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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Since the early days of pop music , the music industry has been searching for the secret formula to writing a successful song -- for that special alchemy that separates a Grammy-winner from a dud . For a period in the 1970s and 80s , the self-styled King of Pop Michael Jackson seemed to have stumbled upon it , but somewhere along the line he , too , seems to have misplaced it . Hit Song Science claims to be able to predict whether a song will be a pop hit . But now a piece of software claims it can compute whether a song has chart-topping potential , and a number of record companies and musicians are using Hit Song Science -LRB- HSS -RRB- to gauge whether they have a hit on their hands . The software , developed by Barcelona-based Music Intelligence Solutions , works by breaking down more than 60 elements of a song , including melody , harmony , tempo , pitch , octave , beat , rhythm , fullness of sound , noise , brilliance and chord progression , and compares it against a database of over 3.5 million past commercial hits . The program organizes songs into clusters with similar-sounding equivalents and then rates the song on a scale of one to ten , with a score of 7.3 being deemed likely to do well in the music charts . Curiously , clusters of songs do not necessarily contain songs that sound the same to the human ear , but from a mathematical perspective they share similarities . HSS analyzed music from Norah Jones ' first album before she broke through and the program 's algorithms placed her in a cluster with Linkin Park , Aerosmith and JayZ . If you have ever wondered why you sometimes find yourself humming along to some smooth jazz on the radio when you consider yourself a strict thrash metal fan only , then perhaps HSS has discovered the scientific answer . Besides Norah Jones , the program also predicted success for Mika , while `` Turn Your Car Around , '' a song penned by Ben Novak , a singer-songwriter from New Zealand , was rated as a potential hit by HSS , who recommended it to Sony Music in the UK . It eventually ended up as a vehicle for ex-Blue band member Lee Ryan and scored a respectable UK chart position of 16 in 2005 . Record producer Carlos Quintero , director of Orixe and Jamm Records in Spain , believes that the software has a high accuracy rate . `` I was very skeptical when I was told about it for the first time , '' he says . `` I thought it was science fiction . `` But when we choose a tune for an artist and we like it and feel it will be a hit , the surprise is that 85 percent of the time the tracks we have chosen get a positive analysis from the software . '' The emergence of hit prediction programs such as this -- New York-based Platinum Blue Music Intelligence provides a similar service -- raises concerns that the creative element of writing music would be eroded by breaking it down into mathematical algorithms . But Quintero claims the program in no way writes a song , it simply tells you whether it has the potential to be a hit . He says he mainly uses the software to tweak and refine songs so that he can maximize his chances of scoring a high chart position . `` There was a particular case where we had to revise the song as at first it was n't completely right . Using the software , we managed to make it work , '' he explains . `` The problem with the software is that it can only indicate whether a song is suitable or not . It 's up to the producer , the technical team and the artist to make it suitable in the first place . '' Quintero has since become a member of Music Intelligence Solutions ' advisory board , so he is bound to have a positive take on the service . Jimena Llosa , General Manager EMEA of Music Intelligence Solutions , claims the company has thirty to forty clients in the record industry in Europe and the U.S. , but she says she can not reveal who they are , citing privacy issues . CNN attempted to contact several record companies in London , but A&R departments claimed they had not heard of the service , suggesting either a certain coyness to admit using it or that it is not as widely used as Music Intelligence claims . The software can also be used as a way of recommending new music to audiences . In Spain , cellular phone company Orange is using the technology in its New Talents enterprise . Listeners can enter in their favorite songs and the program will suggest songs they might enjoy according to its cluster system . Óscar Sainz is one musician who has profited from this new way of connecting musicians with an audience . A national tennis monitor by profession , he struggled to make an impact in the music industry despite the best efforts of Pablo Pinilla , one of Spain 's most successful music producers . But since the Orange initiative his career has taken off and he is now selling well through Orange and touring the country . `` A machine or at least mathematical or scientific formulas that could analyze the parameters that a song needs to be a hit ? The truth is I doubted it at first , '' he says . `` My first instinct was it must be a con . `` Do n't ask me what parameters they use , or formulas , or machines they use , because I do n't know . But it works . '' But the software has its skeptics . Jim Elliot , writer and producer of Kylie Minogue 's new single `` 2 Hearts '' is unconvinced about the accuracy of the program . He entered tracks from her new Album `` X '' and they were , unsurprisingly , rated as potential hits . But he also entered a little-known , unreleased , song by 70s band Gong that included cows mooing , and it was also rated as a potential chart-topper . He thinks that the program negates the unpredictability of human behavior . `` The fact is that it 's the human errors introduced in the music-making process that are always the most interesting , '' he says . `` Who would have thought Lily Allen would do so well ? I doubt anyone would have predicted that . `` It 's so hard to categorize music . There 's a real danger of doing that . If you are writing and producing music you can try to fit it to certain formulas but it 's so abstract that it has to be free -- and then something good will happen . '' With just one fifth of their musicians making a profit for today 's record companies , executives are always searching for new ways to narrow the risk margin . Hit Song Science may become a useful string in their bow in the elusive art of predicting a hit . Otherwise they will have to keep relying on tried and tested -- and more human -- methods , such as gut instinct . E-mail to a friend .
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Barcelona company claims its software can tell if a song will be a pop hit . Hit Song Science analyzes song 's melody , harmony , tempo , beat . Software can not write hits , just predict whether they will find success . Company says A&R departments are using it to tweak tracks for the top .
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Consumers today have more power than ever before . The large and diverse selection of media available on newsstands means that customers know what they should be getting , and if they are n't satisfied with the service there 's a host of Web sites and forums on which they can let everyone know . Marriott 's TownePlace suite . In response , organizations are seeking ever more innovative ways of understanding their customers ' needs , and are even turning to anthropologists and sociologists to help them . `` Whereas before a lot of services were designed from the inside out , now , because consumers are so much more empowered , they are having to think about designing from the outside in , '' says Fran Samalionis , global practice leader for service design and innovation at IDEO . `` They have to think much more about the customer experience and then figure out how to make sense of that for the business . '' IDEO , a global design firm , is already well-known for designing the first mouse , for Apple , and the first notebook computer , for GriD , but the company is also causing a stir with its innovative approach to design conception , where the wishes and observations of the consumer hold powerful sway . While it employs what one would call `` conventional '' designers , IDEO also uses what it terms a `` human factor '' team -- people trained in anthropology , sociology and political sciences -- who shadow consumers , observe their everyday habits and relationship with a product , and even give them cameras to record photo journals , in a bid to understand what is really needed for a product to push through the barrier and provide true satisfaction for its customer base . A case in point is Marriott 's TownePlace Suites . The hotel chain approached IDEO for ideas about how to launch an extended-stay brand . IDEO followed guests and employees around , monitoring their habits and probing them with questions about every aspect of their experience at Marriott 's hotels . Their conversations taught them that extended-stay guests were mainly on the road because of work commitments ; they were away from home through necessity rather than choice and therefore wanted an experience from a hotel that was closer to what they were accustomed to at home -- a `` home from home . '' IDEO recommended that Marriott install a `` map wall '' in the lobby , with recommendations from fellow guests , such as where to find the best coffee shop or restaurant and where to go jogging in the local area . But they also found that while guests were looking for familiar home comforts , they were also there to work . With that in mind , they drew up prototypes for guest rooms that more closely resemble live/work areas , with an office incorporated into the layout of the bedroom . Market research is not a new concept . Organizations have been bringing their potential customers together for decades to understand what they want from their services . But Samalionis argues that it is by sending its cohorts into the field to observe customers in their natural environments that IDEO gains the real insights and results . She says that while some customers might struggle to articulate their needs -- or even fully comprehend what they are looking for in the first place -- simply by looking at their daily routines IDEO 's researchers can gain significant understanding of what can be done to improve customers ' relationships with a particular product or service . Such was the case when IDEO worked with Bank of America to develop a new credit card . The card was targeted at young mothers and IDEO 's observation team set about following a selection of moms around as they went about their daily business : taking their children to school , shopping , even balancing their checkbooks . They discovered that many people round up their transactions to the nearest whole number for speed and convenience . At the same time , many of the moms were struggling with the discipline of saving , even though they wanted to . The solution IDEO came up with was to introduce a credit card , `` Keep The Change , '' which would instantly transfer the amount customers would usually round up into a separate savings account . Samalionis argues that this is an excellent example of where in-field research ultimately inspired an idea that could be transposed to a real-world scheme . `` Just by being able to be with them , empathize with them and observe them you get to see the stuff they ca n't tell you , '' she explains . `` We saw all these habits about putting pennies in jars and rounding things up in checkbooks . If you had asked somebody , they would say they just wanted to save money . '' All this could be interpreted as just a glossy way of rehashing a construct that has already existed within marketing and design for years -- the market research questionnaire . But Samalionis argues that the human-centered approach is just one cog in their approach to problem-solving ; trained designers , engineers , business heads and the client must also have their input . `` It 's not enough going out into the world and coming up with a point of view about that world , '' she says . `` You need to make those insights actionable . Really , the magic dust in the process is in synthesizing all those perspectives into something that can help you generate amazing ideas . '' Ultimately , the effectiveness of an approach can be best measured by its financial returns . Bank of America 's `` Keep The Change '' credit card scheme generated 2.5 million new , and presumably happy , customers . This willingness by designers to open themselves up to public consultation is becoming increasingly popular . In England , Bath 's Theatre Royal took opinions into consideration from a panel of local schoolchildren when designing their new children 's theatre , The Egg . A panel of nine - to eighteen-year-olds even had a say in the choice of architect and the menu for the cafe . Innovations derived from the consultation include knee-high glass panels on the doors so that smaller theater-goers can see where they are going and a sound-proofed room so that parents with crying babies can sit and watch the show without disturbing the rest of the audience . In Italy , car maker Fiat opened itself up for suggestions from the public during the design of its relaunched Fiat 500 . Under the project title `` 500 Wants You , '' the hitherto inward-looking manufacturer invited ordinary people to submit ideas for designs on its Web site . IDEO , and other design firms like it , are changing the way large organizations interact with their customers . They are learning about new ways to keep consumers satisfied , and boosting their bank balances in the process . But in the end it 's the consumer who is profiting the most from this new approach .
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Designers now put the consumer , not function , at the heart of new products . Global firm IDEO studies customer behavior to influence designs . Hotel chain Marriott devised `` home-from-home '' suites for extended-stay guests . `` Keep The Change '' credit card rounds up transactions , puts the pennies in savings .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- `` Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you did n't do than by the ones you did do . So throw off the bowlines . Sail away from the safe harbor . Catch the trade winds in your sails . Explore . Dream . Discover . '' -- Mark Twain . Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner , whose expeditions have inspired others to seek adventure . Adventure comes to those who seek it . Some are born with an adventurous streak , an insatiable curiosity that can only be quelled through discovery , while others seek out adventures as a means of conquering the demons within : fear , boredom , stagnation , a sort of dry rot of the soul . We see adventurous people as being somehow different from ourselves : stronger , braver , tougher , fitter . They are versions of our best selves : the doers in life , the fearless , those who go over the mountain and come back to tell us what 's on the other side . While we may think the true adventurers are a species apart , we are all adventurers at heart -- yet sometimes the urge is stifled by modern life . The lust for adventure is planted in childhood . How many of us sat enthralled under the blankets as our parents read us the adventures of the Famous Five , `` Treasure Island , '' `` Where the Wild Things Are , '' `` The Swiss Family Robinson , '' `` Tarzan '' and `` Peter Pan '' ? Children weaned on such stories may be forgiven for assuming adulthood is one long adventure that swings wildly between jungles , swamps , deserted islands and alpine heights . Yet modern life is increasingly sedentary and safety-conscious . The desire for comfort and convenience ameliorates our contradictory urge to explore . A few have it thrust upon them : stranded in an inhospitable place , lost in a jungle or called up for combat -- and they find themselves dropped in an adventure that they may not have chosen ; but for the main part , adventure comes to those who seek it . Dr. James Thompson , a senior lecturer in psychology at University College London , says seeking adventure is more common `` amongst people who are extroverted , who are outgoing , who are sociable , because one of the things they need -- apart from the excitement of people -- is excitement generally . '' But if you think adventure is something that only happens to other people ; that you are too unfit to climb a mountain , too scared to sail across the open sea , too nervous to travel through a country where you ca n't speak the language ; perhaps you should rethink . After all , having an adventure could be good for you . Psychologists have linked adventure-seeking with a range of positive qualities . Adventure can : . Following the stories of this age 's greatest adventurers such as polar explorer Douglas Mawson , Everest climber Edmund Hillary and mountaineer Reinhold Messner , we are encouraged not just to follow their paths up mountains or along rock faces -- they also inspire us to take more risks , to seize more from each day . Who could fail to be inspired after watching CNN interview the world 's greatest living mountaineer , Reinhold Messner ? In 1980 , Messner was the first person to ascend Mount Everest alone without supplementary oxygen . Later , he crossed Antarctica on skis . He tells CNN anchor Becky Anderson : `` I 'm a normal person , a totally normal person , and I was really lucky in my life to have to have the opportunity to follow my dreams . So in the beginning I was a rock climber , and all my enthusiasm , my energy and my willpower went into rock climbing . '' Many young people are naturally adventurous -- throwing their energy and enthusiasm behind sport , hobbies and travel . Witness the explosion of school leavers taking gap years -LRB- a year off in between school and university or the workforce -RRB- , with the destinations becoming more and more exotic and activities accompanying the travel designed to expand their mind as well as their horizons . But later in life , we can wake up and find our lives leeched of adventure . We may be loaded down with a mortgage , kids or a demanding job . Adventure then becomes something we prefer to read about rather than live . We fall into the trap of the armchair traveler and become transfixed by all the journeys we did n't make . Instead of setting out on our own expeditions , we read Joe Simpson 's account of his near-death mountaineering experiences in `` Touching the Void . '' Or we follow Sebastian Junger 's account of wild sea adventures in `` The Perfect Storm . '' But while we are great armchair adventurers , a craving for the real thing can stir in us when we feel the need to change and shake things up . Women in their 40s are leading the charge towards adventure . A survey released by the Adventure Travel Trade Association in March 2007 said today 's typical adventure traveler was `` female and fortyish . '' `` Women make up the majority of adventure travelers -LRB- 52 percent -RRB- worldwide , with the most common destination being South America , '' said the trade association . The survey of travelers from 35 countries also found that people aged 41 to 60 are the highest participating age group in adventure travel . A survey by YouGov in the UK has identified a new subset of British -- the Nifty Fifties . They 've had the responsible jobs and raised their children -- and now they want adventure . Tesco Life Insurance has noticed : `` They 've decided to take the five star version of the student gap year , encompassing all of the adventure with none of the discomforts . Neither burgeoning waistlines nor graying hair is going to hold them back . '' Some older people are inspired to seek adventure by their children 's gap year experiences . Others just want to spend their kids ' inheritances . In a survey of older people carried out by Tesco Life Insurance they compiled the Nifty Fifty wish list . Adventure is a common component to their aspirations , the most popular of which are noted below : . Tony Wheeler , one of the founders of guidebook giant `` Lonely Planet , '' is now an aging baby-boomer , yet he still pops up in Iran , a place that has recently dominated headlines the world over for all the wrong reasons . In a recent piece in UK newspaper The Observer , he also recommends holidays in North Korea , Iraq and Afghanistan . Messner now is 63 years old and although he no longer has the strength of his youth , he is still setting himself challenges . `` So my challenge today is this one -LRB- setting up a museum -RRB- , I will finish this one and afterwards I will invent a new challenge and it will be not on Everest and not in Antarctica it will be probably in a mental dimension because mentally we can go very far also in later years , '' he told CNN . But the yearning for adventure can strike at all ages . Dave Wroe , 33 , and Penny Bradfield , 28 , both gave up exciting jobs in the Australian media to travel . They are spending April and May in Iran and have already braved trekking in the Amazon , train travel across India , diving in Syria and traveling in Columbia . `` I see adventure as going beyond something you feel comfortable with . If you are uncomfortable going to the end of your street and you go beyond this , then you are being adventurous , '' said Wroe . Wroe has a point . You do n't have to emulate the deeds of Messner to be an adventurer . The spirit of adventure can infiltrate all areas of your life . You can infuse life 's `` ordinariness '' with an adventure : cooking a meal that you may not have tried before , walking to work on a different route , striking up conversation with someone at the office whom you perceive to be intimidating . Successfully pushing your natural boundaries can lead to increased confidence . `` The general things which determine whether you start being adventurous is your personality and your youth . But once you start noticing that you have been able to overcome a challenge , it becomes a reward in its own right , '' said Dr. Thompson . For Messner , adventure now takes place on the ground , with establishing a climbing museum and being elected a member of the European Parliament . Speaking to CNN with the mighty mountains behind him , there was a restless but playful look in his eyes . He said he was n't the type to sit around , drink beer and collect his pension in his old age . Adventure is so much a part of his life , it seems , that it is an urge that can only be extinguished by death . And so while the strength in his body diminishes , the adventures will take place in his mind . Messner is an extraordinary man , and while most of us would struggle to climb Everest with or without oxygen , we can still emulate his spirit of adventure in our daily lives .
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Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner has inspired others to seek adventure . Psychologist Dr. James Thompson says adventurers tend to be more extroverted . Women in their 40s are leading the charge towards adventure . Insurers say `` Nifty Fifties '' are seeking adventures once the kids have left home .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Employers in Denmark have started paying compensation to women who have developed breast cancer after working night shifts . Studies have shown that nurses working night shifts have an increased risk of developing breast cancer . Thirty-eight eight women have so far received payments via their employers ' insurance companies , the Danish National Board of Industrial Injuries told CNN . To qualify for compensation , women must have developed breast cancer after having worked at least one night shift a week for 20 to 30 years . The amount of compensation depends on the severity of claimants ' illness and their ability to work . The move came after the International Agency for Research on Cancer -LRB- IARC -RRB- , part of the World Health Organization , concluded that night work is `` probably carcinogenic to humans , '' in October 2007 . Ulla Mahnkopf developed breast cancer after 30 years working as a flight attendant for SAS , a job where night shifts were the norm . She told the BBC that had she known the effects of night working she would n't have flown for so many years . The IARC classifies the cancer risk of night work as `` Group 2A '' -- the same as using sun beds -- and just one group below confirmed carcinogens like asbestos and mustard gas . The IARC reviewed published scientific literature and found that long-term night workers have an increased risk of breast cancer . Dr Vincent Cogliano , Head of the IARC Monographs Program , told CNN that the evidence in humans is limited to breast cancer because researchers have historically studied nurses and flight attendants . Cogliano said he would like to see studies carried out on different types of workers in other industrial settings . He added that the human studies are consistent with laboratory research that exposes animals to changing patterns of light and dark to mimic the conditions of humans working at night . It is thought that night work can disrupt the circadian system , which can alter sleep patterns , suppress melatonin production , and affect genes involved in tumor development . `` This is a very important topic and it needs more research , '' said Cogliano . `` Working at night or disrupting your sleep cycle is a widespread phenomenon and it is important to understand the health implications . There could be other cancers or other health implications involved . '' Those most likely to do night shifts are those working in the health-care industry , hospitality , industrial manufacturing , news media and security workers .
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Danish women who got breast cancer after night work get compensation . Women must have worked at least one night a week for 20 to 30 years . WHO have concluded that working night shifts `` probably causes cancer ''
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Los Angeles , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An autopsy on the body of actress Brittany Murphy was conducted Monday , the Los Angeles County coroner 's office said . Authorities have said the 32-year-old appeared to have died Sunday of natural causes , and there was no sign of foul play or trauma . `` Naturally occurring diseases could be found in any person that could lead to death , '' said Capt. John Kades of the coroner 's office . The office is looking into Murphy 's medical history . A final report could take up to eight weeks . The cause of death will not be released until the toxicology report is concluded , said the coroner 's office . That process can take weeks . Police also are conducting an investigation , which includes robbery and homicide detectives looking at what was in her home , said Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Norma Eisenman . Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. PT -LRB- 1:04 p.m. ET -RRB- Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles , hospital spokeswoman Sally Stewart said . She is survived by her husband , British screenwriter Simon Monjack , whom she married in 2007 . Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the leading cause of death for American women in Murphy 's age range is unintentional injury . Malignant tumors are second , followed by heart disease and suicide . The often bubbly , free-spirited actress appeared in such films as `` Clueless , '' `` 8 Mile , '' `` Do n't Say a Word '' and `` Girl , Interrupted . '' She also lent her voice to animated works , such as the movie `` Happy Feet '' -- in which she also sang -- and a regular role on the animated TV series `` King of the Hill . '' `` The sudden loss of our beloved Brittany is a terrible tragedy , '' her family said in a statement issued by her publicist . `` She was our daughter , our wife , our love and a shining star . We ask you to respect our privacy at this time . '' Funeral arrangements are pending , the family said . Fans have taken to Murphy 's official Facebook page to issue their condolences . `` She was a great actress and was going to go far in her career ! She will be greatly missed ! '' read one post . Former boyfriend -- and `` Just Married '' co-star -- Ashton Kutcher was one of many celebrities to post his reaction to the news via Twitter . `` 2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine . My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany 's family , her husband , & her amazing mother Sharon , '' Kutcher tweeted . `` see you on the other side kid , '' he added later . Singer-actress Jessica Simpson tweeted : `` Brittany Murphy was an incredible ray of Light to so many people . Her smile was contagious . My prayers are with her family and loved ones . '' Actress Alyssa Milano , who did a USO tour with Murphy in 2003 , wrote : `` She was a sweet soul , with a lot of talent and heart . '' Murphy was best known for her work in a string of romantic comedies earlier this decade , including playing lead roles in `` Uptown Girls '' alongside fellow Georgia native Dakota Fanning , and `` Little Black Book '' with Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates , but her movie roles had declined in recent years . Last month , Murphy was reportedly fired from `` The Caller , '' a movie she was working on in Puerto Rico . Her representative issued a statement to news outlets disputing the report , saying , `` She was not nor has she ever been fired from any job big or small . ... -LSB- Due -RSB- to creative differences Ms. Murphy and the production mutually parted ways , '' according to People magazine . Murphy was the subject of tabloid gossip after she transformed from a pudgy brunette in 1995 's `` Clueless '' to a petite , lithe blonde who graced the cover of such magazines as Cosmopolitan in 2005 . She frequently denied rumors of an eating disorder and plastic surgery . Her love life also was fodder for gossip sites as she broke two engagements in 2004 and 2006 , then married Monjack after four months of dating . `` All these ridiculous people came out and said all this nonsense when we got married , -LSB- but -RSB- thank God we had the substance and the history within that to -LSB- say -RSB- , ` Yeah , whatever ! ' '' Monjack told People in 2008 . `` We still do n't understand what happened . It 's made us laugh , it 's made us cry , but it 's made us stronger . ''
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NEW : An autopsy was conducted Monday on the body of Brittany Murphy . No signs of foul play or trauma , coroner 's office spokesman says . Actress pronounced dead Sunday morning at Los Angeles hospital , spokeswoman says . Murphy starred in `` Clueless '' and `` 8 Mile , '' and did voice of Luanne in `` King of the Hill ''
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TEHRAN , Iran -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Arab world is among the worldwide audience that has been closely watching as events in Iran have unfolded over the past week . Protesters fight running battles with motorcycle-mounted militia members Saturday in Tehran . `` In all honesty , I am amazed by these Iranians , '' Egyptian human rights activist and blogger Walid Abbas posted on his Twitter page . `` I have no green t-shirt '' Abbas tweeted Saturday . He was referring to the color worn by many supporters of opposition candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi , whose supposed failure to win last week 's election sparked the wave of unrest that has gripped the nation . Watching the events unfolding in Iran on Twitter , Youtube and other social networks , the Egyptian activist said he is learning from the Iranian activists . He said he does not support Moussavi because he is part of the Mullah system . `` We are not with Moussavi , '' Abbas tweeted , `` We are with the Iranian people and their demands . '' Taghlob Salah , a 24-year-old Iraqi student at Baghdad Law College , told CNN that the Iranian youths who make up most of the protesters can be inspiring to Iraqis , despite cultural differences . See images of the clashes Saturday '' `` Despite the difference that we have with Iran and the fact that many Iraqis do n't trust their Persian neighbor , we are still Muslims and at the end of the day that matters a lot , '' he said . `` We will look at this phase in Iranian history and learn , for sure and I can say that we will learn from them , 100 percent . '' Iraq and Iran are culturally linked because their populations are predominantly Shiite Muslims , as opposed to Sunni Muslims who make up the majority of most Arab countries . Salah credited the Internet for giving everyone involved a chance to have their voices heard . `` There are so many Iraqi groups all over Facebook , '' he said . `` The world is evolving ; we are developing our approach to our surroundings . '' Abdel Bari Atwan , editor of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi , expressed dismay over the continued protests . He called on Moussavi to be `` responsible enough to protect his people and avoid bloodshed , instability and confrontation in his country that may rupture the Iranian internal unity spreading chaos throughout the region . '' Atwan said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made it clear in his speech during Friday prayers that his patience had run out and he praised the supreme leader for having displayed `` leniency '' in his dealings with the protesters , but predicted that that leniency would not continue . iReport.com : Share images from Iran . Abd Rahman Rashed , editor of the Saudi-owned , London-based Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat , expressed a different point of view . In an editorial published Saturday , Rashed directed comments to Arab supporters of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , whose landslide victory in last week 's election is being challenged by Moussavi and his supporters . `` No matter what happens , Iran did technically change and will shift its course in a great way , '' Rashed wrote . `` It is over , '' he said . `` Iran the one system , the street and the agenda is over . '' They may not understand Farsi or why some Iranians voted for Moussavi , Mehdi Karrubi or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , but Arabs can surely relate to the passionate shouts of `` God is Great ! '' And `` Down with the dictator '' in defiance of Iran 's theocracy . Relations between Iran and Arab states have always been tense : through its proxies , Iran sometimes accuses some of the leading Arab states , including Egypt and Saudi Arabia , of being subject to the whims of Western imperialism and of failing to confront America and its ally , Israel , in the region . Rashed credited Iranians for speaking with courage against their government 's funding of controversial organizations like Hezbollah , Hamas and anti-government groups in Yemen and elsewhere . He said Iranians voted against the current system because they do n't want the government to dedicate the country 's budget to ally itself to such organizations instead of focusing on the average citizen . Some Arab states look to Iran as a regional superpower that can support them financially , militarily and politically in their confrontation with the international community . Those states include Syria and Sudan , which support organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah -- deemed terrorist organizations by the United States -- that are used as a proxy to challenge America and Israel in the region . Some Arab states have long warned that Shiite Iran wants to spread its power across the Sunni-dominated Arab world , causing more mistrust and friction between the Persian nation and the Arab world . Recently , Egypt and Morocco accused Iran of attempting to spread the Shiite faith among its Sunni population and creating Shiite converts and activists in their communities and in the rest of the Arab world -- a charge that Iran has denied .
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Arab world has closely watched as events in Iran have unfolded over past week . Relations between Iran and Arab states have always been tense . Egypt , Morocco accuse Iran of trying to spread Shiite faith among its Sunni population . Some Arab states look to Iran as a regional superpower that can support them .
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Tucson , Arizona -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- When President Barack Obama said Wednesday night that Rep. Gabrielle Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time since being shot on Saturday , an overflow crowd of nearly 30,000 people at a memorial event erupted into cheers that the congresswoman may have heard in her hospital room . Obama said he learned of the eye-opening from Giffords ' husband , astronaut Mark Kelly . `` She knows we 're here , and she knows we love her , and she knows that we will be rooting for her throughout what will be a difficult journey , '' the president said at a memorial in Tucson to honor the victims of the shooting . Giffords is still listed in critical condition at the University of Arizona 's University Medical Center . Suspect Jared Loughner allegedly fired at her first , striking her in the head . As soon as Obama finished his remarks , Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand , D-New York , let it be known that she , Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz , D-Florida , and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi , D-California , were in the room at the time , along with Kelly and Giffords ' parents . `` It was like witnessing a miracle , '' Gillibrand told CNN . `` Debbie and I were telling her how much she was inspiring the nation with her courage , her strength , and we were talking about the things we wanted to do as soon as she was better , '' the senator said . `` I said , ` We 'll have another night out for beer and pizza with your husband . ' And Debbie started talking to her about their house in New Hampshire , just talking about all the things we wanted to do , and all of a sudden she started to struggle to open her eyes . So Mark saw that and said , ` Open your eyes , Gabby , open your eyes . ' She kept struggling and struggling and Mark just kept encouraging her . And within a moment she literally opened her eyes . '' `` The doctors could n't believe it , '' Wasserman Schultz said . `` Mark started encouraging her , saying ` Gabby , give me a thumbs up if you can see , if you can see me , touch my ring , touch my wedding ring . ' She started doing that , '' she said . `` We just kept talking to her and talking to her about the fun we 've had with her , and so then she opened her eyes more . She went from opening her eyes really just in slits to opening them nearly fully . It was n't very long , and then they closed again . But it was just absolutely -- it was the most incredible , aside from my kids , the most incredible experience . '' Giffords kept her eyes open `` for a moment , '' Gillibrand said -- `` maybe 30 seconds , maybe 60 seconds . '' `` You could see she was focusing and Mark said , ` Gabby if you can see me , give me the thumbs up , ' and not only did she give the thumbs up , she literally raised her entire hand , '' Gillibrand later told CNN . Doctors sent them out of the room shortly after that , Gillibrand said , because Giffords needed to rest .
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand : `` It was like witnessing a miracle '' Gillibrand , Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Debbie Wasserman Schultz were in Giffords ' hospital room . Wasserman Schultz : `` The doctors could n't believe it '' Thousands at a memorial event cheer when Obama announces the development .
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NEW DELHI , India -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- After months of delays the trial of the lone surviving suspect in the Mumbai terror attacks finally got underway Friday . Soldiers patrol in Mumbai on the eve of the trial of a key suspect in last year 's attacks in the Indian city . Mohammad Ajmal Kasab is charged with 12 criminal counts including murder , attempted murder , and waging war against India . Police say he was caught on surveillance camera holding a gun as he stalked and killed people inside Mumbai 's main train station . Kasab is also accused of shooting down people at Mumbai 's Cama hospital . Kasab is one of 10 Pakistani nationals who police say reigned down terror on Mumbai , India 's financial capital , for four days and three nights . Police say the men gunned down more than 160 people in the attack as they took over three luxury hotels and a Jewish center and shot up several other places including a popular restaurant . Police say Kasab is the only suspected gunman caught alive . In his opening statements Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam read from Kasab 's alleged confession about how he trained for the attack . Nikam said , `` The terror attack was in order to capture Kashmir . '' Kashmir has long been a source of tension between India and Pakistan . The dispute over who owns the territory has resulted in wars between the two countries . It 's alleged Kasab and his cohorts traveled to India from Pakistan by boat for the sole purpose of attacking India . Late in the day Kasab 's newly appointed defense attorney Abbas Kazmi said Kasab was now retracting his statements , saying he confessed under police pressure . Kazmi also argued that Kasab was under age at the time of the attacks and should be tried in Juvenile Court , but Judge M.L. Tahilyani disagreed saying Kasab was older than 17 at the time of the attack . The prosecutor put Kasab 's age at 21 . The trial was supposed to get underway April 15 but in a stunning turn of events the original court appointed defense attorney for Kasab was dismissed from the case that day . Tahilyani removed lawyer Anjali Waghmare from the case saying she failed to disclose pertinent information to the court . The court said it was brought to its attention that Waghmare was listed as an attorney for a victim of the Mumbai attacks who was seeking compensation from the state . That victim also happens to be a witness against Kasab in this trial . In court Waghmare said she did not agree to take the victims case but had talked to him . She also said she was unaware that he was listed as a witness in Kasab 's trial . The next day the judge appointed Kazmi , who was in the court during the proceedings observing the trial as a member of the Indian Bar Association .
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After months of delays trial of suspect in Mumbai terror attacks finally gets underway . Mohammed Ajmal Kasab , 21 , is accused of being the only gunmen to survive siege . The November siege targeted victims at Mumbai hotels , hospitals , railway stations .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The phrase `` it 's cold outside '' does n't begin to describe it . With the mercury well below zero in parts of the Northeast , people in New York and the New England states are facing some of the coldest temperatures the region has seen in years . So , just how cold is it ? Temperatures in Boston dropped to 2 degrees below zero Monday morning , according to CNN meteorologists . To the south , in New York , it was even worse , with the morning temperature sitting at 6 below zero . Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has urged people in his state to take extra caution in the dangerously cold weather . In a statement released on Monday , the governor announced that he had put state agencies on high alert to respond to any public safety and public health issues that may emerge . `` We are also reaching out to cities and towns to make sure they are prepared , and have pledged support , where needed , '' the statement said . Patrick is working with the United Way and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to provide services and assistance to residents across the state . Boston might be considered cozy by its neighbors to the west , according to CNN meteorologist Sean Morris . In North Adams , Massachusetts , Monday morning 's low was 20 below zero . In New York state , the cold weather caused trouble for travelers . Schools in North Syracuse had to close after several dozen of the district 's 136 buses failed to start , according to local media reports . `` We could not chance putting them out on the road and then having them stall and not be able to pick up the students , '' school district director of transportation Mike Janisch told CNN affiliate WSYR . Amtrak had to shut down part of its service in New York as well . A statement sent out on Monday said the sub-zero temperatures had caused some signals , switches and equipment to freeze , leading to the cancellation of some services in the region . Northwest of Albany , temperatures dipped to 30 below in Indian Lake , and minus 22 in Gloversville . Other Northeastern states are also facing bitter cold . In Mount Washington , New Hampshire , temperatures dropped to 35 below zero . But if you think these temperatures are approaching global record lows , you 're way off . On July 21 , 1983 , temperatures dropped to a bone-chilling 129 degrees below zero in Vostok Station , Antarctica -- the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth .
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Temperatures well below zero in parts of the Northeast . School was shut down in one city after buses refused to start , local media report . Amtrak canceled services after equipment froze , a statement said . Massachusetts governor puts state agencies on high alert .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This Friday , Muslims around the world will bid goodbye to a long month of fasting with three days of feasting and festivities . The faithful usher in the holiday , Eid al-Fitr , with joyous community prayers , acts of charity , visits from far-flung relatives , gift-giving and hearty greetings of `` Eid Mubarak , '' or happy Eid . This year , however , one controversy has cast a pall over the celebrations for many Muslims : a Florida pastor 's threats to burn copies of the Muslim holy book , the Quran , on the anniversary of the September 11 , 2001 , attacks . `` Although the joy of Eid is still there , the sense that we Muslims belong in this society as equals seems to be under threat and there is a somber note in everybody 's preparations , '' said Wasima Reza of Raleigh , North Carolina . She said she will take her children to Eid prayer services so they can feel a sense of community . `` I want them to be proud of the fact that they are Muslims and feel that they can practice their religion in their own country , without fear , '' she said . Ayaz Hyder of Piscataway , New Jersey , is one of many who feel the holiday -- one of the most important in the Islamic calendar -- has been hijacked by whether or not the Rev. Terry Jones , the head of a small church in Gainesville , Florida , will go ahead with his Quran burning plans . `` He got what he wanted out of this . His 15 minutes of fame , '' he said . `` I will have more people at my place for Eid this year than this guy has congregants but yet he 's still dominating the headlines . '' Indeed , from Indiana to Indonesia , the planned burning was on many Muslim minds . In Indonesia , President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged the United States and United Nations to act as he read a statement from the palace grounds on Eid day Friday . `` I am of course aware of the reported cancellation of the deplorable act by Rev. Terry Jones . However , none of us can be complacent until such despicable idea can totally be extinguished , '' he said . In Afghanistan , sporadic demonstrations broke out Friday , with the largest demonstration in the northern province of Badakhshan where hundreds of Afghans protested outside a NATO base . NATO officials said two people were hurt , but provincial authorities said one person was killed . The holiday bids goodbye to Ramadan -- a month of dawn-to-dusk abstinence from food , drinks and other sensual pleasures . Muslims believe the Quran , the religion 's holy book , was revealed to Prophet Muhammad during Ramadan more than 1,400 years ago . Eid is one of two major holidays in Islam , alongside another called Eid al-Adha . The latter commemorates the prophet Abraham 's willingness to sacrifice his son for God . The night before Eid , entire communities gather on rooftops , scanning the sky with giddy anticipation to see if they can see the crescent of a new moon . Preparations for the feast begin as soon as it is sighted . In Tawab Qurayshi 's home in Lashkar Gah , Afghanistan , the menu includes rice , stew , kabobs and freshly baked Afghan cookies . Like Muslims elsewhere , Qurayshi and his family members don new clothes -- to symbolize a fresh start , he said . The fun continues on the second day with a uniquely Afghan tradition : egg fights . Men , armed with hard-boiled eggs , try to break each others ' . The one whose egg cracks receives light-hearted ribbing . It is a joyous time when even the Taliban cease fighting -- a rare respite in a war-ridden country , he said . `` The day itself is , and has always been , about yummy foods , new outfits , '' said Sumi Mehtab of New York . `` This whole Quran burning issue casts a negativeness on what should be a totally joyous occasion and I 'm annoyed at how dumb people can get . '' But Ottawa , Canada , native Siffan Rahman was n't going to let the controversy ruin her holiday . `` I turned off the TV because I do n't want to hear about it anymore , '' she said . `` Eid should be about celebrating , house-hopping , stuffing our tummies and staying up late with friends . And that 's what I 'm going to do . '' CNN 's Atia Abawi in Kabul , Afghanistan , and Kathy Quiano in Jakarta , Indonesia , contributed to this report .
