 | Join JustFab and get one pair of extraordinary shoes or bag every month, handpicked for you by our fashion experts. From our sponsors |
| CNN.com - Top Stories |
| CNN.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more. |
'Stowaway' body found in plane
7/29/2014 6:33:12 PM
- NEW: Spokeswoman: The Air Force plane made 5 stops over an 8-day stretch
- NEW: That includes going to West Africa, which is in the midst of an Ebola outbreak
- An adolescent male is found in the wheel well of a C-130 after it landed in Germany
- Tests indicate the young male didn't have communicable diseases
(CNN) -- The body of an "apparent stowaway" was found in the wheel well of a U.S. Air Force plane that traveled around Africa before returning to an American base in Germany, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.
The deceased "adolescent black male, possibly of African origin" turned up during a "detailed post-flight inspection" of the C-130 at Ramstein Air Base on Sunday night, according to Pentagon spokesman Adm. John Kirby.
The body didn't affect the plane's flight, nor was it visible during "standard" inspections before and after flights, he said.
Since taking off from Ramstein, the C-130 had stopped in Senegal, Mali, Chad, Tunisia and Italy over an eight-day stretch, said Air Force spokeswoman Erika Stecker.
Where and when did the adolescent male get on the plane? Authorities stated Tuesday that they don't know -- though the fact that the aircraft stopped in parts of Africa now dealing with a deadly Ebola outbreak raises cause for concern.
The World Health Organization had confirmed more than 800 Ebola cases in West Africa, which includes Senegal and Mali, as of July 23, but suspects there have been many unreported infections and there may be more like 1,200 cases.
Kirby said that lab tests of samples taken from the apparent stowaway's body came back negative "for communicable diseases."
"The cause of death, as well as the other circumstances surrounding this incident, remains under investigation," said the Pentagon spokesman.
The C-130 was "supporting Africa Command operations" during its various stops, Kirby said.
In April: Teen stowaway raises questions about airport security
Man's body found in landing-gear wheel well of plane at Dulles airport
CNN's Lindsay Isaac and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
Enola Gay's last crewman dies
7/30/2014 1:01:47 PM
- Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk dies in Georgia at age 93, his daughter confirms
- He was on the crew of the Enola Gay, which dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan
- His son says "Dutch" Van Kirk had no regrets about the mission
- Afterward, he had four children and worked for decades at DuPont
(CNN) -- Nearly 69 years ago, Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk navigated a U.S. B-29 Superfortress called the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan, on a sunny August day. Once over its target, the Enola Gay unloaded the first atomic bomb dropped in war.
A single bomb blast killed some 140,000 people and helped end World War II -- and pushed the world suddenly into the nuclear era.
On Monday, Van Kirk died of natural causes at the Park Springs retirement community in Stone Mountain, Georgia, according to his eldest daughter Vicki Triplett.
He was 93.
His death means there are now no surviving members of the Enola Gay's crew who, by doing their jobs, became an early and integral part in the ongoing narrative over nuclear weapons.
World War II's atomic bombs
While in the U.S. military, Van Kirk flew dozens of missions in Europe and North Africa. Yet the history books will largely remember him and others aboard that B-29 for the morning of August 6, 1945.
By then, Van Kirk had flown about 15 missions out of England and about 10 more out of North Africa. He then returned to the United States with new orders, training "primarily to make the rapid turn and running away from the bomb," Van Kirk recalled decades later to CNN.
They dropped the bomb dubbed "Little Boy" around 8:15 a.m.
"You didn't see anything except a bright flash and the airplane," Van Kirk recalled. "You saw a white cloud hanging over the city. You saw the -- underneath the cloud the entire city was just entirely covered with smoke and dust, and it looked like a pot of boiling oil down there."
His first thought when the bomb fell was "'God, I'm glad it worked ... Number two, the thoughts were, 'This war is over.' And that was good. That was good.'"
Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered soon after that, ending the bloody war in the Pacific and, in so doing, preventing a U.S. land invasion.
Hiroshima atomic bomb memorial site attracts tourists, shares history with new generations
It also set the stage for what would become known as the Cold War -- a nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and United States that would go on for decades -- as well as concerns about developing nuclear weaponry that persist in places like North Korea and Iran to this day.
Tom Van Kirk told CNN on Tuesday that his father "felt no regrets about" the Hiroshima mission.
At the same time, he said "Dutch" Van Kirk's life was much more than that.
