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- 2012 (382)
Isolation Spells Frustration In Bertolucci's 'Me And You'
In his five decades as a director, Bernardo Bertolucci has tended toward grand political filmmaking. His movies have generally been set in turbulent times: the rise of fascism in Italy in The Conformist and 1900, the leftist youth movements of the 1960s in Partner and Before the Revolution, the years prior to the Chinese Communist revolution in The Last Emperor — moments when social orders are being overturned.
But another foundational theme of Bertolucci's work has been wealth. His characters are often firmly upper class. More than many artists, Bertolucci has repeatedly explored the ethics of privilege: the question of how to behave in a world where, by virtue of birth, you've been destined to benefit from an unjust status quo. And so, while there are no revolutions underway in Me and You, the conspicuous backdrop of wealth marks it as a Bertolucci film, albeit an abnormally bland one for the great director.
Me and You is Bertolucci's first film in ten years, in part because ongoing health issues that now require him to use a wheelchair led him to doubt for some time that he would work again. It shares most in common with his 1972 classic Last Tango in Paris and 2003's The Dreamers. Like those two films, Me and You focuses on a small group of characters, in this case the 14-year-old Lorenzo (Jacopo Olmo Antinori), a bratty teen for whom other humans are, at best, a nuisance, and his older drug-addicted half-sister, Olivia (Tea Falco).
i i
2 Police Officers Shot Near Denver; Suspect Held
DENVER (AP) — Authorities say two police officers in suburban Denver have been shot.
The Lakewood Police Department dispatch office says that the officers were shot Saturday night and the suspected shooter is in custody.
Officials had no information on the extent of the officers' injuries, or any other details on how the shooting occurred.
Local media reported that the violence in Lakewood, a few miles to the west of downtown Denver, occurred near the intersection of West Jewell Avenue and South Kipling Street.
Louis Brown, Father Of Nicole Brown Simpson, Dies
DANA POINT, Calif. (AP) — Louis Brown Jr., the father of Nicole Brown Simpson, has died at his Southern California home, a family attorney said Saturday. He was 90.
Brown died Thursday in the seaside community of Dana Point, attorney Natasha Roit said in an email. A statement issued on behalf of the family did not include a cause of death.
His wife, Judi, and children were with him. "It was his wish to remain in his home with those he loved," Roit said.
Brown served in World War II as a pilot and married in Switzerland after the war, the statement said.
Two children preceded him in death, including Nicole Brown Simpson, who was slashed to death in 1994 with friend Ronald Goldman. Her former husband, O.J. Simpson, was acquitted of murder in the high-profile trial.
Brown and his daughter Denise founded the Nicole Brown Charitable Foundation, through which Brown worked to raise awareness of domestic violence and increase funding for assistance.
A civil jury found O.J. Simpson liable in 1997 for the deaths of his ex-wife and Goldman, providing a moral victory for grieving relatives who felt the football great got away with murder. Louis Brown, who sat stone still as the verdict was announced, stood and smiled afterward. "I want to get outside and scream," he told the AP at the time. The jury awarded $ 33.5 million in damages.
Sheriff, Feds: Rancher Must Be Held Accountable
RENO, Nev. (AP) — U.S. Bureau of Land Management officials say they agree with a Nevada sheriff's position that rancher Cliven Bundy must be held accountable for his role in an April standoff between his supporters and the federal agency.
Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie said Bundy crossed the line when he allowed states' rights supporters, including self-proclaimed militia members, onto his property to aim guns at police.
"If you step over that line, there are consequences to those actions," Gillespie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "And I believe they stepped over that line. No doubt about it. They need to be held accountable for it."
Bureau spokeswoman Celia Boddington, in a statement released Saturday to The Associated Press, said the agency continues to pursue the matter "aggressively through the legal system."
"There is an ongoing investigation and we are working diligently to ensure that those who broke the law are held accountable," she said, declining to elaborate.
The FBI declined comment Saturday on its investigation. Bundy did not respond to a request for comment.
The Bureau of Land Management says Bundy owes over $1 million in fees and penalties for trespassing on federal property without a permit over 20 years. Bundy, whose ancestors settled in the area in the late 1800s, refuses to acknowledge federal authority on public lands.
A federal judge in Las Vegas first ordered Bundy in 1998 to remove "trespass cattle" from land the bureau declared a refuge for the endangered desert tortoise. Bureau officials obtained court orders last year allowing the roundup.
Boddington disputed Gillespie's contention the agency mishandled the roundup of Bundy's cattle 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The bureau backed down during the showdown with Bundy and his armed supporters, citing safety concerns, and released some 380 Bundy cattle collected during a weeklong operation from a vast arid range half the size of the state of Delaware.
Gillespie blamed the bureau for escalating the conflict and ignoring his advice to delay the roundup after he had a confrontational meeting with Bundy's children a few weeks before it began.
"I came back from that saying, 'This is not the time to do this,' " the sheriff told the Review-Journal. "They said, 'We do this all the time. We know what we're doing. We hear what you're saying, but we're moving forward.'"
Tensions further escalated early in the roundup after a video showed one of Bundy's sons being stunned with a Taser. The video drew militia members and others to Bundy's ranch.
Bundy was not a hardened criminal, Gillespie told the newspaper. He was a rancher who stopped paying his fees, the sheriff said, and that was not worth risking violence.
But Boddington said the bureau planned and conducted the roundup in "full coordination" with Gillespie and his office.
"It is unfortunate that the sheriff is now attempting to rewrite the details of what occurred, including his claims that the BLM did not share accurate information," she said. "The sheriff encouraged the operation and promised to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us as we enforced two recent federal court orders."
"Sadly, he backed out of his commitment shortly before the operation - and after months of joint planning - leaving the BLM and the National Park Service to handle the crowd control that the sheriff previously committed to handling," she added.
Manziel's Playbook: Hanging With Justin Bieber
CLEVELAND (AP) — Johnny Manziel isn't hiding before training camp. He's hanging out with pop star Justin Bieber.
The Browns' rookie quarterback promised last week he wouldn't change his ways despite Hall of Famers Emmett Smith and Joe Montana urging him to tone down his lifestyle.
That didn't stop him from posting photos on Twitter of him with Bieber and champion boxer Floyd Mayweather. Manziel says he's tired of all the talk about how he spends his free time and doesn't think he's hurting his career.
He insists he's "not going to change who I am for anybody. ... I'm very committed to football."
After attending the NFL's rookie symposium last week, Manziel visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday and spent Sunday in Cleveland filming a TV commercial.
Palestinian Teen Burned To Death, Autopsy Shows
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — An autopsy showed an Arab teenager who Palestinians say was killed in a revenge attack was burned to death, officials said Saturday, while Palestinian militants fired two rockets toward a major southern city deeper into Israel than any other attack in the current round of violence.
The Israeli military said its "Iron Dome" defense system intercepted the rockets that were aimed at Beersheeba. The military also said at least 10 other rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and said it had retaliated with airstrikes.
Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters spread Saturday from Jerusalem to Arab towns in northern Israel as hundreds of people took to the streets and threw rocks and fire bombs at officers who responded with tear gas and stun grenades.
Palestinian Attorney General Abdelghani al-Owaiwi said he received initial autopsy results from a Palestinian doctor who was present at the autopsy in Tel Aviv. He said it shows that 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir, whose death has sparked large protests in his east Jerusalem neighborhood, suffered burns on "90 percent of his body."
"The results show he was breathing while on fire and died from burns and their consequences," al-Owaiwi said.
His account provided the first details of the preliminary findings to be made public. The Israeli Health Ministry could not be reached for comment.
The autopsy found evidence that Abu Khdeir had breathed in the flames as burns were found inside his body, in his lungs, bronchial tubes and his throat, al-Owaiwi said.
He also said the young man had suffered wounds on the right side of his head apparently from impact with a rock or another hard object.
Abu Khdeir's charred body was found in a forest Wednesday after he was seized near his home. Palestinians immediately accused Israeli extremists of killing him to avenge the deaths of three Israeli teens who had been abducted and killed in the West Bank. Israeli police said an investigation is still underway and they have not yet determined who killed the boy or why.
Israeli leaders have widely condemned the killing of the Palestinian youth, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed those responsible would be brought to justice.
Palestinians took to the streets in protests after news of the boy's death on Wednesday and clashed with police in east Jerusalem. Riots erupted in east Jerusalem Friday as thousands of Palestinians massed for the boy's burial.
The violence spread to Arab towns in northern Israel early Saturday, with protesters throwing rocks at passing cars, burning tires and lobbing rocks and firebombs at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.
Near the town of Qalansawe, protesters also pulled over a car driven by an Israeli Jew, pulled him out and set the vehicle on fire, Samri said. The driver was not injured. Several other Israeli cars were also torched, she said. Dozens of people were arrested.
Late Saturday, violent demonstrations erupted in several Arab towns in the north of the country, police said.
Israel's public security minister, Yitzhak Aharonovitch visited areas of friction and said police would display "zero tolerance" toward those "who take the law into their own hands and harm innocent people."
Israeli Arabs, unlike Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, hold citizenship rights. But they often face discrimination and mostly identify with the Palestinians. Even so, violent riots like these are rare.
Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem also used an electric saw to damage the light rail that connects the heavily Arab populated eastern sector of the city with the mostly Jewish West, Samri said.
The chaos began after three Israeli teenagers, one of whom was a U.S. citizen, were abducted in the West Bank on June 12, sparking a huge manhunt that ended with the gruesome discovery of their bodies earlier this week.
In a separate incident, relatives told The Associated Press that Abu Khdeir's 15-year-old cousin Tariq, a U.S. citizen who goes to school in Florida, was beaten by police during clashes on Thursday ahead of the funeral. The U.S. Consulate had no immediate comment on the report.
The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the U.S. Department of State to demand that Israel immediately release Khdeir.
His parents, Suha and Salah, said Tariq was detained but had been treated at an Israeli hospital. They released photos showing his face swollen and badly bruised.
