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U.N. 'withdraws from Golan Heights'
9/16/2014 4:30:37 AM
- U.N. peacekeepers withdrawing from Syrian-controlled Golan Heights
- The withdrawal follows the capture of some peacekeepers by Syrian rebels
- The peacekeepers were eventually released; others escaped a militant siege
- U.N. peacekeepers have been in the region since 1974
(CNN) -- U.N. forces withdrew Monday from the Syrian-controlled side of the Golan Heights, the world body confirmed.
The U.N. statement cited the "exceptionally challenging environment" posed by armed rebel groups advancing on peacekeeping positions its observer force has held for close to four decades.
The confirmation comes hours after a journalist working for CNN saw dozens of peacekeeping vehicles crossing into territory controlled by Israel.
The withdrawal comes a little more than two weeks after Islamic militant fighters took some peacekeepers hostage and besieged others.
Al-Nusra Front freed 45 U.N. peacekeepers from Fiji in good condition last week, while forces from the Philippines escaped after exchanging fire with militant fighters, according to media reports.
The incidents occurred after Syrian rebel fighters took control of the only border crossing between Israel and Syria in the Syrian town of Quneitra in late August.
U.N. forces have been stationed in the Golan Heights since 1974 following negotiations between Israel and Syria to reduce tensions along their shared border after hostilities in 1973. Israel has occupied a portion of the territory since seizing it during its 1967 war with Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
The U.N. Disengagement Observer Force includes 1,250 troops from six countries. In addition to Fiji and the Philippines, India, Nepal, Ireland and the Netherlands have troops assigned to the force.
Austrian troops who had been taking part in the forces in 2013 pulled out after fighting in the Syrian-controlled Golan Heights between rebels and Syrian government forces.
Golan Heights: Making wine in the shadow of war
CNN's Kareem Khadder and Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.
Fires threaten thousands in California
9/16/2014 2:58:25 AM
- The El Dorado Fire has charred roughly 8,600 acres in Northern California
- 500 structures are threatened
- The Boles Fire near the Oregon is only 400 acres
- More than 1,500 homes are under evacuations orders there
(CNN) -- Wildfires raced across Northern California overnight, charring at least 9,000 acres and forcing thousands from their homes, fire officials said.
The King Fire is roaring through the El Dorado National Forest, about 60 miles east of Sacramento
Some 8,600 acres have burned and the flames are only 5% contained, according Cal Fire.
Thousands of folks have had to evacuate.
"We still have about 500 homes -- we're calling them threatened -- and we just people to stay out of them for now," Lynne Tomalchoff, a Cal Fire spokeswoman, told CNN affiliate KCRA.
Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are in place across large swaths of El Dorado County.
About 250 miles to the north and near the Oregon border, the Boles Fire is much smaller at 400 acres, but more threatening.
Some 1,500 homes are under evacuation orders in Siskiyou County. The evacuations cover the communities of Weed and Carrick.
"We're encouraging those folks to leave their homes," Suzi Brady with Cal Fire told affiliate KDRV. "This is not the year you want to stay there. The fuel types are extremely dry."
More than 100 structures have been damaged or destroyed, according to Allison Giannini with the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Department.
Wildfire closes Half Dome at Yosemite
What to know about wildfires
Comet landing site chosen
9/16/2014 9:31:19 AM
- Scientists are trying to land a probe on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
- The European Space Agency says it now has chosen a prime target landing site
- The comet is so far from Earth the Philae lander needs to be programed to land on its own
- It took more than 10 years to position the Rosetta craft so it could follow the comet
London (CNN) -- Scientists have picked a prime landing site on the "head" of a comet for the next stage of the Rosetta mission.
The project, led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with partners including NASA, recently placed the Rosetta probe in an orbit 30km (18 miles) from the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko after a 10-year chase across the solar system.
If successful, the mission will be the first to orbit and land on a comet as it journeys around the Sun.
A statement on the space agency's Rosetta blog says landing site "J" was chosen due to its "scientific potential" while posing less risk to Rosetta's lander module Philae compared to other possible sites.
A backup site (marked "C" in the above composite image) has been identified on the irregularly-shaped "body" of the comet which has two distinct lobes -- and mission controllers say they are aiming to reach the surface on November 11.
Rosetta will stay in orbit around the comet as it rushes towards the Sun, taking measurements as gas and dust are ejected into a huge tail, while the lander carries out experiments on the surface.
The mission is aimed at learning more about the composition of comets and the project may shed light on whether they brought water to Earth or even the chemicals that make up the building blocks of life.
3D animation: See how Rosetta met the comet
"We will make the first ever in situ analysis of a comet at this site, giving us an unparalleled insight into the composition, structure and evolution of a comet," said a lead lander scientist Jean-Pierre Bibring on ESA's Rosetta website.
