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EPL: Man City and Liverpool win
8/17/2014 1:26:23 PM
- Manchester City go top after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle
- Silva and Aguero score
- Earlier in the day Liverpool beat Southampton 2-1
- Goals from Sturridge and Sterling
(CNN) -- Reigning English Premier League champions Manchester City began the new season as they ended the last, at the top of the table.
But City were made to work hard for their 2-0 victory against a lively Newcastle United side.
The match began with floral tributes for two Newcastle fans who died when flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine last month killing all 298 on board.
Rodgers on Suarez
John Alder and Liam Sweeney were traveling to New Zealand to watch their team play in a preseason tournament before tragedy struck.
On 17 minutes the stadium broke out into a minute's applause in their honor.
Classy control
On the pitch Newcastle more than matched City, creating almost as many chances. Crucially, they couldn't get a single shot on target and with half time approaching, Bosnian international Edin Dzeko superbly controlled a long ball over the top of the defense before back-heeling it into the path of David Silva who slotted home.
"I think we deserved it," Man of the Match Dzeko told Sky Sports after the game. "We played aggressive and they didn't have any chances."
A late second
That wasn't strictly true. Newcastle pressed in the second half and with a little more composure could have snatched an equalizer.
Instead, substitute Sergio Aguero fired the ball home at the second attempt in injury time to add some gloss to the scoreline.
"It was frustrating for us because in the second half we pushed on, brought some younger players on who were a little naive but threatened with their pace," Newcastle coach Alan Pardew told Sky Sports.
"We looked like we might win it," he added.
Liverpool win
Earlier in the day, Liverpool began life without Luis Suarez with a 2-1 victory over Southampton.
Suarez had been in phenomenal form since his arrival at Anfield in 2011, scoring 69 goals in 110 games. Last season had been his best yet, driving Liverpool to a second place finish and narrowly missing out on the club's first Premier League title.
Yet his time had always been filled with controversy.
He arrived after serving a suspension for biting a player whilst playing in the Dutch league, and was suspended again for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic.
He was also banned for allegedly racially abusing then-Manchester United defender Patrice Evra.
However, after being sanctioned for biting a player at this summer's World Cup finals -- a four month ban from all football related activities -- Liverpool sold him to Barcelona.
A solid start
It was a solid, if unspectacular, start for life without Suarez. Raheem Sterling, one of the players to shine most alongside the Uruguayan last season, opened the scoring with a superb side foot finish from a wonderful Jordan Henderson through ball.
Southampton equalized with aplomb, Nathaniel Clyne smashing home into the top right hand corner, and had much the better of the second half.
Yet it was the diminutive Sterling who somehow won a header in Southampton's penalty box which was guided home by fellow England international Daniel Sturridge.
"He sent us a lovely text this morning wishing us all the best, which was a great gesture. He is a friend now of Liverpool," coach Brendan Rodgers said of Suarez after the game, according to the Press Association.
"I texted him back. It's a real love in! He's a great boy but he is gone now ... Today was about winning and we got there."
Tennis: Williams wins in Cincinnati
8/17/2014 5:07:41 PM
- Serena Williams beats Ana Ivanovic in the Cincinnati Open
- It's Williams first victory in Cincinnati, and 62nd WTA title
- She's in good form ahead of the US Open
- Williams aiming for her 18th major title
(CNN) -- World number one Serena Williams won her first ever Cincinnati Open, and her 62nd career WTA title, by brushing aside Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-1.
Williams needed just 62 minutes to dispatch her Serbian rival and win her second title in a month.
The victory was the perfect preparation for the season's final major, the US Open, which begins in eight days time.
Serena Williams
"It was such a great week," Williams said after the victory, before praising Ivanovic's performance.
"She was playing so hard, hitting so many winners."
Poor season
It has, by her own high standards, been a below par season for Williams.
She hasn't made it to a final of a single major so far this season.
And whilst her five titles this year -- in Miami, Brisbane, Stanford, Rome and now Cincinnati -- could be considered a good eight month's work for almost any other player, Williams is held, both by herself and her peers, to a higher standard.
Yet Cincinnati was something of a return to form. She won nine of the last ten games, pounding 12 aces and 26 winners along the way.
"I just kind of close my eyes and serve," Williams said. "When you think about it too much you get kind of crazy."
Sweet 18?
Williams will hope that her first Cincinnati title is a good omen before the US Open.
She turns 33 this year and is desperate to win another major singles title.
If she accomplishes that in New York, she'll tie with Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, who have both won 18 majors, and will be just four behind Steffi Graf who holds the record with 22.
