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American to sell English soccer club
5/12/2014 12:06:15 PM
- Randy Lerner decides to put EPL side Aston Villa up for sale
- The American completed a takeover of the Midlands club in 2006
- Lerner feels the time is right to take a break from football
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(CNN) -- He was one of a wave of American businessman to invest in an English Premier League club, but eight years down the line a weary Randy Lerner has beaten a retreat.
Lerner completed a £62.6 million ($105.7 million) takeover of Aston Villa from Doug Ellis back in 2006 -- one year after Malcolm Glazer won control of Manchester United, and one year before Tom Hicks and George Gillett bought Liverpool.
Yet despite enjoying early success at Villa Park with the club securing three straight sixth-place finishes under former manager Martin O'Neill, the 52-year-old has had to watch on in recent seasons as the team have struggled in the bottom half of the table.
The former owner of NFL team, the Cleveland Browns hinted last month that he was considering his position amid reports that a sale was imminent.
And he confirmed Monday that he has "engaged Bank of America Merrill Lynch to advise on the club's sale" as he seeks a much-needed break from the world of football.
"I have come to know well that fates are fickle in the business of English football," Lerner said in an official statement.
"The last several seasons have been week in, week out battles and having now come through this last season unfortunately limping amidst very meaningful injuries and constant sale rumors, I feel further that now is the time for me to look for new ownership and thus new leadership."
He added: "On a personal level it is time for me, like the Shunammite, to dwell among my own and get on with other aspects of my career, following a sale."
Much of Villa's success under O'Neill was aided by Lerner's willingness to invest millions on new players, such as Ashley Young, James Milner and Stewart Downing.
However, after ultimately being unable to break into the top four of the English Premier League and secure Champions League football, the American has had to embark on a cost-cutting program in recent seasons -- selling star players to rival clubs, including Young to Manchester United in 2011 and Milner to Manchester City in 2010.
The team's decline has led to some criticism of both Lerner's running of the club as well as the managers who have followed O'Neill -- Gerard Houllier, Alex McLeish and Paul Lambert.
Lerner, though, is still grateful for the backing he has received from the majority of the club's supporters, while he is hoping Villa will go from strength to strength after his departure.
"I am appreciative of the support I have received, even in these last years of comparative struggle when criticism was due, and will look on with others -- with fingers crossed, for stronger future performance appropriate to our size and heritage," he said.
Lerner added: "Above all, the debt I owe Aston Villa whether as owner, chairman, custodian or simply as a fan is to put the club first. To make good on that debt, I owe it to Villa to move on, and look for fresh, invigorated leadership, if in my heart I feel I can no longer do the job."
While Lerner thanked Lambert for his efforts as manager since arriving in 2012, he did not mention the Scot's future.
Lambert may be disposed by the new owners following a disappointing season that culminated with the club finishing 15th.
Lerner's likely asking price for the club will be in the region of £200 million ($337.7 million), according to reports in the British media.
Read: Manchester City crowned champions
Read: Bayern celebrate Bundesliga title
Read: Madrid named most valuable football team
Why Google must be less secretive
5/13/2014 5:21:39 AM
- At White House Correspondents Dinner, comedian made fun of Google Glass
- Douglas Rushkoff: Are we in the midst of a new kind of tech industry backlash?
- He says young tech companies that were once upstarts are now getting pushback
- Rushkoff: Google, Facebook should be more transparent about their intentions
Editor's note: Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column for CNN.com. He is a media theorist, the author of the book "Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now" and correspondent on a PBS Frontline documentary "Generation Like." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- At this year's White House Correspondents Dinner -- the annual opportunity for the President to engage directly, and humorously, with reporters who cover him -- it was expected that most of the jibes would be aimed at Barack Obama. Sure, he gets the chance to defend himself, but it's pretty much a roast: A leading comedian is invited every year to make jokes, while the commander in chief tries to laugh instead of squirm.
Maybe that's why I was so jolted when this year's headliner, comedian Joel McHale of TV's "The Soup" took such a hard swipe at Google. "America still has amazing technological innovations. Google Glass has hit the markets. Now, just by walking down the street, we'll know exactly who to punch in the face."
It got a pretty good laugh -- perhaps because both the press and the politicians in the room were relieved to have been spared for at least one joke. But the violence of the imagery, and the intensity of the rage that it expressed, gave me serious pause: Are we in the midst of a new kind of tech industry backlash? And is it for something these companies are actually doing, or have they simply lost control of the technology story?
This is more than the traditional sort of commentary and critique of a new form of culture that we've seen waged against everything from television advertising or fashion iconography in the past.
When the artists called Like4Real rebel against the ubiquity of the Facebook "Like" by holding a funeral for the thumbs-up symbol, it comments effectively, if acerbically, on the changing nature of social relationships in a commercial space. Meanwhile, artists from KillYourPhone.com are encouraging people to make special pouches for cell phones and PDAs, which prevent them from receiving signals. Again -- agree with them or not about the need for an occasional digital detox -- it's clever, provocative and memorable satire.
But the notion, even expressed jokingly, of punching people in the face for wearing Google Glass -- as if the device somehow signals a traitor to the cause of humanity -- pushes things over the top. Yes, we can all imagine how people wearing an augmented reality device might be annoying: They can surf the Web while pretending to converse with us or, worse, record us when we don't know it. No sooner had the very first prototypes been spotted last year than TechCrunch reported a new, purely apprehensive moniker for its wearers: Glassholes. But it's as if the public is now being primed to go after early adopters -- almost to a point where one might be reluctant to put on the device.
Are technology companies such as Google shouldering the blame for too much? It seems as if they are bearing responsibility not only for people's fears about the future of technology but the excesses of corporate capitalism.
Consider the hullabaloo now centered on the buses that convey Google employees from San Francisco to Silicon Valley. This winter, protesters waylaid one of the Google shuttles, going so far as to hurl a brick through one of its windows in protest of what they see as the tech giant's gentrifying influence on the city. When San Francisco introduced the new Muni 83X bus line, locals were quick to point out that its sparsely utilized buses run suspiciously close to Twitter headquarters. More protests, and more vitriol ensued.
Of course, in reality, Google's buses spare the highway a whole lot of traffic, and the atmosphere from countless tons of carbon emissions from what would otherwise be an extra few thousand cars on the highways every day. And suspicions about local government adding commuter lines to accommodate Twitter appear to be unfounded.
The deeper angst in San Francisco appears to be over the way each new tech initial public offering creates another few thousand millionaires who want to buy apartments, jacking up the real estate prices for everyone else. But even this local economics issue seems unlikely to be motivating such widespread disdain for tech business. Besides, there are a number of corporations with much worse records of displacing locals or hurting business than the new tech giants.
No, I think the reason these young corporations are getting so much pushback is that they were once seen as the upstarts -- as the companies on the people's side of things. Digital technology was supposed to disrupt business as usual, create new opportunities for both self-expression and small business, and -- perhaps most of all -- change the very nature of the corporation and its relationship to real people and places. They're being held to a higher standard than companies of previous generations.
Now that these little garage businesses are some of the biggest companies in the world, it's a whole lot harder for them to exhibit the qualities that once made them the darlings of the culture and counterculture alike. Yes, digital companies are being held to a higher standard than companies of previous generations. But this is largely because we all understand that they are building the infrastructure in which our economics, culture and perhaps even a whole lot of human consciousness will take place.
That's why they have to pay more attention to communicating their intentions than might otherwise seem justified. Steve Jobs was famous for keeping great secrets, but Apple is largely a consumer electronics firm. We like being surprised about the features on our next phone.
A company such as Google can't be as secretive when it purchases a military robotics firm. Without clear messaging about the reasons for such acquisitions, the public mind reels, particularly in the wake of National Security Agency disclosures, jobs lost to automation and movies from "Her" to "Transcendence."
Instead of balking at our widespread suspicions, the leaders of Silicon Valley must begin communicating honestly and effectively about what they hope and dream for. If people are scared of Google's Glass, of Facebook's purchase of a virtual reality company or of Twitter's use of big data, then it's up to those companies to explain loud and clear how these developments will serve us all.
