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NewsQA
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Burberry, the 150-year-old British luxury brand most famous for its distinctive check pattern, has recently experienced a resurgence.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry's creative director, has been credited with the brand's resurgence.
The brand credits much of its new a la mode image to creative director Christopher Bailey.
The unassuming 37-year-old British designer has successfully reconnected Burberry with a trendy young audience -- using the likes of British super model Agyness Deyn, whom he has propelled to international stardom -- in ad campaigns.
But times are hard for luxury brands, with a recession that has turned many high-end consumers toward cheaper alternatives.
So how is Bailey handling the current economic climate?
With stylish new headquarters in the heart of London and the recent opening of a Burberry Children's wear store in the capital, it seems the brand has kept its wheels rolling. Watch Burberry's creative director speak to CNN »
Bailey believes the new headquarters were an important extension of Burberry's image, telling CNN "the building is the brand beacon."
"It's so important that everyone lives and breathes the aesthetic of what Burberry is. We have to do what feels right for the company," Bailey added.
But that does not mean that Burberry is ignoring the recession. "It's all about the balance between functionality and emotion. You have to be instinctive about what's going on," said Bailey.
"We think about the world recession, but it helps us focus and make sure that the brand purity and integrity is there in everything we do.
"We've just opened our first [children's wear] store in London and the first signs are pretty wonderful."
But Bailey agrees that "there has been incredible excess in the last five to 10 years, so it's a good moment to re-balance."
So how will that translate to the catwalk? "The [clothes] will be investment pieces for the long-term. It's not just about fashion for a season."
|
74851ed278f7404ea032885bf2c7c8b6
|
What helps Christoper focus?
|
[
"\"We think about the world recession,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Liv Tyler doesn't like to be bothered by her agents at night. But it's a good thing she took their call pitching her "The Incredible Hulk."
Liv Tyler plays Betty Ross, a colleague of Edward Norton's Bruce Banner, in "The Incredible Hulk."
"My agent called me one night ... I had just put [son] Milo to bed. It was like 9 o'clock at night, and I always get grumpy with them when they call me really late," she told CNN. "They said, 'Marvel would like to fly you to Los Angeles tomorrow. Will you get on a plane to come and meet for 'The Hulk'? And I said I can't come tomorrow, but I can come the next day."
The flight turned out to be well worth it -- though Tyler said she was discombobulated by the speed of it all.
"I went and met with [director] Louis [Leterrier] and they offered me the part that day," she said. "I was kind of floored because it just happened so quickly and I didn't get to read the script. ... [But] it was kind of a no-brainer."
In the new "Hulk," "The Lord of the Rings" actress plays Betty Ross, a former colleague of scientist and Hulk alter ego Bruce Banner (Edward Norton). She said working on the film brought back memories of her childhood watching the TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. (Ferrigno has a cameo in the new film.)
"I loved the TV show when I was a kid," she said. "I used to watch it all the time with my mom. It was our favorite show."
Tyler, 30, said that she felt a tremendous sense of responsibility to the "Hulk" mythology, particularly since a 2003 film on the character met with mixed reviews. Watch Tyler, Norton and Leterrier on the latest "Hulk" »
"Well, a lot of people would say -- even I said -- 'Oh, they're making "The Hulk"?' Didn't they do that already?" she said.
But she added, "The fans love this so much ... and there's so much detail to the story, I always feel quite stressed about that, like I really want to do the part justice. ... I definitely feel that responsibility and want to do the best job that I can."
CNN's KJ Matthews contributed to this report.
|
b898834dda9b4fdaac6172f100a66c06
|
What actress said the "Hulk" role came unexpectedly?
|
[
"Liv Tyler"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Portuguese football coach Jose Mourinho caused outcry this week when he substituted Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari due to his low-energy levels -- which were a result of fasting.
Muntari is a practicing Muslim who, like many of the same faith around the world, is currently not eating during the hours of daylight to mark the Ramadan holy period.
The midfielder is not the only high-profile player who will be fasting, check out Fanzone's First XI of Islamic stars..
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c3edef2aaf324b08aa0ab82417642445
|
Who else is a high-profile jihadist?
|
[
"Sulley Muntari"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been named the best player in Europe, becoming the first Argentine to win the prestigious Ballon d'Or award on Tuesday.
Last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo came second, with Messi's teammates from Barcelona's historic 2008-09 treble-winning side -- Spain midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta plus Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o (now at Inter Milan) -- rounding out the top five.
The 22-year-old Messi helped the Catalan giants to the Spanish La Liga and European Champions League titles as well as the Copa Del Rey, while his Argentina side scraped into the World Cup finals after finishing fourth in their South American qualifying campaign.
Messi told France Football magazine, organizers of the award, that he knew he was "among the favorites because Barcelona had a profitable year."
"For me it's a big honor to win -- but also to become the first Argentinian in history to receive the trophy," he said.
"I dedicate it to my family, they were always present when I needed them and sometimes felt even stronger emotions than me."
Messi is the first Barcelona player to win the award since Brazilian forward Ronaldinho took it in 2005, and the sixth to have won it while at the club.
He dominated the Ballon d'Or voting, polling 473 votes compared to second-placed Ronaldo's 233, and 27 more than the Real Madrid and Portugal winger received when he won it in 2008 for his exploits while with Manchester United.
The rest of the top-10 was completed by: Brazil playmaker Kaka, Real Madrid's summer signing from AC Milan; Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who joined Barcelona from Inter in the off-season; England forward Wayne Rooney of United; Chelsea's Ivory Coast frontman Didier Drogba; and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard of England.
The award was only open to European players before 1995, and that year AC Milan's Liberian star George Weah became the first from outside the continent to win it.
Argentina-born Alfredo Di Stefano was named Europe's top player twice in the 1950s while at Real Madrid, but had acquired Spanish citizenship by that time.
|
48387da7c35a42cfae499f806f0ffe33
|
How many votes did he get?
|
[
"473"
] |
NewsQA
|
Athens, Greece (CNN) -- Thousands of people marched through Athens Thursday as part of a 24-hour nationwide strike to protest further austerity measures by the embattled government.
The strike began at midnight and caused all government-run institutions -- including schools, airports, trams, subways, and most buses -- to close down. Banks and the media were also shut, meaning no broadcast news Thursday and no newspapers Friday.
There were small clashes with police and protesters threw two petrol bombs at officers in Constitution Square, in front of the Parliament building. Police fired some tear gas and pepper spray in return, but otherwise the march was relatively calm.
Sixteen people were arrested and two police officers were injured, police told CNN. Many people appeared to be suffering from the tear gas.
The protesters are angry about further government measures aimed at cutting Greece's massive deficit. They oppose the cutting of benefits and salaries, and the raising of taxes, and want more of the measures to be aimed at the wealthy.
The government says Greece has to modernize its tax structure as the country suffers from tax avoidance and other structural impediments to job growth.
But younger workers say they already pay high taxes, have little job security and make less money than older generations.
Some of the same measures prompted large demonstrations and some violence two weeks ago, but polls at the time still showed the majority of Greeks backing the government plans.
Since then, government has introduced a third round of austerity measures in Parliament amounting to $6.5 billion of cuts and tax increases, and that has caused support for the government to slip -- polls now show only a bare majority in favor of the government's actions.
The Greek government revealed late last year that its budget deficit was 12.7 percent of its gross domestic product, far exceeding the European Union limit of 3 percent. Countries participating in the EU must agree to that condition and other economic goals.
Greece aims to reduce that deficit to 8.7 percent this year and reach the EU target by 2012.
Thursday's strikes were rescheduled from March 16, when European Union officials plan to go to Athens and assess Greece's financial pledges to Europe. Protesters moved the strikes to Thursday in order to maximize disruption, because both public and private sector workers would be able to strike.
The Greek government has said it will not back down in the face of strikes.
CNN's Jim Boulden contributed to this report.
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0c50b9a5b53448bdad837b6c03b7326c
|
When did the strike begin?
|
[
"midnight"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- An additional 440,000 Honda vehicles are being added to a recall initially announced in November to repair a potential defect in airbag inflation systems, American Honda Motor Co. said Friday.
The 2001 Honda Civic is among the vehicles covered by the recall.
The recall involves driver-side airbags in certain 2001-02 Honda Accords, 2001 Civics and 2002-03 Acura TLs, the company said in a news release.
The affected vehicles will require the replacement of the steering-wheel-mounted airbag inflator.
"In some vehicles, airbag inflators can produce over-pressurization of the driver's [front] airbag inflator mechanism during airbag deployment," the release said. "If an affected inflator deploys, the increased internal pressure may cause the inflator casing to rupture. Metal fragments could pass through the cloth airbag cushion material, possibly causing an injury or fatality to vehicle occupants."
Honda spokesman Chris Noughtan said the potential defect has resulted in six known injuries and one known death.
The company will send a recall notice in the mail over the next few months, the release said. Owners may check their car's recall status by visiting the Honda "Owner Link" Web site at www.owners.honda.com/recalls or the Acura "My Acura" Web site at www.owners.acura.com/recalls.
"Only certain vehicles are affected, and concerned owners of 2001-2002 Accords, 2001 Civics and 2002-2003 Acura TLs are encouraged to wait to receive a recall notice in the mail before scheduling an appointment with their local dealer," the company said.
|
79ef4e946875462194693803d315259b
|
What was the number injured?
|
[
"six known injuries"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Tenants of apartments in Pacifica, California, were under evacuation Thursday after erosion threatened the cliff on which their building sits, a city official said.
Authorities have been watching the seaside building for years and were waiting for the erosion to reach a 12-foot safety zone behind it, said Doug Rider, a building official for Pacifica. The problem has reached that zone, he said, so officials notified the building's management and tenants began evacuating.
The building is stable, so tenants are able to remove belongings from the apartments, Rider said. Police, fire and other local authorities are assisting residents, along with the city's Building Department, he said.
All residents of the 12-unit building must be out by 5 p.m. PT Thursday, he told CNN affiliate KGO-TV in San Francisco, California.
KGO reported a large chunk of land fell from the cliff into the Pacific Ocean about 5:30 a.m. PT Thursday.
Two nearby buildings also face questions about their structural reliability but are not being evacuated, the station reported.
Pacifica is about 15 miles southwest of San Francisco.
CNN's Sara Pratley contributed to this report.
|
a3928fda93b74471a7004714ed5b71c4
|
Into what ocean did the land fall?
|
[
"Pacific"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England -- UEFA has punished Benfica midfielder Augustin Binya with a six-match European ban following his horror tackle on Celtic's Scott Brown last week.
Augustin Binya, right, lunges towards Celtic midfielder Scott Brown during Benfica's 1-0 defeat in Glasgow.
The Cameroon international was sent off for the challenge in his side's 1-0 defeat in the Champions League match in Glasgow last Wednesday.
Scotland international Brown avoided injury, but claimed Binya had tried to break his leg with the tackle in the 85th minute -- and demanded that Europe's governing body take further action.
Binya, 24, apologized for the challenge -- described by officiating referee Martin Hansson of Sweden as one of the worst he had ever seen -- on the day after the match.
But UEFA's control and disciplinary body announced their sanction on Friday morning, having deliberated on the case on Thursday.
In a statement on uefa.com, Binya's challenge was described as one which "seriously endangered the physical health of the opposing player".
Benfica can appeal against the ban, which rules Binya out of the Portuguese club's remaining Group D matches against AC Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk.
If unsuccessful, he will also miss any matches in the knockout stages of the Champions League or UEFA Cup.
The suspension will also carry over to future seasons if, as seems likely, Benfica finish bottom of Group D and bow out of Europe for this campaign.
Brown, who has been passed fit for Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifier against Italy, said straight after the Benfica match: "He obviously tried to do me as hard as possible."
It is the second time that UEFA has had to intervene following an incident involving Celtic this season.
AC Milan keeper Dida was handed a two-match ban, subsequently reduced to one on appeal, after collapsing theatrically when a fan of the Scottish club invaded the pitch and lightly slapped the Brazilian in the face.
Celtic were fined $50,000 and barred the supporter for life. E-mail to a friend
|
eec88e65baed4a06a7b663949b898aa4
|
Who did he tackle?
|
[
"Scott Brown"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- At least 441 people have died in floods in India from this season's monsoon rains, federal authorities said in their latest report.
An Indian child plays in a flooded street in Mumbai earlier this month.
Flooding has affected more than 1.5 million people in parts of India, said the disaster management division of the federal home ministry.
The country's main weather office has warned of more heavy rain in western and central parts of India.
Monsoon rains sweep across the subcontinent from June till September. Though they bring much-needed relief to often-parched farmlands, they also leave a trail of landslides, home collapses and floods that can kill.
In neighboring Pakistan, torrential monsoon rains left more than three dozen people dead and broke a 32-year record over the weekend.
CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh contributed to this report.
|
db2c253399b0411a8288522f458bac07
|
How many died in the accident?
|
[
"441"
] |
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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.
|
7718f360739d4baf98ad4901a19f76ae
|
What are archeologists searching to find?
|
[
"Cleopatra and Mark Antony"
] |
NewsQA
|
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Auto insurers report that about 60,000 vehicles were stolen in just over a year in Mexico, the highest figure in the past decade.
Mexico City, Mexico, has a well-deserved reputation for heavy traffic. Now car thefts may be added to the list.
That's no surprise to Guillermo Cruz, who has bought two new cars this year: the first after his original car was stolen, and the second three months later after two armed men pointed guns at him, got in and drove off with Cruz inside.
"They dropped me off in the street and I thought they had already left, and I went back" to where they had taken it, he said.
"And still they hadn't left; they were inside the car. And one man said to the other, 'Let's shoot him because he's becoming annoying.' "
According to the Mexican Association of Insurance Institutions, the capital of Mexico City is a favorite site for car thieves to work.
"If we talk about data from the federal district, we can say that we have 16,000 automobiles stolen, an increase of 10 percent from October 2007 to September 2008," said Recaredo Arias, a spokesman for the association.
He said drug traffickers have contributed to the increase by pushing other bands of criminals into new lines of business.
"Perhaps they are taking up so much space from the point of view of the sources of income as from the point of view of supply and distribution of drugs to these bands and, as a result, the bands are looking for other types of crimes," he speculated.
Authorities say they are making efforts to fight the crime, though some observers predict that the incidence of car theft will rise further as the world economic crisis worsens.
|
907cac9f64144acca64bed564e6b6225
|
What did one Mexican man say?
|
[
"\"And still they hadn't left; they were inside the car. And one man said to the other, 'Let's shoot him because he's becoming annoying.'"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- His golf career might be in a seemingly downward spiral, but Tiger Woods is still the world's most valuable sportsman according to a top business magazine.
The American, who this week dropped out of the world's top 50 golfers for the first time in 15 years, has retained his position as Forbes' top individual sports brand.
The 36-year-old has, according to Forbes' calculations, lost $17 million from his brand worth in the past year. But his $55 million value is still $29 million higher than the second-placed athlete, tennis star Roger Federer.
Despite the scandal that broke in late 2009 about the marital infidelities that led to his divorce from wife Elin Nordegren, Woods has begun to restore his portfolio of endorsements with June's agreement with Japan's Kowa Company, which deals in medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.
Fellow golfer Phil Mickelson is ranked third with $24 million, while basketball star LeBron James is catching fast with $20 million.
The Miami Heat player earned half that total from his deal with Nike -- again Forbes' most valuable overall brand, up 40% to $15 billion after spreading its swoosh into even more world markets.
English football club Manchester United lost top spot in the team brands to baseball's New York Yankees.
While United suffered due to the British pound weakening against the dollar, with a worth of $269 million, the Yankees' value -- now $340 million -- has boomed 57% since 2007 according to Forbes' Mike Ozanian.
"Had the exchange rate held fast since 2007 the Red Devils, who are looking to capitalize on their global fan base with an IPO (public share offering), would still be the most valuable team brand," Ozanian said.
The NFL's showpiece Super Bowl, with a brand value of $425 million, stayed well clear of the Summer Olympics ($230 million) and the FIFA World Cup ($147 million).
|
12f8c2e9b7914bf8b44d606f5c35cdc1
|
Who tops Forbes' most valuable brand list?
|
[
"Tiger Woods"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A new smartphone application allows users to carry out a virtual dissection of a human body.
The iPhone app, "Anatomy Lab," allows the user to move between 40 body layers to enable dissection.
The iPhone app, called "Anatomy Lab," has been developed by researchers from the University of Utah and provides images of a real human cadaver.
Utah professor Mark Nielsen told CNN that the application is aimed at medical and anatomy students who might not have the opportunity to dissect a real human body, but it's also proving a hit with medical practitioners.
"A lot of medical professionals, especially in physical therapy and rehabilitative medicine, are using it to educate patients and show them the body parts they're discussing," Nielsen told CNN.
"Anatomy Lab" lets the user move between 40 separate body layers, zoom in to view different structures and rotate them to get different view points.
It started out as a computer program showing the dissection of a cadaver, beginning with the skin and moving on to subcutaneous tissue, nerves, veins, and muscles. See some of the best health monitoring apps »
Nielsen said the iPhone's touch screen is perfect for the interactive nature of the application.
"The program's so logically set up for the iPhone -- you can pinch the screen to rotate and enlarge, and tap on things to identify them," he said.
Nielsen's son, Scott Nielsen, a physics major at the University of Utah, wrote the code for the iPhone version, which has so far sold more than 3,000 copies.
The app also comes in a cheaper, scaled-down version called "My Body," aimed at the curious amateur.
"Anatomy Lab" is the latest in a line of iPhone apps either aimed at medics, or with health benefits.
|
803ad807246c4169be16e04b723dff73
|
How many apps have sold?
|
[
"more than 3,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France (CNN) -- The wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken for the first time about the reasons her divorce in an interview with a French newspaper.
The announcement ended weeks of speculation over their marriage.
Cecilia Sarkozy told L'Est Republicain on Friday that the couple's relationship had not been able to survive the glare of the media spotlight following a highly public separation in 2005.
The Sarkozys announced on Thursday they were divorcing by mutual consent after 11 years of marriage.
A former model, Cecilia Sarkozy said that she was not comfortable with her position as first lady.
"I am someone who likes the shadows, serenity, tranquility. I had a husband who was a public man, I always knew that, I accompanied him for 20 years. But me, I think that is not my place. It is no longer my place," she was quoted as saying.
The couple has been dogged by persistent rumors of infidelities, which Cecilia Sarkozy seemed to confirm in her newspaper interview.
Explaining the events that led to the couple separating in 2005, she said: "Two years ago an event happened of which unfortunately the whole of France is aware. In 2005, I met someone, I fell in love and I left."
The French president, in Portugal for an EU summit, has declined to comment on his marriage breakdown. His divorce comes as he deals with crippling public sector strikes at home that have shut down much of France's transit system.
