Datasets:

AyoubChLin

/

CNN_News_Articles_2011-2022

like 6

Caccamo, Sicily (CNN)Giorgio Scimeca was only 19 years old when the Sicilian mafia gunned down his cousin.More than 25 years later, Scimeca says he will always remember the smell of blood. "He was running for mayor of our town. I heard the sound of the ambulance but when I arrived on the scene he was already dead," Scimeca told CNN.Back then, even the ambition of running for public office in a small town like Caccamo, 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Sicilian capital Palermo, was risky business, as the mob would go to extreme lengths to assert its control over the Italian island, killing judges, policemen and even businesspeople who couldn't be bought.Caccamo, like many Sicilian towns, had a longstanding history with the mob. Now, Scimeca is among thousands of Sicilians fighting back by refusing to pay the "pizzo" -- protection money upon which the Cosa Nostra's empire was traditionally built. Read More"It all started when I opened a bar with my sister and brother," Scimeca remembers. "This guy I knew came in asking to borrow money. Then he would ask to borrow my car -- perhaps to move drugs around -- and before you know it he's knocking at your door in the middle of the night with stolen goods." "They pretend they are a friend. Then they try and trap you and make you complicit," he adds.Giorgio Scimeca says he won't pay protection money to the Sicilian mafia. Scimeca refused to pay. Instead he called the police -- a risky strategy that nearly cost him his livelihood.At first, locals shunned his bar, fearing the mob's revenge. Then an organization called Addiopizzo stepped in.Taking a standAddiopizzo, which means "Goodbye to the racket," is a grassroots movement founded by a group of friends who were keen to start their own businesses -- but not so keen on sharing their spoils. "Until recently, talking about the pizzo used to be taboo," says Addiopizzo's co-founder, 40-year-old lawyer Salvatore Caradonna. "But now people are openly questioning such extortion."A shop in central Palermo that's set to open soon has posted messages in various languages saying that the owner has no intention to pay mafia protection money.Based in a property seized from a mafia don, Addiopizzo provides legal, moral and social support to those brave enough to report extortionists to the police -- a move that previously could have seen a shop burned down and its owner shunned or even physically harmed.Related: He goes after the mob; now he's the targetWith the help of a million euros (about $1.18 million) from the European Union, the group has been able to invest in rebuilding deprived communities with high unemployment rates, previously a fertile recruitment ground for the mafia.Addiopizzo's network now includes over 1,000 of Palermo's 80,000 businesses as members, each proudly displaying a logo reading: "I pay those who don't pay" in their windows. With around 13,000 customers, those shops have found that courage can offer the bonus of attracting a loyal, socially-conscious clientele.Since signing up to the Addiopizzo network, many stores have reported a rise in sales and a drop in mob visits -- a trend confirmed by Palermo's Chief Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi.Palermo business owners Valeria Di Leo and Fabio Messina were the first shop owners to join the Addiopizzo group. "When Cosa Nostra members are aware of the possibility that one of their victims can report them to the police, it keeps them away from even asking for the pizzo," Lo Voi told CNN."It's a help for us because the fight against the mafia can't be done only by judicial or law enforcement agencies -- it must come from the whole population too," he said. Such resistance hasn't gone unnoticed among the mob's higher echelons.The head of one of Palermo's most feared clans was heard complaining about Addiopizzo on a wiretap set up while he was in jail, saying that the organization was ruining the prospects for young recruits, while mafia wives and girlfriends have had to take pay cuts, according to authorities. The mafia has diversified into alternative sources of income -- from drug running to money laundering -- but the drop in protection money is making a dent in Italian organized crime's financial empire, which is estimated to generate around 100 billion euros ($118 billion) in profits per year, according to a 2012 report by the Italian business association Confesercenti.And it's not just the mafia's business model that the people of Palermo are turning on its head.'Crooked cap'In his 50 years as an entrepreneur in Palermo, Guido Agnello has never paid the mafia, despite repeated demands and threats. Yet, ironically, he now makes his money from selling one of their iconic symbols -- the coppola, or flat cap. "I called my business 'La coppola storta' -- or the crooked cap -- to shine a light on their crooked ways," he says. "After all, they have been threatening my family since before I was born."Salvatore Giuliano, a notorious Sicilian mobster. Agnello's uncle was kidnapped by Salvatore Giuliano -- one of the fiercest mobsters of his time -- and was only released several months after his family handed over substantial land holdings, jewels and cash. "One day you would arrive at work and notice the padlock on your shop has been glued shut. That would be a first sign," he explains. "Then the threatening letters come through the door," including one that his uncle received -- a poisoned note signed with a skull and cross."I even had a mobster come all the way from America when I wouldn't pay locally. He strong-armed me all around town, publicly," Agnello says.Although nowadays the mafia gives people like Agnello and Scimeca more room to breathe, some still feel they are never really safe. "The mafia never forgets," Scimeca said. "But for Sicilians like me, if more of us continue to speak out and take a stand against their ways, the safer we will be."CNN's Milena Veselinovic contributed to this article.

3news

Gene Seymour is a film critic who has written about music, movies and culture for The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter @GeneSeymour. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN)Doris Mary Ann Kapplehoff of Cincinnati, Ohio, always insisted she was never as wholesome and pristine as her show biz alter ego Doris Day was made out to be in the movies. Day died Monday at 97.In the 1976 memoir she wrote with help from A.E. Hotchner shortly after semi-retiring from acting, Day described that image as caustically as any jaundiced critic of her mid-20th century romantic comedies: "Miss Chastity Belt," "America's la-di-da happy virgin." Reading such self-imposed sarcasm made you wonder whether Day sort of agreed with Esquire Magazine's combatively contrarian film critic Dwight Macdonald, when in 1962, at the peak of Day's box-office marketability in such romantic comedies of the era as "Lover Come Back" (1961), "That Touch of Mink" (1962), "The Thrill of It All" (1963) and "Send Me No Flowers" (1964), he wrote Day's popularity off as being a triumph of "the healthy antiseptic Good Looks and the Good Sport personality that the American middle class -- that is, practically everybody -- admires as a matter of duty."JUST WATCHEDDoris Day dies at 97ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDoris Day dies at 97 03:11But Doris Day lived long enough to ensure that those wouldn't be the final words on those movies or, for that matter, on a complex life and a fierce devotion to the cause of animal rights. Read MoreFor example: What was largely forgotten during Day's "America's Virgin" heyday was that she started out in the late 1930s as a big band singer whose rich tones and sharp diction were inspired by Ella Fitzgerald. Though lacking Fitzgerald's improvisational resources and Frank Sinatra's emotional palette, Day's vocals hold up pretty well today. She achieved widespread popularity with such pop records as "Sentimental Journey" (1945), "Secret Love" (1953) and, of course, "Que Sera Sera" (1956); those last two hits breaking out of the movies that spawned them: "Calamity Jane" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much."What's also forgotten is that before the surprise 1959 hit "Pillow Talk," the first in a series of saucy Technicolor farces she did with Rock Hudson, Day showed a sauciness of her own that was decidedly non-virginal. One thinks mostly of "The Pajama Game" (1957) in which she appeared with strapping John Raitt wearing the top half of men's pajamas (he's wearing the bottom half). As her big-screen popularity grew throughout the 1950s, Day became as much a brand name for golden-haired sexual mystique as Marilyn Monroe. But in an incisive and lyrical appreciation of Day's life and work, John Updike observed that her "star quality" was nothing more or less than "an emanation of superabundant nervous energy and that sexiness, in another setting would be another emanation." Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesActress Doris Day, one of the biggest box-office stars in Hollywood history, died Monday, May 13, at the age of 97.Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDoris Day was born in Cincinnati on April 3, 1922. Her birth name was Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff. Her parents were William and Alma. William was a music teacher.Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay at the age of 4.Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay, who gained reputation as a dancer at an early age, poses for a 1937 photo with dancing partner Jerry Doherty. In October of that year, Day seriously injured her right leg in a car accident and decided to concentrate on her singing career.Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay became a performer on local radio and then joined a swing band. The bandleader feared that her last name was too long for a marquee, so he dubbed her Doris Day after a song of hers, "Day After Day." In 1947, she signed a contract with Columbia Records.Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay made her film debut in 1948's "Romance on the High Seas."Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay dances with Gene Nelson on the set of the 1950 film "Tea for Two."Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay performs in a scene from 1951's "Lullaby of Broadway."Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay with her third husband and manager, Martin Melcher, outside his talent agency in Hollywood. Melcher died unexpectedly in 1968, leaving Day in financial straits.Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesRonald Reagan holds Day in the 1952 film "The Winning Team." Reagan and Day briefly dated before she married Melcher in 1951.Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay sits on a fence with her son, Terry, in front of their home. Terry was her only child.Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesFrom left, Day, Jimmy Stewart and Richard Wattis star in the 1956 film "The Man Who Knew Too Much." In that movie, Day sang "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)." The song reached No. 2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart, and it sold millions of copies. It also won an Oscar for songwriters Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesFrom left, Buddy Adler, Day and Tony Curtis pose after the 1958 Golden Globes.Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay and Rock Hudson in a scene from the 1959 film "Pillow Talk."Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay signs her name in wet cement next to her handprints in Hollywood. In 1960, Day received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for music and one for film.Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesBaseball stars Roger Maris, left, and Mickey Mantle talk with Day on the set of "That Touch of Mink" in 1961.Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay poses during a scene from the 1962 film "Billy Rose's Jumbo."Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesIn 1965, young women from around the world competed in the International Doris-for-a-Day Look Alike contest. Day is third from left here with the top five finishers.Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay is dressed in a mermaid suit from the film "The Glass Bottom Boat" in 1966.Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay reads a bedtime story during a scene from "The Doris Day Show" in 1969. Day starred in the TV sitcom from 1968-1973.Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesIn 1976, Day released her autobiography "Doris Day: Her Own Story."Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay and her fourth husband, Barry Comden pose for a photo. The couple married in 1976 and divorced in 1981. Comden was her last husband.Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: Doris Day: Her life in picturesDay and Clint Eastwood attend the Golden Globes in 1989.Hide Caption 23 of 23Indeed, "energy" would be the quality more than any other that sums up Day's essence, on-screen and off. The vivacity and timing she brought to her acting and singing seemed so effortlessly achieved that it was easy for the public to underrate her, though Sinatra, Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon and other Hollywood peers did not. Away from soundstages and recording studios, Day was guarded and self-protective, though there was much about her private life that was known to the public -- and known to be hard. She had four difficult marriages, the third to film producer Martin Melcher, who upon his death in 1968 left her deeply in debt, forcing her to work in an eponymous sitcom he'd committed her to without consulting her. Through such travails, however, Day maintained a strong spiritual drive, steeped in large part in the tenets of Christian Science. She was as loyal to her friends as to her faith and her causes. Her co-star and close friend Rock Hudson agreed to help promote her cable talk show, "Doris Day's Best Friends" in 1985, though he had by then been showing the physical effects of the HIV virus. (He died of AIDS that same year. )Follow CNN OpinionJoin us on Twitter and FacebookUpdike had it right when he described Day as "a purist, but no puritan." Even as her public appearances diminished, she came across in interviews as warm, amiable and relaxed. As with other aspects of her life, such conversations well into her 90s couldn't have been as easy as she made them look. But she even charmed generations unfamiliar with her records and movies.Oh, and about those movies? They hold up pretty well, too. Slick, well-crafted and funny, even with their dated mores and fashion statements. They're so good that they sometimes make you wish Doris Day had the chance to assume even more challenging on-screen roles given all the time she was granted. What she leaves behind turns out to be more than enough.

3news

Story highlightsBook shows Stasi images including surveillance techniques, house searches and staged arrestsStasi was East Germany's notorious secret service, that employed at least 80,000 full-time agentsImages document training that prospective agents underwent, including shadowing a subjectThe sometimes ludicrous disguises and complex surveillance techniques used by East Germany's Stasi secret police to psychologically brutalize the population have been revealed, more than two decades after the fall of the Iron Curtain.From 1950 onwards, the Stasi infiltrated almost every aspect of society and by the mid-1980s, a vast network of unofficial informants and full-time employees had been created. Some spouses spied on their partners, as did neighbors and friends. The ratio of 80,000 full-time agents to the 16 million people in the GDR was higher even than in Soviet Russia. Defying the KGB: How a forgotten movement freed a peopleAfter the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and Germany's reunification the following year, most of the Stasi archives were opened to the public. Citizens can request their Stasi files from the BStU, revealing the meticulous surveillance they had been subjected to during the Cold War era. Now the extent to which East Germans were being watched is documented in a new book by Simon Menner."People are fascinated by surveillance and secret services, but the public has little access to picture material showing the act of surveillance," the Berlin-based artist told CNN. Watch: East Germany's spying systemIn his book "Top Secret: Images from the Stasi Archives," Menner includes images that show the creative guises of Stasi personnel. "Most people would probably laugh seeing these pictures now. They look almost ridiculous," he said, "but they show a dark chapter of German history."For more than two years, Menner, 35, went through thousands of images and documents at the archive of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives of the former German Democratic Republic (BStU). "These images offer a glimpse into another world, an extinct culture, but it was a brutal system that showed no sympathy for its people," he said. "The fact that Stasi spies had to try to look like ordinary people just shows that they had completely lost the connection to their citizens."The aliases of people that spied on them are also in the files and on request the real names can be uncovered. Last month Peer Steinbrück, who is running against Angela Merkel in the race to be Germany's next chancellor released his Stasi file online, revealing that on his visits to the GDR a relative reportedly spied on him.According to Menner, thousands of bags of Stasi images and documents are yet to be archived. "I have just scratched the surface and many secrets remain unknown."

3news

(CNN)Jose Mourinho may have a striker crisis on his hands at Tottenham Hotspur, but in the long run he will turn the north London's club fortunes around, says Benni McCarthy, who played for the Portuguese coach when he managed Porto.Having been appointed manager at Spurs following his dismissal at Manchester United, Mourinho is having to juggle his attacking options following injuries to Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min. Those lack of attacking options were much in evidence on Wednesday as Spurs were beaten 1-0 by RB Leipzig in their Champions League last-16 tie.But former Porto striker McCarthy believes the 'Special One' will "most definitely" win a major trophy again.Speaking to CNN's Zayn Nabbi and the On The Whistle podcast, McCarthy says his former mentor's CV speaks for itself."As crap as people think he was at his time at [Manchester] United, they won the Europa League, they won ... the League Cup so it wasn't all bad. For Man United they still got some silverware," said McCarthy.Read MoreREAD: How Son Heung-Min 'Sonsation' gripped South KoreaMourinho reacts during Spurs' Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig.FalteringMourinho's start to life at Manchester United couldn't have gone better. He won the League Cup and the UEFA Europa League in his debut season, before finishing second in the Premier League in the following season at the helm. But after starting the 2018-19 season with just seven wins in his first 17 Premier League games, Mourinho was sacked a week before Christmas in 2018.McCarthy believes Mourinho's decline at the club was primarily down to egos and ill-discipline from players. "I think the Manchester United players didn't have the discipline at the time to handle Jose's tactics. I don't think he's a bad manager at all," said the 42-year-old McCarthy."How many players that were under Mourinho at Man United are people speaking well of? Not many, not many."Marcus Rashford, good professional, also had his hiccups, but he was never a player Mourinho had problems with.Mourinho substiutes Martial against Southampton."Anthony Martial is ill-disciplined, plays when he wants to. All talent, all the potential to be one of the best in the world, to be one of the best players you can find in modern day football. But he's a player when he's in the mood."But when you have a coach like Jose, that don't fly. It's your job, you must be in the mood every single day."Manchester United did not immediately respond to CNN's request for comment, but in a recent interview with RMC Sport, Martial spoke about the way he was treated by the three-time Premier League winning manager. "It's true that I'd have preferred it if he'd told me directly, there's no need to say it in front of everybody," Martial told RMC Sport."After that, you definitely want to prove him wrong. He didn't start me during the first few games and each time I came on, I scored."In the end, he told me: 'You see, now you understand what I wanted'. It can get to you. You just want to show him you deserve to be on the pitch."Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videosMcCarthy says despite not having the players at United to seriously mount a challenge to win the Premier League, Mourinho was still able to produce big results. "He was one the few managers to beat Pep (Guardiola) at the high-flying Man City football that they play. Unfortunately player power in football is more than the caliber of a manager these days."

5sport

Rome (CNN)Italian police have seized "an arsenal of military weapons," including an air-to-air missile, and a collection of Nazi paraphernalia from three men, one of whom is a former political candidate for an extreme right party.Fabio Del Bergiolo, who ran for the Italian Senate in 2001 as a candidate for the Forza Nuova party, Swiss citizen Alessandro Monti and Fabio Bernardi were arrested on Friday in connection with the arms stockpile. Monti, 42, and Bernardi, 51, were arrested for allegedly possessing and trying to selling a French-made Matra air-to-air missile, while Bergiolo, 60, was arrested for allegedly acting as an intermediary to sell weapons, a Turin police statement said.The stockpile was discovered by police who were investigating Italians "with extremist ideology" who had fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces in Donbass, eastern Ukraine, last July, according to the police statement.Police said the extensive arsenal found in Bergiolo's home included included nine war rifles, a Scorpion war machine gun, seven other guns, three hunting rifles, 20 bayonets, 306 firearm parts and 831 pieces of ammunition. Read MoreThe investigation relied on the help of an arms expert who contacted the suspects about purchasing the Matra missile on behalf of a third party, police said.A cache of guns and ammunition was among the haul seized by police.Throughout the course of the investigation, police used phone and data interception to view photos of the missile, which were exchanged via WhatsApp, they said.The probe brought authorities to the home of Del Bergiolo, where an array of military-grade weapons and illegally held guns were found, according to police.Del Bergiolo's house allegedly also contained Nazi swastikas and references to the Nazi military Waffen-SS unit.Investigations are ongoing to determine how the French-made Matra missile, which appeared to have once belonged to the Qatari armed forces, arrived in Italy.The political party Forza Nuova has denied any current connection with Del Bergiolo."If one of the arrested was a candidate of Forza Nuova way back in 2001 (18 years ago!), we affirm that on the contrary none of the people involved have been militants of Forza Nuova - which has nothing to do with the search this morning," a press officer for Forza Nuova told CNN. Del Bergiolo's lawyer, Fausto Moscatelli told CNN his client is a "weapons enthusiast.""My client is a collector and they sequestered weapons that were in his home. These weapons were not registered, but they were not connected to terrorism," Moscatelli said."There was a misunderstanding with the Nazi paraphernalia, he also had fascist and USSR paraphernalia, but they (the police) only took things with swastikas," he added.Monti and Bernardi's lawyer Alberto Minasi della Rocca told CNN that his clients "present, in a firm, clear and categorical manner, that they have nothing to do with extreme right-wing or ultra-nationalist circles" and are "light years away from that world."This story has been updated to correct the date the suspects were arrested.CNN's Rob Picheta contributed to this report.

3news

(CNN)Before the pandemic, video games were a weekend-only activity in our house, allowed for one hour a day, Saturday and Sunday. It was a compromise that worked for our family. My 7-year-old had a chance to dig in to his favorite games, and we parents felt like we were putting reasonable limits on an activity about which we were somewhat ambivalent. But now he's playing them daily — and I wouldn't have it any other way.In this lonely pandemic world, we still want our kids to get together to play, and they do, too. Unlike us boring grown-ups, they don't get much out of chatting in group texts or through FaceTime (or even those work Zoom meetings). They want to enter collective imagined spaces and discover the elastic possibilities that await. Only there, somewhere deep in the unreal, are they likely to start exploring, creating and, importantly, connecting. Read MoreA teen's guide to managing your parents during a pandemicLike most kids around the world, it's been a long time since my son has been able to battle bad guys, travel to faraway lands or rescue animals with his friends in person. But, thanks to video games, all is not lost.Nearly every day for an hour, he joins his friends online to explore, create and connect in video games like Minecraft and the nonviolent, more adorable Animal Crossing. The video game Animal Crossing enables kids to engage in open-ended play. Characters can fish, catch bugs and fossil hunt.These aren't the prescriptive, goal-oriented games from my youth, in which there were levels and a single objective (think 1980s-era Super Mario Brothers). Instead, they're "sandbox" games, in which players have freedom to roam around extensive worlds, figuring out their own goals and finding their own way.Yes, it's virtual — not "real." Still, these video games remain one of the only ways our kids can learn the kind of social and emotional lessons that they're otherwise missing out on right now. The pandemic is giving us a chance to see the benefits of video gaming. They're significant and something — fear not, son — I won't be forgetting when the world reopens.The benefits of collaborative video gaming"In spite of the stereotype of the socially awkward pale gamer, games are a good way to socially connect," said Rachel Kowert, research psychologist and author of "A Parent's Guide to Video Games: The Essential Guide to Understanding How Video Games Impact Your Child's Physical, Social and Psychological Well-Being."Disengaging from distance learning"In this time of high anxiety and reduced social access ... video games allow us to maintain friendship bonds in a multifaceted way," she explained. "There's collaboration and competition around a shared activity." Research has suggested that friendships — deep human connection — can be created and sustained through online play, Kowert said. Also, it's fun, and fun matters for our overall well-being."As humans we have been playing since the beginning of time. This is an extension of that, through technology," she said.My son recently told me that the most fun thing he gets to do these days is play video games with his friends. I could feel bad that he isn't saying that about some unplugged activity, like, say, building a fort out of twigs he collected in the forest. Or, I could feel good that the relatively small sliver of socialization he still gets brings him great joy. I choose B.Minecraft Dungeons allows for cooperative game play. Kids can form deep connections through gaming.Eduardo A. Caballero is the executive director of Camp EDMO which, among its other offerings, uses gaming to teach social and emotional learning. For the curriculum, the camp teamed up with the University of California, Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center to figure out how to best incorporate character building into gaming, and other STEM activities. My son was recently enrolled in one of Camp EDMO's Minecraft camps, where he learned to respect other people's ideas, and stand up for himself when others weren't respecting his ideas. "If you didn't build it, you can't break it," I overheard his instructor explaining to the group one afternoon, articulating an ethic that easily transfers to the world outside his laptop."We work with platforms that allow kids to be creative, to have a personality, to have feelings and they're great tools for social and emotional learning" Caballero said. "We always ask ourselves: What are we going to try to teach besides technology? What are the lessons that are going to apply to everyday life?"Caballero said he sees kids develop empathy for others, become more considerate of others and find ways to problem solve together.Summer is not completely canceled. Here are 100 things we can do with or without kids.There are a number of studies that conclude that video gaming can bring about more prosocial behaviors among children, especially for those who play collaborative games. One found that gaming can lead to kids having more friends and being more willing to talk to others, and another found that gaming can make kids more inclined to help others. Also, researchers have found that children who were socially engaged while playing video games were more likely to be civically engaged as adults.Jordan Shapiro, author of "The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World," poured through much of this research on whether kids can learn social and emotional skills through video gaming for his book. While he's not satisfied with the quality of most of the studies on the subject, he said he "couldn't find a single good reason why" the socializing that takes place in video games wouldn't either compliment or influence the socializing that takes place outside them.While sheltering in place, Shapiro said video games are serving as his tween children's very important "transitional space," which gives them an opportunity to explore their identities without their parents around. Identity formation is a big part of growing up, and, as research has suggested, can take place in the virtual realm. Games give children a chance to try on different avatars, personalities and even genders, with less severe consequences than the real world. Preschoolers and the pandemic: practical ways to keep them learning"Right now the only space to do that is digital," he said. "Kids need that. They need that kind of socialization, even if you think it can be bad [online] or even if you think it can be better."Shapiro said another benefit to kids finding ways to engage online right now is that they will improve their ability to communicate through a computer. These are skills that will benefit them post-pandemic and far into the future.Comparing a kid with little exposure to technology and his kids right now, Shapiro said his "kids have the capacity to socialize and read social cues online," explaining that there are unique social skills for digital engagement that are best learned through spending time online. "Without any practice with social coding online, you're at a disadvantage."All video games aren't created equalWill every kid benefit from every video game? Of course not. Games like Little Big Planet 3 emphasize collaboration, Mario Kart encourages competition and Minecraft, which has a lot of cooperative possibilities, also allows players to slay zombies with a sword. (Never heard of any of these? Common Sense Media has extensive reviews of video games and breaks them down by age.)Picky eating linked to demanding parents who limit foods, study saysSome games aren't age-appropriate and some will be more interesting to some children than others. Researchers haven't been able to find a clear relationship between playful aggression in video games and aggression in real life. But, like with everything else, children respond differently to different activities, and only a parent can decide whether or not that activity or particular game is beneficial for his or her child. Still, there are ways to try to make online gaming a more socially rich experience for your children.Caballero said to think of it like a playdate."You have to check in on them and ask them questions: Did somebody do something nice? Did you learn something new? Who cooperated well today?" he said, adding that parents might create structure for the get-together. Maybe today they're supposed to go fishing on Animal Crossing. Or perhaps ice skating on Bloxburg?To emphasize communication, run a video chatting software while the kids are playing together, either through a split screen or two devices. Even if their eyes are locked on the game, they can hear each other's directions and reactions and offer emotional support when something goes right or wrong. Bored of lockdown yet? This downtime may have some benefits ... if you do it rightI hear a lot of "That was so awesome, dude!" and similar elementary age-approved affirmations coming from my son when he plays video games with friends or cousins. If your child has never played a particular game before, it might be best to get them familiar with the game first, before they jump in with their friends. Kowert suggests watching videos online of people playing the games before starting them. Also, Shapiro suggested matching your child up with someone who is also exploring the game for the first time, so they don't feel left out or unskilled.For all the parents out there who remain scared of video games and aren't terribly fond of their kids spending more time online, one fix might be to get better acquainted with them. Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team.If your child has no experience, figure them out together. Or, if you've allowed them but out of guilt, shame or lack of interest have previously stayed away, let your child take you on a tour. You'll probably be impressed by their skills and will also get a better sense of how video gaming can meet their particular relationship needs. Including, just maybe, their relationship with you.Kaitlee Venable, an instructor and curriculum writer at Camp EDMO, predicted that any request by a parent to a child to learn a video game will be met with an enthusiastic yes. "I can't imagine any kiddo who would not get excited about showing their parents how to play. They are going to be so excited," she said.Elissa Strauss is a regular contributor to CNN, where she writes about the politics and culture of parenthood. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Glamour, Parents and elsewhere. Follow her on Twitter @elissaavery.

2health

(CNN)There's a lot about Iceland that other countries could envy: Its spectacular natural surroundings, its place among the world's happiest countries, and, now, its large-scale testing for the novel coronavirus, which could influence how the world understands the outbreak. Experts have said comprehensive testing is key to controlling coronavirus, and creating a more accurate picture of the spread of Covid-19. This island-nation of 360,000 is doing just that. As of Tuesday, Iceland had tested more than 17,900 people for the virus -- nearly 5% of its population. And while its National University Hospital tests people who are high-risk or show symptoms, nearly half of Iceland's tests have been conducted by biopharma company deCODE Genetics, focusing on the the wider population. Crucially, deCODE's "screening program accepts everybody who is not showing symptoms and not currently in quarantine," Iceland's Directorate of Health said in a statement, adding that Iceland-based company was doing it on the behalf of the Chief Epidemiologist and the health agency. What have been the main findings?Read MoreDeCODE, a subsidiary of US biotech company Amgen, has so far tested about 9,000 self-selected people."The results of the additional tests performed by deCODE have given an indication that efforts to limit the spread of the virus have been effective so far," the government wrote last week, adding "testing in the general population will continue to elicit a much clearer picture of the actual spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Iceland."Some of the revelations have been stark. Although fewer than 1% of the tests came back positive for the virus, the company's founder Dr. Kári Stefánsson told CNN that around 50% of those who tested positive said they were asymptomatic, confirming multiple studies that show that asymptomatic, or mildly symptomatic, people have played an important role in spreading the virus. "What it means in my mind, is that because we are screening the general population, we are catching people early in the infection before they start showing symptoms," Stefánsson said."Keep in mind that the screening is now randomized, but voluntary so there is some bias in the data," the Directorate of Health said in a statement, adding that a "randomized screening program has started and a blood serum screening for antibodies is planned."UK coronavirus response criticized as people are filmed by drones and stopped while shopping The work has also helped researchers to visualize the spread of the virus. "We can determine the geographic origin of the virus in every single [virus] in Iceland," he said, adding there are specific, minor mutations for the virus that came from Italy, Austria and the UK. "There was one that is specific to the west coast of the United States," he added.Stefánsson wonders whether mutations in the virus are "responsible, in some way, for how differently people respond to it -- some just develop a mild cold, while some people need a respirator," or whether a person's genetics dictates their condition."Or is it a combination of these two?" he asks. His company is in a better position than most to answer that question, as it already has the medical and genotype data of nearly half of Iceland's population. Why has Iceland chosen not to implement a lockdown?Iceland has yet to take many of the draconian measures seen across Europe and Asia of state-wide lockdowns, though the island country has banned gatherings of 20 people or more and closed secondary and tertiary schools. Officials say more restrictive measures haven't been needed because they were better prepared and armed with data to track the virus. "Testing and contact tracing are one of the key reasons why a lockdown has not been considered necessary up to this point," its Directorate of Health said in a statement to CNN. "There is also another reason, no less important, we have pursued a very aggressive policy of quarantine for individuals -- suspected to be at risk of having contracted the virus -- for much longer and at a higher scale than most other countries we are aware of."Related storiesMigrant workers sprayed with disinfectant in Indian stateOil crashes below $20Track the spread of the coronavirusLive updates on the coronavirusIceland began testing its population in early February, weeks before its first coronavirus-related death, Stefánsson said, adding that health officials have aggressively contact-traced and quarantined confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases.Government data shows that there are 1,086 confirmed infections in Iceland and 927 people currently in isolation, while more than 5,000 have left quarantine. "The only reason that we are doing better is that we were even more vigilant," he said. "We took seriously the news of an epidemic starting in China. We didn't shrug our shoulders and say, 'this is not going to be anything remarkable.'"Stefánsson expects the company to test at least 50,000 people -- around 13% of the population -- before the virus has run its course. "It is extraordinarily important to know what the distribution in the society in general is because when you're designing measures to contain the virus," health officials need to know if the virus is running rampant through the community or circulating among clusters, he said. Iceland has not been immune to supply shortages. Stefánsson said there were problems obtaining swabs for the tests, but these have since been rectified. Could they provide a roadmap for other countries?He says Iceland could help countries develop models for the spread of the disease, or to help researchers understand community transmissions. Many have observed that Iceland's small population helps it to helps it to carry out widescale testing, but Stefánsson disagrees. "It's nothing to do with the size of the population, this has to do with how well prepared it was" for the pandemic, he says.He adds that many developed countries have an "amazing collection of talent" who could have "industrialized tests like this a long time ago" but "behaved like nothing was happening." Minali Nigam contributed to this report.

3news

(CNN)Czech voters go to the polls this weekend in an election that pits the country's pro-Russia President against a europhile challenger who has given the incumbent a run for his money that few were expecting.The vote, a second-round runoff between hardline anti-migrant President Milos Zeman, and soft-spoken academic Jiri Drahos, comes as other European countries grapple with populist movements and their future within the EU."This is a vote between moving towards a more modern outlook, which is represented by Drahos, and for staying with views which are still influenced by our communist past, which is represented by Zeman," said Jiri Pehe, director of New York University in Prague."So that's what's at stake here, whether we will manage to make that step beyond the post-communist era, or whether we will remain mentally rooted in it."Who's in the running?Read MoreMilos ZemanMilos Zeman was long-time leader of the center-left Social Democrats, before founding the populist Party of Civic Rights in 2009.The tough-talking 73-year-old Zeman, known for his inflammatory remarks against the EU, immigrants, Islam, the media and urban elites, was Prime Minister from 1998 to 2002 before being elected President in 2013. Zeman has campaigned for closer ties with Russia and China, appealing to "older people, those from small towns and villages, and those who still show some nostalgia for the former communist regime and are afraid of modern trends and globalization," according to Pehe. Zeman, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, is also known for his inflammatory style. "He's always been a provocateur," said Pehe, adding "he's probably openly the most anti-immigration and anti-Muslim top politician in Europe."The Czech Republic is the only EU state to have joined the US in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, though Hungary did block an EU resolution condemning the American decision last year.Jiri Drahos Jiri Drahos and his wife Eva.The 68-year-old Jiri Drahos is a chemist and former head of the prestigious Czech Academy of Sciences, who had no experience in professional politics before he decided to run as an independent in these elections.A centrist, Drahos is pro-EU, pro-NATO, supports the adoption of the euro and sees the Czech Republic's future firmly anchored in the West. "Drahos is the candidate of the young people who are simply, for lack of a better expression, more modern," said Pehe."Zeman tends to be seen as more vulgar, whereas Drahos is more dignified." How much power does the president actually have? The Czech President is a largely ceremonial role, with limited political power. Instead, the President's influence lies in appointing the government and Prime Minister. The current Prime Minister, billionaire businessman Andrej Babis, is a firm ally of Zeman. Babis' populist Ano party won the parliamentary election in October. Europe is breathing a sigh of relief over GermanyLast week Babis' minority government resigned after losing a vote of confidence following allegations he had been defrauding the EU, which he denies. For now, the party continues as acting administrators of governmental affairs. Babis' future largely depends on he next President."Zeman is an ally of Babis who has said he would appoint him as Prime Minister again," said Pehe. "Whereas Drahos has said he's not going to appoint a criminally prosecuted Prime Minister."Who will win? In the first round of voting earlier this month, Zeman polled at 38.6%, ahead of Jiri Drahos on 26.6%.The four other top candidates -- who accounted for 32.5% of the vote -- are now urging voters to back Drahos, so the final outcome is likely to be tight."It's not certain Zeman will be reelected because the views of Czech society is really split 50-50," said Pehe."So I think a lot of it will depend on the turnout, and whether those voters of other candidates in the first round will now back Drahos."

3news

Story highlightsPhil Mickelson misses out on 36-hole low-score record at Phoenix Open Double bogey at last leaves left-hander one shot off equaling record held by Pat Perez and David TomsMickelson four shots clear on 17-under par; Bill Haas second after second round 64Scot Stephen Gallacher leads Dubai Desert Classic after superb 10-under par round of 62 on SaturdayPhil Mickelson continued to dominate the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on Friday, following up a stunning opening round 60 with a six-under par 65 to leave him four shots clear of nearest challenger Bill Haas. After narrowly missing out on becoming only the sixth player on the PGA Tour to shoot a sub-60 round on Thursday, Mickelson had the tour's 36-hole low score record in his sights on Friday, but once again was denied at the last.Read: Mickelson 'crushed' after putt for magical 59 lips outA double bogey at the 18th saw him fall one short of equaling the record of 124 strokes held David Toms (set at the 2011 Colonial Invitational) and Pat Perez (at the Bob Hope Classic in 2009). "Unfortunately, I made a double on the last hole and didn't finish the way I wanted to. But I think it's a good example of what can happen on this course," Mickelson said, PGA Tour reported. "You can make a lot of birdies and eagles, make up a lot of ground, but there's a lot of water and trouble there that if you misstep you can easily make bogeys and double," he added. JUST WATCHED'Lefty' to enter golf's Hall of Fame ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH'Lefty' to enter golf's Hall of Fame 04:06JUST WATCHEDWho was Greg Norman's toughest opponent?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWho was Greg Norman's toughest opponent? 02:17JUST WATCHED2012: A game changer for McIlroy?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCH2012: A game changer for McIlroy? 04:44Several big names will be to looking to chase Mickelson down over the weekend, including Keegan Bradley, who shot a 63 on Friday, and Brandt Snedeker (66). Both men are five shots behind Mickelson on 12-under par, with Argentina's Angel Cabrera, Charlie Wi from Korea and American Brian Gay all one shot further back on 11-under. Mickelson, who is on course for his third success at the event (his last victory coming back in 2005) is wary of the threats and is taking the positives out of two frustrating finishes. Singh shocked by 'drug' claim"You always remember kind of the last hole, the last putt," Mickelson said, PGA Tour reported. "But I think it's very possible that's going to help me because it's got me refocused, that I cannot ease up on a single shot. I've got to be really focused. These guys are going to make a lot of birdies and I've got to get after it and cannot make those kinds of mistakes."Meanwhile at the Dubai Desert Classic, Britain's Stephen Gallacher will take a three-stroke lead into Sunday's final round after completing a stunning 10-under par round of 62 on Saturday. The Scot rounded off a memorable day by holing a 40-yard bunker shot for eagle at the final hole to finish on 21-under par and move a step closer to a first European Tour win since 2004.Gallacher swaps places with overnight leader Richard Sterne from South Africa who fired a third round 66. Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen is two shots further back on 16-under while Lee Westwood, the tournament's highest ranked player, is 12-under after firing a 66 -- his best round of the week so far.

5sport

Story highlightsLee Westwood equals Asian Tour 36-hole record at Thailand Golf ChampionshipWestwood is 20-under par, 11 shots clear of Charl Schwartzel and Michael ThompsonIan Poulter holds a two-shot lead after second round of the Australian MastersWorld number one Luke Donald is six shots off the lead on three-underWorld number three Lee Westwood matched the lowest 36-hole score in Asian Tour history Friday as he carded a second-round 64 to cement his commanding lead at the inaugural Thailand Golf Championship.Westwood continued the sparkling form he displayed in the first round, where he shot a career-best round of 60, to open up an 11-shot advantage at the top of the leaderboard in Bangkok.The 38-year-old is 20-under-par ahead of the third round, with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa and American Michael Thompson his distant challengers."Arguably a better round this morning than yesterday in windy conditions! 64 to add to yesterday's 60," Westwood said via his official Twitter account. "For sure the best I've ever played.-20."The 38-year-old Englishman is bidding for his second win in three tournament starts having claimed the Sun City Challenge earlier this month. Tiger holds no fear for golf's new world orderThree further shots back on six-under is two-time major winner John Daly, ahead of a six-way tie for fifth position.England's Simon Dyson and Miles Tunnicliff, Japan's Kenichi Kuboya, Indian pair Gaganjeet Bhullar and Jeev Milkha Singh and Frenchman Gregory Bourdy are all on five-under.Meanwhile, Englishman Ian Poulter extended his lead at the Australian Masters and moved onto nine-under through two rounds at the Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne.Poulter is two shots ahead of Australian Matthew Giles in second, with Ashley Hall one shot further back in third.The 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy is one of six Australians on five-under, while world No.1 Luke Donald is six shots off the lead on three-under.Donald has enjoyed an historic season, becoming the first player to top the money lists on both the PGA and European Tours and is looking to round of 2011 with another triumph.

5sport

Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN)Update: The Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island were all feared to have been killed in the Russian attack on February 24. On February 28, however, the Ukrainian Navy released a statement saying the troops were "alive and well," but were forced to surrender "due to the lack of ammunition."A Ukrainian soldier on a tiny island in the Black Sea didn't hold back when threatened with bombing by a Russian warship as Moscow continued its assault on Ukrainian territory.According to a purported audio exchange, as the Russians approached Snake Island, also known as Zmiinyi Island, the Russian officer says: "This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship. I suggest you lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and needless casualties. Otherwise, you will be bombed."A Ukrainian soldier responds: "Russian warship, go f*** yourself."Those were the final known words heard from the island.Read MoreAll 13 Ukrainian defenders were killed in a Russian bombardment Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said."All border guards died heroically but did not give up. They will be awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine posthumously," Zelensky said.Snake Island sits about 30 miles (48 kilometers) off the southern tip of the Ukrainian mainland in the northwestern Black Sea. It's about 185 miles (300 kilometers) west of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Russia annexed in 2014.Though it is only about 46 acres (18 hectares) in size, a report last year from the non-partisan Atlantic Council think tank called it "key to Ukraine's maritime territorial claims" in the Black Sea.Highlighting its strategic importance, Zelensky chose it last year as the spot for an interview with Ukrainian media in advance of a summit to try to reverse Russia's annexation of Crimea, the Atlantic Council report said.Zelensky words to interviewers that day proved prophetic."This island, like the rest of our territory, is Ukrainian land, and we will defend it with all our might," he said.

3news

(CNN)The Tokyo 2020 Olympics remain "on track" despite the novel coronavirus outbreak in Asia, a top official said Friday.The virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has infected more than 64,000 people worldwide and claimed 1,383 lives.The current advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that "there's no case for any contingency plans of canceling the Games or moving the Games," according to International Olympic Committee (IOC) member John Coates. Coates added he is confident the Olympics, which are due to begin on July 24, would go forward unhindered."We continue to monitor particularly the Chinese that will be coming here," he said. Read More"The Chinese team are mostly out of China now -- the athletes and officials for training and qualifying events."If they are planning to come, I don't see a problem with them coming from another country other than China."READ: Usain Bolt says he considered coming out of retirement JUST WATCHEDDire situation for frontline medical workers in ChinaReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDire situation for frontline medical workers in China 02:59A number of sporting events in Asia have already been affected by the coronavirus outbreak.The Chinese Grand Prix scheduled for April 19 was postponed this week, and the Hong Kong and Singapore Sevens rugby events, also due to take place in April, have been moved to October.READ: Mohamed Salah and Liverpool to decide whether star participates at Tokyo 2020JUST WATCHEDPatients describe what it's like to contract coronavirus ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPatients describe what it's like to contract coronavirus 02:38The LPGA has also canceled two golf events in Thailand and Singapore that were scheduled to tee off later this month.Coates said that meetings over the past two days had "reinforced our confidence" that the Japanese government is properly addressing the virus, adding that any Chinese athletes or fans coming from China, particularly affected areas, would have to adhere to Japanese government protocols.Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori also said this week that the cancellation or postponement of the Olympics "had not been considered" as an option. CNN's Matt Rivers, Mick Krever and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report

5sport

Story highlightsBombing witness: Terrorist's beard was dripping with sweatMokono hopes to raise awareness about differences between Muslims and terrorists (CNN)On November 13, Bley Bilal Mokono took his son Ryan to the Stade de France for a football match. They did what a lot of people do before a sporting event: stop to use the restroom and get food. It was then that Mokono came face to face with a man who was about to try to bomb the stadium, one of six attacks across Paris that night that killed 130 people.Through a translator, Mokono, a Muslim, recounted the night to CNN's Chris Cuomo. He said when he left the restroom, he saw a man whose beard was dripping with sweat."He was anxious, disturbed, questioning what he was doing."While Ryan was in the restroom, another man rushed by. Mokono thought it was strange, but didn't think much of it, until he saw the first man again. He jostled Mokono's shoulder as he brushed by, and Mokono knew something was wrong. As he bit into his sandwich, the bomb went off just 20 feet away.Mokono was propelled backward but he got up and walked back to the brasserie entrance where he saw the bomber's body.Read More"It was carnage."An injured woman was lying nearby, so Mokono went to help. As he picked her up, a second bomb went off. He managed to bring her to police, and then went back to find Ryan. Mokono describes the search for his son as "painful," saying the longer it took, the harder his heart beat.Mokono cried at the hospital, thinking he did not do enough to stop the terrorists. He said he has a lot of regrets about not intervening, but takes solace in the fact that there was not more destruction. And now he promises to help raise awareness about his fellow Muslims, and their differences from the people who commit acts of terror.JUST WATCHEDSurvivor: I regret not intervening in Paris attacksReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSurvivor: I regret not intervening in Paris attacks 04:56"You cannot conflate a Muslim with someone who has lost their mind, who has lost all sense of meaning in their life."At the end of the interview, Mokono had one request for Cuomo, similar to what Muslims across Paris are asking for."Can I give you a hug?"Watch New Day weekdays at 6am-9am ET. For the latest on New Day click here

3news

Tavares, Florida (CNN)As Mae Hazelton walked along West Main Street in Tavares, Florida, in her Sunday best, painful childhood memories took over her. Now 65, she remembered seeing crosses burning in the distance and drinking from a water fountain with signs that read "colored" and "white only." As she approached the Old Lake County Courthouse, the fear she felt as a girl walking those same streets rushed through her body.The Old Lake County Courthouse stands a the center of the Confederate statue controversy. "I think about the Black men that were beaten there and tortured there," Hazelton said. But she also remembered her grandmother Nellie Virginia Burkes' wise words, "Fight... for what is right."Read MoreHazelton has been in the fight of her life for the past two years.It started in June 2018, when she learned that the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith was scheduled to move from the US Capitol to the Old Lake County Courthouse. That's the same courthouse where in 1949 four young African American men, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, Charles Greenlee and Ernest Thomas -- known as the Groveland Four -- were accused of a crime they didn't commit, tortured and subjected to racially motivated oppression. A tribute to George Floyd rests on the memorial erected for the Groveland Four at the Old Lake County Courthouse. A memorial for the Groveland Four was erected outside the Old Lake County Courthouse last year, when the young men were posthumously pardoned. "The brutality and injustice that these men endured resulted in the wrongful death of Mr. Thomas and Mr. Shepherd, and the unfair incarcerations of Mr. Irvin and Mr. Greenlee," the plaque on the memorial reads.Standing by the memorial, Hazelton said that moving a Confederate statue into a government-owned building known for its racism and oppression against African Americans was just wrong."It's evil and wrong and we shouldn't have it here in our community," Hazelton said. The statue was headed to the County Historical SocietyDetermined to figure out how a Confederate statue with no link to Lake County could be moved into the community without public input, Hazelton and a group of residents formed a nonprofit organization called Lake County Voices of Reason. And they set off on a mission to uncover the truth. Members of the Lake County Voices of Reason discuss their strategy against the plan to move a Confederate statue into their community. They found that in June 2018, Bob Grenier, the curator of the Lake County Historical Society, requested and applied for the Kirby Smith statue to a Florida Department of State committee in Tallahassee. In a video of the meeting available online through the Florida Channel, Grenier said he had been working to bring the statue to Lake County for two years. He said he had the support of all five Lake County Commissioners."I've got emails from them saying 'Go get it Bob. Get the statue, bring it back to Lake County,'" Grenier said from a podium. A year ago, eight mayors, representing 146,165 residents -- or 40% of the population in Lake County -- wrote a letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis opposing the statue's arrival in their county.A Florida county declared itself a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary.' It's not the first to do so "Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith had no connection to Lake County and his (statue's) presence would create a negative and hurtful message in our community," the letter read. Kirby Smith was born in St. Augustine, located in St. Johns County, on May 16, 1824. His statue was moved to National Statuary Hall at the US Capitol in 1922. In 2019 DeSantis officially requested the Kirby Smith statue be replaced by a statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, an African American civil rights activist and educator. During a 2019 Lake County Board of County Commissioners meeting, residents spoke for and against the statue."As a descendent of Confederate veterans and slave owners, the least I can do to atone for the pain my family has caused them is to oppose this statue," Grace Arnold said."These statues only exist in a sick attempt to preserve human slavery," Choice Edwards said.Commission Chair Leslie Campione defended the statue, saying the display would not glorify the man nor the Confederacy."It will describe Smith's military service and will tell about his career as a professor, as a botanist following the Civil War," Campione said. "And his friendship with Dr. Alexander Darnes, who became the first Black doctor in Jacksonville." "Alexander Darnes was Kirby Smith's slave. Period," Hazelton said. She remembered her grandmother's wordsAs news spread of Confederate statues tumbling across the US in the wake of George Floyd's death, Hazelton broke down in tears. But she wasn't defeated. She was ready to keep fighting."I will lay my body across the front of that [courthouse] and they will have to arrest me before they put the statue there," Hazelton said.When asked what made her keep going, Hazelton said it was those wise words from her grandmother."My grandmother was illiterate, but my grandmother said, 'You fight,'" Hazelton said. "She said, 'You fight for what is right or you lay down for what's wrong.'"Mae Hazelton gives a kiss to her grandmother, Nellie Virginia Burkes. A few days after CNN interviewed Hazelton and requested interviews with Campione and Grenier, which were denied, Campione had a change of heart during a public county commissioner meeting."I believe that this entire situation has created really unnecessary strife and division in our community and I know that it's harmed my relationship with some of my friends in the Black community," Campione said last Tuesday.Hazelton was present at the meeting and says the tension in the room was palpable. Finally, Lake County Commissioners announced a plan to ask Florida to find the statue a new home. An American flag on West Main Street in Tavares, Florida. Hazelton says her voice was "sick with emotion" because "African Americans don't prevail a lot in Lake County" and that day, they had won the fight. "We are in an inflection point in this country and it is painful. Commissioner Campione, I heard the pain in your voice this morning. Thank you," Hazelton said from the podium during the public comment period. "But nothing is as painful as staying at a point where you know that's not who we are."Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the first name of Mae Hazelton in a caption.

