(CNN) A freshly made white chocolate and raspberry mix is carefully poured into a piping bag by chef Yasumasa Takagi, one of Japan's foremost patissiers.
After snipping the end of the bag, he squeezes the delicious pink paste into a tray of oblong, white plastic molds.
Surprisingly, Takagi isn't creating an elaborate confection for customers to his fashionable Tokyo cafe; this is something far more modest.
It's a KitKat.
Most of the world knows the KitKat as an ordinary coffee break snack made from wafers and milk chocolate.
In Japan, it's in a completely different league.
Here, gourmet versions, pioneered by Takagi, compete with a mind-boggling array of mass-produced flavors that to some palates might border on the bizarre.
Wasabi KitKat anyone?
How about lemon vinegar?
Or pumpkin pudding, green tea, Shinshu apple or adzuki bean sandwich?
It's a long way from the KitKat's humble origins in 1930s England.
Born in the northern city of York, the chocolate treat was relatively unknown globally until local manufacturer Rowntree was bought by Swiss food giant Nestle in the 1980s.
Winning formula
Even as it spread across the planet, success was never guaranteed in Japan -- a market notoriously difficult to break into for non-domestic brands.
So how has it become such a phenomenon?
That's down to some hard work and smart ideas from KitKat's Japanese marketing gurus in the western city of Kobe.
And also a lucky quirk of language.
KitKat sounds very similar to "kito kato," which in Japanese means "to surely win."
Chef Takagi mixes up new flavors in his kitchens.
It's a common phrase said to students sitting exams, particularly high-pressure university entrance tests.
Soon after they arrived in Japan, KitKats were being given by parents to their children and friends were giving them to each other with hand-written messages -- and not just around exam time.
"There was strong emotional bonding going on and the 'gifting emotion,'" says Ryoji Maki, marketing manager for KitKat in Japan.
Flavor riot
Rainbow of flavors: Japan's KitKat kaleidoscope.
He says Japan's gift-giving tradition and particular culinary habits -- prizing seasonal and regional products -- were tapped into.
But it wasn't until the early 2000s that KitKat in Japan began to show its true colors with a riotous expansion in flavors.
Consumers in Japan demand choice and novelty as much as they prize tradition.
According to Maki, about 2,000 new confectionery products are released each year in Japan, so it's not enough to just offer dark or milk chocolate variations.
To date there have been more than 300 different KitKat flavors.
Ingredients are sourced from regions across the country, often produced and sold to coincide with food seasons in limited edition boxes of KitKat minis.
Shizuoka prefecture provides the wasabi.
Okinawa gives up its purple potatoes and matcha green tea.
Other unlikely flavors are sakura (cherry blossom) and sake (non-alcoholic).
Taking the bars out of the shops and into Japan's eateries has also been another strategy.
Tie-ins have gone beyond straightforward desserts like cheesecake, resulting in curiosities like KitKat pizzas and "baking bars," designed to be cooked before eating.
Since 2012 KitKat has started to eclipse homegrown confectionery brands like Meiji.
Limited edition
Confectionery king: KitKat has become a best seller.
About four million KitKat minis (a smaller, two-finger version of the classic bar) roll out of the chocolate factory each day -- that's close to 1.5 billion each year.
And it doesn't stop there, which is where patisserie supremo Takagi comes in.
"After I gained training at various famous shops in France and Belgium, I thought that it was my mission to fill the gap between Western countries and Japan," says Takagi.
Initially approached about a collaboration with KitKat, he rejected it.
"I believed I couldn't create chocolate freely without ties," he says.
A decade of discussions and negotiations later, convinced he had free rein to experiment within his own high standards, Takagi agreed to open his kitchens to KitKat.
They now produce very limited edition high-quality KitKats, using couverture chocolate, that can only be found in his shops and eight of Japan's high-end department stores through KitKat "Chocolatory" concessions.
"Chocolatory" concessions around Japan sell the exotic bars under KitKat chandeliers.
The first opened in Tokyo in January 2014 and sold out of Chef Takagi's specialty bars in hours.
Since then he's been advocating for new flavors and pushing out new products, from the single-finger Sublime range to "special" flavors that include fruit or tea-infused minis.
Visitors to Japan can get their hands on Chef Takagi's current range from under KitKat chandeliers (yes, really) at the Chocolatory concessions.
Gift boxes in limited-edition flavors are on sale at major train stations and airports.
There are no concrete plans for export, but if Takagi is able to convince a global food giant operating in one of the most competitive markets in the world to change their approach, don't rule it out.
"What I would most like to achieve is to deliver Japanese KitKat Chocolatory with craftsmanship to the people around the world," he says.
Chocolatory, Seibu Ikebukuro department store, 1-28-1 Minami Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo; +81 3 5949 2026


Fancy a wasabi KitKat? Perhaps green tea or adzuki bean? England's humble chocolate snack has gone gourmet in Japan, with over 300 flavors to date