Making a landing is particularly difficult as the probes are so far away that steering Philae once it has separated from Rosetta is not possible. The lander's trajectory has to be programmed ahead of its release.
Project leaders had to find a landing site that avoids large surface hazards and allows Philae to continue to communicate with Rosetta.
Before the prime landing site was chosen, Rosetta project scientist Matt Taylor also explained that power was a crucial consideration.
Matt Taylor, Rosetta project scientist
Philae's batteries will have enough charge for 64 hours but the lander needs sunlight to generate more energy for the extended science mission.
"There are certain parts of the comet where you won't be able to do any science because you will never get the lander in enough sunlight to be able to recharge the batteries," Taylor told CNN.
Taylor shared the excitement of seeing the first high-resolution close-up images but said his reaction to the odd shape was: "What are we going to do with this? Where are we going to go?
"It has presented a challenge as to where we can land on the comet because there are certain regions you just can't reach. The neck is quite difficult to get to -- it's difficult to get a trajectory that will end up on that point without clipping one of the lobes."
Taylor told CNN that results were starting to come in from the on-board instruments.
"There are some dust instruments that kind of put their hand up for a couple of weeks and then bring the hand back in again and analyze what it's caught," he said.
"We are starting to sniff and taste the comet."
You can follow Rosetta's mission on Twitter @ESA_Rosetta and through the ESA blog.
READ: Interactive coverage of Rosetta mission on CNN
READ: Rosetta first to orbit comet
Schizophrenia may be 8 diseases
9/16/2014 7:24:13 PM
- Researchers say schizophrenia is not one disorder, but eight
- Genetic variations cause eight classes of schizophrenia
- Study was published in The American Journal of Psychiatry
(CNN) -- What we know -- and psychiatrists have diagnosed for decades -- as schizophrenia may really be eight separate diseases, research published in The American Journal of Psychiatry suggests.
Scientists at Washington University in St. Louis analyzed the DNA of more than 4,000 people with schizophrenia. They matched any gene variations they found in the DNA with study participants' individual symptoms. In doing so, they found several "gene clusters" that appear to cause eight distinct classes of schizophrenia, according to a statement from the university.
"Complex diseases, such as schizophrenia, may be influenced by hundreds or thousands of genetic variants that interact with one another in complex ways," the study authors wrote in their introduction.
"Genes don't operate by themselves," Dr. C. Robert Cloninger, one of the study's senior authors, explained in the statement. "They function in concert much like an orchestra, and to understand how they're working, you have to know not just who the members of the orchestra are but how they interact."
Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder that affects about 1% of the population, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Symptoms can vary from hallucinations to disordered speech to attention and decision-making problems.
Past studies done on twins and families have shown that about 80% of the risk for schizophrenia is inherited, the study authors say. A study published in July showed as many as 108 genes may be tied to the mental health disorder. But scientists have had trouble identifying specific genetic variations that put people at risk.
The Washington University researchers looked at instances where a single unit of DNA was altered, which is known as a single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP. Then they identified 42 interactive SNP sets that significantly increased people's risk of schizophrenia, according to the study.
In other words, if study participant Bob had Gene Cluster X, he was more than 70% likely to have schizophrenia than study participant Fred who didn't have that cluster of genes. In some cases, certain gene clusters were matched with close to a 100% risk.
"In the past, scientists had been looking for associations between individual genes and schizophrenia," co-author Dr. Dragan Svrakic said in the statement. "What was missing was the idea that these genes don't act independently. They work in concert to disrupt the brain's structure and function, and that results in the illness."
The idea that schizophrenia is not one single disorder is not really new, says Dr. Charles Raison, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Arizona. It's similar to the way doctors use the term "breast cancer" to describe several different diseases that cause tumors in the breasts.
"Schizophrenia is probably 80 different diseases," Raison says. "All psychiatric conditions likely share this heterogeneity."
There are only so many ways that certain malfunctions in your genetic code can manifest, Raison says. There may be 10 separate gene mutations, but they might only express themselves as one or two symptoms. So what's causing hallucinations in one person might be different than what's causing them in another.
So why are scientists trying to separate out the different schizophrenia disorders? Two reasons, Raison says: to help predict who might get schizophrenia, and to help treat it more efficiently.
Take, for example, pleurisy, which is a condition where you have fluid on your lungs. Several things can cause pleurisy: heart problems, pneumonia or cancer. If you have a drug that treats heart conditions, it's going to help only a certain percentage of pleurisy patients. But if you know that your patient's pleurisy is caused by cancer, you'll find a different course of treatment.
The same could hold true for schizophrenia and other mental health conditions, Raison says.
"In psychiatry land we're still stuck with pleurisy," he says. "They're descriptions of symptoms, and we only have a vague idea of the underlying causes."
