Summarize this article:

Former Winnipeg broadcast personality and Red River College journalism instructor Steve Vogelsang has been charged with two counts of robbery involving two separate banks in Alberta.

 CKY , now known as CTV Winnipeg, beginning in the early 1990s . He became a journalism instructor at Red River College in 2002 and resigned in 2011. Police released this still image from surveillance video of a man they say robbed two banks in Medicine Hat, Alta. Steve Vogelsang has been charged in the robberies. (Medicine Hat Police Service) The 53-year-old was the news director and longtime sports anchor at, now known asWinnipeg, beginning in the early. He became a journalism instructor at Red River College in 2002 and resigned in 2011.

 In March, a former student he had dated was granted a protection order against him.

 Police in Medicine Hat say a man walked into a Royal Bank in the southeastern Alberta city on Oct. 19 and a Bank of Montreal the next day without a disguise, demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

 Police arrested Vogelsang on Saturday at a hotel in the same area as the banks, just after 3 a.m. CT.

 Vogelsang and his wife moved from Winnipeg to Nelson, B.C., after he left his post at Red River College.

 After spending 24 years together, Vogelsang and his wife separated in 2015 and he moved back to Winnipeg. She filed for divorce last summer.

 Financially squeezed

 According to court documents, Vogelsang and his wife had owned three properties in Nelson and sold them for a total loss of $85,000.

 Vogelsang was supposed to take over fully last September after removing his ex-wife's name from the paperwork. Vogelsang was a journalism instructor at Red River College from 2002 to 2011 after serving as news director and a longtime sports anchor at CTV. (Steve Vogelsang/Facebook) They also owned a home in Winnipeg, whichwas supposed to take over fully last September after removing his ex-wife's name from the paperwork.

 The documents say that didn't happen. Instead, she alleges he forged her signature and renewed the mortgage on the home in both their names.

 Vogelsang wasn't able to make the mortgage payments and put the house up for sale, but it went into foreclosure in April.

 According to an email exchange in September, entered as evidence, while the couple argued over selling a property, Vogelsang described his financial situation and said he was, at times, sleeping in his vehicle.

 "[Because] I have nowhere to stay, I'll stay in my truck tues & weds night," he wrote. "I have been staying in my truck regularly," he added.

 Earlier this year, he said he planned to move to Vancouver Island in August, and was working on developing a career as a keynote speaker on millennials.

 Accused of harassing former student

 A former student Vogelsang had been dating off and on since 2004 got a protection order against him in March.

 She said she broke up with him last August and alleges in court documents that he did not stop contacting her through text, emails and voicemails, despite Winnipeg police asking him on three occasions to leave her alone.

 "He's gone to great lengths to try to get a hold of me since November and I've ... changed my cellphone number. I've cancelled my personal email. I've blocked him through work. I've tried to block him through email and phone. Our security desk and our HR manager has his picture and his details and he's not allowed in the building," she said in court documents.

 Police released this video still from the bank robbery in Medicine Hat. (Medicine Hat Police Service) "I wanted this to end in August. I've now had the police tell him I don't want any contact and he is still wanting to be involved, wanting to be involved in my life, wanting to get some sort of effect from me. And so I do fear for my own safety."

 Vogelsang is fighting those allegations next month. He told the court the woman "has repeatedly misled police in an attempt to discredit me."

 "I, Stephen Lane Vogelsang, have never committed a violent act," he is quoted in the documents as saying.

 He says that the woman "has actively interfered in my life."

 "I trade on my reputation for my employment. I have spent over 20 years in Winnipeg developing a flawless and well-respected reputation.

 Vogelsang remains in custody in Alberta to face two robbery charges and is expected in court tomorrow.

 More from CBC Manitoba: ||||| CTV News has learned former college instructor and broadcaster Stephen Vogelsang has been charged in connection with two Alberta bank robberies, and has been dealing with criminal charges in Winnipeg.

 The well-known Winnipeg personality taught journalism at Red River College between 2002 and 2011. Vogelsang is also a former sports anchor and news director at CKY-TV, now CTV Winnipeg. He worked at the station between 1992 and 2002.

 CTV News has learned Vogelsang returned to Red River College, working on a part-time basis sometime after moving back to Winnipeg from Nelson B.C., in 2014, up until this past summer.

 “I can confirm he is no longer an employee here,” said Conor Lloyd spokesperson for Red River College.

 Vogelsang, 53, was charged with two counts of robbery in connection to two bank robberies in Medicine Hat, Alta.

 On Monday Medicine Hat Police Service said Vogelsang was arrested Saturday in the city, located about three hours southeast of Calgary.

 Police said a man went into a Royal Bank of Canada on Thursday October 19 and a Bank of Montreal on Friday October 20.

 They said in both instances, the man passed a note to a teller and received money. The amount is not being released.

 “There were no weapons seen or brandished by the accused. It was a note passed, but I guess what's important to note, you know, in the sensitive environment of a financial institution when you pass the note across the desk so to speak, there is an applied threat and it's unknown if he had any weapons at that time," said Joe West, Medicine Hat Police Service inspector., in a phone interview with CTV News.

 West said information from other agencies, along with obtaining a description of a suspect vehicle, led to the arrest.

 The accused was located at a Medicine Hat hotel. West said he was arrested without incident, and is expected to appear in court tomorrow.

 Source: Medicine Hat Police Service

 Financial and legal difficulties

 It appears Vogelsang is going through financial difficulties.

 Court documents obtained by CTV News detail his divorce. He was accused of missing several mortgage payments on a home in Winnipeg, and borrowing money.

 Court records also show he was charged with sexual assault in September 2016. That charge was stayed October 23, 2017.

 A protection order was filed and granted in March 2017.

 Court documents show he faces three charges of disobeying a court order, laid in August 2017. A justice official tells CTV News those charges are expected to be dealt with in court next year.

 Reaction from former students

 CTV News connected with former students who said the allegations are shocking.

 “I'm shocked and upset, in disbelief, as I know many of Steve's former students are,” said former student Matt Preprost in an emailed statement.

 “Steve was a tough, but fair teacher—one who built his lessons and rapport with us through a mix of fun and humour, always challenging us to step outside our comfort zones and to be better than our last assignment. No guts, no glory, as he used to say.

 There’s still much we don’t know about the circumstances of these alleged robberies, and I’ll defer further comment at this time.” |||||

– A former well-known Canadian TV sports anchor is in jail after police say he robbed two banks in as many days in the western province of Alberta last week. Police in the small city of Medicine Hat say Steve Vogelsang robbed a Royal Bank of Canada on Thursday, Oct. 19, and then turned around the next day and robbed a Bank of Montreal, CBC reports. He entered both banks without a disguise and after demanding money, left with an undisclosed sum. Police finally arrested Vogelsang at a nearby hotel at around 3am on Saturday. Per CTV Winnipeg News, Vogelsang, 53, was a longtime news director and sports broadcaster at CKY, now CTV Winnipeg. He also taught journalism at Red River College in Winnipeg from 2002 to 2011. Conor Lloyd, a spokesman for the college, says, “I can confirm he is no longer an employee here.” Vogelsang is scheduled to appear in provincial court on Tuesday.


News article:

Story highlights Toya Graham tells CBS she wasn't about to tolerate her son taking part in the riot

 She says her son knew he was in trouble, thought about running

 Police praise her actions

 (CNN) You know the Baltimore mom who went to the riot, found her son and lit into him with her right hand? Well, Toya Graham said Tuesday she did it because she didn't want her son to become another Freddie Gray.

 She also told CBS News that she's a single mother of six who doesn't play when it comes to her children.

 In video captured Monday by CNN affiliate WMAR , Graham is seen pulling her masked son away from a protest crowd, smacking him in the head repeatedly, and screaming at him.

 Graham told CBS News that her son said he wanted to run when he saw her coming.

 "I'm a no-tolerant mother. Everybody who knows me, knows I don't play that," Graham told the network. "He knew. He knew he was in trouble."

 Read More ||||| The Baltimore mother caught on video repeatedly smacking her son after catching him participating in rioting in Baltimore told CBS News that she was only concerned about protecting him.

 Toya Graham CBS News

 "He gave me eye contact. And at that point, you know, not even thinking about cameras or anything like that. That's my only son and at the end of the day I don't want him to be a Freddie Gray," Toya Graham said, referencing the 25-year-old man who died after mysteriously sustaining severe spinal injuries in police custody earlier in the month. His death has sparked protests throughout the city, with tensions boiling over Monday.

 Graham told CBS News she launched into action after spotting her 16-year-old son Michael wearing a hoodie and mask amid the protesters.

 "At that point, I just lost it," said Graham. "I was shocked, I was angry, because you never want to see your child out there doing that."

 Graham, a single mom with six children, denounced the vandalism and violence against police officers. She said rioting in Baltimore is no way to go about getting justice for Freddie Gray and that she doesn't want that life for her son.

 Toya Graham lays into her son Michael after seeing him with the protesters. CBS News

 "There's some days that I'll shield him in the house just so he won't go outside and I know that I can't do that for the rest of my life," said Graham. "I'm a no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me, know I don't play that."