Samri, the Israeli police spokeswoman, said that Tariq Abu Khdeir had resisted arrest and attacked police officers. He was detained with a slingshot in his possession used to hurl stones at police, along with six other protesters, including some armed with knives, she said, adding that several officers were hurt in that specific protest, one of many that day.
Tariq's father said he witnessed his son's arrest and insisted the boy was not involved in the violence.
Amateur video of what he said was the beating aired on a local television station, and he said he could recognize his son from his clothing.
The channel that aired it, Palestine Today, is funded by Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, a militant group that has carried out suicide bombings and other attacks aimed at civilians.
Other footage shows uniformed men dragging someone on the ground.
The face of the person cannot be seen in either video. And the circumstances leading up to the beating are not shown.
Israel launched a massive crackdown on the Islamic militant group Hamas after the abduction of the Israeli teens, while retaliatory Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes intensified. The military says Palestinian militants have fired more than 150 rockets at southern Israel, and it has responded with airstrikes on more than 70 targets in Gaza.
___
Associated Press journalist Yousur Alhlou in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Neymar Airlifted From Brazil's Training Camp
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) — Brazil striker Neymar has been airlifted from Brazil's training camp in a medical helicopter and will be treated at home for the back injury that ruled him out of the World Cup.
Neymar was on a stretcher when he was transferred from an ambulance into the helicopter that took off Saturday afternoon from one of Brazil's practice pitches in the city of Teresopolis, about an hour from Rio de Janeiro.
The player is being taken to his home in the city of Guaruja in Sao Paulo state, where he will continue to undergo treatment for the broken vertebra sustained late in Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Sports channels broadcast live as Neymar waved briefly from his stretcher inside the helicopter before the doors were closed.
NATO Signals No New Members For The Present
BRUSSELS (AP) — Faced with a newly aggressive Russia, NATO has been mulling how to react, but it is ruling out one option: rapid expansion.
Four would-be members, including the former Soviet republic of Georgia, have been informed that admission to NATO isn't in the cards anytime soon. For some, that means dashed hopes. Macedonia's foreign minister told The Associated Press in a statement it was a "step backward."
The bottom line: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, celebrating important anniversaries this year of a dozen nations joining its ranks, will welcome no new members when President Barack Obama and other leaders convene for a summit in Wales in early September.
Analysts say that NATO members are worried about granting, or being perceived as granting, security guarantees that could quickly be tested by Russia. That's particularly true of Georgia, which has been waiting since 2008 for the U.S.-led military alliance to make good on its promise of admission.
Before taking over Crimea from Ukraine, Russia invaded and occupied two regions of Georgia nearly six years ago — and NATO is reluctant to take any action that might provoke a riposte from Moscow.
"The conflict over Ukraine has made it clear to them at NATO they have to be careful, both about security commitments and credibility," said Liana Fix, an associate fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations. "If you give Georgia their membership action plan but don't defend them if something happens, what does it say about your credibility?"
NATO won't publicly hang up the "No Vacancy" sign.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance's secretary general, proclaimed recently that "NATO's door remains open. And no third country has a veto over NATO enlargement."
But even before Crimea's annexation, some NATO countries were experiencing "enlargement exhaustion" and had become reluctant to increase the alliance's membership rolls, said Jorge Benitez, senior fellow for trans-Atlantic security at the Atlantic Council, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
Post-Crimea, "the issues are much bigger," Benitez said. "The question is, how much insecurity would you add to the alliance versus how much security would you bring to the alliance?"
To try to tilt the balance in its favor, Georgia has been an enthusiastic NATO partner, and until recently, had been fielding the largest non-NATO contingent of soldiers in alliance-led operations in Afghanistan.
In Wales, Georgia had been hoping to receive a formal action plan for membership, but instead will be given a "substantive package" to help move it closer to NATO, Rasmussen said. He declined to give details. But Fix said the package was likely to include stepped-up training programs, increased military cooperation and advice, and a detailed checklist of what NATO wants Georgia to do to qualify for membership.
The small Balkan nation of Macedonia was also assured of a membership invitation by NATO leaders six years ago, but will have to wait for the foreseeable future. The deal-breaker is an unresolved conflict over the country's name, which duplicates that of a Greek region. Since Greece is a NATO member and all 28 members must give their assent to admit a new nation, Athens has effective right of veto.
"Greece is acting from a position of power because it is a full member state," Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki said in the written statement. Lamenting the "step backward," he said Macedonia will keep trying "to introduce sense into the Greek-Macedonian dialogue."
Another former Yugoslav republic, Montenegro, is widely considered the candidate closest to achieving membership. Rasmussen said that by the end of 2015, NATO foreign ministers will assess whether "the time is ripe" to invite Montenegro to join. That deadline was the only one to come out of the July 24-25 Brussels meeting of foreign ministers that reviewed NATO's "open door" policy.
What was not spoken about publicly was the reason for NATO's delay: the reported penetration of Montenegro's intelligence service by the Russians.
"That was the sticking point," a NATO official told AP. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. He estimated the number of Montenegrin intelligence agents with links to Russia at between 25 and 50. Steps are already under way to neutralize their activities, he added, but that "it will take some time to manage."
Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic told his country's parliament that the decision on enlargement had been postponed because of "geopolitical reasons Montenegro cannot influence."
Drasko Djuranovic, an analyst, predicted a rise in anti-Western feeling in the small Balkan country.
"The majority of people who support Montenegro's membership in NATO will feel betrayed," he said.
The fourth country classified as a NATO aspirant, Bosnia-Herzegovina, has been unable to pass a key condition set by the alliance: transfer of 63 defense facilities from local authorities to the central government, NATO officials said.
At a Monday news conference, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes encouraged the would-be alliance members to "stay on that track," even it if takes time.
"There's a reason that NATO is the best and strongest alliance that we've had in history, and the reason is that there's a very high standard of membership and there are very strong commitments that come with membership," Rhodes said. "So it's natural that there be an extended period in which nations work through those issues."
___
AP correspondents Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili in Tbilisi, Konstantin Testorides in Skopje and Predrag Milic in Podgorica contributed to this story.
Lawyer: No Further Steps To Free Convicted Priest
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — A federal court has denied a request from a dying Roman Catholic priest who was convicted of killing a nun in 1980 and hoped to spend his final days in his Ohio hometown.
The Rev. Gerald Robinson's attorney previously told the court the priest has been in a Columbus prison hospice unit since the end of May after suffering a heart attack and wants to die in Toledo. They asked the court to release Robinson to the care of his brother and sister-in-law.
U.S. District Judge James Gwin rejected the request Thursday, concluding his court doesn't have jurisdiction to grant such compassionate release. Gwin's ruling said that Robinson isn't eligible for such relief under applicable federal law.
Robinson's attorney, Richard Kerger, has indicated Robinson is expected to live for only a month or two more. He said Thursday he was sorry the judge couldn't find a way to grant the release but said he understands the decision and won't be making further efforts to have Robinson moved.
Ohio law does not allow a convicted murderer who is not yet eligible for parole to be released for care to ease pain and suffering. Gov. John Kasich's office has said there is nothing it can do.
Robinson was convicted in 2006 of killing Sister Margaret Ann Pahl during Easter weekend at a Toledo hospital where they worked. He is serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison and maintains his innocence.
Church historians have called it the only documented case of a Catholic priest killing a nun. Robinson wasn't arrested until 24 years after Pahl was found stabbed and strangled. Prosecutors blamed the murder on Robinson's simmering anger over Pahl's domineering ways and described their relationship as strained.
Rain Causing More Delays At Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Steady rain is delaying the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Daytona International Speedway.
The Coke Zero 400 was supposed to start at 7:57 p.m. Saturday, but showers soaked the 2 1/2 mile superspeedway and forced officials to delay the green flag.
Officials say there is no estimated start time.
It's fairly common for weather delays to affect the July race at Daytona, where Florida's sweltering summer heat and humidity often includes thunderstorms. Even the Daytona 500 in February was delayed more than six hours by rain, starting and then enduring the extended stoppage.
Sprint Cup rookies Alex Bowman and Ryan Truex entertained fellow drivers and rain-soaked fans Saturday by turning the introduction stage into a slip and slide.
Tour De France Braves Blustery Weather Of Yorkshire
Yorkshire is home to this year's Tour de France starting line. BBC anchor Harry Gration tells NPR's Tamara Keith about preparations, including well-stocked pubs, for the annual sporting event.
Athletics Finalize Blockbuster Trade With Cubs
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The beginning of July's first blockbuster trade occurred about a month ago, when Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane called Chicago Cubs executive Theo Epstein to ask about Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.
Beane told Epstein he liked the starting pitchers, and he was going to be aggressive in an attempt to improve the AL West leaders. Fast forward to this weekend, when Beane proved just how serious he was during that initial call.
Oakland and Chicago announced the big trade on Saturday, with Samardzija and Hammel heading to the West Coast for a package of prospects that included the A's first-round selections in each of the past two drafts.
"The deal speaks for itself. To pick up two guys like that in early June is pretty fantastic," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "We wanted more options and saw the urgency to get it done. This makes us better."
The Athletics began the day with the best record in baseball, but Beane felt he needed to add depth to a rotation that responded well to season-ending injuries for Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin. Drew Pomeranz also is on the disabled list with a broken right hand.
Samardzija and Hammel join Scott Kazmir and Sonny Gray in one of the majors' best group of starting pitchers.
"We had to dig into our depth really early, and we felt like we needed two (starting pitchers)," Beane said.
Samardzija will start for the A's on Sunday. He was scheduled to pitch for the Cubs Saturday.
In somewhat of a surprise, the A's sent left-hander Tommy Milone to Triple-A Sacramento later Saturday to make room for Samardzija.
Milone was 6-0 with a 2.62 ERA over his last 11 starts and 6-3 with a 3.55 ERA in 16 starts overall.
"What do you say to a guy like that?" Melvin said. "He's been terrific his last 10 starts and has meant a lot to us the last three years. I tried to figure out what to say to him. We haven't seen the last of him."
