Datasets:

girrajjangid

/

mini-platypus

like 0

(CNN) -- Black voters allowed themselves to be used by Sen. Thad Cochran to win the Republican primary runoff for Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat. Cochran beat state Sen. Chris McDaniel by targeting black Democrats and getting them to vote for him in a tight race. It was a brilliant political strategy in a state that allows open primaries, where voters can cross party lines to vote. It also showed blacks -- and the Republican Party that ignores them -- that black voters can wield political influence. Cochran won the runoff by a little over 6,000 votes. The runoff was triggered because no candidate garnered 50% of the vote in the first primary, which Cochran lost to McDaniel by some 1,000 votes. But make no mistake, Cochran appealed to black Democratic voters out of desperation. When was the last time we heard Cochran reaching out to ask for the black vote in the last six terms he's served as senator? Cochran's campaign suggested McDaniel was a tea party radical. The tea party has become code for "racist" among many black Americans, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Black Democratic voters allowed themselves to be exploited by Cochran's boogeyman -- the tea party nonsense -- without looking into the policies and records of each candidate. McDaniel was a conservative candidate opposed to illegal immigration, which harms black Americans. The black unemployment rate has been higher than the national average for the past five years and blacks often compete for the same jobs as undocumented workers. Refusing to concede the election, McDaniel and other conservatives said Cochran played dirty politics by reaching out to black Democrats to win. It's true these same voters will likely vote for the Democratic nominee in the fall. But I suspect McDaniel is just angry he didn't think of the idea first. It was distasteful to see conservatives like Laura Ingraham accuse Cochran of race-baiting because he decided to ask black Democrats to vote for him. How is asking blacks to cast a vote for you race-baiting? While I don't agree with how Cochran won and wish blacks were more informed about their vote, Cochran bothered to ask blacks to vote for him, something that apparently makes some Republicans cringe. Even the Democrat-dominated Congressional Black Caucus has now applauded his use of blacks to win. Go figure. Many blacks would say the Republican Party only works in earnest for the white vote. Presidential nominee Mitt Romney did a good job of winning the majority of the white vote (60%) in 2012, but he lost the election because he ignored the minority and woman voters -- that is, he hardly bothered to ask for their votes. This Mississippi primary race is a harbinger of what can happen to the GOP in future national elections if Republicans continue to ignore the black vote. They will lose. Instead of allowing themselves to vote solely based on misleading headlines and misinformation, blacks need to be voting based upon candidates' positions on issues and how they affect them. Come November, I doubt Cochran will really care about earning the black vote and taking the Republican message of equal opportunity and economic empowerment to blacks. Blacks just believed the hype about McDaniel being a racist and didn't dig any deeper. Cochran will run in the general election ignoring black voters, just as the GOP has done for the past 40 years. This isn't a watershed moment. It's another example of blacks throwing away their political influence -- as they have on the Democratic Party since 1964 -- and getting nothing in return. Cochran demonstrates what many black conservatives already know: GOP candidates will only reach out to black voters, kicking and screaming, as a last resort to win. This isn't the path to future Republican victories in truly competitive national races in a country where census data show the white population declining while minorities are growing. The big takeaway from the Cochran win is that Republicans had better get serious. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.

Crystal Wright looks at how black voters in Mississippi were used to win the Senate primary . Thad Cochran appealed to black Democratic voters out of desperation, she argues . The Democrat-dominated Congressional Black Caucus applauds his use of blacks . Cochran's victory wasn't a watershed moment and didn't mean what many think, she says .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama's January 17 train trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington is intended to make the inauguration the most open and accessible in history. President-elect Barack Obama's train ride from Philadelphia to Washington will pose myriad security risks. But it is also presenting the U.S. Secret Service with security problems. Miles and miles and miles of them. In addition to the well-publicized "whistle stops" in Philadelphia; Wilmington, Delaware; and Baltimore, Maryland, the Presidential Inauguration Committee says the public will have the opportunity to view the train at other locations along its 137-mile route. But the committee has not indicated where those sites will be, and the Secret Service has yet to release what security restrictions will be in place. Security experts say the train ride presents traditional threats to the VIPs on board, as well as countless buildings, homes and warehouses along the route. And there are non-traditional vulnerabilities: scores of bridges and tunnels that could be sabotaged. And, two environmental groups have warned, terrorists could take a page from al Qaeda's playbook, using existing infrastructure, in this case chemical plants along the route, as an attack method. In a letter to the Secret Service, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth wrote that they were worried that security efforts focused on the Obama entourage "might not extend to the larger community which may suffer serious consequences in case of even one moderately successful terrorist release of ultrahazardous chemicals." "We will be urging Mr. Obama and [Vice President-elect Joe] Biden to re-consider" plans to travel by train, the groups wrote. In response, Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren told the groups, "Please be assured, the U.S. Secret Service is working closely with federal, state and local agencies to maintain a safe and secure environment for all of our protectees." Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, whose department includes the Secret Service, said he is confident of the agency's abilities to protect the president-elect. "Remember, the Secret Service has taken the president to Iraq and to Afghanistan, to some very hostile places around the world. I'm comfortable that we have the skills, working of course with state and local authorities, to protect the president-elect in Pennsylvania and Baltimore and Washington, D.C.," Chertoff said. Chertoff said he is aware of the environmental groups' concerns. "I suspect it's being done, frankly, largely as a public relations ploy," he said. "I don't think there's any particular threat from chemical plants along the train route." iReport.com: Send your photos from the train stops . A former Secret Service agent said the agency has had experience with presidential train trips and said authorities typically install chemical, biological and radiological detectors along the route. Amtrak and the Secret Service will not say whether Obama's train car will be armored, though experts say special cars have been used in the past. "Security will be provided in the air, on the ground and in the water," said Amtrak Police Department Chief John O'Connor. "It's a daunting challenge, but there are many, many police departments that are working together to make this happen." Once the train reaches its final destination, the presidential inauguration itself will offer an attractive target for terrorists because of "the historic significance of the nation's first minority president," a U.S. intelligence assessment said. The report hastened to add that no specific threat has been detected thus far. The document says the swearing-in of the first minority president "increases the potential threat, particularly stemming from individuals on the extremist fringe of the white supremacist movement." But it adds that no such groups are known to have threatened the inauguration so far. The report further noted that "lone offenders" not connected to organized groups pose the greatest potential threat because such offenders are often the most difficult to detect. The document says there have been some reports of lone offenders making threats but no indication that any of the potential threats "have progressed past rhetoric to operational planning." CNN's Carol Cratty contributed to this report.

Security experts say trip poses threats to buildings, bridges, tunnels along route . Environmental groups say terrorists could use chemical plants along route in attack . Former Secret Service agent says chemical detectors could be installed along route . At inauguration, lone offenders pose greatest risk because of difficulty detecting them .

(CNN)As Japan mourns following the apparent beheading of its journalist by ISIS, thousands of miles away, an anxious Jordan awaits the fate of its pilot. Japanese journalist Kenji Goto went to Syria to tell the stories of lives torn apart by war. He apparently became the latest foreigner killed by ISIS after a video distributed Saturday appears to show his beheaded body. A week earlier, another video had shown Goto holding a photo of what appeared to be the corpse of his fellow Japanese captive, Haruna Yukawa, apparently beheaded by ISIS militants as well. Jordan and Japan got caught in the militants' bloody crosshairs last month, when ISIS threatened to kill the two Japanese hostages unless Japan's government paid a ransom of $200 million. Japan balked. The militants revised their offer: Jordan should release female suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi. Jordan countered with an offer demanding the release of Muath al-Kassasbeh, a Jordanian military pilot captured in Syria, in exchange for the suicide bomber. The militants have not said if that's a consideration. ISIS said it would kill him if Jordan didn't release al-Rishawi, a convicted terrorist. Despite the counteroffers, the pilot's fate remains unclear, and Jordan says repeated demands for the militants to prove the pilot is still alive have not yielded any results. ISIS militants seized al-Kassasbeh was after his jet crashed in Syria in December. The 27-year-old holds the rank of lieutenant. Militants say they captured him after he ejected from his crashing F-16 during U.S.-led coalition airstrikes near ISIS' de facto capital, Raqqa. Jordan's role in the coalition is not popular in the nation, adding to the pressure for authorities to secure his release. World leaders condemned ISIS over the weekend as news of the latest apparent beheading spread. "We are deeply saddened by this despicable and horrendous act of terrorism, and we denounce it in the strongest terms," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. "To the terrorists, we will never, never forgive them for this act." President Barack Obama described it as a "barbaric act" and said the United States stands in solidarity with Japan. Unlike the United States, Britain and other allies, Japan is not involved in the military campaign against ISIS. But Japan has been providing humanitarian aid in the Middle East as ISIS continues its bloody quest to solidify an Islamic state across parts of Iraq and Syria. And Japan said its efforts to provide humanitarian aid won't stop. "We would like to expand our support for refugees," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said. "We are surely going to have necessary support in terms of not yielding to terrorism." Goto, 47, left Japan last fall, when his younger daughter was 3 weeks old. His wife, Rinko, first heard from his captors on December 2. On January 20, an ISIS video posted to social media showed Goto and Yukawa dressed in orange, kneeling in front of a masked man dressed in black. In that video, the ISIS militant issued a $200 million ransom demand to Japan in order to free the two men within 72 hours. That's the same amount of money Abe recently pledged for those "contending" with ISIS. Days later, a new message surfaced featuring what appeared to be the corpse of Yukawa. And Goto would also be killed, the new message claimed, unless Jordan freed al-Rishawi. The militants carried out their threat Saturday. Days after the video was released, an outraged Japan is mourning the two men whose deaths will plunge it deeper into the global fight against ISIS. The pilot's fate, on the other hand, remains unclear. He was not mentioned in the latest video showing Goto's apparent beheading. Jordan will continue trying to secure his release, government spokesman Mohammed Al-Momani told the Petra news agency. Until then, the wait continues. Two nations, forever linked by the fate of their sons. CNN's Holly Yan and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.

Jordan says it is still trying to free a pilot held captive by ISIS . Repeated demands for ISIS to prove the pilot is still alive have not yielded any results .

London (CNN) -- The president of Rwanda on Thursday denied as "absurd" reports that Tutsis entered the Democratic Republic of Congo over the course of 10 years and massacred Hutu refugees there. "If it happened, if it ever happened, that would be a problem," President Paul Kagame told Becky Anderson on CNNI's "Connect the World." "But, as far as I'm concerned -- and as I know, and as many Rwandans know -- that it did not happen," he said. But a draft U.N. report is the latest to allege that the Rwandan military and an allied rebel group massacred ethnic Hutu in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1993 and 2003. More than 1 million Rwandans -- most of them Hutu -- fled west to neighboring Congo after the Rwandan genocide of 1994, in which an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed by extremist Hutu militia in a wave of ethnic cleansing. In 1996, Rwanda invaded Congo in pursuit of the genocide orchestrators. Rwanda's stated goal during that time was to end the refugee crisis in eastern Congo. But the U.N. draft report says that the Rwandan military did not discriminate between fugitives and refugees, nor did it discriminate by age or gender. "The majority of the victims were children, women, elderly people and the sick, who posed no threat to the attacking forces," it says. "Tens of thousands of Hutu civilians were slaughtered with knives, bludgeoned with hammers and burned alive as the Rwandan army and the Allied Democratic Liberation Forces swept across Congo -- then called Zaire -- leading . to the toppling of dictator Mobutu Sese Seko," the draft report says. "The numerous attacks against the Hutus in Zaire, who were not part of the refugees, seem to confirm that it was all Hutus, as such," it says. Although independent researchers have documented crimes against humanity committed by the Rwandan government, the draft report is the most official and forthcoming accusation made so far. The draft report, which was leaked late last month, was commissioned by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. The United Nations has said the final report will be made public next month. Kagame has rejected the draft's findings and threatened to pull Rwanda's peacekeeping forces out of Darfur in southern Sudan if the report is published unchanged. Last week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Kigali in an attempt to mollify Kagame and keep him from carrying out his threat. Such accusations against Rwanda are motivated by people attempting to "create an equivalence," Kagame said. "They have been trying to say ... there are two genocides: There is one genocide of Tutsis and there is another genocide of Hutus." He added, "This is nonsense; this is absurd." Asked if the United Nations was wrong in its conclusion, he said, "The U.N. has always been wrong on the issue of Rwanda, not only in terms of statements, but in terms of actions they carried out or did not carry out when they were in Rwanda and the genocide took place." He added, "They should just keep quiet." But he did not deny that deaths occurred. "Certainly, there are -- there is death when there is war, when there is a conflict." The bottom line, he said, is that Rwanda is currently at peace, and the conflict is no longer an issue. "We have overcome the past, the tragedy, the different problems," he said. "We are moving on." Kagame, who recently won a second seven-year term as president, said he will not seek a third term. "This is my last term," he said, vowing to observe constitutional term limits that would bar him from running again.

Rwandan president denies massacre of Hutus in neighboring Dem. Republic of Congo . "This is nonsense; it is absurd," Paul Kagame says of U.N. draft report . More than 1 million Hutus fled into what was then Zaire after 1994 genocide in Rwanda .

(CNN) -- Not just your basic, average everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, ho-hum fairy tale, "Stardust" is a dazzler very nearly from first to last, a live action film that rivals the best recent animated features for imagination and wit. Claire Danes and Charlie Cox star in the imaginative "Stardust." Indeed, at a pinch you might describe it as "Shrek" for grown-ups --- though I've a suspicion the great Japanese filmmaker Hiyao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away") may have been a more important inspiration. The movie combines many of the archetypes of a classic bedtime story. First, there's Tristran (Charlie Cox), an intrepid young hero from the wrong side of the tracks (or so he thinks), embarking on a romantic quest to bring back a fallen star as a token of his love for beautiful, aloof Victoria (Sienna Miller). This quest takes him from an English village -- "Wall" -- into another land, Stormhold, a magical realm where the star in question has transformed into Yvaine (Claire Danes). She's blonde and grumpy, but obviously a better bet than you-know-who -- if only Tristran would stop mooning over the girl he left behind. Stormhold is home to a rapidly dwindling family of fratricidal princes vying for the throne. The last men standing, Septimus and Primus (Mark Strong and Jason Flemyng) are also after the star, glumly observed from the monochromatic sidelines by their five murdered brothers. Then there's the wicked witch Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her two evil sisters. Their magic is on the wane, but a fresh injection of stardust will restore their youth and vitality. Lamia means to intercept Yvaine, pluck out her heart and eat it raw. Fava beans apparently are optional. Adapted from Neil Gaiman's novel by Jane Goldman and director Matthew Vaughn, "Stardust" gets off to a false start with a prologue told in such broad strokes it comes off as crude and supercilious, even with no less a personage than Sir Ian McKellen narrating. But this richly plotted, thumpingly scored story settles into a groove as soon as Yvaine enters the picture and the chase is on. Cut from the same slightly damp cloth as Orlando Bloom, Charlie Cox is dashing and bumbling in roughly equal measure -- a quintessentially English combination that will either have you swooning or groaning. As usual, Claire Danes radiates intelligence, but struggles with the naiveté required to offset her character's crankiness. Whatever you make of the young folk, there's no question that the real star power emanates from a delectably witchy Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro, very droll as a pirate captain by the name of Shakespeare who has a surprising skeleton in his closet. It's also the case that they have the best props. Apparently having the time of her life at 48 (she's already been a hoot in "Hairspray"), Pfeiffer clearly savors playing a woman who ages another notch with every spell she casts. De Niro, for his part, mans the helm of an airship that's part galleon, part zeppelin, and he smuggles lightning bolts for a living. This elaborate strain of fantasy meshes easily enough with a cheeky, Monty Pythonish sense of humor, even if the mild ribaldry makes it a questionable proposition for kids. Still, this handsomely produced movie marks a significant step up in scale and accomplishment for Guy Ritchie's producer, Vaughn, whose only previous directing effort was the gangster thriller "Layer Cake." For a generation that grew up on "The Princess Bride," it's got to feel like a long-overdue happy ending. "Stardust" is rated PG-13 and runs 128 minutes. For Entertainment Weekly's take, click here. E-mail to a friend .

"Stardust" a terrific adventure . The witty, imaginative fairy tale stars Claire Danes and Charlie Cox . Cast features Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro and Ian McKellan . Film based on novel by Neil Gaiman .

(CNN) -- Australia showed no mercy for earthquake-hit neighbors New Zealand as a fine bowling display earned the defending champions a seven-wicket victory at the 2011 Cricket World Cup in Nagpur on Friday. A minute's silence was observed before the match to honor the victims of Tuesday's quake in Christchurch, which has left more than 110 people dead, and both teams -- wearing black armbands -- huddled together in a display of solidarity. But once the action began, the Kiwis struggled to perform after losing the toss and being sent into bat. When Ross Taylor became Shaun Tait's third victim with the last ball of the 17th over, New Zealand had collapsed to 73-6. New Zealand death toll rises . Nathan McCullum showed some resistance with 52 off 76 balls, and captain Daniel Vettori hit a lusty 44 off 43 deliveries, but the Black Caps could bat only 45.1 of their allotted 50 overs to be all out for a disappointing 206. Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was the pick of the Australian bowlers with figures of 4-33 off 9.1 overs, while Tait took 3-35 from seven overs. Australia, seeking a fourth successive title and fifth overall, then made light work of the run chase to clinch a second win from two Group A games -- and 25th in a row at the four-yearly tournament. Openers Shane Watson (62) and Brad Haddin (55) put on 133 in just 18 overs, while vice-captain Michael Clarke (24) and Cameron White (22) were unbeaten as they came home with 16 overs to spare -- helped by a sloppy 29 wides from the New Zealand bowlers. Vettori said the tragic events back home could not be used as an excuse for his team's poor performance. "It would be unfair to the people who are going through a lot worse than we are over here to say that was the reason we didn't play very well today. We're professional sportsmen and we have to get up for these games," he told reporters in quotes carried by the AFP agency. Australia fast bowler Doug Bollinger has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament, having also missed the opening win over Zimbabwe after suffering an ankle injury in a warm-up match. West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will be out for four weeks after suffering a similar problem in Thursday's defeat by South Africa, ending his participation unless his team reach the semifinals. In Friday's Group B action, Bangladesh survived a big scare before avoiding a second consecutive defeat, beating Ireland by 27 runs in Dhaka. Bangladesh, beaten by co-hosts India in the opening game of the tournament, were bowled out for just 205 in the final over despite making a roaring start on a slow pitch. Opener Tamim Iqbal top-scored with 44 off 43 balls but after he was third man out with the total at 68 in the 12th over, captain Mushfiqur Rahim (36) and Raqibul Hasan (38) played patient innings to steady proceedings. However, South Africa-born Andre Botha (3-32), left-arm spinner George Dockrell (2-23) and Australia-born Trent Johnston (2-40) combined to give the Irish hope of repeating their win over Bangladesh at the 2007 World Cup. And the run chase was looking good at 151-5, but then Kevin O'Brien (37) became the first of four victims for young fast bowler Shafiul Islam in the 37th over as the last six wickets fell for just 27 runs. On Saturday, Sri Lanka, the third of the tournament's hosts, take on Pakistan in a Group A match in Colombo. Both teams won their opening matches.

Cricket World Cup champions Australia cruise to victory against New Zealand . NZ captain insists Christchurch earthquake was no excuse for poor display . Co-hosts Bangladesh boost quarterfinal hopes with 27-run win over Ireland . Irish beat Bangladesh at last World Cup in 2007, but batsmen wasted good start .

(CNN) -- Adventure-loving billionaire Richard Branson is known for reaching for the stars, but now he's set his sights on a final frontier a little closer to home: the deepest parts of the ocean floor. Branson announced his undersea exploration venture, Virgin Oceanic, earlier this month, and in a recent interview with CNN, he discussed the plans for his upcoming voyage to the bottom of the seabed. "There have been about 400 people who have been into space but pretty well nobody has been down and explored the big trenches in the oceans," said the founder of the Virgin business empire. "I am planning to go down in the Puerto Rican trench. It goes down further than Everest is high...about 28,000 feet." The airplane-shaped Virgin Oceanic sub is built from carbon fiber and titanium, with a bubble-like quartz viewing dome made to withstand over 6 million kilograms of pressure. According to Virgin Oceanic, the "flying" sub has overcome two big obstacles facing deep-sea explorers: extreme cold and pressures of over 1,000 atmospheres (about the same as 8,000 elephants standing on a Mini Cooper). Picking up where Steve Fossett -- Branson's close friend and fellow adventurer who perished in a flying accident in 2007 -- left off, the sub's sophisticated design will allow it to travel to depths of 36,000 feet -- about double that of previous advanced subs, according to Branson. "We hope we built it right," he said. "The Americans, Germans and the Chinese have tried before but they have never been able to get below 18,000 feet -- so it's been quite a technological feat." However, the British entrepreneur is all too aware of potential perils. According to him, two things could go wrong. "One, obviously, is the catastrophic failure of the sub," he admitted. "Hopefully we'll hear pinging sounds as the carbon fiber starts to break and at that stage you just don't go any further." The other possibility, Branson warned, is that of getting caught up in fishing nets at the bottom and not being able to resurface. However, the 60-year-old father of two remains philosophical: "There are risks involved in trying to push the boundaries forward. There were risks involved when man first went into space and we will do everything we can to avoid any catastrophic problems." Although the sub is expected to smash up to 30 diving records, Branson insists that the exploration is about much more than sheer adventure. "There's thousands of species that man doesn't know exists and we are going to come up with some extraordinary photographs of the most extraordinary creatures that mankind has never seen," he said. Indeed, the mission behind the Virgin Oceanic expedition includes a brief to "assist science in understanding our eco-system and raise awareness of the challenges facing our oceans." Unlike his suborbital-space-flight company, Virgin Galactic, the new expedition is not accepting paying passengers. Rather, it will comprise only five deep-sea dives, each one carrying just one person, to the deepest points in each of the five oceans. So, is Branson nervous to be one of the solo voyagers? "I am sure there will be a few flutters in the stomach as one goes down -- it's going to take about three hours to reach the bottom of the sea," he said. But he's no stranger to danger. Having launched Virgin Records in the 1970s and amassing a fortune in various holdings, which include an airline and rail group, Branson has used his money to fund such exploits as circumnavigating the globe in a hot air balloon as well as various sailing records. And what does his wife think about this latest venture? "She'd much rather I was doing it than my kids," he quipped, adding that as long as he signed a piece of paper leaving her Necker Island -- his private island hideaway in the Caribbean -- "she'd be fine."

Virgin Oceanic sub will be capable of traveling twice as deep as anything before . Branson will be diving alone to the Puerto Rican trench, which is 28,000 feet deep . Five record-breaking dives are planned in mission to accumulate data on undiscovered marine life .

Winter Park, Florida (CNN) -- The man who police say fled the scene after his SUV hit a car, sending it into a Winter Park day care center and killing a 4-year-old girl, turned himself in Thursday, Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Maj. Cindy Williams said. Robert Alex Corchado, who Williams earlier said had gang ties as well as numerous drug arrests, surrendered at the Orange County jail, according to a tweet from the sheriff department. A warrant for his arrest had been issued early Thursday after, authorities say, Corchado drove a Dodge Durango that hit a car, sending it into a crowded KinderCare. One girl died from injuries sustained in the accident and 13 other children were injured, as was one adult. Corchado fled the scene and ditched his Dodge Durango before renting another SUV, Williams said earlier. The warrant alleges Corchado left the scene of an accident "with death." Bond was set at $100,000, according to an arrest affidavit. Williams said Corchado, 28, rented a black Mazda CX-5 on Wednesday afternoon after fleeing the accident. Corchado's Dodge Durango was found abandoned a few hours after the crash. Little girl 'deserved so much more' Lily Quintus, 4, was among 50 children at a KinderCare in Winter Park when a car slammed through a wall. She died later at a hospital. Her mother, Nicole Quintus, is devastated, the New York Daily News reported. "I have no idea how I'm supposed to survive after this. I don't know how I'm supposed to go back to a daily routine. I'm wandering about, lost," she told the paper. Nicole Quintus called her daughter "painfully beautiful" and said, "She was incredible and she deserved so much more." Lily's 7-year-old brother aspires to be an engineer and is building a time machine out of his Erector set so he can bring his sister back, the Daily News reported. Lily's father is a paramedic with the Groveland Fire Department and one of his co-workers set up a page so people could donate funds for medical and funeral expenses. As of Thursday night, people had given more than $33,000. Three released from hospitals . Two children and a teacher were released from hospitals on Thursday, according to a statement from Knowledge Universe, which operates KinderCare. At Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, where eight of the victims were taken Wednesday, five children remained hospitalized, including one in critical condition. Two were listed in serious condition, one was fair and one was in good condition. The hospital said two patients were discharged Thursday, but it was unclear whether they were among the people cited in the KinderCare release. After the incident, which occurred about 3 p.m. on Wedesday, 12 children and one adult were taken to four hospitals, said John Mulhall, a spokesman for Orange County Fire Rescue. Two other people were treated at the scene. One child was pinned by the car that was knocked into the day care through a front wall. Teachers gave kids CPR . "It was tragic," Jeezy Jenkins told CNN affiliate WKMG. He was working on a nearby roof when the accident happened. "It was just kids on the ground and there was teachers giving CPR. It was horrible. I've never seen nothing like that before, and I hope I never have to see something like that again." The driver of the car that was forced into the day care center wasn't injured. He waited at the scene as workers loaded his car onto a tow truck. "We are heartbroken that several of the children in our care and an adult were injured in an accident today," KinderCare said in a prepared statement. "We are pulling for those who have been injured to quickly recover from this tragic accident." Highway Patrol spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Monte said a telephone tip helped authorities find the missing Durango. CNN's Suzanne Presto and Carma Hassan contributed to this report.

NEW: About $33,000 in donations so far to help with funeral expenses for girl . Robert Corchado surrenders about 24 hours after hit-and-run accident . One child remains in critical condition; three patients released Thursday . Mother of dead 4-year-old tells newspaper her daughter was 'painfully beautiful'

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A young man carrying what turned out to be a hairbrush died Monday night in a hail of bullets fired by New York police. Khiel Coppin's brother Joel Coppin spoke briefly with reporters saying, "We want justice." Authorities were responding to a 9-1-1 call his mother made about a "family dispute with a gun," police said. In the background of the call, played at a news conference Tuesday, 18-year-old Khiel Coppin can be heard saying, "I've got a gun, I've got a gun," New York Police Department Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne told CNN. The teen put an object under his shirt and told his mother around the time she phoned 9-1-1 that he was going to say he had a gun, said New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. The teen told her, " 'I'm prepared to die,' " Kelly told reporters. When authorities arrived at the Bedford-Stuyvesant apartment, the teenager had something stuffed under his shirt and several times showed a knife to police. "Shoot me, kill me," he shouted, according to Kelly. "Come get me. I have a gun. Let's do this." Coppin ignored repeated commands to stop and get on the ground. Witnesses said the teen appeared to be holding an object underneath his shirt and pointed it at the officers. Coppin continued to approach officers, as they ordered him to stop, said Kelly. Twenty shots were fired; Coppin was struck eight times, Kelly said. "This was a terrible tragedy for Khiel's family, no doubt about it," said Kelly. But the commissioner stressed that officers reasonably believed they were about to receive fire. Kelly said the teen's mother reported he had not taken his anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication. Police have not recovered a gun and do not believe that Coppin was armed, Kelly said. A reporter asked Kelly if it's possible the young man was goading police to shoot him, a phenomenon known commonly in law enforcement circles as suicide-by-cop. "That's certainly a possibility," said Kelly. "The boy didn't have no gun, he had a brush on him," said Andre Wildman, a neighbor who told CNN that he saw the shooting. Listen to mother's 911 call » . Another neighbor, Wayne Holder, said police should be required to see a weapon before opening fire on a suspect. "At least see a gun before you start to discharge it," Holder said. Police "don't even have to see it, [if] they think you got one, you're going to get shot." Coppin was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, the medical examiner's office said. The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network is expected to hold a news conference on Tuesday about the shooting. Police said they were investigating whether Coppin had a history of mental illness and whether his mother had tried to have him hospitalized earlier Monday. The shooting came a year after unarmed groom Sean Bell, 23, was killed hours before his wedding in a shooting involving New York police. In 1999, unarmed African immigrant Amadou Diallo, 22, died when police in the Bronx shot him 19 times. Bystander Dyshawn Gibson described Monday's shooting to CNN affiliate WABC-TV. "He dropped the brush," Gibson said. "He put his hands up. Police just started firing." Coppin was seen pacing around the apartment prior to the shooting, according to an initial police statement issued Monday night. "He began screaming from the window at his mother and the police," the police statement said. "At some point, the male climbed out of the window and began crossing the sidewalk toward the police." That's when police began firing, a police spokesman said. E-mail to a friend . CNN's Jennifer Rizzo, Janine Brady and Alina Cho contributed to this report. Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

Official: Unarmed teen hid object under shirt, shouted, "Kill me." New York Police Commissioner: Police feared being fired upon . Police confirm Khiel Coppin, 18, was carrying hairbrush under shirt . Police say he ignored orders to halt; cops fired 20 shots, killing the teen .

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Thousands of people who filled the streets of Cairo Tuesday hope their demonstrations against corruption and failing economic policies will cause upheaval in the government, like the similar protests in Tunisia that inspired them. But analysts caution that in Egypt, the protesters are up against a different set of challenges. Juan Cole, a Middle East historian at the University of Michigan and blogger, describes Tunisia as "a little bit unique." "There have been lots of civil wars. There's been lots of societies in turmoil. But this kind of phenomenon where you had crowds peacefully coming into the streets to demand a change in their own contract with their government -- in the Arab world proper, this is the first time it's happened and it's the first time since 1979 in the Middle East," Cole told CNN last week. He noted that Tunisia is the "most secular country in the Arab world." Its traditions have favored women's rights and its Islamist influence is negligible. Tunisia also lacked the oil resources of other Arab states and the ethnic divisions seen in other Middle Eastern countries, which make it harder for opposition movements to unite, he noted. Looking at the protests Tuesday in Cairo, Mamoun Fandy of the International Institute for Strategic Studies told CNN he was not seeing a "turning point or tipping point yet." Noting the strength of the army, he said, "The Egyptian system is too strong and too resilient." A key question that will show the potential strength of the demonstrations Tuesday is whether hardcore protesters will stay through the night, or whether the rallies will fizzle down, he said. Eric Trager, a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Pennsylvania and a former Fulbright fellow in Egypt, wrote in The Atlantic, "Egypt's liberal activists overwhelmingly come from the wired generation of Twitter and Facebook, and this makes them optimistic that pro-democratic movements can go viral, even in a political environment as traditionally illiberal as the Middle East... Yet Egyptian activists face tremendous odds -- in particular, an entrenched dictatorship that is determined to discredit the very idea of domino-effect democratization." Time.com published a story Thursday from writer Abigail Hauslohner in Cairo headlined, "After Tunisia: Why Egypt Isn't Ready to Have Its Own Revolution." Some Egyptians "believe the time is now" for protests to bring about change like in Tunisia, and several people in Egypt have set themselves on fire or attempted to in recent days -- much like the self-immolation of a young unemployed man in Tunisia that sparked protests in that country, she writes. "But in Egypt, it doesn't go much deeper than that." A greater percentage of Egypt's population than Tunisia's lives below the poverty line, she writes. "The citizens of Egypt regularly complain of a neglectful regime that knows more about torture than it does about public service, and they're furious with a regime that seems to swallow any domestic profits before they can reach the lower classes. And yet no one predicts a revolutionary reset anytime soon." Two factors distinguish Egypt from Tunisia in this respect, Hauslohner writes: Tunisia's government spent generously on education, creating a frustrated educated but unemployed population. And in Egypt, "the military stands with" Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Time.com is a partner of CNN.com. Writing in Newsweek, journalist Mike Giglio suggested the "upcoming protest in Cairo could mark the beginning of another upheaval." "Tuesday will be the first real test of whether the revolution is contagious," he wrote in a story published Monday. Many protesters believe their demonstrations will prove to have far more power than naysayers suggest. A Facebook page that has served to help organize Tuesday's protests in Cairo says, "Many young Egyptians are now fed up with the inhuman treatment they face on a daily basis in streets, police stations and everywhere... Egyptians are aspiring to the day when Egypt has its freedom and dignity back, the day when the current 30 years long emergency martial law ends and when Egyptians can freely elect their true representatives."

Analysts: Egypt is a different story from Tunisia . Analyst: Tunisia 'a little bit unique' Time writer says Egypt "not ready" for revolution . Protesters believe Cairo demonstrations can help trigger change .

(CNN) -- Babylon was one of the glories of the ancient world, its walls and mythic hanging gardens listed among the Seven Wonders. Founded about 4,000 years ago, the ancient city was the capital of 10 dynasties in Mesopotamia, considered one of the earliest cradles of civilization and the birthplace of writing and literature. But following years of plunder, neglect and conflict, the Babylon of today scarcely conjures that illustrious history. In recent years, the Iraqi authorities have reopened Babylon to tourists, hoping that one day the site will draw visitors from all over the globe. But despite the site's remarkable archaeological value and impressive views, it is drawing only a smattering of tourists, drawn by a curious mix of ancient and more recent history. The city -- just 85km (52 miles) south of Baghdad, about a two hour drive, dependent on checkpoints -- still bears the marks of ham-fisted attempts at restoration by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and a subsequent occupation by U.S. forces in 2003. "They occupied Babylon. They wouldn't let anyone in," says Hussein Saheb, a guard at the historical sites at Babylon, recalling the day U.S. tanks rolled into view, before forces set up camp. Read more: Is a man-made desert lake an ecological paradise or disaster? Following excavations in the early 20th century, European archaeologists claimed key features such as the remains of the famous Ishtar Gate -- the glazed brick gate decorated with images of dragons and aurochs, built in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II as the eighth gate to the inner city. The original now stands as part of a reconstruction of the gate in Berlin's Pergamon Museum, whereas in Babylon itself, visitors enter through a replica. Yet remnants of Babylon's former glory remain, with sections of the city's walls still intact. Later excavations and conservation work carried out under Saddam's rule greatly despoiled the site, say archaeologists. Iraqi archaeologist Hai Katth Moussa said that during a massive reconstruction project in the early 1980s, Saddam began building a replica of the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II on top of the ruins of the ancient palace. Like Nebuchadnezzar, he wrote his name on many of the bricks, with inscriptions such as: "This was built by Saddam, son of Nebuchadnezzar, to glorify Iraq." After the Gulf War, Saddam began building a modern palace for himself on top of ruins in the style of a Sumerian ziggurat. When U.S. forces arrived in 2003, they occupied the palace, which lies adjacent to Nebuchadnezzar's palace and overlooks the Euphrates River, and left their own mark. Today, a basketball hoop remains in Babylon, while concertina wire left behind by the military is used to prevent visitors from climbing over a 2,500-year-old lion statue -- an ancient symbol of the city. Read more: A camel beauty pageant in the UAE . Even in the new Iraq, Babylon faces ongoing threats. Only 2% of the ancient city has been excavated, but those buried historical treasures are threatened by encroaching development. Tour guide Hussein Al-Ammari says an oil pipeline runs through the eastern part of the ancient city. "It goes through the outer wall of Babylon," he says. Yet despite the shortcomings in its preservation, Babylon holds a draw for small numbers of Iraqi visitors -- even if only to enter Saddam's marble-lined palaces, still a novelty 10 years after the dictator's downfall. Zained Mohammed, visiting with her family for the first time from Karbala, told CNN: "We were just looking for a change of atmosphere, to have the kids see something different." Babylon is certainly that.

In recent years, the Iraqi authorities have reopened Babylon to tourists . Despite the site's remarkable archaeological value and impressive views, there are few tourists . The city still bears the marks of poor attempts at restoration by Saddam Hussein . Babylon faces ongoing threats of development encroaching on its buried ruins .

(CNN) -- The bombing of the Boston Marathon has been described by some as another wake-up call. Regrettably, it seems we've hit the snooze button too many times to say that this time we've really woken up. Our vulnerability to attacks such as the one at the marathon has been well known for some time. We have long been concerned that attackers would focus on soft targets in which many people gather in open and easily accessible areas. Moreover, these targets lack the sophisticated security measures that one would find at a chemical plant or federal building. Improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, are one of the biggest threats to the United States. The bombs used in the Boston Marathon cost less than $100 to make from materials that can be commonly purchased and with instructions found on the Internet. Opinion: Don't ignore the threat of IEDs . Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization at the Department of Defense, stated in his July 2012 testimony before the U.S. House of Representative Homeland Security Committee that: "It is clear the IED is the primary weapon of choice for threat networks globally and is one of the enduring operational and domestic security challenges for the foreseeable future. ... The domestic IED threat from both homegrown extremists and global threat networks is real and presents a significant security challenge for the United States and our international partners." The Boston Police Department was about as well prepared to address this threat as any police department could be. Boston has had a number of high profile events in the past years to be ready for unexpected events. The city has received millions of dollars in Homeland Security grants and the police force recently conducted a DHS sponsored multijurisdiction IED training program. Still, at least two suspects were able to exploit the vulnerability of the marathon. The important questions now are not just who was responsible for the attack, but how can we prevent similar attacks? We have to concede that it takes money and resources to prevent and fight attacks. But it's harder in this belt-tightening time. For example, the budget for the Office of Bombing Prevention, a Department of Homeland Security office charged with the mission of leading the department's "efforts to implement the National Policy for Countering Improvised Explosive Devices and enhance the nation's ability to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate the terrorist use of explosives ...," has had its budget cut or reallocated with rumors of further cuts in 2014. To be fair, the Office of Bombing Prevention isn't the only federal entity that deals with IEDs. The Transportation Security Administration, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives all have efforts aimed at helping the private sector and law enforcement agencies prevent IED attacks. However, the Office of Bombing Prevention has an important mission of enhancing counter-IED capabilities through coordination of bombing prevention efforts. Rather than cutting its budget, we should increase it. Barbero's department requested a $1.9 billion budget for 2013. It is a highly effective organization that saved many lives through the use of intelligence, technology and equipment in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now that we have withdrawn from Iraq and will be doing so from Afghanistan, we should reallocate some of those resources to focus on domestic threats and to prevent attacks at home. IEDs are a low-cost high-consequence type of weapon that will take significant financial and personnel resources to defeat. The alternative will be the loss of more lives and millions of dollars in investigative and recovery efforts if more attacks happen. We need to increase the Office of Bombing Prevention budget so we can train state and local law enforcement and private sector security, because they are the front line in our defense. Above all, we should never submit to the fear that deranged minds may attempt to instill in us. The people of this country are too strong and resilient to ever cower before acts of terrorism. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Robert P. Liscouski.

Robert Liscouski: Improvised explosive devices are one of the biggest threats to the U.S. Liscouski: How can we prevent attacks like the marathon bombing? He says one way is to increase the budget for the Office of Bombing Prevention . Liscouski: The resources will help train those who are on the front line of defense .

