4VF News – Daily News Channel – Page 2216

U.S.-led coalition kills 13 Afghan civilians

An Afghan man grieves for his brother after an attack this week by U.S.-led coalition forces.
Thirteen people, described by the U.S. military as "noncombatants," were killed in western Afghanistan earlier this week during a coalition operation, the military said Saturday.

“We expressed our deepest condolences to the survivors of the noncombatants who were killed during this operation,” said Brig. Gen. Michael Ryan, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan. Three militants also died in Tuesday’s operation in the Gozara district of Herat province, the military said. The killings further inflame Afghans’ anger and frustration over the killing of civilians in U.S.-led coalition and NATO operations. Many civilians also die in the crossfire between coalition forces and Taliban militants. Watch the challenge coalition forces face » Afghan and coalition investigators and international observers this week were in Herat this week. Weapons and ammunition were found at the site of the operation and Afghan soldiers held shuras, or consultative bodies, with village leaders.

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Ryan discussed the attack with senior police and army officials and with the governor of Herat. “Our inquiry in Herat demonstrates how seriously we take our responsibility in conducting operations against militant targets and the occurrence of noncombatant casualties,” Ryan said. “Our concern is for the security of the Afghan people. To this end, we continually evaluate the operations we conduct during the course of our mission in Afghanistan and have agreed to coordinate our efforts jointly.”

President Hamid Karzai raised the issue of civilian casualties during a meeting he had on Saturday with visiting U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A “recent consensus between the Afghan government and NATO, which gives more authority to the Afghan security forces during military operations, house searches and detention of suspected individuals, will help in reducing civilian casualties and bringing more effectiveness in the fight against terrorism,” Karzai said.

Arrest soon in Chandra Levy murder case, mother says

Washington intern Chandra Levy's body was found a year after she disappeared in 2001.
Washington police told the mother of murder victim Chandra Levy that an arrest is imminent in the eight-year-old case, Susan Levy told CNN on Saturday.

Police Chief Cathy Lanier of the Metropolitan Police Department did not reveal the suspect’s name, Levy said. Police did not provide details, and told reporters that no announcement is expected this weekend. “This case generated numerous bits of information, which we continue to follow up on,” Lanier said in a written statement Saturday morning. Earlier in the day, WRC-TV in Washington reported that police were pursuing an arrest warrant for a prison inmate named Ingmar Guandique. Guandique is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution-Victorville, a medium-security facility north of San Bernardino, California, an official there confirmed to CNN on Saturday. Police contacted Levy’s parents, Susan and Robert Levy, on Friday, the couple told CNN affiliate KXTV in Sacramento, California. “No, they didn’t say exactly when … she said it would be really soon,” Robert Levy said, without naming the police officer. “She didn’t say the name yet, but we think we know who it is. I don’t want to say until it’s official, though,” the father said. “We appreciate all the hard work they did,” Susan Levy told KXTV. “You want justice. You want the person incarcerated. It is still painful no matter what. Your child is dead and gone. But we are glad the police are doing something and making a difference.” Levy, 24, used her computer and then left her apartment May 1, 2001, and vanished. Her remains were found May 22, 2002, by a man walking his dog in a secluded area of Washington’s Rock Creek Park. The search for Levy and massive publicity that accompanied it stemmed largely from her connection to Rep. Gary Condit, D-California. Condit and Levy, a federal Bureau of Prisons intern from Condit’s district, had an affair, and police questioned Condit many times in connection with the murder. Police never named Condit as a suspect. Condit, a member of Congress since 1989, lost the 2002 Democratic primary and left office at the end of his term. He later reportedly moved to Arizona.

Guandique was mentioned in a Washington Post investigation into the murder published last year. The newspaper quoted former investigators in the case who said Guandique was convicted of assaulting two other women in the park where Levy’s body was found.

Possible arrest ahead in Chandra Levy murder case

Chandra Levy was a Washington intern who had an affair with a congressman. She disappeared in 2001.
There is movement in the Chandra Levy murder investigation, one of Washington’s most infamous cold cases, two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case told CNN Saturday.

