(CNN) Dressed in black and purple pajamas with keycards around their necks, two Japanese businessmen sip whiskey in a Tokyo hotel lobby bar.
Next to them, a woman in business attire dress puffs away on a cigarette while chatting to two Western backpackers.
It's an unusual sight to many eyes but it's not an untypical Tuesday evening in one of Tokyo's most trendy inns -- a swanky, upscale capsule hotel.
Traditionally, Japanese capsule hotels have had a shabby reputation.
Often located in the popular bar areas, the coffin-sized sleep spaces are notoriously frequented by Japanese salarymen in a drunken stupor who missed their last train home. Most are men-only.
Now, a new kind of stylish capsule hotel is popping up across the country.
With a blend of function and style, they attract both local business people and foreign hipsters in search of fashionable accommodation.
Here's a look at several capsule hotels that are changing the game.
First Cabin Tsukiji
You may just be waking up, but I'm going to sleep. Sleep in my capsule. #sushimeetskabob #tokyo #capsulehotel A photo posted by arteen arabshahi (@arteeninla) on Dec 4, 2015 at 6:34am PST
First Cabin Tsukiji -- where I stayed during my last visit to the Japanese capital -- is part of one of the most popular hotel chains that's redefining the capsule concept.
The reception area, which is integrated with the bar, looks like an airport business class lounge.
Despite the more luxurious approach, it still represents compact living in its most extreme form.
The room -- sorry, capsule -- is basically just a bed.
When I stretch my arms I easily touch both walls.
No desk. No closet. No floor. But it's high enough to stand up straight, which makes it feel surprisingly spacious.
It's clean, comfortable and actually very cozy.
First Cabin aims to create a feeling of being in the first class cabin of an airplane. But for me it evoked memories of hiding in one of the small huts I built as a child, where the entrance was covered with a blanket and comics were read by flashlight.
Instead of a door, there's a sliding pull-down shutter. Above the shutter is a 32-inch flat screen TV with headphones so as not to disturb neighbors. There's a safety box where valuables can be stored.
What else do you need, really?
I slipped into my hotel-issue pajamas and strolled down the corridors, which are lined with capsules.
Every few steps there was the sound of snoring or a person packing a bag. Signs urge guests to be quiet at all times while in the sleeping area.
I nodded discretely to my fellow lodgers as I made my way to the shared facilities, like showers and lavatories. Two floors up is the hotel's 24-hour public bathing area, with characteristic Japanese hot tubs.
Men and women stay on different floors, with the sleeping areas and facilities accessed with a key card.
Located just a few minutes walk from the famous fish market and close to the Ginza shopping district, First Cabin Tsukiji is one of the best budget accommodations in the area.
The chain has expanded and now has a total of five hotels in Tokyo and three more in Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka.
9h nine hours
We are proud to announce that 9h has received an award in recognition of its hotel amenities from "Wallpaper". pic.twitter.com/e1HeNvwu8v — nine hours (@ninehours9) March 18, 2015
Another chain that has gained attention for its swanky approach to minimalistic living is 9h nine hours.
First opened in 2008 in Kyoto, it has expanded across the country, including Tokyo's Narita Airport.
Here, you don't book per night.
You get exactly nine hours -- that's an hour to shower, seven to sleep and one to relax.
Each of the pods has a panel, designed by Panasonic, which controls the lights and sound system. The alarm is designed to wake guests by gently by raising the lights.
Capsule spas and whiskey bars
Tokyo's Women Centurion Cabin & Spa is, as the name suggests, for women only.
Sleeping pods are spacious and chic and come equipped with a TV, tablets, humidifier and aroma diffuser.
At the heart of the hotel is its spa, with sauna and hot tubs.
It caters to the previously untapped market of businesswomen in need of some affordable accommodation.
Twin hotel complex Green Plaza Shinjuku (men only) and Le Luck Spa (women only), located in the heart of Tokyo's Shinjuku area, focuses on beauty and health treatments.
With its saunas, outdoor baths, hot springs and variety of massages, it goes beyond the bare minimum.
The rooms are spacious and nicely designed. There's also a big napping room to unwind after a full day sightseeing.
There's a whiskey bar, business center and "onsen" sauna area.
Reviewers say it's targeted more at the Japanese market than international tourists.
Capsules gaining new fans
You could say now is the time of capsule hotel 2.0.
And there's no doubt that it's starting to gain attention.
On the same evening I stayed at First Cabin Tsukiji one of the people I met in the hotel bar was a guest who said he was a manager working for the Marriott hotel group.
He stays in capsule hotels a couple of nights a week to observe the trend.
"Normally, I stay in five-star hotels," he said. "But I really like this. I'll definitely be back."

Posh pods: Inside Tokyo's swankiest capsule hotels


Offering a blend of function and style, reinvented capsule hotels attract both locals and foreigners in search of fashionable accommodation.


(CNN) Team Europe has showed its hand -- now it's over to you Team USA.
Chasing a fourth straight Ryder Cup triumph, Europe unveiled Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Belgian rookie Thomas Pieters on Tuesday for the golf showdown that tees off at Hazeltine on September 30.
The trio join nine players who have already qualified for the team after finishing in the top positions in the European points list
The inclusion of both Westwood and Kaymer, two highly-experienced players, was expected with the European team already boasting five rookies.
"Narrowing it down to those three wildcards has been a very difficult process, but I said that I was going to look to experience and with Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer I had two former world No. 1s," Europe captain Darren Clarke told reporters.
Clarke enjoyed the support of many high profile European players, world No. 1 and Rory McIlroy (pictured) part of a group that included Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Grame McDowell.
Clarke enjoyed the support of many high profile European players, world No. 1 and Rory McIlroy (pictured) part of a group that included Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Grame McDowell.
Clarke has also served a vice captain twice, in 2010 and 2012. He assisted Jose Maria Olazabal (R) during Europe's incredible comeback at Medinah in 2012, when it retained the trophy 14½ to 13½ having trailed 10-6 going into Sunday's singles.
Clarke has also served a vice captain twice, in 2010 and 2012. He assisted Jose Maria Olazabal (R) during Europe's incredible comeback at Medinah in 2012, when it retained the trophy 14½ to 13½ having trailed 10-6 going into Sunday's singles.
Clarke's last Ryder Cup appearance as a player was perhaps the most memorable. Playing just six weeks after his wife Heather had succumbed to cancer, Clarke was roared on by a vociferous home crowd at the K Club in Dublin, Ireland. An emotional Clarke won three out of three points as Europe repeated a huge victory margin of nine points.
Clarke's last Ryder Cup appearance as a player was perhaps the most memorable. Playing just six weeks after his wife Heather had succumbed to cancer, Clarke was roared on by a vociferous home crowd at the K Club in Dublin, Ireland. An emotional Clarke won three out of three points as Europe repeated a huge victory margin of nine points.
More success followed in 2004 when Europe trounced the U.S. team 18½ - 9½ at Oakland Hills. Clarke won 3½ points out of a possible five in the biggest winning margin since 1981.
More success followed in 2004 when Europe trounced the U.S. team 18½ - 9½ at Oakland Hills. Clarke won 3½ points out of a possible five in the biggest winning margin since 1981.
After a year's postponement due to the 9/11 tragedy in New York, Clarke was back on the winning side in 2002 when Europe regained the trophy thanks to a 15½ - 12½ victory at the Belfry near Birmingham.
After a year's postponement due to the 9/11 tragedy in New York, Clarke was back on the winning side in 2002 when Europe regained the trophy thanks to a 15½ - 12½ victory at the Belfry near Birmingham.
Clarke has been involved in seven Ryder Cups as a player and a vice captain and has lost only once -- in 1999. The infamous "Battle of Brookline" was punctuated by moments of controversy as the U.S. stormed back from a deficit of 10-6 going into the singles to win 14½ to 13½.
Clarke has been involved in seven Ryder Cups as a player and a vice captain and has lost only once -- in 1999. The infamous "Battle of Brookline" was punctuated by moments of controversy as the U.S. stormed back from a deficit of 10-6 going into the singles to win 14½ to 13½.
Clarke's first Ryder Cup appearance came in 1997 when Europe defeated the United States by a score of 14½ to 13½ at Valderrama in Spain under the captaincy of the late, great Seve Ballesteros.
Clarke's first Ryder Cup appearance came in 1997 when Europe defeated the United States by a score of 14½ to 13½ at Valderrama in Spain under the captaincy of the late, great Seve Ballesteros.
Clarke beat off competition from Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (pictured) to become captain, with Denmark's Thomas Bjorn also under consideration by Europe's five-man selection panel that included former skippers Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie.
Clarke beat off competition from Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez (pictured) to become captain, with Denmark's Thomas Bjorn also under consideration by Europe's five-man selection panel that included former skippers Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal and Colin Montgomerie.
Darren Clarke will be Europe's Ryder Cup captain for the 2016 battle against the United States. The Northern Irishman has a storied history in the competition, featuring five times as a player and twice as a vice captain. He has been on the losing side just once, in 1999.
Darren Clarke will be Europe's Ryder Cup captain for the 2016 battle against the United States. The Northern Irishman has a storied history in the competition, featuring five times as a player and twice as a vice captain. He has been on the losing side just once, in 1999.
"The last was very difficult. Graeme McDowell and Luke Donald had an argument with their experience to join that, but they would admit that they have not been on top of their game.
"It came down to Thomas Pieters and Russell Knox and the phone call to Russell was one of the hardest I have ever had to make.
"But, given his form, I found it impossible to leave Thomas out."
Hazeltine is the host venue for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Westwood, 43, has played in every Ryder Cup since 1997 and has won 23 points in the process.
He went unbeaten in 2004 and 2006 and tied Arnold Palmer's record in 2008 after making it 12 matches without defeat at Valhalla.
"I'm incredibly proud," Westwood told reporters after being confirmed in the team.
"When I look back over my career, the Ryder Cup has provided most of the very special moments.
"Myself and Darren are very close and I was very relieved and thrilled to get the pick.
"It's going to be a very tough task. The US is going to be very strong but we are equally as strong -- it's a good mix of experience of youth.
"I think it's going to be a very close contest."
JUST WATCHED Europe's historic Ryder Cup comeback Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Europe's historic Ryder Cup comeback 02:56
Germany's Kaymer played a starring role in 2012 at Medinah - - holing the winning putt to cap off an improbable comeback victory.
The two-time major winner, made his debut in the competition in 2010 and is already relishing another opportunity to lead Europe to glory.
"The first time I played the Ryder Cup, it was very overwhelming," Kaymer told reporters. "2012 was a very special one for me because I really got to know the feeling of what the Ryder Cup means.
"I really didn't want to miss out in 2016 and I'm really glad Darren gave me his trust. I am really glad for Thomas Pieters too -- I played with him last week and was really impressed.
Martin Kaymer will be hoping for more celebrations at this year's tournament.
"I put all my heart in it -- that's all you can ask for and all I can give. It was a bit of a relief to get the phone call from Darren.
"Now is the time to start to prepare and I'm really excited. It's almost the end of the year but it's a massive highlight. I can promise I will play with everything I have because it means a lot to me."
Pieters finished fourth at the Olympics and second at the Czech Masters. The 24-year-old impressed Clarke while playing alongside him at the Made in Denmark tournament where he won the title after opening rounds of 62 and 71.
Thomas Pieters will make his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine.
Spain's Sergio Garcia adds yet more experience while rookies Rafa Cabrera Bello, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Andy Sullivan and Chris Wood are all included.
US captain Davis Love III will reveal three of his four picks on September 11, and will make his final selection on September 25.

