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(CNN)The VII Summit of the Americas was supposed to be all about the symbolic handshake between the United States and Cuba. But insert Venezuela into the mix and Panama City, Panama, quickly turns into a "triangle of tension." Heads of state from 35 countries in the Western Hemisphere have met every three years to discuss economic, social or political issues since the creation of the summit in 1994. Cuba has historically been the wrench in the diplomatic machinery, with some Latin American leaders threatening not to attend the Summit of the Americas if the United States and Canada didn't agree to invite President Raul Castro. The tide changed December 17, 2014, when President Barack Obama and Castro announced that more than five decades of Cold War rivalry was ending. Diplomats from both countries immediately began negotiations to establish embassies in Havana and Washington, and the attention immediately focused on the Summit of the Americas, where for the first time since the about-face, Obama and Castro would come face-to-face. The much anticipated handshake between Obama and Castro would steal all the headlines if it wasn't for Cuba's strongest ally, Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently accused the United States of trying to topple his government and banned former President George Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney, and Senators Bob Menendez and Marco Rubio from entering Venezuela. "They can't enter Venezuela because they're terrorists," Maduro said, blaming the American politicians for what he called terrorist actions in Iraq, Syria and Vietnam. The U.S. State Department said the allegations of U.S. involvement in a coup plot against Maduro were "baseless and false." Later, Obama issued an executive order sanctioning seven Venezuelan officials for human rights violations and saying the country was a "threat to national security." White House officials said every executive order includes that language, but it has sparked a fiery response from Maduro, who has been collecting millions of signatures demanding the repeal of the order. He also asked for repeal in full-page ads in The New York Times and in a Panama City newspaper. Maduro didn't stop there; he has been rallying other Latin American leaders, including Bolivian President Evo Morales, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega. But perhaps most damning for the United States -- and creating the "triangle of tension" at the summit -- Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has sided publicly with Maduro. "We reiterate our strong condemnation of the unacceptable and unjustifiable unilateral sanctions imposed against the sister nation of Venezuela and the continued foreign interference with the purpose of creating a climate of instability in that sister nation. We ratify our firmest support to the Bolivarian Revolution and the legitimate government headed by President Nicolás Maduro," Rodriguez said. While the world watches for the photo-op of Obama and Castro, it's unclear if more Latin American diplomats will side with Maduro, and for America, the VII Summit of the Americas could go from "mi casa es su casa" to a walk into the lion's den.

U.S., Venezuelan relations threaten to overshadow Obama, Castro meeting . Venezuelan President says United States moved to oust him; he has the support of the Cuban foreign minister .

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Tokyo (CNN)A second robotic probe sent into the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant has captured images of a strange green glow. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) deployed the second remote-controlled robot last week after the first one broke down. The robot detected lower radiation levels and temperature than expected, an indicator that cooling systems were working effectively, according to a statement released by TEPCO. "It is a great step forward towards the decommissioning work as we can earn necessary data for the next investigation," said Akira Ono, the chief of Fukushima Daiichi plant. TEPCO said the yellow seen on the images seemed to suggest a discoloration of the grating, though the cause was unknown. It said the green glow could not be seen when filmed from other angles. The shape-shifting robots were sent in to assess the damage in one of the reactors that suffered a meltdown after a devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. TEPCO says the site's still too dangerous for workers to enter. The first robot, which was sent in on April 10, stalled after moving about 10 meters, according to a statement released by TEPCO. A report and footage from the robot shows that a fallen object had blocked its path and left it stranded. TEPCO decided to cut off the cable connected to the device on April 12 as it had already collected data on radiation levels in 14 of the 18 targeted locations, completing around two-thirds of the originally planned route. The second robot was sent in on April 15 and collected data from all 11 points, as scheduled. Four years after the devastating nuclear crisis, the radiation levels inside the three damaged reactors are still extremely high and remain unsafe for people to enter. Decommissioning work is estimated to cost $50 billion and will take years to complete. TEPCO called the robotic probe an "unprecedented" experiment. CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki and Junko Ogura reported from Tokyo, Japan and Naomi Ng wrote from Hong Kong.

A robotic probe into the Fukushima nuclear plant released crucial information on conditions inside the reactor . TEPCO: Recorded radiation levels and temperatures are lower than expected . The robot was sent into the plant after the first one broke down .

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(CNN)On Tuesday, a white police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, was charged with murder for shooting an unarmed black man in the back. Officer Michael Slager was arrested after raw video surfaced showing him firing numerous shots at Walter Scott as Scott ran away from a traffic stop. The video footage contradicts Slager's statement that he felt threatened after Scott allegedly took his stun gun during a scuffle. The Post and Courier reported that the FBI has opened an investigation into the shooting death along with the State Law Enforcement Division, while the South Carolina attorney general is investigating possible civil rights violations. Now, after watching the footage — which should remain in your memory for a long time to come — one could say that Slager shot Scott like a dog. But then again, dogs usually are not treated this badly. But the man was shot like a runaway slave. In this case, there was clear documented evidence of what occurred, and no room for fabrications. Most police fatal shootings do not result in indictments because prosecutors conclude they are justifiable. The police officer can always plant a gun on the suspect he shot to death, or like Slager, apparently place a Taser near Scott's body and concoct some story that his life was in danger. "We can't bring Mr. Scott back, but something like this today can have a bigger precedence than just what happened here with Mr. Scott. Because what happened today doesn't happen all the time," said L. Chris Stewart, an attorney for the Scott family, at a press conference. "I don't think that all police officers are bad cops, but there are some bad ones out there. And I don't want to see anyone get shot down the way that my brother got shot down," said Anthony Scott, brother of the victim. "What if there was no video? What if there was no witness, or hero as I call him, to come forward? Then this wouldn't have happened, because as you can see, the initial reports stated something totally different. The officer said that Mr. Scott attacked him and pulled his Taser and tried to use it on him. But somebody was watching," Stewart added. "After watching the video, the senseless shooting and taking of #WalterScott's life was absolutely unnecessary and avoidable," tweeted Sen. Tim Scott. "My heart aches for the family and our North Charleston community. I will be watching this case closely." Although the black community and others have been aware for years of the problem of police brutality, through personal experience and anecdotes, the data confirm that police use of deadly force is a black and white issue. A ProPublica analysis of police shootings from 2010 to 2012 found that young black males are 21 times more likely to be fatally shot by the police than young white males. And 67% of teens killed while fleeing or resisting arrest were black. Of the whites who are killed by cops, 91% are killed by white cops. Sixty-eight percent of people of color who are killed by police are also killed by white officers. Furthermore, 10% of police involved in fatal shootings are black, and 78% of the people killed by black officers are black. According to Cynthia Lee of George Washington University Law School, the disproportionate representation of blacks and other people of color in police shootings is due to the role of racial stereotypes by police. Racial stereotypes, Lee argues, subconsciously influence an officer's decision on whether to use deadly force, even if the police do not consciously decide to use deadly force based on race. A simple question posed to the officer by a black person could be perceived as a threat to the officer's authority. What's more, a Washington State University study on deadly force found that participants felt more threatened in scenarios involving black suspects, suggesting participants "held subconscious biases associating blacks and threats." Scott is the latest in a long line of black bodies, from Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island, to John Crawford III near Dayton, Ohio, and Tanisha Anderson and Tamir Rice in Cleveland. In this case, the bystander video of Scott's killing and the cover-up of the crime by Slager made the difference. Otherwise, the bogus narrative of the good white cop protecting himself from the menacing black thug may have prevailed. What happened in North Charleston tells us the epidemic of police deadly force has not died. And yet, the mobilization and heightened consciousness of people across the nation have kept the issue on the front burner. The taking of black lives by the police remains a crisis situation in America that must be addressed, because #BlackLivesMatter. May Walter Scott rest in peace. The arrest and charging of Officer Michael Slager is a rare event that must be celebrated for the small victory that it is, in the midst of unspeakable tragedy. But this is by no means over.

A white police officer in South Carolina is charged with killing an unarmed black man in the back . David Love: What happened tells us the epidemic of police deadly force against black people continues .

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(CNN)A 24-year-old man is in custody after he called for an ambulance, only to have French authorities come and discover weapons, ammunition and evidence of his plans to target churches -- an attack that someone in Syria requested, a top prosecutor said Wednesday. The man was identified later as Sid Ahmed Ghlam, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told television broadcaster TF1. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said Ghlam asked for medical help at his home in Paris' 13th district Sunday morning, claiming he had accidentally injured himself when he mishandled a weapon. But authorities found more than a man with a gunshot wound in his thigh. Molins said Ghlam was someone suspected of killing a 32-year-old woman hours earlier and who then intended to launch a larger-scale terror attack in the near future. "(He) let them believe that he was the victim," French President Francois Hollande said Wednesday. "But police understood that there was an investigation that needed to be initiated." That probe started in earnest when police spotted traces of blood and bags in the suspect's car. Based on this discovery "and in view of the attitude and suspicious behavior of the individual," they looked inside the car and found a loaded Kalashnikov gun, a 9-mm revolver, three cell phones, a laptop, a USB key, a satellite navigation system "and handwritten documents that contained information on possible targets," Molins said. A search inside his home turned up yet more potentially key evidence, including three more Kalashnikovs, three bulletproof vests, police armbands, a camera, some 2,000 euros in cash and "documents in Arabic mentioning al Qaeda and ISIS," according to the prosecutor. "A terrorist attack has been foiled," Hollande said. "It's not the first time." Earlier Ghlam was identified as a computer science student originally from Algeria. According to Molins, he lived in that North African country until 2001, joined his parents in France for the next two years, then went back to Algeria. He got his undergraduate degree in that nation, then returned to France to study electronics. He'd never been convicted of a crime; in fact, the lone accusation against him in August 2013 was later withdrawn. But that didn't mean French authorities didn't know about Ghlam. "He had been noticed wishing to go to Syria," Molins explained. The prosecutor added that authorities found nothing to suggest he was imminent threat, "but he was under surveillance." Law enforcement checked on the man once in 2014 and again this year, Cazeneuve said. The minister said the man planned to head to Syria, a country embroiled in a bloody, years-long civil war that has attracted foreigners wishing to join extremist militant groups like ISIS. There was no indication he ever made it. But, Molins said, computer searches revealed that the man had been communicating with someone in Syria who "asked him to target a church." What church? Authorities didn't disclose that detail on Wednesday, though Molins did say "this target was confirmed by (the suspect's satellite navigation system) and handwritten documents in his car." Paris is home to the famed Notre Dame cathedral and Sacre Coeur basilica, both huge draws for tourists. It's not known if either were in line to be attacked, but Prime Minister Manuel Valls Wednesday visited one of the churches allegedly targeted, which was located in the Paris suburb of Villejuif. Assuming Ghlam doesn't walk free anytime soon -- for now, he's in custody awaiting possible charges -- that attack won't happen anytime soon. But authorities say he's already claimed at least one victim. Her name is Aurelie Chatelain. The 32-year-old was found dead Sunday morning sitting in the passenger seat of a parked car in Villejuif, killed by a single bullet that struck her shoulder, went through her body and ended up embedded in the seat. Cazeneuve said Chatelain was the mother of a 5-year-old girl and had come to the region on Saturday to attend a training class. It's not known what connection, if any, she had with the suspect. Nonetheless, Molins said that ballistics, DNA, satellite navigation and other evidence connected him to the death of Chatelain, who Molins called the region's first victim of terrorism since January. That's when the massacre at Charlie Hebdo's offices and the siege of a kosher market in Paris took place, prompting French authorities to beef up security measures. "France, like other countries, is facing a terror threat that is unprecedented in its nature and magnitude," Valls said. "... Terrorists are targeting France to divide us." CNN's Jethro Mullen, Andrew Carey, Sandrine Amiel and Ariana Williams contributed to this report.

Suspect identified by French authorities as Sid Ahmed Ghlam . Prosecutor: Someone in Syria asked the arrested man to target French churches . Evidence connects terror plot suspect to the killing of Aurelie Chatelain, he says .

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Washington (CNN)Early Clinton campaign calculations, the favored way for one of her opponents to channel his concerns, a GOP ticket for the generations, and Republican calendar concerns filled our Sunday trip around the "Inside Politics" table. 1. Watch the volume as O'Malley uses YouTube to test Clinton pokes . Slowly but clearly, former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is intensifying his criticism of overwhelming Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton. How aggressive will he get? Stay tuned -- literally. CNN's Jeff Zeleny says O'Malley enjoys using YouTube videos as a quick way to spread his opinion -- and question moves by Clinton, like her reversal on the question of whether she supports allowing undocumented workers to obtain driver's licenses. "Every time Hillary Clinton sort of adjusts her positioning from '08 to '16 -- her statement on the drivers' licenses that we discussed and other things -- Martin O'Malley has been releasing a YouTube video showing a speech where he has done something different, so watch for that to continue," said Zeleny. "Those YouTube videos on his channel will be a key part of the race --the liberals love them." 2. The "Obama Factor": Clinton finds a lot to love, and some distance . Hillary Clinton is a big fan of President Obama's health care law, but not so much of a booster when it comes to his presidential leadership style. So reports AP's Lisa Lerer, who was in Iowa this past week for the Clinton campaign rollout, and who analyzes one of the most fascinating balancing acts for the onetime Obama 2008 rival who, of course, went on to serve loyally as his secretary of state. "She embraced key portions of his legacy -- coming out strong for the health care law, for his push for immigration legislation -- but it wasn't all sunshine and light," said Lerer. "She also took subtle digs at his leadership style— she said America was on the wrong track-- I can't believe I'm saying this but at times she sounded almost like a Republican." 3. In big policy choice, Clinton signals an important campaign focus . In Democratic politics, Kamala is the Harris sister who gets the most national buzz. But Maya Harris is about to play a big role in the question of how Hillary Clinton plots her path to 270 electoral votes. Kamala Harris is the California attorney general and a 2016 Senate candidate, for the seat being vacated by Democrat Barbara Boxer. Maya Harris just signed on for a top policy role in the Clinton campaign -- and CNN's Nia-Malika Henderson reports it is a hiring with a clear message. "One clue, I think, is Maya Harris," said Henderson. "Her resume is really a liberal's dream. She has worked at the Center for American Progress, ACLU, she's also done work on community policing and police reforming, and she also has a very interesting paper that looks at the importance of women of color to the electorate." "So I think this hire is going to be really interesting in what it means for the kind of policy initiatives that Hillary Clinton rolls out and the sort of appeals she makes to women of color, who are so crucial to getting the Obama coalition back together again." 4. Walker-Rubio? Rubio-Walker? A general contrast with some GOP buzz . Marco Rubio drew a direct generational contrast with Hillary Clinton when he officially joined the GOP 2106 race, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also often talks of his hope Republicans will look for a next-generation leader as their next presidential nominee. In political circles -- meaning among junkies and strategists -- there is constant debate about potential tickets -- at this stage of the process a hypothetical and then some because neither man has been tested on the trail. But Jonathan Martin of The New York Times says his recent travels suggest the talk about a Walker-Rubio pairing is not limited to inside the Beltway chatter. "They both would offer that kind of generational dynamic in the same way that Clinton and Gore did ... in 1992," said Martin. "But what's interesting is, in New Hampshire over the weekend, I was there for the big cattle call of all the candidates, for the first time from an actual activist -- not an operative but an activist -- I heard somebody float the idea of a Walker-Rubio race in 2016." 5. Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and then? Heading into the 2016 cycle, the Republican National Committee used its muscle to make some changes to the presidential nominating process, including fewer sanctioned debates and a primary calendar that was less front-loaded. Now, some big GOP establishment figures are worried the changes could help candidates who make the establishment cringe -- especially Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina keep their traditional slots at the front end of the calendar. Florida is usually the next big contest, but it could be eclipsed by -- sports fans will get this -- what is becoming known as the "SEC primary." It is important to note the exact calendar is still a work in progress. But what worries the establishment is the likelihood of a Super Tuesday -- or maybe back-to-back Tuesdays -- in early March that include a number of conservative Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, Georgia, maybe Louisiana. The shift is one reason former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee thinks the 2016 environment could be more favorable to him than 2008. Ditto for Rick Santorum. They did well in the South, but it didn't matter much because John McCain and Mitt Romney, respectively, were well on their way to the nomination by the time those bruises were inflicted. Again, there might yet be more changes. But more and more leading establishment figures are grumbling changes designed with the best of intentions might end up hurting their favorites -- people like Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio -- and helping those with strong evangelical connections -- like Huckabee and Cruz.

O'Malley using YouTube to test out attack lines . How Clinton's new hire could help keep the Obama coalition together . Republican concerns about the new 2016 primary calendar .

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(CNN)Freddie Gray was arrested Baltimore police on the morning of April 12 without incident, according to police. Less than an hour after he was detained, officers transporting him called for a medic. He subsequently slipped into a coma, dying a week after his initial arrest. So what happened? The events surrounding Gray's encounter with police remain unclear. To shed light on what happened, police released a more detailed timeline of events on Monday, and officials speaking at a news conference elaborated on specifics of the events. "We want to clear up some of the confusions that may exist," Baltimore Deputy Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said. "We will be looking specifically at our actions from the point that we came into contact with Mr. Gray up until the time we requested medical assistance -- specifically, did we miss any warnings? Should we have acted sooner? Should we have acted in any different manner?" This is what police say occurred: . --- . 8:39:12 a.m., Sunday, April 12 . At the corner of North Avenue and Mount Street in Baltimore, a police officer makes eye contact with two individuals, one of them Gray. Both individuals start running southbound as officers begin pursuing them. 8:39:52 a.m. One unit (officer) says "I got him" at 1700 Presbury Street, two blocks south of North and Mount. 8:40:12 a.m. An officer says we've got one and confirms the address of 1700 Presbury, where Gray gave up without the use of force, according to Rodriguez. One officer took out his stun gun but did not deploy it, he said. 8:42:52 a.m. Gray asks for an inhaler. Police request a "wagon" to transport him. 8:46:02 a.m. The van's driver says he believes Gray is acting "irate" in the back, according to Rodriguez . 8:46:12 a.m. At the corner of Mount Street and Baker Street, an officer asks the vehicle driver to stop so they can finish paperwork. At that point, Gray is placed in leg irons and put back in the wagon. Police interviewed several witnesses in the community with regard to that specific stop, Rodriguez said. The videos that were filmed by bystanders show events similar to what Rodriguez describes happens at this point. 8:54:02 a.m. The wagon clears Mount Street and heads southbound towards central booking. 8:59:52 a.m. The van's driver asks for an additional unit to "check on his prisoner [Gray]," Rodriguez said. Another individual is arrested and a wagon is requested. Before the wagon leaves, there is "some communication" with Gray, according to Rodriguez. They then travel to the police cepartment/s western district with Gray and the other suspect in the wagon. The two are separated by a metal barrier and the two had no physical contact. 9:24:32 a.m. A medic is called. --- . An autopsy on Gray's body was done on Monday, according to Rodriguez . He said there was no evidence that force was used against Gray, nor did any officers describe using any force against him. "When Mr. Gray was placed inside that van, he was able to talk, he was upset, and when Mr. gray was taken out of that van he could not talk and he could not breath," Rodriguez said. "I know Mr. Gray suffered a very traumatic injury, but I don't know if it happened prior to him getting into the van or while he was in the van."

Freddie Gray died on Sunday after slipping into a coma . He was arrested a week earlier under murky circumstances .

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(CNN)Tornadoes, fierce winds and severe thunderstorms with large hail are predicted for the Midwest and for the Plains, from the Ozarks eastward to the lower Ohio Valley, on Thursday and Friday, the National Weather Service said. Severe weather is perilous anytime, of course, but CNN meteorologist Chad Myers says that tornado conditions are more dangerous during the night. "Tornadoes can be more deadly when people are sleeping and not paying attention to the warnings," he said. Scattered storms will soak Illinois and Missouri, and wind and hail will continue to be moderate in those states, the National Weather Service said. By Thursday afternoon, storms will hit parts of Indiana and Kentucky. Earlier this week, severe weather struck the South. Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Georgia reported large hail. Residents in Shawnee, Oklahoma, were awakened early Wednesday morning by a severe storm producing golf ball-sized hail. "The hail came out of nowhere so it was kind of shocking," Sherri McDonald said to CNN in an iReport. The hail dinged her car.

Thunderstorms with large hail are predicted for the Midwest and the Plains . Tornadoes could strike Thursday night and Friday .

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Washington (CNN)Decision time for GOP operatives, another controversial foreign policy choice for President Obama, a ripple effect from the Robert Menendez indictment, and two insights into Hillary Clinton's campaign launch -- those stories filled our Sunday trip around the "Inside Politics" table. Obama's Iran diplomacy already has his conservative critics fired up, and things could get even more interesting in the week ahead. The President is headed to Panama for a regional summit, and Julie Pace of The Associated Press reports one of the big questions is whether he'll make history and have a face-to-face meeting with Cuban leader Raul Castro. "This would be the first meeting between a U.S. and a Cuban leader in decades," said Pace. "But Obama's efforts to end this freeze of Cuba have been a lot more difficult than they looked when he announced it last year," Pace said. "And so what the White House is going to be weighing is whether this meeting would be a way to generate more progress or whether it would be a premature reward for the Castros." Hillary Clinton has leased her headquarters space in Brooklyn and will soon make her presidential campaign official. And with the launch, Jonathan Martin of The New York Times reports, will come a carefully orchestrated effort to reintroduce Clinton -- with an emphasis on her childhood and her earlier work on children's issues. "The Democrats around Hillary Clinton believe that while she's one of the most famous people in the world, she's never been properly introduced in her own right," said Martin. "So when she does roll out her campaign here in a couple of weeks, look for more biographical touches. We'll hear about her childhood in suburban Chicago and some of the work that she did as an advocate for the Legal Services Corporation and the Children's Defense Fund when she was in her 30s, and also, more about her Arkansas days as first lady, as an advocate for education." A lot of the big names signing on to Team Clinton are already known. But Dan Balz of The Washington Post explains part of the statement her campaign wants to make with the announcement is to show it has a large, experienced staff ready for the key national and state roles. "What I'm hearing is that when they launch, this staff is going to be even much, much bigger than we, at this point, imagine, that they have done a huge amount of hiring," said Balz. And Balz reports the planning centers on smaller events designed to highlight more personal interaction. "She did an event with the wife of the mayor of New York earlier this week that could be a template for the kinds of things they're doing." Much of the media attention on the corruption indictment against Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey has been on its allegations of luxury hotel stays with girlfriends. But beyond the more tabloidesque details, Jackie Kucinich of The Daily Beast notes that one of the charges centers on a suggestion the senator's staff was soliciting funds for a so-called super PAC -- a violation of campaign finance laws. And she says the scrutiny of that practice might grow because of the Menendez allegations. "I was talking to some campaign finance watchdogs this week and they say if the (Federal Election Commission) really starts to look into this, they're actually going to find some impropriety with other lawmakers much much farther than Menendez," said Kucinich. "So watch for that if it starts happening." By a week from Monday, there will be three official GOP candidates for president: Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio. Others will soon follow, and as things get more official, pressure is mounting on GOP operatives to choose sides. In New Hampshire this past week, Matt Maroney, a former Mitt Romney alum with ground organizing experience, signed on with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's team. Others in the state reported calls coming in from Ohio Gov. John Kasich and, yes, even Donald Trump. This dynamic plays out on the national level, too: Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio, for example, was approached both by Team Christie and by allies of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. In the end, though, Fabrizio signed on with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who makes his official announcement on Tuesday.

White House weighing whether Obama should meet with Raul Castro . A serious congressional ripple effect from the Menendez indictment? It's decision time for GOP operatives as the 2016ers get ready to launch .

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(CNN)In case you haven't noticed, we're in the midst of a medical marijuana revolution. Given the amount of questions and mystery surrounding the science behind it, Dr. Sanjay Gupta wanted to provide some insight. He's been investigating medical marijuana for the last couple of years. His research has resulted in three CNN documentaries, culminating with "Weed 3: The Marijuana Revolution," airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT Sunday. Gupta opened up to questions on Twitter. Here's what you wanted to know: . How does this affect me? Readers were curious about the effects of medical marijuana in easing symptoms of various ailments, asking how it could help with everything from life-threatening illnesses and neurological conditions to chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. Gupta pointed out the 10 diseases where medical marijuana research could have an impact and how it helped to stop one young girl's severe seizures, and he also referenced other studies. He said that the potential benefits of medical marijuana for people suffering from PTSD is actually the subject of a federally approved study. The belief: It could suppress dream recall and allow those sufferers to focus on the present. There is also research into how the drug might affect the spasms associated with people who have multiple sclerosis. Medical marijuana could also be an important option for those who rely on painkillers, as painkiller overdose is the greatest preventable death in the United States, Gupta said. Why don't other doctors talk about it? Many of the questions around medical marijuana can be tied back to the fact that it's just not discussed much. Teaching about medical marijuana remains taboo in medical school. But Gupta also presented the science directly, showing what your body on weed looks like. Readers also wanted to know why people are so against the legalization of marijuana. Decades of misinformation, Gupta said. What are the drawbacks? With medical marijuana so misunderstood, there naturally is a fear of potential side effects. There are legitimate, long-term concerns with the developing brain, Gupta said, and suggested that readers seek out the research of Dr. Staci Gruber, who has conducted numerous studies on marijuana use and brain function. Isn't it dangerous? When confronted with questions rooted in fear about the dangers of medical marijuana, Gupta confessed that he used to believe the same thing -- that marijuana is dangerous without proven benefits. After extensive research, he said he changed his mind on weed.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers questions about medical marijuana . Readers wanted to know how medical marijuana could ease symptoms of illnesses .

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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN)The clamor and chaos of the previous day has dissipated by the time we arrive at Kathmandu's only airport. The mad rush of 24 hours previously, in those first confusing, cacophonous hours following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake near the Nepali capital, had died down. Now, families sit, camped out, silent and patiently waiting, but for now abandoned. At the airport, at passport control, we meet a Nepalese man, who is unable to contact his family. They live in a village 20 km from the epicenter. He also has two cousins on Everest, he says. He has no way to reach any of them. Follow the latest coverage of Nepal earthquake . Stepping out of the terminal building, the devastation is apparent. It is an overwhelming introduction to this city that, less than 48 hours ago, was hit by the worst earthquake this country has experienced in 80 years. The death toll has skipped past 3,000 and climbs, inexorably. Taking into account the fact that many rural areas, just as badly affected but isolated and vulnerable, have yet to be evaluated, the human cost is staggering. Across town the bus station is a hive of activity as scores try urgently to leave the city, to make it out to the outlying areas so badly affected by this quake. Communications are down and so many here are desperate to make it out to their stricken families, and discover their fate. The scene is repeated at every gas station; snaking lines of Indian-made Tata cars, and motorcycles, waiting to fill up. People are clambering aboard buses, into cars, trying to get as far away from this devastation as possible. Remaining inside Kathmandu, neighbors stare forlornly at their former homes, now collapsed piles of rubble. We visit a Montessori school, mercifully empty as the children had the Saturday off. A seven-story building behind it, however, was home to a small church, and housed a congregation of between 40 and 50 when tragedy occurred. The pastor's son Nakul Tamang clambers up a ladder, looking for an entrance into the ruined facade, looking to retrieve his father, not knowing if he will find him alive or dead. Rescue teams stop him before he reaches the top. The building is not secure, but Tamang doesn't care. "It's sad, it's hard," he says. Six bodies had already been pulled from the concrete and steel wreckage. A nearby five-story structure has collapsed in on itself. It was pink, with wrought balconies. Now it is pancaked, reduced to a third of its height and a mess of rubble and reinforced steel. One woman has been pulled out of the wreckage, and rescuers continue to work in a precarious hollow scooped out from the fallen bricks. Officials tell the onlookers that there is a chance that survivors may have been protected in a corridor as the building came down around them. A day after the earthquake struck, they found a woman under the rubble. Unhurt; in shock, but alive. It is this hope that keeps Narayan Gurung going: the belief that his wife and 7-year-old are still alive. "I raced here after the earthquake. I haven't slept for days," he says. Workers dig painstakingly, slowly removing piles of stone and debris. They spot someone's hair, but can't yet reach the body or tell if it's male or female. Wherever there is rubble in this city, there is a police or military presence. They are not necessarily commanding the digs but they keep onlookers from getting too close, or directing traffic as best they can. For their part, the onlookers look shell shocked -- there is little outpouring of grief, no sobbing or wailing, but rather a solemn, dazed, collective sense of disbelief. Tundikhel Park was, just two days ago, a vast, open green oasis in the city, but is now a mess of tents. Some have made their own, the army is setting up others. Metal bleacher-style seating has been set up, with dozens of people sitting, waiting, makeshift blue tarp tents pitched underneath. People bring in fresh fruit, and there are water sellers -- although clean bottled water is becoming hard to to find. People queue endlessly for food and water. There is a mobile government field hospital here, and those treated wait listlessly outside, a collection of crushed hands, broken legs, strapped ankles. One little boy was hit by a falling brick. "I felt something like a fire, and I ran, and then something hurt me a lot." he says. "I am still scared." And so is everybody else: those who survived clinging to those they love. Arwa Damon and Gul Tuysuz reported from Nepal, while Euan McKirdy wrote from Hong Kong.

Tremors subside finally in Kathmandu, but after-effects of Saturday's staggering tragedy will be felt for years . Arwa Damon and Gul Tuysuz take tour of devastated city as locals struggle to cope . Workers dig painstakingly, slowly removing piles of stone and debris .

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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN)On Day Six of Nepal's tragedy, life triumphed as rescuers pulled an 15-year-old from the rubble of a multistory residential building in one of Kathmandu's hard-hit neighborhoods. A large crowd erupted in cheers as Pemba Tamang was carried out on a stretcher. He was wearing a New York shirt and a blue neck brace, was blanketed by dust and had the look of a deer in the headlights. His rescuer, Inspector Lakshman Basnet of the Nepalese Armed Police Force, said Tamang was responsive and showed no apparent signs of serious injury. He was given an IV drip and rushed from the Gongapur area to a temporary emergency hospital run by an Israeli aid team. The Nepalese rescuers had been working for five hours to locate Tamang after they heard his voice coming from under the debris. Also Thursday, a U.S. special operations forces team rescued 30 people, including three Americans, by helicopter from an area of Nepal called Bamboo Village, according to the U.S. ambassador to Nepal. The group was trapped in the village and living in a makeshift shelter, Ambassador Peter Bodde said. The families had contacted the U.S. government to let officials know where their relatives were stuck, he said. They had no other way to get out of the area, Bodde said. An American disaster response team was also involved in the rescue of the 15 year old boy. The team was at a nearby damaged bus station when it got word that someone might be alive. Andrew Olvera, the head of the U.S. team, said his men rushed over with search dogs and equipment ranging from breaching tools to sophisticated cameras that can probe under the rubble. He said the operation carried enormous risk, as chunks of the collapsed building hung precariously on rebar. Entire floors of what used to be people's homes were visible -- ceiling fans and beds still draped with cotton sheets. It was a mountain of loss and sorrow. "It's dangerous, but it's what we do," said Olvera, who has a daughter and twin 11-year-old boys. "It's risk versus gain. To save a human life, we will risk almost everything. "The way the building is, it's definitely a miracle," he said. Tamang cried for water in a muffled voice. He had been buried for five days under a building that pancaked. He dodged death because of a motorcycle that shielded him from the pressure of the concrete and steel, according to Basnet. And, Basnet said, he "survived by good faith." Dennis Bautista, who went down to where Tamang was buried to administer medical aid, called the rescue amazing. "It feels good to be able to help out. I can't imagine what he went through," Bautista said. "He is a brave young man." Basnet said once he got closer to Tamang, he tried to reassure him that he would be OK. "I gave him water and talked to him regularly," Basnet said. After Tamang was rushed to the hospital, the US Agency for International Development team continued the search. The possibility remained that someone else might have survived, like Tamang. Other search and rescue teams continued to scour through Kathmandu's rubble Thursday. They are looking for survivors from the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck Saturday, killing at least 6,134 people and wounding almost 14,000, according to Nepali authorities. Another 72 people were reported dead in India and 25 in China. In Nepal, 19 of the deaths occurred on Mount Everest, where the quake triggered deadly avalanches. Despite the disaster, Nepali authorities plans to reopen routes up the mountain as soon as next week. Teams are clearing paths and and rebuilding ladders, Tourism Ministry spokesman Krishna Sapkota told CNN on Thursday. Officials are encouraging people who have already received permission to climb this season to go ahead with their plans. As the chances dimmed for finding people alive in the wreckage left by the quake across Nepal, Tamang's rescue boosted hopes for all those who still have loved ones and friends missing. Other people have been saved from under collapsed buildings in previous days, including a 27-year-old man on Tuesday and a 4-month-old boy on Sunday. The Nepali military also released a photo of a dust-caked 11-year-old girl who they said was rescued Wednesday after 90 hours under the rubble. The rescuers, meanwhile, have no intention of giving up looking for more. The 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Olvera said, revised the benchmark for what was thought possible for survival. A man there was miraculously pulled from the rubble after 27 long days. 360-degree view of earthquake zone . CNN's Sugam Pokharel contributed to this report.

Death toll rises to more than 6,100 . Pemba Tamang, 15, shows no apparent signs of serious injury after rescue . U.S. special forces helicopter 30, including 3 Americans, to safety .

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Sanaa, Yemen (CNN)As soon as the buses parked, the people scrambled onto the airport tarmac. They carried duffel bags, plastic bags full of clothes and small suitcases. They'd already abandoned larger bags in a mound. Only carry-on luggage was allowed on this Air India plane. The passengers were mostly Indian nationals, plus Yemenis and people from other countries who had been working in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. They sprinted or walked with deliberation to the airplanes. The stress of living in a war zone showed on the passengers' faces. Nobody wanted to be left behind. They climbed the steps to the airliner and were greeted by the Air India crew, all wearing pressed uniforms, the flight attendants fully made up. After takeoff, the flight attendants went up and down the aisle offering drinks to the 188 evacuees as if they were on a vacation flight. But some passengers were already fast asleep, exhausted by the push to get out of Yemen, site of some of the most chaotic fighting in the Mideast. This scene has been repeated in recent days as countries work to get their citizens out of Sanaa during a small window when Saudi planes are not bombing the city in an attempt to drive out the Houthis, a Shiite group that has taken over the capital. Air India is especially active because so many Indian nationals work in other nations. Over the last few days, India has evacuated some 2,500 people from Yemen, said Gen. Vijay Kumar Singh, the Indian deputy foreign minister who's overseeing the evacuation. The flights are going to Djibouti, the small African nation nearly 430 kilometers (267 miles) away. Some evacuees are fleeing on boats at port cities such as Aden. People are leaving behind much more than luggage. Damodar Thakur, a professor at Sanaa University, lived in the capital 34 years and built a life there. He loved living in Yemen. "I never felt like a foreigner," he said. Like the others, he was exhausted and jangled by the shelling and lack of electricity for long stretches. "At night, my goodness!" he said. "Gunshots being fired every minute. Sometimes the sky full of sparkling lights. Some women crying, children terrified. Really bad." The Houthi rebels control Sanaa, including the airport. But the Saudis are bombing the city and thus control air access in a way, so getting people out requires coordination. The Saudi air force gave Air India a four-hour window to go to and from Sanaa and a specific travel route for a safe landing. As the plane approached the city, the crew could see the scars of the fighting. There were no cars on the roads. Dozens of buildings were destroyed. At the airport, the landing strips and airport terminal were untouched by Saudi bombs, but buildings on the outskirts of the airport and planes along the airstrip had been blown to bits. The loading of passengers was swift. They approached the planes carrying boarding passes -- another touch of normalcy in the otherwise abnormal event. They didn't pay for the flight, though they had to purchase exit visas from the Houthis. Children sat on their parents' laps to maximize the number of people on the plane. Some passengers fell asleep as soon as they took their seats before takeoff. Everyone seemed to carry the weight of war, especially nurses who had tended the wounded. From Djibouti, the evacuees will most likely disperse to their home nations. "Now I can only pray for Yemen and those we left behind," Thakur said.

Air India has evacuated 2,500 people in recent days from Yemen, Indian official says . Passengers could only bring carry-on luggage onto the airplane . The Saudis have not destroyed the airstrips, which are controlled by Houthis .

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(CNN)Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, has "global and irreversible brain damage," according to her grandmother. Though the 22-year-old is no longer in a medically induced coma, she remains unresponsive, Cissy Houston said in a statement Monday after visiting her granddaughter. "Meeting with the doctors and understanding that she can live in this condition for a lifetime truly saddens me," Houston said. "We can only trust in God for a miracle at this time." Houston's statement matched that from a source with knowledge of Brown's condition, who told CNN on Monday that she remained in the same neurological state she has been in for nearly three months. She does not respond to visitors or familiar voices, and her eyes do not follow a person around the room, the source told CNN. She also has a tracheostomy in her throat, the source said. The reports come two days after Brown's father, Bobby Brown, said his daughter's condition had improved. "I can say today, Bobbi is awake. She's watching me," Brown told the audience at Dallas' Verizon Theatre. The audience cheered. In a statement Monday, an attorney for the Brown family said that Bobbi Kristina Brown's condition has improved but that the kind of life she will lead remains to be seen. "Doctors have indicated that she will have a long life," attorney Christopher Brown said. "However, Bobbi Kristina is presently embarking on a rehabilitation process, and the quality of her life will not be known for years to come." Who's who in the Bobbi Kristina Brown case? Bobby Brown was in an "emotional state" on stage when he made the remarks about his daughter being awake, according to the statement. "She has made it out of ICU, opened her eyes and started a rehabilitation that will be long and hard," said Bobby Brown's wife, Alicia Etheredge-Brown.

