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Protesters want Pakistan PM out
9/2/2014 2:08:58 AM
- Source: Prime Minister meets with military leaders about temporarily stepping down
- Protesters penetrate area housing the Prime Minister's residence in Islamabad
- Pakistan military calls reports of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif stepping down "baseless"
- At least three people have died and 450 have been hurt in protests, medical authorities say
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- With protests raging in the streets of Islamabad, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with military leaders Monday to discuss the option of resigning for three months, a government official with direct knowledge told CNN.
Discussions also included the creation of a judicial commission to investigate the elections that led to Sharif's party taking power, said the source, who didn't want to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject matter.
But the website for the Inter Services Public Relations, the military's publicity wing, said reports of the meeting and the possibility of Sharif resigning are "totally baseless."
Thousands of protesters demanding Sharif's resignation have battled police and soldiers in the street for weeks. Three people have died and 450 have been injured, Pakistani medical authorities have said.
Sharif has vowed to remain on the job in spite the violent demonstrations. The protesters accuse him of rigging last year's elections that allowed his party -- the Pakistani Muslim League Nawaz -- to take power.
On Monday, the Pakistani military was called in to protect the state-run television station from protesters. The station went off the air for a brief period but returned to broadcasting.
The soldiers were called in after protesters pushed past police and penetrated into the Red Zone, the area housing the Prime Minister's official residence and other government buildings.
The demonstrators were armed with sticks and shields and threw rocks, while riot police fought back with tear gas.
Some protesters carried chains and handcuffs to show they want Sharif taken away in handcuffs.
Clashes with police broke out again around 5 p.m. (8 a.m. ET). Police fired tear gas at the demonstrators as they approached residential areas.
On Sunday, local news crews, including cameramen from three channels, were attacked by police trying to disperse protesters.
Thousands of supporters of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan have protested. They've been joined by followers of cleric Tahir-ul-Qadri, who has accused Sharif of corruption and campaigned for more to be done for the country's poor.
Sharif is on his third stint as Prime Minister in Pakistan.
Interventions by the military ended Sharif's term as Prime Minister in 1999 when Pervez Musharraf, the head of the army at the time, overthrew him.
In a dramatic fall from grace, Sharif ended up in jail, convicted of hijacking charges for trying to stop a plane with Musharraf from landing. He then went into exile in Saudi Arabia and didn't return to Pakistan until 2007 when he teamed up with the Pakistani People's Party to force Musharraf from office.
CNN's Saima Mohsin and journalist Adeel Raja reported from Islamabad; CNN's Ralph Ellis wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Brian Walker also contributed to this report.
UK PM lays out anti-jihadi battle plan
9/2/2014 4:21:27 AM
- British PM David Cameron announces proposals to counter extremist threats
- He wants powers to ban Britons from returning once they join jihadi ranks abroad
- Cameron proposes confiscating passports from would-be fighters before they travel
- Britain hiked its threat to the second-highest level Friday, citing events in Iraq and Syria
London (CNN) -- UK Prime Minister David Cameron has laid out his battle plan to counter the threat posed by Islamist extremists returning to Britain after fighting with terror groups overseas.
But already there are questions about how effective those measures would be, whether they are legal and whether Cameron, who heads a coalition government, can push them through Parliament.
"Dealing with this terrorist threat is not just about new powers, it is also about how we combat extremism in all its forms," he said as he announced his plans Monday.
His proposals, which come after the UK government raised its terror threat level Friday from "substantial" to "severe," include a radical new measure to ban Britons from coming home once they join jihadi ranks abroad.
"What we need is a targeted, discretionary power to allow us to exclude British nationals from the UK," he said.
Cameron wants to confiscate passports from would-be fighters, before they travel, and ban other suspects from boarding planes.
"Passports are not an automatic right," he said. "We will introduce specific and targeted legislation to fill this gap by providing the police with a temporary power to seize a passport at the border, during which time they will be able to investigate the individual concerned.
"This power will include appropriate safeguards and oversight arrangements."
Work to prepare legislation to allow this will begin immediately, Cameron said.
Civil liberties issue
As well as stopping would-be jihadists, Cameron said Britain needed measures to prevent the return of foreign fighters.
UK authorities estimate that 500 Britons have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight with Islamist groups.
But opposition lawmakers question whether some of the toughest plans are legal.
"We very much want to see the detail of that because some of our MPs say to do that would breach a whole number of legal and international obligations this country has," said Diana Johnson, a Labour lawmaker and shadow Home Office minister for security and crime.
She backs tough action but insists there must be a balance.
"I can categorically say that civil liberties is a big issue in any debate we have about any new powers."
The head of Britain's counter-terrorism efforts, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, said in a statement Tuesday that in response to the raised alert level, more police would be seen on the streets and that there would be an increase in vehicle searches and other security measures.
Secret evidence
Pledges to safeguard citizens' rights ring hollow to British Muslim-convert Cerie Bullivant.
In 2006, he was detained by British security agents under anti-terror laws. He told CNN he was headed to Syria to volunteer helping orphans. The Syrian civil war hadn't started, and ISIS didn't yet exist.
"Suddenly you go on the basis of secret evidence from being an ordinary member of the public to the worst of the worst," said Bullivant. "Terrorism and terrorists are some of the most heinous and horrible of people. I didn't even know what I was accused of."
He believes he came under suspicion because he had unwittingly, he says, become friends with the brother of a jailed terrorist.
Bullivant was never arrested, never convicted of a crime, nor told what evidence security services had against him.
The British government imposed a "control order" on him, banning him from traveling or meeting friends and subjecting him to a curfew. "A couple of times a week the police would come and you can't stop them and they would search your house," he added.
Two years later, a top court exonerated him.
Bullivant: Bring suspects to trial
As part of his new anti-terror drive, Cameron proposes beefing up existing terrorism prevention and investigation measures, or TPIMs, which allow restrictions on terror suspects, including overnight residence at a specified address, GPS tagging, reporting requirements, and restrictions on travel, movement, association, communication, finances, work and study.
Cameron said he would introduce legislation giving British authorities new powers that would strengthen their ability to track suspected supporters of ISIS, by providing "enhanced use of exclusion zones" or "relocation powers."
But Bullivant opposes that approach.
"If somebody is a danger to the British public, then they need to be in a British prison," he said. "The only way to do that is to bring charges and a trial in an open and fair court. If they're not a dangerous person, then you're oppressing them for no reason."
Far from defending against radical Islam, Bullivant fears tougher government powers risk turning Britain into a police state.
Analyst: UK threat is greater
Officials in the United States say there are no plans to issue a terror alert there, despite the activities of ISIS, also known as the "Islamic State" or ISIL, in Iraq and Syria.
"The most detailed intelligence assessment that I can offer from here is that there is no evidence or indication right now that ISIL is actively plotting to attack the United States homeland," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson also pointed out there is no specific threat against the United States.
That said, Johnson noted that ISIS has proved to be a threat to Americans overseas -- notably the execution of American journalist James Foley and the threats of more killings to follow.
Paul Cruickshank, a CNN terrorism analyst, said, "The threat is much greater in the UK, and that's why you are seeing a raft of new measures in the UK to try and tackle this problem. They are very, very worried that ISIS may try and retaliate in some form or way."
UK PM: Police need power to seize passports of would-be jihad suspects
Opportunity for al Qaeda?
While the world's attention is focused on ISIS, a suspected U.S. drone strike against senior leaders of Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia on Monday has highlighted continuing concern about extremists elsewhere.
Will Geddes, a security analyst and managing director of International Corporate Protection, told CNN that the merging and consolidation of different Islamist militant groups around the world were of big concern.
"You will have various groups working together, sharing resources, sharing capability, and in this particular region, it's important to try to dismantle it where possible," he said. Somalia's porous borders mean it presents a particular risk, he added.
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said it would be "a mistake to take our eye off the ball when it comes it al Qaeda" and warned that the rise of ISIS could aid the terror network.
Before his death, Osama bin Laden wanted to rebrand al Qaeda, Gartenstein-Ross said.
"He believed that its brand had been very much diminished by the excesses of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who had led al Qaeda in Iraq, which became ISIS later on," he said.
"With ISIS's rise, it gives al Qaeda a prime opportunity to rebrand itself as being a more rational, more moderate voice of jihadism, and as a result I think there's a lot of risks of more money channeling into the al Qaeda network."
Some will come from quite moderate countries in the region who are looking at whether or not al Qaeda and some of its offshoots, such as al-Nusra Front in Syria, could be viewed as a counterweight to ISIS, Gartenstein-Ross said.
"It will be seen, I think, as a real problem for us in the longer term," he added.
