film , `` Shallow Grave '' -LRB- 1995 -RRB- is still his best , because `` you have n't a clue what you are doing '' and `` you have n't learnt the tricks yet , '' he says , shooting in Mumbai was a way of recapturing that early originality . `` You arrive and you feel a bit vulnerable and naked again , and that 's a really good thing , because you are not tempted to just step in your own footsteps all the time . ''
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Danny Boyle had never been to India before shooting `` Slumdog Millionaire '' The British director shot the film in the streets and slums using passers-by as extras . Boyle on shooting in Mumbai : `` It 's pretty mad . Everything is extreme . '' `` Slumdog '' has been critically acclaimed and is hotly tipped for Oscars .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Kosovar man was arrested overseas and faces charges of participation in a terror plot involving several suspects from North Carolina , federal authorities said Thursday . Bajram Asllani , 29 , a resident of Mitrovica , Kosovo , is charged with providing material support to terrorists and conspiring to murder , kidnap , maim and injure people abroad , the Department of Justice said in a statement . He was arrested early Thursday in Kosovo on a provisional U.S. arrest warrant from the Eastern District of North Carolina . The United States will seek his extradition , authorities said . If convicted , he faces a maximum of 40 years in prison . `` People who are plotting to harm America and Americans are no longer a world away from us . This case began in Raleigh , N.C. , and now stretches across the globe , a circumstance no one would have thought possible less than ten years ago , '' said Owen D. Harris , special agent in charge of the FBI in North Carolina , in the statement . Eight people were indicted last year in North Carolina on terror-related charges . According to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday , Asllani was a member of the same conspiracy . The April 19 criminal complaint , unsealed Thursday , alleges Asllani `` solicited money from the conspirators to establish a base of operations in Kosovo for the purpose of waging violent jihad '' and `` accepted funds from the conspirators to help him travel . '' Kosovo , which declared independence more than two years ago , was once a restive province of Serbia with a majority ethnic Albanian population . Islam is Kosovo 's dominant religion in the Balkan nation . The complaint alleges that Hysen Sherifi , one of the eight indicted last year , left Raleigh for Pristina , Kosovo , in 2008 `` to pursue violent jihad '' and formed a relationship with Asllani while in Kosovo . Asllani allegedly provided Sherifi with videos to recruit militants and directed Sherifi to collect money to buy land , where weapons can be stored and a base of operation could be established . The department said Sherifi returned to the United States , collected money and received a $ 15,000 check but was arrested before he could take the money back to Kosovo . The complaint also alleges Asllani received money from Sherifi for the purpose of obtaining travel documents . `` Sherifi often referred to Asllani as ` the brother ' in Kosovo who was advising him and who was ` wanted . ' According to the complaint , Asllani had been arrested by Kosovar law enforcement in 2007 and been placed on house arrest for a period of time . He was later convicted in absentia by a Serbian court in September 2009 for planning terrorist-related offenses and was sentenced to eight years of confinement , '' the department said . Sherifi , a native of Kosovo , is a U.S. legal permanent resident in North Carolina . Five of those indicted are classified as U.S. citizens who are residents of North Carolina : Daniel Patrick Boyd , Zakariya Boyd , Dylan Boyd , Ziyad Yaghi , and Mohammed Omar Aly Hassan . Others indicted are Anes Subasic , a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of North Carolina , and Jude Kenan Mohammad , a U.S. citizen . The complaint says Daniel Boyd wanted to help Sherifi raise money . `` Boyd stated he wanted to send his sons , Zakariya Boyd and Dylan Boyd , and himself to Kosovo after Sherifi returned . Zakariya and Dylan Boyd spent time online with Sherifi chatting with Asllani in Kosovo , '' the department said . Another indictment last year added new charges against Daniel Patrick Boyd , Hysen Sherifi and Zakariya Boyd . It alleged that Daniel Boyd and Sherifi conspired to murder U.S. military personnel in a plot to attack troops at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico , Virginia . The three were also charged with weapons possession .
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Man seized in Kosovo , charged with providing material support to terrorists . Case that began in Raleigh , North Carolina ` stretches across globe ' Suspect provided videos to recruit militants .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A confidential report on safety conditions aboard the Deepwater Horizon oil rig , conducted about one month before the rig 's explosion , points to widespread fear of reprisal for reporting employee mistakes that could undermine safety aboard the rig . `` There was a stated fear of reprisal related specifically to the reporting of dropped objects , '' states an executive summary of the report obtained by CNN . `` Only 46.3 percent of participants felt that , if their actions led to a potentially risky situation -LRB- e.g. , forgetting to do something , damaging equipment , dropping an object from height -RRB- , they could report it without any fear of reprisal , '' the report states . Transocean , the rig operator , commissioned the survey of about 40 employees , about half its staff aboard the Deepwater Horizon . The report concluded , `` Deepwater Horizon was relatively strong in many of the core aspects of safety management . '' But it also uncovered fear among workers of suffering reprisal for reporting conditions that could lead to a `` risky '' situation onboard the rig . The study also found some Transocean employees entered fake data to try to circumvent a safety system , according to a person familiar with the full report . The study was based on surveys conducted March 12-16 by Lloyd 's Register Group , a consultant that analyzes the safety of business processes and products . The Deepwater Horizon rig exploded the night of April 20 while drilling BP 's Macondo oil well . Two days later it sank . The Lloyd 's report was completed afterwards ; it is dated May 11 . Lloyd 's said it was retained by Transocean to `` proactively understand their safety culture and assess the equipment on the Deepwater Horizon . '' Transocean has commissioned safety surveys of its staff aboard 20 other drilling rigs . A spokesperson for Transocean insisted the study of employees aboard Deepwater Horizon reflected the company 's commitment to safety . `` This rig did go seven years without a lost-time incident or any major environmental accidents , '' said spokesman Lou Colasuonno . `` This rig was exhibit-A for a well-run rig . '' In assessing the safety culture onboard the rig , the consultants gave ratings of between 2.9 to 3.5 on a scale of 1 to 5 for policies such as leadership , communication , training and monitoring . A separate report by a different Transocean consultant on the Deepwater Horizon 's equipment cited at least 26 components and systems out of 129 categories on the rig that were in `` bad '' or `` poor '' condition , according to a report in Thursday 's New York Times . Transocean 's spokesman told CNN all equipment on the Deepwater Horizon was in line with government guidelines . `` Every device met regulatory standards , '' Colasuonno said .
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Report : Deepwater Horizon workers feared reprisal for reporting safety-related actions . The study was conducted by an outside consultant in March . The oil rig exploded the night of April 20 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- North Korea has agreed to hold talks Friday with the U.S.-led U.N. Command on the peninsula over the sinking of a South Korean warship . It will be the second meeting between the two parties since the March attack on the Cheonan , which killed 46 South Korean sailors . An international investigation blamed North Korea for the sinking , an assertion the North has denied . Officers from both sides will meet in Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea . The talks are designed to set the stage for higher-level discussions on the disputed naval incident . The demilitarized zone was created as part of the armistice signed between North and South Korea in 1953 that halted fighting in the Korean War , but the war has never officially ended . The United Nations and North Korea began occasional meetings between generals -- `` general officer talks '' -- at Panmunjom in 1998 in an effort to lessen tensions . There have been 17 such meetings so far . Earlier this month , the United Nations formally condemned the sinking of the Cheonan but did not specifically name North Korea . `` The Security Council deplores the attack , '' the 15-member council said in what is known as a presidential statement . It urged that `` appropriate and peaceful measures be taken against those responsible for the incident aimed at the peaceful settlement of the issue . '' It also called for full adherence to the 1953 armistice agreement . About 8,000 military personnel from the United States and South Korea are to participate in joint military exercises dubbed `` Invincible Spirit '' from July 25-28 , Combined Alliance Joint Naval and Air Exercises announced Tuesday . `` The purpose of this readiness exercise is to highlight Alliance resolve to face any threat North Korea may pose , '' it said in a news release .
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NEW : Joint military exercises are to be held July 25-28 . The meeting will take place in the demilitarized zone . It is intended to set the stage for higher-level talks . North Korea was blamed for the sinking of the warship Cheonan , but denies it .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Country music artist Taylor Swift has told CNN she never dreamed she would shoot to stardom so quickly . At just 19 years old , she is one of the most successful recording artists of the decade in the United States . Her album `` Fearless '' is certified quadruple platinum , and her 60-date tour of the U.S. , UK and Australia sold out in minutes . Talking to CNN 's Becky Anderson , she said : `` I think for me the most satisfying thing is going out with my first headlining tour and having every show sell out . That was something that I never dreamed would be so quick to happen . `` Putting Madison Square Garden on sale and having it be sold out in 59 seconds . Like I ca n't believe that . I 'm still completely blown away by that . `` And I think my parents are most proud of the moment when where we were all sitting in the crowd at the CMA Awards and they heard my name announced as entertainer of the year . `` I think my parents cried more for that moment than any other moment . '' She has had two number one albums in the Billboard Charts , and in 2009 , Swift became the first country music artist ever to win an MTV Video Music Award . Asked what she would have thought had someone told her 10 years ago that she would be famous by the age of 18 , she said : `` I thought I was going to do what my parents did . They went to college . They went into business and I loved music and I never imagined that I would actually get to do that as a job . It 's wonderful . '' Asked why it is that her songs are considered country music , she said : `` I think that what categorizes country music , to me , in my head . I think a country song is when you are singing about being proud of your life . `` I sing about love and boys and that 's my life . So that 's what fascinates me , feelings , and so I think if you are singing and writing songs about the way that you live your life , that 's a country song . '' On reports that she is dating teen heartthrob Taylor Lautner , Swift said : `` He 's a great guy and we 're really close . '' But she refused to be drawn on her thoughts about Kanye West , who cut her off as she accepted the award for Best Female Song at the MTV Music Video Awards ceremony . `` I just have n't really changed my mind and that I do n't like to talk about it , '' she said .
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Most satisfying thing is having every show in her tour sell out , she tells CNN . At 19 she is one of the most successful U.S. recording artists of the decade . On teen heartthrob Taylor Lautner , she says : `` We 're really close ''
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police say one thing was clear when authorities showed up at a house in Arizona looking for a California girl who had been missing for seven years . The family inside was hiding something . They were `` evasive and untruthful , '' said Capt. Patrick Maxwell of the Los Angeles County Sheriff 's Department 's Norwalk Station . When family members were asked to produce a birth certificate or adoption papers for Amber Rose Nicklas , they could not . Maxwell says that is when they admitted the 7-year-old girl was not theirs . The child had been missing since September 2003 . She was in the care of foster parents in Norwalk , California , when she was snatched by three of her aunts . Two of the aunts were caught at the time but a third got away with the infant . Maxwell says it appears Amber had been living with the same family in Phoenix , Arizona , for most of the time she was missing , but police are still investigating how she ended up with people who are not her biological family . Authorities got a tip that Amber could be at a home in Phoenix and went there with a court order Wednesday afternoon . When investigators tried to serve the court order , they found that a woman in the home had hidden the child in a shower under a pile of clothes and towels , said Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump . Amber 's identity had been changed , including her name and date of birth , police said . Authorities confirmed Amber 's real identity through footprints , photographs and DNA swabs . The child is in state custody in California and prosecutors will file charges , Crump said . CNN 's Nick Valencia and Sonya Hamasaki contributed to this report .
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Police say the Arizona family holding the girl was `` evasive and untruthful '' Amber Rose Nicklas is now in the custody of California authorities . Girl 's identity is confirmed through footprints and a DNA swab . The girl was abducted from California in 2003 when she was a year old .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Detroit , Michigan , Police Chief Warren Evans has resigned , the city announced Wednesday . `` We appreciate the time and dedication that Warren Evans has given to the Detroit Police Department , '' Mayor Dave Bing said in a statement . `` He has put the department on a path to reducing crime . '' The mayor named Assistant Chief Ralph Godbee as interim police chief . `` I got some information on some things that had happened in our police department , '' Bing said at news conference . `` I thought Chief Evans , some of his decisions , I think compromised his position as chief , and because of that , I 've made the decision to replace him . '' Bing declined to go into details of what the decisions were that led to Evans ' resignation . He would only say that the move was based on feedback both internally and externally over a period of time . `` It 's a combination of a lot of things that happened , '' Bing said . Evans came under fire in May when he allowed a reality film crew to follow officers as they executed a search warrant for a murder suspect , CNN affiliate WDIV reported . During the incident , an officer was accused of shooting and killing a 7-year-old girl who was sleeping inside of the home . Evans became the third Detroit police within a year when he assumed the position last summer , WDIV reported . `` We 've made some tremendous strides in the police department with a data-driven approach to solving crime , '' Godbee said . `` Those things we are doing successfully , we will continue to build on . ''
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NEW : Mayor does not give a detailed reason for the change . NEW : Former chief was under fire for a reality television show . `` He has put the department on a path to reducing crime , '' they mayor says of Warren Evans . Assistant chief named interim police chief .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Two suspects were arrested over the weekend after authorities found two tons of raw elephant ivory and five rhinoceros horns at Nairobi 's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport , the Kenya Wildlife Service said Monday . The cargo had been disguised as avocados , according to the service , which says its mission is `` to sustainably conserve and manage Kenya 's wildlife and its habitats in collaboration with other stakeholders for posterity . '' `` Most of the tusks seem to have been collected from natural deaths of about 150 elephants over the last 20 years with the latest likely to be 6 months old , '' it said in a news release . `` None of the tusks had the indelible ink used for marking government-held stocks . DNA tests will be conducted to determine the tusks ' actual origin . '' The seizure and arrests resulted from a joint operation that included the Kenya Wildlife Service , Kenya Revenue Authority , Lusaka Agreement Task Force and the Kenya Police , the wildlife service said . On Saturday night , the airport 's warehouse security contacted a canine unit after becoming suspicious about a cargo destined for Malaysia through Dubai by Emirates Airline , it said . `` The cargo , which was falsely declared as containing only fresh avocado fruits , was packed in 12 wooden boxes , which raised a red flag due to its mode of package , weight and destination , '' it said . Inside the boxes , officials found the contraband packed among avocados and wrapped in black paper and banana leaves -- packaging used in an attempt to evade detection , the wildlife service said . Last year , 204 elephants were illegally killed in Kenya , up from 94 in 2008 and 47 in 2007 , the service said . Also last year , 13 rhinoceroses were illegally killed in the country , up from five in 2008 , it said . In 1979 , Africa was home to some 1.3 million elephants ; by 1989 only 600,000 remained , a drop blamed almost wholly on the killing of elephants for ivory , the service said . There are currently about 400,000 elephants in Africa , it said . After the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species banned international commercial ivory trade in 1989 , demand dropped as did the price of ivory -- from $ 300 per kilo to about $ 3 per kilo , it said . As some southern African elephant populations appeared healthier , restrictions eased in 1997 and 2002 , when Botswana , Namibia , South Africa and Zimbabwe were allowed to sell limited stocks of ivory to Japan .
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Two tons of ivory , five rhino horns seized Sunday at Nairobi 's airport . The cargo had been disguised as avocados . Two suspects arrested , officials say .
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-LRB- CNN Student News -RRB- -- August 23 , 2010 . Download PDF maps related to today 's show : . • Iran • Pakistan • Korean Peninsula . Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT . THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED . CARL AZUZ , CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR : Back from the weekend and ready to launch into 10 minutes of commercial-free headlines , including dueling protests , an Iranian announcement and one teen 's push for peace . I 'm Carl Azuz . This is CNN Student News . First Up : Egg Safety . AZUZ : First up , a recall gets bigger as more than half a billion eggs are pulled off the shelves . Now last week , we told you about an egg producer that did a recall because of concerns about salmonella , a bacteria that can be found in eggs , and it can make you very sick . Well now , another producer is involved . Experts think that around 1,300 people have gotten sick from the tainted eggs . One doctor offered some safety tips . DR. RANDY MARTIN , PIEDMONT HEART INSTITUTE : Eggs are actually a great source of protein and a lot of the good vitamins . But there are other sources . So , if you 're really concerned , have some tofu , other things like that . Refrigerate your eggs . They 've got to be less than 40 degrees . Store them individually , like you 've done , and then cook them . They 've got to be more than 160 degrees for 10 minutes . And eat them promptly . Islamic Center Debate . AZUZ : In New York City , things are tense over plans to build an Islamic center with a mosque a few blocks away from Ground Zero . That 's one site of the 9/11 terror attacks . And Sunday , hundreds of people turned out in protest , both against the plan and for it . Most of the protesters are opposed to the plan ; they 're opposed to the Islamic center . They argue that it 's insensitive to build it so close to Ground Zero . According to a CNN poll that was taken earlier this month , nearly 70 percent of Americans agree with them ; they are against the plan . But on the other side of the debate , those folks who support building the Islamic center argue that the issue is freedom of religion . New York Governor David Patterson says there are no laws that prevent the construction of the Islamic center . But he says the controversy shows him that `` the wounds of 9/11 have n't healed . '' One of the leaders of the group that 's behind the development of the Islamic center says that there are no plans to move the construction site , at least not for now . Shoutout . TOMEKA JONES , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Time for the Shoutout ! What is the name of the Middle Eastern country that 's highlighted on this map ? If you think you know it , shout it out ! Is it : A -RRB- Saudi Arabia , B -RRB- Iran , C -RRB- Pakistan or D -RRB- Oman ? You 've got three seconds -- GO ! The Islamic Republic of Iran is highlighted here . That 's your answer and that 's your Shoutout ! Drone Unveiled . AZUZ : And Iran is making a new type of military weapon . It 's a long-range drone , an unmanned arial vehicle . They 're pretty common in modern combat . The U.S. uses something called a Predator drone . And American officials say the unmanned vehicles help cut down risk for troops because no one actually has to be on board piloting it . Iran started producing its drones back in February . The first ones were unveiled yesterday . Iranian officials say the drones have a range of about 620 miles and can carry different types of bombs and missiles to hit ground targets . They claim that the goal of the new vehicles is to prevent aggression against their country . Meanwhile , Iran has started fueling a new nuclear energy plant . It says the plant will help make electricity . But other countries , including the United States , think Iran may try to make nuclear weapons . Flood Economy . AZUZ : Moving east from Iran to Pakistan . We 've told you about the severe flooding there . We 're starting to see some of the aftermath of that flooding in terms of disease : skin diseases , respiratory infections , malaria . The World Health Organization says nearly a million Pakistanis are suffering some kind of illness . The floods are making a massive impact on the country 's economy as well , and Jonathan Mann has more on that . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO -RRB- . JONATHAN MANN , CNN ANCHOR , ATLANTA : More than half of Pakistan 's people live off the land . Now , much of the land is covered by dirty water , and the people are reduced to misery . WENDY CHAMBERLIN , PRESIDENT , MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE ; FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO PAKISTAN : It 's hard to imagine a country that is least prepared or had the thinnest of margins to be able to absorb a shock of this type . MANN : Under all of that water , there are homes , farms and factories , bridges , roads and irrigation canals . Five hundred thousand tons of stored wheat is now reported ruined . Add potentially two million bales of cotton . Food prices have been rising in markets around the country . Pakistan 's long-standing electricity shortage is suddenly so much worse because power plants have been shut down or damaged as well . The county 's high commissioner to Britain told the Reuters news agency that it might cost $ 15 billion to rebuild from the devastation . And Pakistan -- already deeply in debt -- will have less money to spend , because its ability to earn with exports has been dramatically reduced . CHAMBERLIN : What the floods have done is to virtually wipe out an infrastructure , agricultural infrastructure that it depended upon for its wheat exports . And because about 60 percent of the population worked in the agricultural sector , so the amount of investment that will need to go in just to bring Pakistan back up to a status quo , a status quo that was not sufficient , is going to cost billions and billions of dollars . MANN : The world has responded with millions in aid . The World Bank alone has pledged $ 900 million more . But Pakistan will need so much more money than that , even long after the water is gone . Jonathan Mann , CNN . -LRB- END VIDEO -RRB- . Is this Legit ? SHELBY ERDMAN , CNN STUDENT NEWS : Is this legit ? The demilitarized zone , or DMZ , divides North and South Korea . Legit ! It was established in 1953 as part of the agreement that ended the fighting in the Korean War . Peace Mission . AZUZ : The fighting ended a while ago , but technically , North and South Korea are still at war . And the DMZ is patrolled at all times by troops from both countries . It does n't sound like the kind of place you might want to spend a vacation , but there 's a 13-year-old from Mississippi who thought so . And Emily Chang introduces him and his hope to us . -LRB- BEGIN VIDEO -RRB- . EMILY CHANG , CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT : He 's a 13-year-old boy turned international envoy . JONATHAN LEE , PEACE ADVOCATE : Hello , my name is Jonathan , and I 'm the founder of a youth humanitarian environmental group called `` I See Hope . '' CHANG : Just off a plane , Jonathan Lee greeted throngs of global media after a mission to one of the most isolated nations in the world . LEE : Actually , I was really kind of scared at first . But once I got there , I was kind of relieved because I felt , in my experience , very safe . CHANG : As a Korean-American from Mississippi , his idea was simple but ambitious : to convince Kim Jong-il to plant a children 's peace forest in the demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea , two nations technically still at war . LEE : I would really like , if possible , maybe of children from both countries to be able to meet and play with each other , like a big playground . CHANG : How did you feel when he came up with this idea ? MELISSA LEE , JONATHAN 'S MOTHER : I was like , really ? You want to go to North Korea , and when ? And then he was so adamant and so strong about how he felt , I was like , okay . I was cool with it . I was fine . KYOUNG LEE , JONATHAN 'S FATHER : I said , no way . CHANG : Completely opposite . His father , originally from South Korea , was hesitant , but eventually agreed and the family embarked on their journey . LEE : My idea for the mission statement of the children 's peace forest is `` Above politics , above borders , above ideology , above conflict . '' CHANG : Jonathan 's humanitarian work started three years ago . He created Go Green Man , a superhero who teaches kids to protect the environment . He 's met with President Obama and other top leaders . He 's filed more than 30 iReports on CNN and waged a seven-day campaign to urge McDonald 's to recycle . But his trip to North Korea would be the most challenging and eye opening . LEE : I went to a school children 's palace and I found out the children there are very talented . They learned piano and did it really impressively . The accordion , calligraphy , embroidery . CHANG : He did n't meet with Kim Jong-il , but says he did meet with other government officials who told him a peace treaty would have to be signed before there could ever be a children 's peace forest . LEE : Well , I was a little disappointed , but I 'm going to keep trying . Maybe if I keep trying , I do n't know , maybe eventually , hopefully . CHANG : Emily Chang , CNN , Beijing . -LRB- END VIDEO -RRB- . Before We Go . AZUZ : All right , before we go today , we 've got a story that 's just too doggone cute -- or ugly -- to ignore . This is Izzy , a two-year old Chihuahua . But she 's only half the story . Look down by her leg . That 's a baby squirrel ! Two of those were abandoned under the tree . Izzy 's owner took in the squirrels , but Izzy decided to take over , adopting the little ones . We 've actually been holding on to this video for a few days , kinda waiting to show it off to you . Goodbye . AZUZ : I guess you could say we 've been squirreling it away . Chihuahuas , squirrels , puns : It 's the little things on CNN Student News . I 'm Carl Azuz .
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Keep up with a recall that has expanded to include half a billion eggs . Find out why hundreds of people turned out to speak out in New York on Sunday . Discover why a 13-year-old humanitarian set his eyes and hope on North Korea . Use the Daily Discussion to help students understand today 's featured news stories .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that he is breaking off relations with Colombia . His decision comes as the Organization of American States meets to discuss Colombian claims that Venezuela is protecting FARC and ELN rebels in its territory . The move is the biggest escalation in a year of simmering tensions between the two countries and their presidents . Chavez said that under President Alvaro Uribe , Colombia has isolated itself and become `` aggressive and violent . '' He called Uribe `` crazed '' and accused the United States of using Uribe as a puppet . Uribe is in the final month of a presidency that has had many tensions with neighboring Venezuela , mostly over accusations that rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -LRB- also known as FARC -RRB- and National Liberation Army -LRB- ELN -RRB- have camps in Venezuela . Chavez said he hoped for better relations with Colombian President-elect Juan Manuel Santos , who was Uribe 's defense minister and whose election was viewed as an affirmation of Uribe 's policies . The Venezuelan leader spoke from his presidential palace , where he was holding a news conference with Argentine soccer coach Diego Maradona . Maradona 's visit was unrelated to the spat with Colombia . Venezuela recalled its ambassador to Colombia on Friday in reaction to the accusations of protecting rebels . Uribe is a two-term president who has received high approval ratings for his tough stand against FARC guerrillas , who have been waging war against the government for decades . Colombia has accused Chavez of supporting the rebels , and Chavez has said Colombian officials and right-wing paramilitary units have plotted his assassination . Security analysts say FARC guerrillas operate mostly in Colombia but have carried out extortion , kidnappings and other activities in Venezuela , Panama and Ecuador . FARC is said to traffic in cocaine to finance its insurgency . Colombia has also accused another neighbor , Ecuador , of giving refuge to rebels . In 2008 , Colombia carried out a raid in Ecuadorian territory that resulted in the killing of a top FARC leader . Thursday was not the first time Chavez cut off diplomatic ties with Colombia . A year ago , Chavez `` froze '' the nations ' relationship over Colombian accusations that Venezuelan weapons had made it into the hands of rebels . Colombia said it had evidence that shoulder-fired anti-tank weapons recovered from FARC guerrillas were of Venezuelan origin . Venezuela denied the allegations and said the rebels may have stolen the weapons from a Venezuelan base .
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Hugo Chavez says relations with Colombia are totally broken . Colombia accuses Venzuela of protecting rebels . Chavez calls President Alvaro Uribe `` crazed '' He said he hopes for better relations with Colombia 's next president .
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Clearwater , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Prosecutors in Pinellas County , Florida , on Wednesday sought to convince jurors that a young woman accused of stabbing to death an 18-year-old woman last year did not act in self-defense but intended to attack her because both women were fighting over the same man . Rachel Wade , 20 , is accused of killing Sarah Ludemann in the early hours of April 15 , 2009 . According to court records , the two women were involved with Joshua Camacho , then 20 , and over a period of several months engaged in a series of nasty confrontations over him via MySpace postings , text messages and voicemails . The situation escalated when the two women confronted one another outside a friend 's home . Wade stabbed Ludemann , who was unarmed , twice in the chest , and Ludemann died at the scene . The defense is arguing that Wade , at 5-foot-4 and 110 pounds , acted in self-defense -- fearing for her safety when she was confronted by Ludemann , 5-foot-9 and 166 pounds , and two other women . But in the opening day of the trial Wednesday , the prosecution sought to portray Wade as the initial aggressor , who waited for Ludemann with a knife and barely gave her time to get out of her vehicle before attacking her . Four witnesses to the night of the confrontation testified before the six-person jury Wednesday : Janet Camacho , the sister of Joshua Camacho and a friend of Ludemann 's ; Jilica Smith , a friend of Janet Camacho 's ; Ashley Lovelady , Ludemann 's best friend ; and Dustin Grimes , a friend of Wade 's ex-boyfriend . Smith and Janet Camacho both testified that while they were driving to a McDonald 's with Ludemann in her minivan , they heard their friend on the phone with Wade and said they heard Wade tell her , `` I 'm going to stab you and your Mexican boyfriend . '' Ludemann grew upset , according to the testimony , and learned of Wade 's whereabouts when she happened to pass Lovelady on the road on their way to McDonald 's . Lovelady told the women that she had seen Wade at her ex-boyfriend Javier Laboy 's house , according to Camacho . Ludemann then rushed over to Laboy 's house , where Wade was at her car with a knife nearby , Janet Camacho and Smith testified . Ludemann pulled her minivan to an abrupt halt , its nose about 5 feet from the front of Wade 's Red Saturn , and began to get out of the vehicle , according to testimony . Within a matter of seconds , prosecutors say , Wade grabbed the knife and approached the driver 's side of the minivan and attacked Ludemann between the driver 's open door and the minivan . However , Grimes , the final witness of the day and who was standing outside Laboy 's house when the stabbing occurred , testified that the three women jumped out of the minivan at the same time and approached Wade . He said the attack occurred between the two cars . His testimony , given via videotape from his military posting overseas , could be key to the defense as it seeks to build its case around self-defense . Prosecutors played the 911 call placed on the night of the incident by Smith , who can be heard screaming that `` Rachel just ... stabbed her . '' Both Smith and Wade wiped away tears as the audio recording was played . Prosecutors are expected Thursday to play other recordings of threatening voicemail messages left on Ludemann 's cell phone by Wade in the eight months before the attack . In an August 29 , 2008 , voicemail , Wade can be heard saying `` I 'm guaranteeing you I 'm going to ... murder you , '' according to testimony at a prior hearing in the case . The jury will also hear from police officers who responded to the incident , as well as the medical examiner . Wade , who was 19 at the time of the killing , faces life in prison -- a minimum of 20 and a half years -- if convicted of second-degree murder in the case . In Session 's Beth Karas contributed to this report .