Bobbi Kristina Brown has "global and irreversible" brain damage, her grandmother says . "We can only trust in God for a miracle at this time," Cissy Houston says . Bobby Brown, her father, had said at a concert that she was "awake"

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(CNN)If someone told you that your city had started a program providing clean needles to injecting drug users, would that make you want to start injecting drugs yourself? The answer, of course, would be no. Yet for decades, many have stood by the belief that such programs, known as syringe exchange or syringe services programs, promote and encourage drug use. Indeed, for Congress, it became the rationale behind a ban implemented in 1988 that prohibits the use of federal funds for these programs. But an overwhelming body of scientific evidence continues to show that this is simply not true. As a result of the recent spikes in HIV and hepatitis C infections among injecting drug users in rural Indiana and Kentucky, the controversial topic of syringe exchange programs has come to the fore again. And this time, scientific evidence and sound public health practices prevailed as both states authorized the implementation of syringe exchange programs to help curb the spread of these two blood-borne diseases that can be spread by contaminated syringes. This is a welcome step -- an estimated 50,000 Americans are newly infected with HIV every year, and some 8% are among injection drug users. Meanwhile, between 2006 and 2012, at least 30 states experienced increases in hepatitis C infection rates, with more than half reporting at least a 200% increase in acute infections among young adults. Overall, the prevalence of acute hepatitis C among people under 30 rose from 36% to 49% in six years. With such numbers in mind, the recent national spotlight on syringe services programs offers a critical opportunity for us to reignite a much-needed conversation. Dozens of studies have demonstrated conclusively how effective syringe services programs have been in the fight against HIV and hepatitis C transmission among injection drug users by reducing the reuse and sharing of dirty syringes -- without increasing drug use. In addition to helping curb the spread of these diseases by offering access to sterile syringes, these programs promote public health and safety by taking syringes off the streets and protecting law enforcement personnel and others, including children, from injuries. They also offer preventive health services, such as HIV testing and counseling, and form vital bridges to drug treatment, overdose prevention, housing and employment services. For states such as New York and Washington -- early adopters of these interventions -- syringe services programs have played a crucial role in driving down HIV transmission among injecting drug users. Washington was the first state in the United States to implement an syringe exchange when it opened a syringe services program in Tacoma in 1988. In New York City -- where half of all injection drug users were HIV positive in the 1980s -- state lawmakers authorized syringe exchange in 1992 to combat the disease, deeming it a "public health necessity." The expansion of these programs in New York was followed by a dramatic reduction in HIV incidence among injecting drug users, declining from 54% in 1990 to 13% in 2001; hepatitis C prevalence declined from 90% to 63% during this period. Because they work, syringe services programs will likely be an integral part of the statewide plans announced by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee to reduce new HIV infections dramatically by 2020. Syringe exchange programs not only save lives, but also save millions of dollars in HIV treatment costs. While a clean syringe costs less than 50 cents, the average lifetime cost of treating an HIV-positive person is estimated to be around $425,000. As HIV-positive injection drug users report higher levels of unemployment and homelessness, public programs such as Medicaid will ultimately become responsible for the expensive treatment costs. For example, an analysis by Johns Hopkins University researchers showed that expanding the availability of syringe services programs to cover just 10% of all injections in the United States would prevent almost 500 new HIV infections among drug users per year. This translates into $193 million in savings reaped from averted treatment costs after an estimated $64 million investment. In other words, every dollar spent on syringe exchange saves between $3 and $7 in HIV treatment costs alone. Despite such evidence, syringe services programs are continually caught in the political crossfire. A longstanding ban, temporarily lifted in 2009 and then reinstated by Congress as part of 2010 budget negotiations, prevents state and local jurisdictions from spending their federal health dollars on these programs. Lifting the ban will not cost any additional money -- it simply allows states to spend their federally allocated dollars on syringe services programs, if they choose to do so. Why is this important? The federal government provides the majority of funding for all HIV prevention services. Without access to federal funding, more than 200 syringe service programs in 34 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico are operating on shoestring budgets from local and state governments. This has forced syringe services programs across the country to cut staff, scale down services and potentially shut their doors for good. Meanwhile, the new HIV and hepatitis C infections among injecting drug users in primarily rural states, such as in Indiana or Kentucky, show that the landscape of injection drug use in America is rapidly changing. We have a chance right now to get ahead of the curve and avert a nationwide resurgence of HIV and hepatitis C infections through injection drug use. It is time for Congress to make sound and effective policy based upon facts rather than discredited assertions or unsubstantiated fears.

An estimated 50,000 Americans are newly infected with HIV each year, CDC says . Kevin Robert Frost: Syringe exchange programs save millions in HIV treatment costs .

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(CNN)For years, when I'd tell new friends I was half-Armenian, a puzzled look would cross their faces, before they'd ask something like, "Do you have a country?" Or, when there was a spark of recognition, they'd chortle, "Ah, you're the people with the last names all ending in 'ian'!" In fact, one of our most famous Armenians, Cher, was better known for her Oscar-winning portrayals of Italians, and had dropped her own identifying surname. The decimation of our people, too, was reduced to a footnote -- if we were lucky -- in tomes about World War I, when more than one million Armenians were killed during the last days of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the time, though, the coverage was about how Armenians and Turks hate each other like cats and dogs, that the Turks continue to deny that ethnic cleansing occurred, saying the Armenians had hatched a rebellion, and that the leaders had no choice but to deport them from their homes and put them on the road that led to their deaths. Even Adolf Hitler had brushed us aside, uttering, just before invading Poland in September 1939: "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" according to the former bureau chief of The Associated Press in Berlin, Louis Lochner. Apparently he hadn't the anticipated the Kardashian juggernaut. As Kim Kardashian, sister Khloe and their two cousins recently toured Armenia -- on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the mass killings, which is marked on April 24 -- they spotlighted a humanitarian crime that Pope Francis recently called "the first genocide of the 20th century." Suddenly, the poor landlocked country of Armenia was trending. Standing in front of the statute of "Mother Armenia," Kim seemed to seize the label herself, and the adoring crowds appeared to agree. On another stop of her tour, she dressed in a red jumpsuit, and placed tulips at the slate gray Armenian Genocide memorial complex, bringing new color to an issue and to a people who usually pay tribute to their dead relatives every year in their best funereal black. After the Kardashian trip to Armenia, my elderly mother Anahid called me nearly breathless with pride: "Have you seen? The genocide is all over the news! That famous lady, Kim Kardashian, has done it!" My mother's own father, Stepan Miskjian, with his own "ian" surname, had narrowly survived the killings. He told of how an entire caravan of thousands was killed in what's now eastern Syria, and that he only escaped by waiting until night and crawling out on his hands and knees past the ring of guards, and then crossing the desert for six days with only enough water to fill two cups. When the Kardashians first rose to fame, many Armenians cringed over their potboiler storyline, their million-dollar weddings to basketball players and rappers, multiple divorces, and a clothing line at Sears. Through their fame, though, people began to learn about Armenians -- even people outside Los Angeles, where the Armenian population is as thick as the Kardashian hair. That Americans may also have been equating the ancient culture with the latest "Keeping Up with the Kardashian" plotline was a source of discomfort for the community. But every once in a while, Kim Kardashian would tweet something about the issue -- and slowly the community began to warm to her. Meanwhile, many Armenians continued to brainstorm about how to convince Turkey to acknowledge the truth about what happened, and how to persuade the President Barack Obama to label the killings "genocide," as he promised when first campaigning for the highest office. We cheered and forwarded emails every time a rumor surfaced that Steven Spielberg was going to take one of our family stories to the big screen, give us our own "Schindler's List," and hoped maybe now the world would be forced to listen. And we would deflate when it wouldn't come to fruition. And every April 24, the day in 1915 when Ottoman Turks began rounding up the community's intellectual leaders, we mobilized. And we will do so again this year, holding candlelight vigils, concerts, and protest marches, while waving the Armenian flag, even though many of us have never been to the country ourselves. We also press forward on the academic front, holding conferences on the latest research around the world, exulting in the discovery of yet another bit of information that would surely make the world reckon, that would counter Turkey's steadfast pressure on the United States to not acknowledge the atrocities. And still, disappointingly, early reports surfaced yet once more, as in years before, that Obama has decided again on this year's anniversary not to use the g-word. Despite all the setbacks, the Armenians will continue to speak out, and hopefully find some hallowed ground, too, to stand with Turks to heal. After all, we've learned an increased dialogue can come from the most surprising places. This year, it took a reality star, famous for balancing a cocktail on her rump, to catapult it to the top of the news once again, like it was on December 15, 1915, when headlines like "Million Armenians Killed or in Exile," splashed across the New York Times and other international media. After a century of trying to raise awareness, what we needed all along was a television and Internet persona to join us -- especially one who shares everything on every platform -- to shed light on a crime that occurred back when telegrams were the speedy form of communication, and photographic plates of the killings had to be smuggled out in a belt, rather than blasted instantaneously with a tweet. The queen of the selfies has finally used her attention for good, and hopefully it won't be as short-lived as some of her other memes. That's a crusade I can follow in any medium.

Dawn MacKeen: 2015 marks 100th anniversary of slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Empire. Kim Kardashian has used fame to spotlight this . She says Armenian community has long sought global recognition of the atrocity, but it took a Kardashian to catapult it into the news .

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(CNN)Three Orthodox rabbis accused of planning and participating in the torture of Jewish men who refused to divorce their wives were convicted Tuesday of conspiring to commit kidnapping. Rabbis Mendel Epstein, 69; Jay Goldstein, 60; and Binyamin Stimler, 39, were found guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in New Jersey federal court. Goldstein and Stimler were also convicted on charges of attempted kidnapping. The rabbis were part of a ring accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars to orchestrate the kidnappings of Jewish husbands to persuade them through torture involving electric cattle prods and screwdrivers to grant "gets," a document that Jewish law requires a husband to present to his wife in order to be issued a divorce, court papers said. The men were arrested in October 2013 following an FBI sting operation that ended with Goldstein, Stimler and six other men with ski masks, surgical blades and a 30-foot nylon rope in a warehouse in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Lawyers for each of the rabbis told CNN they plan on appealing the convictions. "Rabbi Epstein still firmly believes that he was protecting women's rights and was protecting the agunahs and the families," said Robert Stahl, the lawyer for Epstein. Without a "get," a woman is considered an "agunah," a chained woman bound to a man no matter how over the marriage might actually be. An Orthodox Jewish woman who does not receive a get runs the risk of being shunned in her community and labeled an adulteress if she moves on. Any future children she has are considered bastards permitted to marry only other bastards. "I don't think this was a traditional kidnapping," said Aidan O'Connor, the lawyer for Goldstein. Goldstein is a sofer, a Jewish scribe who transcribes the Torah and writes other religious documents, including divorce papers, his attorney said. Nathan Lewin, the attorney for Stimler, called the verdict "shocking" and said his client was only present at the warehouse as a witness for the ceremonial signing of the document. "There's no evidence that Rabbi Stimler knew what was going to be going on," Lewin said. "Of course we're going to take all the steps to correct this injustice." Epstein's son, David Epstein, was acquitted on Tuesday of kidnapping charges. The jury returned not guilty verdicts on the attempted kidnapping charges against Mendel Epstein, and on more severe kidnapping charges against the three rabbis. Nine other individuals previously pled guilty in the case to conspiracy charges, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office in New Jersey. Henry Mazurek, the lawyer for David Epstein, said his client was grateful for the jury's decision but called his client's acquittals "bittersweet" next to his father's conviction. "He really believes that (his father) was a champion of someone who was voiceless in his religion," Mazurek said. Sentencing is set for July 15. The men face up to life in prison.

Three rabbis found guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping in New Jersey federal court . They were accused of orchestrating kidnapping, torture of Jewish men who refused to allow their wives a religious divorce . Lawyers for the rabbis said they plan on appealing the verdicts .

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(CNN) An Asiana Airlines plane overran a runway while landing at Japan's Hiroshima Airport on Tuesday evening, prompting the airport to temporarily close, the Japanese transportation ministry said. Twenty-three people had minor injuries after Flight 162 landed at 8:05 p.m., according to fire department and ministry sources. There were 73 passengers and eight crew members -- including five cabin attendants, two pilots and a maintenance official -- aboard when the flight took off from South Korea's Incheon International Airport at 6:34 p.m. local time, Asiana said in a statement late Tuesday. Authorities are investigating initial reports that the Airbus A320 may have hit an object on the runway during landing, causing damage to the rear of its body and the cover of the engine on the left wing, the ministry said. Video of the scene showed the aircraft's body turned around, with its nose pointing in the direction that the plane had come from. Hiroshima Airport closed because of the incident Tuesday night while fire department officials worked at the scene. Airbus, the plane's manufacturer, is aware of the incident and is working to gather more information, Airbus regional media relations manager Marie Caujolle said.

The plane might have hit an object on the runway, the Japanese transportation ministry says . 23 people have minor injuries, officials say . The Airbus A320 overshot the Hiroshima Airport runway at 8:05 p.m. Tuesday, officials say .

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(CNN)It's no surprise which image is making the headlines from this week's gathering of leaders from nearly three dozen nations in Panama: A historic handshake between President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. But this first meeting of Obama and Castro since they announced plans to start normalizing diplomatic ties should not be the end of the summit story. Or at least Obama is hoping it won't be. After all, the President has had some unhappy experiences at hemispheric summits, where the headlines have often focused on some less than flattering moments. The reality is that the United States has been losing ground in this increasingly important region, and Obama needs to put on a strong performance in Panama at the Summit of the Americas if the U.S. is to have a chance of improving ties with neighbors who should be best friends, but who have drifted away as America has been focused on challenges at home and instability in the Middle East. Unfortunately, America has lost influence in Latin America to a hyperactive China, a cunning Russia and a troubling Iran, all of which have made inroads in the region at Washington's expense. This gathering therefore offers a chance for the U.S. to reverse the tide and build on the potential offered by a natural alliance strengthened by millions of people with Latin American and Caribbean blood who make their homes in the United States. The foundations for a strong hemispheric bloc are there. But they need attention, and the Panama meeting offers a good opportunity to start building. But first: Do no harm. Large diplomatic gatherings are minutely orchestrated events, and the U.S., with its vast experience in preparing for high-level multilateral meetings, knows the importance of dotting the I's and crossing the T's. But this hasn't stopped recent summits descending into diplomatic and PR disasters for the U.S. Just look at the last summit, held in Cartagena, Colombia, which stayed in the news much longer than anyone expected after Secret Service agents embarrassed the United States by hiring prostitutes and bringing them to their hotel rooms, in violation of basic security protocols. They were reportedly caught after one of the women accused an agent of refusing to pay an agreed fee. As a result of all this, the Americans looked dumb, incompetent -- and cheap. And back in 2009, the President -- new on the job -- was caught flat footed by a fast-talking, fiery anti-American president of Venezuela. The late Hugo Chavez outplayed the leader of the free world, who had just taken office and was trying to show America's new "outstretched hand" toward the foe of the George W. Bush era. The summit hit a depressing low for the Obama administration when Chavez walked up to Obama and, as the cameras clicked, handed the American President a copy of the book "Open Veins of Latin America," which blames the region's woes on the U.S. and Europe. Yet the problems in Cartagena weren't just symbolic. Regional leaders lined up against Washington, which had refused to include Cuba in the summit, and vowed they would not hold any more of the gatherings unless Havana was also invited. America was cornered. All this stands in contrast to the optimism of the early Clinton years, when the President issued an invitation to "democratically elected" heads of state of Latin America, which was then breaking the chains of military dictatorship. Back then, the U.S. had just led the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and actually seemed to stand for something attractive to the region, namely democracy, free trade and economic growth. That's what it should aim for every time: articulating a clear vision and rallying neighbors behind it. Can Obama manage something similar this time? True, the President has come armed with his new Cuba policy. Unfortunately, in an effort to placate critics who say Obama is not doing more for pro-democracy activists, the White House has miscalculated with Venezuela, handing the repressive regime of Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, a stick with which to beat the U.S. Obama has long and rightly ignored Maduro's claims that the U.S. planned to overthrow him. But a modest plan to impose sanctions has suddenly handed Maduro -- who has presided over an economic catastrophe in his country -- a way to portray himself a victim of the U.S., something he will no doubt play that up in Panama. All this risks again reviving memories of past tensions with Latin Americans who already have complicated feelings toward the U.S. over its Cold War support for unseemly right-wing dictators, a policy it claimed to pursue in the name of preventing Soviet-backed communism from taking hold. But those days are behind us. Today, the people want prosperity, they want democracy, and they want the rule of law -- all of which leave a potential opening for the United States. Too many national leaders are eroding democratic norms: Opposition leaders are in prison in Venezuela; a prosecutor who criticized the President was found dead in Argentina; press freedom is under siege in several countries; and corruption is reaching new highs. All of this suggests that if Obama plays his cards right, he will have the opportunity to explain to the people of Latin America that their goals are also America's goals; that like them, he supports democracy, human rights, the rule of law, full freedom of expression and free elections in every country. The fact that he met with Cuban dissidents was welcome, and sends a message that he is not neglecting other issues such as human rights as he recasts relations with Cuba. For the millions in Latin America that still live in poverty, these freedoms can seem like a distant luxury. But if Obama can show them that the United States is a true partner in efforts to improve their lives, then he will leave a longer-lasting legacy in the region than just a handshake.

President Barack Obama is attending the Summit of the Americas . Frida Ghitis says he must work to improve ties with region .

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Miami (CNN)Despite the glitz and glamour Miami is known for, the odds for some children growing up there are bleak. Almost one of every three Miami-Dade County residents living in poverty is under 18, according to the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources. Many schools face high dropout rates, after-school programs are being eliminated and students are failing. Those at-risk children are ones that Chad Bernstein is trying to help through his nonprofit, Guitars Over Guns. "Music is the most important tool we have in reaching these kids," said Bernstein, 30, a professional musician. His program operates in two of Miami's poorest communities, North Miami and Allapattah. It pairs middle-school students with professional musicians, providing free instrument instruction and mentorship. Since 2008, Bernstein's organization has worked with more than 225 students in Miami-Dade County. He says his group has seen more than a 90% increase in academic performance and school attendance of students in the program. Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for CNN Heroes 2015 . Bernstein has been hooked on playing gigs since he was 16. He's gone on to play and record with such musical greats as Shakira, Pharrell, Jennifer Hudson and Pitbull. See more CNN Heroes . I sat down with Bernstein to learn more about the motivation behind his work. Below is an edited version of our conversation. Marissa Calhoun: You're a pretty cool guy — some might be surprised to hear that you were once bullied. What did you experience and how did you overcome it? Chad Bernstein: When I was a kid, I had ears that stuck out the side of my head and really big green glasses. And I was tall and lanky and definitely looked a little different than other kids. I think part of the thing that really stuck with me was this feeling of wanting to belong to something, because I just didn't feel like I fit in with the other kids. When I started playing music it really gave me a sense of identity, something that I belonged to, something that I was good at, something that people would watch me do and say, "Oh wow, that's really cool or he's really good at that." I think in that way music really gave me an anchor in my social experience. Calhoun: What can students expect when they join your program? Bernstein: As a new GOGO student you'll get to try out all the instruments. You'll choose an instrument to learn. You'll be paired with a mentor. And then you'll go throughout that year learning how to play the instrument and music fundamentals and songwriting. And by the end of the year, you'll be performing on stage, recording in a studio and will have a very close relationship with that mentor. Our mentors are amazing musicians that are active in the community playing and performing. And some of these mentors are actually from the neighborhoods and the schools that these kids are at currently. We're not policemen. We're not teachers. We're not parents. We're in a unique position to really talk to these kids about the issues that matter most to them. Calhoun: Why do you focus on middle schoolers? Bernstein: It's the time of their life to reach them not only musically, but also as young individuals that are starting to form opinions about who they are and what their world is going to look like. As professional musicians, most of us know what kind of power music has in terms of dealing with the things that are going on in your life.  And the reasons that we target the neighborhoods that we have the program in are because these kids are facing the most challenges with being successful in and out of school. A lot of times, these kids only see to the end of their block and back. We like to bring them to studios and also to other places in Miami because we want them to experience something outside of their own neighborhood. We also provide them with opportunities to get tutoring and have social services, making sure that they're really successful in and outside of school. Calhoun: I've heard you play — you're pretty mean on the trombone. How has that passion translated into your work with these kids? Bernstein: I've built my life on how important the feeling I get from playing music is. And I thought that that was the end-all, be-all feeling, that being on stage and performing was the thing for me. Then I saw a kid have that experience through our program, and it changed everything. There's an amazing sense of pride when I see a kid experience that feeling on stage, where they've connected with an audience or they get a round of applause because they've worked really hard and have a great performance. It's an incredible feeling. I was really fortunate to have the opportunities that I did to learn music. And part of me feels very responsible to provide those opportunities for other people, because there were people along the way in my path and my musical journey that helped me. My hopes for the children that we work with are that their vision of the world and their vision of themselves is changed in some way, that they hold themselves to more than other people might, and that they realize there's a whole world out there that they could very much be a part of that isn't necessarily the one right outside their doorstep. I know music has changed my life in a really dramatic way. And I think it's going to change the lives of these students in a really dramatic way. Want to get involved? Check out the Guitars Over Guns website at www.guitarsoverguns.org and see how to help.

CNN Hero Chad Bernstein started music program that helps at-risk middle school students . Nonprofit group Guitars Over Guns pairs Miami-area kids with professional musician mentors . Do you know a hero? Nominations are open for 2015 CNN Heroes .

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(CNN)Chile's Calbuco volcano erupted twice in 24 hours, the country's National Geology and Mining Service said early Thursday. The agency said it was evaluating the spectacular nighttime eruption, but indicated it was "stronger than the first one." About 23½ inches (60 centimeters) of ash fell in some places, according to the Ministry of Interior and Public Safety. Authorities issued a red alert for the towns of Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas in southern Chile. Both are popular tourist destinations. A 12-mile (20 kilometer) exclusion zone was established around the crater. Military and police forces were assisting with the evacuations of more than 4,400 residents, the Interior Ministry said. The first eruption on Wednesday set off a bit of a panic in the region. "At the beginning, it was small, and later, the cloud grew and later there was a huge cloud over you and true terror starts," said one Puerto Montt resident. Another person said: "It was impressive to see an enormous mushroom cloud, with the immense force of the volcano, and to see the ashes. At that point, there was a lot of panic, lots of chaos, traffic jams, people going to supermarkets, everyone looking for water, trying to take out money from the ATMs." The eruption is a first for many in the region. The last major eruption was 1962. There was a minor eruption in 1972. Calbuco also belched out a bit of gas and smoke in 1996. Alejandro Verges, regional director at the Ministry of Interior and Public Safety, said Thursday afternoon that officials are concerned there might be a third eruption. "The situation is relatively calm right now, although people are understandably anxious about what could happen tonight," he said. CNN's Shasta Darlington and Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report .

Almost 2 feet of ash fell in some areas . Authorities evacuate 4,400 people . The last time Calbuco erupted was 1972 .

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(CNN)Giovanni Lo Porto put himself in harm's way to help, heading to Pakistan to work on a much needed reconstruction project following deadly flooding there. His work and his life, as he knew it then, came to a halt on January 19, 2012. That's when, according to Italy's state-run ANSA news agency, four armed men burst into the building where Lo Porto lived and abducted him along with colleague Bernd Muehlenbeck. Two years later, Lo Porto was dead -- killed accidentally by a U.S. drone strike, according to American authorities. The native of the Sicilian city of Palermo died along with a fellow al Qaeda hostage, American Warren Weinstein. That same counterterrorism operation in a border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan killed at least one al Qaeda leader, Ahmed Farouq, who was also a U.S. citizen. His family members, including his four brothers, called him Giancarlo. Lo Porto grew up in Sicily and then studied at London Metropolitan University, getting his undergraduate degree there in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2010, according to the school. A professor there remembers him as "passionate, friendly (and) open-minded," according to an ANSA report. And the university, in a statement, described him as "a popular student who was committed to helping others." "We are tremendously proud of him and the humanitarian work he did," the school said. At the time he was taken captive, Lo Porto worked with the German aid organization Welthungerlife, a 53-year-old group dedicated to fighting hunger and poverty worldwide. Such work means going to places where the need is most -- places like Multan in Pakistan. That community was one of many in Pakistan devastated by major flooding in 2010, which covered about one-fifth of the country and left more than 1,500 people dead. These conditions are all too common in the South Asian nation, as evidenced by flooding one year later that forced upwards of 660,000 into refugee camps and killed more than 430 people, about a quarter of whom were children. "He told me, 'I'm pleased to have returned to Asia and Pakistan, I love the people, culture and food in this part of the world,' " said the London Metropolitan University professor. Specifically, Lo Porto was a project manager with Welthungerlife's clean water and sanitation program, working with 8 to 10 fellow international staffers and 100 to 200 locals starting in October 2011, according to Simone Pott, a spokeswoman for the aid group. Pott described Lo Porto as a lively, very positive man who made friends all over the world. Some of those friends in Italy, England and beyond pressed for Lo Porto's release after he was taken captive, urging Italy's government and newspaper editors to get his story out, ANSA reported. The same story said that al Qaeda (after first claiming he was being held) denied abducting Lo Porto, as did the Pakistani Taliban. Muehlenbeck, a German national, was freed last October, at which time he said that he and his colleague had been separated, according to ANSA. But Lo Porto never got the chance to savor freedom again, like his German counterpart. Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said his country's government "carried out every effort possible to trace and try to return Giovanni to his loved ones." "Unfortunately, the conclusion is now different (than we wanted) because of the tragic and fatal mistake of our American allies, which has been recognized by President Obama," Gentiloni said. "The responsibility of his death and (that) of Warren Weinstein ... is that of the terrorists." On Thursday, after the U.S. government reported Lo Porto's death, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi expressed his "deepest sorrow for the death of an Italian who dedicated his life to the service of others." Lo Porto's death left those at his former charity Welthungerlife speechless and confused, Pott said. And then there are his family members like his mother, who ANSA reports became "another person" after her son's kidnapping. "Her only hope was to embrace Giovanni," a neighbor said. CNN's Hadia Messia contributed to this report.

NGO where Lo Porto works describes him as a lively, positive man with lots of friends . London university says he was a "popular student ... committed to helping others" He was killed in a U.S. counterterrorism strike in January, authorities say .

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(CNN)A bus collided with a fuel tanker in southern Morocco on Friday, a fiery crash that killed at least 35 people -- most of them children -- state and local media reported. The accident caused a fire that hollowed out the bus, leaving little more than its frame. Debris scattered across the road, while smoke rose into the sky, videos posted to social media show. The dead included athletes traveling for a sporting competition, an eyewitness told 2M TV, a Moroccan state-owned network. After the crash, photos appeared on social media of young, smiling boys in soccer uniforms along with condolence messages such as "May God have mercy on them" and "Oh no, they are so young." The crash happened near the city of Tan-Tan just before 7 a.m., the Maghreb Arabe Presse state news agency reported. It said a number of people were also injured. Tan-Tan is near the country's Atlantic coast, more than 450 kilometers (about 280 miles) southwest of Marrakesh.

Most of the victims were children, according to reports . Condolence messages appear online with images of boys in soccer uniforms . The bus collided with a fuel tanker near the southern Moroccan city of Tan-Tan .

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Shanghai, China (CNN)With a well-paid job in finance and his own apartment, Li Lifei is living the Chinese dream. But there's one missing ingredient -- his own car. The 26-year old has his eye on a Volkswagen Tiguan but Shanghai, like many large Chinese cities, rations license plates as it looks for a solution to its gridlocked roads and polluted skies. To register for a license plate auction, prospective car buyers like Li must put down a deposit in exchange for disc containing software they can use to bid online. The auctions take place once a month on a Saturday morning. "I've been trying for six months with no success," Li told CNN. To boost his chances, Li upgraded the speed of his Internet connection from 10 to 50 mbps but to no avail. Each month there are around 10,000 license plates available. At the most recent auction on Saturday, Li said the final price was 80,600 yuan ($13,000) -- around three times the price of a cheap Chinese car and a third of what Li plans to spend on his SUV. It's possible to get a temporary license, but that has to be renewed every month, and Li says he doesn't want to use a huangniu, or middleman, some of whom employ hundreds of bidders to obtain the coveted registration. "I know people who've been trying for more than a year," he said. Another option would be to buy a hybrid vehicle that automatically qualifies for a license plate -- a selling point not lost on the car manufacturers showing their latest models and concepts at the Shanghai Auto Show this week. Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo all launched gasoline-electric hybrids for the Chinese market at the show, while Chinese manufacturer BYD has been an early pioneer of electric and hybrid cars. "The infrastructure (charging stations) for electric vehicles is not quite there yet but that's the advantage of a hybrid -- you can have both," said Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson. But Chinese drivers haven't wholeheartedly embraced the concept. Even though China overtook the United States as the world's largest car market in 2009, sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, while increasing quickly, still lag behind the U.S., where more than 100,000 were sold last year. And it's thought many are sold to local authorities and state industries, which are responding to central government directives. Few Chinese have American-style garages where the vehicles can be charged overnight. Li said he thought it would be inconvenient. "I don't want a hybrid car. I thought maybe a Tesla but it's too expensive," he said, referring to the hyper luxury electric sports car developed by Elon Musk that has seen weak sales in China. For others, the hassles of buying and owning a car have become too much and some affluent city dwellers are spurning cars. Shanghai resident Lei Gu, 35, learned to drive as a student and Microsoft employee in Seattle and loved driving her compact Geo on the open U.S. roads. But when she returned to China nine years ago, she chose not to purchase a car. "I used to love driving but I don't think I could drive here even if I wanted to. "Even though we have traffic rules, people don't follow them. I can barely cross the street." She's also put off by the congested traffic and the high cost of parking. If Shanghai's extensive subway system doesn't take her where she wants to go, she uses a popular Uber-like taxi app -- or rents a car. She's not alone. A recent report by consultants Bain & Company suggested that even though China's love affair with the car began late, it may already be souring. Of 2,137 people it surveyed, some 40% said cars were losing their appeal as a status symbol. Gu says luxury cars like BMWs and Mercedes are still an important way to "show face" among many of her friends. "If you've been working for 10 years and don't have a car, people might wonder if you have financial problems," she said. But she prefers to spend her money on other things like traveling abroad. "I do care about face but there are other ways to show it."

Many large Chinese cities ration license plates as they look for a solution to gridlocked roads and pollution . It means many prospective car owners have to bid in license auctions . But hybrid vehicles automatically qualify for a license plate .

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(CNN)Deputies rushed Kenneth Morgan Stancil III from court Thursday after the 20-year-old murder suspect swore at a judge and tried to flip over a table. Stancil is accused of killing an employee Monday at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Relatives have said victim Ron Lane was gay, CNN affiliate WNCN reported, and investigators are looking into whether the shooting was a hate crime. Authorities arrested Stancil after he was found sleeping on a Florida beach on Tuesday. Just a few minutes into Thursday's hearing on the first-degree murder charge he faces, Stancil snapped back at the judge after he was offered a court-appointed lawyer. "No, I don't need one," said Stancil, who stood before the judge with his legs shackled and his arms handcuffed in front of him. "You know what I'm saying? I knew I would get life anyway." Superior Court Judge Arnold O. Jones interjected, pointing out that the maximum sentence Stancil faces is the death penalty. "Yes, I know that," Stancil fired back. "But when I knew what I had to do and I knew when I got caught, you know, I knew in my mind that I could get life, I could get the death penalty. You know what I'm saying? Do you follow my topic? I would have killed you, you know what I'm saying, if you're a f---ing child molester." The judge told him not to swear. "I don't give a f--- what you want," Stancil said, lunging forward and lifting up the table in front of him. Deputies quickly corralled him and hustled him from the courtroom. The hearing resumed about 25 minutes later, when Stancil was brought back into the courtroom, this time with his arms handcuffed behind him. When asked again by Jones whether he wanted a lawyer, his response was quick -- and calm. "Yes, sir," he said. In an interview with CNN affiliate WRAL, Stancil described himself as a neo-Nazi and said he hates gay people "with a passion." Stancil had worked for Lane, the school's print shop operator, as part of a work-study program, but was let go from the program in early March because of poor attendance, college officials said. During the interview, and during a court appearance in Florida on Tuesday, Stancil said Lane deserved to die, accusing him of being a child molester who'd made advances in online messages to Stancil's 16-year-old brother. Lane's family has described those accusations as untrue and slanderous. His cousin, Steve Smith, told WRAL that Lane never made sexual advances toward children or anyone with whom he worked. He described him as a loving man who was dedicated to family and friends. "Yes, Ron was gay. But people need to get over it," Smith said. "That's between him and the Lord, him and his savior."

Kenneth Morgan Stancil, charged with first-degree murder, swears at the judge . Deputies escort him from court after he tries to flip over a table . Stancil is accused of killing an employee at Wayne Community College .

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(CNN)An American citizen was wounded by gunfire Thursday as she drove from the medical school in Karachi, Pakistan, where she works, police said. Debra Lobo, a 55-year-old California native, was shot in the right cheek and left arm and is unconscious but expected to survive, according to Mohamad Shah, a Karachi police spokesman. Police found pamphlets that the assailants had thrown into Lobo's car, written in Urdu, saying "America should be burnt," Shah said. Lobo had left the Jinnah Medical and Dental College, where she works as vice principal, to pick up her two daughters from school. Two assailants on a passing motorcycle shot her while she was driving, Shah said. "Our U.S. Consulate General in Karachi is in close contact with Pakistani authorities and is working to obtain more information," said a U.S. Embassy spokesperson. Lobo is being treated at the Karachi's Aga Khan Hospital, said Shah. She has lived in Pakistan since 1996 and is married to a Christian Pakistani who is a librarian at the American School in Karachi. Karachi police are investigating, Shah said.

Debra Lobo, 55, is unconscious but is expected to survive after being shot Thursday, police say . She is vice principal of the Jinnah Medical and Dental College in Karachi . Police: She was on her way to pick up her daughters from school when she was shot .

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(CNN)UltraHaptics is a young company with a big dream: changing the way we interact with electronic devices. Their technology creates tactile three-dimensional shapes literally out of thin air, using ultrasound. The company's tagline says it all: "Feeling without touching." Through an emission of sound waves, sensations are projected through the air and to the user. Changes in air pressure are perceived as suspended tactile surfaces, creating invisible -- but tangible -- interfaces. This already sounds quite intriguing, but paired with another rising technology it has the potential to become a game changer. The rising tide of virtual reality seems unstoppable: Facebook's Oculus Rift and Magic Leap are leading the pack, but several other companies are readying devices in a field that could shake the foundations of electronic entertainment. But even though it is incredibly convincing, virtual reality completely bypasses the sense of touch: applying UltraHaptics' technology to it would allow users to not just see the virtual world projected in front of their eyes, but to touch it as well. Tom Carter, UltraHaptics' CTO, sees potential in the merging of these technologies: "The ability to put on your virtual reality goggles and not just explore visually and through your headphones, but also touch what you can see, is a really exciting possibility," he told CNN's Nick Glass. Creating buttons and shapes literally anywhere they're needed opens up a slew of possibilities for more traditional devices as well. "Imagine the dashboard of a car having no buttons, no switches, no ugly controls: just a very nice, sleek dashboard. "If you're driving and you want to have the music up for example, you don't have to take your eyes off the road, you just hold your hand out and the controls stick to your hand, so you can feel them." Smartphones and other popular devices could also see benefits: controlling appliances in the kitchen, using TVs and computers in a style reminiscent of the movie "Minority report", or even snoozing the alarm in the morning would all become just a matter of waving your hands. (This probably wouldn't be the most virtuous application of the technology.) Several devices can already be controlled with gestures, but UltraHaptics add an extra layer of feedback, by generating the sensation of a force field: "Haptics is more than just the sense of touch. It's really all of the information that you get from the sense of touch. What you're feeling, what sort of pressure, the tactile sensation given by an object or surface. You also know where your limbs are and how they're moving, all from the sense of touch. It's all this information that cues how you're interacting with the world," Carter said. To create their invisible buttons, UltraHaptics use a small collection of ultrasonic speakers, concentrating the sound waves to a specific point. Sound travels through air by creating a pressure differential, so by focusing several of these differentials to a target location, the result is a single localized spot of high pressure. "If you put your hand in the way, it actually emits enough of a force on your hand to slightly displace your skin. "We use that and control it to vibrate your skin, and give you this feeling. What you eventually get is a sensation of vibration on your hands," Carter explained. With the current prototype, the smallest point that can be created is 8.5 millimeters in diameter, but the shape can be morphed into a surface, creating different textures over a single "object" by differentiating the pressure levels. Other companies are working on similar projects, such as Elliptic Labs, and the interest around the technology already appears to be strong. UltraHaptics, who have already built several prototypes and have demoed the technology to the public at the last CES in Las Vegas, say they are working with 15 to 20 clients who are looking to incorporate tactile ultrasound into their products. "We have everything from consumer electronics companies making things like speakers, radios, alarm clocks, through home appliance companies making cooker hoods, washing machines, to virtual reality in gaming companies. And we were very surprised at how keen the automotive industry is to work with us," Carter said. "I'd like to believe that the first product featuring our technology will be on the shelves in a year, that's our aim." Read more from Make, Create, Innovate: . Great photos from the world's smallest satellites . So long, transistor: How the 'memristor' could revolutionize electronics . Laser procedure can turn brown eyes blue .

