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(CNN) -- AC Milan reclaimed second place in Italy's Serie A with a tempestuous 2-1 victory at Napoli on Monday night which saw the home side reduced to 10 men for half the game before a near-brawl erupted late in the match. Milan reduced Lazio's lead to two points after eight rounds thanks to a goal in each half from forwards Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, putting Massimiliano Allegri's team two clear of third-placed city rivals Inter. Napoli, who were left in sixth place, had midfielder Michele Pazienza sent off in first-half injury-time for a second handball offense but managed to reduce the deficit with 12 minutes to play with an ingenious effort from striker Ezequiel Lavezzi. Milan went into the match hoping to capitalize on defending champions Inter's 1-1 draw with Sampdoria on Sunday, and made the perfect start when Robinho opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. The Brazil star, starting in place of injured compatriot Ronaldinho, calmly sidefooted home a left-foot shot from the edge of the area following a fine cutback from substitute Massimo Oddo. Oddo, who came on for defender Luca Antonini, had found space down the right with Napoli down to 10 men as Christian Maggio received treatment for a head injury suffered in the collision that saw the Milan player leave the field 10 minutes earlier. Maggio was then replaced by Algeria international Hassan Yebda, and matters got worse for Napoli when Pazienza was sent off in the first minute of time added on. However, Lavezzi almost equalized before the halftime whistle blew with a superb header that required a flying save from Milan keeper Christian Abbiati. Abbiati was again called into action on the hour mark when he denied a fierce effort from Slovakia midfielder Marek Hamsik as Napoli continued to press forward, but Ibrahimovic made it 2-0 in the 71st minute with his third league goal since returning to Serie A from Barcelona. The Sweden striker bulleted in a powerful header from another Oddo cross that keeper Morgan De Sanctis could only deflect into his net. But Napoli hit back seven minutes later when Lavezzi picked himself off the floor following a goalmouth scramble to scoop a delightful flick over Abbiati and in off the crossbar. Tensions boiled over in the 83rd minute when Salvatore Aronica appeared to catch Robinho in the face with a flying arm, resulting in Kevin Prince-Boateng racing in with a rash challenge on the Napoli midfielder before confronting him. Aronica and the Ghana midfielder were both booked along with Napoli's Argentine defender Hugo Campagnaro as players piled in from both sides, including Ibrahimovic -- who appeared to be sent off after encroaching on the pitch following his earlier substitution. Napoli forced two corners in the five minutes of time added on but could not level despite De Sanctis joining in the attacks, giving Milan a morale-boosting win ahead of this weekend's clash with fifth-placed Juventus. Meanwhile, promoted Real Sociedad moved up to 11th place in Spain's La Liga after a 3-0 win at home to struggling Deportivo La Coruna on Monday night. Striker Joseba Llorente opened the scoring in the 17th minute from from Alberto de la Bella's cross, and 19-year-old French winger Antoine Griezmann made it 2-0 with 20 minutes to play with a second headed strike before a bizarre celebration which saw him jump behind the wheel of a car parked on the side of the pitch. Striker Imanol Agirretxe sealed the victory in the 86th minute after being set free by fellow substitute Jeffrey Sarpong to leave 1999-2000 Spanish champions Deportivo languishing second from bottom in the table.

AC Milan move above city rivals Inter with a 2-1 win at 10-man Napoli . Rossoneri close gap on leaders Lazio as Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic score . Napoli's Michele Pazienza sent off in first-half injury-time but Ezequiel Lavezzi reduces deficit . Real Sociedad move up to 11th place in Spain after crushing struggling Deportivo 3-0 .

Tokyo (CNN) -- A low water level in a reactor building at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan may have exposed fuel rods and caused them to melt, the owner of the facility said Thursday. Tokyo Electric Power Co. blamed the incident on a faulty gauge that monitors the water level in the pressure vessel in the No. 1 reactor building. "I would say at this point that the situation is not dangerous," said Mujid Kazimi, a professor of nuclear engineering and mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Nuclear Energy Institute had a similar response to the new details released by Tokyo Electric. "This is in no way alarming," said Tom Kauffman, senior media relations manager at the Washington-based institute. "It was anticipated that there was fuel damage in reactors 1, 2 and 3. This is confirmation," he said. "It's a situation that's going to develop over time," with details continuing to emerge as nuclear plant workers gain more access to the reactors, Kauffman added. "This is going to evolve over months, maybe many months." Once the faulty gauge was reset, workers discovered Thursday that the water level had dropped more than 3 feet (1 meter) below the fuel rods, which need to be cooled by water to keep them from melting. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said there's a high possibility that the fuel rods have melted and are now being cooled by water in the bottom of the pressure vessel. The company said it suspects there is a leak in the pressure vessel, since the water level was low despite the company pouring 150 tons of water a day on the No. 1 reactor to cool it. A March 11 earthquake and tsunami knocked out cooling systems at Fukushima Daiichi, causing the three operating reactors to overheat. That compounded a natural disaster by spewing vast quantities of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Workers have been able to install air filters inside the No. 1 reactor building to contain radioactive particles and have begun filling the primary containment shell around the reactor core with water in an attempt to draw heat off the core. The plan is to recirculate that water through a heat exchanger to cool it, said Yoshikazu Nagai, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric. Similar plans are being considered for unit 2, which also is thought to be leaking radioactive water, and unit 3, where engineers noted a disturbing rise in the reactor's temperature readings last week, Nagai told CNN. "First we have to tackle unit No. 1, and we need to see if we can succeed," he said. Meanwhile, equipment that will be used to decontaminate water pooling in the plant's basements is expected to arrive by mid-May. Tens of thousands of tons of radioactive water have flooded the basements where the cooling systems were housed, making it impossible for workers get into the facilities. At this point, "The danger is more with the workers who deal with (the leak) than the public," Kazimi said. Decontaminating the water pooling in the plant's basements is feasible, as long as the water stays contained, he added. To limit further possible spread of contamination beyond the evacuation zone around the nuclear plant, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries on Thursday decided to euthanize livestock in the zone. There is a no-entry zone within a 20-kilometer radius of Fukushima Daiichi. "It is yet to be determined how and when they do (the euthanizing), but we would cull livestock with the most painless way with permission of the owners of them," a spokesman for the Fukushima prefectural government said. It's unclear how many livestock survive in the zone, but before the disaster there were approximately 3,500 cows, 30,000 pigs, 440,000 chickens, 100 horses and an unknown number of sheep. With their owners having evacuated, the livestock have been left to fend for themselves. CNN's Kyung Lah, Noriaki Kawai and Yoko Wakatsuki in Tokyo contributed to this report.

NEW: Government decides to euthanize livestock in no-entry zone . NEW: No need for alarm among the public, but nuclear workers face risks, expert says . Tokyo Electric Power Co. blames the incident on a faulty gauge . A new water leak is suspected at Fukushima Daiichi reactor No. 1 .

(CNN) -- Since the beginning of time, man has looked up into the cosmos at those shiny, twinkling stars and thought, "I wonder if lizards would do each other up there?" So, finally, after all these years, and for the sake of humanity, Russian scientists decided to find out once and for all. Because Russia. Really, it was that or another inconclusive nesting doll experiment. And, somehow, stacking little wooden Gorbachevs doesn't quite have the same pizazz as closely monitoring outer-space lizard whoopee. Thus, the world recently got introduced to Russia's brave "Space Sex Geckos." The idea was this: Roscosmos (Russia's federal space agency) would send five of these little critters into orbit on board a Foton-M4 satellite to study sexual reproduction in zero gravity. Four geckos would be female. One would be male. And, for the sake of the experiment, hopefully straight. "I don't know about that guy, Vlad. He's always watching 'Antiques Roadshow.' " Assuming that they properly picked out a willing male gecko with a healthy libido, good looks and/or an impressive bank account, their hope was that the quintet of lizards would get into space and then violate each other in the most orderly way possible. Fortunately, they were Russian. So, I'm pretty sure the lizards already knew how to queue. And if that wasn't weird enough, there would also be cameras on board so that scientists back on land could observe the space coitus. Yes, grown professionals, many with fancy degrees, were literally going to have to sit around and watch live lizard porn. So, they had that going for them. After choosing the lucky participants, on July 19th Roscosmos launched their (possibly fur-lined) satellite into space for what they hoped would be two full months of this bizarre Gecko Rumspringa. But soon, after just several orbits, things went bad. Mission control lost contact with the satellite. "Come in, space sex geckos. Come in. Moan once with desire if you can hear me." Days later they were able to reestablish contact. However, it was unclear if the life-support system continued to function during the blackout. If not, it was unlikely that the geckos would survive. On the plus side, had the geckos somehow become aware of their impending doom, I'm guessing there would've been several rounds of camera-free, super kinky, we're-all-going-to-die lizard sex. "Hey, ladies! Look who brought whipped cream and tiny handcuffs!" As the Russian space agency began sharing updates with the public, it quickly became a running joke online. The space sex geckos were suddenly famous to the world. But probably dead, for their clumsy end was perilously near. Which sort of takes the fun out of being international lizard celebrities. Nevertheless, they were stars. Even comedian John Oliver, on his HBO show "Last Week Tonight," latched on to the story and started the Twitter hashtag #GoGetThoseGeckos. However, on Monday, September 1st, a couple weeks short of its intended stay in space, the satellite came crashing back down to Earth, where the world finally learned the fate of the space sex geckos. In a statement, Roscosmos later confirmed their worst fear. Something went horribly wrong. And the lizards ... they have died. Frozen and mummified from having expired at least a week prior to impact, the tiny remains of the space sex geckos were recovered from a quiet field where the craft landed. Fallen heroes. Possibly aroused. But it wasn't only death and failure. Because a colony of fruit flies was also put on board for the mission, and they were found healthy and alive in a different chamber of the satellite. And, apparently, they managed to do what the lizards likely couldn't. The nasty. In fact, at the expense of God-knows-how-many rubles, new generations of offspring were conceived while in orbit. And now -- lucky us -- the world has more fruit flies. Because Russia. Follow @JarrettBellini on Twitter. And prepare to be underwhelmed. See more content with questionable news value at CNN Comedy.

Russia's space agency sent five geckos into space to observe reproduction in zero gravity . That's right ... space sex geckos . For several days, mission control lost contact with the satellite . If you want to know what happened to the geckos you actually need to read the story .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- In many ways, Josh Stepakoff's childhood came to an abrupt halt at 10:49 a.m. on August 10, 1999. That's the moment a man named Buford Furrow entered the front door of the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and started shooting. Five people were wounded, including three children. Stepakoff, who was attending summer camp there, had the bad luck to be in the lobby. He took two bullets to his left leg and hip. He was 6 at the time, and is among few people who witnessed the horrific sights and sounds of a mass shooting as a very young child. Like the children of Newtown, Connecticut, he saw blood, he heard screams and he was scared for his life. Shooting triggers 'mind battle' for Columbine victims . The schoolchildren in Connecticut, in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, have a long road ahead of them, says Stepakoff, now 19. He was traumatized for years. "If we heard helicopters, sirens, loud noises -- anything that would startle me -- the house was on lockdown," he said. "I locked every door. I locked every window." Even when things were quiet, walking around the house could be stressful, as Stepakoff thought a killer like Furrow might be hiding behind every corner. "It's not just, 'I'm scared something might pop out at me,' it was, 'I'm scared for my life,'" Josh remembered in an interview from his parents' home in Los Angeles. Sandy Hook victim's dad praises her short life . Ben Kadish, who was 5 when he was shot just a few feet away from Josh 13 years ago, said he felt scared at school even five years after the shooting, and sleeping at friends' houses was out of the question. "I couldn't be an average child," he said. The intensity of the trauma has dulled with time, the young men say, but the shooting still affects them. For example, both of them chose to go to college in Los Angeles so they wouldn't be far from home when they had a bad moment. "If I did run into those times, I didn't want to be a plane flight away," Stepakoff said. "I didn't want to be a six-hour car ride away. I wanted to be five minutes away from my home, my safety zone." Stepakoff and Kadish have insights and advice for the parents of Sandy Hook Elementary children, which can also apply to families whose children have suffered other types of trauma. Shooting victims range in age from 6 to 56 . Let them talk -- or not . "If I said I didn't want to talk about it, we didn't talk about it," Stepakoff remembers. "If I wanted to talk about it, we talked about it." Expect your life to be disrupted . When Stepakoff was a young boy and put his house on lockdown, his parents couldn't leave, even if they had to get to work. If they were eating lunch at a restaurant and police officers walked in to dine, the family would have to get up and go, because police reminded him of the shootings. "My parents were great," he said. Allow your child to find his way . As a teenager, Stepakoff decided to do work with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, and found solace in talking to other victims. James Zidell, the third child injured in the Los Angeles shooting, took refuge in nature. He was also 6 at the time of the shooting. "In nature you are surrounded by love and beauty," he wrote in a high school English paper he shared with CNN. "Bad people cannot get me." Repeat comforting thoughts . James Zidell's mother, Francine Zidell, remembers telling her son over and over that Furrow was in jail and couldn't hurt him anymore. "That seemed to be what he needed to hear," she says. Tell your child how strong he is . Kadish says one of the most helpful things his parents did was to tell him how strong he was to survive such a horrendous event. "My slogan was, 'You're Ben Kadish and you can do anything,'" he remembers with a smile. Support crucial for kids after trauma .

Three children were wounded in a 1999 shooting in Los Angeles . The survivors of the Connecticut school shooting have a long road ahead, one says . Now in their teens, the survivors say they were traumatized for years . "I couldn't be an average child," says Ben Kadish .

(CNN) -- To a friend of more than 20 years, Manssor Arbabsiar was a man who liked to be called "Jack" and didn't seem to have strong views on politics or religion. To U.S. authorities, the 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen is a suspect in an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States. "It was shocking because it didn't seem like he would be the type of person to do something like that," said Mitchel Hamauei, who said he met Arbabsiar through mutual Iranian friends. "He was a happy go lucky guy, always joked around," Hamauei said. "He had a really happy demeanor." Hamauei, who runs a gyro and kebab restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, said the two were close enough that he attended the graduation of Arbabsiar's son. "I know his wife and his son. They're very down-to-earth people," Hamauei said. The two kept in touch even after Arbabsiar moved to Austin about four or five years ago. "I saw him about a year ago. He came by the store to eat a sandwich." Arbabsiar was a used car salesman, Hamauei said. Their conversations would be about "life in general," he said. "Nothing religious. Nothing political." "He would go out and party," Hamauei said. "As far as I know he never practiced religion." Martha Guerrero, Arbabsiar's estranged wife, told the Austin, Texas, station KVUE Tuesday that they've "been separated for a long time" and she doesn't know anything about his affairs. However, she believes he is innocent. "I may not be living with him, being separated, but I cannot for the life of me think that he would be capable of doing that," said Guerrero. "He was at the wrong place at the wrong time, I'm sure of that, and I know that his innocence is going to come out." She said she and her children "are under a lot of stress right now" and want the ordeal to end. She said they have nothing to do with the situation. David Tomscha, another friend of Arbabsiar's in Corpus Christi, told CNN Arbabsiar traveled to Iran once a year and owns property in Iran. Arbabsiar and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of a conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism, the FBI said Tuesday. Arbabsiar was arrested in September. Shakuri remains at large, the bureau said. The two were in a group that began planning this spring to kill Saudi Ambassador Adel Al-Jubeir, the FBI said. Arbabsiar has had prior brushes with the law, but for minor infractions. Public records show three arrests for Arbabsiar over the last 25 years. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail for evading arrest in 1987, and he pleaded "no contest" to a lesser charge in 2004 after he was arrested for driving on a suspended license. Arbabsiar also received a speeding ticket in 2007 for going more than 10 mph over the limit. A 2001 theft charge against Arbabsiar was dismissed, CNN affiliate KIII-TV reported. According to the allegations he now faces, Arbabsiar and an undercover informant discussed using explosives to kill the Saudi ambassador and possibly attacking a crowded restaurant, according to an FBI affidavit released Tuesday. The informant named $1.5 million as his price, it said. Arbabsiar allegedly sent $100,000 intended as a down payment, telling the informant his "cousin" had deep pockets, court documents said. "This is out of character," Hamauei said. "Whether he would actually carry it out? I don't believe so." CNN's Nick Valencia, Tracy Sabo and Maryam Ayromlou contributed to this report .

NEW: The suspect's estranged wife doubts his guilt . Mitchel Hamauei knew Manssor Arbabsiar for 20 years . Charges sound "out of character," the friend says . Public records show Arbabsiar has three previous arrests .

(CNN) -- She's been a comedian, talk-show host and feared red carpet fashion critic. Now you can add winner of "The Celebrity Apprentice" to Joan Rivers' lengthy resume. Donald Trump and Joan Rivers attend "The Celebrity Apprentice" season finale Sunday in New York. After weeks of competition, the 75-year-old dynamo beat out 15 other contestants, including Dennis Rodman, Tom Green and Brian McKnight, to take the top spot in this season's edition of the reality show hosted by Donald Trump. Rivers went up against poker champion Annie Duke in Sunday night's finale in which both women were charged with planning a VIP party and silent auction for the last and deciding task. "They're both tough, they're both smart and they both hate each other," Trump observed at the beginning of the show. The apparent tension between Rivers and Duke continued in the final boardroom, part of which played out in front of a live audience, with both finalists bickering and interrupting each other repeatedly as Trump looked on. In the end, Duke raised far more money at her event, but Rivers was able to attract more celebrities and provide a better overall experience for the guests at her party, and Trump declared her the winner of the competition. "Your level of energy has been amazing," he told Rivers. The victory means $250,000 for Rivers' charity: God's Love We Deliver. If the series thrives on conflict, it got plenty of mileage out of Rivers. She blew up at country singer Clint Black, referred to another contestant as a "stupid blonde" and smashed a champagne glass out of frustration at one point. But Rivers seemed to be especially infuriated by Duke, calling her a "despicable human being" -- the tamest of the insults she hurled in Duke's direction over the course of the series. Rivers even walked out in a huff after her daughter, and fellow contestant, Melissa was fired from the show. The exit, complete with bleeped obscenities, was turned into a cliffhanger of sorts when it seemed like Rivers might not come back, but she returned to the show for the next task. You might think a show that's best known for the phrase "You're fired" might not do so well in a bad economy when thousands of people have heard similar words for real at their workplaces, but the series averaged more than 8 million viewers a week, according to Entertainment Weekly. EW: Did the right one win? Revived formula . "The Apprentice" made a splash when it debuted in 2004, making a reality television star out of Trump and contestants such as Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth. For several seasons, the series took ambitious young mogul wannabes, divided them into teams and had them compete in tasks that ranged from selling lemonade to creating advertising campaigns for major corporations. The contestants vied for the chance to run one of Trump's companies for a year, and Trump fired someone from the losing team each week until he selected an apprentice. Over the years, ratings for the show gradually declined, but the formula was revived in early 2008 with the first season of "The Celebrity Apprentice." The tasks, pressure-cooker atmosphere and boardroom bickering stayed the same, but the competition now featured contestants with varying degrees of fame and focused on raising money for charity. The first "Celebrity Apprentice" top spot went to Piers Morgan, the prickly judge on "Britain's Got Talent" who made news this spring when he invited singing sensation Susan Boyle to dinner after her memorable performance on the show. Morgan also made several appearances on this season's "Apprentice," sitting in as Trump's "eyes and ears" during one episode and interviewing the final four candidates in another. Morgan's aggressive questioning seemed to annoy the celebrities, especially Jesse James, who glared icily at Morgan when he kept asking him why he did not turn to his wife, Sandra Bullock, for help in raising money during the various tasks. Perhaps Bullock might be tempted to try competing on the show herself. NBC announced last month it is bringing back "The Celebrity Apprentice" for another installment in the spring of 2010, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Joan Rivers wins this season's "Celebrity Apprentice" Rivers goes up against poker champion Annie Duke in finale . Duke raises more money at her event, but Rivers is able to attract more celebrities . The victory means $250,000 for Rivers' charity .

(CNN) -- The recent email in my in-box was simply titled "Trabajo," which in Spanish means "work" or "a job." It was from Valentin Garcia - a jobless man we met in 2012 telling us, rather excitedly, that he'd gotten a job, at last. No small feat in Spain's economic crisis. He'd been out of work for more than three years before getting hired as a tree trimmer on a city work crew. We met Garcia, who's done all sorts of manual jobs, in June 2012 at a Red Cross food bank where he came to get a handout. He'd lost his job as a waiter two years earlier. There was a line at the Red Cross site in the Madrid suburb of Tres Cantos, and the down-on-their-luck Spaniards and immigrants waiting there didn't want to talk to CNN about their plight. Garcia also initially declined. He was concerned about how it would look on TV but eventually he told us that a TV interview might help him be seen by potential employers. Read more: Thousands protests law in Spain . We said we could only tell his story, but not guarantee he'd get a job. He agreed to talk. "If there is just part-time work, fine, at any hour, any job, even if I have to learn it from scratch," Garcia told us then. And then described the difficulties for a single man -- he was then 48 -- in Spain's crisis. His jobless benefits had run out, he had almost no savings, and he said he was really getting by thanks to help from his elderly mother. In October 2012, we covered the Spanish Red Cross's annual fundraiser that dates back more than a century and whose proceeds usually go to help people in disaster zones abroad. But for the first time, the money was being used to ease suffering at home, in Spain. We checked in with Garcia again. He still had no job, and was not very optimistic. Then came the joyous email about his new job. We went to update our story on him and found out there's some good news and some bad news. Yes, he's working, but only for six months. At 50, he's learning all about tree trimming, earning minimum wage -- about $900 a month. Watch more: Can Spain wine ease country's pain? "It's a bit boring," Garcia said during a break. "But it's what there is. Since they've given you an opportunity, at least you're busy." The Spanish government says the nation has been busy trying to get out of the economic crisis, and Spain's unemployment rate is finally starting to decline, although it's still 26% with 5.9 million people jobless. Unions, citing government figures that the Ministry of Labor confirms, say about 1.2 million jobs are being created in Spain each month, but that most of them are part time and temporary. And a third of them last less than four hours a day. Garcia works five hours. He'd like to get more work but thinks his chances are slim because, he says, most companies aren't hiring older workers. He says he's too old to learn languages and move abroad, as many college-educated Spaniards, and even some without a degree, are doing, in search of work. The mayor of Tres Cantos, the prosperous suburb that employs Garcia, is from Spain's ruling conservative party, which has been touting the economic recovery -- including the temporary jobs. "No, they're not the solution to Spain's problem of more than five million people unemployed," said Mayor Jesus Moreno. "But they're important so the long-term jobless can get training. Watch more: Making Spain more business friendly . Garcia, sitting on a bench and eating a sandwich, told us, "I'd like to change places with the politicians for a month or two so they could see what it's like to suffer in the economic crisis." But his most immediate concern is paying the bills when this job ends in April. He says he'll have to ask his elderly mother for help, again. We may need to check in again in the future with Valentin Garcia.

CNN met Valentin Garcia in 2012, when he was unemployed, now he has a job . But the job is short term and at 50, he's only earning the minimum wage . This represents many jobs that are being created in Spain -- short-term and badly paid . Questions are being raised over how much these can help the country's long-term recovery .

(CNN) -- Houston Rockets team physician Tom Clanton has said the foot injury currently sidelining Chinese center Yao Ming could threaten the seven-foot-six-inch player's career. Yao Ming's entire basketball future could be in danger due to his persistent foot injury. "At this point, the injury has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening," Clanton told the Houston Chronicle regional newspaper. "One of the things we are trying to get is a consensus opinion on that, to make certain there is no option we are overlooking that would provide an earlier return or would be an option for treatment that he would prefer rather than doing additional surgery," he added. Yao fractured his left foot last month during a semifinal match against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Western Conference semifinals and has been visiting specialists ahead of treatment since then. Clanton continued: "At this stage, he is having no symptoms or physical signs, he has no tenderness, no swelling, no redness. When he came back in, he was feeling like everything was perfect, and he would start rehabilitation and get ready to play. "The findings on the CT were shocking for him and for us. You don't treat a CT scan; you treat a patient. We are looking for every reason to treat this on clinical findings but don't want to put him at risk for a greater fracture," he added. The diagnosis raises doubt over the playing future of one of the biggest stars in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and one of the most famous celebrities to hail from China. Yao is a national hero in his homeland, and the news has prompted a frenzy of postings on the internet, arguing about the why's and wherefore's of his injury. "He is really tired," says one Netizen posting on Sina.com. "He needs to rest, we cannot let the giant fall!" "I wish everything will work out well for Yao Ming," says another teenage basketball fan. "There is always a way to deal with injuries. We should not give up." Some Yao supporters think he should take a long break -- even for the whole season -- and make a comeback later. "I think his injury is very bad," opines Ma Jian, a TV commentator who played for the Chinese national team. "With all the weight training the team have put him through in the past seven years, Yao has gained about 20 kilos in his upper body. But his lower body, especially his feet, did not gain much strength to hold his large frame." The 28-year-old Yao has been a perennial pick for the NBA All-Star teams since moving from the Shanghai Sharks to the Rockets in 2002. Yao also captained the Chinese team as hosts at the 2008 Beijing Games, as well as taking the role of flag-bearer in the opening ceremony. Yao was awarded the honor of "model worker" in 2005 by China's ruling Communist Party. However, despite his popularity, Yao still has his share of detractors. Known as "Yao hei" -- they are people who are out to smear the player. "He is a man made of glass," says one posting on Sina.com. "Should we call him Yao the glass or Yao the porcelain?" asks one rhetorically. Yao is now a multi-millionaire, earning millions of dollars yearly, not just from his NBA team but from lucrative commercial endorsements. Admirers say Yao has done more for improving China's image overseas than any modern-day politician or diplomat. Next to the giant panda, Yao is perhaps China's best known and much loved, icon, in part because exudes a wholesome, feel-good image. "He is such an affable, likeable guy," recalls Colin Pine, who used to serve as his personal translator during his years as an NBA rookie in Houston. His demeanor on and off the court has endeared him to the media and multitude of basketball fans overseas, who admire his modesty and maturity. His loyal fans hope Yao will get an extension of his already long and successful career.

Houston Rockets physician says Yao Ming injury could "threaten his career" Yao fractured his left foot playing for Houston against the L.A. Lakers in May . The 28-year-old was flag-bearer for China at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games . Yao has been perennial All-Star selection since he moved to the U.S. in 2002 .

Singapore (CNN) -- A police investigation into one man's death has now become an issue between two countries. Singapore's Foreign Ministry on Sunday said it was "deeply disappointed" by the attempt of two U.S. senators to block funding to the country's state-backed Institute of Microelectronics in a dispute over the investigation into the death of American who had worked there. U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester of Montana recently introduced a measure to block U.S. funding to the institute until U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder certifies that the FBI had full access to all evidence related to the death of research engineer Shane Todd. Todd's parents, who are from Montana, had raised the issue with the senators in early March. Baucus told reporters in Washington that he will work until he is "satisfied that the parents have closure, and I am convinced there has been no national security breach or improper transfer of technology that puts America at risk." According to a statement from the senators, in 2010, IME received nearly $500,000 from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technologies for use by the military. It was unclear what proportion of IME's overall budget the U.S. funds amounted to. Parents call death suspicious . Todd was found hanged in his apartment in June, just days after resigning from a job at IME. His death was reportedly called a suicide in initial reports by a Singapore coroner. A further investigation is under way in Singapore before a final coroner's report. Todd's parents consider their son's death suspicious and think he could have been killed because of his work on a semiconductor project between IME and the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. READ: Montana family disputes Singapore police probe into son's death . The Singapore police last week issued a statement asserting that they were cooperating with the FBI and said they also told the FBI they will share evidence obtained so far "in accordance with the legal framework of both countries." The senators' latest move came despite a meeting between Baucus and Singapore's Foreign Minister K Shanmugam on Tuesday. Shanmugam has said IME is subject to "rigorous internal audits" and offered to allow the United States to conduct its own "process audit" of IME as well. Hard drive holds evidence? Singapore police have also sought help from the FBI to obtain a hard drive that had been in Shane Todd's apartment and may contain relevant evidence. His parents say they found the drive in their son's apartment after police had already conducted their search. They also have said that experts who've examined the drive say someone accessed the drive after Todd's death. The parents have told CNN they are holding the drive "at an undisclosed location." Both IME and Huawei have denied any joint projects related to Todd's work were being conducted. Security concerns . Huawei is one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment makers. Along with its Chinese rival ZTE, it has been seeking to expand its business in Western markets. But at times, the two companies have met with resistance over security concerns and fears over their ties to the Chinese government. In October, a report prepared by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee said that "the risks associated with Huawei's and ZTE's provision of equipment to U.S. critical infrastructure could undermine core U.S. national-security interests." The two Chinese firms disputed the reports' findings, saying their products were safe for use in the United States. Todd's parents say his work had involved the use of an advanced semiconductor material Gallium Nitride, which has both commercial and military applications. They say he had expressed concerns about the legality of his work and whether it could be harmful to U.S. security. Singapore denies there were any illegal transfers of technology between IME and Huawei. In a statement from Singapore's Foreign Ministry, Singapore also objected to the "pressure" in this case and said the country has "made every effort to be open and transparent in both the investigation of Mr. Todd's death and the IME's projects." "We will let the outcome of the investigation and coroner's inquiry speak for themselves."

Montana senators aim to stop funding Singapore firm after U.S. employee's death . Research engineer Shane Todd was found hanged in his apartment last June . Singapore coroner called it a suicide, but Todd's family says his death was suspicious . Todd was working on semiconductor material Gallium Nitride, which has military uses .

(CNN) -- Rick Perry is really starting to annoy me. When Rick Perry announced he was running for president back on August 13, to tell you the truth I got a little excited. Now I know what you're thinking -- James you are a big Democrat, why on earth would you be excited about Perry running for president? And as Ricky used to tell Lucy -- I got some 'splainin to do. This was my thinking: Perry would get in and he would be a major force. After all he was governor of the state of Texas, great hair, been around politics for a while. He was the bona fide conservative complete with a pedigree to take on Romney. A giant fight to the death would ensue and they would bludgeon each other half to death -- you get the picture. Honestly, I enjoy nothing more than two Republicans going after each other. Secondly, when politics is interesting it is actually good for me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a cable television commentator -- the more interesting the campaign, the more coverage, the more I'm on TV -- you get the drift. Also, as some of you may be aware of, I've been known to give a speech or two in return for remuneration. The people that plan these sorts of things generally hire more political speakers when politics is interesting and in turn I'll make more money and then John Boehner and Eric Cantor will start referring to me as a job creator. With the way things are shaping up now, the event planners might be more inclined to take a motivational speaker, a magician, or a square dance troop. Hey Rick -- you are costing me airtime and money. Third, there is a dirty little secret about political people that I'm going to share with you. These political people include operatives, politicians, volunteers, bloviators, journalists, pundits, columnists, staffers -- we actually like politics and campaigns. Maybe you, like me, are a baseball fan. If you are, you want seven games because you actually like baseball. The same goes for politics -- if you really love it, you hope for a good race that goes on and you enjoy watching people who are skilled at doing this. It is literally painful to watch Rick Perry as a candidate. The case could be made that Rick Perry is the worst debater to ever run for president. As far as I know he can't even give a good speech. His appearance before the uber-right-winged Values Voters Summit was universally trashed. Not only can he not give an interview, he can't even roll out his stupid flat tax plan. He steps all over it by saying, "Oh by the way, it's optional anyway." He has managed to couple the flat tax with the IRS bureaucracy in one sentence. Way to go Rick. I'll be blunt with all you Perry supporters, it's time to butter your guy because he's toast. Every day it's a new dumb thing. From birtherism, to convoluted tax policy, to inarticulate attacks, to woeful ignorance and even stupidity on foreign policy (Pakistani country? Please), to placing his wife under such stress that she is lashing out at everything around her. Not only is Rick Perry utterly incapable of running for president, he can't run his state, and in fact can't meet the basic requirement for any politician -- he can't even run his mouth. As if he hasn't made a big enough fool of himself, he decides to go out and have lunch with Donald Trump and falls for the birther strategy. Good God, can this guy do anything? I guess I should be fair to him, he has shown that he can get the same people he gave contracts to as governor of Texas to contribute to his campaign. Wow, what an achievement. To tell you the truth, it's gotten so bad people in Louisiana are actually starting to make Texas jokes. If this thing gets any worse the people in Mississippi will be making Texas jokes -- then you've really hit rock bottom. Rick, you have managed to embarrass yourself and irritate the hell out of me. So I guess you are good at something after all. PS: See where the media is reporting that Perry is "retooling" his campaign. I think their problem is with the Indian, not the arrow. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of James Carville.

James Carville says Rick Perry is starting to get on his nerves . He hoped Perry would give Romney a good fight, prolong interest in the race . Instead Perry has been a weak candidate, with poor performances, Carville says . Carville: Perry had lunch with Donald Trump and fell for the birther strategy -- a mistake .

(CNN) -- Reports have surfaced again in the past week that Facebook is working on a phone. The latest news on the long-rumored project is that Facebook has abandoned its plan to work on both the hardware and software, as Apple does, and instead will partner with hardware manufacturer HTC. The Facebook phone's software, meanwhile, will be a modified version of Google's Android. The question is: Why? Why would a social network want to compete in the cell phone business? And how can it, given that Apple, Google and others already seem to have the market wrapped up? Does anyone want a Facebook phone? Perhaps Facebook users are clamoring for a new socially connected phone? Nope. Judging by the reaction to the news around the Web this past week, a good number of tech commentators and Facebook users aren't the slightest bit keen on the idea of Facebook releasing a cell phone. Privacy concerns are among the top objections. Facebook already has enough information about us, some people fear, and buying a Facebook phone would surely provide the social-networking giant with even more control over our personal data. In fact, an informal poll found that 80% of respondents did not want a Facebook phone. Only 7.8% said they'd consider it. If there's very little demand for a Facebook phone, then why pursue the idea? To find the answer, it helps to consider the biggest growth sectors in consumer technology. While social networking is a large-scale trend, the growth of mobile phones is perhaps a larger one. Other tech giants -- Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google -- have all made their claims here. Facebook has not. In fact, Facebook is a laggard in mobile networking: Its iPad app launched a full 18 months after the groundbreaking tablet debuted. That's a lifetime in the fast-paced world of tech. App stores . This mobile megatrend breaks down into a series of smaller trends. Take app stores, for instance. The app store is now the dominant way to distribute software to devices: The companies that manage these stores control the future of computing. Facebook's Silicon Valley rivals, Apple and Google, own the largest app stores, while Amazon is likely to see success building its own app store on top of Google's Android. Facebook once looked to be the winner in app distribution -- the Facebook Platform showed huge promise -- but now it must go through its competitors to get its software on these devices. By building its own alternative to mobile app stores, either on top of Android or using HTML5 apps on the Web, Facebook might get back in the game. Mobile payments . What about mobile payments? It's often been said that if Facebook were a country, it would be one of the most populous in the world. Facebook would love for that "country" to have an economy to match, and that means having all its users embrace Facebook Credits. Meanwhile, using your phone instead of your credit card is set to be a huge trend in 2012 thanks to the addition of "tap to pay" technology in some handsets. It's the biggest change in payments technology since the credit card, and Facebook Credits doesn't stand a chance. Instead, rival Google is plowing ahead with Google Wallet, which when combined with Google's Android operating system could make Google a leader in this hot market. Social networking . What about social networking itself? Could the growth of mobile Web browsing undermine Facebook's leadership here? Facebook's closest competitors for the social crown are Twitter and Google+. So what would happen if Google were to put Google+ right into Android, the world's most popular mobile operating system? For Facebook, that could be disastrous. Google+ would come baked in to your phone, but getting Facebook would require an additional download. A win-win? So why is Facebook making a phone if nobody wants to buy one? Perhaps because it has to: If Facebook can't compete with Google and Apple in mobile technology, it may find itself on the losing side of some of consumer tech's greatest battles. I, for one, support the effort: If Facebook succeeds, we all benefit from more competition in the smartphone market. And if Facebook fails, we lose nothing. I'd even be willing to bet on the likely outcome. Facebook won't dominate the phone market, but it will figure out new ways to make our phones and our applications more social. That sounds like a positive outcome for all.

Informal poll: 80% of respondents don't want a Facebook phone . Facebook Credits don't stand a chance against "tap to pay" tech in some handsets . Despite its size, Facebook lags in mobile networking . Cashmore: If Facebook succeeds, we all benefit; if it fails, we lose nothing .

(CNN) -- Viola Davis got a nod for best actress from the Academy this year for her role as Aibileen Clark in "The Help," and she must win, despite the controversy about the movie and the role she plays in it. If you believe what you read on blogs, black women long to be represented on screens large and small as rounded, complex characters, rather than wise, downtrodden burden-bearers and hot-blooded angry sex machines. Some say they want more black people telling black stories, which would be reasonable, if it were true. I have been black a long time, and I can tell you that black folks are a persnickety lot. To get consensus, things have to be done The Right Way -- but there's no consensus on what that looks like. However, we seem to know what it is not. Lee Daniels' "Monster's Ball" and "Precious" contained the wrong message (white people saving black people) and "For Colored Girls" was tainted by Tyler Perry, a gifted director and storyteller given to more commercial fare, whom some saw as the wrong messenger. The Popes of Blackness rarely agree on anything. One thing is certain -- Davis takes on a difficult role and breathes life into a hero who is inspiring, enraging, familiar and extraordinary. It is odious that the nominating committee gravitates to black people playing into conventional stereotypes. Nevertheless, that is not Viola Davis' fault. Given the state of the union, I think most any actor would be lucky to get work as a tree, forget about the layered role of a conflicted domestic in America's civil rights-era South. It is an incredible part, and Davis nails it. Not everyone is happy about that. You may recall that back when the film was released in theaters, the aforementioned Popes espoused their disgust for a black woman acting as a domestic, which naturally made white audiences curious, turning both the movie and the novel it was based on into something of a sensation. I'm not sure why white folks loved "The Help" so much -- maybe because many of them grew up with an Aibileen of their own. Films outside the comfort zone of mainstream black audiences seem to attract mainstream patronage en masse. Not that it matters, but from "Birth of a Nation" to "The Color Purple" and "Glory," black outrage often translates to box-office gold. Maybe mainstream audiences are more willing to confront difficult stories objectively, as opposed to bringing all their discontent and political baggage and such while shouting expletives at the movie screen. I don't know what some black folks want from a film -- the Hollywood machine is an ugly marriage of art and business, propaganda and entertainment. People going to the cineplex in search of edification or some ethereal, cathartic moment of spiritual actualization should be in school or church -- because they expect more than they reasonably should from a movie. Author Kathryn Stockett once referred to her novel as "civil rights fiction," which sounds more like bad PR coaching than a claim to take too seriously. The film, like the novel, is not about civil rights -- it is about prejudice, privilege and the price of dignity. It is about the things you learn about people when you step out of your comfort zone. The actress Octavia Spencer does her part, but Viola Davis carries this film on her back. Some may be discouraged to see a black woman get an Oscar nod for playing a house cleaner -- never mind that women in their 40s of every stripe are having a hard time everywhere in Hollywood. Viola Davis is a gifted actor -- smokin' hot! -- but not buxom, biracial or conventionally beautiful. She already has a truckload of Tony and other theater awards, just got a SAG award, and works steadily. Her nomination pushes an opening door even further, soliciting an appreciation for the beauty of dark skin, full eyes and lips, and a new beauty aesthetic for Hollywood to consider. "The Help" is decried for being a work of white liberal guilt porn, schmaltzy and sentimental -- which it is. But so what? There are flaws in the film, but Viola Davis is not one of them. Join the conversation on Facebook. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of jimi izrael.

Viola Davis is nominated for an Oscar; jimi izrael says she must win . He says black women would like to see better roles that show them as rounded, complex . He says Davis' role might be stereotypical, but she breathes life into it, makes it extraordinary . izrael: Some may complain, but Davis may be opening the door wider for blacks in movies .