LIMA, Peru (CNN) -- A three-judge panel of the Peruvian Supreme Court found former President Alberto Fujimori guilty Tuesday on charges involving human rights violations, including murder and kidnapping, and sentenced him to 25 years in prison. Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori speaks before the court in Lima earlier this month. During the three-hour hearing that ended a 15-month trial, the 70-year-old former leader, wearing a dark suit and tie and sitting ramrod straight, wrote frequently in a notebook and occasionally sipped from a glass of water. He showed no emotion as the verdict was announced. Fujimori, whose parents were Japanese immigrants, had faced a possible 30 years in prison. Jose Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch, expressed satisfaction with the sentence, calling it "perfectly proportional to the grave deeds that are imputed to him." "This is an historic case," he told CNN en Español about the democratically elected former president's conviction on rights violations in his own country. The case is "without precedent in the world, not just in Latin America," he said. "After years of evading justice, Fujimori is finally being held to account for some of his crimes," said Maria McFarland, senior Americas researcher at Human Rights Watch, who was in the courtroom for the announcement. "With this ruling, and its exemplary performance during the trial, the Peruvian court has shown the world that even former heads of state cannot expect to get away with serious crimes." Judge Cesar San Martin told the courtroom that Fujimori was responsible for the actions of the Colina unit, blamed for killing dozens of people as the government sought to halt the Shining Path rebel group. Fujimori said he would appeal. Outside the courtroom, Fujimori's 33-year-old daughter, Keiko, herself running as a candidate in the 2011 presidential election, said the ruling was full of "hate and vengeance." "We're going into the streets to demonstrate our open support for the best president this country has ever had, to the president who saved Peru from terrorism," she told reporters. But a group of relatives of the dead expressed satisfaction with the sentence. "For the first time, they have respected the right of families to the truth and justice," said one woman. "For the first time, they dignify the memory of the families ... I hope that this history of impunity not be allowed to recur." Also outside the courtroom, pro- and anti-Fujimori activists scuffled, but there were no reports of serious injuries. Javier Zuniga, a special adviser to the secretary general for Amnesty International, was in the courtroom as the verdict was read. "We have been with the families celebrating," he said several hours later. He praised the prosecutors, saying, "They showed that what happened in the organization could not have happened if there had not been high-level planning, a state machinery to kill, organized by the president himself." And he predicted that the case will be studied in law schools around the world. Fujimori, who is already serving a six-year sentence on separate charges involving abuse of power, led Peru from 1990 to 2000, at the height of the country's war with the radical Maoist Shining Path guerrillas and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. He was convicted of authorizing killings and kidnappings by paramilitary death squads in 1991 and 1992 during what is often referred to as Peru's "dirty war." "I had to govern from hell, not a palace, but from a hell that those who accuse me did not live like I had to live," Fujimori recently told the court. "I only expect that those who sentence me consider for a moment that hell and not pretend to civilize from a distance." Fujimori's pro-business policies were credited with helping steer the country away from financial disaster in the early 1990s, and he remains popular among many of his countrymen. Journalist Maria Elena Belaunde contributed to this story from Lima, Peru.

NEW: Former Peruvian president sentenced to 25 years in prison . Charges against Alberto Fujimori stem from 1990s' "dirty war" Fujimori already serving time on previous abuse of power conviction .

London (CNN) -- Swaths of northern Europe were in the grip of snow, ice and high winds Tuesday, causing serious disruption to road, rail and air travelers. High-speed train operator Eurostar, which runs services linking Paris, Brussels and London, among other destinations, has canceled the rest of its services Tuesday and told passengers to stay at home. "Severe weather conditions overnight in Northern France and Belgium have led to the closure of the high speed line," a notice on the company's website said. "Passengers will not be able to travel on Eurostar services today and should not come to our stations." About 10,000 passengers are likely to be affected as a result of the cancellation of around 24 out of 27 scheduled trains Tuesday, Eurostar spokeswoman Lucy Drake said. The bad weather may also affect services Wednesday, she said, with further cancellations or extended journey times possible . Passengers affected by the disruption will be offered exchanges or refunds, Drake said, and are urged to consider traveling next week if possible. Air travel has also been hit, with Germany's Frankfurt airport -- a major European hub -- canceling all flights for several hours as it worked to clear its runways. Some 700 out of a total 1,238 flights have been canceled so far, affecting roughly 7,000 passengers, airport spokesman Christopher Holschier told CNN. Two of Frankfurt's four runways reopened for takeoff and landing as of 5 p.m. local time, Holschier said, but snow continues to fall. Holschier said passengers were resigned to the situation as they were well aware of the adverse conditions. "Already, getting to the airport has been an ordeal," he said. Meanwhile, the official Twitter feed for the two main airports in Paris warned that travel disruptions in the French capital were making access to the airports difficult. However, train and bus services were starting to get back to normal in the afternoon, it said. A quarter of flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle and one in five flights from Paris-Orly were canceled Tuesday in anticipation of the heavy snowfall, the two airports said Monday. Travelers were advised to check on their flight's status before heading to the airport. London Heathrow and Amsterdam Schiphol airports have also reported snow in the past 24 hours. Whiteout conditions . Late-winter blasts like these are nothing new for central Europe, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. In fact, in Germany they have something known as Märzwinter, or "March winter," said Miller. The phenomenon occurs in mid-March when, after a period of spring-like warmth early in the month that often sees trees and flowers begin to bloom, cold northerly winds bring mid-winter type weather back to the country. True to form, last week there were seven consecutive days of above-average temperatures in Frankfurt. The mercury peaked Saturday with a high of 17 degrees Celsius (about 62 degrees Fahrenheit), the kind of temperature usually expected in mid-May. On Tuesday, however, winter returned with a vengeance, dropping 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) of snow by noon. In addition to the snow, winds have gusted to 50 and 60 kilometers per hour (31 to 37 mph), creating whiteout conditions and making travel even more difficult. Northern France has taken the brunt of the storm, with some locations seeing up to 40 centimeters (about 16 inches) of snow. Gusty winds have created snow drifts a meter deep or more. Meteo-France has issued a Red Warning -- its highest level -- for snow and ice through Wednesday morning. The wintry blast also caused problems for motorists in southeast England, with some trapped in their vehicles overnight by accidents and road closures on icy highways in Kent and Sussex. Conditions should improve by Wednesday, as the frontal system pushes south and loses some of its intensity, but the cold temperatures will remain through the end of the week.

NEW: Germany's Frankfurt airport, a major European hub, cancels 700 flights . Eurostar suspends its high-speed train services Tuesday because of bad weather . Bus and train services to airports in Paris start to recover after snow disruption . Motorists are stranded in southeast England as snow and ice paralyze roads .

(CNN) -- U.N. military helicopters Sunday pounded heavy weapons positions of fighters loyal to self-declared Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, United Nations officials said. Choi Young-jin, head of the U.N. mission in the country, said pro-Gbagbo forces were shelling the Golf Hotel in Abidjan, where the country's internationally recognized president Alassane Ouattara is staying, and "today they began to shell our quarters" -- the section of the hotel in which the U.N. forces are headquartered -- as well. "So we decided we cannot pass this moment without action," Choi said. Together with the French military, U.N. forces targeted key positions. Choi said there were "several camps" belonging to the Gbagbo loyalists. "We are taking them out." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he ordered the military operation Sunday "to prevent the use of heavy weapons which threaten the civilian population of Abidjan and our peacekeepers." The U.N. mission does not extend to extracting Gbagbo from his residence, Choi said. It would be up to pro-Ouattara forces to oust Gbagbo, he said. Ban renewed his call for Gbagbo "to step aside immediately." "Civilians are bearing the brunt of the violence," the secretary-general said. "The fighting must stop. Mr. Gbagbo needs to step aside immediately." Gbagbo's forces had attacked the Golf Hotel Saturday as well. U.N. forces fired back at the time, said Hamadoun Toure, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast. "We stand ready to protect the Golf Hotel, as we have a mandate," he told CNN. Toure added that Gbagbo loyalists continue to control three main areas -- the presidential palace, Gbagbo's residence and the state television station, RTI. He said the French military and U.N. forces are in charge of the Abidjan port. Violence erupted after Ivory Coast's disputed presidential election in November and escalated into all-out war when Ouattara's forces launched an offensive that brought them into Abidjan. As Gbagbo has refused to cede power, the political stalemate has plunged the West African nation into crisis. The U.N. human rights office said Friday that its investigators found more than 100 bodies over 24 hours in three Côte d'Ivoire towns. Gbagbo's forces used a lull in fighting last week as a "trick" to reinforce their positions around the Abidjan, according to Alain Le Roy, the head of United Nations peacekeeping operations. They said Tuesday they wanted a peaceful solution to the months-long fighting, but soon resumed shelling both the U.N. headquarters and the civilian population, Le Roy told reporters at the United Nations. Since then, they have regained control of two central areas of Abidjan and fighting is continuing, Le Roy said Friday, after briefing the U.N. Security Council on developments in the cocoa-producing nation. "They have clearly used the lull of Tuesday as a trick to reinforce their position," he said. Mark Toner, acting deputy spokesman for the U.S. State Department, released a statement Saturday echoing that idea. "It is clear that Gbagbo's attempts at negotiation this week were nothing more than a ruse to regroup and rearm. Gbagbo's continued attempt to force a result that he could not obtain at the ballot box reveals his callous disregard for the welfare of the Ivoirian people, who will again suffer amid renewed heavy fighting in Abidjan," he said. Most areas of the capital, however, are now under U.N. or French military control, journalist Seyi Rhodes reported from the French military base in Port Bouet. The French military has been working to reconnect the disrupted water and electricity supply in what is the country's main city. CNN's Aliza Kassim contributed to this report .

The U.N. secretary-general ordered an attack to protect civilians, peacekeepers . Gbagbo loyalists were endangering civilians, a U.N. official says . "We are taking out" several positions, the official says . The U.N. found more than 100 bodies over 24 hours .

London (CNN) -- The Dutch women's beach volleyball team sailed through Heathrow airport as it arrived in London for the Olympic Games, but not every athlete had such a smooth arrival. American hurdler Kerron Clement's bus got lost on the way from the airport to the Olympic village, he said, resulting in a four-hour-plus journey. "Athletes are sleepy, hungry and need to pee. Could we get to the Olympic Village please," the world record holder said on Twitter on Monday. "Not a good first impression London." The drive should take about an hour. London's Olympic organizers, London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said "the vast majority" of bus journeys had gone smoothly, but conceded that "there may have been one or two journeys taking longer than expected." Heathrow airport is expecting a record number of passengers on Monday as athletes begin to flood into the city for the Olympic Games, which start a week from Friday. Share your Olympics sights and sounds . The arrivals begin amid a security snafu, as the government prepares to call in 3,500 military personnel because the security contractor says it does not expect to have enough staff in place. G4S, the contractor, admitted last week that it would not be able to provide more than 10,000 security staffers by the time the Olympics begin. The staff were supposed to be doing tasks including venue perimeter security such as manning X-ray machines, searching people, searching vehicles, and operating closed-circuit television systems, G4S told CNN on Sunday. Home Secretary Theresa May, who is responsible for domestic security, was called to Parliament to answer questions from lawmakers on Monday after the fiasco. She insisted that G4S actually had more than 20,000 accredited security staff, and that until last week it appeared they would have too many contractors rather than too few. The Home Office told CNN earlier on Monday that the contractor was suffering from a software problem which meant they could not guarantee who would turn up where, and whether guards had the right training. G4S did not respond immediately to a CNN request for comment on the accusation. The Home Office also said that the extra immigration staff deployed at borders was properly trained, rejecting media reports to the contrary. Immigration desks will have extra staff, Heathrow said Monday, amid fears of long lines to get into the country. Retired border officials and retired police officers are among those being brought in to help immigration staff, the Home Office said. The airport expects nearly 237,000 people to fly in or out on Monday, about 25% more than on a normal day. The arrivals include 335 athletes, the airport said in a statement. Athlete arrivals are expected to peak on July 24, with more than 1,200 competitors due on that day. See how Heathrow is preparing for the London Olympics . Cubans, Italians and Russians were among the arrivals on Monday. Pressed about the security snafu, Sports Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Sunday it should be no surprise that some contractors were unable to meet their commitments. "It's completely normal that you're going to find some contractors on a project of this size who aren't going to be able to deliver what they promised," he said on the BBC's "The Andrew Marr Show." He praised the contractor as being "honorable" for having admitted the problem, apologizing and covering the costs of bringing in military personnel. And he reiterated that the government learned only last week that G4S would not meet its commitment. "Management told us right up until last week that everything was on track," Hunt said. The contractor said Saturday it stands to lose up to $77 million after failing to recruit enough staff. The airport, meanwhile, said Monday it is deploying more than 500 volunteers who speak 20 languages among them to welcome athletes and officials. The Games start on July 27. CNN's Jo Shelley, Jim Boulden, Dan Rivers, Stephanie Halasz and Erin McLaughlin contributed to this report.

NEW: Games organizers say there may have been problems with "one or two" bus trips . American hurdler Kerron Clement has a four-hour bus ride, he tweets . Heathrow airport expects a record number of passengers on Monday . The arrivals start amid a security snafu that forced the government to deploy troops .

(CNN) -- Sri Lanka ordered an end to combat operations against Tamil Tiger rebels in the country's north, the president's office said Monday. But the rebels accused the military of continuing to bomb civilians. Sri Lankan soldiers stand guard next to a tank captured from the Tamil Tigers. "Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy-caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties," according a statement from the Presidential Secretariat. A rebel Web site, Tamilnet.com, immediately accused the government of violating its own order and "deceiving the international community." "Two Sri Lanka air force fighter bombers continued to bomb civilian targets in Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal after the announcement by the Sri Lankan forces that it would not deploy heavy weapons or carry out air attacks," Tamilnet said, citing S. Puleedevan, director of the Tamil Peace Secretariat. "Obviously we need to see what that means in practice," John Holmes, the head of U.N. humanitarian operations, said about the government announcement to end combat operations. "But, on the face of it, I think it's good news." The military will now concentrate on "saving" and "rescuing civilians," who have been caught in the fighting between government forces and rebel fighters, the presidential statement said. The government's decision followed an unscheduled meeting of the National Security Council called by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The session included the commanders of the army, navy and air force. The developments came a day after Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposed cease-fire from the Tamil rebels, warning instead that government troops would continue a new offensive until the group surrendered, a senior government official told CNN. "The government is firm that (the rebels) lay down their arms and surrender. We do not recognize this so-called offer," said Lakshman Hulugalle, director of Sri Lanka's Media Center for National Security. The Tiger leadership had asked the international community to "pressure the Sri Lankan government to reciprocate" on the cease-fire offer. The United States, the United Nations, the European Union and India have called for a cease-fire. The foreign ministers of three nations are due in Sri Lanka on Wednesday -- David Miliband of the United Kingdom, Bernard Kouchner of France and Carl Bildt of Sweden. The rebels' proposed cease-fire came six days after the Sri Lankan army launched a new offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). Government troops made significant advances into rebel-held territory on Friday and Saturday, according to Sri Lankan army sources. A government-imposed deadline for the Tigers to surrender passed last Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced civilians currently remain wedged in a dwindling swath of territory controlled by the Tigers along the country's northeastern coast. Government troops say they have rescued 39,000 civilians trapped in the area, but a U.N. refugee agency said Friday that a wave of "fresh displacement" now exceeds 100,000 people. Watch civilians describe what they are experiencing » . Fifty metric tons of relief supplies -- which landed in Colombo on Monday -- will be sent by UNICEF to the north to help displaced residents. UNICEF, which called the situation in the north a "catastrophe for children," said the displaced lack food, water and basic medical supplies. The rebels estimate the number of civilians still located in the territory at more than 160,000. The Sri Lankan military said it "freed 3,254 civilians from LTTE clutches" in operations Sunday. The Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in Sri Lanka's northeast since 1983. As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began, and the group has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States and the European Union.

Tamil rebels say Sri Lankan forces ignoring orders to end military operations Sri Lanka: Forces ordered to cease use of heavy-caliber guns, combat aircraft Rebels say fighter bombers continued to bomb civilian targets after announcement . Developments come after Sri Lankan officials reject rebels' cease-fire offer .

(CNN) -- Decked out in voluminous Victorian-style dresses, complete with horn-shaped headgear, the Herero ladies of Namibia have held on tight to a piece of 19th century history. For over a century these women have fiercely protected their dress as a crucial part of their cultural identity. Their style of dressing was influenced by the wives of German missionaries and colonialists who first came to the country in the early 1900s. The long dresses are heavy and reflect the style of the Victorian period with numerous petticoats worn to add fullness to their skirts. They are hand-sewn by the women who add their own personal style and flair. Blogger Mwalimushi Kamati-Chinkoti of My Beautiful Namibia website says wearing the dresses often symbolizes a woman's place in the society. She wrote on her website: "These outfits are regarded as proper dress for traditional married women. By wearing the long dress, a newly-married woman shows her in-laws that she is willing to take up the responsibilities of a Herero home and will raise her children to respect their heritage and their father's family." "The Herero women's long dress has become a symbol of Herero tradition for Herero, tourists, scholars and other Namibians," she added. It is a view echoed by Lutz Marten, a linguist at London's School of Oriental and African studies with a specialism in the Herero tribe. He explains that the style of dress has become an important part of the Herero women's identity. iReport: send in your photos from Namibia . "It reflects a strong sense of history and the memory of national rebuilding after the [Herero-German] 1904 war," he said. "It also provides a sense of cultural identity in general, in the historical context and in the context of modern-day Namibia," he added. The colorful dresses are topped off with an elaborate headgear made of a matching fabric. According to Tim Henshall, a British tour operator who has visited the region for nearly two decades and gotten to know some of the women, the headdress is "built to represent the horns of the cattle, which are so important to the Himba and Herero communities." "The Germans in Namibia brought people in to work for them so they took the local communities and gave them work in their houses and on their land," said Henshall, who runs Kamili Safaris. "Instead of the Herero being topless and barely covered, which would offend the modest attitudes of Victorians at the time, they wanted them to be covered up," he added. Henshall added that the women showed no sign of being bothered by wearing the outfits, even in Namibia's tropical climate. The Herero and Himba people are a pastoral, cattle-breeding tribe who migrated to Namibia several centuries ago. The traditional Herero live in the north of the country in the Kunene region and the Damaraland area. Around 150 years ago, the two groups split and Herero settled in towns and villages while the Himba continued with a nomadic lifestyle. The Herero women take enormous pride in their outfits and have also developed a sideline in making and selling dolls wearing exact replicas of the dresses to tourists. Quiz: what do you know about Namibia? Marten says that keeping the memory of the Herero-German war alive is very important and that there is an annual festival in August to commemorate this. He adds that the Herero genocide in 1904 killed almost 75% of the population, and the event is a key moment in Herero identity. "This is in part assimilation to European culture, and also in part appropriation, a coming-to-terms with, and overcoming of history and the colonial experience," he said. This article was originally published on November 3, 2011 for 'Inside Africa'. CNN's Eye On series often carries sponsorship originating from the countries we profile. However CNN retains full editorial control over all of its reports. Read the policy .

Many Herero women in Namibia wear traditional Victorian-style costume . The style of clothing was brought to the country by German colonialists over 100 years ago . The hats worn by Herero women represent the horns of cattle . The style of dress continues to be passed down through generations .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- As the world was grieving and looking for answers in the death of Whitney Houston, Houston's 18-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was taken to a Los Angeles hospital, police said. Beverly Hills police said Sunday the teen was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at about 11:15 a.m. She was released later Sunday and was expected to head to New Jersey, where her grandmother lives, as early as Sunday night, a source close to the family told CNN. Singer Kim Burrell, a family friend, told CNN on Sunday afternoon from the Grammy Awards' red carpet that she was with the teenager on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel after Houston died. This was a few hours after Burrell said she'd exchanged messages with her close friend, Houston, after she arrived in Los Angeles for the festivities. Whitney Houston's death sets somber tone for Grammys . "As to be expected, she's overwhelmed -- it's her mother. She knows how much her mother meant to the world. And Bobbi Kristina has a huge heart, just like her mother," said Burrell, adding that that Bobbi Kristina affectionately refers to her as "Auntie Kim." "She loves hard," Burrell said of Bobbi Kristina. "She's going to be OK, and we're going to see to it." Bobbi Kristina Brown was born in 1993, during Houston's marriage to R&B singer Bobby Brown, which ended in divorce in 2007. The daughter of music royalty became publicly known during the mid-2000s reality show "Being Bobby Brown," where she frequently appeared alongside her parents and often had a front-row seat to their marital fireworks. Houston once said of her only child, "She encourages me and inspires me. When I look at her eyes and I see myself, I go, 'Okay. I can do this. I can do this.'" Mother and daughter even performed together on national TV in 2009, when the two sang "My Love Is Your Love" in Central Park on ABC's "Good Morning America." Results from Houston autopsy could take weeks . Bobbi Kristina Brown proved she could do it on her own when she posted a video on Twitter of herself singing Adele's "Someone Like You" last September. So far the video has been viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube. Bobbi Kristina Brown has previously given insight into her relationship with her mother, stating on Twitter, "I love my family so much ... I'm so thankful for (my mother). Thank you so much lord for blessing me with an Phenomenal family and incredibly phenomenal mother." Less than 24 hours after Whitney Houston's death stunned fans and the entertainment world, her admirers became tearful and worried again Sunday upon hearing the news that Houston's daughter was taken to the hospital. "Really, oh my gosh," said Trudy Hunchar, a flight attendant who was accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter, Quinn. On Sunday afternoon, the mom and daughter were paying their last respects to Houston outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where the 48-year-old singer died the day before. The parent and child came to the hotel to add a light-pink rose to a growing sidewalk memorial of flowers and candles created by fans. "I'm just hoping it's anxiety or a panic attack or hurt," Hunchar said of the daughter's hospital visit. Then Hunchar expressed concern about the entertainment industry because the Denver family was visiting Los Angeles so that 12-year-old Quinn, an aspiring actress with a movie credit, could meet with an agent and manager about an acting career. "With her coming into this business," Hunchar said, pointing to her daughter, "I'll have a tough hand on her. She's got a strong head. She's pretty smart. This business is tough, and as best as I can, I'll have a hand on her." HLNtv.com's Jonathan Anker and CNN's Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

Bobbi Kristina Brown is released from the hospital . Brown was born in 1993 to Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown . Brown and her mother performed together on national TV in 2009 . Brown said previously on Twitter that her mother was phenomenal .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- During the 1960 presidential election, Theodore Sorensen helped then-Sen. John F. Kennedy draft a speech addressing Kennedy's Catholicism and the separation between church and state. At the time, many questioned whether Kennedy, who would go on to become the nation's first Roman Catholic president, would be influenced by the Catholic church. Theodore Sorensen helped write John F. Kennedy's 1960 speech on Catholicism. Speaking to CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider, Sorensen discussed Kennedy's famous 1960 speech and compared it to the speech on faith in politics delivered Thursday by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who would be the first Mormon in the White House if he is elected. Question: Did Kennedy's 1960 speech win him the presidency? Sorensen: Well, he obviously didn't lose it, nor did he free the country from the curse of anti-Catholicism. The hate mail still poured into his office. The vicious picket signs were still seen out on the campaign trail, and, indeed, on Election Day. According to a University of Michigan survey, more people voted against Kennedy because of his religion than any other reason. Nevertheless, that speech, which was nationally broadcast and frequently rebroadcast, certainly took a lot of the poison out of the anti-Catholic issue and reassured all reasonable people. Watch Sorensen discuss why Kennedy gave his speech » . Q. Could President Kennedy have delivered the speech Romney gave on Thursday? Sorensen: No. Mr. Romney's position on many of the issues are very different than JFK's. JFK wanted to particularly stress that he believed in the separation between church and state. He believed that no one needed to worry about a Catholic bishop or a cardinal dictating to him as a president, and that freedom of religion included freedom for those to go to any church or not to go to any church at all. So, Romney emphasized the role of religion in public life more strongly than JFK did or would have. Q. Romney seemed to differ quite strongly with Kennedy on the privacy of religion, didn't he? Sorensen: Yes, he did. In fact, Romney felt compelled for some reason to define his personal views of Jesus Christ. Kennedy said, as you noted, his personal views of religion were totally his business and not the business of the American people. Q. Romney made the statement "freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom." Do you think Kennedy would have agreed with that? Sorensen: I don't think anyone would disagree strongly with that. There were some lines in the Romney speech that echoed the Kennedy speech. As an old speechwriter, I would congratulate Mr. Romney. It was a pretty good speech. I think he touched all the bases he wanted to touch. Q. Romney discussed his views of Jesus Christ, something that Kennedy avoided. Why did Kennedy avoid discussing his religious views? Sorensen: Because [Kennedy] began the speech by saying his private religious beliefs -- his relationship with God or Jesus Christ or anything else -- was not a matter of public discussion. He did not think the election should be based on -- as he said, it's not what kind of church I believe in, the question is what kind of country do I believe in. Q. Kennedy's speech in 1960 is widely viewed as being successful. Do you think Romney's speech is likely to be viewed as a success? Sorensen: I assume so. I don't think Mr. Romney should be denied the presidency because of his religion. Just as I don't think Senator [Barack] Obama should be denied because of his race. Or that Mrs. [Hillary] Clinton should be denied the presidency because of her gender. This country is in deep, serious trouble, and thoughtful citizens surely are going to make up their minds based on the major issues confronting the country and the major qualities of the candidates and not on such superficial tests as religion, race, or gender. E-mail to a friend .

Ted Sorensen helped draft Kennedy's 1960 speech on Roman Catholicism . GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney delivers speech on faith in politics . Kennedy, Romney views on religion differ greatly, Sorensen says . Sorensen says Kennedy viewed religion as more of a private matter .

(CNN) -- It can be quite expensive to adopt a child in the United States. CNN Hero Becky Fawcett and her husband, Kipp, paid about $40,000 when they adopted their first child, Jake, in 2005. Knowing how many others wouldn't be able to afford such a steep price, Fawcett created Helpusadopt.org, which provides families with grants ranging from $500 to $15,000. Fawcett, who also adopted her daughter, 18-month-old Brooke, recently spoke with CNN's Allie Torgan about her experiences and how they led her to help other adoptive families. Allie Torgan: When did you get the idea for Helpusadopt.org? Becky Fawcett: We were sitting in our lawyer's office. You're given an approximate total (of the adoption cost), and you have to sign it so you know how much this could possibly be. For some reason -- and I will never know why I did it -- I looked at our lawyer and I said: "We have the money to pay you. But I need to know if I didn't, what happens to me now? What happens at this point to people who can't afford this?" Our lawyer had two choices when I asked this question. And it's so important the decision he made. He could have said, "I don't know." But he decided to give us the God's honest truth. He said, "Unfortunately, I've heard of people living a childless life." And that was my moment I fell apart. I sat there and thought, if my life had been slightly different ... and I was told that I was not going to be a mother because I couldn't afford adoption, I don't even know what I would have done. I don't know who I would have turned to for help. I don't know what that would have meant for my marriage. It just hit me: I knew how lucky we were. Had this whole conversation not happened, Helpusadopt.org would not exist. Fawcett explains why her children's birth mothers are her heroes . Torgan: How did your initial plan for Helpusadopt.org come to fruition? Fawcett: We wanted to support everybody. We wanted to help people adopt on their terms. There would be absolutely no application fee. We wanted to give sizable grants that would be life-changing. We crafted very carefully a "friends and family" letter. We educated them (about) the cost of adoption, because no one fathoms this. It was just an instantaneous decision on people's part to climb on board. We never asked for a penny. It just came in. Torgan: Who have you helped? Fawcett: We've helped LGBT families. We've helped single women. We've helped a single man. We've helped heterosexual married couples. We've helped people adopt special-needs children, both (from) here in the United States and from abroad. We've helped foster-care adoptions. Our families are amazing. I think sometimes they're shocked to hear from me, because we do want to hear what's going on after the fact. We don't give you the grant money and disappear. We consider these people part of our family. We ask for baby pictures. We ask for updates. This is a labor of love. Torgan: What is your hope for the future of Helpusadopt.org? Fawcett: The problem of people being able to afford adoption and build their families is not a solvable one as I see it. I wish that I could be the brilliant woman who wakes up one day and says I got it all figured out. But I don't see a foreseeable answer to this. Helpusadopt.org solves part of the problem. We're helping people bring their children home and we're helping all types of families, which is the most important part of what we do. It's my dream that my grandchildren will sit on this board some day. See the full story on CNN Hero Becky Fawcett: Adoptive mom helps 'give birth' to 43 families .

CNN Hero Becky Fawcett is helping Americans get the money they need to adopt . She calls her organization, Helpusadopt.org, a "labor of love" The group has assisted all kinds of families as well as single people .

Washington (CNN) -- A top White House aide and the managing director of oil giant BP provided differing versions Sunday for who provided the initial inaccurate estimates of the size of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Robert Dudley, the BP official who appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and other talk shows, said early estimates that 5,000 barrels (210,000 gallons) were leaking into the ocean each day came from government satellite imaging, rather than BP's figures. An updated estimate issued last week by a government-led team put the leak at 12,000-19,000 barrels (504,000 to 798,000 gallons) a day, more than double the initial figure. "The best way to measure those early rates or estimate those early rates were from satellite data, not BP data," Dudley said on the CBS program "Face the Nation." Not true, countered Carol Browner, the assistant on energy and climate change to President Obama, who spoke to the NBC program "Meet the Press" and the CBS show. "The very, very first estimates came from BP," Browner said on the CBS program. "They had the footage of the plume. The government then did satellite imagery and we realized that those estimates were not accurate." Browner noted that BP had a "vested financial interest" in downplaying the size of the leak. "They will ultimately pay a fine based on those rates," Browner said. "That's why we brought in an independent team. We did not include BP in the estimates that were made available this week." Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who heads the House Energy and Environment subcommittee, agreed that the company "had a stake in low-balling the number right from the very beginning." "I think that they were either lying or they were incompetent," Markey said on the CBS program. Noting that BP has consistently provided information that proved to be wrong, Markey said he had "no confidence whatsoever in BP." "I think they do not know what they are doing," Markey said, adding: "I don't think that people should really believe what BP is saying in terms of the likelihood of anything that they're doing is going to turn out as they're predicting." Browner emphasized steps the government has taken to oversee BP's efforts to stop the leak, noting the administration ordered the company to begin digging two relief wells intended to eventually stop the leak instead of a single one proposed by BP. In addition, she said, it was government scientists led by Energy Secretary Steven Chu who recommended that BP halt the so-called "top kill" effort to pump heavy mud down the well to try to plug the leak. "It was that group of people yesterday who looked at the information we had gotten from 'top kill' and realized that it was too dangerous to continue to proceed to put pressure down into that well, that things could happen that would make the situation worse," Browner said. Dudley told CNN that BP was "disappointed the oil is going to flow for a while and we're going to redouble our efforts to keep it off the beaches." The top kill effort failed because "there was just too much flow" of oil and gas coming out of the well, Dudley said. He detailed a plan to cut a new opening in equipment from which the oil is leaking to try to lower a cap over it and pipe up most of the leak. A similar previous effort failed, and Dudley said steps would be taken to prevent the problems from the first attempt. "Our objective is to contain a majority of the oil and gas," Dudley said, adding that cutting the new opening was unlikely to increase the amount of oil leaking out before the cap is placed. Browner, however, said on the CBS program that an increase of up to 20 percent was possible. And Markey, on the same show, contended that BP "has been making it up as they go along the whole way. "They do not know for sure what the result is going to be of anything which they are doing," Markey said.

White House aide, BP official differ on who gave initial estimates on size of leak . Browner says BP had financial incentive to downplay size of leak . BP official says estimate figures came from government satellite imaging . Congressman says BP has proven to be untrustworthy .

(CNN) -- "Like the smell of a brand-new car" were the words of International Space Station astronaut Don Pettit on Saturday after he carefully opened the hatch and entered the Dragon capsule for his first glimpse inside. Dragon connected with the station Friday, making history as the first private capsule to reach the orbiting spacecraft. Pettit opened the hatch at 5:53 a.m. ET with Russian cosmonaut and station commander Oleg Kononenko by his side. The two men, wearing T-shirts, khaki shorts, goggles and masks gave the thumbs up to the camera after they floated inside. The initial inspection went smoothly and ahead of schedule and the interior looked good, according to SpaceX, the private company that built and operates the Dragon. Pettit later told reporters in a briefing from space that the interior is roomier than the Russian Soyuz capsule that carried him to the space station. He said "it looks like it carries about as much cargo as I could put in my pickup truck." Ashes of 'Star Trek' actor on private rocket . Dragon delivered more than 1,000 pounds of cargo, including food, clothing, computer equipment and supplies for science experiments. After the crew unloads that cargo, they will reload the capsule with experiments and cargo for its return trip to Earth. Dragon is scheduled to splash into the Pacific Ocean several hundred miles west of California on May 31, according to NASA. Pettit said the crew has packed most of what its plan to send back to Earth, which includes everything from trash to scientific research and experimental samples. SpaceX Dragon triumph: Only the beginning . Dragon launched Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. NASA collaborated with SpaceX on every part of the mission and gave final authorization for the flight. Dragon reached the station Friday and was "captured" by the station's robotic arm just before 10 a.m. ET. Over the next two hours, the crew maneuvered the arm to bring the capsule in to berth and attach it to the station. The mission, hailed by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden as a step toward a new future of private innovation in the space industry, comes as government funding of the space program decreases. It also marked the culmination of six years of preparation to bring commercial flights to the space station after the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet last year, which leaves the United States with no means of independently sending humans into space. NASA relies on the Russian space agency to ferry U.S. astronauts to orbit. Without the shuttle, the United States also has limited capabilities to send supplies to the station and bring them back. Dragon fills a need in taking significant payload back and forth, Pettit said. In December 2008, NASA announced it had chosen SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft to resupply the International Space Station after the shuttle's retirement. The $1.6 billion contract involves a minimum of 12 flights, with an option to order more missions for additional cost, according to SpaceX. SpaceX was created by PayPal founder Elon Musk and is one of a few of private companies receiving NASA funds to develop the commercial transport of astronauts into space. Musk has said the commercial program -- with fixed-price, pay-for-performance contracts -- makes fiscal sense for taxpayers and fosters competition among companies on reliability, capability and cost. Astronaut Joe Acaba, also aboard the space station, called the mission a great first step in the commercialization of spaceflight, and Pettit agreed. "Commercial spaceflight will blossom due to its own merits, and doesn't really hinge on one mission," Pettit said. "It will hinge on the viability of launching many missions over a long period of time and being able to provide useful commercial goods and services in the low-earth orbit arena." SpaceX is now developing a heavy-lift rocket with twice the cargo capability of the space shuttle and hopes to build a spacecraft that could carry a crew to Mars.

NEW: Astronaut says the interior is roomier than the Soyuz . NEW: Don Pettit says commercial spaceflight will blossom on its own merits . Dragon is the first private spacecraft to connect to the International Space Station . It is carrying cargo including food and computer equipment .

Shanghai (CNN) -- With a short statement, China's tallest superstar Wednesday made it official that he has quit playing basketball, after weeks of intense media speculation on his future. "I will end my athletic career and formally retire from the game of basketball," Yao Ming, who turns 31 in September, told a packed press conference in his hometown. The Shanghai native, who stands at 7 feet and 6 inches (2.29 meters), blamed persistent injuries for cutting short his decorated career on the court. "At the end of last year, I once again had a stress fracture in my left foot and had to sit out of basketball," he said. "Since then, like many friends who cared about me, I waited and hoped that I could return." China bids farewell to Yao . The nicknamed "Little Giant" was signed by the Houston Rockets in 2002 as the top overall pick of the National Basketball Association in North America. Since then Yao has scored an average of 19 points per game and been voted an NBA All-Star player eight times, turning himself to one of the most successful overseas players in the league. Over the past two years, however, foot and ankle injuries forced him to miss the 2009-2010 season and sit out most of last season after only five games. Despite the recent setback, the former Houston Rockets center made a special point in English about thanking his adopted hometown. "Nine years ago, I came to Houston as a young, tall, skinny player," he said. "The entire city and the team changed me to a grown man -- not only as a basketball player but also I had my daughter there." Yao's one-year-old daughter Amy, smiling at a wall of flashing cameras, almost outshone her famous father when the whole family -- including Yao's wife and parents -- took center stage. Her potential birthplace was a contentious topic in China last year, as supporters debated the implications of their hero, who had led the national team into world championships and the Olympics, becoming the father of an American citizen. At the press event, amid high praises from sports officials, Yao fielded the rapid-fire questions from journalists -- ranging from his most memorable game to his daughter's first "Daddy" -- with his usual brevity and dry humor. "On earth," he responded when a local reporter asked him where he planned to live in retirement. Now the owner of his former club, Shanghai Sharks, Yao depicted a busy post-retirement schedule filled with work involving coaching, charity and commerce (too busy to help improve the Netherlands' national team, as suggested by a Dutch reporter). He also appealed to Chinese fans to continue watching basketball, amid worries that his departure would diminish the nation's interest in the game. The NBA franchise has made huge inroads in China thanks to Yao's popularity. The league paid Yao $93 million during his nine-year career. He also has earned an estimated $25 million in endorsement deals for local products as well as global brands such as Apple, McDonald's and Visa. To his admirers, however, Yao's multifaceted role as a sport star, national idol and cultural ambassador simply makes him invaluable. Hong Nanli was the only journalist allowed on stage when she presented Yao with a special gift: A large print of a photograph chosen from several thousand she had taken of him since he was a teenage athlete. "I was his fan even before he became a star," said the 73-year-old sports photographer for the Oriental Sports Daily newspaper. "When I learned about his retirement, I felt a sense of loss -- we won't see the 'Little Giant' on the court again." The star himself sounded more optimistic -- and a bit philosophical -- when CNN asked him: When are we going to see next Yao Ming in the NBA? "I followed somebody's footprints -- Chinese players in the league ahead of me," he said. "It's always taking some legacy from older players -- you get it, you gain experience from that and make your own success." "I believe in the future there will be more Chinese players following our footprints and moving even further."

Yao told a packed press conference that he'll end his athletic career . Yao's been voted an NBA All-Star player eight times . The league paid Yao $93 million during his career and millions in endorsements .

Bydgoszcz, Poland (CNN) -- I first visited Poland in 1990, just after the end of communist rule. Back then, the United States meant everything to people here: freedom, protection, opportunity, hope. I worked for The Wall Street Journal at the time. That business card resonating with capitalism opened every door. It even persuaded a border official not to pass my camera through a Soviet-era X-ray machine. Twenty years later, Poland has become a stable democracy. It has joined NATO and the European Union. True, wages remain low by Western standards. And to the eye, Poland still shows the scars of its communist past: Half the population still lives in communist-era high-rise slabs. But things get better every year, visibly better even than during my last visit two years ago: new homes, new stores, improved roads, new stations opened on the Warsaw subway. Poland scored the highest growth in the whole European Union in 2009, suffering not a single quarter of negative growth during the global recession. So that's all good news for the Poles. Now the thought-provoking news for Americans: America's place on the Polish mental map seems to shrink every year. When Poles dream of leaving the country, they think not of Chicago but of London. A Pole can work legally in any large EU country, and an estimated 1 million do, sending home more money than Poland earns from all its U.S. trade. Meanwhile, Poles need a visa even to visit the United States. Polish business is oriented toward Germany, by far the country's largest trading partner and investor. Poland buys and sells less with the United States than it does with the Czech Republic. Theoretically, the United States remains very important to Poland's security. Through NATO, the U.S. has guaranteed defending Poland against Russia, with nuclear weapons if necessary. But Russia is behaving itself well toward Poland these days. When Russia did behave badly -- for example, embargoing Polish meat exports in 2005 -- it was the threat of European economic retaliation that changed Russian minds. The U.S. has opened new military bases in southeastern Europe -- in Bulgaria and Romania, but none in Poland. There are practically no U.S. soldiers stationed here. If anything, Poles might feel that they are doing much more for the United States than the United States does for Poland. Polish troops fought in Iraq, and fight now in Afghanistan. Polish support for U.S. geopolicy has twice ended in humiliation for Polish governments. In 2005, sources inside the U.S. government leaked the news that Poland was permitting the CIA to detain captured al Qaeda terrorists in secret in Polish prisons. Poland was threatened with the loss of its EU voting rights and subjected to an EU investigation. Then in 2009, the new Obama administration abruptly canceled a proposed U.S. missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic. These experiences would cause any future Polish governments to worry that cooperation with the U.S. will horribly backfire on them. Some waning of U.S. prestige in Poland was inevitable. With the end of the Cold War, Poles naturally worry more about earning a living than protecting their security. And of course, next-door Germany offers more economic benefits than faraway America. Of course, too, the U.S. has banked a huge store of goodwill in Poland that will take years to deplete. It was the U.S. that championed Poland's independence from Moscow while anxious Germans urged that the U.S. stop annoying the Soviet Union with talk of freedom. But although inevitable and gradual, the dwindling of American importance, not only in Poland but in other liberated countries in central Europe as well, is a real and large fact of life. That fact might matter less if there were other regions of the world where America's clout was increasing. But where? The opinion expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Frum.

