Nairobi, Kenya (CNN)Kenya froze dozens of accounts linked to suspected terror supporters after militants massacred 147 people last week at a university in Garissa. The government is tracking the finances of people suspected of ties to Al-Shabaab, the militant group that claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack. So far, the government has frozen 86 accounts, but that number could go up, said Mwenda Njoka, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. The government has tracked supporters of the terror group since 2011, and efforts to freeze their assets have gone on since then. It has a list of suspects from various parts of the country, but mostly in Nairobi and Mombasa, he said. Kenyans mourned the victims of the attack Tuesday night at Nairobi's Uhuru Park, where hundreds gathered. Organizers unloaded 147 crosses, some draped with the nation's flag, as candles flickered in the dark. Of the fatalities, 142 were students at the university, and the rest were security forces and campus security. "I can't even look at pictures of the people killed without crying," said Mary Wambui, 32, who lives in Nakuru, hundreds of miles from Garissa. "They were just children. They were trying to make a better life for themselves. Some were first to go to college in their communities. They died trying to get an education." Using the hashtag #147notjustanumber, Kenyans used social media to talk about the lives of the victims. They shared pictures of beaming faces, full of life and energy, in happier days. They talked about parents too shocked to speak after identifying their children's bodies. Some students remain unaccounted for, and wailing relatives alternate their searches between hospitals and morgues. Kenyan authorities have not released the names of the victims. Kenyan authorities had prior intelligence that a university in Garissa could be attacked, yet the country's rapid response team was stuck in Nairobi for hours after the massacre awaiting transport, a police source said Monday. The frozen accounts is the latest in a series of actions as the government faced heavy criticism for the siege, which lasted hours. A spokesman for President Uhuru Kenyatta said authorities "got the job done" and saved lives. The university had about 800 students. "With the benefit of hindsight, you can always say things could have been done better," Manoah Esipisu said. Kenya also launched airstrikes Monday targeting Al-Shabaab's training camps in Somalia, according to a military source, who said they were not retaliation for last week's massacre. "The latest attack of Al-Shabaab bases by the Kenya military is part of the ongoing operations that started in 2011," the source said Monday. Kenya has also offered 20 million Kenyan shillings, or about $215,000, for information on the whereabouts of Mohamed Mohamud, who allegedly organized the attack. Mohamud is a senior Al-Shabaab leader known by the aliases Dulyadin and Gamadhere, authorities said. Al-Shabaab is based in Somalia, and its violence has spread to Kenya before. In 2013, militants attacked Nairobi's upscale Westgate Mall, leaving 67 people dead. The terror group has intensified attacks in Kenya since the country sent troops to Somalia

Summary: The attack at a Garissa university last week killed 147 people, mostly students . The government is tracking the finances of people suspected of ties to Al-Shabaab .


(CNN)What would you do if a complete stranger asked you for $100, or offered you an apple in a parking lot without explanation? These are only two of the 100 challenges Chinese-born, American-based Jia Jiang put himself up to when he decided to blog about "100 Days of Rejection", a project he launched after he quit his comfortable six-figure job to follow his dreams of being an entrepreneur at the age of 30, just weeks before his first child was born. After his tech start-up was declined investment, Jiang decided to confront his fear of rejection head-on. This led to his writing his book called Rejection Proof, part self-help and part motivational/autobiography, which is being released this week. Famously, in 2012 on his third day of the project, Jiang asked Austin, Texas, Krispy Kreme manager (Jackie Braun) to make him five interlinked donuts to mimic the Olympic symbol. To his surprise, she rose to the challenge and his rejection request faltered. He shared his video and it went viral on Reddit. Before long, Jiang (and Braun) were invited on talk shows and Jiang was being asked to speak at events across the US. Jiang was even offered jobs as his project continued and his fame grew. That wasn't the goal of the project though. "I'm really just a person trying to overcome my own fears," explained Jiang. The project started out to help "fix my own problems, and now I'm helping others fix theirs," he said. "The fear of rejection really holds people back. I'm trying to demystify the idea of rejection." Jiang, who as a child dreamed of being Bill Gates and has been viewed 7 million times on YouTube, has found his entrepreneurial dream in a different role for the moment. "My goal is to turn rejection into opportunity. I always thought it was something to run away from, but if we can embrace it, we can turn it into a lot more than an obstacle." 8 top tips in making rejection work for you: . 1 - The fear of rejection holds us back a lot more than actual rejection. By putting ourselves out there, the world will usually open itself up to you. Though the world can seem cruel and cold, actually humans have a hard time saying no. So open yourself up, don't be afraid to ask for something. If you fail, remember it's not about you. 2 - Rejection is more or less a numbers game. Sometimes the most far-fetched idea gets a yes. If you talk to enough people, somebody will say yes to you. J.K. Rowling went through 12 rejections to get her yes for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. 3 - You cannot use rejection to measure the merit of an idea. Sometimes if you really want to change the world, getting rejection is a must. Rejection is a human interaction with two sides. It often says more about the rejector than the rejectee, and should never be used as the universal truth and sole judgment of merit. 4 - Don't run

Summary: One man's entrepreneurial quest turned into unexpected success . "100 Days of Rejection" took Jiang out of his comfort zone . It's the fear of rejection, more than rejection itself, which holds us back .


(CNN)Two passengers found dead on a cruise ship in Puerto Rico appear to have died in a murder-suicide, the cruise line said. Holland America Line said two guests were found dead inside their stateroom on the ms Ryndam at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. "The cabin was immediately secured, and the authorities were notified, including the FBI," Holland America said. "We are cooperating fully with the investigation, and the authorities will make the official determination on what occurred." FBI spokesman Moises Quiñones said authorities were on scene investigating. The ship left Tampa, Florida, on March 29 on a 14-day Southern Caribbean cruise. It's currently in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Port Authority spokesman Efraín Santiago told El Nuevo Dia newspaper that the cleaning staff on the ship had discovered the deceased passengers after knocking on the cabin's door.

Summary: Holland America says two passengers died in an apparent murder-suicide . "The cabin was immediately secured and the authorities were notified," cruise line says . The FBI is investigating the deaths; the ship is in San Juan, Puerto Rico .


(CNN)Buckle up for another Mercedes battle in the Formula One world championship. Lewis Hamilton took victory for the Silver Arrows at the Chinese Grand Prix -- only for his teammate Nico Rosberg to later claim he had ruined his race by driving slowly. The reigning world champion captured his 35th grand prix win with a peerless pole-to-flag win under Shanghai's sunny skies. "It was great to have a smooth weekend," the British racer said before spraying the champagne on the podium. "The team have done a fantastic job to up our pace and improve after our last race where we struggled a bit." F1 championship standings . Hamilton had lost the Malaysia Grand Prix in a strategic battle with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel but it was business as usual in Shanghai. Rosberg came home second for Mercedes to snuff out the threat from the chasing Italian racers and renew his rivalry with Hamilton. "It was an important comeback for the team," said the 2014 championship runner-up. Ferrari continued to put pressure on the world champion team with Vettel finishing third to collect his third straight podium of 2015. "We just wanted to bring the podium back home," said Vettel, a four-time world champion with Red Bull Racing. "It's been three out of three so far so it feels pretty good. I feel happy in the team and hopefully we can get a little bit closer to challenge these guys." Vettel is just 13 points behind Hamilton in the world championship and four points ahead of Rosberg, after the first three races of the year. Rosberg unhappy . It was a disheartening weekend for Rosberg -- the son of 1982 world champion Keke -- and he allowed his frustrations to spill over for the first time this season. On Saturday, Hamilton beat him to pole position by just 0.042 seconds and Rosberg complained to his engineers on the pit to car radio: "Oh, come on guys!" Then the German insisted his race was hampered when he found himself sandwiched between race leader Hamilton and Vettel, both of whom had stopped for fresh tyres a few laps earlier. "Lewis is driving very slowly. Tell him to speed up," Rosberg told the Mercedes pit wall. Mercedes then instructed Hamilton on the team radio: "OK Lewis we'd like to pick the pace up a little bit." Rosberg complained after the race that Hamilton's lackadaisical Sunday driving was holding him up, pushing him back into Vettel's thrall and taking life out of his tyres. "It's interesting to hear from you Lewis about your pace up front," Rosberg said in the post-race media conference. "That was compromising my race. Driving slowly, that was unnecessary, and meant Sebastian was closer to me. "It cost me a lot of time ... I'm unhappy about that of course." Hamilton responded: "It's not my job to look after Nico's race. It's my job to bring the car home. "I didn't do anything intentionally to slow the cars down. If Nico had wanted to get by he could have tried, but he

Summary: Lewis Hamilton took victory for the Silver Arrows at the Chinese Grand Prix . Nico Rosberg claims Hamilton ruined his race by driving slowly .