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It doesn't matter if you're talking about a teenager chasing a higher high or a mega star trying to soothe chronic pain. The counterfeit pills they may be reaching for are more deadly than ever, experts say.
Why? One word: fentanyl.
"Synthetic fentanyl showing up in the street drug supply is an enormous game changer," says Carol Falkowski, CEO of Drug Abuse Dialogues, a group that helps track drug trends for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. "It means anybody who purchases illegal drugs can unknowingly be taking fentanyl, which is 100 times stronger than morphine."
All it takes is a dose of fentanyl the size of three grains of sand to kill.
Fentanyl powder is cheap and easy to obtain on the dark web, experts warn, making it attractive to those manufacturing it into pill form mixed with other drugs.
Those counterfeit drugs are sold on the street, and usually dangerously usually labeled as something less potent. Even forensic scientists can't tell whether some of the pills sold on the street are counterfeit or not just by looking at them. That's how good the counterfeiters have gotten at making the illicit drugs.
Those who take fake prescriptions likely have no idea if fentanyl is inside, or how much.
"They should be known as a kill pill," Falkowski says.
Prince Rogers Nelson's death may turn out to be the most famous example of the dangers posed by counterfeit fentanyl. Pills found in his Minnesota home were reportedly marked as hydrocodone , but when tested the pills turned out to have fentanyl in them. No one has said if Prince took those pills. But he did die of fentanyl toxicity, according to the autopsy report.
Fentanyl is an opioid. Its effect on the body is exactly like heroin, or any other opiate-based medication. But fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin, up to 100 times stronger than morphine. It is stronger than any prescription painkiller on the market.
"All opiates are just oral heroin. There is no difference to the body," Minneapolis emergency medicine physician Chris Johnson says.
Tracking and taxing the epidemic
The drug that killed Prince is showing up in counterfeit form across the US with devastating effects.
Long before Prince died of a fentanyl overdose, the Drug Enforcement Administration was preparing a document to share with law enforcement around the country. It was a warning. Weeks after Prince died, the document was published , and titled "Counterfeit Prescription Pills Containing Fentanyls: A Global Threat."
"Prince is the most notable and famous person who tragically died from an opioid overdose. But we are seeing it in every town in Minnesota." U.S Senator Amy Klobuchar, who represents Minnesota, told CNN.
"We must go even farther," Sen. Klobuchar says. "We need more funding for treatment and better prescription drug monitoring programs. Because of the fact states like Florida don't even share their information across state lines. There is no way to monitor who is taking what across state lines."
The problem in her state isn't as bad as some states such as Ohio or Florida, which have been hit hardest by the illicit fentanyl epidemic, according to CDC statistics. But attention has focused on the state following the death of Prince, one of its most famous native sons.
Drug overdose deaths have quadrupled in the past 15 years in Minnesota, according to the state's Department of Public Health.
Opioid overdose deaths are rising Minnesota.
"In 2015, more than half of the drug-related deaths were related to prescription medications rather than illegal street drugs," the health department's report says . 216 deaths were associated with opioid pain relievers and 114 with heroin.
Drug overdoses now kill more Americans across America than car crashes, data from the Centers for Disease Control data shows.
How did we get here?
Minneapolis Dr. Chris Johnson, who has testified about the opioid problem to the Food and Drug Administration, points his finger at doctors and pharmaceutical companies for the epidemic sweeping the country.
They were hawking prescription opioids with abandon, he says.
"There was a push by the pharmaceutical industry and their paid physician advocates that pushed opiates saying they aren't as addictive as we thought," Johnson says. "So they can be used for back pain and other daily pain. They influenced government bodies to emphasize pain management as the doctor's responsibility."
He sighs, and says something he knows some will find distasteful, even shocking, coming from a doctor.
"If the cartels could, they would shake the hand of the medical industry and thank them for creating this new business," Johnson says.
He explains how someone who was given Percocet for back pain for years may turn to illegal alternatives if doctors stop prescribing because of increased scrutiny or if prescriptions become too expensive for a patient.
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That's where cheaper heroin, or the counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl may come into play now, he says.
"They are increasingly desperate for opiates to make them feel normal again, then they make that jump" [to illicit drugs], Johnson says.
But Dr. Mark Willinbring, a psychiatrist at Alltyr substance abuse clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota, puts the blame squarely on regulators.
"The real blame is on regulatory authorities. Those regulating pharmacy practice in Florida. They let these huge pill mills operate freely in Florida," he says. "There was no monitoring. The regulatory agencies let this be a free for all."
How to kill opioid addiction, fast
Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Opioids: Dangerous prescription painkillers – Prescription opioids are commonly abused because they are so addictive.
Opioid medications bind to the areas of the brain that control pain and emotions, driving up levels of the feel-good hormone dopamine in the brain's reward areas and producing an intense feeling of euphoria.
As the brain becomes used to the feelings, it often takes more and more of the drug to produce the same levels of pain relief and well-being, leading to dependence and, later, addiction. Hide Caption 1 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Fentanyl – Fentanyl citrate, pictured here, is a Class II controlled substance and one of the most powerful opioids on the market. It's often administered via injection or transdermal patch, or in lozenge form for pain after surgery, for difficult-to-manage chronic pain and for people who have developed a tolerance to other opioids.
The type of fentanyl usually associated with overdoses is bought on the street in powder or pill form and is often mixed with heroin in a clandestine lab to increase the high it produces. Street names include Apache, China girl, goodfella, jackpot, murder 8, TNT and Tango and Cash. Hide Caption 2 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Codeine – Codeine is one of the weakest opioids, often given when painkillers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen fail to work. Because it decreases activity in the part of the brain that controls coughing, it's frequently mixed with other liquids to develop cough syrups for colds and flu. It's also frequently used for pain relief after removal of tonsils and adenoids in children. The FDA is investigating the safety of codeine-based cough remedies for children younger than 18 due to concerns that it can lead to shallow, slowed or difficult breathing. Hide Caption 3 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Hydrocodone – These pills are a more powerful form of codeine, called hydrocodone, and are often mixed with acetaminophen. Hydrocodone is the most frequently prescribed opioid painkiller, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , and the most abused. An overdose of hydrocodone can cause "cold and clammy skin, severely constricted pupils, and slow breathing that can lead to a loss of consciousness and death." Hide Caption 4 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Oxycodone – Oxycodone is a powerful narcotic pain reliever prescribed for moderate to high pain relief. It's often given in an extended-release formula for patients who will need to be on pain medications for long periods of time.
Patients are warned not to break, chew, crush or dissolve extended-release tablets because the rush of oxycodone into the system could cause serious health problems, including overdose and death.
Though highly addictive, oxycodone is not thought to be as frequently abused as hydrocodone. OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan and Tylox are some trade-name oxycodone products. Hide Caption 5 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Morphine – Morphine is another powerful opioid often administered via syringe for severe pain. It can come in pill form, usually as extended-release tablets and capsules, and is prescribed only to relieve difficult, chronic pain that cannot be controlled by the use of other pain medications.
As with most opioids, mixing medications, drinking alcohol or taking other meds that contain alcohol, or using street drugs while taking morphine, increases the risk of breathing problems or other serious, life-threatening side effects. Hide Caption 6 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Meperidine – Meperidine is another narcotic analgesic, similar to morphine. It's often used to help put people to sleep before an operation and to provide pain relief after childbirth.
The most common brand name is Demerol, which comes in both tablet and liquid forms. It is usually taken with or without food every three or four hours as needed for pain.
As with all opioids, meperidine can cause drowsiness, so never drive a car or operate machinery after taking it until you know how you will react. Hide Caption 7 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Hydromorphone –
Liquid hydromorphone holds the dubious honor of being
Hydromorphone is another highly potent prescription painkiller. It's most commonly known by the brand names Dilaudid, pictured here, and Exalgo.Liquid hydromorphone holds the dubious honor of being frequently mistaken for morphine in hospital "wrong drug" medication errors because of the similarity of the names and appearances. Hide Caption 8 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Heroin –
CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta
, deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs and heroin continue to be the leading cause of unintentional death for Americans, rising 14% from 2013 to 2014. No, you can't get heroin by prescription, but many heroin users start off abusing prescription opioids, then turn to this illegal opioid.CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has reported on recent research that shows today's typical heroin addict starts using at 23, is more likely to live in affluent suburbs and was likely unwittingly led to heroin through painkillers prescribed by his or her doctor. According to the CDC , deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs and heroin continue to be the leading cause of unintentional death for Americans, rising 14% from 2013 to 2014. Hide Caption 9 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Methadone – Though methadone is used to relieve severe chronic pain, it's most commonly known for preventing withdrawal symptoms in patients who were addicted to opioid drugs, as a part of their recovery process.
Methadone has many of the same side effects as other opioids, including weakness, headache, nausea and vomiting, stomach pain, sweating, difficulty urinating, mood changes and vision problems, and difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. Hide Caption 10 of 11 Photos: Opioids: Addictive painkillers Buprenorphine – Buprenorphine is a opioid used as an alternative to methadone to help addicts recovering from heroin use. Buprenorphine is different from other opioids because it's a "partial opioid agonist," which means that when taken in proper prescribed doses, it should produce less euphoria and physical dependence, and therefore a lower potential for misuse. It's also supposed to have a relatively mild withdrawal profile.
However, if abused by crushing and snorting or injecting, it can suppress breathing and cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness and death.
Subutex, the brand name for buprenorphine, is taken as a tablet placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve.
The brand Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, an opioid antagonist. Antagonists block the opiate receptors in the brain, keeping the narcotic from creating the high abusers crave.
Hide Caption 11 of 11
Willinbring spends his days working with patients struggling with substance abuse.
"I have patients that range in age from 17 to 72," he says. "We are seeing something we have never seen before in the US."
He says the demographics of who is addicted to heroin have changed dramatically.
"Traditionally heroin addiction has been a problem associated with middle aged black men about 43 years of age," Willinbring says. "Those statistics have gone back for decades. Now its predominantly young, white people."
He is very clear. Not all substance abuse problems are the same. He describes how his patients feel when they are addicted to opiates and then suddenly taken off them.
There's no exaggeration, there's a clear and present danger. Carol Falkowski, drug policy expert
"What it means it that you can't experience ordinary pleasure. Every day is a gray day. You have no energy. You have no motivation," Willinbring says. "You have a low grade case of the flu all the time. Your bones and joints ache. And your brain is constantly screaming 'I want more opioids.' It doesn't get better over time."
When it comes to treating opioid addiction, Willinbring says the science is clear and there is agreement on the one treatment that works, fast. You replace what is deficient in the brain.
"The only proven effective treatment is replacement maintenance therapy or methadone," Dr. Willinbring. "What I tell my patients is you can no more will your brain to produce more opioids than you can will your pancreas to produce more insulin."
But the psychiatrist is deeply concerned the current uproar about opioids may do more harm than good if the focus is only on stopping prescribing pills.
"Right now the biggest crisis I am seeing is people with severe disabling chronic pain who are summarily and arbitrarily taken off of them," Willinbring says. "It ruins their lives. I think we are going to see a lot of suicides."
Carol Falkowski says the solution to the opioid epidemic, and the growing threat of fentanyl will take work, not just words, from many different sources. And the medical community, law enforcement, government officials, pharmaceutical companies and regulators must act now.
"Whenever a new drug trend appears on the horizon there's a lot of hand-wringing and 'Oh my, this is awful,'" Falkowksi says. "When it comes to counterfeit fentanyl pills there is no overstatement going on, there's no exaggeration, there's a clear and present danger."

Prince's death and the growing fear of the 'kill pill'


