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NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Brazil legend Pele has been threatened with court action unless he retracts a reported allegation that compatriot Robinho, the Manchester City striker, has taken drugs.
Robinho is "upset and disappointed" at comments attributed to Pele regarding the use of drugs.
Pele had claimed Robinho and Brazil's former world footballer of the year Ronaldo used recreational drugs at a private party in Sao Paolo.
Robinho's official Web site says the player is "upset and disappointed" at Pele whose alleged comments came during a court case involving his son, Edinho, was has admitted cocaine addiction.
The story hit the headlines in Brazil and Robinho´s Web site says "that a formal retraction from Pele will be requested, if what he said was not misinterpreted by the media that published it. And if Pele does not come forward, he will have to deal with his very unfortunate comment in court.
The statement by the player's representatives, added: "Robinho is upset and disappointed at Pele, who seems to have forgotten the great idol he was and that it appears Pele must be reading sensationlist medias, to come up with such wrongful statement."
Brazilian radio station, Jovem Pan, had quoted Pele as saying that: "It is unfair to talk about drugs in football just because of one or two cases, like Robinho and (former Brazil striker) Ronaldo, who had that problem."
|
f64254f26d004a4799633e39d436fccf
|
Who is requesting a formal retraction?
|
[
"Robinho,"
] |
NewsQA
|
MADRID, Spain -- David Nalbandian battled back to stun world No. 1 Roger Federer with a 1-6 6-3 6-3 victory in the final of the Madrid Masters on Sunday.
David Nalbandian celebrates after upsetting Roger Federer in the Madrid Masters final.
The Argentine, ranked 25th in the world, repeated his 2005 upset win over the Swiss star in that year's season-ending Masters Cup -- also an indoor event.
Defending champion Federer, playing in his first tournament since winning the U.S. Open six weeks ago, made 38 unforced errors.
Nalbandian became only the third player -- and the second this year after Novak Djokovic in Montreal in August -- to beat the world's top-three players en route to winning a title.
German legend Boris Becker was the first to perform the feat 13 years ago.
Nalbandian ousted second-ranked Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and then Serbian Djokovic in Saturday's semis.
The 25-year-old, who lost in the Madrid final in 2004, claimed his first triumph on the ATP Tour since May, 2006, on clay in Portugal.
He spent a year without a coach, but has revived his career since teaming up with Hernan Gumy.
"I'm extremely contented to beat the world number one," Nalbandian said. "Roger and I have a long history and I think that influenced the match.
"It was an extremely hard first set. But I tightened the teeth and I began to play more strongly. Things came out fine, I played incredible, and that of course that helps."
Federer added: "He served well, I was quite surprised with how well he served. "He came back strong and played well in the end.
"He was a better player all in all. I was struggling after the first set to play aggressively, for some reason. He played tough and didn't miss any more. I couldn't play way I wanted to. It was a pity, he played a great tournament." E-mail to a friend
|
e825fa5222c341c1a7360cf2e3f01b7b
|
Who won Madrid Masters?
|
[
"David Nalbandian"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Brendon Pelser said he saw pure terror in the faces of his fellow passengers after an engine fell from a wing as it took off from Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday.
Men were sweating profusely, women were crying.
"There was fear on their faces," Pelser said. "Everyone started panicking."
But the pilot of Nationwide Airlines' Boeing 737 Flight CE723 was able to fly long enough to dump fuel and make an emergency landing at Cape Town International Airport.
Including crew, 100 hundred people were on the plane that departed at 3:50 p.m. on an hourlong flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. No one was injured.
The jet had only been in the air about 10 minutes before the engine fell.
"We heard something crash and bang, the plane veering left and right. A person on the right side said the engine was missing -- had broken clean off," said Pelser. Watch Pelser describe how the flight crew told passengers to "prepare for the worst" »
"They flew us in very slowly. We were all prepared for the worst. We went into the fetal position, head between the legs," he said. "Then we hit the runway."
"I did kind of pray. I didn't want to die. I'm not really ready to die," the 33-year-old said.
An object had been sucked into the engine as the nose wheel lifted from the ground and officials are trying to identify it.
The engine-to-wing supporting structure is designed to release an engine "when extreme forces are applied," to prevent structural damage to the wing, Nationwide said on its Web site.
The airline described the incident as a "catastrophic engine failure."
As the nose wheel lifted from the ground, "the captain heard a loud noise immediately followed by a yaw of the aircraft (sideways slippage) to the right," the airline said in a news release.
The flight instruments showed the No. 2 engine on the right side had failed, it said.
Pelser said he spent the night in Cape Town, then flew back to Johannesburg where he lives, on the same airline.
Nationwide said the engine had undergone a major overhaul in March 2005 at "an approved Federal Aviation Authority facility in the U.S.A." and had flown only 3,806 hours since then.
"These engines typically achieve 10,000 hours between major overhauls," Nationwide Airlines' press release stated. E-mail to a friend
|
046721b4fc5346828982cf7a34ef40ed
|
What did Nationwide Airlines pilot do?
|
[
"fly long enough to dump fuel and make an emergency landing at Cape Town International Airport."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Paraguay international Salvador Cabanas is in a critical condition after being shot in the head in Mexico City.
The 29-year-old Club America striker was taken to a hospital intensive care unit following the incident on Sunday night.
Mexico City attorney general Miguel Angel Mancera told TV station Televisa: "We don't know the motive behind the injury. According to an initial report it was a shot from a firearm with a frontal entry point and without exit.
"The player is conscious but he has a heart problem which they're trying to stabilize. We're waiting to see what those arrested have to say. It seems that the attack happened in the bathroom of a bar."
Cabanas is one of Paraguay's most highly-rated players and was part of their World Cup squad in Germany.
He has scored more than 100 times in the Mexican top-flight and has netted 18 goals in 24 matches this season.
Club America president Michel Bauer later revealed the forward was having surgery adding he believed the attack was unprovoked. "He arrived conscious and responded well to the questions they asked him as he was going into hospital," he told Televisa.
"It's a key point that can be encouraging, but until further notice we cannot speculate on anything at all.
"They wanted to assault him. I can confirm that is what his wife has said, that it was an assault. There was no shoot-out nor any quarrel," Bauer added.
|
c38ebe9222f54ae7a0482776340242ce
|
who was shot in the head
|
[
"Salvador Cabanas"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Brian Adkins, a newly assigned American diplomat in Ethiopia, was found dead last weekend at his home in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, an embassy spokesman and a senior State Department official told CNN.
U.S. Embassy press officer Michael McClellan identified Adkins and said he was from Columbus, Ohio. He was 25 at the time of his death.
"He was found dead over the weekend and a criminal investigation is under way," McClellan told CNN on Thursday. "The Ethiopian federal police are investigating it."
Adkins, who would have turned 26 on Monday, received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from George Washington University, according to the school's newspaper, the GW Hatchet, which reported his death.
According to the newspaper, Adkins joined the State Department after receiving his master's degree in 2007.
A State Department official, who declined to be named because of the ongoing investigation, said it was the diplomat's first tour of duty as a foreign service officer. There were no apparent threats against him, and investigators were trying to determine whether he was the victim of a random crime.
Adkins' father, Dan Adkins, told CNN affiliate WBNS that his family worried about him, but Adkins assured them he would be safe at a guarded compound.
His sister, Tiffany Cooper, said the family was struggling.
"It is hurting us. There is no closure. We have no idea how our brother died," Cooper said.
The GW Hatchet reported that Adkins moved to Ethiopia as part of a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship, after studying the local language and culture for nearly a year.
A GWU student and friend of Adkins described him as "selfless, hardworking, confident, funny, charming, articulate, a scholar and a gentleman," according to the newspaper.
"The world has lost someone who had so much to offer. I miss him tremendously," senior Michael Geremia told the newspaper. "When I received word of his death on Monday, which would have been his 26th birthday, a piece of me died in Ethiopia."
As a student, Adkins was active in the Knights of Columbus and the Newman Center, which are organizations run by the Catholic church, the paper reported.
-- CNN's Elise Labott and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.
|
5be1da1096f14923be176227044099c1
|
Who is invistegating
|
[
"\"The Ethiopian federal police"
] |
NewsQA
|
Paris, France (CNN) -- French investigators said they are looking into problems encountered by an Air France jet last month in nearly the same spot over the Atlantic where another Air France jet mysteriously crashed in June.
Air France flight 445 was flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, the night of Nov. 29 when it encountered the problems, the French accident investigation agency, BEA, said in a news release this week.
It is the same route taken by Air France flight 447 when it went down in the Atlantic Ocean in stormy weather June 1, killing all 228 people aboard. The investigation agency has not established the cause of the crash, and large parts of the plane -- including both flight recorders -- have never been found.
"The analysis of what happened could lead to complementary explanations about the accident of flight AF 447," the investigation agency said.
Flight 445 encountered "severe turbulence" about four hours after takeoff on Nov. 29, forcing the pilots to descend, Air France said in a statement after the flight.
The crew sent out an emergency radio message to indicate it had left its flight level, Air France said.
The flight, with 215 people aboard, "continued normally" after half an hour of moderate to severe turbulence, the airline said.
Air France declined to comment on the investigation agency's statement this week.
The BEA said the November flight was an Airbus A330-203, the same model involved in the June crash, but Air France said the November incident involved an Airbus A330-200.
While French authorities have not yet determined what caused the June crash, tests have brought into question the performance of pitot tubes, which are used to measure the pressure exerted on the plane as it flies through the air, and are part of a system used to determine air speed.
Flight 447 sent out 24 automated error messages before it crashed that suggested the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through the thunderstorms, officials have said.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a directive in late August requiring airlines to replace pitot tubes manufactured by Thales Avionics on Airbus A330s and A340s. It said airlines should replace them with other Thales tubes and those manufactured by Goodrich.
-- CNN's Luc Lacroix contributed to this report
|
0f607f488b954543b23d2eb7c4ae8266
|
Where did Flight 447 go down?
|
[
"Atlantic Ocean"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The space shuttle Discovery was waved off from its first chance to land Friday afternoon because of unstable weather near Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said.
The space shuttle's landing in Florida was delayed Thursday, shown. A first attempt Friday was called off, too.
The shuttle will make another orbit of Earth, while NASA mission managers watch to see if extreme moisture and lightning threaten a safe landing.
The next opportunity to land in Florida would come at 7:23 p.m. ET; however, Mission Control told the shuttle crew the forecast for that time "looks about the same."
Crews have been activated at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert in case NASA decides to land the shuttle there, where the weather is not considered an issue. There are two chances to land Friday evening in California.
The space agency, however, usually exhausts all landing windows in Florida before sending the spacecraft to California. A landing on the West Coast adds a week to the turnaround time before the shuttle can be ready for another mission and it costs several million dollars.
The landing could be delayed until Saturday when there are two more chances to land in Florida or California.
Discovery initially was scheduled to return to Earth on Thursday, but poor weather in central Florida also forced a delay.
The seven astronauts are wrapping up a 13-day mission to the international space station, where the crew made repairs and delivered supplies. The crew executed three spacewalks and dropped off a Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill, or Colbert treadmill. It was named after comedian Stephen Colbert.
Weather and technical problems delayed Discovery's launch three times before blastoff.
|
6a66047780094068ab2d21b1e21d5bab
|
where is the backup plan landing site
|
[
"Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Oklahoma health officials said Friday they are searching for the source of a rare form of E. coli that has killed one person and sickened 116 others in the northeastern part of the state.
The subtype of bacteria -- called E. coli 0111 -- is "not normally found in this form of outbreak," said Leslea Bennett-Webb, director of communication for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
More than 50 people have been hospitalized and nine people -- six of them children -- have been placed on dialysis, she said.
She said the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, helped state officials determine the subtype, but said the cause of the outbreak remains unknown.
"The focus has been narrowed to the Country Cottage Restaurant located in Locust Grove," she said, noting that most of the people who became ill ate there between August 15 and August 23.
Tests carried out on water from a well on restaurant property indicate the presence of bacteria, but "we have not been able to confirm what kind of bacteria," said Skylar McElhaney, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
The Oklahoma Department of Health will analyze them and compare them with samples taken from victims, she said. "We can't say for sure that it is tied to the water in any way, but we also cannot rule it out," she said.
Symptoms of infection with the bacteria can include severe diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and severe abdominal cramping, said Larry Weatherford of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Management at the restaurant, which has closed during the investigation, was working closely with health officials, he added.
Meanwhile, the outbreak appears to be abating. "While we believe we are seeing a downward curve in the number of people who have become ill, we still have many challenges with some patients who remain hospitalized," said State Epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley. "We continue to ask the public to be extra diligent in their hand washing and food preparation to minimize the possibility of additional persons becoming ill."
The CDC estimates there may be about 70,000 E. coli infections each year in the United States.
|
310d2af87a084313800d5c1344b01f2d
|
which restaurant is focus of investigation?
|
[
"Country Cottage"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Mexican authorities on Thursday continued to investigate the kidnappings of at least six people from a Holiday Inn in Monterrey, Mexico, Wednesday.
Nuevo Leon state Attorney General Alejandro Garza y Garza said in a news conference that the unidentified gunmen entered a second hotel as well, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.
A convoy of between 10 and 15 vehicles carrying as many as 30 gunmen pulled into the Holiday Inn at around 2 a.m., Garza y Garza said.
According to him, the gunmen brought a handcuffed man into the lobby, who gave them information on the intended victims.
A businessman from Mexico City, Luis Miguel Gonzalez, was kidnapped, along with three other guests, Garza y Garza said.
The other guests were identified as Angel Ernesto Montes de Oca of Mexico City, Manuel Juarez and Aracely Hernandez, an employee of a staffing company near the border with the United States.
A hotel receptionist, David Salas, was also kidnapped, together with another hotel employee, authorities said.
A security guard at the hotel was missing, but it was not confirmed that he too was kidnapped, Garza y Garza said.
Before leaving, the gunmen took the computer from the reception desk as well as the video from the security camera, he said.
Minutes later, there was a report of the same group of gunmen entering the Mision Hotel, located near the Holiday Inn. Police responded to the hotel, but the officials there declined to report a crime to the authorities.
Northern Mexico, particularly the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, have seen a recent uptick in violent activity, much of it blamed on warring drug cartels.
|
d0b6c15825a24a9cbbb2110973285db6
|
How many gunmen get into the Holiday Inn at 2 a.m?
|
[
"30"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Thirty-eight years ago, Joseph McGinty Nichol was a boy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, playing with toy robots.
Many of the robots in "Terminator Salvation" are real machines, which increased realism, the cast says.
Today "McG," as he is better known, builds and blows up real robots.
The prominent filmmaker is the driving force behind one of the season's summer blockbusters, "Terminator Salvation," which is filled with very expensive and very explosive robots. The choice to use real robots when possible, instead of CGI (computer generated images), was deliberate, McG said.
According to the director and the film's stars, the decision to use real machines was a testament to the growing sophistication of the moviegoing public, whom they believe can "feel" the difference between actors standing in front of a green screen versus actors interacting with the real thing.
It was also done in honor of the legendary special effects supervisor, four-time Oscar winner Stan Winston ("Jurassic Park," the other "Terminator" films), who passed away during filming last year. Watch the robots in action »
The director and three of his cast members -- Christian Bale, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anton Yelchin -- took a time out with CNN to explain why gravity and singed eyebrows both played a role in "Terminator Salvation."
Bryce Dallas Howard: That was something that was really important to McG ... when an audience member sees this film, that they can actually feel what's occurring.
I think that audiences are very savvy now. We can feel when something is CGI and that's no disrespect to CGI -- we couldn't do this movie without it -- but, whenever possible, in the tradition of Sam Winston, he wanted to build the robots. So a lot of what you see is real.
McG: And if you drop something, we've spent our whole lives watching physics in play, and if you say, just have the CGI do that, people can tell something's off, and it releases you from being involved in the picture. So, we built all the robots, we built all the sets, we blew them up for real, a great many of us lost our eyebrows!
Christian Bale: It was kind of comical at times because something that's meant to be so intimidating was actually surrounded by five guys with these kind of puppet rods I had to blank out or I would start laughing. But, the end result is something really formidable and you know, really iconic in movie history.
Anton Yelchin: Now I'm obsessed with the robots! I'm so [annoyed] that this guy or whoever it is that's in charge of it wouldn't let me have one!
|
34e0951f8ff141c38883757ab9cfac8b
|
What is the name of the movie?
|
[
"\"Terminator Salvation\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Investigators looking for the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes will focus on farms in Mexico and Florida, federal health authorities said Friday.
Since April, more than 500 people have contracted the same strain of salmonella, linked to raw tomatoes.
The tracebacks "have taken us from point of consumption all the way back to certain farms in Mexico and Florida," said Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration.
The agency will send teams of investigators to farms in both locations this weekend as well as to the pathways from those farms in an attempt to determine where the contamination occurred, he said.
The tomatoes may not have been contaminated on a farm, he stressed; the contamination could have occurred in a packing shed, warehouse, supplier chain or distribution center.
"We are going to all of those places to see if there are any problems that could indicate how or why these tomatoes got contaminated," he said.
The reported advance in the investigation came as the toll mounted, with 552 people identified as having contracted the strain of Salmonella Saintpaul since April in 32 states and the District of Columbia. It is one of the biggest outbreaks of tomato-caused illness in history, officials said. See where the cases have been reported »
Though the number of reported victims has risen dramatically in recent days, that does not signify a large number of new infections, Acheson said.
Instead, he credited improved surveillance and laboratory identification of previously submitted strains for the increased number.
The bulk of the new reports were in Texas, which tallied 265 cases, according to Ian Williams, chief of the OutbreakNet Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 53 of the victims, whose ages range from 1 to 88 years, have been hospitalized. The victims are almost evenly split between males and females.
Though no deaths have been officially attributed to the outbreak, a man in his 60s in Texas who had cancer also had the infection, which may have contributed to his death, Williams said.
The outbreak began April 10, and the latest case was reported June 10.
|
03345b01b69e49e8873ad7e5eaf6a034
|
Where were the farms?
|
[
"Mexico and Florida,"
] |
NewsQA
|
OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- A former transit police officer charged with murder was released from custody Friday after posting a $3 million bail.
Video shows Johannes Mehserle shoot Oscar Grant III in the back as another officer knelt on him.
Dozens of demonstrators gathered in downtown Oakland to protest the release of Johannes Mehserle, 27, charged with killing an unarmed man on New Year's Day. iReport.com: Watch the protest
The former Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer's release funds came from unknown sources, Alameda officials told CNN.
Video taken by a bystander showed Mehserle pulling his gun and fatally shooting Oscar Grant III, 22, in the back as another officer kneeled on Grant.
Mehserle may have intended to draw and fire his Taser instead of his gun, according to a court filing by his attorney.
In January, protests turned violent after a judge decided to allow bail for Mehserle's release.
A preliminary hearing in the case is set for March 23, authorities said.
CNN's Jackie Castillo contributed to this report.
|
7e7e27d72fb947ba9665851fe5825b05
|
What is the name of the murder victim?
|
[
"Oscar Grant III"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Mashable) -- Yesterday, Tweetie 2 for iPhone disappeared from the App Store. Its replacement, simply titled Twitter, is now available.
This comes a little more than a month after Twitter acquired Tweetie from its creator, Loren Brichter. In addition to being free, the app now carries the distinction of being "version 3.0."
If you were expecting a big update and iPad support alongside the new name, brace yourselves; Tweetie -- er -- Twitter has remained relatively unchanged from its prior release.
That's not a bad thing; as we reported in our original reviews of Tweetie 2 and Tweetie 2.1, Tweetie is one of the best Twitter experiences for any platform and, in our opinion, was the winning app on the iPhone by a wide margin.
That said, check out some of the new features and tweaks that you can find in the newly rebranded app:
• You can use Twitter without an account. Spy on your friends without having to actually use Twitter.
• You can sign up for a Twitter account within the app itself, complete with Suggested User List.
• The "More" tab has been reorganized and popular actions have been moved to the main action bar.
• Search results include Top Tweets.
In acquiring Tweetie, Twitter raised the ire of its developer community, who worried about what this means for their own applications now and in the future. Twitter has argued that it needs to have an official client to improve basic user experience.
Earlier this month, Twitter for Android was released and RIM launched its own Twitter application for the BlackBerry. This means that the three hottest smartphone platforms all have official Twitter clients.
If you never used Tweetie, we highly recommend downloading Twitter for iPhone. It's just a great application and now that it's free, there's really no excuse not to give it a try.
What is your favorite Twitter client for the iPhone? Let us know in the comments below.
© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.
|
2071fb930f864757ab65b3dfd8a18759
|
What does the app come with?
|
[
"\"version 3.0.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A gay rights group is welcoming the likely appointment of the world's first openly gay prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir of Iceland.
