(CNN)Actress Mindy Kaling's brother says that he posed as a black man years ago to get into medical school and that the experience opened his eyes to what he calls the hypocrisy of affirmative action. The revelation comes as Vijay Chokal-Ingam, who is of Indian descent, is pitching a book about his experiences as a "hard-partying college frat boy who discovered the seriousness and complexity of America's racial problems while posing as a black man." On his website, AlmostBlack.com, Chokal-Ingam says he hatched the plan in 1998 after realizing in college that his grades weren't going to be good enough to get into med school as an Indian-American. "So, I shaved my head, trimmed my long Indian eyelashes, and applied to medical school as a black man," he wrote on the website. "My change in appearance was so startling that my own fraternity brothers didn't recognize me at first." He says he joined an organization for black students and applied to schools using his middle name, JoJo. The plan had some drawbacks, said Chokal-Ingam, who describes himself now as a "professional resume writer, interview coach, and graduate school application consultant." "Cops harassed me. Store clerks accused me of shoplifting. Women were either scared of me or couldn't keep their hands off me," he wrote. "What started as a devious ploy to gain admission to medical school turned into a twisted social experiment." He says it worked. Despite a relatively mediocre 3.1 college grade-point average and a good-but-not-great score of 31 on the Medical College Admission Test, Chokal-Ingam claims he was wooed by several top medical schools. He even posts documents on his website to bolster his claims, including an enthusiastic letter from a dean at the Emory University School of Medicine congratulating him on his "excellent scores" on the MCAT. But there's little evidence to suggest his posturing as a "black" applicant helped him get into these schools. First, there is no point of comparison: Chokal-Ingam never applied to medical schools as an Indian-American. Ultimately, he told CNN he applied at 22 medical schools and interviewed at 11. He was wait-listed at four schools and got into only one. Chokal-Ingam eventually attended Saint Louis University Medical School, dropping out after two years. Affirmative action has been in the news a lot the past few years, with a 2013 Supreme Court ruling that tightened how affirmative action admissions programs have to be structured and a 2014 ruling that upheld the University of Michigan's ban on the use of race in admissions. Chokal-Ingam says his story shows how affirmative action "destroys the dreams of millions of Indian-American, Asian American, and white applicants for employment and higher education." "It also creates negative stereotypes about the academic abilities and professional skills of African-American and Hispanic professionals, who don't need special assistance in order to compete with other minority groups," he wrote. But a Saint Louis University spokeswoman disputed the account, telling the Huffington Post that race never played a role in Chokal-Ingam's admission. "His MCAT scores and science grade point average met SLU's criteria for admission

Summary: Vijay Chokal-Ingam says he pretended to be black to get into medical school . He says the experience showed him that affirmative action is a flawed system .


Seoul, South Korea (CNN)On March 20, 2013, a cyberattack brought chaos to several banks and media outlets in South Korea. Then more ominously on December 23 last year, computers at the country's nuclear operator were breached. Again cybercrime was suspected. The source of these attacks? North Korea. And South Korean investigators say they have proof -- the actual malicious codes used in the attacks. They shared this data with CNN. The 2013 attack, known as "Dark Seoul," paralyzed an estimated 48,000 computers at a number of major banks and broadcasters, disrupting network systems and wiping their hard disks clean. "It would try to delete essentially all your files... then restart the system. You would come back up and nothing would be there," Joshua James, a digital forensic expert, told CNN. "If it infected more financial systems, it could have deleted all financial data in Korea. I mean, it is dangerous," the visiting professor at Chuncheon's Hallym University added. Live footage of the breaches showed computer screens at the media companies completely down, while bank customers were unable to make withdrawals, or transfer money online. "Dark Seoul" happened shortly after the North Korean government announced it would end the armistice agreement that brought the three-year Korean War to an end in July 1953 amid growing tensions with its neighbor. The latest high-profile digital incursion, in December, attempted to steal data from South Korea's nuclear operator, including plant blueprints and personnel information. Though investigators said no critical data was stolen, the attack raised serious concerns about the safety and security of the 23 nuclear power plants it runs. The attack itself was described by James as a "spear-fishing" exercise where unsuspecting victims -- retired and current employees of the nuclear operator -- were prompted to open up a disguised document in their email. "As soon as you double click on it, it starts running in the background of your computer where you can't see ... it's also trying to open up your computer -- what we call a back door -- to give access to the infected system by the attacker," he told CNN. The attack, which James said was simpler than "Dark Seoul," came just a few days after Sony Pictures said their systems has been "hacked," another attack the South Korean authorities blamed on North Korea. "From a law enforcement or investigation side, we're trying to actually trace back to who did it," said James. Seoul announced in mid-March that some of the IP addresses used in December incursion could be traced back to Shenyang, China, which can be easily accessed from the North Korean border. Codes used in the attack were said to be similar in pattern to those used by the North Koreans, South Korean authorities said. "The malicious codes used in the attack were same in composition and working methods as "Kimsuky" codes known to be used by North Korea," the prosecutor's office that leads 17 other government agencies and Internet companies in the investigation said in the statement in March. Pyongyang has dismissed the claims it launched these

Summary: South Korean investigators say they have proof that North Korea is launching cyberattacks . Reports say the North is investing heavily in digital warfare . December attack on banks in South Korea caused about $820 million worth of damage, a report says .


Garissa, Kenya (CNN)The sign painted onto the school entrance wall reads: "Youth is a mistake, adulthood is a struggle, old age is a regret." The black humor of the message provides some light relief for a school that lives in constant fear of a terrorist attack because of what is taught inside its walls. The students (aged 8 to 14) at the Ibnu-Siina school in northern Kenya are getting a so-called "Western" education, taking lessons in subjects like mathematics, science and English. But it's an education that Al-Shabaab -- the Somali-based terror group -- is trying to prevent the children from obtaining, according to the head of the school. "These men, Al-Shabaab, want to make sure everything goes negative," headmaster James Ndonye told CNN. "They want to make sure they terrify the teachers so they go to their homes -- so the kids in this area don't get what they deserve." Al-Shabaab militants have launched a series of deadly attacks over the last few years in the region mostly targeting Christians. Many of the math and science teachers in this area are Christian. In early April, Al-Shabaab brutally massacred 147 people at Garissa University in northern Kenya. It was the group's deadliest attack to date. The gunmen would have driven down the road past the Ibnu-Siina school -- and its single unarmed guard -- to get to the university, only a few hundred meters away. Kenyan teachers and students alike are terrified. "The University College of Garissa was the only and first university college in northern Kenya. We were happy when we got it a few years ago," explained Garissa Regional Governor Nadif Jama. "Today it has been closed. That is Al-Shabaab's mission," Jama said. "That is what they want. And that is nothing but destroying the fabric of our being a civilized society." And it's not just in Kenya. Terrorist groups across the Sahel region are waging war on schools, teachers and students. In northeast Nigeria, the Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been waging war against the government -- and the civilian population -- for several years. Most notoriously, perhaps, was Boko Haram's kidnapping of around 270 girls from a boarding school in Chibok, Borno state, last April. But the group has also carried out numerous other attacks on schools, slaughtering young boys and girls as they sleep in their dormitories. Last year in Garissa, James Ndonye lost five of his 11 teachers amid rising fears of an Al-Shabaab attack on the school. He replaced them, but it wasn't easy. Yet despite the ever-present threat of terror, Ndonye has stayed to help the children. "I risk my life because -- for this class, there's a target we have for last year ... and I love that class very much," Ndonye said. Exclusive: Tracking the killer behind Garissa massacre .

Summary: Looming threat of Al-Shabaab has terrified students and teachers in Kenya . Terror group massacred 147 at Kenyan university last week .


(CNN)Since the headline-grabbing murder of American journalist James Foley by ISIS militants eight months ago, the world has been regularly confronted with a modern form of an ancient, primally horrifying method of execution. British and American aid workers, Japanese and American journalists, Kurdish and Syrian soldiers and Egyptian and now Ethiopian Christians were among those who followed in Foley's wake: their gruesome beheadings documented on camera and disseminated as propaganda to a global online audience. These highly ritualized killings have galvanized international opposition to the group -- and helped attract a wave of foreign recruits to the ISIS cause. But beyond this, some experts such as psychology professor Arie W. Kruglanski suggest, the wave of savage beheadings may be having an unlikely knock-on effect. He says the spate of jihadist beheadings may be encouraging copy-cat acts or threats of decapitation -- not only from Islamists, but from the "disbelievers" they target. Kruglanski, distinguished professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, says the frequent, high profile reports of ISIS beheadings could result in psychologically "priming" people to be more inclined to emulate them, or threaten to, during moments of conflict or extreme stress. Because of the attention that jihadist beheadings have commanded internationally, "the very concept of beheading, that was virtually non-existent in our unconscious prior to these events being propagated, is now there," he told CNN. "It comes to mind when a conflict happens, when you react aggressively," he said. "It sits there in our unconscious and can be activated under certain circumstances when the passions run high, and result in actual behavior." Reports of beheadings also emerge from Saudi Arabia, where it is a legal method of execution under the country's judicial code; and Mexico and Brazil, where it is typically the work of criminal gangs. But neither has placed the practice in the global spotlight to anything like the same degree as ISIS's propaganda, in which the threat is extended to "disbelievers" around the globe. A similar copy-cat effect had been observed with the phenomenon of school mass shootings, said Kruglanski. "Once the idea is planted then when someone is upset, feeling violent, the idea of getting a gun and shooting up a school comes more readily to mind, because it's sitting there in our unconscious," he said. A lack of hard data on the global incidence of beheadings makes it impossible to say conclusively whether such killings are being carried out by non-jihadists more often. But reports of such cases have been frequently making the headlines. In December and January, two victims were decapitated -- outside a Florida home, and in a shopping mall in China's Shaanxi province -- in crimes with no apparent connection to terror. In London alone, a city deeply impacted by the murder and attempted decapitation of soldier Lee Rigby by Islamic extremists in 2013, three women were reportedly beheaded last year in alleged crimes with no apparent jihadist motivation. And in the United States, an Oklahoma man is awaiting trial, accused of beheading a co-worker in September. (Whether he was inspired by ISIS

Summary: The wave of ISIS beheadings has horrified people all over the world . It may also have contributed to isolated beheading incidents by non-jihadists, says an academic . Professor Arie W. Kruglanski says exposure to the videos could help "prime" some to emulate them .


