(CNN)The first trailer for a documentary on the life and music of late British singer Amy Winehouse was released Thursday. The teaser for "Amy: The Girl Behind the Name," set for UK release on July 3, features early footage of Winehouse talking about how her music career was born and where she believed she was headed. "Singing has always been important to me, but I never thought, 'I'll end up singing' or 'I'll be a singer,' " Winehouse said. "I felt like I had nothing new that was coming out at the time that really represented me or the way I felt, so, you know, I just started writing." Winehouse, known for her bluesy voice, bouffant hairdo and numerous tattoos, struggled publicly with drugs and alcohol during a career in which she recorded two albums and won six Grammys (one posthumous). She died from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 on July 23, 2011. Her biggest hit, "Rehab," chronicled the efforts of those around her to get her to submit to substance abuse treatment. "Amy" seeks to "truly capture not just the great artist that she was, but also the funny and loving person that most people didn't get a chance to know," the filmmakers said on Facebook after announcing the film in 2013. Amy Winehouse documentary gets UK release date . The trailer conveys Winehouse's ambivalence about fame. "I'm not a girl trying to be a star or trying to be anything other than a musician," she says. "I don't think I'm gonna be at all famous," Winehouse tells an interviewer early in her career. "I don't think I could handle it. I would probably go mad. Do you know what I mean? I would go mad." A life cut short: Remembering the tragedy of Amy Winehouse . Unlike an earlier look at the singer's life, 2013's "Fallen Star," the documentary has been endorsed by Winehouse's family. It will feature "extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks," Deadline reported. The team behind the new film includes Asif Kapadia, director of the documentary "Senna," on the life of Brazilian Formula 1 racer Ayrton Senna. The film won two BAFTA awards. "The award-winning producers of Senna presented a vision that would look at Amy's story sensitively, honestly and without sensationalising her," the family statement said. "We want this to be a tribute to her musical legacy."' A U.S. release date for the film has yet to be announced. CNN's Michael Pearson contributed to this report.

Summary: "Amy" features archival footage of the singer and original music tracks . "Amy" seeks to "truly capture not just the great artist that she was," filmmakers say . Winehouse, who died at 27, said fame would probably drive her "mad"


(CNN)Australia, an important ally of the United States, has agreed to share some of its intelligence with Iran. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the deal is "an informal arrangement" with an emphasis on tracking Australians who go to Iraq to fight for ISIS. But one Australian lawmaker reportedly described the move as "dancing with the devil." Over the weekend, Bishop became the first Australian government minister to visit Iran in 12 years, meeting with President Hassan Rouhani. The intelligence-sharing deal was announced in an interview released Monday that Bishop gave to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation while in Tehran. "During my discussions with the national leadership here, it was agreed that we could share intelligence, particularly on the foreign terrorist fighters from Australia who are taking part in this conflict in Iraq," she said. The Iranians "were very agreeable to share that information with us," she added. Like many Western nations, Australia is grappling with the problem of citizens who are choosing to travel to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS, which calls itself the Islamic State. Australia is part of the U.S.-led coalition that's carrying out airstrikes against ISIS. During the fight against the Sunni extremist group, the coalition has found its interests aligned at times with those of Iran, a Shiite-majority nation that has strong ties with the Iraqi government. Iran-backed Shiite militias played an important role in the recent battle to take the Iraqi city of Tikrit from ISIS jihadists. "Iran has a long standing relationship with Iraq, and as you point out, they have a very strong military presence there. They also have an influence over the Shia militia who are operating within Iraq," she said. "So they are in Iraq, in places that we are not. They also have a very sophisticated intelligence network and they have a lot of information that they've been gathering." Bishop, who left Tehran on Sunday, declined to give details of the agreement with Iran. "Obviously, if Iran has information that will be of interest to us, and if we have information that would be of interest to them, in pursuing our common purpose in defeating Daesh, then that's an appropriate exchange," she said, using an alternative name for ISIS. But Andrew Wilkie, an independent Australian member of parliament, criticized the plan. "The announcement by the Foreign Minister that Australia is entering into a security arrangement with the regime in Tehran really should send shudders down the spine of every Australian," he said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "When you start dancing with the devil in a place like Tehran, then we run the risk of becoming almost as bad as those who we dance with," Wilkie told reporters.

Summary: Australian foreign minister says deal is to focus on tracking citizens who join ISIS . But one lawmaker describes it as "dancing with the devil"


Ferguson, Missouri (CNN)At least three people were shot in separate incidents in Ferguson, Missouri, on late Tuesday and early Wednesday as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in support of protests in Baltimore, a city spokesman said. Two people were shot in the neck and another was shot in the leg, spokesman Jeff Small said. There is a suspect in custody in the latter case: a 20-year-old male from St. Louis County. The two victims shot in the neck were hospitalized, Small said. "Police are having a difficult time investigating because of the rocks being thrown at them," he said. "At this point police are not sure if the (shootings are) linked to the protest or not." St. Louis Alderman Antonio French posted video on his Twitter account. Multiple gunshots can be heard as people flee in panic. Demonstrators set a portable toilet on fire. One person can be seen squirting what appears to be lighter fluid on it. pic.twitter.com/FG0P2yf5Uf . The unrest carried on until about 3 a.m. and three police vehicles were damaged by rocks. The renewed tensions in Ferguson follow rioting in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. The 25-year-old was arrested by police on April 12 and died one week later from a fatal spinal cord injury. Similar deaths over the last year include Michael Brown in Ferguson; Eric Garner in New York; and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina. CNN's Eliott C. McLaughlin, Tina Burnside and Dave Alsup contributed to this report .

Summary: Three people shot, one man in custody, city spokesman says . Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in support of protests in Baltimore . Police not sure if shootings are related to protests, spokesman says .


(CNN)A 17-year-old teen who has been living at Connecticut Children's Medical Center since December while being forced to have chemotherapy to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma has completed treatment and left the hospital Monday, according to her attorney, Josh Michtom. Cassandra C., as she is identified in court documents, was ordered into custody of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families by a judge in December. She ran away in an effort to discontinue chemo, claiming she did not want to be treated. Earlier this month, CNN reported that she was in remission, feeling well and her treatment was almost complete. Cassandra was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in September, and doctors gave her an 85% chance of survival if treated but said she would die within two years if left untreated. She started the treatment in November but ran away after two days, according to court documents, when she decided she did not want to put the poison of the treatment into her body. That's when a judge ordered her into custody of the state. Attorneys for the teen and her mom have tried to appeal, but they did not succeed. Cassandra remained in the hospital. In the most recent legal maneuvering, a judge denied a request by Cassandra's attorney to allow her return home on grounds that she was no longer at risk for imminent harm. Now that her treatment is complete, the temporary order of custody ends, Michtom told CNN. Previously he said the hospital was "effectively a jail" to his client. "As we do for every patient we care for at Connecticut Children's, we wish her the best for a happy and healthy future," Robert Fraleigh, director of corporate communications for Connecticut Children's Medical Center, said in a statement Monday. Joette Katz, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, said in a statement that they are pleased that Cassandra is healthy and has recovered. She credits the doctors at Children's Medical Center and the staff at her department for this happy outcome. Acknowledging that the ordeal has been difficult for Cassandra and her family, Katz said, "We were responsible to save Cassandra's life under these circumstances, and we are very happy that she is now moving successfully to another phase in her life -- a healthy and happy one."

Summary: Teen allowed to return home now that her chemotherapy is complete . 'Cassandra' was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in September . Teen was in temporary custody of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families .


(CNN)The terrorist group Al-Shabaab has claimed an attack on Garissa University College in eastern Kenya, in which many people have been killed and still more taken hostage. The attack is another step in the ongoing escalation of the terrorist group's activities, and a clear indicator that the security situation in East Africa is deteriorating fast. Somalia-based Al-Shabaab has been behind a string of recent attacks in Kenya, the most well-known of them being the massacre at the Westgate Shopping Centre in Nairobi in 2013. Cross-border raids into Kenya by the group, however, date back to 2011. Al-Shabaab incursions triggered a military response by the government in Nairobi, which sent troops to Somalia as part of an African Union mission in support of Somalia's internationally recognized government that had been under pressure from Al-Shabaab and other militants for several years. Al-Shabaab is predominantly driven by the same radical interpretation of the Koran as al-Qaeda and ISIS (also known as Islamic State), but also employs more opportunistic approaches to shoring up local support. Its origins lie in Al-Ittihad al-Islami (Unity of Islam), one of several militant factions that emerged in the wake of the fall of Siad Barre in 1991. These disparate groups fought each other and a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Somali civil war that led to the complete collapse of the country, from which it has yet to recover almost quarter of a century later. Al-Shabaab (literally "the Youth") split from Unity of Islam in 2003 and merged with another radical Islamist group, the so-called Islamic Courts Union. As their alliance obtained control of Somalia's capital Mogadishu in 2006, Ethiopia, the only majority Christian country in the region, took military action against the group. The offensive weakened Al-Shabaab and pushed it back into the rural areas of central and southern Somalia, but it failed to defeat it. To the contrary, Ethiopia's invasion and occupation of parts of Somalia -- although invited by the Somali government and backed by the African Union -- enabled Al-Shabaab to partially re-invent itself as both an Islamist and nationalist force opposing a foreign "Christian" invasion. Initially, the group primarily attacked Ethiopian forces, but soon began to "expand" its activities against the Somali government as well. The first attack outside Somalia was an attack in the Ugandan capital of Kampala in 2010. Soon after this, cross-border raids in Kenya began, predominantly targeting Christians there. Increasing its links with al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab declared its full allegiance in 2012 -- and it is not clear whether it will switch allegiances to ISIS. Much will depend on how the relationships between al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a long-time ally of Al-Shabaab based in Yemen, and ISIS develop. The key point is that Al-Shabaab's attack in Garissa is part of a broader regional context of instability fueled by a huge number of factors. It must not be interpreted simply as another act of garden-variety fundamentalist terrorism. Clearly, the presence and activities of terrorist groups in the region is a major concern, and it is undoubtedly driven by radical and exclusivist interpretations

Summary: Terrorist group Al-Shabaab has attacked a Kenyan college, killing and taking hostages . It is a clear indicator the security situation in East Africa is deteriorating, says Stefan Wolff . More than military action aloe is needed to combat terrorism in the region, he says .