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Rachel Wade is accused of stabbing to death 18-year-old Sarah Ludemann . Prosecutors say Wade planned the attack because both women were fighting over the same man . The defense says Wade acted in self-defense . Wade faces up to life in prison if convicted of second-degree murder in the case .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Setting national standards for U.S. students has been tried in the past without success -- but a new state-led effort is gaining momentum , according to an official of an educational think tank that compiled a nationwide study comparing standards . The new benchmarks -- called Common Core Standards -- are a move initiated at the state level to come up with a set of standards that will be used by all states to create cross-border consistency in what students will be expected to know . In June , the Common Core recommendations were released to the public by the National Governors Association and state education heads . So far 26 states have signed on to the national Common Core Standards while several have opted not to use the standards . Each state currently evaluates its elementary and secondary students according to its own state benchmarks , which vary greatly across state lines . `` You look at these standards and most Americans would say , ` Sure , this is what we want our students to know , ' '' says Fordham Institute Vice President Mike Petrilli . Since the Common Core Standards are part of a state-led effort , Petrilli says they have avoided the debate about the federal government pushing standards on the rest of the country . Also , the writers of the recommendations have done `` a pretty good job of putting together good standards , '' according to Petrilli . Read the Common Core Standards . The Washington-based Fordham Institute on Wednesday released results of its study comparing the standards-of-learning of all 50 states and the District of Columbia with the Common Core Standards that have been proposed for the whole country . Additionally , the study graded the Common Core Standards themselves . The Common Core Standards overall get a B + in English language arts and an A - in mathematics , according to the institute . On the more local level , California , the District of Columbia and Indiana received the highest marks in English language arts with more stringent standards than the national recommendations , according to the institute 's study , while 37 states fell below the recommended Common Core standards . In mathematics , there were no states that had standards that were clearly better than the Common Core Standards , but California , the District of Columbia , Florida , Indiana and Washington were close to the mark . The report found that , overall , the Common Core Standards scored well in clarity and content . It will take several years for plans to be put in place for the states to actually start testing students under national guidelines . The Massachusetts State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education signed onto the Common Core Standards on Wednesday . The high-profile vote was made after three hours of public comment that included a gubernatorial candidate who spoke against the adoption and two former commissioners of education that spoke for the change . In the education community , Massachusetts is considered to have high state benchmarks already , so there was a question as to whether or not they should alter their current criteria . Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker said that `` tinkering with this proven track record makes no sense . '' But State Education Secretary Paul Reville said , `` All along , the conversation about Common Core has been about the Commonwealth seizing the opportunity to improve upon our already high standards . ''
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A state-led effort has created proposed national standards for U.S. students . So far , 26 states have signed on the national Common Core Standards . An educational think tank compiled a study comparing standards .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A sailor has described her `` miraculous '' escape after a whale leapt out of the water and crash-landed on the deck of her boat off the coast of South Africa . Paloma Werner , 50 , of the Cape Town Sailing Academy , and her partner Ralph Mothes had been watching the whale from a distance in Table Bay , near Cape Town harbor , when it moved toward their 10-meter vessel and breached 20 meters away . Southern right whales are a common sight in Cape Town waters during the breeding season from June to November , drawing whale watchers to the region . Werner said the couple -- both experienced sailors -- expected the creature to go under the boat before re-emerging on the other side . `` I looked around and I saw this huge whale coming out of the water and smashing against the side of the boat , '' Werner told CNN . `` The whale slipped back into the water but we just saw the mast with all its rigging and everything flying towards us , and that was scary , actually . '' Werner said Mothes ducked behind the steering wheel which bore the impact of the mast . And while the masts need replacing , Werner said the steel structure of the boat was undamaged . `` Miraculously nothing happened to us , '' she added . A tourist on a nearby boat captured the moment when the whale breached out of the water on camera . Werner said she had spoken to a local marine mammal expert who had told her that the incident was a `` freak accident . '' Because the couple had been sailing without the engine on , the whale had failed to hear them , she said . `` It was a young southern right whale and he was just having fun . They have very poor eyesight and obviously if they 're breaching visibility is very poor . The whale did not intend to attack us , it just did not hear us . '' Whale experts have taken DNA samples from blubber left on the deck to see whether they have any existing records on the animal . Werner said the whale appeared to be unhurt by the experience : `` We saw it afterwards and there was no blood or anything . I think for a whale it was just a scratch and a bump . '' In future , the couple would make sure they had the engine on while sailing during whale season , she added . `` We were just going out sailing because it was an awesome day . Obviously it 's a bonus if you see a whale but we did n't quite count on having one on top of the boat . ''
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Southern right whale lands on sailing boat in `` freak accident '' South African couple both unhurt but vessel 's mast , rigging smashed . Whales have poor eyesight and did n't hear boat sailing without engine . Whale appeared unhurt , other than a `` scratch and a bump ''
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Phoenix , Arizona -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The flag of Arizona , skeletons and the Statue of Liberty are just some of the images evoked by a group of artists to give life to their views on Arizona 's new immigration law . The collection of prints , sculptures , paintings and photographs are featured in the traveling exhibit , `` SB1070 : An Artist 's Point of View , '' which opened at the Arizona Latino Arts & Cultural Center in Phoenix the weekend before the law took effect on July 29 . The show will move to galleries throughout Arizona and across the country in an effort to educate the public on how artists from the state that has become ground zero in the immigration debate perceive the matter , said the show 's organizer . `` This educational exhibit was born from the thought that there has to be a different way of reaching people 's hearts on this issue , '' said Annie Loyd , founder and CEO of The FUSION Foundation , which organized the exhibit in collaboration with the cultural center . `` This show is not a protest show , '' she said . `` This was truly meant to be something that evokes people 's emotions , that allows you to work your way into the art and really consider what 's going on . '' The show took shape quickly after its conceptualization in a marketing meeting in early June . A call to artists in Arizona for contributions was quickly met with more submissions than the show could hold , prompting its organizers to rotate pieces each time the show moves to a new space . In their works , the artists bring their personal history and experiences with immigration in Arizona -- a divisive issue in the border state long before SB1070 brought it under the national microscope . `` My mother was undocumented , my father born in Texas , and she feared immigration all her life , even after she became a citizen , '' said Martin Moreno , whose painting , Born in the USA , depicts the wake of a son of a Mexican-born wife and American husband . `` She never went back to Mexico , and that same scenario has played over thousands of times . Even today , my son is in the same situation . He is a citizen and my daughter-in-law is undocumented . History repeats itself , '' he said . Moreno describes his piece as `` a portrait of a family sharing two cultures , '' with the father in his National Guardsman uniform , and the mother in traditional Mexican garb , lighting a candle of the Virgin of Guadalupe . `` The piece tries to address that many couples have a foot in two worlds , '' he said , `` and that has n't changed in my lifetime . ''
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Artwork in `` SB1070 : An Artist 's Point of View '' uses skeletons , flags to express views on law . The traveling exhibit is intended to offer another means of examining issue , organizer says . Each artist brings personal history , experiences with immigration in Arizona to pieces .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Park Ji-sung headed a second half winner as Manchester United beat bitter rivals Liverpool 2-1 to reclaim top spot in the English Premier League on Sunday . Spanish international striker Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a shock fifth-minute lead at Old Trafford , but Wayne Rooney quickly equalized from the penalty spot . The goal came in controversial circumstances with Javier Mascherano 's foul on Antonio Valencia appearing to start outside the area . Rooney 's initial spotkick was saved by Pepe Reina , but the England striker continued his rich scoring vein by hitting home the rebound in the 12th minute . In a second half of few openings , South Korean star Park dived to power home the winner on the hour mark from man of the match Darren Fletcher 's superb cross . Torres , who had started and finished the move to put Liverpool ahead , fluffed a great chance to equalize in the the last minute , but his shot ballooned high and Yossi Benayoun could only head it straight at Edwin van der Sar . The win takes United two points clear of Arsenal on 69 points after 31 games . Third-placed Chelsea were later held to a 1-1 draw at Blackburn to be four points adrift , but with a game in hand . It was another setback for Chelsea , who were knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan in midweek . Didier Drogba gave Carlo Ancelotti 's men an early lead at Ewood Park as he neatly converted Nicolas Anelka 's cross , but they were unable to press home their advantage . El-Hadji Diouf equalized for the home side in the 70th minute when he rose above Paulo Ferreira to cleverly direct Michel Salgado 's cross past Petr Cech . Fletcher claimed their earlier victory over Liverpool , who are battling with Tottenham , Manchester City and Aston Villa for the final Champions League spot , had put the pressure on Chelsea . `` The team that puts the most consistent run to the end of the season will probably be the champions , '' Fletcher told Sky Sports . United 's city rivals Manchester City also enjoyed a crucial 2-1 win on Sunday as they beat Fulham at Craven Cotage . Fulham were feeling the effects of their famous win over Juventus in midweek and fell behind to first half goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez , who starred for the visitors . Fulham captain Danny Murphy pulled one back from the spot in the 75th minute but they could not force an equalizer . City move above Liverpool into fifth place , two points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham , but with a game in hand .
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Park Ji-sung heads a second half winner to give Manchester United 2-1 win . Fernando Torres puts Liverpool ahead with Wayne Rooney leveling from spot . Victory sees United reclaim top spot in the English Premier League . NEW : Chelsea held 1-1 at Blackburn and are four points adrift with a game in hand .
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Stockholm , Sweden -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- WikiLeaks founder and editor Julian Assange said Swedish authorities reached `` the height of irresponsibility '' by issuing an arrest warrant alleging rape against him , then revoking it less than a day later . `` It is clearly a smear campaign , '' Assange told Arabic news network Al-Jazeera in a live telephone interview Sunday . '' ... The only question is , who was involved ? '' Asked who he thinks was behind the accusations , Assange told the network , `` We have some suspicions about who would benefit , but without direct evidence , I would not be willing to make a direct allegation . '' Meanwhile , the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in an update on its website that Assange 's name was leaked to the media , and the authority -- which does not normally publish the names of suspects -- `` did not in this case initiate publication . '' However , the office did confirm Assange 's identity and later published his name in statements about his arrest and the subsequent revocation . An arrest warrant was filed against Assange in absentia on Friday . Swedish media , citing unnamed sources , reported that two women , ages 20 and 30 , reported the allegations to police , leading to the warrant being filed . The AftonBladet , a respected Swedish daily , said the 30-year-old told the newspaper that the younger woman had approached her with a story similar to hers -- that she had consensual sex with Assange but that the situation had turned abusive . Karin Rosander , a spokeswoman for the prosecutor 's office , would not confirm the reports . But on Saturday , less than full day later , Chief Prosecutor Eva Finne said in a statement posted on the authority 's website that Assange was `` no longer wanted '' and `` is not suspected of rape . '' The prosecution authority said on its website Sunday , `` When Ms. Finne became in charge of the matter on Saturday , she had more information than the first prosecutor had on Friday night . Decisions on coercive measures , like arrest , should constantly be re-evaluated during an investigation and must always be based on the actual information . '' `` The decision to appoint Eva Finne as prosecutor in charge was made on Saturday , '' the authority said . `` Under most circumstances the duty prosecutors on Monday morning hand over all weekend matters to different prosecutors who will be in fully in charge of the investigations . '' However , serious crimes or high-profile matters can be handed over earlier to lessen the burden on the duty prosecutors , the posting said . `` The matter concerning Mr. Assange was judged as such a matter . '' Rosander told CNN affiliate TV4 that the decision to issue the warrant was made by an `` on-call prosecutor '' and that Finne revoked the warrant on Saturday . Such differences in prosecutorial judgment are common in Sweden , she said . The arrest warrant also mentioned a molestation charge , but molestation -- which is not limited to child victims in Sweden -- is not a crime punishable by jail time . Rosander told TV4 Assange is still under investigation for molestation . Asked about that investigation by Al-Jazeera , Assange -- who said he is on holiday in the north of Sweden -- said , `` I have no details on what that is about . I can not imagine any event where that would be credible . '' He said he has not been contacted by Swedish police , but has directed his attorney to contact them . Assange told the network he was warned of an impending smear campaign . In a posting Saturday on the WikiLeaks Twitter page , Assange said , `` the charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing . '' Asked if he had anything to tell Swedish authorities , Assange said he would ask that they be cautious `` and not issue statements and retract them six hours later '' given the seriousness of the situation . Finne , the posting Sunday said , `` will work with the investigation '' next week . `` At the moment , it is not possible to estimate when more information can be given or which decisions will be made . '' WikiLeaks has triggered controversy by recently posting some 76,000 U.S. documents related to the war in Afghanistan . An elusive figure , Assange reportedly lives part-time in Sweden . He told the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet last week that he had been in Sweden because he wanted a safe-place to go after the high-profile document leak -- which has been called the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War . U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized the leak , saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies , revealing techniques and procedures . And Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed concern that the leaks will put informants ' lives at risk . Asked Sunday by Al-Jazeera about Karzai 's comment that he has blood on his hands , Assange said it was `` extraordinary thing to hear , a comment like that , from a man like that , who has waded his whole life in blood . '' He pointed out that the Pentagon has said it was not aware of anyone coming to harm because of the documents ' release . Another 15,000 documents are being reviewed and will be released soon , Assange said . CNN 's Per Nyberg contributed to this report .
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WikiLeaks founder wo n't say who he thinks is behind allegations . Swedish authorities alleged rape in warrant , then revoked it . Authorities said Assange 's name was leaked to the media . WikiLeaks is at the center of controversy after posting U.S. documents .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Amnesty International on Friday urged Saudi Arabian authorities not to paralyze a man as punishment for his having paralyzed someone else , allegedly during a fight . The Saudi newspaper Okaz reported that the judge in the case had sent letters to several hospitals in Saudi Arabia asking if they could sever a man 's spinal cord , as the man he allegedly stabbed had requested and , under sharia law , was his right to seek . But such a punishment would amount `` to nothing less than torture , '' said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui , acting director of the organization 's Middle East and North Africa Programme . `` While those guilty of a crime should be held accountable , intentionally paralyzing a man in this way would constitute torture , and be a breach of its international human rights obligations . '' The paralyzed man , 22-year-old Abdul-Aziz al-Mitairy , told Okaz that the accused stabbed him in the back with a large knife during a fight more than two years ago . `` The accused confessed to the crime in front of police , resulting in a general sentence of seven months , '' he told the newspaper . During that time , the court in the northwest province of Tabuk debated how to carry out the surgery the paralyzed man was seeking as punishment for his alleged attacker , news reports said . Riyadh 's King Faisal Specialist Hospital , one of the kingdom 's leading hospitals , responded that , from a medical perspective , it would not be possible for them to cause the injury by performing such surgery , Okaz reported . But apparently at least one hospital said it would be possible . `` According to one report , one hospital said it would be possible to medically administer the injury at the same place on the spinal cord as the damage the man is alleged to have caused his victim using a cleaver , during a fight more than two years ago , causing similar paralysis , '' Amnesty said in a news release . It is up to the court to decide whether to impose the paralysis punishment or sentence the man to imprisonment , financial compensation , or flogging , it said . The alleged attacker , who has not been identified publicly , `` was convicted and sentenced following a trial where he was said to have had no legal assistance , '' Amnesty added . International human rights law would consider such a sentence to be a violation of the prohibition of torture and other cruel , inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and to break the U.N. Convention Against Torture to which Saudi Arabia is a party , Amnesty said . It would also violate the principles of medical ethics adopted by the U.N. General Assembly , it said . Other sentences of retribution in the kingdom have included eye-gouging , tooth extraction , and death in cases involving murder , it said . International organizations are not the only ones to protest . Outrage has been expressed by bloggers in Saudi Arabia over the sentence , which underscores the societal struggle in Saudi Arabia between hardliners , who hew to tribal justice , and progressives , who consider such verdicts to be draconian and bad for the country 's international image . The fact that newspapers and bloggers are questioning decisions by courts -- institutions traditionally considered above reproach -- is a relatively recent phenomenon in Saudi Arabia , where other such sentences have captured international attention . `` This case in Saudi Arabia is not the only case of its kind , '' said Akbar Ahmed , a former commissioner of justice in Pakistan who is chairman of the department of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington . `` We see many cases like this -- stoning or beheading or cutting off hands or feet in Iran , Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan , which are very tribal . '' Under Islamic law , compassion is an important virtue for any judge , Ahmed said . `` However harsh the punishment would be in tribal law , an eye for an eye , the compassion element that must be exercised by the judge overrides it , and I 'm afraid we do n't see much of that in cases like this where , very often , the victim becomes twice punished , '' he added . CNN 's Mohammed Jamjoom and Amir Ahmed contributed to this story .
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Amnesty International asks Saudi court not to carry out the retribution . The organization says such a punishment would amount to `` nothing less than torture '' The victim was paralyzed after being stabbed in the back .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The flight attendant whose dramatic departure from a JetBlue plane at a New York City airport has transformed him into a folk hero to some wants his job back , his lawyer told reporters Thursday . `` That 's his life , '' Steven Slater 's Legal Aid defense attorney Howard Turman told reporters outside his client 's home in Queens , near John F. Kennedy International Airport , where Slater 's exit via an emergency slide vaulted him to national attention . `` His father was a pilot ; his mother was a flight attendant . That 's in his blood . That 's what he likes to do . '' Whether Slater can regain his wings was unclear . `` We 're conducting an internal investigation regarding his status as an employee at JetBlue , '' said airline spokeswoman Jenny Dervin , who added that Slater has been removed from duty pending the outcome of that internal inquiry . She described Slater 's behavior as unlike that of the New York-based airline 's other 2,300 flight attendants . `` I would say this is highly unique , '' she said . But an internal memo sent Thursday by JetBlue Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Rob Maruster and obtained by CNN describes a company that appears unlikely to forgive . `` Intentionally arming and deploying an evacuation slide for anything other than the express purpose of protecting the safety of our crew and customers is unacceptable , '' it says . `` It will not , and can not , be tolerated . '' During the defense lawyer 's remarks , the 20-year flight attendant stood at his side and smiled occasionally but made only one brief remark : `` Thank you all so much , '' he said . `` It 's been amazing -- the support and the love and everything that 's been brought to me and given to me by my community and my friends and the industry at large . It 's been absolutely wonderful . '' The incident may not have appeared so wonderful when it began unfolding Monday morning at Pennsylvania 's Pittsburgh International Airport where , according to JetBlue spokeswoman Dervin , Slater was one of two flight attendants aboard an Embraer 190 flight that was scheduled to depart at 10:35 a.m. and arrive 84 minutes later at JFK . Problems began before the flight , carrying a full load of 100 passengers , took off . `` A number of passengers were competing for overhead carry-on luggage areas , '' Turman , Slater 's attorney , said . `` With great difficulty , they were shoving the bags around , attempting to get it in . Steven came over to assist and either the bag or the overhead -LRB- bin door -RRB- hit him in the head and at that point he suffered an injury . '' Turman offered a more graphic description of events on Wednesday , when he said a woman `` started cursing and -- based on the information -- slammed the overhead luggage bin on his head . '' Then the woman said , `` F -- you '' to Slater , Turman said . After the flight landed at JFK , Slater approached the woman as she attempted to retrieve her bag from the bin while the plane was still taxiing to the gate , according to a source familiar with the incident . Passengers are required to stay in their seats with their seat belts fastened until the pilot has reached the gate and gives the all-clear sign . `` We hear Slater on the intercom , ` Will people on the aisle please sit down ? We 're on an active runway , ' '' recalled passenger Howard Deneroff , an executive with the Westwood One radio network . Then Slater made a second announcement , Deneroff told CNN . `` Please sit down and shut the overhead bin . We can not move this plane while you 're standing . '' The passenger cursed Slater again , Turman said Wednesday . Her fury grew upon learning she would have to wait at baggage claim to retrieve luggage she had been forced to check at the gate in Pittsburgh , he said . At that point , Slater got on the plane 's public address system . Passenger Phil Catelinet wrote on his blog that Slater said , `` To the passenger who just called me a motherf ----- : f -- you . I 've been in this business 20 years , and I 've had it . '' The plane was blocked into the gate at 12:07 p.m. , eight minutes late . After making an expletive-filled announcement , Slater had a confrontation with another crew member , according to passenger Gib Mendelson of Cape Elizabeth , Maine . `` We see him grabbing his roller bag that all flight personnel use . He tossed it out the right door of the plane , '' Mendelson , a semi-retired attorney , told CNN . `` He was scuffling with either the pilot or the co-pilot . I noticed a lot of blue ; there was a lot of movement in the galley area . '' Slater then grabbed some beer from the beverage cart before deploying the emergency slide and leaving . The flight crew reported the slide deployment at 12:12 p.m. , according to Maruster 's memo . Turman sharply denied a JetBlue passenger 's assertion published Thursday that the flight attendant instigated the confrontation . `` It 's not so , '' said Turman . `` Sometimes , some people in our society are not courteous and are impatient , '' Turman said . `` For 20 years , Steven has been very patient , has dealt with the passengers in each of the airlines he worked for in an effective and courteous and polite manner . Sometimes that point can be taken advantage of by others . '' He added , `` If you think it 's easy for flight attendants to get on a plane every day and be concerned for the safety of each and every passenger -- without a tension , without a stress -- you 're fooling yourselves . '' Slater has pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless endangerment and criminal mischief -- both felonies -- and criminal trespass . If convicted , he could face a maximum of seven years in prison . But Turman said Thursday he had spoken with the district attorney 's office , `` and I believe there will be a favorable outcome for my client that should satisfy all parties in this case . '' A spokeswoman for the prosecutor did not respond directly to Turman 's remarks . `` We will prosecute this case in the court , '' said Meris Campbell of the district attorney 's office . `` We 're not going to respond to every press conference the attorney gives . '' Slater has a court appearance scheduled for September 7 . Meanwhile , Slater had amassed more than 191,000 `` fans '' on a public Facebook page as of Thursday evening . CNN 's Allan Chernoff and Tom Watkins contributed to this story .
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NEW : JetBlue memo shows management may be unwilling to forgive . JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater is charged with two felonies . He made a dramatic emergency-slide exit from an aircraft Monday . His attorney says he is optimistic about a settlement with prosecutors .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Soldiers and rescue workers on Friday pulled stranded people out of deluged swathes of southern China inundated by 11 days of heavy rain , state media said . The rains have led to the deaths of 211 people in 10 provinces , while 119 others are listed as missing , according to Xinhua news agency . Two dikes on the eastern Fu River in Jiangxi broke on Wednesday , forcing another 100,000 people to join the 2.3 million already evacuated , state officials estimated . More than 29 million people have been affected by the flooding , Chinese media reported . The government sent thousands of soldiers and rescuers to the region to assist in the evacuation effort and help repair the broken dikes . Officials said the repairs will run through next week , though storms could hamper the effort , Xinhua said . Eleven days of heavy rains in China caused the flooding , according to Xinhua .
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Death toll from China flooding rises to 211 . Heavy rains and flooding affect 10 provinces . Hundreds of workers try to shore up two dikes .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Berlin Wall came down 20 years ago and in that time the world game has opened its arms to a tidal wave of talent from behind the former Iron Curtain . Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Nedved has spent almost 15 years at the top of European football . Here , Football Fanzone picks the 11 finest footballers to emerge from the old Eastern Bloc since 1989 . Let us know what you think of our selection in the Sound Off box below . 1 Pavel Nedved -LRB- Czech Republic -RRB- . Nedved , who has announced his retirement at the end of the season , has become Mr. Czech Republic in the eyes of football fans of the last 20 years . And this is for a country not short on talented players -- Vladimir Smicer , Karel Poborsky , Jan Koller and Tomas Rosicky to name but four . His breakthrough came at Euro 96 , after which he signed for Lazio ; four years later he was nothing short of inspirational for the Czechs at Euro 2000 . When Zinedine Zidane left Juventus for Real Madrid in 2001 , the Old Lady paid a staggering $ 54M for Nedved . It proved to be an inspired move : The midfielder , with his flowing hair , thunderbolt shot and all-action style , proved an able replacement . Now 36 , he is one of Europe 's finest players of the last 20 years . 2 Gheorghe Hagi -LRB- Romania -RRB- . Romania 's most famous footballer , Hagi was known as the `` Maradona of the Carpathians '' during a 16-year international career . Blessed with a left foot from the gods , the audacious midfielder could dance past opponents at will and he would shoot from anywhere -- witness his goal at World Cup 1994 against Colombia , a swirling , dipping strike from 40 yards . At club level , Hagi played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona and is still idolized in Turkey for his achievements with Galatasaray from 1996 until his retirement in 2001 . Hagi , who was a member of Pele 's 125 top living footballers , holds the record for most goals for his country . 3 Andriy Shevchenko -LRB- Ukraine -RRB- . Shevchenko might now be considered one of the game 's great goal scorers , but things might have been very different had he not been evacuated with his family in the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 . After starring for Dynamo Kiev alongside Sergiy Rebrov -- and scoring a hat-trick in the Nou Camp against Barcelona in the Champions League -- Shevchenko earned a move to AC Milan in 1999 . At the San Siro , Shevchenko scored at will , so it was a big surprise that he flopped so badly after an eye-watering $ 43M move to Chelsea in 2006 . A return to Milan has not revived his career , but 127 goals in 208 games from 1999-06 ensures his legacy is intact . Have we missed one of your favorites out ? Tell us in the Sound Off box below . 4 Matthias Sammer -LRB- Germany -RRB- . Elegance personified , Sammer 's career high point came at 1996 in a Germany side that would go on to lift the European Championship trophy . Sammer could play in midfield or as a `` libero '' and it was in the latter role that he underscored just how good he was . Time after time , Sammer brought the ball out of defense , echoing Franz Beckenbauer 's peerless ability to start attacks from the back . He was named European Footballer of the Year in 1996 . One of the first notable East German players to join a Western club after German reunification , Sammer signed for Stuttgart from Dynamo Dresden in 1990 . He went on to play for Inter Milan before returning to help Borussia Dortmund win the 1997 Champions League . 5 Hristo Stoichkov -LRB- Bulgaria -RRB- . Stoichkov was an explosive left-sided attacker and remains the finest player to emerge from Bulgaria , Berbatov included . `` The Raging Bull '' was not just explosive for his speed off the mark and trademark free-kicks ; he also had a short fuse and wore his heart on his sleeve . While playing for Barcelona , he was given a two-month ban for stomping on a referee 's foot , and his rows with coaches , including Johan Cruyff , were legendary . But these only added to his reputation as a fan 's favorite at the nine clubs he played for in a 21-year career . His six goals at the 1994 World Cup gave him a share of the golden boot , and the European Footballer of the Year accolade followed later that year . 6 Michael Ballack -LRB- Germany -RRB- . No one swans around the pitch better than Ballack , who , at 32 , is still Germany 's star player . Having impressed at Bayer Leverkusen during their brilliant but ultimately fruitless 2001-02 season , Bayern Munich swooped . By that time , Ballack had become the key man for the national side for his ability to control play from the middle of the park and score goals . He did the same for Bayern until 2006 when Chelsea signed him on a free transfer . Ballack has never replicated his international form in West London , but he has been confirmed as Germany captain for the 2010 World Cup . 7 Petr Cech -LRB- Czech Republic -RRB- . In Cech , the Czech Republic can lay claim to the world 's best goalkeeper . Tall and commanding yet alert and agile , his glaring mistake at last summer 's European Championships , which resulted in Turkey 's progressing at the Czechs ' expense , was a rare blip in his short trophy-laden career . Rennes spotted him playing for Sparta Prague while he was still a teenager in 2002 and two years later moneybags Chelsea spent $ 10M on him -- a fee that now looks like a bargain . After helping Chelsea to back-to-back Premier League titles , Cech fractured his skull in 2006 , but he has returned -- headgear and all -- just as good . Only 26 , his best years are ahead of him . 8 Dimitar Berbatov -LRB- Bulgaria -RRB- . Berbatov was always one of Europe 's semi-hidden gems while he was plying his trade for Bayer Leverkusen . After scoring a goal every other game for CSKA Sofia in his homeland , Berbatov made the move to Germany until Tottenham Hotspur signed him in 2006 . His touch , vision , movement , skill , strength and goal scoring prowess made it seem likely he would move on to a more successful club . And so it proved when Manchester United paid $ 44M in 2008 . The languid Berbatov has yet to set Old Trafford alight but 41 goals in 67 appearances for Bulgaria speaks volumes for his class . 9 Alexander Hleb -LRB- Belarus -RRB- . Is there a more delicate player in world football ? Such a wonderful talent , but one capable of driving fans and doubtless teammates to distraction at times . Hleb 's assets are also his weaknesses -- a deft touch , two feet , dribbling ability , an elusive style and a keen eye for a pass , especially the killer one . But on an off day , he can be frustratingly ineffective . Given he is now at Barcelona , though , it 's fair to say the Belarusian forward has talent . He showed it plenty of times for Arsenal , although he did n't find the net as often as he should have . Tall and wiry , Hleb came to the fore as Stuttgart 's creative force before the Gunners paid $ 15M for him in 2005 . 10 Andrey Arshavin -LRB- Russia -RRB- . Like Berbatov , Arshavin has been a late bloomer . Arshavin was little known outside Russia in his early days but he shot to prominence in 2007-08 , when he was the inspiration behind Zenit St Petersburg 's UEFA Cup triumph . Arshavin then demonstrated his wonderful dribbling and playmaking abilities at Euro 2008 for a Russian side beaten only by eventual winners Spain . The pint-sized Arshavin had been linked with moves to Europe 's biggest clubs for a while but it was Arsenal who made the deal happen -- after much wrangling -- in 2009 . 11 Adrian Mutu -LRB- Romania -RRB- . Unfortunately for Mutu , his career will forever be tarnished by his dismissal by Chelsea for testing positive for cocaine in 2004 and his subsequent ban from the game . Up to that point , he was a star on the ascent . Prolific for Dinamo Bucharest , Mutu was snapped up by Internazionale in 2000 , but it took moves to Verona and then Parma for him to begin to shine . Skillful and tricky , Mutu 's move to Chelsea in 2003 looked like a perfect move for both parties and after a difficult first season the striker was beginning to justify his $ 21.5 M fee . Then came the failed drug test . Subsequent moves to Juventus and Fiorentina , where he has scored freely , have helped his career recover .
