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ATHENS, Georgia (CNN) -- Over the railroad tracks, near Agriculture Drive on the University of Georgia campus, sits a unique machine that may hold one of the solutions to big environmental problems like energy, food production and even global climate change. Biochar's high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes. "This machine right here is our baby," said UGA research engineer Brian Bibens, who is one of a handful of researchers around the world working on alternative ways to recycle carbon. Bibens' specialty is "biochar," a highly porous charcoal made from organic waste. The raw material can be any forest, agricultural or animal waste. Some examples are woodchips, corn husks, peanut shells, even chicken manure. Bibens feeds the waste -- called "biomass" -- into an octagonally shaped metal barrel where it is cooked under intense heat, sometimes above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, the organic matter is cooked through a thermochemical process called "pyrolysis". In a few hours, organic trash is transformed into charcoal-like pellets farmers can turn into fertilizer. Gasses given off during the process can be harnesed to fuel vehicles of power electric generators. Watch how biochar is made and why it's important » . Biochar is considered by many scientists to be the "black gold" for agriculture. Its high carbon content and porous nature can help soil retain water, nutrients, protect soil microbes and ultimately increase crop yields while acting as natural carbon sink - sequestering CO2 and locking it into the ground. Biochar helps clean the air two ways: by preventing rotting biomass from releasing harmful CO2 into the atmosphere, and by allowing plants to safely store CO2 they pull out of the air during photosynthesis. See more about how biochar works » . "Soil acts as an enormous carbon pool, increasing this carbon pool could significantly contribute to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere," said Christoph Steiner, one of the leading research scientist studying biochar. "It gives us a chance to produce carbon negative energy." Worldwide use of biochar could cut CO2 levels by 8 parts per million within 50 years, according to NASA scientist James Hansen. Global carbon levels in the air have been steadily increasing at an alarming rate since the 1980s, according to NOAA. Since 2000, increases of 2 parts per million of CO2 have been common, according to NOAA. During the 1980s rates increased by 1.5 ppm per year. The process of making biochar can also lead to other valuable products. Some of the gases given off during the process can be converted to electricity, others can be condensed and converted to gasoline, and there are also some pharmaceutical applications for the by-products, said Danny Day President and CEO of Eprida, a private firm in Athens, Georgia currently exploring industry applications for the biochar process. Although scientists look to biochar to improve the future, its origin lies in the past. For centuries indigenous South Americans living in the Amazon Basin used a combination of charred animal waste and wood to make "terra preta," which means black earth, in Portuguese. Thousands of years later, the terra preta soil remains fertile without need for any added fertilizer, experts say. "These terra preta soils are older than 500 years and they are still black soil and very rich in carbon," said Steiner, a professor at the University of Georgia. Reducing the need for deforestation to create more cropland. By using biochar concepts, terra preta soils have been proven to remain fertile for thousands of years, preventing further harmful deforestation for agricultural purposes. But still more large-scale tests need to be conducted before biochar technology can be rolled out on a global scale. Day says biomass -- that otherwise would be thrown away --could be developed into entirely new markets for biofuels, electricity, biomass extracts and pharmaceutical applications, in addition to biochar. "We have 3 billion people out there who are at risk for climate change and they can be making money solving our global problem," said Day. Industries can now begin to look at farmers around the world and pay them for their agricultural wastes, said Day. "They can become the new affluent."

'Biochar' may reduce greenhouse gases, produce clean energy, help farming . Organic waste can be turned into valuable, renewable resources . Ancient farming method could improve crop yields . Experts: Biochar could reduce harmful global CO2 levels .

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(CNN) -- Rapper and reality TV star Flavor Flav pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence charges in Las Vegas Monday. The plea deal allows the Public Enemy hype man to avoid a trial on felony charges, which could have sent him to prison for several years. Instead, Flav -- real name William Jonathan Drayton Jr. -- must stay out of trouble during a year of probation and attend 12 domestic counseling sessions with his longtime girlfriend's teenage son. He was arrested after an argument involving a kitchen knife in his Las Vegas home in October 2012. Flav, 55, was initially charged with child abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and battery domestic violence. Las Vegas prosecutors agreed to reduce the charges to two misdemeanors counts, including attempted battery with substantial bodily harm and battery constituting domestic violence, according to Tess Driver, spokeswoman for the Clark County, Nevada, district attorney. Along with the year of probation and counseling requirement, he was given credit for the time he served in jail after he was arrested and before he was released on bond, Driver said. Although he gained fame with the groundbreaking rap group Public Enemy starting in the late 1980s, Flav, with his collection of clock necklaces, became a reality TV star over the last decade. He began as a cast member of VH1's "Surreal Life" in 2004, which spawned "Strange Love" in 2005 and three seasons of "Flavor of Love" from 2006 to 2008.

Flavor Flav avoids a trial on felony charges with misdemeanor plea . The rapper was arrested after an argument at his Las Vegas home in October 2012 . Sentence includes domestic counseling with his girlfriend's teen son . He gained fame as Public Enemy's hype man, but now makes reality TV shows .

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Las Vegas (CNN) -- Police are on an "intense" and "extremely focused" nationwide manhunt for the occupants of a black Range Rover at the center of a shooting on the Las Vegas Strip that claimed three lives. The incident involved a Maserati that was shot at and subsequently crashed into a taxi, which caught fire. The driver of the Maserati, whom family identified as Kenneth Cherry Jr., died at a hospital. The taxi driver and a passenger also died. The shots were fired from the Range Rover, which Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell said could be anywhere. Police have received multiple reports of vehicles that match the description, but "at this point, we have no information that the vehicle in the crime has been located," he said Friday. Cassell declined to say whether there was one suspect or several, citing the ongoing investigation. Cherry, an aspiring rapper known as Kenny Clutch, was driving his Maserati on Thursday when someone in the Range Rover fired several shots at his car as it headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard. The Maserati continued into the intersection of the boulevard and Flamingo Road and collided with a taxi, which caught fire, killing cab driver Michael Boldon, 62, CNN affiliate KVVU said. "It is gut-wrenching," Boldon's younger brother, Tehran Boldon, tearfully told KVVU. "My life mission will be to see them punished and brought to justice for the senseless thing they did." In a separate interview Friday with CNN, Tehran Boldon said that his brother's son is a limousine driver on the Las Vegas Strip and he called his father to warn him to avoid the area after seeing a car afire -- not realizing that the taxi on fire belonged to his father. "He saw the accident and he tried to warn his dad to say avoid Flamingo (Road)" because he knew his father was nearby at the Rio casino, Tehran Boldon said. "He called and he didn't get a response. So his father was the fatality in that accident that he was being warned to avoid. "We lost a real patriarch and brother," said Tehran Boldon. The son, 36, works the same shift as his father did. The father's body was burned beyond recognition and was identified by his cab assignment, Tehran Boldon said. He is also trying to provide the coroner's office with his brother's dental records, he said. A passenger in the taxi also died. A passenger in the Maserati and three others were injured in the pileup, Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said. The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner was conducting an autopsy of Cherry, 27, a representative said Friday. The office wasn't releasing further information Friday about Boldon or his passenger. The fire closed a block and a half of the Strip near some of its biggest draws: Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo. Police collected surveillance video from the casinos. The shooting took place two blocks from where rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in 1996. Cherry prominently features his Maserati in a music video on YouTube. "Out of everyone I know in the rapping industry, there is no way I would have ever, ever expected to find that he was shot on the Las Vegas Strip in such an aggressive manner," said Vicki Greco, Cherry's attorney. "He didn't have a (criminal) record or a history. He was just a good kid trying to make it and be a good father." Cherry had two children, she said. See an iReporter's video of the fire . "First time in Vegas, and then, like, the whole thing, what you know from movies only -- I was shocked," said Christine Gerstenberger, who was visiting from Germany. Thursday's incident started about 4:20 a.m. with a dispute in the valet lot of the Aria hotel, about a block away, Gillespie said. Investigators haven't confirmed the cause of the altercation, but he said it spilled onto the street. The Maserati's passenger and other witnesses are helping detectives piece together what happened, he said. The "top priority" for police is to find those who were inside the Range Rover, which sped away from the intersection. John Lamb, who was inside Caesars Palace, told CNN affiliate KLAS that he heard the commotion and saw the taxi on fire from a window. "There was a loud bang, and I heard two other booms. I looked out my window at Caesars Palace ... and could see the fireball," he told KLAS. Man kills 3, himself in Southern California shooting . CNN's Matt Smith, Tom Watkins, Jason Hanna, Deanna Hackney and Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

NEW: An autopsy is being performed on aspiring rapper Kenneth Cherry Jr., 27 . Son sees cab afire, not realizing it was his father's, and calls to warn him . "He called and he didn't get a response," relative says . There is a nationwide manhunt for the suspect or suspects .

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(CNN) -- A Nebraska "hate crime" that targeted an openly gay woman and that triggered responses from candlelight vigils locally to Facebook postings of support nationwide was staged by the alleged victim, authorities said Tuesday as they charged the woman with lying to police. Charlie Rogers -- a former basketball player for the University of Nebraska who identifies herself as lesbian -- told police that three masked men entered her home on July 22, stripped her, tied her down, and carved homophobic slurs into her body before attempting to set her and the house on fire. But the Lincoln Police Department said Tuesday that "the physical evidence conflicted with Charlie Rogers' version of events" and that "extensive investigation revealed numerous inconsistencies." Previously on CNN.com: Woman speaks out after alleged hate crime . Rogers was arrested Tuesday, police said. Her attorney, Brett McArthur, told CNN Tuesday night that Rogers had agreed as part of an arrangement to turn herself in, in exchange for a personal recognizance bond. "She did not have to post any money" to be released, McArthur said, adding that his client pleaded not guilty to the charge of lying to police. "She maintains her innocence. This has been kind of a kick in the gut as a victim to turn around and be charged," McArthur said. In a news release, police cited DNA and pathologists' examinations that did not substantiate Rogers' original statements, and changes in her story during the investigation. "These were serious allegations that garnered national attention and spread fear among local citizens," the police statement said. "A great deal of time and resources were spent investigating Charlie Rogers' claims in hopes of identifying and arresting the three suspects in this case." Beth Rigatuso, president of Heartland Pride based in Omaha, organized a vigil that attracted over 1,000 people in the aftermath of the reported attack. For her, the news that it may have been a hoax is "a pretty big blow." "I don't feel betrayed as much as I feel sad for how, if this is really true...there is a lot of things going on with her," Rigatuso said. "It leads to a bigger problem in our society that someone would do this." Rigatuso said she hopes people would not turn their backs on Rogers now. The vigil she put together in Omaha raised more than $1,800, all of which was deposited in an account for Rogers. "We'd like to get the funds returned to us so we can establish our own fund to support victims of anti-gay violence." Rigatuso said Tuesday. McArthur, Rogers' attorney, said he "knows nothing" about the fund or how much money might be in it. He said it was in place before he became Rogers' lawyer. According to the Lincoln Police Department complaint, Rogers, 33, provided information "she knew to be false" with the intent to "instigate an investigation of an alleged criminal matter." Rogers reported to police that she was lying on her bed when the alleged attackers held her down and carved "derogatory words" into her arms and abdomen and "a cross" in her chest. She told police she was then rolled onto her stomach where more cuts were made. But according to a deposition from Lincoln police investigator Lynette Russell filed as part of the complaint, Rogers bedspread was "evenly placed on the bed and no apparent sign of a struggle." A DNA lab test found no evidence of blood on the bedspread. Russell also described a pair of white gloves found at the scene that Rogers had said were not hers. "Ms. Rogers DNA profile was the major contributor to the DNA located on the inside of the gloves," Russell said. Furthermore, the deposition said, the FBI sent photos of Rogers' cuts to a forensic pathologist, who believed the wounds to be self-inflicted. "This opinion is based partially on the fact that the cuts appeared superficial and symmetrical, avoided sensitive areas of the body,...are accessible to the victim and follow the victim's frame of reference for reading and writing," the deposition said. Rumors had been circulating in recent weeks in Lincoln and on the Internet due to the fact that police had yet to pinpoint any suspects. The urge to respond to rumors prompted Rogers to give her one and only interview. "For people to think this doesn't happen here, it does," Rogers told CNN affiliate KETV on July 27. "It did." She refused to discuss the incident itself during that interview. Rogers' attorney at the time, Megan Mikolajczyk, told CNN her client was ready for a full interview early last week, but canceled saying "things have changed." Mikolajczyk said Tuesday that she is no longer Rogers' attorney. According to neighbor Linda Rappl, Rogers' showed up on her doorstep bloodied in the early morning hours immediately following the alleged attack last month. "I was in shock," Rappl said soon after the incident. "She was naked, her hands were tied with zip ties. All I could see was a cut across her forehead and blood running down." Rappl said she took the sobbing Rogers inside and wrapped her in a blanket before calling 911.

NEW: The woman pleads not guilty to lying to police, her attorney says . NEW: "This has been kind of a kick in the gut as a victim to ... be charged," lawyer says . Charlie Rogers told police she was attacked in her home last month . Authorities now say the incident was staged .

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Washington (CNN) -- Investigators searching a Washington, D.C., park for a missing 8-year-old girl found the body of a man matching her suspected kidnapper's description, police said Monday. Relisha Rudd has been missing since March 1, when she was last seen with Kahlil Tatum, a 51-year-old janitor at the homeless shelter where Relisha lived. Although the body has not been positively identified, "everything we have is consistent with what (investigators) know about (Tatum's) appearance," D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters Monday, adding that the death was "most likely a suicide." The search for Relisha intensified last week when authorities began combing Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. The search was prompted by evidence that Tatum had spent time there after Relisha's disappearance. "On March 2, we know that Mr. Tatum purchased, among other items, a carton of black, 42-gallon, self-tie contractor trash bags within the District of Columbia," Lanier said Thursday. "Not long after that purchase, Mr. Tatum was in the area of the aquatic gardens for a period of time." Lanier said after Relisha was last seen, Tatum continued to go to work and was seen around the capital several times between March 2 and March 20. Lanier said Relisha was not with Tatum in any of those sightings. Tatum had not been seen since March 20. Tatum was a janitor for the homeless shelter where Relisha's family had been staying, and it appears Tatum had permission to be with the girl. The case took on new urgency when police discovered the body of Tatum's wife, Andrea Denise Tatum, 51, at a suburban Maryland motel earlier this month. That discovery prompted police to issue an Amber Alert for Relisha. The possible discovery of Tatum's body will not end the search for Relisha, according to Lanier. "We're still here for the reason we came to be here, to find Relisha." The search for the girl has been extensive. Lanier told reporters "hundreds of police officers and firefighter cadets" had been pulled to help with the search, along with divers, underwater cameras, aerial surveillance, search dogs, and cadaver dogs. "Our primary focus here was to find Relisha," Lanier said Monday. "We're not finished. That search is continuing."

Relisha Rudd, 8, was last seen with Kahlil Tatum, a janitor at the shelter where she lived . A body found in a Washington park Monday is thought to be that of Tatum, 51 . Tatum's wife was found dead in a Maryland hotel, and an Amber Alert was issued . The search for Relisha, last seen March 1, will continue, police say .

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(CNN) -- Lewis Hamilton realistically can't win the title but the former world champion hopes to challenge powerhouse Sebastian Vettel at the Korean Grand Prix after posting the fastest practice times Friday. Hamilton's time of one minute, 38.673 seconds in the second session in Yeongam was about one-tenth of a second quicker than Vettel, the triple reigning world champion who has captured the last two races in Korea. "It's the first time I can remember that second practice has really gone well for me," Mercedes' Hamilton was quoted as saying by Formula One's website. "We haven't changed anything but the day just went smoothly and all the processes with the team worked well. I love this track." Vettel admitted there was "some room for improvement" in his Red Bull. "It will be close with Mercedes," he told Formula One's website. "Of course we're not sure what others were doing with their fuel loads today, but it seems close ahead of tomorrow's qualifying. "I like the track here, it's a shame it's so far from Seoul, which is a great city, but it's good coming here as it's quieter than some other races, which means we can focus on our job." The only driver with half-a-chance of catching Vettel, Fernando Alonso, was a distant seventh in the second session. He trails Vettel by 60 points with a mere six races remaining and admitted this week he needed a comeback similar to Oracle Team USA's in the America's Cup sailing to overtake the German. But Alonso didn't sound optimistic Friday. "There is every probability that, again here, we can expect to struggle in the race," Ferrari's Alonso told Formula One's website. "It won't be easy for us in performance terms, but we know that apart from that, we can do well on Sunday. Now, we must try and get the most out of what we have available and put everything together tomorrow and in the race." Kimi Raikkonen, Alonso's teammate next season, crashed in the first practice session but was unhurt. Autosport.com quoted the Finn as saying he would take action at the end of the season to fix a lingering back problem. "It is not really surgery, but for sure we are probably going to do something," said Raikkonen. "I know what the issues are."

Lewis Hamilton posts the fastest practice times ahead of the Korean Grand Prix . Sebastian Vettel was about one-tenth of a second slower than Hamilton in the second session . Vettel has won the last two races in Korea and is on course for a fourth world title in a row . Fernando Alonso, second in the individual standings, came seventh in the second session .

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(CNN) -- A Utah man trapped for more than 26 hours in a crevice of a popular cave tourist attraction died as rescuers struggled to save him, authorities said Thursday. John Edward Jones, 26, of Stansbury Park was stuck in the Nutty Putty Cave, which sits west of Utah Lake near Cedar Valley, according to the sheriff's office of Utah County. The cave is 55 to 60 miles south of Salt Lake City. Sheriff's officials said Jones entered the cave at around 6 p.m. Tuesday with a group of about 11 people and became stuck about 8:45 p.m. in a "tightly confined" feature inside Nutty Putty Cave called "Bob's Push." Utah County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Spencer Cannon told CNN affiliate KSL that Jones was trapped upside down in a crevice that was about 18 inches wide and about 10 inches high. The crevice is about 150 feet below the surface and about 700 feet from the cave entrance, according to the sheriff's department. "They had him to a level spot where he wasn't heading downhill with his head below his feet," Cannon said. "During the course of that, they have a raising system to hold him in position, and one of the devices of that system failed, and Mr. Jones actually fell back to the area where he had been stuck for so long." Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, rescuers got close enough to Jones to conclude that he was not breathing and he had no pulse. Rescue officials were meeting Thursday to determine how to recover Jones' body. Rescuers had tried to reach Jones for more than 24 hours, but had problems navigating the treacherous terrain, Cannon said. "Getting people to him is very difficult," Cannon told KSL before Jones died. "It is a tightly confined space. When there is movement, it is literally millimeters at a time." There are narrow areas of the cave where visitors have to crawl on their bellies to get through, according to the attraction's Web site. Up to 5,000 people visit each year, the site said.

John Edward Jones was stuck in cave crevice outside Salt Lake City . He was trapped in a space that was 18 inches wide, 10 inches deep . One of the rescue tools failed while trying to free him and Jones fell back .

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Rand Paul wears his political ambition for all to see. Look no further than the tie he sported during a three-day trip to Iowa. It had yellow images of corn, the crop that epitomizes politics in the first-in-the-nation caucus state. "And by coincidence, I have one in the shape of South Carolina," the Kentucky Republican said Wednesday, drawing laughs. He was speaking at a Republican breakfast outside Des Moines at Machine Shed, a Midwest restaurant chain where the waiters wear overalls and drinks are served in Mason jars. As Paul blitzed across the Hawkeye State this week, holding events at Iowa GOP offices and campaigning for local candidates, he hardly played coy to the question of whether he was running for President. After all, his nine-city trip marked his fourth visit to the state since the 2012 election. "I don't know why Iowa keeps popping up on my calendar, but it seems to be pretty frequent," he said Monday, clearly with sarcasm. His itinerary this time included a campaign-style schedule where he continued testing his 2016 message on the road. From reducing the federal deficit to defending civil liberties and reforming the criminal justice system, Paul mostly stayed on his talking points. But the trip was not without controversy. His combative answer to a reporter's question -- combined with video of Paul appearing to avoid an immigration activist — absorbed most of the attention surrounding his visit. Experts say it's unlikely those story lines will derail any progress Paul has made in the state with voters, but his comments could underscore questions some Republicans have about his foreign policy, especially as he seeks to broaden his appeal. Off-message . At his first stop on Monday, which actually took place in Omaha, Nebraska, near the Iowa state line, Paul held a news conference after touring a tech startup venue with Nebraska GOP Senate hopeful Ben Sasse. Asked if he still supported phasing out foreign aid to Israel, Paul fired back at a reporter for "mischaracterizing" his position and staunchly denied that he had ever proposed such legislation. But it's well-documented that he called for ending all foreign aid, including assistance to Israel, and sought support in Congress for his proposal in 2011. In Iowa, Paul stressed that he never introduced legislation that solely "targeted" Israel and argued that he strongly favors sending money to the country. Still, he added, Israel will be better positioned in the long run without foreign assistance. "Every country ultimately would be better off to be independent," he said on Tuesday. Paul is also taking heat for quickly exiting a tense moment when an immigration activist confronted Rep. Steve King at a fundraiser while the two lawmakers ate dinner Monday night. Video of the incident shows Paul, at the behest of his press aide, quickly getting up from the table and getting away from the confrontation. Paul said he was stepping away to do interviews with local media. Whether or not those interviews were hastened because of the activist is unclear. Still, the video quickly spread and it was enough for critics to frame a narrative that Paul bolted from an uncomfortable exchange. The dust-ups in his trip made headlines and ate up much of the coverage of his Iowa visit. David Kochel, Mitt Romney's Iowa strategist in 2008 and 2012, said he doubts caucus voters will judge Paul negatively for leaving after "someone tried to sandbag him." "I think he's fine on that," he said. "As for Israel, that's a little more difficult. You have social conservatives in Iowa who very much feel the need to be in solidarity with Israel -- not just Christian conservatives, but it's also national security conservatives." While Paul has voted in favor of sending more aid to Israel this year and has proposed cutting off aid to the Palestinians, his past statements and views on foreign policy are rooted in his libertarian leanings — a perspective still largely outside of mainstream Republican thought. "He'll probably have work to do on that issue," Kochel continued. "It could be one of those things that might limit his potential." Still, Kochel thinks Paul is the current frontunner in Iowa among prospective candidates. He points to Paul's frequent travel to the state, his efforts to build a wider GOP, and the network of supporters built by his father's presidential campaigns the past two cycles. 'Son of Ron' In the 2012 Iowa caucuses, former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas finished with 21% of the vote, just slightly behind Romney and former Sen. Rick Santorum — who tied for first at 25%. Many of Ron Paul's supporters were previously inactive in politics, citing a lack of candidates who represented their views. "Your father cured my apathy," one man told Rand Paul at an event in Council Bluffs. Building off Ron Paul's 2012 momentum, the so-called liberty faction of Iowa's Republican Party eventually took control of party leadership. Mainstream Republicans, with the support of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, wrestled back control earlier this year. But Paul knows he needs more than just the libertarian wing of the party. As seen in his trip this week, he's going after the state's social conservatives and business Republicans, too. "Paul is attempting to pivot from being 'Son of Ron,' so to speak," said Dennis Goldford, professor of politics at Drake University in Des Moines. "He's never going to deny that or reject it. But he has the view that Republicans need a broader base or broader range than some other candidates have maintained." Paul spoke at five GOP offices this week and five other events in a tour that took him around the state in a 730-mile loop. At each stop, Paul's main message sought to counter post-2012 perceptions that the Republican Party should change its message. "I say 'hell no.' We have to be more boldly for what we're for," he said at the GOP office in Davenport. It's a mantra he has repeated in his travels across the country this year. But he proposes doing so with some traditional and unorthodox ideas for mainstream Republicans. Part of that includes a push to speak out against domestic surveillance programs and mount a strong defense of the Fourth Amendment. He has also been aggressive in courting voters and even Democrats to help expand the party. To do that, he's urging for reform to the criminal justice system with reduced sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and the restoration of voting rights to nonviolent felons after they get out of jail. In Northwest Iowa, home to many of the state's social conservatives, Paul placed an evangelical spin on his message. "Many of us are Christians, we believe in a second chance in our religion. Anybody here who's not a sinner, raise their hand," he said Monday night at a fundraiser in Okoboji. "We believe in redemption, should the law allow people a second chance." But that's about as deep as Paul waded into social issues during the trip. He didn't talk about abortion, contraception or same-sex marriage until audience members asked him about the issues at one of his final events. Asked whether he supported a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, Paul said he "favors the concept" of traditional marriage but argued the federal government should stay out marriage entirely. "I don't want to register my guns in Washington or my marriage," he said. The previous past two winners of Iowa caucuses, Santorum and Mike Huckabee, both ran on a vocal platform with regard to social issues. Goldford said if Paul doesn't devote more attention to those topics, someone else will step in to fill in the void. "To function in Iowa he's going to have to address the concerns of conservative evangelicals because Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz are going to do that," he said. Paul left Iowa before this weekend's annual summit hosted by the Family Leader, a group that's influential with social conservatives in the state. Guest speakers include Cruz, Huckabee, Santorum, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. Paul said he couldn't make it due to a scheduling conflict. But he indicated he'd be back. "You have to meet people four, five, six times in Iowa because they expect a real personal touch, and I think it's actually one of the good things about the process," he told reporters, before needlessly adding: "if I decide to do this."

Rand Paul made a high-profile trip to Iowa this week . Iowa is a magnet for presidential hopefuls . Paul made headlines for changing his tune on foreign aid . Experts say the controversy isn't a deal breaker, but he still needs social conservatives .

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(CNN) -- Scores of people who had been without bread for days were killed when Syrian warplanes bombed a bakery in the western village of Halfaya, opposition activists said Sunday. More than 100 people were killed, the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. The death toll could rise, the activist group said. An activist who oversaw the burial of many bodies said at least 109 people died. Hassan Al-Rajb told CNN that 69 people were identified and buried, while 15 others were laid to rest without being ID'd. At least 25 more bodies were still at the site, but hospital workers said the roads were cut off and they were unable to reach the bakery, he said. The hospitals cannot handle all the wounded, he said. An LCC activist told CNN he went to the scene. "There were dozens of dead thrown in the street. The residents were shocked and in a state of fear. It was chaotic," Mahmoud Alawy said. Videos posted on social media purported to show the aftermath of the attack. Many bodies had limbs apparently blown off, and others lay bloody in the streets and in rubble strewn over a sidewalk. Uniformed Free Syrian Army soldiers and civilians scramble to pull survivors out of the carnage. CNN cannot independently confirm government or opposition reports out of Syria, as the government has restricted access by journalists. The town has lacked the ingredients for bread for about a week until an aid group delivered provisions Saturday, Alawy said. Hundreds of people lined up at the bakery on Sunday. Al-Rajb said the town has three bakeries, and one opened at 1 p.m. Workers began to distribute the bread two hours later. He was on his roof about 200 meters (about 219 yards) from the bakery about 4 p.m. and saw a plane overhead. He scrambled toward the scene when he heard cries of "Emergency! Emergency!" he said. "The first floor collapsed on the second floor, and four rockets were fired into it," he said of the attack. Alawy claimed the government has been targeting large gatherings of people with artillery shells in the recent days since the Free Syrian Army liberated the town from Syrian forces. About an hour after the bakery attack, 15 shells were fired into Halfaya from a nearby town, Al-Rajb said. The Hama Revolution Command Council, a network of activists affiliated with the FSA in Hama province, said a MiG warplane bombed the bakery. Many Syrians face food shortages and other needs as winter weather sets in. The United Nations estimates that more than 2.5 million need humanitarian assistance. Earlier in the week, opposition groups also said rebels and regime forces battled near a hospital in Halfaya. Twenty-five people died there, the LCC said. Syria firing more Scud missiles, NATO says . Russia: Syria consolidates its chemical weapons . CNN's Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.

NEW: One resident says 84 people have been buried, with more bodies still on the streets . NEW: People had been waiting for bread for almost a week . Activists say MiG planes bombed a bakery in western Syria . Videos posted on social media show rebel soldiers, civilians rushing to scene .

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(CNN) -- An official in Inner Mongolia is disputing an Amnesty International report that parts of the region are under martial law. "We did not enforce martial law. Everything is normal," said Chao Lumen, an official with the information department of Xilingol prefecture. In the report released Friday, Amnesty International detailed protests in and around the city of Xilinhot, the prefecture's seat of government. "Nothing happened here. There were no demonstrations or protests," Chao said Monday. The Amnesty report said Chinese authorities declared martial law in some parts of the autonomous region in an apparent response to days of protests. The region has long been the scene of ethnic tension between Mongolians, who have lived in the area for centuries, and the Han people, who arrived in larger numbers after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Han people are the majority ethnic group in China. According to the human rights organization, 2,000 Mongolian students took to the streets Wednesday in Xilinhot, in a show of solidarity with an ethnic Mongolian herder by the name of "Mergen," who was killed earlier this month when he was hit by a coal truck that was driven by ethnic Hans. Amnesty reported that the drivers of the coal truck are both in custody of Chinese authorities. In a clip posted to YouTube that purports to show that same demonstration, a large group of people, many of whom are young people wearing school uniforms, can be seen walking through the streets. The students were marching toward the building that houses the regional government, shouting, "defend our land and defend our rights, according to the New York-based Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. The group refers to the area as "southern" -- not "inner" -- Mongolia, and would like to see the region achieve independence or merge with Mongolia. CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the clip. According to Amnesty, the protests, which started May 23, have been largely peaceful, but at least 18 people were reported injured in confrontations with police northeast of Xilinhot, in Right Ujimchin Banner, or Xi Wu Qi in Mandarin. "The protests are a wake-up call for the authorities. As in other minority areas, authorities must start heeding the message rather than attacking the messengers," said Catherine Baber, Amnesty's Asia pacific deputy director. Protesters say their culture is under threat as pastoral herders are pushed out from the grasslands and forced to move to the cities, or to places where animal grazing is not possible, according to Enghebatu Togochog, Director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center. He traces the motivation for recent demonstrations to the Chinese central government's efforts, in recent years, to expand coal mining and production in areas that have traditionally been used for grazing.

The region in northeast has long been the scene of ethnic tension . The tension is between Mongolians and Han people . Han people are the majority ethnic group in China .

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February 2, 2015 . February is the start of Black History Month in the U.S., and today's show takes a look back at a series of significant events in the Civil Rights Movement. We're also looking at tensions in the Middle East, from their background to a recent flare-up. And we'll show you what the Grand Canyon looks like under a blanket of fog. Go there on CNN Student News! On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL . For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News!

This page includes the show Transcript . Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary . At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call.

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(CNN) -- Five more Georgia men were charged in connection with an anti-government militia with ties to Fort Stewart that's been accused of killing two people and plotting to assassinate President Barack Obama, authorities said Tuesday. The five defendants were indicted in Liberty County, Georgia, on charges that include violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, involving what prosecutors called an "identified criminal street gang" named FEAR, for Forever Enduring, Always Ready. Four U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Stewart had already been accused of being members of the anarchist group, which was allegedly stockpiling weapons and bomb parts to overthrow the U.S. government, prosecutors said. The four soldiers are accused of killing former GI Michael Roark and his teenage girlfriend, Tiffany York. 'Anarchists' accused of murder; broader plot against government . Under one of three indictments returned Monday by a Liberty County grand jury, Christopher Jenderseck was charged with three Street Gang Act violations and two counts of tampering with evidence in the killings of Roark and York in neighboring Long County, said District Attorney Tom Durden and Assistant District Attorney Isabel Pauley of the Atlantic Judicial Circuit. In a second indictment, defendant Timothy Martin Joiner is charged with burglary, theft by taking and two Street Gang Act violations. Adam Dearman is charged with three Street Gang Act offenses. In the third indictment, Joiner, Adam Dearman, Randall Blake Dearman and Anthony Garner are charged jointly, prosecutors said. Joiner and Randall Dearman each face two counts of burglary, nine counts of entering an auto, two counts of financial transaction card theft, one count of theft by taking, one count of criminal damage to property in the second degree, and 14 counts of Street Gang Act violations, prosecutors said. In addition, Adam Dearman is indicted on three counts of Street Gang Act violations, and Garner is charged with theft by receiving stolen property and one Street Gang Act count, prosecutors said. Jenderseck was arrested Tuesday in North Dakota, but Joiner and Garner weren't in custody, authorities said Tuesday. Regarding the charges against the four soldiers, a law enforcement official said they had legally purchased at least 18 rifles and handguns in Washington and Georgia. Uncompleted pipe bombs were also found, and were comprised of store-bought materials, the official said. No sophisticated military grade-explosives were involved in their construction. One official described the offenses as a murder case and said no federal charges had been filed. Last month, Pfc. Michael Burnett laid out the elaborate plot, telling a southeast Georgia court that he was part of what prosecutors called "an anarchist group and militia." Dressed in his Army uniform, he spoke in a Long County court about the group of Army soldiers and its role in the December deaths of Roark and York. Roark, he said, was killed because he took money from the group and planned to leave. "I don't know how it got to the point where two people got murdered," Burnett said in court. He talked about how he and three others accused -- Pvt. Isaac Aguigui, Sgt. Anthony Peden and Pvt. Christopher Salmon -- had begun getting together, "just going out shooting guns, just guy stuff." "And then Aguigui introduced me to 'the manuscript,' that's what he called it, a book about true patriots," the soldier said. The four men became part of a group that aimed "to give the government back to the people," according to Burnett, who said that revolution was its goal. They called it FEAR -- Forever Enduring Always Ready -- and spent thousands of dollars buying guns and bomb parts. Prosecutors: 'Anarchist' group of U.S. soldiers aimed to overthrow government . The government needed a change, Burnett told the court. "I thought we were the people who would be able to change it." It is not clear how capable the group was of carrying out the goals Burnett laid out. Assistant District Attorney Pauley identified Aguigui as the leader of what she described as "an anarchist group and militia" that included active and former troops. "Defendant Aguigui actively recruited new members at Fort Stewart (in southeast Georgia) and targeted soldiers who were in trouble or disillusioned," she said. At the time of their arrest, group members had plotted a number of "acts of domestic terror," the prosecutor said. These included "forcibly taking over the ammo control point of Fort Stewart to take the post, bombing vehicles of local and state judicial and political figureheads and federal representatives to include the local department of homeland security, (and plotting) to bomb the fountain at Forsyth Park in Savannah." Days before he died, Roark had been discharged from the Army, according to Pauley. Roark and his girlfriend were killed because Aguigui felt the couple was "a loose end," Burnett said. Burnett admitted being at the scene of the crime, including watching as a soldier "checked (York's) pulse and then shot her again." As part of an agreement with prosecutors, Burnett pleaded guilty to manslaughter -- instead of murder, thus avoiding a possible death sentence -- and other charges. He also agreed to testify against the three other soldiers accused in the case. All four soldiers had also been charged by the military in connection with the two killings. But as their case proceeded through civilian courts, the Army dismissed its charges, according to Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson. In a statement last month, Larson insisted that Fort Stewart and its affiliated Hunter Army Airfield do not have "a gang or militia problem." "Any suspicions of gang activity are actively investigated by CID, (which) recognizes the obvious concerns with the combination of gangs and military-type training," he said. "That is why CID monitors and investigates gang and extremist group association with criminal acts in the Army so closely. We believe the reason we are able to maintain a low gang criminal threat status is because of the awareness of and focus on the threat." Fort Stewart, about 40 miles southwest of Savannah, is home to the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division. Tens of thousands of troops, their dependents, civilian personnel and contractors live and work on the base, which encompasses 280,000 acres and includes parts of five counties, including Long County, which has about 14,500 residents. Hunter Army Airfield is in Savannah but is officially part of the larger Fort Stewart complex. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks what it characterizes as "hate groups" nationwide, spoke to Aguigui's father last month. "I served my country for 20 years and I honor that, take pride in that," Ed Aguigui told the center, according to the center's Hatewatch blog. "I don't know what my son's views are, and where they came from."

A Georgia grand jury indicts five men in an alleged militia plot that includes soldiers . The militia group FEAR -- Forever Enduring, Always Ready -- is accused of street gang terrorism . The group is charged with plotting to assassinate President Obama . Four U.S. soldiers at Fort Stewart already are accused of killing two people .

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(CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council has condemned the killing of a French journalist who was reporting from the violence-racked Central African Republic. French troops found the body of Camille Lepage during the search of a vigilante group's vehicle in a western region of the country, French authorities said Tuesday. "All necessary means will be employed to shed light on the circumstances of this assassination and to find our compatriot's murderers," the office of French President Francois Hollande said. The U.N. Security Council said that "those responsible for the killing shall be held accountable." Widespread unrest . Sectarian violence has killed thousands of people and displaced many more in the Central African Republic since a coalition of mostly Muslim rebels deposed President Francois Bozize in March 2013. The rebels have since been forced from power, but Christian and Muslim militias have continued to clash despite the presence of French and African peacekeepers in the country. Vigilante groups known as the anti-balaka, which translates to anti-machete, were formed to counter attacks on Christian communities by Seleka groups. But the anti-balaka have carried out deadly reprisals on Muslim communities. Humanitarian groups have warned that the country risks descending into genocide. Lepage's body was found in an anti-balaka vehicle in the region of the western town of Bouar. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius described Lepage as a "journalist and photographer of great courage." U.S. sanctions . News of her killing came on the same day that the White House announced that President Barack Obama had issued an executive order declaring an emergency in the Central African Republic and authorizing the use of sanctions to deal with the crisis. The order also imposed sanctions on five individuals involved in the unrest. The U.N. Security Council had in January unanimously voted to set up a sanctions regime against the people responsible for instability and atrocities in the country, putting three people on a sanctions committee list. More than 2.5 million of the country's roughly 5 million inhabitants are in need of humanitarian assistance and approximately one million people have been displaced, according to the White House. "Growing attacks perpetrated by both Muslim and Christian militias have brought CAR to a crisis of disastrous proportions," it said in a statement. Mother shot on the road to safety, victim of CAR violence . Will the people of CAR ever get to return home? CNN's Anna Maja Rappard and Laura Bernadini contributed to this report.

French troops found Camille Lepage's body in a vigilante group's vehicle . France vows to use "all necessary means" to find her killers . Sectarian violence has killed thousands of people in CAR since last year . The U.S. announces sanctions against some of those involved in the crisis .

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(CNN) -- No. 2 Alabama clobbered No. 1 Louisiana State University Monday night, winning college football's Bowl Championship Series 21-0. The rematch of the century took place in New Orleans, and this time, there was more at stake than just bragging rights. Follow the SI.com live game blog . The showdown for the BCS title came two months after the two giants battled in a tense Southeastern Conference matchup. Both teams went into that November 5 game undefeated. College football pundits dubbed it the game of the century. Alabama, playing at home in Tuscaloosa, lost 9-6. For the Crimson Tide, Monday was a chance at redemption -- and to settle the debate, once and for all, who is the best team in college football. "These kind of competitive games, especially this game, playing somebody in your league that you already played, I think makes this a more special challenge," Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters before the game. "The opportunity that our players have to play LSU again is something that is unique."

Crimson Tide shuts out the Tigers 21-0 . The two battled in November, with LSU coming out on top .