NFL superstar: I'm not a child abuser
9/16/2014 2:55:42 AM
- NEW: Adrian Peterson was accused of abusing another child, KHOU reports
- DA says he expects Peterson to be at next court date in October
- The running back was indicted on a felony child abuse charge and missed Sunday's game
- Vikings: Peterson should play while legal process plays out
(CNN) -- Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson said Monday that he is "not a perfect parent, but I am, without a doubt, not a child abuser."
Peterson, one of the NFL's marquee players, will practice this week and can play in Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, despite facing a child abuse charge, team officials said.
Peterson, who was kept out of Sunday's game against the New England Patriots, turned himself in to East Texas authorities Saturday, two days after an indictment alleged the 29-year-old father did "recklessly or by criminal negligence cause bodily injury" to his son, a felony.
Peterson quickly posted $15,000 in bail and was released, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.
In his first comments on the case, the reinstated NFL star told fans in a written statement posted on his Twitter feed, "I never imagined being in a position where the world is judging my parenting skills or calling me a child abuser because of the discipline I administered to my son."
Despite being advised by his attorney not to discuss details of the case, Peterson wrote, "I want everyone to understand how sorry I feel about the hurt I have brought to my child."
He said that he voluntarily appeared before a grand jury and told its members the same thing, which also matches what he said he told two different police agencies about the incident.
"I will say the same thing once I have my day in court," he wrote.
In disciplining his son in the same manner as Peterson himself was disciplined as a child, he wrote, he unintentionally caused the boy injury. He understands that there are people who disagree with this form of discipline, he said, and he has met with a psychologist who informed him of more "appropriate" ways to discipline children.
"But deep in my heart I have always believed I could have been one of those kids that was lost in the streets without the discipline instilled in me by my parents and other relatives," he wrote. "I have always believed that the way my parents disciplined me has a great deal to do with the success I have enjoyed as a man. I love my son and I will continue to become a better parent and learn from any mistakes I ever make."
He closed his statement by saying that while he isn't the perfect parent, he is not a child abuser.
"My goal is always to teach my son right from wrong and that's what I tried to do that day," he wrote. "I accept the fact that people feel very strongly about this issue and what they think about my conduct. Regardless of what others think, however, I love my son very much and I will continue to try to become a better father and person."
Team stands behind its star player
General manager Rick Spielman said more information about the incident was available to the Vikings then the team had on Friday when it placed Peterson, a six-time Pro Bowler in his first seven seasons, on the inactive list.
"This is a difficult path to navigate regarding the judgment of how a parent disciplines his child," Spielman told reporters. "Based on the extensive information that we have right now, and what we know about Adrian not only as a person but what he has also done for this community, we believe he deserves to play while this legal process plays out."
The developments came as CNN affilaite KHOU reported that Peterson allegedly abused another one of his children -- a 4-year-old son.
Sources told KHOU that the mother of the child filed a complaint with Child Protective Services in Texas because she alleged that Peterson beat the child, while visiting his father at his Houston-area home.
According to the report, text messages between Peterson and the boy's mother show that Peterson admitted disciplining the child, but he claims the child hit his head on the car seat in the process.
No charges were ever filed, according to KHOU.
CNN reached out CPS, but has not received a response.
Through his attorney Rusty Hardin, Peterson vehemently denied the report.
"The allegation of another investigation into Adrian Peterson is simply not true. This is not a new allegation. It's one that is unsubstantiated and was shopped around to authorities in two states over a year ago and nothing came of it," Hardin said. "An adult witness adamantly insists Adrian did nothing inappropriate with his son."
One of the team's sponsors, the Radisson hotel chain, announced Monday night that it was suspending its "limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances."
Report: Photos show alleged injuries
Peterson's attorney has said his client used "a switch to spank his son" and was simply doling out discipline much like "he experienced as a child growing up in East Texas."
Peterson "will continue to insist on his innocence of any intended wrongdoing," Hardin said Friday.
Photos obtained by TMZ allegedly show Peterson's son's leg covered in marks that could have come from a switch, or thin tree branch. Some of the marks in the photo appeared to have broken the skin.
"The photos are disturbing, I understand that. But to be clear, you know any matter that's involving the child is very important for this organization. But we also think that it is right for him to go through the process legally," Spielman said.
SportsRadio 610 in Houston reported this past weekend that Peterson allegedly sent text messages to the boy's mother in Minnesota after the lashing.
Peterson wrote he "felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh."
Another text was more graphic.
"Got him in the nuts once I noticed," it read, according to the CBS radio affiliate in Houston. "But I felt so bad, n i'm all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories!"
The station said a later message from Peterson was: "Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but don't play no games when it comes to acting right."
Due in court on October 8
Montgomery County Assistant District Attorney Phil Grant, whose office made the case against Peterson to a grand jury over a period of weeks, said prosecutors "will take this charge extremely seriously and we look forward to presenting this case to a jury."
