Datasets:

taoyoung

/

cnn_dailymail

like 0

It's official: U.S. President Barack Obama wants lawmakers to weigh in on whether to use military force in Syria. Obama sent a letter to the heads of the House and Senate on Saturday night, hours after announcing that he believes military action against Syrian targets is the right step to take over the alleged use of chemical weapons. The proposed legislation from Obama asks Congress to approve the use of military force "to deter, disrupt, prevent and degrade the potential for future uses of chemical weapons or other weapons of mass destruction." It's a step that is set to turn an international crisis into a fierce domestic political battle. There are key questions looming over the debate: What did U.N. weapons inspectors find in Syria? What happens if Congress votes no? And how will the Syrian government react? In a televised address from the White House Rose Garden earlier Saturday, the president said he would take his case to Congress, not because he has to -- but because he wants to. "While I believe I have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization, I know that the country will be stronger if we take this course, and our actions will be even more effective," he said. "We should have this debate, because the issues are too big for business as usual." Obama said top congressional leaders had agreed to schedule a debate when the body returns to Washington on September 9. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing over the matter on Tuesday, Sen. Robert Menendez said. Transcript: Read Obama's full remarks . Syrian crisis: Latest developments . U.N. inspectors leave Syria . Obama's remarks came shortly after U.N. inspectors left Syria, carrying evidence that will determine whether chemical weapons were used in an attack early last week in a Damascus suburb. "The aim of the game here, the mandate, is very clear -- and that is to ascertain whether chemical weapons were used -- and not by whom," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters on Saturday. But who used the weapons in the reported toxic gas attack in a Damascus suburb on August 21 has been a key point of global debate over the Syrian crisis. Top U.S. officials have said there's no doubt that the Syrian government was behind it, while Syrian officials have denied responsibility and blamed jihadists fighting with the rebels. British and U.S. intelligence reports say the attack involved chemical weapons, but U.N. officials have stressed the importance of waiting for an official report from inspectors. The inspectors will share their findings with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Ban, who has said he wants to wait until the U.N. team's final report is completed before presenting it to the U.N. Security Council. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which nine of the inspectors belong to, said Saturday that it could take up to three weeks to analyze the evidence they collected. "It needs time to be able to analyze the information and the samples," Nesirky said. He noted that Ban has repeatedly said there is no alternative to a political solution to the crisis in Syria, and that "a military solution is not an option." Bergen: Syria is a problem from hell for the U.S. Obama: 'This menace must be confronted' Obama's senior advisers have debated the next steps to take, and the president's comments Saturday came amid mounting political pressure over the situation in Syria. Some U.S. lawmakers have called for immediate action while others warn of stepping into what could become a quagmire. Some global leaders have expressed support, but the British Parliament's vote against military action earlier this week was a blow to Obama's hopes of getting strong backing from key NATO allies. On Saturday, Obama proposed what he said would be a limited military action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Any military attack would not be open-ended or include U.S. ground forces, he said. Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons earlier this month "is an assault on human dignity," the president said. A failure to respond with force, Obama argued, "could lead to escalating use of chemical weapons or their proliferation to terrorist groups who would do our people harm. In a world with many dangers, this menace must be confronted." Syria missile strike: What would happen next? Map: U.S. and allied assets around Syria . Obama decision came Friday night . On Friday night, the president made a last-minute decision to consult lawmakers. What will happen if they vote no? It's unclear. A senior administration official told CNN that Obama has the authority to act without Congress -- even if Congress rejects his request for authorization to use force. Obama on Saturday continued to shore up support for a strike on the al-Assad government. He spoke by phone with French President Francois Hollande before his Rose Garden speech. "The two leaders agreed that the international community must deliver a resolute message to the Assad regime -- and others who would consider using chemical weapons -- that these crimes are unacceptable and those who violate this international norm will be held accountable by the world," the White House said. Meanwhile, as uncertainty loomed over how Congress would weigh in, U.S. military officials said they remained at the ready. 5 key assertions: U.S. intelligence report on Syria . Syria: Who wants what after chemical weapons horror . Reactions mixed to Obama's speech . A spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition said that the opposition group was disappointed by Obama's announcement. "Our fear now is that the lack of action could embolden the regime and they repeat his attacks in a more serious way," said spokesman Louay Safi. "So we are quite concerned." Some members of Congress applauded Obama's decision. House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy and Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers issued a statement Saturday praising the president. "Under the Constitution, the responsibility to declare war lies with Congress," the Republican lawmakers said. "We are glad the president is seeking authorization for any military action in Syria in response to serious, substantive questions being raised." More than 160 legislators, including 63 of Obama's fellow Democrats, had signed letters calling for either a vote or at least a "full debate" before any U.S. action. British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose own attempt to get lawmakers in his country to support military action in Syria failed earlier this week, responded to Obama's speech in a Twitter post Saturday. "I understand and support Barack Obama's position on Syria," Cameron said. An influential lawmaker in Russia -- which has stood by Syria and criticized the United States -- had his own theory. "The main reason Obama is turning to the Congress: the military operation did not get enough support either in the world, among allies of the US or in the United States itself," Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the international-affairs committee of the Russian State Duma, said in a Twitter post. In the United States, scattered groups of anti-war protesters around the country took to the streets Saturday. "Like many other Americans...we're just tired of the United States getting involved and invading and bombing other countries," said Robin Rosecrans, who was among hundreds at a Los Angeles demonstration. What do Syria's neighbors think? Why Russia, China, Iran stand by Assad . Syria's government unfazed . After Obama's speech, a military and political analyst on Syrian state TV said Obama is "embarrassed" that Russia opposes military action against Syria, is "crying for help" for someone to come to his rescue and is facing two defeats -- on the political and military levels. Syria's prime minister appeared unfazed by the saber-rattling. "The Syrian Army's status is on maximum readiness and fingers are on the trigger to confront all challenges," Wael Nader al-Halqi said during a meeting with a delegation of Syrian expatriates from Italy, according to a banner on Syria State TV that was broadcast prior to Obama's address. An anchor on Syrian state television said Obama "appeared to be preparing for an aggression on Syria based on repeated lies." A top Syrian diplomat told the state television network that Obama was facing pressure to take military action from Israel, Turkey, some Arabs and right-wing extremists in the United States. "I think he has done well by doing what Cameron did in terms of taking the issue to Parliament," said Bashar Jaafari, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations. Both Obama and Cameron, he said, "climbed to the top of the tree and don't know how to get down." The Syrian government has denied that it used chemical weapons in the August 21 attack, saying that jihadists fighting with the rebels used them in an effort to turn global sentiments against it. British intelligence had put the number of people killed in the attack at more than 350. On Saturday, Obama said "all told, well over 1,000 people were murdered." U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday cited a death toll of 1,429, more than 400 of them children. No explanation was offered for the discrepancy. Iran: U.S. military action in Syria would spark 'disaster' Opinion: Why strikes in Syria are a bad idea .

Syrian official: Obama climbed to the top of the tree, "doesn't know how to get down" Obama sends a letter to the heads of the House and Senate . Obama to seek congressional approval on military action against Syria . Aim is to determine whether CW were used, not by whom, says U.N. spokesman .

0001d1afc246a7964130f43ae940af6bc6c57f01

(CNN) -- Usain Bolt rounded off the world championships Sunday by claiming his third gold in Moscow as he anchored Jamaica to victory in the men's 4x100m relay. The fastest man in the world charged clear of United States rival Justin Gatlin as the Jamaican quartet of Nesta Carter, Kemar Bailey-Cole, Nickel Ashmeade and Bolt won in 37.36 seconds. The U.S finished second in 37.56 seconds with Canada taking the bronze after Britain were disqualified for a faulty handover. The 26-year-old Bolt has now collected eight gold medals at world championships, equaling the record held by American trio Carl Lewis, Michael Johnson and Allyson Felix, not to mention the small matter of six Olympic titles. The relay triumph followed individual successes in the 100 and 200 meters in the Russian capital. "I'm proud of myself and I'll continue to work to dominate for as long as possible," Bolt said, having previously expressed his intention to carry on until the 2016 Rio Olympics. Victory was never seriously in doubt once he got the baton safely in hand from Ashmeade, while Gatlin and the United States third leg runner Rakieem Salaam had problems. Gatlin strayed out of his lane as he struggled to get full control of their baton and was never able to get on terms with Bolt. Earlier, Jamaica's women underlined their dominance in the sprint events by winning the 4x100m relay gold, anchored by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who like Bolt was completing a triple. Their quartet recorded a championship record of 41.29 seconds, well clear of France, who crossed the line in second place in 42.73 seconds. Defending champions, the United States, were initially back in the bronze medal position after losing time on the second handover between Alexandria Anderson and English Gardner, but promoted to silver when France were subsequently disqualified for an illegal handover. The British quartet, who were initially fourth, were promoted to the bronze which eluded their men's team. Fraser-Pryce, like Bolt aged 26, became the first woman to achieve three golds in the 100-200 and the relay. In other final action on the last day of the championships, France's Teddy Tamgho became the third man to leap over 18m in the triple jump, exceeding the mark by four centimeters to take gold. Germany's Christina Obergfoll finally took gold at global level in the women's javelin after five previous silvers, while Kenya's Asbel Kiprop easily won a tactical men's 1500m final. Kiprop's compatriot Eunice Jepkoech Sum was a surprise winner of the women's 800m. Bolt's final dash for golden glory brought the eight-day championship to a rousing finale, but while the hosts topped the medal table from the United States there was criticism of the poor attendances in the Luzhniki Stadium. There was further concern when their pole vault gold medalist Yelena Isinbayeva made controversial remarks in support of Russia's new laws, which make "the propagandizing of non-traditional sexual relations among minors" a criminal offense. She later attempted to clarify her comments, but there were renewed calls by gay rights groups for a boycott of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, the next major sports event in Russia.

Usain Bolt wins third gold of world championship . Anchors Jamaica to 4x100m relay victory . Eighth gold at the championships for Bolt . Jamaica double up in women's 4x100m relay .

0002095e55fcbd3a2f366d9bf92a95433dc305ef

Kansas City, Missouri (CNN) -- The General Services Administration, already under investigation for lavish spending, allowed an employee to telecommute from Hawaii even though he is based at the GSA's Kansas City, Missouri, office, a CNN investigation has found. It cost more than $24,000 for the business development specialist to travel to and from the mainland United States over the past year. He is among several hundred GSA "virtual" workers who also travel to various conferences and their home offices, costing the agency millions of dollars over the past three years. Under the program, employees work from home and may live in another state from the region in which they're actually assigned. The Kansas City employee, who started his job in January 2011, is paid $84,440 and works from his home in Honolulu, a GSA representative confirmed. In the past year, according to GSA travel records, the employee has flown back to the mainland nine times for conferences and meetings. Four of those trips were to St. Louis; four were to Washington, with a side trip to Cincinnati; and one was to San Diego. The total cost to taxpayers was $24,221. Jason Klumb, the GSA's regional administrator for Kansas City, defended the hire. "The cost of that travel was included in the consideration of his candidacy as an employee as compared with the other applicants," Klumb said. "And when factoring all of those in, it was determined that he was the best candidate, even in light of the cost that would be incurred." Klumb called the GSA's teleworking program "a successful program that's going to lead to cost savings for taxpayers." But a GSA spokeswoman said, "We are not going to defend this type of travel." And a GSA employee in Kansas City, who requested anonymity, said that hiring someone in Hawaii to work for the Kansas City region was ludicrous. "It doesn't make sense," the employee said. "When you consider everything you need when you hire someone, it would have been better to look for someone in the Kansas City area. It would have reduced the cost of travel by at least 70 percent when you look at just the airfare of what it takes to from Honolulu to Washington, D.C., where a lot of business is done." Dan Tangherlini, who was appointed acting GSA administrator this year, said the agency was examining the cost of the entire teleworking program. "I think the most important part for the GSA to think about is make sure we open ourselves up, avail ourselves to all the smart people in the country, but then also make sure we have a clear business case," he said. "If we have someone who is working in Nebraska but reporting to Boston, there has to be a clear explanation for what value they're providing, and you've got to give me the business case. You've got to explain to me why that's a cost-effective move for the American people, and that's a new standard that we're asking everyone at GSA to adhere to." The GSA "virtual employee" program is different from telework programs offered by many private companies including CNN's parent company, Turner Broadcasting, in which some employees are encouraged to work from home some days of the week, partially to reduce traffic congestion. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform requested details about the GSA's teleworking program in June. That followed disclosures that 95 virtual employees, including 12 in supervisory positions, spent nearly $750,000 in travel costs between October 2010 and June 2011. "The American people have a right to know that federal bureaucrats who enjoy the benefits of virtual work are eligible and responsible stewards of the taxpayer dollars that support the program," according to a letter from committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, to the GSA. The details requested by Issa about the GSA program have not been provided to the committee. CNN also requested the information more than two months ago through the federal Freedom of Information Act but has been repeatedly told by the GSA that FOIA staff members have not finished compiling the material. The General Services Administration, which has more than 12,600 employees and a $26.3 billion budget, is a relatively obscure federal agency that handles government real estate and other non-military procurement. Congress launched an investigation into the GSA after a scathing inspector general's report issued this year showed lavish spending -- $823,000 -- at the agency's Western Regions Conference in Las Vegas in October 2010. The controversy became politically toxic after reports and video clips of the lavish conference were released. The revelation prompted taxpayer indignation, embarrassed the administration and put a spotlight on wasteful spending by the GSA. Jeff Neely, the GSA official who organized the conference, resigned, as did the agency's administrator, Martha Johnson. Two of Johnson's deputies were fired, and eight other employees left the agency. Tangherlini, a former Treasury Department official, took over as acting GSA administrator. In addition to the Las Vegas conference, the GSA apparently spent $330,000 to relocate an employee from Denver to Hawaii and probably millions more on other employees over a two-year period, according to a transcript of an interview with a GSA event planner. And 84 GSA employees, most of them supervisors or other senior staff -- all subjects of inspector general investigations -- are still collecting their bonuses, totaling more than $1 million in taxpayer money. In July, a CNN investigation revealed that the GSA's Kansas City office spent more than $20,000 to send employees to cooking classes to build team spirit. While the classes do not amount to a significant sum of money in the world of trillion-dollar government budgets, insiders said it was part of the free-spending culture that went on for years at the GSA's Kansas City regional headquarters. GSA spokeswoman Betsaida Alcantara said in a statement this year that all the agency's practices are under a top-down review. CNN's Sara Anwar, Elizabeth M. Nunez and Tom Cohen contributed to this report. Watch Erin Burnett weekdays 7pm ET. For the latest from Erin Burnett click here.

The employee in agency's Kansas City office is among hundreds of "virtual" workers . The employee's travel to and from the mainland U.S. last year cost more than $24,000 . The telecommuting program, like all GSA practices, is under review .

00027e965c8264c35cc1bc55556db388da82b07f

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A medical doctor in Vancouver, British Columbia, said Thursday that California arson suspect Harry Burkhart suffered from severe mental illness in 2010, when she examined him as part of a team of doctors. Dr. Blaga Stancheva, a family physician and specialist in obstetrics, said both Burkhart and his mother, Dorothee, were her patients in Vancouver while both were applying for refugee status in Canada. "I was asked to diagnose and treat Harry to support a claim explaining why he was unable to show up in a small-claims court case," Stancheva told CNN in a phone interview. She declined to cite the case or Burkhart's role in it. Stancheva said she and other doctors including a psychiatrist diagnosed Burkhart with "autism, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression." The diagnosis was spelled out in a letter she wrote for the small-claims court case, Stancheva said. Stancheva, citing doctor-patient confidentiality, would not elaborate further, nor would she identify the psychiatrist involved in the diagnosis. Burkhart, a 24-year-old German national, has been charged with 37 counts of arson following a string of 52 fires in Los Angeles. The charges are in connection with arson fires at 12 locations scattered through Hollywood, West Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, according to authorities. Stancheva said the refugee applications by Burkhart and his mother were denied by the Canadian government, and she has not seen Burkhart since early March of 2010. "I was shocked and dismayed at what happened in Los Angeles, and it appears he was not being treated for his depression," she said. Burkhart was in court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors said his "rage against Americans," triggered by his mother's arrest last week, motivated his "campaign of terror" with dozens of fires in Hollywood and nearby communities. Burkhart kept his eyes closed and remained limp during most of his hearing, requiring sheriff's deputies to hold him up. The district attorney called his courtroom behavior "very bizarre." "This defendant has engaged in a protracted campaign in which he has set, the people believe, upwards of 52 arson fires in what essentially amounts to a campaign of terror against this community," Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney said. "The people believe he has engaged in this conduct because he has a hatred for Americans." Carney told the court Burkhart would flee the country if he was allowed out of jail on bond, but Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Upinder Kalra said he had no choice but to set bail. To go free while awaiting trial, Burkhart must post a $2.85 million bond and surrender his German passport. It was revealed that Burkhart is also under investigation for arson and fraud in relation to a fire in Neukirchen, near Frankfurt, Germany. The worst arson sprees in the city's history began last Friday morning with a car fire in Hollywood that spread to apartments above a garage, but no new fires have happened since Burkhart was arrested Monday, Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley said. No one was hurt in the fires, but property damage costs are likely to reach $3 million, authorities said. Cooley called it "almost attempted murder," because people were sleeping in apartments above where Burkhart allegedly set cars on fire with incendiary devices placed under their engines. The criminal complaint filed Wednesday also alleged that the fires were "caused by use of a device designed to accelerate the fire," Cooley said. "If found true, the allegation could mean additional custody time for the defendant." "In numerous instances, the cars were parked in carports, resulting in the fires spreading to the adjacent occupied apartment buildings," a sworn affidavit from a Los Angeles arson investigator said. "The vast majority of these fires occurred late at night when the occupants of the apartment buildings were asleep." Investigator Edward Nordskog's affidavit detailed Burkhart's behavior a day before the fires began, when he was in a federal courtroom during extradition proceedings for his mother. "While in the audience, the defendant (Burkhart) began yelling in an angry manner, 'F--k all Americans.' The defendant also attempted to communicate with his mother who was in custody. Shortly thereafter, the defendant was ejected from the courtroom by Deputy U.S. Marshals," Nordskog wrote. Dorothee Burkhart was arrested a day before on an international arrest warrant issued by a district court in Frankfurt, Germany, said federal court spokesman Gunther Meilinger. The 53-year-old German woman is wanted on 16 counts of fraud and three counts of embezzlement, he said. The charges include an allegation that she failed to pay for a breast enhancement operation performed on her in 2004, Meilinger said. Most of the German charges, however, stem from phony real estate deals that Dorothee Burkhart allegedly conducted between 2000 and 2006. "It is my opinion that the defendant's criminal spree was motivated by his rage against Americans and that by setting these fires the defendant intended to harm and terrorize as many residents of the city and county of Los Angeles as possible," Nordskog wrote. A search of Burkhart's Hollywood apartment found newspaper clippings about the Los Angeles fires and articles from Germany reporting similar car fires in Frankfurt, Germany in September, 2011, the investigator said. "It is my opinion based on my experience that it is highly likely the defendant has a history of setting arson fires in Germany before he came to the United States," Nordskog wrote. Burkhart's mother is scheduled for another extradition hearing Friday, while he is due back in court for arraignment on January 24. Meanwhile, both Burkharts are housed in a Los Angeles jail.

NEW: A Canadian doctor says she was part of a team examining Harry Burkhart in 2010 . NEW: Diagnosis: "autism, severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression" Burkhart is also suspected in a German arson probe, officials say . Prosecutors believe the German national set a string of fires in Los Angeles .

0002c17436637c4fe1837c935c04de47adb18e9a

(CNN) -- Police arrested another teen Thursday, the sixth suspect jailed in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl on a northern California high school campus. Jose Carlos Montano, 18, was arrested on charges of felony rape, rape in concert with force, and penetration with a foreign object, said Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan. Montano was arrested Thursday evening in San Pablo, California, a small town about two miles from the city of Richmond, where the crime took place. Montano, who was held in lieu of $1.3 million bail, is accused of taking part in what police said was a 2½-hour assault on the Richmond High School campus. Police said as many as 10 people were involved in the rape in a dimly lit back alley at the school, while another 10 people watched without calling 911. The victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but was released Wednesday. Four other teenage suspects were arraigned Thursday on charges connected to the rape. Cody Ray Smith, described by the court as older than 14, pleaded not guilty to charges of rape with a foreign object and rape by force. Two other juveniles, Ari Abdallah Morales and Marcelles James Peter, appeared with Smith at the Contra Costa County Superior Court, but did not enter a plea. The court described Morales as younger than 16, and did not give an age for Peter. All three juveniles, who wore bulletproof vests at the hearing, were charged as adults. A fourth person, Manuel Ortega, 19, appeared separately without an attorney and did not enter a plea. He did not wear a protective vest. Another person, Salvador Rodriguez, 21, was arrested Tuesday night, but he was not in court Thursday.

Another arrest made in gang rape outside California school . Investigators say up to 20 people took part or stood and watched the assault . Four suspects appeared in court Thursday; three wore bulletproof vests .

0003ad6ef0c37534f80b55b4235108024b407f0b

(CNN) -- Thousands on Saturday fled the area in southwestern Ivory Coast where attacks left seven U.N. peacekeepers and eight civilians dead, according to a U.N. official. One attack occurred late Thursday and into Friday near Para Village, not far from the west-central African nation's border with Liberia, according to the United Nations. Humanitarian organizations reported Saturday they were expecting about 4,000 people in Tai, said Remi Dourlot, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Several hundred had arrived by midday Saturday in the town, which is on the edge of Tai National Park. Another 35 families crossed the Ivory Coast's southwest border into U.N. refugee camps in Liberia, and humanitarian groups said hundreds of others had been pushed south by the violence, according to Dourlot. The movement comes after blue-helmeted peacekeepers -- who were in the area because of threats against civilians -- came under attack, the United Nations said in a statement. Besides the U.N. peacekeepers, humanitarian groups reported eight civilians died in violence, said Dourlot. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called on the government of Ivory Coast "to do its utmost to identify the perpetrators and hold them accountable." He added that he understood other peacekeepers remained in danger. "Even tonight, after the attack, more than 40 peacekeepers remain with the villagers in this remote region to protect them from this armed group," Ban said. U.N. Operation in Cote d'Ivoire and Ivory Coast troops have increased their presence in the area, Dourlot said Saturday. Members of the U.N. humanitarian affairs office have deployed to Tai to coordinate relief efforts there with local authorities. Clinton urges Ivory Coast dialogue . A spokeswoman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast said Friday's incident was the first attack on peacekeepers since they entered the country in 2004. Sylvie van den Wildenberg, in a telephone interview from her office in Abidjan, said the remaining forces were continuing to protect area residents, "who are living in a very difficult terrain -- their villages scattered." Van den Wildenberg said it was not clear who was responsible for the attack, which occurred mid-afternoon. "This is an area where you have so many different types of armed people," she said. "People have different aims and different reasons to carry arms and to perpetrate attack. So this is a very complex environment. We can't extrapolate. We just can't fingerpoint any group." The peacekeepers were on a reconnaissance patrol because U.N. officials had heard rumors several days earlier of armed men in the area threatening to attack a village, she said. U.N. peacekeepers remained in Ivory Coast after the 2010 presidential election, when the country was thrown into crisis after incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refused to acknowledge defeat to former Prime Minister Alassane Ouattara. The latter was sworn in on May 21. Gbagbo is in custody at the Hague, accused of crimes against humanity during post-election violence that killed thousands. According to the United Nations, its peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast as of April 30 included nearly 11,000 uniformed personnel, as well as several hundred international civilian personnel, local staff and volunteers. They provide technical, logistical and security support to the government. CNN's Christabelle Fombu and Tom Watkins contributed to this report.

Humanitarian groups expect 4,000 refugees in one camp, a U.N. official says . Others have fled across the border to U.N. camps in Liberia, he says . This follows attacks that killed 7 U.N. peacekeepers and 8 civilians .

0004306354494f090ee2d7bc5ddbf80b63e80de6

(CNN) -- Four groups that advocate for immigrant rights said Thursday they will challenge Arizona's new immigration law, which allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona and the National Immigration Law Center held a news conference Thursday in Phoenix to announce the legal challenge. "The Arizona community can be assured that a vigorous and sophisticated legal challenge will be mounted, in advance of SB1070's implementation, seeking to prevent this unconstitutional and discriminatory law from ever taking effect," said Thomas A. Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, known as MALDEF. "This law will only make the rampant racial profiling of Latinos that is already going on in Arizona much worse," said Alessandra Soler Meetze, executive director of the ACLU of Arizona. "If this law were implemented, citizens would effectively have to carry 'their papers' at all times to avoid arrest. It is a low point in modern America when a state law requires police to demand documents from people on the street." Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law last week. It goes into effect 90 days after the close of the legislative session, which has not been determined. Brewer and others who support the law say it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts. "Racial profiling is illegal," Brewer said after signing the bill Friday. "It is illegal in America, and it's certainly illegal in Arizona." The National Coalition Of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders said Sunday it also planned legal action. "Our churches and pastors in Arizona are outraged about the significant threat this anti-immigrant law will have in the lives of Arizona's Latinos," said the Rev. Miguel Rivera, the group's chairman. "This policy violates the rights of American citizens, particularly the fast-growing Latino population of Arizona, by eliminating the basic right of due process, which we are certain that the courts will agree," Rivera said. The law requires immigrants to carry their alien registration documents at all times and requires police to question people if there is reason to suspect they're in the United States illegally. The measure makes it a state crime to live or travel through Arizona illegally. It also targets those who hire illegal immigrant day laborers or knowingly transport them. In addition to signing the law, Brewer also issued an executive order that requires training for local officers on how to implement the law without engaging in racial profiling or discrimination. "This training will include what does and does not constitute reasonable suspicion that a person is not legally present in the United States," she said. Some officials in Arizona have expressed their displeasure with the measure. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said Thursday that he is "very disappointed." He said he is concerned that calls to boycott Arizona businesses and tourism will harm the state. "I'm very incredulous that our state leaders -- our so-called leaders -- have allowed our state to be split when we're suffering economic hardships," Gordon told CNN. Other critics say the bill is unconstitutional and will trample residents' civil rights. "Quite simply, this law is a civil rights disaster and an insult to American values," said Mary Bauer, legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center. "No one in our country should be required to produce their 'papers' or demand to prove their innocence. What kind of country are we becoming?" But a national Republican leader said Thursday that Arizona is just filling a void left by the federal government. "I think the people of Arizona have a right to pass their laws under the 10th Amendment," House Minority Leader John Boehner said. "I think it is clearly a result of the federal government's failure to secure our border and to enforce our laws." Gordon said the real solution is comprehensive immigration reform that would allow more immigrants to legally enter the United States. "This law doesn't accomplish that," he said. "It doesn't do anything on that." President Obama has called on Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform law this year. CNN has learned that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other top Democratic senators will unveil the outlines of that legislation late Thursday. But Boehner said at a briefing Thursday that "there's not a chance" that Congress will approve the measure this year, especially after the recent passage of a health care reform bill. "I've been out here for a little while and know that in the middle of an election year, after we've had bills like health care shoved down our throats and the process twisted, tortured, pressured, bribed, you cannot do a serious piece of legislation of this size, with this difficulty, in this environment," he said. "And it's nothing more than a cynical ploy to try and engage voters, some segment of voters, to show up in this November's elections." The Arizona measure has drawn sharp criticism from the Mexican government, which issued an advisory to its citizens this week. The secretary general of the Organization of American States and some member states also expressed concerns about the law Wednesday. "This is an issue of concern to all citizens of the Americas, beginning with the citizens of the United States, a country with a very rich tradition of immigration and respect for immigrants who have come to lead a better life," OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said. "The rich tradition we all admire, of recognizing immigrants in the United States, has been harmed, undermined." The uproar caused by the law has even spread to the nation's pastime. Protesters plan to demonstrate against the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team Thursday outside Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. In Arizona, two popular singers also will voice their opposition. Grammy Award-winning Colombian singer Shakira is scheduled to meet with Gordon on Thursday evening. Singer-songwriter Linda Ronstadt, an Arizona native of Mexican and German descent, also attended the Thursday afternoon rally with the immigrant rights groups. "What Gov. Brewer signed into law last week is a piece of legislation that threatens the very heart of this great state," Ronstadt said. "We must come together and stop SB1070 from pitting neighbor against neighbor to the detriment of us all." Federal officials estimate there are about 10.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, of which about 6.6 million come from Mexico and 760,000 from the rest of Latin America. About 1 million come from Asia. Arizona, which is on the Mexican border, has about 460,000 undocumented immigrants, the federal government says. At least five other states, including California, with 2.6 million, have more undocumented immigrants, the government says. The other states with more illegal immigrants than Arizona are Texas, Florida, New York and Georgia. A Pew Research Center survey late last year found that Americans believe Latinos are discriminated against more than any other major racial or ethnic group in American society. The Pew survey also indicated that about one-third of the nation's Latinos say they or someone they know has experienced discrimination. About 9 percent said they had been stopped by police or other authorities and asked about their immigration status in the year before the survey. Fifty-seven percent of those surveyed said they worried that they, a family member or a close friend could be deported.

NEW: 4 groups announce legal challenge in Phoenix . American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Arizona, National Immigration Law Center slam law . Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund also objects to it . They say law encourages racial profiling, but supporters say it doesn't involve any illegal acts .

0005d61497d21ff37a17751829bd7e3b6e4a7c5c

While Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer, it's also the unofficial start to the campaign season. That means politicking will be on the rise, especially as control of the Senate is at stake as well as control of 36 state houses. So, if you turn on your TV, expect to see more -- and nastier -- political advertisements. In fact, Elizabeth Wilner, senior vice president of Kantar Ad Intelligence, says as much as $3.4 billion is going to be spent on advertising this midterm season. The race with the most at stake is the one for U.S. Senate in Kentucky. This is not just one of the only Senate races Republicans are at risk of losing, but also the race where the top Senate Republican is at risk of losing his job. The Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, is in a fight for his political life against Alison Lundergan Grimes, a relatively inexperienced Democratic politician who was just 8 years old when McConnell started his first term in the Senate in 1985. McConnell, a shrewd politician, prolific fundraiser and expert campaigner, has had numerous missteps, making this race even more interesting. His troubles include a flubbed campaign ad, a campaign manager who was a little too honest, the recent resignation of that manager and a caught-on-tape moment. Grimes, meanwhile, has also stumbled when talking about foreign policy, and questions have arisen about a possible sweetheart deal involving her campaign bus. This is one of the most interesting and critical races in the country. How Mitch McConnell crushed the tea party . Here are four other races that are worth watching: . Wisconsin governor: The Wisconsin governor's race has many national repercussions, as Republican Gov. Scott Walker is locked in a tight re-election battle against former Trek bicycle executive Mary Burke. Economic policy is a central component of this campaign. Walker has gained prominence in conservative politics for governing as a fiscal conservative and making deep cuts to spending by cutting public union workers' pensions. He also drastically limited workers' bargaining rights. Meanwhile, Democrats, backed by labor unions, are again fighting to defeat Walker -- they forced a recall two years ago that Walker won -- to move forward on more Democratic economic policies, including lifting the minimum wage. Walker, who is also being investigated for alleged illegal campaign coordination with outside groups, is considered a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, but if he loses his gubernatorial race, his path to the presidency will be very, very narrow. Democrats and Republicans understand the stakes, and President Barack Obama traveled to Wisconsin on Labor Day to speak at a union event in a trip packed with political symbolism. Walker, Burke tied up in new poll . U.S. Senate, Louisiana: Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu always has tough races, and her fourth bid for the Senate seat is no exception. Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy is the person who is giving Landrieu another difficult run. Cassidy is tying Landrieu to Obama in this conservative-leaning state while painting her as a corrupt Washington insider. Landrieu, meanwhile, is attempting to paint her Senate tenure as a picture of independence. Most interestingly, a political roller coaster is possible. If Landrieu or Cassidy doesn't receive more than 50% of the vote on Election Day in November, a winner won't be named until that state's December 6 election. There's a chance the Louisiana race, and the balance of the Senate, might be dragged out until December. Sen. Mary Landrieu to reimburse Senate for charter flight . National Democrats go after Cassidy on Medicare . U.S. Senate, Iowa: When popular Sen. Tom Harkin decided to retire, Democrats had a small panic attack as this solidly Democratic seat was now in play. But when Rep. Bruce Braley jumped in, Democrats' confidence was restored. But then that confidence has been shaken as Braley has run a gaffe-prone campaign that involves digs at farmers and meandering chickens. His missteps -- combined with the surprising strength of Republican candidate Joni Ernst, who has run a great campaign that began with a breakout performance in the crowded Republican primary -- make this a possible and unexpected pickup for Republicans. Climate group attacks Ernst on tax pledge, not climate . Florida's 2nd Congressional District: There is little to no chance that Republicans will lose control of the House of Representatives, and some race analyzers say the GOP will even pick up seats. But this race could be a bright spot for Democrats. Even in what is expected to be a difficult year for Democrats, Democratic candidate Gwen Graham could pull out a victory in this Republican-leaning district of Tallahassee and the central part of the Florida Panhandle. Graham has some advantages. She has no problem getting money -- raising more than Southerland -- and she has a Florida-famous last name. Her father is longtime Sen. Bob Graham, giving her access to his connections and deep knowledge of running successful campaigns. Key races in 2014 . Complete midterm coverage .

Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer and the unofficial start to campaign season . As much as $3.4 billion could be spent on advertising for this midterm election . Here are five must-follow races for these midterms .

0006021f772fad0aa78a977ce4a31b3faa6e6fe5

Gaza City (CNN) -- An Italian humanitarian activist and journalist who was kidnapped in Gaza has been found dead and one person is in custody, the Hamas Interior Ministry said Friday in a statement. Police investigating the case learned where 36-year-old Vittorio Arrigoni was being held and went to the location, where they found the body, the statement said. An autopsy revealed that he had been killed hours before police entered the location, it said. Medical sources said his body was taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza. The grisly outcome came hours after a video was posted on YouTube showing a man identified by his colleagues as Arrigoni. A black blindfold covered his eyes; his right cheek appeared red as though it had been hit; his hands appeared to be bound behind his back. A hand belonging to someone outside of the view of the lens appeared to be grasping his hair on the back and pointing the captive's head toward the camera. Arabic writing scrolled over the video threatened that Arrigoni would be killed if Hesham al-Saeedni, who has been held for nearly a year by Hamas, were not released within 30 hours of 11 a.m. Thursday. Al-Saeedni is the leader of a group that may have been inspired by al Qaeda, said Alfredo Tradardi, the Italy coordinator for the International Solidarity Movement, where Arrigoni was a volunteer. The writing calls Italy an "infidel nation whose armies are still present in Muslim lands." Tradardi, who had initially expressed optimism that his co-worker would be released unharmed, told CNN in a telephone interview that the outcome underscores the need for progress to be made toward Middle East peace. "Now, we have to work more deeply to try to change the foreign policy of our government, of the European government, of the United States government in order that they could press Israel to solve the problem of the Palestinians." Arrigoni had been active in the Palestinian cause for nearly a decade, and had been allied with the International Solidarity Movement for more than two years, "monitoring human rights violations by Israel, supporting the Palestinian popular resistance against the Israeli occupation and disseminating information about the situation in Gaza to his home country of Italy," the non-governmental organization said in a written statement. He was granted honorary citizenship for his work for the Palestinian people, the statement said. "Vittorio Arrigoni is a hero of Palestine," said a statement released by Khalil Shaheen, head of the economics and social rights department at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights. "He was available everywhere to support all the poor people, the victims." Arrigoni's colleagues last saw him about 8 p.m. Wednesday near the port in Gaza City, said Joe Catron, a member of the International Solidarity Movement. "I think he was just the first foreigner they ran across," Catron said about the abductors. "It is ironic they happened to come across someone who has dedicated a part of his life to helping Palestine." Arrigoni, who was also working as a freelance journalist, was from the northern Italian region of Lombardy. Journalist Talal Abu-Rahmi, CNN's Yasmin Amer, Tom Watkins and Erin McLaughlin contributed to this story .

NEW: Autopsy indicates he had been dead for hours before police arrived . YouTube video appears to show the activist bound and blindfolded . The activist and freelance journalist was from the Lombardy region in northern Italy .

00083697263e215e5e7eda753070f08aa374dd45

(CNN) -- Renowned radio personality Casey Kasem is in critical condition at a hospital in western Washington, a spokesman for St. Anthony Hospital told CNN in a written statement Thursday. "Mr. Kasem is alert and appears comfortable at this time," Scott Thompson, a spokesman for the facility in Gig Harbor added. The 82-year-old former host of "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40" is receiving antibiotics through IVs, blood pressure support medicine and care for his bed sores, Thompson said. Kasem was admitted to the hospital Sunday after one of his daughters and an ambulance crew retrieved him from a home where he and his wife were staying with friends. "Any further updates on Mr. Kasem's condition will be at the discretion and approval of his children," Thompson said. Danny Deraney, a representative of daughter Kerri Kasem, told CNN that members of the family, including Casey Kasem's brother, were flying to Washington. When asked if they feared Casey Kasem might die, Deraney said it could be his last moments or he could get better. Deraney clarified that he never meant that Kasem's health was failing as was reported by several media outlets. On Thursday, a message appeared on the Twitter account of Deraney PR, saying that Kasem was in "stable condition." A patient can be listed as both critical and stable, if his condition is poor but not deteriorating further. The radio icon has been at the center of a family feud between Jean Kasem, his wife of 34 years, and his three children from his first marriage. Kerri Kasem; her sister, Julie; and their brother, Mike Kasem, have contended since last year that Jean Kasem has prevented the three siblings from visiting their father. Kasem has Lewy body disease, the most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's, and has been bed-ridden for some time. He had been at a facility in Santa Monica, California, before Jean Kasem took him to Washington state after his daughter Kerri Kasem won temporary conservatorship over her father's care. Last week, a Washington court granted Kerri Kasem the right to visit her father one hour a day and to have him examined by a doctor. On Friday afternoon, a Kitsap County judge will continue the hearing and get an update on the situation, Deraney said. Deraney expected the judge to rule on whether Jean Kasem would have to let Kerri Kasem have more input on where her father lives and who cares for him. Casey Kasem, who was also the voice of Shaggy in the cartoon "Scooby-Doo" and an announcer for NBC, retired in 2009. Kasem's daughter wins additional powers in court . CNN's Jane Caffrey contributed to this report.

The radio personality was taken to a hospital Sunday . Spokesman for hospital says Casey Kasem being treated for wounds, blood pressure issues . He had been at a friend's home in Washington state after his wife took him there . She has been feuding with three stepchildren over the radio icon's care .

000940f2bb357ac04a236a232156d8b9b18d1667

(CNN) -- If you travel by plane and arriving on time makes a difference, try to book on Hawaiian Airlines. In 2012, passengers got where they needed to go without delay on the carrier more than nine times out of 10, according to a study released on Monday. In fact, Hawaiian got even better from 2011, when it had a 92.8% on-time performance. Last year, it improved to 93.4%. The Airline Quality Rankings Report looks at the 14 largest U.S. airlines and is based on an analysis of U.S. Department of Transportation figures. It's co-authored by Brent Bowen, the head of the Department of Aviation Technology at Purdue University, and Dean Headley of Wichita State. In addition to on-time performance, the joint project looks at three other categories: rate of consumer complaints, mishandled bags and denied boarding performance. At a time when U.S. airlines are a whipping post for passenger complaints about crowded flights, tight seats, costly tickets and unsatisfactory service, there is a glimmer of hope. Eight airlines improved their on-time arrival performance in 2012. Nine of the 14 rated had an on-time arrival percentage of more than 80%. ExpressJet and American Airlines had the worst on-time performance (76.9%) last year, according to the data gathered in the 23rd annual report. Virgin America had the best baggage handling rate of all the airlines (0.87 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers.) American Eagle showed improvement from 2011 but still came in last, fumbling baggage at a rate of 5.80 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers. When it came to complaints last year, Southwest again had the lowest consumer rate (0.25 per 100,000 passengers) while the distinction of being the airline with the highest consumer complaint rate went to United Airlines (4.24 per 100,000.) Seven of the world's most entertaining airports . Boeing does 'final' battery test on 787 Dreamliner . FAA delays closures of 149 control towers .

Hawaiian Airlines again lands at No. 1 in on-time performance . The Airline Quality Rankings Report looks at the 14 largest U.S. airlines . ExpressJet and American Airlines had the worst on-time performance . Virgin America had the best baggage handling; Southwest had lowest complaint rate .

0009ebb1967511741629926ef9f5faea2bb6be24

(CNN)For the second time during his papacy, Pope Francis has announced a new group of bishops and archbishops set to become cardinals -- and they come from all over the world. Pope Francis said Sunday that he would hold a meeting of cardinals on February 14 "during which I will name 15 new Cardinals who, coming from 13 countries from every continent, manifest the indissoluble links between the Church of Rome and the particular Churches present in the world," according to Vatican Radio. New cardinals are always important because they set the tone in the church and also elect the next pope, CNN Senior Vatican Analyst John L. Allen said. They are sometimes referred to as the princes of the Catholic Church. The new cardinals come from countries such as Ethiopia, New Zealand and Myanmar. "This is a pope who very much wants to reach out to people on the margins, and you clearly see that in this set," Allen said. "You're talking about cardinals from typically overlooked places, like Cape Verde, the Pacific island of Tonga, Panama, Thailand, Uruguay." But for the second time since Francis' election, no Americans made the list. "Francis' pattern is very clear: He wants to go to the geographical peripheries rather than places that are already top-heavy with cardinals," Allen said. Christopher Bellitto, a professor of church history at Kean University in New Jersey, noted that Francis announced his new slate of cardinals on the Catholic Feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the visit of the Magi to Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem. "On feast of three wise men from far away, the Pope's choices for cardinal say that every local church deserves a place at the big table." In other words, Francis wants a more decentralized church and wants to hear reform ideas from small communities that sit far from Catholicism's power centers, Bellitto said. That doesn't mean Francis is the first pontiff to appoint cardinals from the developing world, though. Beginning in the 1920s, an increasing number of Latin American churchmen were named cardinals, and in the 1960s, St. John XXIII, whom Francis canonized last year, appointed the first cardinals from Japan, the Philippines and Africa. In addition to the 15 new cardinals Francis named on Sunday, five retired archbishops and bishops will also be honored as cardinals. Last year, Pope Francis appointed 19 new cardinals, including bishops from Haiti and Burkina Faso. CNN's Daniel Burke and Christabelle Fombu contributed to this report.

The 15 new cardinals will be installed on February 14 . They come from countries such as Myanmar and Tonga . No Americans made the list this time or the previous time in Francis' papacy .