Canberra, Australia (CNN)Before "Bali Nine" duo, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the last Australian executed for drug offenses abroad was Van Tuong Nguyen by Singapore in 2005. Although Canberra then, as it is now, was strongly opposed to the death penalty, Van's death did not harm Australia's relationship with Singapore, nor the Australian people's view of that country. The executions of Chan and Sukumaran early Wednesday morning will be a different story. Their deaths will result in short to medium term frictions between Canberra and Jakarta at the highest levels. However, this will soon ease as the two countries have a number of common interests that neither side can abandon. But the Australian public's view of Indonesia, and anger with its government, will take much longer to subside. Those sympathetic to the dilemma faced by Indonesia's President Joko Widodo will argue that he was politically bound to allow the executions to take place. He ran on a robust anti-drug campaign, arguing that 18,000 Indonesians die from illicit drugs each year, though those figures are widely disputed. As the saga over whether the executions would take place dragged on for months, following ever more desperate legal challenges from the defense teams, Widodo painted himself into a corner. The widespread Australian perception is that the President owed his power to PDI-P Chairperson and former President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Believed by many to be the most powerful person in the country, some suggest that Megawati insisted Widodo stand by his hard-line anti-drugs policy and stare down Australian pressure -- or lose her support and reputation as a firm leader in the process. As recently as last year, it seemed that Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott empathized with the underlying pressures and back-room obligations on leaders. While working assiduously behind the scenes to argue for clemency for the "Bali Nine" duo, Abbott nevertheless appeared to accept the inevitability of the executions, even as he publicly reiterated Australia's opposition to capital punishment. Such a softly—softly approach was also aided by an Australian public that did not seem overly interested in the plight of Chan and Sukumaran. All that changed when credible stories began to emerge about the rehabilitation of the two Australian prisoners: Chan becoming a pastor and respected religious example for his fellow prisoners and Sukumaran a passionate painter with impressive talent. Such was the regard held for the Australian duo that even the governor of the Kerobokan jail where they were kept, Sudjonggo, urged a reconsideration of their impending executions. As the duo attracted greater public sympathy -- including from a joint statement by the last six prime ministers urging Jakarta to reconsider -- the good, great and popular in Australian society also united behind the plea for mercy. Under increasing pressure in the polls, the Abbott government began to publicly pursue what it had been doing in private: urging a stay of execution on legal and moral grounds -- even once reminding Jakarta of the over $1 billion worth of aid that Indonesia has received from Australia over the past decade. Australians have a dim

Summary: Despite pleas for mercy, Indonesia executed eight prisoners on Wednesday . Included two of the "Bali Nine," convicted drug traffickers from Australia . Executions will damage relations between countries, but public image will take longer to heal .


(CNN)No prostitutes. No ifs, ands or buts -- and yes, that includes when and where prostitution is perfectly legal. That was the message Friday from Attorney General Eric Holder to members of the U.S. Justice Department, which includes the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies. "The solicitation of prostitution threatens the core mission of the department," Holder wrote in a memo to all personnel in the department he heads. "... Regardless of whether prostitution is legal or tolerated in a particular jurisdiction, soliciting prostitutes creates a greater demand for human trafficking and a consequent increase in the number of minor and adult persons trafficked into commercial sex slavery." Holder doesn't mention specific cases of federal agents and prostitution in his memo. Nor is he dictating a new policy; the attorney general said only that he wanted "to reiterate to all department personnel, including attorneys and law enforcement officers, that they are prohibited from soliciting, procuring or accepting commercial sex." Agents behaving badly overseas . The directive comes a few weeks after a Justice Department inspector general report found DEA agents in foreign postings attended sex parties with prostitutes paid for by drug cartels, among other indiscretions. That report, by department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, cited light punishments and poor handling of sexual misconduct cases at DEA and other Justice Department agencies. Justice Department employees don't have a monopoly on such stories: In 2012, a group of agents and officers in the Secret Service -- which is part of the Department of Homeland Security -- and officers sent to Colombia ahead of President Barack Obama were relieved of duty and returned home amid allegations of misconduct that involved prostitution. That prostitute visit was arranged for by a DEA agent stationed in Colombia, according to Horowitz's office. If someone from the ATF, FBI, Federal Bureau of Prisons or a federal prosecutor is caught with a prostitute they'll be suspended or fired, according to Holder's memo. "This rule applies at all times during an individual's employment, including while off duty or on personal leave."

Summary: Attorney General Holder reiterates Justice Department policy on prostitutes . Soliciting prostitutes is banned, even in places where it's legal, Holder says . His memo comes weeks after a report involving DEA agents and prostitutes .


(CNN)The abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls a year ago this week captured global attention and inspired the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls, but the horrors for Nigeria's children are widespread. "Around 800,000 children have been forced to flee their homes as a result of the conflict in northeast Nigeria between Boko Haram, military forces and civilian self-defense groups," UNICEF said Monday. The "number of children running for their lives within Nigeria, or crossing over the border to Chad, Niger and Cameroon, has more than doubled in just less than a year." UNICEF released a report on the crisis titled "Missing Childhoods." It also launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #bringbackourchildhood. The campaign has "leading Snapchat artists" sharing images based on drawings from children in Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Artwork can also be seen on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. More than 1.5 million people have fled their homes due to the violence, UNICEF said. About 1.2 million are displaced internally, while others have crossed into Cameroon, Chad and Niger. "The vast majority of the displaced -- more than 880,000 -- are staying with host communities with little access to humanitarian support, putting additional strains on already stretched health, education and social services," it said. The April 14, 2014, kidnappings at a girls school in Chibok by the Islamist group Boko Haram "is only one of endless tragedies being replicated on an epic scale across Nigeria and the region," said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF regional director for West and Central Africa. "Scores of girls and boys have gone missing in Nigeria -- abducted, recruited by armed groups, attacked, used as weapons, or forced to flee violence. They have the right to get their childhoods back." Kids are being used by Boko Haram as combatants, cooks, and lookouts, UNICEF said. "Young women and girls are being subjected to forced marriage, forced labor and rape," it said. At least 196 teachers and 314 schoolchildren were killed in 2014, and more than 300 schools were damaged or destroyed.

Summary: More than 1.5 million people are displaced, including 800,000 children, UNICEF says . The kidnappings that inspired #BringBackOurGirls were a year ago this week . UNICEF is launching a #bringbackourchildhood campaign .


Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya (CNN)At first glance, Sudan looks like any other northern white rhino: stout and agile, with square lips. He grazes under the hot sun, his massive head lowered to the ground, at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya. When he's not wallowing in his enclosure, he waddles around the sprawling savannah, stopping briefly to drink water from a concrete hole. But Sudan is not just any rhino. He's the last known male northern white rhino left in the entire world. For an animal on the verge of extinction, the fate of the subspecies rests on his ability to conceive with the two female northern white rhinos at the conservancy. Sudan's female companions, Fatu and Najin, live at the conservancy, where experts are scrambling to ensure the subspecies does not go extinct. The animals are under 24-hour protection by armed guards. Rhinos are targeted by poachers, fueled by the belief in Asia that their horns cure various ailments. Experts say the rhino horn is becoming more lucrative than drugs. In addition to round-the-clock security, the conservancy has put radio transmitters on the animals and dispatches incognito rangers into neighboring communities to gather intelligence on poaching. The conservancy is also raising funds to help equip and train rangers who guard the rhinos. At 42, Sudan is elderly in rhino years. Fatu, 15, is a spring chicken, while Najin is 25. Though the three northern white rhinos are physiologically healthy, age might be a factor, says George Paul, the deputy veterinarian at the conservancy. "Sudan is currently old and may not be able to naturally mount and mate with a female," he says. In addition, he has a low sperm count, which complicates natural and scientific efforts, experts say. Najin could conceive, but her hind legs are so weak, she may be unable to support a mounted male. "There has been recorded mating between different pairs over the last few years, but not conceptions," Paul says. "Based on a recent health examination conducted, both animals have a regular estrus cycle, but no conception has been recorded." And if one is not recorded soon, the beloved animal will go extinct. Rhinos on a plane: Life-saving mission across borders . In a race against time, international experts are resorting to science to try to sustain the subspecies. The northern white rhino cannot mate with a black rhino, but there is a chance it could mate with a southern white rhino, Paul says. While southern white rhinos are not endangered -- Ol Pejeta has 19 -- they are a different subspecies from the northern white rhino genetically. Though the offspring would not be 100% northern white rhino, it would be better than nothing, experts say. A committee at the conservancy is also looking at various alternative reproduction techniques, including in vitro fertilization. "In other countries, success has been achieved with embryo transfer in a different rhino species, thus that, as a technique, can be presupposed to be the most promising," Paul says. "However, consultations are ongoing amongst different reproductive technique experts on the way

Summary: Sudan is one of a handful of northern white rhinos left worldwide . As the only male, the fate of the subspecies rests on his ability to conceive with two females at a conservancy . Experts are trying various ways, including in vitro fertilization .


(CNN)Tobacco companies including Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds filed suit this week against the Food and Drug Administration alleging that the FDA is violating the companies' free speech rights. In March, the FDA issued guidance that if significant changes are made to a product's label, like color or a logo, the product requires new approval from the administration. This holds true even if the product was previously approved. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, argues that those guidelines go too far and are too vague. They violate the First Amendment because they pre-emptively restrict free speech and exceed the scope of the Tobacco Control Act, the companies claim. The FDA's actions, the suit says, do not advance a substantial government interest. The plaintiffs also include U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., American Snuff Co., Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Co. and Lorillard Tobacco Co. FDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum said the administration does not comment on litigation. CNN's Debra Goldschmidt contributed to this report.

Summary: Companies including Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds in suit alleging violation of free speech . In March, the FDA issued guidance about changes to tobacco product labels . If significant changes are made to a product's label, like color or a logo, the product requires new approval .