(CNN)He was impressively polite and bright in the eyes of his boyhood teachers, an encourager of his college friends. He was a docile captured killer in the care of paramedics tending to his gunshot wounds. Dzhokhar "Jahar" Tsarnaev's defense team is seeking to spare him from a death sentence for his part two years ago in the Boston Marathon bombings and murder of an MIT police officer. Having focused on his dead older brother, portraying Tamerlan Tsarnav as harsh, overbearing and bent on jihad, they now shift to the younger brother who tagged after him, as one witness said, "like a puppy." The sentencing phase of the federal case will resume Monday. The jury was sent home Thursday because a juror was sick. Tsarnaev was convicted April 8 on all 30 counts, including 17 that carry a possible death penalty. The defense's transition from one brother to the other begins in the ambulances that rushed the brothers from their respective final showdowns with police in Watertown, Massachusetts, on April 19, 2013. Boston bombing survivor: I am not limiting myself . Tamerlan, dying from gunshot wounds and having been run over by the car his brother was driving as he fled, became combative in the ambulance. A paramedic testified Wednesday that it was common for patients in shock to become agitated and fight back. "He had an abdominal wound, it was an evisceration," said paramedic Michael Sullivan. It was a "penetrating wound," with the intestines protruding. "Every time we tried hands-on, he resisted that type of treatment," Sullivan said. "He was yelling, loud, like an 'rrrrrrrr' type of thing. It was like he was trying to get out of the seat belts that were holding him on" the stretcher. Jahar, on the other hand, was cooperative after his capture hours later -- until a tourniquet was applied too tightly, said paramedic Laura Lee. He responded to questions, giving his date of birth and saying he was allergic to cats. And then he asked a question of his own: . "Where is my brother?" The defense showed a series of photographs that demonstrated how the brothers differed in size and age. The younger brother has been portrayed as someone who follows, rather than leads. One of Tamerlan's boxing coaches testified earlier that Jahar followed his brother around "like a puppy." The defense asserts that the Boston Marathon bombings never would have happened if it weren't for Tamerlan. They have portrayed him as obsessed with jihad, spending hours in his computer trolling al Qaeda-style websites. An uncle in Russia told the FBI that Tamerlan came there in 2012, expecting to find "jihad in the streets." Magomed Kartashov was questioned by the FBI after 40 days in a Russian jail. The FBI summary report of the interview was read in court. Kartashov said his nephew asked him if he had contacts with people "in the forest," as locals referred to the jihadists. Tamerlan's information came from the Internet, but he had surprisingly little knowledge of Islam, the uncle told the FBI. When he asked his nephew

Summary: Defense seeks to make case to spare life of convicted Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev . Defense: Brother Tamerlan, who was killed during police showdown, was obsessed with jihad . Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was well-liked, polite and docile, according to witnesses .


(CNN)Lest we Americans forget that -- in the wellsprings of our nation -- France bore the torch of liberty alongside us, our old ally has launched a reminder from across the Atlantic's waves. L'Hermione, with three sail masts and bright royal blue and gold markings, is a painstaking replica of an 18th century French frigate that fought with the United States' founding fathers in the War of Independence. It set sail in France on Saturday for Virginia to retrace a journey through American history. In 1780, the original Hermione was assigned to a French nobleman, who fought as a general in George Washington's army against the British. His name: Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette carried prized cargo -- news from King Louis XVI that France was throwing men, guns and treasure behind the Colonies, according to a historical summary on L'Hermione's website. Lafayette, who had been wounded in the Revolutionary War had gone back to his homeland to lobby on behalf of Washington, who was also one of his close friends. Lafayette rejoined the fight on the front lines in Virginia, while L'Hermione did sea battle with its 32 guns against the English farther north. Its coppered bottom was an innovation that made it cut faster through the waters. In Chesapeake Bay, it joined the blockade that led the British to surrender. After the war, Lafayette returned to live in France. More than 200 years later, in 1997, a group of people came up with the idea of reconstructing the frigate using the same building methods applied in the original. They claim the replica is the "most authentically built Tall Ship in the last 150 years." After a year of testing, it set sail Saturday to retrace Lafayette's journey, 235 years after the original, and France gave it a sendoff with the trappings of an act of state. "L'Hermione is a luminous episode of our history. She is a champion of universal values, freedom, courage and of the friendship between France and the United States," French President Francois Hollande said in a speech. President Obama, in a letter to congratulate the launch, called France "our Nation's oldest ally." "For more than two centuries, the United States and France have stood united in the freedom we owe to one another," he wrote. L'Hermione will ply across the Atlantic for 27 days en route to Yorktown, Virginia, where it plans to arrive in early June. After that, it will show itself off in 12 ports along the East Coast. It should be in New York City for the Fourth of July, possibly sharing Independence Day fireworks with the Statue of Liberty. Since 1886, that gift from France -- also a reminder of our common bond -- has been America's quintessential national symbol of freedom.

Summary: L'Hermione is a painstaking replica of an 18th century ship of the same name . The original fought with American colonists against the British in the Revolutionary War .


(CNN)Marvel Comics superhero Hawkeye is a master with the bow and arrow. He's also got a secret super-talent at singing Ed Sheeran parodies. The" Avengers" character (played by Jeremy Renner) was a guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," where he got behind the piano to showcase some of his other skills. Billboard: Jimmy Fallon hits hot 100 with 'Ew!,' featuring will.i.am . "Listen I've got powers too, and they're pretty sweet. I promise I can do so much more than just archery," he crooned to a reworked version of "Thinking Out Loud". Those talents, we're told, include his collection of scarves and berets, his abilities on the trombone and he can open a pickle jar. Nope, Thor would definitely thump him in a fight. Renner has proved he's more than a one-hit wonder by starring in both "Avengers" films, the Oscar-winning "The Hurt Locker," "American Hustle: and films in the "Bourne" and "Mission Impossible" franchises. Watch the clip below: . See the original story at Billboard.com. ©2015 Billboard. All Rights Reserved.

Summary: Renner showed off his vocal skills . He sang an Ed Sheeran hit .


Atlanta (CNN)A judge, declaring he wasn't "comfortable" with seven-year prison terms given earlier to three educators in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal, on Thursday reduced their sentences to three years in prison. "I'm not comfortable with it," Fulton County Superior Court Judge Jerry Baxter said of the sentences he handed down to the three defendants April 14. "When a judge goes home and he keeps thinking over and over that something's wrong, something is usually wrong." Tamara Cotman, Sharon Davis-Williams and Michael Pitts also were ordered Thursday to serve seven years on probation, pay $10,000 fines and work 2,000 hours in community service. Baxter had come under fire from some community leaders for giving prison sentences to eight teachers and administrators who stood trial and were convicted of racketeering. They'd been accused of taking part in an effort to raise tests scores at struggling schools by erasing wrong answers and putting in correct answers. Outside of court, Benjamin Davis, the lawyer for Cotman, questioned the judge's rationale in handing down heavy sentences a few weeks ago. "I had never seen a judge conduct himself in that way," he said. "What was going on with Judge Baxter?" Davis-Williams said she was pleased judge Baxter changed his mind. Her attorney, Teresa Mann, added, "We are happy. We are elated that judge Baxter took the opportunity to reflect." Cotman, Davis-Williams and Pitts, all school reform team executive directors, got the harshest sentences during an April 14 hearing: Seven years in prison, 13 years of probation and $25,000 fines. Baxter said of his change of mind: "I'm going to put myself out to pasture in the not-too-distant future and I want to be out in the pasture without any regrets." During the earlier sentencing hearing, Baxter was frustrated when defendants didn't admit their guilt. "Everybody knew cheating was going on and your client promoted it," Baxter said to an attorney representing Davis-Williams. At one point he said, "These stories are incredible. These kids can't read." At a press conference held April 17, most of the convicted educators insisted they were innocent. "I didn't cheat. I'm not a racketeer," said Diane Buckner-Webb, a former elementary teacher. All defendants sentenced to prison have appealed and are out on bond. The lower prison sentences given to other defendants -- ranging from one to two years -- have not been reduced. Prosecutors said the cheating is believed to date back to 2001, when scores on statewide aptitude tests improved greatly, according to a 2013 indictment. The indictment also states that for at least four years, between 2005 and 2009, test answers were altered, fabricated or falsely certified. Michael Bowers, a former Georgia attorney general who investigated the cheating scandal, said in 2013 that there were "cheating parties," erasures in and out of classrooms, and teachers were told to make changes to student answers on tests. Bowers said he heard that educators cheated out of pride, to earn bonuses, to enhance their careers or to keep their jobs. Of 35 Atlanta educators indicted in 2013, more than 20 took a

Summary: "I had never seen a judge conduct himself in that way," defendant's lawyer says . A judge reduces prison sentences for 3 educators in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal . "I'm not comfortable with it," Judge Jerry Baxter said of the original longer sentences .


