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(CNN)Celebrities such as Piers Morgan and nearly 800 other members of a London golf club will earn £85,000 ($107,100) each after agreeing the sale of their Wimbledon Park Golf Club to the organizer of the Wimbledon grand slam tennis tournament.The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) has acquired the land, which lies across the road from the tournament venue, for £65 million ($81.9 million) with a long-term view to transferring Wimbledon's qualifying event to the 73-acre site and building over the golf greens.The two parties have been in discussion for a decade but members of the 120-year-old golf club had resisted a number of lower bids before 82% agreed to Wimbledon's "best and final offer" at a meeting in central London Thursday. Very sad news.Played there for over 30yrs & voted against the sale. Hope the superb pro-shop team get properly looked after. https://t.co/Et4ATm5eMl— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 13, 2018
Journalist and TV star Morgan tweeted: "Very sad news. Played there for over 30yrs & voted against the sale. Hope the superb pro-shop team get properly looked after."Wimbledon tennis organizers are seeking to keep pace with modernization and the development of world-class facilities for players and fans at the other three grand slams in Australia, France and USA. Qualifying currently takes place at Roehampton, about a 15-minute drive away.Read More"The decision of the Wimbledon Park Golf Club members to vote in favor of the acquisition offer is a hugely significant moment for the AELTC and The Championships," said Philip Brook, chairman of the AELTC.Visit CNN.com/Sport for more news, features and videosEach of the nearly 800 members of Wimbledon Park Golf Club will receive about $107,000 each. 'Protect and celebrate heritage'Another longtime member Martin Sumpton told the meeting it was a "very, very sad day for the history of golf and the future of Wimbledon Park." "120 years of playing golf at Wimbledon Park has ended because of greed," he told The Guardian. "People wanted to take the money, and that's hardly surprising. It is a lot of money."It's not just the golf club that will be lost, but also all the employees who will be out of a job through no fault of their own."The golf club will continue as normal until the end of 2021 with nine or 10-holes operating for at least a further year. In the meantime, the AELTC will formulate its master plan for the site, which will also seek to "protect and celebrate the heritage of the park" and offer "increased public access." A sports club situated in the center of the golf course is not included in the sale."We have achieved what we set out to do many months ago in having certainty in our planning for the future," added Brook, who clarified that the grounds would remain a sporting facility."I would like to emphasize that we have no intention of applying for change of use, planning permission or other approval to use the land that would be completely out of character for the AELTC and The Championships."Wimbledon built a retractable roof over Centre Court at a reported cost of £100 million ($126 million) in 2009 and is in the process of adding a £71 million ($90 million) roof on No.1 court for the 2019 event. | 5sport
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Story highlights Opponents of the measure file a challenge with France's Constitutional CouncilNational Assembly approves a same-sex marriage bill by a 331-to-225 voteThe issue of same-sex marriage also polarizes the United States and other nationsLawmakers in New Zealand and Uruguay are the latest to back same-sex marriageFrench lawmakers voted to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday, despite vocal protests from some conservatives opposed to the step. The nation's lower house approved a marriage bill, which would also give same-sex couples the right to adopt, in a 331-to-225 final vote.They cast their votes after impassioned speeches by lawmakers for and against the legislation.President Francois Hollande, who pledged his support for same-sex marriage on the campaign trail last year, will have to sign the bill before it becomes law.After Tuesday's lower house vote, a group of senators filed a legal challenge with the country's Constitutional Council, according to a statement published on the UMP conservative opposition party's senate website.JUST WATCHEDIssues beyond same-sex rights for FrenchReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIssues beyond same-sex rights for French 02:42JUST WATCHEDSame-sex marriage battle in FranceReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSame-sex marriage battle in France 03:13JUST WATCHEDOpen Mic: French on same-sex marriageReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHOpen Mic: French on same-sex marriage 02:05The court has a month to rule on the challenge filed by conservative and centrist senators.iReport: Pro-gay marriage demonstrators hail lawmakers' moveThe measure had been expected to pass Tuesday since the left, which includes Hollande's governing Socialist Party, dominates the National Assembly, or lower house. The legislation was approved in the Senate earlier this month. If the measure is enacted, France would be the ninth country in Europe to allow same-sex marriage.Protesters on Sunday joined the latest in a series of marches through Paris against the measure, and they have vowed to carry on the fight.One of the groups behind the marchers urged protesters to rally again Tuesday evening and is planning more demonstrations around the country next month.Policing has been stepped up in the streets around the lower house in case demonstrations by those for and against the bill become heated, CNN affiliate BFM-TV reported.In France, the contentious debate over the same-sex marriage bill has coincided with a spike in reported incidents of homophobic abuse, the gay rights group SOS Homophobie told BFM-TV last week.A gay bar in Lille was targeted Wednesday night by four men who appeared to belong to a far-right group, Interior Minister Manuel Valls said Thursday, in a statement condemning the attack.Valls also condemned violence that broke out Thursday evening at a march against same-sex marriage, when "organized groups" refused to disperse and clashed with police.France is committed to upholding the right of all people to demonstrate peacefully, he said.International debatePassage of the divisive bill will admit France to a small but growing club.Lawmakers in New Zealand last week made it the first country in the Asia Pacific region to legalize same-sex marriage. The law is set to be enacted later this year.Its move came a week after Uruguayan lawmakers approved a measure allowing same-sex marriage. The measure awaits the signature of Uruguay's president, who has indicated he supports it.If the laws in New Zealand, Uruguay and France are enacted as expected, the count of nations allowing same-sex marriage will rise to 14.The first same-sex couples walked down the aisle in the Netherlands in 2001, with others following suit in Canada, South Africa, Belgium and Spain. Argentina was the first Latin American nation to legalize such marriages, in 2010. Legislators in the United Kingdom are also weighing proposals to legalize same-sex marriage.However, many countries remain split over the issue.In the United States, the question went before the Supreme Court last month, and justices are now deliberating over the matter. Nine states and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, including three states -- Maryland, Washington, and Maine -- where voters approved it in ballot initiatives last year. Many states have specific laws blocking same-sex couples from legally marrying. Lawmakers in Australia voted against a bill to legalize same-sex marriage last September. A poll for the advocacy group Australian Marriage Equality indicated that 64% of those surveyed "support marriage equality."A law legalizing civil unions was introduced in 1999 in France under a previous Socialist government. Known in France as the PACS, or pacte civil de solidarite, the civil union agreement can be entered into by same-sex or straight couples and confers many but not all of the rights of marriage.READ MORE: French Senate backs same-sex marriage billREAD MORE: Same-sex marriage: Who will legalize it next?READ MORE: Gay rights in France: How even U.S. leads wayREAD MORE: Protesters rally against same-sex marriage in France | 3news
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(CNN)Central America's battle with Hurricane Eta could leave some countries scarred for generations. Eta made landfall in the region last week as a Category 4 hurricane. High winds were always expected, but the storm hovered for days over Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, seemingly unwilling to leave three countries extremely ill-equipped to handle the disaster. Torrential rainfall came in unceasing waves and the subsequent flooding wiped entire communities off the map. Dozens of people in the remote Guatemalan village of San Cristobal are still missing after a landslide swept through last week, leaving mud 50 feet deep in some places. Some of their relatives already think their loved ones are gone.Read MoreTropical Storm Eta brings strong winds to west coast of Florida ahead of landfall"There was a great tragedy here," village resident Roland Calchak told Reuters. "I lost 23 members of my family. My father, my mother, my wife, my three children, grandchildren, sisters, sisters-in-law." More than 3.6 million people across Central America have been affected to varying degrees, according to the Red Cross. "We are talking about a huge impact across the region," said Santiago Luego, of the Red Cross. Dozens have been killed so far, and that number is expected to rise. The true fallout from this storm, though, might only be beginning. Covid-19 will spread...but so will everything elseFor the storm's survivors, a deadly danger remains. Health authorities in Central America are deeply concerned about the potential spread of Covid-19 in Eta's wake. In Honduras, some shelters for storm refugees are crowded and poorly ventilated, and social distancing is often impossible. "Just bringing them to safe ground has been a challenge," said Mauricio Paredes of the Red Cross. "Now you have all these people together, so it's a double challenge of not only protecting the people who have been effected but also protecting the first responders." Even before the storm, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala had poor public health systems that struggled in the fight against Covid-19. Local hospitals will now face the additional burden of other illnesses related to the storm and the flooding from dengue to cholera to yellow fever.JUST WATCHEDHeavy rain and life-threatening flooding occuring with Eta ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHeavy rain and life-threatening flooding occuring with Eta 03:21 And while children are usually spared the worst from Covid-19, that will not be the case with other diseases. "We're going to get a perfect storm or a pandoras box of diseases that predominantly affect children," said Mark Connolly, the UNICEF representative in Honduras speaking to CNN. Connolly says more children could die across Central America if urgent aid, things like water purification tablets, water filters, and the overall swift repair of neighborhood water systems, is not delivered quickly. The Red Cross says the scale of the problem is so immense, it plans on conducting sustained operations for at least 18 months with the target of helping 75,000 of the worst affected people in those three countries. With nothing holding them back, many will head northIn the three Central American countries hit the hardest, there are no widely effective social safety nets. The ability of these federal governments to respond with the resources needed to mount a substantive response is limited. Any vast fleets of trucks or planes with supplies that do arrive will come largely due to the efforts of NGO's and whatever generosity richer countries are willing to offer. Rebuilding in many of these communities will be extremely slow, if non-existent. With no jobs, no homes, and no clear vision of what the future holds, there will be little choice for many but to leave. The destination is obvious. "Lots of these families lost everything," said Connolly. "So, now their only hope might be to get a loan for a few thousand dollars and migrate north to Mexico and the United States." What awaits those migrants at border crossings is unclear. Mexico, for example, has all but closed its borders to Central American migrants over the past year, a Trump administration demand backed up with economic threats like tariffs on Mexican imports to the US. And should they be let into Mexico, what fate awaits them at the US southern border? The Trump administration has all but halted immigration there, denying entry to those trying to be let in on everything from humanitarian grounds to political asylum. President-elect Joe Biden has said he will reverse many of Trump's policies. But with the Covid-19 pandemic continuing to rage in the US, it is unclear what the new administration would do with large numbers of new migrants. A schooling crisisOthers will choose to stay put, despite the devastation around them. Adults will try to go back to work, try to get food and water on the table. But for the region's children, there is another looming crisis. Millions of kids have already been out of school since the spring due to Covid-19 closures. Now, getting back in the classroom will be even more uncertain. "The situation in Honduras, for example, was that before [the storm] there were about 6,000 schools without running water," said Connolly. "Now you can multiple that by several times because the water systems have collapsed in multiple areas." Many schools were also damaged or destroyed during the storm. And those that weren't have often been turned into shelters for struggling families. All of that combined could add up to even lengthier delays before kids can get back to learning. Central America is no stranger to devastating storms. Hurricane Fifi killed thousands in 1974. Hurricane Mitch wiped out hundreds of thousands of homes in 1998. The true damage from Eta likely won't be known for a while. But a powerful storm combined with the worst pandemic in 100 years will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the region. And the situation might soon get worse. The National Hurricane Center says it is very likely a hurricane will develop in the Caribbean in the next few days with most models in agreement that it will make landfall next week in Northern Honduras. | 3news
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Story highlightsLondon's Metropolitan Police says it is dropping its 24-hour guard of Julian AssangeThe WikLeaks founder has been holed up in Ecuador's Embassy in London since July 2012Sweden wants to extradite Assange so he can be questioned over rape allegationsLondon (CNN)Police are no longer guarding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange around the clock, London's Metropolitan Police said Monday, but are deploying "a number of overt and covert tactics to arrest him."Assange has been holed up in London's Ecuadorian Embassy for more than three years to avoid extradition to Sweden, where prosecutors want to question him over 2010 rape allegations.The Australian has not been charged and denies the allegations. Assange has said he fears Sweden would extradite him to the United States, where he could face the death penalty if he is charged and convicted of publishing government secrets through WikiLeaks.Deployment 'no longer proportionate'Read MoreThe Metropolitan Police Service said it remained "committed to executing the arrest warrant and presenting Julian Assange before the court," but that it continually reviewed its policing operation."As a result of this continual review the MPS has today Monday, 12 October withdrawn the physical presence of officers from outside the Embassy," it said in a statement."The operation to arrest Julian Assange does however continue and should he leave the Embassy the MPS will make every effort to arrest him. However it is no longer proportionate to commit officers to a permanent presence."The force said it had discussed its decision with Britain's Home Office and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office."Like all public services, MPS resources are finite. With so many different criminal, and other, threats to the city it protects, the current deployment of officers is no longer believed proportionate."Some charges droppedIn August, prosecutors announced they were dropping allegations involving sexual molestation and coercion as statutes of limitations in the investigation were running out. Assange can still be investigated on suspicion of rape until 2020, they said. In May, the Swedish Supreme Court denied Assange's latest appeal to dismiss an arrest warrant over the allegations. Prosecutors have agreed to look into conducting interviews in London to move the investigation forward, but the court sees "no reason" to lift the arrest warrant, the Supreme Court said then. | 3news
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Seoul, South Korea (CNN)North Korea fired what is presumed to be its longest range ballistic missile since 2017 on Sunday, an escalation of its weapons program and a possible sign of larger tests to come, according to South Korea's President. Both the South Korean and Japanese governments reported the launch of an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), with officials in Tokyo saying the missile reached a height of 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) with a range of 800 kilometers (497 miles), before falling into waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula."If the missile were fired at a normal apogee, its range would be up to 3,500 kilometers to 5,500 kilometers, making it an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile and North Korea's longest test since 2017," Joseph Dempsey, research associate for defense and military analysis at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, told CNN Sunday.A US assessment also found the launch to be an IRBM, most likely a KN-17, also known as a Hwasong-12, according to a US official with direct knowledge.An IRBM would be able to strike the US territory of Guam in the Pacific Ocean.Read MoreSunday's launch is Pyongyang's sixth ballistic missile launch in 2022 and seventh missile test overall.The Kim Jong Un regime is ramping up its missile testing in 2022, and has said it will bolster its defenses against the United States and evaluate "restarting all temporally suspended activities," according to North Korea's state-run news agency KCNA.Dempsey said Sunday's launch shows North Korea may be doing just that."Following their 2018 self-imposed moratorium on long range and nuclear testing, they have limited ballistic missiles tested to short range (SRBM) and medium range (MRBM)," Dempsey said.The sense of all the recent tests is Kim "has a desire to test out his inventory" and doesn't care if Washington sees it, the US official said.South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Sunday the North is coming close to scrapping the moratorium on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles -- weapons which in theory could strike the US mainland -- and nuclear testing.Moon, who convened an emergency National Security Council meeting following Sunday's launch, said the North is showing a similar pattern to 2017, when testing began with IRBMs, before moving to long range ballistic missile launches.On Thursday, North Korea fired what were presumed to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the seas off the nation's east coast.Kim Jong UnTwo days before that, it fired what were believed to be cruise missiles into the same waters.On January 17, Pyongyang test-fired "tactical guided missiles," which are short-range ballistic missiles, KCNA said.North Korea claimed to have successfully test-fired hypersonic missiles on January 5 and 11, and then what were presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles from a rail car on January 14.Pyongyang is barred by international law from developing ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.After the rail car test, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson admonished Washington for its posture against Pyongyang's weapons development. "If the US adopts such a confrontational stance, the DPRK will be forced to take stronger and certain reaction to it," the spokesman said, referring to the country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.In a recent statement carried by KCNA, a spokesperson defended North Korea's right to bolster its arms, saying its "recent development of new-type weapons was just part of its efforts for modernizing its national defense capability." | 3news
