Article:

Larry W. Smith/European Pressphoto Agency

 DALLAS – Joined by an all-star cast from his days in the White House, former President George W. Bush plunged a shovel into dirt on Tuesday and kicked off construction of his presidential library.

 As former Vice President Dick Cheney put it, “this may be the only shovel-ready project in America.”

 Mr. Cheney’s attendance was a rare public appearance since his long hospital stay for heart trouble earlier this year. He appeared much thinner and more hesitant in his gait, and he used a cane to walk, although he put it aside when it came time to approach the lectern. After the speeches and ceremonial dirt turning, he quickly departed, while other luminaries lingered and chatted.

 The groundbreaking on the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University here culminated an elaborately orchestrated return to the public stage for the nation’s 43rd president, who released his memoir, “Decision Points,” last week and gave a flurry of television and print interviews offering his take on his tumultuous eight years in office.

 He emerged on stage Tuesday to raucous applause from more than 2,500 guests, including hundreds of veterans of his administration, who welcomed him back after two years of near-seclusion. Relaxed and smiling, winking at the crowd and slapping hands with his friends and advisers, Mr. Bush used the occasion to vow to stand up for the priorities of his presidency even as he avoids criticizing his successor.

 “I believe the ultimate responsibility of a leader is to not do what is easy or popular but to do what is necessary and right,” Mr. Bush told the crowd gathered in a cathedral tent on the grounds of the 24-acre center. “The decisions of governing are on another president’s desk, and he deserves to make them without criticism from me. But staying out of current affairs and politics does not mean staying out of policy.”

 Mr. Bush plans to use a public policy institute that will be housed at the center along with the traditional presidential library and museum to advance four causes he adopted as his own while in office: human freedom, global health, economic growth and education reform. He has also started a women’s initiative led by his wife, Laura Bush, who got final shot at addressing the crowd to promote the importance of fighting for women’s rights around the world.

 Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush used the official program to reaffirm their friendship, despite their sharp disagreement in their final days in office over the president’s refusal to pardon Mr. Cheney’s former chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby, who was convicted of perjury in the C.I.A. leak case. Mr. Bush described their clash in his memoir and also revealed that he considered an offer from Mr. Cheney to replace him on the ticket in 2004.

 Addressing the friendly crowd, Mr. Cheney said the response to Mr. Bush’s book showed that the country had begun to re-evaluate him. “Two years after you left office, judgments are a little more measured than they were,” Mr. Cheney said. “When times have been tough or the critics have been loud, you’ve always said you had faith in history’s judgment, and history is beginning to come around.”

 Mr. Bush responded by hailing his No. 2 and recalling the decision to ask him to be his running mate in 2000. “As I stand here,” Mr. Bush said, “there is no doubt in my mind he was the right pick then, he was a great vice president of the United States, and I’m proud to call him friend.” ||||| Former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney shared a stage together Tuesday for the first time since the two left office, showering each other with praise as they reflected on the legacy of their administration and the decision to run for office together.

 The two men united for the groundbreaking of the $300 million Bush Presidential Library on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas. Hundreds of Bush administration alumni, including former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and first lady Laura Bush, also attended.

 Bush has said the library and affiliated George W. Bush Policy Institute will be "the focus of our attention and forum for our public service" for the rest of his life. The library and institute are also largely seen as vehicles through which Bush can continue to shape his presidential legacy.

 "Two years after your tour at the White House ended," Cheney said to Bush, "judgments are a little more measured than they were. When times have been tough and the critics have been loud, you've always said you had faith in history's judgment. And history is beginning to come around."

 Cheney, who has been one of the most ardent and outspoken defenders of the administration, appeared gaunt and frail in what was a rare public appearance since having heart surgery in July.

 It was also the first time the men appeared together since the release of Bush's new memoir, "Decision Points," in which the former president writes that he considered replacing Cheney as his running mate during the 2004 re-election bid.

 Bush began his remarks by directly addressing the episode and offering unambiguous support for the man he ended up keeping by his side.

 "I'm asked about Dick Cheney," Bush said. "Here's what I say: Dick Cheney was the right pick in the year 2000, and as I stand here, there is no doubt in my mind he was the right pick then, he was a great vice president of the United States, and I'm proud to call him friend."

 Today's ceremonies marked the first time Bush and Cheney appeared publicly together since leaving office in January 2009. They met face-to-face for the first time since leaving office in February.

 Bush Breaks Silence in Memoir

 Bush, who has generally kept a low profile since leaving office, has broken his silence in recent weeks with the publication of his book, which he has been working on since leaving office in early 2009.

 "I wanted to give readers a glimpse of the presidency from my perspective," he said in a promotional video.

 But until recently, the role of defending the administration had largely fallen to Cheney, who picked up the mantle again today.

 "History is an account of what happened. But sometimes the greatest story of all is what did not happen," Cheney told the crowd. "And because you [Bush] were determined to throw back the enemy, we did not suffer another 9/11 or something even worse."

 "I have a few more thoughts on the man and his presidency, but I'll save them when we're all back in Dallas again for the grand opening of the library," Cheney said.

 -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. -- This embed didnt make it to copy for story id = 12160542. |||||
What is a summary?

– George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were best buds again today, giving each other high praise as they shared a stage for the first time since their final tense days in office, reports ABC News. The groundbreaking at Bush's presidential library at SMU also marked a rare appearance by Cheney since his heart trouble earlier this year. He appeared "much thinner" and used a cane, and didn't stick around long after the ceremony, reports the New York Times. Cheney on Bush: “Two years after you left office, judgments are a little more measured than they were. When times have been tough or the critics have been loud, you’ve always said you had faith in history’s judgment, and history is beginning to come around.” Bush on Cheney: "As I stand here, there is no doubt in my mind he was the right pick then, he was a great vice president of the United States, and I’m proud to call him friend."


Article:

Denver Broncos player Kenny McKinley, University of South Carolina’s all-time leader in receptions and regarded as one of the best players in program history, was found dead in his Denver home this evening.

 Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said authorities were called to McKinley’s home in Centennial on today and found his body in the second-floor master bedroom. He said detectives believe McKinley died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

 AP

 McKinley played at USC from 2005-08 and is the career leader in receptions (207), receiving yards (2,781) and consecutive games with a reception (43). He was drafted by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft.

 “It’s hard to comprehend,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “Kenny was one of my favorite all-time players. … Wonderful guy. It’s hard to figure how or why it happened.

 “It’s a sad day, a sad day.”

 McKinley attended USC’s game at Georgia last weekend and spoke with athletics director Eric Hyman.

 “I cannot believe this. I’m sick to my stomach,” Hyman said. “He was such a great kid.

 “He was upbeat, positive, happy-go-lucky,” Hyman said of McKinley’s demeanor during their conversation. “Every time you were around him, he had a smile on his face. He was just real positive.”

 Carolina Panthers rookie defensive end Eric Norwood played three years with McKinley at USC. Norwood said he saw McKinley in Atlanta over the summer and did not sense his former teammate was having problems despite his injury woes. McKinley injured his knee halfway through last season and didn’t return; he was placed on injured reserve this season, meaning he wouldn’t have played.

 “I never thought anything of that nature with him, even when he got hurt,” Norwood said. “He was energetic, and he had a positive outlook on things.

 “I was just with him this summer … (he was) like the same old Kenny, give everybody a smile.”

 McKinley played eight games on special teams last season with the Broncos, returning seven kicks for 158 yards and three punts for 32 yards.

 An NFL source told The Denver Post that McKinley had been in Atlanta visiting family recently but had returned to Denver on Sunday.

 He is survived by a young son.

 “Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room,” Denver coach Josh McDaniels said in a statement tonight; he is scheduled to hold a news conference at 2 p.m. today. “This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

 “Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley,” Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said. “He was part of the Broncos’ family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny’s family and friends.”

 Josh Kendall, Neil White, Ron Morris, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, The Associated Press and the Denver Post contributed to this report. ||||| Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead Monday at his Colorado home in an apparent suicide, police said.

 "It was apparently a suicide, but we're still investigating," Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson said.

 Authorities were called to McKinley's home in central Centennial at about 3:25 p.m. Monday. McKinley's body was discovered in a second-floor bedroom with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

 The 23-year-old, second-year pro has been on the team's injured reserve list since early August with a knee injury. He played in eight games as a rookie in 2009, mostly on special teams, with seven kick returns for 158 yards. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second-to-last game of last season and had surgery in the offseason.

 The Broncos will hold a full team meeting Tuesday at Dove Valley to discuss McKinley's death. Grief counselors will be available at the facility for any players who want help.

 "Kenny had a promising future on the football field, but more importantly, he was a great teammate whose smile and personality could light up the room," coach Josh McDaniels said in a statement Monday night. "This is a tragic loss for our football team, and his family is in all of our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

 An NFL source told The Denver Post that McKinley had been in Atlanta visiting family recently but had returned to Denver on Sunday along with his young son.

 "Kenny, he had a big heart, a love for life. It's just very shocking," said Andrew Bondarowicz, McKinley's agent. "I'm really at a loss for words."

 McKinley finished his collegiate career at the University of South Carolina as the school's career leader in receptions and receiving yards. But he was never able to match his college success in his brief NFL career, in part because of injuries. His second stint on the injured reserve had been particularly difficult.