Ryder Cup 2016: Westwood, Kaymer and Pieters get Europe wildcard picks


Team Europe is chasing a fourth straight Ryder Cup triumph -- and captain Darren Clarke reckons he's got just the men to do it when the competition gets underway at Hazeltine on September 30.


(CNN) Some of the biggest names in golf are struggling to stay with the leading pack at The Barclays tournament at Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York.
As the first of four tournaments of the PGA playoffs for the FedEx Cup heads towards the final round, both Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy find themselves slipping down the leader board.
Only Australian Adam Scott, who shot a magnificent 65 on round three, and Scot Martin Laird, were still in close contention with the leading pack of Americans.
Rickie Fowler hits his tee shot on the 13th hole during the third round of The Barclays in the PGA Tour FedExCup Play-Offs
Rickie Fowler and Patrick Reed were fighting out Saturday to go into the clubhouse on top with Justin Thomas, Kevin Streelman, Gary Woodland and Ryan Moore all ending the day on five under.
Phil Mickelson, Jusitn Rose, Luke Donald and Jim Furyk all face an uphill battle to recover shots in round four and make a challenge Sunday.
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Some of the biggest names in golf are struggling to stay with the leading pack at The Barclays tournament at Bethpage Black, Farmingdale, New York.


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

Philippines elects its first transgender politician


CNN's Kristie Lu Stout speaks with Geraldine Roman, the first transgender woman in history to be elected to the Philippines congress.


Review: 'Southside with You' is a sweet chronicle of when Barack met Michelle


Brian Lowry reviews 'Southside with You' starring Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers.


