(CNN)One-year-old Viktoria lives almost entirely in the dark. She was born in Donetsk, as the crisis in eastern Ukraine was taking hold last year. Now, she and her parents stay in a putrid cellar that also serves as a bomb shelter, on the outskirts of the city. They are usually packed in tight with dozens of other people. It takes torchlight to see their faces: children, women, men and the elderly, sitting in a sea of filth. There is no water and no toilet, just buckets overflowing in a space where people have to eat and sleep. This is the world Viktoria has experienced so far, the place where she is having to learn to talk and walk. It's an extraordinary contrast with just a few years before, when Donetsk was a thriving city that helped host the European Football Championship. Now the streets are empty and most of the shops are closed. The shelling is so incessant that our driver tells me it feels like having techno music playing constantly in the background. I hear a lot about the politics of the Ukraine conflict: which leader has said what to whom, the provenance of arms, the big picture. What is missing from the debate is the people -- it is ordinary citizens who are suffering the most. Behind the grand headlines, there are children in desperate need who are suffering now and who will continue to suffer the consequences of the crisis in years to come. Around 1.7 million children are affected by the conflict in Ukraine -- including more than a thousand who are seeking refuge in bomb shelters in Donetsk. These are not modern bunkers. They are freezing holes, normally in the cellar of a house, which are simply unfit for human habitation. If a building collapses in a bombing, everyone will be buried. That is why in Debaltseve, for example, aid organizations are bringing body bags with them. Children are unbelievably stressed. They have seen friends and relatives die. They are afraid to even step outside of the cellars, as they fear they will never come back. On a recent U.N. aid convoy into Donetsk, UNICEF delivered more than 27 metric tons of essential hygiene supplies, education kits and drinking water. We made sure we prioritized the neediest children -- those in underground bomb shelters as well as those who are living with disabilities, who have been orphaned or who are affected by HIV. But this is not the sort of childhood one would imagine for 21st century Ukraine. In a country where children are too often institutionalized, the ongoing crisis can only exacerbate the problem. Social systems are collapsing and children are bearing the brunt. In an orphanage for babies born to HIV-positive women, we found there were no tests to check if babies were HIV positive or not, let alone the necessary medication to treat them. These babies are in limbo -- nobody wants to adopt them and their status is not known. This area of Ukraine had one of the highest level of HIV before

Summary: Radoslaw Rzehak: About 1.7 million children affected by conflict in Ukraine . Rzehak: Social systems are collapsing and children are bearing the brunt .


Los Angeles (CNN)The search for a rookie Los Angeles Police Department officer suspected of homicide has expanded into an international manhunt, focused on the border cities of El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The FBI said Friday it believes AWOL policeman Henry Solis is armed and dangerous and drove 800 miles across the desert from Southern California to El Paso with his father in a pickup a week ago. The FBI is offering $25,000 for information leading directly to the arrest of Solis in connection with the death of Salome Rodriguez, 23, who died after a fight between the men in a downtown Pomona, California, bar. "The pattern suggests he crossed into Mexico, but he has family and friends living in El Paso and Ciudad Juarez," said Scott Garriola, special FBI agent who runs the fugitive task force from the Los Angeles Bureau. "So he could be on either side of the border." "It's a quick bus ride from the interior of Mexico to other parts of the country and Central America." The FBI, Pomona Police and Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to comment on whether Victor Solis might face charges for allegedly helping his son flee to El Paso. Garriola said Solis is a veteran of the Marines and "he has extensive training and weapons" understanding. Authorities posted three photos of Solis, with and without facial hair, and said he may now have a full beard. Police said after the early morning bar fight Solis pursued his victim on foot in the nightclub district and shot him multiple times. Garriola said Solis then reportedly called his father in Lancaster, California, and later that morning they began the trek to El Paso. Victor Solis said he dropped off his son at a bus stop in El Paso and his son made some incriminating statements "not only about his actions that day but also that he would never be seen again," Garriola said. Henry Solis worked in the Devonshire Division of the San Fernando Valley, where he rode with a training officer. Earlier this week, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck fired Solis and appealed for him to give up. "You have dishonored this police department, your country and your service to your country," Beck said. Marine Corps records say Solis served in Iraq from April to November 2007, earning several medals, including for the Iraq campaign, global war on terrorism service and Marine Corps good conduct. The personnel file also shows Solis was an aircraft maintenance technician and a security guard. Garriola said he was confident Solis will be caught, and said he shared Beck's opinion of Solis. "It's a brother law enforcement officer, he served our country, we echo that same indignation."

Summary: FBI says it believes AWOL rookie policeman Henry Solis is armed and dangerous . He is accused of shooting a man after a fight in a Pomona, California, bar .


(CNN)Israel's ruling Likud Party pulled off a victory in Tuesday's election -- and it was a stunning one. During the campaign, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had come in for heavy criticism from across the political spectrum, for reasons ranging from concerns over his frosty relationship with the White House, to his fixation on the Iran nuclear issue, to allegations over Netanyahu's household expenses. Yet despite this unpromising backdrop, Likud is on course to win 30 seats in the Knesset, six seats more than the main opposition Zionist Union -- headed by Isaac Herzog and Tsipi Livni, and an obvious favorite of the Israeli media establishment and Europe, Washington, and the West Bank. The blow to the Zionist Union is particularly painful because some opinion polls had actually had the party leading Likud as the campaign drew to a close. (Likud wasn't the only winner of the night --the new center-right party Kulanu (All of Us), which focuses on the economy, also had a good showing, securing 10 seats). Still, Likud's resounding hasn't settled the eventual makeup of the government -- in the coming weeks, the work of negotiating a coalition will begin. With this in mind, there is a good chance that President Reuven Rivlin will ask Netanyahu to form a national unity government, either with the Zionist Union, or as the head of a right-wing coalition (although the bitter rivalry between Herzog/Livni and Netanyahu during the campaign makes the latter more likely). Overall, the election results seemed to reflect the rightward shift of the electorate, with even voters who self-identify as centrists consistently expressing conservative positions on both the Palestinian issue and broader questions of national security. Meanwhile, the numbers for the left in Tuesday's election -- a four seats for Meretz, 24 for the Zionist Union and 14 for the Arab List suggests the bloc is some 20 seats short of a viable coalition. As a result, the international community and the Palestinian leadership will have to face the reality that negotiations over the Palestinian state will be conducted with the center-right. So, what can we expect from the new Netanyahu government? Issues that dominated the campaign, namely security and the economy, will likely dominate. For a start, Netanyahu will try to improve his record on domestic and social issues by introducing more proactive policies tied to housing and land reform. The issue of housing requires especially painful economic and bureaucratic changes over the Israel Land Authority and planning and zoning processes. But to address these Issues properly, Netanyahu will have to confront land owners and the housing constructors, meaning key structural reforms are unlikely in the short term. In addition, Netanyahu will also have to repair the fractured relationship with Washington, something that may not be easy given that ties with the Obama administration will largely depends on whether a nuclear deal over Iran is reached, and what shape such a deal takes. That raises the question over what direction the government will take over national security, and on this, the government can probably be expected to pursue

Summary: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won re-election in Tuesday's poll . Olena Bagno-Moldavsky: Netanyahu unlikely to rethink national security policies .


(The Hollywood Reporter)The skies over Gotham City might become bright once again in 2016, with Adam West and Burt Ward promising a return to their career-high roles of Batman and Robin as part of an upcoming animated project next year. The comments took place at the Mad Monster Party in Charlotte, NC this weekend, with Ward somewhat uncertainly telling the crowd that they "can look forward to a new animated "Batman" full length, 90-minute feature, coming out on the 50th anniversary." (That would be the 50th anniversary of the 1960s Batman TV series, which launched Jan. 12, 1966.) Why more 'Star Wars' actors haven't become stars . The animated movie is described by Ward as "one of possibly two, but for sure one, that Adam and I are going to be doing the voices for," although he didn't say anything else about the project. In fact, as video from the event shows below, he seemed unclear about whether he should talk about it at all, prefacing his comments with "I don't know... whether we can talk about the new Batman movie..." (Adam West declares they can, in a suitably Batman-esque authoritative tone.) How Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman have changed their looks through the years . The profile of the 1960s Batman series has been raised considerably in recent years, with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment releasing a line of merchandise and comic books based on the series under the brand Batman '66, leading up to last year's release of the full series on DVD and Blu-ray. Batman through the years . Warner Bros. declined to comment about a potential 50th anniversary animated project when contacted by THR. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

Summary: Adam West and Burt Ward say they will reprise their Batman and Robin roles in an animated movie . Movie is due out in 2016 for the 1966 TV series' 50th anniversary .


(CNN)This week, Google CFO Patrick Pichette made headlines when his resignation memo announcing his retirement surfaced in the media. But the uproar wasn't that Pichette was quitting so much as why. "After nearly seven years as CFO," he began, "I will be retiring from Google to spend more time with my family." What he wanted now was to enjoy life at home and abroad with his wife, to "grab our backpacks and hit the road -- celebrate our last 25 years together by turning the page and enjoy a perfectly fine midlife crisis full of bliss and beauty." The letter, which he said he wrote in part because, "so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life," has been held up as a manifesto for the "work/life balance" ideal that's become something of the new American dream. The media has described it as "powerful" and "unusually reflective." Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page said, "Well worth reading, it will warm your heart." But if Pichette's work/life balance was achieved by quitting his job to go see the world, what message does it send to the rest of us seeking work/life balance? What message does it send to those workers -- and in particular women -- who are constantly told they can "have it all," or who can be at the top of their field and have a family? What does it say to all those women to whom we say that, with a little "leaning in" or "playing big" they don't have to choose between work and life? Successful women from Sheryl Sandberg to PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi have spoken out about the pressure to "have it all," and how, perhaps, there's really no such thing. Research backs them up. A November 2014 study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior found that women show more signs of depression as they move up the career ladder. Similarly, a survey of Harvard Business School grads found that the pressure women put on themselves to balance work and family is causing them significant stress. The survey also found that the majority of men expected their partners to take primary responsibility for childcare -- and indeed that happened in more than 70% of cases. And yet in recent years, "work/life balance" has been held up as a legitimately attainable ideal, one that you can achieve if only you give your personal life as much attention as your professional one. But if you look at those we tend to hold up as models of that ideal -- those who leave work earlier, silence their cellphones more, retire, as in the case of Pichette, at 52 -- are they really striking a balance? Which is why talking about work/life balance at all is a perilous business, an invitation to fail. Having it all is very difficult, if not downright impossible. Pichette, after all, did not practice work/life balance. He wrote, "I was always on -- even when I was not supposed to be." Like many successful men (and women), he

Summary: Google CFO Patrick Pichette's memo announcing his resignation in order to seek work/life balance went viral . Peggy Drexler: Most Americans who want to find work/life balance don't have the luxury to just quit their jobs .


Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)A Yemeni jet commanded by the capital's Houthi conquerors fired missiles at a palace housing Yemen's deposed President in the country's south Thursday, injuring no one but marking an escalation in deadly fighting that's erupted between forces for and against the ousted leader. The jet flew from Sanaa, which Houthi rebels overtook in January, to the palace in the port city of Aden, where the jet conducted the strikes Thursday afternoon, a senior air force official said on condition of anonymity. Deposed President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi was at the Aden palace compound when the first missile struck the grounds, but he then fled safely, a Hadi aide said, also on condition of anonymity. A second missile struck near the compound, but, like the first, injured no one, two officials in Aden said. Another Houthi-commanded air force jet fired a missile in downtown Aden about a half-hour later, again injuring no one, Aden Gov. AbdulAziz Hobtour said. It wasn't immediately clear what the missile struck, or what the intended target was. The airstrikes came on the same day opposing Yemeni military forces -- those commanded by Houthis, and those led by officers loyal to Hadi -- battled in Aden, leaving at least 13 people dead and 21 others injured, Hobtour said. The Houthis, a minority rebel group that holds sway in the nation's north but has less influence elsewhere, took control over military forces stationed near Sanaa, including the air force, as it overtook the government there in January. Hadi initially was put under house arrest in Sanaa, but he escaped last month, fleeing to Aden and declaring himself to still be president. Some military forces still are loyal to Hadi, including troops from his native province in the south. On Thursday, clashes erupted in Aden when a special forces commander loyal to the Houthis, Abdul Hafez Al Saqqaf, ordered hundreds of his troops to create checkpoints at all roads leading to Aden's airport. Watch: Who are the Houthis? The clashes were reported to be taking place on four different fronts in the airport and a surrounding military base. Passengers were stranded at the airport, with flights canceled throughout the day. Al Saqqaf's forces gave up much of their ground in Aden after pro-Hadi forces struck them with heavy artillery and tanks, a pro-Hadi military commander said on condition of anonymity. Some of the wounded in Thursday's fighting were in critical condition, officials said, suggesting the death toll could rise. The Houthis entered Sanaa in September, demanding a greater share of political power. They took control over a period of months, seizing the presidential palace in January. The unrest has plunged Yemen deeper into chaos. Hadi had issued a presidential decree replacing Al Saqqaf two weeks ago, but the decree was not implemented. Journalist Hakim Almasmari reported from Sanaa. CNN's Jason Hanna wrote from Atlanta, and CNN's Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Brian Walker contributed to this report.

Summary: A jet fires missiles on and near palace grounds in Aden . Passengers are stranded at an airport in Aden amid fierce fighting . Supporters of Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi clash with special forces loyal to rebels .


(CNN)The transgender community is celebrating several milestones thanks to one teen doing her part for transgender visibility. Activist and YouTube star Jazz Jennings will star in a reality show debuting on TLC this summer, the network announced last week. "All That Jazz" will feature the 14-year-old and her family dealing with typical teen drama through the lens of a transgender youth. It's the latest show to focus on transgender individuals, along with Discovery Life's "New Girls on the Block" and ABC Family's "My Transparent Life," on the heels of Amazon's Golden Globe-winning comedy, "Transparent." Opinion: 'It's a girl!' Not so fast ... "Jazz's story is universal, yet unique, and we're proud to partner with her family to share it with TLC's audience. Jazz may be known as an author and activist, but she's first and foremost a teenage girl with a big, brave heart, living a remarkable life," TLC General Manager Nancy Daniels said. Wait, there's more. Jazz is also the latest face of Clean & Clear's "See The Real Me" digital campaign. Jazz appears in a video for the skincare company sharing the trials of growing up transgender. "I've always known exactly who I am. I was a girl trapped in a boy's body," Jazz said in the video, which encourages teens to be "your true self." The Internet welcomed the news, applauding Clean & Clear and TLC for giving Jazz a platform. "All this support is so overwhelming! I love you all so much," she said in a tweet in response to the outpouring of support. Then, Jazz lent her image to the NOH8 campaign, a marriage equality movement started in response to California's Proposition 8 against same-sex marriage. Why all the fuss? Recognition of transgender people in the media shows mainstream America "we're real people," said Christine Connelly, a member of the board of directors of the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth who came out as transgender woman five years ago. What makes Jazz so "special," in the words of transgender actor Laverne Cox? Her trajectory is unique, starting with her early debut in the public eye at a time when stories of transgender people -- adults or children -- were scarce. Experience how one family reacted when their daughter said she's a boy. CNN Films presents "Raising Ryland," a short film available exclusively on CNN Digital on Wednesday, March 18. "She was the first young person who picked up the national spotlight, went on TV and was able to articulate her perspective and point of view with such innocence," Connelly said. She even co-wrote a children's book in 2014 based on her experience, "I am Jazz," about a transgender girl. Her parents also demonstrated their unwavering support for her early on, something transgender children can't always count on, Connelly said. Jazz and her family first appeared in the public eye in a 2007 television interview with ABC News' Barbara Walters. She was 6 years old and had just started appearing in public as a female, in what the report called "one of the youngest

Summary: Transgender teen Jazz Jennings is having a moment . She has a TV show in the works and appeared in a Clean & Clear ad .


(CNN)ISIS militants in northern Syria released 19 Assyrian Christian hostages on Sunday, according to Rami Abdelrahman, the chief of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Abdelrahman has a network of activists on the ground in Syria. On Saturday, the observatory -- citing an Assyrian commander -- said that ISIS planned to release 29 Assyrian Christian hostages. ISIS captured at least 220 Assyrians, all Christians, on February 23 during an attack on the villages around the town of Tal Tamer in the northern Syrian province of al-Hasakah. The Syrian Observatory said Saturday that a self-proclaimed ISIS court ordered the release, citing an Assyrian commander. The "court" told the commander that the fate of the other kidnapped Assyrians has yet to be decided by ISIS Sharia jurists. The Syrian Observatory said its information indicates ISIS has taken the hostages to the Mount Abdelaziz area, southwest of Tal Tamer. The founder of the Assyrian Human Rights Network, Osama Edward, puts the number of Assyrian hostages at more than 262. Edward is based in Sweden but has family in the area that was attacked, and says his information is from the network's team on the ground. The number of hostages has climbed steadily, from an initial estimate of between 70 and 100 people seized on Monday to 150 as of Wednesday, with women, children and the elderly among them. The number of people executed by the terrorist group has also climbed steadily. Since the declaration of its "caliphate" last June, ISIS has killed 1,969 people, the Syrian Observatory said Saturday. Nearly two-thirds of them -- 1,238 people -- were civilians. Six were children and eight were women, the group said. Of the rest, 95 were fighters from the al Qaeda-affiliated rebel group al-Nusra Front, the Syrian Observatory said, and 511 were officers and soldiers of regime forces. ISIS also executed 125 of its own members for "exceeding the limits in religion," the Syrian Observatory said. "We in SOHR believe that the real number of people that had been killed by (ISIS) is higher than the number documented by SOHR because there are hundreds of missing and detainees inside the (ISIS) jails, loss of communication with about 1,000 men of al-Shaitaat tribe, (and) dozens of Kurds who have still been missing" since ISIS attacked the Syrian town of Kobani in September. CNN's Samira Said in Abu Dhabi and Hamdi Alkhshali in Atlanta contributed to this report.

Summary: ISIS captured Assyrian Christians in various villages in northern Syria . ISIS has executed nearly 2,000 people since June, the Syrian Observatory reports .


