We're jumping right in to our commercial free coverage

with a report on the civil war in Syria.

How involved is Russia becoming in that conflict,

and what is Russia hoping to gain?

Those are two questions that international officials,

particularly those in the US, are trying to figure out.

Some background, Syria's been torn apart since the spring of 2011.

On one front there's the Syrian government

fighting to keep control of the Middle Eastern country.

On another, different rebel groups fighting to topple that government,

and complicating things further,

militias and terrorist groups like ISIS,

who are looking to grab land and power.

The US has a controversial program to give weapons

and training to moderate Syrian rebels,

so it's supporting some of those who are fighting the Syrian government.

But American officials say Russia is giving more

and more support to the Syrian government,

so that's why the Obama administration

is increasingly concerned about Russia's activity there.

By the day, Russian denials of involvement in this brutal conflict

appear to be eroding.

The Premier now says if it weren't for Moscow helping the Syrian government,

this carnage would worsen and the humanitarian crisis intensify.

We've been providing and will be providing

all necessary military technical assistance,

and we call on other countries to join us.

If Russia hadn't been supporting Syria,

the situation there would be worse than Libya, and we would see more refugees.

But it's the level of that military support which continues to raise concerns.

The Kremlin is rejecting allegations

it's already engaged in combat operations alongside the Syrian military.

But US officials say Russia appears to be dramatically

increasing its military footprint in Syria.

But US officials admit the real intentions of the Kremlin are at yet unclear,

to build an anti- ISIS coalition, to support its Syrian ally,

or simply to send a message to the West that Russia is back.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

See if you can ID me. In total land area,

I'm one of the largest countries in the world,

but my population is less than that of Texas.

I'm made up of two territories, and six states,

and I'm located in the Southern Hemisphere. Good day, mate.

I'm Australia, and my 23 million people

are governed by a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy.

Even though Australia is a member of the British Commonwealth

and its Chief of State is Queen Elizabeth II,

Australia's lawmaking power lies with its Parliament.

And that Parliament, not Australian voters,

decides who the country's leader will be.

It just decided on a new one.

Former Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull

was sworn in yesterday as Australia's 29th Prime Minister.

He's replacing former leader Tony Abbott.

While many citizens are concerned about

Australia's slowing economy,

Prime Minister Turnbull will have the additional challenge

of stabilizing the country's leadership.

He's Australia's fourth prime minister in a little more than two years.

Well it's time for the call of the role,

and it's the first time we've ever called role in Nepal.

The town of Jawalakhel is not far from the capital of Kathmandu

and it's there that the students of St. Xavier's School are watching.

Great to see you. And hello to the Panthers of Mars Hill, Maine.

We've got Central Aroostook High School on today from the pine tree state,

and right next door to New Hampshire, it's great to see the Tigers.

Indian River School in Canaan is on a roll.

In the US state of Iowa, the population is about 5. 5 % Latino,

just over 3 % African American, 2 % Asian, and more than 92 % White.

In Iowa City, where you'll find the University of Iowa,

it might come as a surprise to learn that bubble tea shops,

which are hugely popular in East Asia,

outnumber Starbucks coffee houses three to one.

It's part of a changing campus culture that's part clash,

part economics and all opportunity.

We were sitting out here in the middle of Iowa,

which as you might guess is not one of the most diverse places in the world.

It's been really interesting to see

how many international students attend Iowa now,

and of the undergraduates, the vast majority are from China.

An American student who's coming from rural Iowa or a smaller town in Iowa,

they might not interact with not only international people,

but just with any minorities at all.

I think people love the idea of diversity. For growing globalization,

but it's hard and messy sometimes.

My name is Yuhao Chen and I'm from Shenjen, China.

After coming from a huge city,

it's pretty a big shock for me.

In my imagination Iowa was like a corn place where people just eat corn.

My parents didn't have a chance to come to the United States,

so they really want me to come.

I watch a lot of American movies, Hollywood movies.

I really want to get closer to American culture.

In 2007, there were about 100 Chinese undergraduate students here,

now there's close to 3, 000.

China's economy has quadrupled in the last decade,

so we see lots of parents in China

who are now able to send their children to an American university.

What did Lincoln say about- State funding is going out the door,

and more and more state institutions are taking in international students

because they bring in out of state tuition.

And so the funding model actually encourages us

to take a higher percentage in, and so that's why we started down that path.

A lot of international Chinese students,

they prefer to stay in their comfort zone,

because they don't want to feel embarrassed because of their poor English.

Left to their own devices,

the students don't naturally integrate in the kind of way that they should.

The university has taken a number of steps to try to

help integrate the international students to acculturate,

to assimilate them better, and it remains an incomplete objective.

Last year there became a huge social media explosion of anti- Chinese

and anti- Asian student feelings on Twitter, on Facebook.

We thought that we were not accepted on the campus,

and we were made fun of.

That was really a sad point of my college life.

At the beginning, I feel really angry.

I just realize that stereotypes exist, especially for minority groups.

It's part of human nature, so you cannot avoid it.

There are still individuals out there that create problems.

I've seen that on this campus.

I've seen it on other campuses. Welcome to English Club, come on in, Jason.

I'm just so glad that we have the ability to shine the light on the many,

many more students that are doing things that make this an inclusive,

welcoming environment.

We know that going to a foreign country can be intimidating.

I wish that more domestic students understood

that interacting with international students is good.

It makes you a smarter person.

It makes you better at whatever you wanna be.

I think what a squirrel I was, personally,

as an 18 year old freshman.

Going to college halfway around the world

in a language that's maybe a second or third language,

it's a huge challenge.

I have so much respect for the international students

willing to accept this challenge and largely succeeding.

The first edition of the Guinness Book of World Records was published in 1955.

Six decades later,

the company that certifies everything from the world's largest feet

to the fastest 100 meters run in clogs to the longest fur on a rabbit.

Yes, they cover all that.

They've got a brand new edition and here are some highlights.

It's been a remarkable year for record breaking.

We've sifted through about 1, 000 applications every week

for the past year to bring you some of the most amazing,

awe- inspiring records.

And we've got a Texas longhorn steer with three meters wide horns,

and also Purin the dog, who's got a record for catching balls in his paws.

Goal! Goal! This is very unusual for a tortoise to be so active.

We're so proud of Bertie to be the Guinness World Record holder.

In Japan we find an incredible BMX trick artist

who's matched some great records this year.

Which no doubt took a lot of BM extra practice, but like the longhorn,

the rider knew how to steer.

Like the tortoise, you could tur- tell he'd covered some ground,

and like the dog, you knew he was purring his heart in his work.

I'm Carl Azuz,

and I hope they're going to create a record category for puns.

We would own it.