They did not provide details, and said no announcement is expected this weekend. “This case generated numerous bits of information, which we continue to follow up on,” Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a written statement Saturday morning. Earlier in the day, WRC-TV station in Washington reported that police were pursuing an arrest warrant for a prison inmate named Ingmar Guandique. Guandique is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution-Victorville, a medium-security facility north of San Bernardino, California, an official there confirmed to CNN on Saturday. Police contacted Levy’s parents, Susan and Robert Levy, on Friday, informing them of the latest developments, the couple told CNN affiliate KXTV in Sacramento, California. “No, they didn’t say exactly when … she said it would be really soon,” Robert Levy said, without naming the police officer. “She didn’t say the name yet, but we think we know who it is. I don’t want to say until it’s official, though,” the father said. “We appreciate all the hard work they did,” Susan Levy told KXTV. “You want justice. You want the person incarcerated. It is still painful no matter what. Your child is dead and gone. But we are glad the police are doing something and making a difference.” Levy, 24, used her computer and then left her apartment May 1, 2001, and vanished. Her remains were found May 22, 2002, by a man walking his dog in a remote area of Washington’s Rock Creek Park. The search for Levy and massive publicity that accompanied it stemmed largely from her connection to Rep. Gary Condit, D-California. Condit and Levy, a federal Bureau of Prisons intern from Condit’s district, had an affair, and police questioned Condit many times in connection with the murder. Police never named Condit as a suspect. Condit, a member of Congress since 1989, lost the 2002 Democratic primary and left office at the end of his term. He later reportedly moved to Arizona.

iPod Safety: Preventing Hearing Loss in Teens

If you’re one of the 173 million iPod users out there, you’re probably reading this with your headphones on.

Take them out. Even if only for a few minutes while you read this post.

Trust us, your hearing will thank you for it. While many music-lovers are aware that listening to iPods and MP3 players at high volumes can lead to hearing loss, not too many of them — especially teens — actually do anything about it. In fact, when teens are pressured by friends or family to turn down their iPods, they do exactly what you’d expect teens to do — the opposite. They turn the volume up instead. And even teens who express concern about their risk of hearing loss listen to music at potentially dangerous levels, higher on average than kids who say they’re not worried about deafness.

Go figure. But that’s what researchers at Colorado University and Children’s Hospital in Boston found in a small study of 30 young iPod users. Led by Cory Portnuff, an audiologist at Colorado who began studying iPod-related hearing loss in 2006, the study found that teens not only tend to play their music louder than adults but, often, are unaware of how loud they’re playing it. “I honestly don’t believe that most people understand they are putting themselves at risk, or at what level of risk,” says Portnuff.

Portnuff has documented that listening to in-ear headphones for 90 minutes a day at 80% volume is probably safe for long-term hearing — a useful cut-off to keep in mind. The risk of permanent hearing loss, Portnuff says, can increase with just five minutes of exposure a day to music at full volume. Over time, the noise can damage the delicate hair cells in the inner ear that transform sound waves to the electrical signals that the brain understands as sound.

So why would anyone ever listen to their iPod at maximum volume Again, it’s a simple misunderstanding of risk. Portnuff speculates that teens who say they worry about hearing loss, but still listen to their iPods at high volumes probably assume that the manufacturer’s maximum default setting has to be a safe one, or that turning the volume down to anything but full-blast is harmless to the ears.

Add to these misconceptions the fact that people are listening to music louder and longer — today’s long-lasting batteries can crank out music for 15 hours or more — and it’s no wonder that the risk of hearing loss is increasing. But perhaps so is the concern. In 2006, a Louisiana man filed suit against Apple, claiming that iPods are “not sufficiently adorned with adequate warnings regarding the likelihood of hearing loss.” Soon after, health authorities in France also demanded increased safety measures. So the Cupertino-based company revised its software to set the maximum volume at 100 dB for devices sold in Europe. Portnuff says certain devices sold in the U.S. can reach beyond 100 dB, however; some have recorded levels as high as 115 dB, as loud as a chainsaw or rock concert.

Portnuff acknowledges that most iPod and MP3 users don’t keep their devices at maximum volume — only about 7% to 24% listen at risky levels. But because most of us can, and are, spending more time listening to music through headphones, there is a real risk of hearing loss for anyone who plugs in. “It’s a matter of how high you listen and for how long,” he says. Listen for too high and too long, and you may have to replace those headphones with hearing aids in the not too distant future.