Federer 80-up
Later on Sunday Roger Federer won his sixth Cincinnati Open, and an incredible 80th career title, after beating Spain's David Ferrer 6-3, 1-6. 6-2.
After taking the first set it looked like the evergreen Federer would easily close out for the championship.
But Ferrer hit back in the second set 6-1 before Federer showed his fighting spirit again and took the third.
It was a sensational victory for the oldest player currently in the world top 25. He will now be heading to the US Open full of confidence after reaching the final in his past four tournaments including Wimbledon.
MotoGP: Marquez misses out on record
8/17/2014 4:36:13 PM
- Marc Marquez finishes fourth in Czech MotoGP
- Was aiming for record 11th straight victory
- Teammate Dani Pedrosa took first place
- Marquez still leads standings by 77 points
(CNN) -- Marc Marquez, Spain's racing prodigy, finished fourth in the Czech MotoGP Sunday ending his hopes of winning a record eleven races in a row.
His Honda teammate Dani Pedrosa won his first race of the season in Brno, where he also won in 2012.
Yamaha duo Jorge Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi finished second and third respectively.
James Toseland
"I was able to do a good race, I'm happy, I had a good pace and it's another podium," Rossi said after the race.
"It was a great pleasure to beat Marc one time."
Before the race all eyes were on Marquez and whether he could beat Italian legend Giacomo Agostini's record of winning the first ten races of the 1968, 1969 and 1970 seasons.
Whilst a race season only lasted ten races back then, no one has won the first eleven in the modern era.
But his Spanish teammate Pedrosa instead prevailed, a victory that British two-time World Superbike Champion James Toseland believes will stand Marquez in good stead.
"I think everyone appreciates the dedication he puts in," Toseland said in an interview with CNN's World Sport.
"He's a World Champion at 20, but he's been at it for 15 years ... The handcuffs are off with that fourth place. Now Marc can relax. He can't win them all now."
Despite finishing fourth Marquez is still 77 points ahead in the standings and will hope to bounce back in Great Britain in two weeks time.
U.N. peacekeepers killed in Mali
8/16/2014 9:55:35 PM
- U.N.: In addition to the 2 killed, 9 are wounded in a suicide attack near Timbuktu
- It is the third time there have been casualties among U.N. personnel in past week
- Militants took advantage of post-coup chaos in 2012, spurring international intervention
(CNN) -- In fresh evidence the threat of violence in Mali -- and, specifically, attacks directed at international forces -- hasn't gone away, two U.N. peacekeepers died and nine others were hurt in a suicide attack Saturday, the U.N. mission there said.
The U.N. mission in the West African nation is there to guard against militant Islamists, which have been in the country for years and recently threatened to move on the capital, Bamako.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the recent spate of attacks suggests such a threat is still very real -- especially when one considers that Saturday's attack is the third against U.N. personnel in the past week.
A motorist Saturday targeted a U.N. patrol base in Ber, a village in northern Mali not far from Timbuktu.
Two U.N. peacekeepers were seriously wounded when their vehicle struck a mine on Thursday, and another peacekeeper was hurt in a separate mine incident, MINUSMA said.
"Such violence is senseless, the MINUSMA pays too much of a toll in Mali," David Gressly, deputy special representative of the secretary-general, said in a statement. "These attacks reinforce our determination to continue our mission alongside the Malian people."
Islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern Mali in 2012, taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party MNLA.
Islamist militants take advantage of chaos
These forces -- including al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- began advancing toward Bamako in early 2013.
Their initial success prompted international military intervention that included forces from Chad and France, which was Mali's former colonial ruler.
With fighting on the ground and airstrikes from above, these allied forces managed to significantly stymy the Islamist extremist fighters.
France: Senior Islamist militant killed in Mali
Protesters lash out at peacekeepers in Central African Republic
Dozens killed in attack on peacekeepers' base in South Sudan
Bodies found after mortician's suicide
8/15/2014 7:21:53 PM
- Funeral director Alfred Pennine was improperly storing bodies, Providence police say
- 6 bodies found in garage at funeral parlor after Pennine killed himself in July, police say
- Three other bodies were found in nearby storage unit
- Investigators say Pennine was taking clients' money, then not properly disposing of bodies
(CNN) -- Alfred Pennine, longtime proprietor of Pennine Funeral Home in Providence, Rhode Island, may have taken a secret to his grave.
After Pennine committed suicide last month, another funeral director found six bodies in a garage detached from the Pennine Funeral Home, according to Providence Police Maj. David Lapatin.
