12/10/2012
An Egyptian army soldier patrols outside the Egyptian presidential palace on Monday, December 10, in Cairo. The Egyptian political crisis erupted last month when President Mohamed Morsy issued an edict allowing himself to run the country unchecked until the drafting of a new constitution. 
Members of the Egyptian opposition gather for a protest outside the presidential palace on Sunday, December 9, in Cairo. The palace has been the scene of violent clashes pitting thousands of protesters -- for and against Morsy. 
Guy Fawkes masks are displayed by a street vendor in front of the Egyptian presidential palace in Cairo on December 9. The masks depict Fawkes, a rebel executed in England's Gunpowder Plot seeking to blow up the House of Lords in the early 1600s. 
Egyptian army engineers and soldiers build a third line of concrete blocks outside of the Egyptian presidential palace in Cairo in preparation for more protests on December 9. 
An Egyptian protester sweeps the street near army tanks deployed outside the presidential palace in Cairo on December 8, after continued protests overnight. 
A sticker depicting Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy reads "leave" on the ground near the presidential palace on December 8. 
Egyptian soldiers take position on a road leading to the presidential palace on December 8. 
A protester tries to climb over a barbed-wire fence as Egyptian soldiers stand guard during a demonstration near the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday, December 7. 
Supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy and members of the Muslim Brotherhood shout during the funerals of fellow Morsy supporters at Al-Azhar mosque in Cairo on December 7. 
Protesters angry over Morsy's decisions giving himself unchecked powers surround the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo after starting a fire inside the compound on Thursday, December 6. 
Riot police form a line as anti-Morsy protesters surge around the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo on December 6. 
An anti-Morsy protester shouts during a march to the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, on December 6. 
Protesters are blocked from approaching the the presidential palace by the Egyptian army on December 6 in Cairo. 
Egyptian soldiers stand outside the presidential palace in Cairo after setting up barbed wire barricades on December 6. 
Supporters of Morsy clash with anti-Morsy protesters outside the Egyptian presidential palace on Wednesday, December 5, in Cairo. 
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsy supporters destroy tents of anti-Morsy protesters outside the presidential palace on December 5. 
Morsy supporters carry an injured man to safety during clashes with anti-Morsy demonstrators on a road leading to the Egyptian presidential palace on December 5. 
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of Morsy clash with anti-Morsy demonstrators on a road leading to the Egyptian presidential palace on December 5. 
Egyptian riot police stand behind barbwire as thousands of Egyptian demonstrators march to the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, on Tuesday, December 4. 
Tens of thousands of demonstrators encircled the presidential palace in Cairo after riot police failed to keep them at bay with tear gas on December 4. 
An Egyptian woman waves a national flag as demonstrators march to the presidential palace in Cairo on December 4. 
A Morsy supporter waves a flag outside the Supreme Constitutional Court as hundreds of supporters of the president protest on Sunday, December 2, in Cairo, forcing judges to postpone a hearing on a constitutional panel at the heart of a deepening political crisis. 
Supporters of Morsy pray outside the Supreme Constitutional Court on December 2. 
A man kisses a portrait of Morsy during a gathering of thousands of Islamists in front of Cairo University on Saturday, December 1. 
Thousands pray during a rally in support of Morsy in front of Cairo University on December 1. 
An Egyptian man delivers a speech as protesters gather in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, November 30. 
A man shouts as protesters gather in Tahrir Square on November 30. 
A man holds a copy of the Quran and a cross in Tahrir Square on November 30. 
Protesters run from Egyptian riot police during clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday, November 28. 
A protester carries a rock during clashes with police on Wednesday. 
Egyptians carry a giant national flag as tens of thousands take part in a mass rally in Cairo on Tuesday, November 27, against a decree by President Mohamed Morsy granting himself broad powers. 
An Egyptian protester holds up a Quran and a figure of Christ on the cross during Tuesday's demonstration. 
Protesters continue to rally in Tahrir Square on Tuesday. 
An Egyptian protester attempts to throw back a tear gas canister on Tuesday during clashes with riot police in Omar Makram Street, off Tahrir Square. 
Activists in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Monday, November 26, carry the coffin of Gaber Salah, an activist who died overnight after he was critically injured in clashes in Cairo. Salah, a member of the April 6 movement known by his nickname "Jika," was injured last week during confrontations between police and protesters on Cairo's Mohammed Mahmud street. 
Thousands of activists attend the funeral of Gaber Salah on Monday. 
Protesters clash with Egyptian police at Simon Bolivar Square on Sunday, November 25, in Cairo. Egypt's powerful Muslim Brotherhood called nationwide demonstrations in support of Islamist President Mohamed Morsy in his showdown with the judges over the path to a new constitution. 