For once, protecting strategy secrets has to take a back seat to clear communications. If these companies really are building the world we're all going to be living in, they have to let us in on their plans. Otherwise, we're going to feel like we've been left off the bus.
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Supreme Court puts legitimacy at risk
5/13/2014 5:20:32 AM
- Poll finds public believes Supreme Court decides cases on political grounds
- Eric Segall says Americans losing faith in the court because of its partisanship
- He says court should televise its proceedings and judges shouldn't have life tenure
- Segall: Extraordinary power of justices should be reined in by time limits, transparency
Editor's note: Eric Segall is the Kathryn and Lawrence Ashe Professor of Law at the Georgia State University College of Law. He has written more than 25 law review articles on the Supreme Court and the Constitution. He is the author of "Supreme Myths: Why the Supreme Court Is Not a Court and Its Justices Are Not Judges." He tweets regularly at @espinsegall and is a regular guest on XM radio's "Stand Up! with Pete Dominick." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- The Supreme Court of the United States has long been a unique political and legal institution. Our justices are the only judges in the world who sit on a nation's highest court for life.
Their power to strike down the political decisions of the president, the Congress and the states (the power of judicial review) is nowhere spelled out in our Constitution. Yet, since the beginning, both the court and the American people have assumed that power to exist.
The justices don't act like normal judges bound by law (because they're not), but they are not quite lawmakers, either. Having neither the "purse nor the sword," the justices rely solely on the elected branches of government for the enforcement of their decisions.
Their power rests mostly on the prestige they hold with the governed, and lately, more and more of the governed are having grave doubts about the nine most powerful judges in the world.
Last week, a new poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, a Democratic Party-allied pollster, for Democracy Corps set the social media world atwitter. More than 50% of those polled were reported to believe that the justices let "their own personal or political views influence their decisions," and more than 70% said that the justices should have fixed terms, not life tenure.
Not surprisingly, the poll revealed great support for television cameras in the Supreme Court, a move the justices have rejected for way too long. Over 85% of those polled also said that the justices should be bound by the same judicial code of ethics as other federal judges (they are not) and that their financial records should be more transparent.
There can be quibbles with how some of the poll questions were asked, but there is little doubt that the results demonstrated that the American people are becoming more disenchanted with the nation's highest Court.
On Sunday, Adam Liptak, the excellent Supreme Court reporter for the New York Times, wrote a lengthy story suggesting that the court is more partisan than ever before, reflecting the deep divisions in our political and media world. The tag line for an article on the new poll in Salon was "in an increasingly divided country, it seems that everyone can agree that they hate the Supreme Court." And the Huffington Post concluded that "wide majorities are losing faith in the Roberts Supreme Court."
This new poll confirms what I have been arguing, including on this website, for a long time.
There are (at least) two fundamental changes that we need to make to the Supreme Court of the United States. The first is easy and should be non-controversial. The American people have a right to see on their televisions, tablets and smartphones the oral arguments and decision announcements of the Supreme Court.
More than half of state supreme courts, and the Supreme Courts of Canada and the United Kingdom, televise their proceedings with great success, and there are simply no persuasive arguments that the most powerful court in the world shouldn't do the same. The American people feel that the justices are hiding from them, and that cannot do anything but damage the confidence we have in the justices.
The second change is much harder but even more important. Here's a simple rule that I think applies to all democracies: No governmental official who wields great power should hold their office for life. Period.
The original idea was that the justices would be appointed at a relatively old age and serve for a few years. That idea is not just quaint but antiquated. Justices John Paul Stevens and William Brennan both served for more than 30 years, and Justice Elena Kagan, who was 50 when appointed, may well serve for 40 more years.
No human being can be expected to perform their job well when they know they have such great power and can never be fired. Additionally, numerous justices such as William O. Douglas and Thurgood Marshall served past the time of competence.
Moreover, it is just crazy that presidents who serve the same number of years appoint fewer or greater justices based on either the randomness of illness and death or even politically timed judicial retirements. For example, President George W. Bush drastically changed the balance on the court by appointing Justice Samuel Alito, a staunch conservative, to replace the more moderate Sandra Day O'Connor, while President Carter didn't have the opportunity to nominate even a single justice during his four years as president.
We need a constitutional amendment giving the justices fixed terms and a salary for life. This type of system provides much-needed judicial independence without the downsides of life tenure.
As far as hoping the justices will decide cases under the law without regard to their personal value preferences, no poll can provide a solution to that problem which will be with us for as long as the justices exercise judicial review. But at least we can make them use that power more transparently for all the world to see and limit the time that each individual justice wields such extraordinary authority.
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Did Beyonce's sister fight Jay Z?
5/13/2014 10:06:05 AM
- NEW: Hotel releases statement
- TMZ released video that it claims is of a fight
- Beyonce and Jay Z are headed on tour this summer
(CNN) -- A video that TMZ alleges is of Beyonce's younger sister having an altercation with the superstar's husband, Jay Z, has surfaced online.
In what the site says is surveillance video from an elevator taken the night of the recent Met Gala in New York, a woman who resembles Solange Knowles enters just before a man who appears to be the rapper. Words seem to be exchanged, and then the woman lunges at and begins striking him before an unidentified man grabs and holds her.
A woman who resembles Beyonce calmly stands in the corner of the elevator during most of the altercation.
It is not yet known what caused the fight.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Solange, Jay Z and Beyonce. Solange's rep is not offering comment.
A representative for The Standard, the hotel where the incident is believed to have occurred, released this statement to HLN:
"We are shocked and disappointed that there was a clear breach of our security system and the confidentiality that we count on providing our guests," the statement said. "We are investigating with the utmost urgency the circumstances surrounding the situation and, as is our customary practice, will discipline and prosecute the individuals involved to our fullest capacity."
HLNtv.com: Watch the video
Beyonce and Jay Z recently announced their "On the Run" tour, which is scheduled to take them to 16 cities this summer. One fan tweeted, "They better make it to Baltimore first lol" (Baltimore is one of the cities slated for the tour), while another retweeted that and added, "Yo ain't trying miss the show over no damn solange."
@Jay_Wyse @TMZ they better make it to Baltimore first lol
— Darren Blowe ♈™ (@DarrenBlowe) May 12, 2014 Yo ain't trying miss the show over no damn solange 😂 RT @DarrenBlowe: @Jay_Wyse @TMZ they better make it to Baltimore first lol
— Girl that's Hfrinks (@Hfrinks) May 12, 2014 Some found humor in the unverified video, mocking Solange Knowles, who is also a singer. One tweeted, "Jay Z must have shown Solange her album sales on a line graph."
Jay Z must have shown Solange her album sales on a line graph.
— Trav Pope (@travpope) May 12, 2014 The memes also came fast and furious, as well as tweets with the hashtag #WhatJaySaidToSolange.
One featured a picture of Solange and the caption "Solange attacks Jay Z? The first hit she's had in years."
Another used photos of actor Jake Gyllenhaal courtside with Beyonce and Jay Z at a recent basketball game. The caption imagined Beyonce saying to Gyllenhaal "...And then Solange was kicking him and screaming in the elevator" before Jay Z turned to the actor and said in the caption "...And she just stood there," gesturing to Beyonce.
Solange: This elevator isn't going anywhere Jay: Like ya career? #WhatJayZSaidToSolange pic.twitter.com/8au4Lw6h26
— 5 2 7 (@CTriplett_012) May 12, 2014 :'D pic.twitter.com/1YEDjBVjH3
— FEIM. (@FeimM) May 12, 2014 TMZ reports that Beyonce left after the incident with her sister while Jay Z took another car.
HLN's Marc Balinsky contributed to this report. CNN first learned of the alleged fight video from Twitter.
Taliban launches spring offensive
5/12/2014 12:49:51 PM
- NEW: Attackers kill seven in Jalalabad fighting
- Militants clashed with security forces after storming a government building in the city
- Rockets land near military buildings in the area around Kabul's international airport
- The Taliban say this year's spring offensive will target foreigners, Afghan authorities
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Militants carried out a deadly attack on a government building in eastern Afghanistan and fired rockets near Kabul's main airport Monday as the Taliban began their annual spring offensive.
