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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Sen. Tom Daschle will be announced Thursday as President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a Democratic source said Wednesday.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, shown with his wife, Linda, says he will write Obama's health care plan.
CNN has previously reported that the 61-year-old former Senate majority leader from South Dakota would be Obama's choice, but not the announcement date.
In November, Daschle said he was excited about the possibility of serving as point person in Obama's effort to change the nation's health care system.
Daschle is on the health care advisory group of Obama's transition team and said he plans to write the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress next year.
"I hope to have the plan enacted by next year, and then it will take several years to implement," Daschle said last month.
Daschle said reforming health care in the United States must be a priority in the current economic climate.
"We can't afford not to do it," he said. "If we do nothing, we'll be paying twice as much on health care in 10 years as we do today."
Daschle served as Democratic leader in the Senate from 1995 until he lost a re-election bid in 2004.
Representing South Dakota, he was first elected as a congressman in 1978 and served in the House until he was elected to the Senate in 1986.
He recently wrote a book on health care titled "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis."
In the book, he pushed for universal health care coverage to reach 46 million uninsured Americans by expanding the federal employee health benefits program to include private employer plans together with Medicaid and Medicare.
Most Republicans oppose any such plan, saying it would give too much power to the government. They've also questioned Daschle's recent work for a Washington lobbying firm.
His wife, Linda Daschle, is a registered lobbyist for a firm that includes health care clients. But a source close to Daschle told CNN that Linda Daschle would be leaving the firm at the end of the year to set up her own company focusing on transportation lobbying in order to clear any potential conflicts of interest.
CNN's Candy Crowley and Ed Henry contributed to this report.
|
aa68bc4c19b447c4851351d098dae64e
|
What does Daschle favor?
|
[
"universal health care coverage"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- With the 2010 World Cup being held in South Africa next year CNN takes a look at one of the greatest talents South African football has ever produced, Jomo Sono.
Jomo Sono's international career never took off because of South Africa's exclusion from world football.
Matsilela Ephraim Sono was born in 1955 in Soweto, but his career as an international player never got off the ground as South Africa were officially expelled by world governing body FIFA in 1976 during the apartheid regime in the country.
The Black Prince, as he was known, made his mark as a player of legendary skill who was denied a world stage through circumstances beyond his control.
Sono was a midfield general and renowned for his dribbling and accurate passing -- but it is difficult to say how he would have faired against the best players in the world as he was not given the opportunity. Watch CNN's interview with Sono.
"He was one of the first South Africans to play overseas where he played for the New York Cosmos alongside Pele," South African football writer Mo Allie told CNN.
"He played at a time when South Africa was internationally isolated so there was no opportunity for players to showcase their skills to the world.
"But he was fortunate in that he got the opportunity to go to the U.S. and he did very well there, playing alongside greats such as Pele."
After accomplishing everything that he set out to do at home club Orlando Pirates, Sono starred for the New York Cosmos, Colorado Caribous and Toronto Blizzard in the United States.
On his return to South Africa after his retirement, Sono bought the Highlands Park Club in Johannesburg in 1982 and renamed it Jomo Cosmos in honor of his old team in New York, before becoming coach of the South African national side.
"So many of today's South African players would have heard a lot about Jomo Sono but many wouldn't have seen him in action apart from a few snippets of TV highlights," Allie added.
"They will identify more with him as a coach because he led the national side in the 1998 African Cup of Nations and took them to the 2002 World Cup finals."
Sono has proved to be as astute off the pitch as he was on it and has become a successful businessman, owning a number of companies around Johannesburg.
And the current South African squad will be looking to carry on his footballing legacy when they attempt to become the first African team to win the World Cup next year.
|
28f7679a8df44772b16f155ca0a05c52
|
one of the greatest footballers
|
[
"Jomo Sono."
] |
NewsQA
|
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- The chairman of the Samsung Group plans to resign, according to a report published Tuesday by Yonhap, the South Korean news agency.
Chairman of the Samsung Group Lee Kun-hee has been indicted for tax evasion and breach of trust.
The decision of Lee Kun-hee to step down comes a few days after his indictment amid an investigation into corruption allegations. Lee was indicted for tax evasion and breach of trust.
Samsung is South Korea's largest conglomerate. It has annual sales of nearly $160 billion and accounts for 18 percent of South Korea's economic output. The company's exports -- valued at about $70 billion -- account for a fifth of all South Korean exports.
Lee was indicted for breach of trust in connection with a plan to transfer control of the company to his son, a prosecutor said. He was also indicted for tax evasion.
Investigators started looking into Samsung in January, after a former company lawyer said the company created slush funds worth $200 million. Last week, however, a prosecutor said an investigation found no evidence supporting an allegation that the company bribed government officials and prosecutors.
Samsung has apologized for "causing concerns" and said it would outline plans for reform this week. E-mail to a friend
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f420c62e2fbf43b184e3ff9643b76e08
|
Who was indicted for tax evasion?
|
[
"Lee Kun-hee"
] |
NewsQA
|
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A Taliban suicide bomb squad disguised as regular Afghan army troops stormed a strategic city close to the border with Pakistan Tuesday, prompting a fierce six-hour battle with U.S. troops, local officials and the U.S. military said.
A U.S. soldier on patrol in Khost province in February 2009.
The insurgents attacked a municipal building in the center of the city of Khost, a U.S. military spokesman said. At least 10 suicide bombers were killed in the attacks, which also left five troops and four civilians dead, Afghan police said.
Local police chief Abdul Qayum Baqee Zoi told CNN the attacks, which ended at 4:30 p.m. involved 10 Taliban suicide bombers in Afghan National Army uniforms and explosive vests. Seven detonated and three were shot dead.
A U.S. military spokesman said the city -- a hotbed of Taliban activity --remained volatile as reports of running battles, kidnappings and fatalities surfaced.
The developments came shortly after the United States announced it was changing its military leadership in Afghanistan, replacing Gen. David McKiernan with Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former special operations chief.
Tuesday's fighting began when U.S. forces responded to a suicide bomber at a government compound in the city and came under heavy attack, the U.S. military spokesman said.
Officials in Khost told CNN that insurgents attacked the municipal building, and the police chief there said attackers killed two police officers, two security guards and two civilians in that incident.
A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan earlier told CNN 30 Taliban fighters were involved in the attack, and confirmed they were suicide bombers wearing explosive vests.
The U.S. military spokesman said U.S. troops killed several militants but had to fall back.
A U.S. quick reaction force from a nearby base was called in, entering the city with U.S. ground forces, he said.
The spokesman said additional Taliban suicide bombers then entered government buildings, killing additional Afghans.
CNN's Barbara Starr and Tomas Etzler contributed to this report
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dc944621146449c1921c5d11760a5427
|
What building did the Taliban attack
|
[
"municipal"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- West Indies cricket coach John Dyson has been dismissed from his job with immediate effect.
Australian John Dyson had been in charge of the West Indies cricket side since 2007.
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said they were terminating the contract of the Australian, according to a statement on the cricket board's Web site.
The decision comes after recent Test and one-day series losses to Bangladesh, although in both defeats the West Indies were forced to put out weakened sides because of a dispute between players and the cricket board over contracts.
Dyson, a former opening batsman who played 30 Tests for Australia, took charge of the West Indies in 2007.
He enjoyed early Test series wins over South Africa and England but was heavily criticized for misreading the rain regulations in a one-day event with England in Guyana in March, an error that ultimately handed England the series.
Earlier in his career he was appointed Sri Lanka coach in 2003 despite having only limited coaching experience at higher levels.
The 55-year-old was due to lead the West Indies into next month's International Cricket Council Champions Trophy.
The WICB offered no reason for Dyson's sacking but in a statement on their Web site confirmed that the assistant coach David Williams would take over as coach on a temporary basis for the upcoming tournament, which gets started in South Africa on September 22.
The contract dispute means the West Indies will be forced to take a second-string side to South Africa.
The statement added that "in view of the special circumstances pertaining to this tour" the former West Indies vice-captain and off-spin bowler Lance Gibbs had been appointed team manager.
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cdeaf49d5d1744808f2e4f558f55395d
|
What team was John Dyson coach of?
|
[
"Indies cricket"
] |
NewsQA
|
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has introduced a $1,000 note -- $10 trillion in the old value -- as the country battles to end cash shortages in the hyper-inflationary environment.
Zimbabwe's currency is trading around Z$350 -- $35 trillion in the old value -- against U.S. dollar.
However, analysts said the new note -- which can only buy a loaf of bread -- will not ease pressure on cash shortages because of the ever-increasing prices.
"It will not make even a small impact. What we need in Zimbabwe is a clear change of policies, start production and then inflation will start easing up," said John Robertson, an economic consultant. "The zeros seem to be coming back no matter how often they slash them."
In August, Zimbabwe slashed ten zeroes on the currency; two years earlier the country slashed three zeros. The zeroes keep bouncing back in the country that has an inflation rate of 11.2 million -- the highest in the world.
Zimbabwe's agro-based economy has been on a free-fall for more than a decade now.
The situation was exacerbated by the destruction of commercial agriculture in 2000 when President Robert Mugabe's government embarked on a violent land grab from white farmers and gave it to inexperienced black farmers.
Mugabe denies that he is to blame for the country's economic collapse, citing economic sanctions that have been placed on Zimbabwe.
Since 2000, Zimbabwe's currency has been depreciating against major currency. It is trading around $350 Zimbabwean dollars -- $35 trillion in the old value -- against the U.S. dollar.
|
7e9fd9673f7a45759fab76ee924387f5
|
Who is Robert Mugabe?
|
[
"President"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has signed a deployment order to move an additional 3,000 troops to Afghanistan next year, according to U.S. military officials.
Helicopters are the main transportation of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, with its high mountain terrain.
The troops will be part of a combat aviation brigade, the latest approved by Gates for the expected build-up of U.S. troops in Afghanistan throughout next year.
Earlier this year, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, requested at least 20,000 additional troops be sent there to fight the increasing violence by the resurgent Taliban forces in the southern and eastern parts of the country.
The officials could not say what units are being tapped to go because those units are now being told of their deployment and the announcement has not yet been made public.
The aviation brigade will send a number of much-needed helicopters to the region.
Helicopters are the main transportation of the U.S. military in Afghanistan, where high mountain roads and passes make it difficult for large transport vehicles to move troops and supplies around the country.
There are more than 30,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a Dutch soldier was killed Friday in southern Afghanistan, the NATO command confirmed.
The soldier died in an improvised explosive device strike, according to a news release from NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
"Our sincere condolences and sympathies are with the family and friends of this brave soldier, especially during this holiday season," said ISAF spokesman Capt. Mark Windsor Royal Navy.
"This soldier's death is an irreplaceable loss to all of us who fight for the peace and stability of Afghanistan. ISAF will continue to fight for the cause for which this brave soldier gave his life."
Eighteen Dutch troops have died in the Afghan conflict, according to a CNN count of casualty figures.
|
d17ef0b4248e48efbafacf667afb7e02
|
Who was killed in southern Afghanistan
|
[
"a Dutch soldier"
] |
NewsQA
|
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Bertha -- the first hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic season -- increased in strength Monday evening, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A satellite picture from 5:45 a.m. ET Monday shows Hurricane Bertha over the Atlantic.
While Bertha's power may fluctuate over the next day, it is expected to begin gradually weakening by Wednesday, the center's 11 p.m. ET advisory said.
Bertha's became a major -- or Category 3 -- hurricane Monday afternoon. A Category 3 has wind speeds of 111 to 130 mph.
As of 11 p.m. ET, Bertha was 695 miles (1,115 km) east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands and about 1,085 miles (1,745 km) southeast of Bermuda. The eye was moving toward the west-northwest at about 12 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were clocked at 120 mph (195 km/hr), up from the 115 mph mentioned in a 5 p.m. advisory.
The hurricane is expected to turn to the northwest and decrease its forward speed in the next 24 to 48 hours, the center said.
There is a very small chance Bertha will make landfall in the United States. Bermuda could be affected by the hurricane this weekend. See Bertha's projected path »
"It is still way too soon to determine whether or not Bertha will affect Bermuda," the center said.
The storm formed Thursday in the far eastern Atlantic, off the coast of Africa, near the southern Cape Verde Islands. It strengthened into a hurricane early Monday. Learn more about hurricanes »
The first tropical storm of the season, Arthur, formed May 31 near the coast of Belize and dumped heavy rain on Central America and southern Mexico.
|
ea62290babd744478638995da4e9bcd5
|
What speed did Bertha's winds increase to?
|
[
"120 mph"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Arsenal striker Eduardo has been ruled out for two weeks with a hamstring injury just days after returning from a broken leg.
Eduardo sinks to his knees after opening the scoring on his Arsenal first team comeback on Monday.
The Croatian international only made his comeback after a year out in Monday's FA Cup fourth-round victory against Cardiff.
The 25-year-old marked his return with two goals in the 4-0 success at the Emirates Stadium, but his latest setback is not described as serious.
Manager Arsene Wenger told Arsenal TV Online: "Eduardo is out for two weeks. He picked up a hamstring injury two minutes before I took him off. What a nightmare.
"Nobody knows how it happened but I knew straight away after the game it would be a two-week job. It is nothing like he had before but I do know that little setbacks like this are part of being nine months out.
"After that long out nobody plays six months on the trot. It is impossible. But at the same time it is a blow because, of course, he can score goals. He had shown that on Monday night."
|
8963448f08e248abaffcf3289fc0408b
|
Who is ruled out for two weeks?
|
[
"Eduardo"
] |
NewsQA
|
BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- European leaders agreed Friday to send an 1,800-strong security force to maintain stability in Kosovo, although they stopped short of backing independence for the province.
French soldiers at the NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo last month.
Kosovo is expected to declare independence from Serbia early in the new year.
Serbia, however, insists the region should remain autonomous within its borders.
Speaking at the end of a one-day summit of European heads in Brussels, Jose Socrates, the Portuguese prime minister currently holding the European Union presidency, said that sending the security mission was a "political decision."
The police and security force is expected to be deployed to the Balkan state ahead of an announcement of independence.
"This is the clearest signal that the EU could possibly give that it intends to lead on the whole issue of Kosovo's future, its status and its role in the region," Socrates said.
According to CNN's Robin Oakley in Brussels, European leaders are trying to balance an obvious readiness to back Kosovan independence with incentives to Serbia, which is seeking membership of the EU.
EU leaders are deeply conscious of their failure in the early 1990s to move early enough to prevent the bloodletting in the Balkans over the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, he said.
Although most EU leaders support Serbia becoming a member state to boost stability in the Balkans, French President Nicholas Sarkozy said that Serbia's membership is dependent on it recognizing Kosovo's independence and handing over war criminals.
Socrates confirmed to CNN that any fast-tracking of Serbia into the EU could only be considered if it agreed to hand over Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb general wanted at the The Hague for suspected war crimes.
Two years of negotiations on the future status of Kosovo ended in failure earlier this week, when talks mediated by Europe, the United States and Russia ended without an agreement.
The disputed province is dear to the Serbs, Orthodox Christians who regard it as Serbian territory. But it is equally coveted by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, Muslims who have a 90 percent majority.
Since 1999 the United Nations has been running the province with NATO peacekeepers, who still number 16,000.
Oakley said the EU mission to Kosovo would help to ease the handover from the U.N. to local authorities. E-mail to a friend
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0b500d11fbda45c19f45f78277ff9b58
|
Who insists region should remain autonomous?
|
[
"Serbia,"
] |
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(CNN) -- Arjen Robben proved the difference for the second time in four days as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1 to leapfrog Schalke at the top of the Bundesliga.
The brilliant Dutchman put the Bavarian giants into the quarterfinals of the Champions League with his stunning strike against Fiorentina on Tuesday and worked his magic again at the Allianz Arena.
Cedric Makiadi had put struggling Freiburg ahead in the 31st minute, but Robben equalized in the 76th and then converted a 83rd-minute penalty to give Bayern an invaluable three points.
It leaves them two points clear of Schalke, who went temporarily top after a 2-1 lead against Stuttgart.
Makiada's fine strike left Hans Joerg-Butt with no chance and a shock looked on the cards as Louis van Gaal's men appeared jaded after their midweek heroics.
But Robben cropped up to drill home his ninth of the season and his 10th came after Thomas Mueller was fouled to win a penalty.
Earlier on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund moved up to fourth spot with a 4-1 win at Bochum with Argentina star Lucas Barrios scoring twice in three minutes in the second half to seal victory.
Defending champions VfL Wolfsburg picked up their fourth-straight Bundesliga win under caretaker coach Lorenz-Guenther Koestner as they beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 4-0 to move up to eighth.
But basement side Hertha Berlin look certain for the drop after a 2-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Nuremberg, who followed up their shock win 3-2 at Bayer Leverkusen with another fine victory. It lifts them to 15th.
Third-placed Leverkusen play Hamburg on Sunday in a bid to get their title challenge back on track after Nuremberg ended their record unbeaten run.
In other action around Europe on Saturday, on-loan Robbie Keane scored a hat-trick as Celtic won 3-0 at Kilmarnock to reach the semifinals of the Scottish Cup, their last realistic hope of silverware this season.
In the French League, Lyon struggled after their midweek heroics against Real Madrid and were held to a 1-1 draw at home to local rivals St. Etienne.
A first half goal from Emmanuel Riviere put struggling St. Etienne ahead with Lyon getting an 80th minute equalizer from Argentinian Lisandro Lopez.
With leaders Bordeaux held to a goalless draw at Monaco and fellow challengers Montpellier and Auxerre playing out a 1-1 draw, Lyon's draw was a missed opportunity.
Bordeaux are top with 53 points from 27 games, with a game in hand on Montpellier, who also have 53, with Auxerre just a point behind in third.
Lyon are fourth with 50 points after 28 games.
|
a600563d679d440ea338d8b6bd54664a
|
What was the score between Lyon and St.Etienne in France?
|
[
"1-1 draw"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- A roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan killed a female Canadian soldier and wounded four other troops, the Canadian military said Tuesday.
Trooper Karine Blais, 21, is the second Canadian female soldier to die in Afghanistan.
Trooper Karine Blais was killed Monday when the troops' armored vehicle struck the bomb. The attack occurred north of Kandahar in the Shah Wali Kowt District of Kandahar province.
Blais' death was the 117th Canadian troop fatality in the Afghan war, and she is the second Canadian female soldier killed in Afghanistan.
The first, Capt. Nichola Goddard, was killed in a May 2006 firefight with insurgents in Kandahar province, where Canadian troops have been based during the conflict.
Brig. Gen. Jonathan Vance, commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, called the 21-year-old Blais "an energetic soldier who gave 100 percent to every challenge she faced using a unique sense of humor based on her honesty and frankness."
Vance said Blais "demonstrated the qualities of a future leader" and was "respected by all members of her squadron."
"Our thoughts are with the friends and family of our fallen comrade during this difficult time," the Canadian Forces said in a news release. "All members of Task Force Kandahar are thinking of the family and friends of our fallen comrades during this sad time. We will not forget their sacrifice as we continue to bring security and hope to the people of Kandahar province."
Blais, from the 12th Canadian Armored Regiment at Valcartier, Quebec, near Quebec City, was serving with the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22th Regiment Battle Group.
A chopper evacuated the four other troops to a medical facility at Kandahar airfield.