READ: Does Britain have a jihadi problem?
READ: Foreign jihadists tell CNN: Foley beheading was justified
CNN's Carol Jordan contributed to this report.
Israel under fire for 'land grab'
9/2/2014 1:34:56 AM
- PLO says "land grab" destroys prospect for peace
- Britain has urged Israel to reverse moves to claim land in the Palestinian West Bank
- Israel announced Sunday almost 1,000 acres would become "state land"
- Officials told CNN the decision was linked to the abduction and murder of 3 Israeli teens
(CNN) -- Israel came under fire Monday for claiming close to 1,000 acres of land in the Palestinian West Bank.
Israel announced Sunday that the land in and around the Wadi Fukin valley, would become "state land," clearing the way for the development of a new Israeli settlement. The affected land lies near Bethlehem and close to Bitar Ilit -- one of the biggest Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Farmers in the area have 45 days to appeal Israel's decision to claim the land.
"The seizure of such a large swathe of land risks paving the way for further settlement activity, which -- as the United Nations has reiterated on many occasions -- is illegal under international law and runs totally counter to the pursuit of a two-state solution," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement Monday.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond issued a similar statement, criticizing the move.
"This is a particularly ill-judged decision that comes at a time when the priority must be to build on the cease-fire in Gaza. It will do serious damage to Israel's standing in the international community," he said. "Our position on settlements is clear: they are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two state solution at a time when negotiations to achieve this objective urgently need to be resumed."
Hammond said efforts should be focused on securing a durable cease-fire in Gaza and lasting peace. "We strongly urge the government of Israel to reverse this decision," he said.
Teens' abduction
Israeli officials told CNN the expropriation was linked to the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers who disappeared from the West Bank settlement of Gush Etzion in June. Tensions between Israel and Hamas ratcheted up after the teens' bodies were found June 30.
Both sides last week agreed to an open-ended cease-fire following more than seven weeks of heavy fighting.
Hamas has said the teens were abducted by Hamas militants who did not inform the group's leadership about their operation.
The Israeli Civil Administration, which rules over Palestinians in Israeli-controlled areas of the West Bank, has posted "no trespassing" signs in the valley.
Farmer Mahmoud Mifrah, 66, told CNN he had grown vegetables and olives in Wadi Fukin for 42 years and did not see why he should suffer the consequences of others' crimes.
"We are the neighbors of the Israeli people," Mifrah said. "We share water and air and everything. We have to find a way to live together."
The Palestine Liberation Organization said the expropriation was the "the largest Israeli land grab in the Occupied State of Palestine in three decades."
"This move is further proof of Israel's relentless policy of destroying the prospects for a negotiated peace and an independent Palestinian state, living side by side the State of Israel in peace and security," the PLO said in a statement.
The Israeli group Peace Now expressed bafflement at the move.
"It's a crazy idea. In my view it's collective punishment not only to Palestinians but also to Israelis that it's actually killing our chances to get to peace some day, and a two state solution," spokeswoman Hagit Ofran said.
READ: What you need to know about the truce
READ: Israelis jailed for refusing to serve
Knife attack was dad's revenge
9/1/2014 10:31:13 PM
- A man stabs 8 children and a teacher at a primary school in Hubei province
- Three of the children die, the other victims are hospitalized
- The attacker then commits suicide by jumping off a building
- NEW: Initial investigation suggests man's daughter was not allowed to attend class
Hong Kong (CNN) -- The new school year in China began Monday with a horrifying attack.
A man stabbed to death three children at a primary school in central China and then committed suicide by jumping off a building, state media reported.
The attacker, identified by his surname Chen, broke into Dongfang Primary School in Hubei province around 10:20 a.m., Xinhua news agency said, citing the local government.
Wielding a knife, the man stabbed eight students and a teacher before he took his own life, the report said.
Three of the students died, and the six other victims have been hospitalized, Xinhua reported. Two of the students are seriously hurt, it said.
An initial investigation suggested that the attacker bore a grudge that his daughter was not allowed to attend the school after failing to complete a summer homework assignment, according to Xinhua.
Monday was the first day back at school after the summer vacation for most students in China.
The report said police are investigating the case.
The attack happened in Yunxi county, in the administrative region of Shiyan city.
A member of staff at the local education authority who answered a call from CNN said the only information available was in Xinhua's report. Police in Shiyan didn't answer repeated phone calls.
Xinhua said it wasn't immediately clear how the man got into the school campus.
China suffered a spate of knife and cleaver attacks targeting school children in 2010.
A number of measures were introduced at the time, including increased security at schools across the country and a regulation requiring people to register with their national ID cards when buying large knives.
CNN's Serena Dong contributed to this report.
Life sentence for buying marijuana?
9/2/2014 7:30:19 AM
- A Missouri man received a life sentence for possessing marijuana
- Vanita Gupta: The country has spent decades ratcheting up penalty for drug infractions
- She says states must change sentencing laws so punishment fits the crime
Editor's note: CNN's David Mattingly reports on the case of a Missouri man sentenced to life in prison for purchasing marijuana Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Erin Burnett Out Front. Vanita Gupta is a deputy legal director at the American Civil Liberties Union and director of the organization's Center for Justice. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Vanita Gupta.
(CNN) -- Clearly something is broken when a Missouri man named Jeff Mizanskey can be sentenced to die in prison for purchasing seven pounds of marijuana. With two nonviolent marijuana convictions already on his record, Jeff received life without parole under Missouri's three strikes law.
The punishment of growing old and dying behind bars for offenses like Mizanskey's is extreme, tragic, and inhumane. This should outrage us, but it should not surprise us.
This country has spent 40 years relentlessly ratcheting up the number of people going to prison and dramatically expanding the time we hold them there. We've spent decades criminalizing people with drug dependency, passing extreme sentencing laws, and waging a war on drugs that has not diminished drug use. Small wonder, then, that even less serious crimes like Mizanskey's marijuana purchase result in costly and cruel sentences.
And Mizanskey is hardly the only one.
Just as he fell into the abyss of our nation's failed drug policies and excessive sentencing laws, millions more have sat in jails and prisons, often for years, even decades on end, for low-level drug and property offenses.
While many of the lawmakers who passed harsh sentencing laws thought they were doing the right thing, the results are now in: This approach has devastated families and communities, generated high recidivism rates, drained state budgets from more productive investments, and has reinforced generations of poverty and disadvantage that disproportionately fall on communities of color.
There were ways to hold Mizanskey and others like him accountable for their actions short of sentencing them to die in prison.
We can and must do better.
It's time for states to end the costly criminalization of marijuana and recalibrate sentencing laws so that the punishment actually fits the crime as opposed to a politician's reelection agenda. Public attitudes toward marijuana are rapidly evolving, and a Gallup poll last year found for the first time that a majority of Americans now favor legalization as a better course than criminalization.
Unfortunately, laws and police practices that enforce them are out of step with public opinion. Nationally, nearly half of all drug arrests are for marijuana offenses. At least one person is arrested for marijuana possession every hour in Mizanskey's home state of Missouri, which also wasted nearly $50 million on marijuana enforcement in 2010. Although black people and white people use marijuana at about the same rate, a black person in Missouri was 2.6 times more likely to be arrested for having marijuana than a white person.
The solution is clear. Instead of taxpayers spending millions of dollars on this unnecessary enforcement and keeping folks like Mizanskey in prison for the rest of their lives, states could follow Colorado and Washington by taxing and regulating marijuana and investing saved enforcement dollars in education, substance abuse treatment, and prevention and other health care.
But even if states are not ready to expand their tax base in this manner, state lawmakers need to take a good, hard look at their sentencing laws and eliminate penalties that far outweigh the crimes they seek to punish. It is tempting to think that Mizanskey's case is an anomaly, but that is not the case.
According to a report released by the American Civil Liberties Union last year, there are currently 3,278 people serving life sentences without parole for nonviolent crimes, including marijuana offenses. Many of them, like Mizanskey, are there because of three-strikes laws and mandatory sentencing regimes. These policies force judges to impose excessively cruel sentences and forbid corrections officials from granting early release or parole, even despite exemplary records in prison.
The good news is that there is a growing bipartisan consensus all over the country that our criminal justice system has gone too far and that we can and must safely downsize our prison population. Missouri recently reformed the three strikes law that sentenced Jeff to prison for life. If he were sentenced today, he could have received a significantly shorter sentence and be eligible for parole.
As states like Missouri make these kinds of reforms, we must not forget the people who languish behind bars because of old sentencing laws now thought to be excessive. Smart reforms that correct past injustice should be made retroactive, and governors must use their clemency powers more frequently. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon should grant clemency to Jeff Mizanskey. Public safety is not served by having him die in prison.
