Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya (CNN)At first glance, Sudan looks like any other northern white rhino: stout and agile, with square lips. He grazes under the hot sun, his massive head lowered to the ground,  at  the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in central Kenya. When he's not wallowing in his enclosure, he waddles around the sprawling savannah, stopping briefly to drink water from a concrete hole. But Sudan is not just any rhino. He's the last known male northern white rhino left in the entire world. For an animal on the verge of extinction, the fate of the subspecies rests on his ability to conceive with the two female northern white rhinos at the conservancy. Sudan's female companions,  Fatu and Najin, live at the conservancy, where experts are scrambling to ensure the subspecies does not go extinct. The animals are under 24-hour protection by armed guards. Rhinos are targeted by poachers, fueled by the belief in Asia that their horns cure various ailments. Experts say the rhino horn is becoming more lucrative than drugs. In addition to round-the-clock security, the conservancy has put radio transmitters on the animals and dispatches incognito rangers into neighboring communities to gather intelligence on poaching. The conservancy is also raising funds to help equip and train rangers who guard the rhinos. At 42, Sudan is elderly in rhino years. Fatu, 15, is a spring chicken, while Najin is 25. Though the three northern white rhinos are physiologically healthy, age might be a factor, says George Paul, the deputy veterinarian at the conservancy. "Sudan is currently old and may not be able to naturally mount and mate with a female," he says. In addition, he has a low sperm count, which complicates natural and scientific efforts, experts say. Najin could conceive, but her hind legs are so weak, she may be unable to support a mounted male. "There has been recorded mating between different pairs over the last few years, but not conceptions," Paul says. "Based on  a recent health examination conducted, both animals have a regular estrus cycle, but no conception has been recorded." And if one is not recorded soon, the beloved animal will go extinct. Rhinos on a plane: Life-saving mission across borders . In a race against time, international experts are resorting to science to try to sustain the subspecies. The northern white rhino cannot mate with a black rhino, but there is a chance it could mate with a southern white rhino, Paul says. While southern white rhinos are not endangered --  Ol Pejeta has 19 -- they are a different subspecies  from the northern white rhino genetically. Though the offspring would not be 100% northern white rhino, it would be better than nothing, experts say. A committee at the conservancy is also looking at various alternative reproduction techniques, including in vitro fertilization. "In other countries, success has been achieved with embryo transfer in a different rhino species, thus that, as a technique, can be presupposed to be the most promising," Paul says. "However, consultations are ongoing amongst different reproductive technique experts on the way forward." Bringing rhinos back to Uganda, one calf at a time . The need to preserve the northern white rhino is dire. "Realistically, we are looking at these animals dying in the next decade or so. But hopefully, using artificial methods of reproduction, we might be able to bring them back in the future," Paul says. "This might mean that it will happen when the current animals are already deceased, but it could happen." The conservancy acquired the northern white rhinos --  two males and two females -- in 2009 from a zoo in the Czech Republic. Suni, the other male northern white rhino at the conservancy, died last year. In another incident, another male, Angalifu, died at the San Diego Zoo last year, bringing the subspecies closer to extinction. There are no known northern white rhinos left in the wild. A total of five remain in captivity worldwide: three in Kenya,  and one each at zoos in San Diego and the Czech Republic. But Sudan, a male, is in a company of one. 11 wildlife experiences that could vanish in your lifetime .

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


Delhi (CNN)An international human rights group is calling for an independent investigation of the killings by police of 20 suspected red sandalwood smugglers in southeastern India. "There must be a criminal investigation to determine whether the police used excessive force, and whether the killings amount to 'fake encounters,' or staged extrajudicial executions", said Abhirr Vp, of Amnesty International India. "The police are not above the law, and must not be treated like they are." Those responsible should be brought to justice, according to Amnesty. "Lethal force should not be used except when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life," Vp said. A police official, Deputy Inspector General Kantha Rao, declined comment Wednesday, saying an "investigation is still going on." The incident in question took place early Tuesday in India's southeastern Andhra Pradesh state. Forest officials near the town of Tirupati spotted hundreds of smugglers cutting trees for red sandalwood, Rao said Tuesday. The forest officials, who were unarmed, called for police. "We saw several trees chopped down," Rao said said. "These guys came prepared and were heavily armed." Rao said that the ensuing gun battle lasted more than three hours and 20 smugglers were shot. Many of them came from the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, he said. Amnesty International said the police were claiming self-defense, alleging the suspects attacked them with stone and axes. "However, no police official was injured," the  Amnesty statement said. "Most of the suspected smugglers were shot in the back." According to Amnesty, India's National Human Rights Commission has said the incident "involved a serious violation of human rights of the individuals," and that "the opening of firing cannot be justified on the ground of self defense since it resulted in the loss of lives of 20 persons." The commission has asked senior government and police officials to explain the actions of the police and forest officials within two weeks, Amnesty said. Police said sandalwood smuggling is common in the area. Local media are reporting that politicians from Tamil Nadu have lodged a protest against the Andhra Pradesh government, saying the alleged smugglers were murdered in cold blood. Kunal Sehgal in Delhi contributed to this report.

Amnesty calls for probe of India police shooting of 20 suspected smugglers . Police decline comment, saying "investigation is still going on" India's National Human Rights Commission says incident involved "serious violation of human rights of the individuals."


(CNN)To allay possible concerns, Boston prosecutors released video Friday of the shooting of a police officer last month that resulted in the killing of the gunman. The officer wounded, John Moynihan, is white. Angelo West, the gunman shot to death by officers, was black. After the shooting, community leaders in the predominantly African-American neighborhood of Roxbury, where the shooting occurred, were quick to call for calm. One said the officers were forced to return fire. Still, they were glad to see the video released for the sake of transparency. "I think people understand that the decisions Mr. West made put his life in grave jeopardy," clergyman Mark V. Scott told CNN affiliate WCVB. West had several prior gun convictions, police said. Moynihan is a former U.S. Army Ranger who was honored at the White House for his heroism in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. The "Top Cop" helped save a transit officer wounded in a gunbattle with the bombers. Last month, he became a gunshot victim when he and other officers in unmarked cars, but with blue lights flashing, stopped the car West was driving. When Moynihan opened the driver's-side door, the video shows, West sprang out and fired a shot with a pistol at the officer's face. As West ran away, he fired back at the other officers with his .357 Magnum handgun, police said. They returned fire and killed him. Moynihan, 34, survived with a bullet wound under one eye. He was placed in a medically induced coma at a Boston hospital. On Saturday, Moynihan was released from the hospital. "His condition is best described as serious but improving," Boston police said in a statement. "In the days after the shooting, John and his family have been strengthened, humbled and inspired by the outpouring of love and support they've received -- not only from his closest friends and fellow officers -- but also from concerned citizens and strangers from all over the country wishing him a full and speedy recovery." A woman who was driving by at the time of the shooting suffered a flesh wound in the right arm. She was not identified. Two passengers in the car were arrested on unrelated charges involving an outstanding warrant and a probation violation. "None of our officers like to use their firearms,"  Police Commissioner William Evans said at the time. "It's probably the worst thing we have to do in our profession, but here, clearly unprovoked, one of our officers is shot point-blank in the face." In April 2013, Moynihan was among officers who helped save transit officer Richard H. Donohue Jr., who was shot during a gunfight involving Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the days after the marathon bombings. In the battle, police fired nearly 300 rounds within five to 10 minutes. Moynihan and other Massachusetts officers were cited for their "heroic and relentless" life-saving measures on Donohue, who nearly lost his entire blood volume on the Watertown street. At a White House ceremony in May, President Barack Obama honored Moynihan and 52 other officers as "America's Top Cops." After Moynihan was wounded and West killed, police and and local leaders sought to allay community concerns at a time when officer-involved shootings have led to protests throughout the nation. Scott, of the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston, said Moynihan was shot "assassination-style." He called for calm in Roxbury. "This is not about 'Black Lives Matter,' " he said, referring to a protest movement that emerged after the shootings. "It's about 'All Lives in the Community Matter,' and it's about the police ... responding to a concern from the community." CNN's Ann O'Neill contributed to this report.

Boston Police Officer John Moynihan is released from the hospital . Video shows that the man later shot dead by police in Boston opened fire first . Moynihan was shot in the face during a traffic stop .