A company called UltraHaptics has developed a technology to create 3D shapes in mid-air . A tactile sensation is provided by ultrasonic waves, which alter air pressure . The technology could be applied to electronic devices, car dashboards, and virtual reality headsets .

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(CNN)From banking to hospitality and real estate to e-commerce, Ashish Thakkar built his vast business empire from scratch. The Ugandan tycoon started small with a little computer shop that kept him busy after leaving school at 15. These days, his Mara Group spans over 20 countries and he's been called "Africa's youngest billionaire." In late 2013 Thakkar joined forces with the former boss of Barclays bank -- Bob Diamond -- to start an investment fund focused on Africa called Atlas Mara. The powerful duo raised $325 million through a share flotation - well above the $250 million target. But his vision spans beyond Africa, and Earth -- Thakkar was the first African to sign up for the opportunity to travel to space with Richard Branson's company, Virgin Galactic. CNN's Marketplace Africa spoke to Thakkar about African innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration. An edited version of the interview follows. CNN: You are active in several African countries. How is the current business landscape on the continent? Ashish Thakkar: Right now in the last 18 years I have been active on the continent, I have never seen so much global excitement around Africa that I've seen today. The climate and the ease of doing business on the continent has drastically improved. Unfortunately, it's one of those cases where perception is so different from reality. The reality on the ground is so much better than the perception. You've got to remember, as Africa, we are 54 countries. Some of the countries may be challenging and may have issues, but that cannot be an excuse to generalize the entire continent which is unfortunately something that happens quite a bit. CNN: Why do you think that entrepreneurs are so important to the future growth of the African continent? AT: We have a very young demographic -- 85% of our populations are under the age of 35. We have an extremely entrepreneurial society and culture. Yet, entrepreneurship is not in the education system. Where do our entrepreneurs go for advice and the right guidance? And it's something, frankly, that I am extremely passionate about, because the answer to unemployment is not foreign direct investment or large scale manufacturing plants, etc. It's going to be nurturing small and medium enterprises. So, it's great to see that there is a real entrepreneurial vibe coming into the system, and innovation is totally embedded into that. CNN: What is it about Africa that encourages innovation? AT: The biggest advantage we have at the moment, and you've seen this with mobile phone penetration, is that we don't have legacy systems. We didn't have landlines and we didn't need them. We didn't have to go through that hassle of creating landlines everywhere. We leapfrogged straight into mobile telephony. Today, we have over 750 million phones on the continent -- more than North America and Western Europe put together. We can actually leapfrog in so many different ways. Mobile money is another brilliant example. Mobile money was created in Kenya. The whole concept of having money on your phone, which is the best thing because it's secure, it's practical, made more sense. So, these kind of innovations, you're going to see a lot more of on the continent. I spend a lot of time with young entrepreneurs when I travel across the continent, and just seeing the kind of innovation and new ideas and concepts that they're coming up with is just so inspiring. CNN: What advice would you give to a young entrepreneur who's just starting out? AT: Entrepreneurship is a journey, it's not a destination. There are going to be so many challenges, you are going to get knocked down so many times, but you've got to get up, dust yourself off and get back to it. The persistence, the passion, and staying on course is very crucial. You'll be tempted to cut corners, you'll be tempted to do things that get you there quicker, but it never lasts. People say the youth are the leaders of tomorrow - we're not. We're the leaders of today, but it's our responsibility to take the seat at the table. CNN: What needs to be done most urgently to grow African economies? AT: Pan-African collaboration is extremely important. I think things like regional integration, inter-African trade does need to increase and is increasing. I mean, the progress in the East African community has been amazing. The manner in which they've harmonized so many different laws and policies and mindset and priorities within that region has been fantastic. So, we need to see more of that take place on the continent. The fact that we're 54 countries, yet we're a billion people is an advantage and a disadvantage. I think to strengthen our weakness in that collaboration across the continent is crucial. CNN: Are you confident about the future of the continent? AT: I am so bullish and so proud of how the continent has evolved in terms of leadership, the mindset of our leaders. It is so inspiring to see that. It's unfortunate that, you know, globally the highlight remains things like Ebola...The little issues that we do have are just magnified, yet on the broad scale we are doing so amazing. CNN: Is this Africa's century? AT: Mara's logo is the African Lion and our little joke, which a lot of people don't appreciate, hence I love it even more, is that the Indian Tiger and the Chinese Dragon have had their days and it's now the African Lion's turn. And it genuinely is -- this is our turn. More from Marketplace Africa . Read this: Africa's green lean speed machines . Read this: Family ties mixed with fresh fruit on island paradise . Editor's Note: CNN Marketplace Africa covers the macro trends impacting the region and also focuses on the continent's key industries and corporations .

Ugandan Ashish Thakkar built a vast business empire . The entrepreneur says the answer to unemployment lies in nurturing small businesses . Africa's lack of legacy systems has sped up innovation on the continent .

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(CNN)A door bearing a graffiti drawing by British artist Banksy was seized by police in Gaza on Thursday after a dispute over its sale, a Gaza police official told CNN on Thursday. The owner of the door, Rabea Darduna, filed a complaint with a Gaza court stating that, without realizing its value, he sold the door for just $175 U.S. The iron door will remain in the possession of the Khan Younis police in southern Gaza until a court hearing at a date yet to be determined. When Darduna's Gaza home was destroyed in last summer's war, he says he felt he was left with nothing. Only a doorway and a door. He sold the door to bring in some money to care for his six children, not realizing the prize he had. "We sold it as we would sell an iron door," Darduna said Monday, "for $175. And the man took it." Darduna says he was duped into believing the door was a normal door when it was really a canvas for Banksy, one of the world's most famous graffiti artists, who had painted a Greek goddess with her head in her hand. The door was likely worth a small fortune -- a fortune Darduna gave away for a fraction of its value. "Things started becoming clear that the artist is worldwide famous, and he drew it secretly," said Darduna. "[The buyer] used us. My house is demolished. We're destroyed emotionally. We ask him to return the door." Banksy's graffiti in Gaza has become an attraction after he visited in February and painted a series of political messages. His works adorn walls and homes turning rubble into riches. Some of Banksy's art has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Banksy has never revealed his identity, but he is an English graffiti artist who began displaying his work in the early 1990s. His street art often portrays political and social messages. Mohammed Alshanbari says he's had offers for Banksy's portrait of a cat playing with a ball of mangled metal, but he refuses to sell. In text accompanying the image on his official website, Banksy wrote: "A local man came up and said 'Please -- what does this mean?' I explained I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website -- but on the internet people only look at pictures of kittens." Alshanbari says he's looking after the mural on the wall where his house once stood. "A lot of people showed up and people asked to buy it, but I'm keeping it, and I won't sell it," he says. "It's a graffiti from the most famous artist in the world, and I can't give it away. It stands where the house used to stand. I cleared a lot of rubble, but left the wall." CNN's Talal Abu-Rahma reported from Gaza and CNN's Steve Almasy reported from Atlanta. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.

Rabea Darduna's Gaza home was destroyed last year; he sold his door to bring in some money . On Thursday, Gaza police seized the door, which had originally been sold for $175 U.S. Some of Banksy's art has sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars .

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(CNN)The mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, which began 100 years ago Friday, is said by some scholars and others to have been the first genocide of the 20th century, even though the word "genocide" did not exist at the time. The issue of whether to call the killings a genocide is emotional, both for Armenians, who are descended from those killed, and for Turks, the heirs to the Ottomans. For both groups, the question touches as much on national identity as on historical facts. Some Armenians feel their nationhood cannot be fully recognized unless the truth of what happened to their forebears is acknowledged. Some Turks still view the Armenians as having been a threat to the Ottoman Empire in a time of war, and say many people of various ethnicities -- including Turks -- were killed in the chaos of war. In addition, some Turkish leaders fear that acknowledgment of a genocide could lead to demands for huge reparations. So, what do we know about happened in those fateful days? Here are some answers: . The Ottoman Turks, having recently entered World War I on the side of Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, were worried that Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire would offer wartime assistance to Russia. Russia had long coveted control of Constantinople (now Istanbul), which controlled access to the Black Sea -- and therefore access to Russia's only year-round seaports. Many historians agree that the number was about 2 million. However, victims of the mass killings also included some of the 1.8 million Armenians living in the Caucasus under Russian rule, some of whom were massacred by Ottoman forces in 1918 as they marched through East Armenia and Azerbaijan. By 1914, Ottoman authorities were already portraying Armenians as a threat to the empire's security. Then, on the night of April 23-24, 1915, the authorities in Constantinople, the empire's capital, rounded up about 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders. Many of them ended up deported or assassinated. April 24, known as Red Sunday, is commemorated as Genocide Remembrance Day by Armenians around the world. Friday is the 100th anniversary of that day. This is a major point of contention. Estimates range from 300,000 to 2 million deaths between 1914 and 1923, with not all of the victims in the Ottoman Empire. But most estimates -- including one of 800,000 between 1915 and 1918, made by Ottoman authorities themselves -- fall between 600,000 and 1.5 million. Whether due to killings or forced deportation, the number of Armenians living in Turkey fell from 2 million in 1914 to under 400,000 by 1922. Almost any way one can imagine. While the death toll is in dispute, photographs from the era document some mass killings. Some show Ottoman soldiers posing with severed heads, others with them standing amid skulls in the dirt. The victims are reported to have died in mass burnings and by drowning, torture, gas, poison, disease and starvation. Children were reported to have been loaded into boats, taken out to sea and thrown overboard. Rape, too, was frequently reported. In addition, according to the website armenian-genocide.org, "The great bulk of the Armenian population was forcibly removed from Armenia and Anatolia to Syria, where the vast majority was sent into the desert to die of thirst and hunger." No. Genocide was not even a word at the time, much less a legally defined crime. The word "genocide" was invented in 1944 by a Polish lawyer named Raphael Lemkin to describe the Nazis' systematic attempt to eradicate Jews from Europe. He formed the word by combining the Greek word for race with the Latin word for killing. Genocide became a crime in 1948, when the United Nations approved the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The definition included acts meant "to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group." Armenia, the Vatican, the European Parliament, France, Russia and Canada. Germany is expected to join that group on Friday, the 100th anniversary of the start of the killings. Turkey, the United States, the European Commission, the United Kingdom and the United Nations. A U.N. subcommittee called the killings genocide in 1985, but current U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declines to use the word. Also, a year ago, on the eve of the 99th anniversary of Red Sunday, then-Turkish Prime Minister (now-President) Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences for the mass killings, which he said had "inhumane consequences." While Turkey vehemently continues to reject the word "genocide," his remarks went further than those of any previous Turkish leader in acknowledging the suffering of Armenians.

The 100th anniversary of the start of the mass killings will be commemorated Friday . Turkey and others reject the use of the word "genocide" Most estimates of the deaths fall between 600,000 and 1.5 million .

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(CNN)A nuclear submarine being repaired at a Russian shipyard has caught on fire, according to a law enforcement source speaking to Russia's state-run news agency ITAR-Tass. "The submarine is in a dry dock," Tass reports, citing the source, and there is no ammunition on board. "The rubber insulation between the submarine's light and pressure hull is on fire," Tass reported. Russia's RIA Novosti news agency says insulation caught on fire as welding work was being done on the submarine. Tass reported that the fire began on a sub in the Zvyozdochka shipyard in northwestern Russia. Zvyozdochka spokesman Yevgeny Gladyshev told the news agency that the sub had been undergoing repairs since November 2013. "Nuclear fuel from the sub's reactor has been unloaded," he reportedly said. "There are no armaments or chemically active, dangerous substances, fissionable materials on it," Gladyshev said to Tass. "The enterprise's personnel left the premises when the submarine caught fire, no one has been injured. The fire presents no threat to people and the shipyard."

Submarine is in Zvyozdochka shipyard, in northwestern Russia . No "dangerous" substances on the submarine, shipyard spokesman told ITAR-Tass .

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nuclear being repaired a Russian shipyard Russia . " The submarine is in a dry dock ," the source, and is no ammunition on board The rubber news agency says insulation caught on fire in spokesman repairs . " Nuclear fuel from the sub' s reactor has been

(CNN)The lawyer for a Baltimore community activist whose arrest was broadcast live on CNN said Thursday morning that his client had been released from jail. As viewers watched, Joseph Kent held his hands up and walked in front of a phalanx of police Tuesday night after a citywide curfew had started. Seconds later, several officers in riot gear rushed out of their line and arrested him, just as a Humvee passed between the camera and the police, making social media churn with questions about what happened to Kent. Attorney Stephen Patrick Beatty confirmed he is representing Kent. He was still trying to get in touch with his client after Kent was released. "He wanted me to tell people most that he doesn't want violence in his name," Beatty told CNN's Don Lemon on Wednesday night. The incident unfolded live on CNN about 40 minutes after the 10 p.m. curfew went into effect and as authorities tried to prevent the kind of rioting -- part of protests over the death of Freddie Gray -- that plagued the city Monday. Kent was being held on a charge of curfew violation, according to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. People on Twitter continued to circulate the name of Kent, a young activist, making #JosephKent and #WhereIsJosephKent hot topics. Investigators made 10 arrests in Baltimore on Tuesday night, city Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said. Seven were for curfew violations, he said. Beatty said he met with Kent on Wednesday afternoon. "He said he's physically OK, not injured. He's safe in there," Beatty said. But even though more than 100 people who had been held at the city's booking center were released earlier in the day, Kent was not one of them. Beatty initially checked on Kent's status, despite not officially representing him. He said Kent was just trying to help with getting people to go home when he was arrested. "He went out there to try to settle things down because he had seen what happened in this city previously," Beatty said. "And the last thing he wanted was any more violence, and he was trying to stop it." Kent once was employed as an intern, through an outside company, at Morgan State University's Entrepreneurial Development and Assistance Center, the school said Wednesday. But Kent is not a student there and, as far as the school can tell, never has been, MSU spokesman Clint Coleman said. A woman who answered the phone at the EDAC said that no one there was available to talk about Kent and that she'd have no further comment. In November, the Baltimore City Paper ran a story about Kent, then 21, and his participation in Baltimore protests over a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in the August shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. He helped lead protesters who walked through Morgan State's campus and eventually to City Hall on November 25, the newspaper reported. "Everyone knows me at Morgan already, organizing and making sure everything (is) running the correct way and peaceful and everything like that," he said, according to the City Paper's article. "So, everybody already knows I'm going to do things the right way, so when everybody else and community people and civilians and people who joined and saw that the Morgan students were looking up to it, before you knew it, the whole city was on my back and I was just carrying the whole city." Complete coverage on the Baltimore protests . CNN's Justin Lear, Evan Perez, Elan Bird and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report.

Joseph Kent's attorney says his client was released from jail . Police in Baltimore detained Kent on live TV after start of curfew . That triggered a wave of interest on social media .

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(CNN)Madonna has a thing for making out with fellow performers on stage. First it was Britney and Christina, and now rapper Drake has been on the receiving end of a little lip action from Madge. While the blondes had fun with it, Drake appeared less than enthused after Madonna's prolonged smooch onstage at the Coachella music festival in California on Sunday. In an update Monday from "champagnepapi" himself on Instagram, the rapper clarified his reaction: "Don't misinterpret my shock!! I got to make out with the queen Madonna and I feel 100 about that forever. Thank you @Madonna." After the kiss, though, he seemed dazed. "Oh, s***. What the f*** just happened?" he asked moments later from the stage. It all went down after Drake performed "Madonna," a song named for the megastar off his new mixtape "If You're Reading This It's Too Late," according to Billboard. He welcomed Madonna onstage as a special guest to perform a few songs. While wrapping up "Human Nature," the Material Girl, 56, planted one on the seated Drake, 28, who began to flail his arms after a while in an apparent attempt to escape. His sour face after the encounter led many to speculate that he didn't enjoy the kiss. Of course, Drake and Madonna's little makeout sesh got the web talking and meme-ing: . "So @Drake proves that kissing @Madonna is about as ghastly as I always imagined it would be," wrote former CNN personality Piers Morgan. "Grandma: give Nana some suga . Drake: no no noooooo!!!" wrote another Tweeter.

Drake thanks Madonna and says he "got to make out with the queen" Singer Madonna kisses rapper Drake onstage at Coachella . Drake's reaction was priceless, according to the Web .

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(CNN)Filipinos are being warned to be on guard for flash floods and landslides as tropical storm Maysak approached the Asian island nation Saturday. Just a few days ago, Maysak gained super typhoon status thanks to its sustained 150 mph winds. It has since lost a lot of steam as it has spun west in the Pacific Ocean. It's now classified as a tropical storm, according to the Philippine national weather service, which calls it a different name, Chedeng. It boasts steady winds of more than 70 mph (115 kph) and gusts up to 90 mph as of 5 p.m. (5 a.m. ET) Saturday. Still, that doesn't mean Maysak won't pack a wallop. Authorities took preemptive steps to keep people safe such as barring outdoor activities like swimming, surfing, diving and boating in some locales, as well as a number of precautionary evacuations. Gabriel Llave, a disaster official, told PNA that tourists who arrive Saturday in and around the coastal town of Aurora "will not be accepted by the owners of hotels, resorts, inns and the like ... and will be advised to return to their respective places." Aldczar Aurelio, a meteorologist with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), said the storm was centered 200 miles southwest of Aurora province as of 5 p.m. (5 a.m. ET) and heading west at a 12.5 mph clip. It's expected to make landfall Sunday morning on the southeastern coast of Isabela province and be out of the Philippines by Monday. Ahead of the storm. Isabela Gov. Faustino Dry III warned Saturday that residents should act as if this will be "no ordinary typhoon." Dry told PNA, "We do not know what the impact will be once it will make landfall."

Once a super typhoon, Maysak is now a tropical storm with 70 mph winds . It could still cause flooding, landslides and other problems in the Philippines .

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(CNN)Two deputies involved in the fatal attempt to arrest Eric Harris in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have been reassigned because of threats against them and their families, Sheriff Stanley Glanz said Monday in a news conference. The deputies were trying to arrest Harris when Reserve Deputy Robert Bates shot him. Unlike Bates, they are not charged with a crime, but have come under criticism for pinning Harris' head to the ground as he said, "I'm losing my breath." Police appear on video saying, "F*ck your breath," apparently in response. Sheriff Stanley Glanz didn't specify the nature of the threats, but said he was "very concerned" for their safety and that of their families. He did not say what the deputies had been assigned to do. Another sheriff's official said the office has temporarily suspended operations of the agency's drug unit pending the review of the April 2 shooting of Harris following a weapons sting. Glanz indicated he has not yet decided how to proceed with a review of their actions, saying any action may be delayed until after the court case involving Bates has been settled. Bates is charged with second-degree manslaughter in Harris' death. Bates, who is free on $25,000 bond pending trial, shot Harris with his handgun after calling out, "Taser, Taser," -- an indication he planned to use a stun gun to subdue Harris following a brief foot chase with the other deputies. Amid questions about his age -- 73 -- training and friendship with Glanz, Bates has said the shooting was accidental, and has apologized to the family. Lawyer releases training records for Tulsa deputy charged in killing . On Monday, Glanz also apologized to Harris' family. "We are sorry Eric was taken from you," he said. But he said his office holds itself to the highest national standards of policing, and said Monday that the FBI had cleared the agency of any civil rights violations in the shooting. Bates is white. Harris was black. There have been allegations, first reported by the Tulsa World newspaper, that some of Bates' training records had been forged, or that he was unqualified to be serving on the force. The sheriff denied those allegations, saying he was certain Bates had qualified on the gun range and had extensive additional training. He said he was unaware of any forgery involving training records, and said he had not issued any training waivers for Bates, with whom he has been friends for more than two decades. But he said he supported prosecutor's decision to proceed with the case. He also said he had brought in a Dallas police consultant who had previously examined the office's policies and procedures for another look. Harris' family has said the shooting reveals "a deep-seated problem" within the department and has demanded justice, and changes in policy.

Deputies reassigned after threats, sheriff says . The two deputies pinned Eric Harris to the ground and one yelled "F*ck your breath" at him after he was shot .

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Moscow (CNN)Never mind. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has backed out of next month's visit to Moscow for World War II anniversary celebrations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday. "We were informed of the decision via diplomatic channels," Peskov said. "The decision is connected with North Korean domestic affairs." The visit was highly anticipated because it would have marked Kim's first official foreign trip since inheriting the leadership of North Korea in late 2011. He was to have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of the May visit to coincide with Victory Day, marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Kim also could have had the chance to rub elbows with the heads of about 30 other governments, including the leaders of China, Cuba, India, Germany, Vietnam and Venezuela. This number represents about half the world leaders that Russia has said it invited to the celebrations. Kim's trip had been anticipated since late December, when Russian state media reported that Moscow had extended an invitation. There was no further explanation, from Moscow or Pyongyang, as to why he wouldn't head west. Still, North Korea has a number of issues it's been wrestling with for years. They include widespread poverty, its longstanding spat with neighboring South Korea and the United States, as well as its international isolation largely due to its controversial nuclear program. And news about Kim's non-visit comes a day after South Korean intelligence agents told lawmakers that Kim is ruling with an iron fist, having ordered the execution of about 15 senior officials so far this year. CNN cannot independently confirm the executions detailed by Shin Kyung-min, a lawmaker with the New Politics Alliance for Democracy who attended the closed briefing. And the nature of the intelligence supporting the allegations was not immediately clear. That said, North Korea is one of the most closed societies in the world. And there's little doubt that Kim is very much in charge. According to Shin, intelligence officials say the North Korean leader is ruling in an impromptu manner and does not countenance excuses or any views that vary with his own. CNN's Madison Park and Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report. CNN's Matthew Chance reported from Moscow, and CNN's Ed Payne and Greg Botelho wrote this story from Atlanta.

Next month's visit to Moscow by the North Korean leader is off . This Victory Day marks the 70 years since the Soviet victory over Germany in World War II .

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(CNN)A sexual harassment complaint has been filed against New Zealand Prime Minister John Key after a waitress complained about him repeatedly pulling her ponytail at an Auckland cafe. CNN affiliate TVNZ reported that the complaint was filed Thursday morning by Graham McCready, an accountant described in the New Zealand press as a "serial litigant," who has previously launched private prosecutions against Key. McCready's complaint claimed that Key had breached a section of the country's Human Rights Act relating to sexual harassment, TVNZ reported. It reported that he was seeking considerable compensation for the waitress, 26-year-old Amanda Bailey, and "if she does not want it I ask for the money be given to Women's Refuge." Key publicly apologized to Bailey, a waitress at his local cafe, for repeatedly tugging on her ponytail, after she complained about his behavior in a blog post. The post, published on New Zealand political website The Daily Blog, says that the odd behavior began during last year's election season. It was "hardly an acceptable form of greeting," Bailey wrote. She wrote that while she didn't directly make her objections clear verbally, her body language "screamed 'I don't like that.'" "As he approached me, he thought it would be fitting to raise his hands high and make scary, suspense sound effects, like the music from the movie 'Jaws'," read the post. "As he towered overhead I slunk down, cringing, whilst (Key's wife) Bronagh told him to 'Leave the poor girl alone.'" The behavior carried on for a number of months and on several occasions, the post states. Eventually the cafe's manager made it clear to Key that his actions were unwelcome. Key, who regularly visits the Auckland cafe with his wife, told reporters that his behavior was in the context of "a bit of banter," but said that he had apologized when it was clear she had taken offense. The blog post says that the prime minister offered the offended waitress two bottles of his own JK 2012 Pinot Noir wine by way of apology. "We have lots of fun and games there, there's always lots of practical jokes and things. It's a very warm and friendly relationship," he told reporters in Los Angeles en route to ANZAC day commemorations in Gallipoli, Turkey. "But if you look at it now, no. When I realized she took offense by that I just sort of immediately went back, gave her some wine, apologized and said I was terribly sorry." Politicians and public figures also rounded on Key, with Green MP Metiria Turei saying that the prime minister should be held to the same standards of behavior as the rest of the electorate. "A lot of New Zealanders know what it's like to feel as if you're not taken seriously in a job. As politicians, our job is to make people feel safe at work, not bullied," New Zealand media reported her as saying. "It's a sign of how out of touch John Key has become when he can't even monitor how inappropriate his personal behavior is, and when people are not comfortable with how he is behaving." Jackie Blue, head of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, echoed the sentiment. "It's never OK to touch someone without their permission," TVNZ reported her as saying. "There are no exceptions." Political analyst Bryce Edwards told the network that the "strangeness factor" of the accusation would haunt Key. "A lot of people will be laughing at John Key, that's harder to recover from," he said in a segment. The National Council of Women of New Zealand, while accepting that Key was joking and did not mean to offend, criticized the premier. "The fact that our Prime Minister has joined the list of people outed for sexism highlights how much sexism is a part of our culture. And it starts at the top," the organization's chief executive Sue McCabe wrote in an open letter. "Up and down this country, day after day, people are touched without giving their consent. At one end of the scale, it is an unwelcome pull on a ponytail. At the other end, it's our shocking levels of violence against women."

A sexual harassment complaint has been filed against PM John Key after a waitress complained about him repeatedly pulling her ponytail . Kiwi Prime Minister accused of pulling a waitress' hair on several occasions despite her obvious discomfort . PM Key later apologized, but said that he was merely engaging in "banter" Politicians and public figures have condemned his behavior .

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(CNN)Jamal al-Labani had hoped to bring his pregnant wife and 2-year-daughter back to the United States from war-torn Yemen. But the gas station owner never made it on a flight back to his home Hayward, California. Family members have identified him as a victim killed in mortar strike last week in the southern Yemeni city of Aden. He is believed to be the first U.S. citizen killed in the current violence in Yemen. Early Tuesday evening, the 45-year-old al-Labani was on his way back from mosque prayers when he was hit in the back by shrapnel from a mortar shell, his family said. He died minutes later. Violence quickly escalated in Yemen soon afer al-Labani arrived in February. "When he got (to Aden), after a few weeks he noticed things were starting to get bad and then the (U.S.) Embassy closed," his cousin Mohammed Alazzani told CNN. For the past three weeks, al-Labani had told family members he was concerned about not being able to evacuate as the situation deteriorated in the country, according to his cousin. More than 200 people have been killed in Aden in the past 11 days, according to Naef Al Bakri, Aden's deputy governor. Two days before al-Labani was killed, he told his family the last option was to try to cross the border into Oman and fly to Egypt, but he never made it. "The airports got closed and things got worse and worse," Alazzani told CNN by phone. "People were hoping things would get better, but they only got worse and worse." Yemen has been rocked by violence and political turmoil for months. Houthi rebels -- minority Shiites who have long complained of being marginalized in the majority Sunni country -- forced Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi from power in January, placing him under house arrest and taking over Sanaa, the country's capital. Hadi escaped in February, fled to the southern city of Aden and said he remained President. He fled to Saudi Arabia last month as the rebels and their military allies advanced on Aden. Now the violence is intensifying as Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations target the rebels in Yemen with airstrikes. Yemeni-Americans are trapped in the conflict, but haven't gotten enough help from the U.S. government, the Council on American-Islamic Relations told CNN Sunday. Zahra Billoo, a spokeswoman for the advocacy group, said it's helping al-Labani's family and the families of other Yemeni-Americans. "All of these other governments, Russia, China, Ethiopia, India ... they have all been evacuating their citizens. So to say that it's impossible for the U.S. to evacuate their citizens is difficult to grasp," Billoo said. Responding to the criticism, the U.S. State Department told CNN that there are no current plans to evacuate private U.S. citizens from Yemen. "We encourage all U.S. citizens to shelter in a secure location until they are able to depart safely. U.S. citizens wishing to depart should do so via commercial transportation options when they are available," a spokesman for the State Department told CNN in a statement. "Additionally, some foreign governments may arrange transportation for their nationals and may be willing to offer assistance to others." Yemeni-American advocates think more could be done. "There have been travel warnings to Yemen for a few years now. What's not clear is, are they saying 'Be cautious' or 'Don't go at all'?" Billoo asked. "It still it doesn't sit well with many of us civil rights lawyers who believe that U.S. citizenship should be the ultimate protection." Fierce fighting continued across Yemen on Sunday amid an electrical blackout in parts of the country and political moves that could further fracture the already divided military. Intense airstrikes hit Sanaa overnight. Senior security officials in the Yemeni capital said the airstrikes targeted the military intelligence headquarters and the Defense Ministry's central command, military bases and missile depots. The blasts at the military compounds, which are inside the city, shattered the windows of many homes nearby. Meanwhile, some 16 million Yemenis living in provinces under control of Houthi rebels, including Sanaa, remained without power after an electrical blackout that began Saturday night. In the country's south, the Houthis remain in control of Aden's port and other strategic holdings, including the state broadcaster. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday that Saudi Arabia has signed off on the delivery of medical supplies and personnel to Yemen, where the organization had warned that time was running out to save those wounded in airstrikes and ground fighting. CNN's Devon Sayers, Carma Hassan, Jennifer Deaton, Vasco Cotovio, Jason Hanna, Ben Brumfield, Samira Said and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

Jamal al-Labani is believed to be the first American killed in current violence in Yemen . He was on his way back from mosque prayers when he was hit in the back by shrapnel, his family said . He went to Yemen in February in hopes of bringing his wife and baby back to the U.S.

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(CNN)Five years after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded and unleashed the largest marine oil spill in the nation's history, we are still experiencing -- yet only beginning to truly understand -- its profound environmental and economic repercussions. The immediate aftermath of the oil spill has been well documented, with declines in tourism and the seafood industry, as well as the significant destruction of wildlife in the region. Since then, the amount of oil in the area has dissipated and communities have started to show signs of recovery. In fact, reports indicate that the Gulf of Mexico's seafood industry, which supplies the United States with roughly 40% of its seafood, is finally starting to rebound. However, profound challenges remain, in part because so many questions about the long-term consequences remain unanswered. To this day, it's still unclear where all of the oil went, exactly how much remains or whether the reappearance of wildlife is a result of adaptation or a signal that the crisis is truly abating. One of the populations that can provide insight into these questions is the Gulf crab. Crabs play an important role in the region: Roughly 60 million pounds were fished in the Gulf in 2012, earning tens of millions in revenue. Yet in the aftermath of the spill, changes to crustacean communities in the area were quite apparent to the naked eye. Researchers documented substantial differences in appearance, and deformities in crabs that were affected by the spill including lesions so numerous they ate through the joints, forcing limbs to fall off. These traits have affected not only the crabs' market value but also likely their ability to survive. While these changes in outward appearance have dissipated in the short-term, the health of these crabs could still be precarious. I have been working with colleagues at Florida International University and University of Louisiana at Lafayette to better understand what might be happening biologically inside the crab when it is exposed to oil and the dispersant used to respond to the spill. Using the power of genomics and computational biology, we analyzed the genes of flat back mud crabs that were exposed to oil from the Macondo Prospect where the Deepwater Horizon rig was drilling when it exploded or to a combination of oil and dispersant in the lab. By studying gene expression, the process that turns information from a gene into a product that functions within a cell, we searched for indicators that might signal exposure to oil and, based on the types of changes we might see, clues as to how the crabs respond. Although we are still in the early stages of our research, we are seeing significant differences in gene expression connected to exposure -- meaning the crabs are turning some genes on or off in response to oil and dispersant. We are still working to determine whether these changes impact their ability to survive and reproduce. It's not just Gulf crabs that are experiencing changes. Research on different species and other aspects of the regional environment is starting to show that there could be long-term effects resulting from the oil spill and the response to the spill. This not only has consequences for the Gulf area, where oil drilling continues, but also for communities along the Atlantic Coast, where the Obama administration has recently announced a plan to open unprecedented oil and natural gas exploration. (BP's vice president of communications, Geoff Morrell, told CNN that wildlife species in the Gulf have "bounced back and "there is no data that suggests there are any long-term population-level impacts to any species.") With the virtual certainty of more spills, we need a lot more information on the consequences of these disasters and how we can combat them effectively and efficiently. The U.S. Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency are making some progress. In coming months, they are releasing changes to regulations and response plans based on the early lessons learned from the Deepwater Horizon spill. But government agencies cannot just rely on the short-term data to determine the best response for the next oil spill crisis. Instead, the government and oil companies should work together to support ongoing, long-term ecological research so that we have a better grasp of what "normal" looks like and what factors are important in maintaining those conditions even after a disastrous oil spill. Only then will we truly understand the impact of offshore drilling and the best ways to respond to crises to protect our most important natural resources.

Keith Crandall: Five years after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, we are only beginning to understand its effects on the Gulf . A crab species may be a key indicator of the impact, he says .

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(CNN)Deion Sanders is such a dad. The NFL legend called out Deion Sanders Jr. on Twitter for saying he only eats "hood doughnuts." In response, the elder Sanders -- in front of his 912,000 followers -- reminded his son he has a trust fund, a condo and his own clothing line called "Well Off." "You're a Huxtable with a million $ trust fund. Stop the hood stuff!" Sanders followed it up with another tweet that included the hashtags #versacesheets #Huxtable and #Trustfund. Junior is a wide receiver at Southern Methodist University, an aspiring entrepreneur and occasional rapper. His Twitter timeline is a mix of biblical verses, motivational quotes and references to sports, cars, school and Balenciaga shoes. He also has gone on record with his love for "hood doughnuts," or confections from "a place in the hood," saying "if my doughnuts don't come in a plain white box, I don't want them!" His father promptly put him in his place. Sanders Jr. seemed to take the public browbeating in stride, retweeting his father's comments. At least he knew better than to delete them.

Deion Sanders calls out son for "hood doughnuts" comments . "You're a Huxtable with a million $ trust fund. Stop the hood stuff!"

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Kano, Nigeria (CNN)Hundreds of decomposed corpses were discovered buried in shallow graves in the streets of the northeastern Nigerian town of Damasak this past weekend, according to local officials and a resident. The town had recently been freed from the Boko Haram terror group in a joint Nigerian-Chadian military operation. A provincial government committee was visiting the area as part of an effort to assess the level of destruction in towns that had been in the deadly grip of Boko Haram. "We found hundreds of dead bodies in shallow graves and on the streets of Damasak during our visit," Damasak local government spokesman Babagana Mustapha told CNN on Monday. "Those bodies in shallow graves have badly decomposed while those found on the streets were desiccated from [exposure to] dry ‎winds," Mustapha added. The victims included men, women and children murdered by Boko Haram when they seized the area in November, said Abubakar Kyari, a senator-elect for the region. "The staggering number of dead bodies found in Damasak is a testimony of the large-scale atrocity Boko Haram committed when they were in control of the town" Kyari added. Mustapha said the bodies were buried in 20 clearly marked mass graves. Although Mustapha did not give a precise number of corpses recovered, Damasak residents who participated in the exhumations put the figure at more than 400. "‎We collected over 400 corpses from the streets and in shallow graves during our visit in Damasak," said Idris Karimbe, one of the volunteers who took part in the burial. "The number of bodies we recovered this time around far exceeded the ones found last month," said another resident, Musa Bremah‎. Bremah was referring to the discovery of around 90 bodies in a shallow grave outside Damasak last month after its recapture. ‎A regional military coalition involving troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon has in recent months recaptured swathes of Nigerien territory seized by Boko Haram. The joint military operation is part of an ongoing collaborative effort at crushing the Islamist group that has widened its deadly attacks to Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

The town had recently been freed from the Boko Haram terror group . Volunteer from burial: "‎We collected over 400 corpses from the streets and in shallow graves"

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(CNN)For 12 years Adelma Cifuentes felt worthless, frightened and alone, never knowing when her abusive husband would strike. But as a young mother in rural Guatemala with three children and barely a third grade education, she thought there was no way out. What began as psychological torment, name-calling and humiliation turned into beatings so severe Cifuentes feared for her life. One day, two men sent by her husband showed up at her house armed with a shotgun and orders to kill her. They probably would have succeeded, but after the first bullet was fired, Cifuentes' two sons dragged her inside. Still, in her deeply conservative community, it took neighbors two hours to call for help and Cifuentes lost her arm. But the abuse didn't stop there. When she returned home, Cifuentes' husband continued his attacks and threatened to rape their little girl unless she left. That's when the nightmare finally ended and her search for justice began. Cifuentes' case is dramatic, but in Guatemala, where nearly 10 out of every 100,000 women are killed, it's hardly unusual. A 2012 Small Arms Survey says gender-based violence is at epidemic levels in Guatemala and the country ranks third in the killings of women worldwide. According to the United Nations, two women are killed there every day. There are many reasons why, beginning with the legacy of violence left in place after the country's 36-year-old civil war. During the conflict, atrocities were committed against women, who were used as a weapon of war. In 1996, a ceasefire agreement was reached between insurgents and the government. But what followed and what remains is a climate of terror, due to a deeply entrenched culture of impunity and discrimination. Military and paramilitary groups that committed barbaric acts during the war were integrated back into society without any repercussions. Many remain in power, and they have not changed the way they view women. Some 200,000 people were either killed or disappeared during the decades-long conflict, most of them from indigenous Mayan populations. Nearly 20 years later, according to the Security Sector Reform Resource Centre, levels of violent crime are higher in Guatemala than they were during the war. But despite the high homicide rate, the United Nations estimates 98% of cases never make it to court. Women are particularly vulnerable because of a deep-rooted gender bias and culture of misogyny. In many cases, femicide -- the killing of a woman simply because of her gender -- is carried out with shocking brutality with some of the same strategies used during the war, including rape, torture and mutilation. Mexican drug cartels, organized criminal groups and local gangs are contributing to the vicious cycle of violence and lawlessness. Authorities investigating drug-related killings are stretched thin, leaving fewer resources to investigate femicides. In many cases, crime is not reported because of fear of retaliation. Many consider the Guatamalen National Civil Police, or PNC, corrupt, under-resourced and ineffective. Even if a case does get prosecuted, according to Human Rights Watch, the country's weak judicial system has proved incapable of handling the explosion in violence. Perhaps one of the biggest challenges facing women in Guatemala is the country's deeply rooted patriarchal society. According to María Machicado Terán, the representative of U.N. women in Guatemala, "80% of men believe that women need permission to leave the house, and 70% of women surveyed agreed." This prevailing culture of machismo and an institutionalized acceptance of brutality against women leads to high rates of violence. Rights groups say machismo not only condones violence, it places the blame on the victim. The political will to address violence against women is slow to materialize. "Politicians don't think women are important," says former Secretary General of the Presidential Secretariat for Women Elizabeth Quiroa. "Political parties use women for elections. They give them a bag of food and people sell their dignity for this because they are poor." Lack of education is a major contributor to this poverty. Many girls, especially in indigenous communities don't go to school because the distance from their house to the classroom is too far. Quiroa says "They are subject to rape, violence and forced participation in the drug trade." Although the situation for girls and women in Guatemala is alarming, there are signs the culture of discrimination may be slowly changing. With the help of an organization known as CICAM, or Centro de Investigación, Cifuentes was finally able to escape her husband and get the justice she deserved. He is now spending 27 years behind bars. Cifuentes is using her painful past to provide hope and healing to others through art. Since 2008, she and four other abuse survivors known as La Poderosas, or "The Powerful," have been appearing in a play based on their real life stories. The show not only empowers other women and discusses the problem of violence openly, but it also offers suggestions for change. And it's having an impact. Women have started breaking their silence and asking where they can get support. Men are reacting, too. One of the main characters, Lesbia Téllez, says during one presentation, a man stood up and started crying when he realized how he had treated his wife and how his mother had been treated. He said he wanted to be different. The taboo topic of gender-based violence is also being acknowledged and recognized in a popular program targeting one of Guatemala's most vulnerable groups, indigenous Mayan girls. In 2004, with help from the United Nations and other organizations, the Population Council launched a community-based club known as Abriendo Oportunidades, or "Opening Opportunities". The goal is to provide girls with a safe place to learn about their rights and reach their full potential. Senior Program Coordinator Alejandra Colom says the issue of violence is discussed and girls are taught how to protect themselves. "They then share this information with their mothers and for the first time, they realize they are entitled to certain rights." Colom adds that mothers then become invested in sending their daughters to the clubs and this keeps them more visible and less prone to violence. The Guatemalan government is also moving in the right direction to address the problem of violence against women. In 2008, the Congress passed a law against femicide. Two years later the attorney general's office created a specialized court to try femicides and other violent crimes against women. In 2012, the government established a joint task force for crimes against women, making it easier for women to access justice by making sure victims receive the assistance they need. The government has also established a special 24-hour court to attend to femicide cases. On the global front, the International Violence Against Women Act was introduced in the U.S. Congress in 2007; it has been pending ever since. But last week the act was reintroduced in both the House and Senate. If approved, it would make reducing levels of gender-based violence a U.S. foreign policy priority. Pehaps the most immediate and effective help is coming from International nongovernmental organizations, which are on the front lines of the fight against gender-based discrimination in Guatemala. Ben Weingrod, a senior policy advocate at the global poverty fighting group CARE, says, "We work to identify and challenge harmful social norms that perpetuate violence. Our work includes engaging men and boys as champions of change and role models, and facilitating debates to change harmful norms and create space for more equitable relationships between men and women." But the job is far from over. While there is tempered optimism and hope for change, the problem of gender-based violence in Guatemala is one that needs international attention and immediate action. Cifuentes is finding strength through the theater and the support of other abuse survivors, which has allowed her to move forward. But millions of other women trapped in a cycle of violence are facing dangerous and frightening futures. For them, it's a race against time and help cannot come soon enough.

