Story highlights Margaret Held and Paula Merrill were nurse practitioners
Suspect charged with two counts of capital murder
(CNN) A man has been arrested in the stabbing deaths of two nuns whose bodies were found in their home in rural Mississippi, authorities said.
Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both nurse practitioners, failed to show up for work Thursday at a clinic in Lexington, where they served one of the state's poorest counties.
Clinic workers called police when the pair didn't arrive at the clinic, said Maureen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson.
When authorities arrived at their home in Durant, 13 miles away from the clinic, they saw evidence of a break-in and found their bodies, she said.
As investigators searched for answers, a blue Toyota Corolla used by the victims was found Thursday on an abandoned road less than a mile from their home.
Read More

Man arrested in stabbing deaths of 2 nuns in Mississippi


A man has been arrested in the stabbing deaths of two nuns whose bodies were found in their home in rural Mississippi, authorities said.


Tokyo, Japan (CNN) From flowers locked in ice to space-age pine trees, Japanese artist Makoto Azuma has built a career from a "new genre of art" that blends plants with artificial mediums to strikingly beautiful effect.
A florist by training, the Tokyo-based Azuma creates what he describes as "living art" -- ecosystems using fish and bonsai, bicycles covered in astroturf and spectacular fungi dipped in gold, platinum and copper.
For one of his best known series, " Exobiotanica ", Azuma sent a 50-year-old Japanese white pine bonsai and an extravagant mother's day bouquet 30,000 meters into the atmosphere and photographed his unusual satellites suspended against the edge of the earth.
"Many misunderstand me as a contemporary artist, or drawer, or sculptor, he says. "But I create living art. I am creating a totally new way of expression."
CNN Style spoke to Azuma about the inspiration behind his work, his relationship with flowers and the technical challenges of transforming life into art.
Do you see yourself as an artist or a florist?
I think I am a florist to begin with. But I create my art work in order to find out new value and potential in flowers. So I am a florist as well as an artist. Both are important for me.
Iced Flowers installation, 2015
What was your first memory of flowers or plants when you were a child?
I grew up in the countryside, in a place called Fukuoka on the island of Kyushu (Japan's third largest island, southwest of the main island of Honshu). My house had a large garden, surrounded by rich nature. Every morning my mother cut flowers from the garden and put arrangements at the house entrance. I was very close with nature growing up.
When did you realize you wanted to work with natural materials to create art?
While I was running a flower shop, putting together bouquets and decoration, I thought I could find a new type of flower by applying a new expression on the flowers themselves. Besides merely making bouquets as presents or table top decoration, I thought it would be possible to capture the beauty in a photograph or video while the flower is changing its shape. It is like slicing out a moment for keeping the beauty eternal.
What is it about this medium that attracts you more than other art forms?
I believe flowers are the best art creation of nature. A human being can never make flowers. A flowers' life is short but I scoop up the beauty of them by fixating it through various methods or letting them wither. The most attractive part of a flower is that it shows a life being withered and lost in shape, but revived again in a new shape.
What do you want to express most through flowers?
I would like to change the shape of flowers in a way no one has ever imagined before, or put the flower in an extreme environment. Sending flowers into space, or putting them in the deep sea -- which I am doing now. What kind of expression do flowers show in such an environment? I embrace the quest through the experimental methods I use.
Azuma is presently experimenting with making art with flowers in the deep sea.
What are some of the main challenges of working with flowers?
it is a race against time. They say flowers age 10 years in one day. If I take three days for production, I would lose much of what I wanted to show. I must prepare fully and have a clear final vision in mind before starting the work. Flowers do not wait for humans.
It took you around six months to prepare for Exobiotanica, one of your most extreme and perhaps best-known projects. Can you tell us a bit about this work? , one of your most extreme and perhaps best-known projects. Can you tell us a bit about this work?
(Creating) Exobiotanica was a fight against a temperature of minus 60 degree Celsius (-76 degrees Fahrenheit). It is more to show the flowers' beauty, even in a frozen state or even when they are shattered, rather than how to bloom beautifully. It (the art) went into space, so the body had to be chunky and the structure well cemented. Making just an art object was not a goal at all. I needed to choose flowers that can complete to form a good contrast in space. The piece also needed to have movement and strength.
Azuma sent a bonsai and a bouquet into space to create "Exobiotanica"
Which of your other past projects do you consider to be your most ambitious?
I have no work that I can call ambitious. Since last month, we are opening up flower shops titled "hope" everywhere in the world using guerrilla tactics, just giving flowers to the people. We did it in Congo, then Algeria. The world is filled with conflict nowadays, smelling of gun power everywhere. We wonder what we can do with flowers for the world, not politically, but more simply. This is probably not so ambitious, but something that we want to continue for long time, in a steady, small scale.
Are there other artists that you look to or take inspiration from?
I do not look to any particular person as I did not start flower art after being influenced by someone. It is flowers and nature that inspires me. Flowers are indispensable...they are something very close to me all the time.
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You have created a very unique studio in Tokyo, Jardin des Fleurs -- can you tell us about it? -- can you tell us about it?
My shop is located underground and, simply put, is like a wine cellar. The temperature is kept on the same level year round so that the flowers bloom in the best condition. We also use special LED lights to show the flowers at their best.
Flowers do not bloom beautifully under full sun light so we manage an intricate balance of light, temperature and humidity and add a bit of artificial lighting so that the flowers perform at their best.
Azuma's Tokyo flower shop is located underground
What is the most surprising thing you have learned about plants and flowers to date?
Flowers have a very strong existence. A human needs flowers and plants to live, but flowers and plants do not need humans. They are so strong.

Turning bonsai and bouquets into space-age art


Japanese artist Makoto Azuma has built a career from a "new genre of art" that blends plants with artificial mediums to strikingly beautiful effect.


Story highlights A clip from the "Greenleaf" finale shows a change could be coming to Calvary
"Greenleaf" season finale airs August 31 on OWN
(CNN) OWN's "Greenleaf" is wrapping up its first season on Wednesday with an episode sure to be packed with drama and possibly huge changes at Calvary church.
In an exclusive clip to CNN from the season finale, Lady Mae (Lynn Whitfield) seems to announce at Women's Day that Grace (Merle Dandridge) is the church's newest preacher. The move receives heaps of support from those in attendance, but it wouldn't be a surprise if it turns out that all isn't as it seems in this sneak peek.
Elsewhere in the finale episode, an OWN description promises Henry McCready (Bill Cobbs) will reveal a "big secret" to Grace, Mac (Gregory Alan Williams) will attempt to blackmail Bishop (Keith David) and Mavis (guest star Oprah Winfrey) will be paid a visit by Lady Mae. That meeting likely won't be a one.
The "Greenleaf" finale airs August 31 on OWN.


OWN's "Greenleaf" is wrapping up its first season on Wednesday with an episode sure to be packed with drama and possibly huge changes at Calvary church.


Story highlights Chelsea secures maximum points
Emphatic win for Arsenal
Liverpool and Tottenham struggle
(CNN) Chelsea has taken an early lead at the top of the English Premiership after an emphatic win over Burnley.
Belgian Eden Hazard opened the scoring -- his second in three games -- with contributions from Willian shortly before half time and then a late goal from Victor Moses.
But The Blues were joined later Saturday by Manchester United who beat the newly-promoted Hull. A 1-0 win against the Tigers meant the Manchester club also collected maximum points from the first three games and is in joint first place with the same goal difference as Chelsea.
The Red Devils left it late with a Marcus Rashford winner scored in stoppage time.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United have new managers this season and early results already show that the EPL could turn into a clash of coaching giants, pitching Antonio Conte at Chelsea with the club's former manager Jose Mourinho who is now at Man United.
Read More


Chelsea has taken an early lead at the top of the English Premiership after an emphatic win over Burnley.