(CNN)A Lamborghini sports car crashed into a guardrail at Walt Disney World Speedway on Sunday, killing a passenger, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The crash occurred at 3:30 p.m. at the Exotic Driving Experience, which bills itself as a chance to drive your dream car on a racetrack. The 36-year-old passenger, Gary Terry of Davenport, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene, Florida Highway Patrol said. The driver, 24-year-old Tavon Watson of Kissimmee, Florida, lost control of the vehicle, the Highway Patrol said. He was hospitalized with minor injuries. Petty Holdings, which operates the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway, released a statement Sunday night about the crash. "On behalf of everyone in the organization, it is with a very heavy heart that we extend our deepest sympathies to those involved in today's tragic accident in Orlando," the company said. Petty Holdings also operates the Richard Petty Driving Experience -- a chance to drive or ride in NASCAR race cars named for the winningest driver in the sport's history. CNN's Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.

Summary: Authorities identify the deceased passenger as 36-year-old Gary Terry . Authorities say the driver, 24-year-old Tavon Watson, lost control of a Lamborghini . The crash occurred at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway .


Boston (CNN)After weeks of dramatic and emotionally wrenching testimony in the Boston Marathon bombing trial, jurors deliberated for more than seven hours Tuesday. But they haven't reached a verdict yet. The jurors sent out two questions, which are scheduled to be addressed when they return to court Wednesday morning. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 21-year-old accused Boston Marathon bomber, faces life in prison or the death penalty. On Monday, the jury saw a video of the moment a bomb exploded and disemboweled an 8-year-old boy and ripped the leg off his sister. The blast killed a 23-year-old graduate student from China. The jurors heard more horror from April 15, 2013. At one point, prosecutors played a video that showed the scene after a bomb exploded -- blood and injured victims everywhere and the sounds of a child howling. His mother lost her leg. "The defendant brought terrorism into the backyards and main streets," Assistant U.S. Attorney Aloke Chakravarty said. "The defendant thought that his values were more important than the people around him. He wanted to awake the mujahedeen, the holy warriors, so he chose Patriots' Day, Marathon Monday," a time for families to gather and watch the marathon. Tsarnaev's defense attorney Judy Clarke tried to persuade jurors that her client's older brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died in a shootout with police days after the terror attack, was the instigator of the marathon plot. The younger man, Clarke said, was only following his older brother. "If not for Tamerlan, it would not have happened," Clarke argued. Bomb survivors and victims' family members wiped away tears and comforted one another in court. Tsarnaev fidgeted at the defense table as he has done throughout the trial. Bill Richard, father of bomb victim Martin Richard, 8, craned his neck to watch Tsarnaev as the prosecutor spoke. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev "chose a day when the eyes of the world would be on Boston," Chakravarty said. "He chose a day when there would be civilians on the sidewalks, and he targeted those civilians: men, women and children." The lawyer waited a beat. "He wanted to terrorize this country. He wanted to punish America for what it was doing to his people." The prosecutor showed a picture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, in the marathon crowd. The day of the bombings, Chakravarty said, "they felt they were soldiers. They were the mujahedeen and they were bringing their battle to Boston." Tsarnaev is accused of 30 counts, including setting off weapons of mass destruction at a public event as an act of terrorism. Seventeen of those counts carry a sentence of death or life imprisonment. If Tsarnaev is found guilty of at least one of the 17 capital counts, the trial will proceed to a second phase, the so-called penalty phase. That part of the trial will include evidence of aggravating and mitigating factors, and the jury will be asked to weigh elements that make this crime especially heinous against details from Tsarnaev's background and mental health history that would weigh in his favor. Since testimony began March 4,

Summary: Court has adjourned for the day after more than seven hours of deliberations . Jurors sent out two questions that are set to be addressed Wednesday . If Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is found guilty of at least one capital count, trial will go to penalty phase .


(CNN)Britain's Prince Harry arrived Monday in Australia, where he'll be spending four weeks with the country's military. Before reporting for duty, the 30-year-old prince visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, the capital, paying his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. A crowd of onlookers gathered outside the memorial. Some snapped photos of the royal visitor, while one boy held a sign celebrating the prince's hair color: "Red Heads Rule!" During his time down under, Harry "will work and live alongside colleagues in the Australian Army in a number of regiments in Sydney, Darwin and Perth," the Australian Defence Forces said last week. He has already spent time with Australian troops on a number of occasions during his 10-year military career, according to a royal spokesman. "Prince Harry has trained and served alongside Australian armed forces on operational tours to Afghanistan; he has met them during the Invictus Games; and even trekked to the South Pole with a couple of Australian soldiers," the spokesman said ahead of the visit. The younger son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Harry is known in the British Army as "Captain Harry Wales," from his official title and name, His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales. He began his formal military duties in 2005 at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Last month, he announced that he would be leaving the armed forces in June, describing the decision as "really tough." Australian military officials say the prince's program with them will be "challenging." It will involve training in urban settings and patrolling the Australian bush, as well as aviation activities and fire exercises. He'll also participate in regular activities such as physical training and pack marches. Another focus of Harry's visit is to spend time meeting wounded, injured and ill service members in Australia. "Wounded warriors" are a special interest for Prince Harry. He helped spearhead and continues to champion the Invictus Games, a competition for former military personnel who have been wounded in the line of duty. During his attachment with the Australian military, Harry will accompany Charles on a trip to Turkey at the end of April for commemorations on the anniversary of the World War I Battle of Gallipoli.

Summary: Prince Harry pays his respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier . He is starting a four-week attachment with the Australian military .


(CNN)Hillary Clinton is now officially a candidate for president -- and the never ending Clinton story rumbles on. She has been a part of all our lives now for approaching a quarter of a century. She started as the first lady that the right loved to hate, then the deceived wife, next a senator, then a candidate for president in one of the most dynamic primaries in history and finally, a secretary of state. The Republicans have their aristocratic Bushes, the Democrats have their Clintons. And if Hillary or Jeb were to win two presidential terms, then in the 44 years from 1981 to 2025, 28 will have had a Clinton or a Bush in the White House. The great American republic now looks about as democratic as "Game of Thrones." But even though Hillary Clinton has been around nearly my entire lifetime, The Economist may speak for many when it asks: "What does Hillary stand for?" There is a paradox she presents: She is by far the best-known presidential candidate across both parties and, for the moment, almost unchallenged within her own. Yet even though Diane Feinstein can assert confidently that Hillary "doesn't 'need' (the White House). But she wants it" -- the question unanswered is "What for?" And for liberals, who believe that government is there to do something, it's this lack of definition that is surely so disconcerting about Clinton. There are good grounds for a liberal primary challenge to Clinton. The economy has revived under Obama but, say critics, largely to the benefit of Wall Street and the super-rich. The riots in Ferguson, Missouri, were a painful reminder that the poor, particularly the nonwhite poor, have been left behind. Clinton's credentials as a fighter against inequality are mixed. It is true, as the Wall Street Times notes, that she has previously called for "universal prekindergarten, equal pay for women, increases in the minimum wage, paid family leave, higher taxes on the wealthy and an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit for working-poor families." But she counts among her friends precisely those corporate people blamed by the Occupy crowd for the country's inequality. Clinton is now, wisely, trying to distance herself from the Clinton Foundation -- after all, its fundraising efforts among foreign interests are hardly the stuff of populist liberalism. Then there is her foreign policy record. Clinton voted in 2002 to authorize the Iraq War (though in her memoir last year, she backed away from the vote, writing that she "got it wrong.") As secretary of state, she is easily associated in the mind of the left with such controversies as the war in Syria, the crisis in Libya and the collapse of the Mubarak regime in Egypt. That some of these may have had little to do with her is beside the point. Clinton is going to have to spend a sizeable amount of time during the primaries explaining and defending the things that occurred while she was working for the Obama administration. Her personal ethics are on the agenda, too -- as demonstrated by the flap

Summary: Timothy Stanley: Hillary Clinton running for president, but it's not clear what she stands for. There are grounds for a liberal primary challenge . He says Democrats who call for reform offer only Hillary Clinton. She's formidable candidate, but where are bold new ideas?


(CNN)Launching rockets is a complicated thing. Landing them upright on a platform floating in the ocean? Well, that's never been done before. SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, hopes to give it a try. But weather forced it to scrub Monday's plan to launch. SpaceX said on Twitter that Tuesday at 4:10 p.m. ET will be the next opportunity for the company to launch a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket carrying an uncrewed cargo spacecraft called Dragon on a flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station. That will be the easy part. After the launch, SpaceX will try to guide the bottom stage of the rocket upright onto a platform, or what it calls an autonomous spaceport drone ship, in the Atlantic Ocean off Florida. Usually booster rockets burn up in Earth's atmosphere or, like NASA's space shuttle boosters, they fall back into the ocean. So why try to land one? Musk wants to cut costs. On his company's website, he says that if anyone can figure out how to "reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred." SpaceX tried to land a Falcon 9 on the drone ship in January, but the rocket hit at an angle and exploded. The company has previously said the odds of a successful landing are about 50%. If you want to see how it goes, it will post photos online throughout the mission and will put video on YouTube. And if the landing doesn't work? SpaceX says it will keep trying and, after it masters landing at sea, hopes to someday land rockets on the ground. What about the rest of the rocket and the Dragon? The smaller, top part of the rocket will carry the Dragon into orbit and then break away from the cargo ship and burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The Dragon will dock with the space station a couple of days after launch to deliver more than 4,300 pounds (1,950 kilograms) of supplies, including research equipment and ISSpresso, an espresso maker that astronauts can use to make coffee and tea. The space station crew will spend about five weeks unpacking the Dragon. They'll then stuff it with over 3,000 pounds of science experiments, trash and other stuff to send back to Earth. When they're done, Dragon will leave the space station and mission controllers will guide it to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California. This is the sixth SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. The company was the first private space contractor to dock with the station. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

Summary: SpaceX says weather forced it to delay its rocket launch plan . The company plans to launch a two-stage rocket to the International Space Station . After the launch, SpaceX will try to guide the bottom stage upright onto the platform .