(CNN) -- He has met the United States' former First Lady, and an audience with Barack Obama awaits, but the American that world champion boxer Amir Khan really wants to face next is proving a bit more elusive. The British fighter has set his heart on becoming the planet's best pound-for-pound pugilist, and for him that means taking on the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- who, as a five-division champion, once laid claim to that coveted crown. Khan, 24, unified the WBA super and IBF light welterweight world championship belts in July by defeating American Zab Judah in Las Vegas in July, while Mayweather recently returned to the ring after a 16-month absence. Six-time world champion Mayweather has won all of his 42 fights as a professional, 26 by knockout, and emerged victorious from a controversial contest with Victor Ortiz on September 18. But the fight many boxing fans want to see is Mayweather against eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao -- the Filipino rated by Ring Magazine as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world. "Floyd Mayweather pound for pound is probably one of the best fighters in the world," Khan, who won an Olympic silver medal in the lightweight category at the Athens Games in 2004, told CNN. "Me and Manny both want to fight him, but that will never happen because at the moment he doesn't want to fight either of us. But it will come to a stage when the pressure will be so much on Floyd Mayweather that he'll have to take the fight." Khan doubts that a match-up between his Golden Boy stablemate Mayweather and Top Rank's Pacquiao will ever happen, with disagreements over drug-testing and money having previously prevented the fight. "You've got two different promotion teams, and for them to agree on terms for a fight is very difficult," he said. "Firstly, you've got Mayweather saying that Manny has to take so many drug tests and blood tests, then Manny talking about the purse. But that fight will generate about $100 million each, so it's a lot of money to say no to." Mayweather, 34, and Pacquiao, 32, have both occupied the position of best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and Khan is aiming to emulate the success enjoyed by the decorated duo. "I want to be known as a legend in the sport and I want to win everything. I want to be a pound-for-pound champion of the world, and every morning when I wake up that's what drives me to the gym to train hard," he said. "When I'm tired in the gym, that's what pushes me, because I want to be the best there is. And, I'm nearly there. I'm only 24, I'm the unified champion, I'm a two-time world champion, and I've done it so young. But I want to achieve more." Khan has seen his international profile increase in the last 18 months, having fought in the U.S. on three occasions since making his American bow against Paulie Malignaggi at New York's Madison Square Gardens in March 2010. It would now appear even politicians are starting to sit up and take notice of the Bolton-born fighter, with Khan having recently met U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and now being lined up for an audience with President Barack Obama later this year. "I was invited to go to the state building," said Khan. "Hilary Clinton invited me and my team. It was an honor to be part of that event. It was about the Muslim sportsmen who were influential and who do good things in the Muslim community. "I enjoyed it and they want me back over there in December probably to meet Obama, so it's good times. "When they first got talking about it, I thought they were just pulling my leg, but they were quite serious about it, and I thought 'Wow'. I might never get the chance to go to the White House or meet Obama again, so I'm going to make the most of it."

Boxing champion Amir Khan tells CNN he wants to face Floyd Mayweather . The Briton says he doesn't think Mayweather will ever face Manny Pacquiao . Khan has set his sights on becoming world's best pound-for-pound fighter . The 24-year-old will meet U.S. President Barack Obama later this year .

(CNN) -- When Benedetto Vigna set out to create a 3D motion sensor that had the strength to resist the stress of rough and tumble yet the smarts to detect human movement, it would have been easy to look for answers in academic papers and the latest scientific theories. Instead, the Italian nuclear-physicist-come-microelectronic-specialist cast conventional wisdom aside and sought inspiration in the architectural splendor of the Japanese city of Kyoto. It was here, in early 2003, that Vigna came to wonder at the towering Toji Pagoda -- a 58-meter-tall wooden structure that has remained unmoved for more than 1,200 years despite being situated in an active earthquake zone. See also: The new age of driverless cars . As he paced around the majestic five-storey monument, Vigna began to consider whether he could transfer the engineering philosophy that underpinned the ancient building to the problems he faced in the high-tech world of micro-processers. "There's a single pillar (in the Toji Pagoda) and then it is like a flower with different levels of floors," Vigna explained. "When there is an earthquake ... structure(s) like this don't go down because you have only one pillar. Usually if you have two pillars, because of movement in the earth, then you may have some breakage. "Instead of making (the sensor devices) like we were at the time with a lot of pillars ... we found a way to make a single pillar structure to make it more robust." Vigna's observation led to a flurry of excited development at his company, STMicroelectronics, in Milan, Italy, upon his return from Japan. Just five weeks later and the first micro-electrical mechanical sensor (MEMS) device with Vigna's single-pillar theory was validated by his colleagues. MEMS were not a new invention at the time but using this off-beat technique to make the tiny silicon components more resilient whilst maintaining performance was a major breakthrough. After many years of research "we had the industrial solution from a performance point of view, form a cost point of view (and) from a quality point of view to realize our business idea," Vigna enthused. See also: Teen builds one-man submarine for $2,000 . The first company to pick up STMicroelectronics' newly developed technology -- perhaps aptly given its eastern origins -- was Nintendo in 2005. The Japanese gaming giant used the devices to detect and interact with user movement in the control pads of its Nintendo Wii system (which subsequently became one of the most popular computer consoles of all time). Versions of Vigna's MEMS chips have since been applied to desktop computers and are now an integral feature of smartphone and tablet devices. MEMS is the component responsible for enabling users to flick between apps, tilt their smartphones to engender movement in a game they may be playing as well as stabilizing camera images when pictures are taken. Without Vigna's eureka moment, it can safely be concluded that cellphone technology would be nowhere near as advanced as it is today. "Sometimes I think about this and I am glad to see that what I started (has been useful) and I like when I hear people, especially in the crisis times, saying thanks to MEMS we have a job," Vigna said. See also: Ex-cop builds robot from household goods . While content with the progress of his invention thus far, Vigna believes MEMS still has much more to give in the years to come. The technology has already ballooned into a billion dollar industry with 18 million sensors now produced every week (of which STMicroelectronics are responsible for around 60%). He highlights a strew of potential new uses, including indoor mapping, healthcare devices that measure movement over a certain period as well as a exciting new smartphone applications. "Today there are many applications using MEMS," Vigna said. "If you go on the internet you are looking at about tens of thousands of applications." "This (field) is a place where big companies, but also start-ups, can think about new applications and make it happen," he added.

An ancient Japanese temple inspired an Italian inventor to create a piece of technology vital for smartphones . The Toji Pagoda in Kyoto has stood in the same place for more than 1,200 years despite being situated in an earthquake zone . The architectural underpinnings of the structure acted as inspiration for a new type of micro-processor . MEMS technology is now a vital component in smartphone and tablet devices .

(CNN) -- Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong said Wednesday the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency intends to "dredge up discredited" doping allegations against him in a bid to strip him of his seven Tour de France victories. The Washington Post said it received a copy of a 15-page agency letter sent Tuesday to Armstrong and several others. As a result of the allegations, Armstrong was immediately banned from competing in triathlons, a sport he took up after retiring from professional bicycling, the newspaper reported on its website. Armstrong, as he has in the past, said he has never engaged in doping. "Unlike many of my accusers, I have competed as an endurance athlete for 25 years with no spike in performance, passed more than 500 drug tests and never failed one," Armstrong said on his website. "That USADA ignores this fundamental distinction and charges me instead of the admitted dopers says far more about USADA, its lack of fairness and this vendetta than it does about my guilt or innocence." Justice Department prosecutors in February said they closed a criminal investigation after reviewing allegations against Armstrong. They had called witnesses to a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, but they apparently determined they lacked evidence to bring a charge that Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong was accused of using such drugs by other riders, but never failed a drug test. "These are the very same charges and the same witnesses that the Justice Department chose not to pursue after a two-year investigation," Armstrong said Wednesday. According to the Post, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency alleged it collected blood samples from Armstrong in 2009 and 2010 that were "fully consistent with blood manipulation including EPO use and/or blood transfusions." The allegations were previously unpublicized, according to the Post. Opinion: Why fans shouldn't forgive Armstrong . The letter says Armstrong and five former cycling team associates engaged in a doping conspiracy from 1998 to 2011, the Post reported. Riders will testify that Armstrong used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and masking agents, and that he distributed and administered drugs to other cyclists from 1998 to 2005, the Post quoted the letter as saying. In a statement obtained by CNN, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis T. Tygart said the five other people, formerly associated with the U.S. Postal Service pro cycling team, are three team doctors and two team officials. The letter included written notice of alleged anti-doping rule violations, Tygart said . "USADA only initiates matters supported by the evidence," Tygart said. "We do not choose whether or not we do our job based on outside pressures, intimidation or for any reason other than the evidence." All named individuals are presumed innocent until proven otherwise, he added. His statement did not mention anything about Armstrong's status as a triathlete. According to its website, the quasi-government agency is recognized as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic events in the United States. Armstrong lashed out at the organization, saying it has "self-written rules" and that it punishes first and adjudicates the facts later. Armstrong has been dogged by allegations of drug abuse in recent years, with compatriot Floyd Landis -- who was found guilty of doping in the 2006 Tour de France, resulting in him being stripped of the title -- making a series of claims last year. Armstrong came out fighting once again in May 2011 in the face of fresh allegations made on the CBS News "60 Minutes" show by another American, Tyler Hamilton. In the CBS interview, Hamilton -- who retired in 2009 after twice testing positive himself -- says he first saw Armstrong use blood boosting substance EPO in 1999, the year of his first Tour de France victory. "I saw it in his refrigerator," Hamilton told the American news program. "I saw him inject it more than one time like we all did, like I did many, many times." On his Twitter page, Armstrong at the time said he never failed a drug test. Ex-teammate: I saw Lance Armstrong inject banned substances . CNN's Terry Frieden and Jason Durand contributed to this report.

Anti-doping agency investigating Lance Armstrong, five others . Armstrong says the agency is on a vendetta . Agency says it only initiates matters "supported by the evidence"

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal beat the Netherlands 2-1 to book their passage to the quarterfinals of Euro 2012 behind Group B winners Germany who saw off Denmark by the same score. Ronaldo's goals sunk the 2010 World Cup runners-up who exited the competition without gaining a single point. Germany will play Greece in the quarterfinals with Portugal taking on Group A winners Czech Republic. Group B was labeled the "Group of Death" when the draw was made and lived up to its billing as the four teams provided an enthralling finale. Euro 2012: Day 10 as it happened . The Dutch, who never recovered from a shock 1-0 defeat to Denmark in their opener, were given early hope when Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart put them ahead. But Real Madrid ace Ronaldo finally lived up to his star billing with goals in each half in Kharkiv to secure his side's passage. Germany went into their match in Lviv as heavy favorites and were given a 19th minute lead by Lukas Podolski, winning his 100th cap. But Michael Krohn-Dehlim, who scored against the Dutch in the opener, equalized five minutes later. Lars Bender scored his first goal for Germany with 10 minutes remaining to preserve their 100 per cent record. "That was my first start (for Germany), so it was something special," Bender told AFP. "We were trying to get that second goal, I just saw the goal in front of me and it was a bit lucky," he added. Germany 2-1 Denmark . Germany, who went into the final group match off the back of two wins, started brightly and only a fine save by Danish goalkeeper Stephan Andersen kept out an early Thomas Mueller drive. Germany came even closer when top scorer Mario Gomez fluffed a clear chance in front of goal. But the miss did appear to matter as Mueller crossed and Gomez left it for Podolski to score his 44th international goal. But the lead was shortlived as Sunderland's Niklas Bendtner headed on a corner for Krohn-Dehli to apply the finishing touch. Denmark looked the more likely side to score after the break and Jakub Poulson clipped the post after an excellent move. Bendtner, always a threat, might have won a penalty for the Danes after appearing to be pulled back by Holger Badstuber, but the appeals were waived away. With a draw looking the likely result, Mesut Ozil squared for right-back Bender to beat Andersen with a cool finish. Portugal 2-1 Netherlands . Ronaldo had gone into his side's crunch match with the Dutch without scoring a goal in the two earlier group matches and smarting at criticism of his performances. The early signs did not look promising as Arjen Robben set up Van der Vaart to steer a perfect finish into the bottom left corner of the Portugal goal on 11 minutes. But after Helder Postiga had nearly leveled, Ronaldo finally got on the Euro scoresheet as he ran on to Joao Pereira's fine pass to beat Maarten Stekelenburg. "This is for you my son," the 27-year-old was seen to mouth at television cameras after his 28th minute strike. Ronaldo proved a constant menace to the Dutch defense but early in the second half Portugal survived a scare after Wesley Sneijder crossed from the left for the unmarked Ron Vlaar to waste the chance. Stekelenburg was forced into a superb point-blank save from Nani, who had been set up by Ronaldo. The pair combined again for the eventual winner as Manchester United's Nani fed his former club teammate again. The Real Madrid star checked and cut inside before easily beating Stekelenburg. Van der Vaart hit the woodwork for the Dutch, but Ronaldo himself was then denied in the same fashion as he chased a deserved hat-trick. Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk was left to contemplate another defeat and an unexpected exit. "You saw that when we concede a goal, the uncertainty remains. If we'd scored a second, we might have been more sure of ourselves, but we didn't take our chances," he said.

Germany top Group B of Euro 2012 after 2-1 win over Denmark . Lars Bender scores late winner for the Germans . Cristiano Ronaldo scores twice as Portugal beat Netherlands 2-1 . Favored Dutch exit without a point along with Denmark .

(CNN) -- The most impressive feature of the new iPhone 5S may be its ability to turn your finger into a password. Touch ID is Apple's name for a new fingerprint scanner that would act as a security tool for log-ins and for making purchases from iTunes and other Apple stores. "Your fingerprint is one of the best passwords in the world," said Dan Riccio, a senior vice president for hardware design at Apple, in a promotional video. "It's always with you and no two are exactly alike." Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S, along with a cheaper, simpler iPhone 5C, at an event Tuesday at the company's California headquarters. On the new 5S, the Home button will be made of sapphire crystal and act as a reader. According to Apple a fingerprint -- up to five prints from different users, depending on who else shares your phone -- can be read by the sensor from any angle to give access the same way a password does currently. The fingerprint data is encrypted, Riccio said, and stored internally on the phone. "It's never available to other software and it's never stored on Apple's servers or backed up to iCloud," he said. The iPhone isn't the first phone to have a fingerprint sensor. In 2011, the Motorola ATRIX 4G included one, though adoption among users wasn't particularly high and the company eventually discontinued the feature. And at least one Android phone to be released this year also will have the technology, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Some laptops and PCs have had fingerprint readers for several years now. But the technology has never really caught on, with users often complaining about them being balky and unreliable. Maybe Apple can change that. "Fingerprint sensors have come a long way," said Michael Barrett, president of the Fast Identity Online Alliance, an industry group advocating for universal security authentication tools. "They are by and large much better quality now and very readily able to detect 'Is this just an image of a finger or a real-life finger?'" But while he called Touch ID "an exciting announcement," Barrett still sees some problems. First, he said, fingerprint scanning still isn't perfect. He mentioned his wife, an artist, who has trouble accessing her PC with a fingerprint scanner when she's been working with plaster, which dries out her hands. "Like many biometrics, it falls slightly into 'your mileage may vary,'" he said. "If it works for you, great. But it may not work for you all the time." The former chief information security officer at PayPal, Barrett also sees limitations to using the system for online purchases. While it may work fine on iTunes or in the App Store, it's not likely other Web retailers are going to spend millions of dollars to make their systems accommodate an Apple feature used on fewer than 17 percent of the world's smartphones. That means iPhone 5S owners who used Touch ID for purchases inside Apple's "walled garden" would still need to use other security tools to shop elsewhere with the same phone. David Rogers, director of the Columbia Business School's Digital Marketing program and executive director of its Center for Global Brand Leadership, called Touch ID one of several "nice," but ultimately underwhelming, features on the iPhone 5S. "Touch ID ... could have been that killer app. But so far, it's just a feature that saves you a couple seconds logging in," he said. "If they can manage to link it to multiple profiles on a device, like the new Google Nexus tablets, or make it a password to controlling smart devices in the home -- your stereo, thermostat, etc. -- that could make for a truly killer feature. But they just didn't get there today." Paco Hope, principal consultant at software security firm Cigital, said that, if nothing else, Apple will widely expand the public's understanding of the use of biometrics in the digital world. "People's ideas about biometrics were as informed by Hollywood as they were by real products and experiences," he said. "Now, when someone asks the value of a fingerprint scanner, we can point to the iPhone and use it as a reference, for better or worse. "Esoteric and academic theories of usability, reliability, false positives, false negatives, and so on will suddenly be tested by millions of real users in real situations."

On the iPhone 5S, Touch ID uses your fingerprint for security . Fingerprint data is encrypted, stored on phone, not Apple servers . Some experts say Apple's tech is nice, but won't be game-changer .

(CNN) -- Local Spanish-language television for Hispanics who also speak English? Yes. As the nation grows, so has the number of Hispanics who speak English and Spanish and who feel comfortable receiving their news in both languages, according to Pew. Since 1997, CNN en Español has reached millions of Spanish-speaking households, but there is still a need to reach another demographic. Enter CNN Latino. "This programming block is aimed at people who speak English and Spanish, families looking for something relevant," said Cynthia Hudson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN en Español, at the CNN Latino launch party in Los Angeles. CNN Latino celebrated its launch in Los Angeles in style at the Sunset Tower Hotel this week. Among CNN's journalists at the launch party were Mexican actresses Kate del Castillo and Angelica Vale, Mexican actor and singer Diego Boneta, Mexican actor Eduardo Verastegui and model and former participant of the show "Mira Quien Baila" Maripily. Luis Miguel's daughter, Michelle Salas, also made an appearance. CNN Latino's eight-hour custom-programming block is set to air on Thursday through a local channel in Los Angeles with special emphasis on the community of more than 4 million Hispanics. It will feature news, lifestyle, documentary, talk and debate, and it seeks to be an alternative to traditional Hispanic networks. "This bloc is for the bicultural, bilingual Latino who goes back and forth between both worlds," said Elizabeth Espinosa, KTLA reporter who will be hosting "Sin Limites" (No Limits), a magazine lifestyle show that will air 8 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday on KBEH Channel 63. She will keep her day job at KTLA, Channel 5, where she is a reporter for daytime and evening news shows. Espinosa is a native Angelino. Her mother emigrated from El Salvador, and her father is from Mexico. In addition to "Sin Limites," CNN en Español's team will be a part of the programming as well: . -- Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui, will interview Mexico's newsmakers. -- CNNE's Juan Carlos Lopez will be hosting political debates on "Choque de Opiniones." -- CNN en Español's Fernando Del Rincon will host "Conclusiones", a nightly debate of the day's top story . -- Dr. Marisa Azaret discusses healthy living on "CNN Vida." -- CNN en Español's entertainment correspondent Juan Carlos Arciniegas will host "Showbiz Latino." -- Sports news will be hosted by Marcela Trucios on "Deportes USA." -- "CNN Archivo" will showcase documentaries on crime, adventures and controversy, hosted by Maria Regina Bustamante. -- And CNN's Ismael Cala will host "Cala," a 60-minute audience-engaging show where he interviews provocative newsmakers. Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, with spending power of more than $1 trillion, and they have an increasing influence on social, economic and political trends. CNN Latino joins the likes of News Corp and Colombia's RCN Television, which are behind the Spanish-language network MundoFox, and ABC News/Univision in launching a 24-hour English-language network, all aimed at the U.S. Hispanic audience. The only difference is, CNN Latino will be accessible to those who don't have cable. "For many Hispanics, this is going to be the first time they see CNN," said Hudson. "What's going to represent CNN Latino in Los Angeles has not been seen before, about 50% of the public does not have cable," said Espinosa. CNN Latino will be CNN's first move outside cable television and, according to Hudson, the first step to bringing this syndicated programming block to local broadcast stations in key Hispanic media markets. "We want to produce content for the Latino who was born in Latin America that lives here and the Hispanic who was born in the U.S.," said Hudson. Hudson said CNN en Español will be announcing at least five more new channel affiliates in other major cities within the U.S. that will broadcast CNN Latino. CNN en Español launching CNN Latino .

CNN Latino is aimed at people who speak English and Spanish . CNN Latino celebrated its launch in Los Angeles at the Sunset Tower Hotel this week . CNN Latino will be CNN's first move outside cable television .

(CNN) -- A man who was sexually abused by former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has settled his civil suit against the university -- the first to do so, his lawyer said. During Sandusky's trial last year, the man was known as Victim 5. Victim 5's lawyer, Tom Kline, said the settlement terms are bound by a confidentiality agreement with the school, but that "the compensation was fair and adequate." "My client is relieved," Kline told CNN. "This has been a long process. There has been for him a very public reliving of horror he experienced as a child." Sandusky, 69, was convicted in June 2012 on 45 counts of child sex abuse, ranging from corruption of minors to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. He was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. At the sentencing, Victim 5 told the court Sandusky's punishment "will never erase what he did to me." "It will never make me whole," he said. "He must pay for his crimes, take into account the tears, the pain, the private anguish." 'Because of you, I trust no one' The university still faces 30 other suits. It has set aside $60 million for payouts. Kline said 25 or 26 of the suits are expected to be settled in the next week or two. Penn State sent a statement to CNN saying, "The University continues to make progress on multiple settlements but does not have a comment at this time." Kline called the settlement involving Victim 5 "win, win." Penn State, he said, has accepted "responsibility" and "has earned a right to move forward." Kline said Victim 5 has agreed to bring no further claims against the school as part of the deal. Matt Sandusky files motion to have name changed . The abuse . Sandusky sexually assaulted Victim 5 in August 2001, six months after then-graduate assistant Michael McQueary walked in on Sandusky raping a boy in a campus shower -- and reported it to college officials. Victim 5 was also assaulted in Penn State showers, Kline said. During Sandusky's sentencing, Victim 5 told the court he will never forget the image of Sandusky "forcing himself on me and forcing my hand on him." Sandusky's life in prison . At least three of Sandusky's known victims were abused after 2001, according to testimony at last year's trial of the former Nittany Lions defensive coordinator. The victims have sued the school, saying it knew about the abuse but didn't act on that knowledge. Opinion: Sandusky sentence doesn't bring instant justice . The fallout . The sex abuse scandal led to the 2011 firing of Penn State's head football coach, Joe Paterno, and the ouster of the university's longtime president Graham Spanier. Paterno died last year of lung cancer. Last month, a judge ruled that Spanier and two senior administrators will face trial on obstruction of justice and other charges related to the scandal. State prosecutors allege that Spanier, former Athletic Director Tim Curley and former Senior Vice President Gary Schultz all knew about two allegations made against Sandusky in 1998 and in 2001, but lied about their knowledge when a grand jury convened several years later. Ex-university officials accused of 'conspiracy of silence' All three men have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. Victim 5 might testify in their trials, his lawyer said. He was assaulted shortly after the incident McQueary witnessed in the same location -- an act that could have been prevented had proper reporting taken place, Kline said. "The incident that involved my client could have and should have been stopped," Kline said. Attorneys for the three claim there is no evidence of a cover-up. Yet prosecutors characterized their actions as a conscious decision not to call police. "There was a conspiracy of silence," prosecutor Bruce Beemer said during the July hearing. "They are not relieved of criminal responsibility because their conspiracy worked for 10 years." Sandusky attempts to discredit witness from prison . CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report.

NEW: Victim 5 was assaulted in the shower 6 months after the witnessed assault, lawyer says . The university faces 30 other suits . It has set aside $60 million for payouts . Victim 5: Sandusky's punishment "will never erase what he did to me"

(CNN) -- The old met the new. At one end of the court, the young man nicknamed "Baby Federer" -- at the other was one of the all-time tennis greats, albeit one who is battling to show that he's not a spent force. One of them has 77 career titles, but only one this year, while the other -- a former top-ranked junior -- won his first on the ATP Tour last weekend. And after losing the first two games, despite a vociferous home backing, it certainly looked like Roger Federer might be headed for another disappointing defeat. But the Swiss legend battled back to show why he is the holder of a record 17 grand slam titles as he denied Grigor Dimitrov -- 10 years younger at 22 -- a famous victory in Basel. Federer, now ranked a comparatively lowly sixth by his high standards, eventually triumphed 6-3 7-6 (7-2) against the Bulgarian as he also came from behind in the second set to force the tie-break. "It was very important to win in two sets," said Federer, who notched his 50th win in his home city event -- a feat he had previously managed only in the four majors. "There were a lot of free gifts out there in some games. When I saved three set points I just told myself to play one point at a time and hope to get there. "I broke him and that made it difficult for him. I was able to come through well in the tiebreaker. It always feels good to win at home." If Federer can next beat Canada's Vasek Pospisil in the semifinals of the Swiss Indoor s event and then win it for a record-extending sixth time, he will qualify for the ATP World Tour Finals in London with one tournament to spare -- next week's Paris Masters. See the similarities between Federer and Dimitrov . That there has been doubt Federer might not participate in next month's season-ender -- a tournament he has won six times since 2003 -- is a measure of how much he has struggled this year. If 2012 was his return to the top, a year in which he won Wimbledon a record-equaling seventh time, regained the No. 1 ranking and broke the milestone for most weeks at the summit, then 2013 has been a major comedown. After reaching the semifinals at January's Australian Open, he lost in the quarters at Roland Garros, the second round at Wimbledon and in the last 16 in New York. Injuries and experiments with new rackets have taken the edge off his once invincible aura, giving players like Dimitrov real hope that they can claim a never-to-be-forgotten scalp. But not this time. Federer will next face a 23-year-old ranked 40th in the world, with a 17-16 record this year. But Pospisil is showing a return to the form that helped him beat world No. 6 Tomas Berdych in Montreal in August, reaching his third ATP Tour semifinal this season with a 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 win over Croatia's Ivan Dodig. Saturday's other semi will be between defending champion Juan Martin del Potro, who beat Federer in last year's final, and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Del Potro, who has already qualified for one of the eight places in London, became just the sixth Argentine to register 300 career wins as he defeated qualifier Henri-Paul Mathieu 6-4 6-4. The world No. 5, who now has a record of 300-120, is seeking his fourth title this year. Meanwhile, world No. 3 David Ferrer continued the defense of his Valencia Open title by reaching the semifinals with a 6-4 4-6 6-0 win over Polish fifth seed Jerzy Janowicz. The Spaniard will next play compatriot Nicolas Almagro, while Russians Mikhail Youzhny and Dmitry Tursunov will contest the other semi.

Roger Federer reaches semifinals of his home Swiss Indoors tournament . Former world No. 1 defeats Grigor Dimitrov, once hailed as his future successor . Federer will qualify for ATP World Tour Finals if he wins title for sixth time . Juan Martin del Potro, who beat him in last year's Swiss final, also advances .

(CNN) -- Remember when social media websites were just about sharing fun things? I'm talking about the time when Facebook was essentially a place to post photos of you having a great time and the most serious event shared was when a person changed his or her status from "in a relationship" to "single." But those days are gone. Social media has now become a place to share deeply personal and often horribly painful events in our lives. It has, in essence, become an online group therapy session where people reveal the details of dreadful events from their lives in the hopes it helps them cope and will attract support from others. We saw it on display this week with 16-year-old Hannah Anderson, who was taken hostage by James DiMaggio for a week after he allegedly killed Hannah's mother and younger brother. Within days of being freed, Hannah went online to the website ask.fm and answered questions from the public about her ordeal. And she didn't just respond to a few questions, she fielded a long list of probing questions from "Why didn't you run?" to "Are you glad (DiMaggio is) dead?" I noticed this evolution in the way people had begun to use social media last year, and at the time, I didn't like it. My concern was: Why would anyone share the intimate details of tragic events from their lives with people online, many of whom are strangers? It really hit home this year when a friend posted on Facebook that he had been diagnosed with cancer. I was shocked, first by the news but second by the fact he announced his diagnosis on Facebook. Typically, this would be the type of news you would share only with family and close friends, and probably in a face-to-face conversation. But reading the comments responding to his original posting -- and the comments to his subsequent posts about his treatment -- caused me to change my view on what was appropriate to share on social media. The amount of support he received on his Facebook page was astounding. He was touched by it, noting that the outpouring brought him comfort and inspired him to fight the disease even harder. Many others are sharing the most heartwrenching events in their lives. In just the past few weeks, friends on Facebook or Twitter have posted information about the deaths of a parent or a grandparent. And this week, I saw an even more candid sharing of information when a friend posted on Facebook that his brother in Egypt had been shot by the police there during the recent protests. He followed that up a few hours later with updates about surgery to save his brother's life. Finally, he posted a photo of his deceased brother from the morgue where they identified his body. A few weeks ago, NPR host Scott Simon tweeted live updates from his dying mother's hospital room to his more than 1 million Twitter followers. Some said Simon was invading his mother's privacy while others labeled him as self-centered, focused more on himself than his dying mother. But like many others, I found it to be a moving tribute to his mother. What sparked this trend to divulge information that had once been revealed only to family and close friends? There are a few reasons. First, it's clearly therapeutic for many. By sharing their painful experiences, it helps the person heal, and the show of support by others bolsters them. Second, those who have been using social media for years on a daily basis have grown accustomed to sharing events and experiences from everyday life. We are now extending the scope of what we will share from our lives. Finally, I believe there's a connection between a willingness to share private aspects of our lives and the reality TV show world in which we have been immersed for over a decade. On a nightly basis, we see people share their triumphs and tragedies, be it on shows like "Big Brother" or "The Real World" or more contrived ones like "Honey Boo Boo" or "Keeping up with the Kardashians." They have made it easier and more acceptable for us to do the same. To me, the best thing about this new trend is that you get to control it. It's your choice whether to disclose deeply personal information. Those who find it unnerving or inappropriate can keep that information secret. But for the rest, social media may end up being a less expensive but helpful form of therapy. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah.

Dean Obeidallah: Social media evolved from sharing trivial matters to more personal ones . Hannah Anderson answered personal questions about her abduction . NPR host Scott Simon tweeted from his dying mother's hospital room . Obeidallah: Sharing more is a good thing, if it helps bring comfort to those who suffer .

(CNN) -- Formula One team Marussia has asked for "patience and understanding" regarding updates on the condition of their driver Jules Bianchi who underwent emergency brain surgery following a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. Bianchi suffered a "severe head injury" after coming off the track and colliding with a recovery vehicle that was removing Adrian Sutil's Sauber car. The German driver had come off the track at turn seven moments earlier. The 25-year-old Frenchman was taken by ambulance to hospital in nearby Yokkaichi where he remains in intensive care. "With regard to the communication of information concerning Jules' medical condition, we will respect, and be guided by, the wishes of the Bianchi family. Together with Jules' care, they will remain our highest priority," a statement on the F1 team's official website said. "Therefore, we would ask for patience and understanding with regard to further medical updates, which will be communicated in conjunction with the Mie General Medical Center in Yokkaichi, where Jules is being treated, when they feel it is appropriate." Marussia say they have received a "huge outpouring of support and affection" for the stricken driver. Sunday's grand prix, which was won by Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, was contested in treacherous conditions as heavy rain from Typhoon Phanfone swept across circuit. The race was eventually stopped on lap 46 of a scheduled 53, after Bianchi's crash, with the track shrouded in mist and rain. Messages of support from Bianchi's fellow drivers flooded in as news of his injury filtered through. "Our first thoughts go to Jules," Hamilton tweeted. "It overshadows everything when one of our colleagues is injured and we're praying for him." Teammate Nico Rosberg, who finished second, echoed the Briton's sentiments. "We are all hoping for some positive news," the German said. The Ferrari F1 team also tweeted messages of support -- Bianchi is part of the Italian racing marque's driver academy. Born in Nice, Bianchi is rated one of the most promising young drivers in the sport and recently claimed Marussia's first points in F1 with a ninth-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix last May. Driver safety back in spotlight . The crash has raised fresh questions about driver safety in F1. Some have criticizing the FIA's (motorsport's governing body) race control for not deploying the safety car earlier after track conditions deteriorated. "I was already screaming on the radio five laps before the safety car that there was too much water on the track," Williams' driver Felipe Massa told SkySports after the race. "But they took a bit too long and it was dangerous. So we saw that there were some crashes at the end," the Brazilian added. Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve believes it's time to reevaluate the protocol regarding the deployment of the safety car. "The rules have to be changed concerning the safety car," Villeneuve told Autosport.com. "When I was racing, and afterwards, I was always saying that any time there is an accident there should be a safety car. "There should not be room for judgment. If someone has to go out to pick up a car stranded on the track, it's simple. Accident - safety car, and that's it. "It should have been like that for years. America has had that forever," said Villeneuve, who was Indy Car World Series champion in 1995. The FIA told CNN that they are currently reviewing safety procedures and will release a statement in due course. Life-threatening crashes like Bianchi's are rare in modern F1. The sport hasn't experienced a driver fatality during a race weekend since 1994 when three-time world champion Ayrton Senna and Austrian driver Roland Ratzenberger both died at the wheel at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994. Today cockpits are extremely robust and rigorously tested by the FIA. Robert Kubica's horrific crash at the Canadian Grand Prix in 2007 displayed just how resilient the monocoque structure the drivers sit in can be. Read more: Bianchi suffers 'severe head injury'

Formula One team calls for "patience and understanding" following Jules Bianchi crash . Frenchman suffered "severe head injury" after hitting a recovery vehicle at Japan GP . The 25-year-old underwent emergency surgery on Sunday and is in intensive care .

Xenia, Ohio (CNN) -- Karen Shirk has spent 15 years matching people with service dogs that can help them with their special needs and disabilities. With the help of her staff, she puts a lot of thought into the process to make sure each person has the right dog for them. But one recent story -- involving an Afghanistan war veteran and a German shepherd named Gabriel -- has her convinced that larger forces are sometimes at work. It began in March, when Shirk got an e-mail from U.S. Army Sgt. Derek McConnell. McConnell had lost both his legs in an IED explosion, and he was desperate for a service dog while he recovered at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington. Shirk knew Gabriel, a dog they were training at the time, would be perfect for him. "I sent him a picture of Gabriel and said, 'How would you like this dog?' " Shirk said. "He was so excited. ... He would text me every day." She understood that McConnell was eager for the companionship of a service dog and the independence that it could provide. "Soldiers, they're not wanting people to do things for them," said Shirk, who was honored as a CNN Hero for her work with autistic and special-needs children. "If you have to ask (someone) all the time to pick things up that you drop or 'Bring me my wheelchair,' they have to depend on somebody else. ... Giving them a service dog is giving them back a means of doing it themselves." Shirk and McConnell grew to be friends, and she was struck by his generosity. Although Shirk was going to give him his dog for free, she asks civilians to contribute to help offset their dog's training costs. So McConnell had started planning ways to help raise money. Then, one day, Shirk didn't hear from him. "I went to his Facebook page, and this first post that I saw said, 'You were the most wonderful young man,' " she said. "And I'm like, "Were?' " Shirk was devastated to learn that McConnell had passed away from complications related to his injuries the previous night. But she soon decided that the best way she could honor him was to place Gabriel with another disabled soldier. She reached out to someone she knew in the military and asked for help. "I said, 'Find me another Derek!'" she recalled. Within days, Lisa Murphy heard about the dog at the Yellow Ribbon Fund, a Maryland-based charity that helps injured service members recover. "Someone basically made her aware that this group was looking for a soldier amputee to connect with a service dog," said Lisa's husband, U.S. Army Capt. Jake Murphy. "I was looking for a dog myself, so Lisa kind of jumped on it." Murphy, like McConnell, had lost both his legs in Afghanistan. But Shirk soon discovered that they had much more in common. She found out they had served in the same unit and been injured on the same day. In fact, McConnell had actually helped with Murphy's medical evacuation, just hours before suffering his own injuries. Both had also recovered at Walter Reed and become friendly during therapy together. Shirk was floored by the coincidence, as she had gotten in touch with both men through completely separate channels. "It's like a once-in-a-lifetime story that you hear," she said. "I just think it was meant to be." Murphy recognizes that it's an unusual coincidence, but he doesn't think of it in quite the same way. "If it was fate, then Derek was meant to die, so I don't really like to think of that," he said. "But if Derek can't be here, it's almost fitting that I get Gabriel as my service dog. "There's a connection between him and myself. ... Derek will always be in my thoughts." Shirk said the episode has renewed her desire to work with veterans. "Derek and Jake lost their independence, giving independence to others. ... Those veterans, that was who I wanted to help," she said. "I'm hoping more of these wounded soldiers will come to us looking for dogs. "We are ready. They can all come, and we will help them." Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes .

Karen Shirk, a 2008 CNN Hero, finds service dogs for people in need . She had a dog ready for disabled war veteran Derek McConnell, but he died in March . The dog ended up with another veteran, Jake Murphy . Unbeknownst to Shirk, the two veterans knew each other and served together .

(CNN) -- "A service allowing travelers who like to get their thrills between the sheets to get them beneath the waves at the same time." The description provided by luxury travel company Oliver's Travels of its latest offering couldn't be more frank. The new service, called the Mile Low Club, targets couples who seek physical excitement underwater in a private submarine nicknamed Lovers Deep (in case the rest of the clues aren't obvious enough). The innovative holiday destination -- the submarine in question is moored in the Caribbean -- was launched by the British travel company to mark its 10th anniversary. "We started in business 10 years ago focusing on French chateaus initially, but launched Oliver's Travels in November, the focus being on more quirky and unique properties," says Oliver's Travels co-founder Oliver Bell. "In order to get life to the new brand, we needed to get some exceptional property ideas. "We had a meeting where we asked, 'where's the coolest place to stay?' We started with the moon and obviously realized that wouldn't be possible so a submarine was the next realistic target, and we found a submarine company with the capability to make it bespoke." Ocean deep. Pockets, too . The only catch is you'll need pockets as deep as the ocean -- the special voyage costs an eye-watering £175,000 ($292,000) a night. The venture was launched, appropriately, for Valentine's Day, but to date no one has paid up the six-figure sum for a night's stay. Bell is confident the first booking is on the cards. "We've obviously had some joke inquiries but I'd say we have about five realistic inquiries so I expect one to be booked in very soon," he says. "Obviously if that happens, it'll be high fives all around the office." So what exactly do you get for your £175,000 a night? Exactly what you want. As part of the service, you choose how to deck out the submarine -- which is currently hired by a variety of different businesses for quirky brand launches -- exactly as you like from bedroom to bathroom, and bar to ballroom. You have to pay for your own flights, but a speedboat will be on hand to take you to and from your submarine. An artist's impression has been done to mock up how the romantic hideaway might look and how you can get under the waves as well as under the covers. The company emphasizes that the crew (captain, chef and butler) will considerately occupy separate, soundproof living rooms at the other end of the vessel. Barry White included . While the sub is currently in the Caribbean, it can be moored wherever you desire. The chef can also offer his in-house aphrodisiac menu including everything from oysters to a fondant of chocolate with an essence of pomegranate. Not enough to get you in the mood? On its website, the company promises the smooth tones of Barry White singing "You're the first, the last, the everything" over the sound system. "Well, the Barry White thing's a bit of a joke really," says Bell. "It's all great fun putting this together but we're also deadly serious about this. "We know it's not in our usual customer's price bracket, this is very, very high end, but we think that people with that sort of money will have very specific tastes. "It'll take 12 weeks to kit it out and customers can have exactly what they want." Bell's one warning is that however wealthy you might be, it's probably not one for the claustrophobes out there. From the artist's impression, there's an element of a Bond villain lair to the submarine, akin to the Atlantis home of the character Karl Stromberg, the villain in "The Spy Who Loved Me." "To me, it looks really, really cool but you can have it to whatever taste you like," Bell says. Bell has yet to visit the submarine in question but, because of the increasing interest, he's planning a trip to the Caribbean to find out what's in store and how his customers can find love on the ocean floor.

Travel company offers a submarine for couples to the bottom of the ocean . The experience will cost you £175,000 per night . For that, you get your own bespoke submarine with captain, chef and butler . Artist's impression makes it look akin to the underwater lair of a James Bond villain .

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesians headed to the polls Thursday to choose legislators for the world's most populous Muslim nation, a vote that will also determine which parties can field candidates for July's presidential election. A woman shows her finger after voting at a polling booth on Thursday in Jakarta. By noon, the balloting was proceeding peacefully. However, the country's Papua province was hit by violence early Thursday, when about 80 separatist rebels, armed with machetes and firearms, attacked a police station and burned down part of a university, police said. Both incidents happened in Jayapura in Papua, where a separatist movement has simmered for years. Thursday's vote is only the second direct election since the authoritarian regime of Suharto fell in 1998, in the wake of the Asian financial crisis. Some 12,000 candidates from 38 parties are vying for parliament's 700 seats in a nation that for now is a largely moderate and democratic one. Watch more about the vote » . Some analysts have pointed to signs that indicate Indonesia is on the path to becoming a conservative and fundamentalist nation. But Islamist parties are not expected to fare well this time around, partly because most voters are more concerned about economic issues, rather than religious or moral ones. Watch what's at stake in the elections » . Current polls forecast that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party will be the only one to garner the necessary 20 percent of the 550 lower parliamentary seats -- or 25 percent of the national vote -- to nominate a presidential candidate. Other parties will likely form coalitions to put forward a candidate in the presidential race. That includes Golkar, the ruling party during Suharto's regime and the party of current Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The elections will also determine the makeup of Indonesia's 132-member Regional Representatives Council, as well as its provincial, county and city assemblies. More than 70 percent of Indonesia's 238 million people are expected to cast ballots. But even before the votes are cast, there are serious concerns about the legitimacy of the legislative election. The voting process is complicated: For the first time, Indonesians can vote for an individual within a party and not just for the party. New voting mechanisms are causing confusion and could lead to an increased number of invalid ballots. There are allegations of fraudulent voter lists as well. Several Indonesian students, and first-time voters, have voiced their disillusionment with the current parties and candidates. "I choose not to vote," said Shohib, a student at State Islamic University in Jakarta. "I am disappointed with the leaders." "I want someone who could lead Indonesia to be better ... who would hear people's aspirations and actually do something about it," said 18-year-old Wiendy Pranoto, a senior at Pesantran Al-Hamidiyah -- an Islamic school outside Jakarta. Analysts warn that if the elections are viewed as illegitimate, voters will lose confidence, and anger that lingers below the surface could erupt. Adding to the trouble is Indonesia's status as one of the most corrupt nations in the world, according to Transparency International. Those factors -- corruption and the economy -- are what experts say are allowing a conservative Muslim movement to gain momentum. That movement says the current government's lack of piety is causing the nation's problems. "The prize for the global conservative movement is Indonesia," said political analyst Jeffery Winters. "If Indonesia were to move in a direction of becoming a much more conservative Islamic state, it would trigger a number of consequences." Most political parties have been running on a platform of anti-corruption. The governing Democratic Party has been taking action on corruption and is trying to capitalize on those gains. Analysts say that, barring a major crisis, Yudhoyono -- who is known as "Mr. Clean" because of his anti-corruption efforts and who is lauded for his handling of the 2004 tsunami recovery and leading an anti-terrorism fight -- will probably win a second term. CNN's Arwa Damon and Tricia Escobedo contributed to this report.