(CNN) Pep Guardiola is heading back to Barcelona after his Manchester City side was paired with the Spanish giant for the group stage of the Champions League in Thursday's draw.
Guardiola won 14 major trophies during his tenure at Camp Nou, before leaving in 2012.
The 45-year-old, who then led Bayern Munich to three successive Champions League semifinals, arrived in England at the end of last season after replacing Manuel Pellegrini as City coach.
Friends reunited
While it has been four years since Guardiola left Barcelona, his legacy still remains.
Under Guardiola, Barcelona rewrote the football manual -- his philosophy of "tiki-taka" brought a whole new dimension to the game and changed the way it was played across the world.
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His two European triumphs and three domestic league titles came at a time when the team appeared unbeatable.
But both have moved on -- Guardiola at City after winning three straight league titles with Bayern, and Barcelona at its imperious best under current coach Luis Enrique.
This will not be the first time Guardiola has returned to Barcelona -- that came with Bayern Munich in 2015. On that occasion, Barcelona won through to the final after a 5-3 aggregate victory.
City reached the semifinals last season before going down to eventual champion Real Madrid -- and Guardiola has his work cut out if he is to bring the trophy back to England anytime soon.
La Liga to dominate?
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There may be 32 teams fighting it out to become Europe's top team but it's difficult to look past the usual suspects.
Spain has provided the winners for the past three seasons -- with two all-Spanish finals in that time.
So how about a repeat this time around? Well that could be a problem for Real -- but perhaps not in the group stages.
Real will face Borussia Dortmund, Sporting and Legia Warsaw -- a trio of clubs which most would expect Madrid to overcome and finish in the top two of Group F.
No team has ever successfully defended the title since the competition was revamped in 1992 -- and there's a few who are determined to make sure Real doesn't make it.
Luis Suarez has enjoyed a stellar year with Barcelona.
First up in terms of rivals is Barcelona -- the Spanish champion and one of the outstanding favorites.
In Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Brazil star Neymar, Barca has a front three to give defenders nightmares.
The trio was on fire last season, leading Barca to the league and cup double as well as the semifinals of the Champions League.
It should have few problems qualifying from a group which includes City, Germany's Borussia Monchengladbach and Scottish champion Celtic.
And don't forget Atletico Madrid -- a finalist twice in the past three years. Diego Simeone's side has suffered heartbreak on both occasions but will be a force to be reckoned with once again.
The Spanish side has been paired with Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern Munich, Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven and Russia's FC Rostov in Group D.
.@matshummels on the #UCLdraw: "I'm very happy with the group because we've got 3 teams I've never played before." pic.twitter.com/nBksumakOw — FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 25, 2016
Debut year
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If there's one name nobody had ever predicted to be involved with the Champions League draw, it would be Leicester City.
The unfancied club stunned the sporting world last season by winning the English Premier League in some style -- finishing 10 points clear of its nearest rival.
It received a somewhat favorable draw, with Porto, Club Bruges and FC Copenhagen providing the opposition.
Leicester City won the Premier League title for the first time in its history last season.
Midfielder Riyad Mahrez has become one of the most coveted players in European football, while Jamie Vardy was one of the outstanding goalscorers in the league last season.
Few give Claudio Ranieri's side much of a chance of going deep into the tournament after losing key midfielder N'Golo Kante to Chelsea and the team's stuttering start to the domestic campaign.
But as the club motto will tell you, "Foxes are never beaten."
Claudio Ranieri: "Once again I say we are underdogs. For this reason we must fight for everything." #UCLdraw — Leicester City (@LCFC) August 25, 2016
Italian joy?
Juventus reached the final in 2015 -- and while it might have lost Paul Pogba to Manchester United, the Italian champion remains a formidable prospect.
Beaten by Bayern Munich in the first knockout phase last year, Juventus will be aiming to improve after winning its fourth domestic title in succession.
This is going to be very interesting! The draw brought us trips to Spain, France and Croatia. Can't wait for #UCL to start! ✌🏼😉 #ForzaJuve — Sami Khedira (@SamiKhedira) August 25, 2016
The $99 million signing of Gonzalo Higuian a nd the arrivals of Barcelona's Dani Alves and Roma's Miralem Pjanic should give plenty of reason for encouragement.
For the second season in a row, Massimiliano Allegri's side will face Spanish side Sevilla, as well as Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb.
Tasty ties
The draw has thrown up a number of potentially entertaining clashes, with England's Arsenal set to take on French champion Paris Saint-Germain in Group A, which also includes FC Basel and Bulgarian side Ludogorets.
Benfica, which last won the competition in 1962 and has since finished as runner-up on five occasions, will fancy its chances of progressing through a group which includes Napoli, Dynamo Kiev and Besiktas.
Tottenham, which finished third in England last season, faces CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco in Group E.
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Full draw:
Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, FC Basel, Ludogorets.
Group B: Benfica, Napoli, Dynamo Kiev, Besiktas.
Group C: Barcelona, Manchester City, Borussia Monchengladbach, Celtic.
Group D: Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, FC Rostov.
Group E: CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Monaco.
Group F: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting, Legia Warsaw.
Group G: Leicester City, Porto, Club Brugge, FC Copenhagen.
Group H: Juventus, Sevilla, Lyon, Dinamo Zagreb.

Champions League 2016: Barcelona to face Manchester City in Pep Guardiola reunion


New Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola will face a showdown with former employer Barcelona in the group stage of the 2016 Champions League.


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Could humans live on newly discovered exoplanet?


Astronomers are thrilled with the discovery of a new planet. Why does this matter? Prof. Michael Shara tells CNN's Jonathan Mann.


Terror expert Paul Cruickshank explains the role of the key ISIS leader reportedly killed and fears of retaliation especially in Europe.


(CNN) You might be thinking you're suddenly seeing Britney Spears all over the place lately -- and you're right. The 34-year-old pop star is making a comeback in a major way. The latest, a new album, "Glory," dropped late Thursday night.
Spears took to Twitter to announce the release and wrote that it's "the beginning of a new era."
Perhaps it is. This is Spears' first album since 2013's "Britney Jean," which had the lowest sales figures of any of her albums.
#Glory. My new album & the beginning of a new era. Available 8/26 on @AppleMusic. Pre-order tonight at midnight ET. pic.twitter.com/pkZZkC2QLR — Britney Spears (@britneyspears) August 3, 2016
Thursday night also saw the airing of Spears' highly anticipated "Carpool Karaoke" segment with James Corden in which she sang some of her biggest hits: "Toxic" "Womanizer," Oops! ... I Did It Again," and even "Baby One More Time," complete with Spears and Corden dressed in her signature school girl outfit.
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You might be thinking you're suddenly seeing Britney Spears all over the place lately -- and you're right. The 34-year-old pop star is making a comeback in a major way. The latest, a new album, "Glory," dropped late Thursday night.


(CNN) Latin American music icon Juan Gabriel has died, according to sources close to the family and to Mexico's news agency Notimex.
Los Angeles County Coroner spokeswoman Selena Barros told CNN Juan Gabriel died from natural causes at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in Santa Monica, California.
He performed at The Forum in Los Angeles on Friday night. On Sunday he was scheduled to sing at a concert in El Paso, Texas.
Juan Gabriel, whose legal name was Alberto Aguilera Valadez, was 66. He sold more than 100 million records during his career, according to his website.
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said in a tweet: "We lament the death of Juan Gabriel, one of the biggest musical icons of our country. My condolences to his family and friends." He added, "A voice and a talent that represented Mexico. His music is a legacy to the world. He left us too soon. May he rest in peace."
Una voz y un talento que representaban a México. Su música, un legado para el mundo. Se ha ido muy pronto. Que descanse en Paz. — Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) August 28, 2016
Known to his fans as El Divo de Juarez, Juan Gabriel led Billboard magazine's Top Latin Albums charts five times between 2016 and 2015. "More leaders than any other artist in that span of time," according to Billboard.
In his 40-year career, he was best known for his soulful ballads and romantic rancheras. His classic hits include "Querida," "Porqué me haces llorar?" "El Noa Noa" and "Hasta que te conocí."

Juan Gabriel dead at 66; he was Mexican music icon


Latin American music icon Juan Gabriel has died, according to sources close to the family and to Mexico's news agency Notimex.


Trump staff, surrogates distracting from message


As Donald Trump prepares for an immigration speech, a campaign surrogate apologizes for a controversial tweet attacking Hillary Clinton.


Story highlights After revelations in NY Post of alleged sexting, Huma Abedin has announced she is separating from Anthony Weiner
We can't know what goes on in a marriage, the reasons for staying or going; this is true of Abedin, says Peggy Drexler
Drexler: Let's not be so condescending as to congratulate her; ending a marriage is excruciating. No one can judge
Peggy Drexler is the author of "Our Fathers, Ourselves: Daughters, Fathers, and the Changing American Family" and "Raising Boys Without Men." She is an assistant professor of psychology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and a former gender scholar at Stanford University. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) Sunday night, the New York Post published photos that appeared to have been sent last year between former US Rep. Anthony Weiner and a "busty brunette out West" (said the Post), following a tip from said brunette. Perhaps the most damning photo — if the media reaction is any indication — features what the paper says is Weiner's crotch, clothed only in white briefs, and a small boy beside him. The Post says the boy is his his son with Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's close aide.
"Someone just climbed into my bed," read the accompanying text message, according to the Post.
The woman he was allegedly texting with was not an old friend. The Post received a number of explicit messages allegedly sent between her and Weiner between January 2015 and as recently as this month.
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Before anyone could issue the shocked, judgment-laden incitements that are de rigueur with this kind of thing — What is Huma thinking? How could she stay with him? — Abedin announced that she and Weiner would indeed be separating, effective immediately.
"Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what is best for our son, who is the light of our life," she said in a statement issued Monday.

Don't say 'it's about time' Huma Abedin left Anthony Weiner


Let's not be so condescending to imagine we can know what goes on in a marriage, the reasons for staying or going, says Peggy Drexler. Ending it is excruciating; no one can judge.


Story highlights The assessment warns of significant issues with the warplane
The $400 billion program is at risk of not reaching full combat capability
(CNN) The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is drawing sharp criticism from the Pentagon's top weapons tester, who warns the aircraft is "on a path of failing to deliver" its full combat capability.
The sobering review of the US military's $400 billion program comes despite its achieving several major development milestones this month. The single-engine, fifth-generation F-35 fighter jet is touted as the future of military aviation: A lethal and versatile aircraft to replace the aging fleet currently used by all three military branches.
An Aug. 9th memo from Michael Gilmore, the Defense Department's director of operational testing, to defense officials details the tester's concerns.
Dated just one week after the Air Force declared its version of the F-35 ready for initial combat operations , Gilmore wrote that the advanced aircraft continues to demonstrate limitations related to its software, data fusion, electronic warfare and weapons employment, according to Bloomberg News, which first reported the memo.
"Achieving full combat capability with the Joint Strike Fighter is at substantial risk" of not occurring before development is supposed to end and realistic combat testing begins, he wrote in the memo to Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James; Gen. David Goldfein, the service's chief of staff, and Frank Kendall, the Pentagon's acquisitions chief, according to Bloomberg.
Read More

Pentagon weapons tester: F-35 fighter jet has 'significant' problems


The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program is drawing sharp criticism from the Pentagon's top weapons tester, who warns the aircraft is "on a path of failing to deliver" its full combat capability.