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(CNN) -- A spate of deadly shootings during anti-drug operations in Honduras -- including two in which U.S. agents killed suspects -- is linked to an aggressive new strategy to disrupt a preferred corridor for traffickers. Operation Anvil, as the multinational mission is known, differs from past efforts because of its reliance on military outposts close to the front lines to provide quick responses. It is a strategy reminiscent of counterinsurgency tactics used by the U.S. military on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a two-month span, six people have been killed in the operation, including possibly four innocent civilians. Despite the controversial shootings, American and Honduran officials say they both are happy with their collaboration and consider Operation Anvil -- launched in April -- a success. As of Wednesday, authorities said, they had interdicted five planes, seized about 2,300 kilos of cocaine, and made seven arrests. Firearms, including military assault rifles, have also been seized. "The amount of drugs seized and the disruption of narcotrafficking routes speak for themselves," said Jorge Ramon Hernandez Alcerro, the Honduran ambassador to the United States. Meanwhile, critics in Honduras and the United States oppose the law enforcement strategy and question why American agents are killing anyone on foreign soil during peacetime. The latest incident was just after midnight on July 3, when a plane carrying 900 kilograms of cocaine crashed in northeast Honduras -- not an uncommon occurrence in a region that is among traffickers' preferred smuggling stopovers. Authorities descended on the scene, and when one of the suspected traffickers aboard the plane allegedly made a threatening move, two Drug Enforcement Agency officers opened fire, agency spokeswoman Barbara Carreno said. The suspect later died. It was the second such incident in a two-week span. On June 23, a DEA agent shot and killed a suspected trafficker after he reached for a weapon, the agency said. The pair of shootings by DEA agents follow an episode in May in which villagers in the country's Mosquitia coastal region say Honduran forces aboard American helicopters mistakenly fired on a civilian riverboat, killing four, including two pregnant women. A U.S. official with knowledge of the incident said that the preliminary Honduran investigation, as well as a video of the incident, raises doubts about claims by those on the riverboat that they were innocent victims. The official asked not to be named because the a final report has not been issued. "I think this is a disheartening sign of the escalation of U.S. involvement in Honduras without clear goals and guidelines," said Dana Frank, a Honduras expert and history professor at the University of California Santa Cruz. "There is no clear oversight from Congress over what is going on," she said. "It's not clear under what terms the DEA is there, operating in killings." Anti-narcotics cooperation between the United States and Central American countries is not new, but Anvil represents a new approach to intercepting smugglers' aircraft. Oliver Stone film revolves around drug war . Anvil's major innovation is the use of military outposts closer to the drug trafficking routes, known as forward operating locations, for quicker deployment by Honduran police and their DEA advisers. Anvil appears modeled after counterinsurgency tactics used by the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq, but the Hondurans say the suggestion to use the forward operating locations came from them. About 600 American troops are located in Honduras, mostly at Soto Cano Air Base. Officials say they have seen a decreased role in Operation Anvil as the DEA team has stepped up, but a limited number of U.S. troops remain at the forward operating locations. Joint Task Force Bravo, as the U.S. contingent is called, serves "purely as a support element, providing re-fueling capability, communications infrastructure and medical evacuation capability" at the forward bases, said Lt. Christopher Diaz, the spokesman for the group. The forward operating bases are owned and maintained by the Hondurans, and they have operated them for years, Diaz said. The helicopters used in the operations belong to the U.S. State Department, and are piloted either by Guatemalan military pilots who are on loan, or by U.S. contractors, said Stephen Posivak, spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Honduras. What's not new is the teamwork between the DEA and vetted Honduran police who participate in the operations, Posivak said. "This concept is new, but previously there's been these type of bi-national efforts done by the Honduran government and DEA," he said. Operation Anvil seeks to track planes entering Honduras, ascertains where they will land, and then sends helicopters out to make arrests, Posivak said. Both governments insist that the DEA agents provide a supporting role only, and that under their rules of engagement are allowed to fire their weapons only in response to a threat. The DEA "is in Honduras at the request of our government in a support and training capacity," Hernandez said. The three shooting incidents are the part of Operation Anvil that has received the most attention, but law enforcement aid is just one of the facets of American help. Anvil falls within the larger framework of Central American Regional Security Initiative, or CARSI, which has provided more than half a billion dollars to the region since 2008. Besides law enforcement efforts, the money goes toward institution building and anti-corruption efforts, Posivak said. Nobelists focus on violence against women in Central America . "It's not a problem that can be solved by law enforcement alone," he said. The goal is to address security concerns through all means, he said. U.S. funding for CARSI has increased from $60 million in 2008 to an estimated $135 million in 2012. The most controversial of the Anvil-related confrontations has been the May 11 incident near Ahuas in the Mosquitia region. Hilda Lezama, the owner of the boat that was attacked, told reporters last month that she was carrying passengers before dawn when helicopters appeared and opened fire, wounding her and killing four. The State Department, however, has indicated that the Honduran forces were justified in firing in self-defense. DEA agents were present, but did not fire their weapons, officials say. The Honduran government is investigating the incident, but critics don't believe the government has the capacity to fairly assess itself. "What happened in Ahuas is unbelievable. They claim they combat crime but they cover up their own crime?" said Rodolfo Pastor Fasquelle, a Honduran historian and former minister of culture, arts and sports. Pastor is one of 40 Honduran scholars, joined by 300 from outside the country, who signed a letter to President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking that the United States cease all military and police aid until corrupt agencies are cleaned up. For the Americans, "the collateral damages are related to an equation that supposes that the high price paid to keep drugs from reaching its market is in some way beneficial and worth it. For us who gain no benefit, these costs are unacceptable," Pastor said. They wrote the letter, he said, because Hondurans are "fearful of the prospect of militarization without end." Hernandez, the Honduran ambassador, counters that Operation Anvil and other programs are not military operations, but law enforcement ones. "These are crime-fighting operations and, as such, entail serious risks for people involved in illicit activities and for the law enforcement agents on the field," Hernandez said. "The DEA agents have followed their own rules of engagement and have used arms only when their lives have been threatened. Any loss of life is regrettable; the security authorities of Honduras have repeatedly alerted the local population of the dangers they incur by participating in this criminal activity." Given the lack of control by Honduran authorities in the northeastern part of the country, it was inevitable that the United States would play a more direct role in combating drug trafficking there, said Mark Ungar, a professor of political science and criminal justice at Brooklyn College who has studied and worked in Honduras. Drug cartels exert such influence in the region that both law enforcement and civilian government agencies have been corrupted, he said. The corruption is entrenched, with local police, aeronautic agencies, rural logging interests and indigenous groups infiltrated by the cartels. Just as part of the counterinsurgency missions in Afghanistan and Iraq had an element of earning locals' trust, the same is needed in Honduras, Ungar said. "It's not just a matter of seizing planes and catching people in the act, but a matter of gaining trust and understanding how these organizations work," he said. Drug trafficking through this corridor is not likely to stop until there is an understanding of how deeply entrenched the drug trade is in local communities, he added . But the Honduran government is weak, its institutions and police suffer from corruption, and public opinion favors security on the streets more than security in remote parts of the country, Ungar said. These factors are not favorable for long-term success, he said. Posivak, the U.S. embassy spokesman, said Operation Anvil has already proven successful at disrupting criminal organizations. "We believe these interdictions have had a strong impact," he said. Why the U.S. can't afford to ignore Latin America . CNN's Catherine Shoichet contributed to this report.

Six people have been killed in three incidents over the past two months in Honduras . The incidents happened during the course of Operation Anvil, a joint Honduran-U.S. effort . Both countries consider it a successful program against traffickers . Critics decry what they call the militarization of the drug war .

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Paris (CNN) -- Investigators trying to determine why an Air France plane crashed mysteriously two years ago have recovered the complete contents of the flight data recorder and the last two hours of cockpit conversation, they announced Monday. It will take several weeks to analyze the data, French air accident experts said. All 228 people aboard Air France 447 were killed when the Airbus A330 belly-flopped into the ocean June 1, 2009, in stormy weather. The cause of the crash is still not known. Discovering that there was data on the recorders "is excellent news. It is really going to help us work out what happened on that plane," said Martine Del Bono, spokeswoman for France's Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA). Q&A: Will the mystery of Flight 447 be solved? The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder were found at the beginning of May after an unprecedented series of submarine searches of a mountain range 3,900 meters (12,700 feet) under the ocean. They were brought to the surface and taken to Paris by ship and plane. The investigators also recovered two bodies from the fuselage -- after finding only about 50 bodies in the days immediately after the crash. They will not bring more bodies up from the ocean if they cannot identify the two they already have, they said Thursday. Those two bodies are being examined to see if there is enough DNA to identify them, investigators said, adding that they hope to have results by Wednesday. If they can identify the remains, they will consider bringing up other bodies from the wreckage. The bulk of the plane was located earlier this year and contains many more human remains, according to investigators. Recovering more bodies will be a difficult task, with miles of cable required to bring each one up over a period of three hours, they said. Investigators also brought an engine and an avionics bay containing computers to the surface, they said. The pilots of Air France 447 lost contact with air traffic controllers on June 1, 2009, while flying across an area of the Atlantic known for severe turbulence, officials said. But exactly what caused the plane to plunge into the ocean remains a mystery. The plane slammed into the water while en route from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, falling so fast that air masks did not have time to deploy. The fuselage was discovered in April with bodies still inside, investigators said. Some relatives of those who died have expressed reservations about remains being brought to the surface. Last month Robert Soulas, head of a support group for families of flight victims, said: "For me, personally I would like to leave the bodies of my children, my two children, on the seabed." Other relatives have called for the bodies to be recovered. CNN's Ayesha Durgahee, Catherine Clifford and Niki Cook contributed to this report.

NEW: Discovering there is data on the recorders is "excellent news," investigators say . All the information on the flight data recorder is recovered, as are cockpit conversations . The data recorders were pulled up from the bottom of the Atlantic nearly two years after the crash . Air France 447 went down in June 2009, killing all 228 people aboard .

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(CNN Student News) -- January 13, 2011 . Download PDF maps related to today's show: . • Arizona • Australia . Transcript . THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: A problem that won't be solved, even if the solution is clear. The story and the reasons, leading off today's broadcast of CNN Student News! My name is Carl Azuz! First Up: Winter Storm Woes . AZUZ: Florida is the only state in the union without snow on the ground and that includes Hawaii! In the northeast, that snow is deep. When a weather emergency is called in New York, which gets more than two feet of snow a year, you know it's bad. More than 1,700 flights have been canceled at New York city's 3 major airports, though the city's public schools stayed open. They're closed in Philly and Boston, though. And across Massachusetts, 64,000 homes had their power knocked out. Forecasters expect 24 inches in some areas. Some of this can be blamed on the storm system that iced out the southeast. And Martin Savidge explains how and why, that's likely to happen again! (BEGIN VIDEO) MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Officials knew Atlanta wasn't prepared for the storm. In fact, over the years the city made a conscious decision not to be ready. Historically, what's been the attitude of the city when it comes to snow or ice? MAYOR KASIM REED, (D) ATLANTA: Well, I mean, when I was a boy growing up here it was a day off, a day or two off. But now that I'm mayor, that's fundamentally different. SAVIDGE: Atlanta has relied on two basic facts -- southern snowstorms are rare, and the best way to get rid of the snow is to simply let it melt. That logic fails about once a decade. This time the city remained shut down for days as roads became impassable. In fact the roads are still so bad I couldn't get to the experts I wanted to interview, so I called them. Do we have any idea of what this snow event for the city of Atlanta may cost? TOM CUNNINGHAM, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ATLANTA [ON PHONE]: No, not right now. SAVIDGE: Cunningham says because a convention might have been snowed out doesn't mean the city lost money. Remember all those passengers stuck at the airport? Most would have just passed through. Instead they spent money on hotels and ate at area restaurants. What about all those businesses who couldn't work because their employees couldn't get in? CUNNINGHAM [ON PHONE]: There is certainly some lost income associated with hourly workers not being able to get in and get paid. A lot of that aggregate output is going to be made up over the course of the year. SAVIDGE: But why lose it at all? Why not just buy the equipment to handle the snow? I got that answer in my very next call to the Georgia Department of Transportation. JILL GOLDBERG, DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY, GDOT [ON PHONE]: A snowplow is $250,000. You would need so many of them it would be $100 million or more to shell out in order to truly cover all of the interstates. SAVIDGE: And that's not likely to happen in this economy. There are many businesses that were unable to do business, employees couldn't come in. Millions of dollars, maybe tens of millions, maybe more, lost over what appears to be this 3 day period? Still not worth buying the trucks: . REED: My answer right now is no. SAVIDGE: And you know what, the economist says the mayor's probably right. It appears that the business community, at least for now, is in agreement with the city that these events are so rare that its not worth the expense of investment of equipment and personnel. CUNNINGHAM [ON PHONE]: I think that's a fair assessment. (END VIDEO) House Condemns Shooting . AZUZ: A tone of coming together at the U.S. House of Representatives. Yesterday, lawmakers held a bipartisan Congressional prayer service in honor of the 19 shooting victims in Arizona. House Speaker John Boehner said, "our nation mourns for the victims, it yearns for peace and it thirsts for answers." Later, the House planned to vote on a Resolution, a statement, that spoke out against the Arizona shooting. President Obama left Washington, D.C. for Tucson, Arizona yesterday. Last night, he was scheduled to speak at a memorial service for attack victims. The president and first lady, whom you see here, were also planning to spend time at the University of Arizona in Tucson, where they were going to visit with victims' families. Blog Report . AZUZ: We're turning now to our Facebook page, for some of your comments on the Arizona shooting. Justin writes that even if the suspect is mentally unstable, he was stable enough to target the Congresswoman, and therefore should be tried and thrown into prison. Savannah lives in a town near Tucson, in Gabrielle Giffords' area. She said she was completely shocked and that this was a horrible tragedy that never should've happened. And Aubrey states, "when things like this happen, I often wonder what were the signs that he was going to do this, and why could no one see them?" All of these comments from Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews. And on our blog: Jacob believes that in order for someone to carry a gun, they need to have a mental stability test. And listen to what Ben says: "This was a flaw in U.S. defense; There wasn't enough security at this gathering to prevent the shooting from happening. But if we lived in a civilized country, we wouldn't need that security." You can talk to us at Facebook.com/cnnstudentnews. And of course at our blog at CNNStudentNews.com! Is This Legit? CNN STUDENT NEWS: Is This Legit? Queensland is a state in New Zealand. Not Legit! Queensland is a state in Australia. Australia Floodwaters Rising . AZUZ: Parts of Queensland, Australia are suffering through what's being called the worst natural disaster in the state's history. Massive flooding has left huge areas of Queensland underwater. And it's not just the people in the middle of these floods who've been affected. Some areas that were able to stay dry have been completely cut off for weeks. Supplies had to be brought in by helicopter. Phil Black is where people are racing against the rising tide. (BEGIN VIDEO) PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Brisbane river churned swiftly, sweeping away boats, their jetties and other huge pieces of debris. And the water steadily began creeping beyond its banks. But this was just the beginning. This marker on a riverside pub showed what to expect. 2011 is predicted to get very close to the floods of 1974. Very quickly the first streets were inundated and locals were shocked by the water's speed. It's well up there already isn't it? UNIDENTIFIED MALE:It is. It's coming up real quick. BLACK: All along the river people desperately packed what they could into cars and trailers. They raced the water, and some kept going even when they were clearly falling behind. Philip Johnston got his family out before the floods reached his home. PHILIP JOHNSTON, BRISBANE RESIDENT: We've got places to go to so we're right with that. Some of the lower lying guys are going to lose everything. ADAM BESWICK, BRISBANE RESIDENT IN ROW BOAT: Water was halfway up the driveway. Waist deep at the gate. BLACK: We rowed with Adam Beswick to his home, past others with water already up to the ceiling. Beswick's house is on a small hill and on stilts, but he believes it will be swamped. If the prediction is accurate, how high up will this come? How much of it will be covered? BESWICK: I would probably think up to this ridge here but not the main ridge. BLACK: And all of this is just one street. What you are seeing here is going to be experienced by, it's estimated, more than 20,000 homes and properties across the city. Some people were clearly taking things casually. Some were too casual and too slow to realize the seriousness of their situation. More proof of just how quickly this water is coming in. These rescue boats have been called out to help people who very suddenly found themselves surrounded by water. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We couldn't evacuate before and we just couldn't go anywhere so we ended up calling the police. BLACK: How would you describe what you've seen out there? UNIDENTIFIED MALE:It's pretty horrendous actually. Especially looking at the river. It's just frightening looking at the power of nature there. BLACK: The extent of that power will be known soon with flood waters expected to peak here on Thursday. Phil Black, CNN, Brisbane, Australia. (END VIDEO) Shoutout . CNN STUDENT NEWS: We know you want a Shoutout dedicated to your class on CNN Student News and there is one way to get it, so listen up, y'all! First: Have your teacher take an original photo of your school. It has to be an original, not taken from anywhere else. Then: Head to CNNStudentNews.com, and scroll down the page to the "How Do I" box on the left side. You click "How do I get a Shoutout?" And you follow the instructions to get your iReport to us. Hope to hear from you soon! Before We Go . AZUZ: If you've ever visited us here at the CNN Center, you've been only a snowball's throw, from the world famous Peachtree Street. These days, it's more like an ice rink. A place where driving is deleterious, but skating is serious! Or at least seriously possible. Of everyone who's ever passed through the middle of downtown Atlanta, this guy's gotta be one of the only people ever, to do it on ice skates. Goodbye . AZUZ: At least as far as ice-see it. It's like Peachtree on ice: A once-in-a-lifetime sight to ski. We'll ski ya tomorrow, on air, online, on iTunes, and probably still on ice. I'm Carl Azuz!

A winter storm slams the northeastern United States . The U.S. House of Representatives condemns the Arizona shooting . Massive floods leave vast areas of Australia underwater . Use the Daily Discussion to help students understand today's featured news stories .

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia (CNN) -- The cause of a mysterious illness that has claimed the lives of more than 60 Cambodian children has been determined, medical doctors familiar with the investigation told CNN on Wednesday. A combination of pathogens, disease-causing micro-organisms, is to blame for the illness, the World Health Organization, in conjunction with the Cambodian Ministry of Health, has concluded, the doctors said. The pathogens include enterovirus 71, which is known to cause neurological disease; streptococcus suis, which can cause infections like bacterial meningitis in people who have close contact with pigs or with pork products; and dengue, which is transmitted by mosquitoes. The inappropriate use of steroids, which can suppress the immune system, worsened the illness in a majority of the patients, the doctors said. The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to advise health care workers to refrain from using steroids in patients with signs and symptoms of the infection, which include severe fever, encephalitis and breathing difficulties. While not all the microorganisms were present in each patient, doctors concluded the illness was caused by a combination of them and worsened by steroid use. The WHO sources did not want to be identified because the results of the health organization's investigation have not yet been made public. "I'm very confident for the reason of the epidemic," said Dr. Phillipe Buchy, chief of virology at the Institut Pasteur in Cambodia and one of the doctors who cracked the case. "The first thing that goes through your mind is, is this one of the usual suspects you haven't detected before?" said Dr. Arnaud Tarantola, chief of epidemiology and public health at the Institut Pasteur. "If it is, has it mutated, or changed in a way that it causes more severe disease? Or is it something completely new?" On the steroids issue, Tarantola said, "When you have a dying child, you try to use what you have at hand, and they were right to try that." But, he acknowledged, "from the cases we reviewed, almost all of the children died, and almost all of them had steroids." Parents face anxious wait over mystery illness . "I think we can close the case and move ahead asking different questions," Buchy said. "Not what is the illness, but now, how long has the virus been circulating? What is the extent of the circulation of the virus? How many mild diseases are we missing? That's the next step." Over the past four months, doctors at Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals in Phnom Penh have been faced with the mysterious syndrome, which kills children so fast that nearly all of those infected with it die within a day or two of being admitted to the hospital. Dr. Beat Richner, head of the children's hospitals -- which cared for 66 patients affected by the illness, 64 of whom died -- said that no new cases of the illness had been confirmed since Saturday. Other hospitals in the country have reported similar cases, but far fewer than the children's hospitals in the capital, which are the most popular. In the last hours of their life, the children experienced a "total destruction of the alveola(e) in the lungs," Richner said. Alveolae are the air sacs where oxygen enters the bloodstream. Most of the children who have contracted the illness have come from the south of the country, though health officials cannot find what is known as a cluster -- a lot of cases coming from one specific area. By June 29, the WHO had been contacted and Cambodian officials were scrambling to instruct health providers across the country to spread information about the illness as quickly as possible. Officials search for clues in disease killing Cambodia's children . The WHO and the Cambodian authorities' announcement of the situation drew criticism from Richner, who said they were "causing unnecessary panic." The WHO said the unexplained nature of the outbreak obliged it to communicate the information. Over the weekend, lab tests linked enterovirus 71 (EV71) to some of the cases. But the tests didn't solve the whole puzzle and health officials continued their investigations, noting the detection of other elements like streptococcus suis and dengue. The link to EV71 does not particularly help in the treatment of the illness, as there is no effective antiviral treatment for severe EV71 infections and no vaccine is available. In milder cases, EV71 can cause coldlike symptoms, diarrhea and sores on the hands, feet and mouth, according to the journal Genetic Vaccines and Therapy. But more severe cases can cause fluid to accumulate on the brain, resulting in polio-like paralysis and death. Outbreaks of the enterovirus "occur periodically in the Asia-Pacific region," according to the CDC. Brunei had its first major outbreak in 2006. China had an outbreak in 2008. Adults' well-developed immune systems usually can fend off the virus, but children are vulnerable to it, according to the CDC. "It looks like (EV71) has emerged strongly, probably because it hadn't circulated with the same intensity in the past years," Tarantola said. Reported cases of streptococcus suis have risen significantly in recent years, notably in Southeast Asia, according to a paper that appeared last year in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The rainy season in Cambodia, which lasts from May to October, is a key problem in trying to control diseases like dengue. Because of a lack of indoor plumbing in many homes, people collect rainwater in vats, creating potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes. In Cambodia, as with many places around the world, parents first try treating their child at home. If that doesn't work, they typically then go to a local clinic. A hospital visit, which often involves a long trip, is a last resort. Mystery illness claiming dozens of lives . CNN's Sara Sidner and Tim Schwarz contributed to this report.

Doctors say the inappropriate use of steroids worsened many cases . No new cases of the condition have been confirmed since last Saturday . The pathogens include enterovirus 71, streptococcus suis and dengue . Most of the patients have come from southern Cambodia .

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Beijing (CNN) -- Jobs and money, national identity and political stability. These are some of the contentious issues driving the presidential election in Taiwan this weekend. Seeking another four-year term is the incumbent president Ma Ying Jeou of the ruling Kuomintang Party, pitted against Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Who wins the election will influence Taiwan's relations with mainland China and impact business, geopolitics and security in the region, including China-U.S. ties. For many Taiwanese electorates, political observers say, the main issues are jobs, economics and Taiwanese identity. For the policy-makers in Beijing, however, the overriding question is whether the next Taiwan president will stick to the status quo. That means abiding by the "1992 Consensus," a tacit and ambiguous agreement reached 20 years ago between Beijing and Taipei under which both sides agreed on the principle of "one China" without agreeing on how it is to be defined or interpreted. Despite the ambiguity, the 1992 Consensus has served as the basis for cross-strait dialogue that has led in recent years to the unprecedented blossoming of economic and people-to-people ties across the Taiwan Strait. In Beijing's view, "zuguo tongyi," or reunification of the motherland, is a matter of national pride and iron-clad policy. Beijing says it prefers to do so peacefully but refuses to rule out the use of force to keep Taiwan from declaring itself a separate state. China keeps hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan, an ominous threat to the island to stay in the fold. War in the Taiwan Strait would prompt a China-U.S. standoff. In 1954, the U.S. and Taiwan signed a mutual defense treaty. Even now, Washington sells Taiwan advanced jet fighters and other military hardware. America is also bound by the Taiwan Relations Act, U.S. legislation passed in 1979, to consider an attack on the island as "a threat to the peace and security" of the region and "of grave concern to the U.S." But all these years, Washington has avoided spelling out what it would do in case military clash erupts in the Taiwan Strait. Some observers say such ambiguity serves as a deterrent. Others worry it could lead to miscalculations. That delicate balance lurks at the heart of this weekend's election. Incumbent president Ma Ying Jeou advocates maintaining the status quo. "Ma Ying Jeou will continue the 1992 Consensus," says Tsinghua University professor Yan Xuetong. "If he does that we can maintain the current relationship across the Strait." If Ma wins, says Wang Jianmin, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) in Beijing, "we can hopefully keep the 'peaceful development' scenario with the mutual trust based on the 1992 Consensus." Beijing's policy-makers are wary of Tsai Ing-wen, suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda. Tsai for one rejects the 1992 Consensus and instead calls for a yet undefined "Taiwan Consensus." Jia Qingling, a top communist party official who oversees Taiwan affairs, recently warned: "If we deny the status quo there is no way to carry on any further negotiations, and what we have achieved so far would be in vain. We would go back to the days of chaos and uncertainty." But Wang believes relations between Beijing and Taipei will see a drastic change if DPP gets elected. "There is no way China will keep the current level of talks if Taiwan claims itself to be a country," he says. "If so, Taiwan's economy will certainly decline if the life blood from the mainland gets cut off." But Tsinghua's Yan Xuetong downplays any worst-case scenarios. "Even if Tsai Ing Wen wins the election, she will adopt a moderate policy to mainland China," he opines. There are good reasons not to rock the boat, mostly money. Closer ties between Taiwan and the mainland, observers say, have brought significant "peace dividends" to both sides -- robust business and trade, tourism, academic and people-to-people exchanges and family reunions. Two-way trade last year topped U.S.$160 billion, according to estimates by China's customs bureau. Over the years, Taiwanese investors, big and small, have pumped billions of dollars of investment into China. Last year alone, they invested over U.S.$12 billion in 520 projects on the mainland, according to a report by the state-run Xinhua new agency. Mainland companies, on the other hand, invested U.S.$174 million into over 200 projects in Taiwan in the short time since Taiwan allowed mainland investments in June 2009, Xinhua said. Since Taiwan opened its borders to mainland tourists three-and-a-half years ago, says Shao Qiwei, head of China's tourism agency, over three million mainlanders have visited the island. Last year alone, 1.8 million joined tours or went as individual travelers, Shao added. In contrast, about five million Taiwanese tourists visited the mainland last year, according to National Tourism Administration. But for the Communist leadership in Beijing closer ties also poses a downside: they bring a democratic contagion to the mainland. On Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, Linghutian writes: "No matter who wins, it's the victory of Taiwan's voters and the democracy they've been practicing. We mainlanders should just stay calm and learn something, since we now can't really do much." While the Taiwanese electorate is able to directly elect their president and other leaders this weekend, China's political elite is still struggling behind closed doors to reach a consensus on who among them will take top positions ahead of the major political transition later this year. In the autumn, Vice President Xi Jinping, 58, is expected to replace 69-year-old Hu Jintao as party chief when the Communist Party holds its national congress -- an event that takes place every five years. Xi is expected to formally ascend as state president when China's legislature convenes in the spring of 2013.

Incumbent president Ma Ying Jeou of the ruling Kuomintang Party seeking another four-year term . Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), would be the first female president . China keeps hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan, an ominous threat to the island to stay in the fold . Beijing wary of Tsai Ing-wen, suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda .

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Washington (CNN) -- The much-maligned, color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System is about to be consigned to the proverbial dustbin of history. Not that anyone is really paying attention. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is expected to announce Thursday that the almost 9-year-old threat alert system will go away in April. It will be replaced by the new National Terror Advisory System that will focus on specific threats in geographical areas, a department source said Wednesday. The source did not provide details of the new system, which Napolitano will unveil at what the department is calling "the first annual 'State of America's Homeland Security' address" at George Washington University. The top Democrat and Republican on the House Homeland Security Commission reacted positively to the news, although committee chairman Rep. Peter King, R-New York, reserved judgment on the specifics. "Though the system served a valuable purpose in the terrible days and months following the terrorist attacks of September 11, it was clearly time for the current color-coded system to be replaced with a more targeted system," King said. "I know they have been working on this for a long time. It sounds to me like the changes they are proposing make sense. We will have to wait and see how they implement this new, more targeted system. I expect the biggest challenge for DHS will be balancing the need to provide useful and timely information with the need to protect sensitive information." "The old color coded system taught Americans to be scared, not prepared," said ranking member Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi. "Each and every time the threat level was raised, very rarely did the public know the reason, how to proceed, or for how long to be on alert. I have raised concerns for years about the effectiveness of the system and have cited the need for improvements and transparency. Many in Congress felt the system was being used as a political scare tactic -- raising and lowering the threat levels when it best suited the Bush administration." President George W. Bush established the Homeland Security Advisory System by presidential directive on March 11, 2002, just a few months after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The five levels -- green for low, blue for guarded, yellow for elevated, orange for high and red for severe -- were intended to identify the risk of terrorist attack. The initial level was yellow, which the system retained until September 11, 2002, when it was raised to orange to cover the first anniversary of the attacks. It was lowered back to yellow on September 24. In its lifetime, the threat level has been raised to orange/high five times, although it went to that level three other times for specific industries. The threat level was raised to red/severe once -- on August 10, 2006, and only for commercial flights from the United Kingdom to the United States -- when British authorities announced they had disrupted a major plot to blow up aircraft. The level went down to orange on August 16, 2006, where it remains. The general threat level is yellow/elevated. The two lower levels have never been used, and task force looking at the system recommended in 2009 eliminating them altogether and making yellow the lowest threat level but renaming it "guarded." Almost from the start, the threat level system was the butt of jokes and multiple parodies. The "Democracy Threat Advisory Level" went from green/low ("Wow, clean money systems really work") to red/severe ("Martial law, but it's for your own good"). A "Total Headcase Advisory System" began with "George Soros is arrested" and ended with "Hillary Clinton is elected president." Still another announced that Homeland Security and Crayola had jointly revised the system, changing green to aquamarine, blue to raw umber, yellow to burnt sienna, orange to neon carrot and red to cotton candy. The public didn't care much for the system either, with polls conducted at the time indicating most Americans found it confusing and not very useful. More seriously, however, some critics accused the Bush administration of using using the system to generate fear at politically sensitive times, such as just before the 2004 election. And just days after his 2005 resignation, then-Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told a Washington forum that he sometimes disagreed with the rationale for raising the alert but was overruled by others on the Homeland Security Advisory Council, which made the decisions. The council included Attorney General John Ashcroft, FBI chief Robert Mueller, CIA director George Tenet, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell. "More often than not we (the department) were the least inclined to raise it," Ridge told reporters after the forum. "Sometimes we disagreed with the intelligence assessment. Sometimes we thought even if the intelligence was good, you don't necessarily put the country on (alert). ... There were times when some people were really aggressive about raising it, and we said, 'For that?' " And in 2009, Ridge wrote in a tell-all book that sometimes officials such as Ashcroft and Rumsfeld pressured the department to change the level, describing a 2004 event in which his arguments against raising the alert worked. "I believe our strong interventions had pulled the 'go-up' advocates back from the brink. But I consider the episode to be not only a dramatic moment in Washington's recent history, but another illustration of the intersection of politics, fear, credibility and security," he wrote. "After that episode, I knew I had to follow through with my plans to leave the federal government," he wrote. Ridge announced his resignation on November 30, 2004, and left office on February 1, 2005. The Bush administration denied Ridge's assertions, however. "Nobody's more surprised than I am," then-Homeland Security adviser Fran Townsend told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Of course, Tom Ridge never expressed those concerns while he was in the administration, nor did he when I spoke to him after he left ... (He) wasn't the only one in that meeting who suggested the terror alert shouldn't be raised. At no time was there a discussion of politics in that meeting. And the president was made a consensus recommendation from the council that he accepted -- not to raise the terror alert." Townsend is now a national security contributor for CNN. CNN's Fran Townsend contributed to this report .

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will make official announcement Thursday . The new system will focus on specific threats in geographical areas, a source says . The current color-coded system was established in 2002 in wake of 9/11 attacks . The system was often criticized as confusing by public and parodied by comics .

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia (CNN) -- During the Khmer Rouge regime, I was put in prison at the age of 15 for picking mushrooms in the rice fields to feed my pregnant sister. Under the Khmer Rouge, everything belonged to the Revolution — and picking up anything from the ground without their permission was a crime. For several hours in front of about one hundred villagers, the Khmer Rouge publicly tortured me. I did not cry, because I was told not to. Then, they put me in prison. Months later, after running out of lies to tell the prison chief while begging for my life, one of the older prisoners stepped forward and pleaded to the prison chief on my behalf. Surprisingly, the prison chief agreed and I was released. I came to learn much later, however, that in exchange for me, they killed him. My experience is a mere footnote to the millions of other Cambodians who suffered and died at the hands of this regime, but it is illustrative of the ongoing struggle to find justice and closure. 35 years on, top Khmer Rouge leaders face justice in Cambodia . Trial 'will not bring back the dead' When the verdict is announced in the first trial of the Khmer Rouge tribunal's second case, there will be no winners and no cause for celebration. While the occasion marks an enormous achievement in Cambodia and the international community's long struggle to assert the primacy of human rights, peace, and the rule of law, it is a victory that can only be marked with somber contemplation. We have come a long way in forging an international system to meet the challenge of responding to and punishing mass atrocities, but judgments do not bring back the dead or restore trust. No action can assuage the anguish, sadness, and regret that haunts the survivors to this day. Over 35 years after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime, we still see the effects from this period in almost every facet of Cambodian society. From physical scars and disabilities, to trauma and psychosocial conditions, the horrors of this period continue to manifest themselves in survivors, families, communities and institutions. Suffering under the Khmer Rouge . Many estimates found that more than a million people died under the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979 from execution, disease, starvation and overwork. See places where Cambodia's shocking past is on show . Like many families, my mother, my deaf sister, Keo Kolthida Ekkasakh, and I, all suffered under the Khmer Rouge. And my mother lost all three of her brothers, one sister, one daughter and many grandchildren under the regime. Nearly 60 of our family members are still missing today. Society is still divided, and the memories of this period— even memories of kindness — carry a heavy burden. I will never forget the kind act of the man in prison. I do not even know the name of the man who saved my life. I have been searching for his family members for years, in the hope that I can pay my respect for the courage and kindness he showed me. 'Too little, too late' Achieving true justice in these circumstances is an impossible feat for mankind, and an altogether late endeavor at best. Time and again, the international community has watched mass atrocities, genocide, and other heinous crimes proceed unchecked. INTERACTIVE: Five faces of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge . While our efforts in applying due process in the punishment of genocide and mass atrocities deserve recognition and respect, we should not overlook the paramount need for preventing such crimes before they occur. Prevention must be the watchword in defining our struggle, and our struggle against evil must begin with courage. We must have the courage to call out inhumanity when it occurs and take steps that prevent such crimes, rather than responding to their aftermath. We must seize the opportunity to stand up for what is right, no matter the circumstance, because we know that saving millions of lives today speaks far greater for our civilization than issuing verdicts tomorrow. This verdict regarding the two senior Khmer Rouge leaders matters a great deal to me, as should it for all Cambodians, because it gives some closure -- but closure is too little, too late for many. If only the international community would exercise the courage and resolve as the man in prison did for me, the world would need fewer verdicts. In 2013: Infamous leader during Cambodia genocide dies .

Youk Chhang was 15 when he survived imprisonment by Khmer Rouge . An older prisoner stepped forward to save him who was later killed for his kind act . Verdict in Cambodia over two senior Khmer Rouge leaders doesn't bring back dead . But verdict is enormous achievement in Cambodia .

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(CNN) -- A suicide bombing "mastermind" in the Pakistan Taliban has been gunned down and killed in the country's northeastern tribal region, just days after a major faction in the militant group announced it was breaking away over ideological differences. Gunmen riding in a car attacked Ashiqullah Mehsud, a senior commander in the leadership of the group known formally as the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in the village of Urmuz in North Waziristan on Thursday before speeding off, sources told CNN. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, while the TTP has yet to issue a statement. Mehsud was viewed as a successor to Qari Hussain Mehsud, the militant group's explosives expert whose notoriety includes allegedly recruiting children as suicide bombers. Deadly infighting . Pakistani intelligence sources believe the incident is the result of internal rivalries between TTP factions. The Pakistan Taliban has been beset with months of deadly infighting, culminating in an announcement early this month by the group's Mehsud faction that it would be going its own way after failing to convince the leadership to give up what it said were "un-Islamic" practices, such as attacks in public places, extortion and kidnappings. It's the first split since the TTP -- a coalition of militant groups -- was founded in 2007, seeking to establish its version of sharia law across Pakistan. Tensions within the TTP escalated after the group's leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in November last year, setting off a power struggle among top commanders of the TTP that led to violent clashes in which dozens of people were killed. Appointed by a tribal council, Mullah Fazlullah has stood at the helm of the TPP since Mehsud's death. He hails from the country's Swat valley and is the first TTP leader who is not a Mehsud. He has struggled to contain the internal frictions among the group's factions, especially those within the Mehsud tribe, which makes up the majority of the TTP. In a statement released last month, Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the breakaway Mehsuds, said the TTP leadership had "fallen into the hands of a bunch of conspirators ... involved in criminal activities like robbery and extortion." Zahir Shah Sherazi in Peshawar contributed to this report.

Ashiqullah Mehsud was a key figure and trainer of suicide bombers in the group . His execution comes amid deadly infighting between factions with Pakistan Taliban . No group has claimed responsibility for the attack in the North Waziristan .

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Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic once again faces two genocide charges instead of one in his long-running trial over ethnic violence during the 1990s Balkan wars. Appellate judges at a U.N. war crimes tribunal in the Netherlands on Thursday reinstated the second genocide charge, ruling that the tribunal improperly dismissed the count in June 2012. Karadzic, whose trial began in 2010, also faces nine other charges related to ethnic violence during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The reinstated charge accuses Karadzic of trying to permanently remove Bosnian Muslims and Croats from parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992. The charge was thrown out last year after the prosecution rested its case, with the tribunal ruling that there wasn't enough evidence for a genocide conviction on that particular allegation. But the appellate judges Thursday ruled that the evidence of serious abuse against Bosnian Muslims and Croats -- including detaining them in overcrowded, squalid conditions where they were starved and left vulnerable to disease -- could be shown to be genocidal acts. The judges cited allegations that Karadzic and officials loyal to him decided on a plan to rid Bosnia of Muslims, in part by killing a third of them and converting another third to Orthodox Christianity. Thursday's decision came exactly 18 years after the notorious 1995 Srebrencia massacre, for which Karadzic faces the other genocide charge. Nearly 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995. Srebrenica became an emblem for the dissolution of Yugoslavia -- once a multiethnic state of Serbs, Croats, Muslims and others -- into six countries during a bloody and brutal conflict. On Thursday, more than 400 victims of the massacre were to be reburied at a memorial center in Potocari in Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding to the more than 5,000 victims already buried there, the country's state-run news agency FENA reported. Victims of the massacre have been buried at the site periodically as officials locate and identify more victims in mass graves. "Sadness and pain, I have no words. It is so hard," said Fadila Efendic, who was set to bury her son Fejzo at the site Thursday, according to FENA. "This is beyond any human comprehension what they did to us and what we are experiencing." The 1992-95 Bosnian conflict was the longest of the wars spawned by the breakup of Yugoslavia. Karadzic was removed from power in 1995, when the Dayton Accord that ended the Bosnian war barred anyone accused of war crimes from holding office. Karadzic was captured in 2008 after more than 13 years of hiding in plain sight in Belgrade. He had adopted an elaborate disguise that included long hair and a full beard, and was practicing alternative medicine in the Serbian capital. His former military commander, Ratko Mladic, was captured in 2011 and is also on trial for charges including genocide. Both men would face life in prison if convicted. The court cannot impose the death penalty. Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic also faced charges connected with the Balkan wars, but he died in 2006 while on trial at The Hague.