Rome (CNN)Muslims who were among migrants trying to get from Libya to Italy in a boat this week threw 12 fellow passengers overboard -- killing them -- because the 12 were Christians, Italian police said Thursday. Italian authorities have arrested 15 people on suspicion of murdering the Christians at sea, police in Palermo, Sicily, said. Why migrants are dying to get to Italy . The original group of 105 people left Libya on Tuesday in a rubber boat. Sometime during the trip north across the Mediterranean Sea, the alleged assailants -- Muslims from the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal -- threw the 12 overboard, police said. Other people on the voyage told police that they themselves were spared "because they strongly opposed the drowning attempt and formed a human chain," Palermo police said. The boat was intercepted by an Italian navy vessel, which transferred the passengers to a Panamanian-flagged ship. That ship docked in Palermo on Wednesday, after which the arrests were made, police said. 'I enter Europe or I die': Desperate migrants rescued this week off Italy . The 12 who died were from Nigeria and Ghana, police said. Thousands of people each year make the dangerous sea journey from North Africa to Europe's Mediterranean coast, often aboard vessels poorly equipped for the trip. Many of them attempt the voyage to flee war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. More than 10,000 people have arrived on Italian shores from Libya since last weekend alone, according to the Italian coast guard. Many die each year while attempting the voyage, often when boats capsized. Last year at least 3,200 died trying to make the trip. Since 2000, according to the International Organization for Migration, almost 22,000 people have died fleeing across the Mediterranean. The IOM reported Thursday the latest boat to sink in trying to make the journey. Only four people survived from the original 45 on board, bringing the estimated death toll so far this year close to a thousand. CNN's Hada Messia reported from Rome, and CNN's Livia Borghese reported from Augusta, Sicily. CNN's Jason Hanna wrote in Atlanta. CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.

The 12 victims were from Nigeria and Ghana, police said . The group of 105 people left Libya, bound for Italy . More than 10,000 people have arrived on Italian shores from Libya since last weekend .


(CNN)An Arizona police chief on Wednesday supported an officer's decision to drive his car into an armed suspect, saying that although the move could have killed the suspect, deadly force was justified. Video of the incident, recorded February 19 by the dashboard cameras of two Marana police cars, shows one of the cars running into a suspect with who had a rifle in the city about a half hour from Tucson. The suspect, 36-year-old Mario Valencia, survived and was hospitalized before being criminally charged. Marana police Chief Terry Rozema was asked Wednesday on CNN's "New Day" whether police were fortunate that Valencia didn't die. "That very well may be ... that it's luck that he is still alive. The fact of the matter remains, though, deadly force was authorized," Rozema said. "So if he ends up dying in that situation, (then) he ends up dying, and that's unfortunate, (but) that's not the desire of everybody," the chief added. The footage has stirred debate about what type of force police should have used. In one of the dashcam videos, an officer who was tailing a walking Valencia at slow speed reports over the radio that the suspect has fired one round in the air with a rifle he is accused of stealing that morning from a Walmart. Another patrol car zooms past, runs into the man from behind, then hits a short cinder block wall next to a driveway. Video from Officer Michael Rapiejko's camera shows Rapiejko's vehicle running into Valencia, with the windshield smashing as the car hits the wall. Police in Marana justified Rapiejko's actions. "We don't know that if (Rapiejko) lets him go for another 10 seconds, (Valencia) doesn't take somebody out in the parking lot," Rozema said. "And then we're answering some completely different questions: 'Why didn't you act sooner? ... This guy had a gun ... Why didn't you stop this guy before he shot my wife, before he shot my husband, before he shot my child?' " The video has stirred debate about what type of force police should have used to detain the man. Valencia's attorney, Michelle Cohen-Metzger, told CNN on Tuesday that "it is miraculous that my client isn't dead." "Everything in the video seems to point towards an obvious excessive use of force, Cohen-Metzger said. Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan told CNN that Valencia was involved in several incidents there the day he was struck. At 6:45 a.m. on February 19, Valencia allegedly robbed a 7-Eleven in Tucson with a metal object in his hand. Authorities said he was dressed only in his underwear. He was charged with theft. A little more than an hour later, police said, Valencia set a fire at a church for which he was charged with arson of an occupied structure. Just after that he entered a home and stole a car, police said. Authorities said he drove to a Walmart in Marana, where he allegedly stole a .30-30 rifle and ammunition. He fled the store with Walmart employees in pursuit. Police encountered him in a business park walking down the road. An officer told him several times to drop the rifle, Lt. Tim Brunenkant with Marana police said in an email containing a timeline of events. Valencia, police said, walked away from the officer, turned a corner and stopped. Valencia pointed the rifle at the officer then walked away again toward a Coca-Cola bottling plant and another business. "As Mario Valencia briskly walked towards Sargent Controls (local manufacturer), Officer Michael Rapiejko uses his marked police car to stop the dangerous situation Mario Valencia created," Brunenkant wrote. Brunenkant also said by phone that before Rapiejko's encounter with Valencia, the suspect had pointed the rifle at his head multiple times and threatened suicide before fleeing. Rozema said that Valencia's firing of the weapon, his refusal to obey the first officer's commands to drop the gun and the pointing of the gun at the officer were key. "And so you have another officer who sees and seizes an opportunity to end the threat and put an end to the situation," the chief said. Cohen-Metzger criticized the fact that Rapiejko hit Valencia from behind. "My client's back was turned and the officer drove right into him," she said. "It isn't that dissimilar to a police officer shooting a fleeing suspect in the back." CNN affiliate KOLD reported Valencia was in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital and was released into police custody two days later. Valencia faces 15 charges, including three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor. Cohen-Metzger said he had a prior record. His next court appearance is May 18. He is in the Pima County Jail. Authorities said no charges have been brought against the officer. CNN's Tony Marco contributed to this report.

Chief tells CNN that deadly force was warranted . Chief: If suspect ended up shooting people, police would be answering different questions . Incident happened February 19 in town near Tucson, Arizona .


(CNN)The accidental death of a 2-year-old boy in Milwaukee on Sunday triggered a violent chain of events, eventually claiming the lives of three more people. It all started with a birthday party that little Damani Terry was attending. During the family gathering, he dashed out into the street and was struck and killed by a GMC van, according to Milwaukee police. The distraught driver, Archie Brown Jr., 40, immediately stopped and got out to tend to the boy. But it was too late, police said. Damani was dead. Damani's alarmed family came running, including his older brother, 15-year-old Rasheed Chiles, police said. That was not the end of the situation. Soon, two more people would also die: the driver and the teen were both felled by bullets fired by the same man, police said. That man, identified as Ricky Ricardo Chiles III, was located late Wednesday at a Chicago-area hotel. He committed suicide as authorities closed in with a warrant for his arrest, Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn told reporters. "Chicago police and United States Marshals Service entered the hotel room, whereupon Mr. Chiles took his own life with his firearm," the police chief said Thursday. An accidental death, a fatal retaliation rips apart two families . Damani's family members had previously identified the shooting suspect as the boys' uncle. "Sunday was the worst day I ever lived in my whole entire life," Lena Tidwell, told CNN affiliate WISN. "It's a day I wish had never, never came." Tidwell is the boys' grandmother and the mother of the alleged gunman. She said she was inside eating cake and ice cream at the birthday when her life turned upside down. "I didn't know my grandbaby got hit, and then I heard people just screaming," she said. "Then I just heard gunshots, and my daughter ran in the house with the baby in her arms." The family believes the uncle targeted Brown, and Rasheed was struck by an errant bullet. "I heard he was trying to pick his brother up. He was trying to hold him and save him," a family friend, Stephanie Townsend, told CNN affiliate WITI. Earlier this week, Flynn bemoaned the apparent madness of what happened. "What did we have Sunday?" Flynn asked. "We had some clown take the law into his own hands and murder a guy who was doing what we expect good citizens to do, and oops, accidentally kill somebody else."

Ricky Ricardo Chiles III was suspected in the shooting deaths of two people . Police say the chain of events started Sunday when a 2-year-old dashed out in front a vehicle and was killed . The driver of the vehicle and the boy's older brother died from gunshots .