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Story highlights Two large earthquakes have rocked Iceland's largest volcano
Scientists are monitoring the situation in case of an eruption
(CNN) The Icelandic Meteorological Office is on alert for a possible eruption from the country's largest volcano, Katla, after two earthquakes rattled the region.
The volcano, which stands at 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet) tall, hasn't had a major eruption since 1918. Scientists say Katla usually erupts once every 50 years.
Two magnitude 4.5 earthquakes shook the area early Monday morning.
CNN Map
The meteorological office confirmed an increase in seismic activity in recent weeks and said it was monitoring the situation. An eruption is not imminent, scientists said, but they can't rule it out.
"Such summertime increases in seismicity are common at Katla and the ongoing activity within the caldera is similar to summertime unrest observed in 2012 and 2014," the office said.
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(CNN) Lower your expectations enough and any roadside attraction is a good excuse to stretch your legs, lose a couple bucks, and see a genuine slice of Americana you'll likely never visit again.
But some of these destinations have become kitsch institutions. You might even make a trip just to see them. Or at least you won't regret adding the extra time to your journey.
Salvation Mountain
Niland, California
Some people use churches, sidewalks or subway cars. Leonard Knight chose to build a 50-foot technicolor adobe mountain in the desert of Southern California in order to spread his message that "God is Love."
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For nearly three decades, Knight built the mountain out of adobe and hay, and he painted it with swerving colors and messages, with the hope of sharing that simple message in a big way. And he's succeeded. At least 50 people visit this giant example of outsider art each day.
Knight, who died in 2014, used to greet visitors until he was prevented by ill health.
A group of volunteers now maintain the site. Paint donations are always welcome.
Prada Marfa
Valentine, Texas
You've seen the pictures on Beyonce's Tumblr and your trendy Austin friend's Instagram. No, it's not a Prada store. It's not even in Marfa. The "store" is actually an art installation about a half-hour drive northwest of the small west Texas town that has become a pilgrimage destination for artists and hipsterati.
The $80,000 sculpture was created by Elmgreen & Dragset in 2005. The art duo of Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset wanted to leave it alone forever so that it could decompose into the high desert surroundings, providing a commentary on materialism. But when vandals broke in and stole all the shoes three days after it was finished, the artists decided to make repairs and add video cameras. Don't worry -- you can still be as ridiculous as you want when you hold your photo shoot.
US 90; Valentine, Texas
Ruby Falls
Chattanooga, Tennessee
While we've come to fear sinkholes, Ruby Falls is proof that they're not all bad. (Although we sure wouldn't have wanted to be walking over Tennessee's Lookout Mountain around 30 million years ago.)
Located 1,120 feet underground, this 145-foot waterfall -- one of the largest publicly accessible underground waterfalls -- was caused by this natural phenomenon.
Stalactites, stalagmites and other cave formations are also explained on the guided cave tours. Tickets are $19.95 for adults, $11.95 for kids ages 3 to 12.
1720 South Scenic Highway, Chattanooga, TN; (423) 821-2544. www.rubyfalls.com
Biosphere 2
Oracle, Arizona
What, you didn't know that earth is Biosphere 1? Well, that's what the developers of this gargantuan lab, known as Biosphere 2, in Oracle, Arizona, consider it. Oil millionaire John P. Allen funded the project hoping it would help us better understand how to colonize Mars.
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The three-acre glass temple included a rainforest, ocean, corral reef, wetland and fog desert. Seven scientists entered the bizarre ecosystem melting pot in 1991 for the first mission. For two years they ran experiments on how to sustain life in a contained environment and when they left two years later, the $151 million project was largely considered a failure. The team had extreme difficulty keeping themselves or the environment healthy.
The University of Arizona took over the property in 2011 and uses it for experiments and classes, and provides daily tours from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Admission for adults is $20; $13 for children ages 6 to 12.
32540 S Biosphere Road, Oracle, AZ; (520) 838-6192. b2science.org
Winchester Mystery House
San Jose, California
No one is quite sure why Sarah Winchester wanted the construction of her sprawling Victorian mansion to go on as long as she lived. The most exciting theory is that she believed she was haunted by those killed by her husband's invention, the Winchester rifle, aka the gun that won the West.
Apparently she thought she would keep these spirits away if she moved to California and never stopped building. Men worked around the clock until her death in September 1922, 38 years after breaking ground.
The result is an M.C. Escher painting come to life -- stairs lead to nowhere, doors open to reveal walls. If ghosts did make it to her house, they would probably get lost on the way to her room.
525 S. Winchester Blvd, San Jose, California; (408) 247-2101; www.winchestermysteryhouse.com
Wall Drug
Wall, South Dakota
What does it take to become the country's most famous remote roadside store? Free water.
Ted Hustead's wife Dorothy came up with the idea in 1936, five difficult years after he bought the store: Put up signs offering ice-cold water to the hot drivers on their way to Mount Rushmore. It didn't matter that most drug stores already provided this convenience. The idea worked, and now Wall Drug receives about a million visitors a year.
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The humble store has grown to include a chapel, a western art museum, a department store and life-sized dinosaurs. But there's still a water well out back for any parched passers-by.
You'll have a hard time missing the spot. If you're driving on I-90 through the state of South Dakota you're sure to see one of the many, many signs dotting the roadside, with enticing messages ranging from the folksy ("Wall I'll Be Drugged") to the hippie ("Have You Dug Wall Drug?").
510 Main Street, Wall, South Dakota; (605) 270-2175. www.walldrug.com
Skunk Ape Research Headquarters
Ochopee, Florida
Sometimes it takes a particularly obscure obsession to make an excellent roadside attraction.
Dave Shealy, for example, has been hunting for the elusive skunk ape since he says he first sighted the smelly Sasquatch relative at the age of 10.
You can find all the hunting methods and tips that he's accumulated over the years at his Skunk Ape Research Headquarters. You can also visit his bird and lizard zoo and get pointers on where to search for one of the seven to nine mighty beasts that Shealy is sure live in the surrounding Everglades area.