After the war, Van Kirk left the military, got his master's degree in chemical engineering at Bucknell University, then had a long career working for DuPont. He retired in 1985 -- a decade after his wife's death -- and remained active, eventually settling in Georgia near one of his daughters.
He will be buried in Northumberland -- the central Pennsylvania city in which he was born -- alongside his wife, Tom Van Kirk said. Together, the couple had four children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
"We treasure the fact that we had my dad for 93½ years," said Tom Van Kirk. "He was a great father."
People we've lost in 2014
Report: Dozens die in China attack
7/29/2014 7:52:13 PM
- The strike is being called an "organized and premeditated" terror attack
- Police officers at the scene in northwestern China shot dead dozens of people in the mob
- There are longstanding tensions between Han Chinese and Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim people
(CNN) -- A gang wielding knives and axes attacked civilians, a police station, government offices and smashed vehicles in a restive region of China, the country's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday, citing local police.
The incident -- called an "organized and premeditated" terror attack -- occurred Monday in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Police officers at the scene shot dead dozens of people in the mob. Thirty-one cars were vandalized, including six that were set ablaze.
It was not immediately known how many people were killed and injured.
The location, Shache County, is where nine people authorities describe as terrorists attacked a police station, hurled explosives and torched police cars in December. Police shot and killed eight people in that attack.
There have been other attacks in the region in recent months.
Twenty-nine people were killed and 130 injured when men armed with long knives stormed a train station in Kunming in March. The next month, an attack on a train station in Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, left three dead, including the attackers, and an attack on an Urumqi market in May killed at least 39 people.
There have been longstanding tensions between Uyghur Muslims, a Turkic people, and Chinese Han people in Xinjiang.
Some Uyghurs have expressed resentment toward China's Han majority in recent years over what they say is harsh treatment from Chinese security forces and Han people taking the lion's share of economic opportunities in Xinjiang.
Amnesty International said Uyghurs face widespread discrimination, including in employment, housing and educational opportunities, as well as curtailed religious freedom and political marginalization.
China announces probe into former domestic security czar
Bergdahl could be questioned soon
7/29/2014 10:23:44 PM
- NEW: Bergdahl and Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl have met once before, briefly
- Many have called for an investigation into Bergdahl's disappearance and captivity
- Bergdahl, 28, is back on regular duty in Texas
(CNN) -- Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could meet next week with the general who's looking into how the now-freed prisoner of war was captured by the Taliban in 2009, his attorney said.
Attorney Eugene Fidell told CNN he will know for sure next week exactly when the meeting will take place.
Bergdahl has met once before, briefly, with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, the point person for the Army's investigation.
The 28-year-old soldier spent five years in the hands of Taliban militants after he disappeared in Afghanistan in June 2009.
After he was released in May in exchange for five senior Taliban members held by the U.S. military, Bergdahl underwent counseling and medical care at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
The news of Bergdahl's freedom initially was met with jubilation, but it quickly turned as many called for an investigation into his disappearance and captivity. Some critics accused the soldier of deserting his comrades in war.
An Army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will, according to an official who was briefed on the report.
The Army has no definitive finding that Bergdahl deserted because that would require knowing his intent -- something officials couldn't learn without talking to the soldier, a U.S. military official recently told CNN.
Bergdahl is now back on regular duty at the headquarters of U.S. Army North in Texas. He is working with a unit responsible for homeland defense, civil support operations and security cooperation programs involving countries such as Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.
He will eventually be given a position commensurate with his rank of sergeant, the Army said earlier this month.
Bergdahl was a private first class when he was captured, and the Army extended his enlistment and twice promoted him on schedule while he was in captivity.
A grateful Bergdahl 'understands that his life has been saved,' lawyer says
'Die Hard' actor Shigeta dies at 81
7/30/2014 10:13:11 AM
- "Die Hard" actor James Shigeta had 50-year career
- He played Joseph Takagi in the 1988 movie
- He was a prolific actor across film and TV
(CNN) -- James Shigeta, a prolific and pioneering Asian-American actor whose 50-year career includes the movies "Die Hard" and "Flower Drum Song," died in his sleep in Los Angeles on Monday, his agent said. He was 81.
"It is with great sadness that I report the loss of my longtime friend and client," Shigeta's agent said. "James was the biggest East Asian U.S. star the country had known. ... The world has lost another wonderful actor, sadly I lost a dear friend."