The next step is a preliminary court hearing that is scheduled for October 8. Grant said he expected Peterson to be there, although the decision is up to a judge.
According to Texas law, people can be convicted of injury to a child if they cause bodily or mental injury "intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or with criminal negligence" or cause such harm by omission. The crime is punishable by up to two years in a state jail and a $1,000 fine.
In Texas, someone can defend himself against a charge of injury to a child if he can prove it happened while he was administering "reasonable discipline," Grant said.
"Obviously, parents are entitled to discipline their children as they see fit, except for when that discipline exceeds what the community would say is reasonable," he said. "And so, a grand jury, having indicted this case, looked at the injuries that were inflicted upon this child and determined that that discipline was not reasonable."
As the NFL reviews the running back's actions under its personal conduct policy, the Vikings owners said they will "monitor the situation closely."
Referring to the decision to keep Peterson out of Sunday's game, the Vikings owners, who are brothers, said, "On Friday, we felt it was in the best interests of the organization to step back, evaluate the situation, and not rush to judgment given the seriousness of this matter. At that time, we made the decision that we felt was best for the Vikings and all parties involved."
Peterson is considered one of the best running backs in the NFL -- if not the best. His absence was probably felt during the Vikings' 30-7 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.
In 2011, he agreed to a lucrative contract, which NFL.com reported would be worth $100 million over a 7-year period.
Opinion: Spanking isn't parenting, it's child abuse
To spank or not to spank?
CNN's Jasoon Morris, Jill Martin, Quand Thomas, Greg Botelho and Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.
Where should you launch start-up?
9/17/2014 12:44:17 AM
CNN's Virtual Think Tank asks digital experts why they think Hong Kong is the best place to launch a start-up.
If your browser has Adobe Flash Player installed, click above to play. Otherwise, click below.
N. Korea: We have best human rights
9/17/2014 4:02:15 AM
- North Korea issues its own human rights report, declares it's a "superior system"
- Pyongyang issued the report in response to U.N. Commission of Inquiry report
- Timing of report's release could be linked to upcoming U.N. General Assembly
- It makes no mention of its prison system or food shortages
(CNN) -- North Korea has "the world's most advantageous human rights system," the country declared in a lengthy report released on Saturday.
Its political system "bestows upon (its citizens) priceless political integrity." Its economic system "ensures people an independent and creative working life, as well as affluent and civilized living standard," according to a report by the DPRK Association for Human Rights Studies.
The 53,000-word report -- which repeats the phrase "human rights" over 700 times -- paints a rosy picture of the country.
North Korea issued a vehement defense of its human rights record, in response to a damning U.N. Commission of Inquiry report, released in February. That report criticized North Korea's authoritarian rule and said the state "terrorizes" its own citizens.
READ: In North Korea: 'We were forced to eat grass and soil'
The U.N. Commission of Inquiry issued its conclusions after listening to testimonies from more than 100 victims, witnesses and experts regarding North Korea. It also examined satellite imagery and listed a stunning catalog of torture and widespread abuse "that does not have any parallel in the contemporary world."
North Korea had declined to participate in the inquiry.
READ: 'Abundant evidence' of crimes against humanity in North Korea
The human rights plot
North Korea says human rights is an excuse used by the United States to interfere in its affairs. The report repeatedly takes aim at the United States, saying Washington is plotting to "eventually overthrow the social system" and also accused the Americans of invading North Korea in 1950 and starting the Korean War.
The war began in 1950 after Communist forces attacked the south.
READ: Why the Korean War Still matters
The report denies the litany of the state's abuses saying these are "racket kicked up by the hostile forces" and derived from non-credible witnesses, who were paid to "cook up groundless stories."
"Pyongyang frames all criticism of their human rights situation as a politicized attack from hostile forces," said Sokeel Park, director of research and strategy at LINK (Liberty in North Korea), an international NGO that works with North Korean refugees.
North Korea's version of its human rights report was published ahead of Tuesday's U.N. General Assembly, where a discussion and vote on North Korea's human rights situation is expected.
"Pyongyang knows they are increasingly diplomatically isolated and they are trying to reverse that tide," Park told CNN. "They see the growing international consensus on the seriousness of their human rights violations as one facet of that diplomatic isolation, so it makes sense to try to counter that explicitly too."
This includes releasing their own "human rights report" to counter the U.N. Commission of Inquiry Report," he said.
What the report says
Divided into five chapters, North Korea says its report was derived from institutions, NGOs and human rights experts.
"The human rights mechanisms of the DPRK which have been formed and developed in the 70-year-long history is a superior system that thoroughly and practically guarantees the people's human rights in all fields of social life including politics, economy and culture," according to the report.
It made no mention of its prison system, executions or food shortages. Instead, the report trumpeted its policies of "universal compulsory education, free medical care and free provision of housings."
