article
stringlengths
4.01k
9.32k
highlights
stringlengths
44
2.35k
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: (CNN) -- Heavy snow pummeled much of the East Coast on Wednesday, battering states for the second time in a week and forcing many people to stay home from school and jobs. Several cities had record snowfalls. The storm canceled or delayed flights in several cities, kept federal workers home for a third straight day in Washington, and taxed local government budgets as cities and counties scrambled to pay for snow removal, overtime, salt, supplies and equipment. In Washington, the snow was falling at a rate of 2 inches per hour at one point in the afternoon, CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said. Forecasters predicted that Washington winds would gust to 50 mph overnight. A blizzard warning was to be in effect in the Washington area until 7 p.m., the National Weather Service said. Blowing snow caused such poor visibility at midday that snowplows temporarily parked by the side of the road, authorities said. Forecasters predicted that the storm would dump a total of 8 to 10 inches inside the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495), with higher amounts to the north. Watch the forecast on the storm's trek . "Even if you're in a SUV, it's difficult to get around," Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said. "You can't see the Capitol dome through the snow," even standing a few yards away. Share your winter weather photos, videos . Government buildings were eerily quiet. The Department of Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service buildings were shut. No one answered the door at the Justice Department, though the attorney general's office said work was still being done at key counterterrorism offices. The U.S. Postal Service said it was experiencing delays in processing mail. Subway service was expected to be limited Thursday to underground stations, and bus service was expected to be suspended on Thursday. Federal agencies were to be closed Thursday, too, and non-emergency employees were to be granted the day off. This winter already has become the snowiest on record for Washington and its suburbs, as well as Baltimore, Maryland, and Wilmington, Delaware, the National Weather Service said. It's also on pace to become the snowiest season on record in other cities, including Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Blizzard warnings also were in effect Wednesday for Asheville, North Carolina; Newark and Atlantic City, New Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland; Dover, Delaware; New York and nearby Long Island; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Under a blizzard warning, the following conditions are expected to be seen for three hours or longer: wind speeds of 35 mph or more and considerable falling and/or blowing of snow with visibility near zero (less than one-fourth mile), the weather service said. In Atlantic City, the landmark Boardwalk -- lined with shops, restaurants and casinos -- remained open despite the snow. New York was to be under a blizzard warning until 6 a.m. Thursday, but the snow was expected to stop falling late Wednesday night. Forecasters predicted wind gusts up to 50 mph and predicted the city will have received 12 to 20 inches of snow by the time the storm ends. In Pennsylvania, all of Interstates 76, 78, 83, 176, 476 and 676, as well as state road 581, were closed Wednesday because of blizzard conditions, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said on its Web site. Part of I-81 was closed, it said. Interstate 80 near Clearfield, Pennsylvania, was shut after two pileups -- one involving 17 cars and the other involving seven cars, said Rich Kirkpatrick from the state's Department of Transportation. One person died and another person was seriously injured, police said. Philadelphia was under a blizzard warning until midnight, and could have as much as 20 inches of snow by the time it stops, forecasters said. In Boston, Massachusetts, snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches an hour were expected along the Interstate 95 corridor into the evening. A winter storm warning was in effect until 1 a.m. Thursday, with final snow totals of 5 to 10 inches, the weather service said. Thousands of flights were delayed or canceled to and from airports in Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, airlines reported. East Coast storm grounds thousands of flights . "We're working, and we're plowing as best we can, and then once the winds diminish some, we'll be able to start hauling snow off the airfield as we've been doing for six days now," said Tara Hamilton, spokeswoman for Washington Dulles International and Reagan Washington National airports, both of which closed Wednesday. The airports did not plan to reopen until about 7 a.m. Thursday. New York area airports were operational Wednesday afternoon, but airlines canceled most flights in and out of LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International and John F. Kennedy International airports. Rajesh Moorjani, one of the stranded travelers at the Newark, New Jersey, airport, had flown from India on Tuesday night, intending to get a connecting flight to California. On Wednesday, he was getting used to the idea of being stuck on the East Coast for a day, CNN affiliate WABC reported. "I'm just kind of trying to get in touch with old classmates, ex-colleagues ... trying to put a message on Facebook saying: 'If anybody is in New York, let's get in touch,' " he told WABC. WABC: Storm socks New Jersey . Amtrak was still providing limited service for Boston, New York and Washington. But most passenger rail service south of Washington was canceled. "The massive storm has resulted in downed trees and power lines on portions of CSX freight railroad tracks south of Washington resulting in continued service cancellations in Virginia, and the Carolinas," the rail line's Web site said. Bus travelers fared no better. "Pretty much everything out of Virginia, New York, D.C., etc. at this time has been canceled," said Maureen Richmond, director of media relations for Greyhound, which transports 22 million passengers per year. "We're operating where we can, based on weather and road conditions," she said. She urged would-be passengers to call the company's ticketing line. Due to improved weather conditions in the Chicago, Illinois, area, airlines were reporting no delays at O'Hare and Midway International Airports. Many businesses in Greenwich, Connecticut, about 30 miles northeast of New York City, closed early Wednesday, in part to allow workers to travel home before the worst of the storm hit. Diane Garett planned to keep her bookstore open, but she gave her employees the day off, WABC reported. "I just felt it was just safer if they stayed home," she told WABC. "Plus a lot of their children are home from school. So I didn't think it was right to ask them to come to work." Hardware store owner Troy Usnik was taking somewhat of a breather Wednesday in snowy Philadelphia. The owner of 10th Street Hardware said he sold well over 100 shovels and 200 to 300 bags of salt Tuesday. "Today seems kind of quiet, but there was a mad rush yesterday. Sales were brisk. Last night was a panic and everyone who didn't have it came out to buy shovels and salt." Early Wednesday, the snow turned to sleet in Philadelphia, but roads were passable and buses were driving along emergency routes, Usnik said. The National Weather Service predicted 9 to 13 more inches of snow. New York deployed 1,600 salt spreaders to care for 65 miles of roads, CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano said. The winter of 2009-2010 has become the snowiest on record for: . • Baltimore, which has received at least 72.3 inches of snow this winter . • Washington, where Dulles airport has received 72 inches of snow this winter and Reagan National airport has received 54.9 inches . • Wilmington, Delaware, which has received at least 59.5 inches of snow this winter, breaking its previous record of 55.9 inches. CNN's Sean Morris, Nicole Saidi, Steve Kastenbaum, Scott Spoerry, and Jean Shin contributed to this report. ### SUMMARY:
NEW: Many Interstate highways closed in Pennsylvania . Two main Washington airports aren't set to reopen until Thursday morning . Washington area, New York, Philadelphia under blizzard warning . This winter is snowiest on record for several cities, National Weather Service says .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: (CNN) -- Nelson Mandela: Two decades before he became the first president of a democratic South Africa, Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1974. Jailed on charges of treason and sabotage -- but fundamentally for his anti-apartheid activities -- he spent nearly 27 years in various prisons. During that time, his mother and son died, and his wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (now his ex-wife), faced continual arrests and harassment, according to his official biography. Twenty years ago today, Mandela was released from what was known as Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected president in April 1994. He will turn 92 in July. Today, although frail, he celebrated his February 11, 1990, prison release with South Africa's parliament and with millions of people all over the world. Mandela once said, "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." CNN: South Africa 20 years after Mandela release . Nelson Mandela Foundation: Biography . Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: Iran's Supreme leader said on Monday that his country will deliver a "punch" that will stun the world during the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution today. Khamenei told a meeting of air force personnel, "The Iranian nation, with its unity and God's grace, will punch the arrogance [Western powers] on the 22nd of Bahman [February 11] in a way that will leave them stunned." Today is the anniversary of the day when revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini toppled the U.S.-backed government of the shah, who fled Iran. This key date in Iran's history comes amid protests by the opposition after last year's disputed presidential election, won by incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The so-called Green Movement has been protesting for social justice, freedom and democracy in demonstrations throughout the country since the June polls -- using slogans that are often identical to those heard during the 1979 Islamic revolution. Many of the recent demonstrations became violent and bloody. Two leading Iranian opposition leaders have called on supporters to protest today, the day of the anniversary. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been Iran's supreme leader for more than 20 years. As a young cleric, his political activism led to many arrests and torture by the shah's secret police -- the same shah who was supported by the United States and Great Britain. CNN: Iran marks revolution anniversary amid ongoing dissent . Christian Science Monitor: Iran's supreme leader . Nicholas George: The 22-year-old senior at Pomona College in California was detained at an airport last August, handcuffed and then jailed for several hours in a holding cell. George passed through a screening checkpoint at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, airport with a set of Arabic-English flashcards and a book critical of American foreign policy. Also, George's passport had been stamped in Jordan, where he had studied for a semester, and in Sudan and Egypt, where he'd gone backpacking. A Transportation Security Administration supervisor arrived and allegedly questioned George aggressively, asking him how he felt about 9/11, whether he knew "who did 9/11," and whether he knew what language Osama bin Laden spoke. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania charge that the TSA officials, the Philadelphia police and the FBI violated George's Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure and his First Amendment right to free speech. George told CNN he no longer flies with his flashcards and reading material. He said he's learning Arabic in hopes of one day helping the U.S. government. In September, Dave Davies in the Philadelphia Daily News reported that among the 200 flashcards were words like "terrorist" and "explosion." George told the newspaper last year, "I didn't have a weapon or anything seditious, just words on paper. As an American citizen, I think I'm allowed to learn a foreign language and have flashcards." Philadelphia Daily News: Student traveler handcuffed . ACLU: George v. TSA - Complaint for damages . CNN: Passenger detained with Arabic flashcards sues . Ken Bourland: On January 12, from his room at the Hotel Montana near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, U.S. Air Force Maj. Ken Bourland sent an e-mail to his wife, Peggy, telling her that he was fine and had just settled in for what was going to be an exciting time taking a disaster preparedness course. It was 4:51 p.m. Less than 10 minutes later, an earthquake leveled much of the Haitian capital, including the Hotel Montana. Peggy Bourland, at home in Florida, saw the news on TV, popped her laptop open and fired off an e-mail: "Please tell me you're OK." No response. Yesterday, CNN received a copy of a message from Air Force Gen. Douglas M. Fraser to his troops, announcing that Bourland's body was found on Monday in the rubble of the Hotel Montana. He reported that Bourland's remains were transferred to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, and met by his wife, family members and fellow service members. Gen. Fraser wrote, "Many of you knew Ken through his outstanding work as a Caribbean Desk Officer. All of us who worked with Ken regarded him as the consummate Air Force professional, who could always be counted upon for the toughest assignment, as well as a caring teammate who went out of his way to help others and build cohesion amongst his peers." The Bourlands had two sons and a stepson and their fifth wedding anniversary would have been in March. CNN: E-mail from Haiti, then minutes later, a nightmare . Jaimee Grubbs: The 23-year-old Los Angeles, California, cocktail waitress, whose post-Thanksgiving voice mail to Tiger Woods helped lead to the unraveling of the golf great's pristine public image, gave an exclusive interview to Los Angeles TV station KTLA. She did not deny that her relationship with Woods lasted for nearly three years. She explained that after the car crash incident outside of Woods' home, she left him a voice mail out of concern, but didn't "think it through" when she released it to US Weekly magazine. She said all of the subsequent attention has been tough. "I don't like to show my emotions. I just do it when nobody's around, so my friends all think I'm solid rock, a strong person. But there are times when I get up in the morning, get in the shower, then sit there on the shower floor and cry for 30 minutes." KTLA: Grubbs sets the record straight . What makes a person intriguing? There are people who enter the news cycle every day because their actions or decisions are new, important or different. Others are in the news because they are the ones those decisions affect. And there are a number of people who are so famous or controversial that anything they say or do becomes news. Some of these people do what we expect of them: They run for office, pass legislation, start a business, get hired or fired, commit a crime, make an arrest, get in accidents, hit a home run, overthrow a government, fight wars, sue an opponent, put out fires, prepare for hurricanes and cavort with people other than their spouses. They do make news, but the action is usually more important than who is involved in the story. But every day, there are a number of people who become fascinating to us -- by virtue of their character, how they reached their decision, how they behaved under pressure or because of the remarkable circumstances surrounding the event they are involved in. They arouse our curiosity. We hear about them and want to know more. What they have done or said stimulates conversations across the country. At times, there is even a mystery about them. What they have done may be unique, heroic, cowardly or ghastly, but they capture our imaginations. We want to know what makes them tick, why they believe what they do, and why they did what they did. They intrigue us. ### SUMMARY:
20 years ago today, Nelson Mandela was released from prison . Iran's supreme leader says a "punch" will be delivered during revolution anniversary . Jaimee Grubbs says she didn't think through releasing Tiger Woods' voice mail .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: (The Frisky) -- When you're in a relationship -- and have been for quite some time -- you and your love bird are bound to have gone on all the usual dates many, many times over. So for Valentine's Day this year, don't visit the restaurant the two of you eat at on a regular night and order the usual. We gathered romantic spots from around the country, along with some ideas that'll work wherever you live, to help you plan a memorable day (and night) together. Because even though there's a lot of emphasis on buying presents that are pink, red, and covered in hearts and roses, Valentine's Day is about showing how much you appreciate your honey. Spend the day enjoying each other's company and think of the rest as trimmings. Phoenix, Arizona . For great food, delicious wine, and a hip, sexy atmosphere, visit Postino Winecafé. But don't eat too much! You'll want to save room for dessert at La Grande Orange Grocery next door. Pop over some for decadent, gourmet goodies before heading back to your love nest. Postino Winecafé, 3939 East Campbell Ave., 602-852-3939 . La Grande Orange Grocery, 4410 N 40th St., 602-840-7777 . New Orleans, Louisiana . There are plenty of romantic restaurants in New Orleans. In fact, almost everything in NOLA is swoon-worthy, save for Bourbon Street at 3 a.m. Feelings Cafe is singular for both its ambiance and location. The piano bar is dimly lit, so it's obviously got that going for it, and it also features delicious food and an intimate courtyard festooned by plants, a fountain, and fairy lights. But perhaps its most attractive quality is that it's hidden in the Fauberg Marigny, which is a lovely, picturesque neighborhood around the Bywater area that's close enough to walk to from the French Quarter, but far enough away to weed out the tourists. Feelings Cafe, 2600 Chartres St., 504-945-2222 . San Francisco, California . The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is an under-appreciated romantic gem located in Golden Gate Park. Built in 1879, it's the oldest building in Golden Gate Park, and the grounds around it are perfect for taking a daytime stroll while holding hands, of course. San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, 100 John F. Kennedy Drive, 415-831-2090 . The Frisky: Goodwill wants your relationship baggage . Chicago, Illinois . The Green Mill, a jazz bar on the north side where Al Capone's henchman hung out in the '20s, is full of history and has sexy lighting, great music, and doesn't really get going until well after dark. Green Mill Jazz Club, 4802 N Broadway Ave., 773-878-5552 . Providence, Rhode Island . If you're the type who believes food is the ultimate aphrodisiac, Al Forno is the place to get you in the mood. Rhode Islanders and weekenders from all over the Eastern seaboard travel to come sample their how-do-they-do-it grilled pizza, which rivals any of the best pies in New York City. Because the wait is usually long, here's a trick: Put your name on the wait list and travel across the street for a drink at the Hot Club, which overlooks the water. Al Forno, 577 S Main St., 401-273-9760 . Hot Club, 575 S Water St., 401-861-9007 . Reno, Nevada . In a city that built its reputation on quickie divorces and casinos, it's best to avoid tourist destinations and romantic casino packages for a memorable date. Reno has an attraction that's getting harder to find across the country: a drive-in movie theater. The El Rancho , which opened in 1971, is one of two drive-ins in the state. While you can pick up a tub of popcorn or a hamburger at the concession stand, part of the fun is packing food that you wouldn't be allowed to enjoy if you went to the local multiplex. El Rancho Drive-In, 555 El Rancho Drive, 775-358-6920 . Chapel Hill, North Carolina . The bar at Lantern Restaurant is dimly lit and sexy with brocade wallpaper. Make your way through the main restaurant or cut through the alley for the direct entrance. Plus, you can order delicious Asian fusion appetizers. Lantern Restaurant, 423 W. Franklin St., 919-969-8846 . The Frisky: What woman are really saying with their clothes . Mobile, Alabama . Since the last century, downtown Dauphin Street has been vibrating with the musical sounds of Mobile. You'll hear jazz, rock and country tunes filling the night air. A favorite spot for lovers around the corner from Dauphin Street is the Blind Mule, which features interesting new artists and taste bud-tingling Southern food. The Blind Mule, 57 N. Claiborne St., 251-694-6853 . New York, New York . While the cocktails at the Bowery Hotel aren't cheap (around $10-$20), it's a small price to pay to sit in one of the most gorgeous hotel lobbies in Manhattan. Lush Persian rugs, Art Deco touches, and rich mahogany and leather furnishings lend the place a unique kind of hunter's-lodge-in-Morocco feel, and there's nothing dreamier than sipping hot spiced wine beside the cozy fireplace. The Bowery Hotel, 335 Bowery, 212-505-9100 . The Frisky: When is the ideal time to get married? London, England . The most obvious way to express love is physically, with hugs, kisses, and other good stuff, but on the London National Gallery's special Valentine's Day tour at 4 p.m., you and your honey will see how love has been depicted with a paintbrush. National Gallery Love Tour, Trafalgar Square, 020 7747 2885 . Paris, France . Le Petit Prince de Paris is a cozy restaurant on a super quiet street with some of the best food in Paris. The rich red interior provides a lush background for inspiring feelings of l'amour. Le Petit Prince de Paris, 12, rue de Lanneau, 01 43 54 77 26 . The Frisky: The power of first loves . Places to go anywhere . 1. Get out of the house: Go ice skating, take a walk, or swim in the ocean. You spend a lot of time indoors in your day-to-day life, so enjoying the outdoors (and each other's company) will feel different and special. 2. Learn something: Shared experiences are a lot of what makes a relationship. Visit a museum, check out an art gallery, or go to a reading. You might discover new things about each other as you pick up some new knowledge. 3. Test-drive a hobby: Instead of spending another night cuddling on the couch, watching reruns of "The Biggest Loser," try out a new activity. The two of you could even pick up a pastime that you'll continue beyond Valentine's Day. 4. Relive the past: Stop by the dive bar that was the site of your first date or another relationship-related location, but only if you haven't been there in ages. It'll help you remember the early feelings of excitement and pull you out of the rut of familiarity that's developed. 5. Celebrate with friends: We put a lot of emphasis on couples in February, but friendships enhance relationships. Toast your significant other in the company of intimates with a dinner celebration full of shared stories and laughter. TM & © 2010 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved . ### SUMMARY:
A list of 13 romantic spots and ideas that'll work wherever you live . San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is an under-appreciated romantic gem . Relive the past by stopping by the site of your first date . Try a new activity that you could continue beyond Valentine's Day .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: (RealSimple.com) -- "I am leaving," I murmured to my husband. "You cannot leave," he hissed back. "It is 3 a.m. These are our friends." "Don't worry. I'll just find a hotel and be back here in time for breakfast. They won't even know I left." "You cannot do this again! People think we're mad. You cannot leave someone's house just because a doorknob is sticky." Oh, but it wasn't just the doorknob. It was everything, at least in my mind. This was about 10 years ago, and my husband and I had been invited as weekend guests to the home of dear friends with a one-year-old son. This was before I had my own kids, before I realized that the essential condition of childhood is stickiness and that I would spend the first five years of their lives fearfully clutching wet wipes. RealSimple.com: How to be a good friend . Right then I knew only one thing: A doorknob was whispering to me, all Amityville Horror-like: GET. OUT. I have never been a good houseguest. And -- despite what this episode might imply -- it's not because I'm impressively fastidious. I am a complete slob in my own home, albeit one with dry, noncling surfaces. But after years of trying very hard to enjoy myself when other people invite me over for the weekend, I've basically given up. I like to think I'm the best kind of guest: one who doesn't actually stay with you. Oddly, people don't always see it my way. Particularly the house-proud, those who love their 1,000-count sheets and cunning window treatments and Viking stoves with the special tiny flame for heating chocolate or whatever the hell it does -- those people don't like me. They don't like me a lot. I have lost friends over my inability to just get with the program and bask in their hostessy generosity. Here's the thing: My husband -- a Brit whose love of staying at other people's homes could rival that of Bertie Wooster, from P. G. Wodehouse novels -- thinks I am rude. He is incorrect. What I suffer from is an overabundance of politeness, and a terror of all the ways I can fail to live up to my own standards. I am cursed with the knowledge of my impolitic nature, and if I have to spend more than a couple of hours being courteous, I become convinced I will get too cavalier and say whatever stupid thing is on my mind. And there are many stupid things on my mind. RealSimple.com: Small, helpful gestures with big impact . So I have to be eternally vigilant. I'm like a werewolf who, when espying a full moon, knows that the only way the people he loves will live to see tomorrow is if he locks himself in the closet and swallows the key. When I confessed this problem of mine to a friend, she immediately started listing all the wonderful times she's had in other people's houses: the hammocks she's lain in, the Pimm's she's sipped in tall, icy glasses while allowing herself to feel loved and nurtured. She is insane. Allow me to catalog The Many Ways Things Can Go Wrong When You Stay With People. People hide the items you need most. Where's the coffee? No, not that decaffeinated imposter; the real coffee. No wonder everyone in this house is still asleep at 6:30 a.m. Fine, I will just go out and buy coffee at the corner store. Oh wait, there's no store at the corner -- that's a pond. It's 6:30 a.m. and all I want to do at this point is run home. I will be repeating the same interior monologue at midnight, only this time it will be about gin cocktails. I mean, what kind of people don't keep their limes in plain sight? RealSimple.com: 5 ways to win people over . People in other houses eat things that are not, in fact, edible. I think the idea is that when you're having guests, the experience must involve "special food," and "special food" nine times out of 10 is completely horrifying. Seriously, if octopus really tasted that good, wouldn't there be Octo Shacks dotting America? Of course, I also despise people who make a big to-do about their precious little eating habits. So I say nothing. Instead, now and then, I bring little treats with me that I like and, naturally, intend to share. Occasionally this goes over well. "How thoughtful!" the host exclaims. More often, though, she shoots me an icy stare: Oh, my cooking isn't good enough for you? People's houses are quiet. I live in Manhattan, and as a result I'm a little weird about silence. Out in the hinterlands, the no-noise freaks me out. Where are the car horns? The garbage trucks backing up? Why is nobody screaming, "I will kill you!" in the middle of the night? It's unsettling. In this frame of mind, every owl hoot sounds like the arrival of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. People have trick mirrors. Truly, I am 10 pounds fatter in everyone else's home. Is it the mirrors? Or maybe it's the fact that other people have mirrors, which I do not. RealSimple.com: 5 ways to stay cool under pressure . People you never want to visualize without shoes will inevitably appear before you, naked. OK, maybe not naked. But not dressed enough. And to me that generally means something on either the top or the bottom is missing. People don't appreciate poorly worded compliments. Personally, I never seem to strike the right chord. I think the problem is that I'm a Decor Moron: I don't know the difference between Pottery Barn and Precious Heirloom. Once, I visited a particularly grand family and started gushing over the adorable handiwork of their fourth grader, who had molded all these tiny circus animals and placed them in a whimsical diorama on the coffee table. "That's a Calder," the father replied coolly. People have problematic toilets. Need I say more? People's houses seem to invite trouble. They just do. All the time. I mean, I'm not Miss Marple; it's not as if when I show up at someone's house homicidal shenanigans follow. But I have never been to someone's home without bringing some sort of bad karma with me. RealSimple.com: 13 productive things to do while watching TV . How did I arrive at the home of a friend whose three-year-old had, just at that moment, contracted chicken pox, ensuring that I -- one of the three adults in the entire universe who had not suffered from the disease as a child -- would end up in the emergency room 10 days later? Why did I knock on the door of a friend's house the day it was swarmed by ladybugs -- thus guaranteeing that I, an insectophobe, would spend the night listening to the gentle plink of tiny hard-shelled creatures kamikaze-ing themselves onto my bedclothes? Please let me be clear: In theory, I want to visit you. (And I hope you visit me, because my fear and loathing of being a houseguest does not, oddly enough, apply to having houseguests.) After all, I like you so much. I want to coo at your kids, cuddle with your pets, inventory the drugs in your medicine cabinet, and talk into the wee hours. And then I want to go to a hotel, empty the minibar, and write you a thank-you note before hanging my breakfast order on the spotless doorknob so the pot of hot, fully caffeinated coffee will be delivered at exactly 6:30 a.m. Judith Newman is the author of You Make Me Feel Like an Unnatural Woman ($13, amazon.com). She has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Vogue. She lives in Manhattan. RealSimple.com: How to make a good first impression . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of Real Simple - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2011 Time Inc. All rights reserved. ### SUMMARY:
Judith Newman lists the many ways things can go wrong when you stay with people . Newman believes she suffers from 'an overabundance of politeness' Newman would rather spend time with friends and family then sleep at a hotel .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Washington (CNN) -- A winter storm slammed the East Coast all the way from Maine down to D.C., leaving massive drifts of snow and skull-cracking cold. Power grids collapsed. Citizens wrapped themselves in layers of fleece like the townsfolk from "Dr. Zhivago." Yet inside the Capitol, an unusual spirit of warmth greeted President Barack Obama's third State of the Union address. The still recent shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords prompted dozens of members to cross the aisle and sit among political foes in a show of solidarity. Some 43 million people tuned in on TV to hear the president lay out his assessments, hopes and dreams about how we could or would pull the nation out of its economic deep freeze. In a far-ranging speech, he did just that: Talking up some of his signature items, such as clean energy, education, and health care. He also addressed growing concerns about the need for tax reform, deficit control, and of course foreign affairs. So how much of it heated up and moved forward, and how much remains on ice a year later? Health care/IRS regulations . Republicans have never liked the president's health care reform plans. No secret there. So he invited them to tell him how it should be changed, and just to get the ball rolling, he made a proposal of his own: . "If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable," Obama said, "I am eager to work with you. We can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small business." He was talking about a requirement that forced companies to expand their reporting to the Internal Revenue Service. It was a measure that pretty much everyone thought was wasteful and annoying, so Democrats and Republicans climbed on board, passing a bill to remove the regulation. The president signed it in April, making that a proposal accepted and a PROMISE KEPT. Health care/malpractice . The president made it clear that he will not go along with broad GOP designs to dismantle health care reform. "Still," he said, "I am willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs, including one that Republicans suggested last year: Medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits." The Congressional Budget Office has analyzed the impact of this idea and estimated that it would reduce the cost of care to the government in programs like Medicaid and Medicare, and in turn that would reduce deficits by about $50 billion over the next nine or 10 years. But the legislation to make this happen got tangled up in bigger debates, and went nowhere. This one is not entirely dead, but it is certainly STALLED. Oil company tax breaks . Rising gas prices, oil company profits, and the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico had many voters on the warpath, a circumstance not missed by Obama. "I'm asking Congress to eliminate the billions in taxpayer dollars we currently give to oil companies." But just because you ask does not mean you will receive, especially in D.C. In May, the Senate considered a Democrat-sponsored bill to cut oil company tax breaks by $2 billion annually. A few Democrats joined the Republican opposition; a couple of Republicans helped the Democrats, but in the end it failed by four votes. So, adjusted for inflation, oil companies continue to enjoy $4.4 billion in tax breaks annually. Last year was the first ever that the average price of a gallon of gas never went below $3. Our cars are still running, but like an old DeSoto, this idea STALLED. Earmarks . The president drew a few lines in the sand, and this was one of them. "If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it." True to his word, he has not signed any bills since containing earmarks -- at least, none we can find. He did not veto any either, however, because they never came his way. The Senate Appropriations Committee declared an earmark moratorium; not just because of the veto threat, but also because the House said it would not approve any bills with earmarks. In any case, the president has often straddled this fence: He has been a sharp critic of earmarks but he also hassigned bills containing multiple pet projects, including a spending bill in 2009 that had almost $8 billion worth. So we'll have to say circumstances left this proposal a PROMISE KEPT, though only on a technicality. Tuition tax credit . The cost of higher education jumped last year for many families, up as much as 20% in several states. Many local governments are in such economic straits that they can't help much, so the president turned to the legislative branch. "I ask Congress to go further, and make permanent our tuition tax credit worth $10,000 for four years of college." That did not come close to happening. Legislation extending the tuition tax credit did not even make it to the floor in either house of Congress. Proponents say that could change, however, since that temporary tax credit will expire at the end of this year increasing the political pressure for some kind of action. But for the moment, the idea is STALLED. Iraq . More than eight years after the U.S. and coalition forces invaded Iraq, with thousands of U.S. lives lost and enormous sacrifice on the part of our military and their families, Obama told the American people that their troops were coming home. "This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people, while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq." By the end of the year, the president had kept his word. The last U.S. troops crossed the Iraq border in December, marking the end of military combat operations. PROMISE KEPT. Afghanistan . This one is trickier. "This year, we will work with nearly 50 countries to begin a transition to an Afghan lead," the president said, "and this July, we will begin to bring our troops home." Some troops have started coming home, true; so if you focus on only that narrow statement, you have to give the president credit. But there is a bigger picture that many critics insist must be considered. Right before Obama took office, 32,500 American troops were in Afghanistan. However, he approved two troop surges which doubled our military presence there. So by the time we vote for president again this fall, just under 70,000 will still be fighting among the poppy fields. For that reason, we have to call this pledge a WORK IN PROGRESS. Transparency . This White House has promised from the start to be more open, more transparent about the way it does business, than any that we've seen before. For the tweeting president, that meant cueing the tech talk about a special new program in the West Wing. "Because you deserve to know exactly how and where your tax dollars are being spent, you'll be able to go to a website and get that information for the very first time in history." The administration lit up the Federal Taxpayer Receipt project in April, on tax day. It can be found at whitehouse.gov under the taxes section, and you can indeed get a breakdown on where your tax dollars go. PROMISE KEPT. Reorganizing government . One of the chief planks in the president's campaign platform was a promise to change the way Washington does business, and in his last State of the Union, he got specific. "In the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate, and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America." He did it, in the sense that after almost an entire year, he finally unveiled what he had in mind: combining six departments and agencies, all related to business, investments, or trade. It is a reorganization, but not nearly as broad as many of his critics expected, or arguably as robust as what he hinted was coming. This is a judgment call, but because of the timing and limited scope of what he finally came up, we will say this seems a WORK IN PROGRESS at best. Bipartisanship . The president promised from the very start that he was the man who could get everyone to work together. He echoed that theme several times in his State of the Union in 2011, but with the 2012 address upon us, the two parties seem perhaps more deeply divided than ever before. You can't say that's all his fault, but it is absolutely an idea that has STALLED in a big way. ### SUMMARY:
Promises kept on Iraq withdrawal, reducing reporting burden in health care law . Improving transparency with the Federal Taxpayer Receipt project was another . Promises stalled: Bipartisanship, malpractice reform, oil company tax breaks .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: HAMILTON, Bermuda (CNN) -- The Obama administration's agreement with Bermuda to settle four Uyghurs from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was causing a rift Friday between the United States and its strongest ally, Britain. Bermuda's premier, Ewart Brown, calls accepting the four Uyghurs from Guantanamo Bay "a humanitarian act." Also Friday, the U.S. Justice Department announced five other Guantanamo detainees -- one from Iraq and one from Chad and three from Saudi Arabia -- had been transferred to their home countries. Iraqi national Jawad Jabber Sadkhan was sent to Iraq on Thursday night, and Chadian national Mohammed El Gharani went to Chad early Friday, the department said. The Saudi men are expected to be taken to a re-education center where previous Guantanamo detainees have been held, one U.S. official said. Watch rare interview with the ex-detainees » . The men were identified as Khalid Saad Mohammed, Abdalaziz Kareem Salem al Noofayaee and Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair. The transfer of the prisoners brings to 10 the number of prisoners who have been removed from the U.S. military prison in recent days, as the Obama administration attempts to move toward closure of the facility by January. A UK official familiar with the agreement on the Uyghurs but not authorized to speak publicly told CNN the United States informed the British government of the agreement "shortly before the deal was concluded." The official said, "We feel we should have been consulted" before the deal was struck between the United States and the British "overseas territory." A U.S. official, on background, said the British feel blindsided. Bermuda's government said Thursday the four had been resettled in Bermuda. "Above all, this was a humanitarian act," Bermudian Premier Ewart Brown said. Bermuda's opposition party has called for a no-confidence vote in the House of Assembly, which could lead to Brown's ouster. The vote was tabled until next week. On the issue of the Uyghurs, the British official said that by law Bermuda decides many day-to-day issues, and "it seems to have been a decision Bermudian authorities made based on their immigration responsibility." However, the British government is responsible for decisions on defense and foreign policy. Bermuda "should have consulted the UK government," he said. With the Uyghurs already in Bermuda without travel documents, the UK is helping the Bermudian government carry out a security assessment, he said. U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "We understand that there are some concerns about some of the details of the resettlement, and we're confident that we can work these things through with the government of the UK." "I don't think we bypassed anyone," Kelly added. The four were twice cleared for release -- once by the Bush administration and again this year, according to a U.S. Justice Department statement. They were among 17 Uyghur detainees at the facility set up to hold terror suspects. The four flew by private plane Wednesday night from Cuba to Bermuda, accompanied by U.S. and Bermudian representatives as well as their attorneys, according to Susan Baker Manning, part of the men's legal team. The men, who are staying in an apartment, were free to roam about the island. They can't leave the country because they have no passports. President Obama has pledged to close the Guantanamo facility, raising questions of what will happen to the more than 200 remaining detainees. A political backlash against bringing detainees to the United States has increased the focus on sending them to other countries. The Justice Department on Friday said the two detainees from Chad and Iraq were approved for transfer after the Guantanamo Review Task Force looked at their cases. A federal court also ordered the U.S. government in January to take all necessary and appropriate steps to facilitate the Chadian national's release. "As our review of detainees continues, the support of the international community is critical to the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and the security of our country," said Matthew Olsen, executive director of the task force. "We are grateful for the cooperation of the governments of Iraq and Chad and for their assistance on the successful transfer of these individuals." Since 2002, more than 540 detainees have departed Guantanamo for other countries, including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, France, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Yemen, the Justice Department said. Brown, Bermuda's premier, said he had read a Washington Post article on the issue of the Guantanamo Bay detainees' fates while in the United States for a White House meeting in May and decided to put an offer to the U.S. government "on the table." He said Bermuda, a British colony, told the UK of its intentions, but not until late in the process. Britain must approve the transfer for it to be permanent, Brown said, adding that he believed the issue might raise tension between Bermuda and Britain. The issue is controversial because of China's opposition to the Uyghurs being sent to any country but China. Uyghurs are a Muslim minority from the Xinjiang province of far-west China. The 17 Uyghurs had left China and made their way to Afghanistan, where they settled in a camp with other Uyghurs opposed to the Chinese government, the Justice Department said in its statement. They left Afghanistan after U.S. bombings began in the area in October 2001, and were apprehended in Pakistan, the statement said. "According to available information, these individuals did not travel to Afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the United States," the statement said. Manning said the 17 were picked up as a matter of circumstance and never had terrorist training. They left China because they did not agree with the government, she said. However, China alleges the men are part of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement -- a group the State Department considers a terrorist organization -- that operates in the Xinjiang region. East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang. China on Thursday urged the United States to hand over all 17 of the Uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere. The Chinese statement followed an offer by Palau, a Pacific island nation, to accept Uyghur detainees. The Xinjiang region of 20 million people is largely populated by ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities who have traditionally opposed Beijing's rule and clamored for greater autonomy. A senior U.S. administration official said the State Department is working on a final agreement with Palau to settle the matter of the 13 remaining Uyghur detainees. Issues to be worked out include how to transfer the Uyghurs to Palau and how much money the United States would give the men for resettlement, the official said. The official said the average in such cases is $100,000 per person. The United States won't send Uyghur detainees cleared for release back to China out of concern that Chinese authorities would torture them. China has said no returned Uyghurs would be tortured. Palau said it will take in the ethnic Uyghur detainees for humanitarian reasons and because of the "special relationship" between Palau and the United States. Palau, with a population of about 20,000, is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southeast of Manila, Philippines, and about 4,600 miles (7,400 kilometers) west of Hawaii. It has received nearly $900 million in U.S. aid since independence in 1994, according to congressional auditors, and depends on Washington for its defense. CNN's Jill Dougherty and Terry Frieden contributed to this report. ### SUMMARY:
Four Uyghurs free to roam about Bermuda but don't have passports to leave . Briton: "We feel we should have been consulted" before deal with "overseas territory" U.S. State Department official: "I don't think we bypassed anyone" U.S. transfers five others from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, back to home countries .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Oslo, Norway (CNN) -- The masked henchmen grabbed three fingers on each of the Syrian political cartoonist's hands and pulled them back all the way -- so far that they cracked. "Break his arms so that he doesn't ever draw again," one said. Ali Ferzat -- the cartoonist who described the 2011 attack to me in a recent interview -- soon found himself bleeding and left for dead near the Damascus airport. His assailants, who he believes were acting on behalf of the Syrian regime, dragged him alongside a moving car. His head and shoulder bounced on the pavement and then the men shoved him out of the vehicle, dumping him on the side of the road. Ferzat wondered if he would live, let alone draw again. It would be months before he would learn the second answer. Before I'd heard these and the other horrifying details of this attack against one of the Arab world's most notable artists, I asked Ferzat -- an Arab-Santa-looking character with a smile that could cheer up Tilda Swinton -- if he was sure his hands were broken to stop him from drawing cartoons critical of Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad. His answer made me laugh. "Obviously," he said. "What do I look like to you, a chef?" I met Ferzat in at the Oslo Freedom Forum, a gathering of dissidents and human rights activists, where he received the Vaclav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent. Being in his presence was the human-rights nerd version of a basketball fan meeting LeBron. But what impressed me most about Ferzat is that he's maintained his wit and cheer despite the darkness that has fallen on him and on his country, which is in the grips of an intractable two-year war that's killed an estimated 80,000 people. He is almost naively optimistic about Syria's future. And it's infectious. The rest of Syria's opposition should take note. As his story shows, the true strength of a revolution is in its ideas -- in nonviolent actions such as drawing truth to power. Dictators do have reason to be scared of cartoons. That's why Ferzat's hands became some of the most feared objects in Syria. "They came after me," he said. "Obviously (cartooning) has power." The self-taught artist, who's in his early 60s, has been using them to mock authority since he was a young boy -- first imitating cartoons he admired and then creating satire of his own. He went pro in the 1970s, gaining notoriety for publishing cartoons domestically and internationally. Back then, before the current war, Ferzat never dared to depict specific people in his cartoons. He drew autocrats and dictators, but they never looked like real, identifiable people. He did it to avoid censorship or retaliation. But that was before the war -- before reports emerged, in May 2011, that a 13-year-old had been tortured and killed in Daraa, Syria. Stories like those of Hamza Ali al-Khateeb's death, which reportedly involved his genitals being mutilated, pushed Ferzat across a threshold. He started to draw exact likeness of al-Assad in his satire. Enough was enough. His pen would hold no punches. Ferzat drew al-Assad standing on the side of the road with his thumb in the air, ready to hitchhike out of Syria. A crazed Moammar Gadhafi, who was still alive at the time but later would be killed in Libya's uprising, was driving a getaway car. The message was clear: Syria's leader had to go. That was the image, he told me, that led to his attack on August 25, 2011. Ferzat's animated demeanor -- his eyebrows bounce when he talks and his hands, now unbandaged, gesture wildly -- flattened as he told me the story. That day, a white car with darkly tinted windows followed him out of the studio before dawn. He's been working there by candlelight to avoid detection. Frightened by the car, he drove to the center of Damascus, to a square he knew to be home to government buildings and the president's palace. The car followed and crashed into him at the square, he said, forcing him stop. Three men emerged and yanked off the doors of Ferzat's car. They pulled him from it, beat him with crowd-control batons and then yanked plastic handcuffs around his wrists. "They handcuffed me so tightly I felt that one of my wrists was going to break," he said. SANA, the Syrian state news agency, reported Ferzat "was attacked by veiled people" and that "authorities concerned are conducting an investigation." My e-mail requesting further information, however, was not responded to. And the U.S. State Department condemned the attack, saying in a statement that the al-Assad regime was sending "a clear message that (Ferzat) should stop drawing." They beat him so badly that his vision failed for days in one eye, Farzat told me, and he could barely see out of the other. Confused, Ferzat asked what was happening to him. "Don't you ever dare to cross your bosses and to cross your leaders, because Bashar al-Assad's shoe is on your face and on your head." (For evidence of the severity of that insult, recall the Bush and Ahmadinejad shoe-throwing incidents). They drove 30 minutes to a road near the Damascus airport. That's where they threw him from the car. "My white shirt was completely, totally, red from the blood," he said. He thought he surely would bleed to death there. Cars wouldn't stop, perhaps afraid to pick up a person targeted by the regime or by police. But then the first of three miracles happened: A truck's tire burst, forcing it to stop exactly in front of Ferzat. "This is like something out of a freakin' movie," Amir Ahmad Nasr, a blogger-author friend who was translating the conversation from Arabic, said to me. Ferzat threw himself into the bed of the pickup and begged the three men who drove it to take him back to the city. They agreed to drop him at the gates of Damascus, but wouldn't take him further -- definitely not to a hospital -- for fear of being targeted themselves. Still bleeding and barely able to see because of the beatings to his head, Ferzat wandered up to a house and asked its guard for help. Then the second miracle: The guard agreed to give him a ride to a nearby clinic, where (here's the third) doctors recognized the cartoonist and were sympathetic to his cause. They treated him at his house to avoid detection. But there was always the worry: his hands. Would he draw again? "My hands became stuck like this," he told me, tensing up his digits into a wooden, claw-like shape. "The doctors told me I needed to get treatment overseas." Fate, again, would intervene. Using a newspaper contact in Kuwait, Ferzat arranged to leave Syria and seek treatment in a hospital there. After six months of surgery and physical therapy, he was able to put pen to paper. The first cartoon he created after the attack was not diluted by fear. He drew al-Assad and Russia's Vladimir Putin walking side by side, their legs intertwined to make the shape of a Nazi swastika. Ferzat is still living in exile. But the revolution needs him. It needs his art. He's seen images of protesters and rebels carrying printouts of his drawings. So he contributes art from outside the country. The outcome of the war in Syria is anything but sure. But talk to Ferzat and his optimism will rub off on you. He's convinced he will live and draw in Syria again -- that people in his country, a cradle of civilization that invented one of the world's first alphabets, are no longer afraid and eventually will triumph over the regime that would crush their spirits and their art. After hearing his story, I'm hard-pressed not to believe him. The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of John D. Sutter. ### SUMMARY:
Syrian political cartoonist details 2011 attack in which his hands were broken . John Sutter: Ali Ferzat's story offers hope for the Syrian revolution . He says meeting Ferzat is the 'human-rights-nerd version of a basketball fan meeting LeBron' Sutter: 'Ferzat's hands are some of the most feared objects in Syria'
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- President Barack Obama's strategy for the Ukraine crisis reflects his internationalist foreign policy while adhering to the age-old maxim that money talks. He sent Secretary of State John Kerry to Kiev on Tuesday to forcefully condemn Russia for seizing effective military control of the Crimea region. At the same time, Kerry announced $1 billion in loan guarantees to help insulate the Ukrainian economy from the effects of reduced energy subsidies from Russia. It all is part of the still simmering breakup of the old Soviet Union more than two decades ago, with Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking to maintain Russia's influence and economic ties in a region being wooed by the European Union and Washington for increased trade and other links. On Tuesday, both Obama and Kerry warned Putin of possible international sanctions and other steps to isolate Russia diplomatically and economically if he escalates the Ukraine crisis by sending in more troops. The goal of such an approach would be to hit Putin where it hurts by weakening the ruble and Russia's economy while avoiding the possibility of igniting an already volatile crisis to a new level of confrontation and possible violence. Isolation, not confrontation, is the goal . "It is diplomacy and respect for sovereignty, not unilateral force, that can best solve disputes like this in the 21st century," Kerry told reporters to wrap up his one-day stop in Ukraine's capital. "President Obama and I want to make it clear to Russia and to everybody in the world that we are not seeking confrontation." However, he continued, "if Russia does not choose to de-escalate, if it is not willing to work directly with the government of Ukraine, as we hope they will be, then our partners will have absolutely no choice but to join us to continue to expand upon steps we have taken in recent days in order to isolate Russia politically, diplomatically and economically." What are U.S. options? One possible move, hinted at by Kerry, would be to kick Russia out of the G8 group of industrial powers that also includes the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. Those nations already are skipping a preparatory meeting for the next G8 summit set to be hosted by Putin in June in Sochi. "It is not appropriate to invade a country and, at the end of a barrel of a gun, dictate what you are trying to achieve," Kerry said. "That is not 21st century G8, major nation behavior." The United States "will stand by the Ukrainian people," he said after accusing Russia of making up reasons for further military intervention in Ukraine based on alleged persecution of Russian speakers and native Russians. "Not a single piece of credible evidence supports any one of these claims," he said, adding that it was clear "that Russia has been working hard to create a pretext to invade further." Told by a reporter that Putin had earlier indicated no Russian troops were in Crimea, Kerry shook his head with disbelief and asked: "He really denied there were troops in Crimea?" Putin decision near? A U.S. official familiar with the latest administration assessment said Tuesday that national security agencies believe Putin will decide in the next few days whether to send more troops into Ukraine. According to the official, the diplomatic pressure by Obama and Kerry sought to influence Putin's decision. In remarks Tuesday, Obama said Putin realized that the United States and its European allies consider the Russian military buildup in Ukraine a violation of international law. "There have been some reports that President Putin is pausing for a moment and reflecting on what's happened," Obama said. "I know President Putin seems to have a different set of lawyers making a different set of interpretations but I don't think that's fooling anybody," Obama continued. "I think everybody recognizes that although Russia has legitimate interests in what happens in a neighboring state, that does not give it the right to use force as a means of exerting influence inside of that state." U.S. moving fast on possible sanctions . In another sign of increasing pressure on Putin, a Chinese government statement Tuesday quoted President Xi Jinping as calling for a diplomatic solution. "The situation is highly complicated and sensitive, affecting both regional and entire global situations," said the statement attributed to Xi. "I believe Russia can coordinate with all sides, use political means to resolve the issue, and maintain peace and stability for the region and the world. China supports conciliatory measures from the international community that help mitigate the situation." Critics want a more robust U.S. response . No one calls for a U.S. military response in Ukraine, and polls show strong public opposition to the United States assuming the role of global policeman by taking the lead in international conflicts. During his presidency, Obama has sought a more international approach to crises, as exemplified by the NATO coalition that imposed a "no-fly" zone on Libya with logistical help from the United States. However, his inability to build an international coalition to attack Syria for its use of chemical weapons resulted in criticism that Obama failed to fulfill his earlier threat to act. Hawkish U.S. politicians want a more robust response by the Obama administration to the Russian aggression, calling for tough economic sanctions and reviving plans to build a missile-defense shield in Poland that Putin opposed. Republican Rep. Ed Royce of California, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for pursuing aggressive sanctions that would undermine the ruble and Russia's state-owned banks. "We should do it, frankly," he told CNN, but adding that Russia should be offered an "exit ramp" out of the crisis through negotiations. Jim Walsh, an international security analyst with the MIT Security Studies Program, told CNN that any sanctions must be in concert with European allies to be effective. So far, Walsh noted, there has been little sign of support from key allies Britain and Germany for tough economic sanctions against Russia. Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner called for Obama to speed up government approval of U.S. natural gas exports to the Ukraine. "We should not force our allies to remain dependent on Putin for their energy needs," Boehner said, describing the current approval process as a "de facto ban." "Expediting approval of natural gas exports is one clear step the U.S. can take to stand by our allies and stand up to Russian aggression, while creating American jobs at the same time," he said. Putin: Russia has no plans to annex Crimea . To Obama and his supporters pursuing what they consider to be a 21st Century world order, the Russian military moves would arouse the suspicions of other countries in the region. "If anything, it will push many countries further away from Russia," Obama said. "There is the ability for Ukraine to be a friend of the West and a friend of Russia's as long as none of us are in Ukraine trying to meddle and intervene, certainly not militarily, with decisions that properly belong to the Ukrainian people." Loan guarantees . The loan guarantees announced Tuesday will help Ukraine move forward with an assistance package from the International Monetary Fund, which is calling for the country to raise energy prices. Obama administration officials traveling with Kerry said Treasury Department technical advisers would travel to Ukraine to help its national bank and finance ministry deal with economic challenges and implement energy sector reforms. The United States also will train observers for the May 25 elections, and is sending a team of experts to help identify stolen assets and support anti-corruption measures. With Ukraine looking to reduce dependence on Russian energy, the United States also will provide assistance and financing to help businesses find new export markets and will offer technical advice to the government on Ukraine's World Trade Organization rights with respect to Russia. Obama and Kerry both urged Russia to pull its forces back into their barracks and agree to international observers in Ukraine to monitor the situation. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a regional security bloc, sent in 10 monitors Monday, and Kerry called for a larger mission. "These are the people who could actually identify legitimate threats, and we are asking, together with the government of Ukraine, together with the European community, for large numbers of observers to be able to come in here and monitor the situation and be the arbiters of truth versus fiction," he said, alluding to the Russian claims of persecution. CNN Foreign Affairs Reporter Elise Labott reported from Kiev and Tom Cohen from Washington, and CNN's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. ### SUMMARY:
NEW: Analyst says European allies must join U.S. in sanctions effort . President Obama says most nations believe Russia violated international law . $1 billion aid package announced as U.S. considers sanctions against Russia . Secretary Kerry says Russia tries to create a false pretext to further invade Ukraine .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday searched desperately for ways it could avoid a sweeping ruling in what one justice called a "tinderbox" legal fight over perhaps the most vexing diplomatic issue -- unrest in the Middle East. Menachem Zivotofsky, 12, and his family want the American citizen's passport to say he was born in Jerusalem, Israel. But the U.S. State Department, ignoring a congressional law, will not allow the boy to list his country of birth on the document, only Jerusalem. The Obama administration maintains a strict neutrality policy over the holy city's sovereignty. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital, but the international community does not recognize either position. The Zivotofskys framed the case as a "small gesture" for a boy, which does not implicate the U.S. government's ongoing efforts to secure a binding, lasting peace settlement for the troubled region. Supreme Court to decide if boy can list Israel as passport birthplace . At issue is a classic tug of war between the executive and legislative branches of government -- specifically whether a federal law that explicitly directs the State Department how to record the birthplace of an American citizen on a passport impermissibly infringes on the president's power to recognize a foreign sovereign. More than 50,000 Americans were born in Jerusalem since the law was passed in 2002. In a brisk hour of oral arguments, the nine justices seemed especially torn about how to decide the case, many looking for a way perhaps to rule narrowly. Many on the bench were at odds over whether this mix of politics, diplomacy and religion will result in de facto recognition of Israel's unilateral sovereignty over Jerusalem. "You say that this isn't recognition," Justice Anthony Kennedy told the Zivotofskys' attorney. "So the ultimate conflict is not before us and therefore, the government's policy, which says that this is recognition, should be given deference and it trumps." Justice Antonin Scalia said, "Congress is entitled to do what it is authorized to do under the Constitution, even when that contradicts" with the views of the executive branch, And as far as the passport issue, "the fact that the State Department doesn't like the fact that it makes the Palestinians angry is irrelevant." Case heard during growing unrest in Jerusalem . The debate comes during a week of unrest in Jerusalem, with daily protests near sacred sites and fears of a third intifada, or Palestinian uprising. Temple Mount crisis fuels unrest in volatile Jerusalem . The case could have broader implications over U.S. foreign policy. The justices raised ongoing debates over those born in British-controlled Northern Ireland; whether Taiwan should be recognized as independent of China; and the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine over disputed territory, including Crimea. Jerusalem's Old City is the heart of the region, a holy symbol to the three major Abrahamic religions -- Christianity, Islam and Judaism. That tiny area -- just a third of one square mile -- contains the Temple Mount, Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. It has been destroyed twice -- and attacked, besieged and captured more than 100 times. Canaanites, Hebrews, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Crusaders, Turks and the British have all laid claim to the land. Its status today remains one the thorniest issues blocking a comprehensive Mideast peace agreement, with both Israel and the Palestinian people claiming sovereignty. During the 1948 war, the western part of the city was annexed by the newly formed nation of Israel, and the eastern part annexed by Jordan. Israel then captured the eastern part during the 1967 Six-Day War. It considers East Jerusalem part of its "undivided capital," but most of the international community deems the annexations illegal and a part of Palestinian land. The Israeli government is based there, but no foreign embassies are. The city is home to Ari and Naomi Zivotofsky. The couple and their two oldest sons were born in the United States, but the family migrated to Israel a decade ago, and in October 2002 the youngest, Menachem Binyamin, was born. "We're very proud of the fact that he was born in Israel and that we live in Israel and it's the modern state of Israel," Ari Zivotofsky told CNN. "Religiously and historically, that's very significant." The father said his son -- who has been at the center of this legal fight for 11 of his 12 years -- frequently reminds his siblings he is the one Zivotofsky born in their current home. The boy is preparing for his bar mitzvah. Bush's 'signing statement' Three weeks before Menachem was born, Congress gave American citizens born in Jerusalem the individual discretion to ask that Israel be listed on passports and consular reports, where it says "Place of Birth." President George W. Bush signed the bill but issued an executive "signing statement" indicating he would not comply. The law, he said, "impermissibly interferes with the president's constitutional authority to conduct the nation's foreign affairs and to supervise the unitary executive branch." The State Department's official Foreign Affairs Manual still reads: "For a person born in Jerusalem, write Jerusalem as the place of birth in the passport. Do not write Israel, Jordan or West Bank for a person born within the current municipal borders of Jerusalem." It is not the first time Congress and the White House have clashed over the region. The American Embassy remains in Tel Aviv over U.S. lawmakers' objections. Competition to speak among justices . During Monday's oral arguments in the case, Zivotofsky v. Kerry, there was much competition on the bench to speak. Chief Justice John Roberts at one point had to referee and allow Kennedy, with his seniority, to go first. "You want us to say in our opinion that this is not a political declaration?" Kennedy asked attorney Alyza Lewin of the 12-year-old congressional law. When told that was true, "Well, then, I'm not sure why that Congress passed it then." Kennedy offered a compromise, suggesting what a select number of U.S. passports might say: "The place of birth on this Jerusalem-born citizen's passport has been listed as Israel at the holder's request. This designation is neither an acknowledgment nor a declaration by the Department of State or the President of the United States that Jerusalem is within the borders of the State of Israel." But Justice Elena Kagan -- who along with Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor seemed most supportive of the administration's assertions -- wondered "(i)f Congress then passed a law saying that (hypothetical) statement had to come off the passport, could Congress do that?" "Why is it that it's OK for Congress to say something that hasn't happened, meaning to say that someone born in Jerusalem is actually born in Israel?" Sotomayor added. "I mean, they can self-identify all they want, but can they do that?" Representing the government, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli framed the issue in larger terms, saying the congressional law in effect would "force the executive branch to issue official diplomatic communications that contradict the position of the United States." Justice Samuel Alito asked, "But is that really true? Could Congress pass a law saying that every passport issued to an American citizen must list the place of birth, including country, and that for this purpose, the country is the nation that issued the birth certificate to that individual? Could Congress do that?" Zivotofsky's attorney, Lewin, concluded by saying granting the boy's request would be a "nonissue" and have no long-term effect since the Jerusalem passports -- by simply listing "Israel" would be indistinguishable from those who were born elsewhere in Israel. "This seems a particularly unfortunate week to be making this kind of, 'Oh, it's no big deal' argument," said Kagan, referring the recent violent protests in Jerusalem. "History suggests that everything is a big deal with respect to the status of Jerusalem. And right now Jerusalem is a tinderbox because of issues about the status of and access to a particularly holy site there. And so sort of everything matters, doesn't it?" A ruling in the case is due by the spring. ### SUMMARY:
A boy, 12, and his family want his passport to say he was born in Israel . Ignoring law passed in 2002, U.S. State Department policy is to list only Jerusalem, not Israel . At issue is a classic tug of war between the executive and legislative branches . Justices weigh arguments in case that could have impact on U.S. policy in Mideast .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: (Health.com) -- When Megan Kenny was five years old, she began to exhibit a strange and troubling symptom: Every time she stood up for more than two minutes, she collapsed. The episodes were particularly bad after Megan had been sitting or lying down for prolonged stretches, such as when she woke up in the morning or walked between classes at school. "Church was always a disaster," recalls Mary Kenny, Megan's mother. After sitting or kneeling for a time, Megan would stand up with the congregation and invariably fall down. As Megan got older, other worrisome signs emerged. Her eyelids began to droop. She continued to wet the bed and suffered from constant bladder infections. And, about once a week, she experienced extreme hypoglycemic episodes -- a sudden drop in blood sugar levels -- that left her shaking and unable to function for the rest of the day. The Kennys visited a parade of doctors and specialists who considered, and ultimately ruled out, a grab bag of diagnoses: epilepsy, diabetes, cancer, liver failure, kidney failure. One time, after testing Megan for epilepsy, a neurologist observed that she appeared to have a severe form of orthostatic hypotension, a not-unusual condition in which a person's blood pressure drops suddenly upon standing or sitting up, causing the sensation known as a head rush. Health.com: Surgery saves girl's face from rare disorder . The doctor was only half right. Megan did have orthostatic hypotension, but the underlying cause was a far more exotic condition that wouldn't be diagnosed until she was an adult. In the meantime, she had to cope with having blood pressure that could dive from a relatively normal 110/70 when she was lying down to 50/30 upon standing. "I've seen dead people with higher blood pressure," one nurse told her. A family affair . It was clear from the first minute of her life that Megan wasn't in good health. She was a small baby, barely five pounds, in a family that had a history of strapping, nine-pound newborns, and she immediately required oxygen for respiratory distress. "She was literally blue," Mary remembers. Later, as an infant, Megan's sucking reflux was so poor that her mother wasn't able to nurse her. Orthopedists said her motor coordination was below average and referred her for physical therapy. When Megan was eight years old, her brother, Brendan, was born. As he grew up, he too would develop symptoms similar to hers, suggesting the mysterious condition had a genetic component. Megan's parents continued visiting doctors, seeking explanations for what ailed the two siblings. While some people get the occasional head rush or dizzy spell, Megan and Brendan experienced the sensation almost constantly. "Mostly it was a feeling as if you're going to black out, like walking through life with permanent black spots," Megan says. Megan learned how to compensate for the strange spells. At school, if she had to climb a flight of stairs to get to a class, she'd sit on the landing to regain her composure or lean over and pretend to tie her shoes. She even played softball throughout high school, although she needed a teammate to run the bases for her. Health.com: Doctors induce 5-month coma to save woman's life . Megan and her brother lived like this for years. Finally, after Megan had graduated from college and was living on her own in San Francisco, a psychiatrist at the University of Connecticut began to unravel the mystery. After hearing a description of the Kenny children, the psychiatrist said some of their symptoms resembled those of a rare disorder he was researching: dopamine beta hydroxylase deficiency (DBHD). As the name suggests, people with DBHD lack dopamine beta hydroxylase, an enzyme needed to convert the neurotransmitter dopamine into norepinephrine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), hormones that are critical to maintaining normal blood pressure. The psychiatrist suggested the Kennys fly Brendan, who was still in high school and living at the family home in Connecticut, to see a specialist at Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, Tenn. "It was like winning the lottery," Megan says. An 'extraordinarily rare' condition . David Robertson, M.D., a neurologist at Vanderbilt's Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, is the country's leading DBHD expert. In 1986, he was the first person to identify the disorder, in a 33-year-old woman who hadn't opened her eyes for the first five days of her life -- a common feature of DBHD. After performing blood work and numerous other tests on the woman, Robertson and his colleagues recognized that her abnormally low norepinephrine levels were caused by a genetic defect in dopamine beta hydroxylase. It was thought that no one could survive for long without norepinephrine, but that woman lived to be 62. If people with DBHD are in a situation where they're unable to sit or fall down safely, the resulting loss of blood flow to the brain can be fatal, but most people with the condition learn how to compensate and can live a relatively long life, Robertson says. Health.com: 10 states where rare and exotic diseases lurk . Robertson confirmed the suspicions of the UConn psychiatrist and diagnosed 15-year-old Brendan with DBHD. The diagnosis put Brendan in very exclusive company. "DBHD is extraordinarily rare," says Robertson, who is also the principal investigator of the Autonomic Rare Disease Consortium at the National Institutes of Health. It is so rare, in fact, that the 10 patients Robertson personally has seen represent the lion's share of the documented cases worldwide. Another eight patients have been identified in Europe and Australia, though Robertson says there could be thousands more still undiagnosed. A night and day treatment . In the late 1980s, Robertson began to formulate a drug to treat the norepinephrine deficiency associated with DBHD, but he soon learned that such a drug was already being marketed in Japan. Droxidopa, also known as L-DOPS, was being used in that country for Parkinson's disease, a movement disorder characterized by dopamine deficiency. Roberston's first patient responded immediately to droxidopa. "The drug allowed us to replace the norepinephrine not only in the blood, but even in the nerve cells of the body," Robertson says. Health.com: Prescription drugs that lead double lives . Brendan, too, responded to droxidopa within days. Two years later, he ran a victory lap of sorts across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, while his sister watched. Megan had visited Vanderbilt soon after Brendan. Not surprisingly, Robertson diagnosed her with DBHD, but due to a protocol change in the clinical trial he was leading, Megan had to wait three years before she could take droxidopa herself. When she finally did the results were just as dramatic. "I felt different immediately," Megan says. "This feeling of strength -- being able to walk up a hill in San Francisco at the same pace as my friends, or actually [being] able to do it without sitting down -- was incredible." Megan herself took a sprint across the Golden Gate Bridge as part of her training for the New Orleans Marathon. She finished that race in a little over six hours in the winter of 2005. In 2010, she completed an Olympic-length triathlon: a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike ride, and 10K run. "For me it was like checking this off the list," Megan says. "I was so grateful for my new physicality." Megan takes 300 milligrams of droxidopa three times a day, and even now, a decade after her diagnosis, feels lightheaded if she misses a dose. She no longer runs marathons but climbs San Francisco's steep hills with ease. "It's such a small thing in the grand scheme of things, being able to walk a block up the hill," she says. "People take it for granted. I was like, 'This is incredible.'" Copyright Health Magazine 2011 . ### SUMMARY:
Megan Kenny and her brother would collapse after standing for two minutes . The siblings were diagnosed with dopamine beta hydroxylase deficiency (DBHD) After receiving proper treatment, Megan ran marathons, completed triathlons .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama on Wednesday replaced Gen. Stanley McChrystal as commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan and nominated Gen. David Petraeus to replace him while affirming support for a counterinsurgency strategy encountering problems. The dramatic shift came a day after McChrystal's disparaging comments about America's civilian leadership surfaced, and reignited the national debate on the war in Afghanistan -- now in its eighth year with a June death toll of coalition forces that is close to becoming the highest of the war. Obama accepted McChrystal's resignation "with considerable regret" and named Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, to take over pending Senate confirmation. "It is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military and for our country," Obama said outside the White House, flanked by top civilian and military leaders including Vice President Joe Biden; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Petraeus. McChrystal's remarks in a Rolling Stone article undermined the civilian control of the military "at the core of our democratic system," Obama said, noting the decision to replace the general did not involve any disagreement over strategy or personal issues. "I believe that it is the right decision for our national security," Obama said. "The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general." Obama said that as hard as it is to lose the general, the "war is bigger than any one man or woman." More importantly, he said, the war requires a unified effort from civilian and military leaders, warning that he won't tolerate division within his team. "I believe that this mission demands unity of effort across our alliance and across my national security team," Obama said. "And I don't think that we can sustain that unity of effort and achieve our objectives in Afghanistan without making this change." The president urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Petraeus, who would leave his Central Command position. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin, D-Michigan, later said a confirmation hearing would begin no later than Tuesday, and he expected it to take one day. "We know Gen. Petraeus," Levin said. "I don't think there will be anybody who will say we need more time." McChrystal issued a statement Wednesday saying that he strongly supports Obama's strategy in Afghanistan and is "deeply committed" to the coalition forces and the Afghan people. "It was out of respect for this commitment -- and a desire to see the mission succeed -- that I tendered my resignation," McChrystal's statement said. "It has been my privilege and honor to lead our nation's finest." A source close to McChrystal offered a description of the roughly 30-minute meeting between Obama and McChrystal that led to the general's resignation Wednesday morning. McChrystal briefly explained the magazine article at the center of the controversy, took responsibility and then offered his resignation, the source said. Obama accepted the resignation, the source said. The president "had no intention of keeping him," and McChrystal knew that going in, the source said. McChrystal is not returning to Afghanistan, and his personal belongings will be shipped home, according to the source. Immediate political reaction from both parties was positive, with lawmakers saying Obama had little choice in making a change and that Petraeus was the best choice for the job. Levin noted that Petraeus authored the counterinsurgency strategy now being followed in Afghanistan. The spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed disappointment at the loss of McChrystal but called Petraeus the "obvious" replacement, while statements from allied governments and NATO also offered support and commitment to the Afghanistan mission. In the magazine article, McChrsytal and his top officers are quoted making disrespectful comments about civilian officials including Biden, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry, special representative to Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke and National Security Adviser Jim Jones. News of the article set off a political firestorm Tuesday. Obama was "angry" after reading the general's remarks, said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, who added that McChrystal had a "profound" mistake. McChrystal apologized Tuesday, but was recalled to Washington and met with Gates and Mullen on Wednesday before going to the White House, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said. After he met with Obama, McChrystal was not invited to participate in a separate White House national security meeting on the war in Afghanistan, two sources told CNN. The reported remarks by McChrystal and his staff were strongly criticized on Capitol Hill. Three key Senate leaders on defense and foreign policy issues -- Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut -- said in a news conference Wednesday that Obama had no choice but to replace McChrystal. "The statements of the general not only were outside the norm, they really did put into question military subordination of civilian control," Graham said, taking particular issue with unnamed officers in the article who he said showed disrespect and a cavalier attitude he termed "unacceptable." "This is a low point in my view for the armed forces in a very long time, and I'm glad the president made this decision," Graham said. "There are some other officers that need to be looked at, and they need to be replaced." At the same time, the senators and others said Obama should now make clear that a troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will only occur when conditions allow it, rather than on the July 2011 date set by the administration. Petraeus "is an outstanding military leader, but even he can't win in Afghanistan if the president continues to insist on an arbitrary withdrawal date -- a fact our enemies are counting on and our allies fear," said Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Levin, D-Michigan, told reporters that Petraeus supports the July 2011 date for starting a troop withdrawal based on conditions on the ground. "What will be conditions-based is not whether reductions begin in July 2011, but the pace of those reductions," Levin said Petraeus told him. Levin acknowledged that Petraeus or Obama could change their minds on the issue, saying, "nothing is etched in stone." Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, said in a written statement that Obama's "decision to return Gen. (David) Petraeus to the battlefield provides not just continuity in philosophy, but tested diplomatic skill that is at the very center of a military strategy which hinges on progress in governance to sustain military gains." House Armed Services Committee chairman Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, said that Petraeus "is the best that we have." "I have great confidence in his ability to bring about a successful outcome in Afghanistan. The commander-in-chief must have confidence in his commanders in the field," he said. "It is time to move on and return our focus to waging the war in Afghanistan." A spokesman for the Afghanistan Defense Ministry said his government would have preferred to see McChrystal stay, but was happy Petraeus had been tapped as the replacement. "We're not happy to see Gen. McChrystal go, but of all the choices that could have been made, we are happy to hear it is Petraeus who will continue the mission," Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said. Obama tapped McChrystal to head the U.S. military effort in Afghanistan in the spring of 2009 shortly after dismissing Gen. David McKiernan. McChrystal was strongly recommended as the best choice to carry out the counterinsurgency strategy created by Petraeus in Iraq, but administration officials later expressed displeasure with what they thought was McChrystal's leak of his request for more troops for Afghanistan before Obama completed his review of the issue. The president eventually ordered 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, most of the number sought by McChrystal. CNN's John King, Suzanne Malveaux, Barbara Starr, Dana Bash, Alan Silverleib, Ted Barrett and Tom Cohen contributed to this report. ### SUMMARY:
NEW: Key senator says Petraeus backs July 2011 start of withdrawal from Afghanistan . NEW: Confirmation hearing for Petraeus to start no later than Tuesday . Lawmakers praise choice of Petraeus and say Obama had no choice but to accept McChrystal resignation . Obama urges the Senate to confirm Petraeus swiftly .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: The tour bus bounces along one of North Korea's potholed roads, pop music blasting out over the speakers. It's a catchy tune and even though none of the tourists can understand the lyrics, a few are tapping their feet to the beat. The hit song, "Without a Break," is by Moranbong, by far North Korea's most popular band. The driver is clearly a fan and plays the DVD several times a day. Most tourists are busy looking out the window and pay little attention to the video screened at the front of the bus. They don't notice the nuclear missile being launched behind the all-girl band, nor do they see it smash into our little blue planet, blowing up the Earth. "'Without a Break' is about the nuclear destruction of the U.S.," says Australian Mark Freeman, who has visited North Korea four times. "Tourists dance to it because they don't know the lyrics, they don't know what the song is about." Travel to North Korea raises a number of sticky issues, not least of all the ethical issue of supporting a repressive regime. For those who opt to go, it's an opportunity to glimpse one of the most isolated, unfathomable and feared countries in the world. "There have been about 6,000 Western tourists this year -- that's a tenfold increase on a decade ago," says Koryo Tours general manager Simon Cockerell. But when you sign up to visit the DPRK you have to play by their rules. There are strict guidelines in place about what you can and cannot do. Break with the protocol -- or even be suspected of it -- and not just you but the rest of your group will be sent back early. Or worse, as U.S. military veteran Merrill Newman discovered. According to his family, the Palo Alto, California, resident had gone on a 10-day organized private tour of North Korea in October. From phone calls and postcards he sent, the trip was going well and there was no indication of any kind of problem, son Jeff Newman said. The day before he was to leave, "one or two Korean authorities" met with Newman and his tour guide, the son added. They talked about Newman's service record, which left "my dad ... a bit bothered," according to Jeff Newman. Then, just minutes before his Beijing-bound plane was set to depart Pyongyang in late October, he was taken off the aircraft by North Korean authorities. More: U.S. 'deeply concerned' about citizens held in North Korea, including Newman . Getting into North Korea . Unless you're invited as part of a business delegation, the only way to visit North Korea is by joining a tour. Depending on the number of tourists and whether or not it includes Americans, two to three trained guides-cum-minders accompany each group. Aside from the hotels where tourists can roam freely between their room, the bar and the restaurant, a guide accompanies visitors at all times. The guides are friendly and accommodating. They go out of their way to keep their charges happy -- singing songs and ensuring there is plenty to eat and drink. The lavish meals, with a big spread put out for every meal, is all part of the package. The DPRK wants Westerners to return home raving about how much they were given to eat. American Kent Rutter, a lawyer, has visited North Korea twice and says he liked the guides and asked plenty of questions, but was frustrated when he didn't get a straight answer. "Their job was to tell us whatever the government wanted us to hear, even if it contradicted what we could see from the bus window," he says. More: Touring North Korea: What's real, what's fake? Florian Seidel, a German localization expert for a computer game company in Japan, says he got a lot more out of his second trip to North Korea because he had a better grasp of what was going on. He did some research -- mostly online, reading blogs and scouring Google Earth images -- ahead of his second visit to the remote North East of the country and was wise on what to look out for in the region. "Don't worry about being lied to, worry about not getting the interesting information," says Seidel. "Guides repeat certain random things a dozen times, but when you drive right past the entrance to a concentration camp they won't tell you." If you don't want to bow, stay home . A key aspect of any trip to North Korea is the need to show reverence for past and present leaders. This means not only referring to them with respect, but also bowing in front of the statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Pyongyang has a number of statues, so this can mean laying flowers and bowing several times on a week-long trip. For those traveling around the country, there's a Kim Il Sung statue in every city. Koryo Tours, the longest running and most specialized travel company for the DPRK, advises tourists in their briefing notes that they will be expected to bow in front of the statues and warns: "If you are not willing to behave at some points as expected by the local customs then we recommend you do not visit the DPRK, the potential for offense to be taken by the hosts which then adversely affects the tour is too great." German tourist Seidel didn't enjoy the obligatory bowing but understood that it was a necessary part of being allowed to visit. "I felt like an atheist during Holy Mass -- I couldn't relate, but I played along to avoid offending anybody," he says. Repeat visitors to the DPRK quickly realize that the best way to get the most out of a trip is to stick to the rules. There's little point grilling the guides about politics or gulags because you won't get a straight answer. Every tour is a carefully choreographed affair, designed to show the country in its best light, but much can gleaned on the drive between approved tourists sites. It's especially interesting when unexpected events force a sudden change of plan. Australian tourist Freeman was on a tour of the north east when road works meant the bus had to take a side road through an old village. "The guides got very flustered because all of a sudden they couldn't use the road they knew was safe for us to travel," says Freeman. "They even got off the bus and tried to reason with the construction guys, they were incredibly nervous." More: Behind the veil: Rare look at life in North Korea . He compares a tour of the DPRK to the film "The Matrix." The occasional glitches in the tour, say when the bus breaks down and is forced to make an impromptu stop, are like the scene in the film when the cat walks through twice -- a crack in the Matrix. So long as you don't break the rules -- disrespect the leaders, wander off on your own, try to speak to the locals without permission -- then North Korea is a very safe place to visit. Haydon Howlett, a New Zealand tourist who visited Pyonyang for the first time this summer, says it's one of the safest places he's ever visited. "There aren't many countries where you can leave your bag loaded with cash, cameras and passports and know that it'll be there when you return," says Howlett. Travel blogger Earl weighed up the pros and cons of visiting on his site, www.wanderingearl.com. The reasons for not going were fairly convincing: money from the tour would support the regime and it's repressive policies; foreigners are used as propaganda tools by the North Korean government by presenting tourists as people who come to pay their respects to the regime and leaders; it would be a controlled and limited experience; and there would be little interaction with North Koreans. But in the end he decided to go and didn't regret his decision. "I still believe that the benefits of traveling to North Korea do indeed outweigh the negatives," he wrote on his blog. It's quite possible to visit North Korea and buy into the vision of the country that's offered, without question. Many do. Freeman was stunned by two young Australian women who announced at the end of their week-long tour that they were going to tell everyone back home that North Korea was nothing like what the media portrays. "They were so naïve," says Freeman. Had they forgotten that there are 300,000 plus people who are going to die in concentration camps? They aren't called Death Camps because people are executed there, they are called Death Camps because you stay there until you die." More: Gallery: Unseen face of Pyongyang . ### SUMMARY:
About 6,000 Western tourists have visited North Korea this year, says North Korea travel company Koryo Tours . North Korea visitors are given a strict set of guidelines to follow . Outside the hotel, a guide accompanies visitors at all times and every tour is a carefully choreographed affair .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: Former CIA Director David Petraeus is expected to tell House and Senate committees Friday that soon after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, it suspected Ansar al Sharia was responsible. But just what is Ansar al Sharia, and why wasn't it identified as a prime suspect two months ago? There is no easy answer. Ansar al Sharia is more a label than an organization, one that's been adopted by conservative Salafist groups across the Arab world. The name means, simply, "Partisans of Islamic Law." In Benghazi, Ansar al Sharia was one of many groups that filled the vacuum of authority following the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi. Its members guarded the Al Jala hospital in Tripoli, where a number of the war's wounded were treated. For a while, the group provided security at the airport, according to Noman Benotman, a senior fellow at the Quilliam Foundation in London who has closely followed the evolution of the Libyan brigades. Ansar al Sharia took over a security building in Tripoli following Gadhafi's ouster and came up with a logo -- a pair of AK-47s, a clenched first and an open Koran. The group's central belief is that all authority is derived from the Prophet Mohammed, that democracy is un-Islamic and that other branches of Islam, such as the Sufi, are heretical. Ansar al Sharia and members of another brigade, dubbed the Libyan Shield, have been accused of destroying Sufi shrines near Benghazi days before the attack on the consulate. The description on the Twitter feed of Ansar al Sharia of Benghazi proclaims: "The goals of Ansar al-Sharia brigade is to implement the laws of Allah on the land, and reject the human implemented laws and earthly made constitutions. There will be nothing ruling in this country other than the laws of Allah." As with many of the brigades that roam Libya, Ansar al Sharia in Benghazi appears to have a fluid membership in the low-hundreds but some identifiable leaders, who have denied the group had any part in the consulate attack. In Benghazi, the membership includes Mohammed al-Zahawi and Sheikh Nasser al-Tarshani, its religious authority. Neither has been detained. Al-Zahawi -- who fought to overthrow Gadhafi -- has given a number of interviews since the September 11 attack on the consulate. In a BBC interview a week after attack, al-Zahawi denied Ansar al Sharia had any role in the attack, but said the group would not give up its weapons. "We are in a battle with the liberals, the secularists and the remnants of Gadhafi," he told the BBC. Al-Tarshani told The Irish Times the attack was wrong. "The killing of the ambassador was not intentional — he died as a result of suffocation," he told Mary Fitzgerald in a telephone interview. He also said that just because the assailants carried the black flag often associated with Salafist groups, it did not mean Ansar al Sharia was responsible. A CNN analysis of photographs of a large Islamist parade in Benghazi in June -- and similar shows of strength elsewhere -- indicates the flag is widely used by Libyan Islamist militia. Another prominent Ansar al Sharia figure is former Guantanamo Bay detainee Sufian bin Qumu. But his "patch" is east of Benghazi, near the town of Derna. In the wake of the September 11 consulate attack, the 53-year old bin Qumu is thought by analysts to have left the area for a hide-out in the nearby coastal mountain range. Al-Tarshani told The Irish Times that the Benghazi group had nothing to do with him. Benotman, himself a former Libyan jihadist, thinks that blaming Ansar al Sharia for the attack oversimplifies the situation. He told CNN in September that its loose structure made it easy for any group with a terror agenda to infiltrate it because of a shared ideology. One such group, Benotman said, was the Imprisoned Omar Abdul Rahman Brigades, named for the blind Egyptian Sheikh imprisoned in the United States for his role in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. The group claimed responsibility for a crude IED attack on the Benghazi consulate in June. There does not appear to be organizational links between Ansar al Sharia and al Qaeda, but there is solidarity. Al-Zahawi praised al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in his BBC interview, and said al Qaeda's statements "help galvanize the Muslim nation, maintain its dignity and pride." Benotman said most people in Benghazi have little time for the Islamist brigades, as evidenced by the crowd of thousands who attacked Ansar al Sharia's headquarters in the days following the consulate attack. But he says their animosity was less ideological than borne of frustration. "They felt the attack on consulate was a threat to their well-being. For many of the protestors, it's an opportunity to help the government make serious decisions to boost security in Benghazi," he said. U.S. unsure of Ansar role . The narrative from U.S. officials -- on the record and off -- about who was responsible for the consulate attack in Benghazi has been, at best, confusing. In part, that's because of the blurred lines and overlapping memberships of the different militia. On the day of the attack, a U.S. diplomatic cable sent from Benghazi described a meeting of several brigade commanders with U.S. officials two days earlier. According to the cable, during the meeting Libyan Shield commander Ben Hamed and another Islamist militia leader "discussed the very fluid relationships and blurry lines they say define membership in the Benghazi based Brigades under the February 17, Libya Shield, and SSC [Supreme Security Committee, a Libyan government created fighting outfit] umbrellas." Hamed and the other militia leader described themselves as members of multiple brigades, the cable said. Then there are the conflicting reports from U.S. officials. On September 18th, a U.S. official told CNN that Ansar al Sharia had not been positively identified as responsible for the attack, "which is more likely to turn out to be a bunch of various elements and basically (al Qaeda) militants." Another senior official told CNN: "Ansar al Sharia is only one of the elements they are looking at. The notion that the intelligence community has zeroed in on either Ansar al Sharia -- its leader Sufian bin Qumu in particular -- is completely untrue." At the same time, Matthew Olsen, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told a congressional panel: "We are looking at indications that individuals involved in the attack may have had connections to al Qaeda or al Qaeda's affiliates -- in particular, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb." The possibility that al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb was somehow involved in the attack was recently revived by U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Carter Ham, commander of the U.S. Africa Command. "It appears to me very likely that some of the terrorists who participated in the attack in Benghazi have at least some linkages to AQIM," Ham told reporters in Paris this week. At other times U.S. officials have suggested that Libyan jihadists who fought with al Qaeda in Iraq played a role along with Egyptian militants. Little is known about who Libyan authorities detained in the wake of the consulate attack, and whether they are still detained. A Tunisian, meanwhile, has been detained in connection with the attack, though nothing is known publicly about his links to Ansar al Sharia. Ani Ali al Harzi was arrested in Turkey and is now being held in Tunis. What can be said with some confidence is that the Salafist trend has been revitalized across the Arab world as dictatorships have crumbled. A number of Ansar al Sharia groups have emerged not only in Libya but in Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. "The Muslims today are not like they were before," al-Tarshani told the BBC. "They cannot stand any action that would insult our Prophet or other symbols." ### SUMMARY:
Ansar al Sharia is one of a handful of militias operating in Libya . Ansar al Sharia serves more as a label than an organized group . Its identifiable leaders are Mohammed al-Zahawi and Sufian bin Qumu . Both have denied the group had any role in the consulate attack .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:09 EST, 11 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 20:11 EST, 11 May 2012 . A second woman has been arrested on Thursday night as the third suspect in connection with the killing of the young wife of a U.S. Marine at Camp Pendleton. Dorothy Grace Marie Maraglino, 36, of Fallbrook, California, was taken into custody at a hotel in downtown San Diego, Sheriff Bill Gore said in a written statement. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service assisted in the arrest, according to the statement. Mystery suspect: Dorothy Grace Marie Maraglino (pictured) was arrested in San Diego in connection with the April murder of 22-year-old Brittany, Dawn Killgore . Gore said that Maraglino was taken into custody as a result of information and evidence obtained during the ongoing investigation into Brittany Dawn Killgore's death. Killgore, 22, was last seen April 13, three days after she filed for divorce from her husband, Lance Corporal Cory Killgore. Her body was found in brush near Lake Skinner on April 17. Authorities did not mention what role investigators believe Maraglino played in the alleged murder. The 36-year-old was ordered held without bail. She is expected to be arraigned on Monday at the Vista branch of San Diego County Superior Court . The other suspects in the killing are Maraglino's boyfriend, Louis Ray Perez, 45, a . Camp Pendleton Marine staff sergeant, and Jessica Lynn Lopez, 25, who . was a roommate of Perez and Maraglino. Both have pleaded not guilty to . murder. During Perez's arraignment in April, prosecutors revealed that Killgore met him for a night out after she filed for divorce. Another woman was supposed to join them, but canceled last minute. During their date, however, something apparently went awry. ‘She sent a text saying, 'Help,'' said Patrick Espinoza, a deputy San Diego County district attorney. ‘She was missing from that point on.’ According to Espinoza, investigators found Killgore's blood and a weapon in Perez's car. He also said Perez told investigators he dropped off Killgore in downtown San Diego's Gaslamp District, but investigators concluded that he lied about his whereabouts and stayed about 60 miles north in Fallbrook, where Killgore lived. Authorities said Killgore's body was found hours after paramedics were called to a San Diego motel and found Lopez with self-inflicted cuts and a suicide note. Tragic: The body of Brittany Killgore was discovered on Tuesday, four days after she was last seen with a marine who was later arrested on an unrelated charge . Suspect: Authorities believe that the victim knew Jessica Lynn Lopez (pictured here), and the two were involved in some kind of sex slave ring . While authorities would not elaborate . on the nature of the relationship between Lopez and the victim, Lopez's . neighbor claims she and Mrs Killgore were involved in a dangerous sex . ring, playing sex slaves. According to online profiles cited by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Perez and Maraglino were also involved in sadomasochism and bondage. The prosecutor said Lopez and . Perez once lived together but didn't indicate when or where. Lopez lives . a mile from Killgore's second-floor apartment overlooking Camp . Pendleton.It is still unclear how Killgore died. Cory Killgore has not been named as a suspect or person of interest in the killing. The couple married in July of 2010. Lopez's attorney Dean Broyles said he . didn't know if his client knew Perez or Mrs Killgore, who was reported . missing one day after Lopez turned 25. 'There's a lot of speculation, a lot of innuendo, a lot of weak allegations and charges out there,' he said. 'I would caution everyone to not jump to conclusions and prejudge based on all the information flying around right now.' Suicide attempt: Jessica Lynn Lopez was found with numerous self-inflicted stab wounds on her body at this Ramada Inn near the San Diego Airport . Estranged: Brittany Killgore, right, filed for divorce from husband Cory, left, last week . Lopez's parents, who live in nearby Escondido, . released a statement saying they loved their daughter. 'We . pray for the family of Brittany Killgore and ask that the Lord comfort . them during their time of grief and anguish,' the parents said. 'We ask that you pray for all of those impacted by this tragic situation, including our family.' Authorities have not disclosed Mrs Killgore, Lopez, and Perez are connected. A neighbour, who declined to be identified, told ABC 10 that both Lopez and the victim took part in some kind of sex ring. She said: 'They're into the sex slave things... I try not to judge, but that's what they're into.' Missing: Brittany Killgore lived in Fallbrook, California, not far from Camp Pendleton US Marine base . Perez, 45, had initially pleaded not guilty to stealing a AR-15 rifle from Camp Pendleton, but was re-arrested on April 24 and charged with Killgore's death. Lopez's bail was set at $3 million. Mrs Killgore went missing shortly after . filing for divorce from her husband, Cory Killgore a 22-year-old Marine deployed to . Afghanistan. Her body was found in brush in Riverside . County about 25 miles northeast of her modest, two-story apartment in . Fallbrook, a San Diego County community known for its avocado orchards. Killgore lived a short walk from an . entrance to Camp Pendleton, and her complex - like others around it - is . full of Marines and their families who tend to be short-term residents . and often don't get to know each other well. Fears: Cory, right, is returning from Afghanistan after hearing about the disappearance of his wife, left . Killgore's husband, Lance Corporal . Cory Killgore, flew back to California after learning his wife was . missing. The couple from Missouri were married . in July 2010. Brittany Killgore filed for divorce April 10 and listed . 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason. She gave no details on the . paperwork. Her cellphone was found in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego, an area populated with bars and restaurants. Darryl J Wrest of Rolla, Missouri, . confirmed Brittany Killgore is his daughter but said he was not . commenting on anything at this time. Killgore's other family members . also declined to comment. Authorities investigating the homicide said a suicide note . of the prime suspect contained key details about the case, including . the location of a body. Serious: The Fallbrook scene where Louis Ray Perez is being questioned in connection with the disappearance . Authorities in California are now reportedly examining a possible link between Killgore, the suspect, and a seedy sex ring. ABC 10 reported that officers later responded to a Ramada Inn near the San Diego Airport, . where they found a woman with stab wounds all over her body in an . apparent suicide attempt. That woman, 25-year-old Lopez, was arrested at the scene but hospitalized at UCSD Medical Center. Cory Killgore was deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year as a vehicle operator. Since his wife's murder, Killgore has spoken . publicly about her just once, saying in a statement that she . was 'beautiful beyond words' and that he was 'devastated' by her loss, according to Patch. 'My duty to her memory is now to ensure her good reputation remains . intact, and help law enforcement and prosecutors secure justice for the . person or persons who took her away from me,' he said. ### SUMMARY:
Dorothy Grace Marie Maraglino was arrested at a San Diego hotel . Brittany Killgore went missing on April 13 . 22-year-old's body was discovered on April 17 . Suspect Jessica Lopez arrested after trying to kill herself in hotel room . Found with suicide note containing key details on Killgore's disappearance . Another Marine, Louis Ray Perez, was also charged in the killing .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Christian Gysin . PUBLISHED: . 04:10 EST, 25 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 09:17 EST, 26 May 2012 . Libya's Prime Minister has claimed his country's former head of intelligence holds the key to solving the murder of policewoman Yvonne Fletcher, who was shot dead outside London's Libyan embassy in 1984. Leader Abdurrahim El-Keib, who yesterday visited the spot where Wpc Fletcher was shot dead, described Abdullah al-Senussi as the 'black box' who would know who carried out the killing. Senussi was one of Muammar Gaddafi's most senior henchmen who fled Libya last year and was arrested in Mauritania in March. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. He is also suspected of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing. Dramatic: Members of the security team of Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib's pose for photos at the spot where Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead . Mr El-Keib, Libya's interim prime minister, said Abdul Senussi - also Gaddafi’s brother-in-law - was central to solving the murder case. He added: ‘He’s the black box. I guarantee he was almost directly or indirectly involved in most if not all of the crimes [of the former regime]. That doesn’t mean others weren’t involved. But he definitely knows who they were.' A team of detectives from the Metropolitan Police are to fly to Libya to continue their investigations into the unsolved murder, it was announced this week. During yesterday's visit, the Libyan prime minister paused and bowed in front of the memorial to Wpc Fletcher and laid a wreath of white roses and carnations at the spot. But Mr El-Keib said yesterday his country would 'work very closely together' with the UK after talks with Prime Minister David Cameron. Joining the Prime Minister at the memorial were two of his body guards who - with their sunglasses, designer stubble and smart suits - struck a seemingly dramatic stance,reaching out an arm to grasp the metal railings behind, for the camera. Respect: Libyan interim Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib prepares to lay a wreath in London, at the spot where British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead . Investigation: Abdurrahim el-Keib has pledged that his country would work closely with the British government in a renewed investigation of the killing . WPC Fletcher, who was 25, was shot dead as she policed an anti-Gaddafi demonstration outside the Libyan People’s Bureau. She was cradled by colleague John Murray, who has been behind a long-running campaign to find justice for her. What is known is that the bullets which killed her and injured ten protesters came from inside the embassy. No-one has ever been brought to justice for the killing. Ms Fletcher's mother Queenie, father Tim and sister Sarah Parsons have been hoping to see justice for their daughter ever since. WPC Fletcher’s death led to an 11-day siege of the building in St James’s Square and the severing of diplomatic links between Britain and Libya. Mr El-Keib worked with the opposition while in exile during Gaddafi’s dictatorship and said he knew some of those involved in the demonstration. Tribute: The memorial to murdered British policewoman Yvonne Fletcher . Mr El-Keib worked with the opposition while in exile during Muammar Gaddafi's dictatorship, and said he knew some of those involved in the demonstration. Senussi is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in Libya while France wants to try him in connection with the 1989 bombing of an airline over Niger in which 170 people died. He may also have some information about the Lockerbie bombing. Officers from New Scotland Yard and Home Office Minister James Brokenshire met Mr El-Keib today to discuss the Fletcher case. Commander Richard Walton, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism said he was determined to get justice for Ms Fletcher. He added: 'We have never lost our resolve to solve this murder and achieve justice for Yvonne's family. We see today's announcement as significant.' Detectives remain in regular contact with Wpc Fletcher's family and update them on developments. Tragic: The killing of Wpc Yvonne Fletcher sparked an 11 day police siege of the Libyan embassy in St James's Square . Mr El-Keib said Libya wanted to be 'long-term friends and partners' with Britain, and paid tribute to the role which the UK played in the international military mission to protect civilians from Gaddafi's forces during last year's uprising. Addressing Mr Cameron he said: 'You took a bold decision when it was very difficult for many to even consider supporting the Libyan people. You took that decision which inspired many of us.' Mr Cameron said: 'I am very proud of the role that Britain played to help secure a successful outcome in Libya and the support we gave through the Nato mission. 'I am very much looking forward to hearing about the progress towards a full democracy in Libya and the elections which you hope to hold before Ramadan this year.' Mr El-Keib was appointed interim prime minister of Libya in October last year. Elections for a national assembly for Libya are expected in June or July, though no date has yet been set. Mr Cameron and Mr El-Keib were also thought to be discussing the reconstruction of the country following last year's revolution. Changing Times: David Cameron said allowing British police to fly to Libya investigate Wpc Fletcher's killing was a really positive step. Diplomatic relations were cut with Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi, right, following the incident in 1984 . And just days after the death of the only person convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, they may also discuss whether any further evidence relating to the atrocity has emerged in the wake of the downfall of the Gaddafi regime. Mr El-Keib spent much of his life working abroad as an academic and businessman in the United States and UAE, and played no part in Gaddafi's administration. David Cameron, left, greets Libya's Prime Minister, Abdurrahim el-Keib before their meeting at 10 Downing Street . Speaking today, he dismissed his predecessor's regime saying his nation 'was a country where Libyans felt like aliens' and where people lived 'as close as you can get to the poverty line'. Saying that citizens 'lived in fear of the security apparatus', he spelt out his objectives for the country after elections are held on June 19 - for which 2.5 million people have registered to vote. The premier said life had already changed in the short time since Gaddafi's downfall with freedom of the press, human rights and transparency as cornerstones of life. 'These are special values that caused the revolution to take place,' he said. He also promised laws banning people from insulting Libya and glorifying Gaddafi would be erased after the election. Speaking at a talk in London, titled Re-establishing The State, Mr El-Keib said: 'I guarantee such laws will disappear completely.' The prime minister also spoke of the massive job of rebuilding the country and its infrastructure with health, education and the economy high on his list of priorities. 'Under the circumstances we have been making excellent progress and we have been making that progress continuously to democracy and the rule of law,' he said. Mr El-Keib told the audience of 250 that the times of corrupt deals being organised had gone.Contracts for rebuilding the nation would no longer get signed off by "just the man upstairs and he then starts asking you to do him favours'. Referring to the country's oil and gas capabilities and future business with international companies, Mr El-Keib said: "The door is well open in a transparent fashion. 'You are welcome, everyone, that can help us move forward and enhance our production in the future.' Mr Cameron and Mr El-Keib were thought to be discussing the reconstruction of the Libya following last year's revolution . ### SUMMARY:
Libya's PM claims former head of intelligence holds key to solving murder . Visit comes a day after Abdurrahim El-Keib meets Cameron . Wpc Fletcher shot dead controlling demonstration in London in 1984 . Believed that PC was hit by shot fired from embassy .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Daily Mail Reporter and Associated Press Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 08:58 EST, 22 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 08:58 EST, 22 March 2013 . Give those Harvard kids an A-plus in another subject: Bracketbusting 101. The school known for producing U.S. presidents, Supreme Court justices and Nobel Prize winners earned its first NCAA tournament victory Thursday night - a 68-62 upset of No. 3 seed New Mexico - and it didn't feel like a fluke. What makes the Cinderella win even more impressive is that the team lost both its co-captains before the season began as a huge cheating scandal swept the Ivy League school. Joy: Harvard's Siyani Chambers #1 and Laurent Rivard #0 celebrate the team's shock win in their first-ever NCAA tournament game . But on Thursday, Wesley Saunders scored 18 points and Laurent Rivard made five 3-pointers to help the 14th-seeded Crimson pull the biggest surprise of March Madness so far.Reaction came quickly, and from various corners. 'America, we are sorry for messing up your brackets and also your financial system and everything else,' tweeted the jokesters at the Harvard Lampoon. And this from Harvard's most famous hoops alum, Jeremy Lin: 'YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you,' he tweeted shortly after the victory. Everybody ready for Crimsonsanity? Still, this season's Harvard story is not all about the warm-and-fuzzies. The team lost its two co-captains, Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, before the season began because of an academic scandal that involved more than 100 students. Representing: Harvard's most famous hoops alum, Jeremy Lin, showed his support for the team on Twitter.'YYYYYEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! HARVARD winssss!!! hahahahhah i told you,' he tweeted after the win . It was revealed in September that Casey and Curry voluntarily withdrew from the school after being implicated in the plagiarism row. It is believed both men withdrew before they were suspended in order to retain their final year of sporting eligibility in the event they are readmitted to the school. In the previous season, Casey averaged 11.4 points per game while first-choice point guard Curry made a team-high 5.0 assists per match. Harvard investigated allegations that at least 125 undergraduates in Government 1310: Introduction to Congress, a spring 2012 class with an enrollment of 279, cheated by collaborating on answers for a take-home final exam. The students were accused of 'acts of academic dishonesty, ranging from inappropriate collaboration to outright plagiarism.' Harvard announced in February that half of the students investigated have been asked to withdraw from the school. Row: Harvard got their surprise victory despite losing co-captains Kyle Casey (left) and Brandyn Curry (right) following a cheating scandal in 2012 . Next up for Harvard basketball (20-9), a meeting with sixth-seeded Arizona, which beat Belmont 81-64 earlier in the West Region. 'This is the No. 1 moment in my career,' said Harvard senior Christian Webster, who finished with 11 points. 'The thought came to mind that this could be the last game. We showed a lot of toughness, just persevering.' Indeed. The Ivy Leaguers put the clamps down on New Mexico's Tony Snell, holding him to nine points on 4-for-12 shooting after he dominated in the Mountain West Conference tournament. They banged inside with Lobos big men Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk, whose 22 points provided New Mexico's only consistent offense. Mostly, they showed none of the jitters that marked their trip to the tournament last year, a 79-70 loss to Vanderbilt in the Crimson's first NCAA appearance since 1946. Rivard went 6 of 7 from 3 in that one - played on New Mexico's home court in The Pit - and was clearly pumped for an encore against the Lobos themselves. He was 5 of 9 this time, with three of them coming in the first half, while Harvard was holding a small lead and, more importantly, answering every surge the Lobos (29-6) could muster. Rivard finished with 17 points. 'I hit my first one, and you know, you hit the shot and then you keep shooting after that, and then I hit another one, so I knew it was going to be a good game after that,' Rivard said. Coach Tommy Amaker called Rivard the best 3-point shooter in Boston this side of former Celtic Ray Allen. Victory: Crimson coach Tommy Amaker (left) said: 'I'm very proud of our guys.' Webster can also shoot the 3. He was more of a role player last year, but jumped to the fore in 2013; he made three 3s and gestured after each one of them, even pointing to his forehead after swishing one from the corner in the first half. Yep, these smart kids really can play. 'We battled a really good basketball team in a tough environment,' Amaker said. 'I'm very proud of our guys.' Amaker outcoached his contemporary, Steve Alford, exacting revenge of sorts for the time Alford's Indiana team beat Amaker and Duke back in the 1987 regional semifinals. 'I've got all the respect in the world for Tommy. He does it the right way,' Alford said. 'His staff was very well prepared. They had a good game plan and they executed it well.' Based on their regular-season and conference tournament victories, the Lobos were a popular pick to head to the Final Four this season. The school even gave Alford a new, 10-year contract Wednesday that called for a $125,000 bonus for a Final Four trip. They'll save the money but feel the pain. The Mountain West Conference, judged one of the top two leagues in college basketball all season, fell to 1-3 so far this week. Meanwhile, the Ivy League moves on for the first time since Cornell made the regional semifinals in 2010. This year's standard-bearer is Harvard - that school we've all heard of, but not usually this time of year. Shock: Harvard shot 52 percent for the game - that's almost 15 percent better than New Mexico's stingy defense normally allows. Steve Moundou-Missi (right) of Harvard is fouled by Alex Kirk (left) of New Mexico in the second half . Amaker, who had plenty of experience in rebuilding projects when he coached a Michigan team recovering from NCAA violations, didn't wave the white flag after losing his captains. He simply asked his team for more. In stepped freshman point guard Siyani Chambers, who played like a veteran. He wasn't great against the Lobos, finishing with five points and seven assists, but he kept his team under control, poised and found open players. The Crimson shot 52 percent for the game - that's almost 15 percent better than New Mexico's stingy defense normally allows. New Mexico, meanwhile, shot only 37 percent. 'We can't shoot for them,' Alford said. 'We've had games like that, several games where we haven't shot the ball well. It's a glaring weakness on this basketball team.' It allowed Harvard to take a lead for good with about 6 minutes left. When Kenyatta Smith made an 8-foot, left-handed shot to put the Crimson up 59-53 with 4:40 left, Alford called timeout and Amaker ran onto the court to calm his kids down. They acted like they belonged down the stretch, making five free throws and hanging onto the ball. The buzzer sounded and they stormed the court like any 14 would after beating a 3. But just as quickly, it was over. 'We mentioned to our kids coming into the tournament, we talked about how meaningful this season has been, how they adjusted and adapted and believed,' Amaker said. 'This adds to that.' ### SUMMARY:
No 14 seed Harvard shocks No 3 seed New Mexico in first NCAA appearance . Alum Jeremy Linn tweets his congratulations . Harvard team lost both co-captains after massive plagiarism row at school in August 2012 .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Jaymi Mccann . PUBLISHED: . 13:19 EST, 17 May 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 02:08 EST, 20 May 2013 . Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla died in prison aged 87 . Former Argentine dictator Jorge Rafael Videla died in his sleep while serving life in prison for crimes against humanity aged 87. Videla took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta that killed thousands of his fellow citizens in a dirty war to eliminate people considered to be subversives. Federal Prison Service Director Victor Hortel said Videla died in the Marcos Paz prison. He was found lifeless in his bed and declared dead at 8:25 a.m.. Videla ran one of the bloodiest military governments during South America's era of dictatorships, and later sought to take full responsibility for kidnappings, tortures, deaths and disappearances when he was tried again and again for these crimes in recent years. He said he knew about everything that happened under his rule because 'I was on top of everyone.' Videla had a low profile before the March 24, 1976, coup, but quickly became the architect of a repressive system that killed about 9,000 people according to official accounts. Human rights activists believe the real number was as high as 30,000. In 2003, during the presidency of . Nestor Kirchner, the Supreme Court nullified the amnesty laws, and a new . era of human rights investigations began, finally reaching the trial . stage in the last few years. In 2010, Videla was condemned to life in . prison for killing 31 political dissidents, and was ordered to serve the . time in common prison. The baby thefts conviction, with its . 50-year sentence, was handed down in 2012. All of the crimes involved in . both convictions were considered crimes against humanity under . Argentine law. Videla ultimately served only five . years in prison after his right to serve his time at home because of his . advanced age was revoked in 2008. Videla died while standing trial in a . case focused on kidnappings and killings related to Operation Condor. This 'dirty war' introduced two frightening terms to the global lexicon of terror: 'disappeareds' - people kidnapped and never seen nor heard from again - and 'death flights,' in which political prisoners were thrown, drugged but alive, from navy planes into the sea. Argentine dictator Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla with Former Paraguayan dictator Gen. Alfredo Stroessner in 1977 . Complaints from families looking for missing loved ones were later heard internationally, and suggested that the regime many Argentines initially welcomed as an antidote to political violence and economic chaos was much bloodier than first thought. 'The disappeareds aren't there, they don't exist,' Videla told a news conference defensively in 1977. Videla's dictatorship also stood out from others in Latin America for its policy of holding pregnant prisoners until they gave birth, and then killing the women while arranging for illegal adoptions of their babies, usually by military or police families. This happened hundreds of times, and the Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo rights group has relentlessly sought to reunite these children, now in their 30s, with their biological families. Last year, Videla was convicted and sentenced again, to a 50-year-term, for the thefts of these babies. Adolfo Perez Esquivel, who spent 28 months in prison during the dictatorship and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work documenting Videla's crimes, said the general's death should not be cause for celebration, and urged Argentina's justice system to keep investigating the dirty war era. Videla was among 46 officials of the former regime being sought for extradition by Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon to face trial for crimes against humanity . 'The death of Videla should not bring joy to anyone. We need to keep working for a better society, more just, more humane, so that all this horror doesn't ever happen, never again,' Esquivel said in an interview with Radio Once Diez. Neither does Videla's death end an era, Esquivel said: 'It goes beyond Videla, it's a political system that they implemented throughout the country and in Latin America.' Videla's regime, known as the 'Process of National Reorganization,' fought against armed leftist guerrillas, but these movements were already weakened and nearly destroyed at the time of the coup. The junta soon pursued political opponents, union members, student activists and social workers, rousting people from their homes and torturing them in clandestine detention centers. The process soon spread internationally as the junta joined Operation Condor, an effort launched by Chile's dictator, Gen. Augusto Pinochet to make sure the countries of South American's southern cone provided no refuge to each other's leftist enemies. 'Paraguay's dictator Alfredo Stroessner joined the pact, as did the leaders of Bolivia, Brasil, and Uruguay. Secret documents released decades later showed that U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was kept well informed. Videla told journalists Maria Seone and Vicente Muleiro, authors of his 2001 biography 'The Dictator,' that the three essential elements of his state-sponsored terror campaign were clandestine detention centers, torture to obtain information and the subsequent disappearance of the prisoners, so that they "don't have identity," and are "neither alive nor dead." Videla's junta closed Congress, banned political parties, intervened in unions and universities, and imposed an iron censorship over the media. The military leaders engineered a joint venture with the owners of the newspapers La Nacion and Clarin to control newsprint and thus ensure sympathetic coverage. The high point of Videla's regime came in 1978, when Argentina hosted soccer's World Cup. Just blocks from the River Plate stadium where Diego Maradona's goals made Argentina the champion, detainees were being tortured inside the Navy Mechanics School, a leafy campus where thousands were taken, never to be seen again. Argentinian former dictator Jorge Rafael Videla (L) and Reynaldo Bignone (2L), last President of the dictatorship, attending a judgment against them in Buenos Aires . Videla retired in 1981 and handed leadership to a succession of other generals. By then the government was already weakened, pressured by persistent inflation, a sluggish economy and explosive growth in foreign debts after nationalizing the debts of leading private corporations. The dictators then launched an ill-advised war against Britain for the Falkland Islands, which Argentina claims as the Malvinas and considers part of its territory. That military defeat hastened the return of democracy on Dec. 12, 1983. With constitutional rule restored, then-President Raul Alfonsin created a truth commission to investigate the dictatorship's crimes, and its report, titled "Never Again," served as the basis for a historic trial of the dictators, which ended with Videla's first life sentence in 1985. Alfonsin's government also passed amnesty laws designed to put an end to human rights trials for everyone other than the junta leaders, and his successor, President Carlos Menem, then pardoned Videla in 1990. Videla was free until 1998, when a judge charged him in the baby thefts. He spent a month in prison before asserting the right that Argentines over 70 have to house arrest pending trial. Videla came from a long line of military officers dating back to Argentina's war of independence from Spain. He was born on August 2, 1925, in Mercedes, a town in Buenos Aires province. His father, Lt. Col. Rafael Videla, participated in an earlier coup that toppled President Hipolito Yrigoyen in 1930. Following family tradition, he went to Argentina's military college, became a general in 1971 and was designated commander of the army in 1976. He married Alicia Raquel Hartridge in 1948 and had seven children. ### SUMMARY:
Videla took power over Argentina in a 1976 coup and led a military junta . The 'dirty war' was meant to eliminate people considered to be subversives . Was found lifeless in his bed and declared dead at 8:25 a.m . Said he knew everything that happened under his rule because 'I was on top of everyone.'
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Jack Doyle, John Stevens and Vanessa Allen . PUBLISHED: . 05:44 EST, 16 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:55 EST, 16 July 2013 . Ian McLoughlin is an 'astonishingly bright' man who has a violent hatred of gay men despite being bisexual himself . A double killer on the run who is suspected of murdering a third is bordering on genius level but harbours a violent hatred of gay men. Bisexual Ian McLoughlin, 55,  viciously attacked a paedophile he met in jail and is believed to have stabbed a neighbour who rushed to his aid after a row broke out on Saturday. Grandfather and father of three, Graham Buck, 66, was killed as he tried to help paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, 87, in the village of Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire. Today, it emerged that convicted killer McLoughlin – now the focus of a ‘massive manhunt’ has an IQ of 140 and is described as 'astonishingly bright'. Anyone with a IQ above this is considered a ‘genius’. The killer has already served one sentence for killing one gay man, and was 22 years into a second jail term for murdering another homosexual. McLoughlin, who also uses the surname . Baker, absconded on Saturday while on day release from an open prison . where he is serving a 25-year sentence for murdering homosexual Peter . Halls, 55, in 1990, just months after he finished a jail term for . another homophobic killing. He murdered Mr Halls by stabbing him . through the neck while he lay face down on a bed in 1990, seven years . after he killled Len Delgatty, 49, in Stoke Newington, north London.  Mr Delgatty, who . was also gay, was battered with a hammer before being strangled with a . tourniquet and then left upside down to drown in his own blood. McLoughlin, . who is bisexual but is said to hate gay men, fled the scene but later . crashed his car while drunk and was found to have used Mr Delgatty's . credit card. McLoughlin was charged with murder but . convicted of manslaughter after claiming he was incensed by Mr Delgatty . playing him a tape in which he fantasised about having sex with a . teenage boy.  The alleged tape was never found. Scroll down for video . Police looking for double killer Ian McLoughlin in connection with a suspected murder in a quiet village have released this image . Wanted: Ian McLoughlin is believed to have met convicted paedophile Francis Cory-Wright, 88, in prison . Family man: Graham Buck, 66, who died in the latest killing, is circled in a family photo . The trial heard that Mr Delgatty had previously served time in prison for under-age sex and another sex offence. McLoughlin's 13-year sentence for the killing was reduced to eight years on appeal, but within 17 months of his release, McLoughlin, a drifter from Barrow-in-Furness who is said to have worked as a rent boy, killed again in September 1990. Again, his victim was gay: Peter Halls, a . publican with whom McLoughlin had been living in Brighton.  He forced . him to lie face down on his bed and then stabbed him through the neck . with such force that the knife came out the other side. Forensics officers yesterday worked at Cory-Wright's stone house in the village of Little Gaddesden, Hertfordshire . McLoughlin then stole luxury goods worth thousands of pounds from him. The most recent killing took place in a quiet Hertfordshire village where, it is alleged,on his first day of unsupervised . release, McLoughlin is said to have targeted the £1million home of Old . Etonian Francis Cory-Wright, 87,a convicted paedophile he got to know . while the two were in prison together. He is believed to have been . interrupted by a neighbour, named yesterday as grandfather and . father-of-three Graham Buck, who overheard shouting and went to help. McLoughlin is suspected of grabbing a . knife from the kitchen and repeatedly stabbing Mr Buck, 66, a retired . businessman, before fleeing with thousands of pounds in cash. Victim's home: A statement released by Mr Buck's family today said: 'We were all in such a happy place as a family... We cannot get over that we have lost him' At the time of Mr Halls’ death, his sister Pamela . condemned his release from jail in the first place, saying: ‘McLoughlin . should not have been released after he committed this sort of crime the . first time.’ Yesterday, when it emerged that he was . granted day release from an open prison as part of his . ‘rehabilitation’, she branded the justice system ‘a joke’. The 71-year-old mother-of-two from . Brighton said: ‘This monster has struck again and has been allowed to . strike again because he has been freed to walk the streets just as he . was with my poor brother.' ‘I pray he is caught soon. Nothing can . change men like McLoughlin, he is evil and should have been left . rotting in a prison cell where he deserves to be, not free to kill and . kill again.’ Company director Graham Buck, 66, left, died after he went to help neighbour Francis Cory-Wright, 87, right . She said she had spent more than 20 years trying to come to terms with her brother’s killing. She said: ‘I have tried to put Peter’s . killing behind me but you never forget. Now all the terrible emotions I . felt have come back to the surface. ‘McLoughlin has never shown a scrap of remorse for what he did to Peter. I would be happy if they gave him a lethal injection.’ Mr Buck leaves a wife, two sons, a . daughter and two grandchildren, and a wife from a previous marriage. His . wife, Karen, a 55-year-old nurse, said: ‘I’ve lost my rock. I wouldn’t . be able to do half the things I’ve done since being with Graham if it . wasn’t for him. He and his family have always been there for me in . difficult times. I don’t know what I’ll do without him.’ In a statement, his family added: ‘We . have no words to express how much Graham will be missed. We were all in . such a happy place as a family. We were all so settled, with growing . numbers of grandchildren whom he adored being around. ‘We haven’t seen him happier than being around his grandchildren, he was so proud. We cannot get over that we have lost him.’ Police and forensics officers worked on the houses belonging to both Mr Buck and Cory-Wright today . Police guard the home of Cory-Wright in the sleepy Hertfordshire village of Little Gaddesden, near Berkhamsted . McLoughlin was known to the police in Cumbria where he grew up, and ended up in a juvenile care home.  He was convicted of a string of crimes including theft and burglary, and was described as  a 'drifter'. He was married briefly but, troubled by his sexuality, it did not last, and he soon turned to more serious crime. Yesterday Detective Chief Superintendent Jeff . Hill said McLoughlin went to Cory-Wright's house for a ‘purely financial . motive’ but warned the public that McLoughlin is ‘extremely dangerous’ and should not be approached. Paying tribute to Mr Buck, he said he had . ‘paid the ultimate price for intervening at the home of an elderly . neighbour’. Cory-Wright, who suffered injuries during the attack, was discharged from hospital yesterday. ### SUMMARY:
Bisexual Ian McLoughlin has an IQ of 140 and is described as 'astonishingly bright', but has killed two men previously in violent homophobic attacks . McLoughlin was 22 years into a 25-year sentence before he walked out of open prison on day release on Saturday and failed to return . 'Extremely dangerous' McLoughlin is on the run from Spring Hill open prison near Aylesbury and could be armed . He is suspected of killing Graham Buck, 66, who rushed to help his paedophile neighbour Francis Cory-Wright, 87 .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Neil Ashton . PUBLISHED: . 09:59 EST, 14 March 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 18:41 EST, 14 March 2013 . Is England boss Roy Hodgson right to recall Rio? Roy Hodgson admitted Rio Ferdinand has every right to feel a . 'grievance' towards him as he ended the Manchester United defender's . international exile. Ferdinand, who has not played for England since a Euro 2012 qualifier . against Switzerland in June 2011, returns for the World Cup qualifiers . against San Marino and Montenegro. England head coach Hodgson has dropped Joleon Lescott from the 26-man . travelling party, which includes the recalled Ben Foster, Michael Dawson . and Scott Parker. Rio returns: Manchester United defender Ferdinand is back in the England squad. His last game for the Three Lions was in June 2011 . GOALKEEPERS Hart (Man City), Foster (West Brom), Forster (Celtic). DEFENDERS Baines (Everton), Cahill (Chelsea), A Cole (Chelsea), Dawson (Tottenham), Ferdinand (Man United), G Johnson (Liverpool), Smalling (Man United), Walker (Tottenham). MIDFIELDERS Carrick (Man United), Cleverley (Man United), Gerrard (captain, Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (man City), Osman (Everton), Parker (Tottenham), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Walcott (Arsenal), Young (Man United). FORWARDS Defoe (Tottenham), Rooney (Man United), Sturridge (Liverpool), Welbeck (Man United). Hodgson, who has yet to speak with the Manchester United defender about his selection, said yesterday: 'If Rio has a grievance and does hold it against me because I haven't previously selected him there's not much I can do about that. It's a concern, but I can't do more than I am by giving him a chance to come back and making it clear I would like to use him. I can't do more. 'I like to do my talking to players face to face. The telephone sometimes is not the greatest of instruments, especially if you don't know people extremely well.' Hodgson has always quoted footballing  reasons for Ferdinand's omission and inadvertently appeared to end his England career in an unguarded conversation with a fellow passenger on a Tube train last October. The defender is understood to have been shocked by yesterday's announcement, but honoured to be playing for his country again. Ferdinand has had an uneasy relationship with Ashley Cole after the Chelsea defender gave evidence on behalf of retired England skipper John Terry in his court case with Anton Ferdinand last July. Rio was fined £45,000 by the FA over his infamous 'choc ice' tweet after the trial, a slang reference to Cole's ethnicity. Cole was later fined £90,000 for calling the FA a 'bunch of t****' when Terry was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after he was found guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. Recalling Rio: Hodgson has brought back Ferdinand . England manager Roy Hodgson and Under 21 counterpart Stuart Pearce will go head-to-head at the Madejski Stadium in May as the Football Association help celebrate 125 years of football in the British Army. A line-up of FA legends, managed by Hodgson, will take on the current British Army team who will be bossed by Pearce. The likes of Jens Lehmann, Gary Neville, Gareth Southgate, Paul Merson, Ledley King, Matt Le Tissier and Dietmar Hamann will line up for the FA Legends. The FA have donated £10,000 to help get the event off the ground with ticket sale proceeds going to service charities that promote sporting opportunities for soldiers, including wounded servicemen who play sport as part of their rehabilitation. The fixture also forms part of the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations and chairman David Bernstein said: 'We at the FA greatly value our close relationship with the Armed Forces and believe that we should celebrate their work whenever possible. 'In fact, the Army has a proud heritage with the Football Association going all the way back to our formative years in the 1860s. This match will be more than fitting, especially with the Army FA marking their 125th anniversary.' However, Cole and Rio Ferdinand shook hands before Sunday's FA Cup clash . between United and Chelsea and it is understood they are prepared to . put their differences behind them in the interests of the national team. Hodgson added: 'They were very good friends, but we are talking about England as a football team and not purely individuals. 'I expect the pair of them to do their job with England. Ashley has to . do his job at left back and Rio has to do his at centre half. 'I don't expect any problems. If there are any I will have to deal with . them, but I'm rather hoping the long-term friendship can re-emerge and . the unfortunate incident along the way can be forgotten. The spirit in . the group is good and they do seem to care about each other. 'I would be unhappy if there were tensions between players in a group, . but this is an  England team and these players are fierce rivals . sometimes on the field of play. 'We are talking about two very experienced professional players here and . we are talking about the England football team. I don't envisage any . problems.' England's head coach watched Ferdinand, who has 81 caps, play against . Real Madrid in the Champions League at Old Trafford last week and again . in the FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea. Hodgson added: 'If he is still . playing in 2014 like he is now then there is no reason why he cannot be . part of the squad in 2014 for the World Cup.' Football reasons: Hadgson said it was a no-brainer to recall Ferdinand . England play San Marino a week today  and then travel on to Montenegro . for a World Cup qualifier that could shape Hodgson's destiny. England go into the game behind  Montenegro in second place in Group H, . knowing they need a win to put automatic qualification for Brazil 2014 . back in their own hands. The big test for the squad will come in Podgorica, when Wayne Rooney . will return to the stadium where he was sent off in a Euro 2012 . qualifier against Montenegro. Together again: Ferdinand and Cole have not played with each other since June 2011 . At arm's length: Hodgson insists Cole and Ferdinand are good friends but it will be interesting to see how they get on . Glove story: West Brom goalkeeper Ben Foster has ended his international sabbatical and returns to the squad . Hands on: Manchester City's Joe Hart is expected to be first choice with Celtic's Fraser Forster challenging him . How it stands: Group H . Hodgson added: 'You don't forget  a sending off but his disciplinary . record, ignoring the occasion when he  paid dearly against Montenegro, . has been very good. I will be speaking to  all the players. 'Away matches at this level require a  lot of discipline, but I won't . single  out Wayne. He has not let me down as  a player, so I have no . reason to  doubt him.' Dawson, who has won only four caps,  is back in the squad for the first  time since his appearance against Wales in March 2011. Hot spurs: Tottenham's Michael Dawson and Scott Parker (R) are back in the England fold . National service: Chelsea defender Gary Cahill keeps his place in Hodgson's squad . Leading the way: Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard will captain England . Centre of attention: Chelsea's Frank Lampard and Manchester United's Michael Carrick are options in midfield . Hands up if you're in the England squad: Wayne Rooney will look to lead the line for the Three Lions in San Marino and Montenegro . Forward thinking: Manchester United star Danny Welbeck and Arsenal ace Theo Walcott (R) are also included . ### SUMMARY:
Boss Roy Hodgson describes decision as a 'no-brainer' Ben Foster and Michael Dawson also make return . 26-man party named for forthcoming World Cup 2014 qualifiers .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Matt Chorley . and Ray Massey . PUBLISHED: . 19:20 EST, 1 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 14:37 EST, 2 January 2014 . Train firms barely make a profit, the rail minister insisted today as passengers were hit with New Year fare rises of 3.1 per cent, three times higher than average increases in pay. Stephen Hammond denied operators were using the railways as a 'cash cow', with companies making 'less than three pence in the pound' as profit. But despite government efforts to limit annual rises to the rate of inflation, passengers returning to work today complained of high costs and poor service with some annual season tickets now costing more than £5,000. Scroll down for video . Hike: Regulated rail fares have risen by 3.1 per cent today, much higher than average pay rises of just 1 per cent . The 3.1 per cent rise taking effect today is for regulated fares which include season tickets. The increase on unregulated fares, typically off-peak leisure tickets, is not capped. The regulated fare increase pushes some commuters into the £5,000-a-year club, with annual season tickets to London from Deal and Dover Priory costing £5,012. But despite the cost of a ticket, many commuters struggle to find a seat and are forced to stand, with ministers now considering paying rail firms millions of pounds to remove first class carriages to free up space for standard class passengers. Despite the latest round of fare hikes, rail minister Mr Hammond insisted profit was 'certainly not the aim'. 'That cannot be the aim if you look at the reality. The idea that there’s a huge amount of cash cow is just a nonsense. The average operator earns less than three pence in the pound,' he told ITV's Daybreak. 'The reality is that this is a Government that for the first time is guaranteeing to spend £16billion over the next five years, Network Rail will be spending £38billion over the next five years, putting in extra seats, extra capacity, upgrading the infrastructure of this company. Much of the fares passengers pay go exactly to that.' But a new study shows that rail fares are rising so fast that the Government will be making a profit from passengers by 2018. The report said that by then fares revenue will cover 103 per cent of the operating costs of the railways – up from 80 per cent in 2009. Research has found rail fares are rising so fast that the Government will be making a profit from passengers by 2018 . Average rises in regulated fares like season tickets have been capped at 3.1 per cent, in line with the rate of inflation in July. But with wages increasing by only 1 per cent a year, the costs increase the squeeze on family finances and mean some annual season tickets now cost more than £5,000. The impact on annual tickets includes: . Leeds-Wakefield Jan 2013: £964, Jan 2014: £992, increase 2.9% . Basingstoke-London £3,952, £4,076, 3.13% . Ramsgate-London £4,864, £5,012, 3.04% . Folkestone Central-London £4,836, £4,984, 3.06% . Bedford-London £4,172, £4,300, 3.07% . Sevenoaks-London £3,112, £3,208, 3.08% . Cheltenham Spa-London £9,184, £9,468, 3.09% . Deal-London £4,864, £5,012, 3.04% . Woking-London £2,896, £2,980, 2.9% . West Malling-London £3,876, £3,996, 3.1% . Guildford-London £3,224, £3,320, 2.98% . Dover Priory-London £4,864, £5,012, 3.04% . Ludlow-Hereford £1,992, £2,032, 2% . Morpeth-Newcastle £1,008, £1,040, 3.17% . Milton Keynes-London £4,620, £4,772, 3.29% . Tunbridge Wells- London £4,132, £4,260, 3.1% . Aylesbury-London £3,632, £3,732, 2.75% . Hastings-London £4,304, £4,432, 2.97% . The report by Credo commissioned by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) also showed that by 2018, the Government's funding of the railways will have fallen to just 20 per cent, down from 38 per cent in 2009. Under the capped price-rise formula, each January rise is calculated from the Retail Price Index rNate of inflation figure for the previous July, which was 3.1 per cent. But train companies can also use a 2 per cent flexibility regulation, which lets them put some regulated fares up by 5.1 per cent, provided their overall average does not exceed the 3.1 per cent cap. In the cold and dark at King's Cross station in London, travellers spoke of their anger at the annual rise and their view that rail travel offered poor value for money. 'It's a lot of money for a poor service,' said teacher Simon Jones, 30, as he waited to board a train to Newcastle upon Tyne with his friend Ben James, 33. Mr Jones was on a leisure trip today but he and Mr James normally commute to work in London from Wandsworth in south west London. Mr Jones said: 'Fares are pretty high. My salary has just gone up 1% but fares are rising around 3%. There are delays on practically every day.' Mr James said: 'We're not really getting value for money. At Clapham Junction (in south London) you can hardly get on a train.' Labour's shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh said the fare rise was 'a continuation of David Cameron's cost-of-living crisis', while Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT transport union, said 2014 was 'all set to be another year of racketeering and greed on Britain's privatised railways'. Sustainable transport organisation Sustrans said: 'Commuters will still feel the pinch this new year because salaries aren't increasing by anywhere near the level of inflation.' Consumer group Which? said the fare increases 'will be a blow to people already feeling the financial squeeze', while campaign group Railfuture said: 'This latest fare rise comes after 10 years of inflation-busting fare increases, meaning that our trains are easily the most expensive in Europe.' The report also showed that by 2018, the Government's funding of the railways will have fallen to just 20 per cent . The CBT wants the Government to switch the measure on which they allow inflationary fare rises from 'retail' to the 'consumer' index of inflation, which they say is more in line with incomes. The CBT report said that between 2008 and 2013 the cost of a weekly season ticket from Reading to London has increased by 25 per cent, while average take-home pay rose by 9 per cent. CBT chief executive Stephen Joseph said: 'The Government must re-examine its fares policy as a matter of urgency and commit to a fairer system in line with the consumer price index so that fares only rise in line with wages.' The call comes as rail unions stage a protest today at King's Cross station in London highlighting the high cost of fares which they blame in part on the costs of rail privatisation. ### SUMMARY:
Regulated rail fares rise by 3.1%, after ministers axed inflation-busting hike . But increase is three times higher than average growth in wages . Latest round of price rises pushes more commuters into £5,000 club . Rail minister Stephen Hammond denies railways are treated as a 'cash cow'
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . James Nye . Sordid new details about the night when Maryville teenager Daisy Coleman claims she was raped by high school senior, Matthew Barnett have been released by police in the Missouri town. In a taped interview with police, recorded just hours after the alleged assault, Barnett told police that he and the then 14-year-old did have sex in his house, but it was consensual and crucially, Coleman began drinking heavily afterwards. The newly released material from the police also reveals that Daisy admitted texting Barnett 'once a month' and indicated to the star-football player that she would provide him with sexual favors if he gave her alcohol. Scroll down for video . New revelations: Daisy Coleman told police that she traded suggestive text messages with Matthew Barnett before she was allegedly raped by the teen in Maryville in January 2012 . The case files from the police include the July 2012 criminal depositions of Daisy and her mother, Melinda Coleman. Daisy claims that before the allged incident, Barnett, who was 17 at the time, said, 'sometimes me and my friends would see if he would bring us alcohol.' Barnett tells police that he picked Daisy up from her house on January 8, 2012 and that she was not intoxicated but appeared 'buzzed'. Police also shared Daisy's text messages the night of the alleged assault, which show they did agree beforehand to meet. 'U wanna come drink wit me and chill,' wrote Barnett according to the files and tapes from ABC News. 'OMFG. Sweeet,' replied Coleman, who later wrote, 'do you want me to bring alchol [sic]?' Matthew Barnett, arriving at court in January (left). He was convicted of Child Endangerment but escaped sex . charges for the assault on Daisy Coleman Right, his High School Yearbook photo . While it is not disputed that Daisy drank at least five shots of vodka at Barnett's house on January 8, what is important is when she drank them. Missouri law states that a 14-year-old girl cannot consent to sex if she is incapacitated. Barnett has never disputed that he and Daisy had sex, but has insisted it was consensual and she was not drunk at the time. Another witness, a boy, at the house, said that Daisy drank heavily after her sexual encounter with Barnett. Daisy has always said that she sneaked out of her house with her friend after drinking and was picked up by Barnett who fed her shots in a tall glass causing her to blackout. She claims that Barnett then raped her and dropped her off in her own front yard in the freezing cold. The identities of alleged sex assault victims are generally not published, but Coleman's family decided to go public with her identity and accusations . The case divided the small town and Barnett has never been convicted of rape charges - which were dropped. Scene: Photo of Matthew Barnett's family basement where the teens were drinking on the night of January 8, 2012. Daisy has experience two years of bullying since . she accused Barnett. Pictured left at her home in Albany, and right, a . high school wrestling photograph . Daisy was suspended from the cheerleading team because she admitted to drinking and the family were forced to move, but that didn't stop the slew of online attacks. 'The stuff on Facebook and Twitter was just unbelievable, so horrible ... saying stuff like, 'Why don't you slit your wrists,' Daisy' mother, Melinda Coleman told 20/20 in a January interview. Then almost exactly two years after the initial incident, Daisy attempted to commit suicide for the third time after ingesting a mix of cough medicine and prescription drugs. The case was reignited in October 2013, when he Kansas City Star reported on the allegations and Robert Rice's decision to drop charges against Barnett, who was initially charged with felony sex and child endangerment. The state appointed a special prosecutor to re-investigate the case, which ended in Barnett pleading guilty to the misdemeanor charge on Jan. 9, 2014 - two years almost to the date of the alleged incident. Barnett and his attorney maintain that the fact that two independent investigations have cleared him proves that he didn't do anything wrong. Indeed, last month, depositions in the sexual assault case show contradictions in statements between Daisy and her mother. Bullied: Daisy and her family have reportedly been followed by private investigators and had to leave the Maryville after reporting the alleged rape . In more than 100 pages of testimony, the Colemans described the night in January 2012 when Daisy, who was 14 at the time, claims she was raped. Jackson County prosecuting attorney Jean Peters Baker served as special prosecutor after Nodaway County Prosecutor Robert Rice asked for someone else to review the evidence amid questions about why he dropped charges against the alleged attacker. The testimony describes how Daisy and a female friend had been drinking before asking Matt Barnett, then 17, to pick them up after they sneaked out of Daisy's home. Daisy claimed Barnett took her to his house, plied her with alcohol and raped her when she blacked out. Mrs Coleman found her daughter shivering on the front porch at about 5am the next day. According to the depositions released on Friday, Mrs Coleman told Rice that Daisy had been less than truthful on some things in her deposition and attributed that to the girl's embarrassment over the ordeal. Age difference: Daisy was a 14-year-old freshman at the time of the alleged assault while Matthew Barnett was a 17-year-old senior . For example, Rice at one point had asked Daisy about an incident in which she burned the name of a boy into her skin. Mrs Coleman said that it was Barnett's name; Daisy said in her deposition that it was another boy's name. At one point, the mother suggested that the contradictions would likely keep the case out of a courtroom. 'I don't think that you probably can try this case now. I think there's been too many lies,' she said, according to the newly released documents. The Colemans and their supporters later claimed Rice dropped a felony assault charge against Barnett because of insensitivity, prosecutorial ambivalence and political pressure from the boy's grandfather, a retired state trooper and four-term state legislator. Claims: Daisy alleged that Barnett took her to his house and gave her alcohol before assaulting her . Mrs Coleman told The Associated Press that she hadn't seen the depositions, which she claimed Rice had denied even existed, and she didn't believe some of what was purported to be in them. Quite frankly, Robert Rice is a liar and I wouldn't be surprised if he put that in there himself,' Mrs Coleman said. Daisy's story made headlines nationwide after The Kansas City Star published a 4,000-word article in October detailing the girl's claims against Barnett. The AP generally doesn't name the victims of sexual assault but it is naming Daisy because she and her mother granted public interviews. In January, Barnett pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment after Baker concluded there wasn't enough evidence for a felony conviction. Barnett has not denied the two had sex, but has insisted that it was consensual. Robert Sundell, an attorney who initially represented Barnett after he was charged, said on Friday he was glad the documents were released. 'If all of the records and all of the evidence were made public, I think it would be pretty easy for anyone to recognize why the case didn't go forward,' he said. ### SUMMARY:
New tapes and documents from the alleged sexual assault of Daisy Coleman in Maryville in 2012 have been released . Interview with alleged attacker Matthew Barnett recorded just hours after the alleged rape on January 8 released . He claims that Daisy Coleman, who was 14 at the time, was not drunk and their sex was consensual . Daisy Coleman told police in a criminal deposition that she suggested sexual favors to Barnett if he brought her alcohol . Michael Barnett was convicted of Child Endangerment in January but escaped sex charges . Daisy Coleman has tried to commit suicide three times since the incident . The high school student has been . subjected to constant cyber-bullying from classmates - and even parents - . in the quiet town after she reported being raped in January 2012 by Barnett .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Emma Innes . A child with severe cerebral palsy has learned to sit up unsupported, to walk with a frame and to crawl unaided after joining a special school where his brain is ‘retrained’. Sonny Pikett, seven, had problems eating and could not control his head, roll over or sit up until he became a student at PACE in Buckinghamshire. The charity, which offers specialised education for children with motor disorders, helps to ‘retrain’ the brains of children like Sonny so as to bypass the damaged areas and teach others parts to substitute for them. Sonny Pikett, seven, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was just a few weeks old . Sonny’s mother, Louise Taylor, 38, from Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, said: ‘It really works and Sonny has come on so much. ‘For me personally, it is remarkable. He’s so much more active and he enjoys social interaction whereas before he was almost scared. ‘He is now much happier and he enjoys going to school.’ Sonny was born two months early, at just 30 weeks gestation, and when he was born he was unresponsive. He had to be delivered using forceps after Miss Taylor unexpectedly went into premature labour. When he was delivered he was not breathing properly – he was in respiratory distress. Until he was three, Sonny was unable to sit up unaided, crawl, walk or hold up his own head . As a result, he was rushed to the hospital’s special care baby unit and was put on a respirator. It is still not known why he was born so early but he had to spend seven and a half weeks in hospital before he was able to go home. Miss Taylor said: ‘We are very lucky to have him – he is a wonderful lad.’ She added: ‘We knew from a very early age that he would be disabled – we were told when he was seven weeks old that he had brain damage and would probably have cerebral palsy.’ Cerebral palsy is a general term for a number of neurological conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. These conditions are caused by a problem in the part of the brain responsible for controlling muscles. The condition can occur if the brain develops abnormally or if it is damaged before, during or shortly after birth. Causes of cerebral palsy include an infection caught by the mother during pregnancy, a difficult or premature birth, bleeding in the brain and gene mutations. It is thought that in the UK about one in every 400 people is affected. Symptoms include muscle stiffness or floppiness, muscle weakness, uncontrolled body movements and balance and co-ordination problems. Symptoms vary in severity from one person to another - some only have minor problems while others are severely disabled. Some patients also have seizures, swallowing problems, difficulties with communications and learning difficulties. There is no cure but patients can benefit from physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Source: NHS Choices . Sonny failed to meet any of his developmental milestones and had problems eating and drinking, had a squint, was unable to control his head and could not walk, talk or sit up. He was also hypersensitive to touch and to loud noises meaning he became distressed if he was exposed to loud sounds and when he touched something unexpectedly. When he was three years old, Sonny started attending PACE in Aylesbury after Miss Taylor was told about it by a health visitor and it was recommended by another parent. The charity provides an innovative education for children with motor disorders, such as cerebral palsy. The centre provides a rounded education for children while making the most of the plasticity of children's brains. It attempts to 'retrain' children's brains while they are still very malleable so that some of the undamaged parts learn to take over the function of some of the damaged parts. It does this through repetition - encouraging children to carry out the same movements again and again until they are able to do them. The centre also offers physiotherapy and occupational therapy to help with the children's development. Miss Taylor said: ‘Within five minutes of going to PACE we were hooked. ‘Straight away we knew it was the right place for Sonny. We knew we wanted him to be there because of the positivity – At PACE they immediately offered to try and help Sonny and we liked that about it.’ She added: ‘Sonny is probably not going to be able to live a totally independent life, but we feel much more positive about the future. ‘When he was first born we were given details of a bleak and uncertain future but he is now highly motivated and has made massive achievements since he started to attend PACE and we feel this will continue as he gets older.’ Sonny attends the centre full-time and has come on in leaps and bounds. Miss Taylor told MailOnline: ‘He has become so strong by doing the activities daily. When he was three, Sonny started attending a special school called PACE. Here specialists have worked on 'retraining' his brain so that the parts that are undamaged take on some of the function of the damaged parts . ‘It has improved him so much and I believe it will continue to do so.’ She went on to explain that he is still unable to talk but that he can communicate by using a picture and word book. She said he used to get frustrated when people couldn’t understand him but that he is now much happier and that he is also able to move around on his own by crawling or using a walking frame. She explained that he also no longer becomes distressed by loud noises and that he can sit up and hold his head up independently. He also now has much greater use of his hands which used to be clenched. Miss Taylor said: ‘Every child with cerebral palsy has the right to this sort of intervention. Sonny is now able to sit up unaided, to hold his head up, to crawl and to walk with a frame . ‘I don’t know where we’d have been if Sonny hadn’t gone to PACE – thanks to the school he will now be able to lead as independent a life as is possible for him.’ She added: ‘PACE has helped us to understand cerebral palsy – now I understand why he used to react in certain ways. ‘There has been such a transformation – people always notice the huge changes in him when they haven’t seen him for a while. ‘They really have made a huge difference to him.’ Miss Taylor does not believe that Sonny will ever be able to live independently but she is confident that he will continue to improve at PACE. She said: ‘I believe that he may well be able to speak and to become physically stronger. Sonny's mother, Louise Taylor, says that the change in Sonny has been amazing since he started at the school . ‘I don’t think he will ever live independently but I do hope he will have some degree of independence.’ Miss Taylor is now supporting a new campaign and parliamentary inquiry focused on getting a better deal for children with cerebral palsy across the whole country. The campaign is being organised by Action Cerebral Palsy which is a consortium of charities working with children with cerebral palsy, including PACE. One of the primary objectives of the campaign is to call for more consistent access to early and intensive support - such as that offered by PACE and which Sonny is lucky enough to have access to. Sonny's parents do not believe that he will ever be able to live independently but they hope he will continue to improve while he is at PACE . Amanda Richardson, Chair of Action Cerebral Palsy said: 'We see every day the amazing progress that children with cerebral palsy can make, given the right support. ‘But we are fully aware that only a small proportion of the 1,800 children born with cerebral palsy every year receive the early and intensive intervention that can transform their lives. ‘By joining forces, we aim to get a better deal for all children with cerebral palsy.' The campaign is also fighting for the earliest possible diagnosis for people with cerebral palsy and better training for professionals working with children with the condition. For more information about PACE, click here. For more information about the campaign, click here. ### SUMMARY:
Sonny Pikett, seven, was born two months early and struggling to breathe . His parents, Louise and Adrian, were told he had suffered brain damage . They were also told that he would probably have cerebral palsy . By the age of three he couldn't walk, talk, crawl or sit up unaided . He then started at a special school for children with disabilities - PACE . There, specialists use repetition to teach undamaged parts of his brain to take over the function of some of the damaged parts . He can now sit up, walk with a frame, crawl and communicate .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Charlie Scott . Follow @@charliefscott . He failed to score in 120 minutes of open play but Neymar showed nerves of steel in the penalty shoot-out to stroke his sudden death spot-kick past his future Barcelona team-mate Claudio Bravo. After making a stunning start to the World Cup, scoring four goals in Brazil’s three group stage matches, much was expected of Neymar against their South American opponents Chile. Sportsmail takes a closer look at how the poster boy of the tournament got on during the match at Estadio Mineirao… . VIDEO Scroll down to watch Neymar scores outrageous penalty in Brazil training . People on Facebook tended to post these exuberant mentions right after key moments in matches. In particular, goals scored by Neymar Jr. (pictured after scoring Brazil's winning penalty against Chile) consistently garner a high number of exuberant mentions . All smiles: Neymar and Dani Alves greet their Barcelona team-mate Alexis Sanchez before kick-off . Ready for battle: Neymar walks out on to the pitch at Estadio Mineirao ahead of kick-off against Chile . 5mins – The forward receives treatment on his knee after being caught in the opening stages by Chile defender Francisco Mena. 8mins – There are worrying signs for Brazil boss Luiz Felipe Scolari as Neymar limps for a couple of minutes, clearly still struggling from the earlier foul. Hurt: Brazil's talisman goes down clutching his knee in the opening stages of the game . Touch and go: The forward goes off the pitch to receive treatment from Brazil's medical staff . 15mins – The Barcelona attacker looks back to full fitness as he embarks on brilliant run down the left and into the area, but when an opportunity arises for him to shoot he uncharacteristically passes to Fred and the move breaks down. Step-over: Brazil's No 10 showed glimpses of brilliance in the first half when he worked some space . 18mins – GOAL: BRAZIl 1-0 CHILE - Neymar whips a corner in from the left which Brazil captain Thiago Silva flicks on to David Luiz and the Paris Saint-Germain man deflects the ball in at the back post with his knee. 23mins – Neymar . does what many footballers try their best to avoid by going . head-to-head with Chile's intimidating midfielder Arturo Vidal. Referee . Howard Webb is quickly in to stop the pair's verbal sparring and play is . able to continue. Head first: Luiz deflects Neymar's corner past Claudio Bravo to give Scolari's side the lead . Assist: Luiz slides in front of Neymar after getting the final touch to the forward's corner to make it 1-0 . 26mins – Steams past the struggling Silva after sprinting from the halfway line, but can only drag his  shot wide from the edge of the Chile box. 29mins – Gets upended by Vidal as the Juventus midfielder flies into a challenge right in front of the dugouts. Brazil's medical team are called into action once again to check he is okay. Sandwich: Neymar is fouled by Gary Medel as Chile keep a close eye on him in the first half . Support: Neymar's girlfriend Bruna Marquezine watches on from the stands at Estadio Mineirao . 32mins – GOAL: BRAZIL 1-1 CHILE - Brazil gift Chile possession with an awful throw deep in their own half and Vargas quickly moves the ball to Alexis Sanchez inside the box, who sweeps a low finish past Julio Cesar and into the bottom corner. Sweeping home: Sanchez makes it 1-1 after Chile profit from a poor throw-in by Brazil . 39mins – Controls a crossfield pass brilliantly inside the penalty area before being crowded out by Chile defenders. The 22-year-old manages to deflect the ball into the path of Fred but he skies his effort from close range. 40mins – Chile's Silva ends a horrible half by being booked for a foul on Neymar, what seems like the 20th of the first half on the Brazil attacker. Graceful: Four Chile players watch on as Neymar drives towards Claudio Bravo's goal . Close attention: Neymar is challenged by Silva, Vidal and Gutierrez . HALF-TIME: BRAZIL 1-1 CHILE - Despite fears Neymar’s game might have been over before 10 minutes had passed after he appeared to be struggling with a knee injury, the Brazil forward shrugged off the knock to stretch Chile’s backline and win a number of free-kicks. He swung in the corner that was flicked home by Luiz to give Brazil the lead, before a neat finish from Sanchez drew Chile level. 55mins – Hulk handles a cross from the left and shins a shot into the bottom corner. Brazil think they have the lead but Webb pulls play back and instead shows the forward a yellow card. Controversy: Hulk slides into the corner to celebrate only for play to be pulled back for handball . 68mins – Brazil nearly find themselves behind as a cut-back from the byline finds Chile's Charles Aranguiz at the near post, but his powerful strike is pushed behind well by Julio Cesar. 81mins – Neymar wastes a glorious opportunity to put Brazil ahead by heading straight at Bravo from eight yards after connecting with a diagonal pass from Dani Alves. Instructions: Scolari encourages Neymar as he takes a water break in front of the Brazil dugout . 84mins – Bravo saves brilliantly from Hulk after the Brazil forward drives into the box and smashes a right-foot shot towards the top left corner. 89mins – Medel steals the ball away from Neymar at a vital moment on the edge of the Chile box just as the Brazilian appears to be through on goal. END OF NORMAL TIME: BRAZIL 1-1 CHILE – Brazil might feel aggrieved the game is going to extra-time, after Hulk had a goal disallowed for handball early in the second half. Neymar was dangerous in the first half but faded after the break. Tactics: Alves and Neymar chat while receiving treatment before extra-time gets underway . 92mins – Hulk wins a free kick on the left-hand side after dribbling with the ball for 50 yards from one side of the pitch to the other. Neymar steps up to take the set piece, but his vicious cross is headed off target. 105mins – Neymar teases Silva on the left before winning a corner off the legs of the Chile defender. He takes the corner, firing it in at pace on to the head of the Brazil substitute Jo who nods over the crossbar. 119mins – Mauricio Pinilla crashes a long-range striker on to the Brazil crossbar, as Chile go within an inch of knocking the hosts out in the final moments of extra-time. END OF EXTRA-TIME: BRAZIL 1-1 CHILE - A tight game goes to penalties after neither side could score a winner in extra-time. Pinilla came the closest, rocketing a shot against the crossbar in the last minute of open play. A Brazil physio massages Neymar's right leg as the teams prepare for the penalty shoot-out. Isolated: Neymar walks up to take his penalty in the shoot-out . PENALTIES: BRAZIL 3-2 CHILE – With the weight of expectation on his shoulders Neymar strode up to the penalty spot and rolled his spot-kick, Brazil's fifth of the shoot-out, into the bottom left corner to put his side 3-2 ahead.Gonzalo Jara missed Chile's fifth penalty, meaning Neymar's successful effort sealed Brazil's spot in the quarter-finals. Calm: Neymar showed nerves of steel in the shoot-out to beat Bravo with Brazil's fifth spot-kick . Touch the sky: Neymar points to the heavens after scoring his penalty with the shoot-out at sudden death . Tears of happiness: Scolari and Neymar after Brazil win their penalty shoot-out against Chile . ### SUMMARY:
The forward scores his side's final penalty in the shootout against Chile to put Brazil through to the quarter-finals . Brazil won their three group games but struggled in Belo Horizonte . Neymar scored four goals in the group stage but failed to net versus Chile . The Selecao are favourites to win the tournament on home soil .
### SUMMARIZE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: By . Damien Gayle for MailOnline . and Associated Press . The Pope sheepishly asked thousands of nuns and priests to skip their vespers today after he run behind schedule on a busy day touring South Korea. Francis had three consecutive meetings in Kkottognae, a religious community which cares for disabled people, but by the time he hit the second, he was running out of time. 'I've got a little problem,' he told the crowd of 5,000 nuns and priests who had come to see him give a vespers service in Latin and Korean. Scroll down for video . Never skip your prayers... unless the Pope tells you to: The Pope sheepishly asked thousands of nuns and priests to skip their vespers today after he run behind schedule on a busy day touring South Korea . 'If there's one thing you should never do, it's skip your prayers, but today we'll have to do it and I'll tell you why: I came by helicopter, and if we don't take off in time, there's a danger we might smash into a mountain.' Thankfully for Francis, the crowd erupted in laughter once his apologies in Italian were translated into Korean. The Pope had already today celebrated a Mass before about 800,000 people in Seoul, during which he beatified 124 Korean martyrs. He told the hordes of Catholics who turned out for his open-air Mass that their ancestors' willingness to die rather than renounce their faith two centuries ago was a model for Asian missionaries today. The streets leading up to Seoul's iconic Gwanghwamun Gate were packed with Koreans honoring the lay Catholics who founded the church here in the 18th century. Pope Francis swings a thurible as he takes part in an open-air mass at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul where beatified 124 early Korean martyrs in front of a massive crowd that the Vatican estimated at 800,000 . The streets leading up to Seoul's iconic Gwanghwamun Gate were packed with hordes of Korean Catholics honoring the lay Catholics who founded the church in the country during the 18th century . Korea's church is unique in that it was founded not by foreign missionary priests - as occurred in most of the world - but by members of Korea's own noble classes who learned of Christianity by reading books about it. These early Catholics were killed in the 18th and 19th centuries by the Joseon Dynasty, which tried to shut the Korean Peninsula off from Western influence. Police in Seoul declined to give an estimate of the crowd size, but the Vatican said about 800,000 people had turned out. The number was significant given that Catholics represent only about 10 percent of South Korea's 50 million people. The Mass kicked off a busy day for Francis as he passed the halfway mark of his five-day South Korea visit. Later he travelled to Kkottognae and prayed briefly at a monument to aborted babies. It was a strong albeit silent gesture from a pope who prefers to stress other aspects of church teaching rather than emphasize hot-button 'culture war' issues like abortion. The Mass in Seoul, though, was one of the highlights of his trip, providing Francis with an opportunity to stress how the lessons of Korea's early martyrs were relevant today for Korea's church, which is small but growing and is seen as a model for the rest of the world. 'They were willing to make great sacrifices and let themselves be stripped of whatever kept them from Christ - possessions and land, prestige and honour - for they knew that Christ alone was their true treasure,' he said. 'They challenge us to think about what, if anything, we ourselves would be willing to die for.' Pope Francis rides the popemobile, through the crowds towards the Gwanghwamun Gate . The numbers who turned out to see the Pope were significant given that Catholics represent only about 10 percent of South Korea's 50 million people . Francis praised in particular the fact that laypeople were so crucial to the church's foundation and growth in Korea - a theme he stressed later in the day when he met with leaders of Korean lay movements. The church is counting on such laymen and laywomen to spread the faith in Asia, which the Vatican considers the future of the church. The main reason for Francis' visit to South Korea, in fact, was to attend an Asian Catholic youth festival; the church sees such rallies as a crucial way of inspiring the next generation of Catholics to evangelise. 'Today as ever, the church needs credible lay witnesses to the saving truth of the Gospel,' Francis said, stressing in particular the need for their outreach to focus on the poor and most marginalized. A collective cheer erupted from the masses when Francis declared the 124 'blessed' - the first step toward possible sainthood. Many of the women in the crowd wore lace veils; others sported paper sun visors with 'Papa Francesco' written across them, protecting them from the overcast, hazy skies. The scene was impressive, with thousands of people neatly packed into fenced-in sections leading away from the altar, which was set up in front of Gwanghwamun, the south gate to Gyeongbokgung palace, with mountains looming above and the presidential Blue House on the lower slope. Police in green vests stood guard along the barricades and volunteers handed out water to guard against the warm, humid temperatures. A child looks away in terror as the Pope strokes her head while riding through the crowds in Seoul . Worshippers hold prayer beads as they attend the mass lead by Pope Francis at Gwanghwamun Square . 'I'm so thankful that the pope visited South Korea,' said 75-year-old Yu Pil-sang, a Catholic who was trying to get a glimpse of Francis just outside the police barricades. 'But I'm so sorry that all the ways to see the pope are blocked. I came to hear at least his voice.' En route to the altar before Mass, Francis stopped his open-topped car so he could get out and bless a group of families who lost loved ones in the sinking of the Sewol ferry in April, in which more than 300 people, most of them high school students, were killed. On his white cassock, Francis wore a yellow ribbon given to him by the families a day earlier when he met with them privately to try to console them. 'We want the truth,' read a yellow banner, a reference to the families' demands for an independent inquiry into the sinking. Officials said 400 families had been invited to the Mass. The main figure in the group that was beatified is Paul Yun Ji-Chung, who was born in 1759 and was among the earliest Catholics on the peninsula. He was beheaded in 1791 - the first Korean martyr - after he violated the traditional Confucian funeral rites for his mother. In all, the Joseon Dynasty killed about 10,000 Catholics for refusing to renounce their faith. Pope Francis prays as he arrives at the martyrs' shrine at Seosomun in Seoul, the place where in the 18th and 19th century unrepentant Catholics were publicly executed . Historians say Korea's early believers were struck by the idea of a religion that preached universal equality in divine eyes at a time when the nobility's discriminatory hierarchical system brutally exploited ordinary people. St. John Paul II canonized another 103 martyrs during a visit to South Korea in 1984. Francis began his day by praying at a monument in Seoul commemorating the martyrs on the site where many of them were killed. Even non-Catholics turned out for the Mass, impressed by Francis' humble gestures and call for South Koreans to pay more attention to the poor than their own material gain. 'I do not know much about Catholics and South Korea's Catholic history, but it seems that the pope is making sure to reach out equally to everyone,' said Eom Yae-sung, 49, a Protestant who said Francis had inspired her to make changes in her own life. 'I plan to do volunteering and a lot of sharing so that when I look back at my life 10 years from now, I will think that the pope's visit motivated me to change,' Eom said. ### SUMMARY:
Pope holds up Korean martyrs as models for church's expansion in Asia . 800,000 come to see him give an open-air mass in central Seoul . Catholic leader warns if he doesn't miss vespers his helicopter might crash .
README.md exists but content is empty. Use the Edit dataset card button to edit it.
Downloads last month
0
Edit dataset card