Oakland will make a move Sunday to clear space for Hammel, who will start Wednesday.
Minor leaguers Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily went to Chicago in another painful deal for the lowly Cubs, who have played better of late, but are still last in the NL Central. Chicago also gets a player to be named in its latest July sell-off.
The Cubs lost at least 91 games in each of the previous three years. They traded away starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm in July 2012, and Matt Garza and Scott Feldman last July.
"We certainly hope that this is the last year that we're obvious sellers at the trade deadline," Epstein said.
The key piece for Chicago in the deal with Oakland was Russell, a 20-year-old shortstop headed for Double-A Tennessee. A torn right hamstring sidelined the No. 11 overall selection in the 2012 draft earlier this season, but he was batting .333 in 13 games for Double-A Midland at the time of the trade.
Chicago and Oakland talked about a Samardzija for Russell deal, but Epstein said the one-for-one framework didn't work. He spoke with Beane on Thursday night, and that's when the trade grew into the larger package.
"We felt like Russell was a key for us in any deal with Oakland," Epstein said.
The hard-throwing Samardzija had a 2-7 record for the Cubs, but he also had a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 108 innings, making him one of the most coveted pitchers on the market. The former Notre Dame receiver was selected by Chicago in the fifth round in 2006.
Chicago recalled left-hander Chris Rusin from Triple-A Iowa. Epstein said the Cubs were still discussing their options when it came to the rotation.
"I can say that (after that) it's going to stay the same until Tuesday for the doubleheader (at Cincinnati)," Cubs manager Rick Renteria said of the rotation after Saturday.
Jake Arrieta is set to start Sunday in Washington and Edwin Jackson on Monday at Cincinnati.
The Cubs will add a 26th man, Tsuyoshi Wada, for Tuesday's doubleheader.
The Cubs talked to the 29-year-old Samardzija about a contract extension, but were unable to come to an agreement. He is set to become a free agent for the first time after the 2015 season.
"Jeff has been a bit of workhorse," Beane said. "He's got a perfect health record. He's a guy that continues to develop. He's gotten better and better each year he goes out."
Hammel signed a $6 million, one-year contract with Chicago in February and went 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 108 2-3 innings with the Cubs. He pitched six-plus innings in a 7-2 victory over Washington on Friday.
Hammel, who turns 32 in September, also has three career postseason starts.
"He's gotten better and better and we think now is a great time to have him," Beane said.
The 19-year-old McKinney, who was selected in the first round a year ago, hit .241 with 10 homers for Class A Stockton this season. He is headed for Chicago's Class A affiliate in Daytona, Florida, where he will share the outfield with another top prospect in Albert Almora.
Straily finished 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 27 starts for the A's last year. He was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento after struggling earlier this season, and Epstein said he likely would be up with the Cubs after a short stay at Triple-A Iowa.
Even before the deal, Chicago had one of the richest minor league systems in baseball. The addition of Russell and McKinney just enhances the Cubs' impressive group of prospects.
"We think we have a real outstanding stable of good young position players that is a stable base to build off," Epstein said. "We like how this positions us."
Ex-Editor Gets 18 Months In U.K. Phone Hacking Case
Former News of the World editor Andy Coulson, who was found guilty last week of conspiracy to hack personal voicemails, was jailed Friday for 18 months.
NPR's Ari Shapiro is reporting on the case for our Newscast unit. Here's what he said:
"During sentencing, the judge said phone hacking by journalists at Rupert Murdoch's News International picked up 'intensely personal' messages that caused people 'serious distress.'
"Four people who used to work for the paper News of the World received sentences for their role in the scandal. ... Coulson got the longest sentence of any of them. ... Five other defendants were cleared of charges."
Messi Guides Argentina Into Semis, Dutch Scrape In
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Argentines didn't need a late winner from Lionel Messi this time, settling in to protect a 1-0 margin against Belgium that earned them a first trip to the World Cup semifinals in 24 years.
The Netherlands could have used a late goal from Robin van Persie or Wesley Sneijder or Arjen Robben later Saturday but didn't get one, only edging Costa Rica 4-3 on penalties to set up a semifinal against Argentina.
The 2010 finalists lit up the tournament with 12 goals in four matches but couldn't find the net in regulation or extra time against rank underdog Costa Rica. Captain van Persie wasted chances to break the 0-0 deadlock, and Sneijder smashed an 80th-minute free kick into the post and a stoppage-time shot into the crossbar, setting the scene for replacement goalkeeper Tim Krul to be the unlikely hero.
Krul went on in the last minute of extra time — coach Louis van Gaal considering him a better option in the shootout than No. 1 Jasper Cillessen — and made two crucial saves.
"We had a lot of chances but it didn't go in," Krul said on Dutch television. "Then I come in, stop two penalties and here we are."
The flood of goals from the group stage slowed to a trickle in the knockout rounds, with the four quarterfinals yielding just five goals. Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia on Friday night was relatively high-scoring compared with the 1-0 results by Germany against France and Argentina against Belgium.
The low-scoring quarterfinals were slightly overshadowed anyway in the host nation, where millions were still coming to terms with the fact that a back injury knocked star striker Neymar out of the tournament.
Brazil fans at Brasilia's Estadio Nacional for the Argentina-Belgium match wore face mask caricatures of their talisman and held up signs reading: "Have strength Neymar. Brazil will win."
They were drowned out by tens of thousands of traveling Argentina fans who outnumbered them and raucously supported Messi.
The alleged leader of Argentina's infamous football hooligans, Pablo Alvarez, was among them, but he's unlikely to be there next time after being detained inside the stadium and is set for deportation.
Messi remains in Brazil after Gonzalo Higuain ended a four-game scoreless streak with a goal in the 8th minute to help Argentina reach the final four for the first time since 1990, the year it lost the final to West Germany.
Higuain picked up a deflected pass from Angel Di Maria and beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a half-volley toward the far post as he turned.
"Since the first game of this World Cup I said I was calm, that the goals would come. It came and at an important moment," the Napoli striker said. "It's been so many years since we made it to the semifinals. Now we did."
Messi missed a chance to get his fifth goal of the tournament when he failed to beat Courtois in a one-on-one situation in stoppage time. This time, it wasn't needed.
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots was critical of Argentina's approach after taking the lead and described his opponents as "just an ordinary team."
"If we had equalized in the last few minutes, they are dead, they are finished," he said.
Neymar was supposed to be there until the end of the World Cup, at least that was the expectation in a country which spent billions on hosting the tournament.
But his campaign ended in the 86th minute against Colombia, when he got a knee in the back from Juan Camillo Zuniga that fractured his third vertebra.
His first public comments since then were delivered in a video released Saturday, just before the striker was airlifted from Brazil's training camp in a medical helicopter to be treated at home — a departure broadcast live on Brazilian TV.
"I don't have words to describe what has been going through my head and my heart," Neymar said, speaking in a low, quiet tone. "I just want to say that I will be back as soon as possible. When you least expect I'll be back.
"I won't be able to fulfill the dream of playing in a World Cup final, but I'm sure (the Brazil team) will win this one, they will become champions, and I will be there with them, and all of Brazil will be celebrating."
ECB Keeps Rates On Hold, Cuts Down On Meetings
The European Central Bank is taking a leaf out of the Federal Reserve's book and will, starting next year, set monetary policy every six weeks instead of every month as well as publish minutes to its deliberations.
After the bank decided to keep its interest rates on hold Thursday, ECB President Mario Draghi told a press briefing the new timetable for meetings was not a sign that the bank's job in getting the 18-country eurozone back on track was done.
He said having a meeting every month can cause excess volatility in the markets as traders look for action that is not always merited by the economic fundamentals such as growth and inflation.
"Maybe we should move to a 6-month schedule," he quipped.
Though Draghi insisted that the ECB would not be synchronizing its meetings with the Fed, their timetables are now very similar. The Fed meets eight times a year, usually every six weeks.
The minutes are also a big development, as they will shed more light on the policymakers' thinking and bring the ECB into line with most other major central banks.
"Transparency has been increasingly sought after throughout the financial crisis and the ECB has been very slow to do something that both the Fed and the Bank of England have done for years," said Craig Erlam, market analyst at Alpari.
Draghi also fleshed out details of the ECB's latest plan to flood commercial banks with cash, one of the measures it announced last month, along with interest rate cuts, to help the economy.
One of the problems afflicting the eurozone, which is suffering from anemic growth and low inflation, is that banks often hold back from lending to businesses and households.
Draghi said the new 400 billion-euro ($545 billion) program of loans to banks will help drive inflation back to the target of just below 2 percent from 0.5 percent currently. Under the program, banks can bid for the loans on a quarterly basis, either alone or in a group with other banks. That money would have to then be loaned on to businesses, in the hope of boosting investment and growth.
Draghi said the recovery in the eurozone was moderate in the second quarter and inflation was subdued. Despite that, he claimed long-term inflation expectations were "firmly anchored."
"Geopolitical risks, as well as developments in emerging market economies and global financial markets, may have the potential to affect economic conditions negatively, including through effects on energy prices and global demand for euro area products," Draghi said. Markets have been shaken in recent months by violent clashes in Ukraine and Iraq as well as gyrations in fast-growing economies like Brazil and Turkey.
Another risk Draghi identified was that eurozone governments might slow down in reforming their economies.
He said the key interest rate will remain at the current level of 0.15 percent or lower for an "extended period of time" and that the ECB's governing council was unanimous in its commitment to use other monetary stimulus measures should inflation stay too low for too long.
Economic indicators suggest the eurozone economy needs all the help it can get. On Thursday, official figures showed retail sales were flat in May while the June purchasing managers' index — a gauge of business activity — from financial information company Markit edged back to a 6-month low.
The high value of the euro has also been a cause for concern for the central bank. The currency remains relatively strong, particularly against the dollar, even though the Fed is discussing when it will start raising interest rates. Higher rates tend to boost the value of a currency.