Before Monday's attack, the last Canadian deaths in Afghanistan occurred March 20 when four soldiers were killed in two roadside bombings.
|
0f030baf29784e0ea02858d2d6003e2b
|
What is the number of Canadian troop deaths in the Afghan war?
|
[
"117th"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The U.S. Embassy in Beirut is asking for assistance in locating two missing American journalists who were on vacation in Lebanon and have not been heard from since they left the Lebanese capital last week.
Holli Chmela, 27, was last heard from when she and a fellow journalist left Beirut, Lebanon, on October 1.
Holli Chmela, 27, and her male companion, Taylor Luck, 23, arrived in Lebanon on September 29 from Amman, Jordan, the embassy said.
They left Beirut on October 1, telling friends they were headed for the northern Lebanese cities of Byblos and Tripoli that day.
No one has reported any contact with them since then, the embassy said.
"They were then to cross by land to Syria before returning to Jordan," the embassy said. "Chmela and Luck were due to report to work in Jordan on October 4."
Luck is an editor with The Jordan Times in Amman, and Chmela had been working as a freelancer for the newspaper, said Sameer Barhoum, the paper's editor.
After flying into Beirut last week, the two planned to travel by land to the northern Syrian city of Aleppo before returning to Jordan -- also by land -- by Saturday, Barhoum said.
Luck's mother called Barhoum on Sunday after not hearing from her son in three days, he said. She also said the last time Luck used his credit card was October 1 in Lebanon.
"We are hoping that both are safe and looking forward to see them with us soon," Barhoum said.
Abdul Wahab Zugaylat, the head of Jordan's press association, said, "We are waiting to hear officially from the U.S. Embassy that they did not depart the Lebanese borders."
The U.S. Embassy said it is working with the Lebanese Internal Security Force to investigate the whereabouts of the pair.
"In addition, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut is coordinating efforts with the U.S. embassies in Amman and Damascus [Syria] as well as with the Department of State in Washington," the embassy said.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he had no details about the missing Americans.
CNN's Caroline Faraj in Dubai contributed to this report.
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944782d23a584bef9f3d80e3050baddf
|
Who hasn't been heard from in a week?
|
[
"Holli Chmela, 27, and her male companion, Taylor Luck, 23,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British new wave ska legends The Specials rounded off the Brixton leg of their 30th anniversary tour with an electric performance that threatened to bring the crumbling south London venue crashing to the ground.
The frenzied crowd at London's Brixton Academy
The six-piece 2-tone outfit originally from the English Midlands played a total of five dates at what is now the O2 Academy, such was the phenomenal demand for tickets.
It's no surprise really.
From the rarefied perspective of the VIP bar, the sea of bobbing heads and mobile phone displays (which seem to have replaced cigarette lighters) created a fantastic spectacle. But down among the rude boys and rude girls the carnival atmosphere seemed to ratchet up a notch with each song.
Balding, sweaty 40-something men in Fred Perry polo shirts were transported back to the late 1970s as they bounced around unselfconsciously, while post-Margaret Thatcher indie kids sloshed their pints in the air and enjoyed this unique experience for the first time. No one was standing with their arms folded here.
Despite songwriter Jerry Dammers' continued absence and Lynval Golding's lost voice, the band was as tight as it ever was, both musically and personally. As soon as the curtain rose the band wasted little time plugging into the hysteria that greeted them. If "Do The Dog" appeared to hit the spot, then tracks such as "Too Much Too Young," and "Gangsters" literally had the earth moving in this imposing old theatre.
Terry Hall, showing no sign of fatigue after a recent throat infection and the band's homecoming gig in Coventry the previous night, was in a chirpy mood. The Manchester United fan enjoyed reminding the London audience about his team's league success that afternoon.
Meanwhile, the irrepressible Neville Staple seemed to galvanize the rest of the band with his seemingly limitless energy -- he must have spent the entire gig running on the spot. The dapper singer has aged well and was clearly reveling in the band's return to the spotlight.
Despite only reforming recently, The Specials have rediscovered their mojo. They possess the kind of stage presence reserved for the truly great acts, while their lyrics still resonate today. "Ghost Town" encapsulated the gritty reality of Britain's urban landscape in 1981, and few in the audience would have argued that it remains a relevant portrait in today's troubled economic times.
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cbddec9e59e241c0b66f0c45ef59792b
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Who reformed for a 30th anniversary tour?
|
[
"British new wave ska legends The Specials"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Forty-four people were killed during an attack on a wedding party in Turkey's southeastern Mardin province Monday.
A child lies wounded on a stretcher following the attack by gunmen on the wedding party.
The casualties, which included the bride and groom, were slain while many of them were praying, authorities said.
Three others were injured and eight people were detained in the attack sparked by a feud between families, said Besir Atalay, Interior Minister of Turkey.
There were 17 women and six children among the dead, said Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"It is inhuman beyond words to open fire on people including a one-year old child who were having a wedding, living a happy moment, praying," Erdogan said.
"The fact that the eight suspects and the victims who died have the same surname increases cruelty of this murder."
The assailants attacked the party in the small village of Bilge with bombs and automatic weapons, according to the Cihan news agency.
With only 32 households in the village there were too many victims to fit into the local morgue, authorities said. Some of the victims had the same last name, Celebi, as the suspects who were detained, Atalay added.
The bride, Sevgi Celebi, and groom, Habip Ari, both died in the attack, Anatolian Agency, Turkey's semi-official news agency, reported.
The chief and the former chief of the village were among those killed in the attack, the agency added.
Police have blocked access to the village while they conduct their investigation.
Mardin Mayor Besir Ayanoglu told Turkish television network NTV that the incident was not terror related.
CNN's Ivan Watson and Yesmin Comert contributed to this report.
|
25a0e9c745f04cbe956c23ab067e278d
|
What weapons were used?
|
[
"bombs and automatic"
] |
NewsQA
|
(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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769d9e60be0347cbbaa0fda914266fc1
|
How many killed in August?
|
[
"more than 300 people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A suspect was arrested Wednesday night in connection with the death of Little Rock, Arkansas, television news anchor Anne Pressly, police said.
Anne Pressly, 26, was a popular morning news anchor at KATV-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Curtis Lavell Vance, 28, was arrested at a Little Rock home soon after investigators named him as a suspect.
CNN affiliate KATV-TV in Little Rock reported that police were tipped off to Vance's location after investigators publicly identified him as a suspect at a news conference.
"We went there and he's in custody," said Lt. Terry Hastings, a police spokesman.
Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas did not say what led investigators to name Vance as a suspect, but he said it was "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work."
Pressly, 26, was found beaten at her home in October. The KATV anchor had been beaten around her face and upper body.
She died days later in a hospital. She had been sedated and unable to speak to police or family members, and suffered massive brain swelling, her family said. Her condition had seemed to be improving shortly before her death.
Police earlier said Pressly might have been the victim of a burglary because her purse was missing. Her credit card was used at a gas station sometime this week, police said.
Pressly's left hand was broken, possibly as she tried to fight off her attacker.
During the investigation, detectives combed the area around Pressly's home in the Heights neighborhood, a mix of bungalows and mansions near the Little Rock Country Club.
A $30,000 reward, established by KATV, was offered to anyone providing information leading to the arrest of Pressly's attacker.
|
ebaa6f6ce74f4efaa0684df2b30bb741
|
KATV-TV anchor Anne Pressly was how old?
|
[
"26,"
] |
NewsQA
|
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Kenya needs $230 million over the next six months to feed millions affected by drought, the United Nations said in a new report.
Farmers carry food handouts from the World Food Programme at a distribution spot near Nanyuki.
The three-year failure of annual rains has reduced crop output, the main source of food for the country of 37 million. The drought has also affected water production and prompted power rationing in the east African nation. Kenya gets most of its energy from hydro-generation.
About 3.8 million Kenyans need emergency food aid, and conditions are expected to deteriorate in the next few months, the United Nations World Food Programme said Wednesday.
The rate among children under 5 suffering malnutrition has gone from 15 to 20 percent in some cases, the report said.
"People are already going hungry, malnutrition is preying on more and more young children, cattle are dying -- we face a huge challenge and are urging the international community to provide us with the resources we need to get the job done," said Burkard Oberle, Kenya director of the World Food Programme.
The organization said it is helping about 2.6 million people in Kenya affected by drought while the government is supporting 1.2 million more until the end of October.
"In order to feed all 3.8 million people for the next six months, WFP and the Kenyan government will require strong support from donors in the weeks ahead," the report said.
More than 17 million people across the Horn of Africa need help from the United Nations, which is battling funding shortfalls.
Some of the most dire nations include Somalia and Uganda, which need $164 million and $96 million respectively.
|
a0d7150acc634f669b7b70aa6ac9b6d5
|
Who needs emergency food aid?
|
[
"Kenya"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The man charged with murder in the shooting death of a guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum was denied bail Wednesday and will undergo psychiatric testing against his will.
"Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," James von Brunn said from his wheelchair.
James von Brunn ignored the advice of the judge and his defense attorney and addressed the court during a hearing to fight any delays as prosecutors press their case.
"Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," he said from his wheelchair during the hearing before U.S. District Judge Reginald Walton.
But Walton granted the defense request for a mental evaluation, which will take place within the next 30 days at a facility in Butner, North Carolina.
Von Brunn, a self-avowed white supremacist, will remain in custody after the judge said there were no conditions for release that would protect the public. Federal prosecutor Nicole Waid said von Brunn is "dangerous because this defendant has nothing to lose," and that he wants to be "a martyr for his cause."
Von Brunn's attorney, public defender A.J. Kramer, did not challenge the government's request to deny bail, saying "we don't have any evidence to offer at this time."
Kramer also convinced the judge to order a competency exam, which will include observations as to whether von Brunn understands the charges and can assist in his own defense.
Prosecutors said four of the charges in the indictment are capital offenses and could mean the death penalty if he is convicted.
Waid told the judge the government's evidence is "overwhelming" and includes security camera video from the June 10 attack, in which von Brunn is seen raising a gun and shooting guard Stephen Tyrone Johns, who had opened the door for him.
As Johns stumbled back mortally wounded, Waid said, "you can see the defendant fire two more times," before he is shot and wounded by other guards. Also seen on the tape is the weapon being taken from von Brunn's hands, the prosecutor said.
During the discussions about psychiatric testing, von Brunn looked at spectators in the courtroom and shook his head as if to say "no," when it became clear he would not be arraigned on the charges unless he is deemed competent.
"Mr. von Brunn, I advise that you not speak," the judge said, explaining that his attorney can best represent him.
But von Brunn ignored his advice.
"I'm a United States citizen, and as a U.S. Naval officer, I swore to protect my country," he said. "I take my vows very seriously."
The 89-year-old World War II veteran did not explain his remarks.
|
47a78fbaea2845bb929773fcd30ae9ff
|
What did James von Brunn say?
|
[
"\"Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An autopsy report issued Friday by Hillsborough County, Florida, cites cocaine as a contributing factor in the death of TV pitchman Billy Mays, who died in June at age 50.
The Hillsborough County medical examiner's office said cocaine use contributed to Billy Mays' heart disease.
"Mays died from a lethal arrhythmia of the heart caused by hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart disease," the county said in a statement attributed to Dr. Leszek Chrostowski, the associate medical examiner who conducted the autopsy.
"He further concluded that cocaine use caused or contributed to the development of his heart disease, and therefore contributed to his death," it added.
The fact that toxicology tests detected only breakdown products of cocaine, not the drug itself, led Chrostowski to conclude that Mays had used cocaine "in the few days prior to death but not immediately prior to death."
Cocaine is a stimulant that can raise blood pressure and thicken the wall of the left ventricle of the heart, one of the organ's four main pumping chambers.
The autopsy also found low concentrations of ethyl alcohol "consistent with social consumption of a few beverages" as well as the narcotic drugs hydrocodone, oxycodone and tramadol. Mays had prescriptions for the drugs -- which were found in therapeutic or subtherapeutic concentrations -- to ease hip pain.
In addition, the tests found evidence of two tranquilizers -- alprazolam (Xanax) and diazepam (Valium) -- which are commonly prescribed for a variety of ailments, including anxiety and insomnia. Both drugs were determined to be in therapeutic or subtherapeutic concentrations.
Mays was found dead at his home near Tampa on June 28.
Mays, with his booming voice, was famous for fronting products such as OxiClean and Orange Glo in TV commercials.
|
a87c44ebb3a74deca60577b1787ba0d9
|
What contributed to Billy Mays' death, says autopsy report ?
|
[
"cocaine use"
] |
NewsQA
|
JOHNSTON, Iowa (CNN) -- Politics meets technology Thursday as a group of undecided Iowa Democrats has allowed themselves to be wired for the debate of Democratic presidential hopefuls.
A dial-test graph is displayed over candidate Rudy Giuliani during a recent GOP debate.
By the end of the debate, CNN hopes to be able to gauge which debater was the group's favorite and whose popularity fell -- and perhaps -- who may win the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses on January 3.
Across town, six Democratic candidates will be facing off for their final scheduled debate in the Hawkeye State before caucus night. The debate is hosted by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Television.
Each member of the randomly selected group will watch the debate on a large-screen TV while operating special hand-held dial-testing devices which are approximately the size of typical remote-control devices.
Viewers will react to the debate as it happens -- second-by-second -- as they move their dials to the right or the left. Dialing right indicates a positive response and dialing left represents a negative response.
Southern Methodist University professors Rita Kirk and Dan Schill will track the average response of the group corresponding with each moment of the debate. Responses will be represented by a moving line on a video monitor.
The group of Iowans, randomly selected by phone from a list of registered voters, will be recording their impressions of every moment of the debate.
The Democratic participants will answer a series of questions both before and after the debate, to determine how the event may change their minds about the candidates.
Among the questions to be posed before the face-off: Who do the group members think will perform best in the debate?
Afterwards, they'll be asked who they think did the best. They also will be asked who they would vote for if the election were held today and who they think will win the nomination.
All participants are planning to attend caucuses, but have yet to pick a candidate. Some are wavering between two candidates while some are considering several. They're hoping to get a better sense of the race from watching this debate, and CNN is hoping to get a better sense of their impressions of the debate by watching them. E-mail to a friend
|
5ddc9ee737464821b732bd0a0db8d1b6
|
who will watch the debate
|
[
"Each member of the randomly selected group"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least 24 people have been killed and hundreds rendered homeless in the worst floods to hit land-locked Mongolia in 40 years, emergency officials said Tuesday.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was working with local authorities to distribute emergency goods to the flood-ravaged victims.
Workers fear that without adequate food and shelter, the situation would worsen when winter arrives in three months, said Francis Markus of the Red Cross.
The floods struck last week in the Asian nation's capital, Ulaanbaatar, and a province in the west. It was the worst to hit the country since 1966, Markus said. See images of flood victims »
The government issued televised broadcasts ahead of the rainstorms but many children and elderly could not be evacuated in time, Markus said.
|
e03a5851e4e446e08cc859a1006203c9
|
What are the Red Cross doing?
|
[
"distribute emergency goods to the flood-ravaged victims."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Kawasaki have announced they will run Marco Melandri in a one-bike team in the 2009 MotoGP world championship.
Italian Melandri will be the sole Kawasaki rider in the 2009 MotoGP championship.
The news comes just weeks after the Japanese manufacturer confirmed it was to end its MotoGP activities due to the economic downturn.
A statement confirmed the team's return to the sport comes in the wake of "constructive talks between Kawasaki, MotoGP organisers and other involved parties".
"This decision was made after negotiations that followed Kawasaki's January 2009 announcement to suspend its MotoGP activities due to the economic crisis," the statement continued.
"The rider for the new MotoGP team will be Marco Melandri. The team will be equipped with Kawasaki motorcycles and supporting materials.
"That Kawasaki have come to this new team approach is the result of, on the one hand, the need for a strong reduction of MotoGP racing investments and, on the other hand, the necessity to come to constructive solutions for all related parties."
Melandri moved to Kawasaki from Ducati at the end of what was a dismal 2008 season for the Italian, but shortly afterwards was told his new team would not be on the grid in 2009.
While the 26-year-old has earned a welcome reprieve, the man who would have been Melandri's team-mate this season, American John Hopkins, appears set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
|
40edeaa44d124befa82ebd2bcb6b2074
|
What teams did Melandri move from?
|
[
"Ducati"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The label on the package claimed that it contained T-shirts and baby toys.
When customs officials in Sydney scanned the parcel, they found five pythons and two venomous tarantulas.
But when customs officials in Sydney X-ray scanned the parcel, they found instead five pythons and two venomous tarantulas.
On Tuesday, authorities raided the house in Sydney to which the parcel had been addressed. Officials seized evidence but expect to file charges later, the customs agency said.
Importing live animals without a permit is illegal in Australia and can yield a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of 110,000 Australian dollars ($92,000 U.S.).
The parcel was sent from the United States last week, but officials would not say specifically where it had been mailed from.
The snakes were wrapped within white calico bags and the spiders were packed in clear plastic containers, the customs agency said.
The creatures were later killed because they posed a quarantine risk, the agency said in a press release.
It titled the press release: "Spiders and snakes on a plane."
|
f25607a0d96f4c1eb8b4f8fa4e69d7f5
|
Who euthanized these creatures?
|
[
"officials in Sydney"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A newborn infant, who was abducted Tuesday from his home in Tennessee, has been found alive in Alabama, according to authorities.
Yair Anthony Carillo is reported to be in good health since being recovered.
Yair Anthony Carillo was found Friday night in a home in Ardmore after an intensive three-day search, said Mark Gwyn, director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Tammy Renee Silas, 39, was taken into custody for allegedly stabbing Maria Gurrolla at her Nashville home and then stealing the baby just four days after he was born.
Gurrolla told police a woman posing as an immigration worker attacked her and took Carillo.
A break in the case came when investigators were able to track down a Kia Spectra that was photographed in a Wal-Mart parking lot shortly before the attack. Authorities determined that Silas rented the vehicle from the Nashville airport, Gwyn said.
My Harrison, of the FBI's Memphis office, praised all of the investigators who worked on the case.
"We reunited a family," she said. "It doesn't always turn out this way."
There is no word on a possible motive or what charges Silas will face.
Carillo, who is reported in good health, will be reunited with his family after a routine medical examination, Harrison said.
|
689f372955204a2ba2fa278e19e3d105
|
Who was taken into custody?
|
[
"Tammy Renee Silas,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Ryanair on Monday rejected strong criticism from Britain's top business regulator, who accused Europe's largest airline of "puerile" tactics in the way it adds credit card fees on to advertised fares.
John Fingleton, head of the UK's Office of Fair Trading watchdog, said the no-frills carrier was playing a "funny game" by imposing fees for anyone not using an obscure credit card.
Fingleton, speaking to the UK's Independent newspaper, expressed dismay that the airline was able to advertise credit card fees as "optional" through its acceptance of a pre-paid MasterCard.
"Ryanair has this funny game where they have found some low frequency payment mechanism and say: 'Well, because you can pay with that [the charge is optional]'," he said.
"It's almost like taunting consumers and pointing out: 'Oh well, we know this is completely outside the spirit of the law, but we think it's within the narrow letter of the law'."
Ryanair, which outlines its credit chard charges on its Web site, rejected Fingleton's comments, accusing the business regulator of trying to detract from its failure to tackle other issues facing the country's aviation industry.