12,000 people, 38 parties vying for one of 700 parliamentary . Parties need 25 percent of the vote to name a presidential candidate for July poll . Third direct election since the authoritarian regime of Suharto fell in 1998 . Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation .

(CNN)In December 2013, photojournalist Levison Wood set out to become the first person to walk the length of the Nile River. During his travels, he was robbed at gunpoint, evacuated out of a war zone and almost eaten by crocodiles. He crossed swamps, climbed mountains, cozied up to scorpions in the Sahara desert, and dined on rat stew and grasshoppers. Those months, he says, were the best of his life. "I've always been interested in the stories of the great Victorian explorers, like Livingstone and those guys," admits Wood. "This was an opportunity to try and do something that nobody's ever done before, but really, it was an opportunity to explore Africa in the 21st century and see how things have changed and how they've stayed the same." Wood's journey began in Rwanda, took nine months and spanned 3,750 miles. It was necessary to make the trip on foot, he says, because "walking is the only way you can really get under the skin of a country." Occasionally, he was joined by a film crew from the UK's Channel 4 (the network is planning to air a four-part documentary on his travels). Sometimes he traveled with a local guide. Mainly, though, he walked it alone. "The biggest difficult was keeping up the motivation and momentum to wake up every morning, walk 20 miles, and do it over and over again," he says. "At times, the monotony was crushing. Khartoum (in Sudan) marked the halfway point, and the most difficult time was probably just before I reached it. I wasn't halfway there and I still had 2,000 miles left to walk. That was pretty demoralizing," he admits. The kindness of strangers . Wood acknowledges that his survival was often dependent on the hospitality of local villagers, of which there was an abundance. The people of the Sudan, he says, were probably the most giving of all. "It's portrayed in the Western media as this pariah state, and the government does leave a lot to be desired, but it had by far and away the most incredible hosts I've ever encountered across the world," he says. Even sharing water, he says, demonstrated an incredible act of kindness -- given it's a 20-mile walk to the nearest source for many villagers. Half the time he slept outdoors, while the other half he would lodge with a local. Food wasn't always a given. In Uganda, he recalled a two-day period when he went without food completely. "My guide had a catapult," he recalls. "He would shoot pigeons. We ate what we could catch. Other times we'd eat with villagers. The local delicacies could vary, from grasshoppers to rats." Out of harm's way (almost) The journey wasn't without danger. Civil War in South Sudan broke out shortly after his arrival. As he ventured closer to the country, he started hearing tales of death, destruction, and a steady trail of fleeing refugees. He made it halfway through the country, to Bor -- the front line of the war. It was there that he was arrested and brought before an army commander, who told him he was not welcome, and threatened to kill him if he crossed into the rebel side. He was evacuated to the capital, and flew to North Sudan. "I missed out 400 miles of the journey, but it was a sensible thing to do; carrying on through would have been tantamount to suicide." Had he made the trip uninterrupted, he would likely have achieved a Guinness World Record. Now, he's not so sure, though he says it doesn't matter. "It was never about breaking records, it was about taking the biggest adventure in my life, and it was certainly that." The finish line . Wood's journey ended in Egypt, where the Nile meets the Mediterranean Sea. It was a cathartic moment, he says, and one that was bittersweet. "When you're doing something every day for months and months, to see it end, there will be some sadness," he admits. Mainly, though, he remembers it as "one of the happiest days of my life." "The first thing I did was run into the sea, and just enjoy the moment," he says.

Levison Wood spent nine months walking the length of the Nile River . In nine months, he walked 3,750 miles and crossed six countries . During the trip, he was threatened with guns, ate rat stew and slept with scorpions .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- In CNN's Hong Kong newsroom, right next to my desk, there's a "douche jar." Inspired by the TV series "New Girl," the "douche jar" was placed in our cubicle cluster to prevent general douchebaggery or acts of egregious self-promotion. It works like this -- if you say or do something like a douchebag, you put a fistful of local currency into the jar. In case you're not familiar with the term, the Urban Dictionary offers up this definition. The douchebag "has an inflated sense of self-worth, compounded by a lack of social grace and self-awareness. He behaves inappropriately in public, yet is completely ignorant to how pathetic he appears to others." In the newsroom, the jar is usually low on cash. Most of its contributions are made in jest by a colleague out to channel a self-absorbed jerk. But on Twitter, the "douche jar" is always full. There are tweets that claim to be BREAKING NEWS, when they are not. There are tweets that overuse #hashtags. And tweets that are whiny and excessively personal. The general douchebaggery across Twitter is so profound it's prompted one user to launch "Klouchebag" -- a Klout-like site that generates your douche score. For the uninitiated, Klout uses analytics to determine a user's influence across social networks. Is Twitter slowing down? On Klouchebag, The ever-#winning Charlie Sheen registers as "a bit of a douchebag" with a score of 50. For the record, I registered a score of 46 or "quite noisy" on the KB scale. But instead of hanging my head in shame, I'll blame the medium. Twitter is, after all, is the one-to-many platform where you can sound off on anything. A bit of pride and pretense are bound to spill forth. Well, maybe more than a bit. According to a recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon, MIT and Georgia Tech, only around one third of a Twitter feed is actually valued by users. In a survey based on 43,000 responses to find out what people like and loathe about microblog posts, they found that followers described only 36% of the rated tweets as "Worth Reading." They thought 25% were "Not Worth Reading" and were neutral about the remainder. As for what works and doesn't work on the microblog? According to the study, "informative" leads the reasons for liking a tweet. "Boring" dominates the reasons for disliking -- scoring higher than "arrogant" and "mean" combined. So on Twitter, it's worse to be a bore than a douche. Perhaps that can explain the popularity of faux Twitter accounts that celebrate the self-love and pomposity of certain figures in popular culture. There's "Death Star PR," the official mouthpiece for the Galactic Empire. Sample tweet: "It's a beautiful day to Force choke a few idiots." And "The Relevant Organs" -- a Twitter feed that satirizes a Chinese communist party official with gems like: "We're confused. What part of intrusive policing, rabid anchormen, pandering websites and fenqing douchery isn't soft power genius?" "Not Tilda Swinton" had been issuing regular missives to her "Tildren" on how to achieve the actress's mysterious aura and oneness with nature with tweeted tales like: "I once waded the entire length of the Nile. I lost an arm to a hippo, but won it back in a game of Charades. I am stronger for it." Sadly, the fake Twitter account has been retired to keep the joke from getting stale. It's a pity. Sometimes, we need a little douchebaggery in our lives to have a laugh at the self-centeredness of others and, thanks to downward comparison, feel better about ourselves. I went back to Klouchebag to see how I stacked up against Donald Trump on Twitter. I outscored him by a solid 32 points. And there's another 20 bucks in the douche jar.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout says there's no shortage of douchebaggery on Twitter . Klouchebag calculates Twitter users' douche score to see how they rank . Recent survey finds only one third of a Twitter feed is actually valued by users .

GENEVA, Switzerland (CNN) -- The Obama administration has been talking about "pressing the reset button" with Russia after relations "crashed" when Russia invaded Georgia last August. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laugh about their "reset' button. When Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greeted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday before sitting down to their working dinner, she presented him a small green box with a ribbon. Inside was a red button with the Russian word "peregruzka" printed on it. "I would like to present you with a little gift that represents what President Obama and Vice President Biden and I have been saying and that is: 'We want to reset our relationship and so we will do it together.'" Clinton, laughing, added, "We worked hard to get the right Russian word. Do you think we got it?" she asked Lavrov. "You got it wrong," Lavrov said." Both diplomats laughed. "It should be "perezagruzka" (the Russian word for reset,) Lavrov said. "This says 'peregruzka,' which means 'overcharged.'" The question came up at the news conference afterward. "In a way, the word that's on the button turns out to be also true," Clinton said. "We are resetting, and because we are resetting, the minister and I have an overload of work." Asked by a Russian reporter whether he had pressed the button, Lavrov said that he and Clinton did, indeed. "It is big and red and I hope that Russia and the United States, and other countries will never press on another button which used to be associated with a destructive war," he said. The "overload," Clinton said, is a broad agenda of issues. "We are going to systematically go through each and every one of them," she added. Clinton said the two sides will get to work on re-negotiating a follow-up to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty and nonproliferation. On other issues like Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iran, Clinton said, "We will work through them." On issues where there is disagreement, Clinton said, "We are keeping those on the list because, we think through closer cooperation and building trust in each other, we can even tackle some of those differences." Lavrov agreed the burden of the agenda for the two countries is "enormous," but added: "I don't think either Hillary or I have any desire to be freed from any burden." Clinton called the encounter "a very productive meeting of the minds." She said both Lavrov and she are "very practical-minded" and will create a "specific set of objectives and responsibilities" to present to presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev before the leaders' first face-to-face meeting in April at the G-20 meeting in London. On the START treaty, she said Russia and the United States intend to have an agreement by the end of this year when the treaty expires and are "going to get to work immediately" on it. Lavrov was asked about Russian intentions to install S-300 missiles in Iran. He said the decision "will be made exclusively on the basis of law in accordance with Russian law, and will be under expert control, which is one of the strictest in the world and of course in accordance with international agreements." Lavrov said the weapons Russia provides to its partners are "nondestabilizing, defensive weapons." In an apparent reference to U.S. military supplies to Georgia, Lavrov said, "We want our partners to act the same way and show restraint in military supplies to those countries where, including very recently, those weapons have been used very close to our borders." Senior U.S. officials who briefed reporters afterward, however, said they had not read Georgia into the minister's comments. They said the discussion ranged broadly over a number of areas and "we now have a very substantive work agenda that they just outlined." "It would have been easier and in a first meeting almost natural to be much more general but in this case it was very focused and very productive in laying out steps," one official said. On the proposed missile defense system the United States is considering installing in Poland and the Czech Republic, one official said, "Minister Lavrov made it clear he had listened quite attentively to Secretary Clinton's comments about missile defense ... and I think it's got them thinking."

United States, Russia want to "reset" relations after years of tension . Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives "reset" button to Russian counterpart . Text on button actually translates to "overcharged" Both countries want to renegotiate Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty .

(CNN) -- "Real photographers don't take photographs, they make photographs," says Eileen Ramsay, who is widely regarded as one of the world's great yachting photographers. The feisty 96-year-old Brit should know. A pioneer in her field, she is credited with being the first yachting photographer to shun the safety of the tripod and compose her pictures while dangling off the side of a boat -- all in quest for the ultimate action shot. "Other photographers would stand in the middle of their boats taking pictures of big yachts with plate cameras, so I developed my own style -- taking my pictures as close to the water as possible," recalls Ramsay. Water-level photography, now an industry standard, quickly became her signature shot, but it was neither easy nor cheap. While adamant that she never dropped one of her German-made Rollerflex cameras overboard, the saltwater took its toll on her equipment nonetheless. "I used to make sure I shielded the camera under my buttoned-up anorak, but the saltwater would still get to it. Even though I cleaned them after each session, they would quickly get stiff because of all the salt," says Ramsay, whose career has been immortalized in a new book by fellow photo-journalist and Brit Barry Pickthall. Read related: $16m solar boat sails into record books . It has taken Pickthall over a year to complete the glossy hard-back book, regally titled "Eileen Ramsay: Queen of Yachting". "It only took so long because Eileeen was so prolific. She kept immaculate records of her work and she remembers every photograph she's ever taken, which meant that she would immediately pick up on things if I didn't get it right," says Pickthall, a former yachting correspondent who now runs a photo agency that specializes in nautical photography. Drawn to picture-taking from a young age, Ramsay began her professional career in 1937 as a 22-year-old receptionist at a photography studio outside London. But as war clouds gathered across Europe and the call to arms began, the owner of the studio discovered that his personal services would be required to record the impending conflict, so he gave each of his staff a camera and told them to go out and take some "interesting" photographs. The one to come back with the best pictures would take over the studio in his absence during the war. "I didn't know anything about cameras then, but my pictures were judged the best and I got the job," says Ramsay, who spent the war years honing her skills in portrait photography by taking pictures of soldiers and their girlfriends. After the war she decided to go at it alone and set up her own studio in London, taking on any commissions that came her way from magazines and newspapers. In 1953, she and her boyfriend decided to move closer to the ocean, and after purchasing a 28 foot (8.5 meter) ex-Royal Air Force boat that they moored at the end of their garden, she set out to make her mark in the nautical world. Sailing enjoyed a post-war explosion in Britain, and it was during the 1950s and 60s that Ramsay's yachting photography career really took off. It's this period that Pickthall has tried to capture in his book. More from Mainsail: When superyacht chic meets hybrid technology . "I feel it's very important to save Eileen's archive. Her early pictures of our sailing pioneers have great significance when recording Britain's sailing history," says Pickthall, adding that grown men were "moved to tears" at the sight of her original photos, which he brought to a boat exhibition last year. "All these people were gobsmacked, they couldn't believe these photos existed. They kept spotting themselves as children as they flicked through her albums," says Pickthall. As for Ramsay, she is not fazed by her new moniker as the "Queen of Yachting". "I knew I was original back then," she says bluntly, before adding: "You know, when you are 96 years of age, nothing can really faze you."

Eileeen Ramsey began her professional career as a 22-year-old in 1937 . She pioneered the water-level photography angle, now an industry standard . Her career took off in the 1950s and 1960s when sailing enjoyed a post-war explosion in Britain .

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- An Al Qaeda-linked militant group waging war against Somalia's fragile government is becoming an increasing threat to Western ally Kenya and could potentially destabilize the region with dire consequences for global security, officials and analysts warn. Al-Shabab fighters count their bullets in neighborhood of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab, one of the strongest Islamic militias battling for control of Mogadishu, has gained ground in recent weeks, according to officials, and has started to flex its muscles beyond Somalia's border with terror strikes, kidnappings and recruitment drives. They warn that unless the world takes action the group, which wants to impose an extreme type of Islamic sharia law, could extend its grip across parts of East Africa to gain control of a region that flanks busy shipping routes already plagued by Somali pirates . Appeals by Somalia's government for international help to unpick its long-running civil conflict have escalated Al-Shabaad's threats with the group behind warnings of an attack on the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. And, say experts, the group is being backed by foreign fighters -- some said to have links to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network -- a situation that draws direct comparisons with the group's influence in pre-9/11 Afghanistan. "Al-Shabaab is a threat to the whole world," Somali Information Minister Farhan Ali Mohamoud told CNN. "First to Somalia, to the neighborhood, and to everywhere they have disagreed with." Watch more on Somalian threat » . Mohamoud, whose transitional government has largely failed in its long-term goal of reconciling Somalia's militias, concedes Al-Shabaab is making major gains on his administration and says the global community must act to prevent their threat escalating. "Somalia's problems are not for Somalia alone to solve. Not only for the African Union to solve. It is a global and regional issue. We are very appreciative that the international community understands that, but they need to act now, rather than later." "The issue is not Somalis taking over from other Somalis. But the issue is foreign jihadists imposing their ideas into the region. So Somalia can be a launching pad for a greater and wider jihadist issue." Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua told CNN his country did not yet fear direct attacks from Al-Shabaab but said it was becoming increasingly alarmed about its activities and its links to foreign networks. Despite the concerns, Mutua said the problem was nothing new and while his country struggled to exert control over its porous border with Somalia, it was taking steps to limit the danger. But he warned the threat was not limited to Kenya and could have global reach. "We do believe that Al-Shabaab poses a threat, not only to Kenya, but to all neighboring countries such as Ethiopia and Eritrea," he said. "It is not just a problem that we foresee in Kenya, just because we are neighbors to them, it is a problem that we foresee that may occur to a lot of countries and also poses a threat to outside even this region," he added. "Our concern is not limited to Al-Shabaab. We know that Al-Shabaab are not able to do it without foreign intervention in terms of money and weapons that they are getting from other countries." Ernst Jan Hogendoorn, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, told CNN that while Al-Shabaab had whipped up concerns with headline grabbing acts such as the recent kidnap of two French citizens in Mogadishu and three aid workers on the Kenyan side of the border, countries such as Kenya should pay heed. "I think that Kenya could do a much better job. There is always the possibility that someone could sneak across the border and launch an attack against a soft target. Obviously Kenya has been the target of attacks in the past that are very, very challenging to prevent." But, says Hogendoorn, with an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia proving largely ineffective, and Ethiopian military presence withdrawn in January ahead of an Al-Shabaab push, Kenyan military involvement was unlikely to offer any quick fix. "The problem is once [Kenyan troops] are on the ground they open themselves up to guerrilla style attacks and suicide attacks that could lead to significant loss in life."

Experts, officials warn of growing threat from Somali militant group . Al-Shabaab is one of strongest Islamic militias battling for Mogadishu . Kenya says danger is to region and world despite threats on Nairobi .

(CNN) -- In the 1980s, Jane Fonda was the face of fitness for millions of Americans. "The Jane Fonda Workout" became the highest-selling home video ever, with more than a million copies purchased. Since then, Fonda has produced and starred in over 20 home exercise tapes and DVDs. After a 15-year hiatus, the Oscar award-winning actress returned to the fitness field with the goal of helping baby boomers feel better and stay active. Her latest DVD, "Prime Time: AM/PM Yoga for Beginners," releases Tuesday. Fonda turns 75 later this month. We spoke with her Monday about aging, eating and living life abundantly. Q: When you released your first workout tape in 1982, did you have a sense of how big a phenomenon you were on to? I did not have a clue. I had no idea. It was pure luck. I didn't realize the role timing would play in the whole thing. There was no video industry. I didn't know anyone who owned a video, because no one could afford the hardware to play a video. And there was no video that beckoned people to do it over and over and over again until that tape came out. That's what caused the video industry to explode ... it was all very synergistic ... it had no strategic thought on my part. Q: How do you stay motivated? What motivates me is how good I feel afterwards. (Laughs) I don't wake up saying "Oh goody, I am going to work out." But I do it because of how it makes me feel when it's over. I feel so good. If I've felt depressed or down at all, it picks me up and makes me feel great. Q: Do you feel you have to do as much as you did 10 years ago? Absolutely not, no. I can't do what I used to do. My body just wouldn't tolerate what I used to do. (Fonda has had hip and knee replacement surgeries.) The mistake that so many people make is that if they can't do what they once did, then they don't do anything. Big mistake. It's important just to do something. If you can't run, walk. ... If you can't lift heavy weights, so lift light weights. But just keep yourself physically active. It makes all the difference not just for your body, but for your brain as well. Q: What do you eat? I eat fish, chicken and eggs. I eat red meat maybe twice a week. But when you are older, it is very important what you eat because your cells regenerate more slowly and also you put on weight more easily because you have less muscle than you used to, so every single calorie you put in your body has to count for something. I eat by color. I try to eat something dark green, dark purple, red, orange, yellow, white, because they all have different vitamins and minerals in them. Q: What foods do you avoid at all costs? Well, I am not a purist. I am not perfect. Now that the Christmas holiday is coming, I will take a bite of a pecan pie, but I won't eat a whole pecan pie. I will take a few bites of the dressing, but I will eat a lot of the turkey. Turkey meat is so good. I will eat it with cranberry sauce and gravy. But I try to eat less of the very fattening food and more of the really healthy food. Q: What do you think is the secret to a well-lived life? I think it's more important to be "interested" than to try to be "interesting." I've always remained interested and curious and I've always been a student as well as a teacher, so I think that's key. Also being intentional ... living an intentional life ... thinking about who you are, how you affect other people, how you are perceived in the world and how you can change that to be more positive -- instead of sort of just drifting along like a leaf in the river, being really intentional about how you live. When you do yoga, you can do the poses thinking about the grocery shopping or what you are going to do tomorrow, or you can be intentional ... in the moment, being present in what you are doing. That's how to get the most out of life and learning. That has been very important to me.

Jane Fonda has produced and starred in more than 20 exercise tapes and DVDs . Her latest DVD, on yoga for beginners, releases Tuesday . Fonda talks about her approach to staying fit, eating healthy and "being intentional"

(CNN) -- Joseph Maraachli, the infant who became the center of an international end-of-life debate, died peacefully in his sleep at his Windsor, Ontario, home, a spokesperson for the family said Wednesday. Widely known in the media as "Baby Joseph," the 20-month-old boy spent the last several months with his family and died Tuesday afternoon. "Obviously, it's been a very difficult day for the family today," said spokeswoman Emma Fedor. "In some ways, it was a bit of a relief for the family." Joseph's family had refused to accept a recommendation by a Canadian hospital to remove the boy's breathing tube and allow him to die. In March, the infant received a tracheotomy at a children's hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He was able to go home April 21. "By providing him with this common palliative procedure, we've given Joseph the chance to go home and be with his family after spending so much of his young life in the hospital," said Dr. Robert Wilmott, chief of pediatrics for SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center in St. Louis. A London, Ontario, hospital where Joseph was receiving care for a progressive neurological disease refused to perform a tracheotomy, a surgical procedure in which an opening is made into the airway through an incision in the neck to allow for suction of fluid out of the lungs. In court papers, doctors in Canada said there was no hope for recovery. They would not perform a tracheotomy because they considered it to be invasive and not recommended for patients who require a long-term breathing machine. Parents Moe and Sana Maraachli refused to accept the recommendation. The Maraachlis' daughter, Zeina, had died at home in 2002 after a tracheotomy after suffering similar complications, and the family wanted to offer the same care to their son. "To go through it once is enough for a lifetime, to go through it twice, it's just ... unbelievable," Fedor said. Joseph was "very peaceful, in no pain whatsoever, no distress," when he died, Fedor said. He was buried Wednesday next to his sister. The family was thankful for those who helped and prayed for Joseph, she added. "The heart of the issue would come down to the mix between respecting the parents' rights ... to be in comfort of (their) own home, to die on God's time," said Fedor. The family countered assertions that Joseph was nonresponsive, blind and deaf, she said. Instead, the boy could hear the parents' voices and look for them, Fedor told CNN. The family believed that, after a tracheotomy, Joseph could be freed from machinery. The parents said that they, rather than physicians, should make a judgment on quality of life, Fedor said. The Maraachli case caught the attention of the group Priests for Life, which funded Joseph's transfer and treatment at the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. That hospital deemed the procedure medically appropriate and Baby Joseph underwent a tracheotomy there on March 21. In April, Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, said he considered this a "victory over the culture of death." He says "(Joseph) has gained benefit from his tracheotomy, is breathing on his own, and is going home to live with his parents." Priests for Life is a Catholic pro-life organization that functions as a network to prevent abortion and euthanasia. The group often is noted for the graphic images depicting abortion its members and supporters use to make their case. The London Health Sciences Centre -- the hospital where Joseph was initially treated -- in March said that "there are clearly differences in the approach of these centres to the management of end-of-life care in this tragic situation" and that "the medical judgments made by LHSC physicians remain unchallenged by any credible medical source." Nurses helped the family provide 24-hour care for Joseph in his final months. "There was always somebody by his side," Fedor said. The child was on almost no medication and apparently was in no pain, Fedor said. "When he was in the arms of his parents, you could tell," she said. "He was settled when he was in their arms."

Joseph Maraachli suffered from a progressive neurological disease . A hospital in London, Ontario, refused to insert a tracheotomy tube . The infant received a tracheotomy at a hospital in St. Louis . "Baby Joseph" died Tuesday in his sleep .

(CNN) -- The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is an enormous tragedy for the families of the victims. It is excruciating to live through the pain, helplessness, shock and anger. It is as hard to regain some degree of normalcy. I know because I've been there. In 1985, my beloved father died on the Japan Airlines Flight 123 that crashed outside of Tokyo, killing more than 500 passengers and crew. It's one the largest plane accidents in the history of aviation. Sitting on the tatami mat in the city hall in the small village close to the crash site, surrounded by hundreds of other people looking for their loved ones, I felt desperate, scared and suffocated. Contemplating another day of looking at pine wood boxes with inscriptions like, "part of left hand, possibly male," I thought the agony would never end. How can I steel myself to keep on looking to try to identify some remains of what was once my dear father, hero to his family? Emotionally, physically and in every way, I felt drained of life force, like the body fragments in the boxes we were going through one by one in our search for our loved ones. All these years later the scars still sting when scratched, as they were when Flight 370 vanished. I want to share with the grieving, scared and frustrated relatives of Flight 370 victims that while life will never be the same, it will get better. It will take time, but you will laugh again and the sun will come out once more. The lack of closure is the hardest part. How do you know for sure that those on the plane are gone since their bodies have not been found? What if they are alive somewhere waiting for you to rescue them? How do you have a funeral when there are no remains? How can you be so sure? But the truth is that while you may hold out hope, the world is presuming they are gone forever. You have to accept it and move on. Here are some steps that helped me recover from my loss. Perhaps it could be of help to the families of Flight 370: . 1. Grieve. Allow the pain to be released. Cry, punch the pillows, share stories, do what you need to let the feelings out. Let the emotions flow. 2. Get support. From your family, friends and experts. From your spiritual source, in prayer or in nature. In time, maybe join a bereavement group. 3. Eat as healthy as you can. 4. Get rest, even if you can't sleep well, take some down time. 5. Move. Walk, exercise, play a sport, dance, do something physical so that the feelings can be dissipated. 6. Go into nature. Nature is big enough to hold you and your grief. Nature is healing. 7. Know that your loved one(s) are at peace and will be with you always. 8. Help someone who may be in a worse situation than you. In my case I saw that a couple of American families didn't make the trip to Japan. I sent them notes to let them know that I prayed for their loved ones, and that everyone was very kind and respectful in the whole search process. 9. Trust that something good will come out of this tragedy. We may not know what it is, or how, but it will happen. My father's death helped me learn how to be more present, to survive adversity, and appreciate the wonderful kindness of strangers. From disaster I've learned to be strong and flexible, and to seek assistance when I need it. With faith and courage I can make a positive difference in other people's lives. During the course of my life, I've been fortunate to reach many of the goals I had set. I know that my dad was there, guiding, supporting and inspiring me the entire time. He smiled with pride with each new milestone that I crossed. I believe all of us can grow and thrive through the trials of life with peace and happiness. It just takes one step at a time. The families of Flight 370 victims will come out of this tragedy different -- but they will endure and honor the memories of their loved ones. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Marilyn Tam.

Families of Flight 370 victims are grieving as searchers continue to look for plane . Marilyn Tam: I know how they feel; my father died in a plane crash in 1985 . She says lack of closure is the hardest part for relatives, who may hold out hope . Tam: All of us can grow and thrive through the trials of life with peace and happiness .

(CNN) -- I knot my black tie carefully. I haven't worn it since my grandmother's funeral. I check my reflection in the shop windows near Westminster as I walk towards the chapel where my "other mother" lies in her coffin. For five years, I've been writing "Maggie & Me," my memoir of surviving Thatcher's 11 years in power. I feel surprisingly protective or perhaps possessive about my relationship with the woman we called Maggie. She privatized my fractured family into poverty by closing the steelworks where my dad toiled and cutting my mother's disability benefits, all while not seeming to care about any of it. And yet, as my family descended into chaos and eventually abuse, Maggie was always there in some sense; always encouraging me to get an education, to get away, to be an individual. At 9am on the dot, I find a place right opposite Big Ben near Westminster Abbey. I will see her hearse as it leaves the scene of her greatest political battles. At this time in the morning, there are more police than observers on the scene. They've been on duty since 5am but remain good-humored. There are sniffer dogs and through the drizzle we catch flashes of color amidst the crenelations of parliament -- snipers on the roof. Read more: Mourners bid farewell . Tourists stop to take pictures. People who have to get to work are annoyed that the road is closed and they have to walk the long way round. A young woman, dressed entirely in cobalt blue from shoes to headscarf, joins my prime spot. She looks like a Thatcherite nun. Much fuss has been made about granting permission for protest but I come across only two placards and these are about the £10 million cost of the funeral. It's hard to see where this vast sum has been spent. There's no sign of bread, nor circuses. I am here to close not just a chapter of my life but a whole book. At various points, Maggie turned her back on me but I won't do that to her today. "I wouldn't give her the satisfaction," I think to myself, and I feel oddly nostalgic. There's a definite sense of loss. Or is it release? Grief or relief? Maybe both. When Labour Party leader John Smith died I was heartbroken and this is certainly not that. But I do have some things to thank her for. I feel determined to show her at least some of the respect in death that she didn't show me, my family, or my community in life. So I stand with dignity as a small crowd forms. The usual anti-war protesters are seated on their chairs with signs. I wonder if they are glad to have a bigger audience or feel infringed upon? Read more: How life might have been without Thatcher . It's 9:45am now, and Big Ben bongs while he can. "Is this the bell which summons me to heaven or to hell?" I wonder. Now the police seem to be multiplying in force. I see three soldiers in desert fatigues with green berets on. A brown-and-white spaniel sniffer dog is off the leash. "It's a moment in history isn't it?" says a young Asian woman officer to a lady from Italy. With ten minutes 'til the top of the hour, a helicopter appears overhead. At exactly 10am, and with surprising speed, Maggie's hearse, flanked by half a dozen police on bikes, exits the chapel at Westminster. She's punctual and impatient in death as in life, I think. Big Ben stays silent but the Abbey bells peal incongruously. People tutt loudly at this. There are more police than mourners -- their backs facing the coffin, not in protest but so they can keep their eyes on us. There are no jeers, or tears. That's that. Done. The small crowd starts to shuffle off and a prim pensioner bustles up expectantly only to be told she's too late. An impossibly young constable smiles his best consoling smile and says "You've missed her, madam. She's gone." Gone but not forgotten. Not yet. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Damian Barr.

Damian Barr has written a book on the Thatcher years -- "Maggie & Me" Thatcher "privatized his family into poverty," he says . He watches her hearse go by to show her the respect he says she didn't show him .

Las Vegas (CNN) -- A shooting and a fiery crash left three people dead in the neon heart of the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, and police scrambled to find out who triggered the carnage. The bloodshed closed the Strip for about a block and a half around some of its biggest draws, leaving tourists gaping at a wrecked Maserati, a burned-out taxi and four other vehicles. "First time in Vegas, and then, like, the whole thing, what you know from movies only -- I was shocked," Christine Gerstenberger, who was visiting the desert gambling mecca from Germany, said Thursday afternoon. She and her brothers debated going back to the hotel "because I'm totally scared," but "We're too curious," she said. See iReporter's video of fire . One of those killed was Kenneth Cherry Jr. -- a rapper also known as Kenny Clutch -- his attorney Vicki Greco said. According to his Facebook page, Cherry is from Oakland, California, and lived in Las Vegas. Cherry's death was shocking, Greco said. "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 Greco, who said Cherry had two kids. "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." Four of the Nevada city's biggest casinos -- Caesars Palace, the Bellagio, Bally's and the Flamingo -- are nearby, and police collected surveillance-camera video from them to help the probe. Also killed in the incident was a cab driver named Michael Boldon, CNN affiliate KVVU reported. His family is devastated by the death of the 62-year-old cab driver, his brother Tehran Boldon told the affiliate. "It is gut-wrenching," a tearful Tehran Boldon told KVVU. "My life mission would be to see them punished and brought to justice for the senseless thing they did." It started around 4:20 a.m. with a dispute in the valet lot of the Aria Hotel, about a block away, Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said. Investigators haven't confirmed the cause of the altercation, but he said it spilled onto the street as someone in a black Range Rover Sport fired several shots at the Maserati as it headed north on Las Vegas Boulevard. When the driver was hit, the Maserati continued into the intersection of the boulevard and Flamingo Road and collided with a taxi, which caught fire. The sports car's driver, the cab driver and a passenger in the taxi all died; a passenger in the Maserati and three other people in the resulting pileup were hurt, Gillespie said. The Maserati's passenger and other witnesses are helping detectives piece together what happened, he said. And the "top priority" for police is to find the Range Rover, which sped away from the intersection, and those inside it when the shooting happened. "This act is totally unacceptable, and we are going to make a very clear message to these individuals in regards to that," Gillespie said. Police in neighboring states have been asked to look for the sport-utility vehicle, and Gillespie warned the occupants should be considered armed and dangerous. "Clearly, the suspects have no regard for the lives and safety of others," he said. The Range Rover had an out-of-state dealer plate, tinted windows and large, black rims, Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said. The block around the crash remained closed off into Thursday afternoon. John Lamb, who was inside Caesars Palace, told CNN affiliate KLAS he heard the commotion and saw the taxi on fire from a window. "There was a loud bang, and I hear 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 Cristy Lenz, Matt Smith, Tom Watkins, Jason Hanna and Deanna Hackney contributed to this report.

NEW: Kenneth Cherry Jr., a rapper known as Kenny Clutch, was killed, his lawyer says . Gunfire and a fiery crash kill 3 in the heart of Las Vegas Strip . Casino visitor describes seeing "fireball" from Caesars Palace . Police are looking for a black Range Rover Sport with large black rims .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Maybe you've decided to show your partner love with a new iPhone. But how about 99 of them? In Chinese, the number 9 sounds like "forever," so on Sunday a man proposed marriage to his partner in Guangzhou, China by lining up 99 brand new iPhone 6s into the shape of a heart. The phones cost him around two years worth of savings to buy, but it's unclear whether she said yes. November 11 is China's Singles' Day (it's the date with the most 1s). As a bit of inspiration to those who have yet to leap into happily ever after, here's a quick list of some of China's most creative and entertaining marriage proposals in recent years. The hot and spicy . Dou Ziwang's romance must be sizzling hot, because on August 29, he proposed to his girlfriend using two massive hearts made of 99,999 red chili peppers. Now there's one guy who knows how to spice up a relationship. See the photos. (People's Daily) A frank proposal . Here's one that'll make you hungry for love -- or maybe just hungry. 28-year-old Wang Han met his girlfriend in a hot dog store while both were vacationing in Thailand and soon fell in love. On August 20, 1,001 days after their sausage link-up, he asked her to be his wife by presenting her with 1,001 hot dogs spelling out the words "I love you." She said yes -- with relish. See the photos. (China News) More than meets the eye . You have to see this one to believe it. In December 2013, a young man proposed marriage by building an 8-meter tall replica of Optimus Prime from the movie Transformers, weighing a solid ton. No word on how his girlfriend responded, but we can only imagine she transformed into his wife. See the photos. (iFeng) A heroic gesture . Two years ago, in Jiangsu province, a young man made a superhuman effort to win his partner's hand in marriage -- by dressing up as Superman, then using a crane to hoist himself 19 stories into the air while holding 9,999 balloons. As his girlfriend walked by, people shouted for her to look up at the sky. He then gracefully descended from the sky, ring in hand. (She said yes.) See the photos. (19lou) Coming up roses . On Valentines Day 2012, Xiao Fan wanted to impress his girlfriend -- a lover of clothing -- with more than just a bouquet of two dozen roses. See where this is going? Yes; this smooth operator created a beautiful dress for his beautiful girlfriend using exactly 9,999 roses, which she proudly donned while he asked for her hand in marriage. She accepted. See the photos. (CCTV) A romance worthy of the big screen . One of Beijing's shopping centers, named The Place, features a jaw-droppingly massive LED-screen "sky." It's one of the largest in the world. In 2007, one Chinese man surprised his girlfriend by taking her on an innocent trip to the mall, then suddenly dropping to one knee, as photos of the happy couple flashed across the 250-meter long display. See the video. (Youku) Proposal goes swimmingly . This man won major style points in 2011. After secretly practicing for months, he rode a dolphin across a pool to his girlfriend as she stood unsuspecting on the other side, before proposing in front of a cheering crowd. The woman was shocked -- but remember, he did it on porpoise. See the video. (AP) An address in a dress . Finally, one to reverse the gender norms. Last month, a college-aged woman named Lu Huan from Wuhan surprised her boyfriend by delivering a tearjerking speech while wearing a white wedding dress. "Others all think I am a little too impatient, whether it is too early for us," she cried to her partner. "I want to say, when we meet the right person, no matter how early it is, it is still too late. Do you want to marry me?" He said yes. See the video. (CCTV)

Marriage proposals often feature the number 9, which sounds like "forever" in Chinese . One man proposed using 99,999 red chili peppers . Another man rode a dolphin across a pool .

(CNN) -- A Robin van Persie hat-trick earned Arsenal a thrilling 5-3 win over their west London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the English Premier League on Saturday. Chelsea started the match strongly taking the lead in the 14th minute when Juan Mata delivered an inch-perfect cross for Frank Lampard to guide a header past Szczesny in the Arsenal goal. The home side continued to dominate possession but Arsenal hit back in the 36th minute when Aaron Ramsey threaded the ball through to Gervinho who selflessly squared the ball back for van Persie to side-foot past Petr Cech. Chelsea had a goal disallowed two minutes later with Ramires being ruled offside, but earned a deserved halftime lead when John Terry bundled the ball home from a corner kick in the 45th minute. Arsenal were far from finished though and hit back four minutes after the break as Alex Song played in Andre Santos who squeezed a shot underneath Cech to level the scores at 2-2. Six minutes later, Theo Walcott gave the Gunners the lead -- unleashing a fierce shot inside Cech's near post after outwitting three Chelsea defenders. A 25-yard strike from Mata restored parity for Chelsea in the 80th minute, but van Persie put Arsenal ahead again five minutes later, pouncing on a mistake by John Terry to slot home his second before lashing home his third in injury time to seal a remarkable win. Manchester United bounced back from the 6-1 battering from their city rivals last weekend edging past Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park. Havier Hernandez was on hand to side-foot home from a Patrice Evra cross in the 19th minute to give United the lead after they had made a bright opening to the match. Everton battled their way back into the match and came close to an equalizer -- Leighton Baines hitting the crossbar from a free-kick, while David De Gea saved smartly from Leon Osman. But despite the pressure, United held firm to cement second place in the table behind leaders, Manchester City who enjoyed a comfortable 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. Edin Dzeko opened the scoring for City in the 52nd minute with Aleksandar Kolarov adding a second 15 minutes later. City's Belgian defender Vincent Kompany was sent off in the 75th minute for a challenge on Kevin Doyle -- the resulting penalty was converted by Stephen Hunt. But Adam Johnson (who came on for Dzeko midway through the second half) netted in injury time to ensure Robert Mancini's side maintained their five-point lead at the top of the table. First half goals from Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll proved enough for Liverpool who beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 at The Hawthorns. Liverpool were awarded a penalty in the 9th minute when Luis Suarez was bundled over in the box -- Adam making no mistake with the spot kick. Suarez was involved again in the second, setting up Carroll who poked a shot past advancing West Brom keeper Ben Foster. Despite a host of chances in the second half Liverpool couldn't extend their lead, but the win lifts them to fifth. West Brom are 13th with 11 points. Norwich City came from two goals down to earn a 3-3 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers -- a result which keeps Steve Kean's side in the bottom three. Norwich are in eighth place. Sunderland also came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. Goals from Villa's Bulgarian midfielder Stiliyan Petrov (20th minute) and Richard Dunne (85th minute) were canceled out by Connor Wickham, who scored seven minutes before half time and Stephane Sessegnon who stole a point for Sunderland seconds before the final whistle. Swansea City continued their promising start to season with 3-1 over struggling Bolton Wanderers. The result moves them up to 10th place. Bolton, meanwhile, are second from bottom with six points, one point ahead of Wigan who suffered their third home defeat of the season losing 2-0 to Fulham. Goals from Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele lift Martin Jol's side up to 15th.

Robin van Persie hat-trick seals memorable Arsenal win at Stamford Bridge . Manchester United beat Everton 0-1 at Goodison Park .