000c835555db62e319854d9f8912061cdca1893e

HAMILTON, Bermuda (CNN) -- Four Chinese nationals of Uyghur ethnicity who had been held at the U.S. military's Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility have been resettled in Bermuda, officials said Thursday. Attorney General Eric Holder says the U.S. is "extremely grateful to the government of Bermuda." "Above all, this was a humanitarian act," Bermudan Premier Ewart Brown told CNN in an interview at his Cabinet office in Hamilton, Bermuda. "We don't see it as quid pro quo." The four were twice cleared for release -- once by the Bush administration and again this year, according to a Justice Department statement. They were among 17 Uyghur detainees at the facility set up to hold terror suspects. The four were flown by private plane Wednesday night from Cuba to Bermuda and were accompanied by U.S. and Bermudan representatives as well as their attorneys, according to Susan Baker Manning, part of the men's legal team. President Obama has pledged to close the Guantanamo facility, raising questions of what will happen to the more than 200 remaining detainees. A political backlash against bringing any of the detainees to the United States has increased the focus on sending them to other countries. Brown said he read an article on the issue of the Guantanamo Bay detainees' fates in The Washington Post while he was in Washington for a White House meeting in May. He said he decided to put an offer to the U.S. government "on the table." He said Bermuda, a British colony, told London of its intentions, but not until late in the process. Britain must approve the transfer for it to be permanent, Brown said, adding that he believes the issue may raise tension between Bermuda and Britain. The issue is controversial because of China's opposition to the Uyghurs being sent to any country but China. Uyghurs are a Muslim minority from the Xinjiang province of far-west China. The 17 Uyghurs had left China and made their way to Afghanistan, where they settled in a camp with other Uyghurs opposed to the Chinese government, the Justice Department said in its statement. They left Afghanistan after U.S. bombings began in the area in October 2001 and were apprehended in Pakistan, the statement said. Watch concerns about resettling the Uyghur detainees » . "According to available information, these individuals did not travel to Afghanistan with the intent to take any hostile action against the United States," the statement said. Manning said the 17 were picked up as a matter of circumstance and never had terrorist training. They left China because they did not agree with the government, she told CNN. However, China alleges the men are part of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement -- a group the U.S. State Department considers a terrorist organization -- that operates in the Xinjiang region. East Turkestan is another name for Xinjiang. China on Thursday urged the United States to hand over all 17 of the Uyghurs instead of sending them elsewhere. The Chinese statement followed an offer by Palau, a Pacific island nation, to accept the Uyghur detainees. The Xinjiang region of 20 million people is largely populated by ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities who have traditionally opposed Beijing's rule and clamored for greater autonomy. A senior U.S. administration official told CNN the State Department is working on a final agreement with Palau to settle the matter of the 13 remaining Uyghur detainees. Issues to be worked out include how to transfer the Uyghurs to Palau and how much money the United States would give the men for resettlement, the official said. The official said the average in such cases is $100,000 per person. The United States will not send Uyghur detainees cleared for release back to China out of concern that they would be tortured by Chinese authorities. China has said no returned Uyghurs would be tortured. Palau said it will take in the ethnic Uyghur detainees for humanitarian reasons and because of the "special relationship" between Palau and the United States. Palau, with a population of about 20,000, is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southeast of Manila in the Philippines and about 4,600 miles (7,400 kilometers) west of Hawaii. It has received nearly $900 million in U.S. aid since independence in 1994, according to congressional auditors, and depends on Washington for its defense. In 2006, five other Uyghur detainees were transferred to Albania, according to the Justice Department, which said it has no reports they took part in any post-resettlement criminal behavior or terrorist activities. Since 2002, more than 540 detainees have departed Guantanamo for other countries, including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Yemen, the Justice Department said. CNN's Brian Vitagliano and Don Lemon contributed to this report.

NEW: Bermudan premier: "Above all, this was a humanitarian act" Uyghurs are native Chinese Muslims; the detainees were apprehended in Pakistan . China urges U.S. to hand over all 17 Uyghurs held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba . Official says U.S. still negotiating with Palau to take remaining 13 Uyghurs .

000ca3fc9d877f8d4bb2ebd1d6858c69be571fd8

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- A ferocious leopard may have killed 15 people in Nepal in a 15-month span, its latest victim a 4-year-old boy that the creature dragged away into the jungle to eat. The head of boy was found in the forest a kilometer from his home Saturday morning, said Kamal Prasad Kharel, the police chief of the Baitadi district, an area about 600 kilometers (373 miles) west of Kathmandu. The grisly discovery, which came after teams of people searched for the child, marks the 15th victim in the past 15 months in that remote district in western Nepal. The police chief suspects that a single man-eating leopard is responsible for the deaths. If not, there are at most two of the man-eating creatures around, he believes. Maheshwor Dhakal, an ecologist at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation in Kathmandu, agreed that it is unusual to find more than one or two man-eating animals in one area. Most leopards live on wild prey. More human victims could also be expected if there were more than one or two man-eaters around, he said. "Since human blood has more salt than animal blood, once wild animals get the taste of salty blood they do not like other animals like deer," Dhakal said. Kharel said he feared the actual number of people killed by the leopard could be higher than 15, because others have lost their life to leopard attacks in Uttarkhand state in northern India, which borders Baitadi district. "It could be the same leopard," he said. Of the 15 victims in Nepal so far, two-thirds are children below the age of 10. The others are older children and a 29-year-old woman who had gone to collect fodder for domestic animals in the nearby forest, a common practice in Nepal. "No adult male has been killed," Kharel said. All the victims are from villages bordering the dense forests in the district, he said. After killing its victim, the leopard takes the body away into the forest to eat. "In the case of the children it just leaves behind the head, eating everything, but some parts of the adult body are left behind because it cannot finish it," Kharel added. The district administration has announced a Rs. 25,000 (about $300) reward to anyone who captures or kills the leopard. The local administration has sought to raise public awareness of the dangers of going alone into nearby forests and has mobilized the police, armed police force and local people who have licensed guns to hunt for the animal. Controlling this particular leopard has been a challenge for the wildlife officials in Kathmandu. "We are sending a veterinary doctor to the district to understand the situation," Dhakal, the ecologist, said. "There is no alternative but to kill the leopard." The chief district administrator has granted permission for this particular leopard to be killed. Normally, it is illegal to kill wild animals. Leopards are common in the low mountain areas, as compared to the high Himalayas, across the country. While cases of leopards killing domestic animals are common, and there are sometimes instances of leopards killing people in Nepal, this case is "extreme," Dhakal said.

A 4-year-old boy is the latest victim of a man-eating leopard, a local police chief says . He suspects one leopard is behind the deaths of 15 people in the past 15 months . A reward has been offered to anyone who captures or kills the man-eating creature . Leopards are common in low mountain areas of Nepal but usually eat wild prey like deer .

000cd1ee0098c4d510a03ddc97d11764448ebac2

(CNN) -- Kyle White now has two pieces of metal to wear -- one, a bracelet inscribed with the names of his six comrades killed in an ambush in Afghanistan, the other, a Medal of Honor given to him for his valor that ensured that death toll wasn't higher. Speaking minutes after President Barack Obama gave him the highest military honor, White insisted the two emblems are equally significant. They both represent his family on that day six years ago -- the seven others who, like him, survived as well as those who did not. The former Army sergeant said Tuesday he owes it to these men, whom he calls "my heroes," to live his life well, even now that he's left the military, and with honor. "Though I am still uncomfortable with hearing my name and the word 'hero' in the same sentence, I am now ready for the challenge of proudly wearing this piece of blue fabric and carved metal with the same reverence that I wear the bracelet. And I vow to live up to the responsibility of doing so," White said. Not long before, Obama recalled White's bravery and that of his colleagues. The President paid tribute to those who died that fall day in Afghanistan and those who survived. They had done everything their country could ask for and more. "Kyle, members of Chosen Company, you did your duty," Obama said. "And now it's time for America to do ours." White himself insisted that the Medal of Honor cannot really be an individual award, calling it "a testament to the trust we have in each other and our leaders." Still, the President said that he deserved to be singled out. A high school freshman when the Twin Towers fell on September 11, 2001, White joined the Army and was just 20 years old and 21 months into his military service when he faced the ultimate test. He aced it, and in doing so represented the best of what Obama called the "9/11 generation (which) has proven itself to be one of America's greatest." "Today," the President said to a crowd that included White, his parents and many of his former comrades, "we pay tribute to a soldier who embodies the courage of his generation." Attacked in 'ambush alley' On Tuesday, White dressed in full uniform. But on most other weekdays, he now wears a suit to his job as an investment analyst at a bank in Charlotte, North Carolina -- a job that he's admitted to Obama, with a laugh, is less exciting than his previous job in the Army. The Washington state native joined up after high school, following the lead of his father, a former Army Special Forces member. His service had, like many other members of the military, earned him a ticket to Afghanistan as his platoon's radio telephone operator. He was there on November 9, 2007, walking back from a meeting with elders with his unit of 14 and a squad of Afghan army soldiers. "They knew not to stop, they had to keep moving," Obama recalled of the group walking single-file with a cliff to their right and a steep, rocky slope to their left. "They were heading into an area known as ambush alley." In an interview prior to the award ceremony, White told CNN how the group walked "down this little incline and looking into the valley, (when) I hear this single shot. Then two shots, then the echo, then fully automatic gunfire." Taking so much fire, members of his patrol were separated as they tried to take cover. White was finishing off his first magazine and beginning to load another one when an rocket-propelled grenade exploded, knocking him unconscious. Moments after he came to, an enemy round hit a rock just inches from his head. The shrapnel and rock fragments cut his face. Dazed, he struggled to take in what was happening. He and four others had been separated from the other soldiers, who'd jumped from a cliff. White administered first aid to one wounded soldier using the only cover available: a single tree. That soldier would survive. It was at that point in the attack that White realized his radio wasn't working. He looked out and saw a member of his patrol about 30 feet away whose wounds were so bad that he could not move. White ran toward him, braving enemy fire. White was able to drag the wounded man back to the tree. But the man's injuries were too severe, and he died. Risking death, again and again . White continued to risk himself to help his fellow warriors, again running from cover into enemy fire to reach the platoon leader. White told the military publication Stars and Stripes that he could see the leader's helmet and assault pack, but he couldn't tell whether the leader was alive. White had to see, he said. White crawled toward the man. It was too late. He was dead. White figured he would be killed. But he would do what he was trained to do. He would carry out his duty. "It was never a choice," he explained to CNN. "I told myself from the beginning that I was going to be killed, you know... just the amount of fire ... I'm not gonna make it through this." But he kept focused. The soldier White had dragged to the tree earlier was hit again, this time in the knee, so the White wrapped his belt around the man's leg, creating a tourniquet. Then White found a working radio on a deceased comrade and called for artillery and helicopter gunships to help. Finally, maybe, there could be hope. But then a friendly mortar round landed near White. "I remember just red hot chunks of metal like the size of my palm just flinging by your head," he told Stars and Stripes. Suffering a concussion, White managed to hang on, waiting for helicopters to evacuate him and others with him that day. When help arrived, he told his rescuers to put the other wounded aboard first. A soldier, changed . Speaking with National Public Radio this week, White said the experience -- from the violence to the wait -- seemed like "forever." And it hasn't entirely gone away, all these years later. "It's something you still think about every day," White said. "I still have these images from that day burned into my head. But it's something, as time goes on, it gets easier." But something inside him changed, he said. "Even to this day, you know, I can't say if it was something good or bad. ..." he told NPR. "And that was pretty much the reason why I decided to leave the Army." White first returned home and trained other paratrooopers. When it came time for White to re-enlist, he thought hard about whether doing so felt right. He decided against it because he doubted that he could devote his complete heart and mind to it, he told NPR. It was unacceptable to him to continue in the service and then, perhaps, be deployed to Afghanistan. Service members deserve a leader who is all in, he explained. Obama called him on February 10 to tell him he'd be given the Medal of Honor. He's the 10th recipient of that award for his actions in Afghanistan, and the seventh surviving recipient. Four service members received the Medal of Honor -- all posthumously -- for actions in the war in Iraq, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. In a brief statement to reporters after Tuesday's ceremony, White called the Medal of Honor "a symbol of the responsibility all soldiers knowingly face when they depart for distant lands in defense of the nation, a responsibility that locks us all in the bonds of brotherhood." As such, White couldn't help but think about his brothers in arms. "Without the team," he said, "there could be no Medal of Honor. That is why I wear this medal for my team." Read the transcript of the White House ceremony . 24 minority veterans receive long overdue Medal of Honor . See Kyle White's Army profile . CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

NEW: Kyle White: "Without this team, there would be no Medal of Honor" NEW: He vows to "live up to the responsibility" of having the top military award . NEW: Obama calls White "a soldier who embodies the courage of his generation" The Army vet, then 20, braved enemy fire to save his wounded comrades in Afghanistan .

000e009f6b1d954d827c9a550f3f24a5474ee82b

(CNN) -- Like a stereotypical beauty pageant, it looks like thin will be in at the world's largest annual gadget convention next week in Las Vegas. At the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, computer makers will be pushing a new breed of ultra-thin, ultra-light laptops amid a sea of razor-thin smartphones and tablets. Last year, 140,000 people in the technology industry convened at the Las Vegas Convention Center to mingle and gawk at cutting-edge hardware. The organizers expect to welcome at least that many people next week. Electronics makers use CES as a platform to show the types of products they plan to release in the coming year. The compact disc player, high-definition television and Blu-ray each debuted at past conventions. Decades since its formation, the yearly six-day event is a spectacle. But with some of the largest players in today's consumer electronics industry shunning CES, the trade show's impact may be waning. Apple, the world's most valuable technology company, and Amazon, an upstart in tablets and the leader in e-readers, do not participate. Google's operating systems can be found in partners' booths, running on phones, tablets and TVs, but the software giant does not run a booth. And Microsoft, which will deliver its 14th CES presentation Monday, announced recently it will not have a booth or participate in the keynotes after this year's event. "Are we doing something because it's the right thing to do, or because 'it's the way we've always done it?' " a Microsoft spokesman asked rhetorically in a statement. The big product categories that will dominate the CES show floor next week, according to manufacturers and analysts, are not revolutionary. They are expected to be thinner, lighter and more refined versions of gadgets that have already gained a toehold with consumers. Tablets . Electronics makers have been chasing after Apple's iPad for two years, and the racetrack is expected to get more crowded next week. Google and Samsung last month released the first phone running Android 4.0, which is Google's first system that's designed to work consistently on either a phone or a tablet. At CES, tech companies will showcase plenty of phones with that software, but the touchscreen tablets with Android 4 will be prevalent. Not to get left out of the party it started about a decade ago, Microsoft is stepping up its tablet efforts. The next major version of Windows will have a revamped interface for tablet computers, which will present programs as tiles that can be touched to fill the screen. Analysts expect to see a bevy of Windows 8 tablets at CES. With so many options, bargain hunters may get to pick something besides Amazon's Kindle Fire, which lit up holiday sales last month. (The Fire actually has quite a bit of Android code under the hood. Sorry, Microsoft.) Ultrabooks . Windows won't be just for tablets, of course. A new breed of computers called Ultrabooks will launch at CES from several PC manufacturers. If the tablet wars are a response to the iPad, then Ultrabooks follow in the footsteps of Apple's MacBook Air. They are thinner and lighter than the average laptop because they typically do not have disc drives, and instead of hard drives, use flash memory, which is faster but more expensive. Microsoft will enable this anti-disc computer with the application store in Windows 8. But the Ultrabook initiative is being driven by Intel, which makes the processor that runs them. "You have Intel pushing heavily on this very thin but relatively traditional clamshell form factor without a lot of emphasis on touch," NPD Group analyst Ross Rubin said in a phone interview. "And then you've got Microsoft pushing the touchscreen tablet experience." Netbooks appear to be on their way out. That's a bad sign for Google, whose Chromebooks have struggled to challenge Microsoft in PC operating systems. Internet TVs that also do 3-D . TVs have long been the centerpiece of CES and of the consumer electronics industry as a whole. For the last few years, the big push has been in three-dimensional viewing technology, but demand has been small. Meanwhile, Internet services are also working their way onto television sets. Netflix and Pandora have seen tremendous growth on TV platforms. For the 3-D optimists, app-friendly TVs, which also happen to work with 3-D glasses, could allow for more 3-D video from independent filmmakers who distribute over the Web, Rubin noted. CES is expected to provide a launchpad for TVs that are smarter about how they let watchers access Web content, analysts say. Google has reportedly invested more in its TV platform, which should be evident at CES. The electronics giants do not want to get beaten to another big opportunity by Apple, which is rumored to be working on a TV set of its own. Don't expect Apple to show up at CES with a big screen though. Or to show up at all. Connected cars . As the automotive industry strives for a rebound, car makers are looking for high tech to be their guide. Several car companies have lined up CES presentations. They are expected to announce partnerships with popular Internet software companies and unveil technical wonders available at the touch of a button on the steering wheel. Dieter Zetsche, the head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, will present a keynote speech Tuesday. MOG, the music-streaming service, plans to announce integration with a line of cars Tuesday. And since last CES, Pandora has more than doubled the number of cars that tap into its streaming radio service, Pandora founder Tim Westergren said in a phone interview. "These companies see the car as a software platform," Westergren said. "It's the computer on four wheels." Apps . Sure, CES is about gadgets, but the programs that run on them have become a key selling point. Many electronics makers have apparently decided that each new phone, tablet, car or refrigerator should allow owners to update their Facebook statuses. "Software has simply become so critical to the overall customer experience," said Rubin, the NPD Group analyst. "It's no longer an optional part of the business." Software makers are eager to exploit this reality. Many say they will tout their wares at partners' booths and in private meetings. For example, online video provider Vimeo plans to make a major announcement Monday to coincide with the start of CES. Vimeo CEO Dae Mellencamp said in an interview at the company's New York headquarters that CES has emerged as an important venue for her company and others like it. "It's the only trade show I attend all year," she said.

The Consumer Electronics Show brings a slew of new gadgets . Tablets running Google's Android and Microsoft's Windows 8 will debut . Ultrabooks, a new type of thinner laptop, are expected to make a splash . But some of the largest players in the consumer electronics industry are shunning CES .

001097a19e2c96de11276b3cce11566ccfed0030

(CNN) -- Bayern Munich might be licking their wounds after defeat in the European Champions League final, but the German club can find comfort in victory of a different kind: by beating Chelsea in football's financial league table. Despite Saturday's crushing penalty shootout loss to the English side in their own backyard at the the Allianz Arena, the Bavarians have been ranked as the second most valuable brand in football. According to a new report by independent consultancy Brand Finance, which has compiled a list of the 50 biggest brands in the sport, the four-time European champions have been valued at $786 million. Chelsea, by comparison, made fifth place with a value of $398 million. But English giants Manchester United lead the way, as in 2011, with a brand estimated to be worth $853 million. "Manchester United have got a global reach," Brand Finance's head of sports brands Dave Chattaway told CNN. Click here to see football's top 10 brands . "United have got quite a professional setup, with people who have worked for Pepsi, Disney, all different kinds of marketing industries. They have brought their expertise into the sports industry." But Bayern are the year's big winners. Despite the defeat by Chelsea and having been beaten to the German league and cup by Borussia Dortmund, the club's brand value grew by 59% over the last 12 months. "If you look at Bayern Munich, they are a domestic powerhouse," said Chattaway. "They have got really strong links with strong German brands. "Bayern have long-term deals, they have been with Adidas for over 10 years. They generate the highest commercial revenue and they are able to negotiate the highest possible deals based on their dominance of the German market." Munich mourns as Bayern blow big chance . Behind United and Bayern are the Spanish "El Clasico" rivals of Real Madrid, third with a value of $600 million, and Barcelona, with a brand worth $580 million. Spanish champions Real and 2011 European champions Barca have seen similar decreases in the value of their brands, 7% and 8% respectively, which Chattaway puts down to the country's current economic plight. "They have both had relatively successful years on the pitch," he said. "The eurozone crisis has really impacted the capital in Spain and Italy. It's not necessarily something they are doing wrong commercially, it's a sign of the economy they operate in." The top 10 is dominated by teams from the English Premier League, with United and Chelsea followed by 2011-12 title winners Manchester City in eighth ($302 million) Torres unsure of Chelsea future . "Within Europe, the Premier League is still the pinnacle," explained Chattaway. "It still generates the most money because of the broadcast rights. "It is much more attractive to a foreign audience than the German Bundesliga or the Spanish First Division. The Premier League clubs are benefiting from that." Italian Cup winners Napoli ($85 million) were the only Serie A club to increase brand value, coming off the back of a relatively successful Champions League campaign, to be 22nd overall. AC Milan ($292 million) placed ninth on the list after winning the title in 2010-11, while this season's champions Juventus ($160 million) fell from 10th in 2011 to 16th this year. Former England captain David Beckham and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates enjoyed a landmark year in 2011, being crowned Major League Soccer champions for a third time. Despite their success, and despite boasting one of football's most recognizable and marketable stars, the Galaxy ($46 million) only crept onto the list in 50th position. "The game in the U.S. is still developing massively," said Chattaway. "The revenues are a fraction of those in Europe. The games are rarely sold out and the grounds themselves have quite a small capacity. "The commercial deals in the U.S. cannot compete with the European market. The MLS is still largely only shown in the U.S., it hasn't really expanded globally as quickly as we would have expected." With such a huge gap between the sport's most lucrative brands and those with less commercial appeal, are football clubs making the most of their financial potential? "I think there is more scope for all the clubs to further maximize value -- clubs have traditionally been slow and unimaginative in monetizing the brand they own," Chattaway said. "There is scope for football clubs to learn from U.S. sports marketing practices. "The clubs need to better understand the brand asset that they own so that they can ensure they get the right returns on all commercial deals." The list took into account various revenue streams for clubs, such as ticket sales, merchandising, sponsorship deals and money received from the sale of broadcasting rights. .

Manchester United again named football's most valuable brand . The 19-time English champions are worth a reported $853 million . Germany's Bayern Munich second on the list, worth an estimated $786 million . Spanish rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona both see small decreases in brand value .

0010c870d3fc53ea7f2a4a50f6496dc2df17e02f

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Rebels in Tripoli furiously hunting for signs of longtime Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi are exploring a network of tunnels and bunkers built beneath his massive compound. CNN's Sara Sidner got a peek at the passageways Friday. She dubbed it "Gadhafi's inner sanctum." The correspondent, who's been covering the battle of Tripoli, walked down steps into a pitch-dark tunnel and used a flashlight to navigate an underworld described as "massive." So far, she said, rebels have cleared about 700 meters of underground passages. The tunnel network is believed to extend all the way to the city's international airport and the Rixos hotel. That's where 33 journalists and two foreign nationals were held for five days by pro-Gadhafi forces. It also is thought to extend to a neighborhood where Gadhafi forces were lobbing shells recently toward the compound after it was taken over by the rebels. The tunnels Sidner saw are wide enough for adults to walk side by side. She spotted a golf cart that can easily fit in the corridors. Sidner also saw a range of other sights as she strolled through the labyrinth: A thick wall, a massive door and a sturdy lock. A charred ceiling, couches and beds where a fire apparently occurred. Pieces of metal and shrapnel. A section where NATO bombs fell and the roof caved in. Another room contained videotapes lined up on a shelf, part of a TV studio where Gadhafi may have recorded messages. "It's set up like a survival bunker," Sidner said in an on-air report. "There is literally a city under here."

CNN's Sara Sidner sees another world in a tunnel below Tripoli . Gadhafi may have recorded his taped messages in a studio there . Rebels are methodically searching through the winding passages .

00120f91cfcab17bac165f7a4719019a628a9db3

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday defended the Bush administration's economic record, the invasion of Iraq and the treatment of suspected terrorists, warning that reversing its anti-terrorism policies endangers Americans. "We've accomplished nearly everything we set out to do," ex-Vice President Dick Cheney says Sunday about Iraq. In a wide-ranging interview with CNN's "State of the Union," Cheney said the harsh interrogations of suspects and the use of warrantless electronic surveillance were "absolutely essential" to get information to prevent more attacks like the 2001 suicide hijackings that targeted New York and Washington. "President Obama campaigned against it all across the country, and now he is making some choices that, in my mind, will, in fact, raise the risk to the American people of another attack," he said. Critics said the Bush administration's "alternative" interrogation techniques amounted to the torture of prisoners in American custody, while the administration's warrantless surveillance program violated federal laws enacted after the Watergate scandal. Since taking office in January, Obama has announced plans to close the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to halt the military trials of suspected terrorists there, and to make CIA officers follow the Army field manual's rules on interrogations. Cheney said the administration appears to be returning to the pre-2001 model of treating terrorism as a law enforcement issue, rather than a military problem. "When you go back to the law enforcement mode, which I sense is what they're doing, closing Guantanamo and so forth ... they are very much giving up that center of attention and focus that's required, that concept of military threat that is essential if you're going to successfully defend the nation against further attacks," he said. But Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pennsylvania, said the Bush administration's policies undercut "what is actually the source of America's greatness -- our principles." "How can we say that keeping a man in a black hole forever -- perpetually in a black hole -- and saying, 'Let's torture when we decide to,' is what America stands for?" asked Sestak, a former admiral who led the Navy's anti-terrorism efforts. The Bush administration took office at the end of an economic boom and left in the middle of a deep recession, with a budget surplus in 2001 becoming a $1 trillion-plus deficit by 2009. But Cheney said he and Bush had to spend money to deal with the September 11, 2001 attacks, the resulting war in Afghanistan, the disaster of 2005's Hurricane Katrina, and the costly and unpopular war in Iraq, now nearly six years old. "All of these things required us to spend money that we had not originally planned to spend, or weren't originally part of the budget," Cheney said. "Stuff happens. And the administration has to be able to respond to that, and we did." Obama has begun to wind down the war in Iraq, which has cost more than 4,200 American lives and nearly $700 billion in direct costs. But Cheney said the United States has "accomplished nearly everything we set out to do" in Iraq, including establishing a democratic government in the Middle East. Cheney was one of the administration's leading advocates of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, pressing the Bush administration's argument that Iraq was concealing weapons of mass destruction and could provide those weapons to terrorists. None of those weapons were found after the invasion, but Cheney said, "We've eliminated that possibility." In 2005, Cheney said the raging insurgency against U.S. troops was in its "last throes." Nearly two years later, a commitment of more than 30,000 additional American troops and a widespread effort to pay former insurgents to turn against Islamic militants helped quell the worst of the violence. "I don't hear much talk about that, but the fact is, the violence level is down 90 percent," Cheney said. "The number of casualties [among] Iraqis and Americans is significantly diminished. There's been elections, a constitution. They're about to have another presidential election here in the near future. We have succeeded in creating in the heart of the Middle East a democratically governed Iraq, and that is a big deal, and it is, in fact, what we set out to do." But Sestak said the administration was too slow to react to the problems it faced in Iraq and let the conflict overshadow the "whole fabric" of U.S. national security. "The cost of this war is something that I strongly believe has far, far hurt us," he said. "We're going to recover, because we're Americans. But Iraq was just one piece of our security, and this administration failed to realize that." Though considered one of the administration's most influential figures, Cheney said President Bush rebuffed his advice on at least two issues. Watch Cheney tout Bush administration » . He said Bush left former Cheney aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby "sort of hanging in the wind" by refusing to issue Libby a pardon before leaving office. Libby was convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying to federal agents investigating the leak of a former CIA officer's identity. "I believe firmly that Scooter was unjustly accused and prosecuted and deserved a pardon, and the president disagreed with that," Cheney said. He would disclose no details of his efforts to lobby the president on Libby's behalf, saying they would be "best left to history." And Cheney said he argued against the administration's policy on North Korea, which tested a nuclear weapon in 2006. The Bush administration reached a still-incomplete disarmament deal with the isolated Stalinist state in 2007 and removed it from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism as part of the deal. "I had my say," Cheney told CNN. "I got my chance to voice my views and my objections. I didn't think the North Koreans were going to keep their end of the bargain in terms of what they agreed to, and they didn't." The Obama administration has nominated Christopher Hill, the State Department official who was the top U.S. negotiator with North Korea, to be the U.S. ambassador to Iraq. Cheney said Hill lacks the Middle East experience that his predecessors have, and "I did not support the work that Chris Hill did with respect to North Korea." "I think it's a choice that I wouldn't have made," he said.

NEW: Cheney: Harsh interrogations, warrantless eavesdropping "essential" NEW: Former vice president says Bush rebuffed his advice on two big issues . "An administration has to be able to respond to [crises] and we did," Cheney said . Cheney cites costs of dealing with 9/11 attacks, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq .

00128f1ba30d5e9e0f17df83285a1bc2072e2f01

Washington (CNN) -- A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a full mental competency screening for Omar Gonzalez, who is accused of jumping the White House fence, after a disputed initial examination found him not competent for trial. U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer expressed concern that the initial mental exam, ordered by a magistrate judge, was done before she had a chance to hear a legal motion by the defense disputing whether the magistrate had the authority to order it. David Bos, the federal public defender representing Gonzalez, objected to any examination in the first place because he says Gonzalez is fit for trial. The 60-minute initial mental examination of Gonzalez at the District of Columbia jail came as a surprise to the judge and to both the government and defense. But the result, finding Gonzalez not competent, can't be ignored, Collyer said in court Tuesday. Bos told the judge: "There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Gonzalez is competent to stand trial." Nonetheless, he withdrew his objections and agreed to allow his client to undergo a fuller competency examination to try to undo the results of the initial examination. The judge delayed arraignment for Gonzalez on new charges the government filed against him last week. Gonzalez was arrested in September after he allegedly jumped the White House fence and sprinted into the executive mansion, setting off concerns about Secret Service security procedures. He was found with a folding knife and told a Secret Service agent "that he was concerned that the atmosphere was collapsing and needed to get the information to the President of the United States so that he could get the word out to the people," according to an agent's affidavit filed in court. His family has said Gonzalez, an Iraq War veteran, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia. The incident came amid a series of disclosures about Secret Service lapses that cost the agency's director, Julia Pierson, her job. Collyer said that during the initial examination, the mental health screener found Gonzalez did understand some parts of the proceedings. The judge suggested that Gonzalez's mental issues, which she didn't describe more fully, could be resolved with medication. The judge also raised concerns that the government's handling of previous unrelated cases could mean it will take some time for Gonzalez to be examined at a federal Bureau of Prisons facility. She gave one example of an unnamed defendant who sat at the District of Columbia jail for months before anyone noticed he hadn't received the tests that were ordered. The problem, she said, was that sequestration has cut resources for the Bureau of Prisons and finding a bed can take time. Collyer ordered the mental health screening to be done in 30 days and set a new hearing for December 3 at 10:30 a.m.

Omar Gonzalez is accused of jumping the White House fence in September . An initial evaluation finds him not competent to stand trial . His attorney argues Gonzalez is fine, but agrees to more thorough exam .

00142065a6c92f788eacd40c9023184808a7e2d1

(CNN) -- A German tourist was in critical condition after a shark severed her right arm while she snorkeled in Hawaii on Wednesday, authorities said. The approximately 20-year-old woman, who was unconscious when first responders arrived, was taken to Maui Medical Center for treatment, according Lee Mainaga with the Maui Fire Department. Shark found on New York subway car . The attack took place about 50 yards offshore at White Rock beach in Maui. The beach has been closed one mile on either side of where the attack happened. Officials will assess on Thursday morning whether the beach can be reopened. Shark attack claims Brazilian teen's life . This shark attack is the fourth in Maui this year, with two happening on the same day in February, and the other in late July. While shark attacks have been on the uptick in recent years, according to the University of Florida, the fatality rate in the United States is just 2%. Discovery Channel defends dramatized shark special . Best places to swim with sharks .

This is the fourth shark attack in Maui this year . It took place about 50 yards offshore . Officials will decide Thursday if the beach can reopen .

0015194573f9b4430319683cde41e4aa17092a9d

(CNN) -- Fifteen people have now died after consuming cantaloupe contaminated with the listeria monocytogenes bacteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. At least 84 people in 19 states have become ill with the bacteria, the agency said. And the number of illnesses could still grow, added the CDC, citing reporting lags and how the disease can develop slowly in some people. On Tuesday, the CDC was reporting 13 deaths and 72 illnesses in what was already then the deadliest food-borne illness outbreak in the United States since 1998. Five people have died in New Mexico from eating the tainted cantaloupes, the CDC said. Three people died in Colorado, two in Texas and one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Illnesses have also been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. What you need to know about Listeria . Most of those who fell ill are more than 60 years old, the CDC said. Doctors also are closely monitoring the pregnancies of two women who ate contaminated cantaloupe, with the agency noting that listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. Older adults and people with compromised immune systems are also especially susceptible. Public health investigators have traced the source of the bacteria to a farm in Granada, Colorado. Food Poisoning 101 . The grower, Jensen Farms, issued a recall for its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on September 14. By now, the cantaloupes should all be off store shelves, the CDC said. The agency warned that people should not eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes, even if they have eaten part of one and have not yet fallen ill. It also said that consumers should be wary of eating any cantaloupes if they don't know where they came from. How to keep your food safe .

Contaminated cantaloupes have caused illnesses in 19 states, the CDC says . In addition to the deaths, a total of 84 people have fallen ill, the agency says . The fruits are thought to be tainted by listeria monocytogenes bacteria . Colorado-based Jensen Farms has recalled its cantaloupes .

00156d9892fb27f1d2e100cbdd8a3997f8273781

(CNN) -- Criminals who file fraudulent tax returns by stealing people's identities could rake in an estimated $26 billion over the next five years because the IRS cannot keep up with the amount of the fraud, Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George said Tuesday. "Our analysis found that, although the IRS detects and prevents a large number of fraudulent refunds based on false income documents, there is much fraud that it does not detect," said George's prepared testimony before a joint hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittees on Oversight and Social Security. George's report is the first detailed analysis of the tax refund fraud problem, which could affect any legitimate taxpayer. His projection of $26 billion is larger than any other estimate of identity theft tax fraud. In a statement issued following George's testimony, the IRS said it "believes that the five-year estimate is far too high." "The estimate was based on 2010 figures, which took place before the IRS instituted major changes with the way it handles identity theft cases," the IRS statement read. "Our expanded screening on issues such as W-2 matching, Schedule C information, interest income and Social Security income have had a major impact on our ability to reduce identity theft fraud." Those efforts, according to the IRS, have lead to "stopping more refund fraud than ever before" and "are not reflected in the five-year projection" by the Treasury inspector general. Last year, according to the Treasury Inspector General's Office, the IRS reported that of the 2.2 million tax returns it found to be fraudulent, about 940,000 returns totaling $6.5 billion were related to identity theft. In its investigation, George said, auditors found another 1.5 million undetected tax returns with more than $5.2 billion in fraud. "The primary characteristic of these cases is that the identity thief reports false income and withholding to generate a fraudulent tax return," George said. "Without the falsely reported income, many of the deductions and/or credits used to inflate the fraudulent tax refund could not be claimed on the tax return. The individuals whose identities were stolen may not even be aware that their identities were used to file a fraudulent tax return." Making the problem worse, George said, the IRS is hampered by limited resources. "Even with improved identification of these returns, the next step of verifying whether the returns are fraudulent will require resources," he said. "The IRS has faced budget cuts, a hiring freeze and staffing reductions during the same time it has encountered a significant surge in identity theft refund fraud. Without the necessary resources, it is unlikely that the IRS will be able to work the entire inventory of potentially fraudulent returns it identifies. The IRS will only select those tax returns that it can verify based on its resources." The scope of the problem is illustrated by what George said his auditors found for tax year 2010, in which 48,357 Social Security numbers were used multiple times as a primary taxpayer identification number. "When the identity thief files the fraudulent tax return, the IRS does not yet know that the individual's identity will be used more than once," George said. "As a result, the tax return is processed, and the fraudulent refund is issued. These instances result in the greatest burden to the legitimate taxpayer." As of last month, the IRS reported that it had stopped the issuance of $1.3 billion in potentially fraudulent tax returns. The IRS says it determined these returns were potentially fraudulent through a sampling of returns, and it does not believe any legitimate returns were included. George said more should be done to ensure that fraudulent tax returns are not deposited into bank accounts. In addition, thieves commonly get the refunds put on debit cards. "Direct deposits should not be made to debit cards issued by financial institutions and debit card administration companies that do not take sufficient steps to authenticate individuals' identities," George said. To make matters worse, the IRS is not effectively helping the victims of identity theft, George said, adding that it can take more than a year to resolve these cases. "The IRS acknowledges that it does not know the exact number of identity theft incidents or the number of taxpayers affected by identity theft," George said. "It also has not been able to quantify the amount of improper payments resulting from identity theft." In an investigation into tax refund fraud, CNN reported in March that criminals have purchased luxury cars, jewelry and plastic surgery with the money. First, thieves obtain Social Security numbers and other personal information from insiders at hospitals, doctor's offices, car dealerships or anywhere the information is stored. Then, they file an online tax return using the real taxpayer's name and a fictitious income. In most cases, the criminals buy a debit card so the IRS can issue the refund on that card, although some thieves have also gotten their returns on actual Treasury checks. The thieves know that the IRS does not verify the employer W-2s sent with the return until after the refund is issued. The IRS maintains it has certain filters in place at the start of the tax filing season to prevent and detect identity theft and fraud, and it says it has recently trained additional employees across the country to deal with the problem. It has also issued special personal identification numbers, or PINs, to identity theft victims when they are filing future returns. But in testimony before Congress last year, National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson said those filters "inevitably block large numbers of proper refund claims" since there "is no easy way to distinguish proper claims from improper ones." In testimony prepared for Tuesday's hearing, Deputy IRS Commissioner Steven Miller said the agency cannot stop all identity theft. "However, we have improved, and we are committed to continuing to improve our programs. We can and will continue to work to prevent the issuance of fraudulent refunds, and we can and will continue to work with innocent taxpayers to clear their accounts and/or get them money faster in a courteous and professional manner." At the same time, Miller said, there is a "delicate balance" in the "need to make payments in a timely manner with the need to ensure that claims are proper and taxpayer rights are protected." In the past four years, he said, the IRS has identified more than 490,000 taxpayers who are the victims of identity theft. "Various new identity theft filters are in place to improve our ability to spot false returns before they are processed and before a refund is issued," Miller said. The IRS has issued special identification numbers to taxpayers whose identities have been stolen and clamped down on abuses in filing returns under deceased taxpayers' identities and prisoners. The agency also started a pilot program in April to help local law enforcement in obtaining tax return information related to ongoing criminal investigations. "I cannot tell you that we will beat this problem in one year," Miller said. "I can tell you that we have committed our talents and resources to prevent the issuance of fraudulent returns and have developed processes to minimize the pain felt by those who have been victimized."

The Treasury's estimate is the first detailed analysis of the ongoing problem . With budget cuts, the IRS cannot deal with the fraud, according to inspector general . IRS says it stopped the issuance of $1.3 billion in potentially fraudulent tax returns .

001732b374f362d3961a510da315601e4b5e7e84

(CNN) -- A short video that has gone viral in Mexico asks a tough question of the country's presidential candidates: "Are you striving only for the (presidential) chair, or will you change the future of our country?" A young girl with brown eyes and long brown hair, wearing a simple white shirt, poses the question. Behind her is a small army of child actors who star in the video, which is cute for a moment, but deadly serious. In it, the children act out a day in the life of a Mexican resident, fraught with all the problems and challenges that a leader must face. A child dressed as a businessman gets robbed at gunpoint as soon as he leaves his home. The robbers hand their loot over to a corrupt police officer. Protesters clash with riot police. There's a smog alert. Drug traffickers have it out with police on the streets, and human smugglers unload their cargo. Seeing children act out these grown-up situations has elicited a number of responses. Some viewers have criticized it as political manipulation, others as a wake-up call. But the list of Mexico's woes weighs heavily: security, pollution and poverty, among others. The video has garnered nearly 2 million views in less than four days. "In reality, the video is not reflecting anything that people have not experienced," said Rosenda Martinez, a spokeswoman for Our Mexico of the Future, the group behind the production. The video targets the major presidential candidates -- Enrique Pena Nieto, Josefina Vazquez Mota and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- and aims to raise awareness about Our Mexico of the Future. The goal of the organization is to collect as many "visions" of Mexico's future as possible and to compile them in a book that will be presented to the candidates before the election. So far, more than 10 million Mexicans have written or recorded their dreams for a safer or cleaner or more tolerant Mexico. "We've had the response we've hoped for, and even exceeded it," Martinez said. After the children in the video depict a kidnapping, posters of the missing and people wearing face masks because of smog, the young narrator continues: "If this is the future that awaits me, I don't want it. Stop working for your party, and not for us. Stop superficially fixing the country." Some of the candidates have watched the video. Vazquez Mota, of the ruling National Action Party, said the video's message can't go unnoticed, while Institutional Revolutionary Party candidate Pena Nieto expressed that now is the time for change, as the video suggests. Leftist candidate Lopez Obrador, of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, had not seen the video, but said he agreed with the theme of change. Our Mexico of the Future will release data based on the millions of messages it has received. Martinez said to expect that security and the environment are the two most popular themes mentioned by Mexicans. CNN's Krupskaia Alis contributed to this report from Mexico City.

A video featuring child actors has gone viral in Mexico . It shows children facing the challenges the country faces . The video asks Mexican presidential candidates for real change . Some of the candidates have seen the video .