While he's well-known for co-starring with Bruce Willis in 1988's "Die Hard," in which Shigeta played the executive Joseph Takagi, his work stretches across TV and film, and he is considered one of the first Asian-American actors to rise to prominence.
According to Variety, Shigeta was born in Hawaii and went on to study acting at New York University before joining the Marines. His big-screen debut came with the 1959 crime drama "The Crimson Kimono," in which he played a detective named Joe Kojaku. The next year, the Golden Globes gave the actor the "new star of the year" award.
He went on to land notable roles in films like "Bridge to the Sun" (1961), "Midway" (1976), and the Oscar-nominated adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Flower Drum Song" (1961). According to The Hollywood Reporter, Shigeta, who was also a singer, did all his own singing in that film. Younger generations were introduced to his voice in the 1998 animated movie "Mulan," in which Shigeta played General Li.
The actor also carved a career for himself in the television industry, making appearances in series such as "Perry Mason," "The Love Boat," "Hawaii Five-O," "Fantasy Island" and "Little House on the Prairie."
His last credited role was in the 2009 comedy film, "The People I've Slept With."
People we've lost in 2014
CNN's Carolyn Sung contributed to this report.
Gun victim: Time for Congress to act
7/30/2014 12:33:14 PM
- Gabrielle Giffords, Katie Ray-Jones: Congress must address domestic violence and guns
- In domestic abuse situations, women five times more likely to die if abuser has access to gun
- Senate on Wednesday set to hold its first-ever hearing on domestic violence homicides
Editor's note: Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is the co-founder of Americans for Responsible Solutions. Katie Ray-Jones is the president and acting CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors.
(CNN) -- This month, just outside of Houston, a man police say had a history of abusing and threatening women got his hands on a gun and executed six members of his ex-wife's family -- including four children. On that day, local law enforcement officials believe he was on his way to hunt down other family members when, thankfully, they ended his rampage.
In our country, it's a sadly common story: An abuser or stalker gains access to guns and destroys the lives of women and families in our communities.
That's why it is time for Congress to address this lethal mix of domestic violence and guns. Our leaders must pass laws that prevent stalkers and abusers from accessing guns to intimidate, hurt or kill women.
Domestic violence: The next front in gun control fight
The numbers should shock you: Women in America are 11 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than women in other democratic countries with developed economies. In domestic abuse situations, if the abuser has access to a gun, it increases the chance that a woman will die by 500%.
Most of the time, women are murdered with guns by someone they know, either by a family member or an intimate partner, such as a former or current husband or boyfriend.
Between 2001 and 2012, more women were shot to death by an intimate partner in our country than the total number of American troops killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. That is a national shame.
Fortunately, the momentum is on our side. On Wednesday, the Senate will hold its first-ever hearing on domestic violence homicides and the use of gun violence against America's women. Many of our elected leaders are calling for new protections for those who are subject to abuse. States are already taking bipartisan action. And Americans support these laws by staggering margins.
Keeping weapons from mentally ill proves elusive
Currently, federal law prevents people who are under domestic violence protection orders or have misdemeanor domestic violence convictions from accessing guns. But even though increasing numbers of couples are choosing to marry later in life, the law hasn't been extended to address dating partner abuse. And convicted stalkers can still get guns.
Common sense says that these dangerous loopholes should be closed now. Congress has the power to do it.
Those who argue that stalkers don't necessarily exhibit violent or threatening behavior haven't been on the other side of a conversation with a woman who fears for her life because her former boyfriend or acquaintance is promising to find her and kill her. The reality is three out of four women killed by their intimate partner were stalked before their death. We must continue to educate those who don't understand why we need these protections for abused women.
Democrats and Republicans in state legislatures around the country recognize the problem and have come together to pass laws that better protect women from gun violence. This year alone, leaders in six states -- Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Washington and Wisconsin -- have enacted legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support that will help protect abused women from gun violence.
Faced with laws that don't do enough to keep guns away from domestic abusers and stalkers, Democrats and Republicans chose common-sense change over the status quo.
Opinion: I'm a gun owner and I want gun control
Our leaders in Washington should follow their example and back legislation that prohibits stalkers and dating abusers from having guns. Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a former prosecutor, has a bill that would do just that. It is the responsible thing to do.
Keeping guns out of the hands of abusers and stalkers will take more than a Senate hearing and carefully worded statements that say all the right things. It will require our leaders to show some courage and stand up for common-sense laws. It will require some hard work. And it will require overcoming the power of those in Washington who continue to fight against these laws.