New Delhi, India (CNN)As the earth shook in Nepal, tremors were felt over the border in India as well. It was a call to action: Within hours of the first 7.8 magnitude quake, India began planning a massive cross-border aid mission. With each hour, the scale of the devastation in Nepal became clearer -- some 3,862 people are known to have died so far -- and plans in India, where 72 people were also killed, got bigger. On Sunday alone, India delivered 187 tons of supplies, including 50 tons of water, 22 tons of food and 2 tons of medicine. And there will be more to come. Hundreds of trained disaster relief troops landed in Kathmandu and quickly got to work. With each flight in, there was a flight back out, packed with Indians and other nationals escaping to safety: 2,000 and counting have fled so far. By Monday, India was in full-scale crisis mode: From airports across India, planes flew in loaded with aid, and trucks made the trip by land from India's east, aiming for more remote areas. On the ground: Devastation in Nepal . India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a special effort over Nepal. He has visited the country twice in his first year in office. And on Sunday, in his national radio address to the nation, he said Indians needed to "wipe the tears of every Nepali, hold their hands, and stand with them." It all highlights the more proactive role taken by India in recent months. Just weeks ago, India flexed its military muscle to rescue Indians and other nationals from conflict-torn Yemen. Now, it is taking the lead in Nepal. Some might say India's friendship is a signal for the other big country that shares a border with Nepal: China. A display of hard power, perhaps to achieve enduring soft power in the region. But in times like this, help is always welcome. First there's the immediate search and rescue operation, and then the long process of rebuilding work. Nepal will need India's friendship -- as well as China's -- for many long months ahead.

Summary: India has launched a massive aid mission to its earthquake-hit neighbor Nepal . Disaster relief troops and tons of food, water and medicine have been flown in .


(CNN)It seems almost silly to be writing about baseball in the context of recent events. Except it isn't. Last weekend, as Baltimore reacted to the death of Freddie Gray, the young man who died last week from a spinal cord injury he suffered while in police custody, Major League Baseball had a problem on its hands. Saturday's game between the Orioles and Red Sox had gone into extra innings in Camden Yards, with plenty of fans for both teams glued to their seats. Boston fans feel at home in Oriole Park -- a so-called retro urban park built to embrace the luxuries of modern stadiums while maintaining that nostalgic feel -- because much of it was based on Boston's Fenway Park. The Boston faithful are used to being in the heart of a city to watch sports. But when the Orioles finally pulled out a win in the 10th inning, 36,000 fans remained in their seats. They had been asked to do so by Baltimore officials due to "ongoing public safety issues." The riots of Baltimore, the peaceful marches of Baltimore, the fury and unrest of Baltimore did not seem to have had much to do with baseball. But as the always-wise Atlantic magazine writer (and Baltimore native) Ta-Nehisi Coates' take on the situation quickly went viral, it became clear that the Oriole's home stand presented a problem. Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox: postponed less than an hour before the first pitch. Tuesday's game against the White Sox: also postponed. Such action by MLB is not without precedent. In 1967 in Detroit, the 12th Street riots forced the Tigers to postpone one game and relocate others (to Baltimore, no less). After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., MLB postponed opening day games out of fear of mob violence. In the wake of the 1992 verdict in the Rodney King beating, the Los Angeles Dodgers postponed several games. The entire league went on hiatus in the wake of the terrorism and violence of September 11, 2001. Politics threaten sports all the time. From the demonstrations against the Brazilian government before last summer's World Cup to the massacre of protesting students days before the Opening Ceremony of the Mexico City Olympics in 1968, sports knows well that it sits within the larger context of the world. Our deep investment in our teams -- beyond the tax dollars that construct the stadiums and the salaries players make (and the profits the owners and sponsors draw) -- is supposed to work to create community, to unify. Cheering for the home team is supposed to create a sense of belonging. "It's interesting that I have not yet heard anyone say that baseball or sport can heal this wound," Daniel Nathan, professor of American Studies at Skidmore College and editor of "Rooting for the Home Team: Sport, Community and Identity" told me. "People did say that in the weeks after 9/11. This is not 9/11 -- not even close. But it is a serious social and cultural rupture. Painful." What happens next is striking. After

Summary: Amy Bass: Baltimore rioting caused postponement of two Orioles-White Sox games. Now third game of series will be played to empty stadium . She says baseball can bring cities together. But with so few black fans, players, it will be hard for Baltimore to gather around this sport to heal .


Johannesburg (CNN)South African troops deployed Tuesday evening as part of a new government effort to stop deadly anti-immigrant violence. Their first target: the Johannesburg suburb of Jeppestown, where xenophobic violence broke out on Friday. South African police raided a Jeppestown hostel Tuesday while troops secured the perimeter. Earlier, Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula announced the plan to deploy an undisclosed number of troops to areas where police are spread too thin while trying to curb deadly attacks against immigrants. "This intervention is not an indictment on the police. ... We are coming in because they need that support," she said after visiting Johannesburg's Alexandra township, one area where mobs have attacked immigrants from other African nations and looted their shops -- ostensibly based on the belief that immigrants are taking South Africans' jobs. Seven people have been killed in recent violence against poorer immigrants, many from South Africa's neighbors. Xenophobic killing caught by photographer . Much of this month's violence happened in the port city of Durban, where at least two foreigners and three South Africans were killed after mobs with machetes attacked immigrant shops. Thousands of people took temporary shelter at refugee centers or police stations as a result, according to aid group Gift of the Givers. Similar violence happened late last week in Johannesburg, where immigrant-owned shops were looted or destroyed. The attacks came as residents accused immigrants of taking their jobs and committing crimes. The unemployment rate in South Africa is 25%, according to government figures. The United Nations said the attacks began in March after a labor dispute between citizens and foreign workers. What's behind the xenophobic attacks in South Africa? CNN's Brent Swails reported from Johannesburg. CNN's Jason Hanna reported and wrote from Atlanta.

Summary: South African troops help police conduct raids in Jeppestown . Defense minister says police are spread too thin trying to prevent attacks on immigrants . Seven people have been killed in recent violence against poorer immigrants .


(CNN)After a Russian fighter jet intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane in an "unsafe and unprofessional manner" earlier this week, the United States is complaining to Moscow about the incident. On Tuesday, a U.S. RC-135U was flying over the Baltic Sea when it was intercepted by a Russian SU-27 Flanker. The Pentagon said the incident occurred in international airspace north of Poland. The U.S. crew believed the Russian pilot's actions were "unsafe and unprofessional due to the aggressive maneuvers it performed in close proximity to their aircraft and its high rate of speed," Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright said. Russian state news agency Sputnik reported the U.S. plane was flying toward the Russian border with its transponder switched off, according to a Defense Ministry spokesman. Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the Russian jet flew around the U.S. plane several times to identify it and get its tail number. An official with the U.S. European Command said the claim that the transponder was off was false. Wright said the Pentagon and State Department will "file the appropriate petition through diplomatic channels" with Russia. This is not the first time the U.S. has complained about an incident involving a RC-135U and a SU-27. A year ago, a Russian jet flew within 100 feet of a RC-135U over the Sea of Okhotsk in the western Pacific, according to U.S. officials who called it "one of the most dangerous close passes in decades." The Pentagon complained to the Russia military about that incident. Russian and U.S. aircraft often encounter each other, both in Northern Europe as well as the area between the Russian Far East and Alaska. CNN's Steve Brusk and Jamie Crawford contributed to this report.

Summary: The incident occurred on April 7 north of Poland in the Baltic Sea . U.S. says plane was in international airspace . Russia says it had transponder turned off and was flying toward Russia .


Caledonia, Michigan (CNN)Ben and Shelby Offrink met in college. It wasn't the most romantic setting -- a study group for calculus-based physics -- but Ben managed to turn it into a story worth telling by cheating. "I set up a study group and ended up telling the other people not to come so it would be just the two of us," said Ben with a smile. "He was sneaky," says Shelby. "Yeah, I wanted to meet her," says Ben, "and that was the best way I could figure out." Fast-forward eight years to 2014. Ben, now 34, and Shelby, a newly minted 30-year-old, were married and raising little Maeve, 3, and baby Hazel, 3 months, in Caledonia, Michigan, when life suddenly turns upside down. "I thought it was sciatica," Shelby says of the back pain and the "odd" feeling that prompted her to go to the hospital. "But I couldn't get the doctors in the ER to pay attention. So I went back the next day and told them that I was incontinent, and they did an MRI and there it was." "It" turned out to be an intramedullary glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. Shelby's version was extremely rare because it was lodged in her spine instead of her brain. "So it's actually tangled into the spinal cord itself," Ben explains. "If you'd imagine a meatball inside of bunch of spaghetti, you can't just easily take it out without damaging a bunch of the spinal cord itself." Surgery removed 75%. The rest was treated with a combination of oral chemo and radiation. But suddenly a second spot above the first grew worse and the area of radiation had to be broadened. After a week of treatment, Shelby suddenly lost feeling in her legs. Unfortunately, the numbness became permanent. Before long, Shelby was paralyzed from the belly button down. But that didn't stop her fighting spirit or her sense of humor. Shelby nicknamed her tumors and decided to "terminate" them. "You pronounce it as 'tumah tumah-nator,'" Ben says. "Like how Arnold Schwarzenegger would say it if he had a tumor." As Shelby continued to fight and improve, in August 2014, Ben got some terrible news. The Hodgkins lymphoma he had fought and battled into remission when he was 20 had reappeared. And it probably had been hiding in his body for a few years, making it extremely hard to overcome. "I thought it was never a concern again," Ben says. "The procedures I went through, having a bone marrow transplant, I thought there wouldn't be any issues. It's been over 15 years. It caught everyone completely off guard." Ben was slated for a clinical trial with an experimental drug, but his alkaline phosphate levels were too high to meet the requirements. With no other options in the Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor or Detroit areas, he is now on generalized chemotherapy, hoping it will force the cancer into remission so he can undergo a bone marrow transplant. Two donors have been found that are a perfect match, if the cancer will

Summary: UPDATE: Shelby Offrink lost her battle to cancer on June 28, 2015 . Offrink was diagnosed at 30 with rare inoperable brain cancer . Her husband, Ben, was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which had been in remission 15 years .


