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He said the captives were also given Arabic names and reassured of their safety. |
Speaking to Sky News, Saleh, who worked as a translator, said he was ordered: “Say to them, no problem, only video, we don’t kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. |
Saleh’s job was to explain to the hostages they were in safe hands, despite knowing they would be killed. |
His revelations may explain why captives appear to be calm in videos of their beheading. |
Speaking with his face covered, Saleh told the channel Jihadi John had earned respect within the terror organization. |
“Maybe because he use the knife. I cannot understand why he is so strong,” he said. |
“One man can kill and all people will respect. A Syrian man anyone [in ISIS] can kill. But strangers [foreigners], only John,” he added. |
Jihadi John was revealed last week to be Mohammed Emwazi, who was born in Kuwait but grew up in west London. |
Despite being known to British authorities he was able to leave the country and travel to Syria in 2013, where he joined the Islamic State and is believed to be responsible for the murder of a number of western hostages. |
Emwazi, a graduate of the University of Westminster, was repeatedly questioned by MI5 about alleged links to Islamists and was revealed to have contemplated suicide after coming face to face with what he suspected to be a British spy as he attempted to sell a laptop computer in 2010. |
He has been a prominent figure in the Islamic State’s propaganda war with the West, and rose to notoriety after appearing in a video which showed him killing American journalist James Foley. |
Emwazi subsequently featured in the execution videos of US journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, and American aid worker Peter Kassig. |
He later appeared in a video with Japanese hostages Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto, shortly before they were killed. |
The new Senate health bill does make some significant changes, but major cuts to the largest public health-insurance program are still the key policy. |
The new draft of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Better Care Reconciliation Act released today has significant additions that have seemingly responded both to the demands of his own Republican conference and to public outcry. |
As my colleague Russell Berman notes, perhaps the most significant change—or the most significant potential change—over the previous version of the BCRA is the addition of the Cruz amendment, which would allow insurers that provide at least one comprehensive plan on the exchanges to offer barebones plans alongside them... |
In the aggregate, those tweaks to the exchanges are the largest shift in the new BCRA. Policy-wise, the move seems likely to create some roadblocks: The loss of the individual mandate and the addition of low-premium, high-deductible catastrophic and barebones plans seem likely to disrupt markets, increase their overall... |
Bolstering the Stability Fund for providing reinsurance payments to increasingly risky pools of people might help offset some of the political downsides of this approach, as will a new $45 billion commitment to fighting opioids, but the big roadblock is the same: Medicaid. The new BCRA looks pretty much like the old BC... |
There are some additions to the old BCRA’s Medicaid policies. For one, the new version creates a “Public Health Emergency” exemption for states that declare such an emergency. Their Medicaid spending for services related to such emergencies would be allowed to go over per-capita caps, or would result in extra payments ... |
Still, those changes don’t fundamentally alter the major cuts to Medicaid in the BCRA. The new McConnell plan provides $8 billion for the HCBS waivers combined from 2020 to 2023 and provides a $5 billion aggregate limit for public-health emergency expenditures from 2020 to 2024. That’s $13 billion over five years, or $... |
This iteration of the BCRA continues a trend of draft bills, whereby Republican legislators welcome substantive tweaks and the injection of new ideas for exchange plans—which cover a relatively small number of people—and tax reforms, but won’t budge on fundamentally reshaping and shrinking Medicaid. |
Medicaid is the core of the matter here—and always has been in American health policy—even before House Speaker Paul Ryan spent college dreaming of Medicaid-reform at keggers. It’s the biggest budget item in the BCRA, the largest public-coverage pool, the piece of Obamacare about which public opinion is most polarized,... |
As the next CBO score will likely show, it’s just not possible to roll back that expansion and slice hundreds of billions of dollars from the Medicaid budget over decades and not see millions of people become uninsured. That’s the central problem for McConnell and his allies, whose latest proposal has already provoked ... |
The Cannes jury is a secret club, its members tucked away from the public eye and subject to intense speculation about their opinions of the films they have to judge - and of each other. |