"Ryanair fails to understand why it was singled out for these inaccurate criticisms by Mr. Fingleton, when its charges policies are copied by high fare UK airlines," it said in a statement.
|
968704f940c74334b77b3bc0ac20bb53
|
Who is the head of Office of Fair Trading?
|
[
"John Fingleton,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Four days of heavy rains triggered a landslide that killed 12 children and eight adults near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania, authorities said Friday.
Five of the children were under six, said Suzan Kaganda, a police department spokeswoman.
The death toll could go up as rescue crews search the area for people reported missing, Kaganda said.
Most victims of the late Tuesday landslide live in the Kilimanjaro region near the mountain by the same name, Kaganda said.
The mountain is the highest peak in Africa and is a major tourist attraction.
U.N. officials warned last month that east Africa is facing mudslides, crop destruction and waterborne diseases as a result of heavy downpour triggered by El Nino weather patterns.
Most east African countries have been water-starved in the past few years, exacerbating the results of floods, because a lot of greenery disappeared in the drought.
|
91e70f51b8ca4c448e09bb4bc29107d0
|
What were the destruction and waterborne diseases related to?
|
[
"heavy downpour triggered by El Nino weather patterns."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A third minute goal from Gonzalo Higuain gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Valencia, coach Juande Ramos' first Primera Liga win since taking charge of the Spanish champions.
Gonzalo Higuain is congratulated after scoring Real Madrid's only goal against Valencia.
The win ended Madrid's run of three straight league defeats and moved them up to 29 points, nine behind leaders Barcelona -- who visit Villarreal on Sunday.
With captain Raul Gonzalez only on the bench befcause of the flu, Higuain played alone in attack, and he soon made his mark with the early goal -- the Argentine collecting Arjen Robben's pass to fire home his 11th goal of the season.
Valencia almost fell two goals behind in the 16th minute when Rafael van der Vaart struck the post with a curling drive.
Higuain had a chance to double Madrid's tally in the second-half, but his close-range shot struck the bar.
The visitors' hopes were effectively ended when captain Carlos Marchena was sent off after picking up his second yellow card, for a foul on Robben.
The defeat, only Valencia's second of the season after also going down to Barcelona, leaves them on 30 points, just one above Madrid.
|
1540536766e5426bbff99138aff44941
|
What was the score of the Real Madrid game?
|
[
"1-0"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Since it was founded in 1994, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been instrumental in encouraging innovative research that will combat the biggest health issues affecting the developing world.
One Gates Foundation grant aims to help reduce malaria among Nigeria's nomads.
The foundation has pledged $100 million in grants to get new scientific research off the ground, as part of Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE).
On Tuesday, GCE launched its latest round of grant applications, open to anyone with a unique approach to solving problems in the developing world.
The idea is to develop creative thinking from people who may not have traditionally taken part in health research.
Begun in 2008, current projects receiving GCE funding include work in Hong Kong to develop flu-resistant chickens and efforts to prevent the transmission of HIV through breast milk.
To speed up the grant allocation process, applicants only need to fill in a two-page form and submit it online. Successful applicants get a $100,000 grant and the chance to receive more than $1 million in future grants.
The latest round of GCE grants invites applicants to focus on four areas: new technologies for contraception, new ways to induce and measure mucosal immunity, low-cost diagnostics for priority global health conditions, and new ways to protect against infectious disease.
Click on the "Explainer" tab above to take a look at some of the groundbreaking research being funded by GEC.
|
5ce68dc6ff5345ac8be1219409fb86d2
|
What kind of chickens are being developed?
|
[
"flu-resistant"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Eight-time gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympics and multiple world-record holder Michael Phelps warmed up for the Swimming World Championships in Rome by setting a new men's world record in the 100 meters butterfly.
Michael Phelps attacks the pool in Indianapolis to set a new world mark in the 100m fly.
The 24-year-old American shaved 18-hundredths of a second from the previous mark set by compatriot Ian Crocker in 2005, with a time of 50.22 on the third day of competition at the U.S. National Championships in the Indianapolis.
"I was pretty happy with my swim. I really wanted to break 50 seconds, but that is something to shoot for," Phelps told the event's official Web site.
"Ian Crocker texted me after prelims. He wished me all the luck. That really meant a lot to me as a competitor and as a friend," he added.
The new time takes Phelps's personal tally of individual world records to five, to add to the three he can claim from relay events, and means he has qualified for three events at the upcoming World Championships in Rome thus far.
Places were booked with wins in the 200m freestyle and 200m butterfly on Wednesday while a further slot could be confirmed via the 100m freestyle.
Phelps, who was banned for three months when he was pictured smoking drugs at a party after returning from Beijing, has been eager to regain his Olympic form after his enforced exile from the pool.
"This is something that I really, really wanted to accomplish," Phelps told the LA Times. "Crock and I had a lot of great history, a lot of great races with one another. I've wanted that record ever since he took it in '03 worlds. . . . After the race, you could tell I was pretty fired up and excited."
Elsewhere, twelve-time Olympic medallist Dara Torres qualified for the World Championships team in the 50m freestyle.
The American told the LA Times there was still work to do despite the result: "My coach was telling me I probably lost four or five tenths [of a second] on the start," said Torres.
"The adrenaline kind of took over so I didn't really feel (my knee injury). It's a great feeling to be able to be out there and still race [at age 42], but that time won't medal at the world championships," Torres added.
The men's 50m freestyle saw four Olympians battled for the gold, with Nathan Adrian beating his 2008 Olympic teammates Cullen Jones and Garrett Weber-Gale by 0.3 seconds.
|
8ebe71c2814b4522b171f470bde4ac56
|
Who set a new record?
|
[
"Michael"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati both said on Sunday that they have suspended players in the wake of a brawl between their schools' basketball players.
The fight between the rivals broke out with just seconds left in Saturday night's game.
Cincinnati said it would suspend players Yancy Gates, Octavius Ellis and Cheikh Mbodj for six games and Ge'Lawn Guyn for one game.
Xavier suspended Dezmine Wells and Landen Amos for four games and Mark Lyons for two, the school said in a statement. Senior Tu Holloway was given a one-game suspension.
"I really apologize for what took place," Holloway told reporters on Sunday.
"We're not thugs; we're not bad kids here at Xavier University. We're all going to get degrees and we're incredible young men so I really apologize for what took place yesterday," he said.
Cincinnati athletic director Whit Babcock similarly apologized for the fight and said there "will be zero tolerance for a repeat of this behavior."
"We want to deal with this in a prompt and direct manner and send the message that we will not tolerate this from those who have the privilege of representing the University of Cincinnati," he said.
Video from the game, which was played at Xavier, shows players pushing and shoving as people try to keep the teams apart.
|
319c4bc1e6924e409e0ba64c17155d71
|
Where did the fight break out?
|
[
"Xavier University."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Singer Fantasia Barrino gave birth to a boy in North Carolina on Tuesday, her representative said.
Dallas Xavier Barrino, weighing 7 lbs 9 ounces and measuring 21 inches, was born at Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, according Sherlen Archibald.
"I feel so blessed that my son Dallas Xavier was born healthy, and is a wonderful new addition to our family," Barrino said, who also has a 10-year-old daughter. "I thank all my fans for their well wishes and continued support."
The 2004 "American Idol" winner announced her pregnancy in August at a Florida concert. She has not said who the father is.
The past 18 months have been difficult for the 27-year-old Barrino, who acknowledged a relationship with a married man in the summer of 2010. She initially denied knowing Antwaun Cook was married.
She was treated at a Charlotte, North Carolina, hospital for a "sleep aid" overdose several days after Cook's wife filed a child-custody petition that included allegations of the affair.
Barrino later testified in the child custody case that she knew from the first day of her relationship with Cook that he was married and still living with his wife, according to court records.
Barrino's raw talent as a songstress, combined with her hard-luck story as a teenage mother, won her many fans, starting with her winning the third season of "American Idol."
Her six-year-long entertainment career has been pockmarked with adversity, including being sued by her own father and well-publicized financial troubles.
CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report.
|
4f04d69bfc00488ba5f355a224d7099e
|
Does the singer have any children?
|
[
"daughter."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The world has a new alliance to save vanishing frogs, toads and salamanders.
A frog swims in a pond in Munich, Germany, in June.
A coalition of organizations established the Amphibian Survival Alliance this month to conserve species threatened by deadly fungus, habitat loss, pollution, pesticides and climate change. The scientists said amphibians are the world's most threatened group of animals.
Though they thrived on Earth for more than 360 million years, one in three of the 6,000 recognized amphibian species are now at risk of extinction and as many as 122 species have gone extinct since 1980, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's amphibian specialist group.
"The world's amphibians are facing an uphill battle for survival," said James Collins of Arizona State University, co-chairman of the group.
He said the new alliance, formed at the Amphibian Mini Summit at the Zoological Society of London, will focus efforts on the biggest threat to amphibians: infectious disease and habitat destruction. The group includes amphibian specialists working in the wild as well as those in zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens worldwide.
"Amphibians have so much to offer humans," said amphibian specialist Simon Stuart. "Many have an arsenal of compounds stored in their skin that have the potential to address a multitude of human diseases."
But as amphibians die out, so do opportunities to develop new medicines, he said. The southern gastric brooding frog, for instance, could have led to the development of a treatment for human peptic ulcers had it not gone extinct, Stuart said.
"We simply cannot afford to let this current amphibian extinction crisis go unchecked," he said.
Andrew Blaustein, who began documenting amphibian declines two decades ago, said the loss of species was part of an overall biodiversity crisis.
"Amphibians seem to have been hit the hardest of all vertebrate species," said Blaustein, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University. "The long-term ecological repercussions of their decline could be profound, and we have to do something about it."
|
756fe76287ad4f80bb4c37849708aeb1
|
How many recognised species are there ?
|
[
"6,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Lewis Hamilton extended his Formula One drivers' championship lead after finishing fourth at the German Grand Prix.
The British driver moved 14 points clear of McLaren teammate Jenson Button, who was fifth at Hockenheim.
Red Bull's Mark Webber retained third after placing sixth, but was caught on 136 points by teammate Sebastian Vettel after the German finished third on his home track after starting from pole position.
Ferrari kept their title hopes alive as Fernando Alonso claimed his second victory of the season ahead of teammate Felipe Massa, mirroring their 1-2 at Bahrain in the opening race of the season.
Third-placed Ferrari trail leaders McLaren by 92 points with eight races left, with Red Bull in second a further 64 ahead of the Italians.
Drivers' Championship (after 11 rounds):
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren 157 points
2. Jenson Button (GB) McLaren 143
3. Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 136
4. Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 136
5. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 123
6. Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes GP 94
7. Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 89
8. Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 85
9. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 38
10. Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 35 Constructors' Championship:
1. McLaren 300 points
2. Red Bull 278
3. Ferrari 208
4. Mercedes GP 132
5. Renault 96
6. Force India 47
7. Williams 31
8. Sauber 15
9. Toro Rosso 10
|
a54c5c0b1bd5441788c2c9dfa7d5014c
|
what sport is being referencesd
|
[
"Formula One"
] |
NewsQA
|
EL DORADO HILLS, California (CNN) -- The attorney for Nancy Garrido, charged in the Jaycee Lee Dugard abduction case, expressed concern Wednesday that intense media coverage may prejudice his client's ability to get a fair trial.
Phillip Garrido and his wife in 1988, shortly after his release from jail for rape.
"There have been some misstatements made in the media, and possibly very innocent misstatements like, you know, 'She's charged with 29 counts, she was there, therefore she must be culpable,' " Gilbert Maines told CNN's "American Morning" on Wednesday.
"That's good speculation, but any good prosecutor will tell you that they can't prosecute and convict on speculation.
"The media can do that, but the prosecutor can't." Watch Maines talk about Nancy Garrido's case »
Nancy and Phillip Garrido have been charged in connection with the kidnapping and rape of Dugard, 29, who police say was abducted by the Garridos in 1991 at age 11. Dugard grew up in a backyard compound of tents and outbuildings, and gave birth to two daughters, now 11 and 15, fathered by Garrido during her captivity, police said.
The Garridos were arrested last week and have pleaded not guilty. Philip Garrido is a registered sex offender.
Maines said his client has been charged with "about half" of the 29 counts against the couple. He said he has discussed "what she says happened." He would not elaborate, citing attorney-client privilege. But, he added, he is still "trying to establish a line of communication" with his client.
"We are in the process of formulating any defense that we have, or that we may have," he said. "We are still in the process of investigating this entire thing."
Maines said he was not aware of the case before he was appointed by the court to represent Nancy Garrido.
"I'm sure you understand that this is a horrendous thing for her," Maines said. "I mean I realize it's horrendous for Jaycee and her parents and the children, but my concern right now is that my client get a fair trial."
He said that he is still working on getting his client to "confide in me and talk to me so I can formulate any defense that is available."
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2236cd5c29be41f9999070d8dcfc66ec
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Who says media coverage has included "misstatements ... speculation"?
|
[
"Gilbert Maines"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A roadside bomb attack Thursday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, injured the nation's interior minister and killed one of his secretaries, according to a source close to the minister.
The Bakaraha market in Somalia's capital is one of the most dangerous areas of the city.
The mid-day attack on Abdukadir Ali Omar, a member of the transitional government, left him with shrapnel wounds to his leg. The extent of his injuries was unclear, said the source, who requested anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the media.
The explosion occurred about noon at the Bakaraha market, in one of the most dangerous areas of the city.
The interior minister is a popular moderate who led assaults against Ethiopian forces during their invasion of Somalia. Ethiopian troops invaded the country at its request in December 2006.
The Ethiopian invasion ousted the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamic movement that had claimed control of Mogadishu earlier that year.
Thursday's attack on Ali Omar fueled concerns that moderate Islamists would strike out against the hardline Al-Shabab, which is suspected in the explosion.
Al-Shabab -- which the United States has designated a terror organization -- warmly welcomed a recent call for the overthrow of Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's new president. The call, delivered via an audio recording, purportedly came from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
-- Journalist Mohamed Amin Adow contributed to this report.
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bda97cf9e06d4f34809abcfbda4ba910
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Who has shrapnel wounds?
|
[
"Abdukadir Ali Omar,"
] |
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(CNN) -- Iraq's presidency council Thursday approved the U.S.-Iraq security agreement -- the final step for the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government, a council spokesman said. The pact allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.
U.S. soldiers gather at the "Crossed Swords" in Baghdad's secure Green Zone on Tuesday.
The three-member presidency council -- Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi -- approved the agreement unanimously a week after the Iraqi parliament passed the measure.
Under the Iraqi constitution, unanimous approval by the presidency council is required for ratification of a law or agreement.
The security pact will replace a U.N. mandate for the U.S. presence in Iraq that expires at the end of this year.
The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns. The date for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.
The agreement -- which stresses respect for Iraqi sovereignty -- "requests the temporary assistance" of U.S. forces, but severely restricts their role.
The pact says that all military operations are to be carried out with the agreement of Iraq and must be "fully coordinated" with Iraqis.
A Joint Military Operations Coordination Committee will oversee military operations.
Iraq has the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. forces "for grave premeditated felonies," the agreement says. Suspects can be held by U.S. forces but must be available to Iraqi authorities for investigation or trial.
Iraq also will have the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. contractors and their employees under the agreement.
Also, the pact says that "Iraqi land, sea and air shouldn't be used as a launching or transit point for attacks against other countries."
The presidency council also approved a U.S.-Iraqi bilateral pact called the strategic framework agreement, which covers a wide range of bilateral cooperation efforts and which was approved by the Iraqi parliament last week.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, issued a statement welcoming the council's ratification of the measures.
"We look forward, under these agreements, to the continued reduction in U.S. forces and the normalization of bilateral relations as two sovereign and co-equal nations," the two said in their statement.
"We will undertake initiatives to strengthen our cooperation in the fields of economics, energy, health, the environment, education, culture, and law enforcement. The United States will support Iraq's request to the U.N. Security Council to continue protection of Iraqi assets," the statement said.
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dacd3fe50a8f49c6a47f69764a0debd7
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U.S. troops will pull out of Iraqi cities by what date?
|
[
"December 31, 2011."
] |
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BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) -- Cell phone makers Tuesday pledged to end one of modern life's chief frustrations --- and introduce a universal charger for handsets by 2012.
An estimated 1.2 billion cell phones were sold in 2008, at least half of which were replacement handsets.
The GSMA (Groupe Speciale Mobile Association), which represents more than 750 of the world's cell phone operators, made the announcement at its annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Tuesday.
Under the scheme, phone makers have pledged that a majority of new handset models will include the universal charger by January 1 2012. The planned device will use a micro USB plug.
Aside from bringing relief to drawers stuffed full of redundant chargers, the GSMA stressed that the new device would reduce raw materials.
"The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this programme is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers," said Rob Conway, CEO and member of the board of the GSMA in a statement.
Last year an estimated 1.2 billion cell phones were sold, according to University of Southern Queensland data reported by the GSMA, of which handsets accounted for between 50 and 80 per cent. That equates to between 51,000 and 82,000 tonnes of chargers.
The GSMA hopes the initiative will slash the greenhouse gases that result from the manufacture and transport of chargers by 13.6 and 21.8 million tonnes each year.
"There is enormous potential in mobile to help people live and work in an eco-friendly way and with the backing of some or the biggest names in the industry, this initiative will lead the way," Conway added.
The GSMA says that companies which have signed up to the plan include 3 Group, AT&T, KTF, LG, mobilkom austria, Motorola, Nokia, Orange, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, T-Mobile and Vodafone.
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a07d67c6c45d42669d4eb1deec368d6e
|
what type of chargers do the phones have now?
|
[
"universal"
] |
NewsQA
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Allegations that Blackwater USA -- whose operations were suspended after 20 Iraqi civilians were shot to death last weekend -- was "in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," the company asserted Saturday.
Blackwater employees patrol Baghdad by air in a February 2005 photograph.
Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that employees of Blackwater illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq, according to U.S. government sources.
A U.S. government official has said the U.S. attorney's office in Raleigh, North Carolina, is in the early stages of an investigation that focuses on individual company employees, and not the firm.
Blackwater, which is based in Moyock, North Carolina, is a security firm hired by the State Department to guard U.S. staff in Iraq.
"The company has no knowledge of any employee improperly exporting weapons," the Blackwater statement said. "When it was uncovered internally that two employees were stealing from the company, Blackwater immediately fired them and invited the ATF to conduct a thorough investigation." Watch a report on Blackwater's response to the allegations »
The first public hint that an investigation was under way came earlier this week in a statement from State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard after he was accused of blocking fraud investigations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Krongard said the State Department has been cooperating with the prosecutors in the Blackwater probe.
"In particular, I made one of my best investigators available to help assistant U.S. attorneys in North Carolina in their investigation into alleged smuggling of weapons into Iraq by a contractor," Krongard's statement said.
Blackwater resumed normal security operations in Iraq on Friday, the State Department said, after a brief hiatus following the lethal incident last Sunday.
The Iraqi government was outraged by the shootings and disputes the U.S. and Blackwater's claim that the guards were responding to an attack. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Elise Labott and Kelli Arena contributed to this report.
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37eab797b81e4662ab7819e4f8e7b0f7
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Who says employees bought and sold weapons on their own?
|
[
"A U.S. government official"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- An archeological team is set to break new ground in its excavation of an Egyptian temple where doomed lovers Cleopatra and Mark Antony may be buried.