 It's that reputation that made her son wince the second he saw her.

 "He knew he was in trouble," said Graham. "He said when 'I seen you,' he said, 'ma, my instinct was to run.'"

 Graham says after she got her son home they both watched news coverage of the demonstrations and riots on television. As images of her reaction started to go viral, Graham says comments started appearing on her son's Facebook page, many in support of her.

 "Friends and everybody making comments and saying you know, you shouldn't be mad at your mother, you should give her a hug," said Graham.

 Graham hopes the incident will serve as a teachable moment for her son.

 "And by him seeing everything what's going on I just hope, I'm not sure, but I hope that he understands the seriousness of what was going on last night."

 The video has been widely circulated as people look for answers to the violence, and it even drew the attention of Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts.

 "I wish I had more parents who took charge of their kids tonight," he said, according to CBS Baltimore.

 Graham told CBS News she thinks the situation wouldn't have been as bad if there were more mothers out there monitoring their sons. But she acknowledged there are some circumstances that can prevent moms from from doing that.

 "We don't know where those mothers are at, a lot of mothers have to provide for their children," said Graham. "You can talk blue in your face to your children, but at the end of the day they gonna make their own decisions. As parents we just have to follow through to make sure that's where they supposed to be at."

 Commissioner Batts told reporters late Monday night that a bulk of the rioters who pelted officers with rocks and bricks, inciting a massive display of looting and vandalism across parts of West Baltimore were area high schoolers.

 "These are Baltimore youthful residents, a number of them came right out of the local high schools there on the other side of Mondawmin and started engaging in this," said Batts. "I think these were youth coming out of the high school and they thought it was cute to throw cinder blocks at the police department and address it that way."

 At least 20 police officers were injured in the violence and one person was critically hurt in a fire, according to authorities. Police made 235 arrests, including 34 juveniles.

 The streets were calmer Tuesday as the National Guard deployed. A 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew remained in effect. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– The woman labeled "Mom of the Year" for dragging her son away from rioting in Baltimore says she didn't want her only son to end up like Freddie Gray. Toya Graham, who was filmed smacking and berating her 16-year-old son, tells CBS News that she "lost it" after she saw him among a crowd throwing objects at police. The single mother of six says she doesn't believe attacking police is any way to get justice for Gray, and she wanted to protect her son. "There's some days that I'll shield him in the house just so he won't go outside, and I know that I can't do that for the rest of my life," she says. "I'm a no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me know I don't play that." One of Graham's five daughters tells CNN her mom "has always been tough"—and didn't have any trouble spotting the boy in the crowd, even with a hoodie and mask on. She says her brother is grateful and understands that their mom was just trying to keep him alive. Graham says she thinks the situation on Monday would not have been as bad if more mothers had acted like her, but she understands that many may have been busy providing for their families—and there is only so much a mother can do. "You can talk blue in your face to your children, but at the end of the day they gonna make their own decisions," she tells CBS. "As parents we just have to follow through to make sure that's where they supposed to be at."


Article:

U.S. President Barack Obama attends the East Asia Summit at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. Obama is in Cambodia on the final leg of his three-country tour of Southeast... (Associated Press)

 President Barack Obama's attendance at an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders on Tuesday thrust him right in the eye of the region's most stormy dispute: the long-raging rivalry between China and five neighbors for control of strategic and resource-rich waters in the South China Sea.

 The inability to resolve these territorial conflicts has become a major impediment to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations as it tackles ambitious dreams like a plan to turn the economically vibrant region of 600 million people into an EU-like community by the end of 2015.

 Neither the U.S. nor China is a member of ASEAN, but each has strong supporters in the group. Summit host Cambodia, an ally of China, has tried at this week's summit to shift the focus to economic concerns, but Beijing's territorial disputes with its ASEAN neighbors _ including staunch U.S. ally the Philippines _ have yet again overshadowed discussions.

 The disagreement sparked a tense moment Monday when Philippine President Benigno Aquino III challenged Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who had tried to cut off a discussion of the territorial disputes.

 Into this heated atmosphere came Obama, who flew to Phnom Penh for Tuesday's expanded East Asia Summit, in which the 10 ASEAN countries were joined by eight other nations, including China and the United States. Behind closed doors, the Chinese and Philippine leaders pressed their territorial claims while others called for restraint. After the summit, the exchange shifted to the chandelier-lit lobby, where diplomats of the two countries reiterated their positions.

 Senior Chinese diplomat Fu Ying expressed dismay that the disputes again got the spotlight. "We do not want to bring the disputes to an occasion like this and we do not want to give over-emphasis to the territorial disputes and differences," she said.

 Washington has reiterated that it takes no sides in the territorial disputes but would not allow any country to resort to force and block access to the South China Sea, a vital commercial and military gateway to Asia's heartland.

 Washington has also called for the early crafting of a "code of conduct" to prevent clashes in the disputed territories, a call backed by Australia and Japan, but it remains unclear if and when China will sit down with rival claimants to draft such a legally binding nonaggression pact.

 The potentially oil- and gas-rich South China Sea islands and waters are contested by China, Taiwan and four ASEAN members _ Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

 The last fighting, involving China and Vietnam, killed more than 70 Vietnamese sailors in 1988, and fears that the conflicts could spark Asia's next war have kept governments on edge.

 Vietnam and the Philippines, backed by Washington, have been loudest on the issue, and want China to negotiate with the other claimants as a group. China wants one-on-one negotiations _ which would give it an advantage because of its sheer size and economic clout _ and has warned Washington to stay away from an issue it says should not be "internationalized," a position echoed by Cambodia at the Phnom Penh summit.

 There have been several recent standoffs involving boats and other shows of force, particularly between China and the Philippines, which both claim ownership of the Spratly Islands, a spray of tiny South China Sea atolls.

 Their latest diplomatic confrontation occurred a few hours before Obama touched down Monday in the Cambodian capital, when Hun Sen announced as he was closing a meeting that all ASEAN leaders had agreed not to discuss the divisive issue in talks between the 10-nation bloc and China.

 Alarmed, Aquino raised his hand, stood up and objected to Hun Sen's statement, saying his country, which plans to bring the disputes before a U.N. tribunal, was not party to any such agreement. It was a blunt gesture in the usually servile ambiance of the conservative bloc, an unwieldy collective of rigid, authoritarian regimes and nascent democracies.

 After a brief lull, Hun Sen recovered and said Aquino's remarks would be reflected in the record of the meeting. Still, Cambodian and Chinese officials insisted that the agreement stood. Tensions intensified Tuesday when the Philippines was joined by Vietnam and Singapore in objecting to a plan by Cambodia to state in a post-summit statement by the host country that there was indeed such an agreement, Philippine diplomats said.

 An objection from the Philippines, or any ASEAN nation, ought to be enough to thrash any agreement because the bloc decides by consensus, meaning just one veto from any member kills any proposal.

 "The bottom line is they can talk all they want but if we said we're not with it, there's no consensus, finished," Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters.

 The dispute, and Obama's presence here, highlights how ASEAN has become a major battleground for influence in Asia, just like the South China Sea. The U.S. is pushing its "Pacific pivot" to the region following years of engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. China, the Asian superpower, has acted to protect its home ground.

 Southeast Asia is clearly pinned in between, and the lack of consensus among the group over the maritime disputes has pushed much of the bloc's other work to the sidelines.

 In July, after a foreign ministers' meeting also hosted by Cambodia, the group failed to publicly issue a traditional after-conference communique _ an embarrassing failure that was a first in ASEAN's 45-year history. Vietnam and the Philippines had insisted that the joint statement simply state that the South China Sea rifts were discussed, but Cambodia adamantly refused, echoing China's line to keep a lid on public discussions of the disputes.

 Ernest Bower of the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington, D.C., said the imbroglio in July showed that as long as any ASEAN country remains weak and vulnerable to muscling from a major power, the entire group could be compromised.

 "ASEAN learned a hard lesson from the event," Bower said, "namely, that they should never again allow a fellow ASEAN member country to feel so isolated, exposed or dependent on any foreign power that the country feels compelled to step beyond ASEAN protocols ... in a way that damages the organization's interests and profile."

 ___

 Associated Press writers Grant Peck and Sopheng Cheang contributed to this report. ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Obama (centre) was part of talks between Asian nations that saw discussion of maritime rows and trade pacts

 US President Barack Obama has urged Asian nations to ease tensions over maritime disputes, amid terse exchanges at the end of a summit in Cambodia.

 China and the Philippines openly clashed over who owns islands in the South China Sea, as the East Asia summit came to a close in Phnomh Penh.

 Mr Obama warned against allowing such disputes to escalate.

 Japanese and Australian leaders also attended the meeting, which was part of regional Asean talks.

 The BBC's Jonah Fisher, in Phnomh Penh, says it was an acrimonious end to a summit in which South East Asian countries failed to reach consensus among themselves over how to resolve the various territorial disputes with China.

 Mr Obama's arrival on Monday at the regional talks between the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) and other partner countries came amid fractious debate on the maritime row between China and its Asian neighbours.