We're not stuck with the criminal justice system that sentenced Jeff -- a system that too often is unproductive, wasteful, and unfair. Bad policies are made, and bad policies can and should be changed.
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The ugly return of anti-Semitism
9/2/2014 7:30:56 AM
- Tim Stanley: Anti-Semitism surfaced in the wake of the controversy over Gaza war
- He says some conflate Israel and its policies with Jews in general
- It's vital to ensure that historic prejudice doesn't get revived, he says
- Stanley: Anti-Semitism has long been connected to far right, but some on left tolerate it
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 Sunday, there was a rally in London to protest something I never thought would need protesting in modern Britain: the rise of anti-Semitism.
The rally was in reaction to a series of strange, unsettling incidents that took place during the recent demonstrations against Israeli military actions in Gaza. In one case, the manager of a supermarket in London decided to take all the kosher food off the shelves. He apparently feared that demonstrators outside might trash the shop; one member of the staff reportedly said, "We support free Gaza." The supermarket chain called it "an isolated decision ... in a very challenging situation."
Isolated it may have been, but it is part of a bigger picture. There have always been people in the West who disagree with aspects of Israeli foreign policy and there has always been a peace movement ready to protest Israel's actions. But what has made the 2014 protests different is the growing conflation of Israel in particular with Jews in general.
Not all kosher food comes from Israel, not all Jews who eat it agree with the assault on Gaza. Yet such an important distinction between state and racial identity has begun to erode. The result: a return of low-level anti-Semitism to public life.
Of course, some of it has never gone away. Just two years after the end of the Second World War, there were anti-Semitic riots across Britain. Europe has an insidious history of Holocaust denial, and even a multicultural haven like New York has seen racial tensions flare.
But in 2014, anti-Semitism went global all at once. In July, an anti-Israeli demonstration in Paris broke into racist rioting: Jewish-owned shops and synagogues were targeted. In Berlin, they were chanting: "Jew, Jew, cowardly pig, come out and fight alone."
In New York, just last week, a Jewish couple were roughed up by thugs waving Palestinian flags, according to the New York Post. In my native Britain, anti-Semitic attacks have risen and we've seen the return of old prejudices on anti-war marches.
It's important to stress that these are -- like the kosher food disappearance -- "isolated" incidents that do not indict everyone in the peace movement. But they are making Jewish communities which once felt safe suddenly feel threatened. Emigration to Israel by French Jews jumped 70% in 2013 and will likely be even higher this year.
At the beginning of the Gaza operation, Times columnist Hugo Rifkind wrote in The Spectator that he was uncomfortable with Israel's policies. One month later, after the protests, he wrote in The Times that he felt "uncomfortable to be a Jew." There is a creeping sense of sickness in all of this. Like a virus that starts with an itch in the back of your throat -- that you suspect could be something dormant about to break through.
Part of the reason is genuine, understandable anger at what has happened in Gaza. But while that might explain fury at the Israeli state, it does not explain attacks on Jews overseas. After all, a state does not speak for all its citizens, let alone its ethnic diaspora.
In Die Welt newspaper, one Jewish German wrote, "Jewish students get anti-Zionist hate mail when Israel responds to rocket attacks by Hamas. The loudest part of supporters of Palestine has lost all sense and gives all the guilt to anyone who wears a skullcap or a Star of David." He added: "For Jews, the danger comes not long only from the right."
That is a big part of the problem. Anti-Semitism has historically been associated with the far right, parties of which have capitalized upon the Credit Crunch and done well in recent European elections. The recession has drawn some back into narrow-minded nationalism, and even the blood and soil politics of the 1930s.
The most striking examples of this are the virulently racist Jobbik movement in Hungary or the more subtly racist Front National in France. But anti-Semitism has also been allowed, even invited, to enter the left, too.
The peace movement has been reinvigorated by Muslim immigration to Europe, and aspects of the left have made alliances with people who make spurious claims to be Muslim community leaders.
In reality, those leaders do not speak for the vast, vast majority of Muslims who understand the distinction between Israeli policy and Jews. But the influence of this particular brand of Islamic extremism is being felt on the marches -- as the Parisian riots attest.
At the same time, left-wing critics of Western foreign policy have often flirted with the notion that there is an unholy alliance of America and Israel making all the decisions. Or even that Israel is in fact directing what the United States does through a conspiracy of lobbyists, capital and media. I encountered this firsthand when I did a TV debate with a leader of the Stop the War Coalition in London last week. I was told that the West was only supporting the Kurds against ISIS in northern Iraq because of American and Israeli oil interests. I laughed. I could think of no more fitting response.
That experience caps several years of noticing a quiet perversion of peace movement politics taking place. On a personal note, I am anti-interventionist (borderline pacifist) and happily marched with the Stop the War Coalition against the Iraq War in 2003. But when working as a lecturer a few years later, I quit my labor union when it signed on to a boycott of Israeli academics. And I've witnessed a strange slide within the anti-war movement toward a variety of politics that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
Obviously, I'm concerned about a rise of a socially acceptable anti-Semitism that threatens the well-being of those Jewish friends that I know and love. But I also despair that the European peace movement has allowed this situation to develop without stopping even to think about it.
The tolerance that some on the left are showing toward anti-Semitism threatens to delegitimize fair and reasonable criticism of Israeli policy. They have allowed a potentially noble cause to be infiltrated by people without a shred of nobility. They need to put their house in order before it collapses down on all of us.
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FBI, Apple to probe nude photo hack
9/2/2014 1:59:26 PM
- NEW: Some celebs "have engaged with the FBI" about the hacking, a U.S. official says
- Apple says company is "actively investigating this report"
- Online posts show nude photographs of actress Jennifer Lawrence
- Other celebrities also report they were hacked, some say photos were doctored
(CNN) -- A hacker's leak of nude photos of Jennifer Lawrence and other female celebrities is now a case for the FBI.
Nude photographs of Lawrence, who won an Academy Award last year for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook," were splashed on various sites Sunday. They appeared on 4chan, Reddit, Twitter and Tumblr, among others.
Kate Upton's lawyer confirmed photos of the model-actress were among those leaked, calling it "an outrageous violation" of her privacy. "We intend to pursue anyone disseminating or duplicating these illegally obtained images to the fullest extent possible," attorney Lawrence Shire said.
Lawrence's publicist said "authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."
Some of the alleged victims in the celebrity hacking case "have engaged with the FBI," a U.S. official told CNN's Pamela Brown Monday.
The Los Angeles office of the FBI successfully investigated another hacker who stole nude photos, scripts and personal information from the e-mail accounts of entertainers including Scarlett Johansson, Mila Kunis and Christina Aguilera in 2011.
"The FBI is aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals, and is addressing the matter," FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said Monday. "Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time."
Who's at fault over nude photo hack
The previous case, which resulted in a Florida man being sentenced to 10 years in prison, involved hacking through the "forgot my password" function on celebrity e-mail accounts. Cyber-security experts are now pointing the finger at a flaw in Apple's "Find My Phone" app that opened access to celebrities' data stored in iCloud.
Apple confirmed to CNN Monday that it is looking into reports that its popular iCloud online data backup service may have been compromised by the hackers.
"We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said.
Thank you iCloud🍕💩
— Kirsten Dunst (@kirstendunst) September 1, 2014 Actress Kirsten Dunst, one of the hacker's targets, tweeted "Thank you iCloud." She added emoticons that graphically expressed her dissatisfaction with the service.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton posted what he said were naked photos of Lawrence and actress Victoria Justice, but he later took them down.
"Upon further reflection and just sitting with my actions, I don't feel comfortable even keeping the censored photos up. I am removing them," Hilton tweeted. "At work we often have to make quick decisions. I made a really bad one today."
The leaked photos sparked an online backlash, with some of the targeted celebrities decrying them as fake while others confirmed they're real.
"To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves," actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead wrote.
"Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this. Feeling for everyone who got hacked."
Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this. Feeling for everyone who got hacked.
— Mary E. Winstead (@M_E_Winstead) August 31, 2014 Some celebrities said the photos were doctored.
Photos claiming to show Ariana Grande are "completely fake," someone close to the singer said. Justice said pictures purporting to be of her are not real, either.
These so called nudes of me are FAKE people. Let me nip this in the bud right now. *pun intended*
— Victoria Justice (@VictoriaJustice) August 31, 2014 Hacking of celebrity accounts has become more popular in recent years.
Two years ago, a judge sentenced Christopher Chaney of Florida to 10 years in federal prison for hacking the e-mail accounts of 50 entertainment industry figures.