An armed group stormed the provincial Justice Department in the city of Jalalabad on Monday morning, clashing with Afghan security forces, authorities said.
By the time the fighting ended, three insurgent gunmen, two police officers and five civilian employees of the Justice Department were dead, said Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry. At least one other civilian was wounded, he said.
In the capital, Kabul, two rockets landed near military buildings around the northern side of the city's international airport but didn't cause any casualties or material damage, the Interior Ministry said.
Car bomb kills 4, injures 22 in Afghanistan
As they often do, the Taliban offered a different version of events, claiming the rocket attack had killed several people and damaged buildings.
In their statement last week announcing the start of their spring military operations, the Taliban said the offensive's main targets would include foreigners, Afghan government staff and their organizations nationwide.
Each year since NATO forces entered Afghanistan, the Taliban has launched renewed attacks as the snow melts.
Most NATO troops are due to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of this year as the U.S.-led war effort winds down.
READ: Afghan election heads for June runoff
CNN's Masoud Popalzai and journalist Qadir Sediqi reported from Kabul. CNN's Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong.
Separatist leader reported shot amid Ukraine turmoil
5/13/2014 9:10:00 AM
- Luhansk "people's governor" is injured in an attack on his vehicle, his press office says
- German Foreign Minister says situation in Ukraine's east is "still dangerous and threatening"
- The names of 13 people newly sanctioned by the European Union are released
- Canada announces sanctions on six Russian and six Ukrainian citizens
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN) -- A separatist leader in eastern Ukraine has been injured in a suspected assassination attempt, a spokesman said Tuesday, amid continuing turmoil in the wake of a controversial weekend referendum on independence.
A car carrying the "Luhansk people's governor" Valeriy Bolotov was fired on Tuesday in the Luhansk region, said Vasiliy Nikitin, a spokesman for the self-declared "Luhansk People's Republic."
Bolotov suffered a gunshot injury, but Nikitin said it was "light" and not life threatening. It is not known who was behind the shooting.
The reported attack comes amid simmering tensions in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, where pro-Russian separatists staged a referendum Sunday asking residents whether they should declare independence from Ukraine.
Speaking in Brussels, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk had strong words for Russia, saying it continues to support the separatists behind the unrest.
"Russia will fail to make a failed state," he said, as he urged Moscow to condemn the pro-Russian militants.
Yatsenyuk said the priority for Ukraine was to hold free and fair national elections on May 25, after which, he said, "we expect to have a new, legitimate president."
The Prime Minister warned that Ukraine would pursue Russia through the courts over its annexation in March of Ukraine's Crimea territory, including an oil and natural gas company based there.
Ukraine will also challenge Russian energy giant Gazprom in court unless it agrees to renegotiate the price it charges Ukraine for natural gas supplies, Yatsenyuk said. Gazprom said the recent sharp increase, from $268.50 to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, was necessary because Ukraine is billions of dollars in arrears.
Yatsenyuk said Ukraine would pay what it owes, but only if Gazprom revises the natural gas deal in line with market rates.
"Russia is to stop using natural gas as another type of Russian weapon," he said.
'Decisive role'
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, speaking alongside Yatsenyuk earlier in Kiev, warned that the situation in eastern Ukraine is "still dangerous and threatening," and backed efforts by the interim government to start a national dialogue.
Steinmeier said the May 25 presidential elections would play a "decisive role" in restoring calm to Ukraine and urged steps to disarm the illegal separatist groups who have seized key buildings in the east.
He also praised the interim government for its handling of the crisis.
Steinmeier's visit is the latest in a series by foreign diplomats seeking a peaceful resolution to what has become the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War.
Their efforts have done little so far to prevent pro-Russian militants from tightening their grip on Ukraine's east and south
Nearly 90% of voters in the Donetsk area favored secession, the head of the central election commission for the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic said Tuesday. He said just over 10% voted against the move.
Separatist leader Denis Pushilin said Monday that the Donetsk region was not only independent, but also would ask to join Russia. There was no immediate response from Ukraine's government or the European Union.
Pushilin's announcement was reminiscent of separatists' moves in the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed after Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia in a March 16 referendum.
Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov said Monday of the referendum: "That farce the terrorists call a referendum is nothing else but a propagandist cover for killings, kidnapping, violence and other grave crimes."
EU, Canada impose sanctions
Sunday's referendum was also widely condemned by the international community.
In its wake, Western leaders have imposed fresh sanctions in the hopes of pressuring Russia into reining in the pro-Russian militants.
The European Union sanctioned 13 people Monday over the Ukraine crisis, bringing the total number subject to EU visa bans and asset freezes to 61, an EU diplomat said. Two Crimean entities are also sanctioned.
Those targeted in the latest round, whose names were only released Tuesday, include Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the self-declared Mayor of Slovyansk, a rebel stronghold in the Donetsk region, and Vladimir Shamanov, commander of the Russian airborne troops.
Meanwhile, Canada has imposed sanctions on 12 additional people, six Russians and six Ukrainians, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement.
Canada's expanded sanctions list includes Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov; Russian State Duma vice-speakers Sergei Neverov and Lyudmila Shevtsova; and Igor Girkin, known as "Strelok," who is accused of being a Russian saboteur and militant leader in eastern Ukraine.
Also named by Canada are Crimean politicians and five representatives of the self-proclaimed republics and militias in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Canada's government had previously approved sanctions against nine Russian politicians and businessmen, two Russian credit organizations and 16 Russian companies.
Russia, which said it respected the will of the people of Luhansk and Donetsk in Sunday's vote, has not so far responded to Pushilin's announcement that he will seek annexation by the Russian Federation.
Moscow denies having direct influence over the separatist groups. They went ahead with the referendum despite a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to delay it.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters Monday that Russia finds the EU sanctions highly regrettable, according to Russian state media.
"It's an absolutely thoughtless and irresponsible policy that doesn't match reality in any way," news agency ITAR Tass quoted him as saying.
Hague: More sanctions in the pipeline
Addressing Parliament in London on Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague urged Russia to use its influence to de-escalate the situation and disarm the militants -- or face more tough measures.
Additional sanctions are being prepared, he said, and the European Union is ready to impose them if needed.
"Because we have now widened the criteria substantially there are now many more individuals and entities who could be added," he said of the sanctions list.
Hague added that planning for a range of wider economic and trade measures is "at an advanced stage."
EU members accepted that such measures would hurt their own economies as well as Russia's, Hague said, but were united over the "triggers" that would mean they were brought into force.
On Twitter, Hague said that Britain would back Ukraine's May 25 presidential elections by providing 100 observers for the Organization for Security and Cooperation mission and £429,000 ($723,000) in financial aid.
CNN's Atika Shubert and Kellie Morgan reported from Donetsk and Laura Smith-Spark reported and wrote in London. Journalist Lena Kashkarova and CNN's Lindsay Isaac contributed to this report.
Iran: We built copy of U.S. drone
5/12/2014 7:02:33 PM
- News agency says Iranian electronic warfare unit brought down the drone in 2011
- That year, U.S. officials said it was part of a CIA reconnaissance mission
- On Sunday, the U.S. drone was displayed alongside an Iranian copy
- It was identified as a Lockheed Martin RQ-170 Sentinel
(CNN) -- Iran on Sunday unveiled what it says is a copy of a U.S. stealth drone that it "commandeered" in 2011.
"The drone was brought down by the Iranian Armed Forces' electronic warfare unit which commandeered the aircraft and safely landed it," the Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported.
Late last year, Iran announced it had "managed to reverse engineer most parts" of the drone, according to the Tasnim report.
The U.S. drone was identified as the RQ-170 Sentinel, made by Lockheed Martin.
Pictures of the aircraft taken during the unveiling ceremony attended by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were posted on Khamenei's official website.
U.S. officials told CNN in December 2011 that the drone was part of a CIA reconnaissance mission that involved both the intelligence community and military personnel stationed in Afghanistan.
Later that month, President Barack Obama asked Iran to return the drone to the U.S.
"We've asked for it back. We'll see how the Iranians respond," Obama said.