Seoul, South Korea (CNN)A man opposed to joint South Korean-U.S. military drills attacked the American ambassador in Seoul, slashing his face and arm as he was about to give a speech Thursday morning, authorities said. North Korea quickly called the stabbing a "knife attack of justice" and said it reflected "anti-U.S. sentiment" in South Korea. Authorities have obtained an arrest warrant for the knifing suspect, Kim Ki-Jong, an official at Seoul Central District Court said Friday. He was detained immediately after the attack, with authorities having time to formally arrest him or let him go. Kim, 55, who has a history of unpredictable behavior, could eventually be charged with attempted murder and other charges. A police official, Yoon Myeong-seong, also told reporters that Kim had previously visited North Korea seven times between 1999 and 2007, and that authorities were "intensively investigating" a possible connection between his visits to the reclusive state and this attack. The U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was in stable condition after undergoing more than two hours of surgery, in which he got 80 stitches to his face. He will probably remain hospitalized for three to four days, said Dr. Jung Nam-shik at Yonsei Severance Hospital. In 2010, Kim received a suspended two-year prison sentence for throwing a piece of concrete at a Japanese ambassador to South Korea, according to the Yonhap news agency. The motive for his attack Thursday? He wanted an end to the South Korean-U.S. military drills to improve North-South relations, police said. The drills are held annually despite predictably harsh criticism from North Korea. The North Korean government believes the attack is "just punishment for U.S. warmongers," according to its official news agency, KCNA. South Korean President Park Geun-hye, on the other hand, condemned it. "This incident is not only a physical attack on the U.S. ambassador," she said, "but an attack on the South Korea-U.S. alliance and it can never be tolerated." U.S. diplomats have been attacked, killed in past . Lippert was attacked while attending an event organized by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, which advocates peaceful reunification between the two Koreas. The U.S. Embassy did not request special security for the event, Seoul police said. Three police officers were on duty at the building's entrance, and 25 others were on standby. Kim sat down at a different table than Lippert, then got up and ran to the ambassador's right side yelling something that sounded like anti-American sentiments. "When the man jumped on the ambassador, I stood up and jumped on the man, and they both fell on the ground," a witness, Jang Yoon Seok, told CNN affiliate YTN. "Luckily I got on top of the man's back and could press him to the floor. Then others came to hold him on the floor." Jang said he later saw the knife on the table. It had a wooden handle and did not look particularly sophisticated, he said. Seoul police said a knife, about 10 inches long, was used in the assault and the suspect brought it from home. Videos

Summary: Court: Authorities obtain an arrest warrant for the man suspected in the stabbing . U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert underwent surgery and is recovering . North Korea calls the ambassador's stabbing a "knife attack of justice"


(CNN)I've dressed up in the same type of costume on Halloween for years -- always a superhero. Not one character in particular. "Just any excuse to put on a wig and a cape," I'd tell friends. Last year, I found a more specific persona. I would be Wonder Woman. See, this Halloween was different: I'd been diagnosed with a brain tumor just weeks before, and donning this costume was a lighthearted way to feel empowered ahead of the biggest fight of my life. It was Saturday, October 25, 2014 -- earlier than usual for me to think about a costume for my favorite holiday. But this year, I wouldn't be able to party on the same day as everyone else. I was organizing one last massive celebration to honor my life and the people I love before my brain surgery two days later. It all started early one morning in September while I was wrapping up my work as a digital producer for CNN's "New Day." As I was typing at the computer, letters were dropping off the right side of the screen. I started to feel strange and went to the nurse's office in my building to ask for help. My speech began to slur, my hands were tingling, and my head was pounding. I also forgot my co-workers' and bosses' names. The nurse thought I could be having a stroke and called an ambulance. Within an hour, I went from thinking I might have a migraine because I needed new glasses to being rushed to the hospital. I was 28 years old. They stripped off my clothes in the emergency room to hook me up to the machines that would reveal I wasn't having a stroke. Great news! But then, what was going on? First Person: Shopping for a new coat unleashes old memories . After an MRI, we had the beginning of an answer. When I looked at the scan of my brain, sitting there, big as an orange, in the left hemisphere was a large black spot. My speech came back fully after a few hours, but a terrible headache lingered all day, and I was kept in the hospital overnight without discussing with the medical staff the full details of what was found on the scan. My family and I were scheduled to meet with a brain surgeon the next morning. About 6 a.m., I was asleep when a resident came into my room and woke me up. He wanted to talk about my case, he said. "My parents are coming later, and we're meeting with the doctor," I told this stranger. "Ms. Moskowitz, we suspect you have a meningioma." He could have been speaking Russian. "We see you have a brain tumor, and you'll have to have surgery to have it removed," he said in a calm, even tone. I don't remember what I asked him after that, but once he left, I felt hopeless and alone. Tears poured out of my eyes, and I sucked in air when I ran out of breath. It was

Summary: "New Day" Digital Producer Jessica Moskowitz was diagnosed with a brain tumor in September . Moskowitz, then 28, was at work when she began to feel strange symptoms and was rushed to the hospital . After surgery and ongoing rehabilitation, she says, she gained an appreciation for life she'd never had .


(CNN)It's a controversial question that's sparked debate since officials revealed the identity of the masked man known as Jihadi John. Was Mohammed Emwazi, the man with a British accent who's appeared in numerous ISIS beheading videos, pushed toward extremism by authorities? Or was he someone who'd long been heading down a militant path? A London-based advocacy group that worked with Emwazi says emails he sent them 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. And a report from the Daily Mail, also citing emails purportedly sent from Emwazi to the British publication, said the Kuwait-born Londoner saw himself as a "dead man walking" and contemplated suicide because of his alleged harassment by authorities. But some analysts say the emails are only part of the story, arguing that investigators targeted Emwazi because they already saw he had links with terrorist groups. "You can't start the story at how he's been treated by UK officials. You certainly can't start the story from the email trail," said Rashad Ali, director at the counterextremism consultancy CENTRI and a fellow of the Institute of Strategic Dialogue. "You have to go back to why the intelligence services got in contact with him. Well, because he was part of a group of a people who were going to join Al-Shabaab -- a very extremist organization and jihadist group that got involved in horrific terrorist attacks in Somalia." Emwazi felt he was being harassed by authorities and tried to seek legal help to stop it, according to CAGE, the human rights and Muslim advocacy organization that worked with him. One email details Emwazi's account of his detention at a British airport, when authorities stopped him from traveling to Kuwait in 2010 and questioned him for hours. "I told them that I want to be left alone, as I have an ambition of moving from the UK and settling in Kuwait. That is why I found a job and a spouse!! But they laughed," Emwazi wrote in a message dated June 3, 2010. "One of them got aggressive with me, he pushed me to the wall. ... I was just baffled I did not know why he had done that after this long 6hour interview, fingerprinting and searching. When I asked for their names they said 'We don't give out our names.' " Emwazi wrote that the way he was treated by British security and intelligence officials reminded him "of criminals that you see on TV who have committed a serious crime, only I was a person never charged or arrested for anything. I was a person looking to start a new life in my country Kuwait!" That's a key detail, CAGE spokesman Amandla Thomas-Johnson said. "If someone is going to carry out some violent attack in any kind of way, then the law is there to be in force and apprehend them," he said. "In the UK, he wasn't arrested once, prosecuted or cautioned whatsoever." British authorities have not responded to CNN's

Summary: Advocacy group CAGE releases emails between "Jihadi John" and the organization's research director . Mohammed Emwazi complained about his treatment by British airport security officials and police . Rashad Ali, director at counterextremism consultancy, argues that the emails don't give the full picture .


(CNN)Legendary fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana are in a public spat with pop music icon Elton John over some eyebrow-raising comments the pair made about gay parenting. Long against same-sex marriage, the Italian designers -- who are not only openly gay, but were once a couple -- took their counterintuitive rhetoric to the next level this weekend when Dolce said in an interview: . "You are born to a mother and a father -- or at least that's how it should be. I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Rented uterus, semen chosen from a catalog." John, who along with his husband David Furnish is raising two children that were conceived through IVF, took to Twitter to essentially say "Oh no he didn't," followed by "#BoycottDolceGabbana" because nothing expresses anger quite like a hashtag. Not to be outdone, the pair responded with #BoycottEltonJohn. So what should we make of all this boycott talk? Combined, the three men are worth an estimated $3 billion. The openly gay Ricky Martin, who is raising two boys via a surrogate mother, sided with John (but he's only worth an estimated $60 million, so I'm not sure if anyone noticed). Regardless, while I find the archaic thinking of Dolce and Gabbana disappointing, the truth is my budget boycotted their clothing years ago. Some of it's really nice. But I just can't afford to spend $500 on a T-shirt. And even if I could, I don't know how I would justify doing so with a kid to put through college. That's why I find this whole ultra rich on ultra rich violence so disconnected from the reality most of us on Twitter are living. Boycott? Besides the 1%, who the hell is buying Dolce and Gabbana regularly enough to actually call the act of not buying their clothing a "boycott"? That's a little like me saying I'm upset with the way James Dolan is running the New York Knicks so I refuse to play for him. Even misguided consumers wallowing in debt and living way above their means likely do not have enough credit cards to keep up with the purchasing power of the Elton Johns of this world. (No lie -- the online store has a pair of "Polka Dot Print Slim Fit Denim Jeans" for $795. And you still have to pay for shipping. And there's also a cotton vest on sale for $795. A COTTON VEST!!) Here's an idea: Considering it can cost about $20,000 for each attempt at IVF, and the procedure has roughly a 40% success rate, I would say the vast majority of people who were the direct targets of Dolce's words are not using their expendable cash to buy their clothing anyway. If John, Martin, Courtney Love and other ultra-rich celebrities really want to leverage their celebrity to ignite a movement we can buy into (pun intended) take that would-be Dolce and Gabanna money and start an endowment for those who can't afford IVF treatments. Or consider "Modern Family's" Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who tweeted he wanted to unload his

Summary: Elton John called for D&G boycott over IVF remarks . LZ Granderson: Who can afford their products anyway?


Boston (CNN)It was 9:35 on a slow Thursday night in April 2013 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Chief John DiFava was about to call it quits. On his way out, he saw one of his rookie swing-shift officers, Sean Collier, sitting in his cruiser. He stopped to say goodnight. "I chatted with him for a few minutes. I told him to be safe and I left," the chief told a crowded courtroom on Wednesday. He estimated the conversation lasted three, maybe four minutes. "Did you ever see Sean Collier alive again after that?" Assistant U.S. Attorney William Weinreb asked. "I did not." Less than an hour later, Collier lay bleeding in his patrol car after being ambushed and shot in the head. His car door was open, and his foot was lodged between the gas and brake pedals. DiFava and other officers, assisted by surveillance videos, 911 callers and a lone bicyclist who happened to be passing by, recounted Collier's last moments in the death penalty trial of admitted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The bicyclist, MIT mathematics Ph.D. candidate Nathan Harman, pointed to Tsarnaev in court and identified him as the man with "a big nose," who he saw leaning into Collier's squad car. He said Tsarnaev appeared to be alone. Tsarnaev, who was 19 at the time, does not dispute that he was present when Collier was killed on the evening of April 18, nor does he deny that he participated in the bombings three days earlier that killed three people and hurt more than 240 others. Prosecutors say Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, killed Collier because they wanted his gun. But their efforts to take it were thwarted by a safety holster. The FBI had released photos of the pair five hours earlier, and they were on the run. But Tamerlan, 26, would not survive the night. He was killed in a chase and gunbattle with police that began with reports of an "officer down" at MIT. The MIT police, who are designated as special officers by the Massachusetts State Police, patrol the sprawling campus in Cambridge. Collier's beat was the area of North Quad near Main and Vassar streets. He had been handling a routine call about a citizen who was upset his car had been towed. A young man called 911 about 10:20 p.m. and reported hearing loud noises outside his window. "They don't sound exactly like gunshots," the caller told dispatcher David Sacco. He wasn't sure what they were. Maybe somebody banging on trash cans. Sacco tried to summon Collier on his police radio. No response. He sent an emergency alert. Nothing. He tried texting him. Still no response. "It became an amount of time that wasn't comfortable," he said. Sgt. Clarence Henniger had returned to the station at the end of his shift, and had just passed Collier on the way in. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. But when he heard dispatch couldn't raise Collier, he went back out to check on him. His car was in the same spot.