 The Scarborough Shoal, or Huangyan islands as they are called in China, were at the centre of a stand-off between China and the Philippines earlier this year.

 On Tuesday the US president met Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao but did not refer to the row in public comments.

 The "co-operative and constructive approach" the US and China had taken to ties served both countries, Mr Obama said, but "clear rules of the road" were needed for international trade.

 Mr Wen, for his part, said economic co-operation would be enhanced "as a means to tackle the difficulties we have and resolve the difference and disagreements between us".

 Asia is one part of the world that still has economic growth, and the American recovery depends on that continuing. The president is trying to establish various free-trade agreements with countries in the region. Asia is also the arena for a struggle between the world's only two super-powers - ideology and power are at stake.

 Both sides ignored shouted questions from reporters about the South China Sea, AFP news agency said.

 "President Obama's message is there needs to be a reduction of the tensions," deputy National Security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said after the summit.

 "There is no reason to risk any potential escalation, particularly when you have two of the world's largest economies - China and Japan - associated with some of those disputes."

 China claims a U-shaped swathe of the South China Sea, including areas also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

 Tensions have been high with Manila and Hanoi in recent months amid stand-offs and minor clashes around shoals and islands disputed with China.

 The last Asean summit in July broke up acrimoniously, without a joint communique, with China facing accusations of using its clout to force host Cambodia to keep the territorial issue off the agenda.

 Tensions continued at the latest summit. Cambodia said on Sunday that Asean nations had agreed not to "internationalise" the issue, something Beijing has been pushing for.

 But on Monday, the Philippines - which has been boosting ties with the US - said no such accord had been reached and that it had "the inherent right to defend its national interests when deemed necessary".

 The Philippines lodged a formal protest against Cambodia, saying that it was trying to contain discussions on the matter.

 China said it did not want to bring the disputes to such a forum. "We do not want to give over emphasis to the territorial disputes and differences, and we don't think it's a good idea to spread a sense of tension in this region," Wen Jiabao told the summit, according to Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Fu Ying.

 Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also raised security concerns in a meeting with Mr Obama. Japan is currently embroiled in a separate territorial dispute with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea.

 "With the increasing severity of the security environment in East Asia, the importance of the Japan-US alliance is increasing," Mr Noda said.

 Trade moves

 Discussions at the summit also focused on at least three free trade pacts in the region.

 Officials from China, Japan and South Korea met on the sidelines to start talks on the possibility of a free-trade zone, the three countries said in a joint statement.

 Asean countries and China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand have also launched negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact, which seeks to strengthen regional trade.

 The US also led the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations which currently involve four countries from Asean - Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

 Mr Obama arrived in Cambodia from Burma, where he spent six hours meeting top leaders.

 The first visit to the country by a serving US president, it was seen as a response to reforms initiated by the government of President Thein Sein. |||||
What is a summary?

– President Obama is in Cambodia today, meeting with East Asian leaders amid a contentious territorial dispute over the South China Sea. Speaking publicly, neither Obama nor Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao responded to reporters' shouted questions about the tensions, the BBC reports. Instead, Obama referred to a "cooperative and constructive approach" to relations between the US and China, though he cited a need for "clear rules of the road" on trade. But the summit (which joins the 10 ASEAN countries with eight other nations, including China and the US) was expected to focus on the territorial issues. To wit, the AP reports that behind closed doors, the Chinese and Philippine leaders pressed their territorial claims while others called for restraint. Those two countries, along with Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei, all have claims to a portion of the South China Sea, while China and Japan disagree over control of islands in the East China Sea. Trade talks between the East Asian countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand, were expected to be another focus of the summit.


Photo

 “Now,” Robin Roberts said to the staff of her top-rated morning show, “Good Morning America,” right after it wrapped on Wednesday, “we can resume regular programming.”

 Ms. Roberts had just made a television comeback unlike any other, as a host of the program for the first time since she was forced to leave it in August to fight a life-threatening illness. The return, promoted two weeks ahead of time by ABC, was celebrated by fans, tens of thousands of whom sent well-wishes on social networking sites. Many of them watch the program specifically for Ms. Roberts, who is, according to industry research, the most-liked host on any American morning news program by a wide margin.

 On Wednesday it was obvious why. She beamed with pride and gratitude as she returned to the broadcast, defying the expectations of some in the television industry who had predicted she would be unwilling or unable to anchor again.

 The broadcast gave ABC fresh optimism that “Good Morning America,” with Ms. Roberts, 52, back in her chair, can continue to beat NBC’s “Today,” which last year was dislodged from the top spot in the morning ratings after 16 straight years.

 Most of all it closed a chapter in a story that started almost exactly one year ago, when Ms. Roberts felt exhausted while covering the 2012 Academy Awards in Los Angeles for ABC. Subsequent tests by her doctors found that she had myelodysplastic syndromes, known as M.D.S., a rare and debilitating blood disorder, most likely resulting from her treatment for breast cancer five years earlier.

 After taking a leave in August she underwent a bone-marrow transplant in September. Back then Ms. Roberts told viewers she’d return to “Good Morning America” as soon as she could. But no one knew for sure how long she would be away, if she survived at all. Nor could anyone at ABC think of any precedents for a leave like hers. “There was no handbook for this, but I’m very pleased with how we handled it,” Ms. Roberts said in an interview after Wednesday’s broadcast.

 The closest things to precedents were weeks-long maternity leaves, and the one thing ABC was determined not to repeat: a departure like that of Peter Jennings, the longtime “World News Tonight” anchor who abruptly came onto his newscast one day in April 2005, announced he had lung cancer, said, “I will continue to do the broadcast,” and never came back.

 Jennings died four months after making the announcement, and the circumstances were traumatic for viewers as well as for ABC staff members. For that reason — as well as for the more obvious ones involving ratings and reputation — ABC decided to make Ms. Roberts a part of the show even while she was in the hospital recuperating from the transplant.

 George Stephanopoulos and the other co-hosts mentioned her by name at least once every half-hour, and they shared her Twitter messages and photos on TV regularly. On Wednesday everyone involved emphasized that she was returning now only because her doctors say she is ready.

 Nonetheless morning TV is big business, so there were grumblings that ABC had exploited her condition for ratings gains. Last July, two weeks after NBC removed Ann Curry from “Today,”spurring a big lift in the ratings for “Good Morning America,” the “Today” executive producer Jim Bell wrote in an e-mail to senior producers that the competition was “using Robin’s illness and the accompanying public interest in her health as a new weapon in its arsenal.”

 More recently some media critics have censured the show for overcovering Ms. Roberts’s impending return. But if online chatter is any indication, that sentiment wasn’t widely shared by the viewers who have been rooting for Ms. Roberts and for her television family, which remained firmly No. 1 among total viewers while she was away. But among the 25- to 54-year-old viewers that help the shows make money, “Good Morning America” stayed only slightly ahead of “Today,” and within ABC, there is a quiet hope that Ms. Roberts’ return will propel the program forward.

 Ben Sherwood, the president of ABC News, ducked questions about the ratings on Wednesday but said, “This experience has reminded us to take nothing for granted, and, like Robin herself, in many ways we feel like we’re just getting started.”

 He also said, “After 173 very long days, it’s beautiful to get back to business as usual with our full team and two more wonderful regulars.” By “regulars” he meant Elizabeth Vargas and Amy Robach, who took turns filling in while Ms. Roberts was away. They will continue to show up frequently on the program, he said, in part because Ms. Roberts is not yet back at full strength. She’ll re-emerge gradually, for a few days a week at first, depending on how she and how her doctors feel about her progress. At least one thing is certain: she will be back in Los Angeles to cover the Academy Awards this weekend.

 Mr. Sherwood, when asked if Ms. Roberts would ever return to a five-day-a-week schedule, observed that she’s an athlete first and foremost (a star college basketball player and former ESPN sportscaster) who “wants to play every day.” He added, “I think nothing would make Robin happier than getting back to five days a week.”

 Even the most cynical “Good Morning” producers — who requested anonymity because they were not authorized by the network to speak — pointed out that Ms. Roberts’s story could have ended very differently. “It doesn’t matter about ratings” on Wednesday, one such producer said in between emotional expletives. “She is alive!”

 Interviewed by People magazine, which put her on its cover last week, Ms. Roberts said she was warned that “at one point I would feel like dying.” Shortly after the transplant, that came true, she said: “I was in a pain I had never experienced before, physically and mentally. I was in a comalike state. I truly felt like I was slipping away. Then I kept hearing, ‘Robin! Robin!’ ” The voice belonged to a nurse, who was “pleading for me to stay here,” Ms. Roberts said. “And thankfully I did. I came back.”

 Ms. Roberts said she didn’t feel especially tired after her two-hour hosting blitz on Wednesday. She did notice some problems with her vision, however, since she had not been under the bright studio lights for such an extended period since August.

 Her return was even cause for a temporary cessation of hostilities between “Today” and “Good Morning America.” “Today” sent a gift basket to the ABC studio and welcomed Ms. Roberts back during its 8 a.m. hour.