Havana, Cuba (CNN) As the Cubana flight touched down in Havana, the passengers around me broke into raucous applause. It was not polite "nice landing" or "glad we finally arrived" clapping, but the kind of full-throated cheering usually reserved for a last-minute goal at the World Cup.
Looking at the threadbare plane, it was easy to understand why everyone was so happy to be back on the ground. It was 1994 and my first trip to Cuba. The Soviet Union had collapsed three years before. Cuba was no longer receiving much of anything from their former patrons in Moscow; definitely not replacement parts for the island's fleet of aging Yak-42 aircraft.
Then: Part of Cubana's fleet at Jose Marti Airport in Havana in 1988.
My trip to the twilight zone that was the Cuba of that era began on that flight. As we came in for landing, flight attendants walked down the aisles blasting us with insecticide. Later, I would learn the Cuban government claimed the CIA was planting disease-carrying mosquitoes on flights to the island.
As we disembarked onto the runway, I noticed a small uniformed man at the foot of the stairs pointing a Geiger counter at the passengers to make sure no one was smuggling in nuclear material.
Many Caribbean islands greet tourists with steel drum bands and rum drinks. Cuba had more of a "Checkpoint Charlie" vibe. The welcome committee was an official clad in olive green who had some questions about your true motives for coming to Cuba.
Desperate for cash, Cuba in the 1990s had reopened to tourism, but there were few Americans visiting.
Then: Varadero Beach, east of Havana, saw a wave of development with the return of foreign tourists in the 1990s.
The only way for Americans to get to the island was through a third country and they ran the risk of US government fines that considered any commerce with Cuba "trading with the enemy."
My whole childhood I grew up hearing about Cuba. An avid fly fisherman, my grandfather had visited the island every year and was in Havana on New Year's Eve 1958 when Fidel Castro's revolution took power. Every time my grandfather returned home to Ohio he told my dad, Harvey, that next time he would take him with him. But then direct flights were canceled and American tourists were no longer welcome in Cuba.
My grandfather passed away and the trip never happened. Instead, my dad read every book and saw every movie about Cuba. Then, in 1994 when tourism on the island rumbled back to life, he told his 17-year-old son, me, they were going for a trip.
Then: Patrick Oppmann, center, his father and a Cuban resident in 1994.
Going into Havana that first time, I saw far more bikes on the road than cars. There were blackouts everywhere.
As I traveled across the island, Cubans at all times tried to guess what country I was from. "Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Spanish, Canadian, Italian?" They would ask, trying to break the ice. No one ever guessed that I was from the United States, just 90 miles away.
Flash forward 22 years and I now live in Cuba with my wife and our children. With the warming of relations between the US and Cuba, suddenly there are Americans everywhere.
Now: Passengers from the first US-to-Cuba cruise ship in decades take to the streets of Havana.
All I have to do is walk outside the door of the CNN Havana bureau to see crowds of Americans touring the colonial streets of Old Havana. Sometimes I don't need to even go that far, as every two weeks a Carnival Cruise ship full of US citizens docks in front of our office window.
According to Cuban statistics, the number of American visitors has nearly doubled in the last year to just under 100,000.
Many of the Americans I talk to say they fell in love at first sight with Cuba's warm people and their rich culture and history.
Almost every one of them tells me they wanted to come before "Cuba changes." But Cuba has already changed -- certainly since 1994 and even in the four years I have been living and working here for CNN.
On my drive to work every day, I'm still getting used to seeing the US flag flying at the newly reopened American Embassy.
Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba Women wearing pants designed with the colors of the U.S. flag walk through Old Havana in Cuba in January. Many Cubans say displaying U.S. flags makes them no less patriotic about their own country, according to Patrick Oppmann , CNN's correspondent in Cuba. They have relatives in the States and a positive opinion of their neighbor to the north despite the antagonism between the U.S. and Cuban governments. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A man looks at a magazine stand in Havana in January. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A handkerchief in the colors of the American flag hangs on a clothesline in Havana in February. Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A woman has her nails painted in the likeness of the Cuban and U.S. flags inside her Havana home in December. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba The American flag is displayed on a Havana cobbler's sewing machine in January. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba An American flag hangs next to a Cuban flag in an Havana barbershop in February. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba American flags adorn a pedicab in Havana in January. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A woman wearing an American flag bandana gives her son some ice cream in Havana in January. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A car passes a man in Havana wearing a cap displaying the U.S. flag in February. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A man wearing an American flag sweatshirt walks through a street in Havana in February. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba A man with the American flag on his sleeve stands with a woman in Havana in January. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: The Stars and Stripes in Cuba Cuban and U.S. flags decorate the dashboard of a car in Havana. Hide Caption 12 of 12
The first of several American-run hotels has opened up, Cubans are sporting once-banned US flags and you can now find Miller Genuine Draft on the shelves of state-run department stores.
A cafe that serves all-day brunch and carrot-ginger smoothies in Old Havana is full of American hipsters who look as if they just strolled in from Brooklyn. Before long, there will probably be five more like just like it.
Cuban officials say they want to proceed slowly with restoration of ties with the US, but the Cuban people have already thrown caution to the wind. They trade the latest US shows and movies on thumb drives and are crazy for American sports and music.
When Madonna came a few weeks ago, her Cuban fans shut down traffic in front of the hotel she was staying in.
And the numbers of Americans will only rise as on Wednesday direct air service between the US and Cuba will resume with an inaugural flight by JetBlue.
That plane will be followed by many, many more. The US and Cuba agreed to allow up to 110 daily flights to the island, with 20 flights going to Havana each day and another 10 flights traveling to nine other international airports in the provinces, according to the US Department of Transportation.
And, for the first time, Americans will be able to book directly with the airline. No longer will US travelers have to fly via third countries on Cubana or deal with four-hour check-in times and exorbitant prices of charter services from Miami.
It's not hard to imagine someone waking up in New York, deciding they want to come to Cuba and being in Havana by day's end.
Under US law, tourism is still illegal in Cuba. But by opening up the number of categories of authorized travel the Obama administration has in many ways done an end run around the travel ban.
Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, a rare Republican who has long supported lifting US sanctions on Cuba, likes to say that the best way to challenge Cuba's outdated, authoritarian government is American spring break.
With US airliners charging about $200 for a round-trip ticket to Cuba, the island could indeed become a spring break destination soon.
Is Cuba's aging infrastructure and austere revolution really ready for that?
Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba The Rolling Stones became the first major international rock band to play in Cuba. More than 100,000 people attended the concert at the Ciudad Deportiva in Havana. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba Cubans celebrated at the concert, the first for the band. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba "Years ago it was difficult to hear our music but here we are," Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger told the crowd in Spanish. "The times are changing." Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba After the Cuban revolution, rock music was banned. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba The concert was the result of months of diplomacy after the United States and Cuba announced that they would repair decades of broken relations.
Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba Perhaps aware that many of the Cubans attending had not heard much of the band's music, the Stones played many of their most familiar classics, like "Paint it Black," "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Brown Sugar."
Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba Given the low wages of most Cubans, the show was free. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Rolling Stones in Cuba Cuban police and soldiers walked around the concert but it was marked by a mostly joyous atmosphere. Hide Caption 8 of 8
You hope that Americans will also show Cubans the best of what we have to offer.
They have been waiting a long time to meet us.

One American's view of how Cuba has already changed


The resumption of scheduled US-Cuba flights will bring Americans hoping to see the island "before it changes." But it already has, writes CNN's Patrick Oppmann.


(CNN) China just added a bunch of new claims to its planet-beating achievements -- this time its the world's sweatiest palms, the trembliest knees and the most-flipped stomachs.
Oh yes -- and the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge.
Thousands of visitors have been steeling themselves to walk across the newly opened structure that spans the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon in Hunan Province.
The six-meter wide bridge stretches 430 meters over a 300-meter-deep valley between two cliffs in the beautiful Zhangjiajie Park, said to have inspired the scenery for the sci-fi movie "Avatar."
Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Glass-bottomed bridge – China has opened the world's highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge in Zhangjiajie in China's Hunan Province. Hide Caption 1 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge View from above – Don't look ... OK, do look down. The 430-meter-long bridge overlooks a stomach-churning 300-meter drop. Hide Caption 2 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Safety first – The bridge's builders say its toughened glass panels can support hundreds of people at a time. They've staged safety demonstrations inviting people to try to smash the glass. Hide Caption 3 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Sensible shoes – High heel stiletto-style shoes are said to be banned on the structure, in order to protect the glass. Hide Caption 4 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Sci-fi landscape – The bridge spans two cliffs in Zhangjiajie Park, which is said to be the inspiration for the landscape in the sci-fi movie "Avatar." Hide Caption 5 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Design classic – The bridge was designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan. There are plans to open up the world's highest bungee jump and stage fashion shows on the bridge. Hide Caption 6 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Popular attraction – Crowds of visitors have been lining up to get a chance to cross the bridge. Hide Caption 7 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Restricted numbers – The bridge is reportedly only open to a maximum 8,000 visitors per day. Hide Caption 8 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Tourist destination – Zhangjiajie is already a popular destination with visitors thanks to its dramatic landscape of peaks and valleys. Hide Caption 9 of 10 Photos: China opens world's longest and highest glass bridge Selfie restrictions – Selfie sticks are also said to be banned from the bridge. Hide Caption 10 of 10
Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the glass-bottomed bridge will also feature the world's highest bungee jump and serve as a runway for fashion shows.
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China opens record-breaking glass bridge


Thousands of visitors line up at Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon to cross 430-meter bridge, said to be world's highest and longest


(CNN) The new movie "Southside With You" depicts a young Barack and Michelle Obama, long before they were living in the White House. It's just the latest movie or miniseries about U.S. presidents before they earned that title.
Obviously, there's no shortage of movies devoted to presidents in office, most recently HBO's Emmy-nominated "All the Way" and Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln." Others, like "Amistad" and"Frost/Nixon," have dealt with stories that involved commanders-in-chief after they left office.
As for seeing presidents before they rose to greatness (sometimes incorporating the time they served), the pickings are a bit slimmer. And some -- like Oliver Stone's "W.," and "Ike: Countdown to D-Day," a TV movie starring Tom Selleck as Dwight Eisenhower -- are pretty forgettable.
With that in mind, here are five suggestions that might not be perfect, but are, historically or dramatically, worth the time:
Henry Fonda as 'Young Mr. Lincoln'
"Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939): Shot in glorious black and white, director John Ford's imagined tale about Lincoln defending a pair of accused murderers features a wonderfully understated performance from Henry Fonda, shot so that it looks like he towers over the rest of the cast.
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Presidents early lives on screen: 5 movies or miniseries to watch


Presidents in movies, miniseries before 'Southside With You'


Story highlights Singapore's Ministry of Health confirmed 82 locally-transmitted Zika cases late Tuesday
The number of cases is expected to rise
Zika is more likely to spread quickly in regions of the world where dengue virus is prevalent
Hong Kong (CNN) The Zika virus is on a rampage in Singapore, with 82 locally-transmitted cases confirmed late Tuesday by the country's Ministry of Health (MOH).
The MOH warns that the figures are likely set to rise, but why is Zika spreading so fast in the city state?
"The proportion of our population that are immune to the Zika virus is likely to be low in Singapore and if you don't have the immunity to provide the roadblocks, then it's likely that the virus will spread fast," Ooi Eng Eong, the deputy director of the Emerging Infectious Disease program at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, told CNN.
JUST WATCHED Everything you need to know about Zika Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Everything you need to know about Zika 01:42
The majority of reported cases are among foreign construction workers based in the residential Aljunied Crescent neighborhood in Singapore. Though cases were limited to this area on Monday, by late Tuesday the MOH reported 26 new cases that showed how the Zika virus had spread to nearby residential areas, raising concerns that the virus could travel even further afield.
While Malaysia and Indonesia announced they would be implementing additional passenger screening procedures at its airports, foreign ministries in the US, Australia, Taiwan and South Korea have all issued alerts, advising pregnant women against traveling to Singapore.
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Why is Zika spreading so quickly in Singapore?


