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(CNN) — Most fans would agree that a great football league needs some key ingredients: skilful players, excitement and drama on the pitch; and off the field, passionate supporters and owners who love and understand the game.

But these days soccer is also about big business, million-dollar deals and billionaire benefactors lining up to plow money into the game.

Those seeking a balance between these sometimes awkward bedfellows will often point to Germany and the Bundesliga. With two clubs in Saturday’s Champions League final at London’s Wembley Stadium, high attendances, keenly-priced season tickets, equitable club ownership and the national team on an upward trajectory, German football appears to be in rude health. But is it?

In the domestic Bundesliga, Bayern finished 25 points clear of Dortmund and 36 points ahead of fourth-placed Schalke 04. If Manchester United’s path to the English Premier League title looked like a cakewalk, the German champions could have taken the entire dessert trolley along with them.

Arguably the competition is beginning to resemble anything but.

Writing in the German tabloid Bild last month, Bayern’s former goalkeeper Oliver Kahn expressed fears that the domination of the Munich club and Dortmund — Bundesliga champions in 2011 and 2012 — is here to stay, and that the gulf at the top could widen even further in the future.

Even Dortmund’s manager Jürgen Klopp has remarked that the league is in danger of becoming boring.

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Arguably Dortmund were unable to mount an effective challenge this season as they saved their best performances for the Champions League.

But the brilliance of both Bayern and Dortmund in their respective semifinal wins against Real Madrid and Barcelona suggests the Bundesliga needs to be wary of an emerging duopoly.

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Rumors of a Bayern bid for the Bundesliga’s second-highest scorer Robert Lewandowski, whose four goals against Real Madrid in the semis propelled Dortmund to Wembley, suggest a strategy centered on dismantling their only rivals’ chances before next season has even begun.

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Bayern Munich puts a hurt on Barcelona

Under the league’s “50+1″ rule, Bundesliga clubs must be controlled by their members — with at least 50% of shares, plus one, in their hands.

This means a club cannot be taken over by private investors. At the last vote on changing this rule, back in 2009, only Hannover 96 voted to scrap it.

The German system is geared towards preventing the influence of a rich benefactor from skewing the competition, but some argue that it will only serve to perpetuate the status quo.

Hannover has now won concessions in its attempt to change the “50+1″ rule, and these will allow sponsors with a long-term relationship with a club — more than 20 years — to take a stake in it.

However club fans are already protesting about these changes, perhaps anxious at the advantage such a move might give their rivals.

“The next five years will be interesting,” said Dykes. “The rules have had exceptions to allow for the different ownership structures of teams like Bayer Leverkusen and Vfl Wolfsburg, but Hannover has argued that this leaves them at a disadvantage, and you can see why.”

2012: Football gloom in Munich

Cristiano Ronaldo had a wonderful chance to put Real in front early on but sent his volley straight at Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller.

Mesut Ozil reacts after missing a glorious opportunity to give Real the lead after breaking clear of the Dortmund defense only to drill his effort wide of the post.

Substitute Karim Benzema finally made the breakthrough in the 82nd minute when he slotted home Ozil’s pass from close-range to make it 1-0 on the night and 2-4 on aggregate.

Sergio Ramos set up a nervous finale when he rifled home with two minutes of normal time remaining. That strike left Real needing one more to pull off an unlikely comeback.

Real piled forward in search of a dramatic winner but not even the mercurial Ronaldo could find that elusive third goal.

Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp celebrates with his players following the 2-0 defeat which allowed his side to qualify for the final 4-3 on aggregate. It is the first time since 1997 that Dortmund has reached the final when it defeated Juventus 3-1.

Dortmund will face either Barcelona or Bayern Munich at Wembley on May 25. Bayern, which has already won the Bundesliga title, will take a 4-0 lead into the second leg at the Camp No Wednesday.

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Close but not close enough for Real

Olivier Giroud gave Arsenal the perfect start when he slammed home from close-range after Theo Walcott had got in behind the Bayern defense. Following a 3-1 defeat in the first leg, Arsenal needed a fast start and it got it.

Arjen Robben was a constant danger to the Arsenal defense and kept the visiting players busy as Bayern looked for an equalizer.

Bayern, which is 20 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga, had not suffered a defeat since October 28 in any competition. Its frustration was clear to see with striker Mario Mandzukic aggrieved with his side’s showing.

With just four minutes of normal time remaining, Arsenal grabs its second goal to set up a thrilling finale thanks to Laurent Koscielny’s header. The Frenchman headed home to leave Bayern clinging on.

Bayern Munich duo Philipp Lahm and Thomas Muller look relieved after the 2-0 home defeat, a result which takes the German side through on away goals following a 3-3 overall draw.

Malaga’s Javier Saviola goes up against Porto’s Alex Sandro with the Spanish club aiming to overturn a one-goal deficit from the first leg.

Just two minutes before the break, Malaga made the breakthrough when talented midfielder Isco collected Manuel Iturra’s pass and fired an unstoppable effort into the top corner.

Substitute Roque Santa Cruz netted a 77th minute winner to make it 2-0 on the night and send Malaga through 2-1 on aggregate.

Malaga’s players celebrate at the final whistle following the 2-0 win over Porto — a result which secured a 2-1 aggregate victory overall and its place in the quarterfinals for the first time in its history.

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Bayern clings on

The club’s stadium, the impressive 45,000 capacity Red Bull Arena, is certainly ready.

“We accept this rule,” said RB Liepzig’s managing director Ulrich Wolter, referring to the “50+1″ rule.

“The intention of the rule is to secure the league’s integrity against short-term investment, I think everyone understands that.”

However, Wolter is frustrated at the resistance to RB Leipzig’s owners.

“Red Bull is not a Russian oligarch, or an Arabian sheikh,” he said. “We’ve shown elsewhere that we’re about a strong, sustainable investment and commitment.

“Why is our way the wrong way? What is the difference between our approach and a club with 50 different sponsors delivering the same thing?”

Even so RB Leipzig’s new investors have encountered resistance.

The pitch at its former stadium was attacked with weed killer not long after the takeover, and fans of other clubs can be less than welcoming.

“It’s getting better,” says Wolter. “We’re proud of our family and spectators. We don’t have ‘ultras’ and we don’t need them. It’s a friendly family atmosphere here, with men, women, children, pensioners, it’s a different way.”

Germany’s often raucous fans are, however, part of the fabric of the Bundesliga experience.

The biggest obstacle to change in Germany may come from those very supporters, many of whom view the English Premier League with disdain, given that they see themselves at the center of a club’s structures.

The Bundesliga boasts some of the world’s finest stadia, and its commitment to safe standing areas has helped enable clubs to keep prices low, as well as creating the boisterously vibrant atmosphere that characterizes top-flight games.