 "It's a difficult situation, you go from being a super star in college and his pro career has been a challenge," Bondarowicz said. "These guys, they're made of steel on the outside, but for a lot of them, the challenge of being at your best and living up to all the expectations is a difficult situation. Some people are better equipped and have the support system."

 McKinley was also recently in Columbia, S.C., where he watched his alma mater play the University of Georgia on Sept. 11. McKinley holds the South Carolina school records for receptions and receiving yards. He was announced to the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium and received a large applause.

 "I saw him here. He came to the Georgia game. He seemed in good spirits," South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier told The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier Monday night. "He had a great smile, like he always had. I don't understand it, if happened the way they say. It's hard to comprehend.

 "Kenny was certainly one of my favorite all-time players," Spurrier added. "He was one of them. He was a wonderful guy. It's hard to figure out how, or why, this happened. He's one of my all-time favorites — everything about him. He had a wonderful smile. It's a sad day."

 Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement:

 Flowers were left at the Arapahoe County home of Broncos receiver Kenny McKinley on Monday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post )

 "Everyone with the Broncos is shocked and saddened by the loss of Kenny McKinley. He was part of the Broncos' family and will be greatly missed by our organization. My most heartfelt condolences go out to Kenny's family and friends."

 McKinley is the third active Broncos player to die in the past four years. Running back Damien Nash, 24, collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in December 2007. And cornerback Darrent Williams, 24, was killed in a drive-by shooting on New Year's Day 2007 in Denver.

 Kenny McKinley bio

 Age: 23

 Dimensions: 6-feet, 183 pounds

 College: South Carolina

 Drafted: Fifth round by Denver (141st overall) in the 2009 draft

 NFL highlights:

 Second-year wide receiver who played eight games with the Broncos as a rookie in 2009

 Returned seven kickoffs for 158 yards (22.6 avg.) along with three punts for 32 yards (10.7 avg.) — the only rookie in the NFL to average at least 22 yards on kickoff returns and 10 yards on punt returns in 2009 College highlights:

 Started his final three seasons at the University of South Carolina

 Earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a junior in 2007 and honorable mention all-conference accolades as a senior in 2008

 Finished his career at South Carolina with 207 receptions and 2,781 receiving yards |||||
What is a summary?

– Denver Broncos wide receiver Kenny McKinley has been found dead at his home from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The 23-year-old athlete, who had been on the team's injured reserve list since early August with a knee injury, had recently returned from a visit to family in Atlanta with his young son, an NFL source tells the the Denver Post. McKinley had also recently been in South Carolina, where he was the Gamecocks' all-time leading receiver. "Kenny was certainly one of my favorite all-time players,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier told the Post and Courier. “He was one of them. He was a wonderful guy. It’s hard to figure out how, or why, this happened." McKinley is the third active Broncos player to die in the last four years.


Article:
These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| Heinz Ketchup walks the line between humorous and heartfelt in its first Super Bowl ad in 16 years, an extended version of which hit the web Thursday.

 The spot (see it below), by Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago, is heavy on images of feel-good Americana, as police officers, campers, bridesmaids and tailgaters hum the tune to "If You're Happy and You Know It"—punctuating each line not by clapping hands but by slapping the bottom of their ketchup bottles, trying to get the ketchup out.

 The ad isn't overly sentimental. Rather, it features several comic moments—including one in which a hot-dog vendor appears to end up in a full-body cast after spilling ketchup on some mobsters. And in the final scene, a grandmother looks mildly horrified after making a long farting sound while squeezing the last ketchup out of a plastic bottle.

 The tagline is, "Where there's happy, it has to be Heinz." The hashtag is #ifyourehappy.

 The ad (it will run as a :30; the online version is a :50) is part of a larger "Show Us Your Heinz" campaign encouraging consumers to send in photos of themselves with Heinz products. Through Feb. 23, specially marked ketchup bottles will have a QR code on the back that links to the campaign page. More than $400,000 in prizes will include five grand-prize trips to five major sporting events over the next year. ||||| News Love it or hate it, mayo gets more popular -- and chefs are divided Jan. 30, 2014 at 4:51 PM ET

 FeaturePics.com

 Don’t forget the mayo when you’re setting up your Super Bowl spread this weekend—the condiment just overtook ketchup as tops in the nation.

 Americans bought $2 billion worth of mayonnaise last year, compared to $725 million in ketchup, according to market-research firm Euromonitor. (While it’s been widely reported in recent years that salsa is now the No. 1 condiment over ketchup, Euromonitor sensibly categorizes salsa as a dip, not a condiment.)

 Mustard, which is a complete inverse to mayo, health-wise, came in nearly last on the list, after soy sauce, barbecue sauce and hot sauce, besting only steak sauce.

 Mayo has always seemed to be the pet condiment among chefs, most of whom use it liberally and take pride in whisking together their own.

 “Mayonnaise is the result of eggs and olive oil. They go out on a date and have a really good time," restaurateur and "Top Chef" alum Fabio Viviani told TODAY.com. “Chefs love olive oil and eggs separately. Of course they would like the combination.”

 Viviani has nothing against mayo haters. “It’s a personal preference,” he says, but those who claim to hate the condiment might want to try the ham sandwich with sweet pineapple mayo from his cookbook, "Fabio’s Italian Kitchen." He also suggests trying mixing herbs, sun-dried tomato or pesto into mayo. “Think about mayonnaise as a white canvas and you are the Michelangelo of food,” he said.

 But mayo has its staunch detractors, of course, even among kitchen pros.

 Mayo-hating chef Stephen Jones, of Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails in Phoenix, gets around his disdain for the condiment by making a flavorful aïoli with whole grain mustard, bacon fat, roasted garlic, shallots and herbs to use in potato salad, for instance.

 “I really hate mayo. It’s fatty—not the good fatty—tasteless, and just flat-out gross,” he said. “We do have it at the restaurant, but we never offer it or suggest it. If a guest does request it, we will happily give it to them, but not after we have tried to offer up one of our aïolis first though,” he joked.

 “My sous chefs give me the riot act everyday about my dislike of mayo. They think I'm nuts,” he added. “But there a lot of closet mayo-haters out there and we all need to unite!”

 Philadelphia-based marketing professional Craig Horwitz hates mayo so much, he started a site eight years ago called holdthatmayo.com, and is even co-directed a mockumentary film called "The Mayo Conspiracy," which will be showing in Philly on March 9 and making the film festival rounds later this year.

 “Everything about mayo makes me queasy. The slimy, whitish-yellow color, the consistency, the smell, the fact that it is made from raw eggs!” Horwitz said.

 He gets around the mayo issue with a lot of tomato (“extremely under-rated as a sandwich moisturizer,” he said), avocado (“one of our bigger weapons in the war against mayonnaise”) and Greek yogurt (“which solves the whole tuna fish dilemma”).

 “It can be challenging at restaurants, since so many people want to slime up sandwiches and salads without first getting our permission,” Horwitz said. “The key is to stay on your toes, ask questions and usually finish the order by saying "absolutely no mayo" at a much higher volume.”

 Indeed, Texas-based chef Tim Love—a spokesperson for Hellman’s—says mayo is in a lot of restaurant dishes you might not even be aware of. At his restaurants, it may be the base for a dip, used as a binder in a casserole, or added to roast chicken for moisture.

 “I think mayo haters are missing out,” he says. “Haters can be won over by realizing that they've probably eaten it and enjoyed it.” |||||Summary:

– You put it on hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, and a whole slew of other stuff, but ketchup doesn't even come close to the king of condiments. That would be mayonnaise—$2 billion of which is sold in the US each year, compared with around $800 million of the red stuff, Euromonitor data shows, per Quartz. In fact, ketchup almost missed out on the number two spot to soy sauce, which came in at $725 million, followed by barbeque sauce at $660 million, hot sauce at $550 million, and mustard at $450 million. (If you're wondering about salsa, it was considered a dip in this case, but would have grabbed the No. 2 spot from ketchup.) While one chef tells NBC News that mayo is "fatty—not the good fatty," the condiment's top spot doesn't necessarily show off America's love of fatty foods. Quartz points out that the low-fat mayo market has doubled since 2005 as Americans look for healthier options. Another reason for its peak position? It's in everything from tuna salad to spicy tuna rolls, plus hidden in plenty of restaurant dishes you're probably not aware of. Meanwhile, amid mayo's success, Heinz is trying to boost its ketchup sales with its first Super Bowl ad in 16 years, which Adweek has here.


Write an article based on this summary:

– An attack Wednesday on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul left dozens of students and foreign staff trapped inside campus buildings, Reuters reports. The attack by suspected militants armed with guns and explosives started around 6:30pm and was followed by more than an hour of shooting when Afghan forces arrived. According to the AP, one of its photographers, Massoud Hossaini, was in class at the university when the attack started. Hossaini says he was shot at when he looked out a window after hearing an explosion and at least two grenades were thrown into his classroom. Students proceeded to barricade themselves in classrooms. A witness told CNN fires were burning on the campus. Eighteen people were reported injured in the attack, and authorities say a university guard was killed. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though the Taliban seems like a likely culprit. More than 1,000 students are enrolled in the American University of Afghanistan. The US-style liberal arts school shut down for a time after two teachers, one American and one Australian, were abducted Aug. 7. They haven't been seen since.

KABUL (Reuters) - Suspected militants stormed the Kabul campus of the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday with some students jumping from second floor windows to escape the gunfire and explosions, witnesses and officials said.