The Zika virus is on a rampage in Singapore, with 82 locally-transmitted cases confirmed late Tuesday by the country's Ministry of Health (MOH).


Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Thursday marks two years since actor/comedian Robin Williams ended his life. Photographer Arthur Grace struck up a friendship with Williams while capturing him for a 1986 Newsweek cover story, and from there the pictures -- for work, for the star, for whatever -- kept coming. Grace has compiled 190 of those photos for a book, "Robin Williams: A Singular Portrait 1986-2002." Here, Grace shows Williams with the entertainer's daughter, Zelda, and Williams' then-wife, Marsha, in 1989. Hide Caption 1 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him After Grace spent a month on the road with Williams for the 1986 Newsweek story, the comedian asked him to shoot the cover for what would be Williams' Grammy-winning album "A Night at the Met." This picture was taken during a publicity shoot for Williams' August 1986 show at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. Hide Caption 2 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams' children Zelda and Cody are in the water, but the funnyman is the one with the goggles in this 1995 photo at home in San Francisco. Grace had the access of a friend, sometimes sharing family vacations or holiday meals. He would occasionally document the family at Williams' request, even taking their pictures for Christmas cards. Hide Caption 3 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams is shown during a makeup test for what would be the box-office smash "Mrs. Doubtfire" in 1993. Hide Caption 4 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams goes over notes in his dressing room before a 2002 show at Harrah's Lake Tahoe in Nevada. About 150 of the book's 190 photos have never been published, Grace said. Hide Caption 5 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams performs at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1986. Grace, a photojournalist who has covered the White House, said he and Williams hit it off in part over Williams' interest in politics and Grace's work travels to Eastern Europe. "His intellect was incredible," Grace said. "He was well-versed in any number of subjects -- always fascinating." Hide Caption 6 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams shares a moment with his pregnant wife, Marsha, in New York in 1989. The book's publication comes two years after Williams' 2014 suicide. "This book is for his fans and those who loved and respected and admired him," Grace said. "(I want them to) see what I considered to be the real Robin Williams: Happy, pensive, joyous with his kids." Hide Caption 7 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams rehearses a dance number with Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg for Comic Relief in 1990. Hide Caption 8 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams' widow, Susan, has said her late husband had suffered from the progressive disease Lewy body dementia leading up to his suicide, weeks after he turned 63. Grace said he didn't know Williams' health was declining. Hide Caption 9 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him The entertainer visits one of his favorite toy stores, Heroes Club, in San Francisco in 1993. Hide Caption 10 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him This photo serves as the cover for the book. Grace said he generally stopped taking photos of Williams in 2002, though their friendship remained. Hide Caption 11 of 13
Photos: Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him Williams in 1995 holds one of his lightweight bicycles outside his San Francisco garage, which held 20 more. When the entertainer had a film coming out, Grace would go to Williams' home and take pictures of routine activities like bike riding. He'd then distribute them through a photo agency for distribution to magazines in conjunction with the movie's release. Hide Caption 12 of 13


The photo book "Robin Williams: A Singular Portrait 1986-2002" gives an insight into the entertainer's life both onstage and off. Thursday marks two years since Williams ended his life.


Robin Williams, as only a friend could see him


Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Monte Irvin died January 11 at the age of 96. Irvin was regarded as one of the best hitters and all-around players in the Negro League, making five All-Star teams. He became one of the first African-Americans to play in the majors, and he played a vital role in the New York Giants' World Series runs in 1951 and 1954.

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.


Story highlights Of the five would-be suicide bombers, security forces killed four, officials say
The attackers targeted "a Shiite gathering," an ISIS-affiliated agency says
(CNN) ISIS has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at an Iraqi wedding that left 15 people dead.
Another 16 people were wounded at the wedding Sunday evening in Karbala.
A statement released by the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency said four suicide attackers targeted "a Shiite gathering."
Iraqi authorities said there were five would-be suicide bombers, and that security members killed four.
The attacker who targeted the wedding sprayed the crowd with automatic gunfire and threw hand grenades before detonating his suicide vest, officials said.

ISIS claims responsibility for deadly wedding blast in Iraq


ISIS has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at an Iraqi wedding that left 15 people dead.


Photos: Infamous serial killers John Wayne Gacy killed 33 men and boys between 1972 and 1978. Many of his victims, mostly drifters and runaways, were buried in a crawlspace beneath his suburban Chicago home. Here's a look at some other notorious convicted serial killers. Hide Caption 1 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Jeffery Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms for the murders of 17 men and boys in the Milwaukee area between 1978 and 1991. Dahmer had sex with the corpses of his victims and kept the body parts of others, some of which he ate. Dahmer and another prison inmate were beaten to death during a work detail in November 1994. Hide Caption 2 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Law enforcement officers meet in San Francisco in 1969 to compare notes on the Zodiac Killer, who is believed to have killed five people in 1968 and 1969. The killer gained notoriety by writing several letters to police boasting of the slayings. He claimed to have killed as many as 37 people and has never been caught. Hide Caption 3 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Authorities said DNA recovered from the body of Mary Sullivan matches that of her suspected killer, the confessed Boston Strangler, Albert DeSalvo. After a sample was secretly collected from a relative, DeSalvo's body was exhumed in July 2013 for more DNA testing. From mid-1962 to early 1964, the Boston Strangler killed at least 13 women. DeSalvo was stabbed to death in 1973 while serving a prison sentence for rape. Hide Caption 4 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Ed Gein killed at least two women and dug up the corpses of several others from a cemetery in Wisconsin, using their skin and body parts to make clothing and household objects in the 1950s. Hide Caption 5 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers In 1973, Juan Corona, a California farm laborer, was sentenced to 25 consecutive life sentences for the murders of 25 people found hacked to death in shallow graves. Hide Caption 6 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Joseph Paul Franklin was convicted in 1997 of murdering Gerald Gordon outside a St. Louis synagogue in 1977. Franklin was also convicted of at least five other murders, receiving a string of life sentences, but he suggested that he was responsible for 22 murders. He was best known for shooting Hustler publisher Larry Flynt, who was paralyzed from the attack. Franklin was executed in November 2013. Hide Caption 7 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers In 1977, David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam, confessed to the murders of six people in New York City. Berkowitz, now serving six consecutive 25-to-life sentences, claimed that a demon spoke to him through a neighbor's dog. Hide Caption 8 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Cousins Kenneth Bianchi, seen here, and Angelo Buono were charged with the murders of nine women between 1977 and 1978. Also known as the Hillside Stranglers, the cousins sexually assaulted and sometimes tortured their victims, leaving their bodies on roadsides in the hills of Southern California. Hide Caption 9 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Wayne Williams killed at least two men between 1979 and 1981, and police believed he might have been responsible for more than 20 other deaths in the Atlanta area. Williams was convicted and sentenced to two life terms in 1982. Hide Caption 10 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers After serving 15 years for murdering his mother, Henry Lee Lucas was convicted in 1985 in nine more murders. Lucas was the only inmate spared from execution by Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Hide Caption 11 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Richard Ramirez, also known as the Night Stalker, was convicted of 13 murders and sentenced to death in California in 1989. The self-proclaimed devil worshiper found his victims in quiet neighborhoods and entered their homes through unlocked windows and doors. Hide Caption 12 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers During a routine traffic stop, a police officer found a dead U.S. Marine in the front seat of a car driven by Randy Steven Kraft. Kraft was linked to 45 murders and sentenced to death in 1989. He would pick up hitchhikers, give them drugs and alcohol, sexually assault them and then mutilate and strangle them. Hide Caption 13 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Ted Bundy raped and killed at least 16 young women in the early to mid-1970s before he was executed in 1989. A crowd of several hundred gathered outside the prison where he was executed, and they cheered at the news of his death. Hide Caption 14 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Joel David Rifkin was stopped by police for driving without a license plate when a body was found in his pickup. Rifkin killed 17 women in New York between 1991 and 1993 and was sentenced to life in prison. Hide Caption 15 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Charles Ng, seen here, and accomplice Leonard Lake tortured, killed and buried 11 people in northern California between 1984 and 1985. After the men were arrested for shoplifting, police found bullets and a silencer in their car and took them into the police station for questioning. Lake killed himself there with a cyanide pill. Ng was later sentenced to death. Hide Caption 16 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Robert Lee Yates Jr. killed 15 people, most of them between 1996 and 1998. He buried one of them in a flower bed by his house in the Spokane, Washington, area. Most of his victims were prostitutes or drug addicts he killed in his van. He is on Washington's death row. Hide Caption 17 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Gary Leon Ridgway, also known as the Green River Killer, confessed to 48 killings after his DNA was linked to a few of his victims. Remains of his victims, mostly runaways and prostitutes, turned up in ravines, rivers, airports and freeways in the Pacific Northwest. Hide Caption 18 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Aileen Wuornos was executed in Florida in 2002 for the murders of seven men whom she had lured by posing as a prostitute or a distressed traveler. Hide Caption 19 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Derrick Todd Lee was accused of raping and killing six women in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between 2001 and 2003. He was arrested in Atlanta for the murder of Charlotte Murray Pace, convicted in 2004 and sentenced to death. Hide Caption 20 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Danny Rolling pleaded guilty to the 1990 murders of five students he raped, tortured and mutilated in Gainesville, Florida. Rolling was also found responsible for a 1991 triple homicide in Shreveport, Louisiana, and was executed in 2006. Hide Caption 21 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Angel Maturino Resendez, also known as the Railway Killer, was a drifter from Mexico. During the 1990s, he would rob and kill his victims near railroad tracks on both sides of the border and then hop rail cars to escape. Resendez was executed in 2006. Hide Caption 22 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Pig farmer Robert Pickton was charged with 26 counts of murder after police found the bodies of young women on his farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. He was convicted of six murders in 2007, and he is serving a life sentence. Hide Caption 23 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers The BTK Strangler, Dennis Rader, killed 10 people between 1977 and 1991 in the Wichita, Kansas, area. He was sentenced to 10 consecutive life terms in 2005. Rader named himself BTK, short for "bind, torture, kill." Hide Caption 24 of 26
Photos: Infamous serial killers Police found the decomposing and buried bodies of 10 women and the skull of another woman at the Cleveland home of ex-Marine Anthony Sowell. He was convicted and given the death penalty in 2011. Hide Caption 25 of 26