Though he stressed that the ECB does not target a value for the euro, Draghi noted the currency's strength was a problem in its effect on prices — its high value tends to make imports cheaper.
The euro fell slightly as Draghi was speaking, though that was mainly due to the bigger than expected 288,000 increase in U.S. nonfarm payrolls in June. The currency was down at $1.3605 from $1.3650 before the payrolls report release. Though it's down on its multi-year high of near $1.40 in the spring, the euro is still markedly above its long-run average.
Federal Highway Program Could Run Out Of Money Next Month
Congress has yet another problem it can't solve.
For years, the main federal transportation program has been spending more money than it takes in. This year, the Congressional Budget Office estimates the Transportation Department will disburse $45 billion while collecting only $33 billion for its Highway Trust Fund.
As a result, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx warned states on Tuesday that they will start seeing cuts of 28 percent in federal funding for roads and bridges next month unless Congress comes up with some extra money.
Congress might well do that — it's pumped billions of extra dollars into the fund several times over the past six years.
"People are terrified of going home to their constituents and saying, 'We just shut down the federal highway program,' or, 'We have cut the program to the extent we're going to have to shut some projects down,' " says Joshua Schank, president of the Eno Center for Transportation, a think tank in Washington.
"No matter where members of Congress are from, they're going to catch a lot of slack from transportation agencies, and then people who are being put out of work," he says.
The ability to tout new roads and repairs at home is one reason transportation spending has traditionally enjoyed deep bipartisan support. But the bill for perennially short-shrifting infrastructure has come due.
Most observers think Congress needs not just another short-term patch, but new strategies that would be more sustainable. It's just that no one can agree on what those might be.
"They'll probably find some way to patch that deficit with the general fund, because the states will be hurt," says Robert Puentes, a transportation fellow at the Brookings Institution. "But we're not really talking about large-scale systemic solutions here."
No Agreement In Congress
This spring, President Obama introduced a four-year, $302 billion infrastructure bill that would increase highway spending by nearly a fourth. It's an idea that's gone nowhere.
On Tuesday, the president openly mocked Congress for not moving on transportation, warning that its dithering could lead to mass layoffs.
"I haven't heard a good reason why they haven't acted," Obama said in a speech near a Washington bridge deemed structurally deficient. "It's not like they've been busy with other stuff. No, seriously."
There's no end of ideas for transportation funding. Individual members have suggested ending Saturday postal delivery and devoting the savings to roads, or giving corporations a tax break so they'll repatriate overseas profits.
The main tax-writing committees in the House and Senate are working on separate legislation. But there doesn't seem to be any consensus as yet.
"I don't have any confidence at all that Congress is going to come up with another general fund bailout for the Highway Trust Fund," says Scott Dibble, who chairs the Minnesota Senate Transportation Committee. "Even if they do, it begs the larger question of what on earth Congress is going to do to meet the infrastructure needs that will keep the country competitive."
Root Of The Problem
The perpetual shortfalls stem from the fact that the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon hasn't been raised since 1993. Meanwhile, the country's population has grown substantially and cars have become more fuel-efficient, even as construction costs have continued to increase.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials estimates that the average household pays $46 per month in state and federal gas taxes, while paying three or four times that amount per month on cable, utilities and cellphones.
"This isn't the first time we're running into the insolvency problem with the trust fund," says Joung Lee, AASHTO's deputy director.
Several states — "as different as Wyoming and Maryland," Puentes points out — have raised their own gas taxes over the past year.
There's a bipartisan proposal in the Senate to increase the federal gas tax by 12 cents over two years. But there's never been much appetite for the idea of an increase in Washington.
"Do I want to be associated with making the gas tax higher?" asks Schank, the Eno Center president. "They don't want to be that guy. President Obama doesn't want to be that guy."
In fact, one proposal being floated by congressional Republicans would lower the federal gas tax to 3.7 cents per gallon, essentially leaving transportation funding and planning to the states.
Funding Federal Priorities
That doesn't seem likely to happen. The national government won't want to surrender its role in providing basic infrastructure.
As things stand, though, the federal government contracts most infrastructure management out to states. The states put up the money for projects and then get reimbursed through the Highway Trust Fund.
The question now is whether states will be paid back in a timely manner. Most state transportation departments, having been through this before, assume that Congress will come through with the money in the end.
But some have already started putting projects on hold. "States will have to slow and stop construction if the federal government fails to meet its obligations in a timely manner," says Schank.
The silver lining of the shortfall, Schank suggests, is that it could force policymakers to think about ways to spend limited transportation dollars more efficiently.
That's been the hope for years, that the federal government will put greater emphasis on projects of national importance — rail connections in Chicago, say — instead of continuing to send out money to states on a formula basis.
For now, it's enough of a challenge for Congress to come up with the money that's already been promised this year.
"It's great the president's talking about it and great that everyone's exercised about it," says Puentes, the Brookings scholar, "but there's no clear path."
Last Year's Champion Predicts A Drug-Free Tour De France
Last year, the Tour de France celebrated its 100th anniversary with a spectacular sound and light show at the Arc de Triomphe during the closing ceremony.
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Neymar Airlifted From Brazil's Training Camp
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) — Brazil striker Neymar was airlifted from Brazil's training camp in a medical helicopter and will be treated at home for the back injury that ruled him out of the last two games of the World Cup.
Neymar was on a stretcher when he was transferred from an ambulance into the helicopter that took off Saturday afternoon from one of Brazil's practice pitches in the city of Teresopolis, about an hour from Rio de Janeiro.
The player was taken to his home in the city of Guaruja in Sao Paulo state, where he will continue to undergo treatment for the fractured vertebra sustained late in Brazil's 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Sports channels broadcast live as Neymar — who is a star on the field and a celebrity off of it — waved briefly from his stretcher inside the helicopter before the doors were closed and the aircraft flew away.
Medical staff spent several minutes securing the Brazilian striker inside the helicopter as his father and the president of the Brazilian football confederation, Jose Maria Marin, watched closely.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff published a letter of support to "a great warrior."
"Your expression of pain on the field yesterday (Friday) hurt my heart and the hearts of every Brazilian," she said. "I know that as a Brazilian you never give up, and sooner than expected you will be back filling our souls with happiness and our history with success."
Several players and many Brazilian celebrities also showed their support to the Brazilian star through social media.
Neymar had flown back to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of his Brazil teammates after the match in Fortaleza, then rode in an ambulance the rest of the way to the team's training camp in Teresopolis.
When the plane arrived in Rio early Saturday, teammates came one by one to embrace him as he sat in a wheelchair waiting to be taken into the ambulance.
The 22-year-old Neymar broke his third vertebra after being kneed in the back by Colombian player Juan Camillo Zuniga in the 86th minute at the Arena Castelao.
Doctors said he will not need surgery but is expected to be sidelined for at least four weeks. The player is wearing a strap to help keep his back immobilized.
Seeking its sixth world title, Brazil will play Germany in Tuesday's semifinal in Belo Horizonte. The final is next Sunday, with the third-place game a day earlier.
Neymar was carried off the field in tears on a stretcher and "screamed in pain in the dressing room" before being taken to a hospital for tests, the Brazilian confederation said in a statement.
Neymar had been one of the standout players of the World Cup, scoring four goals in the team's first three games.
Fans watching the Argentina vs. Belgium quarterfinal in Brasilia on Wednesday at times chanted "Neymar, Neymar."
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Report: German Intel Worker Allegedly Spied For US
BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman said Friday that she had been informed of the arrest of a German man who, according to media reports, is an intelligence service employee accused of spying for the United States.
Federal prosecutors said a 31-year-old German man was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of spying for foreign intelligence services. They did not identify the suspect or the intelligence services.
"The Chancellor was also informed of this case yesterday," Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters in Berlin.
He declined to comment on reports by Der Spiegel magazine and the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that the man worked for Germany's foreign intelligence service, known by its German acronym BND.
The newspapers, which didn't identify their sources, said the man was suspected of passing on information about a German parliamentary committee investigating the activities of U.S. and other intelligence agencies in Germany.
Seibert said committee members had also been informed of the arrest.
"I will have to leave the conclusions to you," he said.
Reports that the National Security Agency spied on German citizens, including on Merkel's cellphone, have caused friction between Berlin and Washington since they were first published last year, based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Martina Renner, a member of the opposition Left Party on the parliamentary panel, said the case indicated that anyone who examined Snowden's revelations in detail was subject to scrutiny by U.S. intelligence agencies.
Her panel heard testimony on Thursday from two former NSA employees, Thomas Drake and William Binney.
"If the media reports (about the case) are confirmed then there can't just be a legal response, there also has to be a political response," she said.
Seibert said Merkel discussed "foreign policy matters" in a telephone conversation with President Barack Obama late Thursday. He said the conversation focused on Ukraine but declined to say whether the arrest was discussed.
Officials at the U.S. embassy in Berlin declined to comment. The BND didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.
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Geir Moulson contributed to this report.
Egypt Premier Defends Steep Rise In Energy Prices
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's prime minister on Saturday defended a steep rise in fuel prices as necessary move to shore up the treasury, as outraged commuters bickered with public transport drivers over fare hikes and some rushed to gas stations over fears of shortages.
The price increases of up to 80 percent came into force early on Saturday in a swift announcement made just hours earlier, following promises to cut subsidies that eat up nearly a quarter of the state budget. They also come after an increase in electricity prices that were put in effect at the start of July.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, addressing a televised news conference, said energy subsidies have over the past decade cost the treasury a staggering 687 billion pounds (nearly $100 billion) that could have been used to bolster essential services.
He said it would be a "crime" if his government did not move to start lifting subsidies. He argued that 26.3 percent of Egypt's estimated 86 million people live in poverty and that overall unemployment stands at 13.6 percent, reaching above 50 percent for Egyptians aged between 20 and 30.
"There will have to be political, social and economic reforms," vowed Mahlab. "Debts are mounting and the question we must ask ourselves is whether we want to leave this legacy for future generations."