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Story highlights UEFA guarantees top leagues four Champions League group-stage spots
Spain, Germany, England and Italy currently set to benefit
UEFA also "significantly" increasing financial distribution to clubs
(CNN) Life just got a little bit easier for the clubs of European football's top four leagues after UEFA, the sport's governing body on the continent, announced that each division will have four guaranteed places in the Champions League group stage from the start of 2018-19 season.
The current top four leagues in Europe -- according to UEFA's coefficient rankings -- are the Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, English Premier League and Italian Serie A.
Under the present system, La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League are guaranteed three places in the group stage, with a fourth spot possible through the playoff round, while Serie A is sure of two places and a third available through the playoff round.
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France's Ligue 1, Russia's Premier League and Portugal's Primeira Liga sit fifth, sixth and seventh respectively in UEFA's coefficient rankings, although they currently remain some distance behind the top four divisions.
The new changes mean that 16 of the 32 Champions League group-stage spots will now be guaranteed to teams in Europe's top four leagues.
OFFICIAL: The top four teams from the four highest-ranked leagues will enter the #UCL group stage from 2018. pic.twitter.com/TUva8MIGiE — Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 26, 2016
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(CNN) Americans are perhaps the standard bearers of the "barbecue."
Come summer, US backyards and parks are full of people gathering around sauce-slathered chicken and other meats.
But famed as America's grill skills may be, many would claim it can't hold a glowing charcoal ember to the meat-charring culture of, say, Argentina or South Africa.
History isn't clear on where the term "barbecue" comes from -- one explanation is that it comes from "barbacoa," a term used by Spanish explorers to describe the Caribbean's indigenous Taino people's cooking technique.
In any case, barbecue as we know it today covers multiple cooking methods: On grills, above fire pits, under the ground and in clay ovens.
There are regional variations and customs everywhere from South America to Africa to Asia.
Read on for further proof that the lip-smacking barbecue experience is a universal tradition, not just an American one.
Braai (South Africa)
The South African braai ("barbecue" in Afrikaans) is the nation's top culinary custom.
Here, the frequent gathering of friends and family over grilled, juicy cuts of steak, sausage and chicken sosaties (skewers) cuts through all racial and socioeconomic lines.
And no place does "Sunday Funday" quite like the townships, where shisa nyama ("burn meat" in Zulu) venues elevate the braai experience with on-site butchers, cooks, drinks and party-starting DJs.
Chicago native and model Unique Love spent three years living in Cape Town and fondly recalls her first shisa nyama.
"Having a braai in Cape Town's Mzoli's Meat felt like home," she says. "After eating, I never wanted to [leave] because the community's ambience felt comforting."
Mzoli's Meat, M18/M36 Gugulethu, Cape Town Central 8001; +27 722 556 239
Asado (Argentina)
Weekly meat treat: The Argentinan asado.
Though its place as the world's top consumer of beef fluctuates each year, many would claim Argentina will forever be the grande dame of barbecued meats.
Like South Africa's braai culture, Argentina's affinity for the grill is more entrenched than in the States.
Attending a sociable, gut-busting asado ("barbecue") on an almost weekly basis is the norm.
Though a variety of meats and cuts can be experienced at any gathering, Argentinian chef Guillermo Pernot insists: "For the absolute best asado, one should cook a sweet pork and beef sausage, sweetbreads, thigh intestines and blood sausages."
Other asado tips from the two-time winner of the James Beard Award include using coarse salt to coat meats and to have the "indispensable" chimichurri -- a sauce and marinade which usually consists of parsley, garlic, oregano, vinegar and chili flakes -- at the ready.
Don Julio , Calle Guatemala 4699, Palermo Viejo, Buenos Aires; +54 1148 319 564
Yakitori (Japan)
Yakitori, a Japanese favorite, consists of diced chicken assembled onto bamboo skewers and cooked over a smoldering layer of charcoal.
Yakitori variations are labeled by chicken parts (strips of chicken skin make up "towikawa" and "negima" consists of thigh meat with leeks).
Its definition has expanded to include any grilled, skewered food, including vegetables, seafood, pork and beef.
While there are several ways to enjoy authentic yakitori in Japan, travel blogger Tanya Spaulding shares her tips for maximum enjoyment.
"The best way to savor yakitori is either from a street vendor, or sitting on the floor in your yukata (a sort of summer kimono), cooking your skewers over the shichirin (a small charcoal grill) in the middle of your table," she claims.
Yakitori Imai, 2-29-4 Sendagi, 102 City Heights Sendagi, Bunkyo, Tokyo; +81 3 3821 2989
Churrasco (Brazil)
Most visitors to Brazil get their barbecue fix at a churrascaria.
Barbecue enthusiasts with sizable appetites will love Brazil's churrasco (Portuguese and Spanish for "barbecue").
Most visitors to Brazil will get their barbecue fix at a churrascaria, where restaurant servers provide an endless supply of grilled meat cuts directly to patrons' tables.
While Brazilian churrasco might be the most famous, it's found in several other countries, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Portugal.
Dan Clark, a tour specialist who frequents South America, believes Brazilian barbecues offer more options for vegetarians than neighboring, meat-loving Argentina.
"At an Argentinian asado, you're really stuck with the salad and fries," he says. "But it's much better in Brazil because most churrascarias feature salad bars with dozens of kinds of fresh salads, pasta salads, pickles, breads, olives and all the other sides you could wish for."
Churrascaria Palace , Rua Rodolfo Dantas 16, Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro; +55 21 2541 5898
Lechon (Philippines)
Lechon (Spanish for "suckling pig") features a whole, impaled pig spit-roasted over a charcoal bed or in an oven.
Many Filipinos declare the tasty, porky treat to be their national dish although the same claim is made by Puerto Ricans.
The lechon cooked in the Filipino island of Cebu is often considered the best in the country, if not the world.
Fun fact: Every June 24 in Balayan, Philippines, the locals pay a special, religious-themed homage to roasted pig at the Parada ng Lechon (Parade of Spit-Roast Pig).
It involves lechons getting blessed at a church mass followed by a lively parade of floats, music, water guns (for the baptism) and lechons "dressed" in outlandish garments and accessories.
Rico's Lechon, Highway 77 talamban, Cebu City 6000, Philippines; +63 3 440 119
Tandoor (India)
It's true: that iconic Indian tandoori chicken you've known (and perhaps loved) for ages is considered a barbecue dish.
Tandoori food derives its name from the tandoor, the cauldron-like clay oven in which dishes such as naan bread, chicken, seafood and other meats are cooked under high-heat charcoal.
"The art of the tandoor originated centuries ago as a nomadic style of cooking in Central Asia [where] food was cooked on charcoal pits and meat was spit-roasted," says Manjit Gill, an Indian celebrity chef behind several acclaimed restaurants including Bukhara in New Delhi.
"The Tandoori cuisine as we know it today was introduced in the late 1940s in post-partition India, when people discovered that it was a better medium to cook meat in a tandoor rather than on the spit."
Dum Pukht, ITC Maurya Diplomatic Enclave, Sardar Patel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi; +91 11 2611 2233
Mongolian BBQ (Taiwan)
Mongolian BBQ -- not really Mongolian.
"Surprisingly, despite the name, Taiwan is the origin of Mongolian barbecue," reveals travel enthusiast and native Taiwanese Erin Yang, "[and] consists of the combination of sliced meat, noodles and vegetables quickly cooked over a flat circular metal surface."
Mongolian barbecue is a relatively new food trend, emerging in Taiwan in the 1950s and influenced by Japanese teppanyaki and Chinese stir-fry.
It's also popular in certain regions of China.
Beijing-based food and travel blogger Monica Weintraub says beef and lamb feature heavily in the north of the country.
"Whether you're sharing a leg of lamb between four or five friends or ordering single lamb skewers (yang rou chuan), be expected to intake meat heavily doused in chili powder, cumin seeds and salt," she says.
Lovo (Fiji)
Fiji's barbecue tradition has more of an underground approach compared to other nations.
Erin Yang explains: "Unlike many other barbecue styles, Fijian barbecue is cooked in a 'lovo,' an earth oven."
Lovo involves piping-hot stones placed into a large opening in the ground to allow slowly smoked cooking.
"Ingredients such as pork, chicken, vegetables, taro root and seafood are wrapped in taro or banana leaves and placed onto the stones," Yang says. "After 2-3 hours, the savory lovo will be ready to serve."
Unearthing the pit-smoked food is met with jubilation from feasters, perhaps due to the hours-long wait for the cooking to be completed.
TovuTovu Resort, TovuTovu Estate Naselesele, Taveuni Island Fiji; +679 888 0560
Umu (Samoa)
A fish is wrapped in taro leaves ahead of being cooked.
Umu, Samoa's version of the barbecue, is similar to the underground cooking customs of Fijian lovo.
Avichai Ben Tzur, a travel writer/entrepreneur who's spent significant time in the South Pacific, describes barbecue prep work as a family task.
"Young men of the extended Samoan family gather together to prepare the 'umu,' hours before the traditional Sunday feast commences... catching fresh fish or slaughtering a pig, collecting taro leaves and breadfruit from the family's agricultural plot and cracking open coconuts for the palusami."
The palusami, a Samoan staple made of coconut cream (often seasoned with onions, lemon juice and simple spices) wrapped in taro leaves, is "a delicious calorie bomb that cannot be resisted by Samoans," says Tzur.
Gogigui (Korea)
Gogigui (Korean for "meat roast") is a favorite of both Koreans and international eaters.
Dining at a Korean BBQ usually consists of sliced beef, pork and chicken with an assortment of banchan (side dishes) and rice cooked in the center of a table, which is either cooked by the chefs or the diners themselves.
Should you choose to cook your own gogigui, "Masterchef Korea" finalist Diane Sooyeon Kang shares some tips.
"For thin slices of meat like chadolbaegi (thinly sliced beef brisket), you should lie it flat and cook it quickly for a few seconds on each side," she says.
"For meats like yangnyeom galbi (marinated short ribs), high heat and fire will be best as it will caramelize the outside while keeping the meat juicy inside."
Jessica Mehta, who's lived in Korea for a year, suggests: "You're not really having Korean BBQ if you don't pair it with soju, a clear liquor somewhat similar to sake."
Seoseo Meokneun Galbi Jip,109-69 Nogosan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul; +82 02 716 2520
Pachamanca (Peru)
Though Peruvian cuisine is known the world over for ceviche and Pisco sour cocktails, one of Peru's most traditional Incan cooking customs, pachamanca, is still under the radar to many.
Pachamanca (meaning "earth pot" in the Quechua language) involves digging to create a ground oven and lining the cavity with fire-heated stones to cook the food.
A variety of potatoes, corn, legumes and marinated meats are enclosed in banana leaves and placed into the earth oven for hours.
Authentic pachamanca are served sitting on the ground, and mostly take place on special occasions (especially religious ceremonies) and during harvest time every February and March.
Machu Picchu Pueblo, Next to the BCP Bank, by the railroad tracks, Aguas Calientes, Peru; +51 984 382 567

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Sources: Abedin "sickened" by husband's sexting photo


Sources describe Huma Abedin's reaction to reports that her husband was caught sexting a photo with their young son pictured. CNN's Jeff Zeleny reports.


Why does Brazil want to impeach President Rousseff?


Due to a tanking economy, high unemployment, and a corrupt political class, Brazilians are protesting. CNN's Shasta Darlington explains.


Barbra Streisand appeared on Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight Show" to promote her new album. She did a duet with Alec Baldwin, who actually sings on the album, and sang with Fallon's "Donald Trump."