The first real case of a celebrity hacking was in 2005. Hackers logged into Paris Hilton's phone and stole photos of the reality star, said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at computer security company F-Secure, in 2011.
At the time, the hackers broke into Hilton's phone by guessing the not-so-secret answer to her security question, which was "tinkerbell" -- the name of her pet Chihuahua.
How celebrities' nude photos get leaked
CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Faith Karimi, Bill Mears, Dan Simon, Rachel Wells, Dave Alsup and John D. Sutter contributed to this report.
Will protests unseat Pakistan PM?
9/3/2014 1:47:31 AM
- Standoff between government and opposition creates uncertainty, damages economy
- Pakistan's powerful army often intervenes but has so far remained neutral
- However, a coup cannot be completely ruled out
- PM Nawaz Sharif might come out of crisis weakened with the military controlling foreign and security policies
Editor's note: Raza Rumi is a policy analyst, columnist and consulting editor at The Friday Times, Pakistan. He is also the author of "Delhi By Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler," (Harper Collins). The views contained in this opinion piece are solely his.
(CNN) -- Pakistan's perilous democratic transition has been rocked by the ongoing anti-government protests.
The standoff between the government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and opposition parties continues to accelerate the political uncertainty and damage the fragile economy.
Sharif was elected 14 months ago in an election that witnessed unprecedented voter turnout.
While most opposition parties accepted the results, Imran Khan -- the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek I Insaf (PTI) party -- claimed there was widespread rigging. There's not much evidence, however, beyond the usual irregularities of Pakistan's outmoded electoral system, to back this up.
But a successful campaign, aided by sections of Pakistani media, to de-legitimize last year's vote has convinced a large number of people that somehow Khan's mandate was "stolen" in 2013.
Another opposition group, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), led by a Pakistani Canadian cleric, Tahir ul Qadri wants a systemic change and has a list of undeliverable promises to the electorate. His immediate grievance is the brutal police action against his supporters that left 14 dead in June of this year.
Both the groups have mobilized their supporters since early August and have been camping in Islamabad's red zone -- a high security area where many state buildings and diplomatic missions are located.
In the last few days the sit-in turned violent as the protestors attempted to enter the parliament and prime minister's residence, leaving hundreds injured and at least three dead.
READ: Military denies PM resignation reports
On Monday morning, mobs entered the state television premises and managed to suspend the transmission for some time until the military intervened and restored order. This was a most embarrassing situation for Sharif's government as the civilian law enforcement apparatus appeared helpless.
Role of the military
In such situations, it is Pakistan's powerful army which usually intervenes; it has taken over the reins of government four times during country's 67-year history.
Relations between Pakistan's prime minister and the military have been far from smooth for months. The civilian government and the courts have proceeded to try Pervez Musharraf, the former army chief and president for treason.
In May, the government was seen as sympathetic to the country's largest television channel that, rather unprofessionally, named the intelligence chief as responsible for an attack on its leading journalist Hamid Mir, who was shot in Karachi but survived the alleged assassination attempt.
Under pressure, the government later backtracked and penalized the channel but mistrust grew.
On key foreign policy issues, such as India and Afghanistan, the government and the military are not on the same page either. Sharif is an ardent advocate of making peace with India, while the military's strategic worldview has historically been determined by the threat from India.
Sharif has been regularly meeting the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, and also consolidating his position by mobilizing other political parties in parliament.
However, the media, on balance, has critical, in some measure propelled by the high-handed tactics of the government as it quelled protests including beating up journalists in recent days.
Earlier, the protestors have been attacking journalists at will expressing their anger towards media houses viewed as "partisan." There has been chaos all over and even the Pakistani Taliban mockingly stated that they too could paralyze the country's capital.
In the current stalemate the military has maintained an ostensibly neutral position.
Pakistan's Dawn.com news service described this as a "carefully constructed veneer" and suggested the military may not be fully siding with the government, which the constitution says it must do.
The army has issued three statements in the past week wherein it has emphasized dialogue and negotiation with Khan and Qadri, as well as avoiding the use of force.
Game changer?
On Monday, the former head of Khan's party, Javed Hashmi, claimed the recent turmoil was planned by the protesting parties with the backing of sections within the army and possibly judges from the country's top court.
But in a carefully worded statement, the army reiterated its position as "an apolitical institution" and reminded all of "its unequivocal support for democracy at numerous occasions."
However, this has been a game changer of sorts as it allows the civilian government to reassert its political power.
The recent breach of security at parliament and other state installations in Islamabad did not result in any attempt by the military to repel protestors.
Yet the military is concerned about its image. It has regained its popularity by conducting operations against militants along its border with Afghanistan, and also by regaining its space in a powerful broadcast media that had played a pivotal role in ousting Musharraf in 2007-8.
But Sharif is fighting back and has convened a special session of the parliament on Tuesday, which is likely to reiterate support for him. A parliamentary committee will restart negotiations with the protestors.
A coup may not be imminent. Until recently, it was widely speculated that Sharif may be forced to resign, given the turn of events. But Sharif might come out of this crisis as a weakened prime minister with the military controlling foreign and security policies.
Having said that Pakistan's political history is fraught with unexpected events; and continued standoff may lead to a further meltdown where the army shall act as the sole arbiter of political events.
Meanwhile, the majority of Pakistanis crave stability.
UK says bid to rescue Briton threatened by ISIS failed
9/3/2014 5:36:09 AM
- NEW: The hostage is shown after journalist Steven Sotloff is apparently slain in a video
- The Islamic militant group released the video Tuesday
- It shows the second beheading of an American journalist in two weeks
- James Foley was beheaded in the "exact same choreography" as Sotloff
(CNN) -- A rescue attempt "some time ago" failed to free a British hostage threatened in the latest video by the ISIS terror group, the UK said Wednesday.
In the video released Tuesday, the hostage is shown after a beheading, apparently of American journalist Steven Sotloff.
Sotloff is apparently the second American journalist beheaded by the group after James Foley's killing last month. The executioner in the latest killing said it was a result of President Barack Obama's decision to conduct airstrikes against the militant group in Iraq.
U.S. officials said an analysis of the video confirmed its authenticity.
"We will continue to provide updates as they are available," said Caitlin Hayden, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond provided scant details of the failed rescue attempt or any plans in the works.
"You wouldn't expect me to discuss various options that we will be considering," he said. "But I can assure you that we will look at every possible option to protect this person."
Obama said the United States "will not be intimidated" by the murderers of the two journalists.
"Those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget ... that our reach is long and that justice will be served," he said.
Obama addressed his much-criticized statement last week that he has no strategy on ISIS. He said he was referring to a military strategy in Syria that "might" require congressional approval.
"Our objective is clear. That is to degrade and destroy (ISIS) so it's no longer a threat," he said. "We can accomplish that. It's going to take some time, it's going to take some effort."
ISIS, or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, refers to itself as the "Islamic State."
Obama said the world needs a regional strategy to defeat the group.
"We've been putting together a strategy that was designed to do a number of things. ... What we have to make sure is we have a regional strategy in place," he said.
The video
In the latest video, Sotloff kneels in the desert, dressed in an orange prison-style jumpsuit. A masked "executioner" lords over him, wielding a knife.
The journalist speaks; the executioner speaks.
And then the horrific happens: The victim is beheaded. At the end, the video threatens the life of the British hostage, just as the Foley video threatened Sotloff's life.
"It is almost the exact same choreography," said Peter Neumann, a professor at King's College London, comparing the ISIS videos showing the deaths of journalists Sotloff and Foley. A video of Foley's execution was released last month.
The executioner appears to be the same person, and the location of the two killings also appears to be similar. Neumann suspects they took place in or around the Syrian city of Raqqa, one of the safest areas for ISIS.
'I'm back, Obama'
Sotloff's apparent executioner speaks in what sounds like the same British accent as the man who purportedly killed Foley.
He's dressed identically in both videos, head to toe in black, with a face mask and combat boots. He appears to be of similar build and height. He waves a knife in his left hand, as did the militant in the video of Foley's death.
And then, there are his actual words.
"I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State," the executioner says in the second video. "Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people."
The SITE Intelligence group says there's no question the same masked fighter appears in both videos.
After Foley's death, the British ambassador to the United States said that experts in his country were close to identifying the killer. He has not yet been named.
READ: How will Obama respond to ISIS?
READ: Remembering Steven Sotloff
MAPS: Where do jihadis come from?
CNN's Jim Acosta, Steve Almasy and Nick Paton Walsh contributed to this report.
