Mexico resort barred ambulances after fatal blast Video

Security kept ambulances from entering a Mexican resort following a deadly explosion last November, preventing emergency workers from rendering aid in the crucial first minutes after the blast, CBC News has learned.

The powerful explosion on Nov. 14 ripped through a small lobby of the Grand Riviera Princess hotel in Playa del Carmen, killing two Mexican workers and five Canadian tourists. Officials initially blamed swamp gas, but later determined a leaking gas line was to blame.

After cancelling a scheduled interview and following repeated interview requests, hotel officials sent an email to CBC News late Monday denying they had barred the ambulances from entering and saying it took ambulances 18 minutes to reach the facility.

Four people may face criminal charges in the homicide investigation, state officials say.

Eight emergency calls made following the blast reveal that hotel security barred ambulances and police from entering the expansive resort complex, stranding them outside the front gate located about a kilometre from the blast site. At the same time, hotel staff and guests struggled to treat the wounded with limited supplies and expertise.

No one knows the precise minute of the blast, but it is believed to be about 9:10 a.m.

The first emergency call to 066 — the Mexican equivalent of 911— came in at 9:24 a.m., reporting a kitchen fire. Five other calls requesting ambulances follow.

At 9:41 a.m., about 17 minutes after the initial call, a police officer says ambulances are not being allowed on site by the security guard, who is unaware of any "event."




News From: www.cbc.ca

Miami Dolphins: Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown

Miami Dolphins: Dan Reeves on life after Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown

Before the Miami Dolphins let Ronnie Brown and/or Ricky Williams leave via free agency, they might want to heed the words of former NFL head coach Dan Reeves.

When I asked Reeves what he thought of the chances new Dolphins offensive coordinator Brian Daboll might be able to re-energize the Miami version of the Wildcat — the Browns got plenty of mileage out of Josh Cribbs in that set the past two years — Reeves made it clear it’s about the players, not the scheme.

“They’ve got an exciting guy running the Wildcat,” said Reeves, coaching the East team at this week’s East-West Shrine Game. “I don’t know if there’s anyone better than Ricky [Williams] or [Ronnie] Brown. They’re both studs. I did several games with them. They’re both outstanding football players. … If you’ve got those two guys as free agents, what are you going to do with those two guys?”

Reeves, who took four teams to the Super Bowl and turned 67 on Wednesday, cautioned that Daboll as a young coordinator must be careful not to try to fit square pegs into round holes. Flexibility was one of Daboll’s buzzwords this week at his formal rollout as Dan Henning’s successor.

“It’s the coach’s ability to use the talent he has,” Reeves said. “Whether it’s the Wildcat or no huddle, whatever. You can’t force a system on players. You’ve got to have the abilty to use what the players do best. I think that’s what he did. He took what he had in Cleveland and said, ‘This is what’s best for us.’ Everybody’s situation is different. You had a young quarterback [in Colt McCoy] this year most of the time, a rookie quarterback. So you got to do things different.”

Reeves, an NFL analyst for Sirius Radio, added he has never had the chance to sit down and talk with Daboll, currently the league’s second-youngest playcaller for the second straight year. Josh McDaniels, recently hired as the Rams’ offensive coordinator, is 34 and almost exactly a year younger than Daboll, 35.

McDaniels and Daboll are tight, by the way, from their championship-winning days on the Patriots staff.

Seattle recently fired Jeremy Bates, who was the league’s youngest OC last year at 34.

“I don’t know him,” Reeves said of Daboll. “I know the name. He’ll have to really utilize what he’s got. In watching the Dolphins, they’ve got some good talent. It’s always the quarterback position that is the key. That’s going to be again the key for them.”

That, and what to do with the rest of the offensive backfield.

As for putting in a new system during an offseason of labor uncertainty, Reeves agreed that could make things even tougher on Daboll.

“The lockout possibility is really difficult,” Reeves said. “But all you’ve got to do as a coach is prepare as if there isn’t going to be one. If there isn’t one, which we’re all hoping for, then you’re ready. So it’s not going to come as a surprise if there is a lockout. Then that’s a total ‘I don’t know.’ There haven’t been many of those, and nobody has any experience with it, so hopefully it won’t happen.”

News From: blogs.sun-sentinel.com

Tension on Beirut streets after Hariri indictments

Lebanese security forces deployed in central Beirut on Tuesday and several schools closed in response to tensions surrounding a draft indictment issued over the 2005 killing of former premier Rafik al-Hariri.