(CNN)The Arizona police officer who intentionally slammed his car into an armed suspect previously faced an excessive force lawsuit in New York, according to court documents. Officer Michael Rapiejko was with the New York Police Department from 2003 to 2006. Two years after he left, he was one of the defendants in a suit filed by a man who alleged that Rapiejko pointed a gun and threatened to shoot him and handcuffed and choked him in front of his family during a 2005 arrest. The lawsuit said Luis Colon had parked his car and gotten out when Rapiejko, with his gun aimed at Colon, ordered him back into the car. During his arrest on charges of obstructing governmental administration, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, Colon alleged he was yanked from the car, handcuffed and choked. The charges against Colon were dropped six months later. Colon also sued two unnamed officers who arrived after the initial confrontation, court documents show. Colon and the city settled the suit for $20,000. The settlement said the defendants were not admitting to any wrongdoing . Rapiejko had resigned voluntarily in 2006, and there is no indication of any disciplinary action against him from the NYPD, a senior law enforcement official told CNN. The NYPD has said that it will not release further details about Rapiejko. Rapiejko's actions in Marana, Arizona, in which he drove his patrol car into a man who had fired a rifle in the air minutes earlier and before that had pointed the gun at another officer, have stirred debate about what type of force police should have used. Authorities said no charges have been brought against the officer for the February incident. The suspect, 36-year-old Mario Valencia, survived and was hospitalized before being criminally charged. Marana police Chief Terry Rozema was asked Wednesday on CNN's "New Day" whether police were fortunate that Valencia didn't die. "That very well may be ... that it's luck that he is still alive. The fact of the matter remains, though, deadly force was authorized," Rozema said. "So if he ends up dying in that situation, (then) he ends up dying, and that's unfortunate, (but) that's not the desire of everybody," the chief added. In one of the dashcam videos, an officer who was tailing a walking Valencia at slow speed reports over the radio that the suspect has fired one round in the air with a rifle he is accused of stealing that morning from a nearby Walmart. Another patrol car zooms past, runs into the man from behind, then hits a short cinder block wall next to a driveway. Video from Rapiejko's camera shows the officer's vehicle running into Valencia, with the windshield smashing as the car hits the wall. Police in Marana justified Rapiejko's actions. "We don't know that if (Rapiejko) lets him go for another 10 seconds, (Valencia) doesn't take somebody out in the parking lot," Rozema said. "And then we're answering some completely different questions: 'Why didn't you act sooner? ... This guy had a gun ... Why didn't you stop this guy before he shot my wife, before he shot my husband, before he shot my child?' " Valencia's attorney, Michelle Cohen-Metzger, told CNN on Tuesday that "it is miraculous that my client isn't dead." "Everything in the video seems to point towards an obvious excessive use of force," Cohen-Metzger said. Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan told CNN that Valencia was involved in several crimes there the day he was struck, including a stealing a car that he drove a half hour north to Marana. Valencia faces 15 charges, including three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor. Cohen-Metzger said he had a prior record. His next court appearance is May 18. He is in the Pima County Jail. Marana police on Thursday told CNN's Miguel Marquez that a store gun lock was still on the rifle when it was recovered. The wire that goes through the trigger and the lever to reload the gun were loose enough to allow it to still be used, police said. CNN's Tony Marco, Jason Hanna and Dominique Debucquoy-Dodley contributed to this report.

Officer Michael Rapiejko was sued in New York over claims he used excessive force during an arrest . The city settled the lawsuit while Rapiejko and others admitted no guilt . Rapiejko left the NYPD voluntarily in 2006, source tells CNN .


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

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


Atlanta (CNN)A fake name on a Facebook post can still get you in real trouble, especially when you're threatening to shoot every white cop you see. Ebony Dickens of East Point, Georgia, posted her Facebook rant under the name Tiffany Milan, police said. "All Black ppl should rise up and shoot at every white cop in the nation starting NOW," said the post made on Monday. "I condone black on white killings. Hell they condone crimes against us." The post was removed a day later, just before Dickens was arrested, CNN affiliate WSB reported. "I thought about shooting every white cop I see in the head until I'm either caught by the police or killed by them.  Ha!!!!  I think I can pull it off.  Might kill at least 15 tomorrow, I'm plotting now." Needless to say, it got law enforcement's attention. Not only the East Point police, but Atlanta police -- whose homeland security unit "worked diligently ... to identify the true identity of the poster and her whereabouts," said Atlanta police spokeswoman Elizabeth Espy -- as well as the FBI and federal Homeland Security Department. "That's 15 people that she's talking about killing within a day or so, so whether she is serious or not that's something that we have to take seriously," East Point police Lt. Cliff Chandler told WSB. Police in East Point -- a city of about 34,000 people just south of Atlanta -- said in a statement that, in addition to detailing how many police might die and threatening white officers specifically, the posts "indicated that the acts were being plotted and were in motion." After connecting Dickens to the Facebook post, authorities obtained a search warrant for her residence. They took her into custody while executing that warrant. "A firearm along with three computers was located during the search," East Point police said. Dickens, 33, appeared in court Wednesday on a charge of disseminating information related to terrorist acts. A judge set a $10,000 bond for her and banned her from social media. She was then transferred to Fulton County Jail, where she remained until bonding out at 6:19 a.m. Thursday, according to county sheriff's office spokeswoman Tracy Flanagan.

Sheriff's spokeswoman: Ebony Dickens is out of jail after posting $10,000 bond . Police: Authorities found a firearm, three computers in her East Point residence . Dickens is accused of posting her Facebook rant under the name Tiffany Milan .


(CNN)It took more than seven decades, but England finally got its delivery of tons of silver coins. For most of those years, the money was deep at the bottom of the Atlantic, the monetary casualty of a cruel World War II sinking. In November 1942,  the unguarded SS City of Cairo was sunk by a German U-boat while carrying 296 civilians and cargo that included 100 tons of silver. The vessel sunk to more than 16,800 feet under the surface (5,150 meters) where it went undiscovered until 2011 when Deep Ocean Search decided to go looking for it. The sinking was the stuff of legend. The City of Cairo was bringing silver rupees from India to England as part of the war effort. After a stop in Brazil, two torpedos sank the ship in the Atlantic. After the ship went under, the U-boat reportedly surfaced and the captain said to the survivors in lifeboats: "Goodnight, sorry for sinking you." The captain's lament is the title of a book about the event. Only a handful of people died as the ship sank but about 100 more passed away during the desperate attempt of the six boats to make it to land, which was hundreds of miles away. When the last of the lifeboats was found 51 days later, all but two people in it had died. Deep Ocean Search said in a news release that during the 2011 search it located an unnatural object on radar. A sub found the City of Cairo split into two parts, buried by silt. "Under contract to the UK Ministry of Transport, DOS recovered several tens of tons of silver coins from a depth of (5,150 meters)," the company said. The depth is a world record, the company claimed. Other deep-water operations reported in the media that are close to this depth include the 1987 search for the wreck of a South African Airways plane at 16,000 feet (4,700 meters) and the discovery of the SS Gairsoppa at about 15,400 feet (4,800 meters) in the North Atlantic in 2011. The BBC reported the City of Cairo salvage operation was completed in September 2013, but the British government made the company keep it secret until this week. The coins were melted and the silver sold, the BBC reported. Deep Ocean Search got a percentage of the sale, and the UK Treasury the rest, according to the BBC. At today's rates, 100 tons of silver would be worth about $50 million. Remains of USS Oklahoma crew to be exhumed at Pearl Harbor . CNN's Jessica King contributed to this report.

The ship was sunk in 1942 hundreds of miles of the coast of South America . A British company says the salvage operation occurred at a world record depth . The torpedoing is the subject of the book "Goodnight, sorry for sinking you"


Centennial, Colorado (CNN)After months of intensive questioning, a jury has finally been picked for the trial of Colorado movie theater massacre suspect James Holmes. Twelve jurors and twelve alternates are on the list. The group includes 19 women and five men. It's almost entirely white and mostly middle-aged. It's a key step in the case, and it's been a long time coming. Jury selection started in January with 9,000 potential jurors. But the legal wrangling is the case is just revving up. Holmes' defense attorneys asked for a change of venue after the jury was seated Tuesday. The judge denied their request, noting that a jury had already been seated. Opening statements in the trial are scheduled to begin on April 27. Holmes is accused of killing 12 people and injuring 70 others when he allegedly opened fire inside a packed theater during the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" on July 20, 2012. The one-time neuroscience doctoral student faces 165 counts, including murder and attempted murder charges. Now 27, he has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face a death sentence. Wearing a gray dress shirt and tan slacks, Holmes sat quietly in court on Tuesday, looking relaxed and leaning back in his chair for much of the day as lawyers made their picks from the jury pool. He looked down often, but smiled occasionally, such as when the judge made a joke about a juror needing to share his Cheetos and when the district attorney accidentally addressed a male juror as a "Miss." Even though he looked calm, defense lawyer Tamara Brady started her question and answer session with jurors Tuesday by expression concerns about Holmes getting a fair and impartial trial, saying "I'm nervous" and "my client is nervous." District Attorney George Brauchler warned jurors to brace themselves. Tuesday's court session, he said, was the lawyers' last chance to find out if there is "any reason you shouldn't be one of the 24 to sit through the four to five months of a horrible roller coaster through the worst haunted house you can imagine." CNN's Ana Cabrera and Sara Weisfeldt reported from Centennial City. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet reported from Atlanta. CNN's Michael Martinez contributed to this report.

In the murder trial of James Holmes, 12 jurors and 12 alternates have been selected . The mostly middle-aged group includes 19 women and five men . Jury selection started in January; opening statements are scheduled to begin on April 27 .