(CNN)Jackson Gordon is no ordinary 21-year-old. By day he is an industrial design student at Philadelphia University, but Gordon has another side to him -- a side altogether darker, tougher and more enigmatic. Hanging in his workshop Gordon has a full suit of armor plating, cape and cowl -- matte black and built to stop a knife. Gordon has an alter ego: the Dark Knight himself, Batman. You might expect his origin story to be cloaked in mystery, but speaking to CNN Gordon is quick to explain how the transformation took place. Gordon says his calling came five years ago when he began experimenting with cosplay. "Previously I'd been involved with costume making... I'd made a version of the Batsuit from Christopher Nolan's 'Dark Knight Trilogy' and I really liked that suit," Gordon says. But, as elaborate as his design was, it lacked the functionality or the authenticity of the genuine article. "I was frustrated every time I wore it," Gordon explains. "It really limited my mobility and I didn't like that -- it didn't go with the character." In September 2014 he bit the bullet, deciding "to do another one that wouldn't inhibit my mobility and would actually provide protection and function more like Batman's actual suit." The Batsuit had to be strong -- tough enough to withstand the stab or slash of a knife, the impact of a punch or a baseball bat, but light and articulate enough to make it practical. Striking such a balance required expensive materials, and they didn't come cheap. Gordon therefore fired up a Kickstarter campaign. He "didn't really think anyone would fund it or even be interested in it" -- he raised $1,255 in 6 days. "It was a little surprising," Gordon demurs. Writing out his shopping list, it was important that "everywhere, even places without armor plating, had some sort of protection." Kevlar was sourced as the base fabric, making it "cut and slash resistant to bladed weapons, but breathable and wearable all day." Eschewing conventional materials, Gordon opted for a form of memory foam, built around key areas to "squish and compress," dissipating the impact of blows. After much experimenting with "polycarbonates and extruded PVC materials," ¼" Kydex (or ABS) plastic formed the tough armor plates, located on the torso, forearms and shins. Stab resistant, Gordon says "it can take anything but a gunshot." The cowl was more problematic, being "nearly impossible" to craft out of the same materials within the limits of his workshop. Gordon therefore took a mold of his head using Sintra plastic, "working on top of that with different sculpting clays and soft plastics to get it into a recognizable Batman shape." Using a two part box mold Gordon was able to create a "silicone jacket" of this, into which liquid polyurethane was poured, forming the final, "durable and functional" cowl. Gordon (who doesn't appear to be related to Gotham City's police commissioner, James Gordon) is also an expert in Shaolin Kung Fu: he is both brains and brawn, a cross between Bruce Wayne and Batsuit designer Lucius

Summary: 21-year-old student Jackson Gordon has designed and built a functional Batsuit . Made with money raised on Kickstarter, the outfit has received a prestigious endorsement .


(CNN)Working as a warden in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park, home to the endangered mountain gorilla, Edwin Sabuhoro was determined to do whatever was necessary to protect the animals he was committed to defend -- including putting himself in harm's way. Following a series of incidents in 2004 where wildlife had been lost, Sabuhoro volunteered to infiltrate poachers on their own turf by disguising as a potential buyer for a baby gorilla. The mission was successful and the culprits were put to prison. "I felt so bad that I had put these people in jail -- but I felt so good that I saved a baby gorilla," recalls Sabuhoro, whose next move was to visit the jailed poachers, as well as their families, to apologize for tricking them and find the reasons behind their actions. What he heard was stories of starvation and desperation. Poaching, he found, was the only way for these people to survive. "That's when I decided that what I was doing was not part of giving a solution to what is wanted outside the park," says Sabuhoro. He quickly decided to quit the job and come up with an idea to help poachers make a living -- a plan that didn't include killing wildlife. "I thought of an idea of turning poachers to farmers," says Sabuhoro, who took all of his savings -- $2,000 -- and divided it to poachers to rent land, buy seeds and start farming. "I left them with that and they started farming, and when I came back six months after I found they had harvested enough -- they had enough food at home, but they were [also] selling more in the markets." But Sabuhoro wasn't finished. While talking to tourists who came to visit the volcanoes, Sabuhoro came up with an idea to capitalize on their interest in the area, and provide work for former poachers. "I started a tour company called Rwanda Eco Tours, and I said for tourism to thrive in the country we need eco-tourism where tourists can give back to the community and then the communities will have an incentive to conserve the park. So we built a cultural village in 2006 -- before we finished, we had tourists visiting us." he says. "In 2010, we got $30,000 net income from the cultural village and put this back to different activities in the village level." Sabuhoro, whose work with the cultural village has received international recognition, including a chance to briefly meet U.S. president Barack Obama as a Young African Leader, is now trying to take his idea further to other national parks across Africa where poaching is causing similar problems. "If we can work together, on a regional level, continent level, we can save these species," he says. "Because these are the last species that we have. And as human beings we can't afford to fail the wildlife." Watch this: Meeting the men who poach Rwanda's gorillas . Watch this: Flourishing community protects gorillas . More from African Voices .

Summary: Conservationist Edwin Sabuhoro founded a cultural village in Rwanda . The village provides work for poachers and unemployed youth .


(CNN)A hooded angel with black wings appeared on Tuesday near the spot where Walter Scott was shot and killed by a police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday. Since then, it's been taken up as an icon of the Black Lives Matter movement. When protesters held the winged figure at a Wednesday morning rally outside North Charleston's City Hall, the artwork was widely photographed. Creator Phillip Hyman grew up in the neighborhood where Scott, an unarmed black man, was shot in the back several times by a white police officer on Saturday. Hyman now lives in another part of the city and couldn't stop thinking about it. He woke up about 3 a.m. a couple of days after Scott was killed and began searching for materials. "Art is really about that moment. I just couldn't take it any longer," he said. Hyman dug into the trash and found a piece of wood that was the perfect size. Then he picked up a can of black house paint and started making the reclaimed wood into a work of art. The 56-year-old said he crafted the artwork as a way of mourning with the family. "That's who all this should really be about, not about the propaganda and making it your own story," said Hyman, who talks quickly and passionately about his subject material. "Shooting him in the back and just the indignity of it all." The figure, painted black in mourning for the family, has wings because it's going to heaven, Hyman said. The man depicted in Hyman's piece is dressed in a hooded sweatsuit, though that's not what Scott was wearing when he was killed. Hyman said he prefers not to say too much about who the black angel figure is. People can look at the art and make their own interpretations, he said. "It's a statement of where we are in America today. It's relevant in Charleston, Ferguson, Florida, anywhere now." After Hyman put the piece up on Tuesday near where Scott was killed, he got a call from a local protester with the Black Lives Matter movement, which has staged protests around the country in the wake of high-profile deaths at the hands of police. The group asked for permission to use his artwork in its demonstrations at the North Charleston City Hall. Hyman was happy to oblige. Each day, the protesters call Hyman and he either carries the angel-winged artwork to the protest, or the protesters come over to his home to pick it up. "It's taken a life of its own, so I'm letting it do what it's supposed to do now," he said. Freelance photographer Joel Woodhall spotted the artwork and wondered where it came from. Woodhall, who lives in nearby Charleston, said the artwork made him feel sorrow for a life ended too soon. "It was very emotionally moving. It's beautiful," he told CNN. This isn't the first time Hyman has used artwork to effect change: He restored a local theater to its former glory. He commemorated Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday by painting

Summary: The Walter Scott shooting inspired a local artist to create artwork . Phillip Hyman crafted the angel-winged artwork in the middle of the night . Protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement have started using it as his symbol .


(CNN)Hey, look what I did. That small boast on social media can trigger a whirlwind that spins into real-life grief, as a Texas veterinarian found out after shooting a cat. Dr. Kristen Lindsey allegedly shot an arrow into the back of an orange tabby's head and posted a proud photo this week on Facebook of herself smiling, as she dangled its limp body by the arrow's shaft. Lindsey added a comment, CNN affiliate KBTX reported. "My first bow kill, lol. The only good feral tomcat is one with an arrow through it's head! Vet of the year award ... Gladly accepted." Callers rang the phones hot at Washington County's Animal Clinic, where Lindsey worked, to vent their outrage. Web traffic crashed its website. High price of public shaming on the Internet . Then an animal rescuer said that Lindsey's prey was probably not a feral cat but the pet of an elderly couple, who called him "Tiger." He had gone missing on Wednesday, the same day that Lindsey posted the photo of the slain cat. CNN has not been able to confirm the claim. As the firestorm grew, Lindsey wrote in the comments underneath her post: "no I did not lose my job. Lol. Psshh. Like someone would get rid of me. I'm awesome!" That prediction was wrong. The clinic fired Lindsey, covered her name on its marquee with duct tape, and publicly distanced itself from her actions. "Our goal now is to go on and try to fix our black eye and hope that people are reasonable and understand that those actions don't anyway portray what we're for here at Washington Animal Clinic," said Dr. Bruce Buenger. "We put our heart and soul into this place." The clinic told WBTX that Lindsey was not available for comment. CNN is reaching out to her. She removed her controversial post then eventually shut down her Facebook page. Callers also complained to the Brenham Police Department and Washington County Animal Control, as her Facebook post went viral. The sheriff's office in Austin County, where the cat was apparently shot, is investigating, and Lindsey could face charges. Its dispatchers were overloaded with calls, the sheriff posted on Facebook. "We are asking you to please take it easy on our dispatchers. As soon as the investigation is complete, we will post the relevant information here on this page," the post read. Animal rights activists are pushing for charges. "Animal cruelty must be taken seriously, and the guilty parties should be punished to the fullest extent of the law," said cat advocacy activist Becky Robinson. Her organization, Alley Cat Allies, is offering a $7,500 reward for evidence leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who shot the cat. But others stood up for Lindsey. "She's amazing. She's caring," said customer Shannon Stoddard. "She's a good vet, so maybe her bad choice of posting something on Facebook was not good. But I don't think she should be judged for it." She dropped off balloons at the animal clinic for Lindsey with a thank you note. CNN's

Summary: Dr. Kristen Lindsey has since removed the post of her holding the dead cat by an arrow . Her employer fired her; the sheriff's office is investigating . Activist offers $7,500 reward .


