The travel industry is letting customers "sample" potential trips through virtual reality Guests wear headsets such as the Oculus Rift and are immersed in a virtual world Marriott spokeswoman: "We really want to appeal to the next generation of travelers" Glynis Freeman stands on a tower balcony in nighttime London, peering down at the dizzying lights hundreds of feet below. The distant rumble of city traffic rises up from the streets. A gust of wind brushes her hair. Freeman smiles while swiveling her head in all directions to take in the view. “That was cool,” she said a few minutes later. “I want to go back to London.” That’s because Freeman was never physically in London. The Marietta, Georgia, woman was 4,000 miles away in an Atlanta hotel lobby, wearing a headset and trying out a demonstration of new technology that can place people in exotic virtual settings almost anywhere on the planet. It’s all part of a new experiment by Marriott, the global hotel chain, to let guests sample virtual destinations with the Oculus Rift, a headset whose high-definition, 3-D display immerses wearers in a lifelike interactive world. “We really want to appeal to the next generation of travelers,” said Karen Olivares, director of global brand marketing for Marriott. We really want to appeal to the next generation of travelers. Karen Olivares, director of global brand marketing, Marriott. Virtual travel is in its infancy and a long way from being mainstream. But the travel industry is intrigued by its potential, which goes far beyond Google Street View or online “virtual tours” of hotels and resorts. The idea is not that virtual travel will replace real-world travel, because nobody in the industry would go for that. Instead, the travel industry hopes that people who sample virtual snippets of alluring vacations – say, rafting the Grand Canyon or hiking the Great Wall of China – will be persuaded to splurge on the real thing. Behind the Oculus Rift Driving this trend are next-generation systems such as the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus, which promise a leap forward in virtual-reality technology. The much-hyped Oculus Rift headset looks like something a skier or scuba diver might wear and fits snugly over the wearer’s face, paired with headphones. Its crisp 3D display immerses you in an interactive world – a medieval village or a tropical jungle – which you sometimes can navigate with the help of a game controller. The goggles come packed with a 100-degree field of view, extending beyond viewers’ peripheral vision. They have an accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to track the position of your head and sync the visuals to the direction where you are looking – allowing Oculus to improve on the sometimes jerky visuals of other virtual-reality systems. The Oculus Rift was designed to enhance video gaming. But Facebook paid $2 billion for its maker, Oculus VR, in March, seeing the device as a potential future communication platform. One developer for the Oculus Rift is excited about the technology’s long-term potential to tranform travel. “I could go for a run in the morning in some exotic beach and in the evening stroll the streets of some city … I could be a virtual storm chaser close to a tornado and even travel deep in the ocean,” the developer wrote in an online forum. “In fact these experiences will be so real, without risk, and of course cheap that I might actually have second thoughts about traveling … Antarctica without the cold … Jungles without the heat and bugs … And people who will provide (this) content will make millions.” Oculus Rift hitting market early next year Virtual journeying Consumer versions of the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus – which works in much the same way – aren’t expected on the market until 2015 at the earliest. But that hasn’t stopped the travel industry from tinkering with prototypes. Thomas Cook, the international travel agency, announced a trial program in August that will allow customers at one of its stores in England to don Oculus Rifts and experience a flight on one of its airplanes or tour a Sentido resort. And Marriott has been touring U.S. cities this fall with its “Teleporter,” a booth that invites visitors to climb inside, strap on an Oculus Rift and take a virtual tour of Wai’anapanapa Black Sand Beach in Maui and Tower 42 in London. Viewers watch a 90-second video produced by Framestore, the British creative studio that has done visual effects for “Gravity” and other movies. To make the experiences feel more lifelike, fans in the booths blow soft breezes while misters recreate the feel of ocean spray. Whether such virtual-reality glimpses inspire someone to take a real trip remains to be seen. But visitors to the booths on a recent weekday in Atlanta came away impressed. “That was truly amazing. It reminded me of something from ‘Star Trek,’ ” said Lisa Lewis of Monroe, Louisiana. “London has always been a dream destination of mine. And just to get a feel for a place – it was much more than I imagined.”


French confirm plane sent automatic messages about smoke before crash Families of passengers told of arduous process in identifying bodies Egypt’s military on Saturday displayed wreckage and personal belongings as searchers scoured the Mediterranean Sea for EgyptAir Flight 804’s flight data and cockpit voice recorders. The chunks of debris included an uninflated life vest, a seat, a purse, shoes, carpet, a scarf, parts of chairs and cushions and a sling bag. The EgyptAir label appeared on one piece of wreckage. “The search is ongoing. It has uncovered initial pieces of the aircraft, body parts, belongings of the deceased, and it will continue hopefully until we can ascertain exactly where the plane has gone down,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told CNN’s Becky Anderson. Shoukry said the searchers are pressing on, but it isn’t clear how long it will take to recover the cockpit voice and flight data recorders – the so-called black boxes – to find out what happened. The United States, France, Britain, Russia and others are eager to cooperate in the search, Shoukry said, adding he anticipates assistance in finding the recorders. “We do not, I think, have the technical abilities to operate in such deep waters, whereas many of our partners might have this facility,” he said. On Friday, EgyptAir and Greek officials said that searchers found seats, personal belongings, and a body part. The Egyptian military said it discovered debris about 290 kilometers (180 miles) north of Alexandria, Egypt. No survivors have been found. Egyptian officials have said they suspect the crash was caused by an act of terror, but no group has come forward to claim credit. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told passengers’ families Saturday that “no theory” has been ruled out. The Airbus A320 carried 56 passengers and 10 crew members and security when it left Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris late Wednesday headed for Cairo. Most of the passengers were Egyptian – 30 in all. Also aboard were 15 French citizens, including an infant, and passengers from Iraq, Britain, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Chad, Portugal, Canada and Algeria, according to Sharif Fathi, Egypt’s civil aviation minister. More about the passengers, crew In France, aviation officials revealed that the plane sent automatic messages about smoke in the front of the aircraft just before it crashed early Thursday. France’s revelation confirmed flight data that CNN obtained from an Egyptian source a day earlier. That flight data indicated smoke alerts occurred near the cockpit minutes before the crash. The data came through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS, which sends messages between planes and ground facilities. A screen grab of data has time stamps that match the approximate time the aircraft went missing. BEA, France’s accident investigation agency, “can confirm that the aircraft sent automatic ACARS messages about smoke in the front of the aircraft,” spokesman Sebastian Barthe said. Barthe said he cannot confirm the cause of the smoke or its origins. The alerts don’t necessarily mean a fire occurred on the plane or that the crew even knew about the alerts, which are automatically transmitted, aviation experts cautioned. Images of debris releasedTimeline: Mystery over final momentsIs flying more dangerous than ever?What happened? Four theoriesWho were the passengers and crew?Video: Who was the captain?5 questions, 5 answersAnother blow to Egypt tourismOpinion: Why we worry about flying Images of debris releasedTimeline: Mystery over final momentsIs flying more dangerous than ever?What happened? Four theoriesWho were the passengers and crew?Video: Who was the captain?5 questions, 5 answersAnother blow to Egypt tourismOpinion: Why we worry about flying 5 questions you asked and we answered “(The data) doesn’t tell us anything, whether it’s an explosion because of a bomb or because of a mechanical fault, but immediately it narrows down the area that we’re looking at,” CNN aviation analyst Richard Quest said. “We’re now no longer worried about wings or what else might have happened, or other flight control surfaces.” EgyptAir issued a statement on the ACARS information. It said: “We are looking at all the information that is collected but it is far too early to make judgment or decision on single source of information such as the ACARS messages, which are signals or indicators that may have different causes thus require further analysis, as part of the overall investigation.” Aviation experts held different views of what the data may signify. There were indications of problems with a heated window in the cockpit, a sliding window in the cockpit, smoke in the lavatory, smoke in the avionics compartment below the cockpit, a fixed window, the autopilot and the flight control system. “It could have been either something mechanical that had failed, a short circuit, or it could have been an incendiary device of some kind as well,” CNN aviation analyst David Soucie said. He said it was significant that the data was sent over a period of one to two minutes. “Now if it was a bomb, the characteristic bomb … (it) would have ruptured the skin of the aircraft,” Soucie said. “This is not the indication you would have had, because a bomb that would do that would be instantaneous, and these reports would not have gone over two minutes like they do.” The ACARS data, however, could be consistent with a catastrophic failure – be it from an intentional act or mechanical breakdown, according to an aviation official and a former Federal Aviation Administration official. The aviation official said if there were a fire on the plane, it would tend to burn slow enough for pilots to send an emergency message. These messages could have been a result of wires shorting out and malfunctioning as the plane broke apart. The aviation official said the messages, while random, would be consistent with what a system would send on a plane falling apart. There have been electrical problems with window anti-ice heaters in A320s. In 2003, the FAA required windshields replaced in all A320s in the United States. It’s not known whether Egypt followed the FAA directive. More about EgyptAir The plane disappeared from radar early Thursday as it flew to Cairo in what should have been about a 3½-hour flight. At some point before dropping off radar, the plane swerved 90 degrees to the left and then made a 360-degree turn to the right before plunging first to 15,000 feet, then 10,000 feet, and disappearing from radar, Greek officials said. That sudden change in what had been an uneventful flight is why Egyptian officials are focusing on terror as the likely cause, a senior Egyptian official told CNN on Friday. What happened? Four scenarios What Greek officials described as swerving movements were likely pieces of the aircraft being picked up on radar as they fell from the sky, U.S. officials told CNN. As of now, investigators have found nothing implicating the flight crew or security officials aboard the plane, the Egyptian official said. Checks of the passenger manifest have so far resulted in no hits on terror watch lists, officials with knowledge of the investigation said. The jet had routine maintenance checks in Cairo before it left for Paris, the airline said. Earlier Wednesday, the jet was also in Eritrea and Tunisia, data from flight-tracking websites show. Timeline: The final moments of EgyptAir Flight 804 Greece, France, the United States and other nations were searching about 130 nautical miles southeast of the Greek island of Karpathos, Greek aviation officials said. The European Space Agency said that its Sentinel-1A satellite had spotted an oil slick near where the plane is believed to have crashed. The agency said it’s possible the slick could be from another source. Related gallery Distraught relatives of Flight MS804 passengers await news As crews searched, somber relatives gathered in Cairo and Paris airports, seeking word on their loved ones. EgyptAir officials met with  families Saturday to explain the lengthy process of identifying the bodies. The airline said it will take time to retrieve body parts and conduct DNA tests. Families were asked to provide as much information as possible to identify the body parts. Mediterranean tourism: Plane’s disappearance adds another worry The Egyptian Civil Aviation Ministry has formed an investigative committee for the crash led by Ayman al-Moqadem, the investigator also in charge of the inquiry into the October crash of a Russian Metrojet airliner over the Sinai. That disaster, which killed all 224 aboard, is widely believed to be the work of terrorists. A timeline of major plane crashes CNN’s Joe Sterling and Ralph Ellis reported and wrote from Atlanta, and CNN’s Ben Wedeman reported from Rome. CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali, Madison Park, Laura Goehler and journalist Sarah Sirgany contributed to this report.