(CNN) -- This weekend's inaugural Korean Grand Prix is a step into the unknown for Formula One, but Red Bull's title hopefuls Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel are looking forward to the challenge as the 2010 season heads into its final three races. Vettel led the Austrian team to a 1-2 in Japan two weeks ago, leaving him tied for second overall with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso 14 points behind Webber. The Yeongam circuit in South Korea was finally cleared by F1 officials last week, despite rules stating a new venue should be completed 90 days before a race is due to take place, and the drivers are keen to see a track that most have experienced only in simulators and video footage. "It looks like a nice layout in terms of the track, we are all optimistic to go there and have a good run and I am looking forward to it," Webber told the Red Bull website. Vettel added: "I am pretty excited about South Korea: it's a new race track, which means none of us have been there before. While I know the race will take place, I can't really say anything about the track itself until Friday." Korean GP gets green light from FIA . The duo will be taking tips from Karun Chandhok, a driver for Hispania Racing who carried out a test run in a Red Bull show event there in September. "The track's got a good mix of corners and I think we'll see a lot of overtaking in the first sector -- there are long straights into slow hairpins," he told the Red Bull website. "The straight after turn one and two is really long, so we may see some good slipstreaming there, like in Shanghai. From turn seven onwards, there's a fast section of flowing corners all the way back to the start-finish line, so I think the Red Bull Racing guys will be happy in sectors two and three. It's an interesting layout and the location's nice, overlooking the sea." Latest F1 championship standings . The 3.5-mile (5.6-kilometer) Korean International Circuit was built on marshland on the South Korean coast and is the work of German Hermann Tilke, who has also designed F1 venues in Abu Dhabi, Malaysia, China, Bahrain, Singapore and Spain among others. It will be the center of a new urban development, sited in an area popular with tourists about five hours' drive from the capital Seoul. McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who trails Webber by 28 points, is also looking forward to the race as he seeks to regain the world title he won in 2008. "I've driven the Korean International Circuit on the simulator, and my first impressions were extremely positive," the British driver told the official F1 website. "On paper, the track should suit our car quite well -- the first sector is all about good end-of-straight speeds and strong performance under heavy braking, both key characteristics of our car. "And the middle sector is fast and flowing -- it's the kind of place where you want a car with a good balance and good downforce. I think it'll reward commitment, it actually feels like quite a nice driver's track." Vettel wins in Japan as Webber extends lead . His teammate Jenson Button, who is fifth overall, has also been impressed with the circuit. "There appear to be a couple of very likely opportunities for overtaking, particularly at the end of the three main straights, but possibly also off-line in the twisty final sector," the defending world champion said. "The track looks quite high-speed, and the walls are close, so I think it'll be an interesting challenge." Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher believes the drivers will be able to adapt to the new track. "Finally this year we are going to a circuit which is not only new for me but for all of the drivers. Korea will be a very interesting country to see and even if the track has only just been finished in time, I am confident that everything will be fine," the Mercedes veteran said. "I am very much in favor of new races and I think it is a benefit for all of us in the sport. It should not be too complicated to learn the layout and we are used to adapting quickly to new circumstances."

The first Korean Grand Prix takes place this weekend at the new circuit in Yeongam . The venue was cleared for racing only last week after a delayed final inspection . F1 drivers have been using simulators to prepare for the event . Red Bull's Mark Webber leads drivers' standings with three races left this season .

(CNN) -- There is little argument that America's respect in the Muslim world has lessened as we enter our 10th year of war against a deadly shadow enemy of religious extremists who wear no uniform, wave no flag and who use their holy book as sword and shield against fellow Muslims as well as all things American. So what does Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, hope to accomplish by calling for a "Burn a Quran Day" this Saturday, September 11, the ninth anniversary of the worst sneak attack on American soil in our 234-year history? The answers are as obvious as they are ominous: He will bring total contempt from the world's fastest-growing religion against the world's oldest democracy. He will destroy the goodwill generations of Americans have worked to create in almost every nation. He will -- in just a few seconds of self-proclaimed glory and protest -- paint a target on the backs of U.S. troops, diplomats, foreign service employees, humanitarian relief workers and American tourists. Worse, still, Jones and his followers will provide our enemies with a propaganda tool that will outlast our lives and those of our children and their children. Burning a Quran will instantly undo everything good that America has done in the world. America's top general in Afghanistan, David H. Petraeus, recognizes the consequences of such an act. "Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan -- and around the world -- to inflame public opinion and incite violence," he said in a statement released from his headquarters in Kabul. No one will remember when a half-dozen Muslim nations joined a multinational coalition that included the U.S. to free Kuwait back in 1991. No one will remember America's huge humanitarian response in Indonesia after the devastating 2004 tsunami or in Pakistan after this year's disastrous flooding. No one will remember countless other projects to build schools and roadways and efforts to bring clean drinking water to people. No one outside the United States will recognize or even care that burning a Quran was the act of a single or small group of individuals. The only thing the Muslim world will remember and our enemies will exploit is that the U.S. government allowed Americans to burn the Islamic holy book in protest without consequence. The First Amendment may protect the pastor's right to protest, but nothing is to be gained and everything is to lose from this self-serving act. Our nation was founded on religious freedom and tolerance, yet a man of the cloth wants to invoke memories of a not-so-proud history when a developing America didn't want Catholics or Jews but did want slaves. If the good pastor wants to protest something on the side of the righteous, I would suggest he divert his energies against the Rev. Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. For the better part of this decade, Phelps and his followers have been protesting around the country at the funerals of fallen military members, carrying signs that say "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." He is now the subject of a First Amendment case scheduled before the U.S. Supreme Court next month. [Snyder v. Phelps] . Religion has been the rallying cry of almost every war in recorded history, and there are those in our country as well as in Muslim countries who truly believe that this is the start of a war between Islam and nonbelievers. "America is not at war with Islam" is a statement that has been repeated publicly and repeated often by presidents and members of Congress from all political persuasions, not because it is politically correct but because it is true. America is at war, however, against a small number of religious extremists who hide behind women and children and kill indiscriminately without remorse. We must not allow an equally small number of religious extremists in America to widen the war by burning the Quran ... or Torah or Bible. America is far better than that. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Richard L. Eubank.

Richard Eubank: Pastor's plan to burn Qurans on 9-11 endangers U.S. soldiers, tourists, diplomats . It will undo all goodwill America has built up, Eubank argues, for generations to come . Dangerous extremists will exploit the act planned by U.S. religious extremists, he says . "America is not at war with Islam" is not politically correct, Eubank says; it is true .

Washington (CNN) -- Federal aviation officials are telling airline and airport executives that they are working to minimize any disruption from imminent government budget cuts to passenger airline service, but warn the mandatory belt-tightening will impact air traffic overall. At a meeting in Washington on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would give priority to 77 "core" facilities -- large airports and their related air traffic control centers, which it did not identify. But the agency would reduce staffing system wide and would likely close 238 control towers at less busy airports. Those towers handle 5.8 percent of all commercial air traffic, the FAA said. Opinion: Cuts too deep? No, not deep enough . "It was clear at the meeting that the brunt of the cuts were at the cost of general aviation (private and business aircraft), and the agency even recognized that," said Melissa Rudinger of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, a group representing private pilots in Washington. The Transportation Department faces about $1 billion in budget cuts through the end of the fiscal year unless Congress acts by Friday to avert them. The cuts are part of a political impasse affecting spending across the government. Much of the agency's austerity will hit the FAA, which employs about 15,000 controllers and oversees traffic at more than 400 airports used by commercial airlines, business jets and private pilots. Large airports will also be impacted. All FAA employees have been told they may be furloughed at least one day every two weeks, inevitably meaning that aviation facilities will have fewer controllers. While the cuts would inevitably reduce the number of operations -- take-offs and landings -- the FAA said it would maintain the highest level of safety. The impact would be greatest at the nation's small- and mid-sized airfields, the FAA acknowledged. The 238 control towers facing possible closure met a criteria established by the FAA: They have fewer than 150,000 operations a year and fewer than 10,000 commercial airline operations. Opinion: Cuts will turn off voters GOP is courting . Of those towers, 189 are "contact towers," operated under FAA supervision by independent contractors. The remaining 49 are staffed by FAA controllers. FAA officials said it would consider removing a tower on a case-by-case basis if advocates could justify a change. But any towers spared from closure would have to be off-set by cuts elsewhere, they said. Most of the changes would occur at the start of April, and would ratchet up over a period of months. The first furloughs would begin April 8, according to a meeting participant. If a tower is closed, operations at those airports would continue. But controller operations would be shifted to other facilities, or to the pilots themselves, who would radio their intentions to take off, land, and maneuver on the ground. Ground operations could present the biggest danger to pilots, since it would remove from service controllers who are trained to look for conflicting movements on the runways and taxiways. Critics say the FAA failed to consider important factors when compiling its list of towers, including whether the towers were also used for military operations and for search and rescue missions. FAA officials also said Tuesday it would suspend development of its NextGen navigation system so it could reassign employees to control towers. And it would suspend its redesign of airspace -- an ongoing program to make the area around airports more efficient. The FAA also said budget cuts would force it to cut back on maintenance and repairs at "non-core" facilities. Only power, voice and navigational systems would be fixed at those facilities, the FAA told the industry executives. Rudinger said while the FAA disclosed a few new details about its plans to deal with forced spending cuts -- known in Washington as sequestration -- it was "certainly not as much detail as we were looking for going into the meeting." Participants in the meeting questioned whether the FAA is making the smartest cuts. ''Clearly they have to make the cuts," Rudinger said. "What's unclear is how they came up with them. There hasn't been any transparency in the process." More spin than solutions as spending cuts near .

The Federal Aviation Administration met with airline and airport executives . FAA oversees the nation's air traffic system for airlines and private flights . Plans include closing some control towers in less busy areas . FAA employees have been told they may be furloughed as part of cuts .

(CNN) -- University of Louisville guard Kevin Ware doesn't want to see any replays of his severely broken leg, suffered during a weekend basketball game on national television, he told CNN Wednesday. "I don't plan on seeing the video. I honestly never want to see the video. It puts me in a mental state that I don't want to be," he said. The gruesome injury, in which his right shin bone snapped and protruded though the skin, was part of "God's plan," he added. His teammates were horrified to see it on the court Sunday. "This is all God. This is all God's plan. He would never let anything happen that He wouldn't want to happen," he told CNN. His mother, Lisa, who was sitting beside him during the interview, said the incident upset her badly. "I just lost it," she said. "It really did look that bad." Ware intends to return the court some day. The broken leg, held together by two metal plates, will heal in eight to 12 weeks, he said. "I will play basketball again," he asserted. "I know patience is key." Earlier Wednesday, Ware recounted his shock over the severely broken leg, which occurred Sunday in Indianapolis during the Midwest regional final of the NCAA men's tournament, against Duke. "I look down and I see my bone is 6 inches out of my leg and I go into automatic shock," he told reporters at a news conference. Teammate Luke Hancock went to Ware and said a prayer for him. Ware said to himself that "I'm either going to cry ... or I'm just going to try to say some words (to help the team). We beat Duke by 22, so I guess my word got through good enough." "Luke is a great guy," Ware said. The injury occurred after Ware jumped to try to block a shot. Louisville player, injured badly on Sunday, out of hospital . "I kind of joke a little bit, like I should have blocked the shot because I jumped so high, but I guess I just landed wrong and didn't see where I was landing, so that's kind of what caused the injury," Ware said. He said he believes there's a reason for everything, but "I don't know what the reason is going to be" for the injury. "It is just a process. I'm ready for it," he said. He said he was surprised to see his teammates' tearful and distressed reactions. "Everybody was in real shock, and just looking around and seeing that, it was devastating," said Ware, who was using crutches Wednesday. "But they pulled it through, and that's really most important right now. We still have a season, and we don't want our season to end, so got to get the job done," Ware said. Coach Rick Pitino sat beside Ware as the player recalled the incident. Ware could be playing again in less than a year . In a two-hour surgery, Ware's broken tibia was straightened and a rod was inserted into it, according to a statement from Kenneth Klein, senior associate athletic director for media relations at the university. A photo posted on the Internet shows Ware's jubilant teammates holding up his jersey as they celebrated their win over Duke, which sent them to the tournament's Final Four this coming weekend in Atlanta. Another showed Ware in his hospital bed, holding the trophy his teammates brought to him. Ware has been touched by the public support. "I'm a very quiet guy, so a lot of this is really new to me, you know," Ware said. "I really just appreciate everybody and the support I have right now. "I'll be fine, but (we've) still got to win this championship," he added. His doctors asked Ware whether he had previous shin problems, but he told them he's never had such issues. Louisville will take on Wichita State at 6:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, with the winner advancing to the national championship game Monday. School officials told CNN that Ware will be able to travel with his teammates when they fly to Atlanta on Wednesday night. CNN's Dan Moriarty contributed to this report.

NEW: "I will play basketball again," Ware tells CNN . NEW: "This is all God's plan," Wares says about the setback . NEW: "I just lost it," his mother adds about son's grotesque injury . "I see my bone is 6 inches out of my leg and I go into automatic shock," Ware says .

(CNN) -- Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, or the "Snow Leopard" as he has been dubbed, is making his final preparations for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. A skier preparing to take part in the Games at this point in the calendar is not the most sensational news, until it is understood the 31-year-old grew up in Accra, Ghana (where the annual average temperature is around 79 degrees Fahrenheit) and learnt to ski only six years ago on a dry slope. Nkrumah-Acheampong hopes his remarkable and unconventional rise to prominence -- he achieved the strict qualifying criteria set by the world governing body of his sport from his training base at an artificial snow dome in Milton Keynes, England, where he was a former employee -- can act as inspiration to his countrymen. "The response that I get from emails and phone calls, that more people are going to come into snow sports, that's what I'm hoping to achieve and 10 years from now Ghana should have a ski racer who is 10 times better than me," he told CNN. The "Snow Leopard" first sprung to prominence after announcing his intention to qualify and compete in the downhill at the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006, despite only having taken up the sport in 2003. "It took 30 minutes for me to be able to just go in a straight line, slow myself down and stop, and the instructor who was my friend, told me: 'You know something, just go and train yourself now, just carry on.' And that's when I started falling down," he said. After becoming hooked on downhill and pleased with his natural ability he set about trying to qualify -- a feat that involved traveling around the world. He narrowly missed qualifying for the Turin-based Games but came back stronger to insure his place in Canada, an achievement the 34-year-old is exceptionally proud of. "I think it was like sending a Ghanaian to the moon, [but] apart from it being really cool -- I still wake up and still think to myself -- this is going to be really tough, people are going to be watching you -- you can't just go to the Olympics and just have fun," he added. The father of two will compete in two events, the giant slalom and slalom, and is anxious not to be a figure of fun like British ski-jumper Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, who notoriously captured the headlines at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. He prefers to take his cue from the Jamaican bob sleigh team who also competed in Calgary and inspired the popular film "Cool Runnings". "The Jamaican bob sleigh team did actually try really hard to have really fast push off times, really moving down the course -- not all the factors were right for them -- and they crashed -- if they didn't crash, they would have done a really good time," he said. "So I love being compared to Cool Runnings but not Eddie the "Eagle" or Eric the "Eel" (swimmer from Equatorial Guinea) because to me, sports is a serious thing. "If you want to be a sportsman, be a sportsman. If you want to have fun then do sports for leisure. Don't take the seriousness of sport and make a mockery of it." There is another serious point to the Ghanaian's participation, his efforts on behalf of the charity which attempts to protect the rare animal from which he gleans his nickname. "I'm working with the Snow Leopard Trust, they protect the endangered snow leopard," he said. "I'm also working with Sabre which is a registered charity in Britain, taking kids in tough areas out of London and out to the Alps, showing them a different side to life." Nkrumah- Acheampong's ambition is to return with his family, who live in Milton Keynes, to Ghana and to open a dry ski slope. In the meantime, his attentions are fully on next month where he will pit his skills against the likes of Bode Miller and Benjamin Raich. "I don't just want to get down, but ski well and not come at the bottom of the table," he said.

Winter Games appearance comes only six years after first ski run on a dry slope . Dream of taking part is similar to sending a Ghanaian "to the moon" says Acheampong . 34-year-old supports a charity which attempts to protect the rare snow leopard .

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Ethnic fighting once again engulfed Kenya's western Rift Valley on Sunday as witnesses and Red Cross officials reported brutal attacks by members of President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe on other ethnic groups. Police attempt to secure a street in Naivasha, where violence flared on Sunday. The violence spread to the Rift Valley town of Naivasha on Sunday, where the Red Cross said there were reports of people being burned alive in their homes. Kenya's main opposition party and the Red Cross said as many as 30 people were killed. Ethnic killings continued in the nearby Rift Valley town of Nakuru, where another 47 people have died since the latest wave of violence began on Thursday, according to the opposition Orange Democratic Movement. The opposition death toll is much higher than police figures, which do not include Sunday's violence in Naivasha. Police say 31 people have died in the Rift Valley region since last Thursday. Watch CNN's Zain Verjee report on the violence » . In a statement released Sunday, ODM leader Raila Odinga condemned reports of 30 people being burned alive in their Naivasha homes and blamed the Kibaki government for fomenting the violence in the region. "I condemn this murderous and evil act in the strongest terms possible," he said. "What is now emerging is that criminal gangs, in a killing spree, working under police protection, are part of a well-orchestrated plan of terror." It is a dramatic turn of events, considering Odinga was shaking Kibaki's hand three days ago after the two met under the auspices of former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Many had hoped Thursday's meeting, arranged by Annan who is mediating peace efforts, would bring an end to the outbreak of bloody ethnic battles that followed last month's contested presidential vote. But it seems to have had the opposite effect. Odinga blamed Kibaki's government for orchestrating the Rift Valley violence "to try to influence mediation efforts" and "to divert (attention) from election malpractice to security and violence." "After stealing the elections from Kenyans, Kibaki now wishes to deny them justice and peace," Odinga said. A Red Cross official said the agency had received reports of a non-Kikuyu family burned to death in their house in Naivasha. Television footage showed a man in the back of a police vehicle covered in blood with a large machete wound on the side of his head. Kenyan police dispersed large gangs and cleared rocks littering the streets of the lakeside town, which is dominated by Kikuyu. Tree branches, heavy boulders and oil drums littered the streets of Naivasha's town center as the Kikuyu gangs erected temporary road blocks, CNN correspondent Zain Verjee reported. She said the atmosphere was tense as the gangs checked cars to identify rival tribes. Verjee said there was a heavy police presence on the outskirts of the town. Some shops remained open but the town center was almost deserted except for the roaming gangs. It was a similar situation in Nakuru on Sunday, where ODM member the Rev. Mike Brawan said members of the Kikuyu tribe "are flushing out the non-Kikuyus from their houses." He said Kikuyus are going house-to-house, attacking civilians who are not members of the tribe, as well as looting and burning their property. Police, he said, "are not doing much." Brawan said he saw homes burned and people hacked to death in the violence. "They just die with a lot of pain," he said. It is estimated -- depending on the source -- that between 500 and 1,000 people have been killed in the violence that followed the December 27 election in which Kibaki kept his post. Odinga, the OMD candidate for president, and his supporters claim the election was rigged. International observers noted some irregularities in the voting. Fighting, centered in western Kenya and Nairobi's slums, broke out between tribes loyal to Kibaki and Odinga after Kibaki was declared the winner of recent elections. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Zain Verjee and Stephanie Halasz contributed to this report.

Red Cross reports people being burned alive . Ethnic fighting kills 47 people since Thursday in western Kenya, opposition says . Violence follows meeting between President Kibaki and opposition leader . More than 500 people have been killed in violence that followed the election .

(CNN) -- Moroccans voted Friday to approve a referendum on constitutional reforms that would weaken the king's powers and boost those of the government. The referendum was approved by 98.49% of voters, the country's interior minister said. Despite a particularly warm day, more than 70% of the country's 13 million registered voters turned out to decide on the referendum, Interior Minister Taieb Cherkaoui said. "I voted yes because I agree with the proposed changes," said Rachida Khalil of Casablanca. "There is still a lot of work to be done, like appointing of a completely new government, but I am very hopeful." King Mohammed VI announced the referendum in a rare address to the nation last month, after a series of unprecedented protests swept the North African country. Under the referendum, voters are empowered to select a prime minister, ending the longstanding practice in which the king has selected his own man for the job. The prime minister has tended to take his lead from the sovereign on key matters of state. Over recent months, thousands of young Moroccans have taken to the streets, inspired by the Arab Spring. The youth-based February 20 Movement wants jobs and an end to corruption its members say stems from royal cronies. It had urged its supporters to boycott the referendum on the constitution, saying it fails to meet their demands. The countries biggest political parties, including the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) and the conservative Istiqlal party, had asked their supporters to vote "yes" to the proposed changes. "Although this project may seem to some non-revolutionary, it has the advantage to make the parties face their responsibilities. It forces them to make their own cultural revolution," said Industry Member Ahmed Reda Chami, a member of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces party. The revamped draft constitution will make officials more accountable, the Parliament in Rabat more dynamic and will give the government greater powers, the 47-year-old king said when he announced the referendum on June 17. The new prime minister would have new powers in decision-making and in day-to-day management -- relieving the king of a number of duties and aligning the style of management along the lines followed by some European Union countries. In an example of power sharing, the draft constitution empowers the prime minister to dissolve the House of Representatives, and stresses that the king shall consult him before announcing the dissolution of Parliament. "It specifies the conditions to be observed in each case in order to ensure the separation of powers as well as balance and cooperation between the branches," the king said. "The idea is to establish democratic institutions where all active parties participate and bring in prosperity." Under the reforms, Morocco will also have an independent judiciary and provide equal rights for women. Analysts, however, question whether the proposed change will prove sufficient. The reforms "appear to be genuine," wrote Joel Hirst, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. But "the security apparatus, cabinet positions and religious appointments remain under the finger of the king." "For a country that has been accused of human right abuses in the past, these reforms for some do not go far enough," he added. "The king may well have succeeded in staying ahead of the protest that has led to the demise of the regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and plunged Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain into turmoil and violence," said Marina Ottaway, director of the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "Whether this is just a short-lived victory in the first skirmish of a long battle or a turning point on the road to transforming Morocco into the Arab world's first constitutional monarchy will depend not only on how the king acts in the coming months, but also on the capacity and willingness of Moroccan political organizations to build on the opportunities the constitution offers them," Ottaway wrote. "It may also depend to some extent on the persistence of a protest movement that has so far not been able to mobilize the huge crowds seen in Tunisia and Egypt," she stressed. CNN's Elise Labott and journalist Aida Alami contributed to this report.

NEW: Referendum is passed by 98.49% of voters . The changes would give more power to the prime minister and Parliament . Morocco has been swept by protests, inspired by the Arab Spring . Some protesters say the proposed reforms do not go far enough .

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid took control of the Champions League "Group of Death" with a 4-1 rout of Ajax in Amsterdam Wednesday. It was their second successive win in Group D to lead the way from Borussia Dortmund, who have four points after they drew 1-1 at Manchester City. Ronaldo warmed up for the Clasico clash with Barcelona at the weekend by with some expert finishing, converting Karim Benzema's cross for the opener just before the break. Benzema added a second in the 48th minute with a superb overhead kick before Dutch champions Ajax cut the lead on 56 minutes when Niklas Moisander headed home. But Ronaldo curled home a third in the 79th minute and then completed his first hat-trick in the competition -- his second in a week -- with an impudent chip. English champions Manchester City looked set for their second straight defeat in the competition when they trailed 1-0 to Dortmund late in the game at the Etihad Stadium. But Sergio Aguero's hooked shot hit Neven Subotic's outstretched arm and a hotly disputed penalty was given. Mario Balotelli scored in his customary casual style from the spot to salvage a point for Roberto Mancini's men. They had trailed to a fine goal by Marco Reus on the hour mark and it took a string of incredible saves from England goalkeeper Joe Hart and a glaring miss from Robert Lewandowski to deny the German champions a deserved win. "I think that Joe saved us. He did very, very well," Mancini told Sky Sports after the match. "Today we deserved to concede three or four goals. We didn't play well. We didn't play well because Borussia Dortmund played better than us. Real's Spanish counterparts Malaga also continued their impressive introduction to the Champions League by winning 3-0 at Anderlecht to top Group C. Eliseu scored twice and Joaquin converted a first half penalty as they dominated in Belgium for a second straight victory in the group. Earlier, AC Milan won a dramatic five-goal encounter in St Petersburg against Zenit. An own goal by Tomas Hubocan gave the Italian giants victory after they had been pegged back, having taken a two-goal lead. Urby Emanuelson with a deflected free kick and Stephan El Shaarawy scored for the visitors in the space of three minutes. But the home side hit back and after a string of superb saves by Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati, Brazilian Hulk reduced the deficit just before halftime. Roman Shirokov headed home Hulk's corner to level just after the break but Hubocan helped home a weak effort by Giampaolo Pazzini to leave his team pointless after two games. While Manchester City struggled, their EPL rivals Arsenal made it two wins from two in Group B with a 3-1 home victory over Olympiakos of Greece. Gervinho continued his recent scoring run with the opener for the Gunners, but Kostas Mitroglou glanced home an equalizer before halftime. Lukas Podolski put Arsenal back ahead in the 56th minute before Aaron Ramsey rounded off the victory in injury time. Schalke were denied their second win in the group as 10-man Montpellier scored a 90th-minute equalizer. Striker Souleymane Camara stuck in the 90th minute to earn a 2-2 draw for the French visitors. Karim Ait-Fana had put them ahead early on before the Royal Blues hit back through teenager Julia Draxler. Schalke looked headed for victory as Garry Bocaly fouled Draxler in the penalty area and was shown a red card in conceding the spot kick. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted the penalty before Montpellier leveled through Camara's curling shot. In Group A, an 83rd-minute goal by James Rodriguez gave Porto a 1-0 home win over big spending Paris Saint-Germain. The result leaves Porto three points clear of PSG, who are tied on three points with Dynamo Kiev after the Ukrainians beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0.

Real Madrid top "Group of Death" after 4-1 win at Ajax . Cristiano Ronaldo scores a hat-trick in Amsterdam . Manchester City salvage home point against Borussia Dortmund . Malaga continue impressive debut in Group C .

(CNN) -- "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is, in a way, a tough game to figure out. On one hand, the "Zelda" franchise has provided many hours of enjoyment for fans for 25 years, while chronicling the adventures of everyone's favorite green-hat-wearing elf, Link. This game has that. On the other hand, I was looking for something that was going to advance the franchise in new directions and possibly break some new ground. That didn't happen. "Skyward Sword" is full of what we've come to know and love about Link. Maze-like terrain, challenging dungeons, familiar weapons and, of course, the quest to find Zelda. There is little here that we haven't seen before. Epona, Link's trusted horse, has been replaced by a giant bird that carries him to distant locations. Unfortunately, there isn't much challenging or exciting about riding around on a flying bird after you've done it once or twice. (But, since Link is based this time out on a city floating in the sky, trying to ride a horse around could have gotten messy very quickly, I suppose.) I was also confused about where this game falls in the "Zelda" timeline. Link appears to be slightly older, but he doesn't have any of his traditional garb or weapons. He is a recruit in the knights' program and, in fact, has to earn his familiar hat and clothing. Contrast that with previous games where Link looks like a kid. Unfortunately, Link also seems to be missing his personality. He is, as always, silent, but really shows no reaction to anything that happens around him. In an early segment, Link is getting bullied but shows no outward emotions. It is Zelda who arrives to chastise the bullies and defend him. Nintendo has said "Skyward Sword" lays the foundation for the events in "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," but it doesn't feel like a precursor at all. The gameplay is slow, with plenty of moments of inaction. Its pace is almost leisurely as Link goes from one mission or dungeon to the next. There's no sense of urgency, but that does allow players to fully explore without feeling as if they're missing something. Environments are vibrant, with collectibles and creatures lurking around every corner. There is a maze-like quality when you're trying to reach some areas -- with only one path in and one path out. Usually, some puzzle needs to be solved to open the pathway and allow Link to continue. Instead of Navi ("Hey, Listen!"), a mystical creature named Fi acts as sort of an artificial-intelligence program, helping out whenever something new comes up or if a player gets stuck deciding what to do next. Fi lives in the handle of Link's sword and comes out when summoned. She can also evaluate your gameplay and scan the surrounding area for any dangers or monsters. Combat is decidedly different, since the game requires you to use Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus Control. Defeating monsters, or solving some puzzles, requires precise motions to get past obstacles or slice open new pathways. This was a welcome change from straight button-pushing and injected a new level of challenge into combat. The nunchucks attached to the Motion Plus Control act as your shield during combat and also help with special moves such as rolling or shield-bashing your enemies. The two controllers together work very well and made the combat enjoyable without making it tiring. In the end, "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is an underwhelming game that mostly sticks to the successful path that Link has been on for the past 25 years. This is one series that can keep fans happy with its familiar concepts and characters. But the new game's minor tweaks don't inject new energy into the franchise. I wonder where Nintendo can take "Zelda" next without considering some radical changes. "The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" is available now in Europe, North America, Japan and Australia. It is a Wii exclusive title and is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 years old and older due to animated blood, comic mischief and fantasy violence. This review was done with a review copy of the game.

"Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" doesn't offer much that's new . Link the elf seems emotionless and the story's timeline is unclear . Wii MotionPlus controls offer some fun new challenges . "Zelda" has provided 25 years of joy, but the franchise needs some changes .

New York (CNN) -- Several unions endorsed the two-week-old Occupy Wall Street movement and plan to join the protesters' street theater in New York on Wednesday, labor leaders said. "It's really simple. These young people on Wall Street are giving voice to many of the problems that working people in America have been confronting over the last several years," Larry Hanley, international president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which has 20,000 member in the New York area, told CNN. "These young people are speaking for the vast majority of Americans who are frustrated by the bankers and brokers who have profited on the backs of hard-working people," Hanley added in a statement. "While we battle it out day after day, month after month, the millionaires and billionaires on Wall Street sit by -- untouched -- and lecture us on the level of our sacrifice." Contribute your images, video and words to CNN's coverage . Transport Workers Union Local 100 spokesman Jim Gannon said the Occupy Wall Street movement, which denounces social inequities in the financial system and draws inspiration from the Arab Spring revolutions in Africa and the Middle East, has advanced issues that unions typically support. "Their goals are our goals," Gannon said. "They brought a spotlight on issues that we've believed in for quite some time now.... Wall Street caused the implosion in the first place and is getting away Scot-free while workers, transit workers, everybody, is forced to pay for their excesses. "These young folks have brought a pretty bright spotlight," Gannon added. "It's kind of a natural alliance." Just who are these people? President Michael Mulgrew of the United Federation of Teachers, the sole bargaining agent for most non-supervisory New York City public teachers with 200,000 members, said he was "proud" to support the Occupy demonstrators, who have been camping out in New York and elsewhere across the nation. "The way our society is now headed it does not work for 99% of people, so when Occupy Wall Street started ... they kept to it and they've been able to create a national conversation that we think should have been going on for years," Mulgrew said. The labor officials couldn't provide a projection on how many of their members will take the day off from work Wednesday and join the protests. The demonstrators have bivouacked in the park in New York's Financial District, calling for 20,000 people to flood the area for a "few months." The protest campaign -- which uses the hashtag #occupywallstreet on the microblogging site Twitter -- began in July with the launch of a simple campaign website calling for a march and a sit-in at the New York Stock Exchange. Over the past two weeks, demonstrations have addressed various issues, including police brutality, union busting and the economy, the group said. Occupy Wall Street is a leaderless movement made largely of twentysomethings upset with the state of the economy, the state of the war in Afghanistan, the state of the environment, and the state of America and the world in general. View a gallery of high-resolution photos from the protests . In less than three weeks, the movement has become a magnet for countless disaffected Americans at a time when an overwhelming majority of U.S. adults say the country's on the wrong track. Occupy protests have been held in Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston. Occupy Wall Street and its offshoots have clear strains of liberal economic populism -- a powerful force in U.S. history during various times characterized by growing economic stress. That said, it could be a mistake to label or tie the movement to a specific agenda, said Susan Olzak, a Stanford University sociology professor. "It's difficult to classify a social protest movement early on in its history," Olzak told CNN. "Clearer goals could eventually emerge, but there's no guarantee." "Many movements fizzle out. Others become more organized," she said. But "I think we run a risk (by) taking a snapshot at any one point in time, and trying to categorize the movement in any one way based on that snapshot. The only way to study these protest movements is to follow them over time." CNN's Terry Frieden contributed to this report.

Labor leaders say the Occupy Wall Street protesters raise issues they support . The movement is more than two weeks old . Protesters are camping in a park in New York's financial district . Labor organizers don't have an estimate on Wednesday's participation .

(CNN) -- Singer Usher Raymond's ex-wife is asking a judge to give her custody of their two children after the oldest suffered a "near-death accident." Five-year-old Usher Raymond V nearly drowned "in a swimming pool and is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital," Tameka Foster said in an emergency motion filed Tuesday in a Fulton County, Georgia, court. Her son "is doing much better," according to a Twitter posting by Foster on Wednesday afternoon. The mother has been with him at the hospital since she learned of the accident Monday, her lawyer told CNN. A hearing is set for an Atlanta courtroom Friday afternoon for the motion, her lawyer said. The other child, Naviyd, is 4 years old. In a statement released Wednesday, Usher said: "I am blessed and fortunate to say that my son Usher V is doing well and is recovering. I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of prayers, love and support for my family's well-being." The singer did not address his ex-wife's allegations or the upcoming hearing. Usher won primary custody of the children last year after a bitter court fight in which Foster accused the singer of being an absentee father. Foster renewed her arguments based on Monday's accident, contending the singer "continues to excessively travel, utilizes third-party caregivers to supervise the minor children rather than personally exercising parenting time and providing supervision for the minor children." Usher is "not capable of providing daily caregiving and supervision for the minor children of the parties as petitioner is preparing to film a movie in Panama and has ongoing commitments that require his presence in Los Angeles, New York and various other cities for the Voice and his upcoming album." Her motion alleges that Usher is away from Atlanta -- where she and the children live -- "in excess of 85% of each month." He refuses to let her see the children when he leaves town, saying he "would rather the nanny raise the children," Foster contends. Foster also complained that her ex-husband does not talk to her about issues affecting the boys, "including school enrollment and summer activities." The private school in which he just enrolled them is more than an hour from her home, she said. And, Usher has not given her the phone number to the home he moved to with the children in June, she said. Foster's tweets posted Wednesday read: "Cabin fever.. But I'm so happy to say that my son is doing much better. Talking & asking for food. Thank you for ur well wishes & prayers." and "....And no I haven't gone anywhere or done anything. #Relax" Foster blames the swimming accident on "the negligence and failure to properly supervise" the children. Usher's aunt was in charge of the children when the oldest son "suffered a near-death accident while left unsupervised in a swimming pool," the motion contends. "I need an ambulance," his aunt, Rena Oden, told an emergency operator in a call to 911. "My nephew was in the pool, and I couldn't get him, I tried to get him." A recording of the call was made public by police Tuesday. The aunt, a housekeeper and another woman were "unsuccessful in pulling the victim from the pool drain," but two men who were installing sound equipment in the home rushed to help, the report said. "They're doing CPR on him now," Oden told the operator. "Is he coming around? He's breathing!" Sound technician Eugene Stachurski rescued the child from the drain and used CPR to revive him on the side of the pool, the police report said. About five minutes into the recording, Oden told the operator that paramedics had arrived at the home and had taken over. The child was "conscious, alert and breathing" when the ambulance took him to a hospital, where he was kept overnight for observation, the police report said. Usher's former stepson -- also Foster's son -- died in a watercraft accident on a north Georgia lake last year. CNN's Tory Dunnan and Marylynn Ryan contributed to this report.

NEW: Usher says his son is "doing well and is recovering" Usher's ex-wife blames singer's absence for son's "near-death accident" Tameka Foster accuses Usher of being gone 85% of the time . Sound technician Eugene Stachurski rescued the child and used CPR to revive him .

(CNN) -- In his September 4 op-ed, Jack Schlossberg presents his case that young Americans should cast their ballots for President Obama this fall. Published on the same day it was widely reported that the national debt had hit $16 trillion, his piece is as ill-timed as it is unconvincing. Seeking to speak to and for his generation, he characterizes Obama as "our biggest ally in Washington." He neglects, of course, to recount the harsh realities of the Obama economy. Instead, his message rests on the flimsy notion that we should hang on a little bit longer because enduring change takes time. You may be wondering what happened to "We can't wait" and "Yes we can." Schlossberg concedes that we're "a little more cynical," but contends that "just because our politics and government can disappoint us sometimes doesn't mean we should forget how far we've come." How far we've come? Unfortunately, such an argument demonstrates a sloppiness with the facts. Take, for instance, the fact that unemployment has remained above 8% since the beginning of Obama's term. Or, according to this analysis, that half of recent college graduates are jobless or underemployed Or that under Obama, the national debt has risen $5 trillion. Or that Obama presided over the first credit downgrade in American history. I could go on. The point is, these facts are overwhelming. And they are neither fair to young Americans nor signs of the progress for which we yearn. Rather, they are the residue of generational theft, of promises unmet, of false hopes and of crushed dreams. In a word, travesty. To argue otherwise is to fall out of a fairy tale. Schlossberg begins his piece with "The Catcher in the Rye's" Holden Caulfield. He compares Caulfield's desire to escape phonies to young people's support for Barack Obama in his first presidential campaign. But the problem with that analysis is that it's four years out of date. In 2008, Obama regaled us with promises of hope and change, but his time in office has exposed the emptiness of these promises. And there's more than meets to the eye to the president's self-proclaimed achievements. While his allies may credit his health care law with allowing members of my generation to stay on our parents' health care until we're in our mid-20s, the real question is, why can't we find jobs in the first place? Obama regards students as beneficiaries of his achievements. Schlossberg praises the president's "insistence on keeping student interest rates low," but that hasn't kept student loan debt from reaching record levels. Schlossberg's discussion of Obama's energy policy is equally selective. He talks about the president's "investments in clean energy projects and jobs," but fails to mention that some of these "investments" came at a high price and on the dime of taxpayers. The saying goes that brevity is the soul of wit, so this argument merits a one-word refutation: Solyndra. But of all of Schlossberg's claims, perhaps the most misguided is the notion that Obama has displayed political courage in the White House. He has refused to reform entitlements in a way that will ensure they remain solvent for future generations -- which is to say, us. Instead, he started a brand new trillion-dollar entitlement program in the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, an unaffordable government takeover of our nation's health care system. His fiscal stewardship has been nothing short of a disaster. Four consecutive years of trillion-dollar deficits isn't courageous; it's immoral. Schlossberg does get one thing correct, however: Part of growing up is coming to terms with heartbreaking truths. But in this case, it's about coming to terms with the fact that Obama has had his chance to lead and his policies have failed. We don't have to fall into line once again only to be taken for granted. We can vote for a new direction. We can reward truth-telling. We can elect Mitt Romney. The opinions in this commentary are solely those of Alex Schriver.

An op-ed recently urged young people not to give up on President Obama . Alex Schriver says writer overlooks the failure of Obama to fix the economy . Schriver: Grads can't find work, are burdened with student loan debt . We need Mitt Romney to move country in a new direction, Schriver writes .

(CNN) -- A national campaign to inoculate tens of millions of Americans against H1N1 influenza began Monday, with health care workers in Indiana and Tennessee targeted as the first recipients, federal health authorities said. Health care workers in Indiana and Tennessee are among the first to receive the H1N1 vaccine Monday. "I think the world has watched history unfold," Dr. Judy Monroe, Indiana's state health commissioner, told reporters at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis. Earlier Monday, the hospital received a shipment of 52 boxes -- each containing 100 pre-filled sprayers. "This first 5,200 doses that came to Marion County is really just the tip of the iceberg," Monroe said. Health Director Virginia Caine said the shipment will be split among the county's hospitals. A similar scene unfolded at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee, where three children have died from H1N1, sometimes referred to as swine flu. Jennilyn Utkov, a spokeswoman for LeBonheur, said the hospital received about 100 doses. By noon, the supply had been depleted. The vaccines shipped to both sites and to a few other places around the nation are the first of some 195 million doses the U.S. government has purchased from five vaccine manufacturers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Dr. Jay Butler told reporters at the Indianapolis event. That number includes both spray and injectable forms. Butler, who heads the agency's 2009 H1N1 Vaccine Task Force, has promised there will be enough for anyone who wants it. Butler said vaccine makers will ship 10 million to 20 million doses per week over the next couple of months. "Is that fast enough?" he asked. "No, but it's what's feasible. It's what can be done." Monroe predicted that an ample supply of the injectable form will be available by mid-October. Last week, the CDC said it had received reports of 60 deaths of children related to H1N1 flu since April; 11 of those deaths were reported last week alone. From August 30 until September 26, the agency tallied 16,174 hospitalizations nationwide and 1,379 deaths associated with influenza virus infection. iReport.com: How should H1N1 be handled? The 27 states reporting widespread flu activity are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. Track the H1N1 virus » . Nearly all of the viruses identified so far are H1N1, the agency said in a posting on its Web site. "These viruses remain similar to the virus chosen for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine" and remain susceptible to antiviral drugs "with rare exception," it added. Those who are at the highest risk of getting seriously ill -- pregnant women, children, young adults and people with chronic lung disease, heart disease or diabetes -- should be among the first to get vaccinated against the H1N1 flu virus, health officials have said. Understanding the H1N1 virus » . According to a CNN/Opinion Corp. poll in late August, two-thirds of Americans said they plan to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu. Health care workers may not necessarily be foremost among them. In the past, about 40 percent of health care workers have opted to be vaccinated against the flu, according to the CDC. Health officials also have recommended people reduce their chances of getting sick by washing their hands frequently, sneezing into a tissue or sleeve rather than into one's hand and staying home when sick. More than 340,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of H1N1 and more than 4,100 deaths have been reported to the World Health Organization. Many countries -- including the United States -- have stopped counting cases, particularly of milder illness, meaning that the true number is likely much higher.

NEW: Makers will ship 10 million to 20 million doses per week in next few months . Health care workers in Tennessee and Indiana are first recipients of H1N1 vaccine . U.S. government has purchased 195 million doses from manufacturers . Two-thirds of Americans plan to be vaccinated against H1N1 flu, survey says .