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Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan -- dawn-to-dusk abstinence from food and drinks . The Quran burning controversy has upset a lot of Muslims this year . Many , however , say it will not affect the festivities .
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[[353, 362], [375, 445]]
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sudan 's president was seen smiling , dancing and speaking to a huge crowd of supporters Thursday , a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest on war crimes charges . Sudan 's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir waves to supporters in Khartoum on Wednesday . The display of defiance came as international aid agencies were being ordered to leave the country in retaliation for the move by the International Criminal Court over six years of bloodshed in the country 's Darfur region . The streets of the capital , Khartoum , were filled with people who raised their hands in the air to cheer President Omar al-Bashir , who raised both fists defiantly in the air . The crowd was filled with posters and banners featuring al-Bashir 's face or the flag of Sudan . The one banner written in English read , `` We are all with al-Bashir . '' Al-Bashir gave a fervent speech to the crowd , denouncing the United States , its Western allies and Israel . At one point , the crowd repeated in English , `` Down , down , USA ! '' Music before and after the speech got everyone moving , including the president , who smiled broadly and raised his walking stick in the air . A camouflaged helicopter swooped over the crowd . Angry but peaceful demonstrations took place in cities throughout Sudan on Wednesday after the warrant was announced , according to the United Nations . Government air and ground forces conducted what the United Nations called a `` show of force '' in parts of Darfur , where the situation was `` calm but unpredictable . '' The International Criminal Court at The Hague , Netherlands , issued the warrant Wednesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity . It accuses al-Bashir of complicity in a campaign of violence against the people of Darfur , in the west of the country . The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict in western Sudan 's Darfur region , and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes . Sudan has angrily rejected the accusations and the indictment . Kamal Obaid , Sudan 's state minister of information and communications , called the ICC a `` white man 's tribunal '' and the arrest warrant `` an insult . '' It has told as many as 10 humanitarian groups to leave the country , and seized the agencies ' assets , U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said .
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Sudan 's president seen dancing and smiling after war crimes charges issued . Streets of Khartoum filled with cheering crowds . ICC issued the warrant over war crimes and crimes against humanity .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British authorities said Tuesday they are conducting a criminal investigation into an American man charged in federal court with smuggling weapons into England . Steven Neal Greenoe is suspected of buying more than 60 firearms in North Carolina and transporting them to England on at least nine occasions , according to court documents . In September , a federal grand jury handed up a 43-count superseding indictment against him . He was arrested in July , when authorities found another 16 firearms in his baggage . TITAN , a task force in Britain 's North West region for serious and organized crimes , said in a statement Tuesday it was also investigating Greenoe . `` This is a complex investigation involving law enforcement agencies across the North West of England , '' Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Leach , who heads the task force , said in the statement . `` We are working closely with our colleagues nationally and with partners in the United States . The availability of firearms poses a serious risk and our investigation will be continuing over the coming weeks and months . '' After being brought into the country , allegedly by Greenoe , the firearms were then sold in Britain , court documents said . An undercover police officer bought three of them from two men for 10,500 pounds -LRB- about $ 16,500 -RRB- . The Times of London reported Tuesday that British and U.S. authorities held crisis talks after Greenoe , 37 , was arrested . Some of the firearms are unaccounted for , the Times reported , and of those recovered , ballistics tests show one was used in a drive-by shooting in Manchester , England , in October . Britain 's Home Office said Tuesday it and the government continue `` to work very closely with international partners , including counterparts in the United States , on all matters relating to security . Measures to protect the public and tackle the threat posed by terrorism and international crime are constantly kept under review . '' Greenoe always flew into Manchester 's airport , according to the complaint . Officials there told CNN that arriving passengers are not screened unless they are stopped by customs . The TSA on Tuesday declined comment on the case , citing pending litigation . Firearms are not prohibited from checked luggage , according to the TSA 's website . However , firearms must be declared to the airline , and the guns must be unloaded and in a hard-sided container . Firearms may not be taken out of the United States , according to the International Trade in Arms Regulations unless the person carrying them has registered with the State Department 's Office of Defense Trade Controls . On July 19 , as authorities were investigating Greenoe , the Immigration and Customs Enforcement attache in London told the agency that neither Greenoe nor his company , Jolie Rouge consultants , had been granted an export license from the office . Greenoe allegedly took the guns overseas by breaking them down into pieces and spreading the pieces over multiple bags in his checked luggage , according to a federal complaint filed in July . The TSA on Tuesday declined comment on the case , citing pending litigation . Greenoe 's defense attorney , Mark Edwards of Durham , North Carolina , declined comment to CNN on Tuesday . Edwards previously told the Times in the story published Tuesday that `` Steve 's a bright young man , very sociable , a bright guy , well read , well-educated , well-traveled . He 's been all over the world . He 's an interesting man to deal with and not my average client at all . '' On May 3 , according to the complaint , Greenoe was interviewed at the Raleigh-Durham , North Carolina , airport by TSA officials after a screen of his luggage showed pieces of `` multiple firearms . '' Greenoe told authorities that `` he was a salesman , and that he had just gone to the Raleigh gun show and that the guns were broken down and not in a working order , '' the complaint said . After checking the serial numbers on the guns , the TSA allowed Greenoe to continue with his flight , according to the complaint . Authorities believe `` Greenoe was attempting to elude law enforcement and U.S. customs officials by stating that the items in his luggage were ... inert and non-working samples , '' the complaint said . `` In fact , these items were fully functional firearms that had been disassembled and disguised to appear as anything but a functional firearm . '' A native of New Orleans , Greenoe lived in Shrewsbury , about 70 miles southwest of Manchester , the Times reported . Confronted and questioned at the Raleigh airport on July 25 , Greenoe initially said they were non-working samples that belonged to Jolie Rouge , according to the complaint , but later told authorities that he bought the weapons `` as a means to provide high quality firearms to his employees while providing overseas maritime protection , '' since he could not buy high quality weapons overseas . Charges against Greenoe include failing to notify a common carrier of arms shipment ; exporting firearms from the United States without a license ; smuggling firearms outside the United States ; and falsifying an ATF form . In a hearing in July , a federal magistrate declared Greenoe a flight risk and ordered him held . Greenoe waived his appearance on the superseding indictment after it was handed up , according to court records . Several motions in the case were filed under seal in November . Greenoe is currently being held in the Pitt County Detention Center in Greenville , North Carolina . CNN 's Jeanne Meserve and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report .
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Steven Greenoe is charged in a 43-count indictment . Authorities allege he illegally brought at least 60 guns into Britain . British authorities say they are also conducting a criminal investigation .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Nigerian militants threatened to end their cease-fire not long after it began Wednesday because they claimed the government was threatening one of their camps . Before the cease-fire , MEND destroyed oil pipelines in Lagos during a night raid on Monday . The militant group MEND said seven military joint task force gun boats with heavily armed troops were headed toward a camp near the border of the coastal states of Delta and Ondo . `` If this information from a very reliable source within the JTF happens to be true , the cease-fire will be called off with immediate effect , '' the group 's spokesman , Jomo Gbomo , said in a statement . `` We are monitoring the armada and sincerely hope that the planned attack will be converted to a war exercise . '' There was no immediate response from the military to the threat to end the cease-fire . Watch why the militants may end cease-fire '' MEND declared a 60-day truce earlier in the day following this week 's release of its leader as part of an amnesty deal with the government . The response from Nigeria 's military was positive , but muted . `` It 's a welcome development , but we are continuing to do our normal assignment of maintaining law and order , '' said Col. Rabe Abubakar , a spokesman for Nigeria 's military . MEND leader Henry Okah , who had been the group 's main arms smuggler , was arrested in September 2007 in the Angolan capital , Luanda . He was later extradited to Nigeria and was in prison until Monday . The cease-fire put on hold MEND 's `` all-out war '' on the government . The group is demanding a fairer distribution of oil wealth in the Niger Delta . It wants oil revenue reinvested in the region , instead of enriching those whom the militants consider corrupt politicians . Many of MEND 's attacks have been aimed at oil and gas installations in the region . Okah 's release had been a key demand of MEND before it would accept any government amnesty offer . MEND 's statement said the group will put together a team of `` wise men and women '' to `` convey our demands to government . '' `` A compulsory prelude to talks is the withdrawal of the military joint task forces from the Gbaramatu communities and the return of all the displaced persons back to their various homes , '' Gbomo said . `` Hopefully , the cease-fire period will create an enabling environment for progressive dialogue . '' The militants have claimed attacks in recent years on oil platforms , chemical tankers , and oil pipelines . They have also kidnapped oil company workers . The repeated attacks have disrupted oil companies ' operations in Nigeria , severely disrupting production and causing prices to climb . Covering 46,500 square miles -LRB- 75,000 square km -RRB- , the oil-producing region of the Niger Delta is about the same size as the Czech Republic or the U.S. state of Pennsylvania , according to the United Nations Development Program -LRB- UNDP -RRB- . An area of rich biological diversity , the region contains the world 's third-largest wetland with the most extensive freshwater swamp forest , according to the UNDP . More than half the area contains creeks and small islands , while the rest is rainforest , the UNDP says . At the same time , the Niger Delta produces the oil wealth that accounts for the bulk of Nigeria 's foreign earnings , the UNDP says . CNN 's Christian Purefoy contributed to this report .
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Nigerian militants threaten to end a cease-fire not long after it began . Rebels claim government is threatening one of their camps . Cease-fire put on hold MEND 's `` all-out war '' on the government . The group is demanding a fairer distribution of oil wealth in the Niger Delta .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The cost of repairing flood damage in Australia will top AUS $ 5.6 billion -LRB- US $ 5.58 billion -RRB- , according to Prime Minister Julia Gillard , who proposed a one-year tax to help fund the reconstruction . `` The great floods of this summer have been a national tragedy , not just a natural disaster , because of the awful loss of human life , '' Gillard said Thursday . `` The great floods of this summer have destroyed billions of dollars of wealth and robbed us of billions of dollars of income . In time they may prove to be the most expensive disaster in Australian history . '' Gillard said the money will come from $ 2.8 billion -LRB- US $ 2.79 billion -RRB- in spending cuts , $ 1 billion -LRB- US $ 995.6 million -RRB- in delayed infrastructure projects and $ 1.8 billion -LRB- US $ 1.79 billion -RRB- raised through a progressive , one-year income tax on people earning more than $ 50,000 . `` The levy will apply only in the 2011-12 financial year ... '' Gillard said . `` People who were affected by the floods will not pay this levy . '' Flooding in Australia , primarily in the state of Queensland , has affected more than 3 million people , making it one of the most costly disasters in the nation , the federal treasurer said over the weekend . The cost of the damage surpasses past tragedies like major bushfires two years ago and floods in the 1970s , Treasurer Wayne Swan said . The floods have devastated crops , tourism , retail and manufacturing , and have disrupted major urban areas like Brisbane , according to Swan . `` One of the biggest casualties is likely to be our coal exports , with many mines shut down in big coal mining regions like the Bowen Basin , and supply chains severely hampered , '' Swan said . `` While this will be partly offset by higher prices , the loss of production will be hit much harder . '' Swan said the government has already made about $ 227 million in disaster recovery payments to people who have been affected by the floods .
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Money to pay for flood damage will come from spending cuts , delayed spending and a tax . Tax would raise $ 1.8 billion and would be levied for a year . More than 3 million people have been affected by recent floods . The government will be investing billions of dollars to help Queensland , national treasurer says .
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Havana , Cuba -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Ernest Hemingway has n't lived here in over 50 years but Finca Vigia is still his home . In the garden there 's his boat `` the Pilar '' used to hunt marlin and then Nazi subs off Cuba during World War II . Scrawled on a bathroom wall next to a scale are the daily records of what the writer weighed . Lizards and frogs he caught rest in jars filled with formaldehyde . Antelopes and buffalo heads taken as trophies from African safaris decorate the walls . Yellowing Time and The Field magazines are still on the shelves . Now a museum , a visitor to Finca Vigia or `` lookout farm , '' could be mistaken for thinking Hemingway might walk in the door at any second . `` Our philosophy was to recover the environment and surroundings , '' said Ada Rosa Alfonso Rosales , the museum 's curator . `` This was not just a mere house , this was his home . '' Hemingway lived in the home on a hilltop on the outskirts of Havana from 1939 to 1960 . The years were pivotal ones for the famed American writer and for his adopted home of Cuba . Life.com : Ernest Hemingway 's life in photos . In 1953 , Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for his book the `` Old Man and the Sea '' about an aging Cuban fisherman 's epic duel with a marlin . Six years later revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro took control of the island , leading to the eventual breakdown in relations with the United States . Battling depression , Hemingway killed himself in Ketchum , Idaho in 1961 . Even though the Finca Vigia receives over 40,000 visitors a year , the house nearly fell victim to Cuba 's unforgiving environment . `` This is a very humid climate , '' Alfonso said . `` We 're on top of a hill where winds and even hurricanes batter the house . '' In 2005 , the National Trust for Historic Preservation called the house `` a preservation emergency , '' citing roof leaks and shifting foundations that endangered the house . One of the people who came to the house 's rescue was Jenny Phillips , the granddaughter of Maxwell Perkins , the editor who first pushed for Hemingway 's work to be published and worked with the writer for the rest of his life . `` I realized we could help because of my connection to Ernest Hemingway through my grandfather , '' Phillips said . `` That we could bring about a collaboration between the United States and Cuba which after 50 years of embargo little collaboration has happened between the two countries and yet here was this shared cultural legacy , deeply appreciated by the Cuban people and the American people . '' Phillips started the Finca Vigia Foundation , navigating the bureaucracies of two countries and restrictions of the U.S. embargo to bring restoration experts to the project . One of those experts was home improvement icon Bob Vila , who is also Cuban-American . Vila said helping to save Hemingway 's house transcends politics . `` It 's the best cultural bridge we could have hoped for between the American people and the Cuban people . And I emphasize people , I am not talking governments , '' Vila told CNN . `` The Cuban people and the American people have a warm relationship that goes back many decades . It 's a very important project . '' Life.com : Fidel Castro mingles with celebrities . In $ 1 million renovation , the Cuban government restored the main house on the property . Curators estimate another $ 1 million is needed to save a collapsing guest house on the property , repair Hemingway 's cracked swimming pool and build a workshop to restore thousands of original documents . Until then , restorers are carefully packing up Hemingway 's letters and writings to protect them from further decay . `` He gathered ideas and wrote about them in the margins in the books , '' Phillips said . `` And that ` marginalia ' has never been seen before by scholars outside of Cuba . '' Eventually those writings will be digitized and exhibited at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston , Massachusetts . Already , Hemingway 's Cuba writings have solved one mystery for Jenny Phillips . `` What I always noticed was that they called each other ` Dear Mr. Perkins , Dear Mr. Hemingway , ' she said . `` Then one day they started saying ` Dear Max , Dear Ernest . '' How did that happen ? '' A letter from Cuba following Hemingway 's father 's suicide in 1928 provided the answer . `` Hemingway was extremely distraught , '' Phillips said . `` There 's a post-script in that letter , ` For God 's sake will you unmister me anyway . ' '' `` Perkins was quite a bit older than Hemingway , '' his granddaughter Phillips said , `` and who Hemingway felt safe with and nurtured by , so this was a deepening in their relationship . ''
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Ernest Hemingway lived at Finca Vigia outside Havana for over 20 years . The house , now a museum , receives over 40,000 visitors a year . Despite its popularity , Finca Vigia nearly fell victim to Cuba 's humid , hurricane-prone environment . A team is navigating U.S. embargo restrictions to bring restoration experts to the project .
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Jerusalem -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Israeli police and security services have arrested four Palestinian men in connection with the December slaying of American tourist Kristine Luken , authorities said . The four suspects are Palestinians from the villages of Tarkumieh and Tzurif near Hebron in the southern West Bank , police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said . They will be charged Wednesday with murder in Luken 's death , and also with killing an Israeli woman , Neta Sorek , in February 2009 . They also will be charged with the attempted murder of Luken 's friend , Kay Susan Wilson , and the attempted murder of another couple , Rosenfeld said . The four admitted carrying out the crimes , Rosenfeld told CNN , and told police the motive was revenge for the January 2009 killing of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai . Al-Mabhouh , a founding member of Hamas ' military wing , was found dead in his Dubai hotel room . The Israeli Mossad is widely suspected in his death . DNA from the crime scenes also directly connected some of the suspects to the crimes , Rosenfeld said . Four other men were arrested on suspicion of being accomplices to Luken 's murder . Luken was killed while hiking with Wilson , her friend and co-worker at a Christian ministry , in a forest near Jerusalem . Luken 's body was found after Wilson stumbled into a picnic area with her hands bound , bleeding from multiple stab wounds and asking for help . Authorities believe the two women were approached by the suspects , who asked them for water , then were attacked a few minutes later . Wilson told authorities they were bound and gagged , then Luken was stabbed to death . Wilson was also stabbed multiple times but played dead until the suspects left . Luken and Wilson , a British citizen living in Israel , both worked for CMJ UK , a Christian ministry based in England .
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4 other men are suspected of being accomplices . The suspects will be charged with Kristine Luken 's murder and a second death . They told police the motive was revenge for the death of a Hamas leader .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- At least 20 people were killed and six injured Wednesday in a mine explosion in northeastern Colombia near the border with Venezuela , the government-run Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining , known by the acronym Ingeominas , reported . `` At this time , personnel from Ingeominas are at the scene of the accident dealing with the emergency with a group of institute rescue workers aided by the 5th Brigade of the national army , who brought in a helicopter for possible rescue efforts and to transport the victims , '' the institute said in a written statement . Earlier , a spokeswoman for the national civil defense agency said that more miners could still be in the mine , although an exact number was unknown . Hellen Garcia said that authorities believe as many as 30 could have been affected by the explosion . Garcia said five injured people were taken to two hospitals , but one of them died . Four bodies were taken out of the mine , she said . The remaining miners are 1,200 meters , or almost 4,000 feet , below ground , and the rescue operation by civil defense , Red Cross and government crews was expected to last through Thursday , Garcia said . Yamile Rangel Calderon , mayor of the municipality of Sardinata , said the mine is known as La Preciosa , or The Precious One . `` This is one of the oldest mines in the region and one that has some of the best safety and quality controls , '' she said . `` They have been exporting coal for many years . '' Calderon identified five of the miners who died as Manuel Aparicio , Gustavo Mendez , Gustavo Garcia , Jorge Luis Valdivieso and Nelson Velosa Fuentes . The blast happened around 7 a.m. in the district of San Roque , Alvaro Silva , a government official in Sardinata , told the government radio service . An accumulation of methane gas apparently caused the explosion , the governor of the Colombian state of North Santander told the radio service . A 2007 explosion in the same coal mine killed 31 people , Garcia said . CNN 's Rafael Romo and CNN en Español 's Claudia Dominguez contributed to this report .
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NEW : A Colombian mining agency says 20 miners are dead . NEW : The agency says six miners were injured . The blast happened near Colombia 's border with Venezuela . A build-up of methane gas may be to blame , governor says .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A wanted Florida man shot and killed two St. Petersburg police officers Monday morning , and later the apparent assailant was found dead after police used a backhoe to tear through his house , authorities said . St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon said the two slain members of his department were `` ambushed '' by the shooter , who they believe was a man wanted on an outstanding warrant for aggravated battery . A deputy U.S. marshal , who has not been identified , is `` doing well '' at a hospital after being shot twice , said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Tom Figmik . `` This crook , this criminal , this cop-killer ... did a terrible injustice to two of my people , '' said Harmon . `` I feel a lot of anger , I feel remorse for the families . ... It 's a sobering reminder of what our officers face all the time . '' The incident began around 7 a.m. Monday , when law enforcement from the city 's Police Department , U.S. Marshals Service and Pinellas County Sheriff 's Office went to a home in the west Florida city to ask a relative of Hydra Lacy Jr. , who was wanted by police , about him . The woman told them that Lacy was upstairs in the attic and might be armed , according to Harmon . K-9 Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz and a deputy U.S. marshal were shot at as they got near the attic -- where they intended to try to coax Lacy to surrender -- according to police . A gunfight ensued , during which another member of St. Petersburg 's police force , Sgt. Tom Baitinger , was shot from above . While this was going on , a police search team entered the house and pulled out Yaslowitz , who was wounded but alive . `` I heard 150 to 200 gunshots during that exchange , '' said Harmon . `` You cringe , because you hope you do n't send an officer -LRB- and -RRB- there 's another death . '' Yaslowitz and Baitinger were eventually taken to local hospitals , where they were pronounced dead . Even after the shots subsided , police were not able to locate the shooting suspect . They eventually used a backhoe to tear down one-third of the house and found a dead man . He was later positively identified , using fingerprints , as the 39-year-old Lacy , according to a statement from St. Petersburg police . Lacy had what police , in a statement , called a `` significant criminal history '' that included kidnapping , sexual assault and aggravated assault on a police officer . `` He was somebody we wanted to get off the street , '' Harmon said earlier Monday . `` And obviously , today you see why . '' Baitinger , who was married , was a former detective who joined the St. Petersburg force nearly 15 years ago . Yaslowitz was a nearly 12-year veteran of the department and is survived by three children , ages 5 , 8 and 12 , and his wife . `` They served the people of this community with distinction , with passion , with resilience , with heroism , '' said Mayor Bill Foster . `` And they gave their lives today , so we can do what we can do . '' The three law enforcement officers are among at least 11 shot nationwide in a 24-hour period . Four officers were shot and wounded at a Detroit police precinct on Sunday . Two Kitsap County , Washington , sheriff 's deputies were shot and wounded at a Walmart in the town of Port Orchard . And officers in two locations -- Indianapolis , Indiana , and Lincoln City , Oregon -- were critically injured Sunday after being shot during traffic stops . CNN 's Dave Alsup and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report .
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NEW : Police identify Hydra Lacy Jr. , 39 , as the man who killed two police officers . St. Petersburg officers Jeffrey Yaslowitz and Tom Baitinger are killed . Police used a backhoe to tear down a house and find the wanted Lacy . A third officer , a U.S. marshal , was also shot but is `` doing well ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities say they believe a young female who died after a shootout outside a Walmart store was connected to the shooting suspect . The female -- thought to be a teenager -- was one of two people killed in the Sunday afternoon shooting in Port Orchard , Washington . `` We do n't think she was just a store patron unrelated to the incident . We believe she was associated with the suspect , but we have not been able establish the relationship yet , '' said Kitsap County Sheriff 's Office spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson . The female remained unidentified . Two sheriff 's deputies who were injured in the shooting were recovering from non-life-threatening injuries Sunday night . The sheriff 's office said in a statement Monday that both were in satisfactory condition at a hospital . `` They both are going to live , '' Wilson said . Three sheriff 's deputies responded to the Walmart store Sunday after getting a call about a suspicious person `` from a bystander who had concerns about a person inside the store , '' Wilson said . Officers responded about 3 p.m. Sunday , the sheriff 's office said . The deputies approached one man outside the store 's south entrance , but the man ran from the scene . '' -LRB- The deputies -RRB- called to him and said , ` Hey , we need to talk to you , ' '' Wilson said . `` He turned around and shot at them . '' The Monday statement said , `` For reasons not yet known , the suspect turned and fired multiple shots at the two pursuing deputies with a semi-automatic handgun . Both deputies were struck by the suspect 's bullets and unable to return gunfire . '' However , a third sheriff 's deputy approached from behind the store , rounded the corner and shot the suspect , the statement said . The man was shot and later pronounced dead in the Walmart parking lot . Authorities Monday did not release his name , age or other details about him , saying they were in the process of confirming his identity and notifying his relatives . The female , who was fatally wounded , `` was in close proximity to the gunman at the time of the shootings , '' the statement said . `` Based on witness statements and other evidence , investigators believe that the gunman and the young woman were together and knew each other . However , their exact relationship has not yet been established . Also unclear is how the girl was struck by gunfire . '' She was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead , authorities said . The process of identifying her was under way Monday as well . Wilson described the situation as `` somewhat chaotic '' but `` stabilized . '' `` There is no danger to the community at this point , '' he said . `` We think that all persons -LRB- who were -RRB- involved ... have been accounted for . '' The Washington State Police were taking over as the lead investigative agency in the case , and the Kitsap County Sheriff 's Office requested assistance from the FBI . The female sheriff 's deputy who shot the suspect was placed on administrative assignment -- a routine step in officer-involved shootings -- pending an investigation . The incident occurred near one of the retail giant 's stores in Port Orchard , a town just west of Parkwood . Located on Sinclair Inlet , Port Orchard is about 30 miles north-northwest of Tacoma and across Puget Sound from Seattle . The store was locked down for about 20 minutes immediately after the shooting with and had about 100 people inside , Walmart customer Mike Lambert told CNN affiliate KIRO . CNN 's Rick Martin and Greg Morrison contributed to this report .
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2 people are shot dead in a Walmart parking lot in Port Orchard , Washington . Sheriff 's spokesman : Two injured deputies `` are going to live '' The shooting suspect was fatally shot after firing at deputies .
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London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British-based satellite channel Sky Sports have sacked their top soccer pundit after he made sexist remarks about a female match official while working on a broadcast of an English Premier League game . Andy Gray , a former Scotland and Everton striker , made the comments about assistant referee Sian Massey prior to a match between Wolves and Liverpool on Saturday , not realizing his microphone was being recorded . Gray , 55 , said `` women do n't understand the offside rule , '' while his colleague , presenter Richard Keys , said the game had `` gone mad . '' The pair were suspended by Sky Sports on Monday , but on Tuesday it was confirmed Gray had been axed after new evidence of sexist behavior relating to an incident in December was released by the channel . A statement read : `` Sky Sports today terminated its contract with Andy Gray . The decision , which is effective immediately , was made in response to new evidence of unacceptable and offensive behavior . `` The new evidence , relating to an off-air incident that took place in December 2010 , came to light after Andy Gray had already been subjected to disciplinary action for his comments of 22 January 2011 . '' Barney Francis , managing director of Sky Sports , said : `` Andy Gray 's contract has been terminated for unacceptable behavior . After issuing a warning yesterday , we have no hesitation in taking this action after becoming aware of new information today . '' Sky Sports reporter Andy Burton , who joked to Gray that Massey was `` a bit of a looker '' prior to the match has also been suspended . Keys subsequently telephoned Massey , who accepted the presenter 's apology . During the game , Massey made the correct call when she allowed Liverpool 's opening goal in their 3-0 victory to stand , judging a player had been onside . The 25-year-old was due to officiate an English third division match on Tuesday night but was withdrawn by the Professional Games Match Officials . A statement read : `` Sian is an excellent professional who has unwittingly found herself in the middle of a story that has nothing to do with her competence as a match official . `` Sian only wants to be notable for her performance as an assistant referee and is keen for things to get back to normal so she can return to officiating as soon as possible . '' Prior to Saturday 's game , Massey has been an assistant referee at international matches -- the highest level of the sport -- since 2009 , world soccer 's governing body FIFA says . England 's Football Association -LRB- FA -RRB- said it was `` proud to have some of the world 's best match officials , both male and female . '' More than 800 women are qualified to be referees in England , the FA added , saying `` all of our female match officials act as fantastic ambassadors for the game . '' Of the major European footballing nations , Germany leads the way for registered female referees with 2,489 , according to UEFA . Italy is next with 1,453 and England third with 853 . But no female referee has ever taken charge of a top-flight match in the English Premier League , Italy 's Serie A , the German Bundesliga or Spain 's La Liga , their roles restricted to assistant referee status . Keys also made critical remarks about Karren Brady , the vice-chairman of EPL side West Ham , who had complained about sexism in a Saturday newspaper . `` See charming Karren Brady this morning complaining about sexism ? Yeah . `` Do me a favor , love , '' he added .
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NEW : Sky Sports soccer pundit Andy Gray has been sacked by the broadcaster . Gray and colleague Richard Keys made sexist remarks about a female assistant referee . The pair did n't know their microphones were live . Presenter Keys has been suspended along with another reporter .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Thursday demanded that his ministers of the interior and defense get to the bottom of how a jailed top rebel leader escaped in the northeastern city of Arauca , Colombia . Colombian President Alvaro Uribe wants answers after a top ELN rebel was freed from prison . Gustavo Anibal Giraldo Quinchia , also known by his alias , `` Pablito , '' was freed Wednesday morning when a group of gunmen presumed to be rebels attacked a convoy transporting the prisoner to a court hearing . One guard was killed and another was injured in the incident . Giraldo is a high-ranking leader of the National Liberation Army , or ELN by its Spanish initials , who opposed peace talks with the Colombian government . He was arrested in January 2008 . Uribe , who has held a strong stance against leftist rebel groups in his country , had strong words about the incident . `` There is no explanation for this escape , '' Uribe told reporters . `` There are signs of corruption around this that are very troubling . '' The president questioned why Giraldo was transferred from the capital of Bogota to the outpost to Arauca on the border with Venezuela . The security at Arauca was weak , and somehow Giraldo 's rescuers knew where and when to find him , Uribe said . `` We gain nothing from increased security if there is corruption in that security , like this corruption that permitted the escape of this prisoner in Arauca , '' Uribe said . The rebel is believed to have fled to Venezuela , and the president has asked the neighboring country for help finding him , Uribe said . The request comes during a period of tension between Colombia and Venezuela , in part because of Colombian claims that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has aided the rebel groups . In remarks Thursday , Fabio Valencia Cossio , Colombia 's minister of the interior and justice , said that he ordered a new staff to run the Arauca prison . The prison 's current director and all 30 guards will be transferred to other posts while an investigation into the escape is underway , he said . Giraldo commanded roughly half the force of the ELN , according to the Colombian government . Formed in the early 1960s , the ELN is the second-largest insurgent force in Colombia , behind the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia , or FARC . The ELN is among several parties to a long-running war that involves leftist rebels , right-wing paramilitary forces , the Colombian government and drug traffickers .
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President Alvaro Uribe cites corruption in Colombian rebel 's escape . Gustavo Anibal Giraldo Quinchia is member of National Liberation Army . Giraldo is believed to have fled to Venezuela .
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|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A tug-of-war over the body of a former Venezuelan president was avoided Wednesday night when feuding sides of Carlos Andres Perez 's family agreed for him to be buried in his homeland . In a statement , Perez 's longtime partner , Cecilias Matos , said her family would not stand in the way of a Venezuelan final resting place for the ex-president . Perez , 88 , died Saturday in Miami , Florida . Matos planned to have him buried there . Perez 's wife in Venezuela , from whom he was long separated but apparently never divorced , had requested that Perez 's body be sent to Venezuela . Earlier this week , a Florida judge signed a preliminary injunction blocking any burial until the matter was settled . Blanca Perez , the former president 's wife in Venezuela , asked for the injunction . `` At the present time in Venezuela , love should be lavished to it and its great men , '' the Matos family said in the statement . `` Repatriating him is a way of giving -LRB- Perez -RRB- tribute , so neither Cecilia Matos nor her daughters , Maria Francia and Cecilia Victoria , will become an obstacle . '' The statement continued , `` The Perez Matos family is absolutely convinced that Carlos Andres Perez belongs now to Venezuela , and all the Venezuelan people . '' Perez , 88 , served two terms as president of the South American country , the first from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993 . During his final term , he survived a coup attempt led by Hugo Chavez , who spent two years in prison but later amassed support among millions of poor people angry about corruption and became Venezuela 's president . Perez 's second stint in power was marred by `` El Caracazo , '' a string of protests and riots against an economic package that the president had introduced . More than 200 people died in the violence . Perez was impeached on corruption charges in 1993 , several months before his term was to end .
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Carlos Andres Perez died Saturday in Miami , Florida , at age 88 . His longtime partner wanted him buried in the United States . His estranged wife in Venezuela wanted his body sent back to Venezuela . A Florida judge had blocked any burial until the matter was settled .
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[[369, 374], [382, 404], [458, 484], [551, 606], [607, 624], [627, 711], [650, 725]]
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ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A suicide attack at the offices of the World Food Program in Islamabad killed five employees and wounded several others Monday , an agency official said . Pakistani police commandos stand in front of a U.N. office after a suicide blast in Islamabad on Monday . Four Pakistanis and an Iraqi national died at the U.N. humanitarian agency , according to authorities . The suicide bomber , who also died in the attack , was in his 20s and wore a vest containing about 15 pounds -LRB- 7 kg -RRB- of explosives , said Ben Yamin , a senior Pakistani police official . The explosion took place in a storage area at the offices . It was not immediately known how the bomber gained access . `` The World Food Program 's offices here in Islamabad are in a very sensitive and fortified area , '' CNN 's Reza Sayah reported . Watch witnesses describe the attack '' `` The building itself is surrounded by massive blast-proof walls and , not only does the compound have a gated entrance , the street that leads to the compound is also gated . '' Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said public opinion is turning against the attackers . `` Today when people see that there are innocent people dying , when they see all the major urban centers of Pakistan being hit , when they see that the economy of Pakistan has suffered , and job creation and investment have been compromised because of these extremists , I think the public opinion has changed , '' he said in a speech at Rice University 's Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston , Texas . `` There is almost a consensus in Pakistan that our immediate priority is to take the terrorists on and to fight this . '' The neighborhood is home to at least one other U.N. office , as well as the residence of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari . Officials identified the dead as Mohammed Wahab , finance assistant ; Abid Rehman , senior finance assistant ; Gulrukh Tahir , receptionist ; Farzana Barkat , office assistant ; and Iraqi national Botan Ahmed Ali Al-Hayawi , information and communication technology officer .
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Four Pakistanis and an Iraqi were killed , officials say . Suicide bomber , who was in his 20s , also died in the attack . Offices in Pakistani capital belonged to U.N. World Food Program .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Taliban advances in Pakistan are raising concerns in Islamabad and capitals as far away as Washington . CNN 's senior international correspondent Nic Robertson looks at how the Taliban spread and what could be done to help Pakistan . Students in burqas in Buner district . How is the Taliban extending its influence in Pakistan ? It has extended its influence considerably over the last few years moving northwards along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border , from South Waziristan to North Waziristan to Bajur and across now to Swat and Buner . But the Taliban has also extended its influence because it is now involved with several Punjab terrorist groups that have affiliated themselves with the border Taliban and have helped commit some attacks such as one on a police station in Lahore . The Pakistan government has been cutting deals with the different elements that were Taliban or became Taliban since 2004-2005 . Those deals have enabled the Taliban to extend themselves . Is Pakistan going to fall or fail ? The overall answer to that is no . But the Taliban is further destabilizing an incredibly unstable situation . There is a weak government that faces challenges , not only from the Taliban but also from almost every political party in the country . It faces challenges from across the border with its old enemy India , which means a large percentage of the Pakistan army is tied up on that border rather than fighting terrorism . The Taliban is not going to take Islamabad , but its attacks and advances are going to weaken an already unstable government and make an already dangerous situation even more volatile ... and that will mean the Taliban will be able to wield more influence in the future than they do today . What options are open to the Pakistan government and other countries ? Pakistan could form a broad-based government of national unity and appeal for more international support in terms of encouraging financial aid and having trade restrictions lifted so they can improve the economy . The international community could help Pakistan resolve issues with India . It would help the economy and help the government focus on its own internal problems and better influence the situation in Afghanistan . What the Pakistan government would also need to do is convince its people that outside support and help is in their best interests to deal with terrorism and stabilize the country . To do that the government would also have to win the support of its large Pashtun minority , from whom the Taliban draws a lot of its support ... and that is difficult particularly as the U.S. -- which would need to be a principle supporter of Pakistan -- continues to bomb targets in Pashtun areas leading to civilian casualties .
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Taliban influences in Pakistan has developed over years . Pakistan government weak and could be weakened further . Pakistan has options to deal with Taliban , but they come with problems .