When Andy Fierlit’s wife suffered a brain aneurysm 27 years ago, doctors urged him to admit her to a nursing home. But Fierlit wanted to make their life ordinary again – or even extraordinary – so he embarked on a mission to show her the world. Since then,  Andy and Donna Fierlit have visited all seven continents – more than 20 countries, so far – with Andy doing the pushing while Donna, who is partially paralyzed, rides in a wheelchair. “I made a promise to her that we would go on to work out as best a life as possible,” Andy tells CNN. Today, Donna struggles with short-term memory loss. She relies on her husband to complete daily tasks and remains in her wheelchair. Still, the couple rolls on, committed to each other and to their vow to stay together “in sickness and in health.” The high school sweethearts met 58 years ago at a church dance. Andy asked Donna for a stick of gum. “Get lost,” she said. “I told her I wanted to marry her, and she said, ‘No, you’re not,’” Andy recalls. He persevered, treating her “like a princess,” and after only a couple dates, she came around. Five years later, they got married. Early on, Andy’s employer went bankrupt, and to provide for his wife and their four children, Andy took odd jobs, such as peddling fruit. Now, as then, the Fierlits rely on one another and their shared sense of humor to thrive in the face of hard times. Donna even named her purple wheelchair after the Tina Turner song, “Proud Mary,” because it keeps on rolling. But rolling around the world hasn’t always been so simple. “The challenges are there,” Andy admits. “But if you think ahead and preplan, you can overcome them.” Handicap accessibility varies around the world, and the Fierlits have encountered a host of obstacles during their travels. Trains in Europe couldn’t always accommodate Donna’s wheelchair, so she once rode in the cargo area. In rural Australia, the airport did not have ramps, and Donna had to disembark the plane on a forklift. Their hotel room in Ireland was handicap-accessible, but the entry door was too small for Donna’s wheelchair. “You know, it takes a lot of things to make love,” Andy said. “It takes patience, it takes understanding, it takes kindness.” As for the future, the Fierlits have paid for their trips through private savings, though their stash is dwindling. They remain hopeful that with a bit of generosity, they will one day reach Scandinavia. “One step at a time,” Andy says. “That was the goal: to live on, enjoy life.”


NEW: White House spokesman: No request has been made to change alliance "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow," Duterte says in Beijing Rodrigo Duterte left no room for doubt about where his allegiance lies. In a state visit aimed at cozying up to Beijing as he pushes away from Washington, the Philippine President announced his military and economic “separation” from the United States. “America has lost now. I’ve realigned myself in your ideological flow,” he told business leaders in Beijing on Thursday. “And maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It’s the only way.” Duterte didn’t provide details about how he’d break away from the United States, or what the separation could entail. US officials stressed the long history of diplomatic, military and financial ties between the two countries. “We have not received any requests from officials to change our alliance,” Deputy White House Press Secretary Eric Schultz told reports aboard Air Force One Thursday. In China, leaders said they were ready to start a new chapter. US seeks clarity on ‘separation’ Relations between China and the Philippines had soured over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. But now Duterte is taking a different tack, pushing that issue to the background as he tries to forge closer ties with China. Will the gamble pay off? So far, it seems to be, said Richard Javad Heydarian, a political science professor at De La Salle University, Manila. The usually brash and outspoken Duterte appeared much more statesmanlike in China than he has on previous trips overseas, said Heydarian. “Duterte has been careful not to slight his hosts, he’s been very deferential to the Chinese. It’s raised eyebrows in the Philippines but pleased people in China,” he said. Chinese President Xi Jingping welcomed Duterte with full military honors at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday. He called the two countries “neighbors across the sea” and said they’d agreed to achieve “full improvement” in bilateral ties, state media reported. The two leaders signed some 13 bilateral deals including pacts on trade, investment, tourism, crime and drug prohibition, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua. However, there was no specific agreement about the South China Sea, where the two have overlapping maritime claims. They agreed to address the matter through talks, according to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin. Duterte’s pivot toward China comes as relations with long-time ally the United States are at an all-time low. At a news conference in Laos in September, he called US President Barack Obama a son of a bitch, when asked what he would say if Obama was critical about his anti-drug efforts, which critics say violate human rights. Since Duterte took office, hundreds of drug dealers and users have been killed in police operations. The two leaders both attended the ASEAN summit a few days later. They didn’t speak and only briefly shook hands. Earlier in October, President Duterte confirmed that his country would not participate in joint military drills with the US that are set for next year. He did say, however, that the treaty alliance with the US would remain intact. By contrast, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Duterte’s war on drugs this week, according to state broadcaster CCTV, saying he takes the fundamental interests and welfare of the Philippines’ people into consideration. It’s unclear how Duterte’s latest statement could alter ties with the United States. Asked to respond to the announcement Thursday, US National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said the United States and the Philippines share a long list of security interests and a 70-year history of “rich people-to-people ties.” And the United States is one of the Philippines’ strongest economic partners, she said. US companies have invested more than $4.7 billion in the Philippines. Duterte has huge popularity ratings in the Philippines but his tilt away from Washington may not be supported by most Filipinos. A recent opinion poll of 1,200 adults found that the trust rating of the United States stood at +66 compared with -33 for China. “Duterte has made extra effort to sell China as a benevolent partner but it’s a tough sell,” said Heydarian. Ties with China hit a low in July, when the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague ruled that China’s historical claim to the disputed waters was invalid. China refused to participate in the tribunal’s proceedings and, in the wake of the ruling, Chinese boycotted Philippines-grown dried mango. It was a huge victory that Duterte has chosen not to capitalize on despite once pledging to ride into the South China Sea on a jet ski while carrying the Philippines flag. Instead, said Heydarian, Duterte has chosen to focus on China’s deeper pockets in the hope of lucrative trade deals. CNN’s Yuli Yang, Bex Wright, Kevin Liptak and Greg Clary contributed to this report.


They say the black hole is the largest yet discovered of its era The black hole has by a bright quasar, which are thought to limit their speed of growth Researchers in China have spotted a supermassive black hole, 12 billion times the size of the sun and around 900 million years old. The black hole is larger than any of its age previously seen, the journal “Nature” reports. A black hole is a dense region of space that has collapsed in on itself in a way that means nothing can escape it, not even light. Related video The mystery of black holes Releasing their findings in “Nature,” researchers led by teams from China’s Peking University and the University of Arizona said the black hole – named SDSS J010013.02 – was six times larger than its biggest known contemporaries. “The existence of such black holes when the Universe was less than one billion years old presents substantial challenges to theories of the formation and growth of black holes and the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies,” they said. “Nature” reported that lead researcher Xue-Bing Wu of Peking University and his colleagues first sighted the black hole using a  telescope in Yunnan, China, and used additional telescopes around the world to examine it. In a media release, the University of Arizona said that the black hole powered “the brightest quasar of the early universe.” NASA describes quasars as “the brilliant beacons of light that are powered by black holes feasting on captured material, and in the process, heating some of the matter to millions of degrees.” Team member Fuyun Bian, from the Australian National University, said that the light from a quasar was thought to push back material behind it and limit the growth of black holes. “However this black hole at the center of the quasar gained enormous mass in a short period of time,” Bian said. Related gallery Photos: Mars rover Curiosity Another researcher, Chris Willott, told “Nature” that a possible explanation could be that some black holes were formed by the collapse of a very large gas cloud – rather than that of a single star. “We are still very uncertain as to the modes of black-hole formation and growth in the early Universe,” he told the journal. Writing in “Nature,” astronomer Bram Venemans explains: “Theoretically, it is not implausible to find a black hole of more than 10 billion solar masses within 1 billion years after the Big Bang. But it is still surprising to uncover such a massive black hole in the early Universe.” “This quasar is very unique,” the University of Arizona quoted lead researcher Wu as saying. “Just like the brightest lighthouse in the distant universe, its glowing light will help us to probe more about the early Universe.”