Atlanta (CNN)A passenger on an Atlanta-bound Air Canada flight told a CNN reporter on the plane Friday that a stranger sitting behind him tried to choke him. Oliver Minatel, 22, said he was sleeping on Air Canada Flight 8623 from Toronto when he felt something around his neck. "With a rope, something that he has, he just jumped on me. That's what happened," Minatel told CNN's Paula Newton moments after the incident. She was seated four rows behind Minatel, a professional soccer player traveling with his team. The incident occurred about a half-hour before the flight landed, after the pilots had begun their descent. "I forced it (the cord) down and then other people came to help, and then I got out and he started saying that we were here to kill him," Minatel said. The man was not restrained for the rest of the trip, but the flight crew told him to stay seated with his seat belt on. The man kept trying to get out of his seat but other passengers yelled at him whenever he tried to stand up. The two-hour flight landed at Atlanta's Hartsfield airport at about 4:30 p.m. where it was met by U.S. authorities. The suspect was escorted off the plane. An FBI spokesman confirmed the agency responded to the incident. "The passenger, however, was transported for medical/mental evaluation under the direction and coordination of the Atlanta Police Department," Special Agent Stephen Emmett said. "While there are currently no federal charges pending, the facts of the matter are being relayed to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta." Minatel, a forward from Brazil, was traveling with his teammates from the Ottawa Fury Football Club of the second-division North American Soccer League. They are scheduled to play the Atlanta Silverbacks on Saturday. "We're very thankful to everyone who came to the aid of Oliver and relieved that he's O.K. and ready to play in our game," Fury FC Head Coach Marc Dos Santos said in a statement posted on the team's website. Several witnesses said they saw the suspect try to choke Minatel with the cord of his headphones. Kevin Kerr says he was seated next to the suspect. "He was talking about how this soccer team was trying to kill him. I thought he was maybe a deranged fan," said Kerr. Kerr said he fell asleep and he awakened to see the suspect trying to choke Minatel. "I assisted to make sure that didn't happen," Kerr said. The Canadian businessman said he and members of the soccer team kept a close eye on the suspect as the plane landed to make sure he did not threaten other passengers.

Summary: Oliver Minatel, a 22-year-old player from Brazil, was attacked from behind, he says . Witnesses say suspect tried to choke him with the cord from his headphones . Team says forward is OK, will play Saturday night; suspect was taken for evaluation .


(CNN)When Hong Kong police answered a call in the early hours of a Saturday morning last November, they encountered a grisly scene and an alleged crime that shocked the city. One woman was lying on the floor with cuts to her neck and buttocks. Another was stuffed inside a suitcase on the balcony. A former banker, 29-year-old Briton Rurik Jutting, was charged with two counts of murder. On Thursday, a court hearing that was to determine whether there was enough evidence to proceed to trial was adjourned until May. Here's what we know so far about the victims and their alleged attacker. Jutting allegedly lived at the murder scene, an upmarket apartment in the middle of Wan Chai, an inner-city suburb that's home to an eclectic mix of late-night bars, residential tower blocks and local markets selling groceries and assorted cheap goods. In the early hours of Saturday morning, November 1, police say Jutting called them to the apartment. There they found a woman lying on the blood-splattered floor, later identified as 29-year-old Seneng Mujiasih. During a search of the apartment, officers uncovered another body hidden in a suitcase on the balcony. It's alleged 25-year-old Sumarti Ningsih was killed on October 27, five days before her body was found. Sumarti Ningsih was from Cilacap, in Central Java, and was the mother of a five-year-old girl. In a statement, her cousin, Jumiati, described her as "just an ordinary woman from Indonesia" who, like many others, was "forced to work abroad to feed her poor family and make her dream comes (sic) true." "She wanted to work as professional so she can earn money and dignity for her family," Jumiati wrote. "She is good girl and did not deserve this treatment." According to the Asian Migrant Coordinating Body, Ningsih was visiting Hong Kong as a tourist and had been due to fly back to Jakarta the day after her body was found. Last year, her grieving father, Ahmad Khaliman, told Agence France-Presse that his daughter had worked in Hong Kong as a domestic helper between 2011 and 2013. She'd since returned on two occasions, Khaliman said. He said the family had been shocked by her murder, and called for the perpetrator to be executed. "If not, I cannot accept it. He has already taken my daughter's life, so he has to pay with his life," he told CNN affiliate Trans7. Seneng Mujiasih had more recently worked as a domestic worker in Hong Kong but had overstayed her visa, according to the Asian Migrant Co-ordinating Body. Also known as Jesse Lorena, Mujiasih was from the city of Muna in Sulawesi province, in southeast Indonesia. Other than that, few details are known about her life and why she stayed on in Hong Kong. After news of their death spread, fellow domestic workers held a vigil in Hong Kong's Victoria Park. Around 200 people gathered to sing and pray, and lay flowers besides photos of the two women. The victims' bodies were buried after being repatriated to Indonesia in November. Before being taken into custody, Rurik Jutting

Summary: Hong Kong banker alleged murder case adjourned until May . The 29-year-old Rurik Jutting is accused of killing two Indonesian domestic workers .


(CNN)The Hillary Clinton presidential campaign surely anticipated the coming wave of inquiries and criticism about conflicts of interest involving big foreign donors to charities run by the Clinton family -- questions set to get a thorough airing in a new book called "Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich" by Peter Schweizer, coming out May 5. My guess is that the issues raised by the book will prompt Team Clinton to put its candidate on the road, where she can continue holding loosely scheduled, informal meetings with ordinary Americans -- the sorts of people more concerned about local jobs than whether some foreign government or company paid a big speaking fee to Bill Clinton in hopes of getting special treatment by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It's not that the alleged conflicts aren't potentially serious; as I recently noted in these pages, they are. According to The Wall Street Journal, in 2014 the Clinton Foundation "received money from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman, among others. The donors included Canada's foreign affairs department, which is promoting the Keystone XL pipeline." That's the same Keystone XL pipeline from Canada that the State Department all but endorsed, concluding after a five-part analysis that ran to 17,000 pages that the project's environmental impact would be minimal. President Obama vetoed a bill that would have allowed the pipeline to be built, but it's legitimate to ask whether the donation from Canada directly or indirectly influenced the State Department's analysis. And several news outlets have reported that banks and other companies with business before the U.S. government were donors to the Clinton Global Initiative, a sister group that was spun off from the Clinton Foundation. CNN's Alexandra Jaffe wrote last month that "listings for the Clinton Global Initiative's Annual Meeting found partnerships with at least six banks that were under investigation, involved in litigation or had been fined by government agencies and regulators at the time of the meeting. In every case, the bank in question was listed as a sponsor of the event even after the investigations were widely reported in the media." Those are serious matters -- but so are stubborn unemployment, troubled schools, high taxes and other problems that top the list of voters' concerns. A bank giving money to charity in hopes of buying leniency from the government is a cause for concern, but until and unless a smoking gun appears in the form of a clear exchange of money for favors, it becomes hard to say what, exactly, is wrong with donating cash to aid in a good cause like combating world hunger or helping to rebuild Haiti. Even among the banks fined for wrongdoing that contributed to Clinton charities, noted Jaffe, "there's no indication the Clintons had any knowledge of the ongoing investigations into banks supporting the foundation's efforts." That doesn't leave much room for outrage. A more serious critique of the Clinton foundations is that they have been an administrative and financial quagmire from their origins,

Summary: Errol Louis: New book to detail alleged conflicts of interest with foreign donors to Clinton family charities . He says without smoking gun, it's likely not election deal-breaker for Americans worried about issues like economy, jobs, schools . Louis: More notable is mismanagement, ethical history of Clinton charities .