Protesters in Reykjavik celebrate the prime minister's resignation on Monday.
Sigurdardottir, the country's 66-year-old minister of social affairs and social security, is on track to succeed Prime Minister Geir Haarde, who resigned Monday following the collapse of the country's main banks, currency and stock market.
Negotiations are underway between Sigurardottir's Social Democratic Alliance Party and potential coalition partners. If they succeed, she will become interim prime minister until Iceland next goes to the polls, which must happen by May.
"We really warmly welcome that," said Gary Nunn, a spokesperson for Stonewall UK, a British gay-rights group. "At a time when we've just seen a black man elected to the highest office in America, it gives us hope that we will see an openly gay prime minister here some day."
"It really does matter. It is helpful" to have an openly gay prime minister, Nunn said. "We are trying to foster the ambition that young people can be anything they want to be."
Britain has only one openly lesbian member of Parliament, Angela Eagle of the Labour party, Nunn said. The United States currently has three openly gay members of Congress -- Democratic Reps. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Jared Polis of Colorado.
Stonewall considers it a higher priority to have significant numbers of openly gay lawmakers than an openly gay prime minister.
"For a head of state of to be gay is great and really encouraging, but it's really important for Parliament to represent the people it serves," he said.
Sigurdardottir has been a member of Iceland's Parliament for 30 years, and is in her second stint as minister of social affairs.
She started her career as a flight attendant for the airline that became IcelandAir. She was active in the flight attendants' labor union during her 11 years with the airline, according to her official resume.
Sigurdardottir briefly led her own political party, which merged with other center-left parties to form the Alliance party.
She would become Iceland's first female prime minister, although not the North Atlantic nation's first female head of state -- Vigdis Finnbogadottir became its fourth president in 1980.
Sigurdardottir lists author and playwright Jonina Leosdottir, 54, as her spouse on her ministry Web site. She has two children from an earlier marriage.
|
72c521d99f73498ebf87d757b91f5ff4
|
Who is on track to succeed Prime Minister Geir Haarde?
|
[
"Johanna Sigurdardottir"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Justine Henin booked her place in the third round of the Australian Open after she claimed a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) victory over fifth seed Elena Dementieva in Melbourne on Wednesday.
The Belgian, who won the tournament in 2004, came through an enthralling clash which lasted two hours 50 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.
Henin, who is playing in her first Grand Slam event since she ended her 20-month retirement from tennis, took the first set but Russian Dementieva hit back in an enthralling second set to take a 4-2 advantage.
Wildcard Henin then broke back to take the next three games and the match went to tie-break but Dementieva was unable to take the match into a third set as Henin clinched victory with a fierce volley.
After the match Henin admitted it was exactly the kind of match which vindicated her decision to return to competitive tennis.
"It's great feeling. It's magical to win this kind of match in this kind of atmosphere," Henin told reporters in the post-match press conference.
"It was a great match. It was very emotional for me on the court at the end because there was so much intensity. To play this kind of match in the second round, for me, after two years off in a Grand Slam, it's just the kind of situation that I needed,
"The crowd gave me so much. So respectful at the end. It was a special night tonight. That's why I probably came back on the tour, was to live this kind of matches."
Blog: Belgians lead the way in Melbourne
Henin will now play another Russian in 27th seed Alisa Kleybanova with a potential quarterfinal on the horizon against compatriot Kim Clijsters who came through in straight sets - 6-3, 6-3 - against Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn.
Fellow Belgian Wickmayer continued her recent good form by knocking out Italian 12th seed Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (7-2) 6-1.
Elsewhere, third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova recorded a 6-2 6-2 victory over fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova while Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki overcome a nervy first set against Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak to win 6-4 6-2.
Seventh seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus cruised to a routine 6-2 6-0 victory over France's Stephanie Cohen-Aloro while Russian Vera Zvonareva eased past Slovakian Kristina Kucova by the same margin.
|
e3ac6b4909eb4da093efe69fbdcf41dd
|
Which round did Justine Henin book her place?
|
[
"in the third"
] |
NewsQA
|
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A public memorial service for heavy metal rocker Ronnie James Dio is planned for Sunday, with members of the Westboro Baptist Church saying they will picket the ceremony.
The church in Topeka, Kansas, is known for its intolerance of gays and its picketing of soldiers' funerals.
A picketing schedule on the church's website said protesters will be at the Dio memorial at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, accusing the 67-year-old rocker of worshipping Satan.
Dio died on May 16 after a battle with stomach cancer.
Charges of devil-worshipping have often been leveled against heavy metal music. Dio, in particular, was a favorite target.
He popularized the "devil's horn" gesture, where the index and the little fingers are upright and the thumb is clasped against the two middle fingers.
He has said he was taught by the sign by his superstitious Italian grandmother as a way to ward off the "evil eye."
But many fundamentalist Christians have taken issue with the gesture, alleging that it is a tribute to the devil.
"Ronnie hates prejudice and violence. We need to turn the other cheek on these people that only know how to hate someone they didn't know," said Dio's wife, Wendy, about the planned protest.
Wendy Dio said the memorial will host a donation center for her husband's "Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund," named after one his songs.
Dio most recently was touring with Heaven and Hell, a version of Black Sabbath renamed for legal reasons. All shows were canceled last March because of his illness.
His last public appearance was in April at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, when he accepted a vocalist of the year award for his work on last year's Heaven and Hell album. Dio appeared frail, but he spoke while accepting his award.
Born Ronald James Padavona in 1942, Dio's professional music career began as a high school student in the late 1950s.
His 1960s rock group The Electric Elves evolved into Elf by the early 1970s, when the group played heavy blues rock.
Dio's rock became darker with his band Rainbow, which he left in 1979 to join Black Sabbath.
Black Sabbath released three albums with Dio, including "Heaven and Hell" in 1980, "Mob Rules" in 1981 and "Live Evil" in 1982.
Dio left that band in 1982, but he had a brief reunion with the group a decade later.
He formed the group Dio in 1982 and later Heaven and Hell.
|
6d551e6c7b274ec5b9e8c4f898903173
|
Who is picketing the memorial service?
|
[
"members of the Westboro Baptist Church"
] |
NewsQA
|
A Chinese court has sentenced four people to death for their roles in last year's deadly riots in the western city of Urumqi, state media said Tuesday.
The sentences for the defendants were to be carried out immediately. They were charged with "extremely serious crimes," said state-run Xinjiang Daily.
The newspaper said a fifth person, who was also sentenced to death, was granted a two-year reprieve.
Several others were given varying jail sentences, including life imprisonment. They were on trial for incidents of "vandalism, burning and serious violence," the newspaper said.
Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region, was shaken last July when long-simmering resentment between minority Uyghurs and majority Han Chinese erupted into riots and left more than 200 people dead.
The following month, a series of series of syringe stabbings added to the unrest.
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15e3148bd2f2401996e3a1310f9aa1ed
|
when were the riots
|
[
"last year's"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Defending champion Alberto Contador has issued an apology after he took advantage of his rival Andy Schleck's mechanical failure to seize the yellow jersey in the Tour de France.
Schleck, who was leading Astana rider Contador by 31 seconds in the overall standings going into stage 15 on Monday, dropped his chain while launching an attack on the day's final climb and had to stop to repair the problem.
Rather than waiting for his rival -- in keeping with the Tour's sporting traditions -- Contador and a group including fellow contenders Denis Menchov and Samuel Sanchez stole a march to the finish, gaining 39 seconds on Schleck.
Contador now leads Saxo Bank's Schleck by eight seconds in the overall standings, with Spain's Sanchez two minutes behind the leader in third and Russia's Menchov two minutes, 13 seconds back.
See Contador's Youtube apology here
Spaniard Contador was booed by the French crowd as he was awarded the yellow jersey on the podium and was heavily criticized by Schleck.
But after reflecting on the stage, Contador issued a video on Youtube saying: "The race was in full gear and, well, maybe I made a mistake. I'm sorry.
"At a time like that all you think about is riding as fast as you can. I'm not happy, in the sense that, to me, fair play is very important.
"The kind of thing that happened today is not something I like, it's not my style and I hope my relationship with Andy will remain as good as before."
Luxembourg's Schleck, the runner-up to two-time champion Contador last year, was angered by what he saw as a lack of "fair play" and vowed to take "revenge" on his rival.
"In the same situation I would not have taken advantage," Schleck said, AFP reported. "I'm not the jury, but for sure those guys wouldn't get the fair play award from me today.
"I'm really disappointed. My stomach is full of anger, and I want to take my revenge. I will take my revenge in the coming days."
In a similar situation in 2003, Germany's Jan Ullrich was praised for his sportsmanship after he waited for Lance Armstrong to recover from a collision with a spectator in the Pyrenees.
Armstrong then surged forward to win the stage by 40 seconds en route to the fifth of his seven Tour victories.
The 187.5 kilometer stage from Pamiers to Bagneres-de-Luchon - the second of four stages in the Pyrenees - was won by French champion Thomas Voeckler after a fine solo ride, finishing nearly three minutes ahead of the race favorites.
Voeckler's triumph gave France their fifth victory in 15 stages.
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5987c89da40944b9851e8dbb8b0e8414
|
who did not wait for Schleck?
|
[
"Alberto Contador"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani authorities have arrested two top leaders of the Islamic militant group India blames for the November massacre in Mumbai, Pakistan's prime minister confirmed Wednesday.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Pakistani security forces had rounded up a number of militant figures.
The top military officer in the U.S. on Wednesday said he is "encouraged" by Pakistan's recent arrests of "significant players" in the Mumbai attacks.
U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said the arrests amount to "first steps" toward determining who plotted the three day siege last month that killed 160 people in Mumbai, India's financial capital.
"There are more steps to follow," he noted.
He also thanked India for showing restraint against Pakistan, which it has accused of harboring the terrorist groups behind the November massacre.
Zarar Shah, a top operational commander of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, and Zakir Rehman Lakhvi, whose arrest had been reported Tuesday, were among the militant figures rounded up in recent days, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters.
Gilani would not confirm the detention of Masood Azhar, the leader of another militant group, Jaish-e-Muhammad. But he said his government has launched its own investigation into India's allegations that the gunmen who killed more than 160 people in Mumbai had links to Pakistan.
The acknowledgment came three days after Pakistani security forces raided an LeT camp near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, in the first sign of government action against Lashkar-e-Tayyiba since the three-day siege of India's financial capital.
Both LeT and Jaish-e-Muhammad were formed to battle Indian rule in the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir, and both were banned after a 2001 attack on the Indian parliament that brought the South Asian nuclear rivals to the brink of war.
The United States has listed LeT as a terrorist group with ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. According to the U.S. government, Lakhvi, 47, has directed LeT's military operations in southeast Asia, Chechnya, Bosnia and Iraq.
Pakistan's Defense Minister Choudhry Mukhtar Ahmed told CNN's sister network in India, CNN-IBN, that Lakhvi and Azhar had been arrested on Monday. Azhar has been in Pakistan since 1999, when he was released from an Indian prison in exchange for hostages aboard a hijacked Indian airliner.
Indian authorities say the sole surviving gunman in the Mumbai attacks told investigators that he was trained at an LeT camp near Muzaffarabad, along with the nine other attackers who were killed in the three-day siege. A Pakistani security official said the terror raids on banned militant groups are ongoing and have resulted in at least 15 arrests.
|
a5f71745b07846c0a223e9c1113d5da8
|
Who was arrested for Mumbai terror attacks?
|
[
"group"
] |
NewsQA
|
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two coalition U.S. soldiers were killed along with three Afghans, including a police official, while trying to disable a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan Sunday, the U.S. military said.
Afghan police destroy poppy fields in Helmand province.
The explosion was under investigation, the military said.
The soldiers were part of a convoy of coalition troops accompanying Gulab Mangal, the governor of Helmand province, to a village where he intended to talk to residents about alternatives to opium farming.
The convoy came upon two bombs stacked on top of each other, said local journalist Abdul Tawab Qureshi.
When the soldiers tried to disable the bombs, the second one went off, added Qureshi, saying the blast killed the police chief of the province's Nad Ali district, Mohammed Nader; a police officer; and a translator.
Over the years, opium and heroin -- both derivatives of the poppy -- have served as a major source of revenue for the insurgency, most notably the Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan.
Though southern Afghanistan still provides about two-thirds of the world's opium and heroin, poppy cultivation has dropped by 20 percent -- to the lowest level since 2006.
CNN's Atia Abawi contributed to this report.
|
d0dbd080e3b74692a224f49cd7e14051
|
Who were the soldiers accompanying?
|
[
"Gulab Mangal,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince William is starting a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy on Monday, part of the future king's continued experience with various branches of the military, the Ministry of Defense said Saturday.
Prince William and his father, Prince Charles, at his graduation from the Royal Air Force in April.
William, 25, will spend the first part of his attachment on a basic sea safety course training in sea survival, firefighting and ship damage repair, according to the ministry.
If William passes the course, as expected, he will join the HMS Iron Duke in the Caribbean, the department said.
The ship's function is to support overseas British territories in the event of a hurricane and to carry out counter-narcotic operations.
The prince, who will be called Sub Lieutenant Wales in the Navy, is expected to spend time aboard a frigate, a mine hunter, a submarine and helicopters during his attachment, which ends August 1, the Ministry of Defense said.
William completed a four-month attachment with the Royal Air Force this year and received his pilot's wings upon graduating in April.
He learned to fly three different aircraft during the attachment and is known as Flying Officer Wales within the RAF.
William is also a second lieutenant in the British Army, where he serves in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry.
The attachments are designed to provide the prince with military experience for when he becomes head of the armed forces as king.
"When he becomes king, he needs to know his armed forces -- instinctively be very familiar with them -- and so he is doing this visit to the Royal Navy," said Rear Adm. Bob Cooling, the assistant chief of naval staff.
William's father, Prince Charles, had a five-year career in the navy in the 1970s. Charles served on the guided missile destroyer HMS Norfolk and two frigates before qualifying as a helicopter pilot and joining a naval air squadron that operated from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes.
Prince Charles spent his last nine months in the navy in 1976 in command of the coastal minehunter HMS Bronington.
William's uncle Prince Andrew served 22 years in the Royal Navy as a helicopter pilot, seeing active service during the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina in 1982.
Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, William's grandfather, spent more than 13 years in the Royal Navy. He saw active service throughout World War II and was in Tokyo Harbor when Japan surrendered.
|
7109441a013c455ba989829378461132
|
who is the second lieutenant?
|
[
"Prince William"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Singapore's economy shrank by 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said Thursday, as it forecast the economy would contract between 2 and 5 percent this year.
Boats ply under a bridge near the financial district of Singapore.
Compared to a robust growth of 7.8 percent a year earlier, the economy grew by 1.1 percent for the whole of 2008, the ministry added.
It called Gross Domestic Product growth prospects for 2009 "weak ... on account of the pessimistic global economic outlook."
All major sectors, except for construction, business services and information and communications, saw contractions, the ministry said.
The ministry cited a decline in private sector investments and private consumption expenditure for dragging down total domestic demand.
Declines in global demand for electronics products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals were also likely to weigh on the manufacturing sector.
|
b08a41e7aef84d738e873f48af9b818e
|
Percentage that Singapore's economy has shrunk in 2008?
|
[
"shrank by 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- In a move that could improve security and keep airport lines moving, the Transportation Security Administration early next year will begin testing machines that match a traveler's boarding pass with his or her government-issued ID, while verifying that both documents are authentic.
The machines will assist the TSA "travel document checkers," who now conduct checks assisted only by ultraviolet flashlights and magnifying loupes.
In 2006, an Indiana University doctoral student created a website allowing people to create fake boarding passes to demonstrate how a known terrorist on the "No Fly" list could use a fake boarding pass to get past a checkpoint. Once on the other side, the terrorist could use a real boarding pass acquired under an alias to board a plane.
And in June, a Nigerian man was arrested after he flew across the country allegedly with a false boarding pass. Authorities said they found several other phony boarding passes in his luggage.
The new technology would authenticate government-issued IDs by comparing written information on the card with information encoded in the ID's bar codes, magnetic strip or computer chip. It would also match the ID to the boarding pass.
The system will alert screeners if either document does not pass validation. If the issue is easily rectifiable, such as misspelling of the passenger's name, the TSA may allow the person to proceed. If not immediately resolved, the passenger will be directed to a TSA supervisor.
"This technology will help facilitate risk-based security, while making the process more effective and efficient," TSA Administrator John S. Pistole said.
The TSA has awarded contracts of $79 million each to three companies: BAE Systems Information Solutions, NCR Government Systems and Trans Digital Technologies, LLC. Each company will provide 10 machines for testing at U.S. airports. The TSA has not disclosed which airports will get the machines.
In August, the TSA's chief privacy officer issued a report saying the machines have minimal privacy implications because only a limited amount of personal information is collected by the machines and because this information "is deleted after use."
A TSA spokeswoman said earlier versions of the technology were tested at two Washington-area airports in 2009.
|
3a32d2785cf24bce979b09582c0f2282
|
When will the machines be tested?
|
[
"early next year"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Twenty-four people, including eight children, were injured in an apparent gas explosion at a Harlem apartment building, the New York Fire Department said.
The explosion blew out some of the windows in the five-story building.
John Rodgers, a spokesman for New York-Presbyterian Hospital, said Sunday that four of the eight children were from the same family.
The conditions of all those injured were not immediately known.
One child was in critical condition and the three others were in serious condition, New York Fire Department Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said.
All four had burn injuries. One of the injured is an infant.
A firefighter was also injured, but was in stable condition Saturday evening. He apparently was struck by falling debris, Scoppetta said. About 200 firefighters responded to the scene of the blast on West 119th Street in Harlem.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited the five-floor building after the explosion.
The 4 p.m. ET blast blew some of the building's windows out, according to firefighters. Watch rescue workers tend to injured » Although the blast was still under investigation, Scoppetta said the cause appeared to be a gas leak. New York police said the blast was at the rear of the structure.
Residents who assisted in pulling the injured out of the building said some kind of restaurant was being operated on the bottom floor of the building. Scoppetta refused comment on those reports, citing the ongoing investigation.
An emergency room worker at Harlem Hospital Center said the facility received five to six people from the explosion about 4:30 p.m., but would not provide an update on their conditions.
The building, which has 20 apartments, was evacuated, as were apartment buildings on both sides, Scoppetta said. Building inspectors will examine them to determine their structural integrity. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Caleb Silver, Jim Acosta and Richard Davis contributed to this report.
|
ebffeb748f3c4f92b35ba42c29bfabe4
|
what was in the building
|
[
"some kind of restaurant"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Pakistan cricketers have been told they will not be allowed to appear in the highly-lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) this coming season because of fears over security.
Danish Kaneria, in action against India last December, was hoping to play in the Indian Premier League.
Stars from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and, for the first time, England will be competing in the action that starts on April 10.
Several Pakistan stars had also signed for IPL franchises while another five, including leg-spinner Danish Kaneria, were scheduled to appear at a players' auction to be held in Goa, India, on Thursday.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said players would not be allowed to play in the IPL this coming season on government advice.
"We have informed the IPL and Indian board that our players can't take part in the IPL this year," PCB chief operating officer Saleem Altaf told Reuters.com.
The decision follows concerns for players' safety because of the tense relations between Pakistan and India after the Mumbai militant attacks in November.
Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, who plays for Delhi, said the players would abide by the directives of the government and PCB.
Meanwhile, another former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq is among several top Pakistan players who have successfully challenged a domestic ban imposed following appearances in the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Provincial Sindh High Court on Monday suspended the 2007 action taken by the PCB which must appear in court later this month to explain their action.
Players affected by the 2007 ruling also include Mohammad Yousuf, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Azhar Mahmood who along with Inzamam, played for Lahore Badshahs. Last year, the Badshahs named after a Pakistani city and with a number of Pakistani players won the ICL 20s Indian championship.
"The honorable court has suspended this relevant clause of the PCB rules and allowed the players to appear in domestic cricket with immediate effect," Zahid Fakhruddin Ibrahim, the legal counsel for the players, told Reuters.com.
Lahore coach Moin Khan, a former Pakistan captain, said the suspension of the ban was good for Pakistani cricket.
"Some of the ICL players can still play for Pakistan and when they play in domestic cricket, youngsters will learn from them," Khan commented. "The ban had hurt the players financially as well as cricket-wise, so it's a great decision."
|
7fbdff47cf7347c1b3d5d82da923670a
|
When does the league start?
|
[
"April 10."
] |
NewsQA
|
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has asked Thailand to permit greater freedom for thousands of refugees stuck in camps after fleeing neighboring Myanmar, according to a U.N. statement released Friday.