This week, a man found the bodies of two adults and an infant in a storage unit previously rented to Pennine in nearby Johnston, according to Johnston Police Maj. Frank Levesque.
Investigators suspect that Pennine was telling families their loved ones had been buried or cremated, but then not following through and instead keeping the cremation and burial fees, Lapatin said.
Authorities are asking owners of storage units across the state to look through their records to see if they rented to Pennine or whether anything suspicious has been found inside, Lapatin said.
After Pennine committed suicide in July, another funeral director took the body to the Pennine funeral home and discovered five corpses and a fetus in a detached garage, Lapatin said.
The funeral home was shut down by the local health department, Lapatin said.
A man on Thursday discovered the bodies of two adults and an infant in the Johnston storage unit.
One adult body was found in a cremation box while another was in a standard coffin, Levesque said. The baby was in what funeral homes often refer to as "infant carriers," or a smaller coffin.
The adults were so decomposed the gender could not be identified, Levesque said. The infant was believed to be a female.
The bodies were found by a man who had purchased the unit, which was auctioned because there was no payment on it for six months, Levesque said.
Authorities are not sure of the motive but suspect it was financial.
Lapatin said that in some instances, relatives of a dead person were given ashes after a supposed cremation when the remains were still in the funeral home garage.
The funeral home was not authorized to handle cremations on site. The bodies were brought to another location, where a fee was paid for cremation, Lapatin said.
"It looks like he said he was cremating the bodies and then pocketing the money," Lapatin said.
Lapatin would not say if other funeral directors were being investigated but added that charges could be filed later.
"The scope is a lot wider than Mr. Pennine," Lapatin said.
Pennine's brother told CNN affiliate WJAR the family had no comment.
In July, Boston police discovered human remains in a storage facility belonging to a former Massachusetts funeral director after obtaining a search warrant for unrelated charges on the director, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office.
Thieves turn Lego into hard cash
8/16/2014 8:58:46 PM
- Gloria Haas, 53, is charged in theft of about $60,000 worth of Lego sets, police say
- In Phoenix, police arrest 4 people allegedly involved in elaborate Lego theft scheme
- Alleged thieves capitalize on popularity of little bricks which generated $1.1 billion in profits
(CNN) -- From Arizona to New York, alleged thieves are turning those tiny iconic plastic interlocking bricks you grew up with into cold, hard cash.
On New York's Long Island on Friday, a 53-year-old woman was arraigned on grand larceny charges for allegedly stealing about $60,000 worth of Lego sets and trying to sell them on eBay, the Nassau County Police Department said in a statement.
Gloria Haas was arrested Thursday after allegedly stealing 800 sets of the 80-year-old toys from a Long Island storage facility and moving them to a facility in another town, police said. She had intended to sell the toys on eBay, officials said.
It was not known whether Haas has an attorney and she was not immediately available for comment Saturday.
Authorities are not saying, but alleged thieves could be capitalizing on the enduring popularity of the simple little bricks which generated $1.1 billion in profits last year for the Danish toymaker.
"The Lego Movie," which was released in February, made $69 million in its opening weekend and has grossed more than $250 million so far, according to Box Office Mojo.
In Phoenix, police arrested four people allegedly involved in an elaborate Lego theft scheme, according to CNN affiliate KPHO.
After the arrests, police spent 10 hours Friday loading onto trucks more than $250,000 worth of Lego sets stored in a garage, KPHO reported.
At least $40,000 worth of the Legos are believed to have been stolen, CNN Phoenix affiliate KNXV reported.
"It's hard to believe that two or three people could be taking that much product out of the store, and yet they were," officer James Holmes told KNXV.
A real estate professional, another man and two women were arrested in connection with the scheme, according to KHPO. It was not clear Saturday whether they had attorneys.
Police said one man bought expensive Lego sets at a discount from shoplifters and resold them online. Each of the play sets taken were valued at $100 or more, police said.
The suspect allegedly recruited accomplices to go to Toys R Us stores to steal Lego sets, KPHO reported.
The boxes in which the toys came would be damaged and turned over to the online seller, who would return to the store and buy a new set, the station reported.
The online seller later allegedly used the real receipt for the purchase to return the damaged box set. He pocketed the money and sold the stolen Lego sets online to collectors, KPHO reported.
The suspects were arrested on charges that include organized retail theft, trafficking in stolen property, fraudulent schemes and illegal control of an enterprise, police said.
CNN left a message Saturday for officer Holmes.
