Dubai (CNN)It's with some trepidation that I set off for the Al Marmoum camel race in Dubai. As the only Gulf national in the CNN team, I am expected to be familiar with camel racing, an ancient tradition in the region. But despite my attempts to dress in a kandora, a UAE national dress, my modern outlook on life means I am a total outsider in this world. A cheerful farm owner leads us inside the majlis -- meeting area -- where the camel owners are gathering. The wide space of the majlis feels like an ornate theater. The camel owners are sitting on the floor, eating the a'aish, a traditional Arabic dish of fish and rice, laid out in front of them. The conversation is loud and exciting. We take our place on the floor and slowly, the world of camel racing begins to open up to us. The conversation is all about camels; the best breeds, famous old champions, training methods, bad losers and potential winners. Over Arabic coffee and dates I am told that remote controlled robots have replaced children as camel jockeys -- this primal sport is moving with the times. Once lunch is over, we head to the track for the racing to begin. There will be 14 races through the afternoon. And in addition to the honor and prestige, the camels are racing for thousands of dollars in prize money and fancy new cars for their owners. It's surprising how spectacular camel racing can be. Compared to the grace of thoroughbred racehorses, camels are indeed ungainly creatures. But 20 of these huge beasts pounding around a track in the desert is really a sight to behold, their hooves throwing up a cloud of dust in their wake. Their owners hang out of their four-by-fours, shouting encouragement while trying to keep up with their charges. It is oddly beautiful. The winning camels are paraded with pride, their heads and necks covered in bright golden saffron and their owners applauded for their efforts and rewarded with cash prizes. As we excitedly watch the final race draw to a close, the sun sets across the sky of this metropolis. Camel racing bears no relevance to the modernity embraced here, but this old-fashioned sport is equally as fascinating.

Camel racing is a centuries-old tradition in the Gulf . Modern technology is changing the sport . Camels compete for thousands of dollars in prize money .


April 2, 2015 . An unstable Middle Eastern country has become a potential battlefield for a proxy war. Today on CNN Student News, hear an explainer on why Yemen is the focus of global concern. We also report on the origins of April Fools' Day, we detail how a 1,000-year-old recipe could cure a modern-day superbug, and we feature a Character Study on a woman who's steering kids to a better life. On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL . For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News!

This page includes the show Transcript . Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary . At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News.  You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call.


April 3, 2015 . We're starting with some international headlines today, covering events in Switzerland, Kenya and the Pacific Ocean. California's historic drought is now hitting home for many residents and businesses, who've been ordered to cut their water usage. We discuss two religious holidays being celebrated worldwide this weekend, and we take a look at a pair of subjects related to U.S. National Parks. It's all featured this Friday on CNN Student News. On this page you will find today's show Transcript and a place for you to request to be on the CNN Student News Roll Call. TRANSCRIPT . Click here to access the transcript of today's CNN Student News program. Please note that there may be a delay between the time when the video is available and when the transcript is published. WEEKLY NEWSQUIZ . Click here for a printable version of the Weekly Newsquiz (PDF). 1. What nation voted to replace Goodluck Jonathan with Muhammadu Buhari as president? 2. Name the U.S. astronaut who recently blasted off for a nearly year-long mission to the International Space Station. 3. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, and horizontal drilling are methods of extracting what substance? 4. Despite his nickname "the Little Corporal," what historic conqueror was likely taller than other men of his era? 5. What nation is leading airstrikes against Yemen, following a governmental takeover there by Houthi rebels? 6. Though the spread of the Ebola virus appears to have stopped in Liberia and slowed down in Sierra Leone, new cases have increased in what West African nation? 7. During what period of European history was an eye ointment described that's now showing effectiveness against a modern-day superbug? 8. Scientists have fitted certain insects, members of the family Blattidae, with tiny backpacks that manipulate their neural systems. Name these insects. 9. In what body of water is Typhoon Maysak, which is threatening to make landfall in an island nation this weekend? 10. What two religious holidays will be celebrated around the world this weekend? CNN Student News is created by a team of journalists who consider the Common Core State Standards, national standards in different subject areas, and state standards when producing the show. ROLL CALL . For a chance to be mentioned on the next CNN Student News, comment on the bottom of this page with your school name, mascot, city and state. We will be selecting schools from the comments of the previous show. You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call! Thank you for using CNN Student News!

This page includes the show Transcript . Use the Transcript to help students with reading comprehension and vocabulary . At the bottom of the page, comment for a chance to be mentioned on CNN Student News.  You must be a teacher or a student age 13 or older to request a mention on the CNN Student News Roll Call. The Weekly Newsquiz tests students' knowledge of events in the news .


(CNN)Misao Okawa, the world's oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died at the age of 117. Okawa passed away Wednesday morning in Osaka, Japan, Tadahi Uchimura, a local official from the city told CNN. She left behind three children, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Okawa was born on March 5, 1898. Her family ran a Kimono shop in Osaka, Satoshi Yoshioka, an employee at the nursing home where she had lived since 1997 told CNN. "She was a person with mild character, and loved to eat so much. Her favorite food was sushi and udon noodles," Yoshioka said. "She had eaten a lot of cake for her birthday last March 5. " "However, in the last 10 days she stopped eating. I think eating was her motivation to live, and when she lost it, she passed away." According to Guiness World Records, the oldest person ever was Jeanne Louise Calment, who died at age 122 in 1997.

Misao Okawa, the world's oldest person dies at the age of 117. She passed away on Wednesday morning in Japan.


Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN)Gunmen stormed the headquarters of Somalia's education ministry in the country's capital on Tuesday after a suicide car bombing, a two-pronged attack that killed at least 12 people and injured 16 others, officials said. The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab is responsible for the attack in the center of Mogadishu, group spokesman Abu Musab said. The attack began when two suicide bombers detonated their car at the entrance of the two-story building housing the Ministry of Education, Culture & Higher Education, Somali National Security Ministry spokesman Mohamed Yusuf said. Five gunmen then entered the building, shooting people inside, Yusuf said. Security guards at the building, and, later, Somali special forces battled the gunmen inside, witnesses said. Soldiers from the African Union, who are in Somalia in part to support the government's fight against Al-Shabaab, teamed up with Somali security forces to shoot and kill the five attackers, Yusuf said. The attack killed four Somali soldiers and eight civilians, according to Yusuf. The special forces helped people out of the building while the attack was underway, city police Capt. Mohamud Abdi said. Ali Hassan, a man who was helped from the building, confirmed that a rescue operation was happening inside. Somalia-based Al-Shabaab has battled the country's government for years, aiming to overthrow it and turn the nation into a fundamentalist Islamic state. In recent years, the group also launched terror attacks beyond Somalia's borders, sometimes targeting non-Muslims. What is Al-Shabaab, and what does it want? Earlier this month, Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed Garissa University College in neighboring Kenya, killing 147 people, mostly students. The terrorists separated Christians from Muslims and shot those who couldn't recite verses from the Quran, witnesses said. In Somalia, Al-Shabaab has been blamed for attacks that have killed international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers. Late last month, Al-Shabaab militants detonated a bomb and sprayed bullets at a Mogadishu hotel, leaving at least 20 people dead in an attack that lasted a number of hours. Among those killed was Yusuf Mohamed Ismail Bari-Bari, Somalia's permanent representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Journalist Omar Nor reported from Mogadishu. CNN's Jason Hanna wrote in Atlanta.

Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack . A car bomb explodes outside the front gate of the education ministry building in Mogadishu . Assailants storm the building and engage in a gunbattle with guards .