But we urgently need stronger gun laws that protect women. We can't wait any longer. Women's lives are at stake.
Read CNNOpinion's new Flipboard magazine.
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.
Will Russia sanctions work?
7/30/2014 11:29:17 AM
- NEW: Russia says new sanctions will harm relations with Washington
- Expanded sanctions target Russian banks, arms industry, oil development
- EU joins Obama after initially balking due to economic concerns
- Another possible option: take the 2018 soccer World Cup from Russia
Washington (CNN) -- More Russian aggression in Ukraine. More U.S. and European sanctions imposed on Moscow.
What seems like diplomatic tail-chasing so many months into the Ukraine conflict invites questions about how Western powers can defuse the worsening conflict in Eastern Europe.
U.S. President Barack Obama and the European Union raised the stakes on Tuesday, announcing long-threatened sanctions that target Russia's state-owned banks, weapons makers and oil companies, along with top cronies of President Vladimir Putin.
They want Putin to stop arming pro-Russian separatists fighting the Ukraine government and instead support a political process that entrenches President Petro Poroshenko's elected leadership.
A deeper concern is that Putin may be planning to grab more territory from the former Soviet satellite following Russia's annexation of Crimea earlier this year.
Russia denies such ambitions and criticizes sanctions as unproductive, with the Foreign Ministry saying Wednesday that the new penalties will harm relations with the United States and "create a poor environment in international affairs where the cooperation between our countries often plays a key role."
Here is a look at the latest sanctions and what might come next.
How did we get here?
The Ukraine crisis developed from huge protests in Kiev late last year that led to the February ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
In the ensuing political chaos, the pro-West Poroshenko got elected while Russia grabbed control of Crimea, an ethnic-Russian territory home to its Black Sea fleet.
U.S., EU hit Russia with more sanctions as Ukraine fighting continues
Obama and U.S. allies protested by suspending Putin from the G8 summit and imposing a series of limited sanctions, warning of tougher measures targeting specific economic sectors if Russia's aggression continued. It did, with the separatists armed and trained by Moscow rebelling in eastern Ukraine.
In response, Obama announced expanded U.S. sanctions on July 16 that targeted two Russian state-owned banks, two energy companies, eight weapons makers, along with some Putin associates and separatist leaders.
Europe's major economic ties with Russia -- about $500 billion in trade and investment per year -- caused the European Union to balk at joining Washington then.
The next day, a missile fired from separatist-held territory downed a Malaysia Airlines jet in the conflict zone, killing all 298 people aboard.
Now the separatists are hindering access to the crash site amid fighting in the area, and Russia is sending heavy weaponry to them while deploying troops along the Ukraine border.
MH17 crash: Investigators must have full access, Malaysian PM says
What the European Union did
Almost two weeks after Obama initially expanded the U.S. sanctions, European leaders agreed Tuesday to coordinate similar steps.
In a major expansion signaling new resolve, they went after eight of Putin's top associates, along with Russia's finance, energy and weapons industries.
The new EU sanctions will restrict Russian state-owned banks from accessing European capital markets, and stop or slow the export of oil-related equipment and technology to Russia.
They also will stop new contracts for arms imports and exports between the European Union and Russia, and prohibit the export of goods and technology that can be used for both military and civilian purposes.
"It is meant as a strong warning: Illegal annexation of territory and deliberate destabilization of a neighboring sovereign country cannot be accepted in 21st century Europe," the EU said in a statement.
To punish Russia, Europe must be prepared to suffer
What Obama announced
Two hours later, Obama told reporters that the United States expanded its July 16 sanctions to include three more state-owned banks and another weapons company, while also targeting technology for deep-water, Arctic and shale oil production.
While expanding on the earlier moves, the latest sanctions include limits.
They don't affect Russia's current oil production, instead targeting the ability to develop new areas, senior administration officials told reporters on a background call. The European sanctions on weapons trade only involves future transactions, allowing France to complete an existing helicopter deal with Moscow.
However, Obama cited the joint action as significant, saying that "because we are closely coordinating our actions with Europe, the sanctions we are announcing today will have an even bigger bite."
"If Russia continues on its current path, the cost on Russia will continue to grow," he added, calling the moves "a reminder that the United States means what it says, and we will rally the international community in standing up for the rights and freedom of people around the world."
What is the impact?
The senior administration officials said the expanded sanctions prevent Russia's state-owned banks, which have all or most of their debt in U.S. dollars, from getting more medium- and long-term financing in America.