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All 11 players come from former Eastern Bloc countries from the last 20 years . The list contains mostly attacking players , with just one defender and keeper . Let us know what you think by posting a comment in the Sound Off box .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal authorities are reviewing concerns from a Massachusetts sheriff who is threatening to reject federal detainees at her jail . In an August 13 letter to the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement , Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral noted a `` staggering lack of communication and respect '' from the federal agency . She told CNN Radio that if her concerns are n't addressed , ICE `` would no longer be allowed to house federal detainees at the Suffolk County Sheriff 's Department . They would have to take them to a different facility . '' ICE is reviewing Cabral 's letter and will offer a direct response to her concerns , said Harold Ort , a spokesman for the agency . `` We remain committed to reforming the nation 's civil detention system and will continue to work closely with our state and local partners to ensure that these necessary reform measures are successfully implemented , '' he said . Cabral received $ 8 million this year to house about 260 federal detainees at a time . She says the amount is much less than it seems after costs are weighed in . `` The state allows us to have a retained revenue account , and that simply means that you 're getting revenue from a source other than state appropriation , '' she said . `` Your state appropriation is then diminished by the amount of money you may bring in from an outside source , and in this case that 's a federal reimbursement , '' she said . `` Our retained revenue account is $ 8 million a year . We spend more than $ 6 million a year staffing the building . '' Cabral said her department is specifically frustrated with ICE not sending documentation about the Suffolk jail , including federal audits and complaints from detainees . Most recently , she said she was unaware of the findings of a federal investigation into the October death of a federal detainee until they were reported by Boston media . `` There has n't been that level of communication and information sharing , and it 's very important that we 're able to be very consistent with issues in this department , '' she said . CNN Radio 's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report .
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Sheriff is warning feds that their detainees will be turned away . Sheriff Andrea Cabral is calling for more respect and communication . ICE officials are reviewing her concerns .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A major figure in the project to build an Islamic center and mosque near ground zero in New York City said Sunday that moving the project to another site is not under consideration for now . Daisy Khan , who is heading the development of the project with her husband , told ABC 's `` This Week '' that a move could be considered after consultations with `` all major stakeholders '' take place . `` We will meet and we will do what 's right for everyone , '' Khan said , noting the project has the backing of the community board as well as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other politicians . Moving from the planned site two blocks from where al Qaeda attackers destroyed the World Trade Center , killing more than 2,700 people , raises constitutional issues and would be noted by Islamic extremists , Khan said . `` We have to be very careful and deliberate in making any move , '' Khan said . The issue has become an emotional topic in the United States , with conservative Republicans and some families of victims leading an effort to prevent the Islamic center and mosque from being built . A protest against the project was scheduled to take place Sunday in New York . President Barack Obama , Bloomberg and others , including a group representing some families of victims of the September 11 attacks , have supported the right of Khan 's group to build the facility near ground zero . Khan appeared on the program with Rabbi Joy Levitt , the executive director of the Jewish Community Center in New York . Khan said the facility she and her husband , Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf , are developing would be modeled after the Jewish Community Center .
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Daisy Khan and her husband are developing the controversial Islamic center . The planned facility would be two blocks from ground zero in New York City . Khan says it will be modeled after the city 's Jewish Community Center .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Swedish political party dedicated to copyright reform and privacy rights says it has agreed to host several new servers for the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks . The Pirate Party said Tuesday it agreed to host the servers during a visit last weekend by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange . `` The contribution of WikiLeaks is tremendously important to the entire world , '' Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge said in a statement on the group 's site . `` We desire to contribute to any effort that increases transparency and accountability of power in the world . '' By hosting WikiLeaks information on the party 's computer servers , WikiLeaks information will be available to more web users . The party said it will host the information free of charge as part of its political mission . Assange welcomed the decision in a statement on the party 's site . `` Our organizations share many values , and I am looking forward to future ways we can help each other improve the world , '' he said . `` We see more opportunities down the road in cooperating with the Pirate Party . '' The Pirate Party is pushing for representation in the Swedish and European parliaments on a three-point platform that includes reform of copyright law , to make all non-commercial use of copyrighted material free and to limit the terms of current copyrights ; getting rid of the patent system ; and tightening privacy rules . WikiLeaks sparked controversy last month by posting some 76,000 pages of U.S. documents related to the war in Afghanistan , in what was called the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War . U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized the leak , saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies , revealing techniques and procedures . Assange has defended the leak by saying it can help shape the public 's understanding of the war . He said the material was of no operational significance and that WikiLeaks tried to ensure the material did not put innocent people at risk . The Pirate Party said Wikileaks has been under `` constant threat of being sabotaged by corrupt or abusive organisations trying to conceal the truth from the public . ''
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The Pirate Party is dedicated to copyright reform and privacy rights . It agreed to host the servers after meeting the WikiLeaks founder . By hosting the WikiLeaks information , it will be available to more web users .
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GLASGOW , Scotland -- Ronaldinho scored twice as Barcelona wrapped up their Scottish pre-season tour with a convincing 3-1 win over Hearts before a record 57,857 home crowd on Saturday . Two-goal Ronaldinho played a key part in Barcelona 's convincing 3-1 win . The Brazilian put Barca ahead with a 21st-minute penalty and restored their lead with a 40th-minute header after Finn Juho Makela had stabbed in a quick equalizer from Christophe Berra 's header across goal . Second-half substitute Thierry Henry , who scored in Barcelona 's 1-0 win over Dundee United on Thursday , set up the third six minutes after the interval for Mexican teenager Giovanni Dos Santos . The Frenchman ended a fine run by squaring a pass to the 18-year-old who slotted home from close range . The friendly was played at Murrayfield , home of the Scotland rugby union team , to accommodate a bigger crowd . The previous record for a Hearts home match was 53,396 for a Scottish FA Cup match against Rangers in 1932 . Arsenal were 2-1 winners over Paris St Germain and Valencia beat Inter Milan 2-0 on the first day of the pre-season Emirates Cup tournament . Both games were played at Arsenal 's Emirates Stadium where the friendly tournament ends on Sunday with Arsenal playing Inter and Valencia facing PSG . Valencia recorded a comfortable win over the Italian champions . Jaime Gavilan opened the scoring , collecting a long ball forward and beating Inter keeper Francesco Toldo from a tight angle . Striker David Villa made it 2-0 before the break with a deflected free kick . Arsenal 's French midfielder Mathieu Flamini put the hosts ahead on the stroke of half-time in the day 's second game , with his first-time shot flashing in off the post . Danish forward Nicklas Bendtner poked home their second in a goalmouth melee in the 70th minute and Peguy Luyindula scored PSG 's consolation goal 10 minutes from time before Bendtner missed a late penalty . Rangers beat Chelsea 2-0 with both goals coming in the last four minutes of their pre-season friendly at Ibrox . Spanish substitute striker Nacho Novo fired home the opening goal with a 20-meter shot , after taking a neat pass from Chris Burke in the 86th minute . Three minutes later Slovakian striker Filip Sebo cracked home another goal from 20 meters out . The ball appeared to be flying wide until it took a deflection off a defender and went into the net . The match was played in a competitive spirit with several tough tackles flying in from the two sides who finished runners-up in their respective Scottish Premier and English Premier leagues last season . Chelsea 's best chance came with a first half header from Didier Drogba which flashed across the face of the goal . Darren Bent 's double and a goal by Dimitar Berbatov enabled Tottenham Hotspur to end their South African tour with a 3-0 win over Orlando Pirates on Saturday . All the goals came in the first 22 minutes , with Bent opening the scoring in the 10th with a stinging shot before providing a simple tap-in for strike partner Berbatov eight minutes later , after dispossessing Pirates defender Destin Makita . Bent then hit the bar before finding the net again following a fine flowing move at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium . Tottenham won the three-team tournament having beaten the Pirates 2-1 in Cape Town on Tuesday after starting their tour last weekend with a 2-1 win over Kaizer Chiefs in Durban . E-mail to a friend .
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Ronaldinho scores twice as Barcelona beat Hearts 3-1 at Murrayfield . Rangers score two late goals to beat Chelsea 2-0 at Ibrox Park . Arsenal and Valencia win on the first day of the Emirates Cup .
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LONDON , England -- Younes Kaboul scored in injury time to earn Tottenham a remarkable 4-4 Premier League home draw with Aston Villa , sealing a remarkable fightback after trailing 4-1 and possibly saving manager Martin Jol from the sack . Tottenham players celebrate Dimitar Berbatov 's opening goal in an amazing match at White Hart Lane . Dimitar Berbatov opened the scoring for Spurs but two goals from Martin Laursen edged the visitors ahead and Gabriel Agbonlahor and Craig Gardner added to the lead . However , Pascal Chimbonda and Robbie Keane pulled goals back and deep into added time Kaboul found the top corner to level the scores . Jol appeared a man on the brink after Tottenham fell 4-1 behind but his side dug deep to earn a point on the evening of their 125th anniversary celebrations -- although they remain third bottom of the table . Bulgarian striker Berbatov put Spurs ahead in the 20th minute , powerfully heading home from Tom Huddlestone 's corner . But Villa hit back immediately when England goalkeeper Paul Robinson dropped Gareth Barry 's corner , allowing Laursen to prod home after a ricochet off Pascal Chimbonda . Laursen got his second of the game in the 33rd minute when Barry 's free-kick on the left was met by Zat Knight -- and the ball struck the Danish defender before finding the net . Agbonlahor made it 3-1 five minutes from half-time when he won the ball off Michael Dawson after a Luke Moore flick-on , twisted into the penalty area and finished neatly , low into the far corner of Robinson 's net . Tottenham 's hopes looked forlorn early in the second half when Gardner powered home a free-kick off the post but the hosts quickly pulled one back when Jermain Defoe hit the post from Gareth Bale 's cross and Chimbonda followed up . With eight minutes remaining Marlon Harewood fouled Darren Bent in the area and Keane fired home the spot-kick . That set up an exciting finish and Tottenham 's relentless pressure finally paid dividends when Kaboul slammed home in stoppage time after Villa failed to clear a corner . E-mail to a friend .
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Younes Kaboul scores in injury time to earn Spurs a 4-4 draw with Aston Villa . The result completes an amazing recovery after the home side trailed 4-1 . Despite the result , Tottenham remain third from bottom of the Premier League .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It was supposed to be a good week for the White House . President Obama would celebrate the passage of Wall Street reform , and Democrats would move toward the midterms with some wind at their backs . But on a day the president signed the landmark legislation , the narrative from the White House was more contrite than laudatory . White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs apologized on behalf of the administration for what former Agriculture Department employee Shirley Sherrod had been through this week and that , to his knowledge , no one from the White House ordered her ouster . Questions about Sherrod dominated the media briefings in a week the administration hoped would be focused on the most sweeping overhaul of the financial system since the New Deal . Sherrod was forced to resign because of a misleading video of a speech she delivered at an NAACP event . Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted a portion of an address she gave in which she spoke of not offering her full support to a white farmer . However , it was later determined that her speech , unedited , focused on how the incident changed her outlook and made her realize people should move beyond race . The NAACP retracted its original condemnation of Sherrod 's remarks and issued a statement saying it was `` snookered by Fox News '' and Breitbart . Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack apologized to Sherrod and offered her a new job . `` This is a good woman . She has been put through hell , '' Vilsack said . `` I want to renew the commitment of this department to a new era in civil rights . I want to close the chapter on a very difficult period in civil rights . '' Sam Fulwood III , a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress , said he thinks the administration 's initial reaction was spawned out of fear over how the right-wing media would cover the incident . He said administration officials `` allowed themselves to be bullied into doing something without thinking about it . '' `` The White House , the administration , the Agriculture Department , whomever ... allowed themselves to be bullied into doing something without thinking about it , '' said Fulwood . Instead of summoning Sherrod , reviewing the speech and asking what happened , the administration failed to knock down the lies and disseminate the truth , he said . `` If they had done this in Ms. Sherrod 's case , they would be looking pretty . They would have done great legislative work , and they would have scored a PR coup . As it turns out , the legislative works gets obscured , '' and they are taking a PR-hit , Fulwood said . Fulwood said that Obama 's problems stem from opinions being traded as though they are facts . Throughout Obama 's time in office , the administration has done a weak job of quashing rumors , such as claims Obama was born in Indonesia , studied at a madrasa and has a forged birth certificate , he said . `` I think if he is able to articulate an honest reaction to these nonsensical stories , they 'll be exposed for what they are -- nothing . And that 's exactly what the case was with Shirley Sherrod , '' Fulwood added . Obama spoke to Sherrod by phone Thursday and expressed his regret about what transpired this week . He further said this misfortune `` can present an opportunity for her to continue her hard work on behalf of those in need , and he hopes that she will do so , '' according to a White House statement . The call came exactly a year after Obama made a surprise appearance at a media briefing to discuss the controversial arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. . The president , Gates and the arresting officer , Sgt. James Crowley , later met for a `` beer summit '' to discuss the event that sparked a nationwide debate about racial profiling . The Congressional Black Caucus this week said it 's time for a national dialogue on race . Gibbs called the incident `` one of those teachable moments '' and said that while he was unaware of plans for a broader discussion , he would n't rule it out . John Quelch , professor of marketing at Harvard Business School , said that though the administration should have avoided this situation in the first place , the damage control has been rapid and effective . As for a national discussion on race , Quelch said it 's not an issue the administration is interested in addressing in a high-profile manner right now . But , he said , the White House now must balance `` the need to cope with emergency distractions versus the desire to stay on course with the longer-term agenda . '' `` Obviously the objective is to remove this unscheduled story from media coverage in order to highlight the landmark financial reform legislation , '' he said . By Friday afternoon , Obama was trying to get back on message before the weekend . In an event added to the president 's schedule Friday morning , he tried to remind Americans what had been overshadowed during the week . `` So , taken together , we made enormous progress this week on Wall Street reform , on making sure that we 're eliminating waste and abuse in government and in providing immediate assistance to people who are out there looking for work . ''
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Discussion about Shirley Sherrod dominates White House news briefings this week . Celebration of Wall Street legislation reform lost in the mix for Democrats . White House allowed itself to be bullied by right-wing media , Fulwood says . Congressional Black Caucus says it 's time for a national dialogue on race .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- While the horrors inflicted by the Nazis during World War II are well documented , `` Defiance '' director Edward Zwick wanted to make sure the stories of those who fought back are n't overlooked . Liev Schreiber , left , and Daniel Craig play freedom fighters in `` Defiance . '' `` There is this misperception that the Jews only went willingly to the slaughter , '' Zwick said . `` And in fact , the new history and scholarship tells us that there was so much resistance . This is just one instance . '' His new film , which goes into wide release Friday , tells the tale of the three Bielski brothers , who led a Jewish resistance group after escaping into the woods of Belarus in Eastern Europe . The movie stars Daniel Craig -- best known for his work as the latest James Bond -- Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell as the trio who took up arms against the Nazis and helped save the lives of more than 1,000 Jewish refugees fleeing occupied Poland . Portraying a slice of Jewish history was somewhat familiar territory for Craig , who plays brother Tuvia Bielski in the movie . He also co-starred as an Israeli agent in Steven Spielberg 's `` Munich , '' the dramatization of the murder of 11 athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics . Craig said the characters ' religion had nothing to do with his interest ; both roles were just fascinating parts that attracted him . `` I think someone said , ` You did something similar to that in ` Munich , ' '' he recalled . `` I said , well it 's kind of not . It 's a different period in history and I do n't think religion is something that should hold me back . '' Watch Craig talk about the movie 's power '' Schreiber , who is Jewish , said bringing the story of the heroic yet complex brothers to the big screen gave him `` a sense of pride '' and he found inspiration in their bravery . `` It was in these guys ' DNA , '' said Schreiber , who plays Zus Bielski . `` But I also think that it is in our DNA as human beings ... that courage exists , that passion exists , that tenacity to love exists . It 's just that we do n't experience the kinds of tests nowadays that they did in the 1930s in Eastern Europe -- particularly if you were Jewish . '' Filming in Lithuania just across the border from Belarus added an element of realism to the role , Schreiber said . `` We shot in the woods in the middle of winter , but I think as an actor you 're always grateful of these little reminders of where you are and what you 're doing , especially when you 're doing something on film when it 's so naturalistic , '' he said . `` When your hands are frozen and you can barely load a machine gun then you know you 're on to something with the character . '' Jamie Bell , best known for playing the title role in `` Billy Elliot , '' rounds out the cast as younger brother Asael Bielski . He said the bleak setting helped him understand `` the minutiae of what these people actually went through . '' Bell had considered himself pretty knowledgeable about the Holocaust and World War II before learning about the project . `` But when I read the script I felt kind of embarrassed that I did n't know about the Bielski brothers and about the Jewish resistance across the board , '' he said . Heralding the triumph of the Bielski brothers to those who are unaware is just what director Zwick had in mind . He also had a hand in writing the `` Defiance '' screenplay and is no stranger to heroes in history , having directed the critically acclaimed `` Glory . '' With this new film , Zwick said he found inspiration in the courage displayed by the Bielskis , who were fighting against incredible odds . `` You know , that 's what 's beautiful about their story , '' he said . `` They were unprepared . They were unsophisticated ; nothing they had ever done would have led one to expect that they were capable of this . I think that speaks to all of us : what we are able to find within us that is fine , even magnificent within ourselves when called upon . '' CNN 's Matt Carey contributed to this story .
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`` Defiance '' is about three brothers who helped rescue Jews during WWII . Star Liev Schreiber : Courage `` was in these guys ' DNA '' Movie has wide release Friday .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The husband of a Texas woman missing since March has a `` completely watertight alibi '' on the day his estranged wife disappeared , his lawyer said Wednesday . Julie Ann Gonzalez was last seen March 26 by her estranged husband , George De La Cruz , and Austin police said this week that they consider De La Cruz a `` person of interest '' in the disappearance . But the husband 's lawyer told HLN 's `` Issues With Jane Velez-Mitchell '' that the documents are between three and nine months old . `` If anyone would look at the timeline of the day that Julie Ann disappeared and the timeline my client has provided from morning till night , it is physically impossible that he had anything to do with her disappearance , '' the attorney , Patrick Fagerberg , said . `` It is a completely watertight alibi everywhere he was . '' Gonzalez , 21 , was last seen March 26 when she came to pick up the couple 's 2-year-old daughter . De La Cruz has said his wife appeared `` out of it '' when she came to the house , changed her mind about picking up their daughter and said she would come back later . The couple was going through a divorce , and Gonzalez had told a friend about a new man in her life whom she said was taking her away for the weekend , her mother , Sandra Soto , said in May . But she said Gonzalez 's MySpace page was updated by a mobile phone user after her disappearance to add posts that read `` I wanted to run away '' and `` I 'm sick of the BS in my life . '' Her car , which was almost brand new , was found abandoned outside a Walgreen 's drug store . Gonzalez worked as a pharmacy technician at another Walgreen 's . And Gonzalez has not accessed her bank account since her disappearance , but someone used her credit card to purchase the movie `` The Spiderwick Chronicles '' at a store in Austin , her mother said . Fagerberg said De La Cruz was the one who purchased the movie . He said he spent three hours with detectives Tuesday , `` going over the warrants and giving the logical , innocent explanation for some things in those warrants which may appear incriminating on the surface . '' But he said that when all the facts emerge , `` You will see that there was an innocent explanation for everything that happened that day , '' he said .
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Julie Ann Gonzalez has been missing since March 26 . Austin police consider estranged husband , George De La Cruz , as `` person of interest '' De La Cruz 's lawyer says there 's `` an innocent explanation for everything ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Chelsea crushed Champions League hopefuls Aston Villa 7-1 on Saturday to keep the pressure on English Premier League leaders Manchester United ahead of next weekend 's showdown between the two top teams . The London club briefly returned to the top of the table before champions United won 4-0 at Bolton in the late match to restore their one-point advantage . With the title race set to go to the wire , Chelsea will take a two-goal for-and-against differential over United to Old Trafford on Saturday after thrashing Villa at home to follow up the midweek 5-0 romp at Portsmouth . Frank Lampard fired four goals , two of them from the penalty spot , to become Chelsea 's third-highest scorer on the club 's all-time list with 151 . Norway striker John Carew canceled out Lampard 's 15th-minute opener for his ninth goal in eight games , but Chelsea led 2-1 at halftime with the England midfielder 's first spot-kick just before the break . France winger Florent Malouda , who set up the opener , scored the first of his two goals 12 minutes after the interval to open the floodgates , with four more coming in the final half-hour as Lampard took his season tally to 21 in all competitions . The result was even more remarkable given that Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to rest 30-goal striker Didier Drogba , while John Terry broke the club record with his 325th outing as captain . It ended Villa 's 10-match unbeaten run , leaving the visitors seven points adrift of Tottenham in the battle for the fourth Champions League place . Manchester United , by comparison , cruised past a struggling Bolton team thanks to a fortunate own-goal from JLloyd Samuel and a second-half double from Dimitar Berbatov . United 's top scorer Wayne Rooney and England captain Rio Ferdinand were rested due to minor injuries ahead of Tuesday 's Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich . Defender Samuel inexplicably slotted Ryan Giggs ' low cross past his goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 38th minute as United profited from a record 11th own-goal this season -- the club 's second highest scorer . Veteran keeper Edwin van Der Sar preserved the lead with a flying save from Fabrice Muamba , but the Dutchman was lucky to avoid an embarrassing moment when the home side took a quick corner while he was well out of his goal arguing with the referee . Berbatov , playing on his own up front , made it 2-0 in the 68th minute when he was first to react after Jaaskelainen could only parry Darren Fletcher 's shot , then the Bulgarian sealed victory 10 minutes later with a slick finish from Nani 's low cross . Portugal winger Nani , who signed a new contract during the week , then set up young substitute midfielder Darren Gibson on 82 . Third-placed Arsenal 's title hopes were dented after conceding a late equalizer at Birmingham . France midfielder Samir Nasri put the Londoners ahead with a low drive in the 81st minute , but veteran substitute Kevin Phillips netted a fortunate leveler in injury-time as Bacary Sagna 's attempted clearance hit him and rebounded into the net past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia . The draw left Arsenal four points behind United with six matches to play ahead of Wednesday 's Champions League quarterfinal against holders Barcelona , while ninth-placed Birmingham are unbeaten at home since last September . Tottenham consolidated fourth place with a 2-0 victory at bottom side Portsmouth as England striker Peter Crouch and Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar scored in the first half against their former club . Portsmouth suffered injuries to defender Hermann Hreidarsson , striker Danny Webber and veteran goalkeeper David James ahead of next month 's FA Cup semifinal between the two teams . Fifth-placed Manchester City will seek to close the deficit on Spurs to two points again with victory at home to Wigan on Monday , while Liverpool will look to keep their slim top-four hopes alive with a win over Sunderland on Sunday . Everton remained in eighth place with a 0-0 draw at Wolverhampton , who are now five points clear of the relegation zone . Stoke moved up to 10th with a 1-0 win at West Ham , who were left hovering above the drop zone on goal difference . Hull joined West Ham on 27 points with a 2-0 victory against Fulham , who dropped to 11th .
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Chelsea crush Aston Villa 7-1 to stay a point behind English leaders Manchester United . Frank Lampard nets four goals to become Chelsea 's third-highest all-time scorer . United beat Bolton 4-0 as Dimitar Berbatov scores twice in absence of Wayne Rooney . Third-placed Arsenal 's title hopes dented after conceding a late equalizer at Birmingham .
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New Orleans -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A control unit on the Deepwater Horizon 's blowout preventer was leaking hydraulic fluid before the explosion that unleashed the worst oil spill in U.S. history , a BP official testified Tuesday . Ronald Sepulvado , one of BP 's well site leaders -- `` company men , '' in rig jargon -- told the Coast Guard-Interior Department board investigating the drill platform 's sinking that there were `` off and on '' problems with valves that directed hydraulic fluid inside the mechanism . He said he reported the problem to his superiors , but the rig continued to operate despite the problem . Federal regulations require that drilling work halt if a control `` pod '' is inoperable . Sepulvado said the unit was still functional , but his team leader should have reported the issue to the Minerals Management Service , the recently reorganized Interior Department agency that regulated offshore drilling . `` I guess we assumed that everything was OK , since I reported it to the team leader and he should have reported it to the MMS , '' Sepulvado said . His team leader , BP executive John Guide , is scheduled to testify before the investigative board Thursday . Deepwater Horizon 's blowout preventer failed to shut down the runaway well at the heart of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill after the April 20 explosion aboard the rig . The resulting fire sank the platform , leaving 11 workers dead and releasing an undersea gusher that engineers were unable to contain until last week . Sepulvado and Donald Vidrine were the two `` company men '' who worked aboard the rig , but Sepulvado was ashore at the time of the blast for additional training on blowout preventers . He was replaced on the rig by Robert Kaluza , who invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination Tuesday when called to testify . Vidrine has been excused from testifying for medical reasons , the company said Monday night . The board released a list of more than 20 reported anomalies with the well in the 18 hours before the explosion , ranging from low pressure readings and larger-than-expected returns of `` mud , '' the drilling fluid used as a counterweight and lubricant aboard the rig . Both Vidrine and Kaluza were involved in discussions about the anomalous pressure readings in the hours before the explosion , the according to the list . BP , rig owner Transocean and well cementing contractor Halliburton all blamed each other for the disaster . Previous hearings have included testimony about maintenance backlogs aboard the rig and disputes between BP and Transocean managers about procedures as they prepared to shut in the well , which was already behind schedule . Ross Skidmore , a subsea supervisor for BP contractor Swift , testified Tuesday he questioned why BP was waiting to install a `` lockdown sleeve '' -- a fitting placed atop the well to secure the casing -- after drilling fluid was replaced with seawater for pressure tests . `` I asked why could n't we go ahead and do this in mud , '' he said . In response , Skidmore said he was told `` It was n't going to happen . We were going to go through the sequence we were given . '' Skidmore said he 's `` selective '' about questioning his orders . But he added , `` If I would have seen something and recognized it as being unsafe or a threat , I would have taken it all the way into town . '' This week 's hearings come as scientists continue testing pressure in BP 's ruptured deepwater well and weighing options for permanently sealing it . Even as lawyers and witnesses resist some questions before the panel , the hearings are providing dramatic details of what happened on the rig , and could form the basis for criminal charges down the line . A sworn statement from Deepwater Horizon Chief Engineer Steven Bertone sparked particularly heated debate Monday . In it , Bertone described the rig 's captain screaming at a crew member who issued a distress call and ordering an injured man left behind . Lawyers repeatedly attempted to ask Bertone about the document , which has not been publicly released . But his lawyer , Steven London , said the statement was made while his client was `` detained '' aboard a rescue ship and told Bertone not to answer questions about it . `` This statement was obtained from him while he was held 26 hours right immediately after this incident , which was extremely traumatic to say the least , '' London said . `` It is what it is . We 're not going to be cross-examined on something that occurred , that was written down at that time . '' An attorney for rig captain Curt Kutcha criticized lawyers for introducing the statement . It was `` an attempt to assassinate his character in one aspect of what 's being done where all their lives were at risk , '' attorney Kyle Schonekas said . But BP lawyer Richard Godfrey seized on the statement , saying it showed `` a complete loss of command and control aboard the bridge '' after the explosions . Bertone also testified Monday that the rig 's bridge crew was unsure who had the authority to activate the rig 's emergency disconnection from the well . When it was activated , it failed to work despite indications on the control panel that it had been activated , he said . CNN Correspondent Mary Snow contributed to this report .