Photos: Netflix returns to the world of drug lord Pablo Escobar in September with the premiere of season 2 of "Narcos." But that's just one of the many streaming offerings coming during the month. Others include: Hide Caption 1 of 32
Photos: "From Dusk Till Dawn" : Salma Hayek is the queen vampire in this Robert Rodriguez directed, Quentin Tarantino written horror film. (Hulu) Hide Caption 2 of 32
Photos: "Get Shorty" : Rene Russo, John Travolta and Gene Hackman star in this caper classic based on an Elmore Leonard novel. (Hulu) Hide Caption 3 of 32
Photos: "Heaven's Gate" : Isabelle Huppert and Kris Kristofferson star as a pair of doomed lovers in this Western. (Amazon Prime, Hulu) Hide Caption 4 of 32
Photos: "Mulberry St." : Kim Blair is in a fight for her life in this horror sci-fi thriller. (Amazon Prime, Hulu) Hide Caption 5 of 32
Photos: "Basic Instinct 2" : Sharon Stone reprises her role as a killer temptress in this sequel to the 1992 film "Basic Instinct." (Amazon Prime, Hulu) Hide Caption 6 of 32
Photos: "Bridget Jones's Diary" : It's the love story that started it all. Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant cross paths in this film based on an international best-seller of the same name. (Hulu) Hide Caption 7 of 32
Photos: "Robot Chicken" Complete Season 8 : This quirky comedy is the perfect mix of parody and sketch comedy in this very popular Adult Swim series. (Hulu) Hide Caption 8 of 32
Photos: "Footloose" : Kevin Bacon danced his way into the hearts of fans with this feel good musical drama about a big city boy who runs afoul of a small town's ordinance. (Netflix) Hide Caption 9 of 32
Photos: "Chef's Table: France" : The gastronomical adventures continue in France during season of three of this series which looks into the lives of chefs including Chef Michel Troisgros. (Netfilx) Hide Caption 10 of 32
Photos: "Heist" : Robert De Niro plays an unsympathetic casino head in this crime thriller. (Amazon Prime, Hulu) Hide Caption 11 of 32
Photos: "The United States of Leland" : Ryan Gosling portrays a killer teen in this dramatic film. (Amazon Prime, Hulu) Hide Caption 12 of 32
Photos: "The Wood" : Taye Diggs, Omar Epps, and Richard T. Jones play friends who grapple with love and life in this coming of age flick. (Hulu) Hide Caption 13 of 32
Photos: "Sisters" : Real life best friends Tina Fey and Amy Poehler star as siblings who couldn't be more different in this big screen comedy. (HBO Now) Hide Caption 14 of 32
Photos: "Crisis in Six Scenes" : Woody Allen makes his television directing debut in this highly-anticipated series. (Amazon Prime) Hide Caption 15 of 32
Photos: "Transparent" Season 3: Jeffrey Tambor returns to his Emmy-winning role as a trans woman in this critically acclaimed drama series. (Amazon Prime) Hide Caption 16 of 32
Photos: "Any Given Sunday" : They play hard and live hard in this sports drama about a football team starring Jamie Foxx, Al Pacino and Dennis Quaid. (Amazon Prime) Hide Caption 17 of 32
Photos: "Good Will Hunting" : Robin Williams stars as a therapist and Matt Damon as his genius patient in the film which won Damon and Ben Affleck a writing Oscar. (Amazon Prime) Hide Caption 18 of 32
Photos: "Hair" : Treat Williams stars in the film adaptation of this 1968 Broadway musical about the hippie culture. (Amazon Prime, Hulu) Hide Caption 19 of 32
Photos: "Interview with the Vampire" : Kirsten Dunst, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt are children of the night in this thrilling drama based on the very popular Anne Rice novel. (Amazon Prime) Hide Caption 20 of 32
Photos: "The Simpsons" Season 28 premiere : Everyone's favorite animated family is back for even more adventures and laughs. (Hulu) Hide Caption 21 of 32
Photos: "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." Season 5 premiere : Clark Gregg, Iain De Caestecker, and Elizabeth Henstridge star in this hit Marvel series. (Hulu) Hide Caption 22 of 32
Photos: "Cocaine Cowboys" : This documentary explores the crime wave kicked off by the Miami drug wars and the rise of cocaine in popularity during the 1970s and 80s. (Amazon Prime) Hide Caption 23 of 32
Photos: "The Revenant" : Leonardo DiCaprio finally snagged an Academy Award for his role as Hugh Glass, a man who must navigate a vicious winter to have retribution in this drama. (HBO Now) Hide Caption 24 of 32
Photos: "Marvel's Luke Cage" : Mike Colter stars as an indestructible crime fighter in this eagerly awaited series based on a Marvel comic book character. (Netflix) Hide Caption 25 of 32
Photos: "Hope Floats" : Harry Connick Jr. and Sandra Bullock reunite in this romantic drama about a woman who returns home to her small town after her marriage collapses. (Netflix) Hide Caption 26 of 32
Photos: "Jaws" : A monster great white shark terrorizes a a coastal New England resort town in this now classic film which kicked off a franchise. (Netflix) Hide Caption 27 of 32
Photos: "Cedric the Entertainer: Live from the Ville" : The comedic actor returns to his stand up roots in this special. (Netflix) Hide Caption 28 of 32
Photos: "Practical Magic" : Sandra Bullock and Nichole Kidman star in this romantic comedy based on the Alice Hoffman novel of the same name. (Netflix) Hide Caption 29 of 32
Photos: "Top Gun" : Fans are still obsessed with this love story starring Kelly McGillis and Tom Cruise which became one of the blockbusters of 1986. (Netflix) Hide Caption 30 of 32
Photos: "Shameless" Seasons 5-6 : William H. Macy isn't the world's best father in this Showtime series about the trials and triumphs of the Gallagher family. (Netflix) Hide Caption 31 of 32

What's streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu in September


Sure the weather is still nice, but with summer time winding down and kids heading back to school, it's time to catch up on your streaming entertainment.


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

S. Korea: North Korea executes top education official


According to the South Korean Unification Ministry, North Korea has executed its top education official, Kim Yong Jin.