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KANDAHAR , Afghanistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The soldiers had barely arrived in Iraq before they got new orders -- get ready for Afghanistan . A soldier waits in Baghdad for a flight to his new mission in Kandahar . The 4th Engineer Battalion out of Colorado Springs , Colorado , deployed to Camp Victory near Baghdad in mid-February . Two weeks after the unit began actually going out on operations in Iraq , it was ordered to redeploy to Kandahar in Afghanistan . The soldiers had n't even finished painting their emblem outside their tactical operations command when the move began . But even as he walked through the stripped-down post , battalion commander Lt. Col. Kevin Landers could not hold back his excitement . `` The president has asked our military and our country to shift the focus and bolster the effort in Afghanistan , and we are really spearheading some of that effort , so of course there is some excitement here , '' he said outside a building being cleared out . The move put a strain on this battalion , which specializes in route clearance , or finding and destroying land mines and bombs on roads to make them safe for travel . Watch soldiers leave Iraq , arrive in Afghanistan '' `` Yes , it is hard work , '' said Pfc. Kimble Han , sweat pouring down his face as he pulled out a sandbag foundation for a tent he and colleagues had put out only weeks before . `` But I believe we have trained well and are prepared for the new mission in Afghanistan . '' The battlefield in Afghanistan is very different than Iraq . `` In Iraq you are looking at more close-quarters combat in an urban environment , but in Afghanistan the area is only sparsely populated and we are looking at much more of a linear battlefield , '' said Lt. Matthew Fitzgibbon . That means the soldiers will probably be engaged in longer distance firefights while on their patrols and their training in Baghdad before the deployment mirrored that . The troops spent extra hours on the shooting range , recalibrating their weapons and testing different optics . `` No matter who the enemy is , we will bring a bigger fight , '' one soldier said loading his weapon . As the United States shifts its focus from Iraq to Afghanistan , the military has deemed route clearance so important to the operations in the Kandahar area that it is airlifting the entire battalion to the new battlefield . The move poses huge logistical challenges to the Army and especially the Air Force . Between 50 and 70 gigantic C-17 cargo planes are necessary to transport dozens of heavy armored mine-resistant vehicles , containers and pallets -- all this as the Air Force 's capabilities are strained due to regular combat operations . Many flights are delayed , canceled , rescheduled and then canceled again . Lt. William Hutaff , one of the first soldiers to leave for Afghanistan as part of an advance party , had his flight delayed several times and waited almost two days before he could board one of the cargo planes . `` Yeah , there 's been a lot of waiting , '' he said from a seat in the hull of the plane , facing his mine-resistant vehicle that was shipping out too . `` We are glad we are finally going and we hope someone will be there to pick us up . '' None of the soldiers with whom CNN traveled to Afghanistan knew what to expect when they hit the ground in Kandahar . The bases in Iraq have been developed over the past six years since the United States led the invasion and offer amenities from shopping facilities to coffee shops . In Iraq , the soldiers stayed in solid trailers . In Afghanistan , they would be living in tents . But none of that seemed on the soldiers ' minds as the plane took off from Baghdad International Airport for the four-hour flight to Afghanistan , and many of them went to sleep shortly after takeoff or listened to music on their iPods in the dark and loud hull of the giant plane . The terrain the jet was flying over changed from the Iraqi desert to the more rugged hills of southern Afghanistan before the crew of the C-17 crew performed a combat landing into Kandahar International Airport . Leaving the aircraft , the soldiers said they were tired and looking to get into their new housing units . `` We want to get our vehicle unloaded and then get settled in , '' Hutaff said . Getting settled in meant sleeping in cots in a tent designed to house more than 100 people , but the base itself proved more developed than many had thought , with a basketball court and even an hockey rink built by the Canadian contingent stationed there . But the compound assigned to the battalion proved to be a lot worse for wear than the troops expected . Years ago it had been home to Polish troops , but now the buildings were withering away in the sun . The engineers spent their first days tearing down some structures with bulldozers and ripping the interiors out of others . `` There is still a lot of work to be done here , '' said Fitzgibbon . `` right now our motor pool , the place we 're supposed to park our vehicles , is a lake . ''
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Troops had n't even finished painting their emblem when they got orders to move . Redeployment put strain on battalion , trained to clear mines and bombs from roads . CNN traveled with troops as they flew from one war zone to the next . Soldiers say they are ready for the new mission in the new battlefield .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hundreds of South Koreas were left in limbo after North Korea shut its borders Monday at the start of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea . U.S. troops have started joint military exercises with their South Korean counterparts . When Pyongyang took the action , 573 South Koreans were staying at the Kaesong industrial complex , north of the demilitarized zone , South Korea 's Yonhap news agency reported . Many of the stranded South Koreans work at the complex , which is a joint project between the Koreas . `` The South Korean government is closely monitoring the situation and preparing for all contingencies , '' said Kim Ho-nyun , a South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman . `` We emphasize that currently the first priority is the safety of our citizens . '' Eighty South Koreans had applied to cross the border into South Korea on Monday , Kim said , but had not been cleared to do so . `` We are also not certain what will happen to the South Koreans that want to cross tomorrow as well , '' he said . The cross-border developments came as North Korea said it would retaliate if a `` satellite '' launch from its northeastern coast were intercepted , with the communist nation saying interference would `` mean a war . '' `` Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war , '' a spokesman for the North Korean army said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency -LRB- KCNA -RRB- . U.S. and South Korean officials have said that North Korea appears to be preparing to test-fire its long-range missile , the Taepodong-2 , under the guise of launching a satellite into space . The missile is thought to have an intended range of about 6,700 kilometers -LRB- 4,200 miles -RRB- , which -- if true -- could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii . North Korea 's bellicose announcement came on the first day of annual joint military drills between South Korea and the United States . `` We have said several times that the U.S.-South Korean military exercises are annual defensive exercises , '' Kim said . `` We again urge North Korea to maintain the agreed stance of mutual respect and to stop its verbal attacks and actions that are raising tensions on the Korean peninsula , '' he said . The North said it has shut its borders to `` any enemies '' and has cut off `` the North-South military communications in order to guarantee the security . '' North Korea said the military phone lines with the South , the last remaining communications channel , will remain closed until the 12-day military exercises end on March 20 , according to Yonhap . Kim said his government is urging North Korea `` to immediately retract this measure and to allow the smooth flow of personnel and communication . '' On Saturday , U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth said he wants dialogue with North Korea , but he also spoke against North Korea 's move to go forward with a launch , saying it would be `` ill-advised . ''
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573 people staying at Kaesong industrial complex , north of demilitarized zone . 80 South Koreans not cleared to cross the border into South Korea Monday . Follows vow to retaliate from N. Korea if its satellite launch is intercepted . S. Korea , U.S. have started their annual joint military drills .
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London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Drug smugglers are using ever more creative methods to hide their stashes , including tucking them inside yams , peanuts and birthday cards , a new list reveals . The list -- released by the UK Border Agency -- rounds up last year 's most unusual drug concealments . Details of the smuggling scams are used to raise awareness on drug traffickers ' ploys and the penalties that follow . `` These smuggling attempts show the lengths that organized criminals will go to in a bid to get drugs into the UK , '' said Brodie Clark , chief of Border Force . In March , authorities nabbed a suspect with cocaine concealed in packets of peanuts and cashew nuts . The freight at Gatwick Airport had been sent from Jamaica . A 50-year-old man pleaded guilty to drug smuggling and was sent to prison for seven years . In another case , cocaine was found in metal drums containing powdered nuts at Heathrow Airport . It had originated in Mexico and was destined for Melbourne , Australia . In a joint operation with their Australian counterparts , UK police sent a dummy shipment to the address , and police nabbed five men who opened the drums . Famous names were dragged into the scams as well . Drug smugglers tried to conceal cannabis in a painting of former Arsenal player Emmanuel Adebayor . The wooden frame of the soccer star originated from his native Togo and was destined for an address in Tottenham -- close to the team 's north London rival by the same name . Investigations are ongoing . In August , authorities seized yams concealed with drugs aboard a freight flight at Kent International Airport in Manston . The food , which had been cut open to stash the drugs and glued back together , originated from Ghana . Other hiding places include drugs scatterered inside air spaces of glass ornaments shaped like love hearts , chickens and miniature bottles . Origin ? Peru . Destination ? Bristol . The list goes on and on . Officials intercepted a man who had strapped blocks of heroin onto his body ; a suspect who had hidden drugs on a birthday card and two others who had swallowed packs of drugs . Authorities said they use various ways to catch smugglers , including sniffer dogs , X-ray machines , intelligence and scans on passengers ' baggage . `` Criminals are prepared to invest large sums of money to come up with ever better concealment methods because they know the potential profits from the awful trade in harmful drugs are considerable , '' Clark said . `` However , the smugglers are no match for the skill of our officers and the state-of-the-art technology at their disposal . ''
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List from UK Border Agency rounds up last year 's most unusual drug concealments . They include cocaine concealed in packets of peanuts , cashew nuts . Smugglers also try to conceal cannabis in painting of football star .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Historians believe they have found a World War II-era mass grave containing the bodies of 220 disabled people killed by Nazis in Austria , they announced this week . The discovery was made by searching files from a mental hospital in the town of Hall , Austria , according to the company that currently runs the institution . The company believes the remains are those of people murdered under a Nazi euthanasia program designed to eliminate `` undesirables . '' Tilak , the company running the hospital , says a group of historians led by Oliver Seifert found a map with the outlines of a former cemetery . `` Thanks to the map we know the approximate position of the cemetery and also the number of graves . Right now we believe that 220 people are buried there , '' a Tilak statement quotes Seifert as saying . Tilak says it plans to exhume the victims starting in March . `` Tilak sees it as our moral duty to the relatives of those killed to completely clarify the history of the mental institution 's graveyard , '' the press release says . The Nazis annexed Austria in 1938 after their leader , Adolf Hitler , came to power in Germany in 1933 . The regime systematically murdered about 6 million Jews , as well as millions of other people including Roma -LRB- Gypsies -RRB- , disabled people , homosexuals , political prisoners and others they considered less than human .
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The remains of 220 disabled people are thought to be buried in the Austrian graveyard . Historians think the people were killed by Nazis trying to eliminate `` undesirables '' A map of the graves was found by historians studying hospital records . The company that runs the hospital plans to exhume them starting in March .
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Jerusalem -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Israeli bulldozers demolished part of a hotel in East Jerusalem on Sunday , prompting swift condemnation from Palestinians . The building plan , which was given final approval last year , was met with disapproval from the United States at the time which called for the Israeli government to put off any demolition . Israel demolished part of the hotel as part of a plan to build 20 housing units for Jews in a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of East Jerusalem . The chief Palestinian negotiator , Saeb Erakat , denounced the action . `` The state of Israel is demolishing one Palestinian property after another in an effort to cleanse Jerusalem of its Palestinian inhabitants , heritage and history , '' he said in a statement . He said such actions `` undermine the two-state solution and negotiations process . '' The United States had called on Israel to halt the housing project , but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by saying `` our sovereignty -LRB- over Jerusalem -RRB- can not be challenged '' . The project was given final approval last March . The Shepherd Hotel was built in the 1930s by a prominent Palestinian family and was purchased from the state of Israel in 1985 by American millionaire Irving Moskowitz , an avid supporter of Jewish building in East Jerusalem . Moskowitz developed plans for the 20 housing units that sparked the hotel 's demolition on Sunday .
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Israeli bulldozes demolishes part of a hotel in part of East Jerusalem . Plans to demolish the hotel caused a rift between the U.S. and Israel . Palestinians denounce the action while Israel has defended it .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An embattled Nevada councilwoman e-mailed a friend about items intended for her mother and called police shortly before they found her and her husband dead in an apparent murder-suicide , police in Mesquite said Wednesday . `` Detectives were advised that Bill Fairchild was the victim of a homicide-suicide . The crime scene and autopsy were consistent that Bill was deceased approximately an hour before Donna , '' said Chief Douglas L. Law in a statement after the autopsy . Each of the Fairchilds suffered a single gunshot wound . The bodies were found Tuesday morning , hours before Donna Fairchild was to attend a City Council meeting and face possible sanctions over a travel expense voucher and public comments . A neighbor told CNN on Wednesday she had lunch with Donna Fairchild on Monday and was the recipient of a box left by the councilwoman , apparently on the morning of the shootings . According to police , Donna Fairchild contacted City Attorney Cheryl Truman Hunt around 8:30 p.m. Monday to discuss an opportunity to meet with the mayor and council in order to tender her resignation before the meeting . The city attorney at 10 p.m. confirmed with Fairchild a Tuesday afternoon meeting with the mayor and council . At a news conference , police in this city along Interstate 15 near the Arizona border provided a timeline of the events that led to the shooting deaths . Sometime late Monday or early Tuesday , Donna Fairchild dropped off a box at the friend 's house , Law said . `` At 4:20 a.m. , an email was sent by Donna to a friend to say she left a note with a box on her friend 's porch to be sent to Donna 's mother , '' the statement said . `` At 4:33 a.m. , Police Dispatch received a 911 call from Donna Fairchild which gave her address , said her door was unlocked and that she would be ` post-suicide . ' '' `` At 4:35 a.m. , officers and detectives arrived on scene and located Donna and Bill Fairchild in the back bedroom and found each with a single gunshot wound . Both were deceased . '' Toxicology tests conducted by the Clark County Coroner 's Office were expected to take four to six weeks , according to the city . The city released the audio of the 911 call , in which Donna Fairchild gave the address , said the couple was in the bedroom , the front door was unlocked and `` I am post-suicide . '' The police dispatcher said , `` And what 's going on there ? '' There was no audible response . Melanie Giarratana said she had known the Fairchilds for about 10 years and enjoyed a lunch Monday with Donna Fairchild . `` It was wonderful , '' said Giarratana , who has been active in local issues and economic development in this resort town that features golf resorts and casinos . Donna Fairchild had told her she had made a mistake by filing a $ 94.60 mileage expense form for a trip city officials said she did not make , Giarratana said . But the councilwoman said she never signed for the check . Giarratana said she had no inkling of what was to occur the next morning . Donna Fairchild forwarded her an e-mail joke around 8 p.m. Monday . The councilwoman sent her another e-mail around 4:20 a.m. Tuesday about the box , but Giarratana did not see the e-mail until 7 a.m. , when she found the package outside her home . According to Giarratana , Donna Fairchild wrote her , `` I have left a box full of items for my Mom by your front door . Please make sure she gets it ! I know this will never make sense . I am sorry . Thank you for being my BFF . '' Bound in rubber bands , the box contained jewelry , cash and a note expressing apologies , Giarratana said . Mesquite city spokesman Bryan Dangerfield said Tuesday that a note and a 9mm handgun were found at the scene . `` The content of the note will not be disclosed until the investigation is complete , '' Dangerfield said . City Manager Timothy Hacker said he believed that Donna Fairchild was concerned about the agenda items , according to CNN Las Vegas affiliate KLAS . Fairchild , who was a candidate for mayor , told the Desert Valley Times last week that she would not comment on the allegations against her but instead would talk about them Tuesday evening . Mayor Susan Holecheck and the city had planned to ask the City Council to consider sanctioning Fairchild through possible reprimand , removal from boards or expulsion for filing the $ 94.60 mileage reimbursement request with the city for a January 4 Nevada Development Authority board meeting she allegedly did not attend , according to an item on the council agenda . Fairchild allegedly violated the city 's code of conduct and its personnel policy , and she allegedly presented a fraudulent claim to a public officer , Hunt wrote in a January 18 memo . Holecheck , who is seeking re-election , and Hunt also wanted the City Council to consider removing Fairchild as the city 's representative to the Nevada Development Authority board of directors . According to a filing on the agenda , comments Fairchild made about the authority in a newspaper article `` were negative towards this agency , and deemed incompatible with the mission of the agency and good working relations with other NDA board members . '' A January 7 article of the Desert Valley Times includes interviews and comments from Mesquite mayoral candidates . In the article , Fairchild said , `` We just got a bill from the Nevada Development Authority : It costs $ 7,500 to belong . There was one thing that came out of the NDA , and that was Do It Best . That was huge for the community , but I do n't think we 're getting the bang for our buck . '' In the article , Fairchild said that Mesquite should be doing most of its own marketing . NDA Executive Director Somer Hollingsworth wrote Holecheck that Fairchild -- who was the city 's representative to the board since July 2009 -- should have brought her concerns to him , rather than airing them publicly , especially since she was a member of the NDA executive committee , according to an e-mail attached with the filing . According to the agenda item , Fairchild could have discussed her issues with the NDA if she had attended the January 4 board meeting . Donna Fairchild served on the City Council from 2001 to 2007 and was re-elected in 2009 . She moved to Mesquite with Bill Fairchild in 1999 after they both retired from the Denver Police Department , the city said . In Mesquite , Bill Fairchild worked at a recreation center and was a member of the Virgin Valley Honor Guard and the Veterans of Foreign War . The Fairchilds were married for 21 years , the city said . `` They had an excellent marriage , '' Giarratana said . The friend of the couple said she does not believe the issues with the city were enough to push Donna Fairchild over the edge . `` I can not figure out what happened between 8 p.m. and 4:20 a.m. , '' Giarratana said . She said Donna Fairchild wanted to continue her mayoral campaign and deal with the issues , but Giarratana was unaware that the councilwoman had apparently planned to resign Tuesday . `` The town is in total shock , '' Giarratana said . `` The town is weeping . '' CNN 's Phil Gast contributed to this report .
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Friend recounts `` wonderful '' lunch with councilwoman day before . Police say autopsy shows husband died about an hour before his wife . Councilwoman Donna Fairchild of Mesquite , Nevada , faced possible sanctions . City Council was to look at mileage reimbursement request , another matter .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- An Arkansas supermarket reversed its decision Wednesday to hide a magazine cover showing Elton John and his same-sex partner David Furnish holding their new baby . The shield placed over the current issue of Us Weekly read `` Family shield to protect young Harps shoppers . '' The Arkansas-based grocery chain lets managers at its 65 stores decide when customers complain if the shield is needed , but it is usually for photos that are `` sexually provocative or too revealing , '' Harps Food Stores President Kim Eskew said . Complaints poured into the chain 's headquarters this week after photos of the shielded magazine spread across internet blogs and news websites . `` When we began receiving complaints at our corporate office , we reviewed the magazine in question , removed the shield and are selling the magazine in all our locations today without any cover , '' Eskew said Wednesday . `` Our true intention is not to offend anyone in our stores and this incident happened at just one of our 65 locations , which , when brought to our attention , we reversed . '' Us Weekly West Coast Bureau Chief Melanie Bromley , who wrote the cover story , said the issue has been a good seller for her magazine . `` It 's been very compelling for them -LRB- readers -RRB- and people have really felt the emotion with them -LRB- John and Furnish -RRB- , '' Bromley said . `` So people have wanted to read about it and see the first pictures of little Zachary . '' Bromley 's seen no complaints from readers about having a gay couple with a baby on the magazine 's cover . `` As far as I 'm aware there was no negative feedback at all , '' she said . `` I had not one email of any negative message at all . The only kind of feedback I got was positive , that people are so happy for them . '' People Magazine put another same-sex couple with their newborns on front of its January 10 , 2011 issue . But the photo of Neil Patrick Harris and partner David Burtka with their twins was only a small image on the margin of the cover . When People featured photos of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi when they married in 2008 , it was one of the magazine 's best-selling issues that year , a spokeswoman said . CNN 's JD Cargill and Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report .
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The Arkansas food store covered up Us Weekly magazine . The Us Weekly cover shows Elton John , his same-sex partner and their new baby . The shield was removed after complaints to the food chain 's headquarters .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Virginia woman whose husband and daughter were gunned down in last week 's terror attacks in India says the attackers should be forgiven . Kia Scherr , left , says her daughter , Naomi , and husband , Alan , were `` having the times of their lives '' in India . `` We must send them our love , forgiveness and compassion , '' Kia Scherr told reporters Tuesday of the Mumbai attackers , nine of whom were killed by Indian forces . `` As Jesus Christ said long ago , they know not what they do . `` They are in ignorance , and they are completely shrouded and clouded by fear , and we must show that love is possible and love overpowers fear . So that 's my choice . '' Alan Scherr , 58 , and Naomi Scherr , 13 , were among 25 people who had traveled to India for a meditation retreat with Virginia-based spiritual group Synchronicity Foundation , to which the Scherrs belonged . Authorities said the father and daughter were found fatally shot in a restaurant in Mumbai 's Oberoi Hotel , where the group was staying . Kia Scherr , who did n't go on the trip , said at a news conference in Faber , Virginia , she is experiencing the `` deepest grief and pain I have ever known . '' Synchronicity 's founder , Charles Cannon , told reporters Alan Scherr was in Cannon 's room at the Oberoi shortly before the attacks began on the night of November 26 . They were discussing the next day 's activities for the group . `` He said that he was hungry and he was going down to the restaurant to eat , '' Cannon said . Scherr and his daughter were in the restaurant with other Synchronicity travelers when gunmen burst into the hotel and started shooting , Cannon said . One of the travelers , Andi Veragona , told CNN affiliate WTVF that she was trying to play dead during the attack , and that she was trying to calm Scherr , who was next to her . '' -LSB- He -RSB- was panicking , and I put my hand on the back of his neck , and just saying , ` Shhh , ' '' she told the Nashville , Tennessee , station . `` And then I felt a bullet penetrate his head , and he just went limp , and he was bleeding all over me . '' Linda Ragsdale , Veragona 's friend and fellow Tennessee resident , told The Washington Post that she pulled Naomi Scherr under a table but could n't save her . `` I was taking in the enormity of the moment , thinking that this energetic child who I had been playing with in the pool the night before -- and had made a pact to do somersaults with -- was dead , shot , '' Ragsdale told the Post . Ragsdale 's husband , Ben , said his wife and others played dead , but a gunman `` decided to shoot into the file of them . '' Three of the Synchronicity survivors in the restaurant -- including Ragsdale and Veragona -- were shot , and a bullet grazed a fourth . Ben Ragsdale said hotel staff eventually led the four outside , where they caught the taxis that drove them to a hospital . Cannon told CNN 's `` Larry King Live '' on Tuesday that he and two others were in his hotel room when the attacks began . They barricaded the door and remained there for nearly 48 hours , getting information about the whereabouts of other Synchronicity members by cell phone and their room phone , he said . `` Slowly , we were able to account for everyone but -LSB- Alan and Naomi Scherr -RSB- , '' Cannon said . `` And we knew they had been in the restaurant at a table where four of the others who were shot and injured had gotten out . '' About two days after the attacks began , Indian commandos escorted Cannon and the two others out of Cannon 's room , he told reporters at Tuesday 's news conference . He said the hotel looked like `` a bombed-out war zone . '' `` Bodies -LSB- were -RSB- everywhere , glass , everything broken and smoky , '' he said of the hotel , where grenades had exploded and fires had burned . On his way out , police asked him if he could identify any remains , he said . Cannon said he stepped over bodies and walked through pools of blood in the restaurant to get to the table where Alan and Naomi had been sitting . `` I found and identified Alan and Naomi , who were laying under the table , heads facing each other and their arms outstretched to each other and overlapping , '' he said . `` It -LSB- was -RSB- one of the most challenging things I have ever had to do in my life , to identify the remains of two people who I loved like family . '' Three of the wounded Synchronicity travelers still were in an Indian hospital this week , Cannon said on `` Larry King Live . '' Ragsdale 's son told CNN she had been shot in the back , but that the bullet hit nothing vital . Veragona suffered leg and arm wounds . Kia Scherr told reporters she had spoken to her husband and daughter by phone in the days before the attacks , and that they were `` having the times of their lives . '' The trip was the first time Naomi had traveled by plane , and it was Alan 's third visit to India this year , she said . `` He told me by phone one day : ' I love these people . I could live here , ' '' she told `` Larry King Live . '' CNN 's Brian Todd contributed to this report .
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`` We must show that love is possible , '' says mother , wife of Mumbai attack victims . `` We must send them our love -LSB- and -RSB- forgiveness , '' Kia Scherr says . Attack survivors describe final moments of Alan , Naomi Scherr in restaurant . Founder of group that led trip : I identified bodies after attacks were over .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf , 48 , has signed a two-year contract extension tying him to the club until 2012 . Bremen have emerged as genuine contenders for the Bundesliga title this season , lying four points off leaders Bayer Leverkusen . Last season , Werder won the German Cup and reached the UEFA Cup final , where they lost to Shakhtar Donetsk . General manager Klaus Allofs told the club 's official Web site : `` We are very happy that we can make it known before the turn of the year that we are continuing our work together . `` We have always stressed in the past weeks that this is our most important personnel detail . `` This shows the high regard that Thomas enjoys with us . He has proved over many years that , with his ability to improve teams and players , he is an important part of our success . '' Schaaf , who has been coach at Werder since 1999 and led them to the league and cup double in 2004 , said : `` Our common goal is to move forward successfully . `` I see Werder continues to have an interesting team to be able to pursue our goals . Therefore , it was not hard to accept the new challenges , '' he added . Bremen have coped well with the loss of Brazilian attacking midfielder Diego , who moved to Juventus this summer , with German youngsters like Mesut Ozil and Aaron Hunt taking on more prominent roles . They went down 2-0 at home to title rivals Schalke last weekend , their first defeat since the opening day of the season .
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Werder Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf has signed a two-year contract extension . The new contract ties the 48-year-old to the Bundesliga club until 2012 . Werder are genuine contenders for the title , lying four points off leaders Bayer Leverkusen .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bayern Munich 's France international midfielder Franck Ribery has suffered another injury setback in his battle to return to first team action . Ribery played a part in just six Bundesliga matches during the first half of the 2009-10 season , lasting the whole 90 minutes only once due to a string of injuries . His knee and toe caused the most frequent problems and it is the latter which has forced him to miss the first session of Bayern 's winter training camp in Dubai . Bayern coach Louis van Gaal told the club 's official Web site : `` It is practically incredible and very bitter for the coach and the team . `` But we can not change it . We hope that the medical department works hard and he returns as quickly as possible . '' Ribery had joined the rest of his team-mates for a jog around Munich on Sunday before the flight to the United Arab Emirates , but upon arrival in Dubai both of his big toes were swollen . Holes were drilled into the toenails to release an accumulation of blood and relieve the pain in a bid to get the 26-year-old back on his feet as soon as possible . Meanwhile , Bayern are looking to trim their squad , despite four players leaving the Bavarian giants during the winter break . Bayern have offloaded Luca Toni to Roma , Andreas Ottl and Breno to Nuremberg and Alexander Baumjohann to Schalke , but director of sport Christian Nerlinger claims that is just the tip of the iceberg . `` We are going to try to reduce the wagebill futher , '' he told Kicker magazine . `` The wages have gone through the roof and therefore we have got to get our message through to the players that a new contract does not necessarily mean a pay rise . '' Toni was Bayern 's biggest earner alongside Ribery , whose future is already the focus of intense transfer speculation and who , given the implied cost-cutting measures , now seems even less likely to commit himself to a new contract . Bayern president Uli Hoeness has already revealed the Frenchman will be sold in the summer if he does not extend his contract beyond 2011 , although an exception still may be made to Bayern 's wage structure to keep hold of the 26-year-old . `` Every case has to be dealt with individually and according to the market , '' added Nerlinger . However , after spending almost 80 million euros on new players last summer , Nerlinger insists his club has `` reached the limit '' as far as signing new players is concerned .
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Bayern Munich 's France international midfielder Franck Ribery has suffered another injury setback . Ribery played a part in just six Bundesliga matches during the first half of the 2009-10 season . The 26-year-old had to have his big toes operated on after they swelled up on a flight to Dubai .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Bayern Munich 's Luca Toni has returned to Serie A football on a six-month loan with AS Roma , confirmed on Thursday . The 32-year-old Toni is out of favor at the German giants after falling out with coach Louis van Gaal and is desperate for first team football to further his claims for a place in the Italy side at the 2010 World Cup finals . Toni was one of the star 's of Italy 's winning team in 2006 and moved to Bayern from Fiorentina the following year . The club 's official Web site www.fcbayern.de confirmed a move which had been widely predicted . `` In a discussion Luca Toni asked the board of Bayern Munich to loan him out to Roma until the end of the season for personal reasons , '' read a statement . `` He wants , through regular games in Serie A , to still realize his main goal of taking part in the 2010 World Cup with the Italian national team . '' Toni has not played for his national side since their poor showing in the Confererations Cup in South Africa in June . The Italian club said in a statement that Toni will be with them until June 30 , subject to passing a medical test . Toni helped Bayern to a league and cup double in his first full season , but since the arrival of Dutch coach Van Gaal has slipped down the pecking order and played just three Bundesliga games this season . He was fined by the club in November for leaving the stadium at halftime after being substituted in their disappointing 1-1 home draw with title contenders Schalke . Toni has interested other clubs in Italy and England , but set his heart on going to the capital club to impress Italy coach Marcello Lippi .
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Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni to move to AS Roma on six-month loan deal . Both clubs confirm move which is subject to a medical on the 32-year Italy star . Toni wants to play regular first team football to improve his chances of making the 2010 World Cup finals . Toni fell out with Bayern coach Louis Van Gaal and has played just three league games this season .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- David Villa scores a dramatic injury time winner to give Spain a 2-1 victory over Sweden in Innsbruck to put them in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008 by finishing top of Group D. David Villa leads the race for the Golden Boot after his fourth tournament goal saw Spain defeat Sweden 2-1 . The match had looked set to end in a draw after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had equalized following Fernando Torres ' 15th-minute goal . However , a long ball out of defense dropped kindly for Villa and the striker slipped the ball to the left of goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson for his fourth goal of the tournament . The result leaves Spain with six points in Group D , three more than Sweden and Russia and certain of top spot after beating both those teams . Torres had put Spain in front when he lunged at a pass from David Silva , with his right foot outstretched , to touch the ball past Isaksson . Sweden veteran Henrik Larsson had shot over the bar and Johan Elmander , who scored against Spain in a qualifying match for Euro 2008 , missed two chances before Fredrik Stoor curled a pass from the right to Ibrahimovic in the area in the 34th minute . The Inter Milan striker turned away from marker Sergio Ramos and hit a low shot that just made it under goalkeeper Iker Casillas . Spain controlled early on and it was no surprise when Torres put them ahead with his first goal of the tournament . Silva chipped a diagonal pass into the area toward Joan Capdevila , but Torres stuck out his right foot to intercept and touch it in for his 16th goal in 51 appearances for Spain . Larsson and Johan Elmander both had their chances before Stoor found Ibrahimovic at the far post . Ibrahimovic initially tried to volley Stoor 's cross from the right and regained control before shrugging Ramos to the ground . He then swerved to score with a low right-footed shot that Casillas got a hand to but could not keep out . It was the second straight match in which Ibrahimovic had scored , after he ended a near three-year scoring drought in a 2-0 victory against Greece . Villa was in the team despite sustaining a hairline fracture of his right index finger while celebrating the first of his hat-trick goals against Russia , and the Sweden defense kept him under wraps until the 38th minute , when Isaksson had to stop a low shot . Elmander , who started in place of the injured Christian Wilhelmsson , was troubling Spain down the flank but was lucky not to concede a penalty for a nudge on David Silva just before halftime . Markus Rosenberg came on for Ibrahimovic to start the second half , with Sweden not wanting to risk their star player 's swollen left knee . There were few clear chances in the second half , and those that came went to Spain . Sweden 's attack sorely lacked the physical presence of Ibrahimovic , and Larsson just failed to meet Petter Hansson 's cross at the far post in the 79th minute for his team 's best opportunity . At the other end , Villa jumped on Silva 's rebound in the 63rd minute and fired straight at Isaksson from close range . Villa then recovered the loose ball and centered to find Torres , whose shot was blocked . The teams seemed content with a draw that would have helped both , but Sweden was caught out when Capdevila sent a 40-meter pass over the head of Torres and into the path of Sweden defender Hansson . However , Hansson lost the ball under pressure from Villa , who calmly scored with an angled shot from just inside the area . `` We 're happy . We had many chances in both halves and we managed to score right at the end , '' said Spain coach Luis Aragones . `` In the second half , we went out looking for the goal and things finally worked out . ''
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David Villa scores an injury time goal to give Spain a 2-1 victory over Sweden . Earlier , Zlatan Ibrahimovic had equalized Fernando Torres ' 15th minute opener . The win puts Spain in the last eight and guarantees them top spot in Group D .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Croatia held off a furious late onslaught from Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria to win 1-0 in their opening Group B match in Vienna on Sunday . Emmanuel Pogagtetz , left , fouls Croatia striker Ivica Olic to concede the match-winning penalty . The Croatians took the lead in the fourth minute when midfielder Luka Modric coolly slotted home from the penalty spot after Emmanuel Pogatetz clumsily body-checked striker Ivica Olic in the area . Slaven Bilic 's team dominated the first half , and should have gone further ahead in the 35th minute but Olic 's strike partner Mladen Petric blazed over the bar with a left-foot volley after beating the offside trap to run on to Vedran Corluka 's cross . Austria 's main threat had come from set-pieces , but they were not able to capitalize on a string of corners . However , the home players kept battling in the second half and squandered a series of chances to level the score in the final 15 minutes . Martin Harnik fired over the bar on 78 as Croatia scrambled to clear the danger , then substitute Ivica Vastic had a powerful header well saved by goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa , who then kept out another low effort by the veteran midfielder . Pletikosa also had to deny a driven shot from Umit Korkmaz , who also came off the bench , while another substitute in Roman Kienast flicked a header just wide from a free kick in the third minute of time added on . Croatia went into the tournament as one of the outside bets , having qualified top of their group ahead of Russia with a victory away to England which eliminated the British team . However , their chances of success were dealt a massive blow when top scorer Eduardo da Silva was ruled out of the tournament due to a broken leg . None of Croatia 's strikers managed to score in the warmup matches , and the Arsenal forward 's goal-poaching ability was sorely missed on Sunday . The winning goal came after Modric and Olic combined down the left wing from a throw-in , and Pogatetz clearly impeded the striker well away from the Austria goal . The Middlesbrough defender was booked for protesting the referee 's decision , but he could have no complaints with the ruling . Austria are the lowest-ranked of the 16 teams at the tournament in 92nd place , but showed great courage against a 15th-seeded Croatia side stacked with attacking talent . But they joined fellow co-hosts Switzerland in losing their opening match , following the Czech Republic 's 1-0 victory on Saturday . Croatia next play Germany on Thursday , when Austria take on Poland . Coach Bilic was delighted to start with a victory , but was not so impressed with his team 's performance . `` Some players were overwhelmed by playing at a great tournament but we started off with the best possible way -- with a win , '' Bilic told reporters . `` In the first 35 minutes we played excellently , of course the early lead contributed to that . `` They exerted more pressure in the second half and I 'm sure that is not to do with a lack of strength from our players . But we confined ourselves to our penalty area too early . `` The last 15 minutes or so when they play all or nothing , you can do that -- but we started in the 60th minute or so . I did n't think the players were happy when they got back in the dressing room . I turned on the CD player and said they should sing because they won . '' Austria coach Josef Hickersberger was left frustrated by his side 's failure to take their chances . `` This was the worst possible start you can have in an opening match of a major tournament , '' he said . `` We took some time to recover , during the first 30 minutes we were nervous . `` For the rest of the match we were playing the way we should have been playing . We even dominated in the second half of the match . We had good opportunities but unfortunately we were n't able to score a goal , so we are empty-handed . In our remaining games we need four points to go through . '' Austria : Jurgen Macho ; Sebastian Proedl , Emanuel Pogatetz , Martin Stranzl ; Joachim Standfest , Rene Aufhauser , Andreas Ivanschitz , Jurgen Saumel , Ronald Gercaliu ; Martin Harnik , Roland Linz . Croatia : Stipe Pletikosa ; Ivan Corluka , Robert Kovac , Josip Simunic , Danijel Pranjic ; Darijo Srna , Niko Kovac , Luka Modric , Niko Kranjcar ; Ivica Olic , Mladen Petric .