Khartoum, Sudan (CNN) -- A Sudanese appeals court has started deliberating the case of a woman sentenced to death for refusing to renounce her Christian faith, her husband said. Mariam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, was condemned to die by hanging last month after she declined to profess she is a Muslim, the religion of her father. Sharia law considers her a Muslim and does not recognize her marriage to a Christian. She said she was raised as a Christian by her mother after her father walked out on them. "Formal notification was given to myself and my lawyer that the appeals court has begun deliberation of Mariam's case," said Daniel Wani, her husband. He said he got the notice Thursday. Seeking asylum in the U.S. As the case goes through the courts, Wani, who is an American citizen, said he is asking U.S. officials to expedite the asylum process for his wife. If she's released, their lives could be in grave danger in Sudan, he said. "I am scared for all our lives -- me, my wife and my two children -- if we have to remain inside Sudan, even a day after her release." Wani said he is appealing his home state lawmakers, New Hamphire's U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kelly Ayotte. Committed to her religion . The court convicted Ibrahim of apostasy on May 15. At the time, she was eight months pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl late last month at a Khartoum prison, where she's detained with Martin, her 20-month-old son. Despite languishing in prison with two infants, she's holding firm to her beliefs, according to her husband. "There is pressure on her from Muslim religious leaders that she should return to the faith," Wani told CNN in a TV exclusive. "She said, 'How can I return when I never was a Muslim? Yes, my father was a Muslim, but I was brought up by my mother.' " Wani said his wife is a practicing Christian, more so than him, and even had their son baptized. "I know my wife. She's committed," he said. "They brought in sheikhs (to the prison) and she told them, 'I'm pretty sure I'm not going to change my mind.' " Wani said he is thrilled about his new daughter but hopes her birth doesn't hasten his wife's death sentence. In past cases involving pregnant or nursing women, Sudan waited until the mother had weaned her child before executing any sentence. Sharia law as practiced in Sudan prohibits carrying out the death sentence on a pregnant woman until two years after she gives birth. CNN sought comment from the Sudanese government and was directed to the justice ministry. A CNN request for an interview was denied, and the justice minister said they don't comment on matters that are going through the courts. An attempt to contact Sudan's foreign affairs minister was unsuccessful. Muslim relatives turned her in . Ibrahim was arrested after Muslim relatives accused her of renouncing her religion. Their complaint alleged that she went missing for years, and her family was shocked to find out she married a Christian. Wani said he'd never met the relatives who made the accusations. His wife, he said, was raised a Christian by her mother, an Ethiopian Orthodox, after her Muslim father deserted the family when she was 6. "These people filed charges claiming that she was their sister and filed a police report saying that she had disappeared," he said. Brother: Repent or die . However, one of Ibrahim's brothers, Al-Samani al-Hadi, tells a different story. He claims Wani --- whom he called "the priest" -- fed his sister "potions" to convert her to Christianity. He wants her to repent. "But if she refuses she should be executed," he told CNN last week. At first, Ibrahim was charged with adultery for marrying a Christian. The apostasy accusation was added after she maintained she was a Christian, according to her husband. She's been detained since January 17. In addition to the death sentence, the court sentenced her to 100 lashes for the adultery conviction. CNN's Nima Elbagir reported from Khartoum, and Faith Karimi reported and wrote from Atlanta.

Mariam Yehya Ibrahim, 27, was condemned to die by hanging last month . Her apostasy conviction came after she refused to renounce her Christianity . Her husband says the appeals court sent him formal notice of deliberations .

(CNN) -- "Until death do us part" is what generations of couples have vowed at the altar. But a legislator in Mexico City wants to give people a much shorter option. Leonel Luna from the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution wants to make it easier for couples to divorce if things don't work out the way they hoped in the first two years after tying the knot. The bill is at the center of a controversy about family values and the definition of marriage in Mexico City. But Luna, who introduced the bill at Mexico City's Legislative Assembly last week, says his measure is simply a reflection of reality. "Almost 50% of couples in Mexico City end up in divorce," Luna says. "What we're trying to do is acknowledging reality and creating a mechanism that will allow couples to end their marriage without going through the additional pain and suffering of a legal battle." Luna uses statistics from the Mexico City registry to illustrate his point. Out of 33,000 couples who got married in the past two years in Mexico City, around 16,000 filed for divorce. Ending the marriage, Luna says, costs approximately $3,500. The couple normally spends anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500 in legal fees and attorneys and the Mexico City legal system absorbs the rest. Under Luna's bill, couples would sign a marriage contract that would last two years. Once that term was over, the couple would have the option to renew. The contract would specify if property is owned by both spouses or separately. It would also state who would get custody of the children, if any, and how benefits would be distributed. The bill is now in committee. It may take up to three weeks before it is voted on in front of the full legislative assembly. If approved, the bill would apply only to couples getting married in Mexico City. But is there a demand for it? Norma Ojeda, a sociologist at San Diego State University who has researched marriage and divorce in Mexico, said that at first glance, the proposal seems like an unnecessary law that would simply create more bureaucracy. As it is, she said, the majority of marriage dissolutions in Mexico -- 70% -- come not from a formal divorce but from informal separation. Costs, as Luna pointed out, are an obstacle to divorce, but to date, couples have dealt with that simply by splitting and starting new families in many cases. Ojeda did say, however, that a temporary contract could provide additional protection for children whose parents split, whose needs are often overlooked in informal separations. Jorge Perez, a Mexico City resident, said the bill would benefit many couples who tie the knot in a rush. "It's like renewing your vows (after two years) if you want. If there's a fight, they can plan what to do from the beginning" of the marriage, Perez said. Angelica Cesar, who also lives in Mexico City, strongly disagrees with the bill. "If you're making a commitment to share your life with someone, it better be for more than two years. It has to be for the rest of your life," Cesar said. As a country, Mexico has the second largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil, and many say the bill goes against the beliefs of most Mexicans. But things are different in the capital, where the population tends to be less conservative than the rest of the country. Two years ago, the liberal majority in the Mexico City legislature also made gay marriage legal in the Mexican capital. The Mexican Catholic Church denounced that law then and is strongly opposed to the passage of the two-year marriage bill. The Rev. Jose de Jesus Aguilar, a spokesman for the Mexican Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Mexico City Archdiocese, has denounced the bill. "Mexico is suffering very serious problems precisely because we're losing family values. I think that instead of creating all kinds of comfortable rules for political purposes, legislators should focus on promoting strong marriages and family values," he said. Luna, the bill's author, said the chances of getting the measure passed are good. Out of 66 legislators in the Mexico City Assembly, 34 belong to his party and are likely to vote in favor of the bill. Luna said he's working on getting votes from the left-leaning Labor Party to ensure he gets the majority needed for passage. CNN's Mariano Castillo contributed to this report.

Legislator Leonel Luna wants to make it easier for couples to call it quits . Newlyweds would sign a two-year marriage contract, then decide whether to renew . The law would apply only to Mexico City .

(CNN) -- Alison Shein considers herself an amateur genealogist, spending hours online searching for information about family members she never knew. Among them: Alison's great-great-grandmother Bella Shein, who died in the Holocaust. The circumstances surrounding her death are still murky. "They were living in this town called Volkovysk, which is currently in Belarus, and when the Germans were coming, some of her children and her grandchildren said, 'OK, we're going to leave. We're going to go with the Russian army.' And she said, 'I'm too old. I'm going to stay behind.' And that was the last they saw of her." Through her research, Shein determined that her great-great-grandmother was probably killed in that town, like other elderly people, rather than transported by the Nazis to the Treblinka extermination camp. She is still looking for information about other family members. Shein has also embarked on another project, one that will help others -- strangers -- find clues about what happened to their loved ones in the Holocaust. "I just think that it's really important to keep the memory of these people who died alive. I've heard stories so many times where they said, 'We had survivors who are our relatives, and they just didn't want to talk about it. We just don't know what happened.' " Shein is one of more than 2,100 volunteers around the world who have signed on to the World Memory Project, a joint effort by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Ancestry.com, a family research website, to create the world's largest online searchable database of records related to victims of the Holocaust. It's a massive undertaking: The museum has more than 170 million documents about victims of Nazi persecution, including Nazi concentration camp records and transport lists, records created by Jewish communities and U.S. government documents about people displaced by the war who later emigrated to the United States. The project, which began in May, recruits volunteers like Shein to put names and other key words from the documents into an online database, which is then searchable by anyone in the world. The first data sets became searchable this month. Once people locate information online about family members, they can request copies of the full documents from the museum. The service is free and will remain so permanently. Volunteers have added more than 765,000 records to the database in the six months since the project began, and the number goes up everyday. Compare that with the process before the project's launch, when a museum intern indexed the records and managed to complete about 1,000 records a month. Speed is a key part of the World Memory Project. "Clearly, we're in a race against time to help survivors find out what happened to their loved ones before it's too late," said Lisa Yavnai, director of the project. It allows survivors and family members who are unable to travel to the museum in Washington to access the information from the comfort of their own homes, said Quinton Atkinson, director of Ancestry.com's content acquisition. And for anyone who wants to contribute to the project, they can do so from anywhere in the world. "You can do it at 2 o'clock in the morning in your pajamas," Atkinson explained, just by going to worldmemoryproject.org and following the steps to download the software, which was developed by Ancestry.com. No special skills are required, no computer or language expertise, he said. To ensure accuracy, two volunteers index each document. Their work is reviewed by a third, more experienced arbitrator, who resolves any discrepancies. Both Atkinson and Yavnai describe the response to the project as overwhelming. Volunteers include those as young as 12, with help from their parents, as well as some Holocaust survivors who are in their 70s and 80s. "This project is about restoring the identities of the victims, the people who the Nazis tried to erase. They -- the Nazis -- gave them numbers, and we are giving them back their names, and the public can help us do this," Yavnai said.

More than 2,100 volunteers around the world have signed on to the World Memory Project . Project is world's largest online searchable database of records related to Holocaust victims . Volunteers have added more than 765,000 records to the database in six months . Nazis gave them numbers, and project gives them back their names, director says .

(CNN) -- Early this week, I worked on my addiction treatment center's detoxification unit. I treated teenagers and young adults, pregnant women and medical professionals. I saw older pain patients who, having lost control over their prescriptions, began using intravenous heroin, very much to their shock. Many have developed hepatitis C and, for the first time in my state of Maine, I've begun to see an increase in HIV infections. Heroin addiction is a metastatic cultural cancer. Crime, disease, suffering and death follow in its wake. Heroin takes you down a darker road than even prescription opiate addiction. The death of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on Sunday apparently proves the insidious danger of that very path. Maine is in the stranglehold of just such a transitional drug addiction epidemic -- it began in the late '90s. And we are not alone. Recent reports of mass overdose deaths in Pittsburgh and Rhode Island are strong indicators that the movement from overdose by prescription pain medication to heroin is national in scope. Interestingly, the last 20 years has seen a paradigm shift in physicians' attitudes about prescribing opioids to treat pain. Before the Federation of State Medical Boards revised its pain treatment guidelines 10 years ago, doctors tended to avoid prescribing opioids for pain. But the revised guidelines, coupled with accreditation requirements reinforcing screening for pain, and pharmaceutical industry pressure to prescribe, greatly expanded use of opioid analgesics such as Oxycontin and Vicodin. Opinion: What makes someone an addict . That "perfect storm" created a prescription drug addiction epidemic in our state. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration data from 10 years ago show the annual number of treatment admissions in Maine increased from a little more than 9,000 to almost 14,000 from 2002 to 2005. That same data indicated we had one of the highest rates of prescription drug addiction among adolescents and young adults in the country. We still do. It's only been recently that the rest of the country has awakened to this crisis. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called prescription drug abuse an "epidemic." Maine was highlighted as having one of the highest volumes of prescription painkillers sold. Is it any wonder that, with a vast, attractive market of prescription drug addicts at the ready, out-of-state heroin dealers seized the opportunity to flood Maine with their treacherous opioid drug? In only two years, heroin has saturated every remote, rural corner of our state. They say a country always fights its last war. As we donned battle gear for the war on prescription drug addiction, heroin snuck in from the flank unnoticed. Two years ago, the use of heroin exploded in Maine like a wave of napalm, incinerating lives, families and communities. Our state report on substance abuse trends for 2013 reveals that "primary treatment admissions related to heroin or morphine have been increasing since 2010." That means, for three years, more Mainers have been seeking treatment solely for heroin addiction. Opinion: How to stop deaths from drug ODs . Heroin is no longer only an urban plague. In his State of the State Address, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin awakened America to how heroin is corroding lives in even largely rural states. This quickly spreading opiate addiction has every addiction medicine physician deeply concerned about the pressure to treat this chronic brain disease appropriately. We must respond by providing the proven-effective treatment, combining Food and Drug Administration-approved stabilization medications with holistic rehabilitation. One without the other simply doesn't work to manage this chronic disease. Addiction disease is just like epilepsy or diabetes in that it's a lifelong diagnosis that demands lifelong management and vigilance by patients and their medical practitioners. The parents of my patients never sleep soundly, always waiting for the dreaded midnight phone call. These deaths are preventable. Treatment saves lives. Wishful thinking takes them. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Mark Publicker.

Physician Mark Publicker says his addiction unit is seeing spike in young, old heroin users . He says heroin use a cancer sweeping nation, calls prescription painkillers the gateway . He says sellers descended on Maine and region has seen surge in heroin addiction . Publicker: Treatments must see addiction as a chronic disease needing lifelong management .

(CNN) -- More than 600 people were evacuated from a restive Syrian city on Sunday, after gunfire interrupted a U.N.-brokered humanitarian pause, state media reported. Syria's government-run Syria TV channel and news agency SANA said Sunday afternoon that 611 people were convoyed out of the city of Homs. SANA reported most of the people evacuated were women, children and senior citizens, citing the governor of the province, Talal al-Barazi. Vehicles from the Red Crescent and United Nations had a difficult time entering the city over the weekend as they were targeted by gunfire and explosives. But workers managed to deliver some aid to the thousands of people in the besieged section of the city known as the Old City of Homs, where rebels battle government troops and each other. A photo on the Twitter feed of the Syrian Red Crescent showed dozens of people standing in the rubble of a street as aid workers passed out supplies and food. "Although the team was shelled and fired upon we managed to deliver 250 food parcels,190 hygiene kits and chronic diseases medicines," the organization said in a tweet on Saturday. The team said that one driver suffered a minor injury when explosions and gunfire hit near the convoy in Homs. The convoy left, but two of the four trucks were damaged and had to be left behind, the organization said. Who targeted the aid workers is in dispute. A Wall Street Journal reporter in Syria told CNN that workers in the convoy had no doubt the fire came from government forces. But Sam Dagher said al-Barazi told him it was two rival rebel factions -- one that wants to keep civilians as human shields and another that wants to exchange them for aid. Valerie Amos, the U.N. humanitarian chief, lamented Saturday that the "three-day humanitarian pause agreed (upon) was broken today and aid workers (were) deliberately targeted." "Today's events serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that civilians and aid workers face every day across Syria," said Amos, who applauded "the courage and tenacity" of U.N. and Red Crescent aid workers. Video from the scene posted by activists showed bullet holes in the aid vehicles and damage to buildings from explosions. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency had reported that four Syrian Arab Red Crescent workers were wounded Saturday by gunfire from "terrorist groups" while trying to deliver aid. First civilians evacuated . The U.N.-led operation to help civilians wishing to leave the Old CIty of Homs started Friday with the evacuation of 83 women, children and elderly civilians after an agreement between the government and opposition groups for a cease-fire that was also intended to allow humanitarian aid to reach the city on Saturday. Before this weekend's evacuations, as many as 2,500 people were thought to be trapped in the Old City of Homs, parts of which have been under siege since June 2012. A video posted Saturday to YouTube showed more than a dozen civilians carrying bundles as they walked between four U.N. vehicles -- two on each side -- in an apparent attempt to avoid being shot. It was not clear whether they reached their destination. The killing flared anew Saturday across the nation, with more than 80 people killed, 10 of them children and six women, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported. Five of the deaths occurred in Homs, it said. Nearly half of the deaths -- 41 -- occurred in Aleppo, where video shot by an opposition activist and posted to YouTube showed the graphic aftermath of what the poster said was a barrel-bomb attack carried out by government helicopters: buildings with their faces blown off, bodies with their limbs blown off and cars ablaze. Barrel bombs are drums packed with explosives and shrapnel. "Each and every barrel bomb filled with metal shrapnel and fuel launched against innocent Syrians underscores the barbarity of a regime that has turned its country into a super magnet for terror," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week in a statement after another reported barrel-bomb attack on the northern city, which has become a flashpoint in the war.

NEW: State media say 611 people evacuated Sunday after 83 moved Friday . Each side says other was responsible for gunfire directed at U.N.-led aid convoy . Operation began on Friday, part of a three-day humanitarian pause . More than 2,500 have been trapped by months of violence .

(CNN) -- Manchester United's financial state was thrown into stark relief on Thursday after the English club's American owners revealed a record loss of $137 million despite making an unprecedented operating profit of $160 million. The disparity of figures is largely caused by interest payments of $67 million and a one-off cost of $107 million relating to the Premier League outfit's bond scheme, launched in January to help restructure the debts accrued by the Glazer family in purchasing the 18-time English champions in 2005. The club produced a record turnover of $455 million for the year ended June 2010, more than double that of local rivals Manchester City, but suffered a big swing from last year's profit of $77 million -- which was largely due to the world-record $130 million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid. However, United chief executive David Gill insisted that the Glazers were not in the same position as fellow Americans Tom Hicks and George Gillett, who have been forced to sell Liverpool due to debts incurred in buying the now ailing five-time European champions. "We are not a club that needs to sell. We have money in the bank so there is zero pressure on that, no pressure at all to sell any star player whether it is Wayne Rooney or X, Y or Z. I can categorically say that," Gill told the UK Press Association. "There was no desire at all from anyone at the club to sell Cristiano -- he wanted to go, and as a result we managed to extract a world-record fee. The philosophy is to retain and attract the best players. We have £165 million (£260 million) in the bank, but in some ways we would prefer to have £80 million in the bank and Ronaldo on the pitch." Giggs targets third European crown . Gill was heartened by figures such as those showing that the club has the lowest wages-turnover ratio in the Premier League of 46%, despite player salaries rising from $195 million to $210 million. By comparison, Premier League champions Chelsea's wage bill was last reported at $226 million, Manchester City's is $212 million and Arsenal's $175 million. "There are very good results for the club with records here, there and everywhere but they are complicated with non-cash items and exceptional one-off hits," Gill said. "The United fans should not be concerned. We have a long-term financing structure in place, excellent revenues that are growing, we are controlling our costs and we can afford the interest on our long-term finance. "In our opinion, if something changed in the ownership, this club will survive and continue -- it is covering the financing cost more than adequately. We still have cash to invest in players and to give good contracts to players, and we are comfortable with the business model." While United's overall debt has risen to $830 million, the accounts revealed that the Glazers did not take out any money from the club to service their high-interest payment-in-kind loans of $318 million. United's media revenues rose to $167 million but match-day income fell to $160 million, reflecting moves by supporters' clubs to undermine the Glazers by boycotting games. The Premier League on Friday confirmed that Liverpool's prospective new owners, New England Sports Ventures, have passed the ruling body's criteria. However, NESV -- who own the Boston Red Sox baseball team -- face a court battle with Hicks and Gillett, who are trying to block the sale agreed by Liverpool's board this week. Meanwhile, veteran Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has denied reports claiming that he has decided to retire at the end of this season. "That's complete nonsense. I don't yet know whether I will stop or continue after this season. Only in the course of this season will I think about it. Then I will decide and not before. For now I keep my focus on United," the 39-year-old Dutchman told website www.sport-promotion.nl.

Man Utd's owners make record loss of $137 million despite operating profit of $160 million . Glazer family's debts incurred in buying English club in 2005 largely to blame . The 18-time English champions' turnover for year ended June 2010 was $455 million . United's wage bill is only 46 percent of turnover, the lowest ratio in Premier League .

(CNN) -- Sebastián Piñera is a man on a mission. The Chilean President wants to transform his homeland into a developed nation by 2020. It's a big challenge to undertake during a decade that's already been marred by recession and global economic uncertainty. Yet Mr Piñera seems confident. "We have invested so much that I hope that the next two years will be a time of harvest," he told CNN's Richard Quest. "We will be able to show to the Chilean people that Chile's a country which is absolutely able to defeat poverty, to overcome underdevelopment, and to join the First World." So how does the President intend to turn his plans into a reality? Chile already has a very pro-business environment, but Piñera wants to open the doors of trade to his country even wider. As one of Chile's richest men, he is no stranger to business and according to Forbes has amassed a fortune of $2.4 billion. He believes his entrepreneurial background leaves him ideally placed to send out a message to the world: Chile is open for business. "We have realised that we have to be integrated to the world," he said. "We have to compete with the world. And that is why we have free-trade agreements, with the US, with Europe, with China, with India, with Japan, with Korea - you name it. "I think that's the right path for Chile to become a developed country." Pinera: U.S. 'printing money' will not solve economic problems . One of the key factors in Piñera's plan to invigorate the Chilean economy is a move towards digital and knowledge based industries. The country's Start-Up Chile initiative began in 2010, and offers high potential global start-ups a $40,000 investment. No equity is ceded and the only requirement is that one member of the team live in Chile for six months. By the end of its first phase in 2014 it will have provided grants to 1,000 companies for a total of $40 million. Its critics claim the project throws money away and doesn't produce any long-term benefits. However, Piñera claims most companies stay long after the initial six month period, creating jobs, mixing with local entrepreneurs and sharing ideas. "We're importing and bringing to Chile people that have good ideas, entrepreneurship capacity and the ability to start a business here," said Piñera. "What they will teach to our people is very, very valuable. To have a stable economy, to have a stable democracy, and to have a modern government is not enough. We have to build new pillars of development. Education, science and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, and more equality." Of course, Chile's future isn't simply reliant on establishing a sustainable domestic economic policy. It's also dependent on exterior influences, and like all free-trade economies it has plenty to worry about. The problems in the eurozone, the fiscal cliff in the United States, and the slowdown in China all loom in the air above the presidential headquarters of La Monda Palace. Yet Piñera remains defiant. He said: "I am very convinced that in these next two years, we will be able - even though the world will be in the middle of a crisis - to keep moving forward. At good pace, and with very good direction." As a nation Chile is viewed as one of the most stable and secure countries in South America. It's rich in mineral resources, has low fiscal debt and political stability, and in 2011 its exports grew by 17%. Piñera attributes Chile's integration into global markets to its free trade agreements and believes continuing on that path will propel the country to economic stability in spite of negative global factors. He said: "We decided to integrate our country with the world. That is why we are part of the APEC, we have a free-trade agreement with the European Community, we will be part of the Trans Pacific Partnership, we are part of the Pacific Alliance. That's key aspects. If you try to only base your development in your local market, that's not enough. However Piñera knows the hardwork also need to come from Chielans themselves. "You need to trust your people. And for that you need to improve the quality of education. The quality of training and motivate people to do their best," he said.

Pinera outlines plans to boost Chilean economy despite global downturn . President wants Chile to be part of the 'First World' by 2020 . Free-trade agreements are the key to boosting Chilean industries .

(CNN) -- Somali pirates demanded a $7 million ransom for a British couple kidnapped aboard their yacht last week, a British agency said Friday. The British government says it won't pay. "The government will not make substantive concessions for hostage takers, including the payments of ransom," the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said. Paul and Rachel Chandler, who were snatched last week from their yacht in the Indian Ocean, had been held aboard a Singaporean cargo ship hijacked by pirates. They have been moved to a hijacked Spanish ship that pirates have stocked with more supplies and armed men, a local journalist in contact with the pirates said Friday. The pirates moved them to the Spanish vessel after elders in the Somali town of Haradhere refused a pirate request to allow the Chandlers ashore, the journalist said. The journalist's identity is not being disclosed for security reasons. After hours of negotiation, the couple spoke with Rachel Chandler's brother, Stephen Collett, on Friday -- a phone conversation that was videotaped by CNN's British affiliate ITN. In the conversation, Rachel Chandler confirmed only that they had been moved from the Singaporean cargo ship, but not their current location, the network reported. "We're managing. They tell us that we're safe and that we shouldn't worry and that if we want anything, they will provide it in terms of food and, you know, water," an emotional Rachel Chandler told Collett. "They're very hospitable people, so don't worry. ... Physically we're fine; physically, we're healthy." Paul Chandler spoke slowly and carefully in the interview: . "Rachel and I are here. We are fine," he told Collett. "We know nothing here. It is nice to speak to you. I can only say we are well and that's as far as I can say." Collett read a message to the captors, asking them to release his sister and her husband to show "your compassionate nature." ITN reporter Angus Walker noted that Paul Chandler's tone sounded more strained than during their conversation Thursday, when he laughed at one point and sounded more relaxed. In their Thursday conversation, Chandler told ITN that men with guns had boarded the couple's yacht, demanding money and taking everything of value. Paul Chandler spoke later with the BBC's Somali Service, reportedly saying, "We are well and being looked after OK." He said they were being fed and "food is OK at the moment." The pirates abandoned the Chandlers' yacht, the 38-foot Lynn Rival, which the British Royal Navy found drifting in international waters Thursday. The Chandlers set off from the Seychelles islands on October 21 bound for Tanzania, according to their blog. A distress beacon was activated on October 23, according to naval officials. Britain's Foreign Office said it has been in close contact with the couple's family. Pirates have been very active off the east coast of Africa in the past several years, operating out of lawless Somalia. Two vessels were attacked the day after the Chandlers set sail. One of them -- a cargo ship -- was successfully boarded and seized off the Seychelles, while the other fought off its attackers near the Kenyan coast. Thursday, pirates attacked and boarded a Thai-flagged fishing vessel about 200 miles north of the Seychelles, according to the European Union Naval Force. Attacks in the region have significantly increased this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crimes. But successful attacks have gone down as a result of a strong presence of international monitors. The first nine months of this year has seen more pirate attacks than all of last year, the bureau reported October 21. From January 1 through September 30, pirates worldwide mounted 306 attacks, compared with 293 in all of 2008, it said. More than half of this year's attacks were carried out by suspected Somali pirates off the east coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, a major shipping route between Yemen and Somalia. Out of those attacks, Somali pirates successfully hijacked 32 vessels and took 533 hostages. Eight people were wounded, four were killed and one is missing, the bureau said.

NEW: British government says it won't pay ransom . Pirates move kidnapped British couple to hijacked Spanish ship . Pirate source says ship has more men and weapons on board . British couple left Seychelles for Tanzania on October 21 .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Quick question: Who is the world's third biggest smartphone maker? BlackBerry? Guess again. HTC? Nope. It's Huawei. Yes, it's a paltry 5% of the global market, but the Chinese company that made its name selling telecom equipment is making a big push into the already crowded global smartphone market. I saw that ambition first hand at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year. Huawei ads were posted all over the airport to greet the throngs of international conference-goers. The company also occupied a huge booth at the venue positioned just across from Samsung. But just how big does Huawei -- the smartphone maker -- want to get? At company headquarters in Shenzhen in southern China, I talked to Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's Consumer Business Group. He told me his division hopes to boost its mobile business revenue from $7.5 billion to $9 billion this year. "Last year, we shipped out 32 million smartphones in quantity and this year we hope we will ship out 50 to 60 million smartphones worldwide," he said. "We are growing." The market priority for Huawei's Consumer Business Group is China, followed by Europe and Japan. But -- when it comes to smartphones -- it's not ruling out the U.S. market despite the recent back and forth about Huawei's commitment there. In the U.S., the name Huawei is widely regarded with suspicion. Lawmakers are worried that Huawei products can be used as a hidden channel for Chinese spies and cyber hackers -- a charge that Huawei has denied. Despite the trust issues and the fact that many Americans can't even pronounce the name of the company, Huawei has sold and will continue to sell its phones in America under the Huawei brand. "Gradually, step by step, more and more people will trust Huawei," said Yu. "I think with a brand, the most important thing is trust." Huawei prides itself on its investment in research and development -- 70,000 of its 150,000 employees are in R&D -- as well as its high-end products like the $500 Ascend P2, which is billed as the "world's fastest 4G LTE smartphone." Yu told me his personal favorite is the Ascend D2, Huawei's $600 flagship smartphone that is water-resistant -- a point famously made by Yu when he posted a photo of himself swimming with the smartphone on his Sina Weibo account. But Huawei is more widely known for its $100 (Y-300) smartphone -- a cut-price device that Josh Ong of The Next Web says is the company's competitive advantage and branding bane. "Huawei is going to be able to execute on smartphones at lower costs than some of its international competitors," he said. "It doesn't have the cachet or consumer loyalty that Apple and Samsung do." My colleague Dayu Zhang in Beijing offered this on-the-ground Chinese consumer perspective: "To me and my friends, Huawei is more like a brand of low-end, cheap smartphones. "(Such) Chinese brands are popular among the 'ant tribe community,' which refers to young people who come to the city for a better job but got stuck with low-paid jobs and high costs to live in the city. In their eyes, these Chinese smartphones are a lot cheaper than big brands like the iPhone and almost as good." Huawei has a reputation for making smartphones that are just good enough. But that's not good enough for Huawei. To upgrade its image, the company says it will bypass expensive branding campaigns and splashy ads to focus on innovation to generate viral, word-of-mouth recommendations. And that will take time. "Rome was not built in a day," said Yu. "We have the ambition to be the best -- to have the best products and be the best solution provider." Would you buy a Huawei smartphone? Perhaps, if that's what you're after. They're "good enough." Would you want to buy one? Not yet. And that's the question Huawei has its designs on.

China's Huawei is now the world's third biggest smartphone maker . The Shenzhen-based manufacturer has designs on markets outside China . U.S, lawmakers worry Huawei products could be hidden channel spies, hackers . The company produces smartphones priced much lower than rivals such as Apple .

Kigali, Rwanda (CNN) -- Every year, beginning in April, Rwanda's government urges its citizens to "Kwibuka" -- the Rwandan word for "remember." To remember the hundreds of thousands of lives lost during the country's 1994 genocide. But all Marie Jeanne wants to do is to forget. The 36-year-old's entire family was slaughtered during that dark period in her small East African country's history. The massacre saw Hutu militias and civilians alike murder vast numbers of members of the Tutsi ethnic minority: Men, women and children, many of whom had been their neighbors before the conflict began. The killings finally came to an end 100 days later, when Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) troops, led by Paul Kagame, defeated the Hutu rebels and took control of the country. To Marie Jeanne the end of the war also meant an end to the repeated, brutal rapes she had been forced to endure at the hands of many different men. "Wherever we used to go and meet a roadblock at least two would rape you and release you," she tells CNN. "Some could let you go and others would hold you for longer." The genocide left Marie Jeanne emotionally and physically scarred, HIV+ and pregnant. She was just 16 years old. Community members gave her shelter and she says some of the women told her they would help her with the abortion she so desperately requested. But as time passed, she knew they had lied to her. Then, the labor pains came. Marie Jeanne says it was some time before she could finally look at her newborn baby girl, who she named Kirezi. And 20 years on, Marie Jeanne says her daughter's birthday is still a source of pain to her. "I never remember the birthday of my child because there was nothing good about it," she says. "I have never celebrated her birthday because most of the times I never want to remember it." Kirezi mirrors her mother's pain. Seated on a wooden chair in their small living room, she fiddles with a bead bracelet on her wrist. Her lips tremble as she tries to bare her soul to us. Her anguish is palpable. "I was born going through all bad things, so I feel that I don't really care about my birthday. Birthdays are for people who are happy only," she says. "It's painful - it hurts me, I always ask myself and I lose all my courage. I ask myself why I existed. And ask myself why it happened. And I feel that I am not worth anything. It makes me so sad," she cries. Marie Jeanne says she loves her daughter and would do anything for her, but at times she feels that her daughter is a constant, painful reminder of the horrors she went through two decades ago. "Within thirty minutes my heart can change and I feel bad against her in my heart," she says. "Whenever I see her, I remember so many things." Marie Jeanne unscrews a plastic bottle containing anti-retroviral tablets (ARVs). The medicine, taken twice daily, is helping her stave off the worst symptoms of HIV/AIDS. For now. "During the genocide, the militia deliberately infected women with HIV," Odette Kayirere, co-ordinator at the Association of the Widows of Rwanda (AVEGA), explains. At the AVEGA headquarters in Kigali, genocide survivors with HIV/AIDS line up to receive ARVs. Most have similar stories to Marie Jeanne. Passed on from attacker to attacker, they contracted the AIDS virus. For them, this is the legacy of the genocide. "It was a plan," says Marie Jeanne. "Their aim was to make genocide carry on." But Kirezi is determined to unchain herself from the dark past. Instead she dreams of a brighter future. "I want to be a very important person," she says. "To help people in similar situations as me, vulnerable people like orphans, and also to be a minister."

Rwandan genocide took place 20 years ago: Hutu militia massacred members of the Tutsi ethnic minority . Many of those who survived the carnage were left scarred; rape was used as a weapon, spreading HIV . Marie Jeanne's daughter Kirezi was born as a result of rape; two decades on this still pains both of them . But Kirezi is determined to dream of a brighter future for herself and her country .

Shanghai (CNN) -- Like many companies in China, Fu Shou Yuan uses celebrities to attract clients. Except, in this case, they're dead. That's because they're in the funeral business. "We have 700 celebrities here -- military martyrs, politicians, opera stars, and actors," explains Jason Wu, the manager of the company's flagship cemetery -- an immaculately manicured parkland setting on the outskirts of Shanghai -- as he shows me around in a stretch golf cart. He says this star-power is attracting ordinary clients and their families looking for an extra special resting place for their loved ones. Hot offering . After 20 years in the business, Fu Shou Yuan, which operates six cemeteries across China, went public in Hong Kong in December. It was one of the hottest offerings of the quarter, with respected institutional U.S. investors like The Carlyle Group buying in early. Why the hype? Put plainly, China isn't getting any younger. That's bad news for most of the world's economy. The lasting effects of the one child policy and natural demographic trends as China gets richer have shaved as much as 3% off of China's growth rates, according to a recent study by Citigroup economists. But with more than 180 million people over the age of 60, Fu Shou Yuan gains were others' losses. "We can't refer to it as a death boom," says managing director Wang Jisheng. "The fact is, at the end of this trend, elderly people will die. But when they leave the world, they have a wish to be remembered, and that leaves us to provide them a good service." Bespoke service . To deliver that service, Fu Shou Yuan appears to be employing a classic strategy of vertical integration. If you can't make it over to pay your respects, no problem. A grave attendant will put flowers out for you -- for a fee. You need a statue of grandpa? They have in-house sculptors kneading away at clay busts for casting. "One client wanted changes made for three years until it was perfect," Wang says. There is even a restaurant on site if you want a banquet while paying your respects -- specializing in Shanghai's famed lion's head meatballs. "When you buy a plot, it is just the first step," says Wu, walking among the perfectly manicured lawns and polished headstones. "People even come here to get wedding pictures taken." Taboo . Chinese couples cavorting around a cemetery in their wedding duds was unthinkable a few years ago, but times are changing. While death is still taboo among older generations, Wang says it's becoming less of an issue as China opens up and more people migrate to urban areas. So they focus on clients from top-tier cities. "The cities are transforming and during the process of urbanization, there is a great demand for a quality burial service to serve the needs of city dwellers," he explains. But to target city clients, Fu Shou Yuan faces severe cost challenges. Land costs near Shanghai alone have risen to such eye-watering levels that even a tiny patch of land for a grave can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The space issue has also gotten so bad that the Shanghai government has increased subsidy rates to try persuade people to bury relatives at sea. So, from traditional south-facing tombs in neat rows, Fu Shou Yuan now puts grave-stones in semi-circles to maximize space. There is also a multistorey mausoleum in the grounds housing a variety of themed rooms where families can place their urn alongside items such as chocolate, photos and even cell phones -- items their relatives may need in the afterlife. These rooms are accessed via a hotel-style key card. We drive up to a grassy hill with a white statue of iconic pop star Teresa Teng. The late singer's most famous songs play in a loop from the memorial. It's one of their major draws. "They secured clothing from her family and shipped it from Taiwan to bury here," a worker tells us. "To change people's traditions is very, very difficult," says Wu. "But it's not impossible."

Fu Shou Yuan operates six cemeteries across China . The company attracts business by marketing its celebrity "clientele" It went public in Hong Kong in December, one of the hottest offerings of the quarter . It is benefiting from fact China has more than 180 million people over the age of 60 .

Washington (CNN) -- What does it feel like to kill a man? James Lenihan of Brooklyn knew. He fought in Europe in World War II and he killed a German soldier during a battle in Holland. He described how it felt in a poem: . --- . I shot a man yesterday . And much to my surprise, . The strangest thing happened to me . I began to cry. --- . So begins "Murder: Most Foul" a work that echoes poetry about war in the tradition of William Shakespeare and borrows its title from the bard's "Hamlet." As powerful as the poem is, the story behind it is also fascinating. Sgt. James Lenihan returned home after the war, got married, had children and made a career as a salesman for the meatpacking industry. If he ever wrote any other poems, his son, Robert, and daughter, Joan, who still live in Brooklyn, don't know of any. In fact, they didn't know about this poem until after their father died. They found it when they were going through his possessions. Robert and Joan Lenihan found two typewritten pages, each with a copy of the poem. It was unsigned, but Robert believes the poem was written by his father and later typed up by his mother for safekeeping. He says the poem talks of the killing happening in Holland. James Lenihan served in Holland with the 104th Infantry Division, which battled German units there. The poem portrays a soldier very upset about taking a life: . --- . I knelt beside him . And held his hand-- . I begged his forgiveness . Did he understand? --- . But even while he describes the shooting as murder, he makes clear he had no choice: . --- . It was the War . And he was the enemy . If I hadn't shot him . He would have shot me. --- . Robert Lenihan said the poem is a bit unlike the father he grew up with. A man who could be a "tough customer" if need be. Not someone tormented by a fleeting, albeit from an intense moment on a battlefield in Holland. "I'm just starting to appreciate how much he suffered only now in this part of my life. When I was a kid, like if he yelled at me or something, I'd say, 'Well Dad's being cranky,'" Lenihan said. He said that even though the incident in the poem took place nearly 60 years ago, it resonates today and should let young soldiers coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan that they aren't the first to face such emotional turmoil as this. "That feeling they may have of regret and pain and shock of what they've done. It shows they are not alone," Lenihan said. CNN sent James Lenihan's poem to Georgetown University Professor David Gewanter, who has published several books of poetry, including "War Bird," published last year. Gewanter called "Murder: Most Foul" "accomplished." In an e-mail to CNN, he said the poem "is good, and its truths are that of experience and some literary traditions." Robert Lenihan sounded surprised when he heard Gewanter's analysis of his father's amateur poem. "I'm very deeply touched," he said. "For an expert to assess it that way and make such important comparisons -- I'm amazed and quite touched." The poetry professor said Lenihan's poem reminded him of a famous portion of Shakespeare's play "Henry V": . --- . From this day to the ending of the world, . But we in it shall be remembered -- . We few, we happy few, we band of brothers . --- . But Gewanter said it perhaps most closely resembles "The Man He Killed," a work by Thomas Hardy written at the start of World War I. In that poem, Hardy writes that the soldier and the foe he killed might have shared a drink or loaned each other money had they met somewhere other than a battlefield. James Lenihan's poem ends not with talk of loans or drinks, but a darker scene. --- . I shot a man yesterday . And much to surprise . A part of me died with Him . When Death came to close . His eyes. --- . To read the entire poem, go to www.dcoe.health.mil/blog/article.aspx?id=1&postid=102 .

Poem tells the anguish felt by one who killed a man in war . It was the only poem James Lenihan is known to have written, his children say . Poetry professor calls it "accomplished," reminiscent of well-known works .