But while the cheapest season tickets represent superb value, if fans turn on match day looking for tickets then the story is rather different. “People are always talking about cheap tickets, but it’s misleading,” says Dykes.

The “Footbonaut” — is a robotic cage which footballers can use to improve passing, spatial awareness and control. The machine is being used by German champions Borussia Dortmund.

Once inside the “Footbonaut”, a player is fed balls by eight different machines and then has deliver the ball to one of the 72 panels – – which is indciated by a flashing green light — that make up the space-age contraption before they receive another ball. This picture shows Dortmund’s German star Mario Gotze testing himself against the machine.

German coach Jurgen Klopp has overseen Dortmund’s recent domination of German football. Dortmund have won the Bundesliga in each of the last two seasons, winning plaudits for the adventurous style of play. Klopp’s team also currently sit top of a European Champions League group containing Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax.

Dortmund’s rise to prominence has forced their attractive young squad into the limelight. None more so than Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United earlier this year.

One player who did swap Dortmund for Manchester was Shinji Kagawa. The Japanese playmaker had made a promising start to his Old Trafford career before being sidelined with a knee injury last month. Another player developed by Dortmund was Nuri Sahin, the Turkish midfielder who signed for Real Madrid in 2011 before joining Liverpool on a season-long loan deal in August.

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Dortmund’s training pays dividends

The Schalke Fan Feld, whose centerpiece will be a club logo made up of blue and white flowers lying between two goals, looks directly on to the Bundesliga club’s home stadium – the white domed Veltins-Arena, which can be seen in the gap between the trees in this picture.

Schalke fans are known as some of the most passionate in German football.

The cemetery will only have space for 1,904 graves — reflecting the year of Schalke’s foundation — and the club says there will not be another site when the entire allocation is taken up.

Schalke’s on-field fortunes have improved in recent years to the point where they have brought in leading strikers Raul Gonzalez, who left the club earlier this year, and current Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

The cemetery will be laid out in the shape of a stadium, with the miniature pitch located at the centre.

The “pitch” will feature the Schalke logo, made up of blue and white flowers, with a goal at each end and benches in the middle of those.

Schalke’s Veltins-Arena was built in the run-up to the 2006 World Cup and can hold over 65,000 fans.

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From the cradle to the grave

“Of course standing tickets are cheap, as you would expect; but once these go, and they’re usually in demand, the ticket prices are broadly comparable to those in England.”

In fact, at $88 the most expensive match-day ticket for Bayern is the same as that at Manchester City, for example — and $9 more expensive than at Manchester United.

(CNN) — It’s the staple of almost every kung fu action film ever made: the hero is targeted for revenge after teaching the deadly and closely guarded secrets of the martial art to outsiders and, even worse, foreigners.

But ask Lam Chun-fai Sifu — the 73-year-old practitioner of the 300-year-old kung fu style known as Hung Kuen — and he will tell you that making the martial art accessible to foreigners is the only way to save it from extinction.

The son of a student to Wong Fei Hung, one of the legends of the fighting style and the subject of countless films, Lam Sifu (sifu is a Cantonese term that means ‘master’) says the fighting art may be growing fast overseas, but struggles in the region where it was born.

To counter the decline, he has co-authored the world’s first English-language manual on the ancient kung fu style that he has taught for 60 years and has been his family’s trademark for more than three generations.

Called Hung Kuen Fundamentals: Fok Fu Kuen, the manual outlines scores of moves and stances that were hitherto only taught and transmitted orally.

While there are dozens of fighting styles in kung fu (the northern styles represented by fast, high kicks and rapid, fluid movements), Hung Kuen is a southern Chinese fighting art characterised by strong stances and fast footwork. One practitioner famously destroyed the bamboo planks in a demonstration platform simply by shifting his feet in the ‘hard stances’ of Hung Kuen.

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Lam Sifu, meanwhile, teaches a steady stream of foreigners the ancient fighting art in the cramped living room of his tiny apartment on the 7th floor of a tenement block in Hong Kong’s North Point.

In terms of Hong Kong kung fu, it’s about as traditional as it gets, right down to the name ‘Di Dat Clinic’ which translates as ‘Hit Fall Clinic’; a name unchanged from the days when kung fu masters, so used to treating the training accidents of their students, were the first stop for neighborhood trauma injuries and broken bones.

Using a spear against his sword-wielding son Oscar, Lam Sifu is a blur of threshing weapons amid the armchairs, ornaments and computer printers in his urban home.

“Training in a small area like this is very good for control,” he says in a space so cramped it looks like two men having a knife fight in a telephone booth For his long-standing foreign students — Hung Kuen teachers from Italy, the Czech Republic and Germany — the turn of fighting speed still draws a gasp of admiration.

“Many students in Italy like traditional kung fu and especially this style which is the origin of the martial art,” said Massimo Iannaccone, who runs an academy in Rome but perfects the art in Lam Sifu’s living room on trips to Hong Kong.

Pavel Adamek, who teaches Hung Kuen in Prague, Czech Republic, says his students are drawn as much by the Eastern philosophy associated with the martial art as they are by learning a fighting style.

“It’s very popular in the Czech Republic — people there are really looking for something more than fighting arts. They want to train their bodies and their minds — this style is really very good for that,” he said.

While there may be more dedicated practitioners overseas than in Hong Kong, Lam Sifu’s co-author Hing Chao, who also studies the Hung Kuen style, said that the form remains a potent cultural symbol in Hong Kong.

“It’s rooted in a very specific Hong Kong identity as well,” Hing said. Both he and Lam Sifu believe the style is so important as a cultural symbol, the government should recognize it as part of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage.

Hing, who has studied the interaction between the media, entertainment and the martial arts, says that Hollywood sometimes gives a lopsided view of Chinese martial arts, focusing on various personalities such as Ip Man, Bruce Lee’s famous teacher, to the exclusion of all other equally famous teachers and styles.

Despite this, he says its popularization in film sometimes unconsciously transmits positive aspects of kung fu culture.

“Besides the fighting, one of the reasons that Bruce Lee has been such a global celebrity until to today is because a lot of messages strike a chord and resonate among the marginalized,” Hing says.

“Why would, for instance, a Black African community in the U.S. look on Bruce Lee as a hero? Because embedded in these films are messages of righteousness. Of someone who is disadvantaged but through dedication to kung fu can become empowered and through his own empowerment help the rest of the community.

“This is very positive and I would say the Bruce Lee path represents one of the best interactions between film and martial arts — it’s something we don’t often see these days.”

While foreigners may be beating a path to the kung fu clinic’s door, local interest in Hong Kong is only just gaining ground after a long hiatus.

Lam Sifu says modern distractions like videogames are sapping young people of the ability to focus on demanding martial art forms like Hung Kuen which can require learning as many as 300 movements in a single set.

“These days pupils can’t stand any hardship. They say practicing is tiring and they give up easily,” he says.