Mahlab said the partial lifting of energy subsidies would free 51 billion pounds (about $7 billion) to be spent on education, health care, pensions and raising wages.
Newly elected President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has said he would need to tackle the tough issue of subsidies and asked every Egyptian to be ready to sacrifice to help the country's battered economy after three years of turmoil.
The former military chief also asked the government to amend the largest budget in Egypt's history - at $115 billion - to reduce its deficit from 12 to 10 percent.
The fuel price rise was highest for 80 octane gasoline, used mostly by old vehicles that still fill Egyptian streets, with the price jumping 78 percent to 22 cents per liter. Diesel fuel, used by most of Egypt's public transport and trucks, increased 64 percent to 25 cents a liter. Gasoline that is 92 octane increased by 40 percent to 37 cents a liter.
Successive Egyptian leaders have balked at reducing energy subsidies, fearing unrest.
In some areas, the decision spurred a rush on gas stations, with long lines forming and many motorists frustrated.
Some drivers of Egypt's popular microbuses had raised their fares before the government announced exact increases. Mahlab warned that authorities would intervene to make sure fare increases are limited to around 10 percent. Taxi meters will also be changed to allow for higher fares, he added.
In the Canal city of Suez, microbus and taxi drivers refused to take on passengers until the government announces a detailed new fare structure. Some employees had to walk to work. Drivers have forced other public transportation vehicles to stop working until the fares are increased.
On line Saturday at one Cairo gas station, taxi driver and father of five Ebeid Ibrahim directed his frustration at the president. "When el-Sissi came to office he said he did not have a magical wand to make people's lives better. We do not want anything form anybody, but at least the status quo should have been left as it is. Where am I supposed to get money from?" said the 56-year-old Ibrahim.
Near him, Abdullah Ibrahim, 36 and father of three, stood in line to fill up his microbus, decrying the sharp rise.
"We will raise the prices on the passengers who are in need just like us," he said. "If they ask us to bear extreme measures, they have to be reasonable, the rise will specifically affect the poor."
In a separate development, judicial officials said a Cairo court on Saturday upheld death sentences against 10 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood and sentenced 37 others to life, including the spiritual leader of the Islamist group. All 10 Brotherhood members whose death sentences were confirmed were tried in absentia, meaning there will be a retrial if they are arrested or turn themselves in.
Prosecutors had charged the defendants with rioting, murder, attempted murder, attacking security forces and blocking a main road north of Cairo last year, a statement from the prosecutor's office said.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
The verdicts are part of an ongoing crackdown against Islamists that began after the military, then led by el-Sissi, ousted President Mohammed Morsi last year.
Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood, along with the group's spiritual leader Mohammed Badie and most of its leadership are in detention and face multiple trials.
Athletics Finalize Blockbuster Trade With Cubs
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — The beginning of July's first blockbuster trade occurred about a month ago, when Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane called Chicago Cubs executive Theo Epstein to ask about Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.
Beane told Epstein he liked the starting pitchers, and he was going to be aggressive in an attempt to improve the AL West leaders. Fast forward to this weekend, when Beane proved just how serious he was during that initial call.
Oakland and Chicago announced a big trade on Saturday, with Samardzija and Hammel heading to the West Coast for a package of prospects that included the A's first-round selections in each of the past two drafts.
The Athletics began the day with the best record in baseball, but Beane felt he needed to add depth to a rotation that responded well to season-ending injuries for Jarrod Parker and A.J. Griffin. Drew Pomeranz also is on the disabled list with a broken right hand.
Samardzija and Hammel join Scott Kazmir, Sonny Gray and Tommy Milone in one of the majors' best group of starting pitchers.
"We had to dig into our depth really early, and we felt like we needed two (starting pitchers)," Beane said.
Minor leaguers Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily went to Chicago in another painful deal for the lowly Cubs, who have played better of late, but are still last in the NL Central. Chicago also gets a player to be named in its latest July sell-off.
The Cubs lost at least 91 games in each of the previous three years. They traded away starting pitchers Ryan Dempster and Paul Maholm in July 2012, and Matt Garza and Scott Feldman last July.
"We certainly hope that this is the last year that we're obvious sellers at the trade deadline," Epstein said.
The key piece for Chicago in the deal with Oakland was Russell, a 20-year-old shortstop headed for Double-A Tennessee. A torn right hamstring sidelined the No. 11 overall selection in the 2012 draft earlier this season, but he was batting .333 in 13 games for Double-A Midland at the time of the trade.
Chicago and Oakland talked about a Samardzija for Russell deal, but Epstein said the one-for-one framework didn't work. He spoke with Beane on Thursday night, and that's when the trade grew into the larger package.
"We felt like Russell was a key for us in any deal with Oakland," Epstein said.
The hard-throwing Samardzija had a 2-7 record for the Cubs, but he also had a 2.83 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 108 innings, making him one of the most coveted pitchers on the market. The former Notre Dame receiver was selected by Chicago in the fifth round in 2006.
Samardzija was slated to start Sunday's game at Washington, but Carlos Villanueva got the ball instead and Chicago recalled left-hander Chris Rusin from Triple-A Iowa. Epstein said they were still discussing their options when it came to the major league rotation moving forward.
The Cubs talked to the 29-year-old Samardzija about a contract extension, but were unable to come to an agreement. He is set to become a free agent for the first time after the 2015 season.
"Jeff has been a bit of workhorse," Beane said. "He's got a perfect health record. He's a guy that continues to develop. He's gotten better and better each year he goes out. There's a certain amount of self-confidence to take the career path that he did, and I've always sort of admired that from afar."
Hammel signed a $6 million, one-year contract with Chicago in February and went 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 108 2-3 innings with the Cubs. He pitched six-plus innings in a 7-2 victory over Washington on Friday.
Hammel, who turns 32 in September, also has three career postseason starts.
"He's gotten better and better and we think now is a great time to have him," Beane said.
The 19-year-old McKinney, who was selected in the first round a year ago, hit .241 with 10 homers for Class A Stockton this season. He is headed for Chicago's Class A affiliate in Daytona, Florida, where he will share the outfield with another top prospect in Albert Almora.
Straily finished 10-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 27 starts for the A's last year. He was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento after struggling earlier this season, and Epstein said he likely would be up with the Cubs after a short stay at Triple-A Iowa.
Even before the deal, Chicago had one of the richest minor league systems in baseball. The addition of Russell and McKinney just enhances the Cubs' impressive group of prospects.
They have a surplus of shortstops that could force a position change at some point, but the players at that spot are athletic enough for a smooth transition. They also could use one of their prospects to acquire the young pitching that they are missing.
"We think we have a real outstanding stable of good young position players that is a stable base to build off," Epstein said. "We like how this positions us."
From Thermostats To Prison Security, More Things Going Online
Carlos Watson, co-founder of the online magazine Ozy.com, talks with NPR's Kelly McEvers about how companies are using connected, smart devices to plug into the "Internet of Things."
Indian Nurses Trapped In Iraq Are Safe
BAGHDAD (AP) — More than 40 Indian nurses who were trapped by in territory captured by Islamic militants who have overrun much of Iraq in recent weeks are safe and will fly home this week, an Indian official said Friday.
The nurses, 46 in all, had been stranded for more than a week at a hospital in the Iraqi city of Tikrit, which Sunni militants, including fighters from the Islamic State extremist group, captured last month. Officials say the nurses were moved this week to the militant-held city of Mosul farther north.
On Friday, chief minister of Kerala state in India, Oommen Chandy, said the nurses will return home on a special aircraft arranged by the Indian government. They are expected to arrive in the southern city of Kochi.
"We are thankful to the government of India," Chandy said.
The nurses were believed to be traveling from Mosul to the largely autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, and were expected to arrive in the regional capital of Irbil. It was not immediately clear whether they had crossed over into the Kurdish self-rule area yet or not.
"We are waiting for the arrival of the nurses from Mosul in coordination with the Indian ambassador," said Nawaz Shadi, the governor of Irbil province. "The checkpoints and the security forces are waiting for their arrival in Irbil and then for them to return to their country."
It remained unclear whether the nurses had been held by the extremist group or were just stranded in their territory. Neither Indian or Iraqi officials have offered and details.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, 39 Indian construction workers were also abducted two weeks ago near Mosul and were being held by the militants, but were safe and unharmed.
About 10,000 Indians work and live in Iraq, but only about 100 are in violent, insecure areas.
On Thursday, the Islamic State group released 32 Turkish who were captured in Mosul. The group still holds nearly 50 people who were seized at the Turkish consulate in the city last month.
Also Friday, Iraqi government airstrikes targeted Islamic militants trying to capture the country's largest oil refinery, reportedly killing as many as 30 insurgents, authorities said.
Fighters from the Islamic State group have been trying for weeks to capture the Beiji facility, located some 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of Baghdad. The group appeared on the verge of taking the refinery last month, but military troops managed to hold on and have since received reinforcements to help bolster their defenses.
A government plane targeted around eight vehicles attacking government forces at the facility north of Baghdad early Friday morning, said Sabah al-Nuaman, the spokesman for Iraq's counterterrorism services. He said up to 30 militants were killed.
Al-Nuaman also said a helicopter gunship hit a house in the town of Qaim near the Syrian border where a gathering of the Islamic State group's local leaders was taking place. He said there were several casualties, but did not have a concrete figure.
The militants took control of Qaim, which controls a border crossing with Syria, last month during their blitz across Iraq, and now control a vast stretch of territory straddling the two countries.
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Naqvi reported from New Delhi.
Philadelphia Fire Kills 4 Kids, Engulfs 10 Houses
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Officials say fire raced through a row of two-story homes in Philadelphia, killing 4-year-old twin girls, a 4-year-old boy and a baby and engulfing at least 10 houses.
The twin's mother, 41-year-old Dewen Bowah, told police she was in the home with seven children early Saturday and managed to get three out when the fire broke out. But she couldn't save her daughters, Maria and Marialla Bowah, or 1-month-old Taj Jacque and 4-year-old Patrick Sanyeah. The boys' mother wasn't in the home at the time.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but witnesses say it may have begun on a couch on the porch
The Red Cross said 42 people were displaced by the fire.