They noted the sanctions already have contributed to a downturn in the Russian economy, a flight of foreign capital and weakening of the ruble currency.
"Russia is not a very good bet right now for international investors," one of the officials said.
On Tuesday, shares in British oil giant BP fell by 2.5% after the company warned that it would suffer from the tougher EU sanctions. BP owns a significant stake in Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil company, which no longer can access long-term financing from U.S. sources.
Meanwhile, shares in French automotive manufacturer Renault slumped by 4.5% as the company warned about a sharp slowdown in emerging markets, including Russia. Russia is Renault's third largest market, based on sales.
Geopolitically, Obama denied that a new Cold War with Russia had started, but the head of the foreign affairs committee in Russia's State Duma -- the lower house of parliament -- disagreed.
Aleksey Pushkov tweeted Wednesday that Obama will make history as "the statesman who started a new Cold War."
To Gideon Rose, the editor of Foreign Affairs magazine, the expanded sanctions mean that "the temperature in the room has just dropped a few degrees."
"The fact that the Europeans have now finally recognized what they need to do and that the administration has been able to bring them on board" was a "positive development," Rose told CNN.
Map: Europe's thirst for Russian gas
Will it matter to Putin?
To the U.S. officials, the sanctions announced Tuesday are "the most significant tool we have to shape Russian decision-making."
Analysts questioned whether economic hardship would change Putin's thinking.
Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine now with the Brookings Institution, told a congressional committee last month that Putin could use sanctions "as a scapegoat and attempt to put all the blame on the West for Russia's poor economic performance."
To fellow Brookings analysts Clifford Gaddy and Barry Ickes, Russia's economy can absorb the shocks of sanctions without deteriorating to the point of forcing Putin to change his overall goals and policies.
"For that, sanctions would have to reduce Russia to its condition of the 1990s, when it was simply too weak and dependent on the West to oppose the international order created by the West after the Cold War," they wrote in an article on the Brookings website. "It is clear to us that no feasible actions by the West today can recreate the weak and compliant Russia of the 1990s."
One reason: such a move would seriously harm the global economy, too, a step Washington and the European Union won't take, the pair said.
Opinion: Putin, just evil enough
Where do things stand?
Obama and EU leaders made clear that Putin could avoid the increasing international isolation Russia faces by working with Poroshenko's government in Ukraine, instead of helping the separatists fight against it.
The senior administration officials listed four conditions for getting sanctions eased: recognize Poroshenko's government as legitimately elected; stop arming the separatists; stop massing Russian forces at the border; and influence the separatists to enter an inclusive political process in Ukraine.
"It didn't have to come to this. It does not have to be this way," Obama said. "This is a choice that Russia and President Putin in particular has made."
The European statement specifically cited the annexation of Crimea as another grievance, while the U.S. officials did not mention it.
However, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Tuesday against any further expansionist ideas by Putin, such as invading eastern Ukraine.
"That would be taken, needless to say, as not just a violation of all notions of international law, but an exceedingly dangerous action which would wind up with, you know, the most severe possible kinds of isolation and sanctions possible," Kerry told reporters. "And Germany, France, other countries in Europe, would clearly join into that in ways that would have a profound, profound impact on the Russian economy."
Sanctions: Top 10 Russian targets
What if the sanctions don't work?
Obama and European leaders have repeatedly said the Ukraine crisis requires a diplomatic solution, which rules out military intervention -- at least for now.
Beyond sanctions, another idea floated by some European officials would be to move the 2018 soccer World Cup planned for Russia to somewhere else.
Such a move, considered premature at this point by major soccer nations and organizations, would deliver a bitter blow to Putin following Russia's successful hosting of the Sochi Olympics earlier this year.
Things to know about Russia and sanctions
CNNMoney's Alanna Petroff and CNN's Ray Sanchez and Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report.
China probes former security chief
7/30/2014 12:29:25 AM
- NEW: "It's almost certain" Zhou would be put on trial, a longtime political observer says
- Zhou had been on the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee
- He had been rumored to be under house arrest before Tuesday's announcement
- If indicted, he would be the highest-ranking PRC official ever to face corruption charges
Beijing (CNN) -- After months of intense political rumors, China's ruling Communist Party announced Tuesday an official probe into a retired senior leader for suspected "serious disciplinary violation."
Zhou Yongkang, the former domestic security czar, was placed under investigation in accordance with Party regulations, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a one-line statement without elaborating.