001789cf9b865dcac3d9fc032a6b1533e3318eda

ISIS, as the Islamic State jihadists in Iraq and Syria are known, has become the new face of international terrorism in the eyes of the United States and its Western allies. Now the focus in America and abroad has become what will President Barack Obama and other leaders do about it? Here are key questions on the matter: . 1) Who killed James Foley? Britain's ambassador to the United States, Peter Westmacott, told CNN on Sunday that British officials were close to identifying the ISIS militant who beheaded Foley, an American journalist captured in Syria in 2012. He couldn't elaborate on the identity of the killer, who is seen decapitating Foley in a video posted last week on YouTube. "We're putting a great deal into the search," he said, referring to the use of sophisticated technology to analyze the man's voice. In the video, Foley, 40, is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black, who speaks with what experts say is a distinctly English accent. Linguists said that based on his voice, the man sounds to be younger than 30. He also appears to have been educated in England from a young age and to be from southern England or London. Britain close to identifying James Foley's killer, ambassador says . 2) Will the United States expand air strikes to ISIS targets in Syria? Pressure is increasing on Obama to go after ISIS in both Iraq and Syria, ignoring an essentially non-existent border between them. Last week, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said that taking on ISIS in Syria was the only way to defeat the Sunni jihadists. For Obama, the step would reverse his refusal for three years to get involved militarily in Syria despite pressure from his own advisers, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Obama "has not made any decision to order military action in Syria," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday, but the speculation and insistence continued. "The White House is trying to minimize the threat we face in order to justify not changing a failed strategy," conservative GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Monday. CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen said it will be difficult to defeat ISIS without ground forces, something Obama clearly opposes. Intervening in Syria also could result in some strange geopolitical bedfellows, he noted. "Two of the most effective fighting forces in Syria are al Qaeda or al Qaeda splinter groups, or groups like Hezbollah, backed by Iran," Bergen said. "So if you intervene, you may be helping Iran and Hezbollah and (Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's) regime." Obama already sent military advisers to Iraq and launched air strikes to protect them and minority groups from ISIS fighters rampaging through the country's north. Is Obama heading toward airstrikes in Syria? A White House spokesman said last week that Obama would consult with Congress before taking such a step in Syria. The President also would seek to forge a coalition including regional allies as well as U.N. and European Union support, officials have made clear. Republicans urge airstrikes in Syria to defeat ISIS . 3) Will the Syrian regime that Obama opposes help fight ISIS? Obama wants al-Assad out of power, but now the Syrian leader engaged in a civil war against a U.S.-backed opposition is offering to help him take on ISIS. Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Monday his government would accept support from the United States and others working under the U.N. umbrella to fight "terrorists" -- a code word for the group that calls itself the Islamic State and seeks to establish a caliphate across a Sunni-dominated swath of the the Middle East. Moallem, however, warned against any unilateral action or strikes in Syrian territory without its permission, saying "any effort to fight terrorism should be done in coordination" with the "Syrian government." Last week, Atlantic Council senior fellow and Syria expert Frederic Hof said a U.S. rescue mission for Foley earlier this year that went into Syria but failed to find him established the precedent for military action across the Iraq border, superseding any legal considerations such as being asked by the host government to enter. "The sort of legal barrier that prohibited doing something inside Syria now seems to have evaporated," Hof said. The Syrian offer to help fight ISIS comes after al-Assad's government enabled the group to expand amid the Syrian civil war. ISIS fighters have attacked the Syrian opposition fighting government forces, but also have seized some government territory. Al-Assad's military recently launched its own air strikes on ISIS positions, amounting to what Hof described as a dispute between crime gangs over money -- in this case, from oil fields occupied by ISIS. Syria ready to cooperate with UN to fight terror . 4) Will ISIS attack the West? To some in the United States, especially critics of Obama, an ISIS attack on U.S. interests and even the homeland is a question of when, not if. "ISIS is a very powerful local organization, and probably a reasonably powerful regional terrorist organization," former CIA chief Michael Hayden told CNN on Sunday. "But it's one that has global ambitions -- and it has the tools." There's no clear consensus inside the intelligence community as to whether ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, is currently capable of striking the West. "It's expressed the intent," Hayden said. "There's no more powerful way to express their street credentials among the jihadist community than a successful attack against the West." Graham, a consistent advocate for increased U.S. military might, told CNN on Sunday that "it's about time now to assume the worst about these guys, rather than to be underestimating them." ISIS threat to the West . 5) Can the ISIS money flow be stopped? Bank robbery, kidnapping, smuggling, selling oil on the black market -- ISIS gets money to fund and expand its organization in all kinds of ways. Officials say the group can get about $3 million a day by selling discounted oil from fields it has seized in Iraq. It also has grabbed millions robbing banks including an Iraqi central bank in Mosul. Western allies can reduce the group's income by refusing to pay ransom for abducted citizens and pressuring regional governments to crack down on wealthy citizens sending money to it. The United States is working with governments in the region, including Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to stop such private donations, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said last week. ISIS oil money .

White House: President Obama has not decided on air strikes in Syria . Possible options include air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria . Some consider the group a direct threat to U.S. security . Obama spent three years avoiding a U.S. military role in Syria .

00189f37b1c8bdc2b132b40270bb28ffcc622af1

(Health.com) -- An essential nutrient found in fish oil does not appear to slow the mental decline associated with Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study is merely the latest to cast doubt on the mental benefits of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which until recently was considered a promising way to minimize the risk and damage of dementia. (The other main ingredient found in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, is not believed to play a significant role in brain health.) Health.com: Fish oil doesn't benefit new moms, babies . DHA or fish-oil supplements aren't likely to cause any harm to Alzheimer's patients, but they aren't likely to do any good either, says Steven H. Ferris, Ph.D., the director of the Aging and Dementia Research Center at New York University. Fish oil "seems to be healthy in general, and maybe for other things it's helpful, but it doesn't benefit cognitive function in a person with Alzheimer's," says Ferris, who was not involved in the study. Research on DHA has been inconclusive and sometimes conflicting. Several studies that followed large groups of people as they aged have suggested that a diet rich in fish is linked to a reduced risk of dementia and mental decline, but most randomized controlled trials comparing DHA supplements with placebo have found no benefit. Health.com: 9 foods that may help save your memory . "It's not the first time something in large epidemiological datasets just didn't work out clinically," Ferris says, noting that statin medications, anti-inflammatory drugs, and estrogen therapy have all failed to live up to their initial promise in preventing or treating Alzheimer's. "Unfortunately, that seems to be the situation here." The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging and was led by Dr. Joseph F. Quinn, M.D., a neurologist at the Oregon Health and Science University, in Portland. Quinn and his colleagues randomly assigned about 400 women and men in their mid-70s with likely Alzheimer's disease -- the disease is very difficult to accurately diagnose -- to take 2 grams of DHA or placebo capsules per day. After 18 months, the average mental decline in the DHA and placebo groups was nearly identical, as measured on two separate tests and rating scales. Despite the disappointing results, the study doesn't entirely rule out the possibility that DHA may have some benefit if taken earlier in life. A growing body of research suggests that dementia begins decades before any noticeable symptoms surface, and it's possible that DHA helps prevent or slow those harmful changes. Health.com: 25 signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease . Treatments such as DHA may be too little too late for people who are already showing signs of Alzheimer's, according to Dr. Kristine Yaffe, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. "Effective treatment strategies to prevent progression of [Alzheimer's disease] will likely need to be initiated earlier," Yaffe writes in an editorial accompanying the study. Copyright Health Magazine 2011 .

Studies show that an essential nutrient in fish oil does not appear to slow mental decline . Fish oil seems to be healthy in general, but does not benefit Alzheimer's patients cognitively . Treatments such as DHA could prevent or slow dementia if started earlier in life .

001a6162391594e2a8607fba135bdfa154e57904

(EW.com) -- Chris Meloni has booked his first post-"SVU" gig -- and it's a bloody good one. The former star of the Dick Wolf drama will join HBO's "True Blood" in season 5 as "ancient, powerful vampire who holds the fate of Bill and Eric in his hands." He will be a series regular. Meloni's role on Alan Ball's drama marks a homecoming, of sorts: The actor previously played Chris Keller on the pay cabler's gritty drama "Oz" from 1998 to 2003. Earlier this year, Meloni decided to step down from playing Detective Elliot Stabler on the long-running NBC drama. See the full article at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Christopher Meloni will join HBO's "True Blood" in season 5 . He will play an "ancient, powerful vampire who holds the fate of Bill and Eric in his hands" The actor previously played Chris Keller on the pay cabler's gritty drama "Oz"

001adf6209be103cb198b8599f236b4d5760a5fe

Ballet dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko, often cast as the villain in Bolshoi Ballet productions, is now the lead defendant in a plot worthy of a Tchaikovsky score. The 29-year-old allegedly choreographed an attack intended to blind Bolshoi artistic director Sergei Filin, the man who put him in the roles of Ivan the Terrible and Swan Lake's evil genius. The mystery of who threw sulfuric acid into Filin's face in January has captivated Russians and kept Moscow detectives busy probing rivalries within Russia's renowned 240-year-old ballet company. It might well send Hollywood literary agents and producers scrambling for story details as described by police reports and local media accounts. Police declared their case was solved this week with a confession by Dmitrichenko . Russian police question suspect in Bolshoi director's acid attack . "I organized this attack but not to the extent that it happened," he is heard saying in a video released by police. The characters in this drama include Dmitrichenko's girlfriend, Anzhelina Vorontsova. She has not been charged, but local newspapers quote ballet members as saying Dmitrichenko was angry because he thought Filin was stifling her career. Two alleged co-conspirators have been detained: Alleged hit man Yuri Zarutsky -- a burly, bearded Russian who was previously convicted of beating someone to death -- and Andrey Lipatov, who allegedly drove the getaway car after Zarutksy's battery acid attack on Filin. While the final act must still play out in a Russian courtroom, the story opens in the nearly two-century-old Bolshoi Theatre. Act 1 - The Bolshoi Theatre . Ballet is a world where competition is fierce, and where the artistic director wields considerable influence in making or breaking careers. Filin, 42, was promoted to the Bolshoi Theatre's coveted post in March 2011, shortly after the deputy ballet director, Gennady Yanin, who was widely seen as a favorite for the artistic director post, resigned when pornographic pictures of him surfaced online. There was "fierce rivalry" for the Bolshoi position at the time, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. That year, two dancers quit, unhappy with the direction the ballet had taken. Another dancer, Nikolai Tsiskaridze, loudly criticized Filin for going over budget in the ballet's multimllion-dollar renovation. Tsiskaridze, incidentally, was also a contender for the artistic director job that Filin got. But beyond professional disagreements, sinister factors were also at play. Act 2 - The Streets of Moscow . RIA Novosti reported that before the attack, Filin suffered months of intimidation, including threatening phone calls. Someone slashed his car tires. Somebody also attempted to hack his Facebook page. The trio of conspirators obtained battery acid at a car parts store, and made the acid stronger by evaporating the water from it, police said. Dmitrichenko, who studied Filin's schedule, called Lipatov and Zarutsky when he saw Filin leave the theater on the cold night of January 17, police said. As Filin entered the security code at the door of his Moscow apartment, authorities say, Zarutsky confronted him and tossed the sulfuric acid into his face. It caused third-degree burns and left him blinded. Act 3 - Moscow Police Headquarters . Detectives pored over interviews with those who knew Filin and had suspicions about who would harm him. Other clues led them to several cell phones that Dmitrichenko had registered in other people's names, according to a police statement. Calls from those phones led investigators to Lipatov, the alleged driver. "I didn't see what happened there," Lipatov told them in a video released by police. "I just took Yuri there, waited for him and gave him a lift back." When an interrogator asked Zarutsky about the crime, he allegedly said, "I don't want to talk about it." Police concluded a "hostile relationship" stemming from Dmitrichenko's professional interaction with Filin was his motive. Bolshoi Prima ballerina's grace under pressure . Act 4 - A Moscow Court . The three men faced a judge Thursday, who ordered that they be kept in police custody until the investigation is over. If convicted, the attackers could face up to eight years in jail for willfully inflicting damage on the health of another. It may take at least six months for Filin to recover from the burns. In the meantime, Galina Stepanenko, a former principal dancer, will run the company. She says she's going to follow Filin's plans and she believes the dancers will now be united by greater respect and care for each other. Doctors performed a skin graft on Filin and, after a second eye surgery, they were able to save his sight. His colleagues are now working to ensure his artistic vision isn't lost. Read the latest news on CNN.com .

Judge orders all three men to be held in police custody . "I organized this attack, but not to the extent that it happened," dancer says . Police say the motive was a "hostile relationship" State media: Filin had suffered intimidation, including threatening phone calls .

001b4673dbb3437282cd2ea58d9eca471e25780f

This week the Supreme Court heard two historic cases on marriage. Even though I was a lawyer in the litigation and in the courthouse both days, I can't predict which way the court will come down. But the outcomes range from nothing at all to fundamentally restructuring the foundational unit of western civilization. Hollingsworth v. Perry is about whether state laws defining marriage as one man and one woman violate the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. United States v. Windsor asks whether Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage for federal law and programs as between one man and one woman, is unconstitutional. DOMA passed in 1996 with 78% of the U.S. House and 85% of the Senate and was signed by President Bill Clinton. The whole nation is focused on the litigation. Ironically, it's possible that neither case will be decided on the merits. In Hollingsworth, California's governor and attorney general abdicated their duties by refusing to defend their state constitution. So pursuant to California law, the sponsors of Prop 8 — officially registered with the state — stepped in to defend the law, represented by Charles Cooper at Cooper Kirk and the Alliance Defending Freedom. In Windsor, the defendant was the federal government. But President Barack Obama declared that he believes DOMA is unconstitutional and ordered his Justice Department not to defend it. So per its rules, the U.S. House voted to authorize Paul Clement — probably the greatest Supreme Court lawyer practicing today — to defend DOMA. Article III of the Constitution limits the jurisdiction of the federal courts. One requirement is that there must be adversity between the parties. Since the defendants in both cases refused to defend their own laws, the court will consider whether the Constitution allows these third-party legal teams to become a proper party to the lawsuits. There's a second issue in Windsor. Edith Windsor entered into a gay marriage in Canada in 2007 and lived in New York. When her partner died in 2009, Windsor sued to contest the federal estate tax she paid, claiming a spousal exemption. But New York did not create gay marriage until 2011, so Windsor was not harmed by DOMA not allowing the federal government to recognize her marriage, since if the IRS used state definitions Windsor would still be regarded an a single woman. Thus it's possible she lacks standing to sue over the issue. It also raises the issue of whether courts must recognize polygamous marriages, which are legal in dozens of nations worldwide. The swing vote regarding the Article III issues in both cases is probably Chief Justice John Roberts. He openly expressed skepticism in Hollingsworth and led the Court in an hour-long debate in Windsor solely focused on whether the court has jurisdiction. Assuming the court does decide the merits, the implications are historic. Windsor would alter America's system of federalism. Only the states determine who can get married. But the federal government is free to decide whom to confer federal benefits on — largely economic entitlements and federal issues such as immigration. Federalism is a two-way street. But if DOMA Section 3 is invalidated, the states will be able to dictate whom the recipients of federal benefits are. If Windsor is historic, Hollingsworth is earth-shattering. If the Supreme Court declares a constitutional right to marriage other than one-man, one-woman, then all traditional marriage laws in all 50 states will be invalid, and there will be a serious debate (already in a lower federal court) of whether polygamists also have a constitutional right to national recognition. On the merits, the court seems unlikely to declare an unwritten constitutional right to gay marriage, though arguments did not go as well for DOMA. Justice Anthony Kennedy is likely the swing vote in both. As Justice Samuel Alito said this week, the Internet and cell phones have been around on this planet longer than gay marriage. It is an energetic debate in all 50 states, and this summer we will learn whether the Supreme Court will shut down this debate by making it a constitutional issue on which the American people are not allowed to vote.

Ken Klukowski: Cases heard by Supreme Court could result in momentous change . He says there are questions of whether cases could be tossed because of special circumstances . If court issues sweeping ruling, it could deprive voters of chance to weigh in . Klukowski: Gay marriage is such a new phenomenon that court shouldn't freeze the debate .

001be24b2db1c04f62386f98997fee725c5fd2fb

Zango Town, Liberia (CNN) -- At the gravesite in a northern Liberia village, there are no religious or traditional burial rites. No ceremony, no mourning, no family members, and no final goodbyes. Nothing but a group of men dressed in space-suit-like outfits, cautiously throwing the dead body into the grave, they pause only to toss in anything else they are wearing that came into contact with the deceased. These men are part of the country's Ebola response team, specifically tasked with burying anyone suspected to have died of the Ebola virus. The virus is spread through contact with the blood and body fluids of people infected with Ebola, and it is still transferable even from a dead body. To help combat the spread of the disease, the Liberian government has directed that its citizens should not bury anyone who dies of, or is suspected of having been infected with, Ebola. For months Liberians ignored the directive, fearing that they would be ostracized by their communities if they admitted that their relatives had died of Ebola, but here in Lofa County -- ground zero of the country's outbreak -- almost everyone has witnessed the devastating suffering and numerous deaths caused by the virus. Now almost anytime there is a suspected Ebola death in the community, they call in the Ebola response team to come and bury the body safely. Safe burials . "When it started, it wasn't that easy," says Alpha Tamba, an Ebola response coordinator in Lofa County. "It was kind of difficult for communities to disclose death. People preferred driving us away." "We must be grateful for the communities, through the efforts of the local leaders. Now they are disclosing death to us," he explains. Today, the team has been called to a village where a woman has died of unknown causes. It may not have been from the deadly virus, but the villagers are not taking any chances. The Lofa County health team arrives carrying gloves, gowns, goggles and diluted bleach. They suit up: from head to toe, no skin is exposed. On their hands they wear three layers of gloves, securing the edges with clear tape at the wrists. Before they enter the house to collect the body, one of them goes in and sprays the house with bleach. Then -- and only then -- can the rest of the team enter to place the body in an airtight polythene bag, ready for burial. Wailing rents the air as the burial team walks out of the house carrying the body on a stretcher. Some of those crying are the dead woman's family members; for their own safety, they can only mourn from a distance. Town abandoned . A few kilometres away from the village is Zango Town: most of the houses here have been abandoned, their doors padlocked and windows shuttered. Some of the residents abandoned the town in such a hurry that their clothes and floor mats have been left hanging on clotheslines. Kazalee Johnson, a community worker, tells CNN the empty houses belong to people who either died of Ebola or those who fled in terror, for fear of contracting the virus. Johnson says he lost his 8-months-pregnant sister, his brother, niece and many, many others: too many to name. "They died. They died," he says. "So many people die -- the houses on your right and even the houses on your left. They are all gone," says Johnson. It's hard to imagine another area in Lofa county that has been harder hit than this one. But then there's Barkedu Town -- of the 1,000 or so Ebola-related deaths in Liberia, 20% of the victims have died in this single town. Quarantine zone . Home to more than 8,000 people, Barkedu is now under quarantine: no one can go in, and no one can go out. The toll of the isolation is weighing heavily on the community. "From the time we started receiving death from Ebola -- every activity cease," says Musa Sessay, the town's chief. "Because we do farm here and now there's been no farming." "We need food, we really need medicine. But the most important one is medicine because the hospital is closed down, there is no health worker," he says. This is what life is like across Lofa: The people are locked in, afraid and alone. And not even the health workers are spared the ravaging effects of Ebola. Sometimes when they are called in to investigate a case, they get there only to discover the victim is one of their own. Ebola nightmares . One of the local clinics had to be locked up after all the healthcare workers based there contracted the virus. Only one survived. "It is very heartbreaking. You are working for the team at the front and you see them lying down. Day by day, they are dying," says Tamba, who admits the harrowing work he does has caused him nightmares. "Sometimes we go to bed and we dream of nothing else but Ebola, Ebola, Ebola -- nothing else," he explains. "Several times I dream I become infected, I see myself in the case management center." But he says that amid all the bad news, he is beginning to hear happier tidings: an increasing number of Ebola survivors, people who initially tested positive for the virus but -- because they reported it early and because of the medical teams' efforts -- later recovered. These positive outcomes keep Tamba hopeful as he and other health workers continue to tirelessly explain to the community how to prevent infection. "It is difficult to stand in front of Ebola, but this is the situation we have," he says. "We must do everything we can to kick Ebola out of our country. "Staying at home or running away from Ebola is not a solution, so we have to face it. We have to fight it. To get it to zero." READ MORE: Ebola death toll passes 1,550, outbreak worsens . READ MORE: Ebola: Nine things to know about the disease . READ MORE: Ebola: Your biggest questions answered .

Liberia is one of the countries worst-hit by the West African Ebola outbreak . Entire towns and villages have been placed into quarantine or abandoned by residents . Health workers must ensure those who die of virus are buried safely, to avoid contamination . "Running away from Ebola is not a solution -- we have to face it, fight it," says Alpha Tamba .

001c839e1d76c400129f6c2799957c74e9895815

(CNN) -- The big winners of this Formula One season could be road drivers rather than F1 racers, according to one former world champion. Jody Scheckter, who took the drivers' title in 1979, hopes a raft of technological changes -- notably smaller, hybrid engines that promise greater fuel efficiency -- will help improve road cars' performance. "It's very positive for the sport, this is the first time you've seen the sport bring in regulations that really push the envelope of technology for every type of car," the South African told CNN. "They are trying to take efficiency from everywhere they can on a car." This year's race cars will boast an enhanced Energy Recovery System (ERS) and 1.6-liter V6 engines, compared to the 2.4-liter V8s on show last year. The ERS uses heat generated when braking and thermal energy from exhaust gases to create extra power. The Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) has been used in F1 since 2009, but Scheckter says these latest advancements in the sport will only benefit everyday drivers. "Wherever there is heat, they turn that into energy," added the former Ferrari driver. "From that point of view, that's what road cars are becoming more and more. "They've taken this energy from the brakes and these different areas, that's what Formula One has done to a much higher degree than I've ever seen before. I think the technology will flow to road cars very quickly. "It's very important for the global environment that they can make the technology work practically and then it can move into road cars." On the track, Scheckter expects an unpredictable start to the championship as teams and drivers wrestle with the new regulations. An encouraging preseason for Mercedes has fueled talk that Lewis Hamilton is the favorite for this weekend's Australian Grand Prix and in pole position to take the title. Hamilton, a world champion in 2008, set the fastest time on the final day of the final test event in Bahrain, but the quickest lap time of preseason was set by Felipe Massa of Williams. The Brazilian is a new arrival at the British team following nine years with Ferrari and Scheckter expects Massa and Hamilton to start well, but he stopped short of tipping either to be top of the pile at the end of the season. "If you're going to follow some of the test results then you have to think that Mercedes and Williams have got an advantage at the beginning," he said. "How long it will take for other teams to catch up, who knows? "I would've thought after the fourth, fifth race, you might see things settle down. Someone could make a modification and gain one second, two seconds per lap. That is a massive amount. So until things settle down I wouldn't want to back anybody." The climax of the 2014 season is set to be a dramatic one, with double points set to be awarded to the driver who takes the checkered flag at November's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the winner of that race awarded 50 points, rather than the usual 25. It's a move that Scheckter thinks will see the fight for the world championship go down to the wire. "What they are trying to do is make it so the last race determines the championship," he said. "If somebody is quite far ahead and it looks like he's going to win the championship ... if he doesn't finish and another guy does he wins. "Is that fair? No it's not, but it makes exciting racing. Or it makes you throw something at the TV!" Interactive: 10 cars that changed Formula One .

The first race of the 2014 Formula One season takes place in Australia on Sunday . Turbo engines are back in the sport, with each car boasting a 1.6-liter V6 hybrid . Former F1 winner Jody Scheckter expects F1 technology to trickle down to road cars . For the first time in the sport's history, double points will be awarded at the year's final race .

001cdbaf0607878f332e0202fadf5b82d2997c02

(CNN) -- European football's governing body, UEFA has revealed that 32 of its 54 member states have declared an interest in hosting matches at the 2020 European Championships. Traditionally, the tournament is hosted by one or two nations, but matches in 2020 will be shared between 13 cities across Europe. UEFA, who announced a change in format for the tournament's 60th anniversary last December, welcomed the enthusiastic response from the national football associations. "We are extremely proud to see the huge interest in the bidding process, with more than half of our member associations willing to host matches at UEFA EURO 2020," UEFA President Michel Platini said. "The finals will be a great celebration of football across the European continent, and the 60th anniversary edition will be truly special, by really coming to the doorstep of all football fans." Platini initially floated the idea following the 2012 championships hosted by Poland and Ukraine and a decision to change the format was agreed by UEFA's Executive Committee last December before being confirmed in January. The format, dubbed a "Euro for Europe," has attracted interest from reigning Euro champions, Spain and the other traditional powerhouses of European football -- Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Greece and England. "UEFA's 'EURO for Europe' in 2020 promises to be a fitting way to recognise 60 years of the UEFA European Championship," said England Football Association secretary Alex Horne in a statement. "It would be great to see England playing in front of their home fans here in London as part of a EURO Finals tournament but many countries have also put themselves forward as hosts and we expect this to be a very competitive bidding process." Less illustrious footballing nations including Armenia, Israel, Kazakhstan and Wales have also thrown their hat into the ring. UEFA says all 32 associations can submit a maximum of two bids -- one which covers three group matches and one knockout round and another which will vie to host the semifinal and final. The closing date for bids is April 25 with UEFA's Executive Committee announcing the host cities on September 25 next year. The full list of countries and their proposed host cities is as follows: Armenia (Yerevan), Azerbaijan (Baku), Belarus (Minsk), Belgium (Brussels), Bulgaria (Sofia), Croatia (Zagreb), Czech Republic (Prague), Denmark (Copenhagen), England (London), Finland (Helsinki), France (Lyon), Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Skopje), Germany (Munich), Greece (Athens), Hungary (Budapest), Israel (Jerusalem), Italy (Rome, Milan), Kazakhstan (Astana), Netherlands (Amsterdam), Poland (Warsaw, Chorzow), Portugal (Lisbon, Porto), Republic of Ireland (Dublin), Romania (Bucharest), Russia (St Petersburg), Scotland (Glasgow), Serbia (Belgrade), Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia), Sweden (Solna), Switzerland (Basel), Turkey (Istanbul), Ukraine (Kyiv, Donetsk) and Wales (Cardiff).

European football's governing body reveals list of countries bidding to host 2020 finals . The 60th anniversary edition of the finals will be hosted by 13 countries . Thirty-two countries are considering bids to host 2020 matches . UEFA will announce host cities on September 25 .

001d9259673bd2ffb613217d19b98ca3563874ac

New York (CNN) -- Northeast Florida State Attorney Angela Corey has made it clear that she alone will decide whether George Zimmerman will be charged in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman's attorneys termed as "courageous" her decision not to present evidence to the grand jury that the original prosecutor, Norman Wolfinger, scheduled to convene on April 10. The Trayvon Martin family was also pleased that Corey would make the charging decision. But the question remains, will George Zimmerman be charged? Tuesday, in a bizarre development, George Zimmerman's attorneys, Hal Uhrig and Craig Sonner, during a news conference held in front of the Seminole County Courthouse, announced that they had withdrawn from his representation. They said they had lost contact with their client over the previous two days and revealed Zimmerman's unusual behavior -- including phone calls to Fox News host Sean Hannity and the special prosecutor, Corey. The attorneys also said that they are concerned with Zimmerman's emotional and physical well-being and even suggested that he may be suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). In short, they said that their client had gone rogue. Clients fire attorneys every day, for no reason or any reason. And attorneys withdraw from cases around the country daily. But it is rarely done so publicly and with so much information divulged about the inner workings of the lawyer-client relationship. Rogue clients that are potential defendants spook prosecutors. It can be a nightmare to try to locate and arrest a fleeing defendant. Remember Joran Van Der Sloot. Not surprisingly, within hours of the now-infamous withdrawal, Corey issued a statement saying she would be holding her own news conference within 72 hours "to release new information regarding the Trayvon Martin shooting death investigation." Many suspect that the announcement that Zimmerman had gone rogue forced the special prosecutor's hand. By all accounts though, Angela Corey is a seasoned career prosecutor who doesn't bend to public opinion or political pressure. During her 25 years as an assistant state attorney, Corey tried hundreds of cases, including more than 50 homicides. During her three-year-plus as state attorney of the 4th Judicial Circuit, Jacksonville's Duval County jail has seen an increase in the population, despite a drop in crime in the city. Some say this is a direct result of her aggressive prosecutorial bent. But her career hasn't been without controversy. Recently she came under intense fire for charging 12-year-old Cristian Fernandez as an adult in the killing of his 2-year-old brother, making Christian the youngest person in Florida ever to be charged as an adult. Corey, a devout Episcopalian, references her faith in discussing her cases, which some would say is a no-no for a prosecutor. In a written statement she provided in response to her detractors about the Fernandez case, Corey defended her decision to charge Fernandez as an adult by stating, "We are blessed in the 4th Circuit to have a great working relationship with ... public defenders," and "We asked for prayers for our two-year-old victim, David, and for Cristian Fernandez." In discussing the investigation into the shooting death of Martin she said, "What we are asking people to do is take a step back. Pray for Trayvon. Pray for his family. Listen to their words. I believe these are wonderful people who are asking for a peaceful approach to this case, while still demanding the answers they deserve. And I look forward to meeting with them to try to help them on this journey. Our victims always have a tough plight." If she files charges against Zimmerman, it would be wise not to "overcharge" the case. Corey needs to be able to prove her case beyond a reasonable doubt. To prove manslaughter in Florida, Corey's team would have to prove that Zimmerman's acts caused Martin's death. Manslaughter would not be difficult to prove but for Florida's "stand your ground" law. Florida's law states that a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in any place where he or she has a right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground and meet force with force, including deadly force ... to prevent death or great bodily harm. So even if Zimmerman killed Martin, he was justified in doing so if he believed he was in danger of being killed himself or of suffering great bodily harm. It seems the Sanford Police certainly believed Zimmerman's claims. But there is an exception. If Zimmerman was the initial aggressor, he cannot avail himself of the protection of the "stand your ground" law. Former Florida State Rep. Dennis Baxley, the co-sponsor of the law, told me by phone that the law doesn't apply to Zimmerman if he pursued Martin and was the initial aggressor. And he is right. Florida's statute makes it clear that the justification is not available to a person who initially provokes the use of force against himself, unless such force is so great that the person reasonably believes that he is in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm and that he has exhausted every reasonable means to escape. And that is what this case ultimately boils down to -- who started the fight. And the answer to that question is far from clear. Martin left the home of his father's fiancee on February 26 to buy skittles and an ice tea. He was unarmed. Zimmerman left his home to go to Target and was carrying a concealed weapon for which he had a permit. Martin was 17 years old, Zimmerman, 28. The police report describes Martin as 6 feet tall and 160 pounds and lists Zimmerman as 5-foot-9. Zimmerman sees Martin, deems him "suspicious" and calls the police. Zimmerman tells the dispatcher he is following Martin. The dispatcher tells Zimmerman "we don't need you to do that." Martin notices Zimmerman is following him and tells his girlfriend, Dee Dee, with whom he is on the phone. She tells him to run, and he agrees to walk quickly. Zimmerman says that he returns to his parked SUV and is attacked suddenly by Martin. Dee Dee hears someone ask Martin why he is there. Martin asks Zimmerman why he is following him. Dee Dee believes she hears Martin being tackled. Witnesses say they heard angry words, heard someone crying for help (many explain it sounded like the voice of a younger person) and then a single gunshot. The screams for help stop. Three witnesses saw Zimmerman straddling Martin in the grass. The incident happens 70 yards from the home Martin was walking to, not near Zimmerman's SUV. Martin is found dead, laying on his stomach. Zimmerman is bleeding from his nose and the back of his head and has stains on the back of his jacket. Zimmerman isn't tested for drug or alcohol consumption and is allowed to leave the police station with the clothes he was wearing that night. A tenet of our legal system is that when there is conflicting evidence, let a jury decide. I believe in our jury system. Let them decide. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Sunny Hostin.

Sunny Hostin: The state attorney has made it clear that she alone will decide on charges . She says the public withdrawal by lawyers representing George Zimmerman was strange . Hostin: Zimmerman's actions may not have been covered by the "stand your ground" law . She says she believes in the jury system; it makes sense to let a jury decide .

001e8bda2f7ab73bf81314c1639a97dae2751703

(CNN)If that car parked in Harvard Yard is a rockin', school officials may soon come a knockin', because hanky-panky between students and faculty at the elite university has officially been banned. Specifically, the school adopted a new policy this week that prohibits romantic relationships between undergraduates and professors. The previous policy only did so between professors and the students they taught. Harvard released a statement saying a specially appointed committee "determined that the existing language on relationships of unequal status did not explicitly reflect the faculty's expectations of what constituted an appropriate relationship between undergraduate students and faculty members ... therefore, the committee revised the policy to include a clear prohibition to better accord with these expectations." The action comes nearly a year after the U.S. Department of Education announced it was investigating 55 colleges and universities, including Harvard, for violations pertaining to Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex discrimination on college campuses. Harvard responded at the time by saying it had appointed its first ever Title IX officer, and that the school's president "recently announced the creation of a university-wide task force -- composed of faculty, students and staff -- that will recommend how we can better prevent sexual misconduct at Harvard." The new policy is the result of "a formal process to review Harvard University's Title IX policy," the school said.

Harvard bans all romantic relationships between professors and students . Policy comes on heels of investigation into Title IX violations .

001ee59c375363263821474d40e4386ab91d5145

(CNN) -- Each summer, more than 50,000 people pour into a cobblestone square in Tuscany for a gut-wrenching 90-seconds. That's all it takes for the flamboyantly dressed jockeys of Italy's legendary horse race -- Palio di Siena -- to race bareback around the medieval square. It's been called the "most dangerous horse race in the world" -- about as far away as you can get from the genteel green lawns of Britain's Royal Ascot or the multimillion prize money bestowed on America's Kentucky Derby. Now as the dust settles on this year's colorful Palio di Siena, CNN takes a look at five weird and wonderful horse festivals from across the world. Palio di Siena, Italy . On two days each year, the pretty town of Siena in northern Tuscany is transformed into an elaborate medieval race track, with 10 riders careering around the iconic city square three times. Dating back to the 17th century, each rider represents their local neighborhood, competing not just for the coveted victory banner -- but good luck for the coming year. Luminarias Festival, Spain . Fire and horses may seem like an unlikely combination, but that's exactly the dramatic scene which takes place in a small town in central Spain each year. Horse are ridden over blazing tree branches as part of the Luminaries Festival in San Bartolome de Pinares, in an effort to purify and protect the animals. The controversial tradition, which has been criticized by animal welfare groups, dates back 500 years and is held on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day. Watch: From camel racing to prized jockey . White Turf, Switzerland . From fiery Spain to snowy Switzerland -- there's not a bonfire in sight at the glitzy White Turf racing carnival, held on the frozen Lake St Moritz. The remarkable competition includes skijoring, where horses thunder around the icy track while their riders hold on for dear life to a harness at the back, trailing behind on skis. In such extreme weather -- around -20C -- fur coats are the order of the day for the champagne-sipping spectators who are perhaps better known for their luxury lifestyles than racing tips. Pasola Festival, Indonesia . The glitz and glam of snow-capped St Moritz couldn't be further from the spear-wielding horsemen of Indonesia's annual Pasola Festival. The fierce festival -- held on the island of Sumba -- sees two teams go head-to-head on elaborately decorated horses, throwing blunt spears at each other as part of an ancient ritual battle. It is believed that every drop of blood spilled will bring a good harvest. Soma-Nomaoi Festival, Japan . If you like your ancient festivals a little less violent, there's the 1,000-year-old Soma-Nomaoi wild horse chase in central Japan. The three-day festival sees samurai horsemen compete in different challenges -- from racing over a one kilometer track to battling over sacred flags. Dressed in extravagant armor, helmets, and carrying swords, the fantastical warriors appear to have stepped straight out from the 10th Century.

As the dust settles on Italy's Palio de Siena, CNN looks at wild horse festivals . Includes fire leaping in Spain and samurai battles in Japan . A world away from traditional races such as Royal Ascot or Kentucky Derby . Some ancient horse shows date back to 10th Century .

001f2856c2bca7de7918eb155b2e1bc8aa0d8695

(CNN) -- Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Abdelati Obeidi flew to Greece Sunday to deliver a personal message from Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, a Greek foreign ministry official told CNN. Libya asked Greece to allow a special envoy to travel there to communicate a message, Greek foreign ministry spokesman Grigoris Delavekouras said. The nature of that message was not immediately known. Obeidi met with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou Sunday night, according to Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas. "We stressed -- reiterated -- the clear message of the international community. One of full support and implementation for the decisions of the United Nations, immediate ceasefire and an end to violence, particularly against Libyan civilians," Droutsas said after the meeting. "From what the Libyan envoy said, it is clear that the administration is looking for a solution," he added. Obeidi is expected to continue talks in Turkey and Malta, according to Droutsas. The envoy crossed the Libyan border into Tunisia Sunday morning, and from there boarded a private Greek plane for Athens. Obeidi is the Libyan deputy foreign minister in charge of European affairs. Journalists Houda Zaghdoudi and Elinda Labropoulou contributed to this report .

NEW: Libya's deputy foreign minister for European affairs meets with the Greek prime minister . NEW: The envoy is expected to continue talks in Turkey and Malta, Greek officials say . "It is clear that the (Libyan) administration is looking for a solution"

001f9c554f1a29169413d0d2f138212a14c6dcf1

(CNN) -- Sergio Garcia, a 36-year-old undocumented immigrant in California, has held two lifelong dreams: to become a U.S. citizen and to practice law. He's been waiting 19 years for a visa still stuck in a backlog, but the California Supreme Court ensured this week that his second dream will become a reality. Garcia can be admitted to California's state bar and legally practice as a lawyer there, the court ruled. "I'm super excited to finally be able to fulfill one of my dreams," Garcia told CNN Friday. Court: Undocumented immigrant can be lawyer . But the case raises many questions, particularly among those who have been critical of Garcia's efforts to practice law. They question how someone who is in the country without legal status can be licensed to uphold the law as an attorney. Garcia says that this an easy initial response to make but that looking at the details of his case, it is not so clear-cut. He was brought to the United States as a minor and has been in line for 19 years for a green card. If anyone feels frustrated the the situation, they should address it with the federal government, Garcia said. It's the immigration system that's broken, he said. Garcia was born in Mexico in 1977 and taken to California by his parents when he was 17 months old, according to court documents. He remained there until 1986, when he and his parents returned to Mexico. Eight years later, at age 17, Garcia again returned to California with his parents and without documentation, though his father had obtained permanent resident status in the United States. That year, Garcia's father filed an immigration visa petition on his son's behalf, which federal immigration officials accepted in 1995. The visa still has not been granted, even though Garcia has lived in the state since 1994. California's Supreme Court ruled Thursday (PDF) that no state law or public policy should stop Garcia or others like him from obtaining a law license in the state. Asked why he didn't choose a different career or pursue other opportunities, Garcia said law was his singular focus. "I wasn't smart and put all my eggs into one basket," he said. "This whole idea of being an attorney was the only idea I had going, so 20 years of working on that dream, I couldn't really afford to give up on it." "That, and I'm a little bit stubborn, anyway," Garcia added. Now that he has a law license, however, one thing that Garcia will not specialize in is immigration law. "Oh, no, that's just too messed up," he said. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet and Tom Watkins contributed to this report.

A California court rules that Sergio Garcia can practice law . Garcia is an undocumented immigrant . He says the ruling is a dream come true . But he won't practice immigration law, he says .

001fb4ca3bd3a0c1cd91fdc813f0ebeeac678e76

(CNN) -- Rip it up and start again. As a 20-year-old, Ana Ivanovic claimed the French Open on Roland Garros' clay courts. All the portents suggested great things were ahead of the Serbian. Here was a tennis player with an impressive forehand and serve, with the added bonus of being incredibly marketable. But six years on, much like the characters Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" -- a drama about the passing of time -- the wait for a second grand slam shows no sign of ending. Since that win in Paris in 2008, Ivanovic has suffered from big-match nerves, serving woes and a series of injury problems. It is arguable she has also endured something of an identity crisis, chopping and changing coaching teams along the way. Her continuing search to help solve this problem and allow her to feel comfortable in her own skin has led her to appointing a support network who speak the same language. "I've been working really hard," Ivanovic told retired grand slam champion Kim Clijsters in an interview for CNN's Open Court show. "I have a new team with me since Wimbledon and it's a Serbian team for me for the first time." Ivanovic's new team includes coach and hitting partner Nemanja Kontic -- who represented Montenegro in the Davis Cup -- fitness coach Zlatko Novkovic and physio Branko Penic. They have all been part of her entourage since her split with British coach Nigel Sears in July, following a second-round exit at Wimbledon. Her career is littered with coaches who have come and gone as she has searched for a winning formula to challenge consistently for grand slams. Since parting company with her early mentor Zoltan Kuharsky in 2006, she has employed David Taylor, Craig Kardon, Heinz Gunthardt, Antonio van Grichen and Sears. A number of others have also helped her temporarily as part of the Adidas Player Development program. It's not just coaches that have come and gone. It's also true of fitness trainers. Such constant chopping and changing suggests a player stuck in a rut, desperately searching for a way out of it. Her desire to follow up that 2008 French Open win has also led Ivanovic to ponder why she picked up a racket at the age of five in the first place -- for the enjoyment. "We are also having more fun and a lot of laughs on the court as well to make it interesting, because the year gets very long," she said of her team. In Kontic, Ivanovic may not have a wise professor on her hands as she did with Sears, yet the 32-year-old, ranked 1,635th in men's doubles, is able to offer her something that respect within the game cannot always buy -- a shared cultural identity. "I'm really enjoying someone who speaks the same language and can understand you," Ivanovic said. Employing a coaching team made up of her compatriots could be key to Ivanovic performing consistently, according to a former grand slam champion turned coach. "She's hooked up with someone she has trust in and she's finding herself," Jo Durie, who won mixed doubles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, told CNN. "It's about confidence with Ana. Her sense of trust in herself is what she needs. "A lot of players on tour jump around with coaches, I can never understand that. You need to get to know someone." Ivanovic's solitary grand slam win helped the baseliner become the world No. 1, for 12 weeks in total. Now ranked 14th, she has been outside of the top 10 since June 2009, partly explained by her inability to reach the final four of a grand slam since that 2008 win over Dinara Safina in Paris. Wrist, shoulder, foot, abdominal and hip injuries all took their toll as Ivanovic fell to No. 65 in the rankings. Although she acknowledges that there have been improvements in the demands of the WTA Tour calendar, parts of the worldwide schedule are still difficult for the players. "Especially at the end of the year when from America we mostly go back to Europe for a week and then we go to Asia for quite a few weeks, so that's kind of tiring and hard," she said. "I know it's difficult to fit it all around it, but Asia at the end of the year really gets a lot of players." While her playing fortunes might have fluctuated, Ivanovic's marketability has never been dented. According to Forbes, she was the ninth highest-paid female athlete in 2013 with total earnings of $7 million -- brought in largely thanks to lucrative sponsorship deals including Adidas, Yonex, Juice Plux and Dubai Duty Free. Ivanovic has had a number of high-profile boyfriends -- including Masters-winning golfer Adam Scott and fellow tennis player Fernando Verdasco -- but as Caroline Wozniacki has discovered, it is tough combining consistency on court with such a relationship. Her latest campaign, though, does not look like being clouded by such distraction or, just as importantly, injury. Kicking off the 2014 season in Auckland, New Zealand, she ground out a victory against fellow former No. 1 Venus Williams to end a more than two-year title drought. It was the ideal preparation for next week's Australian Open. Despite Ivanovic's obvious talent, Durie doubts whether her game has the consistency required to win a grand slam. "I think she'll find it difficult," added Durie. "She can beat the top players, but to win a grand slam you have to win seven matches. "She's capable of big wins, she can certainly beat players like Serena Williams. But can she beat Petra Kvitova and Serena in a row?" Clijsters retired for a second time in 2012, having won four grand slams, as she decided to focus on her family -- and has since had a second child. Ivanovic, now 26, admitted that she too has started thinking about life after tennis. "I still feel like there is so much I can achieve and so many tournaments I can win," she told the Belgian. "I don't want to put a date to it because I think you feel it when the time is right. Family is a big part of my life and I want to have lots of kids of my own one day. "Tennis is a big part of my life, but it's not my whole life. So definitely I want to achieve what I can on the court and then focus."