(CNN)The seventh installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise," "Furious 7" is sure to draw fans curious about how the film handles the real-life death of co-star Paul Walker. But minus the off-screen tragedy, is "Furious 7" worth racing to the theater? Here's what the critics are saying: . Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: " 'Furious 7' is the best F&F by far, two hours of pure pow fueled by dedication and passionate heart. This one sticks with you. The usual flaws -- plot bumps, muscle acting, tweet-length dialogue -- fade in the face of the camaraderie on and off screen. Finishing the film in Walker's honor clearly brought out the best in everyone. It's bittersweet seeing Walker in action again. But it's also a kick to watch him take the wheel or hang off a bus in Azerbaijan that happens to be hanging off a cliff. He feels at home." Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly: "No one forks over 10 bucks to see one of these flicks for its logic. We go for the bananas demolition-derby mayhem. 'Furious 7' delivers that with the direct visceral rush of an EpiPen. For two hours and change, we're treated to a high-octane orgy of some of the most exhilarating stunts ever put on film, including one showstopper where Walker balances on an overturned bus that's teetering on the edge of a cliff." Chris Ziegler, The Verge: "It's entirely possible, of course, that my fandom has simply blinded me to 'Furious 7's' greatness. The action sequences -- particularly Abu Dhabi, with the supercar leaping between buildings -- are legitimately phenomenal, and the scenes filmed after Walker's passing, in which his brothers stepped in for him, were never distracting or even noticeable without looking closely. Maybe I'm missing something." A.O. Scott, New York Times: "The final moments, when Mr. Walker's longtime colleagues say their farewells while he still appears to be on screen with them, are both awkward and moving. They remind you what these movies have always been about, underneath all the noise and the bravado: the ferocity of friendship and the terrible speed of loss." Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: "The action sequences -- from hand-to-hand combat to the crash and burn of cars -- are, as we've come to expect, not grounded in reality. The parkour-influenced high-rise stunts that everyone will be talking about are particularly affecting because a) they feature the multimillion-dollar eye-candy of a jewel-encrusted limited-edition Lykan Hypersport and b) they are amazing. All of the driving and skydiving fall into the never-try-this-at-home zone." Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair: "The latest film, which opens Friday, can't help but take on some deeper meaning, as the death of main cast member Paul Walker, killed in a car accident in late 2013, looms large throughout. But it doesn't overwhelm -- Furious 7 is respectful, even solemn, when it needs to be, but is still, thank God, plenty of crazy fun."

Summary: The film is out in theaters today . Co-star Paul Walker died during production . Critics say "Furious 7" is bittersweet and "plenty of crazy fun"


(CNN)Eyewitness video showing white North Charleston police Officer Michael Slager shooting to death an unarmed black man has exposed discrepancies in the reports of the first officers on the scene. Slager has been fired and charged with murder in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. A bystander's cell phone video, which began after an alleged struggle on the ground between Slager and Scott, shows the five-year police veteran shooting at Scott eight times as Scott runs away. Scott was hit five times. If words were exchanged between the men, they're are not audible on the tape. It's unclear what happened before Scott ran, or why he ran. The officer initially said that he used a Taser on Scott, who, Slager said, tried to take the weapon. Before Slager opens fire, the video shows a dark object falling behind Scott and hitting the ground. It's unclear whether that is the Taser. Later in the video, when Slager approaches Scott's body, Slager appears to drop a dark object near Scott. Slager is seen in the video handcuffing Scott after the shooting. Witness: I nearly erased shooting video out of fear . Feidin Santana, the witness who recorded the video, said he didn't see Scott grab Slager's Taser. His account contradicts what Slager told dispatchers. In two interviews with NBC, Santana said that he was walking to his job in North Charleston on Saturday morning when he saw Slager chase Scott, who had been pulled over for a broken taillight. Santana told NBC's Lester Holt on Wednesday that he saw the two men struggling on the ground. "They were down on the (ground) ... before I started recording," Santana said. "I remember the police (officer) had control of the situation. He had control of Scott." Santana said he heard the sound of a Taser being used. He believed Scott was trying to get away from it. But Scott never got the Taser or used it on the officer, Santana told NBC. Who was Walter Scott? A North Charleston Police report included brief statements from eight police officers, but not Slager. One officer, identified as Sgt. J. Gann, said in the report he was conducting a separate traffic stop about 9:30 a.m. Saturday when he heard -- apparently via radio -- Slager say he was "in foot pursuit" of another motorist. Gann said that while driving to the officer's location, "Slager advised that he deployed his Taser and (requested) back up units." Seconds later, Gann reported, he heard Slager tell a dispatcher, "Shots fired and the subject is down. He took my Taser." Hours after the shooting, The Post and Courier of Charleston quoted a statement from police spokesman Spencer Pryor, who said Slager attempted to use his Taser to stop a fleeing suspect. The men struggled over the device, with the suspect taking the Taser and attempting to use it against Slager, the newspaper reported. In the police report, another officer, J. Banias, said he was heading to the scene about 10 minutes after the initial call. Slager asked him to "secure his vehicle at

Summary: More questions than answers emerge in controversial S.C. police shooting . Officer Michael Slager, charged with murder, was fired from the North Charleston Police Department .


(CNN)The Golden State could soon refer to the hue of California's lawns. Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday imposed mandatory water restrictions for the first time on residents, businesses and farms, ordering cities and towns in the drought-ravaged state to reduce usage by 25%. "We're in a new era," Brown said. "The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day, that's going to be a thing of the past." The 25% cut in usage amounts to roughly 1.5 million acre-feet of water (an acre foot of water equals about 325,000 gallons) over the next nine months, state officials said. "This historic drought demands unprecedented action," Brown said, standing on a patch of dry, brown grass in the Sierra Nevada mountains that is usually blanketed by up to 5 feet of snow. The reduction in water use does not apply to the agriculture industry, except for the requirement that it report more information on its groundwater use. The exclusion prompted some criticism, as agriculture uses about 80% of California's developed water supply. Farms in the state have taken a hit, with reduced water allocations and thousands of farmworkers laid off. But climate writer Eric Holthaus of Slate wrote that "wasteful agriculture is literally sucking California dry." The action comes as the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which Californians rely on heavily during the summer for their water needs, is near a record low. One famed golf course group said it should be able to keep its fairways and greens green. David Stivers, an executive vice president of the Pebble Beach company, said his company is studying the restrictions to see what effect it will have on business. "It will not affect our golf course irrigation because we use recycled waste water (for golf course irrigation) from a plant we built in 1994," he said. The company operates Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course and The Links at Spanish Bay as well as three hotels. He said the drought has yet to hurt revenue. "People up here are also very conscious about water usage and the expense of water in this area," he said. Pepperdine University in Malibu, known for its beautiful campus, said it would be challenging to meet the restrictions given the water-saving practices already in effect. The school already uses recycled and reclaimed water for campus irrigation and now it has turned off all fountains on campus, according to Rhiannon Bailard, director of the university's Center for Sustainability. The university was also encouraging students to further reduce water usage. In addition, Brown's executive order will: . • Impose significant cuts in water use on campuses, golf courses, cemeteries and other large landscapes. • Replace 50 million square feet of lawns throughout the state with "drought-tolerant landscaping." • Create a temporary, statewide consumer rebate program to replace old appliances with water efficient models. • Prohibit new homes and developments from irrigating with potable water unless water-efficient drip irrigation systems are used. • Ban watering of ornamental grass on public street medians. • Require agricultural water users to report

Summary: Pepperdine University seeks ways to meet new usage allowances, turns off fountains . Drought-stricken California for the first time imposes water restrictions . Executive order demands that cities and towns reduce water usage by 25% .


(CNN)From the giant sequoias of Yosemite to the geysers of Yellowstone, the United States' national parks were made for you and me. And for Saturday and Sunday, they're also free. Though most of the National Park Service's 407 sites are free year-round, the 128 parks that charge a fee -- like Yellowstone and Yosemite -- will be free those two days. It's all part of National Park Week, happening April 18 through April 26, and it's hosted by the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation. Check out night-time astronomy parties, daytime Revolutionary War programs, Earth Day parties and family-friendly Junior Ranger activities at national park sites across the country. Not sure how to start? Go to FindYourPark.com to learn more about park sites near you. Go to www.nationalparkweek.org for more ideas on how to explore. Then the park service wants people to share their stories using the hashtag #FindYourPark and at FindYourPark.com.

Summary: It's National Park Week, and that means the parks are free April 18-19 . Stargazing, Revolutionary War programs and other fun happens this week .


(CNN)The bored teenager who gunned down a college baseball player in Oklahoma simply because he and his two friends "had nothing to do," is now a convicted murderer. Chancey Allen Luna was found guilty of first-degree murder Friday for his role in the August 2013 drive-by shooting of Christopher Lane, a 23-year-old college student in Duncan, about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City. Luna was 16 at the time of the shooting. Lane, an Australian attending East Central University, was jogging when he was shot in the back by a gun fired by Luna. A jury recommended Friday that Luna spend life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to court records. Because he was under 18 when the crime was committed, he is not eligible for the death penalty. He'll be formally sentenced in June. The vehicle's driver, Michael Jones, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Jones, who was 17 at the time of the murder, will be eligible for parole starting in 2051, according to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Prosecutors dropped first-degree murder charges filed against the third suspect, then only 15, after he agreed to testify against Luna and Jones, according to CNN affiliate KSWO. He will now be tried as a juvenile with accessory to murder after the fact. Duncan police Chief Danny Ford told Australian radio station 3AW that when police arrested the teens, Jones offered a motive that made clear that Lane, a baseball player on scholarship, was chosen at random. "We were bored and didn't have anything to do, so we decided to kill somebody." After the verdict, Luna appeared to be crying as deputies led him out of the courtroom in handcuffs, whimpering "I'm sorry" to a reporter. CNN's Greg Botelho contributed to this report .