 Don Nash, who succeeded Mr. Bell as executive producer of “Today” two months ago, said in an e-mail on Tuesday night, “All of us at ‘Today’ wish her continued good health and years of hitting the 3 a.m. snooze button!” ||||| Robin Roberts returned to the "Good Morning America" anchor desk this morning, five months to the day since she underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat myelodysplastic syndrome or MDS, a rare blood disorder.

 "I have been waiting 174 days to say this: 'GoodMorning America!,'" Roberts, 52, said in the show's open.

 "I keep pinching myself and I realize that this is real. This is really happening," she said. "Faith, family and friends have brought me tothis moment and I am so full of gratitude."

 Watch "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET for a behind-the-scenes look at Roberts' journey.

 On hand at the show's Times Square studio for Roberts' return to "GMA" were her co-anchors George Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliott, Lara Spencer and Sam Champion, and a studio full of the family, friends and fans who supported her, as well as the doctors and nurses who guided her recovery.

 "There’s so many people that I want to thank throughout the morning,my doctors and nurses and family and colleagues and people who have sat in thischair and those who have blazed the trail before me," Roberts said.

 "As my mother said, ‘We all have something,'" she said. "Everyone’sstory has purpose and meaning and value and I share this morning, this day of celebration,with everyone."

 READ MORE: Robin Roberts Says She's Feeling Stronger Every Day

 The official announcement of Roberts' return was made Feb. 6 after her most recent test showed no signs of abnormalities and she received the all-clear from her doctors. Roberts then did a series of "dry runs" at the "GMA" studio in Times Square to start acclimating herself again to the anchor chair, testing the studio lights on her sensitive skin and eyes, and adjusting to those early morning wake-up calls.

 Roberts and her doctors – Dr. Gail Roboz of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Dr. Sergio Giralt of New York's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center -will now take a day-by-day approach to her recovery and listen to Roberts' body indetermining how often she appears on "GMA."

 "Today is a dress rehearsal," Giralt said on "GMA." "It's herfirst show and we're going to see how she feels tomorrow. Tomorrow we'regoing to debrief. We're going to sit down. We're going totalk. How do you feel? How was it? How tired are you? And depending on how this marathon weekend looks and how she feels on Monday,we'll decide is it good to do three times a week, five times a week."

 READ MORE: Next Steps in Roberts' Recovery

 Earlier this month, Roberts traveled to her home state of Louisiana with "GMA" co-anchors Elliott and Champion to see family and friends and enjoy some Super Bowl festivities. The milestone visit started with a warm welcome by students from her alma mater, Southeastern Louisiana University, and was an important part in her emotional recovery, she explained in a Facebook post.

 Another of Roberts' recovery milestones was reached when Stephanopoulos announced last Thursday on "GMA" that she would appear on the red carpet at this Sunday's Oscar ceremony. It was at the Oscars one year ago that Roberts has said she started feeling badly and one of her recovery goals was to be back in time for this year's ceremony. She will also soon interview first lady MichelleObama.

 "We didn't exactly have in mind an interview with Mrs. Obama and theOscars for this weekend as an easy start," Dr. Roboz said to Roberts todayon "GMA." "That was not right up there for what we had inmind for easing back in but Dr. Giralt and I are learning to cope andwe're hopeful that the strength that you're showing right now is just going tokeep on going."

 Roberts will also share her personal journey on a special edition of "20/20" Friday, Feb. 22, at 10 p.m. ET. The hour will offer a candid behind-the-scenes look at Roberts' experience and those who have drawn hope and courage from her example.

 CLICK HERE to Follow Roberts' Journey |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Seems Robin Roberts is as good as her word: She's back on Good Morning America this morning following a nearly six-month absence for a bone marrow transplant. "I keep pinching myself and I realize that this is real. This is really happening," Roberts said. "Faith, family, and friends have brought me to this moment and I am so full of gratitude." Ahead of her return she thought, "All is right in the world. It's gonna seem like no time has passed at all." Industry analysts had questioned whether she'd ever return to the job, but she's back in time for the Oscars. Last year's awards marked the beginning of her feeling unwell, and she hoped to be back in time for the 2013 edition. Roberts is the best-loved of all the morning news hosts, according to industry data, and her return could help GMA stay ahead of Today in ratings, the New York Times notes. And even while she was gone, she was far from forgotten: GMA hosts referred to her at least once each half-hour, the Times adds.


At least two open investigations into...

 COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri officials have at least two open investigations into the potential use of "date rape" drugs at Delta Upsilon fraternity.

 ABC 17 News first reported Wednesday through an open records request the series of incidents that led to a temporary suspension of Delta Upsilon in late September. The fraternity was given disciplinary probation just a day before a racially-charged incident with students in the Legion of Black Collegians ended up in DU front lawn on September 27. The national organization placed its Columbia chapter on emergency suspension the next day, and the school's Office of Student Conduct continues to investigate that issue.

 DU received probation after several issues arose from parties on August 27 and September 10. A 20-year-old woman was taken by ambulance for an alcohol overdose, a man was pushed down a flight of steps during a fight and an 18-year-old girl tripped and hit her head after drinking too much at DU during the September incident. The fraternity had been given two warnings prior to that by the school for underage drinking and "failing to comply" with University police during a theft investigation.

 ABC 17 News uncovered a letter from the Title IX Office informing the fraternity of a possible investigation into use of "date rape" drugs. The letter, dated September 13, said the office received numerous contacts from students, along with social media posts that claim "active members of Delta Upsilon fraternity allegedly provided each new member with three pills and instructed them to drug women for the purpose of incapacitating them prior to engaging in sexual activity."

 The letter from Title IX Administrator Ellen Eardley goes on to say, "Should my office receive any information indicating that there is any veracity to the allegations that Delta Upsilon promoted sexual misconduct and hazing, an investigation will begin immediately."

 MU spokesman Christian Basi told ABC 17 News Thursday he could not comment on the status of that particular matter.

 An MUPD police report details a medical call on Sept. 16 for an 18-year-old student acting strangely in Johnston Hall. The woman was naked from the waist down, the officer wrote, and had "smeared feces" on the walls of the hall. She eventually went to the hospital with a friend and the police, telling them she had been drinking at several places, including DU. She did not see how made her drinks at that fraternity, according to the report. At University Hospital, officers took samples of her urine to test for drug intoxication that night. She also told officers she did not remember whether or not she had sex that night.

 Officer Bryanne Gawlik also wrote that the woman did not see who made her drinks that day.

 Major Brian Weimer confirmed that investigation is still open.

 Ashley Martin, DU national director of communications, told ABC 17 News the fraternity has "worked tirelessly and collaboratively" with the school to investigate these reports, some of which they had just learned about. Martin pointed to an "internal membership review" at Mizzou two years ago that led to the removal of 90 of its 123 members.They also reorganized chapter policy, including alcohol and guest rules.

 "We will not condone or tolerate the type of behavior alleged in these incidents, and the chapter remains on a temporary suspension as our investigation continues," Martin said in an email. "We are committed to holding all members to our code of conduct, and our investigation will help us determine whether our Missouri Chapter can positively contribute to a safe, enriching and inclusive campus environment."

 While individual students could face expulsion for any violations of student conduct, Basi said the fraternity as a whole could see "withdrawal of recognition" by the university. That means the fraternity could not use school spaces for anything, and it would be unable to participate in events like Homecoming. A group that receives such a punishment could either appeal, or reapply for recognition, depending on the punishment laid out by the Office of Student Conduct. ||||| Close Get email notifications on Alan Burdziak daily!

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Write a summary.

– A University of Missouri fraternity with a track record of problem behavior has been accused of telling new members to drug women and sexually assault them as part of their initiation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. According to the Columbia Daily Tribune, multiple people informed the school in August that members of Delta Upsilon had given new members three pills each and told them to drug woman and have sex with them as the final step of initiation. Justin Kirk, executive director of Delta Upsilon, calls the allegations "deeply concerning" but notes there have been no claims of sexual assault brought against the frat. But in September, an 18-year-old girl was hospitalized after being possibly drugged, ABC 17 reports. She was found naked from the waist down and smearing feces on a wall after drinking at Delta Upsilon. She didn't see who was making her drinks and didn't remember if she had sex that night. This is just one in a string of problems at Delta Upsilon—which was temporarily suspended last month by both its national organization and the University of Missouri—including underage drinking, physical abuse, at least one assault, and a "racial incident." In September, frat members reportedly yelled racist and sexist slurs at black female students. Members also reportedly forced drunk pledges to fight each other. In one incident of underage drinking last year at Delta Upsilon, a woman had to be hospitalized. In 2014, the frat removed 90 of its 132 members and hired a live-in graduate student as well as an off-duty police officer to keep an eye on things. Multiple school investigations into Delta Upsilon are ongoing.


Enlarge Image Stephan Savoia | AP Urban Meyer indicated his text to The Dispatch was prompted by some inaccuracies which have swirled about Aaron Hernandez's treatment while a player at Florida.