In A Battle For Web Traffic, Bad Bots Are Going After Grandma
As the Web turns 25, it's becoming a terrific place if you're a bot.
It began as a tool for human communication, but now, over 61.5 percent of the traffic on the Web is bots talking to these automated applications called bots, according to one study. And experts say about half of those bots are bad.
But first let's talk about the good bots.
For example, Google's bots crawl around the Web to find the best information. There are also bots that help make the Web run smoothly, says Marc Gaffan, co-founder of Incapsula, a website security firm. These bots "check that our websites are up and running all the time and measure how fast they are," he says.
Incapsula released a report that found the percentage of non-human Web traffic went from around 50 percent in 2012 to over 61 percent of all traffic last year.
Gaffan says a little over half of those bots are bad. The bad ones are "scanning your website looking for vulnerabilities, they're potentially trying to hack into your website," he says.
Once inside your system, bad bots can get a lot of information, like corporate and government secrets. But, Dan Kaminsky, the founder of the security firm White Ops, says his company noticed that bots were going after individual users.
All Tech Considered
The Future Internet Is Not So Free Or Open, In Pew's New Survey
R&B Singer Tevin Campbell Performs At Essence Fest
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — R&B singer Tevin Campbell, who thrilled fans as a teenager when he asked "Can We Talk," is performing for the first time at the Essence Festival as he seeks to re-ignite his career.
Campbell said he's 37 now, but the voice that started him on his journey at age 11 is still with him. Fans can expect to hear all his classics during his Saturday night set inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, where the festival is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Campbell said he hopes to excite old fans and cultivate new ones who may not be familiar with hits that include "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" and "I'm Ready."
"Everyone has that one song that's 'their' song and they want to hear it, so we plan to accommodate them, but I might throw in some new stuff too," he said.
At an appearance last month in New York, Campbell gave the audience a taste of one his new songs, "Addicted to Your Love" and received what he described as positive feedback. "I mostly get asked, 'Where have you been?' and they'll also say I look great and sound great — even though I'm all grown up," he said
Campbell said he's currently recording and working with a bunch of different people, including production from Teddy Riley and singer Faith Evans. He said his dream collaborations would be with rapper Drake, Neo and T-Pain and duets with Beyonce or Rihanna.
"There's always a place for great music," he said. "I think the music is a mix of everything I like from rock to rap but at my core, I'm R&B so it's R&B," he said.
He hopes to have two singles drop by the fall, with a full release sometime next year. "I'm independent right now and just trying to create some kind of buzz for myself. Ultimately, though, I'd be open for a 1 to 2 album deal," he said.
That's why, he said, he's not taking his appearance at Essence for granted. "It's kind of a big deal. There will be a lot of people looking and listening."
After significant success in the 1990s and early 2000s, Campbell dropped out of the music scene in his 20s. He tells The Associated Press that he spent that time "being humbled by life's experiences."
"Everything was kind of a blur," he recalled. "I was 11 when I started. By my 20s, there was a lot I didn't know and a lot I needed to learn. It took me a long time to do that."
In 1999, Campbell was ordered to attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings and an AIDS awareness class and fined after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor conviction for soliciting a lewd act from an undercover policeman. Campbell had been arrested in a police sting outside an elementary school in Van Nuys, California.
Campbell said after two successful albums — "T.E.V.I.N" and "I'm Ready" — he took time off to reflect on how his life was unfolding. "I went away to do Broadway," he said. "That was a humbling experience, working as part of a group. I went to Australia. I just started living and all those experiences I've now included on my new project that centers on being humbled."
"I think a lot of good things can happen as a result of this festival," he said. "I've truly been blessed and when it comes to God and his blessings all I can do is be prepared."
China Leader Snubs North Korea In Visit To Seoul
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — With a single meeting Thursday, the leaders of China and South Korea simultaneously snubbed North Korea, bolstered their already booming trade relationship and gave the U.S. and Japan a look at Beijing's growing influence south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
There were smiles, cheering schoolchildren and red carpets as Chinese President Xi Jinping began a two-day visit to Seoul.
North Korea, meanwhile, welcomed the leader of its only major ally and crucial source of fuel and food with a flurry of recent rocket and missile tests, the latest on Wednesday. The launches, as well as a vow Thursday by the North's military to conduct more tests, are seen in part as Pyongyang demonstrating its anger at being jilted for its archrival.
After their talks Thursday, South Korean President Park Geun-hye told reporters that she and Xi agreed on the definite need to rid North Korea of nuclear weapons and would resolutely oppose any more nuclear tests.
North Korea is thought to have a handful of crude nuclear weapons and has conducted three atomic tests since 2006, the most recent last year. Xi also called for negotiations to end the North's nuclear program and the uncertainty that lingers on the Korean Peninsula.
Xi's choice to meet with Park over North Korean leader Kim Jong Un upends the practice since Beijing and Seoul forged diplomatic ties in 1992 of Chinese presidents choosing to make Pyongyang their first official destination on the Korean Peninsula.
Beijing, entangled in hostile territorial disputes across Asia, may see an opportunity to boost its influence with the rare neighbor that feels generally positive about China, while also further driving a wedge between U.S. allies Seoul and Tokyo. South Korea and China share a distaste of Japan's more assertive military ambitions and what critics see as recent attempts by Tokyo to obscure its bloody past.
Money has long been the focus of the relationship between China, the world's second-largest economy, and South Korea, the fourth-biggest economy in Asia.
The countries are in talks on a bilateral free trade agreement. China is South Korea's largest trading partner, and Seoul says two-way trade topped $220 billion last year. That's larger than the combined value of South Korea's trade with the United States and Japan.
China and South Korea on Thursday agreed to measures that will expand the use of China's tightly controlled currency and boost already extensive trade ties.
Managing security matters, and more specifically North Korea's pursuit of nuclear bombs and the long-range missiles to carry them, has always been trickier.
China is seen as having unusual leverage with hard-to-read North Korea and is often pressed to do more to force change. They fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War against the United States, South Korea and their allies. More recently, North Korea has repeatedly looked to China for diplomatic cover when the United Nations has taken up North Korean nuclear and missile tests and its much-criticized human rights record.
Analysts don't think Xi will abandon North Korea entirely as long as Seoul remains loyal to an alliance with Washington that has shielded the South from North Korean aggression and allowed it to build its impressive economy. China also craves stability and worries that too much pressure on Pyongyang could cause a North Korean collapse that would push swarms of refugees over the countries' shared border.
Still, the worries about North Korea have helped draw Seoul and Beijing together. Officials in Seoul now expect China to take strong action over future provocations, especially if Pyongyang conducts what would be its fourth nuclear test as it moves toward building an arsenal of nuclear-tipped missiles that could reach the United States.
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Associated Press correspondent Hyung-jin Kim contributed to this story.
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Follow Foster Klug, AP's Seoul bureau chief, on Twitter at twitter.com/APklug .
More Municipalities Deny Federal Requests, Won't Detain Immigrants
Before immigrants get deported, they are sometimes held temporarily by local law enforcement at the request of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. But cities across the country, most recently Philadelphia, are saying they will no longer fully cooperate with that plan.
Offenses including traffic stops and felonies can lead to deportation for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally — or even those who are legal permanent residents. ICE requests that municipalities hold suspects until they can be transferred into federal custody.
Until recently, Philadelphia honored a couple of hundred of these "immigration detainers" a year. But in April, Philadelphia's mayor signed an executive order essentially ending that practice in the city.
Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez, the first Latina to serve on the Philadelphia City Council, pushed hard for the change and celebrated at the public announcement.
It's All Politics
Calif. Town Thrusts Heated Immigration Debate Into National Spotlight
Ronaldo: Challenge On Neymar Was Intentional
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil great Ronaldo believes there was intention and violence in the challenge on Neymar that left the star forward with a fractured vertebra and ruled him out of the World Cup.
Neymar was carried off the field in severe pain late in Brazil's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Colombia on Friday night after being kneed in the back in a collision with Juan Camilo Zuniga. Medical tests later confirmed Neymar had fractured a bone at the base of his back and would be on the sidelines for four weeks, news that sent the World Cup host nation into a somber mood.
Ronaldo, who shares the World Cup scoring record, told a news conference Saturday that "the injury was a very violent one."
"We could see on television there was an intention by the Colombia player to actually cause some harm," Ronaldo said. "I don't think it was a normal football play. I do believe it was aggressive."
The referee took no action on the field against Zuniga, who leaped high behind Neymar and at speed. The FIFA disciplinary committee planned to review video footage of the challenge.
"I thought it was a highly violent and unlawful move by the Colombia player, but that is not important anymore," Ronaldo said. "We are fearful and sad for the loss of our player."
Sharing the news conference with Ronaldo, former Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro agreed that Zuniga appeared to want to hurt Neymar.
"I didn't like that very high knee so that leads me to believe it was a foul with intention to actually cause harm," said Cannavaro, who was captain of the 2006 World Cup winning team.
In a post-match broadcast interview, Zuniga said he had no intention of injuring Neymar.
"I didn't mean to hurt him, I was trying to defend my shirt, my country, as I've always done," the Colombian defender said. "Sadly this happened. Hopefully, with God's help, he'll recover."
Ronaldo said Brazil, which is desperate to win a sixth World Cup title on home soil, "loses enormously" in the absence of its undisputed star. The Brazilians play Germany in the semifinals on Tuesday, and Ronaldo said the loss of Neymar will give other forwards like Fred and Hulk more motivation.
Ronaldo revealed he had sent Neymar a message on Friday night.
"I told him that the whole country is proud of him," said the 1994 and 2002 World Cup winner, "and that the support will be that the World Cup remains in Brazil and we will be able to dedicate it to him."
Higuain Sends Argentina To Semis, Belgium Home
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — For once Lionel Messi didn't carry Argentina on his shoulders.