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Gene Seymour is a critic who has written about music, movies and culture for The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter @GeneSeymour. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN)Someone once asked me why I watched so much network news when I was growing up. I replied that it was the early 1960s -- I had to keep watching because I was afraid I'd miss something if I didn't. Gene Seymour This was especially true in 1964, a year significant from the start: it began with a president no one expected in office only a year before. And that was January. The next month, the pop phenomenon known as the Beatles came to America with a thunderous, exhilarating rush. And by the end of that month, in Miami, another phenomenon named Cassius Clay, in his own words, "shook up the world" by toppling Sonny Liston from the heavyweight boxing championship, an "upset" in almost every sense of the word. Now streaming on Amazon Prime and playing at select theaters, "One Night in Miami," the Regina King-directed adaptation of a stage play written by Kemp Powers, imagines a meeting after that fight where the champ soon to be known as Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree) celebrates his unlikely triumph with Black Muslim minister Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), football great Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and singing star Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) in a racially segregated Miami hotel. For viewers like me who were alive and aware of events in those turbulent years, watching King's movie is not only a thrillingly plausible rendering of four African American icons poised at the crossroads of their respective lives. It also renders a moment of reckoning in the nation's history where its heritage of racial discrimination was being openly confronted, from the halls of Congress to America's streets. It seems almost an eerie convergence that "One Night in Miami's" premiere comes at a similar, even more nerve-wracking moment in our history of race relations. Protesting made these athletes patriots Yet, White racism oddly sits along the edges of the movie's action, save for the condescension and dismissal Cooke receives at a performance before a mostly White crowd at the ritzy Copacabana nightclub and another moment early in the film when Brown, the greatest fullback in pro football history, visits his birthplace at St. Simons Island in Georgia, en route to Miami. Read MoreHe drops by a mansion belonging to a White man named Carlton (Beau Bridges), whom he knew in childhood. Carlton is all smiles and approbation on his front porch, extolling the prodigal hero for having completed a record-setting 1963 NFL season of 1,863 rushing yards. Carlton then says he has to go back inside to move some heavy furniture. When Brown offers to help, Carlton, barely missing a beat in their conversation, assures him it's not necessary and besides, "We don't allow n***ers in the house." If you know anything about Jim Brown's reputation for seeming indestructible and unconquerable, you'd think nothing could ever hurt him -- until this moment. And yet something about Hodge's demeanor in the role at that moment registers ... not anger, exactly, but a watchful resignation. It's shock without surprise over the way he's been treated, similar to how many African Americans today view the resurgence of White supremacism in public spaces. A sentiment that says at once, "The more things change ..." and "So what now?"This, in a sense, is the essential question posed by "One Night in Miami": How do Black people negotiate lives for themselves in the face of White racism that seems never to go away -- no matter how many laws are enacted, political victories won or yards gained on the gridiron?JUST WATCHEDSam Cooke's 'Change' to be honoredReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSam Cooke's 'Change' to be honored 06:28For Cooke, one of the most popular singers of the emergent soul-music era, it's about securing ownership over the terms of his career, where he performs and what he creates. Malcolm X is skeptical that Cooke can achieve this goal by actively continuing to seek greater "crossover" appeal with White as well as Black audiences. Brown backs Cooke on this as he is starting to think he should stop lugging a football through tacklers for pay and put his good looks before movie cameras. And aren't they doing what Malcolm has urged Black people to do all along? To seek economic independence and self-determination independent of White expectations? But Malcolm had his own issues with independence. At this point in his life, he was estranged from the Nation of Islam and very close to breaking off his relationship with the organization. Clay, meanwhile, was about to publicly declare himself a Black Muslim and change his name to Muhammad Ali. In the film, their complex fates seem to clash with each other. And yet, the film's power comes in showing in retrospect how there can be many ways for Black people to seek and find their personal autonomy, no matter what the odds. They didn't all get what they wanted. The movie mentions at the end that Malcolm would be assassinated a year later. But it doesn't mention that in December of 1964, Cooke would be shot to death at age 33 by a motel manager in an incident still shrouded in mystery. Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookAlso not mentioned at the end: Ali's future victories and vicissitudes in the ring and his refusal to enter the draft for religious reasons were ahead of him, while Brown opted to leave the NFL for Hollywood and a lucrative film career. As part of his ongoing activism, Brown also organized other Black athletes in support of Ali's anti-draft stance. These details are illuminating, but maybe it's not necessary to have all this information trailing you at the end of "One Night in Miami." The actors' performances are altogether superb at making history come alive, in playing these four troubled, but determined men who still have much to teach Black and White audiences alike how best to cope with the seemingly unstoppable monster of racism and injustice. | 3news
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(CNN)On the court, Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy was known for his "unshatterable poise." When he led his team's famed fast-break, he handled the ball with such ease that one observer said it "seemed to have wings and a homing device." But there was one basketball moment where Cousy lost all sense of control. He couldn't talk. He choked back sobs. He covered his face with his outsized hands to mask his shame. It's rare in America for a 90-year-old white man to reconsider race and how it played out in his own life, but that's what Cousy is doing
Gary M. Pomerantz, author of "The Last Pass"It came while he tried to explain his relationship with his legendary teammate, Bill Russell. An ESPN crew was interviewing Cousy on camera about Russell when the conversation shifted to the racism Russell endured during the Celtics' heyday in the late 1950s and early '60s."We could've done more to ease his pain and make him feel more comfortable," Cousy told the interviewer. "I should've been much more sensitive to Russell's anguish in those days. We'd talk ..."Read MoreAnd that's when Cousy loses it. His face contorts in anguish, and he breaks down. The interviewer quickly moved on after Cousy regained his composure. But Gary M. Pomerantz, an author and historian, saw a replay of the 2001 film and wanted to know more. He gave Cousy a call. The result of that conversation is "The Last Pass," a new book that examines the complex relationship between these two iconic athletes. "It's rare in America for a 90-year-old white man to reconsider race and how it played out in his own life, but that's what Cousy is doing," Pomerantz said. "He's not gilding any lilies. He's pointing out his flaws and admitting to them."Cousy, or "Cooz" as he is commonly known, said he never anticipated the torrent of guilt he experienced when ESPN asked him about the man he calls "Russ." But he wondered if he should have done more for Russell; after all, Cousy had been the captain of the Celtics and the symbol of the team in Boston."I had this in my subconscious, of not having done enough for Russ," he told CNN. "It had been repressed. Something had brought it out." A 'lone soldier' stands up"The Last Pass" isn't just about the past. It raises a question about the present: What do white athletes owe black teammates they've befriended when those friends take a public stand against racism? Cousy isn't the only white athlete to ask if he should have done more. And plenty of white athletes face that question today, as more black athletes use their public platforms to protest racial injustice. Cousy says telling other white players what they should do is not his style. He said white athletes should follow their own conscience when a black teammate speaks out. Peter Norman was vilified after he stood with Tommie Smith, center, and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympics.One of history's most iconic sports photographs captures the choice one white athlete made. It shows two African-American sprinters giving a black power salute from the victory stand at the 1968 Olympic games as the national anthem was played. The two men, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, are heroes today. Few, however, know what happened to the white sprinter who stood on the victory box with them. His name was Peter Norman, and he decided to publicly support Smith and Carlos by wearing a button advocating racial justice. That gesture infuriated so many people in his native Australia that he had to abandon his track career. Carlos called him "a lone solider."In many ways, Smith and Carlos were the Colin Kaepernicks of their day. The former NFL quarterback began protesting racism by taking a knee during the national anthem, all but ending his career. Since then, other black NFL players have followed his lead -- including one man who found his own "lone soldier." Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins had been raising his fist during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Before one game, Chris Long, a white teammate, walked up to Jenkins as he protested and put his arm around his soldier.When Malcolm Jenkins raised his fist, teammate Chris Long offered a public sign of support."I'm just telling Malcolm, 'I am here for you,' and I think it's a good time for people who look like me to be here for people fighting for equality," Long explained later.When asked about the NFL protests, Cousy said he likes the message but not the method."I would divorce myself from the venue or the brand" to make the same point, Cousy said."I agree with the cause; I don't agree with the venue they chose," Cousy said. "It brings everyone under the gun. I think they might have lost a lot of support from moderate whites that they would have enjoyed if they had chosen a different venue."A lie coated in racismIt would be a mistake, though, to think "The Last Pass" is full of tormented introspection. Much of the book is a rollicking look at the early days of NBA. Pomerantz describes it as an era when "matronly women rushed onto the court between halves to swing their handbags at Celtics players'' when they were on the road, fistfights routinely erupted on the court among players and coaches, and the NBA was so broke that players subsisted on $5 a day in meal money.Russell, who could not be reached for comment, dominates many sections of the book. Bob Cousy, right, and Bill Russell pose for a team photo in 1963 with coach Red Auerbach.He was the prototype of the freakishly tall athletic men of today's NBA. He was also fiercely intelligent, skilled in verbal combat, a voracious reader and utterly uninterested in helping white people feel more comfortable around him.When Russell joined the Celtics in 1956, it marked a turning point. The team had drafted Cousy six years earlier but had yet to win an NBA championship. Together, the pair led the Celtics to six titles over the next seven seasons.Still, the largely white crowds and white sportswriters in Boston cheered louder and longer for Cousy in a way they never would for Russell, Pomerantz said."At the time, the Celtics were considered Cousy's team, not Russell's," Pomerantz said. "That was a lie, at least partially coated in racism."That treatment didn't silence Russell. He raised his voice. He became an outspoken racial activist. He led civil rights marches, spoke out in the media, and eventually became the first black coach in the NBA.His activism made him a target. He frequently endured racial taunts. One of Russell's worst moments came when vandals broke into his home, spray-painted racial slurs throughout it and defecated in his bed."It was a time when very few athletes were speaking out against social injustice, but Russell did," Pomerantz said. "When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his 'I Have a Dream" speech, Russell was sitting on the front row. He was engaged. His voice was heard."Two murderously competitive menCousy, however, wondered if he should have raised his voice on behalf of Russell. He wasn't the lone soldier type of activist. He fought for racial progress in subtle ways. He mentored two African-American boys in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America program. He wrote a story for a national magazine about black being beautiful in the NBA. When his two daughters happened to date black men in college, he and his wife, Missie, gave their blessings.Russ was the angry black man, frankly, and I don't blame him one bit.
Bob Cousy, on fellow Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Bill Russell"I've never been a soapbox person," he told CNN. "I've always been a private person that's had to live his life in a public bubble. My style in those days was, try to be helpful and do it by example rather than getting up and screaming at the press."One of the book's striking revelations is that two men so in sync on the court were so distant off of it. Pomerantz said the two never really hung out, never talked about their personal lives or politics. Cousy couldn't understand why Russell was friendly toward other Celtics, but not him.Part of it, Cousy admitted, may have been his own personality. He said he was a "shy kid from the ghetto" when he was on the Celtics. Russell was also standoffish, he said, and his bitterness at his treatment was palpable at times."Russ was the angry black man frankly, and I don't blame him one bit," Cousy said. Still, the two men were "more alike than they ever understood," Pomerantz writes:"Both outsiders, they were self-analytical and murderously competitive. They moved through separate worlds off the court, but on the creaky parquet floor of the Boston Garden they were interlocking pieces."Cousy grew up in a New York tenement during the Great Depression when the city was filled with soup lines. Though he doesn't recall seeing a black person until his senior year in high school, he had experiences that made him more sensitive to intolerance.Bob Cousy receives a banner marking the 50th anniversary of the 1957 championship.His mother was a native of France who hated Germans with a passion. She would often mutter "dirty German" when she encountered German-Americans. She linked them with Nazi atrocities against her homeland. Her bitterness lingered in Cousy's youthful mind.A relationship with another black NBA player deepened Cousy's empathy.He became roommates and close friends with Chuck Cooper, the first black player drafted by the NBA. When Cooper was forced to take a midnight train to a New York game because a segregated hotel refused him lodging, Cousy volunteered to take the train with him.Cousy said they shared the same sense of humor and had the same taste in music and movies. The liked to hang out at jazz clubs until 2 in the morning drinking beer."I saw Chuck Cooper as a tall basketball player with different color eyes, different color hair and, oh yeah, the pigmentation of his skin was different," he said. "I never saw him as a 'black basketball player.' I might have been naïve in those days."Cooper, who died in 1984, is quoted in the book as saying of Cousy: "Bob is as free of racism as any white person I've ever known. He's just a beautiful person."When white athletes take a standBill Bradley, a white member of the New York Knicks during the 1970s, talked often about how similar friendships with black teammates also transformed him. "Race relations are essentially exercises in imagination," he once said. "You have to imagine yourself in the skin of the other party. So that means if you're white, you have to understand certain realities."Part of that reality is that you may be shunned if your friendship leads to taking a public stand.When Norman, the Australian sprinter, returned home after the 1968 Olympics, he became an outcast, according to "Salute!" a documentary on his life. He never ran in the Olympics again. President Obama presents Bill Russell the Medal of Freedom in 2010. Russell was not just a pioneer on the court, he was an outspoken black athlete at a time when most stars kept out of politics. Russell still speaks out.Norman was so excluded that when Australia hosted the Olympics in 2000, he wasn't invited to any official events. Australia has its own legacy of racism, reflected in its treatment of its own indigenous population, the Aborigines. In a story in GRIOT, American sprinter Carlos recalled how Norman reacted when he and Smith asked him if he would support them by wearing a button.Norman, who was a devout Christian, said: "I will stand with you." Carlos said he warned Norman about the consequences."I expected to see fear in Norman's eyes, but instead we saw love," Carlos said.When Norman died in 2006 of a heart attack in Australia, Carlos and Smith served as pallbearers at his funeral and gave eulogies. A lost memoryCousy had at least one moment during his career with the Celtics when he and Russell connected outside the court.It was at a season-ending dinner during the Celtics' glory days in the 1960s. The account is one of the most moving moments in "The Last Pass."Russell gave a majestic speech praising Cousy."Here we are, a bunch of grown men chasing a basketball, playing a boy's game," Russell said. "There is no depth to such accomplishments. You can get a cup of coffee for all your championships. But you can't get friendships like Cousy's." But here's the catch: Cousy lost the moment as if it were a basketball dribbled off of his shoe. "It brought tears to my eyes," Cousy said, when he read about it in Pomerantz's book. "For whatever reason, I don't remember it with that kind of clarity."Another lovely little moment in the book occurred after Cousy wrote a letter to his former teammate seeking to make amends. It was in the winter of 2016, and Cousy was thinking deeply about race in America. He'd read about the Black Lives Matter movement, read "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and his thoughts turned to Russell.Bob Cousy and Bill Russell in 1999 in Boston; the two recently reconnected.He decided to write a page and a half "mea culpa" letter to tell Russell he should have done more."It was a selfish act on my part," Cousy said of the letter. "It was, 'I gotta get this out of my way so I can cross it off my list.'"Cousy didn't hear from Russell for more than two years. Then one Sunday night, Cousy's phone rang. He heard a familiar raspy voice on the other end. It was Russell.Cousy chuckled as he recalled the conversation. Cousy caught up a bit with Russell's life.There were no tears this time."I needled him," Cousy said. "I told Russ, 'I know I'm an old fart at 90, but at 84 you must be getting a second life. I noticed you married a 49-year-old woman.'"Russell roared with laughter.The two kept talking.And for at least that moment, they were in sync, interlocking pieces playing off of one another.Russ and Cooz were back together again. | 3news
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Story highlightsShaker Aamer, Saudi national with residency, is on hunger strike in GuantanamoHe was arrested for allegedly leading military unit under bin Laden but not chargedFormer Gitmo inmate: Detainees do not get clean water, are strip searched constantlyU.S. Defense Dept: Detainees treated in the most humane manner possibleDetainee 239 has been in Guantanamo for more than 11 years now. He's never been charged with a crime, has been cleared for release twice -- but has yet to be freed.Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national who has British residency, is Detainee 239, arrested in 2001 by U.S. forces in Afghanistan for allegedly leading a military unit under Osama bin Laden, accusations that he denies.His wife and children -- including a son has never met because he was born while Aamer was in Guantanamo -- live in the UK.Aamer is now one of 103 Guantanamo detainees on hunger strike: more than half the detainees at the facility are refusing food and water.Doctors to Obama: Let us treat hunger-striking detainees at Guantanamo Photos: A look inside Guantanamo Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – Guantanamo Bay's detention facility opened in 2002 with 700 detainees. More than a decade later, 166 remain and more than half are in political limbo, waiting for the Obama administration and Congress to decide whether to close the prison. The frozen status of the detainees has led to hunger strikes, which grew from about a half-dozen inmates at first to more than 100 now. Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – Of the 100 detainees on hunger strike, 30 are force-fed liquid supplements using a feeding bag, mask, tubes and Ensure, a practice condemned by human rights groups and the American Medical Association.Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – A Detainee Hospital Medical Officer holds a feeding tube as he explains how the procedure is carried out.Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – A cardiac monitoring area is set up inside the Detainee Medical Facility at Camp Delta.Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – The box protruding from a cell door is known as a "splash box." It is used to keep detainees from being able to splash guards with bodily fluids, a practice that has become a daily occurrence since the start of the hunger strike. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – Medical equipment inside the Detainee Medical Center.Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: A look inside Guantanamo A look inside Guantanamo – Restraints are used in an operating room at the medical facility. Hide Caption 7 of 7JUST WATCHEDObama renews call to close GitmoReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHObama renews call to close Gitmo 03:22JUST WATCHEDGitmo prisoners being force-fedReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGitmo prisoners being force-fed 02:19The U.S. military says it has now been compelled to force feed inmates to keep them alive -- but even President Obama questioned the practice in a speech on May 23 at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington."Look at the current situation, where we are force-feeding detainees who are holding a hunger strike. Is that who we are?" Obama asked. "Is that something that our founders foresaw? Is that the America we want to leave to our children?"Moazzam Begg, a former inmate of Guantanamo, knows about life in the facility: now he works as outreach director at advocacy group CagePrisoners, which pledges to raise awareness about prisoners at Guantanamo Bay as well as others impacted by the war on terror."People are saying they are protesting the conditions," explains Begg, "that they don't get clean drinking water. They are getting stripped searched constantly. Sprayed in the face with pepper spray. Rubber bullets. All of that is true. But that's not why they are doing this. They are doing this because there is no hope."Opinion: Stop force-feeding inmates and close Gitmo A U.S. Defense Department spokesman said: "Accusations that the detainees in our charge are treated in anyway other than the most humane manner possible, informed by the processes established by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, simply does not stand up to even glancing intellectual rigor."Shaker Aamer explained why he was continuing with his hunger strike in answer to questions composed by, and posed by, his lawyers at London-based law firm Reprieve. Here are his replies: Q: What is the status of your hunger strike? How are you feeling?A: I am losing my mind, I am losing my health, I am losing my life. They are trying to do as much damage to us as they can before we leave here. They are humiliating us as much as they can. They are harming me as much as they can.For 11 days my heart has been aching very bad. If I sneeze I feel as if there is ice on my heart. It is in my shoulder on my left hand side. I cannot cough or laugh. It gets a little better if I hold my hand on my chest. That does not help much but without that I feel as if something is going to blow up.Q: Are you being force fed and what is that process like?A: I do not want to be force fed. I don't want to die either, but this is a living death here in Guantanamo, so if I have to risk death for a principle, that is what I want to do.I am not yet being force fed. The new procedure is to wait until people are really badly off and have physically harmed themselves perhaps permanently before force feeding, which then just keeps us barely alive, as a husk of a human being.The way they have gone about force feeding has been designed to be torturous. So back in 2005 or 2006 they used to leave the tube in my nose for days on end; now they pull it out after every feed, so detainees have 120 cm of tube shoved in and pulled out twice a day. And although a corpsman recently said they have plenty of size eight tubes, they only use the bigger ones. And if someone vomits on himself (as just happened) they carry on force feeding him. It is very, very wrong. Q. How would you describe your treatment in the prison? A: Our prophet told us: "Speak only as people can comprehend if you want them to understand." Nobody can understand what it means to be under torture 24/7. It is not just hanging you from the ceiling, or being beaten up. It is fighting for hours to get a packet of salt. It is beyond explanation.I met with the London Metropolitan Police for three days in February as part of their investigation into torture, and told them some of what has happened to me. They had a statement from me that ran to maybe 120 pages, but that is still only one page for every month of my suffering here. How can the truth be told in such a short time?It is all senseless, all about trying to break us. The most I can say is to quote George Orwell, in "1984": "The system is for the system, the torture is for the torture."Not everyone is the same. Some of the corpsmen and guards are beautiful people trying to get me to help them with other detainees, because they are afraid the men will die. Some of the guards are aware of what is happening here. These guards say: "I'm sorry 239." I honestly forgive them, even though what they are doing is wrong.Not all guards are like that, sadly. People here are dying for lack of a salad. There is a brother on my block with a heart problem. We do not want him on the hunger strike as he could not survive it. He needs salad as he cannot eat most of the food they give him. So I took the salad they had given me and asked the guard to take if over to his cell. The guard would not do it. In the end, though, I managed to get it from the splash box on my cell door to my brother.Q: What has your daily routine become like?A: I am in the "psych cell." They want to tell the world I am crazy. They have a man standing outside my cell all the time, staring at me. He writes down everything I do. "239 stood up. 239 sat down. 239 scratched his head." This is every day. This has been going on for over a month. I came here on April 9.There is a white woman comes all the way from the control room and stands in front of my cell with the other guard. She writes on a piece of paper in front of me. She whispers in his ear. She reads a paper from the file. "I studied psychology before you were born," I told her. After all, I was a nurse. I know the psychology is a package. Someone has created the whole system and they just follow it.So in response I write everything they do and send it to my lawyer.The other day I wanted to dry my shirt after washing it. I hung it on the door. There is nothing else, as it's the psych cell, meant to stop you hanging yourself. So I put it there. As soon as I did it, they told me to take it down. I told them, "You have the camera 24/7. You are watching me all the time." But they brought the FCE team. [Editor's note: abbreviation for Forcible Cell Extraction ]The other brothers on the block argued with them. But I knew they wanted to FCE me any way they can. They did it. They FCE me for anything.I sing to my brothers. Sometimes I sing to the guards. I talk to the guards a lot. I shout to the other prisoners. I try to lift their spirits. But despite this I am falling apart like an old car. Now the engine of the car is beginning to fail, the heart is really aching. I have not been able to read for a month now. My eyes are going. I cannot remember anything. I forget things. I cannot stand up. I fall down. But I don't want to fall down too much. They will do a Code Yellow on me when they burst into my cell and step on my hands, they tread on you.It is cold in here. You might not think so, as it's 70.5 degrees. But when you've not eaten for 100 days, that's cold. I try to do exercise in my cell. A brother told me to do some gentle things to keep my body warm. But it is hard on my heart and I need to conserve myself.They took my basic isomat so it was even colder. I slept without it for 9 or 10 days. Thankfully I just got it back. Q: What conditions are there for the end of your hunger strike?A: The hunger strike is a simple matter: it is about justice. There are 86 detainees here (including me) who have been cleared by the Americans -- cleared to leave this place, but they are still here. There are 80 who are not cleared, but they have not been tried. It is ironic. President Obama seems to agree with us that the place should be closed, so presumably he agrees with our hunger strike. Q: How do you see your hunger protest ending?A: By being set free. And I believe it will happen very soon. I do go back and forth. On the one hand I know that I am going to come home soon, I am sure of that. On the other, though, they are taking revenge on us in so many ways. I am scared -- I am afraid of taking medications from them. It is like lamb going to the butcher and seeking help. My heart pain is now constant and I don't want to die in here.But I do fear that when my children shout for daddy I will not respond, as I have been called 239 for so long -- they may need to call me by a number for a while.When I get out I want to work with Kings College London, with doctors, lawyers, and everyone, to learn the human rights lessons of Guantánamo. It is only by this that we can make sure we do not do this again. Q: Can you describe how you feel about not being released despite being cleared for release twice?A: No. The most I can say is that I have never even met my youngest child, who was born on the very day I arrived in Guantanamo Bay, February 14, 2002. I have missed my other three lovely children for 11 years. I have missed my wife for 11 years. I have missed my life for 11 years. I have never been charged with anything. Q: What's your message to Obama and Congress?A: I have a message for Obama and Congress. This place is going to close. Either sooner, or later. And it is going to be a stain on America's reputation that you start cleaning either sooner, or later. Don't wait for too much later, as there are going to be dead people down here, and that's not good for anyone. Q: Are you worried that by speaking out the authorities will in any way punish you?A: What more can they do to me that they have not already done? | 3news
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Philadelphia (CNN)She faced her father's killers in a courtroom, and realized the al Qaeda militants held no power. He put Osama bin Laden's image on a punching bag and let loose.She has vivid memories of the years spent with an adoring father. His recollections of Dad are limited. She grew up in southern France and reaches out to him on September 11. He was raised in New Jersey and made sure she was safe after last year's Paris attacks.They're two strangers who've become friends over their unique and tragic bond: Each lost a father to terrorism. Anaële Abescat was 11 when her father, Jean-Claude Abescat, 42, was killed in front of her in a 2007 al Qaeda attack in Saudi Arabia. He was a schoolteacher who had taken a job at the French International School in Riyadh and moved his family there.Read More9/11 Town HallCNN's Brooke Baldwin interviewed 10 of the 9/11 children, now ages 14 to 29, in a televised Town Hall. They spoke about their loss, the last 15 years — and why the terrorists failed.Kyle Maddison was 4 when his dad, Simon Maddison, 40, was killed in the September 11 attacks on the United States. He was a software consultant for a division of Cantor Fitzgerald and worked in the north tower of the World Trade Center. Kyle and Anaële first met five years ago at Project Common Bond, an annual camp that brings together children who lost a parent on 9/11 with young people from other nations who've lost loved ones to terror. They arrived as struggling teens who had plunged to dark places. They were still trying to grasp the magnitude of their loss and asking the unanswerable question: "Why?"They were quiet and at first frightened to bare their hearts. But they found one another and bonded. They could speak about the tragedy they'd experienced. They could talk about other things. Or just remain silent together. Each knew the other understood.For Kyle, the camp quite literally saved his life. It brought him love at a time when he'd grown isolated and alone. Weeks before his first camp, the loss of his father grew too much, too unbearable. A decade hadn't eased his pain. He slipped a rope around his neck."I don't like talking about it," he says, "but if I do talk about it, I have the chance to get the message to someone else who is in that place -- to just keep going."Kyle shows Anaële the tattoo he designed in memory of his father, who died on 9/11. Anaële's story: 'I couldn't do it on my own'Anaële Abescat's mother was visiting her in Paris last November when a Friday night out turned deadly: ISIS shootings and bomb blasts in restaurants, a soccer stadium and the Bataclan concert hall killed 130 people.Anaële began reliving her own horror; she was thankful her mother was there.She couldn't stop watching the news. Images of victims and their families unearthed so many memories: how she felt the day her father died, the look of utter grief on her own mother's face nine years ago.She knew what the world's newest victims of terrorism would have to live through."I know what it feels like," she says. "This kind of thing brings you back."This picture of the Abescat family was taken days before Anaële's father was killed in Saudi Arabia.Back to the day in February 2007 when her family and some friends set out on an excursion in the Saudi desert near the city of Medina. They'd picked a shady spot on the side of the road for a picnic when suddenly men carrying Kalashnikovs encircled them and unleashed a hail of bullets. Anaële threw herself under a car. She still doesn't know how she, her mother and her brother Adrien survived. Her father was gone. She would never sit on his lap or hear him sing Stevie Wonder's "For Your Love" again. (She has it on her smartphone now and still cries when she listens to it). Suddenly, a scrapbook he made for her when she turned 10 became a most precious possession.She suffered through flashbacks. On many nights she could not stop crying and felt as though people were whispering: "There is something wrong with you." She found it difficult to accept her 17th birthday, the age her friend Romain was when he, too, died in the attack along with two other French nationals. "My mom has always been a support for us," Anaële says. "But then it was complicated because she raised two kids on her own. She had two roles, both Mom and Dad. We fought a lot. It was hard."When Anaële began college, everyone knew she was a victim. She didn't want to be treated like a helpless little bird. She did not want anyone's pity; she just wanted to be like everyone else. And when she did talk about her father, she could tell her friends did not know how to react. She found help through therapy. And she found this camp, which she credits with changing her life. "I couldn't do it on my own," she says.Recently, a dark cloud has sometimes returned to hover over her. Some of her depression was related to all the carnage around her: the Charlie Hebdo killings, the Paris and Brussels attacks and, most fresh, the deaths in Nice when a truck plowed through a crowd of people gathered for Bastille Day fireworks. A few days after the Nice tragedy, Anaële arrived at this year's camp in Philadelphia. And she saw Kyle again.That's the beauty of Project Common Bond. A year had gone by, and yet she and Kyle were back to where they left off. It's not that Kyle is Anaële's best friend. He could never take the place of her bestie or the girlfriends she likes to hang out with at outdoor cafes. The two don't talk on the phone often or text throughout the day. Maybe months pass without any contact. But even then, they know the other is there, if the need arises. Anaële finds that comforting, like a cozy blanket on a frigid night. Kyle designed a tattoo with a rose that symbolizes love and hurt and a clock tepresenting the time he had with his father.Kyle's story: 'I want to keep going for him'The tattoo on Kyle's upper right arm has two roses with a clock in between. "Good times," it says. The clock is stopped at 3:28, signifying his father's birthday on March 28.Kyle designed the tattoo himself and had it inked onto his arm three days before college began last year at the University of Hartford. "The roses symbolize love and hurt," he says. "The clock represents the limited time that I had with my father and the limited good times that I had with him -- and to always remember that there will be good times ahead."When he wants to feel closer to his father, Kyle looks at a photograph of himself with his dad and his grandfather. Other times, he slips on headphones and listens to his dad's punk rock cassette tapes. His favorite contains the Descendents on one side and The Offspring on the other."Listening to it makes you feel just a little bit closer."An artist, Kyle hopes to become a sculptor one day. He also plays with writing. A constant theme of his work, he says, is "the idea that the good die young, but the great live on forever in our hearts and we carry them with us everywhere we go."What do you do when you're so young and you lose your hero? When your dad leaves for work one day and never returns?Those were the issues a young Kyle faced. His mother, Maureen Maddison, made sure her three children got therapy. His older sister, Caileigh, was 7 on 9/11; his younger sister, Sydney, was 1.Kyle was only 4 when his father was killed. The magnitude of Kyle's loss became clear as he grew older."My mom really tried," he says. "It was basically like any other kid's life -- but I didn't have a father."There were strange moments. When he'd walk down the street, he'd find little hearts everywhere. In cracks in the street. Randomly, lying around. He wondered: Was it a sign from his father?Once when his mother struggled, the young boy looked up at the nighttime sky. One star shone brighter than all the others. "It's like Daddy's shining straight through to my heart," he told her. The magnitude of his loss became clear as he grew older. Depression took hold his freshman year of high school. He didn't want to eat or go out."I didn't want to do anything," he says.He survived his suicide attempt and received counseling. He has managed to keep his depression in check. His advice to others struggling with suicidal thoughts is this: "You'll learn to deal with it and you'll learn to cope, and you just have to hold on and eventually you'll be OK."One fact kept him motivated: Kyle is the only boy in his family and the only one left to carry on the Maddison name. He realized ending his life would tarnish his father's legacy. "I want to keep going for him," he says. "When I was in such a dark place, I was like, 'Alright, I can't let this end here. I have to keep going.'" Anaële and Kyle met five years ago when they first arrived at a camp for the children who have lost parents or loved ones to terrorism. They became close friends.'Finding a different meaning' In the quiet of a college dorm room during their week at camp, Anaële and Kyle reflect on their lives -- and their friendship.Anaële recalls when she and her family traveled back to Saudi Arabia for the first time since her father's death. In January 2014, they were in court to hear the verdict for two of the al Qaeda gunmen. Anaële couldn't anticipate how she would feel if or when her eyes met those of her father's killers. Anger? Hatred?At first, she was frightened. But then she realized that mostly she felt unimpressed. She felt distant from these men, as though they were not even from the same species. But she could not embrace the idea of putting them to death for what they did. What if they had children? Coming of Age in the Age of TerrorWhat can the 9/11 children teach us?More than 3,000 children lost a parent on that awful day. Fifteen years later, in a world rocked by terror, this group has hard-won wisdom to share. Here, in their own words, is a glimpse into their journeys.The Palombo 10First they lost their dad on 9/11. They were ages 11 months to 15. Then they lost their mom. Meet the Palombos: Anthony, Frank Jr., Joe, Maria, Tommy, John, Patrick, Daniel, Stephen and Maggie -- a family that's the epitome of true grit.A place to belongIt's a summer camp with a distinction: Participants are young people touched by terror. This year, 55 of them -- from a dozen countries -- gathered on a campus in Pennsylvania, where they found renewal and hope in their common bond."Killing those men would do the same thing to their children as they did to me," she says. "I've been through this pain. I would not wish it upon anyone."Kyle recognizes his friend's inner strength. "Her being against the death penalty for those who killed her father, I guess, it really represents what (this camp) is about -- bad things happen to us, but it doesn't mean bad things need to happen to others," he says. "It's about finding a different meaning. It's about finding a peaceful way to accomplish your goals."Kyle, of course, will never be able to face his father's killers. They died carrying out the murders. But when he was 12, he pinned a photo of Osama bin Laden on a punching bag."I kind of had to figure out a way to deal with my anger, because I couldn't be angry at my sisters. It wasn't their fault. I couldn't be angry at my mom. It wasn't her fault."Instead, he beat up the photo of the man who launched al Qaeda."Didn't last long, tore it up pretty fast," he says.When bin Laden was killed on May 2, 2011, Kyle thought, "Yes, finally. I'm glad that he can't do it anymore."Still, the next day was no different than any other. He had to get through it without his father. Every September 11, Anaële reaches out to the American friends she met at this camp."The 11th of September is now a difficult day for me," she says. "I think of all my friends and I feel so much for them. I try to send my love and my support, because I know the feeling."Despite the recent spate of attacks at home in France, Anaële says she is determined not to let fear take control of her life. "It's what they want to do -- instill fear," she says. "It's their way of controlling a population. I don't want these people to forbid me from doing anything. I don't want them to win."So she will return to the Bataclan for a concert or to Belle Equipe for a candlelight alfresco dinner. "I'm actually very sad when I see people who are afraid, who keep their kids inside, who don't travel," she says. "No. We have to keep on living the way we want."Kyle and Anaële help each other through an exercise deigned to build trust and overcome fears.Together, 'we can do this'Kyle and Anaële climb ladders up to a tightrope that spans tall white oaks in the Pennsylvania wilderness. It's part of a camp exercise designed to build trust and confidence, to help overcome fears. They get on separate lines and inch their way toward one another. Above, gray skies peek through thick branches. Below, the earth seems a mile away. Kyle doesn't like heights.About this seriesCNN worked with Tuesday's Children, an organization formed after the 9/11 terrorists attacks, to interview young people who lost a parent on that awful day. Reporters also attended a summer camp sponsored by the group's Project Common Bond in which 9/11 youths were joined by peers from around the world who've also lost a family member to terrorism, war or extreme acts of violence. How to helpCongress has designated September 11 as an annual National Day of Service. See various ways you can volunteer or contribute."Don't look down," Anaële tells him. "Stay with me."The wires come to a point, and the two arrive face to face. They lock onto one another's wrists. They must walk the remainder of the line together. "We can do this," she says."I wouldn't do this with anyone else," he tells her. They teeter on the wire, their bodies swaying as they focus on keeping their balance. "Re-grab my wrist," he tells her. "I got you."Together, they feel strong. They gingerly approach their end point and finally make it to safety. Then they let go of each other and float on safety ropes in the sticky summer air, seemingly free of the burdens they've carried in their young lives. | 3news
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Story highlightsFormer Labor Secretary Robert Reich calls out Donald Trump's tweet: 'Stop this' "This is bullying. This is not using the bully pulpit," Robert Reich said. (CNN)Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich called out President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday for lashing out at a union leader who criticized the Carrier jobs deal. "With all due respect, Mr. Trump, you are our President-elect of the United States," Reich said on "Anderson Cooper 360." "You are looking and acting as if you are mean and petty, thin-skinned and vindictive. Stop this. This is not a fireside chat."Trump unleashes tweet on Carrier union boss who blasted himMoments after the president of the United Steelworkers Local 1999, Chuck Jones, appeared on "Erin Burnett OutFront" and was critical of Trump's claim that he saved 1,100 jobs at the Indianapolis factory, Trump slammed the union boss on Twitter."Chuck Jones, who is president of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!" Trump wrote.Read MoreChuck Jones, who is President of United Steelworkers 1999, has done a terrible job representing workers. No wonder companies flee country!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2016
Reich expressed his frustration and concern with Trump lashing out at anyone who criticizes him. .@RBReich on Trump union boss tweet: "This is bullying. This is not using the bully pulpit" https://t.co/YZ32bCBsdM https://t.co/gGC3t4Zh6j— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) December 8, 2016
"What you, Mr. Trump, what you would like is for no one, not a CEO, no one on television, no journalist, nobody to criticize you," Reich said. "You take offense at that."Reich's followup: Trump isn't just tweeting complaints, he's intimidating individuals. "This is extremely serious." https://t.co/MJDEq2J0ch— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 8, 2016