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NEW : Subsea supervisor questioned delay in installing `` lockdown sleeve '' A control unit on the rig 's blowout preventer leaked hydraulic fluid , BP exec says . MMS regulations require drilling to stop if control units do n't function . A BP `` company man '' takes the Fifth for a second time .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The declining dollar , surging oil prices , and exploding growth across the Persian Gulf are causing inflation levels to rise . Kuwait has already abandoned the dollar . And some analysts say the rest of the GCC may have to do the same to fight inflation . But do the Gulf banks agree ? And how far do they think switching to a basket of currencies will bring down prices ? Qatar and the U.A.E. registered the highest inflation levels at 10 percent this week . In Oman , inflation was running at almost 4 per cent and 2.8 percent in Saudi Arabia . Strong growth across the region , fueled by surges in oil prices have been a major factor . Supply has been struggling to keep up with demand in the growing economy , causing bottlenecks in supply which drives inflation . Ahmed El Shall , CFO of Dubai Bank said the building boom in the U.A.E. is another `` primary cause '' of inflation . Rents are on the rise , causing other prices to climb . `` If you consider that 36 percent of the inflation measure is made up of housing , you realize the inflation rate for the U.A.E. is 10 percent and above simply because rents have been increasing above 10 percent per annum , '' he told CNN . But the other factor at play has been imported inflation via a weak U.S. dollar . Last week , in response to the sub-prime mortgage crisis , the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 0.5 point to 4.75 percent in order to save the nation 's economy from a slow down . Because currencies in the Gulf Co-operation Council region including Saudi Arabia , the U.A.E. , Qatar , Bahrain and Oman are pegged to the dollar , their exchange rates also decline . This means prices of imports from non-dollar areas have increased , causing inflation . With currencies pegged to the dollar , banks in the region must also follow the Fed 's lead with their interest rates . This is another driver for inflation because lower rates drive investment . But to soften the blow , U.A.E. and Qatar kept rate cuts to a minimum and Saudi Arabia and Oman decided not to budge at all . Rising prices are beginning to take their toll across the region . Dubai is now one of the most expensive cities in the world . Expats , with investments and bills to pay at home , are especially feeling the pinch of a weak exchange rate . As prices rise , the debate intensifies about whether countries in the GCC should review their dollar pegs and link instead to a basket of currencies . As analysts argue , when these countries first decided to peg to the dollar , oil prices were low and the U.S. currency strong . Today the opposite is true . Fitting to a basket , they say , would better reflect the GCC 's modern economic situation . Kuwait was the first country in the GCC to jump ship . In May it ditched the dinar 's peg and moved to a basket of currencies . But , as Shall told CNN , the Kuwait revaluation is yet to show an effect . `` My understanding is that so far it has n't really shown any improvement in inflation . To the contrary , it suffers in the exact same way Qatar and the U.A.E. suffer . '' Qatar 's central bank governor , Abdullah Al-Thani , told reporters and bankers last month that they were taking measures to control prices and rents to decrease inflation . But the dollar peg would remain , he said . Saudi Arabia 's refusal to cut interest rates with the Federal Reserve has prompted more speculation that it was preparing to break its dollar currency peg . But the Kingdom has continued to deny this . Saudi bank , SABB , also `` firmly '' believes the Saudi riyal will not be revalued . `` An expected change in the currency regime will take place only if the dollar weakens at an alarming rate and is sustained over the medium term , '' it said in a recent report . Excessive speculation about devaluation , `` could cause observers to overlook the GCC growth story , '' said the report . `` The Kingdom 's competitive advantage , in petrochemical exports for example , is not being affected , as most are priced in dollars . '' E-mail to a friend .
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Inflation rises across region with highest levels in Qatar and the U.A.E. Strong growth , rising rents and weakening dollar fuel inflation increases . As prices rise , debate intensifies about the region 's currency pegs to the dollar .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Colombian military forces killed 18 leftist guerrillas Friday in two operations , the National Defense Ministry said . Another 13 members of the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces -LRB- FARC -RRB- were captured and two more were `` demobilized '' in the attacks by the air force and special forces troops , which took place in a rural area of Vista Hermosa in the central department , or administrative district , of Meta . There , air force jets bombarded encampments capable of housing 200 people and belonging to Gang 43 of FARC , the ministry said in a posting on its Web site . After the bombing , special forces troops surrounded the camp and began fighting with the FARC forces . They found 25 rifles , explosives and `` information of interest to military intelligence , '' the posting said . Friday 's actions are part of an offensive against FARC in Meta and the southern department of Caqueta to find those people responsible for the death of Gov. Luis Francisco Cuellar , who was kidnapped and killed December 22 in Florence , Colombia , by FARC members , the posting said . `` The successes confirm that , in spite of cowardly and sporadic terrorist acts of this organization , the state continues landing serious blows and dismantling what remains of the terrorist structure , '' Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said . On Wednesday , the army seized 1 3/4 tons of cocaine in Puerto Escondido in the department of Cordoba , it said . During 2009 , the Ministry of Defense reported capturing more than 200 tons of cocaine worth $ 5 billion . For its part , the national army reported in its annual report that during 2009 it was involved in 1,200 fights that `` permitted the neutralization of 1,348 terrorist actions and the occupation and destruction of 1,172 encampments , many of which were used as laboratories to process cocaine . FARC has been at war with the Colombian government for more than 40 years . Although the government says the FARC 's military force has been severely compromised in recent months , authorities still accuse it of trafficking huge quantities of cocaine to finance its insurgency . Security analysts say FARC has about 9,000 to 12,000 armed guerillas and several thousand supporters , mostly in rural areas . The guerrilla group was established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party . The guerrillas operate mostly in Colombia but have carried out extortion , kidnappings and other activities in Venezuela , Panama and Ecuador , according to the Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program .
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Colombian military : 18 leftist guerrillas killed in two operations . Air force and special forces attacked FARC in Meta department , military says . Military : 1 3/4 tons of cocaine seized Wednesday in Cordoba department . More than 200 tons of cocaine worth $ 5 billion seized in 2009 , military reports .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal prosecutors said the defendants had a `` hatred and thirst for violence , '' while defense attorneys argued that an FBI informant was the real culprit as opening arguments got underway Tuesday in the trial of four men accused in an alleged bomb plot . Prosecutors say the men plotted to detonate explosives near two synagogues in the Riverdale section of the Bronx in May 2009 and also sought to fire missiles at planes at an Air National Guard base . James Cromitie , David Williams , Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen were arrested on May 20 , 2009 , allegedly after having placed what they thought were bombs at two sites and before making their way to Stewart Airport in Newburgh , New York . But no bombs went off that night . The men were part of a year-long sting operation led by a paid FBI informant . The bombs and missiles were not , in fact , armed , but were rather part of the FBI 's masquerade . And defense attorneys are calling the situation entrapment . Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hickey painted a picture in court of the defendants -- specifically , James Cromitie -- as having a `` hatred and thirst for violence . '' He described the four men as having cased and photographed targets , planned their escape , and talked about public reaction . All the while , a fifth man in their group , a man they knew to be `` Maksud '' and from whom they were receiving all their funding , was actually an FBI informant who had been taping their conversations and meeting with the FBI . Hickey described the informant , whose real name is Shaheed Hussein , as having been hired by the FBI to go to a certain mosque and listen for talk of violence against Americans . According to Hickey , Cromitie and Hussein met several times over a period of months , during which time Hussein convinced Cromitie that he was a representative of the Jaish a-Mohammed , a bogus international terrorism ring he said was based in Pakistan and was looking for recruits . Hickey further charged that Cromitie expressed his desire to `` kill Jews '' and make America `` pay for Afghanistan and other Muslim countries , '' recruiting Williams and Williams -- who are not related -- along with Payen to be part of the mission to target Jewish institutions and military operations in the United States . But defense attorneys argued that it was Hussein , not the four defendants , who planned , funded , and directed the entire operation , seducing the poverty-stricken defendants with food , gifts , and promises of a significant payday . The defense painted a picture of Hussein as a convicted felon who began working for the FBI as part of a plea bargain that kept him from jail and deportation , and paid him $ 100,000 . Defense attorneys alleged that Hussein pressured the four men , whom , they said , he saw as his meal ticket , to agree to be a part of the mission , promising large sums of money and expensive cars and not taking no for an answer . They further alleged entrapment , as the defendants did not have violent pasts and `` could not and would not have been involved in such a conspiracy without Shaheed Hussein . '' Vincent L. Briccetti , attorney for Cromitie , called the 100 hours of videotaped conversations between the men `` not a documentary but a work of fiction ... a movie produced , directed , starred in , and edited by Shaheed Hussein and the FBI . '' Suzanne Brody , attorney for Onta Williams , suggested the FBI was more interested in instigating and initiating , rather than investigating . The trial will resume Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan at 9:30 a.m. ET .
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Four men are on trial in New York in an alleged bomb plot . They are accused to plotting to blow up two synagogues . They are also accused of plotting to fire missiles at U.S. military planes . Defense attorneys argue the men were entrapped by an FBI informant .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Manchester United and Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov has announced his retirement from international football with immediate effect . The 29-year-old was captain of his country and scored a national record 48 goals in just 74 matches . However , Bulgaria flopped in their World Cup qualifying group -- failing to reach the finals in South Africa -- and the former Tottenham 's star 's performances drew widespread criticism from within his own country . Confirming his decision at a press conference in Sofia , Berbatov said : `` It is n't a decision I took lightly and I have reconsidered making it several times . `` Everything has a beginning and an end and that end is today . I feel exhausted and now there are many guys who can emerge from my shadow . For them the moment has come . '' Berbatov , who overtook Hristo Stoichkov 's scoring record in a friendly match against Malta last year , has endured a troubled season at Manchester United . He has struggled to make an impact since his big-money move from Tottenham in August 2008 and was overshadowed by strike partner Wayne Rooney as United failed to retain their English Premier League title .
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Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov announces his retirement from international football . Berbatov made 74 appearances for his country and scored a record 48 goals . The 29-year-old Manchester United striker has been criticized for his recent displays .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Egyptian authorities stopped two people suspected in the theft of a painting by Vincent Van Gogh , nabbing them just moments before they were to board a plane and flee the country , according to Egypt 's official news agency , MENA . Egyptian Culture Minister Farouq Hosni said in a statement Saturday night that efforts to recover the stolen `` Poppy Flowers '' painting are still ongoing , despite earlier reports that the painting had been returned to Cairo 's Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil Museum . Hosni said later that those reports were unconfirmed . Two Italians -- a man and a woman -- suspected of stealing the painting were preparing to board a plane to Italy when they were stopped at Cairo International Airport . An interior ministry spokesman told CNN that the man was arrested . The painting was stolen earlier Saturday . `` Poppy Flowers '' has an estimated value of about $ 50 million . It also had been stolen in 1978 and returned under unknown circumstances , causing some to think that the piece was copied in the process , according to MENA . CNN 's Amir Ahmed contributed to this report .
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NEW : Painting has not yet been recovered ; earlier reports were unconfirmed . `` Poppy Flowers '' was stolen from a museum in Cairo early Saturday . Egyptian authorities stopped two suspects at Cairo International Airport . The painting is estimated to be worth $ 50 million .
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London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has expressed an interest in buying London 's famed Abbey Road Studios after music company EMI reportedly put the building where the Beatles recorded most of their albums up for sale . Lloyd Webber , the man behind musical hits `` Phantom of the Opera '' and `` Cats , '' came forward following concerns from fans and music industry figures that the historic building would fall foul of property developers . `` He is very interested in buying the studios , '' a spokesman for Lloyd Webber , who is one of the UK music industry 's richest figures with an estimated worth of # 750 million -LRB- $ 1,150 million -RRB- , told CNN . EMI has slapped a for sale tag on Abbey Road as it looks to dig itself out of heavy debts following the music company 's 2007 leveraged buyout by private equity operation Terra Firma , according to the Financial Times . The news has generated concerns from music industry figures including former Beatle Paul McCartney , but Lloyd Webber is the first to indicate willingness to open his check book . His spokesman added : `` He first recorded there in 1967 with Tim Rice . Andrew has since recorded most of his musicals there , from ` Jesus Christ Superstar ' to his new musical ` Love Never Dies . ' `` He thinks it is vital that the studios are saved for the future of the music industry in the UK . Abbey Road has such great facilities , with three major recording studios , and Andrew has probably brought more musicians to record there than anyone else , because it has the capacity to record large orchestral productions . '' Lloyd Webber 's interest in the building follows an announcement from Britain 's National Trust , a charity that safeguards many of the country 's historic buildings , that it was considering whether involve itself . After opening up the issue to the public via the Internet , the charity , which already owns the childhood homes of Paul McCartney and fellow former Beatle John Lennon , received thousands of votes , plus Facebook and Twitter comments , urging it to act . `` If we can help , we will step forward , '' National Trust director general Fiona Reynolds said , according to its Web site . Abbey Road Studios , located in the wealthy north west London suburb of St. John 's Wood , have been a centerpiece of the UK recording industry since they were established in the 1930s . Making its name with classical recordings involving composer Edward Elgar , the studios gained worldwide fame through the Beatles , who named one of their albums `` Abbey Road , '' featuring an iconic photo of the band crossing a road outside the building on its cover . With other bands -- including Pink Floyd , whose 1973 classic `` Dark Side of the Moon '' was recorded there , and Radiohead -- sustaining interest in the venue , it has become a Mecca for music fans who regularly daub tributes to their icons on its walls .
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Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber says he is interested in buying studios . EMI had reportedly put studio up for said as it struggles with debt . Beatles , Pink Floyd and Radiohead all recorded at Abbey Road .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Iran began fueling its first nuclear energy plant in the southern city of Bushehr on Saturday , the nation 's state media reported . The effort will help the country create nuclear-generated electricity , Press TV said . The transfer of nuclear fuel was being watched by the International Atomic Energy Agency and senior officials from Iran and Russia , Press TV said . Some Western nations have questioned whether the nuclear fuel will be used solely for electricity or would Iran eventually try to enrich uranium on its own , providing material for nuclear weapons . It will take about two months for the reactor to begin generating electricity , state media has reported . Russia 's nuclear agency says it will take longer . Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , Iran 's supreme leader , recently asserted Iran 's right to establish nuclear plants . Sergei Kiriyenko , general director of Rosatom , the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation said Saturday 's arrival of nuclear fuel marks `` an event of crucial importance '' that proves that `` Russia always fulfills its international obligations . '' Spent nuclear fuel from the plant will be sent back to Russia . The opening of the plant prompted the White House to question Iran continuing to enrich uranium within its borders . `` Russia is providing the fuel , and taking the fuel back out , '' White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said earlier this month . `` It , quite clearly , I think , underscores that Iran does not need its own enrichment capability if its intentions , as it states , are for a peaceful nuclear program , '' he said . Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov , speaking to Russian reporters in the Black Sea resort of Sochi Wednesday , brushed off Western concerns about the Bushehr facility , calling it `` the most important anchor holding Iran to the nonproliferation regime , '' according to the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti . Alistair Burt , Britain 's foreign minister , said on Saturday the development `` demonstrates that Iran can have the benefits of nuclear power . '' `` The problem is Iran 's continued refusal to satisfy the IAEA and international community that its work on uranium enrichment and heavy water projects are exclusively peaceful . '' The Bushehr facility was originally scheduled to start operations in 2007 , but the date for commissioning the plant has been postponed a number of times due to various technical , financial and political factors .
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Western nations question the motive . Iran says the fuel will be used to generate electricity .
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Atlanta , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- They are the first victims of the oil disaster that has devastated the Gulf region : 11 oil rig workers killed on April 20 when the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded , torching the sky and puncturing the sea . Their remains have been lost in the Gulf of Mexico . At least 15 others were injured in the massive explosion . Victims and their families are suing BP and Transocean , the Swiss-based company that owns the drilling rig . But getting a settlement from Transocean , the world 's largest offshore drilling company , could be difficult . Q&A on the legal liability of the companies involved in the oil disaster . The company has invoked a 19th century American law to limit its liability to $ 26.76 million , a fraction of what the plaintiffs are likely to seek . `` It may work , '' said Martin Davies , professor of law and director of Tulane University 's Maritime Law Center . `` They 've got a chance . '' Transocean 's pre-emptive strike is part of the legal thicket confronting victims , where a patchwork of arcane and sometimes inconsistent laws will most likely make the ensuing litigation one of the most complex cases in American history . The Deepwater Horizon is technically a mobile offshore drilling unit . Under maritime law , it is classified as a seagoing vessel , just like a freighter or passenger ship . Three weeks after the accident , Transocean petitioned a U.S. federal court for protection under the Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 . Congress enacted the law to spur investment in shipping and keep the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet competitive with other seafaring nations . To help the American shipping industry , the government limited ship owners ' liability to the value of the vessel plus the money the owner would collect for completing its voyage . But now that the Deepwater Horizon is a wreck on the ocean floor , the vessel is worthless , according to Transocean . Read the affidavit stating Deepwater Horizon 's value is `` $ 0.00 dollars '' Transocean says the remaining value of its drilling contract with BP at the time of the April 20 disaster was $ 26,764,083 . That amount , the company argues , is the maximum it is legally required to pay to victims . `` Totally ridiculous , '' said Kurt Arnold , a Houston , Texas , attorney representing two of the victims . Transocean 's ability to use the law may depend on a judge 's ruling on who at Transocean knew of potential problems and when they knew it . Much of the focus has been on BP and its liability in the Gulf oil catastrophe . Survivors of the explosion told CNN 's Anderson Cooper in an exclusive interview that a BP official wanted workers to replace heavy mud -- used to keep the well 's pressure down -- with lighter seawater to help speed a process that was costing an estimated $ 750,000 a day and was already running five weeks late . More on the survivors ' account . In the claims against Transocean , its lawyers will try to prove that Transocean 's top managers did not know about conditions that would cause the accident . If they succeed , the Limitation of Liability Act will apply . Lawyers for the victims will argue that Transocean officials had enough of what the 1851 law calls `` privity or knowledge '' to hold the company responsible for the full value of the death and injury claims . Publicly , the victims ' lawyers say they are confident they can `` break the limit . '' But law professor Davies disagreed : `` It 's not a slam dunk . '' If Transocean prevails , a relatively small pool of money would be split among the victims . If the money ends up being shared on a pro-rated formula , `` nobody 's getting paid 100 percent , '' said Joshua Force , a plaintiff 's lawyer in New Orleans , Louisiana . Smaller payouts also affect lawyers who work on contingency fees . The less they recover for their clients , the less the lawyers get paid . Read how some lawyers could get a huge payout . A Transocean press release states , without elaboration , that `` Transocean will honor all of its legal obligations arising from the Deepwater Horizon accident . '' The company said the petition seeking shelter under the Limitation of Liability Act was filed `` at the instruction of its insurers and in order to preserve insurance coverage . '' `` It 's understandable self protection , '' Davies said , `` but it still has an unsavory feel to it . '' Especially , he added , since the proposed limit is a `` far smaller amount than what they 've recovered from their insurers . '' Transocean carried $ 560 million in insurance on the Deepwater Horizon -- more than its book value , according to company officials . Transocean noted a $ 270 million `` accounting gain '' -- or profit -- from the insurance payout in a May 6 conference call with investors . Another point of contention is where any future legal battle takes place . Transocean argues that Houston is the proper venue , because its American headquarters is there . But lawyers for the victims want to move the case to New Orleans , which they argue is more convenient for their clients and closer to the scene of the disaster . The lawyers are competing for the `` subterranean sympathy you can get from a judge , '' Davies said . Judges `` are all supposed to be objective , but the New Orleans judges are likely to be more ticked off about it than in Houston , '' he said . Critics , including Davies , say the Limitation of Liability Act is anachronistic and `` no longer serving the purpose that it was intended to serve . '' It should be amended , said attorney Scott Bickford , who represents victims . `` The law ought to just deal with cargo at this point , '' not personal injury and wrongful death claims , he told CNN . Sen. Chuck Schumer , D-New York , said the law should be repealed , `` so that no company has the opportunity to walk away from its responsibility . '' But if the law is so antiquated , why was n't it changed years ago ? `` You ca n't get Congress to pay attention to anything on maritime law , '' Davies said . `` It 's not a very sexy issue until there 's a disaster . ''
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Families of oil workers killed , hurt in Gulf file lawsuits against BP , Transocean . Transocean , which owns Deepwater Horizon , to use a 19th century U.S. law . The Limitation of Liability Act of 1851 was meant to keep U.S. Merchant Marine competitive . Some lawmakers and analysts say the law should either be amended or repealed .
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Clearwater , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A 20-year-old Florida woman involved in a love triangle was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her romantic rival in a fight 15 months ago . Rachel Wade convulsed in sobs as the bailiff read the six-person jury 's verdict , which carries a sentence of 20 1/2 years to life in prison . She dabbed her eyes with a tissue , chewed on her lips and brushed her long blond hair away from her face , tucking it behind her ear . Then , accompanied by a guard , she stood and walked out of the courtroom , to be taken to Pinellas County Jail . Wade testified Thursday that she stabbed 18-year-old student Sarah Ludemann only after she herself was hit three times in the head during the fight . Ludemann , who was unarmed , died at the scene after being stabbed twice in the chest . The jury did n't buy Wade 's claim that she acted in self-defense -- returning its verdict after just 2 1/2 hours of deliberation . Inside the courtroom , Charlie Ludemann , the victim 's father , breathed deeply upon hearing the verdict , then turned to his wife and nodded . Wade did not appear to look at the dozens of teenagers who sat on her side of the courtroom . `` There 's no doubt that both of these families will be devastated for the rest of their lives , '' defense lawyer Jay Hebert told reporters after the verdict . He said his client had insisted on a trial and had rejected suggestions she approach the prosecution to discuss a plea bargain . `` She wanted to testify her side of the story , and I commend her for that , '' he said . `` The jury made their call . '' Hebert described himself as `` somewhat shocked , '' given the short deliberation . `` I just did n't think it would be that way , '' he said . Wade , at 5-foot-4 and 110 pounds , had no criminal record and testified that she had never been in a fight before . She said she headed to a friend 's house with a knife only after being told that 5-foot-9 , 166-pound Ludemann was heading to her home . Instead , Ludemann and her friends found her outside the friend 's house . `` I did n't think they would attack me if they saw the knife , '' she said . She testified that she swung the knife after being hit three times but was n't aware she had stabbed Ludemann until one of the victim 's friends told her so . `` I did n't know where she was stabbed or how severe it was , '' Wade said . `` I was scared . '' During cross-examination , Wade -- who worked at a restaurant -- acknowledged Thursday having thrown the knife into a neighboring yard , but said , `` I did n't know what happened , and I did n't want anybody else to get hold of it . '' Prosecutor Lisset G. Hanewicz was unpersuaded . `` Why get rid of it if you are acting in self-defense ? '' she asked Friday in a closing argument . `` She wanted to get rid of the evidence . She showed no remorse . She knew she stabbed her . '' Animosity between Wade and Ludemann had gone back months -- and it centered on their mutual love interest , Joshua Camacho , then 20 . In an August 29 , 2008 , voice mail , Wade can be heard saying , `` I 'm guaranteeing you I 'm going to ... murder you , '' and in another , she tells Ludemann , `` You are a f *** ing fat b **** and I 'm going to f *** ing kill you , I swear on my life , '' Wade said in a voice mail left for Ludemann . Another one said , `` Josh may have played me , but , b **** , I 'm going to play your a ** out too , so watch . '' `` Those tapes were our most difficult obstacle , '' Hebert told reporters afterward . `` Those tapes were very powerful . '' Wade testified that Ludemann had left similar messages for her , but that she had deleted them . Camacho testified Thursday that he considered both women `` friends with benefits '' and was n't seeing either one exclusively at the time . `` In Session 's '' Lena Jakobsson and Beth Karas contributed to this story .
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Rachel Wade sobs as the verdict was read . The conviction carries a penalty of 20 1/2 years to life . Wade says she stabbed romantic rival in self-defense .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Singer Al Jarreau `` became weak from the altitude '' in the French Alps and was hospitalized Wednesday , forcing the jazz singer to cancel several shows in France , Germany and Azerbaijan over the next week , his publicist said . Jarreau was admitted to an intensive care unit after he arrived in the resort town of Barcelonette in the southern French Alps , the publicist said in a written statement . `` He is now awake and his first question was to enquire about his wife , Susan , and his second question was to ask about his tour dates , '' the statement said . `` He is always thinking about other people . '' His condition was stabilized , but the doctor advised Jarreau to take a few days off of his tour to recover , it said . In addition to missing the Barcelenette show , the illness forced cancellation of shows in Osnabruck and Braunschweig , Germany and Qabala , Azerbaijan . `` Al deeply regrets having been forced to cancel these four concerts and thus disappointing his fans , but is looking forward to returning to perform in these cities some time in the future , '' the statement said . Jarreau could return to the concert stage next Thursday in Nuremberg , Germany , it said .
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Jarreau was admitted to an ICU in the French Alps . Doctors told the jazz singer to take time off . Four concerts have been cancelled . Jarreau could resume his tour next Thursday .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Northwest Airlines violated more than 1,000 Federal Aviation Administration safety directives , the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has found , substantiating complaints of an FAA whistleblower . Northwest , now merged with Delta Airlines , engaged in `` systemic non-compliance with FAA Airworthiness Directives , '' the investigation concluded , referring to government rules designed to remedy an unsafe or potentially unsafe condition . `` Despite Northwest 's history of Airworthiness Directive non-compliance , '' the Office of Special Counsel said , `` FAA inspectors continued to work collaboratively with Northwest to resolve deficiencies , and closing enforcement cases primarily by issuing letters of correction rather than seeking civil penalties . '' Whistleblower Mark Lund of the FAA 's former Northwest inspection office in Bloomington , Minnesota , alleged that the carrier did not have adequate policies and procedures in place in 2008 to ensure compliance with safety regulations . `` The investigation substantiated Mr. Lund 's allegations , '' wrote Associate Special Counsel William Reukauf in a letter to President Barack Obama . In response to the findings , FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt has established a review team to oversee the carrier 's compliance . The FAA also proposed disciplinary action against two Northwest managers . The FAA released a statement Thursday saying that the agency `` has taken corrective action on the issues identified in the whistleblower complaint and is continuing to monitor compliance . ''
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A federal investigation finds Northwest Airlines violated FAA safety directives . The investigation by the U.S. Office of Special Counsel corroborates a whistleblower . The whistleblower alleged the carrier did not have adequate policies and procedures .