 By Tim May

 Until this morning, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer had kept his thoughts to himself regarding accused murderer Aaron Hernandez, whom he coached him for three years at Florida. But he said there have been several inaccurate reports relating to how Hernandez was dealt with during that time, and he sent a text to The Dispatch to set some of the record straight.

 Hernandez, drafted in 2010 by the NFL New England Patriots for whom he played the past three seasons, now stands accused of murder in the shooting death of semi-pro football player Odin Lloyd three weeks ago near Hernandez' home in North Attleborough, Mass.

 “Prayers and thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim,” Meyer texted. “Relating or blaming these serious charges to the University of Florida, myself or our staff is wrong and irresponsible.”

 Meyer indicated his text was prompted by some inaccuracies which have swirled about Hernandez' treatment while a player at Florida.

 “I just received an email from a friend where there is an accusation of multiple failed drug tests by Hernandez covered up by University of Florida or the coaching staff. This is absolutely not true,” Meyer texted. “Hernandez was held to the same drug testing policy as every other player.”

 Some critics have labeled Meyer “an enabler” for the way he handled Hernandez during those years.

 “He was an athlete at Florida 4 -7 yrs ago and there are some comments being made that are not correct,” Meyer’s text continued. “Our staff, myself and our families worked very hard to mentor and guide him.”

 Meyer, on his way to a brief vacation before gearing up for his second season at Ohio State, also answered a few questions, which will be covered in a story in The Dispatch on Sunday.

 tmay@dispatch.com

 @Tim_Maysports ||||| UPDATE: Read the full Aaron Hernandez feature, "The Gangster in the Huddle."

 In the new issue of Rolling Stone, on stands Friday, August 30th, contributing editor Paul Solotaroff delivers a detailed investigation into Aaron Hernandez's life, tracing his path from affable high school football star to deeply troubled NFL player to murder suspect. Solotaroff conducted interviews with family friends, high school teammates and NFL sources to help explain why the potential NFL great was ensnared by drugs, guns and a life of violence. Here are six revelations about Hernandez:

 Five Sports Stars Accused of Murder

 • Hernandez was a heavy user of angel dust, and had become so paranoid over the last year that he carried a gun wherever he went.

 • He surrounded himself with a cohort of gangsters, and cut himself off from his family and teammates.

 • Hernandez had so infuriated his head coach, Bill Belichick, with missed practices and thug-life stunts, that he was one misstep from being cut.

 • Both his parents, Dennis and Terri, had criminal records, as did much of his extended family.

 • Terri allegedly cheated on Dennis before his death with a violent drug dealer named Jeffrey Cummings, then married Cummings after Dennis died and moved him into the house she shared with Aaron.

 • In college his coach (then-University of Florida head coach Urban Meyer) may have helped cover up failed drug tests, along with two violent incidents — an assault and a drive-by shootout outside a local bar. ||||| Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was allegedly a regular user of the hallucinogenic drug PCP, and had become so paranoid by heavy use that he had started carrying a gun wherever he went, according to a report due out this week in Rolling Stone magazine.

 The story, written by magazine contributing editor Paul Solotaroff, also alleges that Hernandez's college coach at the University of Florida, Urban Meyer, "may have helped cover up failed drug tests" by Hernandez, as well as an assault and a drive-by shooting outside a local bar in Gainesville, Fla.

 ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT

 Meyer, now the head coach at Ohio State University, has repeatedly denied accusations that he may have enabled lawless behavior by Hernandez while at Florida. In July, Meyer texted The Columbus Dispatch that "Hernandez was held to the same drug testing policy as every other player. ... "Our staff, myself and our families worked very hard to mentor and guide him."

 The magazine released a preview of the story online Tuesday. Hernandez was arrested in June for the murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player whose body was found riddled with bullets near Hernandez's home in North Attleboro, Mass.

 The native of Bristol, Conn. was about to enter his 4th NFL season, all spent with the Patriots, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played in 10 games in the 2012 season, catching 51 passes for 483 yards and five touchdowns. Hernandez had signed a five-year contract extension with a guaranteed $12.5 million signing bonus that was due to kick in after this coming season, but the Rolling Stone article alleges that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was so fed up with Hernandez missing practice and pulling what the preview describes as "thug-life stunts" that the tight end was one incident away from being cut from the team.

 The report of PCP use by Hernandez, if true, would indicate that the tight end's drug use was more serious than suspected. Prior to being drafted by the Patriots, Hernandez admitted to them that he had used marijuana and had failed at least one drug test while at the University of Florida. The article preview also alleges that Hernandez's mother, Terri, cheated on her husband, Dennis, with a drug dealer named Jeffrey Cummings, whom she married after her husband's death in 2006.

 This is the second time in recent months that Rolling Stone has focused on a notorious crime committed in the Boston area. Earlier this year, the magazine was criticized for running a cover photograph that glamorized accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. |||||

Write a summary.

– A new investigative report in Rolling Stone reveals that while Urban Meyer was head coach at the University of Florida, Meyer may have helped to cover up a drive-by shooting, an assault, and failed drug tests for Aaron Hernandez. Meyer has long denied that he enabled Hernandez's misbehavior, Fox News notes; just last month, Meyer insisted to the Columbus Dispatch that Hernandez had to submit to the same drug tests as his teammates. The article, previewed on Rolling Stone's website today, also alleges that the former NFL star, now a murder suspect, was a heavy PCP user. His heavy use of angel dust allegedly made him so paranoid that he carried a gun everywhere, the magazine says.


Soren McCarty/WireImage

 Snoop has admitted to her role in a villainous ensemble cast.

 Felicia Pearson, who played a drug dealer's assassin of the same name on The Wire, has craftily kept herself out of prison by pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin for her role in a Baltimore drug ring.

 By cutting a deal a day before her trial was set to begin, Pearson received credit for time served and a suspended seven-year sentence, as well as three years of supervised probation. During her probationary period she'll be allowed to leave Maryland on a provisional basis to work.

 The actress, who originally pleaded not guilty, hasn't exactly changed her tune, however.

 MORE: OutKast's Big Boi Sent to the Big House!

 "I would have been found not guilty," Pearson interjected as her lawyer answered reporters' questions. Asked how she'll avoid legal trouble in the future, she replied, "I'm moving to L.A."

 The 31-year-old was caught on a wire tap set up as part of a joint federal-state investigation into a multistate drug ring deemed "Operation Usual Suspects." Authorities alleged that marijuana from California and heroin from New York were being transported into Baltimore for sale, and Pearson was one of 64 people indicted in March in connection with the operation.

 According to prosecutors, Pearson was accused of allowing drugs and cash to be stored in her apartment.

 She has since "learned a valuable lesson about how some loyalties you keep and others drag you down," her attorney said.

 GALLERY: Court Appearances ||||| An actress who played a Baltimore drug gang assassin in HBO's "The Wire" pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to distribute heroin, caught by a wiretap in a joint federal-state drug probe of an alleged drug gang.

 Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute heroin, a day before her trial was set to begin. Judge Lawrence Fletcher-Hill accepted the plea, suspending a seven-year sentence with credit for time served and ordering three years of supervised probation with provisions for out-of-state travel for work.

 The plea allows Pearson to move on with her acting career, instead of spending more than a year with charges hanging over her, attorney Benjamin C. Sutley said outside the courthouse.

 "I can't say she would have been found not guilty," Sutley said. But Pearson interrupted, saying "I would have been found not guilty."

 Pearson was one of 64 people charged in March in "Operation Usual Suspects." The federal indictment states that since 2008, members of the conspiracy bought heroin from New York and marijuana from California and sold the drugs on the streets of Baltimore. As part of the conspiracy, the indictment alleges, members discussed how those who failed to perform required tasks were dealt with violently.

 Pearson was caught on a wiretap conspiring with Shawn Johnson and Jeff Gibbs, who bought heroin in bulk from New York and distributed the drugs in Baltimore, according to a statement of charges read aloud in court by prosecutor Rebecca Finn. Johnson paid Pearson to store drugs and money, including drug proceeds, at her apartment in the city, Finn said.

 When another member of the alleged conspiracy was kidnapped by rival dealers, Johnson told him to go to Pearson's apartment to get money pay a ransom, Finn said. Police interrupted the abduction outside Pearson's apartment and found heroin in the abducted man's car, she said. Informants also told investigators that Pearson occasionally sold heroin for Johnson, Finn said.

 Some of the people involved in the wider case helped take care of Pearson when she was a teen, but she has now "learned a valuable lesson about how some loyalties you keep and others drag you down," Sutley said.

 Pearson said she knows everyone in Baltimore. Asked how she'll avoid falling into the same situation in the future, Pearson said, "I'm moving to L.A."

 Pearson, who wore retro-style glasses with a black-and-white checked shirt and a red paisley bow tie to court, said she is working on two movies. She later updated her followers on Twitter, "I'm FREE."

 "The Wire," which ran from 2002 to 2008, was filmed in Baltimore and put a spotlight on the city's struggle with poverty and drug violence through the stories of the city's police, drug organizations, schools, politicians and media. Pearson's character, which shares the nickname "Snoop," knocks off several people for the fictitious Stanfield drug gang.