(CNN)In her 40 years living in Rochelle, Illinois, Cathy Olson had never seen a tornado that big. "I saw the top of the funnel cloud, and it was absolutely massive," she said. She watched the hulking gray twister grind past her town Thursday, tearing up its fringes. Farther north, in the rural Illinois hamlet of Fairdale, one person died as a twister shredded homes and ripped trees bare of leaves and most limbs. Only the thickest branches remained standing. It was the only death reported so far in two days of tornado touchdowns. Rochelle was fortunate. But in nearby Kirkland, debris was so thick on the roads, responders searching for trapped residents could not yet assess the damage or injuries, fire officials said. On Thursday, a video surfaced on YouTube of a massive twister barreling across an open field, barely missing farmhouses and barns. Images of the funnel turned up elsewhere on social media. Multiple tornadoes ripped through the rural Midwest on Thursday. A large and dangerous twister tore across fields in Iowa. And a twister touched down 70 miles outside of St. Louis. Eight tornadoes were reported Wednesday in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, the Storm Prediction Center said. But it appears residents have been fortunate enough to come away from the terrifying weather spectacle alive. Hail stones the size of tennis balls plummeted down on Ashton, Illinois. It could have been worse as severe tornado damage dotted a path not far from the dense populations of Chicago and Rockford -- the state's third largest city. The tornado cut a 22-mile path through Ogle County, according to disaster management coordinator Tom Richter. North of Rochelle, a tornado took away a local favorite restaurant -- Grubsteakers. "It's kind of one of your little greasy spoon restaurants," said Eric Widick, who drove up in his truck to help out. "We're a community. If one person is in need, we'll all be there for them." People were inside when the storm quashed Grubsteakers and turned over a semitruck parked outside. No one was killed or seriously injured, Widick said. Although a patron who found shelter in a restroom was trapped inside for about half an hour. People had been eating at Grubsteakers for some 25 years and will miss it, Widick said. In Rochelle, the tornado flattened some of Olson's friends' homes. A safe distance away from it, at her mother's house, she had to think about her husband, Chet, who was reelected mayor of the town of about 10,000 people the day before. He'd have a job ahead of him. "I have not been able to get a hold of him, Olson said, "but I know he's in touch with the sheriff and is safe," she said. Sheriff Brian VanVickle told journalists late Thursday that the tornado had spared life and limb in Ogle County aside from some people whose injuries were easily treatable. The county lost 20 homes -- one of them was his own. Fifty to 100 houses had significant damage, he said. Only foundations remained of some homes, said storm chaser

Summary: At least one person died as a result of storms in Illinois, an official says . Fire department: Rescuers searching for trapped victims in Kirkland, Illinois .


Atlanta (CNN)Federal marshals have arrested Scott Kelley, a fugitive accused of kidnapping who was featured on CNN's "The Hunt." Kelley, 50, was taken into custody at the Atlanta airport Wednesday after arriving on a flight from Costa Rica, Deputy U.S. Marshal Jamie Berry said. "It was time to come home," Kelley told People magazine about his decision to return to the United States. Kelley has been wanted since 2004, accused of noncustodial kidnapping and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. His wife, Genevieve Kelley, who's charged with the same crimes, turned herself in to authorities last year, just a few months after the case was featured on CNN's "The Hunt." Her trial is scheduled to start next month. The couple is accused of leaving New Hampshire, kidnapping Genevieve Kelley's daughter, Mary Nunes, and beginning a life on the lam when she was 8 years old. At the time, the child's father, Mark Nunes, had full custody rights. The search for the three spanned the United States, Canada and Central and South America. It ended on Monday, when Scott Kelley and Mary Nunes entered the U.S. Consulate in Costa Rica and requested passports so they could return to the United States. The consulate notified U.S. Marshals, Berry said, and when Kelley and Nunes flew to Atlanta on Wednesday investigators were waiting for them. Mary Nunes, now 19, was interviewed by investigators at the Atlanta airport to ensure her health and safety and then allowed to continue to her final destination, Berry said. Previously, authorities had said her whereabouts were unknown. CNN New Hampshire affiliate WMUR reported that the daughter plans to testify at her mother's trial. In a statement released through a private investigator he's hired in the case, her father said that he was thrilled to learn Mary is safe. "We love Mary and are overjoyed that she is alive and back in the US. Our hearts and home are open to her, and we will do everything we can to insure she remains safe and healthy," Mark Nunes said in a statement. "We remain concerned about her emotional and physical well-being. We look forward to the day our family is finally reunited." Kelley's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Before allegedly fleeing the country, Genevieve Kelley had accused her ex-husband of abusing their child. Investigators found no basis for the accusations and no charges were filed. On a Facebook page defending her, supporters of the mother say she did what any parent would do under the same circumstances. Photos on the page show her standing with friends holding signs that say, "Justice for Gen! Children need protection." Wayne Rioux, who was then the police chief of Whitefield, New Hampshire, told "The Hunt" that a video Genevieve and Scott Kelley made, intended to prove their abuse allegations, aroused his suspicions. Rioux watched the tape for "any evidence of wrongdoing by Mark Nunes." "But throughout the tape all I saw was this bizarre, strange conduct by the mother," Rioux said, "who was absolutely brainwashing the daughter and trying to get

Summary: Scott Kelley, stepfather accused of kidnapping, is arrested at the Atlanta airport . Mother Genevieve Kelley's trial is set to begin next month . Mary Nunes' father says he is "overjoyed she is alive and back in the US"


(CNN)Jon Reiter is no stranger to Mount Everest -- its world-record height, its prestige, its challenges. And its dangers. He learned that again shortly before noon Saturday, after a monster magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal. It not only rattled cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, but caused avalanches at Everest and nearby peaks. Reiter was safe but shaken by the devastation. He told his wife, Susan, about his putting one dead person in a sleeping bag and zipping it up, seeing others killed by the falling ice and collapsing snow, and doing all he could to help others fighting for their lives. "It's been a really rough day," Susan Reiter told CNN. "Jon's been comforting injured people that he doesn't think will survive." Jon Reiter told CNN on Sunday morning that 17 people had been killed on the mountain. The Indian Army's Everest Expedition evacuated the bodies of 13 mountaineers from a base camp who had been preparing to scale the mountain, spokesman Col. Rohan Anand said Saturday. Separately, Dr. Nima Namgyal told CNN he has seen 14 bodies so far. Many of those killed came from other countries, according to Namagyal, something that's not surprising given Everest's lure for many hikers around the world. What may be as remarkable is all those who survived, a number that's likely in the hundreds. They are women and men like Alex Gavan, who tweeted about running for his life from his tent. "Huge disaster," the mountaineer said hours later, warning that the death toll could skyrocket if helicopters didn't come quickly to evacuate those hurt. "Helped searched and rescued victims through huge debris area. Many dead. Much more badly injured. More to die if not heli asap." Another hiker, Carsten Lillelund Pedersen, wrote on Facebook that "a huge avalanche swept over basecamp" that had almost 500 tents, saying he survived by hiding behind a stone structure. Afterward, the camp's dining tent was transformed into a makeshift hospital headed by the camp manager, who happens to be a doctor. And even hours after the biggest quake struck, the threat of more casualties -- and the challenge of finding out how high the toll actually is -- remained very real. "On top of the whiteout after the avalanche it has been snowing since last night so it is difficult to see the following avalanches, and there are so many - maybe one every 5 min - that I have stopped counting," Pedersen wrote on Facebook. "This also makes it more difficult to search for people." Several companies specialize in bringing hikers to Everest. One of the biggest is Alpine Ascents International, based in Washington state. "The Alpine Ascents International Mt. Everest climbing team was in the icefall and is now safe at Camp 1, avoiding the avalanche that hit Base Camp," the Seattle-based company reported on Facebook. "Please keep those affected in your thoughts as we continue to receive updated reports on the damage and losses in Nepal." But not every foreign company that brings climbers to Nepal was so lucky. Two reported the deaths of Americans

Summary: Family of American medic killed posts message on Facebook says she died while at base camp . At least 13 die after avalanches at Mount Everest base camp, authorities say; Climber says 17 dead . Dining tent at one base camp has been transformed into a hospital, another hiker says .


(CNN)Officer Michael Slager's five-year career with the North Charleston Police Department in South Carolina ended after he resorted to deadly force following a routine traffic stop. Slager, 33, has been fired, officials said Wednesday. His wife is eight months' pregnant and the city will continue paying for her medical insurance until the baby is born, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey told reporters. He also has two stepchildren. His mother was interviewed by ABC News on Thursday. She told ABC her son loved being a police officer. "I can't imagine him doing something that. ... It's not like him. That's just not his character," Karen Sharpe said. She told ABC she hasn't watched the video of the shooting. Slager initially told investigators that he used a Taser in a confrontation Saturday with Walter Scott, who was pulled over for a busted taillight. But Scott went for the Taser, according to Slager. A widely circulated video of the shooting death of the 50-year-old unarmed African-American man by the white police officer tells another story: Scott attempts to run. His back is to Slager, who, from a few yards away, raises his gun and fires. Slager is now charged with murder. The FBI is involved in the investigation of the slaying of the father of four. "Shots fired and the subject is down," Slager said moments after the shooting, according to reports. "He took my Taser." Slager was proficient with the nonlethal Taser. According to personnel records, he scored 50 out of 50 on a Taser certification exam in 2011. Before the officer starts firing at Scott, the video shows a dark object falling behind him and hitting the ground. It's not clear whether that is the Taser. Later in the video, when Slager approaches Scott's body, he drops a dark object next to the man. Again, it's not clear whether that's the Taser. It's unknown whether Scott took the officer's Taser or whether the officer picked the object up and moved it closer to the body. Slager was named in a police complaint in 2013 after he allegedly "tased a man for no reason" before slamming him to the ground and dragging him, according to the North Charleston Police Department. At the time, Slager was searching for a suspect who was described as being 5-feet-5-inches tall. The African-American man he confronted was 6-feet-3 inches tall. A lawyer for the man who filed the complaint, Mario Givens, said his client plans to file a lawsuit. "The citizens of North Charleston shouldn't have to live in the fear," the lawyer, Eduardo Curry, told reporters Thursday. Givens said Slager came to his door, ordered him out of the house and then tased him. "It was painful," he said. "I fell. I have a couple bruises." Slager was later cleared in that incident. "I was upset," Givens said. "They took a real long time to even investigate the case." In another complaint in January, Slager was cited for failing to file a report after an African-American woman called police because her children were being harassed. Slager had worked

Summary: Officer Michael Slager's mother says she couldn't watch the video of the incident . Slager was fired earlier this week . Slager is charged with murder in the death of Walter Scott .