Editor’s Note: Gerry Simpson is Human Rights Watch’s senior refugee researcher and advocate and author of the report “Pakistan Coercion, UN Complicity: The Mass Forced Return of Afghan Refugees.” The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Gerry Simpson: Pakistan, with UN support, is coercing Afghan refugees to return home If they don't reverse course, they could trigger a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan If you were one of the world’s 21.3 million refugees and woke up one day to find the country that had sheltered your family for many years now considered you to be traitors and terrorists, what would you do? What if the government had given its police a green light to make your life miserable and were threatening to deport you in the middle of winter back to nothing — no home, no job, no school? Would you wait and see whether things calmed down or pack your bags and leave? That’s the terrible choice Pakistan gave its 2.5 million-strong Afghan community – refugees and undocumented individuals – last year, and it worked. A brutal police crackdown and deportation threats coerced over 600,000 Afghans in the last six months of 2016, including 365,000 registered refugees, to face danger and destitution back in Afghanistan. Having hosted millions of Afghan refugees over several decades, Pakistan was well aware that it would have faced international condemnation had it forced the refugees into trucks and dumped them across the border. In response to deteriorating political relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, the authorities instead carried out a concerted campaign to make Afghans lives’ so miserable they would leave. This included making their legal status insecure, threatening to deport them in the middle of winter and giving the police free reign to commit a range of abuses. But coercing registered refugees into returning home against their will violates the international legal prohibition against refoulement – not to forcibly return or pressure anyone into returning to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution, torture or other ill-treatment, or a threat to life. Even worse, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees let itself be bullied into helping it all happen. By increasing cash payments to returning refugees and failing to publicly call for an end to coercive practices, the UN agency became complicit in Pakistan’s mass refugee abuse. The Afghan exodus from Pakistan in the second half of 2016 amounts to the world’s largest unlawful forced return in recent years, making the UN’s complicity all the more shocking. All eyes are now on Pakistan and the UN to see whether those wielding power over the remaining Afghans will reverse course. Related article Why Trump's travel ban is still a Muslim ban And a recent Human Rights Watch report detailing the horrors experienced by Afghan refugees emphasizes why swift action on this issue is so crucial. As a 25-year-old Afghan told me after his overnight return journey from Pakistan’s border areas, “No matter who you are, your heart will turn black with so much abuse.” After an initial round of police abuses against the Afghan community in 2015, which triggered a first wave of Afghan refugee departures, the Pakistani authorities ditched their previous policy of renewing Afghan refugees’ permits every few years. Instead, last year they gave the refugees six months to leave, at the very last minute gave them another six, and then said they had three more months to pack their bags. Afghan refugees returning to Kabul told me the ever-present threat of imminent deportation, particularly in the middle of Afghanistan’s bitterly cold winter, left them lying awake at night fearing for their families’ lives. Yet stripping Afghan refugees of a secure legal status wasn’t the only ploy to coerce them out. The authorities also mounted an aggressive media campaign in newspapers and on television and radio, telling Afghans it was time to leave and that they risked summary deportation if they stayed. This gave the Pakistani police a green light for a second round of anti-Afghan abuses in early July 2016. Returning refugees told Human Rights Watch that police raided their homes at night, accused them of being or harboring terrorists, threatened to split up families and deport them, arbitrarily detained them for hours or days at a time and regularly subjected them to crippling levels of extortion. A day after the Human Rights Watch report was released, Pakistan issued a statement, saying that “notwithstanding any isolated or individual incidents, there is no policy of coercion” against Afghans. However, the government did not address any direct claims of police raids or forcible deportations. Related article As ISIS suffers in its heartland, South Asia is ripe for its rise And what did the UN refugee agency do to stop this mass exodus? It remained publicly silent about coerced returns and doubled its cash grant to $400 for every returning Afghan refugee. For an average poor Afghan family of seven, $2,800 was an astronomical amount of money, about the same as a senior teacher’s annual income in Afghanistan. For many who were on the fence about whether to wait, it proved to be the tipping point. Refugees told me they were afraid that if they didn’t take the money, they would end up being deported penniless anyway. UNHCR has told Human Rights Watch that, in its opinion, some Afghans returned from Pakistan “under difficult conditions” and that UNHCR’s policies did not encourage anyone to leave against their will. According to the United Nations, the vast majority of those returning are now homeless and without jobs. Many will join the estimated 1.5 million Afghans already displaced from their own homes by the country’s spiraling conflict, which killed and maimed more Afghans in 2016 than any other year since records began in 2009. The Afghan government and aid agencies are overwhelmed and have been pleading with donors to fund emergency winter assistance. But there may well be worse to come. Pakistan has made clear it wants to see the exodus continue this year, and in February, the authorities extended Afghan refugees’ permits from March 31, 2017, only until the end of December. This means that the estimated 1.9 million Afghans remaining in Pakistan again face the prospect of deportation in sub-zero temperatures. To add insult to injury, the UN refugee agency resumed its cash support, at a reduced rate of $200, on April 3. But absent a commitment by the Pakistani authorities to end all police abuses and stop its deportation threats, Afghan refugees will continue to leave Pakistan under pressure and involuntarily. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook There is a real risk, then, of repeated mass unlawful forced refugee returns and a repeat of last year’s failure by the UN refugee agency to do its fundamental duty to defend refugees against it. To avoid triggering a humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan by forcing back hundreds of thousands more refugees, Pakistan should reverse course and protect Afghans until it is safe for them to go home. Afghanistan’s donors should generously support Pakistan and aid agencies assisting Afghans in Pakistan and should press the government to end its abuses and threats. The government should extend refugees’ registration cards until at least March 2019. And the UN refugee agency should stop supporting involuntary refugee return and unequivocally publicly challenge any further efforts by Pakistan to force out Afghan refugees.


Customs and Border Protection officers at New York’s JFK airport said they captured two more passengers who attempted to smuggle drugs by strapping packages of cocaine to their legs. The most recent seizure came when two men tried to bring more than 10 kilos of cocaine into the United States on April 19, officers said. Both men allegedly had the drugs taped to their legs under their clothing, and one man taped the drugs to his back. The two men traveled on the same flight from the Dominican Republic to New York last week, but it’s unclear if they knew each other. Not one, but two 'busted' out of their pants...on the same flight by #JFK @CustomsBorder read the story herehttps://t.co/lFtSy9pMFO pic.twitter.com/ss6NUqZdVk “This latest seizure demonstrates our CBP officers being ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of these illicit drugs,” Leon Hayward, acting director of CBP’s New York field operations, stated in a news release. In the statement, it was not mentioned what tipped off the officers to conduct additional inspections on the men. But they were taken to a private search room where officers seized 23 pounds (10.4 kilos) of cocaine estimated at a nearly $400,000 street value. The two men were arrested and are facing federal narcotics smuggling charges, according to the CBP. Last month at the same airport, officers said they discovered two other passengers on separate days with drugs taped under their pants. This passenger was 'busted' out of his pants by @CustomsBorder #JFK with an estimated $164,000 of Cocaine pic.twitter.com/EdBZniTkfp It's like 'Deja Vu all over again' for @CustomsBorder #JFK cocaine under pants; estimated street value of $83,000https://t.co/uuQ44u6L3A pic.twitter.com/jWF6U4zw6e Those seizures equaled to 6.8 kilos (15 pounds) of cocaine.


Editor’s Note: Sean Kennedy is a writer based in Washington. Previously, he was a US Senate aide, television producer and a fellow at public policy think tanks. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Kevin O'Leary of "Shark Tank" fame is vying to become Conservative Party leader Sean Kennedy says it's possible Canada's Donald Trump can become prime minister After months of media hype, a political neophyte with strong opinions, a brash style and extreme wealth gets into the race. Almost immediately, the reality TV celebrity is propelled to the top of the pack – leading all contenders and in spitting distance of his political adversary across the aisle. No, this is not the story of President Donald Trump’s rise, but the story of technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist Kevin O’Leary of ABC’s “Shark Tank” fame. O’Leary is running for the highest office in the land – in Canada. The multimillionaire from Montreal’s English-speaking minority grew up middle class, unlike the newly inaugurated US President, but embraces the path that brought the Queens-born real estate tycoon to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Related article Canada's Donald Trump? 'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary runs for Tory leadership O’Leary’s supporters are even selling Trump-like red hats with a slogan embroidered in white thread. Instead of “Make America Great Again,” O’Leary’s caps encourage the voters to return Canada’s Prime Minister to his previous occupation, saying: “Make Trudeau a Drama Teacher Again.” And “Shark Tank’s” Mr. Wonderful is crushing his conservative Tory rivals out of the gate, too, with more than 50% of the party’s voters in one poll backing him within days of his announced candidacy to become leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. O’Leary does distance himself from Trump, who is deeply unpopular north of the US border, on policy such as a border wall. O’Leary told the New York Post: “We’re both businessmen. That is the common thread. …  But I am nowhere near the same (as) Donald Trump on policy. I am half Lebanese, half Irish – there’s no walls. … If there was a wall around Canada, I wouldn’t exist.” O’Leary even apes the nationalist rhetoric Trump displays, tweeting: “The Conservative Party of Canada needs a candidate who can beat Justin Trudeau and bring back jobs to this country!” It's official, I'm in. The Conservative Party of Canada needs a candidate who can beat Justin Trudeau and bring back jobs to this country! O’Leary, who is threading a needle playing the role of both Trump in Canada and his foil on issues where Canadian and US interests diverge, was bullish last year on Trump’s effect on the stock market, too. O’Leary said that the markets would “go straight up” if Trump took the White House. On that count, O’Leary (if he put his money where his mouth was) made the right bet as stocks have soared since the election of the American tycoon. But can O’Leary withstand the crowded field and slings and arrows like Trump did during the GOP primaries? Only time will tell. One thing that is different that may affect Canada’s choice is how the Conservative Party leader is selected – by members who have paid to join the party and who then have to show up to cast ballots and then wait hours for the final results A system similar to the Iowa and Nevada caucuses did not help Trump since only the most conservative, dedicated and organized candidates manage to make it past the caucusgoers. Trump lost most of the caucuses he competed in to other candidates despite his advantage in the polls. Facebook post not found. Post has been removed or is no longer public. Facebook post not found. Post has been removed or is no longer public. Another thing that will weigh heavily against O’Leary is his opponent, the attractive and affable scion of the Trudeau dynasty. Additionally, the Conservatives’ last successful leader to assume the prime ministry was Stephen Harper, a traditional and reserved Canadian. He is a mild-mannered politician and man, a stereotype of Canadians. Then there’s O’Leary’s residency. In 2013, O’Leary called Boston “home” – and it just might be his political death knell. Canadians are sensitive, to say the least, about their southern neighbor and the “brain drain” of their successful brethren. Palm Springs and Florida are fine to visit, but going full American is a no-no. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook Former Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff was raked over the coals by his political opponents for assuming academic posts in the United States and Britain, even bragging about voting in the latter. It went down like a lead balloon in Canada, and Ignatieff skulked off into the Canadian political wilderness. Then again, Trump, who made “Buy American, Hire American” a rallying cry during his campaign, managed to get through – despite making his clothing lines in much-maligned China and hiring foreign workers at his projects and resorts. Maybe O’Leary’s fame and wealth might make Mr. Wonderful, Mr. Prime Minister after all.