Could ‘Reader’ controversy hurt Oscar chances?

One major contender’s chances at Oscar gold may be damaged due to its sensitive subject matter.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — One major contender’s chances at Oscar gold may be damaged due to its sensitive subject matter. “The Reader,” which is up for five Oscars — including best actress (for star Kate Winslet) and best picture — is being slammed by “Explaining Hitler” author Ron Rosenbaum, who’s asked Academy members to shun the post-World War II drama because the film “asks us to empathize with an unrepentant mass murderer.” Rosenbaum, who wrote his commentary for Slate.com, said that’s not his only reason. “It gives the impression that ordinary German people only learned the terrible things that happened in the death camps in the East after the war,” he said in an interview with CNN. “In fact, ordinary German people participated in Hitler’s final solution, the extermination of the Jews — it was no secret.” Read Rosenbaum’s essay Based on the German book with the same title, “The Reader” stars Winslet as Hanna Schmitz, a former Nazi prison guard living in postwar Germany. She meets and has a secretive affair with teenager Michael Berg (David Cross), who often reads aloud to her at her request. Unbeknownst to Michael, Hanna is illiterate. Their affair ends abruptly when she mysteriously disappears.

Eight years later, Michael is a law student. One day, while observing Nazi war criminals on trial, he’s shocked to find Hanna as a defendant in the courtroom. The court finds her guilty of killing 300 Jewish women during the war and sentences her to life in prison. While behind bars, Michael sends her books on tape, which, over time, help Hanna finally learn to read. Therein lies the problem for Rosenbaum. “What essentially it did,” said Rosenbaum, “was celebrate the enrichment of a life of a mass murderer when she learned how to read. … Imagine if there were a film about Charles Manson learning how to play chess and what a better guy it made him.” However, others in the Jewish community are applauding the film, including Ken Jacobson, deputy national director of the Anti-Defamation League. Jacobson says “The Reader” opens itself up to criticism, but is worthy of an Oscar at the same time. “I think it conveys a series of messages that actually are very powerful about the Holocaust, and it’s not in the usual way,” Jacobson told CNN.

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“As time goes on, as we have Holocaust deniers emerging more and more, we need people to be able to relate personally to what happened,” said Jacobson. “I think this film does this in a very powerful way.” The Weinstein Company, the studio behind “The Reader,” says it is proud of the film. “It is sad that some people misinterpreted the film’s message,” the company said in a statement. “It is not about the Holocaust,” the company added, “it is about what Germany did to itself and its future generations.” Will Rosenbaum’s piece, and the backlash he touched off, affect “The Reader’s” Oscar chances Sunday Entertainment reporter Tom O’Neil, who follows awards shows for the Los Angeles Times’ TheEnvelope.com, doesn’t think so. Given “The Reader’s” five nominations, he believes Hollywood has already embraced the film. “Oscar has taken special notice of ‘The Reader’ because it’s not just your average Holocaust movie,” said O’Neil. “It doesn’t beg for forgiveness when dealing with Nazis. It makes you think.” Still, Rosenbaum says any further accolades for the drama would be unfortunate. “I would be very disappointed in the intelligence level of Hollywood if it gave the best picture award to ‘The Reader,’ ” he said.

Chandra Levy case may be solved

Chandra Levy was a Washington intern who had an affair with a congressman. She disappeared in 2001.
Police are close to making an arrest in the Chandra Levy murder case, one of Washington’s most infamous cold cases, CNN affiliate KGO-TV reported Saturday.