David Frum visited post-communist Poland in 1990; nation was eager to connect with U.S. Now, 20 years later, democratic Poland part of EU, NATO; U.S. seems less central in importance . Poland has closer connections in EU, he says, have had awkward political moments with U.S. Frum: U.S. still key to security, has goodwill history with Poland, but its importance dwindling .

(CNN) -- The U.S Army has granted a member of a religious minority permission to keep his turban, beard and uncut hair while he serves in the military, the Pentagon and a group representing him said. Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi, a doctor, is a Sikh, a faith that calls on its adherents not to shave or cut their hair. Kalsi filed a request in the spring for an accommodation to follow the principles of his religion. This month the Army granted his request, the Sikh Coalition told CNN. The Pentagon public affairs office later confirmed that Kalsi would be allowed to keep his turban, beard and uncut hair. The civil rights group hailed the move as "a major step toward ending a 23-year-old policy that excludes Sikhs from service." Kalsi said he was "overjoyed." "Like the many Sikhs who fought before me, I know I will serve America with honor and excellence," he said in a written statement. But the Sikh Coalition provided what it said was a copy of the letter from the Army. Maj. Gen. Gina Farrisee said in the letter that Kalsi's "beard, uncut hair, and turban will be neat and well maintained at all times." She said her ruling applies only to Kalsi's case, and is not a change of Army policy. "This accommodation is based solely on the facts and circumstances of your case," the letter said. "This accommodation does not constitute a blanket accommodation for any other individual." She said the exception could be revoked "due to changed conditions." Her letter was dated October 22 and released by the Sikh Coalition the next day. Kalsi is not the only Sikh asking permission to keep his hair, beard and turban while serving in the Army. Capt. Tejdeep Singh Rattan, a dentist, applied at the same time as Kalsi. His case has been deferred until he receives the results of his dental board examinations, the Sikh Coalition told CNN. Both were scheduled to report for active duty in July. The Sikh Coalition said Kalsi and Rattan had been assured when they were recruited to join the Army's Health Professions Scholarship that their unshorn hair and turbans "would not be a problem." "Both are concluding their training and are slated to begin active duty in July 2009. However, the U.S. Army is now disputing their ability to serve with their Sikh identity intact," the Sikh Coalition said in an April 14 letter addressed to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. "It doesn't make sense to me, especially in these hard times," Kalsi told CNN at the time. "The military is hurting for professionals. They need doctors, they need nurses." Amardeep Singh, the head of the Sikh Coalition, told CNN in the spring that the issue affects observant Sikhs, not those Sikh-Americans who entered the military after removing their turbans and shaving their beards and hair. The issue is important for the roughly 500,000-strong American Sikh community, Singh said. Sikhs faced hostility after the September 11, 2001, attacks, when people associated them with al Qaeda terrorists because their turbans and beards resembled the militants' appearance. The Sikh religion was founded in India. "The perception is still there," Singh said. "We're sort of still feeling it." He said surveys chronicle the problems Sikhs face. Among them is one conducted in the Queens borough of New York City recently in which children reported being on the receiving end of verbal and physical abuse, he said. "These kids are being harassed in New York. It's Queens, the most diverse county in the United States. If this is happening in Queens, it's happening in other parts of the country." So, he said, the opportunity to serve in the U.S. Army sends the opposite message -- "that we are part and parcel of the fabric of this country." CNN's Joe Sterling in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report.

Capt. Kamaljit Singh Kalsi is a doctor in the U.S. Army, practicing Sikh . Army has granted his request for an accommodation to follow the principles of his religion . Sikh Coalition has letter saying ruling applies only to Kalsi's, not a change of Army policy .

(CNN) -- English Premier League side Chelsea have said they will mount the "strongest appeal possible" following the transfer ban placed on the club by world football's governing body FIFA. English Premier League side Chelsea have been banned by FIFA from signing any new players until 2011 . The punishment, which would prevent any new member joining the squad until 2011, was dished out after the club were found to have "induced" Gael Kukuta to breach his contract in a transfer from French league side Lens in 2007. In a statement on their official Web site, Chelsea announced their plan to: "Mount the strongest appeal possible following the decision of FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber over Gaël Kakuta. "The sanctions are without precedent to this level and totally disproportionate to the alleged offence and the financial penalty imposed. We cannot comment further until we receive the full written rationale for this extraordinarily arbitrary decision," the statement concluded. The ruling came after Lens complained to FIFA that Chelsea had acted improperly over the transfer of 18-year-old left-winger Kakuta two years ago. The complaint was referred to the body's Disciplinary Resolution Chamber (DRC) who decided to impose a ban on any further player recruitment by last season's Champions League semifinalists. Have FIFA made the right decision? Sound Off below. A statement on FIFA's official Web site read: "The DRC found that the player had indeed breached a contract signed with the French club. "Equally, the DRC deemed it to be established that the English club induced the player to such a breach. As a result the player was condemned to pay compensation in the amount of €780,000 ($1.1 million), for which the club, Chelsea, are jointly and severally liable, and sporting sanctions were imposed on both the player and Chelsea in accordance with art. 17 par. 3 and 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players." Kakuta, who was voted the side's academy player of the year in his first 12 months with Chelsea, received a personal suspension of four months as a result of the ruling. "Chelsea are banned from registering any new players, either nationally or internationally, for the two next entire and consecutive registration periods following the notification of the present decision." The first football transfer window in Europe runs from January 1-31 in 2010; the second from the end of the current season until August 31 in Europe, and September 1 in Britain next year. Chelsea were also ordered to pay Lens "training compensation" of €130,000 ($185,000), in a decision the club could appeal at the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Football governing bodies have intervened on two previous occasions in recent times regarding the acquisition of new players by Chelsea. In 2005, Nigeria midfielder Jon Mikel Obi was ordered by FIFA to return to Norwegian club Lyn Oslo to see out his contract before eventually joining Chelsea, after protracted transfer negotiations had led to disagreement with Manchester United who also claimed they had signed the player. Chelsea were also fined £300,000 ($490,000) by the English Premier League over the capture of England defender Ashley Cole from Arsenal in 2005. The club were found guilty of breaking rule K3, which forbade them approaching Cole, who still had two years left on his Arsenal deal, "by any means while under contract." Watch a former Chelsea manager discuss the ban » . The Blues were also warned they could face being docked points if a similar offence occurred during the 2005/2006 season. It is the second time FIFA have handed out a transfer ban on a club. The transfers of Switzerland's FC Sion were frozen until the end of the 2010 season after they attempted to sign Egypt's Essam El Hadary before the goalkeeper's contract with Al-Ahly had expired.

Chelsea to mount the "strongest appeal possible" following the club's ban . Chelsea prevented by FIFA from signing any new players until 2011 . Club found to have "induced" Gael Kakuta to breach his contract with Lens . Have FIFA made the right decision? Sound Off below .

(CNN) -- From the day he challenged the great Seve Ballesteros to a chipping contest at the age of four, Matteo Manassero has been a precocious golf talent. The Italian, who last month became the youngest player to make the halfway cut at the Masters in Augusta, has launched his professional career 17 days after his 17th birthday. Manassero, who was also the leading amateur at last year's British Open and topped the non-paid players' world rankings for 18 weeks, made a solid start on Thursday. He carded a two-under-par 70 in the opening round of his home Italian Open which left him three shots off the lead. He outshone his playing partner, European Ryder Cup captain and seven-time Order of Merit winner Colin Montgomerie, who could only manage 76 on a day marred by a two-hour rain delay. "He was very impressive, to do that as a 17-year-old today," the 46-year-old Montgomerie told the European Tour Web site. "He has a good future ahead of him and I wish him all the best." Manassero was also pleased with his efforts. "It was a good round, I played steady for 18 holes. I really liked how I played today. I was a little nervous, like always in big tournaments, but fortunately I'm getting used to it," he said. "I don't want to rewind any part of my game. I didn't putt that well but I didn't have many chances, so I like the way I played and hopefully it will stay like this." Manassero is used to the big stage. He made his British Open at Turnberry last year, teeing off with American golf legend Tom Watson and Spanish star Sergio Garcia. Watson ended up losing an emotional playoff to Stewart Cink, while Manassero tied for 13th -- and Garcia finished back in 38th. "I was nervous, it was a big crowd clapping me," Manassero told CNN before the Italian Open, breaking into a smile. His successes at Turnberry and then Augusta, where he at at 16 years and 11 months and 22 days he was almost two years younger than Bobby Cole's previous record, have given him a taste of things to come. "I was on the first page of the biggest newspaper in Italy," Manassero said. "I'm still the same, but life is different. "Pro-life is what I want. I'm really looking forward to it. Fitness and practicing, normal training, I don't want to do different stuff. I've always done those and I'll keep like this." Manassero, who is from the province of Verona in northern Italy, recalled the time when he met Spanish legend Ballesteros, a five-time major winner. "I challenged him on the putting green of my home club. He was chipping and they introduced him to me and then we started started chipping a little, and I holed a chip. That was a great moment," he said. His caddy is Alberto Binaghi, a former European Tour player and now the Italian team coach. Binaghi has overseen a resurgence in Italian golf that has taken Edoardo and Francesco Molinari into the world's top-50, with the brothers winning the 2009 World Cup teams event. "Ten years ago it was probably a rich sport and was difficult to play and it was expensive, but now the situation has changed and there are more young people wanting to play golf," Francesco Molinari, ranked 41st, told CNN of the sport in his home country. Four players shared the clubhouse lead at the Royal Park course in Turin, with Englishmen Graeme Storm and Robert Rock carding 67 along with Australia's Marcus Fraser and Scotland's Paul Lawrie. There were still 18 players yet to complete their opening rounds when the day's play came to a halt.

Matteo Manassero launches professional golf career with two-under-par 70 at Italian Open . The 17-year-old was the youngest amateur to make the halfway cut at the Masters . He challenged golfing great Seve Ballesteros to a chipping duel at the age of four . Manassero is part of a golfing resurgence in Italy with the Molinari brothers .

(CNN)Looking for a spa break? In the past, the world's chill-seekers might have ventured to Thailand or India to get their massage fix. In the future, they're more apt to be Africa-bound. A new report in the Global Spa and Wellness Monitor puts Sub-Saharan Africa as the world's fastest growing region for wellness tourism. The number of spas has tripled since 2007, and spa revenue has leaped 184%. The number of those lured to the continent for a little R&R has also soared. 2013 saw 4.2 million wellness tourists -- a 90% increase from 2012. As a testament to this growth, this year's annual Global Spa and Wellness Summit took place in Morocco -- the first time the event was held on African soil. "Africa is seen as the final frontier. It's virgin territory," says Magatte Wade, the Senegal-born founder and CEO of beauty brand Tiossan, and a keynote speaker at the summit. She attributes the continent's spike in spas not only to the increase of international travelers, but to the growth of the consumer class within Africa. "The middle class is growing, there are more African billionaires right now, and then you have people like me, who've had the opportunity to live all over the world and have money to spend, and want to go back home and have the same top-of-the-line service you have in New York or Tokyo," she says. The wellness trend has also started to leak into Africa's safari industry, according to Henry Hallward, founder of both the Good Safari Guide and the Safari Awards, and former chairman of the African Tourism and Travel Association. Hallward estimates there are 9,000 safari lodge operators today, up from approximately 400 in 1995. Pampering, he admits, has also become a stronger focus. "Almost every safari lodge that I'm aware of has added into its suite of services either massage, or else an entire spa branded by product suppliers," he says. A geographical shift . Even countries that were once eschewed due to political concerns are set to emerge as wellness hotspots. Hallward says he's seen growth in markets such as Ethiopia and even the Sudan, "now that the politics has calmed down." He is also noticing a shift in the type of safaris on offer. The old formula of trekking the "Big Five" in the Masai Mara from the comfort of a jeep is outdated. Instead, safaris are becoming more active, and different countries are starting to specialize in niche versions. "Botswana has become the center for safaris on horseback, while Malawi and Zambia are emerging for the underwater wildlife experience," he says. Wade too is also noticing growth in regions that were once considered off-limits. "Angola is getting up there, and Rwanda is starting to pay attention. It's still in its infancy there, but it will grow fast," she says. A taste of the continent . Wade says there is an incredible opportunity for new properties to embrace the numerous healing traditions and natural ingredients indigenous in the continent. Her product line, which boasts Senegalese black seed oil, is one of the few to do so, but Wade is hoping it's a trend that will spread. "There are 54 countries in Africa, and each of these has dozens upon dozens of different healing rituals. There is a richness and diversity that we need to tap into," she says. So far only a handful of brands have taken a similar track -- such as the South African spa brand Healing Earth, which incorporates local ingredients like Kalahari melon or mongongo nut. Wade worries about the implications if more don't follow suit: . "If we're not careful, the wellness industry will come and put a blanket over what we already have. They'll bring the Asian- and European-inspired traditions they already know, and what we've had for thousands of years will be lost," she warns.

Africa has a multitude of healing traditions and ingredients . The spa industry in Africa is soaring. It's the fastest growing market for wellness tourism . There is opportunity for beauty brands and resorts to showcase these traditions to the world .

(CNN) -- It may not be conclusive proof of climate change, but every couple of years brings another "Ice Age" to air-conditioned multiplexes across the globe. Each of its predecessors made more money than the one that came before, so there's an inevitability about this fourth venture -- "Ice Age: Continental Drift" -- even if it bears telltale signs of creative exhaustion and, yes, drift. The franchise started out as a prehistoric, slapstick spin on the old John Ford western, "Three Godfathers," with a woolly mammoth, a sloth and a sabre-toothed tiger (Manny, Sid and Diego, voiced by Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary) delivering an orphaned human baby to safety. It has evolved -- or maybe "devolved" -- into a scrappy string of antic adventures interspersed with sitcom-style character notes, all pegged to whatever novelty the writing team can contrive in place of a plot. In part three it was a subterranean dinosaur lair. In this episode, an unfortunate incident with an acorn at the earth's core precipitates tectonic realignment. When the continents part ways, Manny and the guys are trapped on an iceberg heading out to sea with only Sid's nutty grandmother (Wanda Sykes) for company. Manny's quest to be reunited with wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) and teen daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer) is interrupted by a gang of scurvy pirates, led by a tricorn-headed orangutan, Captain Gutt (Peter Dinklage). Whoever thought it was a good idea to spike this tired series with the defining component from a rival, equally over-extended franchise (not to mention the recent Aardman Animation pirate caper), well, here's a thought: maybe you could introduce a web-slinging spider-boy in the next one? You know, just to keep things fresh! The animation is dynamic and crisp, but the story just runs around in circles while we wait for the sky to fall down. Truth be told, it's a kick that Twentieth Century Fox is distributing a movie about the dangers of climate change. "Doesn't it worry you that this is the end of the world?" someone asks a particularly unintelligent couple of party-hearty mammals. Uh-uh, they respond. "I guess we can tell you our secret... We're really, really stupid." Like the equally stretched-to-the-breaking-point "Shrek" series, "Ice Age" has accumulated too many characters with too little to do, and all-star vocal stylings ("Continental Drift" adds Jennifer Lopez, Drake, Nick Frost and even Joy Behar, to name a few) can only do so much by way of compensation. A bigger problem: the trio of reprobates at the center of proceedings have become so domesticated over the years, whatever mild comic edge they used to have has been dulled to a soft nub. The loner, Manny, is now a boringly over-bearing father. The aggressive Diego is just a big pussycat. Only pea-brained Sid has stayed true to type, which will please infants more than their parents. (For the record, everything I disliked about this movie -- the dumb teen mammoth romance subplot, the narwhal-propelled iceberg, and especially the irritating Sid -- were selected as personal highlights by my 7-year-old.) As in the earlier films, the most enterprising comedy features the mute squirrel, Scrat, who's Looney Tunes-inspired misadventures are almost always a welcome distraction -- even if we already saw too much of this material in teasers released last year. Better than any of this is the five-minute 3D Simpsons short ("The Longest Daycare") that precedes the feature. A starring vehicle for baby Maggie, this is sharp, witty visual slapstick that harks back to the silent era for inspiration. True to form, my kid hated it.

"Ice Age: Continental Drift" is the fourth movie in the series . Reviewer says the formula is getting stale . Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary voice the main characters .

(CNN) -- Italy's World Cup title defense came to an embarrassing end with a dramatic 3-2 defeat by European footballing minnows Slovakia on Thursday. The four-time champions followed 2006 runners-up France in making a first-round exit despite a frantic finale in which they had a goal disallowed. It is the first time that both finalists from the previous tournament have departed at such an early stage of soccer's biggest event, and only the fourth occasion that the titleholders crashed out at the opening hurdle. France were the last champions to exit in the first round in 2002, following Brazil in 1966 and Italy in 1950 -- having won the 1938 event before World War Two broke out. Troubled French team keeps low profile on return home . Slovakia progressed into the last 16 along with Paraguay, who topped Group F following a 0-0 draw with New Zealand. The Kiwis were knocked out of the tournament despite finishing unbeaten with three draws -- a sharp contrast to their only other finals appearance in 1982 which ended with three defeats. Slovakia 3-2 Italy . Striker Robert Vittek scored two goals to help put World Cup debutants Slovakia into the second round with a famous victory in Johannesburg. The striker put his side ahead in the 25th minute with a smart finish after Italy's Daniel De Rossi gave the ball away to Marek Hamsik, who plays for Serie A club Napoli. He made it 2-0 with 17 minutes to play after again being set up by Hamsik, but Italy kept their hopes alive when Antonio Di Natale bundled in an 81st-minute goal after a shot by substitute Fabio Quagliarella was only parried. Quagliarella thought he had equalized with five minutes to play, but his effort was ruled offside in a tight decision. Zdenko Strba had suffered a gaping wound in his knee just before halftime after a challenge by Gennaro Gattuso, but soldiered on until just before the end for the Slovaks. His 86th-replacement Kamil Kopunek scored with his first touch of the ball when he coolly lifted the ball over onrushing goalkeeper Federico Marchetti, who was again deputizing for injured first-choice Gianluigi Buffon. Quagliarella, who had a shot cleared off the line by Martin Skrtel in the 66th minute, finally got his reward in time added on with a sublime chip over goalkeeper Jan Mucha. But it was too late for Italy, whose coach Marcello Lippi suffered an ignominious defeat after the highs of 2006 when he led his side to victory in a penalty shootout in the final against France. "I take full responsibility. There are no excuses because when a team comes to something as important as tonight's game with terror in their legs, their heads and their hearts, and they don't manage to express themselves, it means that the coach hasn't prepared them in the right way from a psychological, technical and physical perspective," Lippi said, reported AFP. Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand . Paraguay made up for a first-round exit four years ago with a comfortable draw against New Zealand in Polokwane. The South Americans knew a point would be enough to progress following an opening 1-1 draw with Italy and a 2-0 victory over Slovakia. The Kiwis needed to secure their first ever victory at the World Cup, but struggled to create clear-cut chances in a match of few opportunities. Paraguay coach revamped Gerardo Martino his forward line-up with Lucas Barrios replaced by Oscar Cardozo, but his players found New Zealand's stubborn three-man defense as difficult to break down as the Italians and Slovaks had previously. Paraguay will play the runners-up in Group E on Tuesday, while Slovakia will play that pool's winners the day before.

Italy knocked out of the World Cup after 3-2 defeat by Slovakia in final Group F match . Defending champions finish bottom of their group while Slovaks go through in second . With France also out, both of the previous tournament's finalists have been eliminated . Paraguay top the group after 0-0 draw with New Zealand, who go home unbeaten .

(CNN) -- In the wake of the shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday that left 13 dead, we have seen the resurrection of an all-too-familiar debate: Did violent video games make the killer do it? Reports suggest that the gunman, Aaron Alexis, played quite a bit of violent video games. Friends have said to reporters that his heavy game use, described as up to 16 hours at a time, may help explain his actions. Just as quickly, video game fans have jumped to defend the violent first-person shooting games. "Don't Blame Violent Video Games for Monday's Mass Shooting" said the headline of an Atlantic op-ed. The problem is that people are looking for a yes-or-no answer about the role of video games in violence, when there is none. Violent video games alone likely didn't cause Alexis to go on his rampage. But these games aren't harmless, either. Recent reports suggest he may have been mentally ill and had anger control issues. But it isn't hard to believe that video game use may have been a contributing factor. My colleagues and I found that typical college students who played violent video games for 20 minutes at a time for three consecutive days showed increasingly higher levels of aggressive behavior each day they played. If that's what happens to typical college students, how might someone like Alexis react to playing for 16 straight hours? What if he does this for months or years? Other researchers have found similar results. My colleagues and I conducted a comprehensive review of 136 articles reporting 381 effects involving over 130,000 participants around the world. These studies show that violent video games increase aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiological arousal (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure), and aggressive behavior. Violent games also decrease helping behavior and feelings of empathy for others. The effects occurred for males and females of all ages, regardless of what country they lived in. Despite the evidence, many people still deny violent media effects for a variety of reasons that I summarized in a Psychology Today piece. Alexis was not the first mass killer to have an obsession with violent video games. Adam Lanza, who killed 26 children in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, was also said to be a fan of first-person shooting games. Other killers have been found to be avid players. The effects of these games go beyond making players more aggressive. In our research, we found that people who played first-person shooting games were more accurate than others when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin -- and more likely to aim for and hit the head. Police haven't released details of the Navy Yard shootings, but it is possible that Alexis was a more accurate shooter because of the time he spent playing video games. That's an inconvenient fact that you don't often hear defenders of the games talk about. But the argument I hear most often is that video games can't be dangerous because millions of people play these games without becoming violent. No doubt, most players don't become violent. That's because they come from good homes, aren't victims of bullying, don't have mental health issues, and don't have many of the other risk factors for violence. But what about players who already are predisposed to violence? Killers like Aaron Alexis aren't typical. They have a lot going against them, such as mental illness. Violent video games are just one more factor that may be pushing them toward violence. We don't have a lot of control over many of the factors that can contribute to violent behavior. But we have some control over violent video games. We can make it more difficult to get access to them. We can strengthen our laws against teens acquiring these games. Parents can keep the games out of their homes and help their children avoid them at friends' houses. As a society, we should do all we can to make violent rampages like the one in Washington less likely, even if we can't stop them entirely. Controlling the use of violent video games is one step we can take to help protect our society from violence. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Brad Bushman.

Aaron Alexis killed 13 people at Washington Navy Yard on Monday . Brad Bushman: Does playing violent video games contribute to aggression? He says violent games alone may not push people to kill, but they aren't harmless . Bushman: Playing video games can make players more aggressive .

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI will not visit Israel's Holocaust museum when he makes his first trip to the region as pope in May, though he will visit a memorial that is part of the site, his ambassador to Israel said Tuesday. Pope Benedict XVI, shown at the Vatican during a prayer Sunday, has spoken out forcefully against the Holocaust. He will also become the first pontiff to visit the Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest sites in Islam, said the envoy, papal nuncio Antonio Franco. Foreign heads of state normally visit the Holocaust museum, which is part of the Yad Vashem complex in Jerusalem. But it includes controversial wording describing the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II, which is why Pope Benedict balked, an Israeli official said. Critics have accused Pope Pius of doing too little to prevent the mass murder of European Jews by the Nazis under Adolf Hitler. A caption in the museum says he maintained a neutral position during the years of mass extermination of Europe's Jews. The Vatican defends him and is gradually opening its archives in an effort to show that he acted behind the scenes. Franco gave the news of Pope Benedict's visit to Yad Vashem at a news conference in Jerusalem. Pope John Paul II also did not visit the museum section on his historic pilgrimage to Israel in 2000, Father Federico Lombardi, a papal spokesman, said as he confirmed that Pope Benedict will not do so. An official with Israel's Foreign Ministry said the decision was made jointly because of the sensitivity of the matter. Yigal Palmor conceded that there is an argument over the wartime pope's actions during the Holocaust and noted that the museum has a sign stating that the facts are in dispute. He said that Pope Benedict may visit other parts of the Yad Vashem complex, which is divided into several compounds, and that the pontiff will lay a wreath at the site's Hall of Remembrance, which is part of the protocol for visiting heads of state. The announcement that Pope Benedict will visit only part of Yad Vashem also follows international outrage over his rehabilitation of a rebel bishop who denied the Nazis systematically murdered 6 million Jews in the Holocaust. The Vatican ordered the bishop, Richard Williamson, to recant, and said the pope was not aware of Williamson's views on the Holocaust when he lifted the excommunication of the bishop. Pope Benedict, who was born in Germany and forced to join the Hitler Youth as a teenager, has spoken out forcefully against the Holocaust on a number of occasions, including on a visit to the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Pope Benedict will make his pilgrimage to the Holy Land May 8-15 with stops in Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, according to the itinerary released by the Vatican. He will be celebrating Mass in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, the city where Christians believe Jesus preached and lived. Some 50,000 pilgrims are expected to attend that event, the bishop of Nazareth said. In Jerusalem, a city holy to all three of the major monotheistic faiths, Pope Benedict will visit the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which Catholics believe is the site of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The pope will also meet Israel's chief rabbis and enter the Dome of the Rock with the chief Muslim cleric in the Holy Land, the grand mufti of Jerusalem. He will also meet Jordan's King Abdullah and Israeli President Shimon Peres, as well as Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Franco said. CNN's Guy Azriel in Jerusalem and Alessandro Gentile in Rome contributed to this report.

NEW: Benedict XVI to be first pontiff to visit the Dome of the Rock . NEW: Trip to be May 8-15 with stops in Amman, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth . In Jerusalem, he'll visit Yad Vashem's memorial section, will skip museum . Pope Pius XII criticized for WW II actions; Vatican says he acted behind the scenes .

(CNN) -- Two days after being released from jail after getting into a fight on his university's campus, a 21-year-old Maryland man allegedly killed and then ate parts of his housemate, court records show. Alexander Kinyua was being held without bail Friday at the Harford County Detention Center after being charged with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault in the alleged cannibalism case. Harford County Sheriff Jesse Bane told reporters a day earlier that Kinyua admitted killing his housemate, cutting him up, and then eating his heart and part of his brain. His public defender on Friday declined to answer questions about the case, according to his office. 'Zombie apocalypse' trending as bad news spreads quickly . According to the Harford County District Court case record, the killing occurred on May 25. Six days earlier, Kinyua was involved in a fight on the Baltimore campus of Morgan State University, school spokesman Clint Coleman told CNN on Friday. The fight led to charges against Kinyua, including first-degree assault and reckless endangerment, according to court records. Noting the university's no-tolerance policy against violence, Coleman said that after the incident, Kinyua was no longer considered an active student at Morgan State, even though he'd compiled enough credits to warrant beginning the fall semester as a senior. Kinyua was detained and released from jail on May 23, according to records posted online by the state judiciary system. Overheard on CNN.com: Are we all 'zombies'? It wasn't until Tuesday that Antony Kinyua -- Alexander Kinyua's father -- called a Harford County detective assigned to a missing person's case and told him about a gruesome discovery made by another of his sons, the charging document states. The other son explained to the detective how he had come across two metal tins covered by a blanket in the basement laundry room of Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie's residence in Joppatowne, which is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore. He opened the tins and found a human head and two hands. The brother said he "confronted (Alexander Kinyua), who denied the remains were human," then went upstairs to get his father, the detective said in the charging document. When the father and son returned to the basement, "the items he observed were gone and ... Alex Kinyua was cleaning the container he observed them in." Two Harford County detectives later arrived and discovered the head and hands on the home's main floor. "He admitted to killing our missing person, Mr. Kodie, and cutting him up with a knife," Bane said. "He further stated that he consumed Mr. Kodie's internal organs -- specifically his heart and portions of his brain." The suspect told detectives to go to the parking lot of the nearby Town Baptist Church, where they could -- and did -- find the rest of Agyei-Kodie's remains in a Dumpster. A missing person's report filed May 26 described Agyei-Kodie, 37, as "very intelligent." He had earned multiple master's degrees from schools in Ghana and was a graduate student at Morgan State University until 2008, according to Coleman. Years after emigrating from Kenya as a 13-year-old in 2003, Kinyua was affiliated with the same state university in Baltimore. Prior to the mid-May on-campus fight, "he was a student in very good academic standing," Coleman said. The engineering student was one of 175 people showcased in an August 2011 symposium run by the prestigious Los Alamos National Laboratory. His study focused on the cost-effectiveness and productivity of "comfort control" systems regulating heating, ventilation and air conditioning. CNN's Greg Botelho and Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

NEW: Kinyua was arrested after a fight on Morgan State's campus, a spokesman says . NEW: The "very good" student was ousted from school after that fight, the spokesman adds . Kinyua, 21, was released from jail 2 days before allegedly killing his housemate, records show . Police say he admits cutting up the 37-year-old man and eating his heart and part of his brain .

(CNN) -- Lawyers for groups opposed to same-sex marriage in California petitioned to reverse a federal appeals court order that OK'd the resumption of such unions -- doing so a day after that ruling. Attorneys applied Saturday to the U.S. Supreme Court for "an immediate order vacating" a decision Friday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to copies of the document from ProtectMarriage.com and the Alliance Defending Freedom. That appeals court Friday lifted a previous injunction on same-sex marriages in California, "effective immediately." "Without the immediate relief requested by this Application, the Ninth Circuit will circumvent the proper rules and procedures established by this Court," the application says. Those on the other side of the debate, meanwhile, think the appeals court acted appropriately. "The Ninth Circuit had broad discretion as to whether to stay the injunction pending appeal," said Manny Rivera, a spokesman for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. "Now that the Supreme Court has decided that the injunction against Proposition 8 must stand, it was entirely appropriate for the Ninth Circuit to dissolve its stay of that injunction." California's Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage in May 2008, ruling that the state's constitution gives "this basic civil right to (marry to) all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples." But months later, 52% of voters backed Proposition 8 to once again restrict marriages so that they can only be between a man and a woman. The measure put gay and lesbian marriages on hold, though lawsuits followed. State officials declined to stand behind Proposition 8 -- and, thus, its prohibition on gay marriage -- though private parties did step in and offer to do so. A federal appeals court later ruled that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional, though it still issued a stay on same-sex marriages until the U.S. Supreme Court could weigh in. That happened in a 5-4 decision Wednesday, when the high court dismissed an appeal of that federal court ruling on jurisdictional grounds. That meant Friday's news -- the resumption of same-sex marriages in California -- was expected, even though it wasn't known when it would happen. Supreme Court cases rest of citizens who sued, made history . ProtectMarriage.com and Alliance Defending Freedom say it shouldn't have happened then, at the least. In their emergency application, affiliated lawyers claimed the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals "lacked jurisdiction to issue its order purporting to dissolve the stay." They reasoned that this appeals court wasn't authorized to weigh in until the Supreme Court "sends a certified copy of the judgment to the Ninth Circuit." Among other arguments, the application also stated that "permitting the Ninth Circuit to prematurely dissolve its stay order would effectively deprive petitioners of a meaningful opportunity to exercise their right to petition for rehearing." Such petitions for the Supreme Court to reconsider a case must be filed within 25 days after a ruling has been made. It's unclear if and/or when the high court might consider this request. Justices recently began a recess after issuing a number of pivotal rulings last week. And there's no immediate indication it will have any impact on same-sex weddings taking place around California. Gov. Jerry Brown issued a directive on Friday telling authorities in "58 California counties that same-sex marriage is now legal in California and that marriage licenses must be issued to same-sex couples immediately." Attorney General Kamala Harris, in fact, performed one of the first such unions -- between Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier, who were one of the couples who sued to stop a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage from taking effect -- at San Francisco's City Hall. Process begins to allow federal benefits for same-sex spouses . CNN's Erica Henry contributed to this report.

Lawyers: Court shouldn't have lifted a stay on same-sex marriages in California . They ask for "an immediate order" vacating that decision, after which weddings resumed . A gay rights spokesman says the appeals court's actions were "entirely proper" U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for the appeals court's move with a ruling Wednesday .

Nanjing, China (CNN) -- Off-camera, I'm getting parenting advice from China's first athlete to win gold in any sport at the Winter Olympics. "Your daughter should go for ice skating," Yang Yang advises me. "It's great for her balance!" My five-year old is more swimmer than skater but I appreciate Yang's words and especially her intention. She's encouraging me to share the life-changing benefits of sport, not to necessarily groom a future Olympian. Yang herself is a product of a vigorous state system that created elite national athletes. She brought home that long-awaited gold medal in short-track speed skating from the Salt Lake City Olympiad in 2002. To realize her dream, Yang tells me she skated for 23 years, six days a week, for almost 12 hours a day. "Once you become an athlete, you want to win. That's the most important thing," she says. Kids driven away . While Yang says there is nothing wrong with winning, Tom Byer, who works as a coach and educator in a grassroots football program, says that winning has become so overly emphasized that it discourages children from sport. "Winning of course is a natural response for every athlete," Byer says. "But it can also get in the way. And this is what's happening in grassroots sports all over China, is that the winning has become so important, it drives kids out of the sport." China may have taken gold in plenty of Olympic events, from speed skating to gymnastics, but it struggles to simply qualify for the World Cup or generate mainstream interest in its bid to host the 2022 Winter Games. Byer blames a fixation on training elite champions in select sports and an education system that considers sports a luxury and not a priority. "In the West, we look more at physical education as part of education, whereas here, for many years, the educators have tried to keep sport out of education," he tells me. Presidential backing . But Olympic chief Thomas Bach assures me that will change. "I had the opportunity to meet President Xi Jinping twice," says the International Olympic Committee President. "You see clearly the government has realized that sport must be part of education and that sport helps in education." Byer is doing his part as the Head Technical Adviser to the Chinese School Football program, a project that works with two million children in more than 6,200 schools across China. His success at teaching football skills to students in Japan earned him stardom there, and an invitation to bring his technical magic to China. But while charismatic coaches fan out across China's schools -- and Xi proclaims his love for football -- it could take years to change the nation's attitude toward sport... and for China to build an industry around it. Shanghai-based Sheng Li is one of China's top sports agents. He laments how professional sports in China lack the infrastructure to make more money for his clients, like professional boxer and Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming. "If you come through the national system, you have the coach and the training system," Li says. "But there's a whole system behind a (professional) athlete: the PR, the brand, the corporate sponsorship, helping them find the best coaches outside the system. "That's a whole new system we're starting to build." Olympic bid . Yang is supporting China's athletes after their Olympic dream with the Athlete Career Program she started as part of her foundation. She's also getting more children interested in sport with a new skating school in Shanghai that is open to everyone. On top of that, she's leading the charge for China's bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. China, along with Kazakhstan and Norway, is a finalist to host the event. Winning the bid and hosting the games would transform the sport scene in China, sparking greater interest in winter sports like snowboarding, skiing and skating. More than a decade ago, Yang was in it to win it. Today, she's using her Olympic legacy to bring a love of her sport to the masses.

China has created a vigorous state system that has produced elite national athletes . But some argue the emphasis on winning has discouraged many children . At the other end of the scale, sport is not considered a part of your education in China . China has also struggled in sports like football, interest in holding a Winter Olympics is low .

Bangkok (CNN) -- Thousands of anti-government demonstrators kept up pressure on the Thai government Wednesday by surrounding more official buildings amid the highest tensions the country has seen since deadly unrest three years ago. The protesters in Bangkok continued to occupy the finance ministry building, which they stormed Monday and turned into their secondary command center. They plan to send groups to a range of other ministries and government offices around the capital Wednesday, said Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the protesters. Their objectives include the public health, labor, industry, social development and science ministries, as well as a government complex that houses multiple agencies, notably the Department of Special Investigation. The number of demonstrators, led by the opposition Democrat Party, has declined from the huge gathering of roughly 100,000 people that assembled in Bangkok on Sunday. Akanat said the protesters believe their current numbers to be in the tens of thousands, perhaps as many as 50,000. But authorities estimate the number of demonstrators to be 10,000, said Lt. Gen. Paradon Patthanathabut of the National Security Council. Certain sections of some roads in Bangkok have been shut down because of the number of protesters camping out and spilling into the street, Paradon said. Amid the tensions on the streets, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra faces a no-confidence motion in parliament put forward by the opposition as it tries to unseat the government through legal means. A vote is currently scheduled for Thursday, but the opposition's chances of success appear slim, as Yingluck's party has a majority. Protesters are calling for an end to the government of Yingluck, sister of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the telecommunications tycoon who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Critics of the Thai prime minister accuse her of being a puppet of her older brother Thaksin, a deeply polarizing figure who was removed from power by the military while in New York in 2006. He has since lived in exile, except for a brief return in 2008, and was convicted by Thai courts for corruption and sentenced in absentia to two years in prison later that year. More than three weeks of anti-government protests led by the Democrat Party rose to a crescendo with the big demonstration Sunday. The protesters have since taken their rallies directly to government offices, TV networks and military installations. At various points during the past few days, demonstrators have surrounded the foreign ministry, as well as the agriculture and interior ministries. Yingluck has said authorities will "absolutely not use violence" to disperse the demonstrators. But the situation is delicate after Thai police issued an arrest warrant against protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban. Paradon of the National Security Council said Wednesday that authorities are "sticking with negotiation" and trying to persuade Suthep to hand himself in. Authorities have extended the areas around Bangkok where police are enforcing an internal security law that restricts gatherings by demonstrators. The current protests have reanimated the tensions along Thailand's political fault lines -- Thaksin Shinawatra's mostly rural support base on one side, the Bangkok-based elite and middle classes on the other. The same division left the country wracked with turbulence for four years after the 2006 coup, culminating in a 2010 army crackdown on Thaksin supporters that left more than 90 dead. The current protests are in response to a government-backed amnesty bill that could have extended a pardon to Thaksin Shinawatra and opened the door for his return to Thailand. The Thai senate rejected the amnesty bill on November 11, but demonstrations continued, with the opposition calling for the current government to be replaced by a new administration. More than a dozen countries have issued travel warnings for citizens to avoid areas near protests in Bangkok. CNN's Anna Coren contributed to this report.