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Miami , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The weather system known as Bonnie has been downgraded from a tropical storm to a tropical depression as it moves across the Gulf of Mexico -- and there are indications it may not get too much stronger . As of 11 p.m. ET , the system was moving through the eastern Gulf after crossing southern Florida earlier Friday . It had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph . The depression was moving west-northwest at a very fast clip for such weather systems -- 17 mph . Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center said the storm was expected to cross over the Gulf coast , anywhere from Louisiana to southeastern Texas , late Saturday night , earlier than had been anticipated previously . The fast pace means it wo n't be spending as much time over the warm Gulf water , leaving less time to build up strength . CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers said an area of low pressure in the Gulf has been creating some competing winds that have been pulling clouds away from the cyclone and weakening it . Still , the hurricane center said the system may slow , and a tropical storm warning is in effect from Destin , Florida , to Morgan City , Louisiana , including Lake Pontchartrain . And Bonnie still could bring drenching rain to Louisiana and other states along the coast , the hurricane center said , creating a storm surge ranging from two to four feet . The hurricane center said Bonnie could bring one to three inches of rain across the region , with rainfall of five inches in some areas . Bonnie made landfall as a tropical storm earlier Friday near Biscayne Bay in southeastern Florida , with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph . But it weakened as it crossed over the state . Even though Bonnie has weakened , uncertainty over the weather already has hampered operations at BP 's cripped well in the Gulf . BP suspended work on a relief well to permanently seal the damaged well . And the federal official overseeing the effort , retired Adm. Thad Allen , ordered ships in the area to shore because of the choppy seas and gusty winds that Bonnie will bring . That could delay operations atthe well site for 10 to 14 days . But Allen said there 's enough confidence in the well 's `` integrity '' that it will be left capped and closed during the rough weather . Ships used to skim oil off the surface will have to come ashore as well . Hundreds have been operating off the coast . Meanwhile , states of emergency have been declared in both Louisiana and Mississippi . The emergency declarations are intended to speed state help to local goverments that need it and allow emergency crews to respond more efficiently . Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said Thursday afternoon it 's `` good for Louisiana '' that the weather system is moving so fast , since it may not strengthen significantly and is likely to move across Louisiana fairly quickly . Still , he said about a half dozen Louisiana parishes have called for voluntary evacuations from low-lying areas and mobile home parks . The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services encouraged residents Friday to prepare for the storm by pre-applying for Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits , previously known as Disaster Food Stamps . The program offers help buying groceries for those who do not regularly receive nutrition assistance but who are affected by lost wages or damages because of a disaster . Officials said that pre-applying does not guarantee benefits but is designed to prevent long waits . The weather system earlier drenched the Bahamas , Puerto Rico , Haiti and the Dominican Republic as it moved from the Caribbean to the Atlantic . When it reached Florida , residents in Cutler Bay saw tree branches littering the roads as Bonnie passed through Miami-Dade County . `` It was pouring rain for four to five hours straight , '' said Matthew Slack , a bartender at Cutler Bay Sports Bar and Grill . But he added , `` It 's not that bad . It 's like a regular summer storm in Miami . '' The storm also slowed business in southern Florida . `` We 've had a lot of people call and say they might have to cancel due to the storm , '' said Susie Bishop of Continental Inn Condominiums in Marathon , Florida . `` I had a few people leave a few days early . '' CNN meteorologist Sean C. Morris contributed to this report .
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NEW : Tropical Depression Bonnie is moving through the eastern Gulf of Mexico . The storm 's fast pace and a low pressure system in the Gulf may limit its strength . Louisiana and Mississippi declare emergencies . Storm warning covers western Florida to Louisiana .
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Orlando , Florida -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Prosecutors can play tapes of 911 calls made by Florida murder suspect Casey Anthony 's mother after she learned her granddaughter was missing , a judge ruled Thursday . Anthony 's mother , Cindy Anthony , admitted during a hearing Thursday in Orlando that she had made exaggerated accusations about her daughter in those calls in a bid to get police to her home . But Circuit Judge Belvin Perry ruled that Cindy Anthony was trying to use calls to police as a `` ploy '' to get her daughter to tell her what she knew about the missing 2-year-old Caylee Anthony . Defense lawyers sought to have thrown out of court as hearsay , but Perry found the tapes were not being used to prove the facts of the case . `` Whether they are true or false really has no bearing , '' Perry said . `` They were designed to elicit statements from the defendant in this case , to ascertain the whereabouts of the victim in this particular case . '' Casey Anthony is charged with capital murder in the 2008 death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee 's death . The girl was reported missing two years ago Thursday , and defense attorneys were trying to keep recordings of her mother Cindy 's three 911 calls out of evidence . Facing her daughter in an Orlando courtroom , Cindy Anthony said she told police `` whatever I was thinking at the time to get them out there '' -- including the claim , made in her first of three 911 calls , that her daughter had stolen a car from her . `` I wanted to speak to a police officer , '' Cindy Anthony said . `` And I did n't think that if I said that she would n't take me to see my granddaughter , that they thought her and I might just be having an argument and think that I was some crazy grandmother and not come out and talk to me . '' But she testified that she was in a panic after Casey Anthony told her that she had n't seen her 2-year-old daughter , Caylee , in a month . Cindy Anthony told police her daughter had stolen money from her and that she had asked Casey Anthony to return her car to her brother Lee , from whom she had purchased the Pontiac but never finished paying . She said she did not intend to mislead police with the calls , however . And by the third call , she told investigators that her daughter 's vehicle smelled `` like there 's been a dead body in the damn car . '' And Lee Anthony testified Thursday that he tried to get more information out of his sister while their `` frantic '' mother yelled at her . `` She was very angry , '' he said . `` Her first reaction was she had a clenched fist and hit the bed my sister was sitting on and said , ` What did you do ? We could have found her 31 days ago . ' '' Caylee 's skeletal remains were found in the woods about a quarter mile from the Anthony home in December 2008 . Prosecutors say they plan to show Casey Anthony lied repeatedly about her daughter 's fate , and that the 911 calls are a critical part of that progression . The Anthony family had not seen the toddler or her mother since June 16 , 2008 . When Cindy Anthony found her daughter a month later , Caylee was n't with her . Cindy Anthony threatened to call the police , hoping it would force Casey Anthony to say where her daughter was . After two calls to the police , Casey Anthony admitted to her brother that she had not seen Caylee in 31 days and that she believed her daughter was with a nanny , Zenaida Gonzalez . The third and final call was placed immediately after Cindy Anthony overheard what Casey Anthony told her brother . Cindy Anthony seemed to be agitated and excited as she told the dispatcher that her granddaughter had been missing for a month . Cindy Anthony has since said that the odor emanating from the car could have been from rotting garbage . However , forensic examiners have concluded that Caylee 's decomposing body was in the trunk of the car at some point in late June 2008 . Thursday 's hearing was also expected to focus on a motion from the defense . It will ask the judge to modify a ruling by Judge Stan Strickland , who stepped aside in April . The motion concerns a review of documents from Texas Equusearch , a private company that assisted in the search for then-missing Caylee . While Strickland 's order allowed the defense attorneys to review thousands of documents created by Texas Equusearch , the attorneys were prohibited from taking notes during the review . The defense maintains the current arrangement is inefficient and it is seeking a more workable resolution . In Session Correspondent Beth Karas contributed to this report .
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NEW : A Florida judge has allowed the 911 tapes to stay in evidence . Mother : I did n't want police thinking I was `` some crazy grandmother '' The defense argues that taped phone calls are hearsay and should not be admitted . Prosecutors say calls are critical to their case against Anthony .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dear Joel Stein , . Where do I begin ? Normally , I write about health care , but your essay in Time , `` My Own Private India , '' caught my attention for reasons that have nothing to do with medicine . Before I read it , I barely had any idea who you were . Your name was vaguely familiar , probably from having seen you on VH1 while channel-surfing in the wee hours . I 'm not the only one who noticed . Last I checked , your essay was one of the most read and e-mailed articles at Time.com . Good work . You earned your paycheck . But you did it with a xenophobic , even racist , rant against Indian Americans like me and a lot of other people I care about and deeply respect . Read Joel Stein 's essay , `` My Own Private India '' Have no illusions , sir . What you wrote was not funny , insightful , smart or unique . No . Every word , phrase , sentence and paragraph you produced did nothing more than distill the ancient , proud and diverse culture of India down to nothing more than clichés and stereotypes . Calling us dot-heads and Guindians , speaking of spicy food and multilimbed gods with elephant noses -- clarification , Joel : Ganesh has the elephant nose ; Siva has the multiple arms . You did it even when you were laying on the backhanded compliments . `` We all assumed Indians were geniuses . '' Thanks for that . By the way , I am not some bitter old man trying to lecture you . You and I are contemporaries . I 'm just a year younger than you are . In reading a little bit about you , we have some things in common . I was `` dorky enough '' to have played Dungeons & Dragons growing up . Given your esteemed education at Stanford , I suspect both of us excelled academically . But it 's clear that our consciences have been on divergent paths . I try to do just a little bit of good in the world by practicing medicine and writing . You took your pricey education and became ... a humorist ... a satirist ... a pundit ? A descendant of Mark Twain , H.L Mencken or P.J. O ' Rourke you are not . In the future , please leave satire and humor to trained professionals . So ... because you were n't funny or incisive , what 's your point ? Are you trying to make Indians prove our worth to the fraternity that is America ? Is your essay part of some kind of hazing ? Put up with your callous insults , and we 'll be able to live in the frat house ? What litmus test do we all have to pass to become bona fide ? Does our God have to wear a big white beard and have only two arms ? Do we have to turn in the dots on our foreheads for a baseball cap with `` N.Y. '' stenciled on it ? Trade in our samosas and chai for potato chips and Bud Light ? Should we make our parents throw their Hindi language newsmagazine in the garbage and subscribe to Time ? If it 's about fitting in with your standards of Americana , please , allow me to prove my culture 's utility to you . Some of us have become wildly successful . We run Fortune 500 companies , have been elected to political office and have won Pulitzer prizes . Many of us work 40-plus hours a week to pay our mortgage . Some have paid their dues serving this country in war . Still others struggle to pay the bills , keep their children fed or their marriages together ; and yes , there are those of us who are criminals locked up in jail . In other words , we 're just like everyone else . It 's obvious that you were waxing nostalgic about your hometown . If I follow your logic here , should nothing ever change in America ? Should moms stay at home while we men wear our suits and ties and head off to work , cigarette in hand ? Should African-Americans still drink from a different water fountain from you ? Should we revoke the right of women to vote ? If that 's the case , I 've got a Delorean with a flux capacitor I 'd be happy to sell you to get `` Back to the Future . '' I also read the apology you pinned to the bottom of the online version of your essay . `` I truly feel stomach-sick that I hurt so many people . I was trying to explain how , as someone who believes that immigration has enriched American life and my hometown in particular , I was shocked that I could feel a tiny bit uncomfortable with my changing town when I went to visit it . If we could understand that reaction , we 'd be better equipped to debate people on the other side of the immigration issue , '' you wrote . `` Tiny bit uncomfortable , '' indeed . You should have stopped with `` I 'm sorry '' or just retracted the whole article . Stop trying to save face by trying to rationalize what you wrote or pin it to the immigration issue . Finally , I do want to thank you for harshly reminding of one thing : Because the essay was published just before the Fourth of July -- and incidentally , just a few weeks before India 's own independence day -- you and your publication reminded me with no uncertainty that racism , ignorance and fear of new people are as American as apple pie and Time magazine . Like you said , the Statue of Liberty should shed a tear . And Mahatma Gandhi just did . -LRB- Time Warner Inc. is the parent company of CNN.com and Time magazine . -RRB- . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Rahul Parikh .
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Rahul Parikh takes issue with Joel Stein 's column about Indian Americans in his hometown . Essay was meant to be satire , but Parikh found it a xenophobic , racist rant . Parikh says writer distilled ancient and diverse culture into clichés and stereotypes . Says the piece reminded him ignorance about and fear of new people still exist in U.S.
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San Diego , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Only at San Diego Comic-Con , the annual gathering of self-proclaimed fanboys and fangirls , can an early screening of a movie feel like a rock concert , and then literally become one . In a surprise on Thursday night , some audience members to the panel for `` Scott Pilgrim vs. the World '' -- in which star Michael Cera arrived in a Captain America costume -- were given the chance to see the entire movie early at a nearby theater . The crowd cheered during the movie 's opening credits and roared their approval whenever the title character landed a decisive blow while facing off with his new girlfriend 's `` evil exes . '' The movie , based on a Japanese manga-inspired comic book , has a good possibility of appealing to comic book fans and gamers alike . `` It surpassed my expectations , and I 'm a huge fan , '' said Gabriel Simon , after the screening , which ended with a performance by the band Metric , while cast members such as Anna Kendrick from `` Up in the Air '' rocked out in the balcony . Brittany Hernandez of La Jolla , California , is one of several who said the movie was the highlight of the convention so far . `` I thought the movie was amazing . I saw the panel after the one for ` The Expendables . ' Sylvester Stallone is hard to beat , but that was pretty awesome . '' It 's just one of many ways Hollywood studios are trying to get the most bang for their promotional buck among these hardcore filmgoers . Giving them a chance to see early footage is one thing , but some moviemakers are trying a more `` immersive experience '' to make sure that the fans have high praise for their top projects , especially when they post to their favorite social media site . `` Pilgrim '' does n't stop there , with an off-site area center where attendees can get custom-made T-shirts . Not to be outdone , `` The Green Hornet 's '' car , the Black Beauty , and the movie 's `` booth babes , '' known as the Green Hornettes are all over Comic-Con . Con-goers can head up to another off-site location , Britt Reid 's Garage , to catch a glimpse of the masked hero 's vehicle of choice , and others owned by the Hornet . `` We tried to take risks and make something interesting , and also make something that is worth this amount of money , '' said the Hornet himself , Seth Rogen , gesturing towards the cars . `` We went through a lot of different designs -LSB- for the Black Beauty -RSB- and ended up with basically the same design as the TV show . We just added bigger guns . '' A Comic-Con veteran , Rogen prefers Marvel Comics over DC and , as for the convention itself , he says he `` wishes it were a little bit more about the comics , actually . '' If cars are n't your thing and you prefer your `` immersive experiences '' to be more on the techie side , `` Tron : Legacy '' has an app for that : an all-new version of the `` Tanks '' game from the Tron arcade can be downloaded onto iPhones . There 's also `` Flynn 's Arcade , '' returning to Comic-Con for the second year in a row . This year , there is a scavenger hunt of sorts on Twitter , where attentive fans can gain access to special events inside the arcade , which reveal secrets of the film , among other things . As `` immersive experiences '' go , however , `` Salt , '' which had all of 24 hours before the movie 's release to make an impression , went the old-fashioned route by revealing a big surprise Thursday : Angelina Jolie favoring the audience with an appearance . Bruce Willis was also on hand to promote the upcoming comic book adaptation , `` Red , '' though Oscar winner Helen Mirren may have stolen the show by talking about her first action role . Speaking of action , the aforementioned Stallone was indeed there Thursday , pushing `` The Expendables , '' along with just about every other action hero who is n't the governor of the most populous state in the union . Another way to grab fans ' attention is food , and Robert Rodriguez 's upcoming `` Machete '' had a taco stand set up on Thursday night , along with an outdoor screening of new footage . There are still a few more high-profile movies hoping to thrill the Comic-Con crowd . `` Green Lantern '' starring Ryan Reynolds , and the next two Marvel Comics adaptations , `` Thor '' and `` Captain America : The First Avenger '' still have their Hall H presentations coming up over the weekend . Visitors to the booths in the exhibitors hall had an early glimpse of Abin Sur , an alien from `` Green Lantern , '' and both Thor 's hammer and Cap 's shield were on display . Also , `` Iron Man '' director Jon Favreu is hoping that his third time 's a charm at Comic-Con with `` Cowboys & Aliens , '' which is still in production . And believe it or not , `` Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows '' will mark that successful movie franchise 's first appearance in San Diego . Prior to the panel , fans are getting a look at the famous horcruxes as they will appear in the movie . At a convention where there is no such thing as too flashy , even the wildly-popular `` Potter '' might have to pull off every trick up his sleeve to avoid getting overshadowed .
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Fans preview entire movie `` Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , '' at Comic-Con . Movie studios are employing dancing girls , scavenger hunts , iPhone apps and more . The `` Harry Potter '' franchise will make first appearance at Comic-Con this year .
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[[4768, 4887]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Not many winners of the Cannes Film Festival Palm d'Or thank ghosts and spirits in their acceptance speech . But for Apichatpong Weerasethakul , Thailand 's first ever winner of the film award , it was a natural thing to do . `` It was kind of an in-joke . At the same time , I think -LSB- `` Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives '' -RSB- is about -LSB- a person -RSB- who believes in spirits , in reincarnation so I kind of thank him for it because he might have been there , '' he told CNN . The award came as a shock to Weerasethakul , who has previously found success at Cannes when he won the Jury Prize in 2004 for `` Tropical Malady , '' but did n't expect to win the big prize . `` When I heard Tim Burton will be head of jury , I was thinking no way ... but when I actually won the prize I thought a different way that maybe because Tim Burton has always created his own wacky world and also my film operates in my own world , and it 's quite a nutty one . '' The `` nutty world '' of `` Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives '' has a lead character -LRB- played by a real-life roof welder -RRB- who talks to spirits and ghosts as he faces the last days of this life . Weerasethakul believes the success of the film at the festival and with international audiences where it has been shown is down to the universal theme of fear of loss . `` Another point is if the trend of movie culture is to be so bombarded by such high production movies , people crave for a personal movie now , a small one , '' he said . While some critics debated if `` Uncle Boonmee '' was a worth winner of such an esteemed award , others praised Weerasethakul for creating a film more like a metaphysical meditation ; Tim Burton described it as `` like a beautiful dream that you do n't see very often . '' Weerasethakul however has been battling with the harsh realities of making what many consider art-house film in Thailand for many years . The `` Uncle Boonmee '' project took three years to complete and many of his other films have faced heavy censorship . His 2006 film `` Syndromes and The Century '' was accused by the Thai authorities as being a potential threat to national security , something Weerasethakul refuted . `` You can not make anything , I mean , you can not -LSB- talk -RSB- basically about politics , and also religion , and other institutions in Thailand . You can not talk about that in cinema . So that kind of cripples you in a way . '' He won a few battles against the film censors and helped to establish a rating system for films in Thailand , but Weerasethakul still believes the need to speak out against limits to freedom of speech . Weerasethakul was not surprised to see the protests and violence that gripped Thailand 's capital earlier this year . `` I guess -LSB- the violence -RSB- is bound to happen because we had such a huge gap in the difference in the classes of people . -LSB- It -RSB- also makes us think about where we stand especially if you 're Thai ; it forces us to think about our moral standpoint . `` I think we all should speak more . About how we feel . About this oppression . Because Thailand has become a democracy not long ago . And people still , we are still in obedience ? It is a very obedience culture . ''
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Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the Palm d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival . Thai director thanked ghosts and spirits in his acceptance speech . Weerasethakul critical of lack of freedom on expression in Thailand .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police in Northern Ireland appealed for the community 's help after a fourth night of Catholic-Protestant violence in Belfast , which saw a number of officers injured . Five people , all in their teens or early 20s , were arrested in connection with the unrest , police said . Wednesday night 's violence began shortly before 8 p.m. -LRB- 3 p.m. ET -RRB- and lasted for about six hours , the Police Service of Northern Ireland -LRB- PSNI -RRB- said . Are you there ? Share your stories , photos and videos . In one incident , a car was stolen as the driver was getting inside and the vehicle was then set on fire , police said . Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland said Wednesday 's violence involved a smaller group of people than on previous nights and included a `` hardcore group '' of about 12 people . Northern Ireland 's marching season begins . They threw objects including petrol bombs and fireworks at police . Police fired back with stun grenades and water cannons , they said . `` A number '' of police officers were hurt but their injuries were not believed to be serious , the PSNI said . The violence began over the weekend after a decision to allow a Protestant parade to pass through a mainly Catholic neighborhood on July 12 , a day when Protestants march to celebrate the victory of England 's King William III over his ousted Catholic predecessor , James II , in 1689 . Known as The Twelfth , the holiday has previously been marred by violence and has been a source of tension between Catholics and Protestants for years . Police had to remove demonstrators who staged a sit-down protest to block this year 's march . Rioting erupted a short time later and more than 50 officers were hurt . The previous night , 27 officers were hurt , including three who were shot at close range by a masked man armed with a shotgun . McCausland said community leaders helped with the situation Wednesday night , but he urged them to do even more . `` A number of community workers worked hard to exercise their influence last night and I would thank them for that , '' McCausland said . `` However , I would ask them to redouble their efforts . In this way , working together , we can help bring these incidents to an end . '' British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday denounced the `` completely unacceptable behavior '' of those involved in the unrest . He dismissed any sectarian cause behind the violence , pointing out Northern Ireland 's police force is under local control , no longer governed by London . `` There is no excuse for anyone not to cooperate with that police force , '' Cameron said .
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Five people were arrested after a fourth night of violence in Belfast . Those arrested are all in their teens or early 20s . Protesters threw petrol bombs and fireworks at police . Police are appealing for more community help to deal with the unrest .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Paul the psychic octopus may not have predicted a medal and a soccer jersey in his future , but he now owns both . The global phenomenon picked Spain to beat the Netherlands in the World Cup finals earlier this month . Nearly two weeks later , a Spanish delegation from the town of Carballino brought a gift basket Thursday for the cephalopod in his hometown of Oberhausen , Germany . The gifts included a bronze statue that is the symbol of the town of Carballino , which makes Paul an official '' best friend of the town . '' The delegation -- which included Carballino 's mayor Carlos Alberto Montes Marques and various businessmen -- also gave the tentacled one an official Spanish soccer jersey . Businessman Manuel Pazo was part of the delegation . Pazo has in the past expressed his intent to buy Paul as the town 's mascot . Carballino residents will celebrate Paul again on August 8th in the 43rd `` festival of the octopus . '' Paul not only predicted Spain 's win over the Netherlands in the final , but also the team 's semifinal success against Germany . Before that , he correctly predicted all five of Germany 's earlier results , and picked Germany to beat Uruguay in the third-place playoff , ending the tournament with a remarkable eight-for-eight record . For each prediction , two mussel-filled acrylic boxes labeled with a team 's flag were lowered into Paul 's tank . Whichever box he chose conveyed the winning team . Sea Life staff , where Paul lives , have announced he is retiring from the predictions game , but previously said they were considering offers from around the globe . Spain has expressed an interest in Paul , and a Russian bookmaking company has offered to pay 100,000 euros -LRB- about $ 129,800 -RRB- for the octopus .
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A Spanish delegation brings a gift basket for the cephalopod . Paul lives in Oberhausen , Germany . Gifts include a bronze statue .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The fourth former New Orleans police officer pleaded guilty this week in connection with police shootings of civilians on a Louisiana bridge in the days following Hurricane Katrina , authorities said . Former officer Robert Barrios pleaded guilty in federal court to a charge he failed to report a cover-up in the investigation into the Danziger Bridge shooting in New Orleans , the Department of Justice said in a statement Wednesday . He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $ 250,000 . Barrios ' plea comes after the guilty pleas from three other former New Orleans police officers -- Michael Lohman , Jeffrey Lehrmann and Michael Hunter -- involved in the Danziger Bridge case , the Justice Department said . Two civilians were killed and four others wounded in the shootings on September 4 , 2005 , six days after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast . In the first shooting , on the east side of the bridge , one person , later identified as James Brissette , 19 , was killed and four people were wounded , prosecutors said . In another shooting on the bridge 's west side , Ronald Madison , 40 , a severely disabled man , was killed . Madison 's brother was arrested but later released without being charged , authorities said . Barrios admitted in court that he met with officers after the shooting to get their stories straight , prosecutors said . He also admitted that he lied when he told investigators that he had seen civilians with handguns . `` In the days following Hurricane Katrina , the people of New Orleans were relying upon law enforcement to protect public safety . Instead , the officers involved in this incident and its cover-up abused their power and violated the public trust , '' said Thomas E. Perez , Assistant Attorney General in Charge of the Justice Department 's Civil Rights Division .
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Former officer admits cover-up in investigation of New Orleans bridge shooting . Two civilians killed , four wounded in police shooting days after Hurricane Katrina . Three officers have since issued guilty pleas for their involvement .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The owner of three pit bulls that killed a 2-year-old boy Thursday has been charged in connection with the child 's death , authorities in California said . Steven Hayashi , 52 , was arrested on charges of child endangerment and possessing a mischievous animal that causes death or great bodily injury , the Concord Police Department said in a statement . He is being held on $ 120,000 bail . The dogs mauled the boy after he walked into the garage where they were being kept , police said . Authorities said the toddler was the suspect 's step-grandchild . Two adult relatives and a young sibling were also home at the time of the attack , which police said occurred just after 8:45 a.m. Thursday -LRB- 11:45 a.m. ET -RRB- . The boy was taken to a local hospital , where he was pronounced dead . Police said they were still investigating the incident .
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Police say three dogs mauled the 2-year-old . Authorities say the victim was the dog owner 's step-grandchild . Hayashi is accused of child endangerment and possessing a mischievous animal .
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New Orleans , Louisiana -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As Tropical Depression Bonnie churns through the Gulf of Mexico , several response vessels at the site of BP 's ruptured well are in the process of being moved out of harm 's way Friday , possibly leaving the sealed well cap unattended for about 48 hours , federal officials said . `` The intention right now is to put the vessels in a safe place so they can return as quickly as possible , '' retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said . The rigs drilling the relief wells and the Q4000 recovery vessel are expected to be fully disconnected by late Friday afternoon , Allen said in a briefing Friday . Operators manning the vessels will begin to move to a position of the `` best survivability , '' he added . Even if the vessels monitoring the well have to depart , Allen said , they 'll perform aerial and satellite surveillance and leave recording equipment at the base of the well to continue observation . `` If we have to evacuate the scene , we 're probably looking at a very limited window , probably 48 hours , '' he said . Allen also addressed the `` good and bad part '' of a tropical storm hitting the Gulf region : While he acknowledged how a storm surge could drive the oil into beach and marsh areas , where it would have not been driven otherwise , Allen says the increased weather activity may `` actually help '' disperse the oil . `` So we 're mindful that those are two consequences and prepared to move out and aggressively attack this once the threat is passed through . But in -LSB- the -RSB- meantime , preservation of life and preservation of equipment are our highest priority , '' Allen said . Later , Allen told CNN 's Wolf Blitzer , `` it 's certainly going to be a setback '' in the effort to permanently seal the well and clean up the Gulf . He noted that 800 skimmers that had been collecting oil on the surface across the Gulf Coast will be returning to safety on shore but said authorities are slowly making progress . `` I 'm not ready to declare victory , nor should anybody . But we certainly are starting to gain a bit of an upper hand here , '' he said . `` Of course , we still have beach cleanup and marshland areas that are affected . '' BP said that pressure in the well continues to `` slowly increase . '' Company officials said they will continue to take pressure readings and monitor the well as long as weather permits . On Thursday , officials said the departure of the relief well rig could delay work on the operation -- described as the permanent fix to the ruptured well -- for at least 10 days . Allen said the cap placed over the damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico will remain sealed and continue to stop oil from escaping even if the more than 2,000 people who have been working at the well site are off the water . The weather could force officials to temporarily scale back efforts to search beneath the surface for leaking oil . But Allen said Thursday that the remote vehicles used to monitor the area will be the last to leave and the first to return . Sensors and extensive monitoring have allowed observers to `` rule out any indications that there might be a leak , '' Allen said Thursday , noting that his confidence in the integrity of the well had `` improved dramatically '' after he examined data over the past few days . Once the weather system passes , a plan to pump mud into the well to force oil back into the reservoir below is in the works . BP has Allen 's approval to prepare for the `` static kill '' process but would still need the government 's final go-ahead before proceeding , BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells said . Meanwhile , officials monitoring the spill say they continue to track the tropical weather and communicate with the Federal Emergency Management Agency , which is ultimately responsible for the safety of the more than 40,000 people assisting in recovery and response efforts in the Gulf region . `` The protection of the equipment and crew is paramount to ensure maximum ability to respond to any new challenges a storm may pose to the enormous mission , '' Rear Adm. Paul Zukunft , the federal on-scene coordinator , said in a news release Thursday . `` We are repositioning assets away from low-lying areas to higher-ground staging areas to protect our ability to respond to the dynamic requirements of the incident , '' Zukunft said . At 5 p.m. ET Friday , Bonnie had been downgraded to a tropical depression after moving across southern Florida . It was moving west-northwest at 18 miles an hour and had maximum sustained winds of 35 miles an hour . It 's expected to make landfall early Sunday between New Orleans , Louisiana , and southeastern Texas . If the storm continues on its path , it could slam into the area of the BP oil spill and possibly push more oil to shore . The tropical weather system could diminish or erase encouraging signs of recovery from the BP oil spill , according to a scientist who spearheaded the first major examination of the Louisiana coast wetlands . `` Early marsh regrowth could easily be taken away with high winds and waves , '' said Tom Bianchi , a Texas A&M oceanography professor who has spent his career researching marshes . Meanwhile , at a federal hearing in New Orleans , Louisiana , on Friday , a Deepwater Horizon chief engineering technician testified that the rig 's general alarm system -- which is designed to detect a sudden rise in natural gas -- had been disabled because rig managers `` did not want people woke up at 3 in the morning due to false alarms . '' Technician Mike Williams said the alarm system had been been `` inhibited '' for about a year before the April 20 explosion that killed 11 workers and started the worst oil disaster in the nation 's history . Williams said supervisors on the Transocean rig were aware that the system had been inhibited . Transocean later said in a statement that the disabling was `` intentional and conforms to accepted maritime practices . '' `` It was not a safety oversight or done as a matter of convenience , '' it said . The company said there were hundreds of individual fire and gas alarms on the Deepwater Horizon in a `` zone-based '' system . The rig had an option -- which was resorted to -- to prevent the general alarm from sounding when an individual alarm went off . Transocean said it 's possible that individual alarms might be providing notification of `` minor issues or a non-emergency , '' and `` repeated false alarms increase risk and decrease rig safety . '' CNN 's Ashley Fantz , Vivian Kuo and Sean Morris contributed to this report .