Groups of men gathered in the early morning in several places across the capital, alarming Sunni Muslim residents who said they were supporters of Hezbollah or its Shi'ite ally Amal.

In May 2008, armed supporters of Hezbollah took over parts of Beirut after government steps to shut down its private telecommunications network and curb its control at the airport. Dozens of people were killed in fighting across the country.

Last week Hezbollah ministers and their allies toppled the government of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, son of the slain Sunni leader, after he refused to cut Lebanon's ties with the U.N.-backed tribunal investigating his father's killing.

The tribunal prosecutor issued a draft indictment on Monday. Its contents were not revealed, but it is expected to accuse members of Hezbollah, which denies any role in the assassination and had accused the tribunal of being an "Israeli tool".

Shi'ite Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri told As-Safir newspaper that the opposition had said that its policy would change once the indictment was issued, and that policy "has entered the stage of implementation as of yesterday afternoon".

The appearance of dozens of men across the capital raised fears of a repeat of the conflict in 2008.

"I got a call from my mother to come home immediately because the situation is bad, and there are people on the streets," said university student Mira Noureddine. "We are worried the situation could get worse".

Lebanon's Education Minister Hassan Mneimneh said schools would remain open. "Despite the gatherings of youths we have seen briefly on the streets this morning, schools are continuing their normal operation".

But Heba Nashabe, principal at a school in the central Beirut district of Barbir, said she had only four students out of 1,800 on Tuesday. "The parents came and took the students from eight o'clock in the morning because they were frightened."

"There are two other schools which are closed."



News From: www.reuters.com
Security forces closed a road in central Beirut leading to the Ottoman-era government offices, and soldiers were deployed along the airport road, witnesses said, ahead of a visit by Turkey's foreign minister and the prime minister of Qatar.

The two men were due to hold talks in Beirut on Lebanon's political crisis, after a summit meeting in Damascus on Monday between the leaders of Syria, Qatar and Turkey.

John Carlson Injury Seahawks TE Carted VIDEO News

John Carlson Injury: Seahawks TE Carted Off Field After Landing On Head (VIDEO)

CHICAGO -- Seahawks tight end John Carlson was taken from the field on a cart after landing on his head following a reception about three minutes into Sunday's divisional playoff game against the Bears.

He will not return.

Chicago had taken a 7-0 lead on a 58-yard pass from Jay Cutler to Greg Olsen when Carlson went down.

Seattle took over at its 24, and on first down, Carlson caught a flare pass from Matt Hasselbeck along the left sideline.

He tried to leapfrog Chicago's Danieal Manning but got upended, his helmet and right shoulder taking the brunt of the fall. Carlson stayed down for several minutes surrounded by medical personnel and teammates.

He was seen moving his legs before being placed on a board and carted off.

WATCH:

Coach Jeff Grimes

Offensive line coach Jeff Grimes staying at Auburn after interviewing at Texas

Jeff Grimes' flirtation with Texas is over.

The Auburn offensive line coach said Sunday that he's staying with the Tigers after interviewing with Texas late in the week.

Coach Gene Chizik said he expects to have the same coaching staff for the third straight season.

Grimes, who grew up in Texas, will be part of a rebuilding effort in the offensive line in 2011. He's losing four senior starters. But Grimes says he's happy to stay at Auburn.

"The University of Texas has a great football program and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mack Brown," Grimes said in an Auburn press release. "As a Texas native, the position was very enticing, however, I have decided to remain at Auburn. My family and I love being a part of the Auburn family, the Auburn community and this football program."

Texas had raided Auburn's coaching staff in the past, hiring Chizik as defensive coordinator after the 2004 season and Will Muschamp for the same position a few years later.

Auburn's offensive line had three All-SEC picks in 2010, including tackle Lee Ziemba, who was a first-team All-American and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner as the SEC's top lineman. A Dallas native, Grimes' line was instrumental in Auburn setting the single-season school record for points and total offense for the second consecutive year.

"Jeff is a tremendous coach and has played an important role in our record-setting offensive the last two seasons," Chizik said. "He is a very good teacher and role model for our young men, and Auburn is a very special place to Jeff and his family. We're pleased to move forward with a coaching staff that will remain intact for a third straight year. Our staff retention was a huge factor in our National Championship run and will be important as we prepare for 2011 season."

Auburn's offensive line was third in the SEC in fewest sacks allowed per game in 2010, while the offense ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing offense, scoring offense and total offense.