Cecilia Sarkozy was a smiling figure at her husband's inauguration in May as she stood with the couple's five children. But she said recently she didn't see herself as having any role at all as the president's wife.
For the French public, news of the divorce is unlikely to come as a shock. French presidents and their spouses have a long tradition of leading separate lives, even while carrying on the functions of state.
Former President Francois Mitterrand not only lived apart from his wife, Danielle, but he maintained a secret second family that turned up in public only at his funeral.
Jacques Chirac, who stepped down when Sarkozy was elected this year, hinted at a number of affairs. He and his wife lived largely separate lives, appearing together only at presidential functions.
Nicolas Sarkozy said at the start of his term that he had no worries as president, except for his wife. E-mail to a friend
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7376f2a115bb4875ab17e6c3df7a0c8b
|
what did cecilia say
|
[
"Sarkozy told L'Est Republicain on Friday that the couple's relationship had not been able to survive the glare of the media spotlight following a highly public separation in 2005."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An adoptive mother has been charged with murdering her 9-year-old quadriplegic daughter, prosecutors in Michigan said Friday.
An official says Shylea Thomas, 9, had a "suffocation issue" at 3 weeks old that made her quadriplegic.
Lorrie Thomas was charged with second-degree murder and child abuse in the death of Shylea Myza Thomas, said John Potbury, an assistant prosecutor with the Genesee County Prosecutor's Office in Flint, Michigan.
Thomas is also charged with tampering with evidence.
Thomas, who is the girl's biological aunt, made no immediate public statement.
Police found the girl's body this week, stuffed inside a garbage bag in a public storage facility in Vienna Township, near Flint, said Genesee County prosecutor David Leyton.
The bag was covered in mothballs "in an apparent attempt to mask odors from the dead body," Leyton's office said in a news release.
"This is a very sad and tragic case that hurts all of us involved in the ongoing investigation," Leyton said.
Shylea had not been seen in six weeks, but relatives did not report her missing until Tuesday, Leyton's office said.
Thomas had been taken into custody earlier this week and held as a suspect.
Because of her physical disabilities, Shylea had to use a feeding tube. She suffered from quadriplegia because of a "suffocation issue" in her crib at 3 weeks of age, Leyton said.
Leyton said Shylea and other relatives had lived in "absolutely filthy" conditions.
Relatives told CNN affiliate WJRT that they remember Shylea as a happy child who loved music and had an infectious smile.
"The last memory I actually have of Shylea is seeing her when she was in my care," said her second cousin, Josette Thomas. "She was on the bed listening to the radio and smiling. Those are actually the memories I want to keep in my head. I don't want that memory to leave me."
|
3ba904082faa40afbaa95d2aa6dcfaa4
|
What caused the girl to be quadriplegic?
|
[
"\"suffocation issue\""
] |
NewsQA
|
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) -- An explosion at close range, and not a direct hit, caused the 1,200-ton patrol ship Cheonan to sink last month, a team of South Korean military and civilian investigators has tentatively concluded.
The investigators' determination was reported Sunday by the Yonhap news agency.
"Instead of being directly hit by a torpedo or other underwater weapon, the Cheonan was affected by a strong explosion that occurred below its bottom at a close range," the news agency quoted a government official as saying.
The explanation matches one that investigators offered shortly after the ship's stern was salvaged 10 days ago.
A final result is not expected for a month, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young told reporters.
He said that the most likely cause of the sinking was a "bubble jet" created by the external explosion under the ship.
A bubble jet effect occurs when an explosion goes off under a ship. The change in pressure causes a huge column of water that strikes the ship with great impact.
On Saturday, recovery crews found the body of a missing sailor in the wreckage of the ship.
The ship sunk in the Yellow Sea near the western sea border with North Korea on March 26.
Forty of Cheonan's 104 crew members have now been confirmed dead, and six more are also believed dead, though they are still listed as missing.
Fifty eight others were rescued before the vessel sank.
South Korea has not ruled out a theory that North Korea was involved.
But Seoul has avoided directly blaming North Korea, which sloughed off allegations it is responsible.
The families of the dead sailors began a five-day mourning period on Sunday.
On Thursday, the South Korean navy will hold a funeral ceremony at a naval command in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Seoul.
The navy has also decided to posthumously promote the dead seamen by one rank and award them a military honor for their patriotism.
|
0465c61781ff43968e9c2c7ebe177093
|
How many died when the ship went down?
|
[
"104"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A retired U.S. Army colonel pleaded guilty Tuesday to awarding contracts in Iraq to a Kuwait-based firm in exchange for gifts.
Levonda Selph of Virginia admitted accepting $4,000 in cash and a $5,000 vacation to Thailand from the unidentified contractor, which was awarded $12 million in contracts to operate Defense Department warehouses in Iraq.
She pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and conspiracy. She was secretly indicted on those charges in October; the charges weren't disclosed until her court appearance Tuesday.
Under terms of a plea agreement, Selph could receive up to 33 months in jail. She promised to repay the government $9,000 and to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.
Prosecutors said Selph was a lieutenant colonel at Camp Victory in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 when she led a committee that awarded the warehouse contracts.
The Justice Department said she will be free until her sentencing October 14 but will not be allowed to leave the country.
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bb98acc1e1bb46a2b599ea013056d9b4
|
Who pleads guilty?
|
[
"Levonda Selph"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Los Angeles police are searching for a serial killer dubbed the "Grim Sleeper," who is thought to have killed 11 people.
Alicia Alexander was one of the Grim Sleeper's victims in the 1980s.
The killer, who police say murdered from 1985 to 2007, was nicknamed the Grim Sleeper because he seemed to take a break between homicides, police said.
Authorities this week released a 9-1-1 tape recorded shortly after a killing in 1987, in the hope of producing clues.
"Yes ... I'd like to report a murder," an anonymous caller says on the tape. "The guy that dropped her off was driving a white and blue Dodge van. He threw her out. ... He threw a gas tank on top of her. All that you can see sticking out is her feet." Watch the hunt for a serial killer »
Police found the scene just as the caller described and found the van. But they are still searching for the caller and members of the now-defunct church that owned the van.
The killer is wanted in 11 deaths and another homicide attempt, police say.
Detectives say they have the Grim Sleeper's DNA, and a $500,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest and prosecution. The killer shot his victims, police said.
Porter Alexander has waited two decades for the Grim Sleeper's arrest. His daughter Alicia Alexander became the Grim Sleeper's eighth victim in 1988, police say.
"No one should have to face anything like this," he said. "To experience their daughters or sons taken away as early as she was."
CNN's Kara Finnstrom contributed to this report.
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1e4864cb35e345adab16acc5df3f584d
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How many people did he kill?
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[
"11"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Formula One cars are a marvel of modern engineering, so much so, that many manufactuers who compete in the sport do so in order to benefit from the technical innovations race-honed research and development creates.
Car builders such as Renault, Ferrari, BMW, Toyota and McLaren have used technology -- developed to make single-seater race cars as competitive as possible -- to enhance their road-car products.
And who can blame them if you consider the performance such a machine can deliver to a driver? The average F1 car can reach 160km/h in under six seconds according to the official Formula One Web site and have top speeds in the region of 370 km/h.
Going fast is one thing, stopping is another, and controlling such velocity requires carbon brakes which, in any given race, will have an operating temperature that is over 600 degrees Celsius.
In general, the cars weigh around 600 kilograms in race trim, including the addition of KERS that some constructors use to increase performance. This system stores energy normally lost through braking and reuses it for speed boosts during the race.
Watch out for KERS powered cars -- including the Mclarens, BMW Saubers and Renault -- using their boost as the lights go green to start this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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802afa3d14a340608e805755c186f61f
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What speed can a Formula One car reach in under six seconds?
|
[
"160km/h"
] |
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|
LONDON, England -- Cocaine-abusing celebrities are glamorizing the use of narcotics and encouraging more young people to use illegal substances, the United Nations drug control agency has warned.
Model Kate Moss faced allegations of cocaine use in 2005 but was never charged for over the claims.
The annual report from the International Narcotics Control Board warns that treating stars "leniently" by allowing them to get away with drug crimes undermines faith in the criminal justice system and has a damaging effect on adolescents.
"They get more lenient responses by the judiciary and law enforcement, and that is regrettable," Professor Hamid Ghodse, a member of the INCB, told the UK's Press Association Wednesday. "There should not be any difference between a celebrity who is breaking the law and non-celebrities.
"Not only does it give the wrong messages to young people, who are quite impressionable, but the wider public becomes cynical about the responses to drug offenders," Ghodse said. Watch Ghodse explain how celebrity offenders are being given an easy ride »
Last month, acclaimed singer Amy Winehouse was questioned by police after a video emerged which appeared to show her smoking crack. Last fall she was arrested and fined in Norway for possessing marijuana.
Winehouse was due to appear in a Norwegian courtroom to contest the drug charges at the end of February. The hearing was postponed indefinitely, PA said, after the court approved a request from Winehouse's lawyer. Watch how celebrity drug scandals affect children »
Supermodel Kate Moss also faced cocaine-snorting allegations in 2005. The Crown Prosecution Service later said she would not be charged over the claims. Despite losing modeling contracts in the wake of the revelations, she later won fresh jobs and remains one of the world's top models.
Singer Pete Doherty, the former boyfriend of Moss, also has had a well-publicized drug abuse problem but has so far managed to avoid jail time. Earlier this month he was named by music magazine NME as its Hero of the Year.
And Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda were open about their marijuana habit. The former Beatle was arrested for possession in 1980 in Japan. After 10 days in jail, he was released without charges.
The report found that Britain, along with Spain and Italy, have some of the highest rates of cocaine abuse in the world.
The report also expressed concerns on rising opium production in Afghanistan. E-mail to a friend
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766b90e1552a47ada2246774959dbedd
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What did the U.N. say about celebrities?
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[
"more young people to use illegal substances,"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- A Moroccan court on Friday sentenced to death Adil Othmani, the main suspect in a terrorist attack in Marrakech last spring, Morocco's state news agency, Maghreb Arabe Presse, reported.
Othmani was held responsible for an explosion that tore through a cafe April 28, killing 17 people and wounding 20 others.
The blast occurred at Cafe Argana in Place Jemaa el Fna, a bazaar and square popular among tourists.
Moroccan authorities said the bomber remotely triggered two explosives, which he had placed there while disguised as a Western hippie.
A Moroccan Ministry of Justice official who refused to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the case confirmed that a death sentence has been handed down to the mastermind of the bombing, the news agency reported.
Another man, Hakim Dah, was sentenced to life in prison; defendants Abdssamad Bettar, Azzedine Lachdari, Ibrahim Cherkaoui and Skiribia Wadia were each given sentences of four years in prison; Mohammed Reda, Amhinni Mohammed, Dehhaj Abdelfattah were given three years each.
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074dadd62731405c9a9cc19c339fec6b
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What did Adil Othmani get?
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[
"sentenced to death"
] |
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DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- A police officer was killed Friday morning in a motorcycle accident as Sen. Hillary Clinton's motorcade made its way through downtown Dallas, police said.
The Dallas Police Department said Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirado was traveling southbound on the Houston Street viaduct when he struck a curb, lost control of the motorcycle and went down.
Lozada-Tirado was transported to Methodist Central Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A Dallas police officer since December 1988, Lozada-Tirado was married with four children, according to police. CNN affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth reported he was 49.
There were no other vehicles involved in the accident, police said, and the motorcade was able to continue to the site without further incident.
Clinton said she called the Dallas police chief and would contact the officer's family at an appropriate time.
The Democratic presidential candidate said she is "greatly heartsick over this loss of life in the line of duty."
"I just want to express my deepest condolences to the family and to the Dallas Police Department on this tragic, tragic loss," she said.
"I am certainly grateful for all they do for me and more importantly what they do for the citizens of cities like Dallas." Watch Clinton offer her condolences »
Clinton is attending rallies Friday in Texas and Ohio ahead of those states' primaries on March 4.
In the past 18 months, there have been two fatal accidents involving motorcycle officers escorting President Bush.
On August 27, Germaine Casey, an officer from Rio Rancho, New Mexico, died when his motorcycle crashed as the motorcade approached the airport in Albuquerque. The 40-year-old had been the lead motorcycle in the motorcade when the crash occurred.
On November 21, 2006, Steve Favela, a Honolulu police motorcycle officer, crashed on wet roads in Hawaii while part of the president's motorcade.
Favela, 30, died of his injuries a week later. Two other officers were injured in the crash. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Sasha Johnson and Mike Roselli contributed to this report.
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fae5590d176d4072929cba57eec13037
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Who has died in a motorcycle accident?
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[
"Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirado"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- A Connecticut woman attacked Monday by her friend's pet chimpanzee was taken Thursday from a Connecticut hospital to the famed Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, a hospital spokeswoman said. She would not divulge the victim's condition nor the reason for the move.
Travis, seen here as a younger chimp, was fatally shot by police after attacking Nash, authorities say.
Charla Nash, 55, was transferred by airplane and ambulance to the clinic, where doctors in December performed the first facial transplant in the United States.
The attack has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals citizens are not allowed to own.
Nash initially was taken to Stamford Hospital, where she underwent seven hours of surgery after she was attacked by the 14-year-old chimp, named Travis.
Nash's friend, Sandra Herold, 70, had called Nash for help in getting the animal back inside her house after he used a key to escape.
When Nash arrived at Herold's Stamford home, the chimp, who has been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, police said.
Doctors said Wednesday that Nash had received extensive injuries to her face and hands.
A Stamford police officer fatally shot the nearly 200-pound chimp after the primate turned on him inside a police cruiser, police said.
Herold told reporters at her home that she and the chimp slept together and that she considered him like a son.
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05899f026d0c48e8a74fe21925a2d94c
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Who wants primates banned?
|
[
"Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal"
] |
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|
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel on Monday restated its long-standing policy regarding Iran after Russia's president indicated that Israel had taken the military option off the table.
The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, says, "Israel has the right to defend itself."
"Contrary to reports, all options [are] on the table on the issue of preventing Iranian nuclear weapons capability," Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon posted on his Twitter account.
The Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, also weighed in, telling Israel Army Radio that "Israel has the right to defend itself, and all options are open."
"The IDF's working premise is that we have to be prepared for that possibility, and that is exactly what we are doing," he said.
The issue stems from reports that Israel may have struck a deal with Russia regarding Iran and its controversial nuclear program.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told CNN's Fareed Zakaria last week that Israeli President Shimon Peres told him in a recent visit to the Russian leader's vacation home that "Israel doesn't intend to deliver any strike against Iran."
"[Peres] said we are a peaceful country, we will not deal such a blow," Medvedev said in the interview, broadcast Sunday on "Fareed Zakaria GPS."
"Therefore any deliveries of systems -- defensive systems -- which are aimed at protecting cannot increase danger, they should reduce it."
Medvedev was referring to Russia's agreement to sell Iran its S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, which he said is in keeping with international law.
The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Monday that Peres used his influence to persuade Washington to abandon its plans to base a missile defense shield system in Poland and the Czech Republic, a proposal that had rankled Moscow.
In exchange, Moscow agreed to support "imposing sanctions on Iran," Maariv reported.
The United States and Russia have disagreed over Iran and over possible steps the U.N. Security Council may take -- including imposing sanctions -- to push Tehran to comply with U.N. demands concerning its nuclear program.
President Obama told CBS' "Face the Nation" that his objective in revamping the U.S. defense shield plan "was not to negotiate with the Russians."
"The Russians don't make determinations about what our defense posture is," Obama said in the CBS interview shown Sunday.
"If the byproduct of it is that the Russians feel a little less paranoid and are now willing to work more effectively with us to deal with threats like ballistic missiles from Iran or the nuclear development in Iran, you know, then that's a bonus."
CNN's Kevin Flower and Michal Zippori contributed to this report.
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73bf988b6da34dab9ce55d68ca77e7c2
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What does Isreaeli paper say?
|
[
"\"Israel has the right to defend itself.\""
] |
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|
Washington (CNN) -- In a move that could improve security and keep airport lines moving, the Transportation Security Administration early next year will begin testing machines that match a traveler's boarding pass with his or her government-issued ID, while verifying that both documents are authentic.
The machines will assist the TSA "travel document checkers," who now conduct checks assisted only by ultraviolet flashlights and magnifying loupes.
In 2006, an Indiana University doctoral student created a website allowing people to create fake boarding passes to demonstrate how a known terrorist on the "No Fly" list could use a fake boarding pass to get past a checkpoint. Once on the other side, the terrorist could use a real boarding pass acquired under an alias to board a plane.
And in June, a Nigerian man was arrested after he flew across the country allegedly with a false boarding pass. Authorities said they found several other phony boarding passes in his luggage.
The new technology would authenticate government-issued IDs by comparing written information on the card with information encoded in the ID's bar codes, magnetic strip or computer chip. It would also match the ID to the boarding pass.
The system will alert screeners if either document does not pass validation. If the issue is easily rectifiable, such as misspelling of the passenger's name, the TSA may allow the person to proceed. If not immediately resolved, the passenger will be directed to a TSA supervisor.
"This technology will help facilitate risk-based security, while making the process more effective and efficient," TSA Administrator John S. Pistole said.
The TSA has awarded contracts of $79 million each to three companies: BAE Systems Information Solutions, NCR Government Systems and Trans Digital Technologies, LLC. Each company will provide 10 machines for testing at U.S. airports. The TSA has not disclosed which airports will get the machines.
In August, the TSA's chief privacy officer issued a report saying the machines have minimal privacy implications because only a limited amount of personal information is collected by the machines and because this information "is deleted after use."
A TSA spokeswoman said earlier versions of the technology were tested at two Washington-area airports in 2009.
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ea9955d930554c90a6017d0e80416aa4
|
What could the machines improve?
|
[
"risk-based security,"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- An apparent natural gas explosion in downtown Bozeman, Montana, leveled three businesses Thursday morning, according to city and state officials.
An explosion rocks downtown Bozeman, Montana, on Thursday in a photo from iReporter Sean Gallik.
"When we say gone, we mean gone. These three businesses are gone," said Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who added that the state is providing help for clean up, and to businesses and residents who are affected.
One person remained unaccounted for Thursday evening, Bozeman Assistant City Manager Chuck Winn said.
"The situation remains unsafe for anyone to enter," Winn said. "So in terms of a search -- we are unable to do so at this time."
Winn said city crews are making progress cleaning up the area, but the damage is great. He said a meeting was planned Friday morning to give business owners and residents information about when they can return.
"It literally looks like a bomb went off in downtown Bozeman," he said. iReport.com: Photos from the scene
"Roofing material, construction material is scattered for three or four blocks," he said. "It was a very violent explosion."
Schweitzer added that the situation would "not be over in 24 hours."
The blast occurred about 8:15 a.m. on the town's Main Street, Fire Chief Jason Shrauger told CNN.