(CNN) — At least 51 people — including seven children at an elementary school — were killed when a massive tornado struck an area outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, officials said.

Seven children were killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Oklahoma, a police official said. Emergency personnel were scouring the school’s rubble Monday evening, video from CNN affiliate KFOR showed. The footage also showed a number of other leveled buildings.

The tornado was estimated to be at least 2 miles wide at one point as it moved through Moore, in the southern part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, KFOR reported. Video from CNN affiliates showed a funnel cloud stretching from the sky to the ground, kicking up debris.

Teachers lead children away from Briarwood Elementary School after a massive tornado destroyed the building in Oklahoma City on Monday, May 20. The death toll continues to climb as rescuers search for survivors. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View more photos of the aftermath in the region.

A teacher hugs a student at Briarwood Elementary School in Oklahoma City on May 20.

Oklahoma City firefighters check on Gene Tripp on May 20 as he sits in his rocking chair where his home once stood.

People look through the wreckage of their neighborhood after a tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, on May 20.

Dana Ulepich searches inside a room left standing at the back of her destroyed house in Moore on May 20.

Rescue workers help free one of more than a dozen people who were trapped at a medical center in Moore on May 20.

Residents look through the debris in Moore on May 20.

A man is taken away from the IMAX Theater in Moore that was used as a triage center on May 20.

A nurse helps an older man who suffered a head injury on May 20 in Moore.

A woman is comforted after the May 20 tornado in Moore.

A man looks through the remains of a home after the massive tornado struck Moore on May 20.

A woman is transported on a stretcher after she was rescued from the damaged medical center in Moore on May 20.

A woman with an arm injury is helped on May 20 in Moore.

A woman walks through debris in Moore on May 20.

A girl wraps herself in a blanket near the Moore Hospital on May 20.

A nurse walks by the destruction at a Moore hospital on May 20.

Destroyed cars scatter the landscape in Moore, Oklahoma, where hundreds of homes and buildings were put to ruin on May 20.

Extensive damage from an EF4 tornado destroyed cars and demolished structures in Moore on May 20.

Onlookers stop to view a portion of the destruction left behind on May 20 in Moore.

Overturned cars are among the rubble from the tornado that hit Moore on May 20.

A shredded tree stands amid debris in the aftermath of the storm in Moore on May 20.

A shopping center parking lot is covered with debris and damaged cars on May 20.

Law enforcement officers block a roadway in Moore where there was extensive damage from the tornado.

A massive tornado approaches Moore on May 20. The storm first touched down to the west of the city near Newcastle, Oklahoma. Visit CNN.com/impact for ways to help the victims.

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Photos: Deadly tornado hits Oklahoma City area

See cell phone video of tornado

Mapping tornado’s path of destruction

Tornado levels elementary school

Latest updates:

– The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office has been told to expect about 40 additional bodies, including about 20 children, according the office’s Amy Elliott. The official death toll of 51 will not rise until the bodies are processed, she said. The current toll already includes at least 20 children who were killed by the storm. It was unclear how many of those were students at Plaza Towers.

– Texas is sending the state’s elite search and rescue team, Texas Task Force 1, to assist local officials and first responders in Oklahoma following Monday’s tornado outbreak.

– The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center received 45 children for treatment on Monday, according Dr. Roxie Albrecht.

– The city of Moore, Oklahoma, has no running water, Mayor Glenn Lewis told CNN on Monday evening. He said they’re hoping to get it restored overnight.

A deadly tornado destroys cars and demolishes structures in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, on Monday, May 20. The death toll from the tornado that hit Moore was climbing Monday night. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View photos related to the Moore tornado.

A volunteer helps clean up a mobile home on May 20 after it was overturned on a day earlier near Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Jean McAdams’ mobile home near Shawnee, Oklahoma, lies overturned on May 20.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin from the Oval Office on May 20. The president expressed his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather.

Tom and Ronda Clark get help with cleanup on May 20, after their property near Shawnee was damaged by a tornado on May 19.

Lonnie Langston says his garage was swept off the concrete pad next to his house by a tornado near Shawnee.

Shawnee residents embrace on May 20 as they search through the remains of their home.

A home in Shawnee sits in ruin after being hit by a tornado on Sunday, May 19.

A twister stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

Residents repair the roof of a neighbor’s damaged house after a tree fell on it in Shawnee on May 19.

A woman waits to be allowed back to her home after a tornado swept through Shawnee on May 19.

Storm chaser and videographer Brad Mack records a tornado touchdown in South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

A tractor-trailer lies on its side on Interstate 40 while another is broken open on the road below after falling from the overpass after a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee on May 19.

A tornado touches down near Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 19.

Debris from a mobile home park west of Shawnee litters the ground on May 19. An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.

Lightning strikes in Clearwater, Kansas, on May 19.

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Photos: Tornadoes wreak havoc in Midwest

First images of damage from Okla. tornado

Vine videos show tornado devastation

Survivor: Storm sounded like train

OGE is working to restore power to the plant. City officials are asking residents to turn off their sprinkler systems and postpone washing dishes and clothes, according to a message on the city government’s website.

– Country music star and Moore native Toby Keith said in a written statement: “This storm has devastated the community that I grew up in. I rode my bike through those neighborhoods. I have family and friends in Moore. My heart and prayers go to those that have lost so much. But Moore is strong and we will persevere. God be with you all.”

– Interstate 35 in Moore, Oklahoma, was closed as a result of debris from the tornado that hit the area Monday afternoon, Oklahoma Department of Transportation spokesman Cole Hackett said. Crews were headed to the north-south highway to start the cleanup process, Hackett said.

– “People are trapped. You are going to see the devastation for days to come,” Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for Oklahoma Highway Patrol, told CNN late Monday afternoon. She did not say how many people were trapped. “Send your prayers heavenward because there are people fighting for their lives.”

Tornado leaves path of destruction

A deadly tornado destroys cars and demolishes structures in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, on Monday, May 20. The death toll from the tornado that hit Moore was climbing Monday night. It was part of a tornado outbreak that began in the Midwest and Plains on Sunday, May 19. View photos related to the Moore tornado.

A volunteer helps clean up a mobile home on May 20 after it was overturned on a day earlier near Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Jean McAdams’ mobile home near Shawnee, Oklahoma, lies overturned on May 20.

President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin from the Oval Office on May 20. The president expressed his concern for those who have been affected by the severe weather.

Tom and Ronda Clark get help with cleanup on May 20, after their property near Shawnee was damaged by a tornado on May 19.

Lonnie Langston says his garage was swept off the concrete pad next to his house by a tornado near Shawnee.

Shawnee residents embrace on May 20 as they search through the remains of their home.

A home in Shawnee sits in ruin after being hit by a tornado on Sunday, May 19.

A twister stretches toward the ground near South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

Residents repair the roof of a neighbor’s damaged house after a tree fell on it in Shawnee on May 19.