The design and manufacture of large commercial aircraft is one of the world’s most challenging industries. Two aviation giants dominate the field: U.S.-based Boeing and European consortium Airbus. So can a Russian upstart succeed in its goal of redefining the market with a new aircraft concept whose unique characteristics place it in a category of its own? The new manufacturer is Moscow-based private company is Rosavia. Its concept is the inelegantly named Frigate Ecojet. Airliners can be roughly divided into two groups. There are wide-body aircraft, like the Boeing 777 and 787 or Airbus A330 and A350 families, designed to carry 250 or more passengers on long-haul flights. Then there are narrow-body aircraft: smaller single-aisle craft usually seating fewer than 200 passengers and serving short- and medium-haul routes. The Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 families are the most common in this category. Boeing 737 MAX maiden flight roars off the runway But what if an airline needs to transport a large number of passengers over relatively short distances? One option is to use a wide-body airline – much heavier than required for short distances. The other is to use narrow-body aircrafts, flying at greater frequency, and to give up some of the economies of scale that high-density routes can afford. Neither is an ideal solution. The Frigate Ecojet aims to bridge this market gap by combining the capacity of a wide-body aircraft with the economics and range of a narrow-bodied one. It’s been designed to fly between 276 and 358 passengers over distances of 3,000 to 4,000 nautical miles, depending on the model. Although currently a private company, Rosavia follows the tradition of Russia’s aircraft design bureaus. Some of its senior technical personnel were involved in the roll-out of airliners such as the medium-range Tupolev Tu-204 and the Tu-214. Why the sun is setting on the Boeing 747 If its positioning as a medium-haul wide-body airliner sets the Frigate Ecojet apart in the market, its most eye-catching feature is without doubt its curved fuselage. Rosavia’s engineers say its elliptic shape is a particularly efficient solution for seating more than 350 passengers in a three-aisle configuration, while keeping weight and dimensions below those of wide-body aircraft of similar capacity. The main challenge the Frigate Ecojet faces isn’t technical, though, but commercial. Is there enough demand for an aircraft with these characteristics? Yes, but a limited one, says Daniel Tsang, aviation expert and founder of consultancy firm Aspire Aviation. He says it’s the same terrain that Boeing is purportedly examining as part of a long-term plan to develop a new mid-size airplane. “While such a market has a demand for up to 2,000 airplanes over the next 20 years, it will remain niche,” says Tsang. Nevertheless, managers at Frigate Ecojet hope to capture a piece of this action. EasyJet unveils plan for 'hybrid' planes using hydrogen fuel cells They see most of the demand coming from Asia, where the Frigate Ecojet could serve the growth in high-density routes between the region’s major cities. Tsang remains skeptical that the cost savings brought about by the Ecojet could be large enough to prevent Boeing and Airbus from covering the market gap with re-engined versions of their existing jets. He says that the question is “whether developing a clean-sheet small-twin is the best solution to addressing the niche market needs.” In his view, the re-engined Airbus A321neo and Boeing 737-900ER will be able to cover most of the demand. Throw in the Airbus A330neo, whose development cost is fully paid for, and the business case looks even shakier. In any case, Rosavia is plowing ahead with its plans to serially produce the Frigate Ecojet, and hopes to be operational by 2018. The company has already successfully completed the first round of aerodynamic and structural tests in Germany, with the cooperation of several engineering partners, and it’s now looking for a suitable location for its assembly line. With a catalog price of $120 million, on a par with the smaller Airbus A321neo, Frigate Ecojet’s program leader Alexander Klimov expects the project to break even at 115 aircraft. He says the company will need $3 billion investment over the next 10 years. It’s open, he adds, to discussing financial or industrial partnerships. That could lead to the company relocating to another European country or to Asia to take advantage of favorable local conditions. There’s no doubt that the Frigate Ecojet is a bold and ambitious undertaking, even more so when considering it’s being led by an independent private company. However, it’s precisely this slice of the market that saw the beginning of one of the most successful growth stories in the history of commercial aviation. Although the market and political environment is vastly different, it’s easy to forget – four decades after the first Airbus A300 took to the skies – that once upon a time the mighty and diversified Airbus Group also started with a medium-haul wide-body airliner designed for the same tasks that the Frigate Ecojet now hopes to fulfill. Miquel Ros is an aviation blogger. An economist by background, he’s worked for Flightglobal and Bloomberg. He currently covers the airline industry through Allplane.tv and collaborates with luxury travel website Trovel and other online media.


Newborn brain cells have different properties than mature ones Study: Fetal brain tissue samples are rich in new neurons; adult samples show none Your brain has peaked by age 13. The creation of new brain cells in the hippocampus ends before we even reach adulthood, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Previously, scientists generally believed that the human hippocampus generates new brain cells or neurons throughout adulthood. There’s no consensus about the number of neurons made in adulthood; some researchers believe that hundreds of neurons are added each day, while others contend that very few are created after childhood. This birth of new brain cells – or neurogenesis – is “a fascinating process,” said Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, senior author of the new study and a professor of neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco. “It requires the birth of the cell, the migration or the movement of the cell to the right place – which is not an easy task in the very dense structure of the brain – and then that cell has to make space to grow and connect to other cells and then contribute in a functional way to that circuit,” he said. Neurons are created by progenitor cells, also called precursor or stem cells. Newborn neurons are important because they have different properties than mature neurons. In particular, they excel at forming new connections. Related article Sacrificing sleep? Here's what it will do to your health For the study, the researchers searched for progenitor cells and young neurons in 59 postmortem and postoperative human tissue samples taken from the hippocampus. The hippocampus, a tiny seahorse-shaped structure deep inside the brain, plays a major role in learning and remembering. Alvarez-Buylla’s research focuses on one brain region at a time. The ages of the brain tissue samples ranged from early fetus through adulthood. In fetal samples that had gestated 14 weeks, the researchers saw rich streams of precursor cells and immature neurons migrating to a still-developing region within the hippocampus known as the dentate gyrus, known to be crucial to memory formation. Searching additional fetal samples, the researchers discovered that by 22 weeks, the migration of cells had decreased. By age 1, there were far fewer immature neurons than during the fetal stage. Older samples showed even fewer young neurons. Age 13 was the oldest brain tissue sample containing any immature neurons, the researchers found. The adult tissue samples had none. What does it mean that our brains do not make new brain cells beyond age 13? Alvarez-Buylla asks instead, “What would it mean if we did make neurons in this part of the brain?” Some people believe the process of neurogenesis adds to the rejuvenation of the brain, yet no one knows whether this is the case, he explained. “If the adult brain contains some stem cells that might be reactivated or rekindled,” he wondered, “would it really contribute in an important way to any plasticity or even some recovery from the loss of neurons as happens in some diseases?” It might be good, he said, but it also might not. Related article You're an adult, but your brain might not be, experts say René Hen, a professor in Columbia University’s departments of psychiatry, neuroscience and pharmacology at the Kavli Institute for Brain Science, said the new study is “provocative.” “It is provocative because it claims that in the average human brain there are very few neurons left – in other words, it’s probably not functional,” said Hen, who was not involved in the research. “It is important because there are few studies that have documented how many of these young neurons are present in the hippocampus in humans.” He said there’s been “a lot of interest in trying to harness these young neurons to improve cognition.” “We don’t know how many of these young neurons are important for function,” he said. There’s evidence that interneurons – a different type of brain cell – mediate the function of young neurons and even amplify their effects. “So even a small number of young neurons could actually have quite potent effects,” Hen said. “How many is enough to produce a function is really the question.” Related article New brain map identifies 97 previously unknown regions Why were no young neurons found in adult brain tissue in this study, when previous research found many or at least some neurons? Hen suggested that the use of tissue samples might explain the discrepancy. “When you work with postmortem human tissue, the tissue is often of poor quality,” he said, and so it is “very difficult” to assess the number of neurons contained there. Hen added that biology also affects neurons, so the postoperative samples might also be problematic. “In cases of psychiatric disorders, in cases of stress, in cases of inflammation, the number of neurons decreases,” Hen said. Future research is needed to reconcile the differences between past studies and this new work, he said. “The jury is still out.” See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. Jason Snyder, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of British Columbia, described the new research as “important.” Snyder’s commentary was published Wednesday in Nature beside the new study, in which he was not involved. Related article Pregnancy changes a mother's brain for years, study shows “It provides strong evidence that the human brain’s ability to produce newborn neurons in the hippocampus (a brain region involved in memory formation) is limited as we get older,” Snyder wrote in an email. The new study also needs to be taken seriously because it guides us to explore new directions. “If we can understand how neural precursor cells work, we may be able to use them to replace neurons that have died,” he said. Alvarez-Buylla said the most “striking” observation of the paper was something else that was missing, besides the new neurons. “In the rat brain, there is a very dense layer of cells, some of which are actively proliferating, and this is where the progenitors of the new neurons meet. This region is called the granular zone,” he said. “That structure was simply not there in humans.” Clarification: A previous version of this story did not state Arturo Alvarez-Buylla’s affiliation with University of California, San Francisco.