The city government declared a local emergency after the blast. Initially, 11 people were reported missing, but 10 were later accounted for, Winn said.
It was not clear what triggered the blast.
Bozeman is in south-central Montana, about 100 miles southeast of the state capital, Helena.
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5dc588a5914b4b69a865e3051e23ee1a
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What triggered the blast?
|
[
"It was not clear"
] |
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide bomber killed at least 40 people and injured 70 -- many of them women -- during a Shia pilgrimage in northwestern Baghdad Sunday, Iraqi officials told CNN.
Pilgrims, pictured above, have gathered to celebrate the Shia holy period of Ashura.
The dead included at least 16 Iranians who had come to mark the Shia holy period of Ashura, which commemorates a central event in the history of the movement. At least 32 Iranians were among the wounded. The other casualties were Iraqi, an Interior Ministry official said.
The bomber was a woman wearing an abaya, a robe-like dress, said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, military spokesman for Fardh al-Qanoon, an interagency domestic security body. She seems to have been targeting women, Atta and an interior ministry source said. The Interior Ministry official declined to be identified.
The attack appears to be the single deadliest suicide bombing in Iraq since a bomber killed 47 people in Kirkuk in December 11.
It took place in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighborhood, not far from the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim holy shrine.
Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are expected in Baghdad and the southern Iraqi city of Karbala for Ashura, which falls on January 7 this year. Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He was killed in battle in Karbala in 680, one of the events that helped create the schism between Sunnis and Shiites, the two main Muslim religious movements.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq in Baghdad contributed to this report.
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0d9ea0c4324447e5825a07ac47978f91
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Who was the suicide bomber?
|
[
"a woman wearing an abaya, a robe-like dress,"
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A Russian naval ship rescued a Dutch container vessel under attack by suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the head of the International Maritime Bureau said Wednesday.
The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Sirius Star was recently released by pirates off Somalia.
Two or three pirate speedboats were chasing the Dutch ship, with the goal of boarding it, when the Russians intervened, said Capt. Pottengal Mukundan, director of the International Maritime Bureau in London.
He said the pirates fired two rocket-propelled grenades at the Dutch ship, but no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred about midday Tuesday.
The Russians chased one of the speedboats but the pirates got away, Mukundan said. He said he did not know where the Dutch ship was headed.
"It is important that the naval vessels continue to respond robustly to these pirates," he said. Watch how attacks peaked in 2008 »
Hijackings off the coast of East Africa have become a growing international concern, prompting a number of foreign navies to patrol the Gulf of Aden and neighboring coastal areas.
The Gulf of Aden links the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. About 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route near Somalia each year.
Most of the attacks are blamed on pirates based in largely lawless Somalia, a country racked by poverty and conflict. Watch CNN's exclusive interview with a pirate
According to the United Nations, there were 115 reported pirate attacks off the Somali coast in 2008, including 46 successful hijackings. Read blog on how CNN contacted a pirate
The troubling rise in Somali piracy has led the United Nations to step up efforts to tackle the crime.
The first U.N. group to address piracy met Wednesday in New York.
Mark Kimmitt, U.S. assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs chaired the "contact group" of two dozen nations and five multi-national organizations.
He said the group was formed to "establish a counter-piracy coordination mechanism," and the members believe more can be done to halt piracy.
Still, Kimmitt noted that less than one percent of manifests off the Somali coast are attacked by pirates and only 50 percent of those have crew and passengers taken hostage.
The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution in December expanding counter-piracy measures off the Horn of Africa, including a stipulation that allows national and regional military forces to chase pirates onshore in Somalia when in "hot pursuit."
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12ffb6dd310b4ae6b982eeb518f6d64b
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Who addressed piracy?
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[
"United Nations"
] |
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(CNN) -- You know it's a recession when leggy Las Vegas showgirls can't sell enough tickets to stay in business.
Las Vegas showgirls strut their stuff in Les Folies Bergere, which is closing after 50 years.
That's what's happening to "Les Folies Bergere," a revue modeled after its famous namesake in Paris, that has run in Vegas for nearly 50 years.
The curtain will go down on the act for the last time on March 28, according to the Tropicana Las Vegas, where the show runs on the Strip.
The hotel's Web site trumpets that the "timeless musical extravaganza embodies the very essence of sexy, classic Las Vegas entertainment."
The classic show opened on Christmas Eve 1959 after being imported from Paris, according to the hotel.
Scandalous when it opened, it was known for its leggy, topless dancers wearing huge feathered headdresses, high heels, and not much more.
"Folies Bergere enjoyed an amazing and unprecedented run on the Las Vegas Strip," according to Ron Thacker, president of Tropicana Las Vegas. "We are extremely proud to have been part of such an iconic Las Vegas production and offer a sincere thank you to the cast, crew and support staff for their many years of excellence."
The closing is an example of how the economic downturn has struck Sin City.
Tourism and real estate -- two key industries in Las Vegas -- have plunged.
Hotels have slashed prices to keep bringing in visitors, but that hasn't helped keep Les Folies Bergere running.
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e4c1fe403f41472fb0cf545e23eba24e
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When did show open?
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[
"on Christmas Eve 1959"
] |
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(CNN) -- The Cuban government, long the object of a U.S. economic blockade, is prepared to meet with the Obama administration, Cuba's leader said.
Raúl Castro says Cuba is willing "to discuss everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners.''
"We've told the North American government, in private and in public, that we are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners -- everything, everything, everything that they want to discuss," Cuban President Raúl Castro said Thursday at a summit of leftist Latin American leaders in Venezuela.
The response came days after President Obama lifted all restrictions on the ability of American citizens to visit relatives in Cuba as well as to send them remittances. Travel restrictions for Americans of non-Cuban descent will remain in place.
This week's move represents a significant shift in a U.S. policy that had remained largely unchanged for nearly half a century. The U.S. government instituted the embargo three years after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959.
In Mexico City for meetings with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama offered a carrot and a stick to Havana.
"What we're looking for is some signal that there are going to be changes in how Cuba operates that assures that political prisoners are released, that people can speak their minds freely, that they can travel, that they can write and attend church and do the things that people throughout the hemisphere can do and take for granted," he said.
"And if there is some sense of movement on those fronts in Cuba, then I think we can see a further thawing of relations and further changes."
Obama's gesture precedes a trip this week to Trinidad and Tobago for a key meeting of hemispheric powers -- the Summit of the Americas. Watch how Obama likely will hear about Cuba at the summit »
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435ec29d64704304ac4e8f1bc8885c8c
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Where is the location affected by the US economic blockade which is now being eased?
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[
"Cuba"
] |
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Supermodel and television host Tyra Banks said Sunday she's "concerned" about Saturday's melee at an "America's Next Top Model" audition at a New York hotel but said she didn't know what caused the disturbance.
Supermodel Tyra Banks, who hosts "America's Next Top Model," says she's not certain what triggered the fight.
"We are concerned by the events that occurred Saturday afternoon in the vicinity of the New York City casting call for the next cycle of 'America's Next Top Model,' " Banks, who hosts and produces the show, said in a joint statement with executive producer Ken Mok.
"At this time, we still don't know all the details of what happened or what triggered the incident. We appreciate the efforts of the NYPD and will assist them in any way possible in this matter," the statement said.
It remained unclear Sunday what happened in the crowd waiting for the audition at the Park Central New York Hotel in Manhattan.
Three people were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and inciting a riot, police said. Six people were injured and two of them sought treatment at a hospital, authorities said. Watch police try to control the screaming crowd »
The audition was shut down after the incident, authorities said.
Calls to Park Central management were not immediately returned Saturday.
The "Top Model" competition, aired by the CW network, is in its 12th cycle.
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e88e697fbabc4c1dbc84a931adc038fb
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Who is the show's host?
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[
"Tyra Banks"
] |
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CANNES, France (CNN) -- After eleven days, hundreds of screenings and thousands of snaps from the paparazzi, there could only be one Palme d'Or winner.
Austrian director Michael Haneke hugs the president of the Cannes jury, French actress Isabelle Huppert.
"The White Ribbon," by Austrian director Michael Haneke, was awarded the prize for its depiction of the cruel punishments meted out at a rural German school before the First World War.
"The Palme d'Or is the best prize a filmmaker can win," said Haneke at a press conference following his award. "I am not proud, but I am very happy. In my opinion, it's silly to be proud."
It was a case of fifth time lucky for Haneke, who has previously been nominated for the award for "Funny Games" (1997), "Code Unknown" (2000), "The Piano Teacher" (2001) and "Hidden" (2005).
"There are always rumors at the festival, and one must not take them seriously," the director said. "When I presented "Hidden" [in 2005], everyone was telling me I was going to win the Palme. And I didn't get it."
Jury president Isabelle Huppert, the French actress who won the best actress prize at the 2001 festival for "The Piano Teacher," said she was delighted to have the chance to honor her former director.
"I think I always loved him as a director, and that's why I've worked with him before," she said at the post-awards press conference.
"To me, the movie is very philosophical. And his style, and his direction are totally ethical in my mind. That's what I wanted to reward."
The American actress Robin Wright Penn, who also sat on the festival jury, laughed off rumors that the decision was hotly disputed. "There have been rumors circulating that we were fighting in the room," she told the press conference.
"The beauty about loving each other ... [is that] we could disagree, and we still love each other. I felt like we built a consensus among us," she said.
"It was like being on "Big Brother," except you could go to the movies," added British screenwriter and fellow juror Hanif Kureishi. "Some of the films are very long," he joked.
Elsewhere, Charlotte Gainsbourg won the best actress prize for her shocking turn in Lars von Trier's "Antichrist," featuring scenes of genital mutilation that left audiences stunned.
Christolph Waltz won best actor for his role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," while Brillante Mendoza secured the best director gong for "Kinatay."
The jury prize was shared by Korean auteur Park Chan-Wook's vampire film "Thirst," and Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank," while the grand prix went to "The Prophet," by director Jacques Audiard.
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f601bc6cc3f34682b250c01de5cddf1e
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What nationality is the director?
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[
"Austrian"
] |
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(CNN) -- Football's world governing body FIFA has called for greater security to be provided after three players from Algeria's national football team were injured when Egyptian fans threw stones at the team bus as it arrived in Cairo on Thursday.
The north African arch-rivals meet on Saturday in a crucial World Cup qualifying game in the Egyptian capital, as the group-leading Desert Foxes aim to qualify for the tournament for the first time since since 1986 at the expense of the reigning African champions.
FIFA delegate, Walter Gagg, witnessed the incident and told reporters: "We saw that three players had been injured -- Khaled Lemmouchia on the head, Rafik Halliche above the eye and Rafik Saifi on the arm.
"These weren't superficial injuries. With the stitches needed, we will have to see if these players can play. The team doctor has still to make a decision on that."
Gagg confirmed Algeria's goalkeeping coach had been concussed after the windows of the coach were smashed by stones thrown by fans.
FIFA announced their concerns following the incident in a statement on their official Web site which read: "FIFA's Organizing Committee for the FIFA World Cup have asked the Egyptian Football Association and the highest national authorities ... to confirm the implementation of the necessary additional safety and security measures at any time for the Algerian delegation.
"Last week, FIFA had officially written to the Football Associations of Algeria and Egypt to express its firm wish that the preliminary competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa ends as it began, in the spirit of fair play with the necessary cooperation of all the parties."
The two north African neighbors have a history of intense competition -- the two sides locked horns in 1989 in a final qualifier for the World Cup hosted by Italy, a match that was followed by riots.
Egypt, despite winning the last two Africa Cup of Nations, are on the brink of failing to qualify for the World Cup that will be held on African soil for the first time in 2010.
The Pharaohs need to win by three-goals to book their place in South Africa, a two-nil win will leave the teams equal on goal difference forcing another play-off to take place on neutral ground.
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eae4ab05b4aa499aadbf5e041bfc9180
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How much does Egypt need to win by?
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[
"three-goals"
] |
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MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- An internationally known Catholic priest sometimes called "Father Oprah" has been removed from his posts in Florida after published photos showed him lying down bare-chested in an embrace with a woman on a beach.
The photos of the Cuban-American priest appeared on the cover of this week's TV Notas magazine.
The Rev. Alberto Cutie (pronounced koo-tee-AYE) -- who got the nickname "Father Oprah" because of the advice he gives on Spanish-language media -- remains a priest. But he was relieved Tuesday of his duties at St. Francis De Sales Church in Miami Beach, Florida, and at the Radio Paz and Radio Peace networks, said a "deeply saddened" Miami, Florida, Archbishop John C. Favalora.
The photos of the Cuban-American priest appeared on the cover and on eight inside pages of this week's TV Notas magazine. The cover says in Spanish: "Good God. Padre Alberto. First photos of a priest 'in flagrante' with his lover."
In a message posted on the Miami archdiocese Web page, the archbishop apologized to parishioners and radio listeners for what he called a "scandal."
"Father Cutie made a promise of celibacy and all priests are expected to fulfill that promise with the help of God," Favalora said. "Father Cutie's actions cannot be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest."
Cutie apologized in an online statement Tuesday, saying he "wants to ask for forgiveness if my actions have caused pain and sadness. ... I assure you that my service and dedication to God remain intact." Watch pictures that led to priest's dismissal. »
Other media outlets throughout Latin America, including the official Notimex news agency in Mexico, picked up the story on Tuesday, and it became an Internet sensation. Cutie has millions of followers in the Spanish-speaking world.
"We got a bunch of calls from sobbing women," said Miami archdiocese spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta.
Archdiocese officials declined to say where Cutie was Tuesday or what his new assignment might be.
A woman who answered the telephone Wednesday at St. Francis De Sales said, "He is no longer here."
The identity of the woman in the photos remained publicly unknown Wednesday.
Cutie was ordained in May 1995 and was the first Catholic priest to host a daily talk show on a major secular television network, his information on the LinkedIn online professional network says.
In addition to his TV and radio appearances, he has written newspaper advice columns and a self-help book, "Real Life, Real Love."
He was president and general director of Pax Catholic Communications, home of Radio Paz and Radio Peace in Miami.
CNN's John Zarrella and Arthur Brice contributed to this report.
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6b0518068a8f42f3bb058787034bc3e9
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who wrote self-help book?
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[
"The Rev. Alberto Cutie"
] |
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(CNN) -- Singer Kelly Osbourne, the daughter of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, checked herself into "a medical facility to address some personal issues," her London publicist confirmed Friday.
Kelly Osbourne is struggling with "some personal issues," according to her spokeswoman.
The British Press Association cited an unnamed source saying Osbourne, 24, is being treated at the Hazelden retreat in Oregon.
"Kelly Osbourne has voluntarily entered a medical facility to address some personal issues," spokeswoman Caroline Barrett said in a statement e-mailed to CNN. "Her family stands by and supports her."
Osbourne was jailed in London in January on a charge of assaulting a British newspaper gossip columnist at a London nightclub last summer. She was freed on bail.
She's been absent in recent weeks from a British radio talk show in which she dispenses life advice to young people.
Her father, who rose to fame with the heavy metal group Black Sabbath, and mother Sharon revealed nearly five years ago that Kelly Osbourne entered the Promises rehab facility in Malibu, California, for treatment of a painkiller addiction.
Their revelation came in an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" in May 2004.
"We just had to take evasive action very quickly, because the amount of pills that was found in her bag was astounding," Ozzy Osbourne told Larry King.
Kelly Osbourne gained fame as a teenager when her family opened up their lives to cameras for an MTV reality show "The Osbournes."
She used the exposure to launch her own music career.
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505210fc3fd74e1797dd0afc74b981f4
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Where did Kelly Osbourne first become known from?
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"\"The Osbournes.\""
] |
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(CNN) -- A Delaware pediatrician pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 471 felony counts in the alleged child abuse of his patients, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice.
Dr. Earl Bradley, 56, was arrested in December on charges that include rape, sexual exploitation of a child, endangering child welfare and assault. Bradley, who had a practice in Lewes, Delaware, is accused of victimizing 103 children -- all girls except for one boy.
Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden has said the charges are based on "video and digital evidence" seized from Bradley's home and medical practice in December.
Bradley also has medical licenses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Authorities have said they have contacted officials in those states.
The next step in the proceedings is a case review May 17, according to Kerry Angell, a spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Justice.
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eee8b46b7e70405bb074f20287c46387
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How many children is Bradley accused of victimizing?
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"103"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Four people said to have acted on behalf of the Earth Liberation Front have been indicted on a charge of setting fire to an agriculture research building on the Michigan State University campus more than eight years ago, authorities announced Tuesday.
Three Detroit, Michigan, residents and a Cincinnati, Ohio, resident were named in conspiracy and arson counts for a fire at a campus facility that housed federally funded plant genetic research.
Officials said the December 31,1999, fire on the East Lansing campus caused more than $1 million in damage to facilities and the loss of research records.
They also are accused of setting fire the next day to commercial logging equipment near Mesick, Michigan, in order to sabotage lumbering activity.
"This investigation has been ongoing for almost a decade, and it should be a reminder to all that the FBI does not allow the passage of time to thwart our ability to apply our full resources to a case," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Arena.
Michigan State Police Chief James Dunlap called the case "a significant act of domestic terrorism."
"This was more than an attack on a building and the destruction of valuable property," MSU President Lou Anna Simon said. "It was an assault on the core value of free and open inquiry at a research university."
Officials said those named in the indictment are Marie Mason, 46, of Cincinnati; and Frank Ambrose, 33, Aren Burthwick, 27, and Stephanie Fultz, 27, all of Detroit. E-mail to a friend
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9e472e82519b4164a5ef18dc2f04ba83
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What have they done?
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"setting fire to an agriculture research building on the Michigan State University campus"
] |
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(CNN) -- The Cuban government, long the object of a U.S. economic blockade, is prepared to meet with the Obama administration, Cuba's leader said.
Raúl Castro says Cuba is willing "to discuss everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners.''
"We've told the North American government, in private and in public, that we are prepared, wherever they want, to discuss everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners -- everything, everything, everything that they want to discuss," Cuban President Raúl Castro said Thursday at a summit of leftist Latin American leaders in Venezuela.
The response came days after President Obama lifted all restrictions on the ability of American citizens to visit relatives in Cuba as well as to send them remittances. Travel restrictions for Americans of non-Cuban descent will remain in place.
This week's move represents a significant shift in a U.S. policy that had remained largely unchanged for nearly half a century. The U.S. government instituted the embargo three years after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959.
In Mexico City for meetings with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama offered a carrot and a stick to Havana.
"What we're looking for is some signal that there are going to be changes in how Cuba operates that assures that political prisoners are released, that people can speak their minds freely, that they can travel, that they can write and attend church and do the things that people throughout the hemisphere can do and take for granted," he said.
"And if there is some sense of movement on those fronts in Cuba, then I think we can see a further thawing of relations and further changes."