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Croatia beat Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria 1-0 in opening Group B match . Luka Modric scores fourth-minute penalty after striker Ivica Olic is fouled . Austria battle back in the second half but miss a series of late chances . Croatia next play Germany on Thursday , while Austria take on Poland .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Romanian striker Adrian Mutu saw his late penalty saved by Gianluigi Buffon as world champions Italy scraped a 1-1 draw in Zurich to keep their Euro 2008 hopes hanging by a thread . Romanian players celebrate Adrian Mutu 's opening goal in the thrilling 1-1 draw against Italy . Mutu had earlier given Romania the lead only for Christian Panucci to level a minute later . The result leaves Italy needing to beat France in their final match to qualify , while Romania also have a chance to progress if they defeat Netherlands in their final match . Italy coach Roberto Donadoni made five changes to his starting line-up , following the dismal opening 3-0 defeat by Netherlands , with World Cup winners Marco Materazzi and Gennaro Gattuso among those left out . Those changes looked to be working as the Azzurri started brightly , almost breaking the deadlock in the eighth minute when Alessandro Del Piero 's close-range header from Simone Perrotta 's cross went just wide of the near post . In the 15th minute , Romania should have gone in front but Mutu 's left-footed strike from the edge of the area was parried away by Buffon . At the other end , Luci Toni latched onto Fabio Grosso 's cross but his header went high over the bar . Buffon was then forced to fully stretch to clear Gabriel Tamas ' free-kick towards the far post . Italy almost fell behind in the 19th minute when Cristian Chivu 's free-kick rebounded off the far post after being deflected by Panucci , with Buffon already beaten . But the Italians were looking more dangerous . Both Del Piero and Toni headed wide from good positions , while Romania goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont made a fine one-handed save to deny Toni 's header from Del Piero 's corner having previously anticipated Giorgio Chiellini 's cross into the box . Then , on the stroke of half-time , Toni appeared to have given Italy the lead with a header , but Norwegian referee Tom Henning ruled the effort out for offside . Disaster struck for Italy after the break when Gianluca Zambrotta 's 57th back header towards Buffon was intercepted by a determined Mutu , who fired past the goalkeeper . However , it did not take long for Donadoni 's men to hit back . Chiellini latched onto Del Piero 's corner and headed towards the far post where an unmarked Panucci fired into the back of the net . The goal inspired the Italians , who surged forward more aggressively but failed to find the finishing touch . In the 73rd minute , Grosso made a vital tackle on substitute Banel Nicolita as he threatened to break clear , while at the other end Lobont made a spectacular save from Daniele De Rossi 's flying header . Italy continued to surge forward but their efforts to clinch their first win on Swiss soil proved no avail and they have Buffon to thank for keeping their Euro 2008 hopes alive . With seven minutes remaining Panucci was adjudged to have pulled down Daniel Niculae in the area but Mutu 's well-struck penalty was superbly kept out by Buffon with a save which saw the ball rebound off both his hand and foot before heading out for a corner . Donadoni felt his team were the superior side but also admitted the Azzurri were fortunate to be alive in the tournament after several refereeing decisions went against them . `` I do n't usually speak about referees , '' said Donadoni . `` But today 's refereeing was not of high quality . Let 's just say the referee did not have the best of days . `` I think my players interpreted the game well , with a lot of determination . Romania are a difficult team and I think my players merit praise for what they have done today . `` Considering what we have done in terms of chances and the determination we have shown on the pitch , I think Italy have been superior to Romania . '' Romania coach Victor Piturca also believed Italy were fortunate to clinch a point . `` Italy had a lucky escape , '' said Piturca . `` Maybe Mutu was a little bit overwhelmed by Buffon being a top-class goalkeeper . `` But these things happen and it will not be the first time nor the last time that a player has his spot-kick saved . I am actually more angry about how we conceded Italy 's equaliser than about Mutu 's penalty kick . '' Piturca was nevertheless satisfied with the result , which sees his team remain unbeaten in the tournament having held France to a goalless draw on Monday . `` This is a good result for the Romanian team , '' he said . `` We have played against the world champions and against the World Cup runners-up and we have two points . We still have chances to qualify . ''
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Italy 's Euro 2008 hopes hanging by a thread after their 1-1 draw with Romania . Gianluigi Buffon saves a late Adrian Mutu penalty to keep Italy in competition . Mutu had earlier given Romania the lead only for Christian Panucci to equalize .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Will Michael Jackson stop the world ? Fans have set up impromptu shrines to Michael Jackson , including this one at his family 's house . Thousands are expected to swamp Los Angeles , California , to mourn him Tuesday at the Staples Center , and the accompanying media crush will be enormous . The tribute to the King of Pop at Harlem 's Apollo Theater earlier this week drew coverage from all over the world , along with a public turnout in the thousands . Given the feverish interest in all things Jackson , the Los Angeles memorial could be one of the most-viewed events of all time . `` This will obviously be a huge media event , and with Web streams of the funeral , it may be impossible to say for sure how many people watched once all is said and done , because there 's still no comprehensive way to measure Web viewing , '' said Toni Fitzgerald , of Media Life , in an e-mail interview . A handful of events have earned the kind of worldwide coverage to put the world on pause , if only for a moment . The 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy `` had the nation locked in a trance for two or three days , '' recalled TV critic Ed Bark of UncleBarky.com . The world audience for the Apollo 11 moon landing has been estimated in the hundreds of millions . The BBC estimated 2.5 billion people watched the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana . Watch Jermaine Jackson talk about his brother 's legacy '' The numbers are easily exaggerated -- nobody knows how many people are watching in groups or in public places -- and the Web has complicated matters further . But in a multichannel , satellite TV , computer-and-cell phone world , the Jackson memorial could have an audience in the hundreds of millions . It was first believed the event would take place at Jackson 's Neverland Ranch . But the family announced Thursday that it will hold a private ceremony Tuesday , and then a massive public memorial service at the Staples Center . Fans had until 6 p.m. Saturday to register for free tickets to the memorial service . Organizers used a computer to choose 8,750 names from 1.6 million who registered since Friday . Watch a tour of Neverland '' `` You have to go back to the Beatles , the death of John Lennon perhaps , and the death of Elvis Presley to find a comparable figure in , not just pop music , but pop culture , '' said Entertainment Weekly critic-at-large Ken Tucker . -LRB- EW , like CNN , is a unit of Time Warner . -RRB- `` And Jackson so self-consciously turned himself into not just an American pop icon but a global pop icon . I think this does have worldwide implications and interest . '' See how interest in Jackson 's music has skyrocketed '' The circumstances of Jackson 's death have led to comparisons with Presley 's in 1977 , but in terms of coverage , the two ca n't compare . The news was n't even the top story on CBS ' `` Evening News , '' Bark recalled , and there certainly was n't wall-to-wall nationwide live coverage of his funeral . A public viewing drew about 30,000 fans ; the funeral , two days after his death , was held in Graceland 's living room . But Bark said there are parallels , at least in terms of coverage , with the Kennedy assassination . `` These days it 's so much harder to get a bulk audience on any given venue the way the -LSB- broadcast networks -RSB- did back then , but still the enormity -LSB- of the event -RSB- -- it 's the syndicated tabloid shows ... and TMZ and all the cable networks devoting lots of attention to it , -LSB- and -RSB- the broadcast networks ca n't seem to do enough specials in prime time , '' said Bark . `` I do think it 's comparative but in a very different way . '' Officially , the sorts of events that have attracted the largest mass audiences have been scheduled entertainment or sports programs . Sixty percent of America watched the 1983 `` M * A * S * H '' finale ; more than half watched the 1980 `` Who Shot J.R. '' episode of `` Dallas '' and the 1977 `` Roots '' conclusion . The Beatles ' first appearance on `` The Ed Sullivan Show '' in 1964 drew about 45 percent of the country . The Super Bowl is routinely the year 's most watched program , with audiences north of 80 million -- about 40 percent of U.S. television households . Although interest in Jackson has been high , the number of viewing choices -LRB- and , perhaps , the traditional decline in summer viewing -RRB- has kept the ratings for individual Jackson-oriented shows down . `` Jackson 's death came up in just about every conversation I had from Thursday to Sunday , and yet only 5 million people tuned in to some of those broadcast specials , '' Media Life magazine 's Fitzgerald observed . Still , the public memorial service might be different . `` I expect you 'll see very big tune-ins on the cable news networks and on BET , if they cover it ; they had huge numbers for their BET Awards focused on Jackson over the weekend , '' Fitzgerald said . The BET Awards was watched by 10.7 million , the most ever for a cable awards show . `` With the celebrity factor thrown into the funeral , who 'll be there , who 'll talk , I would guess tens of millions in the U.S. will watch it on TV , '' she said . It is certain is that the news media will be there in force . `` I guess we 're all going to wait and see what the spectacle is , '' Bark said . `` There may be no precedent for this . ''
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Public memorial Tuesday could be one of the most-viewed events of all time . It could have a television and online audience in the hundreds of millions . Jackson 's death has led to comparisons with Elvis Presley 's death . Others see parallels , at least in terms of coverage , with the Kennedy assassination .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits the Palestinian territories on a `` historic '' trip Tuesday as part of his Middle East tour . Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomes him in Jericho in the West Bank , where the two are expected to hold a joint press conference . Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat called Medvedev 's trip a `` historic state visit '' adding that `` the message to the world is that the Palestinians are ready for statehood and independence . '' The Palestinian and Russian presidents will sign three agreements in agriculture , sports and communications . Medvedev will then inaugurate a new Russian art museum in Jericho . `` It 's a beautiful addition '' to the city , Erakat told CNN . Erakat sees this visit as an important step towards achieving Palestinian independence , he said . `` This is our message to the world : Look at us . We are ready for a statehood , we are ready for independence , we are ready for freedom . '' Russia was one of the first countries to recognise the Palestinian state and the Palestinians have full diplomatic representation in Moscow . Medvedev cancelled an official visit to Israel this month due to a strike by the Foreign Ministry employees who refused to organize the visit and threatened to disrupt the visit if it took place . Foreign Ministry workers have been striking since mid-December , demanding higher wages . Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told CNN last week that the strike is harming Israeli interests , just as teachers ' strikes and hospital strikes do harm , but he blamed the finance ministry for ignoring the workers ' demands . `` They are not taking the strike seriously -- they are treating it as a playground strike , '' he said . Israeli President Shimon Peres phoned the Russian president , apologized for the canceled visit , and thanked him for his involvement in the Middle East peace process . Medvedev accepted to Peres ' invitation to meet him at the World Economic Forum in Davos , Israel said .
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The Russian president will open an art museum and sign agreements with the Palestinians . Saeb Erakat says the visit shows the Palestinians are ready for statehood . Medvedev had to cancel a visit to Israel because of a strike .
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Tehran , Iran -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- United Nations-backed nuclear inspectors on Sunday visited a newly disclosed Iranian nuclear facility near the city of Qom , Iranian media has reported . `` IAEA inspectors today visited the ... nuclear installation , '' the semi-official Mehr news agency said , referring to International Atomic Energy Agency staff . `` The IAEA inspectors arrived Saturday night and are scheduled to inspect the ... site several times . The inspectors will leave Tehran Tuesday . '' Tehran sent shock waves through the international community in September by revealing the existence of the previously secret nuclear enrichment facility near Qom . The IAEA announced Saturday its inspectors were leaving for the much-anticipated inspection . The agency declined to give more details on Sunday . `` It is our policy not to comment on the itinerary of our inspectors , '' a spokesman for the U.N. nuclear watchdog told CNN . The inspectors will visit the installation to make sure it is being used for peaceful purposes , said Ali Akbar Salehi , the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran , according to the Islamic Republic News Agency . The inspection comes after Iran said Friday that it needs more time to decide whether to sign onto a deal that could help end the international showdown over its nuclear activities . That proposal calls for low-enriched uranium produced in Iran to be sent abroad for further enrichment and then returned for use in medical research and treatment . Tehran is studying the draft proposal and will have an answer next week , Iranian diplomat Ali Asghar Soltanieh said on state-run Press TV . Iran informed IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei that it is `` considering the proposal in depth and in a favorable light , but it needs until the middle of next week to provide a response , '' according to an IAEA statement . Delegations from Iran , France , Russia , the United States and the IAEA met in Vienna this week to work out details of the tentative deal reached in early October . France , Russia and the United States have indicated their approval of the arrangement . `` The Director General hopes that Iran 's response will equally be positive , since approval of this agreement will signal a new era of cooperation , '' the IAEA statement said . After the current inspection , but before the end of the month , Iranian officials are expected to meet with the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council -- Britain , China , France , Russia and the United States -- plus Germany to further discuss Tehran 's nuclear program . Iran 's leaders maintain that their nation 's nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes , but many in the West believe Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities . Low-enriched nuclear fuel can be further enriched into weapons-grade material . CNN 's Per Nyberg contributed to this report .
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The IAEA announced Saturday its inspectors were leaving for the inspection . Iran said Friday it needs more time to decide whether to sign onto a nuclear deal . Iran says its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes . Many in the West believe Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities .
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ATLANTA , Georgia -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Oscar Reynoso owed his bosses $ 300,000 , and he was running out of time . One anti-drug operation in Atlanta netted $ 10.6 million , 108 kilos of cocaine , 17 pounds of meth and 32 weapons . Gunmen snatched Reynoso and locked him in the basement of a home to try to settle the drug debt . He was chained to a wall of the basement by his hands and ankles , gagged and beaten . His captors , members of a powerful Mexican drug cartel , held Reynoso for ransom , chained in the sweltering , dirty basement for six days without food . Reynoso 's ordeal could 've been a scene from the drug war in Mexico . But it played out recently in suburban Atlanta , Georgia . U.S. federal agents are fighting to keep that kind of violence from gripping Atlanta , as the city known for Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines has become a major distribution hub for Mexican drug cartels . In fiscal year 2008 , authorities confiscated about $ 70 million in drug-related cash in Atlanta , more than anywhere else in the United States , the Drug Enforcement Administration says . This fiscal year , Atlanta continues to outpace all other U.S. regions in such seizures , with $ 30 million confiscated so far . Next are Los Angeles , California , with about $ 19 million , and Chicago , Illinois , with $ 18 million . `` There is definitely a center of this type of drug activity here , and we are working to make sure the violence does not spill out to the general public , '' Atlanta U.S. Attorney David Nahmias said . Atlanta has become a stopping point for truckloads of Mexican cocaine , heroin , marijuana and methamphetamine , agents say . The drugs are held in stash houses before being distributed up the East Coast . `` The money comes down here also to money managers in Atlanta , who get the books in order before it is sent out , '' said Rodney Benson , Atlanta 's chief of the DEA . Agents attribute the growth in drug trafficking to Atlanta 's location , proximity to other major cities and access to major highways . Authorities also point to the growth of the Hispanic population in Atlanta , which allows practitioners of the Mexican drug trade to blend in among hard-working , law-abiding Hispanics . No place is that more evident than in Gwinnett County , a community about 20 miles north of Atlanta . Gwinnett 's Hispanic population rocketed from 8,470 in 1990 to 63,727 in 2000 , according to the U.S. Census . By 2010 , 20 percent of the county 's projected population of 700,000 is expected to be Hispanic . `` In Gwinnett County , the drug dealers are able to hide in plain sight , '' county District Attorney Danny Porter said . `` To combat this , we have to be much more coordinated between my office , the police department and the federal authorities . The presence of the organizations is a dilemma enough that we have to develop new tactics . '' Federal agents say arrests and drug-related violence in Atlanta have been linked to the two most powerful Mexican organizations : the Sinaloa and Gulf cartels . A battle over drug routes has been blamed for the recent surge in violence in Mexican border towns , bloodshed that has included hundreds of deaths . The fear is that the battle will extend deeper into the United States , causing more to suffer a fate similar to Reynoso 's ordeal in the Gwinnett County basement . Lucky for Reynoso , federal agents had a wiretap on his captors ' phones . Agents stormed the home just as it appeared that the debt would not be paid and Reynoso would be killed . `` There is no doubt in my mind that we saved his life that day , '' said the DEA 's Benson . One case resolved , as cartels thrive in Atlanta .
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City outpaces all others in the United States in drug-related cash seizures . $ 30 million has been confiscated in Atlanta this fiscal year . Location , proximity to other cities and highways cited in trafficking growth . Drug dealers `` hide in plain sight '' in suburban Gwinnett County .
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John L. Allen Jr. is the senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and senior Vatican analyst for CNN . Pope Benedict leaves the Church of Nativity in his pope mobile after celebrating Mass Wednesday in Bethlehem . JERUSALEM -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Middle East may be the most hyper-sensitive piece of real estate on earth , where no more than a stray word or gesture can trigger an explosion . For precisely that reason , the Vatican had hoped that Benedict 's trip to the region this week could surmount the occasional PR gaffes that have plagued his papacy . He would stay `` on message '' about peace , reconciliation , and inter-faith solidarity . That game plan began to unravel Tuesday . The pope 's spokesman issued an unsolicited denial that Benedict XVI had ever been a member of the Hitler Youth , only to have to retract that denial within a couple of hours . In so doing , the Vatican inadvertently reopened a chapter of the pope 's past that most people had considered closed . The Rev. Federico Lombardi , an Italian priest who serves as the pope 's spokesman , made the statement in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday , after Benedict 's hugely symbolic visits to the Dome of the Rock and the Western Wall in Jerusalem . In his prepared remarks , Lombardi complained that media outlets had been reporting a `` falsehood , '' namely the claim that Joseph Ratzinger , the future Benedict XVI , had belonged to the Hitler Youth . `` The pope was never in the Hitler Youth : never , never , never , '' Lombardi said . Journalists who have followed Benedict XVI closely over the years were startled by that assertion , because it 's well known that the pope , more than 10 years ago , discussed having been involuntarily enrolled in the Hitler Youth as a young seminarian growing up in Hitler 's Germany . In a 1997 book-length interview with a German journalist titled `` Salt of the Earth , '' then-Cardinal Ratzinger said : `` When the compulsory Hitler Youth was introduced in 1941 , my brother was obliged to join . I was still too young , but later , as a seminarian , I was registered in the H.Y. '' Ratzinger went on to discuss how he never took part in the group and stayed as far away from it as possible . Roughly two hours after his original statement on Tuesday , Lombardi took a huge step backwards . Asked by reporters for clarification , he said he could confirm that Ratzinger was registered in the Hitler Youth and was technically a member . `` This was a formal thing , which was not a significant part of his life , '' Lombardi said . `` He had no active participation and no identification with this movement . '' To be sure , the young Ratzinger came out of a strongly anti-Nazi family , and the evidence is clear that he never participated in any Hitler Youth activities , was never a member of the Nazi party , and became part of an auxiliary unit of the Germany army only because he was drafted . He was appalled by Nazism and has a long record of affection for Jews and Judaism . Nonetheless , it 's a fact of his biography that Joseph Ratzinger was once registered in the Hitler Youth . All this was widely discussed when he was elected to the papacy four years ago , and when the dust settled , most observers considered it resolved because of the clear evidence that the pope had been anti-Nazi from the start . If anything , the fact that the pope had been compelled to register in the Hitler Youth gave him credibility in addressing the horrors of National Socialism , since he had seen them from within . Yet the Vatican 's clumsy attempt to deny something that the pope himself had already conceded long ago reawakened the story , prompting media agencies around the world to rehash the details . Probably the last place on earth the Vatican would want to launch a news cycle dedicated to Benedict and the Hitler Youth would be in Israel , and yet that 's exactly how it played out . In the end , the episode is probably no more than a footnote to the broader themes of the pope 's historic Middle East visit , but it does illustrate one critical point : When it comes to public relations , the pope and his team are far from infallible . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John L. Allen Jr. .
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Pope Benedict 's spokesman said pope was never in Hitler Youth , then said he was . Pope has long ago acknowledged he was forced into group as a child . Issue , already resolved , brought up during trip to Israel , of all places . Vatican had hoped that Benedict 's trip could surmount past PR gaffes .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Continental Airlines plane that crashed in Clarence Center , New York , late Thursday is one of several major incidents over the past two months . The wreckage of a Continental Airlines 737 sits off a runway at Denver International Airport in December . • On February 12 , Continental Flight 3407 crashed en route to Buffalo , New York , killing 49 people . • On January 27 , Empire Airlines Flight 8284 crashed 300 feet short while on approach to a runway at Lubbock International Airport in Texas . The plane was arriving from Fort Worth , Texas . The aircraft was destroyed by the crash and a post-impact fire . Two crew members suffered minor injuries . • On January 15 , U.S. Airways Flight 1549 ditched in the Hudson River while en route from LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte , North Carolina . All 155 passengers survived , with few injuries . • On December 20 , 2008 , Continental Flight 1404 departed the left side of the runway during takeoff from Denver International Airport in Denver . The flight was en route to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston , Texas . A total of 38 passengers and crew were taken to hospitals , and five were admitted . There were no fatalities . The airplane was substantially damaged and experienced a post-crash fire , which was located on the right side of the aircraft . CNN 's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report .
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Thursday 's deadly plane crash in Buffalo is part of a spate of recent incidents . U.S. Airways Flight 1549 landed in Hudson River on January 15 . Continental Flight 1404 slides off runway during takeoff at Denver International Airport .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cristiano Ronaldo gave Manchester United a New Year boost by again ruling out a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid . Ronaldo 's goals fired United 's brilliant 2008-09 campaign . The European Footballer of the Year has been constantly linked with a transfer to the Bernabeu , speculation which increased following recent claims that Real had reached an agreement with United over his eventual sale . `` There 's always speculation , not just about me , but about the future of players all around the world , '' Ronaldo told the club 's official television station MUTV . `` People were speaking about me this summer but that was normal because of what I did during the season . `` What people are saying now is not true . Who says that is a liar because I am happy at the club , I want to stay here . I feel at home here . I feel very happy here . '' Ronaldo was widely quoted during a turbulent summer that he was keen to play for Real and it appeared only a matter of time before the move became a reality , but now the 23-year-old is pledging loyalty to the Old Trafford faithful . `` I love the fans because they have been brilliant with me , not just this season but every season . Like I said before , I feel at home in Manchester , '' he added . Ronaldo scored 42 goals in United 's Premier League and Champions League double last season and after coming back from ankle surgery has netted 11 times this campaign . United go into 2009 handily-placed to retain the English title , in the knockout stages of the Champions League and semifinals of the League Cup . Ronaldo is crucial to their continued success and he used the interview to pay tribute to the role manager Alex Ferguson has played in his development into a world class player . ' I want to be part of this club with you . I want to win trophies with you . ' He 's very important in my career , Alex Ferguson , '' he added .
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Cristiano Ronaldo dismisses new reports linking him to Real Madrid . Portugal star insists he is `` happy '' at Old Trafford and wants to stay . Ronaldo scored 42 goals in United 's double-winning campaign last season .
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MATABELELAND , Zimbabwe -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- British broadcaster Sky News Wednesday criticized the jail sentences given to three of its drivers in Zimbabwe , where a court found them guilty of possessing broadcast equipment without authorization . Journalists read a newspaper in Zimbabwe , where freedom of the press is extremely limited . The men are all from Johannesburg , South Africa and were sentenced Tuesday , according to their attorney . `` We deplore the harsh sentence given to the three South African drivers , '' a Sky News spokesman , who did not give his name , said in London . `` We will be appealing and hope that the Zimbabwean justice system fully reappraises its decision . '' A court convicted Bernet Hasani Sono , Resemate Boy Chauke , and Simon Maodi on Monday in Matabeleland , the state-run newspaper Chronicle reported . The three men pleaded guilty to violating the Postal and Telecommunications Act but denied the truck and Sky News equipment were theirs , the state paper reported . The judge , John Masimba , said that despite denying ownership , possession of the equipment was still a violation of the act . Masimba said in the Chronicle that it would send the wrong signal if he did not punish the men . Sono and Maodi were additionally charged an extra six weeks in jail for violating a section of the Immigration Act after the two did n't show up to the Immigration authorities , their defense lawyer , Tawengwa Hara , said . The charge was minor but Hara said he would appeal the possession charge and the sentence . Zimbabwean police stopped the men during a routine check at a Mbalabala roadblock in the Matabeleland South province and found boxes containing the communication equipment . The men were unable to give a reason for possessing it and were arrested , Hara said . The police claimed the three defendants were journalists , but the men denied the claim . `` We are really outraged at six months in prison for just driving a car , '' said Leonard Vincent , director of the Africa desk at Paris-based Reporters Without Borders -LRB- RSF -RRB- . The men 's lawyer might be able to file an appeal or the South African government could try to intervene in the case , Vincent said , but it was unlikely the men could be freed before serving their full sentences . `` They are innocent victims of a very tense political situation , '' Vincent said . There have been numerous media reports from Zimbabwe made without the government 's authorization , prompting the arrests of several journalists . Press freedom groups say Zimbabwe has some of the world 's most restrictive laws for journalist accreditation . `` They face two years in prison if caught working without this precious document , '' RSF said in its 2008 annual report on the country , a reference to the accreditation . `` No foreign reporter can legally work in Zimbabwe without fear of arrest , being paraded like a trophy , and expelled after high-speed sentencing . '' Since the 2002 elections , the local and foreign media has deteriorated , said Tom Rhodes , the Africa program coordinator of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists . Zimbabwe `` once had the highest literary rate in sub-Saharan Africa and a vibrant media system , '' Rhodes said , but since the elections , draconian press laws had increasingly limited the access to information . The accreditation law 's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act blocked some foreign media and shut down several independent newspapers during the 2002 elections . This sparked more restrictions , which now requires journalists to have two forms of government approval , one from the Media Information Commission and the other from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission . President Robert Mugabe amended the laws in January but authorities still use them to suppress critical press coverage , Rhodes said . In April , however , New York Times journalist Barry Bearak and British freelancer Stephen Bevan were arrested on charges of violating the laws but were later released . And toward the end of May , distributors of the Zimbabwean Sunday paper were beaten by unknown assailants and the truck carrying the papers was burned . CNN 's Melissa Gray contributed to this report .
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Three Sky News drivers found guilty of possession of TV equipment . Police claim the defendants are journalists but the men deny the claim . Drivers sentenced to six months in prison with little chance of an early release . Zimbabwe accused of some of world 's most restrictive laws for journalists .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. and British diplomats are safe after Zimbabwe police , soldiers and `` war veterans '' stopped their convoy Thursday and threatened to burn them alive , U.S. officials said . U.S. Ambassador James McGee visits a reported victim of political violence at a Harare clinic this month . State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said five American Embassy employees and two local staff members had been detained . `` While this immediate incident has been resolved , it will not be forgotten , '' McCormack said . Just hours after the incident , Zimbabwe Social Welfare Minister Nicholas Goche said that all aid organizations were ordered to cease operations in the country until the presidential runoff is concluded , a journalist in the country said . Despite Goche 's announcement , Boniface Chidyausiku , the Zimbabwean ambassador to the United Nations , said CARE International was the only aid group told to suspend work . The government had accused some of the 300 CARE employees in Zimbabwe -- mostly Zimbabweans -- of passing out brochures in favor of an opposition political party , CARE spokesman Kenneth Walker said . The organization denies the charge . Chidyausiku said the Zimbabwean minister of social services is reviewing the activity of all non-governmental organizations in light of accusations that some have been politicizing their operations and campaigning for the opposition . `` What we find is that there have been complaints about NGOs operating as Trojan horses for the oppositions , but the opposition has denied it , '' he said . Henrietta Fore , administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development , urged the government of Zimbabwe to `` lift the suspension on all international aid agencies involved in humanitarian work in the country . '' Fore told CNN that the `` suspension is a direct threat to the lives and well-being of tens of thousands of innocent people in Zimbabwe . '' The U.N. Security Council convened Thursday to discuss the diplomats ' detention . U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said , `` This demonstrates this is a regime that is very much out of step with international norms . '' British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the detained Britons had been engaged in `` the normal business of diplomacy . '' The British diplomat and three visitors were released unharmed and allowed to go about their business , he said . `` Obviously , this is a window into the lives of Zimbabweans , '' Miliband said . `` Diplomats are protected by papers and international contacts in a way too many Zimbabweans are not protected . '' Watch U.S. official call the detentions outrageous '' Zimbabwean Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga denied U.S. Ambassador James McGee 's claims of intimidation and said the diplomats were detained after trying to flee police at a roadblock . Two U.S. Embassy cars and a British Embassy vehicle were going to check on reports of recent violence when they were stopped , McGee said . `` The police put up a roadblock , stopped the vehicles , slashed the tires , reached in and grabbed the telephones from my personnel , '' said McGee , who was not in the convoy . `` The war veterans threatened to burn the vehicles with my people inside unless they got out of the vehicles and accompanied the police to a station nearby , '' he added . Matonga said the embassy officials were traveling in an area they did n't have authorization to enter . `` They went to an area without informing the foreign affairs , '' Matonga said . `` It is very mischievous . And we know why you are doing it , but the police will stop this . '' McCormack called the assertion that officials were not informed `` absurd . '' Zimbabwe officials have accused members of the U.S. ambassador 's office of trying to aid the opposition party in the coming presidential runoff . When McGee found out that embassy personnel were detained , he sent an embassy security officer to the scene to see whether he could help , he said . Police extracted the security officer , a local , from the car and beat him , McGee said . `` These are diplomatic-plated vehicles . They knew exactly who was in those vehicles , '' McGee said . `` This government is not following their own laws and definitely not following any international laws . '' He added , `` Zimbabwe has become a lawless country . '' Matonga argued that the diplomats were detained because they would n't `` comply '' with police and tried to flee a roadblock . He denied outright that a U.S. Embassy employee was beaten and that Zimbabwean forces slashed the tires of an U.S. Embassy vehicle . However , he said soldiers may have taken diplomats to the ground when they tried to flee . According to the U.S. State Department , McGee and diplomats from five other missions in Harare were detained and questioned by Zimbabwe 's security forces May 13 . McGee and diplomats from the United Kingdom , the European Union , Japan , Tanzania and the Netherlands had just visited a hospital , the State Department reported . On May 8 , McGee penned a statement , officially breaking his silence on the political violence wracking Zimbabwe . `` I feel compelled , as a supporter of human rights , to speak out about the atrocities being committed across Zimbabwe , '' McGee wrote , saying the U.S. had received more than 700 reports of violence . `` The violence can not be allowed to continue . I will continue to speak out clearly and forcefully to demand its end . '' He continued , `` Let me also be clear that the U.S. is aware of the identities of many of those responsible for instigating the violence and for carrying it out . We will continue to gather evidence of the atrocities being committed so that the guilty can one day be brought to justice . '' Though reports of violence have been common in Zimbabwe , there has been a significant uptick in attacks since the March 29 elections . Voters cast more ballots for opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai than for President Robert Mugabe , who has been in power since the African nation gained its independence 28 years ago . After the election , the country 's electoral commission reported that neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote . A runoff is scheduled for June 27 . Since the election , opposition and church groups have reported kidnappings , torture and other violence , including the deaths of opposition party members . They say the violence targets opponents of Mugabe and his Zanu-PF party .
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NEW : Zimbabwe orders aid groups to stop field work . Diplomats safe after threats from security forces , U.S. and UK say . Zimbabwe says diplomats detained for failing to `` comply '' with police . U.S. envoy says he believes orders to intimidate came `` directly from the top ''
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- This week on Inside Africa . It 's one of the most sacred acts of the Zulu people . We take you inside an ancient wedding ceremony played out in modern times . Africa gains two seats on the United Nations Security Council , but should those seats be permanent , and what will Nigeria do with this two-year opportunity ? Plus , Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys takes us on her eye-opening trip to Africa and talks about how the experience changed the way she wrote her next album . Alicia Keys in Africa . She 's traveled the world on tour but for singer Alicia Keys nothing spoke to her like a visit she once took to Africa . It moved her to help create a charity and influenced her next album . CNN 's TJ Holmes sat down with the singer to find out what caused the profound effect . Liberia Photo Exhibit . Tim Hetherington is a photographer who has witnessed the violent life behind rebel lines in Liberia 's 2003 civil war . He takes us through photos he took during his time there , now on display in London . World Food Prize . There is a weed so powerful in sub-Saharan Africa that it can destroy hundreds of thousands of hectares of crucial crops . It 's a problem that has puzzled researchers for ages . But now , thanks to one man , a breakthrough is on the horizon . We reveal why Dr. Gebisa Ejeta is the recipient of this year 's World Food Prize . Interview with Ojo Maduekwe . The United Nations has recently voted in its newest members to the Security Council , the new five out of 15 who will serve for the next two years . Nigeria and Gabon received the two African seats , making this the third time Gabon has served on the council and the fourth time for Nigeria . CNN 's Isha Sesay spoke with Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe about what he 'd like to accomplish in the next two years and how it felt to be the one to bring this success to Nigeria . Traditional Wedding . A view of ancient times . These were images sent in by an iReporter of one of the most sacred acts of the Zulu people : a traditional wedding . Our correspondent Errol Barnett caught up with the iReporter behind these photos .
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Inside Africa reports on Africa 's seats in the United Nations Security Council . CNN 's TJ Holmes sat down with Alicia Keys to talk about her visit in Africa . Photographer Tim Hetherington shows us his Liberia photo exhibit . Plus , World Food Prize and Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A meningitis outbreak is threatening the lives of tens of thousands of people in Darfur , according to an aid agency expelled from the country last week . A Doctors without Borders medic helps a sick child in a Darfur refugee camp . Humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders , also known as Médecins Sans Frontières -LRB- MSF -RRB- , says it was preparing to vaccinate around 100,000 people in southern and western Darfur against meningitis , when it was told to leave the country . `` We were in the process of organizing a vaccination campaign . At the moment there 's no one there that can take over those activities , which is really worrying , '' Gemma Davies of MSF told CNN . The country 's Ministry of Health officially declared a meningitis outbreak on March 2 at the Kalma Camp , which shelters more than 90,000 refugees in southern Darfur . `` Living in such close proximity , the potential for this outbreak to spread quickly is quite high , Davies , MSF project coordinator for South Darfur , told CNN . `` With no health care providers to give vaccinations , and with no one to manage the meningitis cases when they come , it 's really concerning , '' she added . The vaccination campaign was due to begin on March 7 , but it is now unclear if or when it will resume , as reports of government harassment of aid workers continue . Davies told CNN she experienced no harassment , and said government officials had been in contact with only the head of MSF 's regional operations . `` We have n't actually been given any reason on why we were expelled , '' she said . `` We have absolutely no idea when we 'll be able to return . '' Doctors Without Borders was among 13 aid agencies , including Mercy Corps and the International Rescue Committee , that were ordered by the government to shut down their operations in Sudan last week . So far the agency has confirmed 32 meningitis cases and four deaths , and has seen dozens of other suspected cases . Thousands of unvaccinated refugees and villagers are now exposed to the airborne disease in densely populated camps and villages throughout Sudan . `` One of our priorities is to get another organization to take over our programs there , '' Davies added . The medical relief agency says it doubts though that other any other organizations have the capacity to deal with a meningitis epidemic . Davies also said she is worried about the cut-off of MSF 's feeding and maternal delivery services : `` We had over 100 patients on our feeding program that now wo n't be receiving any follow up . '' The decision by the Sudanese government to throw out the aid groups came a day after the International Criminal Court at The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur . However , not all international aid organizations are affected . Others including World Vision international continues its work , which reaches approximately 500,000 internally displaced people in South Sudan . The U.N. has received reports that international staff members of five non-governmental organizations had been detained for up to four hours . Speaking on the phone from Nairobi , an aid worker , who asked not to be identified for fear of further harassment , told CNN that his colleagues who remained in Khartoum were being intimidated and threatened by government agents . In some cases Sudanese government representatives `` had started gathering banking details and confiscating computers , communications equipment and vehicles from the NGOs '' , a U.N spokesman said at a news conference last week . Last week , the U.N. warned that the loss of NGOs in Sudan would cause 1.1 million people to go without food aid and health care , and more than 1 million to have no access to water . Oxfam , whose work focuses on providing safe drinking water , was one of the aid groups who were told their registration to operate in Sudan was no longer valid . Ninety percent of their staff are Sudanese nationals , who mostly remain in country , unable to continue their relief work under threat of arrest . `` These agencies are vital implementation partners for the United Nations and account for at least half of the humanitarian capacity in Darfur , '' said Catherine Bragg , U.N. Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator at the news conference in New York .
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Meningitis threatens hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur . More than a million at risk of starvation after aid agencies expelled , U.N. warns . Sources : Aid workers harassed and detained by the Sudanese government .