Angellina Jolie and Brad Pitt visited refugees in northern Thailand on Wednesday.
Jolie and actor Brad Pitt traveled to a refugee camp in northern Thailand on Wednesday in effort to draw international attention to what the U.N. has called "restricted" movement of roughly 111,000 refugees housed in nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, the statement said.
Jolie has spent several years as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. She said her passion for helping refugees, whom she calls "the most vulnerable people in the world," was sparked in 2001 during visits to Cambodia."
The U.N. estimates more than 5,000 people have fled to northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son province between 2006 and 2007.
A recent CNN investigation found evidence of the Thai army towing an apparent boatload of 190 Rohingya refugees -- a Muslim minority group from Myanmar -- out to sea, prompting Thai authorities to launch an investigation.
CNN's Dan Rivers and Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.
|
ca4a87ad3ae44b909d0dccf620df4934
|
What is Angelina Jolie's title that is mentioned?
|
[
"goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Schools of robotic fish could one day map the ocean floor, detect pollution or inspect and survey submerged boats or oil and gas pipelines, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology say.
MIT researcher Pablo Valdivia Alvarado works in his lab on a robotic fish he co-created.
MIT engineers are showing off the latest generation of so-called robofish 15 years after they built the first one. The latest incarnation is sleeker, more streamlined and capable of mimicking the movements of a real fish.
And it's capable of exploring underwater terrain submersibles can't, said Pablo Valdivia Alvarado, a mechanical engineer at the school.
"Some of our sponsors were thinking of using them for inspection and surveillance," Alvarado said. "Since these prototypes are very cheap, the idea was to build hundreds -- 200, 500 -- and then just release them in a bay or at a port, and they would be roaming around taking measurements."
MIT researchers built their first robotic fish, "Robotuna," in 1994. But Robotuna has gone the way of the dinosaur. Alvarado said the new generation -- modeled after bass and trout -- cost only a few hundred dollars and have only 10 parts instead of the thousands used in Robotuna.
At five to 18 inches, the new fish is much smaller than Robotuna and built from a single, soft polymer. And unlike Robotuna, the fish is able to be released in the oceans.
"Most of the brains, the electronics, are embedded inside," said Alvarado, who designed the robofish with fellow MIT engineer Kamal Youcef-Toumi. "We have built prototypes with the battery inside, but for my experiments, for simplicity. We have a lot of prototypes that are simply tethered. We have a cable that runs out from the body and connects to a power supply."
The new generation has withstood harsh conditions in the lab, including two years of testing inside tanks filled with tap water, which is corrosive to standard robots, according to Alvarado, who says the Robotuna inspired him to take the technology to the next level.
The oil exploration company Schlumberger helped fund the research, but Alvarado says the U.S. Navy has also expressed interest in the robofish.
MIT's mechanical engineers are now turning their attention to new challenges: A robotic manta ray and a terrestrial robot in the form of a salamander.
CNN's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report.
|
5fb5b4813226485b8913f8194e865072
|
when was the first one built
|
[
"15 years after"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House said it had no comment Monday in response to the upcoming release of a new Michelle Obama action-figure doll.
The Michelle Obama doll is available in three outfits, all of which show off her trademark bare arms.
The 6-inch doll is made by New York toymaker Jailbreak Toys and is set for release on November 20, but the company began work on the new product six or seven months ago, according to Jason Feinberg, Jailbreak Toys' 32-year-old founder.
"The entire political scene was a little rosier at the time," Feinberg said in a phone interview, "But what was really apparent was the country, and really the world at large, were very enamored of this lady."
Feinberg, whose company began selling a Barack Obama action-figure doll in mid-2008, said that Michelle Obama's "energy" was "muted, subdued, classy" coming out of last year's campaign while her husband's image was much more like that of a superhero.
The new Michelle Obama doll is available in three outfits: the purple dress worn when the Obamas shared their famous fist bump during the campaign, the red and black dress she wore on Election Night and the black-and-white floral dress she wore during an appearance on "The View." All three dolls show Michelle Obama in a sheath dress and with bare arms, attributes that have become personal trademarks during her tenure as first lady.
Feinberg said his target audience for the new doll is not children but adults "who collected toys as a child, who haven't lost that kind of whimsical enthusiasm."
Like Jailbreak's Barack Obama doll, the new Michelle Obama doll will retail for $12.99, according to Feinberg. Katie McCormick Lelyveld, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said in an e-mail to CNN that the White House had no comment on the new doll.
When the company behind Beanie Babies began selling dolls named "Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha" soon after Inauguration Day, the White House had a swift and strong reaction. "We feel it is inappropriate to use young private citizens for marketing purposes," the first lady's spokeswoman said at the time.
|
7a6a8a12ec2e4053b8d532630f50ce81
|
What Jailbreak`s said about the doll?
|
[
"\"The entire political scene was a little rosier at the time,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Prince William has spoken in depth publicly for the first time about death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, 12 years ago, saying "mummy" is now a hollow word "evoking only memories."
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car crash 12 years ago.
Prince William was only 15 and his brother Prince Harry 12 when Diana died in a Paris car crash along with Dodi Fayed in 1997.
The Prince made the comment Thursday during a speech to mark his new role as patron of Britain's Child Bereavement Charity -- a group his mother was once involved with.
The British Press Association reported that he told the launch of the charity's Mother's Day campaign: "My mother Diana was present at your launch 15 years ago, and I am incredibly proud to be able to continue her support for your fantastic charity, by becoming your royal patron.
"What my mother recognized then -- and what I understand now -- is that losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can ever endure.
"Never being able to say the word 'Mummy' again in your life sounds like a small thing. Tell us what you think about Prince William's moving comments
"However, for many, including me, it's now really just a word -- hollow and evoking only memories.
"I can therefore wholeheartedly relate to the Mother's Day campaign as I too have felt -- and still feel -- the emptiness on such a day as Mother's Day." Listen to Prince William discuss his mother. »
The charity wants to raise awareness of the problems suffered by mothers bereaved of a child or children bereaved of their mother.
Based in Buckinghamshire, a region west of London, it educates professionals and supports families after a death.
Writing in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper about his new role, the Prince said the reality of losing a child or parent was "awful."
"Initially, there is a sense of profound shock and disbelief that this could ever happen to you. Real grief often does not hit home until much later.
"For many it is a grief never entirely lost. Life is altered as you know it, and not a day goes past without you thinking about the one you have lost."
Mother's Day in the UK always falls on the fourth weekend of Lent, and this year is on March 22.
Earlier this week France's leading society magazine, Point de Vue, reported that the Prince would marry his long-term girlfriend, Kate Middleton, this summer.
The magazine claimed an official announcement was "imminent."
|
32e45f482a204b42ba560090b4350521
|
Who feels "emptiness" every Mother's Day?
|
[
"Prince William"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- World No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki hopes to be fit for this year's second grand slam tournament, the French Open, despite suffering an ankle injury in an American event.
The Dane had to retire hurt during her semifinal match against Russian seventh seed Vera Zvonareva in Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday while trailing 5-2 in the first set.
The top seed slipped on the green clay in the sixth game and rolled her ankle, meaning Zvonareva went through to Sunday's final where she will face Australian Samantha Stosur.
Wozniacki, who won the WTA Tour tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach last weekend, told reporters that she hoped to be able to play at Roland Garros when play begins on May 24.
"I certainly hope so. As it looks right now, it's not too bad," said the 19-year-old, who will have a scan on the injury.
"I was surprised that I could stand on my leg, which was very positive, actually. "But as soon as I was moving to the sides, it was impossible, so I couldn't play."
Fourth seed Stosur reached the final of the Family Circle Cup with a 6-3 7-6 (7-2) victory against No. 8 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.
Meanwhile, top seed Francesca Schiavone won the Barcelona Ladies' Open after thrashing fellow Italian Roberta Vinci 6-1 6-1 in just under an hour in Saturday's final.
|
5e068e6e0c7646b086addcff936f74e2
|
what is the french open
|
[
"this year's second grand slam tournament,"
] |
NewsQA
|
London, England (CNN) -- UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has ordered a full review of security measures at UK airports following the attempted Detroit plane bombing on December 25.
In a statement published Friday on the prime minister's official Web site, Brown said the UK government will be working with the U.S. to "examine a range of new techniques to enhance airport security systems beyond traditional measures, such as pat-down searches and sniffer dogs."
These new measures might include using "explosive trace technology, full body scanners and advanced x-ray technology."
Writing on the first day of a new decade, Brown issued a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by international terrorism.
"The new decade," he said, "is starting as the last began -- with al Qaeda creating a climate of fear. These enemies of democracy and freedom... are concealing explosives in ways which are more difficult to detect."
The Detroit incident highlighted an "urgent" need to tighten airport security measures, Brown said.
"The UK," Brown said, "will continually explore the most sophisticated devices capable of identifying explosives, guns, knives and other such items anywhere on the body."
The alleged plane bomber, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab is believed to have concealed explosives in his underwear.
The 23-year-old Nigerian is thought to have linked up with an al Qaeda group based in Yemen after attending the UK's University College London.
Brown said the plot was a reminder of al Qaeda's increasing influence away from "better-known homes of international terror such as Pakistan and Afghanistan."
Yemen is becoming "a major new base for terrorism" which highlighted the need for "enhanced cooperation" between nations in the fight against international terrorism, he said.
Brown added that the UK government is already supporting the government of Yemen's efforts to tackle terrorism and pledged further support.
"By 2011 our already announced commitment to Yemen will exceed £100 million ($160 million), making the UK one of its leading donors," he said.
It was also announced Friday that Brown had invited "key international partners" to a meeting in London at the end of January to discuss how to counter radicalization in Yemen.
"We have already updated our counter-terrorism strategy to include further measures to disrupt al Qaeda's leadership and frustrate its attempts to recruit, train and direct a new generation of terrorists or to find a new haven for those leaders displaced by the efforts of our Afghan and Pakistani allies."
The key to tackling terrorism was "vigilance" Brown said, but the Detroit incident was "a wake-up call...not just for security against terror but for the hearts and minds of a generation."
|
0e1380cdef4347c99716286ebf934467
|
What will the UK explore?
|
[
"the most sophisticated devices capable of identifying explosives, guns, knives and other such items anywhere on the body.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The French Navy captured 11 suspected pirates off the coast of Kenya Wednesday, the French Ministry of Defense announced.
The French frigate Nivose, pictured last year patrolling the Gulf of Aden.
The Navy tracked the pirates overnight after they attacked a ship called the Safmarine Asia. The French launched a helicopter from the frigate Nivose to head off the attack Tuesday night, then seized the suspected pirates Wednesday morning, the statement said.
Both the European Union and the United States have been patrolling the region since an upsurge in piracy off the coast of Somalia last year.
U.S. snipers killed three pirates holding a U.S. ship captain hostage Sunday. The captain, Richard Phillips, was held in a lifeboat for days after his ship, the Maersk Alabama, was seized last week
But pirates in Somalia vowed revenge, saying that an attack on another ship, the Liberty Sun, was a response to the killing of Phillips' captors.
"It was a revenge," Hassan Mohamud told a Somali journalist. "The U.S. ship escaped by a matter of chance."
|
08d1674547544b4e8fa448e49b4f4d9d
|
What was the attacked ship called?
|
[
"the Safmarine Asia."
] |
NewsQA
|
DUBLIN, Ireland (CNN) -- Michael D. Higgins, a 70-year-old poet and politician, was elected Ireland's new president on Saturday.
Considered an elder statesman, the Irish Labour Party candidate-turned-president elect is a former government minister.
He is to be Ireland's ninth head of state and is scheduled to be inaugurated on November 11, one day after President Mary McAleese leaves office.
McAleese has been head of state 14 years, completing two seven-year terms.
The other six candidates -- including former Irish Republican Army commander Martin McGuinness -- have all conceded defeat.
McGuinness's campaign had been dogged by questions about his past ties to the IRA, an armed group that fought against British authorities in Northern Ireland but has since renounced violence.
He had been consistently third in opinion polls, while businessman and reality TV star Sean Gallagher had been vying alongside Higgins for the top spot.
Critics blamed Gallagher's performance in the country's final televised debate for his collapse in the polls.
McGuinness is expected to return to his role as Northern Ireland's deputy first minister.
The long counting process started Friday with Higgins confirmed as the winner late Saturday.
|
6677c3a774ec4821a1961dd028959790
|
What countrys ninth head of state is he
|
[
"Ireland's"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two American hikers detained in Iran for years will meet State Department officials in Washington on Thursday, less than a month after they arrived back home on American soil.
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Deputy Secretary William Burns. Sarah Shourd, who was jailed with them but freed last year, will also join them.
The details of the meeting are unclear, but the two men acknowledged State Department officials in their first public statement when they arrived home in the United States last month.
"There were also U.S. government officials who worked for our release, and some of them found creative ways to try and lessen the tension between the U.S. and Iran. Consular officials at the State Department supported our families throughout," Bauer said.
After their release, Clinton issued a statement "welcoming the decision made by Iranian authorities" to free the two men.
"After more than two years, they will finally be reunited with their friends and families. I am grateful for the efforts of all those who have worked for their release," Clinton said.
Fattal, Bauer and Shourd were arrested after straying across the unmarked border between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iran in July 2009.
Shourd, Bauer's fiancee, was released in 2010, but Bauer and Fattal were freed a year later, after 781 days in captivity and a trial for espionage that Bauer said was based on "ridiculous lies."
|
4fc739a185484ec29230df14ecc3b976
|
When were hikers detained?
|
[
"July 2009."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- What would you see if you could fly over Mars in a plane and look out the window?
Victoria Crater as seen by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The crater is about half a mile in diameter.
It must be something like the thousands of curious, intriguing and spectacular images taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera mounted on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
The University of Arizona, Tucson, which operates HiRISE, has just released a new batch of these photos taken in the last several months.
You can check out the full set here.
They reveal an alien landscape of craters, valleys, ridges, channels, weird surface patterns and other features in incredible detail.
Take the stunning image on the left, which shows the muffin-cup-like Victoria Crater, a site once explored by the Mars rover Opportunity.
The camera isn't looking straight down, but is pointed 22 degrees east so we get a better view of the crater's slopes, "comparable to a view from an airplane window," the university says.
Looking at some of the photos, you feel like you're flying over the Grand Canyon or the Sahara. Others are distinctly extraterrestrial in nature. In all cases, the images reveal lots of details about the surface of our neighbor in the solar system.
"Each full image from HiRISE covers a strip of Martian ground 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) wide, about two to four times that long, showing details as small as 1 meter, or yard, across," according to NASA's Web site.
It might be the closest thing to visiting Mars without leaving your chair.
|
35240b63ce7c4b2285f289066d3b7785
|
Where was the camera mounted?
|
[
"on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An audio message purportedly from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has accused President Barack Obama of being unable to fulfil his election pledge to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq.
Osama bin Laden is seen in an image taken from a videotape that aired on Al-Jazeera in September 2003.
The tape emerged on radical Islamist Web sites, just two days after the United States marked the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
"To the American people, this is my message to you: a reminder of the reasons behind 9/11 and the wars and the repercussions that followed and the way to resolve it," the message said.
"From the beginning, we have stated many times ... that the cause of our disagreement with you is your support of your allies, the Israelis, who are occupying our land in Palestine. Your stance along with some other grievances are what led us to carry out the events of 9/11."
The video plays the audio over a undated photograph of bin Laden. The video also shows a banner with the American flag as the backdrop and an image of the New York City skyline with the twin towers of the World Trade Center -- destroyed in the 9/11 attack -- still standing, said terrorism analyst Laura Mansfield.
CNN could not independently authenticate bin Laden as the speaker in the 11-minute video posted on Sunday by As-Sahab Media -- al Qaeda's production company. Watch CNN's Octavia Nasr's analysis of the message »
Obama was "a vulnerable man who will not be able to stop the war, as he promised, but instead he will drag it to the maximum possible extent," the message said.
Though U.S. troops no longer patrol Iraq's major cities and a large number have left, tens of thousands remain in the country and are expected to stay for years to come.
The message claims that the Obama administration is under the influence of the Republican White House it replaced, pointing out that the president kept Robert Gates as defense secretary -- a holdover from the Bush administration.
"Prolong the wars as much as you like. By God, we will never compromise on it (Palestine), ever," the message continued.
Mansfield noted that the video brings no new images of the elusive bin Laden, who was last seen in footage two years ago on the sixth anniversary of the terror attacks.
Bin Laden has released audio messages since then, most recently on June 9.
|
4184ddb4245f4f559a97146fec8c6a76
|
Who could not be authenticated in the video?
|
[
"bin Laden as the speaker"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- About 10 men armed with pistols and small machine guns raided a casino in Switzerland and made off into France with several hundred thousand Swiss francs in the early hours of Sunday morning, police said.
The men, dressed in black clothes and black ski masks, split into two groups during the raid on the Grand Casino Basel, Chief Inspector Peter Gill told CNN.
One group tried to break into the casino's vault on the lower level but could not get in, but they did rob the cashier of the money that was not secured, he said.
The second group of armed robbers entered the upper level where the roulette and blackjack tables are located and robbed the cashier there, he said.
As the thieves were leaving the casino, a woman driving by and unaware of what was occurring unknowingly blocked the armed robbers' vehicles. A gunman pulled the woman from her vehicle, beat her, and took off for the French border.
The other gunmen followed into France, which is only about 100 meters (yards) from the casino, Gill said.
There were about 600 people in the casino at the time of the robbery. There were no serious injuries, although one guest on the Casino floor was kicked in the head by one of the robbers when he moved, the police officer said.
Swiss authorities are working closely with French authorities, Gill said. The robbers spoke French and drove vehicles with French license plates.
CNN's Andreena Narayan contributed to this report.
|
9eed53a6cbbd47c5bfa3b8f586b77dc6
|
What is only about 100 meters from the casino?
|
[
"France,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- More than 150 students at the University of California at Berkeley took over a campus building Thursday to protest a proposed 81% increase in tuition fees, university officials said.
UC-Berkeley spokeswoman Callie Maidhof described the scene as "an open occupation with people coming and going" at Tolman Hall on the campus that has been known for decades as a hotbed of student activism and protests.
The tuition increase proposed by the board of regents would be phased in over a four-year period.
Maidhof added that when the protest began Thursday afternoon, campus police initially resisted the demonstrators and used pepper spray at one point. The university maintained a hands-off approach after that, but according to Maidhof the situation could change at the building's scheduled closing time of 9 p.m. (midnight ET).
As evening fell, there were between 60 and 70 students occupying one of the classrooms and another group was participating in a teach-in outside on the lawn.
Helicopter aerials of the scene from CNN affiliate KTVU showed a few protest banners hung from windows of the classroom building.
|
9671d92f4d214cb9996d62e6b3703b9b
|
What did the university board of regents propose?
|
[
"tuition increase"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Arsenal will face Celtic in a mouthwatering all-British tie later this month to decide who reaches the Champions League group stages.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will see his side face an early-season test against Celtic.
Scottish side Celtic went into the final qualifying round with a superb 2-0 away win over Dinamo Moscow earlier this week, overturning a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
Arsenal, who reached the semifinals of the Champions League last season where they lost to Manchester United, will be favorites to go through, but according to their former striker Charlie Nicholas, who also played for the Celtic, they will not be relishing the task.
"They would have wanted to avoid each other," he told Sky Sports News. "For Arsenal, the concern is the lack of players they've brought in and injuries. I think it will be very tight."
The first leg matches will be played on August 18 and 19, the same week as the start of the English Premier League season, the return matches are on August 25 or 26.
A total of 10 pairings were drawn with the prize for the winners a place in the lucrative group stages of the world's most prestigious club competition. The losers will drop down to play in the Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup.
Five of the pairings feature match-ups between the champions of lower-rated leagues such as Latvia and Cyprus.
European governing body UEFA effectively ring fenced five places in the group stages for these sides by separating them in the draw from teams from stronger leagues such as England, Italy and Spain.
It has led to a series of intriguing clashes with Panathinaikos of Greece facing Spanish side Atletico Madrid.
Portugal's Sporting Lisbon take on Fiorentina of Italy, deposed French champions Lyon play Anderlecht of Belgium and Romainian side Timisoara face Stuttgart of Germany.
Timisoara surprisingly beat Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine in the previous qualifying round. Shakhtar won the UEFA Cup last season and will now be able to defend their title under the guise of the revamped Europa League.
They were paired against Turkish side Sivasspor when the draw for the competition was also made at UEFA's headquaters in Nyon on Friday.