Story highlights John Krasinski directs and stars in his new film, "The Hollars"
Margo Martindale co-stars in the project
(CNN) John Krasinski directs and stars in his latest film, "The Hollars" which arrives in theaters Friday.
Although it might sound challenging to carry off both tasks, Krasinski told CNN it was "easy."
"It sounds crazy. But in this one, it was actually very easy and bizarrely helpful to be acting in the scenes because I think there's a real disconnect when you call cut and you have to review the tape and then come and give your actors notes."
"The Hollars" is a family drama about a mother, played by Margo Martindale, who discovers she has a brain tumor. Krasinski, 36, plays her son, John Hollar, who drops his life in New York to race home to her bedside in the small town he left behind.
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(CNN) A homecoming for any athlete who has appeared at an Olympics is special -- but for five who competed at the Rio Olympics, the place they formerly called home was the vast refugee camp at Kakuma in Kenya.
They returned to a heroes' welcome at the camp Monday, with one sign reading: "You are gold medal winners in our eyes." It followed an equally rapturous reception at Nairobi airport.
The UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, said the athletes will stay among family friends in the camp for a week before returning to their training camp in the Nairobi suburbs.
The camp holds more than 180,000 people, refugees who have fled fighting in places like South Sudan.
Beacon of hope
Sport appears to be one of the few things that gives hope to those living in such harsh conditions, something noted by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC created a £2 million training fund to help take refugee athletes to Rio -- the first to appear at an Olympic Games.
#TeamRefugees receive a heroes welcome in #Kakuma today with a big celebration to honour their achievements. pic.twitter.com/WHzoLXOQmQ — FilmAid Kenya (@filmaidkenya) August 29, 2016
The 10-strong team that competed under the Olympic flag at Rio certainly touched the hearts of many across the world.
A giant mural dedicated to the stateless refugee team -- originally from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Syria -- appeared on the streets of Rio.
And who could forget the smile of 18-year-old Yusra Mardini after winning her 100-meter butterfly heat? She swam for Syria in the short-course world championships in 2012 but was forced to swim for her life while trying to flee the conflict there. Her boat capsized off the Greek coast.
'Highlight was meeting champions'
Five of her team mates grew up in Kakuma before joining a track and field project set up by former Kenyan Olympic marathon runner Tegla Loroupe.
Five members of #TeamRefugees arrive back in Kakuma camp to a huge reception by close relatives & Kakuma residents. pic.twitter.com/OxAr0E5dXR — UNHCR KENYA (@UNHCR_Kenya) August 29, 2016
Yiech Pur Biel, a 21-year-old refugee from South Sudan, was chosen by Loroupe's foundation, and, despite having no shoes at the camp, ran in the 800 meters in Rio.
The athletes were greeted at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport by friends, family and a troupe of drummers from Burundi, and it's where Biel told of his joy at mixing with the world's best athletes.
"The highlight was meeting champions -- and competing with champions," he said on the U.N. refugee agency website (UNHCR)
"But we have also shown the world refugees doing something very good, so that people know refugees for who we are," he said.
Flight from war
Anjelina Nadai Lohalith, who ran in the 1,500 meters, fled South Sudan more than 15 years ago and has not seen her family since, the UNHCR reports.
But she said the Rio experience has made her realize that she can achieve any objective.
"Meeting people from around the world was the best thing about Rio for me. Now I am focused only on finding a way to see my family again," she said on the website.
Ahead of the games, 800-meter runner Rose Nathike Lokonyen told of her flight from the brutal civil war in South Sudan, first on foot and then squashed in the back of a truck. She made it out alive, grew up in Kakuma and then joined the training camp.
"Life was so much hard compared to training in this place. The life in Kakuma camp was so hard," she said.
Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Every competitor at the 2016 Olympics will have undergone a personal journey to reach Rio. But for some athletes, notably a number of refugee competitors, the path has been truly life changing ... Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Paul Amotun Lokoro: South Sudan, 100m – Paul Amotun Lokoro fled war in his home country of South Sudan. Years later, the 24-year-old is aiming to not just compete, but thrive at the Olympic Games."I want to win a gold," he says. "If I win the race, I will be famous!" Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Rose Nathike Lokonyen: South Sudan, 800m – Fourteen years after leaving South Sudan for the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, Rose Nathike Lokonyen is set to line up alongside some of the world's finest middle distance runners at Rio 2016. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Yiech Pur Biel: South Sudan, 800m – Pur Biel also fled the Sudanese civil war, arriving at the Kakuma camp in 2005. The 21-year-old cites the prospect of Rio 2016 as "a great moment in my life and a story to my children and grandchildren." Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Rami Anis: Syria, Swimming – Six years ago, Rami Anis was swimming for Syria at the Asian Games in China. But in 2011, he fled his home of Aleppo to escape bombing. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Leaving Syria, reaching Rio – His new coach in Belgium believes Anis' place in the Rio 2016 Olympic refugee team is a form of "justice".
Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Yusra Mardini: Swimming, Syria – Joining Rami on the team is 18-year-old Yusra Mardini, another refugee from Syria who now trains in Germany. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Youngest refugee athlete – Mardini's coach, Sven Spannekrebs (pictured left here), will be one of the backroom staff joining the refugee team for Rio.
Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Popole Misenga: Democratic Republic of Congo, Judo – Congolese judo athlete Popole Misenga sought asylum in Brazil after the 2013 world championships in Rio. He will be on the official Olympic Refugee Team for the 2016 Games in the same city. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team New life in Rio – Misenga, 24, has married a Brazilian and has a young son since being granted asylum. He says Rio is a "magical place" to live. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Anjelina Nadai Lohalith: South Sudan, 1500m – Anjelina Lohalith, 21, left her home country when she was just eight years old. While her family remain in South Sudan, she will now compete in Rio in the 1500m for the Refugee Olympic Team. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Yonas Kinde: Ethiopia, Marathon – 36-year-old Yonas Kinde left Ethiopia for Luxembourg in 2012 and immediately pursued his love for running. He soon becoming the best long distance runner in the tiny European country. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team James Nyang Chiengjiek: South Sudan, 400m – Just 13-years-old when he left his home, Chiengjiek managed to avoid the fate of South Sudan's child soldiers. He reached Kenya's Kakuma camp in 2002, quickly capitalizing on his athletic talents despite a lack of top class facilities. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Beyond the team – Raheleh Asemani, formerly a taekwondo athlete for Iran, was on the shortlist for the Olympic Refugee Team -- but will now compete for Belgium in Rio having been granted citizenship. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: Rio 2016 Olympics: Meet the first ever refugee team Woman behind the team – For many years, Kenyan marathon runner Tegla Loroupe has been using athletics to work toward peace in Africa. Five of the Olympic Refugee Team are South Sudanese refugees from her foundation's training center, and she will be the team's chef de mission.
Hide Caption 15 of 15
The UNHCR says the athletes will now return to the training camp in a town north of the Kenyan capital Nairobi and all wanted to continue competing.
In an interview with the UNHCR, Yiech Pur Biel speaks of his hopes for the future and of his love of running. "I can continue to achieve or leave a legacy, to leave a legacy for other people," he said.
Anjelina Nadai Lohalith added: "I will continue with sport and at least I have to make my future bright when I work hard because right now I am looking forward to support my family and my siblings.
The African athletes will continue to train at the Tegla Loroupe camp and, according to the UNHCR, prepare for possible participation in the World Championships in 2017.
UNHCR spokesman in Kenya, Marco Lembo, who is working on making the athlete program permanent, told CNN: "We believe this is just the beginning of a long process which will allow for refugee athletes to participate in the Olympics.
"They represent more than 60 million people. It's the symbolism of this that is so important. We hope to expand this program to work with more refugees and in more disciplines. We need to ensure long term sustainability."

Rio refugee team to get heroes' welcome at Kakuma camp


Five of the Olympic Refugee Team have returned to a heroes' welcome at the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where they grew up.


Gaziantep, Turkey (CNN) Turkey flexed its military muscle across the border in war-torn Syria this week by helping rebels retake the border town of Jarablus from ISIS, marking a decisive win for the Free Syrian Army.
On Saturday, the air force pounded more targets in the region. But in the bloody five-year-old conflict, replete with many power players and varying loyalties, it was unclear whether the latest airstrikes targeted ISIS or its other foes -- Syrian Kurdish fighters.
One Turkish soldier was killed in fighting on Saturday, and Turkish officials believe Kurdish fighters launched the rockets that killed him, according to Turkish sources and the state-run Anadolu Agency.
"The Turkish role here will be to protect the region," said Faheem Issa, who commands the Sultan Murad brigade -- a Syrian Turkmen unit. "Because of the world's indifference and insufficient backing for the Free Syrian Army, Turkey is providing that support."
Villages seized, 'terror' HQ pounded
Turkey launched airstrikes that injured civilians in Al Amarneh in eastern Jarablus, according to Manbij Military Council Cmdr. Shirvan Darwish. It struck areas to the south of the town, destroying an ammunition dump and the headquarters of a "terror organization," according to military sources speaking to Anadolu.
And, a spokesman for a Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army group called the Sultan Murad Brigade said its fighters have seized a series of villages to the west of Jarablus. The villages -- Tal Shair, Hamir al-Ajaaj, and al-Helwaniah -- are near a key border crossing, Bab al-Salama, but it is unclear from whom they were seized.
In comments televised by CNN Turk, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus referred to Turkey's fight against "terrorist groups operating in Marea-Jarablus line," an area running along the border between Bab al-Salama and the town of Jarablus. That suggests Turkey aims to control a long stretch of the border as part of Operation Euphrates Shield.
"We will cleanse the area from ISIS and other terrorist groups. The swift and result-oriented operation continues successfully. We are in coordination with international organizations. We use our right of self defense that international law gives us."
Turkey views both ISIS and Kurdish rebels as foes and its allegiances have complicated its relationship with the United States.
Kurdish fighters have been a key ally of the United States in the war against ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but the Turkish government views those fighters -- the People's Protection Units in Syria, also known as the YPG -- as an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, a pro-separatist group that Turkey has been fighting for years.
The YPG is believed to have fired rockets at two Turkish tanks six or seven kilometers south of Jarablus as Turkish-backed rebels were advancing south, Anadolu said.
Along with the one soldier killed, three others were injured. The death was the first in the fourth day of Operation Euphrates Shield.
A military source says it was 99.9 % certain that "YPG that launched the rockets. Two Turkish tanks hit. One soldier injured in one of them. Two injured and one killed in the other."
Anadolu said Turkey retaliated by firing howitzers.
Getting back to normal
In Jarablus on Saturday, shops were being restocked, street life appeared to be getting back to normal, and the Red Crescent was seen distributing aid.
That comes after the Free Syrian Army rebels drove ISIS out of that city in a key military victory on Friday. The FSA took control of the town in less than 24 hours with the help of Turkey's potent and huge military -- the second-largest in NATO after the United States.
"For now, our focus is on ISIS," said Issa, the commander of the Sultan Murad brigade.
At the same time, he doesn't deny that his fighters have battled US-backed Kurdish militias, which, Turkey insists, must withdraw east of the Euphrates River.
The United States has spent millions of dollars arming and training Syrian rebels, with little to show for it. In contrast, American officials regard Kurdish fighters as far more effective in fighting ISIS.
US aircraft did strike ISIS targets during the push on Jarablus, but the boots on the ground are Turkish. Turkish involvement, not American support, helped provide these Syrian fighters with a rare victory.
Officials said one of the goals of this operation is to set up a "terror-free" zone -- in effect a buffer zone -- to ensure the safety of Turkish citizens living along the border.
"We came to rid this area of ISIS," Issa said.


Turkey flexed its military muscle across the border in war-torn Syria this week by helping rebels retake the border town of Jarablus from ISIS, marking a decisive win for the Free Syrian Army.