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Editor 's Note : David M. Walker served as comptroller general of the United States and head of the Government Accountability Office -LRB- GAO -RRB- from 1998 to 2008 . He is now president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation . David Walker says the $ 700 billion bailout is a pittance compared with the debt facing the United States . -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act contains plenty to make lawmakers on the left and right shudder . On the right , it 's the apparent abandonment of free-market principles . On the left , it 's the absence of punishment for high-flying Wall Street CEO 's . Looking down the middle , what I found downright unnerving was how hard Washington struggled to pass a bill that , in reality , represents less than 1 percent of our current federal financial hole . Do n't get me wrong . Congress and the Bush Administration are to be commended for acting to relieve the credit crunch and trying to minimize any immediate , adverse effect on our economy and by consequence , on American jobs and access to credit . The ultimate cost of the act should ring up at less than $ 500 billion , less than the advertised $ 700 billion because of anticipated proceeds from the government 's sale of the assets it will acquire with the appropriated funds . The nation 's real tab , on the other hand , amounted to $ 53 trillion as of the end of the last fiscal year . That was the sum of our public debt ; accrued civilian and military retirement benefits ; unfunded , promised Social Security and Medicare benefits ; and other financial obligations -- all according to the government 's most recent financial statement of September 30 , 2007 . The rescue package and other bailout efforts for Fannie Mae , Freddie Mac , AIG and the auto industry , escalating operating deficits , compounding interest and other factors are likely to boost the tab to $ 56 trillion or more by the end of this calendar year . With numbers and trends like this , you might ask , `` Who will bail out America ? '' The answer is , no one but us ! Since we 're going to have to save ourselves , recent events could hardly be called encouraging . It took an additional $ 100 billion in incentives -- some would call them `` sweeteners ; '' others might call them bribes -- to get lawmakers to pass the rescue package . Regardless of what you call these incentives , ultimately the taxpayers will have to pick up the tab , with interest . The process that was employed to achieve enactment of this bill was hardly a model of efficiency or effectiveness . The original proposal represented an over-reach and under-communication by the administration . Neither lawmakers nor ordinary citizens had enough information to properly assess the real risks , the need for action and what an appropriate course of action might be . Furthermore , the key players allowed the legislation to be characterized as a $ 700 billion bailout of Wall Street , which was neither an accurate nor a fair reflection of the legislation . Passage of the credit-crunch relief provisions in the act was understandable , not just because of what risks and needed actions the Treasury and the Federal Reserve were aware of , but more importantly , because of what policymakers did n't know and eventually might have to address . Let 's face it -- the regular order in Washington is broken . We must move beyond crisis management approaches and start to address some of the key fiscal and other challenges facing this country if we want our future to be better than our past . A good place to start would be for the presidential candidates to acknowledge our $ 53 trillion -LRB- and growing -RRB- federal financial hole and commit to begin to address it . Their endorsement of the need for a bipartisan fiscal future commission along the lines of the one sponsored by Rep. Jim Cooper , D-Tennessee , and Rep. Frank Wolf , R-Virginia , also would make sense . Any such commission should , at a minimum , address the need for statutory budget controls , comprehensive Social Security reform , a first round of tax reform and a first round of comprehensive health care reform . It should hold hearings both inside and beyond the Beltway . And , its recommendations should be guaranteed to receive an up-or-down vote by Congress if a super-majority of the commission 's members can agree on a comprehensive proposal . Our fiscal time bomb is ticking , and the time for action is now ! The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer .
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David Walker : The U.S. faces a debt much larger than the bailout amount . Walker : No one is going to bail out America , we have to do it ourselves . U.S. needs panel to examine how to cut $ 53 trillion long-term debt , he says . Social Security , health care and taxes need to be reformed , Walker says .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- UK prosecutors may charge the parents of paralyzed rugby player Daniel James with helping their son end his life . James , center , traveled from the UK to Switzerland to commit suicide . He was 23 . James , 23 , from Sinton Green in western England was paralyzed from the chest down in March 2007 when a rugby scrum collapsed on top of him during match practice , dislocating his spine . Worcestershire Coroner 's Service , which is conducing an inquest into the circumstances of his death , states on its Web site that James died on September 12 after he `` traveled to Switzerland with a view to ending his own life . He was admitted to a clinic where he died . '' The inquest was adjourned on September 19 for reports . What do you think about assisted suicide ? UK police said they questioned two people in a criminal investigation of the case . Prosecutors said Thursday they plan to review the police investigation before deciding whether to prosecute anyone . The case has renewed debate about assisted suicide in the UK , where those found guilty of helping someone kill themselves face up to 14 years in prison . Switzerland , along with Belgium , Luxembourg and the Netherlands , are the only European countries where authorities will not prosecute those who assist with suicide . Many in the UK have voiced support for Mark and Julie James , who flew to the Swiss clinic with their son . Watch the debate on assisted suicide '' Mark Roebuck , uncle to Daniel , described the injury on a Web site for the Dan James Trust , which he set up to help his nephew 's recovery . `` He dislocated his C6/C7 vertebrae , trapping his spinal cord and becoming a tetraplegic in a split second , '' Roebuck wrote . `` This means that Dan -LRB- had -RRB- lost the complete use of his body from the chest down . '' James , regained some use of his fingers , Roebuck wrote , but that was the extent of his recovery . Roebuck wrote this month that his nephew had died in an assisted suicide . `` His death was an extremely sad loss , '' his parents said in a statement , `` but was no doubt a welcome relief from the prison he felt his body had become . '' In a statement last week James ' parents paid tribute to their son and said that he had attempted to kill himself several times already . They added that their son , `` an intelligent young man of sound mind , '' had never come to terms with his condition and was `` not prepared to live what he felt was a second-class existence '' . Matt Hampson , an English rugby player who was also paralyzed from the neck down with an almost identical spinal injury in 2005 , now runs a rugby Web site that supports a charity for children with spinal injuries . Hampson said he met with James briefly last year to share his experience of living with paralysis . But James ' suicide , he says , was a personal choice that only James and his family can fully understand , adding : `` Who am I to judge what he did ? '' `` You either get on with it or you die , '' added Hampson , who played for the England Under 21 team . `` I kind of see my role as getting on with my life to show people that , just because I 've had this catastrophic injury , that does n't mean I ca n't do things . I do n't think my life is worse . It 's a lot better in some ways . '' Debbie Purdy , a 45-year-old who suffers from multiple sclerosis , says she wants the option of assisted suicide if her pain one day becomes intolerable . Purdy has a case before the High Court to clarify the law . `` I just want clarity so I know whether or not my husband Omar will be prosecuted or questioned by the police if I decide to travel abroad and he accompanies me , '' Purdy writes on the Web site for Dignity in Dying , a British group that advocates for `` patient choice at the end of life . '' Dignity in Dying says the law in England and Wales is unclear regarding assisted suicide . Although no one has been prosecuted for accompanying a family member abroad for the procedure , the group says , some relatives have faced police questioning . `` I want to know what the law considers to be assisting a suicide , '' Purdy writes . `` Is Omar open to prosecution if he helps me into a taxi to the airport , or books my flights ? '' CNN 's Melissa Gray and Atika Shubert contributed to this report .
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Young rugby player , paralyzed after accident , ends his life in Switzerland . Police interview man and woman about the death of Daniel James , 23 . It is illegal in UK and much of Europe to assist with someone 's suicide . Campaigners argue those with severe conditions should be allowed the right to die .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Circles Robinson is a 55-year-old American who has lived in Havana with his family since 2001 . He works revising English translations for official Cuban media online publications and in his spare time he writes his own blog and manages the Havana Times Web site . Circles Robinson : `` There are fantastic cultural opportunities in Havana . '' CNN : What makes Havana special to you ? Circles : Havana is the only capital city I 've seen that I would want to live in . One big reason is that there are relatively few cars , making the city pedestrian-friendly . Another is that it 's quite safe for a capital and you feel like the night is your ally instead of your adversary . Havana is full of contrasts that make life interesting : buildings being restored amid others collapsing . There 's an amazing array of cultural activities but it can be hard to buy a nail or cat food or even a roll of toilet paper sometimes . I love the parks , the Malecon seawall and the ever-expanding network of museums that give you the feeling there is always something new to see on a weekend stroll . And Havana is virtually free of commercial advertising . The TV and other media are ad-free as well , and I love that . CNN : What are your favorite parts of the city ? Circles : The Malecon seawall is a great place to think , relax and observe , because of its majestic views , sea breeze and mix of characters from all walks of life . I also love the sprawling grounds , stone walls and magnificent view of the city at the San Carlos de la Cabana Fortress across Havana Bay . The Latinoamericano baseball stadium is also special for a fan like me . Out on the east side of the city the beaches are fantastic . We try to go once every few months and more often in the summer . Vedado is my favorite district . It has many large parks , beautiful tree-lined streets and a mix of extremely interesting 20th-century architecture . Of course , Old Havana is gorgeous , with all the excellent restoration work and many museums . I usually find myself going there when I have visitors to show around . CNN : What do you dislike about life in Havana ? Circles : The overcrowded housing situation and deteriorated buildings in some parts of the city make for some difficult living situations and many things only work halfway . There 's a thick bureaucratic maze to accomplish many simple tasks . Most people need to do something under-the-table to get by and there are some seemingly ridiculous prohibitions . What makes Havana special to you ? Let us know . CNN : What 's a typical weekend in the city ? Circles : There are fantastic cultural opportunities in Havana and they are very accessible to all , normally costing from 10 to 50 U.S. cents for a ticket . My wife and I often go to the theater , to movies , dance performances and concerts . I like jazz a lot and this Friday there 's an outdoor jam session around the time when people get off work . On Saturday there 's an early evening informal free concert on the porch of an art gallery . There 's also a film festival offering young filmmakers ' works and there are numerous venues for stand up comedians , which are a big favorite of the general population . CNN : Cuban music is known throughout the world . Where are the best places in Havana to hear real Cuban music ? Circles : I much prefer what they call the `` penas '' -- more intimate sessions where friends and followers show up . Many groups have regular `` penas '' once or twice a month , where you might hear folk , rumba or jazz . These performances are held at a variety of places , outdoor and indoor , and most are free . For more formal concerts I particularly like the theater at the Cuban Fine Arts Museum and the smaller hall at the Amadeo Roldan Theater . The Teatro America also offers a good variety of musical presentations . Some of the best venues for salsa are the outdoor ones . There are outdoor auditoriums in most neighborhoods , like the Tropical 's Salon Rosada in Buena Vista , La Bereda in La Lisa , and El Patio de la Salsa in La Virgen del Camino , where you can see the top salsa bands for under a dollar . You can also see top salsa bands for free at the weekend at venues set up in squares or plazas . CNN : What do you think the future has in store for Havana ? Circles : The potential is awesome . If the hostile policy of the U.S. towards Cuba could turn into a good-neighbor policy , or at least more normal ties , the economy of the city would no doubt improve . If the travel ban was lifted people from the U.S. could appreciate all that Havana has to offer . Likewise , if the rest of the blockade was lifted it would present a great challenge to the city 's government to get beyond a virtual state of siege and be able to confront its serious infrastructural needs , housing deficit and , in some areas , highly deficient public works and utilities . An onslaught of visitors would also put services to the test and most likely require improvements . CNN : If Havana was a person what would he or she be like ? Circles : He or she would be casually sensuous , timeless , sassy and either ` tranquillo ' or combative depending on how the day 's going .
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Circles Robinson is an American who has lived in Havana since 2001 . `` Havana is the only capital city I 've seen that I would want to live in , '' he says . He says the Malecon seawall is a great place to `` think , relax and observe '' You can hear authentic Cuban music at `` penas '' -- intimate music sessions .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Federal officials postponed poisoning a mile-long stretch of the Rio Grande 's banks this week after residents complained that doing so posed health and environmental risks on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border . A Border Patrol agent moves through dense cane on the banks of the Rio Grande near Laredo , Texas , last year . U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it wants to eradicate the invasive Carrizo cane infesting many portions of the Rio Grande 's banks between Texas and Mexico . The lanky cane provides cover for immigrants crossing the border illegally and poses a danger to Border Patrol agents trying to stop them , said Chuck Prichard , spokesman for CBP 's Laredo sector . `` Someone can be in the cane and be 3 feet away from them , and you can not see them , '' Prichard said during a Wednesday phone interview . '' -LSB- A Border Patrol agent -RSB- could literally be surrounded and have no idea . '' The controversy over the test project comes as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Mexico to discuss border security and other issues concerning U.S.-Mexico relations . Applying herbicides on a 1.1-mile stretch of the U.S. side of the river was part of a test project , Prichard said , but the CBP decided to postpone the $ 2.1 million experiment to address community concerns . Residents of two Hispanic communities near Laredo , Texas -- Barrio de Colores and Barrio El Cuatro -- filed a lawsuit late Tuesday asking a federal court to intervene . Prichard said Wednesday morning he was unaware of the lawsuit . Among the complaints in the lawsuit , the communities allege the CBP failed to assess the environmental impact adequately , failed to consider reasonable alternatives and failed to notify the public adequately . Though three herbicides were originally proposed , the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers settled on imazapyr for the test project , Prichard said . The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said there is `` reasonable certainty of no harm from aggregate exposure to imazapyr residues . '' `` Imazapyr technical is relatively nontoxic via the oral route of exposure , and only slightly toxic via the dermal and inhalation routes of exposure , '' the agency has said . Jay Johnson-Castro Sr. , a vocal opponent of the project and executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center , said the studies on the herbicide are insufficient . `` I 've lived long enough to know what the government says is safe is n't always safe , '' he said . The 1.1-mile test stretch of the Rio Grande forms a sharp bend between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo , Mexico . The river serves as a water source for both . Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas said he believes the federal officials have good intentions and that some misinformation has been disseminated regarding the proposal . He said he welcomes the delay so that the CBP can address community concerns . `` I 'm going to make sure we protect our police officers and Border Patrol , '' said Salinas , a former FBI agent . `` I just want to make sure it will have zero impact on humans , the water , our environment . '' The CBP seeks to use three methods of Carrizo eradication along the stretch of the river : manually cutting the cane and topically applying herbicide to the stalks ; using shovels , pickaxes , excavators and backhoes to dig the cane up by its roots ; and using helicopters to spray the bank aerially . The latter is the most troubling , said Johnson-Castro , because aerially spraying could affect more than just the Carrizo . The CBP would evaluate the products of each method before proposing an eradication program for a 16-mile stretch of the river , Prichard said , adding that the CBP is considering other options as well . One option could involve the import of tiny Arundo wasps , which feed on the cane and lay eggs in it , stunting the cane 's growth . Carrizo , which can grow up to 30 feet high , is a Spanish transplant to Texas . The wasp is a Mediterranean native . The U.S. Department of Agriculture is experimenting with the wasp on a different section of the Rio Grande and is sharing its data with the CBP , Prichard said . The USDA has concerns that Carrizo chokes off native plants and has an insatiable thirst , capable of annually sucking up 500 gallons of water per square yard . Prichard said the CBP wants to re-evaluate its test proposal because it does n't want to eradicate the cane at `` the expense of the environment or anyone who lives in the area . '' `` I own a house in Laredo . I drink the water that comes out of the tap , '' Prichard said . `` We 're trying to do the right thing for everybody involved . '' In addition to concerns from the U.S. side of the border , Prichard said the city of Nuevo Laredo also expressed reservations -- namely that the stretch hosting the experiment is near the intake point for Nuevo Laredo 's water supply . Johnson-Castro of the Rio Grande International Study Center said the concerns of Nuevo Laredo citizens are warranted because the effects of such widespread use of imazapyr are unclear . Not only are humans at risk , he said , but there are about 1,000 species residing in the area slated for testing , and the nesting season for migrant birds is quickly approaching . Opponents are n't against eradicating the Carrizo , Johnson-Castro said . They 're not even opposed to using herbicides . They just want to make sure that herbicides are used responsibly and in a targeted manner and that the CBP considers all options for mitigating the cane . For instance , he said , donkeys and goats enjoy eating the cane . And earlier this month , about 70 students from Texas A&M International University manually were able to clear about an acre of cane in fewer than three hours . `` Let 's get down to reasonableness , logic and fairness here . It 's an issue of morality on one side and of science on the other side , '' Johnson-Castro said . `` We do n't think citizens of either country should be Guinea pigs . ''
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Herbicide was to be sprayed on cane along 1.1-mile stretch of river . Tall , thick Carrizo cane provides cover for illegal immigrants , Border Patrol says . Hispanic communities near Laredo , Texas , file suit to stop spraying . Residents want consideration of other methods to eliminate cane .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Furious winds , giant waves and lack of sleep have all plagued the journey of Dilip Donde , the first Indian to attempt sailing solo round-the-world . But , Donde remains unruffled : The Indian navy commander hand picked by the Navy for the voyage told CNN he had anticipated the violent weather in the rough far southern waters that skim the Antarctic coast . `` Sailing through the Southern Ocean , it was bound to happen some time so I was expecting it , though that does not make it any more comfortable , '' he said . Donde set off in August 2009 and is hoping to reach Mumbai by mid-May . Donde has blogged throughout his voyage , giving regular updates as well as breaking down various sailing jargon for the uninitiated , like the famous Beaufort Scale . The scale , is the international standard for determining wind speeds based on observable sea conditions , such as the height of waves . The scale goes from zero -LRB- no wind , glassy sea -RRB- to 12 -LRB- hurricane winds of over 100 kilometers per hour and `` phenomenal '' seas with waves that can sometimes reach above 17 meters -RRB- . And in the open ocean , often days away from help , these conditions also have a palpable psychological effect on a sailor 's state of mind , according to Donde . Sailors seek out the exhilaration that comes from sailing in strong winds -- just under 40 km/h is ideal -- but it 's a fine line , and as winds get stronger , delight can be tinged with anxiety which can quickly turn into terror . While on a brief stop in South Africa , 42-year-old Donde spoke to CNN about his own state of mind while at sea and how rough weather can affect it . CNN : What has your most extreme day on the boat like ? I was sailing through winds gusting to 55 knots -LRB- 101 km/h -RRB- and waves of up to nine meters high in the `` furious fifties '' through the Tasman sea between Australia and New Zealand . Rounding Cape Horn was bad too with steep breaking waves , strong currents and winds gusting to 45 knots -LRB- 83 km/h -RRB- in the `` roaring forties . '' And , yes , it was bitterly cold in those latitudes . Do you ever worry that you could be seriously injured ? The biggest worry when the sea is violent , is always falling off the boat . When the sea is dangerous , visibility is low and you get thrashed around . The boat is on auto-pilot so if you fall it continues alone . I wear a harness . When you are going through bad weather all your attention is focused on keeping the boat in one piece ... so there is not much time to start thinking about death . If the boat is alive , you 're alive . That probably helps in keeping your mind focused and -LSB- away from -RSB- worrying unnecessarily about other things that may or may not happen . How scary does the weather get ? When you are in the middle of nowhere there is little choice : One has but to keep going if the weather turns nasty , so you just grin and bear it , keep the boat safe and tell yourself that `` this too shall pass . '' But I have probably experienced all the states of mind except for `` I want my mummy ! '' -LRB- see factbox -RRB- although it has come pretty close . Do sailors secretly hope for giant waves and storms , because it makes the experience more exciting ? I do n't think so . While you do hope for good winds , you always hope that the sail will be as uneventful as possible . Any sailor will try his best to avoid a storm . Why do sailors constantly push themselves in to extreme situations ? Probably there is an element of thrill ; of understanding oneself and the elements better . With long-distance sailing , like everything else in life , you get a package deal of good days and bad days . It is wonderful to sail on a good sunny day with a clear sky and moderate breeze , and one has to be ready to suffer the bad weather as and when it comes . The good days more than make up for the bad ones .
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Dilip Donde is the first Indian sailor ever to attempt a round-world solo voyage . Donde has had to battle giant waves and furious winds on his almost-year-long trip . If he successfully completes the voyage , he will arrive back in Mumbai in mid-May . The sailor spoke to CNN about fear and his various states of mind .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A United Nations representative has condemned sexual violence in the Ivory Coast as the White House met with leaders urging the nation 's incumbent leader Laurent Gbagbo to give up power . `` Following reports of rapes in Cote d'Ivoire , I condemn in the strongest possible terms the employment of sexual violence as a means to political ends , '' said Margot Wallstrom , a special U.N. representative on sexual violence in conflict . `` From preliminary information , it seems that the assaults follow carefully selected political targeting , '' she said in a statement Wednesday . The United Nations and the international community have pressured Gbagbo to leave office , saying that Alassane Ouattara fairly won a contentious November election . On Wednesday , the White House hosted leaders from the Economic Community of West African States -LRB- ECOWAS -RRB- to discuss the crisis in the country . The West African delegation met with Tom Donilon , the national security adviser . `` Mr. Donilon expressed strong support for the efforts of ECOWAS to facilitate a peaceful transition of power in Cote D'Ivoire , '' the White House said in a statement . `` Mr. Donilon and the ECOWAS delegation reaffirmed their shared commitment to see that the winner of the recent elections , Alassane Ouattara , takes his rightful role as President of Cote d'Ivoire , and their shared resolve to see former President Laurent Gbagbo cede power , '' the statement said . Cote d'Ivoire is the French name for Ivory Coast , a former French colony . Human Rights Watch has accused Gbagbo of carrying out a `` reign of terror '' against his people . `` Security forces under the control of Laurent Gbagbo and militias that support him have , since late November 2010 , committed extrajudicial killings , forced disappearances , torture and rape , '' the organization said in a news release . `` An in-depth investigation into violations in the commercial capital , Abidjan , revealed an often-organized campaign of violence targeting members of opposition political parties , ethnic groups from northern Cote d'Ivoire , Muslims and immigrants from neighboring West African countries , '' Human Rights Watch said . Wallstrom urged investigations of sexual violence allegations and for perpetrators to be brought to justice . `` The security situation for women and girls unfortunately has deteriorated in the western parts of the country , '' since last year , she said . `` I call for urgent steps to be taken to avert the risk of increased sexual violence and to ensure the protection of civilians , especially women and girls , '' Wallstrom said . `` I would also like to recall that the Security Council last December reiterated their readiness to consider patterns of sexual violence when imposing sanctions against parties . ''
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Special representative on sexual violence warns of rapes used as ` political targeting ' White House meets with leaders from West African nations . Human Rights Campaign accuses Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo of ` reign of terror '
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Pirates hijacked three ships off the coast of Somalia on Thursday in the `` worst number of attacks '' in one day in many years , an international maritime watchdog said . An image of the Burum Ocean -- a suspected pirate mother ship in the Gulf of Aden . `` Four attacks in two days , ships being hijacked and crews being taken , and large ransoms being demanded is completely unacceptable , '' said Capt. Pottengal Mukudan of the International Maritime Bureau , which monitors shipping crime . Pirates fired at a ship sailing under an Iranian flag and boarded it about 5:20 a.m. local time Thursday -LRB- 10:20 p.m. ET Wednesday -RRB- , said Noel Chong , head of the International Chamber of Commerce 's Piracy Reporting Centre , a multinational coalition naval task force that monitors the region . They hijacked a ship operating under a Japanese flag a few minutes later , he said . A German ship was hijacked about 8 a.m. local time , Mukudan said . He said the pirates are still on board the German vessel , but he had few details . Pirate attacks are frequent in the waters off Somalia , a notoriously unsafe area for unescorted vessels . Canada announced this month that it was dispatching a warship to the area to protect U.N. aid ships after more than two dozen reported pirate attacks in the region this year . `` This is the worst number of attacks that we have seen in a short period of time for years , '' Mukudan said , calling on CTF-150 to `` give piracy a much higher priority to bring this under control . There have been seven vessels -LSB- hijacked -RSB- since the 20th of July . '' Thursday 's spate of attacks in the Gulf of Aden came two days after pirates boarded a Malaysian tanker off the coast of Somalia . They continue to hold it , Chong said . The IMB monitors shipping crime and reported Thursday 's incidents to CTF-150 , which is based in Djibouti , and the task force is `` monitoring the situation , '' Mukudan said . `` They have some of their vessels , which are tracking some of these hijacked ships , but the problem is it 's very difficult to take action once the hijackers are on board , '' he said . `` The lives of the hostages is at risk . '' He said he understood that the task force was busy with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan but noted that the IMB would like to see the task force do more to respond to the problem before the hijackings occur . The IMB said in April that 49 pirate attacks on ships were reported in the first three months of 2008 , compared with 41 for the same period last year . It recorded 263 pirates attacks last year , up from 239 the year before and the first increase in three years . CNN 's Ben Brumfield contributed to this report .
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Pirates hijacked three ships off the coast of Somalia in one day . Attacks are the latest of several to generate international concern . Iranian , German and Japanese-flagged vessels all boarded .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sen. Barack Obama will take a break from campaigning Thursday so he can visit his ailing grandmother in Hawaii , an Obama spokesman said Monday . Sen. Barack Obama will take a break from campaigning so he can visit his ailing grandmother . `` Sen. Obama 's grandmother Madelyn Dunham has always been one of the most important people in his life , '' spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters . `` In the last few weeks , her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious . It is for that reason that Sen. Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her , '' Gibbs said . The interruption will cause Obama to cancel Thursday events in Madison , Wisconsin and Des Moines , Iowa . He will do an event in Indianapolis , Indiana , Thursday morning before leaving and will return to the campaign Saturday , Gibbs said . Michelle Obama will fill in for her husband on Friday at previously scheduled events in Columbus and Akron , Ohio , his campaign said . Obama speaks about his grandmother often on the stump , describing her as an integral figure in his youth who struggled against the glass ceiling in to make a better life for him . `` She 's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life , '' he said in his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in August . `` She poured everything she had into me . And although she can no longer travel , I know that she 's watching tonight , and that tonight is her night as well . '' He and his family traveled to Hawaii in August to visit her . The Obama team made the announcement after a busy day of trading attacks with Sen. John McCain on the Democratic presidential hopeful 's readiness for office . Monday also marked the first time that Obama appeared with Sen. Hillary Clinton during the general election season . Clinton went to Florida , a state she won in the primary but whose delegates she could not claim , to urge her supporters to turn out for Obama on Election Day . Clinton called Orlando and central Florida `` the battleground of the battleground '' and practically begged the crowd to vote early . `` We are 15 days from the finish line and we can not falter , we can not stop , we can not take a single vote for granted , '' Clinton said Monday . `` I am asking you to work as hard for Barack as you worked for me . If you made phone calls for me , make them for Barack . If you walked streets for me , make them for Barack . If you talked to your friends and neighbors for me , do it again for Barack . We can not risk four more years of the same failed Republican policies . '' Earlier in the day , McCain told a crowd in Belton , Missouri , that the next president `` wo n't have time to get used to the office . '' He was addressing comments made Sunday by Obama 's running mate , Sen. Joe Biden , in which he said Obama would be tested within the first six months of his presidency . `` We do n't want a president who invites testing from the world at a time when our economy is in crisis and Americans are already fighting in two wars , '' McCain said . `` What is more troubling is that Sen. Biden told their campaign donors that when that crisis hits , they would have to stand with them because it would n't be apparent Sen. Obama would have the right response . The Obama-Biden campaign released a pre-emptive response after reading McCain 's scheduled remarks . `` With our nation facing two wars and 21st century threats abroad , Sen. Biden referenced the simple fact that history shows presidents face challenges from day one , '' Obama spokesman David Wade said . `` After eight years of a failed foreign policy , we need Barack Obama 's good judgment and steady leadership , not the erratic and ideological Bush-McCain approach that has set back our security and standing in the world . '' Earlier Monday , Obama denounced the `` say-anything , do-anything politics '' of McCain 's camp , but said `` careless , outrageous comments '' wo n't distract him from addressing the nation 's ills . Obama added that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin , McCain 's running mate , rejected some of the tactics when she spoke out against a flood of automated phone calls tying Obama to former radical William Ayers . The calls were reported in several battleground states . `` It 's getting so bad that even Sen. McCain 's running mate denounced his tactics last night , '' Obama said at a campaign event in Tampa , Florida . `` As you know , you really have to work hard to violate Gov. Palin 's standards on negative campaigning . '' Sunday night , Palin told reporters traveling with her that if she had her way , the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee would not be flooding battleground states with the automated phone calls , which she said the Obama campaign was using too . Over the next 15 days , Obama said Monday , he will continue his quest for the Oval Office while disregarding the divisive politics that he said McCain is endorsing `` to keep us from working together . '' The McCain campaign , meanwhile , continued its weekend assault on Obama 's tax plan , which it called an attempt to `` spread the wealth . '' iReport.com : Send your questions for Sen. John McCain . Speaking at a campaign event in St. Charles , Missouri , a chorus of boos rang out as the Arizona senator described his take on the plan . `` He believes in redistributing wealth -- not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs and opportunities for all Americans . Sen. Obama is more interested in controlling who gets your piece of the pie than in growing the pie . '' In Colorado Springs , Colorado , Palin also continued her line of attack from the weekend , but softened her tone in that she did n't call Obama 's plan socialism . Watch Palin say Obama sounds like a socialist '' Over the weekend , Palin and Sen. Mel Martinez , a Cuban-American GOP senator from Florida , called Obama 's plan socialism . Martinez compared the plan to the tax structure in communist Cuba . McCain has taken a softer tone . On Sunday , he dodged a question from Fox News ' Chris Wallace about whether Obama was a socialist , but said his rival 's tax plan was an effort `` to spread the wealth . '' `` That 's one of the tenets of socialism , '' McCain said . Watch Obama defend his plan '' Obama 's tax plan calls for tax relief for 95 percent of workers and their families . Though nonpartisan tax policy organizations agree that 40 percent of Americans do n't pay income tax , many of those are lower-income earners who file payroll taxes through their employers . See the fact check . After receiving an endorsement from Colin Powell , a former Republican secretary of state and retired Army general , Obama asked if Powell and billionaire Warren Buffett -- No. 2 on Forbes magazine 's 2008 list of richest Americans -- would have extended their backing if he was a socialist . Watch Obama explain Powell 's influence '' Obama said he simply wants to give the middle class a tax cut . Powell came to Obama 's defense after endorsing the senator from Illinois . Powell said he had grown tired of McCain 's negative campaigning and that the American people would prefer to focus on issues like education , infrastructure and the economy . He specifically slammed Palin 's allegation that Obama 's tax plan is socialist , calling it misleading . iReport.com : What do you think about Powell 's endorsement ? `` For us to say that makes you a socialist , I think , is an unfortunate characterization that is n't accurate . ''
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NEW : Sen. Hillary Clinton urges Floridians to back Obama in appearance with him . Obama will leave campaign trail Thursday after Indiana stop and return Saturday . Rest of Thursday events canceled ; Michelle Obama will stand in on Friday . McCain references Biden comment that Obama will be tested with early crisis .
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MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Suspected drug cartel leaders in Mexico do n't often answer reporters ' questions , although one did call a radio station a few days ago to offer the government a deal . Police escort suspected drug cartel leader Jose Alberto Lopez Barron on Wednesday in Mexico City . So it was rather unusual for Jose Alberto Lopez Barron to speak to journalists shouting at him during a police lineup Wednesday , opening up a new window on how his reputed cartel operates . Lopez Barron was arrested this week in connection with the torture and killings of 12 federal police agents in Michoacan state July 13 . Mexican federal officials say Lopez Barron , also known as `` El Gordo , '' is one of the top leaders of La Familia Michoacana , a drug cartel blamed for a rash of violence that has left at least 18 federal agents and two soldiers dead since July 11 . Speaking in a calm manner , Lopez Barron said that even if the cartel acted outside the law , it operates in an orderly manner and under rules that not only cartel members have to obey , but also residents in Arteaga , one of the cities the cartel controls . `` You ca n't go around shooting off guns , '' Lopez Barron said . `` You ca n't go around killing people , not only us but for the whole town . You ca n't speed in your vehicle . You ca n't traffick any kinds of drugs without telling us first . '' Anyone who wants to sell drugs , he said , has to go through the Familia Michoacana . `` It has to be the company 's merchandise , '' Lopez Barron said . `` He has someone there who I believe is in charge of distributing cocaine . '' Cocaine can be sold retail , he said , but not methamphetamine , known as crystal or ice , since La Familia has prohibited it in the whole state . Lopez Barron said his direct boss was Servando Gomez , known as `` La Tuta . '' Authorities said Gomez is La Familia Michoacana 's top leader . Gomez went on a radio show recently to offer a truce with the federal government . Mexican President Felipe Calderon quickly answered that the government does not make pacts with criminal organizations . Lopez Barron said authorities have tried to capture Gomez but local residents have protected him . `` Elements from the federal investigations agency arrived in town -- I would n't know the exact number of agents -- and we had to leave town for the hills . We arrived at a small ranch called La Peña , and they gave us nourishment and refuge . '' The suspect said municipal authorities respect the cartel and it respects the local police . He said that although the sale of drugs has diminished , the cartel has not stopped paying local police for protection . Lopez Barron was one of four suspects arrested this week in connection the slayings of the 12 federal agents in southwestern Mexico . Officials said he had a handgun that was traced to one of the slain officers . The other three suspects -- Gamaliel Rodriguez Granados , Evaristo Armas Bello and Jaime Rafael Navarro -- were captured inside a taxi in a town in Michoacan , officials said . The killings were among a series of reprisals by La Familia after the federal police captured one of their top leaders , authorities said .
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Jose Alberto Lopez Barron arrested in connection with deaths of 12 police agents . Mexican officials : Lopez Barron a top leader of La Familia Michoacana drug cartel . `` You ca n't go around shooting off guns , '' suspect tells reporters . Anyone who wants to sell drugs has to go through cartel , Lopez Barron says .
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MEXICO CITY , Mexico -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Authorities captured four suspects who allegedly participated in the ambush and killing of 12 federal police officers last week in southwestern Mexico , the state-run news agency Notimex said . Police present suspected drug dealer Jose Alberto Lopez Barron to the media Wednesday in Mexico City . The arrests follow a deployment of federal police that nearly quadrupled the number of forces in the state of Michoacan , which has recently been a flashpoint in the government 's battle against drug trafficking . Among those arrested was Jose Alberto Lopez Barron , who had a handgun that was traced to one of the slain officers , federal police said at a news conference , Notimex reported . The other three alleged drug cartel members -- Gamaliel Rodriguez Granados , Evaristo Armas Bello and Jaime Rafael Navarro -- were captured aboard a taxi in a town in Michoacan , Notimex said . All are believed to have taken direct orders from the boss of the La Familia Michoacana cartel , a group that has become exceedingly violent in recent months , Notimex said . The 12 slain off-duty police officers were found on the side of a remote highway July 14 . The killings were among a series of reprisals by La Familia after the federal police captured one of their top leaders , authorities said .
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Four arrested in deaths of 12 federal officers last week in southwestern Mexico . Suspects believed to have taken orders from boss of La Familia Michoacana cartel . Report : Police say Jose Alberto Lopez Barron had gun traced to a slain officer . Killings among series of reprisals by La Familia after capture of one of their leaders .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The stepmother of 10-year-old Zahra Baker told police the girl was killed two weeks before she was reported missing , according to search warrants released Tuesday . Stepmother Elisa Baker also told police in Hickory , North Carolina , that the disabled girl 's body was disposed of the next day , September 25 , in various locations , according to the documents . She told police on November 19 that the girl 's father , Adam Baker , dismembered the girl , and the couple disposed of the remains . While Elisa Baker has been charged with obstruction of justice -- for writing a fake ransom note and leaving it at the family 's Hickory home -- no one has been charged directly in the girl 's death . Elisa Baker also is accused of writing worthless checks . Police have said she had been cooperating with investigators . One of the search warrants details an online conversation a web user said she had with Adam and/or Elisa Baker `` regarding their involvement with chainsaw massacre role-playing . '' According to the warrant , `` the date of September 22 was given regarding their virtual family ` doing a murder with chainsaws . ' '' Elisa Baker 's former husband also was involved in role-playing , according to the conversation . Catawba Superior Court Judge Robert C. Ervin released the 30 search warrants that provide more insight into the grisly killing of the freckled-face girl , who lost part of her left leg at age 5 to cancer . Eleven search warrants were released in December . Police found some of Zahra Baker 's remains on November 11 , just over a month after she was reported her missing . In October , Adam Baker , who denied he was involved in Zahra 's disappearance , tearfully called for the return of his daughter . Investigators reviewed Adam Baker 's cell phone records and the phone 's GPS locator from September 25 , the warrants say . According to those records , Adam Baker 's phone was not in the areas where Zahra 's remains were found on the day that Elisa Baker said he disposed of them , the warrants say . Elisa Baker 's cell phone records indicate that her phone was in those areas on that day , the warrants say . According to the warrants , Elisa Baker told Adam Baker that a man she said was her brother actually was her husband . She married Adam Baker before the divorce , police said . CNN left messages Tuesday evening with the attorneys for Elisa and Adam Baker . In one of the search warrants released in December , a tipster told police that Zahra had been at a North Carolina home with two men and one of the men said `` he had done something very bad and needed to leave town . '' One of the men was associated with Zahra 's stepmother but was not Zahra 's father , the tipster said . The tipster also told police that Zahra had been raped by both men and that she had blood on her private area and legs , the search warrant said . The tipster told police that he got the information about the alleged rape from a friend who was told about it from his sister . Police went to the home to see if they could confirm the fourth-hand information and found a mattress at the side of the house that `` had a large dark stain in the middle , '' the search warrant said . The tipster said the men did not admit to killing the girl but did say that they `` might have hit her in the head , '' the search warrant said . Adam Baker was arrested in late October in nearby Catawba County on eight charges : five counts of writing bad checks and three counts of failing to appear in court . Authorities said the charges were unrelated to Zahra 's disappearance , and he was later released on bail . The disappearance of Zahra made international news . The girl , whose biological parents were both from Australia , lost part of her left leg at age 5 and lost hearing in both ears while being treated for cancer .
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Stepmother claims girl 's father dismembered body . A judge releases search warrants from detectives probing Zahra Baker 's death . Zahra 's remains were found November 11 , a month after she was reported missing .