Champions League play-off draw:
Champions group:
Sheriff (Mol) v Olympiakos (Gre)
Salzburg (Aut) v Maccabi Haifa (Isr)
Ventspils (Lat) v Zurich (Swi)
Copenhagen (Den) v Apoel Nicosia (Cyp)
Levski Sofia (Bul) v Debrecen (Hun)
Non-champions group:
Lyon (Fr) v Anderlecht (Bel)
Celtic (Sco) v Arsenal (Eng)
Timisoara (Rom) v VfB Stuttgart (Ger)
Sporting Lisbon (Por) v Fiorentina (Ita)
Panathinaikos (Gre) v Atletico Madrid (Sp)
|
fe94efd80f0d4ac589c729a479ea3b17
|
who will Donetsk take on
|
[
"Timisoara"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The space shuttle Atlantis glided to a picture-perfect landing Friday morning under bright, sunny skies at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The seven-person crew returned after an 11-day mission to deliver key spare parts to prolong the life of the international space station.
The original six-member crew, with flight engineer Nicole Stott -- who launched in August -- returned amid sunny, clear Florida weather.
"Couldn't have picked a clearer day," Cndr. Charles Hobaugh said as the shuttle approached the runway.
Mission Control told Hobaugh that the landing was a "picture-perfect end" to the mission. "Everybody, welcome back to Earth, especially you, Nicole," Mission Control said.
Stott had spent 87 days on the international space station, according to NASA.
About an hour after the shuttle landed, the crew transport vehicle moved alongside the orbiter access hatch on Atlantis' port side, NASA said on its Web site. With the crew hatch opened, the astronauts left the orbiter to enter the vehicle.
It contains beds and comfortable seats so the astronauts can receive a brief medical checkup before they step onto the tarmac, NASA said.
The crew's mission included three space walks and installation of two platforms to the station's backbone. The platforms will hold spare parts that will sustain station operations after the shuttles are discontinued.
NASA said the parts the crew delivered will add years to the station's life after the space shuttle fleet is retired next year.
Some of the parts are for systems that keep the station from overheating or tumbling through space, NASA said.
During the mission, the crew celebrated Thanksgiving while they prepared for landing. They dined on smoked turkey, green beans, mushrooms, cornbread dressing and candied yams, according to NASA.
Russia will take over supplying the international space station.
On this mission, Atlantis also marked a 6 pound, 13 ounce development.
Astronaut Randy Bresnik welcomed a daughter from space, the second time a baby has been born to a U.S. astronaut on a mission.
Mike Fincke's daughter was born in June 2004 while he was aboard the international space station, NASA said.
|
2b9329081f684eeaa50a1ed1681acc54
|
When did the crew land?
|
[
"Friday morning"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The former parents-in-law of a man accused of killing nine people at a Christmas Eve party were among the remains of six people identified Saturday by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.
Bruce Jeffrey Pardo went on a shooting rampage in a Los Angeles suburb Christmas Eve, police say.
Three other people remain listed as "missing" and "unidentified" because their remains were too badly burned in the raging house fire that followed the shootings.
Police said Bruce Jeffrey Pardo committed suicide after he went on a shooting rampage dressed as Santa Claus at the party in the Los Angeles suburb of Covina. He targeted his ex-wife, 43-year-old Sylvia Pardo, and her family, police said. He then started the fire, police said.
Authorities said Pardo also may have planned to kill his wife's divorce attorney as well as his own mother, who had planned to attend the party but did not because she was ill.
Killed at the party, according to the coroner's office, were:
The remaining three people known to be at the party -- Sylvia Pardo; her brother James "Junior" Ortega, 52; and Michael Ortiz, 17, Sylvia Pardo's nephew and Alicia Ortiz's son -- remain listed as "unidentified" in coroner's files and "missing" in police files.
"We have three unidentified bodies that came out of that location," said Lt. Larry Dietz of the coroner's office. Authorities previously said they were relying on dental records to identify the bodies.
After the shootings, Bruce Pardo left a rental car and a gasoline canister outside the home of attorney Scott Nord, who represented Sylvia Pardo in her divorce, police said. Investigators suspect that Bruce Pardo planned a similar attack at Nord's home.
Authorities described the Pardos' divorce, which was finalized December 18, as "contentious."
Another rented car that Bruce Pardo used to flee the scene was found booby-trapped after the shootings. It burned as a Covina police bomb squad attempted to disconnect an explosive device in it.
Police said Bruce Pardo had an uneasy relationship with his mother, who had sided with Sylvia Pardo in the divorce.
The shootings and fire left 10 children orphaned. Three others lost one parent. An Ortega Family Fund has been set up at Nord's law offices.
CNN's Irving Last contributed to this report.
|
7ef8c2baa73f4a6b9c7e301fc75acf82
|
Who's wife is still officially missing
|
[
"James \"Junior\" Ortega,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza moved a step closer Friday to extradition to the U.S., where he faces terrorism-related charges.
Abu Hamza al-Masri's followers include the "shoe bomber" and the only person charged in the 9/11 attacks.
UK authorities had ordered his extradition, but he appealed. Britain's High Court dismissed the appeal Friday, a spokesman for Britain's Home Office said.
That gives the Egyptian-born cleric, who lives in London, 14 days to apply to the High Court for permission to appeal to the House of Lords.
The one-eyed, hook-handed cleric faces 11 terrorism-related charges in the U.S. They include conspiracy in connection with a 1998 kidnapping in Yemen and conspiring with others to establish an Islamic jihad, or holy war, training camp in rural Bly, Oregon in 1999.
Abu Hamza, one of the highest-profile radical Islamic figures in Britain, is already in prison for inciting racial hatred at his North London mosque. He was convicted in Britain on 11 terror-related charges and sentenced to seven years prison in 2006.
If he is extradited, his British sentence could be interrupted so he could stand trial in the U.S., the Home Office has said. If he receives a prison sentence in the U.S., he would return to England to complete his sentence there before serving time back in the States, the Home Office said.
Abu Hamza formerly preached at the Finsbury Park Mosque in London. His followers included the so-called "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, who was convicted of trying to light a bomb in his shoes on a trans-Atlantic flight. They also included Zacarias Moussaoui, who was charged in the U.S. over the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
The cleric was also convicted of possessing eight video and audio recordings, which prosecutors said he intended to distribute to stir up racial hatred. In all, police seized some 2,700 audio tapes and about 570 video tapes from two addresses -- one of them his home - during raids in 2003.
The material included a 10-volume "encyclopedia" of Afghan jihad, which prosecutor David Perry described as "a manual for terrorism." The texts discussed how to make explosives, explained assassination methods and detailed the best means of attack.
Both non-Muslims and Muslims condemned his preaching, which include praising the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., calling al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a hero, and describing the 2003 Columbia shuttle disaster as punishment from Allah because the astronauts were Christian, Hindu and Jewish.
|
0b828f99823546f6bf7371be2cf4ce66
|
Who lost the appeal?
|
[
"Abu Hamza"
] |
NewsQA
|
ATHENS, Greece (CNN) -- Thousands of youths demonstrated in central Athens Friday as anger flared in the Greek capital following the shooting of another teenager.
High school students protest in front of their school in the western Athens suburb of Peristeri.
A group of youths targeted the French Institute, a language and cultural institute, and police scrambled to the scene to contain the incident.
The situation began heating up during a protest rally Thursday that followed the bizarre shooting of a high school student in an Athens suburb earlier this week.
The 17-year-old was hit in the hand by an unknown assailant as he was talking to a group of schoolmates in the western suburb of Peristeri. Initial police reports showed the student -- the son of a leading trade unionist -- was hit with a .38-caliber handgun.
Police said no officers were patrolling the region at the time of the incident.
The mysterious shooting has enflamed widespread student anger over the fatal police shooting of a 15-year-old boy December 6, which sparked Greece's worst riots in decades. Watch more about the flare-up of protests »
Students rallied Friday in response to the shooting of the 17-year-old. One of the rallies was planned for central Athens; the other in the suburb where the student was shot.
Later in the day, scores of artists are scheduled to gather in central Athens to stage a protest concert in response to the initial shooting of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos.
Daily protests since the December 6 shooting, including riots, have thrown Greece into turmoil and have become a simmering anger about the conservative government's handling of the economy, education, and jobs.
A string of labor unions called on workers to march on Parliament Friday to protest the voting of the 2009 state budget, which calls for additional belt-tightening measures in response to the global financial crisis.
Student unions were also gathering to across the country to determine their course of action for the next few weeks.
At least 800 high schools and 200 universities remain shut as thousands of youths have seized the grounds and campuses in protest.
The unrest is threatening the government's hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for fresh elections. Stores and international businesses have been attacked, and at least 280 people have been detained by police. Of that total, 176 were arrested, 130 of them for looting.
Of the two officers involved in the death of the 15-year-old, one is charged with premeditated manslaughter and the other with acting as an accomplice.
|
8ef95fb9ed134db6a84aa5451dfc92e8
|
Who was shot in the Athens suburb?
|
[
"of a high school student"
] |
NewsQA
|
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Egypt's attorney general issued an order Monday freezing the assets of former President Hosni Mubarak and his family and prohibiting them from leaving the country.
Attorney General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud ordered the moves after Mustafa Bakri, a member of Egypt's parliament who lost his seat after filing corruption cases against various officials, provided documents indicating Mubarak's family has secret bank accounts totaling more than 200 million Egyptian pounds ($147 million), according to EgyNews.
"I submitted the corruption documents on Sunday night and on Monday morning I was called in by the public prosecutor for investigation, and he asked me to rush to his office." Bakri told CNN. "The attorney general, himself, went over the documents in my possession and then issued his orders to bar Mubarak and his family from travelling and to impound their assets."
Mahmoud ordered the freeze for property owned by Mubarak, his wife Suzanne, his two sons Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, and their wives and children, EgyNews reported. The seizures include "movable properties, real estate, stocks, bonds and various financial assets."
It wasn't immediately clear how the order differed from a similar one reported last week.
Mubarak, through his attorneys and in official filings, has described reports of immense wealth as "fabrications and baseless rumors."
But Bakri said the documents he provided to Mahmoud "are the first solid and concrete evidence on the fortune collected illegally by Mubarak and his family."
Mubarak, who resigned February 11 after 18 days of protest against his rule, is believed to be staying at his residence in Sharm el-Sheikh.
CNN's Mustafa Al-Arab and Saad Abedine contributed to this report
|
0742838f359545b898393d9b3a26432f
|
What did the AG order?
|
[
"freezing the assets"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Jose Mourinho has extended his contract at Serie A champions Inter Milan by 12 months until June 2012, killing off speculation that he could be on his way to Real Madrid.
Coach Mourinho has signed an extended deal ending fears he could wave goodbye to Inter Milan.
Former Chelsea supremo Mourinho took charge at Italian giants Inter a year ago following the departure of Roberto Mancini and has just guided the club to their fourth straight scudetto.
They also won the Italian Super Cup, but were eliminated by defending champions Manchester United in the first knockout round of the Champions League.
A statement on the Inter Web site read: "In response to the wish of the coach to continue the project started together a year ago, a wish welcomed with pleasure by the club as a sign of attachment and winning spirit, FC Internazionale announces the extension of Jose Mourinho's contract until 30 June 2012."
Mourinho had promised the fans more titles would be on the after lifting his first Italian title, but the eal issue refused to go away until Monday's statement.
When asked about the chance he could leave Inter, Mourinho had earlier told the club Web site: "There is still a 0.01% (chance). But for me this is not an important number, it just means that I am closer to Inter than to Real.
"I am satisfied with the relationship with the fans and with my players. I repeat, I am closer to staying at Inter than going elsewhere."
Those comments failed to impress Inter president Massimo Moratti, but the extended contract has settled any differences.
Mourinho made his mark at Porto in 2004 when he led the Portuguese team to the Champions League title, beating Monaco 3-0 in the final, before moving to Chelsea.
At Stamford Bridge he claimed the Premier League title in each of his first two seasons and the FA Cup the following campaign, but left the club in September 2007.
Not all Inter fans have warmed to the Portuguese since his arrival in Milan last summer.
He has been involved in several disagreements with the Italian media and his style of play has has not endeared him to parts of the Nerazzurri faithful.
|
e45af18729334fe3b55f97591f0b2c16
|
The decision killed what?
|
[
"speculation"
] |
NewsQA
|
TAIPEI, Taiwan (CNN) -- A Taiwan court early Tuesday ordered ex-President Chen Shui-bian, who is facing corruption charges, back to jail after deeming him a flight risk.
Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian speaks to reporters on December 12 in Taipei.
Chen had been free on bail, but prosecutors sought his return to state custody.
After 12 hours of deliberation, a panel of three district court judges approved the request at 3 a.m. Taiwan time. Chen was immediately taken to jail.
The island's first former president to ever face prosecution, Chen was freed earlier in December after spending a month in jail while prosecutors prepared his indictment on several corruption charges, including embezzlement and accepting bribes.
Judges ordered Chen released after the indictment was formally presented, saying they did not believe he was a flight risk.
However, Taiwan's high court was not satisfied with the decision and assigned a new judge to the case.
Chen's attorney, Jen Wen Long, told reporters after the court order: "We question the work of the Taipei district court. Changing the judge is an interference with the justice system."
Chen, whose term ended in May, is accused of embezzling about $18 million. A trial date has not been set in the case.
Prosecutors allege he also took bribes, laundered money and illegally removed classified documents from the president's office.
Chen, 58, has denied any wrongdoing and insists the charges are politically motivated. His party favors independence for Taiwan, while the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou favors closer ties with mainland China -- from which the island split amid civil war in 1949.
If convicted, Chen faces 25 years or more in prison, although prosecutors did not seek any specific jail time in their indictment.
Thirteen others, including Chen's wife, son, daughter-in-law and brother-in-law, also were indicted.
Prosecutors have alleged that Chen's son has a Swiss bank account containing $22 million in what they believe is illegal proceeds.
Journalist Andrew Lee contributed to this report.
|
b0dd4dbb81ed49468e704c53b2cdc687
|
What was Chen facing?
|
[
"corruption charges,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Police in Allendale, South Carolina, are investigating whether a funeral home fit a 6-foot, 5-inch man into his coffin by severing his legs.
The wife of James Hines reportedly said the funeral home told her that her husband's coffin was long enough.
A former Cave Funeral Services employee has alleged since James Hines' death from skin cancer in 2004 that Hines was too tall for his coffin and that the funeral home took extreme measures to make him fit, Allendale County Coroner Hayzen Black told CNN.
Officials exhumed Hines' body Tuesday, Black said, and a fair amount of "undesirable evidence" was found, although he could not comment further.
The coroner's office handed the case over to law enforcement officials for a criminal investigation, he said.
Allendale Police Detective Donnie Hutto told CNN affiliate WJBF-TV that he could not comment on the condition of the body.
A Cave Funeral Services employee had no comment when asked about the matter.
But Ruth Hines, widow of the dead man, told WJBF that the allegations and exhumation of Hines' body are difficult for her.
"I'm just going through quite a bit," she said. "It's like starting all over again, and it's left me with hurt and numbness."
"According to the measurements on the casket, and the funeral director, we asked him, 'Was this suitable for his length?' and he said, 'Yes that will be perfect,'" Ruth Hines said.
Hines told WJBF that her family has used Cave Funeral Services for a number of years, and she isn't sure what the family will do in the future if the allegations are true.
|
d311207dfe7c4ad59416f1c0d6eb2408
|
What did the county coroner says?
|
[
"that Hines was too tall for his coffin and that the funeral home took extreme measures to make him fit, Allendale County Coroner Hayzen Black"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Former President John F. Kennedy saw a proposed ban on above-ground nuclear tests as a way to thaw U.S.-Soviet relations after the Cuban Missile Crisis, according to recordings released Thursday.
President John F. Kennedy expresses a desire to thaw U.S.-Soviet relatations, on newly released recordings.
"If it does represent a possibility of avoiding the kind of collision that we had last fall in Cuba, which was quite close, and Berlin in 1961, we should seize the chance," Kennedy said in a July 1963 meeting with top government scientists. He signed a treaty with the Soviets and the British the following month that banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, underwater or in space.
Kennedy's presidential library in Boston, Massachusetts, released the four-minute recording of the meeting, held just four months before his assassination. The scientists taking part included John Foster and Norris Bradbury, the directors of two of the top U.S. nuclear laboratories; Glenn Seaborg, then-head of the Atomic Energy Commission; and a member of the commission, John Palfrey.
Kennedy expressed hope that the treaty could produce "the possibility of a detente" between Washington and Moscow, "which may not come to anything but which quite possibly could come to something."
The meeting took place just nine months after the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba brought the world's major nuclear powers to the brink of war. Kennedy said the Soviets were having "domestic, internal economic problems" and he was worried about the rise of China after a major diplomatic split in 1960.
"I don't think anybody can say with any precision, but there isn't any doubt that the dispute with China is certainly a factor," Kennedy said, adding, "They want to avoid a nuclear struggle or ... they want to lessen the chances of conflict with us."
But he said the rising nuclear ambitions of China, which would conduct its first tests the following year, could force the United States to resume its own tests.
"It may be that the Chinese test in the next year, 18 months, 2 years, and we would then make the judgment to see if we should go back to testing," he said.
|
a83e6768e72746a7b06ec4835f616977
|
What was Kennedy hoping for?
|
[
"that the treaty could produce \"the possibility of a detente\" between Washington and Moscow,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Flash floods and landslides triggered by a weekend tropical storm have killed at least 100 people in Vietnam, the country's news agency said Monday.
Vietnamese villagers look at the rubble where 19 houses stood before a flash-flood ripped away the hamlet of Tung Chin in Lao Cai province.
Forecasters fear additional casualties as more rain was expected Monday.
The floods in the the country's northern mountain provinces damaged tens of thousands of homes, swept away thousands of cattle and submerged crops, the Vietnam News Agency said. More than two dozen people remained missing.
Officials mobilized thousands of rescue workers to look for survivors and to carry relief to the areas hardest hit by the storm.
Tropical Storm Kammuri struck the northern provinces on Friday.
The southeast Asian country is prone to heavy rainfall during the May through September monsoon season. The resulting landslides and floods have killed hundreds in past years.
|
9af7d96489c9446da62c73851bb1ace8
|
How many people did the floods and landslides kill?
|
[
"at least 100"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Oklahoma authorities are determining whether two bodies found Monday are those of a murder suspect and his wife's missing 7-year-old daughter, a spokeswoman for investigators said.
The bodies and a car authorities said was used in the kidnapping of the girl were found in a heavily wooded area in Norman, outside Oklahoma City, said Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation.
Lester Williams Hobbs, 46, was charged in the death of his estranged wife, Tonya, and the kidnapping of her daughter, Aja Daniell Johnson. Hobbs and the girl have been missing since January.
Brown said the bodies are those of an adult and child, but positive identification has not been made due to decomposition.
"There's no reason to believe it's not" Hobbs and the child, she said.
The medical examiner will attempt to identify the bodies using Hobbs' fingerprints and Johnson's dental records, Brown said. The cause of death was unknown, though a note found near the car described what happened, she added. The details of the note were not released.
The car had been left in the woods for several weeks, possible a month, Brown said.
The search for Hobbs and Johnson took investigators through Oklahoma and Texas.
Lester Hobbs is not Johnson's biological father and has an extensive criminal history, police say.
Johnson's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City.
At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with the girl and that she would keep the child away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.
|
3560fffdadc44c05a1aa76f944dace07
|
Where were the bodies found on Monday?
|
[
"in a heavily wooded area in Norman, outside Oklahoma City,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Family members of Phillip Markoff visited him in jail Friday for the first time since his arraignment on murder charges connected to the slaying of a woman he may have met through a Craigslist online ad.
The parents, brother and sister-in-law of accused killer Philip Markoff visited him in jail on Friday.
Markoff's parents, brother, and sister-in-law visited him Friday, having to get through a throng of media members who gathered near the Boston, Massachusetts, jail.
Richard Markoff and Susan Haynes arrived early in the afternoon, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. Markoff's parents stayed at the jail for about two hours and left without making any comments to media, the affiliate reported.
Markoff's brother and sister-in-law also visited him on Friday, the affiliate reported.
John Salsberg, Markoff's attorney, addressed the crowd of reporters Friday and said he was speaking on behalf of the family.
"They love their son very much. They are supportive of him, that's what they would say if they were speaking themselves," he said.
It is not yet known if Megan McAllister, Markoff's fiancee, would visit him in jail, but in an e-mail sent to ABC News, she said police have the wrong man and "was set up."
"Unfortunately, you were given wrong information as was the public," she wrote. "All I have to say to you is Philip is a beautiful person inside and out and could not hurt a fly!"
Markoff, 23, a second-year student at Boston University's School of Medicine, is charged with killing Julissa Brisman, who lived in New York, April 14 at Boston's Copley Marriott Hotel.