An excavation of an Egyptian temple my reveal where doomed lovers Cleopatra and Mark Antony are buried.
A ground-penetrating, radar survey of the temple of Taposiris Magna and its surrounding area, west of Alexandria, was completed in March, following three years of digging, according to a statement from Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Taposiris Magna is one of the ancient towns located on Lake Mariut, which is today called Abusir.
According to the council, the radar revealed three possible spots of interest where a tomb might be located. Recently, the team discovered a large, previously unknown cemetery outside the temple enclosure.
"The discovery of this cemetery indicates that an important person, likely of royal status, could be buried inside the temple. It was common for officials and other high-status individuals in Egypt to construct their tombs close to those of their rulers throughout the Pharaonic period," according to the council.
The expedition has so far turned up 27 tombs, 20 of them shaped like vaulted sarcophagi, and seven simple burial chambers that are reached by staircases. Inside these chambers, the team found 10 mummies, two of them gilded.
Other discoveries include an alabaster bust of Cleopatra, and 22 coins bearing her "beautiful" image, according to council Secretary-General Zahi Hawass. The discovery contradicts some recent reports that describe her as unattractive, he said.
"Among the most interesting finds is a unique mask depicting a man with a cleft chin. The face bears some similarity to known portraits of Mark Antony himself," Hawass said.
The love story of Antony and Cleopatra has been a favorite theme for writers and filmmakers. The 1963 Oscar-winning movie of the couple starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who themselves became star-crossed lovers.
Cleopatra ruled Egypt between 51 B.C. until her suicide in 30 B.C., following Mark Antony's naval defeat against Caesar's adopted son Octavian at Actium in the Mediterranean. Mark Antony, once a general in Caesar's army, killed himself before Cleopatra took her own life, after being falsely informed that Cleopatra already had died.
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549a2c946d73487aa3cf15ed05bd0e55
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When did Cleopatra commit suicide?
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[
"30 B.C.,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Honey has been used to treat wounds since ancient times, but recent years have seen a surge of medical interest in the sticky stuff.
Research has shown that honey has antibacterial properties.
Manuka honey has been the subject of particular interest, with the results of a study just published by Sydney University finding that it has powerful antibacterial properties, and is even effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Associate Professor Dee Carter, from Sydney University's School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences said: "Our research is the first to clearly show that these honey-based products could in many cases replace antibiotic creams on wounds and equipment such as catheters. Using honey as an intermediate treatment could also prolong the life of antibiotics."
"Most bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to at least one antibiotic, and there is an urgent need for new ways to treat and control surface infections."
She added: "We don't quite know how these honeys prevent and kill infections, but a compound in them called methylglyoxal seems to interact with a number of other unknown compounds in honey to prevent infectious bacteria developing new strains that are resistant to it."
Honey is a complex substance, containing up to 800 compounds and its complexity means it has been difficult to pinpoint exactly how it kills bacteria.
Manuka is a type of honey that is made by bees pollinating the flowers of the Manuka bush, a member of the Leptospermum family that grows naturally in New Zealand.
Now, an Australian company is claiming to have produced the world's most potent medical-grade antibacterial honey, made by bees pollinating the Australian jellybush, also a member of the Leptospermum family.
Australia's Medi Bioactive Honey Company claims its Berringa antibacterial honey has twice the antibacterial content of normal manuka honey, and has launched the product in the UK.
Dr Rose Cooper of the University of Wales Cardiff School of Health Sciences has researched honey's antibacterial action and has written a book called "Honey in Modern Wounds Management."
Cooper told CNN that there are many components in honey that contribute to its antibacterial nature. She says its high sugar content, low water content and low pH are all factors. Additionally, some honey produces hydrogen peroxide, which can kill bacteria.
Since 2004, Britain's National Health Service has licensed the use of manuka-honey wound dressings and sterilized medical grade manuka-honey creams.
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380a025f8b3d431f92daf65de7c0389a
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Only bees make what kind of honey?
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[
"Manuka"
] |
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SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- The California Supreme Court has cleared the way for Californians to vote in November on whether to ban same-sex marriages in the state.
A gay couple is married in California in June. Voters could void same-sex marriages in the state in November.
The court on Wednesday denied a petition to remove the initiative from the state's general election ballots. The unanimous decision was handed down without elaboration.
Hundreds of marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples since mid-June, a month after the court overturned the state's laws against such unions.
However, on June 2, opponents of same-sex marriage filed for a ballot initiative that would ban such marriages in the state's constitution. Such a ban would overturn the court's May ruling.
Equality California, a Sacramento-based activist group, filed a petition against the initiative -- Proposition 8 -- arguing that it involves a constitutional revision that can't be adopted through a ballot vote.
The group also contended that petitions circulated to qualify the proposition for the ballot contained material that misled readers about the measure's effects.
Jennifer Kerns, a spokeswoman for the proposition, called Wednesday's decision "a huge victory."
"We believe it deals a strong blow to our opponents and sends a strong message that they won't be able to keep the ballot initiative away from the people of California," she said.
Calls Wednesday to Equality California were not immediately returned.
If the proposition is approved, it would be the second time same-sex marriages have been voided in California.
In February 2004, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom -- who is considering a run for governor -- challenged the state's laws against same-sex marriage, ordering city officials to issue marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.
Those unions were voided by the California Supreme Court, though the justices sidestepped the issue of whether banning same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, allowing legal cases to work their way through the lower courts.
Several gay and lesbian couples -- along with the city of San Francisco and gay-rights groups -- sued, saying they were victims of unlawful discrimination.
A lower court ruled San Francisco had acted unlawfully in issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. However, the state Supreme Court's ruling in May struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional.
That decision made California the nation's second state, after Massachusetts, to legalize same-sex marriage. Four other states allow civil unions.
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360092ec73b841d18cacba058a4f3e47
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What had activists sought to do?
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[
"filed a petition"
] |
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(CNN) -- Hurricane Felicia had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph Thursday, but forecasters predicted the storm, which is heading toward Hawaii, would weaken in the Pacific later in the day.
Forecasters predict Hurricane Felicia will weaken as it moves over colder water.
The Category 4 storm's reduction in intensity was expected to come as it moved over cooler waters, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida.
Felicia could reach Hawaii on Tuesday morning, according to forecast tracks, but by that time the storm will have weakened to a tropical depression with winds of about 35 mph, the center said.
As of 8 a.m. local time, Felicia's center was about 1,510 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California and 1,545 miles east of Hilo, Hawaii. Hurricanes 101: How hurricanes are classified »
The storm was moving northwest near 10 mph, and a gradual turn to the west-northwest was expected over the next 48 hours.
"If anything, it will be a rain-making system over the (Hawaiian) islands," said Richard Knabb, deputy director of the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
Knabb said there are no real storm preparations under way in Hawaii, but officials are keeping an eye on the storm "just in case."
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0ae35bd451854f74a643e2df4c0696c7
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What day did this happen
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[
"Thursday,"
] |
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NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a routine medical examination at a hospital in the Indian capital on Tuesday, his spokesman Tenzin Taklha told CNN Sunday.
The Dalai Lama with French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on a recent visit to France.
The check-up in New Delhi is likely to take several hours, but the Dalai Lama will not be admitted to the hospital, the spokesman said.
The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala, will travel to the Indian capital on Monday.
The 73-year-old Tibetan leader was hospitalized in Mumbai in August for abdominal discomfort.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a routine medical examination at a hospital in the Indian capital on Tuesday.
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7c55481f67764d21ae525c2b5b75032e
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Where the medical check be carried out?
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[
"at a hospital"
] |
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|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama raised more than $40 million from more than 442,000 donors in March, his presidential campaign announced Thursday.
Sen. Barack Obama greets campaign volunteers during a stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wednesday.
More than 218,000 of the donors were giving for the first time, the campaign said.
The figures are estimates, a campaign spokesman said. "We're still calculating."
Sources in Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign said the New York senator raised $20 million in March.
Impressive as the $40 million figure is, it is well below the $55 million Obama raised in February. Clinton, Obama's rival for the Democratic nomination, raised about $35 million in February.
Political analysts say this kind of fundraising power catches the attention of voters.
"They add to the so-called 'bandwagon effect' -- the sense that Obama is building, that he's going to be the nominee," said Stu Rothenberg of the Rothenberg Political Report.
With its March totals, the Obama campaign has raised approximately $234 million, which surpasses the Democratic record of $215 million that 2004 nominee Sen. John Kerry raised in that presidential primary season.
Obama is $25 million shy of President Bush's presidential primary fundraising record of $259 million, set in his uncontested campaign in 2004.
Obama raised $194 million through the end of February. Official fundraising tallies for March are due to the Federal Election Commission by April 20.
Clinton raised $156 million through the end of February.
The Clinton campaign said Thursday morning it would not release March figures until required to file its FEC report, two days before the critical Pennsylvania primary April 22.
But later, campaign sources provided the figures, which show March to be Clinton's second-highest fund-raising month for the campaign.
A Clinton spokesman downplayed the importance of Obama's fundraising total.
"We knew that he was going to out-raise us. He has out-raised us for the last several months," Howard Wolfson said after Obama's figures were released. "We will have the resources that we need to compete and be successful in the upcoming primary states."
Wolfson also said he expected Clinton's tax returns to be released soon.
Clinton pledged March 25 she would release her returns within a week.
Sen. John McCain, the expected Republican nominee, raised $11 million in February. He has not announced his March total. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Rebecca Sinderbrand and Rob Yoon contributed to this report.
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c226507619184e92a7eb5bb602dc1af2
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When will Clinton release her tax returns?
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[
"within a week."
] |
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London, England (CNN) -- Authorities evacuated 310 people from their homes early Thursday because of a major fire at a building site and nearby apartments in south London, fire officials and police said.
The London Fire Brigade said it was called to the scene at 4:26 a.m. (11:26 p.m. ET Wednesday), and police said they were called minutes later. Ten fire engines and around 75 firefighters were on the scene some eight hours later, a spokesman for the fire brigade said.
The fire engulfed an entire building site in Peckham, an area of south London, and spread to several three- and four-story residential buildings in the area, police and fire officials said.
Firefighters had the fire surrounded by noon and said there may still be deep-seated pockets of fire, a fire brigade spokesman said.
Four people were taken to a hospital, mainly for smoke inhalation, a spokeswoman for the London Ambulance Service said. None of their conditions was serious, she said.
"I was in bed and my neighbor knocked and told me to wake up -- the building's on fire," said one woman wrapped in a coat on a nearby street.
It was not clear what started the fire, the fire brigade spokesman said.
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736aeea68f33452898584710d7f2cdea
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How many fire engines battled the blaze?
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[
"Ten"
] |
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(CNN) -- Japan may withdraw the last of its military mission in Iraq by the end of the year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006.
Japan's Air Self-Defense Force has been airlifting materials and troops between Kuwait and Iraq since 2006 to support U.S.-led coalition forces.
"The political and security situations have improved," and the Iraqi government suggested it wants countries to downsize their presence, Defense Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters, according to the Kyodo news agency.
Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura said Japan will discuss an official schedule for ending the mission with the United States, the United Nations and Iraq.
Withdrawal would mark the end of Japan's military presence in Iraq. The country's Ground Self-Defense Force was initially deployed in 2004 to help in reconstruction and left in 2006.
The Japanese Navy continues to take part in refueling missions in support of the U.S.-led coalition in and around Afghanistan. Except for a three-month hiatus, Japan had been refueling coalition warships taking part in interdiction operations against terrorists in the Indian Ocean since 2001.
As an officially pacifist nation since losing World War II, Japan's participation in these missions has been controversial.
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22cd563282dd454ba384a8a8ea41335f
|
What does the Japanese Navy continue its refueling mission to support?
|
[
"U.S.-led coalition in and around Afghanistan."
] |
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|
(CNN) -- The Queen of the Blues is dead.
Koko Taylor performs in Spain in 2005. Her last performance was in May of this year.
Koko Taylor, a West Tennessee sharecropper's daughter who went to Chicago, Illinois, with "35 cents and a box of Ritz Crackers" at 24 and wound up an award-winning blues legend, died Wednesday at her Chicago home at 80.
She died of complications from a May 19 surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding, her Web site reported.
Just days before the surgery, Taylor won her 29th Blues Music Award, picking up the trophy for Traditional Female Blues Artist Of the Year. She performed her signature song, "Wang Dang Doodle," at the ceremony.
Known for her powerful vocals, Taylor was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1997, won the Blues Foundation Lifetime Achievement Ward in 1999 and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2004.
She also won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album in 1985 for her album "Queen of the Blues."
Taylor was born Cora Walton and picked up the nickname "Koko" because of her love of chocolate as a child. She also displayed a love of singing from an early age.
She and her future husband, the late Robert "Pops" Taylor, traveled to Chicago in 1952, where Pops Taylor worked for a packing company while Koko Taylor cleaned houses. By night, the two roamed Chicago's blues clubs, where Koko Taylor sat in with top bands and was soon a popular guest artist.
But it took 10 years for Koko Taylor to record on her own, after Willie Dixon got her signed to Chess Records and produced several singles, including "Wang Dang Doodle."
Taylor landed a permanent home with Alligator Records when Chess was sold in 1975.
Her final performance was the May 7 blues award show, but earlier in the year she performed at the Kennedy Center Honors program honoring actor Morgan Freeman.
Throughout her lengthy career, she shared the stage with nearly every blues performer imaginable, from Junior Wells and B.B. King to Taj Mahal and Muddy Waters. She was a strong influence to later performers, including Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin.
Survivors include Taylor's husband, Hays Harris, daughter Joyce Threatt, son-in-law Lee Threatt, grandchildren Lee Jr. and Wendy, and three great-grandchildren.
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a6c1989a15bb4d0a9b1c5902f6301577
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Where did the May 7 show take place?
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[
"Spain"
] |
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(CNN) -- A collision involving two big-rigs and a car Wednesday caused an explosion that sent flames and clouds of smoke billowing and collapsed a highway overpass just north of Detroit, Michigan.
Fire rages at the site of a tanker crash and overpass collapse on I-75 north of Detroit, Michigan, Wednesday.
One of the tankers was traveling on the Interstate 75 about 8:30 p.m. in Hazel Park, near the Nine-Mile overpass, when the collision caused an explosion, said Lt. Shannon Simms of the Michigan State Police.
It was headed northbound, said Bill Shreck of the Department of Transportation. Hazel Park is about 10 miles north of downtown Detroit.
The explosion erupted upward, causing the overpass, carrying two lanes in each direction, to collapse, Simms said. Watch footage of fire »
Firefighters put out the blaze late Wednesday and were able to locate all three drivers of the vehicles involved in the crash. The three suffered minor injuries.
One of the tankers was filled with thousands of gallons of fuel, Simms said.
"I just saw a huge ball of flame go up when I was at the red light, just went up in flame," said witness Mary Greib. "I took off running."
Said another witness, who did not want to be identified: "We had a woman in a light-colored, midsized vehicle of some sort that was hesitant to pass the tanker. A number of vehicles were attempting to go around her in different directions."
He said he was one of them, and passed her on the right, after which the explosion occurred.
"We are not sure what happened," he said.
Vince Brennan said he was on the eighth floor of a nearby building when he heard the explosion coming from where "a vicious curve" exists on the highway.
"I heard a whole bunch of boom, boom, boom," he said. He ran to the window and looked down on a McDonald's restaurant. "You couldn't even see it, it was so black with smoke," he said. "The flames had to be 30, 40 feet in the air."
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795e321cd9d0420ebe960e9231271934
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Which vehicles were involved in the crash?
|
[
"two big-rigs and a car"
] |
NewsQA
|
London, England (CNN) -- The death of a British soldier on an explosives-clearing operation in Afghanistan has pushed the British death toll there past that of the 1982 Falklands War, the Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday.
The soldier's death brings to 256 the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since operations there began in 2001, the defense ministry said. The British death toll from the Falklands conflict was 255.
The soldier, from the 36 Engineer Regiment, died Monday from an explosion in the Nad-e-Ali district of Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province. He was part of a task force to clear roadside bombs.
"He was leading a team conducting route-clearance operations at the time, making the way ahead safe for others to follow," said Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand. "His indomitable courage and fortitude, the hallmark of his profession, will not be forgotten."
The Ministry of Defence did not release his name, but said his next of kin had been informed.
Two soldiers from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed by an explosion Monday, also in Helmand Province, the defense ministry said. The deaths of those soldiers, whose names were not released, meant the total death toll matched that of the Falklands.
"Sad milestones such as this naturally attract attention in the UK, but in theater our people continue resolutely and courageously with the task of assisting Afghans to build their own future," said Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, chief of the British Defense Staff.
"We should not forget that each and every death of a member of our armed forces is a tragedy of equal proportion," British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said. "Our thoughts at this time lie firmly with the families and friends of all the brave men and women fallen in Afghanistan, and we should all remember that every one of them has given their lives in defense of their -- and our -- country."
The Falkland Islands are a British territory located 670 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the coast of Argentina. Argentina has claimed sovereignty over the islands since they were occupied by the British in 1833.
Argentine troops invaded the islands in April 1982, sparking a two-month war with intense land and sea battles. Argentina surrendered June 14, having lost nearly 650 troops.
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2e81694058b34f718b5f885f2b182b75
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where were they killed
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[
"Afghanistan"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- Fifteen people have now died after consuming cantaloupe contaminated with the listeria monocytogenes bacteria, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
At least 84 people in 19 states have become ill with the bacteria, the agency said. And the number of illnesses could still grow, added the CDC, citing reporting lags and how the disease can develop slowly in some people.
On Tuesday, the CDC was reporting 13 deaths and 72 illnesses in what was already then the deadliest food-borne illness outbreak in the United States since 1998.
Five people have died in New Mexico from eating the tainted cantaloupes, the CDC said. Three people died in Colorado, two in Texas and one each in Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Illnesses have also been reported in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
What you need to know about Listeria
Most of those who fell ill are more than 60 years old, the CDC said. Doctors also are closely monitoring the pregnancies of two women who ate contaminated cantaloupe, with the agency noting that listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths.
Older adults and people with compromised immune systems are also especially susceptible.
Public health investigators have traced the source of the bacteria to a farm in Granada, Colorado.
Food Poisoning 101
The grower, Jensen Farms, issued a recall for its Rocky Ford-brand cantaloupes on September 14. By now, the cantaloupes should all be off store shelves, the CDC said.
The agency warned that people should not eat Rocky Ford cantaloupes, even if they have eaten part of one and have not yet fallen ill. It also said that consumers should be wary of eating any cantaloupes if they don't know where they came from.
How to keep your food safe
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9ce48064f88941919dbcfa211e191ee1
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How many people have fallen ill?
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[
"At least 84"
] |
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(CNN) -- At least two bombs were dropped near the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan, resulting in an undetermined number of casualties, the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.
"We are very concerned that these bombs were dropped in an area where there are thousands of refugees who have gathered after fleeing the violence in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"It is essential that both parties immediately take all steps to protect civilian lives."
In Washington, the office of the White House press secretary said in a statement that the United States "strongly condemns the aerial bombardment by the Sudan Armed Forces of the town of Yida," where more than 20,000 refugees who have fled conflict in the Sudanese state of Southern Kordofan are living.
The Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile State and Nuba Mountain regions straddle Sudan and South Sudan's geographical and political lines. Although these territories are geographically part of Sudan, its population has faced "exclusion, marginalization and discriminatory practices that have resulted in their opposition to the Sudanese government," according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"This bombing of civilians and humanitarian workers is an outrageous act, and those responsible must be held accountable for their actions," the statement said.
The attack follows other bombardments by the Sudan Armed Forces on November 8 near the border that increase the potential for confrontation between Sudan and South Sudan, it said.
"The United States demands the Government of Sudan halt aerial bombardments immediately," the statement said. "We urge the Government of South Sudan to exercise restraint in responding to this provocation to prevent further escalation of hostilities."
It called for a resumption of negotiations by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North.
President H.E. Saliva Kiir Mayardit has said he will not support armed opposition forces fighting against the government of Sudan, the South Sudan government website said.
Kiir said Sudan was threatening the sovereignty of South Sudan "through military invasion."
Liberation army members have clashed with the military of South Sudan, which separated from Sudan and became independent in July. Led by former officers of the southern army that fought neighboring Sudan in a 22-year civil war, the militias have taken up arms against their former comrades and become a challenge for the world's newest nation.
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c484689842f34c418a3945d883374799
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where did the attacks occur
|
[
"near the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan,"
] |
NewsQA
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SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales on Monday accused a U.S. diplomat of contacting opposition groups, declared him "persona non grata" and ordered he be expelled.
"Francisco Martinez, a Mexican-U.S. citizen, was in permanent contact with opposition groups during the whole era of conspiracy," the leftist president said. "He was the U.S. embassy person who contacted ex-police officers," Morales told reporters, according to The Associated Press, whose tape of the speech was broadcast on CNN en Espanol.
"The times of the colony will end in Latin America," Morales vowed to reporters. "We are in profound transformation."
Martinez was identified in media reports as the second secretary at the embassy in La Paz, Bolivia's capital.
Heidi Bronke, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department's Western Hemisphere Affairs bureau, acknowledged the move, but said it had not been communicated through diplomatic channels.
"We reject the accusations made by the government of Bolivia," she said. "This decision is unwarranted and unjustified. It is inconsistent with recent statements by the government of Bolivia expressing a desire to improve bilateral relations."
Morales' move comes six months after he declared U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg persona non grata for allegedly having encouraged anti-government demonstrators to violence.
Goldberg denied the charge.
Journalist Gloria Carrasco contributed to this story from Santa Cruz, Bolivia
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14c8817d3e6b4a858869f97c06bc1c9f
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who was contacted?
|
[
"opposition groups,"
] |
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(CNN) -- A San Francisco Giants baseball fan severely beaten in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium has taken a monumental step in his recovery -- speaking for the first time in nearly six months.
"We are blown away with all of this," the family of Bryan Stow posted Wednesday on its website, support4bryanstow.com. "Literally one day we got some facial responses and the next, he's talking. His voice is gravelly and you have to be close to hear him, but he is talking."
Stow, 42, a paramedic from Santa Cruz, California, went into a coma as a result of the March 31 beating after a game between the Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
According to the family, when speech therapists asked Stow his first and last name, he responded. A therapist asked what his daughter's name was and Stow said, "Tabby." The therapist asked what that was short for and he correctly said, "Tabitha." Stow was also able to say the name of his son, Tyler, the family said.
The critically injured man also was able to give his birth date and say he wanted to see Tabitha and Tyler.
Doctors are trying to control Stow's blood clots and keep them from his lungs, his family said.
"Bryan's had many ups and downs, and though we see how far he has come, we try not to look too far back into these past 6 months, and we can't look too far down the road so we focus on right now," his family wrote. "Bryan is more awake and more responsive then ever."
The men police believe were responsible for his attack -- Marvin Norwood, 30, and Louie Sanchez, 29 -- pleaded not guilty last month to felony charges related to the beating.
In the parking lot, two men confronted Stow and -- unprovoked -- began kicking and punching him while yelling profanities about the Giants, police have said. It took 10 to 15 minutes after the attack for personnel to reach Stow.
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33b69bbde5884f9f9ad11b5afc3f14b6
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What happened to Bryan Stow on March 31?
|
[
"went into a coma"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. government has charged an international arms dealer with conspiring to sell a rebel group millions of dollars in weapons "to be used to kill Americans in Colombia," federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Viktor Bout is accused of selling missiles, rockets and other weapons to FARC, a Colombian rebel group.
Viktor Bout, who was recently captured in Thailand, had agreed to sell the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
There was no immediate public response from Bout, who remains in custody in Thailand.
Federal authorities unsealed an indictment charging Bout with four terrorism offenses: conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
FARC is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
Justice Department officials said they are seeking Bout's extradition to the United States.
The indictment alleges that Bout made agreements with FARC between November 2007 and March of this year.
In their news release, federal prosecutors said Bout agreed to sell weapons "to two confidential sources" working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who had "represented that they were acquiring these weapons for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons were to be used to attack United States helicopters in Colombia."
The news release also refers to a "covertly recorded meeting in Thailand on March 6, 2008."
"With the unsealing of this indictment, we are one step closer to ensuring Bout has delivered his last load of high-powered weaponry and armed his final terrorist," DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Loenhart said in the news release.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey last month singled out Bout as a leading example of a new breed of organized crime leaders who operate across international boundaries to amass wealth without regard to political ideology.
"Viktor Bout has long been considered by the international community as one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in the news release Tuesday.
Bout's assets in the United States were frozen in 2004 after he allegedly shipped weapons to Liberia in violation of U.S. government restrictions.
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b70b953a236e4867a168d9c7c6e39ddd
|
What did Viktor Bout try to sell?
|
[
"surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, \"ultralight\" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- You don't want to monkey around on a blind date, especially if your friends are also taking an interest in the same dark, handsome stranger.
Jookie, as she is known, studies a poster of French gorilla Yeboah, who is heading for London Zoo.
So when three female gorillas at London Zoo heard that they would soon be visited by a brooding French hunk -- well, they went a bit bananas.
The latest development in Anglo-French relations sees Yeboah, a 20-stone 12-year-old, leave his current home at La Boissiere Du Dore Zoo, Pays de la Loire, northwest France and head for the British capital by the end of the year.
There he will be greeted by gorilla trio Zaire, Effie and Mjukuu, who were given posters of their prospective boyfriend for the first time Thursday.
One female gorilla shrieked in delight, while another wedged the poster in a tree to stare at it.
A third, clearly overcome by emotion, held the photo close to her chest -- then ate it.
Their reception was somewhat unsurprising. The zoo has been without a male gorilla since the demise of Bobby, a silverback, in December. Tracey Lee, team leader at London Zoo, put in a good word for the hirsute lothario on the London Zoo Web site, saying Yeboah is "a very charming, fun loving and intelligent gorilla."
But whom will Yeboah choose to charm first?
Zaire, at 34, is the oldest female gorilla and has been at London Zoo since 1984. The zoo says she's "happiest when she's taking down and rebuilding her nest in various spots around the island. She loves to play with fabric and often drags it around with her all day. "
Then there's Effie, 16, who "enjoys seeing toddlers and often makes her way over to the glass when they come to see her," according to the zoo Web site. Finally there's 10-year-old Mjukuu, or "Jookie." Dan Simmonds, a keeper at the zoo's Gorilla Kingdom, says she "has this 'butter wouldn't melt look' to her, and she gets away with murder." "The other two females get along with her very well; she seems to have them all wrapped around her little finger."
Bridget Fallon contributed to this story.
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108d2deb5e5b44da80ab0fc45d29b70f
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What is the name of the gorilla being sent from France?
|
[
"Yeboah,"
] |
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|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans have varied feelings about guns. In Focus: Guns in America is a series of stories by CNN photojournalists that looks at the complex views and emotions that surround this controversial subject.
In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Washington, D.C.'s, ban on handgun ownership, saying it violates the constitutional right to "keep and bear arms" by preventing individuals from having guns in their homes.
In this series, Americans tell their stories about guns on a first-hand basis, providing a more intimate look at a topic that is often ignored until gun violence erupts.
In one video, 32-year-old Steve Ferguson talks about a shooting in Washington that left him paralyzed, his battle to recover and his views on guns. In another story, Scott Morris shares his passion for his shooting range on a road he named 2nd Amendment Drive.
CNN photojournalists also traveled to Massachusetts to play paintball, rural Pennsylvania to hunt turkeys, and to Hollywood to hang out on a movie set.
They also meet Dale Tate, who hand-makes guns that he considers works of art, and they learn about new technology for less lethal weapons.
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5fea41a807734140b7bd766730e58c35
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What was Washington trying to ban?
|
[
"handgun ownership,"
] |
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Las Vegas (CNN) -- For David Shafter, it should have been a dream: A crush of excited people swarming his booth at the International Consumer Electronics Show, where his startup is launching its first product.
But all the people hoisting cameras and raising themselves on tiptoe for a better view Wednesday afternoon weren't there to see his robot. They were angling for a peek at pop star Justin Bieber, who was making an appearance at the booth next door.
"We're pretty much shut down," said Shafter with a weary look of resignation, as rubberneckers squealed and shouted "Justin!" in the background. "We can't run our demos."
Shafter's fledgling company, Xybotyx, is making its first appearance at CES to introduce its Xybot, a hockey-puck-shaped robotic device that zips around on little wheels, controlled by an iPhone or iPod Touch.
Owners can download apps to their phone that give the robot specific behaviors, like avoiding obstacles. The gadget will go on sale this spring at the quirky price of $111.11.
But none of the hundreds of people pressed up against his booth cared about that.
They only had eyes for the teen singer with the sideswept hair who was greeting fans nearby at the TOSY booth, where he made an appearance on behalf of that company's new mRobo, a portable speaker that morphs, "Transformers" style, into a little dancing robot.
Middle-aged tech execs aren't exactly Bieber's demographic, but many onlookers said they were there to get photos or autographs for their teen-age kids. Some people even asked if they could climb atop Shafter's plywood demo table to get a better view. (The answer was no.)
"It's the best of times, it's the worst of times," grumbled Shafter's business partner, Xybotyx co-founder Dan McShan, surveying the madness surrounding him. "We're trying to get him (Bieber) to defect."
Shafter said he was planning to approach CES officials about compensating him for his lost booth time during Bieber's two-hour appearance.
"It's definitely costing us valuable hours of time with our target audience," McShan said.
In the meantime, however, Shafter had another plan: If he couldn't beat them, he was going to join them. He placed one of his robots on the floor and, using his iPhone, began navigating it toward Bieber in the hopes of getting a remote-controlled picture.
"I was driving it up to the Bieb," he said with a grin a few minutes later. "I made it about halfway there. But the security guard grabbed it."
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66e5614b0afa49f4af7f6d7bc2afaddd
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Who was appearing?
|
[
"Justin Bieber,"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Mourners packed into a church in Illinois Monday to remember a woman whose death made headlines worldwide.
At the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago, a funeral was held for Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer who died last week after a killer whale dragged her underwater at Shamu Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
A memorial service for the 40-year-old will take place in Orlando, Florida, at a future date, according to the Blake Lamb Funeral Home.
Brancheau had wanted to be an animal trainer from the time she visited SeaWorld as a 9-year-old, her sister Diane Gross said last week.
"It was her dream job," Gross said. "She loved the animals like they were her own children. ... She loved what she did."
Brancheau was pulled underwater Wednesday at SeaWorld Orlando, when a 6-ton killer whale named Tilikum grabbed her ponytail. A source at SeaWorld said the whale dove deep underwater after seizing Brancheau. Trainers had to wrangle the animal into a smaller pool before they could retrieve her body about 40 minutes later.
The same whale was linked previously to two other human deaths.
Tilikum and two other whales were involved in the 1991 drowning of a trainer at a marine park in Victoria, British Columbia. The trainer fell into the whale tank at Sealand of the Pacific and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched.
In 1999, Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld, the apparent victim of the whale's "horseplay," authorities said then.
Labor Department spokesman Mike Wald said the safety and health agency is looking into whether Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace standards were violated in Brancheau's death. The agency will complete a report within six months, he said.
If workplace infractions are found, OSHA will propose financial penalties, Wald said. If that happens, the company could accept the penalties and make needed workplace changes or appeal the penalties before an OSHA review commission.
Inspectors also are looking into the incident from an animal-welfare perspective, said David Sacks, an Agriculture Department spokesman.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wants to know whether federal standards were violated in the exhibiting of warm-blooded mammals.
SeaWorld shows with killer whales resumed on Saturday.
|
afad9a50a0ec49ee9cd67ca9b0fdabaf
|
what dragged her underwater?
|
[
"a killer whale"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- One FAA safety inspector was killed and another injured Tuesday when a helicopter they were on crashed into an apparently unoccupied house in Jackson, Mississippi, authorities said.
The Robinson R44 helicopter that crashed is similar to the one pictured here.
The Robinson R44 helicopter crashed into the duplex-style house about half a mile east of Hawkins Field airport, according to Kathleen Bergen of the Federal Aviation Administration. The two people on the aircraft were from the agency's Flight Standards District Office in Jackson, Bergen said.
Names of the two were not released.
Both victims were taken to the Mississippi Medical Center where one of them died shortly after arriving, according to medical center spokesman Jack Masurak.
Lee Vance, Jackson assistant police chief, said the rear roof of the house sustained most of the damage from the crash, and no one answered the door when emergency personnel arrived, leading him to believe the house was unoccupied at the time.
The helicopter, which was registered to a local company and operated out of the airport, was demolished in the crash, authorities said. No further details about the crash were available.
|
1d4317c319914c0fa8844487368ef326
|
What did authorities say was demolished in the crash?
|
[
"The helicopter,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Mashable) -- Apple is scheduled to host an education-related event on January 19 -- shrouded with a veil of mystery, as always. A new report from Ars Technica says the company is about to unveil a set of tools to create interactive e-books.
Previous rumors said that Apple will show no new devices, and that the event will center around Apple's new partnerships with textbook publishers.
If this new report is true, the event might turn out to be much more significant. Ars Technica's sources say Apple's about to present new authoring tools described as "GarageBand for e-books," making it easy for everyone to create interactive digital books.
The company also plans to expand its platform to distribute these e-books to iPhone and iPad users.
Apple, who currently supports the ePub 2 e-book standard (with some additions) is also expected to announce support for the ePub 3 standard for iBooks.
This venture is described as the pet project of Steve Jobs, who -- according to Walter Isaacson's biography -- believed the textbook industry is ripe for "digital destruction." According to Ars Technica's sources, Jobs was very closely involved on the project and has worked on it for several years.
See the original article on Mashable.com
© 2011 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.
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4f93832d3fa44ce29693eaae64da76ff
|
Ars Technica says Apple is about to unveil what?
|
[
"a set of tools to create interactive e-books."
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The State Department on Monday continued to publicly downplay the threat North Korea presents to the United States with spokesman P.J. Crowley telling reporters North Korea "represents an infinitesimal threat to the United States directly."
A North Korean soldier looks at the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone earlier this month.
The spokesman's statement followed comments from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in an interview with ABC, broadcast Monday, in which she said the reason for the United States' low-key reaction to North Korea's recent missile test was that the United States wasn't "going to give the North Koreans the satisfaction they were looking for, which was to elevate them to center stage."
In that interview, Clinton said North Korea has a "constant demand for attention," and she added, "maybe it's the mother in me, the experience I've had with small children and teenagers and people who are demanding attention: Don't give it to them."
After calling the direct threat to the U.S. "infinitesimal," Crowley went on to say that "North Korea, and its provocative actions, does represent a significant threat to the region and its actions recently have been unhelpful and potentially destabilizing."
A senior U.S. official, who did not want to be identified, said there is a "theoretical" question of whether a North Korean missile could hit the United States. "There's nothing in their recent development," he said, "which would suggest that their technology is becoming more accurate."
The United States says its primary concerns about North Korea's actions are its impact on security in the region and the risk of nuclear proliferation.
Last week the United Nations imposed sanctions on a number of individuals, companies and goods connected with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Taking aim at several key North Korean officials, it subjected them to a freeze on their assets and an international travel ban.
|
d8224e0984a14aa8b9547cf5f91c2112
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Who does Secretary Clinton say has "constant demand for attention'?
|
[
"North Korea"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Andrea Agnelli will become the new president of Juventus at the end of the current season -- the Italian giants confirmed on their official Web site.
The 34-year-old, who will replace Jean-Claude Blanc in the position, continues in his family's long-standing links with the Turin-based club -- and comes 48 years after his father, Umberto, was president.
It is the second presidential change Juventus have made this season after Blanc replaced Giovanni Cobolli Gigli in October.
Blanc will revert to the position of chief executive when Agnelli takes over at the end of the season.
Agnelli told www.Juventus.It: "I think I can give an important contribution to the development of this club.
"It is a complicated route, which first and foremost will see the strengthening of the structure on all levels, both as a company and as a sports club.
"The history of my family is linked to this team and began 84 years ago. My father was president nearly 50 years ago,
"I do now want to make any comparisons with those times. We must think of tomorrow. I am proud to give my contribution."
Meanwhile, German Bundesliga strugglers Bochum have sacked coach Heiko Herrlich, who has paid the price for a run of 10 matches without a win.
Assistant coach Dariusz Wosz will take charge for the final two games of the season, starting with the dauting trip to Champions League finalists Bayern Munich on Saturday.
|
1df8515c61854f5da2c549eb07b425c7
|
who sacked their coach
|
[
"German Bundesliga strugglers Bochum"
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France (CNN) -- France is sending four state police units to its overseas department of Guadeloupe after a month of sometimes violent demonstrations, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said Thursday.
French gendarmes face-off against Guadeloupe protesters.
"The pillaging ... the violence against people, are not tolerable and will not be tolerated," Alliot-Marie told the French radio station RTL. "It's no longer simply a question of containing the protests. ... This mission of honor will continue to be undertaken, but we also have to fight against the violence."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy planned to meet with elected officials from overseas departments, including Guadeloupe, Thursday afternoon, his office announced.
A general strike over low wages and living conditions in the Caribbean island has included demonstrations and clashes with police. At least one civilian has been killed in the riots, officials said.
Hospitals and emergency services continue to function and the main international airport is open, but petrol stations, schools, and most businesses -- including supermarkets and car rental offices -- are closed, the British Foreign Office said in a travel advisory.
Hotels are open, but the strike is causing daily cuts to electricity and water supplies, the Foreign Office said.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Thursday he is ready to approve a compromise that would give nearly a €200 ($254) monthly supplement to workers in Guadeloupe with low-paying jobs.
"This crisis is serious, and profound, but it's not new," Fillon said, adding that it's linked to "the lifelessness of the economy in the Antilles, aggravated by the global economic crisis."
Sending supplementary police forces is justified, Fillon said, because "we cannot accept what has happened" in the department.
He was referring to the attacks on businesses, the roadblocks in the streets and above all, the death of the civilian, who he said was a union leader.
Agence France-Presse identified the victim as union representative Jacques Bino. He was shot dead Tuesday night when he drove past a roadblock manned by armed youths in the city of Pointe-a-Pitre. His car was hit three times by shotgun fire, prosecutors told AFP.
Three police who accompanied emergency services trying to help the dying man were lightly wounded, officials said, according to AFP.