The North Korean report also boasted its "open trial and rights of defense" -- which ran contrary to the U.S. State Department's assertion that it is not given access or details on charges for U.S. defendants held in the country.
On Sunday, Matthew Miller, a U.S. citizen, was convicted of "hostile acts" and sentenced to six years of hard labor.
Bringing humanity to the Middle East
9/16/2014 10:02:56 PM
- Brandon Stanton launched Humans of New York blog
- Partnering with U.N., he's on a world tour that started in Iraq and Jordan
- His mini narratives reveal the struggles and dreams of ordinary people
(CNN) -- Four years ago, Brandon Stanton became New York City's unofficial photo-chronicler. With his blog, Humans of New York -- which has over eight million followers on social media -- he has captured the heart and soul of the city's multi-national inhabitants.
His trademark -- the micro narratives that accompany each image -- has been imitated in the far reaches of the globe, from Sydney to Khartoum.
Last month, he turned his lens, and poignant interview style, to the world at large. In partnership with the United Nations, he is touring roughly a dozen countries in a bid to raise awareness for the peacekeeping organization's Millennium Development Goals. His first stop: Iraq and Jordan.
'My eyes were opened'
Though his trip was "months in the works," Stanton didn't anticipate that his arrival in Erbil, Iraq would coincide with that of ISIS. The first people he questioned were Yazidi refugees who had only freshly fled their homes, their families, their lives as a whole.
"My idea of what constitutes personal tragedy has been expanded a lot just listening to what these people are going through," admits Stanton.
For the Yazidis he approached -- from the student who had to abandon his long sought after Master's degree to flee bombs to the mother whose children can't stop crying for home -- Stanton found himself falter at the prospect of pursuing his traditional line of questioning.
"When you've just abandoned your house, and your family is surrounded by a hostile army, and you don't know if they're going to survive, it's just inappropriate to ask what your happiest memory with your mother is," he says.
"I felt I couldn't ask them beyond their present circumstances, because their lives were absolutely consumed by those circumstances."
'Pack a bag and get ready to run'
The day Stanton landed in Iraq, ISIS captured the Mosul Dam. The day he left, the United States started air strikes. His time there, he admits, was often terrifying.
Brandon Stanton, photographer, Humans of New York
"When I was in Dohuk, there was a moment I got a call in the middle of the night from UNICEF telling to pack a bag and get ready to run, because ISIS was shelling the town and had broken through the lines," he recalls.
"It was an abundance of caution it turned out, but it was a sleepless night."
It was one of many moments, he admits, when he appreciated what it means to feel secure.
"I went to this place where all people wanted was a bit of security: to send their kids to school, to start a business, to get married and live a normal life. And I realized that in the absence of physical security, no other layers of life can really be experienced," he says.
"That constant uncertainty seeps into your psyche in a way that you can't really pinpoint until you go back to a place that is secure."
For Stanton, that place was Jordan.
"I really noticed when I landed in Jordan, where the infrastructures was in place and there was no imminent threat, that there was a load lifted from my psyche," he says.
The stories he heard were different as well. The tenor, though often still heart-breaking (he visited Zaatari Refugee Camp that houses around 80,000 Syrians), demonstrated a lighter side of the human character. In the absence of immediate danger, there was hope.
"The other thing this trip has made me realize is the depth of ambition, particularly in underdeveloped countries," he says.
"Everybody I talked to had such big dreams, and often such limited opportunities with which to achieve those dreams."
Read: Syria's filmmakers show different side of war
Read: Can Syria's lost generation be saved?
Opinion: UK needs Scotland
9/17/2014 12:31:35 AM
- Historian Timothy Stanley wants Scotland to stay in the United Kingdom
- He notes that the historical relationship changed after World War II
- Scots' quest for a wider social safety net may be hard to achieve alone, he says
- Stanley says he'd miss England's romantic, talkative partners if they go
Editor's note: Timothy Stanley is a historian and columnist for Britain's Daily Telegraph. He is the author of the new book "Citizen Hollywood: How the Collaboration Between L.A. and D.C. Revolutionized American Politics." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) -- On Thursday, Scotland goes to the polls to consider leaving the United Kingdom. I'm praying they say no. For their sakes and for our sakes as fellow Britons. We need each other.
Don't get me wrong: the English, the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish are all very different people. You can tell it in the accents -- as an Englishman, I find it almost impossible to do a passable Scottish voice because I just can't sustain the requisite level of anger. And while the English are known for introversion and a terror of being noticed, the heat generated by the independence referendum has been a testament to the Scots' uncompromising desire to say what they're really thinking.
You see those differences marked in the landscape.
Journeying from London to Glasgow to observe the campaign, I was struck by the sudden shift in geography as our train crossed the border. Where England is small and crowded, Scotland is huge and empty.