National Guard deployed to Ferguson amid fierce clashes
8/18/2014 3:52:58 AM
- Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is deploying National Guard troops to Ferguson
- Several businesses are vandalized or looted, authorities say
- At least two people are shot in Ferguson, but not by police, authorities say
- The bullets were to the front of Michael Brown's body, an autopsy says
Have you documented the protests in Ferguson? Share your photos, videos and opinions with CNN iReport. For local coverage of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown and its aftermath, go to CNN affiliates KMOV, KSDK, KTVI and KPLR.
Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) -- The chaos in Ferguson has gotten so unruly that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed an executive order deploying National Guard troops to the St. Louis suburb.
"Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard ... in restoring peace and order to this community," Nixon said in a statement.
Gunfire, tear gas and Molotov cocktails Sunday night marked some of the fiercest clashes yet between police and protesters furious over the death of an unarmed teenager.
And the tensions continued escalating after autopsy results revealed 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot six times.
Devolution of protests
What began as peaceful protests spiraled into disarray after two civilians were shot and injured, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said. He said those civilians were not shot by police.
"Tonight, a Sunday that started with prayers and messages of unity, peace and justice took a very different turn after dark," Johnson said early Monday morning.
Some protesters hurled Molotov cocktails at police, and several businesses were vandalized or looted -- despite the Brown family's call for calm.
"Based on these conditions, I had no alternative but to elevate the level of our response," Johnson said.
Officers fired tear gas into a crowd of hundreds of protesters, including children, who were marching toward a police command post despite an impending midnight curfew.
But protester Lisha Williams challenged the notion that protesters provoked officers.
"That is a lie. It was no fight, it was no shots fired," Williams told CNN late Sunday night. "All we did was march to the command center to fall to our knees and say, 'Don't shoot.' And they started shooting."
The clashes kept escalating, with the St. Charles County sheriff's officials saying shots were fired in their direction.
At one point, employees at a McDonald's restaurant locked themselves in a storage room after the store was overrun, Johnson said.
St. Louis County police said most of the crowds had dispersed after the curfew went into effect at midnight. The curfew will end at 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET).
But the anxiety remains. The Ferguson-Florissant School District canceled classes for Monday.
"Information we received from officials on the scene late Sunday evening has contributed to concerns we have about children walking to school or waiting for buses on streets impacted by this activity," the school district said on its Facebook page.
Autopsy details
Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot dead August 9 by a white police officer. He was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, according to the preliminary results of an autopsy that his family requested.
Family attorney Anthony Gray said the independent autopsy conducted Sunday found that Brown was shot twice in the head and four times in the right arm -- all to the front of his body.
Last week, the St. Louis County police department said an original autopsy found that the teen died of gunshot wounds. But the department wouldn't say how many times he was shot or any other details.
According to the preliminary results of the family autopsy, the bullets that struck Brown were not fired from close range, as indicated by the absence of gunpowder residue on his body.
One of the bullets shattered his right eye, traveled through his face, exited his jaw and re-entered his collarbone, according to the autopsy.
The last two shots were likely the ones to his head, attorney Gray said. One entered the top of his Brown's skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when he was struck.
The independent autopsy was conducted by high-profile pathologist Michael Baden. Baden testified in the O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector and Drew Peterson murder trials.
A third autopsy
Accounts of exactly what happened when Officer Darren Wilson stopped Brown while the teen was walking down a street vary widely.
Witnesses said they saw a scuffle between the officer and Brown at the police car before the young man was shot. Police said Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon.
Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has approved another autopsy on Brown's body, the Justice Department said. The autopsy will be conducted by a federal medical examiner.
In tense Ferguson, trying to balance security, protesters' rights
5 things to know about Michael Brown's shooting
Complete coverage of the Ferguson shooting
CNN's Steve Kastenbaum reported from Ferguson; CNN's Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Jennifer Duck, Steve Almasy, Dave Alsup, Jim Acosta, Mayra Cuevas, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Evan Perez and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
The challenge: Retake dam from ISIS without damaging it
8/17/2014 7:30:10 PM
- Obama sends letter to Congress, stressing dam's strategic importance
- ISIS wants to keep Mosul Dam working, CNN analyst says
- Peshmerga spokesman: Forces have retaken one side of the dam
- Smoke rises from the horizon, and buildings are ablaze in the battle to retake it
Mosul Province, Iraq (CNN) -- Kurdish forces fired mortars and explosives at extremist militants Sunday as the battle to retake a strategic dam in northern Iraq raged on.