Speaking with RTL on Wednesday, one demonstrator denied he was fanning the flames of unrest.
"We have always called for calm," Elie Domota, leader of the Coalition against Exploitation, said.
"We have told the young people to go to their homes and continue to protest peacefully, but the police yesterday beat protesters and called them racist names, so the situation escalated."
CNN's Alanne Orjoux in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report
|
472ac43dbdda4d14ba6f406cfa84c0b3
|
What were the protests about?
|
[
"low wages and living conditions in the Caribbean island"
] |
NewsQA
|
ARBIL, Iraq (CNN) -- Two United Arab Emirates based companies announced on Tuesday that they will be investing in the Iraq's autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government, called the project "a significant contribution to the Iraqi economy."
Four hundred and sixty one million square feet have been officially assigned to "Gas Cities LLC," a joint venture between Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, both Sharjah-based companies, to establish a new venture: "Kurdistan Gas City."
Kurdistan Gas City will include industrial, residential and commercial buildings in an integrated city. The expected initial investment in basic infrastructure is estimated at $3 billion, with further foreign direct investment exceeding $40 billion during the operations phase.
Work will start on the project, which is designed to promote private sector investment in a variety of gas-related industries, on September 21.
Gas City is structured to hold over 20 varieties of world scale petrochemical and heavy manufacturing plants, and hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), served by state-of-the-art facilities.
Mr Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, said: "Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum have made a significant contribution to the Iraqi economy through their work in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq thus far, we are making significant progress in spurring on economic growth and creating opportunity for our people."
Hamid Jafar, Executive Chairman of Dana Gas, explained the importance of this achievement saying: "The Kurdistan Gas City is an enormous step forward in Dana Gas' strategy across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia."
The Kurdistan Gas City is projected to generate job opportunities for nearly 200,000 Iraqi citizens in infrastructure, industrial projects, support services and other business activities.
This is not the first project for Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, the two companies are committed to a service agreement signed in April 2007 with the Kurdistan Regional Government to build 180 kilometers of natural gas pipeline and two liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plants, which are 80 percent complete.
The project is on track and will start pumping 150 million cubic feet of gas per day in the coming weeks, rising to 300 million cubic feet by early 2009.
Other companies from the UAE showed similar interest in Kurdistan Region "Damac Properties" one of the major private developers in the regions revealed on June 3 plans for a $16 billion residential, commercial and recreational project.
|
442df2b3a86348278d3b97c95abca81c
|
What project gets underway in September?
|
[
"Kurdistan Gas City"
] |
NewsQA
|
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- One man was gored in the abdomen and another suffered facial injuries on the third day of the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, a hospital doctor told Spanish state television Wednesday.
A fighting bull leaps over a fallen runner at the Mercaderes curve during the running of the bulls.
A 22-year-old Californian, who was gored, was taken to a hospital and was "stable and conscious," said the doctor, Ignacio Yurss, medical director of Hospital de Navarra. The patient's name was not released.
The man who suffered facial injuries comes from Greece and was injured in the nose, Yurss added.
The latest injuries bring to 20 the number of runners who have been hurt in the first three days of the running. Watch the running of the bulls in Pamplona »
Two of those were due to bull gorings -- the Californian gored Wednesday and a Spaniard gored Tuesday. The other 18 injuries resulted from falls or collisions, the regional government of Navarra reported.
Ten of the injured are Spanish. The other 10 include three Americans and one each from England, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, South Africa, South Korea, and Romania, the Navarra government said. Many of the 20 have already been released from the hospital.
The running of the bulls in Pamplona started 400 years ago and became popular worldwide after Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in the 1920s.
The running is held for eight consecutive days, July 7 to 14, as six bulls and a pack of tame steers run from the corrals through Pamplona's old town to the bull ring, where the bulls will die later in the day in a bullfight.
A total of 13 people have been killed in the runs since 1924, when record-keeping began. The last was a 22-year-old American gored to death in 1995.
The runs begin off at 8 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) each day, with a few thousand runners participating daily, although crowds swell at the weekend.
|
6858244f6da84a208efa078b576a3238
|
How many people were injured?
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[
"20"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Brazilian authorities detained the wife of former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti as a suspect in his killing, according to local reports.
Arturo Gatti pictured during the final fight of his career, a knockout defeat by Alfonso Gomez in 2007.
Gatti was found dead Saturday in a hotel in Brazil, where he was taking a vacation with his wife, Amanda Carina Barbosa Rodrigues, and their young child.
The 37-year-old Canadian, who was born in Italy and made his name as a fighter based in New Jersey, was staying in the northeast seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas.
Rodrigues, 23, was being held in a police station in the city of Recife in connection with the killing, a police official in Porto de Galihnas told CNN.
Police official Osmar Silva Santiago confirmed local reports that Gatti's body was found Saturday morning in his hotel room with strangulation marks.
"This crime is being investigated by our homicide experts and we hope to have more answers tomorrow," Santiago said.
Police recovered a blood-stained purse strap from the scene, according to media reports.
Rodrigues became a suspect because of inconsistencies during her interrogation, local reports quoted homicide task force chief Josedith Ferreira as saying.
Gatti made his name in a series of three fights against "Irish" Micky Ward, losing the first but triumphing in the other two.
He held the IBF super-featherweight and WBC light-welterweight titles, and he also won the WBC junior welterweight belt but lost it to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2005.
Gatti retired in 2007 after suffering a knockout defeat by Alfonso Gomez in his comeback, ending with a record of 40 wins and nine losses.
He grew up in Montreal, Quebec, after leaving Italy at an early age, and returned to the city following his retirement.
According to Gatti's official Web site, the Italian-born pugilist won "Fight of the Year" for three consecutive years.
CNN's Helena de Moura contributed to this report.
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566c03363847482db446420ed052ab8f
|
what was the cause of death
|
[
"strangulation"
] |
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(CNN) -- Murder and rape charges will be filed against a North Carolina man in the death of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis, police said Thursday.
Mario Andrette McNeill had already been charged with kidnapping the Fayetteville, North Carolina, girl. She was reported missing last week, and her body was found Monday beside a road near Sanford, about 30 miles northwest of Fayetteville.
Preliminary autopsy results indicate the child was asphyxiated, Fayetteville Police Chief Tom Bergamine told reporters Thursday, but testing is still being completed and a final report has not been issued.
McNeill will be charged with first-degree murder and rape of a child, Bergamine said. The new arrest warrants were being served Thursday night.
The girl's mother, Antoinette Nicole Davis, has been charged with human trafficking and other offenses. Police have said they believe Davis was prostituting the child.
According to police, surveillance video taken November 10 from a hotel in Sanford, North Carolina, shows Shaniya in the company of McNeill.
Authorities had said Wednesday they would need to determine where Shaniya was killed before filing additional charges. Fayetteville is in Cumberland County, while Sanford is in Lee County. Bergamine said Thursday jurisdiction in the case would remain in Cumberland County. "We started it from the beginning and wanted to finish it out," he said.
Police still are not sure exactly where Shaniya was killed, Bergamine said. Police earlier had said they believe the child was alive when she left the hotel.
"Current charges on Ms. Davis are standing as they are right now," Bergamine said. But he told reporters the investigation was ongoing.
He and other officers spoke about the emotional toll the investigation has taken on them. Grief counseling has been under way for officers at the department, he said.
"It's been a tough case," said Fayetteville Police Capt. Charles Kimball, the toughest in his 14 years, he said. "Our mission was to find Shaniya and we did it."
"This case here has reached out and touched all of us," Bergamine said.
Shaniya's father, Bradley Lockhart, made a tearful appeal before reporters Tuesday afternoon, asking that "everybody makes it a point not to ignore, to look past a situation where a person, a child, or anybody might be in danger ... so that we don't have another tragedy like Shaniya."
The girl went to her mother's last month, he said.
CNN's Gabriel Falcon contributed to this report.
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7150320d2bb0437c84737e622a903722
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How far away was she found?
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[
"30 miles"
] |
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(CNN) -- Best known for its luxury massage chairs, Osim opened its first commercial outlet in the Philippines in February 2003.
Osim considers itself a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products.
Just two months later it launched iSymphonic, the world's first massage chair synchronized to music, voted "Invention of the Year" by Time magazine. In January 2007 it launched uPilot, a designer massage chair featuring ROBO-Stic technology for extensive personal massage control. Other pioneer products include iDesire, iMedic, iSqueez, iSense and iTango.
Today Osim considers itself a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products, offering more than 100 innovative products covering its four focuses of health, hygiene, nutrition and fitness, from massage chairs and air purifiers to health supplements and treadmills.
Listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange, Osim operates an international point-of-sales network of over 1,100 outlets in more than 360 cities in over 28 countries in Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East, United Kingdom and North America.
Osim has also invested in the communities in which it operates. It has set up an ongoing endowment fund with the NUS Business School (National University of Singapore) called the Osim Professorship in Branding and Innovation. In Hong Kong, it involved celebrity Andy Lau to lift Hong Kong residents' spirits during the critical SARS period. In 2004, it helped raise funds for victims of the Asian Tsunami. Osim also supported The Healthy Walk Event in Taiwan, as well as major cultural events in Malaysia in 2005 and 2006.
Osim was Awarded the Most Transparent Company Award (Commerce) in SIAS Investors' Choice Awards 2004 and 2005. E-mail to a friend
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35c01be65b1e434ab684343c721a4b8c
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What is the chair named?
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[
"iSymphonic,"
] |
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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A tropical storm watch was issued Friday for Bermuda as Hurricane Bertha moved closer to the Atlantic island, causing swells and high turf on its beaches.
A satellite picture from 5:45 a.m. ET Friday shows Hurricane Bertha over the Atlantic.
As of 8 p.m. ET Friday, the center of Bertha was about 250 miles (402 km) southeast of Bermuda. The Category 1 storm was moving north-northwest at near 5 mph (8 km/h).
The National Hurricane Center said a gradual turn toward the north is expected Friday night and Saturday, followed by a continued slow motion toward the north or north-northeast on Sunday.
"On this track, the center of Bertha is expected to slowly pass to the southeast and east of Bermuda during the next couple of days," the agency said in an advisory.
Bertha's maximum sustained winds are at near 90 mph (145 km/hr), with higher gusts, the hurricane center said. See Bertha's path »
The Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch for the island around midday, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible in the area, the hurricane center said.
The center advised those on the island, a self-governing British colony, to monitor Bertha's progress closely.
Bertha's intensity has fluctuated. At its peak Monday, it was a major Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 120 mph (193 km/h).
Its wind speed dropped to 75 mph (121 km/h), barely hurricane strength, before picking up once again and reaching Category 2 intensity late Wednesday, with top sustained winds of 105 mph (169 km/h). See how hurricanes are classified »
The storm formed July 3 off Africa near the southern Cape Verde Islands. It strengthened into a hurricane Monday.
The first tropical storm of the season, Arthur, formed May 31 near the coast of Belize and dumped heavy rain on Central America and southern Mexico.
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64427c201c344e85ac0d6e45958fcf4d
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what about the watch
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[
"was issued Friday for Bermuda"
] |
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi government says it has banned all organized visits to Saddam Hussein's grave amid concern over support for the late dictator's former party.
An Iraqi poet, left, gives a recital while children carry pictures of Saddam Hussein over his grave.
A Cabinet statement on Monday said it had directed authorities in Salaheddin province and the Education Ministry to "take all necessary measures" to prevent such outings.
The former dictator, along with his two sons and other relatives, is buried in his hometown of al-Ouja near Tikrit in Salaheddin north of Baghdad. And, Hussein supporters and schoolchildren have made visits there on the late dictator's birthday and hanging date.
There have been videos on sites such as YouTube of people at the site.
One video shows schoolchildren at the grave in December; they carried banners at Hussein's grave that said "We won't forget you father" and they read pro-Hussein poetry.
The government move was made after a recent visit by schoolchildren to the grave, but no reason was given for the decision.
However, the move reflects the concern of Iraq's government over the presence of the Baath Party in Iraq, Saddam Hussein's political movement.
The party and its symbols have been banned in Iraq.
On Saturday, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told reporters that while there can be government reconciliation with individual Baathists who have not committed crimes such as killing Iraqis, there can never be national reconciliation with the party itself.
Salaheddin Gov. Mutasher Hussein Alaiwi, said he had not received any official directives yet, but said he would implement Cabinet orders when he receives them.
The governor said that would apply to organized group visits, but they would not stop individual ones.
A resident of al-Ouja told CNN the government had no right to stop visitors from going to their former president's tomb.
"Even if they put police and army outside the door, they will not stop us from visiting our president, our leader and our father," said Mohammed al- Nasiri.
Hussein was executed in 2006 after an Iraqi court sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity.
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3d714bcb84424cb1846c27afda4fc13a
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Where is the Iraqi government restricting access?
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[
"grave"
] |
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- John Travolta, still in mourning over the death of his teenage son earlier this year, issued a rare public statement urging fans to see his latest movie, "The Taking of Pelham 123," which he filmed last year.
John Travolta stars as a villainous ex-inmate in "The Taking of Pelham 123," which opens in theaters Friday.
"I promise, you won't be disappointed," said Travolta, who plays a deranged ex-inmate who takes hostages on a New York subway.
Travolta did not join co-star Denzel Washington in the promotional tour for the movie -- which hits theaters Friday -- because he said his family needed "additional time to reconcile our loss."
His son Jett, 16, was found unconscious on January 2 while on vacation with his family in the Bahamas. The teen was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, local police said.
Washington, who plays a subway train dispatcher forced to face down Travolta's character, said he talked to the actor about three weeks ago.
"Needless to say, he's struggling," Washington said in an interview last week.
Travolta's statement, which can be read on his official Web site, said Washington, director Tony Scott and the producers "stepped up without hesitation to help promote this wonderful film, and their unselfish efforts have allowed my family the additional time to reconcile our loss."
Making the movie was "a labor of love," Travolta said.
"Tony gave me the freedom to define, and then to become, the ultimate evil mastermind," he said. "This role as an actor gave me the chance to dispense with all moral and ethical limitations, and explore just how bad this character could really be. I believe you will like the result."
Much of the movie is a dialogue between Washington and Travolta's character over a two-way radio.
Many of the action shots were filmed in New York subway tunnels.
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dadf366049d045198ae2c88eb7c5687f
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What was John Travolta statement about?
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[
"his latest movie,"
] |
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(CNN) -- No longer able to fit into a booth at a restaurant and too embarrassed to ask for seatbelt extensions on an airplane, Maggie Sorrells was desperate to lose weight.
Maggie Sorrells lost 300 pounds and went from wearing a size 5X or 64 in men's clothing to a size 6.
The day she stepped on a hospital scale and realized she weighed 440 pounds she knew she had to do something. Name: Maggie Sorrells Age: 32 Hometown: Franklin, Tennessee Occupation: Receptionist in doctor's office Height: 5 feet 6 inches Heaviest weight: 440 pounds Current weight: 140 pounds Pounds lost: 300 pounds Defining moment The moment I saw that I weighed as much as I did, it scared me, and I knew I had to do something about it. How did you finally lose the weight? Diet: Weigh Down Workshop, a faith-based weight loss program. I ate whatever I craved, but only when I was truly hungry, and then I ate a lot slower, so I could tell when to stop.
Exercise: Nothing out of the ordinary, occasionally I'd go for a walk, but never because I felt like I had to.
How long did it take you to lose weight? Four years with two pregnancies within the same time period. One month after I lost 300 pounds, I became pregnant for the third time with my son.
How has this changed your life? Drastically, the way I eat, the way I live my life. I am able to move better. I feel better emotionally and physically. I'm just a much happier person.
I love to hike and I could never go when I was big. I almost killed myself going a half-mile. My chest would hurt and I would think I was having a heart attack. Just after we had our daughter, we went hiking all day and climbed rocks.
I also love the beach. I'm no longer ashamed to go to the beach or wear a bathing suit.
Do you have any tips for other people who want to lose weight? Yes, don't think about how much weight you have to lose because you'll get overwhelmed and discouraged. Set small goals, like 15 pounds. There were times I wanted to give up and there were days I felt like I couldn't do this. Food was my drug. Take [weight loss] in small increments because when you lose 15 pounds you'll be excited and before you know it you'll lose 50.
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21190f70dceb417389e4c8a0136d3ce4
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who could no longer squeeze into restaurant booths?
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[
"Maggie Sorrells"
] |
NewsQA
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- More than six hundred workers at Total's Lindsey oil refinery in Northern England have been told they no longer have jobs after staging what the company calls an "unofficial, illegal walk out."
Protesters gathered outside Total's Lindsey oil refinery on Friday, June 19, after hundreds of striking workers were sacked.
The steel workers started striking last Thursday after one contractor axed 51 jobs while another employer on the same site was recruiting.
Protesters gathered outside Total's Lindsey oil refinery Friday with placards calling for solidarity from fellow workers.
The dispute has prompted a number of wildcat strikes at power stations and oil refineries around the United Kingdom.
The workers' union GMB, which represents around half of the sacked workers, estimates that, as of late yesterday, up to 4,000 other workers at four power stations and three oil refineries had walked off the job in sympathy.
Early this afternoon, Total confirmed that negotiations had started between the workers' employers and ACAS, the British Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.
Earlier, in a statement posted on its Web site, Total announced that its contractors had started the process of ending employment contracts for 647 workers on the HDS-3 construction project.
The statement said the project has been temporarily shut down and that all employees had until 5pm on Monday to reapply for their jobs.
Phil Davies, national secretary and head of the manufacturing section at the GMB Union, told CNN the invitation to a job interview would only stoke workers' anger. "I think that would just humiliate people to be quite honest and it will put their backs up and make them more determined to win it," he said.
He said union representatives were in the process of gathering information to hold an official industrial ballot, a process that could take six weeks.
The British Press Association published one sacked Lindsey worker's appeal for support from fellow union members: "We are asking for support from workers across the country which I am sure will be given. Total will soon realize they have unleashed a monster."
Workers at the Lindsey oil refinery walked off the job for more than one week in early February to protest against the hiring of hundreds of foreign workers.
They returned to work after the unions and the company gave assurances that half the jobs would go to British workers.
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73eeeca912cd4ee89218093f290ce6f6
|
What is the ACAS?
|
[
"British Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service."
] |
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing a civilian bystander Thursday, a police official told CNN.
Iraqis survey the damage after car bombs were detonated within minutes of each other in Mosul, July 9.
It is the latest in a series of attacks across Iraq that have killed at least 64 people and wounded 167 others over the past two days.
The deadliest attack happened earlier in the day when a double suicide bombing killed at least 35 people and wounded 65 others in the city of Tal Afar in Nineveh province, also in northern Iraq. Political tensions have recently increased in the region between Arabs and Kurds.
The Tal Afar bombings occurred a day after attacks on mainly Shiite targets in Nineveh province, including a car bomb in a Turkmen area of the provincial capital Mosul, left at least 19 people dead and dozens wounded.
U.S. forces pulled out of Iraq's urban centers June 30. The U.S. military had suggested keeping its combat troops in Mosul beyond the withdrawal deadline, but the Iraqi government insisted on making no exceptions for the date set in the security agreement.
Also on Thursday morning, at least seven people were killed and 25 wounded when a bomb detonated in a busy marketplace in Sadr City, the vast Shiite slum in Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said.