(CNN)Pope Francis will visit Cuba on his way to the United States in September, the Vatican said Wednesday -- a trip that will come months after he helped negotiate a diplomatic thaw between the two countries. The exact timing of the Cuba trip wasn't immediately released, but the Vatican said the Pope would stop in Cuba before his planned late September stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. In Havana's Cathedral Square, people reacted joyously to the news. "The Pope coming here, maybe he could ... make more positive ways for Cubans to go towards religion, more than politics," said Raul Garcia, a Cuban-American who returned to the island. "I think it's going to be a very good visit, very beneficial for the country." "We are waiting for him. We're very happy he is coming," said Ulises, a man who sells brightly colored paintings of antique cars to tourists on the street next to the sprawling Havana Cathedral. "He should come and get to know it and walk around the pretty spots in Havana." Cuba's state-run television reported that Francis would visit, but like the Vatican did not report exactly when he would arrive. Francis, the first pope from Latin America, played a role in restarting diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, earning praise from both U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. The Pope made personal pleas to Obama and Cuban leaders in private letters, writing that the two nations should try to reset their relations after decades of friction. The Vatican also hosted talks between U.S. and Cuban delegations in October, where they hashed out aspects of a new trade policy and discussed the release of jailed American contractor Alan Gross, who was freed as part of the detente between the two countries. "I want to thank His Holiness, Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is," Obama said in December as he announced a U.S. policy shift on Cuba. Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has displayed a deep interest in international affairs. He repeatedly urged Western leaders not to bomb Syria, hosted a prayer service between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the Vatican and waded into diplomatic controversy last week by referring to the killing of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago as a "genocide." The latter move deeply upset Turkish leaders, who recalled their Vatican ambassador. The Pope is expected to continue his international activism in July with a trip to South America, where he will visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. In late September, Francis will visit Washington, where he will address Congress; New York, where he will address the U.N. General Assembly; and Philadelphia, where he will celebrate a public Mass that's expected to draw more than 1 million people. Francis will be the third consecutive leader of the Roman Catholic Church to visit Cuba. St. John Paul II stopped there for several days in 1998, and Pope Benedict XVI visited for

Summary: Trip will come before Pope Francis arrives in United States . Francis played key role in re-establishing diplomatic ties between Cuba and U.S.


Hong Kong (CNN)When she was growing up, Mui Thomas, wanted to be a fashion model -- not an unusual aspiration for a young girl. But Mui suffers from a rare genetic condition that leaves the skin on her face and body red raw and open to infection. "I really don't think I knew that I didn't look like everybody else," she says. She was born with Harlequin ichthyosis, which means her skin is extremely thick, dry and flaky -- resembling fish scales. She can't sweat but she can shed tears. On the day we speak, her appearance raises few eyebrows at her local Starbucks in Sai Kung -- she's a familiar and well-known presence in the waterfront Hong Kong town where she grew up. Mui's struggle to come to terms with her condition and other people's reactions to it has, at times, left her on the brink of suicide. But, now 22, she refuses to let it get in the way of her life -- she has a full-time job, plays sport and is embarking on a career as public speaker -- educating and inspiring others about the challenges of looking "visibly different." After she was abandoned at birth, long-time Hong Kong expats Tina and Rog Thomas began fostering Mui, when she was just one and a half years old. They were told she didn't have long to live. "We wanted to give her a family life in the time she had," says Tina. However, Mui began to thrive in a loving family environment and Tina and Rog formally adopted Mui when she was three years old. Together they gradually learned how to manage her skin condition. Each day she bathes twice, ideally for two hours each time, and everywhere she goes she carries a backpack with three or four tubs of cream that she must apply throughout the day to stop her skin from drying out. She's thought to be the fourth oldest person alive with harlequin ichthyosis. The oldest is 31. But while Mui's unusual appearance made little difference during her early years, that changed when she started secondary school. The school she attended required that she be accompanied by a educational assistant, which put up a barrier between her and the other children and made it difficult for her to make friends. Things got worse when she became a victim of cyberbullying. She began to deny her appearance, stopped bathing, taking her medication and applying the cream. At times, she considered jumping from the balcony of her home. "They'd say things like 'You shouldn't have been born' -- and very personal things that only people who knew me would know," she says. "It made me very wary of everybody. Even when people tried to be nice, I didn't repay it. I didn't trust them." The worst episode lasted for 10 months and only stopped after police became involved and found the bully -- someone whom Mui thought was her friend. Mui left school with no qualifications. She says the school didn't push her to study and made too many

Summary: Mui Thomas has a rare genetic condition that leaves her skin raw and open to infection . Abandoned at birth, Tina and Rog Thomas adopted Mui . She's now 22, a rugby referee and an inspirational speaker .


(CNN)That's some rich "American Pie." The lyrics to the famed Don McLean song sold for $1.2 million Tuesday morning at an auction held by Christie's. "Don McLean's manuscript of 'American Pie' achieved the 3rd highest auction price for an American literary manuscript, a fitting tribute to one the foremost singer-songwriters of his generation," Christie's Tom Lecky said in a statement. McLean told Rolling Stone that it was time to part with the manuscript. "I'm going to be 70 this year," the singer and songwriter said in February. "I have two children and a wife, and none of them seem to have the mercantile instinct. I want to get the best deal that I can for them. It's time." Over the years, "American Pie" has become one of the most dissected and argued-about songs in the pop music canon. McLean has said that the opening lines were inspired by the death of Buddy Holly, but after that, it's all been conjecture -- which hasn't stopped a marching band's worth of analysts from trying to parse the symbols in the 8-minute, 33-second opus. Is the jester Bob Dylan? The football game Vietnam? The "girl who sang the blues" Janis Joplin? (One thing's certain: Buddy Holly's plane was NOT named "American Pie.") "Over the years I've dealt with all these stupid questions of 'Who's that?' and 'Who's that?' " McLean said. "These are things I never had in my head for a second when I wrote the song. I was trying to capture something very ephemeral and I did, but it took a long time." The song catapulted the former folk singer to headliner status. The song hit No. 1 in early 1972, despite its length. (The 45-rpm single split the song in half on its A and B sides.) The draft that was auctioned is 16 pages: 237 lines of manuscript and 26 lines of typed text, according to Christie's. It includes lines that didn't make the final version as well as extensive notes -- all of which should be revealing, McLean said. The record for a popular music manuscript is held by Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," which sold for $2 million in June. Opinion: What's so great about 'American Pie'?

Summary: Don McLean's "American Pie" lyrics auctioned for $1.2 million . The song is dense with symbolism; McLean says lyrics, notes will reveal meaning . "Pie" is McLean's biggest hit, was No. 1 in 1972 .


Ferguson, Missouri (CNN)Change has come to Ferguson. After months of turmoil and upheaval, months of frustration and anger, the beleaguered city has a new governing board. And it looks very different than the old one. Buoyed by a higher-than-normal 30% turnout, two African-American candidates won their wards Tuesday night to make the six-member City Council 50% black. Ferguson's population of about 21,000 is 70% black, but the City Council was predominantly white, as is the police force. Supporters of both candidates said that from the tragedy of a young black man's death, a new day dawned in Ferguson. Ella Jones screamed when her victory became official late Tuesday night. She won 49.76% of the vote. "Thank you, Ward 1. I love you," an emotional Jones said at a party held at Drake's restaurant. She will become the first black woman ever to sit on the Ferguson council. But both Jones and Wesley Bell, who won the Ward 3 seat with nearly 67% of the vote, said they did not see their victories from a racial perspective. Jones, who resigned her job as a Mary Kay cosmetics sales director to run for office, said in her ward, she heard the same complaints from a 65-year-old black man as she did from his white peers. "My job is to be that catalyst so we can put a new face on Ferguson," she said. Bell, a lawyer and criminal justice professor, said, "I'm more interested in having quality on the council," when asked about the change in its racial makeup. He had made community policing his No. 1 priority and said he intends to be deeply involved with the hiring of a new police chief in this St. Louis suburb. The former chief, Tommy Jackson, resigned after a scathing U.S. Department of Justice report found systemic discrimination against African-Americans in law enforcement and the municipal court. Bell said he wants Ferguson's police officers to be judged by the number of people they know in the community, not by the number of tickets they issue. One other seat was up for grabs in Ferguson. That was won by Brian Fletcher, a former mayor who launched the "I Love Ferguson" campaign to raise money for mom-and-pop businesses that were hurt by the violence and vandalism during the protests last fall. Fletcher beat his opponent, Bob Hudgins, with 56.7% of the vote. Fletcher told voters he was best suited for a City Council job despite his critics' claims that he was too entrenched in the old guard. "I understand that feeling, but those individuals don't know me," he said. Fletcher said he had contacts with elected officials from his almost three decades in politics. That would be an invaluable asset in getting Ferguson back on its feet, he said. The city is required to approve a new budget by the end of June, and the new council will have to look for alternative sources of revenue to replace the $3 million or so lost from money generated by traffic tickets and fines. "That amount will drop significantly," Fletcher

Summary: For the first time ever, Ferguson's City Council will be half black . The two winning black candidates vowed to bring reform . The election was a critical test in this beleaguered city .


(CNN)The commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency will make an emergency visit to the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria on Saturday, a spokesman says. Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl will assess the humanitarian situation in the camp and speak with individuals about ways to relieve the suffering of the people who remain there. "The visit is prompted by UNRWA's deepening concern for the safety and protection of 18,000 Palestinians and Syrian civilians, including 3,500 children," agency spokesman Christopher Gunness told CNN's Paula Newton. "Yarmouk remains under the control of armed groups, and civilian life continues to be threatened by the effects of the conflict." Krähenbühl will meet with senior Syrian officials, U.N. and relief agency staff members, and displaced people from the camp itself. The Yarmouk refugee camp, which sits just 6 miles from central Damascus, has been engulfed in fighting between the Syrian government and armed groups since December 2012. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the militant group ISIS and the al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front control about 90% of the camp. The organization also claims that the Syrian government has dropped barrel bombs on the camp as recently as Sunday in an effort to drive out armed groups. Yarmouk was formed in 1957 to accommodate people displaced by the Arab-Israeli conflict and is the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria. The U.N. relief agency estimates that there were 160,000 people in the camp when the conflict began in 2011 between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and opposition fighters. That number has dropped to about 18,000, according to estimates. Yarmouk has been largely cut off from aid since November 2013. There have been widespread reports of malnutrition and shortages of medical care. "We will not abandon hope," Gunness said. "We will not submit to pessimism, because to abandon hope would be to abandon the people of Yarmouk. ... We cannot abandon the people of Yarmouk, and we will not, hence this mission."