Police have said Brisman, a model, advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist, a popular online classifieds service. They say Markoff may have met her through the online site.
Prosecutors say Brisman sustained blunt head trauma and said the she was shot three times at close range. One of the bullets passed through her heart, killing her, prosecutors said.
Markoff is also charged in connection with the April 10 robbery of Trisha Leffler, 29, at a Westin Hotel in Boston, another woman he allegedly met on Craigslist.
Leffler was robbed of $800 in cash and $250 in American Express gift cards, police reports said. Prosecutors said she was bound and held at gunpoint.
Brisman's mother, Carmen Guzman, released a statement Friday about her devastation.
"The feeling of losing my daughter in this way and the pain she must have felt will haunt me for the rest of my life," Guzman said. "She won't live to see her dreams. We will hold Julissa in our hearts every day."
|
0cfcc770e020441798ec11b90a2048e8
|
who was killed
|
[
"Julissa Brisman,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Liv Tyler doesn't like to be bothered by her agents at night. But it's a good thing she took their call pitching her "The Incredible Hulk."
Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross, a colleague of Edward Norton's Bruce Banner, in "The Incredible Hulk."
"My agent called me one night ... I had just put [son] Milo to bed. It was like 9 o'clock at night, and I always get grumpy with them when they call me really late," she told CNN. "They said, 'Marvel would like to fly you to Los Angeles tomorrow. Will you get on a plane to come and meet for 'The Hulk'? And I said I can't come tomorrow, but I can come the next day."
The flight turned out to be well worth it -- though Tyler said she was discombobulated by the speed of it all.
"I went and met with [director] Louis [Leterrier] and they offered me the part that day," she said. "I was kind of floored because it just happened so quickly and I didn't get to read the script. ... [But] it was kind of a no-brainer."
In the new "Hulk," "The Lord of the Rings" actress plays Betty Ross, a former colleague of scientist and Hulk alter ego Bruce Banner (Edward Norton). She said working on the film brought back memories of her childhood watching the TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. (Ferrigno has a cameo in the new film.)
"I loved the TV show when I was a kid," she said. "I used to watch it all the time with my mom. It was our favorite show."
Tyler, 30, said that she felt a tremendous sense of responsibility to the "Hulk" mythology, particularly since a 2003 film on the character met with mixed reviews. Watch Tyler, Norton and Leterrier on the latest "Hulk" »
"Well, a lot of people would say -- even I said -- 'Oh, they're making "The Hulk"?' Didn't they do that already?" she said.
But she added, "The fans love this so much ... and there's so much detail to the story, I always feel quite stressed about that, like I really want to do the part justice. ... I definitely feel that responsibility and want to do the best job that I can."
CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report.
|
1e3226ba47954990accfbe1d9684edb7
|
What role did Liv Tyler call unexpected?
|
[
"Betty Ross,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- CNN explores Beijing's underground music scene and the bands making the rest of the world sit up and listen.
|
46e2443bd2894ffdb96d51ed43a84066
|
What has helped create a vibrant underground scene?
|
[
"music"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan's defense of their Serie A title may have taken a fatal blow with a 1-0 defeat at arch-rivals Juventus Sunday night.
It left Leonardo's men eight points adrift of city rivals AC Milan, who romped to a 4-0 home win over Parma 24 hours earlier, but they still have a game in hand.
Alessandro Matri scored the winner for improving Juve in Turin after 30 minutes to improve their chances of claiming a Champions League spot.
Frederik Sorensen's cross was missed by Ivan Cordoba and Matri headed home from close in.
It was only the second defeat for Inter under their new Brazilian coach who replaced Rafael Benitez and they offered little as an attacking threat.
The best chance came eight minutes from the end as Samuel Eto'o played a one-two with Wesley Sneijder but Gianluigi Buffon came out sharply to block the Cameroon star's effort.
Earlier, Lazio maintained their title bid with a 2-0 win at Brescia to stay third, seven points adrift.
Goals from Alvaro Gonzalez after 18 minutes and Libor Kozak just before the hour mark secured three vital points for the capital side.
Coach Edy Reja asked the fans to be patient after his side have slipped in recent weeks.
"We were top and then second and then we lost a few places but there are times throughout a long season in which it's normal to have a bad spell," he told AFP.
Udinese also kept up their pursuit of a European place with a 3-0 win at struggling Cesena.
Antonio Di Natale scored a double allied to a strike by Gokhan Inler as they stay fifth.
But Palermo saw their hopes nosedive with a shock 4-2 defeat at home to Fiorentina.
|
08bf2bbdebe1496fb398cc34d432fe8e
|
When was Mati's winning goal?
|
[
"after 30 minutes"
] |
NewsQA
|
Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Thousands of anti-riot police were in the streets of Bangladesh's capital city Thursday as the opposition alliance launched a day-long general strike in protest of a fuel price hike.
The strike, occurring all over the country, paralyzed daily life as road communications were heavily disrupted and schools and business establishments remained closed on Thursday, the last working day of the week.
The usually busy streets of the capital, Dhaka, looked almost deserted as most means of public and private transportation remained off the roads.
The opposition group Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies, mostly Islamic parties, called the strike after the government raised the price of petroleum fuels and compressed national gas on Sunday.
Dhaka's police chief, Benazir Ahmed, said his department deployed 13,000 policemen alone in the capital to break up any opposition protests, and the home ministry also initiated mobile courts to try protesters summarily on the streets.
Police said that the strike was mostly peaceful apart from a few incidents of violence, but the opposition parties said the police and the ruling party men beat up their activists wherever they had tried to bring out a procession.
Police said they had arrested some 200 people from different parts of the country, but the opposition claimed that the number was at least 400.
The BNP acting secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, said, "The government has increased fuel prices at a time when people's suffering has already peaked due to high inflation." But the government said it was an "issueless" strike.
The general secretary of the ruling Awami League, Syed Ashraful Islam, said it was illogical as the prices of fuel oils were still lower in Bangladesh (a liter of gasoline costs US$ 1.06) than in the international market.
"If the prices of fuel oils increase in the global market in the future, the government will increase the prices again because the government will need to pay huge subsidies otherwise," he added.
The fuel price hike, the second such rise in four months, triggered protests also by transport owners.
|
152b416b17084b42b6367af8eda0d7ca
|
how many dhaka police were in the streets
|
[
"Thousands"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Roger Federer suffered a surprise defeat to Czech Tomas Berdych in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
The Swiss top seed was a long way from his best as Berdych edged a tight battle 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (8-6).
Federer had a match point in the deciding tie-break but missed his chance with a wayward forehand, allowing Berdych to claim the victory three points later.
Federer, who won the latest of his record 16 Grand Slam singles titles at the Australian Open in January, had only lost once to Berdych in nine previous meetings.
"It's no secret I've struggled the last five matches I've played here in the States," Federer told the official ATP Tour Web site.
"I'm definitely lacking timing. I don't know where that comes from because I played so nicely in Australia. So it's disappointing to not be able to back it up."
They were joined in the quarterfinals by American Andy Roddick, who fought back from 4-1 down to defeat Germany's Benjamin Becker 7-6 (7-4) 6-3.
Fourth seed Rafael Nadal beat fellow Spaniard and 15th seed David Ferrer 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 and will next face eighth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who trounced Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain 6-2 6-2.
Fifth seed Robin Soderling of Sweden progressed with a 6-0 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 victory over Chile's Fernando Gonzalez, while Mardy Fish of the U.S. was forced to retire while trailing 6-1 1-0 against 13th seed Mikhail Youzhny.
In the women's tournament, Venus Williams advanced to the semi-finals with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Agnieszka Radwanska. She will face France's former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, who beat Yanina Wickmayer 6-4, 7-5.
Williams, who had required three sets to defeat Daniela Hantuchova in the previous round, was delighted to have had an easier ride this time around.
"Getting through a match like yesterday makes me more confident because it wasn't exactly my best game," she told the tournament's official Web site.
"Today I was kind of eager to clean up my act. We had some really good rallies and really good points, but I just see me keep coming out on top, so of course I like that."
|
2ae1e9c30aa44e66b9c85129c6a975f9
|
Who did Federer lost to?
|
[
"Tomas Berdych"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Kimi Raikkonen has lambasted McLaren's Lewis Hamilton for the pit-lane accident that ended both of their races at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen is far from happy after Lewis Hamilton pushed him out of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton's McLaren rammed into the back of world champion Raikkonen's Ferrari as the Finn and Robert Kubica, the race's eventual winner, were waiting at a red light after the safety car was forced into action on lap 17.
Raikkonen, while claiming not to be angry, was clearly far from impressed.
"There's not much I can say. My race was ruined by Hamilton's mistake.
"Obviously, anyone can make mistakes, as I did two weeks ago in Monaco, but it's one thing to make a mistake at 200 hundred [miles] per hour but another to hit a car stopped at a red light.
"I'm not angry because that doesn't achieve anything and does not change my result. I am unhappy because I had a great chance of winning."
Raikkonen, who has failed to score points in the previous two races, said he had to start winning again.
"There is still a long way to go in the championship and it is still very close and we have everything we need to regain the ground we have lost."
Ferrari team sporting director Stefano Domenicali said Hamilton had made a "serious mistake."
"I think the penalty imposed by the FIA [Hamilton was given a 10-place grid penalty for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours] is in line with it, even if it does not restore what was a lost opportunity for us.
"Kimi was in an excellent position to fight for the win"
Hamilton, for his part, was apologetic.
"I don't know what happened to be honest," Hamilton said. "I was comfortably in the lead, it was looking like an easy win. Then I went in for the pit stop. It was not a good stop and I saw the two guys in front of me battling in the pit lane.
"I saw the red light but by that time it was a bit late. It was not exactly a racing incident as such, it was unfortunate. It was one of those things. It is different to if you crash into the wall and you are angry. It is not like that. I apologize to Kimi for ruining his race."
|
22b9473b8ea64478a52b0dd3dfcdcd72
|
What was Hamilton given?
|
[
"10-place grid penalty"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British bank Lloyds TSB has agreed to forfeit $350 million dollars to U.S. and New York authorities for criminally hiding information about prohibited dealings with Iranian and Sudanese customers.
Prosecutors said that the bank's misconduct took place between 1995 and 2007.
Under a settlement reached in a federal court in Washington late Friday, Lloyds acknowledged criminal conduct and forfeited $175 million to U.S. authorities and an equal amount to New York authorities.
Court documents say for more than a decade Lloyds had been falsifying data which moved through U.S. institutions by "stripping out" of wire transfers any references to business deals involving customers in the two countries.
Lloyds officials acknowledged they feared if the U.S. had been aware of the deals they would likely have been blocked because of restrictions on commercial deals with Iran and Sudan.
"For more than 12 years Lloyd's facilitated the anonymous movement of hundreds of millions of dollars from U.S.-sanctioned nations through our financial system," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich.
"Lloyds stripped identifying information from international wire transfers that would have raised a red flag at U.S. financial institutions and caused such payments to be scrutinized," he said.
Although the money must be forfeited, under terms of the deal Lloyds will not presently be prosecuted because it accepted responsibility and has vowed to abide by the U.S. laws. After two years the U.S. will forego prosecution and formally drop the criminal charge.
In a statement, the bank said: "We committed substantial resources to a thorough internal investigation, the results of which were shared with U.S. investigators and regulators.
"We are committed to running our business with the highest levels of integrity and regulatory compliance across all of our operations and have undertaken a range of significant steps to further enhance our compliance programs."
In October, the British government agreed a deal with Lloyds TSB, HBOS and Royal Bank of Scotland to make a multi-billion investment in the three to help them through what Prime Minister Gordon Brown described as the "first financial crisis of the global age."
|
9226de4960024c0eb3c79a37c5498d15
|
What did Lloyds TSB acknowledge?
|
[
"acknowledged criminal conduct"
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France (CNN) -- The French Senate began debate Tuesday on a law that would mark a significant cultural shift -- allowing many more shops across the country to open on Sundays.
The law would permit shops, department stores, and shopping malls to open on Sundays in 20 zones.
The bill passed the lower house, the National Assembly, last Tuesday by a vote of 282 to 238, a partial victory for President Nicolas Sarkozy, who backs it.
What seems routine in much of the Western world has been fiercely resisted in France, where Sundays have officially been set aside as a day of rest for more than a century and where a 35-hour workweek remains the norm.
The new legislation, if approved by the Senate, would overturn a 1906 law that forbids Sunday trading in all but the largest cities. It is part of a raft of reforms Sarkozy has pushed for since becoming president.
While the change is significant, it is not as much as the government originally hoped because Sarkozy had to deal with opposition from both the left and the right.
Socialists filed thousands of amendments to the president's original version of the law. Leftists and unions said it would effectively introduce a seven-day working week and allow bosses to force employees to work Sundays.
Members of the president's own ruling conservative party opposed the law despite assurances it would boost economic activity, saying it would instead deprive families and church groups of their dedicated day.
The law would permit shops, department stores and shopping malls to open on Sundays in 20 zones of what are called "exceptional commercial" centers near three of the country's largest cities: Paris, Marseilles, and Lille.
Additionally, 29 areas involving about 500 cities and towns would be added to the list of tourist areas, which already allow some economic activity on Sundays.
The new law will, among other things, straighten out a somewhat chaotic situation in which some stores managed to obtain exceptions from the old law and others didn't, and where some stores found it made more sense financially to accept fines for breaking the old law because the income from Sunday sales more than made up for the penalties.
Opinion polls in France show that slightly more than half the population want shops to have the freedom to open on Sundays, according to Time magazine.
The Senate debate is scheduled to last three days, with a vote expected late on Thursday.
CNN's Jim Bittermann contributed to this report.
|
0c9cd282ea67473e809000687933443a
|
Where was their opposition?
|
[
"Socialists"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- While automakers lay off staff and shut down plants in response to the economic downturn, one automaker announced Thursday that it will open a manufacturing plant in the United States, potentially creating hundreds of jobs in the area eventually chosen.
Tesla unveils its Model S sedan, with a base price of $57,400. The manufacturing plant will be in California.
Tesla Motors, maker of a high-end electric sports car, says it will build an all-electric sedan in Southern California.
Thursday's announcement was made in Hawthorne, California, where Tesla unveiled the Model S sedan at a base price of $49,900, after a federal tax credit of $7,500.
That's less than half the price of its first model, the Roadster.
Started in 2003 and bankrolled by PayPal millionaire Elon Musk, Tesla has attracted investments from the Silicon Valley elite, among them Google founder Larry Page.
It is widely believed that the Model S sedan will be built near the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation facility in Hawthorne. That aerospace company, more commonly known as SpaceX, was founded by Musk in 2002.
SpaceX recently won a NASA contract to deliver cargo to the international space station when the space shuttle program is retired next year. That contract, worth $1.6 billion, was won over such industry mainstays as Boeing and Lockheed.
The promise of a high-performance, all-electric vehicle became a reality with the startup's first model, the Tesla Roadster, a car with the look, speed and price tag -- a steep $109,000 and up -- that rivals other high-end, high-performance vehicles.
Recently though, the economic downturn has forced Tesla to delay production of their would-be flagship Model S until 2011. They've also had to lay off more than 80 workers, which is about 25 percent of the company's staff.
Nonetheless, Tesla predicts it will manufacture 20,000 Model S vehicles a year. That would make it more of a mass-market vehicle than the Roadster; only 1,200 of which are produced yearly.
The company faces many challenges, the foremost of which is convincing consumers to pay almost $50,000 for an all-electric sedan when they could pay thousands less for another brand of upmarket sedan or a gas-electric hybrid.
|
e023f324454b4b7483b71e425aa2a6db
|
What is the base price for the all-electric Model S sedan?
|
[
"$57,400."
] |
NewsQA
|
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The storm called Hanna weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Tuesday morning as maximum sustained winds eased down to 70 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
This satellite image from Monday shows Hanna over the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Despite the downgrade, Hanna dropped torrential rain on the eastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Haiti. Hurricane warnings remained in effect.
Hanna's path and strength remain uncertain, but the latest forecast map from the National Hurricane Center predicts it still could make landfall as a major hurricane on the southeastern U.S. coast by Friday evening.
Hanna's path early Tuesday appeared to be a "meandering" loop across Turks and Caicos, but atmospheric changes over the western Atlantic are expected to steer the storm northwestward over the next two or three days, according to forecasters.
As of 5 a.m. ET, Hanna was a Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale with sustained winds of 80 mph (129 kph) and gusts of up to 100 mph. iReport.com: Watch Hanna lash Turks and Caicos Islands
Three hours later, it was downgraded to a tropical storm as winds fell below the 74 mph threshold for hurricane status. It could return to hurricane status later Tuesday or on Wednesday, forecasters said.
Hanna's line of fire could include the U.S. Atlantic coast from Miami, Florida, to Massachusetts, according to the hurricane center's long-range forecast map. Charleston, South Carolina, appears in the middle of this "cone of uncertainty," with Hanna potentially making landfall there Friday.
"It appears that the center has been meandering," forecasters said.
The history of hurricanes that have been where Hanna is now might argue against its heading toward the southeastern United States. None of the September storms that passed within 200 miles of Hanna's current location has gone there, with most heading into the Gulf of Mexico and others going to New England or Nova Scotia.
Still, forecasters said, "the model guidance is remarkably well clustered" in support of its forecast path for Hanna.
Meanwhile, forecasters were keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Ike, which was gaining strength in the mid-Atlantic and appeared headed for the Bahamas later in the week. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph Tuesday morning.
|
4c5453e4da5e4438bd4f752ae75ae5af
|
what did the system demote to
|
[
"tropical storm"
] |
NewsQA
|
Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Roy Edward Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, died Wednesday after a yearlong battle with stomach cancer, according to a Walt Disney Co. spokesman.
Disney "played a key role in the revitalization of the Walt Disney Co. and Disney's animation legacy," the company said.
He died in a Newport Beach, California, hospital at the age of 79.
His father -- Roy O. Disney -- co-founded the Disney entertainment business with Walt Disney in 1923.
Roy E. Disney's 56-year association with the company culminated in 2003 when he stepped down as vice chairman of Disney's board and chairman of the Disney Studio's Animation Department. He kept the title director emeritus and consultant in recent years, the company said.
"As head of Disney Animation, Disney helped to guide the studio to a new golden age of animation with an unprecedented string of artistic and box office successes that included 'The Little Mermaid,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Aladdin' and 'The Lion King,' " the company said.
A private funeral service and cremation are planned, the company said. His ashes will be scattered at sea, it said.
He was born in in Los Angeles seven years after his father and uncle began building the Disney empire.
His entertainment career began in 1952 -- after he attended Harvard University and Pomona College -- with a job as an assistant film editor on the "Dragnet" TV series.
He joined the family business a year later as an assistant film editor at the Walt Disney Studios.
He received two Oscar nominations. One was as a writer and production associate on the 1959 short subject film "Mysteries of the Deep," and the second was for his work in 2003 as executive producer of "Destino," a film based on storyboards and original art by the iconic artist Salvador Dali.
Disney founded Shamrock Holdings, an investment company owned by the Disney family, in 1978.
He also was an avid competitive sailor, the company said. He held several elapsed-time records for offshore races in the Pacific Ocean, including multiple wins in the 2,225-mile Transpac race between Hawaii and California, it said.
CNN's Brittany Kaplan contributed to this report.
|
b13eed9268d6497e949564a053a922ed
|
what was his age
|
[
"79."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Marine accused of killing Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who was more than eight months pregnant, was not the father of her unborn child, a law enforcement source close to the murder investigation said Saturday.
Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean, who is being held on a murder charge, is scheduled for arraignment in June.
The source, who has seen a report completed earlier this month by the Defense Department's Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, said Cpl. Cesar Laurean's DNA does not match that of the unborn child, who also died.
Laurean and Lauterbach were stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
An autopsy showed that Lauterbach, 20, died of blunt force trauma to the head. Police unearthed her charred body from beneath a barbecue pit in Laurean's backyard in January 2008. She disappeared the month before.
Laurean was 22 when he was arrested in Mexico in April 2008. At the time, a Mexican reporter asked Laurean whether he had killed Lauterbach. The Marine replied, "I loved her." Laurean has been indicted on charges that include first-degree murder, financial card transaction fraud and obtaining property by false pretenses.
North Carolina prosecutors allege he killed Lauterbach on December 14 and used her ATM card 10 days later before fleeing to Mexico. He holds dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico.
The law enforcement source familiar with the case said a DNA swab was taken by court order from Laurean after he was extradited from Mexico in March to face charges in North Carolina. Mexican authorities agreed to the extradition, in part because prosecutors took the death penalty off the table. Mexico does not have a death penalty.