(CNN) -- How do living organisms become conscious of what is happening to them and around them? How is it that I as well as you, reader of these words, can be conscious of our respective existences and of what is going on in our minds — in my case, ideas about how the brain generates consciousness, about the fact that I was asked to prepare this particular text for a specific deadline, along with the fact that I happen to be in Paris, at the moment, not Los Angeles, and that I am writing this on a cold January day. The biological mechanisms behind the phenomena of consciousness remain unclear although it is fair to say that recently our understanding has made remarkable progress. What are we are certain of understanding and where is it that our understanding fails? On the side of understanding, we can point to the process of sensory representation as an important part of consciousness. Most of what we are conscious of (conceivably all that we are conscious of) consists of representations of objects and events in the sensory modalities in which our brains trade, for example, vision, hearing, touching, smelling, taste, sensing the state of our body's interior. Mapping, in other words. Our brains, at all the levels of their organization, are inveterate makers of maps, simple and not so simple, and as far as I can gather, we only become conscious of the things and actions that the sensory systems help us map. We depend, for the business of consciousness, on constructing maps of the most varied features and events. We construct those maps in brain regions that serve as platforms for this natural process of cartography. These are regions where signals about topographic and topological relationships among components of objects and actions can be broken down and assembled in a manner that corresponds to the way in which they happen in the objects and actions themselves. But while mapped representations are a necessity for consciousness, as far as I can imagine, they are not sufficient for consciousness to occur. For example, several orders of computers aboard a Boeing 747 represent with great fidelity many parts of the airplane body — moving parts of the wings, undercarriage, rudder — not to mention outside temperature, wind speeds, levels of fuel, and so forth. And yet we do not expect even the most integrated computer among the 747's computer family to be "conscious" of what goes on in the plane, except in a metaphorical sense. That top computer knows a lot about the plane's behavior but it does not "know," in the sense that the reader and I know, at this very moment, that we are alive and puzzling over the mysteries of consciousness. What is different about us? Plenty, I would say. Beginning at the top of the scale of differences, the 747 lacks a self in the sense that you and I have one. I have proposed that selves are built from, but not limited to, myriad, integrated representations of the structure and operations of our bodies, and of the sum total of memories of what has happened to our own body in its history. The 747 does not have the equivalent of that part of a self for the very good reason that it does not need one to comply with the demands of its captain. But we do. There is an even deeper difference, however, that has to do with the issue of feeling. An integral part of the notion of self, beginning at the lowest level of self — the primordial self and present all the way up to the autobiographical self — is the fact that we feel the living body to which experiences are happening. We feel our body as it lives in the world and wanders in it. We experience everything we map through our senses because we feel the body that is the site of all the mappings. Or to put it more clearly, when we move about or see an object, or hear a voice, we feel the changes that such actions and perceptions caused in our organism. I believe to be conscious of our perceptions is to have ongoing representations of streams of events that affect our bodies, cause feelings, and become felt representations. Representing and feeling are dovetailed phenomena that sit at the rock bottom of experience. As we unravel the biological mechanisms behind feeling I suspect we will come to uncover their origins at the level of single neurons. Follow CNN Opinion on Twitter . Join the conversation on Facebook . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Antonio Damasio.

Antonio Damasio asks: How do we become conscious of the things around us? In a TED Talk, he describes scientific findings about the nature of consciousness . Our minds make maps of all the things we see, hear and sense, he says . Damasio: We need more than the maps; it takes a sense of self to be fully conscious .

(CNN) -- Hundreds of people attending Comic-Con in San Diego, California, will transform into zombies on Thursday. A "zombie walk" at Comic-Con will promote the upcoming "Zombieland" movie. They'll converge in a "zombie walk" through the San Diego Convention Center to promote Woody Harrelson's upcoming post-apocalyptic comedy, "Zombieland." Comic-Con is an annual gathering of 125,000 people whose interests include comic book and science fiction film and TV, anime, toys and video games. Major movie studios and TV networks use the convention to launch their latest productions. Zombie movies have been on the rise in recent years, and the type of zombies on the big screen has been evolving with the times. George Romero's 1968 film "Night of the Living Dead" -- followed by "Dawn of the Dead" -- popularized zombies "based on the original Haitian voodoo kind of zombie, the supernatural being, the walking dead or the undead," said "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer. Zombie films made "a seismic shift in zombies with Danny Boyle's film '28 Days Later,' where it became a more viral-based thing, a diseased population, as opposed to from the grave," Fleischer said. In "Zombieland," living people are infected by a fast-spreading virus that turns them into "this other being" that is fast, ferocious and flesh-eating, he said. "These modern zombies are reflective of some of the perils of what can happen with overpopulation and disease control and how quickly things can spread and become a problem." iReport.com: Going to Comic-Con? Fleischer, along with screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, consulted a disease expert "to get to the bottom of what the modern pandemic would be," he said. "When swine flu happened, it was after we finished shooting, but it just really reminded me of how these things can spread so quickly and a whole population can be devastated," he said. While about 500 extras were hired to be zombies in Fleischer's movie, even more Comic-Con participants could take part in Thursday's zombie walk. Sony has hired professional makeup artists to get them ready. Fleischer said those portraying a modern zombie should think like "a rabid dog." Don't lumber along like Frankenstein's monster, but move with "a real furious anger and intensity" and "a lot of grunting and snarling and growling," he said. "Zombies don't talk." Hunger is a modern zombie's chief motivation, he said: "I think that they're definitely cannibalistic. They want to eat people." What does a modern zombie wear? Fleischer's zombies come as they are, whether in a work uniform or dressed for the mall. "It's as if you were at the mall and some zombies attacked and everyone there got turned into a zombie," he said. "They'd be wearing the same clothes that they had before. They'd be dressed in the same way." Fleischer developed a list of 150 types of zombies for his film, including construction workers, moms, a punk rocker and preppie zombies. "They're just people who got infected, like a modern pandemic," he said. "Zombieland" -- which hits theaters October 9 -- brings out the humor in killing zombies, which is Harrelson's specialty. "They're not easy to kill, so sometimes you've got to get them more than once," Fleischer said. "You've got to make sure you get them because they'll keep coming if you don't." Harrelson blamed post-traumatic stress from filming for his scuffle with a TMZ photographer at an airport the day after shooting wrapped in Georgia in April. "With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie," Harrelson said. While Harrelson will be at Comic-Con to promote the movie, it was not known if he would be kept away from Thursday's zombie walk.

Some Comic-Con attendees will become zombies to celebrate new film . "Zombieland," starring Woody Harrelson, to debut in October . Comic-Con draws more than 100,000 fans annually .

(CNN) -- Three U.S. researchers have won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for solving "a major problem in biology," the Nobel Committee announced Monday. Jack Szostak, from left, Carol Greider and Elizabeth Blackburn will share the $1.4 million prize. Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak are credited with discovering how chromosomes are protected against degradation -- a field that could shed light on human aging and diseases, including cancer. "The award of the Nobel Prize recognizes the discovery of a fundamental mechanism in the cell, a discovery that has stimulated the development of new therapeutic strategies," the committee said in a news release. The three will share the $1.4 million prize. It is the 100th year the prize will be awarded, and the first time that any Nobel in the sciences has gone to more than one woman. The work that won them the prize took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It centers on structures at the end of chromosomes called telomeres and an enzyme that forms them, called telomerase. As cells divide, chromosomes need to be replicated perfectly. Work by the researchers determined that telomeres protect DNA from degradation in the process, and that telomerase maintains the telomeres. Though there had been some speculation that the three scientists were being considered for the Nobel, the committee keeps its work top secret -- and all three researchers said they were surprised. Szostak told CNN he got the news in "that classic early morning phone call from Stockholm." He described it as "surprising and exciting" -- perhaps particularly for him because he has not worked on the subject for the past 20 years. "I've been working on other things," he said. "It started off as a collaboration with me and Liz [Blackburn] -- Carol [Greider] was a student of hers." The work began as "a long-standing puzzle that we were interested in solving," he said. "It was only over later years that it emerged, through the work of many people, that this was probably important for aging and cancer." How it might help fight such diseases is not yet known, Szostak said. "It will take a while yet for that to be figured out." Blackburn and Greider did not immediately return calls from CNN. In a telephone conversation with the editor-in-chief of the Nobel Prize Web site nobelprize.org, Greider said she had been attracted to the field of research because "it seemed like the unanswered question." She also said telomere research has a higher proportion of women than other fields because in its early days, the lead researchers brought women into the field. She called it a situation in which "you have someone that trains a lot of women and then there's a slight gravitation of women to work in the labs with other women." She added, "I think actively promoting women in science is very important because the data has certainly shown that there has been an underrepresentation. And I think that the things that contribute to that are very many ... subtle, social kinds of things." Blackburn, in a separate conversation posted on the Web site, said the proportion of women in telomere research is "fairly close to the biological ratio of men and women." "It's all the other fields that are aberrant," she added, laughing. The field of study intrigued her because "it's so intricate and complicated, and you want to know how it works," she said. Blackburn was Greider's supervisor at the University of California, Berkeley. Now Blackburn is at the University of California, San Francisco. Greider is a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Szostak was previously at Harvard Medical School and is currently professor of genetics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Married with two children, he told CNN he has "no idea" what he'll do with his portion of the monetary prize -- about $467,000. CNN asked whether he thinks his children, ages 9 and 12, will suddenly think dad's work is "really cool." "Well," Szostak said, laughing, "maybe." CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this report.

NEW: Nobel Committee says prizewinners solved "a major problem in biology" Winners studied structures at the end of chromosomes called telomeres . Their research relates to understanding aging, diseases including cancer . Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak will share $1.4 million prize .

(CNN) -- The latest incarnation of Boeing's Dreamliner finished its maiden flight Tuesday afternoon, completing a test run of more than five hours. A larger version of the 787-8, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is 206 feet long -- 20 feet longer than its predecessor -- and holds 40 more passengers. (The 787-8 can hold 210-250 passengers.) Its range is also greater, at 8,000-8,500 nautical miles, versus the 787-8's range of 7,650-8,200 nautical miles. Like the 787-8, the new plane uses 20% less fuel and has 20% fewer emissions than other planes its size. Watch it online . Boeing provided live coverage via webcast prior to the aircraft's 11:02 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) takeoff from Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington. After a five-hour, 16-minute flight, it landed at Seattle's Boeing Field at 4:18 p.m. PT (7:18 p.m. ET). The two pilots, Capt. Mike Bryan and Capt. Randy Neville, were expected to speak afterward at a news conference, also to be carried on the webcast. "This is a beautiful machine," said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, speaking on the webcast shortly after takeoff. "It's going to be the backbone of the 787 fleet." Pre-debut . The latest Dreamliner rolled out of the factory in Everett, Washington, in late August, and it is scheduled to be delivered to its first customer, Air New Zealand, in mid-2014. World's largest airliner: Is bigger better? This year, Boeing has had more than 82 orders to date for the 787, with the largest order of 42 planes coming from American Airlines. Singapore Airlines has the second largest order for 787s with 30 planes ordered. Approximately 40% of all 787 orders to date (not just this year) are for the 787-9. The announcement is one of the few celebratory moments for the company in recent months. The four-month global grounding of the entire Dreamliner fleet, after an ANA flight was diverted following a battery fire in January, was the first such global grounding in 30 years. To get the plane back in the sky, a team made up of experts from Boeing and from outside the company redesigned the system so battery cells would be separated and insulated. The new system also was designed to ventilate outside the plane any smoke that would come from overheating batteries. The grounding was lifted at the end of April. Since the dramatic ANA incident, Dreamliner's list of problems has gone on to include a United Airlines emergency landing in Houston caused by brake problems and a fire started by an emergency locator beacon on an Ethiopian Airlines 787 at Heathrow Airport. United flights were diverted as a precaution last summer due to a faulty fuel pump indicator and an oil level indicator. As well as being lighter and more fuel efficient than similar aircraft, the Dreamliner's in-cabin experience is also different. It has bigger windows that can be dimmed (out go the pull-down shutters), LED mood lighting and is pressurized at 6,000 feet rather than 8,000 feet, making air sickness less likely. Another new airplane . The 787-9 won't be the final iteration of the 787 aircraft. In June, Boeing announced the launch of the 787-10 Dreamliner. Final assembly and flight tests are scheduled to begin in 2017, with first delivery tentatively scheduled in 2018. The company said the 787-10 will fly up to 7,000 nautical miles and have seating for 300-330 passengers. CNN's Thom Patterson contributed to this story.

NEW: Boeing's Dreamliner 787-9 lands after after 5-plus-hour test flight . The Dreamliner 787-9 holds 40 more passengers than the earlier 787 . Air New Zealand will receive the first 787-9 in mid-2014 .

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- As residents of the U.S. Northeast grapple with the destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy, an offer of assistance has come from an unlikely quarter: the leader of a radical Muslim group in Pakistan that Washington has branded a terrorist group. "We offer our unconditional support and help for the victims" of the storm, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, head of the Islamic charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, said in a statement late Tuesday. "If U.S. government allows, we will send our doctors, relief and rescue experts, food and medicine on humanitarian grounds." India accuses Saeed of masterminding the 2008 terrorist assault on Mumbai that killed 166 people -- an allegation he denies. The United States, which has declared Jamaat-ud-Dawa a terrorist organization and put up a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's arrest and conviction, declined the offer. "While we have great respect for Islamic tradition of social assistance to those who are in need no matter where they might be, this particular offer strikes us as very hollow," State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Wednesday. Is Sandy a taste of things to come? Saeed said in the statement posted on Jamaat-ud-Dawa's Facebook page Tuesday that despite the bounty and U.S. allegations about his organization, helping Americans struck by adversity is "our religious and moral obligation." "Islam orders us to help them without discriminating between religion, cast or creed," he said in the statement, which was set against the backdrop of an apparently fabricated image of a scuba diver swimming through a submerged Times Square subway station. His organization said on its Twitter account that it had previously carried out relief efforts following natural disasters in Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Sandy's impact: State by state . The "wanted" notice for Saeed issued by the State Department's Rewards for Justice program in April described him as a former professor of Arabic and engineering who helped found Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which aims to bring about Islamist rule in India and Pakistan. The group's military wing, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which means army of the pure, is blamed for violence in the disputed territory of Kashmir aimed at liberating Muslims. After the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba began operating outside Kashmir. It is suspected of carrying out several high-profile attacks in India in the past few years. How you can help storm victims . The United States labeled it a "foreign terrorist organization" in December 2001, and under pressure from Washington, Pakistan banned it in 2002. But the group continues to function freely. After the U.S. government announced the reward for his capture in April, Saeed appeared on Pakistani television and seemed unruffled by the move. "I am living my life in the open and the U.S. can contact me whenever they want," he said. Saeed said the Pakistani Supreme Court had cleared him and his organization of wrongdoing in relation to the Mumbai attacks in which gunmen stormed locations throughout Mumbai, killing scores of people and taking hostages. Six American citizens were killed in the carnage. "The U.S. government is listening to the Indian lobby and not making its own decisions," Saeed said regarding the allegations against him. He condemned the Mumbai attacks. Pakistani authorities have refused to take him into custody, saying they haven't received "concrete evidence" against him. The Indian government has issued a notice with Interpol against Saeed in relation to his alleged role in the attacks. India accuses him of participating in the training of the gunmen in the Mumbai attack and has charged him in absentia. Saeed has not been indicted in the United States, but the Treasury Department designated him and three other Lashkar-e-Tayyiba leaders as terrorists in 2008. It froze their assets in the United States and prohibited Americans from doing any business with them. 'Heroic' Iran, 'resistive' Syria behind Sandy, pro-Assad group claims .

NEW: United States declines offer of aid from Hafiz Mohammad Saeed . U.S. government had offered $10 million for information leading to his capture . He is accused of involvement in the Mumbai attacks in 2008 . He denies the allegations and says the Pakistani courts have cleared him .

(CNN) -- As a young child Egyptian mountaineer Omar Samra didn't resemble someone who would one day tackle Mount Everest. At 11 years old he was scrawny and asthmatic. He'd wake up nightly gasping for air and required two inhalers to keep his airways open. The doctor told him that his condition would eventually disappear in his 20s or sooner if he started seriously exercising. This diagnosis would end up changing and eventually defining his life. Just after two months of rigorous exercise he was off his inhalers and one year later he was winning running competitions. "For me as a young kid, that was a transformation moment because then I realized if I actually work hard and train hard at something, I can actually change the cards that I'm dealt and I can actually control my own fate and that for me was very inspiring," says Samra. Seventeen years after the doctor's diagnosis, Samra took this determination to tackle the world's tallest peak. The former asthmatic navigated deadly glaciers and subzero temperatures to ascend 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) to the thinnest air on Earth and into the history books. He became the first Egyptian and youngest Arab to ever climb Mount Everest. "I think Everest was a turning point in my life," says Samra. Read related: From war child to U.S. Olympics star . This turning point saw him quit his job as an investment banker to become a full time adventurist. He started Wild Guanabana, which was the Middle East's first carbon neutral travel company. He also planned to summit the tallest peaks on all seven continents. He scaled Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America, oblivious that trouble was brewing back home in Egypt. "I started this climb on the 20th of January 2011 and everybody knows what happened on the 25th. Now I was maybe 5,000 - 6,000 meters above sea level, somewhere completely remote without any access to the outside world. On the 28th, I had this intuitive feeling that I should call home." Samra couldn't reach his family. Frantically he called every number he could remember but every call ended in an error message. It wasn't until he went online he found out Egypt was swept up in a revolution against President Hosni Mubarak. He was presented with a hard choice, return home or push for the summit. He decided climb on undeterred and sent an emotional message to the people rallying in Tahrir Sqaure when he reached the top. "I had the Egyptian flag with me and I wrote 'Egypt it's for its people.' I was inspired and taken by the whole emotion of what was going on. I climbed the mountain and raised the flag." After reaching the summit, Samra raced down the mountain, leaving equipment behind, to board a flight for Cairo making it back in time to see Mubarak step down. Read related: Paula Kahumbu teaches lions and humans to get along . Samra's experiences have made him a sought after motivational speaker and minor celebrity around the world. But he says he draws inspiration from his mother and her championing the rights of the intellectually disabled in Egypt through the Right to Live Association. Samra is also deeply attached to this cause as both of his older sisters suffer from learning impairments. His devotion to family combined with his experiences would come together to form the charity the Right To Climb Association (RTC). "Almost one out of ten Egyptians has a disability of some kind and we have to do something to raise awareness and funds," says Samra. RTC takes climbers up Africa's tallest mountain, Kilimanjaro, to raise money through donations for the charity. Since the RTC initiative started Samra has raise over one million Egyptian pounds, roughly $164,000. Samra hopes the mountains he's conquered, both literal and metaphorical, will resonate with others so that they become better by pushing their own limits. "I hope that everything that I've done and everything I do in the future will inspire people to push beyond their own boundaries; to understand that the challenges that we face or the limitations that we think about only lie in our mind and that we basically can accomplish anything that we set out to do."

Omar Samra recovered from childhood asthma to become first Egyptian to scale Everest . Mountaineer missed uprising against Hosni Mubarak while climbing toward summit . Plans to scale the highest mountain on each of the seven continents .

(CNN) -- Saxophonist Clarence Clemons, a defining musical influence behind the sound of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, died Saturday of complications from a stroke. He was 69. Clemons died at a hospital in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was undergoing treatment after suffering a stroke last Sunday, said a spokesperson for Springsteen and the E Street Band. His fifth wife, Victoria, and other family members were at his side when he died, according to the spokesperson. "His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years," Springsteen said in a statement posted on the band's website. "He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band." The saxophonist's influence can be heard throughout Springsteen's musical evolution, including such early hits as "Born to Run" and "Thunder Road." His influence could also be seen in Springsteen's live shows, where the two men routinely bantered about their beginnings, their life on the road and their music. The story of their first meeting is musical lore. Depending on who was telling the story and when it was being told, the two men first met at the Stone Pony music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where Springsteen was performing. As the story goes, Springsteen was performing when howling winds blew the door off. Springsteen was startled by the 6-foot, 4-inch towering figure of Clemons, who invited himself onstage to play. "From the first time we saw each other, we stayed together for two weeks," Clemons told CNN in 2009 while promoting his pseudo-memoir "Big Man: Real Life & Tall Tales." "We were inseparable," he said. Clemons was born in 1942 in Virginia and began playing the saxophone by age 9. He moved to New Jersey, where he worked as a youth counselor, before joining Springsteen's E Street Band. Clemons, whose fusing of blues, jazz and funk with rock on the saxophone put him in demand, recorded with a number of artists over the years, including Aretha Franklin and the Grateful Dead. In 1985, Clemons and Jackson Browne scored a duet Billboard hit with "You're a Friend of Mine." Clemons, who was dubbed "Big Man" by friends because of his height, made his last musical appearance in May when he took the stage with Lady Gaga on Fox's "American Idol" to perform "The Edge of Glory." Clemons also worked as an actor, appearing in TV shows such as "The Wire" and "The Simpsons." He also appeared in films, including "New York, New York." As word of his death spread Saturday night, fans, musical contemporaries and even politicians took to Twitter and Facebook to remember Clemons. "A very sad night for Springsteen fans & all of NJ--thx Clarence Clemons for 40 years of magical & soulful music. He will be missed forever," tweeted New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The Stone Pony, which marked the musician's passing on its web site with a standalone photo of Clemons, announced it would open early Sunday to serve as a gathering spot for fans to remember the saxophonist. Springsteen's Facebook page was inundated with an outpouring of emotion from fans. "RIP CC, you were the heart and soul of the E Street Band. Thank you for all the music, you got me through some dark days. Blessings on your journey," one post read. "I just can't imagine that space on stage not being occupied by the big man. We are all better people having been moved by your huge music. Now go play with Louis, Miles and the rest and have a blast," read another. CNN's Denise Quan and Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report.

Bruce Springsteen: "His loss is immeasurable" Clemons died at age 69 at a Florida hospital, a week after suffering a stroke . The saxophonist's influence can be heard on Springsteen's "Born to Run" Clemons last public performance was in May when he took the stage with Lady Gaga .

(CNN) -- Chicago's longstanding ban on handguns, which the Supreme Court this week ruled as unconstitutional, was a complete failure. Two years ago, every student in my first-period English class on the West Side of Chicago claimed to have easy access to a handgun -- even the goody-two-shoes Honors student in the front row. When I doubted her, she looked at me as if I were a fool. "I could get you one from my uncle tonight," she informed me with a quizzical look. "He might ask me why I needed it, might not." Guns were so abundant that there was only, maybe, one big fight a year among the males in our school building because it was understood that the simplest of physical confrontations too quickly could escalate into deadly shootings. "You have to walk away from a lot," observed one former student of mine who has lost several friends and relatives to gun violence. "For instance, dude deserves to be beat and I know I could beat his ass, but then what? No one is just going to take an ass-beating, they're going to want to do something about it." And he added, "Then you got to worry about him and his guys jumping on you. Or more than likely, he's going to get a gun to show that he's not a punk. That's how a lot of these shootings happen, it's over nothing." Violence was so omnipresent that when I returned to school a few days after being shot in the arm with a .22 (I'd rather not discuss), a staggering number of students lifted their shirts to show their bullet wounds. "What you going to do?" they seemed to say with a shrug, as if this were everyday life. In a city where an average of four people are shot every day, the random shooting death a few years ago of an amazing, beautiful person, Alto Brown, a friend of mine, was reduced to a single line in a three-paragraph newspaper story coldly tallying weekend homicides. "Everything happens for a reason," the pastor said at his funeral. "He's now in a better place." As gangs and their illegal guns held whole communities hostage, it seemed as if the only people prevented from possessing firearms were citizens like Keith Thomas, who was raised on the West Side and now works as a mentor to at-risk youth for an alternatives schools program in Chicago . "I don't think anybody in their right mind would argue that more guns are a good thing," said Thomas, who has the scar from a bullet wound on his right wrist. "But I think the Supreme Court made the right decision. I think right now, at this point, the ban is not helping to serve any real purpose." Thomas does not believe that the court's decision will result in significantly more or less violence, but he does hope that the ruling will force political leaders to seek community improvements beyond just strict gun control. "It's not enough to just say we need more gun control. That's not what's causing all these problems out here, the guns are the result," he explained. "If we want to stop violence, we need to make real changes. That's a lot harder and requires a lot more money than just saying no guns." In too many low-income communities of Chicago, the schools are in shambles, quality after-school programs are scarce, well-paying jobs are almost nonexistent, and the family structure is in full crisis. It is an easy notion to disregard, but many of these children are struggling daily to thrive in an environment that fosters failure. "We have to get them early, before they start getting lost," Thomas said of the youth he advises, get them redirected with organizations like his and other successful mentoring interventions like the Youth Advocates Programs. "Once they start believing there's nothing else, that they have nothing to lose, they're the ones most likely to do the shooting." After a recent weekend in which 10 people were killed and 60 wounded by gunfire, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley continued to argue the necessity of a citywide gun ban. "Look at all the guns that shot people this weekend. Where did they come from? That is the issue." But one must ask, truly, is it? The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Will Okun.

Former Chicago high school teacher says guns were abundant in his school . All students in one class claimed to have access to handguns, he says . Gangs and illegal guns held communities hostage, writer says . "If we want to stop violence, we need to make real changes," one man says .

(CNN) -- Like Americans, Israelis begin their day by watching one of several television news shows. These highlight the pressing issues facing the country. But Israel, of course, is not just any country, but a contested and often controversial Jewish state situated in the epicenter of an overwhelmingly Muslim and constantly roiling Middle East. One would expect, then, to hear commentators on these shows discussing the latest glitch in the peace talks with the Palestinians, the recent terrorist bombing just beyond Israel's southern border with Egypt, or the revelation of more advanced rockets in the arsenal of Hezbollah in Lebanon. But the topic on Israel's leading morning show this week was none of these. The top issue, rather, was the percentage of Tel Aviv streets named for women. Turns out that women's studies scholars and feminist activists have examined Tel Aviv street names and discovered that the overwhelming majority of them are named for men. While preparing for work, I kept one eye on the television and listened, fascinated, as representatives of women's rights groups argued passionately for gender equality in Tel Aviv street-naming. They made a compelling case and even the show's hosts, who are generally testier than their American counterparts, were convinced. I, too, was impressed, and not only by the discussion, but also by the very fact that it was taking place. From Tel Aviv it is roughly a two-hour drive to Mafraq in Jordan, the temporary home of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, making it the country's second-largest city. From Tel Aviv, one can drive three hours north — less than the distance between New York and Boston — and arrive in Damascus, in the thick of the Syrian civil war. Or one can drive east from Tel Aviv and in eight hours reach Iraq, where an estimated thousand people are being killed each month by suicide bombers. A similar excursion of about nine hours concludes in Tahrir Square in time for the latest confrontation between Egyptian protesters and police. A veritable firestorm is engulfing the Middle East, and Israel's Tel Aviv is just a short commute from its flash points. Yet it was women's rights, not the upheaval encompassing Israel on all sides, which highlighted the morning news. One explanation, certainly, is that Israelis need diversion from the chaos closing in on them, and what could be more distracting than a debate about signposts? After all, the question of whether to name a street after Golda Meir is certainly easier than asking if Israel can coexist with a nuclear-armed Iran. Another claim, one that is sometimes voiced by visiting statesmen, is that Israelis have it too good to think about the hard choices they face in the peace process. In fact, support for the two-state solution is vastly higher among Israelis today—more than 60%--than it was during the years of suicide bombing, when it was close to zero. But the real reason for Israel's interest in women's rights at this time is much more fundamental and reveals this country's secret. The reason is fortitude. Unique among the world's nations, Israel has never known a second of peace. Since its creation in 1948, and for many years before that, the country has been in a relentless state of war. And yet, in spite of that trauma, Israelis simply refuse to live abnormal lives. Almost militantly, they insist on normality. Call it a bubble, call it a fantasy, but the fact is that it works. In the midst of regional insanity, Israelis have built several of the world's leading universities, a cutting-edge high-tech sector, a universal health care system, and a wildly vibrant democracy. Yes, there is controversy. There is still no two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians and no end in sight for the Iranian nuclear program. Israeli intelligence recently reported that terrorists are pointing 170,000 rockets and missiles at the Jewish state. But on the streets of Tel Aviv, quite possibly the most threatened city on Earth, the cafes and cultural centers are packed, the food is superb and people are arguing why more of those streets are not named for women. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Michael Oren.

Michael Oren: Israel sits in a region bristling with conflict and hostile to its presence . He says one topic stirring attention is number of streets named for women in Tel Aviv . Israelis have always lived with the threat of war, and put it in perspective, he says . Support for a two-state solution is strong in Israel today, he says .

(CNN) -- Afghan civilians were killed in U.S. airstrikes during fighting this week in western Afghanistan, local officials and the Red Cross said. Villagers pray at a mass grave this week after an airstrike in Afghanistan's Farah province. The reports come as concerns mount over noncombatant casualties in the war against the Taliban. But the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the U.S. military suspects the incident started when Taliban militants entered the area and beheaded three civilians. And another senior U.S. military official said Taliban militants may have killed as many as 15 civilians with grenades and then paraded their shrapnel-riddled bodies through villages in western Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she "deeply regrets" the loss of civilian lives but pointed out "we don't know all of the circumstances" and promised an investigation. Afghan officials have said that a number of civilians died Tuesday during U.S. airstrikes on villages in Farah Province. The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a news release that its "impression was that dozens of people, including women and children, had been killed." The ICRC workers were told that some of the dead had already been buried by the time they arrived on the scene. "We are deeply concerned by these events," Reto Stocker, the ICRC's head of delegation in Kabul, Afghanistan, said in a statement. "We know that those killed included an Afghan Red Crescent volunteer and 13 members of his family who had been sheltering from fighting in a house that was bombed in an airstrike." But U.S. officials believe the Taliban deliberately engineered a ground attack against Afghan and U.S. forces, expecting the United States would call in airstrikes. They said the Taliban were then prepared to kill the civilians. A senior U.S. military official said there was "very reliable intelligence" that Taliban fighters rounded up three families, including women and children, and killed them with grenades. The official would not allow his name to be used because a preliminary investigation into the matter is ongoing and no conclusions have been reached. Their bodies, shrapnel wounds visible, were then put into the backs of trucks and driven through the area in an effort to convince villagers that the U.S. military operation had killed them. The official said he did not know who drove the trucks -- other Taliban or local Afghans forced into duty. "No one is disputing people died, it's how they died," the official said. "What we do have is strong evidence to support that a number of women and children were killed by the Taliban and their bodies were driven by locals as evidence of U.S. bombing," the official said. Some Afghan civilians may have been killed or wounded before the airstrikes during ground fighting between the Taliban and Afghanistan and U.S. forces, the official said. But the military's investigation found no evidence of large-scale civilian deaths resulting from the airstrikes themselves, despite the claims from Afghan officials and the Red Cross. U.S. military investigators found no evidence of human remains in any of the four bomb craters it examined, the official said. The news comes as Afghan President Hamid Karzai visits Washington this week. Karzai and his Pakistani counterpart, President Asif Ali Zardari, are talking with key congressional leaders and policymakers ahead of meetings with President Obama and Clinton. Speaking in Washington, Clinton -- flanked by Karzai and Zardari -- said the United States and Afghanistan will jointly investigate the airstrike and its aftermath. She said Washington already has sent a team of investigators to the region. The ICRC team found dozens of dead bodies in two villages, spokeswoman Jessica Barry in Kabul, told CNN. The increase of international troops in Afghanistan has raised a concern that fighting will intensify and civilians will face greater risks of getting hurt, she said. "It's all sides who need to respect the civilians," Barry said. "And this is the message we pass to all the armed forces, to the international forces, to the Taliban, to the armed opposition." CNN's Barbara Starr and Chris Lawrence contributed to this report.

NEW: Taliban used grenades, paraded bodies through villages, official says . NEW: U.S. believes Taliban planned attack expecting U.S. to call in airstrikes . Civilians killed in U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan, Red Cross says . News of strike comes as Afghan president visiting Washington for talks .

(CNN) -- Jacques Bazin didn't have time to catch his breath after being pulled from the rubble of a three-bedroom home on the outskirts of the Haitian capital. Though he'd been trapped in the house for three days, he marshaled the strength to begin helping the Haitians who had just rescued him search for other survivors. He spoke to CNN on Friday, two hours after being rescued, and again Saturday as he worked to free 10 children still encased in the toppled residence. "Next time you call, God willing, they might be out. Otherwise, they will die," he said. "Their voices are really low because for four days, they eat nothing. I drill holes on top of the cement and put bread inside so they can eat. What we do, we have to do fast." Friday evening made his mission more urgent as two children were killed when an aftershock -- one of four that day, all 4.6 magnitude or higher -- disrupted the concrete slabs imprisoning them, he said. A New York-based philanthropist, Bazin, 54, has been in Haiti since December 13. His nonprofit organization, JB Humanitarian, builds schools for the poor in Haiti. Six staff members of one of his schools, in Ocadet, died when the 7.0-magnitude quake struck Tuesday, causing the school to collapse on top of them. Bazin was on the porch of a nearby home taking pictures of the mountains. Twenty-four children were inside the home, he said. "The next thing I know, this thing is splitting in half -- the mountain split in half," he said. "The house where I was went down." He and 12 of the children had been freed as of Saturday morning, but the remaining children were in the back of the house when the earthquake hit. Bazin said he and 11 others were working to free them in one of the poorest sections of Port-au-Prince. Looking for a loved one? Visit iReport.com . Bazin's dilemma was one of myriad stories of lost loved ones pouring into CNN this week via its tip lines and iReport.com. Other pleas for help have reportedly come from within the rubble of collapsed buildings. Regine Madhere is one such case. The 26-year-old worked in the pharmacy of a four-story Caribbean market leveled by the temblor. Stateside friends and relatives in Port-au-Prince told CNN that Madhere had been sending texts to relatives and to a local radio station this week. Reached Saturday in Port-au-Prince, Madhere's aunt and uncle said an American rescue team had been working through the night to rescue those trapped in the market's ruins. Watch a rescue at the market from earlier in the week . Her uncle, Guy Gelin, further said he had seen the rescuers free six to eight people Friday and he was hopeful that Madhere would be free by day's end. "They are working very, very hard. They make many holes so [those trapped] can breathe. They give us hope today," said her aunt, Ginette Madhere, who hasn't slept since the quake rocked the capital. Help the Madhere family find Regine . With a dearth of resources and rescuers in Haiti, victims are reaching out to locales as faraway as Florida, New York, even Germany. The long-distance text messages serve as a sign of the fear and desperation many are experiencing in the Western Hemisphere's most-impoverished nation. Bazin said his own anguish is confounded by doubts that rescuers will reach his school in Ocadet anytime soon. "Nobody give a damn because these people are so poor," he said. "This is the last place they would ever think of coming." He planned to head into the city later Saturday, he said, to find more food for the trapped children. He said he also hoped to rent a tractor to move some of the larger chunks of concrete enveloping the students. "I have to get them out before I get back to the States. I cannot just leave them like that," he said.

Jacques Bazin says two children died under a collapsed house after a Friday aftershock . Bazin was under the rubble three days before he was saved; he's now helping others . Text messages to Germany, New York speak to dearth of rescuers, resources in Haiti . Regine Madhere's aunt, uncle at market, hoping rescuers will soon pull her from debris .

(CNN) -- Twenty-one U.N. peacekeepers detained by Syrian rebels this week could soon be released, representatives for the United Nations and a Syrian opposition group said Friday. "All the parties" have agreed to a release of the 21 held since Wednesday, and the U.N. peacekeeping agency has dispatched a team to help collect them, U.N. spokeswoman Josephine Guerrero said. But the effort was called off Friday due to darkness, and the team will try again on Saturday, Guerrero said. Rebels had detained the peacekeepers, identified by the Philippine government as Filipino, in a Syrian village near the Golan Heights. Syrian opposition coalition President Moaz al-Khatib said Thursday that the rebels took the peacekeepers for their own safety due to fighting there. The peacekeepers reportedly are unharmed. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based Syrian opposition group, said Friday that the peacekeepers are expected to be released between 10 a.m. and noon Saturday in Syria, citing one of its rebel contacts. The release is contingent on a cease-fire between government forces and rebels around the village of Jamlah, where the peacekeepers are said to be held, the group said. Government forces shelled the area Friday, according to the Syrian National Coalition, the principal Syrian opposition group. The rebels will hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime responsible "for any harm that would happen to the U.N. employees," a statement from the coalition said. Late Friday, a man who said he was one of the peacekeepers told the Arabic news network Al-Arabiya via Skype that he expects to be released Saturday. "The reason for the delay is the shelling," he told Al-Arabiya. "We were about to be released this evening, but the shelling resumed. All 21 peacekeepers are safe and treated well." CNN could not independently verify the authenticity of the interview. Earlier this week, a video posted on the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights' YouTube website showed six of the peacekeepers sitting in a room. CNN couldn't immediately verify the authenticity of the video. In it, one peacekeeper gives a statement to the camera: . "We are here safe in this place. We are here because while we are passing through position (unintelligible) to Jamlah, there were bombing and artillery fires. This is why we stopped and, civilian people tell us, for our safety, and distributed us in different places to keep us safe. And they give us good accommodation and give us food to eat and water to drink." The rebels have said the peacekeepers entered the village near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an area where peacekeepers should not be and where intense fighting has been raging for days between rebels and government forces. The rebels initially said they suspected the peacekeepers were trying to aid their enemy -- the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. The United Nations said the peacekeepers were on a "regular supply mission." Two other videos that rebels posted on YouTube present the rebels' point of view. In one, a rebel insists that the peacekeepers will be held until al-Assad's forces withdraw from the village of al-Jamlah. The other video shows rebels walking near several U.N. trucks. "This U.N. force entered Jamlah village to assist the regime ... and (the U.N. is) claiming that they are here just to stop the clashing," a rebel says. Members of the U.N. Security Council condemned the detention of the peacekeepers. The unrest in Syria began in March 2011, when al-Assad's government began a brutal crackdown on demonstrators calling for greater political freedoms. The protest movement eventually devolved into an armed conflict, one that has devastated cities and towns around the country and spurred more than 720,000 Syrians to flee to neighboring nations, according to the U.N. refugee agency. This story was reported by CNN's Richard Roth from the U.N. and Hamdi Alkhshali from Atlanta, and written by Jason Hanna in Atlanta. CNN's Amir Ahmed contributed from Atlanta.

U.N.: Team sent to collect peacekeepers, but darkness Friday means pickup delayed a day . Syrian opposition group: Release set for Saturday morning, if cease-fire holds . Peacekeepers were taken Wednesday from area near the Golan Heights; U.N. demands their release .

(CNN) -- "She has an incredible legacy," Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard tweeted. The Labor leader wasn't talking about Britain's Iron Lady Margaret Thatcher, whose funeral on Wednesday was dominating headlines around the world -- she was referring to a race horse. Accolades have been streaming in for Australia's champion mare Black Caviar as the horse was retired after an impressive undefeated 25-win career. "It's emotional, a lot of people are in shock," co-owner Colin Madden told CNN. "She's a remarkable horse with a remarkable career and it just seemed that the time was right." "In my lifetime, she's certainly the greatest race horse I've ever seen." The six-year-old sprinter, worth almost $8 million in prize money, bowed out after claiming her quarter century victory at Sydney's TJ Smith Stakes on Saturday. It marks the end of a record-breaking career for the "Wonder from Down Under" who transcended the sports pages to become one of the country's most beloved sporting celebrities. The super mare wasn't just a powerhouse on the track -- she was a treasured personality who appeared on the cover of Vogue, launched a best-selling biography and was named Sportswoman of the Year by Sydney's Daily Telegraph. Unsurprisingly, the retirement of the world's top-rated racehorse led news bulletins in Australia, with Gillard tweeting: "We've never seen anything like Black Caviar before and may never again. She has an incredible legacy." Similarly, Australian Liberal opposition leader Tony Abbott tweeted: "Congratulations Black Caviar. You've done Australia proud, both here and overseas. A remarkable racing career." The mare's retirement ensured journalists rushed to the stables of Melbourne trainer Peter Moody. "At the end of the day we believe she's done everything we've asked her to do and she could possibly have done no more," Moody told the media throng. "It's a job well done, and something we can all be extremely proud of. She really gave her all and we thought what else can we achieve? She's been a great shining light for racing." Since demolishing the field in her first major win at the Danehill Stakes in 2009, an air of mystique has followed the world champion thoroughbred. The wonder mare, who even has her own Twitter handle, has not just won all 25 of her races -- with the exception of Britain's Royal Ascot she has won them by staggering margins -- destroying world-class fields to become one of the world's top-rated race horses. Her unblemished record is the second highest of all time, trailing behind only Hungarian horse Kincsem, which apparently took 54 races in the late 1800s. Black Caviar will now enjoy around three weeks to "take it easy," said Madden, before embarking on the next lucrative chapter of her career. "She'll spend some time in a grass paddock under the sun and the stars," he said. "This is the end of her racing career and the start of her new life as a breeding mare." "We'll make a decision sometime in the next two months but at this stage it's most likely she'll stay in Australia." There had been speculation Black Caviar would mate with champion British thoroughbred, Frankel. The colt, who wrapped up his stellar career in the Champion Stakes at Ascot with an unblemished 14-win record, has now been put out to stud -- with big returns expected for owner Saudi Prince Khalid Abdullah. Madden didn't rule out the possibility of a "Brangelina" courtship for the racing supercouple, saying "He's an extraordinary horse and it could be a wonderful match -- but nothing's been decided and it's something we're still assessing." One thing however, is for certain -- in her four-year career the unbeatable horse with a luxury name cemented her place in the record books and the hearts of a nation. BBC racing journalist Frank Keogh perhaps summed up her appeal best: "Built like a bulldozer, performed like a ballerina - Black Caviar is a racing champion who became a cover star."

Australian super mare Black Caviar retires after undefeated 25 wins . Country's political leaders tweet accolades . News bulletins lead on the 'Wonder from Down Under' celebrity horse . Yet more riches await in new career as a breeding mare, Frankel possible mate .