Summary: Testimony focuses on shooting death of MIT officer, 26 . Sean Collier killed three days after Boston bombings . Cyclist IDs Tsarnaev, puts him at scene of Collier killing .


(CNN)Italian fashion designer Stefano Gabbana and Elton John are in a war of words on social media, calling for boycotts of each other's work. The argument stems from comments about in-vitro fertilization in Panorama magazine, in which Gabbana and longtime collaborator Domenico Dolce spoke about "synthetic" children born from "rented" wombs. "No chemical children: life has a natural course, there are things that shouldn't be modified," the magazine says in a quote attributed to both designers. The magazine also promises insights from the designers on "the importance of relationships within conventional families with very, very traditional values" in an interview that hit Italian newsstands last week. John, who has two children with husband David Furnish through IVF, issued a strong repudiation of the statements on Sunday and pledged to boycott the Dolce & Gabbana fashion line. In response, Gabbana defended his "freedom to speak" and called on fans to boycott John. Sir Elton appears to be winning the social media war with the hashtag #BoycottDolceGabbana, which by Monday morning had been used more than 35,000 times on Twitter since John invoked it on Sunday. By comparison, Gabbana's #boycotteltonjohn has been used just 1,600 times on Twitter, according to social media search tool Topsy. "How dare you refer to my beautiful children as 'synthetic'. And shame on you for wagging your judgemental little fingers at IVF - a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfill their dream of having children," John said Sunday on Instagram. "Your archaic thinking is out of step with the times, just like your fashions. I shall never wear Dolce and Gabbana ever again." The sentiment quickly gathered support from such celebrities as Ricky Martin, Al Roker and Courtney Love. Tennis star Martina Navratilova tweeted her support for John's post, saying "My D&G shirts are going in the bin — don't want ANYONE to wear them." Parents and IVF advocates also joined the boycott. "My son is NOT synthetic. His life was made possible through #IVF & I couldn't be more grateful," writer and infertility advocate Jenn Palumbo said in a tweet. The comments from Dolce and Gabbana struck some as hypocritical coming from a couple that was romantically involved until 2005 (they continued working together after the breakup). Still, Gabbana has dropped hints in interviews of his "traditional" views toward family structure. He told an Italian publication in 2006 that he once asked a female friend to be a surrogate mother because he was "opposed to the idea of a child growing up with two gay parents." Gabbana was quick to react to this controversy, calling John a "fascist" in an Instagram comment that was later deleted, according to CNN affiliate TGCom24. He also sought to discredit reports that they told Panorama in this instance they objected to same-sex adoption, even though Gabbana took that position in his 2006 interview. By Sunday evening, Gabbana's Instagram feed was full of screengrabs and reposts from people who supported his right to voice his opinion. "It's a shame that you are not allowed to

Summary: Elton John vows to #BoycottDolceGabbana over in-vitro fertilization comments . Stefano Gabbana defends his "freedom to speak"


Chao Hu, Anhui, China (CNN)Six-year-old Lu Yiming is a handful. One minute, he's on the concrete roof of his two-story house, the next he's fiddling with fireworks. Now, he's skating down an alley. "Come back here!" yells his grandmother. "I have such a headache raising this child," 72-year-old old Tang Xinying confides. Lu's mother abandoned him after he was born and his father works as a carpenter in Shandong province hundreds of miles further north. He comes back perhaps once a year. In China, Lu is what's called a "left-behind child." Conservatively, there are at least 61 million such children in China -- that's a staggering one in five. They struggle at school, have higher rates of mental health issues, and suffer from more behavioral problems than their contemporaries. "I tell him 'your father is working and your mother doesn't want you,'" says an exasperated Tang. In Chao Hu, a village in the inland province of Anhui, a dead-end track passes by half-finished housing projects and abandoned fields. A yellow haze hangs in the air leaving a metallic taste in the mouth. China's industrial pollution made it out here, but the jobs haven't. Everyone of working age in Chao Hu has gone to the cities to find work, leaving the old and very young behind. Lu holds my hand as we walk through the tiny village. A group of old women sit on three-legged wooden stools listening to Chinese opera on a small radio. Another walks by knitting. Some old men make bootleg liquor in an oil drum. "We don't have fields that we can farm, if you don't go out to work, then how do you earn an income?" says Tang. "Their parents have to work outside of town and they cannot bring their children with them." The All China Women's Federation, a state- backed organization, paints a bleak picture for left behind children. A steady stream of state media reports highlights the abuse suffered by left behind children. And crimes are often blamed on them. "It has a huge impact on society and the generation of people who grow up without parents," says Ines Kaempfer, of the Center for Child-Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility. "There is a generation of Chinese society that lacks security and trust. It could have a potentially disastrous effect." Unintended consequences of mass urbanization and migration are not unique to China. But draconian rules have made the problem worse. China's much-hated hukou system registers families as either rural or urban. Most migrants can't change their household registration when they move. They struggle to access healthcare and other social services in urban areas. Their children can't go to public schools -- even if they are born in the cities. Critics say the hukou system has created a vast underclass of cheap labor to help drive China's manufacturing revolution. Recognizing some of its failures, the Chinese Communist Party has proposed reforms of the hukou system including doing away with temporary residence permits. The topic is under discussion this week at the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress,

Summary: One in five Chinese kids are "left behind" Their parents are migrant workers who leave rural areas for the cities . They struggle at school, have higher rates of mental health issues, .


(CNN)In September 2002, then-former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a U.S. congressional committee "there is absolutely no question whatsoever" that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was developing nuclear weapons at "portable manufacturing sites of mass death." Once Hussein had nuclear weapons, Netanyahu warned, "the terror network will have nuclear weapons," placing "the security of the entire world at risk." Fast forward to this week, and Netanyahu was back, this time as prime minister, to make virtually identical claims about Iran. Yet not only has the U.S. intelligence community disagreed with Netanyahu's assessment of Iranian nuclear intentions, so does Israel's, according to leaked documents. Indeed, more than 200 retired security officers have publicly criticized Netanyahu as a danger to Israel's security. Sadly, Netanyahu's presentation reinforces caricatures regularly advanced by American and Gulf Arab pundits -- caricatures of Iran as aspiring Middle Eastern hegemon, bent on overthrowing an otherwise stable regional order. It's a misguided perspective that is actually hurting the United States. In Netanyahu's view, America should only improve relations with an Iran that stops its regional "aggression," its support for "terrorism," and its "threat[s] to annihilate ... Israel." In other words, America should not improve relations with an Iran whose regional influence is rising. In reality, Iran's rise is not only normal, it is actually essential to a more stable region. As nuclear talks with Tehran enter a decisive phase, rapprochement with a genuinely independent Iran -- not a nominally independent Iran whose strategic orientation is subordinated to U.S. preferences -- is vital to halting the decline of America's strategic position. Washington has long worked to consolidate a highly militarized, pro-American Middle Eastern order. Yet these efforts -- pursued across Democratic and Republican administrations and intensified after 9/11 -- have clearly failed. As a result, the Middle East today is less stable, more riven with sectarian and ethnic conflict, and more violent than at any point in its modern history. And America, in a textbook illustration of "imperial overstretch," has made itself weaker, both regionally and globally. America's quest for Middle Eastern hegemony has failed for many reasons. For a start, seeking dominance impels Washington to replicate, in multiple venues, its Faustian bargain with imperial Iran from 1953 until the last shah's overthrow in 1979, providing substantial and effectively open-ended support to governments acting against the desires of their own publics. While American elites argue that America benefits from such arrangements, they are ultimately unsustainable, as Iran's 1979 revolution demonstrated. A determination to dominate the Middle East keeps locking Washington into these kinds of relationships; for its own sake, the United States needs to stop trying to be the Middle East's hegemon. That means embracing a regional balance of power -- not the chimera of American dominance misleadingly labeled as "balance," but an actual balance in which major regional states, acting in their own interests, constrain one another. Under any political system, Iran would be a significant regional actor, due to its geostrategic location, hydrocarbon resources, and large, educated population. But the Islamic Republic -- which Iranians built themselves as a participatory Islamist

Summary: Hillary Mann Leverett: Middle East less stable than at any point in modern history . United States needs constructive ties with all major regional states, including Iran, she says .