Obama's gesture precedes a trip this week to Trinidad and Tobago for a key meeting of hemispheric powers -- the Summit of the Americas. Watch how Obama likely will hear about Cuba at the summit »
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16c97de732b544dfa78f38551ef9c88f
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What is Obama looking for a signal of?
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[
"there are going to be changes in how Cuba operates"
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft drinks group, has bought a minority stake in Innocent, the British fruit drink and "smoothie" maker that boasts of its ethical stance.
Coca-Cola faces allegations about labor abuses as well as health and environmental concerns.
Innocent said on its Web site the U.S. firm had paid £30 million ($44 million) for a stake of "between 10 and 20 percent" to fund plans to expand in Europe.
Innocent employs 275 people, has a turnover of more than £100 million and sells about two million smoothies each week.
Its three founders, who set up the company 10 years by selling smoothies at a London music festival, insisted its ethical stance would not be compromised and they would continue to run and manage the business. Are ethics and business compatible? Tell us what you think
"Every promise that Innocent has made -- about making only natural healthy products, pioneering the use of better, socially and environmentally aware ingredients, packaging and production techniques, donating money to charity and having a point of view on the world -- will remain," co-founder Richard Reed said.
"We'll just get to do them even more."
Coca-Cola "has been in business for over 120 years, so there will be things we can learn from them. And in some small ways we may be able to influence their thinking too."
James Quincey, group business unit president for Coca-Cola Europe, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to invest in Innocent's future. We have long admired their brand, their products and their unique approach to business."
But the investment is sure to open up Innocent to charges that its ideals are being diluted.
Coca-Cola has been criticized over negative health effects resulting from consumption of its products. It has also faced allegations about labor abuses in Colombia and environmental concerns in India, among other places.
Sales of Coke are holding up well amid the global economic crisis thanks to strong growth in China and India. In February the company reported a 4 percent rise in sales volumes in the last three months of 2008 and a 10 percent increase in comparable earnings.
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d450ac4e8a5b4b97b6e3c171841ce40a
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how much coke paid?
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"£30 million"
] |
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(CNN) -- A man dressed as a priest caught at Amsterdam's airport with three kilos of cocaine under his vestments claimed to police that his packages contained "holy sand", Dutch police said.
Security officials conducting a normal security check at Schiphol airport last year.
Police stopped the man at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport as he was transiting on a flight from South America, Robert Van Aapel, a spokesman for the Dutch Royal Military Police told CNN by phone Saturday.
"He refused to be searched saying that he was a religious person and it was not allowed," Van Aapel said.
"However, this is normal procedure so our officers insisted. They asked him again and after the second time they carried out the search and discovered the man had packs strapped to his legs below his priest's clothes. He told us they contained holy sand," he said.
He said the man, who is aged around 40 and a Bolivian national, was arrested Thursday after arriving in to the airport on a flight from Lima, Peru. He was attempting to transit on a flight to Milan when he was apprehended with the cocaine, worth around €105,000 ($155,000).
The Bolivian appeared in court Friday on charges of drug smuggling, Van Aapel said.
Dutch police are trying to establish if the man is a real priest after he claimed to be a senior member of the clergy in the Bolivian capital La Paz, he added. E-mail to a friend
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124abf6ecfe24f80b19603ba59cb0558
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What was the cocaine he had worth?
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[
"€105,000 ($155,000)."
] |
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(CNN) -- Former Olympic champion Angel Matos of Cuba faces a life ban after kicking a referee flush in the face during his taekwondo bronze medal match in Beijing.
Matos reacted in extraordinary fashion to being disqualified by Chelbat.
Matos, who took gold in Sydney in 2000, was winning 3-2, with just over a minute left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov.
Matos lay down, awaiting medical attention, but was then disqualified by referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden for taking too much injury time.
A furious Matos reacted by pushing a judge, then pushed and kicked Chelbat in the face.
It left the Swede with blood pouring from his lip while Matos spat on the floor and was then escorted out of the arena.
"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said World Taekwondo Federation secretary general Yang Jin-suk.
"I am at a loss for words," he told the Associated Press.
Matos' coach, Leudis Gonzalez, is also in hot water for his angry reaction and claiming the Kazakhs had tried to fix the match.
"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang added.
Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.
It was not the only controversial moment in the four-day taekwondo competition, which was marred by several protests against judging decisions.
Earlier Saturday, China's double gold medalist Chen Zhong crashed out in the quarterfinals after initially being declared the winner.
She was fighting Britain's Sarah Stevenson, who scored with a clear head kick -- worth two points -- in the final seconds of their bout.
That would have put Stevenson ahead and into the semifinals, but the judges ruled Stevenson's kick wasn't solid enough for points, and Chen was declared the winner 1-0.
After Britain protested, the result was changed to put Stevenson in the semifinal. She lost that to jeers from the partisan Chinese crowd, but later won a bronze medal match.
It was the first time a match result has been overturned since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport.
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006652395e3e49029fa2e81a780ef587
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what is the reason for Macos to be furious with Chelbat?
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"disqualified by referee"
] |
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Washington (CNN) -- An Amtrak train traveling from New York to Washington struck and killed a 14-year-old girl Tuesday morning, the rail operator said.
Details on how the accident occurred were not immediately available, and the girl was not named. Baltimore County Police Lt. Robert McCullough said there were other children at the scene who knew the victim.
Nearly two hours after the fatality occurred, emergency management officials in Washington announced that one out of four railroad tracks between Washington and Maryland had been "cleared for reduced speed service."
Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell said trains were traveling in both directions but had to take turns using the single set of tracks.
Amtrak halted all trains through the area near Essex, Maryland, to give investigators access to the scene. Authorities said the teen was hit at 9:02 a.m. ET.
Connell said the incident occurred 11 miles north of the Baltimore, Maryland, rail station. Both Baltimore County Police and Amtrak were investigating.
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4c2b3fdd7f9a4a8d9530e6495fccbb27
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Who was struck by a train?
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"14-year-old"
] |
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(CNN) -- In a messy drug bust this week, investigators uncovered more than 700 pounds of marijuana stuffed in a septic tank truck full of human waste, Arizona police said Friday.
And the search of the truck was as awful as it sounds.
"Yeah, that really does suck," Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves told CNN. "It's a long way to go to make a bust."
Hidden in the holding tank of the truck were 743 pounds of pot, worth about $409,000 on the street, police said in a news release.
An officer pulled over the septic tank truck Wednesday after a check of the license showed it was invalid, police said. The truck was headed northbound on I-19 and stopped about 35 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. Police patrolling the area tend to be more vigilant, Graves said, because the interstate -- which leads directly to Mexico -- is a major thoroughfare for drug and human trafficking.
After the stop, the officer discovered that the commercial vehicle markings on the truck were also invalid. A subsequent search revealed the bales of marijuana in red and orange packages amid the waste.
"It just shows how desperate these drug cartels are," Graves said. "They'll go to any lengths to conceal their product. We've seen it concealed [among] watermelons, bell peppers. This is the first time we've seen it concealed in human waste."
Police arrested the driver, Leonard Salcido, 24, of Tucson, and charged him with possession of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and transportation of marijuana, police said.
The bust was not the largest for Arizona police. In 2008, police found more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana in a fake UPS truck, Graves said.
Wednesday's smelly pot was just one major bust this week. On Thursday, police confiscated $681,000 worth of methamphetamine concealed in the false floor of a vehicle.
The driver was stopped for speeding on I-17 near Camp Verde, Arizona, police said. The officer asked to search the vehicle and found 15 pounds of meth, police said.
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9e6f7731d6074ac3a827759613dc42be
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Who stopped truck on an interstate?
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"An officer"
] |
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Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- In an attempt to re-create the experience of a manned mission to Mars, an international team of researchers will lock themselves up in a windowless capsule for about a year and a half -- time required for a round trip to the Red Planet.
Starting Thursday, an all-male "crew" of six -- three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese -- will spend 520 days in the cramped and claustrophobic conditions of a special facility in Moscow and will follow a strict regimen of exercise and diet.
Organizers at the European Space Agency and Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems hope the project will shed light on the physical and psychological effects of the long isolation that future Mars astronauts will experience.
"This study is not useful only for Mars, but also for life on Earth," 27-year-old Diego Urbina, the Italian-Colombian participant, said in a news release.
The researchers will communicate with mission control via the internet, with occasional disruptions and a 20-minute delay to imitate the effects of space travel.
They will perform tasks similar to astronauts at the international space station, such as maintenance and scientific experiments, but for a longer period of time. They will follow a seven-day week with two days off, except when special and emergency situations are simulated.
The latest isolation test is the last and longest part of the Mars500 experiment that began in 2007. The first phase was a 14-day simulation that mainly tested the facilities and operational procedures. The second phase followed in 2009, when four Russian and two European crew members were shut into the facility for 105 days.
Missions to the Red Planet have thus far been unmanned. In January, NASA told CNN Radio that the agency was close to a deal to merge its Mars program with the European Space Agency's, a big step toward manned missions.
In the meantime, NASA is preparing for the launch of its newest robotic space exploration vehicle, the Mars Science Laboratory, late next year. It weighs roughly one metric ton and is about the size of a small automobile.
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04d256082d27488caad5450d7ddd4a95
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how long will mars500 be locked up?
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[
"a year and a half"
] |
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(CNN) -- Sri Lankan officials rejected a proposed cease-fire from the Tamil Tiger rebels Sunday, warning instead that government troops intended to continue a new offensive until the group surrenders, a senior government official said.
Tamil demonstrators call for a cease-fire in Sri Lanka during a rally Saturday in Paris, France.
"The government is firm that (the rebels) lay down their arms and surrender. We do not recognize this so-called offer," said Lakshman Hulugalle, director of Sri Lanka's Media Center for National Security.
The proposed cease-fire came six days after the Sri Lankan army launched a new offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) in the country's northern area. Government troops made significant advances into rebel-held territory on Friday and Saturday, according to Sri Lankan Army sources.
A government-imposed deadline for the Tigers to surrender passed last Tuesday. Tens of thousands of displaced civilians currently remain wedged in a dwindling swath of territory controlled by the Tigers along the country's northeastern coast.
Government troops say they have rescued 39,000 civilians trapped in the area, but a U.N. refugee agency said Friday that a wave of "fresh displacement" has now exceeded 100,000 individuals.
"In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the U.N., EU, the governments of the USA, India and others, the (LTTE) has announced an unilateral cease-fire. All of LTTE's offensive military operations will cease with immediate effect," the rebel leaders said in a written statement issued earlier Sunday.
"We welcome the attempts by the U.N. and its agencies to assist the civilian population and are ready to engage and cooperate with them to address the humanitarian needs of the population. ... We are in full agreement that the humanitarian crisis can only be overcome by declaration of an immediate cease-fire."
The Tiger leadership asked the international community to "pressure the Sri Lankan government to reciprocate" on the cease-fire offer.
The Tigers have been fighting for an independent state in Sri Lanka's northeast since 1983. As many as 70,000 people have been killed since the civil war began, and the group has been declared a terrorist organization by 32 countries, including the United States and the European Union.
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088736d2f85741ad908d9dde5500bd9c
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What are the rebels called?
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[
"Tamil Tiger"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Pentagon staff to draw up plans for shutting the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a Pentagon spokesman said.
A detainee is seen through a fence in July at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The camp holds about 250 suspected terrorists, down from a peak of roughly 750 men from 40 countries.
It houses several top al Qaeda figures, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed -- the confessed architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Gates "has asked his team for a proposal on how to shut it down, what would be required specifically to close it and move the detainees from that facility, while at the same time, of course, ensuring that we protect the American people [from] some very dangerous characters," Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Thursday.
Morrell described it as a contingency plan in case the new administration wants to take it up early in the new year.
President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to close the camp at Guantanamo but hasn't set a specific timetable. Gates will continue as defense secretary when Obama takes office.
"I would like to see it closed," Gates told Charlie Rose in a PBS interview. "And I think it will be a high priority for the new administration."
Officials close to the Obama team said in November that the incoming administration is pondering options, including trying some of the Guantanamo Bay inmates in federal courts, setting up a special national security court to deal with cases involving the most sensitive intelligence information, and releasing some inmates.
In an October 31 interview with CNN, Obama said only that he would close the facility "as quickly as we can do prudently."
"I am not going to give a time certain because I think what we have to do is evaluate all those who are still being held in Gitmo," he said. "We have to put in place appropriate plans to make sure they are tried, convicted and punished to the full extent of the law, and that's going to require, I think, a review of the existing cases, which I have not had the opportunity to do."
In May, Gates told a Senate committee that efforts to shut down the facility were "stuck" over what to do with the inmates.
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34adba344f4e44839cd9710ae47fad4b
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What is Gates anticipating?
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[
"shutting"
] |
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(CNN) -- Two of the biggest stars in the NBA will be team-mates next season after a blockbuster trade which sees Shaquille O'Neal move from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers -- the home of league MVP LeBron James.
Shaquille O'Neal is hoping his arrival will put a smile on the faces of Cleveland fans.
The 37-year-old O'Neal is one of the all-time greats of basketball, winning four NBA championships, three straight with the Los Angeles Lakers and the other with Miami Heat.
James is widely recognized as the sport's current superstar, but the 24-year-old has been left frustrated by Cleveland's failure to win the title.
He stormed off the court after their loss to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals, not even shaking hands with 2008 Olympic teammate Dwight Howard.
The trade, which sees Phoenix get center Ben Wallace and guard Sasha Pavlovic, has been talked about since February but finalized on Thursday night.
"I was elated about the trade because I get to play with one of the greatest players to ever play the game in LeBron James," O'Neal was quoted on the NBA's official Web site www.nba.com.
O'Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in 75 games for the Suns last season and believes he still has much to offer the NBA.
"My numbers are not good enough to retire. Three more years left," O'Neal wrote on his Twitter blog.
His career averages are 24.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.4 blocked shots, with his peak seasons coming as he led the Lakers to three straight titles from 2000-02.
The Lakers traded him to Miami where he spent three seasons, helping them to the NBA Championship three years ago.
He has played in Phoenix for the past two years, restricted by injuries in his first season.
The Cavs, powered by James, won 66 regular season games and their first eight in the playoffs before coming unstuck against the Magic.
They will be hoping that O'Neal will be the final piece in the jigsaw to land the first American sports championship for Cleveland in 45 years.
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22a55331e894467eb822f76e7186906d
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when did this happen
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"Thursday night."
] |
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(CNN) -- An earthquake with preliminary magnitude of 5.6 struck eastern Venezuela on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake's epicenter was about 25 miles from Carupano, near the Caribbean coast in northeastern Venezuela, the agency said. It was 7 miles deep.
The geological survey revised its estimates after initially reporting the quake as having a 5.7 magnitude and an epicenter slightly closer to Carupano. The revised location is about 235 miles east of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Are you in Venezuela? Share your images, video
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3cd59f7e2d254ca69b0cba32ffdda6ee
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Where was the quake?
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"eastern Venezuela"
] |
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- A suspect in police custody calls himself a "stewmaker" for a Mexican drug lord, saying he disposed of about 300 bodies by dissolving them in acid.
Santiago Meza Lopez has asked for forgiveness from the families of those he says he targeted.
Santiago Meza Lopez was arrested Thursday in Ensenada, Baja California, but it took police 24 hours to identify him. He says he works for drug lord Teodoro Garcia Simental, also known as "el Teo," a powerful drug trafficker.
Meza, who is shown handcuffed and flanked by guards in video released by the government, calls himself "Teo's stewmaker" and says he was paid $600 a week for his macabre duties. The victims, he said, were men who owed Garcia something or had betrayed him.
A native of Guamuchil, Sinaloa, Meza was arrested along with three other people, including a minor female who said she was contracted for a social event. Other people sought by police were in the area at the time but were able to escape, officials said.
Now, Meza is asking for forgiveness.
"To the families, please forgive me," he said in the video.
Mexican police have not specifically said whether they believe that all elements of Meza's story are credible.
He has told police where he buried some of the bodies.
Now authorities, along with citizens groups and the families of the disappeared, are searching for them.
They hope Meza could have information about the location of their friends and relatives.
Authorities say Garcia formed part of the Arellano Felix cartel but is currently said by intelligence sources to be operating with the Sinaloa cartel.
Officials say seven brothers and four sisters of the Arellano-Felix family inherited the Tijuana, Mexico-based drug cartel from Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo in 1989, after his arrest for drug trafficking.
Today, the notorious cartel is split into two factions that have engaged in brutal fighting that has accounted for nearly all the violence in Tijuana, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. More than 400 people were killed last year in drug-related violence.
Eduardo Arellano-Felix, who police said was the last remaining brother to have an active role in the cartel, was arrested in October.
CNN's Carolina Sanchez and CNN en Espanol's Krupskaia Alis in Mexico City contributed to this report.
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0c578665f6384655b69a0ef8eb81639d
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In what nation is the powerful drug trafficker the suspect claimed he worked for?
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"Mexico"
] |
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Editor's note: Watch the full interview with Serena Williams on "Your $$$$$" Saturday at 1 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CNN.
Serena Williams says she believes she apologized for her actions promptly and completely.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Serena Williams just wants to move on. But the controversy around her obscenity-laced tirade at a line judge at the U.S. Open continues.
Williams, 27, said she was "in the moment" and doesn't really remember her now-famous outburst at a line judge who had called a foot fault. It was a 12-second verbal attack that has played over and over for three days.
"It was a really tough point in the match and it was really close and got a really tough call that wasn't the correct call, and, you know, things got a little heated and I had a conversation with the line judge that didn't go so well," Williams said.
Williams, ranked No. 2 in the world by the Women's Tennis Association, said she does not recall moments of Saturday's incident but believes she apologized for her actions promptly and completely. Watch Williams talk about call »
"I couldn't apologize any sooner, and then also I learned from my mistakes ... I was talking to [former Giants defensive end] Michael Strahan earlier today and he said how, when he's out there you're so intense. Obviously, when you get a bad call, it's like 'What's going on?' So when you're in the moment, you are just there. You don't really quite remember exactly what's going on," Williams said.
Williams found herself explaining her outburst while promoting her recently published memoir, "On the Line," in which she details growing up the youngest of five sisters, her struggles on the court and off, and her positive messages of inspiration, especially to her younger fans.
"Those kids probably just need to know it's great to be a competitor, how passionate someone is, and just making the right decisions at the right time -- realizing that, hey, everyone falls, 'Wow, she's human, she made a bad decision, a bad choice.' "
Williams added, "I am not a robot. I have a heart and I bleed."
In the aftermath of Saturday's match, tournament officials fined Williams $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct and $500 for smashing a racket during the same event. So far, no suspensions have been served, but the United States Tennis Association has said that it has launched an investigation into the incident.
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cf62c1fa61514ec0a7dd387524a1de34
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What can her young fans see?