He didn't have to.
Gonzalo Higuain ended a four-game scoreless streak with an early winner as Argentina beat Belgium 1-0 and reached a World Cup semifinal match for the first time since 1990.
"Since the first game of this World Cup I said I was calm, that the goals would come. It came and at an important moment," Higuain said. "It's been so many years since we made it to the semifinals. Now we did."
Higuain came into the World Cup still recovering from an ankle injury that had sidelined him since early May. The 26-year-old Napoli striker looked out-of-form in the group stage and wasn't giving Argentina the edge it needed in the penalty area.
That changed in the eighth minute of the game in Brasilia, as he picked up a deflected pass from Angel Di Maria just inside the area and beat goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with a half-volley toward the far post.
"Higuain has the class to put the ball where he wants it. There is nothing we could do about it," Courtois said.
A poor consolation for the Belgium goalkeeper was that he once again kept Messi from scoring, as he had done in seven straight matches at club level.
The Argentina captain missed a chance to get his fifth goal of the tournament when he failed to beat Courtois in stoppage time.
Argentina's next opponent will be the winner of the last quarterfinal between the Netherlands and Costa Rica, who were playing later Saturday in Salvador.
Buoyed by the melodic chants of its fans, Argentina protected its lead thanks to a near-flawless defensive line, bolstered by strong performances from central midfielders Javier Mascherano and Lucas Biglia.
Belgium lacked the imagination to find a way into the final third of the pitch, and created few clear chances apart from a pair of headers by Kevin Mirallas and Marouane Fellaini.
Belgium's most creative player, Eden Hazard, had little impact on the game beyond receiving a yellow card for a studs-first challenge on Lucas Biglia. Hazard cut a disconsolate figure as he was substituted by Nacer Chadli in the 75th.
Belgium coach Marc Wilmots didn't think that his team fell to a stronger opponent, calling Argentina "just an ordinary team."
"If we had equalized in the last few minutes, they are dead, they are finished," Wilmots said.
Long after the game, thousands of Argentine fans flocked to one section of the Estadio Nacional to celebrate the country's best World Cup performance since it lost the 1990 final to West Germany.
"They played an excellent match," Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said of his team. "After 24 years, we can be among the four best teams in the world. At least we lived up to the minimum objective."
Argentina has won every match in Brazil by a single goal. In previous games, it scraped by thanks to individual moments of magic by Messi. But against Belgium, Argentina looked in control even after losing Di Maria — the team's most influential player in Brazil aside from Messi — to a right thigh injury in the 33rd minute.
Sabella said the Real Madrid midfielder will have medical tests on Sunday to discover the extent of the injury.
It was Di Maria who set up Higuain's goal as he picked up a pass from Messi and cut in from the right. He tried to find fullback Pablo Zabaleta, but the ball bounced off Jan Vertonghen into Higuain's path.
Startled by the early goal, the Red Devils didn't create any heat in Argentina's penalty area until the 42nd minute when Mirallas headed Vertonghen's cross just wide of Sergio Romero's right post.
Fifteen minutes after the break, Vertonghen once again sent in a precise cross from the left flank but Fellani headed it over the crossbar.
Higuain came close to making it 2-0 in the second half when he easily ran past Vincent Kompany and smashed a shot into the crossbar. He worked relentlessly for Argentina before being substituted in the 81st by Fernando Gago.
"We still have two matches to go so we can have the dream, the dream that brought us here from the very first day," Higuain said.
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Follow Karl Ritter on Twitter at http://twitter.com/karl_ritter
Advocates, Mom Hopeful About Delayed Deportation
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Activists are pointing to the delayed deportation of a Utah mother and her children as the kind of compassion they hope President Barack Obama will pursue in the wake of his announcement that he'll act on his own to address immigration problems.
Garland resident Ana Caenquez and four of her seven children were originally ordered to leave the United States and return to El Salvador by March 21. That date was pushed back, and now there's no specific deadline for them to leave.
The extra time allows her to save money to afford a home back in El Salvador, both she and immigration officials say.
Advocates hope that kind of discretion is something Obama will expand.
"Many in the community hope the president will use more prosecutorial discretion," Proyecto Latino de Utah director Tony Yapias said. "It makes sense for ICE (the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency) to focus on serious criminals rather than to separate families or target people who keep out of trouble here. That is a wiser use of resources."
Caenquez said her family would face a life of extreme poverty in her native El Salvador, and she fears gangs in that country could mean death for her four sons should they be sent there.
Before she first entered the U.S. illegally in 2003, Caenquez lived in a two-room shack in El Salvador with her children and an alcoholic spouse. She earned $6 a day by selling treats in a marketplace, struggling to afford food for her family.
After one son died of malnutrition, she came to the U.S. hoping to earn enough for her family.
She spent some time in the U.S. Then, four years ago, Caenquez and four of her children from El Salvador were caught by Border Patrol agents as they tried to enter the country.
Her partner in Utah, a Mexican national with whom she has two children, won't have permission to go back to El Salvador with her, and she doesn't have permission to go to Mexico. If she returns, he will stay in the U.S. with their two children.
"They told me they are giving us time to save money to afford a home in El Salvador," she told The Salt Lake Tribune (http://bit.ly/1mO0QHO) in Spanish. "We would have nothing there if we return now."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Andrew Muoz said the family's case has been reviewed by multiple immigration courts and there's no legal basis for her to remain in the country.
She's now in violation of an order to leave by March 21, but there's no firm date by which she must leave or be forcibly removed.
The federal agency is using its discretion to delay the removal "to permit a reasonable amount of time for Ms. Caenquez to save money in order to secure housing for her and her family in El Salvador," Muoz said.
That discretion is something Yapias said many immigrants hope Obama will expand.
"We hope they will look at the threat posed by people on a case-by-case basis and target criminals who have done truly bad things — but not those who maybe didn't pay a traffic ticket, or whose families would be separated," he said.
Obama has not outlined specific plans he has in mind since announcing Monday that he would act on his own to address immigration because the U.S. House of Representatives wouldn't take up an immigration overhaul this year.
Possible actions could include trying to focus deportations on those with serious criminal records, something the administration has seen mixed results with in the past.
Two Cabinet secretaries are expected to present recommendations to the president by the end of summer.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
Last Year's Champion Predicts A Drug-Free Tour De France
Last year, the Tour de France celebrated its 100th anniversary with a spectacular sound and light show at the Arc de Triomphe during the closing ceremony.
i i
Only Road Onto NC Island Reopening After Arthur
MANTEO, N.C. (AP) — Businesses on two of North Carolina's barrier islands hoped to salvage the rest of the holiday weekend after Arthur clipped the state without causing major damage before churning north toward Canada.
Arthur was downgraded to a tropical storm early Saturday, but its near-hurricane strength winds delivered a powerful hit to Canada's maritime provinces after brushing past the precariously exposed Outer Banks on the Fourth of July, causing far less damage than feared.
Nova Scotia Power said 113,000 of its customers were without power late Saturday morning, while the utility in New Brunswick reports 86,000 outages. The storm has caused flight cancellations and delays at the region's largest airport in Halifax. Strong winds and heavy rain were expected to continue through Saturday night, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was about 95 miles west-northwest of Halifax. Environment Canada measured wind gusts there topping 72 mph (115 kph).
Like North Carolina, New England was also largely spared damage spawned by the storm, but some 19,000 people in Maine and 1,600 in Vermont were without power after high winds and heavy rains pounded the region. There were reports of localized flooding in coastal areas of Massachusetts and the Nova Star Ferry suspended service Friday and Saturday morning because of dangerous seas. No injuries or deaths have been reported.
In North Carolina, some homes and businesses were flooded, trees toppled and initially thousands were without electricity after Arthur raced through the barrier islands Friday. Independence Day fireworks were postponed. About 20 feet of the fragile road connecting Hatteras Island with the rest of the world buckled and required repairs. The road was being reopened Saturday in stages.
Permanent residents of Hatteras Island began returning Saturday. Employees of businesses that need to get ready to accommodate arriving tourists were also being allowed onto the island that had been closed to arrivals since early Thursday. Officials also tested the two-mile-long Bonner Bridge onto the island to ensure it was safe for traffic. The bridge opened at noon to local Hatteras residents and essential workers.
Gov. Pat McCrory expressed relief and started encouraging vacationers to return to the beaches, a message echoed by locals.
"This ain't no damage at all. Everybody will be able to come back probably," Lindell Fergeson of Manteo said after driving around to view the aftermath. "It just held up the Fourth (of July) for a little bit, but everything will be open again."
John Wilson was at work Friday sucking water off the floor of the flooded Manteo building he rents to an art gallery. He felt lucky that the building along the town's waterfront only took a foot of water.
"We'll be back in business in a day or two," Wilson said.
The storm that struck the state's southern coast late Thursday as a Category 2 hurricane quickly moved north Friday to cloud the skies over the Delaware and New Jersey shores. Rain from Hurricane Arthur disrupted some New York-area Independence Day celebrations but cleared in time for the nation's largest fireworks display in the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for coastal areas as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and southeastern Canada. Forecasters predicted the storm would weaken before its center moved over western Nova Scotia in Canada early Saturday.
North Carolina officials worked to restore access to Hatteras Island on the island's only road. The state Transportation Department said it was aiming to restore traffic on North Carolina Highway 12 sometime Saturday, when many vacationers were due to start their weeklong cottage rentals.
Farther south, Ocracoke Island's electricity distribution system was badly damaged by Arthur, leading officials to order residents to quit using air conditioners and water heaters so that generator-supplied power could provide refrigeration and other necessities during a cycle of planned outages. A nightly curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. was declared until power was fully restored. Vacationers were being coaxed to leave with the offer of free ferry rides out.
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Associated Press reporter Jerome Bailey Jr. contributed to this report.
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Emery Dalesio can be reached at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio.
Performer Drapes, Lights Firecrackers On Body
COOPERSVILLE, Mich. (AP) — John Fletcher gets a bang out of firecrackers — especially those he wraps around himself.