Summary: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency chief will visit Yarmouk camp Saturday . Pierre Krähenbühl will assess the humanitarian situation there . Yarmouk has been engulfed in fighting since December 2012 .


(CNN)Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been caught on camera guzzling a glass of beer in seven seconds amid raucous cheers from onlookers. His feat of swift consumption in a crowded bar impressed some people but annoyed others. And observers were quick to point out that Abbott had previously criticized binge drinking in Australia. Abbott was in a Sydney pub on Saturday evening when a group of Australian rules football players invited him to have a drink with them. The Prime Minister accepted and even gave a short, impromptu speech, one of the football coaches, Simon Carrodus, told The Australian Woman's Weekly. "Then he proceeds to reach down and grab a schooner and he drank from head-to-toe the entire schooner, dribbling little bits on his shirt ... tipped it upside down on his head. And he was proud as punch," Carrodus said. A schooner holds about three-quarters of a pint. Video of Abbott making short work of the beer as the crowd around him chants "Skol! Skol!" drew plenty of attention on social media. Some commentators focused on Abbott's drinking technique. But others suggested he was setting a bad example. Abbott had attacked binge drinking as recently as last year. "Like most Australians, I enjoy a drink on social occasions," he said in January 2014. "However, as a father and as a citizen, I'm appalled by the violent binge drinking culture that now seems so prevalent, especially at "hot spots" in our big cities." Casting those concerns aside, some social media users belittled Abbott's beer swilling. They said his effort was a pale imitation of the legendary drinking exploits of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who is credited with drinking two and a half pints in 11 seconds.

Summary: Some observers applaud Abbott's beer swilling in a pub full of sportsmen . The Prime Minister last year criticized binge drinking culture in Australia .


(CNN)An American teenager who helped her boyfriend stuff her mother's lifeless body into a suitcase at an upmarket hotel in Bali has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. Heather Mack, 19, who gave birth to her own daughter just weeks ago, was found guilty with her 21-year-old boyfriend, Tommy Schaefer, of killing Sheila von Wiese-Mack on the Indonesian island last August. Schaefer was sentenced to 18 years in prison for battering von Wiese-Mack to death in room 317 of the St. Regis Bali Resort. Schaefer had claimed he killed his girlfriend's mother in self-defense after a violent argument erupted over the young couple's relationship. The beaten body of von Wiese-Mack was found in a large silver suitcase that the couple had loaded in a waiting taxi outside the resort. They told the driver they'd be back soon, but after a lengthy wait he alerted hotel staff who inspected the bag, noticed blood and called police. The lovers were arrested after being found the following morning at another hotel about 15 kilometers (nine miles) away. Inside the bag, von Wiese-Mack's body had been wrapped in hotel bedding. A forensic examination determined that she had died from a blunt force to the face that fractured her facial bones and caused her to suffocate. Described as a Chicago socialite, von Wiese-Mack was reported to have a troubled relationship with her teenage daughter. Schaefer denied that the murder was premeditated. He told the court that he acted in self-defense when his girlfriend's mother started strangling him during an argument in the Bali hotel room. "She squeezed my neck for about 20 to 30 seconds. I couldn't breathe. I had blood going to my head and my eyes were so watery," Schaefer told the court. He said he reached for a nearby bowl "before she could." "I couldn't see for a moment because my eyes were so watery and I was distraught, I was in a state of mind, I had no idea what was happening. I was almost about to black out. And I grabbed it and I started swinging," he told the court. Mack told the court her mother had threatened to kill the couple's unborn baby, according to local media. The prosecutor alleged that the two planned the murder, because Mack's mother disapproved of their relationship. After being detained by police, the couple initially claimed they'd been taken captive at the resort by an armed gang, whose members killed Heather's mother, and from whom they managed to escape. The two were tried separately, though both trials were heard by the same court, with the same prosecutors. Prosecutors had sought a prison sentence of 18 years for Schaefer and 15 years for Mack. Under Indonesian law, Mack will be allowed to keep her baby with her in prison for two years, after which she can nominate who should take custody. Journalists Fairuz Husaini and Ragil Lestari and CNN's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report.

Summary: Heather Mack jailed for 10 years over mother's murder in Bali . Boyfriend Tommy Schaefer sentenced to 18 years in prison for the attack . Mack gave birth to the couple's daughter last month .


Kano, Nigeria (CNN)An explosion late Thursday outside a bus station in the northeast Nigerian city of Gombe killed at least five people and injured more than a dozen others, witnesses said. The explosion outside the Bauchi Motor Park happened around 8:30 p.m. after a woman left her explosives-laden handbag near a bus filling up with passengers. The bus was heading to the central Nigerian city of Jos, 125 kilometers away. "There has been an explosion just outside the motor park and five people have been killed while more than 12 others have been seriously injured," said Adamu Saidu, an employee at the bus station. "Some of the injured have had their limbs blown off and one of them has had his eye gouged out," said Saidu, who was involved in the evacuation of the victims to a hospital. The woman pretended to be going to Jos and lingered around the bus, which was waiting to fill up with passengers, according to Falalu Tasiu, a grocer near the bus station. "The woman kept talking on the phone and dropped her bag beside the bus, pretending to be waiting for the bus to fill up," Tasiu said. "She moved towards shops overlooking the bus station as if she was going to buy something and disappeared. Moments later the bag exploded and set the bus on fire, killing five people and inujuring around 15 others," Tasiu said. Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Boko Haram Islamists have repeatedly carried out suicide and bombing attacks on bus stations and markets in Gombe and other northern cities, making the group the main suspect. Boko Haram has in recent months been under sustained pressure from sweeping offensives from a four-nation regional alliance of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The regional offensives have considerably weakened Boko Haram's capabilities, which has prompted the Islamists to resort to attacks on soft targets such as bus stations, markets and schools. The explosion was the first attack since Nigeria held its presidential election at the weekend, which was won by opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari, who vowed to crush Boko Haram when he assumes office in late May.

Summary: Woman leaves explosives-laden handbag beside bus during boarding . No group has claimed responsibility, but Boko Haram is suspected .


(CNN)Residents of central Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, have learned the hard way that key strategic bombing targets are located in their neighborhoods: Detonating ordnance has been shattering their windows and doors. And fighting has killed hundreds of people in less than two weeks. The Saudi-led coalition smashed parts of Yemen's Defense Ministry Central Command in the capital over the weekend, senior Yemeni officials said. Under the rain of coalition bombs, the Houthis, who are Shiites in a majority Sunni country, still control Sanaa. But the airstrikes have hurt them and destroyed a lot of infrastructure. The electricity has gone out on 16 million Yemenis living in Houthi-held areas, the Yemeni officials said. Many fear they will lose access to clean water as well. Yemen's deposed President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi heaped scorn on top of the airstrikes. He fired his former Army chief of staff, Hussein Khairan, on Sunday. The firing had no practical effect, since Khairan had switched sides weeks ago and is the Houthi rebels' acting defense minister. Hadi is holed up in Saudi Arabia, which is working to defeat his enemies and reinstall him. Fighting has ended dozens of lives each day. On Monday, more than 50 people died in the port city of Aden alone, where Houthis and their allies are battling troops loyal to Hadi on the ground, Agence France-Press reported. Since the bombing campaign and intense fighting began just over a week ago, some 600 people are estimated to have been killed. Many more have been wounded, and tens of thousands have fled the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross has cried out for a humanitarian ceasefire to let aid in. "Otherwise, put starkly, many more people will die. For the wounded, their chances of survival depend on action within hours, not days," said Robert Mardini, the ICRC's head of operations in the Near and Middle East. "Medical supplies need to be here yesterday," said ICRC spokeswoman Marie-Claire Feghali from Sanaa. "We need to save the lives that can be saved." Saudi Arabia signed off on letting the ICRC into Yemen via two aircraft -- one with medical supplies, the other with workers. But flying in will be hard, since most airlines have canceled their flights, and airstrikes have taken out many airfields. On Monday, the flight loaded with 48 tons of medical supplies was grounded in Djibouti, Feghali said. The ICRC is hoping to fly out in a day or two. Following the ICRC's call, on Saturday the U.N. Security Council discussed the humanitarian situation at Russia's behest. Moscow submitted a draft resolution calling for a halt to the airstrikes by the nine-country regional coalition. The meeting adjourned with no decision announced. One diplomat said the draft was missing key elements. It didn't call for the Houthis to stop fighting or for political talks between the belligerents, the diplomat told CNN on condition of anonymity. Yemen has been descending into chaos in the weeks since Houthi rebels -- who have long complained of being marginalized in the majority Sunni country -- forced Hadi

Summary: Bombing of targets in central Sanaa smashes residents' windows and doors . Hundreds killed in less than two weeks; humanitarian situation desperate, agencies say .