3news

Story highlightsHorses distinguish between happy and angry human emotions, study says Heart rate increases when looking at negative facial expressions (CNN)A smile can get you a long way with people -- and animals, it turns out.Horses can distinguish between happy and angry facial expressions on humans, a new study has shown for the first time.The 28 horses were shown large color photographs of different facial expressions for 30 seconds, and their reactions monitored as part of the research by psychologists at the UK's University of Sussex. When presented with photographs of angry male faces -- frowning with bared teeth -- the horses' heart rate significantly increased.Importantly, the equines also moved their heads to look at the aggressive photos through their left eye -- a mannerism associated with negative stimuli.Read MoreInformation from the horses' left eye is processed in the brain's right hemisphere -- an area specializing in threatening environments, said researchers.A smiling Queen Elizabeth II, known for her love of horses, grabs the attention of this equine. "What's really interesting about this research is that it shows horses have the ability to read emotions across the species barrier," explained Amy Smith, a doctoral student who co-led the research. "We have known for a long time that horses are a socially sophisticated species, but this is the first time we have seen that they can distinguish between positive and negative human facial expressions."The animals, from stables across Sussex and Surrey in the south of England, also had a much stronger reaction to the angry faces, than the happy ones."Recognizing angry faces may act as a warning system, allowing horses to anticipate negative human behavior such as rough handling," explained Smith.It follows another study by researchers also at Sussex University in August last year, which revealed horses have 17 discrete facial expressions to indicate their mood.That's one more expression than dogs (16) and four more than chimpanzees (13). Cats were found to have 21 expressions, with the "larger facial repertoire largely due to extensive whisker and ear movements" said researchers.Follow @cnnsport Read: Horse Yoga: The philosophy of Doma India Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – A wrangler performs yoga-esque poses atop a horse at the Doma India horse taming school in San Luis, Argentina.Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – According to co-founder of the school, Cristobal Scarpati, the practice is not equine yoga but a series of skills and philosophies passed down by the local indigenous population.Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – Scarpati, pictured here playing with a horse at the school, grew up in San Luis -- a mountain town at the base of the Sierras de Cordoba range.Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – The school was founded by the Scarpati family. Here a young Cristobal and his father Oscar tend to two horses.Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – "I've never done yoga," Cristobal Scarpati told CNN. "But now people tell me a little about it I actually think there are many points of connection."Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – Doma India aims to tame horses that are troublesome, untrusting or insecure. Here, Oscar Scarpati displays his confidence in the school's methods by sitting on the ground as a horse towers above him.Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – In local communities, it was traditionally a way for tribal horse experts to display their union with the animals and show off their skills.Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – According to Cristobal Scarpati, interacting with horses can also have a calming effect on people.Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – He says horses and people all experience similar emotions, such as empathy, affection, respect and solidarity.Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: The philosophy of Doma IndiaThe philosophy of Doma India – The Scarpatis' aim is to connect with horses "on their frequency in the frequency of nature."Hide Caption 10 of 10

5sport

Mickey Hart is a multi-Grammy Award-winning artist and a member of the Grateful Dead. Hart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and named by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles at CNN. (CNN)I bet you've never thought about what it would mean to set aside half the planet for all the creatures that thrived just 200 years ago. To tell you the truth, until recently, neither did I. That's because I live in the forest in Northern California, where deer, wild turkeys, egrets, acorn woodpeckers, and stellar jays surround me every morning, and where I can pound out my own rhythms along with the cacophony of frogs each night.Mickey Hart In places where you can see and hear nature's beauty regularly, it can sometimes be easy to forget -- if only for a moment -- that right now nature's rhythm is dying because we're killing the Earth.Read More And killing the thing you love the most seems like a pretty stupid idea to me. I am hoping to contribute to the solution by participating in the Earth's Call live stream concert in Aspen, Colorado, on May 18. Earth's Call is a new nonprofit that is finding and funding innovative solutions to the climate crisis, and the event is a celebration and call to action.This may be the worst thing to come from Trump's presidency My fascination with the rhythms of our planet — and the universe beyond — goes way back, and exploring them has always been a passion for me in my long, strange musical journey, which began with the Grateful Dead more than five decades ago. It has also led me to the realization of how closely our universal soundscape is tied to nature and its voices. As an artist, I have had no choice but to become a passionate environmentalist and an active preservationist of the natural world. About three years ago, I was lucky to spend a day with Professor E.O. Wilson, who has been called the father of biodiversity. I was already a fan of his Pulitzer Prize-winning work on ants — I even named my CD "Superorganism" after his book. He explained to me that the world's non-human creatures have been in a precipitous decline as the human population has ballooned from less than a billion 200 years ago to the 7.6 billion that occupy our planet today. By 2050, the human population is projected to be 10 billion.JUST WATCHEDThe fight for Brazil's AmazonReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe fight for Brazil's Amazon 18:10 Wilson strongly argued that, if we don't set aside half of the earth for all non-human species, we will quickly lose everything we rely on for our own life support. Like the food chain, there is a biological domino effect that depends on the survival of myriad species, ones we might ordinarily give short shrift. I've known and physically experienced the link between the micro within us and the macro out there. When I drum, and especially when I connect with the audience, something happens — a synchronization and synergy that goes way beyond us, upwards and outwards to connect us to a larger rhythm, and all the way back to "Beat One," the downbeat, the Big Bang. It feels like we are all part of this first moment, from 13.8 billion years ago: the first light, the first sound.JUST WATCHEDThe young climate activist taking on WashingtonReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe young climate activist taking on Washington 08:59For years, I have been recording and sonifying the physical and biological world, including radiation (light) from planets, stars, photosynthesis, brain waves, stem cells, organs of the human body, and trees. Together with collaborators, including MacArthur fellow Steven Feld ("Voices of the Rainforest," 1991), Nobel Prize-winning astrophysicist George Smoot ("Rhythms of the Universe," 2013), and neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley ("Superorganism" 2013), I've researched how amplifying the sonic resonance of the universe — the movement of time and space — allows us to hear it most profoundly.The natural world has endless rhythms and cadences. It's just that they're pulsing and beating above and below our abilities to hear them. In our everyday lives, the resonance of the universe goes over our heads or under our feet — humans have very low bandwidths. But if you take the sonified frequencies of these natural objects, you can turn them into sound using a powerful algorithm. Stay up to date...Sign up for our new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookMy time with Dr. Wilson brought me to a revelation — that our destruction of this planet is entirely arrhythmic, the opposite of creation. We have lost our groove, lost our place in the grand musical composition called life. Like Dr. Wilson, and so many others, I am concerned about the creeping and devastating impacts of climate change on the biodiversity and basic ecosystem functions of our planet. If this continues, we'll lose everything: we'll lose home, we'll lose Earth.

3news

(CNN)Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton will continue to race for Mercedes in the 2021 season after agreeing a new, one-year deal, the team announced on Monday.The deal will see Hamilton partner with Mercedes for a ninth season and puts an end to months of speculation over the Briton's immediate future in the sport.Hamilton has dominated the F1 landscape since joining Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, winning 74 races as well as six drivers' championships.During the 2020 season, the 36-year-old drew level with Michael Schumacher's seven world titles and surpassed the German's all-time wins record of 91 races.Hamilton was also a leading voice supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and called on the F1 paddock to do more to address issues of diversity and inclusion.Read MoreHe set up a commission in his name to increase diversity in motorsport with the hope of making "real, tangible and measurable change."Hamilton celebrates during last year's Bahrain GP.READ: Maya Weug becomes first female driver to earn a spot in the Ferrari Driver AcademyMercedes said the new deal would include a "joint commitment for greater diversity and inclusion.""I am excited to be heading into my ninth season with my Mercedes teammates," said Hamilton."I'm equally determined to continue the journey we started to make motorsport more diverse for future generations and I am grateful that Mercedes has been extremely supportive of my call to address this issue."I'm proud to say we are taking that effort further this year by launching a foundation dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the sport. I am inspired by all that we can build together and can't wait to get back on the track in March."Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, videos and featuresHamilton will bid to win a record-breaking eighth world title when the 2021 season begins in Bahrain on March 28.Analysis by CNN Sport's Amanda DaviesSo the deal has finally been done -- the last remaining driver's seat for the 2021 campaign filled. Interestingly, Hamilton's deal is only for one season, and not for two, like Lewis' previous contracts with Mercedes. It certainly gives both sides options moving forward, but before that, sees the real prospect of Lewis claiming that record-breaking eighth F1 world championship. And as we saw increasingly during 2020 -- with the establishment of a new joint charitable foundation to help create "greater diversity and inclusion in motorsport" -- Mercedes continues to lead from the front as a team on those issues, while Lewis has his sights set on winning more than just trophies.

5sport

Story highlightsEuro 2012, co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine, kicks off on Friday June 9Poland will play Greece in the tournament's opening match in WarsawA number of Euro 2012's star players will be sporting extravagant tattoosAcademic Ellis Cashmore believes footballers have tattoos to blend in with their colleaguesEuro 2012 is almost upon us and Europe's finest footballers will be marked men -- in more ways than one.The tournament will decide which is the continent's top football team, but it will also showcase a tapestry of tattoos -- the body art that has become the chosen mode of self-expression for any self-respecting footballer.Euro 2012: By the numbers"I don't think footballers are too different from other members of their generation -- except, of course, they have a lot more money," says Ellis Cashmore, professor of Culture, Media and Sport at England's Staffordshire University."They're also people who have an awful lot of time on their hands. What do they do after training in the morning? Play on their PlayStations, shop for new cars? Or stop by the tattoo parlor and wile away a few hours?" he told CNN.Footballers are on display to the world, with a global audience of millions expected to tune in for the June 8-July 1 tournament in Poland and Ukraine.But rather than a desire to distinguish themselves from the crowd, Cashmore believes getting a tattoo is more footballers wanting to fit in with his peers.JUST WATCHEDLong road to the Euro 2012 cupReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLong road to the Euro 2012 cup 04:07JUST WATCHEDCan Ronaldo fire Portugal to Euro glory?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCan Ronaldo fire Portugal to Euro glory? 04:05JUST WATCHEDCan Spain win without Villa and Puyol?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCan Spain win without Villa and Puyol? 03:21JUST WATCHEDPlatini: Officials to act against racismReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPlatini: Officials to act against racism 04:12 "The majority of tattoo-wearers decorate their bodies because is it voguish, almost a membership to the Y-generation," said the academic, who is conducting research into how people view the future of Britain. "It's less a desire to stand out, more an eagerness to blend in. As I said before, it functions as a permanent bodily membership card."Cashmore says there is no one type of person who is more likely to get a tattoo than another, because different people have varying reasons for deciding to get ink done."There's no single impulse," he said. "I have a friend who approaches tattoos like a collector: one he had carved in LA, one from Tokyo, Stockholm and other points on the world map. "Others commemorate the birth of children, weddings or other notable days. Or their affiliation: my gym is in West Bromwich and West Bromwich Albion tattoos are abundant."At my gym, there is hardly anyone under the age of 45 -- and a few older -- without some tribal marks on their arms."Cashmore thinks the apparent rise in people getting tattoos is closely linked to the importance that modern society places on the body and personal grooming."We care and tend for our bodies now in a way that would have been regarded as obsessive as recently as 15 years ago," he said. "Think about the rising number of cosmetic surgery procedures in the UK, the money we spend on grooming products (especially male), the time we spend in the hairdressers, at the gym, tanning salons. "We depilate (the removal of hair), oil, and pierce our bodies -- not for any specific function, but just because we are narcissists."

5sport

(CNN)Massachusetts just became the latest state to reinstate some stay-at-home restrictions, as cases of Covid-19 continue to surge in states across the country.After the state reported 1,139 new coronavirus cases -- bringing the total amount of confirmed cases to 155,660 -- Gov. Charlie Baker announced a series of target interventions to slow the spread Monday, including a Stay-At-Home advisory."This time the advisory will be in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Residents should stay home between these hours with exceptions like going to work and to the grocery store," Baker said during a press conference. Further, all gatherings -- limited to 10 people in homes indoors and 25 people outside -- need to end by 9:30 p.m., he said. Everyone over the age of 5 will also be required to wear a face covering in public."We're making this clear for everyone," Baker said. "No more exceptions and no exemptions for when you can maintain social distance." Read MoreMeanwhile, indoor facilities, theatres, casinos and all other entertainment venues that are currently open will now close at 9:30 p.m., according to an Executive Order Baker also signed. Restaurants will have to stop table service at that time, but could still provide take-out, though sale of liquor would not be allowed.The measures, which go into effect on November 6, come as Massachusetts sees a high number of new cases every day, Baker said.And Massachusetts isn't the only state taking extra precautions amidst rising Covid-19 cases. Utah residents received a mobile alert on Friday alerting them to the worsening scenario -- the state clocked a record 2,281 new cases that day -- and urging them to wear masks and observe Covid-19 protocols.New York went a step further, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo announcing Saturday that travelers to the state must get Covid-19 tests before arriving. As of Monday, more than 9.2 million people across the US have tested positive for coronavirus, and more than 231,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

3news

Story highlightsIn one village, residents are helping out with municipal tasksSpain's new government has approved a loan fund to help villages pay suppliersSome experts say smaller towns should merge to share costsIn a verdant mountainous area in western Spain, the tiny village of Higuera de la Serena has a big problem.Its municipal debt is a staggering $1 million -- for a town of just 1,000 residents.Mayor Manuel Garcia no longer has enough budget to pay for a full-time municipal staff.So on Sundays in the main plaza, they now hand out brooms, shovels, picks and other equipment to any of the townsfolk willing to work. And volunteer badges, too."Having the support of the people makes you stronger, and keeps you going, with the help of volunteers," said Garcia, who took office last June with the huge debt already piled up.Across Spain, municipalities large and small are drowning in debt. It's the result of what many analysts and officials say was unbridled spending and taking out large loans during the economic boom years, only to find revenue all but dried up in the economic crisis.But in Higuera de la Serena, they're gaining attention for their fiscal fight.The mayor, from the Communist-leaning United Left coalition, and others on the town council who normally would get a salary have renounced their paychecks.The volunteers now take on many tasks that in previous times would have been done by municipal employees.On a recent Sunday, that meant watering the newly planted trees at a new site called Volunteer Park. The water came at no cost to the taxpayers, from the mayor's own small farm.Just beyond town, a larger group of volunteers scoured the hillsides to pick up trash at a popular picnic site. Nearby, others dug out rocks and debris so an old spring would flow again.Antonio Vita, a construction worker who was laid off a year ago in northern Spain and has since moved back to his hometown, Higuera, said he was happy to help fix the spring. But he's concerned about Spain's economic predicament and his own."I'm worried about all of Spain. Things are not going very well," Vita said. "There's a lot of debt."Especially for companies and individuals who provide goods and services to town halls. They are owed billions of dollars, and many have gone bankrupt waiting to get paid.Spain's new conservative government just approved a new loan fund, in conjunction with banks, so that towns could soon get cash to pay suppliers. The loans would be paid back over 10 years at favorable rates.The government reported that nationwide, 177,000 suppliers may soon be paid $12 billion owed by city halls, under the loan program.In Higuera, local gas station owner Ignacio Martin said he's owed $8,000 for fuel that heats the school and runs the city vehicles."City hall wants to get help from a new national loan fund to pay suppliers," Martin said at his gas station. "They hope to pay me in May, more or less."That's a potentially much quicker solution than at the town's brand new nursing home. It was built under the previous Socialist local administration at a cost of $2.5 million, mainly with loans and subsidies from the regional government and the European Union, Deputy Mayor Manuel Tamayo said.But the building can't be opened for use. It sits idle, as sheep graze nearby.Regional health officials discovered that the building does not meet code regulations. The hallways were built too narrowly, and stretchers cannot make a turn from the hall into the patient bedrooms. The site was designed for 40 senior citizens, and most of them would need to be moved on stretchers or wheelchairs.The inside of the nursing home is already fully outfitted, with a cafeteria, large television, even exercise equipment.Tamayo said if it could open, it would create some badly needed jobs in the town, which relies mainly on agriculture. But instead, the town hall must pay a night security guard to ensure that things inside are not stolen.Yet the sickest patient of all may be Spain itself, said Miguel Hernandez, a professor at Madrid's IE Business School.With 8,100 municipalities in Spain -- 70% of them with less than 2,000 residents -- he believes some should merge to cut costs."Sooner or later, the structure of local government has to change," Hernandez said. "We can't have a country with 8,000 mayors."But Higuera's mayor said the key is really not overspending the local budget.Garcia hopes Higuera won't have to merge with another village town hall. But it already participates in a cost-sharing plan with other nearby towns for roadwork improvements and some other services.Garcia and Tamayo celebrated with the volunteers at an impromptu picnic after the work was done on Sunday.The volunteers even put together a free lunch, which included stewed lamb and cured ham, local specialties.They say they'll try to get by hand to mouth, until the bill for years of overspending is paid off.

3news

London (CNN)The Ecuadorian government has removed its ambassador to the UK, sparking speculation over Julian Assange's future at the diplomatic mission there. The 47-year-old founder of WikiLeaks moved into the Ecuadorian Embassy in central London in 2012 while wanted for questioning over sexual assault allegations in Sweden. Assange maintained his innocence and claimed the charges were nothing more than an attempt to extradite him to the United States. Ambassador Carlos Abad Ortiz was forced to leave his post, according to an executive decree signed by Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno and published Wednesday. The envoy had been in charge of the diplomatic mission since 2015 and had been an influential figure regarding Assange's future. After the announcement, WikiLeaks said Thursday on Twitter, "All diplomats known to Assange have now been terminated to transferred away from the embassy." Ecuador's president has signed a decree terminating the ambassador to the United Kingdom, Carlos Abad. All diplomats known to Assange have now been terminated to transferred away from the embassy.Background: https://t.co/uMl2rQmfsP— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) November 22, 2018 Carlos Poveda, a member of Assange's legal team in Quito, Ecuador, told CNN he was disappointed with the ambassador's removal, saying it was "not an isolated incident." Read More"Abad was fully aware of all the details regarding Julian Assange's case, and there was a relationship of trust but with distance with him," he said.The WikiLeaks lawyer also insisted the situation inside the embassy has continued to sour. "There is a hostile relationship between Assange and the embassy staff in the last few weeks," Poveda said. Since Moreno took office, Assange has repeatedly claimed Ecuador has been trying to make life more difficult in a bid to force him to vacate the premises. Ecuador has denied it, with Ecuadorian Attorney General Íñigo Salvador telling reporters last month that his country was "not looking to revoke" Assange's asylum.But the decision to oust Abad has fueled speculation that Ecuador is looking to push Assange out the door. Fidel Narvaez, the former consul at the embassy, told CNN that Abad's removal should be seen as a bad omen for the WikiLeaks founder and his asylum. "It seems like Ambassador Abad does not fit in with the strategy that has given up on protecting Julian and that aims to annoy him and make him break (so that) he leaves the embassy on his own," Narvaez said.Julian Assange: The house guest who overstayed his welcome?Narvaez considers Assange a friend and was part of the team that processed his asylum request six years ago. He said that career diplomats such as Abad should hold their positions for four or five years, meaning the envoy should have been in his post until sometime around 2020. "I know Ambassador Abad and I have huge respect for him as a person and as a professional," Narvaez said. "I'm sure he felt uncomfortable with the government's hostile strategy toward Assange." The former consul told CNN that Abad would have opted to resign before handing Assange over to British authorities and that he expects whoever the successor is to be less welcoming to the Australian."The government is probably going to appoint someone who is willing to make an embarrassing move like this one," Narvaez added.With speculation rife over the WikiLeaks founder's fate, Ecuador released a statement playing down any links between Abad's removal and the Assange case. "The case of London has nothing to do with the case of Assange," Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said. "We have a relationship with the UK that is handled between the two countries -- for example, the fight against corruption. There is more activity in the UK apart from the situation regarding Assange."Valencia also reiterated that Ecuador had given Assange multiple options to conclude his endless residency at the diplomatic shelter. "One is to leave and turn himself over to the British justice, facing the consequences for violating his bail conditions in the UK and the other one is to stay in the embassy but following the protocol rules that try to regulate his cohabitation in a workplace."Abad's ejection from the London embassy comes a week after a bungled court filing revealed the US government's possible efforts to charge Assange criminally over his work with WikiLeaks. JUST WATCHEDClerical error reveals charges against AssangeReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHClerical error reveals charges against Assange 02:10WikiLeaks has been a focus of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of any links between President Donald Trump's associates and Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. WikiLeaks posted thousands of emails stolen from Democrats by Russian agents during the election. The Justice Department investigation of Assange and WikiLeaks dates to at least 2010 when the site posted thousands of files stolen by the former US Army intelligence analyst now known as Chelsea Manning.The shake-up in embassy leadership also comes days before new rules regarding Assange's living arrangements are due to come into effect. According to the new rules established by Ecuador, Assange must start paying for his own food, medical care, laundry and other expenses beginning December 1. Assange was seen for the first time in months when he appeared via video link at a hearing last month.Assange's legal team challenged the new residency conditions in court last month, but a judge ruled against the WikiLeaks founder, ordering that he must obey these rules if he wants to remain at the embassy. Assange's attorneys have appealed the ruling.CNN's Ana Maria Canizares contributed to this report.

3news

(CNN)Jussie Smollett was released from jail Wednesday night, after an Illinois appeals court granted an emergency motion by his defense attorneys. Smollett's legal team is looking to delay his sentence and grant him bond until their appeal on his conviction is decided on.The former "Empire" actor was sentenced last week to 30 months of felony probation -- including 150 days in jail -- and ordered to pay restitution of more than $120,000 and a $25,000 fine for making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019."There is no room for politics in our court system," defense attorney Nenye Uche said in a news conference shortly after the actor's release. "Regardless of what you think about this case ... the real question is, should Black men be walked into jail for a Class 4 felony?"Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail for lying to police in hate crime hoax"That's a disgrace," the attorney added. Uche, as well as other attorneys from the team who spoke Wednesday, criticized the judge who sentenced Smollett last week. Cook County Judge James Linn spoke to the actor for more than half an hour, criticizing his actions. "The judge spent a great deal of time chastising, berating my client," Uche said. "I've never seen that before."Read MoreOver the past six days in jail, Smollett did not eat anything besides ice water, Uche said.The appeals court order, entered on Wednesday, says Smollett "shall be released from custody ... upon posting of a personal recognizance bond (I Bond) in the amount of $150,000." A personal recognizance bond in Illinois means that a person is released on the condition that they will attend all required future court proceedings, usually without having to pay any money.Smollett's defense filed the emergency motion last week, arguing he would be "irreparably harmed" if he serves a sentence for convictions that may be reversed, adding that he will likely serve his jail time before the completion of his appeal.The attorneys added that exposure to Covid-19 is a serious risk because Smollett is immunocompromised.The court granted the attorneys' motion, reasoning that it would be "unable to dispose of the instant appeal before the defendant would have served his entire sentence of incarceration."In their response filed Wednesday, prosecutors vehemently disagreed with the defense's reasoning, arguing that there is "no emergency that warrants the extraordinary relief" of delaying Smollett's sentence while his appeal is pending."Mr. Smollett asserts that he is entitled a stay because he will most likely serve his short, 150-day jail sentence before his appeal on the merits is decided," part of the response read. "According to this logic, every defendant sentenced to a term of imprisonment less than a few years would automatically receive a stay pending appeal."Actor Jussie Smollett walked out of jail Wednesday night.Smollett had an outburst in court last weekSmollett was found guilty in December on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for making false reports about what he said was an anti-gay and anti-Black hate crime.Jussie Smollett's return to acting 'up in the air,' says representativeThe actor, who is Black and gay, told Chicago police that two unknown men attacked him on one January 2019 night, yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, poured bleach on him and wrapped a noose around his neck. But investigators said they determined the actor orchestrated the attack and paid two brothers he knew from the Fox drama series to stage the act for publicity.Smollett maintained his innocence under oath during his trial.But during last week's sentencing, Judge James Linn told Smollett, "You're not a victim of a racial hate crime, you're not a victim of a homophobic hate crime. You're just a charlatan pretending to be a victim of a hate crime."The judge spoke for more than half an hour during the proceeding, telling the actor that while many people vouched for Smollett and his character and asked the judge for a lenient sentence, Smollett's premeditation in the act he orchestrated was an "aggravating factor" in the case. "You do have quite a record of real community service," the judge said Thursday. "I'm mindful of pleas of mercy, particularly from people that are in the arena." But, ultimately, the judge said, this act showed Smollett's "dark side."Following the announcement of his sentence, Smollett addressed the judge, saying "I did not do this," before turning to the court and exclaiming he was not suicidal, and that "if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that."The judge ordered Smollett to be held in protective custody "by Mr. Smollett's request and this court's recommendation," CNN previously reported. On Friday, the actor was being housed "in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by an officer wearing a body worn camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure that Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times," the Cook County Sheriff's Office said, stressing that the actor was not being held in solitary confinement.JUST WATCHEDUnpacking media baggage in the Jussie Smollett caseReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUnpacking media baggage in the Jussie Smollett case 02:38Attorney calls charges unconstitutionalSmollett was initially indicted in March 2019 on 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct after police determined his reports were false. In a stunning reversal days later, prosecutors announced they were dropping all charges. In a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed published last week, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx defended her office's decision, saying Smollett had already forfeited a $10,000 bond, had not been accused of a violent crime before and had paid a "reputational price" for what he did. The incident effectively ended Smollett's acting career. Jussie Smollett convicted in hate crime hoax. Here's how we got here Dan K. Webb, the special prosecutor later assigned to the case, announced he would further prosecute Smollett. In February 2020, a Cook County grand jury returned a six-count indictment against the actor for making false reports -- five counts of which Smollett was eventually convicted of and sentenced for.A disorderly conduct charge for a false crime report is a Class 4 felony and punishable by up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine.Webb said last week he was "extraordinarily pleased" with the sentence Judge Linn handed down and that the judge's comments showed "he clearly has understood ... that this was a course of conduct that deserved severe punishment."But during Wednesday night's news conference, Uche, one of Smollett's attorney's, called the proceedings in the case unconstitutional, as Smollett had already been charged before, had paid $10,000 and done community service."When this case was initially re-indicted, when this case was prosecuted, when this case was sentenced, at each of those steps I wondered to myself whether Chicago has ceded from the Union. Because in this country, you cannot punish a person twice," the attorney said. "While everyone was focused on the sensationalism surrounding this case, people were not focused on the constitutionality of the prosecution."

3news

(CNN)After seven months in the custody of the US government and a decade away from her dad, 15-year-old Idis Nicol Tabora and her father were reunited Monday at baggage claim at Miami International Airport."Hi, my love," said Armando Tabora as he walked toward his daughter with open arms. He was visibly shaking with excitement.Tears rolled down the faces of father and daughter as they embraced for the first time in years. Record numbers of migrant children are in US custody, hoping they won't be forgotten"My daughter is my heart," said the proud dad while his daughter wiped away tears.Idis Nicol played with her hands, appeared shy and, when asked how she was doing, only said, "I'm OK." She continued to wipe tears from her eyes.Read MoreIdis Nicol was among the record number of migrant children to be detained in shelters across America last year. About 11,900 children were detained in June, and that number rose to 12,800 in September and to 14,000 in November. By December, the number of children in Health and Human Services custody reached nearly 15,000, according to an HHS official. The number of detained children began to drop in January, when an HHS official told CNN that about 11,400 minors were in custody.Idis Nicol left her native Honduras last summer to meet up with her father, who has been in Florida for about 10 years. Her father said she was detained at the US-Mexico border by immigration officials in July.Armando Tabora and Idis Nicol.Because she's a minor, she was placed in HHS custody. That's when her 36-year-old father began the process to get her out of detention and obtain custody."I feel such sorrow," Armando Tabora told CNN last year by phone.At the time, Tabora said he had provided the US Government everything he was asked for: his personal contact information, his fingerprints and the fingerprints of an emergency contact. Protectively, he signed over legal guardianship of his daughter to a US citizen in case anything were to happen to him.But perhaps the most difficult request to fulfill was that he get an apartment on his own -- for him and his daughter. Tabora said he works odd jobs -- working construction, cleaning homes, cleaning cars and doing lawn work -- and he couldn't afford to pay rent on his own. But he saved up, and by the end of November he rented a place hoping that would be the last step in the process to reunite with his daughter.JUST WATCHEDHHS: 14K unaccompanied immigrant kids in US custodyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHHS: 14K unaccompanied immigrant kids in US custody 02:03It was, but then came months more of waiting. Since November 2018, Tabora said, he has been told the reunion would happen any day now. And that any day now has taken four more months.Meanwhile, Idis Nicol waited inside a child shelter in Brownsville, Texas, with other children. She said that, like her father, she, too, was told she would be out soon. She was treated well inside the facility, she said, but at times became anxious."Sometimes I felt desperate because I couldn't see my family," Idis Nicol said.HHS did not comment on Idis Nicol's case, but said in an email that its first mission is "to create a safe and healthy environment in our shelters, one that ensures access to nutritious food, clean clothes, education and medical services.""The second is to identify the most appropriate and least restrictive placement, usually with a sponsor, for each child while they await their US immigration proceedings," HHS said.Idis Nichol said counselors advised her during those tough moments, and she tried to distract herself by playing games. She wasn't the only child at the shelter who wanted out of detention. Idis Nicol said about a month ago a girl tried to escape the facility but failed.HHS docs show thousands of alleged incidents of sexual abuse against unaccompanied minors in custodyThinking back, she said the days went by fast. It helped to have a a packed schedule, which included English classes, recreational time, watching movies and eating meals. Some of the meals she remembered consisted of rice, beans, chicken, tortillas and nachos.Idis Nicol stopped focusing on her routine and started focusing on the reunion with her father a few days ago, when she was told she would leave the child shelter."I felt happiness," she said with a smile.At baggage claim, Armando Tabora also took back custody of his daughter. He signed a few documents and was handed a manila folder with instructions on what to do next."I feel very excited. I was anxious to see her," Armando Tabora said.Idis Nicol grabbed her belongings, a black tote bag and a new blanket that were on a chair nearby, and walked out of the airport with her dad, smiling and not looking back.

3news

(CNN)Serena Williams has won her first title since becoming a mom - and immediately donated her $43,000 prize money to Australian bushfire relief.The 38-year-old, who gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017, lifted the trophy at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, after defeating fellow American Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4.Williams, who has now incredibly won titles across four decades after claiming her first in 1999, flung back her head in delight and relief after Pegula hit the ball wide on match point. "Oh, it feels good!" said Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. "It's been a long time. I think you could see the relief on my face.Serena Williams celebrates with her daughter Alexis (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)"It's pretty satisfying just to get a win in the final.Read More"That was really important for me, and I just want to build on it. It's just a step towards the next goal."Williams told CNN she "almost died giving birth." But she remarkably returned to the WTA Tour six months later in March 2018. Her first appearance had been even earlier at an exhibition match the previous December in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. JUST WATCHEDSerena Williams' quest for a 24th grand slamReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSerena Williams' quest for a 24th grand slam 01:38Since her comeback, Williams has played some devastating tennis and reached finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in both 2018 and 2019. But the wait for more silverware has called for Williams to dig deep for self-belief.Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal commit to Australian bushfires charity match"You have to be your biggest cheerleader, especially if you're feeling you're not doing everything right -- or even if you are doing everything right but things aren't working out for you," she added.Williams now will prepare for the Australian Open, a tournament she has won seven times, which begins on 20 January.

5sport

Story highlightsFabrice Muamba still in critical condition in intensive care at London heart hospital Bolton says Fabrice Muamba will be anesthetized in intensive care for 24 hoursBolton's Tuesday match with Aston Villa is postponedReferee calls off quarterfinal match after consulting Bolton and Tottenham playersA 23-year-old English Premier League soccer player remained in intensive care Monday after suffering cardiac arrest during a game in London, his club Bolton said.Saturday's match between top-flight teams Bolton and Tottenham was called off after Fabrice Muamba, a Bolton midfielder, collapsed on the pitch before halftime. Medics came onto the field to try to revive him while fans and players looked on in shock.Muamba was taken to the Heart Attack Center at The London Chest Hospital, where he has been kept since. "Fabrice Muamba's heart condition is stable, but he remains critically ill in intensive care," read Monday's joint statement from Bolton and the hospital.Bolton manager Owen Coyle said Muamba's family appreciated the large amount of messages of support they had received."The message is the good will, the prayers from everybody, they are so thankful and they want to put that on record -- to say 'keep up the prayers, thanks for all the support,' " Coyle told reporters outside the hospital after visiting the player Monday. Photos: Tributes to Fabrice Muamba Photos: Tributes to Fabrice Muamba'Miraculous' Muamba – Doctors have described Fabrice Muamba's progress since his cardiac arrest during a match on Saturday as "miraculous." The Bolton star's heart stopped beating for 78 minutes after his collapse but now he is talking and joking with visitors.Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaMessi wishes Muamba well – Barcelona's Lionel Messi wore a t-shirt with a message of support for Muamba before Wednesday's game with Granada, in which the Argentina striker scored a hat-trick and became the club's leading goalscorer of all time.Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaBolton to face Blackburn – Bolton announced Thursday they will fulfill their Premier League fixture with local rivals Blackburn on Saturday after postponing the midweek clash with Aston Villa. Before Blackburn's win over Sunderland on Wednesday their players offered messages of support for Muamba.Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaFans pay tribute – Bolton Wanderers fans have left flowers and scarves outside the English club's Reebok Stadium in support of Muamba, while most of the playing squad have been to visit him in the London Chest Hospital.Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaEx-teammate honors Muamba – Muamba's former teammate Gary Cahill, who left Bolton to join Chelsea in January, revealed a t-shirt honoring his ex-colleague after scoring against Leicester City on Sunday.Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaInternational support – Tributes were paid to Muamba from across the footballing world. Real Madrid's players took to the pitch before last Sunday's Spanish league match with Malaga wearing shirts displaying a message of support for the midfielder.Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaBest wishes – Fans at Liverpool's FA Cup quarterfinal against Stoke City send their best wishes to Muamba. Supporters also chanted his name at various points during Sunday's Anfield match.Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Tributes to Fabrice MuambaBolton's concern – Bolton manager Owen Coyle (left) and chairman Phil Gartside outside the London Chest Hospital where Muamba is being treated.Hide Caption 8 of 8JUST WATCHEDMuamba collapses; reaction from stadiumReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMuamba collapses; reaction from stadium 02:26JUST WATCHEDStadium hushed as medics workedReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHStadium hushed as medics worked 02:52JUST WATCHEDHeart health in sportsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHeart health in sports 03:42"They have been inundated as we all have, both in the football community globally and family and friends. People are taking a genuine interest and a real concern with how Fabrice is doing.""It's a difficult situation but the family are bearing up as well as they can. They themselves are very positive people," Coyle said."You look at what Fabrice has been through in life already and you can tell that he is a fighter. He has such a fantastic smile and that's what we all want to see again."Magunda also thanked fans via her account on micro-blogging website Twitter."2 everyone out there thank u so much for all the love and support collectively as a family we appreciate it all. Plz continue 2 pray 4 fab x," she wrote on Monday."Fabrice WILL!! Pull through because God is good. Love u so much @fmuamba keep strong we're praying for u honey xx"Bolton said Sunday that Muamba received "prolonged resuscitation" on the ground and en route to the hospital, where his heart eventually started working."As is normal medical practice, Fabrice remains anesthetized in intensive care and will be for at least 24 hours," the club said. "His condition continues to be closely monitored by the cardiac specialists at the hospital."Players pray for Muamba's recoveryMuamba, who is from the Democratic Republic of Congo and has represented England at under-21 level, fell to the ground in the 41st minute with no other players near him.Referee Howard Webb consulted both teams before calling off the match at Tottenham's home ground in London, which was a quarterfinal tie in England's prestigious knockout competition, the FA Cup.A member of CNN World Sport's London staff was at the match at White Hart Lane and described the situation."We were situated on the halfway line. ... Fabrice Muamba just hit the deck out of nowhere," assistant producer Zayn Nabbi said by phone."We realized quite quickly that this was serious because the medical staff all rushed on and they were waved onto the field by the Tottenham players. From what we saw they were trying to resuscitate Fabrice Muamba."Bolton Wanderers announced Sunday that its match with Aston Villa, scheduled for Tuesday evening, was postponed after talks with the club and the Premier League. Bolton thanked them both for their support and understanding.Muamba's peers have been quick to show their support on micro-blogging website Twitter."For all those asking, I know as much as you do," wrote clubmate Stuart Holden, a U.S. international. "Waiting anxiously for updates from teammates. Fab is a fighter! prayforMuamba."Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart wrote: "Terrible what happened with Muamba during the game. We're all praying for him."The last player to die after collapsing in a match in Britain was Motherwell's Phil O'Donnell, who suffered heart failure during a 2007 game against Scottish rivals Dundee United and passed away on the way to hospital.The most high-profile such tragedy was when Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed during a Confederations Cup semifinal against Colombia in 2003 and died in hospital.There have been two similar incidents more recently in Spain, involving Sevilla's Antonio Puerta in 2007 and Espanyol's Daniel Jarque in 2009.Muamba grew up in Kinshasa, the capital of what was then known as Zaire. After moving to the UK in 1999 he began his football career with Premier League club Arsenal in 2005 but did not make a first-team appearance in the top division and was loaned out to Birmingham.He signed a permanent deal with the Midlands club in 2007 before moving to Bolton a year later for a fee of £5 million ($8 million).English Football Association chairman David Bernstein paid tribute to Muamba, who played for his country at most age-group levels."Fabrice has played 33 times for England Under-21s, captaining Stuart Pearce's side during this time, and is a player -- and more importantly -- a person we care greatly for," Bernstein said.Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore praised those at the game for the way they reacted to the situation."We would like to praise the players, match officials, coaching staff and medical teams of both clubs at White Hart Lane for their swift actions in attending Fabrice," Scudamore said in a statement."The League would also like to commend the compassion shown by the fans of Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur."Those sentiments were echoed by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who in a club statement, thanked both sets of fans for their support and behavior.Levy said: "Too often we read the negatives about football and yet last night, at a time of intense emergency and uncertainty, we saw the true humanity and empathy of the footballing family."

5sport

Story highlightsFriends of Jacintha Saldanha in India say she was a generous, caring womanHer family has paid tribute to "a loving mother and a loving wife"Nurses who trained with her say she was confident and a bold decision-maker "We are not able to digest the news about her death," a family friend saysJacintha Saldanha should never have become a household name. But within a few hours of her apparent suicide after being duped by a radio prank call, the nurse's name was in headlines around the world.Her husband and two teenage children have said little, overwhelmed by the shocking death of a wife and mother thrust suddenly into the public eye.Read more: Radio personalities apologize for prank call to duchess's hospitalAn inquest, expected to open Thursday, may shed more light on the reasons for her apparent decision to take her own life early Friday, three days after putting through the fateful call from two Australian DJs who impersonated Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles to gain medical details about Prince William's pregnant wife, Catherine.In the meantime, a picture is starting to emerge of a generous, caring woman who was caught up in a media maelstrom.Read more: Prank call pitted 'the great' against the powerlessThe 46-year-old nurse moved to the UK from India a decade ago, and for the past four years, she had worked in the hospital where Catherine was being treated for acute morning sickness. She spent her time off duty in the family home in the southwestern city of Bristol, according to UK media reports.JUST WATCHEDRadio station faces criticism ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRadio station faces criticism 02:38JUST WATCHEDAustralian DJs break silence over prank ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAustralian DJs break silence over prank 01:31JUST WATCHEDUK media attacks Australian DJsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUK media attacks Australian DJs 07:26JUST WATCHEDPrank on royal hospital turns tragicReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPrank on royal hospital turns tragic 03:02British lawmaker Keith Vaz -- who accompanied Saldanha's husband, Benedict Barboza, and their children, Lisha and Junal, on a visit to the hospital living quarters in central London where she was found dead -- said they were devastated by the loss of "a loving mother and a loving wife."With the family standing beside him, looking shell-shocked, he added: "This is a close family. They are devastated by what has happened. They miss her every moment of every day, but they are really grateful to the support of the British public and to the public overseas."UK media reports have quoted an online testimonial for her driving instructor in which Saldanha apparently described herself as "a very nervous person."Read more: Nurse death sparks outrage, casts glare on 'shock jocks'But for her classmates and colleagues back home in India, she was a deeply religious, benevolent and bold young woman."Jacintha was loving and caring," recalled the Rev. Sister Aileen Mathias, chief nursing officer at the Father Muller Medical College in the southern Indian city of Mangalore.Both trained at the institution's nursing school in the 1980s. Mathias still remembers her night shifts with Saldanha, who was a year her senior."She would share her bread, coffee and sweets with the patients," Mathias said as she reminisced about her time with her old friend.Saldanha, at that time single, was a nursing student from 1984 to 1988 and said to be a devout Catholic.Read more: Hospital slams prank call radio station over nurse's death"She was very religious. She will pray for the patients. Both of us will pray together for the patients," Mathias said.Last year, Saldanha visited her alma mater and donated money for the needy receiving treatment at the hospital, the nursing chief said. "Jacintha was a generous person. She would help patients whenever she was here." A condolence message posted on the website of Mangalore's Father Muller Charitable Institutions described the late mother of two as a "dedicated and caring nurse."But Mathias also recollected Saldanha's lighter side. "She was a forward-looking girl. And she was very humorous. We cracked jokes. It was fun being together."Read more: Australian prank call radio station boss calls nurse's death 'truly tragic'Her friends have not forgotten her diligence in her studies."Jacintha was pretty studious. She would often score as much as 75% or even more (in exams). And she was an active participant in several activities of the college," Mathias said.Nathalia Martis, 46, was in Saldanha's class. She cannot believe that her classmate committed suicide."I was shocked to hear that. She was not that type who would do that," she said.Now a staff nurse herself at the Father Muller Hospital, Martis remembers Saldanha as a "bold girl.""She was very good, polite, but a very bold girl. She was always ready to face any kind of a situation," Martis said of her friend.She praised Saldanha for her "leading capacity." Martis wouldn't elaborate, though, saying she doesn't remember specific incidents from more than 25 years ago.But she found Saldanha to be a decisive woman. "She was a good decision-maker. ... I mean she will take quick decisions during problems," Martis said.A family acquaintance, Ivan D'Souza, also considered her a "confident" person."She was a student here at Father Muller. She was a confident girl. And that's what her teachers also tell us about her. She would not normally make mistakes," he said on the phone from Mangalore. "We are not able to digest the news about her death."Others back in Britain also praised her as a professional and caring person.Lord Glenarthur, chairman of the private King Edward VII's Hospital where she worked, described her as "a first-class nurse who cared diligently for hundreds of patients."And the hospital's chief executive, John Lofthouse, spoke of her as "a much loved and valued colleague" who would be greatly missed by her co-workers.For now, D'Souza said, much of Saldanha's family is in her birthplace, waiting for her body to arrive. "We should get it as soon as possible," he said.The decision on when to fly her remains back to India is one for her relatives to make, London's Metropolitan Police said.So far, her family's most public expressions of grief have been made via Facebook.Barboza, Saldanha's husband, wrote over the weekend: "I am devastated with the tragic loss of my beloved wife Jacintha in tragic circumstances. She will be laid to rest in Shirva, India."Saldanha's daughter, whose Facebook page is headed by a photo of herself with her mother and brother, wrote: "I miss you, I loveeee you. (Heart) Jacintha saldanha."