(CNN)Are you a boxing fan? Fancy the best seats in the house for Saturday night's showdown in Las Vegas between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao? Got a spare $361,894 for a couple of tickets? No? Ah, well then you might have a problem. Yes, while most of the tickets for the highly-anticipated clash have sold out, there are still some floating around on secondary sites with ringside seats going at crazy money. A ticket at ringside will cost you $180,000 -- a knockout price which might have you seeing stars. As of lunchtime Friday, the most expensive seat on sale through the StubHub website, was retailing for a mammoth $128,705 but has since skyrocketed. Tickets were released last Thursday, just eight days before one of the biggest fights in history after legal wrangling between the two camps. However only around 1,000 were available to the general public, the rest of the estimated 16,500 tickets split between the fighters' camps and the casino as well as promoters and sponsors. Not long after some were made available on resale websites at a mark up that could only be dreamed about even by the sharpest financial trader. Those at the lower end of the eye-watering scale -- priced between $1,500 and $7,500 -- were snapped up in a matter of minutes. The cheapest priced ticket being offered on StubHub as of Monday is $4,600 with that seat right at the back of the MGM Grand arena., . "We've never seen anything like this in boxing, and I don't think in any sporting event," Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, told CNN, . And Arum isn't worried that the steep prices would keep fans away. "The 1% has so much money, they don't know how to spend it. Whether it's yachts, paintings or tickets to a fight, money means nothing," he said. "There was a craze for tickets and under our agreement with Mayweather Promotions, we felt we were being deprived of our fair share of the tickets (from) the standpoint of number and location. "It was very, very important to my fighter Manny Pacquiao, to the Philippines people... Manny has friends and family like you can't believe -- that will be in account for 800 or 900 tickets themselves."

Tickets for Mayweather v Pacquiao on sale online for $180,000 . Majority of the 1,000 tickets for the general public snapped up within minutes . The fight in Las Vegas on May 2 is one of the biggest in the sport's history .


(CNN)Two pieces of audio recorded in the immediate aftermath of a deadly police shooting in South Carolina emerged Monday. The voice of Michael Slager can be heard in both. The former North Charleston police officer is charged with murder in the death of 50-year-old Walter Scott. In the first recording, an unidentified officer talks to Slager about what might happen. "Once they get here, it'll be real quick. They're gonna tell you, you're gonna be off for a couple days and we'll come back and interview you then. They're not gonna ask you any type of questions right now. They're gonna take your weapon," the officer says. "It'd probably be a good idea to jot down your thoughts about whatever happened ... once the adrenaline stops pumping." Slager responds: "It's pumping," and then laughs. The second audio, taken from dash cam video from inside a patrol car, captures a phone call between Slager and someone CNN believes is his wife. He tells her: "Hey. Hey, everything's OK. OK? I just shot somebody." "He grabbed my Taser, yeah. Yeah," says Slager. "He was running from me. ... I'm fine." If convicted of murder, the former officer faces up to life in prison or the death penalty, although a death penalty case appears unlikely at this point. "Based on the facts revealed thus far, it does not appear South Carolina's death penalty provision applies in this case because there are no statutory 'aggravating circumstances' present," Scarlett A. Wilson, who is the chief prosecutor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in the state, said on her Facebook page. Slager was charged after cell phone video emerged, showing him firing at Scott as the man ran away. Who was Walter Scott? Pierre Fulton was riding in a car with Scott before the shooting took place. "Walter was a dear friend and I miss him every day," Fulton said in a statement given to ABC News by his lawyer.  "Over the past five years he helped me to become a better man and showed me the value of hard work." "I'll never know why he ran, but I know he didn't deserve to die," Fulton said.  "Please keep Walter and his family in your prayers and respect my privacy moving forward." Scott's passenger meets with police . Scott's death has reignited a national conversation around race and policing. Scott was black; Slager is white. The case has also brought to light previous instances in which Slager's behavior on the job is being questioned. On Monday, attorneys for a man named Julius Wilson announced that they were filing a lawsuit in connection with an August 2014 traffic stop. During the stop, three officers -- including Slager -- pulled Wilson out of his car. Wilson was then allegedly shocked with a stun gun. The suit claims Slager used excessive force. Slager was also named in a police complaint in 2013 after he allegedly "Tased a man for no reason" before slamming him to the ground and dragging him, according to the North Charleston Police Department. At the time, Slager was searching for a suspect who was described as being 5-feet-5-inches tall. The African-American man he confronted was 6-feet-3 inches tall. A lawyer for Mario Givens, the man who filed the complaint, said last week that his client plans to file a lawsuit. Givens said Slager came to his door, ordered him out of the house and then Tased him. Slager was later cleared in that incident. What we know about Officer Slager . CNN's Ray Sanchez contributed to this report.

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


(CNN)Robert Boardwine's path to fatherhood was unconventional, but Virginia's appeals court said Tuesday he is legally entitled to be a part of his son's life. Boardwine's friend, Joyce Bruce, had used his sperm and a turkey baster to get pregnant. She thought after she learned she was with child that they should just be friends. She also thought that because they never had sex, she was entitled to be the boy's sole parent, according to court documents. The Court of Appeals of Virginia decided differently in weighing the commonwealth's assisted conception statute and denying Bruce's appeal to deny Boardwine visitation. It agreed with a circuit court ruling that method of insemination didn't come from medical technology. "The plain meaning of the term 'medical technology' does not encompass a kitchen implement such as a turkey baster," the appeals court wrote in its decision. Bruce's attorney, Monica T. Monday, said she would need to talk to her client before she can comment about whether they will file an appeal. Boardwine initially was hesitant when Bruce approached him in 2010 with the turkey baster idea, the court document says. They talked about writing their agreement down on paper, but that never happened. They tried the turkey baster method a few times. He'd come over to her house, go to a room alone, bring his sperm in a plastic cup, they'd chat, and he'd leave. Then she'd use the kitchen utensil and wait. After she didn't get pregnant, she twice tried a fertility doctor. No luck. She and Boardwine tried a few more times, and in July, she learned she was going to have a baby. Boardwine came by the house with a stuffed bear and clothes for the baby. Things were OK. He thought he was going to be able to see the newborn as often as he wanted. She thought he could have "some involvement," the appeals court decision says, but she would be the sole parent. He'd be like any other friend, certainly not have formal visitation. Then they argued. Over what to name the baby. They didn't speak for more than five months after that. The baby was born, and Boardwine says he learned about the baby's arrival from someone else. He went to the hospital and saw the boy at Bruce's home. Joyce Bruce said the visits were "strained." She told Boardwine to stop coming. So he took the matter to court. Bruce argued that she used "noncoital reproductive technology" to get pregnant, and Boardwine was technically a sperm donor. He argued that he always expected to be a dad, going to the kid's games and taking part in making decisions on schools and medical needs. A court-ordered DNA test proved Boardwine is the biological father. The appeals court affirmed the lower court's ruling, saying the turkey baster doesn't constitute reproductive technology. Boardwine was awarded joint legal custody and visitation. CNN also reached out to his attorney Tuesday but didn't get a reply. CNN's Tony Marco contributed to this report.

In July 2010, Joyce Bruce got pregnant in an unusual way -- with repeated attempts using a turkey baster . The man who gave her his sperm wanted to have a role in his son's life . They ended up in court, and he has won joint custody and visitation rights .


(CNN)It's the simplest possible assignment, but it always teaches a huge lesson. Every year, Denver teacher Kyle Schwartz passes out Post-it notes to her third grade students and asks them to complete the sentence, "I wish my teacher knew ..." Many of the students she teaches at Doull Elementary just wish they had something in common with her, that she knew soccer or video games. But sometimes, their wishes bring tears to her eyes, and offer a glimpse of painful struggles in their young lives. There's a student who misses her father: "I haven't seen him in six years." Another who wants to tell her she's lonely: "I don't have friend to play with me." Still another who wants to explain why her reading log goes unsigned: "My mom is not around a lot." And other who has big hopes for the future: "I want to go to college." The assignment sprang from the kinds of conversations teachers have all the time, Schwartz said: "What do our students need? How can we best serve them?" Schwartz always gives her students the option to write their names on their notes or remain anonymous; of sharing them only with her, or with the entire class. It surprises her how often students stand up and want to read their wishes out loud, like the shy student who shared, "I wish my teacher knew I'm nervous all the time." "They feel respected, they feel safe enough to share some of these more sensitive ones," said Schwartz, who has been teaching for three years. "Kids can share what they feel comfortable with." Recently, Schwartz began to post some students' responses on Twitter using the hashtag #IWishMyTeacherKnew. It spread, as teachers around the country tried it with their own classrooms. They sometimes reveal what kids are most worried about right now, like the child whose mother was sick, or another who had just experienced bullying. One student just wants more attention from the teacher. Sometimes, they have a little fun: "I wish my teacher knew how to do a backflip." Occasionally, students want to reassure their teachers that that they're doing a great job. There's a lot for teachers to learn, too: "They are KIDS who deal with a lot as they grow up," one educator posted on Twitter. Schwartz said she's learned not to assume what her students wish. Although most of the students at her school live in poverty, not every message is about a material need. There's no pressure to share something they're not ready to talk about, she said, and "they're acutely aware of their own needs." Through assignments like this, she is, too. As her idea spread, many Twitter users asked how they can help to support her students. She's pointed them toward a DonorsChoose.org fund where she posts a classroom project wish list. So far, most have been fulfilled.