Smoke rose from the horizon, buildings were ablaze and the sound of massive explosions filled the air near Mosul Dam.
By Sunday evening, the Kurdish forces -- known as the Peshmerga -- had taken over the eastern side of the structure, a spokesman for the group said. Clashes were ongoing over the western side, Peshmerga spokesman Halgord Hikmat told CNN.
The forces face a daunting challenge: fighting a fierce offensive to retake the dam without damaging it.
U.S. warplanes joined the effort amid growing concern that the facility is not maintained and could rupture, a U.S. official told CNN.
Engineering studies show that a failure of the dam would be catastrophic, resulting in flooding all the way to Baghdad, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Iraq's largest hydroelectric dam, the facility on the Tigris River about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the city of Mosul is a key source of electricity, irrigation and flood protection.
ISIS fighters seized it this month, and they were digging in Sunday to keep their grip, using snipers, land mines and other explosives in their efforts to fend off advancing forces.
The United States estimates there may be up to 400 ISIS fighters in and around the dam complex, the official said.
And members of the Peshmerga said Sunday that they were worried that the militants could try to sabotage the dam.
Militants of ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, set up high-powered explosives around buildings and detonated them, Kurdish Intelligence chief Masrour Barzani said.
Kurdish forces fought back, sparking clashes.
"We believe our Peshmerga can take (the dam) back because this is something very, very dangerous," Barzani said.
U.S. military forces used "a mix of fighter, bomber, attack and remotely piloted aircraft to successfully conduct airstrikes near the Mosul Dam" on Sunday, according to U.S. Central Command.
Map: Where is ISIS?
President Barack Obama justified the airstrikes in a letter to Congress the same day.
"These military operations will be limited in their scope and duration as necessary to support the Iraqi forces in their efforts to retake and establish control of this critical infrastructure site," the letter read.
"The failure of the Mosul Dam could threaten the lives of large numbers of civilians, endanger U.S. personnel and facilities, including the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, and prevent the Iraqi government from providing critical services to the Iraqi populace," it continued.
A Peshmerga colonel told CNN the operation began early Saturday with Kurdish forces advancing toward the dam as the United States carried out airstrikes.
The U.S. military confirmed a mix of fighter jets and drones carried out nine airstrikes on Saturday near Mosul and the Kurdish regional capital of Irbil. On Sunday, the U.S. military conducted 14 airstrikes in Iraq, damaging or destroying ISIS militants' vehicles, armored personnel carriers and a checkpoint, Central Command.
Videos released by the military showed two airstrikes near the Mosul Dam -- one hitting an armed truck, the other hitting a Humvee.
The dam complex has not been hit, the colonel said on condition of anonymity. He is not authorized to speak to the media.
Mosul Dam is under ISIS control, but it is still up and running, the colonel said. Engineers and employees remain at work, he said.
U.S. intelligence agencies, according to the U.S. official, are also keeping an eye on the Haditha Dam on the Euphrates River in Iraq's western Anbar province, where Iraqi troops have been holding off an ISIS assault for weeks. The dam is the second-largest in the country, and it provides water to western and southern Iraq.
Earlier this year, ISIS fighters opened the gates on the Falluja dam after seizing it in an effort to stop an Iraqi military advance. The water from the dam flooded a number of villages.
CNN military analyst retired Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks said it's likely ISIS wants to keep the Mosul Dam in working order.
"You don't want to have the cataclysmic event where, if this dam were to break, you would run the risk of flooding downstream along the Tigris," he said. "I would think that ISIS wants to retain control of that dam and would want to maintain its integrity, because it generates this electric power and they want to be able to sue that as a weapon system to those who are under their control."
U.S. President Barack Obama ordered targeted airstrikes to protect U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq and prevent a potential genocide of ethnic and religious minority groups by ISIS.
Last week, Obama declared an end to an ISIS siege that had trapped tens of thousands of Yazidis in mountains, citing the success of targeted American airstrikes.
The Yazidis are one of Iraq's smallest and oldest religious minorities.
On Sunday, the Cabinet of the Kurdish region of Iraq called on the Iraqi parliament to recognize the crimes committed by ISIS against the Yazidi people as "genocide."
The United Nations estimates they are among more than 600,000 people who've been driven from their homes since June, when ISIS swept across the border from Syria into Iraq.
Yazidi refugees braced for life in exile
Opinion: In Iraq, it's not 'mission creep'
Anna Coren reported from Mosul province, Jomana Karadsheh reported from Baghdad and Faith Karimi reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Barbara Starr, Ali Younes, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Alexander Felton, Mariano Castillo and Fredricka Whitfield contributed to this report.