(CNN)On the 6th of April 1996, San Jose Clash and DC United strode out in front of 31,683 expectant fans at the Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. The historic occasion was the first ever Major League Soccer match -- a brave new dawn for the world's favorite sport in a land its charms had yet to conquer. Summarizing the action for ESPN, commentator Ty Keough eagerly described the momentous "birth of a new era for American soccer." Looking back at footage from that balmy evening now it's hard not to feel a certain nostalgia. Baggy shirts, questionable hairstyles and strange rule adaptations to make games more exciting were all part of the formative MLS experience. Countdown clocks were employed to provide drama at the end of each half. Even more bizarrely, tied games were settled by shootouts that saw attacking players run with the ball from 35-yards out before attempting to beat the opposing goalkeeper. As the MLS prepares to mark the beginning of its 20th season, it's hard to comprehend just how much the league has progressed in the intervening period. Long gone is the desire to tamper with the rules of the game for a start. Attendances are higher than ever before while the number of teams involved has doubled from 10 in the 1996 campaign to 20 in 2015. A further four are set to be added by 2020. On top of this, the new season is the first of a new domestic TV and media rights deal with FOX, ESPN and Univision worth $700 million over eight years. This figure may pale beside the $5.1 billion recently paid by UK broadcasters for the English Premier League, the richest football league in the world, but it represents a tripling in value of the previous MLS deal. According to Phil Rawlins, co-primary owner and president of the new MLS franchise, Orlando City Soccer Club, "the industry and the game itself has moved on dramatically" in the U.S.. He believes what would equal 50 years growth in most other industries has been experienced in the first two decades of the MLS. Rawlins' club is a prime example of this rapid transformation. He describes players being pushed out of changing facilities because of a schedule clash with a yoga class not so long ago. This weekend 60,000 fans are expected to witness Orlando City's opening weekend fixture against New York City, another new club making their MLS bow. World Cup winners Kaka and David Villa will turn out for Orlando and New York City respectively. "We're just on the crest of the wave at the moment," Rawlins said of football's American progress. "Can it be the number two, number three sport in this country? Yes, I think it can. And it can be in a short space of time." These positive assertions are backed by the huge interest U.S. fans showed in last year's World Cup in Brazil. Team USA's group stage clash with Portugal attracted 25 million viewers, according to figures from TV ratings firm, Nielsen. That's considerably more than

Summary: The 20th MLS season begins this weekend . League has changed dramatically since its inception in 1996 . Some question whether rules regarding salary caps and transfers need to change .


(CNN)Charlottesville Police said Monday that investigators found no "substantive basis" to support a University of Virginia female student's story that she was raped at the Phi Kappa Psi house, an account that Rolling Stone published last November. "Jackie" told the magazine that in late September 2012, she was assaulted at the house, the article said. Police Chief Tim Longo noted that just because police found no evidence to support her account, "That doesn't mean that something terrible didn't happen to Jackie" on the day in question. Longo said he welcomed any information that might still be out there about the case. The Rolling Stone story generated controversy from the moment it came out, first sparking a debate about the prevalence of rape on college campuses throughout the country. But then the controversy turned toward the story's content when apparent contradictions and discrepancies in the article came to light. Rolling Stone said it did not get the accounts of those accused in the piece, and apologized. Editors vowed to conduct their own investigation, which is expected to be published in early April. Longo said Jackie did not give police a statement during their investigation. CNN legal analyst Sunny Hostin said it's not unusual for a sexual assault victim to avoid the criminal process. "Sometimes they can't deal with the probing that occurs. They don't want to submit to a rape kit. They're embarrassed. They know that they will be scrutinized, quite frankly. So that in and of itself ... doesn't make this young woman a liar," she said. Hostin pointed out that only about 2% of rapes that are reported are false, and only about 40% of rapes that occur are even reported: "So the suggestion that she just sort of made this entire thing up flies in the face of the statistics." Nine out of 11 people at the fraternity house at the time the sexual assault allegedly occurred talked to police, Longo said. None of them said they knew about a rape, he said, and investigators further determined that it was unlikely a party even happened at the fraternity house on the day in question as was alleged in the Rolling Stone story. The Rolling Stone reporter, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, talked to police, authorities said, but there were some questions she declined to answer for journalistic reasons. It's unclear what those questions were. In total, authorities spoke to 70 people as part of their investigation, and just two believed that Jackie was the victim of something, Capt. Gary Pleasants told CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront." "The two of them were fairly convinced that something had happened -- not the way it was described, the way it was written. But they thought, again, that something had probably occurred," he said. After the story's publication, UVA suspended the fraternity's activities, and outrage spread throughout campus as many struggled to comprehend the horrific experience that Jackie said she endured. The article also suggested the school failed to respond to the alleged assault. Phi Kappa Psi released a statement Monday, saying the "discredited" story has done

Summary: Police: No evidence found to support claims made by UVA student that she was raped . An independent review by a journalism school dean is underway .


(CNN)A migrant worker whose life ended in Washington after police shot at him 17 times. A father of four killed by an officer during a traffic stop in Texas. A man killed during a robbery investigation in California. After three Mexican citizens were killed by police in the United States in the past month, Mexico's Foreign Ministry says the U.S. Justice Department should step in. "Given that these incidents cannot be looked at in isolation, the Mexican government has called for the U.S. Department of Justice through its civil rights division to monitor the investigation of these three cases to assure that they're conducted with transparency and where appropriate, the proper criminal or civil responsibility is determined," Mexico's Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The Mexican government's statement comes amid a debate that has surged across the United States about whether police are using excessive force, particularly when they deal with minority groups. "Adding to our consternation over the third case of a Mexican killed by an excessive use of force in less than one month, is our deep concern for the effect of the break in trust between the Hispanic community and the police forces that could result from these actions," the foreign ministry said. Investigators said they're still piecing together information on all three cases. No charges have been filed. Here's a look at what we know so far: . Protesters at a city council meeting in Grapevine, Texas, this week chanted a familiar refrain: "Hands up! Don't shoot!" For the demonstrators, the chant -- which started as a call to action after the police shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri -- has become a rallying cry for another case. Police shot 31-year-old Rubén García Villalpando in the Dallas suburb of Euless, Texas, on February 20. Investigators say the case started when a burglar alarm sounded at a business. Villalpando's car, which was in the area, was followed by police in what authorities described as a high-speed chase. Eventually, Villalpando pulled over. Villalpando was unarmed, but in early reports about the shooting, police said an altercation erupted after he disobeyed an officer's commands during a traffic stop. The traffic stop was caught on camera, but police haven't released the dash cam video to the public. "There will be more information released as the investigation continues. This additional information may shed more light on Mr. Villalpando's actions that night," police and city officials said. "We look forward to the time that the community can review the dash cam video of this incident, which we believe will answer many questions and correct some misconceptions about this incident." Villalpando's family said they've seen the video, and even though it doesn't show the officer or the shooting, they said one thing is clear: Villalpando was unarmed and did nothing to threaten the officer who stopped him. Fernando Romero said it was jarring to hear what his brother-in-law said in the video as he gets out of the vehicle. "My brother-in-law is out of the car with his hands up," Romero said, "and the

Summary: In the past month, three Mexican nationals have been killed in U.S. police shootings . Mexico's Foreign Ministry says the shootings "cannot be looked at in isolation" Statement warns of possible "break in trust between the Hispanic community and police"


(CNN)Pit bulls may not be the first dogs everyone thinks of when it comes to cute, cuddly canines. But one photographer aims to change that with a new series of portraits. Some very cute images of pit bulls wearing flower crowns started popping up on Facebook this weekend after the Sean Casey Animal Rescue in New York posted them. They are the brainchild of New York-based photographer Sophie Gamand, who is partnering with shelters in New York to create pit bull portraits that make you say "awwww." With "Flower Power: Pit Bulls of the Revolution," Gamand says, she hopes to "challenge the way we look at pit bulls" by giving them a softer image. Gamand and Sean Casey Animal Rescue staff members credit the images with increasing pit bull adoptions since the postings. Who knows, could this canine couture be part of the latest trend in weddings?

Summary: Photographer Sophie Gamand takes portraits of pit bulls wearing flower crowns . The photos are being used to encourage pet adoption .


Tunis (CNN)Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi confirmed that a third person took part in last week's Bardo museum terror attack in an interview Sunday with French TV Station iTele. "There were for certain three terrorists," Essebsi said. "There is one on the run. He will not get far." Previously two suspects had been identified -- Yassine Labidi and Saber Khachnaou -- though it wasn't immediately clear if they were the pair killed at the museum by Tunisian security forces. He said Yassine was "known to the security services, he was flagged and monitored," but not known or being followed for anything special. Authorities have arrested nine people in connection with the attack, including four directly linked to it, according to Essebsi. The development came a day after the bodies of four Italian tourists slain in the attack arrived back in Italy, an official with the Tunis Crisis Center told CNN, but 14 victims' remains still lie in the morgue. Most of the 23 victims were foreigners, making the process of identification more complicated. Nineteen of them were tourists who'd been on two cruise ships that docked in Tunis. French, Spanish, Italian, British, Japanese, Russian and Colombian citizens are among those to have been formally identified so far. The bodies of the Italians were met in Rome by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who paid his respects to the victims and their families in a brief ceremony. Eleven people who were injured in the attack remained in the hospital in Tunisia on Saturday, the official at the Tunis Crisis Center said. An uncle of Yassine Labidi, Abeld Malik Labidi, told CNN on Friday that no one he knew had seen any signs of extremism in his 26-year-old nephew. But he said Yassine Labidi was one of the two gunmen killed at the museum. "It's true that Yassine carried out this terrorist attack, he was killed; his head, his body, we don't have it back," he said. But, he said, he believed Yassine and other young Tunisians like him were also victims of terrorism -- of the recruiters who paid them money, organized the logistics and took them to places like Syria and Libya to train as fighters. He had known his nephew well, he said. "After the revolution of 2011 he started to pray, before he would drink beers from time to time, like a young Tunisian. He wasn't extreme in any way." The only thing that raised questions was that Yassine had disappeared for about a month, he said. Although his nephew said he'd gone to the Tunisian city of Sfax to work, his family now suspected he had been in Libya because of the phone numbers he called from. "When he came back his behavior was the same: he was still himself, calm, serious. Nobody noticed anything, even the neighbors I spoke to," said Abeld Malik Labidi. "He said hello to everyone, he prayed, he took his coffee, even on the day of the attack he took his coffee with his family and went to work." Abeld Malik Labidi said Yassine's

Summary: Tunisian President says third person who took part in museum attack is on the run . The bodies of four Italian tourists killed in Tunis are returned to Italy .