The reinstated count accuses Radovan Karadzic of trying to remove Muslims from Bosnia . He was the leader of the breakaway Serb Republic in Bosnia in the 1990s . Karadzic, on trial since 2010, also faces a charge of genocide over the Srebrenica massacre .

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(CNN) -- The historic measure to regulate and tax marijuana in Washington State deserves to be looked at closely as a model of how legalization ought to be designed and implemented elsewhere in America. We've turned a significant corner with the approval of Initiative 502, which purposefully offers a true public health alternative to the criminal prohibition of pot. For the first time in a very long time, the well-intended but failed criminal penalties to protect public health and safety will be set aside. Adults who choose to use marijuana and obtain it through legal outlets will no longer be faced with the threat of criminal sanctions. People of color will no longer face the egregious inequities in how marijuana criminal penalties are imposed. Parents, as they help prepare their children for the choices they face concerning marijuana, will no longer be hobbled by misinformation about the drug and the absence of effective supports to encourage abstinence. "The great experiment" of alcohol prohibition became the national law in 1920. Its intentions were good, but it failed in a number of vitally important ways. In 1923, the state of New York repealed its alcohol prohibition law. Ten other states soon followed, and in 1933 national Prohibition ended. I believe Washington state has just played that pivotal role with regard to marijuana. Moreover, by borrowing from public health model principles known to be effective, the state has offered the most compelling replacement to prohibition considered to date. What is a public health model? In brief, it's an approach that acknowledges use of marijuana can present harms to the user and to public safety, and includes provisions to prevent or ameliorate those harms. A public health model includes six key elements. Washington state's new law incorporates each of them. The first is accountable oversight by an agency of government. The Washington state legalization model assigns responsibility to a state agency for writing regulations concerning how the growing, producing and selling of marijuana will occur. Among those regulations are tight limitations on advertising and the prevention of access to marijuana by minors. Then, that agency will have the authority to issue licenses to growers, producers and sellers and to enforce adherence to the rules. The second element is a well-funded multifaceted marijuana education program that is based on science rather than ideology. Far too few Americans are sufficiently informed about marijuana's effects on health and behavior, both the positive and the negative. A key to good decision-making is possessing accurate information. The third element is well-funded prevention programs widely available to all the state's geographical and demographic communities. We've learned a great deal about what knowledge, skills and community supports actually work in helping young people navigate a world in which drugs such as marijuana are readily available. Sadly, far too little funding has been devoted to putting such programs to work in our communities. A fourth element is making treatment of marijuana dependence readily available. The new law dedicates funding to establish a statewide Marijuana Help Line. It also earmarks funding to state, county and local governments for the provision of services for those in need of help. Evaluation of the new law's impact is the fifth element. An independent state agency will receive funding to conduct periodic assessments of how the new system affects behaviors, attitudes and knowledge. Using the findings of these evaluative studies, the state agency overseeing the pricing and taxing of marijuana can adjust those costs to maximize undercutting of the black market and deterrence of youth access to marijuana. The sixth element is research. The new law earmarks funding to the state's two major research universities for the purpose of conducting marijuana-focused studies. As we gradually learn how to live more healthfully and safely with marijuana, the knowledge derived from those studies will inform education, prevention, treatment and refinements in the law. In more than 40 years of research -- primarily marijuana dependence counseling interventions for adults and adolescents -- it has seemed to me that prohibition has hindered more than it has helped good decision-making. Far too many teens think smoking pot is "no big deal," greatly underestimating the risk of being derailed from social, psychological and educational attainment. Far too many adults don't take seriously enough the risk of marijuana dependence that accompanies very frequent use. We can do better. By regulating and taxing marijuana based on a set of strong public health principles, I believe our cultural norms concerning marijuana will shift and the harms we've witnessed will greatly reduce. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roger A. Roffman.

On Tuesday, voters in Washington state and Colorado legalized recreational marijuana . Roger Roffman: Washington state's historical measure deserve close attention . He says the state has offered the most compelling replacement to prohibition to date . Roffman: Prohibition has hindered more than it has helped good decision-making .

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(CNN) -- Homeland security officials on Wednesday abruptly shelved a proposal to build a national database of license-plate scans after criticism from privacy advocates. The proposal, which had been posted online last week by the office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sought a contractor who could establish a searchable database of license plates, with the times and locations where they were spotted by traffic cameras and other sources. But in a statement late Wednesday, the department announced a reversal. "The solicitation, which was posted without the awareness of ICE leadership, has been canceled," said spokeswoman Gillian Christensen. "While we continue to support a range of technologies to help meet our law enforcement mission, this solicitation will be reviewed to ensure the path forward appropriately meets our operational needs." It was unclear whether the proposal was dead or was merely withdrawn for revisions. Under the proposal, officers in the field would have been able to use their smartphones to look up a license plate and see every time and every place the vehicle had been spotted by a camera. "The database should track vehicle license plate numbers that pass through cameras or are voluntarily entered into the system from a variety of sources (access control systems, asset recovery specialists, etc.) and uploaded to share with law enforcement," the original solicitation read. The proposed National License Plate Recognition database was to have been used by immigration officers to find and arrest fugitives. Supporters of license-plate scanning, like former New York state homeland security chief Michael Balboni, said it could have been an invaluable tool for finding dangerous suspects. "What license-plate readers have been used for most effectively is (trying) to do hits against outstanding warrants, against unlicensed drivers, against folks who have shown before that they've been involved in some kind of crime -- that's where the hits come." But since the solicitation was posted and featured in the Washington Post, privacy advocates have warned that the database sounded like a dragnet that would track the whereabouts of all drivers, including people who have done nothing wrong, and that the records might be held indefinitely. "The idea is, we want to collect everything on perfectly innocent people and then dip into it whenever we feel like it," said Kade Crockford of the American Civil Liberties Union. "There have already been quite a few cases of abuse. Essentially, the problem is that this is creating a nationwide warrantless location-tracking list." Opponents also said the tracking of cars would reveal personal information about drivers, like whether they went to church, where they slept at night, or whether they had been to an abortion clinic or a political protest.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement sought bids for a license-plate tracking database . Database would have been able to see where a vehicle's plate had been captured on camera . Tool would have helped law enforcement find criminals, one proponent says . Database would have violated the privacy of innocent people, ACLU argues .

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London, England (CNN) -- Irish football officials have lodged an official complaint with world ruling body FIFA after Thierry Henry confessed that he handled the ball in the build-up to the goal which sent France to next summer's World Cup. Television cameras showed Henry guiding the ball with his hand twice, before William Gallas scored from his resulting cross to give "Les Bleus" a narrow win in the two-legged World Cup play-off against the Republic of Ireland. "I will be honest. It was a handball but I am not the referee," the Barcelona striker told reporters after the match in Paris. The Irish Justice Ministry confirmed to CNN that Dermot Ahern had asked the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) to demand a replay in the interests of fair play. "Thierry Henry has admitted handling the ball, claims he told the ref he handled it. Millions of people worldwide saw it was a blatant double handball -- not to mention a double offside -- and we should put the powers that be in the cozy world of FIFA on the spot and demand a replay," Ahern said in a statement sent to CNN. "They probably won't grant it as we are minnows in world football but let's put them on the spot. It's the least we owe the thousands of devastated young fans around the country. Otherwise if that result remains it reinforces the view that if you cheat you will win." The FAI later confirmed that it had taken the matter to FIFA. "I really believe the integrity of the game has been questioned last night," chief executive John Delaney told reporters. "The governing body of world football have to step up to the plate and accede to our call for a replay." Delaney said the FAI had also written to the French football federation. "They need to look at themselves in this situation. Henry is their captain and a wonderful footballer, but does he want to be like Diego Maradona and his legacy to be this handball, this goal that got them to the World Cup in an unjust manner? If we had qualified in this manner, I wouldn't be happy," he said. "It is up to the people who govern the game now. Every time I go to a FIFA congress I hear about fair play and integrity. This was a defining game with the whole world watching, and if FIFA believe in fair play and integrity, this is their opportunity to step forward." The FAI has argued that there is a precedent for the result to be struck out, following FIFA's ruling that Uzbekistan had to replay a play-off against Bahrain for the 2006 World Cup in Germany after the referee made a mistake in awarding a penalty. "The Football Association of Ireland is hoping that FIFA and its disciplinary committee will, on behalf of football fans worldwide, act in a similar fashion so that the standards of fair play and integrity can be protected," the FAI said. FIFA confirmed it had received the Irish request for a replay, but gave no timescale on a decision. However, it said that under its regulations the referee's decision cannot be changed. "Law 5 states that the decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final," it said. "The referee may only change a decision on realising that it is incorrect or, at his discretion, on the advice of an assistant referee or the fourth official, provided that he has not restarted play or terminated the match." Irish captain Richard Dunne, who spoke to Henry on the final whistle, said he felt cheated by the goal. "He admitted he handled it, but it doesn't make me feel any better because we are not going to the World Cup finals," the defender said. "FIFA will probably be happy. Yet again the big decisions have gone for the bigger team." Football's international governing body had faced criticism from several Irish players that the seeding system for the play-off draw favored more powerful nations such as France. Blog: When will FIFA see what's staring them in the face? Dunne's teammate Robbie Keane admitted it was "hard to speak," as he struggled to come to terms with the result. "With the way we played, we certainly deserved to win the game and it killed us near the end with that handball," he was quoted by the FAI Web site as saying. "I've seen the replay but we knew anyway (it was handball). You could see by the reaction of the players, especially Shay (Given) who was two yards away from it. You don't get a reaction like that. It was a clear handball. "He (Henry) almost caught the ball and actually ran into the net with it. We're devastated." Ireland team manager Giovanni Trapattoni told reporters that the referee had time to ask the linesman and then Henry. "It would not have been the first time a player would have asked and it would not have been out of turn. "We are angry," the Italian continued. "It is a bitter evening for me. I would prefer to have gone out on penalties." Fanzone: Five of football's most famous injustices . But former France international David Ginola was emphatic that Henry should not have "owned up." "You don't do that," he told CNN. "Henry was doing his job. You can't blame him for doing everything he could for his team and country to get them to South Africa. "But it was a shame to finish the game like that as Ireland had played very well. "Referees need more help on the pitch, so as not to allow things like that. Obviously the referee was not well-positioned and couldn't see." English Referees Union chief Alan Leighton told CNN that Swedish official Martin Hansson had clearly missed a huge decision. "I think the incident was more of instinct than deliberately attempting to cheat but it does seem that the ball hit his hand twice and therefore there is an issue." But on the wider issue of cheating, Leighton said: "It is all very well to blame the referees for not spotting it but fundamentally it starts with the players. "I think the players have to think about the game, think about the reputation of the game and their own reputations and say look actually there is a line that we will not cross."

NEW: Republic of Ireland officials lodge official complaint with world ruling body FIFA . NEW: FAI also writes to French counterparts asking for World Cup play-off to be replayed . Cameras showed France's Thierry Henry guiding ball with his hand twice, before William Gallas scored . Ex-France player David Ginola said Henry was only doing his job for his country and should not be blamed .

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(CNN) -- Top officials in Moscow have accepted a French offer to help supply the Russian navy with two new amphibious assault warships, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's office said Friday. The offer came from a consortium led by two French manufacturers -- DCNS and STX -- working in conjunction with Russian shipyards. Two additional warships may be constructed, bringing the total to four, Sarkozy's office said. Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "welcomed the implementation of this unprecedented cooperation that will benefit the industry and employment in both countries," said a statement from Sarkozy's office. It "illustrates the willingness and ability of France and Russia develop partnerships in all major areas, including defense and security." The deal will create 5 million hours of work for an estimated 1,000 people over four years around the French town of Saint-Nazaire, according to the statement.

French-led consortium will help build at least two new Russian naval vessels . The deal will help employ 1,000 people for four years around Saint-Nazaire, France .

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(CNN) -- To kick off the release of her new album, Madonna is joining Twitter for one day to answer questions from fans. The pop legend will be turning to Twitter on Monday night to promote her 12th studio album, MDNA, and interact with fans on the popular social network. She will be answering questions starting at 10:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. PST. The Twitter handle @MadonnaMDNAday sent out its first tweet on Sunday to get the word out about the Q&A. Fans can submit questions to Madonna by tweeting @MadonnaMDNAday and using the hashtag #askmadonna. The account already has over 12,000 followers. The news was also announced on Madonna.com/AskMadonna, with the following message: . "Madonna joins Twitter for one day only to answer fan questions and celebrate the release of her MDNA album. Got a question? #AskMadonna," the site says. It's uncertain if the account will still send tweets about the album or if it will be shut down after the online event. The Twitter account has not yet responded to questions from Mashable. Madonna's dip into Twitter isn't just to promote her album, but also to increase her social media presence. She recently granted a Facebook Live-exclusive interview with late-night host Jimmy Fallon on Saturday. Fans — who had to "Like" her Facebook page in order to watch the interview — were also encouraged to submit questions for the pop queen. Her interview with Fallon was the only talk show appearance planned to promote the album. Madonna has nearly 9 million subscribers on Facebook. This is her first album since the release of "Hard Candy," featuring "4 Minutes," in April 2008. See the original article on Mashable.com. © 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.

Pop star Madonna will answer fans' questions on Twitter beginning Monday at 10 p.m. ET . It's uncertain if the account will be shut down after the online event . Fans can submit questions by tweeting @MadonnaMDNAday and using #askmadonna .

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(CNN) -- South Korea will stage its first Formula One grand prix in 2010, motorsport's governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), announced on Monday. Work is in progress at the 5.6km site of the future South Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam county. The 19-race season will open in Bahrain on March 14 and the final race will take place in Brazil. After missing out on staging a grand prix in 2009, Canada will return to the circuit in 2010 with a June 13 date if agreement could be reached with Formula One Management which holds the sport's commercial rights. If that is not completed then the Turkish Grand Prix will be moved back one week to the June 6 slot. South Korea is spending millions of dollars on a track in Yeongam county and officials are confident the Korean Grand Prix, set for October 17, will quickly make its mark. Work is in progress at the 5.6km site, 320km south of Seoul, where seating to accommodate 135,000 spectators is being built. Organizers say the main circuit will include Asia's longest straight stretch of 1.2km which will allow speeds of up to 320km per hour. Seoul has hosted the Olympic Games, the Asian Games and a football World Cup, but never a Formula One race, despite a major domestic auto industry. The 19-race schedule for the 2010 Formula One championship which gets under way in Bahrain on March 14: . March 14, Bahrain Grand Prix . March 28, Australian Grand Prix . April 4, Malaysian Grand Prix . April 18, Chinese Grand Prix . May 9, Spanish Grand Prix . May 23, Monaco Grand Prix . May 30, Turkish Grand Prix . June 13, Canadian Grand Prix ** . June 27, European Grand Prix at Valencia, Spain . July 11, British Grand Prix . July 25, German Grand Prix . August 1, Hungarian Grand Prix . August 29, Belgian Grand Prix . September 12, Italian Grand Prix . September 26, Singapore Grand Prix . October 3, Japanese Grand Prix . October 17, South Korean Grand Prix . October 31, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . November 14, Brazilian Grand Prix . ** Subject to the completion of contract negotiations with Formula One Management. If these are not completed then the Turkish Grand Prix will be moved to June 6 .

South Korea will stage its first Formula One grand prix in 2010, FIA announce . The Korean Grand Prix is set for October 17 in a 19-race Formula 1 calendar . Season opens in Bahrain on March 14 and the final race takes place in Brazil .

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London, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton made their first official engagement as a couple Thursday, launching a lifeboat in Wales. The pair, who are due to marry in April, officially named the "Hereford Endeavour" lifeboat in a ceremony at the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station in Anglesey, North Wales. Middleton, wearing a Vivien Sheriff black-feathered beret, three-quarter length cream coat and suede boots, poured a bottle of champagne over the lifeboat after Prince William made a speech commending the efforts of the volunteers and rescue crew. "We effectively have two launches today," said CNN royal contributor Mark Saunders. "The launch of the lifeboat by William and Catherine and, at the same time, the launch of William and Catherine into this celebrity saturated world they are going to be living in." Despite the modest nature of the event, hundreds of people turned out to watch the royal couple conduct their first official duty together. "In 20 years of royal reporting I've never witnessed quite such excitement for such a single job," said Saunders. One onlooker told CNN: "It's lovely... I would have thought more people would have brought flowers and things for them but it's lovely... It's low key which is what he (Prince William) wanted." It's the first public appearance the couple has made since they announced their engagement last November. "It's a very low-key event, launching a lifeboat on the island where they both live...it's a very good debut event for them," said Saunders. "They have a very good relationship with the locals here, they are often seen at the local supermarket and buying wine from the local off-license. So for a first event, they couldn't have picked a better one." The reason for such a low-key ceremony, says Saunders, is to prepare Middleton for life as a royal. "(The royal family) have learnt many lessons from when Princess Diana first joined the royal family. "Diana was just thrown in the deep end and absolutely given no guidance whatsoever. They're making sure this time round Catherine is well prepared," he said. After naming the new Atlantic 85 lifeboat, Prince William and Middleton met members of the charity's lifeboat crew along with fundraising volunteers and were given a demonstration of the vessel's capabilities. In a statement issued before the ceremony, Lifeboat's Operations Manager, Aubrey Diggle said: "It's an honor to have Prince William and Miss Middleton at our naming ceremony. "Naming a new lifeboat is always a special occasion for the charity where we can thank our supporters and fundraisers. Having the royal couple there will make the day even more memorable for the whole community." The couple currently reside in Anglesey while Prince William serves as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Prince William and Kate have conducted their first official engagement together . The couple attended a lifeboat naming ceremony in Anglesey, north Wales . The pair currently live in Anglesey while Prince William serves as an RAF pilot .

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(CNN) -- A Dutch court intervened Friday to stop a 13-year-old girl from attempting to sail around the world by herself, stripping her parents of sole custody. Laura Dekker will find out on Friday whether the Dutch Court will back her record attempt. Laura Dekker's parents support her round-the-world ambition, which sparked concern from child protection officials because of her age. They took the case to court to prevent the solo trip. On Friday the Dutch High Court in Utrecht ruled that the Child Protection Board will share custody over Laura with her parents for two months. The move prevents the parents from permitting Laura to set off on her trip alone, though Laura will remain at home with her father, Dick Dekker, a court official said. During those two months, a child psychologist will assess Laura's mental state and ability to carry out a solo round-the-world journey, a court official said. A guardian will be appointed to oversee the case until the court next meets Oct. 26. The court will then make a final ruling on whether her parents may have the final say about their daughter's plans, the court official said. Is the court right to block her bid? Have your say below . Laura's parents are happy about Friday's decision, family lawyer Peter de Lange said. He said the parents are especially pleased that the court didn't prevent Laura from making the journey, because they hope she can still proceed with her plans. The teenager was out sailing Friday, de Lange said. She is pleased with the decision and hopes she can still make a solo trip, he said. Laura believes she will be able to convince the court that she is fit to make the trip alone, de Lange said. Social workers took the action to stop the teen from attempting to become the youngest person to circumnavigate the globe because they believe the voyage would be too dangerous. Laura said she has dreamed of sailing around the world since she was 10 and her parents are determined to help her achieve her goal. She called the attention that has been heaped on her case "a bit over the top." Just this week, a British teenager became the youngest person to sail around the world solo when he returned to Britain after a nine-month trip. Guinness World Records confirmed the feat. Mike Perham, 17, had a support team sailing alongside him during the trip. He said he doesn't think age alone should determine whether Laura Dekker is ready for such an adventure. It's "whether she's got the physical strength, the mental strength, or the technical ability," he said. "Can she strip an engine blindfolded? Can she build boats? Is she an electrician? Is she a mechanic as well? You can't just be a sailor for a trip like this." Another sailor, Robin Knox-Johnston, also said age shouldn't be the only determining factor. He was the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone without stopping -- in 1969, when he was 29. "It's really more a question, is that person, that young person, mature enough to be able to look after themselves and deal with everything that's going to come at you when you get out alone at sea?" he said. Gold medal-winning Olympic sailor Shirley Robertson insisted that sailing is an experience-based sport and that Laura may not be ready for such a great challenge. "Mike Perham has four years on Laura. That's a big difference," she told CNN. "Mike had already completed challenges such as sailing across the Atlantic before embarking on his ultimate quest. "There's a world of difference between sailing a small craft on the Ijsselmeer and sailing around the world with all the challenges that presents." Robertson also pointed out that "we live in a culture of record-breaking and fame-seeking," with people constantly looking to be the youngest or quickest at anything. "Why does she need to sail around the world on her own now? Why not sail with a parent first to gain more experience?" CNN's Ashleigh Nghiem, Francesca Church and Paul Armstrong contributed to this story.

Laura Dekker, 13, wants to become youngest person to sail solo around globe . Dutch social workers say it is too dangerous and want to prevent her . Court ruled Child Protection Board to share custody of Laura with her parents . Move prevents the parents from permitting Laura to set off on her trip .

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(CNN) -- So, Gary Oldman, tell us what you really think. In a raw interview with Playboy, the actor, 56, railed against Hollywood "dishonesty" and double standards, said that Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin have been victims of hypocrisy and asserted that not voting for "12 Years a Slave" to win an Oscar meant "you were a racist." Oh, and he doesn't like the Golden Globes, helicopter parents or reality TV, either. Indeed, the "Dark Knight" actor, who's starring in the forthcoming "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," pulled no punches when talking about pretty much anything. The conversation will appear in the magazine's July/August issue. The Gibson and Baldwin affairs really angered him, he said, because he believes their accusers don't exactly have clean hands themselves. "I don't know about Mel. He got drunk and said a few things, but we've all said those things. We're all f***ing hypocrites," Oldman said. "The policeman who arrested him has never used the word 'n*****' or 'that f***ing Jew'? I'm being brutally honest here. It's the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy. "Mel Gibson is in a town that's run by Jews and he said the wrong thing because he's actually bitten the hand that I guess has fed him -- and doesn't need to feed him anymore because he's got enough dough," Oldman continued. "But some Jewish guy in his office somewhere hasn't turned and said, 'That f***ing kraut' or 'F*** those Germans,' whatever it is? We all hide and try to be so politically correct. That's what gets me. It's just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone." Other Oldman tidbits: . On reality TV: "The museum of social decay." On helicopter parents: "There's never any unsupervised play to develop skills or learn about hierarchy in a group or how to share. The kids honestly believe they are the center of the f***ing universe. But then they get out into the real world and it's like, 'S**t, maybe it's not all about me,' and that leads to narcissism, depression and anxiety." On political correctness at the Oscars: "At the Oscars, if you didn't vote for '12 Years a Slave' you were a racist. " On the Golden Globes: "A meaningless event. ... It's 90 nobodies having a wank." If Oldman is hard on Hollywood and its people, he's equally critical of himself. Asked about "Sid & Nancy," his breakthrough film, he said, "I don't like myself in the movie." Ditto with "The Fifth Element" and "The Dark Knight." "It was work," he said. (He did have kind things to say about the film "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Francis Ford Coppola and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" director Alfonso Cuaron.) As the interview continued, Oldman -- who described his politics as "libertarian" -- recognized that he may have been a little too blunt. "So this interview has gone very badly. You have to edit and cut half of what I've said, because it's going to make me sound like a bigot," he said at one point . "You're not a bigot?" replied interviewer David Hochman. "No, but I'm defending all the wrong people," Oldman said. "I'm saying Mel's all right. Alec's a good guy. So how do I come across? Angry?" "Passionate, certainly," Hochman said. "Readers will have to form their own opinions." "It's dishonesty that frustrates me most," Oldman said. "I can't bear double standards. It gets under my skin more than anything."

Gary Oldman sounds off in Playboy interview . Oldman says hypocrisy drives him crazy . Hypocrisy and political correctness hurt Mel Gibson, Alec Baldwin, he said . Oldman has little patience for Hollywood niceties .

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Washington (CNN) -- Only a third of U.S. voters think that most members of Congress deserve to be re-elected this year, according to a new national poll. That's the lowest number ever recorded for that question in a CNN survey. The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, released Tuesday, indicates that only 34 percent feel that current federal lawmakers deserve re-election, with 63 percent saying no. According to the survey, 51 percent feel their own member of Congress should be re-elected -- also an all-time low in CNN polling -- while 44 percent say their representative doesn't deserve to be returned to office in November. Full poll results (PDF) The numbers on both questions are even lower than in 1994, when an anti-incumbent fever helped Republicans win back control of both the House and the Senate from Democrats. The trend line on those questions goes back to 1991, when they were first asked. "This is not a good year to be an incumbent, regardless of which party you belong to," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "Voters seem equally angry at both Republicans and Democrats this year." Fifty-six percent of people questioned in the survey say that most Democrats in Congress do not deserve to be re-elected. An equal percentage say that most congressional Republicans don't deserve re-election. The poll suggests Americans are split when it comes to their vote this November, with 47 percent of registered voters saying they will support the Republican candidate in their district for the House of Representatives and 45 percent saying they will back the Democrat. Republicans trailed the Democrats by 6 points in November. The voters' cool view of incumbents of both parties "may hurt the Democrats more because there are more Democratic incumbents," Holland said. "It's a change from 2006, when voters concentrated their anger at GOP members of Congress." The generic ballot question asked respondents if they would vote for a Democrat or Republican in their congressional district, without naming any specific candidates. The Democrats currently hold a 255-178 advantage in the House, with two vacant seats that the Democrats once held. Republicans need to win 40 seats to take back control of the chamber. While President Obama is not up for re-election this November, he will be in 2012, if he decides to run for a second term. According to the poll, 44 percent of registered voters say Obama deserves re-election, with 52 percent saying the president does not deserve a second term in office. The survey also indicates that 49 percent of Americans approve of the job Obama's doing as president, with half of the public disapproving of his job in the White House. "One problem Obama faces may be the perception that Obama is not a middle-class kind of guy," Holland said. "Only 4 percent of Americans describe themselves as upper class. But a 45 percent plurality say that Obama belongs to the upper class, with 42 percent saying he is from the middle class and 12 percent describing him as working class." The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll was conducted Friday through Monday, with 1,023 adult Americans, including 954 registered voters, questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points both for all Americans and for registered voters. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story .

Just 34 percent of U.S. voters think most members of Congress should be re-elected, poll shows . That's the lowest number for that question ever in a CNN poll . 51 percent say their own member of Congress deserves re-election . 44 percent of those polled say President Obama should be re-elected if he runs in 2012 .

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After several months of airstrikes, the international coalition's operation against ISIS in Syria has failed to dismantle the group's structure of command and has pushed its militants further beyond the country's borders. Civilians and opposition rebel forces have been left frustrated by the coalition's narrow focus, lack of a clear agenda and apparent failure to take into consideration the dynamics of the wider Syrian conflict. Late last month, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said that without U.N. Security Council approval, the U.S. strikes lacked legitimacy. But in comments to media he said: "Anyway, if their aim is to strike against ISIS, it's OK." Does this statement mean that the Syrian government views the coalition strikes as beneficial to its hold on power? Does the old Arab proverb the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" apply to this case and to the reality on the ground? In the short term, the international coalition's counter-terrorism strategy may certainly be in the interests of the Assad regime. Military strikes are to some extent forcing ISIS fighters to retreat from territories under their control in northern and eastern Syria. Other opposition groups -- including the Free Syrian Army -- are unlikely to have the capability to take advantage of these strikes. The Syrian military is still superior when it comes to aerial force and may be best placed to retake ISIS territories. Although the Gulf states would like to see an anti-ISIS offensive that would ultimately lead to the collapse of the Syrian government, the U.S. and Western allies have made it clear that regime change is not an objective of this military campaign. Coalition strikes have not been targeting the Syrian government's military forces or infrastructure. Thus the Syrian government has found the U.S., Western allies, and Arab states on the side of its own allies Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran -- aiding Assad against one of his most powerful and influential threats. Ironically, the same nations that may have indirectly contributed to the creation of ISIS itself, are now investing their military capital into fighting it. So far, however, the balance of power has not shifted significantly either in favor of the government forces or rebel groups. ISIS has been pushed out of some territories, but is advancing in others. Although government forces have made slight advances in Aleppo, resource constraints have prevented the military from taking full advantage of the coalition strikes. Strategically, Assad needs to focus on holding the large cities already under government control. Civilian suffering . More fundamentally, the coalition's anti-ISIS campaign has deflected attention from the Syrian government and armed rebel group's atrocities against civilians. There are claims the Assad government has in fact ratcheted up its attacks in the shadow of the strikes. The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on Thursday reported that regime airstrikes had killed 221 civilians, "taking advantage of the international media focusing on ISIS and Ein al-Arab 'Kobani'." Syrian civilians might also question why the international community decided to intervene against ISIS after ignoring -- for several years -- the Syrian government's brutality in a conflict that has led to more than 190,000 deaths and more than 3,200,000 refugees. The offensive has not alleviated the humanitarian crisis facing the Syrian people and the strikes' unintended consequences -- civilian casualties -- are increasingly leading to a domestic outcry against such intervention. Tackling the disease . For some, the question is why the coalition does not address the fundamental roots of the war, tackling the disease itself rather than the symptoms. On a long term basis, the coalition strikes against ISIS in Syria will inevitably keep expanding, working to escalate the conflict. A strategic shift to target the Syrian government's military infrastructure is unlikely as many regional and international state actors have a stake in Syria. Coalition training may gradually improve some of the Syrian rebel groups' military capabilities and strategic planning but the current balance of power between the government forces and various rebel and armed groups will likely continue. Domestic, regional, international and non-state players will continue to pursue their own goals. Amid ongoing instability and competing interests, Syria's social and political environment will be ripe for further radicalization, militarization and ultimately further civilian suffering. In the end, both ISIS and Assad may be the beneficiaries of the foreign airstrikes, using them as a pretext to further advance their political interests. A narrow and short-term counter-terrorism strategy that fails to take into account the many layers of the wider Syrian conflict is unlikely to succeed.

Syria has said coalition strikes lack legitimacy but aim of striking ISIS is OK . Majid Rafizadeh says in the short term, coalition strikes may help the Assad regime . But he says the coalition strategy fails to take the wider conflict into account . The conflict will continue to escalate and Syrian civilians will suffer, he says .

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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Actor Tim Roth is in an abandoned building near downtown Los Angeles, and he's about to mix things up. British actor Tim Roth plays a human lie detector on the hit series "Lie to Me." "This is a scene where the FBI is interrogating a suspect," Roth said. "I'm breaking into the interrogation to get information out of him using the sort of techniques that my character espouses as opposed to pressuring him." Roth, who plays Dr. Cal Lightman on the hit Fox series "Lie to Me," is shooting scenes for the season finale, which will air May 13. His character is an expert on body language and the detection of deception. "Our series is based on the idea that we can read what's going on across your face and if it's contradicting what you're actually saying," Roth said. Lightman and his colleague, Dr. Gillian Foster -- played by Kelli Williams -- run "The Lightman Group." They observe body language and interpret what it means in order to help law enforcement agencies see through the bull. His character is based on Dr. Paul Ekman, a specialist who reads clues embedded in the human face, body and voice to expose the truth in criminal investigations. Ekman, who in 2001 was named as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century by the American Psychological Association, is a scientific consultant for the show. Roth says Ekman can be intimidating. "He makes me very, very nervous, Paul, you know," he said. "I mean, he's the sweetest man, as sweet as can be, but when he's around, you feel like your acting is really being judged." Roth is perhaps best known for his outings with famed director Quentin Tarantino. The British actor pulled off a convincing American accent in the cult classics "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction." He uses his true-Brit accent in "Lie to Me," which debuted in January and is one of the season's few successful new dramas. In a review for Entertainment Weekly, critic-at-large Ken Tucker wrote that "Like 'Monk' and 'Psych' and 'The Mentalist,' 'Lie' offers us an eccentric who's brought in by law enforcement to solve crimes." Though he gave the show a B-minus, Tucker praised Roth for "resist[ing] the cuddly/cranky." The show has quickly found its fan base, though ratings have declined slightly since the show was put in its 8 p.m. Wednesday time slot, ahead of "American Idol." (The first five episodes aired after "Idol.") "I got stopped because one of my lights was out and I was coming back from work and the guy, the cop that stopped me said 'Oh, we watch your show' and they seemed to enjoy it," said Roth. "ER" alum Mekhi Phifer is set to join the cast as an FBI agent for two episodes this season, starting Thursday. "I'm here to kick ass and take names, you know. So it's kind of different," Phifer said. "It's fun, you know. Obviously, I carry a gun and I'm in law enforcement rather than being a doctor." Phifer particularly likes acting in intense scenes with Roth. "I have my own way of doing it," he said. "It's a little different than the way Tim does it. It's a lot of fun, and we're having a great time." And will time spent on the show help Phifer better detect when people are lying to him in real life? "It's going to take a few more episodes, but I'm pretty perceptive," he said. Roth, however, makes no claims of special powers -- at least when he's away from the set. "I try not to know too much, because it actually is quite extraordinary," he says. "When you watch politicians on TV, you can use the stuff that Paul does to see if they're lying or not. I try not to take it home."

British actor Tim Roth stars in the hit Fox series "Lie to Me" Actor best known for his appearances in Quentin Tarantino films . Roth plays a body language expert who can detect liars . "ER" alum Mekhi Phifer is set to join the cast .

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New York (CNN) -- A New York judge has upheld a nearly 15-year-old murder conviction despite a former judge's claim that his own racial bias caused him to wrongly convict the defendant, according to court documents. New York City Criminal Court Judge ShawnDya L. Simpson ruled Wednesday that there was no evidence that former New York Supreme Court Judge Frank Barbaro acted with bias toward the defendant when the verdict was rendered. The case was revisited after Barbaro, a longtime champion of civil rights, said he believed that he denied a fair trial to a white man who claimed he killed a black man in self-defense. In a bench trial in October 1999, Donald Kagan said he was acting in self-defense when he shot Wavell Wint, 23, during a confrontation at a Brooklyn movie theater 11 months before. "The evidence demonstrates that Justice Barbaro applied considerable effort in his deliberations and issued a written decision," Simpson said in the decision. Simpson ruled that Barbaro's claims of bias and prejudice were "mere afterthoughts or second guesses." Simpson wrote that was it troubling that it took Barbaro 13 years to "express his concern that he may have been biased and prejudice." The verdict, she ruled, should only be vacated with "compelling and credible evidence that the fact finder acted improperly as a matter of law." On the issues of Kagan's proclaimed innocence, Simpson wrote that Kagan failed to meet his "burden of establishing by clear and convincing evidence that he is actually innocent for the crimes he was convicted." Barbaro, who is white, found Kagan guilty of second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Kagan was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison, where he remains today. Testifying during a December hearing on a motion to set aside the conviction, the former judge said he was convinced at the time that the defendant who stood before him was a racist who wanted to kill a black person. As a result, Barbaro says, he ignored evidence that Kagan had acted out of fear and not hatred. Barbaro, now 86, said in an exclusive interview with CNN this year, "I couldn't get out of my mind the look on the lawyer's face when I said I found him guilty. And the defendant on the stand, like he was pleading to me, 'It just happened, it just happened,' and that was sort of haunting me." Barbaro told CNN on Thursday that he is very disappointed with Simpson's decision. "I believe she made a terrible error," he said. "I think the facts were so clear. Judge Simpson didn't give any credence to the fact that I said I made a mistake, and that's very disappointing. It's sad." Kagan's lawyer, Richard Mischel, said he plans to appeal Simpson's decision. "We believe in the merits of the motion, and we're going to proceed with an appeal as far as necessary to vindicate Mr. Kagan's rights," he said. Mischel said that Kagan has a parole board hearing October 14 and that they plan to go ahead with the appeal, even if he is released. "It's not just about getting him out of jail; it's about rectifying a wrong," Mischel said. CNN's Jean Casarez contributed to this report.

A murder conviction against Donald Kagan is upheld by New York judge . Judge in 1999 case shed doubt on the murder conviction he handed down . He now says he was racially biased against the defendant, prompting review .

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Past, present and future came together on a thunderstorm-filled Sunday, as President Barack Obama received an honorary doctorate and gave the commencement speech at historically black, all-male Morehouse College, where the Rev. Martin Luther King and many other prominent African-Americans spent their formative years. After opening with several one-liners, and more smiles than we've seen from him in the damage-control-filled recent weeks, Obama delivered a serious message to the class of 2013. During a speech rife with both personal and historical references, the president invoked a past full of challenges, often resulting from racism, but noted that African-Americans need to break free from that past to succeed in a globally competitive economy. "I understand that there's a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: 'Excuses are tools of the incompetent, used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness,'" Obama said. "We've got no time for excuses -- not because the bitter legacies of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not. Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there. It's just that in today's hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil -- many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did -- all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned," he said. Opinion: What Obama must say to African-American grads . "Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was. Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination. And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you've gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured -- and they overcame them. And if they overcame them, you can overcome them, too," he said. Morehouse valedictorian Betsegaw Tadele praised Obama for setting a strong example. "There is no impossible. There is no unbelievable. There is no unachievable, if you have the audacity to hope," Tadele said, paraphrasing the name of the president's 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope." Following Tadele -- whom Obama jokingly called "a skinny guy with a funny name" -- Obama reflected on how being an African-American has affected his personal journey. "Whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I've held, have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy, the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most; people who didn't have the opportunities that I had -- because there, but for the grace of God, go I. I might have been in their shoes. I might have been in prison. I might have been unemployed. I might not have been able to support a family. And that motivates me," the president said. Big-name college commencement speakers of 2013 . The president's repeated mention of connection to the black community comes after blunt criticism from Morehouse alumnus Kevin Johnson, a pastor from Philadelphia, who criticized Obama in an April 14 editorial in the Philadelphia Tribune, calling him "a president for everyone, except black people." Johnson gave a baccalaureate sermon on Saturday as part of Morehouse's graduation weekend. The president's speech on Sunday was well-received, though the crowd had to brave some thunder and lightning and endure pouring rain. One awkward silence came when Obama slightly deviated from his prepared remarks. He was expected to say, "Be the best husband to your wife, or boyfriend to your partner." However, instead, he said "Be the best husband to your wife, or your boyfriend, or your partner," eliciting some clearly confused responses from the crowd. Later, he noted that Morehouse men can set examples for other groups that have been subjected to discrimination: Hispanics, gays and lesbians, Muslims, and women. "It is not just the African-American community that needs you. The country needs you. The world needs you. As Morehouse men, many of you know what it's like to be an outsider; know what it's like to be marginalized; know what it's like to feel the sting of discrimination. And that's an experience that a lot of Americans share," he said. Obama said his job, as president, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everyone, and he implored the Morehouse grads -- and all Americans -- to "advocate for an America where everyone has a fair shot in life." "There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves. There are some things, as Morehouse men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind. As graduates -- as Morehouse men -- you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you are about to collect. And that's the power of your example," he said. Students scarred by war earn college degrees . Obama finished his speech with another message not just to the newly minted Morehouse grads, but to all Americans -- a message based on Martin Luther King's refusal to be afraid. "That's what being an American is all about. Success may not come quickly or easily. But if you strive to do what's right; if you work harder and dream bigger; if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our times, then I am confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union," he said. And despite lots of big-picture talk about success and giving back, Obama made it clear that without appropriate focus on those closest to you, big-picture accomplishments mean little. "Everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family -- if we fail at that responsibility. I know that when I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed. I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted. I will not be thinking about the speech I gave. I will not be speaking about the Nobel Prize I received. I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters. I'll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I'll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table, and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing they were loved. And I'll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them."