Gender-based violence is at epidemic levels in Guatemala . According to the United Nations, two women are killed in Guatemala every day . Five abuse survivors known as La Poderosas have been appearing in a play based on their real life stories .

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(CNN)A helicopter crash Saturday in Malaysia killed six people, including the nation's former ambassador to the United States and a high-ranking member of the prime minister's staff, the Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported. The helicopter crashed near Kampung Pasir Baru in Semenyih, at 4:55 p.m. Saturday (4:55 a.m. ET), Bernama said. Prime Minister Najib Razak ordered an investigation. Among the victims were Azlin Alias, who worked on the prime minister's staff, and Jamaluddin Jarjis, former Malaysian ambassador to the United States and chairman of PR1MA Malaysia, Bernama said. PR1MA is an organization that develops housing in urban centers. "We have lost two figures who had made great contributions to the government, party and country in this tragedy," Najib told reporters after visiting the crash site. Jamaluddin Jarjis was "a person of high caliber, who had sacrificed much for the government, party and country," he said. "He had many acquaintances here and abroad." The state news agency called Azlin the prime minister's private secretary general, but Najib referred to him as chief of staff. "Personally he had agreed to leave his career in the corporate sector to serve the government as his national service," Najib said. The helicopter's flight recorder has been found in good condition, Bernama reported Sunday, citing police. The news agency said Malaysian civil aviation authorities are expected to release a preliminary report on the crash within seven days. CNN's Jethro Mullen contributed to this report.

Jamaluddin Jarjis, former Malaysian ambassador to the U.S., among casualties . Azlin Alias, a member of the prime minister's staff, also dies, news agency reports .

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(CNN)One of the youngest suspects yet has been arrested on terror-related charges in England. A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody after encouraging an attack on an Australian parade honoring the war dead and urging the beheading of "someone in Australia," Deborah Walsh, deputy head of counter terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement Thursday. The teenager was taken into custody April 2 after UK's Greater Manchester police examined electronic devices and discovered communications between the teen and a man in Australia, police said in a statement. The teenager, arrested in Blackburn, Lancashire, was not named "because of legal reasons," the statement said. He was charged with two counts of inciting another person to commit an act of terrorism overseas and will appear in Westminster Magistrate's Court on Friday. He was communicating with suspects in Operation Rising, an Australian law enforcement operation that apprehended several men suspected of planning terrorist actions, police in Victoria, Australia, said on the department website. Australia: Charges in foiled 'ISIS-inspired' plot . Those acts of terror were planned for Anzac Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps Day) on Friday, the centennial of the Gallipoli Campaign in World War I, police said . "The first allegation is that, between 15 and 26 March 2015, the defendant incited another person to commit an act of terrorism, namely to carry out an attack at an ANZAC parade in Australia with the aim of killing and/or causing serious injury to people," Walsh said. "The second allegation is that on 18 March 2015, the defendant incited another person to behead someone in Australia." Australian law enforcement officers arrested several people last weekend in Operation Rising. Tuesday, Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police charged Sevdet Ramdan Besim with conspiracy to commit acts done in preparation for, or planning, terrorist acts. Authorities have not named the person with whom the 14-year-old in Britain was communicating. British teens face terror charges after being detained en route to Syria . CNN's Alexander Felton contributed to this report.

The 14-year-old had communicated with terror suspects in Australia, authorities said . Police: The teenager encouraged others to attack a parade and behead someone in Australia .

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(CNN)The investigation into the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 has not revealed evidence of the co-pilot Andreas Lubitz's motive, but he suffered from suicidal tendencies at some point before his aviation career, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Dusseldorf, Germany, said Monday. Investigators have not found any writings or conversations where Lubitz shared his motives or confessed to any plans, prosecutor's spokesman Christoph Kumpa said. However, medical records reveal that Lubitz was suicidal at one time and underwent psychotherapy. This was before he ever got his pilot's license, Kumpa said. Kumpa emphasized there's no evidence suggesting Lubitz was suicidal or acting aggressively before the crash. It is believed that Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and deliberately crashed the plane Tuesday into the French Alps, killing all 150 on board. The prosecutor's office confirmed what some media outlets had reported about doctors deeming Lubitz unfit to fly, though there were no physical illnesses found. In short, investigators in Germany and France are not yet ruling anything out. Much attention has focused on Lubitz's state of mind, with suggestions that he may have had mental health issues. Lubitz, 27, passed his annual pilot recertification medical examination in summer 2014, a German aviation source told CNN. He had stated working as a commercial pilot in 2013, Lufthansa said. An official with Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, said that the exam only tests physical health, not psychological health. It's unknown if Lubitz mentioned his problems on a form that asks yes-or-no questions about physical and mental illness, suicide attempts and medications. European pilots must fill out the form to be recertified. Federal aviation authorities, not the airline, issue the form. The form is privileged information and Lufthansa never sees a pilot's completed form, said an airline spokesperson. The airline would only get a "clear to fly" notice from the aviation doctors alerting the airline that a pilot has completed recertification. Lubitz had visited an eye doctor because of vision problems, a European government official familiar with the investigation told CNN. The pilot complained he was not seeing as he should, but the doctor told him the cause was psychosomatic, the official said. In part because of this, the doctor deemed Lubitz unfit for flying. Lubitz told a different doctor -- a neuropsychologist -- that he was too stressed with work, the European official said. The dates of these visits are unclear, but they could have been earlier this year. The official said he is not aware of any suicidal tendencies reported by Lubitz to the doctors, but that investigators believe he was suicidal. Airline officials have said that if Lubitz went to a doctor on his own, he would have been required to self-report if deemed unfit to fly. A Dusseldorf clinic said he'd gone there twice, most recently on March 10, "concerning a diagnosis." But the University Clinic said it had not treated Lubitz for depression. The speculation about Lubitz' mental state is based on a letter found in a waste bin in his Dusseldorf apartment. The note, which was "slashed," said Lubitz was not able to do his job, Kumpa said Friday. Britain's most senior psychiatrist, Sir Simon Wessely, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Monday that when a pilot is "acutely depressed or suffering from really any physical illness" that impairs abilities, they cannot fly an aircraft safely. "We don't let pilots fly with depression ... because they're impaired in concentration, memory and attention, which isn't good for a pilot," said Wessely, who is president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and an adviser to the British army. One of the strongest pieces of evidence to emerge from the crash so far comes from the cockpit voice recorder. The sounds recorded on the recorder, known as a "black box," firms up a theory by investigators that the co-pilot locked the captain out of the cockpit and then crashed the plane. "For God's sake, open the door!" Capt. Patrick Sondenheimer screamed as he banged on the cockpit door, pleading with the co-pilot. Thirteen minutes later, the plane slammed into the French Alps. The audio from the plane's cockpit voice recorder has not been released, but the German newspaper Bild published Sunday what it claims is a summary of the transcript from the recording. CNN cannot independently verify the information, which Bild says is based on 1.5 hours of audio that was on the cockpit voice recorder. According to Bild's report, Sondenheimer told co-pilot Lubitz that he didn't manage to go to the bathroom before takeoff. Lubitz told him he could go anytime. After reaching cruising altitude, Sondenheimer asked Lubitz to prepare the landing. Once that's finished, Lubitz again told the captain he "can go anytime." There is the sound of a seat being pushed backward after which the captain says, "You can take over." At 10:29 a.m., air traffic radar detects that the plane is starting to descend. Three minutes later, air traffic controllers try to contact the plane and receive no answer -- shortly after which an alarm goes off in the cockpit, warning of the "sink rate," Bild reported. Next comes the banging. Sondenheimer begs Lubitz to let him in. Passengers then begin to scream, according to the transcript obtained by Bild. Another three minutes pass. A loud metallic bang is heard at 7,000 meters (almost 23,000 feet). A minute and half later and 2,000 meters (about 6,500 feet) lower to the ground, an alarm says, "Terrain -- pull up!" "Open the damn door!" the pilot says. It's 10:38 a.m., and the plane is at 4,000 meters (about 13,000 feet). Lubitz's breathing can still be heard on the voice recorder, according to Bild's report. Two minutes later, investigators think they hear the plane's right wing scrape a mountaintop. Screams can be heard one final time. France's accident investigation agency, BEA, told CNN that the agency was "dismayed" by the voice recording leak to Bild. Martine Del Bono, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the leak could not have come from a BEA agent. She said the agency considers the report mere "voyeurism." Cockpit recordings are some of the most sensitive and closely held parts of aviation crash investigations. They're never officially released, according to CNN aviation reporter Richard Quest. Quest called it "unbelievable" that the black box audio would be leaked in this manner. Communications between air traffic control and a plane's cockpit can be downloaded privately, but that's less common in Europe than it is in the United States. An edited and redacted version of the transcript is usually published in part of a final report on an incident. Although search teams have recovered the cockpit voice recorder, the flight data recorder remains missing. That device could reveal crucial details about what happened during the final moments of the flight. About 150 German investigators -- some specializing in homicide cases and others in identifying remains -- are in the French Alps at the site of the crash, Dusseldorf police said Monday. Meanwhile, police continue to examine evidence collected from the apartment of Lubitz and from his parents' home, police said. French investigators at the crash site said they are optimistic they will be able to identify most of the passengers but added that "it may not be possible to find the human remains of all the 150 passengers, as some of them may have been pulverized by the crash." Of the 150 passengers, 78 had been identified through DNA, Lt. Col. Jean-Marc Menichini told CNN. Weather conditions slowed the rescue work Monday, Capt. Yves Naffrechoux of the High Mountain Gendarmerie unit said. A new path under construction to the crash site will reduce the time it takes to reach the area, he said. Le Vernet Mayor Francois Balique told CNN the path was within 100 meters of being finished. He commissioned a backhoe to build the path, he said. "I felt the family members wanted this and they asked me to get them as close as possible, as if every meter mattered to them," he said. The path will allow all-terrain vehicles to reach the site with fewer risks than with helicopter transfers. Family members of those aboard Flight 9525, meanwhile, are making the grim pilgrimage to the crash site. A total of 325 people have so far traveled to the site, Germanwings Chief Operating Officer Oliver Wagner said Monday at a news conference. He detailed what the airline is doing to support relatives of the victims. CNN's Pamela Brown, Pamela Boykoff, Antonia Mortensen, Sandrine Amiel, Frederik Pleitgen, Karl Penhaul and Margot Haddad contributed to this report.

European pilots must fill out forms that ask about mental and physical illnesses . Road to crash site is almost finished, says mayor of Le Vernet, France . German newspaper Bild releases a timeline of the flight's final moments .

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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN)We came on a commercial flight to Kathmandu. Blue tarps were visible from the sky for people to hide under -- signs that there was something wrong. We had to circle the airport for a couple of hours. There were a couple of issues. There was an aftershock this afternoon, so they were checking the runway for damage. Military and aid flights have priority, and a few military planes -- Indian military planes -- were going in, trying to bring in aid. Whether they did is unclear. When we landed at the airport, it was wet and cold. A couple of thousand people were lining the road to the entrance to the airport trying to get out. But there's no way to get out, really. There were torrential rainstorms for a couple of hours, and with the strong aftershock a couple of hours ago, no one wants to go inside. The residents of Kathmandu sure don't. You can see some structural damage to buildings. Most buildings are not up to high construction standards. Fallen: Nepal's historic landmarks . Driving through the city, there's not a huge amount of visible damage. There's some damage to houses and buildings, but it's not as visual as the Haiti earthquake (of 2010). We were able to drive the main road to the hotel we're staying at, but they're not allowing anyone inside because of the aftershocks. The guests are in a big tent used for functions on the lawn. People are squeezed in. There are probably about 100 people in there. The tents are covered, but water is seeping in from streets puddled with water, especially around the edges of the tent. So people are outside in the rain with no shelter. It's visually stark, with people in the streets. It's colder than usual this time of year. I'm cold and damp. When it's almost May, it's usually much hotter. There's very little power in the city -- no power to speak of, no drinking water. For the residents, it's really bad. Very soon, they will need shelter. Temporary shelters have been put up, but very few -- 16 -- by the government. It looks like a city where buildings have been abandoned. People are hanging out in public squares and at intersections to avoid rubble from buildings. Those who survived -- and those who didn't . There are issues with fuel in the city, and driving in, all the stores were shuttered. You occasionally see a cart with food or a few bottles of drinking water, but for the most part, nothing is being sold in the city. I don't think they're very concerned about looting, and there's no military in the streets, but they will have to get water and food in the city soon. Communal kitchens have been set up for cooking. Not by the government -- people set them up on their own. People are beside themselves in shock. Their biggest concern now is the structures, needing a place for shelter, to hide from the elements and sleep. Food will become the biggest concern in the coming days. Kathmandu isn't the epicenter though. No one's sure what it's like at the epicenter. People haven't been able to get to outlying areas. We haven't been able to corroborate this, but the people we're talking to here say there's damage to the villages outside Kathmandu -- thousands of houses damaged to the north, closer to the epicenter. CNN's Ingrid Formanek reported from Kathmandu and Mark Morgenstein wrote in Atlanta.

The earthquake that struck Nepal has left thousands of Nepalis without shelter . Torrential rains making situation worse; food and drinking water supplies could become a serious issue soon . It's unclear how bad conditions are closer to the epicenter .

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Baltimore (CNN)The streets of Baltimore are calm once again. For the second night in a row, protesters peacefully dispersed Wednesday night after a 10 p.m. curfew meant to prevent riots that tore up the city two days earlier. Many wore T-shirts that said "Black Lives Matter," demanding accountability for the death of Freddie Gray. While the Baltimore protesters remained calm, some of their counterparts across the country were not. More than 100 people were arrested in New York during a "NYC Rise Up & Shut It Down With Baltimore" rally Wednesday night, New York police said. And Denver police arrested 11 people for charges such as assaulting a police officer, robbery, resisting police, disobedience to lawful orders and obstructing roadways. All this comes as protesters demand to know what happened to Gray, who was arrested April 12 and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. He died one week later. Demonstrations are planned for Thursday in Cincinnati, CNN affiliate WXIX said. And a "Philly is Baltimore" protest will take place at Philadelphia City Hall, Philly.com said. Seattle, Portland, Oregon, and Oakland, California, are on tap for Friday, which is also May Day or International Workers Day -- often used to call attention to issues affecting the working class and minorities. More than 100 people arrested during the fracas in Baltimore this week were released Wednesday without charges, the state public defender's office said. Authorities either had to charge or release them within 48 hours of their arrests. "We've come up on a time line," said Police Commissioner Anthony Batts. But, he added: "We're not giving up on them. We're just going to follow up." Enya Baez-Ferreras, a student at Johns Hopkins University, joined in the protests Wednesday. She said the violence that marred Baltimore this week is not reflective of the city. "Baltimore is not violent. We have been under a lot of duress, and the violence that erupted the other day is only in reaction to the years and decades of oppression, of police brutality, of harassment that many of the Baltimore residents have been under," she said. President Barack Obama denounced the "violence, looting, destruction that we saw from a handful of individuals in Baltimore." "There's no excuse for that," he said in an interview that aired Wednesday on "The Steve Harvey Morning Show." Obama said his "heart goes out" to injured officers, and he praised police who he said "showed appropriate restraint." But he also talked about the state of urban communities. "If you send police officers into those situations where the drug trade is the primary economy and you say to them basically your job is to contain that and arrest kids and put them in jail, when those police officers know (it's not going to fix things), then it's not surprising you end up with a situation of enormous tension between those communities and those police officers," he said. Obama: Baltimore rioting 'hurts communities that are already suffering' The relative calm that took over Baltimore can be credited in part to peaceful protesters who formed human barricades between hot-tempered demonstrators and police, day and night. "We show that we can police ourselves," said a man who stood for hours in what protesters called a "unity line." "We're about positivity here in Baltimore. It starts with us. This long line of people came out here because what we seen on TV (Monday night), we didn't like it." The city implemented a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew for a one-week period that started Tuesday. Asked if she was considering lifting the curfew early, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told CNN's Chris Cuomo she had not made a decision yet. "We re-evaluate it on a daily basis," the mayor said Thursday morning. Many residents credited police for not overreacting after the curfew went into effect Tuesday night, setting the tone for peaceful dispersal . "The police did a fantastic job tonight," one person commented on Twitter. "Technically they could of arrested everyone at 10:01." Some 2,000 National Guardsmen and more than 1,000 police officers from across Maryland and neighboring states were assigned to the streets of Baltimore on Tuesday night, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said. Opinion: In Baltimore riots, 'our hearts were broken' While there was no major damage Wednesday, the recovery from Monday's destruction is far from over. Many saw their homes and vehicles damaged, their livelihoods in shambles. So residents like Cindy Oxendine took to the streets to sweep up rocks, glass and more, despite her aching back. The governor's office has started a website for those wanting to help Baltimore recover from this week's riots. "We have received an outpouring of support from Marylanders and people all around the country who want to help get our beloved Baltimore back on its feet in the wake of the violence and destruction," Hogan said in a statement. The website, governor.maryland.gov/mdunites/, allows visitors to volunteer for cleanup efforts, donate to charities helping affected residents and report new incidents to police. Some leaders slam 'thug' as the new n-word . CNN's Brian Todd reported from Baltimore; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Evan Perez, Greg Botelho, Dana Ford and Diane Ruggiero contributed to this report.

Protests spread to New York and Denver, with more scheduled for other cities . More than 100 people arrested in Baltimore this week are released .

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(CNN)Police in the Indian city of Malegaon, in the western state of Maharashtra, are requiring identity cards for an unusual group of residents: Cattle. Following a recent state-wide ban on the sale and consumption of beef, authorities in the city have asked residents to take a 'mugshot' of their cattle and submit it to the police. Along with the photograph, the residents have to give information about their animal's 'unique features,' such as the coloring and age of the cow, along with the length of its tail and other distinctive characteristics. Police officials believe this is the only way to solve cow slaughter cases and enforce the law. Cows are considered holy and revered by that state's majority Hindu population. "We are creating a database. If we get an information of a cow slaughter, we can quickly go to the resident's place and check whether it is there or not", Mahesh Sawai, Deputy Superintendent of Malegaon Police told CNN. "I believe this will be very effective" So far over 100 owners have complied with the police order and more are lining up outside police stations across the city to get their livestock photographed. The ruling came in the wake of a recent case of cow slaughter in Malegaon, where two men have been charged for killing the animal and and selling its meat. The Maharashtra Animal Preservation Bill now includes bans on the killing of bulls and bullocks in its list of non-bailable offenses. Even the consumption or sale of beef could now land you in prison for five years. The slaughter of buffaloes, however, is still permissible. However, beef traders in the country strongly reacted to the decision and called a month-long strike, which ended Wednesday. The traders refused to even slaughter buffaloes and deprive the state of all bovine meat. They have now vowed to file a case in the state's high court. Red meat lovers weren't too delighted either, arguing the government doesn't have a right to interfere in an individual's personal preference. Maharashtra is not the only Indian state to tighten its laws on cow slaughter. Haryana state has implemented a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, the toughest penalty in the country. Rajnath Singh, India's Home Minister has promised that he would do all to devise a country-wide law against cow slaughter.

Authorities in the Indian city of Malegaon have asked residents to take a 'mugshot' of their cattle . Cows are revered by the majority Hindu population, and many parts of the country have laws banning the slaughter of cattle . Officials in Malegaon believe this is the best way to solve cow slaughter cases and enforce the law .

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(CNN)Police in India are putting aside their batons in favor of an overhead solution to angry and unruly crowds: pepper-spraying drones. Yashasvi Yadav, Senior Superintendent of police in Lucknow, northern India, told CNN the city's force has bought four drones and is in the process of purchasing one more. "The drones have been tested in controlled conditions," he said. "They have been very successful and will be used by the Lucknow police whenever there are violent protests or mob attacks." The miniature aircraft will be fitted with a camera and pepper spray; each drone costs between $9,560 and $19,300, Yadav added. Views on the new measure are mixed, with some concerned about the suppression of freedom of speech -- an already contentious issue in India. Last month, the country failed to enforce a law that would allow authorities to arrest people who post offensive material on social media. Others believe the country could learn from events further afield. Some say this method of crowd control needs regulation too. Questions have also been raised as to why the police are resorting to aggression. "While I think it is bound to fail if not be another scam in the making, it also shows the mindset of the administration to not use dialogue and mediation to solve problems but use authoritarian and forceful methods," photojournalist Chirag Wakaskar in Mumbai told CNN. "What they could do is start by having video surveillance in sensitive areas and have swifter justice." Protests are a common occurrence in India, a country with a population of 1.2 billion; Lucknow, the capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, also used drone cameras to monitor crowds at a recent religious festival. As well as being used as a security measure in other cities including Delhi and Mumbai, the unmanned, airborne vehicles have been used in tiger hunts, disaster relief and criminal investigations -- and even pizza deliveries. Reports suggest that the drone surveillance will be officially launched by the Chief Minister of Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav, later this month. Kunal Sehgal contributed to this report.

Police in Lucknow, northern India, have bought four drones to help control crowds . The unmanned aerial vehicles are being fitted with cameras and pepper spray to subdue angry protesters . Some Indians have questioned why police are resorting to "authoritarian and forceful methods"

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(CNN)Shops looted and set ablaze. Terrified foreigners hiding in police stations and stadiums. Machete-wielding attackers hacking immigrants to death in major cities in South Africa. As attacks against foreigners and their businesses rage on, killing at least six people this week, other nations in the continent are scrambling to evacuate their citizens from South Africa. But this is not the first time xenophobic violence has exploded in a country that tries to portray itself as a diverse "rainbow" nation. They started after Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini said at a recent gathering that foreigners "should pack their bags and go" because they are taking jobs from citizens, local media reported. Shortly after his comments, violence against immigrants erupted in the port city of Durban. His office has denied he made the comments, saying journalists misquoted him. While kings are mostly ceremonial figures in the nation, they are influential in their communities. But the United Nations said the attacks started in March after a labor dispute between citizens and foreign workers. Some citizens have accused African immigrants of taking their already scarce jobs, undermining businesses owned by locals and contributing to a high crime rate. The nation's unemployment rate is about 25%, according to government figures. But resentment over porous borders, growing crime rates, poverty and corruption are also a major concern, analysts say. President Jacob Zuma has said his government is addressing the social and economic concerns. But he said immigrants contribute to the nation's economy and bring skills that are in demand, and should not be stereotyped as criminals. "While some foreign nationals have been arrested for various crimes, it is misleading and wrong to label or regard all foreign nationals as being involved in crime in the country," Zuma said. The nation has about 2 million documented and undocumented immigrants, which is about 4% of the total population, according to a study by the University of the Witwatersrand. Zimbabweans make up the largest group of immigrants. Also, South Africa is a top travel destination for wealthy Africans because of its proximity and developed infrastructure. Yes. This is the latest in a series of attacks that date back years. In January, looters burned businesses owned by foreigners in another wave of xenophobic attacks. In addition, there were other incidents of violence last year, Human Rights Watch said. Seven years ago, Johannesburg was the epicenter of more anti-immigrant tensions that left dozens dead in attacks that later spread to Cape Town. Most of the victims were Zimbabweans who had fled repression and dire economic circumstances. In those attacks, police arrested more than 200 people on various charges, including rape, murder, robbery and theft. In 2006, xenophobic violence broke out again for several months in Cape Town. Victims of xenophobic attacks have been from various African nations, including Nigeria, Somalia and Ethiopia. African nations have condemned the attacks. Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe are just a few of the countries evacuating their citizens from South Africa. In Zambia, local radio station QFM said it will not play South African music in solidarity with the victims. And in Mozambique, South African energy and chemical giant Sasol sent about 340 South African nationals home. The company said Mozambican employees voiced concern about reported violence against their nationals and protested the presence of South African employees in Mozambique. Most of the attacks have erupted in poor and marginalized areas. Despite the progress the nation has made since its apartheid days, inequality still remains a major concern, according to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. "It is up to the present and next generations to take up the cudgels where you (Mandela) have left off. It is up to them, through service to deepen our democracy; entrench and defend our constitution; eradicate poverty; eliminate inequality; fight corruption, and serve always with compassion, respect, integrity and tolerance," the foundation said in a statement. "Xenophobia, racism and sexism must be fought with tenacity, wisdom and enlightenment." As fears of more attacks grow, South Africans have taken to social media and the streets to protest xenophobia and violence.

Zimbabweans make up the largest group of immigrants in South Africa . Attackers have targeted foreigners and their businesses .

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(CNN)Marine life seen swimming in unusual places. Water temperatures warmer than they should be. No snow where there should be feet of it. Some scientists are saying "The Blob" could be playing a factor. As monikers go, the blob doesn't sound very worrisome. But if you're a salmon fisherman in Washington or a California resident hoping to see the end of the drought, the blob could become an enemy of top concern. A University of Washington climate scientist and his associates have been studying the blob -- a huge area of unusually warm water in the Pacific -- for months. "In the fall of 2013 and early 2014 we started to notice a big, almost circular mass of water that just didn't cool off as much as it usually did, so by spring of 2014 it was warmer than we had ever seen it for that time of year," said Nick Bond, who works at the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean in Seattle, Washington. Bond, who gave the blob its name, said it was 1,000 miles long, 1,000 miles wide and 100 yards deep in 2014 -- and it has grown this year. And it's not the only one; there are two others that emerged in 2014, Nate Mantua of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center -- part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -- said in September. One is in the Bering Sea and the other is off the coast of Southern California. Waters in the blob have been warmer by about 5.5 degrees, a significant rise. A recent set of studies published in Geophysical Research Letters by Bond's group points to a high-pressure ridge over the West Coast that has calmed ocean waters for two winters. The result was more heat staying in the water because storms didn't kick up and help cool the surface water. "The warmer temperatures we see now aren't due to more heating, but less winter cooling," a recent news release from the University of Washington announcing the studies said. The university has worked with NOAA on the research. According to New Scientist magazine, some marine species are exploring the warmer waters, leading some fish to migrate hundreds of miles from their normal habitats. The magazine cited fisherman and wildlife officials in Alaska who have seen skipjack tuna and thresher sharks. Pygmy killer whales have been spotted off the coast of Washington. "I've never seen some of these species here before," Bill Peterson of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle told the New Scientist. And he was worried about the adult Pacific salmon that normally feed on tiny crustaceans and other food sources that are not around in the same numbers off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. "They had nothing to eat," he told the magazine of last year's conditions in the blob. It appears that food has moved to cooler waters. In January, Bond told the Chinook Observer in Long Beach, Washington, that his concern is for very young salmon that are still upstream. "In particular, the year class that would be going to sea next spring," he said. NOAA said in a news release last month that California sea lion pups have been found extremely underweight and dying, possibly because of an ocean with fewer things to eat. "We have been seeing emaciated or dehydrated sea lions show up on beaches," Justin Greenman, assistant stranding coordinator for NOAA on the West Coast, told CNN. The numbers are overwhelming facilities that care for the stranded sea lions, most of whom are pups, local officials said. Record number of sea lion pups stranded in California . The blob also is affecting life on land. For the past few years, that persistent ridge of high pressure has kept the West dry and warm, exacerbating the drought in California, Oregon and Washington. One of the primary problems is small snow accumulation in the mountains. In early April, officials measured the snowpack in California at a time when it should be the highest. This year it hit an all-time low at 1.4 inches of water content in the snow, just 5% of the annual average. The previous low for April 1 had been 25% in 1977 and 2014. (pdf) Gov. Jerry Brown, in announcing water restrictions the same day, stood on a patch of dry, brown grass in the Sierra Nevada mountains that is usually blanketed by up to 5 feet of snow. Low California snowpack ushers mandatory water restrictions . The heat has caused rising air, which can lead to conditions that produce more thunderstorms. With warmer air in California, areas at higher elevations that usually see snow have seen rain instead. That has led to the lower snowpack and helped compound the drought. The storms also mean more lightning and more wildfires. And the blob affects people on other areas of the country. That same persistent jet stream pattern has allowed cold air to spill into much of the Midwest and East. This stuck pattern has led to the record cold and snow in the Midwest and Northeast over the last two seasons with record snows we have seen in Boston and Detroit, and the most snow we have seen in decades for cities such as Chicago. The weather pattern is confusing the experts. There are some that think it might be a Pacific Decadal Oscillation, a long-lasting El Nino-like pattern in the Pacific. Dennis Hartmann, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington, doesn't believe the answer is clear. "I don't think we know ..." he said in the university's news release. "Maybe it will go away quickly and we won't talk about it anymore, but if it persists for a third year, then we'll know something really unusual is going on." CNN's Sam Stringer contributed to this report.

Waters in a huge area of the Pacific are running 5.5 degrees warmer than normal . Marine life that likes cooler water has moved and others that like warm seas are seen in new places . "The Blob" might be having an effect on rain and snow -- and the West Coast drought .

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(CNN)Mountaineers have returned to Mount Everest for this year's climbing season, resuming the quest to summit the world's highest peak after a deadly season last year. In 2014, the Nepal climbing season ended after a piece of glacial ice fell, unleashing an avalanche that killed 16 Nepalis who had just finished their morning prayers. The April 18 accident was the single deadliest incident to ever occur on Mount Everest. The deaths launched fierce debates about the enormous risks faced by the Sherpas and the dangers of climbing Everest. In order to reduce risks, the route through Khumbu Icefall, the notoriously treacherous path where the 16 were killed, has been changed to one that takes longer but is expected to be safer. "They're going in the icefall and, as we found out on April 18, it's the most dangerous place," said Conrad Anker, a veteran climber who has been to Everest three times. "They're exposed to the tumbling ice, hanging seracs above it. It's very, very dangerous. It's the most dangerous place I've been in the mountains." At this point in the season, climbing teams have not yet entered Khumbu Icefall, which is essentially a frozen river rapid with jagged pieces breaking off and moving. Nepal has issued 347 permits this year to climb Mount Everest, with 125 of them from the previously shortened season, according to the Nepal Ministry of Tourism. It's a slight increase from the 334 who were given permission last year. The local Nepalese committee that determines the path up Everest announced in February that a different route had been selected. The climbers will now take a central route through the Khumbu Icefall, avoiding the area where the deaths occurred. The committee comprised of Sherpas voted to return to the central route for safety reasons. "There will be little risk of avalanche than in the right or left," said Yangji Doma Sherpa, the spokeswoman for the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee. The central route had been used in the 1990s, but was abandoned in favor of a quicker route, she said. The new path means climbers will have to cross more crevasses, and use more vertical and horizontal ladders. The committee issued a recommendation that the weight of workers' gear be limited to avoid overloading the ladders. "I think it will be an hour longer on the icefall," said Alan Arnette, who is blogging from Everest base camp this season. "I don't think it will be game changer." But one company, Alpenglow Expeditions, said it would stop climbing from the Nepal side, where the climbers have to go through the icefall, in favor of the northern route from China. "We've seen it get progressively more dangerous over the last few years," said Adrian Ballinger, the company's founder and CEO. "We believe the risk is too great for our workers." According to the China Tibet Mountaineering Association, 320 people have been registered to climb the northern route to Everest this year. That's 136 more than last year. The Chinese side of Everest has typically been less popular than its Nepal counterpart, because of concerns of government closures. Some Everest observers say the northern route has harsher weather and more rocky terrain, but it also doesn't have an icefall. The increasing popularity of the northern route has caused concern amongst Nepali companies that climbers will divert to the Chinese side. "I can already see the shift with mountaineers I speak to," said Dawa Steven Sherpa, who is based in Nepal. "More people are going to go to Tibet than Nepal. Nepal needs the tourism far more than China does. China has incredible wealth of resources and Nepal does not." Leading expeditions is how Sherpas feed their families and send their children to school. Nepal depends heavily on tourism dollars. Many of the guides had to bury their friends after the accident last year, and while they may be ready to return to the summit, their families are not. Many of them are "leaving behind nervous, stressed-out wives and children," whose memories of what happened last year are fresh, said Dawa Sherpa, managing director of Asian Trekking. "They do say they don't want to put them through that again," he said. "They're not fearful for their own lives, it's what they're putting their family through." Several mountaineers are also returning this year. One of them is Jon Reiter, who spoke to CNN last year after the tragedy. When the icy avalanche thundered down, Reiter was shoved behind an ice block by his Sherpa guide. Reiter, who is making his way to base camp this year, could not be reached directly. But he explained why he's heading back to Everest this year on his blog. "I can't quite find the words to tell you why, or what really pulls me back to the mountains," he wrote. "When we were in the midst of last year's events it was hard to see the big picture. It was hard to remember that people die in the mountains but that it's more rare than not. "It was hard for me to remember that I'm not choosing between my life at home and dying in the mountains. I like to think it's similar to surviving a plane crash or a major pile up on the freeway." CNN's Sugam Pokharel contributed to this report.

Climbers are returning to Everest after 2014 season on Nepal side was canceled . Climbing permits increase in Tibetan and Nepalese side this year . 16 Nepalis died in Khumbu Icefall on Everest last year .