"No nation welcomes other countries' spy drones in its territory, and no one sends back the spying equipment and its information back to the country of origin," Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy commander of Iran's military, said at the time, according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency.
In photos of Sunday's ceremony, the U.S. drone was on display alongside the Iranian copy.
In February 2013, Iran said it had been able to decode surveillance footage from the captured drone and displayed it on YouTube.
Iranian company wants to send toy drone to Obama
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Iran unveils squadrons of flying boats
Can FBI help stop World Cup protests?
5/13/2014 7:56:19 AM
- Belo Horizonte police trained by FBI ahead of World Cup
- Police in region says it is fully prepared for hosting tournament
- Protests expected to coincide with Brazil 2014
- Brazilian government expected to spend $810 million on security
Follow us at @WorldSportCNN and like us on Facebook
(CNN) -- Rubber bullets, drones and FBI-trained riot police. Welcome to Brazil's 2014 World Cup.
One year since millions marched in protest against the government and the staging of the world's most glamorous sporting event, Brazil is steeling itself.
Notably in Belo Horizonte, the country's third largest city and home to 5.5 million people. Here, the police are leaving nothing to chance.
An absolutely arresting image from the Brazil protests. pic.twitter.com/oAhz6HHj3c
— Mark Mravic (@MarkMravic) June 18, 2013 Last year, as tires burned and protests raged during the Confederations Cup, a warmup competition for next month's football showpiece, the night sky above Belo turned red.
The city's authorities are determined that won't happen again, so in March, a week-long training session with the FBI was arranged.
"The training with the FBI took place here in Belo where our officers were able to exchange experiences with colleagues and American agents," Patrícia Luíza Costa, chief of the teaching division at the Academy de Policia Civil de Minas Gerais, told CNN.
"The FBI agents were here for a week and we had 308 officers registering to take up 43 places."
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered advice on a number of areas ranging from organized crime, peacekeeping and the importance of maintaining respect for human rights.
"This is the first time an event the size of the World Cup will come to Minas and Belo," added Costa.
"But our officers have gained experience from visiting South Africa at the 2010 World Cup and the London Olympic Games.
"That allowed us to learn from large events and London is our own example."
The Brazilian government is expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on security before and during the World Cup.
Riots across the country sparked violent clashes between police and protesters on the streets of Belo as well as in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other regions.
Last month, Brazilian star Neymar told CNN that he supported "peaceful protests."
"My opinion is that protesting, there's no problem with it, as long as it is peaceful without violence, without vandalism," the Barcelona forward said.
"If it's for Brazil getting better, they have to protest."
Neymar's blessing or not, the protests show no sign of going away.
a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Brazil&src=hash">#Brazil army patrolling Rio de Janeiro: will emergency measures make city safe before #WorldCup? http://t.co/HOAT9XvwzA #cnn
— Shasta Darlington (@ShastaCNN) April 24, 2014 Also in April, CNN reported how an angry mob burned barricades and police blocked streets as clashes flared in Rio's neighborhood of Copacabana, where one person was killed.
Tensions are high in the favelas surrounding Rio -- police, backed by the army, have carried out a "pacification" campaign to eradicate drug gangs.
The program, which has been in action since 2008, is expected to continue after the World Cup finishes.
Earlier this month, authorities in Rio requested help from the Brazilian Army. More than 2,000 soldiers and marines moved into the sprawling Complexo da Mare shantytown in the industrial north zone.
Away from the favelas, it won't just be soldiers and police keeping an eye on protesters.
The government has purchased two unmanned aircraft systems, including a Hermes 900, from Israeli company Elbit Systems to bolster its security during the tournament.
"These drones are top of the range and can fly at 30,000 feet while being able to see 70 miles away," explained Justin Pringle, an expert in the field and creator of drone systems with UK-based company Heliguy.
"They are purely for defense and fans at the World Cup won't even notice them -- the drones will be flying too high to be noticed.
"What they will do is give the police an extra pair of eyes in the sky and allow them to plan and analyze any situations which occur.
"They are a far more cost-effective means of policing, and it saves having a manned helicopter in the air."
The moment at last night's #saopaulo #NaoVaiTerCopa protest when the Black Blocs burned a #WorldCup album pic.twitter.com/Czf9QnYzWL
— Ben Tavener (@BenTavener) April 30, 2014 Brazil signed a $350 million deal with Israel in 2009 to supply drones for the World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, as well as to guard against illegal logging in the Amazon rainforest.
"The drone business has gone through the roof and there is a huge demand," said Pringle.
"We were involved in a project at the Sochi Games using one of our models and we're also involved in several other events as well as movies."
While the drone business is doing a roaring trade, Igor Resende is struggling to get over last year's riots, with memories of the rubber bullet that sent him to hospital still as painful as ever.
A sports journalist who will cover the tournament, Resende is expecting another summer of discontent as football's showpiece event becomes the focal point for the frustrations of a nation.
Allegations of police brutality and corruption within the government have given ammunition to protesters who remain unhappy at the World Cup being awarded to Brazil at a time when they would rather see money being spent on public services.
"We have a lot of reasons to protest," Resende told CNN.
"It all began in Sao Paulo with protests against the price increase of public transportation. It then increased when the police repressed the protesters and a lot of people got injured -- including journalists.
"The big question of this World Cup is the money being spent.
"People would prefer to see all this money used to build hospitals, schools and nurseries.
Tonight's #saopaulo #worldcup #naovaitercopa protest covered 8.5km from Tatuapé to Praça da Sé pic.twitter.com/ipQorlwKvc
— Ben Tavener (@BenTavener) April 30, 2014 "Even former players, such as Romario, who is now a politician, has come out and said that he feels betrayed by the government for using public money to build stadiums."
FIFA, the game's world governing body, is expecting protests. Its secretary general Jerome Valcke has been broadly supportive of those who seek to demonstrate in a peaceful manner.
"We fully respect the right to express your opinion and to protest as long as it is in a peaceful manner and as long as the rights of everybody -- protestors and others -- are respected," he told reporters.
"We definitely condemn any form of violence. For the World Cup, a detailed security plan built on models used at previous World Cups will be in place.
"It involves private and public security authorities to ensure the safety of fans, players, media and our stakeholders.
"This approach worked very well during the Confederations Cup. I trust the job being done by the Brazilian government in partnership with the local organizing committee."
While protests are expected in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in the lead-up to the tournament, they are unlikely to attract the same number of people as those held last year.
Protest in Brazil just going OFF https://t.co/JLzdXdftXf
— swarth vader (@itsghastlycrew) June 18, 2013 Even so, nothing is being left to chance. According to official figures published by the Ministry of Justice, there will be 57,000 members of the armed forces deployed specifically for the World Cup, with 21,000 of those "considered contingency forces."
The skies will be patrolled by 48 aircraft, including helicopters and airplanes, while 20 ships and 60 smaller vessels such as speed boats will patrol the seas.
In addition, 12 central commands have been set up across the country and Gepard Missile Batteries have been deployed.
Further figures made available by the government show that 9,928 police professionals have undergone special training designed for the World Cup as well as the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
"The government is very prepared for security issues," Christopher Gaffney, a visiting professor in the graduate school of architecture and urbanism at the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, told CNN.
Gaffney has spent the past five years examining the effect the World Cup will have on Brazilian society and says the government has left no stone unturned in its preparation for the tournament.
"There has been heavy investment in military-grade weaponry, the federal government has prepared a 10,000 strong anti-riot force and there will be one security agent for every 50 fans," he said.
"What is meant by security is, of course, a different subject as Brazil operates under a military police system which takes the citizenry as potential combatant enemies."
#saopaulo #worldcup #naovaitercopa protest unveils huge banner from overpass - in English. pic.twitter.com/5wCIy9MFQj
— Ben Tavener (@BenTavener) April 30, 2014 Last June, as Belo played host to the Confederations Cup, more than a thousand protesters sat in Praca Sete de Stembro, a square in the city center, chanting against the government and police.
"The scale and ferocity of the protests took everyone by surprise," says British journalist and author James Montague, who was in Belo at the time.
"The first protest I saw close up was in Rio," said Montague, author of the upcoming World Cup book, "Thirty-One Nil."