3news

A version of this story appeared in CNN's Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country's rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here.Hong Kong (CNN)As record heat waves hit western North America and deadly floods swept Germany, the growing risks associated with climate change have grabbed headlines, and prompted widespread discussions in the West.Scientists have been warning for years that the climate crisis would amplify extreme weather, making it deadlier and more frequent — and the latest catastrophes are seen as a timely reminder the threat could hit much closer to home than some might think.But this week, with much of China's central Henan province devastated by record rains, there was little reference to the broader climate crisis among Chinese officials, scientists or state media.The silence is all the more conspicuous given how much Chinese authorities have emphasized the extremeness and rarity of the weather. At one point, the provincial capital of Zhengzhou was pelted by nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in an hour. In just three days, it had 24 inches (61 centimeters) — or nearly a year's worth — of rainfall, according to the Zhengzhou meteorological station.Zhengzhou's weather station called it a "once in a thousand years" downpour. Henan's water resources department went a step further, claiming rain levels recorded at some stations could only be seen "once every 5,000 years."A damaged bridge following heavy rains which caused severe flooding in Gongyi in China's central Henan province on July 21, 2021Read MoreBut on Thursday, state-run newspaper the Global Times said Ren Guoyu, a chief expert at China's National Climate Center, "dismissed the connection between heavy rain in Zhengzhou and global climate change." Instead, he attributed the flooding to "abnormal planetary scale atmospheric circulation," the report said.Liu Junyan, climate and energy project leader for Greenpeace East Asia, said without the impact of climate change, "it is very difficult to imagine such extreme rainfall would occur in an inland city like Zhengzhou." But she said it is rare for Chinese weather and climate authorities to acknowledge a potential climate change connection in the aftermath of extreme occurrences, because such analysis requires more research and data. "Out of caution, they basically avoid talking about it," she said. Such associations are also seldom reported by state media, she added.That stands in stark contrast to how climate scientists and the media have responded in the West. While full analysis is needed to confirm to what degree changes to the earth's climate have affected specific extreme weather events, many experts agree the trend is clear. Scientists at the United Nations' World Meteorological Organization (WMO), for example, conducted a rapid attribution analysis, which found the western North America heat waves would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change. WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas later said they were "clearly linked" to global warming.It is not that Chinese leaders do not admit climate change is real. On the contrary, President Xi Jinping wants China, the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, to become a global leader on the climate crisis. Last year, he pledged to hit domestic peak emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, earning international praise.In the official narrative, climate change is often presented as a global crisis that China, a "responsible major power," has stepped up to solve, especially as the former Trump administration rolled back US involvement. Less mentioned, however, are the direct threats it poses to China, and its effect on the daily lives of its 1.4 billion people.Chinese authorities are also wary that climate activism popular among young people in the West could spread to China. Last September, 17-year-old Ou Hongyi, known as the Greta Thunberg of China, was detained and questioned for hours by police when she joined the Global Climate Strike in Shanghai, an international event that attracted thousands of protesters at more than 3,500 locations worldwide.That has made it difficult for the Chinese public to realize how they are personally related to the climate crisis, Liu said. Like some in the West, Chinese people tend to perceive the dangers of climate change as something remote — threatening only the melting ice caps in the Arctic or low-lying islands in the tropics. And although emission cuts and green reforms are often mentioned in state media and classrooms, many treat them as just another state policy for local governments to follow. "For many, climate change is more of an issue about politics, about economic gains and costs, and international collaboration," Liu said. But as the devastation in Henan shows, many Chinese cities are not prepared to deal with the climate risks from increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather.In the 18 hours before the evening rush on Tuesday, Zhengzhou's weather station issued five consecutive red alerts for torrential rain. According to guidance from the China Meteorological Administration, the alert should have prompted authorities to halt gatherings, suspend classes and businesses — advice Zhengzhou authorities apparently failed to heed. As the deaths of 12 passengers trapped on a flooded subway gripped the nation, some have questioned why authorities didn't shut down it down earlier to avoid casualties.The situation could be worse in smaller towns and villages around Zhengzhou with far less contingency planning, rescue resources and media exposure, Liu said.The last time Henan saw similarly intense downpours was nearly half a century ago. In 1975, a super typhoon dumped huge amounts of rain onto the province — one village at the center of the storm saw 63 inches (160 centimeters) of rain in three days. Overflowing rivers burst 62 dams, killing more than 26,000 people by the official count, though other estimates were several times higher.While the connection between climate change and extreme weather in China might not have received much official mention, it doesn't mean Chinese scientists haven't been studying the issue. A senior meteorologist with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, for example, has published a paper on the impact of climate change on extreme torrential rains in Chinese mega cities.On Chinese social media, too, some have started to reflect on the lack of discussions on the issue. On Weibo, China's heavily censored version of Twitter, one user said she was disappointed to find "very, very few discussions" about climate change on major social media platforms."In Henan, the (disaster) unfolded too quickly in such a short time," she wrote. "But in other places, it's like boiling a frog in warm water — it might not cause any immediate life threatening danger, but in the long run, I reckon it'll also affect how we live and work."Photo of the dayDiving in headfirst: Chinese athletes practice for the diving event in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday ahead of the Olympic Games, which begin on Friday. The Chinese delegation includes more than 770 people, including athletes, coaches and support staff, according to state-run news outlet CCTV — and more than 99% of the delegation is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.Arrested over a children's bookA children's book about sheep led to the arrest of five people in Hong Kong on Thursday, under the city's sweeping national security law.The book series depicts a sheep village — but police say the books referenced parts of the 2019 pro-democracy anti-government protests, including the 12 Hong Kongers who were caught and detained by Chinese authorities after trying to flee by boat.The protests, which often turned violent and threw the semi-autonomous Chinese city into political turmoil, prompted the Chinese government to promulgate the security law last summer. It granted far reaching new powers to authorities, who wasted little time in detaining activists, raiding newspapers, and banning public protest.Police said in a statement that the five people — all core members of the General Union of Hong Kong Speech Therapists — were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to publish seditious material that incited hate toward the Hong Kong government, one of the crimes laid out in the security law.In a separate news conference, however, police said they had been arrested under articles 9 and 10 of the law — which allow the government to regulate the internet, the media, and other communications to prevent "terrorist activities" and to "promote national security education in schools."CNN has reached out to police, but was not offered an explanation as to the discrepancies in the statements.In the news conference, police said the storylines depicted in the children's books "beautify illegal acts of political violence," and urged parents to get rid of books that would "harm the mind of the next generation."Police denied accusations the law was being used as a "legal trap" for publishers or media outlets — but the arrests are deepening fears of censorship nevertheless. In the past year, authorities have ordered schools to ban certain textbooks that may violate the law, blocked websites on national security grounds, and revised film censorship guidelines to abide by the law.Around AsiaMyanmar doctors in hiding have set up underground networks of clinics to help battle the country's Covid outbreak, with the military junta accused of using the pandemic as a weapon against the people.An Indonesian man is facing arrest after disguising himself as his wife to board a flight, despite reportedly testing positive for Covid.More than two thirds of Indians surveyed above the age of 6 showed antibodies against Covid-19, providing yet more evidence the virus may have spread far more widely than official figures suggest.The Australian government and a United Nations body are facing off on Friday over whether the Great Barrier Reef is "in danger" of losing its "outstanding universal value" — meaning it could lose its World Heritage status.Chinese tech IPOs on Wall Street could come to a grinding halt A wave of Chinese firms have reportedly backed off of plans to go public in the United States.Tough US laws requiring audits for foreign companies and a growing crackdown by Beijing has made it increasingly tough for Chinese tech companies to approach Wall Street.Since February, shares of overseas-listed Chinese tech firms have lost a staggering $1 trillion in value, marking one of the biggest sell-offs of all time, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. And, after a disastrous IPO by ride-hailing giant Didi, TikTok owner Bytedance, social e-commerce platform Xiaohongshu, fitness app Keep and medical data company LinkDoc Technology have all either shelved or scrapped plans to list in New York, according to media reports.It "may very well be" the end — at least temporarily — to US listings for Chinese companies, according to Doug Guthrie, a professor and director of China Initiatives at Arizona State University's Thunderbird School of Global Management. He added that a "serious pause" on such listings could be in effect until US-China relations improve.There are still ways for Chinese companies to tap overseas investment even if the US is no longer an option. They can go to Hong Kong, for example, which also has a diverse pool of international investors and a regulatory regime that meets international standards. But the US market still has an irreplaceable role, as it's bigger than any other financial market in the world, has a greater turnover in stocks and places a higher value on company earnings. That means a company listing in America may find it easier to achieve a higher valuation and sell more shares.--By Laura He and Michelle Toh

3news

Story highlightsForces exchange heavy gunfire with ISIS in Christian town of Qaraqosh ISIS distributes leaflet telling Mosul residents to turn in SIM cardsNear Mosul, Iraq (CNN)In the push to free Mosul, Kurdish Peshmerga forces ideally wanted a political plan -- not just a military one -- to help retake the city from ISIS, Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani said. "We would have loved to have a political plan along with a military plan, how to manage Mosul, how to administer Mosul, because Mosul has a variety of religions, with ethnicities," Barzani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday. JUST WATCHEDIraqi Kurds 'would have loved' political plan for MosulReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIraqi Kurds 'would have loved' political plan for Mosul 01:46But he acknowledged that having one probably "would have taken a longer time."The operation to free Mosul from two years of ISIS rule marks the first time Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces have fought against a common enemy, Barzani said. "We are looking for a good solution for Mosul," he said. Read MoreBut the battle to free Iraq's second-largest city could be marked with months of bloody fighting. Attempt to free Christian townOn the road to Mosul, Iraqi-led forces have besieged a Christian town in an attempt to liberate it from ISIS control, but they are facing fierce resistance and exchanging heavy gunfire with militants, a paramilitary general told CNN.JUST WATCHEDExploring ISIS tunnels near MosulReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExploring ISIS tunnels near Mosul 02:24Iraqi security forces, Peshmerga fighters and a Christian paramilitary group have forced ISIS fighters into the center of Qaraqosh, where airstrikes are pounding the militants, in apparent coalition support of the assault, Gen. Amr Shamoun from the Christian militia group said. It's the latest clash with ISIS militants in the coalition's aggressive push toward Mosul aimed at unshackling the strategic city from the terror group's brutal control.The operation has been complicated since ISIS apparently brought civilians into Qaraqosh, which was abandoned after militants took over in 2014.Part of Qaraqosh has already been liberated, Shamoun said. Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityMembers of the Iraqi federal police wave the country's flag as they celebrate in the Old City of Mosul on July 9, 2017. Iraq declared victory against ISIS forces in Mosul after a grueling monthslong campaign. The battle to reclaim Mosul, the last major ISIS stronghold in Iraq, has been underway since fall 2016.Hide Caption 1 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityThis injured girl was found by Iraqi forces as they advanced against ISIS militants in the Old City of Mosul on Monday, July 3. She was carried away for medical assistance.Hide Caption 2 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA suspected ISIS fighter is held in a basement while Iraqi forces continue to push for control of the Old City of Mosul on Monday, July 3.Hide Caption 3 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi Special Forces soldier exchanges fire with ISIS militants in the Old City on Friday, June 30.Hide Caption 4 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA bomb explodes near the al-Nuri mosque complex on Thursday, June 29. Iraq's military has seized the remains of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri. Iraq and the United States have accused ISIS of blowing up the historic mosque. Hide Caption 5 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityMembers of the Iraqi Federal Police hold a position as US-led coalition forces advance through the Old City on Wednesday, June 28.Hide Caption 6 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityThe remnants of Mosul's ancient leaning minaret are seen in the Old City on Sunday, June 25. ISIS' claim that US warplanes were responsible for the destruction of the minaret is "1,000% false," US officials told CNN.Hide Caption 7 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityTwo boys comfort each other after their home collapsed during fighting between Iraqi forces and militants in Mosul on Saturday, June 24. The boys, who are cousins, said some of their relatives were still under the rubble.Hide Caption 8 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi soldier helps transport a girl as residents flee their homes west of Mosul on Friday, May 26.Hide Caption 9 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityDisplaced Iraqis make their way through rubble after evacuating their homes in a neighborhood of west Mosul on Wednesday, May 17.Hide Caption 10 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi man tries to extinguish a burning car during fighting in Mosul's western Rifai neighborhood on Tuesday, May 16.Hide Caption 11 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA member of the Iraqi counterterrorism service secures a building as troops push toward Mosul's Al-Oraibi western district on Sunday, May 14.Hide Caption 12 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA smoke cloud rises on the front line as the Iraqi Emergency Response Division advances in west Mosul on Saturday, May 6.Hide Caption 13 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA wounded man is transported in western Mosul on Friday, April 21.Hide Caption 14 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi federal policeman smokes during a break from battle on Wednesday, April 12.Hide Caption 15 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA member of Iraq's security forces stands guard in eastern Mosul as smoke rises from the ISIS-controlled western section of the city on Friday, April 7.Hide Caption 16 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqis visit a bath house on the southern outskirts of Mosul on Wednesday, April 5.Hide Caption 17 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityFlames billow from an explosion in Mosul during a clash between Iraqi forces and ISIS fighters on Sunday, March 5.Hide Caption 18 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityFamilies are forced to evacuate as Iraqi forces advance in western Mosul on Thursday, March 2. The number of internally displaced people has surged as the offensive effort has intensified. Hide Caption 19 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityMosul residents cross a damaged bridge in the al-Sukkar neighborhood on Saturday, January 21.Hide Caption 20 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityFrench President Francois Hollande and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, right, view territory held by ISIS during a visit to a military outpost near Mosul on Monday, January 2. Hide Caption 21 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA young girl takes part in a Christmas Day Mass at a church in the predominantly Christian town of Qaraqosh. The area's churches were heavily damaged by ISIS militants before the town was freed by Iraqi forces during the Mosul offensive.Hide Caption 22 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi Shiite fighters ride through a desert area near the village of Al-Boutha al-Sharqiyah, west of Mosul, on Friday, December 2. Hide Caption 23 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityInternally displaced Iraqis who fled the fighting in Mosul watch as a civilian drone films them at the al-Khazir camp on Thursday, December 1.Hide Caption 24 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi soldier searches a home for ISIS militants after Iraqi forces retook the village of Al-Qasr on Wednesday, November 30.Hide Caption 25 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi soldiers transport a comrade who was injured during a battle near the village of Haj Ali on Tuesday, November 29.Hide Caption 26 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA man mourns during the funeral of four Iraqi paramilitary fighters who were killed in battles in the town of Tal Afar.Hide Caption 27 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityDisplaced civilians return to the village of Tall Abtah on Friday, November 25, after Iraqi forces retook the village from ISIS.Hide Caption 28 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi civilians sit on the ground in Mosul on November 24. An Iraqi officer addressed the group, demanding to know the whereabouts of alleged ISIS militants who opened fire on troops a few days earlier.Hide Caption 29 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn injured baby receives treatment at a field hospital in Mosul on November 15.Hide Caption 30 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA woman cries Sunday, November 13, after seeing the St. Addai church that was damaged by ISIS fighters during their occupation of the Keramlis village.Hide Caption 31 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi special forces soldier prays next to a Humvee before troops pushed toward Mosul's Karkukli neighborhood on November 13.Hide Caption 32 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA Kurdish Peshmerga fighter holds part of a defused bomb planted by ISIS militants in Bashiqa, Iraq, on Friday, November 11.Hide Caption 33 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA member of Iraq's special forces guards two suspected ISIS fighters found hiding in a house in Mosul on November 11.Hide Caption 34 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi woman displaced by war holds her cat near a checkpoint in the Iraqi village of Shaqouli, east of Mosul, on November 10.Hide Caption 35 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi troops watch a broadcast of Donald Trump's acceptance speech in a house in Arbid, on the outskirts of Mosul, on Wednesday, November 9. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi congratulated Trump on his win and said he hoped for continued support in the war on ISIS.Hide Caption 36 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityUS Marines install equipment at a coalition base in Qayyara on November 9.Hide Caption 37 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi forces member investigates a mass grave that was discovered after coalition forces recaptured the area of Hamam al-Alil on Monday, November 7.Hide Caption 38 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi children witness a man being interrogated by a member of the Iraqi army at a base next to the Al-Intissar neighborhood of Mosul on November 7.Hide Caption 39 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA civilian man who fled the fighting trims his beard after reaching an Iraqi army position in Mosul on November 7.Hide Caption 40 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityChildren play in debris created by an airstrike in Qayyara on Sunday, November 6.Hide Caption 41 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityFemale members of the Freedom Party of Kurdistan sing as they hold a position near Bashiqa on November 6.Hide Caption 42 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA baby is passed through a fence back to his mother at a refugee camp in the Khazir region on Saturday, November 5.Hide Caption 43 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityPeople line up to receive food at a refugee camp in the Khazir region on November 5. Thousands are taking refuge in camps set up for internally displaced people.Hide Caption 44 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi soldiers pass near a bridge destroyed in an airstrike in Qayyara on November 5.Hide Caption 45 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi soldiers patrol an alley on the outskirts of Mosul on Friday, November 4.Hide Caption 46 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA suspected member of ISIS is detained at a checkpoint near Bartella, Iraq, on November 4.Hide Caption 47 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi families pack into a truck to be moved to camps on Thursday, November 3.Hide Caption 48 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi special forces soldier searches for the location of an ISIS sniper in Gogjali on November 1.Hide Caption 49 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA man fleeing the village of Bazwaya carries a white flag as he arrives at a checkpoint on November 1.Hide Caption 50 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi soldier receives treatment after being injured during clashes with ISIS fighters near Bazwaya on October 31.Hide Caption 51 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi soldier navigates through a shattered windshield as coalition forces advance on Bazwaya on October 31.Hide Caption 52 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityArchbishop Yohanna Petros Mouche, center, performs Mass in the liberated town of Qaraqosh on Sunday, October 30.Hide Caption 53 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityChildren play in a camp for internally displaced people near Kirkuk, Iraq, on October 30. More than 600 families from Tel Afar, a town west of Mosul, have been living in the camp since ISIS took control of the area in 2014.Hide Caption 54 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityDisplaced families are seen on the road near Qayyara on Saturday, October 29.Hide Caption 55 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityU.S. military personnel take cover in a bunker after a mortar alarm was sounded at a coalition air base in Qayyara on Friday, October 28. Hide Caption 56 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityWomen and children grieve over the grave of a family member at a Qayyara cemetery damaged by ISIS on October 27.Hide Caption 57 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityResidents of Qayyara wait for distribution of food and water rations on October 26. Local water sources have been contaminated by the burning oil and sulfur.Hide Caption 58 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraq's counterterrorism forces advance toward ISIS positions in Tob Zawa on October 25.Hide Caption 59 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key citySoldiers give first aid to an injured boy in Tob Zawa on October 25. Hide Caption 60 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityKurdish Peshmerga forces take positions as they start to move toward the Imam Reza and Tizxirab villages of the Bashiqa district on Sunday, October 23.Hide Caption 61 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi forces distribute fruit in the village of al-Khuwayn, south of Mosul, after recapturing it from ISIS on October 23.Hide Caption 62 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityKurdish security forces detain a suspected member of ISIS in the eastern suburbs of Kirkuk on Saturday, October 22.Hide Caption 63 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityAn Iraqi forces member helps a man push a car as they arrive at a refugee camp in Qayyara on October 22.Hide Caption 64 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key citySpent bullet cartridges litter the street around the Jihad Hotel, where ISIS militants battled Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk on Friday, October 21.Hide Caption 65 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityGen. Abdel Ghani al-Asadi, who leads Iraq's counterterrorism forces, sits in Bartella on October 21 after the town was reclaimed.Hide Caption 66 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityPeshmerga fighters look over a village during an assault near Bashiqa on Thursday, October 20.Hide Caption 67 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityIraqi forces head toward the front lines near Qayyara on Tuesday, October 18.Hide Caption 68 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityA Peshmerga fighter peers up from an underground tunnel in the liberated town of Badana on October 18. ISIS fighters have built tunnels below residential streets to escape from airstrikes.Hide Caption 69 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityKurdish security forces take up a position near ISIS-controlled villages on Monday, October 17.Hide Caption 70 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key citySmoke rises from a suicide car bomb attack carried out by ISIS in the village of Bedene on October 17.Hide Caption 71 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityMembers of the Iraqi coalition gather around a fire at Zardak mountain ahead of the offensive.Hide Caption 72 of 73 Photos: Mosul: Iraqi-led forces push into key cityPeshmerga forces deploy in the dark near the village of Wardak early on October 17.Hide Caption 73 of 73Qaraqosh is just one town coalition forces are trying to liberate. The Iraqi army's armored division is closing in on Mosul's fringes after sweeping through enemy-controlled land in two days, freeing communities village by village, the division's commander told CNN on Wednesday.How to help Iraqis fleeing Mosul Recent developmentsLt. Gen. Qassim al-Maliki, commander of the Iraqi 9th armored division, told CNN that in two days:• The armored division has advanced; it is now three to four miles from the outskirts of Mosul.• Three brigades have liberated 13 villages to the north and northeast of Quwayr.• At least 50 ISIS militants and two Iraqi soldiers have been killed, and 25 soldiers injured.• Dozens of suicide vehicles and a large number of improvised explosive devices have been destroyed.Marching toward MosulIn the latest move to oust ISIS, Peshmerga forces launched a "large-scale operation" Thursday northeast of Mosul, the General Command of Peshmerga Forces of Kurdistan Region announced.According to a statement, the operation will be carried out on three fronts. The advance follows recent gains by Kurdish Peshmerga Forces in east Mosul and advances by Iraqi Security Forces in south Mosul.Celebrations turn sourQaraqosh was a Christian town, home to 50,000 before ISIS took control. An exodus saw thousands flee to Mosul, only to be forced out again when ISIS took that key city.Iraqi Christians celebrate Tuesday in Irbil after Iraqi forces entered their hometown of Qaraqosh.Many of those who fled are now living in Irbil, where they celebrated Tuesday when they heard Iraqi forces had entered their hometown. They held a vigil overnight, holding candles and singing hymns, images showed, while others gathered in the street, cheering and dancing. But their celebrations may have come too soon. ISIS appeared to be putting up a real fight in Qaraqosh, as the terror group has in several areas since the operation launched Monday.Displaced Christians from Qaraqosh celebrate in Irbil as Iraqi forces move in to free their hometown. Another Iraqi military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN that ISIS fighters have surrounded Iraqi units around the village of Al Absi, near Nimrud, 12 miles (20 kilometers) south of Mosul. The area has seen heavy fighting in the last 36 hours.Voices from Mosul: 'We want life back to normal'Edging closerMaliki, the Iraqi commander, said his division was around three to four miles (five to six kilometers) from the city's outskirts. He said progress had slowed as protective forces were needed in newly liberated areas to hold ground.Outside of #Mosul #Iraq armor with Shia flags does not help combat the perception of a sectarian army pic.twitter.com/gRj6NUVyMj— Arwa Damon (@arwaCNN) October 19, 2016 His comments echo those of Sirwan Barzani, a Peshmerga military commander, who told CNN the battle to recapture Mosul could take two months.Why Mosul mattersSince Mosul's capture by ISIS fighters in June 2014, Mosul has been a vital stronghold for ISIS.The largest city under ISIS control in Iraq and Syria, it was the city from which the group first declared the establishment of its so-called caliphate. Since then, ISIS has gradually lost its other Iraqi cities -- Ramadi, Tikrit and Falluja -- to government forces. About 1 million people are estimated to remain in Mosul, once a cosmopolitan trade hub of 2 million residents.Barzani said it would likely take two weeks for advancing forces to enter the city. Iraq's leaders have said that only Iraqi government troops and national police officers will be allowed to do so amid fears of sectarian retribution, he said. The coalition's more than 94,000 members vastly outnumber their opponents. But ISIS, expecting the push, has constructed elaborate defenses, including a network of tunnels. Advancing Iraqi forces sometimes encounter ISIS fighters who seemingly pop out of the ground to fire weapons. The tunnels wind through hills, with one entrance not far from an exit.Coalition forces will also likely face suicide bombings, car bombs and booby traps.Up to 5,000 ISIS fighters are in Mosul, a US military official said. ISIS' supporters put the number at 7,000.A US general said some local ISIS leaders are fleeing."We are telling Daesh that their leaders are abandoning them, and we have seen movement out of Mosul," US Army Maj. Gen. Gary Volesky said in a video briefing from Baghdad, referring to ISIS by another name. ISIS distributed leaflets Wednesday evening to residents, demanding they hand over their mobile phone SIM cards and remove all antennas from the roofs of their homes. ISIS representatives will collect the SIM cards over the next 24 hours, according to the leaflets. Anyone who fails to comply will be arrested, according to the leaflets.A unit of what appeared to be US special forces advisers entered ISIS territory Monday with the first armored convoy of Peshmerga, a CNN team observed. They followed a dozens-strong unit of Kurdish armor bound for ISIS positions, placing American forces at the front of the fight to retake Mosul.CNN's Arwa Damon, Nick Paton Walsh, Hamdi Alkhshali and Ben Wedeman reported from near Mosul, and Tim Lister from Irbil, while Angela Dewan wrote from London. CNN's Tim Hume, Euan McKirdy, Kristie Lu Stout, Isil Sariyuce, Holly Yan, Max Blau and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

3news

(CNN)University of Florida President Kent Fuchs will step down, a decision he said was in the works for months, he announced in a video on the school's Twitter account Wednesday. Fuchs will remain until a replacement is appointed, he said, adding he expects the transition in early 2023.He did not mention any controversies of his tenure, focusing on his future, resume and achievements. He closed quoting the Bible, in which the apostle Paul told Timothy, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.""I have planned that the final phase of my career would be as a member of the teaching and research faculty in my home academic department, electrical and computer engineering, here at the university," he said.Fuchs informed the chair of UF's Board of Trustees in August that he wanted this to be his last year as president, he said. The board agreed an announcement would be made in January, Fuchs said. Read MoreJUST WATCHEDUniversity reverses decision on professors testifyingReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUniversity reverses decision on professors testifying 06:53The university is facing scrutiny over allegations of undue political influence after professors were barred from testifying as paid experts in a voting rights lawsuit targeting the state of Florida and other parties. The university -- which originally barred professors from testifying, only to later say they could if they were not paid -- quickly reversed its stance, allowing faculty to be paid for testimony. A faculty senate report last month detailed a culture of fear among faculty members alleging political influence, as well as instances of pressure to destroy and delay publication of Covid-19 research. Following the faculty senate's report, the university launched an investigation. Wednesday marked the first day of UF's spring semester.

3news

Story highlightsSusie Wolff became the first woman in 22 years to take to the track at an F1 grand prixBut the Scot only lasted four laps before engine failure forced her to withdrawWolff will have another chance to drive in practice ahead of the German Grand PrixThe 31-year-old drives for the Williams F1 teamIt has taken over 20 years, but a woman was back on the track in the male-dominated world of Formula One .Unfortunately not for very long.Susie Wolff became the first female since 1992 to take part in an F1 weekend, but after just four laps at Friday's British Grand Prix practice session the 31-year-old Scot had to retire because of an oil pressure problem."It was a really tough day," a dejected Wolff told reporters at the historic Silverstone circuit, after her stricken car was hoisted back to the pits. "But that's F1 sometimes. JUST WATCHEDA spin through the Silverstone circuitReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHA spin through the Silverstone circuit 01:20JUST WATCHEDHome of British motor racingReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHome of British motor racing 03:57"Although there has been a lot of media around my run, when it's just you in the car it's the best feeling."I felt very ready for today -- I knew in my head what I had to do, it was good to get that first run of a race weekend in the bag."Wolff's best time of one minute and 44.212 seconds was set at the very start of the session and was not representative of her ultimate pace.Claire Williams -- deputy team principal of her father's eponymous race team and another strong female role model in the sport -- explained the team did not need to judge Wolff's driving abilities during her practice debut."That was heartbreaking really," said Williams. "The rest of the team are so disappointed for Susie as she's put in so much effort and hard work and she's been subjected to so much scrutiny."It was nothing that she did, it was an issue with the car that we are investigating."Williams' deputy team principal praised Wolff for her diligence ahead of the session."We don't have a question mark over her," Williams told the media. "We're not running her to see how good she is, that's not what we're doing."She knows the car, she's done a lot of preparation in the simulator, she's spent a lot of time with the engineers and she's perfectly competent in the car without causing any hindrance to the team. "She goes out there with her peers in a competitive situation."Wolff, who competed for six years in the popular German touring car championship before joining F1, has been up against it both on and off the track.JUST WATCHEDTaking a spin around the Red Bull RingReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHTaking a spin around the Red Bull Ring 01:20JUST WATCHEDWhat it takes to produce a Grand Prix champReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat it takes to produce a Grand Prix champ 04:03As the wife of Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff, who also owns just over 10% of the Williams team, she has had to bat away suggestions that she owes her opportunity behind the wheel to nepotism."I've always said he's my biggest supporter and also my biggest critic," said Wolff at Silverstone."He knew I had to go out there and do a good job today. He's also quite sad that I didn't get the chance to show it. He would have loved it if I'd have done the session and done a good job."Williams' deputy team principal has also had to deny employing Wolff as the team's development driver was just a publicity stunt."It would be naive to say that having a female on board doesn't bring you commercial benefit but everybody knows that Williams is a serious racing team," she said."We're not only going to do something because it's a marketing gimmick or could bring us in a load of dollars.Read: Will Michael Schumacher ever recover?JUST WATCHEDF1 drivers battle to stay in the fast laneReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHF1 drivers battle to stay in the fast lane 02:47JUST WATCHEDRacing on the Barcelona circuitReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRacing on the Barcelona circuit 01:19"Susie hasn't bought in those dollars and we haven't had any expectation that she would. She has to deliver technically which she's done."There was also support for Wolff from her British peers at Silverstone -- former world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button."She's very, very talented," said Mercedes driver Hamilton, who raced against her in his junior career in karting and Formula Renault. "It's really cool to see her in a Formula One car."I didn't race against many girls. Susie was one of the very few, if not the only one, I raced against. We shared a podium together a couple of times."McLaren's Button added: "She's already driven in a test this year and went very well. It'll be good to see her on track."Wolff will get a second chance to make her mark in first practice at the next grand prix in Germany."I've still got one more shot at it," said the 31-year-old Wolff. "So, head up high and look forward to Hockenheim. "I didn't prove or show anything today. I really want to use that opportunity to show what I can do. "To get into an F1 car is so difficult that you want to maximize it."JUST WATCHEDInside the Mercedes engineReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHInside the Mercedes engine 03:56JUST WATCHEDWhy is F1 so lucrative?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhy is F1 so lucrative? 02:59Asked why it had taken more than 20 years for a female racer to be given another opportunity in a competitive F1 session, Wolff told CNN: "Firstly, if there is no role model out there doing it, for all the little girls who come to the tracks and watch on TV, if they don't see a girl on track then they're not inspired to want to do that themselves."That then leads to the second problem that there's not enough girls karting or starting at a young age.Interactive: CNN's guide to Silverstone"But sometimes in life you just need a chance, and I got that chance with the Williams team -- Frank and Claire gave me that big break."Williams -- who grew up in motorsport's macho environment -- told CNN: "I'm always a believer that it's up to individuals to come up and do it and that hasn't happened for whatever reason."Giovanna Amati was the last woman to drive in the sport when she attempted to qualify for a race in 1992.The Italian was competing in an era of F1 when there were only 26 spots on the grid and more than 30 cars pushing for those places.Amati, driving for the Brabham team, attempted to qualify at three races but was not able to break through with a largely uncompetitive car.Of the seven women to join the F1 world championship, only two have ever qualified to start a race. The most prolific of these was Italian Lella Lombardi, who started 12 grands prix in the 1970s.Lombardi made history while driving with March at a difficult 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the only woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix.The late Maria de Villota, who died in October last year, also began her F1 career along with Wolff when she was signed as a development driver by the Marussia team in 2012.Read: Why can't women win in F1?Read: Schumacher's "stolen files up for sale"Read: Caterham F1 team sold

5sport

(CNN)After 11 races and eight different winners, one of the most exciting seasons in recent motorsport history comes to an end this weekend.With 58 points available, the New York double-header will determine who is crowned champion in season five of Formula E.It would take a monumental effort for any driver to overhaul Jean-Eric Vergne's 32-point lead -- or a major disaster from the Frenchman -- and stop him becoming the sport's first two-time champion."It's so difficult for anyone to catch him," former IndyCar driver and Formula E commentator Dario Franchitti told CNN Sport. "As long as he doesn't make a mistake, it's likely he will be the first double winner -- and he is very deserving. "It's been such a competitive season, so many different winners and such a mixed up field. We are now in a position where literally anyone in Formula E can win a race."JUST WATCHEDDario Franchitti previews Formula E finaleReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDario Franchitti previews Formula E finale 02:32Read More'I don't have a clue'Defending champion Vergne has endured an up and down season -- as have most of the field -- and didn't taste victory until Hong Kong, the sixth race of the calendar.Changes to the rules before the start of the season meant that those at the top of the championship would go out to qualify first when the track conditions are least favorable.It's made it almost impossible for any driver to take control of the championship after having taken the lead, something those on the grid have been far from pleased about."It's brilliant as a commentator!" Franchitti says. "But people say who will win? I don't have a clue. The first people to go out are top five in the championship and in that situation the track isn't at its best -- the street circuits are dusty and dirty -- so it tends to be slowest session."We're talking tenths of a second between success and failure and the championship protagonists tended to be at back of field. We loved it, but drivers weren't so keen because it mixed it up. But the field of cars is so competitive -- it's been a fantastic season."It's so unlike motorsport, so unlike F1 -- that is the point -- that is what the organizers wanted to achieve. There are no preconceived ideas. It's electric racing, completely different."Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA) receives the Voestalpine Trophy after his victory in the Bern E-Prix.READ: Motor racing series aims to be the Formula One of the skies'Phenomenal addition'In addition to the popular Fan Boost feature, Formula E this season introduced Attack Mode which allows drivers to deviate off the racing line and drive through a section of the track in order to pick up some extra energy.While fans believe it has made the on-track action even more exciting, detractors have labeled the features as gimmicks.But in only its fifth season, Formula E can boast to being one of the fastest growing sports in the world and attracted more than 300 million viewers globally to watch at least one race on TV last season, according to Forbes.An average of 27.1 million watched each individual race, a huge increase on the 18.6 million that tuned in for each race during the 2016-17 season.Former IndyCar driver and Formula E commentator Dario Franchitti READ: Oliver Rowland finds it's his time to shine in electric racing seriesThis rapidly increasing popularity has seen not only big name drivers make the switch to all-electric racing, but also the biggest and most prestigious manufacturers -- with more set to join next season."Purists are up in arms," Franchitti says of the sport's criticism. "Trust me, I'm a purist as well but it's been a phenomenal addition to world racing; Fan Boost, Attack Mode -- what is most entertaining way to make a race?"Manufacturers have been flocking to Formula E, next season we'll have Porsche and Mercedes. How much of a chance do they stand against established constructors? "These teams are incredible good at what they do but Porsche and Mercedes are fantastic manufacturers, they dominate the fields of motor racing. "I think the field will be raised again."

5sport

Story highlightsClashes have caused some casualties, a statement from the mayor's office saysAuthorities advise residents to stay in their homes as violence eruptsPro-Russian separatists seized Donetsk airport terminalIn response, Ukrainian air and ground forces attacked the airportIntense fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine on Monday when government air and ground forces attacked pro-Russian separatist gunmen who had seized an airport terminal.The clashes between Ukraine's Army and separatists in Donetsk have caused some casualties, according to a statement posted on the official website of the city's mayor, which also advised residents to stay in their homes.A CNN team in the city observed a Ukrainian combat helicopter flying over the Donetsk airport and firing at something. It was unclear what the target was. Black smoke billowed up from the area. Pro-Russian separatists shot at the helicopter as it flew overhead. Gunfire and explosions could be heard in the city.The fighting marked the worst violence that this key population center in eastern Ukraine has seen since the start of the crisis. And the violence came hours after newly elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he'd potentially like to negotiate a way out of the crisis.JUST WATCHEDGunmen storm Ukrainian airportReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGunmen storm Ukrainian airport 01:56Authorities canceled all flights after separatists stormed and seized Donetsk's airport terminal, according to the national news agency of Ukraine, Ukrinform. The separatists ignored a government ultimatum to vacate the premises, Ukrinform reported.After a Ukrainian military plane "made a preliminary shot," paratroopers landed and began clearing the airport, Ukrinform reported. In the fighting, a separatist anti-aircraft gun was destroyed, Ukrinform said.Though the Ukrainian government said it was taking control, CNN reporters who witnessed the action saw separatist reinforcements moving toward the airport in trucks.Both sides later claimed they held the airport.Government officials claimed flights would resume by 9 a.m. on Tuesday.The State Border Service of Ukraine said that up to 40 trucks with gunmen had been spotted on Russian territory within 10 kilometers of Donetsk.

3news

Madrid (CNN)From Spain, they used the Internet and social media to recruit and indoctrinate young, potential Islamist militants to work for ISIS. They even attracted Facebook followers as far away as Latin America, the United States, Belgium and France.But on Tuesday, Spain's Civil Guard forces arrested four suspects in different parts of the country suspected of recruiting for ISIS, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.JUST WATCHEDSeveral Western terror suspects detainedReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHSeveral Western terror suspects detained 01:25Two key suspects were arrested in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, on Morocco's north coast -- where previous arrests for Islamist militant activity have occurred.Those two, who were not immediately identified by authorities, translated ISIS material to Spanish, and their recruitment targets included women. Read MoreIn addition to using the Internet, the two key suspects also held discreet meetings in homes, showing the latest ISIS videos to recruits, the Interior Ministry said. The statement also said some recruits were preparing to travel to conflict zones. The other two suspects were arrested near Barcelona and in the province to the north, Girona. The Interior Ministry said one of them edited and distributed recruitment videos, and the other was more of a "lone wolf" who had consumed indoctrination material and started a campaign to persuade others.

3news

(CNN)A teenage German driver has fractured her spine after suffering a horrifying airborne crash at Macau Grand Prix's Formula Three final on Sunday.In dramatic video footage which has been shared on social media, Sophia Floersch -- who is only 17 years old -- can be seen losing control of her Van Amersfoort Racing car and flying over her competitors before slamming into the track fence.Terrifying!A crash in the Formula 3 Macau Grand Prix has to be seen to be believed. Early reports suggest everyone involved survived. pic.twitter.com/jc4TXOdNn0— Herald Sun Sport (@heraldsunsport) November 18, 2018 Hier de Macau-crash van Sophia Floersch nog van een ander camerastandpunt op de tribune. De snelheid en impact is echt ongelofelijk! Hopelijk is niet alleen Sophia, maar iedereen daar ongedeerd. Nog altijd geen updates. #MacauGP pic.twitter.com/FqZzVwu1q8— Rob van Gameren (@VanGamerenF1) November 18, 2018 On Twitter, Floersch thanked everyone for the messages of support."Just wanted to let everybody know that I am fine but will be going into Surgery tomorrow morning," she wrote, adding that there will be an update soon.Just wanted to let everybody know that I am fine but will be going into Surgery tomorow morning. Thanks to the @fia and @hwaag_official @MercedesAMGF1 who are taking great care of me.Thanks to everybody for the Supporting messages.Update soon.— Sophia Floersch (@SophiaFloersch) November 18, 2018 In a medical report published by Van Amersfoort Racing, it says Floersch is conscious and suffered a spinal fracture as a result of the terrifying accident in the Chinese territory. Photos: F1's most signifcant accidentsFernando Alonso's spectacular crash at Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix reignited the debate around driver safety, specifically the new "halo." Built around the cockpit to protect drivers from debris, it appeared to come to the rescue of Charles Leclerc as Alonso's airborne car bounced off it and over him.Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: F1's most signifcant accidentsIt was the second serious incident Alonso has been involved in in as many years, although his crash at the 2016 was arguably worse. After colliding with Esteban Gutierrez, Alonso's car hit the wall at 200mph, flipping through the air before coming to rest upside down. "I'm lucky to be here and thankful to be here," Alonso said after the crash.Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: F1's most signifcant accidentsAyrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger, San Marino 1994 – Ayrton Senna's death during the 1994 San Marino GP, the day after fellow driver Roland Ratzenberger was killed in qualifying, shocked the world. A three-time world champion, the Brazilian is still regarded as one of the greatest drivers ever. Senna's death resulted in widespread changes, including limiting engine size and power and raised cockpits sides to offer drivers more protection. Suspension also changed to prevent wheels from becoming disconnected from the front wing.Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: F1's most signifcant accidentsJules Bianchi, Suzuka 2014 – Jules Bianchi's death in 2015 -- nine months after his crash at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix -- was the first in Formula One since Senna's. On a sodden Suzuka track, Bianchi lost control of his car and smashed into a recovery vehicle dealing with an earlier crash involving driver Adrian Sutil. As a result of the incident, F1 changed regulations for drainage on tracks and how vehicles would respond to crashes.Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: F1's most signifcant accidentsNiki Lauda, Nürburgring 1976 – Three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda suffered extensive burns to his head and inhaled toxic fumes that damaged his lungs following a crash at Nürburgring in 1976. The incident took place at a point on the 22.8 km circuit that was almost impossible to access and Lauda had to be pulled from the wreckage by four fellow drivers. After the crash, the Nürburgring was removed from the F1 calendar for the following season.Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: F1's most signifcant accidentsThirteen drivers, Spa-Francorchamps 1998 – If the first corner in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix seemed hectic, it pales in comparison to that of the 1998 edition. In yet another Spa deluge and with the drivers barely visible on TV through the rain, 13 drivers spun out in the opening seconds. The race restarted more than an hour later and featured 18 of the 22 drivers as teams were then allowed spare cars, a rule that has since been abolished.Hide Caption 6 of 6Read MoreThe medical report added that Floersch is "not fit to race."Official statement regarding @sophiafloersch's accident at the #MacauGP. pic.twitter.com/txkfJkePXq— VanAmersfoortRacing (@VARmotorsport) November 18, 2018 The governing body of motor sport, the FIA, also published a statement on Facebook which said that Japan's Sho Tsuboi -- whose car Floersch collided with -- had also been taken to a local hospital for "further evaluation," as well as two members of the media and one marshal.

5sport

Story highlightsThree siblings from Texas, another man, went missing in Mexico on October 13Some witnesses say security forces took themErica, Alex and Jose Angel Alvarado, and a fourth person who was with them were found deadThey were buried Sunday in MexicoOn Sunday, Raquel and Pedro Alvarado buried three of their children -- Erica, Alex and Jose Angel -- in the Mexican village of El Control, just five miles south of the Texas border. The final resting place for the youths -- all in their 20s -- is the place where their family originated. But this small community, administered by the larger border city of Matamoros, merely provides bookends to the lives these three Americans had north of the Rio Grande. The siblings were born in the United States, grew up in Progreso, Texas, and continued to make their lives there. They disappeared on October 13 -- kidnapped, witnesses say -- as they returned to Texas from a trip to visit their father in El Control. JUST WATCHEDMother grieves over kids killed in MexicoReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMother grieves over kids killed in Mexico 01:27Their bodies were found last week. Each was bound at their hands and feet, the Tamaulipas State Attorney General's Office said, and each had a gunshot wound to the head. A fourth victim, Jose Castaneda, met the same fate. Castaneda was Erica's boyfriend, her family said. All four were killed the same day they disappeared, a spokesman for the State Attorney General's Office said, without elaborating. Some witnesses told investigators that the armed men who confronted and took the youths belonged to a new security force known as "Grupo Hercules," State Attorney General Ismael Quintanilla Acosta told reporters. Grupo Hercules was created one month before the disappearance of the youths. It is touted as an elite security force under the direction of the mayor of Matamoros, 37-year-old Leticia Salazar. In parts of Mexico like this stretch of border, where drug cartels battle each other and law enforcement, things aren't always what they seem. Drug gangs have been known to pose as cops. Cops have been known to be on cartel payrolls. Cases of mistaken identity have had deadly consequences. But what troubles Pedro and Raquel Alvarado is that no one has offered a motive or theory about why their children and Castaneda were killed. No one has accused the Alvarado siblings of being involved in criminal activity. And while nine members of Grupo Hercules were interrogated by investigators, no arrests have been made. Salazar, the Matamoros mayor, has neither defended nor disciplined her security forces -- at least publicly. Contacted by CNN, Salazar referred questions to the city's public affairs team, which earlier said it did not have any comment on the allegations against Grupo Hercules and could not confirm why the group was created or even its size. In a news release announcing the group's unveiling, Grupo Hercules is described as being tasked with combating crime and made up of forces capable of carrying out intelligence and high-risk operations. Members of the Grupo Hercules security force are shown in September, when the force was created. Some witnesses say they were the armed men who kidnapped three Americans in Mexico. A week ago, the attorney general said his investigators would call in the mayor for questioning, but that has not happened. "I don't know why they took them," Pedro Alvarado said. "They didn't start trouble with anyone. They were quiet, not aggressive."If her children were mixed up in something criminal, there should be a record of their arrests or charges against them, but those are nonexistent, Raquel Alvarado said. "If I knew they were doing something wrong, I would have recognized it as their mother," she said. "And until someone proves otherwise, I will continue defending them."Pedro, Raquel's former husband, was the one to identify the remains of his children, which were in an advanced state of decomposition, the State Attorney General's Office said. He identified them by their clothing, shoes and some tattoos. The U.S. Consulate in Matamoros has been assisting the family."We have been in contact with Mexican officials both in Washington and in Mexico to find out further details of the case, and will take appropriate action (if necessary) once more is known about the circumstances," a State Department official said. An FBI spokeswoman said the agency is assisting Mexican officials with any part of the investigation on the U.S. side of the border. Three livesThe final Facebook post that Erica Alvarado shared -- at least publicly -- is a fitting, if unplanned, goodbye. It is a collage of photos of her four children atop a backdrop with the words "I love you."She was born in Florida, and like her siblings, grew up in Progreso, a Texas town on the border and about as close as you can get to El Control on the U.S. side of the boundary. She was a dedicated mother, Pedro Alvarado said, and was planning to enroll in a nursing program. Her brother Alex loved his Chevy Tahoe, his father said. Alex's social media postings reflect that: photos of the Tahoe muddied, photos after a paint job, the Tahoe as a profile picture. The same armed men who took his children took the Tahoe, Pedro Alvarado said. The 22-year-old had a prominent tattoo on his left arm -- an image of St. Jude, the saint of lost causes -- the father said. By now, Alex and his brother, Jose Angel, should have been in Missouri, doing seasonal agricultural work, Pedro Alvarado said. Jose Angel was born in Houston, and Alex in Harlingen, during Pedro's own days as a seasonal migrant worker in the United States, their father said. Routine visitThe siblings visited their father in El Control each week, Pedro Alvarado said.On their short drive back to Texas, the Alvarado siblings stopped at "La Curva Texas," a small restaurant underneath the last major overpass before the Los Indios International Bridge, Pedro Alvarado said. They arrived separately, Raquel Alvarado said. According to what witnesses have told her, Alex and Jose Angel arrived at the restaurant to find armed men beating up their sister and her boyfriend. The brothers intervened, and the armed men overpowered all four and placed hoods over their heads before escorting them away, the mother said. It was there, he said, that they were last seen before their bodies were found 16 days later. Raquel Alvarado said she and Pedro have told all this to authorities, but she accuses investigators of moving slowly. The facts that are known, she said, are thanks to the investigative work of Pedro, who tracked down witnesses. There was an outpouring of support at the funeral, Raquel Alvarado said. Family from across Texas and Mexico attended, and when the funeral procession moved from the church to the burial ground, they found that the crowd wouldn't fit in the cemetery. On Monday, the mother was back in Progreso, hoping to get some sleep to recover from the whirlwind of mourning, frustration and media spotlight. "I hope when I wake up I will learn this was all a nightmare," she said. "But I know it isn't."Mexican mayor, wife arrested in case of missing students

3news

West Palm Beach, Florida (CNN)Dozens of police officers were standing by as the Palm Beach County School Board held a meeting Wednesday evening with masked and unmasked spectators watching from separate rooms, as the board said it would abide with the latest state rule that takes a "symptoms-based approach" to quarantining students.A crowd of about 40 people sat in the masked section of the meeting, while those who wanted to go without a face covering were in a room across the parking lot.During the board meeting, more than 50 people spoke in person or via video conference to address the school system's Covid-19 policies. Others called the board to relay their messages. The school system is one of several in the state that has a mask mandate, defying Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has said face covering decisions should be left up to parents.The state on Wednesday announced a revised policy that will allow for asymptomatic children exposed to Covid-19 to return to schools if preferred by a parent or guardian.Florida governor says parents can send asymptomatic kids exposed to Covid-19 back to schoolRead More"Some parents may be less comfortable sending their kid back to school after being exposed, and so the new rule allows for those parents to keep their children home for a period of time, and the new rule also allows for parents who are more comfortable letting their healthy child return to school go back to school," said Dr. Joe Ladapo, Florida's new surgeon general and Department of Health secretary. The board said it was siding with the state's "symptom-based approach" regarding quarantining."There's a new surgeon general and he's changed the decision tree, so now we modified our policy to meet the new surgeon general's decision tree," school board chairman Frank Barbieri said.Most of the participants at the meeting spoke in opposition of a mask mandate. One person arrived with their young daughter wearing a mask that said, "This is a control device."One person said he was being denied entry into the meeting because of his signage. He was wearing a "defund the school board" sign around his neck. He said he was told signage was not allowed inside.Early speakers, most of whom who wore masks, sharply criticized the board for the mandate.

3news

(CNN)Over 60 NFL players have opted out of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.Players had until 4 p.m. ET on Thursday to decide and after the deadline passed, a spokesperson for the NFL told CNN that out of 2,880 players, 66 players chose to opt out.That figure could be higher -- both NBC's Pro Football Talk and CBS reported the figure was 67 players.Three-time Super Bowl champions Dont'a Hightower and Marcus Cannon are among the eight New England Patriots to opt out of the 2020 NFL season.The New England Patriots are the team most affected, with eight players opting out of the 2020 season -- prompting much ribald "tanking for Trevor" commentHighly-rated Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to be drafted first overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and some fans have jokingly suggested that the team's performance this upcoming season might be reflected in a desire to gain that number one pick.Read MoreThe Patriots have lost starters like linebacker Dont'a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung, who have both won three Super Bowls with the team.Eight New England Patriots players have opted out of the 2020 season -- the most of any NFL team.The first player to opt out of the season was practicing doctor and Kansas City Chiefs offensive linesman Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff.The Canadian said in a Twitter post: "Being at the frontline during this offseason has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our healthcare system."I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients."Players who opted out voluntarily, like Duvernay-Tardiff, will receive a $150,000 salary advance and their contract will toll to the next year. They will not earn a credited or accrued season, but will retain health insurance.Alternatively, if a player qualified as having a high-risk condition and provided proof to their team, they will receive a $350,000 stipend that does not count as a salary advance and their contract will toll. The player will earn an accrued season towards free agency as well as benefits and minimum salary credit for a credited season, as well as retaining their health insurance too.Kansas City Chiefs offensive linesman and practicing doctor Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff was the first player to opt out of the 2020 NFL season.The Brady BunchOnly one player has opted out from Tom Brady's new team -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- and that's offensive linesman Brad Seaton.Brady gave his first press conference as a Buccaneer on Thursday, and played down personal concerns about the coronavirus, saying: "I know it's a contact sport and there are some things that are out of your control, but that's a pretty good lesson for life, too."You don't have everything in control in life, either. The best thing you can do is prepare your body, prepare your mind for whatever comes at it. You always have to be able to adjust and adapt as best as possible."Only one player from Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted out of the 2020 season.But Brady acknowledged Covid-19 had posed some difficulties during his switch from Patriots to Buccaneers."I put a lot of time and energy into making sure I'm feeling good in order to perform at my best, but mentally I think that's been the thing that's obviously had its challenges," he said. "I think you couple that with the coronavirus situation and it became even more difficult. I think conversations we probably would've had in April, we're having now. "I think that part has been challenging too, but the only thing you can do is adjust to the situation, adapt the best way you can [and] put as much time and energy now as we can into it. "I think the reality is, the clock is ticking on everybody. We're going to have to work as hard as we can and not waste any minutes of any day trying to get used to one another. [We need to] embrace the challenge and see it as an opportunity to see what we can become."