English fields give way to massive Caledonian hills covered in green trees with bald patches of purple flowers. The valleys look like God smashed a fist into the soil -- wild, deep and jagged. That righteous Scottish temper showing through again.
But it's precisely these differences that have made the Union between our countries so remarkable -- and so important. For 300 years, we have sustained a political alliance between nations with distinct cultures that has produced one of the world's most successful experiments in getting along against the odds.
It's a relationship of convenience, of course -- begun in part so that Scotland could share in our imperial ambitions. And, as such, Scotland's presence in the Union has been sustained hitherto largely by good will. We may all have different understandings of our identity, but we share a common understanding of our needs.
This began to change in the years after World War II.
As the empire vanished and industry declined, so the economic outlook of Scotland and England began to diverge. A turning point was the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979 -- a right-wing leader who may have helped raise living standards in Scotland but whose faith in free markets became increasingly at odds with the Scottish preference for a well-financed public sector.
Scotland could have rallied to the left-wing Labour Party, but Labour, too, moved drastically to the right and left many of its working-class constituents behind.
The credit crunch challenged the idea that the Union was impervious to economic shock and discredited our political leadership in London.
Many Scots turned toward independence as an alternative way of ordering their affairs (while many Englishmen drifted toward the conservative United Kingdom Independence Party). Hence, much of the campaign for independence has centered not around nationalist themes, but socialist ones instead.
Its supporters imagine that if freed from the more right-wing English, they'd be able to spend more and invest in public services. In fact, the opposite is true. Such is the likely size of an independent Scotland's debt, and so uncertain is the future of its currency, that it would almost certainly have to raise taxes through the roof.
That brings us back to the benefits of sticking together. They are both material and emotional.
On the material side, Britain may have been through a tough period recently, but it is now growing mightily. We are predicted to overtake the perfidious French in the size of our economy by 2020 -- making us the fifth biggest in the world.
Our accomplishments in the fields of constructing a welfare state or investing in high-tech sectors have been made possible by sharing resources and talent. Likewise, in a frighteningly insecure world, we all benefit from a united defense. OK, so Britain's army no longer patrols an empire. But it is still one of the most powerful in the world, boasts a nuclear deterrent (moored in Scotland) and is a lynchpin of the Atlantic alliance.
The army is perhaps at the heart of the emotional case for the Union.
Standing together, we've helped win two world wars and seen off the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982. Soldiers have fought in defense of their constituent countries, but always under the banner of the United Kingdom. The ties that bind us, then, are historical and poetic.
Every New Year, we Britons sing "Auld Lang Syne" -- written by the Scottish poet Robert Burns.
It's a song about the importance of remembering old friendships: "And there's a hand my trusty friend!/ And give me a hand o' thine!/ And we'll take a right good-will draught,/ For auld lang syne." It might seem silly to reduce a decision about the future of a nation to a few lines of a song sung drunkenly and off-key at midnight, but friendship is a precious thing that men will give their lives for. Many, many British soldiers have done so in the past. I would save the Union out of respect for their memory alone.
To the Union and the world, the Scots have brought poetry both sublime and hilariously bad.
Schoolchildren across the UK still read the awful lines of William McGonagall that serve as a primer for how not to write. Scottish geniuses -- Adam Smith, David Hume, James Watt, Robert Louis Stevenson, James Braid, Kenneth Graham, Sir Walter Scott, Muriel Spark, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- have also given us all the invention of classical economics, a proud tradition of banking, color photography, the flushing toilet, golf, hypnotism, penicillin and the television set.
The locals have also supplied Britain with its last hopeful myth: the rumored existence of the Loch Ness Monster. It's nonsense, of course, but a reminder -- again -- of how much mystery and wonder the Scottish countryside brings to the UK. We are hoping to reintroduce wolves there.
If Scotland votes this week for independence, we will divorce with dignity (excepting a few rows about debt and nuclear weapons). But the United Kingdom will miss her dearly.
We will be reduced and forced to think afresh about who we are and what we stand for. If I'm honest, the prospect of a Union dominated too heavily by the English worries me. We're simply not as loquacious or romantic as our Scottish cousins.
Survivors: 500 killed in boat ramming
9/16/2014 3:09:08 PM
- NEW: Two survivors say they'd paid $2,000 at a "travel" office in Gaza for their voyage to Italy
- Migrant shipwreck survivors: Vessel was deliberately sunk by human smugglers
- Survivors: Traffickers became enraged and rammed the boat after they disobeyed them
- The IOM believes as many as 100 children may have been on board the boat
(CNN) -- Witnesses say as many as 500 migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea when human traffickers intentionally sunk their boat, the International Organization for Migration said Tuesday.