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(CNN)"A long, long, time ago..." Those five words, when uttered or sung, makes baby boomers immediately think of Don McLean's pop masterpiece "American Pie." It's hard to believe that his phenomenal 8½ minute allegory, which millions of Americans know by heart, is 44 years old. All sorts of historical cross-currents play off each other in this timeless song, brilliantly gilded with the unforgettable chorus, which starts as "Bye, Bye, Miss American Pie." There is no real way to categorize McLean's "American Pie" for its hybrid of modern poetry and folk ballad, beer-hall chant and high-art rock. On Tuesday, Christie's sold the 16-page handwritten manuscript of the song's lyrics for $1.2 million to an unnamed buyer. McLean was a paperboy when, on February 3, 1959, he saw that Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson had been tragically killed in an airplane crash in Clear Lake, Iowa. "The next day I went to school in shock and guess what?" McLean recalled. "Nobody cared. Rock 'n' roll in those days was sort of like hula hoops and Buddy hadn't had a big hit on the charts since '57." By cathartically writing "American Pie," McLean has guaranteed that the memory of those great musicians lives forever. Having recorded his first album, "Tapestry," in 1969, in Berkeley, California, during the student riots, McLean, a native New Yorker, became a kind of weather vane for what he called the "generation lost in space." When his cultural anthem "American Pie" was released in November 1971, it replaced Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changin" as the Peoples Almanac of the new decade. It's important to think of "American Pie" as one would of Henry Longfellow's "Evangeline" or Johnny Mercer's "Moon River" -- an essential Americana poem emanating wistful recollection, blues valentine, and youthful protest rolled into one. There is magic brewing in the music and words of "American Pie," for McLean's lyrics and melody frame a cosmic dream, like those Jack Kerouac tried to conjure in his poetry-infused novel "On the Road." Don McLean: Buddy Holly, rest in peace . Influenced by Pete Seeger and the Weavers, McLean proudly wore the mantle of troubadour in the early 1970s, when "American Pie" topped the Billboard charts, and has never shed the cape. Wandering far and wide, singing "American Pie" at windblown dance halls in Wyoming and cloistered colleges in New England, at huge amphitheaters in California and little coffee houses in the Hudson River Valley, McLean has performed his global anthem thousands of times. Yet the encore number never loses its transfixing allure. When McLean prods audiences by rhapsodizing "and they were singing" everybody spontaneously joins in with the "Bye, Bye" chorus. Watching McLean deliver his most notable song in concert is to take part in a collective Happening. What makes "American Pie" so unusual is that it isn't a relic from the counterculture but a talisman, which, like a sacred river, keeps bringing joy to listeners everywhere. When "American Pie" suddenly is played on a jukebox or radio it's almost impossible not to sing along. Like "Danny Boy" or "Streets of Laredo" or "Shenandoah," it's eternal. With illusions to football fields and rock 'n' roll, river levees and nursery rhymes, the song cascades along like a boat going down Niagara Falls or a roller coaster that jumps tracks but floats instead of crashes. After all these years, "American Pie" still makes me feel empowered and yet filled with a sense of loss. The song is alive and joyful, yet fretful about a world gone wrong. It is a song that will never die. A reverie for the ages. There is a jump to the chorus, which forces the mind to relive the '50s, '60s and '70s, to troll through the back pages of our lives while, like a traditional Irish folksong, it reminds us of fate. While McLean, the muse, has rightfully not tried to interpret "American Pie," it's fair to surmise that "the king" is Elvis Presley, "Helter Skelter" refers to the Charles Manson murders, the "jester on the sidelines in a cast" is Bob Dylan, and "Jack Flash" the Rolling Stones. But who knows? The lyric remains a puzzle open to thousands of spirited interpretations. As a literary artifact of the early 1970s, there isn't anything to compare to "American Pie." Normally, I don't like rankings of literature or songs or even presidents, for that matter. But the fact that the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment of the Arts chose "American Pie" as the fifth greatest song of the 20th century speaks to the composition's importance as an enduring piece of pop art. The other four were "Over the Rainbow" (by Harold Arlen and E.Y "Yip" Harburg), "White Christmas "(by Irving Berlin), "This Land is Your Land" (by Woody Guthrie) and "Respect" (by Otis Redding). That is fine company. Quite simply, "American Pie" is one of the greatest songs ever written. And Tuesday the original lyrics found a new home.

Manuscript of "American Pie" lyrics is sold to unnamed buyer for $1.2 million . Douglas Brinkley: The song, a talisman for its age, brings joy to people 44 years later .

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(CNN)Thousands sought refuge in temporary shelters in South Africa after mobs with machetes attacked immigrants in Durban, leaving at least five people dead, an aid group said Thursday. Heavily armed police have scrambled to stop clashes this week after local residents accused immigrants from other African nations of taking their jobs. The attacks in Durban killed two immigrants and three South Africans, including a 14-year-old boy, authorities said. "There has been an outpouring of support from ordinary South Africans who are disgusted with the attacks not only because they are foreign, or African, but because they are fellow human beings," said Gift of the Givers charity, which is helping those seeking refuge. "We are preparing aid packages for those who may journey onwards to their home countries." The charity said about 8,500 people fled to refugee centers or police stations this week because of the violence. That doesn't count anyone who fled their homes to other, private accommodations, the group said. It said it hopes the violence is limited to Durban, but assured immigrants that it has a facility in Johannesburg to help those who might need shelter there. "We have tents and all essential supplies on standby but pray that sanity prevails and this does not become necessary," it said. In the past, Johannesburg has been the epicenter of anti-immigrant tensions. In 2008, scores were killed in attacks in the poorest areas of Johannesburg. Most of the victims were Zimbabweans who had fled repression and dire economic circumstances. In that attack, police arrested more than 200 people for various crimes including rape, murder, robbery and theft.

A charity group is preparing aid packages for those who want to return home . The attacks have left 5 dead -- two immigrants and three South Africans . A 14-year-old boy is among those killed after a mob with machetes targeted foreigners .

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Bangkok (CNN)Thailand has lifted martial law, replacing it with it a controversial new security order granting sweeping powers to the ruling military junta. Critics have expressed alarm at the move, with Human Rights Watch's Asia director Brad Adams saying it marked the country's "deepening descent into dictatorship." Martial law was lifted Wednesday when the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej approved a request from Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha to proceed. Prayuth -- head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta -- immediately invoked Article 44 of the country's interim constitution "to curb acts deemed harmful to national peace and stability." Article 44 states, in wide-ranging terms, that when the head of the junta believes it is necessary in the name of public harmony or to prevent the undermining of national security, then he has the power to act as deemed necessary. According to a statement issued by the NCPO, the new order grants military personnel powers to issue summons and arrest those who commit crimes against the royal family or against national stability, who commit crimes involving war weaponry, or who violate the orders of the NCPO. Designated military personnel were granted powers to seize assets, to block media from reporting or publishing, and to detain suspects up to seven days, the statement said. Unauthorized political gatherings of more than five people were banned, while those who defied NCPO orders could be imprisoned for up to a year, it said. Those who were detained could not leave the country without the approval of the head of the NCPO. Human Rights Watch said in a statement that the new security order would allow Prayuth "to issue orders without administrative, legislative, or judicial oversight or accountability." "Thailand's friends abroad should not be fooled by this obvious sleight of hand by the junta leader to replace martial law with a constitutional provision that effectively provides unlimited and unaccountable powers," Adams said in a statement. Sunai Phasuk, Human Rights Watch's senior researcher on Thailand, told CNN the move would see Prayuth "become a strongman with ultimate power in his hands to wield as he wishes." "This is a dangerous indication that the junta is not going to keep its promise to restore democracy and respect for human rights in Thailand," he said. Rupert Abbott, deputy director for Asia Pacific at Amnesty International, called in a statement for the NCPO to "reinstate the rule of law and constitutional protections for human rights which the 2014 coup steamrolled over." Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein expressed alarm at the news. "Normally I would warmly welcome the lifting of martial law -- and indeed strongly advocated for it to be lifted in Thailand," the High Commissioner said. "But I am alarmed at the decision to replace martial law with something even more draconian, which bestows unlimited powers on the current Prime Minister without any judicial oversight at all. This clearly leaves the door wide open to serious violations of fundamental human rights." Martial law was imposed shortly before Thailand's military seized power last May, ousting the democratically-elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra after months of sometimes violent street protests. Since then, the NCPO has curbed civil liberties, muzzled the media and rounded up opponents. Amnesty International says that since May, hundreds of people have been arbitrarily held and dozens brought before military courts for engaging in peaceful political gatherings or expression. Thai political scholar and coup opponent Pavin Chachavalpongpun told CNN that the move from martial law to the new security order amounted to "pouring the same wine into a new bottle." "The junta is trying to reinvent itself, but the substance is still there," he said. "In a word: it's absurd. Everyone knows in Thailand they had to abolish the martial law because of international pressure. "But Article 44 is a lot worse than the martial law because it gives total power to the NCPO." Thailand's military rulers have insisted that such restrictive measures are needed to maintain stability, following a decade of political conflict which has pitted a royalist, middle-class Bangkok elite against Shinawatra's supporters, mostly drawn from the urban working class or the rural north. But Pavin did not believe there was a sufficient threat to national security to justify the new order. "The notion of national security has been exploited over and over," he said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok said it was important that Thai citizens were allowed "to freely exercise their fundamental rights, including the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."

Martial law has been lifted in Thailand after 10 months . It has been replaced by a new order granting sweeping powers to the military junta . Critics warn the move deepens the country's "descent into dictatorship"

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(CNN)Cynthia Lennon, who married John Lennon when he was a struggling musician and was there when he rose to fame with the Beatles, died Wednesday, according to a post on the website of her son, Julian. She was 75. "Cynthia Lennon passed away today at her home in Mallorca, Spain, following a short but brave battle with cancer. Her son Julian Lennon was at her bedside throughout," his website says. "The family are thankful for your prayers. Please respect their privacy at this difficult time." John and Cynthia Lennon were married for six years, from 1962 to 1968. The pair met at art school, where Cynthia studied to be an illustrator and John practiced painting -- in between concerts with a band that would become the Beatles. "When we were at art college, I think he was more interested in the music than he was in the art," she told ClassicBands.com. Cynthia Lennon, born Cynthia Powell in 1939, was a stabilizing force for the young John, who lost his mother when he was a teenager and was raised by his Aunt Mimi. "John was always insecure," she said in a 2005 interview, having lost his mother at a young age. But his humor -- and his wildness -- were attractive, she told ClassicBands.com. "He was a rebel. He was outrageous. That was something I hadn't experienced before the age that I was, which was about 16 or 17. I'd had quite a normal, straightforward life," she said. "I was just instantly attracted to him." The two married in 1962, just as the Beatles were making their rise. Their son, Julian, was born April 8, 1963. Lennon's sometimes-brittle personality and his overwhelming fame became a challenge for Cynthia. During her pregnancy, "I was not supposed to be known or heard about. In the wisdom, or lack of wisdom, anything to do with somebody becoming famous, male, was not supposed to be married or have (a) girlfriend." She was threatened by fans and occasionally in danger of being left behind in the band's whirlwind; when the group traveled to Bangor, Wales, to meet with the Maharishi in 1967, Cynthia was caught in a scrum and couldn't make the train in time. She was also there on the 1965 night George Harrison, Patti Boyd and Lennon were dosed with LSD -- an experience she disliked -- and traveled to India with the band in early 1968. The couple divorced in 1968, by which time John was seeing Yoko Ono. Cynthia Lennon married three more times after John and wrote two books about her marriage to the Beatle, "A Twist of Lennon" and "John." She had no contact with the surviving members of the band until meeting up at the 2006 Las Vegas premiere of "The Beatles Love." For all the difficulties and disappointments -- she described Julian, for whom she wrote "John," as "very scarred by life" -- she acknowledged that the whirlwind could also be enthralling. "The whole situation changed my life completely. God knows where I would've been ended up. I probably would've been a schoolteacher with about three or four children in a boring situation," she told ClassicBands.com. "I've had the most amazing life, a wonderful life." She is survived by her son. Her fourth husband, Noel Charles, died in 2013. People we've lost in 2015 . CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this story.

Cynthia Lennon was John Lennon's first wife . She was there during the rise of the Beatles . Her death was announced by her son, Julian .

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Hong Kong (CNN)It's not just Asia. Around the world, we're becoming collectively more near-sighted. Near-sightedness, or myopia, means nearby objects appear clearly, but those farther away look blurry. The rates of myopia have doubled, even tripled, in most of East Asia over the last 40 years, researchers say. Several places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan have rates in the 80%. In South Korea, myopia rates among 20-year-olds have leaped from 18% in 1955 to over 96% myopia in 2011. And it's a global issue -- rates of myopia are also rising in Western nations like Germany and the United States. "It's about 40% in the U.S., compared to about 25% in the 1970s," said Dr. Michael Chiang, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. But researchers say reducing risk of myopia is easy, free and readily-available: Get some sunlight. Sometimes, though, the easiest solutions are the hardest to implement. The epidemic of myopia amongst East Asians has triggered cultural questions about why so many young people develop vision problems. Many have long believed that reading, studying or staring at your phone caused short-sightedness. And there's the usual grumblings that young people spend way too much time glued to their screens. But researchers are focusing on a different cause. "If children get outside enough, it doesn't matter how much they study they do. They don't become myopic," said Ian Morgan, researcher at Australian National University. Researchers say kids and teens need to get sunlight during the critical years of their development while their eyeballs are still growing. The mechanics of how sunlight protects their eyes are not clearly understood. One theory suggests that sunlight triggers the release of dopamine in the retina; another speculates that blue light from the sun protects from the condition. The solution is simple. Have kids "spend more time outside, have less demands (from) the schools and relax a bit," said Seang Mei Saw, professor of epidemiology at the National University of Singapore. But studying and play time are often at odds with each other. In Asian cultures where there is heavy emphasis on education and hyper-competitiveness, forcing playtime is easier said than done. "The problem is teachers and parents are probably not going to let kids," said Dr. Nathan Congdon, professor at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center at the Sun Yat Sen University in China. "There's a limit to how many hours kids can go outside." There have been some attempts to protect children's eyesight. In China, students have been mandated by its education ministry to perform daily eye exercises. Since 1963, rows of students sit at their desks and massage the pressure points around their eyes as a revolutionary-era anthem blares through the PA system. Despite these eye exercises, rates of myopia in urban China have soared to nearly 90%, according to recent studies. "China has among the highest rates of myopia and it's the only country in the world that does eye exercises, so it's probably not working all that well," said Congdon. Their effectiveness has been doubted by experts in China, but the exercises remain a part of the students' daily experience. Myopia may seem like a minor inconvenience. People have to deal with glasses, contact lenses and even laser eye surgery. But researchers say there are serious implications of such high rates of myopia among young people. In Singapore, 82% of 20-year-olds are myopic. By the time these young adults hit their 60s, many of their vision problems are likely to get worse. "They grow older and the epidemic is then in older adults," said Saw, head of the myopia unit at the Singapore Eye Research Institute. As people age, they can become at higher risk for severe eye disorders such as high myopia, glaucoma (optic nerve damage), cataracts (clouding of the lens) and retinal detachment. These conditions could lead to vision loss and blindness. To negotiate the expectations of parents and classes, researchers are experimenting ways to help students get increased exposure to sunlight. One of the studies underway is the "bright light classroom" where the school's walls and ceilings are made of see-through plastic that allows in light. Hundreds of students attend this unusual elementary school in Guangdong province. "It's a potential way to increase the amount of light, in hopes of preventing myopia and allow kids to continue (their) education without inconvenience for them," Morgan said. Researchers want to measure the rates of myopia among students in these "bright light classrooms" compared with those in traditional classes. Building schools costs money -- especially experimental see-through schools. But researchers say there are low-cost solutions. In one Taiwanese study, teachers locked the students out of the classroom during recess and lunch time. In that 2013 study, students boosted their time in sunlight by 80 minutes during the school day. Fewer children in that school became nearsighted compared with those from another school that didn't follow such a policy. Researchers hope with greater understanding of this condition, far-sighted policies could save the next generation of children's eyesight.

East Asia sees soaring rates of myopia, with 80-90% of young adult population affected . Evidence that myopia rates are increasing in Europe and the U.S. Scientists advice for kids: Go outside and play .

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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN)Rescue crews and residents in Nepal early Sunday began the desperate search for survivors after a magnitude-7.8 quake near the capital of Kathmandu a day earlier flattened homes, buildings and temples, causing widespread damage across the region and killing more than 1,800 people. Follow the latest coverage of Nepal earthquake . Whole streets and squares in the capital of more than 1 million people were covered in rubble. Stunned residents stared at temples that were once part of their daily lives and now were reduced to nothing. Locals and tourists ferreted through mounds of debris in search of survivors. Cheers rose from the piles when people were found alive -- but mostly bodies turned up. The injured ended up being treated outside overflowing hospitals, where crowds of people gathered looking for relatives. Dozens of bodies were pulled from the historic nine-story Dharahara tower that came crashing down during the quake. At least 17 people were reported killed on Mount Everest, where the quake caused multiple avalanches. A seemingly endless series of aftershocks continued to roil the area, further traumatizing survivors. Residents huddled in the cold rain overnight for safety. The death toll of 1,832 is expected to rise as the full extent of the damage is assessed. The loss of life reported so far "is really based on the information we have from the main cities," Lex Kassenberg, Nepal country director for CARE International, told CNN. "But if you look at the spread of the earthquake a lot of the rural areas have been hit as well. The information we received from the field is that 80% of the houses in these rural areas have been destroyed." The quake was the strongest in the region in more than 80 years. Residents are used to earthquakes in Nepal, and many thought the start of Saturday's quake was a tremor, until the earth kept shaking and buildings crashed down. "The reports of the devastation are still coming in and the numbers of people killed, injured and affected by this earthquake continue to rise," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement. "It is clear that very many lives have been lost." An estimated 4.6 million people in the region were exposed to tremors from the Nepal earthquake, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said via Twitter. Thirty out of 75 Nepal districts were affected by the quake. In neighboring Tibet, roads buckled, buildings collapsed and at least 13 people were killed, China's state media reported, citing local authorities. Separately, at least four Chinese citizens in Nepal -- two workers with a Chinese company, a tourist and a mountaineer -- have been killed, state media reported, citing the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu. Officials in India confirmed at least 34 deaths in three states from the Nepal quake. The quake struck at 11:56 a.m. local time (2:11 a.m. ET) and was centered less than 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu. It occurred at a depth of 9.3 miles, which is considered shallow and more damaging than a deeper quake. It was reported by people in the area as having lasted a long time. One person said he felt as if he were on a ship in rough seas. Kathmandu sits in a valley surrounded by the Himalayas. Siobhan Heanue, a reporter with ABC News Australia, told CNN she was wandering at an ancient temple complex at the moment of the earthquake. Several temples collapsed around her, she said. "It's not too often you find yourself in a situation where you have to run for your life," Heanue said, adding that she sought shelter under the table of a cafe. "It was utterly terrifying." Heanue watched as residents picked through the rubble of a destroyed temple. They found 12 bodies. "Unfortunately, that search was not fruitful," Heanue said. "There were 12 bodies at least pulled from the rubble in the square. This was just one of several historical temple complexes severely affected by the earthquake." The Dharahara tower, the landmark nine-story structure, was packed with people when it collapsed. Heanue said at least 50 bodies were pulled from the ruins of Dharahara. The tower, built in 1832, provided visitors with a panoramic view of the Kathmandu Valley. Are you in Nepal or have loved ones affected? Please share with us if you are in a safe place. Kanak Masni, a journalist in Kathmandu, told CNN by telephone that this appeared to be "the most massive earthquake to hit central Nepal since 1934." In that quake, which was 8.1 magnitude and centered near Mount Everest, more than 10,000 people were killed. Thomas Nybo, a freelance photographer, was sitting in a coffee shop in Kathmandu's Thamel district. It appeared to be a minor tremor at first but gradually gained intensity, he told CNN. Thousands poured onto the streets of the densely populated tourist hub. "This region is no stranger to earthquakes," he said. "A lot of people had the same feeling: This is a tremor, it passed. When that wasn't the case, they were in uncharted territory... It's basically an unwritten book." Outside the coffee shop, Nybo said he saw a group of women gather near what had been a six-story building. One woman said children were trapped beneath rubble. "We ran over and ran around the rubble and couldn't hear anything," he said. "There was no chance that they survived." Nearby, another building had come down on an area where locals went to do laundry and collect water, Nybo said. A voice was heard coming from the rubble. "A group of mainly tourists started gathering rocks, hammers and pickaxes and breaking through a re-enforced concrete wall to reach this guy... It took about two hours of smashing through wall and cutting rebar with a hacksaw to pull him out alive." Two bodies were found near the spot where the man was rescued, Nybo said. Not far away, lay the bodies of three or four women. "Who knows how many other bodies lie beneath the rubble?" he said. The streets of Kathmandu were packed with thousands of locals and tourists who didn't want to go back to their homes or hotels because of recurring aftershocks. Rob Stiles and his wife had just checked into a hotel in Kathmandu when the earthquake struck. "It felt like it went on forever," the California resident said. Witnesses: "People are panicked, running down to street" Outside, people ran onto the street, with the temblor knocking some off their feet. A huge section of a brick wall crushed motorcycles and a car. Later, as they walked around the city, an aftershock hit. "People were screaming and looking around," he said. "There were people clearly shaken, upset, crying." Denis McClean, spokesman for the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, told CNN that weak building codes in Nepal contributed to the amount of structural damage. "Building codes in Kathmandu itself have not been well upheld in recent years," he said. "Efforts have been made over the last few years to strengthen these building codes but, unfortunately, this comes too late for the many thousands of buildings that have gone up across the Kathmandu Valley over the last 20 years that did not adhere to the building codes." Chitra Thapa, 48, a CNN security guard in Atlanta, said he spoke by telephone with relatives in Kathmandu and Pokhara, a city about 125 miles (200 kilometers) west of the capital. They were fine and were staying on streets. "Everybody's in shock," he said. "They never felt an earthquake that big." Aid agencies expressed concern for the welfare of survivors in the coming days, as overnight temperatures were expected to drop and people were forced to make do without electricity, running water and shelter. The international community must react quickly to save lives -- particularly those of children -- said Devendra Tak, of the aid agency Save the Children. "With every minute the situation becomes worse," he said. Food, clothing and medicine will be urgently required, Tak said. The U.S. government is providing $1 million in immediate assistance to Nepal, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal said. American disaster response teams are also on their way to Nepal, the Embassy said via Twitter. "To the people in Nepal and the region affected by this tragedy we send our heartfelt sympathies," Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "The United States stands with you during this difficult time. How to help the earthquake victims . At a hospital in the Nepalese capital, people with broken bones and head injuries were lying outside, with doctors administering CPR to at least one of them. Residents with scrapes and lacerations were turned away for those in need of more urgent care. Fast Facts on earthquakes . The U.S. Geological Survey had at first measured the strength at magnitude 7.5 but later upgraded it. A strong aftershock of magnitude 6.6 was recorded a little more than a half-hour afterward, along with nearly three dozen other aftershocks, the USGS reported. The force of the quake was said by people who contacted the USGS to be from "severe" to "violent," nearly the highest rating on the intensity scale. Tremors were felt as far as New Delhi, more than 200 miles away in neighboring India. An official said they were felt there at magnitude 5.0. The shaking was rated as "strong" to "severe" on the USGS ShakeMap. CNN sister network CNN-IBN reported that roads in the area were out. IBN reporter K. Dhiksit looked out his window in Kathmandu and saw the collapsed walls of many buildings. As he watched, an aftershock rattled the street. He heard "big booming sounds," he said, and saw people fleeing into the streets. How are earthquakes measured? Photos of caved-in and toppled buildings appeared on social media. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, "We are in the process of finding more information and are working to reach out to those affected, both at home & in Nepal." Manesh Shrestha reported from Kathmandu. Ray Sanchez wrote and reported from New York. Don Melvin wrote and reported from London. Ben Brumfield wrote and reported from Atlanta. CNN's Ralph Ellis, Harmeet Singh, Sumnima Udas and Brian Walker also contributed to this report.

NGO official says people will urgently need food, water, medicine and shelter. More than 1,800 people across Nepal confirmed dead, official says . People treated outside hospitals; avalanches reported on Everest .

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(CNN)It's easy to be anxious about the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. After all, this is a brutal organization that not only kills but seems to revel in doing so in ways designed to shock the world -- from the beheadings of journalists to burning a Jordanian pilot alive. Such moves are part of this murky group's propaganda and its deliberate efforts to manipulate information. So what can and should we make of the organization? I explore the issue in depth in a special airing Sunday night. And although it's important to start with the caveat that ISIS is indeed trying to scare and confuse us, I took away some tentative lessons from speaking with the people who have traveled inside the minds of ISIS. First, ISIS is clearly about religion -- its version of radical Islam -- but it is also about power. There is increasing evidence that the military backbone of ISIS is made up not by a group of Islamic zealots, but rather high-ranking officers from Saddam Hussein's army -- Baathists who were at least ostensibly secular. An internal ISIS report detailing its organizational structure was reported on last week in the German weekly Der Spiegel. That report describes a group that uses its religious ideology as a recruiting and governing philosophy, much like communism. But underneath it, much like communism, is simply a drive for control, a lust for power. Next, ISIS presents itself as a global organization, but it has thrived because of a local cause. The group has gained territory, cash and recruits primarily because of the rage and rebellion of the Sunnis of Iraq and Syria, who believe they must fight the Shiites to secure their own survival and strength. The reality is that that Sunni cause is going to endure for some time. The United States has been successful in its tactical battles against ISIS and has managed to push the group back from many of its gains in Iraq. But the Sunnis of the region will remain in rebellion and the Sunni-dominated areas will remain in turmoil -- chaos that ISIS will be able to capitalize on this chaos. In the long run, ISIS might very well find that its greatest foes lie within its so-called Caliphate. The few reports that are emerging from areas controlled by ISIS suggest that, unsurprisingly, people do not like living under a brutal, theocratic dictatorship. They live in fear, and even those who chose it as an alternative to Shiite rule are growing disenchanted. In this respect, ISIS is like other radical Islamic groups, such as the Taliban -- they have an allure in the abstract, but once they are actually governing in their medieval, barbarous manner, the allure fades and the disenchantment builds. The result is ever-increasing repression. Remember, no one has ever voted ISIS into power anywhere. The group simply slaughters its way to control. Of course, one of the big questions has been: Is ISIS a threat to the West? The group's leaders declare that it is. But their ambitions appear to be mostly centered on their Arab enemies, on building a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. They understand, of course, that to be Terror Group No. 1, they must battle the country that is the world's No. 1 power -- the United States. With that in mind, they seek such a confrontation and hope that the United States will come to the Middle East and fight them on their terms, on their terrain. Still, while they are opportunists, and they ask and hope that their followers act in America, their main focus is not to come here -- they want Americans to go there. Yet no matter how one rates the level of the threat ISIS poses, the group has changed the nature of terror. The leaders of ISIS have recognized that above all, they are a messaging machine, which in turn becomes a recruitment machine. This means that the key is not what happens on the ground, but on the airwaves and in the bits and bytes of the Internet. And ISIS does this better than anyone before them because while their gruesome videos would seem a repulsive turn-off -- and are to most -- they still work on the web. The shock and awe they produce makes them go viral, and thus are seen by tens of millions. That ensures that these videos attract those utterly alienated young men -- a few thousand among the world's 1.6 billion Muslims -- who seek revenge, glory and gore. Unfortunately, as long as those young Muslim men, scattered across the globe, are attracted to ISIS and stream to its cause, the group presents the world with a danger that is impossible to fully assess but is one that grows by the month.

Fareed Zakaria: ISIS has thrived because of a local Sunni cause in Syria and Iraq . Leaders of ISIS have recognized they are a messaging machine, he says .

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(CNN)Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces have successfully ousted ISIS from the nation's largest oil refinery, the coalition said Sunday. Iraqi security forces regained full control of the Baiji refinery, the Combined Joint Task Force said. A week ago, ISIS claimed it controlled part of the facility, posting images online that purported to back up the claim. Iraq is working to fortify the facility's defenses, the task force said in a statement. Over the past nine days, the coalition conducted 47 airstrikes in the area, the statement said. Meanwhile, Peshmerga forces -- also with the assistance of coalition strikes -- cleared 84 square kilometers (32 square miles) of ISIS-occupied territory in Iraq on Saturday, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said. The Peshmerga are the national military force of Kurdistan. "Front-line reporting indicates at least 35 ISIS terrorists were killed during the offensive," the council said in a statement. The goal was to push back ISIS and "diminish its ability to threaten the security of Kirkuk province," the statement said. "This success follows an offensive south and west of Kirkuk" last month in which 100 square kilometers (39 square miles) of terrain was cleared, the council said.

Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces say they retook a key refinery from ISIS . Peshmerga forces also report retaking terrain from ISIS .

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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN)Rescuers in Nepal have pulled a man from the wreckage of a building where he was stuck for a staggering 82 hours after the devastating earthquake that hit the country Saturday. His survival is unusual, as experts say it's rare for injured people who are trapped to hold out for longer than 72 hours after a disaster. The man, Rishi Khanal, was saved after a French search and rescue team found him under the rubble on the outskirts of Kathmandu, the capital, around noon Tuesday, said Pushparam K.C., a spokesman for the Armed Police Force of Nepal. The team used specialized gear that detects signs of life, he said. But it took about 10 more hours for the French team and police officers to dig him out, the spokesman said. A police video of the rescue showed the teams drilling through concrete to reach Khanal's location and then hauling him up through the hole. They then carried him out of the ruined building on a stretcher. On Wednesday afternoon, Khanal, 27, had just undergone surgery and was resting, surrounded by family and friends. He had suffered a crushed foot and was too weak and distraught to talk about his traumatic experience. "It seems he survived by sheer willpower," said Akhilesh Shrestha, a doctor who treated Khanal, according to the Reuters news agency. Khanal's story of survival isn't the only one to emerge from the terrible destruction wrought by the quake, which has killed more than 5,000 people. A 4-month-old baby was rescued from a destroyed building in the town of Bhaktapur at least 22 hours after the quake struck, the newspaper Kathmandu Today reported. A Nepali military team had failed to notice the child during its search but returned after his cry was heard, the newspaper said. The little boy, whose name is Sonit Awal, was reported to be in stable condition without any internal injuries, according to initial examinations. CNN hasn't independently confirmed Sonit's rescue, but the newspaper published photos showing the dust-caked infant being lifted by Nepali soldiers in the ruined structure. Tanka Maya Sitoula, a 40-year-old mother of four, was at home in Kathmandu when the earthquake shook the city, bringing the five-story building down around her ground-floor apartment. She endured 36 long hours trapped in a room before an Indian rescue team freed her. She escaped without injury, apparently protected by a beam. Sitoula says she remained confident she would survive amid the rubble. "I heard people making noise outside, so I thought I would be rescued," she said, as she and her family sheltered on the grounds of a nearby school. What did she do for 36 hours? "I was just lying down," she said. "There was no room to move here and there." Sitoula's husband, Mahendra, a butcher, said he called out for help for hours after the quake, as he could hear her shouting in the rubble of the collapsed building. It took 18 hours before the necessary help arrived, he said. And it took another 18 hours to free her. Jon Keisi was buried for more than 60 hours under the wreckage of a seven-story building in Kathmandu that came tumbling down around him during the quake. Rescue workers flown in from Turkey had to help carve a tunnel deep into the debris to reach him. Encased in an orange stretcher, he was lifted to safety Tuesday. But he cried out in pain after his rescuers set him down, shaking his head from side to side. One of the hard-hat-wearing search team members that crowded around him called for water. Keisi was injured and dehydrated, but the rescuers said they were confident he would survive. CNN's Elizabeth Joseph reported from Kathmandu, and CNN's Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Moni Basu, Manesh Shrestha, Ivan Watson, Tim Hume and Pamela Boykoff contributed to this report.

A French rescue team finds Rishi Khanal more than three days after the quake . A 4-month-old baby is reported to have been rescued after 22 hours in rubble .

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(CNN)The marriage apocalypse may be coming. Talk to any millennial and you can envision an America virtually marriage-free, with everyone happily single. I did. And I do. Recently, I talked about marriage with a group of journalism students from my alma mater, Kent State University. They came to me for career advice, which I gave them, but I also picked their brains about politics, religion and marriage. Their views on marriage intrigued me the most. 'Cause, guess what? They don't care what your generation thinks -- they'll get married if and when they want. "I didn't go to college for four years to be a mom," 21-year old Candace Monacelli told me. "There's no housewife degree. I've worked my butt off for four years to get this degree. You want to use it. You want to be successful. You want to have that happy part of your life as well." Jackie Demate, also 21, agreed. "I would have a very hard time justifying spending $20,000 on a wedding when I could go to Europe." At first I thought Jackie was kidding. So jokingly, I responded, "Wow, some people would say, with that attitude, you are undermining the moral foundation of this country!" Jackie didn't blink. "But, Europe!" she exclaimed. "I'm really looking for a travel buddy. And I don't think you need a wedding ring to prove that you love someone. I see a lot of people get married too soon or stay together and are unhappy because they are afraid to be alone. And I would rather be alone, successful and happy than in a relationship where I'm not happy. ... I'm OK being single forever. As long as I'm happy." Before you berate Jackie for prioritizing her love of travel over marriage, consider where she's coming from. A culture rich in divorce. In the United States, almost 42 million adults have been married more than once. That's up from 22 million in 1980 and 14 million in 1960. Percentage-wise, that means that among adults who are currently married, roughly a quarter (23%) have been married before, compared with 13% in 1960. What a fine example my generation is! Not. Still, there are no doubt more than a few parents out there wondering where they went wrong. Especially in light of a fascinating Pew Research report on marriage. When asked if society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children, 50% of respondents were OK with that. And of that 50%, 66% were adults between 18 and 29. Religious leaders are deeply concerned for moral reasons. Economists are concerned for our collective future. Studies show marriage is correlated with economic well-being, though it is not clear whether the causality arrow goes from marriage toward economic benefit or in the other direction. A study sponsored by the conservative American Enterprise Institute says: "From an obvious standpoint, households with two adults are likelier to have two incomes, improving well-being." On the other hand, the study points out, people who have money may be "more desirable marriage prospects." Bingo on that point. The millennials I talked with prefer their partners to be debt-free and riding high. They also don't want to burden a husband or wife with their own debt. "Right now, I'm 21 years old. And I'm thousands of dollars in debt," Emily Crille told me. "That wasn't something my parents bore. And it's really hard to plan a wedding, or even think about something like that when you owe so much money, you don't have a job, and you don't have a home." I felt a certain sense of pride at their sassy attitudes. As a child of divorce I never wanted to get married, either -- until I met my husband at 38. But, when I was in my twenties, waiting to marry the right man and forgoing children put me decidedly and uncomfortably in the minority. I heard the whispers: Is there something wrong with her? Is she selfish? Unlovable? Perhaps it is selfish to establish a career, travel and have a child on your own. Or, maybe it's exactly right. Scandinavians are just about there. According to USA Today: "In Norway ... 82% of couples have their first child out of wedlock. The numbers are similarly high for Sweden and Denmark. While many couples marry after having the first or second child, it's clear marriage in parts of Scandinavia is dying." The article also points out that "Norway ranked first and Sweden second in the United Nations' quality-of-life survey for 2004, which rates per capita income, education levels, health care and life expectancy in measuring a nation's well-being. The USA came in eighth." In an effort to understand the joys of "sambo," the term for living together in Scandinavia, my producer reached out to Mikael Anteskog Adler, a 35-year-old man from Stockholm, Sweden. "To put it short," he told us, "marriage costs money (party, clothes, rings, honeymoon trip, etc.) and gives no significant advantages, as there are no economic or legal advantages and no real social pressure to get married, or anyone frowning on premarital sex and cohabitation." Wow. Fifty-year-old Anne Lehes, from Gothenburg, Sweden, told my producer, "I believe that one reason for many Swedes staying single is because this is a secular country, so people think they will become fulfilled by their partner, and inevitably they get disappointed and then they don't think the whole thing is worth it." Maybe Christina Hugosson of Uppsala, Sweden, sums it up best: "The notion that marriage is something that you're pressured into seems horrible to me. ... Marriage should be for love, not a matter of expectations, routine and everyday practicalities." My Kent State millennials -- true romantics -- would agree wholeheartedly with Hugossan. Emily told me as much, "Marriage is about love. It's not about planning or timing, and that's what we're all kind of waiting for." Marriage is about love, but you have to be good partners, too. And, as they say, sometimes love isn't enough. Which brings me back to that idea of a pending marriage apocalypse. Would it be so terrible if we all remained single? If I had remained single? I thought about it. So did my husband. We didn't plan to have children, what was the point? In the end, we made a decision based on love and practicality. A commitment would not only prove our love, but also force us to get through the bad times couples are sure to endure. Eleven years later we have no regrets. But, we are not you and yours. Would a society without marriage be just as well off as one filled with "I dos"? I don't know. But I would love to know if you do.

Carol Costello: Talk to any millennial and you can envision an America virtually marriage-free . In countries like Sweden or Denmark, people don't feel pressured to marry even if they have kids together .