Egyptian protesters hurl stones at police at Tahrir Square on Sunday. 
Protesters gather at sit-in tents in Tahrir Square on Sunday. 
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy waves to supporters in front of the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday, November 23. Thousands of ecstatic supporters gathered outside the presidential palace to defend their leader against accusations from rival protesters that he has become a dictator. 
Morsy supporters gather outside the presidential palace in Cairo on Friday. Morsy insisted that Egypt was on the path to "freedom and democracy," as protesters held rival rallies over sweeping powers he assumed that further polarized the country's political forces. 
Protesters demonstrating against Morsy run from tear gas fired by Egyptian riot police during clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday. 
Egyptian protesters throw rocks toward riot police on Friday 
Egyptian supporters and opponents of Morsy clash in the coastal city of Alexandria on Friday. 
A man throws a rock during clashes in Alexandria on Friday. 
Thousands of demonstrators march through the streets of Cairo to protest against Morsy on Friday. 
Clashes rocked the coastal city of Alexandria on Friday. 
Second winner of record Powerball prize ID'd
 Ross D. Franklin / AP In this Nov. 29 photo, Karen Bach of the Arizona Lottery announces during a news conference in Phoenix that one of the winning tickets in the $579.9 million Powerball jackpot was purchased in Fountain Hills, Ariz. By NBC News and news services Matthew Good is likely feeling even better these days. The Phoenix-area man was identified Monday as the second winner of last week's record $587.5 million Powerball jackpot. Arizona Lottery officials described Good as a married man in his 30s who moved to the Phoenix suburb of Fountain Hills last year from Pennsylvania. He took the one-time payout of $192 million this month from the Nov. 28 drawing, telling lottery officials he wanted to avoid paying potentially higher taxes in 2013 due to the "fiscal cliff." Good bought $10 worth of tickets and kept the winner in the visor of his car overnight before realizing he was a multimillionaire, lottery officials said. After Good and his wife learned of their good fortune, he pulled together a team of financial advisers. Good and his lawyer met with lottery officials and he opted to take the cash option now. He had 180 days to claim the jackpot. His name was released in response to a public records request filed by media organizations. Good initially decided to remain anonymous. He bought the winning ticket at a Fountain Hills convenience store. Lottery officials said his wife owns half the prize because Arizona is a community property state. Karen Bach, a lottery official, said Good is smart and wants to take time to make a solid financial plan and set up a charitable entity to aid causes that he and his wife support. Lottery officials wouldn't say what Good does for a living but described him as a professional who has no immediate plans to quit his job. A search of property records showed that Good paid $289,900 for his 2,500-square-foot Fountain Hills home in September 2011, The Associated Press reported. The real estate listing describes the house as having gorgeous mountain views, vaulted ceilings, a backyard with an outdoor kitchen and a three-car garage, according to AP. Arizona Lottery officials announce a winning Powerball ticket has been claimed for the record-breaking $587.5 million jackpot. The jackpot is being split with previously announced winners in Missouri. Good previously issued a statement that said: "It is difficult to express just how thankful we are for this wonderful gift. We are extremely grateful and feel fortunate to now have an increased ability to support our charities and causes. Obviously, this has been incredibly overwhelming and we have always cherished our privacy." Second winning ticket for $587.5 million Powerball jackpot claimed in Arizona  Dave Kaup / Reuters The Hill family holds an oversized check presented by the Missouri Lottery during a news conference in Dearborn, Missouri, Nov. 30, 2012. A mechanic and his wife, Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, Mo., already have claimed their half of the multistate Powerball prize. The jackpot was a record for Powerball and the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. It set off a nationwide buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 a minute. Powerball winners introduced to the nation: 'We're still stunned by what happened' Before the Nov. 28 drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without any winners. In a Mega Millions drawing in March, three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, the largest lottery payout of all time. Lottery officials said the Arizona couple moved from Pennsylvania a year ago. While in Pennsylvania, they regularly played the lottery but had done so only twice since moving to Arizona, Bach said. After realizing he had won, Good and his wife spent the weekend trying to recover from the shock, Bach said. One set of winners, from Missouri, has already come forward. But mystery still surrounds the person who bought the winning ticket in Arizona. NBC's Kerry Sanders reports. The Associated Press contributed to this story. More content from NBCNews.com:
 |
Locals hire tugboat to remove rotting whale from beach