'China's Jack the Ripper' caught after 28 years on the run


A suspected serial killer accused of the rape and murder of 11 women has been caught after almost three decades on the run.


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.


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.
JUST WATCHED Leicester's Fuchs on UEFA Champions League Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Leicester's Fuchs on UEFA Champions League 03:08
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
Read More

Champions League: Top leagues guaranteed extra spots


UEFA has announced that Europe's top four leagues will have four guaranteed places in the Champions League group stage from the 2018-19 season.


(CNN) Cape Verde, a remote Atlantic archipelago, is not the most likely candidate for soccer supremacy. And yet, remarkably, the island nation has risen from obscurity to the point where, until a few months ago, they were the top ranking team in Africa.
But how? The obstacles standing in the way of the archipelago, 600 km off the west coast of mainland Africa, are many. The standard of league football isn't that high and resources are limited -- for instance teams based in Santiago, the largest island, all play in the same, old-fashioned stadium. Unlike football-mad Nigeria, with a population of 181 million, Cape Verde only has 500,000 people from which to source footballing excellence.
In April 2000, Cape Verde were languishing at 182nd in the FIFA world rankings. They'd never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations. Known as the Blue Sharks, in reality they were minnows among the big fish of African soccer. But then Cape Verde won the now defunct Amilcar Cabral Cup, a competition between West African countries, and the ball started rolling.
Over the following 14 years Cape Verde moved into ascendancy, due in part to the -- sometimes literal -- groundwork of FIFA initiatives. In 1998 the nation had no grass pitches -- now there are 25.
"They made great contributions to the development of football in Cape Verde," explains former president of the Cape Verde FA Mario Semedo. "FIFA projects were indispensable in fostering the soccer culture of the region."
It's a soccer culture that humbled former colonial masters Portugal 0-2 in March 2015 and, but for fielding a suspended player , would have taken them to the World Cup in Rio in 2014.
Caught in the dragnet of national team success is a generation of children hoping to emulate their idols. From Semedo to coach Jose Maria Lobo to national team goalkeeper Nilson Batilha, all agree injecting money into grassroots soccer is key.
"Cape Verde is producing excellent players from the senior level down to the youth level," says Batilha. "There is a lot of talent amongst youth and if we don't invest in youth, we won't be able to have good players later."
Another challenge is talent retention. Batilha is one of the few national team players still based in Cape Verde. Most of his teammates have traveled abroad to play in other leagues in pursuit of glory.
This exodus is mostly keenly felt in those who have turned away from the Cape Verdean national squad. Valencia and ex-Manchester United player Nani was born in Praia but opted to represent Portugal; Gelson Fernandes, once of Manchester City, plays for Switzerland. Soccer royalty such as French international Patrick Vieira and Swedish legend Henrik Larsson could both have played for Cape Verde given their parentage.
JUST WATCHED Cape Verde football team defies odds Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Cape Verde football team defies odds 07:06
"Before it was really hard for a player to have any interest in playing for the national team," Semedo admits. "But today things have changed... We have examples of players who have turned down offers to play in other countries so they could play for Cape Verde instead -- and they have no regrets.
"[They] can't buy what we offer them. We give them love, caring and friendship. They aren't admired only when they score a goal or play for the team. Even after retirement, they are cared for; the friendship continues. That is one important aspect about how we and Africa must treat our players so they may contribute to their countries of origin."
They may be able to offer their players love, but former player, coach, and 40 year veteran of Cape Verde soccer Luiz Da Silva says the nation needs to open its coffers if it wants to secure longterm success.
"How is it possible that a team that has made it to the qualifiers, and then qualified [for the African Cup of Nations] must rely on donations to play?" he asks. "That's unheard of."
Cape Verde is not a rich nation, and hardly ever plays friendlies because of the expense incurred. It's a serious handicap, preventing the national coach from experimenting or introducing fresh blood from local teams. Silva argues the lack of trickle-down opportunities stymies soccer at a domestic level.
How long Cape Verde can continue to defy the odds remains to be seen. It's going to take time and money to maintain their remarkable trajectory, and sustained exposure at international level. For the players on the pitch the job is much simpler: keep on winning.
"[Soccer] happens to unify everyone," says captain Marcos Soares. "We hope to continue getting good results so that we can give a good example to the country, particularly for the youth to follow."

Cape Verde's remarkable journey to the top of African football


Cape Verde, a remote Atlantic archipelago, is not the most likely candidate for soccer supremacy. And yet, remarkably, the island nation has risen from obscurity to the point where, until a few months ago, they were the top ranking team in Africa.