Story highlights The rapper says police mistreated him when he tried to file a report
A police spokesman tells CNN that officials apologized
Rhymefest also tweets message to man who robbed him at gunpoint
(CNN) Grammy- and Oscar-winning artist Rhymefest took to Twitter on Saturday to denounce what he described as "disgusting" treatment by the Chicago Police Department when he tried to report an armed robbery.
Rhymefest, whose legal name is Che Smith, posted a video in which he argues with officers at the front desk.
"You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly," Smith tweeted along with the video.
Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted back in response, "@RHYMEFEST disappointing to say the least. On behalf of CPD, I apologize for how you were treated. We will be addressing this today."
You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly pic.twitter.com/fY9VQrqDpz — Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016
The video, recorded in a police station near the rapper's home, begins with him already talking with an officer at the front desk. She tells him he cannot record while in a police station.
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Hackers breach election databases in Illinois, Arizona


State officials in Illinois and Arizona say their election database systems were hacked, compromising voters' personal information. CNN's Evan Perez reports.


(CNN) Gene Wilder mastered the art of the comic nervous breakdown, the character that always seemed seconds away from a shrieking, totally manic fit.
From his breakthrough part in "The Producers," Wilder excelled at moments of explosive rage or sheer desperation. Working with Mel Brooks, he provided the perfect expression of Brooks' directing style, which reveled in over-the-top absurdity.
Wilder had also worked in more serious roles, and he could ground his zaniness in a way that gave them heft. That was certainly true of perhaps his most iconic performance apart from his collaborations with Brooks, playing the title character in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
He also turned out to have a strong on-screen rapport with comedian Richard Pryor, with whom he co-starred in multiple films, most memorably "Stir Crazy" and "Silver Streak."
Wilder left behind an abundance of comedies destined to be watched and re-watched for years to come. But in terms of his signature bits and movies, no list would be complete without these entries:
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Story highlights Putin had a rough day at Publix
He was charged with non-violent resistance/obstruction of an officer
(CNN) Obviously it's not THAT Vladimir Putin, because the President of Russia has never gone HAM in a West Palm Beach Publix.
THIS Vladimir Putin was arrested after cops responded to a report that a man was screaming at employees at the grocery store in Florida.
Putin told police he had missed his ride, which would never happen to the other Putin.
According to a police report, he also refused to give officers his name. We can't imagine why.
West Palm Beach Putin, which is a really great alias he should consider, was charged with resisting and/or obstructing an officer without violence.
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Vladimir Putin arrested ... in a Florida supermarket


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CNN gets exclusive access to an "intervention" session as counselors struggle to rid one girl of the poisonous ideology that nearly led her to join ISIS.
Source: CNN

CNN Exclusive: ISIS 'intervention' in France


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(CNN) Although climate change is thought of as simply a political football, it has been a heated topic among meteorologists for years. I, for one, have changed my conclusion over time on whether humans are responsible for the increased heat content of the Earth.
I write this article not to change your mind about global warming; I simply want to show you why I changed mine.
Early in my scientific studies at Nebraska, most believed that humans could never pollute this massive globe enough to make a measurable difference.
As a student, I learned to never exclude any possibility until ultimately that possibility is proven false. It was called skepticism, not denial, and skepticism is a key foundation of the scientific process. In the '80s and '90s there seemed to be many other potential causes of climate change, not only humans.
Volcanoes, solar fluctuations, city heat-islands, concrete production and yes, even the cattle population. The list went on and on and seemed endless. I wondered if all these potential causes were given adequate consideration?
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Story highlights Pregnant women and their partners should take immediate precautions to avoid Zika
Couples trying to conceive must practice safe sex after exposure
Everyone can help by "avoiding the bite"
(CNN) You've doused yourself with repellent, donned long sleeves and pants, and done your best to swat any flying invaders. But if you live in or travel to a spot with active Zika transmission, how do you know for sure that you've not gotten the virus?
You probably wouldn't feel the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that gives you Zika; that pesky creature is so small, her nip is almost painless.
Since only one out of every five infected people has symptoms, you can't be sure that you -- or your sexual partner -- didn't catch it.
Which means you can't be 100% sure that you won't get the virus from sex. After all, the Centers for Disease Control just announced the first known case of a man who gave the virus to his female partner when he didn't even know that he had it.
"I think this case is very important," said Dr. John Brooks, a medical epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control, "because it reminds us that even though it might be less common than transmission from a person with active signs of Zika, it can still occur."
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Spike Lee: Trump's black voter outreach is laughable


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(CNN) The earthquake that rattled central Italy has left hundreds of cultural and historical sites damaged or destroyed, Italy's minister of culture said Thursday .
Minister Dario Franceschini said at least 293 cultural heritage assets were damaged in the earthquake zone, according to CNN affiliate RIA.
Fifty were destroyed, RIA reported.
Among the structures or sites damaged were Cattedrale di Urbino , an ancient Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Urbino, which suffered small structural cracks, the cultural ministry website said, as well as Monastero Santa Chiara in the city of Camerino.
The San Giuliano cathedral in the town of Macerata also sustained damage in Wednesday's magnitude-6.2 earthquake.
In a photo taken before the earthquake, the Church of San Giuliano is seen behind the bell tower of the Church of St. Paul in Macerata.
In the hard-hit town of Amatrice, the Basilica Di San Francesco and the Chiesa di Sant Agostino partially collapsed, the ministry said. Slide the bar in the image below to see before and after views of the Chiesa di Sant Agostino.
Franceschini said all proceeds from state museums on August 28 will go to areas affected by the earthquake. He invited Italians to go to museums on that day "as a sign of solidarity with the population" in regions hardest hit by the temblor.

Historical treasures lost, damaged in Italian quake


The earthquake that rattled central Italy has left hundreds of cultural and historical sites damaged or destroyed, Italy's minister of culture said Thursday.


US Navy fires warning shots at Iranian vessel


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Story highlights The singer left Instagram on August 16
Fans celebrated his return Monday
(CNN) Our national nightmare is over.
It seems like forever ago that Justin Bieber quit Instagram (it was just August 16), but the star has now returned -- much to the delight of the Beliebers.
The Biebs quit after some irate fans -- and a few of his exes -- got into it regarding photos he posted of him and gal pal, model Sofia Richie.
"I'm gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don't stop the hate," the singer wrote in a caption of a black-and-white photo of himself and Richie. "This is getting out of hand, if you guys are really fans you wouldn't be so mean to people that I like."


It seems like forever ago that Justin Bieber quit Instagram, but the star has now returned -- much to the delight of the Beliebers.


(CNN) Filmmaker Spike Lee said Monday Donald Trump was trying capitalize on the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, cousin of Chicago Bulls player and NBA star Dwyane Wade.
"He should be giving condolences to the Wade family from the first tweet," the director told Anderson Cooper on "Anderson Cooper 360." "To me, that just shows where his heart is."
.@SpikeLee: Donald Trump's first tweet about the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge "shows where his heart is." https://t.co/wWoGuRiy6E — Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) August 30, 2016
Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that tragedies like the shooting death of Wade's cousin are one of the reasons African-Americans will vote for him.
"Dwayne Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!" he tweeted, initially misspelling Wade's first name.
Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016
Lee, who directed "Chi-Raq," a film about the violence in Chicago, said people should not get "caught up on what his is saying."
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Spike Lee: Trump trying to capitalize on Dwyane Wade's cousin's death


Filmmaker Spike Lee said Monday Donald Trump was trying capitalize on the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge, cousin of Chicago Bulls player and NBA star Dwyane Wade.


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Italian villages may not rebuild after deadly earthquake


Some villages in Italy might not rebuild after being hit by a devastating earthquake. CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports.


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Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Villa Pisani Garden - Venice, Italy – Local legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte -- a previous owner of Villa Pisani -- once got lost in this garden's famous maze. Built in the 18th century and one of the few remaining hedge mazes in Italy, the boxwood labyrinth is constructed from twelve concentric rings and leads to a small turret in its middle. Hide Caption 1 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths The Hampton Court Maze - London, United Kingdom – Once described by English historian Ernest Law as "the most famous maze in the history of the world," the Hampton Court Maze is the UK's oldest surviving hedge maze. Hide Caption 2 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths The Hampton Court Maze - London, United Kingdom – Designed in a trapezoid shape by George London and Henry Wise between 1689 and 1695, the Hampton Court Maze covers a third of an acre of the famous Palace gardens and takes an average of 30 to 45 minutes to complete. Hide Caption 3 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Longleat Hedge Maze - Wiltshire, United Kingdom – The longest -- but not the largest -- hedge maze in the world, the Longleat Hedge Maze covers 1.48 acres (0.6 hectares) of land and includes 1.69 miles (2.7 km) of walkways. The maze was constructed in 1975 using more than 16,000 yew trees and sits on land that has been owned by the Marquesses of Bath since the mid-16th century. Hide Caption 4 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Ashcombe Maze - Melbourne, Australia – Australia's oldest and most famous hedge maze, the Ashcombe Maze was built over 40 years ago using more than 1,000 cypress trees. Set among 25 acres (10 hectares) of garden in Australia's beautiful Mornington Peninsula, the complex also features a lavender labyrinth and a circular rose maze. Hide Caption 5 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Ashcombe Maze - Melbourne, Australia – The evergreen Ashcombe Maze now stands more than three meters high (9.8 ft), and is two meters wide (6.6 ft) in parts. It's clipped three times a year to keep its shape. Hide Caption 6 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Labirinto della Masone - Fontanellato, Italy – Extending over a vast 80,000 square meters (more than 860,000 square feet) of land, the Masone labyrinth near Parma in Italy was declared the largest maze in the world after it opened to the public in 2015. Hide Caption 7 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Labirinto della Masone - Fontanellato, Italy – Owned and conceptualized by Italian publisher and art collector, Franco Maria Ricci, the maze took more than a decade of planning. The complex -- including the buildings and surrounding park -- was designed in conjunction with the architects Pier Carlo Bontempi and Davide Dutto. Hide Caption 8 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Labirinto della Masone - Fontanellato, Italy – Inspired by a Roman design, the Masone labyrinth is made of different types of bamboo and has four inter-connected mazes bounded by a star-shaped perimeter. The pyramid at the middle of the maze hosts a chapel that has been entirely plated with gold on its inside. Hide Caption 9 of 11
Photos: 11 of the world's most amazing labyrinths Pineapple Garden Maze - Hawaii, U.S. – Stretching over three acres (1.2 hectares) the enormous Pineapple Garden Maze in Oahu is made of tropical plants and features a giant pineapple in its middle. Hide Caption 10 of 11