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(CNN)Tuesday, April 14, is Equal Pay Day. Here's the announcement presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should make: . "Today in America, women earn on average 77 cents for every dollar men earn. And the gap is even greater for women of color. That's unconscionable. As president, my top priority will be fixing inequality and ensuring that 100% of the population is paid 100% of what they're worth. And so, I'm announcing that if elected president, I will take a 23% pay cut, equivalent to the current gender wage gap, to stand in solidarity with working women in America. And I won't take a raise until every woman in America gets a raise, too." April 14 wasn't just chosen at random as Equal Pay Day. It's based on a calculation: For women to make the same amount of money that men made in 2014, they'd have to work until April 14, 2015. A woman on average loses $431,000 in pay over the course of a 40-year career. Merely closing the gender wage gap would pull half of working single moms out of poverty. And at a time where Republicans are still, bizarrely, trumpeting more tax breaks for business and the rich to stimulate the economy, closing the pay gap would put money in the pockets of working people who would actually spend and stimulate real growth. The new women warriors: Reviving the fight for equal rights . So here's the perfect opportunity for Hillary Clinton to put her money where her mouth is, literally. In her campaign launch and personal rebrand, Clinton is clearly trying to portray herself as a woman of the people, a populist fighter for the middle class. "Everyday Americans need a champion," Clinton said in her campaign launch video, "and I want to be that champion." Clinton has deftly put her finger in the wind and sensed the winds of populism blowing through America. Indeed, the fact that many Democratic voters still clamor for a less pro-war, less pro-Wall Street, more Elizabeth Warren-like alternative to Clinton is an ever-present thorn in the otherwise blooming garden of Clinton's inevitability. Opinion: The myth of Equal Pay Day . With her video, Clinton has signaled a clear desire to ground herself and her candidacy in the soil of populism. But can a wealthy white woman who once sat on the board of Walmart, has already lived in the White House, collects six-figure speaking fees and doesn't seem to own a pair of jeans really inhabit the portrait of a populist fighter? This is where a good ol'-fashioned political stunt would come in handy. And make no mistake about it, I'm recommending a political stunt. Let's call a spade a spade. Hillary Clinton is a very rich person. While she's certainly not the first rich person to run for president, her wealth -- and the related perception of being out of touch with ordinary Americans -- is an obstacle in her candidacy. The difference between the current standard presidential salary of $400,000 a year and the 77 cents-on-the-dollar version of that salary, or $308,000, is probably a drop in the bucket in Clinton's bank account at this point. And yet the symbolic power is profound. Because what Clinton would be reminding us is that across America, the aggregate salaries of all working women is 23% less than the aggregate salaries of all men. 78 cents on the dollar: The facts about the gender wage gap . Thanks to the hacked Sony emails, we saw that even top female stars and executives in Hollywood are paid less than their male counterparts. What more powerful message could the potential first female president send than literally signifying that nationwide inequity in her own salary? Clinton wouldn't just be saying she stands with the working women of America, she'd be showing it. Is it offensive to suggest that the first female commander in chief should be paid 23% less than her male predecessors for doing exactly the same work? Yes. And that's the point -- to use her status to highlight the offensive gender wage gap and what Clinton, as president, would do to fix it. Yes, such stunts are trite and theatrical. They're also effective, especially in our increasingly short-attention-span, it-only-happened-if-you-can-tweet it, symbolism-over-substance culture. Politics used to be about clunky people (mostly men) debating complex policies. Now it's about polished memes and even more polished candidates. Policy (I hope) still matters, but we're as likely to debate a candidate's "image" as her or his "substance." The truth is that stunts and theatrics are now part and parcel of politics, as they are in our culture in general. That doesn't mean they can't also serve a noble purpose, in highlighting important problems and inspiring solutions. Map: Where the gender pay gap is the widest . Clinton did an arguably brilliant thing in her campaign launch, framing her video and presidential bid as not about her but the American people. In fact, Clinton didn't even appear in the video until the very end -- it was all about middle-class Americans, working hard, trying to get by and get ahead. And then we see Hillary, who wants to help. Hillary Clinton can't change who she is, the baggage attached to her by both the right and the left, rightly or wrongly. But she can change what she does going forward, how she shows up and signifies herself as a voice not for the status quo and the establishment -- but for ordinary Americans who need change. If Clinton wins, her presidency will indeed be symbolic and historic. And it will be significant if she does something to change the lives of the 158 million women in America.

Sally Kohn: April 14 is Equal Pay Day, and Hillary Clinton should make an announcement about wage gap . Clinton should say that if elected, she will take a 23% pay cut to stand in solidarity with working women .

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Garissa, Kenya (CNN)Kenyan police have arrested five suspects in connection with Thursday's attack at Garissa University College, Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said Friday, according to CNN affiliate NTV. Nkaissery told reporters the university will be able to confirm Saturday if everyone has been accounted for. Thursday's attack by al-Shabaab militants killed 147 people, including 142 students, three security officers and two university security personnel. The attack left 104 people injured, including 19 who are in critical condition, Nkaissery said. During search and recovery efforts on Friday, CNN witnessed one male who was not a student hiding under a bed. That male was taken into custody and was being treated as a suspect, sources close to the search told CNN. The find sparked an additional search of the building. Sources said three people, all students, were found alive. A female student was found under a pile of bodies, another female student was hiding in a wardrobe and a male student was hiding in the bathroom, the sources confirmed to CNN. Student Hellen Titus said she survived by fooling the attackers into thinking she was dead. After gunmen shot fellow students, she smeared their blood onto her body to make it seem she'd been shot, too, she told CNN on Friday at a makeshift center for evacuated students. "In the time of shooting," she said, "they skipped me." Most of the victims had been shot from behind, in the back of the head, a medic told CNN. "They're facing down, always," a worker with St. John's ambulance service said Friday. "They're always facing down, and they're shot in the heads, around the back." Al-Shabaab's long, bloody legacy with Kenya . Early Thursday, an explosion and gunfire cut through the morning quiet on the campus about 90 miles (145 kilometers) from Kenya's border with Somalia, tearing many students in dormitories out of their sleep. "Never heard anything like this," journalist Dennis Okari from CNN affiliate NTV tweeted as he watched smoke rising over a student hostel. Al-Shabaab gunmen had first stormed a Christian prayer service, where they killed some and took others hostage. Then they went across campus with them, shooting non-Muslims and sparing Muslims, a witness said. They headed for the hostels. Student Japhet Mwala lay in her bed. "We were sleeping when we heard a loud explosion that was followed by gunshots, and everyone started running for safety," she told Agence France-Presse. Awaking to terror: 'I am lucky to be alive' "There are those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing. I am lucky to be alive because I jumped through the fence with other students," she said. Students ran -- some crawled -- away from the gunfire, Okari said. At one point, the gunmen pinned down a building where 360 students lived, Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said. Okari took cover outside the campus and listened to explosions and gunfire for four hours. Kenyan security forces moved in and killed four gunmen. Somali terror group Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda affiliate, claimed responsibility for the attack. The Interior Ministry has posted a "most wanted" notice for a man in connection with it. It offered a reward of 20 million Kenyan shillings, about $215,000, for Mohamed Mohamud, who goes by the aliases Dulyadin and Gamadhere. The post does not say what role the man may have played. Kenyan police are circulating "Wanted Dead or Alive" posters featuring eight terror suspects who are wanted in separate attacks in Kenya, the Interior Ministry said. Police are offering a bounty of more than $210,000 for the suspects, the Ministry said via Twitter. The dangerously porous border between Somalia and Kenya has made it easy for Al-Shabaab militants to cross over and carry out attacks. In a December attack at a quarry, Al-Shabaab militants separated Muslims from others and executed the non-Muslims, killing at least 36 people. In November, militants stopped a bus near the border and killed 28 people they believed to be non-Muslims. Last month, the U.S. Embassy warned of possible attacks "throughout Kenya in the near-term" after the reported death of a key Al-Shabaab leader, Adan Garaar, who was suspected in the September 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi. Opinion: A weakened Al-Shabaab lashes out . Police have declared a curfew for the next several days in the region from 6:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. The Education Ministry has closed the university indefinitely. Surviving students have gathered in large groups at the town's airport, waiting to be flown to their hometowns. The effects are also being felt 225 miles west in Kenya's capital of Nairobi, where the new bloodshed reinvigorated an old debate: Is the nation's security strong enough? Many thought measures taken after the Westgate Mall massacre had filled the gaps. At least 67 people died then. But Thursday's attack is the second-worst in the country's history, and it has evaporated much of the confidence won after Westgate. Civil liberty concerns had held up the enrollment of 10,000 new police recruits, but on Thursday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta gave a directive to process them. "Kenya badly needs additional officers," he said, "and I will not keep the nation waiting." The problems plaguing Kenya's security efforts . CNN's Christian Purefoy reported from Garissa, and CNN's Ben Brumfield wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Brian Walker, Vasco Cotovio and Lillian Leposo also contributed to this report.

5 suspects arrested in attack on Kenyan campus, official says . Student tells CNN of smearing herself with blood to escape death . Al-Shabaab gunmen opened fire, and 147 people died .

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London (CNN)It wasn't messrs Clooney, Pitt and their nine accomplices who sailed down an elevator shaft and cracked open dozens of safety deposit boxes at a London vault during the Easter weekend. But last weekend's raid in the heart of the city's jewelry district feels like it has been taken from a movie like "Ocean 11" given its daring and planning. Such robberies are rare: the gang didn't follow the current criminal trend of manipulating digits in cyber space but instead went back to basics and committed their burglary in a way not seen in London for more than 40 years. In September 1971, the staff of a bank in Baker Street, central London, arrived at work to find that thieves had dug a 40-yard tunnel from a shop they had rented, hauled in a thermic lance and explosives and opened the strong room. The gang got away with a haul worth around £30 million (the incident later formed the basis of the movie "The Bank Job.") But how are such heists organized? Roy Ramm, a former commander of specialist operations at London's Scotland Yard for 27 years, explains. In the UK burglaries and robberies are often committed by working-class people, people who would otherwise have blue collar jobs. In more than 25 years as a Scotland Yard detective, I never met a Raffles- or a Thomas Crown-style criminal from a middle-class background who had then turned to the hard side of crime. Sophisticated heists like the Hatton Garden raid are generally not a natural progression for burglars who began with smaller domestic break-ins. Many neighborhood criminals commit burglaries to feed drugs habits and acquire long strings of convictions that mean they are always on the police radar. Occasionally, they steal things they can't sell and end up dumping valuable paintings or antiques when they are not able to sell them on quickly. More specialist criminals -- those, for example, who target museums or country houses -- will be very specific and steal only what they know they can quickly convert to untraceable cash. Many of those who commit the bigger crimes or run major criminal enterprises combine high IQs with a kind of raw street intelligence. One of their skills is the ability to recognize a criminal opportunity when it presents itself, possibly from a source of inside information. Probably the biggest difference between any heist you'll see in a movie and its real-life equivalent is the motive. I've never encountered any criminal who committed a high value crime just for the challenge or to prove that it could be done. The only reason has been for the money, often to support a certain lifestyle and to fund other criminal enterprises. Inside information is one way of identifying a criminal opportunity, using people who are able to provide that crucial detail or who will participate in some small way to facilitate the crime. The Brinks MAT robbery in 1983 -- a case which I was involved in at the time -- saw a criminal gang escape with gold bullion worth more than £28 million (around £88 million -- or $130million -- adjusting for inflation) from a warehouse at London's Heathrow Airport. The Knightsbridge safety deposit robbery of 1987 saw a gang make off with tens of millions of pounds in cash and valuables from an upscale London neighbourhood (the true amount will never be known). Both were made possible by inside information: it's an angle that London detectives investigating last weekend's heist will be looking at very closely. The planning behind the Hatton Garden raid will have been meticulous. The target will have been observed, perhaps for months, and the thieves will have decided on the right time to commit the crime. A long weekend or a public holiday are occasions when more time may be available, also perhaps when regular staff are away. Sometimes the mastermind behind the raid will need a larger team of criminals to do a specific job. Usually they will already be known directly to each other, perhaps because they worked on other jobs together. Possibly a specialist can be brought in by another team member -- but they have to be able to trust each other and trust comes from understanding, so gangs in the UK tend to come from the same social and ethnic group, maybe even limited to one relatively small geographic area. Even though there is more diversity in society, it would be unusual to find a broad ethnic or social mix in the team put together for a major crime. Vehicles will have been obtained, stolen or purchased for cash and their identities cloned or changed. Equipment will have been sourced. Everything will have been cleaned, cleaned and cleaned again to remove forensic traces. They will plan routes that avoid CCTV and timings that attract the least attention. They will have untraceable disposable phones and an outside team to warn the inside men of any problems. They will have planned their getaway, their clean-up and how and when they are going to dispose of anything that might link them to the crime scene -- and of course how they are going to sell on the proceeds of their crime. What criminals steal doesn't vary that much. Cash is probably first choice, followed by anything that can quickly and easily be converted to cash, like gold, jewellery and watches. The conversion of stolen goods to cash is risky and expensive: the Brinks MAT bullion that was traced was because it had been clumsily smelted and then sold on. Fine paintings and rare antiques are less desirable for experienced criminals -- unless they are stealing to order -- because they are so identifiable and because the black market is so much smaller. A painting may sell at an international auction for millions of dollars but it will only fetch a fraction of its true value from a dishonest collector. London detectives investigating the Hatton Garden heist will be looking very closely at the possibility of inside involvement. But police enquiries won't stop there. They will look at every aspect of how the target business operates, then try to think like criminals to identify the weaknesses in physical and operational security that the gang may have been informed about or else spotted and then exploited. The forensic assault on the crime scene will be immense. In recent years forensic science has made major advances in identifying trace evidence and investigators will look for any scrap of evidence that might yield the DNA of a criminal. CCTV footage from street cameras and from inside private premises will be analyzed and vehicle movements logged and cross-checked. Rewards for information will be offered. Witnesses will interviewed. In the police's criminal intelligence branch, the movements of known criminals will be analyzed and the networks of sources -- informers -- will be tasked to report what they hear. The details of any identifiable goods which have been stolen will be circulated to known markets, both in the UK and internationally. The detectives investigating these major crimes in the UK see them as an exciting challenge to their professionalism. They don't admire the criminals but they have less contempt for a gang that builds a sophisticated plan and causes no personal harm to anyone than say for a violent robber. But the investigation will still be relentless.

Police in London are trying to catch the gang which staged a multi-million heist during the Easter vacation . Former police commander: Such crimes require meticulous planning and use of information by criminals . The masterminds behind such complicated crimes carefully assemble their gangs with men they can trust .

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(CNN)If you were mourning the loss of a loved one in China, at least the entertainment might have cheered you up. Until now. In rural China, hiring exotic dancers to perform at wakes is an increasingly common practice, but is now the latest focus of the country's crackdown on vice. Strippers are invited to perform at funerals, often at great expense, to attract more mourners, China's official Xinhua news agency said. Another report suggested another motivation: that the performances "add to the fun." Photos obtained by CNN from an attendee at a village funeral in Cheng'an County in Hebei Province show mourners of all ages, including children, watching the performance. The attendee, who asked not to be identified, said he was visiting family during the Lunar New Year holiday. While he was there, one of the elderly villagers died so he went to the funeral. "I felt something wasn't right," he told CNN. "The performance crossed the line. I had heard about hiring strippers to dance at funerals but had never seen it myself. I was shocked when I saw the strippers." He said the villagers said this kind of performance had been practiced for a while. "They didn't find it shocking or strange. They were used to it. "They told me, 'what if we can't watch (this kind of) performance after it gets exposed by the media?'" In some areas of China, the hiring of professional mourners, known as "kusangren" is commonplace. These can include performances, although in recent times the dance acts have increasingly tended towards the erotic. China's Ministry of Culture issued a statement Thursday announcing a crackdown on these funeral stripteases. It said that the ministry had investigated two separate incidents, one in Handan City, Hebei Province, and the other in Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. Both involved multiple-participant "burlesque" and "striptease" shows as mourners looked on. The Ministry's report said that stripteases undermined "the cultural value of the entertainment business," and asserted that "such acts were uncivilized." The practice has been going on for some time, the report said. Exotic dancing and other forms of pornography are illegal in China. The dancers in the two cases were held in "administrative detention" following the two investigations, the report added. The Ministry of Culture did not respond to CNN requests for comment. Last year, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security ordered police across China to step up efforts to tackle the "three vices" -- prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking -- warning officials they would be held accountable for illegal activities. In February 2014, a massive crackdown on prostitution in the southern manufacturing city of Dongguan, dubbed "Sin City" for its huge vice industry, raided 2,000 establishments and detained more than 900 people.

Funeral strippers in rural China are the latest focus of the country's crackdown on vice . In some areas of China, the hiring of professional mourners is commonplace, but some performances are getting racy . Government report says that stripteases undermine "the cultural value of the entertainment business"

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(CNN)Bring your own beaker, goblet or vase and slurp it up. 7-Eleven is hosting the first Bring-Your-Own-Cup Slurpee Day at United States stores from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday to kick off peak Slurpee season. This shot at brain freeze isn't free, but customers at participating stores can fill their "cup" of choice for $1.49, the average cost of a medium Slurpee. Note: A garbage can is not a cup. In-store displays with a 10-inch-diameter hole will rule out anything too ridiculously large for Slurpee consumption, and cups must be sanitary. But within those parameters, pretty much anything goes: . "From sand buckets to trophies, customers can unleash their creativity by bringing in their choice of a unique, fun Slurpee cup," said Laura Gordon, 7‑Eleven's vice president of marketing and brand innovation, in a statement. The promotion isn't to be confused with Free Slurpee Day, traditionally celebrated each July 11.

Bring your own large "cup" for a $1.49 7-Eleven Slurpee . Any sanitary container less than 10 inches in diameter is fair game .

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(CNN)Every day, images of war and conflict are splashed across our desktops, plastered on our TV screens and scattered through our mobile news feeds. Because of that, one's response to such imagery often becomes calloused or desensitized. This concept of "how we digest images of war through mainstream media outlets," was what drove photographer Simon Brann Thorpe to begin his project "Toy Soldiers." This idea to create a fresh perspective drove him into the desert of Western Sahara, a long-disputed region of northwestern Africa. Thorpe uses the area's harsh landscape as a powerful backdrop for soldiers posed as green plastic figurines -- similar to the popular toys that many children play with. The soldiers are with the Polisario Front, an independence movement that has been clashing with Morocco over the region since the mid-1970s. Thorpe said his project enables "the creation of a visual metaphor from which a viewer develops their own emotional, physical and political response to war and conflict, when faced with the realization that the images do not contain toy soldiers but real soldiers." Thorpe's background was not in photojournalism, but in landscape photography, which lends to his powerful placement of the soldiers in the desert -- not to mention that all the locations chosen are historic locations of battles between Morocco and the Polisario Front. "The conflict in Western Sahara receives virtually zero coverage despite 2015 being the 40th anniversary of the outbreak of war there," Thorpe said. After a ceasefire in 1991, the people of Western Sahara have been living in a state of non-resolution. The people are split into two camps -- those living in Moroccan-occupied territory, and those in refugee camps in Algeria. Social media . Follow @CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography. Thorpe had to get clearance to work with the Polisario Front military and also had to be cautious of how many troops he moved about at one time -- otherwise he would have needed permission from the United Nations. He usually worked with about 50 or 60 soldiers at a time. The autumn months did not offer much reprieve from the long hours in the sweltering desert sun. Thorpe would work with the troops' commander to position the men, then climb atop sandy mountains with his wide-angle lens and capture these striking images. They would work till dusk and then spend the night under the stars. Not only were the soldiers willing participants for this project, but they also helped construct the platforms they stood on. Thorpe said they were made out of old oil drums. After the elaborate five-week production, Thorpe hopes his images will raise questions on "how images of war (will) be consumed in the future with ever-diminishing attention spans and competition for them." Simon Brann Thorpe's "Toy Soldiers" book is available for pre-order through Dewi Lewis Publishing. You can follow Thorpe on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Simon Brann Thorpe's project makes real-life soldiers resemble toy soldiers . He shot the images in Western Sahara, a disputed region of northwestern Africa .

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(CNN)When I was elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 1967, I became the first woman and the first person of color to serve in the body. Five decades later, I find it almost unfathomable that a politician from my own state is attempting to launch his presidential campaign on a record that includes questioning landmark voting rights and civil rights legislation. But that is what Rand Paul, who today declared he's running for president of the United States, is doing. His campaign team told reporters last week that his campaign announcement message would be about "expanding the Republican Party" -- a message of inclusion. But those of us listening today who he is hoping to include, heard nothing more than hype. I'm not buying it. Since coming to the U.S. Senate, Paul has tried to sell himself as a different type of Republican. He's tried to brand himself as the GOP's minority outreach candidate. The problem for Paul, and the GOP at large, is that they don't back up their words with their policies. Yes, it's about time that Republicans started seriously considering the fact that black voters are an important piece of the electoral puzzle. But they can't actually appeal to the community unless they have a real commitment to the issues facing minority communities. A quick survey of Sen. Paul's positions makes clear that he does not. Paul kicked off his announcement speech in Louisville by declaring "I have a message that is loud and clear: We have come to take our country back." I have no doubt that under Paul's leadership, he would indeed take our country back -- in the wrong direction -- way back to a time when we were debating the Civil Rights Act -- which Paul has done since landing on the national stage; when there was no Department of Education -- a department he thinks "should be done away with;" when women didn't have choices -- choices Paul seeks to limit in Washington; when DREAMers weren't protected from deportation -- protections Paul currently opposes. In his inept speaking engagements at historically black colleges and universities, he has come across as condescending and lacking basic cultural competency. But Paul has also questioned the Civil Rights Act, and even claimed that private business owners have a right to discriminate. When asked about the need for a more robust Voting Rights Act following the Supreme Court's dismantling of the law, Paul dismissively remarked, "We have an African-American President." When President Obama stood with John Lewis and other veterans of the civil rights movement in front of the Edmund Pettus Bridge last month to mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, he inspired us all by saying: "With effort, we can roll back poverty and the roadblocks to opportunity. ... With effort, we can protect the foundation stone of our democracy for which so many marched across this bridge -- and that is the right to vote." America is better -- and we solve more problems -- with more democracy, not less. Unfortunately Rand Paul has demonstrated that he disagree with that basic principle. Paul tried once again from that stage in Louisville to fashion himself as the one member of his party courageous enough to try to broaden Republican appeal to constituencies they ignore year after year. But his record makes it very clear that his views are outdated, outside of the mainstream, and disqualifying for a man who wants to lead our country. The American people deserve a leader who won't disrespect their intelligence, who won't pander to them when it's convenient, and who won't work to dismantle the progress we have made over the last five decades. What I heard today, didn't change the facts about Rand Paul's record. The American people deserve better than Rand Paul.

Georgia Powers: Rand Paul, running for president, would like minorities to think he's an advocate. His record on rights shows otherwise . On civil rights, women's choice, voting rights, immigrant DREAMers, education, he has shown he'd take country backwards, she says .

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(CNN)Monty Python in a movie? What a silly idea. But the timing was right for the gang of British comedians (along with their token American, Terry Gilliam), who were looking to hit the big screen after four seasons of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," their groundbreaking British TV series. "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," which premiered 40 years ago Thursday, was the result. The movie, a spoof of the Arthurian legend, did not start auspiciously. The budget was small -- about $400,000, half of it supplied by rock stars, including Genesis and Pink Floyd. On the first day of filming in Scotland -- the first shot, in fact -- the camera broke. The weather was bad. The hotel was dismal. Python member Graham Chapman was suffering from alcohol withdrawal. It got better. On the day of its first American screening in New York, a thousand people were in line by 8 a.m. Thanks to the popularity of "Python" on American TV, the movie was a box-office hit, making $5 million -- more than 10 times its budget. More importantly, it soon became a comedy classic. The dialogue alone has been widely quoted, with such lines as "It's just a flesh wound" and "Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries" referenced on shows such as "The Simpsons," "Game of Thrones" and "The Blacklist." Python member Eric Idle turned the film into the Tony-winning Broadway play "Spamalot." The troupe ended up making three movies -- well, four, if you count "And Now for Something Completely Different," five if you include "Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl," five-and-a-half if you allow "The Rutles," six if you ... well, three. We'll say three. Is there a best one? Where should you start? Let's break them down: . From its dramatic opening credits featuring fake-Swedish subtitles to the adventures of Sir Launcelot ("the boldest and most expensive of the knights"), weighted-bird computations and sudden animator heart attacks, "Holy Grail" is probably the loosest and most Python-esque of the Python oeuvre. As a movie with a plot and character and all that movie nonsense, it falls short -- but as a repository for some of Python's best gags, it remains perhaps the best (and certainly most quotable) of the bunch. Besides, it features the word "shrubbery." " 'Grail' is a bit like 'A Hard Day's Night,' " Idle observed in the Pythons' autobiography. "It's got a joie de vivre that's very infectious, it's very hard not to like." Pros: The dialogue. The Black Knight. The Knights Who Say "Ni." Cons: It's sometimes sloppy. And it doesn't really have an ending. Verdict: Better than a cheese shop full of ex-parrots. Probably Python's most consistent movie, "Life of Brian" is the story of a guy born down the road from Jesus who finds himself hailed as a messiah and ends up crucified. It was a satire on organized religion, first-century politics and zealotry -- one of the best bits is the ongoing argument between "the People's Front of Judea" and "the Judean People's Front" -- but try telling that to the protesters. The film was picketed in cities across the United States, deplored by some religious leaders and banned in Ireland and Norway. (Sweden promoted it with the line, "The film so funny that it was banned in Norway.") It did have one huge supporter: ex-Beatle George Harrison, who mortgaged his estate to help fund the movie when a financier pulled out. "He paid for it because he wanted to see it," Idle recalled. "The most anybody's ever paid for a cinema ticket in history." Pros: Graham Chapman's performance as Brian. "What have the Romans ever done for us?" "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." Cons: The adventurous but ultimately pointless animated-alien scene. Michael Palin's lisping Pilate (though, to be fair, it's so childishly broad you can't help but laugh). Verdict: Funnier than the Spanish Inquisition. "Meaning of Life," constructed as a series of sketches, is the most uneven of the three narrative Python films. After the stunning opening sequence, Gilliam's "The Crimson Permanent Assurance" -- about the revenge of some pirate-like accountants -- the film struggles to find its footing. Even the Pythons thought so. "The rhythms weren't right," said Gilliam. "It needed a whole other rewrite," said Idle. Nevertheless, it has its moments: the "Every Sperm Is Sacred" sequence, about religion, sex and contraception; the organ donor who's surprised by a demand for his liver; and -- of course -- the infamous Mr. Creosote, the absurdly fat man who gorges on a monstrous meal at a posh restaurant, regurgitates it at length, and is then encouraged to have a "wafer-thin" after-dinner mint -- with disastrous results. It also has the sweetest of all Python songs: Idle's "The Galaxy Song," which is even more uplifting than "Brian's" "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." Not a bad conclusion, given what happened to Mr. Creosote. Pros: "Permanent Assurance." Mr. Creosote. "The Galaxy Song." Cons: The fish. The schoolmaster's sex lesson. The fish. Verdict: More enjoyable than watching the Upper-Class Twit of the Year competition.

"Monty Python and the Holy Grail" celebrates 40 years Thursday . The 1975 film is considered a comedy classic . Troupe made three movies together, not including concert works and compilations .

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(CNN)What was supposed to be a fantasy sports car ride at Walt Disney World Speedway turned deadly when a Lamborghini crashed into a guardrail. The crash took place Sunday at the Exotic Driving Experience, which bills itself as a chance to drive your dream car on a racetrack. The Lamborghini's passenger, 36-year-old Gary Terry of Davenport, Florida, died at the scene, Florida Highway Patrol said. The driver of the Lamborghini, 24-year-old Tavon Watson of Kissimmee, Florida, lost control of the vehicle, the Highway Patrol said. He was hospitalized with minor injuries. Petty Holdings, which operates the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway, released a statement Sunday night about the crash. "On behalf of everyone in the organization, it is with a very heavy heart that we extend our deepest sympathies to those involved in today's tragic accident in Orlando," the company said. Petty Holdings also operates the Richard Petty Driving Experience -- a chance to drive or ride in NASCAR race cars named for the winningest driver in the sport's history. CNN's Vivan Kuo and Janet DiGiacomo contributed to this report.

The crash occurred at the Exotic Driving Experience at Walt Disney World Speedway . Officials say the driver, 24-year-old Tavon Watson, lost control of a Lamborghini . Passenger Gary Terry, 36, died at the scene .

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(CNN)The "Star Wars" universe keeps on expanding. Details of the plot for 2016's "Star Wars: Rogue One" were revealed during a panel at Star Wars Celebration fan festival Sunday in Anaheim, California. Director Gareth Edwards ("Godzilla") showed an early teaser for the movie and revealed plot details for the "Star Wars" anthology film (the term Disney prefers instead of "spinoff"), starring Felicity Jones. The movie will take place in between "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" and "Episode IV: A New Hope" (known to many as the first "Star Wars" movie from 1977). A group of rebels go on a rogue mission to steal plans for the Death Star. Jones will play a rebel soldier. The movie won't begin shooting until this summer so the footage shown in the teaser -- including a glimpse of the Death Star -- won't necessarily appear in the finished product. Edwards told the crowd that Jones is a "Star Wars" fan and dropped everything to take on the lead role. Producer Kathleen Kennedy said "Rogue One" was one of the first pitches she received after becoming president of Lucasfilm in 2012, and she could not turn it down. It was one of the final events at Celebration, where fans gather to talk about "Star Wars," dress in costumes, look for rare "Star Wars" merchandise and learn about future projects for the franchise. The convention kicked off with the well-received trailer for this year's "The Force Awakens." Costumes and props from that movie also were on display. Anything bearing the movie logo was a hot item for collectors. Tens of thousands are expected to have attended the event when all is said and done. "Rogue One" is scheduled to hit theaters December 16, 2016.

The plot focuses on a rogue mission to steal plans for Death Star . Felicity Jones will star as a rebel soldier .

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(CNN)UNICEF said Friday that an initial shipment of 16 tons of medical supplies, meant to help 80,000 innocents caught up in the havoc of Yemen, had at last landed in Yemen's capital, Sanaa. The conflict is exacting a heavy toll on children and families, UNICEF said in a statement. "The humanitarian situation is worsening all the time, with increasingly limited access to water, basic sanitation and critical health services," the statement quoted UNICEF Yemen representative Julien Harneis, speaking from Amman, Jordan, as saying. "The supplies we have managed to bring in today can make the difference between life and death for children and their families -- but we know they are not enough, and we are planning more of these airlifts." Aid agencies have been saying that supplies were desperately needed, but getting them into the country in the midst of regional turmoil was difficult. UNICEF said its cargo included antibiotics, bandages, syringes, IV sets and other medical supplies. Included as well, the agency said, were micronutrients for up to 20,000 children and water storage materials airlifted through Djibouti from UNICEF's supply center in Denmark. Also Friday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that about 900 refugees from Yemen have arrived in the Horn of Africa. Many more are reportedly trying to make the trip but are hampered by fuel shortages and high fees by boat operators. "UNHCR is extremely concerned about the dangers for anyone trying to flee across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where there are no search and rescue operations," the agency said in a statement. "Last year, 246 lives were reported lost in sea crossings to Yemen. UNHCR appeals to all ships in the area to be extra vigilant and assist any boats in distress. We also ask that countries with vessels in waters near Yemen -- including surveillance and anti-piracy vessels -- instruct their ships to help with rescues." It said that, as demand increases, the boats attempting the dangerous crossing are likely to become more crowded -- a crossing that has historically been made in the other direction, by people fleeing Africa in favor of Yemen . Many Yemenis are attempting the trip in rickety fishing boats. One family told CNN the crossing was "a window into hell." And underscoring the increasing toll being exacted by the conflict in Yemen, the World Health Organization said Friday that at least 643 people have been killed in the country since the fighting escalated three weeks ago. But it acknowledged that the number was almost certainly an underestimate. "As of 6 April 2015 there have been a total of 643 deaths and 2,226 injuries," the WHO, the health arm of the United Nations, said in a statement. "Casualty estimates are likely to change in the coming days as additional cases are verified and reported." The figures cover the period from March 19 to April 6. They include, however, only deaths and injuries verified by a health facility. Other deaths and injuries have undoubtedly occurred. Security in the country, which is on the Arabian Peninsula, deteriorated sharply last month when Houthi rebels advanced on Sanaa and the port city of Aden, forcing President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi to flee the country. Since then, Saudi Arabia has launched airstrikes meant to halt the advance of the Houthis. In at least one case, according to Houthi sources, one of those strikes hit a school.

U.N. agency says 900 refugees from Yemen have arrived in Horn of Africa, asks ships in area to be vigilant . WHO: At least 643 people have been killed, more than 2,000 injured in three weeks . UNICEF: Aid includes medical supplies for up to 80,000 people and more airlifts are planned .

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(CNN)Mike Rowe is coming to a river near you. "Sometimes, you hear about a person who makes you feel good about humanity, but bad about yourself," Rowe says. On Thursday's episode of "Somebody's Gotta Do It," Rowe meets up with Chad Pregracke, the founder of Living Lands & Waters, who does just that. Pregracke wants to clean up the nation's rivers one piece of detritus at a time. His quota? Always "more." Read Mike Rowe's Facebook post on how to break our litter habit. Since he founded the nonprofit in 1998 at the ripe age of 23, Pregracke and more than 87,000 volunteers have collected 8.4 million pounds of trash from U.S. waterways. Those efforts helped him earn the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year Award, along with numerous other honors. "Wherever you are, no matter if there's a stream, a creek, a lake, whatever, that needs to be cleaned up, you can do it. Just organize it and do it," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper after his win. Pregracke also gives Rowe a tour of the 150-foot, solar-powered barge that the Living Lands & Waters staff calls home during lengthy cleanups. The part-home, part-office, part-dumpster has seven bedrooms, two bathrooms, a classroom and a kitchen -- and just happens to be made from a recycled strip club. According to the organization's latest annual report, Pregracke has made it his mission in 2015 to remove 500,000 more pounds of trash. If you'd like to help achieve this goal, visit his website to learn how to help: LivingLandsAndWaters.org/Get-Involved/ .

Chad Pregracke was the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year . Mike Rowe visited Pregracke for an episode of "Somebody's Gotta Do It"

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(CNN)Prison life won't be pretty for Aaron Hernandez, the former NFL player and convicted murderer sentenced to life without parole. After correction officers evaluate him, he will be shipped to Massachusetts' flagship maximum-security prison, one of the most high-tech jails in the United States with no history of breakouts: the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, about 40 miles outside downtown Boston. It's called Souza, for short, and it's the state's newest prison, opened in 1998, with a matrix of 366 cameras recording live 24 hours a day and a microwave detection perimeter with taut wire. "I don't know the date, but he'll be going there. That's the maximum-security facility," Department of Corrections spokesman Darren Duarte said. Legal advocates for inmates describe Souza as sterile and violent at once. Its diverse demographic includes the young and the old, many of whom are also doing life. One stubborn problem is that opiates are smuggled to inmates, the legal advocates said. "It's very shiny and clean looking and very sterile," said Leslie Walker, executive director of Prisoners' Legal Services of Massachusetts, who has been visiting the Souza prison about every six weeks for the past 15 years and serves indigent prisoners there. But, she added: "It is a very dangerous prison that is right now experiencing a veritable flood of opiates." Officials said Hernandez, 25, is being processed at the maximum-security Massachusetts Correctional Institution-Cedar Junction in Walpole, just a handful of miles from Gillette Stadium, where he once played tight end for the New England Patriots under a five-year $40 million contract. The prison system has yet to determine where to initially place Hernandez in Souza: solitary confinement; the less harsh but restricted block; the general population; a privileged section known as the "lifers block," for those serving a life sentence; or the "kitchen block," for those who work in the prison kitchen. "At this point in time, we will figure out where he belongs in the population once the processing of Hernandez is complete," Duarte said. "Right now, he'll be treated like a regular inmate when he walked into the door, but they will figure all that out." Hernandez was sent immediately for processing after Wednesday's sentencing and jury conviction, Duarte said. A news outlet helicopter followed Hernandez's transfer to MCI Cedar Junction. Prison officials will be concerned about Hernandez's safety and whether any enemies, gangs or headline-seeking inmates will try to hurt Hernandez, who will become Souza's most famous resident. "There could be prisoners with a beef who are out to get him," Walker said. "Then he's going to have to be separated, and it's going to be challenging for prison officers and perhaps for him. "The good news is that the superintendent of Souza-Baranowski is very smart and thorough and a decent human being, who I'm sure will do everything he can to keep Mr. Hernandez safe," Walker added. "The person at the top sets the tone. He's fairly new and he's doing everything he can to make sure the prison is as safe as possible." That superintendent, Osvaldo Vidal, couldn't be immediately reached for comment Wednesday. Because of his celebrity, Hernandez may find himself signing autographs for other inmates and even guards, said Larry Levine, a former federal inmate who spent 10 years in high- and minimum-security prisons. "There will be a lot of staff that will treat him like an animal that he is, but there will be other staff that will want his autograph and treat him like a star," said Levine, who founded Wall Street Prison Consultants, which advises offenders and convicts heading to prison. In the long run, however, it may not matter much in what section of the prison Hernandez does his time. About 90% of the inmates in the maximum-security prison are locked in their cells for 19 hours a day, said Walker, the legal advocate. "It's pretty grim," Walker said. Souza has slightly larger cells than most other Massachusetts prisons, but not by much, Walker said. Even so, the cells are stark, small rooms of painted cinder-block walls with metal fixtures: a bunk mounted to the wall, a toilet and sink combination, a small writing shelf attached to the wall, and a nearby small stool affixed to the floor, Walker said. There's also a shelf for a small television, which must have a clear back for easy inspection, Walker said. With the exception of the TV, which inmates can buy for under $200, all furnishings are metal and bolted down to keep inmates from throwing them, she said. There are two windows: one roughly 4 by 20 inches with clear glass that looks outdoors to a wall, building or trees, and a tiny window on the cell door, which has two slots, for handcuffing in the middle and ankle cuffing at the foot of the door, she said. "There's very little to do," Walker said of inmate life. "It was built as a punishment facility. The thing in corrections is that you don't want people to like it there. Some people have been there since it opened, and those people are excruciatingly bored or scared or both." To combat opiate use among inmates, prison guards use narcotics-sniffing dogs for inspections, Walker said. "It's pretty pathetic. I have clients (in Souza prison) who are heroin addicts who are trying to get clean," Walker said. There also are gangs in the prison, she said. As for violence, one elderly inmate was beaten to death last year, Walker said. If Hernandez finds himself in solitary confinement, it won't be pleasant, Walker said. "Solitary confinement is a kind of torture that no one does well in. The lack of meaningful sensory stimulus and contact drives people mad," Walker said. Initially, "prison officials may feel they have to put him there for his safety, but I hope not," Walker said. "It's very hard time." Opinion: The shame of Aaron Hernandez .