There were rumors that 2004 jury head Quentin Tarantino and juror Tilda Swinton butted heads, and their selection of Michael Moore’s anti-Bush doc "Farenheit 9/11" as Palme d’Or was widely trashed. According to whisperings in 2009, French actress Isabelle Huppert was a tyrannical jury president, and her jury’s decision... |
Nanni Moretti, jury president: This Italian filmmaker and actor (above) is beloved in his native Italy and on the Croisette; his family drama “The Son’s Room” took home the Palme in 2001, and his rather disappointing “We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam)” was in competition last year. Known for political satire and neurotic,... |
Hiam Abbass: The most visible and international of Palestinian actresses, the regal-looking, middle-aged Abbass is known for her roles in “The Syrian Bride”, “Lemon Tree”, and American indie “The Visitor”. She also appeared in Amos Gitai’s “Free Zone”, Jim Jarmusch’s “The Limits of Control”, Steven Spielberg’s “Munich”... |
Andrea Arnold: The British filmmaker was last at Cannes with her terrific “Fish Tank” (2009), a coming-of-age story about a surly English teen and her mother’s seductive new boyfriend. The film won the third-place Jury Prize. Her adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” premiered at the Venice Film Festival las... |
Emmanuelle Devos: With her big mouth, bigger eyes, and anxious, high-pitched voice, Devos is one of France’s most fascinating leading ladies. She’s given powerful performances in Arnaud Desplechin’s “Kings and Queen” and “A Christmas Tale” and was by far the best thing about Anne Fontanie’s dull biopic “Coco Before Cha... |
Jean-Paul Gaultier: This world-famous fashion designer has designed high-concept costumes for French directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Luc Besson, as well as for Pedro Almodovar. Still, as the one jury member whose primary field of work is not cinema, Gaultier is this year’s jury outsider. |
Diane Kruger: This German actress and former model has given vivid turns in her native tongue (as a feisty spy in Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”) and in French (as an imperious Marie-Antoinette in Benoit Jacquot’s “Farewell, My Queen”). Her work in English, however, has been unremarkable (as in the “National Treasu... |
Ewan McGregor: More than a scruffy heartthrob, McGregor is a versatile, reliably convincing actor who has worked with a slew of prestigious directors (Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, Steven Soderbergh, Tim Burton, Danny Boyle, Baz Luhrman, Todd Haynes). McGregor gave one of his most affecting performances in Mike Mills’ “... |
Alexander Payne: This year's lone US ambassador has earned a reputation as one of the industry’s best writer-directors with a handful of melancholic, tonally ambitious comedies. From high-school satire “Election” to his trilogy about masculine angst (“About Schmidt”, “Sideways”, “The Descendants”), Payne’s trademarks a... |
Raoul Peck: This Haitian-born director has an international background that embodies the spirit of diversity Cannes aspires to; he grew up in Congo, France, Germany, and the US. His film “The Man by the Shore” was in competition at the festival in 1993, while “Lumumba” was screened in the Director’s Fortnight section i... |
Below, listen to me and fellow film critic Lisa Nesselson (France 24, Screen International) talk about what to expect and what to look forward to at this year's festival. |
FRANCE 24 film critic Jon Frosch left New York in 2002 for Paris, the best movie-going city in the world. His work has appeared in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, the Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The Village Voice, LA Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and other publications, and he has serve... |
Follow Jon on Twitter . |
The Braves saw enough of veteran pitcher Scott Kazmir this spring to come to a conclusion: They didn’t want him. |
They released Kazmir after he left Saturday’s game with “arm fatigue,” deciding to dump the left-hander despite owing him $16 million. |
Kazmir missed the entire 2017 season with the Dodgers because of assorted injuries and presumably would’ve had to open the 2018 season on the DL after his early exit from Saturday’s Grapefruit League game against the Yankees. |
But rather than deal with the injury-plagued pitcher, who couldn’t be sent to the minors without his consent, had no desire to pitch in the minors and had almost no bullpen experience, the Braves decided Saturday afternoon to cut him loose. |
Meeting later with reporters, Kazmir gave no indication that he might be released and said he would be ready to pitch April 10 “for sure” when the Braves would need a fifth starter for the first time. |
But it won’t be him now. Anibal Sanchez, recently signed to a minor league deal, will move into that role and make at least a few starts before the Braves get rookie Luiz Gohara (sprained ankle) off the disabled list as soon as late April. |