 Nick Ut / AP People look at a dead young male fin whale that washed ashore between the Paradise Cove and Point Dume areas of Malibu, Calif., last week. By NBC News staff Fed up with the stench of a decaying whale carcass that washed up on a Malibu beach -- and with the inaction of government officials -- a local homeowners association took matters into its own hands and hired a tugboat that pulled the body out to sea late Saturday, the Los Angeles Times reported. The 40-foot fin whale washed up between Paradise Cove and Point Dume, near the homes of celebrities including Barbra Streisand and Bob Dylan. The whale appeared to have been hit by a ship and had a gash on its back and a damaged spine, according to the results of a necropsy by the California Wildlife Center. It was already dead when it washed ashore. The whale carcass was left decaying for several days while government officials argued over whose responsibility it was to remove it. Shark bait? Rotting whale on Malibu beach raises fear "We have not yet been informed of any removal plans," Malibu spokeswoman Olivia Damavandi told NBC News Friday morning. Burying the carcass on the beach, carving it up and setting the pieces on fire and towing it out to sea where among the removal methods considered, the Times reported. On Thursday, authorities said towing the carcass to sea was no longer feasible because it was too decomposed. But Fire Inspector Brian Riley told the newspaper a homeowners association hired a private tugboat to remove the remains, which were reportedly carried off about 20 miles offshore. Fin whales are listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act. They can grow to up to 85 feet, weigh up to 80 tons and live for up to 90 years. More content from NBCNews.com:
|
Report: Pax Americana 'winding down'
(CNN) -- The United States is likely to remain the leading world power in 2030 but won't hold the kind of sway it did in the past century, according to a new study by the U.S. intelligence community. Washington will most likely hold its status as "first among equals" two decades from now, buoyed not only by military strength but by economic and diplomatic power. That's one of the conclusions of "Alternative Worlds," released Monday by the National Intelligence Council. China and other rising powers may be "ambivalent and even resentful" of American leadership, but they're more interested in holding positions of influence in organizations such as the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund than assuming that role, the report found. "Nevertheless, with the rapid rise of other countries, the 'unipolar moment' is over, and 'Pax Americana' -- the era of American ascendancy in international politics that began in 1945 -- is fast winding down," the report states. Monday's 166-page report is the fifth in the "Global Trends 2030" series by the council, an arm of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. It doesn't make specific predictions, but says that the world is at a "critical juncture" in which technology is advancing, competition for resources is growing and a middle class is emerging in countries around the world. "Our effort is to encourage decision makers -- whether in government or outside -- to think and plan for the long term so that negative futures do not occur and positive ones have a better chance of unfolding," council Chairman Christopher Kojm wrote in the report's preface. The report lays out a series of possible futures, both optimistic and pessimistic, from a world in which globalization has stalled and the risk of war has gone up to one in which collaboration between Washington and Beijing produces a rapid increase in worldwide prosperity. Technological advances will give individuals more freedom, but also have the potential to provide small groups with the kind of destructive capabilities now available only to nations. "With more widespread access to lethal and destructive technologies, individuals who are experts in such key areas as cyber systems might sell their services to the highest bidder," Kojm said during a briefing on the report. "Terrorists might focus less on mass casualties and more on causing widespread economic and financial disruptions." Economic power is likely to shift away from the United States and Europe to China, India and Southeast Asian countries, and Africa will see an urban boom as people move to cities at a faster rate, the report concludes. But those developments will add pressure to deal with environmental issues such as more frequent or severe droughts and the projected rise in sea levels due to a warming climate. "Under most scenarios -- except the most dire -- significant strides in reducing extreme poverty will be achieved by 2030," the report notes. The numbers of people living in poverty is likely to drop sharply in East and South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, with sub-Saharan Africa lagging behind. Kojm said, "economic growth, the rise of the global middle class, greater educational obtainment and better health care mean -- for the first time in human history -- the majority of the world's population will no longer be impoverished." But perhaps the biggest question mark in the report is the Middle East. The region "will be a very different place" in 2030, the authors conclude. "But the possibilities run a wide gamut from fragile growth and development to chronic instability and potential regional conflicts." The youth boom that has driven the Arab Spring revolts will give way to an aging population, while shifts in energy consumption may force oil-rich Middle Eastern economies to find new sources of income. The growth of middle classes will increase demand for political and social change, but that could be a mixed blessing: "Historically, the rise of middle classes has led to populism and dictatorships as well as pressures for greater democracy," the authors noted. Meanwhile, that global growth "disguises growing pressures on the middle class in Western economies," including international competition for higher-skilled