study on neurogenesis in the human hippocampus


On a day that saw FBI Director James Comey testify before the House Intelligence Committee, Erin Burnett made the issue the focus of her evening news program by welcoming a man who was in the room as the testimony was given. Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio is a Republican member of the Intelligence Committee, and cautioned anyone from forming opinions based solely on what Comey shared Monday morning. Related article 9 things we learned from the Comey hearing “I think it certainly is highly speculative and people shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions,” said Turner, referencing in particular Comey’s revelation the FBI is investigating potential Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.  “This is an important issue and it does need to be addressed, but it certainly shouldn’t be played out in the media.” GOP @RepMikeTurner tells @ErinBurnett discussions of possible Trump-Russia collusion are "highly speculative" https://t.co/6Bn4kYfeVs Monday’s hearing also touched on President Trump’s claim that his Trump Tower phone lines had been tapped by former President Barack Obama, which Comey said didn’t happen. In light of that, the “OutFront” host asked Turner about Trump’s next move. “Do you think that President Trump should apologize, that he should retract the accusations that he made, which frankly were personal, they were alleging that President Obama had done something criminal?” Burnett asked her guest.  “Should he apologize?” “At this point … the ball’s in his court,” he replied. “We’ve had the FBI director say that there’s been no evidence … the ball’s in the President’s court to explain what did he mean … by this tweet, and why is he saying that.” Related video Electronics banned from cabins on some flights Meanwhile, it’s also worth noting that Turner’s live CNN interview came after breaking news on the global terror front, as it was revealed that electronics larger than mobile phones may be banned from certain incoming US flights originating in the Middle East. Intel from Yemen raid may be tied to a ban of electronic devices on some US-bound flights, @Rene_MarshCNN reports https://t.co/svtTVyQb04 Noting that he hadn’t yet been briefed, Turner said the new ruling seemed sensible. “There has been some concern for some time about electronic items being used to hide explosive devices and their threats to airline traffic,” Turner told Burnett. “This is all about getting the intelligence we need, applying it to the type of protections and interventions that we can do, and then trying to lessen that threat and this certainly sounds like it could be part of that.”


Anis Amri is being sought in deadly truck attack on Berlin Christmas market Suspect was held in August and let go, German security official tells CNN A manhunt is underway for a 24-year-old Tunisia native in connection with this week’s Christmas market attack in Berlin – a man German authorities say may be “violent and armed” and had been in contact with radical Islamist groups. Anis Amri is being sought in Monday’s truck attack, which left 12 people dead and 48 injured at Breitsheidplatz, a wanted notice issued Wednesday by the German federal prosecutor’s office said. Police have offered a reward of up to 100,000 euros (about $104,000) for information about his whereabouts, and said Amri is “under urgent suspicion.” “If you see this person that we are seeking, inform the police. Please do not put yourself in danger because this person could be violent and armed!” the notice said. • Amri is 1.78 meters (5 feet 10 inches) tall and weighs about 75 kilograms (165 pounds). • The suspect was arrested in August with forged documents en route to Italy, but a judge released him, an official says. •  Police at one point noticed the suspect because he was looking for a gun. •  The suspect arrived in Germany in 2015 and was known to be in touch with radical Islamist groups, a state minister says. •  The suspect’s asylum request was refused this year and deportation was attempted, state minister says. •  German police conduct raids in North Rhine-Westphalia region, a security official says. Amri’s identity papers were found inside the cabin of the truck used in Monday’s attack, German security officials said. Before Amri was publicly named, Ralf Jaeger, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, told reporters the suspect was known to German security services as someone in contact with radical Islamist groups, and had been assessed as posing a risk. One German security official told CNN the suspect had been arrested in August with forged documents in the southern German town of Friedrichshafen, on his way to Italy, but a judge released him. The suspect also came onto the radar of German police because he was looking for a gun, the official said. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière told reporters a manhunt had been underway across Europe since midnight. German police carried out raids Wednesday in connection with the investigation in North Rhine-Westphalia, where Amri had stayed, another security official told CNN. ISIS claimed it had inspired Monday’s attack. The terror group’s affiliated Amaq News Agency described the perpetrator as a “soldier of the Islamic State” who had acted in response to calls for attacks in the West. Amri was named as a suspect a day after police released a different man. The first man, an asylum seeker believed to be from Pakistan, had been detained in the immediate aftermath of the attack, with German media reporting that witnesses had said he’d driven the truck. But Peter Frank, general prosecutor at Germany’s Federal Court of Justice, said that forensic tests offered no link between the man and the truck’s cabin. Jaeger said Amri was believed to have entered Germany in July 2015 and had traveled between Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and other cities. He was “very mobile,” but was mostly in Berlin since February, he said. Amri requested asylum in Germany, but this was refused in June, Jaeger said – two months before his reported arrest in southern Germany. A deportation process was started in North Rhine-Westphalia, Jaeger said. The suspect had been registered by German authorities as someone who posed a risk, said Stephan Mayer, a spokesman for the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union parliamentary group. Mayer said the suspect was believed to have links to a Salafist group, referring to an ultra-conservative branch of Islam. But authorities’ attempts to deport him were thwarted because they were unable to establish his identity beyond doubt, Mayer said. Related video Germany in shock after deadly terror attack German security officials told CNN that investigators believe the Tunisian suspect is linked to a recruitment network for ISIS operating in Germany. The main figure in the network, Ahmad Abdulaziz Abdullah – a 32-year-old Iraqi national also known as Abu Walaa – and four others were arrested and charged with terrorism offenses in November. German federal prosecutors said then that Abdullah was the ringleader of a multiregional recruitment network. The group allegedly targeted and radicalized young Muslims in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony. Jaeger said he could not confirm a link to Abu Walaa. Tunisian radio network Mosaique FM interviewed a man who identified himself as Amri’s father. The man said Anis is one of four children, and that he and Amri’s mother are divorced. Amri left Tunisia for Italy about seven years ago, after he dropped out of school, the man said. The man said he hasn’t heard from Amri but that Amri maintained contact with his siblings through phone calls that sometimes came months apart. A Polish man found shot dead inside the truck has been identified as its original driver, according to German media. He was not driving during the incident, police said. The gun used to kill him has not been recovered. Related article 'Black day for history:' Berliners mourn victims of market attack The slain driver may have been involved in a struggle with the suspect inside the truck’s cabin before he was shot, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said. This could be when the suspect’s identity papers were dropped, he suggested. The truck, which was owned by a Polish company, was hauling 25 tons of steel before it was steered into the crowd, according to its owner, Ariel Zurawski. He identified the slain driver as his cousin. Police have appealed to the public for any digital videos and photos they have of the attack or possible suspects. German authorities have not publicly named any of the victims, and police have asked people not to post videos or photos of them as a sign of respect. But Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that a 60-year-old Israeli woman – Dalia Elaykim – had died in the attack. Her husband was seriously injured. The embassy is working with the family to bring her body back to Israel for burial, the Ministry said. Italy’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Italian national Fabrizia Di Lorenzo was missing following the attack and that her family was now in Berlin. The ministry said it was waiting for German investigators to complete their work before issuing a statement. Italy’s ANSA news agency reported the missing woman, 31, worked in Berlin and that her cell phone was found at the attack scene. Michael Schuetz, the doctor who oversaw the emergency response at Berlin’s Charité hospital, told CNN that survivors described a scene “like a little war zone.” Physical injuries ranged from major trauma for those hit by the truck to lesser injuries suffered when poles from the market huts fell on people, he said. Berliners who came to leave flowers and candles at makeshift shrines near the Christmas market told CNN Wednesday they would not allow the attack to change the way they led their lives. One handwritten note left with a bunch of roses read, “You will not have our hate,” echoing the words of writer Antoine Leiris after he lost his wife in the Paris attacks. Wednesday night, the issue of migrants drew dueling protests outside the Berlin Zoo rail station. On one side a few dozen people joined a demonstration by the far-right, ultranationalist National Democratic Party, waving German flags and railing against the acceptance of migrants and refugees. They were countered by a group of several hundred people, many of whom shouted: “Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here!” Some in the counterdemonstration carried white signs with red hearts printed on them. Signs carried messages such as “Solidarity instead of hate,” and “Together against Nazis.” As the NPD side delivered speeches on a loudspeaker, the counterdemonstrators drowned them out with music, chants and whistles. Among the pro-refugee crowd was 70-year-old Irmela Schramm, who for years has sought out neo-Nazi graffiti across Germany and painted over it with heart shapes. “When I saw what happened on Monday, I knew I would have a lot more to do,” she said Wednesday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has come under political pressure over her government’s generous acceptance of refugees. Germany has taken in more than 890,000 asylum-seekers in the past year, a much higher number than other European nations. How populism could shake up Europe: A visual guide The issue contributed to defeats for Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union in Berlin and her home state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during regional elections this year. CNN’s Hala Gorani reported from Berlin, James Griffiths wrote from Hong Kong and Laura Smith-Spark wrote from London. CNN’s Bryony Jones, Jason Hanna, Schams Elwazer, Tim Lister, Carol Jordan, Max Foster, Julia Jones and Hada Messia contributed to this report.