"It was peaceful. Mainly university students and activists. I had seen how the police, largely unprovoked, just crushed it with rubber bullets, tear gas and flash grenades. All the damage stemmed from that, but you could see the Rio military police had experience in pacification.
"Belo Horizonte was different. There the police lost control as the protestors -- some activists but mainly young men who had joined the march from the favelas -- controlled the streets and ransacked them.
"It took a swooping police helicopter to eventually regain control around the stadium. It was, by the end, basic criminality by a section of the 'protesters.' "
During one of the protests, Montague hid under a corrugated roof as police fired back at protesters and tear gas was unleashed.
"A tear gas canister lands at our feet bouncing and spinning around, crazily spewing thick white plumes of smoke in every direction," writes Montague in his book.
"The choking fog brings near total silence, save for the coughing and the wailing of those not wearing a gas mask."
Writing on his blog, Hunting White Elephants, Gaffney says: "No-one is to blame as the World Cup functions like an extensive shell game of interests that leaves vacuums of responsibility, exposing the least protected to the greatest risk."
HT Nigeria 3-0 Tahiti - Protests in Belo Horizonte (where the game is taking place) as well (pic via Terra): #Confeds pic.twitter.com/dt5AHkwfAM
— Paulo Freitas (@Cynegeticus) June 17, 2013 He adds: "The 'real risk' is to the World Cup, which is why the government puts on massive security performances to show foreigners that they are getting tough on crime and that critical infrastructures will be protected."
Gaffney told CNN that while there is some scaremongering by the press, similar to that ahead of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, there is room for legitimate concerns over security.
"There are always overblown elements to media coverage that reflect the fears of the international media and not the realities of the places being covered," he said.
"If the World Cup was being held in the U.S. would the British media be talking about random killings at movie theaters?
"However, the problem of violence in Brazilian cities is quite real and the most damaging drug is that which will be openly sold in stadiums in violation of Brazilian law, alcohol."
Protests today in down town belo horizonte, where England play Costa Rica on 24 June @bbc5live pic.twitter.com/thdPsSJDA4
— Bruce Douglas (@bruceecurb) April 9, 2014 However, Camillo Fraga, the municipal secretary for the World Cup in Belo, is adamant that his city will be fully prepared.
Home to the 62,000-capacity Mineirao stadium and no less than 12,000 bars, Belo is aiming to market itself as an international tourist destination.
The Minas Gerais state, which includes Belo, possesses 60% of the historical and cultural heritage in Brazil, according to the city's tourism publication.
Fraga believes the experience of hosting last year's Confederations Cup, and the attention being given to Belo, will allow the city to establish itself globally.
"This is the most important opportunity for our city to become international. The people understand that. They see Rio and Sao Paulo, they see that they are international cities and we are not," he said.
"We are working together with the citizens to try and motivate them to see how it will be good for the city to receive the World Cup."
While Fraga is confident that Belo will cope with the extra visitors, there are those who remain skeptical.
Protest groups, many of which use anarchist "black bloc" tactics of dressing in uniformed disguises, are expected to use the World Cup as a vehicle to showcase their grievances, before and throughout the month-long tournament.
Mass protests of striking teachers last night in 16 cities of #Brazil, pic from Rio de Janeiro via @MidiaNINJA pic.twitter.com/F5vVJfqGVy
— 15MBcn_int (@15MBcn_int) October 16, 2013 "Brazil will look like it's under marshal law," Montague said.
"Armed police will be everywhere, if the Confederations Cup was any indicator -- and they won't think twice about using a rubber bullet to quell even the slightest trouble.
"They do not mess around."
Read: Pele backs 'fantastic' World Cup
Read: Army occupies shantytown ahead of World Cup
14 killed as ship sinks near Italy
5/12/2014 7:02:49 PM
![[File photo] African migrants are rescued off the island of Lampedusa on October 25, 2013.](http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140402145144-lampedusa-migrants-story-top.jpg)
- NEW: U.N. refugee agency is dismayed by rising migrant death toll in Mediterranean
- About 200 people rescued from boat in Mediterranean on Monday, Italian navy says
- Deadly shipwreck came a day after a boat sank off Libya, killing at least 40
- The Italian military rescued about 2,000 migrants in five days alone, navy says
(CNN) -- At least 17 people were killed when a ship carrying migrants sank Monday about 100 miles off southern Italy, the Italian navy said Tuesday.
Just over 200 other people who'd been on the ship were rescued, the navy said.
The incident came a day after a boat carrying illegal migrants sank off the coast of Tripoli, Libya, killing at least 40 people, according to an account from Libya's Interior Ministry.
Southern Italy -- especially tiny Lampedusa, which is the closest Italian island to Africa -- is a frequent destination for refugees seeking to enter European Union countries from Africa. Migrants often pack into unseaworthy and ill-equipped boats, and shipwrecks off Italian shores are common.
The Italian military has rescued about 2,000 migrants in the last five days alone, Italy's navy said Monday, highlighting the difficulty in keeping up with the flow of migrants seeking to reach European soil.
Tens of thousands of people are rescued from the Mediterranean Sea each year, according to the European Union border agency, Frontex.
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, expressed its dismay Tuesday over the rising number of migrants dying as they try to make the perilous crossing.
UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters that those who lost their lives Monday include 12 women, three children and two men.
In addition, 121 people are believed to have died in three separate boat accidents off the Libyan coast over the past two weeks, he said.
Some of the 53 survivors of a shipwreck off Libya on May 6 told the UNHCR that the smugglers pushed them onto the boat and set off even though the boat was damaged in the middle, Edwards said. It's believed 77 people drowned in that incident.
The deaths of more than 300 African migrants in a shipwreck off Lampedusa last October shocked Italy and the world, and led to calls for EU lawmakers to review their migration policies.
A rescue operation established by the Italian government after that tragedy saved more than 20,000 people at sea through early April, the United Nations refugee agency said. Nearly 43,000 migrants arrived in Italy by sea in 2013, according to the agency.
Many of the migrants are from African nations, while others have fled war-torn Syria.
The UNHCR believes more than 170 migrants have died at sea trying to reach Europe so far this year.
It praised rescue efforts by the Italian and Libyan authorities, as well as private boats, but said more still needs to be done.
"We also urge governments around the world to provide legal alternatives to dangerous sea journeys, ensuring desperate people in need of refuge can seek and find protection and asylum," the agency said. "These alternatives could include resettlement, humanitarian admission, and facilitated access to family reunification."
READ: Italian navy rescues over 1,000 migrants from overcrowded boats in a day
Migrants appear undeterred, even after deadly shipwrecks
Family flees Syria's war, finds refuge in Italy's islands
CNN's Lindsay Isaac contributed to this report.
N. Korea slams South's drone claims
5/12/2014 6:56:16 AM
- NEW: A South Korean defense official says Pyongyang is "evading responsibility"
- NEW: The official also suggests North Korea "must disappear quickly"
- North Korea says the South's allegations that it sent drones are a "charade"
- South Korea says it found persuasive evidence that the aircraft came from the North
(CNN) -- North Korea has slammed a South Korean investigation that found that Pyongyang had flown small drones over the border to take photos of strategic sites.
The South Korean findings, released last week, are a "charade for confrontation," the North's Korean People's Army said in a statement reported by state media Monday.
The statement suggested that the South Korean government was "floating the fiction" about the drones' origin "in a foolish bid" to divert public attention away from the Sewol ferry disaster.
'Smoking gun'
Officials in Seoul say the three tiny, unmanned aircraft were found in March and April on the ground in South Korean territory near the heavily militarized border with the North.
Analysis of the drones turned up a "smoking gun" that all three had been sent by North Korea and were set up to return there, the South Korean Defense Ministry said last week.
The small, single-engine propeller planes carried Japanese-made digital cameras and looked as though they could have come from a hobby shop.
All three aircraft were programmed to fly over military facilities, and two of them had images of targets of military interest -- strategically important islands near the demilitarized zone, and the Blue House, the residence and office of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.
U.S. criticized
The United States, which assisted with the investigation into the drones, wasn't spared North Korea's ire.