 Foreign staff and dozens of pupils were trapped in the compound hours after the attack began at about 6:30 p.m. (10 a.m. ET).

 News of casualties was sketchy, but the head of hospitals in the Afghan capital said at least one person had been killed and 14 students wounded in the assault.

 “Many students jumped from the second floor, some broke their legs and some hurt their head trying to escape,” Abdullah Fahimi, a student who escaped, told Reuters. He injured his ankle making the leap.

 “We were in the class when we heard a loud explosion followed by gunfire. It was very close. Some students were crying, others were screaming.”

 A senior interior ministry official said that elite Afghan forces had surrounded the university and witnesses at the scene said special forces had entered the walled compound where gunfire that had lasted for more than an hour had since stopped.

 “There are two gunmen hiding inside the building and a clearing operation is ongoing to eliminate them,” interior ministry spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, said.

 Afghan policemen stand guard at the site of an attack at American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

 CAR BOMB

 Ahmad Mukhtar, another student who fled the scene, said the gunmen had got into the university buildings despite security measures including three or four armed guards and watchtowers.

 He added that he believed the attack had started at the main gate into the compound.

 “I finished my class and was about to leave when I heard a few gunshots and a huge explosion, followed by more gunfire,” he said. “I ran toward the emergency exit with other students, climbed the wall and jumped outside.”

 Kabul police chief, Abdul Rahman Rahimi, told Reuters that the attack began with a car bomb and several attackers had entered the campus.

 Islamist militant groups, mainly the Afghan Taliban and a local offshoot of Islamic State, have claimed a string of recent atrocities aimed at destabilizing the country and toppling the Western-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani.

 No one has claimed the university attack.

 It is the second time this month that the university or its staff have been targeted.

 Two teachers, an American and an Australian, remain missing after being abducted at gunpoint from a road nearby on Aug. 7.

 Slideshow (6 Images)

 Taliban insurgents control large swathes of Afghanistan, and local armed forces are struggling to contain them, especially in the provinces of Helmand to the south and Kunduz to the north.

 NATO ended its combat mission in December 2014, but thousands of troops remain to train and assist Afghan forces, while several thousand more U.S. soldiers are engaged in a separate mission focusing on al Qaeda and Islamic State. ||||| Afghan policemen wounded in a complex Taliban attack on the campus of the American University in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. University President Mark English told The Associated... (Associated Press)

 Afghan policemen wounded in a complex Taliban attack on the campus of the American University in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. University President Mark English told The Associated Press that security forces had arrived on the scene soon after the attack began around 7 p.m. (1430... (Associated Press)

 KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants attacked the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to an Associated Press photographer who was in class at the time.

 Massoud Hossaini said he was in a classroom with 15 students when he heard an explosion on the southern flank of the campus.

 "I went to the window to see what was going on, and I saw a person in normal clothes outside. He shot at me and shattered the glass," Hossaini said, adding that he fell on the glass and cut his hands.

 The students then barricaded themselves into the classroom, pushing chairs and desks against the door, and staying on the floor.

 Hossaini and about nine students later managed to escape from the campus through a northern emergency gate.

 "As we were running I saw someone lying on the ground face down, they looked like they had been shot in the back," he said.

 Hossaini and the nine students took refuge in a residential house near the campus, and were later safely evacuated by Afghan security forces.

 University President Mark English told The Associated Press that security forces had arrived on the scene soon after the attack began around 7 p.m. (1430 GMT) and that "we are trying to assess the situation."

 Other witnesses say they heard explosions and automatic gunfire. Ambulances arrived at the campus in western Kabul, but it was not immediately clear how many people had been wounded.

 Dejan Panic, the program director at Kabul's Emergency Hospital, said 11 patients had so far been admitted, 10 men and one woman. He said three were "seriously" wounded, probably from automatic gunfire.

 Police spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said security forces were conducting a clearing operation to track down the "terrorists." He said it was still not clear if there were one or two attackers.

 All other personnel on the campus were being evacuated, he said. He had no further details on the nature of the attack.

 The Pentagon said U.S. military advisers were on the ground with Afghan security forces at the university. Spokesman Adam Stump said the forces had been embedded with the Afghan units.

 The attack on AUAF comes two weeks after two university staff, an American and an Australian, were kidnapped from their car by unknown gunmen. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

 The university was established in 2006 to offer liberal arts courses modeled on the U.S. system. More than 1,000 students are currently enrolled in degree courses.

 The Taliban have been fighting to overthrow the Kabul government for 15 years, and regard foreign civilians as legitimate targets.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. ||||| (CNN) Twelve people were killed in an attack on a university in Kabul, the Afghan capital, a spokesman for the Chief of Kabul Police tells CNN.

 Seven students, three policemen and two security guards were killed in the attack on the American University campus, Basir Mujahid, the spokesman said.

 Around 750 students were on campus at the time, he added.

 Police searched the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul early Thursday and killed two attackers who stormed the campus with guns and explosives, Fraidoon Obaidi, chief of Kabul police's criminal investigation department, told AFP early Thursday.

 "We have ended our clean-up operation. Two attackers were gunned down," Obaidi said about 10 hours after the assault began.

 The gunmen detonated explosives and fired guns, witnesses said, causing some students and faculty to flee. Others hid inside buildings, a senior State Department official told CNN.

 No group immediately claimed responsibility. The Afghan government and supporting US officials have battled the Taliban for years. Two professors were abducted recently.

 Despite its name, few Americans study at the school, a senior US State Department official told CNN. But a number of Americans serve on the faculty and may have been trapped inside buildings. The school is regarded as a symbol of cooperation between Afghanistan and the United States.

 Ahmad Samin said he was teaching a chemistry class Wednesday evening when the assailants struck.

 The attackers opened fire and detonated explosives on the campus. Quickly, the lights went out in Samin's classroom.

 "It was very dark, (and) everyone was running. Everyone started screaming," said Samin, who is a US citizen. "(It) was the scariest moment in my life. I was just thinking about my son and daughter who are in (the United States)."

 Amid black smoke, he took off running with the students and other faculty, and "the smoke entered my mouth" as he fled, he said.

 'Enormous and harsh sound'

 Witnesses described a chaotic scene.

 A student, who asked to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety, told CNN he was attending a lecture class when he heard a "very enormous and harsh sound" -- an explosion roughly 50 meters from his classroom.

 "Everyone looked around the room looking for an escape," he said. "We have an emergency exit area in the corner of the campus. It's like a gate that opens when people need to get out of campus. Everyone was running out of there."

 He heard gunfire as they ran, then a second explosion. Both explosions came from the school's entrance, he said.

 #AUAF - Gunfire still being heard as CRU slowly carry out clearance operation in order to avoid civilian casualties #Kabul — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) August 24, 2016

 "People were screaming for help. Everyone was screaming," he said.

 He saw several people injured -- some from glass, others by bullets. A guard had injuries that appeared to be a result of one of the explosions, he said.

 The student said he had heard from friends trapped in three buildings.

 Bilal Sawary, a journalist in Kabul, said he'd heard from several people on campus.

 "One of my family members who was there told me the attackers had maps, they were drinking Red Bulls, clearly aiming to stay as long as they could and some of them were tossing hand grenades," he said.

 Security fears in Kabul

 The school opened in 2006. It's the only private, nonprofit coed university in the country and has about 1,700 full- and part-time students.

 The university is a very close partnership between the United States and Afghanistan and is an important symbol of the partnership between the two countries, the State Department official said.

 It is considered an elite school that represents the modern and moderate Afghanistan, where many afghan government and nongovernment organization officials have studied. The United States funds a lot scholarships for Afghans to study, including many for women.

 The blast occurred at 7:50 p.m., when students were gathering and eating together.

 It comes less than three weeks after the school was forced to suspend campus operations after two teachers -- an American and Australian -- were kidnapped at gunpoint. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

 Security fears

 A rash of kidnappings and Taliban bombings have heightened security fears in Kabul, the Afghan capital. American and other diplomats have been barred from traveling by road the short distance from the city's international airport to their diplomatic missions. Instead, they've been ferried by helicopter.

 Many countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, have longstanding travel advisories against all but essential travel to Afghanistan because of the security situation.

 "We are closely watching the situation at the American University in Kabul," a U.S. defense official told CNN. "A small number of advisers from the Resolute Support Mission is currently assisting Afghan forces as they respond. These advisers are not in a combat role; they are advising their Afghan counterparts."

 The National Security Council issued this statement on Wednesday: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms the terrorist attack today on the American University of Afghanistan. We salute the quick work of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces who responded to the attack and secured the university. We send our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed and our heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery to those wounded. We further reaffirm the support of the United States for the Afghan government and people as they continue to build a more stable, secure, and prosperous Afghanistan." |||||


Article:
Credit: Stanimir G.Stoev/Shutterstock View full size image

 Although marijuana may have a reputation as a relatively harmless drug, a new case report links it to the deaths of two young men in Germany.

 Toxicological examinations concluded that the men were under the influence of cannabis before they died, and traces of THC — the main active ingredient in marijuana — were found in the men's blood and brain tissue, the researchers wrote in the report.