(CNN)One war was enough for Gregory Margolin. Now 87 years old, he was a 16-year-old Jewish recruit when he fought in the Soviet Red Army. As he fought the Nazis in World War II, his family fled. "I did not show that I was Jewish," Margolin says. "But it did not matter because people were being killed left and right. All around me." This year, in Ukraine, he found himself again surrounded by war. Margolin was a sniper who rose to be a commander in the army. His old uniform is still adorned with medals from his time in the military. His granddaughter Liora still marvels at his stories from the war. She is amazed that he managed to survive. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease, a degenerative condition that impairs memory, he struggles to remember his own life sometimes, but he remembers the horrors of war. His eyes slowly shift back and forth as he seeks the right word. Or perhaps the right memory. His hands shake ever so slightly. It seems he knows he has lived a life. He is just trying to remember all the details. "People were hiding in shelters under the ground," Liora says of the stories Margolin once told. "They were being shot at point blank range. It was terrible." "[The Nazis] would have erased us from the Earth," Margolin remembers. "They attacked us and we fought back." After the war, Margolin settled in Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine. His family grew. He built a life. Then, decades later, he found himself in the middle of a war once again. "A missile fell and the house was destroyed. We were attacked," Margolin says. "A missile fell. I remember." Margolin's family lived in a neighborhood next to the Donetsk airport, near some of the most intense fighting in Eastern Ukraine as pro-Russian separatists battled the Ukrainian army. Margolin, who had survived one war, was able to survive another, even as the stray missile hit his house on February 10. It spared him, but it killed his daughter Ira. "The moment it happened, we decided that's it. Here and now, we're moving to Israel," says Liora. "This is the safest place." Margolin arrived in Israel on March 24. Asked why the family waited to leave the war-torn region of Eastern Ukraine, Liora says they felt they would be fine in Donetsk, while Liora prayed for their safety from Israel. "No matter how much we're afraid of the next war here and as much as it's not quiet here, it is the quietest place." Margolin came over in a wave of Ukrainian Jewish immigration to Israel that coincided with the beginning of hostilities in Eastern Ukraine. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, an organization that works to build interfaith understanding and support for Israel, has brought 600 Jews to Israel since December, Margolin among them. Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the fellowship's founder, says, "We set up a refugee center. It's the first time since the Holocaust that the Jewish world has had to set up a refugee center for these Jews who are fleeing and have nowhere to go." Among the Ukrainian Jews moving to Israel, Eckstein says they have worked with approximately a dozen Holocaust survivors. On Yom HaShoah, Israel's Holocaust Remembrance Day that commemorates the Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews, these stories of survival reverberate with a renewed energy. Jews who struggled to survive once find themselves fleeing to survive now. "Most of the [Jewish] people in the Ukraine are Holocaust survivors or children of Holocaust survivors. These are the people who made it, who are able to flee or come back or to stay or to somehow survive the Holocaust." Margolin was one of these people, able to survive the Holocaust as a soldier in the Soviet Army. His story can be difficult for him to remember sometimes, but it is impossible for his family to forget. The voices of Auschwitz .

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has brought 600 Jews to Israel since December . The Margolin family is among them; their home in Eastern Ukraine was bombed .


(CNN)How can more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls simply disappear? And how can the Nigerian government and the rest of the world have allowed this to happen? Exactly 365 days have passed since the girls were snatched from their boarding school dormitories in the dead of night in Chibok, northeastern Nigeria. They are still missing. For this we should all feel shame: shame that we live in a world where the lives of young girls can be shattered with impunity by fanatical thugs. Shame that when such horrendous acts occur, our collective attention span is so fleeting. A year ago, I could never have imagined that we would be here today, marking the grim 12-month milestone of these girls going missing. In the early days of their abduction much of the world stood as one, rallying around the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. On the ground in Nigeria as part of CNN's team covering the story, I was buoyed by this global solidarity. A year on, meet the man still fighting to #BringBackOurGirls . Caught in the blinding glare of global attention, and facing a tide of questions about their bungled response to the kidnappings, the Nigerian government felt the weight of accountability and was spurred to take greater action; offers of assistance from the likes of the US, UK, France, and China were accepted. Promise after promise was made by Nigerian government officials that the girls would come home -- so where are they, and where is the global outrage over these broken promises and broken dreams? My heart goes out to the grief-stricken loved ones of these missing girls on this painful anniversary. Poor and socially marginalized, all many of them have is their hope that their girls will one day return. Girls who escaped risk lives to go to school . The task of keeping that hope alive has largely been taken up by the handful of #BringBackOurGirls campaigners in Nigeria. These men and women have worked tirelessly to keep the story alive for the past year; their struggle has been a painful and increasingly lonely one. But as the world's gaze has shifted they have continued to meet the Nigerian government's silence with cries of: "Bring Back Our Girls, now and alive!" At this point, finding the girls will not be easy. But it can be done. It must be done. Malala offers 'solidarity, love, hope' to abducted schoolgirls . These girls are no different from your daughters, sisters, nieces: each has hopes and dreams of their own. But I also believe there is another reason these girls must be reunited with their families - in the words of Martin Luther King: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects us all indirectly." Our common humanity compels us to do our part, to right this shameful wrong. How the world has changed since the kidnappings .

Some 276 girls were kidnapped from their school in northeastern Nigeria by Boko Haram a year ago . Despite a global outcry, one year on, only a handful have escaped and returned home . Isha Sesay: We should all feel shame that our collective attention span is so fleeting .


(CNN)Video may have killed the radio star, but in Norway it's digital that's killing FM radio. In two years' time, the Scandinavian nation is slated to become the first in the world to phase out radio entirely. That doesn't mean that Norwegians will be left with radio silence; they'll merely have to tune in digitally. According to officials in Oslo, many in this nation of 5 million have already made the move. On FM, Norwegians can only find five stations. On the Digital Audio Broadcasting network, there are four times that number. Half the country already listens that way, said Culture Minister Thorhild Widvey. "Listeners will have access to more diverse and pluralistic radio-content, and enjoy better sound quality and new functionality," Widvey said in a news release. Officials say the move will spur innovation because the cost of digital transmission will save some $25 million. But the country's radio waves won't cut out all once, a blog post on Radio.no explained. Radio will be phased out region by region, starting in January 2017 and concluding in December.

On FM, Norwegians can only find five stations . Digitally, there are four times that number .


(CNN)Everybody loves a good comeback story -- especially one that's dino-sized. After its name was booted from science books for more than a century, a new study suggests that the Brontosaurus belongs to its own genera, and therefore deserves its own name. O.C. Marsh first named the Brontosaurus in 1879, after he received 25 crates of bones discovered at Como Bluff, Wyoming, according to the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.  Similar to, though not as large as the Apatosaurus discovered a couple of years prior, Marsh named the dinosaur, "Brontosaurus," or "thunder lizard." Apatosaurus had three sacral vertebrae in its hip region and Brontosaurus had five, according to the museum's website, so Marsh gave the dinosaurs two different names.  Later it was discovered that the number of sacral vertebrae is related to age: as the animal gets older, two of the vertebrae fuse to the sacrum. Paleontologist Elmer Riggs concluded in 1903 that the Brontosaurus was really a young Apatosaurus, and therefore must go by that name, according to the museum. Emanuel Tschopp, a paleontologist at the Nova University of Lisbon, Portugal, led this latest study, which took five years and included visits to 20 museums in Europe and the United States to collect data. By examining "500 anatomical traits," Tschopp said he was able to "reconstruct the family tree" of Diplodocids -- the family Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus belong to. Tschopp "looked at every single specimen," according to Jacques Gauthier, curator of vertebrate paleontology at Yale Peabody Museum and "noted their characteristics," plugging data into an algorithm that revealed "five species in the group of Diplodocids."  Two of them are Brontosaurus-like and three are Apatosaurus-like, Gauthier said. While his findings have earned the excitement of Brontosaurus fans everywhere, Tschopp said he is "expecting a debate about the case of Brontosaurus." "We think we have good evidence," he said, "But I know there are other research groups that do not completely agree." For Gauthier, Tschopp's discovery means changes are coming to the original Brontosaurus skeleton that has lived at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History since 1936. "We're definitely going to have to change the label," he said.

Scientist: Fossils once renamed should again be classified as Brontosaurus . Study took five years and involved visits to 20 museums worldwide .


(CNN)Al Qaeda has fired a verbal salvo in a multifaction battle over Yemen, saying it's offering 20 kilograms of gold to anyone who kills or captures two prominent Shia Muslim opponents, including the leader of the rebels who overtook Yemen's capital. Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, in a news release and wanted poster distributed online, offers the reward for the death or capture of Houthi leader Abdelmalik Bedrudin Al-Houthi and former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Converted to currency, the gold reward would be worth about $774,000. AQAP referred to Al-Houthi and Saleh as the "two heads of evil." AQAP is one of several factions fighting to control Yemen. With Sunni Islamic roots, AQAP is a bitter enemy of the Houthi faction, which is Shia and widely believed to be supported by Iran. Yemen has been descending into chaos in the weeks since Houthi rebels -- minority Shiites who have long complained of being marginalized in the majority Sunni country -- forced Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi from power in January. The Houthis, allied with fighters loyal to Saleh, have since faced resistance from not only AQAP, but also a number of groups including forces loyal to Hadi. Also opposing the Houthis are Saudi Arabia and other predominantly Sunni nations, which last month began airstrikes against the rebels. At least 540 people -- including 311 civilians -- have died as a result of the fighting, the United Nations said Wednesday. A U.N. expert on refugees said other nations should prepare for "massive displacement" of Yemenis seeking safety. "The international community must prepare for a worst case scenario," Chaloka Beyani, a professor of International Law at the London School of Economics, said. "While efforts to reach a diplomatic solution are essential, the picture on the ground is extremely bleak and humanitarian responses must be stepped up as a matter of urgency." About 1,000 people have already fled their homes during the two weeks of conflict.