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NEW : Retired Adm. Thad Allen says there is `` certainly going to be a setback '' at well site . NEW : Allen says crews `` starting to gain a bit of an upper hand '' in collecting oil . NEW : Transocean says that disabling general alarm at rig is accepted practice . Deepwater Horizon alarm had been `` inhibited , '' technician testifies .
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The sisters of a Los Angeles woman found dead in Cancun , Mexico , in April want the U.S. government to explain why her husband has not been arrested a month after Mexican prosecutors requested his extradition . `` We are tired of waiting , '' Jeanne Burgos said Thursday . `` It 's not fair . '' She and her sister Carla Burgos staged a rally outside the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon to demand an arrest . `` We are demanding that the United States authorities just do what they have to do , '' Burgos said . `` We are not asking for anything beyond what their duties are . '' Reality TV producer Bruce Beresford-Redman is still living free with his children in Los Angeles nearly two months after a Mexican judge ordered his arrest . Mexican officials said June 23 that they had sent their extradition petition to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City . Neither the U.S. State Department nor the Justice Department in Washington would confirm what has happened with the extradition request . A spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles , who would pursue an arrest , said Thursday that nothing has been filed in California . `` They are not telling us anything , '' said Allison Triessl , the Burgos family 's lawyer . `` We have repeatedly asked . We have made phone calls almost daily , and we have received no information at all . '' Beresford-Redman was briefly detained after his wife 's body was found April 8 in a sewer at Cancun 's Moon Palace Resort . His passport was taken by investigators , and he was told not to leave Mexico until the inquiry was concluded . Quintana Roo state Attorney General Francisco Alor said in May that he has a `` very concrete '' case against the former `` Survivor '' producer . Beresford-Redman 's lawyer , Richard Hirsch , has said he would fight extradition . Beresford-Redman returned home in May , without the knowledge of investigators , to take care of family business and see his two young children , his lawyer said . His parents have temporary legal custody of the children , ages 3 and 5 , but they are staying with Beresford-Redman . The initial investigation suggested that Monica Beresford-Redman `` died of strangulation , because of the bruising , '' Mexican regional police spokesman Adrian Cardena said . A source close to the wife has said that she cleaned out the family 's bank account and took her two children to Hawaii because she was upset about her husband 's extramarital affair . The couple later traveled to Cancun in an effort to repair their marriage , the source said .
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Bruce Beresford-Redman is still free nearly 2 months after murder charge . Mexican officials say U.S. received extradition request a month ago . Burgos sisters demand U.S. officials immediately arrest the reality TV producer . Monica Beresford-Redman was found dead at Cancun resort in April .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Ethiopian born designer has an eye for style . She launched a line of high-end handbags in 2006 and a year later married celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck . Together the couple live in LA and have made Forbes magazine 's list of `` Married celebrity entrepreneurs '' . While loving the California lifestyle , she still has strong connections to Ethiopia , putting much of her energy into her charity work there .
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Ethiopian fashion designer and philanthropist married to chef Wolfgang Puck . Based in LA has concentrated on accessories , using textiles and ideas from Africa . Born in Addis Ababa , Puck supports the Ethiopian Children 's Fund .
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[[123, 175]]
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Moscow , Russia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Unidentified gunmen killed two people and injured another two Wednesday in what Russian officials called a terrorist attack intended to blow up a hydroelectric power station . The attackers targeted the Baksan Hydropower Plant in the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria , the Investigative Committee of the Russian Prosecutor 's Office said . They killed two guards and badly beat two control-room operators , authorities said . `` At about 4 a.m. , perpetrators wearing masks penetrated inside the station and tied their hands with tape , '' Valery Shogenov , the hydroelectric station 's manager , told Russian state television on the backdrop of his plant still smoking . `` But the operators managed to finally free themselves from the tape and call us about the accident , '' he said . While at the station , the gunmen triggered off four improvised explosive devices that destroyed two of its three hydropower generators and caused a fire in the control room . Later , investigators defused a fifth device planted by the bombers that did n't explode . Russian security officials said the same gunmen had attacked a local police station in Baksan vullage with grenade launchers shortly before storming into the power plant . `` The possible suspects have been determined now , '' the Russian National Antiterrorist Committee said in a statement . `` Government bodies are keeping the situation under their control , '' it said . The special crisis center of the republic 's law enforcement agencies said three to five people were behind the attack . RusHydro , the country 's power-generating company , said on its website that the fire had been extinguished , but part of the control room 's equipment is damaged and needs replacement . RusHydro also said security has been boosted at all its hydroelectric plants across Russia 's restive northern Caucasus region . Prime Minister Vladimir Putin instructed government officials to take `` speedy measures to fully restore the power plant . '' The Baksan hydroelectric plant was built in 1936 . Russian media said this was the first time in the country 's history that a power plant was attacked by terrorists .
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Unidentified gunmen kill two people , injure two more . Attackers wearing masks storm the power station at 4 a.m. Officials : Gunmen attacked police station before power plant . RusHydro says security boosted at all its hydroelectric plants .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The 39-year-old Liberian artist was exiled during the country 's civil war , but returned to the capital Monrovia after the conflict to open its first gallery . From his paintings to his cartoons in Monrovia 's Daily Observer , Lumeh remains a prolific artist .
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Artist had to leave Liberia during civil war ; returned 8 years later at end of conflict . Opened Monrovia 's first gallery after war , believes in positive influence of art . Social commentary in his paintings and cartoons in daily newspaper .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Poet , dramatist and novelist , Wole Soyinka 's work has left a large imprint on the literary landscape of Africa . Poltical activist and Nobel Laureat , Wole Soyinka . His work has been performed internationally and in 1986 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature . Regardless of the global profile and recognition , writing for Soyinka has always been , and always will be , a part of his life . `` I began writing early , very , very early . ... I was already writing short stories for the radio , and selling poems to poetry and art festivals , I was involved in school plays , I wrote essays , so there was no definite moment when I said , now I 'm a writer . I 've always been a writer , '' he told CNN . Before being honored with a Nobel Prize , Soyinka had written plays performed across the world , set up drama groups and held academic positions in the UK , the U.S. and Nigeria . Poetry and novels make up the rest of his work , but it is with the medium of drama that he feels most comfortable . `` When I write plays , I 'm already seeing the shapes on stage , of the actors and their interaction , and so on and so forth . I do n't think I 've ever written one play as an abstract piece , as a literary piece , floating in the air somewhere , to be flushed out later on , '' he said . Now 75 , Soyinka claims it is a natural curiosity with life and humanity that has always compelled him to write , and should be a pre-requisite for all aspiring writers . `` Before you 're a writer , you 're a citizen , a human being , and therefore the weapons of the citizen are at your disposal to use , or not use , '' he said . Often he 's used those `` weapons '' to take aim at oppression , corruption , the legacy of colonialism and slavery , both in his work and more overtly in his political activism . At times he 's suffered for his outspoken views ; in 1967 he was imprisoned for 22 months for publicly calling for a truce during Nigeria 's civil war and in 1994 was forced to leave the country when General Sani Abacha came to power . `` One of my earliest short stories in fact had to do with the story of a family which escaped enslavement by Portuguese slave leaders , so you can see how early I was preoccupied by that theme of power and freedom , and domination , '' he said . `` If there 's one overriding political theme it 's my continuing emphasis on the axis of freedom and power . I think that the history of the world , of all societies , has spun on those two axes . '' Soyinka spends his time between Nigeria , Europe and the U.S. , much of it on the lecture circuit , but the need to write remains . `` I 've always written plays for the purpose of getting something out of my system . That 's the first stage . And the next stage is , I want to get it onto the platform -- onto the stage . And once I 've done that , no matter where , I 'm satisfied . '' Watch the show on CNN on Saturday , August 1 , 12.30 , 21.30 GMT and Sunday , August 2 , 18.00 GMT .
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Imprisoned in native Nigeria for 22 months during civil war after calling for a truce . Poet , playwright and novelist won Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986 . `` I 've always written plays for the purpose of getting something out of my system ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Somalian supermodel Waris Dirie has graced the pages of glossy magazines and starred opposite 007 as a Bond Girl . Face for change : Dirie is a tireless campaigner against FGM . But her glamorous appearances on catwalks and in magazines and films belies the personal battles Dirie has had to overcome . Dirie is a leading voice against forced circumcision and female genital mutilation -LRB- FGM -RRB- and struggled to overcome her own circumcision at the age of five . The forthcoming film , `` Desert Flower '' , based on her biography , tells her story . Yet it is through her charitable foundation that Dirie hopes that the practice still common in traditions in parts of Africa , the Middle East , South American and Asia will not create more cases similar to her own . Growing up with a nomadic family in Somalia she was one of 12 children . She fled to the London , where one of her uncles was working in the Somali embassy , to avoid an arranged marriage with an older man . She was just 13-years-old at the time . After working as a housemaid and in a McDonald 's restaurant she was spotted by chance by fashion photographer Terrance Donovan and became the covergirl for the 1987 Pirelli calendar . Becoming the face of beauty products and design houses , her successful modeling career has given her a life far removed from her childhood . Yet for Dirie more importantly it has created a platform to campaign against FGM . In 2002 she created the Waris Dirie Foundation and has been given a number of honors in recognition of her work .
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Somalian supermodel and human rights activist . Campaigns against female genital mutilation ; suffered circumcision age just five . Fled from Somali to UK as a teenager ; spotted by fashion photographer . Set up Waris Dirie Foundation in 2002 ; received numerous award for her work .
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Mexico City , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nearly 1.3 million Mexican residents do n't have running water in Mexico City , the nation 's capital , a university study has revealed . The study concluded that although a greater number of residents have access to running water , there are still large segments of the population who do not , the state-run Notimex news agency said Tuesday , citing the Council for Evaluation of Social Development in the Federal District . Mexico City is located in the Federal District , much like Washington is located in the District of Columbia . According to the study , nearly 7 million residents , or about 81.5 percent of the city 's population connected to the water system , received their supply daily in 2009 . More than 1.4 million received water irregularly during the week , the study said . Nearly 1.3 million people received no water at all . Some Mexico City neighborhoods have seen an increase in availability , the study said . Iztapalapa increased from nearly 71 percent of its population in 2000 to nearly 83 percent in 2005 . Tlahuac went from nearly 62 percent to more than 77 percent , Xochimilco from about 61 percent to more than 71 percent and Milpa Alta from around 42 percent to about 61 percent . The study was conducted by specialists from the National Autonomous University of Mexico .
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Nearly 7 million Mexico City residents get water daily . Another 1.4 million city residents get it irregularly . Some neighborhoods had more water service in 2005 than in 2000 . The study was conducted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- World number one Roger Federer was knocked out of the Estoril Open on Saturday , after losing to defending champion Albert Montanes , 29 , of Spain 6-2 7-6 -LRB- 7-5 -RRB- in the semifinals of the Portugal tournament . The 16-time champion , who is six weeks away from beating Pete Sampras 's record of 286 weeks as the globe 's top-ranked men 's player , lost to Montanes on a rain-soaked clay court in under 90 minutes . Montanes will now face Portugal 's Frederico Gil in Monday 's final . However , the 28-year-old Federer -- who beat Nikolay Davendenko to win the event in 2008 -- remained confident about his clay-court form , despite this loss coming on the back of an opening match defeat at last month 's Rome Masters . `` I 'm not worried , '' Federer told the official Web site of the Estoril Open . `` My goal is n't to win 12 tournaments a year , it is the big events : the Masters , the grand slams and keeping the number one ranking . `` My decision to come to Estoril was the right decision . I would like to return again in future . I know that good things are around the corner , '' Federer added . `` I 'm disappointed to have played a match like this , where I got off to a bad start again . I did n't play that badly in the second set , I had my moments but my movement was a little slow . `` I 'm lacking matches , '' said Federer . `` I 'll keep practicing hard again . Conditions will speed up in Madrid and Paris -LSB- at Roland Garros -RSB- . I must take positives into the next few weeks . '' Federer was using the tournament as a warm-up to the French Open , where the Swiss ace will be looking to defend his title when the tournament starts at Roland Garros on May 23 . Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia beat Spain 's Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-2 7-5 to win the women 's final in Estoril . Meanwhile , world number two Novak Djokovic pulled out of the Madrid Open on Saturday due to continued breathing problems . An allergic reaction to pollen in the air forced the 22-year-old player to retire from a game at the Serbain Open on Friday .
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World No. 1 Roger Federer is knocked out of the Estoril Open . Swiss ace is defeated by Albert Montanes 6-2 7-6 -LRB- 7-5 -RRB- in the semis . Federer says `` I 'm not worried '' in build up to defending his French Open title .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Roger Federer will resume his rivalry with Australia 's Lleyton Hewitt when the two tennis superstars play in the final of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle on Sunday . Federer , who has an incredible 76-1 record on grass since 2003 , reached his third ATP Tour final of the year with a 7-6 6-3 win over German Philipp Petzschner . Earlier on Saturday , Hewitt beat another home hope as he battled past Benjamin Becker 6-7 7-6 6-2 . Nadal and Murray crash out at Queen 's Club . Hewitt , who won Wimbledon in 2002 and held the world number one spot , will be meeting Federer for the 25th time , but he has lost the last 16 matches . `` He 's obviously the best grass-court player around , '' Hewitt told the official ATP Tour Web site . `` It 's a good test for me to go out there . I 'm going to have to obviously play extremely well and execute what I want to do out there and try and put him under some kind of pressure . '' Federer will be seeking his sixth title in Halle , his traditional warm-up event ahead of a tilt at his seventh Wimbledon crown . Meanwhile , Mardy Fish will contest an all-American final against Sam Querrey in the other big grass warm-up tournament at Queen 's Club in London . Fish , who beat defending champion Andy Murray in the third round , saw off Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4 . Lopez could not reproduce the form which saw him beat compatriot Rafael Nadal , the world number one and French Open champion in the quarters . Querrey edged Germany 's Rainer Schuettler 6-7 7-5 6-3 in the first semifinal .
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Roger Federer to face Lleyton Hewitt in final of ATP tournament in Halle . Federer will be seeking his sixth title in the German grass court event . Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish reach all-American final at Queen 's Club .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Maria Sharapova battled to a three-set victory over American qualifier Alison Riske to reach the final of the WTA tournament in Birmingham on Saturday . The two-time winner at the Edgbastion Priory club will now play top seed Li Na , who was also taken to three sets before beating France 's Aravane Rezai 6-1 3-6 6-3 . The 19-year-old Riske had never won a match in a main WTA tour event before the pre-Wimbledon warm-up tournament , but did well to hit back after losing the first set to level with a 6-4 second set win . But former world number one Sharapova was not to be denied and swept through the decider 6-1 to earn a rematch with China star Li , who beat her in the semifinals last year . `` It 'll be good to play her again , '' Sharapova told the official WTA Tour Web site . `` A year makes a big difference . I certainly do n't like losing to the same person twice in a row -- I 'm a big competitor . '' Li , who lost in last year 's final to Magdalena Rybarikova , said she suffered from a lapse of concentration against the fourth-seeded Rezai , but recovered to earn another meeting with Sharapova . She will be bidding for her career third title on the WTA Tour and first since the Gold Coast in 2008 , but aside from her 2009 win over Sharapova in Birmingham last year has lost their other five meetings .
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Maria Sharapova into final of WTA Tour event in Birmingham . Russian superstar will play Li Na of China in Sunday 's showdown . Sharapova taken to three sets by American qualifier Alison Riske .
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Editor 's note : Ed Rollins , a senior political contributor for CNN , is senior presidential fellow at the Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency at Hofstra University . He was White House political director for President Reagan and chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee . Ed Rollins says Obama appeased UN delegations `` led by tyrants and petty dictatorships . '' NEW YORK -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The president had his first foray into the byzantine world of U.N. politics last week and walked away cheered on by the anti-America crowd . He appeased the delegations led by tyrants and petty dictatorships by condemning President Bush and spelling out how his administration is going to be different . President Obama was applauded by Castro , Chavez , and Gadhafi -LRB- no friends of ours -RRB- when he said he wanted a `` new era of engagement in the world . '' Are either of those three dictators going to be better world citizens or kinder , gentler leaders as a result of Obama 's outreach ? Put me in the doubtful column . No American president has ever stood before the U.N. body and condemned his predecessor or American foreign policy in such a way . President Bush , like every president before him made some mistakes , but he did not deserve this put down . And let 's not forget America was attacked on September 11 , 2001 , and thousands of American lives were lost . President Bush and his team got us through all that and kept us safe for the rest of his terms . And I hope Mr. Obama realizes the `` haters '' of America are still out there . Historically , American foreign policy has been pretty consistent whether a Democrat or Republican occupies the Oval Office . President Obama 's style may be different and more pacifying but at the end of the day he hopefully will be conducting business that benefits American interests and not the lowest common denominator interests of the United Nations membership . If not , he will join his fellow Democrat , Jimmy Carter , as a one-termer . We know President Obama loves lofty rhetoric and he does it well . The public 's question should be can he deal with reality ? And can he relate that reality to us as he makes the very tough decisions he faces in the weeks and months ahead ? Last Thursday , the president , chairing the United Nations National Security Council , pushed through a six-page resolution that was approved unanimously 15-0 . The resolution urged a world without nuclear weapons . President Obama stated : `` We must never stop until we see the day when nuclear arms have been banished from the face of the earth . '' Some may see that as an admirable goal but the hard truth is that the five permanent members of the Security Council : China , France , the Russian Federation , the United Kingdom and the United States all have nuclear weapons and none of them -- including the United States -- are giving them up . They may downgrade and diminish the stockpile a little , but nobody 's going `` no nuke . '' You add the other three nuclear powers -- Pakistan , India and Israel -LRB- although they do n't admit or deny -RRB- -- and nobody is disarming . Russia , which along with us has the largest stockpile , could n't get out of the room fast enough before saying `` not us ! '' The real work of the U.N. Security Council should have been condemning and again warning North Korea and Iran that they are not welcome into the nuclear club and that every effort is going to be used to stop them from continuing on that path . It took French President Nicolas Sarkozy to call the Security Council exercise weak and to chastise its members , including President Obama , for not condemning Iran and North Korea more forcefully . `` How , before the eyes of the world , could we justify meeting without tackling them ? '' He went on to say : `` We live in the real world , not a virtual world . And the real world expects us to take decisions . '' Iran 's reaction to their `` view of the real world '' was to walk away from the U.N. meeting and test-fire missiles with sufficient range to strike Israel and parts of Europe and American bases . Far from being humbled , a senior Revolutionary Guard official told the semi-official Fars news agency , `` Iranian missiles are able to target any place that threatens Iran . '' I for one would like to remind them that we have a lot more missiles then they have and we can strike any place they fire a missile from . Of course , I am not a diplomat and never have been one -- for obvious reasons . The second exercise in reality is the very tough decision the president must make on Gen. McChrystal 's recommendation for more troops to get the job done in Afghanistan . Gen. McChrystal is the president 's handpicked commander of forces in `` the war of necessity '' -LRB- President Obama 's term -RRB- in Afghanistan . The acclaimed and well-respected general was allowed to pick his team and was asked in very short order to make an assessment . He has done that and his assessment -- as everyone else including the British and the Soviet Union , who has ever gone to war in Afghanistan found out -- is that the going is tough and without more troops defeat is a very real possibility . The president wisely is getting the best counsel possible from his foreign affairs team , an experienced group that will have many opinions as to the direction he needs to follow . This maybe the toughest decision of his presidency and whatever direction he takes he will be widely criticized by his friends and enemies alike . The important thing to remember , is this is where he needs to educate the public . If he expands this war , he needs a skeptical public to support him . If he tries an alternative to Gen. McChrystal 's plan , he will be judged on the end results and that may be very risky . You combine this with the president 's promise to close Guantanamo by the end of the year , -LRB- not going to happen -RRB- get health care passed , eliminate ear marks -LRB- The Senate defense appropriations bill has nearly 800 at a cost of $ 2.65 billion and no threat of a veto anywhere -RRB- , and you can see a tough fall ahead . As if he does n't have enough on his plate , he is flying off to Denmark to head the lobbying effort for his hometown Chicago 's final presentation to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 games . He will once again find out if his powers of persuasion work on foreign leaders and hopefully for the hometown they will work better then they did last week . At least the president will quickly find out this week if he 's as good a salesman as he and his team think he is because the IOC makes its decision Friday . International Olympic politics is as tough as Chicago politics , and being loved has nothing to do with getting results . The outcome will be awaited with great anticipation . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ed Rollins .
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Ed Rollins : Castro , Chavez , Gadhafi applauded Obama speech . He says winning over U.S. foes is n't an important foreign policy goal . He says Obama faces very tough decision on troop levels in Afghanistan .
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Editor 's note : CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a bestselling author whose new book is `` Late Edition : A Love Story . '' Bob Greene says a small town in Ohio is one of the most inspiring places in the United States . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- All over the world this weekend , people are peering up into the night , trying to catch a glimpse of a sliver of the moon . They 're thinking about the moon because of Monday 's 40-year anniversary of mankind 's first lunar landing . And more than a few people are undoubtedly allowing themselves to dream of traveling to the moon themselves . It 's not going to happen . For almost all of us , it can be said with certainty : . We 're never going to go to the moon . But there 's good news : . We can go to Wapakoneta . Wapakoneta is a town of barely 9,000 people in northwestern Ohio . It may be , in its own quiet way , the most inspiring single place in the United States . I-75 runs right past it ; in your car , it 's there and then it 's gone before you even know it . Yet if you make the decision to leave the interstate and turn onto Bellefontaine Street , which takes you into town , you will find yourself thinking about life 's most glorious possibilities in a way you seldom have before . Each time I go to Wapakoneta , I try to put into words the feeling of walking those small-town streets , and each time I fear I come up short . But the lesson of Wapakoneta remains constant . A boy from this town -- a boy born here , a boy whose father , a mid-level state employee , was required to move from city to city some twenty different times before ending up back in Wapakoneta for the boy 's high school years -- looked up at the Ohio sky and decided that he would soar . If the town at times felt cloistered and confining -- if the horizons the boy could physically view on the flat landscape of Auglaize County appeared circumscribed -- he did not let that stop him . Down through the ages , it was the one task that was almost beyond conceiving , never mind beyond doing . Until , on July 20 , 1969 , Neil Armstrong , of Wapakoneta , walked on the moon . You want to talk about the strength of the human will -- of the American will ? You want to talk about absolute proof that no matter where you 're from , if you set your heart to it , you can do anything ? Take a trip to Wapakoneta . Stroll through the neighborhoods , stop in at the stores , maybe catch a movie at the old Wapa Theater on Willipie Street . Try to imagine being the boy who did exactly that , when no one knew his name . His family had had to pick up and move so often , because of his dad 's job , that no one could have blamed him if his only desire had been to finally cling to one place . But he decided that if he was destined always to be in motion , then he should make the most of it . He was fifteen when , his family living back in Wapakoneta again , he signed up for lessons at the airstrip north of town . He had made up his mind : He wanted to escape the earth 's bonds . The moon was not the dream . The moon was merely the eventual landing strip . The dream was to fly . Walk around that town . If you 're feeling hemmed in by life , if all your prospects seem to have dried up , if you feel stuck in place , walk around Wapakoneta . Then ask yourself : Is there anything that can stop a person whose belief in what he can accomplish is fierce and unyielding enough ? There is a little museum in town -- you can see it from I-75 -- that is dedicated to the life of the boy who once walked those same streets . The thing I have always loved best about the museum is the display of newspaper front pages from around the world on the day after the moon landing . Every front page in every city in every country on the globe ran huge headlines announcing that the impossible had become real : that a man had walked on the moon . Some of the papers said just that -- that a man had reached the moon . Some made it more parochial -- they said that an American had walked on the moon . But the Wapakoneta Daily News said it in the only good and proper way it could be said , in that town , on that day : . `` Neil Steps on the Moon . '' We all need to be reminded , from time to time , of just what we can do . We all , no matter where we live , have moments when we think that the odds are just too great , that life 's grandest accomplishments are for someone else . And it 's probably true that none of us will ever know the feeling of stepping onto the surface of the moon . But this is really not about the moon . This is about the limitless capacity of the human heart . So if there are moments when you begin to question what is out there for you , here 's a suggestion : . Come to Wapakoneta sometime . And look at the sky . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene .
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Bob Greene : Wapakoneta is a tiny town in northwest Ohio . The town is Neil Armstrong 's birthplace and where he dreamed of flying . Greene says the mission to the moon is a symbol of what we can achieve . Greene : `` This is about the limitless capacity of the human heart . ''
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Editor 's note : CNN Contributor Bob Greene is a best-selling author whose new book is `` Late Edition : A Love Story . '' Bob Greene says a beer summit would n't unite Chicago police veterans and protesters remembering 1968 conflict . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Beer summits at the White House notwithstanding , not all controversies between the police and the citizens they serve are destined to turn into gauzy , orchestrated `` teachable moments . '' Some wounds are so deep that they just may last forever . Which is a lesson in itself . As interesting an evening as I have spent this year took place earlier this summer on a Chicago , Illinois , street well west of downtown . `` Just wanted to come spend time with some old friends , '' said Tom Dempsey , 67 , as he arrived at the lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police , next door to a plumbers ' union training center . He had plenty of company . This was the first reunion of Chicago police officers assigned to the streets during the 1968 Democratic National Convention . Not to diminish the heat of the emotions in Cambridge , Massachusetts , this summer , but in terms of international attention being focused on a police department , what happened in Cambridge was rather mild . The mayhem on the streets of Chicago during that long-ago August week , captured on film and in still photographs , has emblemized a moment in history . A federal commission used the term `` police riot '' ; for more than 40 years the officers who were there have been offended and angry about that . So here they were in 2009 , retirees in shorts and in golf shirts , in natty blazers and in khaki trousers . `` A celebration ? '' said Bill Jaconetti , 66 . `` A celebration of what ? This is just some former police officers getting together to remember when we were asked to protect a great American city . '' He fully understood it was n't as simple as that ; it never has been . The organizers of the reunion had elected to use uncompromising language on the Web site announcing the event . The anti-war demonstrators of 1968 were `` Marxist street thugs '' ; criticism of the actions of the police was `` unwarranted , inaccurate and wrong . '' The language was destined to get attention , and it did . Thus , half a block to the west of the lodge this summer , protesters were gathering behind police barricades . They felt that the organizers of the police reunion had mischaracterized and purposely insulted the anti-Vietnam war demonstrators of 1968 ; the police , for their part , have long believed that they were the ones who were provoked at that Democratic convention , that they were goaded in ways that were guaranteed to culminate with violent confrontations . Now , on this summer evening in 2009 , the protesters , many of them not born in 1968 , looked toward the arriving retired officers and chanted : `` No justice ! No peace ! No riot police ! '' The whole world was n't watching . In Grant Park near Chicago 's lakefront -- site of some of the ugliest convention-week battles of 1968 -- hundreds of thousands of people had congregated on this day in 2009 . It had nothing to do with the police reunion . Taste of Chicago , the annual food-and-music festival , had opened its 10-day run . Miles distant from that , out on Washington Boulevard , there were perhaps a few hundred retired officers in the lodge , and a lesser number of demonstrators to the west . Anyone three blocks away would have been unaware of either group . Many of the marquee players from the famous Democratic convention -- Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin from the dissenters , the first Mayor Richard Daley from the city , Chet Huntley and David Brinkley from the national media that spread the pictures -- are dead . And the former police officers who were approaching the front door of the lodge ? `` I know there were probably a lot of peaceful demonstrators in '68 who did n't want all that to happen , '' said John Wotring , 63 , who had flown up from his home in Sanford , Florida . The one remnant from his life as a street cop is that the nickname his buddies had for him -- `` Johnny Wo '' -- is now , in retirement , a proud part of his e-mail address . They 're on the back nine of life . `` You ask about your buddy -- you say , ` How 's so-and-so doing ? ' '' said John Murray , 62 , who was 21 during convention week . `` You get the answer : ` He died ' '' The calls of this year 's protesters summoned certain echoes . Murray said : `` I was the age of the demonstrators in ' 68 . I was a kid , too . But all they saw was the uniform . '' The two sides did n't speak to each other then , and not much seemed to have changed . `` I think it 's fine they 're here , '' said retired officer Harold Brown . `` It 's a nice night . They 're not hurting anyone . '' But the people chanting , kept at a distance , could not hear him . John Eshoo , 68 , formerly of the 18th District , said , `` Was I angry convention week ? No . I was just so amazed that we were being faced with what we were being faced with . '' There 's never going to be common ground , or an inch given on either side , even after everyone who was at the famous convention is gone . `` I had served as a Marine corporal in Vietnam for 13 months , '' said Ken Lavorata , 64 . `` And then I came home and joined the Chicago police and there I was . '' The truly radical thing , on a 21st-century summer evening , would have been for someone to take down the wooden barricades at the end of the block and let the cops and those who were chanting toward them get together and talk . But if that was going to happen , it would have happened long ago . `` I was n't a big fan of the war , either , '' said retired patrol officer Murray , on a night so pretty it made you half-believe that life can be like that . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene .
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Bob Greene : Not all police-citizen disputes can be healed by a `` beer summit '' He says 1968 Chicago police veterans held a reunion this year . He says their publicity sparked protesters , who held a rally nearby . Greene : More than 40 years later , the sides have n't found common ground .
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WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A member of Congress Friday called on the State Department to stop doing business with Xe , the North Carolina-based security company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide . Rep. Jan Schakowsky , D-Illinois , on Friday urged the State Department `` not to enter into further contracts '' with Xe . Rep. Jan Schakowsky , D-Illinois , asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton whether the State Department had just signed a new $ 20 million dollar contract with Xe for Iraq , saying she is `` very concerned '' that the State Department may be signing new security contracts with Xe , both in Iraq and Afghanistan . `` I urge you not to enter into further contracts with Xe and to immediately review any existing contracts , '' the letter said , according to a copy provided to CNN . `` The behavior and actions of both the company 's leadership and a number of individuals employed by the company have harmed our mission in Iraq and Afghanistan and endangered the lives and welfare of our troops and diplomatic personnel serving overseas . '' The State Department decided in January not to renew a personnel protection contract with Blackwater , as the company was then known , when it expired in May . That decision came amidst an investigation by both U.S. and Iraqi authorities of a 2007 shooting involving Blackwater guards in Baghdad in which 17 Iraqis were killed . The company has repeatedly denied any wrong-doing . The State Department did not immediately respond to a request Friday for reaction to Schakowsky 's questions and criticism . The State Department had said that it would continue a Blackwater air-support contract after the much-larger personnel protection contract ended . Xe spokeswoman Stacy DeLuke told CNN that , `` Right now we have no contracts with the State Department in Iraq . '' DeLuke said the company would review calls for bids to provide security for U.S. officials in Afghanistan . `` The thing is we are totally open to bidding on some of the contracts that may come up in Afghanistan just like anyone else , '' DeLuke said in a telephone interview . The Nation magazine released an article Friday that said the State Department had signed a new contract for Iraq with Xe for $ 20 million to extend an earlier aviation contract . `` The State Department contract is scheduled to run through September 3 . In May , the State Department announced it was not renewing Blackwater 's Iraq contract , and the Iraqi government has refused to issue the company an operating license , '' the article said . The controversy over the role of Blackwater in Iraq was revived earlier this week by a lawsuit filed in Virginia by two former employees accusing Blackwater guards of smuggling weapons and using excessive force in Iraq . And the lawsuit claims Blackwater founder Erik Prince `` views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe . '' Xe said in a statement that it would respond `` to the anonymous unsubstantiated and offensive assertions put forward by the plaintiffs , '' in a brief to be filed August 17 . Blackwater changed its name to Xe in February .
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State Department says it will continue Blackwater air-support contract . `` I urge you not to enter into further contracts with Xe , '' Congresswoman 's letter says . Xe spokeswoman Stacy DeLuke says firm `` totally open '' to Afghanistan bidding .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Maria Sharapova powered into the semifinals of the WTA tournament in Birmingham with a straight sets victory over old adversary Sesil Karatantcheva on Friday . Sharapova , who is bidding to win her second Wimbledon title , has had to play catch-up at the rain-hit warm-up tournament , which she has won twice . The second seed beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands of the United States and then fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva in straight sets on Thursday and gave Karatantcheva similar short shrift in a 6-2 6-4 victory . The two have history dating back to an on-court incident in 2004 at Indian Wells and Sharapova has easily won their two subsequent matches . Karatantcheva , the 2004 French Open junior champion , was only 16 when banned for two years in 2006 for a doping offence which she vigorously denied . Sharapova is seeded to meet China 's Li Na , who beat Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-4 6-2 , in the final on Sunday . Li will play Aravane Rezai of France , who dispatched Sara Errani of Italy 7-6 7-5 . Next up for Sharapova on the grass of the Edgbaston Priory club will be American teenager Alison Riske , who shocked Belgian third seed Yanina Wickmayer 6-7 6-4 6-3 on Friday . Riske had to come through qualifying and survived the loss of the first set on a tiebreak to take charge .
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Maria Sharapova reaches last four of WTA tournament in Birmingham . Russian star sees off Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan in straight sets . She next faces Alison Riske of the USA who shocked third seed Yanina Wickmayer .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Come election time in November , voters in five states might have a decision to make as big as whom to elect president . Ballot initiatives have been proposed in Arizona , Colorado , Missouri , Nebraska and Oklahoma that would give voters the chance to decide whether they want to do away with affirmative action in government-funded projects and public schools . Ward Connerly , who heads the American Civil Rights Coalition -- a nonprofit organization working to end racial and gender preferences -- and the main backer of the ballot initiatives , says the 37 word initiative would read : `` The state shall not discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to any individual or group on the basis of race , sex , color , ethnicity or national origin in the operation of public employment , public education or public contracting . '' `` It would forbid any state or local agency or special district from engaging in preferential treatment , '' Connerly said . Watch what Connerly says about the initiative '' Connerly , who is of African-American and American Indian descent , said affirmative action causes resentment . He criticized cases in which a Caucasian student might be denied a college slot in favor of a black student with a lower grade-point average . `` It 's foolish not to think that the kid who is turned away is not going to ... resent that , '' Connerly said . Connerly , who grew up in Leesville , Louisiana , said he experienced oppression because of his skin color during his youth . `` If it was wrong when I was born in '39 ... it 's wrong now , '' he said . `` If it was wrong to do it against a brown-skinned man , it 's wrong to do it against a white man . '' Shanta Driver , National Director of United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund -- an organization dedicated to integrating minority students in educational institutions -- said the ballot initiative is a mistake . `` It places us in the position of denying ... equal opportunity to blacks and Latinos , '' she said . Watch Driver explain her position on the initiative '' Driver and other affirmative action supporters believe this movement would erase the progress made since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . `` It 's obviously a huge step backwards , '' she said . The ballot initiative , dubbed the Civil Rights Initiative , has already passed in California , Michigan and Washington . Some 140,000 signed petitions have been submitted in Oklahoma . Backers in the remaining four states have until late March to early July to collect enough signatures for the initiative to be on the November ballot . If successful , the ballot measures would cut off tax dollars for programs offering preferential treatment based on gender or race . The issue may have some support in the Supreme Court . In June , justices threw out public school choice plans that relied on race . That leaves many states uncertain about whether their affirmative action policies will stand up in court and against political scrutiny in this election year . E-mail to a friend .
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Initiative pushed in Arizona , Colorado , Missouri , Nebraska , Oklahoma . It would ban affirmative action in government-funded projects , public schools . Initiative has already passed in California , Michigan and Washington .
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Editor 's note : Below is a chapter from CNN executive producer and author Suzanne Simons ' new book , `` Master of War : Blackwater 's Erik Prince and the Global Business of War . '' This excerpt recounts a trip Prince made to Afghanistan in November 2007 . Erik Prince , founder of Blackwater , is pictured in Afghanistan in November 2007 . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The group would be met by a Blackwater security team in Kabul , Afghanistan . They would be escorted from one meeting to another with employees of the Department of State , the CIA , and the Department of Defense . Erik Prince wanted to know how his company was being perceived half a world away from the Washington media . In addition to the contracts with the CIA and with Defense for airlifting supplies to troops , Blackwater had guards working for the Department of State at the U.S. embassy annex in Kabul . Finally , his men trained Afghans for border patrol and narcotics interdiction . All four contracts needed to be handled with care , given the new controversies the company faced . Prince had realistic hopes of gaining some new business . Clashes between coalition forces and the Taliban along the country 's borders had been brutal , and Prince was already in the business of training Afghans to stop the illicit flow of drugs that was believed to be funding the insurgency . Surely more could be done . Afghanistan was a big market for Blackwater , and Prince hoped he could expand his business on this trip . ... The 2 1/2 - hour flight to Kabul was packed with a combination of contractors , military types and some random folk who looked as if they had stepped off a movie set . In fact , just a few rows behind Prince sat a bald actor who had played a cameo role in an Indiana Jones movie . For Prince , the trip was not just about clients ; it was also a chance to meet some of the eclectic , modern-day soldiers of fortune who worked under him . Prince and his companions were met on the ground by a two-vehicle Blackwater team led by former FBI special agent Ricky `` C.T. '' Chambers . After his earlier work for the bureau investigating the embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam , he had become Blackwater 's regional director of training in Afghanistan in 2003 for the Drug Enforcement Agency and Afghan narcotics interdiction contracts , as well as the Afghan border police training programs . C.T. knew everyone in Kabul . He liked his job , particularly because he was one of the few men who could live in Afghanistan with his wife , a British beauty whom he 'd met years earlier during his FBI days in Kenya . M.C. , as she liked to be called , now ran Blackwater 's administrative efforts in the country , including the oversight of some 40 local nationals . C.T. greeted the boss with a handshake and a bulletproof vest . There had been a suicide bombing in the capital that morning , and at least a few people were killed . It happened not far from Blackwater 's safe houses , and some of the employees had gone to the roof to get a better look at the huge plume of smoke rising from the site of the attack . Suicide bombings were becoming more common in the capital , even in broad daylight in crowded areas where security was present . Taliban insurgents were wiring up Afghans who were mentally or physically disabled , the underprivileged who would sit along the side of the busy streets hoping for someone to drop money into their laps . When a U.S. convoy or other acceptable target got close enough , militants would remotely detonate their victims . Prince put on his vest for a five-minute ride to the other side of the airport . One of his planes was being prepared to take him to the country 's largest airfield , where his own pilots were based . There were armed security guards in each of the two Blackwater SUVs , but Prince kept his own Glock on the seat next to him . He kept his eyes open as the convoy moved along the crowded Kabul streets , where fresh meat carcasses hung out to dry and barefooted kids played in the narrow , dust-ridden alleyways . He particularly watched for teenagers on cell phones , standing on corners . He had seen intelligence information suggesting teens were being paid by insurgents to scout out Western convoys and report their coordinates for a possible attack . Once safely inside the airport 's perimeter , Prince and his team made their way to the Blackwater plane sitting on the tarmac . He greeted his pilots and asked how things were going . They assured him that the Department of Defense was happy with the job they were doing . Despite the crash of Blackwater Flight 61 into the side of a mountain two years earlier , Presidential Airways had continued to sign contracts with the Pentagon several times since then , including a $ 91 million-a-year contract to provide air support in Guam . Prince 's company had eight Cessna aircraft in Afghanistan , working for the Department of Defense . His men flew everything from drug eradication missions to bundle drops . Many of them were high-risk flights from forward operating bases in the countryside . If there was an architect of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan , it had been the Central Intelligence Agency . While Prince had used his connection to A. B. `` Buzzy '' Krongard , the former executive director of the CIA , to get his first black contract for security work , the agency had continued to renew Blackwater 's work , even after Krongard left . At the secret CIA post , Prince met with a handful of his men who had come to greet him . Several of them looked as if they had walked out of an X-Files convention : long hair , plaid flannel shirts and baggy pants worn much further down than pants were meant to be worn . Prince , in keeping with his conservative upbringing , gave some of them a hard time about their appearance , but they insisted it was what worked best among the local population . Prince 's men had apparently made the CIA happy , providing static security and performing unknown other tasks . But some in the European Parliament suspected that Prince 's Presidential Airways had operated rendition flights for the CIA , and said so in a report . An attorney for Prince pressed the European Parliament for proof to support such a claim , but proof never materialized . The attorney insisted the statements in the report were false and demanded a correction . While the possibility of Prince 's companies taking part seemed plausible , Prince denied it ever happened . ... Eight deputies of Gen. Rahman , the general in charge of the Afghan border police , were already waiting in a large office on the second floor of the two-story building when Prince arrived . He took a seat on a large sofa and listened as the general , through an interpreter , gave him an update on just how Blackwater 's training program was working out . Prince 's men were responsible not only for training the Afghan force in firearms procedures , but for equipping them as well . It was the `` one-stop shopping '' that Prince had put into place for his law enforcement and Special Forces clients back at Blackwater 's Moyock facility so many years earlier . `` Make yourself indispensable to the client , '' he had said , `` and you 'll always have work . ''
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Blackwater is a private military contractor that was founded in 1997 by Erik Prince . 2004 : Four Blackwater men were seized , murdered , hung from a bridge in Falluja . The company now goes by the name Xe . CNN 's Suzanne Simmons ' book explores Prince and his key employees in-depth .
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[[17, 102]]
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McDONOUGH , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Huddling in a dark parking lot outside a budget motel near Camp Shelby , Mississippi , the Callaway family held on to the two things they value most in this world : their faith and each other . Ryan Callaway , left , Jared , center , and Seth enjoy a moment before shipping out to Afghanistan in June . Crying , Mark and Karmen Callaway and their daughter Anna Katheryn clutched the family 's three soldier sons before the trio shipped off to serve in Afghanistan . Karmen was n't thinking about how rare it is for three brothers to go off to war together . She was thinking about Ryan , 25 , Jared , 23 , and 20-year-old Seth all returning home unharmed . `` I know people lose their children every day , '' Karmen said a week later as she sat in her kitchen in McDonough , Georgia . Watch the Callaway family on how they cope '' `` A fear that I have is that something might happen to all three of them . But at the same time , I have an assurance that I will see them again . '' Mark Callaway , describing the farewell , said he was trying to ignore a group of curious beer-drinking construction workers gathered around a nearby truck watching the tearful scene play out . `` These construction workers saw three boys crying and Karmen and Anna Katheryn crying , and I 'm sure they were wondering what 's going on , because the boys were still in their civilian clothes , '' Mark said with a smirk . `` It was just rough leaving the three of them . '' Anna Katheryn , at age 18 the family 's youngest child , seemed confident about her brothers ' safety with U.S. and other NATO forces fighting Taliban and al Qaeda some 7,400 miles away . `` They 're Callaways , '' she said with a smile . `` They 're going to be all right . Sometimes , it does worry me , but you have to give it to Jesus and know that he 's going to take care of them . '' Family sacrifice . All three brothers are serving in Bravo Company , 1st Battalion , 121st Infantry Regiment of the 48th Brigade , Georgia Army National Guard . The Pentagon says it 's unusual for three siblings to serve in the same Army company , which consists of about 100 to 125 soldiers . But it 's not unheard of . Siblings who enlist in the National Guard in the same state are more likely to serve together because Guard forces are state-based units , military officials said . Enlistees in regular armed forces could be deployed in units based across the nation . For example , Nevada 's Army National Guard counts nine sets of brothers among its ranks deploying for Afghanistan this summer , according to a spokesman . There are no regulations banning siblings from serving together , but for obvious reasons , commanders do n't send siblings on the same missions . Carol and Michael Ewens of Gig Harbor , Washington , know the worry of having multiple sons in battle and the pain of losing a child to war . In 2006 , an Afghan roadside bomber killed their 25-year-old son , Army Lt. Forrest Ewens . Now , three more of their sons will be serving in the region . Lt. Oaken Ewens , 28 , and Staff Sgt. Elisha Ewens , 26 , are in the Army 's 10th Mountain Division . Just six weeks after his brother 's death , their youngest son Stephen Ewens , now 24 , announced he had enlisted in the Army 's 2nd Infantry Division -- eventually deploying with a Stryker brigade . `` I threatened to shoot him in the foot , '' his mother joked . `` I felt almost like doing something to make him ineligible to go because I did n't want to have a third son there . But no matter how much I begged and cried , it did n't count . '' Fighting in the same war that took his brother 's life `` was something he felt like he had to do , '' Carol Ewens said . `` It was part of his expression of honoring Forrest and grieving for Forrest and wanting to carry on what Forrest was doing . '' She said she relies on God to pull her through . `` My faith has been the only thing that has given me peace with Forrest 's death , so I have to prepare myself and trust that God has a greater plan , '' she said . `` When one of my children is taken away from me , I have to believe that it 's good . '' God and country . Reminders of God and country dot the Callaways ' rural Georgia neighborhood about 40 miles southeast of Atlanta . `` God bless our troops , '' said a roadside sign outside a church along a two-lane roadway in Henry County . Afghanistan is the second war that Ryan and Jared Callaway have fought for their country . From 2005 to 2006 , they also served in Iraq . But Afghanistan will be the first war for Seth , whom Karmen Callaway calls her `` baby boy . '' `` I just know that he is going to do something very important over there , '' she said . Karmen and her husband recall how the brothers as kids would pretend to be soldiers in the woods behind their house . `` They were always out there playing army and making bike trails , '' said Mark . `` They 're still playing war , too , but they 're playing it for real this time . '' Sitting at the kitchen table at the family home , Karmen is surrounded by three sparkling ornamental stars hanging from a shelf on the wall -- reminders of her sons . Karmen said she 'll be comforted by the thought that her boys will be relatively close to each other . `` They might see each other some , but it wo n't be like they 're together all the time , '' Karmen said . For most parents , protecting young sons or daughters who are n't serving in a war zone can be stressful enough . Karmen bears the added burden of preparing herself for an unspeakable possibility -- something she learned to deal with when the oldest two were in Iraq . When describing each of her sons , Karmen briefly began to cry . After quickly pulling herself together , she held out three rocks -- all smaller than her palm -- marked with the words , `` count your blessings , '' `` pray , '' and `` laugh . '' Each of her sons , Karmen explained , carries a rock with a special word describing their personalities . Ryan 's rock is imprinted with `` accomplish . '' Jared 's bears `` courage . '' Seth 's says `` strength . '' The stones represent her assurance that she will see her sons again , she said . They 're meant to ease her worries during the yearlong deployment . Family of educators . The Callaways are a family of educators . Karmen , who teaches an after-school program at a nearby elementary school , will pursue a teaching degree this summer , before returning to help students in the fall . Daughter-in-law Louie just wrapped up her first year as a teacher -- after eloping with husband Ryan . `` We met in November and got married in January , so it 's just been crazy , '' said Louie , her family 's nickname for Louise . `` The most stressful part was taking a week off work and going to Mississippi ... so I have my students to think about -- getting them prepared for eighth grade -- and my husband 's leaving for Afghanistan . So that was a bit overwhelming , I would say . '' Louie and Ryan have almost daily contact , thanks to the Internet , as do Jared and his wife , Heather . Sometimes , when Ryan and Louie chat by phone , Louie feels the need to be upbeat and `` try to have something good to tell him . '' `` He does n't want to hear my play-by-play about the students , and I do n't want to hear about the danger he 's in , '' she said , looking at Karmen across the kitchen . The Callaway home is decorated with scores of family photos in every room . A large , round , old-fashioned analog clock hangs above the family room fireplace , as if the Callaways need to be reminded of the passage of time . The Callaways ' ` miracle ' In a room off the foyer , Anna Katheryn sometimes plays the family 's baby grand piano , a talent that -- in retrospect -- seems more like a miracle to Karmen and Mark . On a rainy night in 2001 , Anna Katheryn and Jared nearly lost their lives when their vehicle hydroplaned and Jared lost control of the car . The Honda flipped off the road and into a fence post , leaving Jared shaken and Anna Katheryn in a coma for seven days , Karmen recalled . Doctors told the family that Anna Katheryn probably had suffered brain damage and that they should `` be prepared for a different child . '' With support from their church and after multiple surgeries and rehabilitation , AK-47 , as she 's nicknamed , made a full recovery , graduating from high school with honors this year , her mother said . The real-life nightmare provided Karmen with a valuable lesson in faith that she plans to lean on during the coming months . `` What I learned during that time is that if something were to happen to one of my children , God could sustain me and I could go on , '' she said . She turned to look at the kitchen shelf and the hanging trio of ornamental stars -- gifts from an Army family support group . `` I got three because I have three soldiers , and we decided to put them up and keep them up until the boys return , '' Karmen said quietly . `` That will help us when we 're in the kitchen and when they 're not around . We will feel that they 're near us . ''
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It 's unusual : Three brothers serve in same Georgia National Guard company . Another three brothers from Washington state also serve in Afghan war . Two mothers open up about the stress of having three sons in harm 's way . Nevada Army National Guard unit has nine sets of brothers serving in Afghanistan .
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Istanbul , Turkey -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A prominent Iranian human rights lawyer was under European diplomatic protection Friday after Turkish authorities released him from a detention center for illegal immigrants . Mohammad Mostafaei had barely made it to his hotel in Istanbul before diplomatic officials rushed to the scene and announced he was not safe . They swept him away in a car for his safety . `` After six days -LSB- in detention -RSB- , I 'm so tired I just want to go to my hotel and take a shower , '' Mostafaei said to CNN . `` I feel like I 'm still in detention . '' He has had to make difficult , life-altering decisions in recent weeks . The lawyer has been a longtime defender of Iranian juveniles facing the death penalty . More recently , he campaigned to attract international attention to the case of Sakineh Ashtiani , the 43-year-old mother of two who was sentenced to death by stoning after she was convicted of adultery . On July 24 , as activists around the world staged protests against Ashtiani 's death sentence , Mostafaei was taken in by Iranian authorities for hours of interrogation . After they released him , he said , he went into hiding . Around the same time , he said , Iranian security forces detained his wife and brother-in-law . The brother-in-law has been released , but Mostafaei said his wife Fereshteh is still being held in solitary confinement without charge . `` I am extremely worried about my wife and her safety , '' Mostafaei said in an earlier interview with CNN . `` They -LSB- the Iranian authorities -RSB- told me if you do n't turn yourself in , we will not let your family go , '' Mostafaei added . `` I made a decision , after I saw that they were still going to arrest me and mistreat me , that I must leave Iran . It was a very hard decision . '' He added , `` The truth is even when someone talks about Parmida and says her name , it 's really hard for me to talk and I want to cry when that happens . '' Like many other Iranian dissidents , Mostafaei slipped across the border from Iran to the eastern Turkish border town of Van . He blames himself for his detention , which began after he landed at the Istanbul airport from Van . `` It was my mistake . I went to the police officers inside the airport and declared myself as a refugee , '' he said on Friday . According to Turkish law , refugees requesting asylum must go through a registration process with the Turkish government and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees . Normally it can take two years before a refugee is processed and granted asylum in another , typically Western country . But officials at the Turkish foreign ministry told CNN that in Mostafaei 's case , he was likely to be granted asylum in a European country within days . According to the refugee agency 's Ankara office , around 4,100 Iranian citizens currently are registered in Turkey and awaiting asylum in third-party countries . Metin Corabatir , the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees ' representative in Ankara , estimates that `` on a monthly basis there has been an increase of 25 to 50 '' Iranians requesting asylum , compared with before the Iranian government launched a crackdown on opposition activists following a controversial presidential election on June 12 , 2009 . Corabatir said 150 to 200 Iranians now request asylum in Turkey every month . In his conversation on Friday with CNN , Mostafaei expressed concern for the welfare of his imprisoned wife and his daughter , whom he left behind in Iran with her grandmother . He said he also worries about clients like Ashtiani . `` Who else will do my work ? '' he asked . Ashtiani , a mother of two , is reportedly still being held in Tabriz prison . Iran 's judiciary could reinstate her sentence of death by stoning , execute her by other means , or possibly even grant her a reprieve , according to human rights groups . CNN 's Yesim Comert in Istanbul and Mitra Mobasherat in Atlanta contributed to this report .
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European diplomats whisked Mostafaei away shortly after his release . He is `` extremely worried '' about his wife , who is being held in Iran . Mostafaei has fought the Iranian government over the death penalty . He was the attorney for the woman sentenced to be stoned to death .