Summary: Chancey Luna convicted of murder for gunning down Oklahoma college student as he jogged . Police: Luna and his friends "were bored" so they decided to kill somebody .


(CNN)For Lt. Colonel John Schwemmer, the scenery is all too familiar. This is his sixth tour in Iraq, and he's back doing a job that he's been tasked with before: training Iraqi soldiers. Schwemmer and other active U.S. military personnel are on the ground in Iraq, whipping often ill-equipped government troops into shape. They've been here before, but this time, he feels, they're getting it right. But the U.S. military isn't the only contingent of Western forces in the region -- dozens of foreigners, including Americans, have volunteered to take the fight to ISIS. And increasingly, U.S. military training efforts are being supplemented by outside agencies, who are working with Kurdish government troops and even militia in Iraq and Syria. "Many of us do feel that we do have the skills and qualifications that can be used to benefit those in the region," said Ian Bradbury, a Canadian former soldier who is training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq. While it is difficult to say how many foreign volunteers are fighting ISIS, a spokesman for a Kurdish militia fighting against them in Syria -- known as the YPG -- told the New York Times their forces include more than 100 American citizens. U.S. law enforcement officials say it is illegal to join a Syrian militia. But some organizations have set up recruitment drives online, featuring applications for foreign fighters complete with checklists of what to bring and advice on bringing body armor across international borders. Jordan Matson, a 28-year-old former U.S. army soldier from the tiny town of Sturtevant, Wisconsin, volunteered with the YPG. He told CNN that after much soul searching he realized that he needed to help in the battle against ISIS' brutal, expansionist regime. "I got in contact with the YPG on Facebook and prayed about it for probably a month or two and asked, 'is this what I want to do?' and eventually, you know, decided to do it. "All my life I wanted to be a solider... so I guess this just fits well over here." But foreign fighters aren't universally welcomed by those opposing ISIS. The Peshmerga, the military wing of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) that has been one of the most effective counterbalances to ISIS' expansion, has said they don't want or need foreign fighters, according to Bradbury. "The information I've been getting back is that there's very little use for (Western fighters) on the front lines, especially on the KRG side -- they have significant numbers of personnel -- it's a source of Kurdish pride for them to rise up in scenarios like this. They more need the development assistance." Peshmerga spokesman Helgurd Hekmat also told Kurdish news wire Rudaw that it was illegal for foreigners to join their ranks. While individual fighters are not always accepted, volunteers working as military trainers are sharing their expertise to support those on the front lines of the fight against ISIS forces. Bradbury set up 1st North American Expeditionary Forces (1st NAEF), a training body which, he says, is currently providing material support and training to

Summary: Foreign fighters are increasingly signing up to fight ISIS on the front lines . For some of the jihadist group's foes, foreign fighters are not welcome comrades . Training and logistical support, some argue, is the best way to support the fight against ISIS .


(CNN)Cigarettes have been put out across the bars of New Orleans. Cigars are welcome no more. The city known for excess of everything -- drinking, eating, dancing in the street until all hours -- went smoke-free as Tuesday became Wednesday at midnight. How can that be? It turns out that the city known for its over-the-top Mardi Gras celebrations and incredible jazz fests (starting Friday!) didn't want its waiters and musicians to have to breathe smoke to do their jobs anymore. The New Orleans City Council passed its ban against smoking in most places across the city -- including bars, casinos and restaurants -- in January, and the vote was unanimous, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. Bar owners worried about potential revenue loss, while puffing customers bemoaned the loss of their smoking spots. Harrah's New Orleans and bar owners filed a lawsuit to stop the ban, and a hearing is scheduled in state court in a month, CNN affiliate WAPT reports. Fines start at $50. Luckily for us, none of CNN's 15 New Orleans must-do's -- including touring Treme or eating a beignet -- requires smoking.

Summary: New Orleans bars are smoke-free as of Wednesday morning . A lawsuit by Harrah's and bar owners seeks to overturn the ban .


Irbil, Iraq (CNN)ISIS claimed it controlled part of Iraq's largest oil refinery Sunday, posting images online that purported to show the storming of the facility, fierce clashes and plumes of smoke rising above the contested site. The group said it launched an assault on the Baiji oil refinery late Saturday. By Sunday, ISIS said its fighters were inside the refinery and controlled several buildings, but Iraqi government security officials denied that claim and insisted Iraqi forces remain in full control. CNN couldn't independently verify ISIS' claim. It wouldn't be the first time that militants and Iraqi forces have battled over the refinery, a key strategic resource that has long been a lucrative target because the facility refines much of the fuel used by Iraqis domestically. If an attack damaged oil fields or machinery, it could have a significant impact. The refinery is just 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit, which Iraqi forces and Shiite militias wrested from ISIS less than two weeks ago. CNN's Jennifer Deaton and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.

Summary: ISIS says it controls several buildings at the Baiji oil refinery . Iraqi government security officials say Iraqi forces remain in full control . The refinery, Iraq's largest, has long been a lucrative target for militants .


(The Hollywood Reporter)Good news arrived Thursday for "Fifty Shades of Grey" fans. Universal announced Thursday that the sequel to the box office blockbuster will hit theaters on Feb. 10, 2017. The third film in the series will debut Feb. 9, 2018. The news came one day after The Hollywood Reporter reported exclusively that the husband of EL James, author of the "Fifty Shades" trilogy, will write the script for the second film. Niall Leonard, who is married and has two sons with the British author, is an author himself, in addition to being a screenwriter. James, whose real name is Erika Leonard, has been credited with keeping a strong amount of creative control when it comes to Universal's adaptations of her books, the second of which is titled "Fifty Shades Darker." After clashing with James, Sam Taylor-Johnson isn't returning to direct the sequel. Stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are negotiating for more money for the sequel after the first film, release over Valentine's Day weekend of this year, earned a massive $568.8 million worldwide. ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

Summary: A second "Fifty Shades" film will be released in 2017, a third in 2018 . Director Sam Taylor-Johnson won't be returning .


Istanbul, Turkey (CNN)Sitting on a sunny bench in Istanbul's Gezi Park, Fadime Gurgen dismisses the controversy surrounding the 100th anniversary Friday of the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire with a wave of her hand. Gurgen, a 55-year-old cleaner, says her family has had close friendships with Armenians going back generations. "There is no such thing as genocide," she says. "Other people are trying to create hostility between us." Most Turks agree with Gurgen. Ninety-one percent of Turks do not believe that the events of 1915 -- when, according to Armenians, 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were systematically killed in the final years of the Ottoman Empire -- were genocide, according to a recent poll. It's a sentiment shared by the Turkish government, which denies that a genocide took place, maintaining that hundreds of thousands of Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians died in intercommunal violence around the bloody battlefields of World War I. Turkey also disputes Armenia's count of the numbers killed, putting it at 300,000. It's a heavily disputed position -- the killings are widely viewed by scholars as genocide and the Armenian government and diaspora are lobbying for wider recognition in the international community. Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said Friday in statement that Turkey's Ottoman rulers had planned and carried out a "monstrous crime" in the years of World War I and called on more countries to recognize and condemn the genocide. Many Armenians living in Turkey still feel treated as second-class citizens. However many have hope that Turkey's younger generation is more willing to accept that a genocide occurred than their parents. "Students are much, much more liberal," says Diana Van, whose grandparents escaped the mass killings. Van is a member of the delegation for the Armenian Genocide commemoration and is writing her Masters thesis on the issue at Ankara University. "They have access to alternative information written in English, which is not taught in school (in Turkey). With more access to books, to alternative information, and with a larger democratization process, Turkey will be able to face its history." A century after her Armenian ancestors escaped death in Eastern Turkey, Van says she is frustrated that Turkey is unwilling to accept what happened. "Your identity is denied by Turkey," she says. "They do not want to face this past. In Turkey, the word Armenian is still used as a curse. Whenever you want to hurt somebody, you say, 'you are like an Armenian.'" Van says an admission of genocide by Turkey would largely be symbolic. While her grandparents lost their land, she has returned to their villages and she recognizes that trying to reclaim it would be impossible. "I do not believe that this is going to happen," she says of the territorial claims made by many Armenians. "One hundred years have passed. I went to my ancestors' land, and I saw those Armenian lands full of Kurdish people, who have five to 16 children per family, and I saw that it's not Anatolia. It's not my homeland that I had in my imagination." A growing number

Summary: Massacre of 1.5 million ethnic Armenians under the Ottoman Empire is widely acknowledged by scholars as a genocide. Turkish government officially denies it saying hundreds of thousands of Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians died in intercommunal violence .


(CNN)Thump. The University of Nebraska at Omaha is getting a new $81.6 million stadium for its hockey, basketball and volleyball teams. Thump. It'll have luxury suites and everything. Thump. But it seems all anyone can talk about these days ... THUMP . ... is the taco cannon. That's right, we said taco cannon. An Omaha taco shop has teamed up with the university to shoot tacos into the stands at sporting events. That the foil-wrapped eats will make to fans was made evident when Voodoo Tacos owner Eric Newton demonstrated the power of the cannon for CNN affiliate KETV. That they'll make it undamaged? Not so much. "I wouldn't say it would be as restaurant quality when it gets to them, but it's edible," Newton said. With this latest technological development, the taco will join t-shirts, stuffed toys, balls, biscuits and the lowly hot dog in hurtling into the stands at public gatherings. UNO fans, um, ate the idea up, sending #tacocannon hurtling past #EarthDay as the No. 1 trending topic Wednesday in Omaha. "How we roll in Omaha...Frozen Four appearances and projectile tacos," Twitter user mavpuck said, referring to the school's recent, and sadly taco-less, appearance in the NCAA hockey tournament semifinals. "This just might be the greatest invention. EVER," thetoddbryant wrote on Twitter. The tacos will start flying this fall, when the school's new arena is scheduled to open. But Voodoo Tacos has already scored, catching plenty of publicity months ahead of opening night. "My partners laughed and me and said 'that's dumb,' " Newton told KETV. "Now they're emailing me and saying, 'About the best thing we've ever bought.' "

Summary: #tacocannon trends in Omaha as excited fans eat up the idea of flying tacos . The cannon will shoot off tacos at University of Nebraska-Omaha's new arena .