The value of the bounty in American dollars is about $774,000 . Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula wants a Houthi leader and a former Yemeni president killed or captured .


(CNN)Before landing a gyrocopter on the Capitol lawn Wednesday, Doug Hughes wrote about his intentions and  the reasons behind them on a website called the thedemocracyclub.org. "The point of the flight is to spotlight corruption in DC and more importantly, to present the solution(s) to the institutional graft," the 61-year-old Florida postal carrier wrote in an online post titled "Your Pilot." "My flight is not a secret," the post says.  "Before I took off, I sent an Email to info@barackobama.com. The letter is intended to persuade the guardians of the Capitol that I am not a threat and that shooting me down will be a bigger headache than letting me deliver these letters to Congress." Hughes' friend Michael Shanahan told CNN that Hughes called him Wednesday morning and told him to check out the website. Although the post is not signed, he lists an email address of "dhughes@thedemocracyclub.org," and the information in his self-description matches information about Hughes in public records. He refers to having multiple children -- the youngest an 11-year-old daughter -- and grandchildren as well. It's unclear exactly when the post published. Shanahan told CNN that when he searched for the site Wednesday morning, he was unable to find it. "The purpose of it was to call attention to the United States concerning our campaign finance laws, or the lack thereof," Shanahan told CNN's Brooke Baldwin. Hughes had his first appearance in court scheduled for Thursday. On Wednesday, he took off in his gyrocopter from Maryland and traveled through restricted airspace over Washington, landing on the Capitol's West Lawn.  Inside the small personal aircraft he had letters for every member of Congress urging campaign finance reform. "There's no need to worry --  I'm just delivering the mail," Hughes wrote in his post. The incident shut down the Capitol for part of the day. Hughes' main purpose "was not so much to alert Congress to something they already know, but to make a statement, so that America would take notice," Shanahan said. The two men together run a website and nonprofit corporation called The Civilist Papers, which focuses on such issues, Shanahan said. In his post, Hughes wrote of his time spent in the Navy and described his family. Although he did not mention it in the post, one of Hughes' sons committed suicide 2 ½  years ago at the age of 24, the Tampa Bay Times reported. "Something changed in me," Hughes told the paper. Public records show Hughes had a son named John Joseph Hughes who died. "He told us that he felt like his son did something stupid, but he had made a point," said Ben Montgomery, the Tampa Bay Times reporter who broke the story of the gyrocopter flight. "He learned a lesson out of that. And it was: If you want to make a point, you've got to do something big, as sad as that seems," Montgomery told CNN's Jake Tapper. "He's been thinking about this for 2½ years. He's pictured every scenario you could possibly imagine," Montgomery said. Shanahan said Hughes mentioned the idea when the two were brainstorming a couple of years ago. Having grown up in Washington, Shanahan opposed the idea. "I told him that, no, that was an insane plan because the chances are he was going to get killed." "Doug is like a pit bull when he gets an idea," Shanahan said.  "He's very stubborn. And he finds ways around it. ... The word got out because he was telling people of his idea. And the Secret Service heard of it. So, they interviewed the two of us.  And after that, he said he was going to sell his copter and figure out something else to do. But then I noticed he did not sell this copter." When Hughes called Shanahan on Wednesday morning, Shanahan said he did not try to talk Hughes out of the plan, but "he was talking real quick, and I didn't know exactly what he meant by a lot of things."

Doug Hughes, 61, said the point was to present solutions to corruption . Hughes mentioned the idea a couple of years ago, his friend says . Hughes had a son who committed suicide, report says .


(CNN)The bad news for Rio de Janeiro ahead of the 2016 Olympics keeps coming after scores of dead fish appeared in the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. With just over a year to go before the city hosts the Games' rowing and canoe competitions, officials with the legislative assembly of Rio de Janeiro Monday launched an investigation into the causes of death both in the lagoon and in other lakes and bays in the state in which this phenomenon has occurred. The group will work in partnership with the State Environmental Institute (INEA) and the Secretariat of State for the Environment. Officials defended the belief that the latest rains caused a temperature change of the water and the excess of decaying organic matter, which would have led to a black of oxygen, killing the fish. The note released by officials highlighted that the amount of dead fish has generated a bad smell and inconvenience to those who live near the lagoon and all the tourists who flock to the area. Last week, newly obtained video from newspaper O Globo showed a sailor crashing into trash floating on Guanabara Bay. The incident took place on February 14 and involved professional sailors Breno Osthoff, 20, and Rafael de Almeida Sampaio, 35. According to Osthoff, the impact was so great the boat was forced onto its side. Rio de Janeiro has pledged to reduce pollution in the notoriously fetid bay, but last month in an interview with the country's largest sports channel  SporTV, Mayor Eduardo Paes admitted that the bay will remain mostly polluted for the games. "The Olympics are also in a time that has very little rain, then this amount of debris that comes from five municipalities in the metropolitan region, with poor sanitation, is also controllable...I do not see as a problem for the Olympics," said Paes. Last year biologists said rivers leading into the bay contained a superbacteria that is resistant to antibiotics and can cause urinary, gastrointestinal and pulmonary infections. 2016 Olympics predictions .

Officials start to clean up scores of dead fish from the Lagoon Rodrigo de Freitas . Pollution was a problem even before the preparations for the Olympic games began . Last week video showed a separate incident, where floating trash caused a sailing accident .


(CNN)Anthony Ray Hinton is 58 years old. But in many ways, he is new to the world -- at least the one we know. Little things like using a fork, going out at night, tucking into bed without anyone checking on you; they're all strange for someone like Hinton who spent nearly 30 years on Alabama's death row. Until one week ago, when his murder convictions were wiped clean, and Hinton walked out of a county jail in Birmingham. "I have to pinch myself to tell myself that I'm free," he told CNN's Brooke Baldwin on Friday. "It's going to take a little time, but I'll get used to it." Hinton had to get used to much worse. For 30 years, he spent most of his time locked in a 5-by-7 cell. There was no going outside at night. The only permissible eating utensil was a plastic spoon. And life in the outside world passed him by: Hinton said his hardest day came in 2002, when he learned his mother had died. Hinton was convicted of killing two men -- Birmingham-area fast-food restaurant managers John Davidson and Thomas Wayne Vason -- but he always said he was innocent. Alabama inmate freed after 30 years on death row . The state decided to dismiss the charges against him after a new trial was ordered in 2014 when firearms experts testified that the revolver Hinton was said to have used could not be matched to other evidence in the case. The two killings also couldn't be linked to each other. Talking Friday to CNN, Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls said the evidence simply wasn't there to retry the case. Falls pointed out that analysts testified that the ballistics evidence was "inconclusive" as to whether the bullets came from the gun in question. The victim of a similar crime did identify Hinton as her attacker, but that victim and a witness to that incident have since died, Falls said. When asked if Hinton's ordeal was an injustice, because the evidence about guns that helped convict Hinton should have been ruled inconclusive in 1985, Falls said, "It appears it was." The last time Hinton was free, Ronald Reagan was president, "Back to the Future" ruled the box office, and a first-class stamp cost 22 cents. He didn't get to see firsthand how the world changed in the decades since. His life was defined by a preordained routine: when to eat, when to leave his cell, when to sleep. Hinton didn't even see the moon and stars, really, for all these years. Did he ever want to give up? "I didn't come too close to a breaking point," Hinton said. "But I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you that Satan didn't tell me to kill myself. ... I would immediately tell Satan to get ... behind me." What got him through all those tough times, he said, was his sense of humor. "I had no choice," Hinton said of his ability to laugh and make others do the same. "It was something that I was born with, but I never thought that it would come in handy that I would have to use it. "Being on death row, we had to use (humor) every day. At least I did." "Death Row Stories": Hard questions about the U.S. capital punishment system .