Before her death, Lauterbach told the Marines that Laurean raped her. The month before she disappeared, Lauterbach's mother says Maria told a military investigator that she no longer believed Laurean was the father of her unborn child. However, Lauterbach's mother, Mary, says her daughter remained adamant that Laurean raped her.
Laurean denied it. A few weeks before a scheduled rape hearing at Camp Lejeune, Lauterbach disappeared.
Dewey Hudson, district attorney for Onslow County, said Laurean is scheduled for arraignment in early June, and is expected to enter a plea.
"I cannot comment on any of the tests," Hudson said. He would not say how the DNA results might affect his case against Laurean.
Through her attorney, Mary Lauterbach said the DNA test results don't answer bigger questions she has about whether the Marines did enough to protect her daughter or moved quickly enough to investigate her claims.
"We do not believe that the result will have any effect on the continuing investigation or the trial," said Lauterbach's attorney Merle Wilberding.
|
41fe9fb6211241a8b69a14a214f33951
|
What did the source say about the DNA?
|
[
"does not match that of the unborn child, who also died."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Tamil Tiger rebels acknowledged the death of their leader Sunday, nearly a week after the Sri Lankan government said it had recovered the body of Velupillai Prabhakaran and declared victory in the country's 25-year civil war with the rebels.
In this picture taken 27 November 2003, Velupillai Prabhakaran stands next to an LTTE flag.
Prabhakaran "attained martyrdom fighting the military oppression of the Sri Lankan state" on May 17, according to Tamilnet.com, a rebel Web site, citing the group's international affairs spokesman.
On Tuesday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared victory against the Tamil Tigers.
"We are celebrating the defeat of terrorism," he said in a nationally televised speech before parliament. "We have won and restored democracy in the country."
The president declared a national holiday for the following day to celebrate the war's end and begin a new phase in the country's history. Watch the victory parade »
A short time after the presidential address, the military announced that it had recovered the body of Prabhakaran, leader and founder of the Tamil Tigers.
The rebels initially denied the death of their leader, claiming on Tamilnet.com that Prabhakaran was "alive and safe."
The defense ministry said the bodies of Prabhakaran and 18 other senior rebel leaders were among corpses found in mop-up operations, after government troops routed the Tigers -- formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The leaders included Prabhakaran's eldest son, Charles Anthony, as well as Pottu Amman, the Tigers' intelligence leader, according to the ministry. Watch the U.N. chief discuss the humanitarian crisis »
Prabhakaran founded the Tamil Tigers, who have been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries. It initiated the use of women in suicide attacks and, according to the FBI, invented the explosive suicide belt.
Prabhakaran is accused of masterminding the killing of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in the Tamil-dominated Indian state of Tami Nadu. Sri Lankan authorities allege that Prabhakaran was avenging Gandhi's decision to send Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka.
Two years later, a Tigers suicide bomber, allegedly acting on Prabhakaran's orders, detonated explosives that killed Sri Lanka's then-president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, during a rally.
The rebels have fought for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka since July 1983. An estimated 70,000 to 80,000 people have died during the quarter century of fighting.
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77c02a3e43d54ff3ba0e8d9aa31dc40a
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What is the name of the rebel group?
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[
"Tamil Tiger"
] |
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(CNN) -- Five people have been charged with attempted theft in Ohio after allegedly trying to steal the carcass of an escaped lion that was set free by its owner -- along with other exotic animals -- and ultimately killed by authorities.
Authorities apprehended four adults and one juvenile October 19 as they attempted to sneak the lion carcass into their vehicle, Muskingum County Sheriff Matthew J. Lutz said.
"They got the cat into the trunk, and we stopped them," Lutz said. "I'm not sure what they planned to do with it."
The five were charged Monday, he said.
According to sheriff's department documents, deputies stopped a Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicle and found the large dead cat inside.
Authorites have not released the juvenile's name, but the men were identified as Richard Weidlich, Brian Matthews, Joseph Jakubisin and Cody Wilson, according to the criminal complaint.
If convicted, they could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The attorneys for the men could not be immediately reached for comment.
Of the 56 animals released October 18, killed were two wolves, six black bears, two grizzly bears, nine male lions, eight lionesses, one baboon, three mountain lions and 18 Bengal tigers, Lutz said at the time of the incident. Only a grizzly bear, two monkeys and three leopards were taken alive. A monkey remained unaccounted for.
Officials in Muskingum County closed schools as sheriff's deputies equipped with night vision equipment attempted to hunt down the animals in eastern Ohio after the suicide of the man at the farm where they lived.
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1db524b3b5c644389c70f3ef7fac096e
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What was freed?
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[
"lion"
] |
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Dry conditions and strong winds in California left much of the state vulnerable to massive fires, with blaze-starters ranging from a cooking fire at a drug trafficking operation to a bird flying into a power line.
Drop in humidity, high temperatures could hamper efforts to contain the Lockheed Fire in Santa Cruz County.
"It really goes to show you that it doesn't take much with these dry conditions to start a fire," CalFire spokesman Daniel Berlant told CNN Sunday.
The fire sparked by a bird hitting a power line ignited a series of blazes in Yuba County, forcing some 1,300 firefighters to the scene and officials to declare evacuations in the town of Dobbins, he said. Authorities have battled the Yuba fire since Friday and expect containment by Thursday.
In Southern California's Santa Barbara County, a weeklong blaze has charred more than 84,000 acres, investigators said. The fire originated at an illegal marijuana camp believed to be run by a Mexican drug organization, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Narcotics Unit said in a news release Saturday night.
"I haven't heard of any other fire starting that way," said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Underhill, referring to the so-called La Brea Fire.
More than 2,000 firefighters are fighting the blaze, which is 35 percent contained, authorities said. Some homes around the Los Padres National Forest have been evacuated.
Narcotics investigators have secured the area after working for the past month to eradicate marijuana operations in the remote and steep terrain, the release said.
"It is also believed that the suspects are still within the San Rafael wilderness trying to leave the area on foot," officials said.
Twenty firefighters sustained minor injuries while trying to contain a complex of smaller fires in Northern California's Shasta County that have burned nearly at least 17,623 acres, authorities said. Watch fire in Santa Cruz Mountains »
CalFire spokesman Brent Saulsbury said 37 of the 40 fires -- known as the Shasta Lightning Complex -- are under control.
The area is dense with timber, giving the fires serious fuel. Rugged terrain, limited access to fire trucks and the length of time it takes to reach wildfires have hindered firefighters in recent days, he said.
CNN's Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
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d2705d4148ce40fc91a669c1f091c445
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What includes blaze-starters?
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[
"ranging from a cooking fire at a drug trafficking operation to a bird flying into a power line."
] |
NewsQA
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Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Heavy flooding in central Mexico in the past week has killed at least 33 people and left thousands homeless, the government said Monday.
Schools remained closed in five cities in Mexico's Michoacan state, where the flooding has killed at least 22 people and left more than 3,500 residents homeless, the state government said on its Web site.
Another 83 people still were missing Monday in Michoacan, a state in western coastal Mexico that has been beset by drug violence in the past few years.
A mudslide Saturday killed at least 11 people near the small town of Temascaltepec, in neighboring Mexico state.
Uncharacteristic heavy rain throughout Mexico also has led to flooding in the nation's capital, Mexico City.
Up to 35,000 people nationwide could have been affected, published reports said.
On Sunday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon toured Valle de Chalco, a city in Mexico state.
In Valle de Chalco, on the eastern outskirts of the Mexico City area, officials announced that contaminated water from a sewage network that overflowed Friday will continue to flood the town for at least another 48 hours. The number of affected houses in the city grew from 2,000 on Friday to about 3,000 on Monday, the government said.
Mexico state is bordered on the west by Michoacan and adjoins Mexico City on three sides -- north, east and west.
In Mexico City, officials announced the reopening Monday of 165 of the 174 schools that were closed Friday because of the heavy rain and flooding.
Calderon and other Mexican officials have vowed to help displaced families, including offering them food, medicine, shelter and cash allowances to buy new furniture.
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7d8f0458a5de446baf6ffb568861afa2
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How many people were killed?
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[
"33"
] |
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Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Seven insurgents were killed when a group of more than a dozen men launched an early morning attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Wednesday, officials said.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Clarence Counts said that five service members were wounded in the attack and a building suffered minor damage. He said the attack included rockets, small arms and grenades.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told CNN that 20 armed men wearing suicide vests stormed the base around 4 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Tuesday ET), with four of them detonating explosives at the entrances to allow the other men to move in. Mujahid said that a "major firefight" took place inside the base.
But Army Specialist Christina Dion, a spokeswoman who both lives an works on the base, told CNN that personnel were ordered to enter bunkers when the base came under attack and were allowed to return to their huts and tents about 90 minutes later.
"We're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base," Counts said. "The response this morning was immediate."
The fighting eventually tapered off about 7:30 a.m. local time, said NATO spokesman Lt. Col Todd Breasseale.
Another Bagram spokeswoman, Maj. Virginia McCabe, could not say if flights into and out of the air base had been stopped and said that authorities are investigating how the incident started.
"Established security procedures are in place," she said, adding that personnel with "mission-essential" responsibilities were continuing to work.
Bagram is a heavily fortified base, its perimeter guarded by high fences and thick, concrete walls. Dion said she didn't believe anyone could have made their way into the main portion of the base.
Taliban fighters have lobbed rockets into the base in previous attacks.
CNN's Adam Levine and Paula Hancocks contributed to this report.
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3b4977940a474c248a0eafda3f232915
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Five members were hurt on what?
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[
"Bagram Air Base"
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Karma caught up with former Culture Club singer Boy George on Friday when a court sentenced the star to 15 months for falsely imprisoning a male escort, a court spokeswoman said.
George O'Dowd, also known as Boy George, arrives at Snaresbrook Crown Court, in east London.
Full details of the sentence weren't immediately clear.
A jury unanimously found the pop star and DJ, whose real name is George O'Dowd, guilty of the charge last month after a seven-day trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in northeast London.
The jury determined O'Dowd, 47, had chained male escort Audun Carlsen to a wall at his apartment in London's hip Shoreditch neighborhood. Carlsen had also said the singer beat him with a metal chain. Watch as Boy George arrives at court »
O'Dowd, who maintained his innocence, came to court Friday sporting a multicolored tattoo on his bald head, none of his trademark makeup, and a black winter coat.
The star quit Culture Club in 1987 after a string of hits with the group, including "Karma Chameleon," "Do you really want to hurt me?" and "Church of the Poison Mind."
He has since become a DJ and revived his singing career, releasing a single last year called "Yes we can," inspired by Barack Obama and featuring clips of the U.S. president-elect.
O'Dowd is no stranger to the law. In August 2006, he spent five days cleaning the streets of Manhattan as part of a community service sentence for falsely reporting a break-in at his New York City home.
He has also publicly battled drug addiction.
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2b402d37548f40c29c5563890f3824ce
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What is Boy George's real name?
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[
"O'Dowd,"
] |
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(CNN) -- It certainly isn't your average help wanted ad.
A publication in Denver, Colorado, is looking for a journalist to review marijuana dispensaries.
"Do you have a medical condition that necessitates marijuana? Do you have a way with words? If so, Westword wants you to join the ranks as our freelance marijuana-dispensary reviewer."
The local "burgeoning medical marijuana scene" in Denver, Colorado, is growing and the weekly publication Westword wants to be on the forefront, said Joe Tone, the paper's Web editor. "We want someone who can get in and relay to our readers what it is like inside these dispensaries."
It's not exactly like a food critic job. The online-only reviewer won't be showing up anonymously and sampling the wares.
"They are to review the places, not the weed," Tone said.
"We can't have our reviewer be stoned all the time," he quipped.
But, he said, the ideal applicant should have "the ability to write and be in the position of holding a state medical marijuana card." The reviewer, he said, should know his or her way around dispensaries and be "passionate about the issue of medical marijuana."
Colorado is one of 14 states where medical marijuana is legal by state law -- federal law still bans its use. But this week, the Obama administration announced a new policy loosening the rules regarding prosecuting criminal activity associated with medical marijuana.
The Justice Department now says that prosecutors can go after traffickers but not medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Though Westword is no longer accepting applicants for its dispensary reviewer position, they are actively working through the 120 they received and have culled the list down to under 20. The applicants run the gamut of 20-something stoners to well-educated engineers in their 50s.
Some have even offered to work for free, Tone said, adding "We won't accept that." The pay is "meager," he said, but it's legitimate.
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1532a6a8b0a4411eae6fd4b062d7d791
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What does the paper want to cover?
|
[
"marijuana dispensaries."
] |
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|
London, England (CNN) -- The United Kingdom will send an additional 500 troops to Afghanistan in early December, bringing the British contingent there to more than 9,500, Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Monday.
"We must address the terrorist threat at its source," Brown told lawmakers, adding: "Our task is to prevent the Taliban from giving al Qaeda ... safe haven.
"Instability in Afghanistan can only increase the risk of conflagration where the rest of the world can least afford it."
Brown regularly links British security to events in Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying attacks on London and other British targets have been planned in South Asia.
He announced in October the decision in principle to boost force levels, but said certain conditions -- including proper equipment for the British troops and more troop commitments from other countries -- had to be met first.
The United Kingdom has the largest contingent in Afghanistan after the United States. The figure of 9,500 does not include special forces, said Brown, who declined to say exactly how many are there, but indicated it is more than 500.
Brown's announcement coincided with the news that a British soldier was killed by an explosion in Afghanistan's Helmand province, where troops have been entrenched in heavy combat with Taliban insurgents since July 2006.
The soldier, from the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards, died as a result of injuries sustained in the Babaji area, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
Britain has lost more than 200 service personnel in Afghanistan since the start of fighting in 2001. More than 100 were lost in the past year.
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772e237cc3ed4393a72d7612af867459
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Who has the largest contingent of troops?
|
[
"The United Kingdom"
] |
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- A letter penned by George Washington praising the new Constitution sold for $3.2 million at an auction, the highest price for a letter by America's first president.
The four-page letter in Washington's slanting penmanship was written to his nephew Bushrod Washington in November 1787, according to Christie's, the company that auctioned it.
It was in the possession of an unidentified British descendant of his family, Christie's said.
Washington led the Philadelphia Convention, at which the Constitution was drafted in 1787. After the Constitution was produced, a nationwide debate ensued on whether to ratify it.
In the letter written from Washington's Virginia estate, Mount Vernon, he endorses the Constitution and highlights the benefits of compromise and of states merging into one nation.
"The central issues must be consolidated -- and local views as far as the general good will admit, must be attended to," he says in the letter, according to Christie's.
The company said the president confided in his nephew.
"Washington professed neutrality in public, but to Bushrod expressed his unequivocal conviction that the new Constitution must be ratified, in spite of opposition from many special-interest groups," Christie's said.
The buyer was not identified.
Christie's had earlier estimated that the letter would fetch $1.5 million to $2.5 million at Friday's auction.
Washington served from 1789 to 1797, then died of a throat infection two years later. He died at his beloved Mount Vernon at age 67, plunging the nation into months of mourning.
Last year, a 1864 letter in which President Abraham Lincoln replies to the abolitionist pleas of youth sold for $3.4 million.
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db08156ff7964318a24798c92635272a
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What was the price
|
[
"$3.2 million"
] |
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Liv Tyler doesn't like to be bothered by her agents at night. But it's a good thing she took their call pitching her "The Incredible Hulk."
Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross, a colleague of Edward Norton's Bruce Banner, in "The Incredible Hulk."
"My agent called me one night ... I had just put [son] Milo to bed. It was like 9 o'clock at night, and I always get grumpy with them when they call me really late," she told CNN. "They said, 'Marvel would like to fly you to Los Angeles tomorrow. Will you get on a plane to come and meet for 'The Hulk'? And I said I can't come tomorrow, but I can come the next day."
The flight turned out to be well worth it -- though Tyler said she was discombobulated by the speed of it all.
"I went and met with [director] Louis [Leterrier] and they offered me the part that day," she said. "I was kind of floored because it just happened so quickly and I didn't get to read the script. ... [But] it was kind of a no-brainer."
In the new "Hulk," "The Lord of the Rings" actress plays Betty Ross, a former colleague of scientist and Hulk alter ego Bruce Banner (Edward Norton). She said working on the film brought back memories of her childhood watching the TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. (Ferrigno has a cameo in the new film.)
"I loved the TV show when I was a kid," she said. "I used to watch it all the time with my mom. It was our favorite show."
Tyler, 30, said that she felt a tremendous sense of responsibility to the "Hulk" mythology, particularly since a 2003 film on the character met with mixed reviews. Watch Tyler, Norton and Leterrier on the latest "Hulk" »
"Well, a lot of people would say -- even I said -- 'Oh, they're making "The Hulk"?' Didn't they do that already?" she said.
But she added, "The fans love this so much ... and there's so much detail to the story, I always feel quite stressed about that, like I really want to do the part justice. ... I definitely feel that responsibility and want to do the best job that I can."
CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report.
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54d89e0de143462285b911f678064577
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Who was Tyler a fan of on TV?
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[
"Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno."
] |
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(CNN) -- The investigation of the E. coli outbreak linked to Nestle Toll House cookie dough is nearly over, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The cause of the contamination has not been identified.
Nestle recalled all its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products made at a Danville, Virginia, plant.
David Acheson, the FDA's associate commissioner for foods, says the samples of cookie dough his agency has tested do not contain the E. coli strain that sickened 74 people in 32 states.
On June 19, Nestle recalled all its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products made at a Danville, Virginia, plant. Thirty-four people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported. The CDC reports that the majority of the patients were teenage girls who reported eating the cookie dough raw.
Last month, the FDA found E. coli in a production sample of Toll House cookie dough, but after testing, investigators found that the strain in the sample did not match the outbreak strain.
"We are still in speculation mode," Acheson said, but the E. coli "most likely came from raw ingredients" such as flour.
The E.coli strain that caused the outbreak, 0157:H7, is typically found in fecal contamination from animals such as cows, sheep or goats. Acheson points out that it's not unusual for those animals to be carrying more than one strain of the bacteria. But he believes that the root cause of the contamination may never be known.
"We have to conclude we're unlikely to have a definitive determination," he said.
Most people with E. coli 0157:H7 experience diarrhea and abdominal cramps within eight days of infection.
The FDA notified Nestle USA on Thursday that its investigation at the Danville plant was over.
Nestle says FDA inspectors were at the plant for more than a week and found no E. coli on equipment. More than 1,000 tests have been conducted at the facility after the outbreak.
"We've dismantled the production line and done extensive testing on all equipment and not found any E. coli," Nestle USA spokeswoman Laurie MacDonald said.
MacDonald announced that Nestle is easing back into production at the plant. The company has purchased new lots of eggs, flour and margarine and says it is thoroughly testing the new products and all raw ingredients.
Consumers will have to wait to see cookie dough back in grocery stores.
"You're not going to see anything on the shelves for quite some time," MacDonald said. But when it does appear, the company will mark the cookie dough with a new label that clearly designates it as a new batch.
It will also continue to carry a reminder to not eat the dough raw.
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a9b8d23390ab4e999e04f4dfc1f96e34
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How many people got sick?
|
[
"74"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking parents to immediately stop using a series of inflatable floats for babies in swimming pools, announcing a voluntary recall of about 4 million floats Thursday.
The Squirtin' Tootin' Tugboat is among the floats covered by the recall.
The items -- which inflate to seat babies and toddlers as they float on water -- are manufactured by Massachusetts-based Aqua Leisure Industries.
The company has voluntarily recalled 14 models because the leg straps in the seat of the float can tear, causing children to slip into the water, posing a drowning risk, the commission said in a statement.
There have been 31 reports of float seats tearing, though no injuries have been reported, the commission said.
The floats were sold from December 2002 through June 2009 at retailers nationwide, including Target, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Kmart, Walgreens, Ace Hardware and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
The commission is asking consumers to stop using the floats and to send them back to the company.
Aqua Leisure officials could not be immediately reached for comment, but the company's Web site has posted the commission's recall advisory.
CNN's Gerri Willis contributed to this report.
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32f678d81c474f89952c4671c39a2d21
|
How many models were recalled?
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[
"14"
] |
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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A federal judge on Tuesday approved the extradition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France, where he faces a 10-year sentence on a conviction in absentia on money-laundering charges.
Manuel Noriega, in a 1989 file photo, leaves his headquarters in Panama City, Panama.
Magistrate William Turnoff agreed with the government's case for extraditing Noriega to France and issued a "certificate of extradability."
Noriega's lawyer, Frank Rubino, said he would continue to fight the extradition. He had said Noriega hoped to return to Panama to be closer to his family.
The issue has emerged because Noriega is scheduled to complete his Florida prison term on September 9.