Haseeb Sediqi, spokesman for Afghanistan's intelligence service, confirms Omar's death He says Omar died in a mysterious way in a hospital in Pakistan in 2013 Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar died in April 2013 in Pakistan, a spokesperson for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Wednesday in a news release, citing “credible information.” Under Omar’s leadership, the Taliban offered safe haven to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, precipitating the U.S. military action in Afghanistan after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz could not confirm the death but said the administration believes the reports are credible. Schultz says the intelligence community is looking into the reports. Haseeb Sediqi, spokesman for Afghanistan’s intelligence service, said Omar died in a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan, in April 2013. Sediqi said that intelligence service – the National Directorate of Security – was aware of Omar’s death long ago and had conveyed that to Afghanistan’s Parliament. He also said he mentioned it at least three times in his past press conferences. Omar Samad, senior adviser to Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, said, “All odds and indications point to the fact that he has been dead for at least two years,” A source with a strong decades long track record of contact with the Taliban told CNN that senior Afghan Taliban leadership have acknowledged Omar is dead. They met in Quetta, Pakistan, this past weekend and may take days or longer to acknowledge his passing publicly, the source said. The source said there are at least two versions of the death: That Omar died at a Karachi hospital or in the Afghan village of his birth. Omar’s apparent death is seen as enhancing the possibility of a positive outcome of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, the source said. A former senior United States government official who worked on Afghanistan issues for many years weighed in on the significance of Omar’s death. Related video Afghan officials: Mullah Omar is dead “I’ve tended to believe the rumors that he was dead since the serious splits started in the Taliban,” the official said. “If he were alive, he wouldn’t allow these rumors to continue to threaten the movement’s unity to this degree. He would risk some small exposure to invalidate the rumors, and he has not done that despite incredible internal demands that he do so.” Samad said the reports of Omar’s death will complicate the Afghan government’s negotiations with the Taliban. “There is a serious ongoing power struggle that will now become more apparent between his hard-line followers and those who are more amenable to current reconciliation initiatives facilitated by Pakistan,” he said, referring to peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban that were hosted in Pakistan this month. In announcing Omar’s death, the spokesman for Ghani said the government is optimistic about the talks, “and thus calls on all armed opposition groups to seize the opportunity and join the peace process.” What’s next for the Taliban? Omar’s death will likely work to the advantage of ISIS, which is seeking to make inroads among the Afghan Taliban and the Pakistani Taliban. Related gallery The Taliban's rise and fall “Some dissatisfied elements (of the Taliban) have already pledged allegiance to (ISIS),” said Samad. “With Omar out of the equation, more are likely to join (ISIS).” “The bad news is that the hardline faction would then become relatively independent, perhaps even aligning with ISIS, which is a nightmare scenario for us,” the senior U.S. official said. The BBC and the Wall Street Journal reported earlier Wednesday that unnamed sources in Afghanistan were saying Omar was dead. His death had long been rumored, yet always dismissed by the Taliban. Twice in 2011, the Taliban denied speculation that he had been killed. Earlier this year, the Taliban published a “biography” of the reclusive Afghan leader, saying he was still in charge. The piece appeared on a Taliban website. The goal of the biography, experts said, was to dispel rumors that he died, possibly years ago. Mullah Omar still leads Taliban, biography published in April 2015 says And just two weeks ago, the Taliban released a statement attributed to Omar, saying he backed peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government. However the Taliban released a statement Thursday that seemed to contradict this. It read: “Media outlets are circulating reports that peace talks will take place very soon between the Islamic Emirate (as the Taliban refers to itself) and the Kabul regime either in the country of China or Pakistan. “The Islamic Emirate has handed all agency powers in this regard to its Political Office and they are not aware of any such process. “The Islamic Emirate, in accordance with its policy, has established a specific organ responsible for handling all its political affairs. We have repeatedly clarified this matter before and made clear the stance of Islamic Emirate.” Omar, once a rural Islamic cleric, created the Taliban – the plural of the Pashto word for “student” – in the 1990s in the wake of the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from the country, aiming to impose Islamic law on Afghanistan and remove foreign influence from the country. The Taliban eventually swept across the nation. With most of the country under Taliban control, he set himself the goal of transforming Afghanistan into the purest Islamic state in the world, declaring himself Amir-ul-Momineen, or head of the Muslims. Bergen: The man who wouldn’t have over bin Laden He was Afghanistan’s de facto leader from 1996 until late 2001, when a U.S.-led coalition invaded and booted the Taliban from power for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terror attacks. That led to a Taliban insurgency that continues to this day, even as U.S. and other NATO troops are drawing down their numbers in Afghanistan. The U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan ended last year, leaving the Afghan military to lead the fight against the Taliban. The thousands of NATO troops that remain in Afghanistan are there in a training and support role. The U.S. government offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to Omar’s capture. CNN’s Ed Payne, Nic Robertson and journalist Masoud Popalzai contributed to this report.


Robbers attacked the girl and hacked off her bones The United Nations says attacks against albinos are on the rise Body parts of albinos are mistakenly believed to bring wealth in some African countries Bibiana Mashamba loves to dance, run and jump – all the attributes of a thriving teenager. But at age 16, all that has taken a back seat as she struggles to walk following a merciless attack that nearly killed her. “At 11 at night, some robbers came into our room,” Mashamba says, recalling the terrifying day six years ago near the city of Mwanza in her home country of Tanzania. The robbers wanted something much more precious than jewels or electronics. They wanted the bones of the teen born with albinism. Body parts of albinos are highly sought in some African countries, where some mistakenly believe they bring wealth and good luck. Attackers chop off limbs, pluck out organs and sell them to witchdoctors. In  Mashamba’s case, they got what they came for. They hacked off her right leg, two fingers and tried to chop off her left leg but ran off before they could get through the bone. Mashamba says she did not know what was happening at first. Whoever attacked her drugged her beforehand, while she slept. She was sleeping in the same room as her sister and cousin, and the latter woke up to see the blood and the robbers. She screamed, and the adults dashed in. “I was in the hospital for 10 months,” Mashamba says, her wide grin gone for the first time during the interview. “It was so painful.” The teen may not know who attacked her, but she knows why. She was hunted down and chopped up because of her skin color. Her stark white skin and blond hair attract the worst kind of attention in her home country. The belief propagated by witchdoctors that the bones of people with albinism are magic and will make you rich has spread across parts of East Africa. “Those witchdoctors who are telling them to come and chop our limbs, they are liars,” she says. “How can someone get rich off my bones? I am not rich and they are my bones. This is the work of the devil.” In the United States, about one in 20,000 people have some type of albinism. But in some East African countries such as Tanzania, the number can be as high as one in 1,500. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says this year, people with albinism have experienced a surge in violent attacks in East Africa. “These attacks are often stunningly vicious, with children in particular being targeted,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein says in a statement. “As a result, many people with albinism are living in abject fear. Some no longer dare to go outside, and children with albinism have stopped attending school because of the recent spate of assaults, murders and kidnappings.” Mashamba and her sister, Tindi, know that by experience. They have endured taunting all their lives for being albinos. The two lived with their aunt and uncle, who took them in after their sick parents died. But after they were discharged from hospital following the attacks, they decided it was not safe to live with them anymore. “If I go back again to our village again, they could maybe kill me,” Mashamba says. Tanzanian politician Al-Shymaa Kway-Geer heard their story and took them in. Kway-Geer, the first albino to hold office in the country, became their new caretaker. While Mashamba had a safe place to live in Dar es Salaam, her life was far from what she had envisioned. The prosthesis she was given was archaic. Dancing, running and jumping were impossible. Even walking to school became painful. At times, she would slip and fall while going up a hill. Beyond anything, she wanted to be able to learn. “I enjoy math, I enjoy science, I enjoy English. I enjoy history. I enjoy everything,” she says. At 16, she got yet another surprise that would change her life. The African Millennium Foundation run by Malena Ruth offered to pay for the two sisters to come to the United States so Mashamba would get the best care and technology available to amputees. “She taught me so much. She taught me what courage is, what dignity is,” Ruth says with tears in her eyes. Ruth has become the girls’ guardian as Mashamba goes through physical therapy with the new prosthesis she received at the Orthopaedic Institute for Children in Los Angeles. “It was a horrible tragedy no child should have to know – their house raided and your body parts removed,” she says. “And unfortunately, this tragedy kind of extended beyond that horrible night in that she had some individuals that were really interested in helping her but there wasn’t the ability to kind of do the coordinated care that she really needed,” says Dr. Anthony Scaduto with the institute. With her upgraded  prosthesis and physical therapy, Mashamba can enjoy some of the physical freedoms she longed for. The sisters are determined to use their past trauma to shape their future. “I want to be a doctor so I can heal other children’s bones,” a smiling Mashamba says. Tindi, who can’t bear to see the suffering her sister endured, has a different plan. “I want to be a judge in my country so that I can punish people who hurt others,” she says. CNN’s Traci Tamura contributed to this report