President Obama gives the commencement speech at historically black college . The president says African-Americans have "no time for excuses" if they want success . An alum who has criticized Obama for doing too little for blacks spoke Saturday . Thunderstorms marred Sunday ceremony .

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(CNN) -- A British report issued Thursday called for "decisive action" to contain the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia. "We conclude that for too long there has been a noticeable gap between the government's rhetoric and its action," said the 210-page report, issued by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. "Despite nine U.N. Security Council resolutions and three multinational naval operations, the counter-piracy policy has had limited impact. The number of attacks, the costs to the industry and the price of the ransoms have all increased significantly since 2007." Over the past four years, the average ransom has risen from $600,000 to $4.7 million per vessel, with 2011's total outlay reaching $135 million, the report said. Those payments "should be a matter of deep concern to the British government and to the entire international maritime community," said the report, which described the government as "disappointingly slow to track financial flows from piracy." Though some ships have begun taking "more robust" measures to defend themselves, pirates still face few repercussions for their actions, it said. In those cases where pirates are detained, some 90% are released without charge, it said, noting that there is no reason why Britain could not assert jurisdiction over suspected pirates. Simply returning suspected pirates to their boats or to land "provides little long-term deterrence and has demonstrably failed to prevent annual increases in both the number of pirates going to sea and in the number of attacks." The report cited Saferworld, a nongovernmental organization that works with grass-roots organizations in Somalia, in estimating that 1,500 to 3,000 pirates operate off Somalia's coast. They typically range in age from 15 to 30 and are almost all male, uneducated and unskilled -- many of them from rural areas, it said. They often carry small arms and travel in one or two skiffs, the report said, citing Capt. David Reindorp, head of the Defense Crisis Management Center at the Ministry of Defense, as its source. "They will maneuver one of the skiffs to come alongside the vessel and they will throw up a line on a hook, a grappling rope or some form of apparatus by which they can climb up on to the freeboard of the ship. If they are detected during that, they will usually fire at the ship, generally in and around the bridge, aiming either to get the master to slow down or to clear their way on to the freeboard. Once they have got on to the ship, they will proceed to the bridge and take it over." Negotiations are typically carried out by satellite phone and usually take three months to a year, it said. Pirates have begun working from larger vessels, mother ships, which are stocked with food and fuel and have extended the areas vulnerable to attack, it said. Though most hostages are released unharmed, 15 died last year, it said. Over the past four years, 3,500 seafarers have been taken hostage and 62 have been killed, it said. The report applauded the government's practice of using a number of different departments to tackle the problem, but said it "lacks clear leadership" and urged the government to "provide a statement clarifying which department has the overall lead on countering piracy." There is no lack of targets. Some 90% of the world's traded materials are shipped by sea, and 40% of that -- 28,000 ships per year -- goes through the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, the report said. The report put the annual cost of piracy -- including insurance, prosecutions, security and ransoms -- at $7 billion to $12 billion. In a statement, Foreign Secretary William Hague said the report will be discussed next month at a meeting in London. "We will use the London Conference on Somalia to chart a way forward on the future political direction of Somalia, the vital humanitarian effort and the international community's approach to tackling piracy."

There is "gap between the government's rhetoric and its action," the report says . The average ransom has risen from $600,000 to $4.7 million per vessel in four years . Report is issued by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee .

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NEW YORK (CNN) -- A new lawsuit alleges that convicted swindler Bernie Madoff financed a cocaine-fueled work environment and a "culture of sexual deviance," and he diverted money to his London, England, office when he believed federal authorities were closing in at home. A new lawsuit alleges Bernie Madoff financed a sex-and-drugs workplace with investors' money. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New York's State Supreme Court, was brought on behalf of former investors and seeks unspecified punitive damages and compensation. Beyond that, it offers a look at what the plaintiffs' attorneys say was once Madoff's multimillion-dollar empire and what is now his world in a federal prison in North Carolina. Among the allegations in the 264-page lawsuit are that during the mid-1970s, Madoff began sending employees to buy drugs for company use. The complaint alleges that some employees and investors were aware of the drug purchases, and that BMIS [Bernard Madoff Investment Services] was known by insiders as the "North Pole" in reference to the excessive amount of cocaine use in the work place. Attorneys Joseph Cochett and Nancy Fineman filed the complaint based on an investigation, including a four-hour interview with Madoff in prison in July, that they conducted for former investors. They also allege that major financial institutions, including KPMG, the Bank of New York and JP Morgan Chase, were aware that Madoff was transferring stolen funds to his London office for personal purchases. According to the complaint, Madoff transferred funds to London to buy extravagant personal items. "In 2006 Madoff thought the end was near because the [U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission] investigated. He realized he had to change things up so his focus shifted to London," Fineman said. "We know that KPMG were the auditors for the London branch and that money was used to buy yachts and Bentleys, they are supposed to look at related-party transactions. KPMG should have noticed these as a red flag." Officials of KPMG and the Bank of New York did not immediately respond to calls from CNN Wednesday evening for comment on the lawsuit. JP Morgan Chase spokesman Tom Kelly said, "We do not comment on pending litigation." The alleged illicit behavior outlined in the complaint did not stop at drug use and extravagant spending. Company parties consisted of topless entertainers, and some employees had affairs in places such as Madoff's own office, the lawsuit says. Madoff was fond of escorts and masseuses, and used money stolen from investors to pay them, according to the complaint. Madoff was convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors. He pleaded guilty in March to 11 counts, including fraud, money laundering and perjury, and was sentenced to 150 years in prison. Prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person, totaling billions in losses to investors. Before Madoff, 71, was transferred to Federal Butner Correctional Complex outside of Raleigh, North Carolina, he lived a life of luxury. The lawsuit states that he had multimillion dollar residences in Manhattan, Montauk on New York's Long Island; Palm Beach, Florida; and Cap d'Antibe, France. The complaint includes details of Madoff's drastically different life now in prison. He lives in a cell where he sleeps on the bottom bunk while up top sleeps his 21-year-old cellmate, who is serving time for drug crimes, according to the lawsuit. Madoff's recreational activities consist of walking around the prison track at night, and eating pizza cooked by a convicted child molester, the lawsuit says. Madoff now spends his time with infamous inmates, the lawsuit says, including Carmine Persico, a former organized-crime former boss, and Jonathan Pollard, a convicted spy for Israel. Many of his fellow inmates are in prison for drug and sex crimes, according to the lawsuit. Going after large financial institutions that allegedly allowed Madoff's scheme to flourish is the goal of Fineman and her associates. "Our goal of meeting with Madoff during the investigation is to get as much money back from responsible parties and that's why lawsuits are filed and why lawyers do what they do," Fineman said. "Even now, 10 months later, the pain in the victims' voices is still evident. I still hear it when I talk to people who were being defrauded for so long." According to the complaint, Fineman and Cochett are seeking punitive and compensatory damages for their clients with "an amount to be determined at trial, including interest thereon." Fineman said that during the prison interview with Madoff, "He said he was apologetic, but he didn't seem apologetic." "I forgot I was in prison, he was talking to us as if we were in a restaurant -- he has quite an ego, you could see why people would be drawn to him," Fineman said. "He told us things that were self-serving to him," she said. "But he told me he knew he would die in prison."

Lawsuit seeks punitive damages, compensation on behalf of former investors . Starting in '70s, Madoff sent employees to buy drugs for company use, suit alleges . Lawsuit: Madoff used money stolen from investors to pay for escorts and masseuses . Madoff now eating prison pizza cooked by a convicted child molester, lawsuit says .

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(CNN) -- Elvis was singing in the men's room. But I'd gotten used to that. This time, though, there was something new. And it led me, after all these years, to the legendary Barbara Hearn. A little explanation -- all right, a lot of explanation -- is in order: . There's a restaurant in Naples, Florida, called BrickTop's. I stop in there occasionally when I'm in town. In the men's restroom, every time I've gone in, Elvis Presley's voice is singing. Oddly, his voice is not heard out in the restaurant itself. But in the restroom, the voice is there nonstop. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?", "(Marie's the Name) His Latest Flame". . .the Elvis-in-the-men's-room playlist is rather eclectic. The other night I was eating at the restaurant and, of course, Elvis was singing in the men's room. But there had been an addition to the restroom décor since my last visit six months or so ago. There was a framed, autographed photo on the wall, of a young Elvis smiling next to a dark-haired woman. The autograph was hers. The signature: Barbara Hearn Smith. For Presley aficionados, the name Barbara Hearn is as historic as that of Martha Washington or Betsy Ross or Mary Todd Lincoln. She was Elvis's hometown girlfriend in Memphis at the beginning of 1956, just before his career hit the stratosphere. That was the year everything changed; by the time it was over, Presley's old life was in the rear-view mirror. And part of that old life, presumably, was Barbara Hearn. But now, in the dwindling weeks of 2011, in the BrickTop's men's room, here was Elvis singing, and here was Barbara Hearn's autograph. A closer inspection of the handwriting revealed that she was saying she had dined at another BrickTop's, in Nashville, Tennessee. So she still strides the American continent? I had to find her. I did -- at the Holly Tree Manor Bed and Breakfast in Trenton, Tennessee, which she and her husband of 50 years, Jim Smith, own and run. She's 74, and she laughed out loud when I told her where I had found her photo. "Well, I suppose it's all right if my name is on a restroom wall," she said. "It's better than if my phone number was up there." She said that she and her husband had been having lunch at the BrickTop's in Nashville when a waiter had overheard them talking about Elvis. When he realized that she had actually known Elvis, he said that the boss of the place -- Joe Ledbetter -- was a huge Presley fan. Jim Smith went out to their car, where he knew there was a photo of Elvis and Barbara; he brought it into the restaurant, and she signed it so the waiter could give it to the boss when he came in. (I got in touch with Ledbetter, who runs all six BrickTop's locations, most of which are in the South. He told me he'd had copies made of the photo, and ordered that they be put in nice frames and hung in the men's and women's restrooms of all his restaurants. He said that the nonstop Elvis songs do not discriminate by gender: They are in the women's rooms as well as in the men's rooms. Why? He loves Elvis. Why not play Elvis's music in the restaurants themselves -- why just in the bathrooms? "It would drive some customers nuts to hear it for so long. In the restrooms, you're just there for a few minutes.") But back to Barbara Hearn: She said she first met Elvis when she was working at Goldsmith's Department Store in Memphis with a friend named Dixie Locke, who was dating Presley. When Dixie and Elvis went their separate ways, he asked Barbara if he could take her out. "People sometimes say that Elvis and I went steady for a year," she told me. "I always correct them. I went steady with Elvis for a year. Elvis? Well, he didn't go steady with anyone." But she was his girlfriend during his remarkable ascent in 1956. There is a famous photograph, taken by Alfred Wertheimer inside the home on Audubon Drive in Memphis that Presley shared with his parents (this was pre-Graceland). In the photo, Barbara is prim in a white dress with dark polka-dots; Elvis is slouched and shirtless. "People don't understand what's in that picture," she told me. "He had just been outside standing in his new swimming pool. It was just being filled up, with a garden hose. I was dressed to go out with him for the evening, all gussied up. And what we're doing is, he had just taken the train back from New York, where he had recorded some new songs for RCA Victor. He had brought back the recordings -- they had not been released yet. We were listening to one of them. He wanted to know if I thought it was any good. I said yes, I thought it was. It was 'Don't Be Cruel.'" Soon enough he went to Hollywood; by the end of that year, he would be bringing Natalie Wood to Memphis to meet his parents. ("I didn't hold it against him at all," Barbara told me. "If the roles had been reversed, and I had been the one to go to Hollywood and I'd met Gregory Peck, I would have brought Gregory Peck back to Memphis with me.") She eventually went to work in Washington for one of Tennessee's U.S. senators, Estes Kefauver. It was there that she met her future husband. She saw Elvis only infrequently over the years, and never lost her affection toward him. "That year of 1956, I saw him go from being barely famous to a super-duper star," she said. "From a boy to a man." And now, more than half a century later, there they are, in the restaurant restrooms, accompanied by the sound of his voice. She said she'd had no idea, until I told her. "What a hoot," she said, and laughed again. "He's a friend who never stops giving." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Bob Greene.

Bob Greene says he saw a framed photo of a woman with Elvis Presley . The woman, he learned, was Elvis's hometown sweetheart just before he made it big . Barbara Hearn Smith now lives in Tennessee and has fond memories of Elvis . Greene: She said when his career took off that year, 1956, he went from boy to man .

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(CNN) -- Seriously, don't believe everything you read on the Internet. Intentionally or not, the latest round of misleading stories making viral waves has made it harder to tell truth from fiction. Here's a quick guide to some of the most viral fake stories this week: . Facebook fees . No, Facebook is not going to start charging you. Facebook even created a help page just to say this: "Facebook is a free site and will never require that you pay to continue using the site." The page then goes on to explain that, yes, you may pay money for some games and other apps you play on the site. And if you go over your mobile phone's data limit while using Facebook, you'll have to pay for that, too. That still too vague for you? Maybe leaves a little too much wiggle room? Well, then, let's try this entry under Common Myths About Facebook. Question: Will Facebook ever charge for service? Answers: No. We will always keep Facebook a free service for everyone. When contacted, a Facebook spokeswoman simply pointed to those two entries instead of providing a response. We're guessing if someone had to answer this question for Facebook every time it came up, it would be a full-time job. Obamacare and Ebola coverage . There's no reason to think your health insurance would treat a case of Ebola any differently than it would any other illness because of Obamacare. But a false viral story making the rounds may have some people convinced otherwise. And, for that, we can thank National Report. That was where the most recent "pay for Facebook" story originated, and it's where this doozy comes from, too. National Report is a satire site, though it's sometimes hard to tell if you just breeze through the headline and first few sentences of a story. We all know The Onion is fake news. (Well, almost all of us, anyway). But sites such as National Report and The Daily Currant aren't so well-known or, for that matter, nearly as funny. In fact, the more cynical among us may think these sites are intentionally trying to drive traffic by pushing out seemingly real stories about hot topics. You know ... like how a controversial government policy addresses an unprecedented and frightening, if isolated, disease outbreak. NBA, NFL, Congress ... or none of the above? If you like football and you hate Congress, well, welcome to 97% of the population of the United States. (Full disclosure: We made up that statistic.) But if you responded to the NFL's recent off-the-field troubles by sharing a post that shows that our lawmakers are bigger lawbreakers than our football stars, you fell for a fake. The good people at Snopes, the Web's BS meter since 1995, are all over this one, as is PolitiFact. The so-called statistics -- 36 members of Congress have been accused of spousal abuse, three have been in jail for assault, 84 were arrested for drunk driving in a single year -- change from version to version. But these figures all go back to a 1999 online article that provided no source for its statistics and named none of the supposedly corrupt members of Congress. Under scrutiny, it was later retracted. Sorry, Pluto's still not a planet . But some smart people say it should be. So there's that. Space geeks everywhere were saddened in 2006 when Pluto lost its status as our solar system's ninth planet. So you can forgive them, perhaps for jumping the gun on social media when news appeared to hit recently that the tiny, chilly chunk of rock has been restored to its rightful place. Call this one a combination of enthusiasm, confusion and exaggeration. What actually happened was that the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics held a September 18 debate on whether Pluto should be restored to its full glory and four days later released the results of a vote by the audience. Pluto won. But in reporting that event, which has no official influence, many blogs and news sites appeared to go a bit too far, at least with their headlines. "The People Have Voted: Pluto is a Planet!" Time blared. "Pluto Is a Planet Again, According to Harvard Astronomers," another blog announced. So you can see how some of us who grew up with "Interplanet Janet" rushed to the incorrect conclusion that we have "nine planets large and small" again. Don't microwave your iPhone . Thanks, 4chan! When Apple's iOS 8, the new operating system for mobile devices such as its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, rolled out this month, some of the online message board's notorious pranksters greeted it by crafting a fake ad for a new service. Wave, according to what we have to admit was a pretty authentic looking ad done in Apple's trademark style, is a feature that "allows your device to be charged wirelessly through microwave frequencies." Just pop your phone in the microwave, and the battery will be all charged up. We'd like to believe no one actually fell for this one. So, if you know otherwise, just don't tell us.

Here are five fake stories making the rounds on Facebook . The social media site has said repeatedly it will never charge users . 4chan had fun with a fake iPhone microwave app story . Congress has its problems, but a viral list of crimes is phony .

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(CNN) -- After an extensive, month-long buildup, Yahoo has finally unveiled its new logo. Overall the look is cleaner and thinner, and it is a new sans-serif typeface created by Yahoo. The logo is still purple, though a shade darker, and features all the usual uppercase letters in the same order finished off by the signature exclamation point, which dances around in some versions. Yahoo posted two flavors of the new look to its Tumblr at midnight on Thursday. One is white text on a purple background, the other purple text on white background. Both have a slight beveled effect, though it's more noticeable on the purple text. It has already replaced the logo that appears on the top left corner of Yahoo.com. "We knew we wanted a logo that reflected Yahoo - whimsical, yet sophisticated. Modern and fresh, with a nod to our history. Having a human touch, personal. Proud.," wrote CEO Marissa Mayer in a blog post on Tumblr, which Yahoo bought earlier this year. "We didn't want to have any straight lines in the logo. Straight lines don't exist in the human form and are extremely rare in nature, so the human touch in the logo is that all the lines and forms all have at least a slight curve," Mayer added in her post, which goes into exhaustive detail about the thinking behind the logo. In a recent internal poll of Yahoo employees, 87% wanted the logo changed, Mayer said. Yahoo managed to turn a simple rebranding into an impressive marketing push by dragging it out for 30 days. For the past month, the company has rotated out the logo on its homepage daily with one of the runnersup. Some of the 29 logos were a lot more unusual than the final choice, perhaps to make fans appreciate the reserved simplicity of the final look. "Sharing these logo variations prepares people for change, so there's less risk of what happened to Gap," said David Airey, a graphic designer specializing in brand identity. When Gap tried changing its logo in 2010, there was an outcry among Gap loyalists and logo enthusiasts. The clothing company eventually caved and switched back to its old logo. Yahoo's logo redesign was headed up by an in-house branding group and product designers, according to AdAge. It is likely just one of the more noticeable elements of a larger rebranding effort for the struggling company, which Mayer has re-energized since becoming CEO last year. "The logo is only part of a brand new branding and image campaign. It signals to consumers, investors and employees that change is coming," said Columbia business school professor Bernd Schmitt. The new logo is probably not different enough to raise much ire (or eyebrows) among Yahoo users, although some Internet critics were unimpressed. On Twitter, the reaction to the logo was less than enthusiastic. "The new Yahoo logo looks like it got run through Alien Skin Eye Candy on Photoshop 4.0.," said Justin Williams. "A bad logo is all it took for Yahoo! to make everyone talk about it," tweeted Preshit Deorukhkar, editor of design publication Beautiful Pixels. Yahoo hasn't updated its logo since 2009, and it has been mostly the same since 1995. The move to change it now is logical given its Mayer's recent attempts to breathe new life into the brand. "More often than not, when a company's identity looks a little tired (or more likely when new leadership wants to put their own stamp on things), what's already in place won't need to be thrown out. It'll just need to be freshened up," said Airey.

After 30 days of teasers, Yahoo has unveiled its new logo . The font is different but much of the logo, including exclamation point, are the same . The logo is part of a larger rebranding effort by the company .

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(CNN) -- A conference of Islamic prosecutors in Iran worked Wednesday to draft an indictment against Israeli leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. Palestinian women walk past a building destroyed during Israel's campaign in Gaza. The charges stem from Israel's late-December offensive into Gaza against Hamas militants. The Israeli military has been accused of using excessive and indiscriminate force in civilian areas. Israel is "a regime that only understands the language of violence and force," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said at the gathering, in calling for the prosecution of Israeli "criminals." "I am confident that there will come a day when all Zionist criminals will be brought to justice," he said on the second day of the conference in Tehran, the capital of Iran. The Iranian president regularly rails against Israel and has called for the Jewish state's elimination. Yigal Palmor, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said: "The day when this conference will start dealing with human rights in the countries that are members of this organization will be the day that their claims concerning Israel will be deserved to be heard, not before. People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, let alone commit suicide bombings." "The accusations themselves are nothing more than the hysterical, hostile coverage of the media in these countries and not based on solid facts," he continued. Human Rights Watch, in a report released last month, said there was evidence that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza by firing white phosphorus shells over densely populated areas. Israel has rejected that claim. Israel also has said that the offensive was to defend against repeated rocket attacks by Palestinians. The Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday its forces "operated in accordance with international law" during recent fighting in Gaza, but said there were a few incidents in which "intelligence or operational errors" occurred. This is the conclusion of probes that emerged from Operation Cast Lead, in which Israel was broadly criticized for its actions in Gaza. Phosphorus shells can be used to create a smokescreen for troops. In creating the diversion, the element ignites when exposed to oxygen and can cause severe burns. The Israeli offensive was launched December 27 and ended January 17 with a cease-fire. Of the 1,453 people estimated killed in the conflict, 1,440 were Palestinian, including 431 children, a U.N. report recently said. Thirteen Israelis died -- three civilians and six soldiers were killed by Hamas, and four soldiers were killed by friendly fire -- the report said. A spokesman for the Israeli prime minister called the U.N. report an example of the "one-sided and unfair" attitude of the U.N. Human Rights Council, which had requested it. The two days of meetings in the Iranian capital have included more than 200 senior judicial officials from the Organization of the Islamic Conference -- an association of 56 states. The organization might ask the U.N. International Court of Justice to charge Israeli leaders with crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza. The court would not be obligated to act.

Islamic prosecutors draft indictment against Israeli leaders over Gaza offensive . Iranian President Ahmadinejad says "Zionist criminals" should face justice . Human Rights Watch says evidence Israel committed war crimes . Israeli spokesman says claims are "hysterical, hostile... not based on solid facts .

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(CNN) -- Pemba Sherpa had already reached Camp 1 on Mount Everest when he heard the loud and chilling bang of the avalanche. He knew his father was behind him on the Khumbu Icefall and ran down the mountain, only to find the devastation of ice, snow and baggage scattered everywhere. "I thought he abandoned his load and ran to safety," he tells me, almost whispering. "But I could not find him amid the commotion at base camp. Then I saw the helicopters, with the bodies on the suspended ropes, and I knew I lost my dad." Ang Tshiring's body was taken to Lukla, a tourist town where most who embark on a trip to Everest Base Camp start out. From there, Pemba and his brother carried him home themselves on foot, a trek that took seven hours along the mountain trail. Unforgiving land of few opportunities . Ang Tshiring, 57, was a high altitude cook. For the past 15 years, during the climbing season, he spent one month at Everest Base Camp and one month at Camp 2, at 6,100 meters. Two months to earn $1,500, meant to last the year. Ang Tshiring was famous for always showing happiness. Climbers who knew him remember him as a funny man, laughing and joking all the time, never angry, always kind. His son Pemba, 37, lives with the family in Thamo, a small village of 50 souls located in the Thame Valley in the Khumbu, where the country's greatest ethnic Sherpa climbers live, well off the beaten track of Nepal's Everest Base Camp trail. The Thame Valley suffered the biggest loss of life from April's Everest tragedy that killed 13 guides (another three are still missing and presumed dead), the deadliest accident in the history of the world's highest peak. Here, every man, if not in school or too old, is involved in climbing expeditions. They have few other choices. Little grows but the odd patch of potatoes. Few tourists pass by and yak herding is an insufficient way to make a living. Cut off from the economic tourism opportunities that the rest of Nepal's Kumbhu region enjoys, uncontaminated by progress, the Thame Valley retains the atmosphere of ancient Himalaya -- which for centuries nurtured the Western utopian dream that a secret land of happiness may exist somewhere among the impenetrable snow-capped mountains. The villages are marked by the vernacular architecture of slate-roofed houses. Traders still cross the perilous high passes into Tibet with their cargo of salt and wool as they've done since ancient times. There's an abundance of pagodas, monasteries, stone walls carved with mantras, wheels containing prayer scrolls and sacred shrines. Thousands of colorful flags flutter in clusters, offering prayers to be carried along by the wind. Everest avalanche: American climber recounts how Sherpa saved his life . A time to earn merit, not mourn . In Ang Tshiring's home, feelings of sadness are eclipsed by spiritual duty. "All that matters now are the puja," says Ang Riku, his widow, referring to a series of prayers and rituals. Her focus is on directing special prayers aimed at purifying and earning merit for Ang Tshiring's spirit. Nothing else holds relevance for her -- not the political demands of the Sherpas, nor the discussions raging on social media worldwide, nor whether someone will climb Everest from the Nepal side of the mountain this year. She's silencing her mourning and sorrow to give all of herself for the benefit of Ang Tshiring. The Sherpa follow one of the Tibetan sects of Buddhism, Nyingmapa, and believe that 49 days after Ang Tshiring's death, his next life is determined and he may reborn. Ang Riku is concerned. She says accidental deaths are a bad way to go. It means Ang Tshiring's consciousness was in confusion when he died, and that affects his afterlife and rebirth. The more people involved in the prayers, the better the chances of a superior reincarnation. Ang Riku and Ang Tshiring's private quarters have been transformed into a prayer room, and we all sleep together on the floor of the main hall. Early in the morning, Ang Riku and I plan to go to the three isolated monasteries of Ginupa, Charok and Laudo, located high on the steep hills above Thamo. Immersed in nature, they're a retreat for ascetics and much revered by local communities. On the kitchen table are several kilograms of rice, three bottles of Coke, a few pats of butter and sugar. Her son, Pemba, has already left for Namche Bazar to meet the management of the company his father worked for to discuss what support they can offer. "You are my porter," Ang Riku says, bursting into a laugh, and I'm glad that she finds my presence amusing. High cost of devotion . Ang Riku climbs the yak trails with determination, stopping every few minutes to catch her breath. We pass through forests of juniper, continuously climbing until we reach the clouds and the monasteries hidden in them. At each gompa (monastery), the same ritual takes place. The lama (priest) offers us butter or milk tea and food. We politely decline, but the lama insists and we accept. We barely empty half of our bowls when the lama comes to fill them again. We decline, he insists, we accept again. Then Ang Riku offers money for the lama to perform the puja. The lama declines, she insists, he accepts. This display of generosity is a fundamental aspect that governs the relationship of the Sherpas. Next, Ang Riku prepares a copper plate full of rice, the equivalent of $30, and a ceremonial white scarf that the lama will use for the prayers. We pay our respects in the monastery's prayer room. Before leaving, the lama puts the ceremonial scarf around Ang Riku's neck. It's an emotional moment, the only time Ang Riku lets her emotions overtake her. She cries, holding the hands of the lama, abandoning herself in his support. After six or seven bowls of noodles and a dozen teas, we head back home. Ang Riku's face is relaxed. She's carried out important deeds for her husband. But today was just a small part of the funeral rites. Ang Riku also sends bags with salt, butter, rice and money to 500 families in the valley, so they'll recite prayers for Ang Tshiring. She says she sent similar bags to many monasteries in the Kumbhu and in special holy places as far as India. The cost of such devotion is high. To confirm a day of puja in a large monastery costs $1,300. The total expenditure will be upward of $10,000, significantly more than the life insurance that the government pledged after many protests by the Sherpas. Ang Riku says she had to ask for a loan at the market at an interest rate of 25% per year -- she doesn't have the collateral to borrow from banks. Climbers head home as Everest Sherpas refuse to work . "I wonder if I will come back alive?" Although the world regards them as high altitude guides and porters, most Sherpas don't want to be mountain climbers on Everest. Better jobs are available for many in the other valleys of the Khumbu that cater to trekking tourists. But here in the Thame Valley, there aren't many options. "Every time I go on a climbing expedition, I wonder if I will come back alive," says Pemba. "I feel sad, but I have to do this job for my family. I've summited Everest 14 times and I've always brought a photograph of my family with me." Though more catastrophic than usual, this year's tragedy was no great surprise for those in the Thame Valley, who have become familiar the loss of life that almost always occurs in April and May. The only difference, Pemba tells me, is that "this year was particularly unlucky." The Sherpas' approach to religion includes an animist tradition that holds that mountains and other natural features are the abodes of deities that can make men suffer if they fail to respect them. I offer a puja in the monastery for Ang Tshiring in the afternoon and ask Lopsang, a young monk who says he escaped from Tibet, the reason behind the bad luck. "I don't know if the god of the moun .

Ang Tshiring, 57, was among the 16 killed in this year's Mount Everest avalanche . In Nepal's Thame Valley, villagers have few employment options other than to work in the climbing industry . For families of deceased, sadness now eclipsed by spiritual duty .

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(CNN) -- The sudden momentum toward a bipartisan plan to reform the U.S. immigration system has sparked a torrent of discussion about this politically charged and emotional issue. Here's a sampling of voices from across the spectrum of viewpoints: . "Anything other than having these people going home and apply through our regular immigration system that successfully admits over 1 million people every year is amnesty," said a CNN commenter using the screen name ninesixteen. "Allowing them to wait in the U.S. is a reward. Our immigration is deliberately constructed to not let in unlimited numbers. These people violate our laws yet expect to be allowed to stay and work when others wait patiently in their countries. Legalization is wrong." Immigration Q&A: Amnesty or path to citizenship? "Illegal immigration has already put massive and unaffordable burdens on the welfare state and with 20 million or more applying for Amnesty, this will simply accelerate this process," said Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips, who argues that the real number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is higher than the frequently cited 11 million figure. Mexico 'welcomes' new U.S. immigration reform push . "I'm a liberal democrat but here's the problem with this law," said a CNN commenter going by the screen name Riprod. "Legalize them and now they have to pay taxes, SS (Social Security), get minimum wages, union participation etc. Now they are no longer economically employable by farmers, construction, landscapers and hotels, hotel workers, etc. So we are left with 11 million more on welfare while these companies search outside our border for more workers. No, I'm totally against this, they're illegal, arrest them and kick them out. Secondly, it took me 20 years and about $40,000 to get my citizenship legally and I feel cheated when I see this." By the numbers: Immigration and naturalization . "They need to make them do things the right way. Spend the thousands of dollars to file that paperwork properly. Make sure all the criteria is met. Put them through the ringer like they do anyone else who applies for Residence in the United States," CNN comenter Melissa Bickers said. "First fix the border. Then make e-verify federal law, and enforced. After that is done, I will welcome the 11 million illegal immigrants," CNN commenter "David" said. What's in Senate immigration plan? "What I am asking for is that President Obama consider every category of immigrant as he moves forward with immigration reform. I have to say, it irks me a bit when I hear that illegal immigrants will not be deported when I have waited for months and spent thousands of dollars to do it 'the right way,' " said CNN iReporter Julie Richard, a Canadian who married an American but said she wasn't allowed back in the country after a visit home with the couple's infant daughter. The couple has had to spend seven months apart, she said, while sorting through immigration issues. Immigration plan: A new era of bipartisanship or a political necessity? "It is vital that the framework includes a path to citizenship, so that undocumented immigrants can come out of the shadows and into the light and have a chance to become Americans. It gives hope to millions of our fellow human beings," Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration. iReport: Under deportation, above fear .

Immigration reform proposals have sparked nationwide debate . A bipartisan group of senators has proposed one plan . President Barack Obama is unveiling his plan Tuesday .

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(EW) -- With summer coming to a close, Oscar season is officially in full swing. James Franco, fresh from his Comedy Central Roast, kicks off the first of the "For Your Consideration" ads that appeal to awards-show voters. In a bid to secure a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his role as Alien in "Spring Breakers," the film's distributor, A24, launched a campaign called "Consider This S***," The Hollywood Reporter first reported. James Franco's Comedy Central roast: The 26 best lines . In "Spring Breakers," directed by Harmony Korine, Franco plays a kind of Spring Break Jesus, in the form of a rapper/hustler/predator of college girls — replete with chest-length cornrows, a grill and a psycho-Southern accent. Though not considered a leading contender for the category, a spokesperson for A24 films told The Hollywood Reporter, "James Franco has created a character so indelible it deserves recognition. We are excited to be able to support it with a campaign and know the impact of Alien will last far past this awards season." In the ad, Franco, dressed to the Florida-swag hilt as Alien, is book-ended by two out of four of his college-age, perma-bikini-clad protégés: Brit (Ashley Benson) and Candy (Vanessa Hudgens). Franco is leaning against a white car and proudly double-fisting Oscar statuettes. Review: 'Spring Breakers' Franco was last nominated for an Oscar at the 2011 show for his performance as mountain climber Aron Ralston in "127 Hours." Not a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Not to worry. You can lend your support by memorizing his "Look at my s***" speech, or basking in the pink afterglow of the bizarrely entrancing cast cover of Britney Spears' "Everytime" in this fan video. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.

"Spring Breakers" distributor A24 has launched an Oscar campaign for James Franco . The actor played a rapper/hustler/predator named Alien in the film . A24's ad is vying for a best supporting actor nomination . Franco was previously nominated for an Oscar with "127 Hours"

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(CNN) -- With one child dead and the second arrested in her death, a California woman pleaded for a bit of privacy on Mother's Day. Crystal Walters posted a brief message on Facebook on Sunday, the day after sheriff's investigators in Calaveras County announced the arrest of her 12-year-old stepson on a homicide charge in the death of her 8-year-old stepdaughter, Leila Fowler. "I don't have much to say but thank you to those who are standing by us in this devastating time for our family," Walters said in a brief post on Facebook. "And thank you for respecting our privacy during this time. We need a little space. Happy mothers day to all." Leila Fowler was stabbed April 27 in the family's northern California home. The 12-year-old boy told police he'd seen an intruder leaving the home. But Saturday, police announced the boy had been arrested. "Citizens of Calaveras County can sleep a little better tonight," Sheriff Gary Kuntz said. The death of young Leila, known for her bubbly personality, shook the small town of Valley Springs, where purple ribbons, in Leila's favorite color, were tied to stop signs. After the killing, police offered a sketchy description of the suspect as a 6-foot-tall white or Hispanic male with a muscular build. They also interviewed registered sex offenders in the area, ran down leads and searched in attics, storage sheds and more in the rural, mountainous community located about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento. Kuntz said law enforcement officers "put over 2000 hours into this investigation to provide Leila Fowler's family with answers in her death." Hundreds flock to vigil for slain girl . He declined to answer questions after Saturday evening's announcement and didn't specify the exact charges against the brother, where he is being held or when he will appear in court.

Leila Fowler was stabbed to death in April . Her 12-year-old brother was arrested Saturday . The boy told police there had been an intruder in their home .

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Fort Hood, Texas (CNN) -- An Army officer testifying at a military hearing Wednesday that he first thought the rapid rate of gunfire suggested there was more than one shooter in last November's Fort Hood massacre. Maj. Stephen Richter of the Army Medical Corps told in chilling detail that he felt the shooter stalking him and could see the red laser from the gunsight flickering in his eyes. He said the gunman then turned away from him, distracted by gunfire from the civilian police officers who had rushed to the scene. Richter, testifying via video link from South Korea, said all the shooting ceased when Maj. Nidal Hasan was brought down by police fire. Hasan is charged with killing 13 people and wounding dozens of others in the rampage. Richter said he called out when he saw the gunman's uniform and identification badge. "I remember saying to the police officer, 'He is one of us,'" Richter said. Still convinced there were other shooters, Richter said that after Hasan was felled by the police fire, he grabbed Hasan's handgun off the ground and prepared to fire it himself at any additional attackers. The gun was jammed, he said, and he burned his fingers on the barrel as he tried to clear it. The barrel was hot from firing what apparently was scores of rounds. In earlier testimony, Army Criminal Investigation Division special agent Kelly Jameson said 146 spent shell casings had been collected. Sources close the prosecution later clarified that he was referring only to those found inside the building where the shooting began. Another 68 were collected outside, for a total of 214, they said. And Army investigators said Wednesday that the gunman still had 177 rounds on him when he was shot by police. The two police officers also testified Wednesday. One of them, Maj. Mark Todd, testified that he found extra magazines and a second handgun, a revolver, after Hasan was shot four times. Todd and his fellow civilian police officer, Sgt. Kim Munley, described the gunfight outside the building where the final stand-off occurred. "I challenged him, 'Halt, military police, drop your weapon,'" Todd said. "He raised his weapon and fired." Munley, who was widely praised for her role in ending the shooting, admitted that she did not know how many times she had hit the gunman. "I did not see him fall from my shots. No," Munley said. During her testimony, prosecutors showed a video automatically recorded by a camera mounted on the dashboard in her police car as she raced toward the shooting. In addition to the sound of sirens wailing and fast driving on the way to the scene, the video shows Munley dashing out of her vehicle and bystanders pointing to where the shooter was. Munley is then seen racing off camera. Moments later the tape provides clear audio of repeated gunfire. A separate police car "dash-cam" was introduced during Todd's testimony, but because of a technical glitch there was no audio. Neither police camera recorded the video of the final confrontation. Munley said she exchanged fire with the gunman and was injured herself. She told of the difficulty of getting off an accurate shot at the start of the confrontation because of people in the background. In the final moments, "I realized he was closing in," Munley said. "We began to exchange fire again. He was shooting and I was returning fire." After she was wounded three times, Munley was on the ground and her police weapon "malfunctioned," she testified. The gunman walked up and kicked her weapon away. He did not shoot her again and Munley said he appeared to be having problems with his own weapon. She described the man, whom she identified as Hasan, as solemn, with no expression, a description other witnesses have described in the previous days. Listening to her testimony Wednesday, Hasan gave no reaction, occasionally looking down. He wore his usual fleece watch-cap pulled low on his brow and had a blanket bunched up around his shoulders. Munley said she remains on medical leave but expects to return to work on November 1. The defense spent longer in cross-examining Munley than any of the other more than 50 witnesses heard so far in this Article 32 hearing, pointing up small differences between her testimony and what she told investigators immediately after the shootings. During the period of the final shots, Todd made repeated calls for Hasan to drop his gun. He said the gunshots seemed to echo between the buildings. "It sounded like thousands of shots being fired," he said. Asked whether he knew if he hit Hasan, Todd replied, "I see [sic] him wince a couple of times." In the end, Hasan fell to the ground, and Todd ran up, kicked his gun away, turned him over on his stomach and searched him. That's when he found the additional gun, extra ammunition magazines and a cell phone. New testimony shows that the deadly massacre could have been much worse if Munley and Todd had not arrived when they did. Army Criminal Investigation Division officer Duane Mitchell said 177 unexpended rounds were recovered from Hasan in both 30- and 20-round magazines. He also explained that he had two gun sights to help him shoot accurately: a red laser gunsight for low-light conditions and a second green laser, which is most effective in sunlight. Mitchell showed receipts found in Hasan's car for gunsight batteries, providing a glimpse into the planning for the attack. At the end of the morning session, the defense entered objections to the introduction of autopsy reports for the 13 fatalities, saying they had been denied funding for an independent pathologist. The investigating officer, Col. James Pohl, who acts as the presiding judge in the case, said he would receive the autopsy reports only to identify the victims and their cause of death. Nine people died after being shot in the Army medical processing center and four more died after they were rushed to the base hospital. The prosecution said it planned to complete presenting its case on Thursday. The defense has been told it can take up its case November 8. A pause of at least one week in the proceedings had been planned to allow Fort Hood to mark one year since the shooting and to honor the victims and those soldiers and civilians who exhibited special heroism. An Article 32 hearing determines if there is enough evidence to proceed to a court-martial.