Washington is trying to create pretexts "for justifying the huge armed buildup needed for laying a siege to Eurasia and its permanent presence in South Korea," the North's military said in its statement.
But Kim Min-seok, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry, was unimpressed by North Korea's denials, saying Monday that Pyongyang was "evading responsibility and making excuses."
He went on to criticize North Korea more generally, saying the isolated country "must disappear quickly."
The verbal jousting over the drones comes amid broader tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Pyongyang has threatened to conduct a new nuclear test, a move that would defy U.S.-led pressure for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program.
Irked by annual U.S.-South Korean military drills in March and April, the North also carried out a series of missile and rocket tests that drew condemnation from the United Nations.
3 found drones came from North Korea, South's defense ministry says
Journalist Stella Kim contributed to this report.
15 fans die in soccer stampede
5/13/2014 12:47:37 AM
- African football body CAF calls for 'thorough' investigation into DR Congo stadium disaster
- Fifteen fans died as a stampede broke out at the game between AS Vita and TP Mazembe
- FIFA President Sepp Blatter offers support of the entire football community
- Match took place in stadium of 'Rumble in the Jungle' fame
(CNN) -- African football's ruling body, the Confederation of African Football, has called for a thorough investigation into how 15 fans died at a league match in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The fatalities occurred after a stampede broke out in the closing stages of Sunday's decisive meeting between the country's biggest clubs, AS Vita Club and TP Mazembe.
Reports state that trouble flared after fans of home side Vita started throwing missiles onto the pitch with their team trailing 1-0 in a game where the victor would take the title.
The police responded by firing tear gas whereupon a stampede for the exit gates led to chaotic scenes of overcrowding, resulting in the deaths and injuries to over 20 others.
Read: Italy hit by fresh racism storm
On its website, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) said the stampede 'caused the collapse of a wall and a gate of the Tata Raphael stadium'.
The match was taking place in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, at the stadium that staged the legendary 'Rumble in the Jungle' boxing bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974.
"I wish to reemphasize that any acts of violence have no place in football," CAF President Issa Hayatou told cafonline.com.
"They must be condemned in the strongest possible terms and I urge FECOFA (the Congolese FA) and authorities in DR Congo to thoroughly investigate this matter and ensure that measures (are) put in place to avoid a repeat of any incidents."
The long-serving Cameroonian also demanded that CAF be kept abreast of any proposed security measures.
Kinshasa governor Andre Kimbuta has already set up a commission of inquiry to investigate the disaster.
"On behalf of FIFA and in my own name, I offer you, and the Congolese FA, my sincerest condolences," wrote FIFA President Sepp Blatter in a letter to the President of FECOFA.
"I would be most grateful if you would pass on the deep sympathy and support of the entire international football community to the families, loved ones and clubs of the deceased and victims at this very difficult time."
"May this message soften their pain and bring them support and comfort."
At FIFA's headquarters in the Swiss city Zurich, the flags of both DR Congo and CAF were flown at half-mast in a sign of mourning.
The disaster is the worst at a Congolese football match since a game in Butembo in 2008, when 13 spectators -- many of whom were children -- died after police fired tear gas into the crowd shortly after stones had been thrown by the fans.
Six years on, a similar set of circumstances has sparked a further devastating loss of life.
The two teams are set to meet again on the weekend of May 24-25 in the group stages of the African Champions League.
Read: The amazing story of TP Mazembe
CAF is considering whether to play the match between AS Vita, crowned African champions in the 1970s, and four-time continental winners Mazembe behind closed doors.
Mazembe stunned the footballing world in 2010 when becoming the first African side to reach the final of FIFA's Club World Cup, but their name may now conjure up far sadder emotions.
Is Pistorius crazy? Tests wanted
5/13/2014 5:22:48 AM
- NEW: Judge Thokozile Masipa will rule Wednesday on whether Pistorius must be tested
- Prosecutor Gerrie Nel says he understands testing could bring a long delay in the trial
- A psychiatrist testified that Pistorius suffers general anxiety and is depressed
- Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp but says he mistook his girlfriend for an intruder
Pretoria, South Africa (CNN) -- Oscar Pistorius must submit to an independent psychiatric evaluation, the prosecutor in his murder trial argued Tuesday, raising the possibility of a long delay in the proceedings.
Gerrie Nel filed a motion asking the judge to require the tests, arguing that if there is any chance the defendant's mental health is an issue, the court must "err on the side of caution."
Pistorius, 27, is on trial over the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last year. He admits shooting her but says he thought there was an intruder in his house. He has pleaded not guilty.
The athlete's defense team is trying to show that Pistorius made a genuine mistake and responded reasonably on the night he shot Steenkamp, 29, a model and law school graduate.
Judge Thokozile Masipa will announce her decision about psychiatric observation Wednesday, she said, and adjourned court until then.
The testing would last 30 days, and Pistorius would need to wait for it to be scheduled, meaning the trial could be put on hold for months.
Pistorius' lead defense lawyer, Barry Roux, argued against new tests for his client, saying Nel's reading of the law is "unfortunate."
He mounted an impassioned case for going ahead with the trial, giving Nel an opening to begin his rebuttal with an acerbically gentle: "One thing I agree with, we shouldn't be emotional."
The court has been debating the onetime Olympic sprinter's "general anxiety disorder" this week as the trial appeared to be heading toward its end.
Psychiatrist Merryll Vorster testified Tuesday that the anxiety disorder comes out in his "excessive" concern about security, friendships lacking in depth and short-term sexual relationships.
And, she said: "People with generalized anxiety probably shouldn't have firearms."
Depression
The psychiatrist first took the stand Monday morning for the defense, going all the way back to when Pistorius was 11 months old.
Pistorius would have experienced the amputation of both of his legs below the knees at that time as a "traumatic assault" because he was too young to speak or understand what was happening to him, she said in court.
His parents then put pressure on him to appear normal, and his mother abused alcohol at times after she and Pistorius' father divorced, she said.
She raised him and his siblings "to see their external environment as threatening" and "added to the anxiety," Vorster said.
Pistorius testified last month that "Everything I learnt in life, I learned from her."
The athlete is depressed now and feeling guilt from having killed Steenkamp, Vorster said Monday.
Nel responded by comparing the athlete's mental state to post-traumatic stress disorder and saying the law required psychiatric observation.
Heading into danger
Vorster also addressed the question of why, on the night he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius took his gun and went toward the sound of what the thought was danger rather than trying to get away.
Because of his disability, she said, when he faces a fight-or-flight situation, he cannot flee, so his instinct is to fight.
Nel then pressed the psychiatrist on whether Pistorius was mentally ill and whether he could distinguish right from wrong.
She said he could.
Judge Masipa must decide whether Pistorius genuinely made a mistake or whether he murdered Steenkamp intentionally.
If she does not believe the athlete thought there was an intruder, she will find him guilty of murder and sentence him to at least 15 years in prison, and possibly life.
South Africa does not have the death penalty.
If Masipa accepts that Pistorius did not know Steenkamp was the person he was shooting at, she could find him guilty of culpable homicide, a lesser charge than murder, or acquit him, according to CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps.
A verdict of culpable homicide would leave the sentence at Masipa's discretion.
Nel rejects the sprinter's defense that he mistakenly thought he was defending himself and his girlfriend from an intruder.
The state contends that Pistorius argued with Steenkamp before killing her.
The defense team is seeking to cast doubt on the state's case and needs to show only that there is a reasonable doubt that Pistorius meant to kill Steenkamp.
Argument or error?
There is no dispute that Pistorius fired four bullets through a door at Steenkamp in his home early on the morning of Valentine's Day 2013. Three hit her, causing devastating wounds. The final shot struck her head and probably killed her almost instantly, a pathologist testified in March.
The trial has seen Pistorius break down repeatedly, crying, wailing and sometimes throwing up as the court sees and hears evidence about Steenkamp's death.
Vorster said the athlete's physical distress was real.
When the defense is done presenting its evidence, both sides will make closing arguments, and then Masipa will retire to consider her verdict. South Africa does not have jury trials, but she is being assisted by two experts called assessors.