Ana Ivanovic has a new all-Serbian team behind her for the first time . The 26-year-old has parted company with a number of coaches in the past . The Serbian's last grand slam success came at the French Open in 2008 . She is feeling confident about new season after finishing 2013 ranked 16th .

0020ede07ee7ad1f6cf654c7dc678e7341d0c0e5

New York (CNN) -- A federal judge has ordered that an official monitor be put in place to prevent discrimination in the hiring of New York City firefighters. U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis said the city needs "to comprehensively reassess its policies and practices, to analyze the evidence showing the effect of those policies and practices, and to rationally consider how they can be changed to achieve a firefighter hiring process that is -- in actual practice and effect -- fair and open to all." The order requires the city to take remedial steps to fix discriminatory hiring practices and puts the court monitor in place for at least the next 10 years to make sure those steps are taken. Garaufis cited "the clear evidence of disparate impact that Mayor (Michael) Bloomberg and his senior leadership chose to ignore was obvious to anyone else who looked." "Instead of facing hard facts and asking hard questions about the City's abysmal track record of hiring black and Hispanic firefighters, the Bloomberg Administration dug in and fought back," the judge said in his ruling. Mark LaVorgna, a spokesman for the mayor, said the city intends to appeal the decision. Litigation against the city's firefighter hiring practices began in 2007, when the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint alleging the Fire Department of New York's hiring exams negatively affected black and Hispanic applicants. "Four years of litigation and two adverse liability rulings later, the City still doesn't get it," Garaufis said. "The City's senior leaders have routinely denied that they are responsible or doing anything to remedy nearly forty years of discrimination." Bloomberg strongly disagreed with the decision. "I think it's fair to say no previous administration has done more or been as successful in attracting the diversity to the FDNY than we have," the mayor told reporters Wednesday, "and I couldn't feel more strongly about it." Bloomberg said 61,000 people, more than half of them minorities, applied to the fire department in the last recruiting campaign, "shattering any previous record for minority applicants." Garaufis acknowledged that the city has improved its minority recruiting, but he said the subsequent hiring processes and "discriminatory testing procedures" have kept many of these minorities from actually being hired. Paul Washington, a representative of the Vulcan Society, one of the plaintiffs in the case, praised the decision. "We're very pleased to see this order and it's certainly long overdue," Washington said. "We're glad to see the judge properly addressing this issue." Details of the court-appointed monitoring, as well as logistics for a future fairness hearing in which third parties will be able to express their opinions, is scheduled for October 20, said Darius Charney, an attorney for the plaintiffs.

Official monitor will oversee FDNY hiring practices, federal judge rules . Monitoring will be in place for at least 10 years, Judge Nicholas Garaufis says . Mayor Michael Bloomberg defends his record for improving minority recruiting . However, Garaufis says testing and hiring procedures are discriminatory .

00211175819295755ed12e89791b4d543442981a

(CNN) -- American journalist James Foley was murdered, beheaded by an English-speaking member of ISIS, the extremist group that calls itself the Islamic State and has already conquered large swaths of two Middle Eastern countries. The sickening execution, recorded and released online for the world to see, came with a warning to the U.S.: ISIS showed another captive American journalist, believed to be Steven Sotloff, and threatened to kill him too if the U.S. does not stop helping those fighting to stop ISIS advances. The killing and the threat, along with all the evidence ISIS is leaving as it gouges its way across the region, are a direct challenge to the American people, to the U.S. government and to the international community. As it makes increasingly clear what kind of an organization it is, ISIS is sending a message: "Stay out of this, so we can keep driving toward our objective." President Obama said Wednesday that "We will do everything we can to protect our people ... The entire world is appalled by the brutal murder." The U.S. government has crucial steps to take now. First, obviously, it cannot give into ISIS threats and must continue helping dislodge ISIS from northern Iraq where it is engaging in ethnic cleansing against Christians and other minorities; kidnapping, raping and selling women; and massacring people. The U.S. effort should keep a special focus on helping America's loyal and ideologically moderate friends, the Kurds of Iraq. At the same time, the U.S. should make a strong diplomatic push to obtain international legitimacy for the campaign to defeat ISIS. It is important to prevent ISIS from scoring a recruiting victory among Muslims and anti-Western and anti-American camps by portraying this as a war between Islam and the West, which it is not. There are few people on Earth who are not horrified by ISIS. That includes the overwhelming majority of Muslims. The grand mufti of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, called ISIS and al Qaeda "Enemy No. 1" of Islam. Countless Muslims have criticized and condemned them. ISIS is the enemy of anyone who does not belong to ISIS. They kill minorities, Shiite Muslims and Sunnis who don't abide by their views. They are virulently opposed to the West, to the U.S., to modernity and to anyone who sees the world differently from their narrow medieval perspective. The U.S. should seek a U.N. resolution declaring that the international community, including the Muslim world, considers ISIS and its methods repugnant. Any country that disagrees, any government that is not revolted by ISIS and troubled by its methods and its goals, should go on record saying so. Before ISIS, we knew that human beings are capable of unspeakable brutality. But anyone who thought man's inhumanity to man had eased after the mass crimes of the 20th century now knows better. ISIS didn't just remind us how cruel humans can be; it has taken the use of brutality as a weapon of intimidation, extermination, genocide and recruitment propaganda to new levels. ISIS is not the first to murder victims in large numbers; it is not the first to kill those who disagree with its beliefs or who belong to different ethnic or religious groups. But it seems no group has advertised its bloodlust with such relish and effectiveness. More important, those using these methods, embracing this philosophy, are in control of enormous territories. When ISIS calls itself a state, it is not hyperbole by very much. ISIS has taken over a a tract of land bigger than many countries, something that al Qaeda, its comparatively mild-mannered inspiration, never came close to achieving. ISIS has established and gained full dominion not only of cities and populations but of wealthy oil-producing lands. It is now financially self-sufficient, collecting millions of dollars every day from oil smuggling operations. If not stopped, it could continue its push toward the oil fields of southern Iraq at the edge of the Persian Gulf, which remains the epicenter of oil and gas production that allows the global economy to function. If Osama bin Laden weren't dead, he would die of envy. ISIS views the videos of mass executions, of severed heads on poles and of crucified men, as a way to keep its enemies frightened and weakened, and a way to tell prospective recruits that it is fearless in its war to create an Islamic caliphate ruling over all the world's Muslims. Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, incidentally, claims to rule over all Muslims and believes the ultimate goal of ISIS is to take over huge sections of Asia, Europe and Africa. The killing of Foley, an idealistic journalist, sharpens our understanding of the organization seeking to dominate the Middle East. That the man who murdered him might have been British should erase any remaining fantasy in the West that this gruesome war, now raging in Syria and Iraq, will stay within any country's or any region's borders. Those who seek to downplay the risk to the United States should think again. Britain has confirmed that Foley's killer was most likely a British citizen. There have been reports of hundreds, even thousands, of Europeans training, fighting and killing alongside ISIS. In June 2013, a video from Syria surfaced, showing men cutting off another man's head. To the shock of Europeans, they were heard speaking Dutch. The ISIS members who hold European passports are able to travel freely across Europe and the U.S. and are prepared to do the unthinkable. There are hundreds of Germans, Spaniards, Belgians, French. Graduates of the Syria war, from where ISIS pushed into Iraq, have killed in Europe. And ISIS ideology is gaining support in the continent. Last month, ISIS flags flew in an anti-Israel demonstration in the Hague, chanting against America and the West and most enthusiastically, "Death to the Jews." ISIS can simply not be allowed to keep a foothold in the Middle East. If it does, the consequences will become even more catastrophic. In Iraq alone, 1.2 million people have been displaced, thousands killed. It is politically and strategically complicated, because ISIS is also fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Hezbollah, and defeating ISIS would also be enormously pleasing to Iran. But the group is a growing threat. The strategy of supporting the Kurds and the Iraqis in the front lines is a good one. It must be bolstered with material and diplomatic support. If it proves insufficient to turning back the bloody ISIS tide, then it must be revamped. Foley's mother said her son gave his life trying to expose to the world the suffering of the Syrian people. That suffering has now extended to Iraq, and it will only become more widespread if ISIS is not stopped.

Frida Ghitis: U.S. cannot give in to ISIS threats, must focus on helping Kurds of Iraq . Ghitis: U.N. resolution should declare that Muslims, rest of the world find ISIS horrific . Ghitis: U.S. should make sure this is not framed as a war against Islam and the West . She says ISIS is a threat to the whole world; Europeans are joining in big numbers .

002124147bd10996f410d1a117ddf298018dbced

Qena, Egypt (CNN) -- In a deserted playground a few hundred miles south of Cairo, 13-year-old Asmaa Ashraf fiddles with a broken rusted slide. She is waiting listlessly for a lesson with her math tutor. The bright-eyed teenager lives in a sepia-toned village in the province of Qena, a place of rural poverty and neglect. But she has big dreams about education. She wants to open a school one day. "At my school, we'll learn," she says, brushing her hands longingly over the slide. "Teachers will show up and we'll be allowed to ask questions. We'll be allowed to draw with color." Such aspirations, however, amount to fantasy for most youth in a country still struggling to land on its feet after being turned completely upside down. Two and a half years after the country's uprising began, Egypt's fledgling democracy is stillborn, stubbornly stuck between its past and future. And as the government struggles to wade through the country's protracted political problems, Egypt's festering education system is orphaned -- even though, with a growing youth population, it's key to the country's future. In the World Economic Forum's latest report on global competitiveness, Egypt ranked near the bottom -- 131st out of 144 countries -- for quality of primary education. Egypt's literacy rate is 66%, according to a 2011 United Nations report. Meanwhile, a report by London think tank Chatham House says just $129 a year is spent on each Egyptian student; the United States, for example, spends 40 times as much. The situation is worst in regions far from the capital, and in Upper Egypt, where more than half the population is under 29. Many schools look more like rank penitentiaries rather than hubs of learning. Students and teachers seem to be on the verge of exhaustion rather than bursting with inspiration. And forget technology. Desks and a stable electricity supply are luxuries. "We didn't have enough desks last year," recalls Asmaa's 12-year-old neighbor, Omnia. "So most of us just sat on the floor. We only get a little paper, but my mom found this," she said, holding up a small, faded "Hannah Montana" notebook. The American pop culture reference is lost on her. To make up for the gaps in education, millions of middle-class Egyptian families spend a large part of their income -- sometimes as much as 25% -- on private tutoring. It's impossible to know how much money is spent in all, but some estimates put the total at $1 billion a year. Public school teachers rarely make more than $300 a month. More than a few of them say they teach the bare minimum in class so that they can earn more from the same students in private tutoring sessions. "There are too many issues to deal with," said one 32-year-old teacher in Asmaa's village. "I have kids of my own I'm struggling to take care for." He says he gives three hours of private tutoring in the evening and does mechanical work on the side. For parents with any hope that their children will be better off, investing in education is essential. Egypt's final secondary school exams are a rite of passage for students. Their scores chart their future. If they don't do well, they won't get a place in college. The status quo is even more somber for Egypt's women. According to a recent World Bank report, the illiteracy rate for young people in Upper Egypt is 17%, higher than the national average of 11%, and the illiteracy rates for females is 24%, almost twice that of males. Also, 70% of young women in Upper Egypt are jobless. More: Interactive -- Impossible odds, unstoppable girls . Politicians, whether they're from the ruling Muslim Brotherhood or the opposition, agree that educational reform is needed. But they quickly fall silent when pushed to articulate plans. One politician said the country simply has "bigger fish to fry," with a controversial new constitution and still no full, functioning parliament. But with unemployment at staggering rates -- 33% for men age 20-24 and 53% for women in the same age -- Egypt has a highly combustible pool of frustrated and disenfranchised youth in danger of becoming a lost generation. "This is a generation that desperately needs to learn how to critically think, to learn how to be in the 21st century," said Malak Zalouk, director of the Middle East Institute for Higher Education at the American University in Cairo. "Mubarak's regime trained students to be loyal citizens. And now, despite a revolution for dignity ... there is none." It sounds like an almost hopeless picture. However, as Egypt's public education system founders, a few innovative ideas have emerged. This year, a few Egyptian entrepreneurs have launched Nafham, a Web-based startup that features crowd-sourced educational videos. Nafham, which means "We understand" in Arabic, hopes to provide an alternative -- a virtual classroom -- for struggling Egyptian families. It divides the Egyptian public school curriculum into lessons that can be explained in 5- to 15-minute videos, covering all lessons mandated by the government curriculum. Since the website went live in October, Nafham's staff of teachers created around 4,900 videos, while 1,000 videos were crowd-sourced -- reviewed and approved by the staff. By late May, Nafham's YouTube channel had more than 1 million views. For the 65% of Egyptians who don't have Internet access -- those who stand to gain the most from the service -- Nafham says it hopes to form group viewings in some villages. It is also in talks with some companies to offer USBs with Internet access to groups throughout the countryside. Another innovative initiative is Teach for Egypt, a start-up created by Nada Ramadan, a 24-year-old Egyptian who's a graduate student at Georgetown University in Washington. Based on the Teach for America model, Ramadan plans to recruit ambitious college graduates -- most from within the Egyptian community and diaspora -- to commit to a two-year service in which they are trained extensively and placed in underprivileged schools. Ramadan says she's running into problems, however, while trying to implement her idea. The bureaucracy in Egypt leaves little room for productivity, let alone creativity and innovation. Still, she continues to push on. "We could all stand around and protest that the government is failing us, or we could go out and offer the solutions," she said. "So, that's what we're trying to do." But until those solutions are offered, Asmaa -- and a whole generation in waiting -- will continue to linger near broken slides, daydreaming about the future. More: CNN's "Girl Rising" Interactive: Impossible odds, unstoppable girls . Open letter from Christiane Amanpour: It's time to power the world . How to help | Take action with 10x10 .

While Egypt struggles to wade through political problems, its education system suffers . Literacy rates are low and unemployment is high, especially among females . Many middle-class families are spending a large part of their income on private tutoring . A few start-up companies have emerged, however, to address the education deficit .

002175ac42ef0c91b9fb7e07259413a8ee3979a3

The Cold War aerial games of chicken portrayed in the movie "Top Gun" are happening in real life again nearly 30 years later. A U.S. Air Force spy plane evaded an encounter with the Russian military on July 18, just a day after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a suspected surface-to-air missile that Ukraine and the West allege was fired by pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine. The RC-135 Rivet Joint fled into nearby Swedish airspace without that country's permission, a U.S. military official told CNN. The airplane may have gone through other countries' airspace as well, though it's not clear if it had permission to do so. The U.S. plane had been flying in international airspace, conducting an electronic eavesdropping mission on the Russian military, when the Russians took the unusual action of beginning to track it with land-based radar. The Russians then sent at least one fighter jet into the sky to intercept the aircraft, the U.S. official said Saturday. The spy plane crew felt so concerned about the radar tracking that it wanted to get out of the area as quickly as possible, the official said. The quickest route away from the Russians took them into Swedish airspace. The U.S. official acknowledged that was done without Swedish military approval. As a result of this incident, the United States is discussing the matter with Sweden and letting officials know there may be further occurrences where American jets have to divert so quickly they may not be able to wait for permission. "We acknowledge a U.S. aircraft veered into Swedish airspace and will take active steps to ensure we have properly communicated with Swedish authorities in advance to prevent similar issues before they arise," the U.S. State Department said. The incident was first reported by the Swedish news agency Svenska Dagbladet. Russian officials did not provide any immediate reaction about the encounter. This was at least the second potentially-dangerous encounter between a U.S. plane and Russia over the past few months. On April 23, a Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jet buzzed within 100 feet of the nose of a U.S. Air Force RC-135U reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Okhotsk between Russia and Japan, a Defense Department official said. Russian fighter jet nearly collided with U.S. military plane in April . Russian and U.S. aircraft often encounter each other, both in Northern Europe as well as the area between the Russian Far East and Alaska. But the official said the land radar activity by the Russians in this instance was unusual. The ongoing civil unrest in Ukraine and the downing of MH 17 over eastern Ukraine on July 17, which killed all 298 people aboard, have heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was brought down by a suspected missile. Pro-Russia rebels have denied allegations from Ukraine and the West that they shot down the Malaysian airliner, or that Russia supplied equipment used to shoot it down.

U.S. military official tells CNN the incident occurred on July 18 . RC-135 Rivet Joint was on electronic eavesdropping mission in international airspace . Russians began tracking with ground radar, and sent at least one fighter to intercept . U.S. plane evaded encounter by flying into Swedish airspace without permission .

0021eb1696f522ae0605ba630568bed5f655b740

(CNN) -- Activists speaking at a Syrian government-sponsored "national dialogue" meeting Sunday criticized recent crackdowns by the country's security forces, calling for an end to violence against protesters. Syria's vice president hailed the Damascus University meeting between officials and members of the opposition as a step toward creating a "democratic nation." "We hope that at the end of this comprehensive meeting to announce the transition of Syria to a pluralistic democratic nation where all citizens are guided by equality and participate in the modeling of the future of their country," Vice President Faruq al-Shara said in opening remarks at the meeting, which was broadcast live on state television. Syrian activists say that security personnel have assaulted unarmed protesters during months of anti-government demonstrations that erupted nationwide in mid-March. The Syrian government has claimed armed groups are responsible for the violence at the demonstrations. Several speakers at Sunday's meeting called on Syria's government to change its tactics. "The bloodshed needs to stop. Yes, there are unauthorized protests, but is it a reason to use unjustified and excessive violence? The use of all types of excessive force is unjustified," said Qadri Jameel of the opposition Front of Change and Liberation. Syrian researcher Al-Tayyeb Tizzina also criticized the use of force and asked for violence to stop in order for the dialogue to succeed. "The establishment of a political society requires the immediate start of a process dismantling the police state that is dominating Syria," he said. Al-Shara acknowledged that a surge of violence in Syria precipitated Sunday's meeting. "We have to admit that without the big sacrifices that were presented by the Syrian people, from the blood of their sons, civilians or military in more than one province, city and town, this meeting wouldn't have happened," he said. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said the meeting included members of the opposition, independent activists, youth leaders and academics. However, some opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's regime have criticized the meeting, saying the government is trying to quiet widespread unrest without making meaningful changes. Demonstrators protested the meeting in nationwide "no dialogue" marches Friday. "Any dialogue must be based on the base of (al-Assad's) stepping down from power," said a statement from the Change in Syria Conference, an opposition group that called for al-Assad to hand over power to the vice president at a meeting in Turkey last month. Sunday's dialogue meeting began as Syria's foreign ministry summoned the U.S. and French ambassadors and accused them of interfering in internal affairs when they visited Syria's fourth-largest city without permission last week, state media reported. The ministry told the diplomats that their visit to the city of Hama violated the Vienna Convention, according to SANA. That 1961 accord, brokered through the United Nations, sets ground rules as to how diplomats can operate in other countries. However, a senior U.S. State Department official said U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford was not summoned by Syrian officials on Sunday; his meeting with Syria's foreign minister was previously scheduled by the U.S. Embassy in Damascus last Thursday. The official declined to speak on the record because of the sensitivity of the situation. In the meeting, Ford said his visit to Hama was meant to gather information and support freedom of expression. He also accused the Syrian government of inciting Syrians against the United States, including organizing a protest outside the U.S. Embassy Friday and Saturday, the senior State Department official said. Protesters threw tomatoes, eggs, glass and rocks at the embassy as they called for the ambassador to leave during the 31-hour demonstration, according to the senior State Department official, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the situation. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland issued a blunt rebuttal to similar Syrian government accusations Friday, calling claims that Ford's visit was inciting protesters "absolute rubbish" and saying she was "dismayed" by the Syrian government's reaction. Nuland said the U.S. Embassy had notified the Syrian Defense Ministry before the visit and that Ford's car was waved through a security checkpoint. The French foreign ministry issued a statement Sunday saying that its embassy had also been besieged by demonstrators, faulting Syrian authorities for failing to stop the destruction of vehicles, burning of French flags and other damage. The French government summoned Syria's ambassador to France on Sunday to issue a formal protest on this matter, and to hold Syrian authorities responsible for the security of French diplomats in the Middle Eastern country. It also challenged the Damascus government's decision to summon Eric Chevallier, France's own ambassador to Syria. Like the U.S. ambassador, Chevallier visited Hama on Thursday and spent the night, the French government said, meeting with wounded people and their families and medical staffers at a hospital. Al-Assad issued a decree appointing a Hama provincial governor Sunday, a day after firing the existing leader after a series of peaceful demonstrations there, including a massive anti-government protest last Friday. Activists and Human Rights Watch have reported many arrests and deaths in a fierce government crackdown in the area. Citizens have called a general strike in the city. Diplomatic tensions over Syria also flared in Washington last week, with the State Department summoning Syrian Ambassador Imad Mustapha Friday. The State Department said Mustapha was called "to express a number of our concerns with the reported actions of certain Syrian embassy staff in the United States." The statement, issued in response to a question taken at Friday's daily briefing, said the State Department had received reports that Syrian mission personnel had been conducting video surveillance of people participating in peaceful demonstrations in the United States. "We are also investigating reports that the Syrian government has sought retribution against Syrian family members for the actions of their relatives in the United States exercising their lawful rights in this country and will respond accordingly," the statement said. CNN's Elise Labott, Yousuf Basil and Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.

NEW: France summons Syria's ambassador to protest an attack on its embassy . U.S. State Department official: The Syrian government incites anti-American sentiment . Also Sunday, a state-backed "national dialogue" meeting continued in Damascus . "The bloodshed needs to stop. ... Excessive force is unjustified," one activist says .

0022944fc603b8c03c02f2e67a874b067db28196

(CNN) -- Half a century ago, with the space race in full swing, the heated quest for interplanetary exploration between the Earth's superpowers gained a new, self-proclaimed, contender. "We're going to Mars!" audaciously declared Zambian schoolteacher Edward Makuka Nkoloso in a 1964 newspaper op-ed, revealing to the world his fanciful plans for his country to beat the United States and the Soviet Union in their fierce battle to conquer outer space. "Our rocket crew is ready," continued Nkoloso, explaining that his aspiring troupe of space explorers had been gearing up for their interstellar journey in the headquarters of the academy he'd set up on the outskirts of Zambian capital Lusaka. From within what he called the "Academy of Sciences and Space Technology," Nkoloso said, he'd been studying Mars through telescopes. He'd also been training his would-be astronauts by rolling them down a hill in oil drums, a technique aimed at getting his team acclimatized to the weightlessness experienced during space travel. Read this: Nigerian doctor takes to the skies . "Specially trained spacegirl Matha Mwambwa, two cats (also specially trained) and a missionary will be launched in our first rocket," wrote Nkoloso, a grade-school science teacher and self-appointed director of the space academy. Unsurprisingly, the program, which was never taken seriously by the government of the newly independent Zambia, failed to take off; a $7 million grant Nkoloso said he'd requested from UNESCO never came, whilst the pregnancy of the 17-year-old spacegirl brought the proceedings to an end. "The Afronauts" Fast forward to 2010, when Spanish photographer Cristina De Middel was searching for "unbelievable stories" for a new personal project she was hoping to develop. Whilst scouring the depths of the internet, she stumbled on a website listing the 10 craziest experiments in history. "The first one on the list was the Zambia space program," says De Middel who, after a decade of working as a news photojournalist, had decided to embark on a new career as a visual storyteller. Fascinated by Nkoloso's visionary and dreamy perspective on life, De Middel set about creating an imaginary documentation of his elusive endeavors some 50 years ago. The result is "The Afronauts," an arresting photo book that has been shortlisted for this year's esteemed Deutsche Börse Photography Prize. In the self-published book, De Middel self-consciously conjures up the story of the unofficial space program piece by piece. She uses a series of cinematographic images, including staged depictions of discarded oil barrels, makeshift spaceships, elephant-hugging spacemen and flying cats, as well as vintage-looking maps, documents and newspapers cuttings. Throughout, facts and fiction are intertwined as part of an intriguing narrative which challenges viewers' perceptions about what's real and what's not. "I was working in a very free way," says De Middel, sitting at the café of the Photographer's Gallery in London, where The Afronauts is being exhibited. "I needed to add mystery; I needed to add this fascination for great things and work on the photographic language that would not state if it's true," adds De Middel, encouraging viewers to question the documentary value of photography. "Otherwise, I would have ruined the game." "Big dreams" Whilst playful, De Middel's dream-like images are not intended to make fun of Nkoloso's fantastical, yet high-flying, ambitions. Her speculative pictures exude a feeling of nostalgia and sympathy, celebrating the audacious and naive spirit of a past era where grandiose dreams were not limited by circumstances. "I think that's the greatest characteristic we have as humans, that we can dream of becoming big," says De Middel. Read this: Artist's spectacular glasses . "That is something common to all humanity," she adds. "You don't have to be American and work for NASA to dream of going to the moon; you can be an African -- he [Nkoloso] was a school teacher and thought that could be done." "Honest approach" Creating The Afronauts, which was sold out in just a few months, De Middel worked more as a movie director, trying to make the best of the resources around her. For models, she relied on social media and friends; for the astronauts' helmets, she used old domes of street lights; and for the flashy spacesuits, she employed the sewing talents of her grandmother. "It was like a short, small and very modest movie production," says De Middel. "But instead of producing a moving image, I just did stills." Most of the images were shot in between different projects, in locations such as Spain, the Palestinian territories, Italy and Romania. Others were repurposed pictures from the photographer's archive. De Middel, who's never been to Zambia, acknowledges she's not "an expert in Africa" -- nor in space. This led her to go about the story with caution. "I always kept in my mind that I don't know a lot about African history and I am approaching a subject that can be sensitive or can be offensive for some people," says De Middel. So far, she says, her work has received a great response from people in Africa. She's been contacted by Nigeria's space program and been invited to the continent to give talks, while her book is being shown in South Africa and Senegal. "I would love to [take the exhibition to Lusaka as well]," she says. If anything, De Middel says, the extraordinary tale of the forgotten Zambian space program presented a chance to talk about Africa from a different perspective. "The only honest approach I could do to that story was documenting my cliché, and that's what I really wanted to do, because, in a way, I was raising awareness of the existence of that cliché and what we expect from Africa," she says. Read this: Zambia's amazing street acrobats . "Not only because the story is positive, in terms of African people having dreams, but also evidencing what we expect from Africa in terms of aesthetics and behavior." Today, nobody seems to know what happened to Nkoloso or his cast of wannabe space explorers. Yet Nkoloso's desire to dream the impossible has found a new, alternative, home inside De Middel's images, striking a chord with captivated audiences around the world. "He had a fascination for the universe that we all share," says De Middel. "Asking if we're alone, looking at the stars, making metaphysical questions. That is a universal feeling and it doesn't belong to the people who can actually have the technology to go to the moon; it's everywhere."

In the mid-1960s, a Zambian school teacher wanted to send the first African to space . 'The Afronauts' photo book is a fictional documentation of his endeavors . The work, by Cristina De Middel, has been shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse prize .

00237a1d4477c976ee17d82d438e2650e0bff9a9

(CNN) -- By now, we're on the same page that Mitt Romney's pick of Paul Ryan as his running mate contradicts a golden oldie of presidential election strategy -- run to the conservative (or liberal) base to win the nomination and then reposition toward the center to lure the more moderate independent swing voters who are necessary to win the general election. Ryan may be many things -- energetic, charismatic and geeky -- but no one familiar with his Full Monty conservative budgets would describe his selection as remotely moving to the center. Just the opposite -- Romney has doubled down on his move to the right during the primary battle. What gives? Did the looming prospect of defeat push Romney into a desperate gamble? Give Romney some credit. He's made a shrewd move. The Ryan choice adopts a strategy premised on supermobilizing the base and luring a smidgeon of others. Put on your thinking caps and grab an abacus, here are the numbers that could put Romney in the White House. Conservatives outnumber liberals 2 to 1 (40% to 21%). Rage against Obama has the GOP ready to walk over red hot coals to cast a ballot. A mainstay of Gallup's measure for determining who is likely to vote -- whether survey respondents are thinking a lot about the election -- shows not only that Republicans are more attentive than Democrats by 13 points but also more fired up than in recent presidential elections. To make sure they harvest the Ryan enthusiasts, the Romney campaign appears to be assembling an impressive operation to turn out the vote and to aggressively compete with the Obama team for the early vote. What makes the Romney mobilization particularly threatening to Obama is that it targets his biggest challenge -- polls consistently show him ahead but there are ominous signs that a decisive group of those supporters won't actually cast a ballot. Even with Obama's pro-immigration shift and the growing number of Latinos in competitive states, their actual turnout may flag from their record numbers in 2008. Less than half of Hispanics eligible to vote are registering and only 64% of Hispanics say they will definitely vote as compared to their 77% response in 2008 and the national average of 78% today. Ditto on youth. The percentage of voters 18 to 29 who say they will definitely vote in November (58%) is currently running 20 points or more behind the national average today (78%) or the youth turnout in 2008 (78%) or 2004 (81%). Blue collar voters -- never drawn to Obama (think Hillary Clinton in 2008 Democratic primaries) -- may desert him in numbers that approach the "Reagan Democrat" defections in 1980. This possible weakness in the Democratic coalition coincides with a bit more slippage among Obama's 2008 supporters (9%) than among McCain voters who won't vote GOP in November (5%). Bottom line: By picking the bona fide conservative Ryan, the Republican base is likely to deliver a rapturous response, which may allow Romney to succeed in exploiting Obama's greatest weakness at this point. Before you conclude this is far-fetched, think back to Karl Rove's strategy in 2004 to move right with strident social conservatism on abortion and same-sex marriage, steep tax cuts and hawkish policies in Afghanistan and Iraq. Embracing the base and scorning the rush to the middle cost George W. Bush the independent vote. But Bush also supercharged conservatives and Republicans, who turned out in droves. Refuting the conventional wisdom that Democrats do best in high-turnout elections, it was Bush who most benefited from the 16% jump in the total vote. But -- there's always a but. Even as Ryan fires up conservatives, he may also mobilize votes for Obama -- including senior citizens who reside in key swing states like Florida. Alarmed by his draconian proposals to remake Medicare, they may boost their support of Obama. Another potential risk: A good number of voters may be primed to punish the incumbent for poor economic times. Pluralities of Ohio and Florida independents report that Obama's re-election would hurt their personal financial situation. But the coming hullabaloo over Ryan's budget proposals may distract the economically pained from punishing Obama. All in all, Romney has a tough battle ahead -- even stringent counts of Electoral College votes based on polls show Obama within striking distance of winning. But using Ryan to ignite the Republican base is probably Romney's most plausible path to prevailing. And, it may produce a campaign focused a bit more on policy than on birth certificates, service records and the other side issues of recent elections. Strap in, folks, 2012 may be much more interesting and close than we'd imagined. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Lawrence R. Jacobs.

Lawrence Jacobs: Mitt Romney was shrewd in picking Paul Ryan as his running mate . Jacobs: Ryan can supercharge conservatives, who outnumber liberals 2 to 1 . He says there are signs that Obama supporters won't actually cast a ballot . Jacobs: Using Ryan to ignite the GOP base is probably Romney's best chance of prevailing .

0024a4404120db4544060c11050acaaae185f315

(CNN) -- An argument before the Supreme Court on October 1 in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum will have enormous significance. The case concerns the torture of Ogoni leaders in Nigeria, but at stake is the future of the law under which this case was brought, the Alien Tort Statute. The United States stands at a crossroads. At its best, our nation has played a crucial role in championing human rights throughout the world and pioneering human rights law. At its worst, it has abandoned its lofty ideals in the name of realpolitik and supported dictators and policies that were responsible for horrible abuses. Passed in 1789, the Alien Tort Statute was a prescient piece of legislation. It allows foreign victims of human rights abuses in foreign nations to seek civil remedies in U.S. courts, and its animating idea -- that people anywhere should have recourse for violations of the "law of nations" -- was the foundation of our modern understanding of human rights. In the 1990s, Royal Dutch Petroleum (Shell) had extensive oil drilling operations in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, a region long plagued with poverty, human rights violations and environmental disaster. A popular movement of the Ogoni people resisting what they saw as reckless oil development in the region was violently suppressed by Nigeria's military dictatorship. In the suit, the plaintiffs accuse Royal Dutch Shell of helping the former dictatorship in the arrests on false charges and torture of 12 members of the Ogoni tribe, who sought to peacefully disrupt Shell's operations because of the devastating health and environmental effects of unregulated drilling. All the plaintiffs were themselves tortured except Esther Kiobel, who brought her claims on behalf of her late husband, Barinem Kiobel. Kiobel was executed through a sham trial process in which the plaintiffs believe Shell played a central role. The Supreme Court court accepted Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum last fall after a federal appeals court ruled that the statute could not be used to sue corporations. The justices indicated in February that they might question not just the application of the statute to corporations but whether and under what circumstances it applies to any human rights violations, even by individuals, that take place outside the United States. They ordered the case to be re-argued on exactly that question. The case has been brought in the United States because of our nation's historical role in promoting the idea of universal rights and in the development of international human rights law. From Franklin D. Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that Eleanor Roosevelt tirelessly worked for, to the stirring oratory of Robert Jackson at the Nuremberg Tribunal, mid-century Americans gave voice and visibility to the idea that all people, everywhere, were entitled to certain fundamental rights. Since 1977, the State Department has annually produced Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The international leadership of the past century is a long way from where we find ourselves now. Our own era is defined by a different legacy: one of waterboarding and "torture memos," extraordinary renditions, indefinite detention at Guantánamo Bay and targeted killings in countries with which we are not at war. "The United States is abandoning its role as the global champion of human rights," Jimmy Carter wrote bluntly in The New York Times in June. Shell Oil must aid Nigeria workers who were tortured, abused . On this grim and morally and legally compromised horizon, the Alien Tort Statute is still one bright spot for human rights advocacy. In a groundbreaking case in 1980, the family of a 17-year-old Paraguayan, Joelito Filártiga, who had been tortured and killed by a henchman of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, brought and won a civil case against his murderer, Americo Peña-Irala. The young man had been tortured to death because his father opposed the government. The ruling established that the statute could be used to hold modern torturers accountable for their actions, wherever they are committed. In the wake of the case, Filártiga v. Peña-Irala, the Alien Tort Statute developed into a new tool in human rights law. Successful cases were brought against government officials, against non-state actors like Radovan Karadžić in Bosnia-Herzegovina and against multinational corporations before the Second Circuit ruling in Kiobel that disallowed that. It is this legacy that is at stake in the Kiobel case before the Supreme Court. The immediate questions before the court on October 1 concern the reach of the Alien Tort Statute and whether it will continue to be possible for people like the Filártigas and the Kiobels to pursue their tormentors and hold them accountable for their heinous acts, and whether corporations can be held to account. But the larger question is: Does the U.S. want to be a leader or a laggard in upholding international human rights? If the statute is narrowed and its promise of universal accountability curtailed, it will rightly be perceived as yet another step by the U.S. away from its once leading advocacy for human rights. If, on the other hand, the Supreme Court upholds the Alien Tort Statute, it will signal to the world that we do still believe that people everywhere are entitled to certain fundamental rights and that we will help enforce those rights. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Vincent Warren.

Vince Warren: At its best, U.S. has been key in championing universal human rights . Warren: A longstanding law lets foreign victims of human rights abuse find justice in U.S. courts . Supreme Court to rule in international human rights case whether law will stand, he says . Warren: If court upholds the law, the world will see U.S. still supports human rights for all .

002509a01890dd51476aa84c634b6c1db306f995

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Thousands of people filled Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Saturday to mark the 22nd anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. The candlelight vigil comes after recent efforts by the Chinese government to quash would-be demonstrators from holding anti-government protests. About 26 people were arrested between February and March, according to a Hong Kong-based human rights group, when an anonymous group began an internet campaign calling for anti-government protests in China similar to ones that have taken hold in the Middle East. In response to the campaign, authorities deployed heavy security along major thoroughfares, especially in Wangfujing, a busy shopping street in downtown Beijing that had been designated by the online group for protests. The government also tightened rules on foreign reporters, explicitly warning them that they risk detention, suspension of press cards and expulsion if they show up at planned demonstrations. 20 years on: Tiananmen remembered . Saturday's protest is an annual event organized by the Hong Kong Alliance, a pro-democracy group. Hong Kong police called it a "peaceful gathering." Images of the demonstration showed a sea of flickering candles covering the length of the park. A little more than 22 years ago, students gathered in Tiananmen Square to memorialize the recently deceased Hu Yaobang. He was fired as Communist Party chief in 1987 by Deng Xiaoping for pushing policies deemed too soft toward "bourgeois-liberal ideas" and tolerating student protests. The April 15 memorial quickly turned into a pro-democracy movement, and students held talks with the government and later a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square to press their cause. On June 4, 1989, Chinese troops in armored personnel carriers and tanks rumbled toward Tiananmen Square. The soldiers, on strict orders to clear the square of demonstrators, had forced their way through the city's main thoroughfare. Along the way, they met fierce resistance from students and city residents who barricaded the streets, so they fired at them. When the firing stopped, hundreds if not thousands of people lay maimed or dead. Relatives of victims renew their hopes every year that Beijing's leaders will reverse the verdict that the protests were a counter-revolutionary rebellion that had to be put down. CNN's Aliza Kassim contributed to this report.

Protesters converge on Hong Kong's Victoria Park for a candlelight vigil . It is the 22nd anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters . The vigil is held after recent efforts to quash anti-government demonstrations .

00258c300ca824ab90db12db58480b00040a96d1

(CNN) -- As Barack Obama makes his case to the nation for taking the fight to ISIS, his top diplomat is also trying to make sure America doesn't have to go it alone. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is sweeping through the Middle East to try to convince regional leaders to back America's plan to beat back the terror group, which has seized a large chunk of territory stretching from northern Syria to central Iraq with alarming pace in recent months. So who's with them? .

Barack Obama making case to nation for increasing military action against ISIS . John Kerry in Middle East trying to get more of the region's leaders on board . Germany, UK, France to offer assistance; Russia wary of potential U.S. strikes in Syria .

002756fbd876d0da1c7d6e6d464c25d5316de3e8

(CNN) -- South Korea launched an investigation Tuesday into reports of toxic chemicals being dumped at a former U.S. military base, the Defense Ministry said. The tests follow allegations of American soldiers burying chemicals on Korean soil. The first tests are being carried out by a joint military, government and civilian task force at the site of what was Camp Mercer, west of Seoul. "Soil and underground water will be taken in the areas where toxic chemicals were allegedly buried," said the statement from the South Korean Defense Ministry. Once testing is finished, the government will decide on how to test more than 80 other sites -- all former bases. The alarm was raised this month when a U.S. veteran alleged barrels of the toxic herbicide Agent Orange were buried at an American base in South Korea in the late 1970s. Two of his fellow soldiers corroborated his story about Camp Carroll, about 185 miles (300 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Seoul. "We've been working very closely with the Korean government since we had the initial claims," said Lt. Gen. John Johnson, who is heading the Camp Carroll Task Force. "If we get evidence that there is a risk to health, we are going to fix it." A joint U.S.- South Korean investigation is being conducted at Camp Carroll to test the validity of allegations. The U.S. military sprayed Agent Orange from planes onto jungles in Vietnam to kill vegetation in an effort to expose guerrilla fighters. Exposure to the chemical has been blamed for a wide variety of ailments, including certain forms of cancer and nerve disorders. It has also been linked to birth defects, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Journalist Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report.

U.S. and South Korea teams are searching for chemicals at former military bases . Toxic chemicals were buried at a U.S. in the 1970s, a American veteran alleges . Agent Orange has been linked to some cancers .

0028aa521d2b3363a2a2d7d74b2961c2c5a8f514

San Diego, California (CNN) -- The "Dream 9," five women and four men, say that they are "undocumented and unafraid." Don't believe it. I bet they were afraid. Who wouldn't have been? The nine -- Claudia Amaro, Adriana Gil Diaz, Luis Leon Lopez, Maria Peniche-Vargas, Ceferino Santiago, LuLu Martinez Valdez, Mario Felix-Garcia, Marco Saavedra and Lizbeth Mateo-Jimenez -- spent more than two weeks in a federal immigration detention facility in Eloy, AZ. Martinez Valdez and Peniche-Vargas--had been put in solitary confinement for what was supposed to be 15 days. All because they wouldn't take "go" for an answer. Some of these "Dreamers" had been deported to Mexico by the Obama administration, though President Obama has repeatedly said that his administration is not looking to deport Dreamers--the name taken by young immigrants who are in the U.S. without papers. Three of them who were on this side of the border -- Saavedra, Martinez Valdez and Mateo-Jimenez -- "self deported" to Mexico to join the other six. Then, on July 22, all nine linked arms and marched across the border into the United States. The idea was to draw attention to the administration's repressive immigration policies. The nine asked for humanitarian parole. When that was denied, they claimed asylum. Opinion: Let's deport Rep. Steve King . Now, they have been set free. Earlier in the week, federal officials found that all nine have "credible fear" of persecution or torture in their birth countries and thus cannot be removed without a hearing before an immigration judge. Pending those hearings, the nine have now been released into the waiting arms of family members within the United States. It's a major victory for the Dreamer movement. For many, this is a heartwarming story about the power of the individual who is brave enough to make a stand. For others, it is major inconvenience. It's a story that the White House wishes would go away. Ditto for immigration reformers who are split between those who back the Dream 9 and those who want to sacrifice them for political expediency. David Leopold, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, callously dismissed the Dream 9 action as a "publicity stunt" and a distraction. He also said it was unlikely that the three Dreamers who voluntarily left the United States would qualify for asylum. So far, Leopold has been spectacularly wrong. All nine will get asylum hearings. And the Dreamers got more warmth from Congress. Thirty-five lawmakers signed a letter asking Obama to use his discretion to release the young people from custody. The letter -- signed by Reps. Mike Honda, D-California, Raul Grijalva, D-Arizona, and Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas, among others -- describes the activists as "victims of our broken immigration policy" who "deserve to come home to the United States." Immigration reformers were bound to lose confidence in this administration. A president can't deport nearly 2 million people in under five years, split up hundreds of thousands of families, detain thousands of undocumented children without giving them access to legal counsel, and expand Arizona-style immigration enforcement nationwide through the maniacal program known as "Secure Communities" without raising a stink. For many, what happened to the Dream 9 was the last straw. Searching for the American Dream in Mexico . Martinez-Valdez and Peniche-Vargas were in solitary confinement because, according to authorities, they started a ruckus in the dining hall. Of course they did. Didn't Obama say that the Dreamers were Americans except for legal status? This is how Americans behave. We're ornery, courageous and defiant. We yell "freedom" at the top of our lungs. These kids are Americans, all right. The next thing you know, a bunch of Dreamers will dump tea into Boston Harbor. Besides, Obama made quite a show -- before the election -- of announcing that his administration was sparing Dreamers deportation by offering deferred action and temporary work permits. Nearly 300,000 Dreamers have been awarded the special accommodation so far. There's not room for nine more? Some might not be eligible for deferred action, some might be. Let's find out. Maybe there would be more compassion on the Potomac if these young people hadn't embarrassed Obama, put the lie to the fairy tale that this administration has been compassionate toward immigrants, divided self-serving organizations such as the lawyers group AILA, and pitted one group of immigration reformers against another -- those who want to protect the Dreamers versus those who want to protect the president. I've had my differences with the Dreamer movement. I think that many of these young people have a sense of entitlement, like most young people in the United States. I didn't think it was a good idea for Dreamer activists to disrupt congressional hearings on immigration reform, or occupy the offices of reform advocates like Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois. And I think much of what drives Dreamer activists within the United States is a look-at-me narcissism fed by social media and a culture where young people are told they can become the next American Idol. Opinion: House, knowledge economy needs immigrants . But I never questioned their sincerity, or dismissed anything they did as a stunt. I wouldn't presume to tell people who put their freedom at risk along the U.S.-Mexico border that the difficult decisions they're making are the wrong ones. And I certainly wouldn't do it to protect an administration that doesn't deserve protecting. The Dream 9 are back where they belong -- in the United States. But this story isn't over. The fault lines it exposed within the immigration reform movement remain. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette.