A woman waits to be allowed back to her home after a tornado swept through Shawnee on May 19.

Storm chaser and videographer Brad Mack records a tornado touchdown in South Haven, Kansas, on May 19.

A tractor-trailer lies on its side on Interstate 40 while another is broken open on the road below after falling from the overpass after a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee on May 19.

A tornado touches down near Wichita, Kansas, on Sunday, May 19.

Debris from a mobile home park west of Shawnee litters the ground on May 19. An estimated 300 homes were damaged or destroyed across Oklahoma, Red Cross spokesman Ken Garcia said.

Lightning strikes in Clearwater, Kansas, on May 19.

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Photos: Tornadoes wreak havoc in Midwest

Rescue efforts continue at school

Tornado survivor: I just want to cry

At least 20 of those killed were children, including seven from Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore — the site of a frantic search early Tuesday morning.

About 75 students and staff members hunkered down in the school when the tornado hit, CNN affiliate KFOR reported. The school in the direct path of the monster storm’s fury.

A father of a third-grader still missing sat on a stool outside. Tears cascaded from his face as he waited quietly for any news.

Even parents of survivors couldn’t wrap their minds around the tragedy.

“I’m speechless. How did this happen? Why did this happen?” Norma Bautista asked. “How do we explain this to the kids? … In an instant, everything’s gone.”

Rescuers use hands to dig through rubble

Storm witness: ‘I’m blessed to be alive’

Toby Keith: Hometown storm ‘devastating’

Nye: It’s going to happen again

Even for a city hardened by massive tornadoes, no one in Moore had seen this kind of devastation.

The suburb recovered from a fierce twister in 1999 that killed six people there and dozens in the area. When that tornado struck, it was the most devastating in history in terms of wind speed, Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Tom Lamb said.

(CNN) — With tears streaming down his face, David Beckham said farewell in his final home game as a professional footballer Saturday.

Made captain for the night by Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti, he played his full part in a 3-1 win for the new French champions over Brest.

But on 82 minutes, with the realization that his glittering 847-game career was winding down, the raw emotion of the moment got the better of the most iconic player of his generation.

Open Mic: David Beckham retires

Beckham says goodbye to soccer

CNN FC: Beckham retires

Beckham brand will outlast soccer career

Given a standing ovation by the near 45,000 strong capacity crowd in the Parc des Princes, Beckham hugged teammates and opponents before being substituted by Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Family and friends, including his pop star wife Victoria, were in the stands to watch him as was former French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

He had even donned a special pair of commemorative boots for the occasion — bearing the date May 18 and the names of his children, Brooklyn, Romeo, Cruz and Harper.

Beckham was going out on a high and although PSG have an away match at Lorient to complete a triumphant season his appearance in that match is considered highly unlikely..

(CNN) — Violence surged in the strategically important Syrian town of Qusayr on Sunday. Activists said the offensive marked some of the most intense fighting they’ve seen in the fiercely contested area near the Lebanese border.

Rebels and the Syrian government both claimed to control parts of the city, where fighting has been raging for weeks. Activists said artillery shells, mortar shells and bombs from aircraft were raining down as government forces attacked. Makeshift medical clinics were reportedly filled with casualties.

By all accounts, Qusayr is in a strategically valuable location.

For rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s government, it sits along a transit route for weapons and supplies coming in from Lebanon.

For the Syrian government, it’s a key point between the capital of Damascus and al-Assad’s supporters on the Mediterranean coast.

Suicide bombings spark violent protest

Syrian activist detained again

Syrian army soldiers take control of the village of Western Dumayna north of the rebel-held city of Qusayr on Monday, May 13. Syrian troops captured three villages in Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP. Tensions in Syria first flared in March 2011 during the onset of the Arab Spring, eventually escalating into a civil war that still rages. This gallery contains the most compelling images taken since the start of the conflict.

Syrian troops move into Dumayna on May 13.

Rebel fighters fire at government forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, May 12.

Smoke rises from an explosion in a Syrian village near the Israeli border on Tuesday, May 7.

Multiple explosions hit a Syrian village near the Israeli border on May 6.

A photo released by the Syrian Arab News Agency shows destruction from what is said was bomb attack in the Al-Hama area of Damascus on Sunday, May 5. According to the Syrian government, Israel launched an attack on a research center in the Damascus suburbs early Sunday.

People run for cover after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s Raqqa province, on May 3.

People walk past a damaged building and multiple destroyed cars at the site of an explosion in Damascus where at least 13 were killed on April 30.

Cleaning takes place following another explosion in an upscale Damascus neightborhood on Monday, April 29. Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi survived the bombing targeting his motorcade.

A smoke cloud rises from shelling on the the al-Turkman mountains in Syria’s Latakia province on Thursday, April 25.

Searchers use a flashlight as they look for survivors among the rubble created by what activists say was a missile attack from the Syrian regime, in Raqqa province, Syria, on April 25.

A handout photograph from Syria’s national news agency SANA shows damage and debris from a mortar attack in the suburb of Jarmana near Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, April 24. The attack killed seven and wounded more than 25, according to activists and state media. No group claimed responsibility for the mortar fire, which SANA said hit a municipality office and a school building.

A Kurdish fighter from the “Popular Protection Units” (YPG) takes position inside a building in the majority-Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo, on Apri. 21.

People walk past destroyed houses in the northern Syrian town of Azaz on Sunday, April 21.

Free Syrian Army fighters take positions prior to an offensive against government forces in the Khan al-Assal area, near Aleppo on Saturday, April 20.

Men inspect damage at a house destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo on April 15.

Syrian and Kurdish rebel fighters walk in the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo on April 14.

A Syrian boy holds an AK-47 assault rifle in the streets of Aleppo on Sunday, April 14.

A female rebel monitors the movement of Syrian government forces in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsud neighborhood on April 11.

A rebel runs to avoid sniper fire from Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Thursday, April 11.

Syrian rebels observe the movement of Syrian government forces around Al-Kendi hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, April 10.

Rescue teams and security forces check out the scene of a deadly car bomb explosion in Damascus on April 8.

The fighting has taken a toll on buildings in Aleppo’s Saladin district, seen here on April 8.

A Syrian rebel runs for cover in Deir ez-Zor on April 2.

A rebel checks for snipers across the street toward the Citadel in Aleppo, Syria, on Saturday, March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.

A Free Syrian fighter mourns the death of a friend in Aleppo on March 30, in this photo taken by iReporter Lee Harper.

A Syrian opposition fighter runs for cover from Syrian army snipers in Aleppo on Wednesday, March 27.

A Syrian girl covers her face to protect herself from fumes as a street covered with uncollected garbage is fumigated in Aleppo on Sunday, March 24.

A Syrian man and his family drive past damaged buildings in Maarat al-Numan, on Wednesday, March 20.