(CNN) Every Saturday, a well-worn horse field in the Zambian capital of Lusaka transforms into a baseball diamond. Sure, the donated bases have seen better days, there's no catcher's gear to speak of and the southpaws have to make due with one left-handed glove, but it's something. It's actually something quite amazing.
The few dozen kids that gather here are the Chilundu Leopards , a group of local boys and girls mentored by Chris and Erin McCurdy, an American expat couple from southern Maryland.
Together, they have built a team that has revived interest for a long-neglected sport and caught the attention of baseball lovers an ocean away.
And like so many good baseball stories, the whole thing started with a game of catch.
Watching through the fence
Chris and Erin McCurdy work for Hope International teaching savings and financial skills in Lusaka. Their mutual love of baseball comes complete with a healthy crosstown rivalry: He roots for the Washington Nationals, and she the Baltimore Orioles.
In March, just as Spring Training was starting to get underway in the US, the McCurdys met up with a friend in a nearby polo field to play a little catch.
Before long, they noticed they had a visitor watching them through a fence.
"We tossed it around for maybe half an hour, and one little boy came up and was kind of watching us," Erin McCurdy told CNN.
"You want to play?" they asked. He said yes.
The first Chilundu Leopards group picture, with 14 original participants
Eventually some other boys joined in on their way to a soccer match. There was only three gloves and one ball to play with, but it didn't seem to matter. Their enthusiasm gave the McCurdys a wild idea.
"Towards the end of the day, we asked them if they wanted to come back next week," Erin said. "They said yes."
What started as a random gathering of six or seven kids turned into nine the next Saturday, and more the Saturday after that.
The McCurdys got a hold of some bats, a few helmets, and started teaching fundamentals. Before those donated bases came around, they just dropped extra gloves as markers on the field. They kept thinking the kids' interest in this strange sport would die down from week to week, but it didn't.
"You guys need a name," the couple said during practice one weekend.
Most of the players live in Chilundu, a neighborhood within Lusaka, and they needed a symbol to represent them. Something powerful, something African. Maybe a lion? A cheetah?
No, a leopard.
"They really like leopards, it's very unique to Zambia," Chris said.
The Chilundu Leopards. A team was forming, right before their eyes.
The Chilundu Leopards now
Learning an alien game
Zambia isn't a big baseball country. The kids in Lusaka were raised on soccer and cricket, and they sometimes chop away at pitched balls as if they were holding wide, heavy cricket bats instead of thin aluminum ones.
The idea that this game is played professionally, for the enjoyment of millions of people, is an abstraction half a world away. Not one of them has ever seen a Major League Baseball game, even on TV. Their favorite player by default is Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, because Chris McCurdy owns a jersey with his name on it.
The kids show up every Saturday not because they have dreams of a big contract or becoming the next Derek Jeter. Most don't even know who that is. They're hungry; for fun, for guidance, for hard work.
The kids work hard, but the McCurdys say the number one rules is to always have fun
Erin says, when they were starting out, she wanted to make sure the kids knew they didn't have to play. "I was talking to one of our older boys, his name is Phillip," she says. "And I remember saying ... Do you want us to shorten practice?"
"We would keep playing all day if we could," he replied.
Then there's 8-year-old Big John who, in keeping with his name, looks like he barely clears four feet. While his teammates smile between at-bats, Big John's face is a knot of concentration. He's fearless, always studying the game.
Chris thinks that kids like Big John could have a real shot at success in baseball, if they had the right guidance and infrastructure. Unfortunately, in Zambia right now, that's not the case.
It's isn't a boy's club. The team also has a few girls.
Awakening Zambia's baseball past
In June, after a few months of coaching the Chilundu Leopards, Chris McCurdy got a very interesting call. It was Chabi Chondoka, the former head of the now-defunct Baseball and Softball Association of Zambia. He wanted to pay a visit. More than that, he wanted to get the association up and running again.
Chondoka started playing in 1988 after he was introduced to the game by Cuban expats. He and a partner worked with a local NGO to build teams, get equipment donations and build interest in different high schools. Chris says they ended up building a young adult team that competed with other teams in Zambia and neighboring countries.
Chabi Chondoka shares his wisdom with the Leopards.
They ended up receiving government funding, which turned out to be a problem. The association was supposed to host a regional tournament in 2011, but the government backed out. Chondoka's partner quit, taking his significant financial contributions with him. Without money, the association went into delinquency.
Chondoka kept fighting. As the sports manager for the University of Zambia, he tried to make baseball a college sport. He now runs the sports management program and fields a softball team at Copperbelt University in Kitwe.
When he met the Chilundu Leopards, he saw the future of Zambian baseball staring back at him.
The team works on their mechanics.
For the kids, it was a treat to see this adult who knew the game and could tell them about it in their native language. He worked the kids hard, harder than the McCurdys.
"Phillip came up to me and was like, why are you not like him?" Chris says, amused. "He said, 'If we're going to do this, we need to be more serious."
Chondoka also brought along a few former members of the national team. It was a bittersweet reunion. Seeing the promise of a new generation can't completely soothe the regret of what may have been for them, had the times been different.
"It's complicated," Chris says. "The reality is, these men and women put their heart and soul into the sport, and some were crushed and demoralized. They just felt like every time an opportunity came, there was disappointment. Some of them have seen this as a chance to help out and keep building, but others are just tired."
Former players from the Zambian National team came out to help coach.
Growing worldwide support
The McCurdys agreed to help Chondoka rebuild a baseball system in Zambia, starting with a little league. They've partnered with another American couple , Marc and Rachel Tanis, who live a few hours away in Kitwe and have built their own team similar to the Chilundu Leopards. The idea is to cultivate these two teams, and then build out the league. Meanwhile, the group wants to set up reliable financial infrastructure through charity groups and donation systems.
"The end goal is not to complicate this with politics , because it is still about the kids and them having fun," Chris says. That's the key. It began with kids showing a genuine interest in the sport, and that's the heart that will keep this new enterprise alive.
This time around, it doesn't seem like the group will have much trouble finding outside support. Chris posted pictures and updates of the Leopards on the Washington Nationals section of Reddit and the site's general baseball subreddit. People ate it up. They wanted to know where to donate and how they could get involved . The Nationals caught wind of it and sent the team 24 hats with shiny curly Ws on the crown. "That was a big blessing for us, something as simple as hats," Chris said.
Since half are red and half are blue, the Leopards are using the Nationals caps to designate teams during games.
Reviving baseball in Zambia will be challenging, and not just because it is a relatively foreign sport. The country has a high unemployment rate and an astonishing wealth gap that's especially evident in rapidly-growing modern cities like Lusaka. While some locals tool around in Mercedes and BMWs, others live on mere dollars a day. The kids from Chilundu are on the latter side.
Because of this, the McCurdys try not to pry into the personal lives of their players. They try not to ask about the future. The kids are happy, the McCurdys say. The older ones want to finish school, pursue a career, have a family and provide.
Until then, and maybe even then, there is this dream of baseball planted out there in the horse field. And every week, a few kids from Chilundu walk half an hour from their homes to grow it with bats and gloves, with determination and the sheer inertia of the idea that what they are doing is fun and should continue to exist.

A new generation is bringing baseball back to Zambia


Every Saturday, a horse field in Lusaka, Zambia transforms into a baseball diamond. Sure, the donated bases have seen better days, there's no catcher's gear to speak of and the southpaws have to make due with one left-handed glove, but it's something. It's actually something quite amazing.


Tracy Kijewski-Correa is associate professor of structural engineering and Linbeck Collegiate Chair in the department of civil & environmental engineering and earth sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Her research focuses on 21st century civil infrastructure challenges posed by increased urbanization and hazard vulnerability. She is the co-founder of Engineering2Empower, an initiative devoted to empowering community resilience in the developing world. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.
These conversations start in the hours after a disaster, as they always do. They may last a news cycle and hopefully longer, but eventually they fade. They fade like the hopes of the affected families, who eventually become buried not just in the rubble of their homes but under a pile of national and international priorities that are seemingly more important than what happened to them on the day of the disaster.
There are few who will look at the images from Italy and consider that this could as easily have been them -- their community, their family, their home. We comfort ourselves when we look at Amatrice and blame the aged buildings.
We may remind ourselves that we don't live on a fault. However, it matters less how old those buildings were or even less that this destruction was at the hands of a relatively modest magnitude 6.2 earthquake.
If it is not an earthquake, then it is a tsunami, a hurricane or a tornado. No one can predict with certainty when the next will strike, a fact particularly relevant in the context of Italy, where seismologists have historically been held under deep scrutiny. And even if the natural disaster can be predicted and tracked on a radar to enable evacuations and save lives, its impacts and devastation cannot be mitigated as easily.
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The simple fact is that development has concentrated the world's lives and property in some of its most hazard-prone areas. The inevitable result is potential for particularly large life and economic loss, something that has unfortunately been confirmed far too often by such devastation.
It is a devastation that does not discriminate: earthquakes in Haiti and New Zealand, tsunamis in Southeast Asia and Japan. More often than not, it is not the magnitude of the event, but the vulnerability of its target. All we need do is look at Superstorm Sandy for a powerful reminder on our own shores. These disasters expose the frailty and vulnerability of not just a community's infrastructure, but also the frailty and vulnerability of our perspectives on risk and resilience.
As much as every disaster uniquely teaches us how to improve our capacity for response and recovery, there is one intervention that diminishes the needs for such plans: addressing the vulnerability of our infrastructure in the first place.
Not just our public infrastructure, whose weakened condition in America has been widely documented, but our private investments, the homes where our children should feel safe. Addressing this vulnerability in a lasting way transcends simply understanding the scientific or engineering dimensions.
JUST WATCHED Surveying Italy's earthquake damage Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Surveying Italy's earthquake damage 01:26
We have seen before the vulnerability of unreinforced masonry construction. Whether the handiwork of ancient builders of the Mediterranean or the desperate attempts of a father to shelter his family in an informal settlement outside Port-au-Prince, these vulnerabilities are well understood.
While engineers and scientists bear some responsibility in ensuring that such knowledge is effectively conveyed to stakeholders, officials and the public, what is more important today is to beg the bigger question of why vulnerable construction persists in the first place. Uncovering those root causes are even more critical than the technical aspects of why buildings fall down.
As we learned in Haiti, Amatrice will reveal its own unique story of how complex social, political and economic forces intertwined to allow seismic risks to silently persist. The factors driving their acceptance have been long-present and are not unique to Italy. They require deep introspection to uncover and even greater courage to address.
Problems that are easy to solve would have been solved already. Achieving disaster-resilient and sustainable communities is not an easy problem, but one worth solving. If not for the families of Haiti, Nepal, Ecuador and now Italy, then for the families of the next disaster.
There are other Amatrices, just like there were other Port-au-Princes, silently waiting for their vulnerabilities to be exposed at nature's hands. They dot the fault lines and coasts of developed and developing nations, governments that are prepared and unprepared, economies that are thriving and stagnant.
As an engineer who views it as our ethical duty to fight for all vulnerable communities, the only solace I can find in the events of the last several days is the hope that this event provides the harsh light under which much needed remedies will finally be born. This is not the first time this light was turned on, and unless we keep the conversation going, keep that light shining and bravely step into it, not just the day afterward, but every day, it won't be the last.

Italy quake highlights our vulnerability to disaster


You may not live in a fault zone, but you almost certainly could be victim of some kind of natural disaster, writes Tracy Kijewski-Correa


(CNN) The impact of Juan Gabriel on music cannot be overstated.
JuanGa, as he was known, was a Latin Liberace. He was Elton, Prince and Bowie all rolled into one -- a flamboyant showman with a coiffed pompadour and a flowing cape.
And he was prolific.
He wrote more than 1,000 songs, not just for himself, but for other performers as well. Songs that ran the gamut from rock to ranchera. Songs of heartbreak and rebirth. Songs that crossed boundaries and generations.
It's nearly impossible to sift through his massive canon and narrow it down to the essentials.
Read More

From rock to ranchera: Juan Gabriel's songs of heartbreak and rebirth


Juan Gabriel, who died at 66, wrote more than 1,000 songs. If you're unfamiliar with his work, this playlist is a good starting point.