(CNN) -- Forget almost everything you ever thought you knew about the moon. NASA's latest missions indicate the moon is much more than a dead, unchanging satellite orbiting Earth. It's a dynamic environment, with changes occurring by the day and week, not over millions of years. The space agency says the missions are rewriting lunar science text books and revolutionizing what scientists know about Earth's closest neighbor. An announcement in November probably rivaled Neil Armstrong's first steps on the surface more than 40 years earlier: There's water on the moon. The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or L-CROSS, and its companion spacecraft crashed into a crater at the moon's south pole in October and discovered water in a very dark and very cold place. L-CROSS researchers said about 25 gallons of water were detected in the crater, which measured about 60 feet wide by a few feet deep. Michael Wargo, NASA'S chief lunar scientist on the L-CROSS mission, said the probes detected more than water in the crater, but researchers are still trying to understand what the other stuff is. "We're opening new chapters. And in fact, because some of this information is so new and it's so different from the way we use to think about the moon, there are chapters that are blank right now," he said. You know that they're going to written, but we don't even know the questions yet that are going to be engendered from this new information." Wargo describes the lunar data as a treasure trove. The moon "is like the dusty attic of the solar system, in that things get collected there and they give you insight, not just into the moon, but the evolution of the solar system." Earthbound explorations, such as Lewis and Clark's historic journey to the Pacific Ocean in the early 19th century, carry critically necessary items, but they have no need to haul wood or water. That's not so for manned space flight. Those missions will have to carry all the supplies necessary for survival unless they can manufacture some of them either in flight or on a planet's surface. The presence of water and other compounds on the moon means there are potential resources that could sustain future exploration of the moon and beyond. NASA is also mapping the moon's surface in unprecedented detail, eventually creating the first moon atlas. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched last summer, is the robotic scout that is providing the data. LRO is on a mission that could last several years -- orbiting the moon and gathering crucial data that will help astronauts prepare for another visit. Wargo said LRO is carrying high-resolution cameras, which have now mapped about 50 areas on the moon, including the Apollo mission landing sites. "We have cameras on board that have been able to image where the Apollo spacecraft landed, and you can literally see where they put down their scientific packages, where the astronauts walked on the moon," according to Wargo. The LRO discovered it's extremely cold in the permanently shadowed polar craters, where temperatures dip more than 400 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, or 249 degrees below zero Celsius. That's not far from absolute zero, defined by international agreement as 273.15 degrees below zero Celsius and a temperature that cannot be physically reached. These are the coldest temperatures ever recorded in the solar system. The LRO is also measuring space radiation on the moon. Astronauts will need protection from this radiation during expeditions to the moon and other destinations. All this information is critical if humans are to make it back to the moon by 2020, the the target date set by the Bush administration in 2004. But it's more than that. Wargo sum it up this way: . "We used to think of the moon as this really dead and unchanging place, that the moon was a dead planet. ... There are changes that occur there not over the course of thousands or millions or even billions of years, but are changing over the course of days and weeks and months. That's something people just hadn't thought of until just weeks and months ago. ... This isn't your grandfather's moon anymore."

NASA's latest missions indicate the moon has changes occurring by the day and week . Space agency says the missions are rewriting lunar science text books . Discovery of water in lunar crater could boost efforts for future astronaut visits . Lunar orbiter is taking pictures of leftover material from Apollo landing sites .

(CNN) -- Millions of Americans are currently enthralled with the performance of our USA soccer team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as evidenced by the eruption of cheers that went up with when Landon Donovan scored a goal in the final minutes of the match against Algeria. His winning goal has been hailed as a watershed moment in American sports history, and "futbol" fans are predicting he will be talked about years from now in the same breath as Hank Aaron, Joe Namath, Bobby Orr and Wilt Chamberlain. Sorry folks, it's just not going to happen, -- despite the praying by CNN's United Nations correspondent, Richard Roth, to make it so. It's not that I detest soccer/futbol, but the reality is that Americans have not taken to the sport. As a native Houstonian, I sport the gear of the Houston Rockets, Texans, Astros and my Texas A&M Aggies (Houston has the largest concentration of Aggies), but the MLS (Major League Soccer) Houston Dynamo didn't make the cut. Every year I hear fans say that "it's just around the corner" or "this is the year" or "the moment has arrived" when soccer is accepted along the lines of football, baseball and basketball. To be honest, even the National Hockey League has suffered immeasurably, and judging by TV ratings, the lack of a major TV deal, and limited stars well-known to non-hockey fans, it's safe to say it is no longer viewed as one of four major team sports. There are myriad reasons why soccer hasn't caught on, but no one can say it's because of the a lack of interest among the nation's youth. Millions of kids nationwide play the sport, from inner cities to the suburbs. Yet once they become teenagers, soccer falls by the wayside and the interest shifts to baseball, football and basketball. There have been several attempts at launching a major professional sports league, and the latest is the MLS, which has been around since 1993. The league has valiantly tried to reach the big time, but it has struggled, largely catering to its small but loyal audience. If you walked into any sports bar in America, and those there had to choose which games to watch, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, the PGA Tour or the National Hockey League, would all likely win out over MLS. Although I'm not personally a soccer fan, I've watched a few minutes of the World Cup. But it simply hasn't been a "must see" for me like the Ryder Cup or even the Olympics. And to be honest, the Olympics is probably the greatest comparison in terms of measuring the interest of soccer to American fans. Every four years we go nuts over our "amateur" athletic stars. We cheer wildly when the U.S. bobsled team wins gold; love to see our track stars fly around the oval; and are enthralled with gymnastics. But once the Olympic Games have ended, we store our "USA! USA!" chants for four years. I consider myself to be a huge track fan, and would love to see it on TV more, but the reality is that in other parts of the world, track stars are treated like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Yet if Usain Bolt walked through a mall anywhere in America, he might get a few stares, but he wouldn't be bombarded with autograph requests for photos, even though he is the Kobe of the track world right now. So soccer/futbol fans worldwide, don't take it as insult that Americans don't worship soccer the way you do. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. That's really just fine. You do you, and we'll do what we do. As for the World Cup, I'll be cheering for the Donovan-led U.S. team to do well, while flipping back and forth to the NFL and NBA cable channels, pining for my two favorite sports to return in the fall. It's just the American in me. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin.

Roland Martin says Americans are cheering the success of the U.S. team in World Cup . He says soccer still will never catch on as one of America's major sports . Fans are much more interested in NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL . Martin: I'm cheering for U.S. team, but pining for return of football, basketball .

(CNN) -- Manchester United's new manager David Moyes started the new English Premier League campaign with a resounding 4-1 win away to Swansea City on Saturday. The reigning champions struck twice in each half to ease to victory in what was considered a potentially tricky first fixture for Moyes on the opening day of the new season. Blog: Can Moyes meet Man Utd challenge? Robin van Persie carried on from where he left off last year hooking a right-foot shot past Swansea keeper Michel Vorm in the 34th minute. Danny Welbeck doubled the lead two minutes later, tapping the ball home from an Antonio Valencia cross. Unsettled striker Wayne Rooney received a mixed reception when he came on as a second-half substitute and had to play second fiddle to van Persie yet again. The Dutch striker scored a superb second in the 72nd minute, ending a fabulous solo effort with a rasping left-foot drive. Striker Wilfried Bony scored a consolation goal for Swansea ten minutes later before Welbeck added a fourth goal moments before the final whistle. There was no first day celebrations for Arsenal as they slumped to a 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa at the Emirates. Christian Benteke scored a brace for Villa with Antonio Luna adding a late third after Villa had gone a goal down early in the game. Olivier Giroud gave the Gunners the lead in the sixth minute but Benteke leveled the scores with a header in the 22nd minute. The 22-year-old Belgian international converted from the penalty spot in the 61st minute to put Villa in front before Luna completed a miserable opening day for Arsenal fans with a strike five minutes from the end. Liverpool kicked off the new season with a 1-0 win against Stoke City at Anfield. A first-half goal by Daniel Sturridge was enough to earn the Reds all three points despite a spirited performance from Stoke, watched by new manager Mark Hughes. The home side were supported by a full house at Anfield that included Luis Suarez, who is serving the fifth match of a ten-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April. The Uruguayan's future at the club remains in doubt with Suarez agitating for a move away from the club he joined in January 2011 so he can play Champions League football. But bids from Arsenal in excess of £40 million ($62 million) have been rejected with Liverpool owner John W Henry stating that the controversial striker is not for sale. On the pitch, things were more clear cut for Liverpool on a blustery and rainy day on Merseyside. Sturridge put Liverpool in front in the 37th minute when he unleashed a low shot from outside the penalty area which fizzed into the bottom corner of the net. The home side pressed for a decisive second goal in the second half but Potters keeper Asmir Begovic kept his side in the game with some fine saves. Liverpool fielded three new signings with both Spanish striker Iago Aspas -- signed for £7.2 million ($11 million) from Celta Vigo -- and Kolo Toure -- who joins from Manchester City -- making bright starts for the club. But it was new keeper Simon Mignolet -- signed from Sunderland -- who stole the show saving a penalty from Jon Walters at the death to ensure Liverpool's win. In Saturday's other fixtures, Norwich City came from behind to draw 2-2 with Roberto Martinez's Everton at Carrow Road while Sunderland lost to Fulham 1-0 at the Stadium of Light. West Bromwich Albion also opened their campaign with a 1-0 home defeat against Southampton. But West Ham United made no mistake against newly promoted Cardiff City with Joe Cole and Kevin Nolan netting for the Hammers in a 2-0 win. Jose Mourinho makes his Premier League return on Sunday as Chelsea take on Hull at Stamford Bridge. Tottenham Hotspur are also in action, traveling to south-east London to take on Premier League new boys Crystal Palace.

Manchester United give new manager David Moyes a winning start at Swansea . Reigning champions win 4-1; Arsenal slump to a 3-1 loss at home to Aston Villa . Liverpool and Stoke kick off new English Premier League season at Anfield . Daniel Sturridge scores first-half goal to earn Liverpool all three points .

(CNN) -- Cristiano Ronaldo missed an early penalty as Manchester United earned a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal at Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium on Wednesday night. Cristiano Ronaldo sent his penalty attempt wide as United failed to take an early lead at the Nou Camp. The Portugal winger, the top scorer in this season's competition, spurned the chance to net for the 39th time overall this campaign and give United a vital away goal. The 23-year-old hit the stanchion high outside goalkeeper Victor Valdes' left-hand post in the third minute after Gabriel Milito handled his header from a Paul Scholes corner. It was United's best chance in a game dominated by the home side, who had the best of possession with some silky moves but failed to find the killer pass in the final third of the pitch. United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made a string of saves, especially in the second half, but was not often seriously tested. Barcelona were boosted by the return of Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who started alongside Samuel Eto'o up front, with Thierry Henry on the bench after also being cleared following an illness. Messi picked out Samuel Eto'o in the 13th minute only for midfielder Scholes -- making his 100th Champions League appearance -- to make a vital interception. Barcelona pressed forward again in the 21st minute and Rafael Marquez got clear of his marker but his header failed to trouble Van der Sar, who was back in the side following a groin injury. Then Yaya Toure showed good skill for the home side and sent a good cross into the area that was turned away by Van der Sar. Ronaldo felt he should have had another penalty in the 30th minute when he was bundled over by Marquez after Xavi had carelessly lost possession, but Swiss referee Massimo Busacca allowed play to continue. Eto'o rattled in a shot after 34 minutes but Wes Brown -- who passed a late fitness test to replace the ill Nemanja Vidic in central defense -- made a vital block. Brown partnered Rio Ferdinand, with England midfielder Owen Hargreaves operating as a makeshift right-back. Deco, starting his first game for Barcelona after two months out with injuries, then failed to test Van der Sar with a free-kick in the 38th minute. Marquez was booked in the 44th minute after tripping Ronaldo as he attempted to surge forward, meaning the Mexican is suspended for next Tuesday's second leg at Old Trafford. Ronaldo sent his effort from an acute angle wide of the post. After the break, Messi saw his effort blocked in the 47th minute and then Van der Sar tipped over defender Gianluca Zambrotta's long-range effort. Messi beat three United players but Ferdinand cut out his low cross from the right, then he played in a superb ball for Eto'o -- who lashed his shot against the side-netting. Deco tested Van der Sar with a low drive, then the Dutchman easily dealt with a 20-yard effort from Xavi. Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard took off Messi in the 62nd minute, replacing him with teenager Bojan Krkic, who scored the winner in the first leg of the quarterfinal against Schalke. A foul on the Serbian-born Spaniard drew a yellow card for Hargreaves in the 73rd minute, then United boss Alex Ferguson bolstered his midfield by bringing on Nani for England forward Wayne Rooney -- who had started up front with Carlos Tevez. Rijkaard responded by replacing Deco with Henry in the 77th minute, and the French forward forced a scrambled save by Van der Sar with a long-range shot on 83. Ferguson brought on veteran winger Ryan Giggs for Tevez soon after, then Van der Sar denied Andres Iniesta and also dived to comfortably save Henry's free-kick from 35 yards. Barcelona continued to press until the final whistle, but still could not create a clear-cut opportunity. E-mail to a friend .

Manchester United earn 0-0 draw away to Barcelona in first leg of semifinal . United's top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo misses penalty in the third minute . Barca dominated Champions League tie but could not breach United's defense . Goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar made several saves but not seriously tested .

(CNN) -- Ten years ago this week, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell declared that genocide had been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the janjaweed bore responsibility for those acts. Even though it did not actually trigger a legal obligation to act, many hoped that using the "g word" meant that the United States was crossing the Rubicon and committing itself to stopping the violence in Darfur, Sudan's most troubled region. The janjaweed, however, are still at large in Darfur -- and with the Sudanese government's help, they are now arguably more powerful than ever. It is this reality that makes it so disturbing that the United Nations recently declared that getting weapons out of this militant group's hands is no longer "relevant" to their work. After all, janjaweed fighters formed the backbone of the genocidal attack forces that the Sudanese government unleashed on Darfur 11 years ago. When the spotlight finally fell on the ethnically motivated killing in the region, it was clear that these men committed some of the very worst crimes against humanity. The looming specter of their attacks kept displaced Darfuri refugees trapped in camps and, as long as the janjaweed were at large, their victims would not be able to go home. In recognition of this reality, the U.N. Security Council ordered the Sudanese government to take steps to disarm the janjaweed, but it did little toward this goal. Fast forward to last month, and the Security Council voted to keep peacekeepers in Darfur for another 10 months. At a time when budgets are already stretched, the vote was hailed as a final lease of life for the mission, which has been accused of covering up its failure to protect Darfuri civilians. But buried among small technical tweaks to the mandate's language, the Security Council made a huge concession to the government of Sudan by deeming aspects of the peacekeepers' work -- including monitoring, verifying, and promoting efforts to disarm the militias -- "no longer relevant." Why has this happened? Some have argued that any attempt to disarm the janjaweed was doomed to fail because, in practice, taking away their weapons would also mean taking weapons away from Darfur's powerful Arab tribes. Others said that it was hard to know who exactly the "janjaweed" were. But with its latest resolution, the United Nations seems to be saying, in effect, the janjaweed are no longer of concern. The facts on the ground show just the opposite. Today, the same brutal forces that carried out those crimes remain the primary threat to civilian security in Darfur. Indeed, the janjaweed have been openly embraced by the government of Sudan. And despite for years denying it had any connection to the fighters marauding across Darfur, the government has, under the banner of the Rapid Support Forces, allegedly welcomed many of these brutal fighters back to the scene of their old crimes, in uniform and newly armed and equipped. Already this year, the Rapid Support Forces have reportedly been in Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile, where they have been accused of burning civilian areas to the ground, raping women, and displacing non-Arab civilians from their homes. In exchange, the Sudanese government has showered these janjaweed reincarnate with praise and rewards. By giving these forces a new name and official status, the Sudanese government seems to have convinced the Security Council that Darfuris are no longer living under the threat of janjaweed attacks. Just as bad, the United Nations seems reluctant to even use the word janjaweed, at least according to Aicha el Basri, a former spokeswoman for the operation, who wrote in Foreign Policy that "since the deployment of UNAMID in 2008, only one mention of the word janjaweed has appeared in the more than 30 reports that [the UN] has issued on Darfur." In declaring that efforts to disarm these fighters are no longer relevant, the United Nations effectively endorsed the Sudanese government's flimsy claim that things in Darfur are getting better. Meanwhile, the killing continues.

Ten years ago this week, Colin Powell declared that genocide had been committed in Darfur . Janjaweed fighters formed the backbone of attack forces unleashed on Darfur, says Akshaya Kumar . Security Council has voted to keep peacekeepers in Darfur for another 10 months, Kumar says . But Kumar argues new guidelines overlook ongoing threat posed by fighters .

(CNN) -- Justin Sylvester's wife is pregnant. With a baby. I'm told that's how it works. Mind you, this isn't Justin's first baby rodeo. This is the second child for him and Meghan. Another daughter. But it's still a wildly exciting time. Though maybe not quite as wildly exciting as an ACTUAL baby rodeo. Reckless? Perhaps. Quality entertainment? Definitely. Of course, now, Justin and Meghan are at that age (both 31) where your social media feed becomes a shameless, cascading waterfall of friends' baby photos and professional maternity shoots -- these gentle little reminders that maybe we ain't that young anymore. Plus, the occasional Instagram update confirming, yes, your college roommate, Diane, apparently had pasta for dinner. There's still a lot of that, too. "OMG! Rigatoni! #YOLO" So, being that this is what people seem to do when there's a bun in the oven, Justin asked Meghan if she was interested in having photos done to commemorate the pregnancy of their soon-to-be daughter, Ruby June Sylvester. Meghan said no. But Justin said yes. "I was studying for my accounting exam and the idea popped in my head that it would be funny if I took them since she didn't want to." He laughed about the idea for a couple of days, and finally called up his photographer friend, Kerri Lohmeier. This would be Justin's surprise present to his wife. All he needed were some Superman underpants and maybe a pair of Meghan's Lululemon shorts to achieve the "full maternity effect." Plus a few other odds and ends. You know. Props. Lohmeier recalls getting the photo shoot request. "It was very unusual," she says. "It's never happened." But, as a true, seasoned professional, she embraced the weirdness, and promptly gathered the aforementioned props. Ice cream and pickles. I don't know much about being pregnant, but I suppose it somehow makes women eat like Jerry Garcia. To be fair, it actually sounds quite nice. Of course, in reality, pregnancy is a grind. And in some very minor way, Justin got a little taste of what it's like. "By the end of the shoot, my stomach hurt, and my lower back hurt. I feel as if I had a brief glimpse into the sacrifice that women make on their bodies when they become pregnant." Granted, he was doing a lot of pushing to get that gut out. Despite gaining 15 pounds of "sympathy weight" since injuring his shoulder doing CrossFit, Justin swears his belly's not really that big. But there's a fair amount of Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager and Austin's Pizza that says otherwise. Naturally, everyone got a kick out of Justin's photos. And, by this point, it might literally be EVERYONE. Reality kicked in when a friend called him to say he had just seen the photos on the website for Cosmopolitan. Yes, things move pretty fast when you make little hand hearts over your belly. And you're a dude. Still, Meghan is his No. 1 fan. And his dad is right up there, too, having left him a fatherly voice mail that said, "You are crazy, boy. The world could use a little laughter right now." And trust me. The world is laughing. I mean -- that belly. It's beautiful. Speaking of which, Justin says his favorite photo is the one where he's kissing his stomach -- that it was the perfect amount of funny and creepy. And the one he's most embarrassed by? That would be the black and white one where he's on the bed. He told me, "It looks so real." Justin says the hardest part was actually keeping a straight face. But, he managed, and it's all been worth it. Maybe even REALLY worth it. He says, "I have publishers calling me for book ideas, people wanting to buy my photos." But, truthfully, there's just one thing he wants. "I'm still holding out for an ice cream sponsorship!" That, or pickles. Follow @JarrettBellini on Twitter. See more content with questionable news value at CNN Comedy.

Justin Sylvester had maternity photos taken of himself . All the images depict him doing stereotypical maternity photo poses . Shortly after he put them online, his photos went viral .

(CNN) -- The size of a specific part of the brain may help experts pinpoint when autism could first develop, University of North Carolina researchers report. The amygdala helps individuals process faces and emotions. Using MRI brain scans, researchers found that the area of the brain called the amygdala was, on average, 13 percent larger in young children with autism, compared with control group of children without autism. In the study, published in the latest Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers scanned 50 toddlers with autism and 33 children without autism at age 2 and again at age 4. The study adjusted for age, sex and IQ. "We believe that children with autism have normal-sized brains at birth but at some point, in the latter part of the first year of life, it [the amygdala] begins to grow in kids with autism. And this study gives us insight inside the underlying brain mechanism so we can design more rational interventions," said lead study author Dr. Joseph Piven. A normal-sized amygdala helps a person process faces and emotions, behavior commonly known as joint attention. "When you see a face, you scan it, identify if it's friend or foe and make a decision about whether to move forward or avoid it," said Dr. Barry Kosofsky, chief of neurology at Cornell Medical Center, who was not affiliated with the study. UNC researchers conducted diagnostic assessments, in addition to the MRI scans, to monitor the children's behavior. They found toddlers with a large amygdala also had joint attention problems. Watch Dr. Gupta explain the findings » . "We would basically try to get the child to look one way, we'd turn and point to a clock and see whether or not the child would notice it," explained Piven. "The 2-year-olds without autism would see your face, see where you are looking and join you but the children with autism, with large amygdalas, would not." Autism experts agree joint attention difficulty is a key characteristic of autism. It also is the only behavior linked to a large amygdala, according to the study. Researchers found no association between repetitive behavior or other social behaviors and a large amygdala. "This is a core feature of autism, and it raises a very provocative possibility that if they [joint attention problems] aren't caused by changes in the amygdala, they are certainly associated with it," said Kosofsky. Autism experts say such findings are critical in developing new ways to treat and diagnose autism earlier. "Many studies have observed the brain grows too big in kids with autism, but this study finds that by age 2, the amygdala is already bigger and stops growing," said Kosofsky. "So it tells us the critical difference has already developed. It now poses the question: Are children born with autism or does it develop in the first two years of life?" Parents cannot run out and ask their doctor to check the size of their child's amygdala to determine their child's autism risk, but researchers hope over time, it can be used as a clinical tool to diagnose the mysterious developmental condition, which affects as many as 1 in 150 children. "Once we understand the neurological circuits, we may be able to detect if a child has problems in those circuits as early as 6 months of age," said Piven. "If we are able to combine those things, we can better predict and guide interventions. We need to let the pattern of early brain development guide us to predict who is at higher risk and who would benefit from early intervention." UNC researchers are conducting a follow-up to their initial findings. They're recruiting 500 infants who are also siblings of children with autism for national infant brain imaging study. "By tracking the behaviors and brain volume growth from birth in high-risk babies, we can pinpoint when the brain first begins to grow larger than normal and provide therapy or medications to limit the growth or symptoms a lot earlier than we are doing now," said Piven. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the United States. It's newly diagnosed in 67 children every day. The average age for diagnosis 3.

Study: The amygdala in toddlers with autism is 13 percent larger than unaffected kids . Size of brain area linked to ability to process faces as friend or foe . Autism is believed to affect as many as 1 in 150 children . University of North Carolina researchers hope findings result in earlier intervention .

MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Gunmen shot and killed 17 patients and wounded two others in a drug rehabilitation center in northern Mexico late Wednesday, the mayor of Ciudad Juarez said Thursday. Police gather at the rehab facility where 17 people were killed in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, late Wednesday. Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said authorities believe a rival drug gang attacked the men at the El Aviane rehab facility. "At the very least, it was one organized crime group thinking that another group was operating in that place," Reyes told CNN. Wednesday night's shootings, he said, are similar to an attack at a drug facility in March that left 20 patients dead. A Mexican civic group said last week that Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, had the most slayings per capita in 2008 of any city in the world. Watch scene at rehab center after shootings » . More than 1,420 people have been killed in Juarez this year, Reyes told CNN on Monday. About 1,600 people were killed in Juarez in 2008, Reyes said. The latest Juarez killings came on the same day that gunmen shot dead the No. 2 security official and three others in Michoacan, the home state of Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Jose Manuel Revuelta Lopez, the deputy public safety secretary of Mexico's Michoacan state, was killed in a shootout that also claimed the lives of two of his bodyguards and a bystander caught in the crossfire, said Jesus Humberto Adame Ortiz, spokesman for the state. Revuelta was leaving his office at 5:15 p.m. in the state capital, Morelia, when the shooting occurred, Adame said. An unprecedented wave of violence has washed over Mexico since Calderon declared war on drug cartels shortly after coming into office in December 2006. More than 11,000 people have since died, about 1,000 of them police. The offensive against the government has been especially fierce in Michoacan. In July, La Familia Michoacana drug cartel was accused of assaults in a half-dozen cities across the state and of torturing and killing 12 off-duty federal agents and dumping their bodies on a remote road. That violence was thought to have been retaliation for the arrest of a La Familia leader. In Juarez, much of the violence is being committed by the rival Sinaloa and Juarez drug cartels, which are fighting for lucrative routes into the United States as well as local street sales, Reyes said. The deportations of thousands of Mexicans who have served time in U.S. jails into Ciudad Juarez are adding a deadly ingredient to an already volatile state of security, he said. In the past 45 days, 10 percent of those killed in Juarez had been deported from the United States in the past two years, Reyes said. "We don't have the statistics to know if they were criminals from the United States or not," he told CNN. "We know they were deported from the U.S. Most of them come from U.S. jails. They end up in the city of Juarez, and that's a problem generated for us, but also for the United States." Most deportees are simply Mexicans who crossed the border illegally, but some hardened criminals get involved with the gangs, which have networks in the United States, Reyes said. According to a report released last week by the Mexican Citizens Council for Public Security watchdog group, Juarez had an estimated rate of 130 killings per 100,000 people. The city has a population of around 1.5 million. By comparison, the homicide rate in New Orleans, Louisiana, the deadliest city in the United States in 2008, was 64 homicides per 100,000 residents, based on preliminary FBI figures. CNN's Arthur Brice and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report.

NEW: Ciudad Juarez mayor says authorities believe drug gang attacked rehab center . Slayings add to grim statistics for Juarez, ranked deadliest city in the world . On same day, No. 2 security official in Michoacan state, 3 others, shot to death . Mexico has seen wave of violence since president declared war on drug cartels .

(CNN) -- The discussion of race is never a black and white issue, and recent "AC360°" and CNN.com reports about young children's attitudes on race became one of the most discussed stories on the site, eliciting more than 4,500 comments. In the study, white children had an overwhelming bias toward white, and black children also had a bias toward white, but it was not nearly as strong as the bias shown by the white children. Many users of the site thought parenting was the issue behind the results, some thought the kids were too naive and others thought the testing method was flawed. Kids' test answers on race brings mother to tears . Margaret Beale Spencer, a leading researcher in the field of child development, designed the pilot study for CNN's "AC360." Beale Spencer used a team of three psychologists to implement it: two testers to execute the study and a statistician to help analyze the results. Her team tested 133 children from schools that met very specific economic and demographic requirements. In total, eight schools participated: four in the greater New York area and four in Georgia. Spencer's test aimed to re-create the landmark doll test from the 1940s. Those tests, conducted by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark, were designed to measure how segregation affected African-American children. Full doll study results . Many people who read the story commented that racism is a learned behavior. "I do believe that parents must take an active role [regardless of race] to inform their children that they are no better or no worse than anyone because of race," Kejohn03 wrote. "These lessons were taught to me and when I have children I will do the same. Once this happens, then there will be less misconceptions and negative perceptions regarding race." Another reader thought many people missed the point of the results of the study. No one says the children are racist, Trumpet01 wrote. "The problem here is that if parents do not talk to their kid about race and how to perceive people that are 'different from them', they would simply form their opinions based on whatever [right or wrong] they gather from society. To suggest that anyone is labeling these innocent kids to be racist is merely unfortunate," the writer said. Watch the psychologist who devised the test talk about the role of parents . One person said they had done a mini-survey with a much smaller sample set -- their children -- and said the results showed the influence television has on our lives. Realjoe said the same questions were posed as were new ones. The writer said that where they live, there is a big Native American population. The children chose a brown figure as the one most likely to have a drinking problem, the white figure as the one that was gay and the black doll was picked for the sports questions, he wrote. "I say, thank you media/TV," realjoe wrote. A few readers thought the study was flawed. Some thought more children should have been studied while others thought that 5-year-olds won't give answers that prove anything. "For one thing, 5-year-old children don't have a broad base of experience and are inclined to pick the familiar," andme2 wrote. "If the child doesn't have any brown or black friends, chances are he or she will gravitate toward white children because children of a different color are unknowns in his or her life." The reader thought it would have been better if the children were observed interacting with each other in different groups, but acknowledged that might have been an issue, too, "because the children would realize something was expected of them and might behave accordingly." Others said children -- and adults -- were conditioned to think of light objects as good and dark as bad. It's "something human beings have been doing for thousands of years," reader timmy2136 said. But others said the study's results were the most important thing and the discussion over the methodology drew attention away from the revelations of the tests. "I think it's interesting how many people want to fight the results, rather than conclude, 'Hey, maybe it is a good idea to teach our kids when they are really young that we shouldn't judge people by the way they look,' " FrustratedMI wrote. iReport: Where do we go from here? Watch Anderson Cooper 360° weeknights 10pm ET. For the latest from AC360° click here.

More than 4,500 CNN.com users comment on story on children and race . New study shows black and white children are biased toward lighter skin . One user says parents are the biggest influence . Some users suggest results should be questioned .

New York (CNN) -- The third and final day of New York City's Electric Zoo music festival was canceled Sunday after two concert-goers died and at least four others were hospitalized due to drug-related causes, police said. The cause of death for the two Electric Zoo attendees is believed to involve the drug MDMA, either in Ecstasy pills or in its "pure" powder or crystal form, known as molly. Police identified the two victims as Jeffrey Russ, 23, and Olivia Rotondo, 20. Four others remain hospitalized and critically ill, with the causes still under investigation, according to Sgt. Lee Jones, a New York Police Department spokesman. The city recommended the electronic music festival be canceled after the recent events, and Electric Zoo's promoters, Made Event, agreed, Jones said. In a statement posted Sunday on the event's homepage, Made Event said "the founders of Electric Zoo send our deepest condolences to the families of the two people who passed away this weekend. Because there is nothing more important to us than our patrons, we have decided in consultation with the New York City Parks Department that there will be no show today." Social media postings regarding Electric Zoo's cancellation vary from sympathetic to downright infuriated. General admission passes cost $179 per day for the festival, held at Randall's Island Park in the East River. The promoters' website said people who bought tickets for Sunday would get full refunds. "Large bags," "bad attitudes" and "illegal substances" were among the 22 listed types of items prohibited at the venue, and everyone was searched upon entry, according to the website. Founded in 2009, Electric Zoo features electronic dance music, with more than 110,000 people attending the festival in 2012. The three-day festival started on Friday and was scheduled to run through Sunday night. What is MDMA? MDMA was created in Germany in the early 1900s, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Decades later, the drug found fans across the Atlantic. During the 1970s some American psychiatrists felt they'd found in the drug a kind of "penicillin for the soul." The drug was said to allow for greater insights and better communication. U.S. officials disagreed, and in the 1985 the Drug Enforcement Administration banned the substance as a Schedule I drug, meaning it had no proven therapeutic value. In the 1990s, MDMA gained a reputation for party drug at all-night warehouse parties known as raves. Emergency-room visits rose steadily from 421 in 1995 to a peak of 5,542 in 2001, according to DEA statistics. Questions were raised about safety and purity of Ecstasy. That's when molly was born. Molly -- short for "molecule" -- is touted as the pure form of MDMA, but a spokesman for the DEA says don't believe the hype. According to Rusty Payne, the agency sees MDMA from Asia, Canada and the Netherlands. "You have no idea the lab environment these chemicals or substances were produced in," Payne said. "If they knew where things were produced, they might think twice." In 2009, government data found 22,816 emergency-room visits due to MDMA, a 123% percent increase from 2005. But molly has fans among some in the medical field. An article published last year in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that the drug helped reduce the symptoms of PTSD for two-thirds of those enrolled in a study. Still, the sample size in that study was small, just 19 people. More studies are in the works. Despite any potential for future uses, authorities warn that the drug is dangerous. After a giant New Year's Eve party in Los Angeles in 2010, one person died and 18 others were hospitalized for issues relating to MDMA use, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CNN's Chris Kokenes and Emma Lacey-Bordeaux contributed to this report.

NEW: Police identify the two victims . NEW: Promoters offer refunds to people who bought Sunday tickets . Deaths of two Electric Zoo concert-goers believed to be linked to MDMA, police say . Electric Zoo promoters agreed to city's recommendation that the festival be canceled .

(CNN) -- Elon Musk wants to revolutionize transportation. Again. The serial entrepreneur envisions a future where mag-lev trains in enormous pneumatic tubes whisk us from Los Angeles to New York in 45 minutes. Need to be in Beijing tomorrow? No problem. It's a two-hour ride away. As crazy as it sounds, Musk is merely updating an idea that's been around since the early 1900s, and at least one company is working on a functional prototype. But according to Wired sources, his involvement won't be nearly as hands-on as Musk's other endeavors at Tesla Motors and SpaceX. The engineering behind the Hyperloop is similar to the old-school pneumatic tube systems used by banks to suck your deposit to the teller at the drive-through. But naturally, it's more complicated than that. A massive vacuum tube — mounted either above ground or even under water — would be combined with a magnetic levitation system used on conventional bullet trains. That means no friction, no wind resistance, no chance of collisions, and insanely high speeds. Musk described the Hyperloop as "a cross between a Concorde, a railgun and an air hockey table," at AllThingsD's D11 conference earlier this year. And in an interview with PandoDaily, Musk said the Hyperloop could form a fifth tent pole of modern transportation, joining cars, planes, trains, and boats, adding that because of its low energy usage and ability to get juice from solar power, it could generate more power than it would consume. But up until now, he hasn't elaborated on his involvement. Musk's interest in the idea was sparked after researching California's new high-speed rail project and realizing that it will be the slowest and — at $70 billion — the most expensive system on the planet. To his mind, there's a better solution. The Hyperloop is it. And one firm unaffiliated with Musk is in the early stages of development. ET3, a company based in Longmont, Colorado, is working on a Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT) system, which it describes as "space travel on Earth." It uses two tubes — one for each direction — with 400-pound, passenger car-sized capsules that could house six people, each accelerated by linear electric motors. According to ET3, state trips would average speeds of around 370 mph, while international trips would hit that insane 4,000 mph mark. The company, which calls itself an "open consortium," claims that it's working with partners in China and has sold nearly 100 licenses for the technology. But ET3′s claims pose more questions than answers, particularly when considering you can buy your own license for the bargain basement price of $100. But the idea for a vacuum-sealed high-speed transit system isn't anything new. The "vactrain" concept was floated in the early 1910s and a paper written by physicist R.M. Salter and published by the Rand Corporation in 1972 titled the "Very High Speed Transit System," or VHST, describes something very similar to what ET3 is developing. But where Musk fits in remains a question. Sources close to the Tesla co-founder and CEO say he believes ET3 is on the right track, but is missing some key components, and that Musk has his hands full with Tesla and SpaceX, and would rather have some involvement in the development, with another entity taking the helm. That lines up with a few responses Musk made on Twitter when asked about patenting the technology. "I really hate patents unless critical to company survival," Musk tweeted. "Will publish Hyperloop as open source." When asked about partners, Musk said he's "happy to work with the right partners. Must truly share philosophical goal of breakthrough tech done fast & w/o wasting money on BS." We'll have to wait until August 12th to find out more. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com.

Elon Musk wants to revolutionize transportation with high-speed trains in enormous pneumatic tubes . Such trains could theoretically whisk people from Los Angeles to New York in 45 minutes . A Colorado firm is in the early stages of development of such a system . Musk is the serial entrepreneur behind Tesla, the electric car company, and Space X .

(CNN) -- For a little while, it looks like "Up," Pixar's 10th feature-length film, is going to be a downer. In "Up," a curmudgeonly senior citizen, Carl, tries to cope with the enthusiasm of Russell, a young boy. Not that there's anything wrong with an animated film tugging at our tear ducts. But you can sense unease rippling through the younger halves of the family audience when, about five minutes into a spunky prologue, intrepid pre-pubescents Carl and Ellie abruptly morph into newlyweds, and then not-so-newlyweds. They gray and stoop before our eyes, youthful dreams of exploration traded in for the comforts of home and domestic bliss. Ellie wants a baby but can't have one. Their savings for the holiday of a lifetime are eaten up by this rainy day, that domestic disaster, until there's no more lifetime left -- not for Ellie, anyway. That leaves us with Carl, a grumpy homebody voiced by Ed Asner, who makes WALL-E look like a chatterbox. And he's one of the main characters. No, I didn't hear anyone demanding when the dancing penguins were going to show up, but I'll wager someone was thinking it. Watch a preview of "Up" » . Such misgivings are ill-founded. As far as razzmatazz goes, "Up" delivers the goods. Not penguins, precisely, but more than the airborne house promised by the commercials. There's a mythical multicolored bird, which may or may not be a snipe, but which answers to the name of Kevin and exhibits a sweet taste for candy bars. There are zeppelins and old-time explorers and talking dogs -- a whole pack of dogs, in fact. Dogs that serve wine and play cards and fly biplanes. And there's Russell, a chubby Boy Scout -- or "Wilderness Explorer" -- who turns up on Carl's doorstep when he least expects it. After all, Carl wants to be free, and to get there, he launches his house into the sky thanks to thousands of balloons. How was he to know Russell was around? "Up" doesn't always fly high. The dogs' canine high jinks are closer to "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" than we'd expect from Pixar, which tends not to play so fast and loose with the laws of nature for the sake of a few cheap laughs. But if the muttering mutts keep the kids happy, well and good. The movie is on surer ground teasing out the relationship between Carl and Russell, floating well above the Earth. Russell is all wide-eyed innocence and boundless enthusiasm, haplessly helpful. He's the mirror image of the child Carl used to be, if only the old man were capable of recognizing it. But instead of looking around him, Carl is focused on landing that prize home of his in the prime location he mistakes for his ultimate destination (the lost world of Paradise Falls). The image of Carl valiantly dragging his house through jungle and over mountains will strike a chord with anyone holding down a mortgage. iReport.com: Share your review of "Up" Written by Bob Petersen and directed by Petersen and Pete Docter -- both Pixar veterans -- "Up" mixes allegory with adventure and dumb imaginative exuberance. The balance isn't quite as tight as in Pixar's best movies, but the lightness is appealing, and Russell (voiced by Jordan Nagai) is an irresistible character. He's already carrying his own emotional baggage at 8 years old, but he's all heart, the kind to give kids a good name. Screening in 3-D where possible, "Up" doesn't go overboard on stereoscopic gimmickry, but does exploit depth of field in a string of exhilarating cliffhangers and dogfights. Funny and poignant and full of life, "Up" easily qualifies as one of the best movies of the year so far. Go with someone you care about. "Up" is rated PG and runs 96 minutes. For Entertainment Weekly's review, click here.

CNN.com's Tom Charity: "Up" is another winner from Pixar . Film concerns the adventures of an old man and a young boy ... and a talking dog . There are some unlikely moments, but warmth and richness always come through .

Austin, Texas (CNN) -- The former accountant for Andrew Joseph "Joe" Stack III -- who officials say flew his plane into a Texas building housing an Internal Revenue Service office -- says Stack had never threatened him, a spokesman for the accountant said. CPA Bill Ross was mentioned in a 3,000-word message on a Web site registered to Stack, which railed against the government, particularly the IRS. The online message believed to have been written by Stack criticizes accountant Ross for "representing himself and not me." Ross had not heard from Stack since October, when his client "disengaged" services in a letter, spokesman Chad Wilbanks told CNN. According to Ross, Stack had not expressed any threats toward the accountant or the IRS, Wilbanks said. "Mr. Stack contacted my firm to help with his personal taxes in 2008. He failed to provide me with all his income and other information resulting in an IRS audit," Ross said in a written statement Saturday. "Unfortunately, Mr. Stack ignored the audit and my advice which only complicated his situation, at which time our firm disengaged our services with Mr. Stack whom we have not been in contact with since October 2009." Ross did not provide any further details in the statement on his work with Stack. Wilbanks said Ross, who has worked as a CPA for at least 30 years, thinks Stack located him in the phone book. They only met four times and did not have a personal relationship, Wilbanks said. The FBI has taken over the investigation into the crash, and Ross has spoken to investigators, Wilbanks said. While Ross does not fear for his safety, he has "taken precautions," though those steps were not detailed by Wilbanks. The online message, in a hit to the IRS, states, "I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different. "I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well." Read the apparent suicide note (PDF) The seven-story building attacked in northwest Austin held offices for nearly 200 IRS workers. Two people were killed and two others were hospitalized when Stacks crashed his plane into the building Thursday, federal officials said. One of the injured, Shane Hill, announced his release from the hospital Saturday. "I am very grateful to the first responders who were there to assist me, and to those who have cared for me in San Antonio," Hill said in a written statement. "I am so blessed to be home today, and I ask for your courtesy and our privacy as my family and I focus on making a quick and full recovery." Though the remains of two people found in the IRS building have been identified, their identities will not be revealed until after a forensic examination, said Ralph Diaz, special agent in charge of the FBI's San Antonio field office. Watch one of crash victim's sons say he's "still a little shocked" Agents were looking into whether the seats of the plane were removed to accommodate a fuel drum in an effort to cause maximum damage, an official familiar with the investigation said Friday. The official, who could not speak on the record because of the ongoing investigation, said the Piper Cherokee PA-28 had several seats removed and a fuel drum was missing from the airport Stack took off from. The single-engine plane has a fuel tank capacity of 38 gallons and is equipped with four seats, according to the Web site risingup.com. Authorities say Stack also torched his $230,000 home in Austin on Thursday morning before embarking on his fatal flight. Stack's wife, Sheryl Stack, expressed her "sincere sympathy to the victims and their families" in a statement read by family friend Rayford Walker on Friday. Like Ross, friends and former colleagues said they had no inkling of the rage apparently building inside Stack. "He hid that very well," said Billy Eli, in whose band Stack played bass until a few years ago. "Obviously he was in some serious distress and had some real despair. I never saw that." CNN's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report.