(CNN)With the announcement that E! will air a new documentary series this summer about Bruce Jenner's transition from male to female, fans are eagerly awaiting bearing witness to the former Olympian's journey. The as yet not titled eight-part, one-hour series is set to premiere July 26. Jenner, who along with his family has starred in the hit E! reality series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," recently went public with the fact that he is transgender. Here are a few things we hope the new show will offer: . A closer look at Jenner's current relationship with his former wife . Fans of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" often got to see the sometimes strained relationship between Bruce and his wife Kris. As the Kardashian family matriarch who also manages her kids' careers, Kris butted heads with Bruce over everything from their children to his desire for more privacy. The pair announced they had filed for divorce in September 2014 after some time of living apart. There has been plenty of speculation regarding Kris Jenner's feelings about Bruce's transitioning though she tweeted her support after he made the announcement Friday during an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer. What role he will take in the transgender community . Before he was a realty television star, Jenner was a popular motivational speaker. He is already being hailed for bringing attention to the transgender community. "Bruce is incredibly courageous and an inspiration, and we are proud to be entrusted with this deeply personal and important story," said Jeff Olde, executive vice president of programming and development for E! "This series will present an unfiltered look as Bruce boldly steps into uncharted territory and is true to himself for the first time." According to E! Jennifer Finney Boylan, who is the national co-chair of GLAAD, will serve as a consultant on Jenner's series. "Orange Is the New Black" actress Laverne Cox, who is transgender, has also offered Jenner her support. "I think a lot of people tuned in expecting to see a spectacle, and they tuned in and saw a profoundly nuanced, complicated, beautiful human being," Cox told MSNBC's Janet Mock. His relationship with his kids . Jenner is extremely close with his children. He has six biological kids with former wives Chrystie Scott, Linda Thompson, and Kris Jenner. He also helped raise Kris Jenner's four children -- Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Robert Kardashian -- from her first marriage. "Those are the ones I'm concerned with and the only ones I don't -- I can't allow, I can't let myself hurt them," Jenner told Sawyer during their interview about his fear in telling his children. Many of his kids appear supportive of his transition and his two youngest, daughter Kendall and Kylie, released the following statement to ABC about their father: "We love our dad very much as he is an amazing father. We couldn't ask for a better dad. He has the biggest heart and all we want for him is to be happy. If he's happy, we're happy." How fans will react . Jenner has

Summary: E! plans to air a new Jenner reality show this summer . It will follow his transition from male to female .


(CNN)After a weekend shipwreck off the coast of Italy that may have killed hundreds of migrants, the International Organization for Migrants said Monday that there may be three more migrant boats in distress in international waters. Authorities still don't know the fate of many of the passengers, including children, who were on the large ship bound from Libya to Europe that capsized Saturday night in the frigid waters of the Mediterranean Sea. That sinking may be the worst in a series of disasters in which migrants have lost their lives on vessels that are too rickety to survive long voyages. "Gangs of criminals are putting people on a boat, sometimes even at gunpoint," Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said. "They're putting them on the road to death, really, and nothing else." A rescue operation is still underway for people who were on the ship from Libya, and the number of potential victims is not clear. A Bangladeshi survivor told investigators there were 950 people on board. Previous estimates put the number around 700. Maltese authorities, who are working with Italian rescuers, said around 50 people had been saved. But the Italian Coast Guard said 28 people had been rescued and 24 bodies recovered. Two of the survivors were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking upon arriving in Sicily, according to Italian police officer Maria Guia Federico. On Monday, European Union ministers met in Luxembourg and proposed a 10-point plan to help address the crisis. "We are not yet working on numbers, but what we have agreed on today is, for sure, the need to increase significantly the resources at sea, and the level of the operation, doing more search and rescue and doing it more together," Federica Mogherini told CNN's "The World Right Now with Hala Gorani." The EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy said the European Union must fight human traffickers, strengthen Europeans' duty to save lives at sea and share responsibility when it comes to the resettlement and relocation of refugees. "We need to fight the organizations that are trafficking and smuggling people, so that we can prevent desperate people from leaving in desperate conditions," Mogherini said. "My pain is that it was a reaction coming too late after so many people died." Migrants have been attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean to southern Europe for years, but authorities have reported a sudden surge in the past 10 days, along with a grim spike in the number of those who are killed en route. Already this year, more than 900 migrants are believed to have died while crossing the Mediterranean, far more than during the same period in 2014, the International Organization for Migration said last week. Since the beginning of 2015, more than 35,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean Sea -- 23,500 have landed in Italy and more than 12,000 in Greece, according to the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights. While those numbers sound high, they were even higher the previous year. In 2014, approximately 219,000 refugees and migrants sailed across

Summary: Two survivors were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking, police say . European officials propose a 10-point plan meant to address the crisis . A survivor tells authorities that migrants were trapped behind locked doors .


(CNN)Countries around the world have launched massive aid operations to help victims of the Nepal earthquake, but distribution of aid faces challenges as Nepal is still trying to come to terms with the scale of the disaster. With over 4,400 dead, 8,000 injured and 8 million people across Nepal affected, numerous aid groups and at least 16 nations have rushed to send supplies and workers to the stricken country. But now the Nepalese government and army who are leading the disaster response face another problem: How to effectively coordinate and organize the massive influx of humanitarian aid. Here are three major obstacles that are hampering efforts of distribution. Nepal relies on only one international airport to receive and deliver aid. Relief organizations say the tarmac at Tribhuvan International Airport remains jam-packed with a large number of cargo planes. Several aircraft carrying essential supplies have been turned away, or diverted to India and elsewhere. "The airport is totally congested. Even the planes which have landed, goods haven't been offloaded," Jagan Chapagain, the Asia Pacific Director of the IFRC (International Federations of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies) told CNN. Flightradar24, a live air traffic monitor, shows that incoming flights have had to circle in the air several times before being able to land. The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team who is on the ground coordinating international relief efforts says they are doing all they can to address the problem. "There are lots of flights arriving from around the world for search and rescue, and that's the challenge we're trying to address by supporting the airport staff directly," said Marcus Werne, a UNDAC team leader. But Chapagain says that airport management is still chaotic, with staff and military not being able to clear runways and offload supplies effectively. According to a U.N. situation report, main roads in Kathmandu are open, but remote areas are largely inaccessible. "Due to the mountainous geography, infrastructure damage, collapsed bridges and damaged roads, access to many of the affected areas is reported to be extremely limited," read the report. The Nepalese government has not been able to provide relief to all affected areas due to difficulties in transporting goods, a government official told CNN. "The helicopters are small. They don't fly in windy and cloudy conditions. Given Nepal's geographical terrain we cannot use surface transport much but we are using it," said Sagar Mani Parajuli, the Joint Secretary for Nepal's Home Ministry. The situation has deteriorated to the point where relief workers are as good as stranded. Pirtha Raj Joshi, a disaster management officer for Nepal Red Cross, had to walk 10 hours to reach a office in one of the severely affected districts, said Chapagain. Initial reports from the IFRC say that over 36,000 houses have been totally destroyed, with the number expected to rise as teams arriving in severely affected areas continue to assess damages. Just two days after the earthquake struck, Nepalese authorities leading the response are still trying to fully understand which areas have been affected, how they are affected and what

Summary: Nepalese authorities struggle with trying to coordinate a massive influx of international aid . Relief organizations say lots of aid supplies remain stuck in cargo aircraft on the tarmac . Damaged roads and infrastructure have hampered distribution efforts and rescue teams trying to access remote areas .


Miami (CNN)Inside a plane at Miami International Airport, baggage handlers are going on a shopping spree with passengers' bags. What they don't know is that they are being recorded on a hidden camera. The Miami-Dade Police Department set up the camera as part of an ongoing police investigation into luggage thefts by the very airport workers who are supposed to get bags safely onto planes. Email your story ideas and tips to CNNtips@cnn.com. "It's a problem we all face," said police Lt. Pete Estis. "We will continue to be proactive until we can see that the claims of pilfering through luggage will actually decrease." Miami Aviation Director Emilio T. González said the insider theft cases "are indeed the exception among the thousands of decent, hardworking employees at MIA, and they have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for their crimes." And these insider thefts just don't happen in Miami. A CNN analysis of passenger property loss claims filed with the TSA from 2010 to 2014 shows 30,621 claims of missing valuables, mostly packed in checked luggage. The rest occurred at security checkpoints. Total property loss claimed: $2.5 million. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York topped the list of airports with the most claims of thefts from luggage, followed by Los Angeles International, Orlando International and Miami International, according to the data. The problem has been so serious at JFK that in 2013, El Al Airlines set up a hidden camera in a baggage hold. The camera showed baggage handlers stealing items on flights bound for Israel, including a $5,000 Seiko watch, iPhones, an iPad, cameras, gold rings and cash. Six of those arrested pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property or petty larceny and the seventh suspect's case was sealed, according to the Queens District Attorney's Office. The high-profile case, though, didn't stop the thefts. Two more baggage handlers at JFK were arrested in 2014 after authorities said they stole two designer handbags from a suitcase, and then tried to sell them on eBay. Then, in December, seven more JFK baggage handlers were charged with stealing valuables from checked luggage. The items were stolen from suitcases of passengers traveling to or from Hawaii, Japan, Johannesburg, London, Bangkok, Dubai, Milan and various U.S. cities. In Miami, which aggressively goes after luggage thieves, police have arrested 31 baggage handlers and ramp workers since 2012, including six so far this year. Police set up a hidden camera inside the belly of a plane last year and caught baggage handlers rifling through luggage and stealing various items. Another hidden camera caught a baggage handler rummaging through bags in a secure luggage room inside the airport while a security guard looked the other way. "Insider threat is very scary for us in law enforcement, and certainly someone taking somebody's cell phone, iPad, computer -- what's next?" Estis said. A CNN investigation earlier this year found that Miami and Orlando are the only two major airports in the country that require employees to be screened through metal detectors. Miami even checks employees when

Summary: TSA received more than 30,000 claims of missing valuables between 2010-2014 . Most of the missing valuables were packed in checked luggage . Miami-Dade police set up hidden cameras as part of sting .


