Is our suffering God's will?

Two decades ago, Joshua Prager was one of more than 20 people affected by a bus crash; the writer revisits the scene to find out how others have made sense of the event

The making of a nightmare tornado

On Tuesday morning, the residents of Moore, Oklahoma, woke again to another nightmare.

Reviving Detroit from the ground up

When others dismissed Detroit as a falling knife unworthy of investment, David Egner saw something else.

Teen charged after sex with girl, 14

Police say an 18 yr-old girl violated her 14 yr-old girlfriend, but one group is petitioning officials to drop charges.

Photos: Women awaiting execution

Dolphin finds torpedo from 1880s

A dolphin located a Howell torpedo that was one of 50 produced in the 1880s. KGTV's Bob Lawrence reports.

'Cheers': Where are they now?

'Just wanna break down and cry'

The desperate hunt for survivors in debris-covered Moore, Oklahoma, is ending and residents are going back to what is left of their homes to pick up scraps of their lives. FULL STORY

'It's just our job,' educator says

The twister turned Briarwood Elementary School to rubble, but no one was killed. "His teacher saved his life," a student's grateful mom said. FULL STORY

Inside a tornado-ravaged school

The schoolchildren were looking forward to going home -- playing with friends, eating snacks. Then they found themselves fighting for their lives. Some lost. FULL STORY

Why they don't have basements

The options for people seeking protection from tornadoes have grown since Dorothy and Toto failed to make it into the storm shelter on the Kansas plains, but one of the most basic protections is scarce in Moore, Oklahoma.

FBI agent kills man linked to Tsarnaev

A man shot dead by an FBI agent overnight in Orlando knew Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev and was followed by the FBI for days, a friend of the Florida man told CNN affiliate Central Florida News 13 on Wednesday.

Arias: Spare me -- I'll donate my hair

The jury in the Jodi Arias trial has one decision left to make: Should she live or die?

Chatty Arias' new jailhouse interview

Jodi Arias gives a jailhouse interview where she explains why she has been talking to the media.

Rescued Cleveland women 'happy'

Three women who were rescued this month after allegedly being held captive in a Cleveland house for close to a decade "are happy and safe," and overwhelmed by the public's support, their attorneys said in a statement released Wednesday.

Candy is dandy ... except at MJ trial

Every issue in the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial is so disputed that even giving candy to jurors caused an argument.

Police end search for woman; dad won't

A day after local police said they are ending their 3½-year search for a missing Utah woman, her father and his attorney told reporters that federal agents and private investigators are now on the case.

Clerk sells self winning lotto ticket

Meet a store clerk who sold herself a lottery ticket worth a million dollars.

Lawmakers grill Apple CEO on taxes

Apple faced a Senate hearing after it was accused of moving money overseas to avoid U.S. taxes. CNN's Joe Johns reports

They discovered the cure for...

Before the term vaccination was coined, millions died each year from these deadly diseases.

First ID'd victim was a 'ball of energy'

The tornado that smashed homes, schools and businesses in a 17-mile stretch of central Oklahoma on Monday took dozens of lives.

1st video of 9-year-old storm victim

A family who lost their beloved nine-year-old girl in the Oklahoma tornado speaks with Anderson Cooper.

Survivors tell harrowing stories

Kids searched in panic for parents near damaged Briarwood Elementary, where everyone made it out alive. But at Plaza Towers Elementary, seven children died. FULL STORY

Tornado was among the strongest ever

The tornado that ripped through Oklahoma City suburbs spanned 1.3 miles and earned the highest rating on the scale that measures tornado intensities. FULL STORY

Why was Moore in bull's-eye twice?

The governor of Oklahoma, Mary Fallin, says it is "hard to believe" another monster tornado could devastate the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore.

US rescuers comb tornado-hit area

The rescue effort after the Oklahoma twister that killed 24 people nears an end, as it emerges the storm was more powerful than thought.