Denver teacher Kyle Schwartz asked students to share what they wish she knew . Their honest answers moved Schwartz and sparked a discussion online .


(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.' "

#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 .


Tokyo (CNN)It's a bird -- It's a plane -- It's an insanely fast Japanese bullet train. A Japan Railway maglev train hit 603 kilometers per hour (374 miles per hour) on an experimental track in Yamanashi Tuesday, setting a decisive new world record. A spokesperson said the train spent 10.8 seconds traveling above 600 kilometers per hour, during which it covered 1.8 kilometers (1.1 miles). That's nearly 20 football fields in the time it took you to read the last two sentences. Takeo Ookanda, who runs an exhibition center next to the test track, said witnesses erupted with excitement and applause when the new record was set. "I was moved just like many other visitors here today," he told CNN. "This maglev project... (increases) the hope that Japan can have a good growth again in the future." The train broke its own record from last Thursday, when it ran at 590 kilometers per hour (366 miles per hour) on a test track. That beat the old record of 581 kilometers per hour (361 miles per hour), which was set in 2003 during another Japanese maglev test. Right now, China operates the world's fastest commercial maglev, which has hit 431 kilometers per hour (268 miles per hour) on a route through Shanghai. By contrast, the fastest train in the United States, Amtrak's Acela Express, is only capable of 241 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour), though it usually plods along at half that speed. Unlike traditional trains, maglev trains work by using magnets to push the train away from the tracks and drive the train forward. Japan's maglevs don't use metal tracks — instead, they float nearly 10 cm (4 inches) above special guideways, allowing for frictionless movement. Japan Railways has been testing their train to figure out the best operational speed for a planned route between Tokyo and Nagoya, scheduled to begin service in 2027. That trip can take nearly 5 hours by car. But in the future, a maglev train could finish the journey in 40 minutes. READ MORE: The future of transportation will blow your hair back . CNN's Yoko Wakatsuki contributed reporting.

Japanese maglev train sets new speed record: 603 kilometers per hour . The train is planned to begin service in 2027 .


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

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


(CNN)They are superstars flown in from across the globe -- and they probably had more legroom than you. The world's leading showjumping and dressage horses have reached Las Vegas for this week's World Cup Finals. The man who arranged their travel says, for horses, it's business class all the way. "There are two horses per box," explains Tim Dutta, who oversaw the loading of more than $150 million in equine talent onto a Qatar Airways flight at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport earlier this month. "We pay attention to each horse's little idiosyncrasies and requirements -- do they like wet hay, or not? Do we use sea salt to encourage them to drink? "I like the horses to have some quiet time too, they need that. So when the aircraft is at cruise then they are left alone for a while, to have a snooze and relax, without being bothered by anyone." No horse is snoozing now. The flights are over and they're in Las Vegas to work. Vegas is home to the finals for the sixth time since first hosting showjumping in 2000. The venue is the Thomas & Mack Center, a stone's throw from the Strip, which had the distinction of being opened by Frank Sinatra and Diana Ross in 1983. Organizers believe more than 80,000 fans will attend this week's event, which boasts an $8 million budget. Expect Elvis Presley beaming down from the Jumbotron; chefs from the Bellagio serving VIP guests who paid upwards of $1,500 a ticket; and tennis legend Steffi Graf presenting the trophies. In the past, that was not your usual showjumping and dressage atmosphere -- but that's something the sport is trying to change. Hosting world-class horsesport in Vegas is a way to raise its profile in the United States. As with this month's showjumping on Miami Beach, the thinking is location, location, location. For the riders, few locations are comparable. "It's like a Wrigley Field feel," said Tim Keener, one of the Vegas organizers, describing how the bowl of the arena will seat spectators unusually close to the action. Showjumping comes here for the showbiz. In previous years, trophies have been handed out by flying showgirls descending from the rafters. Elvis impersonators have burst into the arena on horseback. This year, a "selfie booth" will let fans crowd in with leading riders for awkward photos on their phones -- and there will be quite some choice of riders. Since the World Cup Finals are among the most prestigious titles available, the cast list over the next four days features almost all of the world's top names. In showjumping, Germany's Daniel Deusser is both the defending World Cup champion and the new world No. 1, unseating Britain's Scott Brash. The Germans are the most successful nation at the World Cup Finals, with 10 showjumping victories, and three-time champion Marcus Ehning will also compete. The hosts have a superstar and 2013 champion in Beezie Madden, while 2012 champion Rich Fellers will ride aptly named "comeback king" Flexible, a horse undeterred by a series of illnesses and injuries which would have seen almost any other stallion retire. In dressage, Britain's Charlotte Dujardin and Valero are the runaway favorites to successfully defend last year's World Cup title. The partnership is the first ever to hold the World Cup alongside Olympic, world and European gold. Few riders are expected to mount a serious challenge if Dujardin and Valegro perform well, but watch out for Germany's Isabell Werth and up-and-coming US rider Laura Graves. Graves, 27, has barely spent a year on the U.S. senior team, yet finished fifth in last year's World Equestrian Games on board Verdades. The action begins on Thursday, April 16, with dressage reaching a climax on the Saturday and showjumping a day later. But if you miss it, the chances are you won't have to wait long for another chance. Vegas is so in love with horses, organizers are already planning a bid to bring the event back in 2019.

Horses complete transatlantic trip to Las Vegas in 'business class' luxury . 80,000 fans expected as organizers spend $8m bringing horses back to Vegas . Celebrity chefs and legends of sport will mix with top jumping and dressage riders . World Cup Final trophies to be won -- some of the most prestigious in the sport .


(CNN)As Nepal grapples with an earthquake that has killed more than 3,400 people, Ronen Ziv worries about someone he has never met. His unborn baby is due this week in Kathmandu. He had tickets to travel to Nepal for his child's birth from a surrogate mother, but now he has no choice but to wait in his native Israel for news. "It's terrifying," Ziv said. "I can tell you I didn't get much sleep ...  all my thoughts and all my prayers are for the surrogate mother and the unborn child." Nepal is a popular place for Israeli couples to have surrogate children. Ziv's first child, a 15-month-old daughter, was born to a surrogate mother in Nepal. Ziv and his partner, Tom, traveled to Nepal for the birth. They were planning on making the trip once again, but the earthquake forced them to change their plans. Companies that help arrange surrogate pregnancies estimate 25 couples are now in Kathmandu with newborn surrogate children, while 10 to 15 surrogate mothers are due to give birth in the coming weeks. The country is also a popular spot for Israeli travelers. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs estimates there are about 600 to 700 Israelis in Nepal. Israel Defense Forces is sending 260 emergency responders to Nepal, including search-and-rescue teams. The group is also bringing almost 100 tons of medical aid supplies. Ziv says his baby is in a breech position, requiring a cesarean section. In the current chaos of Kathmandu, he worries his surrogate mother, Nafisa Shaje, will not get the proper medical attention required for a safe and healthy birth. Ziv would prefer Shaje fly to Israel, where hospitals can provide the needed medical help. But with only days left until the baby is due, Ziv said putting Shaje on a plane might not be possible. "If anything else happens, it could very quickly go to absolute catastrophe," Ziv says. Hospitals in Nepal have been flooded with injured quake victims. Some have been turned away so doctors can tend to the most severely injured. Cila Tamir, Ziv's attorney, has been working with the Ministry of the Interior to try to bring Shaje to Israel. "She has no place to deliver. No conditions," Tamir said. "Everything is ruined there, and I'm sure that the hospital doesn't function normally because of the casualties and the injuries."

Nepal is a popular place for Israeli couples to have surrogate children . An estimated 10 to 15 surrogate mothers are due to give birth soon in Kathmandu .