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"positive messages of inspiration,"
] |
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(PEOPLE.com) -- Though the couple went public with their engagement in October, little is known about the relationship between the daughter of the late grunge god Kurt Cobain, Frances Bean, and her fiancé, Isaiah Silva, frontman of rock band the Rambles.
"We're each other's everything," Silva, 26, tells PEOPLE about Cobain, 19, and himself. "We're homebodies. We don't go out to clubs so you won't find us stumbling out of them with Lindsay Lohan. We stay at home, read books and watch 'Arrested Development.'"
Adds bandmate Mark Kuchell, "They're quiet and shy. They're a great couple. Frances comes to most of our shows that she can get into."
One of the last was the band's December set at the Viper Room, where Cobain and Silva were seen looking very loving and affectionate before and after the show.
"I love strong, opinionated, intelligent women," says Silva, who spent the first 18 years of his life in the Fullerton Assembly of God group, a faction focused on strict Christian values and the second coming of Christ. "Women in the [group] were totally oppressed, but I am very pro-woman."
Silva and his family severed ties with the group when he was 18. Despite Silva's unconventional upbringing, he fought for his individuality when he gravitated toward punk music, learned to play the guitar with pals and "always had long hair and always dyed it."
"I had to grow up much faster than I would have liked," he adds. "I've been through a lot. But now, I'm totally happy."
Catch the Rambles at SXSW in Texas in March and look out for their upcoming EP, recorded with producer Keith Stegall (Zac Brown Band).
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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who did silva say it to
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"PEOPLE"
] |
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(CNN) -- Marin Cilic sealed his place in the third round of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters after a hard-fought win over Igor Andreev of Russia on Tuesday.
The fourth seed eventually dispatched Andreev 6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4 but it took the Croatian nearly three hours to do so.
Cilic, appearing in his first clay-court match for 10 months, started slowly and allowed the Russian to dominate the early exchanges and clinch the first set on a tie-break.
But Cilic regained his momentum in the second set, offering up just one game as he marched to a 6-1 success.
And though Cilic twice went a break down in the deciding set, he held on to claim it 6-4 and progress to round three.
"The conditions were tough, the balls were heavy," Cilic told the official ATP Tour Web site.
"I just wanted to stay in it after losing that first set by making him play a lot of shots. Afterwards I found some solutions so I could win easier points and win the mental battle."
Cilic was joined in round three by French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Spanish sixth seed Fernando Verdasco, who both recorded straight-sets victories.
Verdasco breezed past Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2 6-1 in just under 75 minutes, while Tsonga defeated Nicolas Almagro of Spain 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.
Tomas Berdych set up a third-round match with Verdasco after beating Richard Gasquet of France in straight sets. The Czech 10th seed took less than an hour to record a 6-2 6-0 victory.
The top names in the field -- world No. 2 Novak Djokovic, five-time champion Rafael Nadal and third seed Andy Murray -- begin their campaigns on Wednesday after being handed a first-round bye.
Nadal beat Britain's Murray in last year's semifinals before going on to defeat Serbian Djokovic to claim the title.
The tournament marks the start of the European clay season in the buildup to the second grand slam event of 2010, the French Open starting on May 24.
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3dd3c1fd5dc24b29bd6553e5225ba24d
|
what was the score of Cilic after defeating the Russian?
|
[
"6-7 (4-7) 6-1 6-4"
] |
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(PEOPLE.com) -- In another Oprah first, the media mogul has chosen a man to join her on the cover of her "O" magazine: Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Why him? Why now?
"The January issue is all about firsts. I met Dr. Oz in 2003 as his first guest on 'Second Opinion' -- a medical series he and his wife, Lisa, created for the Discovery Channel. Now here we are, over eight years later. ... What can I say? I adore Dr. Oz," Oprah Winfrey tells PEOPLE exclusively.
"As we toast to a new year and encourage readers to take the first step toward a happier, healthier life, who better to help us get on the right path than my dear friend and America's doctor, Dr. Oz."
And while America's doctor may have a great bedside manner, the cover interview reveals it's the pillow talk with his own wife that needs some work.
"I think I'm a better doctor than I am a husband," Oz, 51, tells Winfrey in January's issue. "I give myself a good grade as a doctor, then the next best grade as a father, and the worst grade as a husband. I don't listen well when Lisa talks."
But he recognizes that Lisa is his greatest advocate, and has steered his career in directions he never would have taken.
"It was her vision early on to create the kind of show ["Second Opinion" on Discovery Health] we're doing now," he says. "She had a much larger vision for me than I did for myself. We actually had a big spat about this a couple of months ago. It's just one after another of things I do wrong. And I do do them wrong. But she's quick to make sure I own up to it."
Lisa Oz, 48, has a major career in her own right, having authored three best-selling books, including "Us: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most."
Dr. Oz sees that book as partly directed at him. "The reason she wrote 'Us' is that after 25 years of me not listening to pillow talk, she figured if she wrote it down, maybe I'd read it and believe it," he says.
The January issue of "O" will hit newsstands December 13.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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ee4771742b9649dbb693b43a944f89a2
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What age is Mehmet Oz?
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[
"51,"
] |
NewsQA
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A boy playing with matches started a Southern California wildfire that scorched more than 38,000 acres, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.
A firefighter talks on a radio while battling the Buckweed blaze on October 22.
The Buckweed Fire, which destroyed 21 homes on its rampage, began October 21 in the Agua Dulce community.
"Our arson explosive detectives, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Fire Department investigators, immediately began their investigation, and during the course of the investigation, it led to a juvenile suspect," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Tony Moore told CNN's "American Morning" Wednesday.
"After talking with that juvenile, he admitted to playing with matches, and accidentally starting the fire in that area," he said. Watch what's next for young suspect »
The boy, whose name and age were not given, is home with his parents, police said. The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County district attorney for possible charges.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Buckweed Fire burned 38,526 acres.
Sixty-three structures, 21 of them homes, were destroyed, and three civilians and two firefighters were injured.
The sheriff's department said the fire forced the evacuation of about 15,000 people.
As of Tuesday, 18 of 23 wildfires in Southern California were completely under control, and the remainder were at least 70 percent contained, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fires are blamed for 14 deaths and charred more than 508,000 acres, destroying about 1,600 homes.
Five people were arrested in arson probes last week, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Saturday vowed to "hunt down" people responsible for setting wildfires.
Authorities said Saturday they were following 1,700 tips about a white Ford F-150 pickup seen near the origin of the sprawling Santiago Fire in Orange County.
Witnesses reported seeing the 1998-2004 model truck with chrome tubular running boards on Santiago Canyon Road on October 21 at about the time the Santiago Fire started.
Authorities said last week they had found evidence at the scene, although they declined to describe it.
"If I were one of the people who started the fires, I would not sleep soundly right now, because we're right behind you," Schwarzenegger said, urging the culprits to turn themselves in. E-mail to a friend
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c2d7b207a4da442c9b29738fb4e978bc
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DId he start the fire?
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[
"admitted to playing with matches, and accidentally starting the"
] |
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(CNN) -- A pilot's sleep disorder and a string of early mornings helped cause the crew of a commuter jet to fall asleep during a flight over Hawaii in 2008, federal investigators reported Monday.
The pilot and co-pilot of a Go! Airlines jet failed to respond to calls from air traffic controllers for 18 minutes during the February 2008 flight from Honolulu to Hilo and awoke to find they had overshot their destination by about 30 miles, the National Transportation Safety Board reported. The plane landed safely once the pilots awoke and resumed contact with controllers.
The 53-year-old pilot was later diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, which can cause daytime sleepiness.
"This condition likely caused him to experience chronic daytime fatigue and contributed to his falling asleep during the incident flight," according to the NTSB's report on the probable cause of the incident.
"In addition, the day of the incident was the third consecutive day that both pilots started duty at 0540 (5:40 a.m.)," the report continued. "This likely caused the pilots to receive less daily sleep than is needed to sustain optimal alertness and resulted in an accumulation of sleep debt and increased levels of daytime fatigue."
Go! is a subsidiary of Phoenix, Arizona-based Mesa Air Group. The company had no immediate response to the findings.
The Hawaii incident and a 2007 runway landing accident in Michigan that investigators blamed on pilot fatigue prompted a call by federal safety experts to scale back the maximum workday allowed for airline pilots and implement other "fatigue management" programs.
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c08bc949f0de42cb881c1d9a84df5d60
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Was it during the early morning?
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[
"(5:40 a.m.),\""
] |
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Moscow (CNN) -- Russian election authorities officially registered Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Monday as a candidate for president in next year's election, they announced on their website.
Putin will represent his United Russia party, the Central Election Commission said.
The move is the latest step toward Putin's reclaiming the presidency after switching to the prime minister's office because of a law barring him from serving more than two consecutive terms as president.
Russia's third-richest man, the billionaire New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, announced this month that he will run against Putin for president.
Many ordinary Russians suspect the Kremlin put Prokhorov up to it to give the impression the contest is fair.
Last week, Putin brushed off widespread criticism that the December 4 parliamentary elections in Russia were falsified.
He said their results "reflect the actual line-up of forces in the country, as well as the fact that the ruling force -- the United Russia party -- has lost certain positions."
Tens of thousands turned out to protest the election results that returned Putin's United Russia party to power, but with a smaller majority.
Police estimated crowds in Moscow on December 10 at 25,000, while organizers said the total was 40,000, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. Either figure would make the protests the largest in the Russian capital in 20 years.
Claiming the results of parliamentary elections were rigged, protesters chanted "Putin out."
They also braved freezing temperatures in other Russian cities to demonstrate against what they said was vote fraud.
Putin said in his question-and-answer session that protesters were positioning themselves for the presidential vote in March.
"It is obvious to me that the attacks on the latest election are secondary; their primary goal is the next election, the Russian presidential election," Putin said December 15.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation said in a preliminary report that some political parties had been prevented from running and the vote was "slanted in favor of the ruling party." Its election-observer mission detailed alleged attempts to stuff ballot boxes, manipulate voter lists and harass election monitors.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said the United States had "serious concerns" about the election and called for a "full investigation" of apparent irregularities.
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e9d6ac421e064c7ab52a6b70917c06f8
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Who says he will run against Putin?
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[
"Mikhail Prokhorov,"
] |
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PANAMA CITY, Panama (CNN) -- Ricardo Martinelli, the multimillionaire owner of a supermarket chain, was inaugurated as president of Panama on Wednesday.
Ricardo Martinelli is a pro-business conservative who defeated a candidate from the ruling center-left party.
National Assembly President Jose Luis Varela performed the swearing-in and placed the presidential sash on Martinelli, a pro-business conservative who defeated a candidate from the ruling center-left party in May.
The citizens of Panama "want things to be done differently," Varela said at the inauguration. "An attitude of change starts today."
In his first speech as president, Martinelli promised a smaller government budget but raises for public workers.
Public safety, an issue that the outgoing administration of Martin Torrijos struggled to maintain, will be a priority, Martinelli said.
"Our prisons will be rehabilitation centers, not schools for criminals," he said.
Panama will also work with Mexico and Colombia to combat drug trafficking in the region, Martinelli said.
Among the dignitaries at the inauguration was deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a military-led coup Sunday. The Organization of American States has condemned the coup, and Zelaya has continued to carry out his presidential duties.
The son of Italian immigrants, Martinelli, 57, is a self-made businessman who is chairman of the Super 99 supermarket chain, one of the largest private companies in Panama.
The U.S.-educated president previously served as minister and chairman of the board of directors of the Panama Canal Authority and formerly was director of social security for Panama, according to his Web site.
Martinelli won the presidency with 60 percent of the votes in a race against ruling-party candidate Balbina Herrera.
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05b333b578254461897519b71e4b924f
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Who promised a smaller government budget?
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[
"Ricardo Martinelli,"
] |
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Karachi, Pakistan (CNN) -- Do not mistake eight-year-old Bilal Ahmed's skin-and-bones body, his beguiling smile and his big beaming eyes for weakness.
Bilal changes when he steps into a boxing ring.
When the pint-sized Pakistani fighter climbed into a shabby old ring at an outdoor youth center, his smile turned into a stone cold scowl.
At the sound of the bell that marked the start of round one, his tiny fists at the end of his stick-like arms turned into pain-inflicting projectiles, pounding away at his opponent.
"I want to hit my opponent," says Bilal, minutes before the fight. "All I think about is winning."
Bilal is obsessed with winning because, to him, boxing is more than a sport. It's the one chance he has to escape Lyari, one of the poorest, toughest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the sprawling southern port city of Karachi.
Drug and gang violence is rampant here, killing nearly 100 people this year alone.
"There is shooting at night," Bilal says. "I wake up and go to my mom. When I grow up I'm going to take my family away from here."
But for Lyari's boys, the future is often bleak. Many here blame the government for failing to keep neighborhoods safe and a broken school system for robbing children of the chance to succeed.
For decades boxing has given thousands of Lyari's kids what the government has not -- a safe place to grow, learn and chase a dream.
African immigrants brought boxing to Lyari in the 1940s, when Karachi was still part of British-ruled India. More than 70 years later, 22 boxing clubs, run by volunteers and private donations, have made this neighborhood Pakistan's boxing factory.
"This is the second Cuba," says the head of the local boxing association, Asghar Baloch, referring to the Caribbean nation that has produced some of the best boxers in the world.
"If these kids weren't here, they would be with guns and arms," he says. "If we continue our positive activities, we will get positive results."
Positive results at Lyari's boxing clubs aren't necessarily trophies and victories in the ring. They're polite, healthy children who laugh and play, children who finish school.
But on this night it's all about winning for Bilal, who's taking on a bigger and taller opponent at an important tournament.
His opponent overpowers him in the opening round but Bilal stands his ground.
Round two is too close to call but Bilal wins the third and final round with lightning quick combinations and powerful right hooks.
The referee raises Bilal's arm in victory and back comes the big smile on the skinny little kid whose dream for a better life lives on.
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2ac433ad94bc4366a395742328dfe4e8
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How many people have died this year?
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[
"nearly 100"
] |
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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
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e5ba97d05ff442fa956eee042e3d13bd
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What month was Kirkuk excluded from elections?
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[
"last January."
] |
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(CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, the single mother of newborn octuplets, is using the Internet to help support her family of 14 children. She's started a Web site seeking donations.
Nadya Suleman, a single mother of 14 children, has set up a Web site asking for donations.
The Web site features pictures of a rainbow, child's blocks and all eight of Suleman's newborns. Also prominently displayed on the Web site is a prompt for visitors to make a donation, noting that the "proud mother of 14" accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.
Suleman, 33, had the octuplets through fertility treatments, despite already having six young children and no clear source of income.
In recent television interviews, Suleman has rejected suggestions that she might not be able to care adequately for all 14 of her children.
"I'm providing myself to my children," Nadya Suleman told NBC in her first interview. "I'm loving them unconditionally, accepting them unconditionally, everything I do. I'll stop my life for them and be present with them and hold them and be with them. And how many parents do that?" Watch report on who is paying the bills for the octuplets »
Suleman said she plans to go back to college to pursue a degree in counseling, NBC reported. She also said all 14 children have the same biological father, a sperm donor whom she described as a friend.
Joann Killeen, a spokeswoman for Suleman, has told CNN that she is being deluged with media offers, but disputed any suggestions that Suleman may have had a monetary incentive for having so many children.
Killeen, told CNN's "Larry King Live" that Suleman "has no plans on being a welfare mom and really wants to look at every opportunity that she can to make sure she can provide financially for the 14 children she's responsible for now."
Suleman's publicist did say that Suleman gets $490 every month in food stamps.
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0298e0bbd2624ea78cf8b5d5b09f8278
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what do Nadya Suleman?
|
[
"started a Web site seeking donations."
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN Student News) -- Students will examine Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Also, they will compose responses to Dr. King in which they compare his historic vision of racial equality in the United States to the reality of present-day life.
Procedure
In class discussion, have students define the following terms: racism, prejudice and discrimination. Have them give examples of each. Inform students that, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his vision of racial equality in America in his historic "I Have a Dream" speech. Then, point out that in his speech, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of being judged not by the color of one's skin, but by the content of his or her character.
Direct your students to read or watch Dr. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech and discuss its content in class. Then, challenge each student to compare Dr. King's dream to the reality of life in the U.S. in the year 2009. Direct each student to compose a response to Dr. King, explaining what life is like in the U.S. today and to what extent his dream has been realized. (Encourage students to be creative in their responses. For example, students could write a letter, a speech, a song or a poem, or produce a brief video.) After students share their responses to Dr. King, pose the following questions for class discussion:
Correlated Standards
Social Studies
II. Time, Continuity and Change Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.
X. Civic Ideals and Practices Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.
The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/ ) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/ ).
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b98a7431b7204307a00deaa8e10ad0bd
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when was the speech
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[
"August 28, 1963,"
] |
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(PEOPLE.com) -- In another Oprah first, the media mogul has chosen a man to join her on the cover of her "O" magazine: Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Why him? Why now?
"The January issue is all about firsts. I met Dr. Oz in 2003 as his first guest on 'Second Opinion' -- a medical series he and his wife, Lisa, created for the Discovery Channel. Now here we are, over eight years later. ... What can I say? I adore Dr. Oz," Oprah Winfrey tells PEOPLE exclusively.
"As we toast to a new year and encourage readers to take the first step toward a happier, healthier life, who better to help us get on the right path than my dear friend and America's doctor, Dr. Oz."
And while America's doctor may have a great bedside manner, the cover interview reveals it's the pillow talk with his own wife that needs some work.
"I think I'm a better doctor than I am a husband," Oz, 51, tells Winfrey in January's issue. "I give myself a good grade as a doctor, then the next best grade as a father, and the worst grade as a husband. I don't listen well when Lisa talks."
But he recognizes that Lisa is his greatest advocate, and has steered his career in directions he never would have taken.
"It was her vision early on to create the kind of show ["Second Opinion" on Discovery Health] we're doing now," he says. "She had a much larger vision for me than I did for myself. We actually had a big spat about this a couple of months ago. It's just one after another of things I do wrong. And I do do them wrong. But she's quick to make sure I own up to it."
Lisa Oz, 48, has a major career in her own right, having authored three best-selling books, including "Us: Transforming Ourselves and the Relationships that Matter Most."
Dr. Oz sees that book as partly directed at him. "The reason she wrote 'Us' is that after 25 years of me not listening to pillow talk, she figured if she wrote it down, maybe I'd read it and believe it," he says.
The January issue of "O" will hit newsstands December 13.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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60ab0049aeef464996d0acc6eac59e2b
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"O" magazine has Oprah Winfrey and who on the cover?
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[
"Dr. Mehmet Oz."
] |
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(CNN) -- A man accused of shooting and paralyzing a U.S. Army soldier at a homecoming party intends to plead not guilty to all charges, his attorney said Wednesday.