(CNN)Washington. New York. Philadelphia. Havana? The Vatican says Pope Francis may add another leg to his trip to the United States this September, visiting Cuba just months after he helped negotiate a diplomatic thaw between the two nations. The possibility, which would add a dimension of international intrigue to an already highly anticipated trip, was first reported Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. In response to reporters' questions, Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement, "The Holy Father has taken into consideration the idea of making a stop in Cuba" on his way to or from the United States this September. "However, contacts with the Cuban authorities are still in too early a phase for it to be possible to regard this as a firm decision or an operative plan," Lombardi continued. Francis, the first pontiff to hail from Latin America, played a key role in the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, earning praise from both President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. The Pope made personal pleas to Obama and Cuban leaders in private letters, writing that the two nations should try to reset their relations after decades of friction. The Vatican also hosted talks between U.S. and Cuban delegations in October, where they hashed out aspects of a new trade policy and discussed the release of jailed American contractor Alan Gross, who was freed as part of the detente between the two countries. "I want to thank His Holiness, Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is," Obama said in December as he announced the U.S. policy shift. Since his election in 2013, Pope Francis has displayed a deep interest in international affairs. He repeatedly urged Western leaders not to bomb Syria, hosted a prayer service between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at the Vatican and waded into diplomatic controversy on Sunday by referring to the killing of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago as a "genocide," a move that deeply upset Turkish leaders, who recalled their Vatican ambassador. The Pope is expected to continue his international activism this July with a trip to South America, where he will visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. Just a few months later, in late September, Francis will visit Washington, where he will address Congress; New York, where he will address the U.N. General Assembly; and Philadelphia, where he will celebrate a public Mass that's expected to draw more than 1 million people. In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Friday, Archbishop Charles Chaput, the Pope's host in Philadelphia, said he'd hadn't heard about the potential for a papal visit to Cuba until he turned on the morning news. Two previous Popes have visited the Caribbean nation: St. John Paul II in 1998 and former Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

Summary: Pope Francis played key role in re-establishing diplomatic ties between Cuba and U.S. "Contacts with the Cuban authorities are still in too early a phase," Vatican spokesman says .


(CNN)It's a warm afternoon in Miami, and 35-year-old Emanuel Vega has come to Baptist Health Primary Care for a physical exam. Dr. Mark Caruso shakes his hand with a welcoming smile. Vega, a strapping man with a thick black beard, is feeling good, but he came to see the doctor today because his wife thought he should -- she even made the appointment. It is free to him under his insurance policy with no co-pay, as most preventive care is under the Affordable Care Act. Vega is one of more than 44 million Americans who is taking part in a medical ritual: visiting the doctor for an annual physical exam. But there's little evidence that those visits actually do any good for healthy adults. Caruso listens to Vega's heart and lungs, checks his pulse in his ankles and feels around his lymph nodes. He also asks Vega about his exercise and sleeping schedule and orders blood and urine tests. As long as everything checks out, Caruso asks Vega to return for another exam in a year. Vega says he definitely will. It was a positive experience for both doctor and patient, and they're not alone; 92 percent of Americans say it is important to get an annual head-to-toe physical exam, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation). And 62 percent of those polled said they went to the doctor every year for their exam. But the evidence is not on their side. "I would argue that we should move forward with the elimination of the annual physical," says Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a primary care physician and a professor of health policy at Harvard Medical School. Mehrotra says patients should really only go to the doctor if something is wrong, or if it's time to have an important preventive test like a colonoscopy. He realizes popular opinion is against this view. "When I, as a doctor, say I do not advocate for the annual physical, I feel like I'm attacking moms and apple pie," Mehrotra says. "It seems so intuitive and straightforward, and [it's] something that's been part of medicine for such a long time." But he says randomized trials going back to the 1980s just don't support it. The Society for General Internal Medicine even put annual physicals on a list of things doctors should avoid for healthy adults. One problem, Mehrotra says, is the cost. Each visit usually costs insurers just $150, but that adds up fast. "We estimate that it's about $10 billion a year, which is more than how much we spend as a society on breast cancer care," Mehrotra says. "It's all a lot of money." And then there's the risk that a doctor will run a test and find a problem that's not actually there. It's called a false positive, and it can lead to a cascade of follow-up tests that can be expensive and could even cause real harm. Dr. Michael Rothberg is another primary care physician and a health researcher at the Cleveland Clinic. He generally

Summary: 92 percent of Americans say it is important to get an annual head-to-toe physical exam . Randomized trials going back to the 1980s just don't support that belief .


(CNN)Former Australia cricket captain and legendary broadcaster Richie Benaud has died at the age of 84. Benaud, whose witty one-liners from the commentary box resonated far beyond Australia's shores, said last year he was being treated for skin cancer. "After Don Bradman, there has been no Australian player more famous than Richie Benaud," Cricket Australia said on its website. "Benaud stood at the top of the game throughout his rich life, first as a record-breaking leg-spinner and captain, and then as cricket's most famous -- and most impersonated -- broadcaster." A veteran of 64 Test matches, Benaud was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. While many regarded his voice as the soundtrack to an Australian summer, Benaud was equally revered by the cricketing public on the other side of the world where he spent more than four decades with the BBC taking the game into millions of British living rooms. But whether you were sitting in Sydney or in South London, there were plenty of "marvelous" Richie moments from the box to savor: . "And Glenn McGrath dismissed for two, just ninety-eight runs short of his century." "From our broadcasting box you can't see any grass at all. It is simply a carpet of humanity." "Captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill. But don't try it without that 10%." News of his passing quickly generated a wave of condolences, including from Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. "To most Australians Richie Benaud was cricket. He personified its traditions and its values," Abbott said in a written statement Friday. "While many Australians only know Richard Benaud as the voice of cricket, we should not forget that in his day he was a cricketer with few equals. It was why he was so insightful as a commentator. "As a player his record has withstood the test of time. He led the Australian side from 1958/59 through to 1963/1964, never losing a series in his 28 Tests as captain. "As captain, he was first to lead a full Australian tour to India and Pakistan in 1959/60. He was the first cricketer to reach a Test double of 2,000 runs and 200 wickets. "Given the special place Richie Benaud has in our national life, I have asked that on the day of his funeral flags fly at half-mast. I extend my condolences and the condolences of the Australian people, to his wife Daphne and his family and friends. Current Australian captain Michael Clarke posted an image of Benaud on Instagram with the message: "What a man. Extremely sad day. You were a lot more then just a cricketer Richie. RIP." Clarke's former teammate Shane Warne also took to Instagram to post a touching letter to the late commentator. He wrote: "Dear Richie, I've known you & Daphne for close to 30 years & to everyone you were a legend on all levels & rightly so too. "As a cricketer, commentator & as a person, you were the best there's ever been & to top it off, an absolute gentleman... For me it was

Summary: Richie Benaud first earned fame as a cricket player, later as broadcaster . Prime Minister Tony Abbott calls him "a cricketing champion and Australian icon"


London (CNN)Ever written yourself a note, stuffed it in your pocket and headed out into the world only to discover that, somewhere along your journey, the piece of paper has disappeared? If you live in the UK, there's a small chance that note has found its way into the hands of 23-year-old Daisy Bentley. For the past six years, the London-based artist has scoured the streets of cities and towns looking for those odd bits of paper that flutter to the ground when their owners aren't looking. Her quest has uncovered a fascinating, if idiosyncratic, collection of shopping lists, reminders, requests, love notes and motivational musings, all poignant pieces of others' lives. And now a gallery in London has put a selection on display for the public. "I wasn't intending to start a collection," she told CNN. "I always naturally collected things -- as many artists do -- and it got to the point that I was picking up every one I saw. Now I can barely walk down a street without picking up a scrap of paper." Bentley began collecting them six years ago after a note caught her eye one rainy night on a walk in her home town of Norwich, England. It's something she confesses has been a lifelong love -- keepsakes ranging from her mother's cutlery to her own dead goldfish have ended up carefully preserved in her collection for posterity. The notes project, she says, is a culmination of keeping her eyes on the sidewalk and spotting the little things that most people wouldn't notice as they walked down the street. "I get very odd looks from strangers," she admits, "but since I've made friends and families aware of the project, they get very excited when I find one while out with them." And while some dismiss such behavior as hoarding, Bentley feels it is part of human nature to hold on to items, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. "Humans want to collect and show to others," she says. "They want to share and learn from the things they have found." She says her collecting has led to interesting anthropological insights into the human condition. One of her favorite observations is the evolution of handwriting over the past few decades, from the beautiful copperplate penmanship of the '70s to modern teen girl love notes with hearts dotting i's and multiple exclamation marks. More recently, the note collection has led to an exhibition at Stour Space gallery in London's Hackney Wick, where Bentley works as a shop and studio manager. It showcases a small part of her 1,500-strong collection. The decision to display the notes came in part from a desire to put them back into the public space. "I always wanted to showcase them, to see what people's reactions were and if anyone would come forward," she said. So far two note owners -- one a colleague from the gallery and one an employee from a pub whose beer coasters she had found on her quest -- have revealed themselves as owners of

Summary: A selection of notes from British artist's 1,500-note collection goes on display in London . Artist spent six years trawling streets finding scraps of paper detailing people's lives . In era of smartphones and social media, notes provide reminder of power of handwritten word .