Bomb blasts from a rigged bicycle a car in two predominantly Shiite neighborhoods of southwestern Baghdad wounded six people, according to the official.
In Baghdad's central Karrada district, a roadside bomb targeting a convoy of Iraq's Central Bank governor killed one civilian bystander and wounded five, another Interior Ministry official told CNN. The governor escaped unharmed.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report
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0a73cf8e3e384d0aaeb69ca76ef495a3
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What was the number of people killed
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[
"64"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- When Gregg Wenzel died six years ago in Ethiopia, the obituaries said he was a U.S. Foreign Service officer killed by a drunken driver on the streets of Addis Ababa.
CIA Director Leon Panetta spoke Monday at a ceremony commemorating fallen CIA officers.
Monday the public learned the State Department job was a cover for his real occupation: CIA spy.
At a ceremony commemorating those who died in the line of duty, CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed Wenzel's affiliation with the agency and noted Wenzel was a member of the first clandestine service class to graduate after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"He helped unite the class and kept its spirits high in the toughest moments," Panetta said.
Wenzel left his job as an attorney to join the agency. He was 33 years old when the car he was riding in was hit by a drunken driver who to this day remains a fugitive.
There are now 90 stars prominently displayed on the memorial wall in the spacious atrium of CIA headquarters, each commemorating an officer, like Wenzel, who died while serving the country.
The 90th star was added recently, but as with most of the victims, the person's name and nature of service will remain unknown to the public so as not to compromise secret operations.
At the annual memorial service attended by hundreds of employees, retirees and family members, Panetta paid homage to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. "Their patriotism and leadership, courage and decency are models for all of us," said the director, adding, "their work is our work now. And their spirit abides with us."
Panetta also announced the beginning of a new tradition. Family members of the fallen officers will receive a replica of the star from the wall. The first star was given to the brothers of Douglas Mackiernan, the first CIA operations officer killed in the line of duty, shot to death in Tibet after fleeing China in 1950.
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fa51438146e04696ba6ddd516762cca2
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What did the CIA Director reveal at his funeral?
|
[
"State Department job was a cover"
] |
NewsQA
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The former Halliburton subsidiary KBR has been charged with bribing Nigerian government officials with "tens of millions of dollars" to obtain "billions of dollars in contracts," according to court documents filed late Friday in Houston, Texas.
KBR was spun off from its former parent corporation Halliburton in 2007.
Justice Department lawyers filed an "information," which is generally associated with an expected plea agreement.
The Justice Department had no comment on the filing, but officials familiar with the case said they expected KBR representatives to appear Wednesday in federal court in Houston.
The 22-page court document outlines a complex joint venture involving KBR and the Nigeria government-owned National Petroleum Corporation charged with developing the country's oil and gas industry. The contracts involved the design and construction of a natural gas plant.
The government documents say the joint venture included payments to international consultants to bribe Nigerian officials.
The alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act come after the conviction of Albert Stanley, KBR's former chief executive officer, who pleaded guilty to bribery last fall.
"We are not providing comment at this time," said company spokeswoman Heather Browne in an e-mail. She referred CNN to a filing in October that cited a consortium that included KBR called TSKJ.
It said, "information has been uncovered suggesting that, commencing at least 10 years ago, members of TSKJ planned payments to Nigerian officials. We have reason to believe, based on the ongoing investigations, that payments may have been made by agents of TSKJ to Nigerian officials.
"The government has recently confirmed that it has evidence of such payments. The government has also recently advised Halliburton and KBR that it has evidence of payments to Nigerian officials by another agent in connection with a separate KBR-managed offshore project in Nigeria and possibly evidence of payments in connection with other projects in Nigeria."
The company said that in June 2004 it terminated its relationship with Stanley, and noted his guilty plea.
"By the plea, Mr. Stanley admitted that he participated in a scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials and that payments were made by agents of TSKJ to Nigerian officials in connection with the construction and expansion by TSKJ of the complex at Bonny Island," it said.
KBR, which was spun off from its former parent corporation Halliburton in 2007, has been under fire for its business practices in providing logistical support to the U.S. war effort in Iraq. The Nigerian charges are separate from KBR's contracts in Iraq and Kuwait.
CNN Justice Producer Terry Frieden contributed to this story.
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5097b3581ad14db49f93b1dd57f6474b
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What was the documents length?
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[
"22-page"
] |
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Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- A trendy California sushi restaurant says it's closing after being accused of serving illegal whale meat.
The company that owns Santa Monica's The Hump restaurant had already apologized for the whale meat accusation earlier in the week.
The restaurant's Web site said: "After 12 years doing business in Santa Monica, The Hump will be closing its doors effective March 20, 2010. The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystems and species."
The investigation into the eatery began in October when two members of the team that made the documentary, "The Cove" visited The Hump, officials said.
"The Cove," which exposes the annual killing of dolphins at a Japanese fishing village, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary earlier in March.
Armed with a hidden camera, two women from the documentary captured the waitress serving them whale and horse meat and identifying them as such, a federal criminal complaint said. A receipt from the restaurant at the end of the meal identified their selection as "whale" and "horse" with a cost of $85 written next to them.
The women snuck pieces of the meat into a napkin and later sent them for examination to a researcher at Oregon State University. He identified the whale sample to be that of sei whale, prosecutors said.
The meat from whales, considered an endangered species, cannot be sold legally in the United States.
The restaurant, located at the Santa Monica Airport, is known for its exotic fare. Its Web site asks diners to surrender themselves to its chefs for "a culinary adventure ... unlike any that you have previously experienced."
Prosecutors have also charged Typhoon Restaurant Inc., the parent company of the restaurant, and one of its chefs -- Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, 45 -- with the illegal sale of a marine mammal product for an unauthorized purpose.
The misdemeanor charge carries a federal prison sentence of up to a year and a fine of up to $200,000 for the company, federal authorities said.
The Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act make it illegal, except under very limited circumstances, to hunt, kill or capture whales and also prohibit trade in the animals or any part of them.
CNN's Sonya Hamaski contributed to this report.
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9aa399f16d444c249366294044095cf6
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What is it illegal to sell in the United States?
|
[
"whale meat."
] |
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(CNN) -- The list of relatives Widline Germain has not heard from since Haiti's earthquake seems like a town population in itself.
"When you count our extended family -- the dozens of cousins and aunts and uncles -- there's several hundred of us in Haiti, and we don't know where most of them are," she said from her home in Binghamton, New York.
On January 11, the day before the magnitude-7.0 earthquake hit, the 25-year-old who recently graduated from SUNY Cortland returned to New York from an extended New Year's holiday in Haiti.
Drawing attention to a photo of the Haitian presidential palace lit up with Christmas lights, a tree decorated on its grounds, she said, "It's like I'm stuck in a horrible dream. The bed I was sleeping in the day before the earthquake is dust."
On Thursday, Germain went through the names of relatives -- she says she has about 400 in Haiti -- whom she and her parents are searching for and whom they know are gone.
Elise and Benson Germain and their son Junior Germain, missing.
Marie Nerla Nicolas and Wilkense Nicolas, missing.
"I lost a cousin on my father's side. My mother lost her sister and all four kids," she said. "There are 10 missing on my mother's side and eight missing on father's side."
Learn more about some of Germain's missing relatives
She described a mentally disabled uncle who reported being attacked by thugs in Port-au-Prince. Many of her family members live in Jérémie, a river town of about 31,000 that is largely isolated from the rest of the country.
"The ones in Jérémie, I don't think most rescuers are getting to the smaller towns," she said, pausing. "All my little cousins -- like ages 2 to 7 -- how are they ever going to be able to get over walking over dead bodies in the street?
"They were telling us on their cell phones that they don't have water. They have nothing," Germain said. "We are here, and we can't do anything for them. My family is there starving and thirsty, sleeping on the street -- elderly people sleeping on the street -- and I'm here with water and food. I can't stand this. It's wrong."
She and her father and their extended family in New York are prepared to take everyone in.
"It's going to be hard, but we have college degrees, jobs, a big house," she said. "We're going to manage, because they're family, and that's what you do."
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f393523fbca043dcb4bb37edf8481556
|
Where is her family sleeping?
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[
"on the street"
] |
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|
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Police Wednesday arrested the suspected head of an Italian mafia murder squad following a two-day manhunt after he eluded police by crawling through sewer pipes, according to Italian media reports.
Italian police examine a sewer that may have offered an escape route for a suspected mafia boss.
Giuseppe Setola, 38, was arrested near Caserta north of Naples, according to Italy's state-run ANSA news agency and reports in the La Repubblica and Corriere Della Sera newspapers.
"This is a great moment for the (Italian) state," Naples anti-Mafia prosecutor Franco Roberti told ANSA after Setola's arrest.
"We were certain (Setola) was in a situation of great difficulty. We promised all the citizens that he would be caught. We have kept that promise."
Setola is believed to have slipped into a tunnel built under his hideout near Naples on Monday, as police closed in on him, according to the reports.
That tunnel connects to the sewer system in Caserta. Corriere published photos of anti-mafia police searching through what was described as Setola's trash-strewn bunker and the tunnel.
Anti-mafia police have been searching for Setola for months, and had already arrested his wife and two suspected members of his crew, according to the reports. Monday was the third time he avoided arrest.
Setola is allegedly the head of a killing team run by the powerful Casalesi clan which belongs to the Neapolitan mafia known as Camorra. He got out of jail last spring after a doctor ruled that he was legally blind. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into that ruling.
Corriere published a photo of Setola wearing sunglasses with his left eye bandaged.
The Casalesi clan is featured in the best-selling book "Gomorrah" -- a play on the word "Camorra" -- written by Roberto Saviano who now lives under constant police protection. Saviano recently said he may have to leave Italy to escape constant death threats from the mafia and its supporters.
Police began cracking down on Setola and his colleagues after the murder of six West African immigrants in the nearby town of Castel Volturno in September. After those killings, the Italian government activated the army to help bolster efforts against the Casalesi clan, which is believed to have killed more than 20 people since May.
The two suspected members of his squad have given police information about his movements.
In November, police arrested an Italian police officer suspected of informing Setola about police operations.
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49406e5b12b740848a3676510977234c
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What city is the tunnel found nearby?
|
[
"Naples"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Dozens of people have been killed in Central America as heavy rains continue to hammer the region.
In Guatemala, the death toll has risen to 28 and close to 110,000 people have been affected so far, the state-run AGN news agency reported.
Citing the president, the agency said 15,000 more people are at risk and roughly 12,000 are in shelters.
"We've been able to respond to all the requests for help we've received -- many by land because we haven't been able to fly over the areas," said President Alvaro Colom, AGN reported.
Meanwhile in El Salvador, the government has declared a state of emergency and ordered evacuations in some of the hardest-hit areas.
At least 24 have died in El Salvador, including seven children, according to the country's civil protection director. Some 13,000 people are in shelters.
Central America has been hammered by torrential rain since last week, when Hurricane Jova struck Mexico as a Category 2 storm late Tuesday. It weakened into a tropical storm and then a tropical depression as it moved over western Mexico.
More rain in the region is forecast.
CNN's Claudia Dominguez and journalist Merlin del Cid contributed to this report.
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6989f406465148a2ac50f47477abd500
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Who are dead in Guatemala?
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[
"people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Italian giants Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil playmaker Diego from German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in a $34 million deal.
Brazil playmaker Diego, right, has completed his $34 million move to Juventus from Werder Bremen.
The 24-year-old, who missed the recent UEFA Cup final defeat against Shakhtar Donetsk because of suspension, has penned a five-year contract with the Serie A giants.
"I am enthusiastic and delighted to be a part of such a prestigious club," said Diego, whose contract at Werder Bremen was due to run until June 2011. "I have dreamed of this moment since I was a child.
Diego joined three seasons ago from Porto and his Werder farewell will be in the German Cup final against Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend.
"After an experience in Portugal and in the Bundesliga, I will be able to prove my worth at a high level but difficult competition," he added.
"It is the right time for me to take this important step and I am convinced that at Juventus I will be able to achieve great results."
Last week, Juventus announced that Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is rejoining them after three years at Real Madrid.
News of Cannavaro's return came less than 24 hours after the club sacked coach Claudio Ranieri and replaced him with former player and youth coach Ciro Ferrara.
Ferrara's appointment had an immediate impact and Juventus are now level on points with AC Milan in second position after a 3-0 weekend victory at Siena.
It was their first win in eight matches and guaranteed them Champions League action next season.
The 35-year-old Cannavaro was voted world player of the year after leading Italy to World Cup glory in 2006 and has helped Real to achieve two title triumphs during his stay in Spain.
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9efb88926bc44e948c4079cb934e8ff7
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what age He has the player?
|
[
"24-year-old,"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- The father of a New Year's Day baby pleaded guilty Thursday to killing the infant by violently shaking him.
Camryn Jakeb Wilson was the first baby born in 2008 in Summit County, Ohio, arriving at 12:33 a.m. January 1.
Craig Wilson's guilty plea in Akron, Ohio, to murder and child endangering charges ended a yearlong saga surrounding the death of Camryn Jakeb Wilson, the first baby born in Summit County, Ohio, in 2008.
"This type of crime is always difficult to understand, but today I do hope that Camryn's mother has some closure and that today is one step toward healing," Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said.
Camryn's mother, Crystal Wilson, had left the 10-week-old infant in his father's care on March 12, 2008, while she attended a meeting.
When she returned to their Cuyahoga Falls home she found Camryn in a baby swing, listless and breathing abnormally while her husband of 10 months sat on a couch.
Doctors at Akron Children's Hospital quickly determined that Camryn had suffered traumatic brain injuries and bleeding in his eyes that could only have been caused by violent shaking. Learn about shaken baby syndrome »
Camryn died in his mother's arms, surrounded by other family members, on March 25, 2008, shortly after being removed from life support.
Craig Wilson, 29, confessed to police that he was frustrated after an argument with his wife over his ex-girlfriend and a child he had with her. He shook and squeezed Camryn before laying him in the swing but hadn't intended to hurt the infant, he told police.
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome estimates that as many as 1,400 babies annually are injured or killed by shaking.
Despite the confession, the case dragged on for a year after an autopsy showed Camryn had suffered broken ribs prior to the fatal shaking. The finding raised the possibility that another person had previously abused Camryn and perhaps contributed to his death, said Jonathan T. Sinn, Craig Wilson's defense attorney. See photos of the family »
Craig Wilson's trial was scheduled to begin Monday.
Sinn had hoped to negotiate a plea deal with prosecutors that would send Craig Wilson to prison for a flat 20-year term, but in the end, prosecutors wouldn't budge.
"From the moment my client was arrested, he took responsibility for his actions and for the killing of his child," Sinn said. "From a human perspective, that's very admirable. From a defense perspective, it makes it difficult to mount a defense when somebody acknowledges completely their guilt."
Judge Lynne Callahan sentenced Wilson to 15 years to life. He is unlikely to be paroled in less than 20 years, Sinn said.
|
710bfaeb0f924380accf6cc12c17f658
|
when was this taken place
|
[
"March 12, 2008,"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- An oil painting was returned Tuesday to the estate of a Jewish art dealer who was forced to consign the painting and other artwork under Nazi Germany before fleeing the country.
"Portrait of a Musician Playing a Bagpipe" was done in 1632 by an unknown artist.
The painting, "Portrait of a Musician Playing a Bagpipe," was done in 1632 by an unknown painter from the Northern Netherlandish school, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in southern New York.
It was owned by Max Stern, an art dealer who had a gallery in Dusseldorf, Germany, until 1937, when the Nazis' Reich Chamber for Fine Arts ordered him to liquidate the gallery and its inventory, the statement said.
Stern, who died in 1987, left no heirs. He and his wife had founded the Max Stern Art Restitution Project, which directly benefits Concordia University and McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and Hebrew University in Jerusalem, according to a statement from U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The painting was returned Tuesday -- Holocaust Remembrance Day -- to Clarence Epstein of Concordia University on behalf of the executors of the estate, said Lou Martinez of the immigration agency.
It was returned in a ceremony at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York, he said.
The painting had been owned by Philip Mould Ltd., a London, England, gallery, when Lawrence Steigrad, a New York art dealer, bought it in 2008, the New York attorney's office said.
Neither had any idea of the painting's past. Philip Mould Ltd. had purchased the painting the year before from Lempertz Auction House. The same auction house sold the painting in 1937 after Stern was forced to liquidate, without receiving any proceeds from the sale, the New York attorney's office said.
Immigration agents used information from a Holocaust claims office in the New York state Banking Department to look into Steigrad's gallery.
The art dealer "confirmed the painting was in his possession." and he eventually allowed agents to seize the painting, the attorney's office said.
|
51df81a88e82464fa2221194097d33af
|
What did Max Stern have to do in 1937?
|
[
"liquidate the gallery and its inventory,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The number of child abuse reports in Jamaica increased dramatically in 2008, the nation's Office of Children's Registry reported Saturday.
The office received 3,784 child abuse reports last year, up from only 425 complaints in 2007, a significant increase for a nation with a population of about 2.8 million.
OCR Registrar Carla Edie told the Jamaican government news service, JIS, that the people of Jamaica have become "increasingly mindful of their legal responsibility to report such incidents," and are increasingly concerned about child safety, given a recent trend of violence against minors in the country.
According to JIS, a police report issued late last year said that, between January 1, 2008 and November 1, 2008, 73 children were murdered and 383 cases of carnal abuse were reported.
Flogging and other forms of physical abuse are a part of Jamaican culture, Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne told JIS in an interview.
"There are many parents who even threaten to 'murder' their children, even some as young as two years old," Lightbourne said.
Regarding official child abuse reports, Edie also said that the large increase can be attributed to growing awareness that the Office of Children's Registry is the department responsible for tracking and acting on such information, and not other government and police agencies that handled those reports in the past.
In addition, "if someone has information of suspected child abuse and fails to make a report to the Registry, that person can be charged a maximum fee of $500,000 or-and six months imprisonment," Edie told JIS.
In response to increased demand, the OCR will increase its operating hours and staff.
|
9ac8c0e038fe43c0b41ca9f19a34a9cc
|
what is part of Jamaican culture?
|
[
"Flogging and other forms of physical abuse"
] |
NewsQA
|
Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Long lines formed under the watchful eye of American and multinational troops as a wide-scale food distribution effort reached capacity Thursday in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Nearly 160,000 Haitian women each collected a 25-kilogram (55 pounds) bag of rice under a distribution plan coordinated by the United Nations, several private humanitarian agencies and the Haitian government.
The effort was launched Sunday but not all 16 fixed distribution points around the capital were operational until Thursday.
So far, 600,000 people affected by the devastating January 12 earthquake have been able to collect food under this plan, said Marcus Prior, spokesman for the United Nations World Food Programme.
"We're encouraged by the way the system is working to get food out into the city to those in need, but still have a long way to go," Prior said.
Only women were given food coupons beforehand and allowed to stand in line to collect for their families.
"Our long experience in food distribution tells us that by delivering food into the hands of women, it is more likely to be redistributed equitably among the household -- including the men," Prior said.
U.S. and U.N. troops have been keeping strict control over the crowds. Prior said the distribution plan has been orderly so far.
The death toll from the earthquake has reached 212,000, Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said Thursday.