5sport

Story highlights Separatist leader says rebels will not agree to disarm in return for amnestyAccord between Ukrainian, European parliaments will bring closer political, economic tiesUkraine's lawmakers also approve "special status" law for rebel-held areas in the eastAmnesty will not apply to those suspected of shooting down Malaysia Airlines Flight 17Ukraine and the European Union ratified a political and economic agreement Tuesday in a step leaders hailed as a "historic moment."The EU Association Agreement includes free-trade provisions, although they will not come into force until January 1, 2016. Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to drop the agreement last year in favor of closer ties with Moscow triggered the popular unrest that led to his ouster, Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and months of fighting in eastern Ukraine.European lawmakers backed ratification in a vote in Strasbourg, France, while Ukraine's parliament voted at the same time in Kiev to approve the deal.Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko tweeted afterward, "355 votes for. EU Association Agreement has been ratified. Glory to Ukraine!"Addressing his parliament before the vote, he said the Ukrainian people had "reversed the express train going East" toward Russia and thanked the EU for its support.JUST WATCHEDAmerican troops arrive in UkraineReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAmerican troops arrive in Ukraine 01:39JUST WATCHEDUkrainians calling for a separate state ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUkrainians calling for a separate state 02:40JUST WATCHEDUkraine prisoners freed in swapReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUkraine prisoners freed in swap 02:10"This is an historic moment," European Parliament President Martin Schulz told EU lawmakers.'Special status' Ukraine's parliament also voted Tuesday in favor of legislation that would give "special status" to rebel-held parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions and grant amnesty to the separatists. A shaky ceasefire is in place between the pro-Russia rebels and Ukrainian forces who have been battling for control of the region.The "special status" legislation applies only to the area of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions currently under the control of the separatists, according to the Ukrainian parliament's official website.The granting of amnesty will apply only after the separatists have given up their weapons, handed over all those being held hostage and ended their occupation of public buildings, according to the legislation. This, in effect, means disarmament must take place before criminal cases are dropped.The amnesty will not apply to those suspected of carrying out the July shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board the plane died.Rebels reject disarmamentHowever, Andrey Purgin, the first deputy Prime Minister of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, told CNN that the Ukrainian government in Kiev can forget about disarmament in exchange for amnesty. "It will never happen," he said in a phone conversation.Purgin said the Donetsk rebel leadership considered the special status legislation as no more than a basis for future negotiations with Kiev, and felt under no obligation to accept its initiatives because it does not consider itself part of Ukraine. "This was a decision of the Ukrainian parliament, not of our parliament," he said, adding, "This law will not stop the fighting."Purgin also said the legislation marked a step forward in one sense because it represented a partial acceptance by Kiev of the existence of the Donetsk People's Republic, whereas previously the rebels had been simply dismissed as terrorists.Under the new legislation, a vote for local deputies will take place on December 7, and a new "people's police force" will be created in that area.Also among the powers being granted are the right to use the Russian language rather than Ukrainian in all areas of public life, including public institutions, courts and education. Local authorities will take part in the appointment of prosecutors and judges, rather than the decision being solely in the hands of government in Kiev.There are many Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine, which historically has had close ties to Russia.U.S. envoy: Road map to democracyMoscow has made clear that it is opposed to Ukraine's pivot toward the West.But Western leaders -- who accuse Moscow of sending troops and military equipment over the border into Ukraine to help the pro-Russia rebels -- have welcomed the move.JUST WATCHEDUkrainians calling for a separate state ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUkrainians calling for a separate state 02:40JUST WATCHEDCNN crew takes cover from artillery fireReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN crew takes cover from artillery fire 02:08The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, said via Twitter that the ratification of the Association Agreement would provide a road map "for building a prosperous, European democracy, grounded in rule of law/anti-corruption."The decision to delay implementation of the free trade part of the agreement for more than a year followed talks Friday between representatives of the EU, Ukraine and Russia, the Kremlin said.The EU and United States have imposed economic sanctions against Russian interests over Moscow's intervention in Ukraine.Military exercisesMeanwhile, more than 1,000 European and American forces are engaged in training exercises this week in western Ukraine, far from the Russian border. The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Sergey Naryshkin, opened a new autumn session Tuesday in which he warned that "the updated version of the Cold War is becoming a reality nowadays."He was critical of NATO, which has voiced its clear support for Ukraine, although the country is not a member of the defense bloc."By supplying Kiev authorities with weapons, NATO countries would be meddling with Ukraine's internal affairs and aiding in war crimes," he said.Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said Tuesday the deployment of "a full-scale, self-sufficient" military force in Crimea was a priority in light of current events in Ukraine, state news agency Itar-Tass reported.NATO issued a statement Tuesday condemning elections reportedly held in Crimea on Sunday."We continue to condemn Russia's illegal and illegitimate 'annexation' of Crimea and its continued and deliberate destabilization of eastern Ukraine in violation of international law," NATO said."We stand united in our support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders."Pro-Russian Rebels release captive Ukranian troops

3news

Story highlightsNovak Djokovic wants to recapture world number one ranking from Roger FedererSerbian relinquished top spot when Federer beat Andy Murray in Wimbledon finalDjokovic won China Open on Sunday and begins Shanghai Masters campaign WednesdayNo. 7 seed Juan Monaco, of Argentina, defeated 6-4 6-2 by Spain's Fernando VerdascoNovak Djokovic has trained his sights on reclaiming the world number one ranking from 17-time grand slam winner Roger Federer by the end of 2012.The Serbian relinquished top spot in July after the veteran Swiss beat Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final, recording his seventh triumph at the All England Club.But Djokovic's victory in the China Open on Sunday helped him close the gap and he can reclaim the No. 1 slot if he wins this week's Shangahi Masters and Federer does not reach the last eight.Though that is unlikely, there are plenty more ranking points to play for in the coming weeks with tournaments in Valencia, Basel and Paris to come before the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London.Read: Federer leads charge of the old men"The No. 1 of the world is a goal for me until the end of the year, it is definitely an objective, something I will try to achieve," Djokovic was quoted as saying by the ATP Tour's official website."But it's not daily on my mind. I obviously try to focus on my day-to-day commitments that I have at the tournaments and every match that I play in. This [has been] my mindset always and was working well so far."Djokovic clinched his third straight China Open title on Sunday, celebrating by joining a troupe of dancers to show off his "Gangnam" skills, and is aiming for a strong finish to a year that has tailed off somewhat.JUST WATCHEDBritain's Andy Murray wins U.S. OpenReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBritain's Andy Murray wins U.S. Open 01:27JUST WATCHEDIs 30 the new 20 in tennis?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHIs 30 the new 20 in tennis? 02:42JUST WATCHEDExclusive: Becker tours hometownReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHExclusive: Becker tours hometown 05:59JUST WATCHEDGraf excited about German tennisReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGraf excited about German tennis 02:58After his Australian Open win in a marathon match with Rafael Nadal, the Spaniard gained revenge at the French Open, beating the Serbian in the final.Djokovic was then knocked out of Wimbledon in the semifinal by Federer, beaten in the last four of the Olympics by Andy Murray and again bested by the Briton in the U.S. Open final in September.It has led many to predict that Murray can mirror Djokovic's stellar 2011 and go on to add many more majors to his portfolio, and the 25-year-old thinks his longtime friend and rival is more than capable."I don't think it's good to predict anything because tennis is such a unique sport, individual sport," he said. "A lot of factors are involved. "Obviously mentally it's a matter of staying strong, staying healthy physically, trying to perform your best on a regular basis."He won his first grand slam. He could have won it already a couple years ago. He's a quality player. He's [been] one of the best players in the world in the last five years, there's no question about it. "He's been improving ever since he got to professional tennis. He definitely is a contender to win all the grand slams, there's no question about it."Murray starts his defense of his Shanghai Masters title against Florian Mayer on Wednesday after the German beat Australia's Bernard Tomic 6-4 6-0 in the first round, while Djokovic faces Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria.Elsewhere, there was a surprise defeat for No. 7 seed Juan Monaco of Argentina, as he was defeated 6-4 6-2 by Spain's Fernando Verdasco.American John Isner, the No. 8 seed, won the a tight contest with fellow big-hitter Kevin Anderson of South Africa, winning 7-6 6-7 7-6.Kei Nishikori, who became the first Japanese player to win the Japan Open last week, continued his good form beating China's Di Wu 6-2 6-2.The No. 10 seed, Croatia's Marin Cilic beat Martin Klizan, of Slovenia, 7-5 6-1 while Canadian No. 12 seed Milos Raonic beat Marinko Matosevic of Australia 7-6 6-3.

5sport

(CNN)Houston rapper Bun B shot an armed man suspected of invading his home in southwest Houston on Tuesday.Police said Bun B's wife heard the doorbell ring and opened the door without looking, believing it was Amazon delivering a package. When she answered, a man wearing a mask pointed a gun at her head and demanded property as he forced his way into their home.Fearing for her life, Bun B's wife pleaded with the suspect, identified as 20-year-old DeMonte Jackson, not to harm her and told him to take their car in the garage.DeMonte Jackson, 20, has been charged with aggravated robbery and burglary.Bun B, whose real name is Bernard Freeman, heard the commotion, grabbed a gun and came downstairs.The rapper confronted Jackson in the garage as they both fired shots at each other, police said. Read MoreThe suspect ran away and later showed up at a hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Jackson has been charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and one count of burglary.Bun B, who police said has not been charged, was not injured. Neither was his wife.Bun B is best known as half the rap duo UGK, a group credited for hits including, "Pocket Full of Stones," "Ridin' Dirty" and "Int'l Playas Anthem."

1entertainment

Story highlightsFIFA nominates Luis Moreno-Ocampo to lead its anti-corruption unitHe is best known for war crimes charges against Libya's Moammar GadhafiAllegations of corruption rocked FIFA's governing body last year.World soccer's governing body FIFA has nominated the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, to be its lead anti-corruption investigator, FIFA said Tuesday.The Argentinian prosecutor is best known for pursuing war crimes charges against Libya's late Moammar Gadhafi and the president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir.Moreno-Ocampo's term with the ICC ends in June.News of his nomination comes a day after police in Italy arrested at least 19 people, including Lazio team captain Stefano Mauri, in connection with a match-fixing investigation -- the latest scandal to plague international soccer.Allegations of corruption also rocked FIFA's governing body last year.JUST WATCHEDEaton talks match fixing in JanuaryReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHEaton talks match fixing in January 02:36Asian football chief Mohamed bin Hammam was banned from the game for life after being found guilty of corruption for trying to buy votes in the FIFA presidential election with $40,000 in cash inducements to Caribbean football officials last year. Also, the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively won by Russia and Qatar, came under scrutiny after allegations of improper conduct.In March, FIFA pledged to reform its governance structure to address concerns about corruption.The proposed changes included splitting the organization's ethics committee into two entities, one to investigate allegations and another to rule on them.

5sport

Story highlightsTherapeutic Use Exemptions under the microscope in sportTues revealed after WADA medical records hacked (CNN)It's the latest acronym to take the world of sport by storm -- but what is a TUE?Therapeutic Use Exemptions, which hit the headlines Tuesday after the World Anti-Doping Agency was hacked by Russian group Fancy Bears, were revealed to be used by a number of top athletes.Follow @cnnsport Olympic champion gymnast Simone Biles and tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams were the target of the attack, as well as US basketball player Elena Delle Donna.But what are TUEs?Simone Biles was one of the stars at Rio 2016.TUEsRead MoreA TUE is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method.They're often used because athletes may have illnesses or conditions which means they need to take certain medications.If the medication which is needed is listed as a prohibited substance, a TUE could be given to allow the athlete to use the medication without breaking any doping laws.Exemptions, which are only granted if no unfair advantage is given to the athlete, can be applied for through the athletes' national anti-doping agency or international federation.The entire process is kept confidential to maintain the athlete's right to privacy.Biles won four gold medals at the Rio Olympics.Star namesIn the case of Biles, whose data was leaked by the hackers, the teenager was revealed to be on medicine for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).pic.twitter.com/tPxCJ1K2RZ— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) September 13, 2016 Biles, who won four golds in Rio, took to Twitter, writing: "Having ADHD, and taking medicine for it is nothing to be ashamed of, nothing that I'm afraid to let people know."She was staunchly defended by USA Gymnastics."Simone has filed the proper paperwork," said Steve Penny, the organization's president."Simone and everyone at U.S.A. Gymnastics believe in the importance of a level playing field for all athletes."Serena and Venus have won three Olympic doubles titles.Sisters targetedBiles wasn't the only hackers' target -- the WIlliams sisters were dragged into the story as well.Statement from Venus Williams on today's hack on WADA, which led to the release of her confidential medical data. pic.twitter.com/fEYvWHgnfC— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) September 13, 2016 The siblings, who have won four Olympic gold medals each during their careers, were reported to have taken a number of restricted substances between 2010-2015.Both women had received TUEs for the medication.Venus Williams issued a statement acknowledging her drug test results had been hacked and said that she had also been granted "therapeutic use exemptions," although she doesn't cite the reason for the exemption.Quick update! pic.twitter.com/5tuZNIpVLC— Elena Delle Donne (@De11eDonne) September 13, 2016 "I am one of the strongest supporters of maintaining the highest level of integrity in competitive sport and I have been highly disciplined in following the guidelines," she wrote.The drug testing results for Team USA basketball player Elena Delle Donne were also revealed in the hack."I'd like to thank the hackers for making the world aware that I legally take a prescription for a condition I've been diagnosed with, which WADA granted me an exemption for. Thanks, guys!" she posted.Are people taking advantage?In 2015, athletics coach Alberto Salazar was accused of exploiting the TUEs system to give his athletes an edge without medical justification.Salazar denied all the accusations and issued a 12,000 word response against the allegations.Read: Farah: 'I've never taken performance enhancing drugs' www.edition.cnn.com/athleteoftheday #athleteoftheday __________________________________ @cnncreative @serenawilliams A video posted by CNNSport (@cnnsport) on Aug 14, 2016 at 6:07am PDT But leading anti-doping experts and sport scientists say the current system could be manipulated."There is the potential, no doubt, for some organizations to use that to their advantage by trying to encourage athletes to indicate medical conditions which they may not actually have," Michele Verroken, founder of Sporting Integrity, told CNN."It is a potential area of risk and needs to be managed properly. The danger is that we end up with suspicion which is sad because people have exploited situations like this and they don't have severe heart conditions or asthma. "We are in danger of medicalizing sport performance to get those marginal gains and that's a really sad fact." Verroken is not alone in her skepticism. Leading sport scientist Ross Tucker took to social media to give his views on the TUE system and the WADA hack.JUST WATCHEDDrug testers warn dopers they will be caught eventuallyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDrug testers warn dopers they will be caught eventually 01:56Read: 'Doping scandal 'will taint everything we see' at Rio 2016'"The hack thing is disturbing on many levels," Tucker wrote on Twitter."I'm all for transparency as a concept but not illegally. What it does threaten to show is how out of control the TUE system is (which most knew already, right? 'It's within the rules' is exactly what many have been critical of.Read: 'An unprecedented attack on the integrity of sport & the Olympic Games'"On TUEs, it's crazy that you don't even need a TUE for cortisone out of competition. I'd say TUEs with short time limits OOC (out of competition), none in comp."So I'd say all TUEs scrapped in competition and a compromise to find is how they're allowed out of competition. Must have time limits on them." Photos: Battling drug cheatsThe World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) new report is the latest twist to hit the Russian doping scandal, building on Professor Richard Mclaren's initial findings, published in July, which concluded doping was widespread among Russian athletes.Hide Caption 1 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsMore than 1,000 Russian athletes across 30 sports -- including football -- benefited from state-sponsored doping, according to the latest report. Hide Caption 2 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsThe doping program, across summer, winter and Paralympic sports, was in operation from 2011 to 2015, said Mr McLaren, who presented his latest findings at a news conference in London Friday.Hide Caption 3 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsWADA's initial report on alleged widespread drug use in international athletics concluded that senior figures including IAAF president Sebastian Coe (pictured) "could not have been unaware of the extent of doping."Hide Caption 4 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsFormer WADA president Dick Pound chaired a press conference held in Munich on January 14, 2016 to present the 89-page report. It said "corruption was embedded" and "cannot be blamed on a small number of miscreants" within the IAAF.Hide Caption 5 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsA report by the IAAF's ethics committee claims a powerful trio blackmailed Russian distance runner Lilya Shobukhova into paying them off to keep results of her positive drug tests secret. Hide Caption 6 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsRussia's former athletics president Valentin Balakhnichev, its ex-chief coach for long-distance athletes Alexei Melnikov and former IAAF consultant Papa Massata Diack have all been banned for life. The report said "far from supporting the anti-doping regime, they subverted it." The IAAF's former anti-doping director Gabriel Dollé has been given a five-year ban.Hide Caption 7 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsThe report claims Balakhnichev, Melnikov and Papa Massata Diack "conspired together ... to conceal for more than three years anti-doping violations by an athlete at what appeared to be the highest pinnacle of her sport. All three compounded the vice of what they did by conspiring to extort what were in substance bribes from Shobukhova by acts of blackmail."Hide Caption 8 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsPound produced an independent report in November 2015 which detailed systemic doping in Russia along with an establishment effort to cover it up. He recommended Russia be banned from athletic competition, which it duly was by the IAAF.Hide Caption 9 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsThe findings uncovered a "deeply-rooted culture of cheating at all levels" within Russian athletics. Asked if it amounted to state-sponsored doping, Pound told reporters: "In the sense of consenting to it, there's no other conclusion."Hide Caption 10 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsThe report suggested the London 2012 Olympics -- in which Russia won 24 gold medals and finished fourth -- was "in a sense, sabotaged by the admission of athletes who should have not been competing."Hide Caption 11 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsPound's report detailed "corruption and bribery practices at the highest levels of international athletics," evidence of which has been given to international crime-fighting organization Interpol for further investigation. Hide Caption 12 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsSenegal's Lamine Diack, former president of the IAAF, is being investigated by French police over claims he accepted bribes to defer sanctions against drug cheats from Russia. French prosecutors claim he took "more than €1 million ($1M)" for his silence. Diack has yet to comment.Hide Caption 13 of 14 Photos: Battling drug cheatsCoe, a former Olympic gold medalist, has come under fire for his praise for predecessor Diack, whom he called the sport's "spiritual leader" when he took over the role in August 2015. He told CNN he would "do anything to fix our sport." Hide Caption 14 of 14Travis T. Tygart, the USADA president, said that the hackers had attempted to "smear athletes to make it look as if they have done something wrong."Prescribed by a doctor. Verified by USADA. Reviewed by WADA.Totally legitThe issue here is privacy breach. https://t.co/PmNEL0iuvi— Richard Ings (@ringsau) September 13, 2016 "The athletes haven't. In fact, in each of the situations, the athlete has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication," he said in a statement.Richard Ings, former head of Australia's anti-doping agency, also took to Twitter in the aftermath of the leak, writing: "Nothing I see here gives me cause for TUE alarm."He added that between 2014/15 the Australian Sports Drug Medical Advisory Committee approved 234 TUE'S for medical use of banned substances.He also wrote: " Content of the FancyBear hack does not trouble me. Standard TUE stuff. What troubles me is the failure to protect athlete medical records."

5sport

New York (CNN Business)Discovery (DISCA) CEO David Zaslav praised CNN on Friday and said "news is going to be really critical" to the future of the soon to be combined Warner Bros. Discovery, despite the sudden ouster of CNN boss Jeff Zucker earlier this week."CNN has the greatest group of journalists in the world," Zaslav said in an interview on CNBC.Staffers across CNN are anxious about the network's future after Zucker's departure and with new ownership looming. Many tuned in to see Zaslav speak publicly for the first time since Zucker stunned the organization by announcing his resignation Wednesday morning.Zucker was given the choice of resigning or being terminated after he admitted to a consensual romantic relationship with his longtime No. 2 Allison Gollust. Corporate policy requires such a relationship to be disclosed to HR, which Zucker and Gollust had not previously done. But many observers inside and outside CNN have wondered why the admission led so quickly to his firing now and whether there were hidden corporate machinations at work.What's next for CNNZaslav described Zucker as a "good friend" but rebuffed questions about him, citing the fact that Discovery must legally remain at arm's length from CNN and the rest of WarnerMedia until the media mega-merger receives government approval.Read More"Jeff is a good friend of mine. I can't speak to this issue. We don't own the company yet. We're not involved in any of that," Zaslav said. (CNBC had previously reported, and CNN Business has confirmed, that Zaslav did learn of Zucker's departure before it was announced though only hours in advance.)When "Squawk Box" co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked if Zucker was "a key man in your mind for this transaction," Zaslav said he hasn't even reviewed the various WarnerMedia businesses yet, "and that's because of the legal process."Then co-host Joe Kernen raised "conjecture that John Malone is behind the curtain," and Zaslav said, "None of us had anything to do with it. We're running our business."Malone, a media mogul and influential Discovery stakeholder, publicly criticized CNN and lauded Fox's programming last year.When Zucker exited CNN, the trade publication Deadline reported that Malone "made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker, we hear.""Being that WarnerMedia's standards of business conduct require disclosure of relationships that develop with a boss and subordinate, Zucker's goose was officially cooked," wrote the reporters, Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson.A spokesperson for Malone said on Thursday that the billionaire had no comment on Deadline's reporting or Zucker's exit.CNN shakeup creates fresh challenges for WarnerMedia and DiscoveryJohn Stankey, the chief executive of AT&T (T), was also questioned on CNBC Friday morning about whether Malone played a role behind the scenes. Stankey said "I'm not going to speculate."Stankey praised Zucker as a "very strong leader" of CNN and highlighted the news network's success, pointing out "there's a lot of people at CNN that make that success possible.""I think the best days of CNN are still in front of it," Stankey said. "I think David Zaslav has ideas around where he wants to take the asset and what he wants to do as a result of that."Both Stankey and Zaslav emphasized the upcoming launch of the CNN+ streaming service. "They've been hiring great journalists," Zaslav said.Zaslav also described himself as a big believer in news as a part of a broader media company portfolio, citing his own history launching news brands and making the point that "people get up in the morning and they want to know what's going on in the world.""For the long term," Zaslav said, CNN "is going to be a fantastic asset."AT&T's spin-off of WarnerMedia and WarnerMedia's merger with Discovery are expected to take effect in April or May, sources previously told CNN Business.

0business

(CNN)More than 100 people have been arrested in Spain after police busted a criminal network responsible for smuggling Iranian nationals into the UK on commercial flights, Europol said in a statement on Thursday.The network, which operated out of Malaga, charged Iranian migrants around €25,000 ($30,000), in exchange for fake Spanish passports, travel documents, transfers and accommodation, according Europol. Both Spanish and UK police were also involved in the operation. The leader of the network was arrested at London's Heathrow Airport where he had been attempting to board a flight to Brazil. #MIGRANTSMUGGLING OPERATION: 101 arrestsWatch the moment @policia, supported by Europol, arrested the suspects in 🇪🇸https://t.co/2aniJGwPHR pic.twitter.com/6DJT8XZ2ko— Europol (@Europol) August 3, 2017 "The criminal group was perfectly structured and each member had a defined role, ranging from recruiting the irregular migrants in their country of origin, to facilitating the transfers, hosting them in safe houses in Spain, and supplying the travel documents," Europol said in a statement.The investigation into the network began a year ago after seven Iranians were intercepted while carrying forged and authentic passports attempting to fly from the German city of Hamburg to the UK, according to the statement.Read MoreAn investigation revealed that the airplane tickets had been bought through a travel agency based in Malaga, which led to the discovery of the smuggling operation.Spanish police arrested 14 members of the group in Malaga, while another 42 people, who were accused of selling documents, were also arrested.Police added that 44 Iranian nationals were intercepted at different European airports carrying forged passports."During the searches in Spain, seven Iranian individuals were identified, including a five-year-old minor," the statement added."Police seized various evidence, including authentic passports (30 Iranian and 10 Spanish), computers, printers, more than 400 blank ID cards, various firearms, €1300 in cash and a high-end vehicle."CNN's Carol Jordan contributed to this article.

3news

Kathleen Dunn is a longtime Milwaukee radio host who worked for 24 years at Wisconsin Public Radio and 18 years at WTMJ Radio. A member of the Milwaukee Press Club Hall of Fame, she is now retired and involved in volunteer work and moderating public interest forums. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN)Louisa May Alcott, author of "Little Women," wrote in her famous novel, "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." If only President Donald Trump had learned how to sail the American government's ship. Perhaps he might have been able to calm the storm that is the Covid-19 pandemic. His failure, however, has brought us perilously close to capsizing.Kathleen DunnAnd this failure is not going unnoticed by Democrats in Wisconsin, a key state to his reelection strategy and one where Joe Biden has led Trump for weeks. I recently spoke with Democratic and Democratic-leaning retirees, teachers, students, lawyers, nurses and essential workers in the state. Among the vast majority, the pandemic is the issue of most concern, tracking closely with national polls on the issues motivating voters this election cycle. Each person I spoke to asked the candidates to give them realistic strategies for containing the virus, as well as for coordinating access to needed medical supplies, adequate testing and updates from career professionals on treatments and a possible vaccine. Gael Cullen from Milwaukee phrased it eloquently when she said, "End the acrimony, hatred and self-centeredness that keep us from putting in place a plan to address public health quickly and effectively -- and without regard for political consequences." This frustration makes sense when you consider that Wisconsin, like much of the country, is nowhere near the end of the pandemic. In recent weeks, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, Wisconsin has had the misfortune of being one of the leading states for new Covid-19 cases. Sadly, our state's cases now exceed 138,000, many among low-income minorities in Milwaukee. And, this week, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported that, on average, over 15% of Covid-19 tests have been coming back positive. The state health department noticed the starkest increase in cases among those 18-24 years old since the beginning of August. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in an online briefing there has been "unprecedented near exponential growth" of coronavirus cases among this demographic, five times that of any other age group. And a New York Times survey of cities with fastest rising cases found Wisconsin had eight metro areas listed, seven where University of Wisconsin campuses are located. The three biggest myths about battleground statesRead MoreThe situation is not much better at the elementary or high school level, with each district proposing its own patchwork plan for creating a safe learning environment. Some districts have money and can create additional safe spaces for in-person learning. Others have large numbers of students and limited resources -- and must offer all virtual learning. Many districts now have reported Covid-19 cases. Now, while the state's response to the coronavirus does not entirely fall on the shoulders of the President, he bears some responsibility for setting an example for the American people on how to respond to the threats posed by the virus. Since June, Trump has visited Wisconsin at least five times. He has hosted three rallies, and at these rallies few have worn masks or socially distanced. At his latest large crowd event in Mosinee in central Wisconsin, he told the crowd, "By comparison to other countries, almost all metrics, we've done an incredible job." On that day, Wisconsin had a record high number of positive Covid-19 tests, exceeding 2,000. Over 100 years ago, during a comparable pandemic, President Woodrow Wilson made no public comment about influenza. His concern was boosting morale for the World War I effort. Wilson's indifference to the pandemic resulted in the deaths of 675,000 Americans.Our current President's concern? Not winning a world war -- but rather winning another four-year term. Of course, coronavirus isn't the only issue driving the state's liberal voters. Racial justice is also a major concern. Mary Sussman, who lives in Fox Point, a small town north of Milwaukee, said that if she could speak to the candidates, she would ask, "What are your honest and concrete ideas for bringing us together, ending the racial, socioeconomic and political divides?"Make no mistake, Wisconsin is divided -- especially on the issue of racial justice. According to a Brookings Institution study, if you live in the Milwaukee metropolitan area, you live in the most racially segregated area in the country. Not surprisingly, there is a long history of strained police-minority community relations, systemic racism and inequality.Why Pennsylvanians should support BidenYet, thousands of people -- of all ages and races -- in Milwaukee and throughout the state, marched for days this summer to protest the killing of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, in Minnesota. After another Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot and paralyzed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August, many again took to the streets to protest. Overall, support for Black Lives Matter has been considerable, and the protests have been largely peaceful. But the President didn't acknowledge support for these protesters or their grievances. Instead, at the Republican National Convention, his party highlighted the gun-toting White couple from St. Louis, Missouri, who threatened the lives of protesters who crossed in front of their property. And earlier this summer, in July, Trump tweeted, "I am happy to inform all the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood." The implication, of course, was that many of those low-income people were not White -- and like many of the protesters -- posed a risk to the White suburbs of Milwaukee. This reminded me of my childhood in a White suburban neighborhood outside Chicago, where, in the mid-1960s, some community members tried to recall our priest for championing the construction of a low-income building close to the church. The priest stayed, but I left.Among the younger responders to my questions, climate change and universal health care ranked high. Many voters in their 20s want to hear candidates address plans for combating the threat posed by the warming of our planet. As one young man, Sam Kacala from Milwaukee, wrote, "A lot of us will be living with the consequence of their decisions for years to come." Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookAnd Peggy Creer from Whitefish Bay, another town north of Milwaukee, wrote, "I want to hear evidence of good judgment, critical thinking skills and a regard for truth." Mary Pat Siewert from Elm Grove, a village in eastern Waukesha County, echoed this sentiment when she said, "I think the greatest thing I need from Washington is honesty. I am tired of people in the federal government being there for anything other than to be of service to the people of this nation." If Wisconsin citizens are looking for good judgment, critical thinking and regard for truth, they will have to look beyond the current President.

3news

Michelle Akers was a player on the US Women's National Teams who won World Cup titles in 1991 (where she won the Golden Boot as top scorer) and 1999. Along with China's Sun Wen, she was named FIFA's Female Player of the Century. She is the founder of Michelle Akers Horse Rescue & Outreach, Inc. The views expressed here are hers. Read more opinion on CNN. (CNN)As a little girl, I dreamed of being "Mean" Joe Greene and playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I wore his No. 75 jersey daily and practiced catching Super Bowl-winning touchdown passes in my front yard for hours. Michelle Akers In third grade, I shared my dream along with my favorite football (and jersey!) with the class, and as I proudly finished my speech, my teacher responded, "Michelle, girls cannot play football" to which I answered, "Yes, I can." I wouldn't let it go, landing myself in the principal's office, trying not to cry. Soon, my mom arrived. "God help me now," I thought ... until I heard her say to both my teacher and the principal, "How dare you tell my daughter what she can or cannot do."On Wednesday, all the world (myself included) will watch the 2019 US Women's National Team -- Women's World Cup champions -- as they are honored in New York City. I'm also thinking about how they -- like I -- got to the place where they lifted that trophy. To me, the 2019 World Cup and above all, this team, has taken the stories and dreams of the USWNT full circle. It goes like this: First, you dream. Next, you play. Then, you inspire a legacy. Michelle Akers and China's Guihong Shi fight for the ball during women's Olympic soccer finals in 1996.I look back to 1991. After playing soccer for the University of Central Florida and then for the US Women's National Team, I was on the field in China for the first-ever Women's World Cup. Our team was an underdog -- to everyone but us, because we know we could do it. The USA was not a soccer country back then, like some in Europe or South America, so most of the rest of the world assumed its women's team would not win. And because globally, women's soccer was at minimum discouraged and for most considered sacrilege (by the historically male-dominant soccer culture in the countries where the sport was close to a religion), this inaugural Women's World Cup was the stage for these worlds to collide. Read MoreLeading up to and during that tournament, the teams and players endured poor conditions, but performed as people and athletes at the highest level -- resulting in two major shocks to soccer and the world: the USA stunned by winning it all and the sport of women's soccer started to command a new respect. Even so, our reward was a coach-class, 52-hour plane trip home, only to be greeted by minimal media coverage and public awareness of our achievement. We continued to struggle for opportunities to compete and faced skepticism and challenges to our quest to develop as athletes. Members of the USA and China national teams enter the field prior to the final game of the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Nevertheless, our team pursued its vision and continued to dominate despite the stark support and limited schedule. We focused on what we wanted the sport to become: a place where girls and women could train to become who they wanted to be. We willed it and fought for it, exhaustively. Sometimes at great sacrifice. My teammates and I collectively and individually grew the sport by playing and speaking and representing in whatever venue would welcome us. Agonizingly and incrementally, things began to change. More firsts occurred. The first ever soccer brand endorsement for a woman, in 1990 when I signed a promotional contract with Umbro. The first time women's soccer became an Olympic sport, in 1996. We won gold medals in the Atlanta Games and the door inched opened wider. Our legitimacy and value grew in the corporate world. Fathers, daughters, mothers and sons, sisters and brothers began filling stadiums and demanding more opportunity and increased access to this amazing team. JUST WATCHEDRemembering the 1999 Women's World CupReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRemembering the 1999 Women's World Cup 04:01Then came the 1999 World Cup. It was a breakthrough event that reached beyond the game providing a viable portrait of possibility, passion and embodied reality for all who dared to dream of bigger for their lives. Our team consciously connected to our fans. As we played in stadiums previously known only for football - Giants Stadium, the Rose Bowl -- our dream became theirs. That World Cup connected people to more than soccer. Our team's gutsy will to win instilled inspiration and empowered possibilities for everyone who watched us play.So many years ago, I dreamed of being a Pittsburgh Steeler. But many of the players on this 2019 World Champion USA Team sat in stadiums or watched games on TV in 1999 and dreamed of playing for the USWNT. No one could tell them they couldn't -- they could see for themselves that it was possible. And they took what was so special about those past players and teams and made it their own. JUST WATCHEDWorld Cup champions make the case for equal pay for womenReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWorld Cup champions make the case for equal pay for women 01:12They have now not only won a World Cup, but have turned their dreams into action. Dreams of being the best in the world. Dreams of equality and equal opportunity. And the actions to back them up and make them real for the people who come after them. They are demanding respect and equality from the powers that be because they know what it is to achieve more than just a trophy.That, for me, is so very powerful. What this 2019 World Champion team demands for themselves -- and put first in their lives -- will be their biggest message of change: Respect. Equal opportunity. Team and family. Individual choice. Excellence. Into a new era. Stay up to date...Sign up for our new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookAnd I am grateful to be celebrating them in their much deserved ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes in NYC.As always, #GoUSA.

3news

Patricia Nez Henderson, M.D., MPH, vice president of the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health, is Diné (a citizen of the Navajo Nation) and an authority on commercial tobacco control in American Indian communities. Catherine Saucedo is deputy director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at the University of California, San Francisco. The views expressed in this commentary are their own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN)It took more than a decade to achieve. But anyone who cares about health in Indian country will gladly take the win. American Indian tribes are joining the effort across the nation to ban smoking in casinos, permanently, in the case of the Navajo Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and others. Catherine Bonniot-SaucedoPatricia Nez HendersonThis development may have once seemed unthinkable in communities where consuming tobacco is both a sacred ritual and a heavily entrenched public-health burden. But it's happening. It is a striking reversal given that the tobacco industry has pushed its toxic products on American Indian lands for a century or more, and the gambling industry has argued against smoking bans since Indian casinos first emerged in the 1980s. Advocates for preventing and treating addictions now can learn from this victory. We should work hard to help our tribal nations with only temporary smoking restrictions to make them permanent.Read More Traditional healers have taken care to explain and preserve the crucial distinction between ceremonial tobacco, which has historically been used in both spiritual and cultural settings, and commercial tobacco products, whose only purpose is pursuit of the almighty dollar. This distinction has been blurred over many years, to the great detriment of American Indian health and well-being. Federal policies enacted in the 1800s banned American Indians' cultural and religious practices, curtailing the ritual use of traditional plants like tobacco. Another blow to tradition came from the tobacco industry in the misappropriation of Native American Indian culture on commercial tobacco packaging, which began in 1904.More recently, the commercial tobacco industry has targeted American Indians with their poison by offering price reductions, bingo and casino promotions, and other gimmicks to entice consumers.Commercial products are far different from the plants used in religious rites -- into American Indian communities—but American Indian iconography and imagery have been used to sell cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco and a false history in which Indian culture and nicotine were indelibly linked. It has taken a lot of effort and education to turn that story around. Casinos worried going smoke-free would cost them customers and precious revenue, but for a number of casinos across the nation, revenue has increased despite smoking bans being in place. The bans do not seem to deter gamblers.Las Vegas Strip will see its first smoke-free casino when Park MGM reopens at the end of September What's more, American Indian communities which used commercial tobacco sometimes conflated tradition with addiction. Public health advocates had their hands full fighting against a range of scourges -- not just commercial tobacco but also other addictive drugs -- and for essentials sorely lacking on reservations, like clean water and air, with little money or support. Then, two years ago, Covid-19 hit and casino profits plunged. Advocates used the opportunity to present options to industry executives. Many of the casinos reopened with new policies designed to allow customers to breathe easier and not get sick. They included previously unheard-of smoking restrictions. It's hard to smoke with a mask on. But much to everyone's surprise, it seems going smoke-free could be good for business, evidenced by soaring profits in other smoke-free casinos. Covid and smoking are parallel disasters. The pandemic has killed more than 950,000 people in the United States in the last two years. Use of commercial tobacco products kills about 500,000 people a year. Many deaths result from illness laid atop injustice. Indian reservations and other communities of color have long been afflicted by poverty, ill health and inadequate health care. For generations, they have also been targets of the tobacco industry's aggressive, predatory marketing. It's no wonder they suffer disproportionately from lung and heart disease, diabetes, lung cancer and other conditions linked to tobacco use. The industry's deadly products create many opportunities for an opportunistic virus to sweep in and cut down those whom tobacco has left vulnerable. These are the challenges confronting those trying to improve public health in Indian country. Commercial tobacco is a powerfully addictive drug, and Covid-19 is ruthless, posing a great risk to smokers. Saving lives often starts with getting people to break their smoking addiction. This can be difficult, but here is the good news: Smokers can free themselves, through proven interventions like counseling, peer and family outreach, and medications like nicotine gum, patches and other pharmacotherapies. Telephone quit lines can double their chances of success. And yet, on Tribal reservations, where many homes lack electricity and running water, calling a quit line or attending a smoking cessation webinar are not always realistic options for smokers. Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook But smoke-free casinos are feasible and do not appear to dissuade gamblers. And American Indians seeking to quit may benefit from the role of traditional healers and techniques like mindfulness practices, which were facts of American Indian life centuries before "mindfulness" became a contemporary buzzword. And, as Dr. Nez Henderson has often said, American Indians can decolonize tobacco in every setting. American Indians themselves can debunk the notion that commercial tobacco is somehow an integral part of Indigenous culture. It's not. The casinos are a fine place to start, but this isn't over. We are continuing to fight to change the system to deliver health equity, and we need help with basic resources to make cessation possible as we continue the decolonization struggle. The sooner commercial tobacco addiction begins disappearing from Indian country, the better we are as tribal nations.

3news

(CNN)The White House insists President Joe Biden will "soon" speak with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the wait, which has now stretched beyond three weeks, is raising questions about whether there is a motive behind the delay.Multiple US and Israeli officials insist there is a long-standing relationship between the two men and constant contact at other levels of government. But calls placed to leaders in Asia and Europe reflect the Biden administration's belief that confronting China and Russia as well as repairing relations and damaged alliances are among its top priorities, multiple administration sources said. While Israel is still a critical ally, one source familiar with the White House thinking said there is some sense of payback in making Netanyahu wait for a call.Biden and Netanyahu's decades-long friendship faces new test after Israel's Prime Minister went all in for TrumpThe Israeli leader's cool treatment of former President Barack Obama, his close alignment with former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, as well as the length of time it took him to congratulate Biden on his victory are not without significance, said the source.Ben Rhodes, Obama's deputy national security adviser for strategic communications, echoed that sentiment in a tweet, saying, "What a surprise that after Bibi spent years relentlessly undermining the Obama-Biden Administration he's not at the top of the call list."Read MoreBiden and Netanyahu last spoke on November 17, when the Israeli leader congratulated then-President-elect Biden on his victory. The call was noteworthy because Netanyahu had struggled to find the rights words to congratulate Biden a week earlier, talking about his personal connection between the two without calling Biden the President-elect.Publicly, however, the White House has said that the President is making calls to fellow leaders by region and will soon be reaching out to those in the Middle East. Biden, who has made 11 calls to foreign leaders plus the NATO secretary general so far, has also deployed his national security team to quickly engage with Israel out of the gates. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has spoken with Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi twice. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has spoken with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben Shabbat. There is constant communication between the governments, multiple officials familiar with US-Israeli relations said. The fact that Biden has not yet called Netanyahu is not a cause for concern, five of the officials said, pointing to the numerous other conversations between the governments. Biden speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping for first time as PresidentA source with knowledge of the relationship says the lack of a phone call has not affected the dynamics of the relationship. It is not a point of friction between the countries during ongoing conversations, according to the source. "That's part of being normal and normalized relations," the source said.White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters at Thursday's White House briefing that "the President looks forward to speaking with Prime Minister Netanyahu. He's obviously somebody that he has a long-standing relationship with and obviously there's an important relationship that the United States has with Israel on the security front and as a key partner in the region." "He'll be talking with him soon," Psaki added, but declined to provide a specific date or time on when they would speak. 'I presume he will call me. Believe me, I have no doubt about it.'In a rare press conference from the long-time Israeli leader Monday, Netanyahu downplayed the delay. "[President Biden] calls leaders in the order that he finds acceptable, North America, then Europe," Netanyahu said. "He hasn't reached the Middle East yet. I presume he will call me. Believe me, I have no doubt about it."Netanyahu went on to say that the alliance between Israel and the United States was strong, even though "it doesn't mean we will agree on everything."Meanwhile, Israel is waiting. The country's former ambassador to the UN Danny Danon tweeted directly to Biden Wednesday, prompting a face palm moment across parts of the Israeli political spectrum.US and South Korea nearing agreement on cost sharing for American troops "Joe Biden," Danon tweeted, "you have called world leaders from #Canada, #Mexico, #UK, #India, #Japan, #France, #Germany, #Australia, #SouthKorea, #Russia. Might now be the time to call the leader of #Israel, the closest ally of the #US? The PM's number is: 972-2-670555." Danon told Israeli Army Radio on Thursday that he "didn't formulate the tweet, but I take responsibility for it," adding that "the choice of words was not successful, but I stand behind the message."Three officials said the Danon tweet was largely driven by internal Israeli politics and long-simmering tension between Danon and Netanyahu. But the blowback came swiftly, with many using Danon's tweet to interpret Biden's silence as politically driven. Josh Marshall, the founder of Talking Points Memo, prodded Danon, tweeting, "glad you're seeing that Netanyahu making Israel an affiliate of the Republican party has been noticed and has consequences." As others took to Twitter to chastise Danon for "trolling" the US President, Israelis rapped him for "embarrassing us in front of other nations," and the spokesman for opposition leader Yair Lapid added his own message to Danon's tweet to Biden: "Sorry about this. Signed, Everyone in Israel." Biden is 'right sizing'Current and former US officials point to the decades-long, close relationship between Netanyahu and Biden, and say that if there's any signal being sent, it's about US strategic priorities. Biden is "right sizing" the US relationship with Israel, they say, and that with the challenges posed by China, Russia, climate change and other problems, the Middle East is not a top priority.Aaron David Miller, a CNN contributor who is a former Mideast peace negotiator and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, suggested US priorities have quickly changed in the Biden administration's first few weeks in office. "Memo to all interested parties," he tweeted. "A call will come. But a clear message is being sent. Netanyahu was Trump's 3rd call. To quote Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore." "I feel confident that this is not about Israel or about anything that happened in the Obama or Trump years," said Daniel Shapiro, Obama's ambassador to Israel. "It is simply about what Biden's priorities are: Covid, economic recovery, climate change, and racial justice. And on foreign policy, it is revitalizing core alliances in Europe and Asia, restoring US leadership on multilateral issues, preparing for the challenge of China, and confronting the challenge of Russia. He has been absolutely disciplined on those priorities. But I'm sure the call will happen fairly soon."Biden announces Pentagon task force to review China strategyThe Biden administration has also sent early reassuring signals to Israel on a number of fronts, making it publicly clear they will not roll back some of Trump's more controversial policy moves, including moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and declaring the holy city the capital of Israel. And Blinken has made clear the US will stand by the normalization agreements the Trump administration brokered between Israel and countries in the Gulf region and elsewhere.But Blinken's comments about the Golan Heights to CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday raised some eyebrows. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and has administered it ever since, but under international law it is considered occupied territory. Trump broke with international consensus when he recognized Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights.Asked if the Biden administration will continue to see the Golan Heights as part of Israel, Blinken said, "Leaving aside the legalities, as a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel's security as long as Assad is in power in Syria, as long as Iran is present in Syria, militia groups backed by Iran, the Assad regime itself ... over time, if the situation were to change in Syria, that's something we would look at. We are nowhere near that."The next day, Netanyahu said: "The Golan Heights has been and will continue to be a part of the State of Israel. With an agreement or without an agreement, we are not leaving the Golan. It will remain under the sovereignty of the State of Israel."

4politics

(CNN)The records keep tumbling for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski with a double against Freiburg Saturday seeing him surpass Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's previous best for the most goals scored by a non-German player in a Bundesliga season.The Polish international helped Bayern, already crowned champion for the eighth straight season, to a 3-1 victory in its penultimate match of the league campaign.Bayern Munich's Polish forward Robert Lewandowski celebrates after scoring his team's second goal in the 3-1 win over Freiburg at the Allianz Arena.Lewandowski has grabbed 33 goals in just 30 Bundesliga matches this campaign, both his latest coming in the first half at the Allianz Arena as Bayern secured a 3-1 advantage at the break. There was no further scoring in the second half.Gabon star Aubameyang scored 31 in the 2016/17 season for Borussia Dortmund before he moved to his current club Arsenal in the English Premier League.With just one round of matches remaining, Lewandowski is still short of the remarkable all-time record of 40 by the legendary Bayern Munich and German striker Gerd Mueller in the 1971-72 season.Read MoreREAD: Lewandowski double in Bayern routBut with 48 goals in 41 games in all competitions this season, Lewandowski has plenty of opportunities to improve his overall tally as Bayern is facing Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup final on July 4 before continuing its bid to win the Champions League which resumes in August.Lewandowski is the top scorer in Europe's elite competition this season with 11 goals in six games, his latest against Chelsea in the first leg of the last 16 clash which Bayern won 3-0 at Stamford Bridge back in February.Haaland doubleMeanwhile, the Bundesliga's other most prolific scorers went head-to-head as Timo Werner's RB Leipzig hosted Erling Braut Haaland's Borussia Dortmund.Werner, who is playing his final two matches for Leipzig before joining Chelsea, drew blank but the Norwegian prodigy Haaland scored in either half to help Dortmund to a 2-0 away victory which secures second place in the standings behind Bayern.The 19-year-old Haaland, who has also been linked with a number of Europe's biggest clubs, has scored 13 goals in 14 games since joining Dortmund from RB Salzburg last December.Dortmund's Norwegian forward Erling Braut Haaland shows his delight after bagging the second and decisive goal for Borussia Dortmund at RB Leipzig. Werner stays on 26 for the season in the Bundesliga, second only to Lewandowski.Consolation for Leipzig, which is through to the last eight of the Champions League, was the 2-0 defeat for Bayer Leverkusen at Hertha Berlin.It has left Leverkusen three points adrift of Leipzig in the battle for automatic qualifying spots for next season's Champions League with just one round remaining and a vastly inferior goal difference.Elsewhere, it's looking bleak for Werder Bremen, with a 3-1 defeat at Mainz leaving the northern side second bottom and two points adrift of Fortuna Dusseldorf who are in the relegation playoff spot.Brighton stuns ArsenalMeanwhile in the English Premier League, Aubameyang's Arsenal suffered a second chastening defeat in four days as Neal Maupay scored deep into injury time to give Brighton a 2-1 victory over the Gunners.Nicolas Pepe put Mikel Arteta's faltering side ahead on the 68th minute at the Amex Stadium with a stunning strike, but home defender Lewis Dunk capitalized on suspect Arsenal defending to level seven minutes later.It looked set to end all square until Aaron Connolly cleverly helped the ball on to Maupay, who finished neatly.It sparked an ugly incident as Maupay, who been in an aerial challenge with Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno in a first half clash which saw the German stretchered off in agony, was involved in an altercation with Matteo Guendouzi in a melee of players at the final whistle.Tell us how you really feel, Neal... 😳Brighton matchwinner Neal Maupay has said Arsenal 'got what they deserved' after 'talking a lot', but said he never meant to hurt goalkeeper Bernd Leno. 🎙️— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 20, 2020 Maupay said after the match that he had not intended to hurt Leno, but had little sympathy for the rest of his teammates, claiming they "got what they deserved" for not showing more humility after the opening goal by Pepe.Arsenal, which still had hopes of European qualification, lost 3-0 to Manchester City last Wednesday after having defender David Luiz sent off, and the latest defeat has left the north London giants in ninth place.Earlier, relegation battlers Watford scored a last-gasp equalizer to deny third-placed Leicester City victory in a 1-1 draw at the Vicarage Road.England full-back Ben Chilwell looked to have given the visitor victory with a stunning left-footed strike on 89 minutes, but Craig Dawson salvaged a precious point for the Hornets with an acrobatic overhead kick goal just a minute later.