Ruben Navarrette: Nine Dreamer activists were in federal immigration detention in Arizona . They'd tried to re-enter the U.S. asking for humanitarian parole or asylum and were jailed . He says they have been freed, granted immigration hearing, drew support from Congress . Navarrette: DREAMers sometimes have look-at-me activism, but this request is valid .

0028e335e8d06f2bab786a15965621db28e2ba55

(CNN)When photographer Fabio Bucciarelli first visited South Sudan, he found a nation filled with hope. He found citizens worn out by decades of war -- but looking forward to an independent, peaceful future. That was two years ago, after the world's youngest country split from its northern nemesis, Sudan. "I remember the look on people's faces," Bucciarelli said. "Tired but happy, hopeful for a better future after a past full of pain and war." His return in February was anything but. This time, Bucciarelli found a nation on the brink of an abyss. Instead of jubilant faces of hope, he saw defeated faces haunted by a return of ghosts of past wars. Months of ethnic violence had left thousands dead, 1.5 million people displaced and a looming famine, according to the United Nations. Bucciarelli found despair cramped in tent camps, growing sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers. He described the violence in South Sudan as an "invisible" conflict. "It represents one of the longest and most forgotten African wars," he said. "Its apparent stillness leads to hear about it less and less. Given the tragic consequences and repercussions on the population, I find it essential to bring it to light." His goal, he said, is to tell the stories of people rendered powerless by wars, provide objective images and shed light on human rights issues. "It's hard to find front-line war photography of the kind we've seen in Libya or Syria," Bucciarelli said. "The images in South Sudan are different. They describe visually the effect of the impending war, lending you a view of the civilian and military populations and providing a glimpse of life inside a murky, not clearly defined conflict." The latest conflict erupted in December last year, when President Salva Kiir accused his fired deputy, Riek Machar, of an attempted coup. Since then, militia loyal to both have battled each other and targeted civilians from rival tribes. The conflict has wiped out entire neighborhoods and transformed into a full-blown war between two large tribes, the Nuer and the Dinka. Machar belongs to the Nuer community, while the President is a Dinka. Bucciarelli's pictures provide a rare window into a civilian population under siege. "South Sudan's war represents one of the longest and most forgotten African conflicts," he said. "Its tragic consequences are quietly fading away from the headlines, making these pictures even more crucial." Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011 as part of a peace deal that ended decades of war in Africa's largest nation. That war left 2 million people dead and ended with the peace agreement that included an independence referendum for the south. The recent clashes have been a major setback for a country so desperate for a new start. Instead of relishing its independence, residents of areas such as Bentiu, Bor, Nyang and Mingkaman are struggling to survive as communities turn against one another. Concerned neighboring nations have stepped in and urged warring parties to sign ceasefire deals, but the weapons have not gone quiet. Frantic international pleas for peace have gone unheeded. Fabio Bucciarelli is an Italian photographer whose work focuses on conflict and war. You can follow him on Twitter.

Two years ago, the world's youngest country split from its northern nemesis, Sudan . But during a recent visit, photographer Fabio Bucciarelli found ethnic violence raging .

0029837648b848c9cbde4c26744609e85f528a6c

(CNN) -- Space shuttle Discovery launched just before midnight Friday on a mission to the international space station. Space shuttle Discovery lifts off late Friday from Kennedy Space Center in a photo from iReporter Alan Walters. The crew of seven astronauts includes one from Mexico and another from Sweden. One of those seven, Nicole Stott, will remain on the station as a flight engineer, while astronaut Timothy Kopra is to return home aboard the shuttle. Also on board: The Leonardo logistics module, science experiments and the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), named for fake newsman Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." Colbert won an online poll conducted by NASA to name the newest space station compartment, but Colbert and the space agency compromised to give the moniker to the treadmill. The new compartment was given the name Tranquility. NASA astronaut Cady Coleman said the treadmill is an essential addition to the space station. Watch shuttle launch » . "We have the treadmill now to keep them healthy, which is really part of being able to come home in one piece. So it is an essential part," Coleman said. iReport.com: Discovery lights night sky . Discovery's liftoff, originally set for Tuesday, had been postponed three times -- first for bad weather, and twice more while mission managers checked out indications of a faulty valve.

Space shuttle Discovery launches just before midnight Friday . Discovery is scheduled to fly to international space station with a crew of seven . Logistics module, science experiments, Stephen Colbert treadmill also aboard .

002a083c3893b1fde734280b9eec28d428a02d2b

(CNN) -- This past week saw severe weather in many parts of the world that took dozens of lives and left behind serious damage. Here's a look at some of the extreme weather stories covered by CNN's global affiliates, including a typhoon in the Philippines and a tornado in New Zealand. Unlikely typhoon in the Philippines . Typhoon Bopha devastated the Compostela Valley region in the southern Philippines early this week. At least 148 people have died and thousands of homes have been destroyed, according to TV5. Typhoons are uncommon in the Bopha region. Watch the video above to see how the storm knocked down power lines. Tornado strikes near Auckland . A tornado ripped through the outskirts of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, killing three people and leaving more than 200 people injured, according to TVNZ. About 150 homes were left without power. Flooding in Argentina's capital . Heavy rains in the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires left two people dead, forced evacuations and flooded nearly 9 million acres of farmland, Canal 9 said. See some of the most serious flooding in the video above. Hard to see in Chinese province . Dense fog in the province of Sichuan caused heavy traffic and temporary highway closures in southwestern China. In some areas, visibility was reduced to less than 200 meters. Check out the fog in the video above from CCTV. Poland's winter wonderland . Seven centimeters of snow fell in the city of Lublin on Monday. The snow brought with it temperatures of minus 1 degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit). In the nearby town of Bialystok, nine cars collided, causing one injury. See the snow in the video above, courtesy of TVN.

From CNN's global affiliates, check out some of this week's extreme weather conditions . A typhoon in the Philippines has killed 148 people and destroyed thousands of homes . Near Auckland, New Zealand, a tornado injured more than 200 people .

002a48549068d7db596738c4f3fa2f5562372ab3

(CNN) -- The retrial of Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak, on charges of killing protesters during the country's 2011 revolution and profiteering resumed Saturday before being adjourned until next month. Mubarak was forced from office in February 2011 following two weeks of mass street protests. Following a lengthy trial, he and his former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison last year on charges that they were complicit in the protesters' killings. After appealing their convictions, they were granted a new trial early this year. Six of Mubarak's former security aides last year were acquitted of charges related to the killings, and Mubarak's two sons -- Gamal and Alaa -- were acquitted of corruption charges. But they, too, were ordered to be retried after President Mohamed Morsy, himself ousted this week, ordered a new investigation last year. Mubarak and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Mubarak was present in court Saturday for the fourth session of the retrial, wearing his signature sunglasses. He made his first court appearance in May. The retrial has been adjourned until August 17, the prosecution said in a statement. A public prosecutor sent Mubarak -- who spent months detained in a military hospital -- back to prison in April. Mubarak's health has been a bone of contention during his trial and incarceration. He suffered a heart attack after relinquishing power and had maintained that he was physically unfit to stand trial. Mubarak has been held since his guilty verdict last year. He is also charged with seizing public funds and misusing political influence. He also faces a corruption charge that was not part of the original trial. Mubarak is accused of selling natural gas to neighboring Israel for prices below fair market value. The ousted autocratic leader spent three decades in charge of Egypt, the most populous Arab country. Journalist Adam Makary contributed to this report.

NEW: The retrial of former President Hosni Mubarak is adjourned until mid-August . The retrial is being held for Mubarak and his sons, as well as a former minister and security aides . Mubarak was forced from office in February 2011 following two weeks of mass street protests . Mubarak was convicted last year but was granted a retrial after appealing his conviction .

002a6553123aa9c80a49b1e6e54c5a684975e452

(InStyle.com) -- Singer Carrie Underwood dishes on dieting, beauty and fashion. Carrie Underwood in a Michael Kors wool crêpe dress and Kenneth Jay Lane link bracelet. 1. Always look the part . Most of the time I slap on some makeup in the morning so I don't look bad if somebody snaps a picture. Somebody, somewhere, will catch you, even if it's a fan at the grocery store. Very rarely do I go out without makeup. 2. Keep a food diary . I'm OCD like that. I count calories, fat and fiber--which is important in making you feel fuller faster--and protein, especially when I'm working out. Watch how Carrie handles romantic distress » . 3. Don't be a dairy queen . Cheese is ruining my life! I'm trying to talk myself into being lactose-intolerant. I mean, it's basically moldy milk, and it doesn't smell that great--but it's so good! Oh, jeez, I'm thinking about it now... 4. Exercise your options . Always take an hour for yourself to go do something positive. I like the elliptical machine or swimming if I'm in a hotel with a decent pool and there aren't too many people there. I also do the treadmill, free weights, exercise ball. If it's a nice day, outdoor activity is nice. I get a bike and ride around. Plus, I get a decent cardio workout every night onstage. 5. Don't break the bank . I don't buy expensive jewelry and fur coats and Escalades. I've never bought a car in my life. The car I have, a Ford Mustang convertible, is the one I won on Idol--I guess I need to go buy a new car after all! 6. Smell yummy . I don't do smelly soaps or wear perfume, so lotion is kind of my perfume. My favorite body lotion is Benefit's Maybe Baby. It's got a little shimmer in it. If I'm dressing up I might use perfume. I have a couple by Anna Sui. And Gwen Stefani's perfume [L], is good too. 7. Be a girlie girl . With makeup I think it's important for girls to play. I mix a lot. I'll put on lip gloss and go, "That needs to shimmer." So I'll put something shimmery on top. Then I want it a little pinker, so I put pink on top. But it all comes together. I'm trying to lay off the black eyeliner, though--I love it a little too much. 8. Go with the flow . I tend to go after bigger, flowy tops or dresses. I know I'm doing myself a disservice, but I'd rather put on a muumuu and have people at least think there might be a skinny person underneath than put on something tight and have them think, Look at that gut! 9. Laugh at yourself . Usually I come up through the floor to get to the stage. I can't stand up on the little platform or the audience will see me, so I'm squatting down with my rear end pressed up against the back of it. I just laugh because the audience thinks this is so glamorous--and here I am under the stage with these ropes and equipment, my butt pressed against plastic! E-mail to a friend . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE! Copyright © 2009 Time Inc. All rights reserved.

Singer Carrie Underwood uses lotion more than perfume . She counts calories, fat and fiber; cheese is her downfall . Singer loves to play with makeup .

002ab555011a771d8390288495066e30028292ee

The gunman who held hostages for more than 16 hours in a Sydney cafe was no stranger to police -- and was on bail for violent criminal offenses at the time of the siege. Man Haron Monis, an Iranian-born refugee who was granted political asylum in Australia in 2001, had "a long history of violent crime, infatuation with extremism and mental instability," Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters. "It's pretty obvious that the perpetrator was a deeply disturbed individual," he said at a press conference Tuesday, adding that the 50-year-old was "well known" to federal and state police, as well as the Australian Security Intelligence Organization. "But I don't believe he was on a terror watch list at this time." New South Wales Premier Mike Baird said authorities were investigating why Monis -- who was killed in the siege -- was at large, given his criminal background. "We're all outraged that this guy was on the street," he told reporters. "We need to understand why he was. We also need to understand why he wasn't picked up." What we know, what we don't know . Accessory to murder, sex charges . The self-styled Muslim cleric, also known as Sheikh Haron, was facing dozens of charges at the time of the siege, including two counts of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife, according to the Attorney General of New South Wales. Noleen Hayson Pal was found dead with multiple stab wounds in a stairwell, and her body had been set on fire, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. "They should have put him away and thrown away the key," the dead woman's godfather, Ayyut Khalik, told NBC News. He said Monis used to beat Pal, forcing her to wear a hijab all the time and forbidding her from talking to "outsiders." Court documents show Monis was also facing 45 sex-related charges, including sexual intercourse without consent and aggravated indecent assault. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the initial charges, laid in May 2014, related to an alleged sexual assault on a woman in western Sydney in 2002, before other sex-related charges were added regarding six additional victims. Monis was using the name Mohammad Hassan Manteghi -- his birth name, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA -- and claimed to be a "healer," according to the report. Monis also pleaded guilty last year to writing offensive "poison pen" letters to the families of Australian soldiers who died in Afghanistan, and was sentenced to 300 hours of community service. The letters were "sadistic, wantonly cruel and deeply wounding," one High Court judge said at the time, according to CNN affiliate Seven News. But the criminal accusations against him began even before he came to Australia. Monis fled his homeland in 1995 while being sought for allegedly committing fraud, Iran's semi-official Fars News reported. A spokesperson at Iran's embassy in Canberra told CNN that Tehran had officially requested Monis's extradition but nothing had come of it. Monis had been granted political asylum in 2001 and had had no further contact with his birth country, the spokesperson said. Who were the victims? An extremist theology . Manny Conditsis, a lawyer who acted for Monis in relation to the accessory to murder and letter-writing charges, told CNN his former client had been a cleric in Shiite Iran, but had become critical of the Islamic Republic's government in the late 1990s, and fled to Australia "because he was going to be killed." He had left behind a wife and two children, who he believed Monis had not seen since. Throughout the 2000s, said Conditsis, Monis "became sympathetic to what he perceived ... was the victimization of Muslims and Islamists around the world, and partly at least took up that cause." His broader cause, he said, was lobbying governments around the world, particularly Australia, not to wage wars on Muslim soil. "He was so blinded by that objective that it would seem he had lost sight of objectivity and rationality and acted in extreme ways," he said, describing his former client as "intensely conflicted and contradicted and inconsistent." While older footage of Monis preaching shows him dressed in typical Shiite cleric's attire, in his social media posts, he appears to embrace a radical Sunni extremist theology. He used the Internet to spread extremist beliefs, garnering nearly 13,000 likes on his Facebook page. During the siege, Abbott said, the hostage-taker "sought to cloak his actions with the symbolism of the (ISIS) death cult," Abbott said. On his website, which has now been taken down, there was a pledge of allegiance to the so-called Islamic State terror group. The site describes Monis as a Muslim cleric and activist based in Sydney who has "continuously been under attack & false accusation by the Australian government & media since he started his political letter campaign from 2007." There's a graphic photo of slain children at the top of the site. Under the image, it reads, "This is an evidence for the terrorism of America and its allies including Australia. The result of their airstrikes." A description on the site portrayed Monis as a victim of a political vendetta and compares him to Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who has claimed the sex crime allegations he faces are politically motivated. A YouTube video posted in November shows Monis standing on a street corner, chains draped over him, carrying a sign that says, "I have been tortured in prison for my political letters." Police have refused to comment on that accusation. His last tweet linked to his website, with a haunting message posted the day of his attack on the Sydney cafe: "If we stay silent towards the criminals we cannot have a peaceful society. The more you fight with crime, the more peaceful you are." Conditsis told Australian public broadcaster ABC that Monis was an isolated figure who was probably acting alone. Crisis in a cafe . Monday's hostage situation began around 10 a.m. Hundreds of police officers, including snipers, took position around the Lindt Chocolate Cafe in Sydney's central business district. Australian media captured haunting images of hostages pressing their hands against the cafe's windows. They were reportedly taking turns holding a black flag with Arabic writing on it that said, "There is no God but God and Mohammed is the prophet of God." The man holding the hostages demanded to speak to Abbott. Police were monitoring social media because hostages appeared to be posting information about the man's demands. Hours into the crisis, at least five hostages managed to escape, running terrified toward police in riot gear. That made the hostage-taker furious, reported Chris Reason, a correspondent for CNN affiliate Seven Network. Reason said he could see the gunman become "extremely agitated" when he realized what had happened, and he "started screaming orders" at the remaining hostages. Gunfire erupted early Tuesday as police stormed the cafe where the gunman had been holding hostages. Two hostages were killed during the standoff. Police later announced that the siege was over and that the lone gunman had been killed.

Man Haron Monis had history of "infatuation with extremism and mental instability," Abbott says . Hostage-taker was granted political asylum in Australia in 2001; was on bail for violent offending . His former lawyer says he campaigned against "the victimization of Muslims and Islamists" On Monis' apparent website, there is a pledge of allegiance to ISIS .

002b864bf68d00d74d0cad76be4cbc049f7321ca

(CNN) -- With the sweltering summer bidding adieu and pleasant autumn temperatures setting in, now's the time to explore New Delhi. Travelers to the Indian capital may hesitate to try the city's famed street foods, fearing the notorious "Delhi belly." But skip the street food scene and you miss an essential part of the Delhi experience. Here are seven street delicacies among Delhi's endless choices, including a mix of vegetarian, non-veg and dessert. Ram laddoo . Desperate for an energy boost after a tiring shopping session? A plate of ram laddoo is your fix. Ram laddoo ("laddoo" is a name for sweet flour balls) are savory, deep-fried moong balls served with chili-coriander sauce and garnished with grated radish. Served in silver-colored, throwaway plastic bowls, one serving of six-to-seven balls is a great power snack or even lunch. Best to try it at the make-shift ram laddoo stalls, sometimes on a bicycle, that are strewn across town. If you aren't lucky enough to see one, try it at Lajpat Nagar main market. Chaat . Sitting under a tiny tin-roofed shop in and downing deep-fried potato patties floating in a blend of yogurt, spicy green and red sauces served in leaf bowls is a definitive Delhi experience that even hardcore locals can't get enough of. Chaat is a collective term used to describe savory street dishes in India, especially these three: aloo tikki (described in the gallery above), dahi bhalla (cutlets of skinless black lentil-like gram submerged in yogurt) and papri chaat (a hybrid of aloo tikki and dahi bhalla with salty, plain biscuits thrown in). Many Delhi chaat addicts flock to a narrow alley behind the Union Public Service Commission's office near Khan Market (Humayun Road, Pandara Flats, India Gate, New Delhi, India). Prabhu Chaat Bhandar's (Dholpur House, Shahjahan Road, Khan Market, New Delhi; open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.) range of chaat options do the trick for a satisfying dinner. Parantha . Located in a remote corner in old Delhi's Chandni Chowk area, Paranthe Wali Gali (Lane of Paranthas) is home to some of Delhi's best-known parantha joints. The chapati's stouter, fancier cousin, parantha is a pan-fried flatbread generally stuffed with vegetables, such as mashed potato, grated cauliflower and radish. It's a popular breakfast item in Delhi's Punjabi households. Paranthe Wali Gali offers innovative parantha options. As you plonk down in one of the Gali's tiny, crammed restaurants, you'll find a number of delicious offerings: Indian rabri (sweet yogurt) parantha, mirch (red pepper) parantha, and lemon parantha (prepared from lemon zest, and probably the best this street has to offer). Samosa . Samosa is chaat's close competitor for the title of "Definitive Delhi Street food" title. (If there was such a thing.) It is to India, perhaps, what momo dumplings are to Tibet and bagels are to certain parts of the United States. As most people know, samosas are deep-fried, triangular pastry pockets, packed with potato, peas, lentils and sometimes meat. Although they're often served as an appetizer at Indian restaurants around the world, they can be paired with chaat for a full meal. Great places to try samosas in Delhi include Rewari Sweets (Sadar Bazar, Gurgaon, India; +91 124 232 1826; open daily 8 a.m.-8:30 p.m.) and Bengali Sweet House (27-33, Bengali Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi; +91 11 2331 9224; open daily 8 a.m.-11 p.m.). Kebabs . Traveling to Delhi and not trying the kebabs? Not done. A legacy left behind by the Mughals, who invaded India in the 16th century, the grilled meats served on skewers make the best on-the-go protein meals. You can typically choose among mutton or chicken kebabs. The Chandni Chowk and Hazrat Nizamuddin areas house some of the best kebab outlets in Delhi. If you aren't up for the large crowds in these bustling locations, you can take refuge in the more accessible Qureshi's Corner in Greater Kailash II (8, Narmada Shopping Complex, Alaknanda, New Delhi; +91 11 2602 0563; open daily 7-11 p.m.). Chola bhatura . No snack this, chola bhatura is for people with huge appetites. Fluffy, plain, flour bread combined with a chickpea curry, garnished with chopped onion and served with a tangy mango pickle, chola bhatura is a Delhi meal staple. It works both as a lunch and dinner item. Baba Nagpal Corner in Lajpat Nagar is arguably the best chola bhatura area in New Delhi. But if you find yourself in Karol Bagh or Rajouri Garden, you could hop into any of the numerous chola bhatura shops. Faluda kulfi . After consuming mouth-burning delicacies it's kulfi time. Kulfi is India's local ice cream, made with milk and a smattering of dried fruits. There are 57 varieties in all. The queen of them all is faluda kulfi (faluda is a popular rose milk flavor dessert drink with vermicelli noodles). The trusted Krishna Di Kulfi in Pandara Road Market serves kulfi with the heavenly faluda, a beverage consisting of rose milk and vermicelli.

If you haven't tried these street foods, you haven't been to Delhi . The most iconic chaat are aloo tikki, dahi bhalla and papri chaat . The best kulfi ice cream is topped with rose milk faluda .

002c115c31577d0e9443794d27c2df51312858b4

(CNN) -- One of the most highly anticipated apps for Apple devices was made available on Wednesday. At least, until it wasn't. Google announced a Gmail app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch that was designed to make it easier for the service's more than 190 million users to navigate their mail. "We check email pretty much everywhere these days," Google content manager Matthew Izatt wrote on the Gmail blog. "And when we do, we want easy access to our important messages so we can respond quickly and get back to life -- or slinging birds at thieving green pigs." Users of Apple's operating system could already access Gmail through a mobile site or set it up as their default e-mail account. But the new app promised a smoother experience with a host of new features. The tech blogosphere was delighted. "Go get the iPhone app for Gmail!" popular blogger Robert Scoble wrote on his Google+ page. Then, a few minutes passed. "UPDATE: DO NOT. The Gmail app is really a piece of crud," he wrote. "Not worth loading. Very disappointed." Google had obviously already noticed what Scoble did. Shortly after it was unveiled, the app was pulled from the Apple Store. "The iOS app we launched today contained a bug with notifications," Google posted on its Gmail Twitter account. "We have pulled the app to fix the problem. Sorry we messed up." Later, a fuller explanation was added to the original blog post. "Earlier today we launched a new Gmail app for iOS," Google posted. "Unfortunately, it contained a bug which broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. We've removed the app while we correct the problem, and we're working to bring you a new version soon. Everyone who's already installed the app can continue to use it." The app ... at least the fully working version of it ... will send push notifications and sound cues when new messages are received, search your inbox for an e-mail, autocomplete e-mail addresses and upload photos to messages. It will also feature the same Priority Inbox that Gmail's Web version has and add a new mobile interface that will allow users to navigate their inbox more quickly with touch controls. There was no word from Google Wednesday afternoon as to when the fixed app might be back up.

Gmail mobile app is released, then pulled, from Apple's online store . The app was made available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch . Google said bugs broke the app's notification system and caused error messages . No word on when fixed Gmail app will be released .

002c715ea1428373cc432c9508d4a48d2e6069f4

Washington (CNN) -- A hearing continues Thursday to determine the future of John Hinckley Jr., who shot President Ronald Reagan and three others in March 1981. After an expected week and half of testimony, a federal judge will consider whether Hinckley should eventually be released from a mental hospital, where he has been a patient since his 1982 trial. The trial ended in a jury verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity. On Wednesday, Hinckley's lawyers said he is not dangerous and should eventually be released. But prosecutors are fighting that, saying Hinckley has been deceptive about his activities while on visits to his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia. In opening statements, prosecutor Sarah Chasson said Secret Service agents will testify they performed surveillance on Hinckley without his knowledge earlier this year when he was allowed what he was told was unsupervised free time in Williamsburg. On several occasions in July and September, Hinckley was supposed to go to the movies or shopping but instead went to bookstores where he looked at books about Ronald Reagan and presidential assassins, Chasson said. A requirement of Hinckley's current visitation program is that plans be laid out detailing what he will do when on his own and that medical staff and the Secret Service are informed. According to Chasson, in the first instance in July, Hinckley was supposed to go to the movie "Captain America." Later when he saw his "treatment team," Hinckley not only maintained he had gone to the movie, but he enthusiastically recommended it. Chasson also quoted from a 1987 diary entry by Hinckley in which he said "psychiatry is a guessing game" and doctors "will never know the true John Hinckley." "The hospital doesn't know what Mr. Hinckley is thinking, and he wants it that way," the prosecutor said. Hinckley's attorney, Barry Levine, said the issue is not whether Hinckley has sometimes been deceptive but whether he is dangerous. "This man is not dangerous and the evidence shows he is not dangerous," Levine said. He added that Hinckley is "flawed" but is "fundamentally decent." Levine said that in the two and a half decades that Hinckley has been at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington to undergo treatment and during his visits outside that facility, there has "not been a single act of violence." Since 1999, Levine said, Hinckley has been taking a drug called Risperdal. Medical websites describe Risperdal as an antipsychotic medication often used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Dr. Tyler Jones, director of psychiatry at St. Elizabeths, testified Hinckley also started taking Zoloft in 2005 after complaining about anxiety. Jones said Hinckley had been diagnosed years ago as suffering from depression and from an unspecified psychotic disorder. But Jones said he's been in remission for both of those disorders for many years. He said Hinckley also suffers from narcissism, which has improved but is still present. Jones said he has interviewed Hinckley but has not treated him. According to Jones, Hinckley's treatment team was informed by the Secret Service that Hinckley had not told the truth about his activities during several visits. Jones said the medical staff discussed this issue with Hinckley, who initially did not appear to view the issue as a big deal, but later understood it was a serious issue. Although concerned Hinckley was not truthful about his activities, Jones said, "We didn't feel this constituted an increased risk." The staff decided to reduce Hinckley's Christmas visit to his mother from 10 days to five days, and he will not be allowed to have any unaccompanied activities during that December stay. Jones said the staff had considered stronger action including the possibility of revoking Hinckley's privileges altogether. A September filing by prosecutors said Hinckley "continues to be deceptive regarding his relationships with and interest in women." According to the document, in June of 2009 he went on the Internet to find photos of his female dentist. "When he was caught, Hinckley claimed, falsely, that the dentist had invited him to view her personal photographs." Asked about the photographs of the dentist, Jones said the photographs were of the woman graduating from dental school and were "not salacious." He said the hospital considers Hinckley "a low risk of violence to himself and others." Currently, Hinckley is allowed to visit his mother 10 days a month. On July 29, St. Elizabeths Hospital filed a proposal to increase that. The first step would allow Hinckley to have two visits of 17 days. That would be followed by six visits of 24 days. According to the September government filing opposing the plan, the hospital would then "be given the sole discretion to place Hinckley on convalescent leave in his mother's hometown." After the judge and all the lawyers were in place, Hinckley, now 56, entered the court wearing a brown sports jacket, dark pants and a striped tie. He shook hands with all his lawyers and sat down. U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman greeted Hinckley and he replied, saying, "Good morning." Hinckley's defense team has listed him as a possible witness at the proceedings but has not revealed if he will definitely testify. Prosecutors want to cross-examine Hinckley and his defense lawyers oppose that. Mental health experts and Secret Service agents will testify, along with Hinckley's brother and sister. Hinckley's mother is now 85 years old and is not a scheduled witness. It's not clear how quickly the judge might issue a ruling on the hospital's plan to gradually allow Hinckley greater freedom. On March 30, 1981, Hinckley waited for President Reagan to leave a Washington Hotel after a speech. He opened fire and hit Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty. All survived, but Brady suffered a serious head wound that permanently affected his mobility and his speech. Hinckley, who was 25 at the time of the shooting, was enamored of actress Jodie Foster. He left a letter addressed to her in his Washington hotel room saying, "Dear Jodie. There is a definite possibility I will be killed in my attempt to get Reagan."

Defense attorneys want John Hinckley to be transitioned out of a mental hospital . "The hospital doesn't know what Mr. Hinckley is thinking," the prosecutor says . The hearing may determine whether to eventually free him from a mental hospital . After John Hinckley shot Reagan, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity .

002c962834b7886c600a31a35053543e324883bd

Atlanta (CNN) -- Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain told supporters Saturday that he is suspending his presidential campaign, which has become hobbled in recent weeks by allegations of sexual harassment and an Atlanta woman's claim that they carried on a 13-year affair. While he will still be able to raise and spend campaign funds because he did not officially drop out, Cain's White House bid is effectively over. Cain said he came to the decision after assessing the impact that the allegations were having on his wife, his family and his supporters. Cain and his wife, Gloria, held hands as they walked up to the podium where Cain made his remarks in Atlanta. The crowd chanted, "Gloria! Gloria!" before the candidate spoke. Even as he stepped aside under the weight of the allegations that have dogged him, Cain said that he was at "peace with my God" and "peace with my wife." He repeatedly called the allegations "false and untrue," and added that "the (media) spin hurts." "I am not going to be silenced and I will not go away," Cain said, announcing what he called his Plan B: A website, TheCainSolutions.com, through which he will continue to advocate for his platform. His catchy "9-9-9" economic plan is not going anywhere, he said. "Your support has been unwavering and undying," Cain told his supporters. He will endorse another of the Republican presidential hopefuls soon, he said. Other candidates were quick to react. "Herman Cain provided an important voice to this process," Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann said in a statement. "His ideas and energy generated tremendous enthusiasm for the conservative movement at a time it was so desperately needed to restore confidence in our country." Fellow Georgian Newt Gingrich said the "9-9-9" plan "got our country talking about the critical issue of how to reform our tax code and he elevated the dialogue of the Republican presidential primary in the process." Texas Gov. Rick Perry said he knew the Cains made a "difficult decision. He helped invigorate conservative voters and our nation with a discussion of major tax reform." Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman said Cain brought "a unique and valuable voice to the debate over how to reform our country's uncompetitive tax code and turn around the economy. I understand his decision and wish him and his family the best." Recently, Cain acknowledged that Ginger White's allegations of an affair have led to a drop in campaign contributions, and a Des Moines Register poll showed his support among likely Republican Iowa caucus-goers has fallen to 8%, down from 23% in October. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.9 points, the newspaper said. Respondents said they were most concerned that Cain does not understand important issues, but said the allegations against him contribute to their concern, the newspaper said. This week, White told the news media that she and Cain engaged in an on-and-off affair for more than 13 years. She described the affair as "very casual." White issued a statement, through her attorney, after Cain's announcement Saturday. "Ginger White respects Mr. Cain's decision regarding his campaign and indeed would have respected any decision he made," the statement said. "That being said, she is disappointed that he has not apologized for the public statements he has made about her and other women who have spoken out." In a fund-raising letter Tuesday night, Cain referred to White as "troubled." Two women -- Sharon Bialek and Karen Kraushaar -- previously accused Cain of sexually harassing them in the 1990s while he was head of the National Restaurant Association. Two other women also have said Cain sexually harassed them while they worked at the association, but they have declined to be identified. Cain told the Union Leader in New Hampshire that he repeatedly gave White money to help her with "month-to-month bills and expenses." But he denied the relationship was sexual, as White contends. He said the two were friends. "I send checks to a lot of people; I help a lot of people," Cain told Fox News on Thursday. "That in itself is not proof. So the other allegation in terms of it being a 13-year physical relationship, that is her words against my word." In the interview, Cain said his wife, knew nothing about White nor his financial support for her until the mother of two came forward last week. "My wife now knows," he told the newspaper. "My wife and I have talked about it, and I have explained it to her. My wife understands that I'm a soft-hearted, giving person." Cain's announcement came a month before the Iowa caucuses, the first formal test of the primary season, scheduled for January 3. New Hampshire Republican officials who supported Cain began to survey their options Saturday, with several state representatives saying their support could go to Gingrich or Ron Paul. Cain's most prominent supporter in the state, former GOP state party chair Jack Kimball, said he would wait to learn who Cain would endorse before making his own decision. Cain told staffers earlier this week he was reassessing his campaign in the wake of White's allegation of an affair, and he acknowledged to reporters Wednesday that her account had led to a drop in contributions to his campaign. He said in the Thursday Union Leader interview that his wife's feelings, as well as the reaction from supporters and donors, would be important factors in deciding whether he will stay the race. Cain told the newspaper he would drop out of the race if his wife asked him to, but quickly added that she wouldn't. Though Gloria Cain rarely makes public appearances or statements, she told Fox News last month that she believed the sexual harassment allegations were "unfounded." CNN's Rachel Streitfeld contributed to this report.

NEW: Woman who alleges an affair with Cain wants an apology . Cain will endorse another candidate soon . Cain's Iowa support fell to single digits, the Des Moines Register reports . Candidate was dogged by allegations of sexual harassment and an affair .

002cceec34994ff6ff91f6232054e5f71b9eb4b5

(CNN) -- Four years ago, Brandon Stanton became New York City's unofficial photo-chronicler. With his blog, Humans of New York -- which has over eight million followers on social media -- he has captured the heart and soul of the city's multi-national inhabitants. His trademark -- the micro narratives that accompany each image -- has been imitated in the far reaches of the globe, from Sydney to Khartoum. Last month, he turned his lens, and poignant interview style, to the world at large. In partnership with the United Nations, he is touring roughly a dozen countries in a bid to raise awareness for the peacekeeping organization's Millennium Development Goals. His first stop: Iraq and Jordan. 'My eyes were opened' Though his trip was "months in the works," Stanton didn't anticipate that his arrival in Erbil, Iraq would coincide with that of ISIS. The first people he questioned were Yazidi refugees who had only freshly fled their homes, their families, their lives as a whole. "My idea of what constitutes personal tragedy has been expanded a lot just listening to what these people are going through," admits Stanton. For the Yazidis he approached -- from the student who had to abandon his long sought after Master's degree to flee bombs to the mother whose children can't stop crying for home -- Stanton found himself falter at the prospect of pursuing his traditional line of questioning. "When you've just abandoned your house, and your family is surrounded by a hostile army, and you don't know if they're going to survive, it's just inappropriate to ask what your happiest memory with your mother is," he says. "I felt I couldn't ask them beyond their present circumstances, because their lives were absolutely consumed by those circumstances." 'Pack a bag and get ready to run' The day Stanton landed in Iraq, ISIS captured the Mosul Dam. The day he left, the United States started air strikes. His time there, he admits, was often terrifying. "When I was in Dohuk, there was a moment I got a call in the middle of the night from UNICEF telling to pack a bag and get ready to run, because ISIS was shelling the town and had broken through the lines," he recalls. "It was an abundance of caution it turned out, but it was a sleepless night." It was one of many moments, he admits, when he appreciated what it means to feel secure. "I went to this place where all people wanted was a bit of security: to send their kids to school, to start a business, to get married and live a normal life. And I realized that in the absence of physical security, no other layers of life can really be experienced," he says. "That constant uncertainty seeps into your psyche in a way that you can't really pinpoint until you go back to a place that is secure." For Stanton, that place was Jordan. "I really noticed when I landed in Jordan, where the infrastructures was in place and there was no imminent threat, that there was a load lifted from my psyche," he says. The stories he heard were different as well. The tenor, though often still heart-breaking (he visited Zaatari Refugee Camp that houses around 80,000 Syrians), demonstrated a lighter side of the human character. In the absence of immediate danger, there was hope. "The other thing this trip has made me realize is the depth of ambition, particularly in underdeveloped countries," he says. "Everybody I talked to had such big dreams, and often such limited opportunities with which to achieve those dreams."

Brandon Stanton launched Humans of New York blog . Partnering with U.N., he's on a world tour that started in Iraq and Jordan . His mini narratives reveal the struggles and dreams of ordinary people .

0031f262451b4b335dfda3aca9b533d244244e1e

(CNN) -- A new CNN poll confirms that we're witnessing a quiet reversal in the character of our two major parties. Traditionally, Republicans have always coalesced around the conventional wisdom front-runner for president. Conservatives respect structure, order and party brand names. Not for nothing was the name Nixon, Bush or Dole on the GOP presidential ticket from 1952 to 2004. In contrast, Democrats have favored the presidential candidate with the hot hand, rising from obscurity to the White House -- think Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But a fresh-out-of-the-oven CNN presidential poll shows a fractured GOP field of newcomers with no clear front-runner while the Democrats have given an unprecedented lead to a brand name of their own: Hillary Clinton. Opinion: GOP strategy on shutdown courts doom . Yes, it is pathetically early to be projecting on the 2016 presidential campaign. Predictive capacity hovers somewhere near zero, and time fixated on polls would be productively used thinking about the 2014 midterms or the fights over the debt ceiling looming over our divided, dysfunctional Congress. But as a snapshot of the underlying dynamics driving the two parties, this new poll is worth a look. On the GOP side of the aisle, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie narrowly leads the fractured field at 17%, one point above Rep. Paul Ryan, best known as Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate. In the old days, the previous vice presidential nominee would be the future favorite. But that doesn't seem to be the case for Ryan, who emerged from the 2012 presidential race arguably damaged by his association with the Romney campaign. Traditionally, the governor of blue state New Jersey wouldn't be on the GOP radar at all, but Christie -- cruising to a landslide re-election -- seems to be the exception to this and other rules. Next on the list is Rand Paul, the scion of an outsider libertarian movement sparked by his dad's multiple runs for president. But the compelling and controversial one-time eye doctor is a first-term senator from Kentucky, far from your typical presidential timber. Perhaps most interesting is the second tier of GOP candidates. Jeb Bush seems settled in at 10%, despite brand name and legendary brand loyalty. Two Hispanic senate Republicans, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, come in next at 9% and 7% respectively. And then, at the bottom of the barrel, come two 2012 aspirants: Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. Far from being strengthened by their 2012 campaigns, these two candidates seem weakened by the experience. Rick Perry's "oops" heard round the world still resonates while Santorum's strident social conservatism doesn't seem to be taken seriously by 95% of the party faithful. Strange days. Obama pressures conservative Republicans over possible shutdown . The real news is on the Democratic side. Hillary Clinton has accumulated a towering 55 percentage point lead over her next closest competitor, Vice President Joe Biden, who is at 10% and doesn't exactly lack name recognition. Below Biden are first-term Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 7%, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo at 6% and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley -- perhaps the most openly ambitious of the bunch -- at 2%. Clinton's dominance illustrates an interesting dynamic. Six years ago, she was a far more polarizing figure among Democrats (and independents). Today, after her service as secretary of state, she seems more qualified and less polarizing, transcending her association with the culture of wars concurrent with Bubba's two terms in office. Tough and experienced, Clinton is now positioned as a candidate who rivals Obama's 2007 surge. She will also be positioned as the candidate of the 51%, compelling to women of all ages and even possibly competitive among Republican women in this incarnation. Uncle Joe Biden is well liked by the rank and file, but there doesn't seem to be much of a stampede to put him on the top of the ticket. Warren's strength comes from fascination with the new and represents the growing strength of the liberal base in the party. And while successful governors like Cuomo and O'Malley have earned the right to be taken seriously as presidential candidates, the party faithful don't seem to be much interested in buying what they are selling at the moment. If Clinton does not run for some reason, Democrats will quickly wake up to the awkward fact that they have almost no depth of the bench after two Obama terms. So there you have it: Democrats are behaving like Republicans, falling in line behind the big brand name dominating a race that is still three years away. And Republicans are behaving like Democrats, putting forward a fractured field with no clear front-runners but elevating a New Jersey governor, a Wisconsin congressman and a Kentucky senator to the front of the pack. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Avlon.

John Avlon: A new CNN poll shows a reversal in the character of two major parties . Avlon: Traditionally, GOP coalesce around a front-runner; Democrats root for newcomers . Now, GOP has an eclectic pool of presidential candidates; Democrats have Hillary Clinton . Avlon: If Clinton does not run, Democrats will have almost no strong candidate .

0032962a65bf404388581ef85d501c048eb67987

(Tribune Media Services) -- When Eileen Mather lands in Mexico City on her way to Tapachula, Mexico, she learns her airline ticket isn't valid. Her airline forces her to buy a new one. Mather asks her online agency, Cheapoair.com, for a refund, but more than six months later, she's still out $879. Is she also out of options? Q: I need your help getting my money back for a plane ticket I had to pay for twice. Here's my story: I bought tickets online through Cheapoair.com from Philadelphia to Tapachula, Mexico. When we arrived in Mexico City, Aviacsa Airlines representatives told us that Cheapoair hadn't paid for the last leg of our trip. So I had to buy new tickets. Two members of our group also had to pay again. After I returned home, I faxed all of my documents to a supervisor at Cheapoair. That was six months ago. I've called her repeatedly and left messages, but no one has contacted me, and I'm out $879. Is there anything you can do? -- Eileen Mather, Glenside, Pennsylvania . A: You shouldn't have to pay twice for your airline tickets. But you also shouldn't be too quick to blame Cheapoair for the mix-up. A lot can go wrong when you're dealing with a flight schedule that involves multiple carriers. Reservations can be lost, paper tickets and boarding passes can be misread. And, of course, there's the language issue. When you're traveling internationally, something can easily get lost in the translation. Cheapoair may -- or may not -- have been responsible for your non-working tickets. But as your online travel agent, it was responsible for helping you fix it. That's why you buy from an intermediary and pay a booking fee: so there's someone to turn to when something goes wrong. The online agency shouldn't have kept you in a holding pattern for more than six months. Cheapoair's "Golden Guarantee" promises "to provide all our customers with 24/7 toll-free number support because we understand the importance of critical last-minute client/traveler needs and requirements for changes to trips." I guess offering a toll-free number around the clock doesn't necessarily mean your questions will be answered quickly, but you can't blame me if I'm left with that impression. You could have avoided a lengthy dance with Cheapoair by taking this up with Aviacsa either when you were flying to Tapachula or returning home. If you had arrived at the airport a half-hour earlier, you might have been able to speak with a supervisor and straightened this out. Once you were home, and were running into a brick wall with Cheapoair's supervisor, I would have tried knocking on the front door again. Normally, starting a new query through an online form means your complaint will get reviewed again and may be assigned a new case number. A phone call doesn't work the same way. After you hang up, your case is basically closed. I contacted Cheapoair on your behalf. It apologized for the delay and said it contacted Aviasca, but couldn't determine why your ticket wasn't accepted. An airline representative told Cheapoair it would have to speak to the agent who was working at the ticket counter when you checked in, which was impossible. Cheapoair refunded the $879 you spent on your second ticket. Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. E-mail him at celliott@ngs.org. Copyright 2009 CHRISTOPHER ELLIOTT, DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

Customer booked an international flight through Cheapoair.com . Ticket for one leg of her flight was not accepted, and she had to buy a new one . The online agency did not know why her ticket was rejected . Troubleshooter contacted Cheapoair, and it refunded the customer's money .