"You are going to be president shortly, you are going to have at your command not just Twitter, but also the CIA, the IRS, the FBI. If you have this kind of thin-skinned vindictiveness attitude toward anybody who criticizes you, we are in very deep trouble, and, sir, so are you." | 4politics
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(CNN)A stampede at a rap concert early Saturday in an Italian nightclub killed five teenagers and one adult, and left dozens of people injured, authorities said.About 100 were treated for injuries after the chaos at the Lanterna Azzurra nightclub in Corinaldo, authorities said.Hundreds had been waiting to see popular rapper Sfera Ebbasta perform when someone in the club sprayed an "irritant substance," leading to a stampede, Italy's civil protection agency said.Forensic teams and police cordon off the Lanterna Azzurra club's entrance Saturday in Corinaldo.As people rushed out, a metal fence collapsed outside the club, causing some to fall "one on top of the other" and leading to the deaths and injuries, said Luca Cari, spokesman for firefighters in Ancona province on Italy's eastern coast. Those fleeing the club probably were alarmed by a strong smell of pepper spray, Cari said.Read MoreFive teens and a woman who had accompanied her daughter to the concert were killed, said Luigi Di Maio, a deputy prime minister. He identified the dead as Asia Nasoni, 14; Daniele Pongetti, 16; Benedetta Vitali, 15; Mattia Orlandi, 15; Emma Fabini, 14; and Eleonora Girolimini, 39. "These (victims) are young people. It's absurd to die this way. As a government we will do everything we can to clarify the circumstances and make sure the security norms were followed," Di Maio posted on Facebook.Paramedics were seen helping concertgoers on the street following the stampede. Thirty-five of about 100 people who were treated remained in a hospital Saturday afternoon, including seven whose conditions were life-threatening and another five in serious condition, said Oreste Capocasa, chief of police in Ancona.Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who also is a deputy prime minister, held a moment of silence in honor of the victims during a political rally in Rome. "You cannot die like this at 15. Thoughts and prayers for the six dead tonight in Marche. I hope (those) who are seriously injured in the hospital get well. And a commitment: find the responsible," Salvini tweeted hours after the stampede.Italian President Sergio Mattarella promised to work tirelessly to determine "any responsibility and negligence.""Citizens have the right to feel safe everywhere, in workplaces and in leisure areas. Therefore, safety must be assured with particular care in crowded meeting places, through rigorous controls," Mattarella said in a statement. "No one should die this way." Sfera Ebbasta, in a post on Instagram, said he was deeply saddened by what happened."It's difficult to find the words to express the regret and sadness of these tragedies," the rapper wrote in Italian, according to a CNN translation. He said he would cancel his promotional events over the coming days out of respect for the dead and injured.Corinaldo is 145 kilometers (about 90 miles) east of Florence.CNN's Jason Hanna contributed to this report. | 3news
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(CNN)How would you like to win a scholarship for doing nothing? A German university is soliciting submissions for just that, and three people will be awarded a $1,900 stipend.On Wednesday, The University of Fine Arts in Hamburg announced a call for applications for their "Scholarships for Doing Nothing," between now and September 15. "The world we are living in is driven by the belief in success, in growth, in money. This thinking was leading us into the ecological crisis -- and social injustice -- we are living in. We wanted to turn that upside down -- giving a grant not for the 'best' and for 'doing a project,' but for doing nothing," said Friedrich von Borries, a professor of design theory at the university and creator of the scholarship project.Von Borries told CNN that applicants from all over the world and all walks of life are welcome to present their ideas. The submission questionnaire asks applicants to think about an activity they do not want to do, how long they don't want to do it for, why it is important to not do the specific thing in question, and why they are the right person not to do it.Read MoreThe idea is that refraining from doing something may actually benefit others, who would otherwise be impacted by the negative consequences of our actions."We played with the term 'doing nothing' but we are meaning, to be more precise, 'not doing something anymore,'" von Borries said, speaking about the conscious decision to pursue "active inactivity."All applications will be anonymously featured in an upcoming exhibition at Hamburg's Museum of Art and Design called "The School of Inconsequentiality: Exercises for a Different Life," focused on the idea of sustainability. Three cash prize winners will be announced at the opening of the exhibition on November 5, and winners will be required to produce a report about their experience to be featured at the exhibit. The report is not intended as a tool for accountability, but rather it should offer insights about how the winners fared in trying to refrain from doing something. "I think that doing nothing is not that easy. You can fail. Your surroundings can become aggressive ... And we would love to learn from the experience of those who will receive the grant," said Von Borries.The call for submissions happens in the context of a pandemic that highlighted the importance of staying home and refraining from some activities for the greater good."During Covid, we stopped being busy not only to protect ourselves but to protect others," Von Borries said. "That is something I find very important and I hope we will be able to transfer this attitude into the post-Covid times," he added.It's not easy to shift our mindset from being so focused on productivity and success to quite the opposite. Von Borries, who says he also struggles with being "obsessed with work," hopes he too will learn from the applications. "We all live everyday in contradictions between what we do, what we want to do, and what we know would be better to do. We have to learn to deal with these contradictions, instead of simply denying them," he said.You can submit your applications here. | 3news
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Story highlightsProsecutors allege officials were part of a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves Arrests in Zurich by Swiss police conducted at request of U.S. Justice DepartmentExpands U.S. probe into football's world governing body (CNN)Federal prosecutors in the United States on Thursday announced criminal charges against 16 FIFA officials, alleging they were part of a 24-year scheme to enrich themselves while overseeing the world governing body of soccer.The 92-count indictment, which includes charges of racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud, expands a corruption case that began in May with charges against 14 officials associated with FIFA and related sports marketing companies. The announcement came the same day Swiss police arrested two FIFA officials on suspicion of accepting "millions of dollars" in bribes, according to a statement from the Swiss Federal Office of Justice.Alfredo Hawit, the president of CONCACAF, the governing body for North and Central America as well as the Caribbean, and Juan Angel Napout, president of CONMEBOL, which presides over South America, were the two latest arrests in what is proving a miserable year for the organization in charge of running one of the world's most popular sports.JUST WATCHEDHershman talks FIFA suspensionsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHershman talks FIFA suspensions 02:43Its 79-year-old president, Sepp Blatter, and another leading official, Michel Platini -- the Union of European Football Associations president -- are currently suspended for 90 days after the Swiss attorney general opened criminal proceedings.Read MoreAnd in May, 14 executives with ties to FIFA were accused of taking bribes totaling more than $150 million.READ: Could Rio 2016 cope with terror threat?Arrests in Zurich requested by U.S.The Swiss Federal Office of Justice confirmed the identities of Hawit, a Honduran citizen, and Napout, who is from Paraguay, in a statement and revealed they are both opposing their extradition to the U.S.FIFA reform proposalsFIFA congress will vote on the proposals put forward by the reform committee on February 26 -- here's a brief overview.Term limits: FIFA president and members of FIFA council can only serve a maximum of three terms of four years.Separation of political and management functions: The FIFA executive committee will be replaced by the FIFA council. It will be responsible for the strategy and direction of the organization. The general secretariat will be in charge of operational and commercial sectors.Diversity:Increase in the role of women in football governance with a minimum of one female representative per confederation on FIFA council.Integrity: Independent review committee to carry out compulsory integrity checks for all members of FIFA's standing committees.The arrests in Zurich early Thursday were part of an operation requested by U.S. authorities, as the U.S. Department of Justice prepared to announce a new round of charges against multiple officials and executives tied to alleged corruption at FIFA."On the instructions of the (Swiss) Federal Office of Justice, a further two FIFA officials were arrested in Zurich today," the statement read. "They are being held in custody pending their extradition. According to U.S. arrest requests, they are suspected of accepting bribes of millions of dollars."The high-ranking FIFA officials are alleged to have taken the money in return for selling marketing rights in connection with football tournaments in Latin America, as well as World Cup qualifying matches."According to the arrest requests, some of the offenses were agreed and prepared in the USA. Payments were also processed via U.S. banks," the statement added, explaining why the U.S. was in a position to ask for the arrests.READ: Why is the U.S. bringing the hammer down on FIFA?The move represents an escalation in the U.S. corruption probe that has already thrown FIFA into disarray.FIFA released a statement saying it was aware of the arrests of two of its officials."FIFA will continue to cooperate fully with the U.S. investigation as permitted by Swiss law, as well as with the investigation being led by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General. FIFA will have no further comment on today's developments."Accusations of racketeeringIn May, U.S. prosecutors unveiled a 47-count indictment against 14 executives with ties to FIFA and companies with commercial ties to the organization.They accused FIFA officials of taking bribes totaling more than $150 million and in return providing "lucrative media and marketing rights" to soccer tournaments as kickbacks over the past 24 years.JUST WATCHEDWorld sports in crisisReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWorld sports in crisis 02:36Those charges included racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.Swiss police, acting on requests by the U.S., launched predawn raids at a luxury hotel in Zurich to arrest seven of those charged in the May indictments.Several of those charged have now surrendered to U.S. authorities in New York under agreements to cooperate with the FBI investigation, according to U.S. law enforcement officials.Separately, Swiss officials have been investigating corruption allegations surrounding the next two football World Cups. FIFA's flagship tournament is set to be held in Russia in 2018 and Qatar in 2022.Both Russia and Qatar have publicly denied any wrongdoing with regard to the bidding processes of the two tournaments. | 5sport
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London (CNN Business)Nike (NKE) and other major sponsors have come out in support of tennis star Naomi Osaka following her decision to withdraw from the French Open.The sports apparel giant — who signed a sponsorship deal with Osaka in 2019 — applauded the athlete in a statement on Monday for opening up about her struggle with depression. "Our thoughts are with Naomi. We support her and recognize her courage in sharing her own mental health experience," Nike said.Osaka's decision to pull out of the competition came after the tournament, also called Roland Garros, fined her $15,000 for not speaking to the media following her first round match on Sunday. Citing mental health reasons, the four-time major champion announced on Twitter last Wednesday that she would not participate in any news conferences at the tournament. Announcing her subsequent decision to withdraw, she revealed that she has "suffered long bouts of depression" since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.Read MoreNaomi Osaka: Serena Williams wants to give world No. 2 a hug; others label her a 'princess'Roland Garros said in a statement that Osaka had failed to honor her contractual media obligations and was fined under the tournament's Code of Conduct. The statement added that Roland Garros had "tried unsuccessfully to speak with her to check on her well-being" and that she was reminded that "rules should apply equally to all players."Other sponsors issued statements in support of Osaka, who was born in Japan and grew up in the United States."Naomi Osaka's decision reminds us all how important it is to prioritize personal health and well-being," Mastercard (MA) said in a statement. "We support her and admire her courage to address important issues, both on and off the court." Osaka became the first number one tennis player to join Mastercard's roster of global ambassadors in 2019.The Naomi Osaka fiasco is a sign that we're nowhere near finished with work on mental healthSwiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer said that it supports its brand ambassadors "in triumph but also during challenging periods." "Naomi is going through difficult times and we truly hope to see her back soon. She is a great champion and we are convinced that she will come out of this period stronger, be it professionally or personally," the company said in a statement.Nissin Foods, a Japanese company known for its instant noodles, also released a message of solidarity."We pray for Ms Naomi Osaka's earliest recovery, and wish her continue success," a company spokesperson said in a statement.Nissan, the Japanese automaker, also threw its weight behind Osaka. "We support the right of our ambassadors to express themselves and stand by her decision," the company said in a statement.All Nippon Airways, a Tokyo-based airline, said that it, too, would continue to support Osaka "as a sponsor."Workday, the enterprise software firm, lauded Osaka for speaking out about her struggles."Anyone who has been impacted by mental health knows asking for help is hard," Christine Cefalo, chief marketing officer, said in a statement. "We applaud Naomi Osaka for prioritizing self care and stand by her — and can't wait to see her on the courts again soon." Sweetgreen, a US restaurant chain of which Osaka is a brand ambassador and investor, said: "Our partnership with Naomi is rooted in wellness in all its forms. We support her in furthering the conversation around mental health and are proud to have her as part of the sweetgreen team."Japanese television broadcaster WOWOW, though, said it was "not in the position to comment [on] Ms. Osaka's withdrawal by her personal issue." The Japanese television broadcaster pointed out that "unlike Nissin, ANA and other Japanese companies which endorse Ms. Osaka, our company is a broadcaster which delivers her plays on tennis tour to Japanese viewers." It said it has shown grand slam tournaments, including Roland Garros, for more than two decades. "We sincerely hope that she could overcome it and come back on court as soon as she can, and every Japanese [person expects] it," the broadcaster said.French Open sponsors Rolex, Engie and Infosys (INFY) declined to comment. French label Louis Vuitton, which named Osaka as its new brand ambassador earlier this year, also declined to comment.— Chris Liakos, Chie Kobayashi, Michelle Toh and Nikita Koirala contributed reporting. | 0business
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(CNN)Two years ago, Brendan Tyne pleaded with the Food and Drug Administration to approve a drug that he was hopeful could finally bring his mother some peace. She could no longer move without assistance and had fallen victim to the debilitating and frightening psychosis that haunts many people with Parkinson's disease. "She thinks there are people in the house and animals are trying to get her," he told an FDA advisory committee. He believed that a new medication called Nuplazid, made by San Diego-based Acadia Pharmaceuticals, was the answer. Nuplazid's review was being expedited because it had been designated a "breakthrough therapy" -- meaning that it demonstrated "substantial improvement" in patients with serious or life-threatening diseases compared to treatments already on the market. Congress created this designation in 2012 in an effort to speed up the FDA's approval process, which has long been criticized for being too slow. Around 200 drugs have been granted this designation since its creation. Read MoreStill, to recommend approval, the advisory committee would have to find that the drug's potential benefits outweighed its risks for its intended patients. Some FDA officials concluded that Nuplazid's public health benefit was enough to merit approval of the drug. Their argument echoed the pleas of family members and caregivers like Tyne: It could possibly help patients with no other alternative. Several of the people who spoke said their loved ones had been transformed during the clinical trials, though some said there was no way for them to know whether they were on Nuplazid or a placebo. But the physician who led the FDA's medical review, Dr. Paul Andreason, warned that patients taking the drug during the company's clinical trials experienced serious outcomes, including death, at more than double the rate of those taking the placebo. The company's limited testing, he said, had not convinced him that the benefits outweighed the risks. I remember leaving really, really frustrated
FDA advisory committee member
While Tyne had heard about these risks, he said he "discounted death as a real statistical possibility" and was willing to try anything to help his mother. "I have two young children who love their grandmother," he told the committee. "If nothing is done to bring her back to some semblance of normalcy, my children will never remember their grandmother for who she is: a loving, funny, caring woman who has improved the lives of all of the loved ones who surround her. Please, I beg you, do not deprive my children and their grandmother of experiencing that love." 'You have to take it seriously' The committee voted 12-2 and recommended that the FDA approve Nuplazid for the treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis based on a six-week study of about 200 patients. Three previous studies of the drug did not show that it was effective, Andreason said in his medical review, though they showed similar risk. Even some committee members who voted in favor of the drug expressed reservations, according to the hearing transcript. "I guess I'm hoping that the risks are going to be small, and I think the benefits for some of these people who are very sick and whose families are affected by this, I think they're probably willing to take that risk," one physician stated. Another committee member said she wouldn't have voted for the drug's approval if there had been a safe and effective alternative on the market. A third made a "plea" to the FDA to "consider a large observational study so we can ensure that, once it goes into real-world use, that the benefits will outweigh the risks." It hit the market in June 2016. As caregivers and family members rushed to get their loved ones on it, sales climbed to roughly $125 million in 2017. Tyne got his mother on the drug as soon as it became available. But after trying it for months, he says he was devastated to see that it was doing nothing to halt the awful progression of the disease, and her hallucinations became more frequent and harder to manage. "She has gone straight downhill to the point she really can't function at all," he said. Shortly after the drug's release, patients' family members, doctors and other health care professionals started reporting "adverse events" possibly linked to the medication -- including deaths, life-threatening incidents, falls, insomnia, nausea and fatigue. In more than 1,000 reports, patients continued to experience hallucinations while on Nuplazid.Creatures like cats and snakes can haunt patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis, as shown in Acadia's TV commercial.In November, an analysis released by a nonprofit health care organization, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, warned that 244 deaths had been reported to the FDA between the drug's launch and March 2017. The organization also noted that hundreds of reports suggested the drug was "not providing the expected benefit" or potentially worsening the condition. Tracked by the FDA, these so-called "adverse event reports" document deaths, side effects and other issues, and can be made directly by consumers, caregivers and other medical professionals. Reports are submitted to either the FDA or to the drugmaker, which is required to pass along any it receives to the federal government. In some cases, the person filing the report is convinced the side effects were caused by the drug; in others, the reporter ascribes no cause but notes that the patient was on the drug. An adverse event report does not mean that a suspected medication has been ruled the cause of harm and is typically not the result of an official investigation. But the FDA uses the information to monitor potential issues with a drug and can take action as needed -- updating a medication's label, for instance, or restricting its use or pulling it off the market. After analyzing the adverse event data for Nuplazid, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices concluded that this batch of reports "reinforces the concerns of those who warned that (Nuplazid) might do more harm than good." Thomas Moore, senior scientist for drug safety and policy for the nonprofit, said the deaths are an "important warning signal" and warrant further review by the FDA -- and possible action, depending on what the review finds.Since the institute released its analysis, FDA data shows that the number of reported deaths has risen to more than 700. As of last June, Nuplazid was the only medication listed as "suspect" in at least 500 of the death reports. This is almost unheard of to have this many deaths reported...you have to take it seriously.
Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research
Physicians, medical researchers and other experts told CNN that they worried that the drug had been approved too quickly, based on too little evidence that it was safe or effective. And given these mounting reports of deaths, they say that more needs to be done to assess Nuplazid's true risks."This is almost unheard of, to have this many deaths reported," said Diana Zuckerman, founder and president of the nonprofit thinktank the National Center for Health Research, adding that because reports are voluntary, potential problems may be underreported. "You just don't see this with most new drugs -- you don't see all these reports -- so you have to take it seriously."Acadia and the FDA maintain that the medication's potential benefits continue to outweigh the risks and help fill a desperate need. Psychosis affects up to 50% of the roughly one million Americans suffering from Parkinson's disease, according to the FDA, and Nuplazid is the first drug to be approved to treat this specific condition. Acadia said there are a number of reasons for the higher volume of death reports. Parkinson's disease psychosis is more commonly seen in patients in the most advanced stages of the disease, meaning they are already at a high risk of death. Plus, the company distributes Nuplazid through a network of specialty pharmacies that allow them to be in more frequent contact with both patients and caregivers -- meaning it is more likely to receive reports of death, which it is required to pass along to the FDA."If you are actively and regularly engaging patients and/or caregivers, it is inevitable that you will see a higher number of adverse events reported, especially in an older, chronically ill patient population," the company said in a statement.Read Acadia's full response here It said its "benefit/risk assessment of Nuplazid remains unchanged," and it carefully monitors and regularly analyzes safety reports from both ongoing studies and adverse event reports. The company noted, for example, that since the drug's approval, two studies of a total of more than 300 patients with Alzheimer's disease did not find a difference in the number of deaths reported between Nuplazid and the placebo. The company also provided CNN with a statement from Dr. Joseph Jankovic, professor of neurology and an expert on movement disorders at Baylor College of Medicine. "I have accumulated a great deal of experience with this drug," Jankovic said in the statement. "While not all patients are completely satisfied, many of my patients have experienced marked improvement in their visual hallucinations, paranoia and other psychotic symptoms." In an interview this week, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb was asked by CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta about his thoughts on drugs that receive expedited reviews and then prompt concerns about safety once they become available, like Nuplazid. While Gottlieb didn't want to comment on a specific product, he said he is "familiar with the circumstances" and that it's very important for the agency to make sure it is "appropriately balancing" safety with medical need. He said this is a flexible standard, however, and there may be more tolerance for risk in situations where there is a significant need and patients don't have an alternative. JUST WATCHEDFDA chief: Opioids are biggest crisis we faceReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFDA chief: Opioids are biggest crisis we face 03:54"You've seen us take regulatory action recently in the post-market setting to limit the use of drugs when new safety concerns became known," he said.The FDA told CNN it will continue to monitor the adverse event reports and review the drug's safety. It added that Nuplazid's "complex safety profile," recognized at the time of its approval, resulted in a requirement that the medication carry a number of warnings on its label so that doctors could analyze potential risks and benefits before prescribing the drug. The cases reported so far, according to the FDA, typically involved elderly patients with advanced-stage Parkinson's disease who suffer from numerous medical conditions and often take other medications that can increase the risk of death.
What should we investigate next?
Email Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken
"Based on these data, the FDA has, at this time, not identified a specific safety issue that is not already adequately described in the product labeling," the agency said in a statement. The FDA has required antipsychotics to carry its most severe "black box" warning for the treatment of elderly dementia patients, after studies found that the medications increase the risk of death in this population. Between 50% and 80% of Parkinson's patients experience dementia as the disease worsens, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Because Nuplazid is a new kind of antipsychotic that targets a different receptor in the brain, its maker claims it comes with fewer toxic side effects. Even so, Nuplazid also carries a black box warning. Related: The little red pill being pushed on the elderlyGeriatric psychiatrist and former FDA medical officer Susan Molchan said that the number of deaths is alarming and questioned whether patients and their families are aware of the risks associated with the drug. To determine the true risks of Nuplazid, the researchers interviewed by CNN said, the FDA needs to require further scientific studies -- and not just rely on the reports, which are challenging to interpret and are not systematically collected. They also worried that, because the drug was already approved, these studies and any action by the FDA could take years. Hundreds of adverse event reports A CNN review of several hundred adverse event reports shows that the detail provided for each case varies widely and that thorough investigations are rarely conducted -- making it difficult to determine whether Nuplazid might have been involved in the deaths of already sick and elderly patients. In these reports, the physicians who prescribed the drug sometimes suggest that their patients likely died from complications from Parkinson's rather than because of Nuplazid. In other cases, it's unclear when exactly the patient started or stopped taking the medication. And in yet others, family members and sometimes doctors are convinced the drug contributed to the deaths. This is exactly what I thought I was going to happen.Dr. Paul Andreason, who led the FDA medical review of Nuplazid One report recounts the death of a 73-year-old woman in a long-term care facility who was taking Nuplazid. Just before 8 in the morning, a nurse noted that the woman was "sleepy." Shortly after, she was found unresponsive and without a pulse. Paramedics were not able to revive her and, less than an hour after the nurse's visit, she was pronounced dead. While her physician didn't believe her death was "related" to Nuplazid, her husband was convinced that it had played a role and paid for an autopsy. It showed only that she had pre-existing heart issues and died of cardiac arrest. Related: Sick, dying and raped in America's nursing homesIn another report, an 89-year-old man was taken off the drug after experiencing a significant decline. His doctor blamed Nuplazid for his deteriorating condition. The patient died weeks later. In a third report, a woman flagged her husband's death to the FDA after he was taken to the hospital due to dehydration. After he passed away, she said, she was told by "someone at the hospital" that the death was connected to his use of Nuplazid. Acadia said it analyzed these reports and concluded that there "is nothing to suggest a causal relationship to Nuplazid." Acadia calculated a mortality rate for Nuplazid, which it said was lower than what you'd see in the general population of Parkinson's disease psychosis patients covered by Medicare. It calculated this using deaths reported to the FDA and what it considered a conservative estimate of patients on the drug, along with Medicare claims data. However, multiple experts interviewed by CNN said that this is an unreliable calculation since it is comparing apples to oranges. Widening the patient pool In the weeks after the Institute for Safe Medication Practices issued its report on the deaths, Acadia's stock price dropped by more than 20%. While many large investors remain bullish about the stock, some investment analysts have made public records requests to the FDA for the death reports. Currently, Nuplazid can cost nearly $100 a day, according to wholesale pricing data from First Databank. That can add up to more than $30,000 a year for a single patient, though the amount a patient actually pays depends on factors including individual insurance coverage. Acadia expects sales of Nuplazid to at least double this year. Acadia's TV commercial shows how frightening Parkinson's disease psychosis can be.The company, meanwhile, is forging ahead with clinical trials in an attempt to get the medication approved for use in a larger patient population: patients who have dementia-related psychosis. In October, the FDA granted its coveted breakthrough designation for this potential use as well, meaning it will also undergo a speedier review process. While a doctor can legally prescribe a drug for any reason, insurance companies may not approve it for uses that are not FDA-approved. So FDA approval to treat dementia patients would likely result in Nuplazid being prescribed to a much wider population, concerned medical experts told CNN. "You would certainly hope they don't approve it for anything else," said Zuckerman of the National Center for Health Research, based on the current research and FDA adverse event reports. "If they're going to approve it for another group of patients that is much, much larger -- that would be unconscionable. "That is something they should absolutely not do given these unanswered questions about risk." 'I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up' Roughly two years have passed since that FDA meeting, where family members and caregivers -- some of whom traveled there on Acadia's dime -- gathered with medical experts to debate the merits and potential risks of Nuplazid.Andreason, the physician who led the FDA's medical review of Nuplazid, no longer works for the agency. He said that while he stands by the warnings he made at the time, he understands that other antipsychotics used to treat Parkinson's patients also come with an increased risk of death and that, when patients have a debilitating disease like Parkinson's, physicians and caregivers may choose a medication that improves quality of life even if it could also shorten life expectancy. He said that he was not surprised to hear about the reports of death. Knowing what I know now -- that it didn't work at all -- I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
Son of Parkinson's patient
"This is exactly what I thought was going to happen," he said. "We were going to get a burst of reports of serious adverse events and deaths." Dr. Stephanie Fox-Rawlings, a senior fellow at the National Center for Health Research who spoke against the drug's approval at the FDA committee meeting, recently told CNN she understands how desperate families in these situations are, but she does not think Nuplazid is the answer based on her review of Acadia's public research. She and Zuckerman said that, after previous studies didn't show it was effective, the drugmaker changed the way the medication's ability to improve psychosis was measured, which resulted in a positive outcome. Acadia said its studies have had different objectives and all of them have used "consistent, appropriate, and validated assessment methodology.""If patients know there is some level of benefit, they can judge their risk," said Fox-Rawlings. "But if we don't even know that it does work, how do you even judge that? It's kind of a false hope." Kim Witczak was the consumer representative on the FDA committee evaluating Nuplazid. She and the patient representative were the only two members to vote against its approval. She still can't believe it's on the market. "I remember leaving really, really frustrated," she said. CNN reached two of the three family members who petitioned for Nuplazid's approval at the meeting, despite having had no experience with the drug or its clinical trials, to ask whether they tried the medication once it hit the market. One of these was Elaine Casavant. Despite the "staggering cost" of the medication, she said, she was quick to get her husband on it. But after three months, he showed no improvement and they stopped the medication. She has heard success stories, however, and remains optimistic that the drug could be helping certain people. The other person was Tyne. The 43-year-old New Jersey resident works in New York and visits his mother every weekend at a nursing home in the Bronx. Tyne has attempted to move on from the disappointment of Nuplazid, but he still gets frustrated talking about it. "Knowing what I know now -- that it didn't work at all -- I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up," he said. But he doesn't regret trying. "If there was something that could possibly help my mom and I didn't do it, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror." Do you have information to share about Nuplazid or other drugs targeting the elderly? Email us watchdog@cnn.com. CNN's Sergio Hernandez and Curt Merrill contributed data analysis to this report. Illustrations by Tiffany Baker | 2health
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Paris (CNN)Lead singer Jesse Hughes scanned the crowd. "When I look around, only two words come to mind: nos amis."Our friends. The band's friends clapped their hands overhead, screamed with delight and hopped with the beat as the drums kicked in and Hughes started to croon. Eagles of Death Metal didn't want to disappoint the sold-out crowd in the Bataclan -- considered by Rolling Stone magazine to be one of the greatest small rock-n-roll venues in the world.In the crowd on this night in November were Pat and Maria Moore, who had followed the band to 14 countries with a group of loyal friends. Maria had injured her ribs in the mosh pit at a concert in England about a week before, but nothing could keep her away from this Friday the 13th performance.Friday night interrupted: Paris survivor storiesHélène Muyal-Leiris danced with one of her friends from childhood. It was a night off for the mother of a 17-month-old boy. Her husband was home with their son, happy to see his wife enjoy what she loved: literature, movies and music. She was a free spirit, always talking about the need for the world to get along. The funky American band seemed to her a combination of her passions.Read MoreIsobel Bowdery grooved on the main floor with her boyfriend, Amaury Baudoin. The young lovers soaked in the atmosphere. The place pulsated. Up on the balcony, Denys Plaud spun and shimmied to the beat with his shirt off, his torso bare as the music roared around him. He'd moved upstairs to have more room to enjoy his two passions: rock-n-roll and dance.Hughes was aglow in red and yellow spotlights, and the mosh pit grinded along with the singer. After about 30 minutes, the band moved to do its latest tune, a remake of Duran Duran's smash hit "Save A Prayer."The bands had sung the song together in London recently. Now Eagles of Death Metal would do it solo:Don't say a prayer for me nowSave it 'til the morning afterAnd on the morning after, prayers were being said all over the world, for Paris and its people.Resilience amid griefAt least 130 people were killed in seven locations in the city. More than 350 were wounded. The coordinated attack was the deadliest in France since World War II. ISIS claimed responsibility.So much has transpired in one short week: French air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria. An international manhunt for terrorists with raids in France, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Turkey. The killing of the man considered the ringleader of the assault on Paris.And a warning from ISIS: It has its sights on New York, Rome and Washington.But for many, thoughts keep returning to Friday night, November 13. To those moments in two restaurants, two cafes, a bar, the city's main stadium and the Bataclan. Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPresident Barack Obama, French President Francois Hollande, second from right, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo arrive at the Bataclan, site of one of the Paris terrorists attacks, to pay their respects to the victims after Obama arrived in town for the COP21 climate change conference early on Monday, November 30, in Paris. Hide Caption 1 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksThe Eiffel Tower in Paris is illuminated in the French national colors on Monday, November 16. Displays of support for the French people were evident at landmarks around the globe after the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday, November 13.Hide Caption 2 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople hold hands as they observe a minute of silence in Lyon, France, on November 16, three days after the Paris attacks. A minute of silence was observed throughout the country in memory of the victims of the country's deadliest violence since World War II.Hide Caption 3 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksFrench President Francois Hollande, center, flanked by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, right, and French Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, center left, stands among students during a minute of silence in the courtyard of the Sorbonne University in Paris on November 16.Hide Caption 4 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA large crowd gathers to lay flowers and candles in front of the Carillon restaurant in Paris on Sunday, November 15. Hide Caption 5 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA man sits next to candles lit as homage to the victims of the deadly attacks in Paris at a square in Rio de Janeiro on November 15.Hide Caption 6 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople light candles in tribute to the Paris victims on November 15 in Budapest, Hungary. Hide Caption 7 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople gather outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on November 15 for a national service for the victims of the city's terror attacks.Hide Caption 8 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople write messages on the ground at Place de la Republique in Paris on November 15. Hide Caption 9 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople pray during a candlelight vigil for victims of the Paris attacks at a church in Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 15. Hide Caption 10 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksFrench golfer Gregory Bourdy passes a peace symbol for the Paris victims during the BMW Shanghai Masters tournament November 15 in Shanghai, China. Hide Caption 11 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA man offers a prayer in memory of victims of the Paris attacks at the French Embassy in Tokyo on November 15. Hide Caption 12 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA woman holds a candle atop a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower during a candlelight vigil Saturday, November 14, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Hide Caption 13 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksFront pages of Japanese newspapers in Tokyo show coverage and photos of the Paris attacks on November 14.Hide Caption 14 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksAn electronic billboard on a canal in Milan, Italy reads, in French, "I'm Paris," on November 14.Hide Caption 15 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksThe Eiffel Tower stands dark as a mourning gesture on November 14, in Paris. More than 125 people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday. People around the world reacted in horror to the deadly terrorist assaults.Hide Caption 16 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksLithuanians hold a candlelight vigil in front of the French Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania, on November 14.Hide Caption 17 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksThousands gather in London's Trafalgar Square for a candlelit vigil on November 14 to honor the victims of the Paris attacks. Hide Caption 18 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA woman lights candles at a memorial near the Bataclan theater in Paris on November 14.Hide Caption 19 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA man places a candle in front of Le Carillon cafe in Paris on November 14.Hide Caption 20 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA woman holds a French flag during a gathering in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 14.Hide Caption 21 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksNancy Acevedo prays for France during the opening prayer for the Sunshine Summit being held at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida on November 14.Hide Caption 22 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksFrench soldiers of the United Nations' interim forces in Lebanon observe the national flag at half-staff at the contingent headquarters in the village of Deir Kifa on November 14.Hide Caption 23 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA couple surveys the signature sails of the Sydney Opera House lit in the colors of the French flag in Sydney on November 14.Hide Caption 24 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA woman places flowers in front of the French Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia, on November 14.Hide Caption 25 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksCandles are lit in Hong Kong on November 14 to remember the scores who died in France.Hide Caption 26 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA woman lights a candle outside the French Consulate in Barcelona, Spain, on November 14.Hide Caption 27 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksBritain's Prince Charles expresses solidarity with France at a birthday barbecue in his honor near Perth, Australia, on November 14. Hide Caption 28 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksThe French national flag flutters at half-staff on November 14 at its embassy in Beijing.Hide Caption 29 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksDutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte after a speech on November 14 in The Hague following the attacks.Hide Caption 30 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe becomes emotional after his speech on the French attacks during the opening ceremony of a Japanese garden in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 14.Hide Caption 31 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksA woman mourns outside Le Carillon bar in the 10th district of Paris on November 14. The attackers ruthlessly sought out soft targets where people were getting their weekends underway.Hide Caption 32 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople lay flowers outside the French Embassy in Moscow on November 14.Hide Caption 33 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksMourners gather outside Le Carillon bar in the 10th district of Paris on November 14. "We were listening to music when we heard what we thought were the sounds of firecrackers," a doctor from a nearby hospital who was drinking in the bar with colleagues told Le Monde. "A few moments later, it was a scene straight out of a war. Blood everywhere."Hide Caption 34 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople attend a vigil outside the French Consulate in Montreal. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered "all of Canada's support" to France on Friday, November 13, in the wake of the attacks.Hide Caption 35 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPolice show a heightened presence in Times Square in New York on November 13, following the terrorist attacks in Paris. Hide Caption 36 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople light candles at a vigil outside the French Consulate in Montreal on November 13. Hide Caption 37 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas, fans observe a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris before a basketball game November 13.Hide Caption 38 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksThe house lights are shut off and scoreboard dark as Boston Celtics players pause for a moment of silence for the Paris victims before an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks in Boston on November 13.Hide Caption 39 of 40 Photos: World reacts to Paris attacksPeople light candles at a vigil outside the French Consulate in Montreal on November 13.Hide Caption 40 of 40By the time police cleared the concert hall, 89 were dead there. Many were 20-somethings, university students or young professionals enjoying the start of their careers.Those who survived live with two competing emotions: gratefulness and grief. Eagles of Death Metal fans have always been a tight-knit crowd -- never more so than now, bound by one awful night and determined to tell a story of love. 'We are here to kill you'Three gunmen came in through the front door. Two wore masks. They were dressed in black and armed with AK-47s and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. They said they were retaliating against France's bombing of ISIS in Syria. "We are here to kill you," one shouted. They were calm, acting with precision as they sprayed the concert hall with bullets. One would shoot while the other reloaded. Then, repeat. The gunfire seemed to last an eternity. Scores of fans rushed toward exits. Others jumped on stage and hid behind massive speakers. Many dropped to the ground, struck by bullets, dodging them or paralyzed by fear. Forty-nine-year-old Pat Moore, and his wife Maria, 50, were there with about 10 English and French fans who they'd bonded with over the music. The Moores had witnessed terror before. A decade earlier, they'd been preparing to see another band when suicide bombers struck London's transit system, killing more than 50.JUST WATCHEDMemories of Bataclan concerts go viralReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMemories of Bataclan concerts go viral 01:23The Moores were standing toward the left front of the hall, near the stage. They saw people diving onto the ground and band members running for cover.JUST WATCHEDParis survivor describes hiding in Bataclan bathroom ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHParis survivor describes hiding in Bataclan bathroom 03:01Pat grabbed his wife's arm and pushed her toward a nearby exit. Hélène Muyal-Leiris, 35, fell to the floor amid the hail of bullets. So did her friend Nicolas Strohl, who she'd known since they were both about 12. They lay still as the gunmen executed anyone who showed signs of life.In the balcony, Denys Plaud ran for the stairs to the third floor -- and kept running, up and up, followed by a growing crowd of fans desperate to escape the carnage. They found sanctuary in a tiny room and used a refrigerator to barricade the door.Isobel Bowdery, 22, and her boyfriend, Amaury Baudoin, 24, had gotten separated in the crowd shortly before the shooting. Isobel dove to the ground, blood and bodies all around. She held her breath, trying not to cry. She listened as a wounded couple said their goodbyes. She closed her eyes and pictured everyone she'd ever loved. Amaury was near the stage and struck by shrapnel. Pain shot through his leg and neck. He saw the silhouette of a gunman and hopped onto the stage and kept running. He searched for an exit, then ducked into a bathroom. Others joined him. Soon, more than 50 were inside.Gunfire continued to rattle the hall. He feared for his girlfriend. Was she alive?Huddled in the room, he thought about death. Death at the age of 24. Faces of family and friendsPat and Maria Moore fled toward the exit. They turned back when they realized a friend wasn't with them. He'd been trampled in the crush to escape. He had a broken collar bone and other injuries. He got to the door just as they did.Husband and wife grabbed him. "I'm done for," the friend said. He wanted to sit down. They hoisted him up and made their way down the street.Lead singer Jesse Hughes sprinted past with his girlfriend. "Run, baby, run," he urged her. Upstairs, crammed in a room with at least a dozen others, Denys Plaud could do nothing but sit in the dark and listen to the gunfire -- at first far below, then alarmingly close. The shooting went on for over an hour. Shots. Silence. Then, more shots. Bullets hit the wall. He wondered if it would hold up.In the bathroom backstage, Amaury Baudoin felt a desperate optimism take over. Strangers, huddled together, tried to reassure each other. If the gunmen found them, they decided, they would overpower them."All the while, I was thinking of Isobel."Isobel was amid the carnage on the main floor. But she did not move. She did not flinch. She did not want to alert the killers that she was still alive. She was curled into a fetal position. A wounded man shielded her body. "Don't run," he told her. "Just stay."What do you do when death is at hand?Isobel pictured the faces of her family, her friends. And she whispered over and over: "I love you." Makeshift memorials have popped up outside the Bataclan to honor those killed and wounded inside. 'I just wanted to be with her'Antoine Leiris received a message from his wife's sister. "How are you?" it said.He had not heard Paris was under siege. He turned on the television. He kept thinking anything was possible when he saw the Bataclan was targeted. Then, worry consumed him. He couldn't reach Hélène. He thought of their 17-month-old son growing up without his mother. Married and a mother to a young son, Hélène Muyal-Leiris, was shot inside the concert hall.He spent the next 24 hours searching every hospital in Paris and its suburbs. Hélène was nowhere to be found.Finally, Saturday evening, the medical examiner's office called; his wife's body was there. He went straight to the office. It was closed. He tried to force his way in, but couldn't. "I felt really bad to have left her alone for two nights," Antoine told CNN. "Dead or alive, that was not the point. I just wanted to be with her." 'Overwhelming love'The Moores made their way to a friend's apartment. Still in shock, they drank a bottle of wine and sipped hard whiskey. Four comrades had been shot but survived. They nicknamed one of them "Two Bullets." "We've had so much support," Maria Moore said. "There's been an overwhelming amount of love and even laughs in the past few days."Laughter, even amid the tears. The friends had decided to meet up at the Paris show in honor of a woman in their network, a rock photographer, who had committed suicide last year. "We think she was looking after us all in there, because we all made it out."Maria paused. "I don't know if I believe in that stuff. But it's a comforting thought." Maria Moore, second from right, with friends.The terror won't prevent the group from doing what they love. They'll still dance at rock gigs. They'll still visit Paris. "We'll go back the first chance we get."Denys Plaud was evacuated by police from the balcony. He was shaken up "in a bad way" and took shelter in a nearby courtyard where local residents offered him clothes to keep warm and a bed for the night.But like the Moores, he remains committed to his beloved music. Reflecting on his decision to move from the lower floor to the balcony because there was more room to dance, he said, "That's probably what saved my life."Hélène Muyal-Leiris died in her friend's arms at the Bataclan. Her husband Antoine was reunited with her body on Monday. He penned a Facebook post that went viral. "On Friday evening you stole the life of an exceptional person, the love of my life, the mother of my son," he wrote, "but you will not have my hatred." He later elaborated on why he felt it was important to write such a tribute. "I didn't have a choice," he told CNN, "if I wanted my son to grow up as a human being who is open to the world around him, like his mother, to grow up as a person who will love what she loved: literature, culture, music, cinema, pictures."JUST WATCHEDHusband to terrorists: 'I will not succumb to hate'ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHusband to terrorists: 'I will not succumb to hate' 03:35He sat with his son. They talked about how much they miss her. They listened to music she would play, and together they cried."My son is only 17 months old, but he feels everything. He knows everything," Antoine said. "The grief is here and we keep it as a 'treasure' -- it is a souvenir of her. We don't pretend we're not sad, that we're not devastated. "No, we are -- but we're still standing."Isobel Bowdery and Amaury Baudoin weren't sure if the other had survived.Amaury doesn't recall how much time he spent in hiding. When at last he and the others were escorted out of the hall, police told them to keep their eyes on the ceiling. But Amaury glanced around."My eyes swept the room, my stomach churning at the thought of finding Isobel sprawled in the center of this disaster," he wrote on Facebook."There were bodies everywhere. ... It wasn't a war scene. It was a slaughter house."Isobel had been taken to a police safe area. She worried about Amaury's fate. It had been hours since they last saw one another. She heard a voice crying her name. "Isobel! ISOBEL!" It was distant at first, but grew closer. She ran toward Amaury and leapt into his arms, draping herself around his neck. JUST WATCHEDCouple shares their story of escaping Bataclan ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCouple shares their story of escaping Bataclan 05:57They were alive. They thought of all the others who perished, especially the 20-somethings, revellers of music.It is for them they now live."As much as the terror and the anguish that was in that room," Isobel told CNN, "there was a lot of love. There was a lot of positivity in such a tragic, tragic place." The terrorists, she was determined, would not win. "I didn't want them to have their horrible actions determine the end of my life. I wanted the people that I loved to win -- to know that they blessed me with an incredible life. "It was important that if I was going to die -- if the next bullet was for me -- that I left saying I love you. And in that way, it felt OK to die, because I had love in my heart."It is the feeling she carries with her now, in the city known as an international symbol of love.That's the best way, she said, to defeat terrorism.CNN's Anderson Cooper, Poppy Harlow, Hala Gorani, Lauren Moorhouse, Saskya Vandoorne and Florence Davey-Attlee contributed to this story. | 3news
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(CNN)Few teams -- from any sport, any era, or any country -- have a record that can match that of the All Blacks. Since lifting the World Cup on home soil in 2011, New Zealand's rugby team has boasted a win percentage close to 90%. Its reign as the world No. 1 ranked side goes back nine years, and it comes as no surprise that Steve Hansen's men have been hotly tipped to win a third consecutive World Cup in Japan next year. Follow @cnnsport
When it comes to the depth of players at their disposal, not to mention the skill set and athleticism those players bring to the field, it's little surprise the All Blacks have been rugby's dominant force for the best part of the past decade. But that's not to say they're unbeatable. Teams working out how to beat the All Blacks -- which include England and Ireland in the coming weeks -- will look to South Africa's performances in the Rugby Championship for inspiration. Read More"You have to take your hat off to South Africa," former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick tells CNN after the Springboks came close to recording rare back-to-back victories over the All Blacks. "The intensity they played with -- we haven't seen that intensity for a long time. Their will and their fitness levels looked very good." READ: Why are the All Blacks so good? JUST WATCHEDDan Carter on Japanese rugby and New ZealandReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDan Carter on Japanese rugby and New Zealand 03:10South Africa's victory in Wellington was only New Zealand's second defeat on home soil since 2009. Is there a secret to toppling the All Blacks?"The teams that take the All Blacks on are the teams that are successful normally," continues Fitzpatrick, who won 92 caps for New Zealand in the 1980s and 90s including 51 as captain. "The problem is you've got to do it for 80/85 minutes and there aren't many teams at the moment that can live with the All Blacks for that long."Don't be afraid -- South Africa showed that. Their aggression levels were very high. They were very physical, they didn't miss tackles, they took their opportunities."New Zealand let in 132 points in the recent Rugby Championship -- the most it has ever conceded in the tournament. The somewhat porous defense is something that didn't pass Fitzpatrick by."We're fans who want to be entertained and the All Blacks play a very entertaining style of rugby which sometimes -- as you saw during the Rugby Championship -- can leak tries. That's one area they're probably looking to sure up." READ: Rugby captain turned steel sculptor, the French icon who found 'something else' Photos: RWC 2019 venuesNew Zealand beat Australia 34-17 to win its second straight Rugby World Cup at Twickenham Stadium, London in October 2015. Four years on, the focus will shift to Japan, where 12 stadiums throughout the country will host the tournament from September 20 to November 2. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: International Stadium YokohamaCapacity: 72,327Where: Yokohama City, Kanagawa PrefectureMatches: New Zealand vs South Africa; Ireland vs Scotland; England vs France; Japan vs Scotland; Semifinals 1 & 2; Final Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Tokyo StadiumCapacity: 49,970Where: Tokyo MetropolitanMatches: Japan vs Romania; France vs Argentina; Australia vs Wales; England v Argentina; New Zealand vs Namibia; Quarterfinals 2 & 4; Bronze finalHide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: City of Toyota StadiumCapacity: 45,000Where: Toyota, Aichi PrefectureMatches: Wales vs Georgia; South Africa vs Namibia; Japan vs Samoa; New Zealand vs ItalyHide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Shizuoka Stadium EcopaCapacity: 50,889Where: Shizuoka PrefectureMatches: Japan vs Ireland; South Africa vs Italy; Scotland vs Romania; Australia vs GeorgiaHide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Hanazono Rugby StadiumCapacity: 32,228Where: Higashiosaka City, Osaka PrefectureMatches: Italy vs Namibia; Argentina vs Tonga; Georgia vs Fiji; USA vs TongaHide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kumamoto StadiumCapacity: 32,228Where: Kumamoto City, Kumamoto PrefectureMatches: France vs Tonga; Wales vs Uruguay Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Oita StadiumCapacity: 40,000Where: Oita PrefectureMatches: New Zealand vs Canada; Australia vs Uruguay; Wales vs Fiji; Quarterfinals 1 & 3 Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kumagaya Rugby StadiumCapacity: 25,600Where: Kumagaya City, Saitama PrefectureMatches: Russia vs Samoa; Georgia vs Uruguay; Argentina vs USAHide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kamaishi Recovery Memorial StadiumCapacity: 16,334Where: Kamaishi City, Iwate PrefectureMatches: Fiji vs Uruguay; Namibia vs CanadaHide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Sapporo DomeCapacity: 41,410Where: Sapporo CityMatches: Australia vs Fiji; England vs TongaHide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kobe Misaki StadiumCapacity: 30,132Where: Kobe CityMatches: England vs USA; Scotland vs Samoa; Ireland vs Russia; South Africa vs CanadaHide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Fukuoka Hakatanomori StadiumCapacity: 21,562Where: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka PrefectureMatches: Italy vs Canada; France vs USA; Ireland vs SamoaHide Caption 13 of 13The current schedule of international fixtures between northern and southern hemisphere sides gives nations a chance to see where they stand ahead of next year's World Cup. New Zealand began its block of games with victories over Australia and Japan -- both played in Japan -- before heading to Europe to face England at Twickenham this weekend.Next up...the @AllBlacks 🔥#ENGvNZL #CarryThemHome 🌹 pic.twitter.com/ECSj1v9FjR— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) November 5, 2018
When it was first announced, the fixture was billed as a long overdue clash between the world's top two sides, but now Eddie Jones' men have slipped down the pecking order having enduring a run of six straight defeats earlier this year.However, a narrow 12-11 win over South Africa last weekend will give England's injury-blighted squad confidence ahead of what will surely be its toughest test for a number of years. "The young players did exceptionally well and we can look forward to New Zealand now," Jones told reporters after the victory against the Springboks. "We are going to prepare well and I cannot wait to play them. New Zealand are different to South Africa, wanting an athletic contest. We will not be wearing singlets and running shorts. READ: Eddie Jones on the ropes, but up for World Cup 'sparring' Photos: RWC 2019 venuesNew Zealand beat Australia 34-17 to win its second straight Rugby World Cup at Twickenham Stadium, London in October 2015. Four years on, the focus will shift to Japan, where 12 stadiums throughout the country will host the tournament from September 20 to November 2. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: International Stadium YokohamaCapacity: 72,327Where: Yokohama City, Kanagawa PrefectureMatches: New Zealand vs South Africa; Ireland vs Scotland; England vs France; Japan vs Scotland; Semifinals 1 & 2; Final Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Tokyo StadiumCapacity: 49,970Where: Tokyo MetropolitanMatches: Japan vs Romania; France vs Argentina; Australia vs Wales; England v Argentina; New Zealand vs Namibia; Quarterfinals 2 & 4; Bronze finalHide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: City of Toyota StadiumCapacity: 45,000Where: Toyota, Aichi PrefectureMatches: Wales vs Georgia; South Africa vs Namibia; Japan vs Samoa; New Zealand vs ItalyHide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Shizuoka Stadium EcopaCapacity: 50,889Where: Shizuoka PrefectureMatches: Japan vs Ireland; South Africa vs Italy; Scotland vs Romania; Australia vs GeorgiaHide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Hanazono Rugby StadiumCapacity: 32,228Where: Higashiosaka City, Osaka PrefectureMatches: Italy vs Namibia; Argentina vs Tonga; Georgia vs Fiji; USA vs TongaHide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kumamoto StadiumCapacity: 32,228Where: Kumamoto City, Kumamoto PrefectureMatches: France vs Tonga; Wales vs Uruguay Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Oita StadiumCapacity: 40,000Where: Oita PrefectureMatches: New Zealand vs Canada; Australia vs Uruguay; Wales vs Fiji; Quarterfinals 1 & 3 Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kumagaya Rugby StadiumCapacity: 25,600Where: Kumagaya City, Saitama PrefectureMatches: Russia vs Samoa; Georgia vs Uruguay; Argentina vs USAHide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kamaishi Recovery Memorial StadiumCapacity: 16,334Where: Kamaishi City, Iwate PrefectureMatches: Fiji vs Uruguay; Namibia vs CanadaHide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Sapporo DomeCapacity: 41,410Where: Sapporo CityMatches: Australia vs Fiji; England vs TongaHide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Kobe Misaki StadiumCapacity: 30,132Where: Kobe CityMatches: England vs USA; Scotland vs Samoa; Ireland vs Russia; South Africa vs CanadaHide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: RWC 2019 venuesWhat: Fukuoka Hakatanomori StadiumCapacity: 21,562Where: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka PrefectureMatches: Italy vs Canada; France vs USA; Ireland vs SamoaHide Caption 13 of 13"It will be a proper game of rugby. You want to face the best in the world and the Kiwis are that. Bring it on."Ireland is the most recent northern hemisphere nation to defeat the All Blacks -- an inspired 40-29 victory in Chicago two years ago -- and, with just one defeat so far this year, the likeliest northern hemisphere outfit to beat them again in the coming weeks. South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Tonga, Fiji and Japan have all also traveled to Europe to take on the likes of England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France and Italy. Visit cnn.com/rugby for more news and videosBut with less than a year until the World Cup, if there's one scalp a team would like, it would be New Zealand. "To challenge the All Blacks," says Fitzpatrick, "the opposition has to play the game of their lives."Sean Fitzpatrick was speaking at the Laureus Sport for Good Global Summit in partnership with Allianz. Laureus Sport for Good uses the power of sport to end violence, discrimination and disadvantage. | 5sport
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(CNN)The upcoming Democratic presidential debates will feature opening and closing statements and two hours of debate time each night, representatives for more than 20 candidates competing in the primary were informed Tuesday by CNN. CNN is airing the much-anticipated Democratic National Committee-sanctioned debates live from Detroit at 8 p.m. ET on July 30 and 31. Dana Bash, Don Lemon and Jake Tapper will serve together as the moderators for both debates.While candidates will not officially learn if they make the Detroit stage until July 17, Tuesday's call with the 20-plus Democratic campaigns was held to help them prepare for the debate should their respective candidates qualify, a CNN spokesperson said.The window to determine debate eligibility closes on July 16, and candidates will be informed the next day if they will be invited to participate in Detroit. On July 18, CNN will air a live draw to determine the specific candidate lineups for each debate night. The campaign representatives also learned on Tuesday that candidates will be given 60 seconds to respond to a moderator-directed question, and 30 seconds for responses and rebuttals.Read MoreIn addition, the campaign representatives were told:Colored lights will be used to help the candidates manage their remaining response times: 15 seconds = yellow; 5 seconds = flashing red; no time remaining = solid red.A candidate attacked by name by another candidate will be given 30 seconds to respond.There will be no show of hands or one-word, down-the-line questions.A candidate who consistently interrupts will have his or her time reduced.Questions posed by the moderators will appear on the bottom of the screen for television viewers.CNN and the DNC will also be casting wide nets to gauge voters' concerns and interests in the weeks leading up to the debate, the CNN spokesperson said. | 4politics