5sport

Story highlightsDramatic weather swings will become more common in the coming decades, a new study saysThe study highlights the quick changes in climate variability that are more likely in a warming world (CNN)California is known for its Mediterranean climate. Dry summers and wet winters providing the perfect conditions for a robust agricultural economy, world-renowned wineries and idyllic weather make it the top tourist state in the country. But these same factors leave California vulnerable to shifts in climate, and the weather patterns that traverse the region are conducive to dramatic swings between drought and flood, a sort of "weather whiplash." JUST WATCHEDFlames engulf California wine countryReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFlames engulf California wine country 01:40Unfortunately, those dramatic swings are becoming more common and will continue to do so in the coming decades thanks to manmade climate change, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Climate Change. These climate extremes have significant impacts on society, and swinging rapidly from one extreme to the other only makes mitigation and adaptation that much harder.Drastic swings from extremely wet to extremely dry and vice versa will be nearly twice as likely, occuring on average once every 25 years, by 2100. "In a place like California, we really need to be thinking about both risks [drought and flood] simultaneously," said Daniel Swain, a University of California, Los Angeles climate scientist and lead author of the study.Read MoreUnfortunately, many of the risk-management practices California currently employs, such as storing water in large reservoirs for use during drought years, "become a liability during very wet years, when we need as much room to spare in reservoirs to maintain flood control," Swain said.A dramatic example of this occurred recently. The worst drought in recorded history (from 2010 to 2016) swung directly into massive flooding in late 2016 into early 2017. It culminated in the Oroville Dam disaster, which forced 250,000 people to evacuate their homes. The study used an ensemble of computer model simulations known as the Community Earth System Model Large Ensemble and analyzed how future precipitation behaved as the climate warms in response to continuing levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers tested whether it could simulate California's historical precipitation and reproduce known weather patterns that lead to drought and floods, which it did. This gives the scientists confidence in the projections that come out of running the model many times under different scenarios. What they found was that, though overall precipitation average is not expected to change much, the variability between the amount of precipitation and when it falls will vary significantly more than it does now."If you only look for shifts in average precipitation, you're missing all of the important changes in the character of precipitation," Swain said. A house in Montecito, California, submerged by a mudslide in January. The study highlights the quick changes in climate variability that are more likely in a warming world, rather than focusing on more long-term threats."This is a very important step forward in the climate community," according to Jason Furtado, an assistant professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma who reviewed the study but was not a part of the research."We are recognizing that the impacts of climate change are not just on long time scales but are also present in short-term, high-impact weather events," Furtado said.More wet, more dry and 'weather whiplash'Extremely wet years, such as what we saw the previous two years in California, are expected to become 2.5 times more likely by the end of this century. These types of seasons cause major infrastructure problems for the state, with frequent mudslides and damage to dams and levees such as in Oroville. Currently, they occur about once every 25 years, but that rate is increasing to more like one in 10 years by 2100. The paper also found significant increases in the number of dry years, a trend that is already being observed.Extreme dry years (one-in-100-year events), which occurred in 1976-77 and in 2013-14, will occur 80% to 140% more frequently by the end of this century.Though both of these findings are important on their own, there was an even more interesting result out of the data: a frequent wild swing from an extremely dry year to an extremely wet one, which the authors dubbed a "precipitation whiplash." These abrupt transitions were found to occur 50% to 100% more in the future, with the most frequent swings in Southern California.Weather whiplash from wet to dry can make for explosive fire conditions, as enhanced vegetation from above-average rainfall years becomes parched during an exceedingly dry year. Toss in regular Santa Ana winds to fuel the flames, and the result is devastating wildfires. On the flip side, when extremely wet seasons follow exceedingly dry ones, the result can be deadly mudslides. Just last year in Montecito, intense rainfall caused a mudslide in the burn scars from recent wildfires, killing 20 people.Trillion-dollar disaster loomsIn addition to more extreme annual totals of rainfall, the study looked at how much of that rainfall occurred in shorter (40-day) time spans, coinciding with the time scale of California's Great Flood of 1862."The Great Flood of 1862 was an extraordinary meteorological and hydrological event without precedent in modern California," Swain said.Oroville Lake, the emergency spillway and the damaged main spillway on February 13, 2017.Swain described the event as "a relentless 40-day sequence of 'atmospheric river' storms that brought an almost inconceivable amount of rainfall to the entire state."Rain totaled 30 to 40 inches near the coast, with more than 100 inches on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Much of the Central Valley was transformed into a vast inland sea over 250 miles long, and according to Swain, areas now home to millions of people in the Sacramento Valley, the coastal Bay Area and Los Angeles/Orange counties were submerged.Though California has been fortunate to avoid a repeat in modern times, its time may be running out. Prolonged storm sequences of the magnitude of the 1862 event will be five times more likely to occur by the end of this century. A storm sequence of the magnitude of the Great Flood of 1862 will be five times more frequent by 2100.Put bluntly, California's major urban centers, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, are "more likely than not to experience at least one" of these catastrophic events between 2018 and 2060, the study says.The US Geological Survey has researched this exact scenario happening in modern times and calls it "the other Big One," in reference to the ever-present threat of another major earthquake in the state.Like a major earthquake, another historic flood disaster would probably overwhelm California's flood control infrastructure, and the economic toll would approach a trillion dollars -- nearly three times as much as most models estimate for a major Southern California earthquake. CNN's Judson Jones contributed to this report.

3news

Story highlightsUK military says women could join units engaged in close ground combat as soon as 2016But research is needed first into the potential impact on women's healthDefence Secretary: "Roles in our Armed Forces should be determined by ability not gender"The Pentagon announced steps last year to open up combat roles to womenWomen in Britain's armed forces could be allowed to fight in front line combat roles for the first time by 2016, the Ministry of Defence said Friday, as it published a review into how this would impact troops on the ground. According to the ministry, the review "has ended the long-held view that mixed close ground combat units would have an adverse effect on cohesion between troops."But it calls for more research into the physiological demands placed on those in close combat roles before a final decision is made on allowing women in.Ground close combat units are defined as those where "the primary role is to close with and kill the enemy."JUST WATCHEDBreaking through the brass ceiling ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBreaking through the brass ceiling 07:55JUST WATCHEDPentagon's plan for women in combatReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPentagon's plan for women in combat 02:17The potential impact on women's health of serving in such units should be fully examined, the review said.Researchers will also look at how training for such combat roles can be set up to ensure women are able to take part safely, without reducing combat effectiveness."Roles in our Armed Forces should be determined by ability not gender. I hope that, following further work on our training regimes and equipment, we can open up combat roles to women in 2016," said Defence Secretary Michael Fallon.At present, 70% of roles are open to women in the army, 79% in the navy, and 94% in the air force.Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nicholas Carter, said UK military operations in Afghanistan had shown that there could be "significant physiological risk to women" serving in ground close combat roles."I look forward to the prospect of opening ground close combat roles to women, but we have to look at this in a responsible way," said Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Nicholas Houghton. "Our aim must be to maximise the use of talent without compromising our standards or undermining capability. The final piece of work on physiological risks is vitally important in ensuring that ground close combat roles would not be detrimental to the health of our service women."Women currently make up 10% of the UK armed forces, according to Ministry of Defence statistics from October, with 15,740 women in total employed across all services. Their numbers have gradually increased over the past two years in the army and remain stable in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.The Royal Navy allowed women to serve on board submarines for the first time this year, more than 20 years after women were first allowed to serve on surface ships.In another sign of increasing gender equality, two women have also reached the rank of rank of air vice-marshal in the Royal Air Force.The Pentagon took steps early last year to open up combat roles to the roughly 200,000 women in the U.S. armed forces. Announcing the move, then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said it was a bow to reality on the battlefield, where women in what are technically non-combat units already find themselves fighting alongside their male comrades.Single mom fought alongside combat troops in AfghanistanSeveral U.S. allies, including NATO members France, Canada and Germany, also allow women to serve in combat posts.

3news

Story highlightsA state health inspector cited Trump's "Winter White House" for 13 violations in JanuaryThe Palm Beach resort ultimately passed inspection after it took some corrective actions (CNN)President Trump has promised to make America great again. Maybe he should start with the kitchen at Mar-a-Lago.The President's posh resort in Palm Beach, Florida, was slapped with 13 health violations at its last kitchen inspection in January, including three categorized as "high priority" by Florida's Division of Hotels and Restaurants. Two of those were related to keeping raw meat -- such as the beef at the heart of Trump's beloved meatloaf -- in walk-in and reach-in coolers that were set above the mandated maximum temperature of 41 degrees. The results of the January 26 inspection -- the first and only since Trump's inauguration -- were first reported Wednesday by the Miami Herald.State sanitation and safety laws define high-priority violations as "those which could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury and include items such as cooking, reheating, cooling and hand-washing." Read MoreAnother violation was for serving undercooked seafood that "not undergone proper parasite destruction," the inspector's report said. The inspector ordered the fish to be "fully cooked or discarded."JUST WATCHEDDo Mar-a-Lago guests get special access to Trump?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDo Mar-a-Lago guests get special access to Trump? 03:33The members-only resort ultimately passed the inspection following "corrective actions taken on site," the report said. The inspector said the temperature issue was resolved after the chef called a technician, who discovered the coolers' settings were mistakenly set to defrost."We take food safety very seriously and all of the minor adjustments were made immediately," said a spokeswoman for the Mar-a-Lago Club in a statement sent to CNN. "Additionally, the report by the health inspector was updated on the same day to reflect that the Mar-a-Lago Club was in full compliance." Trump purchased the property in 1985 for $5 million. In January, its initiation fee doubled to $200,000. As of January there were 480 members, and membership is capped at 500.Since taking office President Trump has spent many weekends at the resort and hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for dinner there in February.Mar-a-Lago, nicknamed the "Winter White House," has been slapped with a total of 55 citations since 2014, which is as far back as the state's database goes.

2health

(CNN)It's been nearly 200 years since white performers first started painting their faces black to mock enslaved Africans in minstrel shows across the United States. It was racist and offensive then, and it's still racist and offensive today.Among the recent controversies to erupt over blackface is a photo on Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam's personal page in his medical school yearbook. It depicts one person in blackface and another dressed as a member of the Ku Klux Klan. After initially apologizing for appearing in the photo, the Democratic governor now says he is neither the person in blackface nor the person dressed as a Klansman.However Northam's case and others like it play out, it's important for every American to understand what blackface is and why it's so offensive.The racist origins of blackfaceAmerican actors and comedy partners Charles Correll (L) and Freeman Gosden lean against each other in blackface makeup in a 1949 promotional portrait.Blackface isn't just about painting one's skin darker or putting on a costume. It invokes a racist and painful history.Read MoreThe origins of blackface date back to the minstrel shows of mid-19th century. White performers darkened their skin with polish and cork, put on tattered clothing and exaggerated their features to look stereotypically "black." The first minstrel shows mimicked enslaved Africans on Southern plantations, depicting black people as lazy, ignorant, cowardly or hypersexual, according to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).The performances were intended to be funny to white audiences. But to the black community, they were demeaning and hurtful.One of the most popular blackface characters was "Jim Crow," developed by performer and playwright Thomas Dartmouth Rice. As part of a traveling solo act, Rice wore a burnt-cork blackface mask and raggedy clothing, spoke in stereotypical black vernacular and performed a caricatured song and dance routine that he said he learned from a slave, according to the University of South Florida Library.Metropolitan Opera to stop blackface makeup in 'Otello'Though early minstrel shows started in New York, they quickly spread to audiences in both the North and South. By 1845, minstrel shows spawned their own industry, NMAAHC says.Its influence extended into the 20th century. Al Jolson performed in blackface in "The Jazz Singer," a hit film in 1927, and American actors like Shirley Temple, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney put on blackface in movies too.The characters were so pervasive that even some black performers put on blackface, historians say. It was the only way they could work -- as white audiences weren't interested in watching black actors do anything but act foolish on stage.William Henry Lane, known as "Master Juba," was one of the first black entertainers to perform in blackface. His shows were very popular and he's even credited with inventing tap dance, according to John Hanners' book "It Was Play or Starve: Acting in Nineteenth-century American Popular Theatre."Despite Lane's relative success, he was limited to the minstrel circuit and for most of his life performed for supper. He eventually died "from something as simple and as pathetic as overwork," Hanners wrote.Its damaging legacySuch negative representations of black people left a damaging legacy in popular culture, especially in art and entertainment.Zoe Saldana, Nina Simone and the history of blackfaceMinstrel shows were usually the only depiction of black life that white audiences saw. Presenting enslaved Africans as the butt of jokes desensitized white Americans to the horrors of slavery. The performances also promoted demeaning stereotypes of black people that helped confirm white people's notions of superiority."By distorting the features and culture of African Americans—including their looks, language, dance, deportment and character—white Americans were able to codify whiteness across class and geopolitical lines as its antithesis," NMAAHC says.Ignorance is no excuseIn modern discussion over blackface, its racist history is often swept under the rug or shrouded in claims of ignorance.Megyn Kelly's 'blackface' comments show her true faceIn a 2018 segment on "Megyn Kelly Today" about political correctness and Halloween costumes, the former NBC host said that when she was growing up, it was seen as acceptable for a white person to dress as a black person."But what is racist?" Kelly asked. "Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid that was OK, as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character."Her comments sparked widespread anger. She apologized, but her show was ultimately canceled.White celebrities, college students and even elected officials have made similar claims of ignorance over past and current controversies involving blackface.But NMAAHC is clear on this: "Minstrelsy, comedic performances of 'blackness' by whites in exaggerated costumes and makeup, cannot be separated fully from the racial derision and stereotyping at its core."

3news

(CNN)How much should we celebrate this PACKED weekend of sporting goodness?As the US women's national team found out this week, some people like to criticize too much celebration. But with a smorgasbord of great match-ups to watch, I think we're still ok to break out The Ickey Shuffle on Sunday night.The national team returns to World Cup action this weekend to take on Chile, as golf's national championship culminates in picturesque Pebble Beach, California.That's not all. Tyson Fury and Tom Schwarz will go toe-to-toe in the boxing ring, and up to a billion people are expected to watch India and Pakistan face off in a match of cricket.Here's your guide to the weekend's biggest sports events:Read MoreThe 119th US OpenThe United States Open Championship culminates over the weekend, with the third and final rounds of golf playing out from the Pebble Beach Golf Links.Golf's third major of the season sees Tiger Woods commanding the most attention. The 15-time major winner is seeking another title to make ground on Jack Nicklaus' mark of 18.However, it is Brooks Koepka who is the favorite to win after earning his second-straight PGA Championship victory PLUS winning the last two US Opens.No matter who wins, the backdrop of iconic Pebble Beach alone is worth your time. JUST WATCHEDPebble Beach: A guide to the historic linksReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPebble Beach: A guide to the historic links 02:47Watch it: Saturday, Third round: 12 p.m. ET - 10 p.m. ET on FoxSunday, Final round: 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. ET on Fox International viewers should check local listingsNCAA Men's College World SeriesEight of college baseball's best teams have arrived in Omaha to compete in the 73rd NCAA Men's College World Series.The Nebraska city, dubbed "the home of college baseball," has hosted the championship every year since 1950. Whichever team wins the series will secure the title and, as tradition dictates, produce a human dog-pile.Watch it: Saturday, Game 1: Texas Tech vs. Michigan, 2 p.m. ET on ESPNSaturday, Game 2: Arkansas vs. Florida State, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Sunday, Game 3: Vanderbilt vs. Louisville, 2 p.m. ET on ESPNSunday, Game 4: Mississippi State vs. Auburn, 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 International viewers should check local listings NOTE: Games continue throughout next week, with the championship winner and subsequent dog pile projected for either June 25th or 26th.Tyson Fury vs Tom SchwarzBoxing has had its fair share of charismatic characters, but heavyweight fighter Tyson Fury's bombastic personality will make you crave more. Fury isn't shy about sharing his public battle with depression all while showcasing his mix of boastful, self-deprecating humor. Wanna see what we're talking about? Watch this Fury interview with CNN's Don Riddell, in which he brags about being a "FAT MAN!"JUST WATCHEDTyson Fury looking to save lives and win beltsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHTyson Fury looking to save lives and win belts 04:18Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs) will go toe-to-toe with Germany's Tom Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.Interestingly, these two undefeated boxers don't seem to have a shred of animosity toward each other. In fact, they may have just become best friends.The best boxer "slash" models... and not the other way around 😂#FurySchwarz pic.twitter.com/grdhL7xjbj— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) June 12, 2019 Watch it: Saturday at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN+ International viewers should check local listings.India vs Pakistan Sure rivalries like Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Red Sox vs. Yankees and Duke vs. North Carolina grab a lot of headlines, but it's India vs Pakistan that is the mother of all showdowns.India-Pakistan rivalry offers a chance to show rare unityThe repercussions of the cricket match will be felt by up to a billion people who will tune in from India, Pakistan and neighboring subcontinental countries, as well as fans all over the world."It is probably one of the biggest games of sport in the world. There are very few others that will have the impact that this has in terms of the audience and viewership," says Steve Elworthy, the managing director of this summer's Cricket World Cup.Watch it: Sunday at 5:30 a.m. ET on Willow International viewers should check local listings.Women's World Cup: United States vs ChileWow. That escalated quickly. In their opening game of the 2019 Women's World Cup, the US team opened their account by ruthlessly thrashing Thailand 13-0 -- the largest lopsided defeat in World Cup history.What's the proper way to celebrate a 13-0 soccer win?Some argued that a team could only become #1 by showing no mercy. And that celebrating goals -- all of them -- is cool and good.Others, including former national team players, were highly critical of the "unnecessary" celebrations when the game was clearly in hand.All the noise surrounding the successful World Cup debut means Sunday's match vs Chile (a team ranked lower than Thailand) is must-see TV. It's expected that the Americans will dispatch the Chileans with ease. But how will they celebrate their goals?Watch it: Sunday, 12 p.m. ET on FoxInternational viewers, check your local listings.

5sport

Story highlights"I am merely one among many who feel duped and angry," says author J.K. Rowling She wants Cameron to introduce new legislation to ensure regulation of the press An inquiry into media abuses recommended a new body be set up, supported by new lawsRowling urges people to sign a petition calling on Cameron to follow its recommendationsCelebrated "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling says she feels "duped and angry" over British Prime Minister David Cameron's response to a major inquiry into phone hacking and other abuses by the press.Rowling was one of hundreds of witnesses to testify to the Leveson Inquiry into media standards and ethics, set up in the wake of a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's now-shuttered News of the World tabloid.The judge who led the inquiry, Lord Justice Leveson, released his long-awaited report Thursday, in which he recommended an independent regulator be set up by the press, which would be backed by new laws to make sure it meets certain standards.Cameron, of the Conservative Party, supported Brian Leveson's call for an independent regulator but said he was not convinced that legislation is needed to underpin the new body.Rowling expressed her disappointment in the prime minister's decision in a statement posted Friday on the website of Hacked Off, a group campaigning for media reform.JUST WATCHEDBritish PM reacts to Leveson InquiryReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBritish PM reacts to Leveson Inquiry 12:58JUST WATCHEDLeveson: Must be change in British pressReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLeveson: Must be change in British press 05:19"Having taken David Cameron's assurances in good faith at the outset of the inquiry he set up, I am merely one among many who feel duped and angry in its wake," she wrote. "I thought long and hard about the possible consequences to my family of giving evidence and finally decided to do so because I have made every possible attempt to protect my children's privacy under the present system, and failed."Rowling is concerned that members of the public who do not have the money to fight the press in the courts, over such abuses as invasion of privacy or libel, will continue to suffer."Those who have suffered the worst, most painful and least justifiable kinds of mistreatment at the hands of the press, people who have become newsworthy because of the press's own errors or through unspeakable private tragedy, are those least likely to be able to defend themselves or to seek proper redress," she said."Without statutory underpinning Leveson's recommendations will not work. We will be left with yet another voluntary system from which the press can walk away."Rowling also questioned why millions of pounds had been spent on the inquiry if the prime minister did not intend to follow its recommendations. She urged people to sign a petition set up by Hacked Off if they agreed.The group has already collected more than 50,000 signatures from the public in support of the full implementation of Leveson's recommendations.Cameron will attend a meeting Tuesday between UK newspaper editors and Culture Secretary Maria Miller, a spokesman for 10 Downing Street said Saturday.Cameron and Miller will be pushing the press to set up an independent watchdog, as suggested in Leveson's report, the spokesman said. "They will make it clear that they (the press) can't drag their heels," he said.Cameron's stance last week had caused immediate divisions within the country's coalition government.Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who leads the Liberal Democrats in the coalition, said he believes new legislation is needed to ensure the regulator's long-term independence.Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition Labour Party, also said he favors full implementation of Leveson's recommendations, including the new legislation.In his report, Leveson said he had no desire to jeopardize the freedom of the press, which he acknowledged plays a "vital" role in safeguarding the public interest, but that changes are needed to tackle abuses.The British press has ignored its own code of conduct on "far too many occasions over the last decade," causing "real hardship" and sometimes wreaking "havoc with the lives of innocent people," Leveson said.The independent inquiry was first announced by Cameron in July 2011 in response to public outrage over a newspaper phone-hacking scandal.The trigger was the allegation that in 2002, the voicemail of missing 13-year-old Milly Dowler had been hacked by an investigator working for the News of the World before she was found murdered. The furor led to the closure of the newspaper, run by News International, a subsidiary of the Murdoch-owned News Corp.

3news

Story highlightsUK minister was under pressure after undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials came to light Opposition party called for investigation into her conductLondon (CNN)UK government minister Priti Patel resigned Wednesday amid a political storm over her undisclosed meetings with Israeli officials.The UK secretary of state for international development was summoned back from Kenya by Prime Minister Theresa May after it was revealed she met senior Israeli officials during a family holiday in the summer, a significant breach of diplomatic protocol.During the visit, Patel, who paid for the trip herself, met with a dozen politicians and organizations, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yuval Rotem, a senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official. She also met with Yair Lapid, the head of Yesh Atid, one of Netanyahu's coalition partners, who tweeted about their meeting.Great to meet with Priti Patel, UK Secretary of State for International Development, today. A true friend of Israel. pic.twitter.com/8q9qSeX7YZ— יאיר לפיד (@yairlapid) August 24, 2017 Even as Patel offered a "fulsome apology" on Wednesday in her resignation letter, May offered a firm rebuke to the departing minister.Read MorePatel's departure will throw May's Conservative government into further chaos after the sudden resignation last week of Defense Secretary Michael Fallon, who stood down after becoming embroiled in a growing Westminster sexual harassment scandal.Adding to the turmoil, May's de facto deputy, Damian Green, was forced to deny allegations at the weekend that "extreme" pornographic material was found on his work computer in 2008. In another development, former Welsh government minister Carl Sargeant, who was sacked last week after undisclosed allegations about his personal conduct, was found dead on Tuesday. He had apparently killed himself, the UK Press Association reported.Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was forced to backtrack Tuesday over comments he made about a British-Iranian woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who is jailed in Iran accused of espionage, after an outcry from her family and other lawmakers.UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, pictured on October 31, is under fire for comments made about a British-Iranian woman in custody in Iran.The scandals are an unwelcome distraction at a time when May, who failed to win an overall majority in June's general election, faces an uphill struggle in ongoing Brexit negotiations. Her government is also under pressure from Labour to release secret documents detailing the economic impact of withdrawing from the European Union.Still, May's position is likely safe for the time being because nobody wants to step into her shoes at this point in the Brexit negotiations, CNN correspondent Diana Magnay said."Hers is an unenviable position right now, and unless she faces a sort of back-bench revolt from her own MPs -- which is perfectly possible -- she may limp on for a while yet," Magnay said.'Fulsome apology'Former Secretary of State for International Development Priti Patel in October 2016.In a letter to May on Wednesday, Patel apologized for causing a "distraction" and admitted that "my actions fell below the high standards that are expected of a secretary of state.""While my actions were meant with the best of intentions, my actions also fell below the standards of transparency and openness that I have promoted and advocated," she wrote. "I offer a fulsome apology to you and to the government for what has happened and offer my resignation."May, in a letter to Patel released by Downing Street, thanked Patel but also rebuked her for the undisclosed meetings."As you know, the UK and Israel are close allies, and it is right that we should work closely together," May said in the letter. "But it must be done formally, and through official channels." May said she welcomed an earlier apology from Patel for the meetings, which took place in August, but that it was right for her to resign "now that further details have come to light." Patel forced to clarify commentsAccording to the UK Foreign Office, Patel's meetings in Israel were not disclosed in advance, but rather "while (her trip) was underway." By convention, ministers' meetings with foreign officials are conducted under strict protocol. Any private meetings should be disclosed in advance.News of Patel's meetings with Israeli officials emerged in the UK media at the end of last week. In an effort to explain her actions, Patel told the Guardian that Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson knew about her trip.JUST WATCHEDWelsh politician found deadReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWelsh politician found dead 02:26However, Patel was forced on Monday to correct the record and make clear that the foreign secretary was not informed in advance of her trip to Israel, but became aware of it while she was there. In the same statement, she clarified that she had met with a dozen Israeli politicians and organizations. Patel apologized, saying: "In hindsight, I can see how my enthusiasm to engage in this way could be misread, and how meetings were set up and reported in a way which did not accord with the usual procedures. I am sorry for this and I apologize for it."Jon Trickett, Labour's shadow minister for the Cabinet Office, said May had serious grounds to launch an investigation into Patel's apparent breaches of the ministerial code, and should do so or explain how Patel deserved to stay in her post."Downing Street has confirmed that even after she was caught, Priti Patel was far from frank in her meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday about her secret meetings and discussions with members of a foreign government," he said. Further meetings reportedPrime Minister Theresa May faces questions over her leadership as pressure mounts on her weakened government.Patel's apology failed to dampen the story. It was later revealed that Patel held two further meetings with Israeli officials that were not disclosed in Monday's statement.Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that Downing Street had also rebuked Patel on Tuesday for failing to inform May of departmental discussions over plans to send aid money to the Israeli army to support humanitarian operations in the Golan Heights, a move that would contravene British foreign policy. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed it in 1981. The UK, in line with almost all the international community, regards the Golan Heights as Israeli-occupied territory. The Jewish Chronicle then published a story claiming that May was made aware of Patel's meeting with Netanyahu within hours of it occurring and that Patel had been instructed by Downing Street not to mention the two meetings that were not disclosed on Monday.Downing Street dismissed the claims. "It is not true that the Prime Minister knew about the international development secretary's meeting with PM Netanyahu before Friday, 3 November," a spokesman said in a statement. "It is equally untrue to say that No. 10 asked DfID (the Department for International Development) to remove any meetings from the list they published this week."In response to a request for comment from CNN, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed Patel's meeting with Rotem, a senior ministry official, but would not disclose the content of the meeting. The ministry also declined to comment on a report by Israel's Haaretz newspaper that Patel had visited the Golan Heights while in Israel.Yair Lapid's office told CNN that the politician "regularly meets with senior leaders from abroad who are visiting Israel. The meeting with Priti Patel was warm and friendly. He looks forward to continuing to strengthen the Israel-UK relationship."CNN's Max Foster, Euan McKirdy, Andrew Carey, Hilary McGann, David Wilkinson, Eric Levenson and Sarah Chiplin contributed to this report.

3news

San Bernardino National Forest, California (CNN)At any moment, a plume of smoke could rise from somewhere in California's 33 million acres of forest land. The rugged terrain is often unreachable from the two-lane highways that twist through the thirsty wildland. Several years ago, Pam Morey recalled, one of those plumes filled the skies over Big Bear Lake. Ten minutes later, a second one broke through a couple miles away. A few minutes later, a third appeared.It was an arsonist. But before the fire department got the call, and before anyone in town noticed smoke on the mountain, the first eyewitness was already on the case -- nearly nine miles away. Perched over 8,000 feet above sea level, a volunteer lookout armed with standard-issue binoculars saw the columns of smoke rising, one by one, in a tidy row. Read MoreThe volunteer spotted the fire from one of the few remaining fire lookout towers in the 823,000-acre San Bernardino National Forest. Here's what you should do if you get trapped by a wildfireAt a time when firefighters make use of cutting-edge equipment like drones, high-powered aircraft and infrared cameras, old-fashioned lookout towers are still an important first line of defense in spotting wildfires. "Nothing can replace the human eye," said Morey, the forest's fire lookout coordinator. The San Bernardino National Forest fire lookout team has spotted 12 fires in the 2018 season alone. They range from car fires, to campfires gone awry, to fires sparked by lightning strikes. In each case, the fires were called in and extinguished quickly -- before they could grow into one of the raging wildfires that end up on TV. "They're what I call a $100 fire, versus the $1 million fires, like what you're getting up in Northern California," Morey said, referencing the Delta Fire which ripped through 63,293 acres in September 2018."We spot those little smokes," she said. "The firefighters go, they get them out, and everyone goes on their way. But any of those could have turned into devastating fires if they weren't caught quickly." Vigilant volunteersThe Keller Peak Lookout TowerTwice a month for the past seven years, Tony Arnieri has climbed the 28 steps from the base of Keller Peak to a 14-by-14 foot room at the Keller Peak Lookout Tower. The steps are the home stretch of a 30-mile journey from the nearest freeway, which buzzes 6,572 feet below the mountain.The retired information systems manager travels the last four miles on an isolated, single-lane road peppered with campsites and animal tracks. One way in, and one way out.At the tower, Arnieri proudly opens the door to his "office" -- there are spotless windows on all four sides, and a wrap-around porch underneath a billowing flag. On a clear day, a peek through binoculars could yield a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean 100 miles away. But the day always begins with that flag.6 important things to know about wildfires "We put the flag up first, so we can see what direction the wind is coming from," Arnieri said. The wind speed -- coupled with temperature and humidity readings -- sets the tone for the day. Erratic winds, soaring temps and low humidity could mean a busy day for Arnieri, and the volunteers manning the six other towers.He uses an old fashioned wet thermometer and dry bulb, pairing them with a sling psychrometer to record the humidity levels. He logs and broadcasts his findings over a dispatch radio -- connecting his information with fire authorities and forest officials on the ground. He logs occupied campsites and keeps track of expected visitors to the forest, so he is aware in case an emergency happens. But as Arnieri does this, his eyes are on the skies. "We're constantly checking for smoke," he said. "It's a good day when you don't see a fire."Where there's smoke...When the lookouts do spot smoke, the next challenge is to pinpoint the location of the fire.Paul Labarrere has spotted four fires during his 17-year career as fire lookout volunteer. In one instance, he saw smoke 11 miles away from the tower -- which he later learned was a 10-foot by 10-foot fire started by a lightning strike. His accuracy in recording its location, smoke color, and size helped firefighters knock down the blaze before it could turn into a monster.The key is the Osborne Fire Finder, a detailed, circular-shaped map of the forest, marked by each of the 360 degrees, and broken down into quadrants. Designed by a US Forest Service employee in 1915, the device requires no electrical power, and is still used to identify the apex of a blaze. Pam Morey using the Osborne Fire FinderBy turning its base toward the smoke, the lookouts can get an "azimuth reading," which will help determine the distance of the blaze from their location. The lookout will broadcast the mileage and nearby landmarks, so fire crews can scope it out.Labarrere's had one false alarm -- a barbecue -- but Morey stresses the motto on the mountain: it's better to be safe than sorry. Conditions can change on a dime.When lightning hits, Morey said, it can strike a root in the ground, and it will remain there, smoldering. When the sun comes out, the warmth can ignite the root. "We mark those, and keep an eye on that area. Smoke can travel. It can hit a tree, it can go into the roots ... and come up a couple miles away."Fewer eyes in the skyMorey currently oversees 282 volunteer lookouts in the U.S. Forest Service's program. They come from different walks of life -- retired doctors, lawyers, fire chiefs, and teachers. During its heyday, in the 1930s and 1940s, over 5,000 lookout towers peppered the nation's dense forest groves. Fire lookouts were paid, and lived in the towers 24/7. "They actually had to fight the fires they spotted. They'd jump on their horse, and go put out the flames," Morey said.Many of the lookouts were women. In the Angeles National Forest, outside of Los Angeles, a woman named Ramona handled the duties for over 50 years, Morey said. She raised her children on the mountain, living there six to seven months each year. There was no running water, or electricity. In some of the deepest regions of Northern California and Oregon, helicopters dropped off food and water for the lookouts, or they simply lived off the wildlife that crossed their paths. Morey herself used to hike nine miles from the main road in the Angeles National Forest to staff the South Mount Hawkins lookout. She would spend the entire weekend there, by herself, sharing the forest with herds of big-horn sheep. "I never felt alone, or lonely" she said.Tony Arineri, left, Pam Morey, center, and Paul Labarrere, rightBy 1964, only 250 active towers remained, according to the US Forest Service. Budget cuts -- combined with the emergence of new technologies -- shuttered the towers.Twenty-two original towers in San Bernardino National Forest were either abandoned or destroyed. In 1993, Morey joined a movement to restore and re-open the buildings which could be salvaged. Seven of them are currently active, and the tight-knit community rallies to keep them open.What it felt like inside the fire tornado that killed a California firefighterYet, some things never change. Volunteers are dazzled by bear and mountain lion sightings.There's still no running water in the towers.To make up for fewer pairs of eyes in the sky, residents and hikers are encouraged to be vigilant. Volunteers sell campfire cookbooks and canteens to raise money for maintenance. The local lumberyard provides wood to replace weather-beaten doors, and the country furniture store donates beds. For these businesses, the lookout towers are instrumental in keeping their livelihoods safe. The effort has paid off.That string of fires in Big Bear Lake a few years ago turned out to be a group of teenagers, Morey said. Law enforcement blocked off the roads, and waited for the group to emerge.And the fires stopped.But the watchful eyes are constantly on patrol. "Once you get into this ... you get into a habit," Morey said. "No matter where you go, you're always looking."

3news

Story highlightsJohn Sutter: The marsh of Louisiana's fragile coast is disappearing at a mind-blowing rate. To fight rising seas, he says, the world needs to reduce fossil fuel use, slowing climate changeJohn D. Sutter is a columnist for CNN Opinion who focuses on climate change and social justice. Follow him on Snapchat, Facebook and email. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana (CNN)Wenceslaus Billiot, an 89-year-old with suede-soft eyes and a bayou-French accent, asked me to follow him onto the second-story balcony of his stork-legged house here in the southern Louisiana marshland. He held up a broom made of dried palmetto leaves and pointed way off into the distance. See that tiny water tower? he asked. The tower was on the horizon -- so distant that it appeared to be only about as tall as my pen was wide. Aside from a few tufts of marsh between us and the tower, there was mostly water.All of that used to be solid land, he told me. Read MoreNow: "There's nothing but water." This isn't some back-in-the-day, old-folks-exaggerating type of story. As Billiot knows all too well, the marsh of Louisiana's fragile coast is disappearing at a mind-blowing rate. A football field of land, on average, falls into the Gulf each hour. That bears repeating: A football field of land, per hour, gone. Related: 15 scary facts about sea level riseIsle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, is getting a $48 million federal grant to relocate residents because of increasingly frequent flooding and exposure to storms. Causes include coastal erosion and climate change.Isle de Jean Charles, the mostly French-speaking, Native American community where Billiot lives, once was about the size of Manhattan. Now, it's about a third of Central Park. The coastal island has lost 98% of its land since 1955. And what's left is going fast."I don't know how long we're going to stay here," Billiot told me. "If a hurricane comes, we're wide open."There's no more land."'Climate refugees'This is an environmental tragedy -- and one locals didn't cause.Figuring out exactly what caused a particular patch of marsh to disappear is "like doing an autopsy without the body," said Denise Reed, chief scientist at The Water Institute of the Gulf. But researchers do know which factors are at play.Shortsighted government officials have strangled the Mississippi River with so many dams and levees that it doesn't deliver the soil that's needed to rebuild the marshes. Instead, all of that useful dirt, which normally would be deposited slowly as the river wiggles across a wide and free delta, is rushed out to the bottom of the sea. Oil and gas canals and pipelines, meanwhile, have carved up what's left of the marsh, making it more vulnerable to collapse.And global warming is delivering the knockout punch. Because as the marsh crumbles, the seas also are rising.As we burn fossil fuels for heat and electricity we're warming up the planet, causing ice sheets to melt and ocean water to expand as it heats up. Gradually, that causes sea levels to rise. Tides get higher. Storms and floods, which, of course, always have existed, become more threatening. The latest scientific evidence suggests seas could rise 2 meters, or 6 feet, by the end of the century. That would be catastrophic for many coastal communities in Louisiana and could drown entire island nations in the Pacific. CNN Map Scientists already are measuring the shift. In Grand Isle, Louisiana, not far from Isle de Jean Charles, where Billiot has spent most of his life, the mean sea level rose at a rate of about 1 meter per 100 years between 1947 and 2014.Isle de Jean Charles, sadly, is one of the places wrestling with this trend first. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development pledged to give the community a $48 million grant to help everyone move off the island and to a safer location. "We're unfortunately the perfect laboratory for experimenting" with what to do when a coastal community no longer can survive erosion and sea-level rise, said Pat Forbes, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development, which applied for the grant on the community's behalf.Headlines rushed to declare this a village of "climate refugees."Raised in a hurricaneI don't see Wenceslaus Billiot that way. He's more of a survivor.In the 1920s, his mother outlasted a hurricane with him in the womb. (As he tells it, she basically tied a small boat to a tree and rode the thing out.) During World War II, he told me, his ship was struck by a typhoon in the middle of the Pacific. But since Billiot has spent most of his life on the water -- on tugboats, oyster boats and tiny wooden pirogues, like the one he used to paddle to grade school -- he didn't get seasick. He used his sea legs to help take care of vomiting comrades.Billiot's home on Isle de Jean Charles has flooded more times than he can count. One of the worst followed a hurricane in 2002 or 2003, he said. Water rose over the stovetop and mud filled the oven. But he and his wife, Denicia -- now 91 and the oldest person still living on this remote island -- didn't relocate, as many of their younger neighbors did. Instead, they had their hand-built house boosted up on stilts. Roosevelt "Rooster" Falgout walks through thick underbrush on an island that has lost 98% of its land since the mid-1950s.They couldn't think of leaving. Billiot grew up on this island. He fell in love on this island (he and Denicia have been married since 1947, they told me; they grew up playing together as children), built a home on this island and raised his six children here. Several family members live nearby. His brother-in-law Albert Naquin, the local chief, lives up the road in neighboring Montegut. "People say, 'Oh man, it's beautiful out here,'" the chief told me. "But it's just a skeleton of how it was when we were kids. It's really terrible to see."Billiot's and Naquin's ancestors were among the members of the Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw tribe who settled this way-out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere place in the 1830s, well before there were roads. They did so to try to hide from racist federal policies, according to Naquin. They didn't want their children rounded up and sent to government boarding schools -- or sent down the Trail of Tears to Indian Territory. This is a place that doesn't give up. It's also a place that's expert at hiding.In that context, it's hard not to see environmental collapse as another invasion. 'We are not moving'State officials, however, tell a sanitized story."They were ecstatic" when the relocation grant was approved, Forbes, the state agency head, said of the island's residents. "They had been looking at ways to get the community moved. "They recognize the danger they're in and they're very excited to be able to move." Source: U.S. Geological Survey Locals do recognize the danger. They've been flooded and rebuilt time and again. But they're certainly not excited about going."We are not moving off this island," says a handwritten sign that's staked in front of a teal house on the drive into town. "Some people want to move. They can go. But leave us alone. The people have the right to live where they want not where people tell them to go and live. "They say the island is fading away," the sign continues in shaky writing. "Soon we will not have an island left. If the island is not good stay away. May God bless the island!!!" The message is signed with the name Edison. I met Edison as he was unpacking groceries from his car, but it wasn't a pleasant encounter. He told me -- understandably, given the national microscope -- that he's sick of reporters asking him questions about the sign. He wouldn't talk more unless I paid him $30. I declined.That's not something journalists do. Not everyone wants to leave the island. "Some people want to move. They can go," says a handwritten sign posted beside Island Road. "But leave us alone." And the sign speaks for itself, anyway. Down the street, I met locals who either didn't know about the relocation plan or who said they wouldn't leave. "Oh, that's crazy!" an older woman in a striped shirt and plaid skirt told me. "Everybody loves it here; it's a beautiful place." She doesn't plan to go. Neither does Gillis Dardar, 65. "That ain't for me," he said. "When there's a big hurricane it brings a lot of water. That's it," he added. "We never have no trouble here." I sympathize with this stubbornness. Last summer, I visited the Marshall Islands, a low-lying country in the middle of the Pacific that may drown as oceans continue to rise. Unlike Isle de Jean Charles, however, that country's government is digging its heels in and refusing to leave. Delegates from the country led a charge at the COP21 climate talks in Paris in December to push for the ambitious global target of holding warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. For many Marshallese, to consider leaving is to admit defeat. They believe the rest of the world must cut pollution and ensure their survival.I asked Forbes, the Louisiana official, about the holdouts. No one will be forced to leave Isle de Jean Charles, he told me. But "none of our grant will be spent on maintaining or enhancing services on the island," he said.There's also no guarantee the town will remain viable.'Dead end'There's only one route in or out of Isle de Jean Charles: Island Road. It's a two-lane arrow across the Gulf -- a sort of no-elevation bridge. There's one noticeable sign: "Dead end." When tides are high, or when winds blow in water from the south, the ocean laps over the street, rendering it impassable. Related: Stop selling the oceanTheresa Billiot, 58, Wenceslaus Billiot's daughter, who lives with her parents to care for them, told me she's been stuck on the far side of that road for days at a time. She worries she might not be able to help them in an emergency. Wenceslaus Billiot knows it's not safe for him to live on the island much longer. He told me he's mostly sure that he's going to move to the new town. But I could tell he's uncertain. Maybe moving feels like admitting defeat.It isn't, of course. The relocation plan is an indictment of us -- not him. Designers are working on plans for a new community. This is one possibility.The new community is expected to be focused on a community center. Chief Albert Naquin says he hopes the new town will bring the community back together. We're the ones burning fossil fuels to create global warming. We're the ones who let the Mississippi River be strangled to the point it doesn't function well. And we're the ones who let energy companies scar this beautiful landscape.We all have a hand in this tragedy. The federal and state governments see Isle de Jean Charles as a pilot community. I hope that's true in the sense that this transition will be handled with grace and dignity -- that the new community, wherever it's located, will preserve as much of the local culture as is possible. Naquin told me he's confident life will be better off of the island. Only about 25 to 30 homes remain there, he said, and many people already have moved away. The hope is the new town will reunite people.But I also hope this pilot relocation doesn't have to be repeated thousands of times around the globe. I worry it will. Some communities doubtlessly will be displaced by climate change and rising seas. There will be far fewer of them, however, and the changes will happen far less rapidly, if we ditch fossil fuels as fast as possible.Perhaps the story of Isle de Jean Charles will serve as a wake-up call.Billiot, for his part, started to understand just how bad the situation was some time ago when he went to a barbershop in a neighboring town. On the wall was a map of Louisiana, he told me. It was labeled 2050.Isle de Jean Charles was gone. The 89-year-old knows he won't live to see that day. But he'd hoped the island would.Add John D. Sutter on Snapchat.Follow his Facebook posts.Subscribe to Sutter's newsletter.

3news

Story highlightsMuirfield retains male-only membershipTold it cannot host British Open againOne of two Open venues still excluding womenRoyal Troon is consulting its members (CNN)Muirfield Golf Club could find itself out in the cold after members voted against abandoning its male-only membership policy Thursday.The Scottish course, which last hosted the British Open in 2013, has been told it won't be considered as a venue for golf's oldest major tournament unless it lets females join.With 750 Muirfield members eligible to vote, the two-thirds majority needed for a change to take place was not reached, prompting a response from Royal & Ancient (R&A), which organizes the British Open."The R&A has considered today's decision with respect to the Open Championship," the R&A said in a statement. "The Open is one of the world's great sporting events and going forward we will not stage the Championship at a venue that does not admit women as members."Given the schedule for staging the Open, it would be some years before Muirfield would have been considered to host the Championship again. If the policy at the club should change we would reconsider Muirfield as a venue for the Open in future."Read MoreR&A statement on the announcement at Muirfield: Going forward we will not stage @TheOpen at a venue that does not admit women as members.— The R&A (@RandA) May 19, 2016 While fellow British Open venues the Royal & Ancient Club of St. Andrews and Royal St. George's have both admitted female members in recent years, the East Lothian course has chosen not to follow suit after a two-year consultation process.The R&A was heavily criticized for using Muirfield, which has staged 16 British Opens, as its host venue in 2013 due to the club's membership policy. Established in 1744 at Leith -- a port district in Edinburgh -- it moved to its current East Lothian site in 1891.Golfing setbackThe decision from Muirfield's members will come as a setback to organizers of the global game, who have come under increasing pressure to abandon what is seen as an archaic single-gender policy.The R&A abandoned its 260-year male-only membership policy in 2014, while Royal St. George's followed last year by admitting women for the first time in 128 years. Muirfield and Royal Troon are the two remaining traditional British Open host venues to be men-only domains. However, Royal Troon, which will host this year's event and currently has separate men and women's clubs, is consulting members over whether to make a change.READ: 'Tiger-esque' Day wins Players ChampionshipREAD: The $10.5m tournament with an 'identity crisis'Across the Atlantic, in 2012 Augusta National allowed female members to join the prestigious U.S. club for the first time in 80 years. Augusta, which hosts the Masters, faced years of protests with President Obama adding pressure on the organization. Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore became the first women to be admitted as members. Should Muirfield admit women? Have your say on CNN Sport's Facebook pageLike this story? Get more at cnn.com/golfJUST WATCHEDWomen's golf: Attracting a new audienceReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWomen's golf: Attracting a new audience 08:05

5sport

(CNN)Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but his influence extended far beyond the court. The fierce competitor was as passionate about philanthropy as he was about pursuing baskets or championship rings. "He's leaving a legacy, and he's teaching people how to be more than just an athlete," former teammate Metta World Peace told CNN in an interview shortly after the announcement of Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna's deaths in a helicopter crash. Here are some other ways you can honor Bryant's legacy through the charities he supported:The Mamba and Mambacita Sports FoundationGianna Bryant and her father, former NBA player Kobe Bryant.Read MoreThe Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation was one of the basketball star's most impactful philanthropic works. Bryant and his wife started the foundation to improve the lives of young people and their families. KVBF provides scholarships and operates Mamba FC, a youth soccer club that teaches young athletes how to become leaders and independent thinkers through sports. Since 2011, the foundation has partnered with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Step Up on Second and homeless youth drop-in center My Friend's Place to provide comprehensive services to homeless kids in Los Angeles. Vanessa Bryant regularly visits the young parents at My Friend's Place and hosts an annual holiday celebration for them and their children.Following the deaths of Bryant and his daughter, Vanessa changed the name of their family non-profit. The organization is now called the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, honoring Kobe and Gianna.After-School All-StarsBryant was an honorary ambassador of After-School All-Stars, a non-profit organization that partners with schools nationwide to extend school hours for low-income children. As a champion for after-school programming for all, Bryant gave frequent motivational speeches and raised money for the organization's Los Angeles chapter, which serves 14,000 students; 98% of those students are youth of color. Make A Wish FoundationOver the last 20 years, Bryant granted more than 250 wishes of children battling life-threatening illnesses through the Make A Wish Foundation. The foundation's Facebook page called Bryant "an amazing wish granter who has brought countless smiles to our wish kids and their families." Stand up to CancerBryant was also a champion for people battling cancer. Outside of sending motivational messages to those fighting the disease, he raised money for research and medical expenses. In 2012, he was part of an all-star telecast that raised more than $81 million for research through Stand up to Cancer. The National Museum of African American History and CultureBryant and his wife donated at least $1 million to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The couple is one of the museum's founding donors. When the museum opened in 2016, Bryant tweeted out this message: "Go. See this. Museum. There is no greater testament to this country than the stories in this building."You can support the work of these organizations through the "you can make a difference" button below or by clicking here.

