(CNN)Swedish prosecutors have asked Julian Assange's legal representatives whether the WikiLeaks founder would consent to be interviewed in London and have his DNA taken via a swab. Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where prosecutors want to question him about 2010 allegations that he raped one woman and sexually molested another. Swedish prosecutors have previously balked at coming to Britain to question Assange. However, a number of the crimes Julian Assange is suspected of will be subject to a statute of limitation in August 2015, according to a statement from Marianne Ny, the director of public prosecutions. "If Assange gives his consent, the prosecutor will promptly submit a request for legal assistance to the British authorities to further continue the investigation," the statement said. A request will also be made to the Ecuadorian authorities for permission to "perform investigative measures" at its London embassy, the statement said. Ecuador granted Assange political asylum in 2012. Assange's defense lawyer, Per E. Samuelsson, said he called Assange on Friday morning with the news from the prosecution authority -- and that in principle they viewed the request positively. "I think I woke him up, but he knew I was calling with news about the case since I called so early," Samuelsson said. "He was, of course, very happy that something is finally happening but he is irritated that it has taken such a long time." This is a step that Assange and his team have been requesting for four years, Samuelsson said. Ny explained the logic behind the Swedish authorities' change of approach in her statement. "My view has always been that to perform an interview with him at the Ecuadorian embassy in London would lower the quality of the interview, and that he would need to be present in Sweden in any case should there be a trial in the future," Ny said. "This assessment remains unchanged. Now that time is of the essence, I have viewed it therefore necessary to accept such deficiencies to the investigation and likewise take the risk that the interview does not move the case forward, particularly as there are no other measures on offer without Assange being present in Sweden." The Australian national has not been charged and denies the claims. He's said he fears Sweden would extradite him to the United States, where he could face the death penalty if he is charged and convicted of publishing government secrets through WikiLeaks. Samuelsson said Assange's legal team would travel over to London as soon as possible to discuss Ny's request and that it expects to respond next week. "The problem is that there are two more countries involved in this request so it might take some time to make all this happen," Samuelsson said. Samuelsson also said Friday's development was not a great surprise since Sweden's Supreme Court had last week asked the prosecutor general for an opinion on the case. "We think that the prosecutor general, who has taken over the case, probably told Prosecutor

Summary: Lawyer for Assange says they view the request positively but will have to discuss response . Swedish prosecutors will ask Julian Assange's lawyers if they can question him in London . He is wanted for questioning over sexual abuse claims in Sweden; he denies the allegations .


(CNN)She grew up in Kenya under colonial rule, when women didn't get an education. Now in her 90s, Priscilla Sitienei is changing that, attending elementary school -- and inspiring a generation. She started five years ago as a kindergartner at a boarding school near Eldoret. She's in fourth grade today. "I had grandchildren and great-grandchildren who shunned school," she says by phone from Ndalat. "That made me mad. I decided I have to show them that education is important." During colonial times, some Kenyan hospitals did not keep birth records. Sitienei's exact age is unclear, but she says she was born around 1923, when a famine plagued her hometown. Growing up, relatives told her she barely survived that famine as a toddler, which gave her a rough estimate of her birth year. If confirmed by the Guinness World Records, she would be the oldest pupil in elementary school. The last such honor by the Guinness World Records went to another Kenyan, Kimani Maruge, who in 2004 was named the oldest person to begin primary school. Five years later, he died at age 90. Though Sitienei worked as a traditional midwife for decades, she says there's still a lot to learn. "My favorite subject is math," the nonagenarian says. "Now that I'm in school, I know the right dosage to give the women who I help deliver their babies." Sitienei got married at a young age and focused on raising her 10 children. "I could not go to school even if I wanted," she says. "In my time, educating a woman was considered a waste of time and money." She enthusiastically describes her love for school and her fellow pupils, some of whom she helped bring into this world. "They call me 'Gogo,' " she says, using the word for grandmother in her local Kalenjin tribe. "We play in swings during recess, we talk. I like school." Sitienei has a special dorm room tucked away in a corner, where she doles out wisdom to her proteges. Outside her door is a sign that says "education has no age limit." David Kinyanjui, the principal of Leaders Vision Preparatory School, describes her as a model pupil. "She advises our girls, she advises our boys," Kinyanjui says. "She participates in everything, including PE (physical education). She's also good at math and science, and she's such a good storyteller." Sitienei's enthusiasm is already paying off. Her three great-grandchildren are her classmates. They have friendly competitions on who'll make the best grades. Last year, Sitienei was the leading student in third grade. "Her great-grandchildren could not believe she did better than them. That really motivated them; one of them even cried," the principal says. Now they work even harder to beat her. CNN's Lillian Leposo contributed to this report.

Summary: Priscilla Sitienei says she went back to school to inspire her grandchildren . "She advises our girls, she advises our boys," her principal says .


(CNN)The national office of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity changed its tune. Just two weeks ago, the national office condemned a racist chant that resulted in the shutdown of the University of Oklahoma SAE chapter, saying, "The national fraternity does not teach such a racist, hateful chant, and this chant is not part of any education or training." The fraternity brothers probably "learned the song from fellow chapter members," SAE said. But in a Friday statement, the SAE national office said otherwise. The OU chapter, SAE said, "likely learned a racist chant while attending a national leadership school about four years ago." The fraternity invites hundreds of leaders to a six-day conference every year, SAE said. "While attendees have little social time, there are occasions when participants can gather socially," the statement said. "[Executive Director Blaine] Ayers said it is likely that during one of these social gatherings, some members shared the racist song that was recorded on video at the University of Oklahoma and shared through social media earlier this month." Ayers said the organization has no evidence the chant is widespread across the fraternity's 237 groups. "Our investigation to date shows no evidence the song was widely shared across the broader organization," Ayers said. "The song is horrific and does not at all reflect our values as an organization." But OU President David Boren, in revealing details of the university investigation on Friday, said the chant was an integral part of life in the local chapter. "Over time the chant was formalized in the local SAE chapter and was taught to pledges as part of the formal and informal leadership process," he said. "It is clear that during the four years since the chant was brought to the university campus, its existence was known by recent members and ... it became part of the institutionalized culture of the chapter." Boren said "alcohol was readily available at the fraternity house" on March 7 and some chapter members were drinking. He also said about a dozen high school students had been invited to the event and "were exposed to the chant." The chant was discovered by the school newspaper and a student organization, which received the video clip via anonymous messages. The video shows party-bound students on a bus clapping, pumping their fists and laughing as they chant, "There will never be a ni**** SAE. You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me. There will never be a ni**** SAE." The university cut ties with Sigma Alpha Epsilon after the video surfaced, as did the national fraternity, and both launched investigations. The university has disciplined fraternity members with punishment ranging from permanent withdrawals to sensitivity training. Fraternity officers have issued apologies. SAE issued questions-and-answers about the controversy, noting the fraternity plans to hire a director of diversity and inclusion. About 20% of SAE members self-identify as a minority or non-Caucasian, SAE said.

Summary: Sigma Alpha Epsilon's national office issues a statement about racist chant . University of Oklahoma SAE members "likely" learned chant at a national frat conference, SAE says .


(CNN)India's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has told all news channels not to air a controversial documentary about rape in India -- warning that the excerpts "appear to encourage and incite violence against women." The BBC Storyville documentary was originally scheduled to air Sunday, but due to the "intense level of interest" in the program, the BBC aired it Wednesday in the UK on BBC Four "to enable viewers to see this incredibly powerful documentary at the earliest opportunity," the broadcaster said in a statement. The documentary was released online and the hashtag #IndiasDaughter was trending in the UK after it aired. The documentary featured an interview with one of the men convicted in an infamous 2012 gang rape case that sparked massive outrage and protests in India. An Indian court restricted the publication and airing of the film in India as well as the dissemination of excerpts from it after Mukesh Singh's comments were released in several media outlets. Singh appeared to show no remorse and blamed the rape victim for being out at night, according to the documentary called "India's Daughter." "The media is likely to be seen as a voice for the perpetrator of such crimes by providing him a medium to communicate his views on the matter repeatedly," said a letter sent to media outlets by the Indian government. Despite the ban, the documentary can be seen on YouTube in India. Singh told the documentary crew that his victim "should just be silent and allow the rape." "A decent girl won't roam around at 9 o'clock at night," he told the BBC. "A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy. Boy and girl are not equal. "Housework and housekeeping is for girls, not roaming in discos and bars at night doing wrong things, wearing wrong clothes." He suggested that they "had a right to teach them a lesson." In a statement, India's home minister said the documentary crew violated the conditions granting the jail interview, which stipulated that the authorities be shown all unedited footage. Home Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament on Wednesday that permission would not be granted to anyone in the future to interview prison inmates after the uproar over the documentary. "The government has taken necessary legal action and obtained a restraining order from the court disseminating the contents of the film," according to the statement. India's constitution guarantees free speech with a caveat that it could be restricted when speech is deemed a threat to public order, incitement to an offense or an act of contempt of court. In December 2012, a young woman was savagely attacked and raped by a group of men aboard a public bus in New Delhi and later died from her injuries. Mukesh Singh, who was driving the bus, is now on death row and has filed an appeal. His comments in the documentary have stirred fierce debate about whether airing his interview gives him a platform to share his misogyny, versus those who say it increases awareness and understanding of the horror of rape. The

Summary: "Please see the film and then talk about it," filmmaker urges . News channels warned not to air controversial documentary about rape in India . Debate centers on whether withholding film is censorship or prevention of repugnant views .