 This was not Pearson's first brush with the law. She was convicted of second-degree murder in a slaying committed when she was 14. She served five years of an eight-year sentence and was released in 2000. Pearson was arrested on a minor drug charge in 2008 when police went to her home to pick her up for refusing to cooperate as a witness in a murder trial. She was found not guilty. |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, best known for playing a drug-gang hit woman of the same name on The Wire, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute heroin. The 31-year-old actress was arrested along with dozens of others earlier this year after a federal-state wiretap of a Baltimore drug ring. She has received a suspended seven-year sentence with credit for time served under a plea deal made a day before her trial was due to begin, AP reports. Pearson—whose record includes a conviction for second-degree murder when she was just 14—was ordered to undergo three years of supervised probation. The plea deal will allow her to pursue her acting career out of state. "I can’t say she would have been found not guilty,” her lawyer said, but Pearson interrupted, saying: “I would have been found not guilty." Asked how she planned to stay out of trouble in the future, she responded: "I'm moving to LA," E! Online reports.


Write a summary based on this article:

The sun rises on the U.S. Capitol dome as the prayer group Faithful Filibuster — Carol Busroe, Gary Cook, Jim Wallis and Ray East — pray for a solution to end the shutdown and extend the Treasury Department’s borrowing power.

 Oct. 16, 2013 The sun rises on the U.S. Capitol dome as the prayer group Faithful Filibuster — Carol Busroe, Gary Cook, Jim Wallis and Ray East — pray for a solution to end the shutdown and extend the Treasury Department’s borrowing power. Melina Mara/The Washington Post

 The federal government is in the third week of a shutdown while Congress worked out a deal to fund its operations and to avoid a possible default because of the debt limit.

 Meanwhile, furloughed federal workers express their displeasure as the government shutdown headed into its third week.

 Meanwhile, furloughed federal workers express their displeasure as the government shutdown headed into its third week.

 What started as a mad dash to strike a deal to lift the federal debt limit slowed to a crawl over the weekend as stalemated Senate leaders waited nervously to see whether financial markets would plunge Monday morning and drive the other side toward compromise.

 Republicans seemed to think they had more to lose. After talks broke down between President Obama and House leaders, GOP senators quickly cobbled together a plan to end the government shutdown — now entering its third week — and raise the $16.7 trillion debt limit. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) then asked Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to elevate negotiations to the highest level.

 On Sunday — with the Treasury Department due to exhaust its borrowing power in just four days — Reid was wielding that leverage to maximum advantage. Rather than making concessions that would undermine Obama’s signature health-care initiative, as Republicans first demanded, Democrats are now on the offensive and seeking to undo what has become a cherished prize for the GOP: deep agency spending cuts known as the sequester.

 Reid and McConnell spoke only once Sunday, a telephone call in the afternoon, aides said. As he closed a rare Sunday session of the Senate, Reid characterized the conversation as “productive” and “substantive.”

 “I’m optimistic about the prospects for a positive conclusion to the issues before this country today,” he said.

 With legislative action stalled on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are getting creative with where they shine the spotlight on the government shutdown. (The Washington Post)

 But the shift in focus away from the imminent threat of a first-ever default on the U.S. debt sparked outrage among Republicans and alarm among the world’s financial leaders, meeting this weekend in Washington.

 Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, warned on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that a failure by the United States to make scheduled payments to investors “would mean massive disruption the world over. And we would be at risk of tipping yet again into a recession.”

 Republicans, meanwhile, said any agreement to back away from the sequester cuts would be opposed by GOP senators and doomed in the Republican House.

 The fight over the debt limit is “typically a point where you try to create reforms and reduce deficits, so to agree to something that raises spending from previously agreed-to levels, I just can’t imagine that,” said Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). “I just can’t imagine how that has any possibility of becoming law.”

 Democrats insisted that they have no interest in rolling back the sequester cuts now. Reid noted that the Senate had already approved and sent to the House a measure that would leave the cuts in place through the middle of November, with “not a word about breaking [spending] caps,” Reid said on the Senate floor.

 Instead, Democrats said they objected to a debt-limit plan developed by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) because it would permit the cuts to stay in place through March, allowing another round of sequester cuts to hit on Jan. 15.

 At that point, agency spending for fiscal 2014, which began Oct. 1, would be on track to fall roughly $90 billion lower than Democrats have proposed. And with the fiscal year half over, Democrats would have scant opportunity to renegotiate the numbers, a top priority.

 On Sunday, Democrats familiar with the talks said Reid was pressing McConnell to accept a quicker deadline on a temporary measure to fund federal agencies and reopen the government and a longer deadline for raising the debt limit. Collins’s proposal would extend the Treasury Department’s borrowing authority only until the end of January.

 “The plan would be, open up the government immediately for a period of time before the sequester hits [on Jan. 15] and then have serious discussions where we might be able to undo the sequester,” Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the No. 3 Democrat in the Senate, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I’m optimistic that could work.”

 Schumer noted that House Republicans have already offered to roll back the sequester cuts in a proposal the White House rejected Friday. That plan would have immediately suspended enforcement of the debt limit and reopened the government in exchange for a plan to replace sequester savings in 2014 (and perhaps longer) with reductions to Social Security and Medicare proposed in Obama’s budget.

 “That was one place where the House Republicans and the president were not, you know, at total loggerheads,” Schumer said, suggesting that a deal could be cut if Republicans would consider new revenue along with cuts to entitlement programs.

 McConnell appeared to be far less optimistic. The sequester cuts are part of $2.1 trillion in agency spending cuts over 10 years included in the Budget Control Act, the measure that raised the debt limit in 2011. Initially, Republicans, too, wanted to replace the sequester, particularly the portion that falls on the Pentagon. But since Obama won tax hikes on the wealthy as part of a year-end fight over the “fiscal cliff,” McConnell has taken to casting the sequester as a significant GOP victory from which the party cannot retreat.

 “I think our main goal going into the year-end discussion is to not walk away from the bipartisan agreement that we made two years ago to reduce spending,” he told reporters this summer.

 On Sunday, McConnell maintained a stony silence, failing to show up at the Capitol for his usual opening speech on the Senate floor. Instead, he issued a statement throwing his support for the first time behind the Collins proposal, calling it a “bipartisan plan” brokered with five other GOP senators and six senators who caucus with Democrats.

 “It would reopen the government, prevent a default . . . and maintain the commitment that Congress made to reduce Washington spending through the Budget Control Act — the law of the land,” McConnell said. “It’s time for Democrat leaders to take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

 Some Democrats tend to agree with McConnell. During a caucus meeting Saturday, Reid and his leadership team spent more than an hour arguing to Democrats anxious about default that the Collins plan is not a good deal for the party. On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), one of the Democrats working with Collins, defended the proposal on “Fox News Sunday” as having “a little bit of move for everybody. In a divided government, you can’t have it all your way.”

 Soon after McConnell’s statement appeared, however, the Collins collaborators hustled into Reid’s office just outside the Senate chamber. Some of them were still inside when a joint statement was issued on behalf of Sens. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) “responding to Senator McConnell’s comments.”

 “We have been involved in productive, bipartisan discussions with Senator Collins and other Republican senators,” the statement said, “but we do not support the proposal in its current form.”

 An hour later, an update appeared adding Manchin’s name. “NOTE,” it said: “Senator Manchin was unavailable when the original statement was sent out.”

 Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has said that if Congress fails to lift the debt limit, he will exhaust his borrowing authority on Thursday. At that point, he will have to rely on a cash balance of about $30 billion and incoming revenue to pay the nation’s bills.

 Independent analysts say Lew will not begin missing payments immediately but will begin to run short of funds no later than Nov. 1, when nearly $60 billion is due to Social Security recipients, Medicare providers, active-duty military service members and civil-service retirees.

 Investors are next due to collect interest on Treasury bonds — perhaps the most important payments from the perspective of global markets — on Oct. 31.

 Still, many lawmakers are leery of missing the Thursday deadline — particularly Republicans, who are already getting hammered in public opinion polls over the government shutdown. The Dow Jones industrial average soared Friday on news that Obama and congressional Republicans were finally talking.

 “Look, I guess we can get lower in the polls. We’re down to blood relatives and paid staffers now,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) joked on “Face the Nation.” “But we’ve got to turn this around. And the Democrats had better help us.”

 Jeff Simon contributed to this report. ||||| WASHINGTON U.S. senators said they were closing in on a deal Monday that would reopen the government and push back a possible default for several months, though many hurdles remained as a Thursday deadline drew near.

 The Senate's top Democrat and top Republican both said they hoped they could soon reach an agreement that would allow them to avert a looming default and end a partial government shutdown that has dragged on for 14 days so far.

 "I'm very optimistic that we that we will reach an agreement that's reasonable in nature this week," Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor.

 Lawmakers are racing against the clock, with U.S. officials estimating that the federal government could run out of borrowing capacity on October 17.

 The plan under discussion would raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling by enough to cover the nation's borrowing needs at least through mid-February 2014, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

 It also would fund government operations through the middle of January, keeping in place the across-the-board "sequester" spending cuts that took effect in March, though government agencies would have more latitude to ease their impact. It would also set up a new round of budget talks that would try to strike a bargain by year's end.