Suspect arrested in slaying of Chinese student in Iowa Iowa prosecutor says case will be tried in China Chinese prosecutors have charged Li Xiangnan, the victim's boyfriend, with intentional homicide Victim's father Shao Chunsheng tells CNN he is relieved The man charged with killing a student at Iowa State University will face trial in China and not be extradited to the United States, an Iowa prosecutor says. The Chinese government announced this week that Xiangnan Li, 23, had been arrested in connection with the killing of Tong Shao, a 20-year-old student from China who had gone to Iowa State to study engineering. Li was her boyfriend and attended business school at the University of Iowa. Authorities said Li was the last one to see Shao alive and had hopped a plane to China shortly after she was killed last September. The investigation stalled because there is no extradition treaty between China and the United States. Investigators in Iowa said they felt hamstrung because there was little precedent for such a case – when a Chinese national flees the United States and is wanted in connection with the killing of another Chinese national. “It’s certainly been an interesting process,” said Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness, the lead prosecutor in Iowa. “China would not send him back for us to prosecute him domestically. “The only other option the Department of Justice had for us was to ask the Chinese government to prosecute him.” Lyness credited a CNN story in early April with jump-starting the case. In that piece, Shao’s father accused authorities of doing little to seek justice for his daughter. “What has she done to deserve such a crime? Why?” said Chunsheng Shao. “We’ve given all our love to our daughter. I feel my life is meaningless after losing her.” Iowa prosecutors, working through the U.S. Department of Justice, made a formal request in late April for Chinese investigators to come to Iowa, Lyness said. According to the Chinese government, Li turned himself in on May 13 in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou and “was put into criminal detention on that day.” In early June, Chinese investigators visited Iowa, and U.S. authorities “handed over relevant evidence items, documents and video materials,” China’s Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. On June 19, Wenzhou prosecutors formally charged Li with the intentional homicide. “We felt fairly confident that the investigators we met with were very interested in pursuing the case,” Lyness said. “But obviously we had no guarantee what would happen once they got back to China. “It’s a relief that they’ve actually arrested him and will proceed with prosecution,” she said. Shao’s father had a similar reaction. “They finally caught him,” he said. “I feel relieved.” There is no death penalty in Iowa. Lyness said she expressed to the Chinese investigators that the case not be pursued as a capital one. “They couldn’t give me assurances,” she said. “(But) I think life imprisonment is the most likely option” if Li is found guilty. Lyness said she hopes to attend the trial in China in the coming months. “It would be a very good educational opportunity to go over there and see how the Chinese justice system works.” Shao was first reported missing on September 17, 2014. It wasn’t until September 26 that police in Iowa found her body, stuffed in the trunk of her own car. By then Li, a “person of interest” sought for questioning by Iowa authorities, had already bought a one-way ticket and returned to China. “I’m truly grateful that Chinese and U.S. authorities came together and solved the case eventually,” Shao’s father told CNN. CNN’s Ivan Watson in Beijing and Kevin Wang in Atlanta contributed to this report


Editor’s Note: Buck Sexton is a political commentator for CNN and host of “The Buck Sexton Show” on TheBlaze. He was previously a CIA counterterrorism analyst. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam and two other people were captured Friday Buck Sexton: A measure of justice is possible with the arrests Authorities will likely learn more about the Islamic State in Europe, says Sexton The capture of five people in Belgium, including Salah Abdeslam, a suspected architect of the November 13 attacks in Paris, is an important step in Europe’s fight against terrorism. But many questions still need to be answered, and the terror threat level remains high while authorities follow additional leads. Here’s what we know so far: During a raid Tuesday at an apartment in the Forest district of Brussels, one suspected jihadist – Mohamed Belkaid, an Algerian national – shot it out with Belgian authorities, holding police officers at bay with an AK-47. A police sniper killed Belkaid, but not before two people escaped out the back and across nearby rooftops. The deceased Belkaid reportedly appeared on a list of would-be suicide bombers. The list was acquired by NBC News from a Syrian who claimed to have stolen it from the Islamic State. Belgian authorities believe it was Abdeslam and an accomplice who were flushed out of the apartment during that Tuesday gunbattle. In the raid’s aftermath, counterterrorism police were able to track Abdeslam to the Molenbeek neighborhood of Brussels, where he and four others were taken into custody in a tactical operation Friday involving exchanges of gunfire and explosions. Related video Timeline of the Paris terror suspect capture On the one hand, Abdeslam’s capture marks a critical milestone, as it closes a chapter of the horrific Paris terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015, that killed 130 people. French authorities briefly, but unknowingly, had  Abdeslam in their grasp hours after the attacks, at the Belgian border, and they let him go. This police blunder was followed by dozens of raids over the course of four months to finally find Abdeslam and any suspected co-conspirators. Now there is a chance for some measure of justice for the victims of the November attacks in Paris. From a counterterrorism perspective, the capture of Abdeslam could provide enormously useful information. As a suspected jihadist who allegedly executed a mass casualty attack in France’s capital with ties to individuals who trained with ISIS in Syria, he may know a great deal about senior ISIS leadership. Related video Source: Paris terror suspect captured, injured but alive Abdeslam could also provide tremendous insight into current and future jihadist threats against the entire European Union. He could walk French and Belgian authorities through every stage of his alleged plotting, including any direct communications with ISIS leadership or facilitators in Syria. On the European side of the equation, Abdeslam could lay out the logistics and travel networks, operational security measures, and target surveillance he and any other suspected jihadists allegedly utilized to conduct the November attacks. All of this would be essential information that could save lives in the future. Whether Abdeslam – or any of the other four suspects taken into custody – have knowledge of active terrorist cells or operational plots remains to be seen. Belgian and French authorities, however, will no doubt have new phone numbers to trace, computer hard drives to analyze and names to track down. In the coming days, we will have a clearer picture of just how large the November 13 terror network really was, and whether it remains active. Related video Paris terror suspect captured, injured in raid But much of this is contingent upon Abdeslam talking to authorities, which is far from a given. The horrific nature of his alleged crimes certainly warrantsa life sentence in prison, so sentence mitigation isn’t much incentive. Belgian and French security officials will have to rely on savvy interrogation and whatever legal means of coercion and inducement are at their disposal to get answers from Abdeslam. Receiving cooperation from a reportedly hardened jihadist whose brother blew himself up on November 13 – and who was reportedly hours away from becoming a suicide bomber himself – will likely be a slow, difficult task. In addition, there will be scrutiny of the Muslim community of Molenbeek – an area already known to be a hotbed of Islamic radicalism – in the aftermath of these raids. That Abdeslam – referred to in the press as “Europe’s most wanted man” – could have successfully hidden not just in a suburb of Belgium’s capital city, but in the very neighborhood most likely to harbor jihadists – and done so for four months – is deeply troubling. Some suspects are already in Belgian custody for their alleged role in providing a safe haven to Abdeslam. The possibility remains that there were others who at least knew of Abdeslam’s whereabouts, and kept silent. Related video Paris suspect Abdeslam captured alive Nonetheless, today was a victory for France, Belgium and the civilized world against jihadist terrorism. But, as is the case with every individual raid or arrest, it is but one victory in a much larger and ongoing war. Perhaps the most important outcome of today’s arrests will be that Europe’s counterterrorism forces will achieve a better understanding of the full scope of the Islamic State’s plotting against the West – and how to stop it before there is another terrorist atrocity on Europe’s soil. Join us on Facebook.com/CNNOpinion.Read CNNOpinion’s new Flipboard magazine.