(CNN)The attack on Tunisia's famed Bardo Museum is just the latest evidence that parts of North and sub-Saharan Africa have become a magnet for Islamist extremism. Tunisia -- lying just across the Mediterranean from Europe, but bordered on one side by Libya and on the other by Algeria -- has until now not suffered the kind of large-scale terror attacks seen in both those nations in recent years. But it has emerged as a place of increasing concern as the threat of Islamist extremism has intensified in the region. Islamist terrorists also have struck in Algeria, where they killed at least 37 hostages at a gas field in 2013, and in Libya, where terrorists killed the U.S. ambassador and three others in 2012 and where ISIS has established a beachhead in the east. Al Qaeda's North African offshoot Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which has its roots in Algeria, has captured territory in Mali and taken hostages -- often Europeans -- in countries such as Niger and Mauritania. So what is the world doing about it? The United States has created a military command in Africa and also established a special operations base in Djibouti, which borders Somalia in the Horn of Africa. France has sent troops to Mali. And, as CNN recently reported from Chad, Western militaries have trained special forces from several northern African nations to take on the Islamists. Here's a country-by-country look -- although not exhaustive -- at how Islamist extremism has reared its head across a swath of Africa. Algeria is home to a long-running Islamist insurgency. In perhaps the highest-profile incident, Islamist militants attacked the In Amenas oil and gas plant in southern Algeria in January 2013. At least 37 hostages, including three U.S. citizens, died in the seizure of, and ensuing special forces assault on, the remote facility. Dozens of assailants also died in the days-long siege. The attack was the work of the Mulathameen Brigade, which translates as the "Signatories in Blood Brigade." Last September, another Islamist group beheaded a 55-year-old French hiker, Herve Gourdel, after seizing him as he walked in Djudjura National Park in central Algeria. Days earlier, the outfit -- Jund al Khilafa, a splinter group of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- had pledged allegiance to ISIS. Militants affiliated with AQIM had previously also kidnapped foreigners in Algeria, including Italians and Spaniards. In 2007, AQIM launched a suicide bombing campaign in Algeria, which included a deadly bombing against the U.N. headquarters in Algiers. In January, a suicide bombing and gun attack on a hotel in the capital, Tripoli, killed 10 people, including an American. The attack was swiftly claimed by Wilayat al-Tarabulus, ISIS' name for the province. Politicians in Tripoli disputed the claim. Besides its growing presence in Tripoli, ISIS is now the dominant force in Derna in eastern Libya and controls parts of the town center of Sirte, the hometown of former Libya strongman Moammar Gadhafi. Before the advent of ISIS, an Islamist group called Ansar al Shariah was blamed by the United States for carrying

Summary: Islamist extremism poses a growing threat in parts of North and sub-Saharan Africa . Extremist groups operating in Africa include ISIS, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Al Shabaab and Boko Haram .


Minneapolis (CNN)Unexpected car repairs can blow anyone's budget. But when you're struggling to make ends meet, the impact can extend well beyond your bank account. As a social worker in Minneapolis, Cathy Heying repeatedly saw how car problems could create a domino effect that endangered her clients' health, their jobs, even their homes. For years, she wished someone would do something about the problem. Then one day Heying realized, "Oh dang, I think that somebody might be me." In 2008, she quit her full-time job and enrolled in automotive school. Five years later, armed with a degree in auto technology, Heying founded The Lift. Her nonprofit garage provides steeply discounted car repairs to low-income individuals. The approach is simple: Heying sells parts at cost, with no markup, and charges $15 an hour for labor; the going rate in Minneapolis is around $100 an hour. The result? Big savings for her customers. And for those who can't pay in full, she will work out payment plans. To date, Heying has provided affordable car repairs to more than 300 low-income individuals, saving them more than $170,000 and keeping them on the road to success. Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for CNN Heroes 2015 . I talked with Heying about her career change and what she's learned from her work. Below is an edited version of our conversation. Kathleen Toner: One day you're a social worker, the next you're in automotive school. What was that like? Cathy Heying: Imagine a scene of a 38-year-old woman and 18-year-old boys. I want to talk about feelings and people, and they want to talk about cars. That sums it up. It was a huge culture shift and a huge knowledge shift. I had to use my brain very differently. I did not grow up working on cars. I did not have a father that wrenched on cars. It was not part of my life growing up. I taught myself a few things (like) changing oil. But for the most part, I had no skills around car maintenance. I cried all the way to school the first day 'cause I was like, "What have I done?" So it was terrifying and overwhelming. And at least three solid times in that first quarter, I was like, "I'm quitting. I cannot do this." See more CNN Heroes . I give credit, at least in that first quarter, to one of my instructors who's now on the board of The Lift, who kept saying, "I know that you have a good vision here, and I'm going to help you get through this." And when I really thought about it, going to school is nothing compared to people who are trying to raise their kids on minimum wage, who are living with a broken-down car in subzero weather. Basically, I needed to buck up. Toner: What's it like being a mechanic? Heying: It's physically hard. You find yourself in all sorts of crazy positions, digging under things. You're lifting tires. You're wrenching on things. But it is mentally challenging, and

Summary: Unlikely mechanic gives people in need a 'lift' Trying to raise kids on minimum wage with a broken down car in subzero weather is tough . Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2015 CNN Heroes .


(CNN)Every year, animal handlers travel throughout England and Wales to compete at agricultural shows. Jooney Woodward's "Best in Show" is a documentation of those competitions, with photos that place a spotlight on the handlers and their animals. "When you go to (the shows), they tend to be all about the animals -- people photographing the animals," Woodward said. "I just wanted to turn my attention onto the people because they're so committed to what they do. They're really devoted and hardworking." While those involved with the competitions are the focus of many press photographers, Woodward's work stands out for its distinctive portraiture style. "My work is a bit more composed. I use a medium-format camera and a tripod, so it is a bit more static in a way," she said. "I think everybody is so proud of their animals that when I said to them that, 'I'd love a portrait of you and your cow,' everyone was more than willing to give up their time and help because they're so passionate about what they do." The "Best in Show" portraits lead viewers down a winding pathway to ponder those inexplicable yet noticeable connections and bonds that exist between the handlers and their animals. Woodward's photos also contain subtle details. For example, the symbols and signs on the wall behind Wendy and her Hereford yearling heifer Mandalay Juliette are just as significant as the handler and her animal. "It's just the way (Wendy) had gone through the effort of decorating the pen (with Union Jacks) where the cows were being kept," Woodward said. "There's also a sign behind (her) ... and there's a picture of a gentleman with a cow, who is actually her husband who had died a few years ago. ... I just thought that was nice, something quite sentimental about that." There are not only sentimental subtleties within "Best in Show," but also fun and interesting ones as well. This is especially evident in the photo of the traditional Welsh pigs being judged, as Woodward points out there is an advertisement for sausages behind the pigs. Regardless of what elements make up Woodward's photos, the emotions and aesthetics remain particularly important. Woodward said that when photographing Jamie and his Jersey cow, his happiness and smile made her want to "share that sense of enjoyment" that handlers have when competing with their animals in the shows. What drew Woodward to Harriet and her guinea pig Gentleman Jack were the similar colors radiating from both of them. Her photo of the pair won the National Portrait Gallery's Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize in 2011. "(Harriet) was like a steward, she was sort of judging the guinea pigs. And she also had her own guinea pig with her, which had red as well," Woodward said. "I just thought that was incredibly striking. I thought, 'I've got to get a shot of that.' " The dynamics of the competitions foster a community atmosphere in which everybody becomes acquainted with one another after having traveled to different shows for so many years. Woodward said this

Summary: Jooney Woodward took portraits of show animals and their handlers in the UK . The livestock shows are just as much business events as they are social gatherings .


Jerusalem (CNN)Within 48 hours of his election night victory, Benjamin Netanyahu rolled back his pre-election comments that there would be no Palestinian state if he were Prime Minister, but the damage may already have been done to relations with the two other major players in the negotiations: the United States and the Palestinians. In an interview with NBC, Netanyahu said, "I haven't changed my policy, I never retracted my speech six years ago calling for a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state. What has changed is the reality, Abu Mazen (nickhame of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas) the Palestinian leader refuses to recognize the Jewish state, and he's made a pact with Hamas that calls for the destruction of Israel. And every territory vacated these days in the Middle East is taken up by Islamist forces and we want that to change so we can realize the vision of real sustained peace. I don't want a one-state solution, I want a sustainable two-state solution." Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says he believes the pre-election statement that Netanyahu will not allow a two-state solution. He says the Palestinians will keep pursuing statehood through the international arena instead of through negotiations. "I've negotiated with them for 20 years, and I complained to the international community that there is a big difference between someone being a tough negotiator which is legitimate and someone being a non-negotiator," Erekat said. "All Netanyahu needs to do to gain the credibility and the trust, not only of me but of the international community, he needs to stand tall and tell the Israeli people that in order to live in peace with our neighbors we're going to have to recognize the state of Palestine." Erekat says the Palestinians may try again for recognition once more at the United Nations, a forum where they fell one vote short of recognition as a full UN member state in December. A new United Nations Security Council consisting of different member states may be more favorable to a second Palestinian bid. So where does that leave the United States? The White House said it would "reassess" the relationship between the United States and Israel. The broad relationship includes security cooperation, financial assistance, and strong diplomatic ties. Both leaders reaffirmed the strength of those ties in the weeks before the Israeli elections. But the United States has also used its veto power as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to block resolutions unfavorable to Israel. Some of that protection could be at stake here as the White House urges both sides back to negotiations. The last peace talks, moderated by Secretary of State John Kerry, broke down in April 2014 after nine months of negotiations. As the talks deteriorated before the scheduled deadline, Israel withdrew from the negotiations when Fatah announced a reconciliation with Hamas, a militant Islamic group, and an intention to form a unity government. In a phone call with Netanyahu, President Barack Obama congratulated Netanyahu and stressed the importance of a two-state solution. But with so much skepticism

Summary: The White House says it would "reassess" the relationship between the United States and Israel . That comes after Netanyahu made campaign statements against a Palestinian state . Netanyahu rolled back the comments after his election victory .