Oklahoma tornado: Survivors' stories

A huge tornado has ripped through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, claiming dozens of lives. Residents of have been telling their stories.

In pictures: Monster tornado hits Oklahoma

Images from the US state of Oklahoma, where a monster tornado has killed a number of people and flattened entire neighbourhoods.

VIDEO: Newly homeless face their loss

Tornado survivors seeking shelter try to come to grips with what had happened

VIDEO: Cellar opened to reveal 'apocalypse'

At least 24 people are confirmed dead, including seven children, and many are missing after a tornado tore through Oklahoma City, US officials say.

FBI kill man 'linked to Tsarnaev'

The FBI in Florida have shot a man they were questioning about possible links to Boston bombs suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, US media report.

Vitamin C can kill drug-resistant TB

Vitamin C can kill multidrug-resistant TB in the lab, US scientists reveal - a discovery that may point to a new way of tackling the infection.

Ahmadinejad to contest bar on ally

Iran's President Ahmadinejad says he will contest the disqualification of his ally Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei from next month's presidential poll.

Notre-Dame suicide a 'political act'

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says a suicide in Notre-Dame Cathedral was "political", in a remark condemned by the ruling party.

EU in drive against tax evasion

Austria joins its EU partners in calling for a crackdown on tax evasion, despite the country's banking secrecy.

Stockholm suburbs gripped by riots

Rioters light fires and stone emergency services in the suburbs of the Swedish capital Stockholm for the third night running after a police shooting death.

Venezuela ends toilet paper shortage

Venezuela's National Assembly backs plans to import 39 million rolls of toilet paper, in an effort to relieve a chronic shortage.

Ten die in Lebanon sectarian clashes

At least 10 people die and 70 are wounded in four days of Syria-linked sectarian violence in the Lebanese city of Tripoli.

Kenya leaders named in truth report

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy are named in connection with post-election violence in a long-awaited report investigating human rights abuses.

Egyptian hostages freed in Sinai

Mohammed Morsi calls for the people of Sinai to give up their arms after seven members of the Egyptian security forces abducted in the region are freed.

Japan approves child abduction pact

Japan's parliament votes to adopt an international treaty on cross-border child custody disputes, after years of pressure from the West.

Gandhi's will and sandals auctioned

Mahatma Gandhi's last will and testament sells for more than £50,000 as dozens of Gandhi memorabilia is sold at auction.

VIDEO: An orchestra walks into a bar...

The Cleveland Orchestra realised long ago that it needed to attract new customers in order to survive.

VIDEO: South Africa's growing prosperity

Andrew Harding looks at an example of economic change at a shopping mall in the township of Alexandra.

VIDEO: Cuba reopens sugar mills

Cuba is reopening some of its mothballed sugar mills to try to take advantage of rising sugar prices.

VIDEO: Singapore's ethical jewellery outlet

Design Up Asia is a hand-made jewellery business with a difference - its products are sold online but many of its staff are women who work from home.

VIDEO: One-minute World News

Watch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day.

AUDIO: Ray Manzarek 'a stellar musician'

Former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres pays tribute to his friend, The Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek, who has died aged 74 after a long battle with cancer.

VIDEO: All mod cons in Ghana's building boom

Ghana's fast growing economy is experiencing a building boom - the BBC's George Alagiah takes a tour of a new luxury apartment in Accra.

VIDEO: Afghans discouraged from inter-marrying

Afghan authorities want to discourage the practice of inter-family marriages as the children of such couplings can sometimes have serious health issues.

Okla. residents come home to pick up the pieces

MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- With her son holding her elbow, Colleen Arvin walked up her driveway to what was left of her house for 40 years....

Parents face tough choice when tornadoes bear down

MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- With an ominous storm approaching, the Moore Public School District flashed a text alert to parents: "We are currently holding all students until the current storm danger is over. Students are being released to parents only at this time."...

10 Things to Know for Today

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:...