(CNN)Boris Nemtsov, the Russian opposition leader slain Friday night a stone's throw from the Kremlin, was a true original, one of the towering figures of his country's post-communist political odyssey. We do not know yet who it was who shot him four times in the back. Various theories have been floated. But by far the most plausible is that his killers wanted to silence one of the most determined and courageous Russian campaigners for personal and political freedoms. Whether Nemtsov offended by attacking the authoritarianism of Vladimir Putin's regime, the jingoistic imperialism of his Ukrainian campaign or even the massacre of journalists at Charlie Hebdo, it comes to the same thing in the end: He stood up consistently for the values of the Western Enlightenment against its motley army of enemies. Born in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Nemtsov began as an atomic physicist but rose to prominence in the early 1990s as the reformist governor of Nizhny Novgorod province. President Boris Yeltsin took a liking to him and brought him to Moscow. "What a stubborn nature," he wrote of Nemtsov. "Reminds me of myself." Nemtsov was the first person Yeltsin anointed as his political successor. (Unfortunately, he was not the last.) After Putin's election in 2000, Nemtsov hoped at first that the new President would keep his promise to restore order while preserving democracy. Soon disillusioned, Nemtsov became one of Putin's most biting critics. He was a natural politician -- emotional, gregarious, articulate. Like Yeltsin -- but unlike Putin -- he enjoyed meeting ordinary people and was energized by electoral campaigns. Some snickered at Nemtsov's extravagant personality, his hints of bravado and weakness for the fairer sex. But his determination and talent commanded respect. Yet it is also true that, by the mid-2000s, Nemtsov was widely viewed as a spent force. And when the Levada Center polled Russians in 2013, 6% approved of his actions, while 48% disapproved and 46% claimed to know nothing about him. Along with all other Russian liberals of the 1990s, he failed to forge a connection to the discontented groups outside Moscow. He titled his first book of memoirs, "The Provincial," but to true provincials he looked like the elite. As one analyst told me, when Nemtsov turned up at far-flung rallies in a sparkling, immaculately ironed, white shirt, it symbolized the class divide between him and his audience. By the wave of protests in 2011-12, his generation's day had passed. The new activists in their 30s and 40s had a different sensibility, a new cadence of speech to fit the Internet age. On the stage before the anti-Putin demonstrators, Nemtsov often bombed. He understood this. "Khvatit!" he said, in his last interview, when the host tried to tease out of him a confession of presidential ambitions. "Enough already!" But the dwindling appeal of Western-style liberalism did not stop him. Nemtsov's doggedness during the last decade -- plugging away despite public indifference or scorn -- makes it the most impressive chapter of his career. Having been chauffeured to his government office in the 1990s, Nemtsov

Summary: Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was gunned down near the Kremlin . Daniel Treisman: He was courageous, talented but had had little support in Russia since '90s .


(CNN)Jessie Usher, the lead of Starz's series "Survivor's Remorse," has been cast in Fox's sequel "Independence Day 2." Liam Hemsworth has also been cast in a lead role and Jeff Goldblum will reprise his role as David Levinson from the original. It has been nearly 20 years since the Will Smith-starring sci-fi film hit theaters, grossing more than $800 million worldwide at the box office. Director Roland Emmerich will return to helm the film. "Independence Day 2" is set for release on June 24, 2016 — almost exactly 20 years from when the first film hit theaters on July 3, 1996. Dean Devlin, Emmerich and Harald Kloser are producing. Independence Day 2 is a big get for Usher, who will play a central character in the new film as the son of Smith's character. Smith's role in the first blockbuster helped establish him as a star, kicking his career up to the next level. Usher stars in the Lebron James-produced Starz TV series "Survivor's Remorse" as Cam Calloway, a basketball player who moves with his family to Atlanta after he signs a pro contract. The first season premiered Oct. 4, 2014, and Starz quickly renewed the show for a second season, which will air later this year. The rising star's film credits includes TriStar football drama When the Game Stands Tall, which hit theaters in August. On the TV side, he previously starred in the Cartoon Network's series Level Up. He's repped by Paradigm and Williams Unlimited. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

Summary: Jeff Goldblum set to reprise his role in "Independence Day 2" Liam Hemsworth and Jessie Usher also cast in key roles . Sequel will be released 20 years after the original box office smash about an alien invasion .


Moscow (CNN)In his first substantive comments since Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov's death, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called the killing a "disgrace" and lashed out at what he called "extremists" and protesters. Nemtsov had been one of Putin's harshest critics and had been arrested several times for speaking against the President's government. The 55-year-old opposition leader was gunned down Friday night in Moscow as he walked across a bridge about 100 meters (330 feet) from the Kremlin with his girlfriend, Ukrainian model Anna Duritskaya, 23. His slaying spurred thousands to rally in his honor in Moscow, with many calling him a true Russian patriot at his funeral Tuesday. Nemtsov isn't the first of Putin's critics to turn up dead, with others including Anna Politkovskaya (who was fatally shot) and Alexander Litvinenko (who was poisoned). The Kremlin has staunchly denied accusations that it's targeting political opponents or had anything to do with the deaths. The Russian leader has condemned Nemtsov's killing and ordered three law enforcement agencies to investigate, the Kremlin has said. He also wrote to Nemtsov's mother, saying he shared her grief, and promised to bring those behind the killing to justice. Yet those expressions came in Kremlin statements. Wednesday was the first day Putin spoke at length on the subject, remarks that were reported by state media outlets. Referring to "the daring killing of Boris Nemtsov in the very heart of our capital city," he said, "Russia should be made secure, at last, from the disgrace and tragedies of (this) kind." The President added, according to the official Tass news agency, "The most serious attention should be paid to high-profile crimes, including those having political motives." No one has been arrested in connection with Nemtsov's death, though Russia's Federal Security Service chief Alexander Bortnikov did say there are suspects, Tass reported. The same agency, citing Russia's Finance Ministry, said that investigators are looking for a car that belongs to a state enterprise that provides services to that ministry. Putin didn't identify any person or group that might be directly responsible. But Wednesday he took the opportunity to lay blame generally at what he called "color technologies," an apparent reference to using mass street protests and overseas funding to try to overthrow a government. "The actions of extremists are becoming more and more widespread," the President said. "We are running into attempts of using so-called color technologies, from organizing illegal street protests to open propaganda (expressing) hatred in social networks." CNN's Alla Eshchenko reported from Moscow, and CNN's Greg Botelho wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Laura Smith-Spark and Matthew Chance contributed to this report.

Summary: Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead while walking near Kremlin with girlfriend . Vladimir Putin: Russia should be safe from "disgrace and tragedies" like Nemtsov's killing . Russian President criticizes "extremists" for use of "illegal street protests" and social media .


(CNN)Things have been messy between singer Chris Brown and his now ex-girlfriend Karrueche Tran, and it looks to be about to get messier. Oprah Winfrey's network, OWN, posted a teaser Tuesday for Tran's interview with Iyanla Vanzant. The inspirational speaker and host of "Iyanla: Fix My Life" fires off at Tran: "He betrayed you. He lied to you. He did it all publicly," before asking, "How did you find out that he had a baby by another woman?" Brown has been the subject of rumors that he fathered a daughter with another woman while in a relationship with Tran. He has neither confirmed nor denied the stories, but the story heated up when Tran tweeted on March 4, "Listen. One can only take so much. The best of luck to Chris and his family. No baby drama for me." The tweet was later deleted. Brown and Tran have had an on-again, off-again relationship for years. In 2012, Brown posted a video on Twitter questioning whether it was possible to be in love with two people. At the time, the singer had broken up with Tran after once again growing close to singer Rihanna, whom he assaulted while they were dating in 2009. "I love Karrueche very much but I don't want to see her hurt over my friendship with Rihanna," Brown said in the video. "I'd rather be single allowing us to both be happy in our lives." Brown and Rihanna eventually reunited but then broke up again, and he and Tran, who bills herself as a model and entrepreneur, resumed seeing each other. On Wednesday, Brown commented from his Instagram account on a racy photo Tran posted of herself in a swimsuit while on vacation. The singer advised her to "Continue to be a lady beautiful." Vanzant's interview with Tran airs at 8 p.m. ET March 28.

Summary: Tran and Brown have had an on-again, off again relationship . They broke it off recently amid reports that he fathered child with another woman . He once publicly proclaimed being in love with both her and Rihanna .