ISIS 'second message to Obama'
9/3/2014 4:46:52 AM
- NEW: "Stay tuned" for plans to combat ISIS, a State Department official says
- A video has emerged showing the 31-year-old journalist being beheaded
- Footage threatens the life of another man
- ISIS beheaded journalist James Foley; in that video, the terrorist group threatened to kill Sotloff
(CNN) -- A video that shows the beheading of American Steven Sotloff was delivered as a "second message to America" to halt airstrikes in Iraq, following through on a threat to kill the journalist.
In the video posted Tuesday online, Sotloff says -- in a message surely scripted by his captors -- that he is "paying the price" for U.S. military intervention.
The intelligence community in the United States is working to confirm the authenticity of the video, and the journalist's family was waiting for that formal authentication that Sotloff has been killed.
"The family knows of the video and is grieving privately," family spokesman Barak Barfi said.
Who is ISIS?
The killing of Sotloff follows a threat last month by ISIS made during the videotaped beheading of American journalist James Foley. The latest video threatens the life of another man.
A masked ISIS figure in the new video speaks to U.S. President Barack Obama, telling him, "Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people."
The Islamic State has thrived and mutated during the civil war in Syria. It swept into Iraq in June, seizing large swaths of the country's Sunni-dominated northern and western provinces.
Obama ordered targeted airstrikes in Iraq to begin in early August after ISIS fighters began targeting ethnic Yazidis and launching attacks toward the Kurdish regional capital of Irbil.
ISIS appeared to date the execution video of Sotloff, referencing specific U.S. military actions in recent days, including U.S. airstrikes that helped over the weekend to break the siege of Amerli -- a northern Iraqi town home to thousands of minority Shiite Turkmen.
Intelligence officials are analyzing the video, trying to answer some key questions, a senior U.S. administration official said.
Among the questions, the official said: When was it shot? Where was it shot? Is the killer in the Sotloff video the same one in the Foley video?
Until they answer those questions, the official said the administration does not want to speculate.
It's believed ISIS is still holding a "small number" of Americans hostage, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Beheading of American journalist James Foley recalls past horrors
ISIS: 'Back off and leave our people alone'
In the new video, the militant threatens the life of the man, who is shown kneeling with the militant standing behind him.
"We take this opportunity to warn those governments who've entered this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone," the militant says.
CNN could not immediately confirm when he was taken captive.
But the Washington Post reported he was an aid worker abducted in March 2013. The newspaper, citing unnamed aid workers involved in efforts to gain his release, said he was abducted near a refugee camp in the northern Syrian province of Idlib.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters he was aware of reports about the video and called Sotloff's killing "an absolutely disgusting and despicable act."
Who was Sotloff?
Sotloff disappeared while reporting from Syria in August 2013, but his family kept the news secret, fearing harm to him if they went public. Out of public view, the family and government agencies had been trying to gain his release for the past year.
Last week, Sotloff's mother, Shirley Sotloff, released a video pleading with ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi not to kill her son.
"Steven is a journalist who traveled to the Middle East to cover the suffering of Muslims at the hands of tyrants. Steven is a loyal and generous son, brother and grandson," she said. "He is an honorable man and has always tried to help the weak."
Her plea was met with taunting responses on social media by ISIS supporters.
Sotloff, 31, grew up in South Florida with his mother, father and younger sister. He majored in journalism at the University of Central Florida. His personal Facebook page lists musicians including the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Miles Davis and movies including "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Big Lebowski" as favorites. On his Twitter page, he playfully identifies himself as a "stand-up philosopher from Miami."
He graduated from another college, began taking Arabic classes and subsequently picked up freelance writing work for a number of publications, including Time, Foreign Policy, World Affairs and The Christian Science Monitor. His travels took him to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey -- among other countries -- and eventually Syria.
Read: Friends of ISIS captive Sotloff speak out admiringly of his talent
Editor Nancy Gibbs said the magazine's staff is "shocked and deeply saddened" by the reports of his death.
"He gave his life so readers would have access to information from some of the most dangerous places in the world," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
Sotloff brings the number of journalists killed in Syria to at least 70, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
More than 80 have been kidnapped in Syria since the civil war began, with many going unpublicized, the group said.
"We condemn in the strongest terms possible the murder of journalist Steven Sotloff. He, like James Foley, went to Syria to tell a story. They were civilians, not representatives of any government. Their murders are war crimes and those who committed them must be brought to justice swiftly," CPJ said.
Obama on ISIS -- No strategy yet
Response from the White House
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration "has obviously been watching very carefully since this threat against Mr. Sotloff's life was originally made a few weeks ago."
A top U.S. State Department official told CNN's Christiane Amanpour to "stay tuned" on U.S. plans to combat the organization.
"We are putting the features in place, developing a broad regional coalition, a broad international coalition, working to get a new Iraqi government stood up, working to get our plans in place. So stay tuned," said Brett McGurk, the deputy U.S. assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iraq.
Obama, who was briefed on the videotaped execution of Sotloff, came under fire from Republicans and Democrats who called on the President to take stronger against ISIS, also known as ISIL.
The criticism came a week after Obama said, "We don't have a strategy yet" to deal with ISIS in Syria. Obama said he has asked America's top defense officials to prepare "a range of options."
"Mr. President, if you can't come up with a strategy, at least tell us what the goal is regarding ISIL," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, said ISIS must be stopped.
"We must use every tool at our disposal, short of introducing ground forces in combat roles, to put an end to the threat they pose to our national security," she said.
Opinion: Foley is a reminder why freelance reporting is so dangerous
CNN's Elise Labott, Susan Garraty, Jim Acosta, Josh Levs, Brian Stelter, Samira Said and Tim Lister contributed to this report.
How did Somali terror threat grow?
9/2/2014 2:07:24 PM
- Al-Shabaab is an al-Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia
- It was once allied with sharia courts, which tried to impose order on the lawless country
- The U.S. government designated it as a foreign terrorist organization in 2008
- Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack at a Kenyan mall in September last year
(CNN) -- U.S. military forces conducted an operation Monday in Somalia against the Al-Shabaab network, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
Here is a Q&A that looks at the al Qaeda-linked militant group:
What is Al-Shabaab and what are its aims?
Al-Shabaab is a Somali group that was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008. It is seeking to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
The group is believed to be responsible for attacks in Somalia that have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers.
It has struck abroad, too. It was responsible for the July 2010 suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, that killed more than 70 people, including a U.S. citizen, as they gathered to watch a World Cup final soccer match.
How big is it?
The total size of the group is not clear.
A U.S. official who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information said in 2011 that Al-Shabaab was estimated to control up to 1,000 fighters in the country.
A U.N. report identifies one insurgent leader who is "believed to command an estimated force of between 200 and 500 fighters," most of them Kenyans.
And it has links to other groups. In February 2012, the group's leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, and al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video announcing the alliance of the two organizations.
Though Al-Shabaab's size may be in doubt, its potential for sowing terror is not.
"I would say that the greatest risks right now in East Africa are Al-Shabaab and the violent extremists that they represent," said Gen. Carter Ham in 2011, when he was commander of the U.S. Africa Command.
Al-Shabaab's origins
Decades of weak government amid grinding poverty have long made Somalia a target for radical Islamist groups.
Al-Shabaab's predecessor was al-Ittihad al-Islami (AIAI), which worked to create an Islamist emirate in Somalia. It was, in part, funded by former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
AIAI, which the U.S. State Department designated as a terrorist organization, strengthened after the fall in 1991 of Siad Barre's military regime and amid the years of lawlessness that ensued.
In 2003, a rift erupted between IAIA's old guard -- who were seeking to establish a new political front -- and its younger members (Al-Shabaab, which means "the youth"), who were seeking to establish fundamental Islamic rule.
That led the latter to ally with a group of sharia courts -- the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) -- that was seeking to impose order over a landscape marked by feuding warlords in the capital city.
Working together, the ICU and Al-Shabaab succeeded in 2006 in gaining control of Mogadishu. That sparked fears in neighboring Ethiopia that violence would spill over there, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Those fears -- combined with a request from Somalia's transitional government -- led Ethiopian forces to enter Somalia in December 2006 and to remove the ICU from power.
That move proved to be a turning point, one that radicalized Al-Shabaab, which attacked Ethiopian forces and gained control of parts of central and southern Somalia, according to a 2011 case study by Rob Wise, who was then with the Counterterrorism Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
What is Al-Shabaab's relationship with Kenya?
In 2011, the Kenyan government ordered a cross-border incursion intended to create a security buffer zone in southern Somalia after attacks on tourist destinations in northern Kenya that it blamed on Al-Shabaab. More recently, Ethiopian troops crossed the border and expelled Al-Shabaab from Baidoa, a strategic town midway between the Ethiopian border and Mogadishu.