The Braves expect top pitching prospect Mike Soroka to be ready for a call-up at some point this season, and Kazmir didn’t fit in their plans. Releasing him now gives him a chance to catch on with another team. |
Kazmir blamed himself for throwing what he said was a 90-100 pitch bullpen session Wednesday, an unusually heavy load just two days after he threw five innings in a minor league game and three days before he was to throw multiple innings against the Yankees on Saturday. |
He said he didn’t know until Friday that he was going to pitch Saturday. |
The three-time former All-Star’s fastball velocity has been down in the 86-88 mph range for most of the spring and was below that Saturday. |
The Braves couldn’t have simply sent him to the minors to make a start before April 10 because he’s long been out of minor league options and would have to clear waivers, and besides that, Kazmir would have to consent to being sent to the minors. |
The Braves owe him $16 million after getting Kazmir from the Dodgers as part of the financially motivated trade that allowed the Braves to get out from under the last two years of Matt Kemp’s contract. |
Kazmir said it felt like he was “throwing underwater” against the Yankees. “Didn’t do myself any favor for the amount of pitches I threw Wednesday,” he said. |
But about an hour later, word came from a person familiar with the situation that Kazmir had been released. |
Arm fatigue was among the ailments cited for Kazmir’s season-long stay on the DL in 2017 with the Dodgers, though a balky hip was the primary issue, and he said that this episode of arm fatigue was nothing like last year’s. |
Kazmir was thought to be in line for one of the last two spots in the bullpen to begin the season, but the Braves have other candidates – all of them more experienced as reliever -- they could use in to fill those spots, including right-handers Shane Carle and Sanchez and left-hander Rex Brothers. |
Kazmir had a 4.66 ERA in four unimpressive Grapefruit League starts before Saturday, when he entered in relief of Julio Teheran to start the sixth inning. He gave up a double to the first batter, Aaron Hicks, then picked off Hicks at second base and walked the next batter, Gary Sanchez. |
After throwing an 83-mph wild pitch inside on the first pitch to the next batter, Kazmir tried to loosen his arm by rotating it at the shoulder as he walked back to the mound. He got that hitter to fly out and induced a groundout from the next batter to get out of the inning unscathed, throwing almost exclusively break... |
“Yeah, I was like, all right, change-up’s working, let’s get some outs,” he said. |
Kazmir’s fastball averaged 91.4 mph two years ago with the Dodgers, but topped out at 87 mph last spring when his hip flared up, the injury he believes was the root of his subsequent problems last season, including the arm fatigue and back soreness, whichs he thinks came about by compensating for the hip. |
The Braves said they weren’t counting on Kazmir in December when they got him in the Kemp trade along with pitcher Brandon McCarthy, utility man Charlie Culberson and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. |
Gonzalez immediately was designated for assignment, a prerequisite for the aging slugger to waive his no-trade clause. |
Now, Kazmir will be dumped, too. |
McCarthy has pitched well this spring and will begin the season as the Braves’ No. 3 starter and Culberson will be a primary utility infielder. |
Acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, just signed his first major regulatory amendment — making it easier for corporations to discard coal ash however they see fit. |
The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a rule that rolls back standards for disposing of the toxic ash produced by burning coal, The Hill reports. The amendment was in the works for several months, but when Wheeler took over for Scott Pruitt earlier this month, he took the reins. Pruitt resigned as ... |
The amendment backpedals on regulations put in place by the Obama administration, which mandated strict federal standards for coal ash disposal in 2015. In a statement, the EPA said relaxing the standards would save $31.4 million a year in regulatory costs, as states are given authority to loosen or waive requirements ... |
"These amendments provide states and utilities much-needed flexibility in the management of coal ash, while ensuring human health and the environment are protected," said Wheeler in the statement. Environmental groups disagree, reports The Hill, and immediately condemned the measure as dangerous to groundwater and air ... |
The Third Annual Chestnut Hill Rotary Chili Cookoff turned out to be a hit for chili lovers and the community alike. |
The Cookoff, held this past Sunday, attracted friends and neighbors, local businesses, and institutions for a day of fun, competition and camaraderie. The cookoff was made possible by a multitude of sponsors whose generosity enabled the community to get together and celebrate not only the community and its members, but... |