Husband: Gabor smiling, talking after surgery

LOS ANGELES - Zsa, Zsa Gabor's husband says the actress is smiling and talking, a day after doctors amputated most of her right leg.
Frederic Prinz von Anhalt said Saturday that Gabor is heavily sedated and does not yet know that her leg has been removed. He says he'll tell her when she regains more of her strength.
Doctors at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center decided to amputate Friday when a persistent infection wouldn't heal.
Von Anhalt says the 93-year-old "Moulin Rouge" and "Queen of Outer Space" star will likely spend up to four weeks in the hospital.
Gabor broke her hip and had replacement surgery in July, and has been hospitalized several times since for swelling in her legs and blood clots throughout her body.

Nelson Mandela's Zenani Dead

Zenani Mandela Dead: Nelson Mandela's Great-Granddaughter Killed After World Cup Concert

JOHANNESBURG — It should have been a moment of triumph – Nelson Mandela, basking in the cheers as Africa's first World Cup opened.

Instead, South Africa's beloved anti-apartheid icon stayed at home with his family Friday in northern Johannesburg during the opening ceremony and game, mourning his 13-year-old great-granddaughter Zenani, who died in a car crash on the way home from a tournament-eve concert in Soweto.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said the tragedy "made it inappropriate" for the former president, who is 91, to attend the opening ceremony in Johannesburg.

"We are sure that South Africans and people all over the world will stand in solidarity with Mr. Mandela and his family in the aftermath of this tragedy," the foundation said, adding that Mandela "will be there with you in spirit today."

Johannesburg Metro police spokeswoman Edna Mamonyane said the driver of the car had been arrested and charged with drunk driving. Mamonyane said the driver, whom police didn't identify, could also face homicide charges.

"The Metro police found that he was drunk," Mamonyane said. "He lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a barricade."

Police spokesman Govindsamy Mariemuthoo, who earlier said the driver would appear in court for a preliminary hearing Friday, said that had been postponed for further investigations, and that the driver was not being held. Mariemuthoo said that was not unusual.

"It's a decision of the prosecutor," he said.

The Mandela foundation denied reports that the former president's ex-wife Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was in the car, but said she was treated in a hospital for shock after being told of the fatal accident. She was discharged after a few hours.

S

he was on the VIP list for the opening ceremony, and a press box official confirmed she was at Soccer City, but the foundation said later that Madikizela-Mandela did not attend.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who was in South Africa to lead his country's delegation to the opening ceremony, were among those who offered condolences.

South African President Jacob Zuma, calling Mandela by his clan name Madiba – a term of affection – referred to the death in the Mandela family in an address to the crowd before the Mexico-South Africa game started.

He said Mandela had wanted to be there, "but unfortunately there was a tragedy in the Mandela family."

"But he said the game must start. You must enjoy the game," Zuma added.

Mandela has achieved glory as a politician and human rights campaigner, but suffered many personal tragedies.

In 1969, three years after arriving on Robben Island to serve a life sentence for sabotage, Mandela received a telegram from his younger son, Makgatho, informing him that his eldest son, Madiba Thembekile, died in a car crash.

Prison authorities refused to allow Mandela to attend the funeral.

"I do not have words to express the sorrow, or the loss I felt," Mandela wrote in his autobiography. "It left a hole in my heart that can never be filled."

Thirty-six years later, Makgatho died. Mandela announced his last surviving son died of AIDS-related complications, saying the only way to fight the disease's stigma was to speak openly.

Mandela's family life suffered during years devoted to politics, as an underground anti-apartheid fighter and in prison. Two marriages fell apart, the second to Winnie. He began his 27-year imprisonment only four years after marrying her.

Mandela was freed in 1990. Four years later, his lifelong battle over apartheid won, he became South Africa's first black president. He served just one term, then devoted himself to international causes, including fighting AIDS.

He has announced his retirement and desire to devote time to his family several times. Increasingly, those close to him and other South Africans have said the reward for all he has done for his country should now be freedom from the public's demands.

On his 80th birthday July 18, 1998, he married Graca Machel, a veteran of the anti-colonial struggle in her native Mozambique, former education minister, noted international child rights advocate and widow of Mozambique's first president, Samora Machel.

Graca Machel once told a television interviewer she helped Mandela reconnect with his family. Family photos released by his foundation Friday showed a relaxed and smiling Mandela with Zenani and other great-grandchildren.

Zenani was one of the anti-apartheid icon's nine great-grandchildren.