(CNN)Three teen British girls suspected of traveling to Syria to join ISIS appeared on surveillance video in Turkey before they went to their destination. Images show the teens boarding a bus in Istanbul, Turkish HBR television reported. It's the first sighting of the girls since they left London almost two weeks ago. Authorities have said they have no reason to believe the girls are still in Turkey and believe they have crossed into neighboring Syria, parts of which have been taken over by Islamist terror group ISIS. The three east London classmates -- Shamima Begum, 15; Kadiza Sultana, 16; and Amira Abase, 15 -- boarded a Turkish Airlines plane from London's Gatwick Airport to Istanbul on February 17. A British counterterrorism officer said police had tried to reach out to the girls using the Turkish media and social media to persuade them to return home. The girls' parents have also publicly begged for them to come home. Days before they left for Turkey, at least one of the girls allegedly contacted a young woman, Aqsa Mahmood, who left her home in Scotland to travel to Syria in 2013 and is accused of trying to recruit others via social media. An attorney for the Mahmood family said the family was "surprised, horrified" that the contact had not prompted police action "because they understood that Aqsa's social media content was being closely monitored by the security services." "And the real concern that arises is that if a known member of ISIS who's now a poster girl for ISIS, seen to be recruiting and spreading propaganda, is in touch with young people in our country -- that one would expect the courtesy of a knock on the door of these families, to advise them that their children may be on the cusp of radicalization or going off to Syria," Aamer Anwar said. The Mahmood family condemned their daughter's actions, describing them "as a perverted and evil distortion" of Islam. But they also said the UK security services "have serious questions to answer" over their failure to intervene after one or more of the missing girls got in touch with her. Turkey has become the most traveled route for volunteers trying to join Syria's many armed factions since an anti-government uprising erupted more than three years ago. Initially, Ankara maintained an "open door policy," allowing hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees to flee to safety in Turkey. Turkish border guards looked the other way, taking few steps to stop activists, volunteers and journalists from crossing into Syria. But with the rise of the ultra-violent Islamist group ISIS in Syria, the Turkish government increasingly came under criticism at home and abroad for not doing enough to stop jihadists from going through Turkey to get into Syria. Some critics have accused Ankara of actively supporting ISIS against rival Kurdish rebel groups, charges the Turkish government has angrily denied. Last year, the Turkish government showed CNN new barricades, thermal cameras and fences aimed at better fortifying the border. Historically, the Turkish-Syrian border, which runs more than 800 kilometers (500

Summary: The teens are believed to have made it to war-torn Syria . The girls' parents publicly begged them to come home .


(CNN)A Connecticut 17-year-old who was forced to undergo nearly six months of chemotherapy to treat Hodgkin lymphoma is in remission, her attorney said Monday. "Cassandra C.," as she is identified in court papers, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in September. Medical experts gave her an 85% chance of survival if treated with chemotherapy. Without it, doctors said at the time, she was likely to die within two years. After her diagnosis, the young woman and her mother missed follow-up appointments, prompting the hospital to contact the Connecticut Department of Children and Families. They were concerned it was a case of medical neglect. After an investigation, the department requested temporary custody of Cassandra. She was removed from her mother's home and placed with a relative. A judge then allowed her to return home under the supervision of Department of Children and Families on condition she agree to complete the recommended treatment. After two days of chemotherapy in November, Cassandra ran away for a week, according to court documents. When she returned home she said she wanted to discontinue the treatment. Her mother, Jackie Fortin, who said she is opposed to chemotherapy, said her daughter didn't want the treatment because she did not want to put the "poison" in her body. In December, a judge returned Cassandra to the custody of Department of Children and Families after hearing testimony from her attorney. She was admitted to Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford. Doctors surgically implanted a port in Cassandra's chest to administer chemotherapy medications, which began in spite of legal maneuvers to halt them. Now, she has just two treatments left, according to her state appointed attorney, Josh Michtom, who said she is feeling well and she is in good shape as far as her health is concerned. "She's seen in her case the side effects weren't bad and she's been well treated by the nurses and doctors and does want to complete the treatment," he said. In January, he and an attorney for Cassandra's mother failed in their effort before the Connecticut Supreme Court to make the case that Cassandra was mature enough to make her own medical decision. In a statement emailed to CNN on Monday, Department of Children and Families Commissioner Joette Katz said, "We are very pleased with Cassandra's progress toward a complete recovery. We understand how difficult this has been for Cassandra and her family, but we have had full confidence throughout that the medical professionals involved in her treatment would be successful in saving her life." The agency has denied CNN's request to speak with Cassandra or her physicians. Michtom said he will return to juvenile court next week to try to persuade a judge that Cassandra should be returned to her mother's custody. He will argue she is no longer in imminent risk of harm from her illness and that she wants to complete her treatment. According to Michtom, Department of Children and Families could have withdrawn its position for an order of custody but hasn't. He said the department sees Cassandra as a flight risk. In

Summary: Cassandra C in remission after nearly 6 months of forced chemo for Hodgkin lymphoma . Attorney will ask judge to return teen to her mother's custody . Teen is no longer opposed to chemotherapy treatments .


(CNN)Robert Durst appeared to be prepared for life on the lam when FBI agents arrested him in New Orleans. The millionaire heir, according to court documents, had more than $40,000 in cash with him -- and a neck-to-head latex mask to alter his appearance. The new details about Durst, who's been charged with first-degree murder, emerged Wednesday in court documents supporting a search warrant for his Houston home. It's the latest twist in a whirlwind week for Durst, the subject of HBO's true-crime documentary "The Jinx." He's gone from a man battling suspicions that he killed three people to a frail 71-year-old on suicide watch. Durst, whose real estate developer family is among New York's wealthiest, has a net worth of about $100 million and had been withdrawing large sums of money from various bank accounts, including daily withdrawals of $9,000 over 35 days since October, the court documents said. He's being held on drug and weapons charges in Louisiana as he awaits extradition to Los Angeles to face charges in the 2000 killing of his close friend. It's not the first time he's been accused of murder. He admitted to killing and dismembering his neighbor in a 2003 trial, but he was acquitted after arguing he acted in self-defense. And while he's never been charged in his first wife's 1982 disappearance, her family members say they believe she's dead and that he's the one to blame. FBI agents are also investigating whether Durst could be connected to other unsolved murder cases. The agency is putting out a call to 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. Durst's apparent plans to flee began to unravel on Saturday, after an FBI agent approached him from behind at a New Orleans hotel and said, "Mr. Durst?" Although Durst had checked into the hotel under the name "Everette Ward" and carried a Texas ID card with that name, he turned around when the agent called him by name, according to court documents. In his hotel room, agents found more than $40,000 in cash, mostly in $100 bills packed into small envelopes, a loaded revolver, the rubber mask that covers the head and neck, his actual birth certificate and passport, and marijuana. On Tuesday, authorities made it clear they weren't done looking into Durst, even though he's behind bars. At the Houston condominium building where Durst owns three units and lived for many years, authorities seized compact discs, bank statements, handwritten notes, credit cards and checks, stationery, a cell phone, boxes of court documents, photos and a trash bag of court transcripts. They also left with copies of books that detail the disappearance of his first wife and his legal troubles: "Without a Trace" and paperback and hardcover copies of "A Deadly Secret." Journalist Matt Birkbeck, who wrote "A Deadly Secret," said he'd heard Durst read his book,

Summary: The FBI is looking into unsolved murder cases in areas where Robert Durst has lived . He's charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of his longtime friend in 2000 . Court documents reveal he had more than $40,000 in cash and a mask when agents arrested him .