 Any deal would also have to win approval in the House of Representatives, where conservative Republicans have insisted that any continued government funding must include measures to undercut President Barack Obama's signature health law - a nonstarter for Democrats.

 The deal would not resolve the disagreements over long-term spending and health care that led to the crisis in the first place. It would amount to a clear retreat for Republicans who have sought to tie any continued funding and borrowing authority to measures that would undercut Obama's Affordable Care Act.

 Republicans have taken a hit in opinion polls since the standoff began and some in the party worry it could hurt their chances to win control of the Senate in next year's midterm elections.

 A Washington Post/ABC News poll released on Monday found that 74 percent of Americans disapprove of the way congressional Republicans have handled the standoff, compared with a 53 percent disapproval rating for Obama.

 Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky echoed Reid's comments that a deal could come together soon.

 "I share his optimism that we we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides," he said on the Senate floor.

 The White House postponed a planned 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) meeting with congressional leaders in order to give negotiators more time to work out a deal.

 The Treasury Department says it cannot guarantee that the U.S. government will be able to pay its bills past October 17 if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling by then.

 A default would likely come by November 1 as Treasury would not have enough tax revenue coming in to cover interest payments, retirement benefits and other obligations.

 WEIGHING ON THE ECONOMY

 It is unclear whether Congress can meet that October 17 deadline. Even if Republicans and Democrats in the Senate reach agreement on Monday, hard-liners such as Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz might be able to exploit Senate rules to delay a vote for several days.

 House Speaker John Boehner also could face an insurrection that could threaten his position as Washington's top Republican if he tries to advance a bill over the objections of rank-and-file conservatives in that chamber.

 "If the Senate comes to an agreement, we'll review it with our members," Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said.

 Though Treasury likely will have enough cash on hand to meet its obligations for a week or so, it might be forced to pay a higher interest rate on debt it is due to issue on Thursday.

 Banks and money market funds are already shunning some government securities that are often used as collateral for short-term loans and to facilitate many other transactions. In China, the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, the state news agency Xinhua said it was time for a "de-Americanized world."

 Though some Republicans have argued that the government could avoid serious consequences by prioritizing interest payments over other types of spending, that view is not widely held by the public.

 A Reuters/IPSOS poll released on Tuesday found that only 25 percent believe the debt ceiling issue is "overblown."

 U.S. stocks were buoyed by prospects of a deal. The S&P; 500 Index closed up 0.41 percent while the Nasdaq Composite Index ended 0.62 percent higher.

 The government shutdown, now in its 14th day, is beginning to weigh on the economy. The hundreds of thousands of federal employees who have been temporarily thrown out of work are likely to get back-pay when the standoff is resolved. But they aren't getting paid now, forcing many to dial back on personal spending and cancel holiday travel plans.

 The crisis is only the latest in a series of budget battles in recent years that have repeatedly spooked investors and consumers. The uncertainty has weighed on the economy and boosted the unemployment rate by 0.6 of a percentage point, or the equivalent of 900,000 jobs since late 2009, according to a new estimate by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, a think tank.

 Foreign leaders and business executives have urged Washington to resolve the crisis before it does further damage.

 "This is all bad for America, bad for the economy, bad for job growth, bad for consumer confidence, and the quicker we get it resolved, the better," Terry Lundgren, chief executive of retailer Macy's Inc, told Reuters.

 Republicans in the Senate are pushing to include slight modifications to the Affordable Care Act. One would toughen income verification for those seeking health insurance subsidies under the law. Another could delay a reinsurance fee included in the law that otherwise would start in 2014, according to a labor-union source.

 Throughout the shutdown, Obama has said Republicans must agree to reopen the government and extend the debt ceiling before the two sides can begin talks on spending or tweaks to his Affordable Care Act.

 That position has not changed.

 "We will not pay a ransom for Congress reopening the government and raising the debt limit," the White House said in a statement on Monday morning.

 (Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton, Tim Reid, David Lawder, Amanda Becker, Lisa Lambert and Susan Heavey and Steve Holland in Washington and Phil Wahba in New York; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Karey Van Hall, Claudia Parsons and Tim Dobbyn) ||||| WASHINGTON — With a possible default on government obligations just days away, Senate Democratic leaders — believing they have a political advantage in the continuing fiscal impasse — refused Sunday to sign on to any deal that reopens the government but locks in budget cuts for next year.

 The disagreement extended the stalemate that has kept much of the government shuttered for two weeks and threatens to force a federal default.

 The core of the dispute is about spending, and how long a stopgap measure that would reopen the government should last. Democrats want the across-the-board cuts known as sequestration to last only through mid-November; Republicans want them to last as long as possible.

 The Democrats’ demand shows a newfound aggressiveness. Previously, they had favored a so-called clean bill that would reopen the government and lift the debt ceiling without any policy changes attached. With Republicans on the defensive, it remains unclear whether the Democrats are using a negotiating ploy to raise the likelihood that any final deal will include their priorities as well as the Republicans’.

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 Democrats said Sunday that Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, and Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader — who spoke only briefly by telephone — were inching forward, and that a breakthrough was possible before the debt default deadline on Thursday.

 “They had a good conversation,” Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Democrat, said on Sunday evening. “They are moving closer together, and I’m hopeful the Senate can save the day.”

 Republicans accused Democrats of accepting nothing short of capitulation without offering anything in return. “The Democrats keep moving the goal posts,” said Senator Susan Collins of Maine, one of the lead Republican negotiators. “Decisions within the Democratic conference are constantly changing.”

 Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, warned on the CBS News program “Face the Nation” that the Democrats “better understand something.”

 “What goes around comes around,” he said, “and if they try to humiliate Republicans, things change in American politics.”

 A rally on the National Mall, led by Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, and former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, was intended to show that Tea Party activists — supporters of the House Republicans who forced the shutdown over their opposition to the new health care law — were in no mood to give in. Some waved Confederate flags and called for President Obama to be impeached.

 The dispute may involve debt ceiling technicalities, but at the core of the fight is a more fundamental question: with polls showing that Republicans are carrying the brunt of the blame for the shutdown, can Democrats demand total surrender, or should they offer concessions to complete the deal?

 “You can’t just demand pure capitulation,” said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma. “Negotiations don’t work that way.”

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 Republicans once said that they would finance the government only if the president’s health care law was gutted. A bipartisan Senate framework drafted by Ms. Collins and Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, started with a face-saving move for Republicans of a repeal of a tax on medical devices that helps pay for the Affordable Care Act. When Senate Democratic leaders objected, that was tempered to a two-year delay of the tax.

 Republicans had also insisted on tightening income verification rules for the health care law’s subsidized insurance exchanges. Now Democrats are rewriting that language as well.

 “What am I getting?” Ms. Collins said. “I’m serious. I’ve bent over backward.”

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 Democrats have agreed to engage in formal budget negotiations — where, they acknowledge, Republicans may have the upper hand once the government is reopened and the threat of default is lifted. Both sides say they want a deal that reduces the deficit over the long term.

 Republicans have one advantage: if no deal is reached during those talks, the next round of automatic cuts, even deeper than the first, go into force on Jan. 1.

 “We know that come 10 years from now, Medicare is not sustainable financially,” Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, the second-ranking Democrat, said on the NBC News program “Meet the Press.” “We’ve got to do something.”

 “And I have to say to the Republican side, ‘For goodness’s sakes, we cannot find some savings, closing some loopholes, quote, raising revenue?’ Well, of course we can,” he said.

 The Collins plan would maintain sequestration-level spending through Jan. 15, when formal budget negotiators would be required to complete a House-Senate agreement on spending and taxation over the next decade. That date was already a concession. Ms. Collins, along with Senators Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both Republicans, initially wanted to finance the government for six months at those levels. The initial proposal by Ms. Collins would also have extended the debt ceiling only to Nov. 15, but at the request of Senate Democratic leaders, she and Mr. McConnell pushed it back to Jan. 31.

 Mr. McConnell formally endorsed the Collins proposal on Sunday.

 “It would reopen the government, prevent a default, provide the opportunity for additional budget negotiations around Washington’s long-term debt, and maintain the commitment that Congress made to reduce Washington spending,” he said in a statement. “It’s time for Democrat leaders to take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

 But Democratic leaders have balked, and they flexed their muscle Sunday with a group of Democratic and independent senators negotiating with Ms. Collins.

 Ms. Collins said eight Democrats were now involved in negotiations, including Mr. Manchin, and Senator Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with the Democrats.

 “The Democratic leadership is clearly very strong and has a lot of sway over its members,” Ms. Collins said.

 Underscoring those concerns, six of the senators negotiating with Ms. Collins — Mr. Manchin, Mr. King, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana — released a joint statement acknowledging involvement in the talks but saying they could not support the proposal “in its current form.”