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New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The recent suicidal violence in Pakistan coincides with a growing concern that President Obama might be tempted by the same folly that drove President Bush and massively increase the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan -- by up to 65,000 if he were to listen to some of his military advisers . This is a deadly mistake that would drag the United States into a quagmire with even more catastrophic consequences than those it has faced in Iraq . The recent comment by White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to CNN that `` the Bush administration failed to ask critical questions about the war in Afghanistan '' would be a key point of departure , but the question remains how critically Obama is willing to ask these questions . The fear that is now principally driving this tendency to escalate the war is that the Taliban and al Qaeda are about to declare victory over yet another superpower , and even expand their theater of operation , as the British army chief General Sir David Richards has suggested , into other parts of the world . This is a phantom fear , from a frightful figment of imagination in which the U.S. and European armies are now strategically invested and that has for almost a decade had a crippling effect on any measure of reason and sanity . There is no better way to combat this fearful fantasy than rethink what we have collectively come to understand by these two elusive terms `` Taliban '' and `` al Qaeda . '' The only way to defeat these deceptive delusions is not to dispatch tens of thousands of innocent lives across the globe and endanger even more tens of thousands of innocent lives in Afghanistan and Pakistan , but to re-examine the terror that these terms have exercised over our mental faculties ever since the traumatic events of 9/11 . What now passes as `` Taliban '' and `` al Qaeda '' fundamentally lack serious popular bases , mass infrastructural support or certainly any coherent ideology . In the history of the militant Islamist ideologies that we have known and examined in detail over the last 200 years , these are conceptual and political aberrations that will wither away almost as soon as they are taken off the radar of U.S. and NATO military operations and , by extension , away from the global limelight . The more you fight these delusions , the more powerful they become -- not as facts on the ground , but as figments of the military 's imagination . Obama would commit perhaps the deadliest mistake and the biggest blunder of his presidency if he were not to listen to the wise counsel of Vice President Biden , who is reportedly against this massive increase of U.S. forces in Afghanistan . In a recent interview with Fareed Zakaria on CNN , President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan sought to dismantle the myth of the Taliban when he said , `` there are thousands of them who are not ideologically our enemies . There are thousands of them who do n't hate us or hate our way of life , who are not enemies to America , who are not enemies to the world , who just want to live in their own country in peace , who are frightened , are intimidated by bad behavior -- from the very beginning -- by some of the people that the coalition employed and by some of the people that the Afghan government had working on security issues . So , we have to bring those elements back to Afghanistan who are not part of al Qaeda , not part of terrorist networks , and who are accepting the Afghan Constitution and who are willing to come back . '' Yet another piece of evidence about the folly of the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan came in the resignation of Matthew Hoh , a Foreign Service officer and former Marine captain who resigned in protest over the Afghan war . `` I believe that the people we are fighting there are fighting us because we are occupying them , '' Hoh told CNN last week . `` Not for any ideological reasons , not because of any links to al Qaeda , not because of any fundamental hatred towards the West . The only reason they 're fighting us is because we 're occupying them . '' The regional consequences of not heeding what Vice President Biden , Rahm Emanuel , Hamid Karzai and Matthew Hoh are saying , implicitly or explicitly , will be even more catastrophic . Because of the fundamental flaws of the Obama administration 's Afghan strategies so far , exacerbated by the incompetence of the Pakistani political and military apparatus , there is already a massive humanitarian crisis in the North-West Frontier Province . Any further increase of the U.S. military force in Afghanistan will Talibanize these border areas even further , and with them potentially the rest of the country . The Taliban has never been a unified or a monolithic entity , although for a short period in 2001 , it had tenuous control of Afghanistan , and even less so has this thing called `` al Qaeda . '' At its essence , what is called `` Taliban '' in Afghanistan is nothing more that a Pashtun tribal push for power , and as such it must be distinguished from what is called `` Taliban '' in the Federally Administered Tribal Area of Pakistan , which in turn must be separated from the Tehreek-e Nafaz-e Shariat-e Mohammadi in Swat , and all of those from the band of militant adventurists gathered around Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri , self-delusional to the point of calling themselves `` al Qaeda '' -LRB- `` The Base '' -RRB- . The atrocities of 9/11 were the work of a criminal band of militant adventurers , on par with the network of support that someone like Timothy McVeigh could muster , and certainly not on a scale that could warrant the cross-continental mobilization of a superpower and its allies . The time for conventional military operations , as the Israelis ought to have learned from Hamas and Hezbollah , is long since over . You can not fight and will not win a conventional war halfway around the globe against an amorphous enemy you can scarce clearly identify -- let alone pinpoint and attack , or target and eliminate . The U.S. Army and its allies are fighting a phantom war in Afghanistan , with massive civilian casualties and increasingly ineffective combat strategies . Obama should not yield to the pressure of the British and the hawks in Washington , D.C. , and increase the size of the U.S. military . He and his civilian advisers are very wise to take time to examine this critical condition and not fall into the same trap that Bush did . Instead of increasing the size of the U.S. Army in Afghanistan , there must be a phasing out of the 100,000-plus U.S. and NATO forces that are already in Afghanistan and a corresponding phasing in of massive economic aid to rebuild a country the U.S. and its European allies -LRB- the British in particular -RRB- , and before them the Soviets , are chiefly responsible for ruining . The Taliban and al Qaeda will dissipate like a shadowy shade of a nightmare when the might of the U.S. military stops actually creating what it wants to destroy , and once the limelight of world media is no longer cast upon the Afghan mountains . The Nobel Peace Prize to Obama could not have been timelier as a way to remind him why he was elected to the White House in the first place . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Hamid Dabashi .
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It would be fatal mistake to boost troop levels in Afghanistan , Hamid Dabashi says . He says the more you fight the Taliban , the more formidable they appear . He says that in reality , the Taliban is an amorphous entity that will melt away . Dabashi says U.S. should invest in development of Afghanistan , not troops .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- China 's space program has really taken off in the last six years . In 2003 Yang Liwei became a national hero when he became the first Chinese man in space , followed five years later by Zhai Zhigang who became the first `` taikonaut '' to make a spacewalk . `` The moment I stepped out of the hatch and entered space , the sensation of completely becoming one with space was a feeling I had never felt before on Earth , '' Zhai told CNN . `` I deliberately looked into outer space , looking past my toes and deep into outer space . The differing brightness and distances of the celestial bodies really brought out the deepness of outer space . The vast , boundless expanse of outer space stirred my soul . '' From out of this world moments to their place in Chinese history , these two pioneering spacemen tell CNN 's John Vause about their missions , how they had prepared for the worst should things go wrong and if China and other nations with the moon in their sights are creating a new international space race . `` The moment I stepped out of the hatch and entered space , the sensation of completely becoming one with space was a feeling I had never felt before on Earth , '' Zhai told CNN . `` I deliberately looked into outer space , looking past my toes and deep into outer space . The differing brightness and distances of the celestial bodies really brought out the deepness of outer space . The vast , boundless expanse of outer space stirred my soul . '' From out of this world moments to their place in Chinese history , these two pioneering spacemen tell CNN 's John Vause about their missions , how they had prepared for the worst should things go wrong and if China and other nations with the moon in their sights are creating a new international space race .
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Chinese `` taikonauts '' Yang Liwei and Zhai Zhigang talk to CNN . First Chinese man in space and first Chinese to conduct a spacewalk , respectively . Talk about their historic moments to international space race .
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[[206, 218], [223, 277]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He 's gone from being a backup dancer to the biggest thing in Asian pop culture , an actor and singer who has sold millions of albums . K-pop sensation and actor Rain faced your questions . The 27-year-old South Korean has even faced down U.S. comedian Steven Colbert in a spoof dance-off . The comedy skit came about after Rain placed higher than him in Time Magazine 's 2008 online poll of the 100 Most Influential People . As well as a sense of humor and dance moves that shook Colbert out of his satirical posture to praise , Rain is also known as one of the hardest working men in the entertainment business . Rain , real name Jung Ji-hoon , broke into the notoriously tough world of South Korean show business with JYP Entertainment when he was just 18-years-old . He made his first mark in Hollywood last year with a role in `` Speed Racer '' appearing alongside Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox . As a singer with five albums to his name , he 's faced thousands of screaming fans at concerts across the world , and recently he faced your questions . Watch the show and find out what makes Rain tick .
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Korean pop culture sensation will be on Talk Asia later this month . 27-year-old has gone from backup dancer to appearing in Hollywood films . Rain will be appearing with answers to your questions .
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[[155, 208]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- He may not be hitting the fairways with the same bite as he did in his 1980s heyday , but the man sports commentators nicknamed `` The Great White Shark '' still has plenty of appetite for the game . Plenty of bite : Norman is one of golf 's most successful and recognizable stars . Earlier this month Greg Norman appeared in the British Open , 23 years after his debut major win . Yet while he 's still driving for success on the course , off it he 's taken his life in a different direction . Under his Great White Shark Enterprises company he has numerous business ventures from property , golf course design and turfing to restaurants , wine and even Australian beef . `` There are very , very few athletes that do that on a global basis and to do it takes a lot of energy . You have to be on the ball , you have to be because you are the brand , you are that person walking around , '' he told CNN . Unlike many sports people thinking about their life after sport , he made the conscious decision that he did n't want to end up in a commentary box after his days on the links . `` I think it just grew out of reality , being very much realistic in my 40s . I knew I did n't want to play golf for the rest of my life professionally . I knew physically I could n't do it as number 1 , so I had to think to the future . I wanted to know where I was going to be when I was 60 , '' he said . Now 54 , Norman took up golf at the age of 15 . During his career he spent 331 weeks as the game 's number 1-ranked player . Having hit the heights with two British Open titles and a total of 20 U.S. PGA wins , he also suffered his share of disappointments , losing leads and never clinching a U.S. Masters or U.S. Open . `` With golf , you 're going to have your ups and downs . You 're going to win some , you 're going to lose some , '' he said . And it 's a reflectively mentality he 's taken with him into the business world . `` You have to learn by your mistakes , and in business I 've made mistakes . You learn by it , and you build on those mistakes . ... By learning how to build a brand , I had to learn about business . So . ... all that tied into one , and I enjoy the process . I enjoy the idea of being the brand , living the brand . '' Away from being the brand , a high-profile wedding in June 2008 to retired American tennis champion Chris Evert -LRB- after both had ended long term marriages -RRB- provided headlines away from the back pages . For Norman , Evert has given his life , and even his golfing game , new impetus . `` She 's been a great support and a role model in a lot of ways ... She brings a lot of peace and calm and happiness around in my life , so it makes it easy for me to go out there and enjoy the things I love to do , '' he said . One of which is expanding his brand into new and challenging territories , including bringing more opportunities to China 's growing number of golfers . `` Golf is a great outlet in many ways , you know . It 's got a lot of emotional qualities about it , and the Chinese are very , very strong in their mind . They 're very , very strong in their belief in doing something . And I think golf completely suits their mentality and style and their physical abilities , '' he said .
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Australian golfer spent 331 weeks as world number 1 ; won two British Open titles . His business ventures include golf course design and restaurants . Married to retired American tennis star Chris Evert . Looking to China to expand his Great White Shark brand businesses .
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[[1459, 1535], [1536, 1587], [514, 691], [2292, 2428]]
|
Mumbai , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- To say Gregory David Roberts has witnessed much in his life would be an understatement . The 57-year-old native Australian was sentenced in the late 1970s for a series of armed robberies . He escaped prison and found his way to Mumbai , India , where he lived for 10 years forging a new life , including work as a doctor in the city 's slums . Roberts ' other career highlights ? He joined the mafia in Mumbai , fought against Soviet forces in Afghanistan and married a princess . CNN 's Anjali Rao spoke with Roberts in Mumbai , the setting and inspiration for `` Shantaram , '' the novel loosely based on his life . Watch Roberts talk about his life in the slum . A brief excerpt from the interview : . CNN : Is it kind of strange that you used to live here , and you were down to your last pennies I guess , and now when you come back here it 's with CNN , or Madonna and Guy Richie . Is it kind of strange the way that your life has just taken that change , that turn ? Roberts : No , I know this sounds strange , but I think it was to be expected . I had a dramatic change that occurred in my life 19 years ago . I changed the orientation of my life , took control of my life . I think that if you do that , and you stay true to it , and you stay true to a set of principles -- of being fair , honest , positive , and creative in what you do ; of pledging not to harm others , and to minimize any amount of harm that you do to other people or to the world around you ; you do n't take drugs , you do n't poison your mind , you do n't take alcohol ; you focus on what you 're doing , keep your discipline -- then I think it 's natural that positive outcomes will occur . There 's a sense in which it 's a natural progression , from taking control of your life and saying , `` I 'm going to make my destiny happen . I 'm not going to allow destiny to control me , I 'm going to control my destiny . '' I think that we can expect it to happen in those ways , so it 's not really a surprise . The thing is , it 's not surprising that I 've come to know these people ; the surprising thing for me is that they are almost universally nice people . I have n't met anyone at that level -- whether it 's Richard Branson , or Johnny Depp , or Madonna , to name a couple -- who are not very , very nice people , and deeply concerned about the world they live in , and trying to make a difference . And that 's the thing that 's to me very surprising , I mean and it 's a good surprise .
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Author of `` Shantaram '' , the global best-seller based on his own experiences . The Australian worked in slums of Mumbai and came into contact criminal elements . Eventful life has included jail term for armed robbery and fighting in Afghanistan .
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[[34, 122], [123, 222], [414, 416], [446, 489]]
|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A French tourist is recovering after falling 75 feet into the Grand Canyon , hospital officials said Saturday . Witnesses reported that the 18-year-old was taking photographs when he slipped and fell over the edge , the National Park Service said in a statement . He was in good condition at Flagstaff Medical Center early Saturday morning , spokeswoman Carrie Heinonen said . He was being treated for neck , wrist and ankle injuries , the park service said . Authorities said the man fell Thursday afternoon about a quarter mile east of Mather Point on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park . Park rangers rappelled into the canyon to assess the teen 's injuries before a park helicopter airlifted him out .
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Witnesses say the teen was taking photographs when he fell . A hospital official says he is in good condition . The National Park Service says he suffered neck , wrist and ankle injuries .
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[[131, 232], [283, 358], [396, 452]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jason Moran is a jazz musician who has one foot in the past , one in the future and a career grounded in the present . From the past , Moran has built on the tradition of Thelonious Monk and other jazz greats . For the future , Moran looks to a new crop of musicians , teaching the next group of performers . In the present , there is his new album , `` TEN . '' Moran shares where he has been and why `` knowing when to ` shut up ' is extremely important . '' Who are you ? How do you define yourself ? I am Jason Moran , son of Mary and Andrew Moran , brother of Yuri and Tai Moran , husband of Alicia Hall Moran , father of Jonas and Malcolm Moran . I define myself as an American jazz pianist , father and teacher . Music is my livelihood and art is my life . My fatherhood is contribution to the earth , and my music is my contribution to the function of humans . What is something that everyone should know about you ? I 'm a jazz pianist that makes a living by composing/teaching/performing music . I compose music for my band , for film and in collaboration with artists of all genres . From Simon Schama to Kara Walker . I am currently on faculty at the New England Conservatory . I 've been teaching since 1998 . I was a student to a lot of great teachers , and now I enjoy sharing my experience with the younger musicians coming up the jazz ladder . I perform about 130 concerts per year around the world . Music is my life . What prepared you for where you are now ? The village that raised me in Houston , Texas , prepared me for where I am now . The village is my aunts , uncles , cousins , grandparents , brothers . ... The values I learned as a young boy in Houston are what have been integral to my success . Southern hospitality is a serious characteristic . Knowing when to `` shut up '' is extremely important . Knowing how to show respect to older people/musicians is a major factor as well . I work with people from 20 to 80 , and each musician is different . Having older musicians tell me early on , sometimes very bluntly , what they liked or did n't like in my playing also helped . There is a jazz village that raises its young jazz musician -LSB- s -RSB- . The jazz village has helped my career tremendously , and prepared me for the climate today as a contemporary musician . What is the biggest obstacle you 've ever had to overcome ? How did you get there ? Deciding to be a jazz musician was the largest obstacle , because I did not understand how to make a living as one . I figured it out once I began working and touring . I got there by studying vigorously , and asking questions of myself and my peers . I studied and conceptualized ideas so much that when the big opportunity arose , performing with then-Blue Note artist Greg Osby , I took the music by the reins and began to run wild with it . What would you tell your younger self about who you are now ? How would you advise your younger self about how to get to where you are now ? I would n't tell my younger self anything . All of the good and bad things that happened to me on my journey all inform me of how to live as a contemporary artist/musician . And I can not complain about where I am . What are your guilty pleasures ? My guilty pleasure is buying contemporary art . An expensive habit I usually can not afford . What do you believe in ? I believe that music can heal .
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Jason Moran performs jazz all over the world and also teaches music to the next generation . He says in the jazz world , a `` village '' helps the younger generation by providing guidance from the older generation .
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[[247, 252], [288, 327], [944, 1024], [2128, 2187]]
|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Italian veteran Alessandro Petacchi won his second stage of the 2010 Tour de France on Wednesday as cycling 's premier event returned to less testing terrain after two days of crash-marred racing . Petacchi triumphed in the fourth leg from Cambrai to Reims as last year 's top sprinters Thor Hushovd and Mark Cavendish could manage only ninth and 12th respectively . Fabian Cancellara retained the leader 's yellow jersey as he came home 26th in the 163-strong peloton in the same time as last year 's winner Alberto Contador -LRB- 32nd -RRB- and seven-time champion Lance Armstrong -LRB- 36th -RRB- . British rider Cavendish , who won six stages last year , had a better day after struggling in the wet and on the cobble stones of previous runs but will be disappointed after being forced out of contention at the final sprint . Petacchi timed his dash to perfection as he followed up his win in the first stage into the Belgian capital of Brussels , where several crashes dented the hopes of Cavendish among others . The Lampre team rider came home in three hours 34 minute and 55 seconds to edge out New Zealander Julian Dean and Norway 's Edvald Hagen Boasson , with Australian Robbie McEwen fourth and South Africa 's Robert Hunter fifth . Saxo Bank 's Cancellara retained a 23-second lead over Team Sky 's Geraint Thomas , who was 19th , while third-placed Australian Cadel Evans remained a further 16 seconds back after ending in 16th . Hushovd retained the sprinters ' green points jersey that he won overall last year and in 2005 , but had his margin trimmed to 10 points by Petacchi and acknowledged the threat posed by the 36-year-old -- back at the Tour for the first time since 2004 . `` I do n't know what happened at the finish today , I just had nothing in the legs when I started to sprint . I just felt tired and I could n't go in the last couple of hundred meters , '' Hushovd told the Tour de France website . `` Yesterday and the day before I went really deep and I think I 'm paying for it now . I still have a lead in the green jersey competition but you saw today that I lost a lot of points to Petacchi and McEwen . It was a fast and nervous sprint today and in the last corner I was too far back . `` I think I spent too much energy to fight with Cavendish and , when Petacchi went on the left , I just could n't sprint . Petacchi is a threat to the green jersey . He seems really strong now and , if he wants to , he come make it all the way to Paris . `` I 'm surprised by how well Alessandro is going . I know he 's a good , strong rider but to come back to the Tour de France like he has is impressive . '' Swiss rider Cancellara was happy to have an uneventful day after losing teammate Frank Schleck on Tuesday . `` My team was happy and I think many other teams were pleased . We needed something like this after tough , hard , nervous , and stressful opening stages , '' he said . `` We 've spent a lot of energy and we need to recover a bit because soon we 'll get to the Alps , and that 's when another sort of music will play . ''
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Alessandro Petacchi claims victory on stage four of the Tour de France in sprint finish . The 36-year-old Italian closes on points leader after second stage win of 2010 . He heads off New Zealander Julian Dean as sprint rival Mark Cavendish ends in 12th . Fabian Cancellara retains overall leader 's jersey as he finishes in the 163-strong peloton .
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-LRB- Parenting.com -RRB- -- One Mother 's Day , I bought my wife what she had wanted for years -- a weeping cherry tree -- and I threw in a bird bath , so that when the tree matures , our feathered friends can happily splash and drink under its loving protection . Oh boy ! Another tie or pair of funny boxer shorts for Dad ! For Father 's Day , my wife gave me some boxer shorts and a tiny reading light , so I can flip through a book in bed without disturbing her . My wife is the first to admit it : For her , and for many people , Father 's Day is an afterthought , a holiday just a few steps above the one that celebrates the groundhog and that other one that promotes trees . If Mom 's Day and Dad 's Day were in a prize fight , we all know which holiday would wind up lying in the corner of the ring , knocked-out teeth on the mat , dazed head stuck in a bucket . I 've been thinking about how our society recognizes parents because Father 's Day is upon us again , but also because , a while ago , my worst nightmare happened : My wife had to have surgery . I was an emotional wreck . For a while , it was truly touch and go . Life hung in the balance , and everything near and dear to me seemed in doubt . Why ? Because while Susan recovered from her toe surgery , I had to take care of the kids . Parenting.com : Work/family balance harder for men ? Sure , for a couple workdays I was able to call in reinforcements -LRB- my mom and mother-in-law -RRB- , but an entire weekend lay ahead in which I was to be the prime caregiver to Lorelei , who was just hitting 6 months , and Isabelle , our 3-year-old . Meanwhile , my wife was upstairs in our bed , on painkillers and armed with her cell phone so that I was always just a speed dial away from doing her bidding . This would be a weekend in which I could n't do only the fun stuff -- like playing blocks and watching cartoons -- with the girls . I was obviously going to have to feed both of them -LRB- three times a day ! -RRB- , and I would have to tackle Herculean tasks like giving baths , changing all of the diapers , putting them both to bed , and even giving medicine to Lorelei , who had an ear infection . Over the decades , standards for fathers have risen . If this were 1897 or even 1974 , I could have coasted through the weekend , serving potato chips and cold cereal to Isabelle , and I would have brought the girls to my wife 's bed for her to do the changing of the diapers . I could have skipped the baths . I could have ignored the dishes in the sink and the cat litter without a barrage of criticism . As long as I managed to avoid the house catching on fire , and the girls did n't come down with malaria , at the end of the weekend , my family and friends would have laughed heartily at my mishaps , like they used to do in the last couple seconds of those 1970s and 1980s one-hour dramas -LRB- you know , after somebody made a joke and the shot went into freeze frame -RRB- . Then my family and friends would have declared that I had done my best , and nobody would have cared that the bar had been set so low that a chipmunk could have done as well . Parenting.com : His way can be better than yours . But today 's dads are different . We not only love our children , we 're acutely aware that we have a responsibility to be the best parents we can be . When it counts , I think most fathers really give it their all -- which explains why the Saturday night of my Mr. Mom weekend , instead of ordering pizza , I served Isabelle a chicken casserole with pineapple as a side dish . Do n't applaud -- the fruit came from a can , and the rest from a box with four steps . iReport.com : Share your best bonding moment with Dad . Still , I have to admit , I felt proud as the weekend wore on . I grew more confident in my parenting skills and even gave both girls a bath -- at the same time -- not once , but two nights in a row ! Just as I was ready to nominate myself for a Nobel Peace Prize , an Oscar , a Grammy -- surely I deserved some award -- I had an epiphany that brought me back down a few pegs . Parenting.com : Mommy skills that 'll work on husbands . I was fixing a French dish I like to call poisson et pommes frites -LRB- um , fish sticks and fries -RRB- , when I caught Anderson Cooper on CNN . He was in Baghdad , surrounded by American soldiers , saying he was exhausted and scared . Yet he warned the audience not to be too impressed with him . In a few days , he would fly home . The soldiers would remain at their posts . Now , I 'm not comparing our girls to Iraqi insurgents , but I do appreciate more than ever that mothers are usually the soldiers in the parenting battlefield . Even full-time working moms do more child-rearing than us dads , studies have repeatedly found . Fathers tend to play the part of the dashing news reporter , swooping into parenting duties just long enough to get our hands dirty . My wife deserves her weeping cherry tree . And like most moms , she is worthy of much more . Yet I think we dads merit at least a little more than boxer shorts , soap-on-a-rope , and neckties . We do n't get the good stuff because we 're paying for the sins of our fathers , and our fathers ' fathers . But these days , dads are changing diapers , warming bottles , and taking our kids to the park . We may not be where you want us yet , but we 've evolved , and we 're involved . Just as much as the moms , we appreciate the cards , the praise , and being treated special on our day . So if any of you mothers now feel guilty enough to spring for a slightly nicer Father 's Day gift -- say , a plasma TV with a 50-inch screen -- make sure it also has built-in speakers with surround-sound . Try a FREE TRIAL issue of Parenting Magazine - CLICK HERE ! Copyright 2009 The Parenting Group . All rights reserved . Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited .
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Writer believes Father 's Day is not as respected as Mother 's Day . Says : We 're paying for the sins of our fathers , and our fathers ' fathers . We deserve more than boxer shorts , soap-on-a-rope , and neckties . Plasma TV with 50-inch screen , built-in surround-sound speakers would be nice .
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|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nokia Siemens Networks said Friday it rejects a lawsuit filed in a U.S. court by a jailed Iranian journalist and his son , who have accused the European telecommunications company of providing the Iranian government the tools to spy on its own citizens . `` The Saharkhiz lawsuit is brought in the wrong place , against the wrong party and on the wrong premise , '' the company announced in a statement e-mailed to CNN . `` The Saharkhizes allege brutal treatment by the government in Iran , but they have not sued that government . Instead , they are seeking to blame Nokia Siemens Networks for the acts of the Iranian authorities by filing a lawsuit in the U.S. , a country that has absolutely no connection to the issue they are raising . '' Earlier this week , New Jersey-based Iranian blogger Mehdi Saharkhiz filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against Nokia Siemens Networks on behalf of his father , Isa , who has been in an Iranian prison since July 2009 . The lawsuit accuses the telecommunications company of helping the Iranian government establish `` spying centers '' that allegedly were used to monitor Saharkhiz 's cell phone communications . Isa Saharkhiz is just one of hundreds of outspoken critics of the Iranian government to have been arrested as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on opposition leaders over the past year . `` Nokia gave the technology that made this arrest possible , '' said Mehdi Saharkhiz , in an interview with CNN . `` When these people arrested my dad they said , ` We traced your phone . ' '' This is not the first time the joint venture between Nokia and Siemens has come under fire from activists critical of the company 's dealings with the Iranian government . Nobel Peace Prize-winning Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi previously accused Nokia Siemens Network of supplying the technology to allow the government to monitor cell phone calls and text messages . There have also been reports of boycotts of Nokia products inside Iran . Last June , a top executive from Nokia Siemens defended his company 's decision to supply a telephone `` monitoring center '' to Iran in 2008 during an appearance before the European Parliament 's Subcommittee on Human Rights . Barry French , a member of Nokia Siemens ' executive board , argued that law enforcement agencies around the world require `` Lawful Interception '' capability from mobile phone operators `` as a condition of their license to operate . '' French said the technology is necessary to combat child pornography , drug trafficking and terrorism . However , he acknowledged that his company miscalculated when it came to providing monitoring centers to Iran . `` We halted all work related to monitoring centers in Iran in 2009 , including service and support , '' French said , according to a statement distributed by his company 's press office . `` We believe we should have understood the issues in Iran better in advance and addressed them more proactively . '' Nokia Siemens says it sold off its monitoring center business in March 2009 . One prominent Iranian human rights group has applauded the Saharkhiz lawsuit against Nokia Siemens . `` We have to make sure international corporations are not enablers of the Iranian governments ' human rights crimes , '' said Hadi Ghaemi of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran . `` Even if Nokia Siemens manages to escape a judgment in this case , the message to other corporations will be loud and clear to stay away from such business deals . '' As for Isa Saharkhiz , he appeared in a Tehran court last month to face charges of `` plotting to overthrow the government . '' After a year in prison , during which Saharkhiz claims he was beaten by his captors , the journalist 's health has declined considerably . His son says he can move only with the help of a wheelchair due to back problems . More recently , Mehdi Saharkhiz says , his father 's blood pressure has soared to dangerous levels . More then a month after his trial , Saharkhiz is still in prison awaiting a verdict .
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Iranian accuses the telecom company of helping the Iran government spy . Nokia Siemens says the suit is filed against the wrong party , on the wrong premise . Company says it halted all work related to monitoring centers in Iran in 2009 .
|
[[128, 141], [146, 234], [988, 1072], [0, 15], [19, 139], [274, 328], [2699, 2795]]
|
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former pro basketball star Jayson Williams was sentenced to an additional year in prison Friday after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated , according to the Manhattan district attorney 's office . Williams had a blood-alcohol level of more than twice the legal limit when he crashed his Mercedes into a tree in lower Manhattan in January -- just a week before he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for accidentally shooting and killing a limousine driver in New Jersey , the district attorney 's office told CNN . The year will be added on to the current five-year prison sentence the former NBA player is serving in state prison in New Jersey . He also was also slapped with a $ 16,433 fine to repair the tree he hit . Williams had been sentenced to five years in prison after fatally shooting his limo driver , Costas `` Gus '' Christofi , in February 2002 at his New Jersey estate . Christofi had been hired to drive the former athlete and several of his friends to dinner after a sporting event in Pennsylvania . The group , including four members of the Harlem Globetrotters , later went back to Williams ' home . The prosecution argued that Williams was recklessly handling a 12-gauge shotgun when it discharged and that he and two others tried to make it look as if Christofi had shot himself . Williams , who retired from the NBA in 1999 because of a leg injury , played nine seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets .
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Jayson Williams is sentenced for driving while intoxicated . He already was sentenced to five years in fatal accidental shooting in 2002 . Williams played nine seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1999 .
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[[785, 868], [1367, 1375], [1382, 1434], [1367, 1375], [1437, 1510]]
|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An inmate serving time for assaulting a police officer escaped from an Oklahoma prison Monday , a corrections official said . Mark Dwayne Smith , 28 , was last seen at the Jackie Brannon Correction Center in McAlester at 5:30 a.m. Monday , but was discovered missing an hour later during a routine inmate count , state Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie told CNN . Smith had been at the prison since April 2009 , serving sentences for assault and battery on a police officer and auto theft , according to Massie . CNN 's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report .
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Mark Dwayne Smith , 28 , was last seen early Monday . He was serving time for assaulting a police officer .
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[[19, 73], [0, 5], [42, 73]]
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