(CNN)Whoever wins the general election on May 7 will face international challenges reaching to the heart of a question that has bedevilled every London government since 1945: what is, or should be, Britain's role in the world? As one of World War II's victor countries, Britain helped shape the post-war international architecture. Notably, it gained a permanent seat, plus veto power, in the U.N. Security Council, which it retains to this day. But these battlefield laurels disguised fundamental weakness. The two world wars severely depleted Britain's human and material resources. The heyday of the world's largest-ever empire and of London and Liverpool's control of a vast maritime trading network had passed. As the Cold War took global grip, the United States purposefully pushed Britain aside. The U.S. took over its military bases, its spheres of influence, and its markets. Conscious of its decline, London clung, slightly pathetically, to what it termed its "special relationship" with Washington. Maintaining this key U.S. relationship is the most important foreign policy challenge facing Britain's prime minister after May 7. Whether that person is the Conservative party's David Cameron or the opposition Labour party's Ed Miliband makes no difference. Barack Obama's arrival in the White House now looks like a watershed for bilateral relations. Unlike many of his post-war predecessors, Obama was no Anglophile. Indeed, his grandfather's unhappy experience in colonial-era Kenya gave him reason to dislike the English. Obama the dispassionate analyst also found scant objective reason to prioritize the British alliance or Europe generally. Looking at the EU, he saw one dominant, friendly power -- and its capital was Berlin, not London. Looking the other way, to Asia, Obama saw opportunities and threats of far greater moment, centered on rising powers such as China and India -- hence his subsequent "tilt" to Asia. Britain's principal value to the U.S. lies with its defense capabilities. It proved a loyal if not especially effective ally in Afghanistan and Iraq. Although capacity has steadily declined in the past 30 years, Britain was seventh in the world in 2013 in terms of military spending and remains a dependable U.S. deputy within NATO. But the pre-election consensus is that the next British government will be obliged to slash defense spending again, probably below the 2% of GDP threshold to which NATO members are pledged to maintain. Big cuts in army and air force numbers are in prospect. Maintaining even one modern aircraft carrier has become a real struggle. It is likely, on these trends, that Britain would be unable to contribute separately to any new international campaign, but would be obliged to place its troops under U.S. command, as General Raymond Odierno, U.S. army chief of staff, recently suggested. America's top politicians, soldiers and diplomats, such as U.N. ambassador Samantha Power, are applying increasing pressure on Britain over defense expenditure, but with little joy so far. In time, this impasse could lead to a permanent rift. Worse still, in the U.S. view, is the possibility that a Labour-led government, potentially beholden to the unilateral nuclear disarmers of the Scottish National

Summary: Whoever wins May 7 election must answer this question, says Simon Tisdall: What is, or should be, Britain's role in the world? Tisdall: Maintaining U.S. relationship is most important foreign policy challenge facing Britain's PM after May 7 . But foreign policy and key 21st century issues, such as climate change, have barely been mentioned, he writes .


New Delhi (CNN)A gang of robbers struck a Christian school in eastern India on Saturday, and one of them raped a 71-year-old nun, a senior official said. The man apparently did so, because she resisted the robbers, said P.B. Salim, chief administrator of the West Bengal state's Nadia district. Previously, a church official had told CNN sister broadcaster CNN-IBN that three or four of the men had raped the woman. A group of seven to eight men allegedly barged into the school and its attached staff residence during pre-dawn hours, and the elderly Sister Superior raised an alarm and resisted, Salim said. The rape was apparently punishment for it. Later, the men tied her up along with two other nuns and the building guard. The robbers then made off with cash worth a few hundred thousand rupees (thousands of dollars), laptops and other articles, Salim said. The attacked nun is under medical care. "Physically, she is better. But the mental trauma will take its own time to heal," Salim said. "It is a very, very shameful act, first of all, to rape any woman, any female," Father Dominic Emmanuel of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese said in televised comments. "But this one becomes even worse because, first of all, she is an old lady and then on top of it, she is a nun. She is a religious (and) has consecrated her life to God and all her life she has remained a virgin." The investigation into the burglary and rape is ongoing, and no arrests have yet been made, Salim told CNN. A series of rape cases involving girls, foreign tourists and a physiology student who died following a brutal gang rape in 2012 has hurt India's international reputation. Crowds have taken to Indian streets to protest against rape. The nation's lawmakers introduced tougher laws and punishments for sexual crimes and harassment. Despite such action, India continues to see episodes of sexual violence. For instance, five men were arrested in Kolkata in January and charged with raping a Japanese tourist. Police said the men operated as a gang and targeted single, Japanese tourists. In December, an Uber driver was charged with sexually assaulting a passenger. The incident that grabbed the world's attention was the rape of a woman by five men on a bus in 2012. She later died of her injuries. Anti-rape activists complained when the Indian government restricted the showing of a BBC documentary about rape that included comments from one of those men. He provoked outrage around the world by blaming the victim and saying the woman "should just be silent and allow the rape." Official data in India show that rape cases have jumped almost 875% over the past 40 years -- from 2,487 in 1971 to 24,206 in 2011. But campaigners say sexual assaults are underreported because of stigma and cultural factors. Experts say the causes of the high number of rapes include the nation's patriarchy, widespread poverty and lack of law enforcement in rural areas.

Summary: Official says men broke into a convent school and one sexually assaulted a septuagenarian nun . A series of publicized rapes have occurred in India in recent years .


New Delhi, India (CNN)A mob, consisting of thousands of people, stormed a prison compound in India's far northeast, dragging out a rape suspect before beating him to death on the streets on Thursday, authorities say. Police say they tried to stave off the mob with tear gas and opened fire, killing one person. The crowd targeted a 35-year-old suspect, identified as an undocumented Bangladeshi settler, who died of his injuries before officers could rescue him, said L.L. Doungal, the director-general of police in the remote Nagaland state, where the attack took place. The mob that broke into the main jail in the state's Dimapur district was comprised of "thousands" of people, Doungal told CNN. "Many of them were students in uniform," he said. The suspect was accused of raping a local woman on February 23. Tensions between the native Naga and undocumented Bangladeshi migrants in the district have been simmering for some time, police said. On Thursday evening, thousands of people who were demanding the cancellation of trade permits for Bengali-speaking settlers, tore into the prison complex and pulled the suspect out. Police initially used tear gas and bamboo canes to rescue the inmate, but were not successful, Doungal said. "There were students in uniform. So, we had to use minimum force," he said. The crowd planned to lynch the suspect, but he died from critical injuries suffered in the attack. "We retrieved his body before it could be (hanged)," Doungal said. Dimapur town has been placed under curfew, according to the officer, as the situation remains volatile.

Summary: Mob pulls rape suspect out of jail and kills him . Suspect was undocumented Bangladeshi settler . Racial tensions between local Naga people and Bangladeshi migrants high .


Dhanusha, Nepal (CNN)At Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport, hundreds of migrant workers line up daily at the immigration counters, clutching newly printed passports and boarding passes. Many of them, though, are clueless as to where they're headed. As a frequent traveler to the country, I've been approached many times by these men, asking me to help fill out their departure forms. Usually, when I ask what country they're traveling to, I get the same answer: "I'm not sure." They seem weary and lost but still hopeful that they can make their lives better. This time, however, I'm at the airport to follow up on the repatriation of the most unfortunate of these migrant workers -- far too many of them make the return journey in caskets. Almost every day, the remains of three or four workers arrive back in Nepal from the Middle East, according to Bhola Prasad Siwakoti, the secretary of the Nepalese Ministry of Labor and Manpower. Every other day, at least one dead body arrives from Qatar, he said. "Nepali migrant workers have the lowest per capita income in Qatar," says Suryanath Mishra, who served as ambassador to Qatar from 2007 to 2012. "They get exploited the most out of all the migrant workers." He cites lack of education and technical skills as the main causes. We are waiting for the body of Kishun Das, who left Nepal for Qatar only eight months ago. The 38-year old was his family's breadwinner and the father of five children. His younger brother, Bishun, is at the airport to receive the body. He also works in Qatar and is in Nepal on leave. I ask him why he's alone. "We don't have money to bring other family members to receive the body," he says. "But they have been calling me every other minute asking for the update." His phone rings. "I'm at the administration filling out the paperwork." he tells the caller on his phone. "No, he isn't getting any compensation." With more than 350,000 migrant workers, Nepalis make up the second-biggest community in Qatar, after Indians, the embassy in Qatar claims. When contacted about the deaths of foreign workers in Qatar, a spokesman for the labor ministry said that all workers deserve to be protected against exploitation. Saad Al-Mraikhi estimated that some 400 Indian and Nepalese workers die each year in Qatar. "It is desperately unfortunate that any worker should die overseas, in a foreign land, away from their family," the spokesman said. "But it would be wrong, we believe, to allow the statistics to be consistently distorted to suggest that all deaths in a population of 1.5 million people are apparently the result of workplace conditions, either directly or indirectly, which is the prevailing and erroneous narrative." Al-Mraikhi spoke about recent changes in his country, including the introduction of a wage protection system, improved living conditions and increased penalties for companies that violate rules. "While the vast majority of workers in Qatar are fairly treated, we recognise that a minority are not. That is why we are reforming labour laws and

Summary: A spokesman for the Qatari labor ministry details recent changes to the law . Each week, the bodies of dozens of migrant workers are repatriated to Nepal . The body of one man, Kishun Das, is returned home as his family mourns .


(CNN)For the first time ever, we're getting a live-action "Star Wars" movie without the man who composed the "Star Wars" theme. "Star Wars: Rogue One," the recently-announced "Star Wars" spinoff movie starring Felicity Jones, will not include the soaring music of Oscar winner John Williams. Williams originally scored "Star Wars" and every other episode since then, including the upcoming "Force Awakens" later this year. However, composer Alexandre Desplat has revealed that he will be working on 2016's "Rogue One." The film's director, Gareth Edwards, worked with Desplat last year on "Godzilla." A "Star Wars" movie without that iconic Williams sound is certainly something that fans will have to get used to, and Desplat has a big job ahead of him. Williams' work will also be absent from the next Steven Spielberg movie, "Bridge of Spies," it was announced this week. For the past three decades, Williams has scored every single Spielberg film, but the new movie, starring Tom Hanks and due out October 16, will be scored by Thomas Newman, best known for the score of "American Beauty." Movie studio DreamWorks attributed Williams' absence to a "minor health issue, since corrected." Williams' best known non-"Star Wars" music is almost entirely from Spielberg films, including "Jaws," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial" and "Jurassic Park." Another upcoming Spielberg movie, "The BFG," will include a Williams score.

Summary: Oscar-winning composer John Williams steps aside from 2016's "Star Wars: Rogue One" Williams will also be absent on Steven Spielberg's next movie, for the first time in three decades . Williams' music will still be heard on "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in December .