Ruben Jurado, 19, faces a charge of attempted murder in the shooting of Army Spc. Christopher Sullivan on Friday night at a homecoming party in Sullivan's native San Bernardino, California. He also faces charges on "allegations involving premeditation and the use and discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury," the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Jurado "will deny any and all allegations," defense attorney Michael Holmes said in a written statement to CNN on Wednesday. "We anticipate receiving the initial discovery of police reports and any other evidence that the district attorney has at this time."
Holmes noted that the court "allows video arraignment," but said he and Jurado had "discussed this process and he wanted to be present in court during the entire process. He requested to be present and the next available date is tomorrow (Thursday) morning."
The party in Sullivan's honor was to celebrate his recent return to California from Kentucky, where he was stationed while recovering from wounds sustained in a suicide bombing a year ago in Afghanistan. The bombing killed five members of his unit and left him with a cracked collarbone and brain damage, according to the San Bernardino County Sun. Sullivan received the Purple Heart, the newspaper reported.
At the party, Sullivan was shot twice after an argument and physical confrontation with Jurado, who fled the scene, according to police and witnesses.
The fight broke out after Jurado and Sullivan's younger brother began arguing about football, the brothers' mother, Suzanne Sullivan, told CNN.
Jurado turned himself in to authorities in Chino Hills, California, on Monday afternoon, said Lt. Gwendolyn Waters.
On Tuesday, Sullivan's mother told CNN he was "on 100% life support."
"He can move his head and he responds through nodding and blinking to us. His eyes aren't always open, but we try to encourage him to do so as often as possible," Suzanne Sullivan said.
She said her son asked what had happened to him and wanted to know why.
"We told him what it was about and he just closed his eyes," she said.
Suzanne Sullivan said her family is having a difficult time coming to terms with what happened.
"He once told me that if defending this country takes his life, so be it," she said. "But to see he survived that, and now for this to happen to him, just breaks my heart."
CNN's Stella Chan and Carey Bodenheimer contributed to this report.
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aa08f5dd15e84daaafecc8dc1f977fe6
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who is accused of shooting Army Spc?
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[
"Ruben Jurado,"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Five people were killed and 10 critically injured Saturday when a minivan crashed on I-10 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, state police said.
Fifteen people were in the minivan, said Trooper Russell Graham, and only two were wearing seat belts. Among the dead were children as young as 3 years old, he said.
"The minivan blew out a tire and the driver lost control," Graham said. The vehicle "sideswiped a box truck and then ran off the road into the left median, overturned multiple times and finally came to rest upright on the eastbound side of I-10," Graham said.
The one person in the truck was not injured.
The accident shut down I-10 in both directions shortly after 12:15 p.m. (1:15 p.m. ET); one lane in each direction was opened about two hours later.
Alcohol and drugs were not suspected factors in the crash, but blood was drawn from the driver -- one of the fatalities -- to confirm, Graham said.
The accident came soon after the Louisiana Legislature passed a law requiring riders in every seat to be buckled up.
"This is an example of why we implemented that law," Graham said. "It's very frustrating for us to come out here and see children dead," he said.
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d9f4bb95b95247e9a638c4c7239d72c9
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How many people were in the van?
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[
"Fifteen"
] |
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Marjah, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Marines fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan achieved a main objective Tuesday -- taking over the police headquarters in the center of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah.
CNN correspondent Atia Abawi, embedded with the Marines, said troops didn't receive any resistance when they took the station, but gun battles broke out in the area a few hours later.
There was an engagement for 15 to 20 minutes, with constant gunfire coming from different directions, and there have been "sporadic battles," Abawi said.
Unlike previous days, there was fighting in the evening, with Taliban militants trying to attack Marine locations with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. One of the grenades hit close to one of the U.S. positions and a fire broke out.
About 15,000 Afghan and NATO forces are taking part in Operation Moshtarak, which focuses on the town of Marjah and surrounding areas in Helmand province. Set in a region known as the country's heroin capital, Marjah is where the Taliban established a shadow government.
The military says the goal of Operation Moshtarak is to provide security, governance and development, and authorities hope fighters choose to reject the insurgency and join the government's reintegration process.
Clearing out poppy fields is a key part of the push, the biggest since the Afghanistan War started in 2001. The Taliban finances its activities in part through the illegal opium trade.
One of the biggest challenges facing the NATO mission in Afghanistan is attacking the Taliban while limiting civilian casualties. On Sunday, 12 civilians died in a rocket attack by coalition troops. Three other Afghan civilians were killed by NATO in separate incidents on Sunday and Monday.
On Tuesday, Abawi spoke to one civilian whose property had been destroyed in the initial push by Marines. Despite that, he said he was happy to see Americans arrive and noted that Marines promised to pay for the damages to his home.
He said Afghans have suffered under the Taliban, who he said had beheaded some people and forced their way into people's homes for food.
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32abcca9b2b946dc978c20788e123202
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Who tried to attack Marine locations?
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[
"Taliban militants"
] |
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BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- A key rebel commander and fugitive from a U.S. drug trafficking indictment was killed over the weekend in an air attack on a guerrilla encampment, the Colombian military said Monday.
Alleged cocaine trafficker and FARC rebel Tomas Medina Caracas in an Interpol photo.
Tomas Medina Caracas, known popularly as "El Negro Acacio," was a member of the high command of the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia and, according to Colombian and U.S. officials, helped manage the group's extensive cocaine trafficking network.
He had been in the cross-hairs of the U.S. Justice Department since 2002. He was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and manufacturing and distributing cocaine within Colombia to fund the FARC's 42-year insurgency against the government.
U.S. officials alleged Medina Caracas managed the rebel group's sales of cocaine to international drug traffickers, who in turn smuggled it into the United States.
He was also indicted in the United States along with two other FARC commanders in November 2002 on charges of conspiring to kidnap two U.S. oil workers from neighboring Venezuela in 1997 and holding one of them for nine months until a $1 million ransom was paid.
Officials said the army's Rapid Response Force, backed by elements of the Colombian Air Force, tracked Medina Caracas down at a FARC camp in the jungle in the south of the country.
"After a bombardment, the troops occupied the camp, and they've found 14 dead rebels so far, along with rifles, pistols, communications equipment and ... four GPS systems," Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said at a news conference. "The death of 'El Negro Acacio' was confirmed by various sources, including members of FARC itself."
Medina Caracas commanded FARC's 16th Front in the southern departments of Vichada and Guainia.
Established in 1964 as the military wing of the Colombian Communist Party, FARC is Colombia's oldest, largest, most capable and best-equipped Marxist rebel group, according to the U.S. Department of State. E-mail to a friend
Journalist Fernando Ramos contributed to this report.
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5d18fb6c08134170966f78d404929311
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When did they indict him?
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[
"November 2002"
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- All 18 people aboard a helicopter that crashed off the coast of Scotland have been recovered alive, a Royal Air Force officer told CNN.
A Super Puma helicopter, similar to the one in this file photo, went down about 120 miles east of Aberdeen.
The Super Puma ditched about 120 miles east of Aberdeen while approaching an offshore platform.
"Everyone has been recovered from the water," said James Lyon, assistant controller of the RAF's aeronautical rescue coordination center at RAF Kinloss, Scotland. "We don't know their condition, but we believe there are no major injuries."
Five helicopters were scrambled when the Super Puma helicopter ditched.
"Some were recovered by helicopter and some by boat from the platform," Lyon told CNN.
The RAF was providing helicopter assistance to the Aberdeen Coast Guard in the rescue.
Lyon said earlier that rescuers had been picking up emergency signal beacons from the lifejackets of the 18 people.
He did not know if the pilot transmitted a mayday before the aircraft ditched. View a map of the crash site »
"We believe it was quite close to the platform it was supposed to be landing on," he added.
The area is home to a number of offshore oil rigs. Lyon said he did not know which one the helicopter was heading to or where it was coming from.
The RAF received its first report of the crash at 6:43 p.m. (1:43 p.m. Eastern time).
Lyon said the Super Puma is regularly used to transport people to and from oil platforms in the North Sea and as far as he was aware it has a good safety record.
Weather at the crash site is relatively good, though slight fog is hampering visibility, he said.
A spokesman for BP told the UK's Press Association: "The 16 passengers and two crew who were on board have been accounted for and have been rescued. Three people are on the ETAP Platform and a further 15 are on the Caledonian Victory rescue vessel.
"The priority of the company is the safety of all personnel involved in this incident and we have implemented our full emergency response procedures."
|
ab667633951f4509852fcbc8042371b4
|
Number of people civilian helicopter was carrying?
|
[
"18"
] |
NewsQA
|
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (CNN) -- The death toll from flooding and mudslides in Brazil continued to climb Thursday, with official reports of at least 181 fatalities.
Thousands of people have been left homeless, said the government-run Agencia Brasil news service. The Rio de Janeiro mayor's office placed that figure at 5,000.
At least 161 people have been injured, the Rio de Janeiro state government said Thursday on its Web site.
A record 11.3 inches (287 millimeters) of rain fell in Rio within 24 hours Tuesday, Mayor Eduardo Paes said, according to the news service. The downpour continued Wednesday.
iReport: Share your photos, video, stories with CNN
More than 30 homes were destroyed in a mudslide Wednesday in metropolitan Rio, Agencia Brasil said.
About 200 people could be buried or trapped in the mud, emergency officials said.
The cities of Niteroi and Sao Goncalo are among the hardest hit, with more than 80 dead and dozens missing, the news service said.
CNN affiliate TV Record showed firefighters, military personnel and other rescuers using heavy machinery to dig for buried residents.
Brazil's minister of cities, Marcio Fortes, said that housing and sanitation problems are not new for Rio.
His department, which works directly with cities on urban development projects, said that before this week's flooding, the government already had set aside some $800 million to cities to help deal with flood waters and poor infrastructure.
Now, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has made available another $11 billion for drainage infrastructure across Brazil, Fortes said.
As for the project that sits before them, Fortes estimated that about 4,000 homes can be rebuilt, together with better roads, schools and health centers. These would provide a shift from the current structures in the slums of Rio, where housing is often improvised.
"You can't correct the past, but you can fix the future," Fortes said.
CNN's Marilia Brocchetto contributed to this report.
|
e63bd9baae9b419090def95e550f3047
|
How many people could be trapped?
|
[
"200"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least three tornadoes caused massive damage in Virginia and injured more than 200 people on Monday, officials said.
This Suffolk, Virginia, house was destroyed by an apparent tornado Monday.
At least 200 were injured in Suffolk where a twister destroyed several homes and businesses, said Bob Spieldenner of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
The storm hit the 138-bed Sentara Obici Hospital, though Spieldenner said the facility was still operational and accepting patients.
A second tornado struck Colonial Heights -- about 60 miles northwest, near Richmond -- injuring at least 18 people, he said.
A third twister damaged several homes near Lawrenceville, about 70 miles south of Richmond, said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, which confirmed all three tornadoes.
Gov. Tim Kaine declared a Virginia-wide state of emergency as hazardous weather continued through the central part of the state.
The Suffolk twister touched down just before 4 p.m. ET and plowed its way east into Norfolk, damaging scores of homes, stores and cars and downing dozens of trees and power lines, Jackson said. Watch as a witness describes the tornado form »
Video footage from the scene showed roofs torn off homes, cars flipped over, trees snapped in two and a caved-in section of a newly constructed shopping center.
Furniture, fences and mounds of other debris were tossed in streets, parking lots and lawns. Watch the storm's massive destruction from the air »
A tornado warning over the area remained in effect Monday evening.
Jeff Judkins, the city's emergency management coordinator, said there also were reports of people trapped inside cars. It's the worst damage he's seen in the area, he said.
An emergency shelter will be established by Monday night, Suffolk spokeswoman Dana Woodson said.
Officials initially reported a fatality, but later determined that it was unrelated to the storm, she said. E-mail to a friend
|
fa244366bab1474eaed27236848c9125
|
who damaged several homes?
|
[
"twister"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Rainstorms and flooding in southern China have killed at least 16 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless, according to state-run media.
Residents in Rongcheng, southwest China's Guangxi region on July 4.
Authorities had sent text messages to more than 1 million people to take precautions in southern China, the Xinhua news agency said Saturday.
More than 400,000 residents total were forced from their homes in Fujian, Guangxi Zhuang, Hunan and Jiangxi.
At least two people were missing in southeast Fujian Province after downpours that started Wednesday, according to the news agency.
The financial damage caused by the rain and flooding -- including damaged homes and crops -- was estimated at $35.4 million.
Destruction included a flooded reservoir and damaged dike in Luocheng County, where fears of a dam collapse forced evacuations.
The storms also disrupted traffic, triggered landslides and cut electricity in various parts of southern China.
|
5c21e8d4f4f94ce78d12e2a039022cdb
|
What did the authorities send?
|
[
"text messages"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Police in Zimbabwe Monday failed to bring to court an opposition activist who was scheduled to become a government minister on Friday but was arrested instead.
Zimbabwe police officers at Mutare Magistrates Court where Roy Bennett's scheduled appearance was postponed.
Roy Bennett of the Movement for Democratic Change was supposed to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister last week under a power-sharing agreement between the MDC and President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party.
Bennett was charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism, sabotage and banditry. Police added another charge, contravening the Immigration Act, on the day he was scheduled to appear in court. They accuse Bennett of attempting to leave the country illegally.
His party has decried the charges as "trumped up."
His lawyer said Monday's court proceedings were canceled because prosecutors were unable to make it from the capital Harare to the court where the proceeding was to take place, in Mutare, 132 miles (213 km) away. It is unclear why local prosecutors are not being used.
Bennett's lawyer Trust Maanda says he hopes his client will appear on Tuesday.
"He is doing fine considering the conditions of the cells he is being kept in," Maanda said. "There is no food or running water, sanitation facilities are not working, the cells are overcrowded and there are no blankets."
Bennett was arrested on Friday while on his way to South Africa, where he has been living for three years.
Bennett, who is also the MDC party's treasurer, was pulled from an aircraft at the airport in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, the MDC said.
Police accuse him of funding the acquisition of weapons to commit the crimes he is charged with.
Bennett, a white coffee grower, is an old foe of Mugabe's government.
His farms were seized during the country's controversial land reform program. He has previously been jailed for assaulting Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa in parliament.
The arrest happened the same day that other MDC ministers in the new unity government took their oaths of office.
The power-sharing agreement came into effect only after months of on-again, off-again negotiations between Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence in 1980, and the MDC, led by Morgan Tsvangirai.
Under Mugabe's government, the country has gone from being one of the breadbaskets of Africa to dire poverty.
A cholera epidemic is raging, much of the population lacks adequate food and water, many public sector workers are on strike, and the country suffers such severe inflation it recently knocked 12 zeroes off its currency.
--CNN's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report.
|
a08fb11c438744008751a468d74369db
|
The Movement for Democratic Change says the charges are what?
|
[
"\"trumped up.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in a rare television interview Tuesday, shed some light on who might eventually take over leadership of the country.
Kim Jong Nam, 35, in southern China's casino haven of Macau on January 30, 2007
Kim Jong Nam told TV Asahi in Macau that he does not care about politics or succeeding his father.
"Personally, I am not interested in this issue (succession)," he said in an interview with the Japanese television network. "Sorry, I am not interested in the politics."
The rules governing transfer of power in the secretive communist nation are unclear.
Kim Jong Il rules without challenge and has built a cult of personality around himself and his family.
He is widely reported to have suffered a stroke in August and has been absent from many public functions in recent months.
In April, he named his son Kim Jong Un and brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, to the country's powerful National Defense Commission, suggesting his third son may be his heir.
"I hear that news in the media," Kim Jong Nam said. "I think it's true ... however, it is my father's decision. So once he decides, we have to support him." iReport.com: How should the U.S. approach North Korea?
There has been speculation that Kim Jong Nam would defect from North Korea and that a purge of his supporters was under way. He told Asahi he saw no reason for leaving his homeland.
|
7aad4083a9294e53bcb16bc5026bd1b2
|
What is the name of the eldest son?
|
[
"Kim Jong Nam,"
] |
NewsQA
|
BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona's Brazilian forward Ronaldinho will miss most of the rest of the season after damaging a muscle in his right leg during training on Friday.
Ronaldinho has had his least impressive season with Barcelona since joining them in 2003.
The club announced that the injury would keep him on the sidelines for about six weeks.
The 28-year-old Ronaldinho, twice world player of the year, has had his least impressive season with Barcelona since joining them from Paris St Germain in 2003 and has frequently been linked with a possible move away.
His contract extends until 2010.
Barcelona said that the Brazilian had been hurt in a "training accident", adding: " A scan carried out confirms that he has a torn muscle which will keep him off the pitch for a period of six weeks."
Barcelona are third in the Spanish league with 58 points, seven points behind champions and leaders Real Madrid. E-mail to a friend
|
db9138dd2af94af2b71d3ad3e56bb7d5
|
what did he suffer?
|
[
"torn muscle"
] |
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.
|
a7631cdb63b14f3f8747b732b300ac1f
|
When will Andrea Agneli become the new president of Juventus?
|
[
"at the end of the current season"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Seven people, including a toddler, died when fire roared through a three-story home in southwest Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday night, fire officials said.
Firefighters work to put out a fire at a town home Friday night in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Six of the victims -- three adults, a teen and two children -- were found in the townhome's basement, huddled together, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said.
A 2-year-old boy who was pulled from the burning house by firefighters was later pronounced dead at Children's Hospital, Ayers said.
Eleven people, all of Liberian nationality, lived in the basement of the home, he said. Two were rescued by firefighters and two escaped on their own, Ayers said. Watch firefighters at work on the blaze »
There were no stairs from the basement to the upper level and there was only one door leading out, he said.
Early clues suggest a kerosene heater may have started the blaze, but the fire marshal has not officially determined a cause, Ayers said.
"We found serious issues in the house," he said.
The home did not appear to be equipped with smoke detectors, the fire commissioner said.
"We have not found any smoke alarms at all, which we are very saddened by," Ayers said.
Wade Lee, who lived in the same building, said the landlord had helped tenants work out fire evacuation plans.
Lee said the victims often brought his family fresh vegetables from their garden, and the children were a joy.
"Our wishes are with them right now, more so than for ourselves," he said. "Just hearing the children laughing, and not being able to hear that no more is grievous to us all."
|
322035b2e8e14789bb7cee998ed3f054
|
What nationality were the victims in the story?
|
[
"Liberian"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Big Ben, arguably the world's most famous clock, celebrates on Sunday 150 years of keeping London on time. The British landmark has lived through war, bad weather and disasters.
Big Ben's distinctive bongs have been a part of the London scene for 150 years.
Big Ben is the 14-ton bell inside the world's largest four-faced chiming clock, although most people use the name to describe the tower that houses it.