Demonstrators say they plan to march to multiple government offices . They want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government to step down . The number of protesters has declined from a huge gathering Sunday . Yingluck is facing a no confidence motion in Parliament, where she has a majority .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- Hong Kong's highest court on Monday rejected the final appeal of two Filipino workers to gain permanent residency in Hong Kong, dealing a blow to thousands of foreign domestic helpers seeking to make the Chinese territory their permanent home. The Court of Final Appeal also rejected a request from the Hong Kong government to seek Beijing's clarification on a previous interpretation of the city's constitution regarding residency rights, in a case that had implications for the independence of Hong Kong's judiciary. Chief Justice Geoffrey Ma called any ruling on the request "unnecessary" given the court's decision on the application. Tens of thousands of domestic helpers -- mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia - often spend years, and sometimes decades, working and living in the homes of Chinese and foreigners living in Hong Kong. While other foreign workers can apply for permanent residency after spending seven consecutive years in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, domestic helpers are excluded from the law. Justice Ma wrote in his ruling that foreign domestic helpers are "told from the outset that admission is not for the purposes of settlement." The ruling was greeted with disappointment by campaigners. "It's very unfortunate and it's sad but in a way it will make us stronger as it highlights the social exclusion that foreign domestic workers face in Hong Kong," said Cynthia Tellez, General Manager of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong. "This really just reinforces this situation...that in terms of advocacy (for foreign domestic helpers) we need to do a lot more work." Lawyers for Filipino maid, Evangeline Vallejos, had argued that immigration rules excluding foreign domestic helpers were unconstitutional and that helpers were entitled to the same treatment as professional expatriates. One of the lawyers, Mark Daly, said that they were "very disappointed" with the ruling but will continue to fight for the rights of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong. "We respect it (the judgment) but we think our arguments were stronger in the law and in principle," he said. "We will keep fighting both inside and outside the court for human rights." In 2011, The Court of First Instance came down in favor of Vallejos, ruling that the provision excluding domestic helpers should be struck down. But last year, the Court of Appeal's slammed the door shut again, stating that the Hong Kong legislature "has a free hand in defining, refining, elaborating and adapting" the Basic Law's expression of "ordinarily resident," within certain limits. More than 117,000 maids would have been eligible for permanent residency if the appeal had been upheld. A total of about 292,000 foreign domestic workers live in the territory. Domestic helpers are a financial lifeline to their home countries -- remittances from Hong Kong to the Philippines exceeded $420 million in 2012, according to figures from the Philippines' central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Studies show domestic helpers contribute billions to the Hong Kong economy in terms of childcare and care for the elderly. The decision by the Court of Final Appeals not to refer the case to Beijing for its ruling was welcomed by Hong Kong's legal community, many of whom had expressed concern that the request to send the issue to China for its decision undermined the court's independence. "On this issue of referral the court has applied exactly the standards it has applied in the past and it reiterates the independence of Hong Kong's judiciary," Michael Davis, a lawyer from Hong Kong University said. The Hong Kong government's request for the court to seek Beijing's interpretation highlighted the sometimes difficult relationship between Hong Kong and China. Any ruling could have affected the status of children born in the city to mainland Chinese mothers whose husbands are non-Hong Kong residents. Under Hong Kong's constitution these children are granted the right of abode, and in recent years many Chinese mothers had been coming to Hong Kong to give birth. In January, the Hong Kong government issued a policy that bans Chinese mainland women with non-local husbands from booking public hospitals in Hong Kong to give birth.

Hong Kong's highest court rejects final appeal of Filipino workers to gain residency . Case had implications for the future independence of the Hong Kong judiciary . Chief Justice: domestic helpers "told from the outset that admission is not for the purposes of settlement" Lawyers argued immigration rules excluding foreign domestic helpers were unconstitutional .

(CNN) -- The 2014 CMA Awards could turn into a very big night for Miranda Lambert. The "Somethin' Bad" songstress leads this year's group of nominees with nine nominations, matching the number of nods she got in 2010. Before Lambert's 2010 windfall, no female artist in the history of the CMA Awards had received that many nominations in one year. (Alan Jackson holds the record for most CMA Awards nominations overall, thanks to the 10 he earned in 2002.) Coming in behind Lambert is Dierks Bentley, who earned five nominations, and Eric Church and Keith Urban, who have four nominations each. Urban and Lambert are both nominated for 2014's entertainer of the year award, along with Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton (Lambert's husband), and George Strait, who won the honor at last year's ceremony. 2013 CMA Awards big night for Shelton, Lambert and Swift . And that's not all: Lambert's June release, "Platinum," is nominated for album of the year, and her track "Automatic" is nominated for best single and best song of the year. For album of the year, she'll compete with Luke Bryan's "Crash My Party," Keith Urban's "Fuse," Eric Church's "The Outsiders" and Dierks Bentley's "Riser." In the female vocalist category, Lambert's up against Martina McBride, Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood. Underwood is also hosting this year's show, alongside Brad Paisley. The 2014 CMA Awards, which will be the 48th edition of country music's biggest night, will air live from Nashville on ABC on November 5. Entertainer of the year . Luke Bryan . Miranda Lambert . Blake Shelton . George Strait . Keith Urban . Single of the year . "Automatic," Miranda Lambert . "Drunk on a Plane," Dierks Bentley . "Give Me Back My Hometown," Eric Church . "Meanwhile Back at Mama's," Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill . "Mine Would Be You," Blake Shelton . Album of the year . "Crash My Party," Luke Bryan . "Fuse," Keith Urban . "Platinum," Miranda Lambert . "Riser," Dierks Bentley . "The Outsiders," Eric Church . Song of the year . "Automatic," written by Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert . "Follow Your Arrow," written by Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally . "Give Me Back My Hometown," written by Eric Church and Luke Laird . "I Don't Dance," written by Lee Brice, Rob Hatch, and Dallas Davidson . "I Hold On," written by Brett James and Dierks Bentley . Female vocalist of the year . Miranda Lambert . Martina McBride . Kacey Musgraves . Taylor Swift . Carrie Underwood . Male vocalist of the year . Dierks Bentley . Luke Bryan . Eric Church . Blake Shelton . Keith Urban . Vocal group of the year . Eli Young Band . Lady Antebellum . Little Big Town . The Band Perry . Zac Brown Band . Vocal duo of the year . Dan + Shay . Florida Georgia Line . Love and Theft . The Swon Brothers . Thompson Square . Music video of the year . "Automatic," Miranda Lambert . "Bartender," Lady Antebellum . "Drunk on a Plane," Dierks Bentley . "Follow Your Arrow," Kacey Musgraves . "Somethin' Bad," Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood . New artist of the year . Brandy Clark . Brett Eldredge . Kip Moore . Thomas Rhett . Cole Swindell . To see the full list of nominees, visit CMAWorld.com.

Miranda Lambert leads this year's CMA Awards nominees . She matched her personal record of 9 nods . Lambert will compete against her husband, Blake Shelton, for entertainer of the year . The CMA Awards will air on November 5 .

(CNN) -- What could be bigger than the appointment of the first female minister in Saudi Arabia? Saudi King Abdullah made more than one noteable appointment to his council of ministers. Possibly the appointment of a new minister of justice who may actually help her get equal rights with her male counterpart. Right now, Norah al-Faiz, the new deputy minister for women's education, is bound by the same laws as every other woman in the land. She can do only what her closest male relative permits. For many women of her status and education, that law is interpreted liberally, but for the vast majority, it is not. Over the weekend, at a single stroke, King Abdullah set Saudi Arabia on what appears to be an irreversible new course, one of modernization. He replaced the conservative ministers of justice and the head of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice with people closer to his way of thinking. The king also appointed a new head of the central bank, SAMA -- widely seen by financial experts as a wise move -- and brought in young blood and fresh ideas to the Majlis al Shura, the closest thing the country has to a parliament. That these changes happened should not be a surprise. Since he took over as king in August 2005, when his ailing half-brother Fahd died, King Abdullah has been working quietly to bring about change. Indeed, al-Faiz used to lead the king's Center for National Dialogue, a sort of talking shop that allowed issues such as women's rights to be debated. The hope was that as discussions about change bubbled up in national and regional arenas, they would also filter out to newspapers and onto television. It's exactly what's been happening. The king is well into his 80s and inherited many ministers and other top officials almost as old as him. Many had been in their posts for decades, and many, unlike the king, held their conservative upbringings more than half a century ago to be models for the country's future. So when a judge recently upheld the marriage of a 47-year-old man to an 8-year old-girl, there was a public backlash. Why? Because debate about this issue had percolated into the public arena. And suddenly the judge looked out of step with society. It's not what made the king decide to replace the minister of justice; it just highlights how his steady behind-the-scenes work has helped him outflank the sizeable conservative segment of Saudi society. What the king and many of his fellow royals have realized for a long time is that no country is an island, least of all one as rich and prosperous as Saudi Arabia. The kingdom's large and rapidly growing young population watches satellite TV, surfs the Internet and chats on Blackberries with friends in Europe, and it expects a different future than the one currently on offer. The sweeping changes remove some of the ministers most likely to hold back the next generation. The old Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice commission head, who runs the religious police, is an example. He has been replaced with someone closer to the king's thinking, according to a deputy minister I talked with. The religious police patrol shopping malls and streets, enforcing religious laws such as ones requiring women to keep their heads covered and refrain from talking to men who aren't their relatives. They rile the youngsters who strain for more freedom. But no one is expecting revolutionary change overnight. Saudi Arabia is not about to become a "permissive society." Religious law, long-held customs and deep religious principles are not up for negotiation. After all, the Saudi king derives respect and authority from his role as "guardian" of Islam's two holiest sites, Mecca and Medina. To be less than thoroughly religious would not wash, even with Saudi's moderates. King Abdullah is calculating that he is making change at a pace people can cope with. On a recent visit to a shopping mall where religious police had taken a back seat for the past year, it seemed to me the octogenarian king is just about keeping up. The religious police were in the background, and among young girls in particular, headscarves were gone and lipstick was in bright abundance.

With minister picks, king appears to have put Saudi Arabia on a new course . Woman at education post is kingdom's first female minister . Conservative justice minister, head of religious police have been replaced .

(CNN) -- "I've broken my shoulder, broken my knees, broken my feet, broken my hands, I've broken ribs, I've broken the coccyx in my back." Off-road bicycle racing is a rough and tumble world, and three-time BMX world champion Shanaze Reade has suffered enough injuries to end any sporting career. Fortunately for the British Olympian, she is made of stern stuff, mentally and physically. "When I was leaving primary school I wanted to be a BMX racer," the 23-year-old told CNN. "My teachers and my family would say, 'How are you going to make a career out of BMX racing? It's not even an Olympic sport!' " Gold medal formula: Mind over matter? That changed in 2003, when the International Olympic Committee announced that BMX would be a full medal event at the 2008 Beijing Games. BMX, inspired by motocross, started life in the late 1960s as kids playing on bikes in California. It has since evolved into a sport which pits highly-trained athletes against each other over one white-knuckle lap of a dirt course. "It's grown a massive amount," said Reade, who has also won track cycling world titles alongside 2008 Olympic gold medalist Victoria Pendleton. "Before the Olympic Games in 2008 it was big, but then after ... people understood our sport a lot more. Kids started coming along to the tracks, adults started coming along. People who raced back in the '80s, they started coming back into the sport." London 2012: A swimmer's story . Having qualified for the four-rider women's final at Laoshan in 2008 after a series of grueling qualifying heats, Reade -- already a double world champion and the favorite to clinch the sport's inaugural gold medal -- had the chance to justify the career choice she had so stubbornly made as a child. But it was not to be. "Everything seemed to come to a complete standstill," said Reade, who crashed out of the deciding race after clipping France's eventual champion Anne-Caroline Chausson. It was a sad conclusion to an uneasy Olympic campaign in which she also crashed during the individual time trials and the first semifinal heat. But the final, unlike the semis, offered Reade no chance of redemption once her face had hit the dirt. She was left to contemplate giving up on her Olympic dream after just one attempt. "How hurt I felt from that race, I was like, 'Do I even want to do sport anymore? Do I want to be in sport if this is the way it makes me feel?' " But Reade's mental strength came to the fore and, over time, she regained her composure and confidence ahead of a home Games in London later this year. "Time is a great healer. I got up, brushed myself down and I thought, 'This is what I am good at and this is what I trained for.' " She will again enter the competition as a strong gold medal contender after clinching her third world title in Adelaide in 2010. The prospect of being backed by thousands of partisan fans at the Olympic Park's BMX track, combined with her victory at last August's Olympic test event, has given Reade plenty of cause for optimism. "I've never performed in front of 6,000 people before and I've never competed in front of 6,000 British people who are all behind you," she said. "I think the atmosphere is going to be electric there and really motivating at the same time." If Reade once again comes up short in her pursuit of gold, then at least she has learned not to let sporting shortcomings drag her down. "My motto is life and in sport is 'happiness is the key to success.' You can be successful, but without happiness it means nothing. That's definitely what I go by."

British BMX rider Shanaze Reade is a gold medal favorite for London 2012 . Reade crashed out of the inaugural BMX final in Beijing four years ago . The IOC announced BMX as an Olympic sport in 2003 and it made its debut in 2008 . The 23-year-old Reade considered quitting BMX after her China nightmare .

Washington (CNN) -- The Obama administration is leaving the door open to a possible expansion of the U.S. military mission in Syria, with the possibility of targeting not just ISIS but also al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra. While there are no active U.S. military plans for airstrikes against al-Nusra targets in Syria, neither the Pentagon nor the White House has rejected that idea as a possible future option, a senior U.S. official tells CNN. "Nothing is off the table completely," the official said. The possibility of strikes against al-Nusra -- the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria -- was first reported by the Washington Post. Senior U.S. military officials are making it clear the Pentagon is not anxious to undertake such strikes, knowing it would legitimately be seen as so-called mission creep, the official said. When asked by CNN's Jim Acosta, White House press secretary Josh Earnest seemed to leave the door open, however. "The United States remains concerned about all threats emanating from Syria, including the threat that's posed from by the Nusra Front. That's driven by the fact that ... the Nusra Front has been public in threatening the West," Earnest said Tuesday. "But what we will continue to do here in the United States is to work closely with our coalition partners to take strikes in Syria that are focused principally on denying a safe haven to those extremists and organizations that are seeking to do harm to the United States of America or our allies." Hagel wrote memo to White House criticizing Syria strategy . Striking al-Nusra would have the goal of pushing back its advances against moderate Syrian rebels who the United States is backing in the fight against ISIS. The Pentagon has repeatedly said it sees the U.S. military priority as striking ISIS in both Syria and Iraq with the goal of ensuring Iraq does not fall to ISIS control. But getting Syrian opposition into fighting shape to challenge ISIS has been a slow and complicated process due to the need to verify the security credentials of Syrian fighters going through the program. More than four months after announcing an effort to train and equip the moderate Syrian opposition, the U.S. military has yet to vet a single Syrian rebel to fight ISIS on the ground. "There's progress in setting up curriculum, there's progress in getting the sites ready, there's progress in getting trainers contributed to the effort -- not just from the United States but from other nations," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said Tuesday. "But the vetting progress has not begun yet. Kirby added that the program "has not been completely codified," but did not go into detail on how or when that process might unfold. The idea of mounting a train-and-equip program for the moderate opposition was first floated over a year ago, in the aftermath of revelations that the Assad regime used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians. But it was not until June of this year, when the terror group ISIS started making significant territorial gains in Iraq, that the Obama administration backed the plan, asking Congress for $500 million to "train and equip appropriately vetted elements of the moderate Syrian armed opposition." Opinion: What would Reagan do? Prior to that, the U.S. had been providing nonlethal material and light weapons to the moderate opposition. The effort is part of a $1.5 billion initiative the United States is undertaking with a number of regional partners. Kirby also told reporters that the U.S. military is making significant progress in its overall efforts to degrade and destroy ISIS. In particular, Kirby said, the Iraqi army is making meaningful territorial gains with help from U.S. advisers, and U.S.-led efforts are helping disrupt the group's revenue and degraded its ability to maneuver, communicate and operate inside Iraq. "Nobody is saying that it's over. There's a long way to go here," Kirby cautioned. "But they've definitely felt ... the full weight of the pressure that's being put on them."

An expanded mission could target not just ISIS but also al Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra . "Nothing is off the table completely," a senior U.S. official tells CNN . Military officials make it clear the Pentagon is not anxious to undertake such strikes . Such expansion likely would be seen as "mission creep"

CAIRO, Egypt (CNN) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Thursday in Cairo amid escalating cross-border violence between Israel and Hamas. Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni meets Thursday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo. The session follows the end of a tenuous 6-month-long cease-fire between the Israeli military and Hamas militants in Gaza. Egypt mediated the first truce and is trying to negotiate an extension despite what Israel says are dozens of rockets fired by Hamas into the Jewish state this week. Livni criticized Hamas after her meeting with Mubarak. "Hamas needs to understand that Israel's basic desire to live in a tranquil region doesn't mean that Israel is willing to accept ongoing shooting at its population," she said, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. "Enough is enough. We cannot accept this situation, and the situation will change." Egypt expressed concern about a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement said. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said this week that it would help countries and organizations deliver aid through Egyptian territory to Palestinians in Gaza. Livni also met with the head of Egyptian intelligence Thursday and is scheduled to talk with the Egyptian foreign minister. Israeli military officials said Hamas militants fired more than 65 rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Israeli air force said it killed a Hamas militant who was part of a group launching the rockets into Israel. An Israeli police spokesman said no one had been injured in the latest barrage of rocket attacks. But emergency workers with Magen David Adom, Israel's Red Cross agency, treated 57 people suffering from shock, half of them children, an agency official said, adding that 200 ambulances were standing by in the area. "I think the circumstances are extremely tragic, that Muslim zealots of Hamas have decided to shatter and ruin the Christmas celebrations of the Christian brothers in the Holy Land, both in the West Bank and of course in Gaza itself," Israeli Welfare Minister Isaac Herzog said. "If things deteriorate further, then of course we'll have to take necessary action, which will be very painful," Herzog said, adding that civilians had gathered in shelters in southern Israel to try to stay safe amid the rocket attacks. Asked about the possibility of Israel coming up with a new strategy, Herzog responded, "The new strategy could be, of course, an all-out conflict against Hamas, which is a possibility that voices in Israel are calling for. We are trying to show restraint." Hamas is a Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist organization whose military wing, Izzedine al Qassam, has admitted responsibility for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians as well as attacks against the Israeli military. Israel and the U.S. State Department consider Hamas a terrorist organization, though it also operates an extensive social services network in the territories. Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said, "Our position is clear: We will answer quiet with quiet, and we will answer attacks with measures designed to protect our people." Olmert has threatened to respond to the ongoing attacks. The truce between the Hamas government in Gaza and Israel expired Friday. Under the Egyptian-brokered deal, Hamas agreed to end militant attacks on Israel from Gaza, and Israel agreed to halt raids inside the territory and ease its blockade on humanitarian goods. In reality, the truce had started breaking down two months ago. Rocket attacks by militants became more frequent, and Israel resumed airstrikes inside Gaza. "We really appreciate the Egyptian efforts. ...," Herzog said. "The Egyptians have tried endlessly and tirelessly in the past few weeks to bring Hamas back to cease-fire mode." Olmert said Sunday that Israel will "take the necessary measures" to respond to the rocket attacks and "will know when to respond correctly and with the necessary responsibility." "A responsible government is neither eager for battle, nor does it shy away from it," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak hold talks . Meeting follows end of cease-fire between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza . Israel: Hamas militants fired 65-plus rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday . Israeli prime minister has threatened to respond to ongoing attacks .

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The opening of clothing retailer H&M's first store in China's capital was marked by the sight of hundreds of umbrellas clustered around its front doors. Senior management at H&M in Beijing open the retailer's first store in the Chinese capital. These were fearless shoppers, determined to get fist dibs on the new merchandise. It was a cold and rainy morning as salespeople opened dozens of new branded umbrellas and passed them out for free. Two women at the front of the line said they had been waiting since 6 a.m. The store didn't open for five more hours. "We heard about it in Shanghai and did some research," one woman said. "We checked its Web site and its new designs. We loved it." Young, urban Chinese women who love Western brands are H&M's target market. "I only buy foreign brands," said 22-year-old Xiao Xiao, who owns her own online fashion boutique. "H&M offers a combination of fashion and cheap prices," another woman said. "It's a brand that suits the public needs well." This is a city hungry for the latest fashion and good deals. When the doors opened, the throngs flooded in, pawing the racks as if the clothes would disappear in a second. Xiao Xiao tripped and fell. The Beijing branch is H&M's tenth store in mainland China, after opening in Shanghai, Nanjing, Changzhou, Shenzhen and Wuxi. China is a crucial part of H&M's plan to grow its brand in Asia. "Everybody knows China has 1.3 billion people," said country manager Lex Keijser. "If we can bring in all these customers in the future to H&M, and dress them into our fashion, that will be great." "H&M is targeting young women from the age of 20-35," said marketing consultant Ray Ally. "They're looking for a very kind of Western fashion. They want clothes they can't buy in China from local brands." H&M is one of several Western companies seeking to expand in China, especially in light of bad sales back home due to the economic crisis. They're hoping to cash in on young professional women who want to be their own person, create their own style and have the money to do it. "Women tend to spend more on brands," said Ally. "They're more self-conscious, more aware of health and beauty issues." Toy manufacturer Mattel recently opened a flagship store in Shanghai. It includes six glistening floors filled with not just Barbie dolls, but branded luxury goods aimed at young women who want to channel their inner "Barbie girl." Unilever-owned Dove is sponsoring the Chinese version of the TV Show "Ugly Betty." Episodes feature several seconds of fairly obvious product placement. And, Estee Lauder's Clinique is trying to reach China's 300 million netizens via the Internet with "Sufei's Diary." The digital sitcom profiles Sufei, a college student who deals with health and beauty issues. In one episode, she battles her pimples with Clinique's skin care cosmetics. This kind of non-traditional marketing is well-suited to Chinese consumers who spend many more hours online than watching television. Of course, it will take some time to see what the payoff is. "Sufei's Diary" is reportedly a hit. But China's "Ugly Betty" show hasn't won such a huge following. Some bloggers write that they don't think the main character is "ugly enough." As for H&M, its Beijing store is off to a good start. Minutes after opening, Xiao Xiao, now back on her feet, was already carrying piles of clothing. "The blue suit, the pink shorts, the peacock clutch bag, I got them all," she said. "I knew exactly what I wanted."

Young, urban Chinese women who love western brands are H&M's target market . The Beijing branch is H&M's tenth store in mainland China . China is a crucial part of the retailer's plan to grow its brand in Asia . Estee Lauder's Clinique is trying to reach China's 300M netizens via the Internet .

Anchorage, Alaska (CNN) -- It's 3 degrees and snowing outside the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, but inside the operations center, things are heating up. Geologist Michelle Coombs monitors the Redoubt volcano from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. "This is kind of the nerve center, if you will," says geologist Michelle Coombs, who is at the helm of a bank of video monitors showing readouts from sensors on Mount Redoubt, a volcano about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage. The sensors measure seismic activity on the volcano's summit. Scientists at the observatory combine that information with data gathered from daily airplane flights to the volcano to measure gases and try to figure out if and when Redoubt is going to blow. "We're seeing lots of little earthquakes right now," says Coombs. "As that magma rises, it breaks rock as it gets to the surface, and it also it gives off gases, and that leads to the seismic activities were seeing now." When the magma, or molten rock, makes it to the surface, the volcano will erupt. A siren goes off, and one of the video monitors goes haywire. Is the mountain erupting? Learn more about Mount Redoubt » . "That's just a little alarm. There was just a little bit of increased seismic activity," Coombs says reassuringly. "It's a special kind of earthquake particular to volcanoes called a long-period earthquake. It has more to do with fluid and gases than with breaking rock." Watch Coombs keeping an eye on Redoubt » . Since the monitors first showed increased activity on January 23, the observatory has been staffed 24 hours a day. Scientists here are calling in reinforcements; several geologists from the Lower 48 have been making their way north to help. Coombs thinks Redoubt will erupt within days or weeks. No one lives near the mountain, which sits on the Cook Inlet and is largely surrounded by glacier ice. That means there is no direct danger from lava flows, but huge clouds of ash could spread throughout Alaska. When Redoubt last erupted in 1989, it spread ash across Alaska for five months. "Geologists like to use the past as a key to the future, and previous historical eruptions of Redoubt have produced ash clouds of up to 40,000 feet above sea level," says Coombs. She notes that at current weather conditions, "it would take about three hours for that ash to leave the volcano and arrive in Anchorage." The ash is composed largely of silica, which is similar to tiny fragments of glass. Down on the ground, the ash can be dangerous to breath in and can damage cars as their engines draw the ash into their engines. But it is usually a nuisance. However, in the sky, the ash clouds can create very dangerous flying conditions for jets. "For jet aviation, it's a very severe hazard because jet engines run at a very high temperature. And once that silica-rich ash gets ingested into the engine, it can remelt and coat the insides of the engines and freeze up those engines," says Coombs. "That's really the major thing we are trying to avoid here." The day after the 1989 eruption of Redoubt, a 747 flew into an ash cloud near Anchorage and all four engines stalled. The pilot was able to get two of the engines restarted, and the plane landed safely. Coombs says airspace around the volcano and Anchorage may be closed if Redoubt erupts. When the alarms aren't blaring, Coombs sends out the official Twitter feeds from the observatory and tries to stay warm. She is eight months' pregnant. "People have been joking, 'Are you going to name him redoubt?' " she says with a laugh, then shakes her head and gets back to her monitors.

In the cold Alaskan winter, geologist keeps watch on Mount Redoubt . Michelle Coombs thinks the volcano will erupt within days or weeks . The biggest danger could be ash getting in a jetliner's engines . At Alaska Volcano Observatory, they're getting extra help, monitoring 24/7 .

(CNN) -- Most Muslims in several key Middle Eastern and Asian countries hold negative views of the terrorist network al Qaeda a year after U.S. forces killed its leader, Osama bin Laden, according to a recent survey. The poll by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project, released Monday, found that a high proportion -- between 71% and 98% -- of Muslims questioned in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon viewed al Qaeda in an unfavorable way. In Pakistan, where U.S. Navy SEALs killed the al Qaeda leader during a raid on a compound a year ago, 55% of the Muslims surveyed had a negative opinion of the terrorist group, according to the poll. Only 13% had a favorable view. The United States has used controversial drone strikes in tribal areas of Pakistan to try to dismantle al Qaeda's infrastructure. In May 2011, an elite team of Navy SEALs flew two helicopters into Abbottabad, Pakistan, where bin Laden was living in a three-story compound with approximately two dozen people, including his wives and children. The killing of bin Laden in that raid prompted an uproar in Pakistan. The blatant violation of the country's national sovereignty embarrassed the civilian government and especially the military, which has a prestigious military academy in Abbottabad. The drone strikes, the bin Laden raid and airstrikes by NATO forces in November that killed two dozen Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan have soured relations between Islamabad and Washington. But they do not appear to have created a high level of support for al Qaeda in Pakistan, according to the Pew survey. Interfaith activist Fiyaz Mughal concurred, saying his organization uncovered nuanced feelings in Pakistan about the killing of bin Laden. "They were unhappy about the way the killing had taken place, but there was no sense they were angry he had been assassinated," he said his London-based Faith Matters found two days after the killing. And with the passing of time, support for al Qaeda has fallen further in key parts of Pakistan, he said. "As more and more information comes out and more and more attacks take place, the population has gotten fed up with al Qaeda's tactics," said Mughal. "Because of the actions of al Qaeda specifically in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, they have managed to turn off a lot of people in Pakistan," he said of the terror network. "They are not interested in seeing Osama bin Laden as some great martyr, feeling: 'We are unhappy with the U.S., but we are not going to grieve over bin Laden,'" he said. Sympathy for the terrorist group appears to be stronger in Egypt, the poll's findings suggest. Twenty-one percent of the Muslims questioned there had a favorable view of al Qaeda, while 71% had an unfavorable one. The second highest level of positive opinions of the terrorist network among the countries surveyed was found in Jordan, where 15% viewed al Qaeda favorably and 77% viewed it unfavorably. Muslims polled in Turkey and Lebanon were much less likely to see the extremist organization in a positive light. Only 6% in Turkey and 2% in Lebanon viewed it favorably. In Lebanon, 98% of those questioned held a negative opinion of al Qaeda. The number in Turkey was 73%. The survey's results were based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults each in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon between March 19 and April 10. In Turkey, 1,001 adults were surveyed in person between March 20 and April 11. A total of 1,206 adults were interviewed face-to-face in Pakistan between March 28 and April 13. The Pew Research Center noted that the question about views toward al Qaeda was asked at a later point in the interview in Pakistan than in the other four countries.

NEW: Pakistanis do not grieve for Osama bin Laden, an interfaith expert says . A poll finds that 55% of Muslims there have an unfavorable view of al Qaeda . Negative views of the terrorist group are higher in four Mideast countries . Sympathy for the network is highest among Muslims in Egypt .

(CNN) -- Chile is unfortunately no stranger to earthquakes. A quake similar to Saturday's struck almost exactly the same part of Chile on February 20, 1835 -- almost exactly 175 years ago. On that occasion, the young English naturalist and geologist Charles Darwin was in Chile as part of his voyage on HMS Beagle. The 1835 earthquake has been estimated as magnitude 8.5, whereas that of February 27, 2010, has been measured as 8.8. The earthquake of 1835 occurred around 11 a.m. and lasted about two minutes. The main shock destroyed much of Concepción in just six seconds. There were aftershocks for several weeks and three tsunamis, each one larger than the last, starting about half an hour after the earthquake and bringing further devastation. Darwin was on shore near Valdivia, 200 miles south of Concepción, during the quake and recorded in his diary: . "I was on shore & lying down in the wood to rest myself. It came on suddenly & lasted two minutes (but appeared much longer). The rocking was most sensible; the undulation appeared both to me & my servant to travel from due East. There was no difficulty in standing upright; but the motion made me giddy. I can compare it to skating on very thin ice or to the motion of a ship in a little cross ripple. ... An earthquake like this at once destroys the oldest associations; the world, the very emblem of all that is solid, moves beneath our feet like a crust over a fluid; one second of time conveys to the mind a strange idea of insecurity, which hours of reflection would never create." The Beagle, with Darwin aboard, reached Concepción on March 4. The devastation there was appalling. Darwin called it "the most awful yet interesting spectacle I ever beheld." The entire city lay in ruins. The cathedral was shattered and wreckage and debris lined the coast. Darwin spent the next weeks investigating the effects of the earthquake. He found that rocks lined with recent marine shells were now elevated above the tide. The island of Santa Maria was raised an average of about 3 meters (9 feet). Combining his own observations with those of many local people, Darwin attempted to reconstruct the event and to understand why it had occurred. He found that three volcanoes had erupted along the Chilean coast at about the same time as the earthquake. Not only did he collect widespread evidence of the uplift of the coast during the earthquake, but traveling inland and into the mountains, he discovered a series of remains of marine shells -- proof that the shifting that had recently uplifted the coast by a small amount had occurred over and over in the recent geological past. The experience convinced him that the great geologist Charles Lyell was right -- mountain chains were not created by sudden immense catastrophes, but grew almost imperceptibly, the product of thousands of successive uplifts over almost endless geological time. Even more ambitiously, Darwin later came to connect earthquakes, volcanoes and vertical movements of the Earth's crust as the results of same great unknown subterranean phenomena. In an ambitious and important scientific paper published after the voyage, Darwin concluded that "this large portion of the earth's crust floats in a like manner on a sea of molten rock" and indeed that it was likely this was true of "the entire globe." This firsthand appreciation of an ever-changing surface of the Earth, over endless eons of time, was one of the major influences leading Darwin to ask how it was that living things changed in order to adapt to an ever-changing world. His answer was, of course, evolution, or that new species are the genealogical descendants of earlier ones, adapted according to natural selection to the environment and each other. The recent tragic earthquake in Chile demonstrates, as Darwin knew well, that our Earth is not static, it is still changing, still evolving. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John van Wyhe.

Saturday's earthquake was similar to one that struck Chile when Darwin visited . John van Wyhe says Darwin's theories were shaped in part by the experience of the quake . He says Darwin observed that the quake elevated the Chilean coastline . It prompted him to ask how life changed to adapt to a changing world, van Wyhe says .

(CNN) -- As the National Tea Party Convention concluded this weekend, it's clear that the Tea Partiers are propelled by two competing claims -- a principled commitment to fiscal conservatism and a serious case of Obama Derangement Syndrome. The first group remains true to the roots of the movement as it emerged almost one year ago amid bailout backlash. They feel like modern Paul Reveres, warning their fellow citizens about the unsustainable nature of our government's deficit spending and unprecedented debt. They still have an important civic role to play in our national debate. The second group reflects the overheated, hyperpartisanship that emerged over the August town halls and the 9/12 march on Washington. Oddly enough, this group embraced the tactics of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals and applied them to the conservative cause, with angry confrontation and street theater protests. They ascribe to Obama every sinister characteristic imaginable -- often a secret plot to undermine our constitutional republic and put in a socialist, one-world government in its place. This is the crowd that carries the signs comparing Obama to Hitler and communists, while proclaiming themselves patriots. Their extremism will ultimately lead the movement to self-destruct unless it is clearly repudiated. The weekend's controversial and much-covered Tea Party ended up being more of a conference than a convention. It offered speeches and seminars to a relatively small group of attendees. While Tax Day 2009 Tea Parties attracted some 300,000 people nationwide, this convention accommodated just 600 people, who paid nearly $500 each for the privilege of attending the populist conference. While the crowds at 2009's protests were generally angrier than the speakers who climbed up onto platforms at last weekend's conference, the dynamic was reversed. The crowd was generally more civil than the selected speakers. Former congressman Tom Tancredo accused the president of being a "committed socialist ideologue" and proposed a civic literacy test for voting. WorldNet Daily founder Joseph Farah used his post-dinner speech, covered by C-Span, to repeat inane "Birther" claims. Alabama gubernatorial candidate and former state Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore said Obama had "ignored our history and our heritage, arrogantly declaring to the world that we are no longer a Christian nation." He also compared Obama to King George III by quoting the Declaration of Independence: "A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people." Sarah Palin was the most cautious by far, saying simply "America is ready for another revolution." Where will the Tea Party movement go from here? The for-profit conference organizers declared that "we absolutely do not support a third party" and instead announced the creation of a new corporation and concurrent PAC to support conservative candidates, primarily in the South. This is still very much a leaderless movement with divergent tributaries. There's no shortage of anger at the GOP for starting the path of deficit spending last decade and then backing the first round of Wall Street bailouts under Bush. There is a rejection of politics as usual, the feeling that both parties are captive of their respective special interests -- big business and big government. What's your take? Share your thoughts on the Tea Party movement . For the Tea Party momentum to continue in a constructive way, it will need to take at least two further steps: First, repudiate the unhinged Obama-haters and then focus its anger at fiscal irresponsibility into policy proposals instead of bumper-sticker platitudes. With a growing number of conspiracy entrepreneurs trying to profit off populist anger in a recession, it's also worth keeping the conservative virtue of healthy skepticism in mind. Remember what the author Eric Hoffer warned in his book "The True Believer:" "Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business and eventually degenerates into a racket."

Some in Tea Party movement have an Obama blind spot, John Avlon observers . If Tea Party movement is to last, Avlon says the Obama bashers must be repudiated . Sarah Palin was the most cautious speaker at Nashville convention, he says . Avlon: Movement must focus its anger at fiscal irresponsibility into policy proposals .

Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) -- You ever wonder how families are selected to host President Obama's personal visits? It might all come down to your backyard. Sandy and Jeff Clubb, a university athletic director and a local private school teacher, were chosen to host the president in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of the White House's series of informal discussions on the economy leading up to the midterm elections. I met the Clubbs in their driveway at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday. It was still dark outside. I was among a small group of reporters in the first wave to arrive before the president's entourage. Sandy Clubb was excited to see her assistant from the university arrive with pastries in hand for her special guests. I asked Sandy how all this had come about. She said a week ago, they had been informed that they were being considered as "one of eight families the White House was looking at to possibly host the president's visit to Des Moines." At 5:15 Thursday evening, White House advance staffer Mike Ruemmler called to say the Clubbs had been chosen. Sandy Clubb said 45 minutes later, about a dozen local and White House officials arrived at their home, including the Secret Service, to brief their family and scout out the backyard. "It's like winning the lottery," Jeff Clubb said, "but without even buying a ticket." The couple say they are baffled about how they even made the list to be considered. They are both registered Democrats who voted for Obama, but neither of them campaigned or raised money for the candidate. Jeff Clubb, a former Arizona resident, says he voted for John McCain for senator when he lived there. The White House often looks for people who have a good life story and have benefited from the administration's policies. The Clubbs fit the bill, as middle-class parents of two young children, Tristan 11, and Skyelar 9. Jeff is a former firefighter who now teaches social studies and religion at Holy Trinity Catholic School. Sandy is the athletic director at Drake University. Jeff says he was told the White House wanted to hold the event in Beaverdale, a sprawling suburb of Des Moines, because of its beautiful big oak trees, which Obama admired during the event. "This is a lovely neighborhood. I love these big trees," the president said. Sandy Clubb said she was told, "It all came down to your backyard." Indeed the Clubbs do have a beautiful acre full of oaks, elms, maples, evergreens and pines. After their home was selected, the Clubbs frantically prepared for the president. Jeff moved an old car he was working on out of the garage to make room for the White House press corps to set up shop. The morning of the event, Sandy was looking for a place to hide Mouse, their cat. She settled on her daughter's bedroom. "I didn't want it running through the president's legs" Sandy said. Their other feline, Oreo, had been boarded earlier in the week. The Clubbs set out bananas, apples, coffee and orange juice for their guests. They say they're not getting paid for anything. Jeff said one of the biggest challenges was finding and filling the 85 seats needed for the event. He said he was told the family could invite "anyone they wanted; neighbors, friends, of any political affiliation." Jeff's parents and sister were already planning to come into town Friday for their family reunion, so they decided to move their arrival up three days so they could meet the president. Jeff and Sandy then invited their neighbors on the condition they bring their own chairs. All week, the Clubbs had accepted a variety of lawn chairs, which made up the motley assortment of wood, iron and plastic furniture sprawled over the backyard. Jeff says one of his neighbors, who's a Republican, brought over his own chair. "He's not coming to the event, but he said, 'This is the president of the United States -- of course I want my chair there. I want to be represented.' "

Sandy and Jeff Clubb hosted Obama's economic event in their backyard Wednesday . Clubbs say they are baffled about how they even got on the list to be considered . "It's like winning the lottery," Jeff says, "but without even buying a ticket" Sandy Clubb said she was told, "It all came down to your backyard"

Washington (CNN) -- The military's top brass went into damage control mode Friday after a picture of an elite Marine unit posing with a flag symbol that is similar to a Nazi "SS" logo surfaced on the Internet a day earlier. First, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta asked the Marine Corps to look into the matter and take appropriate action, according to Pentagon spokesman George Little. "Racist and anti-Semitic symbols have absolutely no place alongside the men and women of America's armed forces," Little said in a statement. Then the Marine Corps Commandant, Gen. James Amos, weighed in, apologizing to "all offended by this regrettable incident." "I want to be clear that the Marine Corps unequivocally does not condone the use of any such symbols to represent our units or Marines," Amos said. Marine Corps Scout Snipers from the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion are seen in the photo standing and kneeling with their sniper rifles in front of a blue flag with white Nazi "SS" runes. The picture was taken in 2010 in Afghanistan and the photo's description says the "SS" flag had been "adopted and used by the Marines in reference to Scout Sniper." The Military Religious Freedom Foundation was alerted to the photo by Marines who expressed their concern, said group founder Mikey Weinstein. MRFF then distributed it to news organizations. The Marine Corps said it became aware of the photo last November and the local command investigated, but found it not to be racially motivated, according to a statement released by a Marine Corps spokesman, Lt. Col. Stewart Upton. The unit's commander decided not to proceed with disciplinary action, it said, but all Marines in the unit were reminded that such behavior will not be tolerated and any further display could result in punishment. "They determined that the Marines in the photo were ignorant of the connection of this symbol to the Holocaust and monumental atrocities associated with Nazi Germany," Amos said in his statement Friday. The Marines involved were made to take a formal instructional class, however, so that they fully understood the historical use of the SS symbology, he said. In Nazi Germany, SS stood for "Schutzstaffel," the elite paramilitary force of Adolf Hitler's party. SS units were frequently involved in war crimes, including the extermination of millions of Jews. Weinstein said the Marines who spoke out were infuriated by the photo but were worried about reprisal from their chain of command. In a letter to Amos, Weinstein's foundation asked that "everyone associated with the matter, including anyone who condoned it, be the subject of immediate and public court-martial proceedings." A Jewish human rights group, which also called on the U.S. government to open a new investigation into the matter, said it received a call from Panetta's chief of staff, Jeremy Bash, informing them that the secretary shares the groups concerns that this is a very serious matter. "I feel reassured that Secretary Panetta himself has now taken charge of this matter," said founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Rabbi Marvin Hier. While the insignia has been unofficially used by Scout Snipers in the past, the Marine Corps said it is absolutely prohibited, the statement from Upton said. "Certainly, the use of the "SS runes" is not acceptable and Scout Snipers have been addressed concerning this issue," the statement said. "'SS runes are prohibited from use as a symbol or any other use." In Amos' statement Friday, the top Marine outlined the steps the service will take to make sure all Marines understand the Corps' position. Amos directed commanders to investigate the prevalence of the use of SS or other unauthorized symbols within the reconnaissance and sniper communities, and dispatched the Marine Corps' sergeant majors to meet personally with every senior staff noncommissioned officer. He asked that the commanding general in charge of training and education review the current sniper school curriculum to ensure it contains prohibitions on the use of SS and other inappropriate symbols.