Aaron Hernandez will serve life in Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center outside Boston . Souza opened in 1998 and is one of the most high-tech jails in the United States . It's also "dangerous," "sterile" and "violent," a legal advocate for inmates says .

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(CNN)It took prosecutors months to present 131 witnesses to support their claim that former NFL star Aaron Hernandez killed semi-pro player Odin Lloyd. On Monday, Hernandez's defense gave its side of the story, wrapping up its witnesses in less than a day. Hernandez, 25, is on trial for the shooting death of Lloyd, whose body was found in a Massachusetts industrial park in June 2013. Now that the defense has rested, it won't be long before the jury begins deliberating. Much of the evidence in the former New England Patriots' case is circumstantial. Here are some key points jurors will have to consider after each side makes closing arguments on Tuesday: . As news spread that Hernandez was under investigation in June 2013, Patriots owner Robert Kraft called in the tight end for a meeting two days after Lloyd's death. "He said he was not involved," Kraft testified last week. "He said he was innocent, and that he hoped that the time of the murder incident came out because he said he was in a club." There's only one potential problem with that claim: The time Lloyd was killed hadn't been made public yet by the time Hernandez met with Kraft. So how could Hernandez have known when Lloyd was killed? "What a great, great witness for the prosecution," CNN legal analyst Mel Robbins said. "Basically what happened is Aaron Hernandez lied to his boss. And the only way you rebut it is if you put him on the stand." When questioned by a defense attorney, Kraft said that he'd never had any problems with Hernandez and that the player was always respectful to him. Hernandez's fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins, revealed for the first time last week that Hernandez told her to dispose of a box from the couple's home that she said reeked of marijuana. She also said she didn't know what was in the box. That revelation may contradict the prosecution's contention that the weapon used in the killing was in the box. The murder weapon in the case has not been recovered. During cross-examination by the defense, Jenkins testified that she suspected marijuana because the box smelled "skunky." Earlier, she told prosecutors during direct examination that she didn't know what was in the box. She said Hernandez never told her, and she never looked. After concealing the box with her daughter's clothing, Jenkins said she threw it away in "a random dumpster" but could not remember exactly where. Much testimony has focused on the shoes Hernandez wore the night Lloyd was shot. A Nike consultant testified that Hernandez was wearing Nike Air Jordan Retro 11 Lows. About 93,000 pairs of that shoe were made, significantly fewer in a size 13. The shoe's sole makes a distinct impression, said Lt. Steven Bennett of the Massachusetts State Police. The consultant testified under questioning from defense attorney Jamie Sultan that other Nike shoes -- more than 3 million -- make the same impression. Yet Bennett, who works in crime scene services, testified that the footprint left near Lloyd's body was "in agreement" or consistent with the Air Jordan Retro 11 Lows size 13. Although he did not have the shoes that Hernandez wore that night, he used an identical pair to make his determination. Bennett did so by creating a transparency of the sole and laying it over a photo of the footwear impression. Jurors watched as he drew lines showing how the sole aligned with the impression. What may have been a key moment for the prosecution was quickly derailed by defense attorney Jamie Sultan. Sultan questioned the science behind analyzing footprints. He introduced a March 2014 investigative report written by Bennett saying the partial footwear impression lacked certain detail and quality to be able to make a comparison. Prosecutors used grainy footage from Hernandez's home security system to suggest he was holding a .45-caliber handgun -- the same kind of gun police said was used to kill Lloyd. Hernandez could be seen on camera pulling into his driveway minutes after Lloyd was shot to death in an industrial park about a mile from Hernandez's home. "In my opinion, the firearm shown in the video stills is a Glock pistol," Glock sales manager Kyle Aspinwall testified. The video is time-stamped minutes after workers in a nearby industrial park describe hearing loud noises like fireworks -- the moment prosecutors say Lloyd was gunned down after getting out of a car Hernandez was driving. Hernandez's lawyers then showed a different part of the video time-stamped a few seconds earlier with Hernandez holding what appeared to be a shiny object in one hand, suggesting it may be an iPad. "Glock pistols don't have white glows to them, do they?" defense attorney James Sultan asked. "No, they do not," Aspinwall answered. Sultan then displayed a soft-pellet gun similar in shape to a Glock, suggesting it could also be the object Hernandez is holding. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in Lloyd's death. But already, his arrest has led to deep consequences, including his release from the New England Patriots and the loss of millions of dollars in expected earnings. So what might make a young man who had signed a $40 million contract risk everything? Prosecutors have said Lloyd might have done or said something that didn't sit well with Hernandez. They claimed Hernandez rounded up some friends and orchestrated a hit to settle the score. Hernandez's co-defendants, Ernest Wallace and Carlos Ortiz, also pleaded not guilty and will be tried separately. But the case gets more complicated. Evidence collected in Lloyd's death investigation led to two more murder charges against Hernandez in a separate case in Boston. Hernandez is also accused of shooting Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, allegedly over a spilled drink at a nightclub. That double shooting took place in July 2012, almost a year before Lloyd was killed. Prosecutors have said in pretrial hearings that Hernandez may have been mad at himself for possibly showing Lloyd the spot where that double murder happened. During trial, prosecutors suggest a text written by Hernandez the day before the murder saying he was "buggin" for showing Lloyd "the spot" may have played a role in plotting to kill Lloyd. The judge has banned any mention of the double murder in Lloyd's trial, ruling it is prejudicial. Hernandez has pleaded not guilty in those deaths as well. But when the Lloyd trial ends, that murder trial awaits him. CNN's Jason Hanna, Lawrence Crook, Laura Dolan and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

Closing arguments in the case are set for Tuesday . Aaron Hernandez is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Odin Lloyd . His defense lawyers made their case on Monday .

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Washington (CNN)Judge Jeffrey Sutton doesn't have a lot of company on the appeals courts these days. Sutton, who sits on the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, penned the only recent appellate court decision to uphold state bans on same-sex marriage. His opinion, issued in November, goes up against an avalanche of judicial rulings striking down such bans. The split helped pave the way for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case on Tuesday that could ultimately decide whether gay and lesbian couples nationwide have a constitutional right to marry. And it provides important insight into the legal arguments that could be made before the court by states seeking to uphold bans at a time when the national sentiment is quickly shifting in favor of same-sex marriage. "It's an ideal piece of judicial craftsmanship," said Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Foundation, who believes that state bans on same-sex marriage are constitutional. Sutton "more or less takes each and every argument that the other side has made, and then one by one by one, he explains why it doesn't work." Critics call the opinion an outlier and don't believe it will carry much weight, considering the number of courts that have overturned same-sex marriage bans in the nearly two years since the Supreme Court struck down the core of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. "Judge Sutton's opinion stands alone," said Jon W. Davidson, legal director of Lambda Legal, a gay rights advocacy group. Sutton, 54, is the former state solicitor for Ohio, where he handled appeals for the state's attorney general. He clerked for Justices Antonin Scalia and Lewis Powell -- Scalia once called Sutton "one of the very best law clerks I ever had." Appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush, Sutton is considered a conservative jurist with a keen interest in states' rights. Here are the central arguments from his opinion that states seeking to uphold their same-sex marriage bans are expected to echo on Tuesday. It is "dangerous and demeaning," Sutton wrote, to the citizenry to assume that only judges "can fairly understand" the arguments for and against same-sex marriage. "Isn't the goal to create a culture in which a majority of citizens dignify and respect the rights of minority groups?" he asked in the opinion joined by Judge Deborah L. Cook, also a Bush appointee. Critics such as Davidson have roundly condemned such reasoning. "The people don't get to decide what the Constitution safeguards," Davidson said. "They don't get to vote to violate the Constitution." Sutton pointed to the drafters and their views of the 14th Amendment. "Nobody in this case," he wrote, "argues that the people who adopted the Fourteenth Amendment understood it to require the States to change the definition of marriage." It's an argument made to enforce the idea that there is no fundamental right to marriage for same-sex couples in the Constitution. "From the founding of the Republic to 2003, every state defined marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman," he wrote, noting that the "Fourteenth Amendment permits, though does not require, States to define marriage that way." He said that the same-sex marriage bans rationally advance a legitimate government policy. "By creating a status (marriage) and by subsidizing it (e.g. with tax-filing privileges and deductions), the States created an incentive for two people who procreate together to stay together for purposes of rearing offspring." He said that states should not be accused of "irrationality," but only the awareness that same-sex couples don't have children in the same way as couples of the opposite sex. Sutton pushes back on any suggestion that those who oppose same-sex marriage have negative feelings about gay and lesbian couples. He said that ballot initiatives banning same sex-marriage were not driven by hostility but were passed by "real people who teach our children, create our jobs, and defend our shores." Gene Schaerr, a Washington appellate lawyer who help to defend Utah's ban on same-sex marriage, calls Sutton's opinion a road map for whoever might write an opinion supporting state bans. "He's very much willing both in the result and in his analysis to leave the issue to the people without suggesting an answer one way or another," Schaerr said. But attached to Sutton's opinion was a harsh dissent from a third member of the three-judge panel that heard the case in the 6th Circuit. Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey, a Bill Clinton appointee, dismissed the opinion as an "engrossing TED talk" and a "largely irrelevant discourse on democracy and federalism." Daughtrey said that Sutton failed to see the plaintiffs as individuals "suffering actual harm." "These plaintiffs are not political zealots trying to push reform on their fellow citizens, " she wrote, but committed same-sex couples seeking equal status. Her harshest language was for Sutton's premise that the decision should be left to the democratic process. "If we in the judiciary do not have the authority, and indeed the responsibility, to right fundamental wrongs left excused by a majority of the electorate, our whole intricate, constitutional system of checks and balances, as well as the oaths to which we swore, prove to be nothing but shams."

Avalanche of appellate rulings have struck down state bans on same-sex marriage . Judge Jeffrey Sutton is behind only recent appellate decision to uphold such state bans . "Judge Sutton's opinion stands alone," says official with gay rights advocacy group .

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(CNN)The next time you fly to see Grandma in Florida, look down. The next time you take the kids on a pilgrimage to see the talking mouse or head down to South Beach for some sun/sin, get a window seat and spend the moments before landing contemplating the seemingly endless swamp below. Because there are few places that represent the folly of man -- and the cost of redemption -- like the Everglades. On approach into Miami or Orlando, it just looks like squishy wasteland full of things that want to hurt you: snakes and scorpions, rats and roaches, gators and mosquitoes. (A researcher once caught 365,000 bloodthirsty bugs in a single trap in a single night.) As you drive along the Tamiami Trail, it just looks like endless sawgrass, the kind that feels like walking through broken glass. "Too wet to farm, too dry to sail, too unpredictable to settle," as Michael Grunwald put it in his definitive history, "The Swamp." And so, a century ago, some American dreamers decided to drain the swamp. They decided to conquer that uninhabitable frontier known as Florida. And long before air conditioning, bug spray and Social Security helped seal that vision, the Army Corps of Engineers blasted and dug 2,000 miles of dams and dikes, ditches and pipes. They did a hell of a job. A watershed built for 2 million people now supports nearly 8 million, and another 50 million tourists each year. But what they didn't know is that without this swamp, there can be no "good life" in Florida. There can be no life. After a century of development, half the Everglades is dead and the other half is on life support. This is a problem, not just for the gators and snakes. It is a problem for the eagles, panthers, snails, dolphins, hawks, manatees, flamingos, vase sponges, black bears and ghost orchids that make up the most unique, diverse wetlands in the world. And most of all, it is a problem for people. Because most of the drinking water in South Florida comes from the aquifers beneath the Everglades. This 2 million-acre river of grass is not only the best form of hurricane protection, it also supports the multibillion-dollar fishing, shrimping and crabbing industries around the Florida Keys. What was once a slow-moving river of gin-clear water became so sluggish and toxic in the 1990s that most of the life in Florida Bay was wiped out -- and America woke up. Fifteen years after then-Gov. Jeb Bush smiled as Bill Clinton signed the most ambitious wildlife reclamation plan in history, the same Army Corps of Engineers that was ordered to rip the Everglades apart is now under orders to help it heal, to the tune of $13 billion as part of a larger congressional restoration plan. That story hook is what drew me here for the final episode of our first season of "The Wonder List." To be honest, as a veteran of a few ho-hum airboat rides, I came with really low expectations. But this place, more than any other this season, surprised me with sublime beauty, great stories and a sense of real urgency as good people try to right the wrongs of the past. Nowhere else is the border between bustling civilization and untamed wilderness so narrow, which is why conservationists like to say that the Everglades is a test. If we pass, we might just get to keep the planet.

The Everglades were drained a century ago and are now being restored . "The Wonder List" season finale takes places in the Everglades .

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(CNN)Last month Wu Rongrong was taken into custody for planning to protest on International Women's Day against sexual harassment in China. Since then, the Chinese authorities have formally detained her and four other activists for "creating disturbances." They also briefly detained some of the activists' supporters, raided a prominent nongovernmental organization that called for their release, and have at points denied some of the women access to medical treatment, lawyers and adequate rest. The fate of the five will be revealed by April 13, as their case reaches the legal time limit when they must either be released or "formally arrested," which almost always leads to conviction in China's legal system. The timing of the detentions of China's most inventive women's rights activists is ironic: Not only did they take place on the very day that marks women's achievements and their struggle for equality, but they also come in a year in which Beijing would have won praise for its role in promoting women's rights. It appears poised to adopt its first and long-awaited anti-domestic violence law, which is expected to get a reading before the National People's Congress Standing Committee this summer. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the influential Fourth World Conference on Women hosted in Beijing, during which Hillary Clinton famously declared that "women's rights are human rights." I first met Wu at a conference several years ago, at a time when there were very few women in China's weiquan or "rights defense" movement. It was common back then for male colleagues to publicly address them as "babes" or "little sisters," even in professional—and ostensibly progressive—settings. As women's rights activists, Wu and others fight on two fronts: against overt rights violations by the Chinese government and against the wider gender norms that relegate women to second-class citizens. By the time we met again two years later, Wu and her young "direct-action" feminist colleagues were clearly off and running. They staged small, public "performance art" protests that attracted media headlines, energized the more mainstream and academically inclined women's rights movement, and pushed women's rights into the national consciousness and onto the government's agenda. Wu had an upbringing typical of her times. She comes from the countryside, which for many has changed beyond recognition within their lifetimes. In recent decades the economy has soared, but her generation is confronting the unhappy consequences of unchecked growth: pollution, unsafe foods and growing inequality between rich and poor. Like many parents, she worries about how to find untainted milk powder for her infant boy, and whether to keep her child with her in the city or to send him to his grandparents in the countryside for a quieter, safer upbringing. Many in Wu and her colleagues' generation are clear-eyed about the problems of China's development model, and some want to address those. Wu joined Yirenping, a nonprofit organization that promotes social equality, whether it is between sexes or among people with and without disabilities, and later founded the women's rights organization Hangzhou Women Center. And it is in Yirenping that she became particularly attuned to the challenges confronting young women in modern China. Wu and her colleagues have used innovative tactics with a certain shock factor — "occupying" public toilets to show the need for more such conveniences for women, donning blood-spattered wedding gowns to protest domestic violence, shaving their heads to protest against barriers to higher education for women — that raises awareness of gender inequality in ways that resonate, especially with young women in the country. Perhaps this is what the government finds threatening: that these activists epitomize the spirit of the times. They are young, confident, ready to challenge established norms, and most importantly, they feel responsible for their society and they want to improve it. As China prepares to mark the anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in September, it will be harder for the authorities to justify detaining these activists. But even if they are released, their work promoting women's rights will have become exponentially more difficult. The women will now be labeled "sensitive" individuals at a time when the authorities are increasingly paranoid about independent groups, their role in fostering nonviolent protests and the overthrow of oppressive governments (known as "color revolutions"), and foreign funding of civil society organizations. What Wu and her colleagues are now enduring is consistent with a broader government effort to strangle independent activism. Authorities have harassed and detained an ever expanding list of activists, and imprisoned others, but they have also tried to co-opt some groups by allowing them to provide services the government finds acceptable, so long as they abandon their activism. This kind of "differentiated management" of nongovernmental organizations — punishing some but co-opting others — may work to neutralize some of the more outspoken groups. But ultimately the desires for change among ordinary people that make Wu and her friends' campaigns so popular are unlikely to be answered through "authoritarian activism" alone. The Chinese Communist Party now faces a dizzying array of challenges, not least that younger generations do not identify with the party or its values like past generations. Rather than lengthening its list of challenges, the party could resolve some and lessen concerns about its legitimacy by freeing and engaging activists like Wu and her colleagues, rather than treating them as criminals.

Maya Wang: 5 women held by China authorities after planning International Women's Day protests on sex harassment remain detained . She says in a year when country poised to adopt anti-domestic violence law, Beijing also sending chilling message on women's activism .

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(CNN)About 150,000 years ago -- give or take 20,000 -- a guy fell into a well. Last month he made science history. The Altamura Man became the oldest Neanderthal to have his DNA extracted by researchers. It took them more than 20 years to get around to doing it. Scientists in southern Italy have known about him since 1993, when spelunkers spied his skull staring blankly back at them from its nook in the Lamalunga cave, deep under the town of Altamura. The cave explorers told researchers at the University of Bari what they'd found, according to their report published in March in the Journal of Human Evolution and Phys.org. Altamura Man's intact skull and jumbled pile of bones made for a great specimen, but they were wedged into a panoply of stalactites and stony globules deposited by water dripping over them for tens of thousands of years. Researchers decided not to rescue the bones for fear that trying to ease them out of the cave's calcified grip would shatter them and ruin Altamura Man. So, they left him forever a cave man. Calcite pebbles line the Neanderthal's eye sockets, nose bone and an upper jaw like a hundred decorative piercings. Analysis of the calcite has shown the bones to be 128,000 to 187,000 years old. Scientists believe Altamura Man wound up in the cave at least that long ago after falling into a prehistoric well, then died in the caverns at its bottom of thirst or hunger. Recently, researchers made an exception, and toted off a chip from his right shoulder blade to the lab. Metrics taken of his skeleton confirm Altamura Man was a Homo neanderthalensis. He will spend perhaps endless eons glaring silently out of his cranny in the world's most secluded spot, or, as Altamura's archeological museum describes it, "in the corner of a small cavity situated between the ground and the back wall." The scientists hope they will be able to sequence his DNA, to find out more about the evolution of all hominids -- including us. And to hear some of Altamura Man's story about life in Neanderthals' early days in Europe, before he happened to stumble into that darned hole.

Scientists in southern Italy have known about him since 1993 . Researchers worried that rescuing the bones would shatter them .

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(CNN)The story of Anthony Stokes was supposed to have a happy ending. Instead it ended Tuesday, police say, with the teen heart transplant recipient carjacking someone, burglarizing a home, shooting at an elderly woman, leading police on a high speed chase and then dying after his car hit a pole. In 2013, the teen's family told media that an Atlanta hospital rejected him for heart transplant surgery due to what the hospital described in a letter as Stokes' "history of non-compliance." At the time, Mark Bell was acting as a Stokes family spokesman. Bell told CNN that a doctor told the family that Anthony's low grades and time in juvenile detention factored into the hospital's decision to deny him a heart. "The doctor made the decision that he wasn't a good candidate because of that," Bell said then. "I guess he didn't think Anthony was going to be a productive citizen." About a week after Stokes' story made headlines, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta gave him a heart. On Tuesday, Stokes carjacked someone at a mall, kicked in the door of a home in Roswell, Georgia, and fired a shot at an elderly woman, who called 911, said Roswell police spokeswoman Lisa Holland. Stokes drove away in a black SUV, she said. Police spotted the car and ran its plates which showed it had been stolen. Police chased the vehicle. Stokes lost control of the car, hit a pedestrian and then a pole, Holland said. The vehicle was nearly halved, she said. The pedestrian is stable and in good condition, according to CNN affiliate WSB. Stokes died at a hospital, Holland said. In 2013, Stokes' family provided media with a letter they said was from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. "Anthony is currently not a transplant candidate due to having a history of noncompliance, which is one of our center's contraindications to listing for heart transplant," it read. Assessing compliance for potential transplant recipients is important because if a patient doesn't strictly take all required medicines as directed, he or she could die within weeks of leaving the hospital, said Dr. Ryan Davies, a cardiothoracic surgeon at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware, told CNN. Davies was not involved with this case. When Stokes' family was trying to get him a heart, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference advocated for the teen. SCLC's the Rev. Samuel Mosteller told CNN that he was disappointed. "We got this young man a second chance in life," he said. SCLC referred the teenager to a mentor program in the Atlanta area, but Mosteller said that he wasn't sure if the teenager participated. "What happened between the time in 2013 to now, I don't really know," he said. "How much Anthony recognized the gravity of things and did what he needed to do to make himself a viable citizen, I don't know. But we tried." CNN's Lauren Leslie, Marylynn Ryan, Elizabeth Landau and Jacque Wilson contributed to this report.

In 2013, Anthony Stokes' family said a hospital refused him a heart due to his "history of noncompliance" Hospital eventually gave Stokes a heart; on Tuesday he carjacked someone, burglarized a home, police said . Stokes shot at an elderly woman, hit a pedestrian with a stolen car and died in a police chase, authorities said .

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London (CNN)Police said Thursday that there was no sign of forced entry to a building in a spectacular holiday weekend heist of safe deposit boxes in the heart of London's jewelry district. Detective Chief Inspector Paul Johnson of the London Metropolitan Police Flying Squad said the thieves appeared to have gained access to the vault of Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd through the shaft of an elevator that is used by several businesses in the building. The thieves disabled the elevator on the second floor of the building -- which would be the same as the third floor in the United States -- then climbed down the elevator shaft into the basement, he said. Once there, he said, they used a drill to bore through a 6-foot-thick wall and gain access to the vault where the safe deposit boxes were. Johnson said he had no figure for the value of what was stolen. A former police official in London has speculated that the loss could run to 200 million pounds, or 300 million dollars, in a remark widely reported by news media. And numerous British news organizations put the value of the loss in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. But Johnson said police were still identifying the owners of the ransacked safe deposit boxes and trying to contact them to learn what had been lost. People with knowledge of the area have speculated that cash and jewels were probably taken. Some jewelry businesses reportedly stored some of their jewels in the boxes rather than leaving them in their stores over the holiday weekend. Johnson said the scene in the vault remained chaotic as police continued their forensic examination. He said the floor was covered with dust and littered with safe deposit boxes and power tools. Over the four-day Easter holiday, an unknown number of thieves broke into the vault and might have been able to take as much as four days to rifle through the boxes. WATCH: Top five jewelry heists . Johnson called the crime sophisticated and said there were a limited number of people in the UK capable of having pulled it off. He said had no idea whether the thieves were still in the country. Although there was no sign of forced entry to the building, the detective said, "whether that involves inside knowledge will form part of the investigation." Hatton Garden is a storied area in London and the heart of the city's diamond trade. The area's promotional website says it is home to "the largest and most concentrated cluster of jewellery retailers in the UK" and has been for quite some time. "History tells us that the old City of London had certain streets -- or quarters -- dedicated to specific types of business," the website says. "The Hatton Garden area has been the epicentre of London's jewellery trade since medieval times. "Today, it maintains its international reputation as the centre of London's diamond trade. It is one of the finest and most renowned jewellery locations in the world." How was $4.8 million in gold swiped from a North Carolina highway? The website of Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. says the company was founded in 1954 and offers a "secure and cost-effective solution to store and protect important and irreplaceable personal belongings."

Police say the thieves gained entry through the building's communal elevator shaft . Police give no value of the amount taken in the heist in London's jewelry district . There's no evidence of forced entry to the building, police say .

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Des Moines, Iowa (CNN)Martin O'Malley told reporters in Iowa on Friday that inevitability -- a term bandied about regarding Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton -- is not unbreakable. "I've seen it before," the former Governor of Maryland and possible presidential contender said. "History is full of examples where the inevitable frontrunner was inevitable right up until she was no longer or he was no longer inevitable." Clinton was considered inevitable to win the nomination in 2008 but ended up losing to Barack Obama. O'Malley had previously dropped the inevitability comment in a television interview last month. The former governor, who capped off his two-day trip to the first-in-the-nation caucus state with a speech to the Polk County Democrats in Des Moines, said that although Clinton is an "eminently qualified candidate," the Democratic Party is full of "good leaders." "History is full of examples where people who are not very well known nationally can be very well known once they are willing to make their case to the people of Iowa," O'Malley said. In some polls, he has scored in the low single digits in the state. In a March CNN/ORC poll of national Democrats, only 1% picked O'Malley. In a January poll by Bloomberg Politics and the Des Moines Register, O'Malley was also at 1% among Iowa Democrats. Clinton, who leads most polls by upwards of 40 points, is planning to launch her presidential candidacy on Sunday through a video message on social media, a person close to her campaign-in-waiting told CNN on Friday. While he wouldn't say much about Clinton, when asked about her candidacy, O'Malley said, "if leaders believe that they have the experience and the framework to move our country forward, they should run. And they should engage with voters and our country would be the better for it." O'Malley, like other Democrats, appears to refrain from directly attacking Clinton. Although last month on ABC, he said that the presidency is "not some crown to be passed between two families," he has not focused on her. He has, however, openly teased a presidential run. "I know that, as Democrats, we expect -- and I have heard this all over the country -- the Democrats expect a robust conversation about the issues we face as a nation and the challenges we face," he said. "They believe that that conversation needs to take place in something as important as a presidential primary." He concluded: "It would be an extreme poverty indeed if there was only one person willing to compete for our party's nomination for President."

He made the statement before in March . O'Malley is low in the polls with Democrats, but he has been flirting with a presidential run .

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(CNN)There's a stampede of investigators in California. The FBI said Friday that it will investigate whether civil rights were violated during the videotaped beating of a suspect in San Bernardino. The suspect allegedly fled by car, foot and horseback when law enforcement officers tried to arrest him. Earlier Friday, San Bernardino Sheriff John McMahon said criminal investigations have begun into the actions of deputies as well as the suspect. In addition, an internal investigation has been launched. Ten deputies identified as being involved in the case have been put on paid administrative leave, McMahon said Friday. In video captured by cameras aboard a helicopter for KNBC, deputies gather around the man after he falls from a horse he was riding to flee from them. The video shows deputies using a stun gun on him and then repeatedly kicking and hitting him. KNBC reported that the man -- identified by authorities as Francis Pusok -- appeared to be kicked 17 times, punched 37 times and hit with a baton four times. Pusok was later hospitalized, KNBC reported, citing authorities. "The video surrounding this arrest is disturbing and I have ordered an internal investigation be conducted immediately," McMahon said in a statement. "What I saw on the television was thugs beating up my client," said Jim Terrell, Pusok's family attorney, according to CNN affiliate KCAL. "That's what I saw. And these questions about what was he doing? What did they do? This is far worse than Rodney King." The ACLU of Southern California issued a statement Friday saying that it was "deeply troubled" by the images. "While we applaud Sheriff John McMahon's prompt decision to investigate the disturbing actions of his deputies, we believe more is needed," the organization said. "Too often the department has failed to address questions, including those raised by the ACLU SoCal, about use of force and Taser policies." Coming soon: An app to report police brutality . The Thursday afternoon incident began when deputies tried to serve a search warrant in an identity-theft investigation, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. Pusok fled in a vehicle, and deputies pursued him through the unincorporated area of Apple Valley, the town of Apple Valley and farther into the unincorporated area of Hesperia, the sheriff's office said in a news release. Pusok abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot into steep, rugged terrain, with deputies pursing with off-highway vehicles and helicopters, the sheriff's office said. "Within minutes, deputies received information that the suspect came into contact with a group of people near the Deep Creek Hot Springs and stole a horse. He fled on horseback on dirt trails, through very rugged, steep terrain, causing numerous injuries to the horse," the sheriff's office said. A helicopter dropped deputies onto the ground, and as they approached Pusok to make the arrest, he was thrown from the horse, the sheriff's office said. The sheriff's office said a Taser was used on Pusok but was ineffective because of his loose clothing. A deputy was injured when the horse Pusok had been riding kicked him, the Sheriff's Department said. Two other deputies were treated for dehydration. The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of police use of force after the 2014 deaths of Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the recent shooting of Walter Scott in South Carolina. In the California case, the FBI said the results of its investigation will be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California and Justice Department in Washington to determine whether prosecution is warranted. Did police use excessive force? 3 cases in the spotlight . CNN's Sam Stringer and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.

San Bernardino sheriff says 10 deputies have been put on leave . Video from a news helicopter shows deputies punching and kicking a man repeatedly .

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Jakarta (CNN)An Indonesian court has rejected a bid by two Australian drug smugglers -- members of the "Bali Nine" -- to challenge their planned executions. Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are awaiting death by firing squad on Indonesia's "execution island" for their role in a failed 2005 heroin smuggling plot. A panel of three judges in the state administrative court in Jakarta on Monday confirmed an earlier ruling that it lacked the jurisdiction to hear challenges against President Joko Widodo's refusal to grant clemency. Lawyers for the pair had argued that Widodo had failed to individually consider their cases. One of the condemned men's lawyers, Leonard Aritonang, said he was disappointed with the rulings but would respect the court's decision. He said his team would file a further review, asking the Constitutional Court to explain Widodo's obligations regarding granting clemency. "I'm hoping the government still respects... any ongoing proceedings," he said. Tony Spontana, a spokesman for the Indonesian attorney general's office, told CNN that the state administrative court's ruling was "a relief." "We had predicted it will be rejected because clemency is a prerogative right of the President, as head of the government, not an object of a suit at the administrative court," he said in a message. "With this decision, it's a step closer towards the scheduled execution." Australia has repeatedly appealed for clemency for the pair and has unsuccessfully proposed a prisoner swap with Indonesia as a way of avoiding their deaths. Indonesia has long taken a hard line on drug smugglers, and since assuming office in October, Widodo has made it clear he intends to be tough on those found guilty of such crimes. In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour in January, he said there would be "no compromise" on drug dealers. "Indonesia is in a drug emergency, so we need to have something that's firm," said Widodo. "They can ask for amnesty from the President. ... But I'm telling you there will be no amnesty for drug dealers." In December, six prisoners convicted of drug offenses were killed by firing squad, including five foreigners from Brazil, the Netherlands, Malawi, Nigeria and Vietnam. Chan and Sukumaran have been jailed since April 2005 for a failed bid to smuggle more than 8 kilograms of heroin from Bali to Australia. The Bali Nine were arrested after Indonesian police received a tip from Australian Federal Police. Chan, 31, was called the ringleader of the plot, while Sukumaran was described as Chan's collaborator. Seven other people who participated in the plan are serving lengthy prison sentences. Police caught four people at the Denpasar airport with more than 8 kilograms of heroin strapped to their bodies. Another four -- including Sukumaran -- were arrested at a hotel in the village of Kuta. Chan was detained after boarding a plane to Sydney; he wasn't carrying any drugs but was named by others as the mastermind of the plot. Opinion: Why executions won't win Indonesia's drug war . Sukumaran and Chan have become model prisoners during their time behind bars, according to fellow inmates and the jail's chief warden. Sukumaran is studying fine arts and has set up a class for fellow inmates. Chan has found spirituality, which he uses to counsel inmates with drug problems. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said that their rehabilitation is genuine. Australians have shown public support for the men, with politicians and members of the public turning out for a dawn vigil to demonstrate opposition to the planned executions. Australia lodges formal complaint over Bali Nine transfer . CNN's Euan McKirdy contributed to this report.

Two Australian drug traffickers on death row in Indonesia have had legal bids rejected . The men were seeking to challenge President Widodo's decision to refuse clemency in their cases . Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran are members of the "Bali Nine" drug syndicate .

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(CNN)Charlotte Dujardin says she is "living the dream" as she cements her status as a dressage legend. Dujardin and Valegro won their their second consecutive Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage title in Las Vegas at the weekend -- a trophy to sit alongside Olympic gold and the world and European titles. While their score of 94.196 narrowly missed their own world record in the sport, it was still a full 10 percentage points clear of any rival inside the Thomas & Mack Arena. Dutchman Edward Gal and Glock's Undercover were second with 84.696, ahead of Germany's Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Unee BB in third with 80.464. "Valegro just loves his job," said Dujardin. "I don't have to force him to do anything, I just sit there and steer and off I go. There's no sweating, no pushing, no pulling. He knows his job and it's just fantastic" added Dujardin, who couldn't stop smiling as she was pictured next to an Elvis impersonator after her win. Not everyone finds World Cup success quite that relaxing. Switzerland's Steve Guerdat may be the London Olympic champion, but his Longines FEI World Cup jumping victory in Vegas came at the 10th attempt. Guerdat and Albfuehren's Paille had the last fence down and narrowly avoided a time fault that would have denied them the outright win. "I don't really want to think about it," he joked. "Coming to the last I knew the time was tight. "I just went as fast as I could to the finish line, but unfortunately there was a big fence in the way." He added: "I've been three times on the podium, twice in the jump-off and always finished in the top 10. I always wanted to win this." The World Cup Finals are among the most prestigious equestrian titles, but the weekend's events in Las Vegas were notable for the success of younger riders. American dressage rider Laura Graves, a 27-year-old who burst onto the international scene with fifth place at last year's World Equestrian Games, improved to fourth in Vegas. Her performance was outdone by Irish showjumper Bertram Allen, who took bronze on Sunday at the age of 19. The teenager is likely to rise through the ranks of the world's top 10 following that performance, while gaining precious Olympic qualification points. Allen and Molly Malone finished behind French rider Penelope Leprevost, on board Vagabond de la Pomme, who took silver.

Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin remains world's leading dressage rider after Vegas contest . Swiss Olympic showjumping champion Steve Guerdat finally wins World Cup jumping title at 10th attempt .

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(CNN)An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing Monday after its pilot reported hearing unusual banging. Flight 448, which had been bound for Los Angeles, returned to Seattle. Upon landing, a ramp agent was discovered inside the front cargo hold, according to a statement from the airline. The agent, who is an employee of Alaska contractor Menzies Aviation, told authorities he had fallen asleep, the statement said. He appeared to be in OK condition. The cargo hold is pressurized and temperature controlled. The plane was also only in the air for 14 minutes, Alaska Airlines said. CNN affiliate KOMO spoke to Marty Collins, a passenger on the plane. "We just took off for L.A. regular and then about, oh, about five minutes into the flight the captain came on and said we were going back and we'd land within five to seven minutes, and we did," Collins said. "When we landed was when all the trucks and the police and the fire trucks surrounded the plane." The agent was taken to an area hospital as a precaution. He passed a drug test and was discharged, Alaska Airlines said. He'd been on a four-person team loading baggage onto the flight. All ramp employees have security badges, and undergo full criminal background checks before being hired, said Alaska Airlines. A total of 170 passengers and six crew members were on Flight 448. After returning to Seattle, the aircraft took off again, arriving in Los Angeles on Monday evening.

Agent was taken to an area hospital as a precaution. He passed a drug test and was discharged, Alaska Airlines says . The cargo hold is pressurized and temperature controlled .

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(CNN)They took Yarmouk by storm, a sea of masked men flooding into the streets of one the world's most beleaguered places. Besieged and bombed by Syrian forces for more than two years, the desperate residents of this Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus awoke in early April to a new, even more terrifying reality -- ISIS militants seizing Yarmouk after defeating several militia groups operating in the area. "They slaughtered them in the streets," one Yarmouk resident, who asked not to be named, told CNN. "They (caught) three people and killed them in the street, in front of people. The Islamic State is now in control of almost all the camp." An estimated 18,000 refugees are now trapped inside Yarmouk, stuck between ISIS and Syrian regime forces in "the deepest circle of hell," in the words of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Yarmouk, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, was formed in 1957 to accommodate people fleeing the Arab-Israeli conflict. The camp, which sits just 6 miles from central Damascus, has been engulfed in fighting between the Syrian government and armed groups since December 2012. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says ISIS and the al Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front control about 90% of the camp. The organization also claims that the Syrian government has dropped barrel bombs on the camp in an effort to drive out armed groups. Activists and residents in Yarmouk tell CNN that as many as 5,000 people have tried to flee their homes since ISIS stormed the camp, but have no place to go. Hundreds have been injured, but the camp's only functioning hospital was first occupied by ISIS, then targeted last week by regime shelling. As the fighting raged in Yarmouk, the director of the Jafra Foundation -- the only aid group that has been able to get into the camp -- painted a grim portrait of the conditions on the ground since ISIS arrived. "We need medicine and access to treatment and medical facilities," Wesam Sabaneh told CNN. "The last hospital in Yarmouk camp was bombed yesterday, so there's really nothing functioning." Opinion: Save the 'miracle babies' Even delivering clean water in Yarmouk can be a deadly task. Majed Alomari, the Jafra Foundation's water coordinator, was killed a few days ago -- gunned down in an ISIS firefight with rival rebel groups. The head of the Palestinian League for Human Rights in Syria (PLHR), who fled the camp and Syria in October 2012, said the people of Yarmouk were in dire need of help. "According to my contacts inside, people are back to consuming water with spices -- a common meal used in 2014" during the Syrian regime's siege of the camp, the PLHR's Salim Salamah told CNN. Aid agencies briefly managed to break the government's stranglehold on the camp last year, and delivered aid to tens of thousands. But now, as terror closes in on Yarmouk from all sides, residents have two choices -- to attempt to flee what was their place of refuge, or to stay inside what the U.N. says now resembles a camp of death. "Now I am scared of two things -- I am scared of (ISIS) and the regime," the Yarmouk resident told CNN. "The regime now is about to destroy the Yarmouk camp," he said. "And ISIS, I don't know ... they didn't do anything except [rename] Yarmouk Camp as 'Yarmouk Islamic State.'"