 In both cases, the deaths were related to cardiovascular complications. In one of the deaths, a 23-year-old man without a history of health problems suddenly collapsed while using public transportation, and died after 40 minutes of unsuccessful resuscitation efforts, according to the case report based on postmortem investigations. The man had a small amount of marijuana in his pockets when he was found, according to the researchers at the Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Duesseldorf in Germany, who reported the case.

 In the second case described in the report, a 28-year-old man was found dead at home by his girlfriend. An ashtray, rolling paper and a sealable plastic bag containing remnants of marijuana were found next to the body. The man had occasionally used cannabis, the researchers wrote. He had also abused alcohol and drugs, such as amphetamines and cocaine until about two years before his death, they wrote. [5 Bad Habits You Should Still Quit]

 "After exclusion of other causes of death, we assume that the young men died from cardiovascular complications evoked by smoking cannabis," the researchers wrote.

 "We assume the deaths of these two young men occurred due to arrhythmias evoked by smoking cannabis," but this assumption does not rule out that the men were predisposed to cardiovascular risks, they wrote.

 Nikolas P. Lemos, the chief forensic toxicologist for the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office, said there have been confirmed cases in which marijuana has had harmful effects on the heart.

 "The potential cardiotoxicity of cannabis has been reported in peer-reviewed abstracts as well as scientific proceedings before, including by my team," Lemos said.

 "This case report adds two more cases from Germany, but since late last year, we have known and reported on this drug's potential cardiotoxic effects in some parts of the general population," he said.

 The researchers in Germany who reported the deaths declined an interview request from Live Science, citing an overwhelming media response to the paper and "some quite unpleasant reactions from individuals."

 Following the online publication of the paper, Jost Leune, the head of the German Association for Drugs and Addiction in Hannover, Germany, criticized the report in an interview with the website TheLocal.de, saying, "Cannabis does not paralyze the breathing or the heart."

 "Deaths due to cannabis use are usually accidents that are not caused by the substance, but to the circumstances of use," Leune said.

 However, other recent research also has linked marijuana use with cardiovascular complications in young and middle-age adults. In a study published in April in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers examined data on health complications following marijuana use, gathered from 2006 to 2010 by the French Addictovigilance Network. They found that among the 2,000 cases of reported complications, 35 cases involved heart problems. Among those were 20 people who had heart attacks, including nine who died.

 "There is now compelling evidence on the growing risk of marijuana-associated adverse cardiovascular effects, especially in young people," study author Émilie Jouanjus, a medical faculty member at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse in France, said in a statement at the time. "It is, therefore, important that doctors, including cardiologists, be aware of this, and consider marijuana use as one of the potential causes in patients with cardiovascular disorders."

 "It is important that people realize that any drug can have harmful effects," Iain M. McIntyre, a director and chief toxicologist at the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office, told Live Science.

 Some people who are predisposed to cardiac events may be particularly vulnerable to potential harmful effects of marijuana use, and the new report shows this, McIntyre said.

 One limitation of the report, however, was that it did not specify for how long the two men had been using marijuana, he said.

 The researchers who wrote the report stressed that the risk of cardiovascular effects of marijuana use in the general population is low, but it is higher in people who have cardiovascular issues.

 "Persons who are at high risk for cardiovascular diseases are even recommended to avoid the use of cannabis," they wrote.

 Lemos said he hopes the report will raise awareness of the potential health complications of marijuana use. "I am delighted to see this additional work in hope that medical examiners, coroners and physicians will realize that they need to collect specimens, test for cannabis in post-mortem fluids and consider the contributions of cannabis in the death investigations.

 "We simply cannot, any longer, adhere to the old mentality that 'marijuana does not kill," Lemos told Live Science. "We are now seeing evidence from my office and elsewhere that it just might."

 The case report was published in the April issue of the journal Forensic Science International.

 Follow Agata Blaszczak-Boxe on Twitter. Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+. Originally published on Live Science. ||||| Study Highlights

 Marijuana use may result in heart-related complications in young and middle-aged adults.

 Nearly 2 percent of the health complications from marijuana use reported were cardiovascular related.

 A quarter of these complications resulted in death, according to a French study.

 Embargoed until 3 p.m. CT / 4 p.m. ET WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014

 DALLAS, April 23, 2014 — Marijuana use may result in cardiovascular-related complications — even death — among young and middle-aged adults, according to a French study reported in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

 “In prior research, we identified several remarkable cases of cardiovascular complications as the reasons for hospital admission of young marijuana users,” said Émilie Jouanjus, Pharm.D., Ph.D., lead author of the study and a medical faculty member at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse in Toulouse, France. “This unexpected finding deserved to be further analyzed, especially given that the medicinal use of marijuana has become more prevalent and some governments are legalizing its use.”

 Researchers analyzed serious cardiovascular-related complications following marijuana use that was reported to the French Addictovigilance Network in 2006-10. They identified 35 cases of cardiovascular and vascular conditions related to the heart, brain and limbs.

 Among their findings:

 Most of the patients were male, average age 34.3 years.

 Nearly 2 percent (35 of the 1,979) marijuana-related complications were cardiovascular complications.

 Of the 35 cases, 22 were heart-related, including 20 heart attacks; 10 were peripheral with diseases related to arteries in the limbs; and three were related to the brain’s arteries.

 The percentage of reported cardiovascular complications more than tripled from 2006 to 2010.

 Nine patients, or 25.6 percent, died.

 Researchers note that marijuana use and any resulting health complications are likely underreported. There are 1.2 million regular users in France, and thus potentially a large amount of complications that are not detected by the French Addictovigilance System.

 “The general public thinks marijuana is harmless, but information revealing the potential health dangers of marijuana use needs to be disseminated to the public, policymakers and healthcare providers,” Jouanjus said.

 People with pre-existing cardiovascular weaknesses appear to be more prone to the harmful effects of marijuana.

 “There is now compelling evidence on the growing risk of marijuana-associated adverse cardiovascular effects, especially in young people,” Jouanjus said. “It is therefore important that doctors, including cardiologists, be aware of this, and consider marijuana use as one of the potential causes in patients with cardiovascular disorders.”

 Surveillance of marijuana-related reports of cardiovascular disorders should continue and more research needs to look at how marijuana use might trigger cardiovascular events, she said.

 Co-authors are Maryse Lapeyre-Mestre, M.D., Ph.D., and Joelle Micallef, M.D., Ph.D. There are no author disclosures.

 The study was funded by French InterMinisterial mission for the fight against drugs and addiction, MILDT (Mission interministérielle de lutte contre les drogues et toxicomanies) and the French drug agency ANSM (Agence Nationale de Sécurité des Médicaments).

 Additional Resources:

 For more information on this subject view the AHA Heart Blog post: States move forward with marijuana legalization despite lack of research .

 . infographic available on the right column of the release link http://newsroom.heart.org/news/marijuana-use-may-increase-heart-complications-in-young-middle-aged-adults?preview=b7b428026ac982ed55d512c1ad0f62fe.

 Follow AHA/ASA news on Twitter @HeartNews.

 ### |||||Summary:

– Marijuana has a reputation for being a safe drug, but some researchers say there is mounting evidence that the drug is associated with adverse heart complications. In two new case studies, two young men in Germany—ages 23 and 28—with no drugs other than THC in their systems and no known health issues (though the 28-year-old had used other drugs up until a few years ago), both died due to complications from abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias. "After exclusion of other causes of death, we assume that the young men died from cardiovascular complications evoked by smoking cannabis," the researchers conclude. They added that the two men may have also been predisposed to cardiovascular risks. Though the researchers tell LiveScience there have been some "quite unpleasant reactions from individuals" following their report, and while some researchers say there isn't a strong enough link to implicate marijuana, there is mounting evidence that there are "marijuana-associated adverse cardiovascular effects, especially in young people," an author of a similar study said in an American Heart Association statement. Either way, one toxicologist says people should proceed with caution: "Some people who are predisposed to cardiac events may be particularly vulnerable to potential harmful effects of marijuana use, and the new report shows this." (Berkeley, meanwhile, recently voted to give free medical marijuana to the poor.)


Summarize this article:

Correction: The article below said that, due to the rotation of the Earth gradually slowing down over time, this winter solstice would feature the longest night ever.

 I got this wrong. The Earth's rotation is gradually slowing on an extremely long timescale, but on a shorter year-to-year basis, geologic factors can alter the speed as well.

 Data indicates that the rotation speed has actually sped up slightly over the past forty years (due to all sorts of factors, such as melting of ice at the poles and the resulting redistribution of the Earth's mass), and before that, the trend was up-and-down for most of the 20th century — so, as far as we know, the longest night in Earth's history likely occurred in 1912. I apologize for the error. Thanks to Steve Allen and Ryan Hardy for pointing it out.

 Read: No, this winter solstice wasn't the longest ever. Scientists explain how we got this wrong.

 Today, you might already know, is the winter solstice. That means for people living in the Northern Hemisphere, it's the longest night of the year.

 However, as science blogger Colin Schultz points out, tonight will also be the longest night ever.

 At any location in the Northern Hemisphere, in other words, tonight's period of darkness will be slightly longer than any other, ever — at least, since the planet started spinning right around the time it was first formed some 4.5 billion years ago.

 Why this night will be the longest ever

 The reason is that the rotation of the Earth is slowing over time. Every year, scientists estimate, the length of a day increases by about 15 to 25 millionths of a second.