Gabrielle Giffords's emotional vigil after Tucson shooting video News

At Gabrielle Giffords's bedside, a constant, emotional vigil after Tucson shooting

TUCSON - On the second floor of the intensive-care unit, behind a phalanx of police officers and a shuttered glass door, they sit by her bed all day and night, a rotating circle that includes her husband, her mother and father, her chief of staff, and her rabbi.

They talk to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, hoping she can comprehend what they are saying. They take note of every movement of her fingers and legs. They celebrate when she opens her eyes. They sing and pray. They weep.

From the moment a gunman critically wounded Giffords, this city has held a 24-hour-a-day vigil for the six people killed and 13 injured in Saturday's spasm of violence. A shrine of floral bouquets and candles expands by the day, enveloping the entrance to University Medical Center.

Inside the room, amid the humming and beeping of machines monitoring Giffords's condition, her husband and parents and closest aides traverse a treacherous emotional path, balancing each apparently positive development against the knowledge that she may never fully recover.

"Everyone is kind of stranded between a trembling hope and despair," said Stephanie Aaron, Giffords's rabbi.

Giffords's doctors emphasized the positive Thursday. By opening her eyes, the doctors said, the congresswoman had achieved a "major milestone." They described how she has sat on the edge of her bed with help and dangled her legs over the side. She has moved both her arms and legs. She has scratched her nose.

Trauma surgeon Peter Rhee said doctors hope to remove Giffords's breathing tube in the next few days, allowing them to assess whether she can talk.

Since Saturday, much of the nation has been focused on the shootings, the victims who died, the political vitriol, gun control, the path that brought the accused gunman to Giffords's community event that day.

But inside her hospital room, a different reality has unfolded.

President Obama has come and gone. A trio of friends from Congress, including former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, made the pilgrimage to the room, one of them imploring her to wake up so they could get pizza at a favorite restaurant on H Street NW back in Washington.

There are only a handful who are there steadily, a group that includes Mark Kelly, the congresswoman's husband; her father, Spencer, a former tire company owner, and her mother, Gloria, an art historian; her sister, Melissa; and her chief of staff, Pia Carasone, who has described briefing Giffords on office matters even as her boss lies in bed, a bandage over one eye, a breathing tube down her throat.

At the center of the circle is Kelly, an astronaut, red-eyed from lack of rest, hugging visitors, sleeping if he can on a cot by her bed, holding her hand when he's awake, asking the doctors about her condition.

Falmouth police: Man rearrested after escape

FALMOUTH – A resident of a Locust Street halfway house was on the lam for nearly three hours Tuesday afternoon after escaping from the police officers who had taken him to the hospital after arresting him in a Simpson Lane parking lot.

At 3:30 p.m., police arrested Stephen Anthony Michalik, 54, on two outstanding warrants. He had allegedly been wandering around the parking lot of an auto body shop and appeared intoxicated when officers responded, according to police.

While booking Michalik at the Falmouth police station, the man began rolling on the floor, complaining of chest pains he said stemmed from a recent heart surgery, police said.

Police transported Michalik to Falmouth Hospital, where he allegedly escaped from the emergency room, police said.

Nearly two hours later, a woman reported her black Ford Taurus stolen from the parking lot of the Visiting Nurse Association on Ter Heun Drive, which is across the street from the hospital.

Michalik allegedly stopped by a Mashpee school to ask students for cigarettes and money before heading down Route 151 and entering Route 28 South, according to police.

Police eventually caught up with Michalik at 6:18 p.m., almost three hours after he was initially arrested, because he rolled over the stolen Taurus near the Thomas B. Landers Road off-ramp, police said.

This time, he was booked at the police station without incident, police said. He was uninjured in the crash, they said.

Michalik was charged with several offenses including being a fugitive from justice on a court warrant, larceny of a motor vehicle and several traffic violations.

He is the fifth resident of the Locust Street halfway house in the past three weeks to be charged with a serious crime by Falmouth police.

Holly Madison lose weight for Las Vegas stage show

Holly Madison 'shocked' after producers told her to lose weight for Las Vegas stage show

Holly Madison has had no problems performing topless in her nightly Las Vegas burlesque show, but it seems as though her bosses have some concerns.

The former "Girls Next Door" star recently said producers have ordered her to lose weight for her role in the Las Vegas striptease spectacular "Peepshow."

Madison, 32, is required to perform partially nude during the nighttime stage show, which she joined in May 2009.

"I always thought I looked fine," the former Playboy Playmate told RadarOnline.com. "It was a shock to me when they told me to lose weight."