NEW: Panetta orders investigation; Marine commandant apologizes . Wiesenthal Center calls for fresh investigation of Marines' SS flag use . Marine Snipers posed with the symbol in Afghanistan in 2010 . An official says the Marines weren't aware of the symbol's significance .

(CNN) -- Qingdao, famously known as the home of Tsingtao Beer and fine beaches, has found another way to attract tourists -- plants. The coastal city on China's eastern Shandong Province is hosting the 2014 International Horticultural Expo. The Expo, which opened on April 25, is expected to attract 12 million visitors before it closes on October 25. With the theme "From the Earth, For the Earth," it features gardens and pavilions specially constructed on one end of the Laoshan Mountain, one of the most sacred Taoist destinations in China. "This event is an opportunity to promote the image of our city, exchange experiences on horticultural techniques and products across the globe and raise public awareness on ecological and environmental protection," said Expo organizer Zhu Yuetao. Once a mining region, the Expo area has been transformed into a 241-hectare Disneyland-style complex featuring exhibits, water parks, rides and live performances. "People from all over the world will come to Qingdao, and when they see what I have seen, they will be delighted," said Tim Briercliffe, secretary general of the International Association of Horticultural Producers. "Millions of people will be inspired and the benefits will be enjoyed today and by future generations." Rare plants on display . Qingdao has invited plant lovers and garden experts from 37 countries and regions, as well as Chinese provinces and cities, which have set up various pavilions. It's even attracted the participation of the North Koreans, who have brought samples of Kimilsunglia and Kimjongilia orchids, named after late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. Another pavilion displays nearly 2,000 rare or new strains of plants, including specimens from tropical and temperate zones. Another special attraction is the Swedish pavilion, which highlights the life of Swedish scientist Carl von Linne, father of modern botany and taxonomy. Visitors can hit up the Ice Bar, which recreates a visit to Sweden's famed Ice Hotel. "The whole bar is made of ice and inside you will be given provisional parkas and gloves so you can lift a nonalcoholic drink from a glass also made of ice," said Lars Freden, Sweden's ambassador to China. "The Expo is one of the biggest exhibitions in China now, and I personally love Qingdao." Freden first visited the city in 1980. From 'shabby' mines to ecological wonders . Organizers say the Expo is meant to promote innovation in city planning and popularize a healthy, eco-friendly lifestyle. A section of the Expo is dedicated to eco-friendly technologies, such as an energy-saving water recycling system and waste-processing technologies. A botanical garden was designed to operate with a low carbon climate control system to regulate temperature for various plant-growing climates. The Expo is credited with transforming the site, which used to be dotted with mining pits notorious for degrading land and vegetation. "By turning this shabby mining zone into an ecological city, we hope that both the city and the public will be more aware of how to maintain the balance between people and nature," said Jiang Zehui, a Beijing-based official who attended the opening ceremony. Organizers say events such as the Expo benefit tourists and local residents alike. "As you can see, the trash is gone, the road is clean," said Wu Zhiqiang, an urban planning professor of Shanghai's Tongji University and the chief Expo designer. Wu was one of the main designers of the Shanghai Expo in 2008. Visitor info . Tickets to the Expo range from 60 yuan (about $10) for evening admission to 120 yuan for single-day admission. Tourists can also get group and student passes. Cable cars and electric golf carts are available for a fee. For more info on displays and events visit Qingdaoexpo2014.org.

Chinese coastal city Qingdao hosting 2014 International Horticultural Expo . Expo ends October 25; 12 million visitors expected . The Expo's 241-hectare Disneyland-style complex features exhibits, rides and live performances .

London, England (CNN) -- Counterterrorism officers were Saturday searching the suspected London home of a man at the center of an incident aboard a U.S.-bound passenger flight that Britain's home secretary described as a "potentially serious security threat." The search, which focused on a upscale block in the heart of London's embassy district, followed the incident on Friday in which a Nigerian man ignited a small explosive device on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. The incident triggered an increase in security at UK airports and at Schiphol in Amsterdam, where the suspect in the attempted attack on a Northwest flight went through "normal security procedures," according to the security officials. In the British capital, a spokesman for University College London confirmed they had a student named Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab enrolled in their Department of Mechanical Engineering from September 2005 to June 2008. The name matched the identity of the suspect said by U.S. authorities to have been involved in an attempted terrorist attack. UK Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he is following the case closely and has assured the public that police in Britain are working closely with U.S. investigators "to uncover the full background to the incident." "We will ensure that the UK continues to have in place the most appropriate security measures to protect the public from the terrorist threat wherever it originates from," he said. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown added in a separate statement: "The security of the public must always be our primary concern. "We have been working closely with the U.S. authorities on investigating this incident since it happened yesterday. Because of the serious potential threat posed by the incident, I have spoken to the commissioner of the Metropolitan police, whose officers have been carrying out searched of properties in London. "We will continue to take whatever action necessary to protect passengers on airlines and the public," Brown added. One piece of information led police to an ornate building on Mansfield Street in London, where Abdulmutallab may have once lived in a basement apartment. It wasn't clear as to what police were searching for. U.S. security sources told CNN that Abdulmutallab flew into Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on a KLM flight from Lagos, Nigeria. A U.S. administration official said the suspect did not undergo secondary screening in Amsterdam, though Schiphol officials say all connecting passengers bound for the United States undergo secondary searches. Schiphol officials said they boosted the secondary screening for U.S.-bound connecting passengers Saturday, doing body searches and bag checks instead of using the usual metal detectors and X-ray machines. The measures were being implemented at the request of U.S. authorities, a Schiphol spokesman said. There was also increased security Saturday for U.S.-bound passengers in Britain, whether they were connecting through Britain or flying direct. BAA, which operates several British airports including London's Heathrow, said all passengers on U.S.-bound flights will now be subject to the secondary screening at the gate. The screening used to happen on a random basis. There were no reported delays from Heathrow Saturday, but passengers boarding a U.S.-bound Virgin Atlantic aircraft were told there would be no in-flight electronic entertainment in the wake of the incident. Britain's Department for Transport said U.S. authorities requested the additional measures. "Passengers traveling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding," BAA said. "To support this important process, which will take time, we would advise passengers to leave more time to check in and limit the amount of baggage being taken on board the aircraft. If in any doubt, please contact the relevant airline for further information." The British Department for Transport said it would assess the measures "as necessary" as the situation develops. The incident in Detroit will now focus attention on the searching of connecting passengers, especially those going to the United States, CNN Correspondent Richard Quest said. "Previously discretionary searches are now likely to be mandatory and, certainly in the near future, all U.S.-bound passengers should expect to be searched before boarding the aircraft," he said. -- CNN's Per Nyberg and Simon Hooper in London, England, and Richard Quest and Erin McLaughlin in Amsterdam, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

Police in London searching buildings in connection with Detroit plane incident . Nigerian man center of terror probe after igniting device on Northwest Airlines jet . Airline security stepped up in London, Amsterdam following incident .

(CNN) -- Some 43.6 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home for the Thanksgiving holiday, a slight increase over the 43.3 million people who traveled last year, according to AAA projections. While it's the fourth consecutive year of growth in the number of holiday travelers, people are still finding ways to economize during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period (Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday, November 25). Most people drive rather than fly to their holiday destinations, but even more are driving this year: Some 90% of travelers will travel by car, a 0.6 percent increase. At the same time, the number of people flying is expected to drop from 3.2 million last year to 3.14 million this year. "When it come to making choices, carving turkey with family and friends trumps pinching pennies," said AAA president and CEO Robert Darbelnet, speaking at a Tuesday press conference. Higher gas prices earlier in the year may have convinced some people to travel shorter distances for the holiday, Darbelnet said. Car travelers are expected to drive an average of 588 miles this year compared to 706 miles last year. They are also spending less on travel, with median spending expected to drop 10% this year to $498. Drivers can expect a little relief at the gas pump. The national average price of gasoline will drop to between $3.25-3.40 a gallon by Thanksgiving, according to AAA estimates. Despite this year's historically high prices, the national average dropped by nearly 40 cents a gallon since early October and is likely to continue dropping through the end of the year. TSA promises to be fully staffed . Even with the slight decline in air travel projections for this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, planes are expected to be full or nearly full. That's why Transportation Security Administration head John Pistole promised Tuesday that the agency will be fully staffed to speed travelers to their destinations. "We understand that holiday travel can be stressful and that a great trip often begins with a positive experience at the airport," said Pistole, speaking at a Tuesday press conference at Reagan National Airport. "To this end, TSA will be fully staffed and prepared for the high volume of passengers this holiday season. With everyone's security at the forefront, we continue and are committed to processing passengers as safely and efficiently as possible," Pistole added. Pistole advised travelers to follow some basic steps to speed up the security process. Call TSA Cares with medical issues: Travelers with disabilities and medical conditions should contact the TSA Cares helpline (855-787-2227) before their travel dates to see if they need to take any extra steps or if they qualify for extra assistance to clear security. Don't wrap presents: A TSA officer may have to unwrap gifts to inspect the contents. What a drag for your kids to see what you bought them for Christmas before the actual day! Ship desserts in advance: Sometimes a pie isn't just a pie -- it's a prohibited liquid. So while cakes and pies are permitted on airplanes, your confection may require further inspection and may not necessarily be permitted to board. Remember the cupcake fiasco of 2012? Consider baking once you get to Grandma's house. Follow the 3-1-1 rule: Most liquids can be carried in bottles that hold 3 ounces or less, once placed in a quart-sized, clear, plastic, zipped bag to hold all of your small bottles. There's a limit of one bag per passenger. You may have gotten away with more bottles on your business trips, but those flights likely weren't as full as your holiday flight is going to be. That liquid rule includes snow globes: You can bring small snow globes as carry-on luggage as long as they are less than 3.4 ounces and packed in your 3-1-1 bag. If you're not sure, leave the globe at home or ship it. Otherwise, it may get seized.

More Thanksgiving travelers are driving this year than last year . Fewer people are taking to the air to celebrate Thanksgiving this year . People are spending less and driving shorter distances this year . People should still pack carefully and follow TSA guidelines when going through security .

(CNN) -- Doctors in Havana, Cuba, completed a six-hour surgical procedure on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday evening in a televised address. The state-run Venezuelan Television's website said in a headline, "The operation was a success." Maduro thanked Venezuelans who had prayed "that this operation would culminate correctly and in a successful manner." Afterward, Chavez was taken to his room to begin his post-operative recovery, which will last several days, Maduro said. During the operation, surgeons removed a lesion that had appeared in the same place as previous lesions, Maduro said from the presidential palace in Venezuela. "There were complex moments but, fortunately, this giant -- our commander -- again shows us his strength," Maduro said. Chavez was surrounded by relatives and friends, he added. Chavez is "absolutely confident that he will overcome the obstacles that have come up on the path of his life," Information Minister Ernesto Villegas said earlier in the day. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa -- an ally of Chavez -- had said the surgery would be "a very delicate operation." On Saturday, Chavez announced that his cancer had returned and said he needed the new round of surgery. Read more: Venezuela's Chavez arrives in Cuba for cancer surgery . The president has repeatedly spoken publicly about his cancer battle but has never specified what type of cancer it is. And his government has released few specifics, fueling widespread speculation about Chavez's health and political future. Chavez had surgery in 2011 to remove a cancerous tumor and has undergone further surgery and radiation in Cuba since. He declared himself cancer-free in July. Health rumors dogged Chavez on the campaign trail this year but didn't stop him from winning re-election in October. Over the weekend, Chavez said he wanted Maduro to replace him if "something were to happen that would incapacitate me." Venezuela's constitution specifies that when a president dies, the vice president assumes the presidency until new elections can be held. Chavez called for voters to take things a step further. "My firm opinion, as clear as the full moon -- irrevocable, absolute, total -- is ... that you elect Nicolas Maduro as president," Chavez said, waving a copy of the Venezuelan constitution as he spoke. "I ask this of you from my heart. He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot." It was the first time Chavez -- who looms larger than life in Venezuela and in Latin American politics-- had spoken publicly about the possibility of a successor. Fast facts: The life of Hugo Chavez . "This is huge. He could have said something indirectly. He could have said something like, 'We'll have to see. Let's talk about it when the time comes,'" said Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts. "He switched from being very evasive to very articulate. That must have been the result of a major change in health for the worse." In a report published Tuesday, one expert on the region said some observers think that Chavez's health problems are being used for political purposes. "One speculative theory holds that Chavez's health problems have been serious but not life-threatening -- trumped up to focus attention on him, generate sympathy during this year's election campaign, and now may even be a way of boosting Venezuela's bond sales," wrote Stephen Johnson, director of the Americas program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Keeping the focus on the Venezuelan president could also be a political advantage going into gubernatorial elections, which are scheduled for Sunday, Johnson said. But other signs point to more serious health problems, he said, including a decrease in Chavez's public appearances in recent months. "Reports may or may not be true since there is no independent, reliable information source other than the president, who decides what he wants to divulge," Johnson said.

NEW: state-run media says the operation is a success . Official says Chavez is absolutely confident he will overcome his illness . "It's a very delicate operation," Ecuador's president says . Analyst: Some speculate Chavez's health problems are not life-threatening .

(CNN) -- Women undergoing in-vitro fertilization should have only one or two embryos transferred during the process, depending on their age, says a study published Wednesday in the British medical journal The Lancet. Transferring three or more embryos during any IVF cycle should be avoided when possible, researchers say. The prospective study analyzed more than 124,000 IVF cycles that ultimately led to the birth of more than 33,000 babies from January 2003 to December 2007. The data were obtained via the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, a database of all fertility treatments conducted in the United Kingdom. The study excluded treatment cycles that transferred frozen embryos. The researchers divided the women in to two groups: Women younger than 40 and those 40 and older. The study found that in women 40 and older, transferring more than one embryo resulted in a higher rate of live births. However, transferring three or more embryos in a single cycle also led to a higher rate of health complications for both the mother and the baby, in part because the chance of giving birth to twins or triplets was higher. These two findings led authors to conclude that women who are 40 and older should have two embryos transferred per IVF cycle, while younger women should have only one embryo transferred, and no patients should have more than three embryos transferred at one time. "We show that even in older women, we should never have more than three embryos transferred," says Scott Nelson, one of the study authors who is a professor of reproductive and maternal medicine at the University of Glasgow. "It doesn't improve the chances of a woman having a healthy baby." Dr. Glenn Schattman is a reproductive endocrinologist and the president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART). He agrees that maximizing the chance of a healthy pregnancy while at the same time limiting the chance for multiple births should be the ultimate goal of reproductive clinicians. However he disagrees with the study's interpretation. "There are limitations of the study that concern me significantly in terms of the conclusions that were drawn," says Schattman. In the United States, unlike the United Kingdom, transferring three embryos is more of an acceptable practice if certain prognostic indicators are present. According to Schattman, a woman's age is the most important factor in terms of pregnancy outcome but needs to be looked as a continuous variable. He says one major limitation of Nelson's study is that the women were lumped in to only two groups: those younger than 40 and then the rest, when in reality the chances of a woman getting pregnant can depend on other variables as well. "We look at women under the age of 35, 35 to 37, 38 to 39," and so on, says Schattman. He says transferring three embryos is a valid practice if certain factors are in play, including a woman's age, the number of failed IVF cycles she has already experienced and the quality of her embryo. "If you limit the number of embryos you put back inside of a 42-year-old woman, you reduce her chance of having a child," because implantation rates are so low for a woman that age, says Schattman. Conversely, according to the 2009 embryo transfer guidelines published by SART, a 37-year-old woman could receive three embryos if she had already experienced failed IVF attempts or had poor quality embryos. So what's the bottom line for women considering IVF? Because IVF is an involved, often draining, process, Schattman says doctors need to determine how many embryos will be transferred on a case by case basis. "We can't set an absolute limit that applies to every person," says Schattman. "Twins are not an ideal outcome and not a desired outcome. You really want to adjust the number of embryos ... to not only maximize the chance of achieving a pregnancy but to counter that with a desire to reduce multiple births."

Study published in Lancet analyzed more than 124,000 in-vitro fertilization cycles . It discourages transferring three or more embryos during any IVF cycle . One expert disagrees: "There are limitations of the study that concern me"

Washington (CNN) -- Three U.S. senators introduced legislation Monday to specifically ban so-called "crush videos" -- depictions of small animals being tortured to death by humans. The legislation came in response to a Supreme Court ruling this year striking down a broader congressional law dealing with animal cruelty. The bi-partisan Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act would criminalize the creation, sale and marketing of these specific kinds of videos. Penalties of up to seven years in prison would be possible. The videos mostly depict women -- with their faces unseen -- stomping helpless animals such as rabbits to death with spiked-heel shoes or with their bare feet. The videos apparently satisfy a sexual fetish for those who produce and watch them, said animal rights activists who supported the new bill. "Our legislation would ban animal crush videos that fit squarely within the obscenity doctrine -- a well-established exception to the First Amendment," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Arizona, a co-sponsor. "It also takes the important step of banning non-commercial distribution of animal crush videos, which is necessary given the nature of the Internet and the propagation of file-sharing and peer-to-peer networks that exist today." Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, and Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, also helped draft the legislation. The lawmakers said the high court ruling opened the door for Congress to craft a "narrowly tailored" bill aimed at banning this specific type of commercial activity. The justices by an 8-1 margin struck down a broader 1999 federal law designed to stop the sale and marketing of videos showing dogfights and other acts of animal cruelty, saying it was an unconstitutional violation of free speech. That specific case dealt with a Virginia man who sold videos of dogs fighting each other at an overseas location. But in dissent, Justice Samuel Alito focused his attention on crush videos. "The animals used in crush videos are living creatures that experience excruciating pain. Our society has long banned such cruelty," he said. The courts, he said, have "erred in second-guessing the legislative judgment about the importance of preventing cruelty to animals." Alito at the time predicted more crush videos would soon flood the underground market, because the ruling has "the practical effect of legalizing the sale of such videos." Lawmakers had promised to craft bills banning those types of videos. It was unclear if further legal challenges would result if the legislation passes with the president's signature. When it came to dog-fighting videos, "The First Amendment itself reflects a judgment by the American people that the benefits of its restrictions on the government outweigh its costs," said Chief Justice John Roberts. He concluded Congress had not sufficiently shown "depictions" of dogfighting were enough to justify a special category of exclusion from free speech protection. Nearly every state and local jurisdiction have their own laws banning mistreatment of wild and domesticated animals, and usually handle prosecutions of animal cruelty. Several media organizations had supported Robert Stevens -- the man behind the dogfighting videos -- worrying the federal law could implicate reports about deer hunting, and depictions of bullfighting in Ernest Hemingway novels. Roberts suggested last April a law specifically banning crush videos might be valid, since it would be narrowly tailored to a specific type of commercial enterprise. Alito noted that would not help dogs forced to fight each other, where, he said, "the suffering lasts for years rather than minutes." The government had argued a "compelling interest" in stopping people who would profit from dog-attack tapes and similar depictions. Roberts dismissed suggestions by the Justice Department that only the most extreme acts of cruelty would be targeted. "The First Amendment protects against the government," Roberts said. "We would not uphold an unconstitutional statute merely because the government promised to use it responsibly." The Humane Society, other animal rights groups and 26 states backed the government. If that 1999 law had been upheld, it would have been only the second time the Supreme Court had identified a form of speech undeserving of protection by the First Amendment. The justices in 1982 banned the distribution of child pornography.

The legislation is aimed at "crush videos," showing the deaths of small animals . The legislation follows a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year . That ruling overturned a broader congressional law on animal cruelty .

(CNN) -- A cadaver dog searching the home where a missing 11-month-old Missouri girl was reportedly last seen indicated a positive "hit" for the scent of a body, according to documents released Friday. The information was included in an affidavit, dated Tuesday, police filed to request a search warrant of Lisa Irwin's Kansas City home. Baby Lisa was reported missing at 4 a.m. October 4, after Lisa's father, Jeremy Irwin, came home from work to find the door unlocked, the lights on and a window that had been tampered with. Lisa's mother, Deborah Bradley, said she last saw Lisa at 6:40 p.m. the night before. "The cadaver dog indicated a positive 'hit' for the scent of a deceased human in the area of the floor of Bradley's bedroom near the bed," the affidavit read. It also said that interviews with people involved in the case "revealed conflicting information" and that Bradley told police she did not initially look for her baby behind the house because she "was afraid of what she might find." A judge approved the search warrant, which allowed investigators to comb the house and barred the family from returning home. The warrant was executed on Wednesday. Police took clothing, blankets, a toy, rolls of tape and a tape dispenser from the home, documents showed. The attorney for Lisa's parents said the release of the affidavit Friday was "unfortunate," as it could derail the search for the missing girl. Joe Tacopina described his clients as "very shaken up and they refuse to believe anything except that she is out there and alive." He said Lisa's parents are "terrified, not for themselves, but for the welfare of their daughter." The attorney also stressed cadaver dogs are just meant to be an investigative tool, and cannot be considered a basis for legal action against his clients. The family's private investigator, Bill Stanton, called the information contained in the affidavit "interesting." "I'm eager to get the facts (and) I hope it leads to finding baby Lisa," he said. Earlier in the week, Bradley said in an NBC interview that she was drunk the night the infant disappeared and that she had last seen the baby about four hours earlier than initially reported. Bradley told NBC she is afraid she will be arrested. Police have accused her of killing Lisa, she said, and told her that she failed a lie detector test. "I was the last one with her," a tearful Bradley said. "And from judging on how the questioning went, that's kind of a fear that I have. And the main fear with that is, if they arrest me, people are going to stop looking for her. And then I'll never see her again, and I'll never know what happened." Asked how much she had been drinking that night, Bradley said, "enough to be drunk." But she rejected the notion that she could have harmed her daughter while under the influence of alcohol. "No, no, no," she told NBC. "And if I thought there was a chance, I'd say it. No. No. I don't think alcohol changes a person enough to do something like that." Asked whether he had questions about Bradley, Jeremy Irwin told NBC, "No. There's no question to be had there. I know who she is. I know the kind of mother she is." Irwin said it's possible someone could have entered the house without Bradley hearing, as the couple's bedroom is on the opposite corner of the house from Lisa's room and Bradley sleeps with a fan at high speed. Lisa is described as being 30 inches tall with blue eyes and blonde hair, according to police. She weighs between 26 and 30 pounds and was last seen wearing purple shorts and a purple shirt with white kittens on it. The missing girl has two bottom teeth and a "beauty mark" on her right outer thigh, police said. At the time of her disappearance, she had a cold with a cough. CNN's Greg Morrison and Sandra Endo contributed to this report.

NEW: Parents "refuse to believe anything except that she is ... alive," attorney says . "Baby Lisa" is said to have been seen last on October 3 . Police have searched the Kansas City home where she lives . They took clothing, blankets and rolls of tape .

Washington (CNN) -- On the surface, the type of heated exchanges that boiled over at a congressional hearing on Monday on immigration reform appeared to center on the two foreign-born suspects in last week's Boston Marathon bombings. Beneath the surface, however, simmered tensions over the depth, breadth and pacing of plans to overhaul U.S. immigration policy currently wending through the Senate. "Last week, opponents of comprehensive immigration reform began to exploit the Boston Marathon bombing. ... I urge restraint in that regard," Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said at the beginning of Monday's hearing. "Refugees and asylum-seekers have enriched the fabric of this country from our founding." Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, was one of the first conservatives to publicly connect the bombings to the roiling immigration debate and question whether the attacks would suggest a need to slow down and re-examine immigration reform efforts. He took exception to suggestions that he and others are trying to "exploit" the bombing for political purposes. "I don't hear any criticism ... when there (were) 14 people killed in West,Texas, and (some political activists took) advantage of that tragedy to warn about more government action to make sure that fertilizer factories are safe," Grassley said. Boston terror fears raised at Senate immigration hearing . Both sides in the contentious immigration debate accuse the other of cynicism and using a national tragedy to score political points. The back and forth focuses on Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, brothers of northern Caucasus origin who lived legally in the United States. Investigators believe the pair were behind the attacks near last Monday's Boston Marathon finish line that killed three people and injured more than 170 others. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, immigrated to the United States with his parents in 2002 and became a U.S. citizen in 2012. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, followed a few years later and was a legal resident. Supporters of the bipartisan immigration measure authored by the so-called "Gang of Eight" accuse the other side of using any excuse, including using the Boston bombings, to stoke nationalistic sentiments as a way to derail the bill. Political rhetoric finds its way into post-bombing debate . New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer, one of the "Gang of Eight" senators who drafted the immigration plan, said on CNN's "State of the Union" some on the right who opposed the bill "from the get-go" are simply using Boston "as an excuse" to stall the legislation. Opponents assert that the measure's supporters are rushing through immigration reform legislation. Republican Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that Congress should wait until the emotional reaction to the violence subsides before tackling immigration legislation. Other lawmakers such as Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas and Republican Rep. Steve King of Iowa have made similar assertion. Immigration reformers seek to avoid deja vu . Immigration law experts say they can see little merit to attempts to connect the Boston Marathon bombings to current immigration reform efforts. "What I do see is the opponents of immigration reform who have no arguments about the morality and politics of (this immigration package) very cynically jumping on this horrible tragedy to derail this bill," said David Leopold, an immigration attorney and past president of the Washington-based American Immigration Lawyers Association. However, others caution that the current immigration reform measure has "fundamental problems" and applaud efforts to slow the pace of legislation. "The bill is 132,000 words. The New Testament is 180,000 words. This isn't quite as long but it's going to take a little time to go through," said Steven Camarota, director of research for the non-profit Center for Immigration Studies. Immigration reformers seek to avoid deja vu . CNN's Tom Cohen and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.

The Boston Marathon bombings are influencing the immigration reform debate . Both sides of the immigration debate are accusing the other of playing politics . Immigration law experts see no connection to bombings and immigration reform efforts .

(CNN) -- "Terrorists use Guantanamo Bay prison to recruit new members." Aasif Mandvi, "The Daily Show's" senior correspondent, passionately made this argument as our first guest ever on the weekly CNN podcast "The Big Three." Mandvi thinks it's time to close Guantanamo Bay now -- and I couldn't agree with him more. President Obama brought this issue back to the forefront when he renewed his call to close the prison facility. Obama explained at his press conference on Tuesday: "It is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe. ... It hurts us in terms of our international standing. It is a recruiting tool for extremists." Mandvi echoed President Obama's sentiments that the United States cannot simply hold people indefinitely without affording them the opportunity to answer the charges against them. "Why can't we try these prisoners in court? We have done that with other terrorists like Timothy McVeigh," Mandvi said. Mandvi, who appeared in the Off-Broadway play, "Guantanamo," and can be seen in the soon-to-be-released comedy film, "The Internship," spoke about his discussion with the father of a Guantanamo detainee. The father made a simple plea to Mandvi: "Try my son in court, and if you find him guilty of being a terrorist, execute him. If not, then let him go." There are 166 prisoners in the prison. Eighty-six of them have been cleared for release by our government but have still not been set free. Many of these prisoners are on a hunger strike to protest their indefinite detention. In response, prison officials are force-feeding them by inserting tubes through their nasal passages, a practice that the U.N. Human Rights Office declared as torture. Should the U.S. government close Gitmo and put the prisoners not cleared for release on trial? That's the first issue in this week's episode of "The Big Three," which features CNN contributors Margaret Hoover, John Avlon and me. Here is a brief summary of the big three issues we took on: . 1. Guantanamo Bay Prison -- close it now? Our guest, Mandvi, emphatically argued yes. Hoover noted that more than 40 of the prisoners have been deemed too violent to ever be released. Avlon expressed concerns that national security secrets could be released if these prisoners were tried in open court. 2. Is Jason Collins, the NBA player who came out of the closet, the Jackie Robinson of gay athletes? While all three of us applauded Collins' courage in coming out, we disagreed over its significance when compared to Jackie Robinson. Avlon argued that Robinson was far more important because racism was a much more polarizing issue at the time and also, Robinson was a far superior athlete. We all agreed, though some of the criticism Collins received makes it clear the fight to end homophobia still has a long way to go. 3. Who will voters pick in the congressional special election in South Carolina next week? Mark Sanford, a Republican former governor who famously cheated on his wife by sneaking off to Argentina, or Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a liberal-ish Democrat who is the sister of Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert? Avlon was the moderator of a recent debate between Sanford and Busch. Some were shocked that Busch brought up Sanford's past affair. I'm not shocked. In fact, I think it tells us a great deal about Sanford's character. Avlon argued that many have forgiven Bill Clinton for his escapades, why shouldn't Sanford get a second chance? Hoover noted that the demographics of the district are becoming moderate, which can help Busch win the May 7 election. We would love to hear your thoughts on these issues. To listen to this episode, click on the Soundcloud audio player on this page. Or you can find us on iTunes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dean Obeidallah.

CNN Radio podcast features CNN Opinion contributors on top three stories . Dean Obeidallah: Our guest, Aasif Mandvi, argues that we should close Gitmo . Margaret Hoover: Jason Collins was courageous in coming out of the closet . John Avlon: Why not give Mark Sanford a second chance - even though he had an affair?

Washington (CNN) -- Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan once fretted that she "may have really f---ed up" after a miscommunication with other aides about a segment on the CNN show "Crossfire." Her comments were in a note to her boss, White House Counsel Jack Quinn, that was among the nearly 10,000 documents released Friday by the Clinton Presidential Library. Kagan, an associate counsel in the Clinton White House whom President Barack Obama later nominated to the Supreme Court, was explaining to Quinn a "right-hand-left-hand" communication problem as aides prepared for media appearances amid Paula Jones' sexual harassment allegations. "God, do I feel like an idiot," Kagan said. Clinton documents show 'West Wing' mindset . In another document released Friday, Kagan offered an interesting recommendation for who should defend Clinton against Jones' sexual harassment accusations at the Supreme Court: John Roberts. A handwritten note lists Roberts with the word "Hogan" underneath his name -- a reference to the law firm now called Hogan Lovells, where he then worked. Another page lists Roberts' name again, this time with some biographical details. Kagan and Roberts now serve on the Supreme Court together. Roberts never worked on the Jones case. June: More Clinton documents released: Here are the highlights . The documents released Friday cover the entire Clinton presidency from 1993-2001 and are the last batch of documents released by the library under the Presidential Records Act. The act says the documents must be made available to the public 12 years after the end of a president's administration. The Clinton Library began releasing the documents in batches starting in February. Here are four other interesting tidbits disclosed in Friday's release: . - In a January 1993 meeting with Clinton six days after his inauguration, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff voiced opposition to gays serving openly in the military. Marine Corps Gen. Carl Mundy says those who admit to being gay or who associate with Gay Pride "will have a negative effect" and that it "fractures teamwork." For a person to "proclaim: I'm gay" is the "same as I'm KKK, Nazi, rapist," Mundy says. Apparently Vice President Al Gore didn't like Mundy's comments; the notes indicate he called them "borderline." Clinton tells the military chiefs that the whole issue causes him "great discom(fort)" as he wrestles with the idea of gay men and women who are patriotic and devoted to the armed forces but unable to serve because they declare they are gay. Later in the meeting, he says the "people I would like to keep (in the military) wouldn't show up at (a) Queer Nation parade." - Keith Olbermann, then in his first run as an MSNBC host, sent Clinton a letter apologizing for the network's coverage of the Monica Lewinsky scandal and for "whatever part I may have played in perpetuating this ceaseless coverage." Olbermann added that he had a career change in the works, writing, "I'll be headed back to my previous career in sports as quickly as possible." Clinton aide R. Scott Michaud said he planned to flag the letter for the president to see, and also asked if it'd be OK to send Olbermann a generic response. - Jennifer Palmieri, who is now President Barack Obama's communications director, makes an appearance when she receives an explanation for how to open an email attachment. "It can be accessed by hitting 'launch,'" she is advised. - Mike Huckabee, who was then the governor of Arkansas, needed a "warm response" to his letter to Clinton declaring May 8, 1999, as "Safe Television for All Ages Day" in his state and asking the president to make it a national proclamation. A White House aide noted atop the letter that Huckabee "hates" Clinton and was planning to run against Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln. "He needs a quick/warm response," the note says. Clinton documents: Much has changed, but much still the same .

President Bill Clinton's library releases nearly 10,000 pages of documents . They include colorful remarks from Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan . A top military official compared gay people to Nazis, rapists and the KKK . One document also has an explanation for e-mail attachments .

(CNN) -- At least 50 officers and civilians were feared dead after Bangladeshi paramilitary troops staged a mutiny, taking dozens of high-ranking officers and military brass hostage, the country's law minister said Thursday. Bangladeshi soldiers take position armed with automatic weapons in Dhaka on Wednesday. As dawn broke, the rebelling troops with the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) allowed government officials entry into the headquarters in the capital city of Dhaka -- the scene of a day-long standoff Wednesday. The troops agreed to lay down their arms after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed to offer them amnesty. Ministers went door to door within the compound's officers' quarters to assure frightened women and children it was safe to come out. "Nearly 50 people have been killed in sporadic fighting in the headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR)," Mohammad Quamrul Islam, state minister for law and parliamentary affairs told reporters. In addition to military officials and BDR brass, the dead and wounded included passersby, including a rickshaw puller, struck by stray bullets during the gun battle, the Dhaka Medical College Hospital said. CNN was not immediately able to confirm the exact casualty count, with medical officials saying a final number will come after they had a chance to comb through the premises looking for bodies. At around 4:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. GMT) Thursday, Bangladeshi TV channels broadcast video of Home Minister Sahara Kahtun telling rebelling paramilitary officers in the room that she could assure them the government would listen to their grievances. As she spoke, officers deposited weapons and ammunition onto a table in front of her and into piles on the floor. The video was initially broadcast on state run TV station BTV. Various private networks picked it up soon after. The Rifles is a paramilitary force responsible primarily for guarding the country's borders. The force, more than 65,000-strong, also takes part in operations such as monitoring polls. The troops staged their rebellion on the second day of BDR Week when officers and troop members from various BDR outposts along the border were in the capital for celebrations. At least 5,000 -- maybe more -- BDR personnel were inside the compound in the Pilkhana area of the capital when the mutiny occurred about 7:45 a.m. local time Wednesday, said Mohammed Sajjad Haider, spokesman for the information ministry. Their mobile phones were turned off, making it difficult for the government to get a handle on the situation, he said. The rebelling troops were low-ranking members of the BDR, akin to infantrymen, who were angry at the way they were treated by their superiors, Haider said. "They have several demands," Haider said. "They want pay parity with the army, they want job security, they want better food rations." The mutiny is the most serious crisis for Bangladesh's newly elected government, which came into power in December after two years of army-backed rule. Throughout the day and into the night, curious onlookers gathered outside the compound -- only to scramble for cover as sounds of gunfire periodically pierced the air. Plumes of black smoke coming from inside the compound could be seen for miles throughout the capital. Occasionally, the rebelling troops -- red bandannas covering their faces and guns slung over their shoulders -- walked past the closed gates of the compound, chanting, "We have been deprived for a long time, we have deep grievances." "I've been hearing gunfire all morning," said Zunaid Kazi, a San Diego, California, resident who is staying at a house a few blocks from the headquarters. Watch as Kazi describes what he saw and heard » . "There will be a little lull and then the sustained gunfire will pick up again," he said. "I can hear military helicopters in the sky. It's very rattling."

NEW: Home minister shown assuring rebel officers their grievances would be heard . NEW: Ministers go door to door to assure frightened women and children of safety . NEW: Dead and wounded include military officials, BDR brass and passersby . NEW: Rebelling troops were low-ranking members of BDR, information ministry says .

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An Iraqi soldier fatally shot two American soldiers and wounded three others on Saturday, the U.S. military said. A man lies in a hospital after a roadside bombing near Kirkurk on Saturday. Three Iraqis were killed. The shooter was killed when U.S. soldiers returned fire, Maj. Derrick Cheng told CNN. The incident took place at a combat outpost just south of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, where there has been a strong presence of anti-U.S. militants, and it underscored the dangers for U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces in that city. A second gunman also fired on other U.S. soldiers at the outpost and fled, said Cheng, a spokesman for the U.S.-led Multi National Division-North. Iraq's Interior Ministry said the gunman was a soldier in training who was standing close to U.S. soldiers when he aimed his firearm at them and began shooting. There have been similar incidents of men in Iraqi security force uniforms in the Mosul area opening fire on U.S. troops. In February, insurgents dressed as Iraqi police officers killed a U.S. soldier and an interpreter in the city. Asked whether there seems to be a rise in such attacks, Cheng replied, "We still view these as isolated incidents either by individuals posing as Iraqi Security Forces or members acting out on their own." "These events do not represent the overall relationship or partnership U.S. forces have with our Iraqi counterparts." Overall, violence and attacks are down in Iraq, but despite improvements in the big picture, the U.S. military is concerned with hot spots such as Mosul. Maj. Gen. David Perkins, MNF-Iraq spokesman, told reporters on Friday that the city remains a danger. He said the U.S. military is studying whether American combat troops scheduled to withdraw from urban centers in Iraq by June 30 should actually remain in the diverse metropolis -- populated by Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Christians and others. Perkins said al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) militants "are transitioning and becoming more and more concentrated ... mainly in Mosul and in Baghdad." "What we have always said with regards to al Qaeda is that strategically for AQI to win they have to win Baghdad and for them to survive they have to hold on to Mosul and you can see that by how they are conducting their attacks." In the last couple of weeks, he said, militants have focused their activity on Baghdad, and attacks in Mosul have dropped somewhat. "But there is still a lot activity. This is probably the main area we are looking at that could possibly result in U.S. forces being there," he said of Mosul. "Probably more so than any other place." "Of all the places in Iraq, it is the area that you would most likely possibly see a very similar U.S. presence to what you see now. But only if Iraqis want that." U.S. troop fatalities in Iraq last month reached 18, the highest of the year. However, the number of monthly Iraqi troop deaths have plummeted since earlier in the war. Also on Saturday, Iranian forces targeting Kurdish rebels shelled a village in Iraq, an official from Iraq's Kurdish region said. Forces used helicopters to attack the village and shelled it with artillery. The village is just over the Iranian border in Iraq's Sulaimaniya province -- a Kurdish region. No casualties were reported. Iran and Turkey long have targeted Kurdish separatist rebels operating in northern Iraq. Meanwhile in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, three civilians were killed and three others were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle on Saturday, police said. It is not known who the bomb might have been targeting, but the incident reflects the hostilities in the oil-rich and ethnically diverse city.

NEW: U.S. military: Gunman who killed 2 U.S. troops, wounded 3 was Iraqi soldier . Iraqi officials say shooter was soldier-in-training who opened fire at a training facility . Shootings underscore the dangers for U.S. troops and Iraqi security forces in Mosul . Iranian forces attacked Kurdish village in Iraq; 3 civilians killed in Kirkuk .