The world's most impressive labyrinths and mazes


If the numerous elaborately mazes and labyrinths constructed across the world are any indication, there's a certain appeal to the feeling of being lost.


Aaron David Miller is a vice president and distinguished scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and author of "The End of Greatness: Why America Can't Have (and Doesn't Want) Another Great President." Miller was a Middle East negotiator in Democratic and Republican administrations. Follow him on Twitter @aarondmiller2 . The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
(CNN) Earlier this week, Russia's Vladimir Putin reportedly told Egypt's President Abdul Fattah Sisi that he would be willing to host direct talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow.
Putin did speak to Netanyahu by phone Tuesday, and according to press reports , they did discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Having pushed Russia into the middle of Syria's civil war with great effect last September, is Vladimir Putin now making a serious bid to become a Middle East peacemaker too? If he's serious -- and this is far from certain -- Washington should let him try.
Given the moribund state of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the long odds of success, Putin would almost certainly fail, tarnishing his vaunted image and likely angering Israelis and Palestinians in the process.
Here are some key questions:
Is Putin serious?
Clearly Putin is only testing the waters at this stage. Had he wanted to own his proposal for talks, Putin might have announced the offer publicly himself. By using al-Sisi -- someone he knows is close to the Israelis and also has leverage over the Palestinians --he assured himself a favorable hearing and a way out should the Israelis and Palestinians say no. Sisi has for months offered to host talks between the sides in Cairo -- an idea whose time has clearly not yet come.
If Putin wanted to take his idea a step further without risking failure, he could invite both Netanyahu and Abbas to Moscow again for separate consultations in Moscow to see whether there actually was a basis for getting them together.
What's in this for Putin?
Putin loves the big stage, particularly if the play includes an angle to counter Washington and make the Americans look bad. Traditionally, the peace process -- or what remains of it -- has been a US preserve. And Putin knows how much effort John Kerry has invested in this to little avail.
The pursuit of an Israeli-Palestinian peace is high-stakes, prestigious diplomacy and has been conducted most often over the years with the Russians excluded. But should Russia find a way to nibble around the edges or insert itself in the middle of the game, it would only reinforce the impression that Moscow is a key player and has exploited successfully the vacuum the Obama Administration has created through what its critics charge is an abdication of leadership. Besides whatever comes of the offer to host talks, Putin loves jerking Washington's diplomatic chain.
Would Abbas and Netanyahu agree?
Clearly neither Abbas nor Netanyahu is happy with Washington's mediation efforts. Netanyahu fears the administration will in its final months try to do something on the peace process he can't accept, such as push for a UN Security Council Resolution or pressure him in some way. And Abbas is frustrated because he believes the Americans haven't squeezed Netanyahu hard enough.
It's certainly possible that Netanyahu is already looking beyond President Obama to the next President and would see the Russian offer as a way to hedge his bets and get through the next several months -- just as he encouraged Sisi to host direct talks in Cairo. Anybody but Obama, Netanyahu might muse to himself.
Still, Netanyahu would have to think very hard -- however important Russia is in the context of Israel's stake in Syria and Lebanon -- about the consequences of a Russian centered peace process. Could he trust Russia, whose views traditionally on the issues in the negotiations (borders, Jerusalem and refugees) have been much closer to the Palestinian side than to Israel.
And what would the impact be in the US and Israel, if Netanyahu agreed to a Russian-led process, particularly with Russia growing closer to Iran and when Netanyahu seems so close to signing a 10-year package of security assistance worth billions with the US.
As for Abbas, he may believe that the Russians would indeed take his side on some key issues. But having refused to agree to direct negotiations with the Israelis these many months, Abbas would not allow himself to cede that point for free. He would demand that Moscow provide assurances that Israel would make concessions on key issues. And why would Putin have any more success in that area than the Obama Administration after eight years?
Most likely, Putin's offer is pot stirring, an effort to create drama and news by demonstrating that Russia might be a peace mediator too. And it's certainly possible that some symbolic meeting -- devoid of substance -- could take place in Moscow.
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But Putin's idea has failure written all over it. And if the Russian leader persists, Washington should stand back and let him try.
If there ever was a loser issue designed to suck huge amounts of thankless effort out of any would-be mediator without achieving results, it's the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Not only is the issue not ready for prime time, it's bound to make those who take it on look weak and feckless and earn the anger and animosity of the Israelis and Palestinians to boot.
Putin knows all of this, of course, which is why more than likely he'll steer clear of any serious effort. But who knows. After Ukraine and Syria, maybe he feels like he's on a roll. Having spent 20-plus years trying to push this particular big rock up the hill, I wish him luck.

Could Putin make peace between Israel, Palestinians?


Aaron David Miller says reports that Putin might try to broker peace shouldn't disturb the U.S; he says the Russian leader would only court failure