 “There are negotiations,” they said, “but there is no agreement.” ||||| Tourists visit the Statue of Liberty in New York, the United States, Oct. 16, 2013. The Statue of Liberty reopened to the public on Oct. 13 after New York State reached an agreement with the federal government to reopen the Statue of Liberty which is closed as a result of the partial federal government shutdown. (Xinhua/Wang Lei)

 By Xinhua writer Liu Chang

 BEIJING, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- As U.S. politicians of both political parties are still shuffling back and forth between the White House and the Capitol Hill without striking a viable deal to bring normality to the body politic they brag about, it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanized world.

 Emerging from the bloodshed of the Second World War as the world's most powerful nation, the United States has since then been trying to build a global empire by imposing a postwar world order, fueling recovery in Europe, and encouraging regime-change in nations that it deems hardly Washington-friendly.

 With its seemingly unrivaled economic and military might, the United States has declared that it has vital national interests to protect in nearly every corner of the globe, and been habituated to meddling in the business of other countries and regions far away from its shores.

 Meanwhile, the U.S. government has gone to all lengths to appear before the world as the one that claims the moral high ground, yet covertly doing things that are as audacious as torturing prisoners of war, slaying civilians in drone attacks, and spying on world leaders.

 Under what is known as the Pax-Americana, we fail to see a world where the United States is helping to defuse violence and conflicts, reduce poor and displaced population, and bring about real, lasting peace.

 Moreover, instead of honoring its duties as a responsible leading power, a self-serving Washington has abused its superpower status and introduced even more chaos into the world by shifting financial risks overseas, instigating regional tensions amid territorial disputes, and fighting unwarranted wars under the cover of outright lies.

 As a result, the world is still crawling its way out of an economic disaster thanks to the voracious Wall Street elites, while bombings and killings have become virtually daily routines in Iraq years after Washington claimed it has liberated its people from tyrannical rule.

 Most recently, the cyclical stagnation in Washington for a viable bipartisan solution over a federal budget and an approval for raising debt ceiling has again left many nations' tremendous dollar assets in jeopardy and the international community highly agonized.

 Such alarming days when the destinies of others are in the hands of a hypocritical nation have to be terminated, and a new world order should be put in place, according to which all nations, big or small, poor or rich, can have their key interests respected and protected on an equal footing.

 To that end, several corner stones should be laid to underpin a de-Americanized world.

 For starters, all nations need to hew to the basic principles of the international law, including respect for sovereignty, and keeping hands off domestic affairs of others.

 Furthermore, the authority of the United Nations in handling global hotspot issues has to be recognized. That means no one has the right to wage any form of military action against others without a UN mandate.

 Apart from that, the world's financial system also has to embrace some substantial reforms.

 The developing and emerging market economies need to have more say in major international financial institutions including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, so that they could better reflect the transformations of the global economic and political landscape.

 What may also be included as a key part of an effective reform is the introduction of a new international reserve currency that is to be created to replace the dominant U.S. dollar, so that the international community could permanently stay away from the spillover of the intensifying domestic political turmoil in the United States.

 Of course, the purpose of promoting these changes is not to completely toss the United States aside, which is also impossible. Rather, it is to encourage Washington to play a much more constructive role in addressing global affairs.

 And among all options, it is suggested that the beltway politicians first begin with ending the pernicious impasse.

 Related:

 Obama signs bill to end gov't shutdown, raise debt ceiling

 WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama signed early Thursday an 11th-hour deal to end a partial government shutdown and raise debt ceiling.

 White House has subsequently asked agencies to reopen promptly. Full story

 U.S. Congress passes bill to reopen government, raise debt limit

 WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night approved a deal to raise the debt ceiling and reopen the federal government, clearing final hurdle of the legislation in the Congress.

 The House voted 285-144 in favor of the bill, which funds the government through Jan. 15 and raises the debt ceiling until Feb.7. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the deal earlier Wednesday night. Full story

 U.S. Senate leader announces bipartisan budget deal

 WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate leader said on Wednesday that a bipartisan deal is reached to raise the debt ceiling and reopen the federal government.

 "This compromise we reached will provide our economy with the stability it desperately needs," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the Senate floor. Full story

 Backgrounder: U.S. debt ceiling, default risks |||||

– As the government shutdown enters its third week, Senate leaders appear to be waiting for world financial markets to give them a jolt before they make a deal, the Washington Post reports. Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell had a conversation yesterday that Reid says left him "optimistic about the prospects for a positive conclusion." But there's no indication of what a compromise might look like, and Democrats are now pushing for a deal that would lift the sequester budget cuts, showing what the New York Times calls a "newfound aggressiveness." The sequester demand has Republicans frustrated. "The Democrats keep moving the goal posts," complains Sen. Susan Collins, the centrist GOP senator whose plan to resolve the crisis was rejected. Bob Corker agreed, saying of lifting the cuts, "I just can't imagine how that has any possibility of becoming law." The Post worries that the increasingly bitter McConnell-Reid feud could deep-six the deal. Things have gotten so bad that their colleagues recently held "the equivalent of an intervention," the paper says. World Bank and International Monetary Fund leaders urged the US to hurry up and forge a deal, with IMF director Christine Lagarde warning that "massive disruption the world over" looms. A foreign ministry spokesman in China called for American lawmakers to "shoulder their responsibilities," Reuters reports, and a scathing editorial in China's Xinhua state news agency called for politicians to end the "pernicious impasse"—and for everybody else to "start considering building a de-Americanized world." Claims that America has never defaulted on its debt are part of every debt-limit battle but the US has stiffed its creditors at least twice, the AP finds. In 1814, the government ran out of gold and silver to pay interest to bondholders in New England after setbacks in the War of 1812, and in 1979, a technical glitch that followed a long debt-limit squabble caused a delay in redeeming maturing T-bills that ended up adding about $12 billion to the cost of servicing the national debt.


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Image copyright AP Image caption Defections across the North-South land border are rare

 A North Korean soldier has defected to the South across the two countries' heavily armed border, South Korean officials have said.

 The soldier said he shot dead two officers before crossing over just after noon (03:00 GMT) on Saturday.

 Our correspondent says defections across the land border are rare. The last soldier fled in 2010.

 More than 20,000 North Koreans have gone to the South in the last 60 years, mostly via China and SE Asia.

 The two countries are still technically at war after the 1950-53 conflict, which ended in a ceasefire not a peace treaty.

 Gunshots heard

 The soldier was quoted as saying that he killed his platoon and squad commanders while on guard duty.

 A defence ministry official said six gunshots were heard and guards saw the soldier cross the demarcation line on a western section of the tightly guarded border.

 They used loudspeakers to establish that he wanted to defect and guide him to safety, they added.

 The official said he was in protective custody and was still being interrogated.

 There has been no confirmation of the North Korean casualties and no unusual activity observed on the North Korean side of the border.

 The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Seoul says that about a million soldiers and a million land mines line the Demilitarised Zone, and only a handful of people have crossed from North to South by land in the past few years.

 Most make their way to the South by a long and dangerous land route, she says.

 This takes them through China and on to countries such as Thailand or Mongolia. ||||| In what is apparently the first such incident in nearly two-and-half years, a North Korean soldier has defected across the heavily armed land border with the South.

 South Korean military officials say a soldier from the North claims he shot and killed his platoon and squad chiefs while on guard duty before defecting across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone.

 The incident occurred at noon Saturday along the western section of the DMZ.

 Officials say South Korean troops at the border heard gunshots, confirmed the North Korean soldier's desire to defect, and escorted him to a guard post. He is now undergoing interrogation.

 The senior analyst in Seoul for the International Crisis Group, Daniel Pinkston, says there is no indication the defection denotes any instability in the reclusive and impoverished state.

 “We'll see as he's debriefed and it's just a one-off incident, so I don't think there's too much we can read into it besides that at this point,” he said.

 Pinkston points out that soldiers in North Korea's army posted to the border area are scrupulously vetted.

 “Those who are stationed in the border area, around the DMZ and especially right on the DMZ, are those who are considered to be loyal to the regime. They've been screened and they do not put people there who would be considered disloyal,” he said.

 Defections by North Koreans along the DMZ are rare. The last known incident involving a soldier occurred in March, 2010.

 Under North Korea's collective punishment system, a disloyal act of this magnitude would mean harsh treatment for the soldier's family, extending for three generations.

 The Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul says South Korea has increased surveillance along the DMZ following the incident and the military has activated its crisis management facility. However, there is no sign of any unusual activity on the northern side.

 The DMZ is a legacy of the 1953 armistice which brought a three-year civil war to a halt. But the two Koreas have never signed a peace treaty. |||||

– A rarity in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea today: A soldier from the North defected and claims to have killed two commanding officers in order to do so, reports the Voice of America. Soldiers in the South heard about six shots, then allowed the soldier to cross the DMZ. He is still being interrogated. “We'll see as he's debriefed and it's just a one-off incident, so I don't think there's too much we can read into it besides that at this point,” says an analyst with the International Crisis Group. Pyongyang, not surprisingly, has not confirmed the incident, reports the BBC. The North generally puts only its best soldiers at the border after a careful vetting process, and defections are rare. One reason: The family of a defecting soldier is sure to face harsh punishment, notes VOA.