The Detroit News reports (http://bit.ly/VrI3fO ) Saturday that the 51-year-old performer's act includes setting off 10,500 firecrackers attached to his body.
Fletcher goes by the name Ghengis John the Human Firecracker. He performed last weekend before 300 people and four firefighters at a motorcycle rally in western Michigan's Coopersville.
Fletcher says that over 16 years he has set off 600,000 firecrackers attached to his body. His ribs have been fractured 17 times and once Fletcher says he was knocked unconscious.
The gravel pit scale operator from Pinckney doesn't get paid for his performances and asks audiences to donate to charities.
Though threatening retirement, Fletcher likes the attention and has yet to stop donning his firecracker suit.
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Information from: The Detroit News, http://detnews.com/
Michelle Obama Fights GOP On School Lunch Rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — First ladies typically avoid getting into public scraps, but Michelle Obama has jumped into perhaps her biggest battle yet.
She's fighting a House Republican effort to soften a central part of her prized anti-childhood obesity campaign and she says she's ready "to fight until the bitter end."
Mrs. Obama even mocked the GOP effort in an opinion column and argued her case before her Twitter followers.
"Remember a few years ago when Congress declared that the sauce on a slice of pizza should count as a vegetable in school lunches?" she wrote in The New York Times. "You don't have to be a nutritionist to know that this doesn't make much sense. Yet we're seeing the same thing happening again with these new efforts to lower nutrition standards in our schools."
Mrs. Obama lobbied largely behind the scenes four years ago for the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which requires more fruit, vegetables and whole grains in school meals, along with less sodium, sugar and fat. It was a major achievement, the first update to school lunch rules in decades designed to make school meals more nutritious.
The School Nutrition Association, an industry-backed group that represents school cafeteria workers and originally supported the standards, has now turned against them. The association says it fully supports getting kids to eat healthier but says many districts are losing money because students aren't buying the healthier lunches.
More than 1 million fewer students eat lunch at school each day since the first round of standards went into effect in 2012, following decades of steadily increasing participation, said Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the association. A second round of rules, including standards for school breakfasts, took effect July 1.
"How can we call these standards a success when they are driving students away from the program?" she said.
Her group wants more flexibility for districts that are losing money. A House bill to fund the Agriculture Department next year would give districts a chance to apply to skip the requirements for one year.
Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, the Republican author of that measure, said the lunch rules go too far and came too fast for school districts to handle.
"As well-intended as the people in Washington believe themselves to be, the reality is that from a practical standpoint these regulations are just plain not working out in some individual school districts," he said after a House panel approved the bill. A vote by the full House is expected after its July Fourth break.
The first lady and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, whose department runs the school meals program, oppose changing the law.
Critics of the association say the about-face is motivated not only by overburdened school officials but also by the food industry. Food companies are some of the association's highest-paying members and supply schools with most of their food. The industry largely has kept silent through the debate but will spend millions of dollars to reformulate many products to meet the new standards.
"The last thing that we can afford to do right now is play politics with our kids' health, especially when we're finally starting to see some progress on this issue," Mrs. Obama said at the White House, where she met with a group of school nutrition experts, all of whom were friendly toward the standards.
The association requested a meeting with Mrs. Obama and Vilsack. Instead it was invited to sit down next week with Vilsack and Sam Kass, a White House chef who is executive director of the first lady's anti-obesity initiative, along with representatives from a dozen other organizations that favor the standards.
The first lady's publicly aggressive approach against Congress and the school nutrition association stands in stark contrast to the quiet lobbying she did early on, and to her handling of earlier controversies. Her approach has been to bite her tongue and not comment in the heat of the moment.
"She very, very strongly believes in the anti-obesity initiative, and I think she sees the attempt by Congress to roll back the 2010 legislation as just being anathema after trying very hard to change the culture of what we see going into these institutional lunches," said Myra Gutin, who studies first ladies at Rider University.
Mrs. Obama says the requirements are based on sound science and that 90 percent of schools are meeting them. The association says districts are unprepared to meet the newest standards.
"I'm going to fight until the bitter end to make sure that every kid in this country continues to have the best nutrition that they can have in our schools," the first lady said at a White House event where she showcased elementary school students preparing and then eating a salad lunch using vegetables they had planted in her garden on the South Lawn.
The White House has threatened to veto the House bill. The Senate version does not include the one-year waiver.
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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
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Follow Darlene Superville on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap
Neymar Returns To Brazil Camp In Ambulance
FORTALEZA, Brazil (AP) — Neymar returned to Brazil's training camp in an ambulance after being ruled out of the World Cup because of a broken vertebra that will sideline him for four weeks.
Neymar flew back to Rio de Janeiro with the rest of his Brazil teammates following their 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Colombia in Fortaleza on Friday and rode the rest of the way to the team's camp in the mountain city of Teresopolis by ambulance.
The 22-year-old striker was kneed by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga late in the second half at the Arena Castelao, fracturing his third vertebra.
The Brazilian confederation said in a statement early Saturday the recovery time would be about four weeks.
Director, 2 More Indicted In Fatal Ga. Train Crash
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The director of a movie about singer Gregg Allman and two other executives on the project were indicted Thursday on felony charges stemming from a fatal crash in which a freight train plowed into the film's crew in southeast Georgia.
A grand jury in rural Wayne County returned charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing against "Midnight Rider" director Randall Miller as well as his wife and business partner, Jody Savin, and the film's executive producer, Jay Sedrish.
If they are convicted, the filmmakers each could face up to 11 years in prison for the Feb. 20 death of Sarah Jones. The 27-year-old camera assistant from Atlanta was killed and six other crew members were struck by a train while shooting footage on a railroad bridge spanning the Altamaha River southwest of Savannah. Authorities say the train was traveling at 55 mph when it crashed into the crew and a bed that had been placed on the tracks as a movie prop.
Jones' parents, who have filed a civil lawsuit against the three indicted filmmakers and others, stopped short of praising the decision to seek a criminal prosecution.
"Elizabeth and I are comfortable that the authorities were both careful and meticulous in investigating and bringing charges related to the incident that took our daughter's life," Richard Jones, the young woman's father, said in a statement. "We must allow the criminal justice process to proceed unhindered. Our mission remains the same: to ensure safety on all film sets."
Wayne County sheriff's investigators have said filmmakers had permission to be on property surrounding the tracks from the landowner, forest-products company Rayonier, but lacked permission from CSX Railroad to be filming on the actual train tracks.
The indictment charges Miller, Savin and Sedrish with unintentionally causing Jones' death by trespassing onto the railroad bridge. The filmmakers went onto the train trestle even after CSX denied them access, the indictment says.
Donnie Dixon, an attorney for Miller and Savin, said Thursday that he had no comment on the charges. It was not immediately known whether Sedrish had an attorney.
Three civil lawsuits, including the one by Jones' parents, related to the train crash are pending. Miller bristled at the suggestion that he was cavalier about his crew's safety when he took the witness stand during a court appearance in May. He said his assistants were in charge of securing location permits, and that crew members were along the track to look out for trains during filming.
"I did not know it was a live train trestle," Miller said. "We were told there were two trains from Rayonier coming through, and no more trains that day."
Involuntary manslaughter is a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under Georgia law. Criminal trespass is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than a year in prison.
None of the accused filmmakers, who live in California, have been arrested. They will likely be allowed to travel to Georgia and turn themselves in at a later date, said Joe Gardner, the lead sheriff's investigator in the case.
Hurricane Arthur Churns North Toward Nova Scotia
MANTEO, N.C. (AP) — Businesses on two of North Carolina's barrier islands hoped to salvage the rest of the holiday weekend after Arthur clipped the state without causing major damage as it churned north toward Nova Scotia, Canada.
The storm's maximum sustained winds were about 75 mph (125 kph) early Saturday morning. Arthur was moving at about 31 mph and located about 75 miles southwest of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
In North Carolina, some homes and businesses were flooded, trees toppled and initially thousands were without electricity after Arthur raced through the Outer Banks on Friday, but no deaths or serious injuries were reported. Independence Day fireworks were postponed. About 20 feet of the fragile road connecting Hatteras Island with the rest of the world buckled and required repairs.
The hurricane's effects were mostly confined to Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, and some vacationers were already back on beaches to the north and south on Friday.
Gov. Pat McCrory expressed relief and started encouraging vacationers to return to the beaches, a message echoed by locals.
"This ain't no damage at all. Everybody will be able to come back probably," Lindell Fergeson of Manteo said after driving around to view the aftermath. "It just held up the Fourth (of July) for a little bit, but everything will be open again."
John Wilson was at work Friday sucking water off the floor of the flooded Manteo building he rents to an art gallery. He felt lucky that the building along the town's waterfront only took a foot of water.
"We'll be back in business in a day or two," Wilson said.
The storm that struck the state's southern coast late Thursday as a Category 2 hurricane quickly moved north Friday to cloud the skies over the Delaware and New Jersey shores. Rain from Hurricane Arthur disrupted some New York-area Independence Day celebrations but cleared in time for the nation's largest fireworks display in the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Tropical storm warnings were in effect for coastal areas as far north as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and southeastern Canada. Forecasters predicted the storm would weaken before its center moved over western Nova Scotia in Canada early Saturday.
North Carolina officials worked to restore access to Hatteras Island on the island's only road. The state Transportation Department said it was aiming to restore traffic on North Carolina Highway 12 sometime Saturday, when many vacationers were due to start their weeklong cottage rentals.
Farther south, Ocracoke Island's electricity distribution system was badly damaged by Arthur, leading officials to order residents to quit using air conditioners and water heaters so that generator-supplied power could provide refrigeration and other necessities during a cycle of planned outages. A nightly curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. was declared until power was fully restored. Vacationers were being coaxed to leave with the offer of free ferry rides out.
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Associated Press reporter Jerome Bailey Jr. contributed to this report.
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Emery Dalesio can be reached at http://twitter.com/emerydalesio.
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