(The Hollywood Reporter)Stan Freberg, whose freewheeling comic career in advertising garnered him worldwide acclaim and whose satirical entertainments abounded on TV, the radio and on records, has died. He was 88. Freberg died of natural causes at a Santa Monica hospital, his son and daughter, Donavan and Donna Freberg, confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "He was and will always be my hero, and I will carry his brilliant legacy forward as best I am able," his son wrote on Facebook. The godfather of humorous and irreverent commercials, Freberg lampooned cultural institutions and described himself as a "guerilla satirist." The New York Times dubbed him the "Che Guevara of advertising," and years later, "Weird Al" Yankovic called him a major influence on his career. "Very sad to say that one of my absolute all-time heroes has just passed away," Yankovic wrote on Twitter. "RIP Stan Freberg. A legend, an inspiration, and a friend." Freberg also was known for his musical parodies. "Wun'erful Wun'erful," his 1957 spoof of "champagne music" — on which he collaborated with orchestra leader Billy May — lampooned "The Lawrence Welk Show." He also parodied Johnnie Ray's hit "Cry," which Freberg rendered as "Try." (Ray was quite angry until he realized Freberg was fueling sales of his record.) The Los Angeles native had hit records of his own, including "St. George and the Dragonet," a 1953 send-up of the series "Dragnet." His recordings were so popular that he landed his own radio program in 1954, "That's Rich." Three years later, he presented "The Stan Freberg Show" on CBS Radio, where he regularly mocked commercials by advertising bogus products. Hollywood Reporter: "Mad Men's" return . He won a Grammy Award in 1959 for best performance, documentary or spoken word for "The Best of the Stan Freberg Shows." Earlier in the 1950s, Freberg helped create and write the Emmy Award-winning comedy "Time for Beany," also working with puppets and performing on the show. Its droll, off-the-wall humor appealed to fans including Albert Einstein. During Beany's early gestation, he and the other writers had no office, so they wrote in coffee shops at night as well as in an "office" in a condemned building. Not surprisingly, Freberg ruffled institutional feathers. Capitol Records balked at releasing his satires of radio-TV personality Arthur Godfrey and Ed Sullivan's variety show "Toast of the Town." Hollywood Reporter: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" -- the untold story . Freberg disdained the hard sell. He created such classic comic ad capers as "Nine out of 10 doctors recommend Chun King Chow Mein," and his Jeno's Frozen Pizza campaign featured the Lone Ranger and Tonto. He skewered the greed of the ad business in "Green Chri$tma$, which criticized the over-commercialization of the holiday. In 1958, Freberg opened his own ad agency, Freberg Ltd. His slogan was "More Honesty Than the Client Had in Mind," and he even had a corporate motto: "Ars Gratia Pecuniae" (Art of the Sake of Money). Freberg, whose inspirations were Jack Benny, Fred Allen and Norman Corwin, worked in cartoons for decades, starting in the 1940s. He

Summary: Stan Freberg was famed comedian, song parodist . He later became adman, did a number of outrageous commercials . "Weird Al" Yankovic: " A legend, an inspiration, and a friend"


Tehran, Iran (CNN)The Basij is a militia made up of fighters loyal to Iran's religious leaders; their mission is to protect the country's Islamic order. To do that, they will go to any lengths necessary, including -- they say -- taking on ISIS. "We all are prepared to go and destroy ISIS totally," one Basij commander told CNN. "If our Imam, our Supreme Leader orders us, we will destroy ISIS." The commander says that, so far, the Basij has not been caught up in the fight against the feared Islamic extremists currently waging war in parts of Iraq and Syria. But Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force, led by General Qassem Suleimani, is already training, advising and supporting Iraqi Shia militias in their fight against ISIS. Suleimani was accused of involvement in the Shia insurgency against U.S. forces during the Iraq war. Today he is a celebrity to many Iraqis and Iranians. That is symbolic of the gulf that still exists between Iran and the U.S., regardless of any thaw in relations in the wake of the recent agreement on a framework nuclear deal and ongoing talks. Iran, militias' involvement in ISIS fight a mixed blessing . Iranian officials, who believe their strategy is making a difference in the fight against ISIS, say they would like better cooperation with the U.S., but point out that the level of trust simply isn't there. "At the moment, we consider the United States to be a threat to us because its policies and actions are threatening to us," said General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of Iran's ground forces. "We would like the US to change its rhetoric and tone of voice so that our nation could have more trust in U.S. military leadership." And the feeling is mutual: the U.S., which is leading the air campaign against ISIS in Iraq, has denied any direct coordination with Iran. Iran will do what it takes to fight ISIS . Iranians believe air strikes against ISIS are not effective, and feel that the U.S. and its allies are not trying seriously enough to defeat the group. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani told CNN's Christiane Amanpour last September that "the aerial bombardment campaign is mostly ... a form of theater, rather than a serious battle against terrorism." "The battle in Iraq is very important to Iran," explained Mohammed Marandi, a professor at Tehran University. "The Iranians believe that the Americans, if they wanted to, could do a lot more to put pressure on their allies. And also, if they were serious about air strikes, they could do a lot more." It's a point the U.S., of course, disagrees with -- U.S. President Barack Obama has vowed to "degrade and ultimately defeat" the terror group. But Iran remains unconvinced. "If they want to destroy ISIS, it is possible for them to achieve that," said Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi, Iran's chief of general staff. "The U.S. military and intelligence organizations have many ways to strike at ISIS, but we have not seen anything so far except intelligence gathering from the U.S. and Britain,"

Summary: Iran's elite Quds Force is training, advising and supporting Iraqi Shia militias in their fight against ISIS. Iranian officials say they would like better cooperation with the U.S., but say trust between the nations is lacking .


(Rolling Stone)One summer a few years ago, Frances Bean Cobain worked as an intern in the New York offices of Rolling Stone. Frances -- the daughter of Nirvana singer-guitarist Kurt Cobain and an executive producer of the new HBO documentary on his life, "Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck" -- was "a 15-year-old Goth kid, so stoked," she recalls with a laugh during a recent interview for the cover story in our new issue. She remembers providing research assistance on a cover about the Jonas Brothers -- and working in a cubicle across from a wall with a giant painting of Kurt. "Yeah," Frances says with a grin and mock-exasperation, "looking at my dad every day." (Preview the cover story and listen to a previously unheard Cobain song here.) That is one of many stories and revelations that come out over almost three hours late one afternoon in early March, as Frances, now 22 and a visual artist, speaks publicly for the first time about her father; life after his death; her complex relationship with her mother, Courtney Love; and the new film, written, directed and produced by Brett Morgen. "Kurt got to the point where he eventually had to sacrifice every bit of who he was to his art, because the world demanded it of him," Frances says bluntly at one point. "I think that was one of the main triggers as to why he felt he didn't want to be here and everyone would be happier without him." Rolling Stone: Listen to a previously unheard Kurt Cobain song . But "in reality, if he had lived," she goes on, "I would have had a dad. And that would have been an incredible experience." What follows are additional excerpts from a remarkable -- and moving -- conversation. How would you describe "Montage of Heck"? It's emotional journalism. It's the closest thing to having Kurt tell his own story in his own words -- by his own aesthetic, his own perception of the world. It paints a portrait of a man attempting to cope with being a human. When Brett and I first met, I was very specific about what I wanted to see, how I wanted Kurt to be represented. I told him, "I don't want the mythology of Kurt or the romanticism." Even though Kurt died in the most horrific way possible, there is this mythology and romanticism that surrounds him, because he's 27 forever. The shelf life of an artist or musician isn't particularly long. Kurt has gotten to icon status because he will never age. He will always be that relevant in that time and always be beautiful. Rolling Stone: 17 Young Innovators Shaking Up the Music Industry . There is, with any great artist, a little manic-ness and insanity. "Tropic of Cancer" is one of my favorite books. And [author] Henry Miller had this work ethic, where he would get out of bed every day and force himself to write five pages. It taught me that if you do the work, you progress. So many people are content

Summary: Frances Bean Cobain, daughter of the late Kurt Cobain, spoke to Rolling Stone about a new film on the Nirvana frontman . 22-year-old Cobain is an executive producer of the documentary "Montage of Heck" She describes growing up with the legacy of her father looming large .