3news

(CNN)At least four people were killed and one injured in a mass shooting in Darwin, northern Australia, on Tuesday evening.Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan told CNN that a man had been taken into custody at approximately 7:45 p.m. (6:15 a.m. ET), about an hour after the shooting -- which took place in Darwin's inner suburbs -- was reported to police. "The situation is now under control," Morgan said, adding there was no "ongoing threat to the public."At a press conference on Tuesday evening, Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the suspect was an individual who was "well-known to police," who had been on parole following his release from prison in January. Man killed in drive-by shooting outside Australian nightclubKershaw said that police were still trying to establish a motive for the shooting and that the investigation was ongoing, adding: "At this stage, we do not believe it is terrorism-related." Read MoreThe shooter is believed to have fired multiple shots with a shotgun before he made contact with police, who said he might have been trying to hand himself in. Australia's Northern Territory Chief minister, Michael Gunner, said there were "five crime scenes, four people deceased, one injured" and described the incident as "a devastating day for the Northern Territory."In a message on Twitter, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison called the event a "terrible act of violence."What the UK and Australia did differently after mass shootingsShootings are rare in Australia, which introduced tight gun control measures after a 1996 massacre at Port Arthur, a popular tourist spot in Tasmania. Then, 35 people were shot dead by a lone gunman armed with a military-style semiautomatic rifle.John Howard, Australia's then-prime minister, banned rapid-fire rifles and shotguns and tightened licensing regulations after the massacre. More than a million firearms were collected and destroyed.Last month, a security guard was killed and five others were wounded in an apparent drive-by shooting incident outside a Melbourne nightclub.

3news

(CNN)British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered another setback to her Brexit withdrawal deal Tuesday as members of her own Conservative Party joined opposition Labour Party MPs in favor of a vote to curb the government's spending powers if Britain fails to secure an agreement deal on its departure from the European Union.Parliamentary members voted 303 to 296 in favor of an amendment to the Finance Bill that will restrict May from amending taxes to cope with the consequences of crashing out of the European Union without an agreement.The measure isn't expected to carry significant weight in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Robert Jenrick, a Conservative MP and the exchequer secretary to the Treasury said the Finance Bill amendment would only allow MPs power to make "minor technical changes."But the vote did carry symbolic weight: Parliamentarians are pushing back on a no-deal scenario. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called the vote an "important step to prevent a no-deal Brexit," saying it proved there is no parliamentary support for a no-deal Brexit. Read MoreIan Murray, a Labour MP who supports People's Vote, a group campaigning for a second referendum, said Parliament has "now asserted its authority and sovereignty and effectively exposed the threat of no deal as an empty one."$1 trillion is leaving Britain because of Brexit"The threat of a no deal Brexit has [been] cynically used by the government for many months as part of their campaign to bully and intimidate Parliament into voting for a bad deal that would leave us worse off and offers less control," Murray said in a statement on the People's Vote website, adding that Tuesday's events demonstrated that Parliament "can still act decisively.""What it now must do is hand the decision back to the people," Murray said.Parliament is due to vote on the divorce deal next week. If May ultimately fails to push the agreement through, the chances of the country crashing out of the European Union without a deal will soar.Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union on March 29.Separately on Tuesday, the Dutch government said British citizens living in the Netherlands will not have to leave in the event of "no deal." "In the case of a no deal, a national transition period applies from 29 March 2019 to 1 July 2020. In the transitional period, you retain your rights of residence, work and study in the Netherlands," the Dutch Ministry of Justice said in a statementThere are more than 45,000 British people in the Netherlands and a recent survey by the Dutch government found that 89% of them are worried about the effects of Brexit on their situation. "It's understandable that Brexit is creating great uncertainty for these people," said foreign minister Stef Blok in response to the findings. "So I keep on stressing that the draft withdrawal agreement offers the best solution for everyone."

3news

Story highlightsScientists are developing expandable habitats that would be inflated in spaceBigelow's Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) prototype is attached to the International Space StationBEAM adds space -- about the size of a bedroom -- to the orbiting research lab (CNN)In sci-fi movies, space habitats are huge structures with labyrinth layouts. But Hollywood doesn't have to deal with the issues real aerospace engineers face when contemplating future space homes -- such as gravity and financial constraints. "Gravity ... is a really serious problem," Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow says. He's not kidding. NASA estimates the International Space Station cost upward of $100 billion to build in the 1990s and required more than 115 space flights to construct. At about 250 miles above Earth, it's in what's known as low-Earth orbit. In space terms, that's relatively close. What happens when we want to live on Mars?Jason Crusan, NASA's director for Advanced Exploration Systems Division, says if we were to build the space station again today, it would be "significantly smaller." Because in the space world, smaller often means cheaper -- at least to launch.Read MoreThat's why scientists are working to develop expandable space habitats. Instead of building rigid metal structures, they are building flexible buildings that can be sent into space when they're deflated. Bigelow says the reduced weight and volume of these types of habitats would make them easier and cheaper to launch.Building expandable habitatsBigelow's Expandable Activity Module, or BEAM, is designed to start out small and expand to four times its size once in space. The company recently attached a prototype to the International Space Station; it only took one launch with a price tag of $17.8 million. Once inflated, BEAM will add a space -- about the size of a bedroom -- to the orbiting research lab. The module will stay attached to the space station for two years to see how it withstands the harsh environment of space.JUST WATCHEDGo inside a future space home ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGo inside a future space home 01:06Bigelow knows that all eyes are on the performance of his module. During the test period, NASA will be paying close attention to the structural integrity of the BEAM module. These expendables need to be just as strong, if not stronger than, their metal counterparts. Bigelow is tight-lipped about the proprietary material from which the modules are made, but he told CNN that they include many layers of Kevlar-like materials and are incredibly strong."It's a multiple-layered structure, and when something hits the first outer layer, it fractures and breaks up," he says.Astronauts will enter BEAM every few months to evaluate and monitor things such as temperature, pressure and radiation sensors. It will be the first time an astronaut has stepped foot in an expandable habitat in space. If the module performs well, inflatables could play a critical role in the future of space exploration. "We would like to be part of the process of establishing a lunar station and other kinds of space outposts -- maybe someday helping to support Mars ambitions," Bigelow says. A long roadNASA was into the benefits of expandable technology long before Bigelow arrived on the space scene. Echo 1, an inflatable device, launched in 1960. But it took some time until soft structures were strong enough to be considered for crewed operations. In the 1990s, NASA started working on a design concept for an inflatable living quarter for a manned mission to Mars. The program was called TransHab, but it never got beyond ground testing because the space agency abandoned it in 2000. Bigelow licensed and further developed the technology that was developed during the TransHab program. In 2006 and 2007, Bigelow launched Genesis 1 and 2, showing that the expansion and launching systems could work. Deep Space habitatsBigelow's expandable habitats have only been tested in low-Earth orbit -- between 85 miles (137 kilometers) and 2,000 miles (3,219 kilometers) in altitude -- but NASA's Crusan says he thinks they will play a role in future journeys to deep space. "These habitats are essential to executing our overall Mars endeavors," he says. Yet the habitats that will bring humans to deep space will be considerably different from what has been seen. "To date we've thought about habitats as stations," Crusan says. "All of our habitats in the future ... will also have propulsion with the engines to take us to our destinations."Which brings us back to the issue of size."The heavier something is, the harder it's going to be to move around the solar system," Crusan says. The International Space Station has the volume of a six-bedroom house, and, according to NASA, it's three to four times the volume needed to send four astronauts to and from Mars.Bigelow Aerospace isn't the only name in the space habitat industry. NextSTEP, NASA's primary funding program for commercial industries, has contracts with Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital ATK to develop designs for space habitats. NASA plans to invest $65 million in commercial industries in the next 14 months. It also intends to spend more than $50 million internally this year on such things as life support systems, radiation protection and logistics management -- all of which need to be considered when sending humans to live in space.For more on the future of space travel, see Rachel Crane's Way Up There series.

0business

Story highlights Suicide bombings at Brussels Airport and a metro station in the city leave at least 31 people deadParis attacker Salah Abdeslam was captured in Brussels last week after more than four months in hidingThe Belgian capital's Molenbeek district has become notorious as a hotbed of violent jihadist ideologyBelgium has the highest number of foreign fighters, per capita, in Syria of any Western European nationThis story was originally published in a slightly different form before the attacks on Brussels, in which terrorists targeted the city's airport and one of its metro stations, killing at least 31 people, and injuring 270 more. For the latest updates on the hunt for those responsible, click here.Belgium (CNN)Brussels: It's a quaint but bustling city, famed for its picture postcard squares, its chocolate and its beer. But it is rapidly becoming infamous, too, as a fertile recruiting ground for jihadi fighters.For months, Belgian authorities and the public here had lived in fear of attack by home-grown terrorists. As tensions rose, security forces carried out raid after raid in their hunt for Paris attacks fugitive Salah Abdeslam and those who plotted the carnage in the French capital.Last week they even seemed to catch a lucky break when police, initiating a search for evidence at what turned out to be Abdeslam's safe house, encountered a barrage of gunfire which tipped them off that something -- or someone -- important was inside. Abdeslam, who had abandoned his mission, along with his suicide belt, in Paris in November, escaped again -- only to be cornered in a daring daytime raid a few days later. Belgians breathed a sigh of relief, but it was to be short-lived; on Tuesday the nation's darkest fears were realized when suicide bombers targeted Brussels Airport and one of the city's busy metro stations at rush hour, detonating bombs packed into cases stuffed with nails, and killing dozens of bystanders and injuring nearly 300 others.Forensics officers examine a house where Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam is thought to have hidden outIn the wake of the devastation wrought in Zaventem and Maelbeek, Belgium upgraded its alert status to the highest level. But even before the latest attacks, the country was wary and on edge, with security forces warning of a very real threat of an attack.Read MoreREAD: Hornet's nest at center of Brussels threatHotbed of jihadist ideologyIn the weeks leading up to the bombings, CNN visited Molenbeek, a working-class district that has found notoriety as a hotbed of violent jihadist ideology, several times to find out what -- if anything -- had changed since the bloodshed in Paris four months ago.It took months to coax people to meet with us. Many had received threats from self-proclaimed extremists directly to their mobile phones, warning them against speaking to the media.JUST WATCHEDInside a terror breeding groundReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHInside a terror breeding ground 03:40Belgian officials have been unable to quell the flow of fighters traveling to ISIS territory, and -- perhaps more worryingly, authorities are terrified the fighters will bring another Paris-style attack -- back to Europe.Brussels is just a short drive away from a host of major cities: Paris, of course, but also Amsterdam, Cologne, Strasbourg, Frankfurt, Berlin; hop into a car or onto a train and almost anyone can travel between any number of European cities within a few hours. Only recently, especially after the Paris attacks, did some European nations begin implementing immigration checks.Per capita, Belgium has the highest number of foreign fighters in Syria of any Western European nation. Experts say nearly 500 men and women have left Belgium for Syria and Iraq since 2012. At the same time, they say more than 100 Belgians have returned home from ISIS territory -- many facing immediate arrest.But everyone CNN spoke to admits these numbers err on the conservative side; no one knows for certain exactly how many have gone and how many have returned. ISIS recruiting new membersBelgium's Interior Minister Jan Jambon told us the security forces' work to counter terrorist threats is having an impact, but admits ISIS recruiters are still able to ply their extremist trade in Belgium."Recruitment continues -- at a much lower level than we were used to, for example two years ago -- but yes, it continues," he says. "It is difficult to find the people that are [responsible] -- you can do it in a small room in every house."Family and community members brave enough to try and stop the radicalization open themselves up to threats -- and the possibility of worse.Imam Sheikh Sulayman Van Ael says he must speak out against ISIS"We live in an era where everybody that tries to speak out and stand up for the truth will find people trying to stop him from doing so," says Belgian Imam Sheikh Sulayman Van Ael.For Van Ael, a convert who is outspoken on the issue of jihadism, the dangers are very real; we meet in secret, his bodyguard hovering nearby throughout our conversation.But he insists: "I am not afraid ... I am taking precautions, but I don't hide -- I get out, I walk around. Whatever has to happen will happen. It's not a nice feeling knowing that people are like that. But it doesn't frighten me."Imams, he says, must be willing to contest the Islamic justifications being used by ISIS and their ilk.READ: Key clue in Brussels attacks - the explosivesSense of marginalizationGeraldine Henneghien also took the risk to speak to us. Her son Anis is one of those who was recruited to the ISIS cause; he was later killed in Syria. For her the threats have become a reality of life like any other; when we ask whether she's afraid, she laughs bitterly: "What else can I lose? I've already lost my son. They can't do anything more to me."Geraldine Henneghien's son Anis was killed in Syria in 2015Henneghien says recognizing the clues that someone is being radicalized is not easy."Every sign is different, and when you look at them separately they don't look like signs of radicalization," she explains. "But when you see the whole picture, you realize that these are signs, that they are part of the recruitment process."Ali (not his real name) agreed to speak to us on condition of anonymity. He sobbed as he told of how two of his brothers, members of radical Islamist group Sharia4Belgium, made the trip to Syria, where one was killed on the front line.He believes discrimination and a "lack of opportunities" in Belgium has driven many young men into harm's way because they simply don't feel accepted at home -- jihadi recruiters exploit this sense of marginalization."The Belgian state rejects children and young people; they say, 'They are all foreigners, why should we give them a job?' They fill us with hate, and they say we aren't of any use, so when young people see what's going on over there [in Syria], they think 'Well OK, let's go there and be useful.'"READ: Mapping ISIS attacks around the worldTurning a blind eyeAli believes the Belgian security services are turning a blind eye to people going to Syria as a way of getting rid of them: "They wanted to get rid of these youngsters by letting them go." He accepts that his brothers were ultimately responsible for their own actions, but thinks more could have been done to stop them.A woman holds a piece of paper reading "Molenbeek" during a candlelit vigil to the victims of the Paris attacks in Brussels.Henneghien says she went as far as reporting her own son to the police in an attempt to block him leaving the country -- to no avail."Two weeks before he left, I went to the police and said 'My son is going to catch a plane on this particular day to leave for Syria,'" she told us. Concerned he could be a member of a terrorist network, a magistrate added Anis to a watch list, but he still managed to get out of the country."The day my son left, I went to the police to tell them and they didn't do anything," Henneghien recalls clearly. "They told me: 'Your son is not a minor, so we can't do anything ... He is allowed to go wherever he wants, whenever he wants.'"Anis was 18 when he left Belgium in 2014. The following year, she says, she was told he had been killed in Syria. JUST WATCHEDHas this Brussels neighborhood become a haven for terror?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHas this Brussels neighborhood become a haven for terror? 02:42Nothing can bring her son back, but Henneghien argues that Belgium should be doing more to encourage other young men and women like him to return home."The message of the authorities is: 'OK, you left so do not come back.' They don't help us recover our children, they just leave them there," she says. "Instead of telling them, 'We will talk to you while [you're] in prison about your motivation ... and later we will help you be part of this society again,' we give them the message, 'No, do not come back -- if you do, you will be imprisoned forever.'"Jambon insists the government is working hard to prevent radicalized youngsters leaving the country, but admits it still has work to do."One-and-a-half years ago, we had 15 persons per month leaving for Syria or Iraq, now it's less than five. Five is too much, I am aware of that ... If you see that people are still leaving to join ISIS, we didn't do enough. That's clear. The aim, the goal, is zero people."But Montasser Al De'emeh, founder of a Brussels-based deradicalization center, says there's only so much anyone can do to stop someone truly determined to leave."You can't stop people from leaving by force," he says. "It's impossible for this to be the solution. There are people who were barred from leaving and jailed; after eight years they were released and they managed to leave."Instead, he says, "You stop people from leaving by helping them build a future, by helping them understand who they really are."READ: How the ISIS fight went globalHeavy-handed responseAli's surviving brother did eventually return to Belgium, where he was jailed. But Ali says the entire family has been left feeling like criminals after armed police investigating the pair's radicalization raided the family home as his wife, children and mother slept."It was like a hold-up, like something from the movies ... There were 10 of them, maybe more, and they aimed guns at us all ... Why so much violence? They found nothing, no weapons, no explosives, nothing. But the way they came into our house was as if we were armed from tip to toe."He says the security forces heavy-handed actions have been counterproductive, turning the family and their friends and neighbors against the authorities: "This has only filled us with hate."Student Yassine Boubout says he was arrested at gunpoint simply because he looked like someone elseYassine Boubout, too, says the actions of the police and security personnel are provoking more and more Belgian Muslims to act against their own country. The 18-year-old student says he was the victim of racial profiling, treated "like a terrorist," and arrested at gunpoint as he tried to buy lunch."I grabbed my meal and before I got to the register they held a gun, a military weapon, in my face," he recalls. "They commanded me, 'Get on your knees now!'"I kept asking 'What's happening? Why am I here? Please put the gun out of my face.' It was ready to fire, the [safety] was off and the finger was literally on the trigger -- one little move that would scare them and I am pretty sure I could be shot ... I was scared for my life."After 20 minutes on his knees in the store, where he was a regular customer, Boubout says he was thrown into a police cell for more than three hours before being released without charge -- and without an explanation. A week later, he says he was told he'd been arrested because, "I looked like a suspect ... I fit the description and that was enough."Boubout says such treatment "gives those people who recruit a weapon to use; they can [say] 'See, this society is a racist society, they don't want you here.' That's a key factor for them that they use."READ: Belgium -- fertile ground for terrorism?Racism a push factorMembers of Molenbeek's Muslim community attend Friday prayers at Attadamoun Mosque.Jambon says the majority of young Muslims are well integrated into Belgian society, but admits his government has more to do to make some feel "at home" in their own country, given that a sense of alienation can leave them open to the threat of radicalization."We're talking about third- and fourth-generation [immigrants]; these youngsters are born in Belgium, even their fathers and mothers are born in Belgium, and still they are open for these kind of messages. This is not normal -- in the U.S., the second generation was the President; here, the fourth generation is an IS fighter -- so that is really something we have to work on."JUST WATCHEDBrussels district connected to multiple terroristsReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBrussels district connected to multiple terrorists 02:58Van Ael says Belgian Muslims must also do their part."There is no reason why you shouldn't feel Belgian -- this is the country you were raised in. This is the country where you have been fed, where you went to school, where you had your friends, where you practiced your sports. So why all of a sudden you don't feel Belgian?" he asks."There is no reason to feel like that. I believe that it is part of our Islam that we protect the country we were raised in and that we try to make the country we live in prosper."But for those left behind by would-be jihadis, Ali has a stark warning. He says his brothers' decision to go to Syria -- and the Belgian authorities' treatment of those they left behind -- has "destroyed" his family. "This has broken everything," he says, sobbing. "Our future looked bright but now nothing is left."For those at the front lines of this battle everything is at stake.READ: New Paris attacks suspect namedCNN's Bryony Jones, Fred Pleitgen, Mick Krever and Paul Cruickshank contributed to this report.

3news

Story highlights The attack started in an insurance officeSuspected attacker named as Franz Wrousis, 51, a Swiss nationalSchaffhausen, Switzerland (CNN)Police are searching for a chainsaw-wielding attacker who injured five people, including at least one seriously, in northern Switzerland.Police said they do not believe Monday's attack in the historic town of Schaffhausen is terrorism related, but warned the public that the man at large is "dangerous."Franz WrousisThe attacker was identified as 51-year-old Franz Wrousis, a Swiss national with no fixed address who lives in a forest, Schaffhausen public prosecutor Peter Sticher said. Sticher described him as a 190 centimeter-tall (6 feet 2 inches tall) bald white man, while police described him as a man of "untidy appearance." Authorities are seeking the public's help in locating Wrousis. Schaffhausen police released a photo of him taken before the incident on CCTV cameras. He appears to be wearing a green windbreaker and black trousers, police said. He is carrying a big black bag that may have contained the chainsaw.Read MoreThe attack began in an insurance office, Sticher said, and a Volkswagen van that belongs to Wrousis has been found. Christina Wettstein, a spokesperson for the insurance company CSS, said two of the company's employees were injured, one seriously. They have undergone surgery, she said, and their lives are no longer at risk.Wettstein said the suspect has a health insurance policy with the company.A major police operation was underway Monday for the attacker."The suspect targeted our company, he wanted to harm our employees," she said. "But we cannot say exactly what the motive was. All we know is he wanted to harm our employees."The company is concerned that the suspect will approach one of its offices and embark on another attack. Wettstein said security guards are being deployed at CSS offices in the region.Wrousis has been charged twice in the past for having illegal weapons, in 2014 and 2016, but he wasn't sentenced to prison, according to Sticher. Images of the scene show a cobble-stoned street cordoned off, with police vehicles and ambulances in the area.Police cordoned off parts of Schaffhausen after the attack.A journalist in Schaffhausen, Marco Latzer, told CNN that helicopters also responded to the scene. The incident was a shock to the people of Schaffhausen, an old town near the Swiss-German border, he said. "It's kind of a big thing for this town of course and many people here are really shocked," he said. "It's a very peaceful place ... a quiet place, normally." CNN's Angela Dewan wrote from London. Carol Jordan, Joe Sterling, Sara Mazloumsaki and Alex Felton contributed to this report.

3news

Story highlightsWilliams signs Susie Wolff, F1's second female driver in last month The 29-year-old's new role comes just weeks after Marussia signs Maria de Villota F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone welcomes the move, calling her an asset to the teamThe Scottish driver has previously tested with Lotus Renault F1Susie Wolff, the second woman to join Formula One in recent weeks, hopes her new role will pave the way for more females in the elite level of motorsport.The 29-year-old Briton was signed to Williams as a development driver on Wednesday, just weeks after Spaniard Maria de Villota joined Marussia in a testing role."I hope to demonstrate women can play a role at the highest levels of motorsport," Wolff said."I shall be working closely with the team on its social responsibility program in the areas of education and road safety."Wolff is just the seventh female F1 driver in the 60-year history of the sport and her recruitment, along with De Villota, has been seen as an important step forward in the gender divide.However "Racy Susie," as she has been labeled in the British tabloid press, may still have some way to go before changing old-fashioned thinking at the top. Photos: Women in Formula One Photos: Women in Formula OneDivina Galica – Divina Galica made her Formula One debut at the 1976 British Grand Prix. Despite entering three grands prix, the British driver did not qualify for a race.Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: Women in Formula OneQueen of speed – Before discovering motorsport, Galica (far right) was an Olympic skier. She was captain of the British ski team and competed at the Winter Olympics in 1964, 1968 and 1972. Until March 2007, Galica held the female British speed skating record, clocking 125 miles per hour in 1994.Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: Women in Formula OneMaria Teresa de Filippis – Maria Teresa de Filippis was a true pioneer, becoming the first woman to enter a grand prix at Monaco in 1958. One month later, the Italian was the first female driver to finish a race, coming last at the Belgian Grand Prix.Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: Women in Formula OneLella Lombardi – Filippis was succeeded by compatriot Lella Lombardi, who made her own piece of F1 history in 1975. While driving for March at that year's Spanish Grand Prix, Lombardi became the first, and only, woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix.Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: Women in Formula OneDesire Wilson – South African driver Desire Wilson failed to qualify for the 1980 British Grand Prix while competing for Brands Hatch Racing. She did take part in the 1981 South African Grand Prix, but the race was later stricken from F1 records for political reasons.Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: Women in Formula OneGiovanna Amati – Giovanna Amati was the last female driver to enter a grand prix. The Italian failed to qualify for the first three races of 1992 season while representing the Brabham team.Hide Caption 6 of 6F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who has long wanted a competitive female driver on the grid, welcomed Wolff's arrival."If Susie is as quick in a car as she looks good out of a car then she will be a massive asset to any team and on top of that she is very intelligent," the 81-year-old said.Wolff will be undertaking some aerodynamic and full-track testing of the team's FW34 F1 championship car as well as attending a number of races.Her role was approved by the Williams board, of which Wolff's husband, Toto, is a member. He sat out the selection process.Susie, who lives in Switzerland, is no stranger to the driver's seat. She first began karting as a child before moving into single-seaters in 2001 with a drive in the Formula Renault series. She was twice nominated for the prestigious Young Driver of the Year Award and enjoyed a spell in the British Formula Three championship before joining Germany's DTM touring car series in 2006.Wolff has been in a Formula One cockpit before, having received a test drive courtesy of the team formerly known as Lotus Renault F1 at Paul Ricard in August last year, where she achieved 300 kilometers of track time.De Villota, daughter of former British Formula One Series Champion Emilio de Villota, also has experience racing at the Spanish F3, the Daytona 24 Hours, the Euroseries 3000 and Superleague Formula Championship.Of the five women to join F1 before Wolff and De Villota, only two have ever qualified to start a race. The most prolific of these was Italian Lella Lombardi, who started 12 grands prix in the 1970s.Lombardi made history while driving with March at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, becoming the only woman to register a point-scoring finish in a grand prix.

5sport

Story highlightsSkopje 2014 is a multi-million euro project to rebuild city centerTriumphal arch, warrior statue and new museum opened for Macedonia's 20th anniversary celebrationsMacedonia increases foreign visitor numbers by 25% this yearWhen Macedonia celebrated the 20th anniversary of its independence from the former Yugoslavia last month, it did so in a capital city that has been radically transformed over the past two years.Almost 20 new buildings -- and a similar number of statues, fountains and monuments -- are being built around the center of Skopje.The transformations are being made as part of a project called Skopje 2014, aimed at rebuilding a city that lost many of its landmarks in a 1963 earthquake. The centerpiece, in place in time for the anniversary celebrations on September 8, was a 22-meter statue, called Warrior on a Horse. It is widely understood to depict Alexander the Great, but has not been officially named as such because of a long-running dispute with Greece, to whom the ancient king is a national hero.There is also a new Museum of Macedonian Struggle, which opened on Independence Day, a triumphal arch, a new foreign ministry building, a new constitutional court, a new national theater and a new archaeological museum, among other buildings. Photos: Photos: Celebrating the past – The "Warrior on a Horse" statue in the Macedonian captial Skopje depicting Alexander the GreatHide Caption 1 of 3 Photos: Triumphal arch – Children perform in front of a triumphal arch, for the ceremony of Independence on September 8,2011. Hide Caption 2 of 3 Photos: Warrior On A Horse statue – Crowds celebrate the European success of the Macedonian national basketball team in front of the new Warrior on a Horse statue in Skopje's main square.Hide Caption 3 of 3Country profile: MacedoniaThe official cost of the project is 80 million euros, although critics claim the final bill could be as high as 500 million euros, according to the online newspaper Balkan Insight.Skopje 2014 has divided Macedonians, some of whom say a country with more than 30% unemployment, according the U.N data, should not be spending so much on a building project.Goran Atanasovski, who runs an independent tourism website travel2macedonia.com.mk, said: "The project splits the people, like a river between the coasts, some of them are for it, while others are not. "The controversy for the project is mostly that Macedonia belongs to a group of countries with high unemployment level."However, Zoran Nikolovski, the government's head of tourism, said: "Skopje already has a totally new look from it did two years ago, and by 2014 it will have even more new buildings. Even in this global economic crisis we are building, not only buildings and attractions but also a new infrastructure and accommodation capacity, like brand new airports, roads and hotels."At first there was misunderstanding from people, but now they are seeing that it is really beautiful for people who live in Skopje as well as for travelers."What do you think of the new buildings? Send in your imagesOthers question the taste of classic antiquity buildings and bronze statues. One Macedonian who asked not to be named said: "I try to avoid the city center now. It has turned into a theme park. Wherever you turn there are new bronze statues and sculptures. It's as if they're trying to create a national identity."I would have thought in the 21st century we should be building something modern, urban and contemporary. I can't imagine any other city building a triumphal arch in the 21st century."Regardless of personal opinions of the project, Skopje 2014 and other infrastructure investments do appear to be helping Macedonia to attract foreign tourists.Nikolovski said there had been a 25% increase in foreign tourists visiting Macedonia in the first seven months of this year, compared with the same period last year.Atanasovski said: "Whether it was due to Skopje 2014 or not, this was first season that I've actually seen mass groups of foreign tourists with a travel guides in the downtown and the Old Bazaar."This is the first year when Skopje received more tourists than Ohrid, the leading tourism destination of Macedonia."Official government statistics show a steady increase in foreign tourists arriving in Macedonia from 99,000 in 2001 to almost 262,000 last year.While the majority come from neighboring countries, there has been an increase in recent years from further afield, including Austria, Germany, Russia, Poland, Italy and Turkey.Nikolovski said: "We have a lack of opportunities for mass market tourism because we don't have a coastline, but we do have beautiful lakes and mountains and interesting culture and history."He said the country was also developing its gambling tourism market, with a number of casino hotels.The government has recently introduced policies to boost tourism including a reduction in sales tax on hotels and catering from 18% to 5% and subsidies to attract tour groups from certain countries.Atanasovski said: "The previous years, usually the tour operators have been including Macedonia as a part of wider Balkan tours and haven't stayed in Macedonia longer than a day. Starting from last year, the number of nights spent in Macedonia has increased."Regardless of money spent on grand projects and infrastructure, national pride has been given a boost from a quarter that no politician could plan. Macedonia's 20th anniversary celebrations coincided with the national basketball team unexpectedly reaching the semi-finals of the European championships."Honestly, I haven't seen the people of Macedonia so happy and proud before," said Atanasovski. "Flags were all over, on people, on cars, on windows. People have replaced their economic problems with a smile and happiness."

3news

Story highlights In a confidence vote, Italy's lower house confirms the new prime minister's governmentEnrico Letta was sworn in Sunday, the same day a gunman shot officers outside his officeLetta has said unemployment and political reform are top priorities Italy has an 11.6% unemployment rateAfter months of political uncertainty and economic crisis, the lower house of Italy's parliament gave Prime Minister Enrico Letta's new government a vote confidence on Monday.Letta received support from lawmakers in a 453-153 lower house vote. Lawmakers in the upper house, the Senate, are scheduled to vote on Tuesday.Letta was sworn in on Sunday -- the same day a gunman shot and wounded two national police officers outside the prime minister's office. But Letta was being sworn in at the presidential palace a short distance away and was not present at the time of the shooting, state-run news agency ANSA said.Italy has been hampered by political uncertainty since February, when elections left none of the candidates with enough support to form a government.JUST WATCHEDGunman opens fire in ItalyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGunman opens fire in Italy 03:09Letta, a center-left politician, has 18 ministers -- two of whom are members of the center-right People of Freedom Party led by three-time Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.Nearly all the others are members of Letta's Democratic Party or people close to it.Letta said last week that the most important priority is tackling the country's 11.6% unemployment rate, which has pushed many young Italians to leave the country.The second most pressing issue facing Italy is the need for political reform, he said.Constitutional changes are needed to reduce the number of members of parliament and fix an electoral system that has kept the country locked in a political stalemate it can't afford, he said."We need to do this together with the largest participation possible," he said.He also said the European Union's policy of austerity needs to change.

3news

Story highlightsFernando Torres disappointed after being on the bench for Champions League finalStriker Didier Drogba was preferred ahead of the Spaniard for the match in MunichChelsea's record signing says he will reevaluate his future at the clubPresident Obama watched the match with David Cameron and Angela MerkelChelsea spent the weekend celebrating a first European Champions League triumph after a dramatic defeat of Bayern Munich, but the English club's record signing Fernando Torres was far from happy for the majority of Saturday's historic win.The Spaniard was left out of the starting lineup for the clash at the German team's Allianz Arena, with Chelsea's interim coach Roberto di Matteo deciding to play Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba alone in attack.Di Matteo's decision paid dividends, as Drogba scored Chelsea's 89th-minute equalizer in the 1-1 draw before converting the winning penalty in a nail-biting shootout.Torres, who has struggled for form since joining Chelsea from Liverpool in a British-record $80 million deal in January 2011, described being on the bench for European club football's most important match as "perhaps the biggest disappointment in my life."Munich mourns as Bayern blow big chance"I thought I would play in this game and I couldn't imagine not doing so," the 28-year-old, who was introduced as an 82nd-minute substitute once Bayern had taken a 1-0 lead through Thomas Muller, told Spanish journalist Guillem Balague. "But in the end I could participate and offer the team something. I'm really happy."JUST WATCHEDChampions League round up ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHChampions League round up 04:19JUST WATCHEDChelsea player: Win feels incredibleReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHChelsea player: Win feels incredible 01:43JUST WATCHEDBlues cheer Chelsea triumph ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHBlues cheer Chelsea triumph 01:45JUST WATCHEDMoscow fans cheer Chelsea win ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMoscow fans cheer Chelsea win 01:53Torres scored just six league goals last season, although he did enjoy a productive end of the campaign after netting a hat-trick against Queens Park Rangers and the decisive goal in Chelsea's Champions League semifinal victory over Barcelona.Despite Torres' important contribution at Barca's Camp Nou stadium, Drogba has been Di Matteo's preferred striker in Chelsea's recent important matches.Jubilant Chelsea parade Champions League trophyTorres was also on the bench for the London club's English FA Cup final win over his former club Liverpool."There have been a lot of ups and downs," he said. "There have been many times when I've felt lost, I was not sure what to do. I felt like I didn't know where I belonged."This season I have felt things that I never had before. I've felt like they treated me in a way that I didn't expect, not in the way that was spoken of when they signed me. "We've had a lot of talks and we'll talk about my future at the end of the season because the role I've had this season is not for me, nor is it the one I expected to play when I came here. I'm not comfortable."The next goal for Torres is to be included in Spain's squad for the forthcoming European Championships in Poland and Ukraine, with coach Vicente del Bosque set to name his 23-man squad on May 27.Torres scored the winning goal as Spain beat Germany in the final of the 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland, but his inability to cement a place in Chelsea's team has cast doubt over his international future.The former Atletico Madrid striker has been included in the world champion's squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Serbia and South Korea, along with Chelsea teammate Juan Mata."I'll be hoping to be on the list when it is announced," he said. "I feel better than ever, hungrier than ever, but that's what football is like -- often, when you feel you're at your best they don't consider you."Meanwhile, Saturday's final attracted the attention of some very powerful spectators across the Atlantic.At a G8 summit at Camp David in Maryland, U.S. President Barack Obama took in the action alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.It was Cameron who ended the match the happier, but the two European leaders were able to embrace at the climax of a thrilling final.

5sport

(CNN)The idea of returning to the office can conjure up a lot of emotions. Fear. Excitement. Nervousness. Anticipation. Ambivalence.More from Success To prevent burnout, LinkedIn is giving its entire company the week off2020 taxes: Everything you need to know76 all-cash offers on one home. The housing madness shows no signs of slowingAnd whether employees will be returning to the office full-time, a few days a week or periodically throughout the year, it's going to be an adjustment to get back into the flow of office life and socialize face-to-face again, particularly if social distancing and safety measures are still in place. "It is going to be a little weird at first," said Susan McPherson, author of "The Lost Art of Connecting."But socializing and having friends in the office are often good for your career -- especially when it comes to engagement and productivity. Office friendships can also be a benefit for the employer. "At work, relationships are everything. Just having that space to make mistakes, knowing you can come to your team members and managers about anything, being able to make decisions faster -- all of that is going to affect the company's bottom line, retention rates and employee fulfillment," said Stephanie Heath, a career coach. Read MoreBut how do you break the ice again after more than a year of virtual meetings? Here are some steps you can take.Get the conversation goingAs we dust off our in-person socializing skills, it helps to have a few go-to questions on hand that go beyond typical small talk. "Have some meaningful questions that will help you engage with others," said McPherson. She suggested asking questions like: Is there anything I can do to help you? Is there somewhere in the world you are planning to visit? If there was a problem you could solve in the next three months what is it and why?"Questions like that get us to a deeper place, but aren't so personal that they cross the lines of putting people in an awkward position," McPherson said. 'I don't have to choose between lifestyle and career.' How remote work changed these people's livesShowing a little vulnerability can also help get conversations flowing, said Heath. For instance, telling someone about how you felt awkward at your first social gathering since the pandemic began can help break the ice. "When you share something that is semi-embarrassing and start with that...it invites the other person to start sharing," Heath said. When it comes to socializing outside of the office, McPherson said to start slow. "Always defer to the comfort level of others and the state and local guidelines for gatherings. This is not the time to require people to show up who may not feel ready," she said. She added that because of the nicer weather coming up, a small picnic or meeting in a park might help with the transition, instead of a happy hour in a bar. Start local When trying to forge social relationships in the office again, Heath suggested starting with your teammates and then with your managers and other leaders. "You can feel like you are in good standing with everyone that is around you that is on your level, you're laughing and joking again and you have professional 'persona' back on," she said. Once you're feeling comfortable, schedule some face time with your direct manager and higher-ups to catch up, hash out any future projects and sort through any pending issues.Reignite your career If 2020 thwarted your career plans and you are still feeling stuck, take this time of transition to reassess your goals. "Sit down and reaffirm what your goals are," said Heath. "Write them out and create a game plan on how you want to attack it. Include a timeline...once you have that meeting with yourself, then you bring in other people." But don't become too focused on yourself, said Laura Gallaher, an organizational psychologist and founder of management consulting firm Gallaher Edge. "Focus on how you can be really helpful to other members of the team. Ask how your contributions will impact the organization as a whole, and essentially prioritize the team over self. Doing this will make you look like a confident go-getter that your leadership team will want to hold onto, reward and promote," she said.

0business

(CNN)The National Football League's Washington franchise unveiled its new team name on Wednesday -- the Washington Commanders.Accompanied by a new logo, the changes come about 18 months after the franchise ditched the "Redskins" name for its racist connotations.The team had competed as the Washington Football Team for the past two seasons but will continue to use its burgundy and gold color scheme.One legacy. One unified future. We are the Washington Commanders #TakeCommand pic.twitter.com/Eav9NOV5Mm— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) February 2, 2022 Former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann looked to have prematurely leaked the new name on Monday after calling the team "the Commanders" on CBS Sports Radio's "The D.A. Show."Theismann's reveal was then seemingly confirmed on Tuesday after helicopter footage above Washington's FedEx Field Stadium appeared to show the new name emblazoned on a sign inside the team store. Read MoreLast month, team president Jason Wright had ruled out the new name changing to "Wolves" or "RedWolves" due to trademark issues."We are very excited about our final selection, which aligns with our values, carries forth our rich history, represents the region and, most importantly, is inspired and informed by you, our fans," Wright said.The change stems from Washington's July 2020 decision to drop its "Redskins" name and logo after decades of criticism from Native American groups who said it was an ethnic slur and a derogatory reference to skin color.Once one of the NFL's flagship franchises, Washington has won just two playoff games since Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999 and has been a consistent source of dysfunction and scandal in recent years.The rise and fall of 'Redskins'The franchise dropped its "Redskins" name and Native American logo in July 2020 under pressure from sponsors and businesses.The team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves, but team founder George Preston Marshall changed the name to "Redskins" a year later to avoid confusion with baseball's Boston Braves. The team moved to Washington DC in 1937.The name's reference to skin color, as well as its logo depicting a Native American with feathers in his hair, has been criticized at least as far back as 1971-72. Still, the team steadfastly resisted efforts to change its name, and Washington owner Dan Snyder told USA Today in 2013 that he would "never" do so.However, the franchise faced renewed pressure to finally do so in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd sparked mass protests seeking to end systemic racism. FedEx, which has naming rights for Washington's NFL stadium, asked the team to change the name in response to growing pressure from investors. Companies including Nike, Amazon, Target and Walmart said they would stop selling the team's merchandise.These teams faced pressure to change their Native American names. Here's what's happened sinceUnder this business pressure, Washington announced a review of its team name in July 2020 and a week later said it would drop the "Redskins" moniker altogether. Since then, the franchise has gone by the generic "Washington Football Team" with a large "W" as its logo.Other sports teams with Native American names have faced similar pressure. The MLB's Cleveland Indians changed its name to the Guardians, while MLB's Atlanta Braves and NHL's Chicago Blackhawks have resisted such a switch.Aside from the team name, the Washington franchise has had other major issues with how it is run.The NFL fined the Washington Football Team $10 million last year following the conclusion of an independent investigation that found the club's work environment was "highly unprofessional," especially for women, according to a news release from the league.The fine came after 15 former female employees and two journalists who covered the team accused team staffers of sexual harassment and verbal abuse."Bullying and intimidation frequently took place and many described the culture as one of fear, and numerous female employees reported having experienced sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the release.Snyder also apologized and took responsibility for the workplace culture in a statement, but he remained in charge of the team.The NFL has refused to make the investigative report public. However, as part of the investigation, the NFL obtained emails between coach Jon Gruden and former Washington president Bruce Allen in which the coach made racist, homophobic and misogynistic remarks.The emails were leaked to the media in October 2021, forcing Gruden to resign as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the home city of the Raiders. The team plays in Las Vegas.

5sport

Story highlightsTiger Woods cards 76 in 2017 comebackOnly second event since 16-month injury layoffMisses cut after second round 72 (CNN)The wheels fell off for Tiger Woods as he suffered a back-nine breakdown in his first competitive round of 2017 and went on to miss the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in California.The former world No. 1 carded rounds of four-over 76 and level-par 72 at Torrey Pines to be four shots outside the qualifying mark as he bids to get his career back on track. Woods, playing in his second tournament since a 16-month injury layoff, was always struggling after his first round on the South Course at a San Diego venue where he has won seven PGA Tour titles at Torrey Pines and he clinched the last of his 14 majors -- the 2008 US Open.All of Tiger's swings from day 1 👀 pic.twitter.com/2fKXo0lPli— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 27, 2017 "I'm rusty," was the explanation Woods offered after failing the make the final two days, but most of the damage was done on Friday where after a promising start he dropped shots on the back nine.Woods opened with a bogey but reached the turn one over after eight straight pars. Read MoreTwo birdies followed at the 10th and 11th but three consecutive bogeys and a double bogey at the 15th ruined his card.He dropped another shot at the 17th before knocking in a birdie at the par-five last.Woods hit only four of 14 fairways, and nine of 18 greens in regulation (leaving two putts for a par).READ: Tiger Woods' clubs Taylormade for comebackREAD: Discover Jason's perfect DayREAD: Tiger impressed by Trump's golf gameJUST WATCHEDWhat does it take to make Jason's perfect Day?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhat does it take to make Jason's perfect Day? 02:09READ: 20 years of Tiger Woods -- where it went right and wrongREAD: Is Jack Nicklaus' major record untouchable?READ: A first Asian-born world No. 1 in 2017? "I was fighting out there all day. Didn't really hit it that good," Woods told reporters."I was in the rough most of the day and it was tough. It was wet."Woods was playing alongside US Open champion Dustin Johnson and world No. 1 Jason Day, who also eventually missed the cut at the early season tournament. Woods finished 15th of 17 in December's Hero World Challenge on his return from a lengthy spell away from the game to recover from multiple back surgeries.The last of his 79 PGA Tour titles came in 2013, when he won five times. Visit cnn.com/golf for more news and videoHe is scheduled to play in the European's Tour's Dubai Desert Classic next week, followed by the Genesis Open in California (February 16-19) and the Honda Classic in Florida (February 23-26).

5sport

(CNN)Seventeen gold medals were won. Here's a breakdown of who's taking home the gold:Artistic GymnasticsWomen's All-Around: Sunisa Lee, United States JudoWomen's -78 kg: Shori Hamada, JapanMen's -100 kg: Aaron Wolf, JapanRead MoreRowingWomen's Lightweight Double Sculls: ItalyMen's Lightweight Double Sculls: Ireland Women's Pair: New ZealandMen's Pair: CroatiaFencingWomen's foil team: ROC SwimmingMen's 100m Freestyle: Caeleb Dressel, United States Men's 800m Freestyle: Bobby Finke, United StatesMen's 200m breaststroke: Izaac Stubblety-Cook, Australia Women's 200m Butterfly: Zhang Yufei, ChinaWomen's 4 X 200m Freestyle Relay: ChinaShooting Women's trap: Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova Men's trap: Jiri Liptak, Czech Republic CanoeWomen's Canoe: Jessica Fox, Australia Table Tennis Women's singles: Chen Meng, China

5sport

(CNN)Climate advocates are sounding the alarm ahead of Biden's Tuesday State of the Union speech amid what they see as slow action on the climate crisis. Now that President Joe Biden's signature climate bill is effectively dead, and with little momentum in Congress to revive it, these groups are applying pressure at the start of what they say is a make-or-break year for climate action. "It's time to go faster," Sam Ricketts, co-founder and co-director for climate group Evergreen Action, told CNN. "You're going to need to see federal agencies to do things more aggressive, more climate-oriented than they've ever done before." Biden administration freezes new oil and gas drilling leases after court rules against key climate toolEvergreen on Thursday is releasing a report, shared first with CNN, detailing specific actions it wants to see from the Biden administration to meet the President's goal of cutting the country's planet-warming emissions in half by 2030. The group wants the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, fossil-fuel burning appliances and the industrial sector. It also wants to see new appliance efficiency standards from the Department of Energy. And it's urging the Department of Interior to "do everything possible to end all new onshore and offshore leasing." Read MoreRicketts told CNN Evergreen is not pushing for increased executive action in lieu of Congressional action -- they want both. As their report details, "multiple analyses have shown that these investments will need to be complemented by executive action if the US is going to reach this 2030 goal." Cities tried to cut natural gas from new homes. The GOP and gas lobby preemptively quashed their effort"The job isn't done; failure's not an option," Ricketts said. Evergreen isn't the only group that's applying pressure ahead of the State of the Union. Climate Power also shared first with CNN its plan to spend over $600,000 on new ads touting clean energy to run nationwide. The ads will run on several TV networks, stations and news websites, including CNN, MSNBC and Axios.The Center for American Progress will release an analysis the average consumer could save hundreds of dollars a year on energy costs if the government invests significantly in renewables like wind and solar. "It's just connecting the dots for folks," Lori Lodes, executive director of Climate Power told CNN. "We have a very narrow window if we're going to lower emissions as much as we must. Because of all the advances in clean energy, it's the cheapest energy source right now. And if we invest in it, it's going to get cheaper." 2022 is a decisive year Biden began his presidency by promising to tackle the climate crisis. In its first year, the administration introduced regulations to raise fuel mileage standards, phased out hydrofluorocarbons and passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill that included $7.5 billion for a network of electric-vehicle charging stations around the country.But climate groups haven't gotten what they really want: Major legislation.Greenland's ice is melting from the bottom up -- and far faster than previously thought, study showsOver $550 billion in climate and clean energy provisions were tucked into the Build Back Better Act, which is no longer being considered by the Senate. While some Senate Democrats are hopeful that a smaller, climate-central bill can be agreed on, there's not much forward momentum in Congress. With the clock running out for the 2022 midterms, climate advocates are getting nervous. "Where we are right now as a climate movement is feeling pretty panicked, I would say," Christy Goldfuss, senior vice president for Energy and Environment Policy at the Center for American Progress told CNN. While all advocates CNN spoke to said strong administrative action is important, Goldfuss and others stressed Congress should pass significant investments in clean energy, especially $320 billion worth of clean energy tax credits in Biden's bill, to help pave the way for regulation. They said Biden's infrastructure bill, while a starting point, is not the whole ballgame. Build Back Better's climate commitments are "also what's going to help the average household and business in their bottom line," said Ryan Fitzpatrick, director of the Climate and Energy Program at center-left think tank Third Way. "We need to make sure we follow through with the second part of the agenda." What is black carbon? The latest way humans are causing changes in AntarcticaAs a new geopolitical crisis unfolds in Europe with potential repercussions for rising gas prices, other climate groups told CNN Biden and Congressional Democrats can't lose focus on passing clean energy provisions to help Americans transition away from fossil fuels. "We need to see the White House and climate champions in Congress really make the case for investing in renewables at home now, as an answer to the fossil fuel fluctuations we see every decade, basically," said Goldfuss. "What we're seeing now that we're facing inflation is just how important those climate investments are in driving down energy costs." The courts pose another potential roadblock for the administration. Republican attorneys general have already sued to block some of Biden's climate initiatives, and the administration is facing a major US Supreme Court case over power plant emissions regulations -- even though it has not yet implemented its own power plant rules. Ricketts said that even with a tough legal landscape, Biden's agencies should forge ahead with bold steps to bring down carbon emissions dramatically. "The administration can only do what the administration can do," Ricketts said. "They can't and should not anticipate future roadblocks and use those as excuses not to do something. They've got to use every tool they've got access to."