Police have not confirmed the report. “The Metropolitan Police Department has no information available for release in this ongoing investigation. This case generated numerous bits of information, which we continue to follow up on,” Police Chief Cathy Lanier said in a written statement released Saturday morning. KGO-TV, in San Francisco, California, quoted a Washington television report that said police were pursuing an arrest warrant for a prison inmate named Ingmar Guandique. Guandique is being held at the Federal Correctional Institution-Victorville, a medium-security facility north of San Bernardino, California, an official there confirmed to CNN on Saturday. Police contacted Levy’s parents, Susan and Robert Levy, on Friday, informing them of the latest developments, the couple told CNN affiliate KXTV. “No, they didn’t say exactly when … she said it would be really soon,” Robert Levy said, without naming the police officer. “She didn’t say the name yet, but we think we know who it is. I don’t want to say until it’s official, though,” the father said. “We appreciate all the hard work they did,” Susan Levy, told another CNN affiliate, KXTV in Sacramento, California. “You want justice. You want the person incarcerated. It is still painful no matter what. Your child is dead and gone. But we are glad the police are doing something and making a difference.” Levy, 24, used her computer and then left her apartment May 1, 2001, and vanished. Her remains were found May 22, 2002, by a man walking his dog in a remote area of Washington’s Rock Creek Park. The search for Levy and massive publicity that accompanied it stemmed largely from her connection to Rep. Gary Condit, D-California. Condit and Levy, a federal Bureau of Prisons intern from Condit’s district, had an affair, and police questioned Condit many times in connection with the murder. Police never named Condit as a suspect. Condit, a member of Congress since 1989, lost the 2002 Democratic primary and left office at the end of his term. He later reportedly moved to Arizona. Guandique was mentioned in a Washington Post investigation into the murder published last year. The newspaper quoted former investigators in the case who said Guandique was convicted of assaulting two other women in the park where Levy’s body was found.

Karzai, Pelosi talk counter-terrorism, reconstruction

Members of the U.S Army 1-6 Field Artillery division distribute aid to villagers in Tupak, Afghanistan Saturday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Afghan President Hamid Karzai America’s "new strategy" in Afghanistan will focus on reconstructing the war-battered country and maintaining strong counter-terrorism measures, his office said.

Karzai’s office passed along a statement with details of a meeting Saturday between Karzai and a Pelosi-led congressional delegation visiting Afghanistan. Both sides discussed bilateral relations, counter-terrorism strategy, Afghan-U.S. bilateral relations, counter-terrorism strategy, economic improvements, and America’s long-term security commitment to the country. “Ms. Pelosi during the meeting said that the process of democracy in Afghanistan was on the right track and she assured President Karzai that the new American strategy for Afghanistan, which also has the views of the Afghan government included, will consider every necessary measure for a better coordination of the counter-terrorism effort in the region and have achievable goals. “Ms. Pelosi also reaffirmed her country’s continued commitment to the reconstruction process in Afghanistan and said that the new strategy would concentrate on reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan as well.”

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The statement said Karzai thanked the American people for their help and noted a “recent consensus between the Afghan Government and NATO, which gives more authority to the Afghan security forces” during operations, a move that Afghanistan says will aid in the reduction of civilian casualties. Pelosi’s trip comes during a resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan and along the Afghan-Pakistan border and a rise in violence. On Friday, three coalition soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing in Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan. U.S. President Barack Obama asserts that the war in Afghanistan is the central front in the war on terror and has ordered the deployment of 17,000 more American troops to the country. About 38,000 U.S. troops are currently serving in Afghanistan. That number will increase to 55,000 once additional forces are deployed. Coalition forces from 41 other mostly NATO countries total about 31,500. The congressional delegation to Afghanistan met Friday with U.S. Forces at Camp Eggers in Kabul and were briefed by U.S. Ambassador William Wood, and U.S. and allied military commanders.

Army medic gets life in killing of 4 Iraqis

A U.S. Army medic was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of murdering four detainees in Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman in Germany said.

The Australian actor, who earned rave reviews for his hosting of the Tonys, now has the Academy Awards to contend with. It’s a job that’s put Jon Stewart, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg and David Letterman on the firing line, with only Billy Crystal and Johnny Carson emerging more or less unscathed in the last couple of decades. But with typical verve — after all, this is the guy who won a Tony for playing song-and-dance man Peter Allen in “The Boy from Oz” — Jackman cracks jokes about the task, telling ABC that one of his distinctions is that he’s the “tallest” Oscar host in recent years. To CNN’s Brooke Anderson, he was equally at ease. “Ultimately, the way I see it is if I’m not going to have a good time, then how can anyone else have a good time,” he said. Even if he’s not having a good time, you may not want to get in his way. After all, this is the guy who’s played the fearsome, sharp-clawed Wolverine in the “X-Men” movies and gets a solo turn as the superhero in the forthcoming “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” Jackman talked with Anderson about musical numbers, Heath Ledger and performing “drunk and nude.” The following is an edited version of the interview. CNN: Are you feeling any nerves, or is it just pure excitement at this point