Anthony Ray Hinton was freed Apri 3, decades after conviction for two murders . Things like using a fork, getting used to the dark are challenges now that he's out . He says his sense of humor helped him survive 30 years in prison .


(CNN)Facebook may soon need to add "Just got served divorce papers" to its list of relationship statuses now that a New York judge has said the social media site is an acceptable way for a Brooklyn woman to serve her husband with a summons for divorce. Ellanora Arthur Baidoo has been trying to divorce her husband for several years, according to her attorney, Andrew Spinnell. But, Spinnell said, he and his client haven't been able to find Victor Sena Blood-Dzraku to serve him the papers.  Baidoo has been able to reach her husband by phone and "he has told her that he has no fixed address and no place of employment," according to court documents. "He has also refused to make himself available to be served," the document said. After exhausting other ways of serving him the papers, Spinnell filed an application asking for "service by alternate means," in this case, via social media. In his decision, Justice Matthew Cooper said the "advent and ascendency of social media," means sites like Facebook and Twitter are the "next frontier" as "forums through which a summons can be delivered." Before Cooper agreed to her using Facebook, Baidoo had to prove the Facebook account belongs to her husband, and that he consistently logs on to the account and would therefore see the summons. Spinnell said Baidoo's marriage to Blood-Dzraku began to unravel shortly after they married in 2009 because her husband refused to participate in a Ghanian wedding ceremony that would include both their families . The couple never lived together, according to court documents. "She's not asking for any money," Spinnell said, "She just wants to move on with her life and get a divorce." Spinnell said he has contacted Blood-Dzraku twice on Facebook, but has yet to hear back. If Blood-Dzraku refuses the summons, Spinnell said the judge can move forward with a "divorce by default" for his client. Blood-Dzraku could not be reached for comment.

Ellanora Arthur Baidoo has been trying to divorce her husband for several years . Husband doesn't have permanent address or permanent employment . Baidoo is granted permission to send divorce papers via Facebook .


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

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


(CNN)The sun hadn't risen at Garissa University College. Most students slept in their beds. A few had woken up to head to early morning Christian prayers. Then the terror began. It started with an explosion and gunshots around 5:30 a.m. Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET Wednesday) at the Kenyan school's front gates. The attackers continued to fire as they stalked through campus, with the Red Cross saying they stopped at a girls' dormitory. At one point, they burst into a room where Christians had gathered and took hostages, said lecturer Joel Ayora. A student in the room told Alex Kubasu, a reporter with CNN affiliate Citizen TV, that the terrorists sprayed bullets indiscriminately, striking his thigh. "Then they proceeded to the hostels," Ayora told CNN, referring to the university dorm, "shooting anybody they came across -- except their fellows, the Muslims." According to AFP, the gunmen separated the students by religion and allowed Muslims to leave. This would be consistent with the past practices of Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based terror group that's claimed responsibility for the attack. That's what Al-Shabaab did in a December raid on a quarry in the Kenyan village of Kormey, near the Somali border, that ended with at least 36 killed. Whatever their religion, hundreds of students managed to escape, said Dennis Okari, a reporter with CNN affiliate NTV. Some ran. Some crawled. All feared for their lives. And they were the lucky ones. It wasn't until about 15 hours after the attack began that the explosions and gunfire around Garissa finally ended. Interior Ministry Secretary Joseph Nkaissery announced that four terrorists were killed and the operation had ended "successfully." By then, 147 people were dead and plans were "underway to evacuate students and other affected persons," the Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre tweeted. "It is a very sad day for Kenya," Nkaissery said. Some of those students, at one point or another, were believed to be hostages in one of the four dormitories on campus. Yet others like Ayora managed to find safety, in his case at the staff residence. Others escaped the college's grounds. Okari, for instance, told CNN that he saw about 200 people sitting in the scorching mid-90-degree heat Thursday in a corner of a Garissa airstrip, surrounded by military officials. One student, Japhet Mwala, recalled to AFP how "everyone started running" after hearing blasts and gunshots. "There were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing," Mwala said. "I am lucky to be alive, because I jumped through the fence with other students." Rosalind Mugambi fled into a nearby field with "bullets following us." She escaped unscathed, but a few of her friends did not. "We saw some bloodstains,"  Mugambi told AFP, "and they were shot." Such terrorism, sadly, isn't new to the people of eastern Kenya. And that's largely thanks to Al-Shabaab. While it is based in Somalia, the militant group has made bloody incursions into neighboring Kenya -- most notoriously a 2013 siege of Nairobi's upscale Westgate Mall that left at least 67 dead. A primary aim of such attacks is thought to be sowing terror. There's also a religious undercurrent, given Al-Shabaab's once and possibly future goal of creating a fundamentalist Islamic state, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Needless to say, that aim isn't shared in most places -- particularly in Kenya, where more than 80% of citizens are Christian. Such violence is more likely in towns like Garissa, given its location 90 miles west of the Somali border. What makes Thursday's attack different is what was targeted -- an institute of higher learning, presumably filled with innocent students with no direct part in the Kenyan and allied governments' fight against Al-Shabaab. Such an attack is more reminiscent of what other Islamist extremist groups, the Pakistani Taliban and Boko Haram, did in respectively attacking a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, and kidnapping more than 200 girls at a school in Chibok, Nigeria. Garissa University College began in the 1990s as Garissa Teacher Training College before evolving, by government decree, into its current form as a degree-granting institution in 2011. As of this spring, the school had schools of education, information science, and arts and social sciences. And it was growing, with its staff of 75 set to expand to 200 by year's end, according to the college's website. It's too early to tell what the future now holds for Garissa University College. But Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday urged people around the African nation "to stay calm as we resolve this matter." "This is a moment," Kenyatta said, "for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies." CNN's Josh Levs contributed to this report.

Kenyan agency: 147 dead, plans underway to evacuate students and others . Garissa University College students wake to explosions and gunfire . Reports: Gunmen storm the Kenyan school, attacking Christians and letting Muslims go .


(CNN)I've been a chef in some form or another since I was 14 years old, but I didn't become a food activist until much later. It was 2007, and a young girl my wife mentored was found rooting through the trash just to find something to eat. That inspired me to found Food Policy Action and become politically active in a range of food issues, from hunger to factory farms. Of course, I haven't been alone in this work. One of the biggest catalysts has been "The Meatrix," a 2003 animation parody based on "The Matrix" and produced by the GRACE Communications Foundation, which crystallized the public health risks and environmental harms of factory farming. Recently, "The Meatrix: Relaunched" came out. Much more than a comical redux, it's an important benchmark in the evolution of the sustainable food movement and compels us to look back at how far we've come over the last decade -- and how far we still have to go. A decade ago, concepts like "sustainable farming," "animal welfare" and "organic food" were considered fringe. While some consumers were beginning to take interest in where their meat and produce came from, public knowledge of sustainable food was limited. The standard gut-wrenching images of animal cruelty and sickly calves were ineffectual and mostly turned people off instead of urging them to make better food choices. Meanwhile, factory farms continued to reap large profits while producing subpar meat, polluting air and water resources, and damaging the public's health. To be sure, America's food system is complex, and some may argue that industrial farming has been a necessity to meet our country's food needs. However, the quality of our food has been sacrificed at this supposed altar of necessity, as industrial farms reap enormous profits that they direct toward lobbying rather than improving the quality of food they produce. In 2014 alone, the biggest meatpackers and their trade groups spent a combined $4.3 million on lobbyists. And it has paid off for them: Factory farms often avoid penalties for the damage they cause to the environment and public health; and they receive ridiculous subsidies from the U.S. government that totaled $58.7 million in 2012, according to the Environmental Working Group. These factors drive down the cost of industrially sourced meat at a rate that smaller farms can't keep up with. And since the actual costs of industrially raised meat are hidden, humanely raised meat appears expensive by comparison. That's neither fair nor safe. We all deserve to know where the food we eat comes from and that it is wholesome, and we need our elected officials to take a stand against big agri-businesses to quit letting them profit off of meat and produce that jeopardize the health of the environment and the public. It's time that consumer demand for sustainable and humane food trumps the power that industrial farms hold over our elected officials. The original "Meatrix" cartoon used pop culture references and family-friendly cartoons to educate consumers about the dangers of factory farming, compel them to make better food choices and spark a wave of online advocacy for better government oversight of big agriculture and meat companies. As a result, it became one of the first viral videos ever to effectively expose consumers to the realities happening behind the doors of industrial farms and the damage these facilities were doing to the environment, our public health and surrounding communities. The rise in consumer knowledge has led to an increased demand for sustainably sourced food that is healthier and tastes better. GRACE has relaunched the Eat Well Guide, an online directory of 25,000 sustainable farms, restaurants, food co-ops and farmers' markets that allows consumers to make better choices about the food they eat and provide for their families. And we at Food Policy Action have produced a legislative scorecard. We need to ask members of Congress to promote sustainable farming, not factory farms. We need them to support sensible food policies that ensure that everyone has access to food and water. Congress should vote against the DARK Act, which would block any federal or state action that required labels for foods made with genetically engineered ingredients even at the expense of the environment, public health and local economies. As more consumers are educated, they have the power to take action and call on elected officials to support sustainable farmers, not factory farms. Together, we can create a sustainable food system in America that is better for our environment and our health.