(CNN)Some of the men and women of the Indianapolis police force are giving up their blues. Beginning Friday, blue uniform shirts will be traded for white ones for command staff members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD). In a statement, the department said the change is being made as part of its constant effort to ensure "accountability, professionalism and transparency... at the forefront of our day-to-day activities." As police departments around the country see more protests over the use of lethal force, IMPD officials acknowledge that this is a time of "increased scrutiny of police operations and tactics," but said the decision to change the uniform for certain ranks within the department is "not related to any specific, individual incident occurring elsewhere in the United States." Although it's not a total uniform makeover, police officials said the white shirts will make command-level staff immediately identifiable to those who don't recognize the rank badges on officers' collars, the statement said. The new color will be worn by majors, district commanders, deputy chiefs, assistant chiefs and the chief of police. "Command staff personnel have the responsibility of publicly leading from the front, while being accessible to the members of the general public they serve," the statement said. "Those wearing white uniform shirts can and should be viewed as the final point of contact to the police department." Some studies have shown that while any police uniform is usually perceived by the public as a sign of authority, lighter-colored uniforms may give a sense of goodness and safety.

Summary: Beginning Friday, some ranks of the Indianapolis police department will wear white shirts . Police say the change in attire is not related to any specific incident . The new uniform shirt color is aimed at ensuring accountability .


(CNN)The killing of an employee at Wayne Community College in Goldsboro, North Carolina, may have been a hate crime, authorities said Tuesday. Investigators are looking into the possibility, said Goldsboro police Sgt. Jeremy Sutton. He did not explain what may have made it a hate crime. The victim -- Ron Lane, whom officials said was a longtime employee and the school's print shop operator -- was white, as is the suspect. Lane's relatives said he was gay, CNN affiliate WNCN reported. The suspect, Kenneth Morgan Stancil III, worked with Lane as part of a work-study program, but was let go from the program in early March due to poor attendance, college President Kay Albertson said Tuesday. On Monday, Stancil walked into the print shop on the third floor of a campus building, aimed a pistol-grip shotgun and fired once, killing Lane, according to Sutton. Stancil has tattoos on his face. Sutton said investigators are looking into whether he is part of a white supremacist gang. He has no previous criminal record, authorities said. Sutton said Stancil fled on a motorcycle after the shooting and ultimately abandoned it in a highway median. Then, Stancil continued on to Daytona, Florida, but authorities don't know how he traveled, Sutton said. He was arrested just after 1 a.m. Tuesday, after he was found sleeping on a beach, about 550 miles (885 kilometers) from Goldsboro. Volusia County Beach Patrol had approached him for violating the city's ordinance against sleeping on the beach. He had a knife, police said. He was taken into custody without incident. Authorities in North Carolina expect to bring him back to face charges. Wayne Community College, a two-year school, has a student population of 3,837, according 2013 figures from the National Center for Education Statistics. Slightly more than half the students are part-time. Crime statistics from the center's website show no killings, assaults, robberies or motor vehicle thefts between 2011 and 2013. There were three arrests for illegal weapons possession in 2012 and three in 2013.

Summary: Relatives of Wayne Community College shooting victim say he was gay, local media report . The suspect had worked for the victim but was let go, college president says . The suspect, Kenneth Morgan Stancil III, was found sleeping on a Florida beach and arrested .


(CNN)A New Jersey auction house has removed items from its April 17 event after an uproar from the public. The items are crafts and artifacts made by Japanese-Americans confined to World War II internment camps. A grass-roots campaign of a change.org petition, a Facebook page, and mediation by "Star Trek" actor George Takei has resulted in Rago Arts and Auction Center agreeing to pull the items from the sale. "There is an essential discussion to be had about the sale of historical items that are a legacy of man's inhumanity to man. It extends beyond what is legal. It is something auction houses, galleries and dealers are faced with regularly," the auction house said. "We hope this controversy will be the beginning of a discourse on this issue." Takei, who with his family spent time in one of the camps, thanked people for working to stop the sale. According to a comment on the Facebook page "Japanese American History: NOT for Sale," he was working on the issue while on a trip to Australia. "It took a few calls today here in the wee hours, and I'll be issuing a formal statement later, but we can all celebrate a bit today at this news," he wrote. The auction house said 24 lots of an original collection of works of art and crafts were removed. During World War II, about 117,000 people of Japanese descent were forced to live in 10 internment camps. The government called them relocation centers. Many of the people who lived there and their descendants had another phrase for the facilities. They call them concentration camps. Two-thirds of the people who were ordered there were native born U.S. citizens, according to the National Archives. CNN affiliate KGO reported the items were given to historian Allen Eaton, who opposed internment camps. The items were inherited from the historian's estate. Miriam Tucker, a partner with the auction house, said it had hoped the items would go to someone who cared about their historical meaning. "For us, there could be no better resolution than for a suitable museum, foundation or members of the Japanese-American community with the means to preserve this collection to come forward and secure it for education, display and research," she said. KGO reported the people it talked to would like items returned to family members if possible and any other artifacts put in an exhibition. "This was a gift and let the gift come full circle," said Judy Hamaguchi with the San Francisco Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League. She was referring to a letter the organization sent to the auction house. "It should be returned as a gift." The lots have been packed away for now, said auction house partner David Rago in an email. "Once the dust settles from this auction weekend (1,200 lots in three days) we will work with a small group of people from the Japanese-American community who have identified themselves through this process as generous, informed, voices of reason," he wrote. He said a suitable institution is the best possible home

Summary: The items were originally given to a historian who opposed the camps, CNN affiliate reports . Auctioneer hoped they would be bought by museum or someone who would donate them for historical appreciation . Japanese-Americans were furious about items from family members, others being sold .


(CNN)ISIS on Wednesday released more than 200 Yazidis, a minority group whose members were killed, captured and displaced when the Islamist terror organization overtook their towns in northern Iraq last summer, officials said. Most of those released were women and children; the rest were ill or elderly, said Rassol Omar, a commander in the Peshmerga force that defends northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Omar didn't say what led to the release, other than asserting that Arab tribal leaders helped to coordinate it. The freed Yazidis were received by Peshmerga, who sent them to the Kurdish regional capital, Irbil, said Nuri Osman, an official with Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government. It wasn't immediately clear what motivated Wednesday's release, Osman said. Osman said 217 Yazidis were released. Omar, the Peshmerga commander, had a higher count: 228. ISIS previously released scores of other Yazidis -- largely children and the elderly -- since attacking the group's towns last year. The Sunni Islamist militant group steamrolled into Iraq's north last summer, forcing hundreds of thousands of minorities -- Yazidis among them -- from their homes. Yazidis are of Kurdish descent, and their religion is considered a pre-Islamic sect that draws from Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. One of the oldest religious communities in the world, the Yazidis have long suffered persecution, with many Muslims referring to them as devil worshipers. ISIS' cruelty to them has been extraordinary. ISIS' conquest of the town of Sinjar, in particular, provoked a major humanitarian crisis as some Yazidis fled into the mountains -- where many became trapped for a time without food and water -- and others fled by foot into neighboring Syria. ISIS slaughtered Yazidis by the hundreds, Yian Dakhil, the only lawmaker representing the Yazidis in Iraq's Parliament, told CNN last year. Reports emerged from some Yazidi survivors that ISIS raped and enslaved female Yazidi captives. An international coalition responded, first by airdropping supplies in the mountains. Rescues came next. And then, starting in August, the United States and other nations conducted airstrikes targeting ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. State Department estimates that 500,000 Yazidis live in northern Iraq, accounting for less than 1% of the country's population. CNN's Raja Razek reported from Beirut. CNN's Jason Hanna wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Hamdi Alkshali, Faith Karimi and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report.

Summary: Most of those released were women and children . Freed Yazidis sent to capital of Iraq's Kurdish region .


(CNN)Some fans of Lucille Ball want her statue removed from a park in her hometown, saying the "ugly" likeness does not do justice to the "I Love Lucy" star. The life-size bronze statue in Celoron, New York, has been likened to Conway Twitty, the snake from "Beetlejuice" and actor Steve Buscemi, among other unflattering comparisons. Even Mayor Scott Schrecengost has gone on record saying he does not care for the statue, which shows the comic star holding a bottle of fictional nutrition elixir Vitameatavegamin. And yet, it has been a tourist draw since 2009 for Celoron, the comedian's birthplace, attracting visitors who pose with the statue for pictures. A resident of Jamestown, where Ball grew up, started the Facebook page in 2012 "We Love Lucy! Get Rid of this Statue," seeking to get rid of the "ugly" statue. A story about the group on Yahoo! News this week spread through the internet, reviving debate over what to do with the statue. The founder of the Facebook group would like to see the statue replaced with a new one outside a planned Comedy Hall of Fame in Jamestown, home to the Lucy-Desi Museum & Center for Comedy and the annual Lucille Ball Comedy Festival. The founder requested anonymity, saying the issue is "not about me; it's about the statue." "Lucille Ball was one of the most talented, beautiful, funny women who ever appeared on television; a pioneer, a giant of television. My only goal is to have a sculpture of her in Jamestown which does her justice," the group's founder told CNN. "This statue in Celoron is not fixable. I love my hometown and I Love Lucy. Let's get a new statue that is a real tribute to her memory as the Comedy Queen of Television." A Buffalo News columnist vouched for the sentiment, saying "its deranged grimace and jagged teeth inspire more dread than reverence." "No one here much likes the statue, and one look tells you why. It looks more like an extra from 'The Walking Dead' than arguably the most famous comic actress of all time," Colin Dabkowski wrote Saturday. Still, residents take pride in their claim to fame, "even if some of them privately wish that the statue commemorating her would be struck by lightning." The artist who created the statue did not respond to CNN's request for comment. In a post this week, the Facebook group founder said the point was not to "disparage" the artist or his work. But, in this case, "this Lucy statue is just not up to his usual work." Schrecengost told the local Post-Journal that he reached out to the artist over the years about redoing the statue. "He finally came back and said he wanted $8,000 to $10,000 to do it. I've also reached out to several other sculptors in the region, and some said they would do it, but we're still looking at about $5,000," he told the newspaper. "We'd like to work with the original sculptor and wish he would stand behind his work enough to step up and fix

Summary: Facebook group wants Lucille Ball statue replaced with a new one . Mayor says he does not want to spend taxpayer money on fixing statue .