Peter Salisbury is the associate follow of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House in London. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN) US Secretary of State John Kerry was in the Saudi city of Jeddah this week, with Yemen's brutal civil war high on the agenda as he met officials from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Yemen's warring parties are in the midst of a bloody stalemate: The Zaydi Shia-led Houthi rebels who along with military loyalists of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh have controlled Sana'a, the Yemeni capital, since their joint coup in September 2014; and Saudi-backed anti-Houthi forces ostensibly led by the President in exile Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who are supported by the Saudis, most notably through a campaign of aerial bombardment in Houthi-controlled parts of the country.
Unfortunately, the talks between the self-described "quad" of the US, UK, UAE and Saudi Arabia, are more likely to be an exercise in public hand-wringing than a serious effort to end the war and prevent further loss of life.
It's doubtful, for example, that they addressed the recent decision by Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to withdraw its staff from hospitals in northern Yemen after a series of broken promises from Riyadh that the medical facilities it operates and supports would be protected from airstrikes. And the framework for peace will be issued not by neutral parties but four of the foreign countries most deeply entangled in the conflict, along with the UN's top diplomat working in Yemen.
Moral authority
The meeting in Saudi Arabia could have ended differently, however. The US and UK might take a stand and reclaim some of the moral authority and independence they have lost through unconditional support for the Saudi-led aerial campaign. The alternative is more bloodshed -- and further loss of faith in the commitment of two founder members of the UN Security Council to International Humanitarian Law.
Image taken on August 16 shows damage done to a hospital run by MSF by an airstrike
Last week MSF, which does vital lifesaving work in Yemen, withdrew staff from six medical facilities in the northwest of Yemen after a Saudi-led airstrike killed at least 14 people at a hospital the NGO was running. It was the fourth time an MSF facility had been hit by an airstrike since the war began and one of dozens of schools and hospitals that the coalition has hit, many of them hundreds of kilometers from the frontlines of the war.
"This latest incident shows that the current rules of engagement, military protocols and procedures are inadequate in avoiding attacks on hospitals, and need revision and changes," Joan Tubau, the General Director of MSF wrote at the time.
Airstrikes toll
The UN believes that a huge number of the more than 8,000 civilian casualties in Yemen have been caused by Saudi-led airstrikes. In June, the UN added Saudi Arabia to a list of state actors that violate the rights of children in war due to the incredibly high toll the aerial campaign has taken on Yemeni kids, before being cowed into temporarily reversing its position
For all that they would have us believe otherwise UK and US are not mere bystanders in this. Both countries have sold Saudi Arabia billions of dollars of weapons for use in Yemen since the war began. The US helps the Saudis plan air strikes and provides air traffic control and aerial refueling services to Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) jets taking part in the campaign. London and Washington have also provided the Kingdom with political cover both at home and at the UN.
JUST WATCHED U.S. weapons for Saudi atrocities? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH U.S. weapons for Saudi atrocities? 04:52
But as they have done so it has become increasingly clear that Riyadh either cannot or will not use its expensively-purchased Western weapons with the care and skill needed to properly avoid loss of civilian lives when targeting heavily-populated civilian areas. In some diplomatic circles the Yemen war has become a symbol of Western disinterest in laws of war that they helped craft in the wake of the Second World War.
War crimes
The Houthis and Saleh, it needs to be repeated, are almost certainly committing war crimes in Yemen, according to human rights groups. With this in mind the Saudis, Yemenis opposed to the coup, and indeed Western officials, find it difficult to understand why so much attention is being paid to the Saudis' worst excesses. They aren't the bad guys, the argument goes. But this attitude contains a serious moral hazard: why should rogue states and rebel groups like the Houthis feel accountable for their actions if an ally of two of the UN's most influential member states is not also held to account for its actions or at least reined in?
Yemen's long civil war has reached a bloody stalemate
It's doubtful that the UK and the US will stop arms transfers or freeze the logistical support they are giving the Kingdom, as many aid groups and NGOs are calling for them to do. But at the very least they should call, publicly, for the Saudis to limit their airstrikes to the frontlines of the war. Privately, a number of Western officials concede that the Saudis are "not very good" at so-called dynamic striking -- hitting moving targets or responding to real-time intelligence. So they could at least stop these kinds of strikes anywhere other than clearly defined "hot" zones of combat.
While the initial aerial campaign destroyed most of Yemen's stock of long-range ballistic missiles, another 15 months of air strikes away from the frontlines have had no notable effect on the course of the war, and have turned a large number of Yemenis against the Saudis, the Emiratis -- a key Saudi partner in the Yemen campaign -- and the US and UK.
If they are serious about peace, and want to be able to claim the moral high ground in the future conflicts, Kerry and his British colleagues might want to start thinking about how to rein in the Saudi bombing campaign.

Why US, Britain are key to ending Yemen horror


US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Jeddah this week, with Yemen's civil war likely top of the agenda as he met British, Saudi and UAE officials.