Hugh Jackman: It’s more, it is more excitement. I’m not impervious … there has been moments in my life where I’ve been nervous going on stage, that’s for sure, and I know I’ll have a butterfly or two, cause yeah, you wanna have a couple. But ultimately, the way I see it is if I’m not going to have a good time, then how can anyone else have a good time. You know, you’re the host — it’s not really about you. Ultimately, it’s your job to set the tone. Watch Hollywood prepare for the Oscars » CNN: And the butterflies give you a little bit of adrenaline, I would expect. Jackman: Yeah, and I’ll be drinking from about 9 a.m., so that’s why I’m impervious. CNN: Now you’re a triple threat [a dancer, actor and singer]. I need confirmation on a couple of things. Are you doing a musical number with Beyonce Jackman: Oh, that’s a good question. Look, I’m old school, I don’t want to give too much away. But I didn’t fully deny it, did I There’s going to be some surprises, that’s for sure. CNN: Stars of “High School Musical” as well Jackman: OK, I’ll give you that. Yes, they’re going to be up on stage.

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CNN: This is really a reinvention of the Oscars this year. The ratings have been low. Traditionally a comedian hosts the show. How do you feel about being part of the reinvention this year Jackman: I’m thrilled and honored, and that’s honestly how I feel. I don’t worry about the ratings or anything like that. I’m really excited by what is planned for the night, and I can tell you it’s different. It really is different. I mean having someone as tall as me is a big change. … It’s really not going to be funny at all. No, but there’s so many things I love about what they’re doing with the show. Forget ratings, you should always reinvent — you should always be doing something different. What this night is going to be about is spontaneity. We’re going to set an atmosphere that will allow things to happen that you won’t expect. And the other thing that I and the creators wanted to keep at the top and forefront of the night is that it should only happen on that night — whatever happens, it could only happen on Oscar night, and only this year will it happen. So there’s going to be some things in there where you’re like, “Oh!” CNN: How daring is it going to be Will there be YouTube moments where people will be talking about the Oscars this year after it happens Jackman: One of my favorite moments at the Oscars was when the streaker came across David Niven. And we’re upping it a level and we’re just going to do most of the show naked. Um, well, there hopefully will be YouTube moments. CNN: “The sexiest man alive” [is] going to be up there nude Jackman: Drunk and nude, yes. So that’s our new fresh approach. It’s the Australian way. CNN: Are you going to work that “sexiest man alive” title into the show Jackman: There’s a few jokes floating around. Of course I will be about 8 feet away from two-time sexiest man alive Brad Pitt, so yes, there’s great temptation to use something there. CNN: And political jokes — will there be many of them that you will work into the act Jackman: Hmm … there may be some, but it won’t be top-heavy. CNN: OK, so lots of surprises. You’ve got experience with award shows, how is this different than hosting the Tonys Jackman: The Tony Awards is watched by more people in the theater than at home on television. So, the Oscars, it’s slightly different, there’s about a thousand here [in the theater] and a billion out there. But really, if I hadn’t done the Tony Awards, I’d be a hell of a lot more nervous. I mean I’m trained as an actor, that’s what I do, it’s not like I’m trained to be a host. But having done that, the thing that I think surprised me more than anything was how much fun I had because anything can happen. You’re always amongst people who are, they’re pros. There’s people out there, and if you played with them, they’ll generally play back, and that’s the thing I like about it. CNN: Heath Ledger was a fellow Australian. Do you think [it will] be a fitting tribute for him to posthumously win an Oscar Jackman: You know of course, I can’t help [but] feel sentimentally for him to be recognized. I think everyone recognizes his talent, his contributions. He was a friend of mine — I knew him — so I would love him to get that kind of public recognition. His family will be there; I can’t help but feel that will be great. So that’s the only category that I will give my preferences. I have a few others. I’ve had a few little sly bets going. I’ve got to talk to all those people backstage: Hey, I thought you should have won! CNN: How do you balance your home life with your busy schedule Jackman: You abandon your family at this point in time. Literally, they’re in New York. People have said, “Oh, is the family coming out” and I’ve said [to my family] don’t bother coming — I leave at about 7 in the morning and I get home at about 11 at night, so right now it’s Skype. God bless Skype.