(CNN)A longtime friend of Joni Mitchell has filed a legal petition seeking to be named the singer-songwriter's conservator. Mitchell, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, was taken to UCLA Medical Center a month ago after being found unconscious in her home. She remains at the hospital, according to Leslie Morris' court petition filed April 28. Morris is described as Mitchell's friend of more than 44 years in the legal documents. Whether the folk and jazz singer is conscious remains a matter of some confusion. In her April 28 petition, Morris says Mitchell is unconscious: "At this time she (Mitchell) remains unconscious and unable to make any responses, and is therefore unable to provide for any of her personal needs." But on Mitchell's website, a statement posted the same day that says it was approved by Morris says Mitchell is alert. "Contrary to rumors circulating on the Internet today, Joni is not in a coma. Joni is still in the hospital -- but she comprehends, she's alert, and she has her full senses. A full recovery is expected. The document obtained by a certain media outlet simply gives her longtime friend Leslie Morris the authority -- in the absence of 24-hour doctor care -- to make care decisions for Joni once she leaves the hospital." When asked about the discrepancy between statements about Mitchell's health on her website and in the legal filing, her publicist, Alisse Kingsley, responded that "the website" was accurate. A doctor's capacity declaration stated that Mitchell will likely be unable, due to her medical condition, to attend any court hearings for the next four to six months. Adoring fans are posting their tributes to Mitchell at WeLoveYouJoni.com. Sonya Hamasaki and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.

Summary: Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is still hospitalized . Her longtime friend Leslie Morris wants to be appointed her conservator .


Hong Kong (CNN)Phil Rudd, the drummer for legendary hard rock band AC/DC, has pleaded guilty to charges of threatening to kill and possession of drugs in a New Zealand court. Rudd, who previously denied all allegations, made a surprise guilty plea Tuesday before the trial began. The 60-year-old Australian was arrested in November last year after police found methamphetamine and cannabis while executing a search warrant at his home in New Zealand. According to a court summary, Rudd fired several employees because the release of his solo album in August had flopped in the charts. A month later, he called an associate and said he wanted his personal assistant "taken out." He later then called the victim -- his personal assistant -- on the phone and said, "I'm going to come over and kill you." Rudd made several calls to his personal assistant over the following days, but he terminated the calls after realizing it was Rudd on the phone. "As a result of the threats made by the defendant, the victim was genuinely very fearful of his safety," read the summary. The drummer's lawyer, Craig Tuck, told reporters outside the court that the charges were "essentially just an angry phone call." "I will be seeking to have him discharged without conviction," Tuck added in an email to CNN. Rudd could face up to seven years in prison for the charge of threatening to kill. He is currently released on bail until the sentencing hearing on June 26. In November, the court dropped the police charge of "attempting to procure murder" after prosecutors decided there wasn't enough evidence.

Summary: AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty to threatening to kill and drug charges . Court summary revealed that Rudd had ordered for his personal assistant to be "taken out" Police found methamphetamine and cannabis in his New Zealand home in November .


(CNN)Thousands remain missing in Nepal after a devastating earthquake struck the region on Saturday. A majority of them are Nepalese, Indian and Chinese residents, but a handful are adventurers, trekkers and vacationers who have not been heard from since the catastrophe. Technology has played a huge role in helping families share their worries, ask for help and search for their missing loved ones. Several organizations, such as Google and the Red Cross, have published features about the missing on their websites. And on CNN iReport, dozens of people have filed reports pleading for information that might help them locate their missing friends and relatives. The death toll in Nepal is rising; it has now surpassed more than 5,000. Though the news is mostly heartbreaking and worrisome, there have been stories of survival, of families reconnecting with loved ones days after the disaster. The walk of survival . After hearing about devastation in Nepal, Ahmed Shadmann of Bangladesh reached out to his nation's embassy in Nepal, made calls to old college contacts in South Asia and posted pleas on social media to help find his younger sister Raisaa Tashnova. Tashnova, 25, was with a group of friends at The Last Resort, a spa-like resort near the border with China. When the earthquake struck, she was getting ready for a group excursion, a canyon swing. She could see the ground splitting apart beneath her feet. What scared her most was seeing large boulders crashing down from the mountains above. She prayed she wouldn't be crushed. She ran from the toppling boulders and shielded herself. When the tremors subsided, Tashnova and her friends huddled together and camped on higher ground overnight, expecting to be rescued. When three days passed and no one came to their aid, the group decided to take their chances and leave the confines of the resort. The walk toward Kathmandu was treacherous. The roads near the resort were mostly blocked or in bad shape because of a landslide. But the worst part was the smell of rotting flesh, which permeated the air as she passed countless villages flattened by the quake. "It was a walk of survival," she said. "My brain refused to feel anything apart from putting one leg before the other until the mountains were left behind." Tashnova hiked six hours through mountainous terrain toward Nepal's capital. After navigating down tricky mountain slopes, she and her friends came across a village and hitched a ride on a local bus. She was able to connect with her family, nearly four days after the quake, from the airport in Kathmandu while waiting for the next flight to Bangladesh. She was exhausted. She hadn't showered or slept since before the quake. When Shadmann got the call from his sister, he said it felt fantastic. "What was surprising is that her voice sounded very strong. It didn't seem like she had gone through a terrible episode in her life," he said. There was little information . Dr. Carol Pineda and her husband, Michael MacDonald, of Massachusetts, were vacationing in Nepal when the quake

Summary: Thousands remain missing in Nepal after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck . Social media has helped people overseas tracked down their loved ones in Nepal . Technology has helped those stranded after the quake reach out for help .


(CNN)The Force is strong in Turkey -- or at least it appears to be at one university where thousands of students are petitioning for a Jedi temple to be built on campus. The petition, which was started by a student at Dokuz Eylul University in the western province of Izmir, so far has almost 5,500 signatures. "There are less and less Jedi left on the Earth," the petition says. It adds that "uneducated Padawan" -- the novice Jedis in George Lucas' "Star Wars" film franchise -- "are moving to the dark side. ... To find the balance in the Force, we want a Jedi temple." The page on Change.org also features a still of Jedi Grand Master Yoda from "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" teaching young Jedis how to use a light saber. "I'm signing because the nearest temple (is) billions of light years away," one supporter wrote on the petition page. Another supporter wrote: "We want freedom of worship. There are mosques everywhere, but no Jedi temple!" The petition was started by Akin Cagatay Caliskan, an 18-year-old computer science student from Ankara. Caliskan says he is surprised by the impact his petition has made: "I did not expect so many supporters. I thought maybe it might (have) 100." The satirical document does have a serious side. An online debate started last month when Mehmet Karaca, the rector of Istanbul Technical University, said he would build a mosque on campus if there was enough support. Karaca was referencing another petition asking a mosque be built on campus, which almost 200,000 students signed. Twenty thousand students at ITU also signed a separate petition in response, demanding a Buddhist temple on campus. "I cannot fulfill my religious needs" and cannot afford "to go to the nearest Buddhist temple 2,000 miles away," Utku Gurcag Boratac from Istanbul wrote as her reason for signing. "I want to fulfill my religious needs on campus," said another. This is just the latest flurry in a longstanding discussion around civil and religious freedoms in the secular republic. Turkey's secularist opposition has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party, the Islamist-based Justice and Development Party, of trying to instill conservative Islamic values into everyday life. Late last year, the head of Turkey's Islamic religious affairs authority, the Diyanet, announced plans to build 80 mosques on university campuses across the country. The Diyanet sparked discussion a few months earlier by opening a mosque on the campus of Erzurum Ataturk University in the eastern province of Erzurum, according to Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet.

Summary: 5,500 signatures call for Jedi temple after similar petition asked for campus mosque . Petition started by a student at Dokuz Eylul University in the western province of Izmir .