Tom Colicchio: "The Meatrix: Relaunched" is an important benchmark of the evolution of sustainable food movement . But factory farms continued to reap large profits while producing subpar meat, polluting nature and damaging our health . Colicchio: We need to ask members of Congress to promote sustainable farming .


(CNN)Saudi special forces assisted Yemeni fighters targeting Houthis and their allies in Aden, a Saudi source told CNN. The special forces were on the ground in noncombat roles "coordinating and guiding" the battle against Houthi forces and fighters loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the source said. They also have helped parachute in weapons and communications equipment. Houthi rebels, meanwhile, withdrew from the presidential palace and other key parts of the southern port city of Aden following heavy Saudi airstrikes, according to the source. The withdrawal signaled a reversal from rebel gains the previous day, when Houthi forces seized the presidential palace. President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, who fled the country last month, had stayed for a period of time after Houthis secured control of the capital, Sanaa, in January. Houthis had controlled most large districts in Aden amid ongoing clashes. The latest action heats up an already intense conflict that could have ramifications across the Middle East. If the Saudi-led coalition of nine countries takes the fight to the ground in Yemen, the consequences could be severe. Houthis are battle-hardened guerrilla fighters and could cross into Saudi Arabia. They've already threatened suicide bomb attacks inside Saudi Arabia. Yemen, already the home base to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, teeters on the brink of becoming a failed state and an even more fertile breeding ground for extremism. The United Nations, citing reports from humanitarian partners, said 519 people have been killed and nearly 1,700 others wounded in the past two weeks. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes and sought refuge in Djibouti and Somalia, Valerie Amos, under-secretary-general and emergency relief coordinator, said in a statement. Two humanitarian workers were killed Friday in Yemen. The brothers working for the local branch of the Yemen Red Crescent Society were shot in Aden while evacuating wounded people to a waiting ambulance, the International Committee of the Red Cross reported. They were identified as Khaled Ahmed Bahuzaim and Mohammed Ahmed Bahuzaim. Two Saudi border guards were killed Friday after an exchange of fire with Houthi rebels along the kingdom's frontier with Yemen, officials told CNN. A border guard was killed in a cross-boundary fire exchange with militants, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday. That marked Saudi Arabia's first publicly known military death since it launched airstrikes against rebels inside its southern neighbor. U.S. Navy warships were patrolling off Yemen in search of suspicious shipping in the region, in particular any weapons shipments from Iran to the Houthi rebels they are supporting in Yemen, a U.S. defense official told CNN on Thursday. The Navy this week came across a Panamanian-registered cargo ship that had left an Iranian port, the official said. Based on the route of the ship from Iran to Yemen, the Navy declared it a "vessel of interest" and requested permission from the captain to search it. The ship was found to be carrying cement and construction materials, the official said. It was sent on its way. The offshore area has been a route for weapons smuggling into Yemen, as well as Sudan and Gaza, so the Navy has maintained a regular surveillance presence there. The official said that increased fighting in the last several days in southern Yemen has resulted in other ships trying to dock to help civilians leave the country. Saudi and allied warplanes struck rebels in Yemen last week, with Saudi Arabia threatening to send ground troops and inserting itself into its southern neighbor's civil war. The swift and sudden action involved 100 Saudi jets, 30 from the United Arab Emirates, 15 each from Kuwait and Bahrain, 10 from Qatar, and a handful from Jordan, Morocco and Sudan, plus naval help from Pakistan and Egypt, according to a Saudi adviser. The Houthi rebels are Shiite Muslims who have taken over Sanaa and had captured parts of its second-largest city, Aden. The Sunni Saudis consider the Houthis proxies for the Shiite government of Iran and fear another Shiite-dominated state in the region. Officials: Al Qaeda fighters free 270 from Yemeni prisons . CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

Two humanitarian workers killed . Two Saudi border guards killed in exchange with rebels, Saudi Press Agency reports . Saudi forces in non-combat roles "coordinating and guiding" fight against Houthis, source says .


(CNN)A Detroit mother arrested last month after police discovered the bodies of two of her children inside a freezer was arraigned this week on murder and torture charges. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy charged Mitchelle Angela Blair on Wednesday with killing her then 13-year-old daughter, Stoni Ann Blair, and her then 9-year-old son, Stephen Gage Berry. According to Detroit Police Chief James Craig, the bodies were found wrapped in plastic inside the freezer by a bailiff performing a court ordered eviction on March 24. The Wayne County medical examiner has since determined that Stoni died from multiple blunt trauma injuries and Stephen from multiple blunt trauma and thermal injuries. Both were determined to be homicides, according to spokesman Ryan Bridges. According to CNN affiliate WDIV,  investigators believe Stephen was scalded with hot water, beaten and strangled in August 2012, while Stoni was killed in May 2013. A message left for Blair's court appointed attorney, who entered not guilty pleas on her behalf at her arraignment, wasn't immediately returned. In addition to the two counts of premeditated murder -- each of which carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole --  Blair, 35, has been charged with two counts of torture, four counts of felony child abuse and one count of committing child abuse in the presence of another child. She has two other children, a 17-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son, both of whom are now in in protective custody, according to Worthy. Blair will be back in court June 19 for a court ordered competency hearing.

Murder and torture charges for Detroit mom after bodies found in her freezer . Prosecutors accuse Mitchelle Angela Blair of killing her 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son . Their bodies were discovered in her freezer as she was evicted from her home last month .


Miami (CNN)World heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko has an important title defense coming up, but his thoughts continue to be dominated by the ongoing fight for democracy in Ukraine. Speaking to CNN from his Miami training base ahead of the April 25 showdown with American challenger Bryant Jennings in New York, Klitschko said the crisis in his homeland has left him shocked and upset. "My country is unfortunately suffering in the war with Russia -- not that Ukraine tried to give any aggression to any other nation, in this particular case Russia, unfortunately it's the other way around," Klitschko told CNN. "I never thought that our brother folk is going to have war with us, so that Ukrainians and Russians are going to be divided with blood," he added. "Unfortunately, we don't know how far it's going to go and how worse it's going to get. The aggression, in the military presence of (Russian) soldiers and military equipment in my country, Ukraine, is upsetting." Klitschko is the reigning IBF, WBA, WBO and IBO champion and has, alongside older brother Vitali, dominated the heavyweight division in the 21st century. Vitali, who retired from boxing in 2013, is a prominent figure in Ukrainian politics. The 43-year-old has led the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform since 2010 and was elected mayor of Kiev in May last year. Tensions in the former Soviet state remain high despite a ceasefire agreed in February as Europe, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of France Francois Hollande, tries to broker a peace deal between the two sides. The crisis in Ukraine began in November 2013 when former President Victor Yanukovych scuttled a trade deal with the European Union in favor of forging closer economic ties with Russia. The move triggered a wave of anti-government protests which came to a head Kiev's Maidan Square in February 2014 when clashes between protesters and government security forces left around 100 dead. The following month, Russian troops entered Ukraine's Crimean peninsula before Russian President Vladimir Putin completed the annexation of Crimea -- a move denounced by most of the world as illegitimate -- after citizens of the region had voted in favor of leaving Ukraine in a referendum. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the conflict to date. "People are dying in Ukraine every single day," Klitschko said. "I do not want to see it, nobody wants to see it ... it's hard to believe these days something like that in Europe -- and Ukraine is Europe -- can happen." But with the backing of the international community, Klitschko is confident Ukraine can forge a democratic future rather than slide back towards a Soviet-era style dictatorship. "I really wish and want this conflict to be solved and it can only be solved with Western help," he said. "Ukraine is looking forward to becoming a democratic country and live under Western democracy. This is our decision and this is our will to get what we want. "If somebody wants to try to put (us) back to the Soviet times and be part of the former Soviet Union, we disagree with that. We want to be in freedom. "We have achieved many things in moving forward and showed to the world that we do not want to live under a dictatorship." Klitschko, whose comments were made as part of a wide-ranging interview for CNN's Human to Hero series, is routinely kept abreast of developments in Ukraine by brother Vitali but also returns home whenever he can. "As much time as I can spend, I am there in the Ukraine. It's not like I am getting the news from mass media and making my own adjustments and judgments on what's going on. It's an actual presence and understanding from the inside ... It obviously affects my life, it affects the life of my family." The 39-year-old and his fiancée Hayden Panettiere celebrated happier times last December when the American actress gave birth to a baby daughter, Kaya. "I need to get used to it that I'm a father, which is really exciting. I hope I'm going to have a big family with multiple kids," he said. Klitschko isn't sure when he'll finally hang up his gloves. "I don't know how long I can last ... motivation and health have to be there to continue." But after leaving almost all his boxing opponents battered and bruised -- the Ukrainian is seeking an impressive 18th consecutive title defense against Jennings -- Klitschko is keen to carry on fighting his own and his country's corner in the opposite way outside the ring. "I just really want that we'll have less violence in the world ... I hope in peace we can do anything, but if we have war then it's definitely going to leave us dull and numb." Watch Wladimir Klitschko's Human to Hero interview on CNN's World Sport program on Wednesday April 8 at 1130, 1245, 1445, 2130, 2245 and 2345 and Thursday April 9 at 0445 (All times GMT) and here online.