Kurds battle ISIS for Mosul dam
8/17/2014 9:16:32 PM
Kurdish forces said they were on the verge of taking the Mosul dam after making significant progress against ISIS.
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Rabbi: 'Strive for peace and pursue it'
8/17/2014 9:27:03 PM
- Yehiel Grenimann is based in Jerusalem and works with Rabbis for Human Rights
- Grenimann says Hamas, Tel Aviv have repeatedly chosen conflict over real negotiations
- There is no prospect for peace if extremists in the government have their way, he says
- Palestinians also need to reject the ways of Hamas as haters of Israel, Grenimann says
Editor's note: Jerusalem-based Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann (Jon Green) is the director of activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories for Rabbis for Human Rights. Grenimann has worked in Holocaust education and also taught about Jewish resistance during WWII. Since his ordination in 1991, he has worked as a rabbi and educator in the Masorti movement. He has been active in peace-orientated groups including Peace Now and Netivot Shalom and is the author of the novel "Far Away From Where?" The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- My son has recently been released from active reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza, and the two sides are again talking about a serious ceasefire. I am relieved to have my son back and to see that we are talking instead of shooting, and pray that this latest round of negotiations succeeds in bringing us stability and progress towards peace.
The recent violence has left many dead and wounded, homeless and traumatized on both sides, as well as terrible destruction. Worst of all, it has overwhelmed many of us with a sense of hopelessness regarding the prospects for peace here.
Both the Hamas leadership and the Israeli government have chosen conflict over real peace negotiations again and again in the past. They are apparently only able to haggle over ceasefire deals between rounds of fighting.
The lead-up to the outbreak of hostilities included the wave of mutual hatred and fear that swept the Jewish and Palestinian populations in the wake of the kidnapping and murder of three young Israeli teenagers in the Etzion Bloc and the revenge murder of a Palestinian youth in Shuafat, followed by Israeli mass arrests of Hamas operatives in the West Bank, and the arrest of three Jewish extremists in the Jerusalem region.
Israel had also signaled its disapproval of the recently established Fatah-Hamas unity government by exacerbating its blockade of Gaza, punishing 1.8 million Gazans.
Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann
Hamas responded by unilaterally opening fire and shooting hundreds of missiles at Israeli population centers. The rest is well known -- Operation Protective Edge with the destruction and death you have seen on TV screen and other media. If not for the Iron Dome anti-missile batteries (an Israeli invention with U.S. investment) protecting those cities, the destruction and deaths on the Israeli side would have been much greater.
We Israelis on the whole supported this action, though there were some protests from the radical left and Arab citizens. The internal arguments regarding (frozen) negotiations with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the future of the settlements were set aside as the country was mobilized to support the armed forces in what was seen as an act of defense against the rocket fire.
A week later, with the onset of the ground offensive, the destruction of the many tunnels dug into our territory for purposes of kidnapping and terrorist killings became the focus of popular support for the IDF. My son, an infantry soldier in reserves, was called up to protect his people, as I have had to do in the past, and as my father did in Poland when fighting the Germans as a partisan.
On the other hand, few Israelis questioned the means by which we deal with these threats or whether the path to this bloodshed was indeed unavoidable. Fewer Israelis wanted to hear criticism of the rising numbers of uninvolved Palestinian dead and wounded from the IDF's actions.
Those of us in the human rights community who asked questions about this, however carefully and hesitantly, were vilified as unpatriotic or even as traitors, and some activists were physically attacked.
Faced with these reactions, I fear for Israeli democracy and the moral fiber of the country. When faced with a struggle with a hate-fueled terrorist organization like Hamas, which has no compunction in breaking even humanitarian ceasefire agreements (they broke five or six), and which uses its own civilian population for cover, it is understandable that Israeli nerves might be frayed.
The strength of my country and my people through history has always been its ability to debate, be self-critical, and respect differences of opinion.
There is certainly no prospect for peace here in Israel if the extremists within the present government have their way. If the Palestinians, on the other hand, are able to change direction and reject the ways of Hamas as uncompromising haters of Israel's very existence, they would strengthen the hand of the many Israelis who continue to dream and strive for peace.
Some of us see that as a religious commandment -- as Hillel the elder said (Sayings of the Fathers, chapt. 1, Mishna 12, Talmud), one should pursue peace as did Aharon the high priest: "Strive for peace and pursue it". (Psalms, 34,15)
After shaky start, cease-fire extension appears to hold
Is Mideast peace as far away as ever?