A witness says he saw the red laser from the gunsight flickering in his eyes . Another says it "sounded like thousands of shots being fired" in the final standoff . A CID investigator says Hasan still had "30- and 20-round magazines" at the end .

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A Pakistani woman whose gang rape made international headlines nine years ago has given birth for the first time. A son was born Sunday to Mukhtaran Bibi, now 40, who became a symbol in the fight against so-called honor crimes. "I am very happy. I did not think I would live to see this day," Bibi, of Multan, in Punjab Province, told CNN. The man she has since married, Nasir Abbas Gabol, said: "I am a very happy father." "Today when we leave the hospital we will take the baby home and there my father will name our son, as per custom in my village," he added. In 2002, a tribal council ordered her rape by four male acquaintances as retribution after her brother was accused of having relations with a higher-caste woman, Pakistani authorities said at the time. Later that year, six men were sentenced to death for raping her or abetting in the rape. But five of the men have since been acquitted.

The Pakistani woman's gang rape made international headlines nine years ago . She has delivered her firstborn, a son . I did not think I would live to see this day," Mukhtaran Bibi says . A tribal council ordered her rape for an offense allegedly committed by her brother .

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(CNN) -- Comedian Joan Rivers is "resting comfortably" in a New York hospital after apparently suffering cardiac and respiratory arrest during a procedure at a medical clinic Thursday. Her daughter, Melissa Rivers, issued a statement Thursday night after arriving at the hospital following a flight from Los Angeles. "I want to thank everyone for the overwhelming love and support for my mother. She is resting comfortably and is with our family. We ask that you continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers," she said. A law enforcement official told CNN that Rivers stopped breathing during throat surgery. Rivers, 81, was taken by ambulance in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. The clinic address given by a New York Fire Department spokesman is a building that houses an endoscopy clinic where doctors perform minor procedures on patients. The clinic is a mile away from the hospital. "This morning, Joan Rivers was taken to the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, where she is being attended to," hospital spokesman Sid Dinsay said in a statement. "Her family wants to thank everybody for their outpouring of love and support. We will provide an update on her condition as it becomes available." Rivers had been scheduled to perform her comedy act at the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank, New Jersey, Friday night. Michael Lucas, who was in the audience for Rivers' show at New York's Beechman Theater Wednesday night, told CNN that she joked about death. "She said, 'You know I'm 81 years old, and I could drop dead at any moment and you would be so lucky because you will have a story to tell your friends for the rest of your life,'" Lucas said. "Then she mimicked people talking about what it was like to see her drop dead on stage." Rivers was in fine form, he said. "There was no sign (Wednesday) night that she was declining. Her show was over an hour long and she never stumbled or even paused to catch her breath." In 2013, Rivers allowed cameras to record a health scare for her and her daughter's reality show, "Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best?" Rivers said on the show that doctors found a spot on an X-ray after she had a persistent cough. "We're just not going to be sad about this," Rivers said during the episode. "We're gonna do jokes and be up until we know. That's how I deal with things. I'm not just gonna sit around the next couple of days and go crazy." Rivers has been open about her health issues. She was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2002 after a fall down some stairs left her with broken bones, and she became an advocate for screenings for women. She also admitted to not being as healthy as she could be. "I try not to be, but I'm a terrible eater," she said. "I wish I could say I eat super-healthy, but I don't. I love junk food -- it should be its own food group -- so I help my bones with supplements and medicine." Joan Rivers 'stands behind' Gaza quotes: 'War is hell" See more comedian content at CNN Comedy. CNN's Tony Marco, Lisa Respers France and Doug Ganley contributed to this report.

NEW: Rivers' daughter and grandson arrive at hospital after flight from Los Angeles . Joan Rivers stopped breath during a procedure at a medical clinic . Her reality show documented a health scare last year . She has been open about previous health issues .

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"We were shouting for help, but nobody listened," said Muhammad Iqbal about the slaying of his pregnant 25-year-old wife, Farzana Parveen, at the hands of her relatives, who gathered to kill her in front of a courthouse in Lahore, Pakistan. More than 20 members of the woman's family stoned her to death for the "crime" of "dishonoring" her family by choosing to marry someone she loved rather than a husband her family had chosen. A police officer said "one family member made a noose of rough cloth around her neck while her brothers smashed bricks into her skull." Social media immediately picked up on the horrific and very public killing. #Farzana became a hashtag that provoked a conversation about the crime of so-called "honor killings" and society's tolerance and the police's alleged indifference to it. Suddenly a crime that not long ago would barely have elicited a headline was now a source of conversation and consternation among those on social media both within and outside Pakistan. And discussion about the slaying turned up another grim fact: Iqbal told CNN he killed his first wife so he could be free to propose to Farzana. The #Farzana hashtag comes on the public heels of another long-known and rarely noted issue that caught fire in the public's imagination and provoked a storm of well-deserved outrage: the kidnapping of schoolgirls in northern Nigeria by the militant group Boko Haram. A Nigerian lawyer created the #bringbackourgirls hashtag to call attention to the mass abduction of young women who gathered at school to take their exams. Once the word got out, people around the world began talking about the issue over social media. Reporters and politicians rushed to follow their lead, and discussions about girls' education and the crimes of Boko Haram at last punctured public indifference. In America, another horrific crime unleashed a gush of online discourse. This time it was a 22-year-old man on a quest for what he called his "day of retribution," when he would torture and kill "good-looking people" before launching a "war on women" to punish girls and women who he said had "starved (him) of sex." The misogyny in the killer's more than 100-page diatribe led women to begin using the #Yesallwomen hashtag to push forward a conversation on Twitter and Facebook and Tumbler about the rarely discussed though frequently experienced issues of violence against women, from sexual assault to harassment to domestic brutality. The #Yesallwomen hashtag went global and began trending on Twitter. Once again the mainstream media picked it up from there and followed the lead of women who had had enough of crimes and abuses perpetrated against them to speak publicly on the toll they have taken on their lives. Yet, for all the hashtag consciousness-raising and social media meet-ups of the like-minded the question remains: Will what happens in cyberspace stay there? Or will online outrage lead to real world change? Will crimes committed against women and girls across the globe finally come to be seen as harming and hampering not just women, but the communities in which they live? Much could be done if online activism led to real-life campaigning for concrete progress, such as: . -- Enacting and enforcing laws to protect girls as young as 8 and 9 from being married against their will . -- Providing aid and incentives to keep girls in schools -- built near their homes -- and to combat traditions that keep them out of the classroom . -- Pushing for more stringent laws in the United States and abroad to punish traffickers rather than children . -- Highlighting as role models the many fathers and brothers who value their daughters and allow them to pursue their futures unfettered, sometimes at the risk of their own safety and standing in society . And these are only the start. The hashtag activism and social media outrage is an important start to addressing issues to which the world for so long had remained indifferent. But it is just one step. It falls to each of us to see whether all the talk about the power of women and girls and the shame of harming them translates into on-the-ground change. The stakes are high -- for all of us.

In Pakistan, a pregnant woman who wanted to marry for love was killed by relatives . Gayle Lemmon: In Nigeria, as well as U.S., we see crimes and hatred against women . She says the hashtag activism and social media outrage is a start, but it's not enough . Lemmon: There should be laws that can protect girls and punish abusers .

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(CNN) -- Sitting incongruously among the hangars and laboratories of NASA's Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley is the squat facade of an old McDonald's. You won't get a burger there, though -- its cash registers and soft-serve machines have given way to old tape drives and modern computers run by a rogue team of hacker engineers who've rechristened the place McMoon's. These self-described techno-archaeologists have been on a mission to recover and digitize forgotten photos taken in the '60s by a quintet of scuttled lunar satellites. The Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) has since 2007 brought some 2,000 pictures back from 1,500 analog data tapes. They contain the first high-resolution photographs ever taken from behind the lunar horizon, including the first photo of an earthrise (first slide above). Thanks to the technical savvy and DIY engineering of the team at LOIRP, it's being seen at a higher resolution than was ever previously possible. "We're reaching back to a capability that existed but couldn't be touched back when it was created," says Keith Cowing, co-lead and founding member at LOIRP. "It's like having a DVD in 1966, you can't play it. We had resolution of the Earth of about a kilometer [per pixel]. This is an image taken a quarter of a f***king million miles away in 1966. The Beatles were warming up to play Shea Stadium at the moment it was being taken." Between 1966 and '67, five Lunar Orbiters snapped pictures onto 70mm film from about 30 miles above the moon. The satellites were sent mainly to scout potential landing sites for manned moon missions. Each satellite would point its dual lens Kodak camera at a target, snap a picture, then develop the photograph. High- and low-resolution photos were then scanned into strips called framelets using something akin to an old fax machine reader. The images were beamed in modulated signals to one of three receiving stations in Australia, Spain, or California, where the pictures--and collateral chatter from the NASA operators--were recorded straight to tape. After finishing their missions, the satellites were unceremoniously dashed against the moon rocks, clearing the way for Apollo. The brilliant and ballsy engineering was typical of NASA during its golden age, a time when it was also more closely linked to other government agencies with an interest in taking pictures from space. "These guys were operating right at the edge," Cowing says with a reverence for these NASA engineers that's shared by his team. "There's a certain spy program heritage to all this, but these guys went above that, because those spy satellites would send their images back. These didn't. They couldn't. They were in lunar orbit." Fascinating Ways People Try to Leave Their Mark on the World . The photos were stored with remarkably high fidelity on the tapes, but at the time had to be copied from projection screens onto paper, sometimes at sizes so large that warehouses and even old churches were rented out to hang them up. The results were pretty grainy, but clear enough to identify landing sites and potential hazards. After the low-fi printing, the tapes were shoved into boxes and forgotten. They changed hands several times over the years, almost getting tossed out before landing in storage in Moorpark, California. Several abortive attempts were made to recover data from the tapes, which were well kept, but it wasn't until 2005 that NASA engineer Keith Cowing and space entrepreneur Dennis Wingo were able to bring the materials and the technical know how together. When they learned through a Usenet group that former NASA employee Nancy Evans might have both the tapes and the super-rare Ampex FR-900 drives needed to read them, they jumped into action. They drove to Los Angeles, where the refrigerator-sized drives were being stored in a backyard shed surrounded by chickens. At the same time, they retrieved the tapes from a storage unit in nearby Moorpark, and things gradually began to take shape. Funding the project out of pocket at first, they were consumed with figuring out how to release the images trapped in the tapes. "We're both Apollo babies, so the moon to us was something that's unfinished business," says Cowing. "These tapes were sealed for history by somebody who cared, and it was astonishing the condition they were in. So we started buying used parts on eBay, Radioshack -- I was sitting at a black-tie reception at one point buying something on my iPhone. We just buy and reassemble these things bit by bit." The drives had to be rebuilt and in some cases completely re-engineered using instruction manuals or the advice of people who used to service them. The data they recovered then had to be demodulated and digitized, which added more layers of technical difficulties. The resulting framelets had to be individually reassembled in Photoshop. After kluging through countless engineering problems (try finding a chemical substitute for whale oil to lubricate tape heads), the LOIRP team was able to single out and reproduce the famous earthrise image. This proof of concept brought the first NASA funding in 2008, and the team recently completed processing the entire tape collection. "We're the first people out of a generation or more to see this," says Cowing. "No human eye had ever seen this. All they saw was something that had already been through one generation of copying. We're seeing something one order of magnitude more precise right on the screen." Since the '60s, a series of Earth and moon imaging satellites have launched, including the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2009. Despite the advances in computing power and optics, Cowing says the terabytes of images recovered at LOIRP are often even more detailed than those taken by LRO, capable of being blown up to billboard size without losing resolution. "A lot of the images they're taking today, our imagery from 1966 and '67 has sometimes greater resolution and greater dynamic range because of the way the pictures were taken. So sometimes you look into a shadow in a picture that LRO's taken, and you don't see any detail -- with ours, you do." Officially named Building 596, McMoon's flies a flag bearing the distinct Skunkworks skull and crossbones, signaling the team's hacker ethic. The seven or so people tinkering away inside maintain an open-source mentality about their work, making all images and their technological discoveries free to the public. They also have plans for a decommissioned Titan ICBM that's sitting outside (for students, of course). McMoon's has grown into a highly specialized operation, stuffed with a melange of old and new technology now put to use in decoding various NASA and Library of Congress tapes that no one knows what to do with. With a built-in ability to handle hazardous chemicals, the old McDonald's made practical sense, but it also gave them a layer of distance to carry out their weird work. "I had a choice between the barbershop and this building -- we didn't really care what sort of building they gave us, we just didn't want to pay for it," Cowing says. "The surplus folks at NASA Ames where all the old computers and stuff go, they love us because we come over and make all the old stuff work. The safety guys come by and we usually either make them our friends or bark at them and they don't come back." The images gathered at LOIRP have been coerced into providing even more information than they were intended to. Their data have been used to correct figures from the time about Earth's arctic ice levels, and have helped identify an El Nino-type event in the '60s. All the images and the information gathered from them are being fed into the Planetary Data System, an official repository where mission data from LRO, Mars Observer, Climate Orbiter, and many others are documented. Started by the same Nancy Evans that provided the tape drives, the Planetary Data System didn't exist when the Lunar Orbiter pictures were initially taken. The images and information that LOIRP has recovered will be submitted as the official record of the original sattelite mission. It's a testament to the lasting work of the engineers who designed the orbiter missions, and the tenacity of the modern techno archaeologists who are bringing that work to full fruition. "Back then things were designed, even if they failed, to still do something. Today, most jet fighters would fall out of the sky if they didn't have computers adjusting their surfaces and their pattern thousands of times a second. Back then they just had to engineer stuff elegantly so that it worked," he says. "We feel that we're completing the Lunar Orbiter 1 through 5 missions. They never formally submitted their stuff for the archives so we're doing it." Read more from WIRED: . What Exactly Is in McDonald's Famous French Fries? Why You Always Seem to Choose the Slowest Line . People Around the World Pose With Everything They Eat in a Day . Why Does Sleeping In Just Make Me More Tired? 30 Years After Chernobyl's Meltdown, Gripping Photos Expose the Human Fallout . Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com.

NASA-funded project has recovered 2,000 analog moon pictures . The images were taken by the five Lunar Orbiter images between 1966 and 1967 . Project uses old and modern technology to produce high-res copies of the originals.

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(CNN) -- Bristol County, Massachusetts, prosecutors have dropped charges against an 18-year-old man accused of raping a 17-year-old girl in July at a Keith Urban concert south of Boston. "Given the state of the evidence, the case was dismissed in the interest of justice," said Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol County district attorney. Sean Murphy was charged with rape after an incident that happened in front of a large crowd on the lawn of the Xfinity Center, an outdoor amphitheater in Mansfield, Massachusetts, on July 26. Multiple people recorded what happened on their cell phones and provided video to authorities for their investigation. Murphy entered a not guilty plea in court and was released on $10,000 bond. His attorney had always maintained his client's innocence. "Put simply, this was a consensual act, not a sexual assault," lawyer Steven Brooks said at the time. "This was a private act that regrettably occurred in a public place." "Mr. Murphy deeply regrets this incident and I am sure the young woman does as well. The young woman was neither intoxicated nor overcome by drugs at the time. Mr. Murphy has no criminal history whatsoever." Fans hospitalized after 'nutso' Keith Urban concert . About 18,000 people attended the concert in Mansfield, about 30 miles south of Boston. More than 20 people were hospitalized after the concert, police said. Another 50 were taken into protective custody, and several others were arrested over "alcohol-related issues," local authorities said. "In total, fire and EMS attended to 46 medicals resulting in 22 transports mostly alcohol-related," Mansfield Police Chief Ron Sellon and Fire Chief Neal Boldrighini said in a joint statement. "Police dealt with a steady stream of intoxicated persons as well, resulting in over 50 people being taken into protective custody and a number of others arrested for alcohol-related issues." CNN's Alan Duke, Mayra Cuevas, Todd Leopold and Cristy Lenz contributed to this report.

The suspect's lawyer says it "was a consensual act, not a sexual assault" The incident happened in front of a large crowd on the Xfinity Center lawn . People recorded what happened on their cell phones and provided video to authorities . "This was a private act that regrettably occurred in a public place," attorney says .

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It was a Friday evening in February when Adrian Vasquez, an 18-year-old from the town of Rio Hato, Panama, accepted an invitation from two friends to accompany them on what was proposed as an overnight fishing expedition. Their plan, according to Vasquez's mother, Nilsa de la Cruz, "was to return the following morning. On February 24, they left from Ensenada Beach in the town of San Carlos aboard a small fishing boat." But the following morning came and went without their return, and the Vasquez family started looking for the 18-year-old and his friends. Arnaldo Vasquez, the teen's father and a hotel worker, asked fishermen to search for them along the shore from which they had departed, and his mother prayed at home with relatives and friends. Soon after, the Panamanian navy joined the search, sending ships and airplanes to look for Vasquez, Oropeces Betancourt, 24, and Fernando Osorio,16. For nearly a month, their fate remained a mystery. But on March 21, fishermen spotted the boat, the Fifty Cents, adrift north of the Galapagos Islands, nearly 600 miles from where it had launched. After being alerted by the fishermen, the Ecuadorian navy rescued the lone crew member. In a statement, Rear Adm. Freddy Garcia Calle said Vasquez showed "severe signs of dehydration and lack of nutrition." He said the survivor had thrown his friends' bodies into the ocean "because they had become badly decomposed." Vasquez returned Tuesday to Panama City on a commercial flight. According to his mother, he had lost 20 pounds. "After 28 days of anguish, after praying to God that he be found alive ... this is indeed a miracle," de la Cruz said. She said her son told her the fishing trip had started out well. The three caught plenty of fish. But the boat's engine died without warning and, with no tools and scant navigational experience, there was little the trio could do, de la Cruz told CNN. Soon, currents had swept their boat out into the Pacific, far from the coast. De la Cruz said they ate raw fish and drank rainwater. She did not detail how the other two died. The Ecuadorian navy has said it is not investigating the deaths and considers the incident a rescue operation. De la Cruz described an emotional reunion Tuesday at the airport in Panama City, where relatives hugged Vasquez and cried tears of joy. He was taken to his home in Rio Hato, in Panama's Coclé province, southwest of the capital. Reached Wednesday by phone, de la Cruz said her son "has been sleeping a lot. We don't want to ask him any questions because we know he's traumatized. He's surrounded by the family. We're loving on him and trying to help him feel better. We're going to take him to a psychologist tomorrow." De la Cruz said her son is "a very loving and hardworking young man" who enjoys spending time with his brothers and loves soccer. She said the family is taking one day at a time and trying to support her son. "For us, this is an opportunity to get closer as a family, to be more understanding and loving," she said.

Three friends set out on a fishing trip on February 24 from San Carlos, Panama . The boat's engine died; it was found adrift in the Pacific some 600 miles away . Adrian Vasquez survived on raw fish and rainwater, his mother says . His friends died, and he had to dispose of their decomposing bodies, she says .

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New York (CNN) -- Get in line, have your money ready and move to your extreme left -- Al Yeganeh, "the Original SoupMan," is back. He reopened his famed soup store Tuesday in midtown Manhattan. Yeganeh and his Soup Kitchen International first rose to fame after he was caricatured in the long-running NBC-TV show "Seinfeld" as the "Soup Nazi," a cranky and demanding soup-stand cook who bellowed "No soup for you!" to customers who didn't follow his strict rules for ordering. Yeganeh, who first opened his shop in 1984, closed the store six years ago, but kept the lease to pursue franchise opportunities and a line of frozen soups with the Original SoupMan brand. Loyalty to the brand apparently has not faltered. Avid soup fans lined up around the block Tuesday during New York's steamy heat wave to get a taste. Greg Packer secured the first spot in line by getting to the storefront at 5 a.m. "I love Al. I love soup. And I can't wait for that first bowl of soup," said Packer, who chose chicken vegetable. Daniel Hank, also in the line, said he didn't care if it was 90 degrees or 90 below outside -- he would wait for his favorite soup, the lobster bisque. "It's like there's an entire lobster in the cup. You open up the top and a claw comes out and strangles your taste buds. It's so special," Hank said. Chef Dan Rubano, who mentored with Yeganeh, was at the store a day before its opening, helping to set things up. "We are keeping the original recipes and adding more to the menu," Rubano said. Although Yeganeh didn't stop by for opening, Rubano said he's expected to make sporadic appearances. According to the "Seinfeld" Web site, Yeganeh was at first unhappy with the publicity from the "Soup Nazi" episode and was quoted as saying he threatened to "smack" comedian Jerry Seinfeld's face. Seinfeld, whose title character was banned during the "Soup Nazi" episode, declined to comment on the store's reopening. CNN's Jennifer Rizzo contributed to this report.

Soup Kitchen International reopened Tuesday . Al Yeganeh was made famous in an episode of "Seinfeld" His midtown Manhattan store had been closed for 6 years . Yeganeh is expected to make sporadic appearances at the store .

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ISIS has used videos of its shocking beheadings of Western hostages to seize the world's attention, threatening the United States and its allies. But the Islamic militant group is also pushing its extremist views in a slick online magazine. The publication -- named "Dabiq" after a town in northern Syria that symbolizes a clash between Islam and the West -- portrays U.S. President Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain as "crusaders" who will "bring about the complete collapse of the modern American empire." It also carries images evoking apocalyptic battles between the Sunni extremist group's fighters and the rest of the world -- including American soldiers enveloped in flames. By producing the magazine, ISIS is taking a leaf out of the book of its former ally al Qaeda, which has praised and advocated terrorist attacks in its glossy publication, Inspire. But experts say the two terrorist groups don't appear to be aiming for the same goals through their propaganda. Inspire focuses more on practical advice for terrorists planning attacks, publishing guides on how to make bombs and get them onto planes. Dabiq "is very different," Seth Jones, a security analyst at the RAND Corporation, told CNN. "This is encouraging people to come, to recruit and to join the army in Iraq and Syria -- and fight." 'A global outreach strategy' ISIS has already been exploiting the brutal tactics it used to grab control of large areas of Syria and Iraq for publicity purposes. The publication of Dabiq demonstrates that ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State, is "looking not only to nearby areas for support, but is undertaking a global outreach strategy to recruit immigrants to build its state," the Institute for the Study of War said in a recent report. It noted "the sophistication and production value of the magazine." ISIS has successfully recruited large numbers of foreign fighters from across the globe, including from the United States and Western Europe. A CIA source told CNN last week that more than 15,000 foreign fighters, including 2,000 Westerners, have gone to the civil war in Syria. It was not immediately clear how many have joined ISIS and how many are with other groups opposed to the Syrian government. The foreign fighters come from more than 80 countries, the CIA source said. Article on Foley's beheading . Dabiq carries plenty of violent images, apparently aimed at luring jihadists. It has photos of the mutilated bodies of Muslims wounded and killed by Western forces and their allies -- but also pictures of ISIS's own victims. The final section of its most recent issue is dedicated to the beheading of American journalist James Foley, the first of three Western captives whose killings the group has publicized. The article defends his murder as retribution for Western military campaigns in the Middle East. The magazine shows that ISIS, which is also known as ISIL, is paying close attention to what's being said about it in the West, featuring an "In the Words of the Enemy" section. In the first issue, it focuses on an article co-written by Douglas Ollivant, an Iraq combat veteran and key adviser on the surge in U.S. troops there under former President George W. Bush in 2007. Ollivant, who appears regularly on CNN, is also described as a "crusader." He said he was "perversely honored" that the terrorists were reading his work, but was also aware he was being "incorporated into their propaganda." "We take them seriously, write about them seriously, and perversely they then twist this to their potential recruits and say 'Look, you know, American analysts take us seriously,'" Ollivant told CNN. Feds: NY store owner plotted to send jihadists to Syria, kill U.S. troops himself .

Images evoke apocalyptic battles between ISIS fighters and the rest of the world . Expert: It's part of "a global outreach strategy to recruit immigrants to build its state" Named "Dabiq," the magazine calls Obama and McCain "crusaders" The latest issue carries an article defending the killing of James Foley .

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(CNN) -- A leading international children's charity has warned that Elton John's desire to adopt a 14-month-old baby boy could lead to more children being abandoned. Elton John kisses baby Lev during his visit to the orphanage in Ukraine on Saturday. The singer, 62, made the announcement during a visit with his partner, 46-year-old David Furnish, to an orphanage for HIV-affected children in Ukraine on Saturday. "David always wanted to adopt and I always said no because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child," he told reporters. "But having seen Lev today, I would love to adopt him. I don't know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home. I've changed my mind today." While EveryChild praised the British musician for helping raise awareness of children affected by HIV/AIDS, it said international adoption is sending out the wrong message. James Georgalakis, EveryChild's Communications and Advocacy Manager, told CNN: "Research conducted in the Ukraine in 2007 which showed high-profile celebrity adoptions and news around foreigners coming into the country and adopting children generally was actually encouraging vulnerable young mothers to abandon their children into homes hoping their child would be adopted by a rich foreigner and have a better life. "So it's quite well documented that these high-profile adoptions could actually be increasing the number of children in institutions." Do you think celebrity adoptions are a good thing? According to research by the charity's Web site, 95 percent of the children in Ukraine's institutions are not orphans, with babies born to HIV+ mothers facing particular discrimination. They are separated from their mothers and often end up in children's homes and institutions segregated from children not affected by HIV. It argues that governments such as Ukraine need to be encouraged to put more emphasis on keeping families together rather than placing them in outdated Soviet-era children's homes. "After a great deal of campaigning by charities such as ours, the Ukraine government introduced a new 'gate-keeping' system which means the authorities will have to consider all available options before a child is placed in an institution," Georgalakis said. "So when a child is taken into care or abandoned, they will have look at whether a child has other family or can be fostered by another family for example. This is a huge step forward and one that needs support. "We will definitely be speaking to Elton and his representatives about this." Elton John is the latest high-profile figure to be linked with a case of this kind. Earlier this year, Madonna won a court appeal to adopt a second child from Malawi. Critics of the pop-star accused the pop superstar of taking advantage of "archaic adoption laws" in a bid to adopt three-year-old Chifundo James. Madonna's initial attempt was denied because she did not meet a residency law that requires applicants to have lived in the country for some time before adoption. This condition was waived when Madonna -- and then husband Guy Ritchie -- adopted her first Malawian child, David Banda. The judge in that case said the interest of the child outweighed the issue of residency. Meanwhile, the British Association for Adoption and Fostering said around 4,000 children need to be adopted in UK each year, with many facing a considerable wait. BAAF Chief Executive David Holmes told CNN: "While Elton John may be considered too old under current guidance to adopt a baby in the UK, there are many children, particularly older children, sibling groups, children with disabilities, and children from black minority groups, all waiting for a family. "We'll certainly be reinforcing this message during National Adoption Week in Britain later this year."

Elton John, 62, made announcement during a visit to an orphanage in Ukraine . EveryChild charity believes international adoption sends wrong message . Spokesman: Mothers abandon children in hope they are adopted by foreigners . Madonna recently won appeal to adopt second child from Malawi .

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Swat Valley, Pakistan (CNN) -- On October 9, a Pakistani schoolgirl who dared to speak out against the Taliban took a bullet to the head for her act of defiance. Now, as Malala Yousufzai lies in a hospital bed in Birmingham, England, the shock and outrage among her countrymen have given way to a new sentiment: What will the government do about this? While the Pakistani news media debate how the country should respond to the attack, thousands of people nationwide have joined in rallies in support of the wounded 14-year-old. Malala: Global symbol, but still just a kid . The shooting has prompted an unusually strong and united reaction of disgust and anger among many Pakistanis, analysts say. "There is a groundswell of sympathy for her and also a very strong demand for the Pakistani state to do something about this issue," said Raza Rumi, director of policy and programs at the Jinnah Institute, a Pakistani research organization. Much of the discontent is directed toward the Pakistani Taliban, the extremist group that has claimed responsibility for the shooting and said it will seek to kill Malala if she recovers from her injuries. "This has created a very bad feeling for the Taliban," said Saleem Khan, an executive with a paper manufacturing company in the city of Lahore. Khan said he was "crying and weeping" after hearing of the attack on Malala, who had defied extremists in the northwestern Swat Valley by insisting on the right of girls to go to school. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, the first woman to hold that job, said Sunday that she thinks the shooting marked a "turning point" in the ferocity of how Pakistan goes after Taliban offenders and extremist groups. "Pakistan, at the diplomatic, political and every level, has been asking ... to take this matter seriously, to not let them (the Taliban) have a safe haven," she said. Meanwhile, police in Birmingham said "two well-wishers" were stopped when they came to the hospital overnight wanting to see the girl. No arrests were made, contrary to earlier reports from the hospital. Hospital director Dave Rosser said the intruders were "probably people being over-curious," but he added that the hospital is taking no chances and that tight security is in place. Standing with Malala: Teen inspires others to fight for education . At a rally organized by the powerful MQM political party in Karachi, thousands of people gathered, some waving flags and banners with messages of support for Malala. "Our prayers are with you," read one. Another said, "Malala -- (an) attack on you is an attack on education and progress." Social activist Saman Jafery said: "If Taliban is a mindset, then Malala is a mindset, too. It's a mindset of educated and empowered women." Another of those at the rally, Haider Rizvi, said people "don't want the Taliban anymore in Pakistan, and after the Malala incident, it is time for people to stand up." "The message is right here ... all these people. They are condemning the act of the Taliban," added student Ashwar Waqi. The Taliban, who operate in northwestern Pakistan along the border with Afghanistan, have fallen foul of Pakistani public opinion in the past, notably in 2009, when a video emerged of the flogging of a teenage girl in the Swat Valley. The video provoked appalled reactions in Pakistan at the time, but "the scale of protests for Malala are bigger," said the Jinnah Institute's Rumi. "Even the right-wing mainstream media have expressed outrage." The Taliban became increasingly unpopular among Pakistanis in 2009 as the military carried out an offensive against members of the group in northwestern areas. But the military operations failed to root them out altogether, and their continued influence in the region was demonstrated last week by the gun attack on Malala and two other girls as they were being driven home from school. The two other girls were less severely wounded than Malala. Opinion: One girl's courage in the face of Taliban cowardice . One of them, Kainat Ahmed, is being treated locally. She said she was so scared after the attack on the bus in which they traveled that she couldn't sleep for two days. The 16-year-old girl is in the 10th grade. But despite the injury to her arm and the terror of the attack, Ahmed said she does not regret studying and hopes to continue. "Girls' education here is more important than boys' because boys can have any jobs they want to but girls cannot," she said. "I want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education." Interior Minister Rehman Malik, visiting the three girls' school in the town of Mingora on Tuesday, said the name would be changed from "Khushal Public School" to "Malala Public High School." A task force will be established to protect all girls' schools in the region that are under threat of militants, he told reporters. "I am not only grieved, the whole nation is grieved," he said. The hunt for those responsible has made "considerable progress," Malik added, although he gave few details of the investigation. Authorities have forensic evidence, Malik said. Police Chief Gul Afzal Afridi of the Swat District said that 60 suspects are being detained, interrogated or investigated. "We have sufficient evidence to find the culprits," the chief said. "Soon we will catch them." Politicians and commentators in Pakistan have slammed the attack. But the condemnation of the Taliban has not been as universal. "Everybody was angry that it happened, but not everybody was angry with the Taliban," said Tazeen Javed, an Islamabad-based communications consultant who writes for The Express Tribune newspaper. The cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, who visited Malala in a hospital in Peshawar last week, has drawn criticism for not condemning the Taliban outright for the attack. Khan "showed a lot of concern but couldn't resist bringing in the issue of the drone strikes as a cause for this attack, which was a bit of a deflection," said Rumi, referring to the drone attacks carried out by the United States in northwestern Pakistan that have generated resentment in the country. Certain commentators have also begun to question the official version of events, suggesting that the attack on Malala may be used as a pretext by the government for military action against the Taliban in the restive tribal region of North Waziristan. Gordon Brown: Millions face Malala's fight . "The Malala incident is the CIA's latest attempt to divide public opinion and incite conflict in Pakistani society," Haider Mehdi, a contributor to the Pakistani daily The Nation, wrote in a column Tuesday. As the controversy about the attack rages in Pakistan, the doctors treating Malala thousands of miles away said they are "very pleased" with her progress and optimistic that she will make a good recovery. However, she faces reconstructive surgery and there is "still a long way to go," said Rosser, of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Her family is not yet in England to be by her bedside, but the Pakistani high commissioner is making arrangements on that front, he said. In the meantime, the 14-year-old appears to be "every bit as strong as we had been led to believe," Rosser said, adding that the consultant leading her care "is impressed by her resilience and her strength." Reza Sayah reported from Swat Valley and Jethro Mullen from Hong Kong. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.

NEW: "We have sufficient evidence to find the culprits," police chief says . Injured schoolmate: "I want to tell all the girls to continue their mission to get an education," Malala Yousufzai is hospitalized in England a week after the Taliban attack on her . Pakistan's interior minister says the 14-year-old's school will be named after her .

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(CNN) -- Thousands of Ontario, Canada, residents made do without power Monday in the aftermath of storms that toppled trees and brought down power lines. Meanwhile, residents in the upper Midwest prepared for bitter cold wind chills. More than 300,000 customers remained without electricity Monday across Ontario, including 200,000 in Toronto, officials reported, in the wake of what Mayor Rob Ford called one of the worst ice storms to hit the city. Still, the city was functioning and conditions were "not even close" to warranting an emergency declaration, he told reporters Monday. Toronto Hydro CEO Anthony Haines said major power lines are being restored at a rate of one every few minutes, but street-to-street work remains, and he couldn't offer a guarantee everyone will have power by Christmas. "My caution continues to be my caution. Let's really plan for the worst," Haines said Monday evening. "I am encouraged in the progress we have made today, obviously, with well over 100,000 customers being restored today." Ford said 100 trucks from other cities were on their way to Toronto to help restore power to more people. Toronto had opened more than a dozen warming centers some were expecting up to 300 people, officials said. In the United States, areas that had been as warm as the 70s on Sunday began a slide into frigid territory as Canada sent some of that cold air sliding across the eastern United States. Dangerously cold wind chills were on tap in parts of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Wind chill warnings were posted for parts of Minnesota, warning of of wind chills as low as 45 below zero. Still, the picture was much calmer than over the weekend, when storms left at least 10 people dead. At least five people died in Kentucky floodwaters, two people died in Mississippi storms, and one person died in a traffic accident during Missouri's severe weather, officials said. A weather-related wreck Saturday near Wichita, Kansas, left one person dead, according to CNN affiliate KWCH-TV. And a tornado Saturday also killed a woman in Arkansas, CNN affiliate KARK-TV in Little Rock reported. The tornado was one of two rated at EF2 to hit the state on Saturday. Northeast: Hot and cold . New York City set a record high Sunday at 71 degrees, National Weather Service meteorologist Ashley Sears said. The previous record, set in 1949 and matched in 1998, was 63. But temperatures will fall each day until Wednesday, and by Christmas, New York might not even reach the freezing mark. And in northern New England, another round of snow and ice is set for Monday, the National Weather Service said. Southeast: When it rains, it pours . Rain was finally tapering off in Georgia, South Carolina and states in the Mid-Atlantic. A wave of cold temperatures will take its place Tuesday. Temperatures will likely be 10 to 15 degrees colder than normal on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Midwest: Ice and dangerous wind chills . The storms left some Michigan residents dealing with no electricity. Sara Hadley's family lost power after an ice storm struck her hometown of Lansing. She sent photos of some of the countless icicles in her neighborhood. "Last time we had ice like this was 1998," Hadley told CNN's iReport. Pacific Northwest: Another storm brewing . Coastal and valley rain as well as mountain snow is in the forecast through Tuesday, the service said. Higher elevations could get dumped with 6 to 12 inches of snow. CNN's Sean Morris, Adam Shivers, Todd Borek, Jareen Imam, Leslie Holland and Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.

NEW: Power restored to 100,000 customers in Toronto, electric company official says . Blowing snow and dangerous wind chill temperatures will hit the Upper Midwest . New York City will get steadily colder after reaching a record-breaking 71 degrees on Sunday .

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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The Taliban have launched their spring offensive, their annual spate of attacks targeting foreign bases, government officials and Afghan police, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday. On Sunday morning, a roadside bomb killed three police officers in Afghanistan's Ghazni province, provincial spokesman Nabi Jan said. A Ghanzi deputy police chief was among those killed, and two other officers were injured, Jan said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack -- and said more will come. "Today was our first day of the new operation, and we conducted many operations in several provinces such as Ghazni province, Kapisa province and Nangarhar province," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told CNN. He said the new spring offensive will target foreign military bases and foreign convoys as well as attacks on Afghan National Police and the Kabul government. The group will use suicide attacks and rockets, Mujahid said. "We hope to plan and conduct more attacks on foreign troops so as to force them to leave Afghanistan," the Taliban spokesman added. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan was sheltering the al Qaeda terror network when it launched attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The next month, the United States cranked up military operations that led to the toppling of the Taliban government. Ever since, international forces have been fighting radical Islamic militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

3 officers, including a deputy police chief, are killed in a roadside bombing . The Taliban claims responsibility for the blast and says it's starting a new offensive . The group vows to target foreign troops as well as local government and police .