(CNN)When Oakland Raiders NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew retired recently at just 29 years old, he said his life had been focused on football for 24 years and he needed a change. It's no wonder he wanted out. He has been playing football since he was 5 years old. Sound too young to strap on a helmet? Not really. Jones-Drew is no different from thousands of other boys whose parents introduce them to the gridiron just a few years out of diapers. Football is America's favorite sport. We pride ourselves on our toughness, on our ability to get back up when we're knocked down. What better sport is there to teach those lessons? But today, youth football is not looking like the best option. In 2012, an estimated 225,287 children -- down 9.5% since 2010 -- between the ages of 5 and 14 played Pop Warner football, in which the weight class for the 5-year-olds ranges from 35 to 79 pounds. With such lightweight boys competing with children more than twice their size, it's no wonder parents feel less inclined to put their kids in this sport. But not too long ago, parents thought nothing of sending their children out on the football field to run around and burn up a little energy. Many parents still insist youth football is safe. What could be healthier for a boy? Certainly, it beats sitting in front of a computer all day. That's exactly what Debra Pyka thought when she signed up her son, Joseph Chernach, for Pop Warner football in Wisconsin, then later in Michigan, when he was 11 years old, in 1997. If only she knew then that her son would be dead at 25. Joseph hung himself in his mother's shed on June 7, 2012. His brain was later found to have severe CTE, a degenerative brain disease that has been linked to concussions in football. Joseph Chernach had played sports, including wrestling, pole vaulting and football most of his young life. But he spent almost four years playing Pop Warner football from ages 11 to 14. "My son was the class comedian, loved school, always fun to be around," Pyka told me. "But we noticed after high school Joseph changed. He got depressed, angry, paranoid and withdrew from sports and his friends. We just didn't know why. After learning about CTE, I knew he had it even before we got the results. The symptoms were all there." Pyka is convinced those early days playing Pop Warner football triggered her son's CTE. Last month, Pyka and her son's estate filed a lawsuit against Pop Warner football for $5 million, claiming the nonprofit failed to protect its youngest players and warn them and their parents about the permanent dangers of head trauma. The lawsuit further alleges that Pyka's son and other children were intentionally put in danger because Pop Warner used amateur coaches with short tenures, who were never properly trained in the game of football, injury prevention, concussion or head injury identification. So now, this mother is on a mission. She wants

Summary: Roxanne Jones: There's a reason why young NFL players are retiring from the sport . She says youth football is not looking like the best option for kids; parents should know the risks .


(CNN)A statue of a sitting Buddha that made its way from a temple in China to a market in the Netherlands revealed an extraordinary secret -- a 1,000-year-old mummified monk. The mummy was discovered, encased in a cavity in the statue, when a private buyer brought it to an expert for restoration. It's unclear when or how the statue was removed from China. But it wasn't until a team of researchers and scientists did a CT scan -- a comprehensive three dimensional x-ray image -- last year, did they discover the mummy's organs were missing. "We thought it would be lung tissue, but instead we found little scraps of paper covered with Chinese characters," said Vincent van Vilsteren, an archaeology curator from Drents Museum. The mummy was found sitting on a bundle of cloth covered in Chinese inscriptions, revealing its identity as a Buddhist monk called Liuquan who may have practiced "self-mummification" to prepare for life after death. The process of self-mummification is a known tradition in countries like Japan, China and Thailand, and was practiced over a thousand years ago. The elaborate and arduous process includes eating a special diet and drinking a poisonous tea so the body would be too toxic to be eaten by maggots. The few monks that were able to successfully complete the process were highly revered. "We suspect that for the first 200 years, the mummy was exposed and worshiped in a Buddhist temple in China... only in the 14th century did they do all the work to transform it into a nice statue," said van Vilsteren. Researchers are still waiting on DNA analysis results in hopes to trace the mummy back to its exact location in China. The statue is now housed in the National Museum of Natural History in Budapest and will move to Luxembourg in May as a part of an international tour.

Summary: A mummified monk from China was found inside a Buddha statue . Researchers believe the monk practiced "self-mummification"


London (CNN)It's a phenomenon that's been linked to a dragon, a black squirrel and Tiangiou, the magical dog of heaven. Mythologies from across the globe have blamed them all for eating the sun. In reality, solar eclipses, like the one that can be seen across parts of the Northern Hemisphere today, are down to an amazing coincidence. The moon and sun are at just the right distance away from the Earth that they appear to be of the same apparent size in the sky even though the sun is about 400 times larger than the moon. On occasion, the sun, moon and Earth are perfectly aligned so that when the moon passes in front of the sun it casts a shadow on the Earth, blocking the light. But that's not the whole story. A total eclipse can only be seen in the narrow corridor known as the "path of totality" --- or the "inner umbral shadow." The area where the sun's rays are only partially obscured is called the "penumbra." Today the moon's shadow falls across parts of North Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Millions will be in the penumbra part of the shadow and able to see a partial eclipse but if you want to catch the full majesty of the 2015 totality it will require a trip to the North Pole, Svalbard or the Faroe Islands between the UK and Norway. You can find out whether you will be able to see the eclipse by watching our animation. Solar eclipses are relatively common -- partial eclipses are visible somewhere on Earth most years -- but not necessarily in the same region. You might wait hundreds of years between two total eclipses at the same place. And not all eclipses are the same. The moon follows an elliptical orbit around the Earth which means it is sometimes closer to us -- at "perigee" -- and sometimes further away -- at "apogee." At apogee, the moon doesn't appear quite big enough to completely obscure the sun during a solar eclipse and an observer sees a ring of brilliant light around the moon. This is called an annular eclipse. At perigee (as now) the sun will be completely blocked by the moon during totality. This gives scientists a chance to study the sun's atmosphere and help solve a cosmic conundrum. Astronomer Robert Massey of the UK's Royal Astronomical Society explained that the sun's atmosphere or corona is a massive 2 million degrees Celsius but the sun's surface only around 5,500 Celsius. He said this temperature difference has long mystified scientists. "The eclipse at totality allows us to see the inner most regions of the sun's atmosphere even if it's only for a few minutes -- it's very hard to do otherwise," he said. Perhaps the brief window will give solar experts a chance to collect more data. But you don't have to be an astronomer to appreciate the incredible spectacle of an eclipse. CNN would like to see your pictures and videos and hear of your experiences by using CNN's eclipse iReport

Summary: Solar eclipses happen when the sun, moon and Earth are perfectly aligned so that when the moon passes in front of the sun it casts a shadow on the Earth . On March 20 this year the moon's shadow falls across parts of North Africa, Europe and the Middle East . The moon is slowly moving away from the Earth so there will come a time when the moon will appear to be too small to cover the sun .


(CNN)Ted Cruz is going on Obamacare. The newly announced Republican presidential candidate told CNN's Dana Bash on Tuesday that he will sign up for health care coverage through the Affordable Care Act -- a law he has been on a crusade to kill. "We'll be getting new health insurance and we'll presumably do it through my job with the Senate, and so we'll be on the federal exchange with millions of others on the federal exchange," Cruz said. Asked whether he would accept the government contribution available to lawmakers and congressional staffers for their health care coverage through the ACA, Cruz said he will "follow the text of the law." "I strongly oppose the exemption that President Obama illegally put in place for members of Congress because (Senate Minority Leader) Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats didn't want to be under the same rules as the American people," Cruz said, before repeating: "I believe we should follow the text of the law." Under the Affordable Care Act, members of Congress and some designated congressional staffers are required to obtain health care coverage through the D.C. Health Link Small Business Market. The Office of Personnel Management's guidelines state that lawmakers and their staff receive a "government contribution" if they get health care coverage through the ACA. But some lawmakers have declined to accept the contribution, saying they do not want to get special treatment. After the interview, a Cruz spokesperson clarified that he wouldn't take the contribution. Cruz's admission comes one day after CNN first reported that the senator would no longer have access to health benefits through his wife's employer, Goldman Sachs. Heidi Cruz, a managing director at the firm's Houston office, has gone on unpaid leave for the duration of the senator's presidential campaign and will not have access to the company's benefits during that time. Cruz's campaign appeared caught by surprise Monday by questions about the senator's health care. Asked how Cruz's family would be covered after his wife lost her Goldman Sachs benefits, Cruz spokesman Rick Tyler repeatedly answered that he didn't know. It's a deeply ironic development for the Texas conservative firebrand, who vaulted to fame during his few years in the Senate in large part by denouncing President Barack Obama's landmark health care law. He led an effort to defund the law that contributed to the 2013 government shutdown. Cruz denied that there was anything ironic about him going on Obamacare, saying he was simply following the law. "I believe we should follow the text of every law, even laws I disagree with," Cruz told CNN. "It's one of the real differences -- if you look at President Obama and the lawlessness, if he disagrees with a law he simply refuses to follow it or claims the authority to unilaterally change." After the publication of this story, Cruz advisers said there was nothing unusual about the senator signing up for insurance coverage through his employer. They argued that Obamacare has wiped out the individual market, leaving Cruz with few options. Cruz said he will continue advocating for

Summary: After interview, Cruz spokesperson says senator won't take government contribution to purchase Obamacare .