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Terrorism, a slow economy and rising gas prices are issues that can keep American voters awake at night. Undecided voters gathered at Emory University, where Dr. Drew Westen studies how brains react to messages. Political strategists know that the most successful candidates are masters at capitalizing on fears such as these, and that can make a huge difference at the polls. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson was running for president against conservative Barry Goldwater when his campaign unleashed the "daisy ad." It showed a little girl counting as she plucked a daisy, charmingly mixing up her numbers. Then a baritone voice takes over, counting down to an overwhelming nuclear explosion. It's followed with a warning that the stakes are too high not to vote for Johnson. The ad, which ran only once, was so chilling and effective, analysts say, it helped Johnson win the presidency by one of the widest margins in U.S. history. CNN recently gathered eight undecided voters to see how they would respond to attack ads and how the ads might affect their choices. They met at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where psychologist Drew Westen studies how brains react to candidates' messages. Westen, who wrote "The Political Brain," said fear-based attack ads are effective because they tap into a voter's subconscious. "Those kinds of gut-level reactions tell us things like, 'I don't feel like this person is telling us the truth,' " Westen said. "Unless someone is a really good con man, those reactions are extremely helpful. The conscious brain processes only a tiny percent of information." Westen and his business partner, Joel Weinberger, have created software, through their company ThinkScan, that looks into a voter's subconscious. The software does this by measuring people's reaction time to certain words after they watch attack ads. The undecided voters in CNN's group watched the ads and were then asked to identify the color of words such as "weak," "inexperienced" and "terrorist." If they hesitated, even for one-thousandth of a second, before they clicked on the color that corresponded with the word, Weinberger said, it meant the word had an impact. "If the word is on their mind, if the word was activated, it will slow them down," Weinberger said. Westen predicted that the undecided voters would say they didn't like the ads and that the ads had no impact on them. He was right. The group watched Hillary Clinton's "3 a.m." campaign ad, which was intended to make voters question Barack Obama's experience. Viewers said that the ad was fear-mongering and that it did not make them think Clinton was a stronger leader than Obama. But the data, Westen said, showed that their brains reacted differently. Voters had the greatest hesitation with words like "weak" and "lightweight" during the color test. Westen said this meant the ad made them question Obama's readiness. "The purpose, too, is to make him seem scary, dangerous. 'You need to be afraid of this guy as president,' " Westen said. "That message unconsciously got through." The undecided voters also watched an ad attacking John McCain for saying the U.S. could be in Iraq for the next 100 years. After watching the ad, the group gave it a thumbs-down. But researchers said the data showed that it left them feeling McCain has poor judgment and is too close to President Bush. The results were identical when the same test was given to a much larger group of 100 voters. This happens because the ads trigger a response in the part of the brain called the amygdala, which experiences emotions such as fear. When it is aroused, it overrides logic, according to Westen. Despite the ability of attack ads to affect voters' subconscious thinking, Westen cautions that fear-based ads are risky because they can backfire. What advice does Westen have for presidential hopefuls? "They should make voters feel inspired by them and worried about their opponent at the same time," Westen said. "It works."

Fear-based attack ads are sometimes used by candidates to influence voters . CNN gathered eight undecided voters to measure the impact of attack ads . Psychologist Drew Westen says fear-based ads appeal to voters' subconscious .

(CNN) -- We found out I was pregnant in August 2012. It was time to start our family, time to start the next chapter of our lives. The next months were going to be the best time in our lives. I had an uneventful pregnancy. We went to all the regular prenatal checkups, including one with a 4-D ultrasound. We found out we were having a boy, and decided we would name him after my father, who had died of a heart attack a week after we confirmed the pregnancy. Finally, May arrived. We were prepared. We headed to the hospital and at 1:15 a.m. our beautiful boy arrived. Everything was just perfect -- until it wasn't. I couldn't see his fingers, and I couldn't make out his hand. What was this? Was he going to be OK? Nobody in the delivery room had an answer. The neonatal intensive care unit was called in and the doctor told us it was likely amniotic band syndrome. Within minutes, my son and husband were taken by ambulance to a children's hospital. I was devastated. I had waited so long for his arrival, and my boy had been whisked away. I wanted so badly to hold him. I was his mother, and I would fix this. The days after a birth are supposed to be filled with bliss. Ours were filled with scouring the Internet for any information we could find. I saw nothing to help parents. I saw nothing to help us. I had read all the baby books. I had all the tests. How could I have never heard of ABS? According to the National Institutes of Health, amniotic band syndrome is a condition where stringlike bands extend from the inner lining of the amnion, the sac that surrounds the baby in the womb. As the baby develops, its extremities may become entangled in these bands. Blood flow is restricted, resulting in stunted growth or even amputation. "ABS is spontaneous and not genetically linked. It affects 1 in 5,000 to 1 in 10,000 live births," says Dr. Foong-Yen Lim, surgical director of the Cincinnati Fetal Center at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center. Our son was born with the bands still attached to his hand. The thumb on his left hand was severed. His first and second fingers were the size of golf balls. A band had wrapped around his right leg above his ankle. Thankfully, his leg and foot had formed normally, but the scar from the band was deep. Multiple surgeons told us to amputate his two swollen fingers, but I knew that he used those fingers. He used them to put his pacifier back in and to rub his eyes. Finally, Dr. Emily Hattwick, a pediatric orthopedic hand surgeon at Children's National Health System in Washington, told us that she could reconstruct our son's fingers. Yes, they would be small, but he would get use out of them. She showed us pictures of hands belonging to children just like my son. Colson had reconstructive surgery at just 9 weeks old, and will need surgery on his leg in the next few months to release the amniotic band above his ankle. He will need yet another on his thumb to lengthen it. He is 15 months old, and he uses his fingers to pick up food and to hold his sippy cup. He uses them just the way any other child would, only his are smaller. Our son doesn't know any different because this is how he was born. But we worry about him learning to tie his shoes. We worry about him starting school. We also worry about bullies. Since our son's diagnosis, we have found multiple places of support. There are Facebook groups for parents of children with ABS. There is also a wonderful and supportive group called Lucky Fin Project that celebrates children with limb differences. Every day he puts my mind at ease. He has a strength that is unimaginable. There is no doubt he will be able to do anything his heart desires, and we will be there every step of the way to support our beautiful, perfect boy.

Amniotic band syndrome restricts blood to a baby's limbs in utero . ABS affects 1 of every 5,000 to 10,000 live births . Lucky Fin Project celebrates children with limb differences .

(CNN) -- What's the best thing you could stumble upon when transiting through a major international airport? A Cinnabon passing out free samples? A security checkpoint with no line? Not bad choices, but for unexpected pleasure they hardly measure up to a dress made entirely of Hello Kitty dolls or a Kamen Rider escorting your humdrum slog to the departure gate. Those last two items are part of Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju, the current exhibition at the SFO Museum inside Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport. Debuting in November 2013, the exhibit has become such a success -- the most popular exhibit ever for the museum -- that its run has recently been extended through mid-May. "Travelers love it. Many people have really been caught by surprise as they walk through the terminal and see the colorful kaleidoscope of Japanese toys," says Nicole Mullen, curator of exhibitions at SFO Museum. Atomic dragon meets world-conquering cat . With dozens of colorful items, the exhibit presents the evolution of Japanese toys, from kokeshi (wooden dolls dating at least to the 1800s) to Godzilla to everyone's favorite mouthless cat. Popular items also include vinyl kaiju (monster) figures and novelties from the futuristic TV series "Ultraman," which premiered in 1966. "For a show such as this one, some people will have a memory of a particular character from their childhood, such as Hello Kitty or Godzilla, that they get particularly excited about," says Mullen. The toys supply a window into Japanese customs, legends and history. Early Japanese folk toys were made by local craftsmen. After Japan opened to the West, however, toys that emulated their German and American counterparts began to emerge, such as classic wind-up and battery-operated toys. The thriving Japanese movie, television and manga industries that followed World War II spawned a legion of iconic characters. According to Megan Callan, assistant curator of museum affairs for SFO Museum, more than 4.6 million passengers have walked through SFO Terminal 3 since the exhibit premiered. "Seen through the lens of social media, this exhibit is our most popular to date, with daily references through sites like Twitter and Instagram," says Callan. The museum has created the hashtag #JapaneseToys. Airport museums thriving . Exhibits of art and cultural pieces are becoming the norm at many U.S. airports, with some 20 or more airports regularly hosting exhibits. San Diego International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are noteworthy among airport exhibit aficionados. But SFO Museum is the only one accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Since opening in 1980, SFO Museum has grown from one gallery space to more than 20 galleries hosting 40 exhibits each year. Dewey Blanton of the American Alliance of Museums calls SFO Museum the "most ambitious one" among all airports with exhibition programs. "The great works of art the San Francisco Airport museum showcases send the message to visitors and travelers that San Francisco is a center of culture, they value culture and art," says Blanton. "This is a very educated and sophisticated city you are coming to." For non-travelers, one chance to see it . For those not traveling through SFO before the Japanese toys exhibit closes in mid-May, the Japan Society of Northern California is organizing a panel discussion and guided tour on April 22. Registration is open to anyone -- for non-travelers, the tour is the only chance see the toys in person. Among other speakers, toy collector Mark Nagata will talk about the history of Japanese toys and their influence on contemporary culture. Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju; on display in SFO Terminal 3 until mid-May. Exhibition tour registration here; April 22; 6-9 p.m.; registration deadline 11:59 p.m., April 14; advance registration required, no walk-ins permitted due to security restrictions.

Current exhibition at the SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport features Japanese toys . "Seen through the lens of social media, this exhibit is our most popular to date," says museum . SFO Museum is the only airport museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums .

(CNN) -- Pennsylvania and the nation said goodbye Tuesday to John P. Murtha, politician, warrior, father, friend, gentleman. Speakers at the funeral for the Democratic congressman recalled a man skilled in the ways of Washington but, more importantly, a public servant who never forgot why he was elected 17 times to represent Pennsylvania's 12th district. "Jack Murtha never lost sight of God's purpose in the law," said the Rev. William George, president of the Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington. "Lawmaking should be sacred work, and Jack knew that." Murtha, 77, died February 8 of complications from gall bladder surgery. A former Marine colonel and twice-wounded Vietnam War veteran, Murtha earned a reputation as one of Congress's loudest anti-war voices. He initially supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but he stunned much of Washington when he called for a swift U.S. pullout in November 2005. "U.S. and coalition troops have done all they can," Murtha said. "It's time for a change in direction." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who led a bipartisan delegation to the funeral, remembered her long-time ally. "Those who served with him were honored to call him a colleague," Pelosi said. "There were those of us who were privileged to call him friend." President Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were among those who filled Westmont Presbyterian Church in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, for the funeral. Murtha's daughter, Donna, recalled his love of nature and how he enjoyed feeding wild birds, but not squirrels that raided the birdseed. "He loved to outwit the squirrels," Donna Murtha said, her voice breaking at times. "He could not stand it if they were outwitting him." Others recalled Murtha's dedication to public service. "Today there is great comfort in the memory of John P. Murtha's life," said the Rev. Douglas Stevens, pastor of Westmont Presbyterian. "He made a difference." Murtha underwent scheduled laparoscopic surgery to remove his gall bladder January 28 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He was released but rehospitalized a few days later after the complications developed. The operation had been scheduled after Murtha was hospitalized for a few days in December. Murtha represented Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District in the House since 1974, making him the chamber's eighth most senior member. Two days before he died, Murtha became the state's longest-serving congressman. He also was the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress, his biography on the House Web site says. Murtha was considered one of "the kings of pork" on Capitol Hill by taxpayer watchdog groups for requesting tens of millions of dollars in earmarks. The congressman strongly defended earmarks, saying on his Web site, "I believe that elected representatives of the people understand their constituents and districts best." Supporters said his efforts helped bring thousands of jobs to western Pennsylvania. Born June 17, 1932, in West Virginia, Murtha moved with his family to Pennsylvania as a child. Prior to joining the House of Representatives, he served in the Pennsylvania state legislature. He also served 37 years in the Marines and Marine Corps Reserves. He retired from the Reserves in 1990 and received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. Murtha attended Washington and Jefferson College but dropped out in 1952 to enlist in the Marines. He later graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, daughter, Donna, and two sons. "When they made dad, they broke the mold," Donna Murtha said during the funeral. "He lived by the motto, one man can make a difference." Murtha was scheduled to be buried later Tuesday at a private ceremony.

John Murtha elected 17 times to represent Pennsylvania's 12th district . Murtha, 77, died February 8 of complications from gall bladder surgery . War veteran earned reputation as one of Congress's loudest anti-war voices . "Jack Murtha never lost sight of God's purpose in the law," reverend says .

(CNN) -- A recent drone strike in Pakistan's tribal region killed one of al Qaeda's top commanders, two Pakistani security officials told CNN Tuesday. Sheikh Mohammad Fateh al Masri, described as the group's senior operational commander, was killed in North Waziristan, one of the seven districts of the country's volatile tribal region. One of the sources said al Masri was killed recently, and the other said he was killed in a strike on Sunday. The sources did not want to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media. While the United States is the only country in the region of Pakistan and Afghanistan known to have the ability to launch missiles from drones -- which are controlled remotely -- U.S. officials normally do not comment on suspected drone strikes. Al Masri was emir, or leader, for Qaidat al-Jihad fi Khorasan, or the base of the jihad in the Khorasan -- the region that encompasses large areas of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Iran. He replaced Mustafa Abu Yazid, al Qaeda's former leader in Afghanistan, who was killed in May by a drone strike in Datta Khel in North Waziristan. And, al Masri has led military operations in Afghanistan as well as carried out attacks in Pakistan, which he viewed as a vital theater in the war. The Khorasan is considered by jihadis to be the place where they will inflict the first defeat against their enemies in the Muslim version of Armageddon. The final battle is to take place in the Levant -- Israel, Syria, and Lebanon. Mentions of the Khorasan began to increase in al Qaeda's propaganda starting in 2007. After al Qaeda's defeat in Iraq, the group began shifting its rhetoric from promoting Iraq as the central front in its jihad and have placed the focus on the Khorasan. Several U.S. military and intelligence officials said the report of al Masri's ascension to lead al Qaeda in Afghanistan is accurate. Yazid, who, like al Masri, was an Egyptian, also served as al Qaeda's chief financier and paymaster. However, little is publicly known of al Masri. According to the Asia Times, he was not a formal member of al Qaeda. Al Masri may have been a member of Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, or the Egyptian Islamic Group, an intelligence official told The Long War Journal. That journal is an online publication that follows the U.S. campaign against al Qaeda and its allies. The Egyptian Islamic Group is a rival to Ayman al Zawahiri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which is believed to have formally merged with al Qaeda in June 2001. Al Zawahiri is now the No. 2 official in al Qaeda, under leader Osama bin Laden. The Egyptian Islamic Jihad worked closely with al Qaeda long before the formal merger, however. Egyptians hold or have held some of al Qaeda's top positions. Drone strikes have occurred regularly against militants in Pakistan. On Tuesday, a suspected U.S. drone strike killed four suspected militants in the country's tribal region, two intelligence officials told CNN. That strike followed similar attacks Saturday, Sunday and Monday that left eight suspected militants dead, the officials said. The intelligence officials said two missiles hit an alleged militant hideout in the Angoor Ada area of South Waziristan. These intelligence officials asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media. Al Masri's death comes as the CIA stepped up missile strikes in Pakistan against groups like the Haqqanis, al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban, with the majority of strikes hitting targets in North Waziristan. Pakistan's volatile tribal region -- which borders Afghanistan -- has been targeted by drones more than 65 times this year, according to a CNN count. September has seen more attacks than any other month since the unmanned aerial strikes began. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen contributed to this report .

The strike occurred in North Waziristan . Al Masri led military operations in Afghanistan . Four died on Tuesday in another drone strike .

(CNN) -- Richard St. Denis is the founder of World Access Project, a nonprofit that provides custom-fit wheelchairs and other mobility aids to people living with disabilities in rural Mexico. In addition to distributing the equipment and showing the recipients how to use it, St. Denis and his group offer sports clinics and events to keep people active. St. Denis, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, credits sports with improving his life after he suffered a spinal-cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He was once a world-ranked athlete in wheelchair skiing. CNN's Ebonne Ruffins recently spoke with St. Denis about how he and his group are helping people with disabilities benefit from athletics. Ebonne Ruffins: Why did you start including athletics in your group's efforts? Richard St. Denis: The first year, I came down to Mexico and gave a bunch of wheelchairs away, but not everybody used them. Some just sat in their wheelchairs, and they didn't know what to do with them. So I would teach them how to push them. But I realized they needed a lot more then just learning how to push their wheelchairs. So we started teaching them how to do wheelies, how to get around in grass, rough terrain. And then I started teaching them how to play sports: basketball and tennis, mainly. We wanted for them to be more active, to think of the wheelchair as not just something to sit in but something that would make their life better. Ruffins: How does the sports element of your program work? St. Denis: We meet every Saturday morning to play tennis, and we have camps during the summer where able-bodied people and people with disabilities from the U.S. and Mexico participate in a number of sports tournaments. That's always a lot of fun. They meet new friends, and they compete against each other. Outside of the camp setting, some of the players will also compete nationally. One of my students, Tito, is hoping to represent Mexico in the Pan American Games in tennis. Maybe we'll even have some students in the Paralympics one day. Some of them are just really very good. But overall, for all the wheelchair recipients who become active in sports, I think it develops their self-esteem. When people compete in sports, they feel good about themselves. They think, "If I can play sports, then maybe I can get a job, maybe I can get up out of the house, maybe I can become active." Ruffins: How did you start competing in sports after your injury? St. Denis: My injury was in 1976, and in 1978, I started playing sports. I started with basketball; everybody (in a wheelchair) always starts with that. And then I got into some field sports: shot put, discus, javelin, road racing and track races like the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash. About a year later, I decided to take up weightlifting. ... Because my legs don't weigh anything, I would win my division -- and I was competing against able-bodied people! I weighed 145 pounds, and I bench-pressed 335 pounds. I've also competed in the Veterans Games for disabled veterans and participated in four marathons. I think my best time ever for a marathon was 2:01:30. Ruffins: You have done it all. Do you have a favorite sport? St. Denis: Snow skiing is my favorite sport, and tennis is second. What I love about snow skiing is just the independence. You can go as fast or as slow as you want without anyone holding you back. It's complete liberty. I broke my back snow skiing, and in 1990, I ranked third in the world in the downhill skiing event (for the disabled). Read the full story on CNN Hero Richard St. Denis: Free wheelchairs give new life to rural Mexicans .

Through his nonprofit, Richard St. Denis gives custom-fit wheelchairs to people in Mexico . He also helps people learn their chairs and how to play sports in them . He has found that playing wheelchair sports can boost one's self-esteem . Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2011 CNN Heroes .

Washington (CNN) -- A group that protects the welfare of animals has released an undercover video it claims shows animal abuse at a Texas farm operated by the largest egg producer in the United States. The Humane Society of the United States says one of its investigators worked at the Cal-Maine farm in Waelder, Texas, for almost a month this fall and documented multiple abuses and food-safety violations. The video shows dead birds, birds stuck in their cages, overcrowding and what appears to be hens covered in feces. At one point the video shows a dead bird as eggs roll by just inches away on a conveyor belt. The short, edited video was shown at a news conference on Wednesday by the Humane Society's president and CEO, Wayne Pacelle. "Our latest farm animal investigation documents inhumane treatment of laying hens and conditions that threaten food safety," Pacelle said from the group's headquarters in Washington. Pacell told reporters that Cal-Maine, based in Jackson, Mississippi, was unaware of the investigation and that the video was being made public for the first time. Pacell said he didn't know if the giant egg company had seen the video. Cal-Maine responded to the allegations with a statement on its website. "Cal-Maine Foods has been a leader in accepting and implementing animal welfare measures. All of the Company's facilities are operated in full compliance with existing environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and permits. Each employee involved in the care and handling of our hens is required to review, sign and comply with our Company code of conduct regarding the ethical treatment of hens which requires employees to report any possible violations," the statement said. The egg industry has taken a beating of late. Just this summer over half a billion eggs were recalled after a salmonella outbreak was traced to an Iowa farm. Cal-Maine is no stranger to recalls. It recalled 288,000 eggs earlier this month when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration informed the company that eggs from one of its Ohio plants tested positive for Salmonella enteritidis. Salmonella, which is generally contracted from contaminated poultry, meat, eggs, or water, affects the intestinal tract. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, chickens can pass the bacteria to eggs because the eggs leave hens through the same passageway as feces. Alternatively, bacteria in the hen's ovary or oviduct can get to the egg before the shell forms around it, FSIS said. Cal-Maine says it sold over 778 million eggs in 2009, which represents 18 percent of the United States market. According to the companies website, "Cal-Maine has an industry-leading record in food safety with all of its 35 processing plants independently verified as reaching the highest level of safety by the Safe Quality Food Institute." Over 70 billion eggs are produced a year in the United States, and the Humane Society would like to see the large egg farms change their ways . "Time and again, we've found that these massive facilities caging hundreds of thousands of animals do not properly care for the birds ... It's time for the egg industry to embrace cage-free housing systems and move away from battery cage confinement methods," Pacelle said. Battery cage systems allow many birds to be housed in one facility but critics claim it's dangerous and cruel to the animals. The Humane Society would like to see cage-free housing but so far only 5 percent of eggs produced in the U.S. use this method, according to Pacelle. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration implemented new rules in July for large egg producers. These mandates include cleaning poultry houses that test positive for salmonella, rodent control, refrigeration of eggs during storage and transportation and buying chicks and young hens only from suppliers who monitor for Salmonella bacteria. The USDA says that as many as 79,000 illnesses and 30 deaths due to consumption of eggs contaminated with the bacterium Salmonella enteritidis may be avoided each year with these new measures in place.

The Humane Society releases a video it says shows animal abuse at an egg farm . The undercover video was shot at a Texas farm . The company, Cal-Maine, says it has been a leader in animal welfare . Cal-Maine is the largest egg producer in the United States .

London (CNN) -- A painting dismissed for years as the work of an unknown artist has been identified as a piece by Vincent Van Gogh, after x-rays revealed an image of two wrestlers fighting underneath the floral still life. "Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses" has hung in the Kroeller-Mueller Museum in the town of Otterlo, in the eastern Netherlands, since 1974, but doubts over its authorship have dogged the painting for decades. Experts argued that the large format, the location of the signature, and the huge number of flowers in the composition all suggested the painting was the creation of an unidentified artist, rather than the famed Dutch painter, and the work was officially "dismissed" from his catalogue in 2003. "There were so many questions around this painting," explained Teio Meedendorp, researcher at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. "There were a lot of things about it that were strange -- it couldn't quite be trusted [as a piece by Van Gogh]." But the latest high-tech x-ray imaging has allowed scholars to re-examine an underpainting, featuring two wrestlers fighting, first glimpsed in the 1990s, and confirm that the picture is indeed by Van Gogh. Saving Van Gogh's home from dereliction . Van Gogh (1853-1890) created some of the world's best known and most loved paintings, including "Sunflowers," "Irises" and "The Starrry Night," and a number of self-portraits. He was virtually unknown as an artist during his lifetime, but his reputation soared in the years after his suicide at the age of 37 following years of mental illness, and his works now hang in major museums and galleries around the globe. During the art market boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s, three of Van Gogh's works succeeded each other as the most expensive paintings ever sold: "Sunflowers" for $39.9 million, "Irises" for $53.9 million, and "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" for $82.5 million. "The painting was x-rayed before, so we knew there was something underneath, but the image was not very clear," he told CNN. "This new technique gave us a much clearer image, and lots of details about the pigments and the paint layers. "We know Vincent painted wrestlers, we know much more than we did 10 years ago about the pigments he used, and we know that at the time, when re-using a canvas, he simply painted over the top of the previous image, without an intermediate layer. "This painting was a complete match with all the research that has been done over the past 10 years." Van Gogh, Kahlo speak from beyond grave . Van Gogh wrote about the wrestlers picture -- which he painted as an assignment during his studies at the art academy in Antwerp -- in a letter in January 1886: "This week I painted a large thing with two nude torsos -- two wrestlers," adding that he was delighted with the result. Research suggests that the still life was painted on the same canvas fewer than six months later, while in Paris. "The top layer was applied not long afterwards," said Meedendorp. "We can tell this because he used a lot of zinc white in the wrestlers picture, and it dries very, very slowly. "The x-rays show that it had not hardened completely when the still life was added, causing some cracks in the paint of the flower picture, which suggests it was painted less than half a year later." Meedendorp said there was always the possibility of discovering other "unknown" Van Gogh works in future. "There are other paintings that haven't been x-rayed," he told CNN. "There are always other opportunities."

"Still life with meadow flowers and roses" dismissed as work of unknown artist . Large format, subject, and signature all pointed to painting being by someone other than Van Gogh . New high-tech x-ray imaging revealed underpainting of wrestlers, details of pigments used . Experts say they are now confident that the piece is definitely by "Sunflowers" artist Van Gogh .

(CNN) -- If you're traveling abroad, your laptop could be attacked. That much, is certain, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, which warned this week that hackers are "targeting travelers abroad through pop-up windows while establishing an internet connection in their hotel rooms." The warning comes from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or the IC3. But it lacks so many key details that security experts wonder if it's of any use. It doesn't say where these attacks have occurred, how prevalent they are, or how exactly they work. Graham Cluely, a blogger with antivirus vendor Sophos, found the lack of details peculiar. "What's fascinating about the advisory is what it doesn't say," he wrote on his blog Thursday. "And without more information it's hard to know how computer users are supposed to take meaningful action to protect themselves." Bloomberg reported late last year of a widespread hacking effort that hit ISPs, including at least one hotel network service provider. Networks were hit in "more than a dozen countries, including Canada, Switzerland, Bangladesh, Venezuela and Russia," Bloomberg said. The IC3 report comes months after the Bloomberg story, but then the FBI isn't exactly known for being ahead of the curve when it comes to security warnings. Here's the key passage: . Recently, there have been instances of travelers' laptops being infected with malicious software while using hotel internet connections. In these instances, the traveler was attempting to setup the hotel room internet connection and was presented with a pop-up window notifying the user to update a widely-used software product. If the user clicked to accept and install the update, malicious software was installed on the laptop. The pop-up window appeared to be offering a routine update to a legitimate software product for which updates are frequently available. But pop-up windows that instruct users to do bad things -- installing adware or fake antivirus products or malicious Trojan horse programs, for example -- have been around for years. They happen everywhere in the internet, not just in untrustworthy hotel and public Wi-Fi networks. "Nobody has cited evidence specifically tying this to hotel rooms," says Robert Graham, CEO of security consultancy Errata Security. "My advice for travelers is that there is nothing you need to do for traveling that you shouldn't already be doing anyway." Reached Thursday, FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer couldn't cite any public reports detailing these attacks. "We don't' have much more guidance to offer the public beyond what was shared in the alert," she said. Security experts generally acknowledge that hotel networks — especially open Wi-Fi networks — are untrustworthy minefields. Jonathan Kine, a technology consultant based in Jakarta, says he's seen this type of attack described in the IC3 report in hotel and public Wi-Fi networks in China, Malaysia, and Indonesia. "The user gets a pop up or a browser window that states in order to login please allow us to update your browser, then they download the payload and are infected," he says. In some cases, the update looks like it's from Adobe Systems, Kine says. It isn't. For corporate users, or those who are technically savvy, a virtual private network is often the best way to boost security. Another option: use your mobile carrier's network. That's what Searl Tate did recently on a trip to Las Vegas. Instead of paying for a hotel network, he simply grabbed his iPad and connected to his carrier's 4G network. "There are other performance reasons too," he says, "but security drives a portion of my concern." For Graham, that means full disk encryption, to make your laptop unreadable in case it gets stolen. He also says that travelers should be up-to-date with their software patches and use secure SSL connections whenever they're on the Web. "And stop clicking on Trojans," he adds "If you don't do this already, then there's really no hope for you anyway. Subscribe to WIRED magazine for less than $1 an issue and get a FREE GIFT! Click here! Copyright 2011 Wired.com.

FBI says overseas travelers at risk to attacks through pop-up windows . Security analysts note warning is short on details . Attack is a pop-up asking users to update a popular piece of software . It has happened on hotel Wi-Fi systems, FBI says .

(CNN) -- A former FBI special agent in New York and two Connecticut men have been charged for their alleged roles in a bribery scheme to dig up confidential information about a key figure in Bangladeshi politics, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan said. Robert Lustyik, 50, was arrested Friday on an allegation that he and a childhood friend, Johannes Thaler, 49, solicited cash from a third man in exchange for documents and information to which Lustyik had access to because of his FBI job. The third man was identified as Rizve Ahmed, 34, also known as "Caesar." Ahmed is an acquaintance of Thaler, both of whom live in Connecticut. Lustyik's lawyer, Raymond Mansolillo, on Saturday challenged the investigation, which involved the Department of Justice's public integrity unit, and insisted his client was innocent. At that time, Lustyik was still being held in Utah, his lawyer said. "We're going to fight the charges," Mansolillo said. "My client is eager to go to trial." According to the four-count criminal complaint, which was unsealed Friday, Lustyik was working for the FBI in its White Plains, New York, office in September 2011, when he became involved in the scheme, which continued until March 2012. It alleges that Ahmed, a native of Bangladesh, was seeking confidential law enforcement information, including a confidential Suspicious Activity Report, about a prominent citizen of his country affiliated with a rival political party. The complaint identifies that person only as "Individual 1." "Ahmed sought, among other things, to obtain information about Individual 1, to locate Individual 1, and to harm Individual 1 and others associated with Individual 1," the complaint says. Ahmed paid at least $1,000 to the two other men for information that included a suspicious activity report, according to the complaint. Citing text messages as evidence, it says that Lustyik and Thaler discussed pressuring Ahmed to fork over extra money for the information. "We need to push (Ahmed) for this meeting and get that 40gs quick .... I will talk us into getting the cash .... I will work my magic .... We r sooooooo close", says Lustyik in one exchange, which occurred in late December 2011 or early January 2012, according to the complaint. Thaler is said to have responded, "I know. It's all right there in front of us. Pretty soon we'll be having lunch in our oceanfront restaurant ...." Around January 2012, after learning that Ahmed was considering using someone else to get the information, Lustyik allegedly sent this text to Thaler: "I want to kill (Ahmed) .... I hung my ass out the window n we got nothing? .... Tell (Ahmed), I've got (Individual 1's) number and I'm pissed .... I will put a wire on n get (Ahmed and his associates) to admit they want (a Bangladeshi political figure) offed n we sell it to (Individual 1.)" The complaint charges all three men with conspiracy to bribe a public official; it charges Thaler and Lustyik with soliciting and receiving bribes; it charges Ahmed with bribing a public official and offering to bribe a public official; and it charges Lustyik with unlawfully disclosing a suspicious activity report. If convicted, Lustyik faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years; Thaler and Ahmed each face a maximum of 20 years. A call to Thaler's residence was not immediately returned; CNN was not able to contact Ahmed. In a statement on a website seeking funds for his legal defense, Lustyik's family described him as "a highly decorated" agent with more than 24 years of service in the counterintelligence division, and said he had been "wrongfully accused." CNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

NEW: "We are going to fight these charges," ex-FBI agent's lawyer says . Alleged scheme involved selling confidential info . Bangladeshi man allegedly paid to find out about political rival . "It's all right there in front of us," suspect allegedly said .

(CNN) -- With its purchase of Nokia's mobile phone business, Microsoft has brought a longtime partner into the fold to help fight a battle that has been tough for both companies. Microsoft, which was late to the smartphone game with its Windows mobile operating system, badly trails Android and Apple's iOS. And while Nokia is still a force selling feature phones worldwide, it's barely made a dent in the smartphone market. But if the Finnish company is struggling today, it can still take pride in its history at the forefront of the mobile movement. Here are five ways the once-dominant phonemaker has helped shape the world of mobile electronics as we know it today: . First to move . It's not the sort of thing that smartphone owners today probably remember -- if they're even old enough. But the Nokia 1011, released in 1992, was the first commercially available mobile phone that operated on what's called the GSM network. The letters stand for Global System for Mobile. And what that meant was that unlike earlier phones, the Nokia could be used to make a phone call from almost anywhere in the world. GSM is still the world's most widely used mobile system, although 4G is expected eventually to replace it. Phone as fashion statement . A phone is just a phone, right? Of course not. Today, there are plenty of folks who, admit it or not, wrap at least a small part of their identity up in what kind of phone is in their pocket. That was a pretty alien concept up until the early 2000s when, if you owned a cell phone, there was a pretty good chance it was a Nokia. Remember those chunky, rounded models with the tiny gray screens and the nubby antennas? The Nokia 5110 was one of the most popular. And it also was one of the market's first phones that had a replaceable face plate. The plates came in a wide variety of colors, offering one of the first chances to personalize your phone's look. The 'slider' The popularity of early Nokia phones meant the company's designs often became the standard for cell phones. It didn't create the first flip phone (that honor belongs to Motorola), but the "slider" was all Nokia. The first was the company's 8110 model, which debuted in 1998. How cutting edge was the design at the time? It was the phone of choice in the futuristic 1999 sci-fi film "The Matrix." Mobile gaming . Remember "Snake"? It seems laughably simple compared with the range of gaming possible on today's smartphones. But plenty got addicted to this game. Even though it had already been in arcades, Nokia began preloading "Snake" on its phones in 1998. Don't hit your own tail. Don't hit the walls. And what the heck were those things you were eating, anyway? Who knows -- but "Angry Birds," "Candy Crush" and their app-store brethren owe a tip of the digital cap to Nokia's vision of telephone-as-gaming-device. Windows warrior . Phones running the Windows operating system haven't exactly set the marketplace on fire. In the second quarter of this year, 7.4 million phones running Windows were sold, according to Gartner Research. That's a long way behind the No. 2 system, Apple's iOS, with 31.9 million phones sold in that time. But Nokia has squarely positioned itself as the leading vendor of those Windows phones, making 82% of the devices sold last year. In 2011, Windows and Nokia announced a partnership in which Nokia switched to the Windows OS as the default system running all of its handsets. That hasn't been enough to put Nokia on super-solid ground, at least not yet. But the longstanding partnership is what led to Monday's purchase, and if having in-house hardware gives Windows Phone a boost, Microsoft and Nokia will reap the rewards.

Microsoft announced it is buying Nokia's mobile phone division . Despite smartphone struggles, Nokia has been a mobile leader . It was the first to switch to an international mobile-networking system . Nokia introduced phone gaming and the "slider" style of handset .

Rye, New York (CNN) -- What was meant to be a celebration marking the end of Ramadan turned into a melee at an amusement park on Tuesday when a group of Muslim women were told they weren't allowed on certain rides with their headscarves. Rye Playland was full of visitors celebrating Eid al-Fitr when the festive mood turned angry. Westchester County Police said the women wearing the hijab, a traditional Muslim headscarf, became argumentative when park employees enforced the no-headgear policy and men sprang to their defense. "(The rule) didn't get relayed to the people who attended, so some people got upset," said Westchester County Police Capt. Thomas Gleason. Fifteen people were arrested and two charged with felony assault after two park rangers sustained minor injuries. Among those arrested were three women wearing the hijab. Police shut down the park for several hours during the incident. "It had to do with headgear. People -- patrons -- are not allowed to wear headgear on rides for safety reasons," Gleason said. Zead Ramadan, spokesman for the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said members of the Muslim American Society who had organized the outing asked him to come to the park to mediate. Ramadan said the women felt they had been targeted by park employees because of their religious views. "They're the most obvious Muslims around because they have hijabs on. They felt they were discriminated against," Ramadan said. "Maybe there was a level of frustration that went around across the board," Ramadan said. "Then you have the parks people who are trying to explain this and do their job." Ramadan said he saw a cell-phone video showing police "yanking a hijabi-wearing woman out of the crowd." "She was very small. They turn her around and throw her down on the ground." Ramadan said that's when the crowd got very angry. "Nobody was assaulted prior to the police being called, and that in itself is a problem," Ramadan said. Gleason said he was aware "there was some cell-phone footage and maybe some video," "There's no official video that we have released at this time," he said. "There are some videos in the park that we're retaining for our own information." Gleason said he had seen seen "bits and pieces" of phone footage from the incident. He said park officials told the Muslim organizers about the headgear ban but that information wasn't relayed to the group of visitors. Ramadan chalked the whole incident up to "miscommunication." "The women felt they were being targeted, but in fact these were safety precautions," he said. "And maybe (the park) didn't do the best job in disclosing those precautions." But Westchester County Parks Deputy Commissioner Peter Tartaglia says the policy was made abundantly clear to the group's organizer, and that the rules are clearly posted. "We repeatedly told him, because we knew this group would have religious headgear," Tartaglia insisted adding that a refund booth was set up in case anyone objected to the policy, which he said is posted prominently in the park. "There's a sign at every ride," Tartaglia said. "When you enter the park, there's a height line and it lists headgear policy. "What triggered the incident was fighting within the group and the subject was why they didn't know the policy," said Tartaglia, adding that he arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the fight broke out. He said police were called when it appeared the altercation could lead to a riot. Ride safety precautions posted on its website include the following safety rule: . "Hats must be secured, and jackets/sweaters must be worn properly and not around the waist while on a ride. Some rides do not allow backpacks, purses or head gear of any kind." Rye Playland, also known as Playland Amusement Park, is located about 17 miles northeast of the Bronx in Westchester County.

Muslims were celebrating Eid al-Fitr; women were wearing the hijab . Rye Playland employees sought to enforce headgear ban on park rides . Westchester County Police responded; confrontation became violent . CAIR official says women felt they were being discriminated against .

(CNN) -- A second woman in Southern California is alleging sexual abuse by a teacher who resigned last week after being confronted by another alleged female victim on a YouTube video, she said Thursday. The second alleged victim filed a complaint this week accusing the Val Verde Unified School District of negligence when the girl, then a 14-year-old middle schooler, was allegedly sexually abused by the teacher during the 2009-2010 school year, the complaint said. The woman, who appeared at a press conference with her attorney on Thursday, is now 18 years old. "This should have never happened, and I don't wish this upon anybody. My mother was the first victim by convincing my mother that she would do great in my life, and she turned my thinking that, that all I need was her," the woman told reporters. "There was a lot of manipulation in the time. This should (have) never happened if the district would (have) done their job," she added. The claim seeks unspecified monetary damages and charges that the school district "knew about (the teacher's) propensity to sexually abuse and/or sexually harass students before the claimant was injured and damaged by being sexually molested." Officials with the school district, based in Perris, about 65 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, declined to comment on the allegations. "We are not making any comments but we did receive a claim. We are cooperating with authorities," said Chris Wynn, chief of security. The girl has also filed a complaint against the nearby Riverside Unified School District for "negligently" providing "positive information" about the teacher when she applied for a job with Val Verde. The teacher once worked for the Riverside school system. Riverside school officials acknowledged the claim. "We did receive the claim, but we are not commenting," said spokeswoman Jacquie Paul. The teacher has not responded to CNN's phone and e-mail requests for comment. The educator resigned Friday from her most recent job as an administrator with the Alhambra Unified School District after a woman, now 28, posted a YouTube video in which she accused the educator of abusing her at age 12. The video features the alleged victim on camera and the teacher's voice on a phone. In the video, the teacher can be heard acknowledging the abuse. In that case, police have launched an investigation, but the statute of limitations may be an issue, Riverside Police Lt. Guy Toussaint said. It all depends on what the investigation reveals and what crimes may have occurred. On Thursday, the Riverside Police Department confirmed a second alleged victim in its investigation into the educator. "On January 17, RPD started our initial investigation from the YouTube video. During the investigation during some point a second victim came forward and the detectives are now looking into the second victim's allegations. And at this point it's an ongoing investigation," said Lt. Val Graham of Riverside Police Department. The alleged second victim's attorney, Luis A. Carrillo of South Pasadena, said he and the girl will speak with Riverside police on Friday to file a formal complaint about the alleged sexual abuse. "We are cooperating with the investigation and that's why she can't speak about the details about what happened," Carrillo said. "Something good has to come out of something bad, and that's why we want changes, positive changes in the law." The first alleged victim said the abuse took place "off and on" between the ages of 12 and 18. She said she didn't come forward as a teenager because the teacher had brainwashed her. "She told me that my family didn't love me. She told me that nobody cared about me and that she was the only one that loved me and the only one that was there for me," she said. "She made me believe that she was my only friend, and that I could trust her." She said she didn't want a physical relationship, but the teacher threatened her multiple times. "She said that she would kill herself if I ever left. And I believed that," she said.