(CNN)On May 28, 2014, some 7,000 people gathered in a stadium in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. But they had not come to watch the local football team or any other grand sporting event. Instead, the authorities paraded scores of prisoners dressed in orange jumpsuits. Armed soldiers guarded the exits. In the patently unfair, open air trial that followed, 55 people were found guilty of a range of offenses linked to violent attacks in the region and jailed. Three were sentenced to death. The public mass sentencing was part a China's "Strike Hard" campaign against unrest in Xinjiang, a campaign the government claims was launched to combat "terrorism" and "separatism." But it was also indicative of a trend that was starkly evident last year around the world -- governments using the death penalty in a misguided, and often cynical, attempt to tackle crime and terrorism. Today, Amnesty International releases its annual review of the death penalty worldwide. Much of it makes for grim reading. In Pakistan, the government lifted a six-year moratorium on the execution of civilians in the wake of the horrific Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar in December. More than 60 people have been put to death since, and the government has threatened to send thousands more death row prisoners to the gallows. Iran and Iraq executed people for "terrorism," and other countries expanded the scope of capital crimes in their penal codes. In a year when abhorrent summary executions by armed groups were branded on the global consciousness as never before, governments are themselves resorting to more executions in a knee-jerk reaction to terrorism. Other countries made use of executions in similarly flawed attempts to address -- or appear to address -- crime rates. Jordan ended an eight-year moratorium in December, putting 11 murder convicts to death, with the government saying it was a move to end a surge in violent crime. In Indonesia, authorities announced plans to execute mainly drug traffickers to tackle a public safety "national emergency." Six people have already been executed this year. A sharp spike in death sentences recorded in 2014 -- up more than 500 on the previous year -- can also be attributed to governments using the death penalty as a political tool. The rise was largely because of developments in Egypt and Nigeria, where courts imposed hundreds of death sentences in the context of internal political instability or crime and armed conflict. The simple fact is that governments using the death penalty to tackle crime and security threats are deceiving themselves or the public or both. There is no evidence that the threat of execution is more of a deterrent to crime than a prison sentence, as United Nations and other studies have repeatedly confirmed. It is high time that world leaders stop using the death penalty as an easy way out when times get tough. At Amnesty International, we have campaigned for an end to the death penalty for decades. Thankfully, most of the world now appears to agree with us. The numbers speak for themselves. In 1945 when

Summary: Amnesty International releases its annual review of the death penalty worldwide; much of it makes for grim reading . Salil Shetty: Countries that use executions to deal with problems are on the wrong side of history .


(CNN)In the beginning... there was the Bible, and it was a very Good Book. But this Catholic hadn't read it -- at least, not from cover to cover. So, in the middle of Holy Week, I decided to finally take the plunge. Let me explain. My name is Laura Bernardini and I'm a director of coverage at CNN, which means I manage our newsgathering and newsroom in Washington. I'm also a lifelong Catholic. At work this week, I was talking with some colleagues about Pope Francis' upcoming trip to the United States. During the course of that conversation, I admitted something that has privately bothered me for a long time. I have never read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This from someone who jokingly refers to herself as the highest-ranking Catholic in the bureau. My excuse always has been that Catholics have their Bible passages read to them at Mass every Sunday. And there are so many people that can so effortlessly quote long and beautiful passages. I love to read, there is no excuse. Still, it made me wonder: Why I had not read the Good Book cover to cover? I took a scriptures class in 9th grade of my Catholic high school, but we moved through that year with only selected passages to journal about. Later, when I graduated, my grandparents gave me a beautiful Bible that has traveled with me from Vermont to Montreal to Atlanta and finally to Washington. But in 24 years, I never so much as cracked the cover, other than to write the date I received the gift. In that newsroom conversation this week, Daniel Burke, the religion editor at CNN.com, suggested I read the Bible each day for a year and chronicle it weekly for Belief. I will admit to being pretty stunned and a little scared at the prospect. I figured that no one would care about my thoughts or my process. I am no scholar, no expert on scripture, as should be obvious. But the more we talked, the more the idea grew on me. I have committed to training regimens for 5Ks and countless diets, so why not try this? I have been looking for a form of meditation in my hectic life. This might just be it. My friends seem excited about this project, sending me some of their favorite passages, which I'm keeping a list of. One Catholic friend offered to join me, suggesting I get a blank journal to help me take notes. The colleague that I sit next to everyday has already sent me his Bar Mitzvah passage and wants to discuss it when I get there. Another friend's daughter is making her first Holy Communion in May, and has also offered to connect us because her class is reading the Bible in school. So, in a way, I'm going back to first grade in Catholic school. Yay for me. Overall, my friends and family are mainly curious how this journey will end. I am, too. Will I make it all the way to Revelation come

Summary: Laura Bernardini is a lifelong Catholic but had never read the Bible from cover to cover . For the next year, she's going to read every word, from Genesis to Revelation .


(CNN)It's only a few weeks since the first presidential announcement but already it feels like the campaign is in high gear. A number of politicians have officially announced their candidacies and the outline of their messages is starting to emerge. Hillary Clinton, who announced last week, even jumped into her black van for a road trip out to Iowa, including a pit stop at Chipotle along the way. Although the campaign has barely begun, most of the candidates -- and some probable candidates -- are already starting to make mistakes. Most of the mistakes will simply be blips along the way, but some of them might end up being more damaging if they feed into negative perceptions that voters have about the candidates. Here are a few notable mistakes in the past few weeks: . Trying to separate himself from the pack, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called for substantial cuts to Social Security. He also promised to reverse the marijuana legalization laws that many states have been enacting in response to ballot initiatives. Both of these statements could come back to bite him, should he run for president. While Christie sees Social Security cuts as a way to "go big" in crafting a platform for a possible presidential run, as many Republicans have discovered Social Security is a very popular program and one that has strong support from Americans who are over 60 -- a big part of the electorate. On marijuana legalization, Christie inserted himself into an issue that has growing public support in red and blue states, especially with the younger and independent voters who Christie is promising to bring into a potential campaign. If Christie continues to veer right it will be harder to sell himself as the moderate in the race, and yet there is little chance that he will secure conservative votes over someone like Sen. Ted Cruz. Sen. Cruz impressed many observers when he announced his candidacy at Liberty University. But soon after he did something that took many people by surprise. The Texas senator, who has been one of the leading opponents of President Barack Obama's health care plan, acknowledged that he would be enrolling in the Affordable Care Act program since his wife was taking a leave of absence from her job to help with the campaign. It will be hard for him to live this one down. Since he wants to sell himself as the authentic conservative and the Republican who will give Democrats their biggest toughest fight, the fact that he decided to join a program he has railed against -- and tied up Congress with -- will raise questions about whether he is just another politician, and not a true zealot over Obamacare. The decision will offer plenty of fodder to Democrats who want to remind voters that Republicans rail against government even when they and their constituents depend on it. If anyone faces authenticity questions, it is Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. As the so-called "libertarian" in the campaign, Paul is aiming to attract younger Republicans who otherwise are not

Summary: Julian Zelizer: In early weeks of the 2016 campaign, candidates and potential contenders have stumbled in small ways . He says Chris Christie's words about Social Security and marijuana may haunt him .


(CNN)A Duke student has admitted to hanging a noose made of rope from a tree near a student union, university officials said Thursday. The prestigious private school didn't identify the student, citing federal privacy laws. In a news release, it said the student was no longer on campus and will face student conduct review. The student was identified during an investigation by campus police and the office of student affairs and admitted to placing the noose on the tree early Wednesday, the university said. Officials are still trying to determine if other people were involved. Criminal investigations into the incident are ongoing as well. Students and faculty members marched Wednesday afternoon chanting "We are not afraid. We stand together," after pictures of the noose were passed around on social media. At a forum held on the steps of Duke Chapel, close to where the noose was discovered at 2 a.m., hundreds of people gathered. "You came here for the reason that you want to say with me, 'This is no Duke we will accept. This is no Duke we want. This is not the Duke we're here to experience. And this is not the Duke we're here to create,' " Duke President Richard Brodhead told the crowd. The incident is one of several recent racist events to affect college students. Last month a fraternity at the University of Oklahoma had its charter removed after a video surfaced showing members using the N-word and referring to lynching in a chant. Two students were expelled. In February, a noose was hung around the neck of a statue of a famous civil rights figure at the University of Mississippi. A statement issued by Duke said there was a previous report of hate speech directed at students on campus. In the news release, the vice president for student affairs called the noose incident a "cowardly act." "To whomever committed this hateful and stupid act, I just want to say that if your intent was to create fear, it will have the opposite effect," Larry Moneta said Wednesday. Duke University is a private college with about 15,000 students in Durham, North Carolina. CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.

Summary: Student is no longer on Duke University campus and will face disciplinary review . School officials identified student during investigation and the person admitted to hanging the noose, Duke says . The noose, made of rope, was discovered on campus about 2 a.m.


(CNN)The United States has gained much from its position as a space-faring nation. Indeed, U.S. access to space has provided incredible benefit to U.S. national security, defense and the economic well-being of the nation. And in order to effectively confront current and future conflicts, combat terrorism and counter the proliferating threats worldwide, our military depends on space-based capabilities, including intelligence, GPS, and communications satellites. Unfortunately, as global threats increase and the need for assured space access accelerates, the U.S. is faced with a troubling reality -- we are far too reliant on Russian technology to meet our national security obligations. How? For a start, we depend on the Atlas V rocket, which carries many of our most important satellites and is powered by the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine. The fact that we rely on Russia, currently under sanctions for invading a sovereign nation, should reinforce the need for a change in our current course. Assured access to space is an area where the U.S. should not be reliant on nonsecure foreign supply chains, which are subject to disruption, threats, unfavorable contracts and undue leverage against the interests of the U.S. The Ukraine crisis should have served as a wake-up call, highlighting the danger of dependence on Russia to launch national security satellites into space. And the United States should play no part in supporting the defense industry of a country that continues to abrogate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. Simply put, it is bad policy to rely on others for critical national security requirements, and worse policy when this reliance supports countries taking action in direct contradiction to U.S. national security interests. Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense and space industries, has called American taxpayer outlays for the Russian engine "free money" that goes directly back into Russia's missile modernization programs. It is high time the U.S. government turn to its existing domestic capability and turn off this flow of funds. Fortunately, there are some signs of progress. Last year, Congress took bipartisan action to phase out reliance on the RD-180 engine by the end of the decade, and to transition to an all-American space launch capability. The defense authorization for fiscal year 2015 included restrictions on the future use of the RD-180 for the Atlas V, authorizing $220 million to begin development of a U.S. alternative. This was a wise move, but it's not enough. There are steps that the United States can take now to ensure our access to space and secure our comparative advantage in space -- and in the world. True, development of a new launch system will take time; there are no overnight answers. However, a combination of existing capabilities and dynamic development of new capabilities by the private sector can serve as a foundation for eliminating any capability gap in the U.S. space program. Indeed, new entrants are coming online using launch vehicle systems fully designed and manufactured in America. The two main launch competitors -- United Launch Alliance and SpaceX -- each have all-American systems, namely ULA's

Summary: Mike Rogers, Ellen Tauscher: Access to space has benefited U.S. national security . U.S. should not be reliant on nonsecure foreign supply chains, authors write .