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(CNN)Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz, who was released from Massachusetts General Hospital last week, called his doctors, nurses and caregivers "some of the best teammates I have ever had."Ortiz was shot in the lower back on June 9 while he was sitting on a crowded bar patio in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The bullet perforated his intestines and internal organs before hitting his friend Jhoel Lopez in the leg.David Ortiz has been released from the hospital after being shot in the Dominican RepublicAccording to authorities, Ortiz's friend was the target, not the MLB star. Victor Hugo Gomez Vasquez, who is accused of orchestrating the shooting, has been arrested, along with several other suspects.Ortiz had surgery in the Dominican Republic before he was taken to Massachusetts General in Boston, where he underwent two additional procedures."My deep appreciation goes to John and Linda Henry, Tom Werner, Sam Kennedy and the entire Red Sox organization for arranging the Red Sox plane that took me back to Boston from Santo Domingo and their continuing assistance to me and my family," Ortiz said in a statement Monday.Read MoreOrtiz thanked fans for their prayers and posted photos of steak, pasta and fish on Instagram on Monday. View this post on Instagram Being at home and look at my family celebrating that lm here safe is priceless... Thank for all the prayers 🙏🏽 Too bad l can't crush food yet 😑!!!! Estando ya en casa y viendo a mi familia celebrarlo no tiene precio gracias por todas sus oraciones 🙏🏽... lo único malo es que no puedo matar la liga comiendo todavía 😑!!! A post shared by David Ortiz (@davidortiz) on Jul 29, 2019 at 7:14am PDT "Too bad l can't crush food yet!!!!" he wrote.He plans to focus on his recovery, he said in the statement: "I am feeling good but know I need to do my rehab just like I did when I was recovering from injuries playing baseball.""Big Papi will be back soon." | 5sport
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(CNN)When Russell Wilson's trade to the Denver Broncos from the Seattle Seahawks was announced, it sent shockwaves through the NFL. And at Wilson's unveiling as a Broncos player on Wednesday, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett couldn't contain his excitement at having a Super Bowl champion as his quarterback. "Wow! C'mon, y'all. Russell Wilson! Holy sh*t. Very exciting," he said with a smile. The 33-year-old Wilson was traded from the Seahawks to the Broncos in exchange for a huge haul, including two first-round draft picks, two second-rounders, a fifth-rounder, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive tackle Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant. The nine-time Pro-Bowler, who has consistently been one of the best quarterbacks in the league since he was drafted in 2012, says that he chose to move to Denver for one reason only: "That's to win."Read More"That's what I believe in. So every day, what you're going to get from me is that mentality," Wilson explained at the press conference. "You're going to get that juice. You're going to get that energy. "You're going to get that focus and we're going to do it together. All the guys back there, we're going to do it together because that what it takes. We're here for one thing and that's to win. That's to win at the highest level, often. I'm excited about it. I'm excited about the journey, so Broncos country, let's ride."Wilson added that he hopes to play "10 to 12 more years" and win "three to four more Super Bowls," planning to "finish on top as a champion."Hackett address the media as Wilson looks on.Mutual decision Before Wilson's opening press conference as a Denver player, the Seahawks hierarchy released statements saying that the decision for Wilson to move on was one driven by the quarterback himself. "While Russell made it clear he wanted this change, he made Seattle proud and we are grateful for his decade of leadership on and off the field," Jody Allen, chair of the Seahawks, said in a statement. "We look forward to welcoming our new players and to everyone being fully engaged while working our hardest to win every single day. I trust our leadership to take us into the future and know we all wish Russell the very best."Head coach Pete Carroll echoed Allen's message. "This has always been a challenging time of year where we have consistently maintained a competitive approach to getting better as a team," Carroll said. "As Jody stated, Russ' desire in doing something different afforded the organization an opportunity to compete in multiple ways. Wilson addresses the press on March 16."He has always been the ultimate competitor whose leadership and consistency helped shape our culture. Our franchise has won a lot of games and we will always be grateful for the exciting moments and incredible records."However, Wilson said that the decision to leave Seattle was a mutual one, a decision reached between him and the team. "I didn't initiate it; it was definitely mutual. Along the way, there's definitely been a lot of conversations. It hasn't been I initiating anything, but it is what it is. I'm excited, I'm happy to be here, that's all I know. Obviously, I'm happy about the 10 years I've had but I think that -- you know, it's, you know, we'll have to read about it later, we'll have some fun in my book one day, we'll have some good stories." | 5sport
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(CNN)Australia is sweltering under record-breaking temperatures as an extreme heat wave continues to sweep across the country, causing wildlife to die and fruit to cook from the inside out. The past four days are in Australia's top ten warmest days on record, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said in a tweet on Wednesday, with all of the country's eight states and territories affected.South Australia's Port Augusta hit a scorching 48.5 degrees Celsius (119 F) on Tuesday, the highest since records began in 1962, according to CNN affiliate Nine News. The town of Tarcoola in South Australia reached a sweltering 49 C (120 F).Elsewhere, temperatures stayed well above 40 C (104 F) and the hot weather is expected to last until Friday. One town in northwestern Australia, Marble Bar, suffering through 22 consecutive days of temperatures above 40 C, at one point almost reaching 50 C (122 F).Australia suffers extreme heat wave up to 14 C above averageAs the mercury continues to rise, concerns are with the vulnerable, including the young, elderly and those with asthma or respiratory diseases.Read MoreHigh ozone levelsOn Wednesday, New South Wales Health authorities warned that the high temperatures are expected to contribute to "high ozone" air pollution across Sydney. Dr. Richard Broome, director of environmental health at New South Wales Health, said that people with asthma and other respiratory problems were particularly vulnerable as ozone "can irritate the lungs.""Ozone levels are higher outdoors than indoors, and generally highest in the afternoon and early evening, so limiting time outdoors during the heat of the day and in the evening helps people to not only keep cool but to limit their exposure to ozone pollution," he said.The past 4 days are in Australia's top 10 warmest days on record—and the trend looks like continuing today. The nights have been warm too, which is what defines #heatwave conditions https://t.co/u6dbfmKPk6 Stay cool, check on loved ones & follow advice from health authorities pic.twitter.com/8Qisw9m4LM— Bureau of Meteorology, Australia (@BOM_au) January 16, 2019
A health warning was in place across New South Wales from Tuesday, warning people to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, minimize physical activity and keep hydrated."Signs of heat-related illness include dizziness, tiredness, irritability, thirst, fainting, muscle pains or cramps, headache, changes in skin color, rapid pulse, shallow breathing, vomiting and confusion," the statement said. It's the second heatwave in less than a month to hit Australia. Just over two weeks ago, a brutal post-Christmas heatwave led to extreme or severe fire warnings across at least three states and intensified severe droughts across the country.Fish, bat deaths and fruit cooking from the insideThe high temperatures are taking an increasing toll on the country's flora and fauna. In the Murray-Darling River Basin across the southeast, more than a million dead fish have been washed up on the banks.Niall Blair, Primary Industries Minister in New South Wales state, said more deaths of marine life are expected in coming days as temperatures continue to rise, according to local media.But environmental activists have blamed the mass deaths on poor management of the river system by state and federal governments, alleging mass consumption of water by farmers was leaving too little for fish to survive."A lack of water in the Darling River and the Menindee Lakes means that authorities were unable to flush the system before millions of fish suffocated through a lack of oxygen in water," independent New South Wales lawmaker Jeremy Buckingham said in a statement."This mass fish kill should be a wake up call for Australia."Dozens of fish lying dead on the Darling River in New South Wales near Menindee after an extreme heat wave in January.Colonies of bats were also succumbing to the heat and dropping from trees in Adelaide, according to CNN affiliate Nine News, prompting warnings to avoid contact with the animals as they can carry deadly diseases.Heat can be disastrous for bat species. Following a heat wave in north Queensland in November, an estimated 23,000 spectacled flying foxes died -- almost one third of the species in Australia. In South Australia, the extreme heat is causing stone fruit, including peaches and nectarines, to cook from the inside out, leading to heavy losses for farmers and spurring a race against time to harvest the fruit before it spoils, according to ABC. "The stone burns them, which means they burn on the inside, they become squashy and you can't use them," Dried Tree Fruits Australia chairman Kris Werner told ABC.It comes as the Australian Open kicked off in Melbourne at the Rod Laver Arena, in temperatures which topped 30 C (86 F).It is the second year in a row of extreme temperatures at the Grand Slam event, with some competitors collapsing or complaining of heatstroke in the 2018 event.Climate change is already here, and heat waves are having the biggest effect, report saysClimate change taking its tollJanuary is typically the hottest month of the Australian summer and temperatures across the board have been higher in the country in recent years. A report released by the Bureau of Meteorology on Thursday revealed 2018 was the country's third hottest year on record, with rainfall 11% below average.Australia's winter last year saw the worst drought in living memory hit part of the country in August, destroying farmers' livelihoods as farmland turned dry and barren.Even as Australia has suffered the effects of ongoing climate change, the government drags its feet on crafting a comprehensive environmental policy.Despite a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning of "global catastrophe" should world temperatures rise above 1.5 C by the middle of the next decade, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's administration has refused to phase out the use of coal-fired power.CNN's James Griffiths contributed reporting. | 3news
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Moscow (CNN)Police raided the home of Russian activist Lyubov Sobol, a close ally of opposition leader Alexey Navalny, early Friday and took her in for questioning."Today at 7 am the police came to Lyubov Sobol's apartment," Navalny's team tweeted Friday. "Since 7:10 Sobol has not been in touch, and the cameras in her apartment were sealed and turned off."Russia's main investigative body, the Investigative Committee, confirmed it had launched a criminal probe against activist Sobol. The committee claimed the probe was launched after Sobol allegedly threatened a member of the country's Federal Security Service (FSB.) Navalny's team earlier said that Sobol had attempted to visit the home of Konstantin Kudryavtsev, one of the FSB agents who Navalny has accused of participating in the plot to kill him.Read MoreA CNN exclusive report released this week showed a phone call in which Navalny duped the agent, Kudryavtsev, into revealing that the opposition leader was poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok applied to his underwear.On Monday, after the report was published, Sobol went to Kudryavtsev's apartment to confront him.Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny dupes spy into revealing how he was poisonedAccording to a video Sobol posted on Twitter, the residential building was quickly surrounded by police and Sobol's team was approached by a woman who introduced herself as Kudryavtsev's mother. Sobol was then take in for questioning but released early morning on Tuesday.On Friday, police arrived at Sobol's home, seizing all of the electronics belonging to the activist, her husband and her daughter, Navalny's team said.Ivan Zhdanov, head of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund, wrote on Twitter that investigators launched a probe into trespassing "with the use of violence or a threat to use it" after Sobol rang the doorbell of the FSB agent.An investigation by CNN in cooperation with the investigative journalism website Bellingcat previously revealed that an FSB toxins team of about six to 10 agents trailed Navalny for more than three years before he was poisoned in August with the lethal nerve agent. Navalny fell ill on a plane to Moscow and was eventually taken to Germany for treatment. He ultimately survived the attempt on his life.The anti-corruption activist has accused the Russian state of involvement in the poisoning. The Kremlin denies any wrongdoing. | 3news
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(CNN)President Joe Biden laid out his vision for the next chapter of his presidency during a nearly two-hour-long White House news conference on Wednesday, saying he's prepared to make changes as he faces crises at home and abroad.As he heads into year two in the Oval Office, Biden held a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with reporters during which he angered his Ukrainian allies with comments about a potential Russian "incursion" into their country, and he admitted he would be breaking up one of his major legislative priorities. Biden also signaled that his dreams of bipartisanship had largely been dashed during his first year in office, though he was still confident in how his party will do in the 2022 midterm elections.Biden told CNN's Jeff Zeleny that he's ready to switch up his approach during the coming year. After spending much of his first year in office at the White House or one of his Delaware properties, Biden said he wants to solicit more outside advice and speak to more people outside the building. The President has traveled less often than his predecessors, restrained by the pandemic. He has visited comparatively fewer states and been outside the US only twice."I'm going to go out and talk to the public. I'm going to do public fora. I'm going to interface with them. I'm going to make the case of what we've already done, why it's important and what we'll do -- what will happen if they support what else I want to do," he said.Read MoreBiden said he also plans to engage more with Democrats during the midterm elections.Fact check: A look at Biden's first year in false claims"I'm going to be deeply involved in these off-year elections," he said. "We're going to be raising a lot of money. We're going to be out there making sure that we're helping all those candidates, and scores of them already asked me to come in and campaign with them, to go out and make the case in plain simple language as to what it is we have done, what we want to do and why we think it's important."Still, despite his planned changes, the President defended his approach to many issues, saying he "makes no apologies" for his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan and dismissing questions of competency in regards to the rollout of 5G networks and the response to Covid-19. He said he's satisfied with his team, confirming that Vice President Kamala Harris will be his reelection running mate and defending top public health officials, like US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, amid mixed messaging on the pandemic.Breaking up Build Back BetterThe President said he's changing his approach to how he handles a signature legislative goal, saying he believes Congress can pass "big chunks" of his sweeping social safety net and climate spending plan, Build Back Better, and acknowledging that negotiators will have to "fight for the rest later." "Yes, well, it's clear to me that we're going to have to break it up," the President said. The 7 most important lines from Joe Biden's news conferenceIn particular, Biden indicated that he believes Congress can pass funding for energy and environmental issues, and that he has support from West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, a key moderate, on the plan's early education proposals. In addition, he indicated that there's "strong support" for the proposal on how the provisions will be paid for. He later said he's "unsure" whether he'll be able to get the child tax credit provision and funding to assist with the cost of college passed. "I don't think there's anything unrealistic about what we're asking for. I'm not asking for castles in the sky. I'm asking for practical things the American people have been asking for for a long time. A long time. And I think we can get it done," he said.Biden cited lower prices for on prescription drugs, expanded education funding and support for child care as popular provisions."I don't know many things that have been done in one fell swoop. And so I think the most important thing to do is try to inform ... the public what's at stake in stark terms and let them make judgments and let them know who is for them and who is against them. Who is there and who is not there, and make that the case. That's what I'm going to be spending my time doing in this off-year election," Biden continued.The President also acknowledged that passing his other legislative priority, voting reform, will be difficult. Still, he insisted that Democrats still have options to get it passed. Biden said the perception by some Americans that his push to pass election reform is a last-minute effort is a "problem that is my own making," stressing that he has been fighting to ensure Americans have access to the ballot for decades. "It's going to be difficult. I make no bones about that. It's going to be difficult, but we're not there yet. We've not run out of options yet. And we'll see how this moves," Biden told reporters.Later Wednesday, Biden issued a statement after Senate Democrats failed to change Senate rules to advance two major voting rights measures, saying, "I am profoundly disappointed that the United States Senate has failed to stand up for our democracy. I am disappointed — but I am not deterred.""As dangerous new Republican laws plainly designed to suppress and subvert voting rights proliferate in states across the country, we will explore every measure and use every tool at our disposal to stand up for democracy," the President added later.Biden touts year of 'challenges' and 'progress'Biden, in his opening comments at the news conference, said that "it's been a year of challenges, but it's also been a year of enormous progress." Jill Biden's whirlwind first year as the President's eyes and ears across AmericaThe President -- who fielded questions from reporters as his administration struggles to contain the latest surge of the Omicron coronavirus variant and works to ease the economic anxiety gripping the nation -- began his White House news conference touting how the administration has made strides in Covid-19 vaccinations, reopening the economy, creating jobs and lowering unemployment. But he also acknowledged the challenges facing his administration as he enters his second year in office. He said there continues to be "frustration and fatigue in this country" over Covid-19, reiterating that "while it's cause for concern, it's not cause for panic."The President conceded that his team should have done more to ramp up testing, but listed steps he's taken to make kits more available, arguing that "we're in a better place than we have been thus far, clearly better than a year ago." "I'm not going to give up and accept things as they are now. Some people may call what's happening now the new normal. I call it a job not yet finished. It will get better. We're moving toward a time when Covid-19 won't disrupt our daily lives," he continued.In his opening remarks, the President also addressed the economic complications of the pandemic, including rising prices for consumers, saying, "We need to get inflation under control" and calling on the Federal Reserve to "bear down on fighting inflation." Biden added that he respects the independence of the Fed.The news conference comes as the President heads into his second year in office -- a midterm election year -- after facing a number of recent setbacks. The centerpiece of his economic agenda has hit a roadblock in Congress, it is unclear whether the Democrats' push for voting rights legislation will go anywhere, the Supreme Court struck down Biden's vaccine mandates for big businesses and recent key economic indicators show record inflation. Predicting Russia will invade UkraineBiden predicted a Russian invasion of Ukraine, citing existential concerns by the country's President Vladimir Putin, even as he warned of significant economic consequences when such an incursion occurs. But he suggested a "minor incursion" would elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion.Putin has amassed tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border and appears poised to invade. "I'm not so sure he is certain what he is going to do. My guess is he will move in. He has to do something," Biden said, describing a leader searching for relevance in a post-Soviet world: "He is trying to find his place in the world between China and the West."Blinken says Russia could double troops on Ukraine's borders in 'short order'Biden's prediction of an invasion is the firmest acknowledgment to date that the US fully expects Putin to move after amassing 100,000 troops along the Ukraine border.The President also said allies and partners "are ready to impose severe cost and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy." That includes limiting Russian transactions in US financial institutions -- "anything that involves dollar denominations," Biden said.He also warned Russian lives would be lost in an invasion, along with potential Ukranian casualties.Biden speculated Putin was not seeking "any full-blown war," but said he did believe the Russian leader was looking for some type of confrontation."Do I think he'll test the West? Test the United States and NATO as significantly as he can? Yes, I think he will. But I think he'll pay a serious and dear price for it.""He doesn't think it will cost him what it's going to cost him," he said. "And I think he'll regret having done it."Anger at the GOPThroughout the news conference, Biden indicated his frustration with GOP lawmakers who have stood against his agenda.He claimed that Republicans were not as "obstructionist" toward former President Barack Obama as they are to his own administration. "They weren't nearly as obstructionist as they are now," Biden said when pressed on similarities in the Republican Party's obstruction tactics to both his and the Obama administrations.Pelosi says Democrats are considering adding Covid-19 relief to larger bill"The difference here is there seems to be a desire ... what are they for? What is their agenda? They had an agenda back in the administration -- the eight years we were President and vice president -- but I don't know what their agenda is now. What is it?" Biden stated.Speaking of his time as vice president in the Obama administration, Biden said the difference is they were able to "get some things done" when the atmosphere wasn't ideologically divisive.Earlier in the news conference, Biden said that "one thing" he hasn't been able to do is "get my Republican friends to get in the game in making things better for this country.""I did not anticipate that there'd be such a stalwart effort to make sure that the most important thing was that President Biden did not get anything done. Think about this. What are Republicans for? What are they for? Name me one thing they're for," Biden said. Biden's presidential news conference recordThe President regularly fields questions from reporters after delivering remarks and during departures and arrivals at the White House, but he hasn't held as many formal news conferences as his recent predecessors. In his first year in office, Biden held nine total news conferences -- six solo and three joint ones -- according to data tracked by The American Presidency Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The last time he held a formal news conference was at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. By comparison, President Donald Trump held 21 news conferences in his first year in office, but just one of them was solo and the rest were joint appearances, usually with foreign leaders. (In his last year in office, as the pandemic took hold, Trump held a staggering 35 solo news conferences.) President Barack Obama held 27 news conferences in his first year -- 11 solo and 16 of them joint. President George W. Bush held 19 news conferences -- five solo and 14 joint, according to UCSB data. Then-President Bill Clinton held 12 solo news conferences and 26 joint ones, resulting in 38 news conferences in his first year in office. This story has been updated with further developments.CNN's Kevin Liptak, Sam Fossum, Betsy Klein, Allie Malloy and Matt Egan contributed to this report. | 4politics