Second alleged victim accuses teacher of sexually abusing her in middle school . "This should have never happened," woman, now 18, charges . Teacher quit most recent job after another alleged victim confronts her on YouTube . Police are investigating second alleged victim's accusations .

(CNN)President Barack Obama says that the last American troops will leave Afghanistan at the end of 2016. This happens to roughly coincide with the end of his second term in office and also fulfills his campaign promise to wind down America's post-9/11 wars. But is it a wise policy? Short answer: Of course not. One only has to look at the debacle that has unfolded in Iraq after the withdrawal of US troops at the end of 2011 to have a sneak preview of what could take place in an Afghanistan without some kind of residual American presence. Without U.S. forces in the country, there is a strong possibility Afghanistan could host a reinvigorated Taliban allied to a reinvigorated al Qaeda. Needless to say, this would be a disaster for Afghanistan. But it would also be quite damaging to U.S. interests to have some kind of resurgent al Qaeda in the country where the group trained the hijackers for the 9/11 attacks. It would also be disastrous for the Democratic Party, should it win the presidency in 2016, to be the party that "lost" Afghanistan. After all, the Democratic Party is viewed by some as weaker on national security than the Republicans and it is inevitable that without some kind of residual American presence in Afghanistan al Qaeda would gain sufficient strength to launch an attack from the Afghan-Pakistan border region against American interests. An easy way for potential Democratic Party presidential candidates such as Hillary Clinton to distinguish their national security policies from Obama's would be to say that they are in favor of some kind of long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and to argue that it would be needed to avoid an Iraq-style outcome there. Similarly, as the Republican Party starts ramping up for the 2016 campaign, potential candidates such as Jeb Bush can distinguish themselves from the isolationist Rand Paul wing of the party by saying that they are committed to a long-term presence in Afghanistan. This U.S. military presence in Afghanistan doesn't have to be a large, nor does it need to play a combat role, but U.S. troops should remain in Afghanistan to advise the Afghan army and provide intelligence support. Such a long-term commitment of several thousand American troops is exactly the kind of force that the Obama administration was forced to deploy to Iraq during the past six months following ISIS's lightning advances. Selling such a long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan would be pushing against an open door with that nation's government. Consider that within 24 hours of being installed, the new Afghan government signed the basing agreement that allows American troops to stay in Afghanistan until December 2016. Consider also that the Afghan government has already negotiated a strategic partnership agreement with the United States lasting until 2024 that would provide the framework for a longer term U.S. military presence. Consider also that many Afghans see a relatively small, but long-term international troop presence as a guarantor of their stability. It is also not in Pakistan's interests for Afghanistan to fall to the Taliban or be thrust into another civil war. The Pakistanis have seen for themselves repeatedly the folly of allowing the Taliban to flourish on their own soil, most recently in the Taliban attack last month on the army school in Peshawar that killed 132 children. It is in Pakistan's own interest that the Afghan army is able to fight effectively against the Taliban, which is more likely if they continue to have American advisers at their side. Other regional powers such as the Chinese worry about Chinese Uighur separatists establishing themselves on Afghan soil.The Russians are similarly worried about Islamist terrorist groups located in Afghanistan and so will not stand in the way of a small long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan as that would dovetail with their own security concerns about the country. Keeping a relatively small, predominantly U.S. Special Forces, presence in Afghanistan to continue to train the Afghan army past December 2016 is a wise policy that would benefit both Afghans and Americans. Both the Democratic and Republican parties should adopt such a plan in their platforms as they gear up for the 2016 campaign.

Peter Bergen says it would be a serious mistake to pull all U.S. forces from Afghanistan . It would invite the kind of chaos we've seen in Iraq with the rise of ISIS .

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Israel says all 27 activists from two aid ships stopped on their way to Gaza have been deported or are awaiting flights out, but flotilla organizers say most refuse to sign papers required to expel them. Israeli sailors boarded the Gaza-bound vessels Friday as they neared the Palestinian territory, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. The Irish-registered Saoirse and the Canadian Tahrir were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod after refusing to heed calls to turn back, the Israeli military said. Organizers of the flotilla said six people, including the captains of both vessels and two journalists, had been released by Sunday evening. The remainder refused to sign waivers allowing their deportation, the Irish group said in a statement on its website. "They are refusing to sign not because they are legally challenging deportation or are demanding to see a judge, but rather because the waiver says that they came to Israel voluntarily and that they entered the country illegally," the group said. Of course this is a lie and they won't agree to it." The group criticized what it called a "violent and dangerous" seizure of the vessel. Fintan Lane, its coordinator, said the Israelis pointed guns at the passengers and turned high-pressure hoses on the Irish and Canadian boats, blasting out windows and causing a collision that left the Saoirse badly damaged. "The method used in the takeover was dangerous to human life," organizers quoted Lane as reporting. "The Israeli forces initially wanted to leave the boats at sea, but the abductees demanded that they not be left to float at sea, for they would have been lost and possibly sunk." The Israel Defense Forces said its sailors "took every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of the activists on board the vessels as well as themselves." An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said one Canadian aboard the flotilla complained of rough treatment by the Israeli military, but no details were provided. Activists criticized the Israeli action as "illegal" and vowed that activists "will keep coming, wave after wave" to try to deliver aid to Palestinians in Gaza. According to the activist organizers, this mission was the eleventh attempt to run Israel's blockade of Gaza by sea. Five missions arrived safely in Gaza between August and December 2008, with the rest intercepted by Israel. The activists said the boats were carrying medical supplies and letters of support for people in Gaza. Asked by the Israeli navy for their destination, Canadian activist Ehab Lotayef replied, "The conscience of humanity," the activists said in a statement. When sailors repeated the question, asking for their final destination, Lotayef said, "The betterment of mankind." Passengers on the boats were from Canada, Ireland, the United States, Australia, and the Palestinian territories, the activists say. The flotillas have sparked international controversy. In 2010, an Israeli raid on one flotilla ship, the Mavi Marmara, resulted in nine Turkish activists being killed, a development that led to the deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey, once close allies. Israel was roundly criticized by many over the deaths. A U.N. report criticized Israel for its use of excessive force in the incident but described the blockade -- which activists call illegal -- as a "legitimate security measure." Israel says it is concerned about the smuggling of arms to Gaza militants intent on attacking the Jewish state. Gaza is controlled by the anti-Israel Hamas militant group, regarded as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel. But activists say Israeli embargoes of goods into Gaza from land and sea are collective punishment of civilians in what is a tiny and densely populated strip of land along the Mediterranean coast. Israel has said any organization or state that wants to give humanitarian aid to Gaza can do so in coordination with Israeli authorities via existing land crossings into the Palestinian territory. CNN's Paul Colsey, Kareem Khadder and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.

NEW: Activists refuse to sign deportation papers, organizers say . NEW: Activists criticize the Israeli military action as "violent and dangerous" A Canadian activist complains of rough treatment, Israel's foreign ministry says . Previous flotillas have sparked international controversy .

Hong Kong (CNN) -- On the same day yet another death was reported in China's bird flu outbreak, the World Health Organization warned the H7N9 virus was one of the most lethal that doctors and medical investigators had faced in recent years. "This is an unusually dangerous virus for humans," Keiji Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general for health, security and the environment told a news conference in Beijing Wednesday. "We think this virus is more easily transmitted from poultry to humans than H5N1," he added, referring to the bird flu outbreak between 2004 and 2007 that claimed 332 lives. "This is definitely one of the most lethal influenza viruses that we have seen so far." As investigations continue into the possible sources of infection, Fukuda warned that authorities were still struggling to understand the virus. The WHO said China must brace for continued infections. Fukuda's warning came as Taiwanese health authorities said they've confirmed the first human case of H7N9 in Taiwan -- one they said was imported from China. A 53-year-old Taiwanese man who worked in eastern China was confirmed to have H7N9 on Wednesday, the Taiwanese Centers for Disease Control said. His condition was described to be severe. He had been traveling back and forth regularly between China's Jingsu province and Taiwan, health officials said. "According to the case, he had not been exposed to birds and poultry during his stay in Suzhou (in Jingsu province) and had not consumed undercooked poultry or eggs," the Taiwanese CDC said. Taiwanese health officials said they are screening travelers arriving from China for signs of H7N9. Fukuda, meanwhile, said WHO officials "are at the beginning of our understanding of this virus." "(The situation remains) complex, difficult and it is evolving," he said. So far there is no evidence of sustained human-to-human transmission, the authorities say. "We do want to note, however, that if limited person-to-person transmission is demonstrated in the future, this really will not be surprising," Fukuda warned, adding that it was critical to remain vigilant, monitoring the virus's spread and mutation. "We are not sure that the clusters were caused by common exposure to a source of the virus or were due to limited person-to-person transmission," he said. "Moreover we have not seen sustained person-to-person transmission." While some elements of the outbreak have baffled investigators -- specifically why the virus tends to target an elderly demographic and the fact that it is asymptomatic or mild in some cases and lethal in others -- authorities have claimed some significant victories in the fight against a pandemic. Anne Kelso, the director of a WHO-collaborating research center, said researchers had seen a "dramatic slowdown" in human cases in Shanghai after the city's live poultry market was shut on April 6. Describing the finding as "very encouraging," she said evidence suggests the closure of live poultry markets is an effective way to stop the spread of the virus. The joint inspection team from China's National Health and Family Planning Commission and the World Health Organization also found that, so far, no migratory birds have tested positive for the virus, taking another worrying route of transmission out of the equation. It said the H7N9 virus is only being found in chickens, ducks and pigeons at live poultry markets. WHO officials said there are already efforts underway in other countries to develop a vaccine after Chinese officials admitted international help would be needed with this. Meanwhile, the National Health and Family Planning Commission said in its daily update on H7N9 cases that a total of 109 H7N9 cases have been reported within mainland China, including 23 deaths. Most cases have been confined to Shanghai and neighboring provinces in eastern China. CNN's Ivan Watson and Feng Ke in Beijing contributed to this report.

NEW: First H7N9 bird flu case in Taiwan has been reported, health officials say . Death toll from China's bird flu outbreak 23, with 110 infections -- includes one in Taiwan . WHO's Keiji Fukuda warns H7N9 is one of 'the most lethal flu viruses we have seen so far' Authorities struggling to understand virus which is mild in some cases but lethal in others .

(CNN) -- Two Californians, one of whom died, may have been exposed to mice droppings or urine that contained hantavirus while vacationing at Yosemite National Park, health officials said Thursday. The visitors contracted hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome, a rare but often fatal lung disease. The two had stayed at the popular Curry Village in mid-June, according to the California Department of Public Health. An unidentified 37-year-old man from the San Francisco Bay area died in late July, said Dr. Vicki Kramer, chief of the department's vector-borne disease section. A Southern California woman in her 40s survived and is recovering, Kramer told CNN. The two stayed in separate locations at the village, which contains about 400 canvas tent and wooden cabins. "They are very sparse but comfortable," Yosemite ranger and spokesman Scott Gediman said of the tent cabins where the man and woman stayed. Officials have focused on deer mice, common in the high-elevation eastern Sierra Nevada region. The mice are gray or brown on top, with white bellies. Their ears have no fur. "Rodents can infest a whole range of these structures," Kramer said. "Deer mice can get in a hole one-quarter inch in diameter." In the United States, the carriers of hantavirus are deer mice, cotton rats, rice rats and white-footed mice, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus can be present in the rodents' urine, droppings and saliva, and is spread to people when they breathe in air contaminated with the virus, the CDC says. The virus is not communicable from person to person. Explainer: What is hantavirus? Rodent control is the primary strategy for preventing the hantavirus syndrome, according to the CDC. California's health department has worked with Yosemite National Park for years to reduce the risks to visitors, Kramer said. The agency and park public health officers routinely conduct rodent surveillance, and the park inspects buildings and facilities, it said. The battle begins with workers routinely disinfecting floors and removing mouse droppings. Once park officials learned of the two cases, all 400 camp structures were thoroughly cleaned, Gediman said Thursday. Yosemite National Park has increased routine measures to reduce the hantavirus risk, according to officials. "You cannot eliminate all the mice," Kramer said. "There are a lot of people and snacks that people bring into their tents or cabins." Gediman said officials consider Curry Village safe and guests have not canceled lodging reservations in the busiest month of the year at Yosemite. Officials urge people to clean areas of rodent infestation with caution. It's best not to vacuum or sweep, because that can push hantavirus particles into the air, where they can enter the lungs. Rather, people should wear gloves and use bleach where they see mouse droppings. They should let the bleach sit for 15 minutes before using a mop or sponge to clean up. Opening shuttered areas to air and sunlight also is suggested. The two recent hantavirus cases bring the 2012 total in California to four. About one-third of the 60 cases reported in the state since 1993 have been fatal, the department said. Yosemite National Park saw one hantavirus case each in 2000 and 2010. There is no specific treatment for hantavirus infection, according to the CDC, but the earlier the patient is brought to intensive care, the better. Diagnosis is difficult, because early symptoms of fever, muscle aches and fatigue often are confused with the flu. "However, if the individual is experiencing fever and fatigue, and has a history of potential rural rodent exposure, together with shortness of breath, (that) would be strongly suggestive of HPS," the CDC says. Boy drowns, another missing in Yosemite National Park river .

Park said it disinfected 400 cabins . Man, woman in June visited camping area in Yosemite National Park . They may have been exposed to deadly hantavirus . Deer mice might be to blame .

(CNN) -- I've been given a lot of credit for opening up the airwaves to frank sexual material, but I doubt without Helen Gurley Brown's pioneering articles in Cosmopolitan that I could have gotten away with as much as I did. Hugh Hefner showed a lot of naked women in Playboy, and the Playboy Advisor did offer some advice on sexual functioning (in between answering questions about cars and stereos, but men weren't having quite the same difficulties finding sexual satisfaction that women were back in the '60s. The sexual revolution was upon us and young people were having more sex, but that didn't mean young women were having better sex. Certainly they weren't learning how to have good sex in the few sex ed classes that were around. Discussions about pleasure weren't part of the curriculum, that's for sure. And if most of their friends were as clueless as they were, they weren't learning much from them. (Some women can climax very easily but the majority of women cannot have an orgasm from intercourse alone and it's those women who need to be taught what to do.) News: Former Cosmo editor Gurley Brown dead at 90 . The men they were dating knew even less about how to please a woman than the women did. So in between the silly quizzes and the puff pieces on fashion and the latest hairstyles, Helen Gurley Brown was sneaking in, at least in the early days, real information about how women could find sexual satisfaction. And the women were lapping it up, which is why eventually the articles about sex made their way onto the cover pages and the titillating titles became a mainstay of the magazine's success. As Cosmo's influence grew, spreading around the world, Helen's crusade to teach women how to fully enjoy sex had a worldwide impact. Helen is known for having cracked the glass ceiling as editor of Cosmopolitan, but she should be given credit for helping every women in the working world because of the frank way she covered sex in her publication. Thanks to what they were reading in Cosmo, women discovered that they could have sexual satisfaction, but only if they took more control of what was happening during sexual encounters with their male partner. As they learned to ask for what they wanted and needed -- sexual satisfaction in the bedroom -- it wasn't going to be long before they took more control in the boardroom as well. Video: Helen Gurley Brown: I'm a devout feminist . Knowing that you can control your own body gives you a level of self-confidence that helps in every endeavor. If you are sexually frustrated, if you have doubts about your own body, if you see two people having sex in the movies, as unrealistic as movie sex is, and say to yourself, "Why can't I do that?" then when faced with men at work who put you down and act in an overbearing manner, you'll naturally back down. How can you show strength if you can't even manage something as basic as having sex? But once a woman discovers how to have great sex, and takes charge and teaches her man what she needs, then the next morning when she's on her way to the office she'll have a lot more confidence in her own abilities and that confidence will help her succeed. There have been many women throughout history who were good at getting what they wanted by using their bodies. Their sexual wiles earned for them a degree of power that otherwise would have been unattainable. And while possibly some of them were actually enjoying sex, they didn't have to, as women can fake it -- and I'm certain many weren't, at least not with the man they were milking for the better things in life. What Helen Gurley Brown taught women was how to use their bodies not to give someone else pleasure but to give themselves pleasure, and that is a tremendous contribution for which I thank her on behalf of all the women who are now orgasmic and might never have been without her pioneering efforts. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dr. Ruth Westheimer.

Dr. Ruth Westheimer says Helen Gurley Brown's Cosmopolitan sex articles were pioneering . She says before that, many women didn't know sex should bring pleasure, orgasm . She says women's power and prowess in bedroom could translate to the boardroom . Dr. Ruth: Brown taught women not just to give others pleasure in sex, but themselves, too .

Washington (CNN) -- Julia Pierson became the first female director of the U.S. Secret Service in March 2013, tapped to change the culture of an agency that was then marred by a Colombian prostitution scandal. Eighteen months later, she's been ousted as the agency faces a harsh new round of criticism. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Wednesday that he had accepted Pierson's resignation -- and that he is appointing an independent panel to investigate a Sept. 19 incident that saw Omar Gonzalez run deep inside the White House, carrying a knife, before Secret Service agents tackled him. Related: Secret Service Julia Pierson resigns . "I think it's in the best interest of the Secret Service and the American public if I step down," Pierson told Bloomberg News after resigning Wednesday. "Congress has lost confidence in my ability to run the agency. The media has made it clear that this is what they expected." "I can be pretty stoic about it, but not really," she reportedly said. "It's painful to leave as the agency is reeling from a significant security breach." Pierson's resignation marks the end of a 30-year career with the Secret Service that included stints on the protective details of presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Pierson became the Secret Service's chief of staff in 2008, according to her official bio. She had been the assistant director of the Office of Human Resources and Training, and held the title of deputy assistant director in the Office of Protective Operations and the Office of Administration. Pierson started her career in law enforcement as a police officer in Orlando. She joined the Secret Service in 1983, working in the Miami and Orlando field offices. Her appointment came after the resignation of Mark Sullivan, who retired the year after 13 Secret Service employees were caught in a scandal over prostitutes who were brought to a Colombian hotel where they were staying as they prepared for an Obama trip to the area. "I'm disappointed that I didn't have an opportunity to implement structural and operational changes in the agency," Pierson told Bloomberg News. "I had a vision for the future. It's 31 years of service and a firm understanding of the organization." Obama called Pierson on Wednesday to "express his appreciation for her service to the agency and to the country," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said. "She dedicated more than 30 years of her life to the United States Secret Services and to the important work that they do over there," Earnest said, commending Pierson for spending "several hours in front of the cameras" in Tuesday's House hearing. "In the context of that interaction, she took responsibility for the shortcomings of the agency that she led and she took responsibility for fixing them," he said. "That quite simply is a testament to her professionalism and her character." Lawmakers who had criticized the Secret Service's performance in a hearing Tuesday said her departure was the right move. "As I told Ms. Pierson in our phone call earlier today, we appreciate her thirty years of service to our nation, to the Secret Service, and to multiple presidents," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, who had called for Pierson's ouster earlier Wednesday. "I absolutely respect her decision, and now we have to ensure that we focus on the difficult work of fully restoring the Secret Service to its rightful status as the most elite protective service in the world," he said. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) told CNN that Pierson's performance in Tuesday's hearing "didn't inspire any confidence." "Those of us that were sitting in that room in a bipartisan way I think left with less confidence in her rather than more," he said. "It was not a good showing." House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said his panel will continue to investigate the agency. "Problems at the Secret Service pre-date Ms. Pierson's tenure as director, and her resignation certainly does not resolve them," he said.

Julia Pierson was the first female director of the U.S. Secret Service. She was appointed in 2013 after a prostitution scandal marred the agency. Her resignation ends a 30-year career with the Secret Service.

(CNN) -- Germany's greatest golfer tried time and time again to conquer the U.S. Open, and failed. But where Bernhard Langer fell short, Martin Kaymer succeeded, becoming the first German to ever get his hands on the feted trophy. Kaymer has already made it to world number one, bagged his first major at the U.S. PGA Championship and sunk the winning putt in a Ryder Cup before he is 30. Langer did win the Masters twice in his illustrious career but now his successor has two of the four major titles in his back pocket after an emphatic win at Pinehurst. New heart, new hope for Compton . Kaymer laid the foundations for victory by recording the lowest score over two rounds in the tournament's history and duly kept his nearest challengers at arm's length to win by an incredible eight shots. Erik Compton, who had two heart transplants before joining the PGA Tour, finished in a tie for second with fellow American Rickie Fowler. "We have almost a German grand slam -- only the British Open is missing," Kaymer said after finishing on nine under. "To win the Masters is a huge thing and obviously that's why I need to adjust a few things in my swing in order to play better golf there. "Winning the U.S. PGA and winning this one now I hope it will make Bernhard proud and all of Germany proud. "Overall it was a very nice week, a very nice day. Credit to the fans because it was very fair to play. "I didn't make many mistakes in the last two wins I had in America, especially this week. I played very solid the first two days and that gave me a very nice cushion for the weekend. "I was very happy with the way I kept it together yesterday and that gave me a cushion for today." Kaymer never looked like relinquishing the five-shot lead he held going into the final day and was one of only a clutch of players who posted under par rounds. Two birdies and two bogeys in the opening 10 holes consolidated his position before back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 edged him further ahead. With a challenge from Fowler or Compton failing to materialize, the German could enjoy the closing holes knowing the title was his and he rolled in a par putt on the final green to seal the deal. It marks an incredible return to the top of the game for a man who drifted down to 63rd in the rankings after a slump in form. But after a stellar start to the season, Kaymer has become the first man to win both the Players Championship, regarded as the unofficial fifth major, and the U.S. Open in the same season. Compton meanwhile has had a very different journey to the top table in golf after undergoing two heart transplants . The 34-year-old was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy at the age of nine, a condition that limits the heart's capacity to pump blood, and had his first transplant three years later. He had another just as his career was taking and has battled to secure a berth on the tour, his second place at Pinehurst his biggest achievement in the sport to date. "It felt like a sacred place this week," Compton said on Sky Sports. "I'm speechless, really. The support I got gave me goosebumps from tee to green. "It's a real special moment. I've never got this far along in my story and it hasn't really sunken in yet. I'm just thrilled. "I was playing for second, I think we all were playing for second. I hit the ball really well from tee to green. "I didn't know I've got into the Masters so this is just a career-opening thing for me, for me to be able to put myself on the map and prove I'm not just a guy with two heart transplants." Kaymer storms clear at Pinehurst . Golf cart driver arrested at U.S. Open .

Martin Kaymer cruises to victory in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst . The German wins by eight shots from Erik Compton and Rickie Fowler . Kaymer becomes the first German player to win the U.S. Open . Compton had two heart transplants before making the PGA Tour .

Legazpi, Philippines (CNN) -- The deadly storm that battered the Philippines for days weakened Monday as it rumbled from one island to another, passing close to the densely populated capital city of Manila. Officials revised the death toll downward to 25 from 27 on Wednesday after two people were found alive, Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon told CNN. Tropical Storm Hagupit, which was downgraded from typhoon strength Monday, slammed into the eastern Philippines late Saturday. It brought fierce winds and torrential rain to roughly the same region ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan in November last year. But while Haiyan left more than 7,000 people dead or missing, Hagupit's toll so far remains in the double digits. Hagupit has had a powerful impact across several major Philippine islands, driving hundreds of thousands of people from their houses, tearing down trees and causing floods. It has destroyed nearly 1,000 homes, Gwendolyn Pang, the secretary general of the Philippine Red Cross, told CNN. "I am worried -- I am thinking of my children and my grandchildren. They are so young, that's why we're here," said Pilar Rangosajo, a grandmother taking refuge in an evacuation center in the city of Legazpi. "It's so hard for me because every typhoon damages our home. We don't have the money to fix it." Her concerns are common in a country where many people live in lightly built wooden houses. Teams try to reach remote areas . As Hagupit -- known locally as Ruby -- continued to howl over the archipelago, officials have begun to assess the scale of the damage in the regions it hit. Emergency response teams are trying to reach some of the remote areas where little is known about the storm's effects. But officials praised the success of efforts to relocate large numbers of people away from vulnerable coastal areas, citing fears of a repeat of last year's devastation as a motivating factor. "People didn't have to be pushed anymore," Gordon said. "They knew that they could face another Haiyan, and Haiyan killed a lot of people from storm surges." In Tacloban, the city hardest hit by Haiyan, around half the 200,000 residents evacuated to safer areas ahead of Hagupit, the U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA Philippines said. Fishermen fear typhoon will 'destroy everything' Heavy rain concern for capital . Hagupit has been less powerful than Haiyan, but it is moving at a much slower pace. Weather forecasters said that means Hagupit will dump large amounts of heavy rain on areas in its path, increasing the risk of landslides and flash floods. "It doesn't matter right now if it's a typhoon or tropical storm -- this is a rainmaker," meteorologist Tom Sater said. Noel Rosal, the mayor of Legazpi, said that "for almost 20 hours, we were battered by rain and strong winds." Flooding concerns are particularly acute for Manila, the national capital whose metropolitan region is home to nearly 12 million people. Because of the area's geography, many parts of Manila are susceptible to flash floods. Hagupit passed to the south of Manila late Monday and early Tuesday, over the province of Batangas. Humanitarian workers were also facing challenges coping with the sheer number of people relying on evacuation centers for support. "Health issues are kind of difficult when you have 900,000 people crammed into rescue centers," Gordon said, raising concerns about sanitation and respiratory illnesses in particular. Philippines gets more than its share of disasters . Saima Mohsin reported from Legazpi, and Jethro Mullen reported and wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Mitra Mobasherat, Yoko Wakatsuki, Pedram Javaheri and Andrew Stevens contributed to this report.

Nearly 1,000 homes have been destroyed, the Red Cross says . "Every typhoon damages our home. We don't have the money to fix it," a grandmother says . Hagupit is downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it weakens . Flooding concerns for Manila as storm moves slowly across the country .

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- There are five days left until the opening day of the biggest sporting event India has ever put on. While there is a furious push to finish dozens of projects around the city to try to make it sparkle for the upcoming Commonwealth Games the plight of the smallest and poorest citizens of India go wholly ignored. Impoverished children are crawling all over many of the Commonwealth Games related construction sites. Some sit inches away from speeding cars on mounds of dirt, others walk under massive machinery, and some pick up the tools and bricks around them as their parent work a full day. "This is happening all the time and people just turn a blind eye," said Save the Children Advocacy Director in India Shireen Miller. Miller says by law the children should not be on construction sites, while they are not normally paid by the contractors, the older children often end up doing work for free just to help their parents. "It shouldn't be happening. Children should not be there unprotected, unsafe and working." The contractors are supposed to create a safe place for the children near the sites. Child advocates say that rarely happens. Instead mother's hold small babies on their hips while carrying loads of dirt on the their heads, or they put them down on the site surrounded by the dust and danger construction can pose. "Where can I leave them? mother Lal kumar said with her toddler on her hip. "I bring them wherever I go." The workers are normally from the poorest and most desperate parts of India. A subcontractor shows up in their villages and offers work in big cities like New Delhi. There is no work in their villages, so the entire family moves from place to place to sustain themselves. "If there is poverty then the kids come themselves, if there is poverty then what else can we do. There is nothing in our village, so because of poverty, we're here." Kuwar said. She has two young children who on this day were playing in the dirt and with the tools as cars buzz by and Kuwar plowed into the ground with a shovel. The scene is repeated on construction sites throughout the city, and by no means is this just on sites related to the Commonwealth Games. You see children playing, sleeping or sitting on everything from road construction sites to private home construction. When the child is old enough like 11-year-old Jitender you sometimes see them doing the work. We ask Jitender if he is being paid to pick up bricks on a huge construction area along side a busy New Delhi highway. "No." He said, "I don't work here but I help my mother." And in so doing the contractor gets free labor, the parents get a helping hand, and the child has something to do. But child advocates say this is one step toward child labor continues a cycle of poverty and is simply dangerous for children. "What you see at constructions sites, all kinds of hazardous materials," activist and urban planner Dunu Roy said. "We don't see too much of deaths but [we see] injuries, cuts and certain amounts of a disease like dengue [and] stomach borne infections." However there are people trying to do something about the dangerous and illegal position children are being forced into. For decades an Indian organization called "Mobile Creche" has been convincing contractors to let them set up day care facilities for children on the construction sites. "I would have kept them with me at work but it is not allowed. Now they have also started go to the school," a mother of four told CNN back in 2008 as she nursed her baby before heading back into Nehru Stadium to continuing laying bricks. Yet as a whole the police, government officials, and everyday citizens pass by the construction sites everyday and do nothing. Suraj Singh, a subcontractor on one site with a half dozen children on it told CNN, "This is just how it is for the poor. What safety can there be for the poor? Tell us? There is no safety for the poor. This is life. These people don't have the money to leave their kids at home with servants, and work here." Singh's reaction may seem callous but is too often true. Billions have been spent on beautifying the city because of the games. As it turns out the games have also exposed the world to one of India's ugly problems.

India is rushing to get ready for the Commonwealth Games . Games construction highlights one of India's problems . Children of the poor swarm over construction sites .

Los Angeles (CNN) -- A Los Angeles elementary school teacher allegedly took bondage photos of more than two dozen students in his classroom, including some with suspected semen-filled spoons at their mouths, investigators said Tuesday. The young students "didn't realize they were victimized," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Dan Scott told CNN Tuesday. "They thought they were being blindfolded and gagged as a game," he said. "And they were rewarded with cookies or spoons full of sugar (but) they did not realize the spoon contained semen." The photographs also showed "a large 3-inch cockroach that would crawl on their face," Scott said. Mark Berndt, 61, was arrested on child molestation charges at his Torrance, California, home Monday and is being held pending $2.3 million bond in a Los Angeles County jail, according to Sheriff's Lt. Carlos Marquez. He is scheduled to make a first appearance before a judge Wednesday morning on 23 counts of lewd acts on a child, according to the county's district attorney. CNN was not able to immediately identify or reach Berndt's lawyer. While the investigation began more than a year ago, the arrest came soon after lab testing matched Berndt's DNA with semen found on a spoon recovered from his classroom, Scott said. Investigators persuaded the suspect to voluntarily give them a DNA sample just two months ago, he said. The 30-year teaching veteran was removed from his job at Miramonte Elementary School in south Los Angeles on January 7, 2011, the day the sheriff's department told the school district about the investigation, Los Angeles School Superintendent John Deasy said. "I am sickened and horrified by the behavior of Mark Berndt. This individual and his conduct do not reflect on the quality of the teachers who work so hard on behalf of the students in the Los Angeles Unified School District," Deasy said in a written statement. The probe started when a film processor gave investigators "over 40 photographs depicting children in a school classroom, with their eyes blindfolded and mouths covered with tape," the sheriff's statement said. "Investigators learned that some of the photos depicted suspect Mark Berndt with his arm around the children, or with his hand over their mouths," it said. Some photos show female students with "what appeared to be a blue plastic spoon, filled with an unknown clear/white liquid substance, up to their mouths as if they were going to ingest the substance," the statement said. Other photos showed "children with large live Madagascar-type cockroaches on their faces and mouths," it said. Investigators, who interviewed more than 80 current and former students and school employees, identified 23 boys and girls then between the ages of 7 and 10 years old as victims in crimes that are believed to have been committed between 2005 and 2010, it said. A search of Berndt's home found more than 100 more similar photographs depicting children and a video depicting adult sexual "bondage" activity "which mirrored the bondage-type photos of the children," investigators said. The film processor later gave investigators an additional 250 photographs, it said. About 10 children seen in the more than 400 images have not yet been identified, it said. "Early in the investigation, Special Victims Bureau detectives recovered a blue plastic spoon and an empty container from the trash within the suspect's classroom," the sheriff's statement said. "The recovered items tested positive for semen. Through further investigation, the suspect's DNA was obtained and tested, and (investigators) determined that it matched that of the DNA profile found on the spoon and container." Investigators did not reveal the contents of the fluid to the children or tell them that the case involved child molestation allegations, Scott said. CNN's Stan Wilson contributed to this report.

The young students "didn't realize they were victimized," an investigator says . Children were told they were playing a game, may have been spoon-fed semen . In classroom photos, students had "eyes blindfolded and mouths covered," officials say . Mark Berndt, a 30-year teaching vet, is charged with child molestation .

Washington (CNN) -- After several years of what it calls broken promises, the U.S. government has singled out Thailand, Malaysia, The Gambia and Venezuela for taking insufficient action against human trafficking. In its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released Friday, the State Department downgraded the four nations to Tier 3, the lowest possible ranking it gives for a country's response to fighting modern-day slavery. The report says there is evidence of forced labor and sex trafficking in Malaysia and Thailand. It highlights Malaysia's problem with migrants from other Asian nations who seek work on farms, factories and construction sites only to be trapped and have their passports taken and wages withheld. In Thailand, the report says, tens of thousands of migrants from neighboring countries are being exploited in the commercial sex industry, on fishing boats or as domestic servants. And in Venezuela, women and girls are often lured from poor interior regions to tourist centers with the promise of false job offers. When they arrive, they are often forced into prostitution. The report ranks governments based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge and combat human trafficking, advance reforms and target resources for prevention, protection and prosecution programs. It divides nations into three tiers based on their compliance with 11 "minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking." -- Tier 1 countries include governments fully compliant with the minimum standards. -- Tier 2 countries don't fully comply, but are making significant efforts to do so. (A Tier 2 Watch List includes countries with a high number of victims, or where the numbers are significantly increasing. It also includes countries where there's insufficient evidence of acceptable efforts to improve anti-trafficking programs). -- Tier 3 countries do not fully comply with the minimum standards and have not shown the U.S. they are making significant efforts to do so. A Tier 3 status can also mean less money as the U.S. government may use the designation to withhold or withdraw assistance that is unrelated to trade or humanitarian aid. Those countries could also face U.S. opposition in obtaining development aid from international financial institutions like the World Bank or International Monetary Fund. More than 20 million people worldwide are believed to be ensnared in some form of human trafficking, according to the International Labour Organization. Luis CdeBaca, ambassador-at-large of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, cited Thailand and Malaysia's repeated noncompliance in meeting minimum anti-trafficking standards. "Malaysia continues to have a victim care regime that basically locks up the victims," Cdebaca said. "In Thailand, we have a lot of beginnings that will hopefully come to fruition, but the report doesn't look at promises. It looks at results." In Venezuela, women and girls are often lured from poor interior regions to tourist centers with the promise of false job offers. When they arrive, they are often forced into prostitution. Four other countries had faced possible downgrades to Tier 3 -- Afghanistan, Barbados, Chad and the Maldives. Cdebaca said each of those demonstrated over the past year that their governments were serious about stopping human trafficking. "In Afghanistan, for the first time now, we're seeing 14 traffickers were convicted. We're even seeing the conviction of soldiers," says Cdebaca. While the United States puts itself in the Tier 1 category, the State Department acknowledges its own problems fighting trafficking, something that hadn't been done in the report until 2010. This year's report highlights several new groups within the U.S. that may be vulnerable to traffickers, including teens living on Native American reservations and members of the LGBT community. Other Tier 3 countries are Algeria; Central African Republic; Cuba; Democratic Republic of Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Guinea-Bissau; Iran; Kuwait; Libya; Mauritania; North Korea; Papua New Guinea; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Syria; Uzbekistan; Yemen; and Zimbabwe.

U.S. State Department issues annual Trafficking in Persons Report . In Thailand, migrants are being exploited in the commercial sex industry, report says . Report: Venezuelan women and girls are often lured into prostitution with false job offers . In Malaysia, it says, migrants from other Asian countries have been trapped in forced labor .

(CNN) -- It happened at Royal Ascot. Now it has happened again at York. Any doubts over whether Frankel, rated the best racehorse in the world, would prove himself the master of the 10 furlong distance, as he has over eight furlongs, were dispelled Wednesday. Frankel made one of the toughest fields he has ever faced look pedestrian, defeating Fahrr and St Nicholas Abbey by a widening seven lengths to win the Juddmonte International at the racecourse in the north of England and extend his unbeaten record to 13. Frankel certainly cannot be said to suffer from triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13. The first of his victories came on Friday 13th in August 2010. That half-length victory over Nathaniel is the closest anyone has come to the great colt since. His biggest winning margin has been -- you guessed it -- 13 lengths. The annual York meeting had long been turned into a one-horse race ever since Frankel's trainer, Henry Cecil, targeted the Juddmonte for Frankel's debut over the one mile and a quarter (2,000m) trip. On Wednesday, fans lined every inch of rail from the parade ring to the starting gates to get a glimpse of the horse that may possibly represent the culmination of 300 years of selective breeding to create the ultimate equine athlete. Superstar swagger . With the swagger of a superstar, Frankel emerged from the saddling area to a sea of pink and green (his owner, Khalid Abdullah's racing colors). Accompanied into the parade ring by a phalanx of policemen, the great colt looked far more relaxed than either his trainer or his jockey, Tom Queally. The most interesting and compelling race of Frankel's career to date was given more piquancy by the presence of Cecil, who was returning to the racetrack for the first time in months following ongoing treatment for cancer. The Juddmonte International is something of a graveyard of champions; 11 out of 17 horses that have started as odds-on favorites here have been turned over. Most famous of these was Brigadier Gerard. In the summer of 1972, Brigadier Gerard swept aside all comers in the same insouciant manner that Frankel does today. But it was in this race 40 years ago that he suffered the only defeat of his career. In a massive upset, the 1972 Epsom Derby winner Roberto ran the race of his life to beat Brigadier Gerard by three lengths, smashing the course record in the process. Frankel, starting the race at 10-1 on, suffered no such upset. Despite losing a couple of lengths at the start, there were never any signs of panic from his jockey, a virtually motionless Queally. Tactical ploy . Rival trainer Aiden O'Brien was determined, as ever, to halt Frankel's seemingly inexorable progress toward perfection, making the task something of a tactical puzzle by his use of pacemakers to assist St Nicholas Abbey. But an unruffled Frankel was content to settle towards the back of the field for the early part of the race, and all that remained was for Queally to pull the pin in his customary fashion with two furlongs to go. Frankel duly galloped into uncharted territory and into the history books. Frankel has now surpassed the mark set by Rock of Gibraltar for consecutive Group One wins with eight. The view of Frankel receding into the distance is one that the likes of top jockeys Frankie Dettori and Joseph O'Brien are already familiar with. It is a sight that racing fans will have to accustom themselves to now that Frankel's career looks to be following its inevitable trajectory toward the breeding shed. With just one race left on his card -- the Qipco Champions Day at Royal Ascot in October -- the finest athlete to grace this sport is in the home stretch of his long gallop into immortality.

Frankel extends his winning run to 13 with victory at York . Frankel wins Juddmonte International in fine style . Wonder horse racing over 10 furlongs for the first time . Final race of career set for Royal Ascot in October .