Story highlights Czech hiker Pavlina Pizova has described her harrowing ordeal
She survived for over a month in a hut after a tragic accident killed her partner
Numerous attempts to signal for help or hike out were unsuccessful
(CNN) The Czech couple knew they were in trouble.
As heavy snow continued to fall, making the hiking trail they were walking on New Zealand's south island slippery and treacherous, they decided to make for a small warden's hut nearby.
That was when tragedy struck. Ondrej Petr, 27, fell down a steep slope, becoming trapped in a heap of rocks and broken branches.
His partner, Pavlina Pizova, also injured in the fall, attempted to help him, but he soon succumbed to his injuries and the extreme weather.
Pizova said she huddled next to his lifeless body for almost 24 hours, wrapping herself in as many layers as she could find and hoping against hope that help would come.
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(CNN) Italy's anti-mafia chief is adamant that the country's notorious crime syndicate must be kept from infiltrating reconstruction efforts, as an investigation opened into why so many buildings collapsed in a devastating earthquake last week.
The earthquake that struck central Italy before dawn on Wednesday flattened entire villages in ancient towns like Amatrice, but even newly constructed buildings that were supposed to be quake-proofed, including a school, were destroyed.
Bulldozers pull down structures in danger of collapsing in Amatrice, Italy, as aftershocks continue.
"The risks are there, it's impossible to hide. And post-earthquake reconstruction is historically a delicious morsel for criminal groups and business interests," anti-mafia prosecutor Franco Roberti told the Italian daily La Repubblica.
A neat fracture line in the pavement is a telling sign of the earth's violent movement below the streets of Amatrice.
A neat fracture line in the pavement is a telling sign of the earth's violent movement below the streets of Amatrice.
A poster for the 50th anniversary of Amatrice's famous pasta festival, set to take place the weekend following the earthquake, remains on the perimeter of a park now occupied by emergency response volunteers.
A poster for the 50th anniversary of Amatrice's famous pasta festival, set to take place the weekend following the earthquake, remains on the perimeter of a park now occupied by emergency response volunteers.
Emergency personnel survey a cordoned-off area in the center of Amatrice. Much of the town is now inaccessible to everyone but authorities.
Emergency personnel survey a cordoned-off area in the center of Amatrice. Much of the town is now inaccessible to everyone but authorities.
The gated doorframe of a home is the only part of it that remains standing.
The gated doorframe of a home is the only part of it that remains standing.
AnnaMaria Volpetti, 52, stands at the entrance of the tent where she and her family have sought refuge after their ancestral holiday home was ruined in Accumoli.
AnnaMaria Volpetti, 52, stands at the entrance of the tent where she and her family have sought refuge after their ancestral holiday home was ruined in Accumoli.
A view of the tent camp set up by the Civil Protection Agency in the Abruzzo region as temporary housing for displaced residents from the mountain commune of Accumoli.
A view of the tent camp set up by the Civil Protection Agency in the Abruzzo region as temporary housing for displaced residents from the mountain commune of Accumoli.
Rescuers congregate in the shade near a temporary camp under construction for residents displaced by the earthquake in Amatrice.
Rescuers congregate in the shade near a temporary camp under construction for residents displaced by the earthquake in Amatrice.
An camp for emergency volunteers is erected in a park in Amatrice.
An camp for emergency volunteers is erected in a park in Amatrice.
Three days on, various emergency response groups congregate in an open area in Amatrice. Rescuers were initially hindered by the lack of access to the mountain town.
Three days on, various emergency response groups congregate in an open area in Amatrice. Rescuers were initially hindered by the lack of access to the mountain town.
The destroyed convent of Amatrice is visible from the Italian Red Cross field headquarters in Amatrice.
The destroyed convent of Amatrice is visible from the Italian Red Cross field headquarters in Amatrice.
The destroyed interior of a home is seen in Amatrice.
The destroyed interior of a home is seen in Amatrice.
Emergency crews huddle near the iconic Amatrice clock tower still standing amid the rubble. The frozen hands of the clock rest at the time of the earthquake: 3:36 a.m. local time.
Emergency crews huddle near the iconic Amatrice clock tower still standing amid the rubble. The frozen hands of the clock rest at the time of the earthquake: 3:36 a.m. local time.
An emergency responder passes by the rubble of the building in Amatrice where Roberto Partenza and his family lived before the earthquake struck in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, August 24.
An emergency responder passes by the rubble of the building in Amatrice where Roberto Partenza and his family lived before the earthquake struck in the pre-dawn hours of Wednesday, August 24.
He said the country could learn lessons from the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, in which more than 2,400 people died.
"Behind those thousands of dead was reckless building and clan affairs," Roberti said.
"And without wishing to rush judgments I see that also in 2016 many buildings crumbled, public buildings also. Too many," he said, adding that if anti-seismic standards had been met, buildings might crack but shouldn't collapse.
"This is why ... I imagine there's a lot to learn."
He said, however, that the reconstruction after an earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009, which killed more than 300 people, had been largely successful.
JUST WATCHED Why is rescue work in Italy so hard? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Why is rescue work in Italy so hard? 01:55
Devastation
The quake has so far claimed the lives of at least 290 people, and as hopes of finding any more survivors are all but gone, officials are now faced with cleaning up the mountains of rubble and organizing a mammoth reconstruction plan.
In Amatrice -- the worst hit town -- the main road was almost entirely destroyed. Bulldozers are now demolishing the half-standing structures that have no hope of being repaired. Amatrice's mayor has vowed to rebuild the town as it was, but some are wondering if that's smart to do in a town that lies on a fault line -- officials on the ground estimate that it could take five years.
Trials continue over 'mafia-linked' reconstruction
Italy has long struggled with mafia power and corruption. The finance ministry has its own police force and has sent officers to monitor the recovery so that all resources go to the right people and places.
The country's law enforcement agencies are in a renewed anti-mafia drive, and more than 140 people are currently on trial for helping the southern 'Ndrangheta mafia infiltrate the country's wealthy north. Many of them were accused of helping the network profit illegally from reconstruction projects after deadly earthquakes in the Emilia-Romagna region in 2012.
JUST WATCHED Italy holds state funeral for earthquake victims Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Italy holds state funeral for earthquake victims 01:41
Anna Sergi, an organized crime expert from the University of Essex, said she was pessimistic that the country would be able to keep the mafia entirely out of the reconstruction.
"Construction is one of the mafia's main sources of revenue, partly because construction is linked to territory, so the mafia not only seeks construction contracts for money, but also to mark their territory," Sergi told CNN.
A photo posted by Fred Pleitgen (@fpleitgencnn) on Aug 24, 2016 at 9:13am PDT
"There is very likely to be corruption in a reconstruction effort like this, because in Italy, where there is a lot of money, there is always a link to mafia power."
Another challenge in keeping them out of the picture is that they are very difficult to spot these days.
"In more traditional areas of mafia power, they used to use guns and violence to intimidate people, but in most places, they now look more like businessmen, who use corruption and threats to win contracts."
What often happens, Sergi said, is that a mafia-linked company will win a contract for a certain amount of money, and underpay its sub-contractors to pocket a wider margin.
"They pay their workers way less, so they of course do a worse job, and that leads to higher maintenance costs, and in many case, more money generated for them."
The Romolo Capranica school crumbled in the Italian town of Amatrice
Corruption a 'cancer in Italy'
In some affected parts of central Italy, the villages are so small that officials have to weigh up whether they will bother rebuilding at all.
The village of Capricchia has a few hundred people living there in the summer, when residents from cities visit the mountains to get out of the heat. But in the winter, there are usually 12 to 15 residents.
"I don't think there'll be a future." Rosella Santarelli
In the village, Rosella Santarelli is staying in a campervan, too afraid to stay in a building as aftershocks continue.
"I don't think there'll be a future. Our village is poor, there are no people and no jobs. Amatrice is 5 miles away, but there's nothing left of that."
And even in L'Aquila, where the reconstruction was apparently a success, some said they felt they were left out of the town's rebuild, and that too much had been spent fixing the damage to the historic center rather than their neighborhoods.
JUST WATCHED Life in the rubble Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Life in the rubble 01:57
"In Italy, corruption is the big problem," Davide Tonati, 36, told CNN in L'Aquila.
"There are many politicians and bribes. It is the cancer in Italy."

Italy earthquake: Mafia-busting chief warns of criminal reconstruction


Italy's anti-mafia chief is adamant that the country's notorious crime syndicate must be kept from infiltrating reconstruction efforts.


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(CNN) Nico Rosberg will start in pole position in the Belgian Grand Prix Sunday after finishing fastest in qualifying.
His Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton who leads the championship race by 19 points will start at the back of the field at the Spa circuit after taking a grid penalty for using more engine parts than is permissible.
The defending champion was plagued with engine problems at the start of the season and has to accept the penalty for replacing key components. He sat out most of the qualifying laps.
Rosberg was pushed hard by Max Verstappen in the Red Bull who was only a fraction of a second behind his time.
Team mates Kimi Raikkonenen and Sebastian Vettel in the Ferraris complete the front two rows of the grid.

F1: Rosberg makes the most of Hamilton's penalty


Nico Rosberg will start in pole position in the Belgian Grand Prix Sunday after finishing fastest in qualifying.


Johannesburg (CNN) A South African judge on Friday rejected a request by prosecutors seeking to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued that Pistorius' sentence for the crime was "shockingly lenient" and that the state should be granted the opportunity to appeal for a stiffer sentence. Meanwhile, defense lawyer Barry Roux argued that the legal process had been thoroughly exhausted and the prosecution's leave to appeal should be dismissed.
Judge Thokozile Masipa rejected the request in Johannesburg.
A dragged-out legal drama
Oscar Pistorius, as he leaves the High Court in Pretoria on July 6.
Pistorius originally was convicted of manslaughter in 2014 after months of hearings, but a higher court changed that to murder last year, leading to the latest sentencing.
Masipa surprised many when she sentenced Pistorius to six years earlier this year. The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, but individual judges are given leeway if there are "substantial and compelling" reasons to do so.
Masipa cited mitigating circumstances for the lesser punishment, saying Pistorius is genuinely remorseful and a good candidate for rehabilitation. She had described him as a "fallen hero" who will never be at peace.

Pistorius prosecutors lose appeal for harsher sentence


A South African judge on Friday rejected a request by prosecutors seeking to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year sentence for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.


Story highlights A faulty lamp caused the fire, an official said
The workers are from a former Soviet republic
Moscow (CNN) A blaze swept through a printing plant in Moscow Saturday, killing at least 17 Kyrgyz workers, Russian government officials said.
The fire -- which occurred in the Otradnoye district, located in the northeastern part of the city -- was extinguished after two hours.
Police confirmed the nationality of the migrant workers.
Kyrgyzstan , in central Asia, is part of the Commonweath of Independent States -- made up of former Soviet republics.
Twelve people were rescued by fire and rescue units, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations website. Chief of emergency management in Moscow, Ilya Denisov, told state media that a faulty lamp caused the fire.
Read More


A blaze swept through a printing plant in Moscow Saturday, killing at least 17 Kyrgyz workers, Russian government officials said.


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Story highlights Brazilian police say Ryan Lochte charged with falsely reporting a crime
A teammate has already had to pay a five-figure fine to settle his legal trouble
Rio de Janeiro (CNN) US swimmer Ryan Lochte has been charged with falsely reporting a crime, Rio police said Thursday.
The department's chief has requested a letter be sent to Lochte explaining the legal process related to the charges, according to a statement.
The 12-time Olympic medalist will now be summoned to Rio, according to Tourist Support Special Precinct officials.
JUST WATCHED Americans say 'Sorry about Lochte' before leaving Rio Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Americans say 'Sorry about Lochte' before leaving Rio 02:01
Lochte can opt to send a lawyer and does not need to appear in court.
If convicted, Lochte, 32, could face between one to six months in jail, although the judge could choose to levy a fine instead. There would be no negotiations in that case, Clemente Braune, a commissioner with the Special Tourist Police in Rio, said Thursday.
Read More

Ryan Lochte charged by Brazilian authorities


US swimmer Ryan Lochte might soon be headed back to Brazil.


CNN's Becky Anderson speaks with young American voters who are frustrated with both him and Hillary Clinton.


ISIS has announced top spokesman Mohammad al-Adnani was killed while inspecting military operations near Aleppo, Syria. CNN's Brian Todd reports.


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