(CNN)Supported by American intelligence and supplied with advanced U.S.-made weaponry, Saudi jets began airstrikes in Yemen late last month in the name of what the kingdom's Washington ambassador described as "restoring the legitimate government" and protecting a "Yemeni constitution and elections." The need to protect constitutions and elections is a rather strange message from the representative of an absolute monarchy. Indeed, Saudi motives in Yemen likely have nothing to do with protecting the country's "legitimate government," its constitution or its electoral process. So what is really going on? The kingdom's real motives seem clear if one looks at Saudi monarchy's history of not allowing regional competition of any kind, while consistently combating efforts to build democratic governments that empower the people. This approach was evident in 2013, when Saudi Arabia voiced its support for the military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government of Mohamed Morsy in Egypt, which was in keeping with counterrevolutionary Saudi policies that aimed to contain or reverse the results of the Arab Spring. The Saudi goal is simple: Prevent the rise of any popularly supported government in the region that seeks self-determination. And the excuse of "resisting Iran's influence," meanwhile, appears to be nothing but sectarian bluster. For example, in 2009, the Houthis (more accurately described as the Ansarullah) were not yet receiving help from Iran, yet for weeks the kingdom pummeled them with airstrikes, following Saudi claims of a Houthi incursion. True, the Ansarullah movement now benefits from Iranian support. But it is far from the only group getting help from outside sources in the region. With all this in mind, the American decision to stand behind the Saudi attack on Yemen can best be described as misguided. Although the Houthi movement's rhetoric is unquestionably anti-American, it has not targeted any American interests. In fact, when the U.S. Embassy packed up in Sanaa in January, leaving a fleet of over 20 armored SUVs behind at the airport, the Houthis reportedly said they would round up the cars and deliver them to a U.N. representative in Yemen. And while the Houthis did not welcome the American presence in Yemen, they did not interfere with U.S. operations against al Qaeda in the country. But one of the biggest miscalculations has been that U.S. policy has adopted the Saudi-Gulf narrative on Yemen, effectively placing Saudi ambitions to control Yemen above previous American priorities like destroying the safe haven for al Qaeda there. Indeed, the Obama administration appears to have abandoned Yemen to Saudi machinations. This reality was underscored when U.S State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki effectively endorsed Saudi bombing, saying the "Saudis have legitimate concerns about the possible impact of current events in Yemen on their security." The implication here seems to be that any country "concerned" about its neighbors can go ahead and bomb them, a view that risks creating a dangerous precedent. Back in September, White House spokesman Josh Earnest described Yemen as a success story in the war on terrorism, explaining that the U.S. priority in Yemen was not to establish a "Jeffersonian democracy" but to

Summary: Saudi Arabia has launched airstrikes against rebels in Yemen . Ali AlAhmed: Results of Saudi campaign unlikely to be positive .


(CNN)Sky watchers in western North America are in for a treat: a nearly five-minute total lunar eclipse this morning. Here's how it's unfolding: . It started at 3:16 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, when the moon began moving into Earth's shadow. For the next hour and 45 minutes, that shadow will move across the moon and engulf it at 4:58 a.m. Pacific Time. The total eclipse will only last four minutes and 43 seconds, and NASA says that makes it the shortest one of the century. Watch it live on NASA TV . While people west of the Mississippi River will have the best view, at least a partial eclipse will be visible across the nation. But sunrise will interrupt the show on the East Coast. Parts of South America, India, China and Russia also will be able to see the eclipse, but it won't be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Europe, Africa or the Middle East. A lunar eclipse happens when the sun, Earth and moon form a straight line in space, with the Earth smack in the middle. The sun shines on the Earth and creates a shadow. As the moon moves deeper into that shadow, it appears to turn dark and may even appear to be a reddish color. Why red? Because Earth's atmosphere is filtering out most of the blue light. Some people have nicknamed the effect the "blood moon." NASA says lunar eclipses typically happen at least twice a year, but this eclipse is the third in a series of four in a row, known as a "tetrad." The first was on April 15, 2014. The second was in September 2014, the next is Saturday and there will be one more, on September 28. If you want to learn more about the eclipse, NASA astronomer Mitzi Adams will take questions on Twitter @NASA_Marshall. Did you see the total lunar eclipse? Share your photos with CNN iReport.

Summary: The total eclipse will only last 4 minutes and 43 seconds . People west of the Mississippi River will have the best view . Parts of South America, India, China and Russia also will see the eclipse .


Tokyo (CNN)The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has given up trying to recover a robotic probe after it stopped moving inside one of the reactors. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) deployed the remote-controlled robot on Friday inside one of the damaged reactors that had suffered a meltdown following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011. It was the first time the probe had been used. The robot, set out to collect data on radiation levels and investigate the spread of debris, stalled after moving about 10 meters, according to a statement released by TEPCO. A newly released report and footage from the robot shows that a fallen object had blocked its path and left it stranded. TEPCO decided to cut off the cable connected to the device Sunday as it had already covered two-thirds of the originally planned route. It managed to collect data on radiation levels in 14 of the 18 targeted locations. Four years after the devastating nuclear crisis, the radiation levels inside the three damaged reactors are still extremely high and remain unsafe for people to enter. Decommissioning work is estimated to cost $50 billion and will take years to complete. TEPCO called the robotic probe an "unprecedented" experiment. CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki reported from Tokyo, Japan and Naomi Ng wrote from Hong Kong.

Summary: The operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant said it has abandoned a robotic probe inside one of the damaged reactors . A report stated that a fallen object has left the robot stranded . The robot collected data on radiation levels and investigated the spread of debris .


(CNN)A federal grand jury has charged millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst, a convicted felon, with unlawful possession of a firearm. In this week's indictment, Durst, 71, is accused of possessing a .38 caliber revolver, which authorities allegedly found in his hotel room last month. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if found guilty of that charge, according to the indictment. The charge is the latest in a litany of accusations. A Louisiana judge ruled last month that Durst, who is charged with first-degree murder, will be held without bail at a facility near New Orleans. Durst was featured this spring in "The Jinx," a HBO documentary about him. He's accused of killing his friend Susan Berman at her home in California in 2000. He also faces state weapons and drugs charges in New Orleans. Last month, court documents claimed that Durst had a loaded .38-caliber revolver, marijuana, his passport and birth certificate, a latex mask with salt-and-pepper hair attached and more than $40,000 cash. He also had a UPS tracking number. The package was intercepted by the FBI, prosecutors said, and it contained clothing and more than $100,000 in cash. But the bigger courtroom fight will probably unfold in Los Angeles, where the district attorney filed a first-degree murder charge against Durst last month. He awaits extradition to Los Angeles to face that charge. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. Prosecutors accuse Durst of "lying in wait" and killing Berman, a crime writer and his longtime confidante, because she "was a witness to a crime." Berman was shot in the head in her Beverly Hills home in December 2000, shortly before investigators were set to speak with her about the 1982 disappearance of Durst's first wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst. Durst has long maintained that he had nothing to do with Berman's death or his wife's disappearance. It's not the first time he has been accused of murder. He admitted killing and dismembering his neighbor at a 2003 trial, but he was acquitted after arguing that he acted in self-defense. FBI agents have also asked local authorities to examine cold cases in locations near where Durst lived over the past five decades, a U.S. law enforcement official said. Unsolved cases in Vermont, upstate New York, the San Francisco Bay Area and Southern California are among those getting a new look, the official said. Durst's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, said it's a sign that authorities are desperate. DeGuerin has said Durst has serious medical conditions. He is suffering from hydrocephalus, which required brain surgery a couple of years ago, DeGuerin said. Doctors implanted a stent on the right side of his head, the attorney said. "At the same time he was in the hospital, he had an operation on his esophagus to remove cancer. So he's got some serious health issues. ... He's lost a lot of weight. He's not in good health," DeGuerin said. DeGuerin also said that Durst is "mildly autistic" and has received treatment in the past from one of the country's leading experts in Asperger's

Summary: Durst, a convicted felon, charged with unlawful possession of a firearm . He is accused of having a .38 caliber revolver and faces up to 10 years in prison .


Charleston, South Carolina (CNN)The casket is draped with an American flag, and Walter Scott is dressed in a dark suit. A white banner with a blue star refers to his favorite NFL team. It says: "Tradition, the Cowboys way." A few mourners trickled into the Fielding Home For Funerals in Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley comes by to pay his respects and show support for the Scott family. They are not at Friday night's visitation, the mayor says. The stress of the past week since Scott was fatally shot in the back by a North Charleston police Officer Michael Slager is too much. They went by the funeral home earlier but they are exhausted, he says. They need their privacy now and at Saturday's funeral and burial, he says. "This is a heartbreaking tragedy for everyone in our community," he says, adding they share the grief of their neighbors in North Charleston and with the Scott family. "It breaks everyone's hearts, wherever we live." Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the incident in which Scott ran from his car after a traffic stop then was shot while fleeing from Slager. On Friday afternoon, police met with a man who was in Scott's car when Slager pulled it over for a broken taillight. The passenger's name wasn't in a police report obtained by CNN. The passenger was detained briefly after the shooting, one officer wrote in the report. Scott family attorney Chris Stewart said the man with Scott was a co-worker and friend. But he did not identify the friend by name, nor did Thom Berry, a South Carolina Law Enforcement Division spokesman, who confirmed Friday's meeting. Slager has been fired and faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted on a murder charge. Video shot by a witness shows the officer shooting Scott in the back as he runs away. Slager had told investigators he feared for his safety after he and Scott tussled over his Taser. His lawyer, Andy Savage, said Friday he "has not received the cooperation from law enforcement that the media has." Savage's office said in a written statement that it has yet to receive "any investigative documents, audio or video tapes, other than a copy of Mr. Slager's arrest warrant." The news release added that the lawyer has been advised that the police union that Slager belongs to "is no longer involved in the case." On Thursday, dash cam video and a new witness emerged from the day Scott died. The dash cam footage shows Slager talking calmly to Scott during the traffic stop. Scott apparently says he has no insurance on the vehicle, and Slager returns to his car to do paperwork. Moments later, Scott gets out of his car and bolts. A foot chase ensues. Scott never reappears on the dash cam video, but a witness later takes video of the officer shooting Scott several times in the back as he is running away. "Nothing in this video demonstrates that the officer's life or the life of another was threatened," National Urban

Summary: Mourners attend visitation service for Walter Scott . Police meet with man who was passenger in his car when it was pulled over . Michael Slager's lawyer says police aren't being helpful at this point .