Hangzhou, China (CNN) The former capital of the Southern Song dynasty, Hangzhou is often referred to as Shanghai's backyard thanks to its location less than 180 kilometers southwest of the country's largest city.
But don't be fooled into thinking this is just another Chinese urban center.
Hangzhou, set to host the G20 summit , was once anointed the "finest and most splendid city in the world" by Marco Polo.
And while that title is certainly up for debate these days, it's currently one of the most dynamic cities in China.
Even the proudest Shanghaiists have to admit there are things that Hangzhou -- a favorite weekend escape -- does better than their city.
We explore a few in this mini guide to Hangzhou.
1. Lake living
The beautiful West Lake has inspired many famous artists, poets and writers.
As you gaze upon Hangzhou's West Lake and its surrounding lush hillsides, you'll understand immediately why it's been a great source of inspiration for artists, poets and philosophers throughout Chinese history.
The mountain-fringed West Lake grounds are speckled with pagodas, pavilions, temples and gardens.
The entire site covers more than 12,000 acres and there are numerous paths around the lake.
A favorite starting point is Beishan Road, off which you'll see large patches of lotus blooms and leaves that seemingly stretch to the horizon.
On the other side of the road are historic mansions and villas.
To best experience the lake's charms, hike up to the hills in the early morning or at sunset.
2. Bike-sharing
Maximum fun for minimal cost.
While the rest of the country is moving from two wheels to four, cycling culture is thriving in Hangzhou.
The city developed China's first bike-sharing system in 2008 in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion.
It's since grown into the world's biggest -- and one of the world's best -- public bike systems.
You can hardly go a kilometer without passing a bike-sharing station.
Hangzhou residents have access to over 84,000 bikes scattered across 3,300 service spots. The bikes have taken more than 600 million trips in the past seven years.
Want to get in on the action?
You'll need a "Transportation Smart Card Z," which is designed for visitors. They're available at the Smart Card Center at 25 Ding'an Luwith, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Show your ID and put in a deposit of 300 yuan and you're all set.
Bikes can be dropped off at any station any time of the day.
It costs 1 yuan ($0.15) for the first hour, 2 yuan for 2-3 hours and 3 yuan/hour if you use the bike longer than three hours.
3. Longjing tea
Hangzhou grows some of China's finest and most expensive green tea -- Longjing.
Every spring, before the traditional Qingming Festival, tea lovers from all over the country come to Longjing, a village just south of West Lake, for the first cut of top-quality tea.
During tea season -- late March and April -- you can smell the fresh aroma of the tea terraces, when leaves are picked and roasted in the village.
The village is open to the public and you can pick your own after getting permission from the local tea farmers.
As for how to brew it, Longjing leaves are delicate so the water can't be too hot -- around 90 C.
Freshly brewed Longjing tea has a yellow-greenish color and an aroma of chestnuts and cut grass.
Among the top places to experience the region's tea culture is Longjing Imperial Garden at the rear of the village.
The compound houses a classic Hangzhou garden where you can sip tea and dine.
Meanwhile, the National Tea Museum offers displays highlighting the history and techniques of tea making, as well as tea ceremonies.
Longjing Imperial Tea Garden; 148 Longjong Lu, Longjing Village; +86 571 8799 7711/+86 571 8823 0077; admission costs 10 yuan ($1.50)
National Tea Museum; 88 Longjing Road, Xihu; +86 571 8796 4221
4. Hangbang cai cuisine
Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Longjing tea-fried river prawns – "Wok-fried Longjing (Dragon Well) tea with river prawns adopts something from the mountains and something from the water in Hangzhou," says Colin Cheng, chef at 28 Hubin Road. "It's the dish to represent Hangzhou."
Longjing is a mountain area where some of China's best tea leaves (also called Longjing) grow. West Lake is the most iconic attraction in Hangzhou.
The best version of the dish features whitish and crunchy river prawns with tea leaves sprinkled on top. Before frying the prawns, tea leaves are fried in the wok to bring a hint of tea to the dish.
Hide Caption 1 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Jin pai kou rou (Dongpo pork pyramid) – Often considered a rustic dish, Dongpo pork gets an upgrade in the city.
At 28 Hubin Road, each pig is used to produce just six portions of pork belly, which are frozen before being sliced into 26 layers (in one continuous spiral cut). The meat is steamed for three hours, melting the fat and leaving the pork moist but not greasy. Smoked bamboo shoots are stuffed underneath, creating a pork pyramid. Diners sandwich a thin layer of pork and some bamboo shoots in a chestnut pancake. Hide Caption 2 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Dongpo pork – Dongpo pork is named after Su Dongpo, Hangzhou's beloved poet, painter and statesman (he lived about 1,000 years ago) who's said to have adored the comforting dish. Consisting of layers of lean and fat meat, thick slabs of pork belly are pan-fried, braised and often served with rice.
Dongpo pork was originally served in the pyramid style, similar to this version from Weizhuang Zhiweiguan restaurant.
Hide Caption 3 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes 28 Hubin Road appetizer combination – This appetizer platter at 28 Hubin Road consists of three meat and three vegetarian options. Highlights include "eggs" that are actually marinated goose liver, red wine, peach compote and crystal trotters (a Hangzhounese cold cut). Hide Caption 4 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Pian'er chuan noodles – Created by the 158-year-old Kui Yuan Guan restaurant, this affordable noodle dish makes use of local ingredients, including bamboo shoots, preserved vegetables and small slices of pork. Hide Caption 5 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Deep-fried bean curd – A favorite Hangzhou snack, deep-fried bean curd roll is addictingly crispy. Some are packed with small bits of pork.
The snack is available all over China, but it's most famous here because bean curd is a specialty from Sixiang, Hangzhou. It usually comes with a sweet and sour dip. Hide Caption 6 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Osmanthus lotus root – Like candy, but healthier, these diced veggies with drizzled sweet red sauce are actually poached lotus root that's been filled with glutinous rice. A pinch of osmanthus plant is added for an extra kick. Hide Caption 7 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Boiled Song Sao "Auntie Song" fish soup – Best thing about 28 Hubin Road's Song Sao fish soup: It's uniquely delicious.
Worst thing: You can't eat it elsewhere.
"The traditional clear broth version focuses on getting a rich flavor but not a good texture," says Cheng.
Instead of using a thickening potato starch as the soup's base, its creaminess is a result of boiling down a large amount of snakehead fish for a long time before adding pieces of baked deep-sea cod (with a slightly crispy outer layer), vegetables and herbs.
The result is a sweet fish soup without a hint of fishiness. Hide Caption 8 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Beggar's chicken – Despite its humble name, beggar's chicken is often ordered for its showy theatrics.
It comes in a clay shell with a hammer. Diners break the clay with the hammer, resulting in a lot of action and photo ops. The chicken itself is stuffed with pork and mushrooms, wrapped in lotus leaf before being baked in clay. Hide Caption 9 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Beggar's chicken – The chicken itself is stuffed with pork and mushrooms, wrapped in lotus leaf and baked in clay. Hide Caption 10 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Beef and coriander soup, West Lake style – A traditional home-cooked dish, West Lake-style beef and coriander soup is said to get its name from its resemblance to the city's famous lake.
The thick potato starch base with egg white, mushrooms, coriander, beef and (sometimes) a bit of crab meat gives the soup the appearance of a rippling lake. Hide Caption 11 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Grass carp in vinegar, West Lake style – It may not be the most photogenic dish but it's one of the stars of Hangbang cai cuisine. This Hangzhou dish uses poached grass carp blanketed with a thick, sweet vinegar sauce. Some may flinch at ordering this dish -- to achieve a desirable taste and texture (often said to be similar to crab), the grass carp has to be starved for a few days to expel unwanted waste from its body before being cooked. Lou Wai Lou has a grass carp trap in the lake next to the restaurant for this purpose. Hide Caption 12 of 13 Photos: Best Hangzhou dishes Spring bamboo shoot dumplings – 28 Hubin Road has a special seasonal menu featuring sticky rice wrapped in edible spring bamboo shoots filled with cured pork and kidney beans. The bamboo shoots are steamed in a pot of rock salt, which seasons the dumplings.
"Spring bamboo shoots are a Hangzhou specialty," says Cheng.
When eating the bamboo shoots, the harder outer layers are peeled until you find a tender edible layer, determined by the strength of your teeth.
Hide Caption 13 of 13
Unlike dishes from northern China, which are heavy in sauces and spices, Hangzhou cuisine is mild but flavorful with a focus on fresh ingredients.
You can't leave Hangzhou without trying its signature dish, Longjing shrimp, which combines the city's famous green tea with freshwater shrimp from local rivers.
The shrimps are peeled, seasoned, drained and marinated. Green tea leaves are quickly blanched in oil to bring out a hint of flavor, then the shrimps are fried in a wok.
When the shrimps are nearly done, a spoonful of boiled green tea is ladled into the wok to enhance the aroma.
Among the best places to try this dish is restaurant 28 Hubin Road.
Another celebrated restaurant serving local Hangbang cai dishes is Longjing Manor. Surrounded by tea plantations, it gained fame internationally when profiled by the New Yorker in 2008
Hubin 28 Restaurant; Hyatt Regency Hangzhou, 28 Hubin Road, Shangcheng; +86 571 8779 1234
Longjing Manor; 399 Longjing Road; +86 571 8788 8777
5. Mountain getaways
This sleek 10-room resort is Hangzhou's latest mountain getaway.
Looking for a quick city escape?
About 40 kilometers away from Hangzhou's city center, Qiandai Resort sits on Jing Mountain -- another tea-growing center.
With only 10 rooms, the resort isn't grand or luxurious but every detail has been thoughtfully designed.
Built by local architecture firms, the sustainable resort harmoniously merges into the surrounding environment.
Rustic yet delicate, original but imaginative, the minimalist architecture is tasteful.
All the wooden furniture, frames and ornaments were made from locally sourced timber or abandoned furniture.
Rocks and stones used in the walls and paths came from the building's original foundation and local stony country roads.
The hotel can arrange pick-ups and drop-offs to and from Hangzhou's airport and railway station. There's no website yet but staff speak English so foreign guests can call for reservations.
Qiandai Resort; Siling Village, Yuhang District; +86 182 68 1100 99
6. Silk
Hangzhou is the city of silk.
Its exquisite silk products have been sold domestically and internationally throughout its long history and have even been recognized by UNESCO
Scarves are the city's most popular silk souvenir, highlighting its cutting-edge dyeing techniques.
The industry leader is Wensli , a homegrown silk brand that's determined to become China's Hermes.
The company has already purchased renowned French silk company Marc Rozier and hired a former Hermes executive as its CEO.
In 1975, Wensli was established by Shen Aiqin, whose family has been producing silk in Hangzhou since the Southern Song dynasty.
National and international leaders and dignities have worn the company's products on various occasions.
You can also get a tailored dress or suit from Wansli's flagship store in Hangzhou Tower, a shopping center dominated by Western luxury brands.
Hangzhou Tower Shopping Center; 1 Wulin Square; +86 571 8515 3911
China National Silk Museum; 73-1 Yuhuangshan Road, Xihu; +86 571 8703 5150
7. E-commerce
Hangzhou's said goodbye to coins and bills.
Alibaba, the world's leading e-commerce group, is headquartered in founder Jack Ma's hometown, Hangzhou.
It's single-handedly reshaped the city, once known for little more than natural scenery and cultural heritage.
Following Alibaba's lead, Hangzhou has morphed into a high-tech metropolis, leading some to call it China's Silicon Valley.
Hangzhou residents can easily get by without a wallet as the app allows them to pay bills with a simple swipe of their smart phones -- even at the smallest street restaurants and vegetable vendors.
8. Zen
Hangzhou is a major center of Chan Buddhism in southern China and a popular destination for pilgrimages.
Among the top spots for Zen-seekers is Lingyin -- which means "soul's retreat." It's one of the country's oldest and most important Buddhist monasteries.
Even if you're not interested in the religion, the pagodas and pavilions, bridges and statues offer a sense of how Buddhism is woven into the landscape.
Lingyin Temple sits inside the bigger Fei Lai Feng Scenic Area.
Entry to the Scenic Area costs 45 yuan ($7) and access to Lingyin Temple costs another 30 yuan ($4.5). Open daily, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Lingyin Temple; No.1 Fayun Alley, Lingyin Road, Xihu; +86 571 8796 8665
9. Hand fans
It takes more than 80 steps to make one of these detailed fans.
It's said that tea, silk and hand fans are Hangzhou's three unparalleled gifts.
The most iconic fans are by Wang Xing Ji.
Established in 1875, this time-honored brand has charmed tourists and locals alike with its intricately designed fans.
Sandalwood and black-paper styles are the most popular.
The black-paper fans were once used as imperial tributes. It takes more than 80 procedures to make each one.
Where to buy: Wang Xing Ji; 203-205 Hefang Street; +86 571 8783 0144
10. Art and architecture
China Art Academy was co-designed by Wang Shu, China's first Pritzker Architecture Prize winner.
Located on French sycamore-covered Nanshan Road, China Art Academy is one of the country's most prestigious fine art institutions.
The Art Academy was established by some of China's most celebrated painters and educators near West Lake in 1928.
Its students and graduates have made a massive contribution to Hangzhou's robust cultural creative industry.
For tourists, the Academy's campus architecture is the biggest draw.
Dotted with students and instructors' artwork, it's elegant and minimalist, modern but classic.
The open campus is integrated into the West Lake surroundings.
Its enclosed modern courtyards and gardens offer a hint of traditional Chinese landscape art.