Cynthia Hudson is vice president and general manager of CNN en Español. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.
(CNN) I cried a tear for "El Divo de Juarez," Juan Gabriel, when I heard Sunday night that he had died in California at 66 . His influence on generations of artists helped to propel Latin music across continents. His life and generosity helped to open our eyes to the injustice of poverty and the acceptance of art, regardless of sexuality.
He was the voice of many, and he helped me to realize that music and language are a part of what make us who we are.
He helped me to appreciate my own cultural heritage -- to learn more about myself. It was a song of Gabriel's that did it.
You see, my English name, blond hair, fair skin, hazel eyes and flawless English contrast with other parts of me -- my gestures, loud and passionate delivery and love of Latin music.
As a child, I was simply Cyndi Hudson, born in California and living in Georgia and Washington, D.C. But my mother, Ofelia Martin Llambi, was born in Cuba and had met my father, Donald Ray Hudson, when she was a visiting foreign student at Tulane University in 1958. They married soon after my grandparents and mother fled Cuba and its revolution in 1960.
JUST WATCHED Latin American music icon Juan Gabriel dead at 66 Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Latin American music icon Juan Gabriel dead at 66 00:58
I grew up speaking both English and Spanish. My mother eventually got her doctorate and became a Spanish literature professor and my father got his Ph.D. in business administration after retiring from the Marine Corps, having served as a captain in Vietnam. My grandfather died when I was very young, and so my grandmother Titi lived with us while my family moved around to accommodate my parents' studies and later their jobs as university professors.
All my childhood my mother insisted that my brothers and I take private Spanish and French lessons, even though it was a financial burden for them. My mother was certain that being bi- or trilingual would be a great advantage to our futures.
In the early 1970s, we drove to Mexico from Miami, where we had just moved so that my father could take a full professorship at the University of Miami. It was our typical long summer vacation, and we would be visiting with cousins I had never met. These were other Cubans who had immigrated to Mexico due to Cuba's troubles and who were still close to our family.
I'll never forget the family traveling in the station wagon, my grandmother along for the ride, our group looking almost like a scene from a "Vacation" movie -- and hearing Mexican radio stations playing a catchy tune by the latest young star, Juan Gabriel: "Mi Guitarra."
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My brothers and I were humming and singing, hearing Spanish music in our car for the three weeks we toured Mexico -- from a trip to see the pyramids, the mummies in Guanajuato, the divers in Acapulco and more. It was amazing as we had never really listened to or thought about Spanish music, except to see our mom bringing home records every time she visited family in Miami.
Miami, where'd we moved for my father's job, was a strange place for us, as we met cousins we never knew and started to understand that there were lots of people who also spoke Spanish and English, as we had long done growing up, but in towns where it would elicit a strange look and where we rarely met others who spoke Spanish.
I had never really understood that I was different from anyone: It never came up at school, and my friends never questioned us. But now I recall that when others heard Spanish coming out of my mouth when I was talking with my blond, blue-eyed Cuban grandmother they would often quickly turn and ask: "What language are you speaking?" Of course, upon my response, we got the typical, "Oh, but you don't look Spanish." I really had no idea what that meant, because all the people I knew who spoke Spanish at that time looked like me.
Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Cuban natives Estela and Arturo Bueno met and married after they were brought to the United States as teens by Operation Pedro Pan, a U.S.-sponsored move used by parents who feared what communism would do to their children. Here, the Buenos are shown in Los Angeles in 1969 when they were dating. They now oppose any U.S. ties with Cuba. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Arturo Bueno, 8 years old in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1953. Now 69, he arrived in the United States at age 16 as part of Operation Pedro Pan, which airlifted 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children from the communist isle. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Arturo Bueno in Miami in 1961. He was 16 years old. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Estela Bueno in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1960, when she was 14. It was a year after Fidel Castro successfully led a revolution on the island. Operation Pedro Pan brought her to the United States when she was 15. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Estela Bueno at Belmont High School in Los Angeles in 1964, when she was 18 years old. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Estela Bueno in Los Angeles, at 18 years old in 1964. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Estela Bueno in Camagüey, Cuba, taken at Colegio Teresiano in 1952, before Fidel Casto's successful 1959 revolution. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Cuban-American views The Cuban-American generation gap – Estela Bueno in Camagüey, Cuba, in 1960. Hide Caption 8 of 8
When I moved to Miami I realized that Cubans had become a powerhouse there -- educated, industrious and assertive. They were building a new city, and Cuban culture was revered, even though there was pride in being American and gratitude that this country had taken them in.
And a month after moving, I was humming to "Mi Guitarra" and asking my mom to buy me the album in Mexico. It would be my first Spanish-language album, taking its place next to the Partridge Family, the Doobie Brothers, Chicago and KC and the Sunshine Band.
"Mi Guitarra" was so simple. It was the pledge of youth to sing to your heart's content and the sound of one's guitar that could bridge all cultures, love and friendship -- the language didn't matter.
Juan Gabriel helped me to realize that I was more than just Cyndi Hudson, but also the daughter of a Latina, the cousin of Cuban-Mexicans and a person with a passion for that part of me that music, language and culture celebrated.
I have never forgotten how important that one song was in helping me to define myself and embrace every part of who I am, and how that immense blend of ethnicities and cultures has made me a unique and proud American.
After hearing the news of the singer's passing, I called my mother and thanked her for insisting that I speak fluent Spanish, as this has helped me build my career.
Descansa en paz, Juan Gabriel.


Cynthia Hudson writes that his music helped a fair-haired American Latina define herself and embrace every part of who she is.