4politics

Story highlightsNetherlands fails to qualify for Euro 2016Dutch beaten 3-2 by Czech Republic in final group gameTeam finished third at 2014 World Cup (CNN)From "Total Football" to total failure -- in just over a year.Nobody ever thought that the Netherlands would not be invited to Europe's biggest summer party in 2016 but the team which wowed in Brazil and reached the World Cup semifinals has somehow failed to reach France.That's right, those men in the wonderful orange shirts and their army of fans will not be at the European Championship finals after suffering embarrassment in qualifying.Needing to win against the Czech Republic on Tuesday, Robin van Persie scored a rather bizarre own goal as his team fell to a 3-2 defeat against a side which played with 10 men for the entire second half.Their Euro campaign was summed up by this O.G. from van Persie (using the pace of the cross brilliantly, to be fair) https://t.co/jGJxpfXXGa— Copa90 (@Copa90) October 14, 2015 The failure is even more embarrassing given the tournament has been extended from 16 to 24 teams -- meaning that the team could still finish in the top two to qualify while third would result in a playoff place.Read MoreBut it couldn't even manage that -- finishing below the Czech Republic, Iceland and Turkey, which booked its place in the finals courtesy of being the bet third-placed team in the nine-group qualification phase.3rd at World Cup. All failed to qualify for next Euros. Poland 1982 France 1986 Italy 1990 Sweden 1994 Croatia 1998 Turkey 2002 Holland 2014— Dale Johnson (@dalejohnsonESPN) October 14, 2015 That means while the likes of Northern Ireland, Albania, Iceland and Wales will be starring in France, the Dutch national team will have to make do with watching on television.But how did this happen? Just over a year ago, hopes were high as Netherlands reached the last four of the World Cup.It had thrashed reigning champion Spain 5-1 in the opening game with Van Persie scoring an astonishing header.Here is one to make us all smile: https://t.co/x5sqiy94SD— DutchOranje (@HollandOranje) October 13, 2015 Defeat in the semifinal by Argentina on penalties denied it a second consecutive appearance in the World Cup final -- four years earlier it had lost 1-0 to Spain in South Africa after extra-time.What's gone wrong?Back in 1988 the Netherlands won the European Championship finals with a team comprising of some of the world's greats.Marco van Basten, the iconic forward, was joined by Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Ronald Koeman.In the 1990s they produced players like the mercurial Dennis Bergkamp, who scored one of the greatest World Cup goals in 1998 against Argentina.But nowadays there's a gap between those in their early 20s at the start of their careers like Memphis Depay, the Manchester United star, and those coming towards the end of their time with the international team such as Van Persie.Those once bright orange shirts have lost their sheen -- the romance, the thrill, the artistry, have all slowly faded. Goal Marco van Basten in the Euro 1988 final ... Always gonna be the greatest goal ever #Football #Tekkers #Love #❤️ http://t.co/oOMAaHna4c— Daniel Judge (@Djudge22) October 1, 2015 "I think there are some structural problems and also some short-term problems," David Winner, author of the book "Brilliant Orange," told CNN."The short-term problems were that the campaign got off to a rotten start. I think the Dutch were overconfident -- 'we're the third best team in the world don't you know?' "So they approached their early games in the qualification round with a slightly lackadaisical attitude."Then there were terrible defensive errors and then panic started to spread and by the time they realized the predicament they were in they were beyond help and changed manager which didn't do any good."JUST WATCHEDDavid Winner on why the Dutch failed ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDavid Winner on why the Dutch failed 02:26Johan Cruyff, arguably the nation's greatest ever player, was voted European Player of the Year on three separate occasions, won three European Cups with Ajax and led the Dutch to the World Cup final in 1974.Writing in his column for de Telgraaf, he said: "People did not wonder after the World Cup in Brazil how it had gone this far. Things were back to normal for most after that somewhat surprising third-place finish. And now they are facing the consequences."The reactionSocial media was awash with reaction to the team's failure.Good heavens, Holland have turned into Andorra.— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 13, 2015 Holland-Czech Republic 0-2. It's more than just missing Euro 2016; feels like Holland's decades at the top of football are over #NLCZ— Simon Kuper (@KuperSimon) October 13, 2015 Van Persie & Netherlands failed to qualify for #EURO2016 just over a year since they starred in the World Cup. pic.twitter.com/hId0yMvJJ0— Omar Momani (@omomani) October 14, 2015 Van Persie hitting down, down-forward, forward + punch pic.twitter.com/qhV33FEjJi— Joe Battimelli (@joebattimelli) October 13, 2015 Such is Robin Van Persie's current career trajectory, he'll be retired by midnight and managing Sunderland by Thursday.— Adam Hurrey (@FootballCliches) October 13, 2015 What happens next?Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has been tipped as a future national managerBlind has already said he wants to remain in charge while the Dutch football association has given him its backing.But how does a team go from third best in the world to not qualifying for the European Championship finals?"The Dutch FA will need to take a long hard look at itself," Elko Born, the Dutch football writer, told CNN."Why did they insist on appointing a senior like Guus Hiddink, and why did they drop after only a handful of matches? As for Danny Blind, why did he insist on dominant play in the style of the so-called Dutch school, while his squad was obviously not good enough?It's been said many times before, but Holland have Louis van Gaal to thank for their WC2014 run. He got a weak squad to over perform.— Elko Born (@Elko_B) October 13, 2015 "Hiddink, Blind and the Dutch FA should have realized that the pragmatism Louis van Gaal embraced in Brazil in 2014 (and indeed Bert Van Marwijk before him) was justified. "The time of 'Total Football' is over. Blind and the Dutch FA need to rethink their football philosophy."

5sport

(CNN)The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's sporting rivalries have surfaced again, with the royal couple facing off against each other in a boat race in Heidelberg, Germany. Crowds gathered to watch as the royal couple coxed opposing teams in the contest on the River Neckar, commanding crews made up of rowers from Heidelberg and its twin city, Cambridge. Before the competition got underway, the Duchess jokingly told her side: "no pressure, but I do want to beat my husband," according to the UK's Press Association news agency.The Duke's crew emerged victorious, but both teams -- and their royal captains -- were given medals in a ceremony after the race.On your marks, set, go!!!!!🚣‍♀️🚣 pic.twitter.com/23RmOl7ym9— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 20, 2017 On previous royal visits, Prince William and Catherine have gone head-to-head in a dragon boat race in Canada, and in a sailing contest in Auckland, according to PA. Read MoreEarlier in the day, the pair were photographed learning to make pretzels at a traditional German market in Heidelberg, a historic university city in the country's southwest. After a quick lesson from local apprentices, The Duke and Duchess get to grips with pretzel making! pic.twitter.com/aKKtH9sVGs— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) July 20, 2017 Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the couple's young children, are accompanying their parents on their five-day visit to Poland and Germany. The family has attracted large groups of eager spectators on each stop of their tour, including in the German capital, Berlin, where William and Catherine met Chancellor Angela Merkel. The trip came at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; it is seen by many as a "soft power" attempt at diplomacy, as the UK's Brexit negotiations get underway.

3news

Story highlightsMore than 100 miners are holed up nearly 1,300 feet down in a carbon mine in SardiniaThey are concerned about the government's lack of action on the mine's futureMiner: We "have to defend the only income source of 470 families"Previous such protests have lasted as long as 100 daysMore than 100 miners have barricaded themselves with explosives inside a carbon mine on the Italian island of Sardinia as they seek to persuade the government to invest in the mine's future.The strike began Sunday night with 40 miners holed up with roughly 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of explosives. An additional 80 joined them Monday in their position nearly 400 meters (1,300 feet) deep in the Nuraxi Ficu mine, according to Sandro Mereu, one of the workers at the mine and a trade union representative."We had a meeting with the regional authorities this morning, but the problem is the central government is not showing interest in the development plans of the mine zone," Mereu said.Union spokesman Stefano Meletti told Italy's official ANSA news agency Monday that the miners want "political answers" to ensure job security in a region beset by economic woes.The workers want the government to move forward with plans to relaunch production at the mine, ANSA reported.Mereu said workers "have to defend the only income source of 470 families."Previous such protests have lasted as long as 100 days.The mine is owned by the Sardinia region and is expected to be privatized."Since 2009, there is a project for the construction of a new power plant with a high-tech carbon capture and storage system," said Alessandra Zedda, the regional industry minister. "We need to know how much the government is ready to invest before" a December deadline.Zedda said that the mine's future will be discussed in Rome during a meeting scheduled for Friday.

3news

(CNN)Lisa Kudrow is thinking about treating the world to a "Romy And Michele's High School Reunion" sequel. The '90s classic, starring Kudrow and Mira Sorvino, revolves around Romy and Michele, high school best friends who are invited back for their 10-year reunion. In order to appear as successful as their classmates, they begin a lie that takes on a life of its own."Tell Disney you want a sequel!" Kudrow told ET. "Robin Schiff will figure it out. She's got ideas brewing."The "Friends" star added that she'd like to see what Romy and Michele are up to now. "Yeah, I would. I think it would be really fun," she said. "And then a little like, 'What are they like at our age?'"Read MoreKudrow and Sorvino channeled the characters at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last month, wearing bright pink and blue suits similar to the colors they wore in the movie. Kudrow currently stars in "Better Nate Than Ever," directed by Tim Federle, based on the 2013 novel of the same name.

1entertainment

(CNN)It's a blockbuster like no other -- Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have completed their takeover of Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club currently playing in England's fifth tier.McElhenney, the creator of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and Reynolds, star of "Deadpool," have taken 100% control from the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) and have made an initial £2 million ($2.77M) investment into the club."It is a special day for the two of us to become the latest stewards in the long and storied history of Wrexham AFC," the pair said in a joint statement. "Together with the players, the staff, the fans, and the local community, we can now pursue our goal to grow the team and return it to the EFL in front of increased attendances, and in an improved stadium, while making a positive difference to the wider community in Wrexham."The Hollywood duo have finally completed their takeover of Wrexham.The club says the initial funds will be spent on the "priority" of identifying players for the first-team squad, with £50,000 ($69,200) allocated to improve the women's football programRead MoreWrexham had been fan-owned since 2011 and back in November the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) voted 98% in favor of the takeover."We urge all supporters to unite behind our new owners, the Club and the team as they look to return Wrexham to the heights we have all dreamed of," the WST said in a statement."Reflecting on the last nine years, the Board is proud of aspects of what the Wrexham Supporters Trust has been able to achieve since taking control of the Club in November 2011."Around the same time the deal had been completed on Tuesday evening, Wrexham beat Altrincham 2-1 to move into the National League play-off places.To celebrate the takeover both Reynolds and McElhenney added a 'W' to the front of their names.Can't get to the Racecourse Ground fast enough. Game on. #UpTheTown @Wrexham_AFC 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 pic.twitter.com/tOZ0vMZcSt— Wryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) February 10, 2021 Rich historyWrexham, the world's third-oldest football club, has never played in the top-flight of English football, but the club has previously reached the FA Cup quarterfinals and famously beat Arsenal in the third round in 1992.Its proud history also extends to European tournaments, with its most famous night coming in 1984 when Wrexham beat Porto in the Cup Winners' Cup.Also known as the Robins, Wrexham plays its home games at the historic Racecourse Ground -- the world's oldest stadium, according to Guinness World Records -- which has a capacity of approximately 10,000.

5sport

Story highlights The queen doesn't mind if the baby's a boy or a girl -- she just wants it to arrive soonA royal source says Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is overdueShe is expected to give birth at the private Lindo wing of St. Mary's HospitalBookies' favorite baby names include Alexandra, Elizabeth, Charlotte, George and JamesRoyal watchers eagerly await the arrival of a child that will be heir to the British throne. Here's what you need to know and the latest developments:• Queen Elizabeth II is among those keen for the new baby to greet the world. On a visit to northern England Wednesday, she was asked by a little girl whether she wants her great-grandchild to be a boy or a girl. The queen replied: "I don't think I mind. I would very much like it to arrive. I'm going on holiday."• The Duchess of Cambridge is now overdue. A royal source tells CNN that her due date was July 13. She and Prince William announced at the start of the year that the baby was due in July, but did not announce the date.• Prince Charles' wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, said Monday that the family was on tenterhooks for the baby's arrival -- and suggested it could be very soon. "We're all waiting at the end of a telephone," she said, in an exchange filmed by ITV. "I hope by the end of the week, he or she will be there."• The baby will have the title His or Her Royal Highness Prince or Princess (the baby's name) of Cambridge, St. James's Palace said this month. However, it could be as long as 10 days before the baby's name is announced.• Speculation on what that name will be is rife -- and betting is going strong. Bookies' favorites include Alexandra, Elizabeth or Charlotte for a girl, and George or James for a boy.JUST WATCHEDQueen: I want the baby to arrive alreadyReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHQueen: I want the baby to arrive already 01:24JUST WATCHEDPreview: 'Will and Kate Plus One' ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHPreview: 'Will and Kate Plus One' 03:20JUST WATCHEDRoyal birth a boon for souvenir industryReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHRoyal birth a boon for souvenir industry 03:32JUST WATCHEDCould baby girl modernize monarchy?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCould baby girl modernize monarchy? 02:05• Anyone born in Britain on the same day as William and Catherine's baby will receive a special coin from the Royal Mint: a silver penny, dated 2013, that will come in a blue pouch for a boy or a pink one for a girl.• Catherine is expected to give birth at the private Lindo wing of St. Mary's Hospital, next to Paddington Station in London. It's where William was born. Catherine's mother, Carole Middleton, is likely to be on hand at the hospital.• The first indication that the baby is on its way will be an announcement in the media that the duchess has been admitted to the hospital in the early stages of labor, royal sources tell CNN. The next public announcement is expected to be that of the birth. It will be made in the form of a formal bulletin, signed by medical staff and rushed in a car with a police escort to Buckingham Palace. There, the notice will be placed in a gilt frame positioned on an easel -- the same one used to announce William's birth -- and placed in the palace forecourt for all to see.• The first to know about the royal baby will be Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister David Cameron and the governors general of each of the commonwealth nations, along with the rest of the royal and Middleton families. If the baby arrives in the middle of the night, it's unlikely the queen will be awoken, so there is a chance in that instance that an official announcement will not be made until the following morning.• Celebratory gun salutes will be sounded by the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery in Green Park (41 rounds) and the Honorable Artillery Company at the Tower of London (62 rounds) after the baby is born.• William and Catherine did not want to know the sex of their baby beforehand, royal sources say. There has been speculation it is a girl, however, especially after a member of the public said in March that the duchess almost uttered "daughter" while at a public event in Grimsby. The woman said the duchess was given a teddy bear and replied, "Thank you, I will take that for my d--" but then stopped herself.• The baby will be third in line to the throne after Prince Charles and Prince William, regardless of gender. A rule change in 2011 ended centuries of male primogeniture, which decreed that the crown passed to the eldest son and was bestowed on a daughter only when there were no sons. It means that if the next royal baby is a girl, she will eventually become queen; previously, a younger male sibling would have taken precedence.• The queen's cousin, Margaret Rhodes, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour she hoped the child would have a normal childhood. "I imagine and hope that its early life, until it's at least in its teens, will be just a jolly, happy, ordinary child's life," she said. • It's not known where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge plan to spend the days and weeks following the birth. William is expected to be given the usual paternity leave of two weeks by the Ministry of Defence, royal sources say. He will then return to his job as a helicopter search and rescue pilot.• The revelation that Catherine was pregnant came after she was admitted to a London hospital in December for acute morning sickness.

3news

Story highlightsTwo large earthquakes have rocked Iceland's largest volcanoScientists are monitoring the situation in case of an eruption (CNN)The Icelandic Meteorological Office is on alert for a possible eruption from the country's largest volcano, Katla, after two earthquakes rattled the region.The volcano, which stands at 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet) tall, hasn't had a major eruption since 1918. Scientists say Katla usually erupts once every 50 years.Two magnitude 4.5 earthquakes shook the area early Monday morning. CNN MapThe meteorological office confirmed an increase in seismic activity in recent weeks and said it was monitoring the situation. An eruption is not imminent, scientists said, but they can't rule it out."Such summertime increases in seismicity are common at Katla and the ongoing activity within the caldera is similar to summertime unrest observed in 2012 and 2014," the office said.Read More"Measurements around Katla are not detecting signs of increased ground deformation or seismic tremor, both of which could be indicators of magma movement."Ash billows from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on May 8, 2010 in Hvolsvoellur, Iceland.In 2010, Katla's neighboring volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, caused chaos across Europe and shut down most of the continent's airspace. Thousands of flights were grounded because of the volcanic ash following its eruption.

3news

A schoolteacher whose body, face and tongue are covered in tattoos and who has had the whites of his eyes surgically turned black said he was prevented from teaching at a French kindergarten after a parent complained he scared their child.But the teacher, Sylvain Helaine, 35, still teaches children from the age of six up, and said that, after an initial shock when they see him for the first time, his pupils see past his appearance."All of my students and their parents were always cool with me because basically they knew me," said Helaine, who estimated he has spent around 460 hours under the tattooists' needle."It's only when people see me from far away that they can assume the worst."He said last year he was teaching kindergarten at the Docteur Morere Elementary School in Palaiseau, a suburb of Paris, when the parents of a three-year-old child complained to educational authorities. They said their son, who was not taught by Helaine, had nightmares after seeing him.Read MoreA man has been tattooing himself every day since going into isolation because of the coronavirusA couple of months later the school authorities informed him he would no longer teach kindergarten children, he said. "I think the decision they took was quite sad," said Helaine.A spokesman for the local education authority said an agreement was reached with Helaine to move him away from teaching kindergarten. Pupils under six "could be frightened by his appearance", the spokesman said.Despite the setbacks, Helaine said he would stick with his chosen career. "I'm a primary school teacher ... I love my job."He said he started getting tattoos at the age of 27 when, while teaching at a private school in London, he had an "existential crisis". Since then, he said, "Getting tattoos is my passion."He said he hoped to show his pupils that they should accept people who are different from the norm. "Maybe when they are adults they will be less racist and less homophobic and more open-minded," he said.

3news

Story highlightsAustralian cricket legend Shane Warne is criticized for post-match interview questions He seemed preoccupied with how Australian team were planning to celebrate World Cup winCritics said the comments promoted an unhealthy drinking culture to sports fans (CNN)Australian cricket great Shane Warne has been criticized for promoting an unhealthy drinking culture, following post-match interviews at cricket's World Cup final in which he repeatedly quizzed players about their drinking plans.Acting as part of the commentary team for Australian broadcaster Channel Nine, Warne interviewed the victorious Australian players at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the wake of their comfortable win over New Zealand. Broadcast live and amplified throughout the stadium, the exchanges -- in which Warne seemed preoccupied with how much the players planned to drink -- prompted a backlash on social media using the hashtag "#thirsty."To wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, Warne asked: "You feeling thirsty?"Australian cricketing legend Shane Warne, center, celebrates a win in New Zealand in 2000.He continued the theme with Steve Smith, asking: "What about you, gonna have a bit of a drink tonight too Smitty? Gonna get thirsty as well? The boys are thirsty they seem."Read MoreShane Watson and Josh Hazlewood were subjected to a similar line of questioning:"So what's the plan, besides lots of drink and that, how long's that gonna last? Just one night, two nights?" asked Warne.Twitter backlashThe comments sparked an immediate reaction on Twitter, with users criticizing Warne for setting a poor example to young cricket fans, and one labeling him a "bogan" -- Australasian slang for an unsophisticated person -- for his line of questioning.Yes @ShaneWarne they're all #thirsty - but do the millions of families watching on tv need to hear about it over & over? #probablynot #bogan— Elly Franks (@elly_franks) March 30, 2015 Can someone get a giant cane and just rip Shane Warne off stage. #Thirsty #Headaches #Drinks #PositiveMessageForYouth— Robert Griffin (@RLGriffinGWS) March 29, 2015 Shane Warne's journalism idol. pic.twitter.com/n4q4Kkfk4r— Adam Peacock (@adampeacock3) March 29, 2015 Some Twitter users played on Warne's publicized fondness for the Tinder dating app, which has seen the former cricketer hit the headlines in recent times.The boys are as thirsty as Shane Warne is after 30 minutes without tinder— Brodie Kane (@brodiekane) March 29, 2015 Support for WarneNot all responses were critical, with British journalist Piers Morgan among those coming to Warne's defense.I'm thirsty @ShaneWarne and I haven't even won the World Cup. Ignore the idiots criticising you - was very funny & the players loved it.— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 30, 2015 Can everyone leave @ShaneWarne alone. I would have been a bit #thirsty too after playing 6 weeks of cricket........#drinkupboys #gogold— Dan Lorenti (@dplorenti23) March 30, 2015 Warne, a noted bon vivant who was often photographed with drink in hand after wins during his playing days, took to Twitter to tell his detractors to "get stuffed."Do gooders get stuffed. Straya is the best place in the world, not politically correct, keep it real. Aussies celebrate properly ! #thirsty— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 29, 2015 Aust has won the World Cup after 6 weeks of hard work & people are banging on that I asked the players about a drink to celebrate ? Please— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 30, 2015 Warne's interviews provoked further discussion on Australian television Monday when, on the "Today" show, Channel Nine presenter David Campbell criticized the example he set."I hate this," he said."There is a stadium full of young men and women who look up to these guys, and it would have been nice if one of those cricketers was accountable enough to say 'Nothing will be better than what I did on this field, Warnie'.""We can't sit around here... going 'We have a drinking problem' and then sit there and celebrate that."The boozy indiscretions of professional athletes often make the news in Australia, although players from the footballing codes of rugby union, rugby league and Australian rules are more commonly in the spotlight.Late night celebrationsMembers of the successful Australian team partied late into the night Sunday, with coach Darren Lehmann tweeting a picture of team members celebrating in their uniforms as the sun came up, with drinks in hand.Sorry Bails was MIA pic.twitter.com/oaOt2MsDgw— Darren Lehmann (@darren_lehmann) March 29, 2015 Warne's inquiries about the team's plans to celebrate were apparently not in vain.At about 3 a.m. he posted a picture on Instagram of himself holding the World Cup trophy alongside Australian captain Michael Clarke, the latter with a drink at his side. A photo posted by Shane Warne (@shanewarne23) on Mar 29, 2015 at 9:24am PDT

5sport

Story highlights Trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Victor Espinoza knew early in the race American Pharoah would winBefore the win, the most recent Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978Baffert and Epsinoza win their first Triple Crowns (CNN)American Pharoah sat back in the starting gate and when the doors opened he was late. For a moment, for one second out of 146, it didn't look good for the horse who was chasing history.But the 3-year-old bay colt, bidding to become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown and the first in 37 years to win it, burst to the front and took control of the small, eight-horse field and his destiny.The Belmont Stakes was over before anyone watching the race knew. That is except for trainer Bob Baffert. He and jockey Victor Espinoza understood how great their horse is and, even before the Belmont was halfway done, they were certain they were going to win. The horse with the misspelled name led wire-to-wire Saturday, defeating second-place Frosted by a comfortable margin -- 5 1/2 lengths. Keen Ice was third. "Down the backside he was in his groove and I knew he's a great horse and he was going to do it," Baffert said. "He's just a great horse. It takes a great horse to do (win the Triple Crown)." Read MoreThe trainer later said: "I could tell by the eighth pole it was going to happen and all I did was just take in the crowd. It was thundering."American Pharoah is the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed won the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1978. Owner Ahmed Zayat, when handed the Triple Crown trophy, said: "I am so thrilled, honored, privileged, humbled, excited."American Pharoah was the only horse in the race who had run both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. But he showed early he didn't have tired legs. The odds-on favorite started from the fifth post and was slow out of the gate, but given daylight to his inside, he was in the lead before the first pole. He set a moderate pace, with five of the other seven horses just behind. Espinoza sensed history early in the race."In the first turn it was the best feeling I've ever had," he told reporters.To the 90,000 fans at Belmont Park, the 1 1/2-mile race was still among a tight group of a half dozen horses. They stayed bunched down the backstretch with American Pharoah slightly ahead.As he came out of the far turn, he motored to a two-length lead. Finally, the crowd could sense the drought was about to end and roared their approval. American Pharoah wears ear plugs, but the people in the stands were so loud he just might have heard them. American Pharoah kept extending the lead until crossing the finish line in 2:26.65, the sixth-fastest time in Belmont history. Photos: Triple Crown winners Photos: Triple Crown winnersKentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner American Pharoah wins the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes in New York on Saturday, June 6, to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed did so in 1978.Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersSir Barton was the first horse to earn the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, as it would come to be known, by winning the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes in 1919.Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersMore than a decade later, Gallant Fox captured the Triple Crown in 1930.Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersJockey Pat Beasley rides Omaha in 1936. The horse won the Triple Crown in 1935.Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersWar Admiral won the Triple Crown in 1937. He won 21 of his 26 career starts.Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersWhirlaway, right, won the Triple Crown in 1941.Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersCount Fleet, who won the Triple Crown in 1943, is adorned with flowers after winning the Preakness that year.Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersAssault won the Triple Crown in 1946.Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersCitation won the Triple Crown in 1948.Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersSecretariat, left, heads to victory at the Kentucky Derby in 1973. Considered by many to be the greatest racehorse of all time, Secretariat still holds the record for the fastest times in all three Triple Crown races. He won the Belmont by an astounding 31 lengths.Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersJockey Jean Cruguet guides Seattle Slew to the Triple Crown in 1977.Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Triple Crown winnersJockey Steve Cauthen rides Affirmed to a Belmont victory in 1978.Hide Caption 12 of 12'Special horse'Baffert said his horse had trained very well and the team had him prepared to win. Baffert and Espinoza each won their first Triple Crown after multiple prior attempts with other horses."I just feel like I have a very special horse and he's the one that won," Baffert, 62, said. "It wasn't me."Baffert had been frustrated three times before but none was more upsetting that 1998 when his horse Real Quiet dueled with Victory Gallop. Real Quiet won the Derby and the Preakness, and he led the Belmont at the start of the long homestretch. Victory Gallop made up significant ground and won at the wire by a nose."I was really getting to dislike this trophy. It's caused me a lot of misery," Baffert said. "I still can't believe it happened. ... I couldn't be any happier."Third time a charmEspinoza, 43, also had a record-setting day as the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown. He is also the first Latino jockey to win it. "I came here with a lot of confidence, more confidence than the last two (Triple Crown attempts)," he said. "That trophy it caused me a lot of stress ... but the third time was the charm." Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple Crown Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownKentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner American Pharoah wins the 147th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 6, in New York to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed did so in 1978.Hide Caption 1 of 7 Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownThe 3-year-old bay colt led wire-to-wire and defeated second-place Frosted by a comfortable margin.Hide Caption 2 of 7 Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownVictor Espinoza looks back after crossing the finish line. Hide Caption 3 of 7 Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownAmerican Pharoah leads the field entering turn three.Hide Caption 4 of 7 Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownAmerican Pharoah leads Materiality and the rest of the field down the backstretch. Hide Caption 5 of 7 Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownAnd they're off! Until Saturday, 13 horses since 1979 had won at Churchill Downs and Pimlico but failed to triumph at Belmont.Hide Caption 6 of 7 Photos: American Pharoah wins the Triple CrownAmerican Pharoah is led to the starting gate ahead of the race. Hide Caption 7 of 7Espinoza first competed for the Triple Crown in 2002, but War Emblem faltered and finished eighth at Belmont. California Chrome finished fourth in 2014.Until Saturday, 13 horses since 1979 had won at Churchill Downs and Pimlico but failed to triumph at Belmont.In 1978, Affirmed, ridden by Steve Cauthen, defeated second-place Alydar in three exciting races. Can two veterans of Triple Crown attempts finally win with American Pharoah?Triple Crown winners1919 -- Sir Barton1930 -- Gallant Fox1935 -- Omaha1937 -- War Admiral1941 -- Whirlaway1943 -- Count Fleet1946 -- Assault1948 -- Citation1973 -- Secretariat1977 -- Seattle Slew1978 -- Affirmed2015 -- American Pharoah

5sport

(CNN)A teenager on Afghanistan's youth national football team was one of the victims that fell from the US military C-17 aircraft on Monday, Afghanistan's General Directorate of Physical Education and Sports confirmed in a statement on social media Thursday morning. "With great regret and sadness, we obtained information that Zaki Anwari, one of the youth footballers of the national team, has lost his life in a horrible incident," the statement said. The post continued that young Anwari was "endeavoring to leave the country like hundreds other youth from his country. He has fallen down from the US military plane and lost his life." One day after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's capital city Kabul on Sunday, hundreds of people fled to the tarmac at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Monday, desperate to find a way to evacuate the country.As the C-17 aircraft taxied to the runway several people clung to the landing gear as the aircraft gained speed. Video emerged shortly after showing a C-17 ascending over Kabul and at least two bodies falling from the aircraft.Read MoreAfghanistan's General Directorate of Body and Sports statement said Anwari was among "several other compatriots who fell to the ground while flying" in search of a "better future in America.""They died and were martyred," the post said, "may his soul rest in peace and his memory be remembered."The post included prayers for Anwari to be "granted high position in heaven and pray to God to grant patience for his family, friends and his sports comrades alike."Jawed Bahudurshah contributed to this report.

5sport

(CNN)Washington State University's head football coach, Nick Rolovich, and four assistant coaches are losing their jobs because they failed to comply with the state's Covid-19 vaccine mandate, the university's athletics department said Monday."Due to the requirements set forth in Washington Governor Jay Inslee's Proclamation 21-14.1, Nick Rolovich is no longer able to fulfill the duties as the football head coach at Washington State University," the department said in a news release. Rolovich was named the 33rd head football coach in WSU program history on January 14, 2020. He was the highest-paid employee in the state, with a salary of $3.2 million. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert will become acting head coach, the release said.The four assistant coaches are Ricky Logo, John Richardson, Craig Stutzmann and Mark Weber, the release said. Miami private school makes bogus claims about vaccines while ordering pupils who get a shot to stay home for 30 daysRead More"This is a disheartening day for our football program," director of athletics Pat Chun said in a statement. "Our priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of the young men on our team. The leadership on our football team is filled with young men of character, selflessness and resiliency and we are confident these same attributes will help guide this program as we move forward."Inslee's proclamation required full vaccinations by Monday for most state employees.It's the latest Covid-19 vaccine issue to roil the sports world. Earlier Monday, the National Hockey League announced that Evander Kane of the San Jose Sharks has been suspended after an investigation into whether he submitted a fraudulent Covid-19 vaccination card, according to Front Office Sports and ESPN.Vaccine mandates have prompted showdowns between employers and employees outside the world of sports since President Joe Biden in September imposed stringent new vaccine rules on federal workers, large employers and health care staff in a sweeping attempt to contain the spread of Covid-19.The requirements could apply to as many as 100 million Americans -- close to two-thirds of the American workforce.Mandates have spurred workers to get vaccinated -- but some holdouts, like Rolovich, have been suspended or lost their jobs, and left workplaces scrambling to cover potential shortages.In July, Rolovich said in a post on social media that he "elected not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine for reasons which will remain private.""While I have made my own decision," Rolovich said then, "I respect that every individual -- including our coaches, staff and student-athletes -- can make his or her own decision regarding the COVID-19 vaccine."The team went 1-3 last season, which was shortened because of the pandemic. The Cougars are 4-3 this season.On Saturday, after a 34-31 win at home against Stanford, Rolovich was asked in a postgame news conference if he knew whether he would be coaching the team the following week.More than a third of Chicago police officers defy city vaccine mandate"I do not," Rolovich told reporters.When asked whether he had been given guidance between then and Monday regarding an exemption request, Rolovich said he was waiting for an email."I'm going to come to work tomorrow and get ready for BYU, and we'll grade this film," Rolovich said Saturday, speaking of the October 23 game against Brigham Young University. "I don't think this is in my hands. I've been settled for a long time on it. I believe it's going to work out the right way."Asked whether the "right way" meant remaining as the team's head coach, Rolovich replied, "Correct. Or if that's not what (Chun) wants, then I guess then I've got to move on."When Rolovich was asked whether he would take the vaccine to save his job, he replied, "If that happens, you'll be the first to know."CNN's Jill Martin contributed to this report.

5sport

Story highlights "There's only way for our society to go -- and that's forward," says AdamsThe Sinn Fein leader says he wasn't involved in a 1972 killingAdams is now a prominent politician who helped broker peace in Northern IrelandOne other politician said the arrest was an attempt to influence an election Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was released Sunday after four days in police custody in connection with the 1972 abduction and killing of a mother of 10 by the Irish Republican Army, police in Northern Ireland said.Adams, 65, has long denied having any role in the death of Jean McConville, a widow who was reportedly killed by the IRA four decades ago because the group believed she was a spy for the British army.Adams is a prominent Catholic politician who helped broker peace in Northern Ireland and who has long been associated with the IRA, once considered the armed wing of Sinn Fein. Today, Sinn Fein is Ireland's second-largest opposition party. "Let me be very clear: I am innocent of any involvement in any conspiracy to abduct, kill or bury Mrs. McConville," Adams said soon after his release.He told reporters he bears no animosity toward anyone and spoke about the need to move forward."I'm an activist. This is my life, and I'm philosophical, and I understand that I have detractors and opponents -- and I especially understand that there [are] sinister elements who are against the changes Sinn Fein and others are committed to achieving," Adams said.He added: "There's only way for our society to go -- and that's forward."Adams had surrendered himself for questioning Wednesday evening and his detention had threatened the fragile peace in Northern Ireland, a peace Adams is in part credited with bringing about after decades of sectarian tensions.The questioning of Adams was not unexpected. Adams said he told authorities last month that he was willing to meet with investigators.Martin McGuinness, deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, said last week in Belfast that Adams' arrest was unnecessary, unjustified and politically motivated.He said that he had seen the "dark side" of Northern Ireland policing "flex its muscles in the course of the past couple of days" and that the arrest was a "'deliberate attempt to influence the elections that are due to take place in three weeks' time."A number of other people have been arrested and questioned in the investigation into McConville's abduction and killing. One man has been charged with aiding and abetting the crime. He denies wrongdoing.The IRA admitted in 1999 to killing a number of people who have become known as "The Disappeared," those who vanished during the so-called Troubles, a 30-year conflict between Protestant loyalists who wanted to stay part of the United Kingdom and Catholic nationalists who wanted to see the north united with Ireland. Among the victims was McConville, 37, whose remains were found partially buried on a beach in County Louth in 2003. She died of a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.How tapes made by U.S. library could solve N. Ireland murder

3news

(CNN)Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the embattled archbishop of Washington and one of the church's most powerful Americans. But the Pope's high praise for Wuerl in the wake of two clergy sexual abuse scandals angered some abuse survivors. Wuerl is the most prominent American Catholic to step down since the abuse scandal reignited this summer. But Francis has asked Wuerl to remain as the archdiocese's apostolic administrator -- akin to an interim manager -- until a successor is named. And in a letter released Friday, the pope praised Wuerl for his "nobility" in handling the criticism against him.Cardinal Wuerl acknowledges calls for leadership change, doesn't mention his futureThe Pope wrote that Wuerl has "sufficient elements to 'justify'" his actions "and distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes.""However, your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank you," the pope wrote.Read MoreSignificantly, while Wuerl is resigning as archbishop of Washington, he will remain a cardinal. He is still part of the powerful College of Cardinals and is one of only 10 American cardinals who could choose the next Pope.The Pope's praise of Wuerl also comes just days after the Vatican announced that it was investigating his predecessor, former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Wuerl has been accused by a former papal diplomat of knowing about allegations that McCarrick had sexually abused seminarians. Wuerl has denied the accusations. "Although Cardinal Wuerl as of today is no longer the archbishop of Washington, he certainly doesn't seem to be out of favor with the boss," CNN senior Vatican analyst John Allen said, referring to the tone of the Pope's letter about Wuerl's resignation. Wuerl, who turns 78 in November, technically tendered his resignation upon reaching age 75, as all Catholic bishops and cardinals do. But cardinals are often allowed to serve until they are 80. Wuerl said Friday that he was deeply touched by the pope's "gracious words of understanding" in Friday's letter, and he asked for forgiveness for "past errors.""The Holy Father's decision to provide new leadership to the Archdiocese can allow all of the faithful, clergy, religious and lay, to focus on healing and the future," Wuerl said in a statement released by the archdiocese. "It permits this local Church to move forward. "Once again for any past errors in judgment I apologize and ask for pardon. My resignation is one way to express my great and abiding love for you the people of the Church of Washington."But abuse survivors, many of whom had called for Wuerl's resignation, blasted the Pope on Friday for praising Wuerl's "heart of a shepherd." "Wuerl took the most vulnerable -- children -- and put them in harm's way. How could the Pope possibly call him a good shepherd? It sends the message to abuse victims that the Pope doesn't really care about them. He only cares about 'his people,'" said Becky Ianni, a Washington-area leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. John Delaney, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse who is originally from Philadelphia, said he sat and cried after reading this morning that the Pope had called Wuerl a "noble man." "That's such a huge slap in the face to victims," said Delaney, who now lives in Tennessee. "I have tried not to bash the Pope. I really wanted to like him, but after today, the gloves are off." Other Catholics, however, called Wuerl's resignation a sign that the Pope, who has been accused of moving too slowly to combat clergy abuse, is finally taking concrete actions. John Carr, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, said the Pope's letter about Wuerl sends mixed messages, in part because the cardinal's record on abuse was itself mixed. "Wuerl was better than most (bishops), but not good enough, and that is part of the message today. Things are changing. Bishops are going to pay a price, even influential and effective bishops, even a bishop who did better than most." Even with the papal praise, Wuerl's resignation caps a remarkable fall from grace for one of the world's most powerful Catholic leaders. Cardinal Wuerl asks priests to forgive his 'errors in judgment' amid clergy abuse furorThe Pittsburgh native spent more than 50 years climbing the ranks of the Catholic Church, building a reputation as a loyal churchman and scrupulous teacher. Known as a key ally of Pope Francis, Wuerl sits on the Vatican committee that vets and appoints bishops around the world. But after a damning 900-page report by a grand jury in Pennsylvania and a letter from a former top Vatican official accusing Wuerl of covering up for his disgraced predecessor, the cardinal faced increasing pressure to step down from his perch atop the church's hierarchy.The Archdiocese of Washington vigorously defended Wuerl, sending detailed explanations of his actions to area clergy and pushing back against accusations that he failed to deal adequately with pedophile priests while he was the bishop of Pittsburgh.Wuerl also faced accusations from a former papal diplomat that he knew about accusations that his predecessor in Washington, McCarrick, had sexually abused seminarians. In a letter published in August, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Vatican's former US ambassador, said Wuerl was "well aware of the continuous abuses committed by Cardinal McCarrick and the sanctions imposed on him by Pope Benedict."The Archdiocese of Washington denied Vigano's allegations, saying, "Cardinal Wuerl has categorically denied that any of this information was communicated to him. Archbishop Viganò at no time provided Cardinal Wuerl any information about an alleged document from Pope Benedict XVI with directives of any sort from Rome regarding Archbishop McCarrick." The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest and a columnist at Religion News Service, said the Pope was smart to accept Wuerl's resignation, "even if he didn't really want to." "I think Wuerl finally convinced him that, for the good of the archdiocese, he needed to resign," Reese said. CNN's Hada Messia and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.

3news

W. Kamau Bell is a sociopolitical comedian and author who is the host and executive producer of the CNN Original Series "United Shades of America." The views expressed here are his. Read more opinion on CNN. (CNN)After jumping into the deep end of policing in America, and then jumping into the deep end of America's history of racism in STEM, "United Shades of America" is staying in the deep end this week by talking about the "Power of Protest." And if we're going to talk about protest in 2021, we should probably head back to Portland, Oregon. I spent time in Portland in season one of "United Shades," but when I returned to the city last fall there were way fewer hipster jokes and way more flak jackets. Just kidding. The only protection I had when I protested racial injustice with the civil rights collective Black Unity PDX was a mask to protect me from Covid-19. This protest was only possible because of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. You might remember that document: It was based in part on the Iroquois Confederacy, one of the many things in "American culture" that we took from the many Indigenous cultures of this land.While many people like to focus on the Second Amendment of the Constitution, I think it is important at this moment in history to reread that First Amendment. (It must be pretty good since it is the first one.) Here it is:Read More"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."The First Amendment is a mic drop — a mic drop that tells you that you are allowed to pick up a mic (or back then, one of those triangle cone things ... a megaphone?) and use your voice when you see a grievance that needs some redressing. That is why protesting is legal. And protecting our right to protest is the main thing that keeps a whiff of democracy in this country's air.And let's be clear, protesting and activism work. Our two main ways to make this country live up to its alleged ideals and myths are in the courtroom and in the streets. But the streets may be most important, because too often your grievance may never be legally redressed without protest. Just look at the three guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin case. Does Chauvin get arrested or even reprimanded without the activism of Darnella Frazier, who filmed the murder and shared it with the world? Does Chauvin suffer any consequences if people all over the country don't run to the streets and ignite an international protest movement? My answer is no. I believe Chauvin would still have his job and be abusing his power the same way he did before he murdered George Floyd, if not for the power of protest. Protesters confront police outside the 3rd Police Precinct in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 27, 2020.Like it or not, protesting is how the American sausage gets made, and making sausage is a dirty and messy business. It involves grinding parts down. It can be spicy. And it ain't always pretty to watch. In the last year, Portland has become the epicenter of that process. Despite the fact that Portland is a bright blue electoral dot, it is in a state that has some of the deepest red (and Whitest Whites) in the country.Remember that weird land rights' case about cattle grazing that was followed by a bunch of Bundys seizing a government building in an armed standoff? Remember how mind-boggling that all sounded, and how it was made even more mind-boggling by the fact that no Bundy suffered any major consequences? That was Oregon. I guess even that protest worked. But not all protests are created equally.Even though this country wouldn't exist without protest (Boston Tea Party, anybody?), right now there are forces at work to strip certain people of their rights to protest. You get one guess as to who the forces are and what kind of people are being targeted. I'll give you a hint: The first group often has the initials GOP and many people in the second group are associated with the initials BLM.W. Kamau Bell: What you need to know about 'defund the police'The right wing didn't just pick up this hobby of targeting protesters in 2020. In 2016, Native activists from all over America assembled at the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota and focused the world's attention on the Dakota Access Pipeline project, and how its construction would not only contaminate the water but also violate Native land rights. In response, legislators in North Dakota introduced a bill that literally targeted protestors, proposing legal protection for people in cars who "unintentionally" hit or run over activists when their protests blocked traffic. At the time, the bill's co-sponsor, Rep. Keith Kempenich, framed it as the drivers' "lawful, legal exercise of their right to drive down the road." I can't remember exactly which amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to run over people in your horse and buggy. (And apparently a majority of North Dakota legislators couldn't either — the bill didn't pass.)In the wake of 2020's Black Lives Matter protests, many states are considering anti-protest laws. The International Center for Not-For-Profit Law, a non-profit that tracks protest legislation in the US, found that 32 states have enacted laws that could make it harder to protest.I would say if there is even one law that restricts our right to protest, then we aren't doing democracy the way it was intended. And not doing democracy the way it was intended seemed like the mission statement of the Trump administration, which we saw in his reaction to Portland last year. Like many cities in 2020, Portland had weeks of mostly peaceful protests in the wake of George Floyd's May 25th murder. But then President Trump seemed to think bright blue Portland was an important political chess piece, because in July he flooded the city with federal agents under the stated goal of protecting federal buildings. And since the Trump administration was obsessed with the US border, it used federal regulations that allowed them to send even elite Border Patrol agents into the city, because it borders the Pacific Ocean. There was so much military-style force in Portland that the news clips looked like an invasion. Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester passes a dumpster fire in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday, September 5. Saturday marked the 100th night of protests in the city since the death of George Floyd in late May.Hide Caption 1 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandOregon state troopers and Portland police advance through tear gas and fireworks while dispersing a protest on September 5.Hide Caption 2 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester holds his hands out in front of a police line during a protest on September 5.Hide Caption 3 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester runs away from chemical irritants fired by police to disperse protesters outside the Portland Police Association building on September 5.Hide Caption 4 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA police officer stands guard outside the Portland Police Association building on Friday, September 4.Hide Caption 5 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPolice disperse a crowd after protesters set fire to the Portland Police Association building early in the morning on August 29. (Editor's note: Part of this photo has been blurred because of profanity.) Hide Caption 6 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandAaron Danielson is treated by medics after being shot on August 29. Danielson — who Portland police said was shot in the chest — died. A suspect in Danielson's shooting was shot to death by police as they attempted to arrest him on September 3.Hide Caption 7 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPolice officers try to move protesters back on August 21.Hide Caption 8 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPortland police officers arrest a man said to be a street medic during a dispersal outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility on August 21.Hide Caption 9 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPeople watch a protest pass by on August 20.Hide Caption 10 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandDemonstrators march to the ICE building on August 19.Hide Caption 11 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandFederal officers are seen in the streets of Portland on August 19.Hide Caption 12 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA demonstrator uses a shield for protection on August 19.Hide Caption 13 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPortland police face off with protesters on August 16. Police said two officers were hospitalized after protesters allegedly threw a nearly 10-pound rock at them.Hide Caption 14 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester screams at police during a standoff at a Portland precinct on August 15.Hide Caption 15 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester is treated by a street medic after a police officer used pepper spray on him on August 14.Hide Caption 16 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPortland police walk past a dumpster fire while dispersing a crowd of protesters on August 14.Hide Caption 17 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester is detained in front of the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct on August 11.Hide Caption 18 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester slaps his shield while marching toward the Portland Police Bureau's North Precinct on August 10.Hide Caption 19 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPortland police officers walk through the Laurelhurst neighborhood after dispersing a protest of about 200 people on August 8.Hide Caption 20 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters march through the streets after rallying at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on August 2. (Editor's note: Part of this photo has been blurred because of profanity.)Hide Caption 21 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters hold their fists in the air during a march on August 1.Hide Caption 22 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters gather at the Justice Center and federal courthouse on July 31.Hide Caption 23 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester holds up an American flag in front of federal officers on July 30.Hide Caption 24 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA demonstrator flashes peace signs at federal officers on July 29.Hide Caption 25 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters blow back tear gas with leaf blowers on July 29.Hide Caption 26 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPolice and federal officers walk through the street on July 28, deploying tear gas and other methods to disperse protesters.Hide Caption 27 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandThe "Wall of Moms" protest group marches with other demonstrators on July 28.Hide Caption 28 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester stands in front of the Mark O. Hatfield US Courthouse on July 28.Hide Caption 29 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandFederal officers attempt to clear the crowd on July 27.Hide Caption 30 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters demonstrate on July 26.Hide Caption 31 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester inspects a torn-down fence outside the federal courthouse on July 26.Hide Caption 32 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA person protests outside the Mark O. Hatfield US Courthouse on July 25.Hide Caption 33 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA federal officer monitors the protests on July 25.Hide Caption 34 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters gather in a street filled with tear gas on July 25.Hide Caption 35 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA protester raises a fist on July 25.Hide Caption 36 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandFederal officers deploy chemical irritants on July 24.Hide Caption 37 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA demonstrator stands in front of agents outside the federal courthouse on July 24.Hide Caption 38 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA federal officer fires crowd-control munitions at demonstrators on July 24.Hide Caption 39 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandIn this image made from video and released by Jonathan Maus, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, center, stands near a courthouse fence as tear gas engulfs the area on July 23. Wheeler had joined crowds to listen to protesters and answer their questions in response to violent clashes between demonstrators and federal forces.Hide Caption 40 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA federal officer tries to disperse a crowd on July 22.Hide Caption 41 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA person protests on July 22.Hide Caption 42 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandSmoke fills the area as federal officers try to disperse protesters on July 22.Hide Caption 43 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA federal officer pushes back demonstrators at the US courthouse on July 21.Hide Caption 44 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters hold signs on July 21.Hide Caption 45 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA Black Lives Matter protester burns a sign outside the courthouse early on July 21.Hide Caption 46 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandHundreds of people shine light from their cell phones during a protest on July 20.Hide Caption 47 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandFederal agents use crowd-control munitions to disperse protesters at the courthouse on July 20. Officers used tear gas and projectiles to move the crowd after some protesters tore down a fence fronting the courthouse.Hide Caption 48 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandMothers and fathers participate in a downtown demonstration on July 20.Hide Caption 49 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters move fencing in front of a federal courthouse on July 18.Hide Caption 50 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPeople join a rally at Portland's Justice Center on July 17.Hide Caption 51 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandFederal agents try to push back demonstrators on July 16.Hide Caption 52 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandThe mother of injured protester Donovan LaBella, who was shot in the head with an impact munition by federal officers, pleads with police during a protest outside the Portland Police Association building on July 13.Hide Caption 53 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandBlack Lives Matter supporters demonstrate in Portland on July 4.Hide Caption 54 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPeople play instruments on July 3 as they mourn the death of Elijah McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who was killed by police in Colorado last year.Hide Caption 55 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters face off with police on June 30.Hide Caption 56 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandHundreds of high school students mark Juneteenth with speeches and a rally in Terry Schrunk Plaza on June 19. The Juneteenth holiday commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.Hide Caption 57 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandTrash cans burn during demonstrations on June 15.Hide Caption 58 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandKayla Washington speaks to protesters June 12 who want to disarm campus police officers at Portland State University. Kayla's father, Jason, was killed by campus police in 2018.Hide Caption 59 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandPeople take part in the 10th day of protests on June 6.Hide Caption 60 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandThousands of protesters fill Pioneer Square on June 1.Hide Caption 61 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters lie down on the Burnside Bridge during a moment of silence on June 1.Hide Caption 62 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandA man holds a mirror in front of police guarding the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office on May 30.Hide Caption 63 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters start a fire in the street on May 29.Hide Caption 64 of 65 Photos: The protests in PortlandProtesters gather in Terry Schrunk Plaza on May 29, days after George Floyd's death in Minneapolis.Hide Caption 65 of 65Among the many problems Trump's directive posed to the people of Portland, one of the biggest ones was federal agents who didn't wear badges. That meant the protesters who described being tear-gassed, shot at with rubber bullets, and yanked off the streets into unmarked vans had no idea who was doing it. I'm old enough to remember when we used to think those things were unacceptable in other countries, let alone the good ol' US of A.But knowing they could get snatched by secret police didn't stop the people of Portland from protesting then. And red states — or red state legislators in blue states — creating anti-protest laws won't stop people from protesting now. While I was in Portland, I met a variety of people who felt compelled to go out into the streets to fight an unjust system — and none of them mentioned checking the city statutes before they went out in the action. That included a 19-year-old Black college student named Xavier "Princess" Warner; Navy veteran Chris David; a couple of moms turned activist-moms named Demetria Hester and Nichol Denison; a hip-hop music journalist turned journalist-of-everything-going-wrong-in-Portland, Mac Smiff; and two Antifa protesters named ... well, I don't know their names, because that's how Antifa rolls.Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookI also had an incredibly powerful conversation with three Native American activists who organize a weekly Sunrise ceremony at Portland's Delta Park. Oregon state Rep. Tawna Sanchez is of Shoshone-Bannock, Ute, and Carrizo descent, Portland's Tribal Relations Director Laura John is a descendent of the Blackfeet and Seneca Nations, and Jason Umtuch of the community organization Fires Igniting The Spirit is from the Warm Springs Tribe. And if anybody should be asked their opinions on what we should and should not do on this land, it should definitely be the Indigenous community.As Frederick Douglass famously said, "Power concedes nothing without a demand." And until power accepts demands worded like, "Please give us justice!" or, "If you wouldn't mind not oppressing us, we'd sure appreciate it," then protesting in ways that are loud, inconvenient, messy, damaging, and often beautiful is how Americans who believe in justice and joy will get those in power to act right.We could avoid all this if we just lived up to our ideals. But until then, I'll see you in those streets.