Before stepping down in late 2012, Zhou, 71, was one of the nine members that formed the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body that effectively rules the country of more than 1.3 billion people. Under his watch, the domestic security budget swelled to surpass that of the military in the name of "maintaining stability," as a widening income gap between the rich and the poor as well as growing discontent over official corruption fueled social unrest nationwide.
Amid an intensifying anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping, many political analysts and ordinary citizens have noted ties between an increasing number of disgraced officials and Zhou in recent months. Zhou himself had been rumored to be under house arrest before Tuesday's announcement.
The Xi Jinping cipher: Reformer or a 'dictator'?
State media have reported official anti-corruption probes into many of Zhou's family members as well as former associates in the domestic security apparatus, state oil industry and southwestern Sichuan province -- three places Zhou once ruled. Three of his former senior aides were arrested early this month. If indicted, Zhou would become the highest-ranking official ever to face corruption charges in the history of the People's Republic.
"It's almost certain the he would be put on trial and appear in public," said Professor Willy Lam with Chinese University of Hong Kong, a longtime commentator on Chinese politics. "The important thing is that Xi Jinping has proven he's powerful enough to break this taboo of never incriminating former Politburo Standing Committee members -- and in the future he can use this anti-corruption card to thrash his political enemies."
The news on Zhou came on the heels of the downfall of several former high-ranking officials, including a retired top general of the 2 million-strong People's Liberation Army.
Gen. Xu Caihou, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which runs the world's largest standing army, was expelled from the Communist Party and handed over to prosecutors after being found to have accepted bribes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported early this month. Xu was also a member of the Politburo before retiring in 2012.
State media have characterized Xu as a big "military tiger" caught in the massive anti-graft campaign spearheaded by Xi, who is also the commander-in-chief. Xi banned official extravagance -- from banquets to year-end gifts -- and vowed to target "tigers and flies" alike in his fight against corruption. He resolved to spare no one, regardless of position. CCTV recently touted the capture of 35 "tigers" since Xi took power less than two years ago.
Some 182,000 officials were disciplined in 2013, while courts nationwide tried 23,000 corruption cases, according to the Communist Party's disciplinary commission. State media have cited the trial and conviction last year of former high-flying politician Bo Xilai -- a protégé of Zhou -- as a prime example of Xi's determination to clean up the party, though Bo supporters called the case against him politically motivated.
"Now everybody is really scared -- and this would have a big impact on the behavior of senior Party members," said Lam, the political analyst. "But nobody expects corruption to be eradicated. It is built into the system, a system without checks and balances."
READ: Top China aides ousted from Communist Party as anti-corruption drive intensifies
CNN's Kevin Wang contributed to this report
Enola Gay's last crewman dies
7/30/2014 1:01:49 PM
- Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk dies in Georgia at age 93, his daughter confirms
- He was on the crew of the Enola Gay, which dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan
- His son says "Dutch" Van Kirk had no regrets about the mission
- Afterward, he had four children and worked for decades at DuPont
(CNN) -- Nearly 69 years ago, Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk navigated a U.S. B-29 Superfortress called the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan, on a sunny August day. Once over its target, the Enola Gay unloaded the first atomic bomb dropped in war.
A single bomb blast killed some 140,000 people and helped end World War II -- and pushed the world suddenly into the nuclear era.
On Monday, Van Kirk died of natural causes at the Park Springs retirement community in Stone Mountain, Georgia, according to his eldest daughter Vicki Triplett.
He was 93.
His death means there are now no surviving members of the Enola Gay's crew who, by doing their jobs, became an early and integral part in the ongoing narrative over nuclear weapons.
World War II's atomic bombs
While in the U.S. military, Van Kirk flew dozens of missions in Europe and North Africa. Yet the history books will largely remember him and others aboard that B-29 for the morning of August 6, 1945.
By then, Van Kirk had flown about 15 missions out of England and about 10 more out of North Africa. He then returned to the United States with new orders, training "primarily to make the rapid turn and running away from the bomb," Van Kirk recalled decades later to CNN.
They dropped the bomb dubbed "Little Boy" around 8:15 a.m.
"You didn't see anything except a bright flash and the airplane," Van Kirk recalled. "You saw a white cloud hanging over the city. You saw the -- underneath the cloud the entire city was just entirely covered with smoke and dust, and it looked like a pot of boiling oil down there."
His first thought when the bomb fell was "'God, I'm glad it worked ... Number two, the thoughts were, 'This war is over.' And that was good. That was good.'"