Syrians carry the body of a Syrian army soldier during a funeral ceremony in Idlib province on Tuesday, March 19.

Syrian rebels take position in Aleppo, the largest city in the country, on March 11.

Syrian men search for their relatives amongst the bodies of civilians executed and dumped in the Quweiq River on March 11.

A Free Syrian Army fighter looks back as smoke rises during fighting between rebel fighters and forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad on the outskirts of Aleppo on Saturday, March 2.

Residents read Shaam News newspapers published by the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on March 2.

A member of the Free Syrian Army reacts to the death of a comrade who was killed in fighting, at Bustan al Qasr cemetery in Aleppo on Friday, March 1.

A rebel fighter throws a home-made grenade at Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 16.

A member of the Free Syrian Army stands with his weapon as he looks at a rainbow in Aleppo on February 16.

A Syrian woman looks through a bus window in Aleppo on February 14.

Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell in Damascus on February 7.

A Syrian rebel gestures at comrades from inside a broken armored personnel carrier in Al-Yaqubia on February 6.

A rebel fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base in Damascus on February 3.

People stand in the dust of a building destroyed in an airstrike in Aleppo, Syria on February 3.

Free Syrian Army fighters run as they enter a Syrian Army base during heavy fighting in the Arabeen neighborhood of Damascus on February 3.

An unexploded mortar shell fired by the Syrian Army sits lodged in the ground in Damascus on January 25.

Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army fire on Syrian Army soldiers at a check point in Damascus on January 20.

A Free Syrian Army fighter walks between buildings damaged during Syrian Air Force strikes in Damascus on January 19.

A Syrian rebel fighter tries to locate a government jet fighter in Aleppo on January 18.

Syrian rebels launch a missile near the Abu Baker brigade in Albab on January 16.

A Syrian boy walks near rubbish next to tents at a refugee camp near the northern city of Azaz on the Syria-Turkey border, on January 8.

Syrians look for survivors amid the rubble of a building targeted by a missile in Aleppo on January 7.

A father reacts after hearing of a shelling by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on January 3.

A patient smokes a cigarette at Dar Al-Ajaza psychiatric hospital in Aleppo on December 18, 2012. The psychiatric ward, housing around 60 patients, has lacked the means to function properly since fighting broke out there in July.

Syrians mourn a fallen rebel fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on December 8.

Members of Liwa (Brigade) Salahadin, a Kurdish military unit fighting alongside rebel fighters, monitor the area in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.

A member of Liwa Salahadin aims at a regime fighter in the besieged district of Karmel al-Jabl in Aleppo on December 6.

Two young boys sit underneath a washline in a refugee camp on the border between Syria and Turkey near Azaz on December 5.

The bodies of three children, who were allegedly killed in a mortar shell attack that landed close to a bakery in Aleppo, on December 2, are laid out for identification by family members at a makeshift hospital at an undisclosed location of the city.

Smoke rises in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts in Aleppo on December 1 as fighting continues through the night.

Damaged houses in Aleppo are seen after an airstrike on November 29.

A Syrian rebel mourns the death of a comrade in Maraat al-Numan on November 20.

Syrians protesters stand on Assad’s portrait during an anti-regime demonstration in Aleppo on November 16.

A Syrian rebel takes cover during fighting against Syrian government forces in Aleppo on November 15.

Syrian opposition fighter Bazel Araj, 19, sleeps next to his pistol in Aleppo on November 11.

A rebel fighter fires at a Syrian government position in Aleppo on November 6.

A Syrian rebel leaps over debris left in the street while running across a “sniper alley” near the Salahudeen district in Aleppo on November 4.

Rebels hold their position in the midst of a battle on November 3 in Aleppo.

A man cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo on October 31.

A man is treated for wounds after a government jet attacked the Karm al-Aser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo on October 31.

A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman in Aleppo on October 26.

Smoke rises from a fuel station following a mortar attack as Syrian women walk on a rainy day in the Arqub neighborhood of Aleppo on October 25.

A Syrian rebel fires at an army position in the Karm al-Jabal district of Aleppo on October 22.

A wounded Syrian boy sits on the back of a truck carrying victims and wounded people to a hospital following an attack by regime forces in Aleppo on October 21.

A man lies on the ground after being shot by a sniper for a second time as he waits to be rescued by members of the Al-Baraa Bin Malek Battalion, part of the Free Syria Army’s Al-Fatah brigade, in Aleppo on October 20.

Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters at Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on October 20.

Smoke rises after a Syrian Air Force fighter jet fired missiles at the suburbs of the northern province of Idlib on October 16.

A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on October 11.

A Syrian man mourns the death of his father, who was killed during a government attack in Aleppo on October 10.

A rebel fighter is carried by his friends and laid on a gurney to be treated for gunshot wounds sustained during heavy battles with government forces in Aleppo on October 1.

Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on September 18.

Free Syria Army fighters are reflected in a mirror they use to see a Syrian Army post only 50 meters away in Aleppo on September 16.

A Syrian man carrying grocery bags tries to dodge sniper fire as he runs through an alley near a checkpoint manned by the Free Syria Army in Aleppo on September 14.

A woman walks past a destroyed building in Aleppo on September 13.

Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo on September 8.

A Syrian man wounded by shelling sits on a chair outside a closed shop in Aleppo on September 4.

A woman sits in her wheelchair next to her house, damaged by a Syrian air raid, near Homs on August 26.

Members of the Free Syrian Army clash with Syrian army soliders in Aleppo’s Saif al-Dawla district on August 22.

A man mourns in front of a field hospital on August 21 in Aleppo.

Wounded civilians wait in a field hospital after an air strike on August 21 in Aleppo.

People pray during the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero, on August 21.

A man cries near the graves of his two children killed during a recent Syrian airstrike in Azaz on August 20.

A Syrian woman holds her dead baby as she screams upon seeing her husband’s body being covered following an airstrike by regime forces on the town of Azaz on August 15.

A Syrian rebel runs in a street of Selehattin during an attack on the municipal building on July 23.

Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin on July 23.

Members of the Free Syrian Army’s Mugaweer (commandos) Brigade pay their respects in a cemetery on May 12 in Qusayr.

Syrian rebels take position near Qusayr on May 10.

A Free Syrian Army member takes cover in underground caves in Sarmin on April 9.

Rebels prepare to engage government tanks that advanced into Saraquib on April 9.

Men say prayers during a ceremony in Binnish on April 9.

A young boy plays with a toy gun in Binnish on April 9.

A Free Syrian Army rebel mounts his horse in the Al-Shatouria village near the Turkish border in northwestern Syria on March 16, a year after the uprising began.

Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14.

A rebel takes position in Al-Qsair on January 27.

A protester in Homs throws a tear gas bomb back towards security forces, on December 27, 2011.

A man stands under a giant Syrian flag outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 24, 2011.