The survivors -- both Palestinian men from Gaza who were rescued separately after days in the water clinging to flotation aids -- said they had packed into a boat in Egypt's port of Damietta in Egypt and left on September 6. They estimated at least 400 men and women, in addition to as many as 100 children, were on board.
Two survivors interviewed by the IOM and Italian police in Sicily said the traffickers became enraged after the migrants -- who had already switched to small boats three times during their four days at sea -- refused to move to a smaller vessel. The migrants said they'd rather go back to Egypt than continue on in an even smaller vessel that they believed was not seaworthy.
The Palestinians' account was corroborated by several other survivors who were interviewed on the Greek island of Crete, the IOM said.
They said the smugglers, who they said were Palestinians and Egyptians, had begun yelling and throwing sticks at the migrants after they refused to leave the boat before then ramming the vessel. Some migrants managed to jump into the smaller boat, while one passenger "killed himself in despair by hanging," a survivor said.
"After they hit our boat, they waited to make sure that it had sunk completely before leaving. They were laughing," he added.
IOM: Many children among dead
By Tuesday morning, authorities in Italy, Malta and Greece confirmed the rescue of 10 migrants from the lost vessel, the IOM said. Three bodies have also been found.
Those on the boat included Syrians, Palestinians, Egyptians and Sudanese, as well as Palestinians, the witnesses said.
The two Palestinian survivors explained that they'd paid $2,000 -- money they'd gotten after receiving grants to rebuild their homes -- at what they called a "travel" office in Gaza for their voyage to Italy, according to the IOM.
Four buses took them to the Egyptian port near Alexandria, where about 200 people got on the ship's first deck and the other 300 people on the bottom deck.
Survivors surmised that those below deck were unable to escape the sinking boat and drowned almost immediately. Some people managed to stay afloat for three days, only to be done in by strong winds and waves that moved through the area.
'"If survivors' reports are confirmed, this will be the worst shipwreck of migrants in years, not an accidental tragedy, but the apparent deliberate drowning of migrants by criminal gangs who extort money for their desperate journeys," said IOM spokesman Leonard Doyle.
"Their actions are as callous as they are evil."
Italian navy finds dozens of bodies in migrant boat
'Shocking and unacceptable'
According to the IOM, the latest reported sinking would take the death toll off Europe's shores this year to nearly 3,000. In 2013, the organization's Missing Migrants Project estimated the total for the year to be 700 deaths.
"The numbers dying off Europe's coasts are shocking and unacceptable," said IOM director general William Lacy Swing.
"These are women, children and men who only hope for a more dignified life. The risks they take reflect their desperation and we cannot keep abandoning them to their fate."
Authorities are also investigating reports that 200 more people are missing off Libya and that another 15 drowned off the coast of Egypt, the IOM said.
Each year, tens of thousands of people are rescued from the Mediterranean, according to the European Union border agency, Frontex. The United Nations has expressed dismay over the rising number of migrants dying at sea.
READ: U.S. Navy rescues 282 apparent migrants in Mediterranean
CNN's Greg Botelho, Nana Karikari-apau and Carol Jordan contributed to this report.
Landmark deal moves Ukraine to West
9/16/2014 4:05:42 PM
- NEW: Separatist leader says rebels will not agree to disarm in return for amnesty
- Accord between Ukrainian, European parliaments will bring closer political, economic ties
- Ukraine's lawmakers also approve "special status" law for rebel-held areas in the east
- Amnesty will not apply to those suspected of shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
Lviv, Ukraine (CNN) -- Ukraine and the European Union ratified a political and economic agreement Tuesday in a step leaders hailed as a "historic moment."
The EU Association Agreement includes free-trade provisions, although they will not come into force until January 1, 2016.
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to drop the agreement last year in favor of closer ties with Moscow triggered the popular unrest that led to his ouster, Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and months of fighting in eastern Ukraine.
European lawmakers backed ratification in a vote in Strasbourg, France, while Ukraine's parliament voted at the same time in Kiev to approve the deal.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted afterward, "355 votes for. EU Association Agreement has been ratified. Glory to Ukraine!"
Addressing his parliament before the vote, he said the Ukrainian people had "reversed the express train going East" toward Russia and thanked the EU for its support.
"This is an historic moment," European Parliament President Martin Schulz told EU lawmakers.
'Special status'
Ukraine's parliament also voted Tuesday in favor of legislation that would give "special status" to rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions and grant amnesty to the separatists.
A shaky ceasefire is in place between the pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces who have been battling for control of the region.
The "special status" legislation applies only to the area of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions currently under the control of the separatists, according to the Ukrainian parliament's official website.
The granting of amnesty will apply only after the separatists have given up their weapons, handed over all those being held hostage and ended their occupation of public buildings, according to the legislation. This, in effect, means disarmament must take place before criminal cases are dropped.