 It may be a truly tiny amount (and it means that even in your entire lifetime, the length of a day will only expand by about two milliseconds), but it forces official timekeepers to add a leap second every few years.

 The main reason Earth's rotation slowing down is the moon. Shortly after the formation of Earth, it was impacted by a planet-sized object. This enormous collision threw off the material that would eventually coalesce into the moon, and also sent Earth spinning quite rapidly.

 In the four-plus billion years since, that spinning has slowed down pretty significantly (with an Earth day going from about six hours to 24 hours as a result) because of the moon's gravity.

 The moon's gravity pulls ocean water slightly toward and away from it, causing tides. But because of the alignment of the two bodies, the resulting bulge of water is slightly ahead of the spot on Earth that's directly under the moon.

 As a result, the Earth encounters just a bit of friction from this bulge of water as it rotates, slowing it down slightly.

 The phenomenon — called tidal acceleration — also allows the moon to drift slightly farther away from Earth over time. (It's also what's led the same face of the moon to always faces Earth as it rotates around us, and eventually, if things went on long enough, the same face of Earth would always face the moon as well, a phenomenon called tidal locking.)

 There are a few other things that contribute to Earth's slowing down, but their contributions are minor. One is that the moon's gravity similarly causes Earth's crust to flex, like its water, leading to some friction as well.

 Why winter solstice is the longest night of the year

 This one is much simpler. The Earth orbits around the sun on a tilted axis, so sometimes, the Northern Hemisphere gets more exposure to sunlight over the course of a day, and sometimes, the Southern Hemisphere does. This is what accounts for the changing of the seasons.

 Every year, on December 21 or 22, this tilt means that locations in the Northern Hemisphere get the shortest duration of sunlight they'll get all year, so they experience the shortest day and longest night. On June 21 or 22, they get the longest days and shortest nights.

 Meanwhile, everything is reversed for locations in the Southern Hemisphere — they have their longest days in December, and longest nights in June.

 Related: The year we just lived through, in one video. ||||| Winter weather hit many parts of the U.S. early this year. Yet officially (using the astronomical and traditional definition), the new season begins with the winter solstice at 6:03 p.m. ET today.

 Why are the shortest days not the coldest? And why was our earliest sunset already two weeks ago? Here are five questions (and answers) that explain the winter solstice…

 1. Why are the days so short?

 On the December solstice, the Northern Hemisphere is at its maximum tilt away from the sun and experiences significant amounts of darkness. (timeanddate.com)

 On the December solstice, the sun appears directly overhead at 23.5 degrees south latitude, along the Tropic of Capricorn. While the Southern Hemisphere enjoys its longest day of the year, we here in the Northern Hemisphere see the sun follow its lowest and shortest path across the southern sky. For the next six months, the days will gradually lengthen as our hemisphere begins to tilt back toward the sun.

 2. What time is sunrise and sunset on the winter solstice?

 Sunrise and sunset times in major U.S. cities on the December solstice. (Justin Grieser, data from timeanddate.com)

 For the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. The nation’s capital sees under 9 and a half hours of daylight on the solstice – but it could be worse. Northern cities like Seattle and Minneapolis get less than 9 hours of daylight, while the sun is up for barely 4 hours in Fairbanks, Alaska.

 If the sun is shining on December 21 or 22, your shadow at local noon will be the longest of the year. The higher the latitude, the lower the sun appears in the sky, which means your shadow will be significantly longer in Seattle than in Atlanta or Miami.

 3. Where does the sun rise and set along the horizon?

 Position of sunrise and sunset in Washington, D.C. on the winter solstice. (suncalc.net)

 Thinking about photographing the solstice sunset? Look to the southwest! On the December solstice, all locations on Earth (outside of the polar regions) see the sun rise and set at its southernmost point along the horizon.

 The map of Washington, D.C. (above) shows sunrise and sunset occur within 120 degrees from due north along the horizon – well to the southeast and southwest. The higher your latitude, the closer sunrise and sunset appear to due south on a compass. Around the Arctic Circle, the location of sunrise and sunset converges in the southern sky, until eventually the sun never makes it above the horizon.

 4. Why are the earliest sunset and latest sunrise not on the solstice?

 Date and time of the earliest sunset and latest sunrise in major U.S. cities. (Justin Grieser)

 The winter solstice marks the shortest daylight period, but it’s not the day of the latest sunrise or earliest sunset. In the mid-latitudes the earliest sunset occurs in early December, while the latest sunrise is not until early January. This misalignment occurs because of a discrepancy between “clock time” (which is based on 24 hours), and “solar time” (the time it takes for the sun to appear in the same position in the sky from one day to the next).

 The Earth’s axis is tilted 23.5 degrees, and our orbit around the sun is elliptical (non-circular). In December, these two factors combine in such a way that our days are actually a few seconds longer than 24 hours – as seen by the amount of time it takes the sun to cross our local meridian (longitude) from one day to the next. In effect, this pushes the time of solar noon several minutes later during December, advancing both sunrise and sunset times even as the days continue to shorten until December 21.

 Above we see that Washington, D.C. had its earliest sunset on December 8, while the latest sunrise is not until January 5. At higher latitudes, the date of the earliest sunset and latest sunrise occurs closer to the solstice, while closer to the equator (e.g. Miami), they occur more than a month apart.

 5. Why do the coldest days of the year come after the solstice?

 The coldest day of the year on average across the U.S., based on 1981-2010 climate normals. (NCDC)

 Even though daylight slowly increases after the solstice, many places don’t see their coldest days until mid-January. This happens because the Northern Hemisphere continues to lose more heat than it gains for several more weeks. The oceans – which take longer than land to heat up and cool down – play a role in this seasonal temperature lag. Only after the Northern Hemisphere starts to receive more solar energy than it loses do average temperatures begin their upward ascent.

 Recently, the National Climatic Data Center published a map showing when the U.S. sees its coldest temperatures of the year, based on 30-year climate averages. Above, we see that the intermountain West tends to see its coldest low temperatures closer to the winter solstice, while the coldest days in the Northeast usually don’t arrive until late January. The “average” coldest day of the year depends on several factors, including proximity to water and the timing and amount of snow cover.

 Whether you love or hate winter, the winter solstice offers a ray of light for everyone: Snow lovers can rejoice that the coldest days are still upon us, while for warm weather fans, the lengthening days mean spring is just a few more months away.

 Read more:

 Winter Solstice 2013

 Winter Solstice 2012

 Winter Solstice 2011 |||||

– The winter solstice officially occurred at 6:04pm EST yesterday, marking the first day of winter and the longest night of the year. But all "longest nights" aren't created equal, and the longest night in Earth's history likely happened in 1912. Here's why: The Earth's rotation has been slowing a little bit every year since the planet formed some 4.5 billion years ago, and we have a phenomenon known as tidal acceleration to thank. The moon's gravity pulls on our oceans, tugging the oceans that face it into a "bulge" (LiveScience digs into why there's a bulge on the other side, too). But as the Earth rotates, that tidal bulge is pushed to a position just ahead of the point of our planet that's directly below the moon. That causes the Earth to experience "just a bit of friction from this bulge of water as it rotates, slowing it down slightly," explains Vox. And as a NASA article explains, as Earth slows, the moon is able to inch away from us. The effects of these things are so tiny it takes atomic clocks to spot them, but they're very gradually making our nights longer—mostly. In the long view, we're slowing, but geological factors (like ice melting at our poles, for instance) can impact the rotational speed, and as this University of California Observatories graph shows, the length of our day has gone infinitesimally up and down over the last century, but the peak—and therefore the longest night in our history—occurred in 1912. As far as the length of last night goes, it depends on where you spent it, notes the Washington Post. Washington, DC, saw about 9.5 hours of daylight yesterday, while Miami got almost 10.5, and Fairbanks, Alaska, saw less than four. (The 2010 winter solstice was remarkable for quite another reason.)


– Life expectancy is expected to climb dramatically in most developed countries by 2030—just not in the United States. Using 21 mathematical models, scientists at Imperial College London and the WHO predict females born in the US in 2030 will live an average of 83 years compared to 81 in 2010, while males will reach 79.5 years, up from 76.5, per the BBC and the Guardian. That's "similar to the Czech Republic for men, and Croatia and Mexico for women," say researchers, stressing the US will "fall further behind" countries like South Korea due to obesity, homicides, and a lack of universal healthcare, per Vox. South Korea is expected to lead the pack for both sexes in 2030 with life expectancy at 84 for men and 91 for women—a world first. "As recently as the turn of the century, many researchers believed that life expectancy would never surpass 90 years," but this shows "our public health and healthcare successes," says lead author Majid Ezzati. For example, South Korea has seen gains in economy and education and declines in infant mortality, cardiovascular diseases, and stomach cancers. However, the prediction also points to the need to boost healthcare programs to support a population that could live through their 80s. "We should be planning for more life," Ezzati tells CNN. France and Japan are expected to trail South Korea for female life expectancy at 88.6 years and 88.4 years, respectively. Australia and Switzerland would follow for men at roughly 84 years. (This study suggests human life has hit a ceiling.)

Expand this summary.

South Korea is set to become the world leader in life expectancy by the end of the next decade. And the United States? Well, it’s poised to lag behind other wealthy countries when it comes to progress in longevity.

 In a new study published in The Lancet, researchers predict that average life expectancy will reach beyond 90 years for South Korean women by 2030. Men there will also see big gains.