This episode of Fit Nation will air three times on Saturday between 1 and 6 p.m. ET and Sunday between 5 and 6 p.m. ET.
(CNN) Doesn't life throw enough obstacles our way that we don't need to go seeking more?
But the thing about obstacles is that when you overcome them, you're usually better for it. Stronger. Smarter. More prepared for the next one.
Obstacle course racing (OCR) -- running punctuated by challenges such as scaling walls, crawling under barbed wire, climbing ropes, swimming in mud and jumping over fire -- "represents the trials we face in life," said Miguel Medina y Cruz Portillo, 28, who has competed professionally in more than 50 such races and reached the winners' podium in 10 of them.
"The way we face those obstacles is how we face adversity," he explained. "This sport has given me the ability to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. I don't fear adversity now. I feel I can overcome anything, especially with a good attitude."
Before OCR became popular enough to have its own abbreviation, it was primarily a method for training soldiers , going back to the 1800s and galvanized by two world wars and the Boy Scouts.
Children universally love building obstacle courses in their homes and outside, a trait that may speak to something deeper about us. We are, after all, one of the few animals that play. And when we play, we learn.
The toughest trend you'll ever love
About 3 million of those children in the US have grown up to participate in thousands of organized "non-traditional" races, according to industry sources. That's still a lot of men and women seeking out the opportunity to challenge themselves through terrain thfat is sometimes as punishing as the obstacles, all intended to induce failure.
OCR is now a global multimillion-dollar business. In just the past six years, several companies have emerged to meet the demand for what is essentially an intense, marathon-length, adult school field day.
The biggest three organizers are Tough Mudder Spartan Race and Warrior Dash . They all began about 2010, with Spartan the most focused on endurance and winning by time. Their forefather was the Tough Guy, a public obstacle course in Wolverhampton, England, created by a former British soldier in 1987.
The founder of the Tough Mudder races, Will Dean, predicted that "more people will be doing obstacle races and mud runs than will be doing traditional marathons and half-marathons," according to Running USA, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the status and experience of racing in the United States. And his prediction has been true since 2013, even if the level of participation in such "non-traditional" racing may have peaked that year . One major OCR organizer, BattleFrog, suspended all its upcoming races after low turnout. But the industry could rebound by overcoming its obstacle of poor recidivism.
Along with pushing yourself to your limits and the pure novelty of the sport, part of the appeal of competitive OCR is that the diversity of obstacles, combined with running, can even the playing field. You may be a fast runner, for example, but lose ground when it comes time to dragging a tractor tire.
But what ultimately wins the race is endurance, especially for extra-long events, such as the Spartan Ultra Beast.
'I am Spartan'
Among the organized OCR options, Spartan races are the most popular in terms of events (170 in 35 countries this year) and participants (1 million last year) of all skill levels. In addition to the US races it designs and organizes, Spartan will usually license its international races. Those non-US Spartan races adhere to the company's brand, product and safety guidelines, and the company provides oversight, guidance and support.
The first races were created by adventure racer Joe De Sena in the mountains of Vermont, where he designed an obstacle course in Burlington, not far from his farm. Like the Kevin Costner character in "Field of Dreams," he built it, and they came. Soon after, Spartan Race was was holding events across the country.
Spartan racing can feel like more than a sport. The most passionate competitors have created a community and live the lifestyle, adopt the nutrition program, read the digital magazine and buy the books and gear.
Of course, the historic Spartans are primarily known for their military strength and discipline. Spartan boys were raised to be soldiers and toughened by deprivation of basic needs. The ultimate disgrace for a Spartan was surrender, a philosophy that endures today among the tribe of OCRers who sometimes spray-paint the Spartan Race helmet logo on their cut pecs and abs.
Some of the races command 10,000 souls or more, all embodying grit and determination, whether they are first-timers or pros. And at the start of each race, an announcer traditionally asks the crowd, "Who am I?" The yelled response is "I am Spartan!" followed by the war cry "AROO! AROO! AROO!"
Racers have a code articulated by the company in axioms such as "Spartans push their minds and bodies to their limits" and "Spartans prove themselves through actions, not words" and "Spartans live every day as if it were their last."
Those are all good mantras for these athletes as they push past their own mental and physical limits on a Spartan Sprint (at least 3 miles and 20 obstacles), Super (8 or more miles and at least 25 obstacles), Beast (12-plus miles, 30-plus obstacles) or Ultra Beast (double the numbers of the Beast).
Spartan races are growing into other countries, including China this year. They take place in locations such as parks, stadiums, forests, farms and ski mountains. They even include their own rite of passage: a 60-hour endurance survivalist course called Agoge, after the ancient Spartans' compulsory training regimen. The modern version includes building and sleeping in shelters, making fire, learning which plants are safe to eat in the wild and performing land navigation with and without instruments.
It all boils down to "pushing yourself past your comfort zone," explained Norm Koch, a Spartan Race designer who got his start creating skiing terrain parks. He makes sure licensee races are challenging enough that the local infrastructure can support them and that they have low impact environmentally. Koch is so love-hated by devout Spartan competitors, there's a Facebook group called " EFFNORM ," with more than 2,000 followers.
The Ultra Beast in Quebec this year took place over 28 miles, through 40 obstacles, running roughly 17 times up and down Mont Owl's Head ski resort , about an hour and half east of Montreal.
The setting is stunning. From the top, you see green mountains and blue lakes. Rounding the top of a ski lift, one runner broke out into song: "The hills are alive, with the sound of muuuuusiiiic!"
Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast This year's Spartan Ultra Beast obstacle course race in Quebec took place over 28 miles, through 40 obstacles, running roughly 17 times up and down the Mont Owl's Head ski resort. Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Among the organized obstacle course options, Spartan races are the most popular in terms of events (170 in 35 countries this year) and participants (1 million last year) of all skill levels. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast 8-Foot Wall – Spartan races include a Sprint (at least 3 miles and 20 obstacles), Super (8 or more miles and at least 25 obstacles), Beast (12-plus miles, 30-plus obstacles) and Ultra Beasts (double the numbers of the Beast). Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Tractor Pull – Participants haul tractor tires. Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Sloshy Pipes – "Sloshy pipes" are partially filled with water to make them harder to carry. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Barbed Wire Crawl – The barbed wire crawl is a signature Spartan obstacle. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Monkey Bars – At the end of the monkey bars, the competitors must ring a cow bell before jumping down. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Z-Walls – Z-Walls, or L-Walls, require climbing skills. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Spear Throw – Failure to complete any obstacle results in 30 burpees, strictly enforced by volunteers staffing each obstacle. The spear throw has such a high rate of failure (you get only one shot) that it's basically a burpee station. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Platinum Rig – This "rig" has multiple ways to swing across, all of them difficult, especially coming near the end of the course. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Fire Jump – Fire jump is another classic Spartan test. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Slip Wall – The final obstacle on the course is the Slip Wall. Some runners have enough speed to reach the top without using a rope. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Fit Nation: Spartan Ultra Beast Of the 444 competitors at the Quebec Ultra Beast, only 68 crossed the finish line. Hide Caption 13 of 13
The race had 444 participants and included signature Spartan obstacles such as the inverted wall, the 20-foot-high rope climb, the slip ramp, a "Hercules Hoist" of sand (105 pounds for men, 75 for women) on a pulley system and throwing a spear 25 feet.
Failure to complete any obstacle resulted in 30 burpees, strictly enforced by volunteers. The spear throw has such a high rate of failure (you get only one shot) that it's basically a burpee station.
As the packs spread out and the mountain filled up with competitors all over, some seemed giddy, others determined and many miserable. The fastest time was more than eight hours, with some competitors finishing well past sundown, wearing headlamps to find their way. Of the 444 racers, only 68 crossed the finish line.
It's more than a race; it's a lifestyle
Training for OCR is multi-disciplined. Athletes need to cover long-distance running, weight training and then specific skills related to obstacles, such as rope climbing, carrying heavy objects and swinging from rings.
"Any way you slice it, when it comes to galvanizing the whole man -- building your strength, stamina, agility, confidence, and all-around toughness -- no training tool truly compares," wrote Brett and Kate McKay on the website the Art of Manliness
Basically, nearly any sustained physical activity will help with training. Medina y Cruz Portillo adds variety to his training, including trail running, yoga, bouldering (climbing smaller rocks rather a cliff), pull-ups, Spin classes and backpacking with heavy packs. OCR athletes who have space and the budget will build mini obstacle courses in their backyards.
Koch said Spartan racers have a tendency to infuse their lives with opportunities to add activity: eschewing elevators for stairs and parking on the far side of the lot to force longer walks. Koch himself avoids soft drinks and coffee and rarely drinks alcohol. "Spartan is my lifestyle," he said.
Newcomers should ease into the sport with shorter or less competitive races. Warrior Dashes have no penalties for skipping obstacles, and Spartan Sprints are designed for first-timers. Both are roughly 5Ks, and the entrance fees are usually under $100. There are many other options for OCRs, some cheaper, but given that the sport has little regulation, it may be prudent to stick with more established providers.
There is not a lot of gear required for OCR. Reebok and New Balance are among the manufacturers jumping on the trend to make "OCR shoes," distinguished by added tread (good for climbing) and good drainage (for water obstacles). Many have small runner backpacks that hold water containers and protein snacks -- both key to race days, as water can be in short supply on courses and caloric intake needs to be greater than output for fuel.
Some OCRers use compression socks and arm sleeves to protect the skin on some obstacles. There are also books on the topic, including De Sena's "Spartan Fit!" which includes recipe and meal planning, and "Ultimate Obstacle Race Training" by Brett Stewart.
There aren't any public data on injuries from OCR events, but trails, jumps, inclines and the obstacles themselves create opportunities for twisted ankles, shoulder strain and pulled muscles. Bad form or poor training can cause repetitive stress, given the length of the races, as well. That said, unlike in most purely running races, there is less emphasis on speed, and many OCR participants take their time. In general, OCR athletes should compete defensively, staying alert to potential hazards.
"Take it slow, listen to your body and reach out to the community for advice" on social networks, Medina y Cruz Portillo suggested to those new to the sport. "And learn to enjoy it."
Don't underestimate the mental benefits of OCR, either. It's a great sport for kicking yourself out of a rut and giving yourself a personal victory, said Koch. "The only worry is just what's in front of you. You need to know your true north, stay on the path, stay focused."
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Yes, we have many obstacles in life, but for most of us, they aren't physical ones. We sit all day at work, watch TV on our couches, take vacations where we sit on the beach. For anyone compelled to not be so soft, OCRs are the antidote to all of it.


OCR (obstacle course racing) is fun, popular and hard. At one ski mountain in Quebec, competitors gave it their all and most failed to finish.


Story highlights Beyoncé wins Video of the Year for 'Formation'
Britney Spears makes triumphant return to the VMA stage
(CNN) The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards were free of controversy and full of powerful performances. From Beyoncé's surpise stage recreation of "Lemonade," to Britney Spears' big comeback, here are some of the best moments from Sunday's show.
Beyoncé brings down the house
Beyonce attends the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden on August 28, 2016 in New York City.
Queen Bey walked the red carpet with several of the women featured in the "Lemonade" visual album -- mothers of gun violence victims among them. Midway through the show, Serena Williams introduced Beyoncé for an unexpected performance of several of her "Lemonade" hits. The album scored Beyoncé eight Moon Man trophies -- including Video of the Year for "Formation."
Britney Spears' triumphant return
Britney Spears performs at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards.
Back with a capital 'B.' Britney Spears returned to the VMA stage for the first time since 2007 and slayed. The pop star performed her new single, "Make Me" with G-Easy. The two had a clear connection and she was back in the dance form that made her famous.
Read More

MTV VMAs: Beyonce steals the show with fiery performance


The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards were free of controversy and full of powerful performances. From Beyoncé's surpise stage recreation of "Lemonade," to Britney Spears' big comeback, here are some of the best moments from Sunday's show.


Story highlights The boys are British, Egyptian, Kurdish, Tunisian, and Uzbek, the video says
The men they kill are Kurdish prisoners, according to the video
(CNN) ISIS has released a video online showing five young boys killing five prisoners.
The video identifies the children, dressed in camouflage and holding handguns, as British, Egyptian, Kurdish, Tunisian and Uzbek.
The men they kill are Kurdish prisoners, according to the video.
The British boy, described as Abu Abdullah al-Britani, doesn't say anything. Only the child identified as being from Tunisia speaks in the video.
Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office declined to comment on the video.
Read More

ISIS video shows boys executing prisoners


ISIS has released a video online showing five young boys killing five prisoners.


Story highlights Mel Brooks told Jimmy Fallon he's 'reeling' after the death of his friend Gene Wilder
'He was such a wonderful part of my life'
(CNN) Mel Brooks knew his friend Gene Wilder was ill and not doing well, but the actor's death still left him "reeling."
"I expected he would go, but when it happens it's still tremendous. It's a big shock," he told Jimmy Fallon on the "Tonight Show" on Tuesday.
Wilder died Monday due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease, according to a statement from his family. Wilder, 83, had chosen not to disclose his disease publicly prior to his death.
Mel Brooks speaks with "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon on August 30, 2016.
"I'm still reeling from that -- no more Gene. I can't call him," Brooks added. "He was such a wonderful part of my life."
Brooks and Wilder's friendship spanned decades and their collaborations produced classics like "Young Frankenstein," "Blazing Saddles" and "The Producers."
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Mel Brooks: Gene Wilder was a 'wonderful part of my life'


Mel Brooks knew his friend Gene Wilder was ill and not doing well, but the actor's death still left him "reeling."


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

NFL's Kaepernick sits in protest during national anthem


San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick sat in protest during the national anthem for a pre-season game. CNN's Victor Blackwell has more.


Footage shows the moment police officers pepper-sprayed an 84-year-old woman while searching for her son.


Story highlights Locals will make travelers feel at home in these friendly cities
They'll also stop to help visitors with recommendations and directions
(CNN) Charleston, South Carolina is all the rage this year.
The southern town where the US Civil War started is now the friendliest city in the world, according to Conde Nast Traveler's 29th annual Readers' Choice Awards.
"More and more people are going to Charleston," Conde Nast deputy digital editor Laura Redman tells CNN.
"Europeans are heading to Charleston because they've heard about the food and the architecture. It's getting great press, and it's having a moment."
Sydney came in second place, followed by Dublin in third place.