U.S. teen shot at least six times, autopsy finds
8/17/2014 11:58:05 PM
- NEW: Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is deploying National Guard troops to Ferguson
- Several businesses are vandalized or looted, authorities say
- At least two people are shot in Ferguson, but not by police, authorities say
- The bullets were to the front of Michael Brown's body, an autopsy says
Have you documented the protests in Ferguson? Share your photos, videos and opinions with CNN iReport. For local coverage of the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown and its aftermath, go to CNN affiliates KMOV, KSDK, KTVI and KPLR.
Ferguson, Missouri (CNN) -- The chaos in Ferguson has gotten so bad that Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has signed an executive order deploying National Guard troops to the St. Louis suburb.
"Given these deliberate, coordinated and intensifying violent attacks on lives and property in Ferguson, I am directing the highly capable men and women of the Missouri National Guard ... in restoring peace and order to this community," Nixon said in a statement.
Fresh violence late Sunday marked some of the fiercest clashes yet between police and protesters furious over the death of the unarmed teenager.
And the tensions continued escalating after autopsy results revealed teenager Michael Brown was shot six times.
The tumult that led to an intensified police crackdown began with the shootings of two civilians Sunday night and continued after protesters threw Molotov cocktails at police, Missouri State Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson said.
"A Sunday that started with prayers ... took a very different turn after dark," Johnson said.
He said several businesses were vandalized or looted as peaceful protesters demonstrated against Brown's death.
Such criminal acts were "pre-planned agitation," not civil disobedience, he said.
"Based on these conditions, I had no alternative but to elevate the level of our response."
Officers fired tear gas into a crowd of hundreds of protesters, including children, who were marching toward a police command post despite an impending midnight curfew.
St. Louis County police said several protesters had thrown Molotov cocktails toward the officers before authorities shot tear gas toward them.
But protester Lisha Williams challenged that narrative.
"That is a lie. It was no fight, it was no shots fired," Williams told CNN late Sunday night. "All we did was march to the command center to fall to our knees and say, 'Don't shoot.' And they started shooting."
The clashes kept escalating, with the St. Charles County sheriff's officials saying shots were fired in their direction.
St. Louis County police said at least two people had been shot in Ferguson, but not by police. The spokesman also said most of the crowds had dispersed after midnight.
Autopsy details
Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot dead August 9 by a white police officer. He was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, according to the preliminary results of an autopsy that his family requested.
Family attorney Anthony Gray said the independent autopsy, conducted Sunday, found that Brown was shot twice in the head and four times in the right arm -- all to the front of his body.
Last week, the St. Louis County police department said an original autopsy found that Brown, 18, died of gunshot wounds. But the department wouldn't say how many times he was shot or any other details.
According to the preliminary results of the family autopsy, the bullets that struck Brown were not fired from close range, as indicated by the absence of gunpowder residue on his body.
One of the bullets shattered his right eye, traveled through his face, exited his jaw and re-entered his collarbone, according to the autopsy.
The last two shots were likely the ones to his head, attorney Gray said. One entered the top of his Brown's skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when he was struck.
The independent autopsy was conducted by high-profile pathologist Michael Baden. Baden testified in the O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector and Drew Peterson murder trials.
Cousin: Brown killed without reason
The clashes that ensued Sunday night were a far cry from a packed church earlier, when hundreds of people gathered for a two-hour rally demanding justice.
"I'm astonished at this reversal of mood," Jackson said. "The mood was so positive."
A cousin of Brown told the church audience that Brown was killed without reason.
"What I want y'all to remember is that Michael Brown was not just some young black boy. He was a human being," Ty Pruitt said. "He was not a suspect. He was not an object. He was not an animal. But that's how he was killed."
Michael Brown's parents -- Lesley McSpadden and Michael Brown Sr. -- appeared on stage at the rally at Greater Grace Church with attorney Benjamin Crump but didn't address the audience.
"What we're really asking for is simple justice," Crump said. "We're not asking for anything extraordinary. They just want what anybody else would want if their children were shot down in broad daylight."
Crump said there would be an independent investigation in addition to the federal and local probes already under way.
A third autopsy
Accounts of exactly what happened when Officer Darren Wilson stopped Brown while the teen was walking down a street vary widely.
Witnesses said they saw a scuffle between the officer and Brown at the police car before the young man was shot. Police said Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon.
Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has approved another autopsy on Brown's body, the Justice Department said. The autopsy will be conducted by a federal medical examiner.