Washington (CNN) -- A Latino rights group and other immigrant and labor organizations called Thursday for a national boycott of Arizona over the state's new immigration law, which allows police to ask anyone for proof of legal U.S. residency. The call for a boycott was led by the National Council of La Raza, which bills itself as the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Other organizations calling for the boycott include the Asian American Justice Center, the Center for Community Change, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Puerto Rican Coalition, the Service Employees International Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The groups pledged not to hold major conventions, conferences or other special events involving significant travel to Arizona from out of state and "asked others to consider whether their purchases of goods and services might perpetuate the unjust and discriminatory law in Arizona," La Raza said on its website. "When a law so contrary to our values is passed, we must act decisively," said La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguia. "We are calling for a boycott because this law will blow open the door to increased racial profiling, wrongful arrests and other discrimination." Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the immigration measure April 23, says it does not involve racial profiling or any other illegal acts. The law, known as SB 1070, is scheduled to go into effect this summer. The measure has drawn criticism in the United States and abroad. In Arizona, the Tucson and Flagstaff city councils voted this week to file suit against the measure. The city councils said they're taking action because of concerns over enforcement costs and negative effects on Arizona's tourism industry. In Tucson, council member Regina Romero introduced a motion for "the city attorney to bring a legal challenge" because the immigration bill is "unconstitutional" and "a bad law, which could cost the city millions of dollars in lawsuits." "This bill opens the door to racial profiling, and it puts Latinos in Arizona in automatic suspect mode," Romero said. Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said up to 38 percent of retail sales in the city come from legal Mexican visitors. The state immigration law threatens Tucson's businesses, Walkup said, just when "the city is just beginning to recover from the economic downturn." Criticism also has come from abroad, with the Mexican government issuing an advisory to its citizens last week to avoid travel to Arizona. The Organization of American States expressed its concern about the law last week, and presidents of South American countries meeting in Argentina for a gathering of the Union of South American Nations condemned the law Tuesday. Well-known Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes recommended this week that dark-skinned people, men with mustaches, women who use shawls, or anyone who does not speak English well should not go to Arizona, because the state has "officially declared itself racist," the government-run Notimex news service reported Wednesday. The Phoenix Suns basketball team also criticized the new law, and wore jerseys marked "Los Suns" in Wednesday night's NBA playoff game against the San Antonio Spurs. "The frustration with the federal government's failure to deal with the issue of illegal immigration resulted in passage of a flawed state law," Suns managing partner Robert Sarver said in a statement. "However intended, the result of passing this law is that our basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law are being called into question, and Arizona's already struggling economy will suffer even further setbacks at a time when the state can ill-afford them." Arizona legislators say they passed the law because the federal government has failed to safeguard the border with Mexico, allowing more than 450,000 undocumented immigrants to settle in the state. On Thursday, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer of New York wrote a letter to Brewer, asking Arizona to delay implementing the law for one year "in order to permit Congress sufficient time to enact comprehensive immigration reform to address Arizona's security needs."

Groups pledge not to hold conventions in Arizona because of new immigration law . Law allows police to ask anyone for proof of being in U.S. legally . Opponents say it will lead to racial profiling; supporters disagree . National Council of La Raza leads rights groups' call for boycott .

Beijing, China (CNN) -- A driverless van has completed the longest-ever trip by an unmanned vehicle, beginning in Italy and arriving in China, covering 13,000 kilometers (8,077 miles), researchers said. The van arrived at the Shanghai World Expo on Thursday, after leaving Italy on July 20. The three-month trip took the van through Eastern Europe, Russia and Kazakhstan; across China through the Gobi Desert; and finally along the Great Wall, before arriving for a celebration at the expo. The driverless van relied solely on electricity. See more of CNN's tech coverage . The vehicle weathered three months of rain, blizzards and sun, and arrived in Shanghai with no major problems, according to researchers tracking its progress. The van even stopped to pick up hitchhikers outside of Moscow. "We are really happy. It's a real milestone in our field of vehicular robotics," said lead researcher Alberto Broggi. The van, designed by Italian tech company Vislab, featured 12 refined sensors, including cameras, a carbon dioxide sensor, a GPS device and an off-road laser scanner. "This driverless trip to China shows how science can capture people's imagination through achievements that would recently have been unthinkable ... [and] provide major environmental and economic benefits," said Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, head of research, innovation and science for the European Commission. See more of CNN's special coverage of China . The record-setting journey comes in amid of major developments in driverless vehicle technology. Earlier this month, Google announced that its self-driving vehicle had successfully traveled about 350 miles [563 kilometers] from its headquarters in Mountain View, California, to Santa Monica, California. Google, which engages in energy-related businesses along with its core Internet search-engine service, says its self-driving cars have logged more than 140,000 miles. General Motors, Volkswagen and Stanford University are also developing driverless vehicles. No maps were used as Vislab's van traveled from Italy, then off-road through much of Siberia and China. The van topped out at 37 miles per hour and traveled about four hours a day to allow for adequate battery recharging. As for human intervention during the van's three-month journey, "We had to intervene manually only on limited occasions, such as in the Moscow traffic jams and when passing toll stations," said lead researcher Broggi, who also is a professor at Italy's University of Parma. Two engineers rode in the van to prevent dangerous situations. The vehicle was part of a four-vehicle caravan, which included a leading van that was occasionally driven by two engineers, but mostly operated without human guidance. From Italy to Russia to China, the driverless van baffled onlookers. During a special demonstration on the outskirts of Moscow on September 10, a police officer approached the vehicle as it maneuvered in a pedestrian zone, only to find a driver missing. "He realized there was no driver!" engineers wrote on the van's official trip blog. "He then looked around and tried to find a clue of what was happening. He really seemed puzzled!" "We talked to him ... explained this is a big test," Broggi said. "It was extremely difficult, but in the end we avoided getting the first ticket to an autonomous vehicle." Other challenges along the way included replacing a 430-kilogram battery in Moscow, lengthy and complicated border crossings due to customs clearances, and several frigid nights camping along the van's route in Siberia. "We weren't worried about not making it," though, Broggi said. "This big trip was an intermediary step in a longer process. We have something new planned for 2012." The European Research Council primarily funded the expedition, to develop technology to increase road safety and fuel efficiency by supplementing driver decisions at the wheel. The project used low-cost technologies that could be integrated in most current vehicles' chassis, researchers said. More than 1.2 million people die annually in auto crashes, according to the World Health Organization.

Van arrives at the Shanghai World Expo on Thursday . The van left Italy in July, with two engineers aboard to prevent dangerous situations . It traveled through Eastern Europe, Russia and Kazakhstan . The van then went through the Gobi Desert and along the Great Wall .

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia and the United States share principles of unity and tolerance and both can benefit from strengthened ties that will bolster trade and combat terrorism, President Obama said in a highly anticipated speech Wednesday. The address at the University of Indonesia was considered a highlight of Obama's two-day stop in the southeast Asian nation where he spent four years of his childhood. As the nation with the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia was chosen as the site for Obama to further address U.S. relations with the Islamic world following his speech on the topic last year in Cairo, Egypt. He referred specifically to the Cairo speech of June 2009, noting he called there "for a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world -- one that creates a path for us to move beyond our differences." "I said then, and I will repeat now, that no single speech can eradicate years of mistrust," Obama said. At the same time, he promised that "no matter what setbacks may come, the United States is committed to human progress." America "is not, and never will be, at war with Islam," Obama insisted. "Instead, all of us must defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates, who have no claim to be leaders of any religion -- certainly not a great world religion like Islam." Indonesia has been rocked by terror attacks such as bombings on Bali in 2002 and 2005, and Obama noted the nation's progress "in rooting out terrorists and combating violent extremism." However, Muslims staged rallies across Indonesia on Sunday to protest the American president's visit, and about 20,000 people attended the demonstrations, a spokesman for a protest group said. "We don't see the differences between Obama and (former U.S. President George W.) Bush. They both oppress Muslims. They both have blood on their hands," said Ismail Yusanto, a spokesman for the Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir. "That's why we reject Obama and we don't believe that he's reaching out to Muslims." In his speech Wednesday, Obama reflected on his years in Indonesia, referring to how he and his family were warmly accepted. He got cheers when he sprinkled sayings from the local Malay language, such as "Selamat Datang" -- a greeting of welcome -- and the national motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," which means "unity in diversity." Noting that Malay is one of hundreds of languages of the archipelago nation, Obama lauded Indonesia for its spirit of inclusiveness despite its diverse population and history of dictatorship. "But even as this land of my youth has changed in so many ways, those things that I learned to love about Indonesia -- that spirit of tolerance that is written into your constitution, symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples standing alongside each other; that spirit that is embodied in your people -- that still lives on," he said. Now, Obama said, he returned as the U.S. president seeking "a deep and enduring partnership" with Indonesia, "because as vast and diverse countries; as neighbors on either side of the Pacific; and above all as democracies -- the United States and Indonesia are bound together by shared interests and shared values." "America has a stake in an Indonesia that is growing, with prosperity that is broadly shared among the Indonesian people -- because a rising middle class here means new markets for our goods, just as America is a market for yours," Obama said. The U.S. leader called for Indonesia's continued development and warned that would require "a refusal to tolerate the corruption that stands in the way of opportunity," along with a commitment to transparency and protecting the freedom being honored on the Heroes' Day holiday Wednesday marking Indonesian independence. "Our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag," Obama said. "And we are now building on that shared humanity -- through the young people who will study in each other's schools; through the entrepreneurs forging ties that can lead to prosperity; and through our embrace of fundamental democratic values and human aspirations." CNN's Tom Cohen contributed to this report.

President speaks about relations, religion in nation with largest Muslim population . Obama recalls the welcome and acceptance he received when he lived in Indonesia as a boy . Shared principles of unity and tolerance underpin U.S.-Indonesia relations, Obama says .

PHOENIX, Arizona (CNN) -- It was supposed to be just another day at work. Job losses suffered by Linda and Chris Metzger have had a ripple effect on other businesses in their community . In early March 2008, 31-year-old Linda Metzger went to the New York office where she had worked as an assistant vice president in the marketing department at Lehman Brothers for about a year. Only 15 minutes into her work day, Metzger was called into her manager's office, where a representative from human resources was waiting. "They told me that the company was having economic difficulties and that they had to make budget cuts," Metzger said. "They were afraid that they were going to have to let me go and that it was not due to performance." Metzger says that would be her last day at Lehman Brothers. She was given some time to collect her composure, gather her belongings and head home. She was out of a $90,000-a-year job and was getting married in three months. Metzger says it was a chance for her and her fiancé to refocus, relocate and start a new life. Within a few weeks, they both found jobs near Phoenix, Arizona, earning close to what they were making in New York. They bought a home and two new cars and got married. But the good feelings suddenly and dramatically ended in October when Metzger, who was four months pregnant, showed up to work at Lumension, where she was a marketing manager. Metzger says she was called into the office, and it happened again. She was laid off from her second job in less than a year. Watch Linda talk about getting laid off » . "I was so overwhelmed and so shocked that I just immediately burst into tears." She thought about how she and her new husband, who had just moved across the country, were going to be able to afford their new life and all the bills that came with it. A week later, Chris Metzger was called into his manager's office at the job placement agency where he worked. He was told that because of the economy, his office was closing, and he was out of a job. Now he had to break the news to his wife. "I just came home, and she was upstairs," Chris Metzger said. He tried to find the best way to tell his wife that they no longer had an income. "I walked upstairs, I gave her a hug, and I said, 'I lost my job today.' " "I immediately fell to the floor and just started crying," Linda said. Within 10 days, Chris was able to find a new job, but Linda had no such luck. The economy was taking its toll, and very few companies were hiring. They looked at their budget and started to eliminate all the extras, including dining out and gym memberships. Vacations were put on hold; furniture purchases had to wait; fine meals out were now home-cooked meals. The Metzgers' story is playing out all across America as businesses and communities feel the ripple effect of the recession . "When jobs get lost, demand falls for a whole bunch of businesses. You're not going to buy new shoes; you're going to put new soles on them," said Lakshman Achuthan, managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute, an independent group that studies recessions. Restaurants where the Metzgers used to dine are now closed. The furniture store where they hoped to fill their home is having a liquidation sale and is closing in three weeks. "You've pulled back from all your spending except paying your mortgage and putting food on the table," Achuthan said. It's a sign of the times. A drive down the Phoenix streets and strip malls are filled with vacant office space . Chris and Linda Metzger are expecting their first child in April. This month, they had to decide between making an expensive COBRA insurance payment or the mortgage payment, and they may have to start asking family for help. Despite her education and work experience, Linda Metzger says she is hoping she can start a genealogy business. She just doesn't feel good about jumping back into the work force after her baby is born. "I am feeling a little burnt -- sorry, very burnt by corporate America."

Phoenix, Arizona, couple lost three jobs in one year . Restaurants, stores where they spent money are closing . Economist says when a job is lost, demand falls for many businesses .

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra faces a no-confidence motion in parliament as opposition forces in the Asian nation try to unseat the government through legal means. The vote is currently scheduled for Thursday, but the opposition's chances of success appear slim, as Yingluck's party has a majority. Protesters are calling for an end to the government of Yingluck, sister of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the telecommunications tycoon who was ousted in a 2006 coup. Critics of the Thai prime minister accuse her of being a puppet of her older brother Thaksin, a deeply polarizing figure who was removed from power by the military while in New York in 2006. He has since lived in exile, except for a brief return in 2008, and was convicted by Thai courts for corruption and sentenced in absentia to two years in jail later that year. Meanwhile, thousands of anti-government demonstrators have kept up pressure on the Thai government in recent days by surrounding official buildings amid the highest tensions the country has seen since deadly unrest three years ago. Protesters in Bangkok stormed the finance ministry building Monday and turned into their secondary command center. They planned to send groups to a range of other ministries and government offices around the capital Wednesday, said Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the protesters. Their objectives include the public health, labor, industry, social development and science ministries, as well as a government complex that houses multiple agencies, notably the Department of Special Investigation. The number of demonstrators, led by the opposition Democrat Party, has declined from the huge gathering of roughly 100,000 people that assembled in Bangkok on Sunday. Akanat said the protesters believe their current numbers to be in the tens of thousands, perhaps as many as 50,000. But authorities estimate the number of demonstrators to be around 10,000, said Lt. Gen. Paradon Patthanathabut of the National Security Council. Certain sections of some roads in Bangkok have been shut down because of the number of protesters camping out and spilling into the street, Paradon said. Rising to a crescendo . More than three weeks of anti-government protests led by the Democrat Party rose to a crescendo with the big demonstration Sunday. The protesters have since taken their rallies directly to government offices, TV networks and military installations. At various points during the past few days, demonstrators have surrounded the foreign ministry, as well as the agriculture and interior ministries. Yingluck has said authorities will "absolutely not use violence" to disperse the demonstrators. But the situation is delicate after Thai police issued an arrest warrant against protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban. Paradon of the National Security Council said Wednesday that authorities are "sticking with negotiation" and trying to persuade Suthep to hand himself in. Authorities have extended the areas around Bangkok where police are enforcing an internal security law that restricts gatherings by demonstrators. Political fault lines . The current protests have reanimated the tensions along Thailand's political fault lines -- Thaksin Shinawatra's mostly rural support base on one side, the Bangkok-based elite and middle classes on the other -- that left the country wracked with turbulence for four years after the 2006 coup, culminating in a 2010 army crackdown on Thaksin supporters that left more than 90 dead. The current round of protests was triggered in response to a government-backed amnesty bill that could have extended a pardon to Thaksin Shinawatra and opened the door for his return to Thailand. The Thai senate rejected the amnesty bill on November 11, but since then demonstrations continued, with the opposition calling for the current government to be replaced by a new administration. More than a dozen countries have issued travel warnings for citizens to avoid areas near protests in Bangkok. CNN's Anna Coren contributed to this report.

NEW Thai PM Yingluck faces no confidence motion in Thailand's parliament on Thursday . Thousands of protesters have gathered outside government offices in recent days . They want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government to step down .

(CNN) -- As a young competitive gymnast, Melissa Stockwell's heart would fill with pride as she looked at the American flag and sang the national anthem before every meet. When anyone would ask her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she would say she wanted to join the Army. Stockwell's parents thought she was going through a phase, but she joined the ROTC program while at the University of Colorado in Boulder. After graduating with a communications degree in 2002, she was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army's Transportation Corps. At 23 years old, Stockwell was deployed to Iraq in March 2004. Less than a month later, her life changed forever. She was part of a routine convoy going through central Baghdad when a big explosion went off. "Think of the loudest noise you can imagine and our vehicle starts to swerve," she recalls. "The woman in the front yells IED, IED, we've hit an IED!" Stockwell's left leg was gone. "It sounds strange, but as soon as I was told I didn't have my leg, I knew it was going to be OK," the veteran says. "I just kind of had this almost peaceful feeling that, alright, it's going to be alright. Life isn't over." While recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, Stockwell says she was inspired by other patients. "You see these other soldiers and these other veterans that are missing two limbs, three limbs, sometimes four limbs ... and I looked at myself and I just really thought I'm one of the lucky ones and I kind of made a decision then that I was going to live my life for those who couldn't." Stockwell learned to walk with her new leg and become independent, but she knew she wouldn't feel like herself until she got back into sports. Opinion: Every day should be Veterans Day . "Luckily there are organizations out there that really grab the wounded veterans from their hospital rooms and get them out doing things that they may not have ever done with two legs," she says. Four months after her injury, she went skiing in Colorado. The experience gave her an incredible feeling of freedom and opened up a world of new possibilities. After spending a year at Walter Reed, the Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient medically retired from the Army. Stockwell went back to school for a new career in prosthetics at Century College in Minnesota. "Basically you fit amputees with artificial limbs," she says. "I didn't know the field existed until I needed a leg, but then I thought, 'Well that's pretty cool.' " After moving to Minnesota, she joined her first competitive swim team. A presentation about the Paralympics inspired her to fight for her country on a new battlefield. "I dreamed of going to the Olympics when I was younger," she says. "And now it was almost like I had a second chance. So I decided to try in the sport of swimming. It was easy for me to swim. I didn't have to wear a prosthetic leg." In 2008, Stockwell became the first Iraq war veteran to be chosen for the U.S. Paralympic Team. She felt like her life had come full circle: "It made me feel so, so alive." Today the 32-year-old veteran works as a certified prosthetist at Scheck and Siress in Chicago and runs a triathlon club she started with friends Keri Schindler and Dan Tun two years ago. Dare2Tri provides adaptive equipment and coaches for athletes with disabilities. Cancer survivor and amputee Hailey Danisewicz says Dare2Tri has taught her that, "my possibilities as a person are endless and that I can do anything that I put my mind to." In October Danisewicz placed second at the Paratriathlon World Championships in New Zealand. First place, for the third consecutive year, went to her coach and mentor Melissa Stockwell.

Melissa Stockwell was deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Army in March 2004 . Three weeks later, Stockwell's Humvee hit a roadside bomb . She lost her left leg, becoming the first female amputee in Operation Iraqi Freedom . She swam in the 2008 Paralympics and now is a champion paratriathlete .

Washington (CNN) -- The Senate rejected a Republican measure Wednesday to expand offshore oil and gas drilling in U.S. coastal waters, signaling a continued partisan stalemate over energy policy and, more specifically, how to respond to rising gas prices. The bill was defeated in a 42-57 vote. Sixty votes were required for passage. Five Republicans -- Alabama's Richard Shelby, Louisiana's David Vitter, Maine's Olympia Snowe, South Carolina's Jim DeMint, and Utah's Mike Lee -- voted against the bill. One Democrat, Montana's Max Baucus, didn't vote. On Tuesday, the Senate rejected a Democratic measure to strip major oil companies of about $20 billion in tax subsidies over the next 10 years and use the savings to pay down the federal deficit. Among other things, the GOP bill would have required the Interior Department to complete a number of offshore lease sales in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coasts of Virginia and Alaska. It also would have extended lease terms by one year for Gulf contracts suspended by the drilling moratorium imposed by the Obama administration in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The GOP bill would have established a 30-day review period for drilling permit applications, and allowed for default approval if an application wasn't rejected within 60 days. The Interior Department would have been required to provide a rationale for rejecting a permit application. "At a time of near-record gas prices, this is a modest approach, a good first step that takes everyone's concerns into account so that we can actually achieve a practical result," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. "It's time to stop holding Americans back with moratoriums, fees, bureaucratic roadblocks, and the ever-expanding reach of a president who seems to think that business owners in this country need to get his permission first if they want to create jobs." Top Democrats argued that the GOP plan would do little to ease the country's long-term energy crisis. "We can't lose sight of the fact that our great country uses more than 25% of the oil (consumed in the world) on any given day, and we have less than 3% of the oil reserves," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said Tuesday. "We need to do everything we can to increase domestic production, but there's a limit to what we can do," Reid said. The Republican measure "on its face doesn't make a lot of sense," he said. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a nonprofit environmental group, called the bill a "misguided attempt to expand drilling and weaken safety and environmental oversight." Some senators from oil-producing states argued the bill didn't go far enough. Republican Vitter and Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana, claimed it would actually "slow down the permitting process instead of streamlining and accelerating it." The bill "would add an unnecessary and burdensome new layer of regulation regarding containment plans just when energy companies have figured out how to comply with the administration's new requirements," they argued in a joint statement. President Barack Obama used his weekly address last Saturday to push what he called "safe and responsible" oil production. Administration officials have said they are working to speed up the leasing process for the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve, while also giving oil companies better financial incentives to use and extend certain existing leases in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. The president also has indicated he backs steps to accelerate the testing of areas off the East Coast for possible future drilling. At the same time, however, Obama also has announced the formation of an interagency working group to oversee Arctic drilling projects to make sure they meet health, safety and environmental standards. The president opposes controversial plans for drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. GOP leaders argue the White House has not done enough to bring down gas prices, which are now topping $4 a gallon in many parts of the country.

The Senate has rejected a GOP bill to expand offshore oil and gas drilling . A faster process for permit applications was among the bill's elements . A Democratic plan to strip billions in tax subsidies for oil companies failed Tuesday . Democrats and Republicans are at odds over how best to address rising gas prices .

(CNN) -- The mother of a woman who burst into a Tripoli hotel to tell journalists that she had been beaten and raped by troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi said Monday that her daughter is still being held. Her claim contradicts an earlier statement from the government, which has said that Eman al-Obeidy was released and is at home with her family. "Yesterday, late at night at 3 a.m., they called me from Bab al Aziziya," Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, al-Obeidy's mother told Al-Jazeera television Monday. "And they told me: Make your daughter Eman change her statement ... and we will release her immediately and whatever you ask for you will get, whether money, or a new apartment, or guaranteeing financial security for you and your children. But just tell Eman to change her statement." A government spokesman said Sunday that al-Obeidy had been released and was with her family. Spokesman Moussa Ibrahim said then that al-Obeidy and her family were asked if they wanted to be interviewed by "one or two, preferably female, reporters to verify that she's fine, she's healthy, she's free with her family." He refused to take further questions on the issue, repeatedly stating that Libyan society is "very conservative." A group of lawyers and human rights activists tried to approach Al-Obeidy's sister's house Monday, but were blocked by security forces. The sister's mobile phone has apparently been turned off, a source with the opposition in Tripoli told CNN, and no one has seen her since the incident at the hotel. The family of al-Obeidy said she is a lawyer -- and not a prostitute or mentally ill as Libyan government officials initially said after the incident. The government has since changed its story, saying she is sane and pursuing a criminal case. Al-Obeidy's father told Al-Jazeera that his daughter "has her full mental capabilities and she is a graduate of law school and a lawyer and she is pursuing higher education in Tripoli. And she was kidnapped by Gadhafi's tyrannical forces." "I am not ashamed of my daughter," al-Obeidy's mother, who spoke from an undisclosed location in Libya, told the network. "I am proud of her because she has broken the barrier. She broke the barrier that no man can break. And those dogs there with him, Moammar, (are) the criminals!" She urged the youth of Libya to take action. Al-Obeidy burst into a Tripoli hotel as international journalists were having breakfast Saturday morning. Her face was bruised, as were her legs. She showed reporters blood on her right inner thigh. Speaking in English, she said she was from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and had been held against her will for two days and raped by 15 men. Though her injuries appeared consistent with what she said, CNN could not independently verify al-Obeidy's story. "Look at what Gadhafi's brigades did to me," she said. "My honor was violated by them." Al-Obeidy displayed what appeared to be visible rope burns on her wrists and ankles. Government officials tried to stifle her, but she persisted. Security forces moved to subdue her, and even a member of the hotel's kitchen staff drew a knife. "Traitor!" he shouted. Another staffer tried to throw a dark tablecloth over her head. One government official, who was there to facilitate access for journalists, pulled a pistol from his belt. Others scuffled with reporters and wrestled them to the ground in an attempt to take away their equipment. Some journalists were beaten and kicked. CNN's camera was confiscated and deliberately smashed beyond repair. As security forces subdued the screaming woman and dragged her away, al-Obeidy warned, "If you don't see me tomorrow, then that's it." CNN's Nic Robertson and Salma Abdelaziz contributed to this report.

The Libyan government says Eman al-Obeidy was released . Woman's family says they were offered money to convince her to change her story . The woman is a lawyer, parents say; government called her mentally ill . Al-Obeidy was kidnapped by Gadhafi forces, father says .

(CNN) -- There is a striking contrast between the issues being discussed at the climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, this week, and news reports of the views voiced by some of the incoming freshmen to the House of Representatives. In Cancun, where the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference will be meeting until Friday, there are talks about targets for emissions cuts, the role of deforestation and the effect on climate if we continue with a business-as-usual approach on emissions. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., some new members the new congressional intake have expressed either disbelief or ignorance about how humans influence climate change. Both sets of discussions are mired in seemingly intractable political and economic issues. However, in both environments, science can play an important role in breaking the logjam. Policymakers are used to the complexity of balancing different interests or shaping economic policy, but they aren't generally very familiar with the complexities of atmospheric science. These matter because actions that policymakers can take -- whether on raising vehicle mileage standards, promoting rural electrification in Asia or mandating renewable energy portfolios for power generation -- don't just have positive impacts for climate. They can also produce on-the-ground effects that citizens (and voters) can readily appreciate: reduced air pollution and smog, improved public health and strengthened ecosystems and water resources. These co-benefits occur through the actions of atmospheric chemistry and wind patterns and via the physics of such things as how clouds form and how soot falling on snow can change the way the sun's rays are reflected. But while these effects are complex, scientists can now more comprehensively assess the environmental effect for any specific policy that is suggested. Unfortunately, the agencies and organizations that bring the science of climate to the attention of policymakers (like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the National Academies) have too often focused on science that is interesting to scientists, rather than the science that would be of most use to policymakers. This is beginning to change, and far more people in the scientific community are now on board with the idea that science can directly answer questions that policymakers are interested in. New initiatives from the American Geophysical Union or individual groups of scientists can help provide access to that information more efficiently than the multiyear assessment bodies. Indeed, since many scientists are publicly funded, part of our mission is to make our expertise available to the wider society. Many of those scientists even live in the same districts or states as the new representatives and can perhaps usefully communicate across a perceived partisan divide. Here are two examples of how more appropriate science can help make better policy: . • Recent work from NASA has shown that reductions in tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks in the United States, resulting from a shift toward more plugin-hybrid vehicles, would help the climate by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, ozone precursors and soot particles (three of the main drivers of global warming). But ozone and soot are also big contributors to smog and its noxious effect on health, and reductions can also have immediate benefits on local populations. • In Asia, using coal and biomass in homes for heating or cooking are important factors in creating the "atmospheric brown cloud" that is damaging the health of Chinese and Indian populations, and causing changes in temperature and rainfall. Climate policy initiatives that tackle these issues provide incentives at both the large, regional scale of China and India and the small scale affecting congressional districts. My point is not that if policymakers knew more science they would all agree on measures to deal with global warming. This would be naive. Rather, it is that by appreciating more of the nuances, they will be able to find paths forward that reflect their priorities and values and help improve the climate outlook, too. The freshman congressional caucus was elected on a promise to end business as usual in Washington. With help, they might be able to end business as usual on climate-changing emissions, too. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Gavin Schmidt.

Gavin Schmidt: There's a gulf between Cancun climate goals, views of some new to Congress . It would help if scientists could show link between climate change, voters' lives, he says . He says scientists are increasingly aware of need to explain this link to policymakers . Schmidt: Scientists must make goals on climate change meld with policymaker concerns .

(CNN) -- A 45-year-old man who barricaded himself in his home after allegedly shooting two rural Alaska police officers to death surrendered Monday morning and was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, authorities said. John Marvin Jr. gave up without incident around 9:30 a.m. (1:30 p.m. ET), according to a statement from the Division of Alaska State Troopers. Hoonah, Alaska, officers Matthew Tokuoka, 39, and Sgt. Anthony Wallace, 32, were shot Saturday in what troopers described as an ambush. Both officers later died from their injuries. Gov. Sean Parnell ordered state flags to be lowered to half-staff Monday in honor of the fallen officers, calling their deaths "a tragic loss for Alaska and the community of Hoonah." "These men had a passion for serving and protecting Alaskans and our state is better because of their commitment to excellence," Parnell said in a statement. After the shooting, Marvin barricaded himself inside his home, according to Alaska television station KTUU. State troopers sent several special emergency response teams, and police from Juneau also deployed a tactical team, Alaska State Troopers said in a news release. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted in bringing resources into Hoonah, an Alaska Panhandle town on an island about 62 miles north of Sitka, Alaska, and 68 miles west of Juneau by ferry. "We are thankful this incident resolved without further loss of life or injury," Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Joe Masters said. "Now that this incident has resolved, the community of Hoonah can hopefully start the healing process. The shooting leaves the town of Hoonah, which has a population of about 800 people, with only one police officer -- the police chief, TV station KTUU said. State troopers were providing staffing for Hoonah police. Businesses in the area were shut down, according to KTUU, and residents were asked to stay indoors and away from the area until the standoff ended. "We heard a gunshot and one of my co-workers looked out the window and he saw one policeman down," witness Dirk Knehr told the television station. "He'd been shot, and another policeman was trying to drag him away and the suspect shot him twice. And then he just took off." Little was known about Marvin, KTUU said. "The only information we have is that he's had problems with law enforcement in that community in the past, and there were some issues of stability," Alaska State Troopers Capt. Barry Wilson told the station. The shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, KTUU said. Wallace began working with Hoonah police in 2008, according to the station. He was a 2008 graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, and a former campus police officer at the school. "Tony, who was hard-of-hearing, proved remarkable at many levels," the institute said in a statement on its website. After joining campus police, he went on to attend the police academy, where he graduated as class valedictorian. An All-American wrestler, he was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. The institute's statement quoted from an interview Wallace did last year with the university's news department. "I hope that people who are in the same situation as I am see my story and begin to believe that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it," he said. "Anything and everything is possible, it's just a matter of how bad you want it and how far you are willing to go to prove to people that you are worthy of whatever career you want to pursue." Tokuoka, a former Marine Corps staff sergeant, was a native of Hawaii who had been with Hoonah police since 2009, KTUU said. Planning for a memorial service for the fallen officers is under way.

NEW: John Marvin Jr. is charged with two counts of first-degree murder . NEW: Flags are ordered lowered to half-staff across the state . Standoff began after two police officers were shot late Saturday . The officers' deaths leave the small town of Hoonah with only one officer .

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When you see people at the office using such Internet sites as Facebook and MySpace, you might suspect those workers are slacking off. A social-networking site for the world of spying officially launches for the U.S. intelligence community this month. But that's not the case at the CIA, the FBI and the National Security Agency, where bosses are encouraging their staff members to use a new social-networking site designed for the super-secret world of spying. "It's every bit Facebook and YouTube for spies, but it's much, much more," said Michael Wertheimer, assistant deputy director of national intelligence for analysis. The program is called A-Space, and it's a social-networking site for analysts within the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. Instead of posting thoughts about the new Avenged Sevenfold album or Jessica Alba movie, CIA analysts could use A-Space to share information and opinion about al Qaeda movements in the Middle East or Russian naval maneuvers in the Black Sea. The new A-Space site has been undergoing testing for months and launches officially for the nation's entire intelligence community September 22. "It's a place where not only spies can meet but share data they've never been able to share before," Wertheimer said. "This is going to give them for the first time a chance to think out loud, think in public amongst their peers, under the protection of an A-Space umbrella." Wertheimer demonstrated the program to CNN to show how analysts will use it to collaborate. "One perfect example is if Osama bin Laden comes out with a new video. How is that video obtained? Where are the very sensitive secret sources we may have to put into a context that's not apparent to the rest of the world?" Wertheimer asked. "In the past, whoever captured that video or captured information about the video kept it in-house. It's highly classified, because it has so very short a shelf life. That information is considered critical to our understanding." The goal of A-Space, like intelligence analysis in general, is to protect the United States by assessing all the information available to the spy agencies. Missing crucial data can have enormous implications, such as an FBI agent who sent an e-mail before September 11, 2001, warning of people learning to fly airplanes but not learning to land them. "There was the question, 'Was that a dot that failed to connect?' Well, that person did this via e-mail," Wertheimer said. "A-Space is the kind of place where you can log that observation and know that your fellow analysts can see that." Even though Facebook, MySpace and other social-networking sites that inspired A-Space are predominantly the domain of young people, there apparently is no such generational divide on A-Space. "We have found that participation in A-Space crosses every conceivable age line and experience line. People are excited, no matter what age group," Wertheimer said. Of course, the material on A-Space is highly classified, so it won't be available for the public. Only intelligence personnel with the proper security clearance, and a reason to be examining particular information, can access the site. The creators of A-Space do not want it to be used by some future double agent such as Jonathan Pollard or Robert Hanssen to steal America's 21st-century secrets. "We're building [a] mechanism to alert that behavior. We call that, for lack of a better term, the MasterCard, where someone is using their credit card in a way they've never used it before, and it alerts so that maybe that credit card has been stolen," Wertheimer said. "Same thing here. We're going to actually do patterns on the way people use A-Space." Yes, analysts can collect friends on A-Space the way people can on Facebook. But nobody outside the intelligence community will ever know -- because they're secret. CNN's Barbara Starr and Pam Benson contributed to this report.

U.S. intelligence agencies are urging staffers to use a new social-networking site . Called A-Space, it's for analysts within the nation's 16 intelligence agencies . Analysts can use A-Space to share information about al Qaeda, other issues . Only intelligence personnel with the proper security clearance can access the site .

(CNN) -- The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court says he has evidence to prove Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is guilty of genocide, even though he is not charged with the crime. Omar al-Bashir remains president and has traveled to several countries since warrant was issued. Luis Moreno-Ocampo spoke to CNN on Wednesday, two days after he appealed to the court to add genocide to the existing arrest warrant for al-Bashir. The court issued the warrant in March on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to his five-year campaign of violence in western Sudan's Darfur region. "The evidence shows it is genocide," Moreno-Ocampo said. The warrant was the first one ever issued for a sitting head of state by the world's only permanent war crimes tribunal, based at The Hague in the Netherlands. It includes five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, extermination, forcible transfer, torture and rape. It also includes two charges of war crimes for intentionally directing attacks against civilians and for pillaging. Al-Bashir remains president and has traveled to several countries since the warrant was issued, even though any country that is party to the ICC has an obligation to hand him over to The Hague, the court says. The United Nations estimates that 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Darfur, and 2.5 million have been forced to flee their homes. Sudan denies the death toll is that high. The violence in Darfur erupted in 2003 after rebels began an uprising against the Sudanese government. To counter the rebels, Sudanese authorities armed and cooperated with Arab militias that went from village to village in Darfur, killing, torturing and raping residents there, according to the United Nations, Western governments and human rights organizations. The militias targeted civilian members of tribes from which the rebels drew strength. In his appeal to the court Monday, Moreno-Ocampo complained that the judges' standard for adding the genocide charge to the warrant is too high. The judges want him to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that al-Bashir committed genocide, but that level of proof is not required for a warrant, which only requires a reasonable inference of guilt, he said. "They are requesting a level of evidence that is the level of evidence required at the trial stage, not at the beginning of the process," Moreno-Ocampo said. Part of the reason that prosecutors cannot provide more evidence at this stage is because al-Bashir is attacking witnesses who are willing to provide information to prosecutors, Moreno-Ocampo said. Presenting more evidence could endanger the victims, he said. "It's a legal issue," he said. "The judgment by itself is very important, but in addition I cannot accept this wrong legal standard." The judges believe the crimes that Moreno-Ocampo classifies as genocide instead fall under the category of crimes against humanity, he said. Even if Moreno-Ocampo were successful in adding genocide to the warrant, he would still face a difficult task in proving the charges at trial, said Mark Ellis, the executive director of the International Bar Association. "Genocide is a much more complicated legal position to meet (than war crimes and crimes against humanity) because you have to show in proving genocide that there was an intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a group based on -- in this case -- ethnicity or race," Ellis told CNN. "Obviously the prosecutor believes he would be able to prove this intent and so he wants the opportunity to prove that in trial." But if Moreno-Ocampo loses the appeal, Ellis said, it would not minimize the seriousness of the case. "The charges that have been (alleged) on war crimes and crimes against humanity are still very serious charges and they are egregious acts," he said. A ruling on the appeal is likely within six months, Moreno-Ocampo told CNN.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo calls for genocide to be added to al-Bashir's charges . Sudan leader already charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity . Relates to five-year campaign of violence in western Sudan's Darfur region . U.N. estimates 300,000 people have been killed in the conflict .

(CNN) -- It is that time of the year, again. Come January, as soon as the Christmas trees are taken down and the winter sales flood the shops, the world of business starts thinking about the World Economic Forum -- better known as Davos. For the past three years Davos has been consumed by the eurozone sovereign debt crises. As it worsened the speculation became ever more frantic. The questions were endless: Will Greece leave the euro? Will the eurozone even survive? Was this all just a big German trick to run Europe? The speculation became more extreme, more dramatic, more nonsensical. And so questions were asked of other economies: Can China be the biggest engine of growth for the global economy? Round and round in circles we have gone on these subjects. Frankly, I was starting to wonder if there was anything else to say short of "it's a horrible mess!" This year there is a new bogey man. The U.S., and in particular the sorry state of the country's political and budgetary process, will, I have little doubt, be the center of attention. Read more: More 'cliffs' to come in new Congress . Not just because Congress fluffed its big test on the fiscal cliff, but because in doing so it created many more deadlines, any one of which could be deeply unsettling to global markets. There are the $100 billion budget cutbacks postponed for two months by the recent agreement; delayed to the end of February. At exactly the same time, we have the U.S. Treasury's ability to rob Peter to pay Paul on the debt ceiling crisis coming to a head. Read more: Both Obama, GOP set for tough talks ahead . The Treasury's "debt suspension period" is an extraordinary piece of financial chicanery. If we tried it with our credit cards, we'd get locked up. Then there is the expiration of the latest continuing resolution, the authority by which Congress is spending money. There is the terrifying prospect that all these budget woes will conflate into one big political fistfight as the U.S. faces cutbacks, default or shutdown. I am being alarmist. Most rational people believe that the worst sting will be taken out of this tail. But not before we have all been to the edge, and back. And that is what the attendees of Davos will have on their minds. People will be speculating about how dysfunctional the U.S. political process has become and whether it is broken beyond repair (if they are not asking that then they should be). They will be pondering which is more serious for risk; the U.S. budget and debt crises or the eurozone sovereign debt debacle. A classic case of being between the devil and the deep blue sea. The official topic this year is Resilient Dynamism. I have absolutely no idea what this means. None whatsoever. It is another of WEF's ersatz themes dreamt up to stimulate debate in what Martin Sorrell has beautifully termed "Davosian language." In short, everyone interprets it as they will. What I will enjoy, as I do every year, is the chance to hear the global players speak, and the brightest and best thinkers give us their take on global problems. The atmosphere becomes febrile as the rock-stars of finance and economics give speeches, talk on panels and give insight. Of course nothing comes of these musings, it never does at Davos. That's not the point. This is a chance to take stock and see where the political and economic landmines are in 2013. I like to think of Davos as the equivalent of Control/Alt/Delete. It allows us to reboot. We leave, at least, with an idea of where people stand on the big issues -- provided you can see through the panegyrics of self congratulatory backslapping that always takes place whenever you get like minded people in one place. And this year, I predict the big issue being discussed in coffee bars, salons and fondue houses will be the U.S. and its budgetary woes.

Quest: Davos is a chance to see where the political and economic landmines are in 2013 . Quest: People will be speculating about how dysfunctional the U.S. political process has become . Quest: Davos has been consumed by eurozone sovereign debt crises for three years .