Official: Treasury played no role in IRS targeting

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Treasury Department's No. 2 official is telling Congress that his agency played no role in the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups....

Arias speaks out about case in jailhouse interview

PHOENIX (AP) -- In a surprise jailhouse interview just hours after a jury began deliberating her fate, Jodi Arias spoke out Tuesday about her murder trial, her many fights with her legal team and her belief that she "deserves a second chance at freedom someday."...

GOP questions IRS scrutiny of anti-abortion groups

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- When a small anti-abortion group in Iowa sought nonprofit status, the Internal Revenue Service asked its board to promise not to organize protests outside Planned Parenthood and demanded to know how its prayer meetings and protest signs were educational....

Anthony Weiner launches bid to become NYC mayor

NEW YORK (AP) -- Anthony Weiner's run for a renaissance is officially on....

Garcetti elected Los Angeles mayor over Greuel

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- City Councilman Eric Garcetti defeated Controller Wendy Greuel to become next mayor of Los Angeles after a campaign in which he depicted his rival a pawn of powerful labor bosses....

Trial for captain in deadly shipwreck in Italy

ROME (AP) -- An Italian judge has ordered the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship to stand trial for manslaughter in the vessel's shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany, which killed 32 people....

AP Interview: Rogge cites need for targeted tests

LONDON (AP) -- Olympic officials agree that more targeted, out-of-competition testing in high-profile sports is needed to catch the drug cheats who are escaping the net, IOC President Jacques Rogge said Wednesday....

Square Feet: Ambitious Paris Project Takes Shape in the Suburbs

The 133-acre Clichy Batignolles, named for the adjoining neighborhoods in northwest Paris, will include offices, housing, a park and a court complex.

In Europe, a Fed President Urges Quantitative Easing

James Bullard, a member of the Federal Reserve’s policy committee, warned Europe of becoming trapped in the economic stasis from which Japan is only now emerging.

Aleksei Balabanov, Russian Film Director, Dies at 54

Mr. Balabanov’s movies offered up hit men, corrupt government officials and plenty of corpses.

Heinrich Rohrer, Physicist Who Won Nobel, Dies at 79

Dr. Rohrer helped invent the scanning tunneling microscope, which made it possible to see individual atoms and move them around.

Exorcist Says Pope Helped ‘Liberate’ Man

A well-known exorcist said Francis helped free a Mexican man possessed by four demons, but the Vatican was more cautious, saying he simply said a prayer for the man in St. Peter’s Square.

Ireland Defends Tax Laws to Critics at Home and Abroad

Other countries have long been annoyed by Irish tax laws, but the benefit to the struggling country’s economy means the rules are unlikely to change.

National Briefing | West: Idaho: Uzbek Man Remains in Jail on Terror Charges

An Uzbek man facing terrorism-related charges in Idaho will remain jailed pending his trial after waiving his right to a detention hearing.

Depardieu, Newly a Russian, Will Play Frenchman in Chechnya

Gérard Depardieu, who renounced his French citizenship over high taxes, held a news conference in Grozny, the formerly war-torn Chechen capital, to announce the two films.

In Disarming Testimony, Apple Chief Eases Tax Tensions

Tim Cook came to Capitol Hill prepared to face down senators furious over evidence that Apple had avoided paying billions in taxes, but he left having won many of them over.

Ally of Georgia’s Leader Charged With Abuse of Power

Prosecutors said that Vano Merabishvili, one of President Mikheil Saakashvili’s top political partners and a former prime minister, used a government employment program to pay campaign workers.

Depardieu, Newly a Russian, Will Play Frenchman in Chechnya

Gérard Depardieu, who renounced his French citizenship over high taxes, held a news conference in Grozny, the formerly war-torn Chechen capital, to announce the two films.

World Brief | Europe: 4 Held in Attack on Georgia Gay Rights Advocates

Prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has called for prosecutions following the violence, but the case is expected to upset his relations with the church.