Pistorius is arguably the world's most famous disabled athlete, known as the "Blade Runner" for the carbon-fiber blades he runs on. He fought for -- and won -- the right to compete against able-bodied runners at the Olympics after his Paralympic success.
Sports fans worldwide saw Pistorius a symbol of triumph over physical adversity.
Live blog: Pistorius on trial
Oscar Pistorius trial enters new phase after blistering cross-examination
Gerrie Nel: 'Bulldog' prosecutor sinks teeth into Oscar Pistorius at murder trial
Beijing steps up police presence
5/13/2014 6:37:07 AM
- 150 police vehicles, 1,350 armed officers to be deployed on capital's streets
- Officials say deployment is measure to protect citizens against possible terror attacks
- Significant stepping up of security comes ahead of 25th anniversary of June 4th crackdown on Tiananmen Square
- Defense minister says that southern borders need to be better protected to prevent terrorism
(CNN) -- Beijing police have significantly stepped up security measures in China's capital, in what the country's state media described as "an escalation of anti-terror efforts" following a string of attacks.
Beijing has deployed more than 1,300 armed police officers and 150 patrol vehicles throughout the city at major intersections, according to Xinhua, China's state-run news agency. Each armed vehicle, comprised of nine police members and four assistants, are expected to cover a three-kilometer (1.86 mile) radius and respond to any incident within three minutes.
The presence of these armed vehicles were called a "deterrent to terrorists," according to Xinhua.
Such visible measures come as China reels from several bloody bomb and knife attacks in rail stations over the past few months.
Reaction to attacks
Separate incidents, in Kunming in March, where 29 were killed and 130 injured in knife attacks, as well as in Urumqi -- where three were killed and 79 hurt -- at the end of April and in the southern city of Guangzhou a few days later, with a further six injured, have highlighted the seriousness of the situation.
Last year in October Tiananmen Square, Beijing's iconic tourist destination, was the site of another alleged terrorist attack, when two Uyghurs crashed a jeep in the Square. Five were killed and dozens injured in the incident.
China's Minister of Public Security, Guo Shengkun, recently advocated hardline tactics against potential terror attacks.
"We should keep the pressure on and dare to strike heavy blows... and firmly foil such plans before they become realities," the minister was quoted in the state-run People's Daily newspaper.
Separatists from the Uyghur minority group have been blamed for the attacks, which are classed as acts of terrorism by authorities.
Many Uyghurs, most of whom live in the far-western province of Xinjiang, decry Beijing's influence and the creep of ethnic Han culture into their lives. Separatists want the creation of an independent state called East Turkestan. The central government say that they have done much to improve the lives of those in the remote region.
Q&A: China's restive far west
Tiananmen connection?
The international media has been reporting on the high-profile crackdown in Beijing as the 25th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on Tiananmen Square approaches. The connection was not highlighted by Chinese media, as mentions of the incident have been scrubbed.
Several activists, including the prominent humans-rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, have been detained ahead of the anniversary, which takes place on June 4.
China's porous borders
Meanwhile, China's minister of national defense has highlighted the country's borders with Myanmar, Laos and Thailand as a weak point in the fight against violent Uyghur separatism.
"(We must) strictly control the border and, according to law, crack down on violent terrorism, drug manufacturing and trafficking and other criminal activities," Chang Wanquan said on the ministry's website.
The state-run newspaper Global Times reported that last month, security checks were lacking at key transport hubs and that passengers had been carrying "caged livestock, hammers and knives" when they boarded Shanghai's subway.
3 ways to stop another MH370
5/14/2014 12:25:14 AM
- Jim Hall and Peter Goelz: Why losing a Boeing 777, or any other jet, must never happen again
- They ask why we can track millions of users through their cell phones but not a jumbo jet
- The technology to better track aircraft exists and must be deployed now, they argue
Editor's note: Jim Hall is the former head of the National Transportation Safety Board. Peter Goelz is an aviation analyst and CNN contributor. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.
(CNN) -- Nearly two months have passed while the world has looked on in disbelief as the search for Malaysia Air Flight 370 continues. We all hope the initial mystery of this tragedy -- where the aircraft rests -- is soon solved so that the ultimate mystery of what led that aircraft and its passengers to their fate can be determined.
As we wait, what everyone in aviation needs to agree on right now is that this must never be allowed to happen again. Millions of us can be located immediately through technology in our handheld cell phones, but a 300,000-pound Boeing 777 with 239 souls on board disappears from the face of the Earth. NASA has the capability of photographing stars billions of light-years away, and yet our best minds are forced to guess where this plane might be.
The airline industry has invested billions of dollars in technology that has made flight as incredibly safe as it is today. Yet many allow their aircraft to fall off any direct tracking capability as they fly over vast ocean distances and remote locations, confident that these planes will occasionally check in and reappear as they near the other side of the blacked-out area.
But what if, as with MH370, they don't?
It isn't like we weren't warned. Just five years ago, an Air France Airbus took off from Rio de Janeiro for a routine 5,700-mile trip to Paris. But the plane never arrived. Although the airline had received telemetric data that something was going terribly wrong and indicating in general where the plane had crashed, only the recovery of some large floating pieces of wreckage helped narrow the search area. Even after the search area was relatively quickly identified, the all-important flight recorders weren't recovered for another two years.
Despite a series of well-founded recommendations by the BEA (the French counterpart to the National Transportation Safety Board), no meaningful reforms have been implemented. The International Civil Aviation Organization, the United Nations body that governs international aviation, has done nothing to order the tracking of transoceanic flights in real time and, in those very rare events when something goes wrong, to mandate equipment to ensure a successful search and rescue operation.
This needs to end now. While there will undoubtedly be months and years of debate about next-generation capabilities, there are existing technologies and concrete actions that we can -- and must -- take right now to make sure this tragic spectacle is never repeated:
1. All ETOPS aircraft (certified for extended overwater flight) need to be connected to a "handshake" monitoring service offered by Boeing, Airbus or the major engine manufacturers or to some other commercial service like the Automated Flight Information Reporting System that tracks the aircraft at all times. The "handshake" services can be limited in duration to reduce cost and to not overtax satellite capabilities.
2. Flight recorder "pingers" need to be upgraded to give off two distinct tones, one of which could be heard at a far greater distance than the other but would not need to sound as often in order to preserve power. Further, the batteries themselves should be immediately upgraded to last 90 days.
3. All ETOPS aircraft must be equipped with deployable black boxes, which would separate from the aircraft on impact. Not only does the device float, it transmits a signal that is picked up by the world's search and rescue satellites, providing the location of the black boxes for quick retrieval, the location of the aircraft at impact, its tail number and its country of origin. Had MH370 been equipped with a deployable flight recorder, the initial search could have been limited to within 3 miles of the impact, increasing in accuracy with every emergency locator transmission, rather than requiring the world's resources to search an area as large as the United States.
The most difficult search in history
If these viable steps had been in place, the location of MH370 would have been identified many weeks ago, and secure, tangible black box data would be in hand to help us understand what happened during that ill-fated flight. Instead, we are only slightly better equipped to locate this airliner than when we were searching for Amelia Earhart 85 years ago.
Unbelievably, the prospect of finding the plane seems more remote now than ever; a few weeks ago, Australia actually expanded the area it intends to search to the size of the state of Indiana, virtually guaranteeing that this will be the most costly search in history. And analysts have recently speculated that the basis for determining the search area may be completely without foundation.
The embarrassment of this state of affairs for the industry and regulators is eclipsed only by the grief of the families of the 239 people who put their trust in an appallingly antiquated system governed by a hidebound international bureaucracy.
The United States, one of the founding members of the International Civil Aviation Organization, needs to take a stronger hand in getting these common sense safety improvements adopted immediately. If the organization continues to dither, then the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration must act unilaterally.
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Djokovic makes winning return
5/13/2014 9:35:34 PM
- Novak Djokovic beats Radek Stepanek at Rome Masters after nearly a month out with injury
- World No. 2 takes 97 minutes to win in straight sets
- Federer explains decision to leave home for Rome
- Swiss became father to twin boys last week
(CNN) -- Novak Djokovic made a winning return from a wrist injury when beating Radek Stepanek at the Rome Masters but the Serb described the conditions as some of the most testing he's faced.