The group then targeted African Union soldiers and government buildings in the capital in suicide attacks. A suicide bombing in March 2012 killed five people at the Presidential Palace.
Analysts say tension appears to have been growing within Al-Shabaab between Somalis and foreign fighters, several hundred of whom are thought to have entered Somalia in recent years to join the group.
There may also have been disagreement within the group about the announcement in February 2012 of an alliance between Al-Shabaab and al Qaeda and about the group's ban on foreign aid organizations working in Somalia to save millions threatened by famine.
How and from where does it recruit?
The organization has a sophisticated public relations arm that includes a Twitter account and video production abilities.
A 2009 Al-Shabaab video is as slickly produced as a reality TV show, complete with a hip-hop jihad voice and a startling message.
"Mortar by mortar, shell by shell, only going to stop when I send them to hell," an unidentified voice raps on the video in American English.
The video shows a man reported to have been Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, a U.S. citizen from Alabama. "Away from your family, away from our friends, away from ice, candy bars, all those things is because we're waiting to meet the enemy," he says.
But enemies -- and alliances -- can shift.
Al-Amriki, whose real name is Omar Hammami, said last year in a video posted online that he had had a fallout with Al-Shabaab "regarding matters of the sharia and matters of strategy" and feared for his life. He was reported to have been killed in Somalia by Al-Shabaab. CNN is not able to confirm the report.
Finding replacements may not be hard.
Sheikh Ahmed Matan, a member of Britain's Somali community, said he knows of hundreds of young Somali men living in the West who returned to Somalia for terrorist training.
How is it funded?
The once-ragtag Somalia-based al Qaeda affiliate has grown into an economic powerhouse, raising tens of millions of dollars in cash from schemes that have involved extortion, illegal taxation and other "fees," according to the 2011 United Nations report.
The United States believed then that the group was coordinating with al Qaeda groups in Yemen and might have been plotting attacks in the region and abroad.
In 2011, it was generating "between $70 million and $100 million per year, from duties and fees levied at airports and seaports, taxes on goods and services, taxes in kind on domestic produce, 'jihad contributions,' checkpoints and various forms of extortion justified in terms of religious obligation," according to the report from the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea.
How have Somalis been affected?
Years of lawlessness and poverty have exacted a toll that Al-Shabaab has not helped. In 2011, the United Nations declared a famine in the southern Somalia regions of Bakool and Lower Shabelle, and Al-Shabaab reversed an earlier pledge to allow aid agencies to provide food in famine-stricken areas.
That year, the U.N. Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation announced that Somalia had the highest mortality rate for children 4 and younger in the world.
A report jointly commissioned by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network reported that 258,000 Somalis had died in the famine between October 2010 and April 2012 and that half of the victims were younger than five.
What is the United States doing?
The United States has supported U.N.-backed African forces fighting Al-Shabaab and strengthened its counterterrorism efforts against the group.
It has also donated millions in aid.
What is the status of Somalia's government today?
In September 2012, Somali parliament members selected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president in a vote that marked a milestone for the nation, which had not had a stable central government since Barre's overthrow 21 years before.
That did not mean Al-Shabaab was calling it quits. In January 2013, French forces attempted to rescue a French intelligence commando held hostage in Somalia by the group. The raid left the soldier dead, another soldier missing and 17 Islamist fighters dead.
But there has been political progress there.
In January last year, for the first time in more than two decades, the United States granted official recognition to the Somali government.
CNN's Tim Lister, Barbara Starr, Paula Newton, David McKenzie and Elise Labott contributed to this report.
Wozniacki thrives after McIlroy split
9/2/2014 3:15:18 PM
- Caroline Wozniacki is winning matches as well as fans at the U.S. Open
- The former world No. 1 had the crowd behind her as she upset Maria Sharapova
- Wozniacki is now picking up her game after being dumped by Rory McIlroy in May
- Dane will play Italian 13th seed Sara Errani in quarterfinals in New York
Follow us at @WorldSportCNN and like us on Facebook
(CNN) -- Caroline Wozniacki has had her critics in the past. A defensive game and not landing a grand slam title while she was ranked No. 1 provided fodder for her detractors.
But now everyone, it seems, is rooting for the Dane.
Why? Well, much of it must be down to the fact that Wozniacki was dumped -- and very publicly -- by golf sensation Rory McIlroy only months before they were due to tie the knot.
McIlroy ended the relationship in May, saying he wasn't ready for marriage, and the news left Wozniacki devastated.
She was visibly distraught as she spoke to reporters at the French Open soon after, and exited in the first round, her earliest loss at Roland Garros in seven years.
The Northern Irishman has since rediscovered his vintage form, claiming he is more focused, and has won two major titles and regained his No. 1 ranking.
Wozniacki has also picked up her game after a lengthy slump.
She's the favorite to reach the U.S. Open final from the bottom half of the draw after upsetting Maria Sharapova on Sunday. And whereas Wozniacki said earlier in 2014 she would like to become a young mother -- suggesting her tennis days were numbered -- her own focus is now solely on the court.
That Wozniacki is prospering in New York is slightly ironic -- it was where she was reportedly supposed to marry McIlroy in November. She's sure to return to the Big Apple that month, however, having decided following their split to run in the New York City Marathon.
Wozniacki has so far refused to discuss her relationship with McIlroy at the U.S. Open, not that any of the fans minded.
The crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium in her match against Sharapova was firmly behind the 24-year-old, leading her to gush afterwards: "The crowd was amazing today."
Her victory over Sharapova put Wozniacki into a first grand slam quarterfinal since the 2012 Australian Open.
"The season for me has been a little bit up and down," Wozniacki said. "And it's so nice to kind of start feeling like I'm playing the way I want to.
"This hard-court season has been amazing for me. I actually started already feeling really good on court since Eastbourne (in June). I have just been building on my game since then."
I think this describes it! @usopen pic.twitter.com/3tjWbJ2ztu
— Caroline Wozniacki (@CaroWozniacki) August 31, 2014 Wozniacki won a title in Istanbul in July and even though she didn't add to her haul in Montreal and Cincinnati, the player that stopped her was world No. 1 Serena Williams. Both of their encounters went to three sets.
They have become good friends this year, spending time together in Miami after their early departures from the French Open.
Although Wozniacki still can't be considered an attacking player, her serve has improved, and she has become more aggressive on the baseline.
Her retrieving, though, is still what gives opponents problems. Making Sharapova keep running paid off, as the Russian committed 43 unforced errors.
"I think she's better at what she's done really well in her career," Sharapova said. "I think she's moving extremely well; she's fit.
"I mean, she's always been fit, but there is a little bit more on her defense shots.
"It's not just balls up in the air. She's doing a little bit more with them."
Wozniacki faces another counter puncher, Sara Errani, in the last eight on Tuesday, and could face Williams -- again -- in the final. Williams advanced to the quarterfinals Monday by beating Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-3 6-3.
"I have had a great summer, and I told Serena I'm pretty tired of her," said Wozniacki. "I said, 'Can you just get out of my way?'
"We just laugh about it. This one was a great win for me. Maria, again, is a good player. For me, I think mentally as well to get that in my pocket is kind of nice.
"I still have hopefully a few good matches in me here in this tournament."
Pennetta continues U.S. success
New York is also proving to be a happy hunting ground for Flavia Pennetta, a semifinalist last year.
The Italian won the biggest title of her career in Indian Wells, California in March but has done little to back that up since.
However, the 11th seed is now one win away from matching that feat after topping Australia's Casey Dellacqua 7-5 6-2 in early play Monday to earn a place in the last eight.
But to get any further the 32-year-old will have to get past defending champion Williams.
The winner of that match will face either former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka or Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.
Azarenka, a beaten finalist in New York the past two years but seeded 16th after a year of injury problems, came from behind to beat Serbia's Aleksandra Krunic 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Makarova, the 17th seed, reached the last eight for the second year in a row after upsetting Canada's rising star Eugenie Bouchard, winning 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 against the seventh seed.
Meanwhile, men's No. 1 Novak Djokovic beat Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-1 7-5 6-4 and will face Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.
Eighth seed Murray, who beat Djokovic in the 2012 final to win his first grand slam title, brushed off France's world No. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-5 7-5 6-4.
Japanese 10th seed Kei Nishikori reached the second grand slam quarterfinal of his career after outlasting Canada's No. 5 Milos Raonic in a marathon match that ended at 2:26 a.m. local time -- equaling the latest finish in the tournament's history.
Nishikori triumphed 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-4 in four hours 19 minutes to earn a clash with third-ranked Stanislas Wawrinka.