World Brief | Europe: Right-Wing Writer Kills Himself in Notre-Dame in Paris

The man, Dominique Venner, had published a blog post denouncing the passage of a same-sex marriage law.

The Lede: Complete Text of Israel’s Report on the Muhammad al-Dura Video

An Israeli government review panel asserted that a French television report broadcast that appeared to show the death of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy named Muhammad al-Dura during clashes in Gaza was deeply flawed.

Russian Polling Group Says It May Close

After the Levada Center, the country’s only independent polling agency, was told it must register as a “foreign agent,” its director said fighting the requirement would effectively shut the center.

London Journal: Gnomes Pop Up at Chelsea Flower Show, to Horror of Many

The Chelsea Flower Show is permitting the use of previously banned gnomes in exhibits this year, its 100th anniversary, but many find them creepy.

Lothar Schmid, Chess Referee, Dies at 85

Mr. Schmid was a German grandmaster who negotiated a truce between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky that saved their 1972 world-championship match.

Boruch Spiegel, Who Battled Nazis in Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Dies at 93

Mr. Spiegel was one of the last surviving fighters of the 1943 uprising, in which 750 Jews held off German soldiers for over a month with crude arms and Molotov cocktails.

Italy’s Petri Dish for New Path

Like the politicians they defeated in local elections, the anti-politicians of the Five Star Movement have broken promises, too, but have maintained their idealism.

Merkel Offers a Peek Into Her Private Life

In her rise to power, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany has kept her private life private, but she has loosened up during the election campaign.

Twin Bombings Kill 3 in Dagestan

The explosions in Makhachkala came the same day that Russian security officials announced that they had prevented a terrorist attack in Moscow.

Letter From Europe: In Litvinenko Case, Secrecy Wins Out Over Inquiry

A judge's ruling that evidence could be excluded at the inquest into the death of a former K.G.B. agent was arguably a triumph of official opacity in a struggle over what the public should be allowed to know.

Many of Spain’s Sephardic Jews Still Waiting for Citizenship

New rules announced six months ago to ease the naturalization process have yet to be put into practice.

David Cameron Facing Criticism From Own Party

As a fellow Conservative accused Prime Minister David Cameron of “running scared” from the party’s right wing, that right wing continued to show its displeasure.

Russia Expels Former U.S. Embassy Official

Thomas Firestone, a former Justice Department official who had been working in Moscow as a lawyer, was declared “persona non grata” this month, possibly because he had reportedly rebuffed an effort to recruit him as a spy.

Gay groups denounce lack of protection in Senate immigration bill - Washington Post

Obama stays in touch with Oklahoma officials - USA TODAY

Officer Involved in Shooting of Man Linked to Tsarnaev - New York Times

Bernanke expected to stay the course on Fed policy - Reuters

UPDATE 1-Iran's rulers risk alienating voters by candidate bans - Reuters

Garcetti elected Los Angeles mayor over Greuel

Mortar lands in Congo as UN chief arrives

Zimbabwe's president signs new constitution

Anthony Weiner comeback try begins: He's running for NYC mayor - CBS News

South Sudan warns it may shut down oil flow again

Iran's Ahmadinejad denounces election decision

Czech president settles dispute over gay rights

Militants release seven Egyptians kidnapped in Sinai

Vatican releases 1st report of financial watchdog

Can we get better at predicting tornadoes? - CBS News

UK eyes giving visas to 600 Afghan interpreters

Anthony Weiner launches bid to become NYC mayor

Target's 1Q profit drops 26 pct on weak sales

Syria opposition calls for reinforcements in embattled Qusair

Rescuers comb Oklahoma tornado rubble for buried survivors

Irishman charged with 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing

AP Interview: Rogge cites need for targeted tests

GOP questions IRS scrutiny of anti-abortion groups

Oil stays near $96 before crude stocks report, Fed

Lowe's 1Q profit rises, but results miss Street