(CNN)On the basketball court, Karl Turk forgets that he walks with a limp and a cane. He'll get so caught up in the moment that he'll gesture with his hands to make a point and his cane will go flying. He's in the zone. Now, the man who was told he might never walk again is coaching his team in the state playoffs. Turk is the head basketball coach at West Oso High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. His team just clinched the district championship after an undefeated district season and are playing in the Texas State Basketball playoffs. It's an impressive run for his first season as head coach -- and an inspiration to his young players. "Coach shows us to never give up on any of your dreams," says 14-year-old starter Creighton Avery, who has known Turk since he was 9. Turk has been obsessed with basketball since he was a boy growing up in Indiana. When he was 5 years old, he learned to read by studying the sports pages with his grandfather. By the time he was 13, he was dreaming of playing for the Indiana Pacers. All that changed on January 21, 1994. That night, the 14-year-old watched the Chicago Bulls beat his Pacers in an intense game. He walked to bed. He woke up paralyzed. He was rushed in an ambulance to the hospital. For two weeks, he was completely paralyzed from the waist down and had temporarily lost some of his eye sight. After numerous tests, Turk was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis, a rare disease that causes inflammation of the spinal cord. Turk and his family were facing the harsh truth about what his quality of life would be like. He had to cope with the fact that he may not walk again. "Most patients do not recover well," said Turk. He spent the next 66 days in the hospital. A turning point came when Reggie Miller, the Indiana Pacers' all-star player and Turk's favorite basketballer, heard about what Turk was going through and paid him a visit in the hospital. Miller and Turk spent the next couple hours discussing each of their stories. The basketball player told him about growing up with pronated hips and having to wear leg braces, similar to the ones Turk was wearing at the time. He talked about what it took to be in the NBA: that many good ball players failed to embrace and work on what they were not good at, and personality and character weeded many good players out. "Reggie inspired me and helped me to embrace who I was," Turk said. "For that moment, I felt he believed in me and saw my potential for greatness." It's a message that stuck with him as he entered high school in a wheelchair and began to adjust his dreams. There was hope he could walk on his own again but he would have to have assistance. Turk participated in a rigorous physical therapy regimen and by his senior year he shed his last leg brace and began

Summary: Karl Turk, who was told he may never walk again, is coaching in the state playoffs . Indiana Pacer visited Turk and inspired him to embrace his disability . Turk applied for 10 head coaching positions, only to have one interview .


(CNN)The country's largest Presbyterian denomination has changed its definition of marriage to include gay couples -- though not explicitly. Presbyterian Church (USA) approved an amendment to its constitution after most of its 171 presbyteries -- or governing bodies -- voted for it, PC (USA) said Tuesday. Before, the definition said marriage was between "a man and a woman." The new definition says, in part, that "marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives." Already, PC (USA) ministers can perform same-sex marriages in states where such marriages are legal, the group said. But no teaching elder or session can be forced to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies if they do not believe they are appropriate. Not all members supported the decision. In a post on PC (USA)'s website, Jean and Robert Gorney accused the church of going against the Bible and threatened to leave. "We are not to change the Bible," their post said. "I don't care who disagrees." But the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, which says it supports "a fully inclusive church," welcomed the news Tuesday night. "The change aligns the church's constitution with a reality that has long been true: Both same-gender and opposite-gender couples have been living in relationships that demonstrate covenant faithfulness, shared discipleship and mutual love," the group said. "We are also aware that the discussion has been a difficult one for many, and that some will feel a deep sense of pain over this decision. The Covenant Network is committed to fostering healthy dialogue and working with those who hold a view different from ours, seeking opportunities for us to model an authentic and productive unity." The amendment will take effect on June 21. CNN's Daniel Burke contributed to this report.

Summary: Presbyterian Church (USA) will define marriage as a "commitment between two people" The marriage amendment will take effect June 21 .


(CNN)What's your company doing this year for March Madness? If your workplace is like most, the answer is a big fat nothing. Instead of leveraging the NCAA's annual tournament and turning it into a genuine bonding experience between colleagues, most organizations pretend it isn't happening. On the surface, ignoring a sporting event that takes place during regular work hours might appear like sound business practice. After all, companies need to generate profit, and it's hard to generate profit when your employees are huddled around a television, right? Wrong. What this perspective overlooks is that productivity isn't simply a function of how many hours we spend at the office. It also depends on the quality of our workplace experience. And one critical feature of that experience is how closely connected we feel to our colleagues. Research has consistently demonstrated that we are more effective at our jobs when we feel attached to the people around us. How do strong colleague relationships elevate our performance? For one thing, they make us more motivated. When you and your colleagues are close, failing to perform your duties generates more than a dissatisfied customer or an unhappy manager -- it means letting down your friends. The social pressure to achieve results can serve as a stronger motivator than anything a boss can say. Closer connections also foster a sense of trust and more candid dialogue. Studies comparing the collaboration patterns of friends to mere acquaintances indicate that friends are more willing to ask for help and more comfortable speaking up when a colleague is off on the wrong track. Performance aside, workplace friendships benefit organizations for another reason: Employees with richer friendships tend to stay on with their company for longer periods of time. Despite these considerable benefits, at most companies, friendships are an afterthought. To motivate employees, managers tend to rely on bonuses, promotions, and salary increases, ignoring the fact that as humans, we all have a basic psychological need for meaningful relationships. Yet the research is clear: When we feel valued and respected by those around us, we're not only more motivated -- we're also happier, healthier, and more productive. For too many organizations, investing in quality employee relationships means one thing: team-building exercises. Think ice breakers, trust falls and scavenger hunts. Every year, corporations spend millions on off-site retreats and weekend getaways packed with cringeworthy activities that purportedly foster better communication. But here's the truth: While awkward collaborations may spark brief experiences of closeness, they rarely translate into lasting friendships. So what does? Studies suggest three factors are essential to the development of authentic, meaningful friendships: familiarity (being around the same colleague often), similarity (finding commonalities in your background), and self-disclosure (revealing personal information about yourself every now and then, and having your co-worker do the same). Few activities include all three of these elements. This explains why close relationships usually take years to develop. But interestingly, office game-viewing parties come close. They present opportunities for colleagues to mingle with those from other departments and connect over shared interests. For many, the NCAA basketball

Summary: Friedman: Companies should encourage their employees to bond over NCAA tournament games . Research shows the value of cultivating friendships among co-workers .


(CNN)There were screams. Then the sounds of a commercial jetliner slamming into the mountainside. And finally silence. Deathly silence. That much is known about the final few minutes for the 144 passengers on Germanwings Flight 9525. Beyond that, it's a matter of imagination and speculation -- about what they saw and what they felt as their plane approached and then crashed into the Alps. None of them can speak for themselves, nor can any of the flight's six crew members. But authorities have given some clues, based on what investigators know about the aircraft's trajectory and what they've heard on a mangled cockpit voice recorder recovered at the crash site. It all began on what seemed like most any other Tuesday as citizens of 18 countries packed into the Germanwings plane in Barcelona, Spain. The passengers came from all walks of life, using Lufthansa's low-cost carrier to get to Dusseldorf, Germany. They were high school students, heading home after a week in Spain. They were parents and children enjoying their vacation. There were businessmen, scouting out store locations. There was a 26-minute delay before takeoff because air traffic controllers didn't give the OK to start the plane's engines earlier and there was a small wait in the takeoff rotation, according to Lufthansa. For any frequent flier, that kind of delay is nothing abnormal. Nor, it seems, was takeoff. The Airbus A320 left and headed northeast at 10:01 a.m. (5:01 a.m. ET) on what should have been a 726-mile journey. The plane leveled off at 38,000 feet, its cruising altitude. By this point, passengers would be OK to unbuckle, head to the restroom or get their bags out of the overhead bin. A seemingly innocuous act changed everything: The aircraft's pilot had to use the restroom, according to Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, telling the co-pilot that he was stepping out. It's possible that passengers saw the captain in the cabin, going to or from the restroom. They also could have noticed that the aircraft was going down -- even though they were about a half-hour into a nearly two-hour flight, with the Alps ahead of them. The passengers couldn't have known it, but the co-pilot -- identified as 28-year-old Andreas Lubitz --"manipulated the buttons of the flight monitoring system to activate the descent of the aircraft" while the pilot was out, Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin said Thursday. This was around 10:45 a.m. It wasn't like the plane suddenly jerked down, plunging straight into the ground. Authorities described a steady descent at a rate of about 3,000 to 3,500 feet (or roughly 1,000 meters) per minute. Still, it is the kind of descent you'd expect while nearing an airport -- not traversing the Alps. If passengers didn't notice that fall, they might have caught wind of what was happening at the front of the plane. Students, singers among the victims . Inside the cockpit, the only sound was that of Lubitz breathing steadily. But outside the cockpit, the noises apparently grew louder and more frantic. The pilot tried to open the door but couldn't

Summary: Germanwings Flight 9525 had a slight delay before taking off from Barcelona, Spain . After leveling off at 38,000 feet, the plane descended steadily before hitting the Alps . Screams were heard in plane's cabin in minutes before crash, according to audio recording .