World's friendliest cities, according to Conde Nast Traveler


Conde Nast Traveler asked its readers for their friendliest cities around the United States and around the world. Here are their top 10 spots.


Story highlights The victims were mourning children killed in a bombing last week
Amnesty International: Barrel bombs a common tactic of Syrian regime
(CNN) At least 16 people died when two barrel bombs struck as mourners attended a wake for children killed in a separate barrel bombing in Aleppo, a Syrian monitoring group said.
The Aleppo Media Center reported a higher number, saying 24 people were killed and 30 others injured when the two barrel bombs hit Saturday.
The two bombs targeted a wake in rebel-held Bab al-Nayrab, the same neighborhood where 15 people were killed in a barrel bombing Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Aleppo Media Center activist and witness Mojahed Abo-Aljood said he was filming near the wake when a warning came on their walkie-talkies that there was a helicopter overhead. He took shelter in a basement and heard two explosions, exiting later to air covered with thick dust.
'I couldn't see'
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Syria barrel bomb attack: At least 16 killed at wake in Aleppo


At least 16 people died when two barrel bombs struck as mourners attended a wake for children killed in a separate barrel bombing in Aleppo, a Syrian monitoring group said.


Story highlights 5-day-old twins are rescued aboard boat by MSF
More than 264,500 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean so far this year
(CNN) A five-day-old newborn peers out from a pink blanket. His dark, almond-shaped eyes stare directly at the camera, his tiny hand tucked underneath his chin.
His short life has been anything but easy.
MSF tweeted this picture of a five-day-old newborn.
He, his twin brother and his mother were among the 6,500 refugees and migrants rescued over 30 hours while attempting to make the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean.
Italian officers rescue a woman from a crowded wooden boat carrying more than 700 migrants during a rescue operation in the Mediterranean sea, about 13 miles north of Sabratha, Libya.
Medecins Sans Frontieres' ship Dignity 1 and the Spanish humanitarian group Proactiva Open Arms rescued people aboard 15 rubber boats and one wooden boat Monday.
BREAKING: The #Dignity1, alongside @PROACTIVA_SERV, has helped to rescue 15 rubber boats and 1 wooden boat today. pic.twitter.com/ezsYTtV55H — MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) August 29, 2016
MSF found the twins and their mother aboard one of the boats. The three of them were transferred via Medevac for treatment in Italy, according to a tweet from MSF.
UPDATE: The 5 day old babies have been transferred for a medevac to Italy, — MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) August 29, 2016
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Newborn twins among 6,500 rescued migrants


A pair of twins are among the 6,500 refugees and migrants rescued while their mom attempted to make the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean.


Washington (CNN) The Obama administration will reach its target Monday of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees by October 1, National Security Adviser Susan Rice announced in a statement.
Rice said that the final Syrian refugee to hit this target would be arriving Monday afternoon, more than a month ahead of schedule.
"On behalf of the President and his Administration, I extend the warmest of welcomes to each and every one of our Syrian arrivals, as well as the many other refugees resettled this year from all over the world," Rice said.
Rice acknowledged that there was much more work to be done in the region but called the move a "meaningful step that we hope to build upon."
"While refugee admissions are only a small part of our broader humanitarian efforts in Syria and the region, the President understood the important message this decision would send, not just to the Syrian people but to the broader international community," Rice said.
The US ambassador to Jordan, Alice Wells, Sunday described the resettlement numbers as "a floor, not a ceiling." America had previously pledged to bring at least 10,000 individuals from the war-torn country during the current fiscal year, which ends next month.
David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, used similar language Monday in welcoming the American milestone, adding that he hopes it is a prod to further action.
"IRC encourages the White House to consider this 10,000 milestone 'a floor and not a ceiling,'" he said. "The achievement of the 10,000 target proves what is possible, and there remains an urgent need to further strengthen US leadership in resettling refugee families -- with appropriate vetting -- fleeing violence and war."
He urged the Obama administration to up its acceptance rate to 140,000 refugees in 2017.
The influx of Syrian refugees, however, has been a major domestic political flashpoint over the past year. That could prove an obstacle to any significant increase in the program.
Critics of the resettlement effort -- including Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump -- have long expressed concern about the potential for ISIS or other terrorist groups to exploit refugee flows to reach the West.
Wells maintained that America's absorption of Syrians did not come at the cost of the country's rigorous screening processes.
"The United States government is deeply committed to safeguarding the American public, just as we are committed to providing refuge to some of the world's most vulnerable people," Wells said. "We do not believe these goals are mutually exclusive."
The US is the largest single donor to the Syrian crisis response, she said, adding that the country's humanitarian assistance in Syria and the region has reached "nearly $5.6 billion so far, including nearly $795 million for Jordan since ... 2012."
It is not a surprise the 10,000 number has been met. CNN reported 10 days ago the administration was expected to mark the milestone of meeting that number within the coming weeks.
At that time, a State Department official said that the administration can -- and likely will -- accept more than 10,000 applicants and admissions are expected to continue at their current pace for the remaining six weeks.
President Barack Obama set the goal last fall as the migrant crisis in Europe and the Middle East reached a critical mass last summer, and leaders in the international community were calling on the US and other world powers to do more to help the growing displaced population.
Initially, there were concerns about the administration's ability to meet the new target.
The US had only admitted about 1,900 refugees in the first four years of the conflict, and was facing a backlog of UN case referrals.
But admissions spiked dramatically starting in May, after the US beefed up staffing at key processing locations in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt, accelerating the security vetting and interview process for applicants.
While meeting the target is likely to be touted as a major achievement for the administration, not everyone is happy about the accomplishment.
State Department officials have stood by the rigor of their vetting process, however, insisting refugees are the most thoroughly screened group of travelers to the US.

Syrian refugees: US welcomes No. 10,000 ahead of schedule


The Obama administration will reach its target Monday of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees by October 1, National Security Adviser Susan Rice announced in a statement.


Story highlights Bannon's ex-wife made the declaration as part of a dispute over child support
Bannon is facing scrutiny of his background
Washington (CNN) Donald Trump's new campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, once told his ex-wife he didn't want his daughters attending a girls school under consideration because of the number of Jews who attended it, she said in a court statement.
"He said he doesn't like Jews and that he doesn't like they raise their kids to be 'whiney brats' and that he didn't want the girls going to school with Jews," she said in a 2007 court declaration.
"The biggest problem he had with Archer (School for Girls) is the number of Jews who attend," she also said in the court declaration.
She made the declaration as part of a dispute over child support. They'd been long divorced and she was the custodial parent. She was asking the court to make him pay for the school.
When she told him there were Jewish children at a different school, she said he asked the percentage.
Read More

Trump aide's ex-wife claims he made anti-Semitic remarks


Donald Trump's new campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, once told his ex-wife he didn't want his daughters attending a girls school under consideration because of the number of Jews who attended it, she said in a court statement.


Story highlights New Zealand win Bledlisloe Cup
Australia bottom of the Rugby Championship table
Argentina faces South Africa Saturday
(CNN) The All Blacks triumphed 29-9 over Australia in the Bledisloe Cup, continuing a miserable run for the Wallabies.
The Australians were heavily beaten in their previous encounter with New Zealand -- and it comes after a series defeat to England in June when they went down 44-40 in the final game.
Victory for the All Blacks puts them top of the table in the Rugby Championship and condemns Australia to the bottom and yet to score a point.
The official website of the competition between four Southern Hemisphere sides that also includes Argentina and South Africa tells of the dominance of New Zealand.
Nice to have a wee slurp. Thank you all for your support! pic.twitter.com/RBIkhTuide — Beauden Barrett (@beaudenbarrett) August 27, 2016
"New Zealand won in almost every facet of the game," it says.
Read More


The All Blacks triumphed 29-9 over Australia in the Bledisloe Cup, continuing a miserable run for the Wallabies.


Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

Mother of shooting victim: She was an awesome daughter


Nykea Aldridge's mother talks about her daughter's personality, love for her children and family. CNN's Rachel Crane has the latest.


College Pushes Back Vs. Political Correctness


U. of Chicago Professor Geoffrey Stone explains the letter sent to students asserting academic freedom takes precedence over safe spaces & trigger warnings


Brazil President to speak at impeachment trial


Brazil's embattled President Dilma Rousseff will speak to lawmakers in her impeachment trial at the country's Senate. CNN's Shasta Darlington has more.


Story highlights Chelsea secures maximum points
Emphatic win for Arsenal
Liverpool and Tottenham struggle
(CNN) Chelsea has taken an early lead at the top of the English Premiership after an emphatic win over Burnley.
Belgian Eden Hazard opened the scoring -- his second in three games -- with contributions from Willian shortly before half time and then a late goal from Victor Moses.
But The Blues were joined later Saturday by Manchester United who beat the newly-promoted Hull. A 1-0 win against the Tigers meant the Manchester club also collected maximum points from the first three games and is in joint first place with the same goal difference as Chelsea.
The Red Devils left it late with a Marcus Rashford winner scored in stoppage time.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United have new managers this season and early results already show that the EPL could turn into a clash of coaching giants, pitching Antonio Conte at Chelsea with the club's former manager Jose Mourinho who is now at Man United.
Read More


Chelsea has taken an early lead at the top of the English Premiership after an emphatic win over Burnley.