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London , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Something is stirring within the Hamas body politic , a moderating trend that , if nourished and engaged , could transform Palestinian politics and the Arab-Israeli peace process . There are unmistakable signs that the religiously based radical movement has subtly changed its uncompromising posture on Israel . For example , in the last few months top Hamas officials have publicly stressed that they want to be part of the solution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict , not part of the problem . What is happening inside Hamas ' mosques and social base shows a concerted effort on the part of its leadership to re-educate its rank and file about co-existence with the Jewish state and in so doing mentally prepare them for a permanent settlement in the future . In Gazan mosques , pro-Hamas clerics have begun to cite the example of Salah al-Din al-Ayubi , a famed Muslim military commander and statesman , who , after liberating Jerusalem from the Western Crusaders , allowed them to retain a coastal state of their own . The moral lesson of the story is that if the famed leader could tolerate the warring , bloodthirsty Crusaders , then today 's Palestinians should be willing to live peacefully with a Jewish state in their midst . This story is important because it provides Hamas with religious legitimacy and allows it to justify and explain its change of direction to followers . As an Islamic-based movement , Hamas ' very raison d'etre rests on religious legitimization , and its leaders understand that they neglect that at their peril . Hamas ' recent narrative marks a pronounced departure from the past in which Hamas moderates called for a minor or long-term truce . Now Hamas leaders appear to be going further by laying the ground for a shift in their position by educating their social base about the requirements of permanent peace -- recognition of the Jewish state . Although the evolution of Hamas ' stance on the peace process has been slow , gradual and qualified , in the last three years many of its leaders repeatedly have said they wanted a two-state solution . Pressed by an Australian journalist on policy changes that Hamas might make to any new order , Khaled Meshaal , the top Hamas leader and head of its political bureau based in Syria and considered a hard-liner , asserted that the organization has already shifted on several key points : `` Hamas already changed -- we accepted the national accords for a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders , and we took part in the 2006 Palestinian elections . '' Over the years , I have interviewed more than a dozen Hamas leaders inside and outside the Palestinian territories . Although , on the whole , Hamas ' public rhetoric calls for the liberation of all historic Palestine , not only the territories occupied in 1967 , a healthier debate occurs within . My recent conversations with Hamas ' rank and file suggest that the militant organization has evolved considerably since the group unexpectedly won power in Gaza in free elections in 2006 . Before then , Hamas was known for its suicide bombers , not its bureaucrats . But that had to change . `` It is much more difficult to run a government than to oppose and resist Israeli occupation , '' a senior Hamas leader told me while on official business in Egypt in 2007 . `` If we do not provide the goods to our people , they 'll disown us . '' Ironically , in spite of the West 's refusal to regard this government as legitimate , the democratic demands for governance from within Gaza are themselves driving change within Hamas . What is striking about Hamas ' recent shift of opinion toward the peace process is that it has come at a trying time for the Islamist organization which , in the last two years , has faced critical challenges from al Qaeda-like jihadist groups , a low-intensity civil war with rival Fatah , the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority , and a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza . Last summer a militant group called Jund Ansar Allah , or the Warriors of God , one of a handful of radical al Qaeda-inspired factions , declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Gaza , a flagrant rejection of Hamas ' authority . Hamas security forces struck instantly and mercilessly at the Warriors , killing more than 20 members , including the group 's leader , Abdel-Latif Moussa . In one stroke , the Hamas leadership sent a message to its foes and friends that it will not tolerate the existence of global jihadist groups such as al Qaeda : Hamas will not allow al Qaeda-inspired factions to turn Gaza into a theater to wage transnational jihad . However , the challenge to Hamas ' authority persists . Israel 's punishing siege of Gaza , in place since 2007 , along with the suffering and despair it has caused to its 1.4 million inhabitants , has driven hundreds of young Palestinians into the arms of small Salafist extremist factions that accuse Hamas of forfeiting the armed struggle and failing to implement Quranic or Shariah law . Operationally and ideologically , there are huge differences between Hamas and al Qaeda and its various inspired factions , and a lot of bad blood . Hamas is a broad-based religious/nationalist resistance whose focus and violence is limited to Palestine/Israel , while al Qaeda is a small , transnational terrorist group that has carried out attacks worldwide . Thus Hamas , unlike al Qaeda and other fringe factions , is not merely an armed militia but a viable social movement with a large popular base that has been estimated at more than half a million supporters and sympathizers . Hamas also has shown itself to be sensitive and responsive to Palestinian public opinion . A further example of its political and social priorities is Hamas ' decision to engage seriously with an Egyptian-brokered deal that sketches out a path to peace with rival Fatah . Despite its reactionary rhetoric , Hamas is a rational actor , a conclusion reached by former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy , who also was Ariel Sharon 's national security adviser and who is certainly not an Israeli peacenik . The Hamas leadership has undergone a transformation `` right under our very noses '' by recognizing that `` its ideological goal is not attainable and will not be in the foreseeable future , '' Halevy wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth a few months ago . His verdict is that Hamas is now ready and willing to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state within the temporary borders of 1967 . Yet if Hamas is so eager to accept a two-state solution , why does n't it simply announce that it recognizes Israel 's existence and promise to negotiate a peace deal that allows the two countries to coexist ? In interviews with Hamas officials , they stress that their organization has made significant concessions to the so-called Quartet 's three conditions , though the Quartet -LRB- the United Nations , Russia , United States and European Union -RRB- has not lifted the punishing sanctions against Hamas nor has it effectively pressed Israel . Hamas ' diplomatic starting point will be to demand that Israel recognizes the nationalist rights of the Palestinians and withdraws from the occupied territories , but it will not be its final position . There could be no viable , lasting peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians if Hamas is not consulted about peacemaking and if the Palestinians remain divided with two warring authorities in the West Bank and in Gaza . Hamas has the means and public support to undermine any agreement that does not address the legitimate rights and claims of the Palestinian people . Its rival , Fatah and the Palestinian Authority , lacks a popular mandate and the legitimacy needed to implement a resolution of the conflict . President Mahmoud Abbas has been politically weakened by a series of blunders of his own making and by pressure by the U.S. , compromising his moral authority in the eyes of a sizable Palestinian constituency . If , instead of ignoring Hamas or , worse yet , seeking its overthrow , the United States and Europe engaged the Islamically based organization , diplomatically and politically , and encouraged it to continue moderating its views , the West could test the extent of Hamas ' evolution and find out if the organization is willing to accept a settlement based on the two-state solution . So far , the strategy of isolating and militarily confronting Hamas pursued by Israel and the Bush administration has not appeared to weaken the organization dramatically . If anything , what success this strategy has had in undermining Hamas has been counterproductive , since it has radicalized hundreds of young Palestinians who have joined extremist al Qaeda-inspired factions and reinforced the culture of martyrdom and nihilism . To break this impasse , and prevent further gains by more extremist factions , the U.S. and Europe should support a unified Palestinian government that could negotiate peace with Israel . The ongoing Egyptian-brokered truce deal between Hamas and Fatah is an opportunity that may be built on to repair and strengthen intra-Palestinian governing institutions that have been frayed as a result of intense rivalry in the last two years . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Fawaz A. Gerges .
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There are signs Hamas is taking new stance on Israel , Fawaz A. Gerges says . He says pro-Hamas clerics are preparing people for coexistence . Hamas is fighting groups inspired by al Qaeda , Gerges says . He urges West to test Hamas ' willingness to engage in Mideast peace process .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A former B-2 Bomber engineer has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for selling secret defense designs to China . Noshir Gowadia , 66 , of Maui , Hawaii , was sentenced late Monday for sharing classified defense information with China , illegally exporting military technical data , money laundering , filing false tax returns and other offenses . `` Mr. Gowadia provided some of our country 's most sensitive weapons-related designs to the Chinese government for money , '' said David Kris , assistant attorney general for the Justice Department 's National Security Division . `` He is now being held accountable for his actions , '' Kris said . `` This prosecution should serve as a warning to others who would compromise our nation 's military secrets for profit . '' Gowadia worked as an engineer with Northrop Grumman Corporation for about 17 years , according to evidence at his trial . There he helped develop features for the B-2 Spirit Bomber , also known as the `` Stealth Bomber . '' Between July 2003 and June 2005 , Gowadia made six trips to China to provide design , data analysis and test support services needed to develop a stealthy exhaust nozzle for a cruise missile system , according his trial evidence . Prosecutors said Gowadia pocketed at least $ 110,000 from China . A federal jury in Honolulu convicted Gowadia last August . Last Friday , a Michigan man was sentenced to a four-year prison term for conspiring to provide national defense information to Chinese intelligence officials , according to the Justice Department . Glenn Duffie Shriver , 28 , pleaded guilty in October to one count of conspiracy .
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Noshir Gowadia was convicted in August and sentenced Monday to 32 years in jail . The Maui , Hawaii , engineer helped design the `` Stealth Bomber '' Prosecutors said he was paid at least $ 110,000 for the information .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The wisdom of business professors , once only available to MBAs and business students , can now be accessed by anybody with an Internet connection . At HEC Paris , MBA students are given an iPod Touch so they can download podcasts of lectures . Hundreds of universities , and a growing number of business schools , are making recordings of lectures , seminars and conferences available to the general public via Web sites such as iTunes and YouTube . Leading business schools including University of Cambridge Judge Business School , Fuqua School of Business , and Yale School of Management make course content available for download through iTunes University -LRB- iTunes U -RRB- , part of the of the iTunes online store . That means those whose budget wo n't stretch to a two-year MBA can simulate the experience at home -- or at work , in the gym or anywhere else they choose . And even better for money-conscious learners , the iTunes U content can all be downloaded free of charge . French business school HEC Paris is due to launch its iTunes U content in the next few months , but it has been running an ambitious podcast program since 2006 . Begun as an experiment in partnership with Apple , all new MBAs at HEC are provided with an iPod Touch . Around half of the MBA lectures are filmed using an automatic camera system and the footage is made available for students to download and view on their iPhones . Vanessa Klein , HEC 's project manager for iTunes U , told CNN that the iPod-enabled curriculum has proved a hit with students . As well watching lectures , she said the students ' own presentations are recorded and made available for download so they can review their performance . She says one teacher noticed that each year his MBA students would ask the same questions after his end-of-course summary , so he made a podcast of recurring questions and answers . After encouraging students to come up with new questions , he is now recording responses to those in an effort to compile a video archive of questions and answers . Read more business features . Klein says that by making lectures available via iTunes U , HEC wants to be at the forefront of providing content for the rest of the world , but she acknowledges that the technology is also a great way to promote the business school . `` It 's a good marketing tool , not as publicity but to really show people what we are providing , '' she told CNN . `` You can watch a lecture , learn a lot and think ' I wish I could be there . ' The idea is to show what you could learn if you were at this place . '' YouTube EDU was launched in March this year and hosts the YouTube channels of hundreds of universities . Earlier this month it added content from 45 universities in Europe and Israel and now holds videos of lectures and discussions provided by business schools including INSEAD , ESCP Europe and University of California Haas School of Business . Launched at the same time as YouTube EDU , Academic Earth hosts videos from U.S. universities including Harvard , Yale and Princeton , although the business content is provided almost exclusively by Stanford University . Offering less audio/visual content , but still full of business school information , MIT 's Open Course Ware site gives free access to almost all MIT course content , including extensive lecture notes , assignments and exams from MIT 's Sloan School of Management . Interested in the `` Advanced Topics in Real Estate Finance ? '' You can download the complete lecture notes from Sloan 's 2007 course on the subject at MIT 's Open Course Ware site . Other universities have their own Open Course Ware sites and the Open Course Ware Consortium has been set up as an agglomerator site , providing content from more over 200 higher education institutions . But it 's iTunes U that 's generating the most interest . The University of Oxford says there have been more than one million downloads from its iTunes U site , while Stanford University says its course on creating iPhone applications was downloaded more than one million times in just seven weeks . This week 's most popular business download on iTunes U is a University of Oxford lecture called `` Entrepreneurship and the Ideal Business Plan . '' It may not get as many downloads as Michael Jackson 's posthumous single , but it should prove more useful when it comes to getting a business off the ground .
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A growing number of business schools are putting lectures on the Internet . YouTube EDU , iTunes University and Academic Earth all host free lectures . At HEC Paris , students can download lectures and Q&A sessions . MIT 's Open Course Ware site gives free access to MIT course content .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The brother of a woman who prosecutors say died during complications from an abortion at a Pennsylvania medical clinic hopes the doctor who performed allegedly illegal procedures will never practice again . `` We want justice , this doctor has to be out of that clinic or he should not be treating anybody , '' Damber Ghalley told CNN Monday , referring to his sister , 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar . `` And the things that happen to my sister , I do n't want to happen to anybody in the future . '' Dr. Kermit Gosnell is charged with seven first-degree murder charges related to the deaths of seven viable babies , and one third-degree murder in the death of Mongar . He is being held without bail . Mongar died November 20 , 2009 , after overdosing on anesthetics prescribed by the doctor , Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said . Williams called the facility `` a house of horrors '' that performed `` botched and illegal abortions '' and that was full of containers of fetuses ' body parts . Ghalley agreed , telling CNN `` the clinic was so dirty , filthy with blood stains and a dirty floor , everywhere dirty , I can not describe how dirty it was . '' Mongar 's family filed a lawsuit last week against Gosnell 's practice seeking damages , the family 's attorney , Bernard Smalley , said . `` It 's unforgettable , my sister will never come back and it 's sad , '' Ghalley said . `` All the happiness is gone , they miss their mother every day and night , '' Ghalley said , referring to Mongar 's four children . Born in Bhutan , Mongar spent 18 years living in a bamboo hut in a Nepalese refugee camp before coming to the United States in July 2009 as part of a humanitarian resettlement program , Smalley said . The mother of four and grandmother of one was 19 weeks into her pregnancy when , after getting a referral from a Washington , D.C. , medical clinic , she went to Gosnell 's practice . There , Smalley said , `` an unlicensed high school student '' -- who got instructions from Gosnell over a cell phone -- gave the woman anesthesia , and there was no equipment to resuscitate her once things went wrong . `` These children have to grow up without their mother , you have a husband who is going to have to go on without his wife , '' Smalley said of Mongar 's family . `` There will be justice at the end of the day , but at what price ? They 've lost a loved one who can never come back . '' Gosnell is next scheduled to appear in court on February 9 .
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Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell is being held on eight murder charges . Seven are for the deaths of viable babies , one is for 41-year-old Karnamaya Mongar . `` It 's unforgettable . My sister will never come back , '' says Mongar 's brother . Gosnell headed an abortion clinic where Mongar was treated .
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Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Miriam Regalado sued her employer for alleged gender discrimination . Three weeks later , the company fired her fiancé , citing `` performance issues . '' The couple then sued , claiming job retaliation for the original complaint aimed specifically at the man . On Monday , the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a unanimous ruling favoring the couple and concluding that federal protections can include third-party victims of retaliation . In an 8-0 ruling , the high court said Eric Thompson had `` standing '' to file his own lawsuit to address the injuries he said he suffered as a result of the retaliation . `` Accepting the facts as alleged , Thompson is not an accidental victim of the retaliation -- collateral damage , so to speak of the employer 's unlawful act , '' Justice Antonin Scalia said . `` To the contrary , injuring him was the employer 's intended means of harming Regalado . '' The decision allows Thompson to continue his lawsuit against Kentucky-based North American Stainless . The case began when Regalado , one of just a few female engineers at the plant , filed a gender discrimination claim in February 2003 . She alleged that male supervisors treated her unfairly . Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits companies from retaliating against workers who report discrimination based on sex , race or religion . Three weeks after the complaint was filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , Thompson was dismissed from his job as a metallurgical engineer . He then filed his own separate retaliation claim . Lower federal courts were divided over whether he could pursue such a lawsuit . A federal appeals court in Cincinnati , Ohio , ultimately dismissed the case , concluding that Thompson did not himself engage in any `` statutorily protected activity , '' such as protesting his fiancée 's treatment or assisting in her complaint . Thompson and Regalado are now married . There was no immediate comment from them or the company to the ruling . The Obama administration had supported Thompson , and then-Solicitor General Elena Kagan had filed supporting legal briefs in the appeal last year . She has since been named the Supreme Court and recused herself from the case to avoid an appearance of conflict . At oral arguments last month , both the company and the couple agreed that Regalado had the right to file her lawsuit alleging that Thompson 's firing was retaliation . The company denied the specific claims and said Thompson himself could not bring the separate lawsuit . Scalia , in an eight-page opinion , concluded that the case for Thomspon was clear-cut . The anti-retaliation provision in Title VII is `` worded broadly , '' he said . `` We think it obvious that a reasonable worker might be dissuaded from engaging in protected activity if she knew that her fiancé would be fired . '' In a concurring opinion , Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg added a `` fortifying observation '' : that Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules clearly give Thompson -- even though he was not married to Regalado -- the right to press his allegations in court . Ginsburg has long been a champion of gender equality on the job . She issued a famous dissent in 2007 after the high court dismissed a workplace discrimination lawsuit by tire manager Lily Ledbetter . She alleged being paid less than her male counterparts for equal work over about two decades but did not find out about the discrimination until she was about to retire . President Obama , in the first bill he signed when taking office in 2009 , signed the Lily Ledbetter Act into law . It nullified the high court decision and said every new paycheck received over the years based on a discriminatory act -- regardless of when the first discrimination occurred -- would extend the statute of limitations 180 days . The current case is Thompson v. North American Stainless , LP -LRB- 09-291 -RRB- .
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Eric Thompson was fired after his fiancée alleged sex discrimination . Plaintiff was clearly `` collateral damage '' of employer 's act , Scalia writes . Court ruled 8-0 that Thompson has standing to sue for retaliation . Employment rules clearly favor Thompson , Ginsburg writes .
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London -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Modern European football has become almost synonymous with precocious millionaire players who lead lavish `` bling '' lifestyles and attract wages that would make even Wall Street bankers blush . But there was a time when soccer was a career driven more by love than financial reward . Rewind to 1961 and salaries for even the most famous footballers were low , as the English game was constricted by a law that limited the weekly wage to a maximum of just $ 31 -LRB- # 20 -RRB- . It is 50 years since Jimmy Hill -- a dashing midfielder for first division side Fulham and the head of the Professional Footballers ' Association -LRB- PFA -RRB- -- won his fight against what he perceived as an `` injustice . '' And when he successfully convinced the British Ministry of Labour to scrap the cap , it would change the footballing landscape for ever . His victory saw the English league go on to pioneer an approach that harnessed aggressive global marketing to prompt skyrocketing revenue and , in turn , an explosion in players ' wages . Soon after the ruling Hill 's team-mate Johnny Haynes became the first ever # 100-a-week player . His chairman Tommy Trindle said at the time : `` Johnny Haynes is a top entertainer and will be paid as one from now on . '' It was such a large sum that Haynes ' pay packet was twice the size of a cabinet minister and was even discussed in the Houses of Parliament . Wages rose steadily through the century but it was the creation of the Premier League in 1992 and the resulting cash boom that prompted an unprecedented spike in salaries . Clubs enjoyed bountiful revenues from lucrative television and sponsorship deals allowing players to cash in . Other leagues in Europe quickly followed suit . The overseas broadcasting rights for 2010-13 alone netted the Premier League $ 2.2 bn , while the winners of the European Champions League , which was also revamped in 1992 , can claim up to $ 46 million . As prize money climbed clubs spent huge amounts chasing success , with most of their income going straight back out on spiraling wages . Nowadays , the English game 's highest paid player is said to be Argentina striker Carlos Tevez , who pockets around $ 450,000-a-week from Manchester City , according to the Daily Mail , while Lionel Messi of Barcelona came top of France Football magazine 's 2009 rich list , making $ 47 million in salary and endorsements . However , despite the game being richer than ever before , more than half of Europe 's top clubs recorded a loss in 2009 with some even spending 100 % of their income on salaries alone . And even though football proved relatively immune to the recent global downturn , losses are rising , Manchester City posting a $ 148 million deficit in 2009 . But could this era of huge player wages be about to end ? The game 's European governing body , UEFA , has long been concerned with cash-rich clubs like City , Chelsea and Real Madrid launching huge spending drives to snare a crop of the world 's best talent on mega salaries . Now they are seeking to combat a rising sea of debt by introducing new regulations under the banner of `` Financial fair play . '' The simple premise is that all European clubs must break even from the start of the 2012-13 season -- and will only be allowed to spend a certain percentage of their profits . Any club falling outside the rules could be expelled from European competitions and cut off from lucrative revenue streams . The Premier League 's chief executive has called the rules a '' ` soft salary cap '' and is keen to make sure they do n't curb the ability to attract the best talent . Richard Scudamore thinks UEFA is `` too sensible '' to follow through on their threat of issuing bans . `` It 's more about taking the steam out of the system and acting as a speed bump rather than about barring clubs , '' he said . `` No one in football is proud of the kind of wage inflation we 've experienced , but equally we must n't do anything that dampens the international appeal of our league . '' According to Stefan Syzmanski , professor of economics at Cass Business School in London , the plans will not stem the rise and rise of players ' wages . He told CNN : `` Often it 's put to me that the bubble is about to burst and for 20 years I 've been saying ` No , there 's no reason for it to burst , ' and I still do n't see any reason . `` The amount people are willing to pay depends on their income so if you expect economic growth in general to go on increasing I expect wages to generally go on increasing . `` All the money that feeds into football clubs from fans paying to watch the games live or on television or through merchandise , feeds through to players ' salaries -- clubs just pass it on . '' Even returning Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has called today 's wage levels `` astronomical '' yet he believes most fans do n't begrudge players the vast sums they earn . Though previous governments have expressed their concerns at wage levels , any attempt to reintroduce a wage cap , or a higher tax rate for players , would most likely end up in court , Syzmanski says . Despite several clubs sinking into administration very few go out of business and while fans often bemoan the gathering debts at their club , Syzmanski says very few consider the alternative . He said : `` If a football club is making money where would that money go ? Well , it 's not going to be given back to fans that 's for sure . `` I would have thought it 's much better to see the fans ' money going into buying players , paying wages and throwing the dice because sport is inherently a risky activity , it 's a gamble on success . `` Frankly , that 's what makes it attractive , so far from actually wanting this kind of merry-go-round to come to an end , actually once clubs cease to take risks we would all find football rather dull and boring . '' As for Jimmy Hill , now 82-years-old , his former club Coventry City are still $ 12,000 short of the $ 239,000 they need to build a statue of their ex-chairman outside their ground . Perhaps the next time a player like Wayne Rooney agrees a bumper new deal , he should consider making up the shortfall to honor the man who laid the foundations for his path to riches .
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Exorbitant wages paid to Europe 's top footballers set to keep on soaring . Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the biggest earner , making $ 47 million in 2009 . UEFA introducing new rules to help curb club 's mounting debts thanks largely to salaries . Football finance expert says as long as economies continue to grow so will players ' wages .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel joined Serie A leaders AC Milan on Tuesday after Bayern Munich agreed to release the 33-year-old from his contract . The former Barcelona player 's contract at the German champions was due to expire in June , but Bayern have allowed their captain to make the switch to Milan with immediate effect . `` Mark formally requested to be released from his contract before its expiry date for professional and career reasons , '' club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Bayern 's website . `` Mark has always been a model professional , an important and successful player for Bayern and an outstanding club captain . On the basis of his service to the club , we have granted Mark 's request . '' Van Bommel , who has signed a contract with Milan until the end of June , will head to the San Siro with the Rossoneri four-points clear at the top of Italy 's Serie A after Sunday 's 2-0 win over Cesena . `` I leave FC Bayern with a heavy heart , '' Van Bommel said . `` I 've had four and a half wonderful and successful years here , and I 'd expressly like to thank the club and the fans for that . FC Bayern will always occupy a big place in my heart . '' Former Netherlands captain Van Bommel made 122 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern and also led his country to the 2010 FIFA World Cup final , where they lost 1-0 to Spain . Another Dutchman set for a transfer is Liverpool forward Ryan Babel , who has completed a move to Hoffenheim in Germany . The English Premier League club confirmed the news on their website . Hoffenheim , currently eighth in Germany 's top flight , had an offer accepted for the 24-year-old six days ago . Babel , who has 38 caps for the Netherlands , joined Liverpool from Dutch outfit Ajax in 2007 .
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Mark van Bommel has signed for Serie A leaders AC Milan from Bayern Munich . Bayern have allowed Van Bommel to leave his contract early to move to the San Siro . Liverpool 's Ryan Babel is set for a move to Hoffenheim after the two club 's agreed a fee .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The news was devastating , the aftermath surreal . Somer Thompson , 7 , went missing Monday on her way home from school . Diena Thompson clutched a tissue in her right hand , frequently wiping her eyes as she told reporters that she could n't believe it was her daughter whose body was found in a Georgia landfill . Her visage revealed the weight of grief and a yearning for justice . Standing outside her home in Orange Park , Florida , Thompson looked into the camera and , with her voice cracking , sent out a stern warning to her daughter 's killer . `` I want you to know that I will not sleep until this person is found . I hope they get you and I hope they make you pay for a long , long time . You do n't take from somebody . You did n't just take her from me . You took her from my family , you took her from all these people . And you do n't do this to a little baby and put my baby in the trash like she 's nothing . That 's not OK , this is not OK . '' Watch Thompson warn her daughter 's killer '' The body of her daughter , 7-year-old Somer Thompson , was found in a south Georgia landfill , Clay County , Florida , Sheriff Rick Beseler said Thursday morning . Authorities on Friday were combing were through a `` tremendous mountain '' of garbage at the landfill , a sheriff 's spokeswoman said . Some possible evidence has been removed from the landfill , but authorities wo n't describe what they found , said Mary Justino of the Clay County Sheriff 's Department . Police have no suspects , she said . She said other law enforcement teams are focusing on the locale where the child apparently was last seen . Justino said witnesses , including some children , saw her on the sidewalk in front of a vacant house that is being renovated after a fire . `` Since Monday , we have been trying to figure out who frequents that area , '' including anyone working on the home , she said . Authorities are treating the death as a homicide . Somer became separated from her siblings and schoolmates on her way home from school in Orange Park , Florida , on Monday . She was seen in a fight at school before she disappeared , according to a police report released Thursday . Her 10-year-old sister told police that Somer had gotten into a fight with another girl at school earlier in the day . The sister said she brought up the fight while she and her brother walked Somer home from school , and that Somer ran off from them , apparently upset . The sister said she lost sight of Somer in a group of other kids leaving the school , according to the police report . The medical examiner in Savannah , Georgia , used dental records to positively identify the body as Somer 's , said Clay County Sheriff 's Office spokeswoman Mary Justino . Authorities now are turning their full attention to finding the child 's killer . Beseler held up a map dotted with markers as he said on CNN 's `` American Morning '' that detectives have questioned more than 70 registered sex offenders or predators living within five square miles of Somer 's home . The landfill where her body was found is near Folkston , Georgia , 55 miles north of where the girl became separated from her schoolmates on her way home from school in Orange Park on Monday . The sheriff told the girl 's mother Wednesday night that her daughter had been identified . Thompson , he said , was devastated . `` It was the hardest phone call I 've ever had to make in my life , and I hope I never have to make another one like that , '' Beseler said at a Thursday morning news conference . Watch sheriff announce that girl 's body identified '' Authorities will work to pinpoint where the garbage load that contained the girl 's body came from , Beseler said . The garbage that was brought into that part of the landfill was collected in the Orange Park area , he had said Wednesday , noting that authorities routinely search garbage when a missing person case has been initiated . The investigation has now turned into a murder probe . `` There is a child killer on the loose , '' the sheriff said . `` I fear for our community until we bring this person in . '' Rewards totaling $ 30,000 have been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible . CNN 's Maria P. White contributed to this report .
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NEW : Authorities remove `` evidence '' from landfill where girl 's body found . Somer Thompson was in fight at school on day she disappeared , police say . `` I hope they get you '' is grieving mother 's message to killer . Girl 's body found in landfill 55 miles north of town where she was last seen .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Thailand pulled back from the brink of chaos this week as anti-government protesters ended their occupation of Bangkok 's two main airports after a court ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat . Protesters say the current Thai government is a proxy for exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra . But political reshuffling means that the current crisis , merely the latest episode in an ongoing political saga that has undermined the stability of the southeast Asian nation , is set to continue . What 's the background to Thailand 's political crisis ? The latest unrest , which has seen anti-government protesters occupy Bangkok 's international airport , dates back to the controversial premiership of Thaksin Shinawatra . A multibillionaire media tycoon , Thaksin was elected in 2001 on a populist platform that promised universal healthcare and cash handouts to poor villagers . But Thaksin 's government was soon mired in allegations of corruption and he prompted anger by selling control of his Shin Corp. media group to Singaporean investors . Throughout the summer of 2006 hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the street to demand Thaksin 's resignation , prompting the army to oust him in a bloodless coup . But subsequent governments have been seen as proxies for Thaksin . Somchai Wongsawat , who took charge in September , is his brother-in-law . Somchai 's predecessor , Samak Sundaravej , who was forced to step down in August after Thailand 's Supreme Court ruled he had violated the constitution by appearing on a TV cookery show , was also an avowed Thaksin ally . `` Basically since 2006 the protesters have been grappling with the problem that whoever the people elect is a supporter of Thaksin , '' said CNN 's Bangkok Correspondent Dan Rivers . `` They held an election and , having banned his old party , it re-emerged under a different name and won the election . The underlying issues are exactly the same . '' Who are the protesters ? The anti-government People 's Alliance for Democracy -LRB- PAD -RRB- was founded in 2005 by Sondhi Limthongkul ; like Thaksin , Sondhi is a successful media mogul and a former supporter of the exiled former PM . The group claims to represent the traditional Bangkok ruling class and argues that lawmakers should be mostly appointed rather than elected . During 2006 's anti-Thaksin protests , PAD rallies attracted massive crowds but numbers have dwindled significantly , according to Rivers . Since August , PAD supporters have occupied Government House , the Thai prime minister 's main offices , in what they have called their `` final battle '' against the government . The Bangkok protests in pictures '' `` As time goes on the PAD seems to be getting more and more desperate , '' said Rivers . `` They have irritated people with months and months of standoffs . A lot of the media has turned against them . There are fewer and fewer people who support what they are doing because they see that they are ruining the fragile democracy that there was here . '' Watch what 's behind protesters ' demands '' What role has Thaksin played in the crisis ? Thaksin is currently living in exile in Dubai , having been convicted in October by the Thai Supreme Court to two years in prison on a corruption charge . However he continued to wield power through Somchai and his political allies , Rivers said : `` There is no doubt he is the puppetmaster behind this government . This is a battle between Thaksin and his opponents , as it has been all the way along . He came out this week and said he wants to come back and be prime minister one day which is a big thing for him because before he said he was through with politics . '' So is it all over ? The protesters ended their siege early Wednesday after the Constitutional Court dissolved Somchai ruling party , effectively ousting his government from office . The court found the People Power Party committed electoral fraud , and it barred Somchai and other top party officials from from holding public office for five years . Some flight have resumed after a week of disruption and stranded tourists were beginning to leave . But within hours of the courty 's ruling , PPP members unaffected by the ban regrouped under the banner of the Puea Thai party , a move that will allow them to maintain their grip on power and could potentially trigger new protests . Rivers said the court 's ruling was little more than a face-saving resolution for the airport protesters , who became increasingly desperate and isolated as Thais grew tired of the blockade . He said the move would change little . `` This is merely the interval between acts -- the PAD protest show and the Thaksin puppetry are about to start all over again , '' he said .
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Thailand 's political crisis dates back to protests against Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 . Thaksin was ousted by military coup but his allies remain in government . Anti-government PAD wants lawmakers appointed rather than elected . Universally revered monarchy could play key role in resolving crisis .
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-LRB- RollingStone.com -RRB- -- Canada 's broadcast regulator , the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission , has put pressure on the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council to reconsider its decision to ban Dire Straits ' 1985 hit `` Money for Nothing '' from Canadian airwaves for including an anti-gay slur . The CRTC received more then 250 complaints about the CBSC 's decision to remove the song , which is a long-established staple of rock radio stations . Many of the complaints were understandably confused about the distinction between the two organizations : The CRTC is a federal watchdog agency and the CBSC is a non-government industry group set up by private broadcasters to set ethical standards . RollingStone.com : This week in photos . Confusion about the authority of the CBSC has led to uncertainty about how to enforce the ruling among many Canadian radio stations . The CBSC 's regional panel had only sanctioned the station in St. John 's , Newfoundland where the original complaint about the song originated . The CRTC has sent a letter urging the CBSC to more thoughtfully examine the artistic intent of the Dire Straits tune , taking into account that it has been played countless times over the past 25 years . See the original article at RollingStone.com . Copyright © 2010 Rolling Stone .
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Canadian Federal Watchdog urging council to reconsider ban of Dire Straits song . 1985 hit `` Money for Nothing '' banned from airwaves for including anti-gay slur . CRTC received more then 250 complaints about the CBSC 's decision .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will contest Super Bowl XLV after securing narrow victories in the NFC and AFC championship games Sunday night . The Packers beat the Chicago Bears 21-14 to claim the NFC title , with the Steelers joining them in grid-iron 's showpiece game with a later 24-19 defeat of the New York Jets to claim the AFC honors . The pair will meet at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Texas on Sunday February 6 with the Packers playing their first Super Bowl in 13 years . `` This is a dream come true , incredible feeling . I am at a loss for words , '' Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told the official NFL website . Rodgers scored a touchdown on the first drive of the game and B.J. Raji later crossed on a 18-yard interception return to put Green Bay 21-7 ahead . Chicago 's starting quarterback Jay Cutler struggled to make any impression as he was hampered by a knee injury . Third string Caleb Hanie took up the mantle and set up Chester Taylor for their first touchdown , but it was his mistake that allowed lineman Raji to lumber into the endzone . Hanie then picked out Earl Bennett to cut Green Bay 's lead to seven points with nearly five minutes left on the clock , but he was again intercepted and the Packers held on . The Steelers , inspired by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger , later sealed their third visit to the Super Bowl in eight years and eighth overall , but like the Packers had to survive nervous late moments . Rashard Mendenhall , who ran for 121 yards , scored their opening touchdown with Roethlisberger and William Gay also crossing as they built a 24-0 lead . The Jets battled back behind their star quarterback Mark Sanchez , who threw a pair of second half touchdown passes , the latter to Jerricho Cotchery that pulled them to 24-19 with just over three minutes left . But Roethlisberger made sure the Steelers kept their lead as he connected with Heath Miller and Antonio Brown to seal a memorable victory .
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Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers reach Super Bowl XLV . The Packers see off old rivals Chicago Bears 21-14 in NFC championship game . Pittsburgh beat New York Jets 24-19 to claim AFC title . Dallas hosts NFL 's showpiece game on Sunday February 6 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Inter Milan 's faultless record under new coach Leonardo came to an abrupt halt on Sunday as the reigning Serie A champions lost 3-1 to Udinese . Inter were on course for their sixth straight win since the Brazilian took over from Rafa Benitez in December when Dejan Stankovic gave them the lead after a quarter of an hour . But Udinese struck back almost immediately with goals from Cristian Zapata after 20 minutes and Antonio Di Natale five minutes later . Maurizio Domizzi added the home side 's third in the 69th minute leaving Inter too much to do in the final 20 minutes of the match . The result means Udinese stay in eighth place , but are now only one point behind Palermo . Inter remain in fifth with 35 points . Rivals AC Milan moved four points clear at the top of the league as they beat Cesena 2-0 at the San Siro . An own goal by Cesena defender Pellegrino at the end of the first half gave Milan the lead . The Rossoneri had several chances to wrap up the match in the second half with Robinho going close twice , but it was left to the ever dependable Ibrahimovic to make sure of the points as he slotted home from a tight angle in injury time . Cesena ninth away defeat of the season means they remain in 18th place with 19 points . Napoli moved up to second behind leaders Milan after a 2-0 win at Bari . Argentina 's Ezequiel Lavezzi put Napoli ahead after 38 minutes with a well-taken free-kick . Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani made sure of three points shortly before the end scoring his 14th goal of the season . Lazio failed to make up any ground on Milan after slumping to a shock 3-1 defeat at Bologna . Lazio took the lead in the fifth minute thanks to Sergio Floccari , but Gaston Ramirez leveled the scores half an hour later . Three minutes later the home side were ahead as striker Marco Di Vaio carved through the Lazio defense before finishing neatly . Di Vaio scored his 13th goal of the season and his team 's third in injury time at the end of the match . Juventus stay in sixth place , now on the same points as Inter , after a 0-0 draw at Sampdoria . There were no goals between Chievo and Genoa either as both teams looked to escape the bottom half of the table . There was also stalemate in the match between Fiorentina and Lecce which finished 1-1 . David Di Michele opened the scoring for Lecce after 29 minutes only for Alberto Gilardino to cancel it our with a header in the 56th minute .