10 things Hangzhou does better than Shanghai


Shanghai's backyard? Not a chance. Hangzhou's got a style all its own, making it one of China's most underrated cities.


(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.


Story highlights Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando are giving away repellent
No Zika cases have been found yet in Orlando
(CNN) It probably was only a matter of time, but mosquito repellent has joined hand sanitizer as a must-have health accessory at Florida theme parks.
Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal Orlando are spearheading the movement in hope of sidelining any fears tourists may have of being exposed to Zika-carrying mosquitoes.
So far, no case of the dangerous Zika virus has been found that far north -- Orlando is 228 miles on the Florida Turnpike from Miami. But experts say it's only a matter of time before the bug reaches the Magic Kingdom.
So Disney is getting set to reassure a key targeted demographic --women in child-bearing years and their partners -- that it will have repellent on hand to fend off any of the critters, disease-ridden or not.
"In an abundance of caution, we are accelerating preventative efforts throughout our property, including providing complimentary insect repellent to our guests along with helpful guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," Disney said in a statement. "We have an extensive mosquito-prevention and monitoring program in place, and we continue to work closely with local, state and federal experts on this topic."
Read More

Amid Zika fears, Florida parks offer mosquito repellent


Amid Zika fears, free mosquito repellent is being offered at Florida theme parks including Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando.


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

Quiz: How much do you know about Juan Gabriel?


Hillary Clinton flexes presidential muscles


On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" presidential nominee Hillary Clinton succeeded in a challenge by Jimmy Kimmel when she flexed her muscles by opening a jar of pickles.


Story highlights The European Commission orders Apple to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes to Ireland
Charles Arthur: Big political blocs can prevent multinational corporations from exploiting tax avoidance schemes
Charles Arthur has been a technology and science journalist for more than 20 years, including working as technology editor for UK national newspapers The Independent and The Guardian. The views expressed in this commentary are his own.
(CNN) The tax battle between Apple and the European Commission can seem abstract, especially if you've actually read the EC competition arm's explanation of why it is demanding Apple pay $14.5 billion of back taxes.
How exactly did Apple create a company with no employees, no office and no country of registry? Why did Ireland rule not once, but twice, that such a setup was legal? Why doesn't Ireland want to collect the money the European Commission says it should have received in taxes up to 2014?
Charles Arthur
But beyond these particular questions, there's a much bigger and more important dynamic playing out. Margrethe Vestager, the EC's combative competition commissioner who handed down the ruling on Tuesday, is demonstrating there's only one way to roll back multinational companies' growing exploitation of hugely complex tax avoidance schemes, dubbed "the dark side of globalization" by Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz. And that is for the really big political blocs to act in concert.
United, they can stand against the financial engineering that shifts billions of dollars out of taxation's reach. If they're divided against each other, tax rates and receipts will fall, and government deficits will grow, prompting more austerity even as the big companies grow perplexingly richer.
JUST WATCHED Lawmakers take aim at Apple CEO on taxes Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Lawmakers take aim at Apple CEO on taxes 02:05
Of course that's not how the big companies want to see it. Apple's chief executive Tim Cook released an open letter on Tuesday, complaining that Apple is "the largest taxpayer in Ireland, the largest taxpayer in the United States, and the largest taxpayer in the world." Ireland's tax authorities ruled not once but twice that Apple's evanescent company, untied to any location, was legal. The EC, Cook says, "has launched an effort to rewrite Apple's history in Europe, ignore Ireland's tax laws and upend the international tax system in the process." Apple and the Irish government say they will appeal the ruling.
Read More


After Apple was ordered to pay $14.5 billion in back taxes, Charles Arthur writes that the only way to prevent large-scale tax avoidance is for big political blocs to act in concert against it.


Story highlights In seven days, aircraft and boat patrol teams searched a total of 16,571 square miles
Survivors marooned for eight days with 'limited supplies'
(CNN) Two stranded mariners were rescued after a US Navy aircraft crew spotted three vital letters etched into the sand while flying over a deserted beach in Micronesia: "SOS."
The US Navy alerted a Guam search and rescue team identifying the uninhabited location, the Coast Guard in Guam said in a statement Friday.
Two stranded mariners were rescued after a US Navy aircraft crew spotted SOS etched into the sand while flying over a deserted beach in Micronesia.
The survivors, who were marooned for eight days with "limited supplies and no emergency equipment on board," were picked up Friday and transferred to Nomwin atoll, according to the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard received a report about an 18-foot vessel with two people aboard missing since August 19. The ship left Weno Island two days earlier en route to Tamatam Island -- but the castaway pair never made it.
In seven days, the aircraft and boat patrol teams searched a total of 16,571 square miles before rescuing the boaters, who have yet to be identified, the Coast Guard said.

Stranded mariners saved after writing 'SOS' in the sand


Two stranded mariners were rescued after a US Navy aircraft crew spotted three vital letters etched into the sand while flying over a deserted beach in Micronesia: "SOS."


Story highlights The San are direct descendants of the first Homo sapiens.
They live across South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Namibia.
In Botswana they're known as the Basarwa, and live a largely nomadic lifestyle
But their culture, traditions and heritage are at risk of being lost forever.
(CNN) Caught between modernity and 20,000 years as hunter-gatherers, the San people sit at a crossroads.
An indigenous people in Southern Africa, they are our oldest human ancestors, DNA testing proving the San are direct descendants of the first Homo sapiens. But today their culture, traditions and heritage are at risk of being lost forever.
The San live across South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Namibia. In Botswana they're known as the Basarwa, where they live a largely nomadic lifestyle that has remained undisturbed for millennia.
JUST WATCHED Meet the indigenous people of southern Africa Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Meet the indigenous people of southern Africa 07:58
"Culture is something that can die and we should understand that culture is dynamic," says Bihela Sekere, part of the indigenous population who previously worked at the Botswana High Commission in London.
Read More

Meet the closest relatives to the first humans


Caught between modernity and 20,000 years as hunter-gatherers, the San people sit at a crossroads.


The battle for China's taxi market: Uber vs. Didi


CNN's Matt Rivers hailed a ride to find out how Didi battles American behemoth Uber for the Chinese taxi market.


"Declassified" explains how the HEXAGON satellite program gave the U.S. an advantage over the Soviet Union. Watch Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT.


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.


(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 Lions, 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.


Story highlights Jillian said her friends encouraged her to share the photos
The tweet has been shared thousands of times
(CNN) An Oregon teen thought the picturesque Willamette River would be the perfect backdrop for her senior photos. What the soon-to-be South Eugene High School senior didn't count on? A naked photo bomber.
Jillian Henry,17, said when she and her friend, Elena Nesbit, realized they had company (sans clothes), "we both just started laughing".
Did the background skinny dipper realize he was interrupting a photo session? Jillian said she's not sure.
"We weren't the only people there and I feel like he had to have seen us in the water with a camera, but he didn't leave or anything," she said.
Undeterred, the two snapped a few more photos before they decided to leave.
Read More

Naked guy accidentally photobombs teen's senior pictures


An Oregon teen thought the picturesque Willamette River would be the perfect backdrop for her senior photos. What the soon-to-be South Eugene High School senior didn't count on? A naked photo bomber.