(CNN)Two CNN Heroes are among the earthquake survivors in Kathmandu, Nepal. And they are struggling in the aftermath. Anuradha Koirala, who rescues victims of sex trafficking, has a rehabilitation center in Kathmandu that is home to 425 young women and girls. While her primary facility seems structurally unharmed, all of the children have been sleeping outdoors because of aftershocks, followed by a second earthquake on May 12. The once-vibrant campus has gone from a place of safety and healing to one of uncertainty and worry. "We are suffering with rain, strong wind. The fear is not gone from us. It is very, very hard," said Koirala, the founder of the nonprofit Maiti Nepal and the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year. The public has been warned not to use the main water line due to risk of cholera. Koirala's group is relying on bottled water and is now rationing food. Still, she has offered to take in 200 other girls orphaned by the disaster. "These girls are most vulnerable, because now people will target them," Koirala said. "They could be victims of any forms of sexual abuse. Maybe rape, maybe they will be trafficked, anything. ... If I get more support I will take as many as I can." About five miles away, the wall of Koirala's HIV/AIDS hospice has crumbled. Home to 115 girls, many of whom are terminally ill, the facility is under guard. "They're not injured, but they are terrified," Koirala said. "Everything is broken in the hospice." Koirala's group also has about a dozen other homes throughout the district, and all of them have been damaged. "It's really very sad for me and for my children," Koirala said. "This disaster, the noise and the way it shook, I cannot get over it. I was not afraid that I was going to be killed. I was afraid about what is going to happen next." Another CNN Hero, Pushpa Basnet, and the 45 children she cares for were also forced to evacuate their residence. They are now living on the ground in a nearby field. "Physically, we are not hurt. But mentally, we are," said Basnet, whose Early Childhood Development Center provides a home and education to children whose parents are incarcerated. Basnet says the building's walls are all cracked, and the staff is afraid it might fall down. She and the older children created a shelter using the frame of a greenhouse, taping plastic around the sides to protect themselves. "It's really cold in the middle of the night; there are lots of fox in the field," Basnet said. "We are really scared." They also don't have much water or food, Basnet says. But she is trying to stay positive. "I think for the time being, whatever we have, we should be happy, you know?  Because at least we have our life," she said. "(My kids) all are safe. That's the most important thing for me." Basnet's "Butterfly Home" -- the permanent residence she was building for the children -- also suffered extensive damage in the quake. Basnet had hoped to complete construction in the next six months, with the opening ceremony set for October. Basnet purchased the land for the home with prize money she received as the 2012 Hero of the Year. "When the earthquake hit that land, all my dreams were scattered," she said. "I have to restart again." Still, Basnet is quick to point out that so many other survivors have nothing and are desperately in need of aid. To that end, several CNN Heroes have been assisting in relief efforts in Nepal. Jake Wood's disaster relief organization, Team Rubicon, has a team of experienced veterans and first responders on the ground in Kathmandu.  The group deployed a medical and assessment team to aid the Nepalese people in several remote villages outside of the city. Six canine-firefighter search teams from the United States also assisted in rescue and recovery efforts. The teams were trained by Wilma Melville's National Disaster Search Dog Foundation and were deployed as part of a larger rescue force that includes structural engineers, hazmat experts and doctors. Tom Henderson's ShelterBox, which provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies, has so far committed to help more than 15,000 families. Dr. Laura Stachel's group, We Care Solar, sent solar suitcases to health care workers, providing them with light and power as they aid survivors. Arlene Samen's group, One Heart World-Wide, has set up tented birthing centers where pregnant women can safely deliver their babies, especially in hard-hit districts. Robin Lim, a disaster response midwife who founded Bumi Sehat, joined Samen in Kathmandu to help the mothers. Doc Hendley's nonprofit, Wine to Water, partnered with Appalachian State University in order to distribute 1,000 water filters where they are most needed in Nepal. The group says one filter can provide water for up to 10 people and last for up to 10 years if maintained properly.

Anuradha Koirala and 425 young women and girls have been sleeping outdoors because of aftershocks . Pushpa Basnet and 45 children she cares for were forced to evacuate their residence . Seven other CNN Heroes and their organizations now assisting in relief efforts .


(CNN)He might have just won one of sport's most prestigious events, but it wasn't long before Jordan Spieth's thoughts turned to his autistic sister in the glow of victory. The 21-year-old golfer equaled Tiger Woods' 1997 record winning score of 18 under par to realize his childhood ambitions of donning the green jacket on Sunday as he swept through the field to become Masters champion at Augusta. An ice-cool display made him the second-youngest winner -- behind only Woods, who was 155 days younger that year -- and only the fifth man to have led from start to finish over the tournament's four days. "I miss her a lot, and I wish she could have been here," Spieth told CNN's Don Riddell in the aftermath of his triumph as he opened up about younger sibling Ellie, who was not able to attend the tournament. "But I can't wait to get back to her and maybe let her try on the jacket. "I'll have to bring her back a present from here. That's what she'll be expecting." Amid all the pressure of playing professional golf, Spieth's 14-year-old sister provides him with perspective. "How has she shaped my upbringing? Well, she's the most special part of our family. She's the funniest part of our family," he said. "I love having her around. She's an incredible sister, my biggest supporter. She is somebody who you can watch and then reflect on the big picture of life and understand that all these frustrations in a day, or in a round of golf, are really secondary. "We wouldn't have that realization without her." At the age of just 14, the prodigy from Texas -- who was named after basketball legend Michael Jordan -- had been clear about what he wanted: his aim was to take the Masters title one day. And he betrayed virtually no sign of nerves throughout his stunningly dominant performance, letting slip only a muttered "oh dear" when he marginally sliced a tee shot halfway through the final round. Last year, Spieth lost the lead just before the nine-hole turn on the last day -- but he never looked like being denied this time, beating Phil Mickelson's Masters record of 26 birdies for good measure. "To sit with this jacket on and to be a part of the history of Augusta National and the Masters was something I watched slip away last year," said Spieth, who described the reality of winning as "even better" than his dreams. "I had a chip on my shoulder (about that). I carried some momentum into this week and it all came together, right at the right time." Shown a picture of himself wearing one of the most coveted pieces of clothing in sport, Spieth, born in Dallas, added: "Putting on the jacket, it looks good. It looks good. I'm OK wearing green!" He couldn't stop grinning as he said that he hoped to be finishing his final Masters appearance in 50 years' time, but added that he would "still remember what it was like walking up the 18th hole today." And as he looked less far ahead, he revealed that he would be staying true to his roots at next year's Champions Dinner. Asked what he would put on the menu for that event, he said: "It would be some form of Texas BBQ." The unassuming Spieth's success brings to mind other stars whose supreme ability and self-belief saw them become major champions in the early days of their careers. In 1985, German tennis player Boris Becker stunned Wimbledon when, at the age of 17, he defeated Kevin Curren to become the event's youngest ever men's champion -- a record that still stands today. Becker said people "thought I had done something I wasn't supposed to do, something that shouldn't have been possible. But I did it -- and then I did it again at 18, just to make the point." American player Michael Chang was 118 days younger than Becker when he won the French Open in 1989, while Swiss star Martina Hingis was just 16 when she triumphed at the 1997 Australian Open. Last year, at the age of only 15, Martin Odegaard became Norway's youngest international footballer when he played in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates, provoking huge media interest and the attention of Europe's top clubs, before he signed for Spanish giant Real Madrid. For them, as for Spieth, perhaps success was meant to be from the earliest days. And as he looked at a picture of himself with a golf club in hand, taken at the age of 6 or 7 at his grandparents' home in North Carolina, he reflected on the determination that had put him in the green jacket, referring to another Major winner. "How about the focus on that swing?" he asked. "That's a little John Daly-like there, isn't it?"

Jordan Spieth hails autistic younger sibling as his biggest supporter . Ice-cool display made him second-youngest winner behind Tiger Woods .


(CNN)The last time Frank Jordan spoke with his son, Louis Jordan was fishing on a sailboat a few miles off the South Carolina coast. The next time he spoke with him, more than two months had passed and the younger Jordan was on a German-flagged container ship 200 miles from North Carolina, just rescued from his disabled boat. "I thought I lost you," the relieved father said. Louis Jordan, 37, took his 35-foot sailboat out in late January and hadn't been heard from in 66 days when he was spotted Thursday afternoon by the Houston Express on his ship drifting in the Atlantic Ocean. "I was utterly thankful and grateful to the people who rescued me, and I was grateful to God that my parents were not going to be worried about me," Jordan told CNN. Frank Jordan told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he had worried about his son, who is an inexperienced sailor, but he held hope because his son had a good boat. And he had the strength to make it. "He's got very strong constitution and (is strong) not only physically, but spiritually," Frank Jordan told CNN. "And he told me on the phone that he was praying the whole time, so I believe that sustained him a great deal." The younger Jordan said he took his sailboat out to the Gulf Stream to find some better fishing, when it capsized.  He broke his shoulder when the boat flipped. Because of the injury, Jordan couldn't repair the boat's mast, which had snapped. "Everything I owned got broken -- all my electronics, my GPS devices," Jordan said.  He was dead in the water. Jordan drifted in the Atlantic, rationing food and water until his shoulder healed. He was able to rig a makeshift mast and sail, Jordan said, but he could make little headway against the currents. "It took so long," he said.  "It moved so slowly." The boat capsized two more times before he was rescued, according to Jordan. After his food and water ran out, it became an issue of survival. Collecting fresh water was a nightmare for Jordan.  The weather wouldn't cooperate. "I had tried to collect (rain)water ... but every time the waves would splash into the boat," Jordan said.  "The waves would put saltwater into my freshwater and it tasted bad. "Finally the conditions were right.  I filled up my water tank, which is 25 gallons.  I filled up a bucket." Then there was the issue of food. The fish weren't cooperating, but after a while Jordan learned that they were attracted to his laundry that he would put out to sea for a rinse. The fish would swim in and out of his clothes and he could easily scoop them up with a hand net, he said. Jodran came ashore Thursday evening. CNN affiliate WAVY in Norfolk, Virginia, reported that he was able to walk from the helicopter into Sentara Norfolk General Hospital at about 7:30 p.m. Jordan was reported missing January 29, a few days after his last contact with his father. Two months of concern poured out in a phone call with his son's rescuers. Frank Jordan thanked the captain of the Houston Express. "You're a good man, I swear.  You did what you are supposed to do, and I sure do appreciate it," he says. "And I know my son appreciates it." CNN's Chandler Friedman contributed to this report.