Playing his first match since losing in Monte Carlo to Roger Federer on April 19, the second seed dropped serve three times but beat the Czech 6-3 7-5.
Despite Stepanek's resistance, the two-time winner of the event found the gusting wind to be an even bigger obstacle.
Read: Djokovic pulls out of Madrid with wrist problem
"It was one of the most difficult conditions I've played in my life," Djokovic told the ATP website.
"When it's very windy on court, especially on clay, the clay gets in your eyes. It was very difficult to get any kind of rhythm."
"But the positive is that I managed to stay mentally tough until the end and win."
Watched by new coach Boris Becker, the 26-year-old needed one hour and 37 minutes to win through as he finetunes preparations for the French Open, which starts on May 25.
The world number two missed last week's Madrid Open because of his the trouble in his right wrist and there had been some expectations that Federer would be a headline absentee in the Italian capital.
Surprise Return
The Swiss welcomed the second set of twins into his life on Tuesday last week after wife Mirka gave birth to Leo and Lenny, who join elder sisters Myla and Charlene.
The 32-year-old only arrived in the Italian capital on Monday after being packed off -- to his own surprise -- by his family.
"It happened all of sudden on Thursday," Federer, who plays on Wednesday, told reporters.
"I spoke to the team, I spoke to Mirka, asked all of them what they thought I should do and they said too quickly that I should come here and play.
"So 'ok, if you don't want me around, I'll go away!'" joked the Swiss. "It's hard to leave all the family, but I'll see them soon."
Read: Doubles time for ecstatic Federer
The world number four revealed that he fully expects the twins to soon be joining the rest of the family on the ATP World Tour.
"Clearly, it's going to be so much work with four kids on the road, but I feel like we're going to be able to handle it," he said.
"My wife's unbelievably supportive, and she's so good with the kids. I try my best every day as well, when I can, to help. I'm there every day, always with the kids, and I see them so often.
"It's something I'm really going to look forward to, spending this quality time with them, as we travel the world and are in different countries and cities. It's going to be actually very exciting."
Federer will meet France's Jeremy Chardy as he returns to the court just eight days after the expansion of his family.
He has not played since losing last month's Monte Carlo final to compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka, who beat qualifier Pere Riba 6-0 6-3, registering 50 winners in a victory that lasted as many minutes.
In the women's first round, there was local pride as Camilla Giorgi surprised ninth seed Dominika Cibulkova while Sara Errani also made it through, beating Chanelle Scheepers in straight sets.
Football: Spurs fire coach
5/13/2014 7:00:57 PM
- Tottenham Hotspur dismiss manager Tim Sherwood
- Southampton coach Mauricio Pochettino is favorite to take charge of Spurs
- Sherwood dismissal comes shortly after West Brom part ways with Pepe Mel
(CNN) -- There was barely time for the pea to stop spinning as the final whistle blew on the Premier League season before club owners started the next phase of their insatiable quest for improved fortunes.
West Bromwich Albion took less than 24 hours to dispense with the services of Spanish coach Pepe Mel, while Tottenham Hotspur managed to wait just a little longer before sacking Tim Sherwood.
The dismissals take the number of Premier League managers sacked in the course of the 2013-2014 season to 12, with West Ham manager Sam Allardyce also in danger of losing his job.
Tuesday was also the day when many expected Louis van Gaal to give a concrete update on his chances of joining Manchester United, but the man who will step down as Netherlands coach after the forthcoming World Cup was non-committal.
"I'm here as Dutch national team coach, not the future Manchester United coach," Van Gaal told reporters at the training camp in Hoenderloo, before refusing to be drawn further on the subject.
Read: Is Man Utd too big a club to manage?
The Dutchman has been widely tipped to take charge at Old Trafford, after a tumultuous season in which Ryan Giggs finished as interim manager following the dismissal of David Moyes.
Even though Sherwood left White Hart Lane with the best win percentage (59%) of any Spurs manager in the Premier League, he paid the price for failing to keep his emotions in check and to take Spurs into the Champions League.
Andre Villas-Boas was manager for the first half of the season so Sherwood cannot take all the blame yet he did finish the season 10 points off the Champions League places, having taken charge when the gap was half that tally.
"We appointed Tim mid-season as someone who knew both the players and the club," said Tottenham owner Daniel Levy in a statement.
"We agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that option."
Overseeing Sunday's 3-0 defeat of Aston Villa, which enabled Spurs to finish sixth, Sherwood did at least ensure a fourth consecutive season of Europa League football, worth around $14 million to the club.
That falls short of the Champions League football that owner Daniel Levy so desperately wants to see, both for its prestige and riches.
In addition to the $42 million guaranteed by television money, clubs can also profit by squeezing every last ounce out of their commercial partners given the greater exposure afforded by being part of European football's greatest club competition.
Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino is favorite to replace Sherwood and if the Argentine can lift the Saints to eighth, can he be the man to take Spurs back to the Champions League for the first time since 2010/11?
Such a return would be particularly welcome, especially with the new television deal guaranteeing English clubs at least $67 million when it comes into play for the 2015/16 season.
While such sums seem suitably seductive, they are not far off the amount that clubs earn just by staying in the Premier League.
Take West Brom's neighbors and rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were pulling in the Premier League pay packed until their relegation in 2012.
During the 2011-12 season, the club made a profit of $9.7 million but one year later, they had lost $50 million -- a figure that would have been worse had it not been for the first parachute payment ($27m of $81m) that clubs receive after relegation from the Premier League.
It's a reminder to West Brom, who finished the season just one place above the relegation zone, of the importance of getting their next appointment right, following a season in which both Mel and predecessor Steve Clarke were pushed out.
Actor Alec Baldwin arrested
5/13/2014 7:00:28 PM
- New: After arrest Baldwin tweets NYC "is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity"
- Baldwin was arrested for riding bike the wrong way in Manhattan, police say
- The actor reportedly became angry and yelled at officers, police say
- "How old are these officers, that they don't know who I am?" he told police, an official said
New York (CNN) -- Actor Alec Baldwin was arrested Tuesday and issued two summonses -- one for disorderly conduct -- after riding a bicycle the wrong way on a New York street, police said.
The "30 Rock" star allegedly became angry and started yelling at police after they asked him for identification to give him a summons, police said. The other summons was for riding a bike against the flow of traffic. Baldwin is to appear in court July 24.
"Police stated that he got belligerent and started arguing with them and using profanity," Deputy Chief Kim Y. Royster said.
Baldwin was not carrying identification and police took him into custody, police said.
The actor reportedly became angry at the officers, yelling "Give me the summons already," a law enforcement official said.
After his release, Baldwin took to Twitter, posting the badge number of the officer he said arrested him and saying, "photographers outside my home ONCE AGAIN terrified my daughter and nearly hit her with a camera. The police did nothing."
In another tweet, he lamented, "New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity that is desperate for revenue and anxious to criminalize behavior once thought benign."
Once in custody, Baldwin was taken to a nearby precinct, where he reportedly asked the desk supervisor: "How old are these officers, that they don't know who I am?" according to a law enforcement official.
Baldwin was stopped for riding a bicycle the wrong way on Fifth Avenue and 16th Street, police said.
In a statement, a representative for Baldwin said, "He is back home with his family."
This follows an incident last year that sparked media attention.
In November, Baldwin made headlines after chasing a photographer outside his Manhattan apartment and using an anti-gay slur toward the man, according to TMZ.
"Get away from my wife and the baby with the camera," said Baldwin, who could be heard yelling on video taken of the incident.
Baldwin later posted a statement on MSNBC's website saying, "I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have -- and for that I am deeply sorry. Words are important. I understand that, and will choose mine with great care going forward."
Last August, Baldwin was photographed holding a photographer's arms behind his back and pinning him over the hood of a parked car. Baldwin and the photographer called 911, but no charges were filed.
In 2012, a New York Daily News photographer accused Baldwin of assault. Baldwin said the photographer bumped him with his camera.
In February: Baldwin says goodbye to 'public life'
Angry rants bring end to Baldwin MSNBC show
Baldwin apologizes for anti-gay slur
CNN's Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
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