The clock is perched on a 96-meter (310-foot) elegant tower at the Westminster Bridge end of the Palace of Westminster.
The Victorian masterpiece, which provides distinctive chimes known as bongs, was voted Britain's favorite monument in 2008. It has been featured in films such as "101 Dalmatians" and "Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix."
Big Ben has been disrupted a few times over the years for various reasons, including weather and breakages. Its bongs went silent for about two months in August 2007 to allow a crew to repair its mechanism system.
During that time, the rest of the clock was running on an electric system. It was fully restarted again October 1.
The clock pays tribute to Britain's royal history: It has a Latin inscription of the phrase: "O Lord, save our Queen Victoria the First."
The ornate masterpiece has some quirky features.
The hour hand, which weighs 300 kilograms (661 pounds), is made of gun metal while the minute hands are made of copper sheet.
The minute hands would not work when they were first made of cast iron because they were too heavy. The clock started working on May 31, 1859, after the lighter copper hands were installed.
The origins of the landmark's name are obscure. Some say it was named after the 1850s heavyweight boxer Ben Caunt while others suggest it was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, a former member of parliament. Hall, the commissioner of works in 1859, was responsible for ordering the bell.
Alan Hughes, the director of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry that made the bell, prefers the latter.
"I suppose I like it chiefly because it was a nickname of a man who was big and loud and pompous, and never used one word if 27 would do," he said in a 2008 interview.
Hughes' company also made America's Liberty Bell and a number of others for cathedrals and churches around the world.
|
27b6725e8a9a42ec9aad0c86a99fedf3
|
What is the clock's moniker?
|
[
"Ben,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Lance Armstrong and 2007 champion Alberto Contador will head a strong Astana team for next month's Tour de France.
Armstrong (left) will be backed by a strong Astana squad in Tour de France.
Armstrong is bidding for an unprecedented eighth victory in cycling's most prestigious race while his teammate Contador will start as favorite for the yellow jersey.
The Kazakh-backed squad will have strong support riders with Andreas Kloeden, Levi Leipheimer, Yaroslav Popovych and Haimar Zulbedia also named in the tea,
Kloeden and Leipheimer have both been podium finishers in the Tour de France while the team is packed full of good performers for the key mountain stages.
The remaining three riders to make up the squad of nine will be picked from Jani Brajkovic, Chris Horner, Benjamin Noval, Dmitriy Muravyev, Sergio Paulinho, Gregory Rast and Tomas Vaitkus.
"The complete 2009 Tour roster will be chosen based on the strongest team from both a sportive and team-spirit criteria," Astana's team chief Johan Bruyneel told Press Association Sport.
Astana have also settled doubts over outstanding debts run up by the team which left their participation in the Tour in doubt with the Kazakh government putting up guarantees that riders would be paid.
The team is returning to the Tour after a two-year absence, having been barred from the 2008 because of doping misdemeanors by former squad members.
It left Contador to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour of Spain and he will be bidding for a second Tour triumph when racing gets underway in Monaco on July 4.
Armstrong returned to the peloton earlier this year after a three-year absence and finished 12th in the Giro d'Italia, his preparation hampered by breaking his collarbone at a minor stage race in Spain in March.
In other Tour de France news, organizers have barred former world champion Tom Boonen from competing in this year's race.
The Belgian, who won Parix-Roubaix for the third time this year, tested positive for cocaine in April. His Quick Step team said on Friday that they would consider legal action to challenge the decision.
|
9cafe42d216749d7911eed8144e9a5ac
|
Who is named in the Astana squad?
|
[
"Andreas Kloeden, Levi Leipheimer, Yaroslav Popovych and Haimar Zulbedia"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Five people have been charged with attempted theft in Ohio after allegedly trying to steal the carcass of an escaped lion that was set free by its owner -- along with other exotic animals -- and ultimately killed by authorities.
Authorities apprehended four adults and one juvenile October 19 as they attempted to sneak the lion carcass into their vehicle, Muskingum County Sheriff Matthew J. Lutz said.
"They got the cat into the trunk, and we stopped them," Lutz said. "I'm not sure what they planned to do with it."
The five were charged Monday, he said.
According to sheriff's department documents, deputies stopped a Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicle and found the large dead cat inside.
Authorites have not released the juvenile's name, but the men were identified as Richard Weidlich, Brian Matthews, Joseph Jakubisin and Cody Wilson, according to the criminal complaint.
If convicted, they could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The attorneys for the men could not be immediately reached for comment.
Of the 56 animals released October 18, killed were two wolves, six black bears, two grizzly bears, nine male lions, eight lionesses, one baboon, three mountain lions and 18 Bengal tigers, Lutz said at the time of the incident. Only a grizzly bear, two monkeys and three leopards were taken alive. A monkey remained unaccounted for.
Officials in Muskingum County closed schools as sheriff's deputies equipped with night vision equipment attempted to hunt down the animals in eastern Ohio after the suicide of the man at the farm where they lived.
|
ca3db49ba9c64b6596f9e7fe8bbcb50c
|
What was killed?
|
[
"two wolves, six black bears, two grizzly bears, nine male lions, eight lionesses, one baboon, three mountain lions"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama will rack up plenty of frequent flyer miles this summer with planned trips in Africa, Russia and Italy.
President Obama will travel to Ghana for two days after the G8 Summit in July.
Obama, along with his wife, Michelle, will visit Accra, Ghana, on July 10 and July 11, the White House said Saturday. It will follow Obama's trip to the G8 summit in L'Aquila, Italy, from July 8 to July 10.
Obama will address various bilateral and regional issues with Ghanaian President John Atta Mills, the White House said in a news statement.
"The President and Mrs. Obama look forward to strengthening the U.S. relationship with one of our most trusted partners in sub-Saharan Africa, and to highlighting the critical role that sound governance and civil society play in promoting lasting development," according to the statement.
Obama announced a week ago that he will visit Egypt on June 4 to deliver a speech on America's relationship with the Muslim world.
Egypt is "a country that in many ways represents the heart of the Arab world," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said at the time.
Gibbs deflected several questions at his daily briefing about whether Egypt is a wise choice given President Hosni Mubarak's resistance to making his government more democratic.
Obama originally promised to deliver the speech during his first 100 days, but senior administration officials say the date slipped in part because of security and logistical issues.
Obama has visited Africa before as a senator. In 2006, he received a hero's welcome in his father's native Kenya.
Before the G8 summit, the president is scheduled to travel to Moscow from July 6 to July 8 at the invitation of Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev.
The G8 is made up of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, England and the United States.
|
370bd3d4b987491db9ace7aad265343e
|
What other countries are on his itenary?
|
[
"Africa, Russia and Italy."
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Doctors say an encephalitis outbreak has killed 130 people -- mostly children -- in northern India since January.
The outbreak of acute encephalitis -- an inflammation of brain tissue -- is mostly concentrated in eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh, said V.S. Nigam, the state's nodal officer for tackling the disease.
He told CNN that 640 patients had tested positive for the infection, including 30 with Japanese encephalitis, which is spread by mosquitoes.
Acute encephalitis can be spread in various ways, including a bacterial or viral infection; the ingesting of toxic substances; and complications of a disease.
The disease has mostly struck children up to 15 years old, Nigam added.
|
ec7ba5ba385a4cf59e0d9a2519313de0
|
Where did the outbreaks occur?
|
[
"in northern India"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Disney stunt performer died Monday night after suffering an injury during a rehearsal, company and local officials said.
A performer was injured during rehearsal for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Hollywood Studios.
Walt Disney World spokeswoman Zoraya Suarez said the performer was injured while performing a tumbling roll for the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney's Hollywood Studios, part of the Orlando, Florida, theme park.
It was the third fatal incident at the park in less than two months. Earlier this month, a performer was injured in a pirate show and later died. In July, two monorail trains collided, killing a driver.
"'We feel a sense of loss for these valued cast members," Suarez said. She said a review would be conducted on each incident. Performers receive extensive training, she said.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department identified the performer in the latest incident as Anislav Varbanov, 30, and said he had been pronounced dead at a hospital. Watch a report on the incident »
Security personnel at Hollywood Studios called 911 Monday evening to say a cast member had suffered a head injury during the rehearsal, the sheriff's department said. No other details were given.
The sheriff's department said the incident is under investigation.
CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report.
|
ed78c16f7a65473a80d426f3de332fd5
|
What happened to Anislav Varbanov?
|
[
"stunt performer died Monday night after suffering an injury during a rehearsal,"
] |
NewsQA
|
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Bishop Earl Paulk, a charismatic preacher brought down by a series of sex scandals, has died. He was 81.
Bishop Earl Paulk died this weekend at 81.
Paulk died near midnight Saturday at the Atlanta Medical Center, a nursing supervisor confirmed to CNN. The bishop had been at the hospital for several days, she said.
Paulk's death came after an "extended and horrible battle with cancer," Paulk's nephew, Bishop Jim Swilley, wrote in a blog post.
Paulk founded the Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur, a suburb of Atlanta. It quickly grew to become one of the first megachurches in the country. Paulk also had his own television show.
But his success as a preacher was overshadowed time and again by allegations of sexual impropriety.
One allegation ended in a civil suit that was settled out of court in 2003. The accuser said Paulk molested her when she was a child.
A second woman claimed the bishop forced her into a 14-year affair. She filed, withdrew and refiled a suit.
Dennis Brewer, an attorney for Paulk, admitted to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Paulk had a brief adulterous relationship with the woman, but said she was the initiator.
During a deposition in the case, the bishop said under oath the woman was the only one he slept with outside of marriage. But a court-ordered paternity test showed that he also fathered a child with his sister-in-law.
Other allegations -- some true, some unfounded -- cost the church membership, as worshippers dwindled from 10,000 to about 1,000.
"As most of you know, my family has been walking through a very long nightmare season in connection with things concerning him," Swilley wrote in his blog post. "Please pray for some much needed healing and closure for us all."
|
abd9f45f3f154925952b9fbfef10ccac
|
What was the possible cause of Earl Paulk's death?
|
[
"cancer,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Four American teenagers, all children of U.S. military personnel, have been arrested on charges of attempted murder after a woman was knocked off her motorbike with rope strung across two poles, Japanese police said.
The four suspects -- two 15-year-old boys, a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man -- were taken into custody on Saturday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said.
They are accused of causing a severe head injury to a 23-year-old restaurant employee by stringing a rope between poles across a road.
U.S. Forces Japan was informed of the August incident in late October, a public information officer said. There was no clear explanation for the delay in the handover of the suspects to police, other than it involved rules between Washington and Tokyo covering U.S. forces and their dependents in Japan.
The U.S. military presence and its impact on Japanese residents have been a thorny issue over the years.
Most recently, residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, where the U.S. maintains a large military presence, have blamed American troops for crime and noise.
In 2008, a 14-year-old Okinawa girl alleged that a Marine had raped her. The prosecutor released the Marine after the girl decided not to pursue charges. In 1995, a 12-year-old girl was gang-raped by three servicemen. A Japanese court convicted all three men.
Both incidents caused a furor in Japan. Then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called the 2008 incident "unforgivable ... It has happened over and over again in the past and I take it as a grave case."
It is unclear what, if any, role the military can take in the case. The 1960 Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Japan gives Japan jurisdiction over "the members of the United States armed forces, the civilian component, and their dependents" in cases of offenses committed in Japan and punishable under Japanese law.
The agreement also says the United States must cooperate in investigating such offenses.
CNN's Kyung Lah and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report.
|
cd097a3e3fa74e979d436691c25928d4
|
what is the age range of the suspects
|
[
"17-year-old"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Manager Jose Mourinho was sent off as Italian leaders Inter Milan crashed to a 2-1 defeat at title hopefuls Juventus on Saturday night.
Second-placed AC Milan are now four points adrift of their city rivals after a 3-0 home crushing of Sampdoria, who remained in fifth.
Ten-man Juve went third, five points behind Inter, after ending the defending champions' eight-match unbeaten run in Serie A.
Brazil midfielder Felipe Melo was credited with the 20th-minute opening goal in Turin as he deflected in a free-kick from compatriot Diego, and Mourinho was ordered from the dugout following his protestations about the foul being awarded in the first place.
Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o leveled six minutes later with a header from Dejan Stankovic's cross, but new Italy international Claudio Marchisio gave the home side victory in the 58th minute after goalkeeper Julio Cesar blocked a shot by midfielder Mohamed Sissoko.
Melo was sent off with three minutes left for his second yellow card after aiming an elbow at Mario Balotelli, who was also booked for his theatrical reaction.
The defeat was a blow to Inter's confidence ahead of Wednesday's Champions League showdown with Russia's Rubin Kazan at the San Siro, with the winner earning a place in the knockout stages.
AC Milan scored all three goals in the first half as striker Marco Borriello, who used to play for Sampdoria's city rivals Genoa, headed the opener in the first minute from Ronaldinho's cross.
The Brazilian was in fine form, and also set up the second goal for Clarence Seedorf in the 21st minute as he threaded a neat pass to the veteran Dutch midfielder.
Ronaldinho's compatriot Alexandre Pato made it 3-0 just two minutes later with his seventh goal of the season, netting at the second attempt after goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi blocked his initial effort following a header on by Borriello.
It was Milan's fifth successive victory, with coach Leonardo taking Ronaldinho off at halftime as a precaution due to a slight knee problem ahead of Tuesday's Champions League trip to FC Zurich, which will determine whether the Rossoneri qualify for the knockout stages.
Sampdoria slumped to a third defeat in a week, having been knocked out of the Italian Cup by lowly Livorno in midweek following the embarrassing 3-0 derby defeat to Genoa last weekend.
|
0794959438ba40b48893f78bf87b7326
|
What was the score in the AC Milan game?
|
[
"2-1"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The death toll from severe storms in northern Arkansas has been lowered to one person, emergency officials said early Saturday.
Officials had initially said three people were killed when the storm and possible tornadoes walloped Van Buren County on Friday.
The number of injuries in the county was also less than previously reported, said Rene Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
There were 10 people injured in the county instead of the 25 previously reported, Preslar said.
"We are still looking at a number of damages, but fortunately the human impact is lower than previously thought."
A total of 23 people were injured statewide, Preslar said.
CNN's Patty Lane contributed to this report.
|
48a3aa39032249b795231cf379914fc8
|
How many people were injured statewide?
|
[
"23"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. Marine videotaped throwing a puppy over a cliff while on patrol in Iraq has been kicked out of the Corps, and a second Marine involved has been disciplined, according to a statement released by the Marines.
YouTube.com removed the video for violating the Web site's terms of use.
Lance Cpl. David Motari, based in Hawaii with the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, is being "processed for separation" and received non-judicial punishment, officials said in the statement Wednesday night. The Marine Corps would not specify what that punishment was because of privacy regulations.
The statement said Motari received the punishment for his role in the "episode which generated international attention."
The incident appeared on the Internet web site YouTube in March, sparking outrage from animal rights groups around the world.
In the video, Motari is seen throwing the dog off a cliff as it yelps.
A second Marine, San Diego-based Sgt. Crismarvin Banez Encarnacion, received non-judicial punishment as well.
Janice Hagar, a spokeswoman for the Marines in San Diego, said Encarnacion shot the video.
Marine officials at the Pentagon would not disclose the severity of the disciplinary action against Encarnacion, also because of privacy regulations.
CNN did not receive a response from the Marine Corps in San Diego to questions about the case.
The statement said the Marines conducted an investigation as soon as the YouTube video came to the attention of commanders.
"The actions seen in the Internet video are contrary to the high standards we expect of every Marine and will not be tolerated," according to the statement.
On the video, Motari smiles as he is holding the puppy and then hurls the dog over a cliff. An unknown person operating the video cameras is heard laughing and another voice saying "that's mean, Motari."
In a statement, the Humane Society of the United States applauded the Marine Corps' decision to punish those involved.
"The bad actors in this case have been dealt with by the Marine Corps, which rightly recognizes that harming animals is unacceptable conduct," said Dale Bartlett, the group's deputy manager for animal cruelty issues. "Now, the Department of Defense and the Congress must step up protection from cruelty for all animals under the law governing military conduct."
|
c8c3f10c9c754c68a79b1346e02904a8
|
what is happening to lance
|
[
"being \"processed for separation\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Rwandan troops have crossed into the Democratic Republic of Congo to prepare for a joint operation with Congolese forces against a Hutu militia, the United Nations said.
At least 800,000 people are thought to have died during 100 days of violence in Rwanda in 1994.
"We can tell you there are Rwandan soldiers here, but I cannot confirm the numbers," said Madnodje Mounoubai, spokesman for the U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Rwandans will team up "with the Congolese forces," he said Wednesday. "The Rwandan forces are in a meeting with Congolese forces and the understanding is that in the meeting they are preparing a joint operation against the FDLR," or the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda.
The Rwanda News Agency reported that Rwanda has dispatched 1,917 soldiers.
Rwanda and Congo traditionally have been on different sides of the conflict in eastern Congo.
The struggle pits ethnic Tutsis, supported by Rwanda, against ethnic Hutu, backed by Congo.
The conflict is effectively an extension of the Rwandan genocide dating back to the early 1990s, when hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were killed in ethnic battles between minority Tutsi and majority Hutu.
According to a statement issued last week by the Rwandan government, the joint military operation is aimed at driving out the FDLR and former members of the Interhamwe militia, "remnants of those who spearheaded the 1994 genocide against Tutsis."
Michael Arunga, a Kenya-based spokesman for the World Vision aid organization, said his colleagues in Goma -- a city in eastern Congo -- told him that Rwandan troops arrived Tuesday morning in the village of Ishsha, outside of Goma.
Arunga said he had no knowledge of Rwandan troops being in Congo before.
A U.N. statement said the FDLR has been involved in clashes since late August mainly in North Kivu, "where the national army, the mainly Tutsi militia -- known as the CNDP -- and other rebel groups ... have fought in shifting alliances, uprooting around 250,000 civilians on top of the 800,000 already displaced by violence in recent years." See photos from Mia Farrow's trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo »
A report by a U.N. Security Council panel last month said Rwanda and Congo were fighting a brutal proxy war for territory and precious natural resources in eastern Congo, and all parties involved in the conflict were using execution, rape and child soldiers as tools of war.
The report, filed by a panel of U.N. experts, "found evidence that Rwandan authorities have sent officers and units of the Rwanda Defense Forces" into Congo in support of Congo rebel leader Laurent Nkunda's fighters.
CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report.
|
63c69b64f7ce4992a2e7b027ecaf8b47
|
Number of soldiers Rwanda has dispatched?
|
[
"1,917"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A pilot dragged his passenger to safety and buried him neck-deep in sand to protect him from hypothermia Sunday night after their helicopter crashed in crocodile-infested mudflats in Australia's Northern Territory.
Air ambulance workers attend to a man buried in sand following a helicopter crash.