 A handful of other wealthy countries will get closer to becoming centenarians too, but these improvements won’t be spread evenly. America, in particular, won’t be doing nearly as well against its economic peers.

 It’s yet another example of the importance of equitable access to health care — something South Korea and many other developed countries have managed to provide their citizens while the US continues to falter.

 For the study, researchers at the Imperial College London, the World Health Organization, Northumbria University, and the University of Washington developed a new model for predicting future life expectancy in 35 countries using 21 forecasting projections. Most impressively, they found that in South Korea, life expectancy in women could jump from 84 in 2010 to 91 by 2030. In France, Japan, and Spain, female life expectancy is expected to hit at least 88 or 89 years, up from around 85.

 Men in South Korea, as well as Australia and Switzerland, are also expected to lead the world in life expectancy, living to about 84 by 2030, with Canada, Spain, New Zealand, and the Netherlands following closely.

 The US, by contrast, is among the countries in the study with the smallest boost, with similarly small gains in Japan, Sweden, Greece, Macedonia, and Serbia. In 2010, life expectancy for American men was 76, and for women, 81. In 2030, men here can expect to live to 79 and women 83 — increases of just a couple of years.

 “Notable among poor-performing countries is the USA,” the researchers wrote, “whose life expectancy at birth is already lower than most other high-income countries, and is projected to fall further behind such that its 2030 life expectancy at birth might be similar to the Czech Republic for men, and Croatia and Mexico for women.”

 And the prediction for the US may be too generous. The researchers only looked at data until 2013, so they didn’t account for the downturn in life expectancy that happened in the US in 2015 — the first such decline since the early 1990s. If the researchers updated their data to include that decrease, study author James Bennett said it’s likely they might have found an even lower life expectancy prediction for America.

 The Lancet study is, of course, a modeling exercise, and unforeseen events like an epidemic will affect the numbers. So will changes to Obamacare: A repeal could take health insurance away from some 20 million Americans, and contribute to more deaths than gun homicides, HIV, and skin cancer.

 The US–South Korea gap is astounding

 As we’ve reported, there’s already a widening health disparity in the US — the outlier among rich nations in that it doesn’t offer its citizens universal health care. “This means that some groups are getting left behind and it’s pulling the average down,” said Bennett, a researcher in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at Imperial College London.

 The US has lagged behind its peers in increases in life expectancy (for both men and women) for at least a decade, despite gains from the 1970s to early 2000s. During that time, deaths from alcohol, drug use, and mental health disorders have risen dramatically in many parts of the country, while progress on heart disease has been stalling. (After peaking in 1985, heart disease deaths fell dramatically — but there has been an uptick since 2010, as you can see in this study.) The US also has some of the highest obesity, homicide, and infant and maternal mortality rates in the developed world.

 If you use South Korea as a reference point, the contrast again is astounding. In 1960, the life expectancy for the average South Korean was only 53 years. But over the years, the country has made remarkable progress: South Koreans are now expected to live as long as 82 years — nearly four years longer than the average American.

 The major reasons for the gains in South Korea — as in most rich countries — are reductions in infant mortality and cardiovascular diseases (particularly stroke), as well as declines in stomach cancers. These improvements were accompanied by rapid economic growth over the past 50 years, with gross national income per capita rising from less than US$100 in 1960 to $20,045 by 2007.

 Bennett pointed out that “Korea got a lot of things right” when it comes to health care access, which is why the increases in longevity have been so widespread. “[South Korea] has had economic improvements, which has led to improved nutrition and access to health care and medical technology across the whole population,” he explained. Unlike the US, “South Korea is very equitable, all the way across the population,” he added.

 What makes this example particularly striking is that on average, citizens in the US are far wealthier than South Koreans — the average income of someone in the US is $55,980, which is more than double the average income in South Korea. But for all its wealth over the past century, the US still hasn’t cracked health.

 Watch: The top reason people die early in each country ||||| (CNN) Average life expectancy will increase globally by 2030, both at birth and at the age of 65, according to a new study.

 The two time points help define when lifespans in a population are extending due to improvements in maternal and child health as well as improved adult health.

 The average for women at birth will exceed 85 years in many countries, but South Korea is projected to lead the way with a life expectancy of 90.8 years.

 In 2015, global average life expectancy at birth was 71.4 years, according to the World Health Organization.

 Unhealthier lifestyles among men, including higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, have long meant a greater life expectancy for women, say the researchers.

 Life expectancy among men born in South Korea in 2030 is therefore predicted to be 84.1 years, according to the study, published Tuesday in the Lancet.

 But the study authors believe this gap between the sexes is now shrinking as lifestyles become more similar.

 "The biggest result is that ... at least one group is going to break the 90-year barrier," said Majid Ezzati, professor of global environmental health at Imperial College London, referring to the predictions among South Korean women. Ezzati led the study and highlighted that many experts had believed the average would never exceed 90.

 "This shows that even if there is a limit to longevity, we are nowhere near it," he said. "We should be planning for more life."

 The analysis included data on mortality and longevity patterns from 35 industrialized nations, including both high-income countries and emerging economies.

 US continues to lag

 In Europe, French women and Swiss women are predicted to have the highest life expectancy, with averages of 88.6 and 84 years respectively.

 Among predictions for high-income countries, the lowest life expectancy at birth is likely to be in the US, with an average of 83.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men -- similar to Mexico and Croatia.

 "They still have relatively high rates of young and middle-age mortality," Ezzati told CNN, referring to the countries with lower life expectancies. "People have a relatively high risk of dying in their 40s or 50s."

 There are many reasons for deaths in this age range, Ezzati said, including greater obesity rates and their associated health risks as well as homicides and road accidents. Lack of universal health care in countries like the US is also thought to play a role, the study says.

 The lowest life expectancy projections overall were for women in Macedonia and men in Serbia, according to the study.

 "A lot of this is driven by inequality, (which) brings down the national average," Ezzati said.

 The research team calculated life expectancy using data on the age at which people die across a population. High childhood mortality rates and greater rates of death among young people, for example due to injuries and violence, will bring an average down.

 In contrast, greater equality, more comprehensive health care and healthy diets and lifestyles embedded in a culture can bring this up -- as with South Korea.

 "Places like South Korea and some emerging economies, Switzerland and Canada do very well," Ezzati said. "South Korea has had remarkable success."

 Ezzati believes the secret to South Korea's success has been the country's investment in childhood nutrition, education and technology as well as low blood pressure, low levels of smoking and good access to health care.

 "An equitable way of taking up this knowledge has been the driver," he said.

 Overtaking Japan's lead

 Meanwhile, countries like Japan, long revered for their longevity, are expected to see just small increases in life expectancy. "The Japanese story has started to come to an end," Ezzati said, adding that while the Japanese culture is known for healthy diets and active lifestyles, "that's beginning to change."

 Join the conversation See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter.

 "They still have low obesity and low blood pressure ... and are still doing well, but some things are catching up," he said, highlighting Western influences such as diet.

 "South Korea has caught up with Japan as its standard of living has increased," said Sarah Harper, professor of gerontology at the University of Oxford. "But in many parts of Asia, young people are eating Western diets. ... The (previously) healthy diet may not be sustained as young people reach older ages."

 The findings are hoped to help countries learn healthy changes by example and, more important, to help policymakers prepare for their populations' changing demographics.

 "What South Korea has done goes completely against some Western countries ... against the prosperity agenda," Ezzati said, adding that we need to think about "social care, planning and pensions in an aging population."

 Harper, said the new projections are, "very much in line with what other projections are showing." She agreed that countries in Asia are leading the way but are also seeing change among their younger population.

 She further agreed that inequality is likely to be an underlying factor for why some high-income countries are seeing lower life expectancy predictions. "The US spends more of its budget on health care than any other country in the world. Some say this is due to the huge amount of inequality," she said. "The Scandinavian countries do well. ... They're counted as more equal and tend to have higher life expectancy outcomes." ||||| South Korean women will be the first in the world to have an average life expectancy above 90, a study suggests.

 Imperial College London and the World Health Organization analysed lifespans in 35 industrialised countries.

 It predicted all would see people living longer in 2030 and the gap between men and women would start to close in most countries.

 The researchers said the findings posed big challenges for pensions and care for elderly people.

 "South Korea has gotten a lot of things right," Prof Majid Ezzati told the BBC News website.

 "They seem to have been a more equal place and things that have benefited people - education, nutrition - have benefited most people.

 "And so far, they are better at dealing with hypertension and have some of the lowest obesity rates in the world."

 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption South Korean women are projected to have the longest life expectancy

 The data also forecasts that Japan, once the picture of longevity, will tumble down the global rankings.

 It currently has the highest life expectancy for women, but will be overtaken by both South Korea and France, the study suggests. Meanwhile, male life expectancy will go from the fourth highest to 11th out of the countries studied.

 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Professor Majid Ezzati tells Radio 4's Today why other countries' life expectancy is longer than the UK's

 The US also performs poorly and is on course to have the lowest life expectancy of rich countries by 2030.

 The study predicts an average age of 80 for men and 83 for women - roughly the same state Mexico and Croatia will have achieved.

 "They are almost opposite of South Korea," added Prof Ezzati.

 "[Society in the US is] very unequal to an extent the whole national performance is affected - it is the only country without universal health insurance.