0032d07e91b8ce3d5f8ac313d799341df7556234

(CNN) -- Even during the harshest periods of the communist era, being Shanghainese had a special cachet in China. The city and its residents were a synonym for Western fashion and open-minded attitudes, as different as could be from their Mao-pin wearing comrades. Its personality remains just as strong today. Shanghai is an unusual place. It's Chinese, but not entirely; its hybrid of Eastern and Western business and social traditions is found nowhere else in mainland China. Here are the things that make China's booming commercial hub a unique place in the world's most populous country. The Bund . A number of pockets in China have impressive Western buildings -- the German Quarter in Qingdao, Russian buildings in Harbin -- but none provide the surreal feeling of "elsewhereness" like the Bund. The Bund refers to Shanghai's waterfront on the west bank of Huangpu River. Two dozen colossal Western structures, ranging in style from art deco to Victorian Gothic, stand side by side, forming a massive marble curtain. View it from afar and you'd think you were sailing into Liverpool. The 1,500-meter-long strip is a legacy passed down by one of the city's former rulers, Great Britain. It was largely built in the late-19th and early-20th centuries to establish Shanghai as the British Empire's trading hub of the Far East. The most magnificent building is today's number 10-12, the former HSBC building. When completed in 1923, the seven-story neoclassical landmark was dubbed "the most luxurious building from the Suez Canal to the Bering Strait." The building's original ceiling mural managed to survive the Cultural Revolution; the octagonal mosaic painting is one of the best-kept secrets in Shanghai. It's now in the lobby of Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, the building's current occupier. With the financial center's move to the east bank of Huangpu River, the old Bund has become a new home for world-class hotels, restaurants and retailers. Skyscrapers . According to Emporis, a global real estate data provider based in Germany, Shanghai ranks sixth among world cities with the most skyscrapers. There are 241 skyscrapers in Shanghai, eight fewer than Dubai, 14 more than in Seoul and 103 more than the second mainland city on the list, Guangzhou. Although towering blocks mushroom throughout the metropolis, the skyscraper center point is the Lujiazui Financial District. On the opposite side of the traditional Bund, Lujiazui appears so futuristic that it's become a Hollywood favorite as a setting for films, most recently featured in "Her" with Joaquin Phoenix. Lujiazui is home to the most recognized high-rises in China, including the 468-meter Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the 421-meter Jinmao Tower and the 492-meter Shanghai World Financial Center. Since 1994, each of them has had a turn as the tallest structure in China. Next in line is the 632-meter Shanghai Tower. Scheduled to open in 2015, the 121-story building is set to host what it claims will be world's tallest luxury hotel, J hotel. The 258-room hotel -- a joint venture between Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel Group and Interstate Hotels and Resorts -- will occupy the 84th through 110th floors of the Shanghai Tower. International events and entertainment . When international events set up in China, Shanghai is as often as not the default host city. Large-scale events in Beijing tend to carry political messages, while those in Shanghai focus more on fun and glamor. The Chinese Formula One Grand Prix is one of the biggest annual events in Shanghai. It's the only Formula One stop in mainland China. The Shanghai Masters (October 4-12) tennis championship is attended by the highest-ranking players of the year. The week-long event is part of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000. Shanghai is also building a Disneyland. Set to open toward the end of 2015, Shanghai Disneyland will be the first Disney theme park in mainland China (Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005) and the sixth in the world. The $5.5-billion investment will further promote Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in the realm of the Monkey King. International food . High-quality international restaurants are springing up in Shanghai so quickly that it's hard to keep track of them all. New kitchens often set up on the Bund, around Xintiandi and in the former French Concession, as rivals to the established fine-dining scene in Beijing. But look beyond the glitzy restaurant menus and into the homes of private residents, and you'll see a tradition of international cuisine found nowhere else in China. The city's British rulers and Russian refugees may be long gone, but their food has remained. Worcestershire sauce, that classic condiment from the United Kingdom, has a brother some 9,000 kilometers from home. Known locally as "spicy soy sauce," Shanghainese Worcestershire sauce was first produced in 1930 to cater to the large expat market. Nowadays, the yellow-labeled bottle is ubiquitous in supermarkets. Shanghainese usually use it to accompany deep-fried pork chops. When Russians fleeing the October Revolution of 1917 came to Shanghai, they brought their borscht. The hearty beef and vegetable soup has evolved into Shanghai's favorite comfort food. Local mothers usually cook it to treat friends and families. Pidgin English . Colonial history has trickled down to Shanghai's local lingo. Shanghai dialect is filed with localized English words and pidgin English cultural identifiers unique to Shanghainese. A spring lock is called "si ba lin." Cement is "si men ting." In Shanghainese, "on sale" can refer to a "cheap" person. Shanghai dialect is incomprehensible to a typical Mandarin speaker, whose language is largely based on pronunciation and vocabulary from northern China. Shikumen . Shikumen is Shanghai's indigenous alleyway housing. Series of stone buildings were built in the 1870s as a way to accommodate the city's rapidly growing immigrant families. When the Communist Party took over in 1949, shikumen architecture was at its height -- there were around 200,000 shikumen buildings throughout central Shanghai, each divided into tenements to house five or even ten families. As modern high-rises in Shanghai have grabbed international attention, however, these local architectural treasures have been ignored or even shoved aside. Since the 1990s, shikumen buildings have been getting pulled down more quickly than the skyscrapers rise. But you can still find them in a few corners. In Xintiandi, high-end restaurants, pubs and clubs have taken over the revamped old buildings. Tianzifang is a more Bohemian area. In its labyrinth of alleyways, indie designers hang up cocktail dresses next to self-employed vendors selling replica communist souvenirs in the courtyard. For more authentic shikumen neighborhoods, Cité Bourgogne on Shaanxi Nan Lu, and Jing'an Villa on Nanjing Xi Lu, are throwbacks to a uniquely Shanghai experience that's rapidly disappearing. Now based in London, Tracy You is a native and longtime resident of Shanghai and a former CNN travel producer.

Shanghai has long been a unique city in China . Hybrid of Eastern, Western traditions is found nowhere else in mainland China . Shanghai ranks sixth among world cities with the most skyscrapers, with 241 . Shanghainese dialect is filled with localized English words .

00330ad079a460a329fa0977f2db3810044f23af

HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Zimbabwean lawmakers on Monday narrowly voted for Lovemore Moyo as speaker of the parliament -- making him the first opposition lawmaker to hold the position in the country's history. Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC faction has a slim majority following parliamentary elections. "This is historic as it ceases to be a rubber-stamping house," Moyo said after winning the position. "It will ensure that progressive laws are passed. I promise to be professional." Moyo -- the national chairman of the main Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party -- received 110 votes while his only opponent, Paul Themba-Nyathi, received 98 votes. The speaker of the parliament is the fourth most powerful post in Zimbabwe. Themba-Nyathi represented the splinter MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara, but he had support of President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. The vote took place hours after Mugabe swore in lawmakers, five months after they were elected. Two members of the main MDC -- led by presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai -- were arrested as they arrived at the opening session, but they were released after a short time, according to a government spokesman. An MDC official said the arrests were part of the "sinister agenda of this regime" to "tilt the balance of numbers in their favour during the voting for the speaker of parliament." One of those detained -- Shuwa Mudiwa -- appeared back in parliament, but the other member -- Elia Jembere -- was not seen, according to sources. Government spokesman Bright Matonga said Jembere had been accused of rape, but that he has been released from custody. A third member -- Elton Mangoma -- escaped an arrest attempt when other party members came to his rescue, MDC officials said. Attendance at the session of parliament is important since the membership is closely divided between the MDC and the Mugabe's ZANU-PF. The ruling ZANU-PF party lost its majority in the 210-seat parliament in elections in March, but vote recounts and political violence have delayed the body from convening until now. Final results gave 100 seats to an MDC faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai, the party's presidential candidate. President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF got 99 seats. An offshoot of the main MDC party, led by Arthur Mutambara, won 10 seats. An independent candidate won one seat. Tsvangirai, who was locked in a bitter presidential contest with Mugabe, had objected to Mugabe's decision to convene parliament, saying it could "decapitate" power-sharing talks that have been on hold for the past two weeks. Still, Tsvangirai said he would attend the swearing-in ceremony. MDC party spokesman Nelson Chamisa said all MDC members elected to parliament were expected to attend "except those few MPs who are still in hiding." CNN's Nkepile Mabuse in Johannesburg, South Africa contributed to this report.

Moyo received 110 votes, opponent Paul Themba-Nyathi received 98 votes . Themba-Nyathi represented the splinter MDC faction led by Arthur Mutambara . MDC's Shuwa Mudiwa and Elia Jembere arrested outside parliament building . Ruling ZANU-PF party lost majority in 210-seat parliament in March elections .

0033829349643e2964a8c3ce5fd997116ce43f7c

During 15 years of talking to high school students about sex and bullying, Laurie Halse Anderson has continued to get the same questions from boys: Why was the main character in her book, "Speak," so upset about what happened to her? Didn't she want the attention of one of the popular boys? And why was the impact so traumatic? Anderson, who published the award-winning novel in 1999, believes the questions come from an honest place. They're teen boys, after all, growing up in a society where media and pop culture tell them women are created for sexual gratification. They're not used to reading novels that feature characters like Melinda Sordino, a teen who is raped by a classmate at a house party. As her classmates and neighbors go to great lengths to protect her attacker, Melinda plunges into near-silence, refusing to say what happened while still feeling ostracized by her classmates. Fifteen years after its publication, society has shed some of the stigma associated with sexual violence, but the conflict at the heart of "Speak" still shows up in headlines, from Steubenville, Ohio, to Maryville, Missouri. And yet, many parents still struggle to find the words or the courage to talk to teens about sex and intimacy, Anderson said. As a mother who raised four girls, Anderson knows that parents today are navigating uncharted territory when it comes to adolescent sexuality, and they're doing it earlier than parents in other generations. Talking to teens about sexuality, intimacy and consent is urgent, she said. "We've fallen down on our responsibility to our children by somehow creating this world where they're surrounded by images of sexuality; and yet, we as adults struggle to talk to kids honestly about sex, the rules of dignity and consent," she said. "So many teens out there are operating in a vacuum, they're operating in adult situations without any adult support or advice." For the 15th anniversary of "Speak," Anderson is lending her support to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, a resource for survivors of sexual violence. Macmillan, the publisher of "Speak," is matching donations to the organization in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Anderson said she wrote "Speak" based on her own experience of being raped as a teen. She struggled for years to find the words or the courage to express what she'd gone through. Much has changed since then, she said, and "Speak" has become required reading in some schools across the country. Scores of students still describe the same struggles to Anderson, and she often directs them to the RAINN hot line, she said. Over the years, more resources have emerged for survivors of sexual violence, especially online. Today, if you're a victim of any crime, including sexual violence, you can go online and "find someone who's walked in your shoes who can help you make sense of what happened," she said. "I do see reduction of shame, which is very good. We still have a long way to go yet.That's the reason many victims don't come forward. That feeling is understandable, but it's why we still need to do more to reduce the stigma around rape," she said. While the Internet brings people together and creates supportive communities, it has also become the source of damaging images and intense bullying, she said. "We as a culture are still figuring out how to teach our children the awesome parts of the Internet and cell phones and new media, but we also have to figure out how to keep them safe," she said. Although many students first encountered "Speak" in high schools, it's now being taught in middle schools, Anderson said. She thinks it's an acknowledgment that sex education needs to start earlier if we want to help teens feel comfortable talking openly about sex and what feels right and wrong. She believes parents can be more involved, too; just take a deep breath and commit to talking about sex and what constitutes consent, she said. "Because boys and girls can be victims of rape, we need to try to teach them to make decisions about life that keep them safe, sober and with people they can trust, and make sure people who might be inclined to rape -- who think they can get away with it -- know they can't get away from it. "It used to be that we teach girls not to be raped, but we need to start teaching boys not to be rapists, and that's a really hard thing for parents of boys to process," she said. "No one wants to think of their sons as rapists. "We are a culture who is right now in 2014 finally having the conversation that it actually doesn't matter what a woman is wearing, you're not supposed to rape her. I think we're all trying to find the right language surrounding sexual assault. I'm optimistic that we're heading in a better direction as a culture." The term "young adult lit" was hardly in use when Anderson wrote "Speak." She didn't set out to be a public touchstone in the genre, she said. A teacher who uses "Speak" in her classroom told Anderson that she calls it "resilience literature," a term Anderson said she is proud of. "Speak" is about teen rape, the pressures of high school and the insularity of small-town life, but most importantly, it's about overcoming stigma, Anderson said. "That can be the most painstaking aspect of being a teen, figuring out what the world really looks like," she said. "If you find someone in a book, you know you're not alone and that's what's so comforting about books."

Real talk about sex among families is more important than ever, "Speak" author says . Laurie Halse Anderson's acclaimed young adult novel "Speak" turns 15 this year . The novel's central themes -- teen rape and stigma -- are still relevant, Anderson says .

003477088ee670dee05e53d0b24ebfcf9a692cec

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Former detainees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement accuse the agency in a lawsuit of forcibly injecting them with psychotropic drugs while trying to shuttle them out of the country during their deportation. Raymond Soeoth, pictured here with his wife, says he was injected with drugs by ICE agents against his will. One of the drugs in question is the potent anti-psychotic drug Haldol, which is often used to treat schizophrenia or other mental illnesses. Doctors say they are required to see patients in person before such drugs are administered. Two immigrants, Raymond Soeoth of Indonesia and Amadou Diouf of Senegal in West Africa, told CNN they were injected with the drugs against their will. Both are plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union against the government. They are seeking an end to the alleged practice and unspecified damages. Watch why the former detainees claim abuse » . Dr. Paul Appelbaum, a professor of psychiatry, law and ethics at Columbia University, reviewed both men's medical records for this report and was stunned by what he discovered. "I'm really shocked to find out that the government has been using physicians and using potent medications in this way," said Appelbaum, who also serves as a member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. "That is the sort of thing that would be subject to a malpractice claim in the civilian world." The allegations of ICE forcibly drugging deportees were raised last month by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, during the re-nomination hearing of ICE chief Julie Myers. "The information the committee has received from ICE regarding the forced drugging of immigration detainees is extremely troubling, particularly since it appears ICE may have violated its own detention standards," Lieberman spokeswoman Leslie Phillips told CNN in an e-mail. "Senator Lieberman intends to follow up with ICE to ensure that detainees are not drugged unless there is a medical reason to do so." ACLU attorney Ahilan Arulanantham, who is representing Soeoth and Diouf, said, "It would be torture to give a powerful anti-psychotic drug to somebody who isn't even mentally ill. ... But here, it's happening on U.S. soil to an immigrant the government is trying to deport." Responding to Lieberman's written questions, Myers said 1,073 immigration detainees had "medical escorts" for deportation since 2003. From October last year to the end of April this year, she said 56 received psychotropic medications during the removal process. Of those, 33 detainees received medication "because of combative behavior with the imminent risk of danger to others and/or self," she said. "First, I am aware of, and deeply concerned about reports that past practices may not have conformed to ICE detention standards," Myers said. She added no detainee should be "involuntarily medicated without court order," except in emergency situations. But both Soeoth and Diouf say they had not exhibited any combative behavior. Soeoth, a Christian minister from Indonesia, spent 27 months in detention awaiting deportation after his bid for political asylum was rejected. Hours before he was to be sent back home on December 7, 2004, he says guards injected him with a mystery drug that made him groggy for two days. See the document that shows Soeoth was injected . "They pushed me on the bench, they opened my pants, and they just give me injection," he said through broken English. He says he was taken to Los Angeles International Airport while in this drug-induced stupor, but two hours before takeoff, airline security refused to transport him, so ICE agents returned him to his cell at Terminal Island near Los Angeles. Terminal Island, once a federal prison, is a crowded facility along the ocean where hundreds of illegal immigrants await deportation. Soeoth's medical records indicate he was injected with Cogentin and Haldol, even though those same records show he has no history of mental illness. In the records, the government says he was injected with the drug after he said he would kill himself if deported -- a remark Soeoth denies ever making. ICE said in a written statement it couldn't respond to specific allegations due to pending litigation. "Department of Homeland Security law enforcement personnel may not and do not prescribe or administer medication to detainees," the ICE statement said. "Only trained and qualified medical professionals, including officers of the U.S. Public Health Service, may prescribe or administer medication." But, Diouf says, he was injected on the plane right before he was to be deported. He said he even had a federal stay of his deportation -- and the paperwork to prove it -- but his U.S. government escorts wouldn't let him show it to the pilot of the plane preparing to fly him out of the country. See Diouf's stay of deportation document . That's when, he says, "I was wrestled to the ground and injected through my clothes." A government report says he was medicated because he did not follow orders. In both cases, Diouf and Soeoth remain in the United States pending a decision in the case. If they lose, they may land back in the hands of ICE, once again facing deportation. Soeoth says he's traumatized by what happened. "I know this country [is] very generous to immigrants," he says. "What they did to me was very, very bad." E-mail to a friend . CNN's Wayne Drash, Traci Tamura and Gregg Cane contributed to this report.

Detainees file suit against ICE, allege they were injected with drugs . One detainee tells CNN: "What they did to me was very, very bad" ICE says 1,073 detainees have had "medical escorts" since 2003 . Sen. Lieberman vows to investigate further; spokesman calls charges "troubling"

00359f516cdf8b1800c7102711bd9aa400d1c749

(CNN) -- A memorial cruise is scheduled to set sail 100 years after the sinking of the Titanic, following the same trans-Atlantic route as the ill-fated ship, according to organizers. A list of first class passengers for the R.M.S. Titanic is one of the artifacts that remains after the sinking. The Titanic Memorial Cruise is to set sail in April 2012, departing from Southampton, England, on April 8, just as the Titanic did. On April 15, the ship -- the Balmoral -- will arrive at the spot in the North Atlantic where the Titanic sank after it collided with an iceberg. Passengers on the 2012 cruise will take part in a memorial service at the site, according to organizer Miles Morgan Travel. Artifacts from the Titanic and a piece of the ship's hull have been recovered, but most of the wreckage remains where the luxury cruise liner sank. The 12-night memorial cruise will then take passengers to Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada, so they can visit cemeteries where some of the Titanic victims are buried. The trip will end in New York, where the Titanic was headed. Prices for the trip start at $3,900. Millvina Dean, thought to be the last survivor of the Titanic, died in June 2009 at age 97, according to friends. Dean was an infant when the Titanic -- publicized as "practically unsinkable" and as the largest passenger steamship at the time -- struck an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912, during its maiden voyage from Southampton in southern England to New York. The ship sank less than three hours later, killing more than 1,500 people. Dean's brother and mother also survived the sinking.

The Titanic Memorial Cruise is to set sail in April 2012, 100 years after the sinking . It will depart from Southampton, England, on April 8, just as the Titanic did . The trip will end in New York, where the Titanic was headed .

0036c48d80c270465bffced3e233fe39e5950431

"Big Bang Theory" fans can breathe a sigh of relief. According to Deadline, the stars of the hit CBS series have agreed to hefty pay increases for the new season. Quoting unnamed sources, the publication reports that Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco have secured three-year deals for "$1 million per episode for the 72 episodes the show is slated to produce in Seasons 8-10." According to reports, the trio will also have an increased stake in the show's backend profits. It's been said that the trio previously received more than $300,000 per episode. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the deal in its story and said co-stars Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg were still in negotiations, but expected to sign a deal soon. Warner Bros. Television told CNN that "we aren't commenting on the speculation at this time." Earlier, the company confirmed that "ongoing contract negotiations" had caused production on "The Big Bang Theory's" eighth season to be postponed. Production had been scheduled to begin July 30 and on Tuesday the company released a statement saying "Production on season 8 of 'The Big Bang Theory' will begin Wednesday, August 6, with contract negotiations now having been concluded." Warner Bros. is owned by CNN's parent company. The new deals would put Parsons, Galecki and Cuoco in the same territory as the former cast of "Friends," who also negotiated for pay raises at the height of their show's popularity. The popular series was renewed in March. Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch, who also appear on the show, are reported to have received raises in September. 'The Big Bang Theory' actors get $25,000 an hour .

Production had been stalled during negotiations . Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco reportedly will own more of the show . Two other cast members are said to still be in negotiations .

0036d1138155e2644813f9c218c743e982e27a27

GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) -- The number of confirmed swine flu cases across the globe kept rising Friday, but some signs of hope emerged in the battle against the worldwide outbreak. Tourists sunbathe wearing surgical masks in the popular Mexican resort of Acapulco. The World Health Organization said Friday that the number of confirmed cases stood at 367 worldwide, including 141 in the United States and 156 in Mexico. Thirteen countries have confirmed cases, the organization said. Meanwhile, researchers worked to develop a vaccine for swine flu, which is also known as 2009 H1N1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hopes to have a vaccine to manufacturers within a month, said Michael Shaw, lab team leader for the H1N1 response at the CDC. "We're doing the best we can as fast as we can," he said. Yet it would take four to six months from the time the appropriate strain is identified before the first doses become available, said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research. "Of course we would like to have a vaccine tomorrow. We would have wanted to have it yesterday," she said. "It's a long journey." She said there is "no doubt" that a vaccine can be made "in a relatively short period of time." The steps involved in producing a vaccine involve isolating a strain of the virus, which has already been done, and tweaking it so manufacturers can make a vaccine, Kieny said. The tweaked virus will be shipped to manufacturers, who will fine-tune it. Then come more tests before national regulatory agencies decide whether to approve a vaccine. As researchers work, at least one politician at the epicenter of the outbreak expressed optimism Friday. Authorities in Mexico are "beginning to see evidence that the [virus] might be letting up, and the number of people who have been hospitalized has leveled out in regards to people who are contagious, at least as of yesterday," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard told reporters. Watch how Mexican authorities are dealing with the outbreak » . "We do have a problem, but I say this so that we know where we are as a city after we have done all we have done, and in what direction we are heading and how much we have progressed. And what I can say is that we are heading in the right direction." The WHO said Mexico has 156 confirmed cases and nine deaths. Mexican authorities say they have confirmed 16 deaths and at least 358 cases, and they suspect more than 150 deaths may have been caused by the flu. Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta demystify pandemics » . The CDC gave the following state-by-state breakdown of the 141 confirmed H1N1 cases in the United States: Arizona, 4; California, 13; Colorado, 2; Delaware, 4; Illinois, 3; Indiana, 3; Kansas, 2; Kentucky, 1; Massachusetts, 2; Michigan, 2; Minnesota, 1; Nebraska, 1; Nevada, 1; New Jersey, 5; New York, 50; Ohio, 1; South Carolina, 16; Texas, 28; and Virginia, 2. See where cases have been confirmed » . One death in the United States has been attributed to swine flu -- a toddler from Mexico whose family brought him to Texas for medical treatment. In a Cabinet meeting, President Obama on Friday praised the "extraordinary" government response to the virus but emphasized that "we also need to prepare for the long term." "Since we know that these kinds of threats can emerge at any moment, even if it turns out that the H1N1 is relatively mild on the front end, it could come back in a more virulent form during the actual flu season, and that's why we are investing in our public health infrastructure." Go behind the scenes at the CDC » . He said there are indications from Mexico that "relatively young, healthy people" have died rather than people whose immune systems are compromised, and "that's why we're taking it seriously." "So I just want everybody to be clear that this is why this is a cause for concern, but not alarm. We are essentially ensuring that, in the worst-case scenario, we can manage this appropriately, government working with businesses and individuals, the private sector, and containing an outbreak, and that we can, ultimately, get through this." In addition to the confirmed H1N1 cases in Mexico and the United States, Canada has 34; Spain has 13; United Kingdom has 8; New Zealand and Germany each have 4; Israel has 2; Austria, China, Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland each have one, according to the WHO. Learn about the virus » . Hong Kong health officials said a patient who is being treated there arrived from Mexico on a China Eastern Airlines flight that stopped in Shanghai. Denmark did not provide further details. An additional 230 cases are being investigated in the United Kingdom, and Spain has 84 suspected cases. Australia, which has had no confirmed cases, was investigating 114. View images of responses in U.S. and worldwide » . The effects in Mexico reflect the fear and concern across the globe, including in the United States, where schools and parents are taking precautions in academics, graduations and sports because of the flu. For example, 22 students Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania who just returned from from a five-week trip to Mexico City will get their diplomas at a separate ceremony when they graduate Saturday. Texas school officials have postponed all interscholastic sports until at least May 11. And Alabama has stopped such competitions until at least Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Education said Friday that 433 public and nonpublic schools in 17 states had been closed because of the flu outbreak. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan noted in a news conference that the number is less than 1 percent of the nation's approximate 100,000 schools. Earlier Friday, United Flight 903 was diverted to Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday after a female passenger started complaining of "flu-like" symptoms on a Munich-to-Washington flight, Logan Airport spokesman Phil Orendella said. CDC officials at a news conference Friday were asked to compare the strain with the deadly 1918 virus. "What we have found by looking very carefully at the sequences of the new H1N1 virus is that we do not see the markers for virulence that were seen in the 1918 virus," said Nancy Cox, chief of the CDC's Influenza Division. However, she added, "We know there's a great deal that we do not yet understand about the virulence of the 1918 virus or other influenza viruses that have a more severe clinical picture in humans." CNN's Karl Penhaul, Diana Magnay, Jake Perez, Saeed Ahmed, Umaro Djau and Nicole Saidi contributed to this report.

NEW: Mexican government says 16 people have died from virus . Virus has spread to 13 countries, with hardest-hit areas in the West . U.S. Education Department says outbreak has closed 433 schools in 17 states . Vaccine could be made "in a relatively short period of time," official says .

00377ab9d3caafb18464c47d0535ae2781aeef15

(CNN) -- Wise men say to look before you leap. In Alaska, it's advisable to look before you land. That's because, in Alaska, where seaplanes are common, you just might land on a whale. Last week in tiny, remote Angoon, Thomas Hamm was shooting video of a seaplane coming in for a landing. It was a mundane scene in the island community that's only accessible by boat or seaplane. The video starts out normal. But as the plane lowers, it's clear something is different about this approach. "All the sudden, the pilot advanced the throttle and I didn't know why. I thought, 'Oh something must be wrong,'" Hamm told CNN. That something was a whale, a humpback, swimming just under the surface. For a moment, it appeared the whale and plane would collide. But the pilot pulled up, getting just enough lift to avoid the mammal. The plane landed safely seconds later. Later Hamm showed the pilot the video he shot. Hamm said the pilot told him he didn't notice the whale; he reacted to the commotion on the shore. Guys were pointing and yelling. Right as the pilot pulled up, the whale breached, clearing his blowhole and drenching the plane's windshield. That's one way to make a splash. Jetliner diverts to Pacific atoll, mechanical glitch blamed . Rare albino whale 'parades' off Australian coast .

The whale was swimming just under the surface . It happened in tiny, remote Angoon .

00385e5382f413e0c4234ddf71d692ed1e89622f

Dallas (CNN) -- Some may disagree whether George W. Bush was a "uniter, not a divider," as he liked to say, but he did get all five living presidents together for the dedication of his presidential library. At Thursday's event in Dallas, Democratic former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton praised Bush for his initiatives in Africa, and Bush defended his record. "The political winds blow left and right, polls rise and fall, supporters come and go, but in the end, leaders are defined by the convictions they hold," Bush said at the ceremony for the George W. Bush Presidential Center. "My deepest conviction, the guiding principle of the administration, is that the United States of America must strive to expand the reach of freedom." Bush has said he is aware that the opening of his presidential library would reopen debates over the Iraq War and the policies he pursued after the September 11 terrorist attacks. History will show, he said at the dedication, that he always stuck by his convictions. "A free society thrives when neighbors help neighbors and the strong protect the weak and public policies promote private compassion," Bush said. "As president, I tried to act on these principles every day. It wasn't always easy and certainly wasn't always popular ... but when future generations come to this library to study this administration, they're going to find out that we stayed true to our convictions." Carter told a story of how he asked, on Bush's inauguration day, for a meeting to talk about a civil war in Sudan that was entering its second decade. Bush kept his word and acted, Carter said. "In January of 2005, there was a peace treaty between north and south Sudan that ended a war that had been going on for 20 years," Carter said. "George W. Bush is responsible for that." The last time the five living presidents were together was right before President Obama took office. It is a rare and special occurrence when the five gather, Obama said. "This is a Texas-sized party," Obama said. "When all the former living presidents are all together, it is a special day for our democracy." The presidents on the stage definitely differed on many policy matters, but they all share one quality, Obama said: They did what they believe is right. "That's what President George W. Bush chose to do," Obama said. Bush became a little emotional as he closed his speech: "Whatever challenges come before us, I will always believe our nation's best days lie ahead." The center's library and museum take visitors through the turning points of Bush's two terms. The first exhibits recall the 43rd president's initial priorities on education, faith-based community initiatives and tax cuts. And they show how the September 11 terrorist attacks changed everything. Bush 43: 'History will ultimately judge' At one exhibit, the bright red dress that first lady Laura Bush wore to her husband's first state dinner, just six days before 9/11, stands in contrast to the next, most talked-about artifact in the museum: the twisted hulk of two beams from the World Trade Center. In an interview with CNN's John King, the former president said he knows that the center's dedication will rekindle the debate about his presidency, and he conceded the library is in part an effort by him and supporters to influence history's verdict. But he predicted visitors would find it "more objective" than they might have imagined, and he showed little interest in revisiting flashpoints like Iraq, Hurricane Katrina or the 2008 financial crisis, or the scorn with which many look back at the Bush presidency. A glimpse at a White House before everything changed . "You know, I'm really not that concerned about why people did what during my presidency," he said. "I'm more concerned about being an effective person for the rest of my life. "I know this: that Laura and I gave the presidency eight years of our life. We gave it our all. Made the best judgment calls I could. I didn't compromise my principles. And I'm a content man. And I am excited about what we're going to do here." As the son of another former president, Bush said he wouldn't mind seeing his brother Jeb Bush run for the highest office. If he could make the decision for Jeb, he would tell him to run for president, Bush said. But in an interview Thursday on NBC's "Today," former first lady Barbara Bush said that while Jeb Bush is able to do the job, she would like to see other families in the White House. "There are other people out there that are very qualified, and we've had enough Bushes," she said. In addition to the library and museum, the Presidential Center includes the George W. Bush Institute, a public policy institute. By the numbers: Presidential libraries . CNN's Mariano Castillo wrote and reported this story in Atlanta. CNN's John King and Brianna Keilar contributed from Dallas.

NEW: Former Presidents Carter and Clinton praise Bush for his initiatives in Africa . NEW: Bush says the country's greatest days lie ahead . NEW: The George W. Bush Presidential Center is dedicated . Bush tells CNN he is aware it will rekindle debates about his legacy .

003a70daf9f99e871ba06482726176d7776d0c07

An 11-year-old boy's rendition of the national anthem at Game 3 of the NBA finals brought the usual appreciative applause Tuesday, but outside AT&T Center in San Antonio, his performance brought a darker reaction from some posters on social media -- and eventually an online backlash against their racist comments. See the performance by Sebastien De La Cruz . Here's a sampling of some of the unkind tweets that went flying around the Internet about Sebastien de la Cruz: . -- "Why they got a Mexican kid singing the national anthem -___-" from Daniel Gilmore. -- "How you singing the national anthem looking like an illegal immigrant" from Andre Lacey, proud father and firefighter from Augusta, Georgia. -- "Why is a foreigner singing the national anthem. I realize that's San Antonio but that still ain't Mexico" from Lewie Groh. -- "Who let this illegal alien sing our national anthem?" from Matt Cyrus. And the list went on and on. As for Sebastien, he said the racist comments have not fazed him. "For those that said something bad about me, I understand it's your opinion," said Sebastien to CNN. "I'm a proud American and live in a free country. It's not hurting me. It's just your opinion." Sebastien has been singing since he was 5 but gained fame in 2012 after being on NBC's "America's Got Talent" for singing his mariachi ballads with hopes of winning to help his younger brother get surgery for his hearing problem. Juan de la Cruz, Sebastien's father, hasn't taken the negative comments personally at all. "When he was on 'America's Got Talent,' he faced racism there, too. You can't satisfy everyone," said de la Cruz to CNN. "I think people reacted the way they did because Sebastien was wearing his mariachi outfit," said de la Cruz, "But, it doesn't make sense to listen to those people when most of the feedback we have gotten is positive. San Antonio supports Sebastien." A collection of the negative tweets was posted on Public Shaming, a Tumblr blog dedicated to outing and shaming racists' social media posts. Other media outlets used that post as the foundation for the story, and the story took off from there. The blog highlighted 28 tweets from NBA fans who came off as offended and ashamed that the Spurs would allow the boy, who happened to have been born and raised in San Antonio, to sing the nation's anthem. However, Public Shaming must have suspected what would happen once the racist tweets were posted because most of the Twitter handles have been deactivated or the tweet has been removed. The blog posted screen shots of the tweets so it could continue to display the public microbloggers' rants. After the harsh reaction spread across the Internet, tweets supporting and defending Sebastien and vociferously denouncing his critics started to take over: . -- "That little 10 year old mariachi National Anthem singer has more talent and grace than the combined racist pig idiots on Twitter," from Mexican-American cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz . -- "Racist scumbag says Chicano kid singing nat'l anthem just "snuck into the country." This idiot's apparently of color too. @A2daO," from Laura Gonzalez, a Chicana Santa Rosa City Schools board member and middle school teacher. -- "Why are ppl so upset over a Hispanic singing the national anthem. He's probably got more roots in here than most 'Americans'," said Amanda Aguirre on Twitter. -- And, from the American Latino Museum, "We're proud of the 11-year old San Anto-native Sebastien de la Cruz for his amazing performance last night!" San Antonio is a multicultural city with more than 55% of the population being Hispanic and 90% of those people identifying themselves as Mexican according to the Pew Hispanic Center. For some Mexican-Americans, the incident was just the latest sign of a persistent problem they face: being treated as outsiders in their own country. "To see people acting this way doesn't make sense anymore. It's a demographic fact that the country is changing and Latinos are going to be behind that economic push that moves everyone forward," said Chon Noriega, director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, to CNN. "Cities like San Antonio are defining a trend of a nation." That the word "Mexican" is being used as a derogatory term is part of the problem, said Noriega, "It's become the N-word of Mexican descent. Yet it's also the name of a group of people in a neighboring country." It will take a lot more than some racist tweets to bring Sebastien down. The "boy with the golden voice" tweeted earlier today: "Please do not pay attention to the negative people. I am an American living the American Dream. This is part of the American life." Sebastien said today was like any other day, but he's always grateful to wake up to yet another day able to sing. He said he owes his positive outlook to his parents, family and everyone in San Antonio. See how Sebastien is handling the reaction . Follow Cindy Y. Rodriguez on Twitter .

Sebastien de la Cruz, 11, sang the national anthem at NBA finals on Tuesday . Racists comments spread via Twitter after the Mexican-American boy's performance . Sebastien stands resilient: "I'm a proud American and live in a free country. It's not hurting me." Father says he isn't "taken the comments personally, can't satisfy everyone"

003ae6f81b90eae41831361deae8a5da3705dc4f

(CNN) -- Timothy Bradley says he needs to beat Manny Pacquiao for a second time in Las Vegas on Saturday to move on from the controversial conclusion of their first fight two years ago. The WBO welterweight champion won a contentious points decision when the pair met in June 2012, inflicting a first defeat on Pacquiao in seven years. Boxing commentators roundly criticized the result while former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis said the scoring showed that boxing had lost its integrity. Bradley claims he subsequently received death threats and that he was unfairly targeted by fans and the media alike for the decision of the ringside judges. "It would mean the world to me to get this victory for me and my family because of everything we went through in the past," the 30-year old told CNN's Don Riddell. "It was like I stole something from the world that night. All I did was do my job. People ridiculed me, demonized me." Bradley insists these dark experiences made him stronger as a person and will act as the perfect motivation ahead of the MGM Grand rematch. He questioned Pacquiao's hunger at the pre-fight press conference Thursday, suggesting the legendary Filipino's best days are behind him. Pacquiao has won world titles at seven weight divisions in a career stretching 18 years but has lost two of his last three fights. "What really motivates me for this fight is what my opponent said," Pacquiao countered in riposte to Bradley's claims. "He said I don't have the killer instinct any more, I don't have the aggressiveness any more. This helps me, it helps a lot." Although he recorded a comfortable victory over Brandon Rios last November, Pacquiao was knocked out for the first time since 1999 by Juan Manuel Marquez in his previous bout. At 35, it would be difficult for Pacquiao to resurrect his career at the very highest level if defeated by Bradley for a second time but he refuses to entertain this notion ahead of the contest. "My mind is set in the winners side not on the losers side," he said. "I always think positive and not negative." "This fight on Saturday will be to prove that my journey in boxing will continue and I'm excited for that."

Timothy Bradley faces Manny Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title in Las Vegas Saturday . The fight is a rematch of the bitterly contested first bout between the two in 2012 . Bradley scored a points victory but received death threats after the fight .

003b856704634429282caa28ef8b0c052e04bf18

China is launching its first lunar probe in early December, state-run Xinhua news agency reported Tuesday, just over a decade after the country first sent an astronaut into space. The Chang'e-3 probe -- which will blast off from a Long March 3B rocket in Sichuan province located in southwest China -- is expected to land on the moon's surface in mid-December, a spokesman for the China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence told Xinhua. The unmanned mission marks China's first attempt at a soft-landing on the lunar surface and the first soft-landing on the moon since the Soviet Luna 24 probe in 1976. China sets course for lunar landing this year . On landing, the spacecraft will release Jade Rabbit (called Yutu in Chinese) -- a six-wheeled lunar rover equipped with four cameras and two mechanical legs that can dig up soil samples, a designer for the rover told Xinhua earlier this month. A public poll determined the the solar-powered robot's name, which comes from the white pet rabbit of the Chinese moon godess Chang'e. The slow-moving rover will patrol the moon's surface for at least three months, according to Xinhua. Timeline: China's race into space . China is yet to announce the probe's preferred landing site, but researchers say an impact crater named Sinus Iridum, or Bay of Rainbows, is its likely destination. In 2010, China's previous lunar mission captured images of the crater while scouting potential landing sites for the 2013 probe. In the United States, scientists are concerned the Chinese mission could interfere with a NASA study of the moon's dust environment. Chang'e-3's descent is likely to create a noticeable plume on the moon's surface that could skew the results of research already being carried out by NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), Jeff Plescia, chair of NASA's Lunar Exploration Analysis Group told Space.com, a space news site. The mission constitutes the second phase of China's moon exploration program which includes orbiting, landing and returning to Earth. Earlier missions included plotting a high-resolution, full-coverage lunar map.

China will launch an unmanned lunar probe in December . Chang'e-3 will release a solar-powered rover on the moon's surface . The probe may interfere with a NASA lunar dust study, U.S. scientist says .

003be5a8108fcd3f133ddef14a5fc593701566f3

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Brad Blauser lives in war-torn Baghdad, where he doesn't earn a paycheck and is thousands of miles from his family. But he has no intention of leaving anytime soon. Since 2005, Brad Blauser's Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids program has distributed nearly 650 free wheelchairs. For the past four years, the Dallas, Texas, native has been providing hope to hundreds of disabled Iraqi children and their families through the distribution of pediatric wheelchairs. "Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," said Blauser, 43. "They are often not seen in society." Blauser arrived in Iraq as a civilian contractor in 2004, but quit that job last year to devote himself full time to his program, without compensation. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year . "There's no paycheck. It's not really safe here. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said. An estimated one in seven Iraqi children ages 2 to 14 lives with a disability, according to UNICEF. Illnesses such as Spina bifida, palsy and polio leave them unable to walk. Some parents carry their children every day. For these children and their families, limited access to health care has taken a toll. "A number of families don't know what's wrong with their kid. There's not a doctor available for help [and] there's no pediatric wheelchair source in this country," Blauser said. Blauser first learned about this situation in 2005 through Maj. David Brown, a battalion surgeon. His friend shared heartbreaking accounts of helpless children pulling themselves along the ground, or living motionless in back rooms, too big to be moved long distances very often. "So I asked him, 'What do you need?' " Blauser recalled. "And he surprised me by his answer: 'I need children's wheelchairs.' " Blauser began researching and campaigning for help from friends and family in the United States. In 30 days, 31 pediatric and small adult wheelchairs arrived in Mosul for distribution to children in need. Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids was born. "The experience for me in the first distribution was awesome," said Blauser. "To see the smile come across their face and [to] look over at the mothers and fathers -- they've definitely been changed." That's the case for 3-year-old Ali Khaled Ibrahim and his family. At 8 months old, Ali was struck by a mysterious fever that left him partially paralyzed. He cannot speak and experiences increasingly frequent and violent convulsions. "Ali's handicap affected the family a lot," said his father. His mother said she couldn't carry out her daily chores and her "psychological state worsened." "When I heard the news of the distribution of these advanced wheelchairs, I was very happy deep down," she said. "I thought maybe that will ease my work as a mother in the way I deal with my son." Watch Ali and other children receive their wheelchairs from Blauser's group » . Today, Ali smiles at home as he sits in his new wheelchair. His siblings giggle and sprinkle his face with kisses. The toddler's parents are thankful for the relief it has brought not only to Ali, but their entire family. The boy is among hundreds of disabled Iraqi children to benefit from Blauser's generosity. Since 2005, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids has distributed nearly 650 pediatric wheelchairs. To obtain the specialized chairs, Blauser partnered with Reach Out and Care Wheels, a nonprofit pediatric wheelchair organization in Montana. The organization provides wheelchairs designed for rough terrains in developing nations, making the devices "perfect for this environment," said Blauser. Through sponsor donations, his group purchases the chairs from ROC Wheels for about $200 apiece, and USAID donates shipping. Members of the the U.S. and Iraqi armies, Iraqi police and border patrol work together to carry out the distributions. Blauser and his group help adjust the children into their wheelchairs, which fit their bodies as they grow. Watch Blauser demonstrate the specialized wheelchair » . For Blauser, who provides part-time safety consulting in exchange for room and board, an initial plan to stay for one year has become a dream to get wheelchairs to every Iraqi child who wants one. And he's determined to see it through. "By providing what they need, I'm hoping to start a movement to change the way people think about disabled children," said Blauser. "They are not a curse, they are a blessing and they deserve to have their needs met." Want to get involved? Check out Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids and see how to help.