ISIS has seized control of large parts of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Syria . An estimated 18,000 refugees are trapped between militant groups and regime forces . U.N.: "In the horror that is Syria, the Yarmouk refugee camp is the deepest circle of hell"

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(CNN)Russian President Vladimir Putin shrugged off repeated questions about the impact of Western sanctions on his nation during a nationally broadcast annual Q&A session. "Sanctions are sanctions," he said. "As far as sanctions are concerned .... (they're) about the need to constrain our development," not just about Ukraine and Crimea. Western sanctions were implemented after Moscow annexed Crimea and pro-Russian separatists battled Ukrainian government forces in the nation's east. Putin predicted the sanctions would not end soon. On the Middle East, the Russian leader defended lifting a ban on the sale of a sophisticated air defense system to Iran. "We need to encourage our Iranian partners," Putin said, referring to a preliminary deal to limit Iran's nuclear program. Sanctions against Iran have had a dramatic impact on the nation's economy. On Israeli and Western fears that such a system would embolden Iran, Putin scoffed. "Iran is not a threat to Israel at all," he said. "It is a defense weapon." Putin's annual exercise is fascinating for ordinary Russians, who normally get him in closely managed doses on state-run television. These sessions are live and can go on and on. Last year, he spoke for three hours and 55 minutes. In 2013, it was a record-setting four hours and 47 minutes. Organizers said public interest was especially strong this year, with 2.4 million questions submitted. Of course, critics of the Kremlin slam the entire event as Russia's imitation of democracy in action. It's hard to imagine a truly critical question, they say, getting aired on national television there. In fact, it's best not to look at this event as an opportunity for Russians to question their leader at all. Instead, it is more like a highly produced, highly choreographed chance for their leader to speak to them, and to the world. Last year, there was a "surprise" appearance by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who was granted asylum in Russia. He addressed Putin by video link, quizzing Putin about Moscow's own surveillance practices.

Putin has spent hours fielding questions from the general public on live television . Sanctions and Russia's deep economic crisis are a major theme .

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(CNN)A Florida judge denied a motion by two women to join a lawsuit against Prince Andrew and a prominent U.S. lawyer that alleged underage sex crimes. Lawyer Alan Dershowitz was accused of having sex with minors with help from billionaire Jeffrey Epstein. Buckingham Palace denied the allegations, which surfaced in a court filing in January. So did Dershowitz. In his decision, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Marra denied a motion by the alleged victims -- "Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4" -- to join a lawsuit accusing the federal government of violating their rights by negotiating a nonprosecution agreement with Epstein without consulting them. Marra wrote in the decision that the "lurid details" of alleged abuse were unnecessary to determining whether the victims could join the lawsuit. "The factual details regarding with whom and where the Jane Does engaged in sexual activities are immaterial and impertinent to this central claim ... especially considering that these details involve non-parties who are not related to the respondent Government. These unnecessary details shall be stricken." Speaking of the allegations against him, Dershowitz said Tuesday: "I hope that people will now understand that they were completely false and made up, and, nobody should believe them." Buckingham Palace, which in January emphatically denied any form of sexual contact between the Duke of York and a victim it identified as Virginia Roberts, said Prince Andrew was informed of the latest developments. "He is spending this week privately, before resuming his schedule of public engagements next week. Further details will be announced in due course," the palace said in a statement. Roberts' attorneys were not immediately available for comment. The federal court filing alleged that "Doe 3" was forced to have sex with several men when she was a teenager. Virginia Roberts made the allegations in a civil motion filed earlier this year in U.S. District Court in southern Florida, joined by another unnamed woman. While Roberts was not identified by name in the filing, her name was widely reported in the British news media, and Buckingham Palace included it in a statement. Along with Britain's Prince Andrew and others, Dershowitz was named in the federal court filing as one of the prominent people who had sexual contact with teenage girls through Epstein. Epstein, an investment banker, pleaded guilty some years ago in Florida to a state charge of prostitution solicitation, but there were no federal charges after he and authorities signed a non-prosecution agreement. But some of Epstein's alleged victims aren't on board with the deal, thinking he should face stiffer charges and penalties. Four of them took federal prosecutors to court, suing them to reopen the case because they believed their rights under the Crime Victims' Rights Act were violated by the agreement. Two of them entered the discussion in January, including the one described as Jane Doe 3. The filing alleged she was a minor when Epstein made her a "sex slave" and made "her available for sex to politically connected and financially powerful people." Those big names allegedly included Prince Andrew and Dershowitz. According to the filing, "Epstein required Jane Doe #3 to have sexual relations with Dershowitz on numerous occasions while she was a minor, not only in Florida but also on private planes, in New York, New Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands." The celebrity lawyer and professor subsequently issued an adamant public denial, saying the case "is all about money" and "completely made up." He went further in his court filings, including a sworn affidavit in which he said "lawyers for Jane Doe #3 ... leveled totally false and outrageous charges against me that have been reported around the world and threaten to damage my reputation irrevocably." "Never under any circumstance have I ever had any sexual contact of any kind, which includes massages or any physical contact whatsoever, with Jane Doe #3," he said. Dershowitz said, for instance, that his wife and daughter accompanied him on his sole visit to Epstein's Caribbean island as well as the one time he went to Epstein's New Mexico house -- at which point it was under construction and no girls were visible. "Let me assert categorically, without reservation and with full awareness of the risks of perjury," he stated, "that I did not ever, under any circumstances, have any sexual contact of any kind with Jane Doe #3." CNN's Greg Botelho, Steve Almasy, Javier de Diego, Josh Levs contributed to this report.

Judge also throws out bombshell sex claims against lawyer Alan Dershowitz . He asks a federal court to "strike" sex-related allegations against him . A court filing says Dershowitz had sex with minors via Jeffrey Epstein; he denies it .

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Florida judge motion by women to join a lawsuit against Prince Andrew and a lawyer underage crimes . Lawyer Alan Dershowitz was accused of having sex with minors with help from billionaire Jeffrey Epstein . Palace denied the allegations, court filing in Judge victims details " of alleged "

Seoul (CNN)North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is continuing to rule with an iron fist, having ordered the execution of about 15 senior officials so far this year, according to an assessment by South Korean intelligence agents, a lawmaker who attended a closed briefing said. Shin Kyung-min, a lawmaker with the New Politics Alliance for Democracy, told a handful of reporters that he had been given the information by the South Korean National Intelligence Service. CNN cannot independently confirm the executions. The nature of the intelligence supporting the National Intelligence Service allegations was also not immediately clear. North Korea is one of the most closed societies in the world. According to Shin, intelligence officials say Kim is ruling in an impromptu manner and does not countenance excuses or any views at variance with his own. He considers those a challenge to his authority, the intelligence officials said, according to Shin. For example, a senior official with Ministry of Forestry was executed for expressing dissatisfaction with the country's forestry program, the lawmaker said. North Korean defectors share their ordeals . The vice chairman of the State Planning Commission was executed because he objected to changing the design of a science and technology hall from a rounded shape to one resembling a flower, the intelligence officials said, according to the lawmaker. And in March, according to the South Korean lawmaker, Kim executed on charges of espionage four members of the Unhasu Orchestra, including the general director, because of a scandal, Shin said. Kim became North Korea's Supreme Commander in December 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il. According to the National Intelligence Service, he is reported to have executed 17 senior officials in 2012, 10 in 2013 and 41 in 2014. The National Intelligence Service says there is a strong possibility that Kim will visit Russia, but given his nature, there is no way to be sure until the last minute. Why Putin is hosting Kim Jong Un . CNN's KJ Kwon reported from Seoul and Don Melvin wrote this report from London.

South Korean lawmaker quotes intelligence officials as saying Kim Jong Un countenances no disagreement . Official reportedly executed for expressing dissatisfaction with forestry program . Four member of Unhasu Orchestra also reportedly executed .

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(CNN)Island-hoppers take note: Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos is TripAdvisor's latest pick for the world's top island. Providenciales climbed a rung from last year's No. 2 ranking among the travel review site's Travelers' Choice award winners to bump Ambergris Caye out of the top spot. It was quite a tumble for the Belize island. Ambergris Caye held the top ranking on the TripAdvisor global islands list for two years in a row before dropping out of the top 10 completely this year. Why the disappearance? "It's hard to say, as winners change from year to year based on feedback from travelers," said TripAdvisor spokeswoman Julie Cassetina. "Similar to last year and 2013, winning islands were determined using an algorithm that looked at the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and opinions for hotels, attractions and restaurants on each island gathered during a 12-month period." 30 envy-inducing island photos . Only two more of 2014's top 10 islands appear on this year's global list. Ko Tao, Thailand, gained five spots this year, moving up from No. 10 last year, while Bora Bora dropped from No. 3 last year to rank ninth. Here are the world's top 10 islands for 2015: . 1. Providenciales, Turks and Caicos . 2. Maui, Hawaii . 3. Roatan, Honduras . 4. Santorini, Greece . 5. Ko Tao, Thailand . 6. Madeira, Portugal . 7. Bali, Indonesia . 8. Mauritius, Africa . 9. Bora Bora, French Polynesia . 10. Fernando de Noronha, Brazil . In addition to the global list, TripAdvisor also ranks islands regionally. Here are the top 10 U.S. islands: . 1. Maui, Hawaii . 2. Island of Hawaii, Hawaii . 3. Kauai, Hawaii . 4. Key West, Florida . 5. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina . 6. Marco Island, Florida . 7. Key Largo, Florida . 8. Chincoteague Island, Virginia . 9. San Juan Island, Washington . 10. Mackinac Island, Michigan .

Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos is the top TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice award winner for islands . Maui ranks first on the top 10 islands list for the United States .

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(CNN)Ursula Ward kept repeating her son's name -- Odin. She steadied herself against the podium in the Fall River, Massachusetts, courtroom and occasionally paused. She was tired after more than two years of pain, punctuated Wednesday when her son's killer, Aaron Hernandez, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Odin Lloyd was her first born, her only son. "Odin was the backbone of the family. Odin was the man of the house. Odin was his sisters' keeper," Ward told Judge Susan Garsh, before Garsh sentenced the former pro-football player. Lloyd was 27-years-old and working for a landscaping firm when he was killed in June 2013. He played football for the Boston Bandits, the oldest semi-pro team in Boston and the winner of four championships in the New England Football League, according to the team's website. His mother, sister, uncle and cousin described him as a champion of family, a gifted athlete and a hard worker with a sense of humor. They said he rode his bike several miles to get to work. He went to all of his niece's recitals. "Odin was my first best gift I (will) ever receive," his mother said. "I thank God (for) every second and every day of my son's life that I spent with him. "The day I laid my son Odin to rest," she continued, pausing to maintain her composure, "I think my heart stopped beating for a moment. I felt like I wanted to go into that hole with my son, Odin." She can still hear him talking to her: "'Ma, did you cook? Ma, go to bed. Ma, you're so beautiful.'" Ed Lloyd followed Ward to address the judge. Odin Lloyd's uncle thanked everyone who worked on the case against Hernandez. His nephew, he said, "meant a lot to me." "To see how he grew, the respect he had, the toughest thing for me is that I won't get to see him have a child...," Ed Lloyd said. He loved watching his nephew and his son together. "A lot of people won't see from the outside the value and the riches (Odin Lloyd) had," he said. "I'm sorry for where I stand today but I know that all the time I had with him was special and he'll always be with me." Who was Odin Lloyd? Odin Lloyd's sister Olivia Thibou wept as she explained what it has felt like to lose her brother. "These last couple years have been the hardest of our lives," she said, recalling that she was asked to writer her brother's eulogy. "I got to write all the great memories I have of him." She laughed, recalling his insistence on wearing the same Adidas flip-flops until the soles wore away. He was "prideful," she said. He would take her car out and just when she was starting to angry, he'd pull in with the car shining and clean, inside and out. He taught her daughter how to ride a bike. His murder, she said, "feels like a bad dream." Ward told the court that she constantly thinks about her son. "I miss my baby boy Odin so much," she said. "But I know I'm going to see him again someday and that has given me the strength to go on." She has also apparently gained strength from the act of forgiveness. "I forgive the hands of the people that had a hand in my son's murder," she said. "I pray and hope that someday everyone out there will forgive them also." What's next for Aaron Hernandez?

Ursula Ward talks about the shock and pain of her son's murder . Odin Lloyd's sister said her brother's death has felt like 'a bad dream'

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Garissa, Kenya (CNN)The desks of the small Madrassa are empty. Its 573 students, all male, are staying home after Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced three days of national mourning following last week's deadly attack at a nearby university. Only a few kilometers away, 147 people -- mostly students -- were brutally massacred when Al-Shabaab militants invaded the campus in Garissa, a town in northeastern Kenya. We've come to this particular Islamic religious school because the man suspected by Kenyan authorities of being the "mastermind" behind the atrocity -- Mohamed Mohamud -- once taught here. "He was someone who was very quiet, he didn't like too much talk," recalls Sheikh Khalif Abdi Hussein, the principal at the Madrassa. He says he also taught with Mohamud for two years. "When he left the Madrassa, he joined Al-Shabaab. But before, he was normal, just like me and other people." What worries authorities here is exactly that -- Mohamud was Kenyan. But now, say officials, Mohamud is in command of an Al-Shabaab militia based near Kenya's long, porous border with Somalia -- about 118 miles (190km) from Garissa -- who are believed to be responsible for numerous cross-border attacks into Kenya. The Islamist militant group, who are allied with al Qaeda, have been waging a bloody campaign for control of Somalia. With Kenyan troops part of an African Union force deployed in support of Somalia's United Nations-supported government, Kenya has now become a target. Last year, an attack by Al-Shabaab on a shopping center in the country's capital, Nairobi, claimed the lives of 68 people. Now Mohamud stands accused of being behind Thursday's attack -- the deadliest attack in the nation since al Qaeda killed more than 200 people at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1998. But Mohamud is not Kenya's only homegrown terrorist. The Kenyan Interior Ministry has said at least one of the four gunmen who carried out the attack on the university was also Kenyan. Abdirahim Abdullahi was in his 20s and the son of a government chief. His father says he lost contact with his son in 2013, shortly after he left university. The Kenyan government is concerned that Al-Shabaab is recruiting disaffected youth from inside the country. "Our task of countering terrorism has been made all the more difficult by the fact that the planners and financiers of this brutality are deeply embedded in our communities," President Kenyatta said during an address to the nation in the aftermath of the massacre. Meanwhile, Sheikh Khalif insists his Madrassa has nothing to do with Mohamud's extreme, violent ideas. "This man is a dangerous man, a killer, a criminal," he says. But he was also once a neighbor. And so Kenyans must now look within to tackle this very real threat to the country's -- and the region's -- stability.

The attack at a Garissa university last week killed 147 people, mostly students . Mohamed Mohamud taught at a Madrassa in the Kenyan town . Authorities fear the rise of homegrown terrorists in the African country .

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(CNN)A fourth man has been indicted in connection with a plot to provide material support to terrorists and for some of the men to join ISIS, according to an indictment from Brooklyn Federal Court released Monday. Dilkhayot Kasimov was added to a superseding indictment in which three previously arrested men -- Abdurasul Hasanovich Juraboev, Akhror Saidakhmetov, and Abror Habibov -- were charged with two counts of providing support to a foreign terrorist organization. Those three have pleaded not guilty. It is unclear if Kasimov has been arrested. The indictment and a criminal complaint filed last month say Juraboev and Saidakhmetov planned to join ISIS and had purchased airline tickets to Turkey. Saidakhmetov has also been charged with travel document fraud after telling authorities he intended to travel for entertainment purposes, according to the indictment. He and Habibov were charged with conspiracy to use a firearm to commit a crime. The names: Who has been recruited to ISIS from the West . Habibov is a 30-year-old Uzbekistani citizen, who police say "helped organize and finance" the operation. He was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida. Court documents say Habibov operates mall kiosks that sell kitchenware and repair mobile phones. He has locations in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Habibov was in the United States legally, but overstayed his visa, according to police. Saidakhmetov, 19, lives in Brooklyn with Juraboev, his roommate. They are permanent residents of the United States. Court documents say Saidakhmetov, a citizen of Kazakhstan, worked at Habibov's mall kiosks in three different states in the fall and winter of 2014. Saidakhmetov was arrested last month at John F. Kennedy International Airport while attempting to catch a flight to Turkey, authorities said. The Brooklyn travel agent who booked his ticket said Saidakhmetov came into the agency, wanting to buy a round-trip ticket to Istanbul. Saidakhmetov said he couldn't afford a direct flight, which would have cost $900, so the travel agent booked him a trip connecting in Kiev, Ukraine, for $571. Saidakhmetov purchased the tickets using a New York state ID, the travel agent said. Court documents say Saidakhmetov once posted some comments on video of ISIS executing Iraqi forces. "Allahu akbar (God is great). I was very happy after reading this, my eyes joyful so much victory." The criminal complaint says he told a confidential informant that he wanted to travel to Syria to wage jihad, "but that his mother had feared that he would do so and took his passport so that he could not travel." Saidakhmetov called his mother in February and asked for his passport, according to the criminal complaint. "When asked where he wanted to go, Saidakhmetov responded that, if a person has a chance to join Islamic State and does not go there, on judgment day he will be asked why, and that it is a sin to live in the land of infidels," the complaint says. "After Saidakhmetov continued to ask for his passport, his mother hung up the phone." Saidakhmetov told the informant he would try to get his passport back by telling his mom he was traveling to Uzbekistan to visit relatives. When the informant suggested it might be better to take a direct flight to Turkey, Saidakhmetov responded, "America is catching, they are very strict now. ... it is better to fool them by flying here and flying there." There were other recorded conversations. In one from November, Saidakhmetov told Juraboev that he wanted to join the U.S. military so he could share information with ISIS. At the very least, he said, "he could always open fire on American soldiers and kill as many of them as possible," according to the complaint. In another recorded conversation in January, Saidakhmetov told the informant that if he couldn't get travel documents to go to Syria, "I will just go and buy a machine gun, AK-47, go out and shoot all police." Later, according to the complaint, he said, "It is legal in America to carry a gun. We will go and purchase one handgun ... then go and shoot one police officer. Boom. ... Then, we will take his gun, bullets and bulletproof vest ... then, we will do the same with a couple of others. Then we will go to the FBI headquarters, kill the FBI people." Before his arrest at his Brooklyn home, Juraboev was scheduled to hop a flight to Turkey, the criminal complaint said. He worked at the Gyro King restaurant in Brooklyn and had asked for the weekend off so he could travel. Zak Kahn, owner of Gyro King, said Juraboev was quiet and not given to discussing politics. "I never heard him -- not even a single sentence -- (talk) about politics, about jihad, about army, about military or force. ... What happened to him? He seemed to be a very peaceful person." In August, court documents say, Juraboev was active on an Uzbek-language website that promoted ISIS. "Greetings! We too wanted to pledge our allegiance and commit ourselves while not present there," Juraboev, a citizen of Uzbekistan, is said to have posted. "I am in USA now but we don't have any arms. But is it possible to commit ourselves as dedicated martyrs anyway while here? What I'm saying is, to shoot Obama and then get shot ourselves, will it do? That will strike fear in the hearts of infidels." The post earned Juraboev a visit from federal agents several days later. Juraboev admitted that he'd posted the message and that he believed in the ISIS agenda. He also said "that he would harm Obama if he had the opportunity to do so, but currently does not have the means or an imminent plan to do so," the complaint says. CNN's Ed Payne, Catherine Shoichet, Ray Sanchez, Rob Freshe, Will Ripley, David Shortell, Julia Talanova, Jason Caroll and Yon Pomrenze contributed to this report.

The revised indictment is released Monday . Dilkhayot Kasimov is charged with two counts of providing support to a foreign terrorist organization . Three other men have also been charged in the plot and pleaded not guilty .

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Cedar Falls, Iowa (CNN)As aides politely tried to rush Ted Cruz from an event in Cedar Falls to one in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, the presidential candidate continued shaking hands with anyone who wanted to meet him. Finally, after the selfies and conversations started to die down, his aides managed to move him closer to the door when a tall, burly man stopped him. "Senator," he said, "can I pray with you real quick?" "Yeah," Cruz said, as he clasped the man's upper arm and the two bowed their heads. It was one of the many moments when Cruz connected with voters on a religious level last week, as the senator from Texas hit the trail in Iowa for the first time as a presidential candidate. Being the only official contender in the race, Cruz drew large crowds during his two-day swing across the state. He's counting on Iowa, known for its vocal and active evangelical base, to propel him forward in what's expected to be a tough competition among a crowded field of GOP candidates. Cruz, himself, displays a pastoral swagger when he is speaking on stage and working a room. The senator regularly avoids using a podium, instead favoring pacing the stage with a wireless microphone, a scene reminiscent of a Sunday morning sermon. When he meets with people after events, he embraces each one's hand with both of his, softens his usually theatric tone and looks people square in the eye -- a familiar interaction between churchgoing Christians and their pastors. The past two winners of Iowa's caucuses rose to victory with support from the Christian right, and Cruz, who announced his bid last month at the well-known Baptist school Liberty University, is aiming to energize that same base and claim the coveted state as his prize. Evangelicals make up a large segment of Iowa's Republican voter bloc. According to a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics poll from January, 44% of likely 2016 Republican caucus-goers said they were born-again or evangelical Christians. Cruz has built a brand as a stalwart conservative willing to buck GOP leadership on fiscal issues, but he showed in Iowa last week that he's also eager to champion social issues at a time when many Republicans are anxious to avoid them. He was one of the loudest defenders of the religious freedom law in Indiana, which came under fire last week for what critics called paving a path to discrimination against gays and lesbians. He described the outrage over the laws as "shameful" and an "assault" on First Amendment rights. "There are a lot of people here in Iowa and across the country whose hearts are breaking, watching what has happened in the last two weeks," Cruz said Friday night at an event in Des Moines. "We have seen a grossly unfair vilification of religious liberty." RELATED: Republican 2016 hopefuls back Indiana's 'religious freedom' law . He's more than comfortable talking about his own faith and telling the story of how his father became a Christian and a pastor. Rafael Cruz, who's become a celebrity among Christian conservatives, will frequently visit Iowa over the next year, Cruz told voters. And Cruz's Iowa director, Bryan English, is a former pastor. Cruz's first television ads are appearing this weekend during programs on Fox News and NBC that are pegged to Easter Sunday. In the ad, Cruz talks about the impact of the "transformative love of Jesus Christ" on his life. While neither Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa in 2008, nor Rick Santorum, who won in 2012, went on to win the nomination, their successes helped launch them into high-profile battles with the then-front-runners. And with both of them likely running again in 2016, the competition will be stiff. That's why, for Cruz, courting evangelicals is only a component of a three-pronged strategy to win the nomination that also includes dominating the tea party faction and competing for the libertarian base. His stump speech hits on elements that appeal to each faction. He received standing ovations last week for calling to abolish the IRS, and, in a knock against the National Security Agency, he frequently tells audiences to leave their cell phones on so President Obama "can hear every word I have to say." Cruz argued Thursday that the Republican Party needs to bridge the gap between what he described as the Ron Paul-Rand Paul faction of the party -- young libertarian-minded voters -- and the Santorum base -- evangelicals. The two blocs, he said, are "not necessarily the best of chums." "If we're going to win, we've got to bring that coalition together," he said in Cedar Falls. "And I think we can do that." Cruz frequently says he wants to see a return of the evangelical vote to 2004 levels, when more than six in 10 evangelicals voted in the presidential election, a higher than normal turnout for the demographic. That number has waned slightly since 2004 -- but it's not too far off from the 56% of the overall population that voted in 2012. Still, his campaign believes that if it can tap into the group of evangelicals who've been staying home and get the demographic as a whole to overperform, then that could mean the difference of millions more at the polls. "If you look at available places for the party to expand the vote, it doesn't exist in the middle, it exists in the evangelical vote," said Rick Tyler, a top Cruz adviser. "It isn't a pond, it's an unfished ocean of available voters who are conservative." Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, said he expects to see record turnout among evangelicals in 2016 no matter who the nominee is or what that person says. Moore points to hot-button topics like religious freedom issues in the U.S., as well as increased attention to the killing of minority Christians in the Middle East and rising anti-Semitism. "I don't think a candidate is going to be able to get very far simply by using evangelical lingo or by pointing to his or her personal faith," Moore said. "I think a candidate is going to have to explain how he or she would protect religious liberty and would appoint justices and judges who will maintain the common good." Later in April, voters in Iowa will see the bulk of the GOP field tackle these issues when they take the stage at an event hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. While the past two winners of the Iowa caucuses -- Santorum and Huckabee -- are likely running for president again, Steve Scheffler, president of the group, argued that the field is wide open in terms of who's going to win favor among evangelicals. Jeb Bush, while not popular among conservative activists, was known for his staunch anti-abortion record as Florida governor and touts his Catholic faith as a big force behind his policy views. Scott Walker is the son of a pastor. Ben Carson, the former neurosurgeon, rose to fame in conservative circles after criticizing the Obama administration at a national prayer breakfast. And other likely candidates -- from Marco Rubio to Rick Perry to Rand Paul -- have made serious efforts to court the religious right. "It's up for grabs. It's a clean slate regardless of if you've run before," Scheffler said. "Naturally those two (Huckabee and Santorum) have the name recognition and database of people who supported them in the past, but by and large voters are going to say, 'Let me take a good look at all of these candidates.'"

Ted Cruz has built a brand as a stalwart conservative on fiscal issues . But he's also eager to champion social issues at a time when many Republicans are eager to avoid them . Cruz says the GOP needs to unite young libertarian-minded voters and evangelicals .

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(CNN)Just about now, North Korea's enigmatic ruler was expected to be preparing to emerge from his fortified country for a visit to Moscow to join celebrations next week marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The trip was highly anticipated. After all, this was to have been Kim's first official international trip since he came to power in 2011 following his father's death, and it would have provided a fascinating opportunity for the world to get a closer look at a young leader and a regime still largely shrouded in mystery. But this week, Russia announced that the trip had been canceled, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Thursday that Moscow was informed via diplomatic channels that the trip would not happen. He said that "the decision is connected with North Korean domestic affairs." What could have changed Kim's mind? It is practically impossible to answer the question with absolute certainty, but a possible explanation is that Kim may not be feeling completely secure in his position. And nervous dictators prefer to stay home. True, Kim runs one of the most brutally repressive regimes on Earth. And there is unceasing public praise for the younger 'Dear Leader," including frenzied eruptions of support. But these eruptions are carefully scripted, and those who have managed to flee the North confirm that in private, many are unhappy with the regime. Perhaps with the potential threats in mind, Kim feels the need to reassert his authority and keep his eye on the centers of power. In 2013, Kim shocked the country and stunned outside observers when he ordered the killing of his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who had stood by his side from the day his father died. Jang had mentored and guided the young Kim as he took the reins, but the once-powerful Jang was arrested by soldiers during a Politburo meeting who dragged him away in a chilling scene broadcast on national television. The central news agency called Jang a "traitor for all the ages," with vague accusations that he had behaved "insolently." More seriously, he was accused of "counter-revolutionary factional acts in a bid to overthrow the leadership." And just this week, and only a day before the Russians announced Kim's canceled travel plans, a South Korea lawmaker revealed that South Korea's National Intelligence Service had pieced together information suggesting that so far this year, Kim has ordered the execution of 15 senior government officials. According to South Korean legislator Shing Kyung-min, North Korea's vice chairman of the State Planning Commission, for example, was executed because he objected to plans to change the design of a new government hall from a rounded shape to one resembling a flower. Such an explanation is bizarre. And in keeping with the odd behavior we have grown accustomed to hearing about from North Korea. But there may be more to this. Kim -- who was still in his 20s when he took power and holds a host of titles, including Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army -- still finds it necessary to remind everyone at home that he is the one in charge. But although there is something almost comical about the explanations offered up by North Korea for the actions of its regime, a nervous, unpredictable, inexperienced leader with access to nuclear weapons is far from a laughing matter. As recently as 2013, North Korea conducted a nuclear test -- the country's third, and it has threatened to use them against South Korea, Japan and the United States. Meanwhile, it has threatened South Korea with "final destruction," said it will turn the country's presidential office into a sea of fire, told Japan it would trigger a nuclear attack if Tokyo followed through on a warning to destroy any North Korean missiles fired in its direction, and declared the United States is seeking a war and that Pyongyang "will be exercising our right to preemptive nuclear attacks." Such rhetoric is itself troubling. But experts have also warned this week that North Korea may have restarted its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, with the Institute for Science and International Security arguing that snow melting patterns in images of the plant suggest new activity at the plant. North Korea has been mostly out of the news in recent months, partly because so many other international crises have pushed it out of the headlines. But that doesn't mean tensions have eased. Just three weeks ago, Pyongyang fired missiles into the sea as U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived on the Korean peninsula. All this suggests that gauging the state of mind of the North Korean leader is no easy task. But if Kim raises the alarm about threats from the outside, we will know he is likely feeling insecure at home and may be trying to boost internal support. That would be a danger sign for the people of North Korea -- and a flashing red light for the rest of the world. Read CNN Opinion's Flipboard magazine.

Russia says Kim Jong Un has canceled trip to Moscow . Frida Ghitis: Gauging Kim's state of mind no easy task .

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(CNN)This is week two of an ongoing series: A Catholic Reads the Bible This week covers the Book of Genesis, chapters 1-11. A week ago, I was worried I wouldn't have anything to write about. Now, I don't even know where to begin. The first step was choosing a Bible. I went with the version that I received for winning the religion award at Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington, Vermont. As I mentioned in the first installment of this series, I'm a lifelong Catholic who finally plans to read the Bible from cover to cover. The Bible I'm reading is "The Deluxe Catholic Bible," published in 1986 by World Bible Publishing. After four days of reading this week, my journal is full of observations and ideas. With my crazy schedule, I found that reading at night was a perfect way to unwind and reflect. And as I started reading, I didn't want to stop. In order to fully process Scripture, I need to slow down and read the footnotes. Footnotes are my friend. First of all, Genesis starts with two separate creation narratives. How did I not know this? The first chapter is the seven days story with God creating the Earth. In the second chapter the Earth is again created and man is formed out of clay. Talking with a CNN colleague, I mentioned how there seems to be fascination in Genesis with dirt and clay. My colleague pointed out that even Adam's name is a play on the Hebrew word "adama," meaning ground. It struck me that the whole first two chapters have everything to do with the Earth and man's place in it, a struggle that we can relate to even now. From the creation of the Garden of Eden to the fall and the banishment, the bounty of the land and the access to it seems to be the area of highest concern. My greatest surprise, though, came when I read about Seth. Seth? Who? I started asking people if they had remembered the story of Seth. My unscientific poll of friends is that 9 out 10 people I asked had no idea who he was. Turns out, Seth is the forgotten son of Adam and Eve who is born after Cain kills Abel. Adam fathered Seth at 130 years old. Yes, we are getting into the part of the Bible with fantastical life spans that allow for the transition from the stories of Adam to Abraham. (Again, thank you footnotes). Unfortunately, we don't learn much more about Seth. When he is mentioned, it's about his descendants. But, because this was my first biblical surprise, I will never forget him. Thank you, Seth. As a woman, though I was waiting to read more about the role of women. Did you know that Eve is the first person named in the Bible? (I expected Adam, but he is called "man" in the first references.) Moving on, we have these tales about the "sons of heaven" seeing Earth's beautiful women and taking them as wives. Um? What? I had never heard that one before. I had to read that passage a few times and, again, the footnotes helped. They say the story is an inclusion from mythology. But why? My first hunch is that it might have been a way to take a story that everyone knew at the time and make it part of a new narrative. Familiarity would lead to followers. Of course, many Christians don't cite the "sons of heaven" today because it would take too much time to explain. Maybe that's why I don't ever recall hearing this passage read at Mass. With that in mind, I read about Noah, descendent of Seth, with a different perspective, too. I have never believed there was an ark. I never thought that God dictated the dimensions of the boat to save the animals two by two. It is a story told to make you realize the power of God. The explanation for the flood is that man had become more and more wicked, but I didn't expect, though, that God would "regret" creating man. Ouch! It really makes the reader want to stay on God's good side. This "wickedness" of mankind and the "regret" from God sounds as if God made a mistake and decides to fix it, to start over, in essence. "Never again will I doom the Earth because of man, since the desires of man are evil from the start. ..." That phrase reminded me of my dad's favorite saying, "To err is human but to forgive is divine," which comes from a Pope, but not a Catholic holy man. But enough about that, I have to get back to reading.

Laura Bernardini, a lifelong Catholic, has decided to finally read the Bible from cover to cover. This is week two . Some surprises: Two creation stories, Seth, and what on Earth are the "men of heaven"?

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(CNN)For superhero fans, the cup runneth over. Most of us know the members of the Avengers by now: Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and the rest, and the fact that a few more like Quicksilver are joining the cast in the "Avengers: Age of Ultron" sequel. But there was one character who remained a mystery: the Vision, to be played by Paul Bettany. Thus far, we've only seen his eyes in a trailer. With less than a month to go before the movie hits theaters, Marvel Studios put all the speculation to rest with a poster featuring Bettany as the heroic android, who was a member of the superhero group for many years in the comics. Meanwhile, as many Marvel fans know, Thursday was the eve of the new Netflix series "Daredevil," and after a photoshopped first look at Charlie Cox's iconic red Daredevil suit went out, Marvel put out a video of the real one. Not to be outdone, director Bryan Singer announced a new character for next year's sequel "X-Men: Apocalypse," by telling Empire magazine that Ben Hardy would be playing the role of the winged mutant Angel. He even had a photo to share. And Thursday's new super images weren't quite done, because the questions over how Jamie Bell's rocky character The Thing in the rebooted "Fantastic Four" movie (out August 7) might look were also finally answered. And he looks ... pretty much like The Thing we already knew (but reportedly, CGI this time). Within 24 hours, we got yet another indication that the superhero trend isn't going anywhere anytime soon (and we didn't even talk about the new photo of Ryan Reynolds' "Deadpool").

Marvel Studios releases first looks at Paul Bettany as the Vision in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and Charlie Cox in full "Daredevil" costume . Jamie Bell's character of The Thing was also unveiled for 20th Century Fox's Marvel-based reboot of "Fantastic Four" Bryan Singer unveiled the first look at "X-Men: Apocalypse" Angel played by Ben Hardy .

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(CNN)Desperate migrants from Africa and the Middle East keep heading to Europe, with 978 rescued Friday in the Mediterranean Sea, the Italian Coast Guard said Saturday via Twitter. The migrants were picked up 30 miles off the coast of Libya, said European Parliament member Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy's far-right Northern League. In the first three months of 2015, Italy registered more than 10,000 migrants arriving, the International Organization for Migration said, and about 2,000 were rescued at sea during the first weekend of April in the Channel of Sicily. Most migrants recorded this year come from countries in West Africa as well as Somalia and Syria, the IMO said. They use Libya as a country of transit. At least 480 migrants have died while crossing the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, often because of bad weather and overcrowded vessels used by smugglers, the IMO said. Sometimes the captains and crews abandon the ships, leaving passengers to fend for themselves. At this time last year, there were fewer than 50 deaths reported, the IMO said. Most of the migrants are asylum seekers, victims of trafficking or violence, unaccompanied children and pregnant women.

The migrants were picked up 30 miles off the coast of Libya, an Italian leader says . At least 480 migrants have died while crossing the Mediterranean this year .

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(The Hollywood Reporter)The author of a 2006 novel has accused the "Avengers" director and "Cabin" director Drew Goddard of stealing his idea. With just weeks until his box-office victory lap for "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Joss Whedon is now facing a lawsuit accusing him of stealing the idea for the 2012 meta-horror movie The Cabin in the Woods. Whedon produced and co-wrote the script for Cabin with director Drew Goddard, a writer on Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and a fanboy favorite in his own right, with credits that include Netflix's "Daredevil" (and reportedly may soon include Sony's upcoming Spider-Man projects). Whedon and Goddard are named as defendants, along with Lionsgate and Whedon's Mutant Enemy production company, in the complaint filed Monday in California federal court. Joss Whedon Slams 'Jurassic World' Clip as "'70s-Era Sexist" In the complaint, Peter Gallagher (no, not that Peter Gallagher) claims Whedon and Goddard took the idea for "The Cabin in the Woods" from his 2006 novel "The Little White Trip: A Night In the Pines." He's suing for copyright infringement and wants $10 million in damages. Gallagher is basing his claim on the works' similar premises: Both feature a group of young people terrorized by monsters while staying at a cabin in what is revealed to be (spoiler alert) a horror-film scenario designed by mysterious operators. Read the full complaint. Gallagher also alleges similarities between the characters' names and personalities -- his book's blond Julie and shy Dura and the film's Jules (Anna Hutchison) and Dana (Kristen Connolly), and handsome and scatterbrained men in both works -- and certain scenes involving the characters finding strange items in their respective cabins and discovering hidden cameras. 'Age of Ultron': Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch Are "Massively Important," Says Joss Whedon (Video) In the complaint, Gallagher describes how he self-published the novel and "began grassroots efforts" to sell it on the Venice Beach boardwalk and on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. "[The defendants] currently reside and operate out of Santa Monica, California, a short distance from where the Book was sold," the lawsuit claims. Gallagher alleges that he "was contacted by multiple credited entertainment industry producers who expressed interest in the Book," but he doesn't specify Lionsgate or Mutant Enemy. A Lionsgate spokesman declined to comment. The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to representatives for Whedon and Goddard. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

An author says "Avengers" director Joss Whedon and "Cabin" director Drew Goddard stole his idea . Peter Gallagher alleges similarities to his "The Little White Trip: A Night In the Pines" from 2006 .

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