3news

Story highlightsRory McIlroy moves to within two shots of leader Adam Scott at the Australian OpenThe Northern Irishman cards a seven-under-par second round of 65 in SydneyAdam Scott 12 under heading into the final two days playThe Australian shot a course record 62 on ThursdayIs Rory McIlroy saving his best for last?The Northern Irishman carded a seven-under-par second round of 65 at the Australian Open Friday as he bids to end 2013 with a bang.Former world No. 1 McIlroy has endured a frustrating year, failing to find his best form with his new Nike clubs and slipping to sixth in the world rankings.But the 24-year-old golfer finished the day with nine birdies, and just two bogeys to move to 10 under for the tournament, only two strokes off leader and Australian favorite Adam Scott."Obviously when you come to a tournament where you're one of the headline acts or main attractions, you want to live up to that billing I guess," McIlroy joked with reporters."For the most part this year I haven't wherever I went. So it's nice," he added. "It's nice to reward the people that invite you down here and look after you so well."JUST WATCHEDGarcia sorry for 'fried chicken' slur ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGarcia sorry for 'fried chicken' slur 01:04JUST WATCHEDHistoric golfer's big triumphReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHistoric golfer's big triumph 05:39The 2013 season has largely slipped by the two-time major winner McIlroy, who has struggled to recapture the form which saw him win four PGA Tour titles and two European Tour titles and the PGA Championship in 2012.In contrast to McIlroy, Scott has enjoyed a stellar 2013.The Australian has shot up to No. 2 in the world rankings, thanks in part to his first major triumph at the Masters in April.The 33-year-old shot a course record 62 on Thursday and followed it up with a two-under 70 on Friday to move to 12 under for the opening two rounds.Scott and McIlroy will be paired together for Saturday's third round at the Royal Sydney Golf Club."Obviously he (McIlroy) is one of the best players in the world, so I'm going to have to bring my best game and try and match it with him," said Scott.He is aiming to complete the Australian Triple Crown, by adding the Australian Open titles to the Australian PGA and Australian Masters titles he has already claimed.Robert Allenby in 2005 is the only player to have won the Australian Masters, Australian PGA and Australian Open in the same season.Read: Scott's Masters triumphRead: Tears of joy for Jason Day

5sport

Kent Sepkowitz is a CNN medical analyst and a physician and infection control expert at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN. (CNN)This week, President Donald Trump again stated his hope that the United States would have a Covid-19 vaccine by year's end. He even suggested that maybe, just maybe, vaccinations might start by late October. Kent SepkowitzStranger things have happened. Russia already has approved and distributed its vaccine, called Sputnik V. China approved the CanSino vaccine for its military in late July. So far there have been no reports from either country of unexpected side effects or of efficacy. But developments in the United States are showing the dangers of runaway optimism. On Monday, AstraZeneca announced that it had suspended clinical trials of its product, also referred to as the Oxford vaccine, while it investigates a possible adverse event in a vaccine recipient. Read More In addition, nine vaccine makers just formally pledged to emphasize safety, not speed, in their product development. The reason for all this caution is not political. It's not because scientists are a bunch of feeble worrywarts. Rather, it is because the history of vaccines is full of alarming missteps. JUST WATCHEDMultiple potential vaccines in critical phase three trialReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMultiple potential vaccines in critical phase three trial 03:23For example, in 1930, the wrong strain of the new tuberculosis vaccine (Bacille Calmette-Guerin or BCG) was accidentally given to children in Lubeck, Germany, killing many. Then, 25 years later, an unapproved polio vaccine was inadvertently administered to thousands of children in the Midwest, resulting in death and paralysis. More recently, the ill-fated Swine flu vaccine was urgently developed and administered in a presidential election year. A small uptick in cases of Guillain-Barre disease, a known neurological complication of vaccination, was seen during the vaccine rollout. Even today, the causal link remains uncertain. Some feel that this was one of the reasons that led to President Gerald Ford's 1976 loss to Jimmy Carter. These events surely are troubling, but the current rush to vaccination is most reminiscent of yet another vaccine misstep: LYMErix, a vaccine against Lyme disease that was FDA-approved in 1998 but pulled from the market a few years later. The Trump Warp Speed team would be well served to read the article entitled, "The Lyme vaccine: a cautionary tale." Then as now, Lyme disease was an infection of tremendous public concern. The results of a well-performed randomized placebo-controlled trial of almost 11,000 people published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that Lyme cases were reduced 78% by the new vaccine and -- best of all -- no safety concerns were seen. But then reality happened. The first wave of regular people -- not in curated clinical trials -- got the three-injection vaccination. Many had aches and fever after the first or second shot. That was routine for most vaccinations, the vaccine experts said. Then came more vaccinations and more complaints. Still routine, the experts said. Word about the aches and pains though got around and the public suddenly was in no hurry to try a new vaccine, even for a dreaded disease. Supplies sat unused in doctors' offices. The final nail in the coffin of the brief market life of LYMErix was a series of lawsuits, and the vaccine was withdrawn in 2002 due to poor sales. The claim was that some people who were given the vaccine developed painful arthritis -- a known feature of Lyme disease itself. Though vaccinologists and public health experts have determined that the vaccine did not cause the arthritis, the entire "fiasco" has made other companies hesitant to work on Lyme vaccine development. JUST WATCHEDCNN goes inside critical phase 3 trials of Russian vaccineReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCNN goes inside critical phase 3 trials of Russian vaccine 01:52In 2003, several class actions suits were settled with the vaccine maker, SmithKline Beecham, which paid a little more than a million dollars to cover trial costs and fees. It denied that the vaccine caused any illness and said it was proved safe and effective in clinical trials. Patients who claimed injury did not receive any compensation. In other words, a safe and effective vaccine was withdrawn because of a flurry of side effects and bad press soon after introduction, long before the effectiveness of the vaccine and the possible benefits of a Lyme-freer life could be experienced. LYMErix has demonstrated the unalterable fact that, for vaccines, side effects -- not benefit -- always appear months and even years before clear demonstration of population-level benefit. If rushed, the likeliest result of October vaccinations of whatever product is used will be November fevers and sore arms and headaches -- and perhaps even lawsuits and actual harm. Any politically motivated grab for a quick fix once again will be stymied by reality. But worse than the risk of serious side effects is the impact of yet another failed "here comes the miracle!" strategy. We have watched a series of previous "miracles" and "game-changers" fall flat: the original Abbott testing platform and hydroxychloroquine and a change in seasonal weather and the MyPillow guy's supposed new immune supplement. The "miracles" come and go; only the historic pandemic remains. Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and FacebookPlacing hope in the predictably useless not only is demoralizing, it also weakens current acceptance of the monotonous and difficult -- but extremely effective -- public health measures of hand washing, distancing, wearing masks and avoiding indoor crowds. But this is the only path forward even as we step away to let the scientists do their work at the pace the experiments demand. As my colleague Dr. Peter Bach and I once wrote about the scientific pace needed for Covid-19 treatments, urgency demands patience.

3news

(CNN)Republican Ron DeSantis will win the race to become Florida's 46th governor, CNN projects, defeating Democrat Andrew Gillum to become the state's fourth consecutive GOP chief executive.By outlasting Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor vying to become Florida's first African-American governor, DeSantis also gave a boost to President Donald Trump, who campaigned for the former congressman at two events in the final days before the election -- and whose endorsement DeSantis traded on to win the nomination over the establishment favorite, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.DeSantis quit his job in Congress to focus on the gubernatorial race, a heated affair that largely reflected the broader national tensions over race and class in the Trump era. Those issues, which were already bubbling up throughout the primary, were escalated by DeSantis when he went on Fox News a day after becoming the nominee to warn Florida voters not to "monkey this up" by electing Gillum. DeSantis denied there was any racial innuendo in his remark, but race -- and allegations that DeSantis was using it against his opponent -- were never far off during the 10-week general election sprint.Tensions hit a boiling point during the pair's second and final debate. DeSantis loudly objected to suggestions he was in cahoots with far-right figures or that his ties, unwitting he said, to white supremacists should be held against him."Now, I'm not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist," Gillum said in response. "I'm simply saying the racists believe he's a racist."Read MoreIf that line earned Gillum viral praise and national recognition, his indirect connections to an FBI investigation into public corruption in Tallahassee was a drag on his campaign, which at times struggled to explain Gillum's relationship with a former lobbyist and friend and his run-ins with an undercover federal agent. Gillum maintained throughout the campaign that the FBI told him he was not a target of the probe, which could continue to dog him in the coming months or years.In one final twist, DeSantis, who throughout the campaign portrayed Tallahassee as crime-ridden and dangerous, will now be moving there to do his new job -- right alongside the city's mayor, (still) Andrew Gillum.

4politics

(CNN)The much-hyped trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar failed to inspire Paris Saint-Germain to victory in its Champions League opener on Wednesday, with the French side being held to a 1-1 draw by Club Brugge.Messi was playing the 150th Champions League game of his career -- and his first for PSG -- but the Ligue 1 side failed to click in what proved to be a tricky away game in Belgium. With its electric attacking trio of stars, the Parisians were firm favorites going into the tie and took an expected lead through Ander Herrera after 15 minutes. But the hosts hit back before the half an hour mark, with Hans Vanaken scoring a deserved equalizer. Brugge then had chances to win the match and managed to keep Messi and his fellow stars quiet for most of the game -- although the Argentine did hit the crossbar with a trademark shot from distance. Read More"Nobody in the team can be happy with their performance and nobody can be happy with this result," PSG head coach Mauricio Pochettino told reporters after the match. "We came here to take points. All the points. Hats off to Club Brugge. They wanted it more than us tonight and they deserve the point."Many at the club hoped Messi would be the missing piece of the puzzle in PSG's hunt for a Champions League trophy but it seems the side is still a work in progress. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner showed glimpses of magic but the side looked like a team of individuals rather than a cohesive unit. "We need time to work for them to build an understanding," Pochettino said, speaking about Messi, Neymar and Mbappé."That's been clear and we've said that in recent days. We still have to create a team."The night got even more disappointing for PSG when Mbappé limped off injured just six minutes into the second half. The 22-year-old was tended to by medical staff before hobbling off the pitch with what appeared to be an ankle injury. READ: Late Young Boys winner stuns Manchester United and Cristiano RonaldoLionel Messi was kept quiet on his Champions League debut for PSG.Manchester City excel While PSG struggled, Manchester City excelled in a classic Champions League encounter against RB Leipzig. Pep Guardiola's side won 6-3 in a scintillating performance but he may be concerned by the amount of goals the defense leaked at the Etihad Stadium. Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick for the German side but City's forwards made amends with goals from Nathan Ake, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, João Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus all adding to an own goal scored by Nordi Mukiele. "Leipzig never give up. They have a special way to attack. They play all or nothing," Guardiola told BT Sport after the match."You never have the feeling it's over. We scored a few minutes after they scored and it helped us a lot."They have a young team, so aggressive, so strong. A fantastic team. Leipzig give a good message to football. The quality of [our] players was better today and that's why we won."Grealish, the $138 million summer signing, looked the best of City's attacking talent as the Englishman showed why the club invested so heavily in him. His creativity from out wide was a major part of his team's success and bodes well with Guardiola bidding to finally win the Champions League trophy at City.

5sport

(CNN)Carlo Ancelotti has returned to Real Madrid to become the club's new manager for the second time in his career. He succeeds Zinedine Zidane at the helm of the club, after the former Real player left as manager for the second time last week. Ancelotti previously managed Real Madrid for two years between 2013 and 2015, winning the Champions League and the Spanish Cup during the stint. "Real Madrid communicates that Carlo Ancelotti will be the new first team manager for the next three seasons," the club said in a statement. "Tomorrow, there will be the official signing ceremony together with the President Florentino Perez in the Real Madrid City."READ: Brazil in 'negotiations' to host Copa América -- just 13 days before start dateRead More👋 #WelcomeBackAncelotti👉 @MrAncelotti pic.twitter.com/BcqI63qkqY— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) June 1, 2021 The Italian manager leaves his position as manager at Premier League side Everton to rejoin the Spanish giants. After the news of his departure broke, he took to Twitter to thank the club. "I would like to thank Everton FC, my players and the supporters for giving me the opportunity to manage this fantastic and historical club," he said. "I decided to leave as I have a new challenge with a team that was always in my heart, Real Madrid."I leave taking with me all the amazing moments we have experienced together and wish the Club and fans all the best."A former Italy international player, Ancelotti has consistently been a trophy winner during his illustrious playing and management career and is one of only three managers to win three Champions Leagues.The 61-year-old has previously managed European superpowers AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, winning trophies at all those clubs. During his time in Madrid with Real, he helped the club to its long-awaited 10th Champions League title in 2014, beating city-rivals Atletico in the final. He left just a year later, but returns in 2021 on a three-year deal after Real's first season in 11 years without lifting a trophy."I have complete respect for everyone associated with Everton and hope they can achieve the exciting opportunities they have in front of them," Ancelotti said in a statement on the Everton website.Pepe celebrates victory with Ancelotti after the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match against Atletico Madrid. Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features, and videos"While I have enjoyed being at Everton I have been presented with an unexpected opportunity which I believe is the right move for me and my family at this time."It leaves Everton searching for its sixth permanent manager in five years.

5sport

Story highlightsTiger Woods is not thinking about a possible match-up with Adam ScottAustralian's caddy Steve Williams recently aimed a racial slur at WoodsScott also plays down prospect of a clash at this week's Presidents CupThe biennial teams event starts in Melbourne on ThursdayTiger Woods says he is unfazed by the prospect of being paired with Australian golfer Adam Scott and his ex-caddy Steve Williams at this week's Presidents Cup in Melbourne.Williams, now working with world No. 7 Scott, has apologized for a racial slur he made against his former longtime employer at an awards function in Shanghai, China.Woods, a 14-time major winner, accepted the New Zealander's apology and insisted his sole focus is on helping the U.S. retain the title they won against the International team in California two years ago.When asked about the possibility of a singles match-up with Scott, the former world No. 1 told the tournament's official website: "Well, we have got a lot of matches to be played and won by then. So that's our main focus. If that happens, it happens."But that's in singles. That's way off. We have got a lot of points between now and then, and we have got to take care of our business before that even comes about."Scott said he would happily oblige if International captain Greg Norman wanted him to play Woods, who returned the the world's top 50 after finishing third at last weekend's Australian Open.JUST WATCHEDThe Presidents Cup 2011ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe Presidents Cup 2011 07:11"It's probably inevitable in these events," the 31-year-old said. "I've played him before. You know, it's going to be a tough point to win like every other point. But that's the goal is to go and try to get a point out of it.JUST WATCHEDAustralia's new golfing starReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHAustralia's new golfing star 07:50"If Greg thinks it's the right match to put out there, just go out there and try to win a point. I don't think there's too much point worrying about it. I have to play four hard matches and none of them are going to be easy."Scott has never tasted Presidents Cup victory, despite playing in the last four editions of the two-yearly contest.The only time the International team have defeated their American opponents was 1998, the last time the Royal Melbourne Golf Club hosted the tournament -- which has foursomes on Thursday, fourball on Friday, both of those match play pairs formats on Saturday, and singles between all 24 players on Sunday.Woods, who played in the U.S. team's 20½-11½ defeat that year, said of the course: "The fairways have slowed down. You're still playing to the same areas, but we are hitting different clubs. "The ball is definitely going further. Plus it's hot. The ball is traveling. I know we have got some weather coming in this weekend, so that might change things up a bit."The 35-year-old has practiced alongside Steve Stricker, his playing partner at the 2009 Presidents Cup and the 2010 Ryder Cup."I was pleased and excited to see what Strick was able to do today," Woods said of the 44-year-old. "He was hitting the ball a long way. I mean, he hit the ball solid, had some distance and had some pop on his swing. "Hopefully we'll get put out there together. I know that we feel very comfortable with one another and we were talking about it today, there's a certain comfort level about each other's games."Scott was unconcerned about who he would play with."After playing in four Cups now, and having theories and changing them, and reassessing, I think I can play with anyone on this team and be a successful pairing," he said. "I don't really think it matters that much, especially around this kind of golf course, so I'll be comfortable with any of the other 11 guys."

5sport

(CNN)A man working at the Mayfield, Kentucky, candle factory demolished by a tornado Friday night told CNN as the storm closed in, a supervisor said he would be fired if he left."I said, 'Man, you're going to refuse to let us leave, even if the weather is this bad and the tornado's not here yet?' He was like, 'If you want to decide to leave, if you want to leave, you can leave, but you're going to be terminated. You're going to be fired," Elijah Johnson, the worker, said in an interview Tuesday.Asked about the allegation, a spokesperson for the company that owns the factory said the company had spoken with supervisors working that night, who all denied any employees were told they'd be fired if they left. Bob Ferguson, the spokesperson, noted some employees did leave that night and employees are generally free to come and go without retribution.NBC News first reported factory workers' claims about potential firings. Emergency response workers dig through the rubble of the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky, on SaturdayA tornado -- one among a series of deadly twisters and storms that hit parts of the Midwest and South late last week -- ripped into the factory, killing at least eight people who were there. Read MoreMore than 100 people were working at the time. The factory had been "going 24/7" in part to meet Christmastime candle demand, Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who represents the area, told CNN.Overall, at least 88 people were killed in the storms, including at least 74 in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said. More than 100 people were still unaccounted for as of Tuesday morning, the governor said.McKayla Emery, another worker at the factory that night, corroborated Johnson's account, telling CNN she heard people ask a supervisor if they could leave, and the supervisor "told them word for word: 'If you sign out, you more than likely will get fired.'"In one Kentucky town, many tornado survivors are left with just the clothes on their backsAnother worker who survived the storm at the factory told CNN Tuesday he did not hear any supervisors threatening to fire workers who left."You can basically sign out so they know you're gone and leave it at any time," Jim Douglas said in an interview from his hospital bed.On the night the tornado hit, Douglas said an interior wall fell on top of him, hitting him in the head and throwing him to the ground. He said he lay in pain, crushed beneath what he believes was about 15 feet of debris before rescue workers eventually reached him. He's now recovering from nerve damage and slowly gaining back the use of his arms and legs. 'She was stuck underneath a wall.' Pastor describes holding trapped woman's hand at collapsed candle factoryDouglas, who has worked at the factory for two and a half years, said he's been able to leave work early in the past without any repercussions. He said he thought about leaving as the storm approached but decided to ride it out at the factory after talking with his family. State workplace safety inspectors are investigating the death of the eight workers at the candle factory, according to Holly Neal, chief information officer of the Kentucky Labor Cabinet. Beshear, the governor, said Tuesday such investigations are routine when fatalities occur in a workplace.Asked about reports of employees being told they would be fired if they left the factory before the storm hit, Beshear said, "I haven't seen any direct accounts from the candle factory itself. That's something that obviously people are going to look at."I hope that they did everything right. If they didn't, then that information will come out," he added. CNN's Brynn Gingras and Sarah Boxer contributed to this report.

3news

Story highlightsOusted President Viktor Yanukovych issued a statement condemning interim governmentUkrainian authorities issued a warrant for Yanukovych's arrest last weekUkraine gained independence in 1991Ukraine's ousted President Viktor Yanukovych went missing in the midst of upheaval in his country, but his whereabouts probably won't be secret for long -- assuming he shows up at his own news conference Friday. Yanukovych will hold the conference at 5 p.m. Friday in the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Russian state news agency Itar-Tass said Thursday.Ria Novosti, another state news agency, reported that anonymous government sources said Thursday that Yanukovych was in Russia and that Russian authorities accepted his request for security. The fugitive president issued a statement to Russian news agencies condemning the country's interim government and alleging that recent actions in the Ukrainian Parliament are illegitimate.Months of anti-government protests reached a bloody climax last week, when street clashes between demonstrators and security forces left more than 80 dead. The protesters' anger was focused on Yanukovych.JUST WATCHEDUkraine going forwardReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHUkraine going forward 01:55JUST WATCHEDFmr. Ukraine Pres.: I was not overthrownReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHFmr. Ukraine Pres.: I was not overthrown 04:55JUST WATCHEDGunmen seize Crimean parliamentReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHGunmen seize Crimean parliament 01:51Ukrainian authorities issued a warrant for Yanukovych's arrest last week over civilian deaths during the protests.Meanwhile, lawmakers in Kiev approved opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk of the Batkivschina, or Fatherland, Party as prime minister.Yanukovych wouldn't be the first controversial figure facing criminal charges to find safe haven in Russia. U.S. National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has been there since June, having been granted a one-year asylum.Russia has strong ties to Ukraine that extend beyond the supply lines providing most of the country's natural gas. Ukraine gained independence in 1991; before that, it had, like Russia, been part of the Soviet Union. More historically, most ethnic Ukrainian territory had been part of the Russian Empire. Russian language is spoken by 24% of the population, according to the CIA World Factbook. About 17% of the Ukrainian population is ethnic Russian. During the Soviet era, in 1954, Russia gave Ukraine a region called Crimea, which has since been in the south of Ukraine and is experiencing unrest this week. Dozens of armed men seized the regional government administration building and parliament there Thursday. Many ethnic Russians still live in Crimea, where support for Russia is strong. Part of Russia's navy is based in Crimea; a base in the city of Sevastopol that has been there for 230 years. The eastern part of Ukraine is also heavily influenced by Russia in terms of language, culture and business. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reported this week that many pro-Russians there "are very afraid of what might happen next, who are afraid that their culture, their heritage are in danger, who feel that the Russian language -- which has always had a special status here in Ukraine -- might be in danger of becoming marginalized as well."MAP: How Ukraine is dividedREAD: Viktor Yanukovych: I'm still Ukraine's President, will fight for its futureREAD: Crimea: 5 things you need to know

3news

Story highlightsDavid Beckham awarded Miami MLS franchiseMiami will become league's 25th franchiseBeckham first exercised option to buy franchise in 2014 (CNN)After years of wrangling and complications over potential stadium sites, David Beckham has finally been awarded a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, Florida.The former Manchester United and LA Galaxy star appeared alongside MLS commissioner, Don Garber, at the Adrienne Arsht Center Monday where it was announced that the league's 25th franchise would be based in the city."Our mission to bring an MLS club to Miami is now complete, and we are deeply satisfied, grateful and excited," Beckham said in a statement released by the MLS.Garber added that the league was "committed to bringing Miami the elite-level soccer team, stadium and fan experience it richly deserves."The Beckham franchise will be backed by Cuban-American businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, CEO of Sprint Corporation Marcelo Claure, entertainment producer Simon Fuller and the founder of Japanese telecommunications firm SoftBank, Masayoshi Son. Read MoreThere was no word Monday on the team's official name nor the colors it will play in. Similarly, there was no announcement about when the Miami franchise will officially join the league.A statement released on the MLS website revealed that the team will play in a privately developed 25,000-seat stadium within the city. Although no location for the stadium was confirmed, local media reports land in the city's Overtown district has been purchased by the Beckham ownership group. The excitement is palpable! #FutbolMiamiMLS @MLS pic.twitter.com/tCJdNrdpYu— Fútbol Miami MLS (@futbolmiamimls) January 29, 2018 Beckham, 42, first announced his intention to exercise his right to buy an MLS franchise in 2014.The option was part of the lucrative contract the former England international captain signed when he agreed to moved to LA Galaxy in 2007.Beckham, who also played for Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, spent five years in LA before finishing his career at PSG in the French capital.With film star looks and Spice Girl wife Victoria, Beckham was one of the most marketable football players in the world over the course of his playing his career -- even though he lacked the playing talent of contemporaries such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Zinedine Zidane.Former US Men's National Team and LA Galaxy coach, Alexi Lalas, told CNN last year that Beckham's celebrity helped raise the profile of the MLS and pushed soccer to a new audience in the US.JUST WATCHEDDavid Beckham talks the future of footballReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHDavid Beckham talks the future of football 02:30Read: How brand Beckham conquered USRead: 'I wanted to kill myself,' says former footballerRead: Klopp drops F-bomb on live TV'Complicated'Beckham's plans for a franchise project, however, has been complicated since the beginning.Numerous sites were considered for the team's home before eventually being rejected or held back by red tape.The Miami Herald reported over the weekend that a local landowner and neighbors of a slated stadium site in the city's Overtown district were organizing to block zoning approvals required to finally begin construction. Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportPerhaps the man who started the trend. Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham was one of the first high-profile footballers to make tattoos a fashion statement. His first was in 1999 to mark the birth of his first child, Brooklyn. The 42-year-old is reported to now have more than 40 tattoos.Hide Caption 1 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportAll an illusion? During his time with Paris Saint-Germain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic removed his top to unveil a torso covered in ink. The Manchester United striker revealed this year that, at the time, he had 15 removable tattoos on his body which were "names of real people who are suffering from hunger." Those tattoos have now gone, but there's still plenty of ink left on Zlatan. Hide Caption 2 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportCleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James is another major athlete with major art work on his body. The world's most famous NBA player has "Chosen 1" on his back, to name just one, a tattoo he had done after becoming a cover star on a Sports Illustrated issue while still in High School. Hide Caption 3 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportTennis player Bethanie Mattek-Sands adds color to the court in a variety of ways. The American has a tattoo of a large flowery design, which features honeybees, on the inside of her right arm. Hide Caption 4 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportBarcelona star Lionel Messi has quietly been accumulating quite a collection over the years. The Argentine's left leg is now all covered in black from the knee down, except for 'No.10' and two hands alongside the name of his son, Thiago. Hide Caption 5 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportUFC star Conor McGregor has clearly been a regular visitor to the tattoo parlor over the last 18 months. He has a large tattoo across his abdomen and his left forearm, and a silverback gorilla wearing a crown on his chest. Hide Caption 6 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportFormer US Open champion Stan Wawrinka has opted for a literary tattoo on his left forearm ...Hide Caption 7 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportThe Swiss tennis player has the words of Irish poet and playwright Samuel Beckett written on his arm: "Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter, Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."Hide Caption 8 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportCzech tennis player Karolina Pliskova has two Polynesian-style tattoos, one on her left thigh and the other on her left arm -- they come in useful when needing to tell her and her twin sister, Kristyna, apart. Hide Caption 9 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportPSG defender Dani Alves is one of football's characters. The former Barca star's arms are adorned with Catholic images and dedications to his family, while across his chest is his son's name in giant script. Hide Caption 10 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportNBA star Carmelo Anthony is one of many athletes who sports a sleeve -- a series of tattoos covering his arm. On his right arm is a flaming basketball with his initials, representing his commitment to his sport. Hide Caption 11 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportThe upper half of NFL star Colin Kaepernick's right arm is covered in ink, as is most of his torso. Across his chest is written "Against All Odds" while down his arm is the word "Respect."Hide Caption 12 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportUS high jumper Inika McPherson caught the eye at this year's World Athletics Championships in London. The 5ft 4in athlete has reportedly over 30 tattoos. Hide Caption 13 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportIt's impossible to miss Chile and Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal on the pitch. The footballer sports a Mohawk and numerous tattoos and last year added to his collection -- an image of an insulin pump -- in tribute to his son who has Type 1 diabetes. Hide Caption 14 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportAmerican footballer Natasha Kai, who made her international debut in 2006, has a unique style and famously appeared on TV show "LA Ink."Hide Caption 15 of 16 Photos: The most eye-catching tattoos in sportBritish swimmer Adam Peaty had a lion inked on his left arm after winning two Olympic gold medals in Rio in 2016. Hide Caption 16 of 16Back in December, Garber said at his annual "State of the League" address that the Miami franchise was the "most complicated" he had been involved in during his time at the MLS due to the complexities of the local political scene and property market. The city of Miami was previously home to the MLS franchise the Miami Fusion, which was drafted into the league in 1998. JUST WATCHEDLA Galaxy searches for star talentReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHLA Galaxy searches for star talent 03:42Yet the Fusion lasted only four years and was cut from the league in 2002.

5sport

Story highlightsCNN Freedom Project investigates human trafficking route from Africa to EuropeSome boys who made treacherous trip die; others wish they had never left homeBoys who found safety in Italy say there is an endless supply of other children dreaming of getting to EuropeSicily, Italy (CNN)The 13-year-old boy looks off into the distance. He is slight of build with pale, almost yellowy eyes. When you see him you feel as if he has seen far too much already.He is carrying a burden far too heavy for his age -- but despite his ordeal so far, smuggled across continents from Africa to Europe, and now living in a care home, his future could be far worse depending which route he takes next.A CNN investigation spent months retracing the smuggling route from Egypt to Italy. Speaking to social workers and authorities, children and parents, there is evidence that many of the children were smuggled into Italy by the same criminal networks, who once they are in country, use them for illegal activities.The Egyptian government agency charged with advising lawmakers on child protection matters told CNN that they believe in some cases the parents are guilty of trafficking, paying for their own vulnerable children to be smuggled so far from home in the hope of securing the family's future.We were interviewing this Egyptian boy and his friends in the picturesque piazza of a small Sicilian town.Read MoreThey came over to Italy together on an Egyptian smuggler ship. He was 12 at the time and crammed in with hundreds of others.He says his parents paid 35,000 Egyptian pounds (about $4,500) for the privilege, never guessing what it would really be like -- tossed around for nine days, surrounded by vomit, and scared, uncertain what would meet them on shore.JUST WATCHEDWhere have all the young men gone?ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHWhere have all the young men gone? 05:00I asked him what he would say to all the boys back at home, hoping to follow in his footsteps. He said he would warn them not to come but he also said he knew they wouldn't listen."Why would they? I didn't," he says. "Everyone does what their mind tells them. They won't take what we say."I asked if, having suffered so much, he'd make the journey again? "What can I do? Yes. The burden back home is still the same."Italian authorities say he is one of more than 1,000 young Egyptians sheltered in 100 Italian care homes now dotting the Sicilian countryside.The cobbled streets and 17th Century architecture is a very long way from the Nile Delta villages many of the boys have come from.I asked one of his friends if he calls his parents and what he tells them about their lives here, and if he's told them how close to death he came."I tell them nothing, just pleasantries and ask for their prayers. What difference would it make? They need me to make money."These boys tell us their parents went in to debt to raise the fare for their crossing. They saw it as an investment in what they hope will be a better future for the whole family. The children are expected to find work as soon as they can and start sending money home.Here at the care home, that's not possible so thousands of children are disappearing from the Italian social care networks.Italy's Ministry of Labor told us almost 4,000 Egyptian children disappeared from the care system.All the Italian authorities we spoke to who work with these children told us the pressure on the children would be unbearable even for an adult. They fear the consequences to their parents if the smugglers didn't get their money in full, or if the gamble doesn't pay off having sold what little of value they have.The missing children can't work legally. Social workers tell us that too often the children turn to drugs, even prostitution, to get by.Another boy we meet at the home asks me wistfully about Rome, which Italian authorities say is where so many of the disappeared head to.I told him Rome is dangerous for children on their own, especially on the streets. I told him the stories we'd heard from the Egyptian teenagers we'd met in Rome -- the exploitation and the homesickness. The Egyptian children in Rome tell stories of friends selling themselves on street corners -- but they sound suspiciously like they were speaking about themselves.I told him it's better to do it all the legal way and better for him to get an education.He listened politely until I'd finished then told me: "Better to be dead than useless."Dominique Van Heerden, Luca Muzi, Sara Sirgany and Mohamed Kazaz contributed to this report.

3news

Story highlightsKlinsmann took charge of USMNT in 2011Contracted until 2018 World Cup in RussiaWants U.S. players in top leaguesUSMNT is progressing "step by step"Erik Kirschbaum is a Berlin-based author and journalist. (CNN)Jurgen Klinsmann is one of the most polarizing soccer coaches in the world. Many passionately support his drive to improve the performances of his players and his teams, while others are vociferously opposed to all the moving and shaking he does. But he is also arguably one of the most successful coaches as well. The German will this month celebrate his fifth anniversary coaching the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team as statistically the best it has ever had -- with 52 victories and 14 draws in 90 games since he took charge on July 29, 2011. That 56.7% winning record might only just slightly eclipse those of his recent predecessors but, as global connoisseurs of the game are well aware, it is all the more impressive considering Klinsmann has deliberately scheduled as many risk-filled exhibition games as possible against the world's best teams -- in order to get his players conditioned for a run towards a World Cup semifinal or final one day. Follow @cnnsport After helping set Germany on an incredibly successful path of reaching at least the semifinals of the last seven tournaments it has played since 2005, with reforms he implemented as national coach from 2004-06, Klinsmann has also helped the USMNT punch above its weight in its last two major tournaments.Last month the U.S. reached the semifinals of the 16-team Copa America on home soil, beating Costa Rica, Paraguay and Ecuador before losing to Lionel Messi's Argentina. Read MoreBig Thank You for your amazing support at all our six games in Copa America! @AmericanOutlaws #USMNT pic.twitter.com/0pIdbrPLEJ— Jürgen Klinsmann (@J_Klinsmann) June 26, 2016 At the 2014 World Cup, the USMNT advanced from the so-called "Group of Death" with a win against Ghana, a draw with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and a 1-0 defeat by eventual champion Germany, before -- in the last 16 -- losing in extra time to a Belgium team that has since topped FIFA's rankings. It was a noteworthy achievement in a tournament where traditional heavyweights such as Spain, Italy and England failed to reach the knockout stage.Read: Can USMNT ever win the World Cup?So it should be no surprise that Klinsmann, who manages to bring out the best of his teams when it counts most in big tournaments, is reportedly on the list of candidates to become England's next manager. His uncanny ability to rise to the occasion -- and help those around him to peak at the right moment -- of World Cups, Euros and Copa Americas as both a player for Germany in the late 1980s to late '90s and coach since 2004 has not gone unnoticed. Would Klinsmann take the England job if it were offered to him? He loved his time there as a player at Tottenham Hotspur and said he could see himself going back some day. He would be a great fit and would probably jump at the chance. However, Klinsmann is signed up to lead the USMNT to the 2018 World Cup and, as someone who has never broken a contract before, it's unlikely he'd do it now. As he explained to me in a series of interviews for my new book "Soccer Without Borders," Klinsmann loves the challenges of helping to take soccer to the next level in the United States. Photos: A perfect week for U.S. soccer? Photos: A perfect week for U.S. soccer?Bobby Wood capped off a brilliant week for himself and the USMNT by getting his second goal in as many games. Both goals were match winners against world champion Germany and the Netherlands.Hide Caption 1 of 5 Photos: A perfect week for U.S. soccer?Michael Bradley was one of few recognized names in the U.S. lineup for the match against the Germans, but the inexperience mattered little.Hide Caption 2 of 5 Photos: A perfect week for U.S. soccer?Danny Williams celebrates his equalizer against the Netherlands with coach Jurgen Klinsmann. His team were 3-2 down with just two minutes to go, but managed to turn the game around for a 4-3 win.Hide Caption 3 of 5 Photos: A perfect week for U.S. soccer?USWNT 'keeper Hope Solo put in an outstanding performance Monday as she helped her team to a 3-1 victory over Australia in its opening Women's World Cup match. The U.S. is one of the favorites to lift the trophy.Hide Caption 4 of 5 Photos: A perfect week for U.S. soccer?The USMNT captured the hearts of millions of U.S. soccer fans across the country with its performances at last year's World Cup, where it was knocked out by Belgium in the round of 16.Hide Caption 5 of 5He's fallen in love with the country since moving to California in 1998 after retiring as a player who won a World Cup in 1990 as a West Germany player and a European championship in 1996 as unified Germany's captain. And he would love to take his team to the semifinals in Russia."We all want a brighter future for the U.S. Men's National Team, and we want the United States to become established as one of the world's top-10 teams," Klinsmann said. "But it's not going to be easy considering how many strong soccer nations there are around the world. Read: Why can't U.S. Soccer have its own LeBron James?"We set an ambitious goal for the 2018 World Cup -- to reach the semifinals. And, if we start with the end goal in mind, we obviously want to win the World Cup one day. There are huge challenges, and it will take a lot of hard work. But things are definitely moving in the right direction. Our goals are challenging but achievable." Klinsmann, 51, is pleased the game has become established in the U.S. in the last few years despite some setbacks in friendlies that led to sharp media criticism."Soccer has clearly made it in the United States," he said. "It's mainstream. It's recognized as a major sport. People like it. And it's growing. Great tournament win of our U-20 team under Coach Tab Ramos in L.A. ! Was fun to watch the youngsters! pic.twitter.com/xavb1ULrpG— Jürgen Klinsmann (@J_Klinsmann) July 4, 2016 "The next step is to become one of the best soccer nations in the world. The USMNT has become an important engine for growth in the United States. We're trying to do everything we can to make the national team as successful as possible in the World Cup, which is the benchmark for everyone around the world. "The attention that soccer in the United States gets at the World Cup is what pushes the game forward for the next four years. And because we made it out of the 'Group of Death' in Brazil, the game got another big boost emotionally -- from millions of American soccer fans and from the media." Read: Abby Wambach - I'd fire KlinsmannKlinsmann is sometimes misunderstood in the United States, in part because he speaks directly. He doesn't mince his words when explaining his team has a lot of work ahead of it. JUST WATCHEDCoach wants to grow interest in U.S. soccerReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHCoach wants to grow interest in U.S. soccer 05:44"A lot of things have gone well these past years, but a lot of things need to get better," he said. "It's a long-term process and there's no room for complacency. We're working on becoming a more proactive team; we're working on developing a style in which Americans recognize themselves. "Over time, we want to develop a belief that, 'If I'm really prepared, if I'm physically and mentally at the top of my abilities, then I'm actually able to compete with the best in the world.' We want to develop that mindset that, yes, we can do it." Klinsmann believes the USMNT can only be successful in the long run if its foundation -- the youth system -- keeps improving and developing. It needs a soccer pyramid like other nations have, but it will take time to develop -- though he realizes Americans are impatient and want quick results. "The foundation in the United States is still fragile and disconnected compared to other countries," he said. "The youth leagues do their own thing, the professional system is not really connected to the amateur system, and that's not really connected to the college system. Read: Klinsmann - Soccer offers U.S. kids route to the top"So there are holes in the system, like in a Swiss cheese, and there's a loss of quality. We're working on connecting those pieces, on connecting player development, and on continuing to build a pyramid in this amazing country." Above all, Klinsmann believes Americans must play more soccer at all levels to close the gap to the world's best teams. JUST WATCHEDThe best of enemiesReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe best of enemies 02:09"The more you play, the better you'll get. If you kick a ball against a house wall or against the garage for hours on end, you'll get better. It's as simple as that," he said."At the end of the day, the big question is: What is it that gets kids outside to play soccer for so many hours every day? What gives them that drive to do what's needed to make themselves better, every day, all year round?" Klinsmann talks often about self-motivation and how he wishes American players could do more on their own to improve their games -- something he senses is in abundance when it comes to basketball, with widespread hunger for success in the game. That inner drive, he says, is the key to success for top soccer players everywhere in the world. "There are a lot of fundamental questions that we still have to talk about more," he said."How much drive is there? How many hours a day, or how many hours each week, are the kids playing soccer? What drives them at the end of the day to make themselves better? Are the coaches properly trained and educated? Yes, the game is growing, millions of kids are playing it, but I sometimes fear a lot of that doesn't make it through the channels of communication, or it gets lost in things like the pay-per-play model in the youth sector. "There are so many things that aren't yet connected the way they should be connected. America is such a huge, fascinating place. I think it's going to take years to get it all right." Klinsmann is hopeful the U.S. will one day produce a superstar like Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Bastian Schweinsteiger or Wayne Rooney. But it will require kids committed to not only spending a few hours a week with their teams, but also two or three times that honing their skills at home.JUST WATCHEDMeet the U.S. manager Jurgen KlinsmannReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHMeet the U.S. manager Jurgen Klinsmann 01:31"The one common denominator you see with all the top players is a mindset of total determination they had as youth players and kept that right up to their national team careers," he said."They were absolutely driven to become the best players at every level along the way, and were never satisfied. I'm not sure if the United States has developed that mindset yet. I'm not sure why it seems that some Americans with talent sometimes reach a certain level in soccer and then settle with that instead of pushing themselves to the next level."You need talent but also to be extremely hungry and driven -- driven by the people around you who keep pushing you -- and it doesn't help to be surrounded by people who compliment you every day and give you pats on the back." Can Klinsmann lead the USMNT to success? Have your say on our Facebook pageKlinsmann believes top American players should stay as long as possible in leading European leagues rather than return home to Major League Soccer, which he says is lucrative but not helpful in terms of career development."When players at that level come back to the MLS, it's understandable, but it's not challenging for them," he said. "I can't blame someone coming back to make four times as much money, but for the talent they have, it's just not challenging enough. They're not playing at the highest possible level."Klinsmann's 17 years playing in four top European leagues taught him that learning to handle the pressure and criticism in countries where soccer is treated as a 24/7 way of life is essential to succeeding on the biggest stage of all -- the World Cup. "Our players who go to England, Germany, Spain, or France get used to the pressure and are used to getting criticized if they have a bad game," he said. "They hear about it from the local people in the supermarket or in the shops or on the streets. The pressure is everywhere. They're used to having to justify themselves for their performances all the time. Players at the professional level in MLS are not getting bothered at the supermarket the next day because they lost a game." JUST WATCHEDKlinsmann explains why he cut DonovanReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHKlinsmann explains why he cut Donovan 01:39Klinsmann draws a parallel with the world's top basketballers, who flock to the NBA rather than stay in lesser European leagues."You've got to go where the world's best players are -- it's as simple as that," he said. "If you try to make that step, you throw yourself into the shark tank, and it's gonna get nasty. And you gotta fight your way through it. But ultimately it's gonna make you stronger."It takes that kind of mindset that will make a difference in a big tournament. When players are in a highly competitive peer-pressure environment for 11 months a year, they are far better prepared for that huge level of expectations when it comes down to a World Cup -- which is the ultimate benchmark for everyone. "So that's why I'm saying if you can play against Manchester United on the weekend, or against Inter Milan or Bayern Munich, you'll be better prepared for that moment when you face all these top players in a World Cup. If you've never had any experience playing against Ronaldo or Messi, and suddenly see players like that lining up against you in a World Cup game, you might be a little bit intimidated. It's only natural. I would be too." Read: Donovan's dropping divides opinionDespite the challenges and criticism, Klinsmann says he is enjoying his job. "It's a bigger puzzle in the United States than in other countries, and it's not perfect yet. That's what makes it so exciting; we're building something great here," he said."We don't have a system in place like France or Germany or even South American countries. If you look at the FA in England, it's more than 100 years old and they already have their infrastructure, scouting, coaches' education, national training center, and the pyramid is connected. There's relatively little infrastructure work to do in England because it's all there. Read: German football phrase guide"Here in the United States, building that infrastructure is still important. That's what's so fascinating and rewarding about this." Klinsmann believes he is making progress with the USMNT, with historic wins in exhibition games in Mexico, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Germany -- outside its usual CONCACAF region. Like this story? Get more at cnn.com/football"The transition is happening step by step," he said. "We're playing against the bigger nations, we're attacking those bigger nations and holding our own against them. But there's no gain without pain. There's no growth without taking risks. And there's no growth without failure along the way. We're getting out of our comfort zone, and we're making some big strides forward. "People interested in soccer both inside and outside the United States can all feel that there is so much potential for soccer here. There's a lot of work ahead of us, but we're moving in the right direction, and that's exciting."

5sport