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Leonardo suffers first defeat in six games as Inter lose 3-1 to Udinese . Milan goes four points clear at top of Serie A after a 2-0 win over Cesena . Napoli move up to second after a 2-0 win at Bari .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Jhonattan Vegas has made history at the Bob Hope Classic , winning a three-man play-off on the Palmer course at La Quinta to become the first Venezuelan in history to claim a PGA Tour title . The 26-year-old Vegas , who was making just his fifth appearance on tour , made a 13-foot par putt on the second play-off hole to defeat Gary Woodland , after defending champion Bill Haas had been eliminated on the first play-off hole . After missing a nine-foot putt that would have secured victory on the final hole of regulation play , Vegas then improbably became the first rookie to win the 52-year-old tournament with a spectacular up-and-down after knocking his 92nd tee shot into the water 160-yards from the hole . `` Just to think about winning on the PGA Tour , that 's one thing , '' Vegas told the official PGA Tour website . `` But to actually make it happen -- that is something else , and it 's a crazy feeling , '' he added . `` I hope this means a lot to my country . I really hope it means people changing their minds about the sport , '' continued Vegas -- who collected a near $ 1m winner 's cheque as well as a two-year Tour exemption and an invitation to the Masters in April . Vegas ' win is expected to boost his desire to revive golf in Venezuela , where President Hugo Chavez has decried the sport as a pastime of the rich and has closed six courses in seven years . `` I hope Venezuelans know about the story and that it is possible to get to the PGA Tour and win , '' Vegas added . `` I hope people realize that all over the world . '' Haas , who was trying to become the first back-to-back Bob Hope champion since Johnny Miller in 1976 , fired a final round 66 in the 90-hole tournament . That meant he finished level with Vegas and Woodland , who both carded 69s , on a 27-under-par total of 233 .
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Jhonattan Vegas , 26 , makes history by winning the Bob Hope Classic . The victory means Vegas becomes the first Venezuelan to win a PGA Tour event . Vegas defeats Gary Woodland and defending champion Bill Haas in a play-off . The win means Vegas has a two-year Tour exemption and an invitation to The Masters .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The question may have been lost in translation , but a visibly angry Secretary of State Hillary Clinton bluntly told a town-hall meeting in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday , `` I will you tell you my opinion , I 'm not going to channel my husband . '' Hillary Clinton became visibly angry after a translator asked what Bill Clinton would think regarding an issue . The unscripted moment happened as Clinton spoke to students at a Congolese university in Kinshasa , the Congo capital . A male student rose to ask a question about Chinese financial contracts with Congo . The student asked Clinton what President Obama would think of the deal , but pool reporters in the room said the translator made a mistake , posing the question as what would Bill Clinton think . Clinton looked surprised when she first heard the translation in the headset , and then sharply replied , `` You want me to tell you what my husband thinks ? My husband is not the secretary of state , I am . You ask my opinion . I will tell you my opinion ; I 'm not going to channel my husband . '' Watch Clinton react to question '' At the State Department , Assistant Secretary P.J. Crowley said the question she heard `` struck a nerve , '' that her opinion on the matter was apparently of less interest than that of her husband , the former president . Crowley told CNN that Clinton 's answer must be considered in the context of her African trip . `` The secretary of state is going to Goma Tuesday , to draw attention to the plight of women who are victims of rape as a weapon of war '' in Congo , Crowley said . `` She did react to what she heard , '' Crowley explained , but regardless that the interpreter may have gotten it wrong , `` you ca n't separate the question from the setting . '' He said `` If Africa , if Congo is going to advance , women have to play a more significant role . She was in the setting of a town hall , and the questioner was interested in what two men thought , not the secretary of state . '' Crowley , who has just returned to Washington after traveling with Clinton during the first part of her trip to Africa , said the State Department has not yet reviewed recordings of the original question , in French , to learn whether the student clearly intended the question to refer to Obama , not former President Clinton . `` She did talk with the student afterward , and they seemed to have reached an understanding , '' Crowley said .
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Question at town-hall meeting may have been an error of translation . When translator posed question , they asked for Bill Clinton 's thoughts . Clinton responded : `` I will tell you my opinion ; I 'm not going to channel my husband '' State Department : Question `` struck a nerve , '' that her opinion was of less interest .
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LAGOS , Nigeria -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Nigerian militant group claimed Wednesday it sabotaged oil pipelines in the country 's oil-rich southern Niger Delta , but the country 's military denies the assertion . File image of armed MEND militants in Niger Delta region of Nigeria . The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta -LRB- MEND -RRB- said in an e-mail message to reporters that the `` major Shell and Agip crude trunk lines in Bayelsa state '' were struck . `` The Agip pipeline which connects the Agip Brass terminal was sabotaged at Nembe creek while the Shell Nembe creek line was done at Asawo village , '' MEND said . Shell said it is investigating reports of an attack on the Nembe creek pipeline and Agip could not be reached for comment . Rabe Abubakar , spokesman for the Nigerian military 's Joint Task Force , said `` the militants are telling lies '' and `` there is no iota of truth in what they are saying . '' Their claims against the Shell pipeline `` are not true , '' Abubakar said , explaining that explosives were hurled at the pipeline but the explosion was limited and it did not destroy the line . `` There was an attempt by them to blow up an Agip pipeline around 3 a.m. , but the soldiers protected the place and the militants fled , '' Abubakar said . Explosives were found on a well and an explosives expert was brought in to remove them , he added . MEND -- which has declared an `` all-out war '' on the government -- demands that more of Nigeria 's oil wealth be reinvested in the region , instead of enriching those whom the militants consider corrupt politicians . But fighting has continued despite Nigerian President Umaru Yar ` Adua 's recent call for an amnesty for the militant groups , an offer that stays open until October 4 . Under the amnesty proposal , militants must hand in their weapons and take part in government rehabilitation programs . Also on Wednesday , the military said three people were seized for trying to blow up a pipeline at the Forcados River . But MEND said the military `` arrested two repentant armed youths who approached them to take advantage of the government 's amnesty offer . '' `` We are learning that there are about 11 of such cases currently languishing in detention inside the JTF headquarters in Warri , '' MEND said . Last month , Amnesty International said that pollution and other environmental impacts from the oil industry in the Niger Delta are creating a `` human rights tragedy '' in which local people suffer poor health and loss of livelihood . Governments and oil companies are failing to be accountable for the problems , Amnesty said in its report , called `` Petroleum , Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta . '' Covering 46,500 square miles -LRB- 75,000 square km -RRB- , the Niger Delta is about the same size as the Czech Republic , according to the United Nations Development Programme . An area of rich biological diversity , the region contains the world 's third-largest wetland with the most extensive freshwater swamp forest , according to the UNDP . More than half the area contains creeks and small islands , while the rest is rain forest , the UNDP says . At the same time , the Niger Delta produces the oil wealth that accounts for the bulk of Nigeria 's foreign earnings , the UNDP says . Earlier this week , MEND said its fighters had blown up an oil pipeline and captured six crew members of a chemical tanker . MEND is now saying it has released the ship and the military says it secured the vessel . It is not clear whether the three Russians , two Filipinos and the Indian seized remain in custody . MEND told CNN that `` to their knowledge , '' the crew is no longer being held hostage . CNN 's Christian Purefoy contributed to this report .
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Nigerian militant group says it struck Shell and Agip crude trunk lines . Shell said it is investigating reports of an attack on the Nembe creek pipeline . Army spokesman : `` No iota of truth in what they -LRB- militants -RRB- are saying '' Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta at war with government .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- As mass protests swept Egypt on Friday , the actions of two key institutions served as indicators for what lies ahead for the embattled regime : the military and the media . President Hosni Mubarak deployed the Egyptian army for the first time to the streets to quell angry demonstrations against his authoritarian regime . That 's a sure sign of the government 's desperation , according to experts on the region . And for the first time , the state-run media did n't ignore the unrest or dump on the demonstrations as acts of terrorism in its usual manner . That , too , say experts , was a key indicator that Mubarak could be facing trouble . It 's a given that the military , a pillar of Egyptian authority since a 1952 coup toppled the monarchy , holds the keys at this critical juncture . Many feared that the army will silence the protesters with its firepower and tanks that are now out on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria . But Edward Walker , a former U.S. ambassador to Egypt , said that a military crackdown would be a `` death knell not only to the military but the regime . '' Such a crackdown did n't happen in nearby Tunisia , where the authoritarian ruler fled the nation , and it was hardly what happened in Egypt on Friday . On the contrary , Egypt 's 450,000-strong armed forces are well-established and respected by the people . Journalists reported seeing protesters cheer army convoys as they drove into Cairo and Alexandria . Some embraced the soldiers on the ground ; they were seen as saviors from excessive police brutality . To Mohammed el-Nawawy , a professor at Queens University in North Carolina , the fact that the military was called out Friday showed that Mubarak was desperate . The all-important question is how loyal the armed forces will remain to the aging leader who has ruled Egypt with an iron fist for three decades . Meanwhile , the state-controlled television network walked a tightrope Friday . Early in the day , Nile TV began showing footage of the demonstrations of `` tens of thousands of people '' and reported the use of police tear gas . It aired opposition leaders criticizing the government for shutting down the lines of communication . Shawn Powers , a Georgia State University assistant professor who studies international media , said it was unusual for an arm of the government to even cover these events or portray them as anything but acts initiated by unsavory elements of society . `` I 'm amazed , '' Powers said of the coverage . Even with social media and mobile phone messaging blocked , Egyptians could see events unfolding live on international networks including CNN . The Egyptian media may have felt that they would lose all credibility with the people if they were to completely distort the story . Ultimately , Powers said , he suspected fissures within Mubarak 's ranks and said some in the government may be thinking of their own future in a nation barely holding back from the brink . `` What we 're seeing today is parts of the government feeling increasingly isolated from Mubarak or intentionally doing so to hold on to power after Mubarak goes , '' he said . By the end of the day , however , Nile TV 's coverage shifted , reverting to words like `` hooliganism '' and `` lawlessness '' to describe the demonstrations . El-Nawawy , who has studied Egyptian media in depth , said Friday 's media coverage could mean that Mubarak has no one left to blame , so he gave the protesters , many of whom are young people , a little wiggle room . `` The state media is walking a fine line to give credit to the young people , but in the meantime , it has to justify intervention and crackdown , '' el-Nawawy said . El-Nawawy said things will get really thorny if Egypt 's impoverished masses join hands with the protesters -- believed to be largely from the educated middle classes -- and the demonstrations grow to even more chaotic proportions . That 's when the military and the state-run media will both have to come to terms with events in their country . That 's when Mubarak , el-Nawawy said , may realize that he can shut down Facebook but not the People 's Book .
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Mubarak called out the army Friday to help quell the protests . The military will play a key role in what happens next . In the past , the state-run media have ignored protests or downplayed them . Friday , Nile TV showed the clashes but also justified the crackdown .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Occupants of three trucks were working together in northern Mexico trying to pull over a vehicle carrying an American missionary before one of them shot the woman in the head , police said Thursday . An autopsy detailed Thursday indicated that Nancy Davis , 59 , died a day earlier from a single gunshot wound to the back of her head , according to a statement from Pharr , Texas , Police Chief Ruben Villescas , who is working with U.S. and Mexican authorities on the case . Earlier , police said that Davis and her husband were traveling in a truck on a Mexican highway near the city of San Fernando , Mexico , when they were confronted by gunmen in a black pickup . San Fernando is south of the border city of Reynosa in Tamaulipas state . On Thursday , Villescas added that the husband -- identified as Sam Davis by family friends -- told authorities `` the men in the black truck were working with two light-colored trucks that paralleled them -LRB- and were -RRB- trying to pull them over , '' the Pharr police statement said . `` The gunmen were attempting to stop them and the victims accelerated in efforts of getting away from them , '' according to the earlier statement . `` At a certain point the gunmen discharged a weapon at the victim 's vehicle and a bullet struck the victim Nancy Shuman Davis on the head . '' While noting they have not established a motive in this shooting , police pointed to past reports of `` criminal organizations operating on Mexican roads ... targeting 4-door pickup trucks and ... SUVs . '' Villescas said that authorities do n't know which criminal group , if any , is responsible for Davis ' murder . In Wednesday 's incident , at least one other gunshot hit the victim 's vehicle , which is now in the custody of Pharr police . After Davis was hit , her husband drove their truck `` at high rate of speed '' to the Pharr International Bridge , which crosses the Rio Grande . Nancy Davis was taken to a hospital in nearby McAllen , where she was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later . The Texas Department of Public Safety , Immigration and Customs Enforcement , the FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are also assisting , police said . The Mexican Interior Ministry said it , too , was investigating `` for the purpose of clarifying the facts and act accordingly to punish the person or persons responsible . '' Merton Rundell , a professor in the missions department at Indiana 's Union Bible College & Academy and a family friend , told CNN the couple had lived in Mexico since the 1970s and worked with the Gospel Proclaimers mission in Mexico . Maryanne Wheeler , another friend who worked with the Davises in the 1990s , said Nancy Davis ' death was a great loss . `` They breathed Mexico , '' Wheeler said . `` That 's their love . `` For 40 years she has gone around Mexico , trying to be there as a nurse , a friend , as a spiritual adviser and has loved them . They lost the best , '' she said . `` They had a petite lady who had the tenacity of a bulldog and was there for you . '' Wheeler said the couple had been shot at before and knew the dangers of the border area . CNN 's Sara Pratley , Anna Gonzalez and Nick Valencia and CNN Mexico 's Krupskaia Alis contributed to this report .
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A U.S. missionary died in northern Mexico of one gunshot to the head , an autopsy reveals . Gunmen in a black pickup were working with others in two other trucks , police say . Nancy Davis and her husband had lived in Mexico since 1970s as missionaries . `` They breathed Mexico . That 's their love , '' a friend said of the couple .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Mirko Vucinic and Rodrigo Taddei scored second half goals as AS Roma beat Juventus 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia Thursday night . Montenegro 's Vucinic struck in the 65th minute while Taddei sealed Roma 's passage to the semifinals in added time . The victory in Turin earns Roma a clash with holders Inter Milan , while Palermo will face AC Milan in the other two-legged last four encounter . It was the seventh win in eight matches for Claudio Ranieri 's improving side , who have moved up to a challenging third in Serie A behind leaders Milan . But it was a sorry defeat for sliding Juve with a Europa League place for the winners of the domestic cup at stake . Vucinic scored after taking a pass from Daniele De Rossi and Taddei produced an acrobatic finish for the second . AC Milan beat Sampdoria 2-1 in their quarterfinal on Wednesday to stay on course for the treble . They face Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16 of the Champions League next month . Inter won 5-4 on penalties away at Napoli after the match had finished 0-0 , as they continue their unlikely bid to emulate the treble achieved under Jose Mourinho last season . Palermo were the first to make the last four on Tuesday when they beat Parma , also 5-4 on penalties .
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AS Roma beat Juventus 2-0 in quarterfinals of Coppa Italia . Mirko Vucinic and Rodrigo Taddei score in victory in Turin . Roma face Inter Milan in last four with AC Milan taking on Palermo .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- John P. Wheeler III , a former Pentagon official and the first chairman of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund , `` died as a result of blunt force trauma after being assaulted , '' the Delaware medical examiner 's office said Friday . A toxicology analysis also was done during the autopsy , but the results were not released . Police are still trying to determine who committed the crime . `` We do n't know , ultimately , who was responsible for his death , '' said Lt. Mark Farrall spokesman for the Newark , Delaware , Police Department . Wheeler 's body was discovered New Year 's Eve at Wilmington 's Cherry Island landfill as a sanitation truck was unloading garbage it had picked up from metal trash bins in Newark . Police say Wheeler was last seen in Wilmington at 8:42 p.m. on December 30 , captured by a surveillance camera . He appeared confused on video surveillance tape that showed him near the Nemours Building in Wilmington . `` We do n't know how he got to Newark , '' said Farrall . `` We 're still canvassing the area , conducting interviews , checking video surveillance . '' A Wilmington parking lot attendant , Iman Goldsborough , noted Wheeler 's strange appearance on December 29 when he stumbled into her garage . `` It striked me as being odd because he had one shoe in his hand and no coat on , '' said Goldsborough . Wheeler , 66 , oversaw fundraising to construct the Vietnam Veterans Memorial . He worked in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan , George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush . From 2005 to 2008 , he was a special assistant to the secretary of the Air Force . At the time of his death , Wheeler was working as a part-time consultant for the MITRE Corp. , a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering , research and development and information technology support to the federal government .
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Former Pentagon official died of blunt force trauma , according to autopsy . John Wheeler 's body was found in a Delaware landfill on New Year 's Eve . Surveillance video showed him appearing to be confused .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A federal scuba-diving team conducting a training dive in a Miami canal last week made a grisly discovery -- a human skull , authorities said Tuesday . The team was conducting routine training January 5 in the Palmetto Bay area when a diver discovered the skull in about 15 to 20 feet of water , said Nicole Navas , a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement . An initial assessment by the Miami-Dade Police Department determined the skull probably belonged to a black male , 25 to 45 years old , Navas said . The time and cause of death could not immediately be determined . The Miami-Dade medical examiner 's office took custody of the skull for investigation . A spokesman for the medical examiner said that in addition to looking for evidence of homicide , suicide , accidental death or natural death , his examiners also will consult with a local expert on Afro-Caribbean religions . `` Periodically , human skulls found in our jurisdiction are traced to Santeria or Palo Mayombe source , '' said spokesman Larry Cameron . Published accounts say adherents of those religions have disinterred remains for religious rituals , and Cameron said customs officials at airport ports of entry sometimes discover skulls being brought in for that purpose . `` In many of these cases identification is never made , and thus the skulls find a permanent home in our anthropology room , '' he said . But , he said , `` at this point we have not proceeded real far with our investigation , '' and no possibility has been eliminated . The discovery was disclosed Tuesday in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release summarizing the activities of the ICE Miami Tactical Dive Team , which assists in providing security on Florida waterways , aids in drug interdiction efforts and helps conduct underwater searches .
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The skull was found during a training exercise in a Miami canal . The medical examiner is looking into possible causes of death . Some skulls are disinterred for use in Santeria and Palo Mayombe rituals , officials say .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A statement purportedly released by a violent Mexican drug cartel promises a one-month extension to a truce it called for in December . The Familia Michoacana cartel , which takes its name from the central-coastal state where it operates , signed the statement , which was circulated by e-mail on Sunday and published in its entirety on a blog dedicated to covering the drug wars . Mexican authorities were not immediately available to comment on the authenticity of the communication . The cartel accuses the federal police of committing abuses in the region and blaming them . The authorities have attacked the cartel and any person caught in its path , be it civilians , women or children , the cartel alleges . It also wishes the residents of Michoacan a happy new year . The Familia Michoacana `` separates itself from any criminal act that occurred in the month of December 2010 that the federal authorities want to make us responsible for , '' the statement says . A similar letter circulated last month offered a truce for the month of December , though that did n't mean the the month was without violence . The Mexican government continued its operations against the cartel , killing one of its leaders , Nazario Moreno Gonzalez , after two days of armed confrontations . Five federal police officers and three civilians , including two minors , were killed in the operation , a national security spokesman said at the time . Three members of La Familia Michoacana were killed and three others captured . Authorities described a scene of heavy gunfire where cartel members set trucks and buses on fire on highways to block police from arriving . Another cartel leader , Francisco Lopez Villanueva , alias `` El Bigote , '' was captured at the end of the month . The truce will be extended another month `` to continue demonstrating to the authorities , federal government and above all the Michoacan residents that the Familia Michoacana is not guilty of all of the criminal acts that the authorities and federal government make public through the media , '' the statement says .
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The Familia Michoacana is one of the most violence cartels in Mexico . In a statement , the group says it will extend a truce for another month . Police have not stopped going after the cartel .
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San Diego , California -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Even though they were stuck without air conditioning , hot showers and decent meals , some of the passengers who made it off a crippled Carnival Cruise Lines ship said Friday that they would go on a cruise again . `` I 'm so thankful that we 're all alive , '' Leticia Lewis said on CNN 's `` American Morning . '' `` I do n't wish this experience on anyone . It was n't a wonderful event . But I would take another one . '' Amber Haslerud , another passenger , said her voyage on the ill-fated Carnival Cruise ship Splendor was her first cruise , and she would also go on another one . `` I definitely would give it another go and try to get the experience I should have had this time , '' said Haslerud . `` I deserve it after all that we went through this week . '' The ship and its approximately 3,300 passengers arrived in San Diego on Thursday , four days after a fire in the engine room left the ship without air conditioning , hot showers or refrigeration one day into a scheduled seven-day cruise along the Mexican coast . `` It was absolutely deplorable , '' passenger Marquis Horace said . At one point , the ship ran out of food , he said , and `` they started making mayo sandwiches . '' Passengers said they were n't told there was a fire until they left the ship . Horace said the crew informed passengers only of `` a flameless fire . '' Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz said officials initially spoke only of smoke because the crew could n't get into the engine room to assess the situation . Passengers were advised of the fire once it was confirmed , she said . Maritime law does n't require cruise lines to tell passengers about onboard problems , said Robert Jarvis , a professor of law at Nova Southern University in Fort Lauderdale , Flordia . He said it sometimes makes sense to limit or delay the release of information to avoid a panic . Carnival 's position is to inform passengers any time an issue will affect their cruise , de la Cruz said . The cruise line has said it plans to give customers who were aboard the Splendor a full refund , reimbursement for travel costs and a free cruise . Natalie Martinez and Angela Evans are among those who said they would also go on another cruise . But they said they would bring a survival kit with flashlights , chocolate and air freshener . And `` I think we would wait a year , '' Martinez added . . Some passengers are n't sure if they 'll cruise again . Maurice Harold and his wife , Cynthia Harold , not only had to endure being adrift , they had to do so without some of their own clothes , medicines and other items lost when their luggage went into the water while being loaded onto the ship . `` It was pretty traumatic . It was a scary situation , said Cynthia Harold , who said she needs to use an oxygen machine while sleeping and was unable to after the ship lost power . `` I really have n't slept since I left Virginia Beach , '' she said . The couple said they were unsure of their next steps , adding that it all depends on how Carnival compensates them . Others looked at the incident differently calling it an `` adventure . '' `` A lot of things went wrong , but it was really fun , '' said one young passenger , Ryan Harlan , who was traveling with his parents . `` We went to the Kids ' Camp . '' He said the Kids ' Camp was , in fact , his favorite part , because he made some friends . And the worst part ? `` Being stranded in the middle of the ocean , '' he said . The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it was investigating the incident . But later in the day the safety board said officials from Panama would lead the investigation because that is the country the vessel is flagged under . The U.S. Coast Guard will also be part of the investigation , the transportation board said .
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NEW : Maritime law gives crew discretion on informing passengers of problems . Officials from Panama are investigating the fire on the cruise ship . Some passengers said they ate mayonnaise sandwiches .
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Abidjan , Ivory Coast -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Violence in Ivory Coast was ongoing amid a tense political standoff Wednesday , after at least five police officers were killed and three U.N. peacekeepers were wounded in an Abidjan neighborhood , and three other police officers were killed in clashes with protesters , officials said . The five police officers were killed Tuesday night by heavily armed gunmen in what authorities said was a targeted attack in the densely populated Abobo area of the city , a police source said Wednesday . The three U.N. peacekeepers sustained minor injuries overnight when they `` came under crossfire from both sides of the road '' while returning from a patrol , the U.N. operation in Ivory Coast said in a statement Wednesday . The U.N. forces -- a joint team of military and U.N. police -- were forced to return fire , the operation said . Five other people were killed earlier Tuesday in clashes between police and supporters of the nation 's president-elect amid an ongoing political standoff in the West African nation , an official said . The dead included three police officers and two demonstrators , the governor of Abidjan said Tuesday . The deaths came a day after the U.N. Security Council condemned the violence that has erupted since the country 's November 28 presidential runoff election and `` urged all parties to exercise restraint . '' The incidents came a day after forces belonging to self-declared President Laurent Gbagbo blocked and looted a food convoy , the operation said , adding it `` reiterates its call for calm and urges all parties concerned to avoid recourse to violence . '' Amnesty International issued a statement warning of a fresh outbreak of violence in the wake of the five officers ' deaths , which it said happened early Wednesday . `` Some of the worst armed clashes so far broke out in the city of Abidjan today , '' the organization said . An unidentified witness told Amnesty International of having heard `` heavy exchanges of fire '' around midnight and seeing Wednesday morning `` three military vehicles burnt out '' and the body of a member of the security forces , the statement said . State-run RTI reported the government has imposed a curfew on the Abobo and Ayaman neighborhoods of Abidjan , where the violence occurred . The curfew is in place from Wednesday until 6 a.m. Saturday , it said . The cocoa-producing nation was plunged into crisis when Alassane Ouattara was declared the winner of the election , but the incumbent , Gbagbo , refused to leave office . The Security Council expressed its support for efforts by the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States in pursuing a peaceful resolution of the crisis . At the same time , the council repeated its readiness to impose measures -- including sanctions -- against those who threaten the peace process by blocking the work of the U.N. mission and others or `` commit serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law . '' Meanwhile , Ouattara is willing to add Gbagbo supporters to his Cabinet , provided the incumbent steps down , Ivory Coast 's ambassador to the United Nations said this week . Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba said Ouattara would not enter a power-sharing government similar to that in Zimbabwe but that he would be open to a unity Cabinet . U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq could not confirm any such offer from the Ouattara government and said that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon still calls for Gbagbo to step down in an orderly transition . Ouattara told CNN last week that he welcomes a proposal for direct negotiations with Gbagbo -- on the condition that Gbagbo recognize Ouattara as president . But in a telephone interview Tuesday , Gbagbo spokesman Ahoua Don Melo rejected the idea , saying Ouattara `` should first go to the Constitutional Council to get recognized as the president before making any proposal . '' An independent election commission declared Ouattara the winner of the vote , but the country 's Constitutional Council invalidated those results and declared Gbagbo the winner . The U.S. Treasury froze Gbagbo 's assets in the United States last week and barred Americans from doing business with him . His wife and three top aides also were sanctioned . Ouattara remains in the Golf Hotel under the protection of U.N. peacekeepers . The United Nations and an ever-increasing number of other nations have recognized Ouattara , a former prime minister , as the rightful election winner . The United States and other countries have offered Gbagbo what they call a `` dignified exit , '' which could mean living and working in other countries , including the United States . Gbagbo , however , has ignored those offers and has refused to accept telephone calls from U.S. officials . Ouattara has said he will ensure protection for Gbagbo if he concedes , said Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga , the African Union envoy for a multinational mediation effort . U.N. Security Council members have also `` strongly condemned and demanded an immediate halt '' to media efforts to `` propagate false information to incite hatred and violence , '' and condemned the ongoing blockade around the Golf Hotel . Meanwhile , the United Nations ' refugee agency is building a refugee camp for Ivorians fleeing to neighboring Liberia . The camp will initially be capable of housing some 18,000 refugees , it said . At present , there are about 25,000 Ivorian refugees in Liberia , with about 600 more arriving daily , it said . The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said it has sufficient relief supplies for about 30,000 people in Liberia and `` is ready to mobilize stocks from Ghana for an additional 30,000 people if the need arises . '' CNN 's Whitney Hurst and Journalist Eric Agnero in Abidjan contributed to this report .
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Five of the police officers are killed by heavily armed gunmen , a police source says . Three others die in clashes with protesters , Abidjan 's governor says . A tense political standoff in Ivory Coast is ongoing .
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Juba , Sudan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Sudan 's foreign affairs ministry is contradicting U.S. President Jimmy Carter 's statement about Southern Sudan 's debt obligations . Southern Sudanese voters are heading to the polls this week to determine whether they should secede from Sudan . The question of how to split Sudan 's debt is one of several issues that would have to be resolved if the south votes for independence , as is widely expected . On Monday , Carter told CNN that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir `` said the entire debt should be assigned to north Sudan and not to the southern part of Sudan . So , in effect , Southern Sudan is starting with a clean sheet on debt . They 'll have to make some arrangements for other sources of income , of course . '' The Sudan News Agency reported Monday the country 's foreign affairs ministry `` categorically refuted the statements . '' It said the ministry 's spokesman , Khalid Musa , explained that during the Carter meeting , al-Bashir affirmed Sudan 's strong call on the international community to take the initiative in writing off Sudan 's debts as part of the Debt Relief for Developing Countries and the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries -LRB- HIPC -RRB- Initiative `` in a view that the country , both in the north and south , have not enough resources to pay these debts . '' Musa also noted the expected decrease of the north 's oil revenues if southerners choose separation , the news agency said . According to Musa , al-Bashir said debt is a joint responsibility of the north and the south `` under joint negotiations of the two partners , '' the news agency said . A representative for The Carter Center who is in Sudan did not release an official response when reached by phone Tuesday . In a piece written by Carter that appears on CNN.com , the 39th U.S. president said `` the United States should resume normal relations with the government in Khartoum and support debt relief for the governments in both the North and South '' if the referendum succeeds . `` In addition to the loss of one-third of its geographic area , the economic cost to the North of losing a large share of current oil revenues will hurt the economy significantly , '' Carter added . Meanwhile , voters in Southern Sudan participated Tuesday in the third day of the week-long referendum . The south would become a new nation in July if voters choose independence and no other obstacles emerge . The referendum was called for in the 2005 peace treaty that ended 22 years of war between a government dominated by Arab Muslims in the north and black Christians and animists in the south . That war killed at least 2 million . South Sudanese vote , celebrate in Australia . At one polling station in Lologo , on the outskirts of the southern capital of Juba , some people slept nearby or arrived early Monday . The reason : So many voters had showed up on Sunday that some were turned away . Mary Luluwa shuffled to the front of the line with her wooden cane . Nearly blind , she had to be shown by election officials how to place her thumbprint . Luluwa said she was not sure . old she is , but she said she is certain how she will vote . `` For freedom , '' she said . `` I am very happy to vote , it 's my first time , I am old and I ca n't see much , but I voted for my children . '' But Tuesday 's voting follows several days of violence that flared up in a disputed region between north and south . At least 23 people have been killed in ongoing clashes around the disputed region of Abyei , an oil-rich area that the British transferred to Sudan in 1905 . A 2005 peace agreement called for people in Abyei to vote this week on whether to remain part of the north or return to the south , but that vote has been delayed . Clashes have erupted for four days between members of the Ngok Dinka ethnic group , which tend to have more in common with the south , and the Misseriya , a nomadic Arabic tribe that comes in and out of the Abyei region and whose sympathies would most likely tilt toward the northern government . Thirteen of the 23 were Misseriya , according to hospital officials in nearby Muglad . Ten were reported dead in Abyei , said John Ajang , secretary general of the Abyei government . Ajang said Monday that he believes the armed militias that clashed with Abyei government forces were not Misseriya tribesmen , but rather Sudanese government-supported militias . He said witnesses described heavy weaponry inconsistent with the automatic weaponry seen carried by Misseriya tribesmen in the past . `` We believe this is an attempt by the Sudanese government to take Abyei while the government of south Sudan forces are busy with the referendum , '' Ajang said . Observers from around the world are monitoring the historic referendum . The Atlanta-based Carter Center has about 70 observers in Sudan and 30 observers in eight other countries where Southern Sudanese are living and voting , according to David Carroll , director of the Democracy Program at The Carter Center . Representatives of the European Union , the African Union , the Arab League and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development are also observing the referendum . Southern Sudanese people who lived in the north for decades have crossed back into their homeland to vote in the referendum . Meanwhile , some voters in the north said they voted for unity , including one woman who said she did n't see a point in splitting up the country . Prior to the voting , Southern Sudanese diplomat John Duku said a unified Sudanese nation `` means only one thing -- it means war . '' `` Over the years , unity has imposed war on us , the unity has imposed marginalization on us , the unity has imposed slavery on us , '' he said . `` So , what is the meaning of unity ? For the people of south Sudan , it means only war . '' The south has repeatedly accused the north of trying to stoke tension by supporting rebels troops to destabilize the south , an allegation the Arab Muslim-led government in Khartoum denies . Even with a secession vote , stumbling blocks could remain -- about 20 % of the border area has not been demarcated , and the division of oil revenues between the two sides could be an issue . CNN 's David McKenzie and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report from Juba , Sudan ; CNN 's Ben Wedeman from Khartoum , Sudan and Journalist Nima Elbagir from Balom , Sudan .
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Southern Sudanese are voting on whether to separate from Sudan . If they choose to secede , a new country could emerge in July . At least 23 have died in violence leading up to and during the voting . A 2005 peace treaty ended 22 years of war that killed at least 2 million .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Nepalese government has reached a deal to help reinforce peace after the United Nations ends its mandate in the nation early Sunday morning . The U.N. mission in Nepal was set up four years ago to push for peace following a decade-long conflict between Maoist insurgents and state forces . At least 13,000 people died in the violence , the United Nations said in a statement . `` I congratulate the government and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist for agreeing on arms monitoring arrangements , which are so crucial to reinforcing confidence in the peace process , '' said Karin Landgren , U.N. envoy to Nepal . `` I hope the parties will build on this to implement the long-awaited integration and rehabilitation of the Maoist army personnel . '' The U.N. said in a statement that its mandate included monitoring arms and armed personnel to the Nepal and Maoist armies . Reintegration of former Maoist rebels into the Nepal army or the police was left up to the parties involved , the United Nations said . The U.N. Security Council reiterated its support for the peace process , and urged the parties to team up to resolve the remaining peace issues .
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The U.N. mission in Nepal was established four years ago to monitor the peace process . It ends its mandate early Sunday . A decade-long conflict between Maoist insurgents and state forces killed at least 13,000 .
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Colombo , Sri Lanka -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- United States became the second country to offer emergency assistance to more than a million affected by flooding in Sri Lanka . U.S. ambassador to the country , Patricia A. Butenis , said in a statement that Washington was donating U.S. $ 300,000 to provide various goods and services to areas hardest-hit by the floods . She said the funds have provided boats to local government in the eastern district of Batticaloa . `` We are helping the government to identify families in need and make an accurate assessment of the situation , '' she said . On Friday , an Indian air force aircraft brought in 34 tons of relief supplies . They included food , medical supplies , clothing and sleeping gear . Another shipment will arrive on Monday , an Indian high commission official said . The Sri Lanka government has about $ 1.3 million of assistance funds so far for the flood victims . Though the rains have diminished or receded in most areas , disaster center officials in Colombo warned that the dangers were not yet over . The Sri Lanka branch of the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs -LRB- OCHA -RRB- said that floods and receding waters may unearth mines and explosive remnants of war -LRB- ERW -RRB- '' and carry explosives from contaminated areas into areas thought to be safe . '' Mine officials and local authorities have urged vigilance from residents and people working in affected areas . The army has also sent out instructions to their installations in affected areas to warn the public , Maj. Gen. Udaya Madawala said . The mines are remnants of a war between Sri Lankan security forces and the Tamil Tiger rebels . Sri Lankan troops defeated the rebels in May 2009 . The OCHA report said that the worst affected districts were Ampara , Batticaloa and Trincomalee in the eastern province . Initial estimates indicate that more than 250,000 acres of crop land and 200,000 acres of paddy have been severely damaged . OCHA warned that prices of rice and other commodities may increase as one of the most productive paddy areas of the country have been affected . The number of camps for displaced people has gone up to 600 camp , according to disaster officials .