More than 300,000 people were injured and more than 1 million were made homeless, he told CNN's "Larry King Live."
|
b392a8e11055422097992b184eed82f9
|
What was the death toll
|
[
"212,000,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Eighteen people, including two soldiers, were killed Saturday in a gunbattle between the Mexican army and organized-crime suspects in the Mexican resort town of Acapulco, the Mexican Ministry of Defense said Sunday.
Mexican soldiers hold rifles Saturday during a clash with organized-crime suspects in Acapulco.
The incident began about 7 p.m., when the soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco "to exploit information obtained through an anonymous tip," the ministry said in a statement. The soldiers were met by gunfire, it said.
Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Two soldiers and 16 gunmen were killed, and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said.
The gunmen were not identified, but the statement called them "members of organized crime."
Authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons, two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 180 charges and eight vehicles, the ministry said.
CNN's Arthur Brice and CNN en Español's Luisa Calad contributed to this report.
|
618fba946b8f44eebaf2c17636606e64
|
Who has been killed?
|
[
"people, including two soldiers,"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A 90-year-old Holocaust survivor was found strangled Thursday in his Upper East Side apartment, a spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner said Friday.
Felix Brinkmann dances at a 2008 party marking his 90th birthday.
Felix Brinkmann, a native of Latvia, escaped death for a year while he was in the Nazis' Mauthausen, Ebensee and Auschwitz concentration camps. Five times he had been slated for the gas chambers, but each time he used his fluency in German to talk his way out.
After the war ended, he was stunned to discover that his wife, who had also been shipped to Auschwitz, was alive and well in Poland.
The Brinkmanns immigrated to America, where Felix spent years in the bar and nightclub business, co-founding in 1971 Adam's Apple disco in Manhattan.
In recent years, he had served as the real estate manager of a mixed-use building in the Bronx, working "seven days a week, without fail," said his son Rick Brinkman, who spells his last name differently than his father.
On Thursday, the building's superintendent grew concerned when Brinkmann did not show up to work. He notified Brinkmann's son and received permission to enter the father's apartment, where he had lived alone since his wife died last year.
Brinkmann's body was found lying face down in his bedroom, his hands bound, his body showing blunt-force trauma wounds, police said. Brinkmann's blue 2009 Honda Civic may have been stolen and a safe in his apartment tampered with, police said.
A police spokesman said authorities were looking for "a man and a woman" in connection with the homicide.
Rick Brinkman speculated that the killing was random in nature. "Anybody who knew him really liked him," the son said. "He was not the kind of guy who had enemies."
|
94060d9e7fa74c91ba6e84847d6ba6c6
|
Where did Felix Brinkmann live before his death?
|
[
"Upper East Side"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009, beating out more than 80 other contestants during a pageant held Sunday night in Nassau, Bahamas.
Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009 on Sunday night.
The 18-year-old was crowned by another Venezuelan, Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008, marking the first time that two contestants from the same country have won the title in consecutive years.
As Miss Universe, Fernandez will have the use of a New York City apartment for the year of her reign, and will receive living expenses. Other prizes include a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy; a vacation for two in the Bahamas; and a wardrobe, including evening wear, swimsuits and jewelry.
The competition involves swimsuit, evening gown and interview phases, which a 12-member panel judged.
Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee De La Cruz, was named first runner-up and would assume Fernandez's duties if she couldn't complete her term.
|
05e1a029aef141a58058b326194aad9d
|
Who won the pageant?
|
[
"Stefania Fernandez"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States on Thursday imposed economic sanctions on a North Korean company that the United Nations said is linked to the country's nuclear weapons program.
News comes on day U.S. State Department Envoy Philip Goldberg met with U.N. sanctions committee.
A U.S. Treasury Department statement said Korea Hyoksin Trading Corporation is owned or controlled by Korea Ryonbong General Corporation, which has been designated by the United Nations as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction.
The order freezes any U.S. assets of Hyoksin and prohibits any Americans from dealing with it, the statement said.
It notes that a sanctions committee set up by the U.N. Security Council recently cited Hyoksin for involvement in development of weapons of mass destruction.
The announcement came as the U.S. coordinator for implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea met Thursday with the Security Council sanctions committee.
The envoy, Philip Goldberg, said the talks showed "strong commitment" by all nations to enforcing Security Council Resolution 1874, which authorized sanctions against North Korea's weapons program.
"What I found in that room and in my dealings with other governments ... is unity of view," Goldberg said, specifically mentioning China, which is North Korea's longtime supporter.
"Commitment to implementation is strong and unified," he said.
|
ba0ca5307bb44e60a9037b03523f1f76
|
What is Hyoksin linked to?
|
[
"country's nuclear weapons program."
] |
NewsQA
|
Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The Kurdish bloc in the Iraqi parliament intends to boycott the vote on a proposed election law if the oil-rich province of Kirkuk is banned from voting in next year's national elections, two Kurdish lawmakers said.
A vote may be held Thursday on a proposal that would govern the elections, now set for January 16, legislators Mahmoud Othman and Abdul Bari al-Zebari said on Wednesday.
Kirkuk, north of Baghdad, was excluded from provincial elections last January.
Kurds displaced under Saddam Hussein's rule settled on land they say is rightfully theirs. However, Arab and Turkmen residents claim many more Kurds have moved into Kirkuk than were displaced, and that allowing them to vote would create an unfair advantage.
Without the Kurdish lawmakers there will be no quorum, thereby blocking the vote, Sunni lawmaker Salim al-Jabouri, a member of the small Sunni political bloc, the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, told CNN.
Before conducting balloting next year, Iraq needs an election law that lays out basic rules. If one is not adopted, the government may have to either reschedule the election or rely on the law used in the 2005 national elections, officials say.
Lawmakers failed to reach agreement on the issue a week ago.
The other contentious election issue is that of open lists versus closed lists on ballots. Open lists would name candidates and their parties; closed lists would name only parties. Existing law, used in the 2005 election, mandates a closed list.
President Jalal Talabani, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other political leaders -- members of the Political Council for National Security -- reached a tentative agreement on the draft bill Tuesday evening. Talabani's office released no details on the content.
The constitutional deadline for the elections is January 31. The election commission needs at least 90 days after passage of the law to carry out elections, which U.S. and Iraqi government officials call a vital step in Iraqi efforts to solidify a democratic system in the post-Saddam Hussein era.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report
|
9fa3e632bf944479b395e8f2d8d30ccf
|
where is kirkuk
|
[
"north of Baghdad,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Carla Bruni, the wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has given birth to a girl, a very close family friend told CNN on Wednesday.
The mother is doing well, the friend said.
Sarkozy, 56, was seen earlier leaving the French capital's La Muette clinic, where Bruni gave birth, according to French media.
It is the first child for the couple, who wed in February 2008. Bruni, 43, announced in early September that she was pregnant and vowed to keep the child out of the spotlight.
Sarkozy divorced his wife of more than 11 years before marrying Bruni. He has three children from that marriage.
Bruni, a former supermodel and singer, previously dated singers Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger.
|
9494ae48a13743fe98baad13c369d4d7
|
What is it the first of for the couple
|
[
"child"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Australian authorities have declared several coastal areas near Brisbane disaster zones after a massive oil spill earlier this week, according to the Queensland government.
Large stretches of Queensland's coastline are being affected by the oil.
"This is a very serious situation," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said, according to a news release on Friday. "It appears the volume of oil involved is much greater than originally reported by the Pacific Adventurer. And the effect of the oil spill is more widespread."
The Pacific Adventurer sustained damage early Wednesday when Cyclone Hamish struck the waters of eastern Australia with more than 125 kph (77 mph) winds. The cargo ship lost 30 of its 50 containers of ammonium nitrate about 13 kilometers (8 miles) off the coast of Cape Moreton. Those containers are still missing.
The damaged ship also spilled a large amount of oil that is covering at least 60 kilometers (37 miles) of beach in and around Brisbane, according to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Watch sludge washing up on shorelines »
The ship's owner, Swire Shipping, initially said no more than 42,000 liters (11,100 U.S. gallons) of oil escaped from the ship, but now says that "substantially more oil was spilled," ABC reported Friday.
The ship is currently in the custody of Australia's Maritime Safety Authority in Brisbane, as the investigation into the spill continues.
A massive clean-up effort is also under way. So far, 13 oil-covered birds have been recovered, according to the Queensland government.
|
b88a038d4b7441f6818cb45670863930
|
what was spilled
|
[
"oil"
] |
NewsQA
|
Paris, France (CNN) -- Former French President Jacques Chirac has been placed under investigation for allegations stemming from his time as mayor of Paris, his office said Friday.
A judge in Nanterre, near Paris, questioned Chirac Friday morning over the employment of seven people who were hired by the city of Paris in the early 1990s. The suspicion is that the employees were working for Chirac's right-wing political party, RPR, which no longer exists, while on the city payroll.
Chirac, 77, was mayor of Paris between 1977 and 1995, the year he became president.
The case in Nanterre is similar to but separate from another investigation in Paris, in which Chirac is accused of using 21 city employees to work on his presidential campaign.
In a statement released by his office Friday, Chirac pointed out that he had "already answered all the questions related to this investigation regarding the seven jobs in July 2007 and that no new facts have surfaced since then."
Chirac could face a five-year sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros ($107,500) if found guilty of using the employees to work for his party.
The former president denies the accusations.
"On the investigation itself, President Chirac repeats that no such 'system' has ever existed in the Paris city hall," the statement said. "He is determined to demonstrate this through the procedure which was started by being placed under investigation."
The former French head of state also said he "wishes the investigation to progress as quickly as possible to establish once and for all that he is beyond reproach."
Former French Prime Minister Alain Juppe was already sentenced in December 2004 for his role in the affair, but Chirac benefited from presidential immunity at the time. After Chirac left office in May 2007, he made it known he was available to answer any questions on the matter.
Current Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe had no comment about the investigation, according to officials with the city of Paris, which lodged the initial complaint against Chirac.
The former president remains popular in France. A survey released Thursday, conducted by the opinion research company IFOP for Paris Match magazine, showed that 78 percent of French people have a positive opinion of Chirac -- making him the highest-rated politician since the survey began in November 2003.
CNN's Luc Lacroix contributed to this report.
|
9fefc332692d4ae38819b1a4bda331e6
|
What could Chirac face as a result of the charges?
|
[
"a five-year sentence and a fine of 75,000 euros"
] |
NewsQA
|
White Plains, New York (CNN) -- Former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik on Thursday pleaded guilty to charges of lying to Bush administration officials who vetted his unsuccessful 2004 nomination to be homeland security secretary.
Kerik admitted to eight counts as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, who are recommending a 27- to 33-month prison term. U.S. District Judge Stephen Robinson set Kerik's sentencing for February 18.
In court papers, prosecutors said Kerik denied to a White House official that there was "any possible concern" about his relationships with the contractors involved in renovations to his apartment or that he had any financial dealings with prospective city contractors.
Kerik, 54, had been scheduled to go to trial next week on a variety of corruption charges, including allegations that he received and concealed benefits of about $255,000 in renovations to his Riverdale, New York, apartment from a company seeking to do business with the city of New York. He pleaded guilty to that charge and several tax-related counts during Thursday morning's hearing.
Robinson said he would take into account Kerik's life and career, which he said "included good" as well as wrongdoing. Kerik put his head in his hands at that point.
Kerik has spent the past two weeks in jail after a judge revoked his bail. According to court papers released in late October, he violated the terms of his bail by leaking confidential evidence about his case to a lawyer who published the material online.
Kerik served as New York police commissioner from 1998 to 2002 -- a tenure that included the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack that destroyed the World Trade Center and killed more than 2,700 people. He spent a brief stint in Iraq training the country's police force after the U.S. invasion in 2003, and was nominated by President George W. Bush for the post of homeland security secretary in 2004. However, he withdrew from consideration after allegations surfaced that he employed a nanny whose immigration status was murky.
In 2006, Kerik pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts while he worked as city corrections commissioner, but under a plea agreement he paid $221,000 in fines and avoided jail time. His admission dogged the 2008 presidential campaign of his longtime patron, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said his endorsement of Kerik had been "a mistake."
Kerik made an unsuccessful appeal for clemency to Bush in late 2008, according to court papers released in October.
CNN's Mary Snow and Julian Cummings contributed to this report.
|
c45a95cd5ece47aea7fe2dcd094b0595
|
Who is Bernard Kerik?
|
[
"Former New York Police Commissioner"
] |
NewsQA
|
Japan has long been the world leader in robotics research, but in recent years it's also been leading the way when it comes to cutting-edge medical technology.
A prototype "Finger Rehabilitation Glove," designed to aid recovery from paralysis.
From robot nurses that can lift hospital patients in and out of their beds, to intelligent toilets that can dispense medical advice, Japanese researchers are developing radical new approaches to health care.
While many of these technologies are still at the prototype stage, it may not be long before they turn up in a hospital near you.
|
5bef9d6d7c57443bbbb3d5c5c84199fe
|
whats is The "Intelligent Toilet"?
|
[
"toilets that can dispense medical advice,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday he is cutting all ties with Colombia as long as Alvaro Uribe remains its president.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe withdrew his support for the Venezuelan leader's mediation efforts with the FARC.
"I say before the world, while President Uribe is president of Colombia, I will not have any type of relation with him or with the government of Colombia," Chavez said in an address broadcast on national television. "I can't, I can't, I can't."
Chavez noted that Uribe had asked him to help secure the release of hundreds of hostages being held by the leftist rebel group Armed Revolutionary Front of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
"I went with my heart in my hand, and I was ready," Chavez told a group of supporters in the southwestern state of Tachira. "I was prepared to go to the most dangerous forest in the country to help."
But last Thursday, Uribe ended Chavez's participation, citing his direct communication with Uribe's top general, a move that Uribe said broke protocol.
"When we were at the point of succeeding, Uribe comes and, without telling me anything, he didn't even call me on the phone or send me an emissary, just sent me a letter saying he was ending my mission," Chavez said. "That was a kick."
Without being specific, Chavez accused Uribe of having lied. "That's real ugly," he said. Chavez also accused Uribe of having bowed to pressure from Washington "to get rid of Chavez."
But the firebrand Venezuelan president, who has called U.S. President George W. Bush "the devil," said his arms are open to the Colombian people. E-mail to a friend
|
df5bfb5b811e41349ce5709c960535c3
|
Who is Chavez?
|
[
"President"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A fourth man was charged Tuesday with murder in the shooting death of University of Memphis football player Taylor Bradford, Memphis police said.
Devin Jefferson, 21, planned the armed robbery of Bradford because he thought the football player was carrying a large amount of cash, police said.
"He was the brain trust on this one, he was the one that got the information that Taylor had cash," Sgt. Vince Higgins said. "Taylor and Jefferson knew each other. They had a girlfriend in common so there was some history there."
Police investigating a car crash on September 30 found Bradford, 21, fatally wounded near the campus residence hall area.
He had apparently gotten into his car after he was shot and drove a short distance before crashing into a tree.
The 5-foot-11, 300-pound defensive lineman from Nashville was taken to Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
DaeShawn Tate, 21, Victor Trezevant, 21, and Courtney Washington, 22, have been charged with murder in perpetration of attempted aggravated robbery, Memphis Police Department Director Larry Godwin said Monday.
Homicide investigators developed their case with the help of a citizen's tip and from Crimestoppers, Godwin said.
"It was an attempted robbery, aggravated robbery," he said. "He [Bradford] was targeted because of some information that was out there and the fact that they believed he had some cash, or he had something that they wanted."
Officials at the 21,000-student school said Bradford, a marketing major who lived on campus, was popular with the football team and on the campus. He had transferred from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and was 36 credit hours short of graduation. E-mail to a friend
|
f7f1b54cca504ab4ba70c22275c76220
|
What is Devin Jefferson charged with?
|
[
"murder"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The family of Michael Jackson has been told by state officials that it may be possible to bury the singer at Neverland Ranch -- if the county gives the green light.
Santa Barbara County says it hasn't yet been contacted about burying Michael Jackson at Neverland.
Officials with Santa Barbara County, the site of the ranch, said Thursday that they have not yet been approached, and it was not clear whether the family had decided to pursue that option.
A lawyer from the Jackson family contacted state officials recently about possibly burying Jackson at the ranch that was his home for almost two decades, said Amanda Fulkerson of California's State and Consumer Services Agency.
To bury someone on private land in California is a two-step process.
First, a certificate of authority is needed from the state Cemetery and Funeral Bureau -- easily obtainable by filling out a two-page application and paying $400. Next, the family needs approval from the county.
No one from the Jackson camp has contacted county authorities yet, said county spokesman William Boyer.
"We have had no formal application either from the Jackson family or from the property owner," said Boyer, the communications director for the county. "At that point, we would review the application and make a determination."
Boyer said Santa Barbara county has never been approached about burial on private land.
California has had burials outside cemeteries, most notably that of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan at his presidential library in Ventura County's Simi Valley.
Jackson's brother Jermaine said he'd like to see the singer buried at the ranch. But their father, Joe Jackson, said he opposes the site.
The rest of the family has expressed no preference about Jackson's final resting place. Michael Jackson died June 25 of a cardiac arrest. The exact cause of death is pending toxicology results.
Jackson purchased the Neverland Ranch -- named for the fictional world in J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan" -- in 1987 and filled it with animals and amusement rides.
Billionaire Tom Barrack Jr. gained control of the ranch through his company last year as part of a process to alleviate the singer's debts, believed to be in the millions.
Soon after Jackson's death, Barrack said the property's future would be discussed at a later time.
|
32a9a9872e1b43a4b6bcda35e33993dc
|
Who must fill out the two-page application?
|
[
"the family"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A judge subpoenaed the Spanish king's son-in-law Thursday in a corruption case that has drawn increased scrutiny to the royal family.
Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma de Mallorca, must testify on February 6, a Spanish court said in a statement.
The case, widely reported in Spanish media for weeks, has fueled public criticism of the royal family. Thursday's statement from the Balearic Islands Superior Court of Justice formally named Urdangarin as a defendant, but did not specify charges against him.
According to media reports, authorities have been investigating whether a foundation headed by Urdangarin improperly used public funds.
Mario Pascual Vives, an attorney representing Urdangarin, told reporters Thursday that his client is "absolutely innocent."
Vives said Urdangarin, who lives in Washington, was on a skiing trip in the United States and had not spoken with him about the case since the court's announcement Thursday.
Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player, married the Spanish king's youngest daughter in 1997.
The corruption allegations have brought increased scrutiny to the monarchy as Spain faces a nationwide economic crisis.
The court's announcement came a day after Spain's royal family publicly revealed its finances for the first time in an effort to boost public confidence and transparency.
An announcement by the royal palace that Urdangarin will not participate in official family activities during the investigation and remarks by King Juan Carlos in his Christmas Eve speech that "justice is equal for everyone" have deflected public criticisms of the royal family, according to Gerardo Correas of the International School of Protocol in Madrid.
A large round of applause greeted the king at an inauguration ceremony for the new legislature earlier this week, Correas said.
But many Spaniards were still buzzing over the political scandal -- with some asking whether other members of the royal family were connected to, or aware of, Urdangarin's business dealings.
"The debate continues in the street and will continue for a long time," Correas said.
CNN's Ana Maria Luengo-Romero and Miguel Angel Antonanzas contributed to this report.
|
beca2ec1912841bab1ba35673ac46a1a
|
What has the corruption case brought scrutiny to
|
[
"the royal family."
] |
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