Three days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered soon after that, ending the bloody war in the Pacific and, in so doing, preventing a U.S. land invasion.
Hiroshima atomic bomb memorial site attracts tourists, shares history with new generations
It also set the stage for what would become known as the Cold War -- a nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and United States that would go on for decades -- as well as concerns about developing nuclear weaponry that persist in places like North Korea and Iran to this day.
Tom Van Kirk told CNN on Tuesday that his father "felt no regrets about" the Hiroshima mission.
At the same time, he said "Dutch" Van Kirk's life was much more than that.
After the war, Van Kirk left the military, got his master's degree in chemical engineering at Bucknell University, then had a long career working for DuPont. He retired in 1985 -- a decade after his wife's death -- and remained active, eventually settling in Georgia near one of his daughters.
He will be buried in Northumberland -- the central Pennsylvania city in which he was born -- alongside his wife, Tom Van Kirk said. Together, the couple had four children, seven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
"We treasure the fact that we had my dad for 93½ years," said Tom Van Kirk. "He was a great father."
People we've lost in 2014
Bergdahl to be questioned next week
7/30/2014 6:41:07 PM
- Bergdahl and Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl have met once before, briefly
- Many have called for investigation into Bergdahl's disappearance, captivity
- Bergdahl, 28, is back on regular duty in Texas
(CNN) -- Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl will meet next week with the general who's looking into how the now-freed prisoner of war was captured by the Taliban in 2009, the Army and his attorney said.
Attorney Eugene Fidell told CNN he will know for sure next week exactly when the meeting will take place.
Bergdahl has met once before, briefly, with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, the point person for the Army's investigation.
The 28-year-old soldier spent five years in the hands of Taliban militants after he disappeared in Afghanistan in June 2009.
After he was released in May in exchange for five senior Taliban members held by the U.S. military, Bergdahl underwent counseling and medical care at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
The news of Bergdahl's freedom initially was met with jubilation, but it quickly turned as many called for an investigation into his disappearance and captivity. Some critics accused the soldier of deserting his comrades in war.
An Army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will, according to an official who was briefed on the report.
The Army has no definitive finding that Bergdahl deserted because that would require knowing his intent -- something officials couldn't learn without talking to the soldier, a U.S. military official recently told CNN.
Bergdahl is now back on regular duty at the headquarters of U.S. Army North in Texas. He is working with a unit responsible for homeland defense, civil support operations and security cooperation programs involving countries such as Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas.
He will eventually be given a position commensurate with his rank of sergeant, the Army said earlier this month.
Bergdahl was a private first class when he was captured, and the Army extended his enlistment and twice promoted him on schedule while he was in captivity.
A grateful Bergdahl 'understands that his life has been saved,' lawyer says
Israel calls up 16,000 reservists, asks for U.S. arms
7/31/2014 5:38:19 AM
- NEW: Netanyahu says Israel will destroy Hamas tunnels with or without cease-fire
- The conflict has killed 1,373 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, officials say
- White House says Israel must do more to protect civilians
- The Israeli military is calling up 16,000 additional reservists
Gaza City (CNN) -- The Israeli military said Thursday that it is calling up 16,000 additional reservists, bolstering its forces for its fight against Hamas in Gaza after a request for more ammunition from the United States.
The addition brings the total number of reservists Israel has called up since the beginning of the operation against Hamas to 86,000, a military spokeswoman said.
The conflict has killed more than 1,300 people in Gaza, most of them civilians. Fifty-six Israeli soldiers have been killed.
After more than three weeks of fighting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel would complete its goal of destroying Hamas' network of tunnels with or without a cease-fire. Netanyahu said this is just the first phase of the demilitarization of Gaza.
While U.S. officials have called on Israel to do more to protect civilians, the United States has agreed to Israel's request to resupply it with several types of ammunition, a U.S. defense official told CNN on condition of anonymity. It's not an emergency sale, the official said.
Among the items being bought are 120mm mortar rounds and 40mm ammunition for grenade launchers, the official said. Those will come from a stockpile the United States keeps in Israel, which is worth more than $1 billion.
Shells land near U.N. school
Meanwhile, a number of shells fell Thursday next to a U.N. school housing displaced residents -- a day after another school-turned-shelter was hit by artillery killing more than a dozen people.
"The school itself was not targeted, it was nearby the school," Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said about the Thursday incident.
No one was killed inside the school -- the Beit Lahiya School for Girls, he said. Eight people were slightly injured.