A member of the Free Syrian Army looks out over a valley in the village of Ain al-Baida on December 15, 2011.

Members of the Free Syrian Army stand in an valley near the village of Ain al-Baida, close to the Turkish border, on December 15, 2011.

Displaced Syrian refugees walk through an orchard adjacent to Syria’s northern border with Turkey on June 14, 2011, near Khirbet al-Jouz.

A Syrian man holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for the president in Damascus on April 30, 2011.

Syrians rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 30, 2011.

A screen grab from YouTube shows thick smoke rising above as Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in Moaret Al-Noman on April 29, 2011.

A screen grab from YouTube shows Syrian anti-government protesters run for cover from tear gas fired by security forces in Damascus on April 29, 2011, during the “Day of Rage” demonstrations called by activists to put pressure on al-Assad.

Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of al-Assad during a rally to show their support for their leader in Damascus on March 29, 2011.

A woman sits by the hospital bed of a man allegedly injured when an armed group seized rooftops in Latakia on March 27, 2011, and opened fire at passers-by, citizens and security forces personnel according to official sources.

Syrian protesters chant slogans in support of al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on March 25, 2011.

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Syrian civil war in photos

Atrocities on the rise in Syria

Syrian activist detained again

Videos posted on social media Sunday show the city blanketed with black and gray smoke amid an almost continuous stream of sounds of mortar and artillery fire.

Dozens of people were killed in the clashes, including 48 rebel fighters, the London-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Hundreds of people were injured, many in critical condition, the opposition organization said.

Syrian state-run television reported that Syrian forces “have spread safety and security after taking control of the city hall and surrounding buildings in Qusayr as they continue to chase the terrorists in the city.”

The opposition Local Coordination Committee of Syria denied that report.

“The field commanders in the Free Syrian Army stress that they remain in control of the city and are fighting back attempts to storm the city,” the opposition activist network said in a statement.

Activists describe a city under siege

Qusayr has been under rebel control for months.

The opposition accused Hezbollah fighters from neighboring Lebanon of joining Syrian government troops in the assault on the city, a claim that al-Assad’s government has disputed in the past.

The Shiite militant group is considered a terror organization by the U.S. government and is a traditional ally of al-Assad as well as Iran.

The Free Syrian Army said it fired rockets from Qusayr across the border into northeastern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah areas. The official Lebanese news agency said eight rockets landed in Hermel.

Activists in Qusayr said the city was under siege Sunday from several directions.

“There is continuous shelling using artillery, mortar and warplane bombs,” activist Abu Ali said. “It is so intense, like 50 shells a minute.”

Residential areas were hit, said Abulhoda Homsi, another activist.

The opposition Syrian National Council warned that 40,000 civilians’ lives were in danger amid the violence and called for the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting to protect the besieged city.

The United Nations estimates that more than 70,000 Syrians have been killed since anti-government protests in March 2011 led to a fierce government crackdown, an armed uprising and a civil war with no end in sight. At least 125 people were killed across the country Sunday, the Local Coordination Committees reported.

Tornadoes leave path of destruction

Tornado travels across field in Oklahoma

Tornadoes rip through Oklahoma

An boy cools off in a watering hole in Allahabad, India, on Saturday, May 18, where temperatures have reportedly reached 117.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Click through to see other images of weather around the world:

A dandelion seed reflects in a rain-covered path in Sieversdorf, Germany, on May 18.

Rescuers carry residents across a badly damaged road after heavy storms hit Hejiaqiao township in central China’s Hunan province.

A woman passes along the seafront as the rain falls in Weston-Super-Mare, England, on Tuesday, May 14.

A sandstorm sweeps through Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, May 13.

People take shelter under umbrellas during a boat ride in heavy rain on the Spreewald Canals near Luebbenau, Germany, on Sunday, May 12.

Rain doesn’t deter an outing in Jersey City, New Jersey, and even a view of Lower Manhattan despite the fog on Thursday, May 9.

A woman exits a cab during a rainstorm on Wednesday, May 8, in New York.

People soak up the spring sunshine on the River Cam on Monday, May 6, in Cambridge, England.

Two men drive cattle across the crocodile infested Tana River in Keny’as Tana delton on May 3. Flooding from heavy seasonal rains has killed more than 60 people and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.

People in the Morazan neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, sort through the remains of their possessions after heavy rains left two people missing and destroyed streets and homes.

A lone fan watches snow fall during a delay in play between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, May 2. The game was postponed because of the weather.

Snow covers an outdoor bar in downtown Golden, Colorado, after a spring storm dumped more than a foot of snow on Wednesday, May 1. In nearby Denver, the average date for the last snow of the season is April 26, but the record for the latest snowfall was set June 12, 1947, according to the National Weather Service.

A bee harvests nectar on a sunflower as temperatures soar into the 90s on Saturday, April 27, in Quezon City, Philippines.

A man pours water over children swimming in an inflatable swimming pool to beat the heat in Manila, Philippines, on Friday, April 26.

Fields and meadows are flooded by the waters from the Oder River near Lebus, Germany, close to the border with Poland, on April 26. The meadows along the Oder are regularly flooded during spring.

A Pakistani motorcyclist crosses a flooded street after heavy rain in Peshawar on April 26. Pakistan has suffered devastating monsoon floods for the last three years, including the worst in its history in 2010, when catastrophic inundations killed almost 1,800 people and affected 21 million.

Horses and jockeys return to stables in damp weather at the Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong on Friday, April 26. Preparations are under way for the upcoming Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

Arnold Gropper, left, and Werner Simm fish at Lake Forggensee on Thursday, April 25, near Füssen, Germany.

Chef Paul Prudhomme heads to the Zurich Classic Pro-Am clubhouse at TPC Louisiana as officials order the evacuation of all temporary structures after a tornado warning in New Orleans on Wednesday, April 24.

The grounds crew covers the field at Fenway Park in the eighth inning because of rain during a game between the Oakland Athletics and the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, April 23, in Boston.

People take in the spring sunshine at Parade Gardens in Bath, England, on April 23.

A commuter wipes his face while riding his scooter during heavy rain in Hyderabad, India, on Monday, April 22.

A camel herder guides his animals during a sandstorm on the edge of Khartoum, Sudan, on Saturday, April 20.

Hector Duran uses his bike to get through floodwater on Friday, April 19, in Des Plaines, Illinois. The suburban Chicago town is battling rising floodwater from the Des Plaines River.

Workers inspect flood damage inside a vacant commercial building on April 19 in Des Plaines, Illinois.

Children still feel the bite of winter weather in Taiyuan, the capital of north China’s Shanxi Province, on April 19.

Sunshine bathes the banks of Inner Alster Lake in Hamburg, Germany, on Thursday, April 18.

A motorist drives through a flooded underpass In Chicago on April 18. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Thursday for much of the Chicago area, which got 3 to 5 inches of rain in 24 hours with more expected.