Reigning world heavyweight champion discusses Ukraine crisis . Klitschko faces American challenger Bryant Jennings in New York on April 25 . "Ukraine is looking forward to becoming a democratic country," Klitschko says . Klitschko's older brother Vitali a prominent figure in Ukraine democracy movement .


(CNN)"It's showtime!" Michael Keaton paid homage -- ever so slightly -- to his roles in "Beetlejuice" and "Batman" in his third turn hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. Keaton acknowledged in his opening monologue that a lot has changed since he first hosted the comedy sketch show in 1982. "I had a baby -- he's 31. I also have a new girlfriend -- she's 28," he said. Fans who were hoping for a full-blown revival of Keaton's most memorable characters might have been a little disappointed. SNL cast members Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan begged the actor with a song to "play" Batman and Beetlejuice with them. All they got in response were a couple of one-liners. Overall, Keaton's performance drew high marks from viewers and critics for its "deadpan" manner and "unpredictable weirdness," in the words of A.V. Club's Dennis Perkins. Fans also delighted in a cameo from "Walking Dead" star Norman Reedus during Weekend Update. Keaton scored some laughs from the audience as an ad executive who's not very good at his job, a confused grandfather and a high school teacher who gets asked to the prom in a riff on the romantic comedy "She's All That." Other crowd-pleasing spots included a Scientology parody music video and a news conference spoofing the NCAA student-athlete debate. The show also poked fun at CNN with cast member Cecily Strong playing anchor Brooke Baldwin. Baldwin said on Twitter that she's taking it as a "crazy compliment" and shared a clip from the skit.

Michael Keaton hosted  "Saturday Night Live"  for the first time in 1982 . In 2015, his nods to starring roles in "Beetlejuice" and "Batman" are brief .


(CNN)Just over a month ago, Kamron Taylor sat in an Illinois courtroom to hear a jury convict him of murder. Early Wednesday morning, Taylor sat in an Illinois jail. Hiding outside his cell. Ready to pounce. When he did, his victim was a correctional officer making his rounds, according to Kankakee County Sheriff Timothy Bukowski. Taylor beat up the guard, put on his uniform and took his keys. He then walked out of the jail's door and into the officer's brown 2012 Chevrolet Equinox SUV. Where the 23-year-old, who was set to be sentenced in May, is now is anybody's guess. The Equinox was discovered around 8:30 a.m. (9:30 a.m. ET) in Kankakee, but without any sign of the convicted murderer who drove it. Looking for Taylor is job No. 1 for authorities. No. 2 is figuring out how he managed to first get out of his cell, then get out of the Jerome Combs Detention Center and on the lam. "The question for us is where did (the county correctional system) break down," Bukowski said. "It looks right now (like) somebody didn't do their job properly." What authorities do know is based on video, other evidence and interviews with witnesses -- namely other inmates at the Kankakee jail. What they don't know is how Taylor got out of his two-man cell, when he should have been locked down. But somehow he did, and hid. "And then when the opportunity arose, he attacked the officer," Bukowski said, noting that Taylor "attacked from the side" around 3 a.m. "Beat him, choked him." He then apparently disrobed the guard, a military veteran and 10-year employee of the corrections department. The guard was left on the jail floor, going in and out of consciousness, for about 35 minutes before authorities -- concerned because the guard hadn't responded to calls -- found him, the sheriff said. "They then called the ambulance and we were notified and put out an alert," added Bukowski. By then, Taylor was gone. He'd pushed a button to notify "master control" that he wanted to leave, which means his identity would have been checked by camera. "We think that because he had the officer's uniform on," the sheriff explained, "that's how he was able to effectively escape." Taylor walked out the door and into the detention center's parking lot, where, authorities said, he clicked the correctional officer's key fob to find the Chevy Equinox. That officer is now in an intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital in Kankakee, Bukowski said. The manhunt, meanwhile, continues for Taylor. He has a history of trouble with the law that predates his murder conviction, including an August 2009 sentence of five years, 10 months in Tennessee for robbery and resisting arrest. Taylor was on parole for that crime when he killed a man during a June 2013 botched robbery. A jury convicted him of murder in that incident in late February. After the verdict was read, Taylor sat down, looked back, then got up and ran, according to The Daily Journal in Kankakee. Bailiffs and sheriff's deputies wrestled him to the ground, eventually leading him out of the courtroom as he cursed. Now a $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his arrest. The fact that he tried to get away once before and has been involved in fights "raises an alert, I guess," the Kankakee County sheriff said. "But we figure that the people who are locked up in our facility aren't altar boys, and we take certain precautions for all of them," Bukowski added. "And you can't become complacent with anybody, especially murderers." CNN's John Newsome contributed to this report.

Sheriff: The correctional officer is in intensive care after being beaten, choked . It appears "somebody didn't do their job properly," sheriff says after the escape . Kamron Taylor also tried to escape a courtroom after being convicted of murder in February .


(CNN)A New York City detective has been suspended after being accused of stealing $3,000 during an illegal cigarettes raid, according to police spokesman Stephen Davis. Surveillance video obtained by CNN affiliate News 12 Brooklyn appears to show Det. Ian Cyrus stashing cash in a bag before leaving the Yemen Deli and Grocery store in Brooklyn last Friday. The detectives had arrested two employees for selling loose cigarettes, according to News 12 Brooklyn. Ali Abdullah, the store's manager, noticed the money was gone from a box, but assumed it was taken by one of his employees. When he checked the cameras he couldn't believe what he saw, he told News 12 Brooklyn. Cyrus, who is under investigation by the internal affairs bureau, could not be reached for comment. His supervisor Sgt. Fritz Glemaud, who was heading the raid, was placed on modified duty, Davis said.

New York police detective Ian Cyrus has been suspended pending internal investigation . He is accused of stealing $3,000 during an illegal cigarettes raid, police say .