Irbil, Iraq (CNN)Iraqi forces are doubling down efforts to retake the city of Tikrit from ISIS, even uniting Sunni and Shiite fighters in the mission. The Iraqi army, along with Sunni and Shiite militiamen, attacked ISIS strongholds in the area Monday, the state-run Iraqiya TV reported. Iraqi warplanes and helicopters are also striking targets in and around Tikrit. It's part of a wide-scale offensive ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday. Tikrit fell to ISIS in June of 2014, after the group's capture of Iraq's second-largest city, Mosul. Tikrit is best known to Westerners as the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. ISIS, the radical Sunni militant group, has been on a murderous campaign to establish a caliphate across swaths of Iraq and Syria. Iraqi forces approached Tikrit from several fronts, Iraqiya TV reported, engaging with ISIS north of the city at al-Alam and south of the city at al-Dour. The element of surprise probably was not a factor, as reports of Iraqi troops amassing near Tikrit were widely shared. What awaits the Iraqi army is most likely a long, hard slog and not a quick rout. Tikrit is a big city, and the army and its associated militias have had problems recapturing much smaller towns from ISIS. There have been several failed attempts to recapture Tikrit since the second half of 2014. While Iraqi forces have gained some territory in the area, it has generally been under ISIS control for the last eight months or so. The joint Iraqi forces fighting to retake Tikrit include Iraqi troops, members of the Shia al-Hashed al-Shaabi militia, members of the Sunni Sons of Salahuddin brigades, and other Sunni tribal fighters. The offensive involves around 30,000 fighters in all. Al-Abadi, who is also commander in chief of the armed forces, said on Twitter that he will "oversee the operation to liberate Tikrit" from ISIS. In short, this is the biggest test for an army trying to claw back territory that fell to ISIS last summer after a string of dramatic defeats. Last June, Tikrit was the scene of the bloodiest massacre ever perpetrated by ISIS militants. They captured more than a thousand Iraqi soldiers, who laid down their arms and donned civilian clothing in an attempt to flee a base once used by U.S. forces. ISIS subsequently executed as many as 1,700 soldiers, and posted the video of the killing online. There is concern that Iraqi forces, eager for revenge, may kill combatants and civilians alike. The U.N.'s envoy to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, urged all armed forces in Tikrit to do their utmost to spare civilians. U.S. and other coalition troops have been conducting a crash course to retrain and upgrade the Iraqi army, and several thousand Iraqi troops have passed through the course. This offensive will tell whether that training has made a difference. The offensive also highlights the role played by neighboring Iran in the fight against ISIS. The semiofficial Iranian FARS news agency reports that Qassim Sulaimani, the commander of the elite Iranian Al-Quds Brigade, is helping oversee the

Summary: Iraq stages an offensive against ISIS in Tikrit . ISIS has generally controlled Tikrit since 2014 .


(CNN)Even if you're sweating on the treadmill and grunting at the weight machine, you're probably still forgetting 57 important muscles that define part of who you are and how others perceive you and even help manage your mental well-being. They're in your face. Face Love Fitness, a pop-up boutique in downtown Manhattan, offers face workouts and massages to keep the skin and muscles of the face and neck healthy, looking young and feeling good. "The popular notion that one should avoid touching one's face for fear of creating wrinkles is completely incorrect. Skin responds beautifully to mindful touch," says Rachel Lang, an esthetician (skin care therapist), who co-founded the Face Love skin gym with massage therapist Heidi Frederick and personal trainer Kate Gyllenhaal. Not all skin experts agree. Some dermatologists, including Dr. Patricia K. Farris, a clinical associate professor at Tulane University, say that exercising facial muscles is counterintuitive to dermatologists. They treat lines and wrinkles caused by facial muscle movement, called dynamic wrinkles, with the muscle relaxing medication botulinum toxin, commonly known by the brand name "Botox." "I do think there could be some value to relaxation and stress relief provided by massage, but exercising facial muscles will not make you look younger and may even make you look older," says Farris. But proponents of massage say healthy, youthful skin is well-worked skin. "When you stimulate pressure receptors under the skin, as you do in a moderate pressure massage, you increase the temperature of the skin, you slow down the physiology, you reduce the release of stress hormones and enhance immune function" according to Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. "Just as massage and exercise contributes to health in general, it would also be expected to contribute to skin health." This is the philosophy at the skin gym, where they say the massage and movement is detoxifying and increases oxygen and blood circulation to the skin, which can result in fewer wrinkles, a firmer jaw line, improved skin tone, and even reduced headaches and eyestrain, according to Lang. "It is like any exercise, you need to do it two to three times a week for the best results." It may look a little silly, contorting your facial expressions as Lang drags a plastic roller across your face, or trying to lift your eyebrows against the resistance of an elastic band across your forehead, but the effect of working out your face is pleasantly refreshing. Under the skin there is an area of fatty tissue called the subcutaneous layer. It diminishes with age. The loss of this area contributes to decreased firmness, giving facial skin an older, tired look. Exercising the facial muscles tones and lifts the skin because your facial muscles are attached to your skin and the bone like a web that forms the shape of your face. Through the massages and resistance training, Face Love Fitness claims muscles in the face become stronger and taut, rejuvenating the appearance of the face. "This is great for everyone, it doesn't

Summary: A boutique in Manhattan offers face workouts and massages . Massage and movement may be detoxifying to your skin .


(CNN)Vigilante motorists in New Zealand have taken to snatching the car keys of foreign drivers amid rising concern over dangerous driving by tourists. New Zealand media have reported five cases this year of locals forcibly taking the keys of foreign motorists after witnessing driving that concerned them. All the incidents -- which have been condemned by authorities -- took place in the South Island, which draws tourists from around the world for its rugged scenery, including lakes and mountains featured in director Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films. The incidents occurred amid heightened public concern over tourist driving standards, with eight people killed in crashes involving foreign drivers in the space of a fortnight last month. Among the dead were a family of four from Hong Kong who were killed when their car crossed the center line and collided with a logging truck. The key snatchings have even prompted Prime Minister John Key to weigh in on the issue, advising that "people taking the law into their own hands is not sensible." New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner of Road Policing Dave Cliff said the confiscations existed in a legal gray area, as there was no explicit statute dealing with the issue. Although there might be exceptional circumstances where taking someone's keys could be legally justified, such as preventing drunken driving, he said, "in the vast majority of cases, it won't be." "That extends to physically assaulting or abusing someone in response to their driving, which is simply not acceptable, and anyone found doing so should expect to face the consequences," he said. Diesel mechanic Robert Penman of Dunedin made headlines last month after he took the keys of a Chinese couple who had stopped their car on a narrow single-lane road to take pictures, causing a backlog of vehicles behind them. "I was coming into town with my wife and son and came around the corner, and there was a car stopped in the middle of the road," he told CNN affiliate TVNZ. He called police and took their keys as "a safety thing, you know, timeframe for police to get there," he said. The New Zealand Transport Agency later revealed that Penman was driving on an expired license himself. Penman told local media it was not the first time he had taken a tourist's car keys. Only 6% of crashes in New Zealand involve foreign drivers, according to the latest figures provided by the Ministry of Transport. But in some remote regions of the South Island particularly popular with tourists for their scenery -- such as the Mackenzie, Southland, Queenstown-Lakes and Kaikoura districts -- foreign drivers are involved in about a quarter of all crashes. In Westland District, on the South Island's rugged West Coast, foreign drivers are involved in 37% of road crashes resulting in death or injury. Tony Kokshoorn, mayor of the neighboring Grey District, said tourist driving behavior was a major problem in the region and attributed the issue to tourists from countries that drive on the right. New Zealanders drive on the left. "There's a huge

Summary: Five tourists have had their car keys snatched by vigilantes this year . The confiscations have taken place amid rising concern over tourist driving behavior . In popular Westland, 37% of serious crashes have involved foreign drivers .


(CNN)The U.S. Navy rescued two Saudi Arabia air force pilots from the Gulf of Aden, a U.S. military official said Friday. The pilots had ejected from their F-15 aircraft after it suffered mechanical failure, Saudi officials told U.S. sources. The two were not seriously injured. The USS Sterett, a guided-missile destroyer, coordinated the search, while the USS New York looked for the men. A rescue helicopter flew from Djibouti to retrieve them on Thursday. Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition military operation to quell a rebellion by Houthi militias in Yemen. The United States supports the operation, but is not participating in it. Three U.S. Navy ships are standing by in the Gulf of Aden for future recovery operations. U.S. manned aircraft are not permitted to fly in Yemen airspace under the current rules of engagement.

Summary: The plane suffers mechanical failure, and the pilots eject . U.S. Navy ship searches for them, and a helicopter picks them up .


(CNN)California's Silicon Valley is one of the most prosperous places in the United States -- home to tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple. Yet even this region isn't immune from the scourge of child poverty. I visited Silicon Valley in November for CNN's Change the List series. Readers of this website voted for me to do a story on child poverty. There, I found children living in tents, homeless shelters -- even a garage, which I found particularly ironic given that Google and Apple link their company origins to garages in this valley south of San Francisco. Instead of going on about all that's wrong with Silicon Valley and this country as a whole, where one in five kids lives below the poverty line, I want to bring some good news: We can fix this. Child poverty isn't inevitable. It's a choice. And we can choose to end it. Here are four ways we can start to do that. If you don't like these, go to this Google Form (yeah, Google) and suggest a solution of your own. Your ideas may end up in a future column. (Side note: Google declined to comment on "The poor kids of Silicon Valley." Facebook and Apple, meanwhile, did not respond to my repeated email requests for comment.) The idea: Housing is too expensive for poor families, especially in markets such as Silicon Valley. But making affordable housing more available can reduce this burden. Evidence it works: Increasing federal housing subsidies would reduce U.S. child poverty by 20.8%, according to a 2015 Children's Defense Fund report. That would lift 2.3 million kids out of poverty. The annual cost would be $23.5 billion. For more info, read this report: "Ending Child Poverty Now." What you can do: Support vetted California organizations that provide free or subsidized housing to low-income families, including Family Supportive Housing and Samaritan House. Or: Petition Facebook, Apple or Google to fund subsidized housing projects in their own backyard. The idea: Working families can't afford to raise their kids, and better wages would help them do it. The federal minimum wage is worth considerably less now than it was in the 1960s, adjusted for inflation, according to the Congressional Research Service. The federal minimum wage was worth $9.27 in 1963, using July 2013 dollars. Now it's $7.25. Evidence it works: Raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour, and boosting the tipped worker wage to $7.07, could reduce U.S. child poverty by 4%, according to the Children's Defense Fund report. That would help lift 400,000 American kids out of poverty. To see how something like that plays out, I visited the Idaho-Washington border. Idaho's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Washington's is $9.47. The difference is $4,618 per year. On my visit, I met Amanda Palmen, a 27-year-old gas station worker. She told me that that wage difference is enough to help her two girls more comfortably -- and get off the SNAP program. What you can do: Petition for a $10.10 federal minimum wage. And learn more about minimum wage

Summary: John Sutter: Child poverty in the United States isn't inevitable; it's a choice . He presents four policy solutions he says would help end this scourge .