Dark clouds hang over the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on April 18.

Debris litters a river after a tornado and hailstorm hit Zhenyuan County in China’s southwest Guizhou Province on April 18.

People make their way along Champa Street in downtown Denver during a spring storm on Wednesday, April 17.

A man rides a bike during a heavy sandstorm in Yecheng county, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on Tuesday, April 16.

A woman feeds a pig in her yard during a flood in the Belarus village of Snyadin near the Pripyat river on April 16.

A woman and dog cross a flooded road in Zalubice Stare, Poland, on April 16.

A sandstorm strikes Baghdad on April 16, during a rally where the head Shiite Muslim leader Ammar al-Hakim was speaking.

Blooming crocuses stand in a park in Hamburg, Germany, on Monday, April 15. Temperatures in the city are forcasted to reach up to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius).

Families paddle boats on a pond near India Gate in New Delhi on Sunday, April 14.

People enjoy the sun in a public garden on Saturday, April 13, in Toulouse, France.

A storm brews over Shuqualak, Mississippi, on Thursday, April 11. Severe storms killed two people in Mississippi and injured others.

Storm damage in Shuqualak, Mississippi, on April 11.

A youth jumps into a water well to cool off in Hyderabad, India, on Wednesday, April 10.

Warm spring weather finds New Yorkers relaxing along the East River in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, April 9.

Police officer Adolph Chavez waits for tow trucks after cars became stuck on a ramp to Interstate 70 during a snowstorm in Denver on April 9.

Cherry blossoms bloom in Washington on Monday, April 8. A colder-than-normal March and chilly April delayed the beginning of the cherry blossom season. Peak bloom was originally predicted between March 26 and March 30.

People enjoy sunny spring weather, a break from an unusually cold spring, near the Louvre Pyramid at the Cour Carree of the Louvre Museum on Sunday, April 7, in Paris.

Children cool off in a tub on a scorchingly hot day in a slum in Manila, Philippines, on Saturday, April 6.

A passenger ship makes its way through a channel to the Swedish island of Husaro on Friday, April 5.

Tourists travel on a ferry near blooming cherry blossoms on the Okazaki Canal in Kyoto, Japan, on April 5.

Heavy rains bring out umbrellas in force on the streets of Srinagar, India, on Wednesday, April 3.

Villager Fu Xianxing, 70, walks on a dried-up field Tuesday, April 2, in Suining, China. A severe drought has caused a shortage of drinking water in the area in southwest China’s Sichuan province.

Children play on the beach in Gaza City during a dust storm on Monday, April 1.

Snowboarders and skiers wait to take a ski lift at Feldberg Mountain in Schwarzwald, Germany, on Friday, March 29.

A supermarket semi-truck passes icicles and ice-covered shrubs near Hazeley Bottom, England, south of Reading, on Wednesday, March 27.

Young women watch a policeman clear snow and ice from a road in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, March 26.

A road sign peeks above a flooded street in Badolatosa, Spain, on Monday, March 25.

Snow covers the shrubbery around the White House on Monday, March 25.

Snow collects on a man sleeping on a bench early Monday, March 25, in Washington, D.C.

Frozen branches line the water at the Afsluitdijk in Den Oever, Netherlands, on Saturday, March 23.

U.S. soccer player Clint Dempsey, No. 8, is surrounded by snow during a FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifier match between Costa Rica and the United States in Commerce City, Colorado, on Friday, March 22.

Cherry blossom trees are bloom in Tokyo on Friday, March 22, in a sure sign spring has arrived in Japan.

Cold weather keeps Britons bundled up as they cross the London Bridge on March 22.

A bicyclist pulls a child on a sled through the snow on Thursday, March 21, in Berlin.

A tornado leaves scaffolding in tatters on Wednesday, March 20, in Daoxian, China.

Paramilitary guards walk along a street following an overnight snowfall in Beijing on March 20.

World War II veteran Sam Melnik, 90, shovels snow from his driveway on Tuesday, March 19, in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

A jogger runs across a snow-covered street in Berlin on March 19.

A woman takes a picture of the blooming almond orchards as spring arrives in Srinagar, Kashmir, on Monday, March 18.

People walk past blooming trees on a street in the center of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, on March 18.

The aurora borealis lights up the sky at twilight on Sunday, March 17, between the towns of Are and Ostersund, Sweden.

Trees are covered with ice on Saturday, March 16, near the town of Klina, Kosovo.

People push a stuck car as heavy snow falls in Lviv, Ukraine, on Friday, March 15.

Spectators watch the action during a rain-lashed last day of the Cheltenham horse racing festival in Gloucestershire, England, on March 15.

An early flower is seen through a blanket of melting snow at the Palmengarten botanical gardens in Frankfurt, Germany, on Thursday, March 14.

People walk by cars covered in snow around Beaumont-Hague, northern France, following a heavy snowstorm, on Wednesday, March 13.

Workers chop cassava along a highway in a drought-hit area in Vietnam’s central highlands province of Gia Lai.

A couple walk on a snowy sidewalk at Place de la Concorde in Paris on Tuesday, March 12, during a heavy snowstorm. Twenty-six regions in northwest and northern France were put on orange alert because of heavy snowfall.

Cows search for edible grass in drought-stricken paddocks on March 12 in Waiuku, New Zealand. Drought was declared in several North Island areas last week, including South Auckland, Northland, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

Brief but heavy snowstorms move across the Yorkshire moors on Monday, March 11, in the United Kingdom.

A nun walks through the rain under an umbrella in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Sunday, March 10.

A cyclist makes his way along a snowy track near Ladmanlow, United Kingdom, on March 10 as a return of freezing temperatures and snow delay springtime weather for Great Britain.

A Chinese woman covers her head with a scarf as she walks near Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Saturday, March 9, as strong winds and dust storms swept the Chinese capital.

Drivers contend with a snow-covered street in Harbin, the capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, on March 9.

Fog shrouds a dog and its owner as they walk beside Bourne Brook, in Toft Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, on Friday, March 8.

A pedestrian walks past a mural at the beginning of a winter storm in Somerville, Massachusetts, on Thursday, March 7.

People walk as snow falls at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, March 6.

People stand under the snow-covered “Cloud Gate” sculpture, commonly known as “the bean,” on Tuesday, March 5, in Chicago, Illinois.

Left to right: Anthony Jordan and his 6-year-old twin sons Griffin and Landin shovel their driveway in Sycamore, Illinois, on March 5.

A traffic police officer patrols during heavy wind and snowfall in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 4.

Lightning strikes over Jakarta’s skyline late on March 3 during monsoon rains.

Tourists enjoy donkey rides on Filey Beach on March 2 in Filey, England.

Gardener Ruth Calder clears weeds and dead leaves at Kew Gardens on March 1 in Kew, England.