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(CNN)A zoo worker in Spain died when an elephant hit him with her trunk, throwing him against the bars of her enclosure, local officials confirmed. Joaquin Gutierrez Arnaiz, aged 44, was hit by a 4,000-kilogram (4.4-ton) female African elephant in Cabarceno Natural Park in Cantabria, northern Spain, on Wednesday. Guttierez Arnaiz was rushed to the Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, where he died from his injuries. At the time of the accident, staff were cleaning the elephants' compound. A volunteer was attacked by a tiger at Carole Baskin's Big Cat RescueLocal police, the Civil Guard and the zoo are investigating the incident. Read MoreFrancisco Javier Lopez Marcano, Cantabria's Tourism Minister, said in a statement to Spanish media that the elephant that struck Guttierez Arnaiz had a foot infection and was probably pregnant. The keeper was in the outdoor patio area, washing down the surfaces and monitoring how the animal's foot was healing. The elephant was with her calf at the time.A Thai rescue worker gave a baby elephant CPR after it was hit by a motorcycle. It survived"We are talking about highly unpredictable animals," Lopez Marcano said, adding: "The force of the strike was tremendous, on a scale that none of us could survive." He blamed the events on a lack of caution. "From the outset it's an accident that has been caused by someone who, following their daily routine, was too trusting at a fatal moment," he said. "That is the only reason that perhaps in certain circumstances a tragedy like this can occur," Lopez Marcano added. According to Cantabria's regional government, this is the first fatal accident in the zoo's 30-year history. | 3news
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Story highlightsWilliams wins over Ash Barty 3-6 6-3 6-4She trailed by a set and break to the 17th seedWilliams playing first grand slam in 16 months after becoming a mumMaria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal also advance (CNN)Serena Williams felt like a 'superhero' as she wore a black catsuit when making her grand slam return Tuesday after 16 months away. Follow @cnnsport
The American's 23 majors speak to her immense powers on the tennis court and she engineered an out-of-this world comeback at the French Open against Ashleigh Barty on Thursday to reach the third round. READ: Lucky loser's 1,000km dash to Paris paydayBarty -- the 17th-seeded Australian with a serve nearly as imposing as Williams' -- looked on course for the biggest victory of her career when she claimed the first set and led by a break in the second. But Williams -- as she has done so often in her career -- rallied for a 3-6 6-3 6-4 win as light faded in the Parisian evening. Read MoreThe gripping tussle on Philippe-Chatrier court concluded at around 9:15 p.m. local time. "I think when push came to shove, the real Serena came out," Barty told reporters. "And that's one of her best assets is, when her back is against the wall, the best comes out." Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarSerena Williams has taken tennis fashion to new heights. In New York she wore a $500 black-and-brown one-shoulder silhouette dress with tulle skirt for her 2018 US Open debut.Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarWilliams, playing her first home Slam since giving birth to her first child last year, entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium in a black bomber jacket with white trim. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarWilliams turned heads with her striking black catsuit in the first round of the 2018 French Open in Paris -- tournament organizers have since tightened dress codes for next year, meaning the catsuit will be consigned to the closet.Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarThe 23-time grand slam champion was playing in her first major since giving birth to her first child in September. "I feel like a warrior princess in it," she told reporters. " I'm always living in a fantasy world. I always wanted to be a superhero, and it's kind of my way of being a superhero."Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarThe 36-year-old American said the skintight suit also served a practical purpose after enduring a difficult childbirth. "I had a lot of problems with my blood clots. So there is definitely a little functionality to it," she said.Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarWilliams sticks with black and pink during the 2016 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarSerena attends the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarSerena enjoyed an astonishing 2015 season -- winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. She missed the China Open and WTA finals after revealing she needed time to recover from a grueling year.Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarAt the beginning – Serena sports a beaded hairstyle as she celebrates her first U.S. Open title -- and her first major -- back in 1999.Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarParisian style – Serena Williams poses on court after triumphing in the 2015 French Open final. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarIn the pink – Serena blasts down a powerful serve on her way to another victory.Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarHeight of fashion – In 1999, Williams enrolled at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in Florida to study fashion design. Here, she shows a collection of her designs at the 2012 Australian Open.Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarIf the cap fits... – Williams, the world's No. 1 player, serves during a training session ahead of the 2015 French Open in Paris.Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarTraditional values – Williams celebrated her sixth Wimbledon title in 2015, resplendent in the All England Club's traditional all-white attire. It meant she held all four grand slam titles, going back to the 2014 U.S. Open -- her second "Serena Slam."Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarThe cat's whiskers – Serena sported a catsuit when she played Corina Morariu during the 2002 U.S. Open. That title was the third leg of her first non-calendar "Serena Slam," which she completed months later at the 2003 Australian Open.Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarMaking an entrance – Williams waves to the crowd as she enters stadium court before her match against Monica Niculescu of Romania at Indian Wells in 2015.Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarGlowing performance – In a neon yellow outfit, Serena celebrates against Eleni Daniilidou of Greece during the 2012 Western & Southern Open in Mason, Ohio.Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarBlue moment – Williams looks crestfallen as she reflects on a point that got away.Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarSuitable occasion – A more formally-attired Serena celebrates one of her six victories at the U.S. Open.Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarBlack and white image – The Florida resident has triumphed at the US Open in New York six times. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarPower play – With her hair -- which she once described as "super crazy" -- tied back, Serena blasts a shot in a match against Ana Ivanovic in Cincinnati.Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarOut of the shadows – Serena serves on a sunny day at Flushing Meadows, New York.Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarUp in the air – Williams celebrates after winning the Madrid Open final against Maria Sharapova in 2013.Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Serena Williams: Stylish superstarHair-raising – Serena sports a new style at the Australian Open in 2013.Hide Caption 24 of 24Where does that come from? "I have definitely always had that will to win," new mum Williams told reporters. "It was something I was born with, thank goodness."This is a grand slam, my first one back. I want to do the best that I can. I want to be able to just do my best and one day tell my daughter that I tried my best. When I was out there, that's all I was trying to do."Lack of matchesDespite those nearly two-dozen grand slam titles, if Barty had prevailed it could hardly have been classified a massive upset. The 36-year-old Williams revealed for CNN that she almost died while giving birth to daughter Olympia in September and has only contested two tournaments in 2018 prior to Roland Garros. None came on clay, either, a specialized surface where moving can be difficult, unlike hard courts. And Williams -- down to 451st in the rankings due to her tour inactivity -- was facing a different Barty than the one she defeated at the 2014 Australian Open for the loss of only three games. After taking a break from tennis as it all got too much for the junior Wimbledon winner, Barty enjoyed a breakthrough 2017. Her first serve fired as the opening frame unfolded while Williams was struggling. Barty's low slice caused havoc, Williams erred on overheads and dumped make-able volleys into the net. Her first-set tally read three winners and 12 unforced errors. We've missed this smile 😄It's great to have you back @serenawilliams! #RG18 pic.twitter.com/o8CP2gMEuH— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 31, 2018
The first game of the second set brought yet more miscues and Williams was broken to love. Then came the turnaround. Big pointOn break point in the ensuing game, with a short forehand and Williams out of position, Barty directed her shot at her opponent instead of putting it away down the line. Williams duly sent her own forehand into the open court for 1-1. Of the 159 points in the match, that could have been the most important. There was simply no stopping Williams afterward, roars of delight and fist pumps confirming the shift. Barty, meanwhile, was rattled and the 22-year-old never regained her form of the first set. JUST WATCHEDA rare audience with Richard WilliamsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHA rare audience with Richard Williams 05:11In the final two sets Williams, whose next foe is 11th seed Julia Goerges, compiled 25 winners and 24 unforced errors. "I think she's not quite at the level she was when she was at her best, but that's normal," Barty said. "But her level when she's not quite on her best is still bloody good."Williams acknowledged she is still seeking top form but is adamant she will find it. "I'm probably not where I was before I left," said Williams. "But the good news is I feel like I'm definitely going to get there. And I don't want to get there, I want to get beyond there. I don't want to limit myself. That's what I want to look forward to doing."Stunning comebacksWilliams has been closer to defeat at grand slams in the past. At the Australian Open, for example, in 2007 -- the last time she was unseeded at a major -- Nadia Petrova and Shahar Peer were within a whisker of ousting Williams. Williams didn't buckle and beat Maria Sharapova in the final. And at the French Open in 2015, when Williams dealt with illness, she overturned set deficits four times. In the final, Lucie Safarova led by a break in the third set prior to Williams' charge. Serena Williams came back to beat Ash Barty at the French Open on Thursday. Yet this comeback, with her time away from the game, playing on clay -- just three of her 23 grand slam titles have come at the French Open -- and how the first set unfolded, has to be right up there. Elsewhere, Sharapova -- a possible opponent of Williams' in the fourth round -- relinquished leads in both sets but still beat Donna Vekic 7-5 6-4 and top-ranked Simona Halep thumped Taylor Townsend 6-3 6-1.In the men's draw, 10-time champion Rafael Nadal cruised past Guido Pella 6-2 6-1 6-1, with Dominic Thiem -- perhaps the Spaniard's main threat -- completing a four-set win over Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 2-6 6-4 6-4. Rafael Nadal crushed Argentina's Guido Pella at the French Open. Nadal next encounters friend and French hope Richard Gasquet, against whom he holds a 15-0 record. READ: Who can stop Nadal?Visit CNN.com/tennis for more news, features and videosBack to Williams and who is to say she can't keep it going at Roland Garros?She is still, after all, wearing that 'superhero' outfit. | 5sport
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(CNN)Pope Francis has expelled the Reverend Cristian Precht Bañados of Chile, according to a statement from the Archdiocese of Santiago. This is the first formal resignation the Pope has decreed since every bishop in Chile offered to step down in May over the country's sex abuse scandal. The Chilean bishops' offer was thought to be unprecedented in the modern history of the Catholic Church.Catholic bishops in Chile resign over a sex abuse scandalPrecht had been suspended in 2012 from practicing within the ministry for five years after the Archbishop of Santiago ordered a criminal investigation into allegations of sexual abuse against him.The Archbishop issued a statement at the time saying that "during the process were established verifiable reports of abusive behavior with adults and minors."Precht has not been charged with any crimes by Chilean authorities, but was not allowed to leave the country's capital, Santiago, pending completion of the church investigation. JUST WATCHEDAbuse survivor: I'm glad Pope is speaking outReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAbuse survivor: I'm glad Pope is speaking out 02:34Read MoreIn a February 2013 statement, Precht denied "ever forcing anyone's will, be it an adult or a minor, woman or man."He also denied the allegations earlier this year in a letter to the director of the Chilean newspaper La Tercera."I absolutely deny participating, in any way, in the acts which I'm slanderously being accused of," the newspaper quoted him as saying. "I will defend my personal and clerical honor in every way I can and any time it's violated."Precht was extremely popular in Chile and known for being a fierce defender of human rights during the Chilean dictatorship. His defrocking comes as the Catholic Church continues to face criticism over its response to myriad allegations of sexual abuse against Catholic clergy over the years.Pope Francis said last month that "no effort to beg pardon and seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient." He has called for a meeting of the church's top officials in February to address the scandal.Mass resignationAll of Chile's 34 active and retired bishops offered their resignations to Pope Francis in May after an emergency summit at the Vatican. The Pope called the bishops to Rome after receiving a 2,300-page report detailing sexual abuses by priests in Chile.The report alleged that for decades church officials in Chile knew about and covered up cases of sexual abuse, even destroying records.Pope 'ashamed' church didn't listenPope Francis had previously defended a Chilean bishop accused of concealing the abuse, saying he had been "slandered." The Pope apologized after Vatican investigators said church officials in Chile had helped cover up multiple cases of sexual abuse by the clergy. In June, the Vatican said Pope Francis was sending investigators back to Chile to look into historical child abuse and accusations that a bishop covered up crimes against minors. Last month, police arrested a former Chilean priest over the alleged abuse of seven minors. Prosecutors say 158 people, including bishops, priests and lay people are under investigation. | 3news
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Story highlightsRedoine Faid was a wanted criminal in the '90s known for attacking armored trucksHe spent more than 10 years in prison, insisted he'd changed, then was arrested againFaid held guards at gunpoint and used explosives to burst through a prison's doorsLaw enforcement in France and elsewhere in Europe are now hunting for himRedoine Faid fashioned himself as a modern-day gangster. He thought big -- getting inspiration from the movies, as when he wore a hockey mask like Robert DeNiro's character in "Heat" -- and acted audaciously, attacking armored trucks among other targets.After more than a decade in prison, though, the Frenchman insisted he'd sworn off his wicked ways. This promise didn't last for long, according to French authorities. In 2011, a year after his autobiography came out, Faid landed back behind bars.Now, he is once again free -- and, once again, the subject of an international manhunt after his brazen escape from prison.Faid held five people, including four guards, at gunpoint at a detention center in the northern city of Lille on Saturday, officials said. He then burst his way to freedom, detonating explosives to destroy five doors, penitentiary union spokesman Etienne Dobrometz told CNN affiliate BFMTV. Photos: Daring escape from French prison Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – Redoine Faid, said to be one of France's most dangerous gangsters, escaped from the Lille-Sequedin penitentiary in Sequedin, France, on Saturday, April 13.Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – Police officers seek evidence around the destroyed door of the Lille-Sequedin penitentiary on April 13.Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – Policemen search for clues in the prison yard. Faid, who faced a heavy sentence in the 2010 death of a policewoman, used explosives to blast through five prison doors.Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – Members of the Eris Police service investigate at the prison.Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – Forensics experts work on Saturday near a door opened with explosives by Faid.Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – Members of the ERIS Police service guard the destroyed prison door.Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: Daring escape from French prisonDaring escape from French prison – French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira arrives in front of the prison.Hide Caption 7 of 7Where he is now is anyone's guess. French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told reporters on Saturday that a European arrest warrant covering 26 countries has been issued, and that Interpol is working to track him down as well.One person not surprised by Faid's breakout is his lawyer, Jean-Louis Pelletier. In a few days, Pelletier had planned to meet his client in preparation of an upcoming trial tied to a May 2010 attack in Villiers-sur-Marne, east of Paris, that left a 26-year-old policewoman dead."He is remarkably intelligent, and he is using his intellect to serve his ambitions," Pelletier told BFMTV. "(And Faid) cannot stand being imprisoned anymore."Questions raised about prison's securityIn his 2010 autobiography, "Robber: From Suburbs to Organized Crime," Faid chronicled his progression from a petty thief to one of France's most notorious criminals, according to the book's publisher, La Manufacture De Livres.In 1998, after three years on the run during which he fled to Switzerland, Faid was finally caught. Sentenced to 20 years, he ended up spending more than 10 years in high-security prisons around France.After getting out, Faid put himself out there -- not only with his book, but as the subject of numerous interviews.The high-adrenaline life of crime he described resembled that of another famous French gangster, Jacques Mesrine. The country's most wanted man in the 1970s, Mesrine made his name as a charismatic, press-courting criminal known for his daring bank heists and spectacular prison breaks. Mesrine's story ended in 1979, when he was gunned down by police on the streets of Paris.Faid's prison escape Saturday evokes some of that brand of criminal bravado. But it also raises a number of questions: How did an inmate gets guns and explosives? How did he manage to use those to force his way out? And, after all that, why is he still at large?The four guards who Faid allegedly held hostage "are safe and sound," said Lille prosecutor Frederic Fevre.Still, officials from the prison guards' union pressed Taubira to provide better safety measures inside prisons, including more thorough searches of those who enter, BFMTV reported.Built in 2005, the Lille-Sequedin penitentiary from which Faid escaped is not old, but it's not well designed to keep watch of prisoners, said Jimmy Delliste, a former associate director there."The construction ... makes it particularly difficult to manage detainees, who are particularly difficult to watch," Delliste told BFMTV. | 3news
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CNN News Articles 2011-2022 Dataset
Introduction
This dataset contains CNN News Articles from 2011 to 2022 after basic cleaning. The dataset includes the following information:
Category Full text
The data was downloaded from Kaggle at this URL: https://www.kaggle.com/datasets/hadasu92/cnn-articles-after-basic-cleaning. The dataset was split into two sets:
Train set with 32,218 examples Test set with 5,686 examples
Usage
This dataset can be used for different natural language processing tasks such as text classification, text summarization, named entity recognition, and more. The dataset is available in Hugging Face Datasets with the ID AyoubChLin/CNN_News_Articles_2011-2022.
Acknowledgements
The data was collected by the Kaggle user hadasu92. The splitting of the dataset into train and test sets was performed by CHERGUELAINE Ayoub & BOUBEKRI Faycal.
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