London (CNN)The Hatton Garden heist, as it will surely come to be known, was every safe deposit box holder's nightmare, every movie director's dream. Thieves using heavy cutting equipment and rappelling gear broke into the vault of an esteemed 60-year-old safe deposit company in the heart of London over the past holiday weekend, possibly taking advantage of as many as four days to rifle through an uncounted number of safe deposit boxes. And they reportedly got away with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gems and cash -- even, in the educated guess of one former police official, as much as 200 million pounds, or $300 million. Police were offering few details Wednesday of the robbery at Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. Detectives on the scene were carrying out a "slow and painstaking" forensic examination, police said in a statement. "Officers anticipate the process to take approximately two days," the statement said. "At this stage it is believed that approximately 60-70 safe deposit boxes were opened during the burglary. Officers are working closely with Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd to establish the identities of those affected. Police will be contacting victims directly as and when they are identified." WATCH: Top five jewelry heists . Throughout the day Wednesday, customers of the business went in and out of the premises, clearly unhappy about not being able to learn whether their boxes were among those ransacked. Hatton Garden is a storied area in London and the heart of the city's diamond trade. The area's promotional website says it is home to "the largest and most concentrated cluster of jewellery retailers in the UK" and has been for quite some time. "History tells us that the old City of London had certain streets -- or quarters -- dedicated to specific types of business," the website says. "The Hatton Garden area has been the epicentre of London's jewellery trade since medieval times. "Today, it maintains its international reputation as the centre of London's diamond trade. It is one of the finest and most renowned jewellery locations in the world." $4.8M in gold swiped from N.C. highway. But how? The police statement did not put a value on the amount of the haul. But numerous British news organizations put the figure in the hundreds of thousands of pounds, which translates into even more hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many of those who rent safe deposit boxes at the company are reportedly in the jewelry trade. But Roy Ramm, a former chief of the Flying Squad, an economic crime unit of London's Metropolitan Police Service, came up with a much higher guess. "I would not be surprised, given where this one is, in Hatton Garden, if 200 million pounds is around about the amount stolen," Ramm said on BBC Radio 4. Because of the long Easter weekend, police did not hear of the robbery until Tuesday morning. This may prove to be an embarrassment, as the Telegraph newspaper reported that the alarm at the business sounded Friday but, as the front and back doors still appeared locked, no action was taken. The website of Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. says the company was founded in 1954 and offers a "secure and cost-effective solution to store and protect important and irreplaceable personal belongings." Robbers target security vans in France jewel heist .

Robbers may have taken advantage of a four-day holiday weekend . Estimates of the value of the items taken rage from hundreds of thousands of pounds to 200 million pounds . The heist took place in a historic heart of London's jewelry business .


(CNN)As we approach April 27 when South Africa marks the anniversary of the first post-apartheid elections held that day in 1994, we are faced with yet another wave of deadly attacks against African migrants. Outrage triggered by this violence is being heard loudly throughout social media with "#WeAreAfrica" showcasing the need for a common front against this affront. These recurring attacks against migrants and their property might be read as one more indication of how the rainbow nation's dream has faltered. That vision not only symbolized a multi-ethnic South Africa, but one where living in dignity is shared across racial and class lines. Attacks against newcomers in South Africa are often reduced to attitudes of hate and resentment towards other black Africans. The national and international headlines use "xenophobia" as if any one word can convey the multifaceted crisis within which this phenomenon occurs. Labeling this turmoil as xenophobic fails to convey the conditions in which African migrants are scapegoated for the persistent legacy of apartheid in the post-liberation era. This word also does not tell us that extreme poverty now exceeds that experienced under apartheid. And it certainly does not account for how extreme inequality is now fully embraced and normalized by a new black elite joining the "white-haves" of yesteryear. The question of why foreign blacks are targeted and not foreign whites is also repeated ad nauseam, as if the majority of black citizens and African migrants share any common spaces and experiences with white South Africans or white foreigners. Contact between the majority of African migrant groups and native black South Africans mostly occurs in under-developed informal settlements and townships. In the interaction and competition between these groups in these spaces, we need to be wary of the simplistic treatment of South Africa's ailment as xenophobia. Such labeling does not and cannot explain the totality of the contact, competition and conflict between native poor black South Africans and foreign African entrepreneurs. Attention as to how such interactions occur in an environment where a vast portion of South Africa's black majority experiences segregation, persistent and relative poverty, and high crime rates in post-apartheid South Africa is paramount. Neglecting access to social rights, such as water, electricity, education and other services, is tantamount to violence by political leaders against the poor. Condemning and prosecuting those who incite violence is essential to maintaining law and order and protecting those vulnerable because of their nationality. But the evictions, harassment and ultimately brutal killings of foreigners cannot and should not be separated from the daily brutal violence poor South Africans in informal settlements and many townships experience. It cannot and should not be separated from South Africa's status as one of the most unequal societies in the world; it cannot and should not be separated from the fact that South Africa has one of the highest homicide levels in the world. A mantra of xenophobia wishes away the fact that the everyday lives of those in vulnerable positions in this society (the poor, the disabled, women, children, the elderly) are filled with violence similar -- if not worse -- than that facing African foreigners eking out a living in the midst of abject poverty. Labeling South Africa's poor blacks as ungrateful and amnesiac to the history of hospitality other Africans bestowed on their exiles under apartheid does a disservice to both the local poor whose citizenship rights are marginal at best and the resilient migrants in search of asylum and dignity. Such labeling only serves politicians and the elites who are sealed off by barbed wire surrounded by a security industry that outspends and outnumbers South Africa's police force. It allows corruption to persist while the political leaders who are implicated in this violence scapegoat "criminal youth" to further fill an overflowing prison industry. Religious and civil society leaders' recent mobilization saying "not in our name" in reaction to violence against migrants should be applauded. But religious, civil society and student groups also have an obligation to organize and denounce the inequality and the violence that is the everyday lot of the extremely poor in South Africa. Pervasive misery and corruption in the midst of a nation with so much potential should not be tolerated. Neither a hashtag of outrage #WeAreAfrica nor the expedience of the label "xenophobia" can wish away the angst, violence and the impending crisis in South Africa. Migrants' security and dignity is part and parcel of a greater security and dignity for all South Africans, which seem deferred for now.

Xenophobia cannot explain the conflict between native poor black South Africans and foreign African entrepreneurs, says Abdi . Killings of foreigners cannot be separated from the brutal violence poor South Africans experience, she adds.


(CNN)Back in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini famously said he was "drinking poison" when he accepted a ceasefire to end the eight-year-old war with Iraq.  The war had helped define Khomeini's regime, the Islamic Republic, which he had founded a year before Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. Khomeini galvanized the nation, both his supporters and growing opponents, to fight against the enemy. He dragged out the war for eight years, despite Saddam's willingness to accept a ceasefire, and thus stabilized the foundations of the Islamic Republic. By the time he ended the war, the economy was in shambles, and there was no sign of his die-hard volunteers. Since then, "drinking a chalice of poison" has became part of Iranian political lexicon, and many analysts have asked whether Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khomeini's successor, would raise the chalice and surrender to demands by the West to end Iran's nuclear program. Like the war, Iran's defiance to halt its controversial nuclear program has defined Khameni's era. He has defied the West in the face of increasing economic pressure. Iran claims that its program is peaceful, but Khamenei's refusal to end uranium enrichment activities -- a process that can lead to making nuclear fuel as well as nuclear bombs -- has landed the country under crippling sanctions. The standoff with the West has stretched longer than the war. The agreement reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, however, marks a new chapter in the history of the country. If Iran can finalize a deal by June with the United States and its P5+1 partners, international investors, including Americans, would be able to invest in Iran for the first time in decades. Iran can develop its gas and oil fields, and the economy can leap forward. Desperate for a deal, whoever I called over the past week inside Iran was glued to their television sets, and tens of thousands poured out on the streets to celebrate the agreement late Thursday night. Iran's economy shrank after sanctions were intensified in 2012 and the value of the Rial, the Iranian currency, plunged to one-third of the U.S. dollar. Inflation soared and the bank accounts of ordinary Iranians were frozen overseas as a result of sanctions. Millions of Iranians are hoping that their lives will improve in the post-deal era. Despite the regime's propaganda that claimed the program enjoys wide support among people, critics inside the country publicly denounced nuclear policies. Ahmad Shirzad, a former member of parliament, denounced the program last year and said it had been "against national interests." Another critic, Sadeq Ziba, said in December "the nuclear program has hurt the country more than the war." Iranian politicians are divided between moderates -- led by President Hassan Rouhani, who wants to develop the economy -- and hardliners, who view the deal as a threat to the regime's ideology. The majority of people brought Rouhani to power in 2012, hoping that he would ease the sanctions. Many see the negotiations as a diplomatic necessity that would help sideline hardliners too. Yet the Lausanne agreement would not have been possible without the moderates' will and Khamenei's approval. Ayatollah Khamenei is 76. Last year, he underwent a long prostate surgery, which led to rumors that he might be gravely ill. His predecessor ended the war a year before his death. Whether Khamenei is seriously ill or not, many believe that because of his advanced age, he needs to put the country on a straight path before his death. So far, the regime has presented the deal as a win for itself. During 18 months of negotiations, the regime appeared determined not to succumb to Western demands and lose its right to uranium enrichment. The Lausanne agreement allows Iran to spin 5,000 centrifuges and avoid national humiliation. Khamenei can claim that Iran is the winner in the country's decade-long confrontation with the West -- a legacy that he wants to leave behind. He has not drunk the poison yet, not until June, when negotiators aim to iron out the final deal. But perhaps he has raised the chalice.