capture of Salah Abdeslam and related counterterrorism efforts in Europe


NEW: Suspect's lawyer reportedly says her client denies trying to launch a terror attack Three Americans, a Briton and a French national are credited with helping avert the attack "It is clear that their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy," President Obama says The three friends from the United States traveled in Europe as vacationers. Now the world knows them as heroes. Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos were aboard a high-speed train en route to Paris from Amsterdam on Friday when a gunman opened fire. Along with two others – a French national and a Briton – they charged, tackled and subdued him, officials said. Applause poured in from world leaders and citizens alike as more details emerged on the chaotic, bloody scene aboard the train. Here are the five heroes who may have averted a massacre: The 22-year-old Skarlatos, a National Guardsman based in Oregon, was on a monthlong vacation after his return from deployment in Afghanistan. But instead of taking in scenic European countrysides, he was taking on an attacker aboard a zipping train. Skarlatos heard gunfire and breaking glass, and sensed something was wrong. When the suspect appeared with a gun in their car, he mobilized others. He is the one who yelled “get him” after he heard a gunshot and noticed that the gunman’s weapon appeared to be jammed. “The guy had a lot of ammo,” Skarlatos said of the attacker. “His intentions were pretty clear.” Once they charged at him, he seized the gunman’s rifle and pounded him in the head with the muzzle repeatedly. “I’m so proud of (my son). I mean I’m in awe,” his father, Emanuel Skarlatos, told CNN affiliate KVAL in Roseburg, Oregon. “He inspires me.” Sadler, a senior at California State University in Sacramento, was on his first trip to Europe when terror struck. When his friends jumped  the gunman and took him down, he and another passenger helped restrain him and ensure he stayed down. “The three of us beat up the guy,” Sadler said. “In the process, Spencer gets slashed multiple times by the box cutter, and Alek takes the AK away.” Sadler helped tie up the suspect then went to other train cars to reassure passengers, said Jean-Hugues Anglade, a French actor who was traveling with his family. He “came running into our car, yelling that the shooter was overpowered by American soldiers on leave, that everything was fine,” Anglade told French magazine Paris Match. “He reassured us, he looked for survival blankets and a first aid kit for two seriously injured people.” It’ll be hard to top his first trip to Europe and his final year in college. “I’m just a college student, it’s my last year in college. I came to see my friends on my first trip in Europe and we stopped a terrorist, it’s kind of crazy,” Sadler told CNN. He urged people to be proactive during such situations. “The gunman would have been successful if my friends had not gotten up,” he said. Briton Chris Norman rushed to help the Americans overpower the suspected gunman. “All of us were in the same carriage, these two guys plus Spencer – the guy who got injured – were sitting on the same seats, the same row at the back of the train,” Norman said. Norman, who said he was sitting at the  front of the car, saw a train employee dash past. “I looked up, I saw a guy carrying an AK-47, or at least I assumed it was some kind of machine gun anyway,” he said. “I ducked down in my seat.” When Skarlatos and his friends tackled the gunman, Norman said rapid reasoning” prompted him to jump in and help subdue the gunman. “My thought was, ‘OK, I’m probably going to die anyway, so let’s go.’ I’d rather die being active, trying to get him down, than simply sit in the corner and be shot. Either you sit down and you die or you get up and you die. It was really nothing more than that.” He said his instincts kicked in. “We’ve seen enough of these kinds of attacks to understand that they will kill everybody once they get started, and my point of view was, two guys had already started tackling him,” Norman said. “Maybe they needed some help. … I said to myself, maybe I have a chance if I get up and I help as well.” Americans, French national tackle, overpower suspected Islamist gunman on train When the group decided to take down the gunman, Stone rushed him first, getting slashed several times with a box cutter in the process. “If anybody would have gotten shot, it would have been Spencer for sure, and we’re very lucky that nobody got killed, especially Spencer,” Skarlatos said. He tackled him and seized his weapons, including a box cutter, he said. “It feels pretty crazy. I never thought I’d be here,” Stone said. Stone suffered wounds in the head and neck, and almost had his thumb cut off. Despite his injuries, he helped a man who had his throat cut and applied pressure to the neck to prevent him from bleeding out, according to his friends. Stone, who serves in the U.S. Air Force, was hospitalized for a day. He was released  Saturday. In addition to the four men, a French national is credited with helping avert a massacre. Authorities did not identify him. A “French (male) passenger tried courageously to overpower him before the suspect fired several shots,” French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. “Then two American passengers intervened and managed to overpower the shooter, immobilized him on the ground and put aside his weaponry.” U.S. President Barack Obama described the three Americans as heroes, and commended and congratulated them in a phone call after the incident. “The President expressed his profound gratitude for the courage and quick thinking of several passengers, including U.S. service members, who selflessly subdued the attacker,” the White House said in a statement. “It is clear that their heroic actions may have prevented a far worse tragedy.” His French counterpart, Francois Hollande, spoke to them by phone and saluted their bravery. He will present them Monday with Legion of Honor medals, France’s highest recognition. “We often use the word hero, and in this case it has never been more appropriate,” U. S. ambassador to France, Jane Hartley, said Sunday. The suspected gunman,  Ayoub El Khazzani, is a Moroccan national, a senior European official said. He is in custody and undergoing interrogations. His lawyer told CNN affiliate BFMTV that her client denies he was trying to launch a terror attack. Instead, he boarded the train with the intention of robbing passengers, said Sophie David. CNN’s Pierre Meilhan, Jessica King and Radina Gigova contributed to this report.


Regime forces took parts of the city's east for first time in four years At least 46 people were killed and 325 were wounded Saturday Syrian regime forces have entered eastern Aleppo and retaken parts of its largest district, launching a long-threatened ground assault to wrest control of the area from rebels. The troops’ gains in the key neighborhood of Masaken Hanano were backed by regime airstrikes and marked the first time that government forces have taken a significant part of eastern Aleppo since rebels seized the area more than four years ago. Forces also entered the Jabal Badru neighborhood Sunday, effectively splitting eastern Aleppo into two. Government forces and armed groups loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began a bloody push toward eastern Aleppo on November 15 as warplanes decimated much of the zone with airstrikes following a three-week lull. But on Saturday, they broke through rebel defense lines and entered the zone by ground from the northeast, according to civilians and the state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Other troops are still pushing in from the south. Related article J.K. Rowling sends 7-year-old Aleppo fan Harry Potter books SANA reported that forces were now in “full control” of the area, but the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and an activist group on the ground said only parts were in the hands of the regime and paramilitary gunmen. CNN correspondents in the region say it would likely be days before the whole neighborhood is recaptured, as forces will have to clear buildings of potential booby traps and mines. Aleppo is largely divided between government-controlled areas in the west and rebel positions in the east. Assad has vowed to retake the whole city, once Syria’s commercial heart and now one of the last urban strongholds still in rebel hands. Eastern Aleppo has become the wretched epicenter of Syria’s brutal five-year civil war. Much of it has been reduced to rubble as regime forces backed by Russian air power have pounded the area while humanitarian crisis there become catastrophic. Regime forces have besieged eastern Aleppo a number of times, most recently in July this year. The siege has cut off both the rebels and civilians from the outside world, leaving communities on the brink of starvation – without sufficient food, clean water, fuel and medical supplies. At least 46 people were killed and 325 wounded Saturday as regime forces entered the city ‘s east, according to the Syria Civil Defense volunteer rescue group – also known as the White Helmets – and the activist Aleppo Media Center. Related article Aleppo: Who still lives in this decimated city -- and why? The White Helmets also said at least 150 airstrikes and 2,500 artillery shells struck Aleppo and its surrounding countryside on Saturday. The Syrian army said Sunday that its units had secured departure routes for 1,500 people from eastern Aleppo to regime-held areas, according to the state-run SANA news agency. It said that families had been transported to makeshift housing. But some civilians told CNN that they would not leave Aleppo as they have nowhere else to go. Many say that so-called human corridors offered to them only funnel them to regime-held areas, where they fear reprisal or being separated from their families. Related article 'Will I die, miss?' Terrified Syrian boy suffers suspected gas attack The recent resumption of airstrikes has seen devastating destruction in eastern Aleppo, and several chemical attacks on civilians have been reported, with children among victims. Hospitals have been bombed beyond use. A UN investigation in late August found that chemical weapons had been used in Syria, both by the national air force and ISIS militants. The November 15 offensive push toward eastern Aleppo was launched a day after the government sent a text message en masse to residents there, essentially telling them they should flee the city or die. Seven-year-old Bana lives under the constant cloud of war with her mother and younger brothers in rebel-held eastern Aleppo. One of her siblings has never known peace. Bana, with the help of her mother Fatemeh, has been tweeting about the horrors of their daily life. Early Sunday, Fatemah posted a series of tweets detailing the intense aerial shelling. “Last message - under heavy bombardments now, can’t be alive anymore. When we die, keep talking for 200,000 still inside. BYE.- Fatemah,” one tweet read. The army got in, this could be our last days sincerely talking. No Internet. Please please please pray for us.- Fatemah #Aleppo Fatemah told CNN their house has taken a direct hit. They are now on the street waiting for the planes to go and the shelling to stop before they can move or do anything. Tonight we have no house, it's bombed & I got in rubble. I saw deaths and I almost died. - Bana #Aleppo pic.twitter.com/arGYZaZqjg “There is nothing left to be said, the whole world watched and was silent,” Fatemah told CNN. The UN agency for children, UNICEF, reported that nearly half a million children were living under siege across Syria, a figure that has doubled in less than a year. The children live across 16 areas, cut off from aid and basic services, UNICEF said. “For millions of human beings in Syria, life has become an endless nightmare – in particular for the hundreds of thousands of children living under siege. Children are being killed and injured, too afraid to go to school or even play, surviving with little food and hardly any medicine,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake in a statement. “This is no way to live — and too many are dying.” UNICEF estimated that 100,000 children are living under siege in eastern Aleppo alone. There are believed to be around 250,000 people trapped there. The agency said parents had set up a network of playgrounds in basements so that children had a place to play. CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh, Azadeh Ansari, Merieme Arif, Kareem Khadder and Basma Atassi contributed to this report.


House and Senate Democrats on the intelligence committees have asked for Bannon to come before their panels Bannon declined to comment to CNN about whether he will meet with the panels Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr said Thursday he doesn’t see a need for his committee to talk to President Donald Trump’s former senior adviser Steve Bannon, breaking with the top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Mark Warner. Bannon is quoted in Michael Wolff’s forthcoming book on the Trump White House as calling the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting “treasonous” when a Russian lawyer with alleged dirt on Hillary Clinton met with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort. Related article Inside Trump's two days of fury Bannon is also quoted as saying that he believed the Russians met with Trump, contradicting Trump Jr. But Burr downplayed what Bannon might know about the meeting, which occurred before Bannon joined the Trump campaign. “I’m not sure what an individual who wants to talk (to Wolff) about a meeting that he didn’t attend would be able to share about that meeting,” Burr said when asked if he wants to interview Bannon. “And given we’ve been able to interview all but one who were in that meeting I think we’ve had substantial insight.” Asked if there were other matters the committee would be interested in speaking to Bannon about, Burr said: “I don’t make a habit of responding to anything Steve Bannon says.” Still, House and Senate Democrats on the intelligence committees have asked for Bannon to come before their panels, given his senior role in the Trump campaign and the White House and his newly revealed comments raising concerns about the Trump Tower meeting. Related article Scaramucci on Bannon: 'I said the truth six months ago of what he was like' “Plainly, he would have a lot to say to our committee,” Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Thursday. Bannon declined to comment to CNN about whether he will meet with the panels. Burr also told CNN that the opposition research group Fusion GPS is “within the scope” of his panel’s investigation but he would not say if he would take the group’s recommendation to investigate Trump Organization finances and potential ties to the Russians. CNN’s Dana Bash and Maegan Vazquez contributed to this report.