The former Panamanian strongman was captured in the 1989 U.S. military invasion of Panama and was convicted in 1992 of racketeering for accepting bribes to allow drugs to be shipped through Panama destined for the United States.
His attorneys had argued that his status as a prisoner of war meant he should be returned to Panama, but a separate court ruling last Friday rejected that argument.
"This court never intended for the proclamation of defendant as a POW to shield him from all future prosecutions for serious crimes he is alleged to have committed," Senior U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler wrote in Friday's 12-page opinion. "It appears that the extradition proceedings should proceed uninterrupted."
Hoeveler noted that Noriega "has not always sought repatriation," and had, at one time, asked to be allowed to go to a third country.
Noriega also faces possible prison time in Panama, where he is accused of kidnapping, extortion and the murder of political opponents.
Though the charges are more serious, if the 69-year-old Noriega is convicted of murder, he would likely serve much of his sentence under home detention in Panama.
Panamanian law provides home detention for anyone 74 years old or older.
The Panamanian constitution would also forbid his extradition to France.
Next month, Noriega will have served nearly 17½ years of an original 40-year sentence in the United States. The sentence was later reduced to 30 years, and further shortened for good behavior. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Patrick Oppmann in Miami and Jim Bittermann in Paris contributed to this report.
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b5bdc700e8e34d9687522c4dbe6ec424
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What does his lawyer vow?
|
[
"he would continue to fight the extradition."
] |
NewsQA
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Wednesday hailed the election of Barack Obama as "a triumph of the American story."
"Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday," President Bush said Wednesday.
Obama's rise to become the nation's first black president is "a testament to hard work, optimism and a faith in the enduring promise of our nation," Bush said in the White House Rose Garden.
"No matter how they cast their ballots, all Americans can be proud of the history that was made yesterday," said Bush, whose second term in the Oval Office will end when Obama is sworn in on January 20.
Bush said he had called Obama and had also spoken to his opponent, Sen. John McCain.
"I congratulated [McCain] on a determined campaign that he and Gov. [Sarah] Palin ran," the president said. Watch Bush praise presidential candidates »
Bush said turning over the White House to Obama "will be a stirring sight."
"I know millions of Americans will be overcome with pride at this inspiring moment that so many have waited for for so long," Bush said.
Moving toward Obama's January 20 inauguration, Bush promised the president-elect he can count on "complete cooperation" as he makes the transition to the White House.
Speaking later at the State Department, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said her department "will do everything that we can" to ensure a smooth transition. Watch Rice pledge a smooth turnover at the State Department »
Rice, an African-American like Obama, also called Tuesday's election "an extraordinary step forward" in the nation's history.
"I am especially proud because this is a country that's been through a long journey in terms of overcoming wounds, and making race not the factor in our lives," Rice said.
Bush warned America's enemies not to expect any letup in national security during the transition.
"The United States government will stay vigilant in meeting its most important responsibility, protecting the American people," Bush said.
On Thursday, Obama is expected to receive his first top-secret intelligence briefing, similar to the one Bush gets every day, according to U.S. officials familiar with the process.
In a message to CIA employees obtained by CNN, CIA Director Michael Hayden says Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell will lead Obama's first briefing.
Bush pledged to fulfill his duties as president until the final day of his presidency.
"I will continue to conduct the people's business as long as the office remains in my trust," the nation's 43rd president said.
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c244904277544e2faf0a34da0dd7bf67
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When will Obama get briefing?
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[
"Thursday,"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- Prince William has spoken in depth publicly for the first time about death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, 12 years ago, saying "mummy" is now a hollow word "evoking only memories."
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car crash 12 years ago.
Prince William was only 15 and his brother Prince Harry 12 when Diana died in a Paris car crash along with Dodi Fayed in 1997.
The Prince made the comment Thursday during a speech to mark his new role as patron of Britain's Child Bereavement Charity -- a group his mother was once involved with.
The British Press Association reported that he told the launch of the charity's Mother's Day campaign: "My mother Diana was present at your launch 15 years ago, and I am incredibly proud to be able to continue her support for your fantastic charity, by becoming your royal patron.
"What my mother recognized then -- and what I understand now -- is that losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can ever endure.
"Never being able to say the word 'Mummy' again in your life sounds like a small thing. Tell us what you think about Prince William's moving comments
"However, for many, including me, it's now really just a word -- hollow and evoking only memories.
"I can therefore wholeheartedly relate to the Mother's Day campaign as I too have felt -- and still feel -- the emptiness on such a day as Mother's Day." Listen to Prince William discuss his mother. »
The charity wants to raise awareness of the problems suffered by mothers bereaved of a child or children bereaved of their mother.
Based in Buckinghamshire, a region west of London, it educates professionals and supports families after a death.
Writing in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper about his new role, the Prince said the reality of losing a child or parent was "awful."
"Initially, there is a sense of profound shock and disbelief that this could ever happen to you. Real grief often does not hit home until much later.
"For many it is a grief never entirely lost. Life is altered as you know it, and not a day goes past without you thinking about the one you have lost."
Mother's Day in the UK always falls on the fourth weekend of Lent, and this year is on March 22.
Earlier this week France's leading society magazine, Point de Vue, reported that the Prince would marry his long-term girlfriend, Kate Middleton, this summer.
The magazine claimed an official announcement was "imminent."
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118d1e1af9714d6ab50edacdfe8146f8
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What does William feel every Mother's Day?
|
[
"emptiness"
] |
NewsQA
|
New York (CNN) -- Investigators suspect arson in a fire that killed five Guatemalan immigrants in Brooklyn, they said Monday.
"People are all concerned and very sad," said Maria Luz de Zyriek, the Guatemalan consul in New York. "This is a horrible tragedy."
Authorities continue to investigate and have not formally determined a cause, the Fire Department of New York said. The blaze damaged a restaurant and apartments in a three-story building in the Bensonhurst neighborhood, Frank Dwyer, a fire department spokesman, has said.
Luisa Chan, a mother of two, died in the blaze, said Mario Alvarado, a member of Jovenes Cristianos -- Christian Youth, a church with about 200 members, most of them Guatemalan immigrants, on 17th Avenue in Brooklyn.
Chan usually attended services on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, Alvarado said. The congregation mourned her on Sunday.
"The service was so quiet," he said.
Are you there? Share your story
Investigators have not publicly identified the victims, but the Guatemalan consul said they were all from the western part of the country. Two were from the state of Totonicapan and three were from the state of Quetzaltenango, she said.
After the fire broke out, Chan managed to get her 2-year-old son to safety, apparently by handing him to someone on the floor below, and threw her 2-month-old daughter toward a passerby, said Alvarado, who said he received that account from someone close to the family.
"Thank God they're safe," he said.
A 2-month-old baby was in critical condition, fire officials said, but the child was not immediately identified; three other people sustained injuries ranging from serious to minor.
Thirteen firefighters sustained minor injuries.
The fire started about 2:30 a.m. Saturday behind a door in one of the apartment units, Dwyer said.
"If somebody starts a fire there intentionally, that would certainly be looking to kill somebody, because there's no way for them to get out," Fire Commissioner Salvatore Cassano said.
At Chan's church, members in mourning were waiting Monday for more information from authorities, Alvarado said. They also were getting ready for a memorial service and trying to comfort Chan's husband, who survived the fire, the consul said.
"The husband and wife belonged to that church. Everybody there knew them," said Luz, who went to the church during the weekend.
"Everybody there was so sad. Everybody was crying and praying for the husband," she said. "He's going to have to raise those two little kids now by himself."
CNN's Miguel Susana contributed to this report.
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6ca32a7672334f97b1437a38cacc1014
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What was said about the arson?
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[
"\"This is a horrible tragedy.\""
] |
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TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- A Swiss diplomat was released from jail Thursday after being arrested on a sex charge, the Iranian media reported.
The first secretary of the U.S. Interests section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran had been in an "indecent sexual relation" with an Iranian woman in his car, Iran's Press TV reported, citing Iranian police.
Police spotted the car with diplomatic plates in a parking lot and caught the diplomat. The woman was "improperly dressed and in an obscene situation," Press TV said.
The "sexual relation" occurred after the diplomat, who was not named, promised he would marry the woman, Press TV reported. Both were released on bail. It was not clear what charges were filed against the woman.
Press TV said it had contacted the deputy head of the U.S. Interest Section in Tehran, Elizabeth Bucher, but she would not comment on the report.
The suspect is a Swiss diplomat who represents the United States in Iran in the absence of a U.S. presence. The United States and Iran have not had full diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
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6e2829e029f742638cb941b8cb5abc00
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What happened to the woman in the car?
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[
"\"indecent sexual relation\""
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- The ever budget-conscious boss of Ryanair has suggested the discount airline may start charging passengers for using the toilet on board its flights.
Whatever you do, don't drink too much before your flight. Ryanair's investigating onboard fees for flushing.
Michael O'Leary said the airline had revived inquiries into whether the airline could install coin-operated toilets on its fleet.
"People might actually have to spend a pound to spend a penny in future," he said in a BBC interview, adding "We're always in Ryanair looking at the ways of constantly lowering the costs of air travel and making it more affordable and easier for passengers to fly with us."
Asked by the incredulous presenter what passengers would do if they found themselves without money mid-flight, O'Leary replied: "I don't think there is anybody in history that has got on board a Ryanair aircraft with less than a pound." Sound Off: Is it fair to charge a fee for a flush?
The Irish airline is renowned for its cheap flights and regularly advertises competition-crushing deals to boost capacity on its short-haul routes.
The company has made no secret of its quest to boost revenue by any means possible. It already charges for food and each bag checked into the hold is subject to a fee.
Last week Ryanair announced plans to remove all its check-in counters in an effort to encourage travelers to take just one piece of hand-luggage.
Ryanair's latest revenue-raising proposal has surprised few in the industry who are accustomed to its method of business.
"It seems Ryanair is prepared to plumb any depth to make a fast buck and, once again, is putting profit before the comfort of its customer," said Rochelle Turner, Head of Research at Which? Holiday.
The consumer group also warned that move might hit Ryanair where it hurts.
"Charging people to go to the toilet might result in fewer people buying overpriced drinks on board, though -- that would serve Ryanair right," Turner said.
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0973f40b715f44fca9617601cf6c2e83
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What is the airline boss considering?
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[
"charging passengers for using the toilet on board its flights."
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Reigning Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal was forced to retire hurt from his quarterfinal match against Andy Murray in Melbourne on Tuesday.
The Spaniard, who suffered injury trouble for much of last season, was 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 3-0 down to the 22-year-old Scot when he pulled out of the match after struggling with his right knee for much of the third set.
Murray spoke of his disappointment regarding the manner of his progression but was pleased with his standard of play.
"I've known Rafa since I was 13, he's my favorite player to watch so I was gutted for him," Murray told reporters after the game.
"I came through a few tough moments at the start of the match but I thought I found the right tactics to win, I played really well tonight.
"I had to go for my shots and when the big points come keep them short, as you don't want to play long points against Rafa."
Murray's victory sets-up a semifinal clash with Croatian Marin Cilic, who underlined his growing reputation by hitting 20 aces and 63 winners to consign seventh seed Andy Roddick to defeat.
A win that has Murray keenly anticipating his next challenge: "Nerves will be there about making my first Australian final but I lost to [Cilic] in straight sets at the U.S. Open so there is a bit of revenge to be had there."
Cilic, 21, toppled Roddick 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, after the American battled with a shoulder injury for a large part of the grueling five-set, four-hour marathon match.
Roddick hit back with 15 aces and 47 winners but Cilic, who took the scalp of U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro in the previous round, sealed his 10th win from 10 matches of 2010 to reach his first grand slam semifinal.
World number one Roger Federer faces Russian Nikolay Davydenko in tomorrow's other quarterfinal while Novak Djokovic of Serbia will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
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4c6e8d40bc2f40b0a9107b8fc10c9fdc
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Who will Murray face in the semis?
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[
"Rafael Nadal"
] |
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(CNN) -- Hundreds of U.S. and Afghan soldiers have embarked on a major operation against militants in the eastern Afghan region of Tora Bora, near the border with Pakistan, officials have told CNN.
File photo of the remote mountain Tora Bora region on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Air and ground strikes under way in the remote mountain region are aimed at large numbers of militant fighters.
The troops are targeting "hundreds of hardened al Qaeda and Taliban in dug-in positions," said officials familiar with the intelligence.
The operation started two days ago in the region, where al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was once thought to be hiding.
The Bush administration has been criticized for not sending enough ground forces to Tora Bora in December 2001 to capture the militant after the invasion that toppled the Taliban.
"U.S. and Afghan forces engaged al Qaeda and other violent extremist fighters in eastern Afghanistan during a combined arms assault using precision munitions. There have been no substantiated reports of civilian casualties in this engagement," said Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a U.S. Army spokeswoman.
"The targets were carefully chosen to pinpoint enemy positions and eliminate the likelihood of harming innocent civilians," she said.
"This region has provided an ideal environment to conceal enemy support bases and training sites, as well as plan and launch attacks aimed at terrorizing innocent civilians, both inside and outside the region."
Also Wednesday, a manager at a private British security firm in Afghanistan was shot and killed in the capital Kabul, a spokesman for the company said.
"We did lose a manager today in Kabul to unknown assailants," Christopher Beese, spokesman for ArmorGroup International, said Wednesday.
He said next of kin have been notified and an inquiry into the incident has begun. The name of the man, a British national, was not released.
"It's bad news. He was a very well-respected man," Beese said, noting that the victim had experience in Afghanistan going back to the early 1980s.
Beese -- who said the man's role was to run the administration of the 1,200-person-strong security presence in the country -- described the man as a "logistics manager" and "all things to all people."
The firm, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2002, mostly provides diplomatic protection and has contracts with the British and American governments.
The man recruited and trained Afghan guards and was the most senior administrator at the company's Kabul base, Camp Anjuman, the company said. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
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a5a0267373a74e2aba937d9c0a272490
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Who embarked on a major operation in Tora Bora
|
[
"Hundreds of U.S. and Afghan soldiers"
] |
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(CNN) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking parents to immediately stop using a series of inflatable floats for babies in swimming pools, announcing a voluntary recall of about 4 million floats Thursday.
The Squirtin' Tootin' Tugboat is among the floats covered by the recall.
The items -- which inflate to seat babies and toddlers as they float on water -- are manufactured by Massachusetts-based Aqua Leisure Industries.
The company has voluntarily recalled 14 models because the leg straps in the seat of the float can tear, causing children to slip into the water, posing a drowning risk, the commission said in a statement.
There have been 31 reports of float seats tearing, though no injuries have been reported, the commission said.
The floats were sold from December 2002 through June 2009 at retailers nationwide, including Target, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Kmart, Walgreens, Ace Hardware and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
The commission is asking consumers to stop using the floats and to send them back to the company.
Aqua Leisure officials could not be immediately reached for comment, but the company's Web site has posted the commission's recall advisory.
CNN's Gerri Willis contributed to this report.
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09817fbc263743338d7c1fa45bba3676
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Which company recalled products?
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[
"Aqua Leisure Industries."
] |
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MACAU, China -- Pete Sampras rolled back the years to upset current world number one Roger Federer in an exhibition match in Macau on Saturday.
Sampras enjoyed the spoils of victory in Macau after two previous defeats to Federer.
Federer had one the two previous clashes in an Asian series in straight sets but was handed a 7-6 6-4 defeat in the finale.
American ace Sampras downplayed his victory, noting Federer was coming off a long season and that he was helped by his big serve and the fast indoor carpet surface.
He had only aimed to win one set during the three-match series.
"Let's not get carried away," he said at a news conference.
Sampras ruled out a comeback from retirement, telling the audience after the match, "I had my time in the 90s."
Federer tried to put on a positive spin on the loss, saying he wasn't embarrassed to lose to his idol, but still showed some disappointment.
"It's been tough beating my idol the last two times. I'm happy that he got me at least once," he said, but adding, "I hope we can do it again in the future. I'd like to get him back."
The two players have won a combined 26 Grand Slam titles, but Sampras, 36, retired five years ago after winning the U.S. Open in 2002.
Federer is coming off another outstanding season in which he won three grand slams and last week's Masters Cup in Shanghai.
"I'm sort of surprised. This guy can play tennis, you know," the Swiss player said after his loss Saturday.
Federer beat Sampras 6-4 6-3 in Seoul on Tuesday and edged the American 7-6 7-6 in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
In Macau, Federer was never able able to force a break point on the powerful Sampras serve, but had set points at 6-5 and 8-7 in the tiebreak.
But Sampras saved both and a run of three points, capped by a forehand winner, gave him the opener.
The ninth game of the second second proved vital as a forehand error by Federer gave Sampras a break point which he gratefully took with another fine forehand.
Sampras closed out the match as a Federer backhand return sailed long.
Federer said he thought Sampras could still beat the world's top five players on a fast surface.
Sampras then predicted that Federer could beat his record of most grand slam wins (14) "if not next year, pretty soon."
"He's a great, great player. He's got things in his game that I couldn't do," he said. E-mail to a friend
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614971fd1cb441dca3bac8b3cb46c9de
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Who won their previous matches?
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[
"Pete Sampras"
] |
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(CNN) -- Yahoo! announced Monday that the search is on for the Internet giant's next CEO.
Jerry Yang, Yahoo! co-founder, speaks at an electronics show in Las Vegas in January.
The new CEO will replace Yahoo! co-founder, Jerry Yang, who assumed the position in June 2007 and has since come under fire for failing to turn around the company.
Yang will step down when a replacement is selected.
Just two weeks ago at the Web 2.0 Summit, Yang was asked if he was the right guy to lead the battered portal.
Yang dodged the question by defending his passion for the company he co-founded 13 years ago.
"I didn't make the decision of being the CEO lightly," he said. "I wanted to make a change at Yahoo! that I believe I can make ... That's a dream that I felt I could achieve by being CEO and that's still the dream today."
Now, Yang plans to return to his former role as "Chief Yahoo" and will still have a seat on the board, Yahoo! said.
During his short tenure, Yahoo! has had two major rounds of layoffs and has seen its search market share shrink significantly while a series of reorganizations led to the departure of senior executives.
Wall Street and shareholders criticized Yang for falling short of reaching an agreement to sell the company to Microsoft.
Yang also was taken to task when Google pulled out of a controversial ad agreement earlier this month that would have boosted Yahoo's revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Yahoo! said the search for a new CEO will encompass both internal and external candidates.
"Over the past year and a half, despite extraordinary challenges and distractions, Jerry Yang has led the repositioning of Yahoo! on an open platform model as well as the improved alignment of costs and revenues," said Chairman Roy Bostock.
"Jerry and the Board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level."
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ae4e5d0e64654498b21853bbe0fd95c1
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What was Yang criticized for doing?
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[
"failing to turn around the company."
] |
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least 43 civilians were killed Sunday when they were caught in the crossfire between Pakistani forces and Taliban militants, a Pakistani military official said.
The official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the incident happened in Charbagh, a district of Swat Valley in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
The mountainous Swat Valley region used to be a popular destination for tourists and skiers, but today it is a Taliban stronghold.
The Pakistani government and the army have come under criticism in recent weeks for allowing the security situation in Swat to deteriorate in the past few months. Islamabad has said there are plans for a new strategy to fight the Taliban, but they have yet to offer details.
The Taliban are imposing their strict brand of Islamic law in the region -- banning music, forbidding men from shaving, and not allowing teenage girls to attend school. Watch a report on civilians killed in crossfire »
Government officials say the Taliban have torched and destroyed more than 180 schools in the Swat region. Many families have fled the area, and have been followed by many Pakistani police officers who are too scared to take on Taliban forces, a Pakistani army spokesman told CNN last week.
The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 -- harboring al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden -- and ruled it until they were ousted from power in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States. Since then, the Taliban have regrouped and are currently battling U.S. and NATO-led forces.
U.S. President Barack Obama has called Afghanistan the "central front" in the war on terror and has promised to make fighting extremism there, and in neighboring Pakistan, a foreign policy priority. He is expected to send as many as 30,000 additional U.S. troops to battle Taliban forces.
Richard Holbrooke, the administration's new envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is scheduled to make his first trip to the region this week.
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04ced8c720b342e2b632693ab4b0b7f8
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what did Swat valley used to be popular for
|
[
"tourists and skiers,"
] |
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(CNN) -- Somalia's transitional government has the right to request military help from its neighbors against armed militants, the African Union said Monday, but Kenya was quick to reject the idea of sending troops and suggested the AU should spearhead such a move.
Islamist insurgents patrol part of Mogadishu during clashes with government forces.
Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Adan Madowe on Saturday called on Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Yemen to send in their military forces to help government troops stop hardline Islamist militants from taking over.