(CNN)It's one of the most famous faces in history, even though no one really knows what he looked like. Instead, every culture, every generation, remakes Jesus in its own image. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed savior when America was mostly Anglo-Protestant, at least in Hollywood's eyes. An androgynous, meek-and-mild messiah during the anything-goes 1970s. A studly action-figure hero after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Flip through the gallery above, and you'll see what I mean. If you turned on the television this past Sunday, though, a new vision of Jesus came into view. Darker, in mood and skin tone. Earthy rather than ethereal. If not following all of history's clues -- Hollywood has yet to cast an actual Jew as Jesus -- then at least inching closer. Flipping through the channels on a day millions of Western Christians celebrated the resurrection of their savior, viewers could choose from "Killing Jesus," a NatGeo production rebroadcast Sunday on Fox. "A.D.," NBC's sequel to the blockbuster miniseries "The Bible," and "Finding Jesus," CNN's addition to the ever-burgeoning body of Christ-centered TV fare. Does God have a prayer in Hollywood? What unites these disparate projects, besides a recognition that Jesus always draws an audience and the Good Book is good for business, is the type of men chosen to play Christ. They are brawny, with brown eyes and dark complexions. They look like men who could be carpenters, if not in Nazareth, than at least in the Mediterranean neighborhood. Haaz Sleiman, from "Killing Jesus," was born and raised in Lebanon. He's also Muslim, a fact that annoyed some Christians, who took to Twitter to voice their displeasure. Adam Bond, a British actor of mixed heritage, including Native American, portrays Jesus during the historical reenactments in "Finding Jesus." And Juan Pablo Di Pace -- a Argentinian named after the late St. Pope John Paul II -- takes a starring role in "A.D.," replacing Diogo Morgado, dubbed "hot Jesus," by some, "smarmy Jesus" by others. You could make the case that authenticity is the coin of our current entertainment realm, and that filmmakers are competing to make their work as historically accurate as possible. Contemporary viewers are too savvy to stomach the fake beards and odd accents that littered the camels-and-sandals epics of eras past. But there's another, deeper meaning behind our new, multicultural Jesuses, scholars say. "Filmmakers and networks are in touch with the fact that the complexion of America has changed," said Stephenson Humphries-Brooks, a religion scholar and author of "Cinematic Savior: Hollywood's Making of the American Christ." "A large number of Americans are people of color: Latinos and Middle Easterners and people from India," Humphries-Books continued. "That means the audience base is shifting in various and important ways." The audience base may be shifting, but it's also tuning in. Each of the Jesus shows drew big ratings, which means you'll likely be seeing more of Christ as you channel surf. But according to the Apostle Paul, almost every depiction of Jesus so far has gotten at least one detail wrong: his flowing locks. Real men don't

Summary: If you turned on the television this past Sunday, a new vision of Jesus came into view. Darker, in mood and skin tone. Earthy rather than ethereal. According to the Apostle Paul, almost every depiction of Jesus so far has gotten at least one detail wrong.


(CNN)Sleek chassis, alluring paintwork and a need for speed, but these are no ordinary motors. When pedal hits metal, an eco-friendly process gets set in motion. Powered by electricity and engineered for efficiency, car enthusiasts from across Africa are sparking home-grown concepts that have gotten experts revving. In Zaria, a city in northern Nigeria, a team of students from the Ahmadu Bello University are currently applying the final touches to the "ABUCAR 2." The students used locally available materials to build the vehicle, and even included recycled electrical components in the engine. While it runs on gasoline, the engine maximizes fuel efficiency and produces fewer emissions than normal cars. "We are sure we have a great car," says the project's supervisor Muhammad Dauda. "Now we are focusing on making some final enhancements to hone the driving strategy -- this is just like Formula One." Their compact creation, which was built over five months, will travel to The Netherlands in May to compete in the European leg of this year's Shell Eco-marathon -- the motoring competition rewards those who travel the longest distance using the least amount of fuel. But the team is also working towards a hybrid petro-electric motor, which they hope to unveil in 2016. At low speeds the vehicle will be powered by electricity alone, but at higher speeds both electric and petrol components will work together. Between extremes, excess power generated by the engine recharges the batteries that power the electric motor. It's the model that Toyota uses in the Prius. Green-focused designs like these are increasingly needed on the continent, as some studies say 50% of global emissions of organic carbon could come from Africa in 2030. At May's Shell Eco-marathon, ABUCAR's team will be hoping to race past the sleek "Autonov III" creation from the University of Lagos. Painted the colors of the Nigerian flag and powered by a solar battery, the car's aerodynamic teardrop shape helps minimize drag. Constructing earlier iterations of this vehicle was put under stress in 2013 when university teachers went on a six month strike, but the industrial action didn't stop the team from tinkering with the electric engine. "We've used small tires to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle," explains team manager Chukwuemeka Isiogu. "We've trained ourselves to just think about fuel efficiency and create the most efficient vehicle." Other eco-friendly engineers are less about sleek and more focused on comfort. Uganda's Makerere University has produced a two-seater electric car called "Kiira EV". With a super-light fibreglass body and lithium ion battery, the car can go 50 miles on a single charge. The design project cost $35,000, but the engineers made sure to include leather seats and a CD player. Whilst working on the Kiira, the team is also developing an 28-seater electric bus which will run on a mixture of electric and solar power. Innovative creations have also come from the University of Benin in Nigeria. Their "Tuke-Tuke" car -- named after local mini-buses -- is made from locally available materials. The brake pads, for example, are made from

Summary: African students and car enthusiasts are creating eco-friendly cars . Nigerian students will compete in an "Eco-Marathon" in May .


(CNN)Two pieces of audio recorded in the immediate aftermath of a deadly police shooting in South Carolina emerged Monday. The voice of Michael Slager can be heard in both. The former North Charleston police officer is charged with murder in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. In the first recording, an unidentified officer talks to Slager about what might happen. "Once they get here, it'll be real quick. They're gonna tell you, you're gonna be off for a couple days and we'll come back and interview you then. They're not gonna ask you any type of questions right now. They're gonna take your weapon," the officer says. "It'd probably be a good idea to jot down your thoughts about whatever happened ... once the adrenaline stops pumping." Slager responds: "It's pumping," and then laughs. The second audio, taken from dash cam video from inside a patrol car, captures a phone call between Slager and someone CNN believes is his wife. He tells her: "Hey. Hey, everything's OK. OK? I just shot somebody." "He grabbed my Taser, yeah. Yeah," says Slager. "He was running from me. ... I'm fine." If convicted of murder, the former officer faces up to life in prison or the death penalty, although a death penalty case appears unlikely at this point. "Based on the facts revealed thus far, it does not appear South Carolina's death penalty provision applies in this case because there are no statutory 'aggravating circumstances' present," Scarlett A. Wilson, who is the chief prosecutor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in the state, said on her Facebook page. Slager was charged after cell phone video emerged, showing him firing at Scott as the man ran away. Who was Walter Scott? Pierre Fulton was riding in a car with Scott before the shooting took place. "Walter was a dear friend and I miss him every day," Fulton said in a statement given to ABC News by his lawyer. "Over the past five years he helped me to become a better man and showed me the value of hard work." "I'll never know why he ran, but I know he didn't deserve to die," Fulton said. "Please keep Walter and his family in your prayers and respect my privacy moving forward." Scott's passenger meets with police . Scott's death has reignited a national conversation around race and policing. Scott was black; Slager is white. The case has also brought to light previous instances in which Slager's behavior on the job is being questioned. On Monday, attorneys for a man named Julius Wilson announced that they were filing a lawsuit in connection with an August 2014 traffic stop. During the stop, three officers -- including Slager -- pulled Wilson out of his car. Wilson was then allegedly shocked with a stun gun. The suit claims Slager used excessive force. Slager was also named in a police complaint in 2013 after he allegedly "Tased a man for no reason" before slamming him to the ground and dragging him, according to the North Charleston Police Department. At the time, Slager was

Summary: In the first recording, an unidentified officer talks to Slager about what might happen . The second audio captures a phone call between Slager and someone CNN believes is his wife .