The 2013 Cookoff sponsors include: Elfant Wissahickon Realtors; East River Bank; Pepper Hamilton, LLP; Chestnut Hill Hospital; Sila Heating & Air Conditioning; National Penn Bank; Carol Schwartz Gallery; Human Touch Home Care; Bray Family Foundation; State Farm Insurance; Yards Brewing Company; Brossman Center; PPR Not... |
Peoples’ Choice first prize winner of the Third Annual Chestnut Hill Rotary Chili Cookoff is Good Phellas Food Truck. Accepting the award from Rotarians past president, Christian Mongrain and current president, Bonni Simon are chefs Steve Kent and John Wiegand. |
Wayne Rooney will be out for around two weeks with a head injury sustained prior to Manchester United's Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday, manager David Moyes revealed. |
Moyes said the 27-year-old striker was injured during a training session and would probably miss England's forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine. |
"He got a cut down the middle of his forehead," Moyes told Sky Sports ahead of the game at Anfield. |
"It was completely accidental but it's quite a bad cut and it'll probably keep him out for a couple of weeks." |
Asked if Rooney would be able to play for England against Moldova on Friday and away to Ukraine on September 10, Moyes replied: "I would think he's got no chance." |
Rooney did not travel to Anfield on the United team bus, following British newspaper reports that he required stitches after the accidental collision with a team-mate during training on Saturday. |
Ryan Giggs took his place in the starting XI against Liverpool. |
United defender Rio Ferdinand told Sky Sports: "It's disappointing but whatever's happened has happened. We can't go back. |
"We've got quality players in the dressing room who can fill that void, so we'll just wait and see." |
As expected, acting Reserve Bank governor Grant Spencer has left the official cash rate unchanged and says monetary policy will remain accommodative for a considerable period. |
The official cash rate remains at its record low 1.75%. |
“Numerous uncertainties remain and policy may need to adjust accordingly,” Mr Spencer says in a statement. |
“GDP was weaker than expected in the fourth quarter, mainly due to weather effects on agricultural production,” he says. |
Mr Spencer says residential construction continues to be hindered by capacity constraints but the Kiwibuild program is expected to contribute to housing growth from 2019. |
The statement says inflation will probably weaken further in the near term due to softness in food and energy prices and adjustments to government charges. |
“Tradeables inflation is projected to remain subdued through the forecast period.” The central bank forecasts three years ahead. |
As usual, the Reserve Bank says it expects inflation to trend upward over the medium term towards the midpoint of its 1-3% target range. |
Mr Spencer says the outlook for global growth continues to gradually improve and commodity prices and agricultural prices are trending higher. |
His statement comes two hours after the Federal Reserve in the US raised rates there by 0.25 basis points, a move financial markets had expected. |
Opinion: The bank’s regulatory decision-making and the quality of its policymaking analysis have been called into question. |
Opinion: It appears the Reserve Bank is trying to capture the process of its own review. |
The Reserve Bank is 'comfortable' with where the New Zealand dollar sits. |
Rihanna performs during her "Anti World Tour" at Barclays Center on March 27, 2016 in New York City. |
Only four acts in the chart's history boast more. |
As previously reported, Rihanna earns her 22nd top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100, as "Love on the Brain" rises 6-5 on the chart dated March 25. |
Rihanna breaks out of a fifth-place tie with Elvis Presley (who tallied 21 top fives after the Hot 100's 1958 inception; his career predates the Hot 100, as he first hit Billboard charts in 1956). The only artists with more top five Hot 100 hits than Rihanna: The Beatles (29), Madonna (28), Mariah Carey (26) and Janet ... |
Meanwhile, not only do The Beatles own the mark for most top five Hot 100 hits, but the iconic band's Paul McCartney has notched another 16 apart from the group (as a soloist, including collaborations, and with his former band Wings), making for an astonishing 45 trips to the top five overall. |
McCartney's most recent top five Hot 100 hit? "FourFiveSeconds," with Kanye West and … Rihanna. The song hit No. 4 on Feb. 28, 2015, becoming Rihanna's 19th top five title (as well as West's 11th, and most recent). |
The Mac maker lets carriers do the talking. |
Jet Black iPhone 7. Image source: Apple. |
Just because Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has decided not to brag about preorders or launch weekend sales anymore doesn't mean that other companies won't. While the broader market has been fairly weak this morning, Apple shares are standing out and enjoying gains of over 2%. Apple has a couple of its carrier partners to thank. ... |
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