The Australian Open champion, a semifinalist here last year, defeated Spanish 16th seed Tommy Robredo 7-5 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2.
Read: Wozniacki beats Sharapova in New York
Read: McIlroy ends plans to wed Wozniacki
Thousands of kids held in Thailand
9/2/2014 5:21:48 PM
- Human Rights Watch reports says Thailand is unnecessarily violating children's rights
- Many being locked up with families by immigration authorities
- Detention centers often overcrowded and not set up to house children safely
- International Organization for Migration says there are 370,000-380,000 migrant children in Thailand
(CNN) -- Thousands of migrant children, including newborn babies, are being locked up in squalid and cramped detention facilities each year in Thailand, enduring serious physical and emotional harm, according to a new report.
The 67-page report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) entitled "Two Years with No Moon': Immigration Detention of Children in Thailand," describes how Thailand is unnecessarily violating children's rights and risking their welfare because of their immigration status or that of their parents.
"Migrant children detained in Thailand are suffering needlessly in filthy, overcrowded cells without adequate nutrition, education, or exercise space," said Alice Farmer, children's rights researcher at HRW and author of the report.
"Detention lockup is no place for migrant children. The sad thing is it's been known for years that these poor detention conditions fall far short of international standards but the Thai government has done little or nothing to address them."
Held indefinitely
The report, which was based on interviews with 41 children and 64 adults who were all detained or arrested by immigration officials, said those affected -- often from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos -- can be held indefinitely with little or no legal support, in violation of international law.
One migrant mentioned in the report described how he and his family were kept at a detention center in Bangkok for six months. "My [five-year-old] nephew asked, 'How long will I stay?' He asked, 'Will I live the rest of my life here?' I didn't know what to say."
The rights group also said several children described being confined in cells so crowded they had to sleep sitting up. Others reported sleeping on tile or wooden floors, without mattresses or blankets, and surrounded by strange adults.
"The worst part was that you were trapped and stuck," Cindy Y., a migrant child held from the age of 9 to 12, told HRW. "I would look outside and see people walking around the neighborhood, and I would hope that would be me."
According to Thai law, any migrant with an irregular immigration status, even a child, can be arrested and detained.
Military crackdown
In recent months, tens of thousands of migrant workers, particularly from Cambodia, have fled Thailand amid rumors of a crackdown on undocumented workers by the country's new military rulers.
Thailand has a very low unemployment rate of 0.9%, according to the National Statistical Official of Thailand. Many of the foreigners work low-paying jobs that Thais are unwilling to do, but they are often vulnerable to police harassment and exploitation, advocates say.
But the Thai military has claimed it doesn't have a policy of arrest as has been widely reported, rather it says it has encouraged undocumented workers to "seek employment through proper channels."
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates there are 370,000 to 380,000 migrant children in Thailand, with the largest number coming from Myanmar where they have fled sectarian persecution against ethnic groups such as the Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine state.
Alice Farmer, report author
According to HRW, the problem of overcrowded detention facilities is worsening, as the country sees more refugees and asylum seekers coming from further afield, such as war-torn Syria, or Christians fleeing persecution in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, an event being held to discuss the human rights situation in Thailand in the wake of this year's military coup has been canceled following pressure from the authorities. Police officers arrived at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand (FCCT) in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon to deliver their order, according to Pawinee Chumsri of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
She said police told her the event would violate an order from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) banning political gatherings.
"We regard this action as a human rights violation to families and people who are entitled to receive justice," she said.
The Thai authorities have yet to comment on the allegations by Human Rights Watch.
READ: Thousands of Cambodians flee Thailand
READ: Anxious parents fear for babies as Thai military tightens surrogacy laws
Pakistan's perilous transition
9/2/2014 7:43:22 PM
- Standoff between government and opposition creates uncertainty, damages economy
- Pakistan's powerful army often intervenes but has so far remained neutral
- However, a coup cannot be completely ruled out
- PM Nawaz Sharif might come out of crisis weakened with the military controlling foreign and security policies
Editor's note: Raza Rumi is a policy analyst, columnist and consulting editor at The Friday Times, Pakistan. He is also the author of "Delhi By Heart: Impressions of a Pakistani Traveler," (Harper Collins). The views contained in this opinion piece are solely his.
(CNN) -- Pakistan's perilous democratic transition has been rocked by the ongoing anti-government protests.
The standoff between the government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and opposition parties continues to accelerate the political uncertainty and damage the fragile economy.
Sharif was elected 14 months ago in an election that witnessed unprecedented voter turnout.
While most opposition parties accepted the results, Imran Khan -- the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek I Insaf (PTI) party -- claimed there was widespread rigging. There's not much evidence, however, beyond the usual irregularities of Pakistan's outmoded electoral system, to back this up.
But a successful campaign, aided by sections of Pakistani media, to de-legitimize last year's vote has convinced a large number of people that somehow Khan's mandate was "stolen" in 2013.
Another opposition group, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), led by a Pakistani Canadian cleric, Tahir ul Qadri wants a systemic change and has a list of undeliverable promises to the electorate. His immediate grievance is the brutal police action against his supporters that left 14 dead in June of this year.
Both the groups have mobilized their supporters since early August and have been camping in Islamabad's red zone -- a high security area where many state buildings and diplomatic missions are located.
In the last few days the sit-in turned violent as the protestors attempted to enter the parliament and prime minister's residence, leaving hundreds injured and at least three dead.
READ: Military denies PM resignation reports
On Monday morning, mobs entered the state television premises and managed to suspend the transmission for some time until the military intervened and restored order. This was a most embarrassing situation for Sharif's government as the civilian law enforcement apparatus appeared helpless.
Role of the military
In such situations, it is Pakistan's powerful army which usually intervenes; it has taken over the reins of government four times during country's 67-year history.
Relations between Pakistan's prime minister and the military have been far from smooth for months. The civilian government and the courts have proceeded to try Pervez Musharraf, the former army chief and president for treason.
In May, the government was seen as sympathetic to the country's largest television channel that, rather unprofessionally, named the intelligence chief as responsible for an attack on its leading journalist Hamid Mir, who was shot in Karachi but survived the alleged assassination attempt.
Under pressure, the government later backtracked and penalized the channel but mistrust grew.
On key foreign policy issues, such as India and Afghanistan, the government and the military are not on the same page either. Sharif is an ardent advocate of making peace with India, while the military's strategic worldview has historically been determined by the threat from India.
Sharif has been regularly meeting the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, and also consolidating his position by mobilizing other political parties in parliament.
However, the media, on balance, has critical, in some measure propelled by the high-handed tactics of the government as it quelled protests including beating up journalists in recent days.
Earlier, the protestors have been attacking journalists at will expressing their anger towards media houses viewed as "partisan." There has been chaos all over and even the Pakistani Taliban mockingly stated that they too could paralyze the country's capital.
In the current stalemate the military has maintained an ostensibly neutral position.
Pakistan's Dawn.com news service described this as a "carefully constructed veneer" and suggested the military may not be fully siding with the government, which the constitution says it must do.
The army has issued three statements in the past week wherein it has emphasized dialogue and negotiation with Khan and Qadri, as well as avoiding the use of force.
Game changer?
On Monday, the former head of Khan's party, Javed Hashmi, claimed the recent turmoil was planned by the protesting parties with the backing of sections within the army and possibly judges from the country's top court.
But in a carefully worded statement, the army reiterated its position as "an apolitical institution" and reminded all of "its unequivocal support for democracy at numerous occasions."
However, this has been a game changer of sorts as it allows the civilian government to reassert its political power.
The recent breach of security at parliament and other state installations in Islamabad did not result in any attempt by the military to repel protestors.
Yet the military is concerned about its image. It has regained its popularity by conducting operations against militants along its border with Afghanistan, and also by regaining its space in a powerful broadcast media that had played a pivotal role in ousting Musharraf in 2007-8.
But Sharif is fighting back and has convened a special session of the parliament on Tuesday, which is likely to reiterate support for him. A parliamentary committee will restart negotiations with the protestors.
A coup may not be imminent. Until recently, it was widely speculated that Sharif may be forced to resign, given the turn of events. But Sharif might come out of this crisis as a weakened prime minister with the military controlling foreign and security policies.
Having said that Pakistan's political history is fraught with unexpected events; and continued standoff may lead to a further meltdown where the army shall act as the sole arbiter of political events.
Meanwhile, the majority of Pakistanis crave stability.