jobs. The growing middle class will also increase demand for water and food by more than 35% over the next couple of decades the report indicates. Advancements in key technologies such as genetically modified crops, precision agriculture and water irrigation techniques should for the most part prevent scarcity. An increase in the earning power, education and political clout of women "will be a key driver of success for many countries," with gender gaps closing fastest in East Asia and Latin America, the report found. And India is likely to be in the same position in 2030 that China is today, it concludes. "India's rate of economic growth is likely to rise while China's slows," the authors found. China's 8%-10% growth "will probably be a distant memory by 2030," it notes. And India's economic advantage over regional nuclear rival Pakistan is likely to grow, roughly doubling the comparative size of its economy. CNN's Pam Benson contributed to this report.  |
Navy IDs SEAL killed rescuing doctor
Like Amsterdam: Washington bar lets patrons get stoned
 Stringer / REUTERS Frankie's Sports Bar and Grill recently started allowing people to smoke marijuana in the Olympia, Wash., bar, taking advantage of some haziness in the law. By Jonathan Kaminsky, Reuters Thanks to a successful ballot initiative last month, Washington state residents can legally smoke marijuana in the privacy of their living rooms as of Thursday. When that gets old, bar owner Frank Schnarr suggests, area stoners have another option: grab a booth at Frankie's Sports Bar & Grill in Olympia and toke up there. Schnarr, 62, says he is not acting out of a love of cannabis - he says he hasn't smoked the stuff since he was a soldier stationed in Southeast Asia in the 1970s. Rather, he's looking for new sources of income. "I stay up at night," he said. "I'm about to lose my business. So I've got to figure out some way to get people in here." Schnarr, who waged an ultimately successful battle with local and state officials over Washington's 2006 smoking ban, appears to be the first restaurant or bar owner in the state to test the recently expanded limits on recreational marijuana use. So, is he breaking the law? Federal, state and local officials appear unsure. Or if they are, they're not saying. "Marijuana remains illegal under federal law," said Emily Langlie, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Seattle. "I can't tell you whether what he's doing is legal or not." Says Tom Morrill, Olympia's city attorney: "We're looking into it. There are a lot of changes in state law right now. That's all I can say." Mikhail Carpenter, spokesman for the state's Liquor Control Board, newly empowered to make rules for and oversee the state's planned regime for the cultivation, processing and sale of marijuana, is similarly noncommittal. "The board is weighing its options with regard to Frankie's," he said. "It's not perfectly crystal clear as to who this falls to." Carpenter said he knows of no other bar or restaurant in the state that allows marijuana smoking. The legal gray area that Schnarr is exploiting exists in part thanks to his earlier fight over the smoking ban. In order to flout it, Schnarr renamed his establishment's smoking-friendly second floor as "Friends of Frankie's," a private room limited to those who pay a $10 annual membership fee.  Nick Adams / REUTERS A medical marijuana patient smokes inside the Frankie Sports Bar and Grill. A full range of alcoholic beverages are for sale and the room is staffed by comely bartenders and cocktail waitresses. They are volunteers entitled to reimbursement for travel expenses and childcare but otherwise making their living off tips. "Frank's ahead of the curve on (allowing marijuana use)," says Shawn Newman, Schnarr's attorney. "A lot of other taverns, bars and restaurants would like to do this, but they didn't have enough chutzpah to fight the smoking ban so they're locked into non-smoking operations." Schnarr says "Friends of Frankie's" has over 10,000 members, with upwards of 40 joining in the two days since he announced that marijuana would be welcome. To help appeal to his new target market, Schnarr has introduced a $4.20 appetizer menu — included are breaded shrimp, breaded cheese sticks and breaded mushrooms — and he is toying with the possibility of opening a medical marijuana dispensary on a nearby property. But he isn't looking to attract Olympia's sizable transient crowd, or stoned college students. "I'll have security in here, and if I see a bunch of guys just trying to get ripped, they're gone," he said. Early last Friday evening, a few dozen customers played pool, drank beer, smoked cigarettes and loosened up for an impending shuffleboard tournament. Only a small group at the back of the bar appeared to be smoking pot, a glass jar of the stuff sitting on the table between them. Chris Sapp, 28, a long-haired diesel mechanic and longtime Frankie's member, said being able to smoke pot at the bar makes him feel like he's in Amsterdam. "If I wasn't a friend of Frankie's already I'd be one now because you can come here and smoke and feel free," he said after taking a pull from a small pipe. "That's how it should be. We shouldn't have to hide weed." Across the room, another patron commended Schnarr for welcoming pot use but begged off giving his name. As a volunteer firefighter, he said, he wasn't supposed to be in contact with marijuana smoke. "I cannot be in this room," he lamented. "It's not like I'm sitting here smoking a joint or anything. My problem is that I'd love to, but I can't. Would you patronize a bar that allowed people to smoke pot? More content from NBCNews.com:
|
Chavez in Cuba for cancer surgery
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)