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A Massachusetts judge ruled Monday that the public should know exactly what investigators seized from the home of former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez, who has been charged with murder in the death of a friend. Bristol County District Judge Daniel O'Shea ordered the documents to be made available Tuesday afternoon. The documents to be released include search warrants, police affidavits explaining what they were looking for and what was taken away as possible evidence. Hernandez has been charged with premeditated murder in the death of Odin Lloyd, 27. He has pleaded not guilty. O'Shea ruled in favor of a motion filed by media outlets including the Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Massachusetts; the Taunton Daily Gazette in Taunton, Massachusetts; and the Associated Press. Hernandez jersey exchange draws 1,200-plus . Defense attorneys representing Aaron Hernandez opposed the motion. They can appeal the court's decision. In court papers, lawyers for the media argued "the press's (sic) ability to keep the public informed is premised in large part on open access to the court system and on its ability to examine and report on public documents." At Hernandez's arraignment last month, prosecutors said they had examined his cell phone and 14-camera home surveillance system. Authorities have said Hernandez, 23, and two other men picked Lloyd up from his Boston apartment early on June 17. Surveillance cameras captured the car at an industrial park near Hernandez's North Attleborough home. Lloyd's body was found in the industrial park later that day, authorities have said. Also on Monday, Ernest Wallace, one of two men who police say was in the car with Hernandez the night Lloyd was killed, agreed to be held without bail pending his next hearing. Patriots owner Kraft speaks out about Hernandez . A prosecutor told a judge in Attleboro, Massachusetts, that Wallace had accepted the decision in the presence of his lawyer, David Meier. Meier declined to comment to reporters. Wallace winked at his family and appeared to mouth the words "I love you" but was not asked to address the court. Wallace is charged with accessory after the fact to murder. He pleaded not guilty. His next hearing is scheduled for July 22. Another man who police say was in the car the night of Lloyd's slaying, Carlos Ortiz, is already being held without bail and has pleaded not guilty to a weapons charge. At a news conference after Wallace's court hearing, Bristol County District Attorney Samuel Sutter declined to directly answer a question from CNN about whether Wallace or Ortiz is cooperating with authorities. Search of Hernandez's apartment reveals new evidence . "It's an excellent question," Sutter said. "But I'm not going to comment one way or the other at this point." A law enforcement source has told CNN that Ortiz is cooperating with investigators but declined to elaborate. In court papers, Ortiz allegedly told police that the day after Lloyd was killed, he and Hernandez went to a Franklin, Massachusetts, apartment leased by Hernandez. In the apartment, investigators say there was a "white colored hooded sweatshirt" similar to the one he was seen wearing on surveillance video the night of the killing. Ortiz has a status hearing scheduled for Tuesday, but prosecutors say if Ortiz agrees to continue to be held without bail, the hearing will likely be canceled. Legal woes mount for former Patriots tight end .

Papers about evidence collected in Aaron Hernandez case should be released, judge says . Ruling stems from filing from several media outlets requesting the papers, available Tuesday . Hernandez's defense team opposes the ruling and has the option to appeal . Hernandez is charged with premeditated murder in the slaying of Odin Lloyd .

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(CNN) -- The mission is anything but a Mickey Mouse task: Navigate the world's most treacherous seas, crossing 73,000 nautical kilometers in a confined space with stressed-out, sleep-deprived crewmates. That's the challenge facing two sailors -- Charlie Enright and Mark Towill -- who met on the set of a Disney movie. "When they say this is the hardest race in the world, that's true," Towill tells CNN as he reflects on the Volvo Ocean Race, a grueling feat of endurance where competitors will face 30-meter waves in the Southern Ocean and winds of 110 kph (68 mph). With such conditions, tragedy is always a risk -- Dutch sailor Hans Horrevoets died in the 2005-06 race when he was swept overboard. The nine-month event begins in Alicante, Spain, on Saturday. Its eventual finish in June in Gothenburg, Sweden, will mark the longest route in the event's 42-year history. Not surprisingly Towill, general manager of Team Alvimedica, describes the buildup as the "calm before the storm," while Enright admits it is impossible to predict what lies ahead in the coming months away from family and friends. To add a further twist in the marathon journey ahead, the American pair's crew is the youngest in the race -- skipper Enright is 30 while Towill is just 25. They are reunited seven years after meeting on the set of Morning Light -- the brainchild of Roy Disney Jnr., a nephew of the company's legendary founder Walt. Roy Disney, who died in 2009 a year after its release, came up with the idea of getting a crew of aged 18 to 23 to compete in the Transpacific Yacht Race from San Pedro in California to Honolulu in Hawaii. Hundreds applied but just 15 were selected, among them Towill and Enright. "I just put my application in at the last minute as my flatmates did it," says Enright. "I loved every minute." From day one, despite the five-year age gap and differing backgrounds, the pair struck up a friendship that's still going strong. Enright hails from Rhode Island, a state awash with sailors, while Towill, from Hawaii, was the first in his family to take an interest in sailing. "They wouldn't know what the boom or the spinnaker pole was but they're my biggest supporters," says Towill, who followed his newfound friend to Ivy League university Brown where they studied and sailed. Coached by Volvo Ocean Race sailors, they took on board every nugget of information they could about offshore racing before signing up in 2011 to the race's development program, learning the business side of getting together a team and the finances required. They worked tirelessly to get sponsors before Alvimedica, a medical technologies company that had already been liaising with race organizers, became a financial backer. Both parties' involvement was made possible by a cost-cutting rule for the 2014-15 race which meant teams would no longer make their own boats but use a centrally built Volvo Ocean 65 one-design vessel by Farr Yacht Design. It brought down the price of entering a team from $70 million to $21 million. "It's a fairytale story," says Towill, recalling the surprisingly swift sealing of the deal. "Alvimedica is a young company growing rapidly and we are a young team, so it was the perfect fit with American sailors -- and America's a big market for them." That sole meeting spilled over to dinner, followed by a night out which eventually ended at 1 a.m. with a handshake to confirm the partnership. Enright and Towill needed to be up at 6 a.m. for a flight home but snuck out for another drink on their own to celebrate what they had achieved. For Enright, it was the realization of a lifelong ambition. He recalls in grade two at school putting together a project on the Whitbread Round The World race, set up in 1972 and by which it was known until Volvo became the title sponsor in 2001. "It's the pinnacle of offshore racing, which is what I like most, and it just became a natural ambition," he says. As skipper, he knows the buck stops with him on the water and he admits he thrives on both the pressure and responsibility of seven other sailors relying on him for their direction and personal safety. Throughout the race, he will work closely with Towill as always, who he calls the yin to his yang, both with the shared aim "to keep each other honest." Towill admits to having gone into hibernation in the buildup to the race, knowing that there will only be snippets of sleep in the next nine months, and he expects their friendship will be tested. "I'd be lying if I said it was going to be peachy all the time," says Towill, who turned down a job in renewable energy in San Francisco to follow his sailing ambitions. "There's eight guys on a boat with not much space, stress and a lack of sleep. The dynamic of how we are as a group is important." Amid the young guns on board, Australian navigator Will Oxley will provide experience. By the end of the race, the Volvo veteran will have turned 50 and sailed competitively more than the distance to the moon during an impressive career. Oxley's advice to Enright has been to "keep it all in perspective." The two young sailors and their crew will also be hoping for a Disney ending. In pictures: The Everest of sailing?

Brought together on the set of a Disney movie, two friends set to tackle the Volvo Ocean Race . Charlie Enright and Mark Towill will travel 73,000 nautical kilometers over nine months . The youngest team, they raised the required $21 million in funding to compete in the event . Manager Towill warned tempers will be frayed and friendships tested during the race .

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(CNN) -- Federal officials charged 20 people Wednesday in a scheme to recruit illegal immigrants from Russia and Eastern European countries to work as exotic dancers in New York strip clubs, according to Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Charges against the 20 individuals include racketeering, extortion, visa and marriage fraud, and transporting and harboring illegal immigrants. The accused are alleged to be members of the Gambino and Bonanno organized crime families, according to federal authorities. "The defendants themselves had one thing in common -- the desire to turn the women they allegedly helped enter this country illegally into their personal profit centers,"Bharara said. "Today's arrests have brought an end to their illicit activities." Several of the accused are alleged to have run the "Strip Club Enterprise," which controlled a series of strip clubs throughout Queens and Long Island. Through these clubs, the accused are alleged to have recruited Eastern European women to enter the United States on student J1 visas to perform as strippers in their enterprises. Prosecutors also charge the defendants threatened physical violence and economic harm if the owners and operators of New York strip clubs as part of a broad extortion scheme. "The defendants controlled their business and protected their turf through intimidation and threats of physical and economic harm," said James T. Hayes, Jr., special agent in charge with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which led the investigation. "Today's arrests bring to an end a long-standing criminal enterprise operated by colluding organized crime entities that profited wildly through a combination of extortion and fraud." Some of the exotic dancers brought illegally into the United States were also matched with U.S. citizens in fraudulent marriages to resolve their immigrations status, prosecutors said in the indictment. Before dawn on Wednesday, federal agents arrived at Cheetah's Gentlemans Club and Restaurant off Times Square in Manhattan, Gallagher's 2000 in Queens, NY, and seven other New York-area strip clubs and confiscated files and documents. Attorneys for those indicted were not immediately available for comment.

The women are from Russia and Eastern European countries . Prosecutor: defendants wanted the women to be "their personal profit centers" Charges include extortion and visa and marriage fraud . Federal agents confiscated files at several clubs in pre-dawn raids .

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Atlanta (CNN) -- It was somewhere in the middle of Six Flags' Goliath roller coaster that my eye started to short-circuit, nearly going black. The towering roller coaster pressed my fellow riders and me deep into our seats as we rounded a set of sharp curves. Many find the ride thrilling; for me it was unnerving. I spent much of my time in line for the next ride of the day, the Batman roller coaster, reading about the potential for roller coaster deaths and accidents. This was Friday in Georgia, the same day a woman died after falling from her seat on a Six Flags coaster in Texas. Pecking through roller coaster news on my phone that day, before the death in Texas had been reported, I learned, among other things, that it was reported that a 45-year-old died after passing out and having an apparent heart attack on Goliath, the ride that made my eye briefly malfunction. I get that this seems paranoid, and I knew reading this information while waiting in line for a roller coaster was an unnecessary form of self-torture. But I couldn't help it. There's something about a roller coaster death that is uniquely terrifying in a screenplay kind of way. It's summer fun gone horribly wrong. I think this is partly why so many are shocked and saddened by the death of Rosy Esparza, who fell, according to a witness who spoke with CNN affiliate WFAA, from the Texas Giant roller coaster at Six Flags in Arlington, Texas. The exact cause remains unknown, but authorities say there was no sign of "foul play or criminality." Six Flags said in a statement that safety is paramount. "Since the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority, the ride has been closed pending further investigation," the park said. A park spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment on its safety inspection policies and the calls for federal oversight. Still, it's a reluctant thrill seeker's greatest fear. It's almost impossible to imagine how terrifying the experience would be -- and how family members and fellow riders could process such an accident. After Esparza's death, Sen. Ed Markey, the Democrat from Massachusetts who recently took the seat vacated by John Kerry, has reportedly renewed his call for federal oversight of roller coaster inspection. "No federal agency has legal authority to enforce safety standards," NBC wrote in a post about the safety issues. "And Texas is one of at least 17 states that have no agency responsible for inspecting amusement park rides, according to NBC News' survey of state codes in all 50 states." Markey wants a federal agency to oversee safety enforcement. The Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates mobile amusement park rides, like those found at fairs, but does not have jurisdiction over "fixed" rides like those at Six Flags, said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the federal agency. The difference makes little sense, and Markey isn't alone in his call for more oversight. Tracy Mehan, from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said that relatively little is known about the prevalence of roller coaster injuries and deaths because the federal government doesn't enforce safety inspections and investigations. A patchwork of state laws govern the process, she said. Would-be roller coaster regulators have been criticized as needlessly scaring people about the dangers of roller coasters. And it's true that the statistics aren't quite as terrifying as the rides. As the National Review put it this year, "Americans are 5,000 times more likely to be legally executed by their own government than to die on a roller coaster." The writer, Charles C.W. Cooke, puts the odds of roller coaster death at 1 in 1.5 billion in a given year, compared with a 1 in 10 million chance of being killed "because the aircraft he is traveling on falls apart." But that framing is misleading, given how little is known about national roller coaster injuries. One of the best sources of information comes from a Center for Injury and Policy Research study of child injuries in the United States. After looking at injuries that were treated in hospitals from 1990 to 2010, the group found that a child is hospitalized from an injury related to an amusement park, carnival, fair or arcade-type ride once every three days in the summer, Mehan said. These are serious injuries: fractures, neck injuries and traumatic brain injuries. Including less serious injuries like bruises and sprains, about 4,440 child injuries are reported to hospitals each year on the rides, including those at fairs and other attractions, she said. The rate is 20 injuries per day during the summer months. "We would really like to see a national database or a national system put in place so we can get a picture of what's happening," she said. The group was unable to compile info on deaths, for example. Regardless of the stats, however, it's the joy-gone-wrong factor that makes roller coaster deaths particularly horrifying. Are those fears slightly irrational and disproportionate? Maybe. But safety seems far from assured these days. Improvements, of course, must be weighed against deadlier public safety concerns. More should be done, for instance, to prevent road-traffic deaths, which kill about 1.3 million people globally each year. Many of those deaths could be prevented with simple changes to traffic laws and other rules, according to a fascinating report from Bloomberg Philanthropies (PDF); and self-driving cars could lead to greater reductions, still. But the existence of more-pressing and deadlier threats does not justify lax oversight of amusement park rides that are meant to entertain. Roller coaster fans should support a review of safety requirements. Otherwise, at the very least, they risk having a joyous experience soured by fear. The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of John D. Sutter.

Woman dies on roller coaster in Texas on Friday . John Sutter: Federal regulations for roller coasters should be considered . Official says the federal government has no authority over rides that aren't mobile .

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(CNN)The new Greek government has plenty of challenges ahead of it: A towering debt, chronic unemployment and relations with the rest of Europe. But it also has an urgent security problem. Greece has become an unwitting crossroads -- both for jihadists trying to reach Iraq and Syria from Europe, and for fighters returning home from the Middle East. Greece's long land and maritime boundaries, its proximity to Turkey, the explosion of illegal migration from Syria and the country's dire financial situation make it an inviting hub for jihadist groups, according to multiple counterterrorism sources. One source close to the Greek intelligence services told CNN there may be some 200 people in the country with links to jihadist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the al Nusra Front -- the two groups that most Europeans join. Leftist leader plans his next move after elections in Greece . Among recent cases with a Greek connection: . -- Belgian officials believe that Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a prominent Belgian jihadist within ISIS, may have traveled from Syria to Greece and then communicated by phone with the terrorist cell recently broken up by Belgian police. -- Earlier this month, three young Belgians were arrested at Charleroi airport as they prepared to fly to Greece. The Belgian Prosecutor's Office says they have been charged with participation in a terror group. -- On January 17, Greek police arrested a 33-year old Algerian man whose extradition was sought by Belgium in connection with last week's raids. The man, who has not been named, has protested his innocence. -- Last year, two French jihadists were arrested after using Greek soil to return home. One was arrested after passing through Italy. One was Ibrahim Boudina, a 23-year-old French national born in Algiers. Greek border guards had found in his possession a USB stick with instructions for how to make homemade bombs. Europe faces 'greatest terror threat ever' They did not detain him, but tipped off French investigators, who later found bomb-making equipment and devices in his apartment near Cannes. Boudina has denied terror charges and awaits trial. What's unknown is how many jihadists are traveling individually -- in either direction -- and how many are using support networks. "Greece is not a target, just a gateway into Europe and a stop on the fighters' return home," said the source close to Greek intelligence. "The large immigrant communities is Greece, and particularly in Athens, are in a position to provide jihadists and others associated with such groups with housing and generally help them remain anonymous," the source said. In 2011, Greek authorities detained nearly 50,000 illegal migrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to police figures. One analyst who has studied jihadist travel patterns says there are indications that militants are setting up logistical, recruitment and financial cells in Greece, in part to facilitate the travel of a growing number of would-be fighters traveling from Kosovo and Albania. ISIS has produced several propaganda videos featuring Kosovars appealing to their countrymen to join them, and the Kosovo authorities believe some 200 individuals have left to wage jihad in Iraq and Syria. But it's not just the Balkans that's providing the travelers. "We estimate that about 2,000 people have used Greece in the last two years or so, mainly arriving by boat from Italy, as a stop to an onward journey," the source close to the intelligence services told CNN. "Given the number of people who have left Europe for Syria and the Middle East we don't regard this number as very high. But there is a good chance that it is much greater than we know at this point," he added. Coming in the other direction, the number of migrants trying to reach Europe illegally has soared since Syria's implosion, especially by sea. Many head to Greece and Italy on rust-buckets that trawl the Turkish coast seeking out the desperate. John M. Nomikos, director of the Research Institute for European and American Studies in Athens, says many migrants have their documents taken by human traffickers and then seek political asylum when they get to Greece. Nomikos says a few of those who arrive in Greece subsequently marry Greek women and receive Greek ID cards or passports, allowing them to travel through much of the European Union. Figures from the European Union's border agency, Frontex, show that 270,000 people tried to enter Europe illegally in 2014 -- with huge increases in the numbers setting off across the central and eastern Mediterranean. Whether ISIS or other groups are already exploiting this influx to infiltrate members into Europe is one of the worrying unknowns to European officials. The Greek Interior Ministry acknowledges it has little idea of the number of people living illegally in Greece. Nomikos and others say the Greek authorities' ability to track asylum-seekers and would-be jihadists has been hard hit by six years of recession -- a time in which budgets have been cut and senior members of the intelligence communities have lost their jobs or retired early. Combined with political appointments in the security services, and a lack of terrorism specialists, Nomikos says this has led to a damaging "expertise deficit" at a time when threats are multiplying. It doesn't help that Greek police are preoccupied with the remnants of the far-left November 17 group that occasionally launches sabotage attacks and carries out assassinations. Nomikos also says there is inadequate coordination between the National Intelligence Service, the police and other agencies -- and that Greece badly needs help from the U.S. or European government to reform its security services. "The country urgently needs a Department of Homeland Security in order to coordinate the intelligence-sharing among the Greek intelligence service (NIS-EYP), anti-terrorism squad intelligence unit" as well as police, coastguard and military intelligence, Nomikos says. The Balkan states to the north of Greece have become a major source of weapons to jihadist cells elsewhere in Europe, and some analysts believe that militant groups in the Middle East may also be tapping into this illicit arms bazaar. In November, Albanian police arrested eight people in the town of Shijak and seized guns and ammunition. Prosecutors were quoted in Albanian media as saying the weapons were destined for Syria or Iraq. In the wake of the Paris attacks this month, Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign policy chief, promised better intelligence sharing across the EU and with affected Arab states to tackle terrorism. An EU summit on February 12 will address the issue, to be followed by a similar gathering in Washington the following week. Whatever the Syriza government's disagreements with its partners on economic policy, it will likely welcome a more coordinated approach on a danger it is unable to confront alone. Ioannis Mantzikos is a researcher and consultant on Islam in Africa and terrorism issues based in Athens. Elinda Labropoulou contributed to this report.

Greece is close to Turkey, has an influx of illegal migration from Syria and is in a dire financial situation . These factor help make it an inviting hub for jihadist groups, experts say . Says one source: 'Greece is not a target, just a gateway into Europe'

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(CNN) -- A controversial extra-time goal by William Gallas saw France reach the World Cup finals after a 1-1 home draw against the Republic of Ireland in Paris on Wednesday night. France were trailing 1-0 in the second leg, with the scores tied 1-1 on aggregate, when Arsenal central defender Gallas forced the ball home for the decisive goal. But TV replays showed that his former club teammate Thierry Henry had clearly handled the ball twice before passing to him to head home. Irish goalkeeper Shay Given frantically gestured to the referee and Damien Duff was booked for his protests, but the goal stood and Raymond Domenech's men eventually went through after surviving late pressure in the Stade de France. Robbie Keane had given the Republic a deserved first half lead as he scored after a fine cutback by Duff. The pair both had chances in the second half to put the game out of France's reach, but home keeper Hugo Lloris blocked Duff's effort after he was clean through and forced Tottenham star Keane wide from a similar position. Cristiano Ronaldo will be going to World Cup after his Portugal side won 1-0 in Bosnia-Herzegovina to claim it 2-0 on aggregate in their European playoff match in Zenica. Real Madrid star Ronaldo sat out both legs of the decider through injury, but despite his absence Portugal qualified for the World Cup for the third time in a row. Raul Meireles' second-half goal in the second leg gave them a comfortable victory in a tie deemed awkward after a slender victory in the first leg secured though a goal by Bruno Alves. A pass from Nan found Meireles, whose low shot found the net and sent the Portuguese, who reached the semifinals in 2006, through. Slovenia upset Russia to qualify for the World Cup finals for only the second time with a 1-0 home win in Maribor. Slovenia trailed 2-1 from the first leg and go through on the away goals rule with the aggregate score tied 2-2. Striker Zlatko Dedic, who plays for Bochum in the Bundesliga, scored on the stroke of halftime. He reacted first to a Valter Birsa cross from the right to grab the crucial goal. Guus Hiddink's men suffered a further setback when substitute striker Alexander Kerzhakov was shown the red card in the 68th minute. Andrei Arshavin set up substitute Pavel Pogrebnyak for a late chance as Russia forced for an equalizer which would have put them through, but Dedic should have scored a second for Slovenia late on. 2004 European champions Greece are also through as they beat Ukraine 1-0 in Donetsk with Dimitrios Salpigidis scoring the only goal for the visitors on the half hour mark. The Panathinaikos striker beat the offside trap after a superb pass from Celtic's Georgios Samaras and slotted home. The teams played out a 0-0 draw on Saturday in the first leg in Athens. Ukraine pressed desperately for an equalizer in the second half but to no avail.

France through after controversial equalizer against Ireland in Stade de France . Portugal reach World Cup finals with 1-0 win in Bosnia-Herzegovina . Slovenia shock Russia to reach World Cup for second time . Greece stun Ukraine in Donetsk to reach South Africa 1-0 on aggregate .

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(CNN) -- Gael Monfils saved five match points before beating top seed Roger Federer 7-6 6-7 7-6 to reach the final of the Paris Masters on Saturday. The home hero will play Robin Soderling for the title after the Swede beat another Frenchman, Michael Llodra, in an earlier pulsating encounter at the Bercy arena. It was truly the great escape for 12th seed Monfils, who was on the ropes as he served at 5-6 down in the deciding set, having broken back after dropping his service for the first time. The opening two sets were shared on tiebreaks. 16-time grand slam champion Federer proceeded to force a succession of match points, all saved by a mixture of dogged defense by his French opponent or uncustomary errors by the world number two. The partisan crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when Monfils finally forced the third tiebreak of the match and claimed an early mini-break. Federer retrieved the loss but uncharacteristic forehand errors saw him fall behind again and when Monfils was presented with his first match point he seized it. He will now hope to go one better than 2009 when he was beaten in the final by Novak Djokovic. "I went to the limits of myself," Monfils admitted after his first career victory over Federer. "I feel better and better as the tournament goes on. I ran out of juice a little bit at the start of the third set but the fans were there, they pushed me and I kept believing." Earlier, world number five Robin Soderling had to save three match points before ending the fairytale run of Llodra. He won 6-7 7-5 7-6 to reach his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final, but came under massive pressure in the 12th game of the third set. Like Monfils, Soderling staved off defeat to force a deciding tiebreak and secured victory on his second match point after two hours and 49 minutes of gripping action. "Today it was a great match. It wasn't maybe pretty, but I'm here as a winner," Soderling told the official ATP Tour website. Llodra, who came back from a break down in the deciding set to set up his victory chances, had defeated defending champion Djokovic and Nikolay Davydenko on his way to his first Masters semifinal.

Gael Monfils to play Robin Soderling in the final of the Paris Masters . Monfils saves five match points before beating top seed Roger Federer . Soderling saves three match points to end hopes of Frenchman Michael Llodra .

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(CNN) -- The sagging economy is taking a bite out of federal school-meal subsidies as more students take advantage of free or low-price breakfasts and lunches, nutritionists say in a report released Thursday. About 425,000 more students are participating in the National School Lunch Program, a group reports. The School Nutrition Association surveyed more than 130 school nutrition directors from 38 states to produce its report, "Saved by the Lunch Bell: As Economy Sinks, School Nutrition Program Participation Rises." The nonprofit organization said that about 425,000 more students are participating in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program in 2008-09 than in the previous school year. That represents an average increase of 2.5 percent from 2007-08, the report says. These numbers hold true despite a slight decline in the number of students enrolled in public schools this school year, according to the study. More than three-quarters of the districts surveyed reported a rise in the number of students eating free meals under the U.S. Department of Agriculture program, the report says. Many of the school district employees who monitor the food programs complain that the federal subsidies fall far short of the rising costs. According to the association, the estimated average cost to prepare a school meal is $2.90, but the federal reimbursement is $2.57. School lunch programs are experiencing a potential loss of at least $4.5 million per school day, based on 30 million school lunches provided, the group says. The good news, according to association President Katie Wilson, is that "this year, when hunger is more common, more students are able to eat a balanced, nutritious meal at school." Meals served under the USDA programs must meet nutrition guidelines based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For lunches, that means no more than 30 percent of calories can come from fat and fewer than 10 percent from saturated fat.

Number of students eating subsidized meals rises 2.5 percent, nonprofit says . Use of USDA programs rises even as enrollment falls, report notes . Schools complain that USDA doesn't cover full cost of meals . School Nutrition Association surveyed 130 school food directors in 38 states .

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While President Obama has reignited a national conversation over rising college costs with his new proposals, those suggestions are unlikely to dramatically lower costs soon. And the president has not given many specific suggestions how to cut these costs that have been rising dramatically faster than people's income. Tuition fees are roughly double the share of income then they were in the 1960s. Let me offer five suggestions on how to lower post-secondary educational costs. This list is not comprehensive, but full implementation of even some of them could reduce the burden that colleges impose on students, parents and taxpayers. First, adopt the three-year bachelor's degree as in Europe. Students at prestigious schools like Oxford and Cambridge receive their degrees in three years, and they still get first-class jobs. Diminishing returns sets into collegiate study like anything else, and much of the material in the last two years of college is of marginal importance, with the possible exception of some demanding majors such as engineering and architecture. The feds could simply say undergraduate student eligibility for financial assistance ends after 90 semester hours of study. This approach should reduce the cost of a B.A. degree by something on the order of 25%. A less cost-saving variant of the three-year plan would keep the degree at its traditional 120 semester hour length, but have students go to school year-round for three years. We really don't need the summer off to plant crops as people did hundreds of years ago. Facilities would get greater utilization, lowering capital costs. College graduates would gain an extra year working full-time. Faculty usually will teach additional courses for far less than the average pay per course taught regularly. Maintenance costs of facilities per student would also fall. Second, make it possible for students to use MOOCs (massively open online courses) and other low-cost, online options, allowing for lower cost "blended" degrees combining perhaps two years of traditional classroom experience with an equal amount of online training. This would cut the cost of quality degrees perhaps 40%. Without any governmental involvement, teachers and entrepreneurs have brought hundreds of high-quality but free or low-cost courses to the internet --Udacity, Coursera, EdX, StraighterLine, Saylor Foundation, Khan Academy and Twenty Million Minds Foundation are examples of a few providers or facilitators of quality instruction. Yet students seldom get credit for these courses. The barriers are not technological, but legal or involve overcoming special interest obstruction. Students need to be examined on the online material, with safeguards assuring the registered student is actually being tested. Obstacles to accrediting these innovative approaches need to be overcome. The federal government, which accredits the accreditation agencies, could tell these agencies they must allow accredited schools to accept as much as 60% of coursework from MOOC or related providers. The federal government can't deliver the mail or run a national medical care system efficiently, so they should not be the prime mover here. Where is the Gates Foundation or Warren Buffet when we need them? Third, offer a traditional residential degree for 40% less by dramatically reducing labor and capital costs. The typical university employs twice as many "professional non-instructional personnel" (administrators) per 100 students as it did 40 years ago. Why not create new universities with staffing near the 1970 norms -- a university without sustainability and diversity coordinators or an army of public relations specialists, where faculty teach extensively rather than do trivial research that no one reads, and where there are no expensive intercollegiate athletic programs for the amusement of non-students. Specifically, ask the faculty to teach four classes per semester instead of two or three. Build few buildings but utilize them extensively, including on Fridays, weekends and summer months. Have a least two faculty members for each administrator (the ratio now is often one to one). Prohibit faculty from teaching trivial courses in their specialty. Do we really need courses on "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame" taught to students who are clueless about Beethoven, Shakespeare and van Gogh? Limit the pay of all employees to no more than that of the president of the United States or less. Could existing universities do this? They haven't, so state governments might have to create new institutions from the ground up. Fourth, create a National College Equivalence Test similar to the high school GED. A good national test of basic reading, writing, mathematical and general knowledge about our institutions and society could be administered by, say, the Scholastic Testing Service, or ACT. High scores on the test would lead to a "college equivalence certificate." Most students want a diploma as a ticket to a good job. Employers could use scores on the equivalency test as an alternative certification device, and individuals could take the test anytime --even home schooled kids with little formal education. Fifth, get the federal government out of the student financial aid business. There is good evidence the 11.7% annual growth in federal student financial aid over the past decade (and similar growth earlier) has encouraged colleges to raise tuition fees and finance a costly academic arms race. Lower income Americans are a smaller proportion of recent college graduates than in 1970, before Pell Grants began. If we implement the first four reforms, the need for student financial assistance will dramatically decline. The current system breeds high dropout rates, rewards poor performance (students lingering in school get more aid than those graduating promptly) and encourages kids to enter college who would be better off entering trade schools or apprentice programs. Ending these inefficient federal programs would save tens of billions annually. In short, there are lots of thing we can do to make colleges more affordable beyond the president's idea of providing good consumer information by rating colleges.

President Obama is proposing steps to reduce costs of college . Richard Vedder says more useful steps would include shortening college to three years . He says the number of administrators has grown too much, other costs could be cut . Vedder: Year-round schooling and online teaching would do much to reduce tuition .

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(CNN) -- Lady Gaga may have to disappoint a lot of her "little monsters" in Indonesia after Jakarta police recommended that her sold-out June 3 show not be issued a permit because of security concerns. "Yes, it is for sure, the promoter will not get a permit to hold the concert," National Police spokesman Saud Usman Nasution said Tuesday. The concert promoter, Big Daddy Entertainment, declined to comment on the development. "Please wait for further official information from us," spokesman Alif Ramadoni said. There has been an outcry against Lady Gaga performing among Islamists and conservative Muslims, who say her revealing costumes and sensual dance moves are "haram," an Arabic term that means "forbidden by Islamic law." The chairman of the Islamic Defenders Front, Habib Rizieq, said his group could not guarantee what might happen, as far as security goes, if the concert were held. The pop star was given a thumbs-down in March by a "high-ranking member" of the country's highest Islamic authority, according to The Jakarta Globe. The report said that Indonesian Council of Ulema chairman Cholil Ridwan was urging Muslims not to attend the overtly sexy and controversial singer's upcoming concert in Jakarta. "[The concert is] intended to destroy the nation's morality," Ridwan told the Globe. Ridwan is concerned that the singer's revealing outfits and sexy dance moves will set a bad example for Muslim youths. Newspaper reports said more than 25,000 tickets were sold in the first two hours after the concert went on sale in March. Police said the promoter should not have started selling tickets before getting a permit. This isn't the first bit of controversy during the singer's "Born This Way" tour. Gaga also ran afoul of Christian groups in South Korea, prompting the government to ban kids under the age of 18 from attending her show. Ahead of the concert in late April, detractors called it "pornographic" and a promotion of homosexuality. Yoon Jung-hoon, a reverend who helped organize the "Civilians Network against the Lady Gaga Concert" movement, told the Chicago Tribune that his group collected 5,000 supporters on Facebook. He also advocated a boycott of the show's sponsor, Hyundai Card, in addition to Hyundai Motor Co., Korea's largest automaker. "Some people can accept this as another culture, but its impact is huge beyond art and debases religions," Yoon said. "Even adults can't see her performance, which is too homosexual and pornographic." The show went on as scheduled. CNN's Kathy Quiano and journalist Tasha Tampubolon contributed to this report.

The performer's show is under fire from conservative Muslims; police deny her a permit . Some consider her shows to be forbidden under Islamic law . Newspaper says more than 25,000 concert tickets were sold 2 hours after they went on sale . A Christian group also opposed Gaga's show in South Korea .

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Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- Perhaps no one better understands what the family of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is going through like the widow and children of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer. "I mean, my heart is totally with the congresswoman," says daughter Sara Taseer. What do an American lawmaker from Arizona and a Pakistani governor have in common? Both outspoken elected officials were gunned down in broad daylight, within days of each other. Taseer died; Giffords clings to life. Separated by half a world, they are united by similar crimes. Taseer was assassinated by his own security guard last week in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. He was coming out of a popular market when the guard, Mumtaz Qadri, opened fire and shot him 27 times. Governor's accused killer makes unscheduled court appearance . Taseer had been an outspoken critic of Pakistan's blasphemy laws, which make it a crime to insult Islam or the Prophet Mohammad. He argued that in a country that's 98% Muslim, these laws are used to discriminate against minorites. That's dangerous talk in a nation increasingly swayed by a more conservative brand of Islam, and several clerics targeted Taseer as a blasphemer himself. Qadri confessed in court Monday that he killed Taseer because of his support to change the blasphemy laws. And that, Taseer's family says, is where his shooting diverges from Giffords'. Sara Taseer says, "The difference is in Pakistan, this is not a message just to my father or my family. This is a message to all liberal and progressive people to keep quiet, and scare and intimidate them." She says Giffords' shooting was an isolated incident, which has no chance of gaining popular support in the United States. "The impact is different. And the fear among the people. I'm sure in Arizona the general public is not feeling threatened, or not fearing that they can voice their views or openly condemn it. We are in a totally different situation. People who support us can lose their own lives." Shooting rampage suspect to make first court appearance . Another difference: even Giffords' political opponents publicly and forcefully condemned the man who shot her. The Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner went on TV to say, "An attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serve." But in Pakistan, even Taseer's supporters have been mostly silent: perhaps calling his loss a tragedy, but stopping short of criticizing the man who killed him. "It's because they fear for their lives," says Taseer's son Shehryar. "There's also been a warning issued [by clerics] against anyone who has any further vigils, and anyone who takes up the case of the governor and his family, their offices will be burned and their person killed." Shehryar says that was the real tragedy of his father's shooting: it's forcing liberals to stay quiet and hide. "I think they'll be hunted. Without a doubt in my mind I believe that." Taseer's shooter has been hailed as a hero by many conservative Muslims in Pakistan. He has been cheered, and showered with rose petals on his way into court. "That's ...it makes me sick. It makes me sick to my stomach," says Taseer's youngest daughter Shehrbano. "Some people genuinely believe this was 'the right thing' to have been done. That's the most scary and upsetting aspect of it. It's disgusting." Shehrbano graduated from college in Massachusetts, and now works as a journalist in Pakistan. She reserves some of her strongest criticism for Pakistan's legal system. "There were over 200 lawyers who went and put garlands and rose petals around my father's assassin's neck. And these men are the so-called vanguards of justice." Shehrbano has little to no faith that the Anti-Terrorism Court where Mumtaz Qadri is being tried will produce a fair result. "They have a sorry record of convictions. The investigation teams, they don't hand in enough evidence. The lawyers are scared. The judges are bribed. People are terrified of taking a stand." Now his family is looking back at the life of Salmaan Taseer, a businessman and governor of one of the most-populated provinces in the world. His widow Amna says, "When I started my marriage, he was arrested and put in a Lahore fort for four months. It was a very difficult period, but we made it through that. And it's kind of ended in such a dramatic way also. But on top of it all I say one thing: that he was a great father and even better husband." The family says privately, they've received thousands of messages, letters and visits to console them. Shehrbano says a Christian woman approached her after the assassination. "She told me 'Your father was all we had.'" They're also looking ahead, to what legacy Taseer leaves for the future. His daughter Shehrbano says, "I hope his passing doesn't mean that the room for debate is over. I believe there's room in the public sphere for moderates, for liberals. I really hope that this doesn't mean that debate in Pakistan is over." His son Shehryar says he refuses to back down from the causes his father stood for. "It's not a Taseer trait. Taseers are fighters. He believed in Pakistan too much to ever back down. In fact his last tweet was 'Even if I'm the last one standing, I'd still support it.'" And daughter Sara says, "He had a liberal and progressive and secular vision. And he ...this country needed him. This country needed people like him. The region needed people like him. The world, I think, needs people like him."

Taseer and Giffords were both gunned down . Taseer died while Giffords clings to life . Daughter says father's killing was message to liberals to keep quiet .

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(CNN) -- Facebook will soon be using your Web browsing to help decide which advertisements you see. A new Facebook system will use your activity on other websites to send you what Facebook thinks are ads about your current interests. Advertisers will, in effect, be bidding to get their ads in front of you. Here's an example: Say a Facebook user visits a travel website and clicks on a page about a vacation package to Las Vegas. If an advertiser has bid on that kind of search, that user could then see ads for discounted trips to Vegas the next time they visit Facebook. "By bidding on a specific impression rather than a larger group, advertisers are able to show people more relevant ads while also running more efficient and effective campaigns," a Facebook spokeswoman said in a written statement. The site announced the new system, called Facebook Exchange, to marketers last week. It's expected to begin rolling out in the next couple of weeks. Real-time bidding is already widely used across the Internet. In a blog post, Mike Stiles of Atlanta-based social marketing company Vitrue compared the feature to Google's Ad Words, which pushes an advertiser's ad in front of users when they search for a keyword that advertiser has chosen. "The underlying principle is that users want relevant ads, advertisers don't want to waste money on misguided ads, and Google wants both users and advertisers to be real happy so they'll come back again and again," he wrote. Currently, Facebook ads are targeted based on users' profiles and the companies or other pages they "like." Stiles writes that model will still be available for advertisers, but the new one should be more specific. Facebook noted that users will be able to opt out of Exchange by going to the site's About Ads page, by clicking on an "X" that appears on the ads themselves or by blocking cookies on their Web browser. The company statement said Facebook won't share any user data with the advertisers and that no advertising controls that users currently have will go away. How do you feel about Facebook targeting ads? Jim Anderson, Vitrue's chief operating officer, said the new system probably won't appear dramatically different to the typical Facebook user. "It's not going to be discernible to most consumers," he said. "Most people won't notice any difference or, to the degree they can discern a difference, it will be 'Wow ... this is more relevant to me.'' " And while the "real time" nature of the new system will enhance relevance, it won't be perfect, according to Anderson. "It's possible you might not be served an ad until after you took that trip to Vegas," he said, referring to the previous example. "But without this kind of targeting, you might be served an ad for a trip to Miami, which you weren't considering anyway." As Web giants like Facebook and Google get better at harvesting user activity, using Web searches for advertising is becoming increasingly popular. According to research firm International Data Corporation, more than $5 billion in online advertising is expected to go to real-time bidding ads in the United States in 2015. That's 27% of what's predicted to be spent, up from less than 10% last year. Facebook, of course, is increasingly under pressure to demonstrate a sustainable advertising model since its stock went public last month. Anderson predicts the site will continue to diversify how its ads work in the coming months. It's sometimes a tricky prospect. It was just revealed that Facebook settled a lawsuit last month by the state of California over its "Sponsored Stories" feature. According to reports, Facebook paid $10 million to charity after five users claimed the site broke California law when it used their posts in the feature without paying them.

Facebook Exchange will use Web browsing to target ads . Browser cookies will let advertisers hyper-focus their offers . Facebook says users may opt out of the ad model . "Real-time bidding" is already used by Google, others .