"Militants are wrestling the power from the government and so we call for military help from neighboring countries," the speaker said at a news conference in Mogadishu. "Please send your military to help in 24 hours' time."
But Alfred Mutua, spokesman for the Kenyan government, told CNN that "Kenya doesn't engage in military support to our neighbors." He said that any such support would be under the umbrella of the African Union.
However, he did say that "different types of support can be given, not just military, and Kenya's options are open." He said that the government should announce by Wednesday how it will move forward.
Jean Ping, chairman of the African Union Commission, said in a communique issued Sunday that the transitional government, as Somalia's legitimate government, "has the right to seek support from AU Member States and the larger international community."
Ping also said that the AU would "continue to do its utmost to assist the Somali people and its authorities in their lasting quest for peace and reconciliation."
Somalia's call for help came hours after a third top politician was killed in ongoing fighting in the capital.
Mohamed Hussein Adow, a powerful member of parliament who was leading the fight against the Islamists, was slain Friday in the north of the city.
His death came two days after Islamists killed Internal Security Minister Omar Hashi Adan in a suicide attack in central Somalia. The nation's former ambassador to Ethiopia, Abdikarin Farah Laqanyo, was also killed, along with at least 11 others, government officials said.
Madowe said a Pakistani militant who is a high-ranking official in al Qaeda is leading the fighting in Somalia against the government.
He warned that militants will spread fighting into the rest of the region if they topple the government in Somalia.
Mohammed Amiin Adow contributed to this report for CNN
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b839f743a43543a9930342984d80a34b
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who will help Somalia?
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[
"AU"
] |
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- The Mexican government has ordered 2,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in response to a wave of drug-related violence that is blamed for 200 deaths since January, officials announced Thursday.
Mexico has ordered troops to move near Juarez, shown here with El Paso, Texas, in the distance.
The troops are expected to depart Friday. The majority will be near the northern border of Mexico, in Juarez.
Juarez sits across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas.
Officials said the violence in Mexico has increased in large part to competing drug cartels.
"In this battle we will show that no criminal group is capable to resist the strength of the Mexican government," Interior Minister Juan Mourino said at a news conference Thursday.
Defense Secretary Guillermo Galvan said 2,026 soldiers, 180 military tactical vehicles, three airplanes and more than a dozen drug detection devices would be employed in the military operation.
"Violence, and this needs to be stressed, generates organized crime of drug trafficking," said Mexican Attorney General Medina Mora. "It's not in any way a sign of strength, but a sign of weakness, deterioration and decomposition." E-mail to a friend
CNN en Espanol's Ariel Crespo contributed to this report.
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d56123994a1e4daaa26a38754b2a6f52
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what about the violence
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[
"has increased"
] |
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Editor's note: CNN.com has a business partnership with CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job listings and services to CNN.com.
If you've rewritten that résumé several times and sent out dozens of applications but your job search still shows no promise, you might not be the problem.
One frequently overlooked but critical factor in finding a new job is your state's unemployment rate. You can have the experience and skills of an employer's dream, but they won't do you any good if there just aren't enough jobs available.
The unemployment rate is the percentage of job seekers in the work force who are still looking for work. The higher the percentage, the more difficult it is to find a job. The national unemployment rate is 5 percent, based on the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
If you're looking for a job, you should see how your state compares to the rest of the country. Here are the 10 worst states to find work ranked by their unemployment rates.
1. Michigan Unemployment rate: 7.6 percent Population: 10,071,822 Mean annual wage: $41,230 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.4 percent)***
2. Mississippi Unemployment rate: 6.8 percent Population: 2,918,785 Mean annual wage: $30,460 Top industry: Government (21.2 percent)
3. South Carolina Unemployment rate: 6.6 percent Population: 4,407,709 Mean annual wage: $33,400 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.4 percent)
4. Alaska Unemployment rate: 6.5 percent Population: 683,478 Mean annual wage: $43,920 Top industry: Government (25.9 percent)
5. California Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent Population: 36,553,215 Mean annual wage: $44,180 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (18.9 percent)
6. District of Columbia Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent Population: 588,292 Mean annual wage: $61,500 Top industry: Government (33.3 percent)
7. Ohio Unemployment rate: 6 percent Population: 11,466,917 Mean annual wage: $37,360 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (19.3 percent)
8. Arkansas Unemployment rate: 5.9 percent Population: 2,834,797 Mean annual wage: $30,870 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.6 percent)
9. Nevada Unemployment rate: 5.8 percent Population: 2,565,382 Mean annual wage: $36,000 Top industry: Leisure and hospitality (26.5 percent)
10. Kentucky Unemployment rate: 5.7 percent Population: 4,241,474 Mean annual wage: $33,490 Top industry: Trade, transportation and utilities (20.4 percent)
*Unemployment rates, mean annual wages and industry percentages obtained from BLS in January 2008. Percentages based on nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted. **Population figures based on U.S. Census Bureau data. ***Top industries are those that employ the largest percentage of a state's labor force. E-mail to a friend
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d4447afbb7aa4ff1b75e5afedb5c21c1
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which is Alaska's top industry?
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[
"Government"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An al Qaeda suspect alleged to have been involved in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania that killed 11 people faces war crimes charges, the Pentagon announced Monday.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani is shown in a photo posted by the FBI in 2004.
The bombing in Dar es Salaam, which also wounded hundreds, was one of two carried out nearly simultaneously on August 7, 1998. One in Nairobi, Kenya, killed 213 people.
Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, from Tanzania, faces nine charges, six of them offenses that could carry the death penalty if he is convicted by a military tribunal.
He was captured by Pakistan in 2004 and is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
In a written announcement, the Pentagon said Ghailani is "charged with the following substantive offenses: murder in violation of the Law of War, murder of protected persons, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the Law of War and terrorism. In addition, he is charged with conspiracy to commit all of the above offenses.
"Ghailani is further charged with providing material support to terrorism. This charge alleges that after the bombing, Ghailani continued in his service to al Qaeda as a document forger, physical trainer at an al Qaeda training camp, and as a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden."
The charges say he purchased bomb components, scouted the embassy with the suicide bomb driver, met with co-conspirators, and fled to Karachi, Pakistan, one day before the bombing.
The convening authority for military commissions, Susan J. Crawford, will determine whether probable cause exists for a trial by military commission, said Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartman of the Office of Military Commissions.
For Ghailani to ultimately be sentenced to death, the 12-member jury would have to unanimously find him guilty, determine that aggravating factors apply, and concur on the death sentence, Hartman told reporters at the Pentagon. "Everything has to be unanimous."
"And then there are four levels of post-trial review, which is an extraordinary set of rights available," he said.
In December, 1998 -- a few months after the embassy bombings -- Ghailani and three other fugitives were indicted in U.S. District Court in New York. It is not known whether he may ultimately face a federal trial. E-mail to a friend
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122c7cbf7ac4456983c3316357523f54
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Where did the bombing occur?
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[
"Embassy in Tanzania"
] |
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(CNN) -- Chile's Supreme Court has ruled that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori can be extradited to Peru on five corruption and two human rights abuse charges.
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has denied all allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Alberto Chaigneau, a court judge, made the announcement about the order on Chilean TV on Friday.
Gabriel Zaliasnek, Fujimori's defense attorney, later said that the "decision of the Supreme Court should be respected and will be respected."
It is not known when the extradition will take place. But the wheels for extradition were set in motion a couple of months ago.
A Chilean prosecutor in June recommended that Fujimori be extradited to Peru to face the charges.
He was then placed under house arrest in his home in the suburbs of the Chilean capital, Santiago while awaiting a Supreme Court ruling.
Before moving to Chile, Fujimori had fled Peru for Japan, where he holds dual citizenship, as his decade-long presidency neared its end in 2000.
Japan refused to honor Peru's request to return him for trial, saying its nationals should be subject to Japanese law and pointing out the two countries have no extradition treaty.
He attempted to resign from the presidency by fax from Japan, but Peru's congress refused to accept it, instead declaring him morally unfit to govern.
He arrived in Chile in 2005, in what some saw as a possible attempt to return to Peru and seek office there in 2006. He was under house arrest for six months in Chile, but authorities lifted the restriction last year on the condition he not leave the country.
Peru has alleged Fujimori ordered death-squad killings and participated in various acts of government corruption. He has denied all the allegations, calling them politically motivated. E-mail to a friend
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32bad6247b5245fc9538ba2cd661069e
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Who has denied allegations, saying they're politically motivated
|
[
"Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori"
] |
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(CNN) -- The mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is asking Mexican federal authorities not to pull military units out of the region for at least another six months.
A Mexican soldier controls traffic at the Mexico-U.S. border customs post in Ciudad Juarez on August 16.
A decision on whether to withdraw the troops is expected before September 15. The troops were sent to the city across from El Paso, Texas, in the spring of 2008 to help quell violence involving warring drug cartels. An additional surge of troops was sent this spring.
That surge appeared to work at first, cutting the homicide rate in Juarez drastically. But murders in the city spiked over the summer.
Figures provided by the city show that in August. more than 300 people were killed, the deadliest month so far this year. In July, 260 died and in June, 220. Those numbers were in stark contrast to 16 homicides in March, 42 in April and 60 in May.
The mayor, Jose Reyes Ferriz, attributed the summer spike in violence to wars between cartels over the control of street drug-sale points. The cartels are hiring mostly youths to handle retail drug sales, he said, and that has resulted in most of the murder victims being between the ages of 14 and 25.
The mayor said Juarez is not ready for the army's full withdrawal, even though he is aware the troops' presence was meant to be a temporary solution to give the city time to get rid of corrupt police officers, hire new ones and train its new force.
"We have accomplished the part that has to do with strengthening the police, but the city is in a very difficult situation. We are asking part of the army to stay and help us," Reyes Ferriz said.
In September, 750 newly graduated police cadets are expected to join Ciudad Juarez Police Department, and another 400 in October, bringing the force to a total of about 3,000 officers.
According to figures provided by the military, more than 6,000 soldiers are serving in Joint Operation Chihuahua in Juarez, of which 3,600 have been assigned to narco-traffic operations. The rest have been assigned to traffic duties and street patrols.
The operation's spokesman, Enrique Torres, said the military is "evaluating the security situation" in the city and will be "implementing a gradual withdrawal."
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356a39c32a1a4706917da8c0a411fd1d
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Who would like the federal army troops to stay six more months?
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[
"Ciudad Juarez,"
] |
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BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China has recalled two tainted leukemia drugs tied to "adverse reactions" in patients, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.
The factories involved in the production of the tainted drugs have been closed for investigation.
According to Xinhau, the State Food and Drug Administration and the Ministry of Health suspended the production, sale and usage of methotrexate and cytarabin hydrochloride, produced by Shanghai Hualian Pharmaceutical Co., on September 5.
There is no indication the drugs in question were ever exported outside of China.
On Friday, the two agencies issued a notice saying that vincristine sulfate was the culprit -- an anti-cancer medicine which had been mistakenly mixed with the leukemia drugs, causing leg pains and retention of urine -- Xinhua reported. The factories involved have been closed, while the cause is being investigated.
Separately, China returned to U.S. and Canadian exporters 42 tons of pork and turkey products after samples of the pork in the shipments showed traces ractopamine, Xinhua reported.
Ractopamine is a hormone used to promote lean meat growth in some animals and is banned in many parts of the world, including China and the European Union. E-mail to a friend
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d8f87f0281fc4aad9bc7aea303a47b8b
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What has China recalled?
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[
"two tainted leukemia drugs"
] |
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Paris (CNN) -- A Paris prosecutor has asked for corruption charges against former President Jacques Chirac to be dropped, courthouse press representative Sylvie Polack confirmed Tuesday.
Chirac was accused of misuse of public funds when he was mayor of Paris, from 1977 to 1995, before he became president.
The prosecutor also asked for nine other people charged along with Chirac to be acquitted Tuesday. The judge has yet to give his verdict in the case and could still find the accused guilty.
Chirac, now 78, had immunity from prosecution during the 12 years he was president of France, from 1995 to 2007.
He was accused -- along with the other defendants -- of using public money to pay people to work for his political party, the RPR, and to pay others to perform jobs that did not really exist.
"There are elements missing to show both the intentional and material aspect of an offense, so I ask that the charges be dropped against the 10 defendants," said Michel Maes, an aide to the prosecutor.
The judge's verdict is expected before the end of the year, the courthouse press representative said.
Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe was sentenced in December 2004 for his role in the affair.
After Chirac left office as president, he made it known he was available to answer any questions on the matter. He always denied wrongdoing.
|
cd27cdaaec61478fa693a0fb91cb83b7
|
Who was accused of embezzling funds?
|
[
"President Jacques"
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi leaders are applauding President Obama's plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from the country by August 2010.
U.S. troops will cede security measures to Iraqi security forces including the police, shown here, and the army.
Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi's office released a statement Saturday saying he received a call from U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton informing him of Obama's announcement of the withdrawal.
"Mr. al-Hashimi welcomed the American administration's commitment to withdrawing its troops from Iraq according to the agreed-on schedule and stressed that every possible effort should be exerted to increase the readiness of Iraqi security forces and improve their performance," the statement said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Obama called him to tell him about the plan Friday.
The prime minister said Iraqi security forces have proven their ability to provide security across Iraq "which qualifies them to take over full security responsibilities from American forces."
Obama said Friday he plans to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of August 2010. Watch Obama say "Our combat mission will end" »
Between 35,000 and 50,000 troops will remain to help execute a drawdown plan under which all U.S. forces will be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011.
That was a deadline set under an agreement the Bush administration signed with the Iraqi government last year.
"Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," Obama said in a speech at the Marine Corps' Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Meanwhile, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visited neighboring Iran, where the supreme leader warned him that the United States is planning a prolonged stay in Iraq.
"Occupying military forces are laying the groundwork for a long-lasting stay in Iraq, and that is a great danger," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Talabani on Saturday, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
"Occupying military forces should leave Iraq as soon as possible," Khamenei said, according to IRNA. "Every day their exit is delayed will be a detriment to the Iraqi nation."
On Friday, Talabani met with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who described Tehran's ties with Iraq as "growing and deep," according to IRNA. The two leaders vowed to expand their political, cultural and security relationships.
|
e8fb95713e444b398a238eae0904ce23
|
how many support troops will remain
|
[
"Between 35,000 and 50,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
Tenino, Washington (CNN) -- Authorities in Alaska are examining two wolves to see if they are the animals that killed a jogger last week, said a wildlife biologist investigating the attack.
The two gray wolves were tracked down Monday and shot to death from a helicopter near the town of Chignik Lake, Alaska, said wildlife biologist Lem Butler.
The wolves are suspected of killing special-education teacher Candice Berner last week. Berner, 32, was attacked while jogging near the town, authorities said.
"We had a systematic search," he said. "These were the only two wolves we could find tracks for."
The wolves appeared to be the same ones that left tracks at the scene of the attack, and they matched witnesses' descriptions of the animals seen near Berner's body, Butler said.
Officials will conduct tests on the wolves' carcasses to determine whether they killed Berner, Butler said.
The carcasses will also be examined to see whether the animals were rabid or starving, or suffering from some condition that led them to attack a human, he said.
The rare wolf attack shook Chignik Lake, population 105.
"We see wolves a lot," said Johnny Lind, president of the Village Council. "But we've never had anything like this happen."
The killing is thought to be only the second fatal wolf attack in North America in more than a century. In 2005, a wolf pack killed a geology student in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Wolves typically avoid human contact and do not threaten people, said John Blankenship, executive director of Wolf Haven.
"They are not human predators. It's healthy to have awareness of them, for sure. But to be afraid of them is too strong an emotion," he said.
Wolf Haven in Tenino educates the public about wolves and serves as a haven for about 50 rescued wolves, many of them once kept as pets.
|
93dfac67294b4004bff2e8c66933f8f4
|
For what will the bodies be tested?
|
[
"conduct tests on the wolves' carcasses to determine whether they killed Berner,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A court has lifted a ban on identifying a man charged with one of a number of deadly wildfires that scorched southeastern Australia this month.
A dirt track runs through the burnt out forest in the Kinglake region of Victoria state.
The man, 39-year-old Brendan Sokaluk, did not appear in Monday's hearing in Melbourne Magistrates' Court, the Australian Associated Press reported. An order banning the publishing of Sokaluk's street address or his image remains in place.
Public passions are running high in the aftermath of the fires that have killed scores of people. One T-shirt says, "The bastards who lit Victoria's fires should: Burn in hell."
Sokaluk is suspected of lighting a fire on February 7. He was charged with arson causing death, intentionally or recklessly lighting a bush fire, and possessing child pornography, Victoria state police said last week. The fire Sokaluk is accused of setting killed at least 21 people in Gippsland. See map of fire-hit areas »
Sokaluk's identity had already been revealed on social networking sites before the court lifted the suppression order on his name.
There were 12 Facebook groups carrying details about Sokaluk, with one attracting more than 3,600 members. Watch more on arrest »
Robbie Shenton, who has joined one such group, told CNN: "The judicial system had no right to suppress his name or photograph."
Melbourne's Age newspaper reported Police had contacted Facebook seeking removal of Sokaluk's details.
The death toll in a string of fires across Victoria climbed to 189 on Monday, police reported. The number of fires burning had dropped to six, from about a peak of about three dozen, the Country Fire Authority said. Watch a survivor tell his story »
Meanwhile, more than 150 detectives were working on the arson investigation, authorities said. The fires have destroyed more than 1,800 homes and displaced about 7,000 people.
Priyanka Deladia contributed to this report.
|
4ebe4db5b92d435cac18e3f69f90f753
|
Who did not appear?
|
[
"Brendan Sokaluk,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An internationally renowned paleontologist will plead guilty to stealing dinosaur bones from federal land, his attorneys said in a court filing.
Paleontologist Nate Murphy is expected to plead guilty to stealing fossils from federal land.
Nate Murphy, whose famous finds include Leonardo, one of the best-preserved dinosaurs in the world, will make that plea in federal court in Billings, Montana.
Earlier this month, Murphy pleaded guilty to state charges of stealing a fossil from private land in order to sell it. An expert cited in that case said Murphy's find was worth between $150,000 and $400,000.
The self-taught dinosaur expert, who is director of vertebrate paleontology at the Judith River Dinosaur Institute, could face jail time.
Murphy and his attorney did not immediately respond to phone messages Friday from CNN.
Jessica Fehr, lead prosecutor in the case, said the U.S. Attorney's Office would not comment until after the plea is entered.
In court papers, federal prosecutors say Murphy knowingly took fossils from federal property between about August 2006 and August 2007. The "paleontological resources" were said to be worth at least $1,000.
In the state case, Murphy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft. As part of the plea, the state recommended Murphy's sentence be deferred for five years.
Douglas Erwin, president of The Paleontological Society and curator of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, said "theft of fossils from pubic lands has long been a problem."
In a written statement sent to CNN on Friday, he said such thefts "can often result in the loss of important scientific information and the disappearance of specimens that belong to the public.
"At the same time, however, fossil collecting, particularly of common invertebrate fossils, has been a pastime enjoyed by many for decades, and is an important way of connecting people with their natural heritage."
An omnibus public lands bill, which the U.S. Senate passed Thursday, includes penalties for fossil theft from public land.
|
ce8b114ab8f646fc94a7d86dbdea2477
|
Where were the fossils stolen from?
|
[
"federal land,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Fantasy author Terry Pratchett has admitted that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease -- but says he plans to continue writing his multi-million selling Discworld books.
Terry Pratchett, whose books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide in 33 languages.
Pratchett, 59 -- whose books have, according to his Web site, sold more than 45 million copies worldwide in 33 languages -- suffered what he called a "phantom stroke" earlier this year.
In a statement titled "an embuggerance" on the Web site of Discworld illustrator Paul Kidby, Pratchett says that he has been diagnosed with what he terms "a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's."
"I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news," says Pratchett, who has a strong following among fans of fantasy fiction.
"All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers," he continues.
"Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet."
Pratchett adds that work is continuing on his next book "Nation" and that the "basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals."
In a P.S. he adds that "I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else.
"I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I can do', but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."
Pratchett's Discworld novels, of which 36 have been published to date, are set in a fantasy universe through which the author satirizes modern-day life.
He says in a statement on his own Web site that the series "started out as a parody of all the fantasy that was around in the big boom of the early '80s, then turned into a satire on just about everything, and even I don't know what it is now."
Pratchett, who began writing while a provincial newspaper journalist in the 1960s, received the Order of the British Empire "for services to literature" from the Prince of Wales in 1998. E-mail to a friend
|
6b6203636de6407b8a7d70676e8443ce
|
Who is this man named Terry?
|
[
"Fantasy author"
] |
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