ISIS beheads Sotloff; threatens British captive
9/2/2014 10:02:56 PM
- NEW: "Stay tuned" for plans to combat ISIS, a State Department official says
- A video has emerged showing the 31-year-old journalist being beheaded
- Footage threatens the life of British captive David Haines
- ISIS beheaded journalist James Foley; in that video, the terrorist group threatened to kill Sotloff
(CNN) -- A video that shows the beheading of American Steven Sotloff was delivered as a "second message to America" to halt airstrikes in Iraq, following through on a threat to kill the journalist.
In the video posted Tuesday online, Sotloff says -- in a message surely scripted by his captors -- that he is "paying the price" for U.S. military intervention.
The intelligence community in the United States is working to confirm the authenticity of the video, and the journalist's family was waiting for that formal authentication that Sotloff has been killed.
"The family knows of the video and is grieving privately," family spokesman Barak Barfi said.
Who is ISIS?
The killing of Sotloff follows a threat last month by ISIS made during the videotaped beheading of American journalist James Foley. The latest video threatens the life of another man, who the terror group identifies as David Haines of Britain.
A masked ISIS figure in the new video speaks to U.S. President Barack Obama, telling him, "Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people."
The Islamic State has thrived and mutated during the civil war in Syria. It swept into Iraq in June, seizing large swaths of the country's Sunni-dominated northern and western provinces.
Obama ordered targeted airstrikes in Iraq to begin in early August after ISIS fighters began targeting ethnic Yazidis and launching attacks toward the Kurdish regional capital of Irbil.
ISIS appeared to date the execution video of Sotloff, referencing specific U.S. military actions in recent days, including U.S. airstrikes that helped over the weekend to break the siege of Amerli -- a northern Iraqi town home to thousands of minority Shiite Turkmen.
Intelligence officials are analyzing the video, trying to answer some key questions, a senior U.S. administration official said.
Among the questions, the official said: When was it shot? Where was it shot? Is the killer in the Sotloff video the same one in the Foley video?
Until they answer those questions, the official said the administration does not want to speculate.
It's believed ISIS is still holding a "small number" of Americans hostage, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Beheading of American journalist James Foley recalls past horrors
ISIS: 'Back off and leave our people alone'
In the new video, the militant threatens the life of Haines, who is shown kneeling with the militant standing behind him.
"We take this opportunity to warn those governments who've entered this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone," the militant says.
CNN could not immediately confirm who Haines is, or when he was taken captive.
But the Washington Post reported he was an aid worker abducted in March 2013. The newspaper, citing unnamed aid workers involved in efforts to gain his release, said he was abducted near a refugee camp in the northern Syrian province of Idlib.
British Prime Minister David Cameron told reporters he was aware of reports about the video and called Sotloff's killing "an absolutely disgusting and despicable act."
Who was Sotloff?
Sotloff disappeared while reporting from Syria in August 2013, but his family kept the news secret, fearing harm to him if they went public. Out of public view, the family and government agencies had been trying to gain his release for the past year.
Last week, Sotloff's mother, Shirley Sotloff, released a video pleading with ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi not to kill her son.
"Steven is a journalist who traveled to the Middle East to cover the suffering of Muslims at the hands of tyrants. Steven is a loyal and generous son, brother and grandson," she said. "He is an honorable man and has always tried to help the weak."
Her plea was met with taunting responses on social media by ISIS supporters.
Sotloff, 31, grew up in South Florida with his mother, father and younger sister. He majored in journalism at the University of Central Florida. His personal Facebook page lists musicians including the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Miles Davis and movies including "Lawrence of Arabia" and "The Big Lebowski" as favorites. On his Twitter page, he playfully identifies himself as a "stand-up philosopher from Miami."
He graduated from another college, began taking Arabic classes and subsequently picked up freelance writing work for a number of publications, including Time, Foreign Policy, World Affairs and The Christian Science Monitor. His travels took him to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey -- among other countries -- and eventually Syria.
Read: Friends of ISIS captive Sotloff speak out admiringly of his talent
Editor Nancy Gibbs said the magazine's staff is "shocked and deeply saddened" by the reports of his death.
"He gave his life so readers would have access to information from some of the most dangerous places in the world," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."
Sotloff brings the number of journalists killed in Syria to at least 70, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
More than 80 have been kidnapped in Syria since the civil war began, with many going unpublicized, the group said.
"We condemn in the strongest terms possible the murder of journalist Steven Sotloff. He, like James Foley, went to Syria to tell a story. They were civilians, not representatives of any government. Their murders are war crimes and those who committed them must be brought to justice swiftly," CPJ said.
Obama on ISIS -- No strategy yet
Response from the White House
White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the administration "has obviously been watching very carefully since this threat against Mr. Sotloff's life was originally made a few weeks ago."
A top U.S. State Department official told CNN's Christiane Amanpour to "stay tuned" on U.S. plans to combat the organization.
"We are putting the features in place, developing a broad regional coalition, a broad international coalition, working to get a new Iraqi government stood up, working to get our plans in place. So stay tuned," said Brett McGurk, the deputy U.S. assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iraq.
Obama, who was briefed on the videotaped execution of Sotloff, came under fire from Republicans and Democrats who called on the President to take stronger against ISIS, also known as ISIL.
The criticism came a week after Obama said, "We don't have a strategy yet" to deal with ISIS in Syria. Obama said he has asked America's top defense officials to prepare "a range of options."
"Mr. President, if you can't come up with a strategy, at least tell us what the goal is regarding ISIL," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, said ISIS must be stopped.
"We must use every tool at our disposal, short of introducing ground forces in combat roles, to put an end to the threat they pose to our national security," she said.
Opinion: Foley is a reminder why freelance reporting is so dangerous
CNN's Elise Labott, Susan Garraty, Jim Acosta, Josh Levs, Brian Stelter, Samira Said and Tim Lister contributed to this report.
No charge for UK cancer child parents
9/2/2014 10:44:38 AM
- Parents who took son with brain cancer out of a British hospital will not be charged
- They disagreed with the treatment he was receiving
- The parents were arrested in Spain, and the boy was brought to a hospital
- The parents want proton therapy
(CNN) -- The British couple arrested after pulling their cancer-stricken son out of a hospital will not be charged, the Crown Prosecution Service told CNN on Tuesday.
Brett and Naghmeh King were arrested over the weekend in Spain while authorities decided whether they would be charged and extradited back to Britain.
On Monday, they said they would not return to the UK voluntarily, according to a Madrid court at which they appeared.
The Kings say they had serious concerns about the medical treatment Ashya, 5, was receiving at University Hospital Southampton. So they defied doctors' orders and took him out.
Hotel staff members in Malaga, Spain, recognized Ashya and his family from media coverage and contacted police. Ashya was taken to Materno Infantil Hospital in Spain, and that facility was communicating with University Hospital Southampton. The parents were taken into police custody.
Brett King defended his actions in a YouTube video made shortly before his arrest. He accuses two doctors at the British hospital of not allowing him to seek proton beam treatment outside of Britain, even though he said he was ready to pay for the treatment himself.
"We pleaded with them for proton beam treatment. They looked at me straight in the face and said with his cancer, which is called medulloblastoma, it would have no benefit whatsoever." King said he then looked on the Internet and found sites in the United States, France and Switzerland on proton beam treatment that "said the opposite -- that it would be beneficial for him."
The Kings traveled to Malaga with their six children to sell a home they own there, in order to "look for better treatment" for Ashya, said their Spanish lawyer, Juan Isidro Fernandez.
The hospital in Southampton issued a statement saying doctors had discussed proton beam radiotherapy with Ashya's parents.
"We very much regret that the communication and relationship with the King family had broken down in this way and that for whatever reason they have lost confidence in us," said Dr. Michael Marsh, medical director at University Hospital Southampton. "Our first concern is for Ashya's welfare"
Marsh said some tumors respond well to proton beam treatment, but "there are some cases where there isn't the evidence that this is a beneficial treatment." The hospital statement did not give specifics about Ashya's case.
The 5-year-old's ordeal has captured the attention of British Prime Minister David Cameron.
"I welcome the prosecution against Ashya King's parents being dropped," he said Tuesday on Twitter. "It's important this little boy gets treatment and the love of his family."
In the United States, only a handful of hospitals offer proton-beam therapy after surgery, including Massachusetts General Hospital, where the late U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy was treated for brain cancer in 2008. He died just a year after his surgery for malignant glioma.
That surgery was followed by six weeks of radiation. Kennedy wrote about his experience in a Newsweek magazine article at the time that he underwent proton-beam therapy.
The theory behind proton therapy is that its high-energy particles home in on the tumor and so do not harm the surrounding healthy tissue as much as the X-ray photons in conventional therapy, said Dr. Donald O'Rourke, associate professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
CNN's Joyce Joseph and Taylor Phillip contributed to this report.
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