Louis Jordan says his sailboat capsized three times . He survived by collecting rainwater and eating raw fish . Frank Jordan told CNN his son isn't an experienced sailor but has a strong will .


Catania, Sicily (CNN)We are at the beginning of a massive and mounting crisis with no solution in sight. Perhaps that's incorrect. The migrant crisis that has suddenly drawn hundreds of journalists to Sicily has been brewing for years, but in the past 10 days, with as many as 1,600 deaths in the Mediterranean, suddenly minds are focused -- for now. Almost exactly four years ago, in Libya, I caught, perhaps, a glimpse of what was to come. It was late at night in the besieged city of Misrata. Hundreds of African migrants were caught between the Libyan civil war (back then some optimistically called it a "revolution") and the deep blue sea. They had come to Misrata from Ghana, Nigeria and elsewhere, hoping to board rickety boats to cross the sea to Europe. They had been pinned down under sporadic shelling from government forces, but weren't welcome by the rebels who controlled the city. They appealed to us to help them escape. We could do nothing, but they may have eventually found their way out when the fighting subsided. The fall of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's regime, which we reporters covered so avidly, was followed by chaos, which we in the news media largely neglected, focused as we journalists were on the next catastrophe, the Syrian civil war. In that chaos, the business of human trafficking has boomed. And now that boom in human misery is coming in waves to the shores of Italy. The focus today is on those lost at sea. Aware of the tragedy underway, however, Italians are alarmed at the prospect that this year alone as many as a million migrants could arrive in Europe, according to one European Union official. That is certainly the case in the Sicilian port of Catania, where many migrants arrive. The city's mayor, Enzo Bianco, insists city residents bear no ill will toward the migrants, but says Catania, and Sicily cannot absorb the ever-growing numbers. The rest of Europe must help carry the burden. "If something serious isn't done," he warns, "dramas like these will be repeated. This problem will not be resolved by hiding our heads in the sand." Increasingly, some Italians are losing their patience. Two northern regions, Veneto and Valle d'Aosta, have declared they will no longer accept new migrants. The rightist Lega Nord has made opposition to new migrants a pillar of its party program. Others, however, insist Italy must keep its doors open. In Catania port, I spoke with Grazia Giurato, who had joined a small protest in solidarity with the migrants. "Many years ago, our grandparents emigrated," she recalled. "Let's keep that in mind." Indeed, in tougher times, millions of impoverished Italians left their homeland to settle in the Americas and Australia. They, too, like the migrants from Africa and the Middle East, were fleeing grinding poverty and war. And they, too, experienced the kind of prejudice and resentment in lands their descendants now proudly call home. That's the long view, perhaps. But now, today, Italians are grappling to deal with the consequences of an array of old and new ills, ranging from failing states and failing economies to endemic corruption, hopeless poverty, oppression and injustice that no one state or group of states can solve without a gargantuan, expensive and politically daunting effort. And while this crisis has been brewing for years, it is now truly upon us.

Hundreds of desperate migrants have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean in recent says . And Italians are alarmed that this year as many as a million migrants could arrive in Europe .


(CNN)NASA says its Messenger space probe crashed into Mercury on Thursday after running out of fuel, ending a nearly 11-year journey that provided valuable data and thousands of photos. Mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, confirmed the probe slammed into the surface of Mercury, as anticipated, at 3:26 p.m. EDT, NASA told CNN in an email. NASA earlier said the probe was expected to hit the surface at 8,750 miles per hour and to create an impact crater 52 feet (16 meters) in diameter. The crash wasn't visible from Earth because it occurred on the far side of Mercury. Messenger (an acronym for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) was launched in 2004 and traveled more than 6½ years before it started circling Mercury on March 18, 2011. It was the first spacecraft to orbit the planet closest to the sun. It traveled about 5 billion miles -- a journey that included 15 trips around the sun. Spacecraft to make death dive into Mercury . The spacecraft was healthy when it crashed, but was out of fuel. When scientists determined there was no way to save it, they held a briefing this month to celebrate the mission's success. "For the first time in history we now have real knowledge about the planet Mercury that shows it to be a fascinating world as part of our diverse solar system," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington. One of the mission's big findings: It sent back data indicating that ice in Mercury's shadowed polar regions, if spread over an area the size of Washington, would be more than two miles thick, NASA said. As the end neared, the probe sent back some final tweets thanking mission managers and counting down its final orbits. The Messenger mission is over, but scientists say they'll be busy for years studying data from the probe. And while the space probe won't be sending back anymore images, you can see Mercury with your own eyes. It's visible in the night sky just before dusk until about the end of May.

NASA's Messenger probe smashes into Mercury, ending mission . Space probe hit the planet's surface at 8,750 mph .


(CNN)As ash from Chile's Calbuco Volcano spread east into Argentina, geologists warned of the potential for more activity Friday. Evacuations in the region involved not only people but animals as well. "There is more seismic activity ... and we think there will be more activity today," Helmuth Huerta, a spokesman for Chile's National Geological and Mining Service, told CNN. The volcano has already erupted twice this week, spewing ash to a depth of about 23½ inches (60 centimeters) in some places, according to the Ministry of Interior and Public Safety. New advisories say airborne ash could reach an altitude of 12,000 feet. Calbuco erupted twice in 24 hours, the geological agency said early Thursday. The agency said it was evaluating a spectacular nighttime eruption but indicated it was "stronger than the first one." In Ensenada, houses, trees and even sheep were blanketed gray with ash, CNN's Shasta Darlington reported. People were removing salmon -- a staple of the local economy -- amid fear of contamination from ash and lava. Trucks were used to evacuate farm animals and pets. Authorities issued a red alert for the popular tourist towns of Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas in the south. People were being evacuated to Port Montt on 22 buses and military trucks, the interior ministry said. Officials said that volcanic flows from Calbuco caused rising water levels in the Río Blanco. A 12-mile (20-kilometer) exclusion zone was established around the crater. Military and police forces were helping evacuate more than 4,400 residents, the Interior Ministry said. An additional 2,000 residents of Chamiza were being evacuated as a preventive measure after river levels rose due to volcanic flows. More evacuations were expected in Lago Chapo and Correntoso. The first eruption on Wednesday set off a bit of a panic in the region. "At the beginning, it was small, and later, the cloud grew. And later, there was a huge cloud over you and true terror starts," a Puerto Montt resident said. Another person said: "It was impressive to see an enormous mushroom cloud, with the immense force of the volcano, and to see the ashes. At that point, there was a lot of panic, lots of chaos, traffic jams, people going to supermarkets, everyone looking for water, trying to take out money from the ATMs." Magma expanse under Yellowstone supervolcano more vast than thought . The eruption is a first for many in the region. The last major eruption was 1962. There was a minor eruption in 1972. Calbuco also belched out a bit of gas and smoke in 1996. Alejandro Verges, regional director of the Interior Ministry, said that officials are concerned there might be a third eruption. "The situation is relatively calm right now, although people are understandably anxious about what could happen tonight," he said.

Volcano already has erupted twice this week . It has spewed ash to a depth of about 23½ inches in some places, Chilean officials say . Authorities issue an alert for two towns, and there's a 12-mile exclusion zone .


(CNN)Erica Kinsman, a former Florida State University student who has accused star football player Jameis Winston of rape, has filed a lawsuit against the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, her lawyer said Thursday. Kinsman has said Winston raped her in December 2012.  A prosecutor decided against bringing criminal charges in the case. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Kinsman alleges sexual battery, false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Winston has said the sex was consensual. CNN obtained the following statement from Winston's attorney David Cornwell. "This stunt was expected," the statement said. "Ms. Kinsman's false accusations have already been exposed and rejected six times.  This time will be no different. Mr. Winston welcomes the opportunity to clear his name with the truth. Mr. Winston is looking forward to the upcoming [NFL] draft.  He will not permit this ploy to distract him as he begins the journey of fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a championship quarterback in the National Football League." CNN doesn't normally identify the alleged victims of sexual assault; however, Kinsman revealed her name this year in a documentary about rape on college campuses. FSU hearing clears Winston . Winston led the Florida State Seminoles to a national championship for the 2013 season and won the Heisman, given to the most outstanding collegiate football player. He is expected to be a top pick in the NFL Draft, which begins April 30. "As for timing, we didn't want to wait until the eve of the draft or after he signed a contract," said Kinsman's attorney John Clune. "As soon as we finished the various motions briefing on the FSU case, we turned our attention to Jameis and got it filed." Kinsman also sued the university in January. According to police documents in the rape case, Kinsman said Winston raped her after she had been drinking with friends at a bar in Tallahassee. She said an unknown man gave her a shot glass of liquid before they left the bar. Kinsman also said she did not remember much of what happened next but that she remembered being in a ground-floor apartment, where Winston took off her clothes and had sex with her despite her objections, according to police documents. Kinsman reported the alleged assault to FSU campus police that night. A month later, in January 2013, she told Tallahassee police that Winston was the attacker. Tallahassee's interim police chief at the time, Tom Coe, said the woman "broke off contact" with investigators in February 2013 and didn't want to go forward with the case. The woman's family said a detective warned her attorney that Tallahassee is a "big football town" and that life could be miserable if she pursued the case. Winston didn't play during the 2012 season but came to Florida State as one of the nation's top quarterback recruits, according to recruiting rankings.