 Image copyright AP Image caption High inequality is part of the reason US life expectancy is to be lowest among rich nations

 "And it is the first country that has stopped growing taller, which shows something about early life nutrition."

 The US will be overtaken by Chile, where women born in 2030 will expect to live for 87 years and men for 81.

 Between 2015 and 2030, life expectancy in the UK is expected to go from 79 to 82 for men and from 83 to 85 for women.

 Men catching up

 The study, published in the Lancet, also shows the gap in life expectancy between women and men is closing.

 Prof Ezzati said: "Men traditionally had unhealthier lifestyles, and so shorter life expectancies.

 "They smoked and drank more, and had more road traffic accidents and homicides, however, as lifestyles become more similar between men and women, so does their longevity."

 Much of the increases are due to improvements for the over-65s rather than reductions in deaths during childhood.

 The study made the projections in a similar way to the methods used by meteorologists to forecast the weather.

 It combined 21 separate mathematical models that analysed past trends to make projections into the future.

 This approach indirectly takes account of all the different factors - smoking rates, medical advances, obesity patterns - that are changing life expectancy.

 It assumes countries continue to progress as they are, so exceptional, unpredictable events equivalent to the fall of the Soviet Union, or huge breakthroughs like a vaccine for all cancer, would massively alter the forecasts.

 In summary, Prof Ezzati said: "Places that perform well do so by investing in their health system and making sure it reaches everyone."

 Follow James on Twitter. ||||| Study shows significant increase in lifespan, with South Korea top of league table and other countries not far behind

 Life expectancy will soon exceed 90 years for the first time, scientists have predicted, overturning all the assumptions about human longevity that prevailed at the beginning of the 20th century.

 Women born in South Korea in 2030 are forecast to have a life expectancy of 90, a study has found. But other developed countries are not far behind, raising serious questions about the health and social care that will be needed by large numbers of the population living through their 80s.

 The findings are from an international team of scientists funded by the UK Medical Research Council and the US Environmental Protection Agency, and come with caveats. It is impossible to accurately forecast the natural disasters, disease outbreaks or climate changes that may take a toll of lives around the world.

 But the study in the Lancet medical journal shows a significant rise in life expectancy in most of the 35 developed countries studied. A notable exception is the US, where a combination of obesity, deaths of mothers and babies at birth, homicides and lack of equal access to healthcare is predicted to cause life expectancy to rise more slowly than in most comparable countries.

 Boys born in 2030 in the US may expect to have similar lifespans to those in the Czech Republic, the study suggests, and girls will have life expectancy similar to those in Croatia and Mexico. Life expectancy for babies born in the US in 2030 is predicted to be 83.3 in 2030 for women and 79.5 for men, a small rise from the 2010 figures of 81.2 and 76.5 respectively.

 The authors point out that the US is the only country in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development without universal healthcare coverage. “Not only does the US have high and rising health inequalities, but also life expectancy has stagnated or even declined in some population subgroups,” write the authors.

 The big winners are South Korea, some western European countries, and some emerging economies. France is second in the league table for women – as it was in 2010 – at 88.6 years, and Japan is third on 88.4 years after decades with the longest life expectancy in the world. Men born in 2030 are predicted to enjoy life expectancy of 84.1 years in South Korea and 84 years in Australia and Switzerland.

 The UK is 21st in the league table for women, with a predicted life expectancy at birth in 2030 of 85.2 years, and 14th for men, whose life expectancy is predicted to be 82.5 years.

 The study incorporates 21 different models of life expectancy to try to come to a definitive prediction of the future, but the authors say there is still uncertainty. There is a 97% probability that women’s life expectancy at birth in 2030 in South Korea will be higher than 86.7 years and 57% probability that it will exceed 90 years.

 South Korea’s league-topping performance is due to improvements in its economy and education, say the authors. Deaths among children and adults from infectious diseases have dropped and nutrition has improved, which has also led to South Koreans growing taller. Obesity, which causes chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart problems and cancer, has not become a huge issue and fewer women smoke than in most western countries.

 'There's a danger of a generation who can't afford to retire' Read more

 Other countries with high projected life expectancy such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand have high-quality healthcare to prevent and treat cancer and heart disease, few infant deaths, and low smoking and road traffic injury rates, says the paper. In France and Switzerland, a lower proportion of women are overweight or obese.

 Our increasing lifespan will require more attention to the health and social needs of elderly people, say the authors.

 “As recently as the turn of the century, many researchers believed that life expectancy would never surpass 90 years,” said the lead author Prof Majid Ezzati, of Imperial College London. “Our predictions of increasing lifespans highlight our public health and healthcare successes.

 “However, it is important that policies to support the growing older population are in place. In particular, we will need to both strengthen our health and social care systems and to establish alternative models of care, such as technology assisted home care.” |||||


Article:

Ali won the world heavyweight title for the first time aged just 22, beating Sonny Liston in Miami

 US President Barack Obama and boxing great George Foreman have led worldwide tributes to Muhammad Ali, who has died at the age of 74.

 "Ali shook up the world - and the world is better for it," Obama said.

 Foreman, who was beaten by Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974, said: "Muhammad Ali made you love him."

 British Prime Minister David Cameron, musician Sir Paul McCartney, boxers Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather and golfer Tiger Woods also paid tribute.

 Ali was admitted to a hospital in the US city of Phoenix, Arizona on Thursday suffering from a respiratory illness, a condition that was complicated by Parkinson's disease.

 The three-time world champion died from septic shock caused by "unspecified natural causes", his spokesman Bob Gunnell said.

 Ali's funeral will take place in his home town of Louisville, Kentucky at 19:00 BST on Friday, 10 June, where flags have been flying at half-mast since his death was announced.

 Former US president Bill Clinton and comedian Billy Crystal will deliver eulogies at the service, which will be open to the public. A procession will also be held in Louisville on the same day.

 'A wonderful, infectious, even innocent spirit'

 Muhammad Ali attended Barack Obama's inauguration as president in January 2009

 In a lengthy statement, Obama said both he and wife Michelle "pray that the greatest fighter of them all finally rests in peace".

 "Like everyone else on the planet, Michelle and I mourn his passing," he said. "But we're also grateful to God for how fortunate we are to have known him, if just for a while; for how fortunate we all are that The Greatest chose to grace our time."

 Ali's quick wit and vocal indignation over racial discrimination made him a compelling character away from the ring. He also refused to be drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War because of his religious beliefs, resulting in him losing his licence and world title.

 "He stood with King and Mandela; stood up when it was hard; spoke out when others wouldn't. His fight outside the ring would cost him his title and his public standing," Obama added.

 "It would earn him enemies on the left and the right, make him reviled, and nearly send him to jail. But Ali stood his ground. And his victory helped us get used to the America we recognise today.

 "He wasn't perfect, of course. For all his magic in the ring, he could be careless with his words, and full of contradictions as his faith evolved. But his wonderful, infectious, even innocent spirit ultimately won him more fans than foes - maybe because in him, we hoped to see something of ourselves.

 'Something greater than a boxer'

 Ali and Foreman met in the famous Rumble in the Jungle on 29 October 1974

 Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, two-time world champion Foreman said: "Muhammad Ali was what I call beautiful. He has been something special.

 "The man was the greatest. Forget about boxing, he was one of the greatest men to appear on television, in the media."

 Foreman's loss to Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire [now DR Congo] 42 years ago stands as one of the most iconic moments in any sport.

 Ali's 'rope-a-dope' strategy tired the unbeaten Foreman in the 80 degree heat, allowing him to force a stoppage in the eighth round.

 "Little did I know I would be facing something greater than a boxer," Foreman said of the fight.

 "He stood the test. He took everything I had and gave back worse. I loved the man. I wanted to beat him and knock him out but I loved the man."

 'He stood for the world'

 Don King, who promoted many of Ali's fights, including the Rumble in the Jungle, said: "It's a sad day for life. I loved Muhammad Ali, he was my friend. Ali will never die.

 "Like Martin Luther King, his spirit will live on. He stood for the world."

 Eight-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao described Ali as a "giant".

 "Boxing benefitted from Muhammad Ali's talents but not as much as mankind benefitted from his humanity," the Filipino said.

 Floyd Mayweather, a world champion across five divisions, added: "There will never be another Muhammad Ali. The black community all around the world, black people all around the world, needed him. He was the voice for us. He's the voice for me to be where I'm at today."

 Listen: Muhammad Ali a 'complete inspiration' - Wladimir Klitschko

 Boxing stars react on Twitter

 Former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson

 Former WBC heavyweight champion Frank Bruno

 Former WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion Amir Khan

 'We were very lucky that he chose boxing'

 Barry McGuigan, former world featherweight champion, said: "Everybody wanted to box because of him. He was just so amazing in every way. More than anything else, it was how humble and how brilliantly charismatic he was.

 "He was a beautiful-looking man, a beautiful-looking individual and he had so much compassion. He was the greatest sportsman there has ever been and we were very lucky that he chose boxing."

 World cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew described Ali as "the ultimate hero".

 "It's heartbreaking news to wake up to. The greatest sportsman of all-time in my opinion. He transcended the sport and this is a sad day," he said.

 "I hope something can be named after him. He can never be replicated."

 Former world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Joe Calzaghe said Ali was his "inspiration".

 "People loved him, he was someone completely different, he backed it up in the ring and everybody wanted to tune in and watch him fight," the Welshman said.