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Complete coverage of the Ferguson shooting
CNN's Steve Almasy and Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta; CNN's Steve Kastenbaum reported from Ferguson. CNN's Jennifer Duck, Dave Alsup, Jim Acosta, Eliott C. McLaughlin, Evan Perez and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
Autopsy 'bound to escalate tensions'
8/18/2014 1:09:38 AM
- All the bullet wounds were to the front of Michael Brown's body
- "People believe it plays into whatever theory they have," Stelter says
- Accounts of what happened vary widely
(CNN) -- The preliminary results of an autopsy that Michael Brown's family requested is unlikely to settle the dueling narratives that have defined the case from the beginning.
Brown was shot at least six times -- all to the front of his body, according to the preliminary results.
Family attorney Anthony Gray said the independent autopsy, conducted Sunday, found that Brown was shot twice in the head and four times in the right arm.
"Already based on this limited information, people believe it plays into whatever theory they have about what happened," CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter said.
"Because these shots were all in the front apparently, that might lend credence to people's theories that Michael Brown was going after the police officer."
"On the other hand," Stelter added, "the shots were on the arms (and head) on the front. Does that mean his arms were up?"
It's a case, he said, where more information is not necessarily better information.
Therein lies some of the risk.
"This is bound to escalate tensions," the Rev. Jesse Jackson told CNN. "This is a very provocative report."
Accounts unclear
Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot dead nine days ago by a white police officer.
Accounts of exactly what happened when Officer Darren Wilson stopped Brown vary widely.
Witnesses said they saw a scuffle between the officer and Brown at the police car before the young man was shot. Police said Brown struggled with the officer and reached for his weapon.
Several witnesses said Brown raised his hands and was not attacking the officer.
Last week, the St. Louis County police department said an original autopsy found that Brown, 18, died of gunshot wounds. But the department wouldn't say how many times he was shot or any other details.
"We are not specifying how many gunshot wounds at this point," the department said. "The investigation into his death is still ongoing and the full autopsy is not likely to be released for many weeks because multiple law enforcement agencies are now involved in the investigation."
The lack of information prompted Brown's family to request an independent autopsy.
A high profile pathologist
Enter high-profile forensic pathologist Michael Baden.
He has brought his expertise to the stand in a number of closely-watched cases.
Baden testified in the O.J. Simpson, Phil Spector and Drew Peterson murder trials. He was chairman of the committee of pathologists that investigated the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"Bringing him in is is a very big development," said CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. "The family wants to know what happened. And why should they just rely upon on what the authorities to tell them."
Not shot at close range
According to Baden's autopsy, the bullets that struck Brown were not fired from close range, as indicated by the absence of gunpowder residue on his body.
Some of the bullets left several different wounds.
One of the bullets shattered his right eye, traveled through his face, exited his jaw and re-entered his collarbone, according to the autopsy.
The last two shots were likely the ones to his head, attorney Gray said. One entered the top of his Brown's skull, suggesting his head was bent forward when he was struck.
More work to be done
Baden intends to do much more than just the autopsy. He may ask questions about the officer's gun as well.
"Is there only the police officer's DNA on that gun. Or, if there was in fact a struggle, is Michael Brown's DNA on that gun as well. That would certainly say a lot about whether a struggle for the gun took place."
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has approved another autopsy on Brown's body, the Justice Department said. The autopsy will be conducted by a federal medical examiner.
CNN's Alexanda Field contributed to this report.
U.S. girl, 3, dies in police gunbattle
8/18/2014 3:12:47 AM
- Incident occurs in Prince George's County, Maryland
- Police pursue a car driven away from a double shooting
- The man driving the car exchanges gunfire with police
- Police say they don't know if the man or police killed the girl
(CNN) -- A 3-year-old girl died Saturday after a man and police engaged in a chase and gunbattle, said police in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Police spokesman Lt. Bill Alexander said police began pursuing the man early in the afternoon when he drove a Nissan Maxima away from the scene of a shooting in Temple Hills.
One of the wheels fell off the suspect's car and he stopped and exchanged gunfire with police, Alexander said.
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The suspect kept driving but stopped again and traded gunfire with police a second time.
The man was killed in the second exchange, Alexander said. Inside the vehicle, police found the wounded 3-year-old, who later died, Alexander said.
Police said they don't know who fired the bullets that killed the man or the girl. CNN affiliate WJLA said police believe the man was the girl's father.
Two wounded people were found at the scene of the first shooting -- the 3-year-old's maternal grandfather and maternal great-grandmother, police said. They were in critical condition at hospitals, Alexander said.
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