Winston's lawyer: Kinsman's "false accusations have already been exposed and rejected six times" Erica Kinsman said Jameis Winston raped her in 2012; a prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges . Her lawsuit alleges sexual battery and false imprisonment; Winston has said they had consensual sex .


Lampedusa, Italy  (CNN)The cramped galley of the ship is filled with the smell of fresh garlic frying in olive oil. Gaetano Cortese, a tall, thin, sunburned 27-year veteran of Italy's Guardia di Finanza (Finance Police) is waxing eloquent on his favorite subject: food. "We picked it this morning from the hills of Lampedusa," he declares with a flourish, waving thin sprigs of wild asparagus under my nose. He demonstrates how you must break it apart with your fingers, bit by bit, until you get to the hard part, which you keep aside to boil down in water for the pasta sauce he is preparing with his shipmate, Enzo Idone. Cooking, however, may be a positive distraction from dark memories. How I was smuggled into Europe -- and why it was worth it . We boarded the Finance Police's ship, the Calabrese, in Lampedusa harbor earlier in the evening. The Calabrese regularly patrols the Mediterranean off Lampedusa, which is Italy's southernmost territory and just 70 miles, or just over 110 kilometers, from the Tunisian coast. In recent years, it has been the first point of entry to Europe for tens of thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East. A few years ago, the Calabrese was on the look out for "contrabandisti," smugglers trafficking in cigarettes and drugs. But in recent years, its 12-man crew has joined Italy's effort to rescue migrants coming from Africa and the Middle East. We spend seven hours on board the ship, but nothing much happens. We see some Italian fishing boats the crew knew by sight. Shortly after sunset, the Calabrese's captain, Gianluca Busonera, begins calling out quick orders to his men as we approach a small boat. The easy-going crew seem to tense up. One man turns on a bright spotlight and focuses the beam on the boat, while another with powerful binoculars read out the name on the back. Busonera peers intently at the boat, which appears to be a fishing vessel, then shrugs. "It's fine," he tells me. "If it were low in the water, we'd know it was full of people, but this boat is riding high." He waves to the Tunisian boat, where an older man in a jacket waves back. Busonera gives him a thumbs up, and steers the ship to the right. It's a routine evening for the Calabrese, and that is just fine with the crew. They've seen enough troubles in their time to appreciate an uneventful day's work. Back in the galley, I ask Cortese about his worst experience while serving at sea with the Guardia di Finanza. He and most of his shipmates took part in the rescue effort on October 3, 2013, after a ship with hundreds of migrants had gone down off Lampedusa. More than 350 people died in that disaster. The crew of the Calabrese was able to rescue four of the survivors. Cortese's cheery demeanor suddenly becomes serious. "I still remember pulling out of the water, with our hands, a young, pregnant woman who had just died," he recalls. "There were children," adds his crewmate, Idone, shaking his head. "We recovered the bodies of children. It was a bad situation. I remember the body of a boy we recovered. We put him in a body bag. His head was in this hand," he said waving his hand as if he had just picked up the lifeless body. Why migrants are risking their lives to reach Italy . Cortese and Idone stress that as fathers, there is nothing worse than having to see the bodies of dead children. "At the moment," recalls Cortese, "we were too busy to think about it, but when we go home, before going to sleep, it comes back to us." He emphasizes that he and his shipmates were just doing their duty as professional military men. Out in the Mediterranean, with no land in sight, you realize just how vast it is. And although it's been warm on land in Sicily recently, at night on the water, it's cold and windy. On board the Calabrese, we are warm, well-fed and in good company. The ship is well-maintained and equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, allowing Busonera to plow confidently through the waves in the dark without fear of running into anything. It contrasts starkly with conditions migrants have recounted to us of the rickety boats and unseaworthy rubber dinghies they use to try to cross the Mediterranean. Often they're without food, water or shelter, their boat's crew inexperienced and untrained. That's if they have a crew at all. Many migrants have been beaten and robbed of all their possessions before they board. And unless a ship like the Calabrese comes to their rescue, death at sea is a definite possibility.

Ben Wedeman joins the Calabrese, an Italian patrol boat as it traverses the Mediterranean looking for migrants . Often the crew have little to report, only coming across fishing boats or other commercial vessels . The Calabrese was involved in a rescue in October 2013, during which more than 350 people died .


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

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


(CNN)Pop star Taylor Swift, who has built an intense bond with her fans by sharing personal details of her life, revealed some sobering news Thursday: Her mother has cancer. The singer did not divulge the nature or severity of the cancer, saying "I'd like to keep the details of her condition and treatment plans private." Andrea Swift, 57, who years ago quit her job as a mutual fund marketing executive to raise Swift and Swift's younger brother, Austin, has joined her famous daughter on tour and in several of her videos. In a post on Tumblr, the blogging platform, Swift said that for Christmas last year, she asked her mom to get screened for potential health issues, "just to ease some worries of mine." Her mother felt "perfectly fine" but went to the doctor for tests anyway "just to get me and my brother off her case" about it. "The results came in, and I'm saddened to tell you that my mom has been diagnosed with cancer. I'd like to keep the details of her condition and treatment plans private, but she wanted you to know," Swift added. #PrayForMamaSwift was a trending hashtag Thursday on Twitter, where Swift's legions of fans offered prayers and messages of support. Within an hour and a half, Swift's tweet about her mom had been retweeted more than 21,000 times. Many fans shared "there's something in your eyes that says we can beat this," a lyric from Swift's 2008 song "Change." Swift also urged her fans to make sure their parents get screened for cancer and other potential health problems. "She wanted you to know because your parents may be too busy juggling everything they've got going on to go to the doctor, and maybe you reminding them to go get checked for cancer could possibly lead to an early diagnosis and an easier battle ..." she wrote. "Or peace of mind in knowing that they're healthy and there's nothing to worry about." Swift, 25, added that "usually when things happen to me, I process them and then write music about how I feel, and you hear it much later. This is something my family and I thought you should know about now. "Thank you for caring about my family so much that she would want me to share this information with you. I hope and pray that you never get news like this." Andrea Swift and Swift's father, Scott Kingsley Swift, live in Nashville, Tennessee, in a mansion bought by their daughter in 2011 for $2.5 million.

Pop star Taylor Swift revealed Thursday that her mom has cancer . The nature and severity of Andrea Swift's cancer have not been divulged .


(CNN)You know the phrase "dodging a bullet"? Forget about it. Probably not going to happen anymore. The U.S. military said this week it has made great progress in its effort to develop a self-steering bullet. In February, the "smart bullets" -- .50-caliber projectiles equipped with optical sensors -- passed their most successful round of live-fire tests to date, according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. In the tests, an experienced marksman "repeatedly hit moving and evading targets," a DARPA statement said. "Additionally," the statement said, "a novice shooter using the system for the first time hit a moving target." In other words, now you don't even have to be a good shot to hit the mark. The system has been developed by DARPA's Extreme Accuracy Tasked Ordnance program, known as EXACTO. "True to DARPA's mission, EXACTO has demonstrated what was once thought impossible: the continuous guidance of a small-caliber bullet to target," said Jerome Dunn, DARPA program manager. "This live-fire demonstration from a standard rifle showed that EXACTO is able to hit moving and evading targets with extreme accuracy at sniper ranges unachievable with traditional rounds. Fitting EXACTO's guidance capabilities into a small .50-caliber size is a major breakthrough and opens the door to what could be possible in future guided projectiles across all calibers," Dunn said. Videos supplied by DARPA show the bullets making sharp turns in midair as they pursue their targets. It all conjures up images of a cartoon character frantically fleeing a bullet that follows him wherever he goes. Only, these bullets are traveling at hundreds of miles per hour. And even the Road Runner can't run that fast. DARPA says the smart bullets will also help shooters who are trying, for example, to hit targets in high winds. The goals of the EXACTO program are giving shooters accuracy at greater distances, engaging targets sooner and enhancing the safety of American  troops, DARPA said.

.50-caliber bullets equipped with optical sensors can follow moving targets . The "smart bullets" can help shooters compensate for high winds . The goal of  the program is to give shooters greater range and make American troops safer .