CPA met Andrew Joseph "Joe" Stack III only four times, spokesman says . The online message criticized Bill Ross for "representing himself and not me" Ross had not heard from Stack since October, when his client "disengaged" services in a letter . One of the injured, Shane Hill, announced his hospital release Saturday: "I am very grateful"

(CNN) -- The world's oceans are full of trash, causing "tremendous" negative impacts on coastal life and ecology, according to a U.N. report released Monday. The oceans will continue to fill up with junk discarded from cities and boats without urgent action to address this buildup of marine debris, the United Nations Environment Programme says in a report titled "Marine Litter: A Global Challenge." Current efforts to address the problem are not working, and the issue is "far from being solved," the report says. "There is an increasingly urgent need to approach the issue of marine litter through better enforcement of laws and regulations, expanded outreach and educational campaigns, and the employment of strong economic instruments and incentives," the report says. "Although a number of countries have taken steps at the national level to deal with marine litter, the overall situation is not improving." Scientists have been watching trash pile up in the world's oceans for about a half-century, when plastics came into widespread use. Since plastics don't biodegrade, or do so very slowly, the trash tends to remain in the ocean, where circling currents collect the material in several marine "garbage patches." See a map of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch » . One of these trashy areas is said to be roughly the size of Texas. The water in these at-sea landfills is thick like a plastic soup, oceanographers told CNN. The trash patches are located in "very remote parts of the ocean where hardly anyone goes, except the occasional research vessel," said Peter Niiler, a distinguished researcher and oceanographer at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Plastics and cigarette butts are the most common types of ocean litter, with plastic making up about 80 percent of the ocean trash collected in some areas of the world, a U.N. news release says. The ocean litter is a problem for coastal communities, which rely on clean beaches for tourism dollars and to boost quality of life for their residents, the report says. Ocean trash also affects marine life and degrades human health. Sea turtles, for example, think plastic grocery bags are jellyfish when the bags are floating in the ocean. An untold number of the turtles and other creatures, such as Hawaii's endangered monk seal, swallow the bags and suffocate, drown or starve, said Holly Bamford, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's marine debris program. Birds face similar issues when they eat pieces of plastic out of the water. In the North Sea, a survey found 94 percent of fulmars, a type of seabird, had plastics in their stomachs, the U.N. report says. The birds, on average, had about 34 pieces of plastic in their stomachs. A surprising amount of trash that ends up in the ocean starts on the land, the report says. In Australia, for instance, a survey found 80 percent of ocean trash starts on the land. One of the key questions for people interested in ocean trash is how much of it is out there, but Monday's U.N. report does not solve that mystery. The U.N. says little is known about the extent of litter in the oceans, and more data is needed for the problem to be adequately addressed. "This deficiency, in combination with the lack of specific legislation, adequate law enforcement and funding, are the primary reasons why the problem of marine litter is far from being solved," the report says. "Unless effective action is taken, the global marine litter problem will only continue to worsen in the years to come." The report does suggest several solutions, among them: . Volunteer efforts try to address the issue now, and the Ocean Conservancy says it organizes the largest of these. Last year, 400,000 volunteers from more than 100 countries picked up 6.8 million pounds of trash from beaches, preventing it from harming the ocean, said Tom McCann, a spokesman for the group. "It's entirely preventable," he said of the problem. "It's something we can solve ourselves." McCann said people can prevent trash from ending up in the ocean by making smarter choices about the products they buy. Some of the Ocean Conservancy's recommendations include: .

New U.N. report says ocean trash is a "tremendous" problem . Much of the trash is plastic, which goes away very slowly, if ever . Scientists say plastic collects in large "garbage patches" in oceans . One such garbage patch is said to be the size of Texas .

(CNN) -- The astounding discovery that our universe apparently is expanding at an accelerating rate some 14 billion years after the Big Bang has earned three scientists the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Tuesday. The discovery turned the world of physics and astronomy on its head when it was first reported in 1998 by competing teams of scientists, two from the United States and one from Australia. It helped lead scientists to the conclusion that nearly three-fourths of the universe is made up of "dark energy," a mysterious force that seems to be staying gravity's hand in stopping the universe from expanding forever. The nature and role of that force has become what the Nobel organization described as one of the most enigmatic mysteries of modern physics. Half of the Noble award will go to Saul Perlmutter from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley. The other half was awarded to Brian P. Schmidt of Australian National University and Adam G. Riess of Johns Hopkins University and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The prize in physics is worth 10 million Swedish kronor, about $1.44 million. "I am delighted, excited, and deeply honored," Perlmutter said in a written statement. Reiss called the project "an incredibly exciting adventure" in a statement issued by Johns Hopkins University. "I am deeply honored that this work has been recognized." he said. The two teams, working separately, each measured the light coming from a specific kind of exploding star, or supernova, in what began as an effort to confirm expectations that the expansion of the universe was slowing down. Instead, they found that the exploding stars they were using as galactic yardsticks were dimmer than they had expected, indicating that the galaxies containing them were racing away from each other and the rest of the universe at an accelerating rate. The widely celebrated discovery indicated that a mysterious and invisible form of energy is counteracting the force of gravity, pushing matter apart at an ever faster rate. "Today, we know that 74 percent of the universe consists of this dark energy," Riess wrote on his website before the award was announced. "Understanding its nature remains one of the most pressing tasks for physicists and astronomers alike." The discovery means that the universe is likely to continue expanding indefinitely, instead of reaching a steady state or collapsing back in on itself in what some call a "big crunch." "The findings of the 2011 Nobel Laureates in Physics have helped to unveil a universe that to a large extent is unknown to science. And everything is possible again," the academy said in announcing the prize. The Nobel Prize in Physics is the second of six Nobel prizes to be announced this month. Last year, professors Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov from the University of Manchester in England won the physics prize for "groundbreaking" experiments with the two-dimensional material graphene. Since 1901, the committee has handed out the Nobel Prize in Physics 104 times. The youngest recipient was Lawrence Bragg, who won in 1915 at the age of 25. Bragg is not only the youngest physics laureate, he is also the youngest laureate in any Nobel prize area. The oldest physics laureate was Raymond Davis Jr., who was 88 years old when he was awarded the prize in 2002. In the coming days, the committee will announce prizes in chemistry, literature, economics and peace. On Monday, the Nobel committee named Ralph Steinman, a biologist with Rockefeller University, and scientists Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann the winners of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The announcement came three days after Steinman died of pancreatic cancer at age 68. Nobel rules don't allow awards to be given posthumously, but the Nobel Assembly issued a statement after the award was announced saying it interprets the rule to mean that no one can be deliberately given the award after death. Since the group's members did not know of Steinman's death when they made the decision, the award will stand, the assembly said.

NEW: Winners say they are "deeply honored" Saul Perlmutter, Brian P. Schmidt and Adam G. Riess win the Nobel Prize in Physics . They discovered that the universe's expansion is accelerating . The prize is worth about 10 million Swedish kronor, or $1.44 million .

(CNN) -- Who hasn't left a strange airport wondering not just whether you should be in this taxi but whether it even is one -- only to be charmed, amused or unexpectedly edified by the person behind the wheel. Or, it's true, bored to death, humiliated or even ripped off. Now an online booking service called Airporttransfers has released a survey of 2,162 recent British vacationers, asking them to name the meanest, nastiest, take-the-longest-route-and-still-expect-a-tip taxi drivers on the planet. Travel shocker! British tourists consider French cabbies rude . And get outta ze cab! It's the French. But -- and here we perform some fabulously expressive gesticulation whose meaning is "leave my hired vehicle immediately" -- it's also the Italians. That's right: the two European nations have drawn up level at the traffic lights and been judged equally rude. But for every offensive action, there's an equal and opposite reaction -- which brings us to Greece. Some of its taxi drivers, those on the island of Rhodes, were judged among the friendliest on the planet. The news comes on the heels of findings that people on another Greek isle, Ikaria, are among those with the longest life expectancy on Earth. Diet has a lot to do with it, but so, too, does a famously laid-back attitude -- something that might have infected the Rhodes cabbies. But what about those British vacationers? Could it be that their collective offense-taking at the cab driving Jean-Pierres and Patrizias of this world comes from the famous reluctance of the French and Italians to speak English just because the British do? Rides worldwide . To broaden the field a bit, what do non-Brits think of cab drivers worldwide? Asking around our well traveled staff produced some passionate responses. Tokyo cabbies wear suits, white gloves and put doilies and plastic covers on all upholstery. Nice. But they're easily inflamed. "Don't touch the door!" warns one editor. "That's for the driver to operate in your first moment of ultra-impressive service." "Hong Kong taxi drivers can be mean and whiny if you're not going far or stuck in a lucrative traffic jam," says associate producer (and local) Maggie Wong. "And, as second-jobbing small businessmen, they all have multiple mobile phones on the dash, so forget about small talk." World's best taxis . Top storytellers . Next to London's beetle-shaped black cruisers, New York yellow cabs must be the most recognizable in the world. You'd expect New York cabbies to be sassy -- but rude? "Are you rude to them?" parries Payal Dixit, an Upper West Side NYC resident in her early thirties. "I've found that New York cab drivers are some of the best storytellers -- a simple 'hello' can get them going. "Some don't want to be bothered, but most enjoy sharing their adventures, whether it be about celebrity passengers or their lives in a foreign country you dream of visiting." View from the front . Dixit raises a good point. What's the view from the front seat? "You know, 99% of people are as nice as pie," says Steve McNamara, general secretary of the British Licensed Taxi Drivers' Association, himself behind the wheel of a London cab for 30 years. (Another, global survey, it should be said, has consistently rated London's legendary black taxis the best in the world.) "Cab driving restores your faith in humanity. It can be trying when people say, 'I'm staying at the hotel with the green door.' Don't you know there are 8,000 hotels in London? "And you get obnoxious people who've been drinking -- but that's not as common as you might think. "The 1% -- the loonies -- can be right wing, left wing, Christian or Muslim. Drivers always say, put 'em all together in an island in the Atlantic!" Pull up here . We're getting out here. In the comments section, share your stories of being charmed, amused or unexpectedly edified by the person by the wheel. Or bored to death, humiliated or even ripped off.

Study names French world's rudest taxi drivers . All study survey subjects were British . New York cabbies are entertaining storytellers . A London black cab driver tells all .

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A lawsuit filed January 30 by baseball great Roberto Alomar's ex-girlfriend alleges he engaged in unprotected sex with her while suffering from HIV/AIDS. Roberto Alomar's ex-girlfriend says he had unprotected sex with her while infected with HIV. Ilya Dall is asking for $15 million for "personal injuries" suffered due to Alomar's negligence. She and her two children lived with the former New York Mets slugger for three years. She alleges that he started exhibiting signs of HIV as early as 2005, but twice refused recommendations for an HIV test by his doctor, saying that earlier tests for the disease had come back negative, according to court papers. Alomar's lawyer, Charles Bach, was not available for comment, but attorney Luke Pittoni, who also represents Alomar, said, "We believe this is a totally frivolous lawsuit -- these allegations are baseless, he's healthy and he'd like to keep his health status private. We'll do our talking in court." Anthony Piancentini, who is representing Dall, said he has "no comment" at this time. Dall says in court papers that Alomar told her "I don't have HIV." She alleges he "lied and purposefully misrepresented his physical condition" and "that he was endangering the health and well being of [Dall] by continuing to have unprotected sexual relations with [her]," according to the lawsuit. Court papers list several physical ailments that Dall says Alomar exhibited from early 2005 on, including white spots on his mouth and throat, extreme fatigue, back and vision problems, and shingles. In early 2006, Alomar submitted to an HIV test that, according to court papers, confirmed he was HIV positive in February 2006. Dall says she went for an HIV test shortly afterward and the results were negative. The couple visited a disease specialist shortly after Alomar's diagnosis, who found a mass in Alomar's chest and advised the couple that he was suffering from full-blown AIDS, according to the lawsuit. Dall alleges that a few days later, Alomar's skin was turning purple and he was foaming at the mouth; a spinal tap on February 21, 2006, confirmed he had full-blown AIDS, court papers said. Dall claims in the lawsuit that Alomar's negligence caused her severe "emotional distress" over the health of her children. Court papers say that because the couple lived with the children, they may have been exposed to Alomar's saliva or blood in the bathroom, through things like toothbrushes and other items. Dall claims to suffer from "permanent emotional distress" even after repeatedly testing negative for HIV. The lawsuit claims her fear of contracting the disease is known as "AIDS phobia" and that she suffers from permanent post-traumatic stress disorder. Alomar requested Tuesday that the suit be moved to Brooklyn, New York, federal court. It was originally filed in Supreme Court in Queens, New York. An initial conference on the case is expected on April 15 in Brooklyn federal court. Alomar is the son and brother of major leaguers -- father Sandy Alomar was a second baseman with several teams between 1964 and 1978 and brother Sandy Alomar Jr. is a former catcher who played from 1988 to 2007. Roberto Alomar retired in 2004 with a .300 lifetime batting average, 12 All-Star game selections and 10 Gold Gloves. He was the All Star Game MVP in 1998 and played on two Toronto Blue Jays World Series champion teams. Alomar, then playing for the Baltimore Orioles, is also known for an incident in 1996 during a game against the Blue Jays when he spat in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck following a heated argument over a third strike. After the incident, Alomar claimed the umpire uttered a slur to him during the argument.

Ex-girlfriend says he denied having HIV/AIDS, had unprotected sex with her . Woman says Alomar endangered her health by lying to her about disease . Court papers say tests in 2006 showed Alomar had full-blown AIDS . Alomar's representative says claims are part of "frivolous lawsuit"

(CNN) -- Former Democratic Rep. Charles Wilson of Texas, whose support for anti-Soviet forces in Afghanistan inspired the 2007 movie "Charlie Wilson's War," died Wednesday at age 76. The 12-term congressman, who served the state's second congressional district, had been in a meeting Wednesday morning with a friend when he complained of difficulty breathing, said Yana Ogletree, a spokeswoman for Memorial Medical Center in Lufkin. The two men were heading to the hospital when they passed an emergency medical services vehicle on the side of the road and stopped for help, she said. Paramedics took Wilson to the hospital emergency room, where he was pronounced dead, she said. Wilson, who had undergone a heart transplant at Methodist Hospital in Houston in September 2007, moved back to Lufkin when he retired from Congress in 1997 after having served since 1973, she said. "I had the unforgettable experience of knowing Congressman Wilson when I was at CIA and he was working tirelessly on behalf of the Afghan resistance fighting the Soviets," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates in a written statement. "As the world now knows, his efforts and exploits helped repel an invader, liberate a people and bring the Cold War to a close. After the Soviets left, Charlie kept fighting for the Afghan people and warned against abandoning that traumatized country to its fate -- a warning we should have heeded then, and should remember today." "Charlie Wilson led a life that was oversized even by Hollywood's standards," said Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a statement. "Congressman Wilson was fiercely devoted to serving his country and his fellow Texans." "Charlie was a man of courage and conviction who worked hard, loved his country, and lived life to the fullest," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, D-Wisconsin. "We will miss him." Tom Hanks portrayed the flamboyant congressman in the 2007 movie "Charlie Wilson's War," based on the book by George Crile. The book and the film told the story of Wilson's efforts to get weapons to Mujahedeen fighters after Soviets invaded Afghanistan. "Hanks did a great job," Wilson said in 2008. Wilson also praised the other actors. "They were too close to the truth," he said. The U.S. Naval Academy grad and Navy veteran was elected to Congress in 1972 -- a Democrat bucking the national Nixon landslide -- and quickly became known for his high-living escapades, which earned him the nickname "Good Time Charlie," and shrewd accumulation of political chits. His savvy came in handy in the early 1980s, when Wilson, a staunch anti-Communist, decided to help Afghan rebels in their war against the invading Soviet Union. Over several years, working behind the scenes, his efforts to raise funds through his defense subcommittee, to establish a bond with a CIA agent named Gust Avrakotos (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the film) and to negotiate support from Middle Eastern countries helped the Afghans take the upper hand and eventually forced the Soviets out of the country. Asked what led to the Soviet departure, Pakistani leader Gen. Muhammad Zia ul-Haq was blunt: "Charlie did it," he told CBS News' "60 Minutes." Some people criticized the film because it didn't do much to highlight what happened in Afghanistan after the Soviets left: the Taliban's takeover of the country and al Qaeda's use of the nation as a base. Wilson was asked in 2008 about the consequences of helping the Mujahedeen fighters. "I don't think there was a serious blowback," Wilson said. "I think there was the point that [author] George Crile made in the [book's] epilogue, that the Muslims saw that they took down one superpower and then the radical ones thought they could take down another one. But they're wrong." Wilson is survived by his wife, Barbara Alberstadt Wilson, a sister, a niece and a nephew. Funeral arrangements are pending. CNN's Todd Leopold contributed to this report.

Wilson complained of difficulty breathing while in meeting, hospital says . 12-term congressman died at Lufkin, Texas, hospital . 2007 movie depicted his efforts to arm Afghan Mujahedeen . He served Texas' 2nd Congressional District .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Some Democrats appear to be wavering on a highly contentious House resolution labeling Turkey's treatment of Armenians in World War I as genocide. A KC-135 tanker lands at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey in 2003. Turkey, a longtime U.S. ally and NATO partner, was incensed by the resolution calling the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks genocide and threatened to block access to Incirlik Air Base after the resolution passed a House committee vote. The base, in southern Turkey near Syria, is a major resupply center for U.S. operations in Iraq and elsewhere in the Mideast and Asia. The Pentagon is preparing to set up new supply routes for troops in Iraq if Turkey cuts off U.S. access to the strategically important Incirlik, military officials said Tuesday. Ankara acknowledges the killings of Armenians during World War I but vehemently objects to the "genocide" label. The House Foreign Affairs Committee last week adopted the nonbinding resolution. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would bring the measure to a vote of the full House sometime next month. But the Bush administration urged Congress to drop the issue, and some leading Democrats urged Pelosi not to bring it to the floor. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer signaled Tuesday that the vote might be put off. "I said I thought we would bring this up prior to us leaving here," said Hoyer of Maryland. "I have not changed on that, although I would be less than candid to say that there are a number of people who are revisiting their own positions. We will have to determine where everybody is." Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, announced his opposition to the resolution last week. And Democratic Reps. Alcee Hastings of Florida and John Tanner of Tennessee, both members of the U.S. House delegation to NATO, urged Pelosi to reconsider in a letter released Tuesday. "More than half of the cargo flown into Iraq and Afghanistan comes through Incirlik Air Base, and this base would be a key component of any plans for redeployment of our troops in the future," they wrote. Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Pentagon planners are looking at "a broad range of options" to keep food, fuel and ammunition flowing to U.S. troops in Iraq if Turkey blocks Incirlik. "We're confident that we'll find ways to do that," Ham told reporters at the Pentagon. "There's likely to be some increased cost and some other implications for that, and obviously we'd prefer to maintain the access that we have." Defense Secretary Robert Gates echoed lawmakers' concerns last week. "About 70 percent of all air cargo going into Iraq goes through Turkey. ... About a third of the fuel that they consume goes through Turkey or comes from Turkey," Gates said. He also said that 95 percent of the Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protective vehicles, or MRAPs, being deployed in Iraq are flown through Turkey. The vehicles are built to withstand roadside bombs. See Incirlik's key location » . The U.S. military issued a "warning order" a few days ago to ensure that alternative air crews, planes, fuel and routes are lined up if Turkey stops or restricts U.S. access to Incirlik, a source said. Jordan and Kuwait are among the alternatives the United States is considering. Some fear pursuit of the resolution would also embolden the Turks to attack Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq which could further complicate Iraqi stability, U.S. officials said. Incirlik offers 10,000- and 9,000-foot runways and 57 hardened aircraft shelters, according Globalsecurity.org, a source of background information about military issues. Globalsecurity said Incirlik has become a hub for cargo shipments to Iraq, taking over for Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany because it is closer to Iraq, reducing the strain on troops and aircraft. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Barbara Starr and Deirdre Walsh contributed to this report.

NEW: Majority Leader says a number of Dems are "revisiting their own positions" Turkey is upset about World War I "genocide" resolution in Congress . House resolution calls killing of Armenians "genocide" Incirlik Air Base is key point for U.S. military supply of Iraq mission .

(CNN) -- Tourists arriving in Bangkok may expect to see troops guarding key buildings and intersections, while masked vigilante protesters patrol their own roadblocks built from sandbags, barbed wire, rubber tires and debris. Bangkok's political violence has been escalating, and at least 21 people have died since anti-government protests began in November. Some of the capital's popular tourist areas -- including upmarket Sukhumvit Road where hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other facilities remain open for business -- are now ground zero for the loud and crowded protests. They have blockaded some sections of Sukhumvit Road, and are also camping in nearby Lumpini Park, plus other sites. At night, gunfire and grenades echo in some central areas of Bangkok, making it unwise to stay out too late or go to places where protesters gather. Seasoned travelers should be able to figure out where and when not to go, and can follow Twitter feeds about the security situation on #Thailand and #BKKShutdown, plus many countries' online travel advisories. Dozens of countries issued travel warnings in recent weeks about Thailand, including the U.S. State Department. "Although many protest activities have been peaceful, violent incidents involving guns and explosive devices have occurred at or near protest sites. Some have resulted in injury or death," advised the latest U.S. State Department warning, updated on Feb. 14. "In Bangkok, protests have been mobile throughout the city, with large numbers of demonstrators at times swelling quickly and closing major roads and intersections," it said. What to expect . Travelers visiting a chaotic developing country for the first time may feel nervous when their taxi is stopped by angry masked men who might not get on well with the driver, because many taxi drivers are perceived to be against the protesters. International backpackers usually stay in Bangkok's older neighborhoods in and around Khao San Road, which has experienced unrest but is generally sheltered. In fact, most of Bangkok is safe. But it could be dangerous to voice any opinion about Bangkok's protests to Thais who visitors are not personally acquainted with. Emotions are so high that many families are now divided because of the political polarization. Tourism dipping . Bangkok's two airports, serving international and domestic airlines, are open. No foreign tourists are known to have been injured in any clashes. However, some foreigners have expressed fear after encountering tough protesters barking orders or assaulting other Thais near rally sites. The government's Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) tries to paint a pretty picture of the country's gorgeous beaches and upcountry destinations, which some travelers agree are the best places to visit now. Many tourists are flying into Thailand but not to Bangkok, and instead choose international and domestic airports in Phuket, Chiang Mai and elsewhere either by direct flights from foreign countries or changing planes in Bangkok. "Many tour groups from Asian countries such as China, Japan, Hong Kong and Vietnam do not want to come to Thailand," said TAT Governor Thawatchai Arunyik, according to the Bangkok Post. "We estimate that we will lose up to 900,000 visitors during the first half of this year," Mr. Thawatchai said. Security concerns and delays . Avril Lavigne played in Bangkok on Feb. 11 without problems, but Eric Clapton canceled his upcoming March 2 performance due to security concerns. Travelers who are injured or have serious health problems may experience frustration as protesters' blockades have delayed people trying to get to hospitals for emergency medical care. Thai government offices are also unable to quickly function because several ministries and other official buildings are under siege and locked by protesters, who forced officials to flee. Thai re-entry visas and extensions take more time to receive. The government however set up alternative offices in shopping malls, sports stadiums, convention centers and elsewhere to handle many of its bureaucratic backlogs. Visitors should not wear solid red-colored clothes, or buy the T-shirts now on sale in Bangkok which say "Popcorn Army" -- the two most inflammatory images identifying each side. Richard S. Ehrlich is a writer and journalist based in Bangkok.

Bangkok and parts of nearby prefectures remain under state of emergency following protests, violence . Tourists to Bangkok should remain on high alert . Bangkok's two airports remain open . No foreign tourists have been injured in any clashes .

(CNN) -- It may not be fair, but it's not illegal -- not in Iowa. Melissa Nelson, a worker fired for being "irresistible" to her boss, spoke out Saturday about a high court decision that said her termination broke no discrimination law. "The last couple of days have just been an emotional roller coaster. I'm trying to stay strong. It's tough," she told CNN's Don Lemon. "I don't think it's fair. I don't think it's right." Nelson spoke one day after the all-male Iowa Supreme Court ruled on her case. The high court sided with a lower court, ruling that Nelson's termination did not constitute sex discrimination under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Iowa Supreme Court: OK to fire 'irresistible' worker . She was not fired because of her gender, the court decided, but because her boss and his wife felt Nelson was a threat to their marriage. Nelson was hired in 1999 as a dental assistant for James Knight. She stayed on at the Fort Dodge business for more than 10 years. "The court got it absolutely right," said Stuart Cochrane, Knight's attorney. He said that for the Iowa Supreme Court to have acted otherwise, it would have had to "ignore every other case we could find" with similar facts. At first blush, he said, the result might sound bizarre. But Cochrane stressed that if all the facts of the case were known, the court's decision would seem more fair. "He and his wife really agonized about it," Cochrane said about Knight. "He didn't want to terminate her." According to the high court's decision, Knight complained to Nelson toward the end of her employment that her clothes were tight and "distracting." Cochrane said Knight asked her repeatedly to dress differently. Nelson denied that what she wore was out of place, and when asked by CNN's Lemon whether she dressed appropriately at work, she said she wore scrubs. At one point, Knight told Nelson that "if she saw his pants bulging, she would know her clothing was too revealing," the decision read. Read the court's decision (PDF) At another point, in response to an alleged comment Nelson made about the infrequency of her sex life, Knight responded: [T]hat's like having a Lamborghini in the garage and never driving it." Nelson and Knight, both married with children, also exchanged text messages to each other outside of work. Neither objected to the texting. But Knight's wife, who was employed at the same dental office, found out about those messages in late 2009 and demanded he fire Nelson. In early 2010, he did just that. In the presence of a pastor, Knight told Nelson that she had become a "detriment" to his family and for the sakes of both their families, they should no longer work together. Knight gave Nelson one month's severance. In a subsequent conversation between Knight and Nelson's husband, Knight said Nelson had done nothing wrong and that "she was the best dental assistant he ever had," the decision read. Nelson filed a lawsuit, arguing that Knight fired her because of her gender. She did not contend that he committed sexual harassment. In response, Knight argued that Nelson was fired because of the "nature of their relationship and the perceived threat" to his marriage, not because of her gender. In fact, he said, Knight only employs women and replaced Nelson with another female worker. A district court sided with Knight; Nelson appealed. Framing the issue for the Iowa Supreme Court, Justice Edward M. Mansfield wrote: "The question we must answer is ... whether an employee who has not engaged in flirtatious conduct may be lawfully terminated simply because the boss views the employee as an irresistible attraction." Answering the question, he continued: "The issue before us is not whether a jury could find that Dr. Knight treated Nelson badly. We are asked to decide only if a genuine fact issue exists as to whether Dr. Knight engaged in unlawful gender discrimination when he fired Nelson at the request of his wife. For the reasons previously discussed, we believe this conduct did not amount to unlawful discrimination, and therefore we affirm the judgment of the district court." Photos: 15 Supreme Court cases that changed America .

Melissa Nelson worked as a dental assistant for James Knight for more than 10 years . The Iowa Supreme Court rules the dentist acted legally when he let her go . Nelson was fired because Knight and his wife felt she was a threat to their marriage . "The court got it absolutely right," says Knight's attorney .

(CNN)Thanks to the resilience of U.S. workers and businesses of all sizes, "Made in America" is making a comeback. According to data released last week by the Department of Commerce, American businesses exported $2.35 trillion in goods and services in 2014, hitting a record high for the fifth straight year. The United States sold more to our 20 free trade partners than ever before and logged record exports to more than 50 overseas markets. This is good news all around -- for our economy, workers and wages. After all, U.S. exports have been one of the primary drivers of America's economic resurgence, contributing one-third of our economic growth since 2009 and supporting 11.3 million jobs in 2013. With those jobs paying up to 18% more, on average, than jobs not related to exports, trade promotion has an important role to play in boosting the incomes of middle class Americans. Yet America's recovery remains incomplete, and unfair foreign practices are threatening our progress. Today, many of our workers are competing against counterparts in countries that lack basic labor rights. Meanwhile, some foreign governments are further skewing the playing field by providing subsidies and encouraging competition without concern for the environment. At stake is not merely America's status as a place that makes real things, but more fundamentally, the strength of our middle class and the sanctity of our values. When worker rights aren't respected abroad, the human toll is measured both in American jobs and in a deficit of dignity for workers around the world. Likewise, the absence of environmental protections beyond our borders puts workers and businesses at a competitive disadvantage here at home while jeopardizing the health of our waters, wildlife, air and other treasures that span national boundaries. In the face of these challenges, trade agreements are among our best tools for defending American interests and values. Just look at the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an agreement that the United States is negotiating with 11 other countries in the Asia-Pacific and which includes nearly 40% of the global economy. If agreement can be reached, the deal would grow U.S. exports by more than $120 billion a year, one study estimates, and support more well-paying jobs. Most importantly, the TPP will allow the United States to level the playing field for our workers and businesses in the world's fastest-growing region. At present, American autoworkers are handicapped by tariffs that can reach 30% in rapidly growing markets such as Malaysia. For their part, American farmers are forced to contend with tariffs as high as 40% on poultry in Vietnam. In these industries and others, TPP will eliminate or significantly reduce barriers to U.S. exports. Additionally, TPP will contain the toughest environmental and labor protections of any trade agreement in history, including the first provisions to combat the trade in illegal wildlife and the products of illegal fishing, among other advances. The benefits of TPP are clear, while the alternative to leading on trade is alarming. In recent years, countries in the Asia-Pacific have struck over 200 trade agreements, while U.S. companies and workers have largely missed out. China has been extremely active, and we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. While passing TPP will start a race to the top, ceding leadership to others could result in a race to the bottom. Not leading on trade would undercut our capacity to safeguard labor rights, environmental protections, a free and open Internet, a level playing field between state-owned companies and our private businesses, and a host of provisions which unite America's interests and values. Getting this done will require unity of effort. In calling for bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority, President Barack Obama has invited Congress to assert its role on trade and provide guidance to the executive branch, including on issues that have emerged since that authority was last updated in 2002, such as the role of state-owned companies and the digital economy. As the President said during his State of the Union address, 95% of the world's customers live outside the United States. No savvy entrepreneur would leave that much of the market untapped. Passing a bipartisan trade promotion bill is an important step toward opening those markets, unlocking opportunity for all Americans and advancing the first trade agenda that's as progressive as it is pro-growth.

American businesses exported $2.35 trillion in goods and services in 2014 . Penny Pritzker and Mike Froman: Unfair foreign practices threaten U.S. progress .

Ansan, South Korea (CNN) -- Kang Min Kyu, 52, taught ethics. Kang, who was vice principal at Ansan's Danwon High School, was rescued from the sinking Sewol ferry. Just two days after the accident, he was found dead after apparently hanging himself using a belt from a tree in the city of Jindo. In a note, he expressed regret he had survived while so many others had died. On a chilly Monday, around 4:30 a.m., Kang's coffin was led out of a funeral hall in a long, black hearse. It was too early for any sunlight. There were no pallbearers carrying the coffin -- only a quick walking procession of his family members and what appeared to be about a hundred others dressed in black following the car through the parking lot. No one spoke. His family members -- one son, two daughters and his wife dressed in all-black traditional Korean wear followed the hearse. When they reached the end of the parking lot of the funeral home, they got into the car. The whole walk took less than five minutes before the mourners got in and drove in a line of cars headed to the crematorium. Kang's body had been found Friday in one of the small mountains near the Jindo Gymnasium where bereaved families are taking shelter, according to local police. He had gone to Jindo with the school in an effort to support families, said one fellow educator. "As the one in charge of the safety of the students, he was suffering from guilty feelings," another teacher had told Korean media. When some familes directed their anger at him, he became "brokenhearted." Over 300 students from the school and their teachers were aboard the ferry. Some are confirmed dead and and hope is dwindling that any more survivors will be found. 174 were rescued. Hundreds remain missing. Police have confirmed the contents of a note, which Kang left behind. He wrote that it was his idea for the field trip and that the deaths of the students were his fault. He said he could not live not knowing where his students are. He also wrote that he wonders whether he could still be their teacher on the other side, in death. Families protest over rescue operation . The note also expressed a request to be cremated and his ashes scattered where the Sewol had sank. In Korean funerals, there are no ceremonies or eulogies -- they are a quiet, private affair. People who wish to say farewell visit a funeral room and pay their respects to the deceased one's family. The family members receive guests for about three days. During this period, several students from the high school came to the funeral home to pay their respects to Kang's family. Dressed in their school uniforms, they bowed to the family. Outside the funeral hall, some of them spoke about Kang. "He was an ethics teacher," said freshman Choi Yoo Jung. "I wonder if that's why it was hard for him. He was such a good person. He really liked students a lot." Another student, Kim Hyun Soo, also a freshman, said she felt it was too harsh for Kang to be blamed for what happened on the ferry. "The vice principal really liked students," she said. "It seems like he was really hard on himself. I don't think anyone should be blaming him." His death elicited sorry and sympathy across South Korea. Messages of sympathy and grief have been outpouring on social media. "Teacher Kang Min Kyu, please rest in peace. Praying for the soul of the departed," tweeted @minifi_0309. "We are so sorry..." tweeted Kim Min Hyuk, a senior at the high school, who tweeted the name of the vice principal along with the names of other dead teachers from the ferry tragedy. Judging from the volume of flowers sent to his funeral room -- from ROTC, his high school classmates, his previous schools where he taught -- it appeared the educator for over 20 years was a well-respected one. The day before the funeral procession, his family declined to be interviewed. The hearse carrying his coffin traveled a few miles east and pulled into Danwon High School, circling the campus for one last time -- signifying Kang's last visit to his school.

Kang Min Kyu, 52, was vice principal at Danwon High School . Initially rescued from the sinking ferry, he was found dead two days later . In a suicide note, he expressed regret he survived while others died .

(CNN) -- The Pentagon is fighting a push to award the Purple Heart to victims of the 2009 massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, fearing it could hurt the case against the Army officer charged with turning on his comrades. "If you deal with the perpetrator of these crimes, he was a terrorist, essentially," one of the bill's co-sponsors, Texas Republican Rep. Bill Flores, told CNN affiliate KXXV. "We ought to treat these military men and women that were hurt like they were in a battlefield theater." Maj. Nidal Hasan is awaiting a court-martial on charges that he gunned down 13 people and wounded 32 at Fort Hood, the country's largest Army post. Testimony is set to begin on July 1. But in a position paper obtained by CNN, the Defense Department argues that awarding the Purple Heart to the Fort Hood victims would make it harder to convict Hasan in the death-penalty case and "deprive the victims of these crimes the right to see justice done." "Defense counsel will argue that Major Hasan cannot receive a fair trial because a branch of government has indirectly declared that Major Hasan is a terrorist -- that he is criminally culpable," the document states. That could lead to a delay of the case or the reversal of a guilty verdict on appeal, it continued. "This laudable sentiment mistakenly and unwillingly supplants the criminal trial process by infusing official, formal statutory conclusions about the motive, intent and culpability of the man charged with the crime," the memo reads. Prosecutors aim to show that the Hasan, an American citizen of Palestinian descent, was a radical Islamist. Witnesses reported that Hasan opened fire with two pistols, yelling "Allahu akbar" -- Arabic for "God is great" -- as he shot troops preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. Investigations have found that he had been communicating via e-mail with radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by a U.S. drone attack in 2011. Hasan had been scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan before the killings but had been telling his family since 2001 that he wanted to get out of the military. The bill has the support of former House Speaker and GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, who dismissed the Defense Department's concerns about a fair trial in an interview on CNN's The Situation Room. "Does anybody doubt he was in the room? Does anyone doubt he yelled 'Allahu akbar?' Does anyone doubt he shot all those people?" Gingrich asked. "We have a lawyer-driven system that is sick." Gingrich said the military has "bent over backwards" to avoid declaring the killings an act of terrorism. By comparison, he said, German spies caught during World War II were tried and executed "in a matter of weeks." "There is no question this man is guilty. None. Zero," he said. Pentagon spokesman George Little declined to comment Monday, citing the pending case. But a congressional source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the legal concerns, called the military's position "dead wrong." "If they stand by this, they should ask for all the Pentagon's 9/11 award recipients to give their medals back," the source said. "They're not gonna do that, though." The Pentagon document notes that victims of an international terrorist attack are eligible for the Purple Heart. But expanding that to include domestic crimes or terrorism, it asserts, "would be a dramatic departure from the traditional Purple Heart award criteria." "Ultimately, such an unprecedented action would thwart the real and lasting measure that will bring closure to the grieving and harmed victims and families -- the trial itself," the position paper states. However, the bill Flores co-sponsored states that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee branded the Fort Hood killings a "terrorist attack" in a 2011 report. "It basically just says if you were shot at Fort Hood that day or you were shot in Afghanistan, you're treated exactly the same," Flores said.

NEW: "There is no question this man is guilty," Gingrich says . Lawmakers want to make Fort Hood victims eligible for the Purple Heart . The Pentagon says the "laudable sentiment" could hamper the trial of Maj. Nidal Hasan . A congressional source calls the military's position "dead wrong"

(CNN) -- Oil coming ashore on the Gulf Coast has tourists keeping a close eye on conditions. States and visitors bureaus are working hard to keep the public updated and reassure beach-bound travelers. Most of Florida's beaches have not been affected by the oil disaster, according to Visit Florida, the state's tourism corporation. "There have been no reports of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill-related oil products reaching the shore beyond the Northwest Florida region," Visit Florida's website said. The state has not closed any beaches. "Florida's 825 miles of beaches, 1,260 miles of coastline and 14 seaports, including cruise ships, remain open for business," the site said. iReport: Track the oil disaster . Here are some of the latest updates from destinations affected by the oil disaster: . Northwest Florida . The Emerald Coast area, which includes Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island, is urging travelers to visit. "Our white-sand beaches remain open and our emerald-green waters remain clear. In addition, offshore fishing is still going strong, with captains simply taking a more easterly course and reporting great success out on the water," the Emerald Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau's website said. Destin Mayor Sarah "Sam" Seevers told CNN a few, small tar balls came ashore this week but added that spotting occasional tar balls on the beach there is not unusual. "We may go five years and not see any tar balls, and then we'll see a few. That's just a way of life on the Gulf of Mexico, Seevers said. The water at Pensacola Beach is open for swimming and fishing, according to the Pensacola Bay Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Gulf Islands National Seashore . The National Park Service reported heavier oiling at Perdido Key earlier in the week. The area is part of the Florida portion of Gulf Islands National Seashore. All of the Gulf Islands National Seashore sites, which are located in Florida and Mississippi, are open, the park service's website said. A health advisory has been issued for beaches stretching from the Florida-Alabama line to the entrance of Johnson Beach on Perdido Key, the Pensacola Bay Area visitors bureau said. Swimming and fishing in the affected waters are not advised. More than 140 people participated in cleanup on Perdido Key, according to the park service. Undetonated military ordinance was found onshore during the cleanup, the service's website said. A naval explosives disposal team reportedly detonated the shell. Crews of 40 participated in cleanup of light oiling at Fort Pickens and Navarre Beach, the park service's site said. The visitors bureau urges beachgoers to take precautions. "According to [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], tar balls do not pose a health risk to the average person, but visitors are advised not to pick them up." Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama . BP has purchased 10 additional beach-raking machines for more efficient cleanup at the urging of officials in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau website said. The Alabama Department of Public Health has extended an advisory against swimming in waters off Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan or in bay waters close to Fort Morgan, Bayou St. John, Terry Cove, Cotton Bayou or Old River. The beaches remain open. Perdido Pass, the main water access point to the town of Orange Beach, is closed to recreational boats for incoming tides. Boats may navigate the pass during outgoing tides, the visitors bureau site said. The pier at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores is closed to fishing but open for sightseeing, according to the visitors bureau. Grand Isle, Louisiana . Oil is affecting more than 45 miles of Louisiana coast, according to a state emergency website, although most of the coast is unaffected. iReport from Grand Terre Island, Louisiana . "The primary affected area is from the mouth of the Mississippi River extending east. Over 75 percent of Louisiana's coastal waters extend westward from the mouth of the Mississippi River," according to the Cajun Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau website. Grand Isle has closed its public beach, the site said. iReport from Grand Isle .

Health officials have issued an advisory against swimming in Alabama Gulf waters . Visitors advised not to swim in waters from Florida-Alabama line to Perdido Key . Pensacola Beach, Florida, waters open for swimming and fishing .