Story highlights "All the things that Donald Trump railed against, he seems to be morphing into," Bush said
Some have noted that Trump's comments are starting to sound more in line with Bush's policies
(CNN) Jeb Bush hammered Donald Trump Thursday after the Republican presidential nominee appeared open to major shifts on his immigration platform -- several of which echoed the former Florida governor's during the GOP primary fight.
"All the things that Donald Trump railed against, he seems to be morphing into," Bush said in a radio interview with Rita Cosby of WABC. "It's kind of disturbing."
When the two men were competing in the Republican presidential primary, Trump advocated for deporting millions of undocumented immigrants and blasted politicians like Bush who wanted to allow some to stay and seek legal status as long as they met a wide range of criteria.
Now Trump is apparently signaling a major shift in his policy, saying that he's open to working with undocumented immigrants rather than deporting them all. They won't be allowed to pursue citizenship, he said in a Fox News town hall Wednesday night, and they'll have to pay taxes.
Some have noted that Trump's comments are starting to sound more in line with policies that Bush proposed -- stances that Trump used to bash him during the primaries.
Read More

Jeb Bush blasts 'abhorrent' Trump shifts on immigration


Jeb Bush hammered Donald Trump Thursday after the Republican presidential nominee appeared open to major shifts on his immigration platform -- several of which echoed the former Florida governor's during the GOP primary fight.


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A U.S. judge ordered the State Department on Thursday to release by Sept. 13 any emails it finds between Hillary Clinton and the White House from the week of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, among the thousands of additional emails uncovered by federal investigators.
The order came after the Federal Bureau of Investigation gave the department a disc earlier this month containing 14,900 emails to and from Clinton and other documents it said it had recovered that she did not return to the government.
Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has been criticized for using an unauthorized private email system run from a server in the basement of her home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, a decision she says was wrong and that she regrets.
The issue has hung over her campaign for the White House and raised questions among voters about her trustworthiness.
Judge William Dimitrouleas of the U.S. District Court in southern Florida made his order in response to a request by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, which is suing the State Department for Clinton-era records under freedom of information laws.
Spokesmen for Clinton did not respond to requests for
comment.
At least one other judge has said the department will eventually have to release all the newly recovered work emails, and at least some are expected to appear before the Nov. 8 presidential election.
After the system's existence became more widely known, Clinton returned what she said were all her work emails to the State Department in 2014, and the department released them in batches to the public, some 30,000 in all.
The FBI took her server in 2015 after it was discovered she had sent and received classified government secrets through the system, which the government bans.
Clinton has said she did not know the information was classified at the time.
After a year-long investigation, FBI Director James Comey said last month that Clinton should have recognized the sensitivity of the information and that she had been "extremely careless" with government secrets. But he said there were not enough grounds for a prosecution, a decision criticized by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and other Republicans.
It remained unclear if there were any newly discovered emails that related to the September 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.
"Using broad search terms, we have identified a number of documents potentially responsive to a Benghazi-related request," Elizabeth Trudeau, a State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement. "At this time, we have not confirmed that the documents are, in fact, responsive. We also have not determined if they involve Secretary Clinton."
(Reporting by Emily Stephenson in Washington and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Judge orders search of new Clinton emails for release by September 13


A U.S. judge ordered the State Department on Thursday to release by Sept. 13 any emails it finds between Hillary Clinton and the White House from the week of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, among the thousands of additional emails uncovered by federal investigators.


Libyan forces take up new positions as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Libyan forces take up new positions as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Donated tea and other drinks are distributed among Libyan forces as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Libyan forces sit atop a tank after taking up new positions as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Libyan forces take up new positions as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Libyan forces sit atop a tank after taking up new positions as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
Libyan forces ride a military vehicle as they prepare for next advance against Islamic State holdouts in Sirte, Libya August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny
SIRTE, Libya Libyan forces said they captured a residential neighborhood in central Sirte from Islamic State on Monday, leaving just one district of the city still occupied by the militants.
Spokesman Rida Issa said Sirte's neighborhood Number One was "completely liberated", but added that the brigades, backed by U.S. air strikes, were "in the process of clearing any remnants of Daesh (Islamic State)" from the area.
For more than three months, brigades aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government have been battling to oust Islamic State from Sirte, a coastal city that the militant group turned into a regional stronghold last year.
The United States began an air campaign over Sirte on Aug. 1, and had by Sunday carried out 92 strikes against Islamic State.
Militants have defended themselves with suicide bombers, snipers and mines, inflicting heavy casualties on brigade fighters. At least six brigade members were killed and 12 wounded on Monday, according to hospital officials.
The latest gains came after the brigades made significant advances on Sunday in which 35 of their men were killed and more than 200 wounded.
Many of the latest casualties were caused by mines, car bombs or artillery fire, according to hospital officials and brigade fighters.
On Monday, the brigades could be seen moving tanks and other vehicles toward forward positions.
There was a pause in fighting last week as the brigades said they were giving a chance to the wives and children of Islamic State fighters to leave the battle zone ahead of a final push.
Most brigade fighters are from the city of Misrata, about 230 km (140 miles) northwest of Sirte. They counter-attacked after Islamic State advanced toward Misrata at the beginning of May.
(Additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami; Editing by Andrew Roche)

Libyan forces say Islamic State beaten back in Sirte


Libyan forces said they captured a residential neighborhood in central Sirte from Islamic State on Monday, leaving just one district of the city still occupied by the militants.


WASHINGTON A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that approached two U.S. ships, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, in the most serious of a number of incidents in the Gulf area this week.
"They did feel compelled ultimately to fire three warning shots and the reason for that is... they had taken steps already to try and de-escalate this situation," spokesman Peter Cook told reporters.
Tensions have increased in the Gulf in recent days despite an improvement in relations between Iran and the United States.
Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran in January after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions but serious differences still remain over Iran's ballistic missile program, Syria and Iraq.
A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Squall patrol craft fired three warning shots from a .50 caliber gun in the northern Gulf on Wednesday after warning flares did not work.
The incident started with three Iranian vessels, but there was only one around by the time the warning shots were fired, the official said. He described the Iranian behavior as "unsafe, unprofessional, and not routine."
At one point, the Iranian vessel came within 200 yards (193 meters) of a U.S. ship, the official said.
Another interaction took place between an Iranian and U.S. ship on Wednesday, the defense official said but gave few more details.
The Pentagon earlier this week accused Iranian vessels of harassing a U.S. warship near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
On Thursday, Iran's defense minister said those Iranian vessels were just doing their job.
“If an American ship enters Iran’s maritime region, it will definitely get a warning. We will monitor them and, if they violate our waters, we will confront them,” Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said in a statement reported by the Iranian Students’ News Agency.
A State Department spokeswoman said it was not clear what the intentions of the Iranian ships were, but the behavior was unacceptable.
"We believe that these type of actions are of concern, they unnecessarily escalate tensions," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau told a briefing.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Paul Simao and Alistair Bell)

U.S. Navy ship fires warning shots at Iranian vessel


A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that approached two U.S. ships, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, in the most serious of a number of incidents in the Gulf area this week.


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U.S. President Barack Obama speaks about the National Park Service at Yosemite National Park, California, U.S., June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
WASHINGTON When President Barack Obama sets out this week to meet world leaders in China and Laos during his final presidential trip to Asia, he will make an unusual stop along the way.
With time running out for more action on climate change during his time in office, Obama will drop in to Midway Atoll, a far-flung and largely uninhabited coral reef that is a refuge for sharks, albatrosses and endangered turtles and seals.
The photo-rich stop is aimed at both raising awareness about the threat posed by climate change, and showcasing Obama's decision to protect a larger part of the ocean around Hawaii.
But the trip to the middle of the Pacific Ocean will also highlight the high stakes of climate change just before Obama meets world leaders in China.
"I think it's going to be an amazing sequence, and one that really matters," said Doug McCauley, a conservation biologist from University of California, Santa Barbara.
"Suddenly, you're sitting in a room with the leaders who will decide what the fate of that place is going to be," McCauley said.
The rare trip is both a signal of the importance Obama gives to climate change - and a sign of his focus in bliateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two leaders have clashed on economic and security issues, but forged common ground on climate, which helped secure a global deal to cut carbon emissions at a Paris conference last year.
"We have to recognize that climate change and clean energy cooperation has really helped to create better overall stability in the U.S.-China relationship, writ large," said Andrew Light, a former senior climate official in Obama's State Department.
Light, now with the World Resources Institute think tank, said he expects Xi and Obama will try to push other G20 leaders to agree to timelines for implementing the Paris agreement and work on cutting other greenhouse gases like methane and hydrofluorocarbons.
Any progress on climate issues could be a rare bright spot in a trip otherwise dominated by concerns about the international economy, anti-globalization sentiments and global security problems.
With less than five months left in the White House, Obama is racing to cement his record through actions he can take without help from the gridlocked U.S. Congress.
For example, at Obama's final meeting with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, the leaders set new goals for clean energy production.
Republicans in Congress have thwarted Obama's legislative efforts on climate, and mocked him for his focus on an issue they see as less pressing than the economy and defense.
Obama also has faced criticism from environmental groups for not doing more to limit U.S. oil and gas production.
"If we're going address the climate crisis or meet our climate commitments, the vast, vast majority of fossil fuels need to remain in the ground," said Brendan Cummings, conservation director with the Center for Biological Diversity.
But former Environmental Protection Agency director Carol Browner said Obama has done what he could on climate both through leadership on the international stage, and by using existing laws to kick-start the clean energy sector and cut emissions from vehicles and power plants.
"Nobody should ever be disappointed with this president on climate change," said Browner, who led the White House climate push in Obama's first term.
(Editing by Alistair Bell)

Climate change looms large in Obama's final trip to Asia


When President Barack Obama sets out this week to meet world leaders in China and Laos during his final presidential trip to Asia, he will make an unusual stop along the way.