 "There'll never be another Muhammad Ali. He was a superstar."

 Tributes flow in from beyond boxing

 British journalist Michael Parkinson interviewed Muhammad Ali four times and remembers him as boxing's biggest ever star.

 "He was a rockstar," Parkinson told BBC World Service. "It was not often I was gobsmacked but as he walked across the studio floor I'd never seen a more graceful or beautiful man, he was extraordinary.

 "He was a man who could fell you with a blow - kill you maybe - yet he had beautiful hands with long tapering fingers."

 Media playback is not supported on this device Muhammad Ali: "I wear one suit a day, I can only eat one meal a day, I can drive one car a day"

 Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney said "the world has lost a truly great man".

 "Dear Muhammad Ali. I loved that man. He was great from the first day we met him in Miami, and on the numerous occasions when I ran into him over the years," McCartney said in a statement.

 "Besides being the greatest boxer, he was a beautiful, gentle man with a great sense of humour who would often pull a pack of cards out of his pocket, no matter how posh the occasion, and do a card trick for you."

 The Beatles met Ali at the boxer's training camp in Miami in 1964

 British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Muhammad Ali was not just a champion in the ring - he was a champion of civil rights, and a role model for so many people."

 Former US President Bill Clinton said Ali possessed "a blend of beauty and grace, speed and strength that may never be matched again".

 "We watched him grow from the brash self-confidence of youth and success into a manhood full of religious and political convictions that led him to make tough choices and live with the consequences," he added.

 "Along the way we saw him courageous in the ring, inspiring to the young, compassionate to those in need, and strong and good-humoured in bearing the burden of his own health challenges."

 The ANZ Stadium in Sydney displayed a tribute to Muhammad Ali before the international football friendly match between Australia and Greece on Saturday

 Golfer Tiger Woods paid this tribute to Ali

 Former Beatle Ringo Starr was among the thousands to pay tribute on social media ||||| Focused crawls are collections of frequently-updated webcrawl data from narrow (as opposed to broad or wide) web crawls, often focused on a single domain or subdomain. ||||| The Greatest made the world a better place. His work is done. We are better for it. Thank you. RIP, Champ. # BePeacepic.twitter.com/VtPhYRJS3U ||||| Muhammad Ali’s death Friday brought his longtime friend and promoter Bob Arum to recall the former heavyweight champion as “the most transforming figure that I have encountered – for America and the world.”

 Ali died at 74 in a Phoenix hospital, where he was moved this week for a respiratory illness, causing him to require life support Friday as family members came to his bedside.

 He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s more than 30 years ago, moving many to tears with his arm-shaking lighting of the Olympic torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and family spokesman Bob Gunnell told NBC Friday, “We don’t have an official cause of death yet, but it has to be from complications of Parkinson’s.”

 It was the three-time heavyweight champion’s dynamic personality and fighting that will be most remembered.

 Veteran boxing publicist Bill Caplan worked on two Ali fights, including his famed 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle” in Zaire against then-unbeaten George Foreman.

 “He was a great athlete, but the greatest publicity man I’ve ever known. He would do anything you asked [promotional-wise] and would think of a lot of himself,” Caplan said, recalling a scene months before the Foreman fight where the two heavyweights met casually inside an empty Hilton Hotel boardroom in Caracas, Venezuela.

 A look at the life and career of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

 “I was like a fly on the wall for that,” Caplan said. “Ali was doing color on ABC with Howard Cosell. Ali couldn’t be any kinder one-on-one. He gave Foreman advice on how to handle being the champion, like he was a Dutch uncle -- couldn’t have been nicer.

 “Then we walked outside, where there were a lot of people in the lobby and Ali said, ‘You see this robot [emulating Foreman’s slow-moving power punches]? You know what I’m going to do to him?’

 “You saw the two faces of Ali in one second. George was laughing and laughing. He got it.”

 After Ali beat Sonny Liston for the heavyweight belt, he faced being drafted to the Vietnam War, and refused – provoking a three-plus-year absence from the ring and serving as a lightning rod during the height of the civil rights era.

 “It’s hard for people 50 or younger to realize what this country was like in the 1950s and ‘60s, how bad it was for African-Americans in this country – how they fought just to eat at a lunch counter or stay at a hotel,” Arum said. “There was no opportunity.

 “Ali spoke out against that in a way that really connected with people, even more than the melodic and philosophical way that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out. Because Ali was a great sportsman and boxer, he was able to reach people and, I think, had a tremendous effect on bringing change to this country.”

 No act was more principled than giving up massive boxing purses to defy the draft, Arum said.

 “Once people saw that he sacrificed his livelihood for what he believed in, that really elevated him in the minds of people to be almost saint-like,” Arum said. “Everybody, myself included, counseled him not to take that step that led him to not fight for three and a half years, but he felt he was doing the right thing. And it ended up that it was the right thing – for him, the world and the country.”

 Ali proceeded to return to the ring against Joe Frazier in an epic 1971 showdown, then recaptured the heavyweight belt by knocking out Foreman in 1974 in Africa. Ali quickly avenged a 1978 loss to Leon Spinks for the third union with the belt.

 “His story and his character and his life will be part of history that will be studied by whoever looks back on the last 50 years,” said Arum, who promoted 26 Ali bouts, including the 1975 trilogy capping “Thrilla in Manila” fight with Frazier that is seen as the beginning of the brain damage that plagued his later life.

 Foreman remembers learning a few lessons inside and outside the ring from Ali.

 "Back in the time that Joe Frazier, Ali and I were going strong, they called us all great fighters. There's no question the greatest of all was Muhammad Ali," Foreman said Friday night. "I never had any animosity toward him. Never. I always respected him and I learned from him."

 Foreman said what he learned most was how to get along with reporters and to be more clever in the ring -- an asset that allowed Foreman to recapture a heavyweight belt 20 years after the "Rumble in the Jungle."

 Oscar De La Hoya, who fought in front of Ali sitting ringside in the first bout at Staples Center in 2000, said in a prepared statement, "Muhammad Ali is ... the fighter who ushered in the golden era of boxing and put the sport on the map. He paved the way for professional fighters including myself, elevating boxing to become a sport watched in millions of households around the world.

 "Ali's talent was undeniable ... beyond his incredible talent, he also made boxing interesting. Ali was fearless in the ring, and took on the toughest, most challenging opponents. Ali exemplified courage -- he never took the easy route, something to be admired in and outside of the ring.

 "Let us remember a man who pursued greatness in everything he did and be inspired to hold ourselves to that same standard. Rest in peace, my friend."

 Former champion boxer Manny Pacquiao weighed in from the Philippines.

 “We lost a giant today,” said Pacquiao, who was inspired by Ali’s devotion to the public and was recently elected to a Senate seat in his country. “Boxing benefited from Muhammad Ali's talents, but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Ali family. May God bless them.”

 Arum witnessed Ali’s standing as the most well-known person in the world when he accompanied the then-retired icon to China to promote a boxing show in the early 1990s, after the country banned the sport during Ali’s reign.

 “Going through customs, there were these massive groups of Chinese that recognized him and went crazy. I was stunned,” Arum said. “He was a magical person and obviously the most amazing person I’ve had the privilege of being around in my lifetime.”

 Lance.pugmire@latimes.com

 Twitter: @latimespugmire ||||| Tweet with a location

 You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more ||||| Add a location to your Tweets

 When you tweet with a location, Twitter stores that location. You can switch location on/off before each Tweet and always have the option to delete your location history. Learn more |||||
What is a summary?

– Muhammad Ali died Friday at the age of 74, likely from complications related to Parkinson's disease. The death of the Greatest led to an outpouring of tributes and memorials from those who knew him and others who admired him from afar. Here are 13 of those reactions from athletes, celebrities, and politicians: “It's been said it was Rope a dope, Ali beat me with no his beauty that beat me. Most beauty I've know loved him," George Foreman tweeted. “Thinking of #MuhammadAli and remembering a man who was not afraid to take a stand and who was committed to being his authentic self," Billie Jean King tweeted. "Ali shook up the world—and the world is better for it," the BBC quotes President Obama as saying in a statement. “The greatest man I have ever known," Billy Crystal tweeted. “The Greatest made the world a better place. His work is done. We are better for it," Carl Weathers tweeted. "Ali exemplified courage—he never took the easy route, something to be admired in and outside of the ring," the Los Angeles Times quotes Oscar De La Hoya as saying. “Boxing benefited from Muhammad Ali's talents, but not nearly as much as mankind benefited from his humanity," the Times quotes Manny Pacquiao as saying. “His may be the Greatest of 20th century American stories," Neil deGrasse Tyson tweeted. “We will NEVER forget your courage, standing up to those in power. You gave up your title & your career rather than kill Vietnamese," Michael Moore tweeted. "From the day he claimed the Olympic gold medal in 1960, boxing fans across the world knew they were seeing a blend of beauty and grace, speed and strength that may never be matched again," ABC News quotes a statement from Bill and Hillary Clinton as saying. “Muhammad Ali was the greatest, not only an extraordinary athlete but a man of great courage and humanity," ABC quotes Bernie Sanders as saying in a statement. “Muhammad Ali is dead at 74! A truly great champion and a wonderful guy. He will be missed by all!” Donald Trump tweeted. “God came for his champion. So long great one," Mike Tyson tweeted. (Click here for the best quotes from Ali himself.)