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U.S. one of two countries helping those affected by floods in Sri Lanka . It will donate U.S. $ 300,000 to provide various goods and services . The funds will go to areas hardest-hit by the floods .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Lower Saxony , the state hardest hit by Germany 's tainted egg scandal , has lifted a quarantine on 3,000 poultry and hog farms after tests proved negative for increased dioxin levels , officials said Monday . The state may lift the quarantine on more farms once additional test results come in Monday , said the state 's ministry for consumer protection and agriculture . Also Monday , Germany 's minister for agriculture and consumer affairs , Ilse Aigner , published an initiative for animal feed safety in reaction to the scandal . The initiative calls for consideration of harsher punishments for violations of the law . The list was published after a crisis meeting between Aigner and representatives of the country 's animal feed industry . `` Today , events like the discovery of dioxin animal are not merely local in nature anymore . They have regional and possibly even global effects in concerning public health and economic damage , '' the initiative says . `` The federal ministries for consumer protection and justice together will explore the need to adjust current laws . '' The initiative also calls for stricter registration rules and a strict separation of ingredients for animal feeds and those for other industrial processes . Meanwhile , Danish investigators said Monday they are looking into the possibility that contaminated animal feed from Germany may have been given to hens in Denmark . The feed , contaminated with dioxin , was purchased by a Danish firm late last year , said Kim Vandrup Sigsgaard with the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration . `` There is an ongoing investigation to see if the contaminated feed was consumed by breeder hens , which are not meant for consumption , '' he said . Such hens are bred for their eggs , and not sold for their meat , he said . Sigsgaard said his agency was warned about the feed entering Denmark by the European Union 's food safety system , the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed , on Sunday . Last week , Germany filed criminal charges against the company at the heart of the country 's tainted egg scandal . The company , Harles and Jentzsch , apparently knew for months that fatty acid it was delivering to animal-feed makers was contaminated with dioxin , said Christian Seifert , a spokesman for the agricultural ministry in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein . Criminal charges have been filed against the company , Seifert said , `` because they did not immediately inform '' the agricultural ministry that dioxin levels surpassed the allowed amount . Authorities allege that the company sold about 3,000 tons of contaminated fatty acids to dozens of companies making animal feed across Germany . In response , the government quarantined more than 4,700 pig and poultry farms . Harles and Jentzsch laboratory tests from March 2010 showed they exceeded the ceiling level for dioxin , he said . `` At that point they had to stop delivering this product and immediately inform the authorities . They did not do either , '' Seifert said . Government officials learned of the higher concentrations of dioxin in December , he said . Several attempts to reach Harles and Jentzsch last week for comment were unsuccessful . Dioxin levels in the final feed product were diluted and it is likely they did not exceed allowed amounts , Seifert said . `` Of course that is no excuse . The conduct is still wrong , '' he said . The farms shut down include not only ones raising chickens and other poultry , but also pig farms , said Pierre Vetter , a spokesman for Germany 's Ministry for Agriculture and Consumer Protection . State authorities quarantined all farms that received animal feed from companies affected , regardless of whether there is proof that the feed was contaminated , the ministry 's website said . `` The state authorities are right to quarantine products -- eggs and meat -- that may have been exposed to contaminated feed , even if there is no concrete scientific evidence in all cases , '' Aigner said in a statement . About 130,000 possibly contaminated eggs were exported from a company in Germany to a food company in Netherlands , where they were to be used in industrial food production , said Holger Eichele , a spokesman for Germany 's Ministry for Agriculture and Consumer Protection . The UK Food Standards Agency said a pasteurized mixture including some of the contaminated eggs was distributed in Britain . `` The mixing of the eggs will have diluted the levels of dioxins and they are not thought to be a risk to health , '' the agency said in a statement . Dioxins are a family of toxic chemicals that share a similar chemical structure and have been characterized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as likely human carcinogens . CNN 's Laura Perez Maestro in London contributed to this report .
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NEW : Germany publishes initiative for animal feed safety . Lower Saxony says it may lift the quarantine on more farms . Denmark thinks some contaminated feed may have been given to hens there . A German official says a company knew its fatty acid was contaminated with dioxin .
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Jerusalem -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Israel was silent Friday as a week of massive street protests engulfed the streets of Cairo and other Egyptian cities . Neither officials from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office nor the Israeli foreign ministry offered any public comment on the growing political instability in Israel 's most important regional ally . After the first day of Cairo street protests on Tuesday , Israeli Knesset member Benjamin Ben Eliezer , known as the Israeli politician with the closest ties to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak , told Israeli Army Radio that he did not believe the demonstrations would bring down the regime for lack of a viable leadership in the opposition . `` There is no leading figure that can lead the wave of protests till the regime falls , '' he said . `` This is not a regime of one person , but it is backed by the army , the intelligence agencies and the secret service . '' . It was an assessment shared by more than a few Israeli analysts and government officials , but by Friday night , underscoring just how rapidly events were moving , Arab affairs analysts for the two major Israeli television networks were talking about the possibility of Mubarak being forced from power . While the relationship between Israel and Egypt is frequently described as a `` cold peace , '' the two countries maintain significant intelligence and security ties . In addition to its role as facilitator in on-and-off-again talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians , Egypt shares a number of mutual interests with Israel , including curbing the influence of Iran in both Lebanon and Gaza . The two countries signed a historic peace agreement in 1979 , and during his 28 years in office , Mubarak has worked with eight Israeli prime ministers .
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There 's been no official comment from the Israeli government about the Egyptian situation . Earlier this week , a Knesset member said he did n't see Mubarak stepping down . But Friday , analysts on Israeli television spoke about the possibility . Egypt and Israel signed a peace accord in 1979 .
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Muscat , Oman -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is urging countries in the Persian Gulf region to support Iraq 's newly created government as she prepares to head to an international forum on development and the environment . `` There 's a government in Iraq that 's embraced by the Iraqi people . The attitude toward that government and Iraq among its Arab neighbors is changing . More and more people are seeking out relationships , seeking out trade agreements , opening embassies , '' Clinton said . In that regard , Gulf states have `` got more to do , but they 're making progress . ... I 'm encouraged , '' she said . Clinton spoke to CNN Wednesday in Muscat , Oman , a day before she was to meet with regional leaders in Qatar at the `` Forum for the Future . '' In late December , the Iraqi parliament voted in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki 's government , which is inclusive of Iraq 's major ethnic and sectarian groups . The long-awaited legislative action came more than nine months after a hotly disputed national election that threatened to inflame the country 's deep sectarian tensions . If other countries in the region do not acknowledge Iraq 's new `` inclusive government , '' Clinton said , `` that would be a great mistake . '' `` What we see is Iraq increasingly asserting itself . Iran is a big neighbor . Iran is a big presence in this entire region , and obviously , next door to Iraq as well , '' she said . `` But we also see the other sets of power in the region beginning to step up and make sure that Iraq is part of the larger community , and that 's very important . '' She also insisted that progress is being made regarding Iran , saying the United States has moved the world from merely condemning Iran to enacting sanctions that she says are working . Clinton conceded there 's still a long way to go toward convincing Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions . `` Can we run up the flag and say , oh no , we 've reached the conclusion we sought ? Not yet , but we are making progress , '' she said . Clinton 's six-day trip to the region also included a stop in the United Arab Emirates . Before her stop in Oman , she made a surprise visit Tuesday to poverty-stricken Yemen , a key al Qaeda battleground and planning center in recent years . During the wide-ranging interview Wednesday , Clinton defended U.S. expanded efforts to help Yemen . The country has thus far been unable to stop an al Qaeda affiliate from operating in its country , where it planned failed bombing attempts on the United States . `` Walking away from Yemen , not supporting it in both the counterterrorism efforts and its broader development needs , would be ceding the ground to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , '' she said . `` That would be a very tragic mistake . '' While in Yemen , she told reporters that the United States wants to take a two-pronged approach to helping that country . One is with military assistance to help fight al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula , and the other is to provide help for social and economic development as the nation runs out of oil and water . `` I hope that the American people understand that this is being done because , first and foremost , this is in our national security interest . Walking away from Yemen , not supporting it , in both the counterterrorism efforts and its broader development needs , would be basically ceding the ground to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . That would be a very tragic mistake , in my opinion , '' she said . In her Wednesday interview with CNN , Clinton also reiterated her earlier characterization of the weekend shooting rampage outside an Arizona supermarket as an example of `` extremism . '' `` Based on what I know , this is a criminal defendant who was , in some ways , motivated by his own political views ; who had a particular animus toward the congresswoman . And I think when you cross the line from expressing opinions ... into taking action that 's violent action , that is a hallmark of extremism -- whether it comes from the right , the left , from al Qaeda , from anarchists , whoever it is -- that is a form of extremism , '' she said . Also in Wednesday 's interview , Clinton described China as a `` big presence in our world today , '' adding the United States needs to have a `` positive relationship '' with that country because its importance will be even greater in the future . Chinese President Hu Jintao is set to visit Washington next week . Clinton also addressed Lebanon , where members of the powerful Hezbollah movement and its allies resigned from the Cabinet Wednesday , bringing down the government of Prime Minister Saad Hariri . Hezbollah opposes a U.N.-backed special tribunal that is widely expected to indict members of the Shiite Muslim group in the assassination of Rafik Hariri , the current prime minister 's father . `` We view what happened today as a transparent effort by those forces inside Lebanon as well as interests outside Lebanon to subvert justice and undermine Lebanon 's stability and progress , '' Clinton said . `` Trying to bring the government down as a way to undermine the special tribunal is the abdication of responsibility , but it also will not work . '' CNN 's Laurie Ure contributed to this report .
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Clinton says more governments should seek relationships with Iraq . She plans to push that point at a meeting Thursday in Qatar , she says . Clinton 's trip also includes stops in Oman , the United Arab Emirates and Yemen . The secretary of state says that the Arizona attack is an example of `` extremism ''
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A British general who advocates a troop `` surge '' in Afghanistan will be appointed head of the British Army next year , the Ministry of Defense said Friday . General David Richards is to become the new head of the British Army next year . Gen. David Richards , the current commander-in-chief of British Land Forces , will take over from Gen. Richard Dannatt in August 2009 , when Dannatt 's three-year term expires , the defense ministry said . Richards , who is responsible for delivering forces to Afghanistan , Iraq , and Kosovo in his current role , was head of NATO forces in Afghanistan between May 2006 and February 2007 . In a June interview with the defense ministry 's Defence Focus magazine , Richards called for more troops in order to succeed in Afghanistan . `` Though things have improved , do n't think for one minute we can believe that we are ` winning , ' '' Richards told the magazine . `` We need to define success carefully and continue to look for opportunities to increase troops for the surge effect that the Americans had in Iraq . We need boots on the ground and reconstruction to win their hearts and minds . '' Richards told the magazine that the situation in the country had improved since he commanded NATO forces there , in part because troop numbers had doubled . London 's Independent newspaper reported Friday that Richards favors 30,000 additional troops for Afghanistan -- 5,000 more British troops and 25,000 U.S. and Afghan soldiers . Britain currently has about 8,000 troops in Afghanistan , the Ministry of Defense said . Richards also believes that a negotiated settlement may be necessary to end the conflict , but that any talks must take place with the Afghan government and NATO in a position of strength , The Independent reported . Although Friday 's announcement does not mean an early retirement for Dannatt , British news reports Friday said Dannatt may be passed over for the job of head of the UK armed forces when he steps down from his current role . News reports said Dannatt , 57 , had irritated top officials with comments on Iraq policy and highlighting serious strains on the armed forces . In July , Dannatt defended himself after reports that he was expected to resign early . In a letter to The Daily Telegraph newspaper , Dannatt said he intended to serve his full term .
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British general who advocates a troop `` surge '' in Afghanistan to head army . Gen. David Richards is the current commander-in-chief of British Land Forces . Richards headed NATO 's forces in Afghanistan May 2006 to February 2007 .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Carlos Sainz claimed a record 23rd stage win at the Dakar Rally on Friday , but the Spaniard 's title reign in the car category is coming to a close . The 48-year-old overtook race legend Stephane Peterhansel for overall victories as he claimed his sixth in the 33rd edition of the endurance event , but he trails Volkswagen teammate Nasser Al-Attiyah by more than an hour ahead of the final leg going into Buenos Aires . Sainz 's challenge came unstuck on Thursday when he suffered a broken suspension in the 11th leg between Chilecito and San Juan in Argentina , allowing teammate Ginier De Villiers to move up into second overall . The South African was second in Friday 's penultimate stage ahead of Al-Attiyah , but is almost 50 minutes behind the Qatari -- who is almost assured his maiden victory at the event after finishing runner-up last year . `` It really was the hardest stage of my life , because I had to keep concentrated and not make any mistakes , '' the 40-year-old Al-Attiyah told the race 's website . Fear and loathing in South America . `` Sometimes I was going fast , sometimes slow , because I needed to keep my concentration and keep the same pace , but it was okay . We finished the stage without any problems and I 'm really quite happy . '' Spain 's Marc Coma is similarly in pole position to clinch a third title in the motorbike category after winning his fourth stage this year by 37 seconds from defending champion Cyril Depres . Coma has an overall advantage of more than 16 minutes from the Frenchman , who is also riding for the KTM team . `` Today was complicated due to all the rain that fell last night . As a result , it was a very technical stage , like in endurance racing . But it went fine , '' Coma told the race 's website . `` There is still a 190-kilometer stage left to race tomorrow . Normally , there should n't be any complications , but we still need to race them , it 's there to be done . '' Defending truck champion Vladimir Chagin is on course for his seventh title after claiming his sixth stage win , leaving him more than 31 minutes ahead of fellow Russian and Kamaz-Master teammate Firdaus Kabirov . In the quad bikes , last year 's runner-up Alejandro Patronelli is poised for his maiden triumph as he holds an even bigger lead ahead over fellow Argentine Sebastian Halpern , one of his Yamaha teammates . Halpern was second on Friday , while Patronelli was back in fourth eight minutes adrift .
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Carlos Sainz gains consolation record the day after his title challenge effectively ends . Spaniard trails Nasser Al-Attiyah by more than an hour ahead of final stage . Marc Coma close to clinching his third motorbike crown after winning stage 12 . Russia 's Vladimir Chagin is on course to win his seventh truck title .
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|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz hopes to revive his stalled career after securing a return to his old stomping ground at English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers . The 29-year-old has left high-flying Manchester City on loan for the rest of this season , having failed to make an impact following his $ 28 million move from Blackburn in mid-2009 . `` I feel like I am coming home . This has been the easiest decision of my career , '' he told the Blackburn website on Friday . `` I want to get playing and scoring goals again , and this is a real chance for me to prove myself after a frustrating period . Everyone knows what Blackburn Rovers means to me . '' Santa Cruz scored 29 goals in two seasons at Ewood Park after joining on a free transfer from German club Bayern Munich , and he followed former Rovers manager Mark Hughes to City . Who will be the bargain signings of the January sales ? But he initially struggled with injury and failed to impress Hughes ' successor Roberto Mancini as Carlos Tevez , Emmanuel Adebayor , Mario Balotelli and recent signing Edin Dzeko have taken precedence . Mancini has this week also allowed former England defender Wayne Bridge to join the Premier League 's bottom club West Ham on loan for the rest of this season . Blackburn have missed out with ambitious bids for Ronaldinho and David Beckham since Venky 's took over the club , but manager Steve Kean believes the move for Santa Cruz is proof of the Indian owners ' commitment to success . `` That is something that shows the fans we can now go and compete , and we can see off other teams -- not only in this country but abroad , '' he said . Italian club Genoa have signed Argentina international striker Mauro Boselli on loan until the end of this season from struggling English club Wigan . The 25-year-old has struggled to make an impact since joining from Estudiantes , where he was top scorer in last season 's Primera Clasura . `` At the moment he is not in a position where he can help the club , and I am confident he will come back a better and stronger player after his stay in Italy , '' Wigan 's Spanish manager Roberto Martinez told the club 's website . South Africa 's World Cup midfielder Steven Pienaar is expected to leave English club Everton after manager David Moyes revealed on Friday that a bid had been accepted for the player . The 28-year-old , who has been linked with Tottenham and Inter Milan , is out of contract at the end of this season , and has turned down a new deal . `` We have had two offers -- one of which has been accepted -- and we have given permission for his representatives to speak to the club involved , '' Moyes told the Everton website .
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Blackburn bring Roque Santa Cruz back to Ewood Park from Manchester City . Paraguayan signs on loan until the end of this season , having left in mid-2009 . Argentina international Mauro Boselli moves to Italy on loan with Genoa . South Africa World Cup star Steven Pienaar expected to leave English club Everton .
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LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Britain is prepared to send more troops to Afghanistan , the head of the British Army said in an interview published Friday . Britain currently has 8,300 troops in Afghanistan . Richard Dannatt , the chief of the general staff , did not say how many troops he would be prepared to deploy . Britain currently has 8,300 troops in Afghanistan . Dannatt told The Times newspaper that elements of the 12th Mechanized Brigade had been `` earmarked for Afghanistan . '' He said there are no plans to send the whole brigade of 4,000 troops . `` If we 're asked for more and we say we can , it 's not going to be 4,000 -- it 's going to be something in between '' that and the current troop level , Dannatt told the Times . The Ministry of Defense confirmed his remark . British defense sources told The Times that a rise of 1,700 to 2,000 was `` the uppermost ceiling . '' U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a new strategy for Afghanistan on Friday that includes sending another 4,000 troops to the country with hundreds of civilian specialists , senior administration officials told CNN . The troops -- which are in addition to the 17,000 that the president announced earlier would be sent to Afghanistan -- will be charged with training and building the Afghan Army and police force . The plans include doubling the Army 's ranks to 135,000 and the police force to 80,000 by 2011 , the officials said . Military officials told CNN earlier that the Afghan government had requested the additional troops .
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Britain is ready to increase troop numbers in Afghanistan , army chief says . Richard Dannatt told the Times up to 2,000 more could be sent . Army waiting for formal request by U.S. government , he says .
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[[36, 43], [56, 90], [726, 750]]
|
ISLAMABAD , Pakistan -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A radical cleric imprisoned for his role in a deadly Pakistan mosque siege has vowed to continue his campaign to impose hardline Islamic law in his first sermon since being released . Maulana Abdul Aziz gave his first sermon since being released from house arrest . Maulana Abdul Aziz was freed on Thursday -- nearly two years after siege at Islamabad 's Red Mosque that left 90 people dead , including Aziz 's son and brother . Addressing Friday prayers in the battle-scarred mosque , Aziz said he was willing to see more blood spilled for his cause . `` My only son was killed for this great mission of Islam , '' he told a capacity crowd at the mosque . `` If I had 100 sons , I would ask them to die for Islam . '' Aziz was arrested after the Pakistani government laid siege to the mosque in July 2007 to crack down on its efforts to promote Taliban-style sharia law . He was seized while trying to sneak away disguised with a women 's burqa . He was held under house arrest until Pakistan 's Supreme Court allowed his release late Thursday . It was the latest in a series of concessions by the government of President Asif Ali Zardari to Islamist militants . During Friday 's sermon , Aziz argued that his supporters ' fierce resistance during the siege , helped lead to a recent peace deal between the Pakistani government and Taliban militants in Pakistan 's northwestern Swat Valley . This week , Zardari signed an agreement , allowing Taliban fighters to implement sharia law in Swat . In an interview with CNN , Aziz 's spokesman Mohammed Amir Siddique said the cleric had no direct ties with the Taliban , but added `` We support them morally . '' Aziz 's sermon coincided with new international efforts to help combat extremism in Pakistan , seen as key to regional stability -- particularly in neighboring Afghanistan . At an international donors conference in Tokyo , countries including the United States and Saudi Arabia reportedly offered a total of $ 5 billion in aid to help boost economic development and improve security .
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Cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz was freed from house arrest on Thursday . Aziz was held for his role in 2007 mosque siege . Cleric 's spokesman says he supports the Taliban .
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-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The TSA is not as bad you think they are . At least , that 's what a list of `` myths and facts '' issued Thursday by the TSA about pat-downs and other security measures would like you to consider . Many Americans have reacted with displeasure , or even outrage , over recent high-profile stories about intrusive searches at airports . In one of the instances that reverberated the strongest , a California man 's video of his encounter with TSA agents went viral . John Tyner refused an X-ray scan and then famously told agents that , `` if you touch my junk , I 'll have you arrested . '' In its fact sheet , the TSA says that pat-downs only occur when a passenger sets off a metal detector or opts out of an X-ray scan . The latter is what led to Tyner 's confrontation with the TSA . Some see the pat-downs as a punishment for refusing to get scanned , but the TSA says that is not the case . `` There is nothing punitive about it -- it just makes good security sense , '' the TSA said . `` And the weapons and other dangerous and prohibited items we 've found during pat-downs speak to this . '' There are 400 full-body scanning machines at 69 airports nationwide , according to the TSA . About 24 million air travelers are expected to fly over the Thanksgiving holiday period , according to the Air Transport Association of America , an airline trade group . Grass-roots groups are urging travelers either not to fly or to protest by opting out of the full-body scanners and undergoing time-consuming pat-downs instead . Industry leaders are worried about the backlash . Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met with leaders of travel industry groups to discuss the concerns . Another myth that the TSA tackled is that all children will receive pat-downs . Children who require extra screening who are under 12 receive a modified pat-down , the TSA said . That news probably is n't reassuring for teenagers who draw a secondary security screening . Capt. Chesley `` Sully '' Sullenberger , the hero pilot , has gone on record as a critic of the TSA measures . He said the use of full-body pat-downs and advanced imaging scanners for airline personnel `` just is n't an efficient use of our resources . '' Then there is the issue of whether the full-body scans , done in advance imaging technology , or AIT machines , are safe . It is a myth that they are not safe , the TSA says . The Backscatter technology used in the machines has been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute for Standards and Technology , the TSA says . `` In fact , a traveler is exposed to less radiation from one AIT scan than from two minutes of an airline flight , '' the fact sheet says . Passengers have also expressed concerns that the images from the scanners can be saved or transmitted to other devices . The TSA also calls this a myth , saying that the scanning machines do not have the capability to save or transmit images , and that other devices , such as cell phones with cameras , are not allowed in the screening rooms .
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TSA says that pat-downs are only for those who set off metal detectors . They are also for those who opt out of an X-ray scan . Passengers have expressed displeasure with the pat-downs at airports .
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-LRB- Mashable -RRB- -- The Samsung Continuum was announced earlier at the New York Stock Exchange , but the phone itself was just unveiled in Times Square . It will take its place beside the Galaxy S and will , at least initially , be available exclusively on Verizon Wireless . The device is similar to the Galaxy S in many ways . Its face is made from a 3.4-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen , making it perfect for media consumption . Additionally , the device is DLNA-compliant , so it can quickly connect with TVs and other devices with DLNA capabilities . But the most distinguishing feature of this device is n't its main display ; it 's a secondary , 1.8-inch , Super AMOLED display . The `` ticker '' display is used to display information ranging from incoming calls to status messages . It 's also touch capable and , when the primary screen is being actively used , incoming messages are routed to it , so the primary activity is n't interrupted . The ticker can be activated separately from the main display using a unique grip sensor on the sides of the device . This allows users to discreetly look at relevant information without illuminating the considerably brighter main display . Disappointingly , the Continuum will ship with Android 2.1 , but Samsung has assured it will be updated rapidly . The question is whether Samsung will update to Android 2.2 or go straight to 2.3 -LRB- Gingerbread -RRB- . The Samsung Continuum will be available for pre-order on November 11 . It will be available in stores on November 18 -- one day before the Droid Pro -- for $ 200 after a $ 100 mail-in rebate . © 2010 MASHABLE.com . All rights reserved .
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Samsung Continuum unveiled in Times Square . Smartphone will be available exclusively on Verzion Wireless . Most distinguishing feature is the secondary , 1.8-inch , Super AMOLED display .
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|
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Convicted Ponzi-schemer Bernard Madoff will not attend the funeral of his son , Mark , out of consideration for his daughter-in-law and grandchildren , attorney Ira Sorkin said . Mark Madoff 's body was discovered hanging from a ceiling pipe in his Manhattan apartment on Saturday , two years to the day after his father was arrested for swindling $ 50 billion from investors in the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history . The death of the younger Madoff was ruled a suicide by the New York medical examiner 's office after an autopsy on Sunday , spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said . `` He will be conducting a private service on his own where he 's presently incarcerated , '' Sorkin said . Madoff , 71 , is at the Butner Federal Correction Complex , a medium-security prison in eastern North Carolina , where he is serving a 150-year prison sentence . Reports from several media outlets Monday said Madoff would not seek to attend his son 's funeral -- prison rules prohibit prisoners with more than two years left on their prison terms from having furloughs . Madoff bilked investors out of their money by masquerading as the head of a legitimate investment firm while using funds from new investors to send payments to his earlier investors , falsely portraying them as proceeds when they were actually stolen money , prosecutors said . Madoff 's criminal activities spawned a tidal wave of civil actions against Mark Madoff , his mother , siblings and hundreds of other defendants , accused of profiting off the Ponzi scheme by withdrawing more money from Madoff 's fund than they invested , money they presumably thought was investment income . A person familiar with the family says Mark Madoff has not been in touch with his extended family for the past two years . Irving Picard , the court-appointed trustee in charge of recovering and distributing Madoff 's assets , has filed a slew of lawsuits in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan over the past week on behalf of some of Madoff 's victims . One filed on December 8 named Mark Madoff -- as well as his brother Andrew Madoff and uncle Peter Madoff -- as one of several defendants in a civil lawsuit .
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NEW : `` He will be conducting a private service on his own , '' lawyer says . Mark Madoff 's death was ruled a suicide by the New York medical examiner 's office . Mark Madoff 's body was found Saturday , two years after father 's arrest .
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|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Snowstorms barreled across New England on Wednesday , canceling flights , closing schools and creating treacherous road conditions for weather-weary travelers . Massachusetts Gov. Duval Patrick declared a state of emergency , mobilizing 250 National Guardsmen as a precaution , as officials warned of blizzard conditions across the state and into southern New Hampshire . `` The wind is blowing very hard and that 's what most unpleasant , '' said Brookline , Massachusetts , resident Bonnie Sashin . `` It 's blowing ice into your face . '' Forecasters said accumulation in scattered areas across Massachusetts , Connecticut , Rhode Island , New Hampshire and Vermont could reach between 25 and 34 inches , while most areas expected 8 to 16 inches of snow . Snowfall in the heaviest areas reached rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour , according to the National Weather Service . Some residents in Brattleboro , Vermont , donned cross-country skis as they traveled down snow-jammed roads , while their neighbors heaved shovelfuls of snow out of driveways and sidewalks , said town resident Caleb Clark . More than 15,000 households were without power in Massachusetts , including thousands of customers in Plymouth County who were affected by a transmission-line outage , according to the National Grid utility company 's website . The hardest-hit areas included Plymouth , Bristol , Essex , Norfolk and Suffolk counties in Massachusetts , the utility company said . `` This is the second major storm we are battling in less than three weeks , '' said Christopher E. Root , National Grid senior vice president of electricity operations . `` We ask that our customers bear with us and be patient as our crews work in challenging weather conditions to restore service as safely and quickly as possible . '' Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the city 's snow emergency and parking ban will be lifted at 9 a.m. Thursday , but public schools will be closed as crews continue clearing roads . He urged citizens to use public transportation . Amtrak said it has suspended rail service between New York and Boston , and between Springfield , Massachusetts , and New Haven , Connecticut , due to severe weather and fallen trees , according to its website . Every state except Florida now has snow on the ground , including Hawaii , according to CNN meteorologist Sean Morris . High winds hampered cleanup efforts across the region , particularly along the New England coast , forecasters predicted . A band of moderate to heavy snow is expected to continue to move north along the coast , with heavy precipitation leaving southern Maine by Wednesday night , officials said . New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he lifted the `` weather emergency '' on Wednesday , as salting crews and snow plows finished clearing city streets . The mayor said that 30 vehicles had been towed as a result of the storm . That number is in stark contrast to the thousands of cars , buses and ambulances left stranded last month after cleanup crews struggled to plow streets days after the storm . Bloomberg -- who faced sharp criticism over the slow emergency response -- said New York was better equipped to tackle Wednesday 's storm . More than 1,700 flights were canceled at the New York area 's three major airports , while hundreds more were grounded at Boston 's Logan International Airport , officials said . General manager at LaGuardia Airport Thomas Bosco said many airlines pre-emptively canceled flights ahead of the weather Wednesday to avoid massive delays that plagued airports during last month 's holiday blizzard . Philadelphia declared a snow emergency Tuesday night , while public schools there and in Boston were closed . Non-emergency state employees did not have to report to work Wednesday , according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency . But New York City public schools remained open , with field trips canceled , according to the office of the city 's schools chancellor . The city 's public schools have closed six times -- for a total of eight days -- since 1978 , the office said . In the South , normally bustling cities such as Atlanta and Charlotte , North Carolina , grappled with the unusual onslaught of ice and snow this week . AirTran Airways spokesman Christopher White said the airline is in `` full recovery mode '' to get traffic back to normal in the coming days at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport . The company canceled more than 90 Wednesday flights , after more than 260 flights were taken off the schedule Tuesday . Both Delta Air Lines and AirTran were offering one-time flight changes with no fees for a limited period . Delta canceled 1,200 flights Wednesday and has canceled 80 for Thursday because of snow in the Northeast . The airline said its Atlanta operations have returned to normal . CNN 's Chad Myers , Jason Kessler , Dave Alsup , Rob Marciano , Tristan Smith , Moni Basu , Holly Yan , Andy Rose , Nick Valencia and Brian Walker contributed to this report .
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Boston to lift snow emergency Thursday . Massachusetts mobilizes 250 National Guardsmen amid blizzard conditions . Hundreds of flights are canceled at Boston 's Logan International Airport . More than 15,000 households are without power in Massachusetts .
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|
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Most of the wintry precipitation had moved on by Monday night , but much of the South is likely to see white stuff on the ground until the weekend as an Arctic low slides in , bringing low temperatures in the teens and highs barely out of the 20s . And a snow storm surging over the Plains and into the Ohio Valley promises to merge with the Southeast storm Tuesday night and slam into the Mid-Atlantic Wednesday , according to the National Weather Service . The storm brought treacherous travel conditions across the Southeast Monday , with schools and government offices shut down from Arkansas to the Atlantic . Those conditions are n't expected to change overnight as temperatures remain below freezing , making morning commutes on Tuesday no better . In Atlanta , airlines canceled hundreds of flights Monday -- and plan to cancel more on Tuesday . AirTran spokesman Christopher White said the airline would begin operation `` with a greatly reduced flight schedule '' and warned that flights heading to the Northeast would likely be affected at least through Wednesday . Delta , which canceled almost a third of its flights across the country Monday , said it planned at least 1,400 cancellations on Tuesday . Spokesman Anthony Black said the airline was keeping a close eye on the Northeast for late Tuesday and early Wednesday . Both airlines were offering one-time flight changes with no fees for a limited period . And if air travel was limited , road travel was nearly non-existent . Impassable roads were the norm across the region , although that did n't keep everyone at home -- particularly truckers trying to keep their schedules . And some of those truckers caused some of the problems . Monday night in Atlanta , jackknifed tractor-trailers had blocked the east side of Interstate 285 , which encircles the city , from Interstate 75 on the south to Interstate 85 on the northeast . Another had been stuck on fabled Peachtree Street in the city 's Midtown district for hours . Georgia emergency officials warned people to stay off the roads if at all possible from central Georgia north . Atlanta police were dealing with so many accidents that the department announced it would only work accidents with injuries and provided an online form for drivers to report others . In Alabama , traffic accidents claimed two lives , one in Lowndes County and the other in Tuscaloosa County . Parts of the northern part of the state got 6 inches to 10 inches of snow , according to state Emergency Management spokeswoman Yasmie Richardson , and three-fourths of the state received snow or ice . Mississippi emergency officials reported a single fatal traffic accident on Sunday as sleet began moving into the state . No part of Carolinas was unaffected by the snows and ice , particularly the mountainous west where snowfalls of up to 18 inches were reported . North Carolina and South Carolina both expected freezing rain and sleet into Tuesday morning . The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported extremely hazardous conditions in the mountainous east , but ice and snow was also causing problems in other parts of the state . The governors of Louisiana , Alabama , Georgia , North Carolina and South Carolina declared states of emergency . Double-digit snow depths were reported Monday in the Tennessee towns of Minor Hill -LRB- 13 inches -RRB- and Lawrenceburg -LRB- 11 inches -RRB- , and in Oxford , Mississippi -LRB- 10 inches -RRB- . Other areas reporting heavy accumulations were Greenville , North Carolina -LRB- 9 inches -RRB- , Asheville , North Carolina -LRB- 7 inches -RRB- , and Huntsville , Alabama -LRB- 7 inches -RRB- . Canton , Georgia , and Greenville , South Carolina , each reported 6 inches . Reported power outages were relatively few early Monday . About 2,300 homes in Louisiana and 4,000 in Mississippi lost power , according to authorities in those states , and power had been restored to most of them . Nearly 2,000 Georgia customers were out of power , according Georgia Electric Membership Corp , and Georgia Power reported 3,000 customers out . But the snow brought out some revelers , too . In Kennesaw , northwest of Atlanta , Sarah DeRoch 's daughter Gwyneth was bursting with anticipation of a whole day to play in the snow . `` She 's been asking me every five minutes , ` Did they close the schools ? ' '' DeRoch said . In tiny Pine Lake , east of Atlanta , the city closed its steepest street to vehicular traffic -- but left it open for sledding . It drew dozens of kids -LRB- and adults -RRB- for a slippery ride down the street , a long trudge back up -- to an open fire pit , s'mores and hot chocolate . Most Atlanta students also will be staying home Tuesday , as well , as the major school districts announced closings will stretch into another day , according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . The situation was much the same in other metro areas along the storm 's route : Most school districts near Birmingham , Alabama ; Greenville-Spartanburg , South Carolina ; and Charlotte , North Carolina , will be closed Tuesday , local media reported Monday . As the storm pressed farther to the northeast Monday , New Jersey and Delaware went under winter storm warnings , while winter storm watches were in place in much of the Northeastern seaboard and New England . The National Weather Service predicted 5 inches to 8 inches in the Philadelphia area , 4 inches or more in northern New Jersey and 2 to 6 inches in southern Delaware from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning . In the Southeast , the National Weather Service expected a high approaching 40 on Tuesday -- but the Arctic front currently bringing snow into the Midwest would sink into the south , without the precipitation but with frigid temperatures . While the snowstorm was a headache to drivers and businesses , it proved to be a help to police in one Georgia town . Officers investigating a pre-dawn burglary at a liquor store in Dalton , Georgia , simply followed a set of tracks in the otherwise undisturbed snow from the store to a nearby apartment complex . There , after knocking on the door where the footprints led , they found a pair of teenagers along with a backpack full of liquor bottles carrying stickers that matched bottles in the burglarized store . Two young men were arrested and charged with burglary and criminal destruction of property . CNN 's Holly Yan , Andy Rose , Nick Valencia , Cameron Tankersley and Brian Walker contributed to this report .
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NEW : Overnight freeze will keep the Southeast stuck . NEW : The Southeast storm is expected to merge with another coming from the Plains . Traffic fatalities are reported in Mississippi , Alabama . School closings are stretching into Tuesday for much of the region .
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|
New York -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- With memories of a monster Christmas blizzard still fresh , another blast of winter weather charged across eastern states Friday , with winter advisories issued as far south as middle Georgia . A large complex winter system stretched across the Northeast Friday , making for messy commutes in cities like Philadelphia , but bringing fewer inches of accumulation than the massive storm that paralyzed much of New York less than two weeks ago . By Friday afternoon , 391 flights at New York 's three major airports had been canceled as a result of snow , according to spokesman Steve Coleman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey . `` Overall we 're talking less than 10 percent of the normal traffic , '' Coleman said . `` Most of these flights were canceled before the snow even really started . '' Twenty flights at Philadelphia International Airport also were canceled as the storm rolled through the region , causing minor delays at Logan International Airport in Boston , officials said . Several major airlines -- including American , United/Continental , U.S. Airways and Delta -- announced that their customers could voluntarily reschedule flights to and from snow-affected areas without penalty . Southwest Airlines expanded the option for passengers flying in and out of not just New York and Pennsylvania airports but also Washington Dulles and Baltimore/Washington airports . The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings , watches and advisories for portions of New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Pennsylvania , Massachusetts and Vermont for Friday . Separate alerts also were issued for parts of Kentucky , Tennessee and North Carolina . Forecasters projected between 2 and 4 inches of snow across the greater New York City area , with heavier amounts expected over eastern sections of Long Island . Snow was predicted later in the weekend for Atlanta and areas even farther south . `` I spoke to a couple of folks and they 're just worried about the cleanup work afterwards , '' said New York resident . Hoyman Leung . `` The last round , they were certainly deficient . '' Emergency workers , criticized for their slow response to the blizzard two weeks ago , will get another chance to prove themselves . Mayor Michael Bloomberg said New York has already instituted a series of changes . The heavy snow over the Christmas weekend hampered morning commuters , delayed first responders and even prevented aircraft service personnel from reaching airports where 29 international flights were stuck on the tarmac for more than three hours , officials said . Following sharp criticism of the city 's slow response , John Doherty , the chief of the sanitation department , has made management and personnel shake-ups in Brooklyn . An investigation is currently under way into whether sanitation workers intentionally delayed cleanup efforts over frustrations about demotions and citywide budget cuts . Bloomberg also announced that a handful of the city 's 1,700 snow plows will be fitted with global positioning systems in a pilot program meant to better track the vehicles . `` It gives us the ability to check on the location and progress of our snow plows , '' Bloomberg told reporters , saying that the devices will be added to some trucks in New York 's Brooklyn and one station in Queens , where many residents were left snowbound by the previous storm . The city is also deploying scout teams to transmit video images of neighborhoods back to City Hall during cleanup efforts , the mayor said .
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NEW : 391 flights are canceled at New York 's three major airports . NEW : A New York resident says many are `` worried about the cleanup work afterwards '' 20 flights are canceled at Philadelphia 's airport ; delays in Boston and Newark .
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