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(CNN) -- Proving that the Wii's motion-sensing controls weren't a fad, both Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect had strong holiday seasons, suggesting a growing appetite for active video games. Sony and Microsoft sold more than 4.1 million and 8 million units over the holidays, respectively, on the strength of titles like "Sports Champions" and "Dance Central." And as a host of new compatible offerings illustrate, both these and other manufacturers hope to further expand the market for gesture-tracking gaming systems throughout 2011 and beyond. Here's a look at what's coming in the months ahead. PlayStation Move . Like the Wii, the Move system features a wand-like controller that gamers wave about to control their avatars onscreen. Angling to entice hard-core players as well as casual game enthusiasts, Sony's upcoming 3D TV-enabled sci-fi shooter "Killzone 3" and military-themed blaster "SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs" both will feature PlayStation Move support. Each offers more intuitive aiming through physical gestures, and looks to make a case for how well this new tech can integrate with more die-hard gameplay experiences. Titles with a more mainstream focus like "MLB 11: The Show" (batting), "PlayStation Move Heroes" (arcade mini-games), "LittleBigPlanet 2" (platform hopping) and "Sorcery" (spell casting via a plastic wand) are also planned. And nearly 50 titles in all genres, from adventure to sports to downloadable PlayStation Network games and third-party outings such as "Time Crisis: Razing Storm," are now available for the Move. Kinect . Microsoft's hit system, which uses cameras to read players' full-body movements and translate them into action or sports games, will extend its immediate focus to a range of social applications. Announced at CES, the company's new Kinect Avatar service utilizes the hands-free controller to allow real-time mapping of facial movements onto a digital character. When you raise your eyebrow, so does your avatar. Up to eight virtual avatars, all reflecting their users' actual facial expressions, can hang out in virtual chat rooms -- including performance stages and other imaginative environments -- via Xbox Live. You can even record videos of their conversations. The Kinect also will feature such motion-controlled entertainment options as casual videoconferencing and, come spring, the ability to use hand gestures and voice commands to enjoy streaming video from Netflix and Hulu Plus. New upcoming titles for the Kinect, which cover a range of interests and play styles, include psychedelic shooter "Child of Eden," automotive epic "Forza Motorsport 4" and the humorous trivia game "You Don't Know Jack." Tablets, PCs and handheld 3-D . New gyroscope-equipped tablet PCs such as Motorola's Xoom, Acer's new Android slate and Apple's rumored iPad 2 also promise potential new ways to bring motion controls to handheld gaming. Expect more titles that, like some popular iPhone games, let you tilt to steer on-screen vehicles, pilot dogfighting planes or aim virtual cross hairs. Motion controls manufacturer Softkinetic also plans to offer controller-free games shortly through its proprietary "iisu" 3-D gesture-recognition technology. PC gamers can soon enjoy motion control capability outside of racing chairs and plastic putting simulators. Sixense's Hydra controller, which uses a magnetic field to detect your movements, is due in April, packaged with the popular puzzle game "Portal 2." The Nintendo 3DS, a handheld gaming system capable of producing three-dimensional special effects without the need for special glasses, will include touchscreen controls and dozens of custom games when it arrives March 27. From touch-sensing Android smartphones to gesture-tracking TV remotes and accessories like Nyko's Power Shot, which transforms the PlayStation Move into a plastic rifle, motion controls will be everywhere in 2011. What's next for these technologies appears to be a broader range of everyday uses that more inventively tap into the power of your own body -- the most intuitive controller of all.

Sony's PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Kinect systems had strong holiday seasons . Sales suggest a growing appetite for active video games with motion controls . Manufacturers are angling to entice hard-core players as well as casual game enthusiasts .

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(CNN) -- In nearly two thirds of Middle Eastern countries, there are more women than men in university, according to United Nations statistics. This is a giant step towards -- and in many cases beyond -- one of the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals: to eliminate gender disparity in all levels of education by 2015. While most women's rights campaigners welcome the progress in education, many are concerned it does not translate into greater equality in the workplace. "The gender gap has been closed in education in many Arab countries, which is a big achievement of recent years," said Dima Dabbous-Sensenig, Director of the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World at the Lebanese American University. "It's very recent," she added. "Even in the 1990s there was a big gender gap in education. However, there's a paradox that we have a lot of women getting a higher education and they are still too absent from the workforce and politics. "The idea that education is key to more women reaching positions of power has not materialized." In Lebanon, for example, women make up 54% of university students, but only 26% of the labor force and 8% of legislators, senior officials and managers, according to the United Nations Statistics Division. Qatar has the region's second highest percentage of women in higher education -- 63% of the university population, and 93% literacy among women. However, women make up just 12% of the labor force and only 7% of legislators, senior officials and managers, the same statistics show. In Europe and the United States, women also make up the majority of university graduates -- 60% according to the European Union and U.S. Department of Education. However, women made up 40.5% of the global labor force in 2008, according to International Labor Organization statistics. The factors driving young women to seek a university education are not also driving them into the workplace, Dabbous-Sensenig said. Also read: Saudi female entrepreneurs . "In some Gulf countries I think many women go to university to find a better husband or to fill time before they get married. "Lack of protection for women at work and harassment are among the factors that keep women out of the workplace." For others, university is a luxury unavailable to men who are expected to become breadwinners. "Some men can't go to higher education because they need to make money as soon as they leave school," said Dabbous-Sensenig. "Fewer men go on to masters degrees than women because it's too many years before they can start working." Nawar Al-Hassan Golley, Associate Professor in Literary Theory and Women's Studies at the American University of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, said both the high percentage of women in university and their absence from the workforce can be explained in the social upbringing of girls. "Girls and boys continue to be socialized very differently with different expectations," she said. "Boys have more personal freedoms to go outside the home, whereas girls continue to be socialized within the home. "Therefore, for many girls school is their only opportunity to make friends and socialize outside the family, so it is something they look forward to. "Boys have more freedoms outside of school and see school as somewhere with unnecessary discipline. This may make boys more likely to drop out of school than girls." This pattern continues at university, said Al-Hassan Golley. "Girls tend to be brought up to be wives and mothers and the majority of girls in the United Arab Emirates marry straight after graduation," she said. "So university is something they look forward to as their last few years of freedom before they are restricted by family life. "For boys there are more temptations as they can get jobs such as in the military or police that are well paid without having to go through an academically challenging degree." While the high numbers of women getting a good education has not yet translated into parity in the workforce, it is a step in the right direction, both women agree. Also on Inside the Middle East: The film director who's not allowed to go to the movies . "I believe that things will change gradually," said Dabbous-Sensenig. "The more women are highly educated, some of them will become motivated, independent young women who will get good jobs. Thirty years ago they didn't have that option." Al-Hassan Golley added: "I think it will take a long time before women break through these cultural and societal expectations. "At my university we have a Women's Studies program that discusses these issues and helps challenge these expectations and students respond very positively to them." Follow the Inside the Middle East team on Twitter: Presenter Rima Maktabi: @rimamaktabi, producer Jon Jensen: @jonjensen, producer Schams Elwazer @SchamsCNN and writer Catriona Davies @catrionadavies .

Women make up majority of university population in two thirds of Middle Eastern countries . Despite high level of education, women are still under-represented in labor force . Disparity is caused by society's expectations and upbringing of girls, according to academics .

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Washington (CNN) -- The State Department's former point man on security in Libya told a congressional hearing Wednesday that his superiors worked against him as he tried to get more help for the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi in the months before it was overrun in a deadly terror attack. Eric Nordstrom, the one-time regional security officer, told the House Oversight Committee that he had a disheartening conversation with the regional director of the agency's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs when he requested additional manpower for the facility. "I said, 'Jim, you know what makes it most frustrating about this assignment? It's not the hardships. It's not the gunfire. It's not the threats. It's dealing and fighting against the people, programs, and personnel who are supposed to be supporting me," Nordstrom said. He also told the State Department officer, "'For me, the Taliban is on the inside of the building." That bombshell ended a contentious hearing during which two State Department officials defended the Obama administration's handling of the September 11 attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. What we know about the Libya attack . Benghazi has become a flashpoint in the presidential campaign with Republican Mitt Romney saying the attack illustrates that President Barack Obama's policies have made America less influential and more vulnerable around the world. Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy responded to suggestions the State Department was responsible for a lack of preparedness. "We regularly assess risk and resource allocation, a process involving the considered judgments of experienced professionals on the ground and in Washington, using the best available information," Kennedy said. The assault on the U.S. compound was "an unprecedented attack by dozens of heavily armed men," Kennedy said. His colleague, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Programs Charlene Lamb, added that the State Department "had the correct number of assets in Benghazi at the time," drawing a sharp rebuke from committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California. "To start off by saying you had the correct number, and our ambassador and three other individuals are dead, and people are in the hospital recovering because it only took moments to breach that facility somehow doesn't seem to ring true to the American people," Issa said. Republican committee members and the State Department officials went back and forth about the appropriate number of people needed to provide security at the vulnerable Benghazi location. Various communications dating back nearly a year asked for anywhere from three to five diplomatic security special agents. As the four-hour hearing drew to a close, Nordstrom divulged he had verbally asked for significantly more help -- 12 agents -- but the officer from the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs had rebuffed his request. "His response to that was, 'You're asking for the sun, moon, and the stars,'" Nordstrom said. That attitude made the Benghazi incident predictable, according to Nordstrom, who left Libya in July and continues to work at the State Department for diplomatic security. "For me and my staff, it was abundantly clear that we were not going to get resources until the aftermath of an incident. And the question that we were to ask again is, 'How thin does the ice have to get before someone falls through?'" Five special agents were in Benghazi at the time of the attack, Issa said. Two of them only happened to be there only because they had traveled with Stevens from Tripoli, Lamb said. "The post had agreed that three was a sufficient number to have on the ground." Lamb said. But Lt. Col. Andrew Wood, a Utah National Guardsman who was a site security commander in Libya from February through August, testified that the regional security officer -- it was unclear if he was talking about Nordstrom -- tried to obtain additional personnel, but "was never able to attain the numbers he felt comfortable with." "The security in Benghazi was a struggle and remained a struggle throughout my time there," Wood said. "Diplomatic security remained weak. In April, there was only one U.S. diplomatic security agent there." U.S. official sought more security for Benghazi post . State Department officials also responded to allegations by Republicans that the Obama administration intentionally misled the public about the cause of the attack. Critics accuse the administration of trying to cover up or play down the attack through initial statements that described it as a spontaneous act stemming from protests over an anti-Muslim film rather than a planned terrorist assault. "We have always made clear that we are giving the best information we have at the time. And that information has evolved," Kennedy said, citing remarks by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice on September 16 that critics alleged were deceptive. "For example, if any administration official, including any career official, were on television on Sunday, September 16, they would have said what Ambassador Rice said. The information she had at that point from the intelligence community is the same that I had at that point. Clearly, we know more about today than what we did." While congressmen from both parties agreed that security at overseas U.S. diplomatic posts is crucial, and they expressed hope for a bipartisan solution, several times during the hearing the dialogue devolved into rancorous comments back and forth. The assault in Benghazi occurred 11 years to the day after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Kennedy said the fullest picture of proper security and procedures will not be fully clear until a review board appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and including former Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen is completed. State Department officials: Benghazi attack 'unprecedented' Democrats had accused Issa of planning a partisan, election-year hearing, a similar allegation leveled against the panel for its past investigations of the botched "Fast and Furious" gun-running program and the failed Solyndra clean energy company that received government loan guarantees. On Tuesday, two senior State Department officials provided reporters with the most detailed explanation yet of the attack in Benghazi, saying on a conference call that there was no prior indication such an assault was imminent. The officials, who briefed reporters on condition of not being identified by name, said there was "nothing unusual" throughout the day of the attack. What Obama administration has said about Libya attack . Stevens held an evening meeting with a Turkish diplomat and then retired to his room in one of the compound's buildings at 9 p.m., according to the officials. The first sign of a problem came 40 minutes later, when diplomatic security agents heard loud talking outside the compound, along with gunfire and explosions. Asked whether the attack was a spontaneous assault taking advantage of a demonstration, as originally asserted by Obama administration officials, one senior official said, "That was not our conclusion." The two senior officials offered riveting detail of the attack by what one of them described as "dozens of armed men" who marauded from building to building and later fired mortars on a U.S. annex less than a mile away. In the havoc at the four-building compound, Stevens and two of his security personnel took refuge in a fortified room that the attackers were able to penetrate, one official said. The attackers doused the building with diesel fuel and set it ablaze and the three men decided to leave the safe haven and move to a bathroom to be able to breathe, according to the official. Stevens became separated from the security personnel in the chaos and smoke, and eventually turned up at a Benghazi hospital, where he was declared dead. Romney knew ex-SEAL slain in Benghazi . CNN's Jill Dougherty, Elise Labott and Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

NEW: Ex-regional security officer in Libya says people whose support he needed fought against him . Congressional hearing debates whether 'correct' amount of security was in place at Benghazi mission . September 11 attack killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans . Obama administration changed its description of event from a protest gone awry to a terror attack .

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(CNN) -- Selena Gomez is ready to show off a new side. She's starred in a TV movie sequel to her hit Disney series, "Wizards of Waverly Place," and the edgy, R-rated drama, "Spring Breakers," and this month the former teen queen is celebrating her 21st birthday, releasing her fourth studio album and rehearsing for her first arena tour. With the release of her new LP, "Stars Dance," the world is getting a glimpse of a more adult Gomez. CNN sat down with the multi-hyphenate on the morning of her birthday, and she opened up about how much she's grown since leaving teendom behind. "The past year and a half has been really transitional for me, just personally, as well as transitioning into becoming a woman," she said. "I still feel like I'm 15 sometimes and then other times, I'm wanting to feel comfortable in my body and my skin." For this album, Gomez drew inspiration from her favorite pop star, Britney Spears, as well as from her good friend Taylor Swift for a more mature sound. The former "Mouse House" starlet revealed she is most proud of this album because it is the first time she was able to dedicate herself fully to her music. "I was able to have full creative control over it. Before, I would have maybe a month or two to record an album, and I'd have to do my series at the same time and tour on the weekends. I wasn't in the right mindset to fully give my all." Gomez began acting professionally at a young age, nabbing roles in children's programs such as "Barney and Friends." As more former child stars are seen heading down dark and destructive paths, Gomez has always made a conscious effort to keep from falling down the same rabbit hole. The secret? It all comes down to the company you keep. "I truly believe that you are who you surround yourself with. To me, it's that easy. I have a great family, I have great friends, and my mom is like my mama bear. She's the one that's going to tell me 'no' when everyone around me says 'yes.' It's a good thing to have a tight group that will keep you in check." "Stars Dance" is a very personal album, Gomez said. Expectations for the disc are high, following three Top 10 debuts from her previous albums. "Come and Get It" marked Gomez's first single to break into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. With a 64-date arena tour on the horizon, the performer is determined to strike while the iron's hot. "I really just want to give it my all. I've never been this tired. Dancing so much, singing constantly, just getting it tight. We want the show to be really big. I want it to be big, but in a grand way, just having my dancers and just bringing it to life." Despite her hectic schedule and speculation about whether she'll rekindle her relationship with Justin Bieber, Gomez said she has no plans for a break in the near future. In fact, it may not be long before fans will be treated to album No. 5. "I'm already in the studio now. I actually started working on new stuff and creating a whole fun, different vibe. It's constantly evolving. I'm super-stoked with where this is, and hopefully it will continue to just get better."

Selena Gomez has high hopes for new album, "Stars Dance" The former Disney star says she's become a woman . Gomez is already recording new songs for her next album .

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Barcelona, Spain (CNN) -- Not content with revolutionizing smart phones, mobile apps now appear to be in the driving seat of the auto industry as manufacturers increasingly surrender control of their vehicles to technology. Signs of the increasing dominance of the app came on Monday with Ford's decision to launch its newest B-Max compact at Mobile World Congress -- a phone industry gathering in Barcelona -- rather than a motor show. Read more: Powerful camera phone unveiled . Bill Ford, the U.S. auto giant's executive chairman, told CNN his company chose the event to debut its tech-filled car as a statement of its intention to work with app developers in shaping the vehicles of the future. The B-Max is the first car in Europe to feature SYNC, a voice-recognition system developed by Ford and already available in some U.S. cars. The system links audio, phone and GPS systems and will also call emergency services in the event of a crash. The increasing dependence of vehicles on computers has raised concerns that manufacturers are trading technology for safety, exposing drivers to hazardous distractions and malicious hackers. But Ford, the great grandson of Henry Ford, insisted SYNC would "allow drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the steering wheel," and said his company was working with app makers to further improve security. "Today, often, drivers are looking down and we know that they're playing with their cell phone and texting and we want to stop all that," he told CNN. "We want them to be looking at the road with their hands on the wheel, and our tech is allowing them to do that, knowing they also want to be connected." Ford said his firm's current crop of hi-tech cars were capable of utilizing offboard "cloud computing" to expand their abilities, performing tasks like directing drivers to the nearest coffee shops, checking their health and keeping tabs on their daily diary. He acknowledged this raised the prospect of potential breaches that could put valuable personal data in the hands of criminals but said the technology was currently being rolled out on an "opt-in, opt-out" basis. The carmaker said the B-Max would eventually run its AppLink system, which will add control of smartphone apps to voice-operated commands. Among currently available apps are programs that read out Twitter updates and pick and choose radio stations. More functions will follow as it partners with app developers, the company said in a statement. "Ford aims to deliver voice-control compatibility with apps for a wide range of services, and is now actively seeking to partner with app developers on future opportunities," it said in a statement. Ford hopes the B-Max, which goes on sale in Europe later this year, will help expand its current 4 million U.S. SYNC users to 13 million worldwide by 2015. It says the car should appeal to drivers previously priced out of the hi-tech market. "The all-new B-MAX is going to be a game-changer in the European compact family vehicle segment. No other vehicle in its class offers such an attractive combination of style, versatility and technology," Ford Europe's chairman and CEO Stephen Odell said in a statement. "We think it will be among the most technologically advanced small cars you can buy at any price." Barry Neild contributed to this story from London.

Ford chooses to launch compact car at mobile phone event rather than a motor show . B-Max features Ford's latest voice-activated technology . Ford says it wants to work with app developers in shaping its future vehicles .

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(CNN) -- Three people died Tuesday in an explosion in the Turkish capital Ankara, in what may have been a terror attack, Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin told CNN sister network CNN Turk. "There was a powerful explosion in a car that was parked," the minister said, citing preliminary information. "The possibility that it was a terrorist attack is high." He said it was also possible that a gas explosion had caused the blast, "though that is a weak possibility." The explosion shook a crowded street in the center of Ankara, damaging vehicles and buildings on Kumrular Street near the Kizilay metro station, the official Anatolia news agency reported. An eyewitness described the scene as "terrible" and "very chaotic." "Cars were exploding. Pieces were spreading around. We were terrified," the unnamed witness told CNN Turk. Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay said earlier there were no deaths, but 15 people were wounded, Anatolia reported. Ankara governor Alaaddin Yuksel said officials, including police and a prosecutor, were investigating the cause of the blast. He said many cars were parked on the street with garbage bags under them at the time of the explosion. Five people are in surgery, he added. An emergency services doctor at Numune Hospital in Ankara said 10 injured people were brought to the hospital. One was in intensive care, one was in the burn unit and the other eight have light injuries, said the doctor. None of the injuries are life-threatening, said the doctor, who did not give a name. Doctors in state hospitals are not allowed to speak to the media. The explosion took place in front of the Cankaya municipal building, local official Bulent Tanik said on Turkish television. He cited eyewitnesses as saying a burning gas tank had been thrown out a window onto the street. Police have sealed off the street, Anatolia reported. --CNN's Yesim Comert and Talia Kayali contributed to this report.

NEW: A car explodes in central Ankara, the interior minister says . NEW: The possibility that it was a terror attack is high, he says . Wounded people are taken to nearby hospitals .

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(CNN) -- The trial of Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius, charged with murder in the death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, will begin in March 2014, his attorney Kenny Oldwage told CNN on Sunday. The first phase will take place in March, but the entire trial could take place at various times across a year or more due to potential motions and postponements along the way. Pistorius will be served with an indictment Monday following the completion of the investigation. It's the day that would have been Steenkamp's 30th birthday. Pistorius is charged with premeditated murder over the February shooting death. The double amputee track star killed the woman he calls the love of his life on Valentine's Day in his home. He says he mistook her for a home invader. The police investigation team "is convinced that the accused has a charge to answer," a police statement said. The athlete's family said in June that he would resume running using his blade-shaped prosthetic legs. Pistorius has started sprinting again for the sake of his emotional health, not for training to compete again, the family said. Steenkamp's uncle: I forgive Oscar Pistorious .

The trial of Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius will begin in March 2014, his attorney says . Pistorius will appear in court Monday to be served with indictment . Monday would have been Reeva Steenkamp's 30th birthday . Pistorius says he mistook her for a home invader when he shot her in February .

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(CNN) -- A cargo train derailed and crashed into homes Sunday in a sprawling Kenyan slum, the Red Cross said. Rescue efforts are under way to free residents trapped in damaged homes in the capital city of Nairobi, the agency said. At least five people were transported to a local hospital, Red Cross said on its Twitter page. Kibera -- one of Africa's largest slums -- is filled with rows of homes made from a mixture of mud, tin, wood and concrete. A railway passes through the neighborhood. The settlement is home to hundreds of thousands. CNN's Christabelle Fombu contributed to this report .

NEW: At least five people are taken to a local hospital . NEW: Rescue efforts are under way to free trapped residents . Kibera is one of Africa's largest slums . A railway passes through the neighborhood .

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(CNN) -- It's crazy golf on an insane scale -- a putting green swimming in a giant bowl of noodles and chopsticks, the Great Wall of China for a hazard, a fairway threading through Mayan ruins and a panda-themed hole. China is getting into golf in a big way ahead of the sport's reintroduction to the Olympics in 2016, and even its take on the mini version of the game is larger than life. "Traditionalists will probably hate it," says design guru Brian Curley, principal partner in Schmidt-Curley, the company behind the 22 courses that make up the Mission Hills complex in Hainan Island. "But this is real golf, with real clubs on real fairways," he told CNN. Just about everyone has tried their hand at crazy or mini-golf, a scale-down variant of the game which has the ability to delight and infuriate in equal measure. Usually situated at seaside resorts or other leisure locations, the prerequisites for success are a modicum of actual golfing skill, the ability to putt in a straight line or at unlikely angles off prominent obstacles -- and a large slice of luck. President Barack Obama, who takes every opportunity to hit the fairways when not leading the Western world, even tried his hand at crazy golf while on holiday with his family in Florida in 2010. Making a par on his opening hole, he then had to watch as his nine-year-old daugher Sasha made a hole in one, besting her dad in front of the gathered ranks of the world's media. Obama might well be tempted to put his handicap on the line at the ground-breaking new course being constructed at Curley's Mission Hills Haikou development. Combining the wacky elements of mini-golf with the "grown-up" version of the game, the proposed 18-hole layout would leave little chance of aces by nine-year-olds -- but still plenty of chances of humiliation for the average golfer. Fantasy golf . Mindful of the impression that there is a "sameness" to the courses being churned out in their droves in the fastest expanding golf market in the world, Curley and his team wanted to come up with something that he felt would appeal to the wider Chinese public and other visitors to the resort. So instead of bunkers, rough and trees, the players will be faced with a replica of the Great Wall of China winding its way the length of a 400-meter par four hole. It also has a hole to rival the infamous "island green" seen at TPC Sawgrass in Florida, home of the the U.S. PGA Tour's Players Championship. That tricky 17th sees the best in the world attempt to hit their ball onto a tiny green surrounded by water, and spectators delight in seeing the likes of Tiger Woods find the lake. At Mission Hills' new course, set to open in 2014, the water is replaced by an 80-meter wide noodle bowl with 50-meter giant chopsticks. Standing on the tee, players will not know whether to laugh or cry, and the degree of difficulty may not end there. Tiger Woods eyes long rivalry with McIlroy . Wind machine . Curley is promising the addition of "man made" gale force winds on each tee, adjustable depending on the standards of the players and available by hitting a red button. There is a par-5 threading its way through Mayan ruins, while another green is created in the image of the "Birds Nest" Olympic Stadium in Beijing. Another hole is styled after China's favorite animal, the panda bear. On a conventional golf course, the degree of difficulty is often dictated by which tee the player chooses to play from. Leading professionals play from the tees furthest from the hole, while higher handicappers can opt to hit their first shot from much closer. On the Chinese fantasy course, one of the par-3s will give golfers the choice of hitting their ball onto a tiny green surrounded by lava rocks. In true mini-golf fashion, the other easier option at the volcano theme hole will let players hit towards a mound from which the ball will be whisked nearer the hole down a pipe. Curley and his team needed the permission of the owners of the complex before committing to the costly project, but Mission Hills' chairman Dr. Ken Chu is an enthusiastic backer. "This will be a fun alternative for families, novices and children on holiday," he was quoted in the Asian edition of Golf Course Industry International. Only time will tell if Chu's faith in the project proves founded, but the Mission Hills group has already established itself as a host venue of leading professional tournaments. Last year the Hainan Island development staged the World Cup teams event for the first time, taking over from the Mission Hills complex at Shenzhen. This year Shenzhen was the venue of the prestigious HSBC-World Golf Championship event, won by Englishman Ian Poulter. The Ryder Cup hero conquered the conventional bunker-bound Olazabal course in 21 under par, but knowing Poulter's reputation as a golfing trendsetter, he will probably be itching to test his mettle on Curley's new wacky creation at the first opportunity. Schwartzel triumphs at Alfred Dunhill .

Ground-breaking new golf course under construction at Mission Hills in China . It will incorporate traditional golf with aspects of crazy or mini golf . One of the holes has an 80-meter wide noodle bowl and giant chop sticks . Designers believe it could spark a new trend in China and wider market .

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(CNN) -- His girlfriend Lindsey Vonn thinks he's "dorky," but what does Tiger Woods think? "I guess so. My teammates used to call me 'Urkel' back in college," Woods told CNN's Rachel Nichols in an exclusive interview ahead of his appearance at the Turkish Airlines Open this weekend. Like the bespectacled character from 90s sitcom, "Family Matters," Woods freely admits to having a "nerdy side" but his attraction to Olympic skiing champion Vonn, who also described him as "funny" and "a great guy" in a recent interview, has far more to do with mutual passions. "I like to have fun. I enjoy life. I'm very competitive. I think that's why we get along so well," Woods said. The pair, who went public with their relationship in March, also share an understanding of the physical demands of top athletes, although Woods concedes golf isn't exactly littered with glorious physical specimens. Read more: Vonn puts comeback on ice . "I think we understand the work ethic that it takes. It's two totally different training regimes because she's got to spend so much time on leg development and core development and time on the bike that we don't have to. Looking at some of the guys on tour, they've got huge guts and can't breathe when they go up to tee boxes but they can still win golf tournaments," Woods said. "In her sport, unless you're feeling close to 100% you are not going to win. So it's very different." Return to fitness and form . Woods famously won the U.S. Open in 2008 (his last major triumph) playing through the pain barrier of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and a double stress fracture of his tibia, and injuries (knees, Achilles and elbow) have dogged him since. But barring the withdrawal from the AT&T National at Congressional in June, 2013 has been kinder physically, enabling the Tiger of old to re-emerge more regularly. Read more: Woods dropped by EA Sports . "I knew I could get back, but I had to get healthy first. I couldn't practice unless I got healthy. And in order to play tournaments you gotta practice," he says. Enlisting the help of swing coach Sean Foley in 2011 has also paid dividends creating more consistency in his game, he says. "I've won eight times these last two years, so I'm very proud of that." Major frustration . There is, however, the small matter of Woods' continuing failure to make an impact on the biggest stage -- Woods remains stuck on 14 major titles, four short of Jack Nicklaus' record of 18. It's a frustration, admits Woods, after being in contention at two majors this year. For once, his feted accuracy landed him in trouble during the second round of the Masters in April. While tied for the lead, Woods' third shot to Augusta's par-five 15th hit the flagstick before ricocheting back into the water. After taking a drop -- in the wrong place as it later transpired -- Woods ended up with a triple-bogey eight and eventually finished in a tie for fourth. Woods felt the same sense of lost momentum three months later at Muirfield. "At the British Open on Saturday at the 17th I just spun one up in the air and it ended up in the bunker. I blasted out made bogey, Lee (Westwood) made birdie so there was a big shift there. I've been there with chances to win at the weekend, I just haven't done it yet," he said. Time, insists the 37-year-old, is still on his side. "A lot of golfers peak in their 30s. You start eliminating mistakes as you get older. I might not bomb it as far, but strategic awareness improves. You understand how to attack the golf course and that's why there are so many great players -- (Ben) Hogan for instance, won most of his majors at my age and over. "For Jack (Nicklaus) it took him until he was 46 ... You are going to have your years when you play really well -- you may clip two or three -- and then you have years when you just don't win anything -- you are there, you just don't happen to win," he said. "Quite frankly, since 2008, I've been there with a chance to win about a half of them. I just haven't seemed to have won one." Rules of the game . Woods may have enjoyed his most successful season since 2009, but not everyone has been pleased with his progress. Last month, golf journalist Brandel Chamblee awarded Woods a grade "F" for his 2013 labors, noting provocatively that he had been "a little cavalier with the rules" -- a reference to four rules violations this year including the controversial two-shot penalty at Augusta. Woods' agent Mark Steinberg raged on his behalf calling the slur "shameless" and "baseless," before Chamblee offered an apology of sorts via Twitter. The constant scrutiny has become par for the course for Woods who says its just the nature of 21st century media landscape. "It's a new world for everyone because it's a 24-hour news cycle. Everyone has outlets via blogs, the Internet has changed everything in how our sport is looked upon." 'Watermelon guy' Woods takes refuge in practice, "hanging out with my boys" at the Medalist Golf Club near his home in Florida and focusing on his children: six-year-old daughter Sam and son Charlie who turned four this year. "It was pretty neat that he was at Akron (WGC-Bridgestone International in August) when I won this year. It's the first time he's seen me win a golf tournament. It was thrilling for me and he got pretty excited. "He's been out on a golf course with me (before), but he's never seen people following me playing. So that was a little bit different -- he was a little bit nervous about that because obviously it's a different type of crowd. It was a little bit shocking to him and he also loved it at the same time." Much like his late father Earl, Woods is taking pride in watching his kids as they take their first, less public strides onto the sports field. "I don't yell at them when they play T-ball or soccer. I just watch, support and let the coaches coach. "Lately, I've been the watermelon guy -- so if they need a little bit of sugar, get a little tired they will come over and say: 'do you have any watermelon?' Other than that, I just watch and to me that's just a thrill."

Tiger Woods speaks to CNN's Rachel Nichols about match-up with Lindsey Vonn and kids . World No.1 has completed most successful year since 2009 winning five PGA Tour titles . Woods frustrated at lack major wins but hopes to emulate Ben Hogan's late career success .

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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's foremost aviation showcase celebrates its 60th anniversary this year. The Spitfire is one of the aircraft from Farnborough's inaugural show getting airborne once again to celebrate the airshow's 60th year. The 46th Farnborough International Airshow will commemorate the first show ever held in 1948 at this year's event in Hampshire which runs from July 14 to 20. "As we look back on the past 60 years, we also are excited to continue looking forward to the next 60 years," said John Cairns, Head of Services at Farnborough International Limited (FIL) which runs the biennial airshow. To mark the occasion, Farnborough's world-renowned flying display will include aircraft which flew at the first show like the Swordfish, Spitfire, Sea Hawk and Sea Fury. Adding a modern twist to the mix will be the debut of The Blades, the world's only globally accredited aerobatic airline. The airshow was first established as a way for the British public to see and learn about the best of aviation. Staying true to its original purpose, on both Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July -- Farnborough's "public weekend" -- there will be a four-and-a-half-hour flying display. Highlights include perennial favourites the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatic team who will close the show with their aerial gymnastics, as well as the debut of the Aero Sekur Shooting Stars, an Italian ladies' parachute team who will be providing daily skydiving displays. "Farnborough, in essence, has always been about innovation, and I am delighted that to a long line of distinguished 'Farnborough Firsts' I am able to add some very worthy new firsts, including the first ever women's parachute team to appear at the Airshow; the world's first aerobatic airline and the first business aviation jet to have been developed at Farnborough," continued Cairns. As well as displaying aircraft for the public, Farnborough has also established itself as one of the world's premier showcases for the aviation business world. This year, 1,500 companies from 35 countries as diverse as Colombia and Bahrain will be exhibiting planes and other technologies in a show that is predicted to be Farnborough's biggest to date. On the trade days which run from Monday 14 to Friday 18 July, business attendees will be able to see the world's latest aerospace innovations in the air. A full range of civil, business and defence aircraft will take part in flying displays. These include the Airbus AB380; HAL helicopters; the Kestrel JP10 (originally conceived at Farnborough airfield); the MiG 29; the EADS Eurofighter; the F 16 and F18; the MB 346; the AB 609; MB 311. In 2006, Farnborough trade week accumulated $42 billion worth of orders including $550 million in business aviation orders. The Airbus A380 also made its UK debut at Farnborough that year. "Our intention has always been to build on the success of the 2006 event, and to ensure that this year's show delivers an incomparable business service for our exhibitors and their customers, ensuring that they can gain maximum benefit and opportunity from attending Farnborough Airshow -- whether that is taking orders, making sales or developing new business," said Amanda Stainer, the Airshow's Exhibition and Events Director. To find out more about Farnborough International Airshow go to: www.farnborough.com/ .

Farnborough International Airshow celebrates its 60th year in 2008 . Flying displays will include Spitfire and Sea Hawk planes which first flew in 1948 . Aerospace industry will be represented by 1,500 companies from 25 countries . Professionals will be able to see the MiG 29 and the F 16 fighter jets in the air .

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(CNN) -- Japan's parliament elected Yoshihiko Noda as the country's new prime minister Tuesday, making him the country's sixth new leader in five years. Noda won 308 out of 476 possible votes. The prime minister-elect will officially take over his new post after a ceremonial endorsement by Japan's emperor, which is expected to happen Wednesday. Ahead of the vote, former Prime Minister Naoto Kan officially submitted his resignation, as did his Cabinet, clearing the way for Noda's election. The Democratic Party of Japan, the country's ruling party, picked Noda as its new leader on Monday. He served as finance minister in Kan's cabinet. In his first speech as party leader, Noda called for party unity to tackle Japan's massive problems. "Running Japan's government is like pushing a giant snowball up a snowy, slippery hill," he said Sunday. "In times like this, we can't say, 'I don't like this person,' or 'I don't like that person.' The snowball will slide down." On Friday, Prime Minister Kan announced that he would resign. His approval rating had tumbled following the devastating March earthquake and tsunami that triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl as reactor cores overheated and spewed radioactive material into surrounding areas. An observer of Japan's revolving door of prime ministers said the country's political problems are weighing down one of the world's largest economies. Japanese politicians lack spine and public support, said Keith Henry of the Tokyo-based Asia Strategy, a government policy consulting firm. "They've got to turn the ship around 180 degrees," Henry said. "Until they see an iceberg, they're not going to do it." Japan is facing a massive reconstruction program in the region devastated by the tsunami, an ongoing nuclear energy crisis and unaddressed problems in the economy. Noda, a fiscal conservative, has pledged to raise taxes and would like to privatize state assets. Last week, the credit rating agency Moody's downgraded Japan to an Aa3 rating from Aa2, blaming the country's huge deficit and frequent changes in administration that have prevented the government from implementing long-term economic policies. The CIA World Factbook puts the government debt at more than 200% of the GDP. CNN's Kyung Lah contributed to this report.

NEW: Yoshihiko Noda comes to power after serving as finance minister . NEW: Noda officials becomes prime minister after endorsement by the emperor . In his first speech as party leader, Noda calls for unity . Japan's political problems are weighing down its economy, an analyst says .

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Washington (CNN) -- A super PAC backed by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch is dropping $6.5 million into six competitive Senate races in a final ad push to send Republican candidates to the upper chamber. The television ads, which will air in Alaska, Arkansas, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire, link Democratic candidates in each race to President Barack Obama, reinforcing Republican messaging throughout the 2014 midterm season that has pushed the Democratic candidates in each of those states to keep their distance from the President. Local residents are the face of ads in the six states, saying either "there are lots of reasons" or "there are many reasons" why the Democrat doesn't deserve their vote. And the voters go on to say in similar form that, "A vote for [insert Democratic candidate here] is a vote for President Obama." The ads also close by directly endorsing the Republican candidate for Senate in each race, a push not seen from groups in the Koch political network before 2014. That's because Freedom Partners Action Fund is the first super PAC in the Koch's web of political groups that can do so under campaign laws. And while super PACs, unlike nonprofit issues groups, are required to disclose their donors, super PACs can also directly support individual candidates. The group was founded in June and the Koch Brothers donated more than $4 million to Freedom Partners Action Fund, according to the group's October quarterly disclosure with the Federal Elections Commission. The super PAC has also launched ads in several congressional districts in the last week and plans to push additional ads in key states before the election is over. "We'll launch additional ads, it's just for these states these are kind of our close out messages," the group's spokesman James Davis said. Dana Bash contributed to this report.

The ads will air in Alaska, Arkansas, North Carolina, Colorado, Iowa and New Hampshire . The ads follow a similar formula attaching the Democrat to President Barack Obama . The group behind the ad is Freedom Partners Action Fund .

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(CNN) -- Park Ji-sung headed a second half winner as Manchester United beat bitter rivals Liverpool 2-1 to reclaim top spot in the English Premier League on Sunday. Spanish international striker Fernando Torres gave Liverpool a shock fifth-minute lead at Old Trafford, but Wayne Rooney quickly equalized from the penalty spot. The goal came in controversial circumstances with Javier Mascherano's foul on Antonio Valencia appearing to start outside the area. Rooney's initial spotkick was saved by Pepe Reina, but the England striker continued his rich scoring vein by hitting home the rebound in the 12th minute. In a second half of few openings, South Korean star Park dived to power home the winner on the hour mark from man of the match Darren Fletcher's superb cross. Torres, who had started and finished the move to put Liverpool ahead, fluffed a great chance to equalize in the the last minute, but his shot ballooned high and Yossi Benayoun could only head it straight at Edwin van der Sar. The win takes United two points clear of Arsenal on 69 points after 31 games. Third-placed Chelsea were later held to a 1-1 draw at Blackburn to be four points adrift, but with a game in hand. It was another setback for Chelsea, who were knocked out of the Champions League by Inter Milan in midweek. Didier Drogba gave Carlo Ancelotti's men an early lead at Ewood Park as he neatly converted Nicolas Anelka's cross, but they were unable to press home their advantage. El-Hadji Diouf equalized for the home side in the 70th minute when he rose above Paulo Ferreira to cleverly direct Michel Salgado's cross past Petr Cech. Fletcher claimed their earlier victory over Liverpool, who are battling with Tottenham, Manchester City and Aston Villa for the final Champions League spot, had put the pressure on Chelsea. "The team that puts the most consistent run to the end of the season will probably be the champions," Fletcher told Sky Sports. United's city rivals Manchester City also enjoyed a crucial 2-1 win on Sunday as they beat Fulham at Craven Cotage. Fulham were feeling the effects of their famous win over Juventus in midweek and fell behind to first half goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez, who starred for the visitors. Fulham captain Danny Murphy pulled one back from the spot in the 75th minute but they could not force an equalizer. City move above Liverpool into fifth place, two points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham, but with a game in hand.