A man covers his face as he walks around Tiananmen Square during a sand storm in heavily polluted weather in Beijing on February 28.

A man and a dog cross the flooded graveyard in the village of Monospitovo, Macedonia, on February 27. Torrential rains poured down on the Strumica Valley, destroying or damaging crops and households.

Ducks fly over the frozen Titisee Lake in Titisee-Neustadt, Germany, on February 27.

Frost-covered plants are seen on banks of the Usiazha River near the Belarus village of Usiazha, on February 26.

A person walks through the snow at Marienplatz in Munich, Germany, on February 26.

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Photos: Weather around the world

As many as 28 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois and Iowa, according to the National Weather Service, with Oklahoma and Kansas the hardest hit. Some of those reports might have been of the same tornado.

Editor’s note: Grace Liu, a former corporate attorney, is a research officer at California State University, Fresno. She is the vice president of the Central California Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

(CNN) — It’s time for some tiger cubs to approvingly roar for our strict parents, their domineering ways and their inflexibly high standards.

The current depiction of tiger parenting is decidedly negative. Kim Wong Keltner’s book on “Tiger Babies Strike Back” and Su Yeong Kim’s report “Does Tiger Parenting Exist? Parenting Profiles of Chinese Americans and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes” suggest that strict Asian-style parenting produces an army of disengaged or emotionally stunted robots.

While I can’t speak for everyone, my own experience suggests that such upbringing also gives us the smarts to recognize our emotional and social deficiencies and to address them.

My parents are immigrants from Taiwan. I was an only child, and I was expected to excel academically and extracurricularly. So, I delivered. I got straight A’s. I played violin for hours. I did extra math, chemistry and physics problem sets under the eagle-eyed gaze of my mother.

Through it all, I cried and screamed. A lot. My mom yelled back. A lot. I told her I hated my life, my teachers, my school and all my activities. She yelled that I just had to get through it. Quitting was not an option. And of course she was right.

2012: ‘Tiger Mom’ meet ‘Panda Dad’

2012: Tiger Mom author Amy Chua

Tiger parents express their love through expectation of greatness, not in acceptance of mediocrity. Some people interpret such expectation as parental rejection of their worth as individuals. I always interpreted such crushing expectation as the ultimate belief in my self-worth. I knew that I was not being set up to fail.

My mother did not push me to excel because she prized my accomplishments more than my feelings. She listened to my feelings, but she also knew that my teenage feelings were volatile and irrational. She knew better than to let my future be derailed by such feelings.

My mother also knows that life has many obstacles, some external, many internal. She loved me too much to let me give up easily when confronted with those obstacles. For that I am eternally grateful.

I gained confidence and resilience from tackling my endless workload and from fighting through sleep deprivation. I knew that I was capable of getting through seemingly impossible situations. I knew that if I failed, then I just had to try harder. Failure is not a permanent state, but merely a temporary challenge that had to be tackled creatively.

The knock against tiger parenting style is that it does not foster emotional and social development.

Well, it partly comes down to expressing love and affection differently. Tiger parents may not often say “I love you,” but actions speak louder than words. My family never would have spent the time, money and effort—not to mention the emotional energy—on me if they did not love me. They never said this, of course. But I knew.

Sure, my mother viewed socializing with others as a waste of time. She wanted me to be valedictorian, not homecoming queen. I didn’t attend my homecoming. I was probably studying or working on my science project.

Now, I readily acknowledge that there is great value in socializing with others, and that my current social skills probably would be better if I had more time to hang out at the mall or at Denny’s.

But childhood hours are limited. Each child only has about 157,680 hours before he/she turns 18. The opportunity cost of being an accomplished child is that it takes away time from making friends and nurturing relationships.

For me, the tradeoff was worth it. There are skills that can only be learned in childhood. It is hard for a student to catch up academically if she is significantly behind in high school. But someone can become more self-aware, work on social skills and learn negotiating tactics later in life.

Without the skills and expertise that is a result of excelling, I would never have the chance to sit at the important tables to participate in the discussions, no matter how great my social skills.

I value my tiger cub upbringing mostly for the tools it gives me to make a difference in my community. I know plenty of grown up tiger cubs who tutor at-risk youth, advocate for the disadvantaged, and generally strive to improve the world. Our childhood accomplishments enable us to meaningfully contribute to our communities.

And isn’t that where self-awareness and proper socialization lead us all?

(CNN) — Violence surged in the strategically important Syrian town of Qusayr on Sunday. Activists said the offensive marked some of the most intense fighting they’ve seen in the fiercely contested area near the Lebanese border.

Rebels and the Syrian government both claimed to control parts of the city, where fighting has been raging for weeks. Activists said artillery shells, mortar shells and bombs from aircraft were raining down as government forces attacked. Makeshift medical clinics were reportedly filled with casualties.

By all accounts, Qusayr is in a strategically valuable location.

For rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s government, it sits along a transit route for weapons and supplies coming in from Lebanon.

For the Syrian government, it’s a key point between the capital of Damascus and al-Assad’s supporters on the Mediterranean coast.

Videos posted on social media Sunday show the city blanketed with black and gray smoke amid an almost continuous stream of sounds of mortar and artillery fire.

Dozens of people were killed in the clashes, including 48 rebel fighters, the London-based opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Hundreds of people were injured, many in critical condition, the opposition organization said.

Syrian state-run television reported that Syrian forces “have spread safety and security after taking control of the city hall and surrounding buildings in Qusayr as they continue to chase the terrorists in the city.”

The opposition Local Coordination Committee of Syria denied that report.

“The field commanders in the Free Syrian Army stress that they remain in control of the city and are fighting back attempts to storm the city,” the opposition activist network said in a statement.

Activists describe a city under siege

Qusayr has been under rebel control for months.

The opposition accused Hezbollah fighters from neighboring Lebanon of joining Syrian government troops in the assault on the city, a claim that al-Assad’s government has disputed in the past.

The Shiite militant group is considered a terror organization by the U.S. government and is a traditional ally of al-Assad as well as Iran.

The Free Syrian Army said it fired rockets from Qusayr across the border into northeastern Lebanon, targeting Hezbollah areas. The official Lebanese news agency said eight rockets landed in Hermel.

Activists in Qusayr said the city was under siege Sunday from several directions.

“There is continuous shelling using artillery, mortar and warplane bombs,” activist Abu Ali said. “It is so intense, like 50 shells a minute.”

Residential areas were hit, said Abulhoda Homsi, another activist.

The opposition Syrian National Council warned that 40,000 civilians’ lives were in danger amid the violence and called for the Arab League to hold an emergency meeting to protect the besieged city.

The United Nations estimates that more than 70,000 Syrians have been killed since anti-government protests in March 2011 led to a fierce government crackdown, an armed uprising and a civil war with no end in sight. At least 125 people were killed across the country Sunday, the Local Coordination Committees reported.