The amnesty will not apply to those suspected of carrying out the July shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board the plane died.
Rebels reject disarmament
However, Andrey Purgin, the first deputy Prime Minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, told CNN that the Ukrainian government in Kiev can forget about disarmament in exchange for amnesty.
"It will never happen," he said in a phone conversation.
Purgin said the Donetsk rebel leadership considered the special status legislation as no more than a basis for future negotiations with Kiev, and felt under no obligation to accept its initiatives because it does not consider itself part of Ukraine.
"This was a decision of the Ukrainian parliament, not of our parliament," he said, adding, "This law will not stop the fighting."
Purgin also said the legislation marked a step forward in one sense because it represented a partial acceptance by Kiev of the existence of the Donetsk People's Republic, whereas previously the rebels had been simply dismissed as terrorists.
Under the new legislation, a vote for local deputies will take place on December 7, and a new "people's police force" will be created in that area.
Also among the powers being granted are the right to use the Russian language rather than Ukrainian in all areas of public life, including public institutions, courts and education. Local authorities will take part in the appointment of prosecutors and judges, rather than the decision being solely in the hands of government in Kiev.
There are many Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, which historically has had close ties to Russia.
U.S. envoy: Road map to democracy
Moscow has made clear that it is opposed to Ukraine's pivot toward the West.
But Western leaders -- who accuse Moscow of sending troops and military equipment over the border into Ukraine to help the pro-Russia rebels -- have welcomed the move.
The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, said via Twitter that the ratification of the Association Agreement would provide a road map "for building a prosperous, European democracy, grounded in rule of law/anti-corruption."
The decision to delay implementation of the free trade part of the agreement for more than a year followed talks Friday between representatives of the EU, Ukraine and Russia, the Kremlin said.
The EU and United States have imposed economic sanctions against Russian interests over Moscow's intervention in Ukraine.
Military exercises
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 European and American forces are engaged in training exercises this week in western Ukraine, far from the Russian border.
The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Sergey Naryshkin, opened a new autumn session Tuesday in which he warned that "the updated version of the Cold War is becoming a reality nowadays."
He was critical of NATO, which has voiced its clear support for Ukraine, although the country is not a member of the defense bloc.
"By supplying Kiev authorities with weapons, NATO countries would be meddling with Ukraine's internal affairs and aiding in war crimes," he said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday the deployment of "a full-scale, self-sufficient" military force in Crimea was a priority in light of current events in Ukraine, state news agency Itar-Tass reported.
NATO issued a statement Tuesday condemning elections reportedly held in Crimea on Sunday.
"We continue to condemn Russia's illegal and illegitimate 'annexation' of Crimea and its continued and deliberate destabilization of eastern Ukraine in violation of international law," NATO said.
"We stand united in our support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders."
Pro-Russian Rebels release captive Ukranian troops
CNN's Andrew Carey reported from Lviv, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported in London. CNN's Carol Jordan and Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report, as did journalist Azad Safarov.
Rihanna slams CBS for pulling song
9/16/2014 3:38:00 PM
- CBS pulled Rihanna's song from "Thursday Night Football" last week
- The singer tweeted an angry response
- The network will replace song with theme music
(CNN) -- After a dust-up last week, Rihanna says she doesn't want her performance of the song "Run This Town" to air on "Thursday Night Football" this week.
CBS is saying "fine" -- if you don't want the airtime, we won't give it.
"Beginning this Thursday, we will be moving in a different direction with some elements of our 'Thursday Night Football' open," CBS said in a statement.
"Run This Town" will be replaced by theme music -- apparently for the rest of the season, not just for this week.
The network's decision was announced Tuesday morning, a few hours after Rihanna criticized the network on Twitter.
"CBS you pulled my song last week, now you wanna slide it back in this Thursday? NO," she wrote, followed by an expletive.
"Y'all are sad for penalizing me for this," she added.
After CBS weighed in, however, the company that owns the rights to the song, Roc Nation, said the change stemmed from its revocation of the rights.
"Due to the misuse and misrepresentation of Rihanna's name and participation in connection to CBS' TNF, CBS was not allowed to license and utilize the song 'Run This Town.' Roc Nation made the decision to not grant the song's usage," the company said in a statement.
Rihanna recorded a special version of "Run This Town" for CBS' fall telecasts of "Thursday Night Football." The song was supposed to be part of the opening video for the weekly show in much the same way that a Carrie Underwood performance kicks off NBC's "Sunday Night Football."
But CBS scrapped the opening video last week in light of its news coverage of the Ray Rice scandal that has engulfed the NFL. Holding off on the video gave CBS more time for somber discussion of domestic violence and the league's treatment of it.
Rihanna, who was a victim of domestic violence during a 2009 incident with then-boyfriend and fellow music star Chris Brown, indicated in her tweets that she felt the network was punishing her.
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