Iran's first Supreme Leader made a bitter peace with Iraq's Saddam Hussein . Nazila Fathi: Is current leader Ayatollah Khamanei trying to put Iran on right track before he dies?


(CNN)The United States has gained much from its position as a space-faring nation. Indeed, U.S. access to space has provided incredible benefit to U.S. national security, defense and the economic well-being of the nation. And in order to effectively confront current and future conflicts, combat terrorism and counter the proliferating threats worldwide, our military depends on space-based capabilities, including intelligence, GPS, and communications satellites. Unfortunately, as global threats increase and the need for assured space access accelerates, the U.S. is faced with a troubling reality -- we are far too reliant on Russian technology to meet our national security obligations. How? For a start, we depend on the Atlas V rocket, which carries many of our most important satellites and is powered by the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine. The fact that we rely on Russia, currently under sanctions for invading a sovereign nation, should reinforce the need for a change in our current course. Assured access to space is an area where the U.S. should not be reliant on nonsecure foreign supply chains, which are subject to disruption, threats, unfavorable contracts and undue leverage against the interests of the U.S. The Ukraine crisis should have served as a wake-up call, highlighting the danger of dependence on Russia to launch national security satellites into space. And the United States should play no part in supporting the defense industry of a country that continues to abrogate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. Simply put, it is bad policy to rely on others for critical national security requirements, and worse policy when this reliance supports countries taking action in direct contradiction to U.S. national security interests. Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian Deputy Prime Minister in charge of defense and space industries, has called American taxpayer outlays for the Russian engine "free money" that goes directly back into Russia's missile modernization programs. It is high time the U.S. government turn to its existing domestic capability and turn off this flow of funds. Fortunately, there are some signs of progress. Last year, Congress took bipartisan action to phase out reliance on the RD-180 engine by the end of the decade, and to transition to an all-American space launch capability. The defense authorization for fiscal year 2015 included restrictions on the future use of the RD-180 for the Atlas V, authorizing $220 million to begin development of a U.S. alternative. This was a wise move, but it's not enough. There are steps that the United States can take now to ensure our access to space and secure our comparative advantage in space -- and in the world. True, development of a new launch system will take time; there are no overnight answers. However, a combination of existing capabilities and dynamic development of new capabilities by the private sector can serve as a foundation for eliminating any capability gap in the U.S. space program. Indeed, new entrants are coming online using launch vehicle systems fully designed and manufactured in America. The two main launch competitors -- United Launch Alliance and SpaceX -- each have all-American systems, namely ULA's Delta IV family of rockets and SpaceX's Falcon 9. Having both options will put America on the path to fielding its indigenous space capabilities for the next generation, while strengthening a space industrial base weakened since the end of the Cold War. The short-term goal should be to transition to existing American-manufactured launch vehicles, as opposed to phasing out systems such as the Delta IV, which continue to provide critical capability. In the long term, next-generation development programs should not involve major Russian subsystems and components. It is time to end America's reliance on Russia's rocket engine. This would be good for national security, good for American innovation and the industrial base -- and good for our country's future.

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


(CNN)On the eve of the one-year mark since nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria, Malala Yousafzai released an "open letter" to the girls Monday. "Like you, I was a target of militants who did not want girls to go to school," she writes in the letter.  The 17-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner survived an attack by the Taliban, which had singled her out for blogging from Pakistan about the importance of staying in school. In the letter, she calls on the Nigerian government and the international community to do more to rescue the girls.  Nigeria recently held an election. On April 14, 2014, Islamists with Boko Haram kidnapped the girls, prompting an international campaign for their safe return, which used the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.  On Monday, UNICEF announced a new campaign for the 800,000 children who have been displaced in northeast Nigeria, using the hashtag #BringBackOurChildhood. Malala is admired globally as a figure standing for peace.  On Sunday, a NASA astrophysicist named an asteroid after her. She has spoken with CNN about the Nigerian abductions previously. Malala: Global symbol, but still just a kid . Here is the full letter: . To my brave sisters, the kidnapped schoolgirls of Chibok, . On this first anniversary of your captivity, I write to you with a message of solidarity, love and hope. My name is Malala. I am a Pakistani girl your age. I am one of the millions of people around the world who keep you and your families foremost in our thoughts and prayers. We cannot imagine the full extent of the horrors you have endured. But please know this: We will never forget you. We will always stand with you. Today and every day, we call on the Nigerian authorities and the international community to do more to bring you home. We will not rest until you have been reunited with your families. Like you, I was a target of militants who did not want girls to go to school. Gunmen shot me and two of my friends on a school bus. All three of us survived and are back in school. Now we speak out on behalf of all girls about the right to get a proper education. Our campaign will continue until you and all girls and boys around the world are able to access a free, safe and quality secondary education. Last July, I spent my 17th birthday in Nigeria with some of your parents and five of your classmates who escaped the kidnapping. Your parents are grief-stricken. They love you, and they miss you. My father and I wept and prayed with your parents -- and they touched our hearts. The escapee schoolgirls my father and I met impressed us with their resolve to overcome their challenges and to complete their high school education. My father and I promised your parents and the girls who had escaped that we would do all we could to help them. I met Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and urged him to work harder for your freedom. I also asked President Jonathan to meet your parents and the girls who escaped the kidnapping, which he did a few days later. Still, in my opinion, Nigerian leaders and the international community have not done enough to help you. They must do much more to help secure your release. I am among many people pressuring them to make sure you are freed. There are reasons for hope and optimism. Nigerian forces are re-gaining territory and protecting more schools. Nigeria's newly-elected president, Muhammadu Buhari, has vowed to make securing your freedom a top priority and promised his government will not tolerate violence against women and girls. "You will have the opportunity to receive the education you want and deserve. The Malala Fund and other organizations offered all your classmates who escaped the kidnapping full scholarships to complete their secondary education. Most of the escapee girls accepted this scholarship and are now continuing their studies at a safe boarding school and with the support they need. We hope to someday extend that same scholarship to all 219 of you, when you return home. Remember that one day your tragic ordeal will end, you will be reunited with your families and friends, and you will have the chance to finish the education you courageously sought. I look forward to the day I can hug each one of you, pray with you, and celebrate your freedom with your families. Until then, stay strong, and never lose hope. You are my heroes. Your sister, . Malala .

Malala Yousafzai tells the girls she associates with them . She writes a message of "solidarity, love and hope" She calls on Nigeria and the international community to do more to rescue the girls .


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

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


(CNN)Eight Iranian border guards have been killed in clashes with militants near the border with Pakistan, Iranian state media reported. Three of the militants were killed by Iranian forces in the fighting Monday in the southeastern town of Negur, the state-run news agency IRNA reported. The news agency cited Ali Asghar Mirshekari, the deputy governor of Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province, who said the militants crossed into the country from Pakistan. Iranian officials have reportedly asked Pakistani authorities to catch the surviving assailants. A militant group called Jaish al Adal claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Iranian state media and a Twitter account believed to be associated with the organization. According to Pakistani media, Jaish al Adal is an anti-Iranian group that has emerged during recent years in areas of Balochistan, the restive Pakistani province that borders southeastern Iran. The Sunni Muslim group has targeted Shiites and says it aims to thwart Iranian influence in Pakistan, according to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn. Jaish al Adal has also claimed responsibility for attacks on Iranian territory. One of the deadliest was in October 2013, when 14 Iranian border guards were killed near the city of Saravan. Iranian authorities say that after similar attacks, the militants have fled back into Balochistan. "Iran has repeatedly criticized its eastern neighbor for failing to rein in the terrorists," IRNA said, referring to Pakistan. The Pakistani government condemned Monday's attack, calling it an "act of terrorism." "The concerned security agencies of Pakistan are actively investigating this incident, which took place on Iran's territory, and have asked Iranian authorities to share with us any evidence that they have," the government said in a statement Wednesday. If the militants entered Pakistan after the attack, "they will be apprehended and brought to justice," it said.

The Pakistani government says its security agencies are investigating . A group believed to be based in Pakistan's Balochistan province claims responsibility .


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

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


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

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