Brad Blauser's Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids has distributed nearly 650 free wheelchairs . Dallas native Blauser lives in Baghdad and works for free . "Disabled children -- they're really the forgotten ones in this war," he said . Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year at CNN.com/Heroes .

003c99210ffb08a21ff004000cac7e2efcfd48de

(CNN) -- The images of Haitian children crying or injured or wandering the streets alone are heartbreaking. It's no surprise there has been a flood of well-intentioned people who want to adopt those children. But that's not always the best immediate move, aid groups caution. Save the Children Chief Executive Jasmine Whitbread said the "vast majority" of children on their own in Haiti are not orphans, but were simply separated from their families in the chaos. Their family members may still be alive, she said, and "will be desperate to be reunited with them." "Taking children out of the country would permanently separate thousands of children from their families -- a separation that would compound the acute trauma they are already suffering and inflict long-term damage on their chances of recovery," Whitbread said. Hurriedly whisking unclassified children out of Haiti will not ensure the children are happy or safe in the long-term, experts said. Homes and potential parents must be reviewed by professional social workers and it's logistically impossible to do that in a short time. Allowing adoptions to proceed without thorough background checks can lead to child trafficking and other crimes. The United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF, does not facilitate adoptions, but it has been bombarded with calls from people who want a Haitian orphan, said Christopher de Bono, a UNICEF spokesman. In 2007, UNICEF estimated that there were 380,000 orphans in Haiti, but de Bono said Thursday that he'd "hate to vouch for that figure" because that number -- any number -- is impossible to verify. Between Haiti's "lousy [child welfare] oversight system," and all the challenges that Haitians have endured, it's not uncommon for Haitian parents to put their children in orphanages temporarily, de Bono said. This means knowing who is truly an orphan and who isn't requires great attention to detail and documents. "Removing children who've just experienced a disaster from their environment, from where they're from is not necessarily good for them," he said. Haitian children must first be fed, sheltered, clothed and given medical attention; the next step is to register them and trace their relatives. Diana Boni, who works with Port-au-Prince's BRESMA orphanage, is firmly against new adoptions out of Haiti. "Under no circumstances should we evacuate any child newly orphaned or displaced," she wrote in an e-mail to CNN. "Imagine losing much of your family, only to discover that a surviving relative had been whisked off to the States to be adopted by strangers without your knowledge or consent! Adoptions without consent are child trafficking. Pure and simple." Full coverage | Latest news updates | Twitter updates . She has been taking care of children who waited for years in the orphanage to be adopted. "It's a bit sad, as I have several wonderful children who waited literally for years for new families, and no one ever came," she said. The disaster in Haiti has led to an outpouring of support around the world, with the United States alone donating more than $305 million as of Wednesday, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations. List of missing, found | Are you there? | Impact Your World . Because Haiti's poverty already made it "extremely vulnerable" to exploitation and abuse, rushed adoptions could open the door to traffickers, said World Vision Chief Executive Justin Byworth. "We are concerned not only about premature overseas adoption but also about children increasingly being sent unaccompanied to the Dominican Republic," he said. Aid groups said adoptions that were already in progress before the January 12 earthquake should go ahead, as long as the right legal documents are in place and they meet Haitian and international law. For those who want to help Haitian children, Whitbread said, they should donate to aid agencies that are working on reuniting children with their families. The International Committee of the Red Cross has opened an office at the headquarters of the Haitian Red Cross in Crois de Prez to help people locate their relatives, said Pete Garratt, a disaster response manager at the British Red Cross. The Red Cross also has set up a Web site to help people searching for relatives, he said. CNN's Jessica Ravitz contributed to this report.

Experts: Hurried adoptions can lead to trafficking and cause more trauma to children . Aid groups say focus should be on reuniting kids with relatives . Reports on plight of children in Haiti has led many to ask about adoptions .

003cefcdcf96dbca76aa17d72ee612fa3b40651d

(CNN) -- Airport hotels have always been necessary but unloved stopover spots for the depleted traveler, places to shower, rehydrate and let the body recuperate from the merciless rigors of flying. Yet checking into the Hilton Frankfurt Airport, which opened in December turned out to be much more. It's an example of the emerging generation of airport hotels that are intended to function as destinations, real places where one might reasonably stay longer than a single night. Some of the best and most spectacular airport hotels are in Asia: the Regal in Hong Kong; the Crowne Plaza in Singapore. Now the rest of the world is catching up, and the newest airport hotels in Europe, the United States, Latin America, and elsewhere are responding to the generalized craving for experience. And there's more going on than that: the increasing sophistication of these hotels parallels a reemergence of civilization—daring architecture; edible food—in airports themselves. Travel + Leisure: Innovative new airport terminals . The improved hotels are one component of a backlash against that shiny one-world placelessness that airports have long cultivated. Moreover, they are being retooled for a new breed of business traveler. "The nature of work is changing," says Erin Hoover, head of design for the Sheraton and Westin brands, "and it's very collaborative." Now airport hotels—like the newly opened Hilton in London, Novotel in Auckland, New Zealand, and Element in Miami—are catching up, bringing technology, design, and style to the international stopover. Hilton Frankfurt Airport . The Hilton Frankfurt Airport is a stylish, hyper-connected oasis. The hotel, along with the lower-priced Hilton Garden Inn, occupies the eastern end of the Squaire (a name meant to evoke town square and air), an ultra-elongated mixed-use complex that rests on angled columns atop a high-speed rail station, is adjacent to the airport's commuter train station, and is squeezed between two major autobahns. When Squaire managing director Christoph Nebl characterizes it as "the best-connected spot in Europe," he's not exaggerating. Travel + Leisure: America's safest airports . Sheraton Malpensa Hotel (Milan) A series of glass modules lined up like the teeth of a comb, this property makes for a fitting addition to a world capital of design. Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway . Two minutes from the terminal via SkyTrain, the building is LEED certified and has a lobby floor made of terrazzo embedded with glass. Aloft San Francisco International Airport . A newly rehabbed Clarion Inn building—dropped ceilings have been removed to give the rooms at this hotel an airy feel, and an expanded lobby big enough for a bustling bar scene has been added. Travel + Leisure: America's best and worst Airports . Hilton Heathrow Terminal 5, U.K. From its glamorous all-white main lobby staircase and unusually glitzy light fixtures to perfectly manicured exterior grounds and a celebrity chef--helmed restaurant (Mr. Todiwala's Kitchen), this property has all the makings of a hotel hot spot. Element Miami . The Miami International Airport satellite of this Westin brand features the cutting-edge Pilot program, where electricity can be generated by guests using the hotel's stationary bikes. The fully equipped kitchens, nutritious menus, and bathrooms with mood-improving lighting attest to Element's health-conscious hospitality approach. ALT Hotel Pearson, Toronto . Original art, Egyptian cotton linens, an Italian-made Calla chair, and Fruits & Passion bath products lend sophisticated global flair to the 153-room ALT, part of Canadian hotel group Groupe Germain. Custom Hotel, Los Angeles . Relaunched and refreshed by Joie de Vivre in September 2011, this bombastic crash pad minutes from LAX appeals to your sense of whimsy with themed gimmicks, like the Pan Am--inspired staff uniforms and Hangar Lounge, the property's main lobby. Steigenberger Airport Hotel Berlin . When Berlin's long-awaited Brandenburg Airport opens in March 2013, so too will this grand 322-room property with an outdoor reflecting pool, nine meeting spaces, a lobby bistro, and a fitness center with a gym, sauna, and steam bath. Lotte City Hotel Gimpo Airport, South Korea . Understated and refined, this hotel provides a welcome break from its chaotic surroundings—a massive theme-park-mall complex within the airport. It opened in late 2011, with touch screen controls in the 197 rooms. Planning a getaway? Don't miss Travel + Leisure's guide to the World's Best Hotels . Copyright 2012 American Express Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.

Hilton Frankfurt Airport is part of a mixed-use complex atop a high-speed rail station . ALT Hotel Pearson in Toronto features original art and Egyptian cotton linens . Guests at the Element Miami help make electricity by using the hotel's stationary bikes .

003d23a256ce34d73e05968a04727c0ed4a2a456

Key West, Florida (CNN) -- For more than 20 years, the bulletproof museum case housed a small piece of yesteryear: a gold bar recovered from a sunken Spanish galleon. Today, its case is broken, littered with black fingerprint dust. The treasure is gone. Stolen. Two thieves were caught in the act by the museum's security cameras. "This is a special piece," said Melissa Kendrick, executive director of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. "All the pieces have an incredible historic value, but this is the piece that was shared with the public in a whole totally different way." It was different because visitors could touch it. By reaching into the specially designed display case, more than 6 million people have touched the 74.85-ounce bar, valued at more than $550,000. "They're touching something that belonged to someone in 1622," said Carol Shaughnessy, author of "Diving Into Glory." "Ordinarily people don't get to touch something like that. You can't touch an Egyptian mummy. This is a hands-on connection to history." But now, what does a thief do with a priceless, high-profile artifact? Is there an underground market that will pay $550,000 for this almost 400-year-old piece of solid gold? One expert says no. "That's why these crimes don't make a whole lot of money for the criminals," said Robert Wittman, a former FBI agent who once headed the FBI's Art Crime Team. "It doesn't make sense to do it." Wandering through the museum, the thieves can be seen in security video trying to open museum doors. The video is incredibly clear. First, they appeared to be targeting a display case of gold chains. Then, after a security guard left this part of the museum, a man can be seen reaching into the case housing the gold bar and placing the little piece of history into his pocket before exiting the museum. "We're getting information and following leads," said Key West Police Chief Donie Lee. "Unfortunately we haven't got the best lead, which is, I know that person and we go out, and it's a positive ID, and we're able to go out and pick those guys up." What makes the crime so shocking, police said, is that the thieves were able to snap the glass at its edges. It's not just any glass, but three-eighths-inch thick bulletproof Lexan glass. "By designating this as a handling object, it brought certain risks to the bar," Kendrick said. "But after your first five, and your next 10, and when you get to 25 years, you start to get to the point when you think that it's never going to happen." Treasure hunter and salvor Mel Fisher recovered the solid gold bar from the wreck of the Santa Margarita in 1980. Fisher and his team had been searching for the Nuestra Senora de Atocha and instead found the sister ship, the Santa Margarita. Both ships had gone down in a hurricane off Key West shortly after leaving Havana, Cuba, in 1622. The ships were headed home to Spain with a cargo of gold, silver and coins from the new world. The team found the Atocha in 1985. The stolen bar is one of dozens of gold and silver bars retrieved from the bottom of the sea. Experts say that about 90 percent of stolen art and artifacts is eventually recovered that but it often takes years to find. The FBI has recovered more than 2,600 items of cultural property valued at more than $142 million. The items range from Colombian artifacts to Rembrandt paintings. Wittman, the former FBI agent and author of "Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures," said the market is incredibly small for these high-profile objects. He said thieves often steal the items and then try to figure how to sell them. "We recovered paintings and artifacts that were missing for many years. Ten, 15, sometimes 20 years, because the thieves couldn't get rid of them," he said. "They kept them in their closets. They were white elephants. They made no money out of the deals. They were stuck." In 1990, thieves entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, and stole 13 works of art, including three Rembrandts from the 1600s. None has been recovered, and federal agents are using DNA to try to find the perpetrators. Wittman said no legitimate collector would take the risks associated with buying stolen goods. "They don't buy stolen property, because ... they can't show it, they can't enjoy it. ... It makes them into criminals, and the last thing they want to do is spend a lot of money for a painting or for an artifact, whether it's gold or whatever, and have it seized by the police and go to jail," he said. Key West authorities said they believe the thieves were not locals and that they are probably long gone. The museum's insurance company is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the return of the bar. Police said they remain hopeful they will solve the crime but just hope they can recover this golden piece of history. "This is going to end up in somebody's house probably, used as a paperweight," said Lee, who is leading the investigation. "Other than melting it down, which is the worst-case scenario for everyone, we're just hoping that they will come to their senses somehow and return this back to the museum."

Gold bar stolen from Key West, Florida, museum is worth more than $550,000 . Video shows crime taking place, but leads are sparse . Thieves often can't sell stolen treasures because legitimate collectors won't bite . But stolen treasures are often hard to find .

003d773c00279077fc83986a725be77c3ef0740f

(CNN) -- The crane operator facing charges over a deadly building collapse was denied bail Sunday. A Philadelphia judge refused to allow Sean Benschop, 42, to leave jail. He is charged with six counts of involuntary manslaughter, 13 counts of recklessly endangering another person, and one count of "risking a catastrophe," District Attorney spokeswoman Tasha Jamerson told CNN. Wednesday's building collapse in downtown Philadelphia left six dead and 13 people injured. Benschop, who maintains his innocence, turned himself in Saturday. "My client is being made the scapegoat in this situation," said Daine Grey, Benschop's attorney. "The victims here aren't just those who died and their families. My client is a victim as well. He's currently being looked at as the cause of everybody's pain, but that just isn't the case." Grey told reporters Saturday that while his client feels "extremely sympathetic and remorseful," he is not guilty. "This was an accident, but Mr. Benschop was not responsible," Grey said, in remarks captured by CNN affiliate WPVI. "And we believe that, in time, the facts will show that he is not responsible." Benschop had marijuana and pain medication in his blood after the collapse, a law enforcement source told CNN. Pennsylvania court records indicate Benschop, who also went by the alias Kary Roberts, has been arrested multiple times in the past two decades. Many of the related charges -- related to alleged firearms violations and theft -- were withdrawn, dismissed or resulted in not guilty verdicts, though he was found guilty in the mid-1990s on drug charges. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter blamed Benschop's "reckless and irresponsible behavior" for the building collapse and said Saturday he hopes that Benschop faces "the harshest level of charges ... and he is punished accordingly." "Justice will only be served if Sean Benschop receives a sentence that buries him in a jailhouse forever, just like his victims were buried on Wednesday," Nutter said. Nutter is pressing for answers from two property owners who hired Benschop to operate heavy machinery, saying that, along with Benschop, they "bear the ultimate and sole responsibility for this tragedy." Benschop allegedly was working a crane to tear down a vacant building in downtown Philadelphia when a four-story wall collapsed onto a Salvation Army thrift store, causing an ominous rumble followed by panic on the streets. Afterward, searchers climbed over shards of wood, concrete and rebar looking for survivors, such as a 61-year-old woman pulled alive from the rubble early Thursday. The first lawsuit against him was filed that same day, by attorneys for a 54-year-old woman pulled from the rubble by a firefighter.

NEW: Attorney for crane operator says his client is "being made the scapegoat" Sean Benschop was denied bail Sunday . A law enforcement source says marijuana was found in the crane operator's blood . 6 died, 13 were injured when a building being torn down collapsed onto a thrift store .

003eaac389a2450171f99f216b95f8741b58cbf0

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former middle-school student who was strip-searched by school officials looking for ibuprofen pain medication won a partial victory of her Supreme Court appeal Thursday in a case testing the discretion of officials to ensure classroom safety. Savana Redding leaves the U.S Supreme Court in April. She was 13 when she was strip-searched. Savana Redding was 13 when administrators suspected that she was carrying banned drugs. No medication was found, and she later sued. The justices concluded that the search was unreasonable but that individual school administrators could not be sued. The larger issue of whether a campus setting traditionally gives schools greater authority over students suspected of illegal activity than police are allowed was not addressed fully by the divided court. "Savana's subjective expectation of privacy against such a search is inherent in her account of it as embarrassing, frightening and humiliating," wrote Justice David Souter for the majority, likely his last opinion before he steps down from the bench next week. But reflecting the divisiveness over the issue, Souter said, "We think these differences of opinion from our own are substantial enough to require immunity for the school officials in this case." Whether the school district would be liable was not an issue before the high court. "I'm pretty excited that they agreed with me, they see that it was wrong for the school to do that," Redding said from her Hobbs, New Mexico, home after the ruling was announced. "I'm pretty certain that it's so far less likely to happen again" to other students. Redding was an eighth-grade honor student in 2003, with no history of disciplinary problems at Safford Middle School, about 127 miles from Tucson, Arizona. During an investigation into pills found at the school, a student told the vice principal that Redding had given her prescription-strength 400-milligram ibuprofen pills. The school had a near-zero-tolerance policy for all prescription and over-the-counter medication, including the ibuprofen, without prior written permission. Redding was pulled from class by Vice Principal Kerry Wilson, escorted to an office and confronted with the evidence. The girl denied the accusations. A search of Redding's backpack found nothing. A strip search was conducted by Wilson's assistant and a school nurse, both females. Redding was ordered to strip to her underwear and to pull on the elastic of the underwear, so any hidden pills might fall out, according to court records. No drugs were found. "The strip search was the most humiliating experience I have ever had," Redding said in an affidavit. "I held my head down so that they could not see that I was about to cry." Souter said Wilson initially had "sufficient suspicion" to justify searching the girl's backpack and outer clothing. But when no contraband was found, the officials went too far by continuing the search of her underwear. With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, Redding and her family sued, and a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled against the school, calling the search "traumatizing" and illegal. That court said the school went too far in its effort to create a drug- and crime-free classroom. The Supreme Court found little agreement on key issues. Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg agreed that the search was illegal but would have also made individual officials liable for damages by Redding. "Wilson's treatment of Redding was abusive, and it was not reasonable for him to believe that the law permitted it," said Ginsburg, who was especially forceful during oral arguments in April, criticizing the school's actions. But Justice Clarence Thomas took the opposite view: that administrators deserved immunity and that the search was permissible. "Preservation of order, discipline and safety in public schools is simply not the domain of the Constitution," he said. "And, common sense is not a judicial monopoly or a constitutional imperative." In 1985, the high court allowed the search of a student's purse after she was suspected of hiding cigarettes. Such a search was permitted if there were "reasonable" grounds for believing that it would turn up evidence and when the search was not "excessively intrusive." Opinions in 1995 and 2001 allowed schools to conduct random drug testing of high school athletes and those participating in other extracurricular activities. The court was being asked to clarify the extent of student rights involving searches and the discretion of officials regarding those they have responsibility over. Adam Wolf, an ACLU attorney who represented Redding, applauded the decision. "When parents send their kids to school, they can now breathe a sigh of relief they will not end up naked before school officials," Wolf said . But school administrators said the ruling does not make their jobs any easier. "The home medicine cabinet now poses a serious threat to students, who may take those medications for abusive purposes," said Francisco Negron, general counsel for the National School Boards Association. "That's a problem schools are trying to stem." "How they determine now whether the drug is dangerous, whether it's not dangerous -- that kind of clarity and that kind of guidance, the court did not give us." Redding, now 19, said she has never gotten over her experience. "Before it happened, I loved school, loved everything about it. You know, I had a 4.0 GPA, honor roll, and now, well, afterwards I never wanted to go to school again." She is attending college. The case is Safford Unified School District No. 1 v. Redding (08-479).

Savana Redding was 13 when administrators suspected she was carrying drugs . No medication was found, and she later sued . Justices: Search was unreasonable, but individual school officials can't be sued . Redding, now 19, has said she has never gotten over her experience .

003f8c8953025e086fa773c9b40d9b8cd6d9754c

Hong Kong (CNN) -- When American pop artist Andy Warhol visited Beijing in 1982 and was told there wasn't a McDonald's, he replied: "Oh, but they will." Twenty-six years after his death, Warhol, whose much-lauded prescience extended across visual and consumer culture, has popped up in China once again -- and he was right about the fast-food chain. "Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal," the first major retrospective of his work in China, recently arrived in Shanghai with the aim of acquainting the Chinese public with the artist who created some of the most famous paintings of the most iconic figure in the country's history. Warhol goes to China . While Warhol's trip to Beijing was his first and only visit to mainland China, his engagement with the country started a decade earlier, inspired by former U.S. president Richard Nixon's rapprochement with the communist power in 1972. Ripping from the headlines, Warhol adopted Chairman Mao as his subject, applying his signature pop aesthetic to China's paramount leader. His series of portraits went on to become some of his most well-known works. "Mao was front-page news in America and that was often where Warhol got his biggest inspiration," said Eric Shiner, director of Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum, which organized the exhibition. He described Mao as "classic Warhol subject matter." Warhol relied on a copy of Mao's portrait photograph in the leader's Little Red Book of ideological quotations to create his paintings. Little did he know that he would eventually pose for a photo in front of the original portrait hanging in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. His trip to Beijing was an unexpected byproduct of a visit to Hong Kong. The industrialist Alfred Siu had invited him to the city to attend the opening of a night club, decorated with portraits of Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana that he had commissioned from the artist. Upon Warhol's arrival, Siu announced he had arranged a VIP tour to Beijing for him and his friends. Artistic inspiration aside, China also provided Warhol with a respite from the pressures of fame. "It was one of the special places," said Christopher Makos, the artist's close friend and personal photographer, who accompanied him to China. He recalled that Warhol went virtually unrecognized in China, although the artist stood out for his unusual looks. "As Andy would say, he didn't have to wear his Andy suit. Notoriety and fame is a double-edged sword....you have no privacy." China's communist uniformity, with its blue sea of unisex Mao suits, appealed to Warhol's aesthetic obsession with repetition. "He was all about multiples...and at the time, China was the ultimate multiple," Makos said. The country also provided a source of inspiration for Warhol's nascent modeling career. Warhol posed for Makos' camera with gestures he adopted from the tai chi practitioners he observed outdoors -- and even adopted the bared-teeth expression of the guardian lion in the Forbidden City in one photo. Can Warhol make a name in China? While Warhol is well-known within art and fashion circles in China (Shiner said 600 of these cultural elite attended the exhibition's pre-opening), he remains unknown to the average Chinese citizen. Many Chinese are familiar with certain Warhol works, such as the Marilyn Monroe or the Chairman Mao portraits, reproductions of which dot cafes and tourist markets across Beijing. But they are much less likely to connect the work with the artist -- or to even have heard of the artist himself. "If you don't know who Andy Warhol is, I won't blame you. But if you say you've never seen his Marilyn Monroe portrait, I would have to jump into the Huangpu river and kill myself!" wrote user @Jianisi_yangyang on Sina Weibo. A search on China's popular Twitter-like platform revealed many posts by users expressing ignorance of whom Warhol was or why he is famous. Having recently launched a "massive" advertising campaign and sat for dozens of interviews with mainland media outlets, Shiner is hoping to reach the masses. "One of the reasons why I wanted to do this show is so the general public can learn about the artist behind these iconic works and realize (Mao and Marilyn Monroe) are just a few of thousands of images he made," he said. So far, it appears that this education is welcome -- and necessary. "For the first time, I learned the charm of pop art," Weibo user @Yanmingdu wrote about the exhibition, while user @GracieMankedun posted, "Just saw Andy Warhol's exhibition and I got a little confused. For example, I didn't understand the Campbell's soup cans." "The curiosity is greater than the awareness," said John Good, international director for post-war and contemporary art at Christie's, which is holding its second private sale of Warhol's work in Hong Kong this week. "We've seen a great deal of interest and curiosity (among Chinese) about Western art and international culture. I think Warhol is a perfect artist...to show what Western culture is all about." Christie's first private Warhol sale in Hong Kong last November attracted a mostly Asian demographic and managed to sell nearly half of its lots, Good said. Censoring Mao in China . However, visitors to the "15 Minutes External" exhibitions in mainland China will not see any Chairman Mao portraits. While Shiner was planning the exhibition with the host venue -- the Shanghai Power Station of Art -- its staff advised that exhibiting the Mao works wasn't a "good idea right now." A staff member told CNN that government authorities would have considered the works "too political." "Of course, the primary concern is to get the show there and up and not put anything in a category that would ever question anything," Shiner said. "Knowing that we would have the censors from the Ministry of Culture, we wanted to make sure... that nothing would put the show in jeopardy." An editorial in the state-backed Global Times newspaper suggested that while Warhol may not have had ill intent, the "provocative" blotches of color splattered on Mao's face suggested that he was wearing make-up -- a disrespectful portrayal of the iconic leader. While Shiner acknowledged the Mao portraits "could be read as a sarcastic or ironic portrayal", he said Warhol "definitely wasn't being critical. He always liked to blur the lines on gender, and making colorful men somewhat beautiful was something that he liked to do as an inside joke," he added. Once the Chinese public gains a deeper understanding of Warhol's work, he expects that the Mao works "won't be as big a deal." Influence on Chinese contemporary art . Warhol's influence on Chinese contemporary art can actually be traced back to 1981, when many contemporary artists, labeled as dissidents, fled the country, Shiner said. While most of them went to Paris and Berlin, two artists "very specifically went to New York because they wanted quite literally to be part of Andy's universe" -- Ai Weiwei and Xu Bing. Both artists have gone on to become some of the most recognized and celebrated names in Chinese contemporary art, and some would go as far as calling Ai Weiwei "China's Andy Warhol." "Ai Weiwei loves the idea of multiples," Makos pointed out, noting Ai's most famous installations, including the 9,000 backpacks representing the schoolchildren killed in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and the millions of porcelain sunflower seeds he poured into the Turbine Hall of London's Tate Modern museum. Shiner readily concurred: "He's really gone on to model his entire art-making process and career on proven Warhol tactics, looking at repetition, multiplication, and critique of consumer culture. When you look at his Coca-Cola works, that's directly related to Warhol and it's really amazing how many things he picked up from Andy." Ai's similarity to Warhol also lies in his social activism, which aims to change Chinese society through art, he added. As for Xu Bing, viewers may not immediately see Warhol in his work, Shiner said, but he described the artist as a "huge fan of Warhol" who "loves the idea of repetition -- the formal arrangement of Chinese character after Chinese character, an endless array of similar looking imagery." Unfortunately, neither artist became acquainted in person with their muse, despite moving to New York for him. Ai once spotted Warhol at a party, but did not approach him, Shiner revealed. "As a young man, he was too shy to actually go and say hello," he said, recalling that Ai told him his English wasn't good enough at the time. Ai and Xu aside, the Warhol aesthetic and vocabulary has deeply influenced Chinese contemporary artists over the past 10-15 years, with its characteristic combinations of social realist imagery with pop culture and iconic brands. The Shanghai exhibition will run to July 28 and make its way to Beijing later this year. Meanwhile, Makos will also hold an exhibition of his photographs of Warhol next month in Shanghai, including images from their 1982 trip to China. "His work lives on. Maybe (the Chinese) don't know him, but they know his work," Makos said, predicting that Warhol "will get bigger and bigger in China." "Andy was the ultimate pop artist. To this day you can still find Campbell soup on the shelf in the grocery store and you can see multiples of them," Makos said. "As long as that imagery is live and well, Warhol will have this built-in publicity." CNN's Feng Ke contributed to this report.

First major retrospective of pop artist Andy Warhol's work exhibiting in China . Warhol made first and only trip to China in 1982, which provided artistic inspiration . While iconic works are well-recognized in China, few people connect them with Warhol . Warhol influenced Chinese contemporary artists, most notably Ai Weiwei and Xu Bing .

0040eb79bd5424f52e1ec43050539e4e12189cbf

London (CNN) -- Four current and former employees of Britain's Sun newspaper were arrested by authorities investigating claims of inappropriate payments to police, News Corp. and police said Saturday. Police searched the men's homes as well as the East London offices of News International, the News Corp. subsidiary that publishes the Sun and other U.K. newspapers, London's Metropolitan Police Service said. A 29-year-old police officer was also arrested Saturday at the central London police station where he works, police said, on suspicion of corruption, misconduct in a public office and conspiracy in relation to both offenses. He works for the force's Territorial Policing command. Three of the men were arrested at their homes -- two of them, aged 49 and 57, in the county of Essex, and one aged 48 in London. A fourth, aged 42, was arrested at an east London police station. By late Saturday, police said that all five men were subsequently released after posting bail. The current and past newspaper employees were all set to "return pending further inquiries" in April or May, according to the Scotland Yard statement. Earlier, they'd been questioned on suspicion of corruption, aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office, and conspiracy in relation to those offenses. The operation "relates to suspected payments to police officers and is not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately," an earlier police statement said. News Corp. said it is cooperating with the search of its News International offices. Police said the operation was the result of information provided to police by News Corporation's Management and Standards Committee (MSC), which was set up to look into conduct at News International, a subsidiary of News Corp. The News Corp. statement said the company had "made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated." The committee was asked "to proactively co-operate with law enforcement and other authorities if potentially relevant information arose at those titles. As a result of that review, which is ongoing, the MSC provided information to the Elveden investigation which led to today's arrests." The Sun, which is Britain's best-selling tabloid newspaper, was the sister paper of News International's now-defunct Sunday title, the News of the World. A spokeswoman for News International earlier declined to comment on the search of its offices. The investigation into alleged corruption, known as Operation Elveden, is being run in conjunction with an inquiry into phone hacking prompted by allegations of wrongdoing at News of the World. The best-selling News of the World tabloid was shuttered in July amid outrage over claims that its staff hacked the voicemail of a missing 13-year-old girl who turned out to have been murdered. James Murdoch, chief executive of News International and the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, has insisted that the practice of phone hacking was not widespread. News Group Newspapers, a subsidiary of News International that was the publisher of News of the World, agreed to payouts in the High Court totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars earlier this month over phone hacking claims. Among those who read statements in court were Labour Party lawmaker Chris Bryant, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, actor Jude Law, the actor's ex-wife Sadie Frost, and high-profile rugby player Gavin Henson. News International said the company "made no admission as part of these settlements that directors or senior employees knew about the wrongdoing by NGN or sought to conceal it. However, for the purpose of reaching these settlements only, NGN agreed that the damages to be paid to claimants should be assessed as if this was the case." Both James and Rupert Murdoch, as well as senior executives at News International, have testified before British lawmakers examining allegations of wrongdoing. A public inquiry has also been set up to look at claims of widespread misconduct by the British media. Representatives of a range of news outlets have appeared before it. There have been 13 arrests in connection with Operation Elveden and 17 in relation to Operation Weeting, the phone hacking inquiry, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. Three people have been arrested in connection with both investigations. Operation Elveden is overseen by the British police watchdog, the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

NEW: Those arrested have been bailed and the searches are over, police say . Four current and former Sun employees had been arrested, News Corp. says . A 29-year-old police officer has also been arrested, London police say . The arrests were made as part of an investigation into corruption allegations .

004135e34c22bc5c1954f0cfa3c627943486d0b9

London (CNN) -- Il Rottomatore -- or "the demolition man" -- is how Italy's incoming prime minister has come to be known, thanks in part to his pugnacious approach to politics. Matteo Renzi's nickname hardly bodes well for drumming up support in one of the most fractious governing systems on the planet, one which has speared all but one of its governments since World War II. Then again, the 39-year-old's backers say this football-fan Mayor of Florence is precisely the breath of fresh air needed in Rome's stuffy halls of power. Neither an MP nor an elected premier, Renzi has managed to wrest control of the party's leadership by promising to smash the gridlocked reform process and shift its axis to the center. How he thinks he will manage to garner more support than career politicians, like his predecessor Enrico Letta, is as yet unclear. What's more: Renzi had initially vowed only to seek the top job through the ballot box and not a leadership contest, meaning some are skeptical about what he stands for. ''What Renzi's done is gutsy,'' says Giuseppe Ragusa of the Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome. ''But he is not going to have the public's support; he doesn't have the votes from the electoral poll. So this is going to be a difficulty. Instead Ragusa says Italy is hoping that by virtue of his youth and dynamism Renzi will have the energy ''to do something very quickly." Something, being the optimal word. Italy has been crying out for a plausible, long-term economic agenda for years, leaving the country wholly unprepared for the economic slump of recent years. Often described as his country's answer to Tony Blair, Renzi is good at talking the big picture, which is probably just as well because Italy's problems aren't small. First there's a two trillion-euro debt pile to shrink, record unemployment, crippling and antiquated labor laws not to mention stifling business and payroll taxes. Still, top of the list for Renzi, will be moves to create the kind of political stability where such measures can actually take hold. This means ploughing on with plans to reform the parliamentary system in a move which is likely to cost the country its upper house -- or senate -- in its current form. However, Renzi may be on a collision course with Brussels after suggesting the EU give his nation some leeway to breach its 3% limit on the budget deficit in order to support a recent return to growth. Vincenzo Scarpetta of London-based think tank Open Europe says Renzi will have to prove himself on the international stage. ''He is relatively little known compared to his two predecessors,'' says Scarpetta. ''So he will have to act quickly.'' Yet if anything, Renzi is a long distance player. A marathon runner and keen sportsman, Renzi already has an eye on the distant horizon -- saying he wishes to see this term through until the next election in 2018. Addressing reporters after being asked to form a government by Italy's President -- as protocol dictates -- Renzi said it would likely take a few days to get his key people in place. ''But I assure you,'' he said, ''I will give this commitment all the energy I have.'' Commitment is something this former boy scout is known for and at less than half of the age of Silvio Berlusconi, Renzi certainly has energy. But he'll need more than stamina to succeed. Above all, he must find support. READ MORE: Is Matteo Renzi ready to be Italy's PM? WATCH MORE: The future of Europe's economy .

Matteo Renzi is incoming PM of Italy, a country with a fractious governing system . It's not clear how the 39-year-old will garner more support than his predecessors . The country has problems including its two trillion euro debt pile and high unemployment . But Renzi has shown he is a long-distance player -- and has youth and stamina on his side .

0043419182bdb005875dd3da575ebe38570907e8

Military forces have managed to take the remaining strongholds of al Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab in the far northeast of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the military said. "In effect, operations will now focus on the environs of the city and policing within the liberated areas," the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said in a statement, adding that its troops worked with Transitional Federal Government forces. "Our joint operations have gone extremely well today and over the weekend," AMISOM spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said. "Casualties have been thankfully very low on our side, with just one killed and six minor injuries. The outer north and eastern fringes of the city must still be cleared, but key ground and buildings are no longer under the control of the extremists." "It has been a big achievement to remove Al-Shabaab from the city, and put an end to the fighting that disrupted so many lives. But the challenge is now to protect civilians from the sort of terror attack we saw last week, as they attempt to rebuild their lives." Last week Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a suicide truck bombing in the heart of Mogadishu that left dozens dead. Other Al-Shabaab attacks last week led to the deaths of at least 10 civilians. Al-Shabaab was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008. The group is waging a war against Somalia's government to implement a stricter form of Islamic law, or Sharia. Federal and African Union forces in the impoverished and chaotic nation have battled the group for years. Many analysts believe Al-Shabaab has been severely weakened by AMISOM, targeted strikes against foreign members and the weakening of al Qaeda. Al-Shabaab said in August that it was withdrawing from Mogadishu, and the Transitional Federal Government, backed by African Union peacekeepers, now control most districts of the capital city, the United Nations office said. Forces have pushed Al-Shabaab outside most of Mogadishu, but the group is still a major threat, said African Union forces spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Nkunda in a statement last week.

Military forces say they have taken strongholds in northeastern Mogadishu . The military cites "a big achievement" Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack last week that killed dozens .

0043612320aaede50bf515eacc66c7daeee9a21b

(CNN) -- A Florida judge sentenced Rachel Wade, the 20-year-old woman convicted of second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her romantic rival in a fight last year, to 27 years in prison Friday. While acknowledging mitigating factors -- primarily Wade's youth and lack of a criminal past -- the judge said her actions were not "unaggravating." "The murder was no accident," Judge Joseph Bulone said. Wade went to trial in July, accused of second-degree murder in the stabbing death of 18-year-old Sarah Ludemann. The two women, only teenagers at the time, had fought for months via voicemails, text messages and MySpace postings over their relationship with the same man, Joshua Camacho. The feud culminated in a fatal confrontation in the early morning hours of April 15, 2009. After a three-day trial and only two and a half hours of deliberation, a jury of five men and one woman convicted Wade of second-degree murder. Wade had claimed self-defense and hoped for an acquittal or no more than a manslaughter conviction. A life sentence was recommended by Florida prosecutors. The defense had recommended 15 years, followed by 15 years of probation. TruTV's "In Session" correspondent Beth Karas spoke to Wade days before her sentencing. "I think about it every day, regardless if they give me five years or 20 years more than they could give me," Wade said. "I never meant to do it, and I'm still gonna have to live with it, no matter if I'm home or if I'm in prison." Wade's lawyer told HLN Friday that the sentence was "very fair." "I just don't think this was a case that called for life," said Jay Hebert. Hebert said the case is a cautionary tale about the potentially deadly mix of young people and modern communications technology. "When you start looking at the tragic nature of this, the social networking, the instant messaging, the ability of people to hide behind the screen and make statements and create situations -- it just festered until it bubbled up and exploded into a situation... until two good girls, their worlds collided," he said. Hebert said Wade has resolved to teach young people about the dangers associated with social networking. "I don't think we can appreciate how young people talk," he said. "And that's the lesson for parents. Pay close attention to your children. Watch how they talk and who they talk to. Watch their social networking outlets." "Because it's an explosive situation when when you don't have to be accountable, when you can break up with somebody or ask somebody to prom via text," he said. "There's no face-to-face interaction." In Session Correspondent Beth Karas contributed to this report.

NEW: Defendant Rachel Wade's lawyer says sentence is "very fair" Wade sentenced in April 2009 stabbing death of Sarah Ludemann . Wade was convicted of second-degree murder . The two women were involved with the same man .

00459587adf060c93966ce7f1e2e33fae1d87f7c

(WIRED) -- Apple's loose-lipped overseas partners are exchanging whispers about the next-generation iPad, claiming it will come in three different versions, one of which would work with Verizon's network. The iPad 2 will support three different wireless configurations: UMTS, CDMA and Wi-Fi only, according to "industry sources quoted by DigiTimes" citing component makers. That's up from the two versions Apple currently offers: UMTS plus Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi only. To explicate the alphabet soup, UMTS is the standard used by major 3G carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, while CDMA is compatible with Verizon and Sprint networks. Currently the 3G iPad ships with a MicroSIM card slot, and in the United States, the only carrier that uses MicroSIM is AT&T. Customers who want to connect to non-AT&T 3G networks must either buy an external wireless hotspot device such as the Verizon MiFi (Verizon already sells a MiFi plus iPad package) or trim a standard SIM card down to MicroSIM size, like Wired.com's Charlie Sorrel. The current 3G model of the iPad is not tied to a contract: Customers pay a flat monthly rate for data and can opt out whenever they please. So if this rumor is true, it means that when the iPad 2 ships, you'll have to pick a 3G model based on your carrier preference. If you don't plan to be on the road a lot, there's still the Wi-Fi option. Support for both major wireless standards in the United States will make the iPad 2 available to a much larger potential audience, whereas before it was only available in the states from AT&T. WIRED: With iPad, Apple still has fatal attraction for AT&T . Whether Apple hammers out sales agreements with Verizon or Sprint remains to be seen. Recent rumors suggestion that the iPad 2 will hit stores April 2011, one year after the original iPad's release. Some third-party protective cases for a purported "iPad 23 have been cropping up in Asia, hinting at the possibility of a bigger speaker and a rear-facing camera. Persistent rumors -- so far unsubstantiated -- have also pointed to a Verizon-compatible iPhone to be released in early 2011. If Verizon gets the iPhone and the iPad, it would greatly expand Apple's potential market, and would also likely deal a severe blow to AT&T, which has been roundly criticized for the inability of its 3G network to keep up with iPhone-induced demand. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2010 Wired.com.

Next generation iPad could come in three different versions . Currently 3G iPad ships with a MicroSIM card slot, which is only used on AT&T . If Verizon gets iPhone and iPad, it would greatly expand Apple's potential market .

004636d2b06ffc786148189e4d8e5e950bd46e8f

Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) -- More than 70 members of the Islamist extremist group Boko Haram have been killed during a Nigerian military operation in the northeastern state of Borno, an Army spokesman told CNN on Friday. The military "remains on the offensive," according to Brig. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, who said the operation started Thursday and continued into the next day. Who are the world's 10 most dangerous terrorists? This wasn't the only clash between Boko Haram and Nigerian troops of late. Suspected members of the extremist group around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday (12:30 p.m. ET) attacked a military checkpoint in Damaturu, Nigeria's Joint Task Force reported in a statement. Also in northern Nigeria, Damaturu is the capital of Yobe state. Special operations troops responded, waging "a fierce encounter with the terrorists in various parts of Damaturu ... for several hours," according to the Joint Task Force. By the time that fighting was over, 21 suspected Boko Haram fighters were dead, the government group reported. Three vehicles were recovered, as were assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade, improvised explosive devices and 709 rounds of ammunition. The military did not provide any information on its casualties. "Law abiding citizens are enjoined to remain calm as the 3 Division Special Operation Battalion is on top of the situation," the Joint Task Force said, noting a 24-hour curfew was imposed throughout the state. "Any credible information should be passed promptly to security agencies for necessary action." Last May, President Goodluck Jonathan put three states in the region under a state of emergency, giving Nigerian forces wide latitude in fighting the group, which human rights organizations say has killed more than 3,000 people since 2009. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the Hausa-Fulani language, seeks to impose a strict version of Sharia law across northeastern Nigeria, if not the entire country. The group has attacked various targets in the West African nation since its formation in the late 1990s, according to the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, including killing and kidnapping Westerners, and bombing schools and churches. Hundreds of its members, including its leader Mohammed Yusuf, died in July 2009 clashes with government forces. But the group did not stay down for long, and has remained an active and violent force in Nigeria. In August, its militants allegedly went into a mosque in Borno state and killed 44 worshipers. The group released a video boasting that it was growing stronger. Opinion: Should U.S. fear Boko Haram? CNN's Vlad Duthiers reported from Nigeria, CNN's Greg Botelho wrote this story from Atlanta. CNN's Nana Karikari-apau contributed to this report.

The military kills more than 70 Boko Haram members in an operation in Borno state . They also fend off an attack on a military checkpoint in Yobe state's capital . 21 suspected Boko Haram members die in fighting there . Boko Haram seeks to impose a strict version of Sharia law across northeastern Nigeria .

00464528a306e3c679fdaf61f60c42ba6f7db6ba

Istanbul (CNN)A woman carried out a suicide bombing at a police station in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district Tuesday evening, killing one police officer and injuring another, officials said. The attack happened in the section of Turkey's largest city that is home to landmarks such as the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, and is heavily trafficked by tourists. The bomber, speaking English, entered the police station saying she lost her wallet, and the explosion happened at about 5:20 p.m., Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin told reporters. Sahin did not mention a motive for the attack. Sahin initially said that the blast, besides killing the bomber, critically injured one police officer and slightly wounded another. Later Tuesday, Turkey's semi-official Anadolu news agency reported that one of the officers died of his wounds at a hospital. Police cordoned off the area. The attacker's identity is unknown and the incident is being investigated, the governor told reporters. CNN's Gul Tuysuz reported and wrote from Istanbul, and CNN's Jason Hanna wrote in Atlanta. CNN's Hande Atay contributed to this report.