But Gaza health workers are struggling to deal with the relentless stream of dead and wounded.
"The hospitals in Gaza yesterday had a very difficult time, all the hospital morgues were flooding with dead bodies, and the injured were laying on hospital floors because of the lack of hospital beds," said Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Gaza Ministry of Health.
'Children killed in their sleep'
On Wednesday, artillery fire struck a different school -- the Jabalya Elementary Girls School -- that was housing more than 3,000 displaced Palestinians.
The United Nations blamed Israel for the attack. And the Palestinian Health Ministry said 20 were killed.
"Children killed in their sleep; this is an affront to all of us, a source of universal shame," Pierre Krahenbuhl, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinians. "Today the world stands disgraced."
Israel said a group of militants fired at Israeli soldiers from the vicinity, and the soldiers "responded by firing at the origin of the fire," a military spokesman said.
"If our forces were involved in a firefight, it's because Hamas has decided that it's open season on the U.N.," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said.
A 'likely war crime'?
Wednesday's attack was the sixth on a U.N.-run school since the conflict began on July 8.
Amnesty International, noting that UNRWA shared its coordinates with the Israeli army 17 times, said the Jabalya attack was a "likely war crime."
"If the strike on this school was the result of Israeli artillery fire it would constitute an indiscriminate attack and a likely war crime," said Philip Luther, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Amnesty International. "Artillery should never be used against targets in crowded civilian areas and its use in such a manner would never be considered a 'surgical' strike."
Israel has said errant Hamas rocket fire is responsible for some of the attacks in Gaza.
Market attack
At the same time Wednesday, back-to-back attacks on a market in northern Gaza killed 17 people, the Gaza health ministry said.
Video shot by the Gaza-based al-Manara media agency show ambulances racing to the scene after the first strike. Seconds later, the second attack sends people diving for cover. The video shows people on the ground, screaming and groaning. Some of the bodies are limbless, others blown apart.
Calls for civilian protection
The conflict in Gaza is more than three weeks old now and has left 1,373 people dead and more than 7,000 wounded, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. About 70% to 80% of the fatalities are Palestinian civilians, the U.N. estimates.
On the Israeli side, 56 soldiers have died, as well as three civilians.
The violence between Israel's military and Palestinian militants is playing out against a backdrop of failed humanitarian cease-fire attempts, with militants firing rockets from Gaza into Israel and Israelis responding with airstrikes.
On Wednesday, Israel authorized a four-hour "humanitarian window" in Gaza, but it lasted nowhere near that long.
A large part of the criticism has been leveled at Israel and its airstrikes, which have bombarded Gaza.
Chile, Peru, Brazil and Ecuador have pulled their ambassadors out of Tel Aviv to protest the Israeli offensive.
Israel, in turn, has accused Hamas of hiding weapons, including rockets, in schools and launching attacks from near shelters.
While saying Israel has a right to defend itself, White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz said, "We've also been very clear that Israel needs to do more to live up to its own standards to limit civilian casualties."
It was a sentiment echoed by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf.
"Hamas is taking steps here that put civilians at risk. But we do believe the Israelis need to do more," she said.
'This is a disaster'
The incessant attacks and counterattacks are taking a terrible toll on Gazans.
More than 219,000 Palestinians are packed into 86 shelters across Gaza, the U.N. said. That equals about 12% of all of Gaza's population.
A strike Tuesday severely damaged Gaza's only power plant, forcing residents to depend almost entirely on small generators for electricty.
Israel said it did not target the plant, and that a Hamas rocket may have been to blame.
Clean water is inaccessible for most. And some 3,600 people have lost their homes.
"We cannot supply electricity" for hospitals, sewage treatment or domestic use, said Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil, deputy chairman of the Palestinian Energy Natural Resources Authority in Gaza. "This is a disaster."
The Israeli foreign ministry said it sent 43 trucks carrying 750 tons of food, medicine and supplies to Gaza on Wednesday. It also said it sent fuel.
Inside a Hamas tunnel
What is Hamas' endgame in Gaza?
What is Israel's endgame in Gaza?
Opinion: Gaza peace struggle drains me of hope
What You Need to Know About the Israel-Hamas Blame Game
CNN's Karl Penhaul reported from Gaza City; and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Kareem Khadder, Samira Said, Tal Heinrich and Larry Register contributed to this report.
You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at feedmyinbox.com
If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions
No comments:
Post a Comment