(The Hollywood Reporter)Richard Dysart, the Emmy-winning actor who portrayed the cranky senior partner Leland McKenzie in the slick, long-running NBC drama "L.A. Law," has died. He was 86. Dysart, who also played Coach in the original 1972 Broadway production of Jason Miller's Pulitzer Prize-winning "That Championship Season," died Sunday at home in Santa Monica after a long illness, his wife, artist Kathryn Jacobi, told The Hollywood Reporter. The acclaimed "L.A. Law" — created by Steven Bochco (who eventually handed off the series to David E. Kelley) and Terry Louise Fisher — aired for eight seasons from 1986 to 1994. For playing the founder of the firm McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak, Dysart was nominated for the Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for four straight years, finally winning the trophy in 1992. "I always had him in mind for that role," Bochco said in a 2002 interview with the Archive of American Television. "He's so avuncular. So I reached out to him. You know, Dick is sort of an old hippie. So he went into his closet and tried to find a lawyer outfit, and he came to meet us wearing a suit and tie. He was perfect." "We got together, mapped out the character's past to give us a basis from which to work, and it's all gone smoothly since then," Dysart said in a 1990 interview with The Seattle Times. "Sometimes I worry — it's all been going too well — a role I love to play in a series that's about as good as you can get. Something's wrong!" Perhaps Dysart's most memorable character arc on the show was when he was found in bed with power-hungry competitor Rosalind Shays (played by Diana Muldaur). He was one of the few actors to appear in every episode. Dysart's range of authority -figure parts ran right to the top. He limned Harry Truman in the CBS telefilm "Day One" and in the ABC miniseries "War and Remembrance," both of which aired in 1989, and he was Henry L. Stimson, the 33rd U.S. president's Secretary of War, in the 1995 HBO telefilm "Truman," starring Gary Sinise. Similarly, he played the Secretary of Defense in "Meteor" (1979). Hollywood Reporter: Most powerful people in N.Y. media . Dysart also performed extensively in the medical- (movie) field, performing enough doctor roles to, perhaps, qualify to practice. His two most memorable came in classic satires: in Paddy Chayevsky's scathing "The Hospital" (1971), starring George C. Scott (a good friend), and in "Being There" (1979), as Melvyn Douglas' doctor. He also was a doctor who died a gruesome death in John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982) and a physician in such films as "The Terminal Man" (1974), "The Falcon and the Snowman" (1985) and "Warning Sign" (1985). Dysart portrayed J. Edgar Hoover in the 1993 USA telefilm "Marilyn & Bobby: Her Final Affair" and in Mario Van Peebles' "Panther" (1995). Dysart also excelled as cranky coots and shifty sorts. He portrayed a motel receptionist in Richard Lester's "Petulia" (1968); was the bad guy who battled

Summary: Richard Dysart best known for Leland McKenzie in "L.A. Law" Dysart had many TV and film roles, including spots in "Being There" and "The Thing" Actor won Drama Desk award for performance in theatrical "That Championship Season"


(CNN)Chanting "No justice! No peace!" protesters rallied in Baltimore late Tuesday, the same day police released the names of the officers involved in the arrest of Freddie Gray. Gray died of a spinal injury Sunday, exactly one week after he was taken into custody. Demonstrators marched to a local police station that was protected by barricades. One man was arrested after crossing that barricade, but the protest was peaceful. Among the crowd were members of Gray's family, including his mother. She held her head and cried. Many of the protesters clasped hands, and raised them in a show of support. "Make some noise for Freddie Gray," one man shouted into a megaphone. "We won't stop," said another. "We have the power and, of course, today shows we have the numbers." Speaking to CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said she understands where the protesters are coming from. She understands their frustration. "Mr. Gray's family deserves justice, and our community deserves an opportunity to heal, to get better, and to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again," she said. Earlier in the day, the Baltimore Police Department released the names of six police officers suspended with pay. They are: Lt. Brian Rice, 41, who joined the department in 1997; Officer Caesar Goodson, 45, who joined in 1999; Sgt. Alicia White, 30, who joined in 2010; Officer William Porter, 25, who joined in 2012; Officer Garrett Miller, 26, who joined in 2012; and Officer Edward Nero, 29, who joined in 2012. After an "in-custody death," it is standard procedure to release the names of officers involved, said Baltimore Police Department spokesman Capt. Eric Kowalczyk. It doesn't mean the officers did anything wrong, nor does it mean that these were the only officers involved, he said. Of the six officers, three were on bikes and initially approached Gray, another made eye contact with Gray, another officer joined in the arrest after it was initiated and one drove the police van, Kowalczyk said. The autopsy hasn't yielded many answers in Gray's death -- in fact, it's prompted more questions -- but Baltimore's mayor pledged Tuesday to find out how the 25-year-old died after being arrested a week prior. "I'm going to make sure that as we get information that we can confirm, we're going to put that information out in the public," Mayor Rawlings-Blake said. "I want people to understand that I have no interest in hiding information, holding back information." She's angry, she said, and among the questions she wants answered are: Why did police stop Gray in the first place? And why did arresting officers make what she called the mistake of not immediately requesting medical attention when Gray asked for it?i . "He was dragged a bit, but then you see him using his legs to get into the van, so he was able-bodied when he was in the van, and we know that when he was finally taken out of the van, he was unresponsive," she said. Challenged on the "able-bodied" remark -- video shows Gray's legs hanging

Summary: "We have the power and ... today shows we have the numbers," says a protester . The Justice Department is looking into whether a civil rights violation occurred . Autopsy results on Gray show that he died from a severe injury to his spinal cord .


(CNN)President Abraham Lincoln never lost his ardor for the United States to remain united during the Civil War. In his Second Inaugural address he attempted to salve the nation with an eloquent summation of his philosophy and plans for putting it into practice. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right," he orated, "let us strive on to finish the work we are in to bind up the nations' wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations." The spirit of Lincoln's second inaugural was self-evident on April 9, 1865 -- 150 years ago -- when Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee dramatically surrendered his approximately 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse (McLean House) in Virginia. Over 600,000 Americans -- Northerners and Southerners alike -- had perished in the bloody Civil War. But the carnage was now about to end. The historic meeting between Grant and Lee began with pleasantries about the weather and their mutual service in the Mexican War. The good fellowship was palpable. Lee, in fact, had to abruptly remind the chatty Grant about the diplomatic business at hand. After all, they were at Appomattox Courthouse to hash out terms of surrender. Grant purposely ended up being generous to Confederate soldiers. They would be paroled, not condemned to prison camps. Rebel officers were even allowed to maintain their sidearms. Personal property of Southerners would now be respected. Even rations were provided by Grant for Lee's hungry soldiers. It was Palm Sunday and in the spirit of Christian reconciliation Grant ordered that no celebration occur within Union Army ranks. "The Confederates were now our prisoners," Grant wrote, "and we did not want to exult over their downfall." The myth-making about Appomattox started from the moment Lee left the courthouse on his horse to travel to Richmond. Surrendering hadn't been easy for Lee. Sullen from defeat, his own family property in Arlington had been confiscated by Union forces (converted into a Union cemetery with lines of white crosses on the lawn). All 11,000 acres of his Virginia land holdings had been stripped from him by the U.S. government. With no real home, Lee rode to Richmond, depressed and destitute, rendezvousing with his sick wife Mary Curtis Lee at a spare apartment. Remarkably, the stoic Lee didn't express bitterness in public. When news reached Lee that Lincoln had been murdered, in fact, he was distraught, calling it "a crime" that was "unexampled" and "deplorable." Although much remained unresolved between the victors and vanquished, the little courthouse became a symbol of unity, just like the "Star Spangled Banner" from the War of 1812. One post-Appomattox story that has long interested me was that of Littleberry Walker. After being present at Lee's dramatic surrender at Appomattox, Walker, a battle-fatigued Confederate, laid down his rifle and journeyed back to red-clay, Georgia,

Summary: 150 years ago on April 9, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House . Douglas Brinkley: The spirit of that event is something to keep in mind for today's divided America .


(CNN)I would have done anything to get to Europe. It was worth the risk, the bad treatment and the fear, hard as that may be to believe. Simply put, I have a better life now than I did before. But my journey across the Mediterranean, like those of thousands of other migrants, wasn't easy. Here's my story. It all started late last year when I lost my job in Dubai. My work visa had expired, and I had nowhere else to go. I'm Syrian, and returning to Syria wasn't an option -- going back means you either have to kill or be killed. But Syrians don't need visas to get into Turkey, so Turkey it was. I arrived in the country in December with an old dream in my mind: reaching Europe. While in Istanbul, I discovered many Facebook pages about illegal smuggling from Turkey to Italy by sea. All of them mentioned that Mersin, a port city on the southern border, was the jump off point, so I made my way there. I met a Syrian guy in a hotel in Mersin who had already paid money to one smuggler and was planning to depart within a few days. He told me his smuggler was a decent man with a great reputation. Reputation: It was a funny thing to hear for the first time, the thought that these people, who I always considered to be little more than criminals, were concerned about what people thought of them. But why wouldn't they be? It's a long-term business, and the Syrian conflict isn't ending anytime soon. So I decided to meet the guy. We spoke about terms of payment and agreed on a fee of $6,500. Some of the money would be deposited into an insurance company, with the usual transaction fees. When I reached Italy the money would be released to the smuggler -- or, if I changed my mind, I'd be able to get some of it back. "Be ready all day, every day for the next few days, because you might receive the call to go," the smuggler told me. One evening a few days later, I got the call and my journey began. They gathered 100 men and women in five buses and drove us to the smuggling point. It was far from Mersin. We walked for 30 minutes, through rough terrain and orange farms near the beach, in darkness to avoid detection by police. The idea was to take us in three small boats to the main ship. I still remember an old lady, barely able to walk, with her two sons, marching along as fast as they could to try to reach the boats. They were told that if they didn't walk faster, the boat would leave without them. I asked myself so many time what could possibly drive a normal person to put himself and his family in this kind of danger. I decided that anyone with a past but no future was capable of doing crazy things. Finally we reached the boat. It was just

Summary: Moutassem Yazbek describes harrowing 12-day journey from Turkey to Italy . Yazbek, a Syrian refugee, paid a smuggler $6,500 to get him to Italy in December .