Woman detonates bomb after saying she'd lost her wallet, Istanbul governor says . Attacker's identity, motive not immediately known, governor says . Attack happened at police station in popular tourism district .

0046a356cc90e393be41135da101f83da40ee6a3

Why in the world would Scott Brown, a former half-term Senator from Mitt Romney's Massachusetts, put himself in the mix for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination? The real question is: Why not? When Brown told the Des Moines Register over the weekend that he was heading to the Iowa State Fair "to determine whether there's an interest in my brand of leadership and Republicanism," the news was met with some amusement by political insiders. After all, Brown has already floated bids for New Hampshire senator and Massachusetts governor, and he doesn't seem likely to pursue either. 2016 Watch: Scott Brown makes a stop in Iowa . Brown was thumped by Elizabeth Warren in his 2012 re-election bid, and he became something of a punch line earlier this year after he unleashed a volley of questionable late night tweets at some online critics. But so what? The truth is that in today's media environment, there's almost no downside for a long-shot "candidate" like Brown to tell people he's mulling a White House run. For someone with no real perch other than a paid gig at Fox News, it actually makes a lot of sense. Just by going to the Iowa State Fair, a must-do for any ambitious pol, Brown will be rewarded with the only currency that matters in modern campaign politics (other than hard fundraising dollars): Buzz. "Funnel cake and free name ID. What's not to love?" asked Will Ritter, a Boston-based GOP operative and former Mitt Romney adviser. "How many stories got posted about Ed Markey's legislative agenda yesterday? It's fun. Senator Brown's a skilled retail politician and this gives him a platform to talk about a brand of Republicanism we could use more of." For obsessive political watchers, Brown's shamelessness about the whole enterprise is kind of refreshing. "I do admire the audacity to just go to the state fair and tweet about it," said Jeff Smith, a professor at the New School and regular contributor to the Washington Twitter conversation. Brown knows exactly what he's doing. Scott Brown stirs speculation with New Hampshire visit . It's the same reason Iowa Rep. Steve King and New York Rep. Peter King (no relation; not even close) are "refusing to rule out" a 2016 bid. Will either of them be taking the oath of office one day? Nope. But with so many news platforms to fill -- on television, on the web, on the radio -- a presidential trial balloon or a trip to Iowa is almost guaranteed to get you at least a crumb of media exposure, a boost in stature, and maybe even a few campaign contributions down the road. Just look at this month's Family Leadership Summit, a gathering of social conservatives in Iowa that drew potential 2016 presidential contenders Ted Cruz and Rick Santorum to the first-in-the-nation caucus state. Both men seem likely to run for the Republican nomination, and both will be returning to Iowa over and over and over again in the coming years. But even if they don't, the two conservatives proved how keeping one's name in the 2016 conversation is its own reward. In their speeches, Cruz and Santorum issued a series of anti-Obama bromides and boosted their profiles with the grassroots activists who attended the Iowa summit. Neither Republican did a single thing to advance the news cycle other than board an airplane to Des Moines. Yet there they were, trailed at every turn by reporters from the Washington Post, Des Moines Register, Associated Press, New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, ABC News and Fox News. Another Cruz trip to Iowa stokes 2016 speculation . "The focus on the 2016 presidential contest is completely ridiculous, and everybody knows it," wrote David Weigel of Slate after witnessing the cattle call. Well, not completely. In our atomized media ecosystem, there's certainly a market for niche political coverage, in the same way there's a market for micro-reporting on the status of Robert Griffin III's return from knee surgery. More importantly, the presidential cycle is starting earlier than it ever has, with advisers to likely candidates working behind the scenes to assemble campaign infrastructure and peddle dirt on their potential opponents. On the Republican side, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are driving national discussions about ideology and governance. Still, there's a difference between running for president and "running" for president, even though it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference. Running for president requires hard work, an ungodly amount of fundraising effort, a professional team of advisers, polling, a paid media strategy, a voter contact operation and ballot access. See: Romney, Mitt. "Running" for president means doing a lot of interviews and delivering some well-timed lines in debates. See: Cain, Herman. Which category does Scott Brown fall under? For the moment, it would seem the latter. Looking at the 2016 GOP field, Christie probably has the Northeastern Republican lane all to himself, a prospect that would make it difficult for Brown to raise money. Before his Iowa trip, Brown met privately with Christie at the Republican National Committee's summer conference in Boston, a meeting first reported by the New York Times. Christie raised money for Brown several times during his Senate tenure, and, according to one Christie insider, the two are "very friendly." Then there's the fact that Brown, who supports some abortion rights, isn't exactly a hardliner on social issues that matter to so many Republican caucus-goers in Iowa. Even some of his former advisers aren't sure what he's up to. Eric Fehrnstrom, the media strategist who crafted Brown's truck-driving, regular-guy image during his stunning 2010 Senate upset, is not currently advising him, Republican sources told CNN. Asked by text message if he's serious about a presidential bid, one Republican who talks to Brown often responded: "Who knows. You should call him and ask." "He's acting on his own, as far as I can tell," another onetime adviser said in an e-mail. But what if Brown takes off? What if he gains a toehold in New Hampshire, rises to high single digits in the polls sometime in 2015, and gets invited to some Republican primary debates? What if he rattles off a few good lines, has his moment in the sun, and then fades? He will have lost absolutely nothing -- but gained a spot on some vice presidential short lists along with a hike in his post-campaign speaking fees. Another Republican who has spoken with Brown recently isn't surprised by the sudden interest in the presidential spotlight. Brown, this person said, is a relentlessly enthusiastic guy who still takes great pride in capturing Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat. "The fact that he is in Iowa doesn't surprise me," the Republican told CNN. "In '16, it's not a bad idea to put your name out there and see where it takes you. He was enthusiastic about getting back in the national conversation. I could definitely anticipate this."

There's a difference between running for president and "running" for president . Scott Brown served part of one term in the Senate before losing his re-election bid . There's almost no downside in a politician saying he's considering a presidential run . Even some of his former advisers say they don't know what Brown is up to .

004971d00a8b29b67597b2baad67e813dbbf4b66

The former Rutgers University student convicted of spying on and intimidating his gay roommate was released from jail Tuesday after serving his sentence, a jail official said. Dharun Ravi, 20, was found guilty in May of invasion of privacy, witness tampering, hindering apprehension and bias intimidation. He left the Middlesex County Jail in North Brunswick, New Jersey, on Tuesday morning, according to Edmond Cicchi, warden of the Middlesex County Office of Adult Corrections. Ravi was released early after jail officials applied five days of good behavior and five days of work credit to his term, Cicchi said. Ravi's former roommate, 18-year-old Tyler Clementi, killed himself by jumping off a New York bridge after learning Ravi had secretly recorded Clementi and his partner with a webcam. While Ravi could have been sentenced to 10 years in prison, New Jersey Superior Judge Glenn Berman instead gave him a 30-day jail sentence, three years of probation and ordered him to complete 300 hours of community service aimed at assisting victims of bias crimes. The judge said he took Ravi's youth and his lack of a criminal record into consideration when handing down his sentence. Ravi began serving his term on May 31, two days after apologizing in a written statement for spying on Clementi. His lawyer filed a notice of appeal of his conviction earlier this month. On Monday, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement said it would not deport Ravi to his native India. The agency is legally prohibited from deporting legal permanent residents unless they have been convicted of crimes such as an aggravated felony, domestic violence or drug or weapons offenses, a spokesman said.

He was released early after time off for good behavior and work credit, jail official says . Dharun Ravi is released after serving a jail sentence . He was convicted in May on charges related to recording his gay roommate . The roommate, Tyler Clementi, killed himself after learning of the recording .

004b513bb2f93dca70386dad16c9fb5770ebdc49

(CNN)New York may be a paradise of Zagat-rated, Michelin-starred restaurants, but some of its best food can be found on the streets. Hundreds of mobile eateries hawking gourmet global cuisine occupy corners across the city, alongside traditional hotdog vendors and halal carts. King of Falafel & Shawarma . Halal carts slinging styrofoam plates piled high with falafel, shawarma and rice are ubiquitous in New York, but you'll recognize "the King" by the seemingly endless line crowding the sidewalk beside it. Originally a Queens staple, the cart dominated the corner of 30th Street and Broadway in Astoria for almost a decade before it won the Vendy Award for New York's Best Street Food in 2010. Now, its second cart in Midtown Manhattan peddles its famous falafel and shawarma to the masses, in addition to meaty plates like the Freddy's Junior: chicken, kefta and basmati rice topped with chopped onion and doused liberally in tahini and chile sauce. King of Falafel & Shawarma; 53rd Street and Park Avenue; +1 718 838 8029 . Milk Truck . Bessie, Milk Truck's sunshine-yellow food truck, is a welcome sight for hungry New Yorkers during lunch hour. Every day, the truck's perpetually cheerful staff hawk classic American comfort foods like mac and cheese and turkey chili. The most popular item by far is the grilled cheese sandwich. There are three variations: the classic, the classic with onion and mustard, and a hearty three-cheese version with apple. Despite not having a regular location -- Bessie's daily whereabouts must be tracked online -- Milk Truck has become a fixture in the New York street food scene thanks to its fiercely loyal following. Milk Truck; locations vary; +1 646 233 3838 . Red Hook Lobster Pound food truck . New Yorkers don't need to go to New England for a good lobster roll. Thanks to Big Red, Red Hook Lobster Pound's lobster shack on wheels, they only need to walk to the curb. Rolls come Maine-style, served cold with mayo, or Connecticut-style, served warm with butter and lemon, each stuffed with a quarter pound of fresh Maine lobster. Despite a price tag high that's high for the streets -- $16 per roll at the time of writing -- the truck still sells between 300-400 rolls every two hours. Red Hook Lobster Pound Food Truck; locations vary; +1 718 858 7650 . Lumpia Shack . Though Lumpia Shack has recently upgraded to its own brick-and-mortar, its original location at Brooklyn's Smorgasburg street food market still remains. Lines form before the tiny street stall as early as 11 a.m. each Saturday for lumpia, crispy, Filipino-inspired spring rolls. Each roll is made using locally sourced ground pork, roasted duck or truffled adobo mushrooms, hand-rolled and then deep-fried. Unlike regular street food, Lumpia Shack's plating is restaurant quality: the lumpia are arranged artfully on a tray, drizzled with homemade sauce and garnished with pea shoots and pickled vegetables. Lumpia Shack; Smorgasburg at Kent Avenue and Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn; +1 917 475 1621 . Dirty water dogs . Sometimes it feels like almost every other Manhattan street corner is dressed with the ubiquitous blue and yellow striped Sabrett umbrella, under which you'll find New York's most iconic street food: the dirty water dog. Named after the warm, salty water it's soaked in, the hot frank is served in a soft bun (which sops up residual water) and then topped with ketchup, mustard, onions, relish and sauerkraut. It's neither sophisticated nor gourmet, but it's the quintessential New York food experience. Various locations . Solber Pupusas . Culinary heavyweights Anthony Bourdain, Marcus Samuelsson and Martha Stewart are all said to be fans of Vendy-winning Solber Pupusas, and it's no wonder. Husband and wife owners Rafael and Reina Soler-Bermudez ("Solber" is a portmanteau of their last names) have been making the stuffed Salvadoran corn tortillas in their tiny mobile pupuseria for more than 15 years, selling more than 600 on a regular day. The signature platter comes loaded with two pupusas, tangy curtido, pickled jalapenos, tomato sauce and sour cream. Served on banana leaves with a tangy slaw, the Salvadoran tamales are also crowd favorites. Solber Pupusas; Brooklyn Flea Market at Lafayette Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn; +1 516 965 0214 . Calexico . Unlike California, New York isn't renowned for its Mexican food, but the city has stepped up its game in recent years, thanks in large part to Calexico. What started out as a lone taco cart in SoHo in 2006 -- one of New York's first -- has since grown into a fleet of carts across the city and a handful of brick-and-mortar locations. Its original SoHo cart remains its most popular location, still slinging soft corn tacos cradling slow-cooked chipotle pork, hearty bowls of jalapeno cheddar grits and burritos packed with beer-battered fish, beans, rice and Monterey Jack cheese. Calexico; Prince Street and Wooster Street; +1 646 590 4172 . Bolivian Llama Party . Traditional Bolivian street food staples can now be enjoyed on the streets of Brooklyn thanks to this popular Smorgasburg stall. Though saltenas -- crusty, empanada-like pastries filled with meat and vegetables --are easily its best-selling item, the chola slider is the real star here. The modern take on the humble sanduiche de chola comes stuffed with either pork or beef brisket and topped with hibiscus-pickled onions, carrots, kolla cheese and parsley. Bolivian Llama Party; Smorgasburg at Kent Avenue and Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn; +1 347 395 5481 . Breakfast cart bagels . New York boasts many terrific brick-and-mortar bagel shops, but you won't get a cheaper or more authentic breakfast than a bagel and coffee from a street cart. Every morning, locals file out of the subway and make a beeline for the nearest silver breakfast cart, whose narrow shelves are stocked high with bagels and pastries of every kind. Many pre-prepare their bagels for convenience, but most carts will make your bagel to order. Coffee, usually deli-quality, is served in small blue-and-white Anthora cups that have become as characteristic of New York as yellow cabs and dirty water dogs. Various locations .

You don't have to sit down to get great food in New York . Opened in 2006 in SoHo, a lone taco cart called Calexico has expanded into a mini-empire . New Yorkers don't need to go to New England for a good lobster roll, thanks to Red Hook Lobster Pound . Lines form early for Lumpia Shack's Philippines-inspired food .

004b7045c61fab2a7189f8c09cae11ef1d4c5cfc

(CNN) -- What would we lose if we lost 220,000 postal jobs (120,000 proposed through layoffs, 100,000 through attrition), 3,700 post offices, 300 mail processing plants, or even the post office itself? With millions of jobs and businesses lost to the recent recession, these may seem like just more numbers, or more seemingly inevitable "facts" -- that in the electronic age we now rely on the private sector to deliver public services. But postal workers are people we depend on and post offices are places we want to know will always be there. Downsizing the U.S Postal Service - -which is so low on money, it's in imminent danger of default -- may seem like a ripple in this troubled economy, but it promises to be a social tsunami if action isn't taken soon to save it. For one thing, the postal service has been a huge employer. Before I became a history professor I carried mail for the Postal Service for 20 years. As with many government jobs, you're hired for this one based on achieving a high score on a competitive exam. Veterans, roughly 20% of today's postal workforce (though once well over 50%) earn extra points on this exam, thus giving them a head start and a job to come home to after military service. Who were my co-workers? Just everyday people who, like me in 1980, were attracted to a job that had good benefits, job security, and started at $8.10 an hour. This was as a result of the 1970 nationwide postal wildcat strike that began in New York after postal workers declared they were tired of earning $2.95 an hour and having to work a second job or collect food stamps to make ends meet. In collecting oral histories for a book I later wrote on the postal service, I interviewed those who had worked before 1970, including those who struck. The postal worker's job could include processing mail as clerks and mail handlers, delivering it as letter carriers, driving it as truck drivers, and as maintenance workers keeping up the vehicles, buildings, and grounds. Above all, postal workers were proud of having a career serving the public. The job allowed many to move into the ranks of middle-class wage earners, where they were able to buy homes and send their children to college. But they were also members of extended families and community networks. Many started small businesses on the side, adopted foster children, were active in civic organizations, or enrolled in college classes. Their jobs mattered to communities. Postal jobs have especially played a key role in black community development. The post office has long been one of the largest employers of African-Americans. Even as they faced discrimination at other jobs, many found work there with college degrees or military service under their belts. By 1970, they had become twice as likely as whites to work for the post office, and even before the wage bump that year, the job had afforded them a middle-class status and the ability to accumulate wealth. Today the nation relies on a vast mailing industry that operates primarily for profit. But that network is underpinned by the U.S. Postal Service -- a self-supporting quasi-corporate government agency that remains committed to universal service by constitutional and congressional mandate. Many Americans may not realize that it was the Post Office that pioneered parcel post in 1916 in response to the overpriced, poor, and inconsistent service disaster that was private package delivery. Or that the USPS came up with the concept of overnight mail and zip codes that UPS and FedEx rely on so heavily in their business. Many don't make the connection that e-commerce not only competes with but also generates U.S. mail. Or that during the turn of this century -- the Postal Service's peak years of revenue and mail handling -- it was common to hear competitors and political ideologues calling for the agency's privatization, while at the same time blocking USPS innovations like the proposed 1997 Global Postal Link program to help expedite parcels through customs. Or that the post office is the victim of an artificial deficit created by the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, signed by President George W. Bush, which forces the Postal Service to pre-fund its retiree health benefits 75 years into the future over the next 10 years. What should have been annual revenue surpluses for the Postal Service over the last decade have instead contributed to nightmare annual deficits as it is forced to pay $5.5 billion a year out of operating funds to satisfy this unnecessary and devastating mandate. . We lose more than numbers when we lose postal jobs and post offices, or even the existence of a universal postal service. We lose more than just people committed to providing service, but also people engaged with their communities. People able to consume goods that others produce to help drive local economies. We would also lose the promise of jobs in the future that provide what has become a more dependable service over two centuries since the founding of this country (the post office was started in 1775). An alternative to this loss? People could demand that Congress treat the Postal Service as a venerable American institution worthy of fulfilling its enduring mandate, for which it has recruited generations of skilled and dedicated professional government employees. A good start would be H.R. 1351, introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Massachusetts, a bill that would at least allow the Postal Service to transfer surplus pension funds to satisfy the retiree health plan pre-fund requirement. And that pre-fund requirement ultimately needs to be repealed to keep the Postal Service from running off the rails. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Philip F. Rubio .

Philip Rubio says the U.S. Postal Service threatened by major cuts or even closure . He says post office represents people, places we rely on; cuts will have huge effect in U.S. He says it's a major employer, innovator and fulcrum of national communications system . Rubio: Congress must assume responsibilty for finding a way for postal service to stay afloat .

004cc1a4ecd2ce6327d67b801756847063e48c28

(CNN) -- The U.S. relationship with President Hosni Mubarak's Egypt is full of contradictions and tensions, according to recently published U.S. diplomatic cables, but is also underpinned by similar basic interests in a rough and unpredictable part of the world. A CNN analysis of secret and confidential cables published by WikiLeaks and its media partners reveals U.S. frustration with Mubarak's lack of succession planning, concerns over stuttering economic reform and private criticism of the Mubarak government's hard line toward domestic opponents. But the cables also show that Washington sees Egypt as an important and -- until now -- stable ally on issues, including Iran's nuclear program, promoting negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and making life difficult for Hamas in Gaza. And above all, Egypt is regarded as a moderate bulwark against Iranian-sponsored Islamist fundamentalism. The cables show that Mubarak has taken a persistently hard line toward Iran, telling U.S. diplomats in 2008 that he had warned Tehran "not to provoke the Americans" on the nuclear issue and insisting Egypt could never accept a nuclear-armed Iran. Mubarak has also repeatedly warned of Iran's influence with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and in a cable from February last year, was quoted as describing "Tehran's hand moving with ease throughout the region, from the Gulf to Morocco." A 2009 cable noted that with "the discovery of a Hezbollah cell in Egypt, the Egyptians appear more willing to confront the Iranian surrogates and to work closely with Israel." To that end, the cables describe the Mubarak government as a helpful partner in stopping smuggling into Gaza from Egypt. A cable from 2008 quoted a senior Egyptian military figure as stating that Egypt had spent approximately $40 million to purchase the steel for an underground wall on the Gaza border, "and Egypt was paying the cost of this wall in terms of public opinion both within Egypt and the region." There is no guarantee that any "successor" to the Mubarak government would take such a hard line with Hamas. For the U.S., the alliance between Egypt and Saudi Arabia has also been an important counterweight to growing Iranian influence on the "Arab street" and among states such as Syria and Qatar. Egyptian officials, from Mubarak down, have also repeatedly impressed upon visiting Americans -- military, diplomatic and Congressional -- that it alone among Arab states can play a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinians. [Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, and Mubarak has resisted popular opposition to it.] . Ahead of Mubarak's visit to Washington in May 2009, Ambassador Margaret Scobey wrote from Cairo that "the Egyptians want the visit to demonstrate that Egypt remains America's indispensable "Arab ally." Scobey continued that Mubarak was "a tried and true realist, innately cautious and conservative, and has little time for idealistic goals." He viewed himself as "someone who is tough but fair, who ensures the basic needs of his people." At the same time, the Mubarak government has been very sensitive to any perceived slight from Washington. It has complained about cuts in U.S. economic aid and a stagnant level of military aid "because it shows our diminished view of the value of our relationship" according to one cable. On pressure to improve human rights, according to one cable from Scobey in 2009, "Mubarak takes this issue personally, and it makes him seethe when we raise it, particularly in public." In a later cable, she said that Mubarak "harkens back to the Shah of Iran: the U.S. encouraged him to accept reforms, only to watch the country fall into the hands of revolutionary religious extremists." The Egyptian president relied on his interior minister and intelligence service to "keep the domestic beasts at bay, and Mubarak is not one to lose sleep over their tactics." The U.S. cables display frustration with Mubarak's reluctance to address human rights issues, with one in 2008 saying: "While Egypt has made some limited gains over the last several years, such as on freedom of the press, progress overall has been slow." In a later cable, Scobey suggested the new U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton "may wish to lay down a marker for a future discussion on democratization and human rights concerns." But given Mubarak's sensitivities, the U.S. has trodden carefully in pressing the Egyptian government on human rights. A cable from 2009 said the United States now avoided "the public confrontations that had become routine over the past several years" over human rights. Over the past five years, the cables reveal a growing unease with the lack of a succession plan, and apprehension about the prospect of Mubarak's younger son, Gamal, taking over from his father. As far back as April 2006, one cable observed that Mubarak's wife, Suzanne, was their son's "most ardent booster" but added: "The possibility that Gamal might succeed his father remains deeply unpopular on the street." It adds that "unlike his father, (Gamal) cannot take the military's support for granted," having never served as an officer. But the same cable laments the lack of obvious contenders to succeed the aging Mubarak -- a situation that appears to hold today. Scobey wrote in apparent frustration two years ago that Mubarak "seems to be trusting to God and the ubiquitous military and civilian security services to ensure an orderly transition." Recent events may have eroded that confidence, but one cable in 2007 pointed out that Egypt's internal security apparatus, "an estimated 1.4 million strong, is at least twice the size it was under Sadat ... and makes any kind of violent change of leader unlikely." That perspective is now being challenged -- and the role of the military may be critical in deciding the outcome. A cable from 2008 cites Egyptian experts as describing a "disgruntled mid-level officer corps" with military salaries falling far behind the civilian sector and the top brass averse to Gamal succeeding his father. Egyptian commentators also noted that many officers were frustrated that loyalty to the regime trumped competence, and that the best military talent was sidelined in case it should pose a threat to the government. Even so, one cable concludes: "The military still remains a potent political and economic force." After discussing whether the military might step in to prevent Mubarak from passing the baton to his son, the cable concludes: "In a messier succession scenario, however, it becomes more difficult to predict the military's actions."

A CNN analysis of secret cables published by WikiLeaks reveals U.S. frustration . U.S. has concerns over economic reform, Mubarak's lack of succession planning . Cables also reveal Washington sees Egypt as an important and -- until now -- stable ally .

004d2253b243331ec330b4bc188f9289fc5730f6

(CNN) -- No play can begin in a baseball game until the pitcher throws the ball. And no play can conclude until the umpire makes the call. "We're not just robots they send out there," umpire Tim McClelland (2nd from L) told author Bruce Weber. Yet these figures -- the man on the mound and the men who stand in judgment -- are vastly different in importance to the average fan. There are countless children who dream of becoming a major-league pitcher. He is, literally, the king of the hill. Umpires? Almost nobody dreams of becoming an umpire. And yet the positions share a number of similarities, according to two new books: "As They See 'Em" (Scribner), by New York Times writer Bruce Weber, and "The Complete Game" (Knopf), by former major-league pitcher (and current New York Mets broadcaster) Ron Darling. Both jobs require a great deal of command, neither gets enough training, and both are often disrespected by others in the game. Indeed, despite a library of books by and about pitchers (Jim Bouton's "Ball Four," Jim Brosnan's "The Long Season," Christy Mathewson's "Pitching in a Pinch"), Darling said he believes that people still don't understand what it takes to stand on that mound. "Within baseball circles there is a common baseball axiom, 'If pitchers weren't so stupid, hitters would never get a hit,' " he said in an e-mail. "Of course, I knew this was a fallacy so I decided to write about the travails of major league pitchers. Throwing a ball 95 mph to tin cup-sized quadrants sounds pretty difficult to me, and I wanted to express this to the reader." Umpires, on the other hand, rarely get written about at all -- in fact, they're often treated as less than human. ("The owners basically see them like bases," former baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent told Weber. "They say, 'We need a base; we need an umpire; same thing.' ") Weber found a fraternity (and they are almost all men) much like cops or soldiers: tight-lipped believers in baseball law and order. Weber immersed himself in the "land of umpires," as the book's subtitle calls it, attending umpiring school, calling games at various levels of pro ball and talking with those who were willing -- including the legendary Doug Harvey, who was called "God" for his imperious demeanor. What he found is that what looks so obvious on television at home is often a challenge on the field, a matter not just of eyesight but positioning, rule-book knowledge and basic guts. "That's really what [being an umpire] is about -- is being in charge," he said. "If there's anything that characterizes the major league umpire, it's that special kind of chutzpah." Umpires need that presence because they're often baseball's most disrespected men. Aside from the vitriol they face -- the managers kicking dirt, the spectators yelling "Kill the ump" -- they're second-guessed by broadcasters and barely tolerated by management, as Weber reveals in detailing the episodes preceding and following the 1999 umpires' strike. And yet Major League Baseball doesn't participate in umpire training or development, entrusting it to two umpire-run private schools, Weber observes. (MLB does run an annual umpire camp.) Darling echoes Weber's concerns in his own field, pitching. In these days of strict pitch counts and injury concern, pitchers are "undertrain[ed]," he says, noting that top draft choices climb the ranks "never allowed to throw more than 110 pitches." That leaves them at a disadvantage when they have to go deeper into a game or cope with a tough inning, he says. "It would be like training for the marathon and never running more than 5 miles," he says. "Identifying and preserving million-dollar arms are [the purview] of doctors, not baseball people." Darling's book is a chronicle of pitchers' thought processes, using individual innings from his pitching or broadcasting career to make his point. He talks about panic overtaking a pitcher, as it did for Darling in a 1984 game in which he got pasted by the Cubs; he also addresses the rush of pitching in a World Series game and -- in a treat for baseball fans -- goes over the extra innings in perhaps the most famous college baseball game ever, a 1981 extra-inning contest that Darling's Yale Bulldogs lost to Frank Viola's St. John's Redmen, 1-0. He says he remembered the games vividly. "I definitely watched tapes and read box scores, but I was very clear on almost all the minutiae of the good old days. A little scary and maybe a major personality flaw!" Pitchers get more support than umpires, of course. Darling observes that the relationship between a pitcher and his catcher during a well-pitched game "is one of sport's most beautiful dances. I would not have said it when I was playing, but after a shutout ... there is a love for that person immediately after the process. You did something together that could not have been done alone, and nobody can understand what you went through to get there." Umpires, too, take pride in their best moments, though few pay attention outside their fellow umpires. More common is to be vilified for missed calls. Weber devotes a moving passage in his book to a conversation with the retired Don Denkinger, a 29-year veteran remembered by fans (if he's remembered at all) for a wrong call in the 1985 World Series. Though time has dulled the pain, "I think he lives with [that call] every day," Weber said. "When a dreadful thing happens to you in front of so many people and you become famous for it, it must be devastating." Weber says his time with umpires has made him much more sympathetic to their judgmental tasks. When watching games now, the Yankees fan says, he'll focus on the umpires. "I just think umpiring is interesting. People hate 'em, and they somehow perceive of umpiring as a flaw in the game, but I don't," he said. "Now I'm always interested who the umpires are." Which is a point the umpires would appreciate. "Umpires are people, too," veteran ump Tim McClelland told Weber. "We have families; we have emotions. ... Somebody says, 'Kill the umpire,' and people go, 'Heh, heh, that's funny,' but in order to do that, you have to disassociate the umpire from the person. "We're human. We're not just robots they send out there."

"As They See 'Em" is in-depth look at baseball umpires . "The Complete Game," by Mets broadcaster Ron Darling, gets inside pitcher's head . Two positions have similarities: necessary command, some disrespect .

004e6e14b9498ae85e92cbb81adf76ac8b21f472

President Barack Obama signed an executive order Monday banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Despite calls from religious leaders, faith-based groups will not be exempt. "Thanks to your passion and advocacy and the irrefutable rightness of your cause, our government -- a government of the people, by the people and for the people -- will become just a little bit fairer," Obama said. Gay federal workers are already protected from workplace discrimination by a Clinton-era order and Obama's action extended the protections to shield workers from gender identity-based discrimination. Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which joined a coalition of nearly 100 civil rights and LGBT groups urging Obama to reject calls for a religious exemption, thanked him for taking action. It said he made the "right call" for not tagging any religious exemptions to the document. "Faith-based groups that tap the public purse should play by the same rules as everyone else and not expect special treatment," the group's executive director, Rev. Barry Lynn, said in a statement. "No forms of discrimination should be supported with the taxpayer dime, period." Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, was in the room as Obama signed the order and said it was an emotional moment. "There are now millions of LGBT people and their families who are just going to sleep a little bit easier tonight knowing that they can't be fired from their jobs as federal contractors," she said. During the ceremony, which comes 50 years after President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Obama also recalled the history of executive actions and legislation to ban discrimination in the workplace and "make sure we the people applies to all the people." Senate passes LGBT anti-discrimination bill . But Obama's signature on Monday did not touch a 2002 executive order signed by President George W. Bush that allows religious groups to weigh prospective employees' faith in hiring decisions. This gave some opponents of the order hope that they could continue to consider sexual orientation in hiring decisions. One of those opponents, Stephen Schneck, director of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America, said he was disappointed by Obama's decision regarding the religious exemption. But he suggested that religious groups could still rely on the 2002 order. "I believe the administration has left open a path that religious groups can work with," Schneck said. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, had stronger words for Obama and worried that the Bush-era executive order would leave out some faith-based groups. "While we don't know the full implications of this executive order, I am disappointed that this administration persistently violates the freedom of conscience for religious organizations that provide necessary relief for the poor and endangered," Moore said. "The ones hurt will be the most vulnerable in our society." Obama's executive action extends protections against sexual-based discrimination to employees of federal contractors operating outside of the 21 states and the District of Columbia that enacted their own non-discrimination legislation. Obama also noted that a majority of Fortune 500 companies have policies in place against discrimination based on sexual orientation. The action is not the first time Obama has used his presidential powers to benefit the LGBT community. In 2010, he signed an order extending benefits to same-sex partners of executive branch employees already provided to opposite-sex partners. But on the federal legislative level, LGBT groups have struggled to enact similar legislation. The Senate passed a bill barring LGBT discrimination in the fall. But the measure, which exempted religious groups from the would-be-law, did not make it to the House floor where Republicans opposed it. And attendees greeted Obama's call to continue applying pressure to "resolve this problem once and for all" with one resounding word: "Amen." Supreme Court rules against Obama in contraception case .

Executive order bars contractors covers LGBT employees; Religious groups not exempt . It did not touch a previous order allowing religious groups to weigh faith in hiring decisions . Opponents disappointed on decision involving religious groups .

004e6e935ea530b0992a89fd1307f7f41f4a234d

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from the February issue of National Geographic magazine. You can read the full story here. (National Geographic) -- Miles from the main roads, in rural Africa, soccer balls bounce unevenly. Playing fields are arid, lush, weedy, sandy—any flattish space will do. Goalposts might be made of gathered mahogany or driftwood. Some feet are bare, others shod in fraying sneakers, boots, rubber sandals. Yet children kick and chase handmade, lopsided balls with skill and abandon, competing for pride and joy—for the sheer pleasure of playing. Has the "beautiful game" ever been lovelier? Jessica Hilltout doesn't think so. In 2010, when the World Cup came to Africa for the first time, the Belgium-based photographer set out to see what soccer looked like far from the bright lights and big stadiums. What she found—over seven months, ten countries, and 12,500 miles—was a grassroots game where passion trumped poverty, a do-it-yourself ethic prospered, and one ball could "bring happiness to an entire village." In the 30-odd soccer-loving localities she visited, in countries from South Africa to Ivory Coast, balls are spun into being with whatever's at hand: rag or sock, tire or bark, plastic bag or inflated condom. Each might last days or months on a field of gravel or hard earth. Wherever Hilltout went, she swapped the store-bought balls she kept in her car for these "ingenious little jewels," most of which were made by children. Read the whole story at Nationalgeographic.com. Are you a soccer lover who has improvised a game or its implements? Share your experiences in the comments section below.

In rural Africa, there is love for soccer but sometimes a lack of resources . Children often make their own soccer balls from rubbish and rope . DIY soccer can bring joy to an entire village, said photographer Jessica Hilltout .

004f0f8c694c4b546b29565a8993a555537ff561

(CNN) -- The International Olympic Committee has reinstated India, allowing its athletes to once again compete under their country's flag after a ban of more than a year. The reinstatement raises to 89 the number of countries and territories participating in the Sochi Games. "It is the first time in Olympic history that a suspension of an NOC (National Olympic Committee) has been lifted during an Olympic Games," the IOC said in a statement Tuesday. The decision means that Indian athletes can now compete for India's Olympic committee and walk behind their national flag at the closing ceremony of the Winter Games in Sochi on 23 February, the statement said. At the opening ceremony last week, India's delegation of three athletes had marched under an IOC flag. India was suspended from the Olympic fold in December 2012 after the Indian Olympic Association elected Lalit Bhanot, who spent 11 months in jail on corruption charges, to a top post. The situation remained deadlocked for months, as the Indian association refused to bow to the IOC's demands for changes. But the IOC said Tuesday that it had ended the suspension following the Indian association's general assembly and elections for a new board on Sunday. An IOC delegation that observed the elections reported that they complied with the requirement that "no person convicted or charge-framed can run for a position within the organization." Narayna Ramachandran, the president of the World Squash Federation, was voted in as the new president of the Indian association. "To symbolically mark the lifting of the suspension and in recognition of the three Indian athletes competing in Sochi, the Indian flag will be raised in the Olympic Village," the IOC said Tuesday. India responded positively to the announcement. "I am happy that suspension is over and now Indian teams and players will take part in the International events under the national flag," said Vijay Kumar Malhotra, the former acting president of Indian Olympic Association. CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh and Khushbu Shah contributed to this report.

It's the first time a ban of a national committee has been lifted during an Olympics . The IOC suspended India in 2012 over the election of a tainted official to a top post . The Indian Olympic Association has now held new elections that the IOC has approved . Indian athletes will now be able to walk behind the national flag at Sochi's closing ceremony .

004fc12e7cd2505a013d96e816afae3f3ce5015d

(Mother Nature Network) -- Mother's Day poems come in all shapes and sizes. Many address the poet's memories of his mother. Others describe the poet's gratitude for his mother. Some are very short. Some are very long. Sometimes the mother-child relationship is complicated and the poet discusses the good times along with the bad. Other times, it's a straightforward message of love and gratitude. If nothing else, the poet almost always acknowledges the significant role a mother plays in the lives of her children. Needless-to-say, with Mom being portrayed so many different ways in poetry, there are several avenues for approaching a selection of poems appropriate for Mother's Day. Well, we're here to help you. Here's a list of selected works to get you started with Mother's Day poems: . Mother Nature Network: Mother's Day song guide . "To My Mother" by Robert Louis Stevenson . The Scottish poet evokes childhood memories in this four-line ode to Mom. It appeared "A Child's Garden of Verses," a collection of 65 poems by Stevenson first published in 1885 under the title "Penny Whistles." You too, my mother, read my rhymes For love of unforgotten times, And you may chance to hear once more The little feet along the floor. "Kaddish" by Allen Ginsberg . Ginsberg, one of the leading voices of the Beat Generation, wrote this lengthy poem following the 1956 death of his mother. It was published as part of a collection, "Kaddish and Other Poems: 1958-1960." Its title refers to the traditional Jewish prayer recited during times of mourning. "To My Mother" by Christina Rosetti . Rosetti, a 19th century English poet best known for her lengthy poem called "Goblin's Market," wrote this short piece about her mother in 1842: . To-day's your natal day; Sweet flowers I bring: Mother, accept, I pray My offering. And may you happy live, And long us bless; Receiving as you give Great happiness. Mother Nature Network: Kids' Mother's Day crafts projects . "Thanking My Mother for Piano Lessons" by Diane Wakoski . Wakoski, a contemporary poet who counts Allen Ginsberg among her influences, writes of the "beauty that can come from even an ugly past" in this poem that recounts, among other things, the financial struggles her mother accepted in order to make sure she could pay for her child's piano lessons. "Mother o' Mine" by Rudyard Kipling . The Nobel laureate, who lived from 1865 to 1936, wrote about the undying love of a mother in this 11-line poem: . If I were hanged on the highest hill, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine! I know whose love would follow me still, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine! If I were drowned in the deepest sea, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine! I know whose tears would come down to me, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine! If I were damned of body and soul, I know whose prayers would make me whole, Mother o' mine, O mother o' mine! "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes . This lesser-known piece by the Harlem Renaissance writer takes the perspective of the mother speaking to her son and telling him that "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair." It can be found in "The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes." "What I Learned From My Mother" by Julia Kasdorf . Kasdorf is the second contemporary poet on our list. She talks about how her mother taught her to comfort those in mourning, to offer healing and "the blessing of your voice, your chaste touch." Do you have a favorite Mother's Day poem? Let us know in the comments below. © Copyright 2010 Mother Nature Network .

Poets have long written about their mothers or to their mothers . Robert Louis Stevenson: Poem tells mother to hear "The little feet along the floor" Julia Kasdorf's poem tells how her mother taught her to comfort those in mourning . Rudyard Kipling's poem said his mother would love him even if he were hanged .

00504275ede73591d94a6c1f994fd4856610421c

LONDON, England (CNN) -- When Danish auteur Lars von Trier presented his gothic thriller, "Antichrist" at Cannes Film Festival last month, it was greeted with cat-calls, jeers and, at times, disbelieving laughter. Danish auteur Lars von Trier has been making films that shock, provoke and impress for over 40 years. Filmmakers are expected to give audiences a hard time at Cannes and the two-hander starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a couple grieving the loss of a child is no exception. But it was the level of pornographic sex and visceral brutality that outraged some and astonished many. Von Trier was labeled a woman-hater for the wince-inducingly horrific final scene in which female lead Charlotte Gainsbourg takes a pair of rusty scissors to her genitals and performs a DIY clitoridectomy right to camera. An Ecumenical Jury that normally hands out a prize at Cannes celebrating spiritual values felt moved to award "Antichrist" an "anti-prize" for being "the most misogynist movie from the self-proclaimed biggest director in the world." "Lars von Trier, we get it," wrote film critic Wendy Ide in UK paper The Times. "You really, really don't like women." Misogyny couldn't be further from the truth, according to Von Trier, who says he sees himself up there on the screen: "I mostly see myself as the female character," the 53-year-old director told CNN in Cannes. Do you think that Lars von Trier is a woman-hater? Tell us below in the SoundOff box . The director says that he shot the film as a form of therapy after recovering from a serious mental illness. Indeed, a few years ago, it was questionable whether von Trier, who is famously multi-phobic, would be able to make another film. In the winter of 2006, he fell victim to depression and checked into hospital, the aftermath of which left him "like a blank sheet of paper," he told Danish paper Politiken at the time. Today, if not fully recovered -- the most terrifying thing he can think of is still "myself" -- he is able to function once more and is receiving cognitive behavioral therapy to help him face up to his psychological issues. Despite, or perhaps because of, what he describes as his "sensitive" nature, von Trier is one of today's great contemporary European auteurs, considered responsible for spearheading a revival in the fortunes of Scandinavian filmmaking. "I think that if you are, shall we say, sensitive, then there is a good side and a bad side about it," said von Trier. "The good side is that you can sometimes achieve something creatively. But, of course, it always also allows some of these negative thoughts in." Watch Lars von Trier talking to CNN's The Screening Room about "Antichrist" » . He has been nominated for the top prize at Cannes, the Palme D'Or, a staggering eight times, winning once in 2000 for the harrowing operatic tragedy, "Dancer in the Dark," starring Icelandic musician, Bjork, who also took home the Best Actress prize that year. It is rumored Bjork became so unhinged filming "Dancer in the Dark" she ate her own cardigan. Von Trier claimed each morning she would say "Mr von Trier, I despise you," and spit at him. In pictures: The wierd world of Lars von Trier » . Von Trier has a reputation for being tough on his actors. His friend and long-time collaborator, actor Stellan Skarsgard describes von Trier as "not uncomplex." "I was scared," admitted Gainsbourg who won Best Actress at Cannes for her performance. "I had heard stories about him as a director ... maybe he's cruel and vicious." But she now describes him as her "guide" and "the greatest director I've ever worked with." Fueled by his unconventional approach and upbringing, the mythology surrounding von Trier looms large over everything he touches. Brought up in Copenhagen by bohemian parents who were committed nudists, he suffers from crippling bouts of agoraphobia; and, most famously, a fear of flying. Each visit to Cannes involves a five-day road trip from Denmark to the French Riviera by camper van. He has an undeniable egotistical streak: this year at Cannes, he declared, "I am the best filmmaker in the world," and in 1991, when displeased that Cannes jury president Roman Polanski had only awarded "Europa" the runner-up Grand Prix prize, he called him a "dwarf." He also seems to actively court controversy: 1998 Palme D'Or contender "Dogme #2: The Idiots" grabbed headlines for being the first commercial film to show non-simulated sex on screen, and for von Trier's typically eccentric claim that the best way to prepare actors for sex scenes is to direct in the nude. But, von Trier says, he has always taken a deeply personal approach to the experimental, often dark and challenging works that he creates. He says he finds it difficult to know how to satisfy the needs of others with his films and so works only for himself. "I feel very strongly for satisfying, maybe not my own needs, but my own idea of the film and the images that come from within," he told CNN. "If I didn't follow my instinct, then I can't work."

Pornographic sex and visceral violence in "Antichrist" shocked early audiences . Von Trier was accused of misogyny but claims to identify with the female character . "Antichrist" stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe as a bereaved couple . Von Trier's "The Idiots" (1998) was first mainstream film to show non-simulated sex .

00512126d65bf2a36801e4ef37f28c86c29deb28