Delhi (CNN)A court in New Delhi Wednesday summoned India's former Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, as a suspect in a trial over alleged irregularities in the allocation of coal blocks, a spokeswoman for the investigating agency told CNN. Singh and his former government have repeatedly denied accusations they cost the treasury billions of dollars in lost revenue by selling coalfields to private companies, without allowing competitive bidding. The 82-year-old leader, who served as the nation's prime minister for two successive terms until last year, was not named as a defendant in the original dossier of charges, said Kanchan Prasad, the spokeswoman for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Nevertheless, the trial court summoned him and some other corporate leaders to testify in person on April 8, she said. The case Singh has been asked to appear for relates to the licensing of a coal block to a private firm some 10 years ago, when he was also guardian of the nation's coal ministry. The summons has been issued under India's anti-corruption law. Singh said he was open to legal scrutiny. "(I) Am sure that the truth will prevail and I will get a chance to put forward my case with all the facts. I have always said I am open for legal scrutiny. Of course I am upset, but this is part of life," he said in a text message issued by his office. Singh's Congress Party also came to his defense. The former prime minister functioned with "utmost probity and utmost transparency" during his term, said senior Congress Party leader Manish Tiwari. He said Singh's legal team would thoroughly examine the summons, and indicated it may be challenged in a higher court. The Oxford-Cambridge educated Singh has been credited with ushering in economic reforms in India as its finance minister in the 1990s. In his first term as prime minister, he initiated a historic nuclear deal with the United States that ended the South Asian nation's decades-old isolation in the global nuclear market. His second tenure was hit by the unearthing of a series of scandals spread across various sectors. In 2012, the national auditor alleged a widespread scam in the allocation of coal blocks. India depends heavily on coal for power. The fuel is abundantly available in the country, but that's still not enough to satisfy the demand for energy in Asia's third-largest economy. For the current financial year, national demand for thermal coal to produce energy has been estimated at 551.6 million tonnes, according to official figures. Of it, at least 84.7 million tonnes is being met through imports, coal minister Piyush Goyal told the Indian parliament in December. The state-run monopoly Coal India Limited (CIL) accounts for more than 80% of the output. Plans by current Prime Minister Narendra Modi for future privatization of the industry faced resistance recently, when CIL workers stopped work in January. The two-day strike -- the biggest of its kind in four decades -- not only severely limited the ability of the companies to meet their production quotas, but forced the government to go

Summary: Court summons former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh . Due to appear on April 8; case relates to the licensing of a coal block to a private firm 10 years ago .


(CNN)A Michigan woman lost her Planet Fitness membership over the "inappropriate" manner in which she complained about a transgender woman in the locker room, a gym spokeswoman said. Yvette Cormier's membership was not canceled for simply raising the issue, "as we welcome all feedback from our members," said McCall Gosselin, director of public relations at Planet Fitness Corporate. Rather, it was the manner in which she expressed her concerns that club management felt was inappropriate, resulting in the cancellation, Gosselin said. Cormier stands by her actions in a case that has drawn attention to transgender rights. "This is all new to me. I didn't go out to specifically bash a transgender person that day. I was taken aback by the situation," Cormier told CNN. "This is about me and how I felt unsafe. I should feel safe in there." The mother of two says she was acting out of concern for her safety and the privacy of other female gym members when she raised the issue on Saturday, February 28. She went to the front desk after someone who looked like a "man" entered the women's locker room while she was changing. "I wanted to know why there was a man in the women's locker room," she told CNN. "He looked like a man, and that's what stopped me in my tracks." She said the front desk employee told her about Planet Fitness' "no-judgment" policy, which allows people to use changing room based on "their sincere, self-reported gender identity." Unsatisfied, she said she called Planet Fitness' corporate headquarters and heard the same thing. "That should be something they pointed out when I signed up," she said. "If you have male parts you don't need to be in the women's locker room. I don't care what you are; I don't care if you're gay lesbian, transgender or transvestite. I am uncomfortable with you as a male in my locker room, in my restroom." She returned to the gym Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday "to get the word out" to other women that they "let men in the women's locker room," she said. "Every day I said 'just so you know, there's a man they allow in this locker room and they don't tell you that when you sign up,' " she said. The next day, she found out that her membership had been canceled. Cormier said Planet Fitness needs to do a better job of informing members of its policy allowing members to use whichever locker room corresponds with their gender identity, which refers to a person's psychological identification as a man, woman or another gender. "The manner in which this member expressed her concerns about the policy exhibited behavior that management at the Midland club deemed inappropriate and disruptive to other members, which is a violation of the membership agreement and as a result her membership was canceled," Gosselin said in a statement on behalf of Planet Fitness. "Planet Fitness is committed to creating a nonintimidating, welcoming environment for our members. Our gender identity nondiscrimination policy states that members and guests may

Summary: Woman loses gym membership after complaining about transgender woman in locker room . Planet Fitness said manner in which she expressed concerns was "inappropriate" Yvette Cormier: "This is all new to me"


(CNN)With a little bit of help from Donald Trump, Rory McIlroy was re-united with the golf club he famously threw into the lake at Doral -- but probably wished the golf-loving tycoon had not bothered. Never one to miss a media opportunity, Trump, the owner of the Blue Monster course in Florida, got a scuba diver to retrieve the 3-iron club which world No. 1 McIlroy had thought he had seen the last of during Friday's second round at the WGC-Cadillac Championship. The 68-year-old American entrepreneur presented it to McIlroy before his final round Sunday, telling him that it was unlucky to continue playing with 13 clubs as against the usual 14 allowed under golf's rules. "He's never one to miss an opportunity," McIlroy told the official PGA Tour website after his round. "It was fine. It was good fun." Not that opportunity knocked for McIlroy when he chose the 3-iron to play his third shot to the 18th and final hole of the tournament and promptly found the water again. The Northern Irishman feigned to repeat his earlier antics, before placing it back in the bag. His mistake led to a double bogey six and left him tied for ninth at one-under-par, eight shots behind winner Dustin Johnson. McIlroy had promised to return the club to Trump after the round and was as good as his word. "We're thinking about auctioning it for charity or doing a trophy case for Doral, putting it on a beautiful mount," Trump said. Johnson is looking set to be one of McIlroy's main rivals in the first major of the season, the U.S. Masters at Augusta, next month and his victory completed a triumphant comeback to the PGA Tour. The 30-year-old American took a six-month break from the Tour last July to cope with "personal problems" and returned earlier this year. Johnson finished with a three-under 69 in testing conditions to leave him one ahead of long-time leader JB Holmes and two clear of Bubba Watson, the reigning Masters champion. Johnson celebrated on the 18th with his fiancee Paulina Gretzky, the daughter of ice hockey legend Wayne, and their newly-born son.

Summary: Rory McIlroy re-united with the 3-iron he threw into lake at Doral . Presented with the club by owner Donald Trump . Repeats mistake with same club on final hole of WGC-Cadillac Championship . Dustin Johnson wins tournament after six-month absence from PGA Tour .


(CNN)The Queens, New York, district attorney called it "every subway commuter's worst nightmare." A man waiting for a train was pushed off the subway platform into the path of an arriving train on December 27, 2012. He died instantly. Erika Menendez of Queens, was charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime. Menendez told authorities she "pushed a Muslim off the train tracks" because she'd hated Hindus and Muslims ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. Menendez, 33, was allowed Friday to plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter, Brown said in a statement. The judge indicated he would sentence her to 22 to 25 years in prison on April 29. Conviction on the original charge would have resulted in a tougher sentence -- 25 years to life imprisonment, Meris Campbell, spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, said Saturday. The district attorney's office accepted the plea because Menendez promised not to appeal and because of Menendez's "substantial psychiatric history and serious drug problem," Campbell said. "We are assured she'll serve a substantial amount of time behind bars." The victim, Sunando Sen, 46, was not Muslim. A friend told CNN he grew up in a Hindu family. The incident happened at night at the 40 Street-Lowery Street station in Sunnyside, Queens. Witnesses told police a woman paced the platform and talked to herself before pushing Sen as the 11-car train entered the station. Security video showed a woman running from the scene. Menendez was recognized on a street in Brooklyn by a passerby who had seen the video and called 911, police said. "The defendant is accused of committing what is every subway commuter's worst nightmare -- being suddenly and senselessly pushed into the path of an oncoming train," Brown said Friday. "The victim was allegedly shoved from behind and had no chance to defend himself." A call and email to Menendez's defense lawyer were not immediately returned Saturday. CNN's Vivian Kuo contributed to this report.

Summary: Man was pushed into the path of subway train in Queens in December 2012 . Woman originally charged with murder as a hate crime pleaded guilty to manslaughter .


(CNN)Rafael Nadal lifted his first trophy since last year's French Open and closed in on a long-standing ATP Tour record Sunday by claiming the Argentina Open crown. Argentina legend Guillermo Vilas leads the way with 49 wins in clay-court tournaments, but today's "King of Clay" drew nearer to the leading mark by winning his 46th title in Buenos Aires. He also claimed his 65th title from 93 tour-level finals, breaking out of a tie with legends Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg for fifth place in the all-time list. Nadal has been hampered by injury and illness since his Roland Garros triumph last June and lost out to Fabio Fognini in the semifinals of the Rio Open last week. It was a dispiriting defeat -- his first in a clay-court semifinal for 12 years -- but, moving from Brazil to Argentina, the Spaniard was largely untroubled in reaching the final and duly swept aside home player Juan Monaco 6-4 6-1 in the Estadio Billoch Caride. Nadal was playing in the first event for the first time in 10 years and his victory is a morale-booster after going out early in Qatar and exiting the Australian Open ahead of his clay-court swing in South America. The 28-year-old from Mallorca took his career record against Monaco, who was playing his 20th career final, to 6-1 and was never seriously troubled in the title match. The only thing to delay him was multiple rain delays which had the players scurrying on and off the court. A single break of service gave him the opener but he pulled clear immediately in the second and three further breaks saw him wrap up victory in just short of an hour and a half of action. Nadal is the seventh successive Spanish winner of the ATP 250 event, and it is a boost for his preparations for his challenge for a remarkable 10th French Open title in May.

Summary: Rafael Nadal wins ATP tournament in Buenos Aires . Beats home player Juan Monaco 6-4 6-1 in final . Closes in on Guillermo Vilas' all-time record of 49 tournament titles on clay . Nadal bidding for 10th French Open crown later this year .