(CNN)A 110-day cat-and-mouse chase spanning from Antarctic waters to the coast of west Africa had an unlikely end when the crew of an alleged poaching vessel were rescued by conservationists pursuing them. Environmentalist group Sea Shepherd had been tailing the Thunder -- subject of an Interpol "purple notice" for suspected fraud and fisheries-related crimes -- since its ship the Bob Barker encountered it in the Southern Ocean several months ago. The pursuit ended early Monday in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of west Africa, when the Bob Barker received a distress call from the Thunder. "We were literally a few hundred meters away; they said the ship was sinking and they were abandoning the Thunder," said Sea Shepherd spokesman Adam Burling. "We invited the crew -- 40 of them -- on board, had a medical officer check them over, provided them with food and water." Bob Barker Captain Peter Hammarstedt said the crew rescued from the ship had been handed over to the Sao Tome coastguard early Tuesday. He said he hoped the authorities would work with Interpol to prosecute those operating the vessel. "We obviously want to see the captain of the Thunder prosecuted for his offenses," he told CNN by phone from the Bob Barker, at sea to the west of Sao Tome. Hammarstedt said he believed the Thunder was deliberately sunk to destroy physical evidence of illegal fishing. "I'm 100% confident that the captain of the Thunder destroyed his own ship," he said. Hammarstedt said he had managed to send three crew members aboard the abandoned Thunder before it went down. "Usually what happens when a vessel is sinking is the master will ensure all compartments and hatches are shut so as to maintain buoyancy," he said. "On the Thunder, all the hatches had been opened, including the hatch leading to the fish hold." He said his crew had retrieved computers, mobile phones and other devices from the Thunder that would be handed over to assist any investigation. They had also retrieved a fish from the ship's fish hold, which he said was about a quarter full. He said the fish was a toothfish, the prized stock his organization claims the Thunder was illegally catching when they were encountered in the Southern Ocean. More surprising was the reaction of the captain of the Thunder as his ship went under, he claimed. "When the vessel went completely under the water, the captain of the Thunder, who was in a life raft at the time, started cheering and applauding, which was very unusual behavior for a skipper who had just lost his ship," he said. The pursuit of the Thunder began after the Bob Barker encountered the vessel off the coast of Antarctica, said Burling. He claimed the vessel was found with its nets in the water, illegally catching Patagonian toothfish. The Thunder dropped its nets and left the scene; a second Sea Shepherd vessel that was brought in to retrieve the net found about $3 million of toothfish catch in about 72km of illegal gillnet, he claimed. "That's

Summary: Sea Shepherd rescues the crew of an alleged poaching ship it had chased for 110 days . The conservationist group had pursued the vessel since it was found illegally fishing off Antarctica, it says . Sea Shepherd captain tells CNN he believes the ship was deliberately sunk to destroy evidence .


(CNN)Another controversy has erupted from the press tour for the soon-to-be-blockbuster Marvel's "Avengers: Age of Ultron." After Robert Downey Jr. walked out on an interview, his co-stars Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner found themselves in hot water Wednesday over comments they made in a similar junket interview. When asked by Digital Spy about the character Black Widow's flirtations with the other superheroes, Renner responded "She's a slut," and Evans, laughing, added that she is a "complete whore." Joking or not, fans on social media didn't take it lightly. By Thursday, both actors apologized. CNN obtained a statement from Renner saying, "I am sorry that this tasteless joke about a fictional character offended anyone. It was not meant to be serious in any way. Just poking fun during an exhausting and tedious press tour." Evans also released a statement: "Yesterday we were asked about the rumors that Black Widow wanted to be in a relationship with both Hawkeye and Captain America. We answered in a very juvenile and offensive way that rightfully angered some fans. I regret it and sincerely apologize." Many on social media accepted his apology, but thoughts on Renner were mixed. With one week left until its release, the "Avengers" might want to steer clear of controversy from here on out.

Summary: Chris Evans and Jeremy Renner get in hot water after a joke made about "Avengers" character Black Widow . Renner called Scarlett Johansson's character a "slut" and Evans referred to her as a "whore" The actors issued an apology on Thursday .


Boston (CNN)The Boston Marathon is traditionally an event in which people in and around the Massachusetts capital come together, celebrate and enjoy. But not in 2013, when three people died and over 200 were injured when a pair of bombs went off within 12 seconds of each other at the finish line. And not this year -- at least not if you're a member of the jury that convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the bombings. That's what federal Judge George A. O'Toole told jurors Tuesday, stressing the importance of avoiding anything that could be prejudicial in the trial's sentencing phase. That begins April 21, a day after this year's edition of the landmark race. "Do not attend the Boston Marathon or any events or gatherings related to the anniversary or the current running of the Boston Marathon," O'Toole said in court. The judge spoke for less than 10 minutes, and stressed the seriousness of his warnings. The first phase of Tsarnaev's trial began March 4, after which federal prosecutors called 92 witnesses, and the defense just four. Timeline of the bombings, manhunt and aftermath . Tsarnaev's lawyers never disputed that their client was at the scene of the bombings and part of the days-long mayhem that followed. Tsarnaev lawyer Judy Clarke acknowledged in opening arguments that: "It was him." But Clarke argued that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev only took part in the plot under the influence of his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died after the bombings, but before his brother was captured in a boat parked in a Watertown backyard, . That argument wasn't enough to sway the jury, though. Rather, they convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on all 30 counts he faced -- including using weapons of mass destruction, bombing a place of public use, conspiracy and aiding and abetting. A look at all of the charges . The only question now, short of a successful appeal of that verdict, is what price he'll now pay. The maximum penalty for several of the charges is death. Talking to the jury on Tuesday, O'Toole predicted that the sentencing phase will last four weeks before cautioning that forecasting a specific timetable is less reliable than guessing the weather. The plan is for the court to be in session for four days a week, as long as the process takes. Until then, O'Toole told the jurors, "Please put the case out of your minds. Enjoy the warm weather." What's next for Tsarnaev? CNN's Ann O'Neill reported from Boston. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Alexandra Field, Aaron Cooper, Kevin Conlon, Jason Hanna and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.

Summary: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty of all 30 counts, may face death penalty . The sentencing phase starts April 21; a judge predicts it will last four weeks . He warns jurors not to do anything that could be prejudicial to the case .


(CNN)Recently, Nashville's district attorney banned prosecutors from offering female sterilization in plea deals. Believe it or not, Nashville prosecutors have offered this option four times in the past five years. There has been public outrage at the notion that a defendant in America in 2015 would be offered a choice of sterilization as part of a plea deal. Except, it happens all the time. Some have claimed this practice "evokes a dark corner of American history" where the mentally ill or "deficient" were forced to undergo sterilization. Yeah, that's true. We did that. And it was bad. Except this isn't quite that. Female sterilization is linked to the controversial "eugenics" movement, which advocated for the notion that the human race can be improved by selective breeding of people with superior genes. There is even a 1927 Supreme Court case, Buck v. Bell, in which the justices ruled that a state statute permitting compulsory sterilization of the unfit and "imbeciles," "for the protection and health of the state," was constitutional. The opinion in the case is stunning, especially because the Supreme Court has never technically overruled it. But Buck v. Bell dealt with involuntary sterilization of people because of their mental disabilities, not because they were being punished for a crime. You can hate sterilization, and the Tennessee case may have the creepy feel of the antiquated practice of eugenics, but it's not that. Present-day sterilization plea deals involve a voluntary choice of sterilization by persons accused of a crime, and for whom sterilization will be part of their punishment. Others may argue that the Supreme Court has already spoken on the issue of compulsory sterilization as punishment, and struck it down. That's true too, sort of. In Skinner v. Oklahoma, the Court struck down a law permitting compulsory sterilization of criminals as unconstitutional, but not because it was cruel and unusual. Instead, the law was struck down because the law was unequally applied for similar crimes. So the question remains: Is sterilization as a punishment unconstitutional? The Eighth Amendment provides: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Practically, however, punishments are rarely deemed cruel and unusual by the judiciary. We have executed people with hangings and by firing squad. Sterilization has to be somewhere below that, right? Ultimately, however, the constitutionality of sterilization may be a red herring in this analysis, because it appears that even if a punishment vciolates the Constitution, it is permissible, if you willingly choose it. Suppose arguendo (for argument's sake) that sterilization is judicially labeled a cruel and unusual punishment, violating the Eighth Amendment. This is where it gets interesting: It still might be an appropriate and constitutional part of a plea deal. Shocked? You shouldn't be. As citizens, we validly waive our constitutional rights all the time. You waive your Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure when you answer "yes" to an officer's "Mind if I look in your trunk?" You waive your Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination when you try to explain to the detective

Summary: Nashville's district attorney banned prosecutors from offering female sterilization in plea deals . Danny Cevallos: Present-day sterilization plea deals are voluntary and unlike creepy antiquated practices .


(CNN)Blinky and Pinky on the Champs Elysees? Inky and Clyde running down Broadway? Power pellets on the Embarcadero? Leave it to Google to make April Fools' Day into throwback fun by combining Google Maps with Pac-Man. The massive tech company is known for its impish April Fools' Day pranks, and Google Maps has been at the center of a few, including a Pokemon Challenge and a treasure map. This year the company was a day early to the party, rolling out the Pac-Man game Tuesday. It's easy to play: Simply pull up Google Maps on your desktop browser, click on the Pac-Man icon on the lower left, and your map suddenly becomes a Pac-Man course. Twitterers have been tickled by the possibilities, playing Pac-Man in Manhattan, on the University of Illinois quad, in central London and down crooked Lombard Street in San Francisco, among many locations: .

Summary: Google Maps has a temporary Pac-Man function . Google has long been fond of April Fools' Day pranks and games . Many people are turning their cities into Pac-Man courses .


(CNN)Over the last year more than 25,000 people, a population about the size of Key West, Florida, have fought Ebola infections. More than 10,000 have not survived. But for those who have survived, life will never be the same. And even for those who did not experience Ebola personally, the "most severe public health emergency seen in modern times" showed the world its vulnerability to disease. It revealed real flaws in government systems that are supposed to protect us. While the intensity of the largest Ebola epidemic in history has died down, and the initial dire predictions that there would be over a million infections by January never came true, dozens are still newly infected each week. The latest World Health Organization Report confirmed a total of 30 new confirmed cases of Ebola were reported in the week of April 5. This is the lowest weekly total since May 2014. But reports are mixed on stopping the virus completely: In Liberia and Sierra Leone, the number of cases has fallen so much, there are more treatment facilities than demand. WHO in Liberia is in the process of decommissioning surplus facilities. But in Guinea, of the 19 confirmed deaths from April 5, seven were only identified as Ebola post-mortem and there were reports of 21 unsafe burials. "Taken together these data indicate that though surveillance is improving, unknown chains of transmission could be a source of new infections in the coming weeks," the latest WHO report said. Click on the photos above to learn how a grave digger, a first responder, and many others have changed in the wake of Ebola.

Summary: April 8, 2014, the WHO finally started reporting the Ebola epidemic was a "concern" Front line health care workers and Ebola survivors say the world has to act quicker .