Those familiar with Madison's current E! reality show, "Holly's World," will know that the busty blond doesn't deprive herself when it comes to junk food. However, for all the calories she consumes, Madison's figure has rarely fluctuated past her usual Playboy physique.

"I feel like I changed my eating habits to really healthy. I've lost a few pounds," Madison said, adding that she's still deciding whether she wants to shed the weight.

"I just feel like I market myself as a sex symbol. I don't market myself as a fitness model or a professional dancer, so I feel like the way I look is fine!" she said. "I don't think I need to lose weight!"

Season two of "Holly's World" premieres Jan. 23 at 10:30 p.m. on E!

Stephanie Seymour's And Son

Stephanie Seymour's Son Says He's Gay After Controversial PDA With Mom

Following a controversial picture of Stephanie Seymour oddly getting kissed by her own son Peter Brant II, a statement is released by the 18-year-old model to clarify the issue. "I would just like to say that these pictures have been taken completely out of context, my mother and I are very close as she is with all her children," he began.

Peter went on, "She often hugs and kisses me and my siblings in an manner that is intimate, any mother in the world does the same. That day on the beach we walked around with each other completely aware of the presence of photographers there."

As continuing to share his thought, he revealed that he's a gay, "We have nothing to hide and with that in mind I would like to say that I am openly gay. At my age my mother and I are almost like friends and I feel open to talk to her about anything." He admitted that his sexual orientation may make his relationship with his mother "different."

People were raising their eyebrows last week when Stephanie Seymour and Peter Brant II were caught on camera sharing a moment which was oddly more like a couple rather than a mother and a son. They were on the beach with Stephanie clad in two-piece pink bikini and Peter only wearing black shorts.

Shakira Splits With Boyfriend News Reports

From Shakira Blog News

Dear Friends,

During our almost 11 years together we have loved each other deeply, taken care of each other and stood by one another. They have been the most wonderful years of our lives, and thanks to that love and the respect that we share for one another we have been an exceptional couple and partners.

However, since August 2010, we made a mutual decision to take time apart from our romantic relationship. Throughout this time we have continued to work together hand in hand, have remained close and have kept the details absolutely private until now.

We view this period of separation as temporary and as a time of individual growth as we continue to be partners in our business and professional lives.

Antonio continues to oversee and conduct my business and career interests as he has always done. We move forward as partners, developing projects together, working hand in hand and in close communication. Our friendship and understanding of one another is unwavering and indestructible.

We would like to advise that we will not be giving interviews or making more statements with respect to this matter and we appreciate in advance your understanding and respect during this sensitive time in our lives.

Shakira and Antonio

Shakira, Splits With Boyfriend After 11 Years

Shakira's hips don't lie, and neither does her heart.

The Colombian singer, 33, revealed on her blog Monday that she and beau Antonio de la Rue called it quits last summer after 11 years of dating.

PHOTOS: See what other stars have recently called it quits

"Since August 2010, we made a mutual decision to take time apart from our romantic relationship," she wrote. "Throughout this time we have continued to work together hand in hand, have remained close and have kept the details absolutely private until now."

VIDEO: See what Shakira thinks of Taylor Swift's impersonation of her

However, Shakira, who called her romance with the investment banker "the most wonderful years of our lives" hinted that they could reconcile in the future.

PHOTOS: Check out what other celebs are speaking out about their exes

"We view this period of separation as temporary and as a time of individual growth as we continue to be partners in our business and professional lives," she wrote. "Our friendship and understanding of one another is unwavering and indestructible."

Adds an insider, "There was no big drama, it's just one of those things where they had been together a long time and realized they were more friends and business partners than lovers. It's sad, but they could get back together. They just needed a break."

Video: Shakira: I'm "Flattered" Taylor Swift Impersonated Me on SNL

Wednesday – November 11, 2009 – 3:51pm
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While Joe Jonas may not be thrilled Taylor Swift called him out during her Saturday Night Live monologue, Shakira couldn't be happier to get a shout-out from the singer in a skit.

In a Nov. 7 sketch, Swift, 19, impersonated the "She Wolf" singer for fake commercial hawking a compilation CD of songs by artists like Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Vedder. Swift, as Shakira, even riffed a few bars to the tune of "Hips Don't Lie."

WATCH THE SNL SKIT

"I'm flattered!" Shakira, 32, told Usmagazine.com Tuesday at a party celebrating her Rolling Stone cover in New York City. "I love Taylor. She's so sweet and beautiful and such an amazing talent."

See the day's top celeb news photos.

For more from Shakira, check out the video interview above.