Park Ji-sung heads a second half winner to give Manchester United 2-1 win . Fernando Torres puts Liverpool ahead with Wayne Rooney leveling from spot . Victory sees United reclaim top spot in the English Premier League . NEW: Chelsea held 1-1 at Blackburn and are four points adrift with a game in hand .

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For years, retired Air Force Col. John Leech has had no desire to return to the Pentagon. Retired Col. John Leech narrowly escaped death at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Leech narrowly escaped death September 11, 2001, when a hijacked American Airlines jetliner hit the building. He will attend Thursday's dedication of the Pentagon memorial honoring the 184 people killed in the terror attack. In an earlier visit to the memorial, Leech left a note for his friend Navy Capt. Jack Punches: "Thanks Jack for serving and dying for our nation." Leech could barely contain his sadness recently as he watched a Department of Defense videotape showing the burned interior of the area in the building where he was that fateful morning. "Wow. My God. ... It makes you weak in the knees to see these pictures," Leech said. Leech, 54, recently took CNN into an office not far from the conference room where he was that morning. He has avoided touring the building since the attack but finally decided he was ready to "re-engage" with the past. In 2001, Leech was working as a Defense Department liaison officer to the White House Drug Policy office. He worked primarily out of the White House but attended meetings at the Pentagon every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Watch as he returns to the crash site » . As he walked the now-renovated halls where he spent the morning of September 11, he recalled the horror of the day. The shock, he said, was indescribable. "It hit with such force. I had never experienced anything like it in my life. It rattled you right down to the bone," Leech said. Flight 77 slammed into the west wall of the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. ET. Among the 184 people killed in the building and on the plane were a 3-year-old girl and a 71-year-old retired Navy captain, the youngest and oldest victims, who were both passengers on Flight 77. A closer look at the new Pentagon memorial » . Several people were killed or severely burned not far from where Leech took cover. He remembers people screaming, "bloodcurdling screams." "I was so lucky. ... It was almost like we were in a protective cocoon," Leech recalled. "I mean, I inhaled a lot of jet fuel vapors, and I got dusted up, but that was the extent of my injuries." The married father of a 26-year-old woman remembers snaking his way outside the burning building, where in a stupor he noticed a comb that appeared to belong to a small child. "A little girl's comb that was untouched. It was not scorched; it didn't have smut on it," Leech remembered. "It was a pristine red comb sitting off the side, and next to it was a tattered suitcase, and I can remember looking at that and thinking, who did that belong to? What little girl did that belong to?" Leech served 28 years in the military and now works for the Department of Homeland Security but hopes to return one day to the Defense Department. Seven years after that horrible day, Leech visited the chapel at the new Pentagon Memorial, a two-acre park, which opens to the public Thursday. It was built at the spot where Flight 77 plowed into the Pentagon and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Thumbing through a condolence book in the chapel, he found the friend whom he was with that day, Navy Capt. Jack Punches. He wrote, "Thanks Jack for serving and dying for our nation -- John Leech." "I've avoided ... anything to do with 9/11, so it feels good to be here," he said. "I mean, a lot happened that day. A lot of good people died. A lot of very good people." CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre contributed to this story .

Retired Col. John Leech narrowly escaped death on September 11, 2001 . Pentagon survivor recalls shock, terror of that terrible morning . Fleeing for safety, he saw a little girl's red comb untouched near a tattered suitcase . Watch 9/11 memorials in New York and Washington on CNN.com Live .

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NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Patrons at Mat and Naddie's restaurant in New Orleans may start with mouth-watering shrimp and crawfish croquettes. Or if they are feeling a tad more adventurous, they might try the artichoke, sun-dried tomato and roasted garlic cheesecake. Stephen Schwarz has received a grant and low-interest loan from the state to help keep his business going. What diners probably don't know is that in a down economy, it is a constant struggle for restaurant owner Stephen Schwarz to keep Mat and Naddie's up and running. "I haven't gotten to the point where I have said, 'Oh my God, I'm not going to make payroll this week,' " Schwarz says. "I guess I am more conservative. I always want to keep a certain amount of cash in the bank." Nothing has been easy in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. Schwarz is one of the lucky ones. His restaurant is in the city's uptown area, near the riverbend, for those familiar with the city's quirky geography. It's one of the few areas of the city that did not flood. He had Mat and Naddie's back up and running and turning out what he calls "Modern Louisiana" food just three weeks after the storm. But in the past few years, a city that prides itself on amazing cuisine has seen a healthy spike in its number of restaurants. Before Katrina, there were about 800 restaurants in New Orleans. Now, the number is closer to 1,000. "I think eventually, there are going to be places that go out of business," Schwarz says. "They're going to have to ... unless we get more people down here, living down here back to the levels before the storm." Watch Schwarz describe the culinary competition in New Orleans » . Tourists, volunteers and emergency workers have been among the patrons frequenting all those restaurants. But the recession is putting the brakes on the number of people with disposable income heading to New Orleans. So entrepreneurs like Schwarz are trying to stay afloat. "It's a matter of how much stamina we can have, and how long we can last before things turn around," he says. "How long can I continue to be creative about how we do our business so that maybe we can get some infusion of cash somewhere else." Schwarz also operates Michael's Catering. Before Katrina, it was a relatively small operation that provided a nice little amount of financial padding each month. Things are different now. "In the last year, it really got to the point where catering is 40 percent of our business," Schwarz says. "It is almost equal to what we do at dinner [at the restaurant]. Before, dinner was about twice the volume of catering." At a recent charity event on the mezzanine level of a New Orleans hotel, Michael's Catering was among 15 or so entities providing a taste of the city to patrons. It was a way to get some exposure, but the food, which was pulled pork from a roasted pig, had to be mouthwatering. "It's very important, because it really gets your name out there," says Krystan Hosking, catering manager for Michael's. And there was also pressure. "Word of mouth is very important, because if you get one bad review, there are tons of restaurants that people are just waiting to try," she says. "So if somebody gives you a bad review, they aren't going to give you a second chance." Schwarz has been creative coming up with the funds to stay in business. This year, he received a $10,000 grant and a $40,000 low-interest loan through the state -- part of Louisiana's recovery effort to keep small businesses up and running. Unlike some areas of the country that have seen the economy collapse in a matter of weeks, Schwarz says New Orleans is coping with a gradual decline. "It's going to mean that we are going to have to keep on somehow, keep our capital here, so that we can cover this slow eating-away of losses." Schwarz says. Between the catering gig and the restaurant, Schwarz has about 28 full- and part-time employees. Schwarz himself is a transplant. He came to visit about 30 years ago and never left. He says he's proud that New Orleans residents tend to turn their backs on chain restaurants. But just because Mat and Naddie's has been a presence near the riverbend for a generation is no guarantee it'll be there after the recession. "Even if we do go out of business," Schwarz says, "or if a lot of places like us go out of business, I hope that the memory of the people who live here, or their memory of what they like, will stay with them -- and those places will come back."

New Orleans has seen its number of restaurants increase since Hurricane Katrina . Stephen Schwarz says it's a constant struggle to keep his restaurant up and running . Recession reducing number of people with disposable income heading to the city . Schwarz has received a grant, low-interest loan as part of state's recovery effort .

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Washington (CNN) -- On Saturday he was the comedian-in-chief, cracking jokes with reporters and celebrities at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner. On Sunday he oversaw one of the riskiest special forces operations since Desert One, Jimmy Carter's ill-fated attempt to rescue the American hostages from Iran more than three decades ago. Barack Obama isn't just the president. He's the nation's ultimate multi-tasker, juggling enough roles and responsibilities to make the average person's head spin. Over the last month and a half, Obama held at least five National Security Council meetings to help plan the assault on Osama bin Laden's compound. The days in which those meetings were held coincided with, among other things, an education reform speech, two political fundraisers, a discussion with the Japanese prime minister about that country's nuclear crisis, a long-awaited deficit reduction speech, and two meetings on immigration reform. The day before the last National Security Council meeting -- on April 28 -- the "birther" controversy came to a head. Obama made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room to release his long-form birth certificate. (Yes, he actually was born in Hawaii.) And in the midst of all the planning, the president cut a deal with congressional Republicans to narrowly avert a government shutdown. He also dealt with a series of devastating storms in the South. Has this always been par for the course at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue? Not really, according to Boston University presidential historian Robert Dalleck. The frenetic pace of the presidency is largely a reflection of America's role as the premier global power in the post-World War II era, Dalleck told CNN. Harry Truman dealt with countless domestic crises during the Korean War; LBJ tackled the Great Society and civil rights while fighting in Vietnam. But in recent years, he said, the daily pace has accelerated due to the rise of the internet, wireless, and other facets of the communications revolution. There's a "kind of blinding rapidity" in which one event quickly overtakes the next, said Dalleck. Our attention -- and that of the president -- is whipped from the latest economic crisis to the newest tornado wreckage to the latest protest or outbreak of violence in the Middle East. Faced with a pressure for constant response, modern administrations face times "of great pressure and intense demand over a series of compelling issues," he said. "(Abraham) Lincoln's burdens were as great as any president will face," Dallek noted. But the rapid onslaught of information from around the world contributes to "a different sort of feel now." Case in point: the execution of Sunday's mission against bin Laden's compound. Obama was able to "monitor the situation in real time," according to White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan. That ability "does speed things up and create a greater sense of pressure," Dallek said. Dallek questioned whether an older person -- including a more hands-off administrator such as Ronald Reagan -- could adequately function in today's version of the pressure cooker environment. He or she "might be overwhelmed," Dallek said. Among other things, "you need to have good health." You also need to be constantly on call. Teddy Roosevelt would "just disappear as president for months at a time and people didn't know where he was," noted acclaimed Rice University historian Douglas Brinkley. If Obama were to disappear for 15 minutes, people "would freak out." Current times are not "uniquely oppressive," Brinkley noted, drawing a contrast with the divisions of the 1960s and the generations that fought World War II and the Civil War, Brinkley said. But globalization and the interconnectedness of the modern age -- while increasing the flow of information -- have contributed to an overarching sense of "frustration and fear" that the administration is now confronting. Wendy Schiller, a Brown University political scientist, noted that every president since Eisenhower has recognized the need for an executive office equipped to handle "a wide range of issues quickly and responsibly." Ike "laid the foundation for the West Wing infrastructure of expertise that we see now working for Obama (constantly), and that infrastructure gives presidents the capacity" to adapt quickly on a broad range of issues. "The key challenge for presidents in the 21st century is knowing when to respond immediately and knowing when to take their time to manage a given situation," Schiller said. "It is not just that Obama has been involved in such a broad range of issues and activities. It is that he has handled them each differently and appropriately," she asserted. The president's speech late Sunday night "reinforced an image of a man -- as commander-in-chief -- who knows how to prioritize the nation's interests," she said. Schiller argued that the "24/7 news media and now social media puts far greater pressure on presidents for an immediate response or reaction to national and world events because voters learn about (developments) much more quickly than they used to." But while the "informational time gap between the president and the voters has narrowed considerably .... the president incurs the same costs for reacting rashly or impatiently as his predecessors did in eras of slower technology," she warned. Does she agree with Dallek's assertion that an older person might be overwhelmed by the nature of the modern presidency? Schiller didn't say, but she did offer a quote from Alexander Hamilton: "Energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government." Twenty-first century presidents, she said, must have that energy "in all senses of the word." Above all, "be sane," Dallek concluded. "That's the watchword."

NEW: Douglas Brinkley says modern times are not "uniquely oppressive" Obama dealt with a number of high-stakes issues in the run-up to Sunday's raid . Robert Dallek questions whether an older president could cope with today's burdens . Political scientist Wendy Schiller says the 24/7 media is forcing more rapid responses .

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(CNN) -- American investigators reviewing a hard drive belonging to the captain of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have found that there were deletions of information even closer to the final flight than first indicated by Malaysian officials, U.S. law enforcement officials tell CNN. The forensic search of the computer files by government experts found files were removed even after February 3, the date Malaysian authorities have cited for when some data was cleared from the drive of the captain. Investigators are examining the contents of drives belonging to both pilots. Copies of the hard drives are at the FBI's forensics lab facilities in Quantico, Virginia, and one is being analyzed with the assistance of consultants the FBI uses to help analyze such electronic data. It's not clear why Malaysian officials cited the February 3 date and if they knew of the other deletions. The type of software used for flight simulation takes up a lot of room in hard drives and investigators believe that could be one reason for deletion of files. It's possible too that some damage could have been done during the first examinations done by Malaysian investigators. Law enforcement officials say that they aren't drawing any conclusions about the subsequent deletions, or the earlier ones, just two days into reviewing the hard drive contents, which officials described as a large volume of data. More couldn't be learned about the nature of the deletions, and who made them. Some senior U.S. counterterrorism officials say that an accident is the leading operative theory as cause for the disappearance of Flight 370. That's because there is no other information indicating foul play. "Barring other information to suggest otherwise one has to first think this was a tragic accident," a U.S. law enforcement official said. But investigators have not ruled out terrorism or other theories. Investigators have focused on the pilots because of the lack of any other information. But there isn't proof that they did anything wrong. U.S. investigators have compiled profiles of the two pilots, based on interviews with friends, neighbors and family members conducted by Malaysian investigators, and on a search of their online activities, U.S. officials say. Those interviews haven't turned up anything that could suggest any explanations for the plane's disappearance. U.S. investigators also are concerned about the preservation of evidence in Malaysia. Malaysian authorities waited six days to search the pilots' homes. This was enough time, U.S. officials believe, for someone who had access to the homes perhaps to have tampered with evidence. They don't know if there was any tampering but it is a worry because Malaysian officials didn't appear to secure evidence immediately. U.S. officials say they understand that there are Malaysian legal restrictions and requirements for probable cause before such searches. The difference in procedures is a common issue in international investigations such as this.

U.S. investigators found evidence files deleted even after February 3 . Leading U.S. theory is disappearance was result of accident . U.S. has compiled profile of pilot and co-pilot .

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(EW.com) -- This weekend, "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" hunted down the No. 1 spot at the box office with $19 million from 3,372 theaters. Although "Hansel and Gretel" can hardly be called a fairy-tale success at this point, it proved far more bewitching than fellow newcomers "Parker" and "Movie 43," which were left with only bread crumbs in their sad debut frame. Paramount and MGM spent $50 million to produce "Hansel and Gretel," which was shot in 2011 and originally scheduled to be released in March 2012. Distributor Paramount moved the film's release to this month to capitalize on star Jeremy Renner, whom the studio hoped would blossom into a true box-office draw following "The Avengers" and "The Bourne Legacy." (It also seems likely that "Hansel and Gretel" got placed in January due to its poor quality — January tends to be a dumping ground for studios' stinkers.) Whether or not Renner had anything to do with it, the date change proved at least somewhat effective — "Hansel and Gretel" outgrossed the last supernatural fantasy with Hunter in the title, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," which staked a weak $16.3 million in its debut frame. 3-D showings of "Hansel and Gretel" accounted for 55 percent of its weekend gross, while IMAX made up 11 percent of the total. Due to its R rating, the Grimm tale played primarily to older audiences — 57 percent of crowds were above the age of 25, and 55 percent were male. Audiences issued the film a lukewarm "B" CinemaScore grade, so it seems unlikely that Hansel and Gretel will achieve strong word of mouth. Fortunately for Paramount (the studio suffered a rough winter with Jack Reacher, The Guilt Trip, Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away, and Rise of the Guardians — which passed $100 million this weekend), the film has already earned $35.8 million from international territories representing about 40 percent of the overseas market. Last weekend's box office champ, Mama, dropped 55 percent into second place with $12.9 million. With $48.7 million after 10 days, Universal's $15 million horror entry has officially surpassed Gangster Squad as 2013′s highest grossing release. Of course, that will change faster than you could say "Iron Man 3," but it's an impressive performance nonetheless. 'Downton Abbey': Big season 4 spoiler! Two Oscar contenders finished in third and fourth place with almost identical weekend grosses — not to mention almost identical totals. "Silver Linings Playbook" dropped by an incredibly small 7 percent in its 11th weekend to $10 million. Weinstein's $21 million drama continues to benefit from great word of mouth. And with $69.5 million so far and another month until the Oscars still to go, director David O. Russell's Playbook is on track to finish above $100 million. "Zero Dark Thirty," meanwhile, fell by a steeper 38 percent to $9.8 million and $69.9 million total in its sixth weekend. The $40 million Sony drama will need to notch better holds if it wants to join fellow Best Picture nominees Argo, Lincoln, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, and Life of Pi in the $100 million club. Norah Jones to do 'Ted' song at Oscars . Jason Statham's annual action misfire "Parker" lived up to its low expectations, finishing in fifth place with $7 million from 2,224 theaters. FilmDistrict's shoot-em-up, whose budget was in the $35 million range, didn't get any boost from costar Jennifer Lopez, who proved unable to attract viewers outside her go-to rom-com genre. Parker opened short of Statham's last three leading efforts, Safe ($7.9 million debut), Killer Elite, ($9.3 million), and The Mechanic ($11.4 million), and it will likely finish below $20 million domestically. Between Parker, The Last Stand, Broken City, and Gangster Squad, January has been a difficult month for non-fantasy gun-driven violence. But at least audiences enjoyed Parker — it earned a "B+" CinemaScore grade. 1. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters -- $19.0 million . 2. Mama -- $12.9 million . 3. Silver Linings Playbook -- $10.0 million . 4. Zero Dark Thirty -- $9.8 million . 5. Parker -- $7.0 million . See the original story at EW.com. CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.

"Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" hunted down the No. 1 spot at the box office . The movie scored $19 million from 3,372 theaters . "Parker" and "Movie 43" were left with only bread crumbs in their sad debut frame .

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(CNN) -- World champion Sebastian Vettel began his 2011 Formula One defense in emphatic style on Sunday, leading the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne from start to finish. McLaren's 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton did well to finish second after damaging his car on the first corner while Lotus Renault's Russian driver Vitaly Petrov achieved his first podium finish by claiming an impressive third place. Fernando Alonso finished fourth for Ferrari, with Mark Webber in his Red Bull in fifth place. Jenson Button came sixth in his McLaren. Formula One teams, drivers and circuits . Sauber pair Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi finished a creditable seventh and eighth respectively, but they were later disqualified by race stewards for technical infringements to do with their rear wings. This meant Ferrari's Felipe Massa moved up to seventh place with the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Buemi taking eighth place. The 23-year-old Vettel, who was claiming his 11th victory in just his 63rd grand prix, told the official Formula One website: "I'm very pleased, it was a very good weekend and I had a very nice car to sit in this afternoon. "It was a good race and towards the end things calmed down a bit as Lewis didn't push as hard." The German continued: "The start was crucial and being on the clean side I had a very good getaway. We learned a lot of things today and it feels good coming here after a long winter and setting the pace." Hamilton was satisfied with his runner-up spot, saying: "We can take this and be very proud of ourselves. A week or two ago we weren't expecting to be in the top five, so to come to second is a great achievement." Meanwhile, a stunned Petrov told the after-race press conference: "To be honest I can't believe I'm sitting with these guys. We didn't know where we were coming into the season, but in practice and qualifying we were good. "In the race the team did everything perfectly. We can be very proud of what we have achieved today." However, it proved a disastrous day for the Mercedes pair of Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg, who had both retired by the 22nd lap of the race.

Reigning champion Sebastian Vettel wins season-opening Australian GP in Melbourne . Lewis Hamilton finishes second with Vitaly Petrov a career best third in his Renault . Sauber pair Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi disqualified from seventh and eighth . The 23-year-old Vettel was claiming his 11th victory in just his 63rd grand prix .

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(CNN) -- California's vote on a controversial cigarette tax remained too close to call Wednesday morning, although votes counted so far suggest it was narrowly rejected. With all precincts reporting, the tally was 50.8% against the proposal and 49.2% in support of it, according to the California Secretary of State website. But the vote was listed as a "close contest" with no final result. Counties have 28 days to count every vote-by-mail, provisional and damaged ballot, the secretary of state's office said. With nearly 3.9 million votes cast in precincts, the "no" votes were ahead by only about 63,000. Proposition 29, would raise about $735 million a year. About three-quarters of the money raised would go to cancer research. "The American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association wrote the initiative carefully," Lori Bremner of the American Cancer Society told CNN's "Sanjay Gupta MD" last week. "The money is going to be invested in cancer research here in California and on tobacco prevention and cessation programs to protect kids and reduce smoking here in California." Studies show the tax would help decrease smoking and save lives, she said. Opponents slammed the tax as a misguided burden in an already tough economy. "What we're seeing in the state of California is a lot of frustration on the part of our citizenry that it's just another tax," said Dr. Marcy Zwelling, a general practitioner. The tax, she said in an interview with CNN, "goes to build bigger bureaucracy, build business, build buildings, not necessarily to go to cancer research." The opposition in California was fueled by a huge influx of cash from big tobacco companies. About $47 million was raised in efforts -- including TV advertising -- to defeat "Prop. 29," including $27.5 million from Philip Morris and $11 million from R.J. Reynolds, according to figures from MapLight, a nonpartisan research firm. About $12 million was raised in support of the initiative, including $8.5 million from the American Cancer Society and $1.5 million from the Lance Armstrong Foundation, known as Livestrong. Armstrong himself appeared in ads urging people to "vote yes on 29." (Gupta, CNN chief medical correspondent, is a board member of the foundation.) There is already an 87-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes in California. According to California's official voter guide, the health groups behind Prop. 29 said it would "save lives, stop kids from smoking, and fund cancer research," while those opposed said the initiative "doesn't require revenue be spent in California to create jobs or fund schools." Bremner insisted the campaign against Prop. 29 traded in "deceptions." The biggest misconception is that the money collected "will be somehow wasted or used otherwise," she said. But Zwelling said it would heavily affect poorer Americans, who are more likely to smoke. And other efforts, including the state's ban on smoking in public places, have succeeded at pushing people to quit smoking, she said. John Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society, said if the bill passed, "It would make California the second-largest funder of cancer research after the (National Cancer Institute) in the entire country." Some grant proposals that currently go unfunded would find a source of revenue, he said. "So, it's a tremendous opportunity for California to do the right thing -- not only for California, but for the whole world." CNN's Caleb Hellerman, Nadia Kounang and Josh Levs contributed to this report.

NEW: The vote is a "close contest," the California secretary of state's office says . NEW: Counties have 28 days to count mail-in, provisional, and damaged ballots . Votes from precincts were 50.8% against and 49.2% in support . The law would add $1 to California's 87-cent tax on each pack of cigarettes .

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(CNN) -- A Nevada man was found guilty Thursday of raping and strangling a 19-year-old student in a string of attacks that rattled the university community in Reno two years ago. A Washoe County, Nevada, jury convicted James Michael Biela, 28, of first-degree murder and sexual assault in the death of Brianna Denison. He was also convicted of two counts of sexual assault for attacks on two other women. He was also convicted of one count of kidnapping related to one of those attacks. The father and former construction worker faces the death penalty. Denison, a sophomore at Santa Barbara City College in California, was last seen alive on her friend's couch on January 20, 2008. Three weeks later, her body was found in a field near her friend's home. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. A pair of panties that did not belong to Denison were found near the body, in what police said was a "calling card" that helped them connect Biela not only to Denison, but also to the other assaults. From the witness stand in Biela's capital murder trial, one of the women recounted how she was attacked on the University of Nevada-Reno campus. She said her assailant threatened her with a gun, raped her and took her panties as a souvenir. The defense challenged the identification because she earlier told a friend she could not describe her attacker to police. The second woman, a student at the university, testified she was abducted outside her apartment and driven to a dark area and raped in the attacker's vehicle. The woman testified that her assailant asked for her panties and took them with him. The trial began with emotional testimony from Denison's mother, her boyfriend, and a video showing her with friends at a diner just a few hours before she was abducted. Denison was visiting friends in her hometown of Reno. After they attended a concert, she slept on the living room couch in a friend's off-campus apartment. While she slept, someone crept into the apartment and snatched her, police and prosecutors said. Her case triggered a flurry of national media coverage and thousands of tips, including the one that led to Biela's arrest. Police released a photo of the panties near Denison's body and a description of the pickup truck. A friend of Biela's girlfriend saw the photo of the panties, and thought she recognized the truck police described. She told investigators a friend's boyfriend had a truck similar to the description, and that her friend had seen women's panties inside it. Detectives immediately followed up on the tip and, with permission from the girlfriend, took DNA samples from Biela's 4-year-old son. Lab tests showed that the boy's father -- Biela -- was almost certainly a match for the DNA found on the doorknob and at the crime scene, police said. DNA obtained from the other victim's rape kit matched Biela's, according to testimony. Biela's defense attorneys challenged the DNA testing method, claiming it was not accurate. CNN's Rupa Mikkilineni contributed to this report.

James Biela convicted in rape, murder of Brianna Denison, attacks on two women . Biela, 28, faces the death penalty; an anonymous tip led to his arrest . Biela took his victims' underwear, left a pair of panties near Denison's body .

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Mogadishu (CNN) -- A female soldier roughly passes her hands over the waistband of my jeans as a finishing touch to the most intimate pat down I've ever received. But we're not done yet, a metal detector is then passed in unusually close contact with my skin. Up down, over and around. And that's just to get through the first gate. At the second entrance, a Somali close protection officer bars the way and Special Forces officers crowd around as our camera is switched off and on to prove it is indeed a camera. Even though we had traveled in with African Union soldiers tasked with escorting the President, suspicions still had to be assuaged. And if all this seems extreme, it isn't. On his second day in office, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was targeted by the al-Qaeda linked militant group al-Shabaab, and even on this day, as we drive through town, we pass the still-smoking wreckage of the Somali Minister of Interior's convoy. A car filled with explosives drove into his flag car, detonating on impact. Fortunately for the Minister he wasn't in the car at the time. Eight civilians, though, were killed on the street. Read more: Suicide bomber targets Qatari delegation in Somalia, 8 dead . And yet, Mahmud insisted on keeping this appointment at an opening of a hotel in Deynile, on the outskirts of Mogadishu where Al-Shabaab still have a presence. If he's worried he didn't look it, smiling from behind his wrap-around shades as women dressed in the Somali flag sing traditional songs of welcome. Eventually he is brought to us around the back of the courtyard for our scheduled interview -- but not before the perimeter is repeatedly swept. Read more: Dozens dead in Somali courthouse attack . In an open-air space like this, though, there is only so much his men can do. Especially when his enemies are willing to die for the cause. The president tells me he is aware that these trips he makes cause consternation among his advisers, but he has absolutely no intention of stopping. He says they send the most powerful message of all -- that al-Shabaab no longer call the shots in Mogadishu.

Somali president attended a hotel opening in Mogadishu's militant occupied outskirts . He was targeted by al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab on his second day in office . The president tells CNN that al-Shabaab "no longer call the shots in Mogadishu"

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Washington (CNN) -- We're doing well, President Barack Obama told business leaders Tuesday, but it could be better if not for political hijinks in Washington. In remarks at a Wall Street Journal conference, Obama said policy decisions in his first term in response to the Great Recession had spurred a recovery that could be better. "America is poised for a breakout," he declared, noting that stock markets and corporate profits were "soaring" and that "we are in a good position to compete around the world in the 21st century." Now, Obama said, the challenge was to ensure opportunity for all to address too-high unemployment and stagnating incomes as growth continues. In particular, he cited the 16-day government shutdown in October as an example of what he called "self-inflicted" wounds caused by dysfunctional politics in Washington. "We have to stop governing by crisis in this town," Obama said, making clear he blamed Republicans for a failure to achieve compromise on major issues such as immigration reform and a comprehensive deficit reduction agreement. "We should not be injuring ourselves every few months. We should be investing in ourselves," the President said in advocating a budget approach that includes deficit reduction as well as strategic spending on education, infrastructure and technology. On immigration, Obama noted that the Democrat-led Senate has passed a reform measure that analysts say would grow the economy and shrink deficits. However, House Republicans have refused to bring up the Senate plan. "You wouldn't turn down a deal that good," he said. "Congress shouldn't, either." At the same time, the President said he was open to passing a series of immigration reform measures instead of the comprehensive legislation that won Senate approval -- as long as all the necessary components are included. Obama also addressed the major issue of the day, saying the HealthCare.gov website problems have hurt efforts to address the biggest contributor to the nation's debt -- rising health care costs. Asked what lesson he had learned, Obama said that "we probably underestimated the complexities of building out a website." He also said the ordeal showed that "the way the federal government does procurement and IT (information technology) is just generally not very efficient." "We probably need to blow up how" the government contracts information technology services, Obama said. In a lighter moment, Obama noted that some people call him a socialist, and he said to laughter his accusers need to get out into the world more. "You've got to meet real socialists to know what a real socialist is," he said, noting that he advocates a lower corporate tax rate and that the stock market "is doing pretty good." Obama's support slips; controversies, sluggish economy cited .

NEW: President says healthcare website problem shows government IT gap . NEW: Obama tells business leaders he's no socialist . "America is poised for a breakout," Obama says . Self-inflicted wounds from constant political crises hinder growth, Obama says .

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(CNN) -- Gas prices have dropped more than 7 cents over the past two weeks, but risen in some regions stricken by Superstorm Sandy, according to a survey published Sunday. The new national average for regular gasoline is $3.47 -- down more than 36 cents over the past six weeks, the Lundberg Survey found. "This latest decline comes mostly from weak gasoline demand," said publisher Trilby Lundberg, "both because we are in the lower demand season and have also lost our daylight saving time. Losing that puts a damper on driving." Sandy's impact in the Northeast lowered demand as well, since many people were stuck at home, unable to drive. Map: See images of destruction, recovery across the East Coast . But because there was also "great difficulty getting fuel to the end user point," gas prices went up in some of those same areas, she said. The highest average price found by the latest survey was $4.18 for New York's Long Island. That average was up 26 cents from two weeks earlier. Long Island generally has higher prices than the national average due to taxes. The Lundberg Survey tallies prices at thousands of gas stations nationwide. Good news should lie ahead for consumers around the country, Lundberg said. "Pump prices may well drop some more form here -- unless crude oil prices get seriously spooked by Middle East conflict or another geopolitical issue." The current nationwide average is 9cents above the average a year ago, "whereas most of this year it's been more like 16 cents," Lundberg said. The city with the lowest average in the latest survey was Memphis, at $3.04. Here are average prices in some other cities: . San Diego - $3.80 . Seattle - $3.49 . Las Vegas - $3.57 . Denver - $3.35 . El Paso - $3.36 . St. Louis - $3.14 . Boston - $3.69 . Atlanta - $3.24 . Miami - $3.42 .

The average nationwide gasoline price is down 7 cents over 2 weeks, a survey says . But prices are up in some areas hit by Superstorm Sandy, the Lundberg Survey reports . Long Island had the highest average in the latest survey . Memphis had the lowest .

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(CNN) -- Marin Cilic made a winning return to the ATP circuit Monday after serving a reduced doping ban. The 25-year-old Croatian completed a tight three set victory over Dutchman Igor Sijsling at the Paris Masters, prevailing 5-7 6-1 6-4 at Bercy Stadium. Cilic has slipped to World No.47 after testing positive for the stimulant nikethamide at the Munich Open in May. He was banned for nine months by an independent tribunal in September, but his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport saw his suspension cut to four months last Friday. The decision allowed Cilic to enter the final regular season tournament on the main tour in the French capital and he took full advantage. Despite losing the first set, Cilic earned a second round match against in form World No.5 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina. He later admitted that he was pleased to put the experience behind him and return to action. "I would definitely say it was the worst time of my life as a player," he told AFP. "I have been on the tour for six, seven years, and have been always really careful and really honest and fair as much as I could with all the other players. "And then to be in that kind of situation where when I found out about the positive test it was an extremely difficult situation where people were even calling me a doping player and a cheat. "I knew I didn't cheat," added Cilic. World No.1 Rafael Nadal, who is playing in Paris for the first time in four years, told gathered reporters that he was delighted to see Cilic return to action. "One thing I can say is I'm happy to see Marin back on tour. He's a good guy and a great player," he told AFP. "I don't know what happened but if he's back, it's because it's fair that he's back. That's all. I'm happy for that." Nadal will open his campaign later in week but the early headlines will surround players attempting to book their passages to the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Roger Federer, Swiss colleague Stanislas Wawrinka and French duo Richard Gasquet and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are battling for the final three places in the elite eight-man field, with four others having mathematical chances of qualifying. Wawrinka learned his second round opponent in Paris as Spaniard Feliciano Lopez won a tight encounter against Australian qualifier Bernard Tomic 6-4 6-7 7-6 Monday. Federer, who needs one win to clinch a 12th consecutive appearance in the finals, will face the winner of the first round match between Kevin Anderson and Mikhail Zouzhny, while Gasquet and Tsonga could meet in the third round of their home event. World No.2 Novak Djokovic claimed the ATP finale last season, beating Federer in the final, while Nadal has never claimed the title. The Spaniard hopes to use a good performance in Paris as a springboard to success in London. "The last tournament of the year is important," he told the official ATP Tour website. "In 2010 I played well (lost in the final to Federer); the rest I played really bad. I want to try to change that. "I was always motivated for this last part of the season, but I was not able to apply it well. I hope this year I can change that situation. I hope to play well here and then we'll see."

Marin Cilic wins on return to ATP Tour after doping ban . Court of Arbitration cut his suspension from nine to four months . Cilic beats Igor Sijsling in first round of Paris Masters . Rafael Nadal playng tournament for first time since 2009 .

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(CNN) -- When the average person contemplates the issues surrounding landfills, it's doubtful they give much consideration to the tons of food that fill them. Food biodegrades so where is the problem? The problem, environmentalists say, is just that. When food rots, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says is 20 times more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide (CO2). Rotting food in a landfill in Canterbury, England. The developed world chucks out a lot of food. Such is the volume that according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), if just 5 percent of Americans' food scraps were recovered it would represent one day's worth of food for 4 million people. The U.N. World Food Programme offers another way of looking at it: It says the total surplus of the U.S. alone could satisfy "every empty stomach" in Africa (France's leftovers could feed the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Italy's could feed Ethiopia's undernourished). Proportionately, the UK and Japan have traditionally been among the worst offenders worldwide in recent years when it comes to food waste, discarding between 30 and 40 percent of their food produce annually. The figures for how much the U.S. throws out, however, vary considerably depending on whom you ask. According to the USDA, just over a quarter of the country's food -- about 25.9 million tons -- gets thrown in the garbage can every year. But according to a study conducted by the University of Arizona, that figure could be as high as 50 percent, as the University claims that the country's supermarkets, restaurants and convenience stores alone throw out 27 million tons between them every year (representing $30 billion of wasted food). Either way, it still costs the U.S. around $1 billion every year just to dispose of all its food waste, according to the EPA. But moral and economic issues aside, it is the environmental concerns around food waste that is driving the push for reform on how to treat the problem of leftovers. Methane, the gas food waste produces, traps 23 times as much heat in the atmosphere as the same amount of CO2, the EPA says. And landfills are the place you will find most of it -- they account for 34 percent of all methane emissions in the U.S. The University of Arizona believes that if Americans cut their food waste in half, it would reduce the country's environmental impact by 25 percent. The UK's Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP) -- which says the entire food supply chain in the UK contributes 20 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions -- believes that if we stopped throwing out edible food, the impact it would have on CO2 emissions would be the equivalent of taking 1 in 5 cars off the road. But ironically, one of the solutions to dealing with food waste actually results in a product that could keep cars on the road: Biogas. Biogas is a by-product of a process called anaerobic digestion (AD). AD is a process where organic matter -- such as food waste -- breaks down in an environment with little or no oxygen, generating a natural gas made up of 60 percent methane and 40 percent CO2. It is the exact process, in fact, which goes on in landfills. But there is a difference. Whereas methane can be harmful to the environment in an open setting, such as a landfill, in controlled and closed settings such as a combined heat and power plant, it can be harnessed and converted into biogas, a renewable energy. And that energy can be used to provide heat, light and fuel. According to a study by the National Society for Clean Air, biogas-fueled cars can reduce CO2 emissions by anything from 75 percent to 200 percent compared to cars powered by fossil fuels. Most organic matter can be processed with AD. In the UK it is already being used to treat sewage, which Friends of the Earth (FOE) says, reduces CO2 emissions by 16 percent compared to traditional sewage treatments. According to the Chartered Institute for Environmental Health, gas from sewage waste and landfills is already being used to provide 650 MW of electricity to the UK's national grid, representing between 60 and 75 percent of the country's green energy (the UK is Europe's biggest producer of biogas). However, while the potential for food waste-as-energy seems big, the practical applications for it are currently very small (only 0.4 percent of the UK's food waste is processed by AD, for example), with critics of AD pointing out that the amount food waste can contribute to the energy supply are negligible to say the least. FOE itself admits that just 0.36 percent of the UK's electricity needs could be met by AD. And, if 5.5 million tons of food waste was treated by AD (the majority of the UK's annual 6.7 million tons of food waste) it could only generate enough electricity to power 164,000 houses. That being said, environmentalists will say, that's much better than getting that electricity from fossil fuels. And there has been a big push, in Europe in particular, to cut back on the amount of biodegradable waste that is being sent to landfills. According to the European Landfill Directive, the amount of biodegradable waste sent to landfills in member countries by 2020 must reach 35 percent of the levels reached in 1995. The country that is leading the way in putting its biodegradable waste mountains to good use -- particularly in the world of biogas-powered cars -- is Sweden. That country -- which plans to eliminate petrol and diesel vehicles from their streets by 2020 -- already has 7,000 biogas cars on the road. It also has 779 biogas buses and the world's first biogas train, which, according to The Ecologist, cost just 1 million euros ($1.4 million) to develop. E-mail to a friend . (Sources: Chartered Institute of Environmental Health; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Planet Ark; U.S. Department of Agriculture; University of Arizona; World Food Program; Waste & Resources Action Program (WRAP); Friends of the Earth (UK); National Society for Clean Air; The Ecologist; Just-food.com; Food Production Daily; Endhunger.org)

5 percent of American's leftovers could feed 4 million people for 1 day . Disposing of food waste costs the U.S. $1 billion a year . Rotting food releases methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2 . Methane can be harnessed to create clean energy for heat, light and fuel .

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Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- A crash involving two trains in central Indonesia Saturday killed 36 people and injured 26, officials said. The crash occurred when a train traveling from Semarang in Central Java to the capital of Jakarta was struck from behind by another train headed to Jakarta from Surabaya in East Java, according to Bambang Ervan, transport ministry spokesman. Four coaches have been lifted off the track, and one remains, said Sugeng Priyono, spokesman for the Indonesian railway company. Many people were crushed in the last carriage of the first train, which was stationary when the other train slammed into it, survivors said. "Suddenly I heard a very loud sound from behind," said Anwar Riksono, a passenger who was sleeping when the trains crashed. "It shook so hard and the lights went off." A crane lifted away large pieces of the train, mangled beyond recognition. The transportation ministry says it is investigating whether the crash was caused by human or technical error.

NEW: 36 people are dead and 26 are injured . Indonesia's transport ministry says one train struck another from behind . Survivors say the first train was stationary when it was struck . The cause of the crash is unclear .

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