(CNN)A suspect from Ohio learned a valuable lesson this week: Don't taunt authorities on social media, especially when you're a wanted man. Andrew Marcum, 21, jumped in and posted his two cents after authorities shared his picture on Facebook as a featured warrant of the week. Allegations against the Lemon Township resident included burglary, kidnapping, domestic violence and criminal endangering, the Butler County Sheriff's Office posted in a message accompanying its post. Apparently not intent on going down without a fight, a man bearing the name Andrew Marcum responded to the post. "I ain't tripping half of them don't even know me," he posted. In addition to sharing the suspect's name, the Facebook account is several years old and had other photos resembling Marcum, including one with a large tattoo spelling his last name on his back. Authorities took the man's post seriously enough to respond to it. "Andrew Marcum, if you could stop by the sheriff's office, that'd be great," they posted. Sheriff Richard K. Jones raised the stakes by moving their pleas to Twitter. He posted a picture of a jail cell that apparently awaited the suspect. Marcum's purported post appeared Monday, and authorities arrested him a day later. "Thanks to our social media friends for helping turn up the heat on this week's featured warrant," the Sheriff's Office tweeted. "Marcum in custody." Jones posted the suspect's arrest mug shot, showing him in tears.

Summary: Andrew Marcum, 21, responded to a warrant on him posted on Facebook . "I ain't tripping half of them don't even know me," the purported message says .


(CNN)Two U.K. charities have stopped funding a Muslim advocacy group that had earlier helped ISIS's masked murderer "Jihadi John," now identified as Mohammed Emwazi, before his radicalization, the group said. The human rights and advocacy group CAGE in London said it accepted the loss of funding from the Roddick Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. But CAGE blamed a "neo-conservative" leadership on the U.K.'s Charity Commission for pressuring the two charities to halt funding. "We respect their decision. We thank them for their past support. Both of these charities have played a significant role in contributing to the development of Muslim civil society here in the UK," CAGE spokesperson Amandla Thomas-Johnson said Friday. The termination of funding came after the Charity Commission "took robust action" and cited how "public statements by CAGE officials heightened concerns about the use of charitable funds to support their activities," the commission said in a statement. The commission didn't specify those statements by CAGE, but stated that "in our view, those statements increased the threat to public trust and confidence in charity and raised clear questions for a charity considering funding CAGE's activities as to how the trustees of those charities could comply with their legal duties as charity trustees," the commission said. "CAGE is not a charity but has been in part funded by British charities. As it is not a charity and given the nature of its work, and the controversy it has attracted, the Charity Commission has been concerned that such funding risked damaging public trust and confidence in charity," the commission said. "As the regulator of charities, we expect all charities and trustees to ensure that all charitable funds are used according to their charity's purposes and in the way that the public would expect," the commission said. CAGE said it had worked with Emwazi and indicated that British authorities' tactics pushed him to radicalize. CAGE said that emails he sent the organization paint a picture of a desperate man hounded by authorities who saw his plans for a new life crumble as he tried unsuccessfully to get help. Emwazi felt he was being harassed by authorities and tried to seek legal help to stop it, according to CAGE. Emwazi, a Kuwaiti-born Londoner, was a "polite" and "beautiful young man" who would drop into the CAGE office with treats to thank the group for helping him, the group said. Emwazi came to CAGE in 2009 looking for support when he felt that British authorities were -- in the words of Asim Qureshi, CAGE's research director -- "harassing" him. But Emwazi has now been identified by U.S. officials as the masked man in ISIS videos showing beheadings of Western hostages. More than a dozen British administrative court documents obtained by CNN reveal British security services initially believed Emwazi was part of a radical West London recruitment network for terrorist groups in East Africa. The two charities gave sizeable funds to CAGE. The Rowntree Charitable Trust has given 271,250 British pounds, or almost $408,000, to CAGE since 2007, the commission said. The trust had

Summary: UK Charity Commission takes "robust action" against Muslim advocacy group CAGE . Two charities under commission's regulation no longer fund CAGE . Commission cites unspecified public remarks made by CASE .


(CNN)Turkey has arrested a person -- working for an undisclosed nation's intelligence service -- on suspicion of helping three British girls who are thought to have entered Syria to join ISIS, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday. This person was working for a country that is part of an international anti-ISIS coalition, Cavusoglu said. Separately, a Turkish official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the suspect is not Turkish, and is not a citizen of the country for which he was working. Who has been recruited to ISIS from the West? Britain's Foreign Office on Thursday released a statement about the arrest. "We are aware that an arrest has been made by the Turkish National Police and that the Metropolitan Police have informed the families of the three girls," the statement read. "There has been close cooperation between ourselves and the Turkish authorities, and the Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with his Turkish counterpart. As soon as the UK received this information it was acted upon appropriately." Girls' ISIS checklist: Makeup, underwear . CNN's Atika Shubert contributed to this report from London.

Summary: The person was working for a country that's part of an anti-ISIS coalition, official says . The "Metropolitan Police have informed the families of the three girls," UK says .


(CNN)I am a friendly, hard-working Ohio native. It's how a lot of my friends in New York describe Midwesterners. It's as if we're assembled at "The Flyover Wonder Bread Factory," devoid of color or depth. We supposedly represent all that is wholesome in America. That may be true, but "friendly and hard-working" is so ... bland. If you think I'm being a tad harsh, ask anyone who isn't from the Midwest to describe someone born and raised in America's Heartland. My favorite definition came from a colleague raised in Florida. She struggled to describe us at first, then said, "Simple." Um, like the Amish? "No," she said, flustered. Even my fellow Midwesterners have a hard time coming up with interesting descriptors. CNN legal analyst Danny Cevallos is a proud native of North Muskegon, Michigan. First thing out of his mouth, "Friendliness!" After that, he struggled, too. "Boy, let me see...um...not easily agitated?" I rolled my eyes. "That is so bland, Danny." He paused, then said, "I'll take bland over the rap Florida gets any day." Even my new friend, Jared Zak, from Wisconsin struggled. The best he could come up with was "hearty." I asked these questions after interviewing Eric Dayton, who wants his native Minnesota to divorce itself from the Midwest. "We're Midwest if you're looking at it from New York City or from anywhere on [the East] Coast," Dayton told me. "But then again, that's someone else's definition. I think it's time for us to claim our own." Dayton and his brother, Andrew, whose father is the state's governor, are Minneapolis businessmen whose clothing store and restaurant have a decidedly local flavor. Eric Dayton, after touring Scandinavia (many Minnesotans are of Norwegian descent), became enthralled by the region's strong identity. It proudly embraced its chilly weather, its food, its culture, its... Northiness. So why, he questioned, didn't Minnesota? When Dayton got home he hired a Minnesota company to make stocking hats for his clothing boutique that said, "North." They sold out and Dayton's idea headed, well, north. Minnesotans just got it, he said. I admit, I didn't get it, until I thought more about it. Minnesota -- or should I say Minneapolis -- is criticized, by some of my compatriots, for being "Minnesota nice," the sort of "nice" (fake) that isn't remotely the kind of "nice" (sincere) for which Midwesterners are renowned. But, hey, I have an open mind. You could argue that Minnesota, along with North Dakota, parts of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan, are in the Northern region of the United States. And, you could argue Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are Eastern states. The only truly Midwestern states are Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Go ahead, argue among yourselves, but know that Mr. Dayton isn't talking only about geography when it comes to labeling Minnesota -- "The North." He's talking about image and, although he won't say it, branding. "The New York Times had done an article highlighting different Thanksgiving side dishes," Dayton told me. "For Minnesota, they named grape salad as our signature

Summary: Costello: The Midwest is not 'flyover country' and has more to offer than friendliness. The region need rebranding, as two guys from Minneapolis are attempting, she says .


March 10, 2015 . We're truly international in scope on Tuesday. We're visiting Italy, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Himalayan Mountains. Find out who's attempting to circumnavigate the globe in a plane powered partially by the sun, and explore the mysterious appearance of craters in northern Asia. You'll also get a view of Mount Everest that was previously reserved for climbers. On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL . For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News!

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


(CNN)The bot world is getting bigger. Paramount, Michael Bay and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are enlisting Akiva Goldsman to help the studio develop ideas and a team to work on future "Transformers" spinoffs and sequels, a source tells THR. The move signals that the studio is looking toward making its Hasbro toy-inspired franchise into a universe in the same vein as Marvel's "Avengers," Universal's monster universe (which will kick off with "The Mummy" in 2016) and Warner Bros.' DC Comics superhero universe. Paramount had no comment. MORE: 'Heroes' alum Masi Oka returning for NBC sequel 'Reborn' Bay has directed all four of the Transformers films, which have earned $3.8 billion worldwide. The most recent, "Transformers: Age of Extinction," starred Mark Wahlberg and opened summer 2014 to earn $1.1 billion worldwide. MORE: 'Once Upon a Time' stars on Hook and Ursula's "soul-crushing" history . Goldsman's recent work includes writing, directing and producing "Winter's Tale" and writing YA sequel "Insurgent." He's repped by WME and Hansen, Jacobson. MORE: DC Entertainment unlocks the secrets of 'Convergence' comic book event . Bay is working on his Benghazi project, "13 Hours," which he'll direct. He's repped by WME and Sloane, Offer. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

Summary: Paramount plans to follow in the footsteps of Marvel and DC Comics with a "cinematic universe" It's enlisting writer and producer Akiva Goldsman to help the studio develop ideas and a team .