CNN: The kids are understanding Jackman: Yeah, they’re cool. My son, who’s named Oscar by the way, he goes, “You know what the headline should be ‘Oscar’s dad hosts the Oscars.’ ” And I was like, that’s pretty good. Yeah, he’ll stay up and watch it. iReport.com: Who do you think will win at the Oscars

Clinton: Chinese ‘human rights can’t interfere’ with other crises

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton broached the issue of human rights with Chinese leaders Saturday, but emphasized that the world economic and other crises are more pressing and immediate priorities.

“Human rights cannot interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crises,” Clinton said in talks with China’s foreign minister. Clinton made China the last and most crucial stopover in her Asia trip, signaling the new administration’s first attempts to lay a foundation toward a China policy. It is Clinton’s first trip to China as secretary of state. She met with Chinese President Hu Jintao on Saturday and discussed the framework for further high-level and mid-level discussions. “It is essential that the United States and China have a positive, cooperative relationship,” Clinton told a group of reporters. Earlier Saturday, Clinton met with Chinese Premier Wen Jibao in Beijing, where they discussed what they regard as the new defining Sino-U.S. strategic goals: the world economic crisis, regional security and the environment. The United States and China are the world’s largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Human rights, a traditional topic in discussions between the two countries, was broached during Saturday’s meeting between Clinton and Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who agreed to engage on a continuous discussion on the issue. Clinton said both nations will continue to hold frank discussions on crucial human rights issues, such as Tibet and freedom of expression in China. In the past, Clinton has been an outspoken, staunch critic of China’s human rights stance. In a welcoming response, Yang said China was willing to discuss the often-contentious subject of human rights.

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“Although differences exist, China is willing to conduct the dialogues with the U.S. to push forward the human rights situation on the premise of mutual respect and noninterference in each other’s internal affairs,” Yang was quoted in the Chinese Xinhua news agency. On the economic front, both leaders emphasized the importance of working in cooperation as their economies are intertwined. China, the world’s top holder of U.S. debt, wants to ensure liquidity and security in its dealings with the U.S. treasury bonds. “We did use foreign exchange reserves to buy U.S. treasury bonds. Our principle of using reserves is to ensure security and liquidity,” Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters. China-U.S. trade volume rose by 10.5 percent in 2008 to $333.7 billion, Xinhua reported. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, China is North Korea’s largest trade partner. It has taken a leadership position in the six-party talks, a multinational diplomatic effort to denuclearize North Korea. In Seoul, Clinton did not refrain form harsh words, restating the U.S. position toward North Korea. “North Korea is not going to get a different relationship with the U.S. while insulting and refusing dialogue with the Republic of Korea,” she said. Mid-level military discussions will resume this month, Clinton announced Saturday. Last October, the Bush administration notified Congress of its plan to sell $6.5 billion in arms to Taiwan which caused China to suspend military talks with the US.

Clinton told CNN’s Senior Correspondent Jill Dougherty that U.S. policy toward Taiwan will not change. Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barack Obama are scheduled to meet at the G20 meeting in London in April.

Leipheimer set for third California title

Leipheimer is homing in on his third Tour of California after winning the stage six time-trial.
Levi Leipheimer remained on course to win his third successive Tour of California title after winning the 24km sixth stage individual time-trial at Solvang to extend his overall race lead.

The Astana rider came home eight seconds clear of fellow-American David Zabriskie to increase his overall advantage over Zabriskie to 36 seconds. Australian Michael Rogers is up to third place overall, after finishing fourth on the day, while Lance Armstrong finished 14th — one minute and 16 seconds behind team-mate Leipheimer — to drop from fourth to sixth place in the overall standings, 1:46 off the lead.

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