(CNN)The President repeated an unfortunate and ill-fated claim while campaigning hard for Obamacare. You remember it. "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it." With that false sloganeering, Barack Obama made sure he thoroughly owned a piece of the scorn spawned every time an insurance company changed or canceled plans after the ACA became law. Bad move. He's apologized, but history will record the affair as his "Read my lips, no new taxes" moment . Yet, there are worse moves politicians can make. Republicans are making one now. Republican leaders are stepping up to offer woefully inadequate stand-ins for Obamacare. They're offering these salves because they're hoping the Supreme Court issues a death blow to the federal exchanges that are now facilitating health coverage in 37 states and they want to have a possible alternative. There is plenty of potential the case, King v. Burwell, will succeed in halting the insurance subsidies that federal exchanges require to function. The Republican leadership is smart. They understand some of the anxiety already percolating up now could transform into a true panic. But in trying to contain fear, they're guaranteeing they'll own the anger that comes next. A collection of three congressmen, including Senate Finance committee chair Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), recently acknowledged the dire need for an alternative in the wake of Obamacare's demise and issued a "blueprint" that nods toward some of the key concepts. Rather than subsidize the cost of heavily regulated insurance plans, this proposal would free up the market more, including more price variability, and offer tax credits to help defray the cost for people making up to three times the poverty level. In place of Medicaid expansion, the Republican plan would cap the federal Medicaid support, linking it to the Consumer Price Index. The plan effectively kills universal access by offering people a one-time chance to sign up for coverage, and it doesn't require that anyone obtain coverage, making the individual insurance market unsustainable yet again as primarily those who already know they're in ill health will flood the market and premiums will become unaffordable. If anything, the massive outreach campaigns required to push traffic to HealthCare.gov demonstrate the difficulty in getting young, healthy people to act in their own best interests. While this outline potentially salvaged some semblance of the broad health care access the ACA is achieving, Senator Hatch showed his hand with a subsequent Washington Post op-ed he shared with two other senators. Insisting that "Republicans have a plan to help Americans harmed by the Administration's actions," you might be forgiven if you didn't realize the harm was simply enforcing one's civic duty to purchase affordable health insurance. Instead, Hatch and his colleagues hope to soften the blow by offering a transitional period so that marketplace health plans aren't immediately canceled after the Supreme Court issues its ruling, expected in June. The senators would generously allow states to develop their own plans, something only the intellectual powerhouse of Massachusetts managed to accomplish prior to the ACA. With most of the affected 37 states having

Summary: Ford Vox: Democrats made errors in rush for Obamacare, but provided wide public access . Vox: Republicans are pushing a case that would upend Obamacare, but their alternative would be a disaster .


Orlando, Florida (CNN)Kaka grins as he recalls being mobbed by a boisterous crowd chanting his name at a Florida airport arrivals hall in the early summer of 2014. "It was very nice ... a good surprise for me," he said, wistfully casting his mind back to images of football fans waving flags and hollering his name. The graceful Brazilian midfielder once of Sao Paulo, AC Milan and Real Madrid has become used to such fevered adulation over the years. A glittering decade playing in Europe brought Champions Leagues, Scudettos,La Liga titles and, of course, a devoted following. But it wasn't the loyal apostles of Madrid's Ultras Sur, the Curva Sud Milano or even his compatriots in the unmistakeable yellow of A Selecao with whom he won a World Cup in 2002 that provided the heroes welcome in question. Instead it was a passionate crowd festooned in the less heralded purple and white of Orlando City, one of the newest franchises in Major League Soccer. Only founded in 2010, the team will make its MLS bow this week. But interest was high that a former Ballon d'Or winner would be coming to play his football in a place more commonly associated with Disney World and Universal Studios. Local news stations carried live pictures of Kaka's plane touching down. Leaving the airport to officially sign his contract even became a mission in itself, so keen were the Orlando natives to get a glimpse of their first designated signing. "When I arrived in the airport, this crowd (was) singing the team songs, singing my name. Also (at) my presentation downtown, I was very, very happy," Kaka said. "Now, the city is start(ing) to enjoy this moment and everybody's looking forward to our, first game on March 8." Such frenzied devotion in the U.S., so long resistant to the charms of the world's most popular sport, may seem strange to fans in Europe and South America, football's historical and cultural heartlands. The MLS is now approaching its 20th season but has long been pejoratively regarded outside North America as a retirement home for once top-level players -- a plastic, commercially driven product devoid of any real identity offering one last payday before the limbs give out. Aged 32 and no doubt the recipient of a handsome remuneration package, there will be many who question whether Kaka is merely jetting in to boost his bank balance before calling it a day. Relaxed and polite as ever, Kaka himself is having none of this. In all honesty, it's hard to imagine a man as conscientious and clearly committed to his faith moving anywhere solely for the money. There was once a time when every Kaka goal resulted in a lifting of his jersey to reveal a T-shirt which stated "Jesus loves you" or "I belong to Jesus." These days, the celebration of choice is usually the upward point and grateful look to the heavens. "In every moment of my life, not just on the field, but also off the field, my faith, Jesus Christ and the bible helped

Summary: Kaka gearing up to appear in the MLS for Orlando City . Former AC Milan and Real Madrid star keen to resurrect international career . 89-times capped star says he wants to play in 2018 World Cup in Russia .


(CNN)A New York man says his smartphone blew up in his pocket and that he wound up in a hospital. Erik Johnson of Lindenhurst says his iPhone 5C spontaneously erupted in extreme heat while it was in his pants pocket, giving him second- and third-degree burnson his leg the size of a football. He was headed to a wake for his cousin in New Jersey on February 14, Johnson said, and he dropped his car keys. "When I went to bend over, I heard a pop," he told CNN. "I heard a sizzling, and I ended up ripping my pants off to stop it from burning me." Johnson said he didn't know what was causing the pain at first and there was no warning -- just an extreme burn and a lot of pain. In a panic, he quickly started ripping at his pants as the phone began to melt the edges of his pocket shut, he said. "I was trying to get it out of my pocket," he said. "It started burning right through my pants. It was burning my leg, and I had to get my pants off somehow." Johnson's brother, who was with him at the time, decided driving him to the hospital would be faster than dialing 911, Johnson said. They drove to the Bayonne Medical Center in New Jersey. After being evaluated in the emergency room, Johnson was taken by ambulance to the Burn Center at Staten Island University Hospital. The burn center confirmed to CNN that he spent 10 days there receiving treatment. "I still can't believe it," Johnson said. "I've never dealt with anything like this before." He works as an operating engineer in New York City, maintaining escalators, cranes and forklifts. He said now he is at home with family in Lindenhurst, and a nurse comes in every day to change his bandage. In the meantime, he said, he hasn't even thought about buying a new phone. Mike Della, a personal injury lawyer on Long Island who is representing Johnson, says despite two phone calls and a letter, Apple had not yet responded to his queries about why his client's phone suddenly exploded in heat. CNN reached out to Apple, and the company stated that it is looking into the incident. Johnson purchased the phone last year and had not been using a battery case or third-party charger, Della said. "First and foremost, we have to find out how this happened and prevent it from happening ever again," Della told CNN. "That's the whole goal here. Is the product safe?" Della said because of this case, he now is quick to take extra precautions with his phone. "Now, every single time I have my iPhone, instead of putting it in my pocket, I put it in the seat next to me because of this case," he said. "My wife does the same thing, and so does everyone else at the (law) firm. It's a little scary." "You shouldn't have to worry about your phone exploding," he said.

Summary: Erik Johnson says when he bent over to pick up his keys, "I heard a pop" His phone had exploded, he was burned and had to be hospitalized, he says . Apple says it is looking into the incident .


(CNN)Think it's taking you longer to get to work? Has your job moved farther from your home? You're probably right on both counts. A new study from the Brookings Institution says the number of jobs within a typical commute distance for residents in major metro areas of the U.S. fell by 7% between 2000 and 2012. Despite trends that indicate a greater desire for millennials to live in dense urban areas, suburbs are still doing well, according to some researchers. Employers have tended to move toward the suburbs, away from city cores -- and away from many workers, the study says. Moreover, even if you already live in the suburbs, it doesn't mean you live close to the suburb where the jobs are. "Suburban residents saw the number of jobs within a typical commute distance drop by 7%, more than twice the decline experienced by the typical city resident (3%)," Elizabeth Kneebone and Natalie Holmes wrote in the study's summary. The issue disproportionately affects poor and minority residents, the authors added. "Residents of high-poverty and majority-minority neighborhoods experienced particularly pronounced declines in job proximity," they wrote, observing that 61% of high-poverty tracts and 55% of majority-minority neighborhoods experienced declines in job proximity between 2000 and 2012. High-poverty neighborhoods were defined as tracts with poverty rates above 20%. The Brookings study comes as metro areas are coping with increased stresses on infrastructure. Tuesday's New York Times was filled with letters complaining about a subway fare increase and crowds at all hours in the New York system. In Atlanta, one suburban county recently added mass transit for the first time since 2010 -- even as the Georgia legislature has been gutting portions of a transportation bill. And a Detroit man garnered nationwide headlines in February because of his 21-mile commute -- a hefty chunk of which he walked due to a lack of transit options. The Brookings study observes that solving commuting issues "will require collaborative solutions" across jurisdictions. "The dynamics that have shaped these job proximity patterns across and within metro areas did not emerge by themselves," Kneebone and Holmes wrote (PDF). "Local, regional, and state leaders put them in play (whether purposefully or by default) through policy decisions. To foster growth that is truly regional in its reach and that does not exacerbate inequality or leave low-income and minority residents behind, communities will need to coordinate and collaborate as they plan and implement policy decisions that affect metropolitan development patterns."

Summary: A new Brookings study says proximity to jobs is declining . The lack of proximity forces longer commutes in both distance and time . Metro areas will have to work across jurisdictions to solve problems, the study says .