"The pilot thought that in this remote location, nobody would find them. So he buried his friend to try and stop the hypothermia," said Ian Badham, director of CareFlight, the air ambulance service involved in the rescue.
The two friends had gone camping on a remote beach without road access, about 130 km (80 miles) from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin.
While leaving Sunday night, the pair decided to fly their two-seater helicopter over waters that are home to large crocodiles.
"It's an area known for its big saltwater crocodiles," Badham said. "Those things make alligators look like wussies."
The pilot later told rescuers that they flew in to take a closer look. The next thing he remembered was lying upside down in the mud with the wreckage of the helicopter on top of him, Badham said.
The men, both in their 50s, were about 100 meters (328 feet) from the main beach. Finding his friend seriously hurt, the pilot dragged him back to shore, away from the crocodiles -- and buried him in sand up to his neck to prevent him from freezing to death.
Rescuers responded after the pilot used a satellite phone to alert them.
The friend remained hospitalized Monday in serious but stable condition, Badham said. He suffered head and chest injuries. He also fractured his arm and several ribs.
The pilot suffered minor injuries.
"It was the opinion of the (air-ambulance) doctor that the friend's injuries were grave and, quite likely, this man would not have survived the night," Badham said.
|
234042d0a6cf446284a64cafbe744770
|
What did the helicopter pilot do to save passengers?
|
[
"buried him neck-deep in sand"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The Pakistani military says security forces have taken back the city of Mingora from the Taliban, calling it a significant victory in its offensive against the Taliban.
Pakistani solders escort a suspected Taliban militant inside an army base in Mingora.
Mingora is the largest city in Pakistan's Swat Valley where security forces have been fighting the Taliban in a month-long offensive.
"It is a great accomplishment," said Pakistani Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. "This is the largest city in Swat and for all practical purposes, Mingora has been secured."
Abbas said militants put up a stiff resistance, but their resistance weakened as troops moved in. Abbas told CNN pockets of militants remain just outside Mingora.
The fighting has uprooted about 2.4 million Pakistanis from their homes in the northwestern region of the country, according to the latest data from the United Nations. Of those displaced, about 10 percent -- or 240,000 -- are living in refugee camps, according to the U.N.
The announcement that the military has pushed the Taliban out of Mingora comes after days of Taliban attacks in other areas in the country.
The military issued a press release on Saturday saying that 25 militants and a soldier were killed in fighting across the region over the last 24 hours.
Pakistani authorities increased security throughout Islamabad on Friday after a string of deadly bombings in Lahore and Peshawar, and a threat by the Taliban to carry out further attacks.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for Wednesday's suicide attack in Lahore on a building housing police, intelligence and emergency offices. Twenty-seven people were killed.
The militant group also threatened to continue attacking cities in Pakistan until the military ends its operations against Taliban militants in the country's northwest.
|
a4e9983f7c094c9a895c8e02f65ef148
|
Fighting in northwestern region has displaced roughly how many Pakistanis?
|
[
"2.4 million"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Oil company Royal Dutch Shell will pay $15.5 million to settle a lawsuit against its Nigerian subsidiary by the family of executed Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and other dissidents, the plaintiffs announced Monday.
A team from Royal Dutch Shell works amid spilled oil in Atali, Nigeria.
The lawsuit accuses Shell of complicity in the 1995 hanging of Saro-Wiwa and the killings or persecution of other environmental activists by the military government that ruled the country at the time. Roughly half of the settlement will go into a trust fund to help the people of Nigeria's Ogoni region, according to court papers.
"In reaching this settlement, we were very much aware that we are not the only Ogonis who have suffered in our struggle with Shell, which is why we insisted on creating the Kiisi Trust," Saro-Wiwa's son, Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr., said in a statement accompanying the settlement.
Nigeria's Ogoni people have complained for years that Shell was allowed to pollute its land without consequences. Saro-Wiwa's death sparked a worldwide outcry, and his movement ultimately forced Shell out of the oil- and gas-rich Ogoniland region.
There was no immediate response from Shell to Monday's settlement.
The New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights went to court on behalf of Saro-Wiwa's family and others in 1996. Shell fought the lawsuit until last week, when a federal appellate court ruled that the plaintiffs could sue the company's Nigerian subsidiary in American courts, overturning a March decision in the company's favor.
"This was one of the first cases to charge a multinational corporation with human-rights violations, and this settlement confirms that multinational corporations can no longer act with the impunity they once enjoyed," plaintiff's lawyer Jennie Green said in a statement released with the settlement.
|
d3f9f9719ce444b0bc9a7c5415241c4c
|
who has being complaining that Shell was polluting land
|
[
"Nigeria's Ogoni people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The parents of a 15-year-old Massachusetts high school student who committed suicide after being bullied by her classmates received a nearly quarter-million-dollar settlement, according to documents made public after a months-long attempt to uncover details of the agreement.
The settlement was reached with the town of South Hadley in November of 2010, but it was only made public Tuesday after a reporter successfully sued to gain access to the records.
The reporter, Emily Bazelon from Slate Magazine, filed the public records lawsuit on December 2 with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, after first requesting the documents in May.
Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup on Friday ordered the settlement be made public, adding that Bazelon "demonstrated that she, in her role as a news reporter, and the public have a First Amendment right to access the information contained in these settlement documents."
The agreement centers around the case of Phoebe Prince, whose body was found last year hanging in the stairway leading to her family's second-floor apartment.
On the day she died, Prince had endured a torrent of verbal abuse that began at the school library and continued as she walked home from school in tears, according to prosecutors.
Her parents, Anne O'Brien and Jeremy Prince, received the $225,000 settlement sum after filing a complaint with the state's Commission Against Discrimination in 2010, arguing that South Hadley Public Schools failed to address hazing that preceded their daughter's death.
The settlement prohibits Prince's parents from again suing the town over Prince's suicide, but it also binds them to a confidentiality agreement that prevents publicizing details of the agreement.
In a letter written to the Slate reporter on May 9, town officials pointed to a confidentiality clause in the agreement as reason for keeping the record sealed.
"I did not want to violate the trust of the people who entered into it with that confidentiality clause in it," town counsel Edward J. Ryan Jr. told CNN.
Civil rights advocacy groups have since hailed Friday's decision.
"A public document does not become private because the government inserts a confidentiality clause or a nondisclosure clause," said Newman.
According to the court order, public records are defined as "all books, papers, maps, photographs, recorded tapes, financial statements" and other items "made or received by any officer or employee of any agency."
|
77b07b48b27048e78915ff8804805591
|
Who were the bullies?
|
[
"her classmates"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China called for the hastening of reform that would give these emerging economies more power in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
"The IMF and the World Bank urgently need to address their legitimacy deficits," the leaders said in a statement released at the second summit of the so-called "BRIC" economies meeting on Thursday in Brasilia.
"Reforming these institutions' governance structures requires first and foremost a substantial shift in voting power in favor of emerging market economies and developing countries to bring their participation in decision making in line with their relative weight in the world economy," the BRIC communiqué said.
The countries urged for voting power reform to give developing countries a larger say in the World Bank at the upcoming "Spring Meetings" on April 24 and 25 in Washington and similar quota reform of the IMF completed by the G-20 Summit scheduled for November.
The BRIC summit -- the second since the group met in Russia last year -- was moved up a day, as Chinese President Hu Jintao cut his trip short to return to China after the earthquake in Qinghai province near the Tibetan border killed more than 700 people.
The BRIC nations -- a term coined by Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs in 2003 as the group of the fastest growing world economies -- comprise 40 percent of the world's population and about a quarter of its landmass. Together their GDP is roughly two-thirds that of the United States.
|
ea210c3f9c4f4850b0f9840f2e8cff5f
|
who urgently need to address their legitimacy deficits?
|
[
"\"The IMF and the World Bank"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two Italians, a Dane, a German, a Frenchman and a Brit walk into a space station... or will, in 2013, if all goes according to European Space Agency plans.
Europe's six new astronauts hope to join their American counterparts on the Internation Space Station.
The six new astronauts named Wednesday were chosen from more than 8,400 candidates, and are the first new ESA astronauts since 1992, the space agency said in a statement.
They include two military test pilots, one fighter pilot and one commercial pilot, plus an engineer and a physicist.
"This is a very important day for human spaceflight in Europe," said Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of Human Spaceflight at ESA.
"These young men and women are the next generation of European space explorers. They have a fantastic career ahead, which will put them right on top of one of the ultimate challenges of our time: going back to the Moon and beyond as part of the global exploration effort."
Humans have not walked on the moon since 1972, just over three years after the first manned mission to Earth's nearest neighbor.
The six will begin space training in Germany, with an eye to being ready for future missions to the International Space Station and beyond in four years.
They are: Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy, a fighter pilot with degrees in engineering and aeronautical sciences; Alexander Gerst, a German researcher with degrees in physics and earth science; Andreas Mogensen, a Danish engineer with the private space firm HE Space Operations; Luca Parmitano of Italy, an Air Force pilot with a degree in aeronautical sciences; Timothy Peake, an English test pilot with the British military; and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, an Air France pilot who previously worked as an engineer at the French space agency.
|
795c282f757b45bc96e3256d49917c9d
|
Who was chosen from 8,400 candidates?
|
[
"more than"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A federal appeals court in Argentina has ruled that a grandmother must stand trial for growing two marijuana plants in her backyard.
Argentina allows personal consumption of marijuana, and a federal judge had issued a stay against prosecuting the unnamed woman, who swore she used the marijuana solely for herself, the government's Judicial Information Center said last week.
But the public prosecutor's office appealed the ruling, and a federal appeals court overturned the previous decision because the woman lives with her two sons and a grandchild. She could not prove the marijuana was solely for personal consumption, the three-page appeals court ruling said.
Argentina's Supreme Court ruled in August it is unconstitutional to punish an adult for private use of marijuana -- as long as the use doesn't harm anyone else.
The unanimous ruling made Argentina the second Latin American country within a one-week span last year to allow personal use of a formerly illegal drug.
Mexico also enacted a law in August that decriminalized possession of small quantities of most drugs, including marijuana, heroin, cocaine and LSD.
Earlier last year, a Brazilian appeals court ruled possession of drugs for personal use is not illegal.
|
c345130b15f645c58ca4a5e5afb9bab3
|
What amount of marijuana is considered above a personal use amount in Argentina?
|
[
"two"
] |
NewsQA
|
Sirte, Libya (CNN) -- Mutassim Gadhafi, a son of ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, was reported captured Wednesday after a four-hour firefight in Sirte, said Abdallah Naker, the head of the Tripoli Revolutionary Council, who cited field commanders in Sirte as his sources.
But two senior National Transitional Council spokesmen said the report was unconfirmed and a third reportedly denied the claim.
Col. Ahmed Bani, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said the capture had not been confirmed. And NTC spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah told CNN from Benghazi that the report had not been corroborated.
Abudlmolah said Hassan al-Droyee, NTC's Sirte representative who is currently in Tripoli, denied the report.
Mutassim Gadhafi and a number of aides were captured around noon in an area considered the center of operations for Gadhafi loyalists, Naker said. They were then taken to Benghazi, he said. The scion had been directing operations in Sirte, the hometown of his father, which had been surrounded since Tuesday night, Naker said.
CNN teams in Tripoli and Sirte heard celebratory gunfire ring out as reports of the capture spread. From Benghazi, National Transitional Council spokesman Shamsiddin Abdulmolah said there was massive celebratory gunfire there, too.
Anti-Gadhafi forces have previously reported captures of Gadhafi relatives that proved to be untrue.
CNN's Mohammed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this story
|
aa5ea7fb6b4f4f3baa59f4b182c7e210
|
Who said the report is not confirmed?
|
[
"two senior National Transitional Council spokesmen"
] |
NewsQA
|
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A fugitive American white supremacist was arrested Monday in Israel, ending an international manhunt that began in 2007, Israeli and U.S. officials said.
Micky Louis Mayon, pictured in a 2007 mug shot, entered Israel in 2008, authorities say.
Micky Louis Mayon, one of the 100 most wanted people in the United States, was taken into custody in southern Tel Aviv after Israel received information from Interpol indicating he was there.
The Ku Klux Klan member was located during a secret operation by Israeli immigration authorities, said Sabin Hadad, a spokeswoman for the country's Interior Ministry.
He arrived in Israel in January 2008 on a one-month tourist visa, frequently changed apartments, and earned money by working part time at several restaurants, the ministry said.
Mayon, 32, is being held at Israel's Maasiyahu prison and is in the process of being deported, Hadad said.
"The search for Mayon came to a successful conclusion ... with the actions in Israel," Michael Regan, a U.S. marshal in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said Monday. "Locating and identifying Mayon in a foreign country sends a strong message that you can run, but you cannot hide."
Two U.S. marshals are being sent to Israel to escort him back to the United States.
Mayon was featured on the television program "America's Most Wanted." He is a convicted felon and is accused of setting a judge's car on fire in Pennsylvania, the show's Web site said.
|
42e6f11fe9e9454288905f9ec2b4484e
|
What was the fugitive's name?
|
[
"Micky Louis Mayon,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Trading two children for a bird landed three people in jail in Louisiana, authorities say.
The biological mother, who was not involved in the alleged trade, is to be interviewed by authorities Friday. Investigators seek further details about a case that they say unfolded this way:
Paul and Brandy Romero advertised that they were selling their pet cockatoo for $1,500.
A woman named Donna Greenwell responded and said she wanted to buy the bird. Greenwell then told the Romeros that she was taking care of three children whose biological parents were going through a separation.
Greenwell proposed selling two of the couple's children to the Romeros for $2,000, saying that her job as a truck driver made it hard to take care of the children, said Capt. Keith Dupre of the Evangeline Parrish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana.
The parties allegedly negotiated a trade involving the two kids, the bird and $175.
An anonymous tipster contacted authorities after the children began living with the Romeros.
As a result, Greenwell and the Romeros were arrested February 21 and charged with aggravated kidnapping, Dupre said.
The children were well taken care of when they were with the Romeros, who badly wanted children, according to Dupre.
Greenwell said she needed the cash for a lawyer to handle adoption paperwork, authorities said.
She had placed the third child with another Louisiana couple, Dupre said, but he didn't know whether bartering was involved.
The two children were ages 4 and 5, according to CNN affiliate WGNO.
Police did not identify the biological parents, and no other information was available. The children have been placed in foster care.
-- Sean Nottingham contributed to this report.
|
27a24035c06441d88d1914475639ef80
|
What was Greenwell and the Romeros charged with?
|
[
"aggravated kidnapping,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- World No. 2 Dinara Safina has been forced to pull out of next week's Dubai Tennis Championships due to her ongoing back problems.
The Russian announced on her Web site that she had been suffering from the injury since last year.
"Unfortunately, I will not be able to play the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships this year because of the back injury that's been bothering me since the end of last season," the 23-year-old said.
"I wish the tournament the best of success on its 10th anniversary and hope to be back next year, as it's one of my favorite events."
Safina lost her No. 1 ranking for the second time after retiring hurt during her first match at the season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar in October, and revealed then that she had been struggling with the problem for three months.
Forced to withdraw from her scheduled opening event of 2010, the Brisbane International, Safina was then beaten by compatriot Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals in Sydney.
She had to retire in the fourth round of the Australian Open in the first set of her clash with another Russian, Maria Kirilenko.
Dubai organizers expect the rest of the world's top-10 players to play, including Australian Open winner Serena Williams and her sister Venus, the defending champion.
World No. 1 Serena pulled out of this week's Paris Indoor Open due to a leg injury, leaving Dementieva as the highest-ranked player.
The world No. 7, last year's runner-up to Amelie Mauresmo, has a first-round bye and will begin her title bid against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic or fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who meet on Tuesday.
In Monday's action, eighth seed Elena Vesnina crushed Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1 6-4
Hungary's Agnes Szavay walked into the second round when Olga Govortsova of Belarus retired hurt while trailing 6-3 1-0, and will face third seed Yanina Wickmayer in the second round if the Belgian beats Croatian wildcard Petra Martic.
Defending champion Vera Zvonareva of Russia is top seed for this week's other WTA Tour event, the Pattaya Open in Thailand.
|
ea80fb4d0ffe4097a096768e49fa7c46
|
What is the world ranking of Dinara Safina ?
|
[
"No. 2"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Cornelia Wallace, ex-wife of four-time Alabama Gov. George Wallace, has died, the governor's office announced. She was in her late 60s.
The cause of death was not immediately known.
"She served as first lady during a very turbulent time and our thoughts and prayers are with her family today," Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and wife Patsy said in a statement.
Cornelia Wallace first met her husband at a party in the Alabama governor's mansion when her uncle, James Folsom, was governor and she was only eight years old, Time Magazine reported in 1972. She was 19 years younger than Wallace.
At the time, Wallace was a state legislator married to his first wife, Lurleen, who also served as Alabama governor.
The then Cornelia Ellis went to the semifinals of the Miss Alabama contest before becoming the star of the Cypress Gardens water ski show in Florida, Time reported. She married John Snively III, a millionaire whose family once owned the Gardens.
The couple had two sons but divorced seven years later.
After Lurleen Wallace died of cancer in 1968, George Wallace got back in touch with Cornelia Ellis Snively and they married in 1971. The following year, Cornelia Wallace was beside her husband when he was shot in a 1972 assassination attempt in a Maryland parking lot.
George and Cornelia Wallace divorced after his failed bid for the U.S. presidency in 1976.
George Wallace died in Montgomery on September 13, 1998.
|
8dbfab0c09c84ea3b1b0541ae242b096
|
What did Bob Riley say?
|
[
"\"She served as first lady during a very turbulent time and our thoughts and prayers are with her family today,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The venerable CBS soap opera "Guiding Light" will go dark in September after 72 years and 16,000 episodes, the network announced Wednesday.
Gina Tognoni is one of many performers who have appeared on "Guiding Light" over the years.
The daytime drama's declining viewership led to the decision, according to a CBS spokeswoman.
The show, which the Guinness Book of World Records lists as the longest-running television drama, first aired on NBC radio in 1937 as a 15-minute serial, the spokeswoman said.
It moved to television on the CBS network in 1952 as 15-minute drama. It later went to 30 minutes, and on November 7, 1977, it expanded to one hour and introduced the wealthy Spaulding family as foils to the show's middle-class Bauers, who were a mainstay of the show for much of its run.
In 1979, the show did a groundbreaking storyline when the character of Roger Thorpe (played by the late Michael Zaslow) raped his wife, Holly (Maureen Garrett).
The marital-rape story line reflected a significant real-life case in 1978 -- the state of Oregon v. John J. Rideout. It was the first time in modern U.S. history that a man was charged with raping his wife and then put on trial. It prompted national debate about whether a man had absolute sexual rights with his spouse. Rideout was acquitted.
Among the actors who went on to greater fame after roles on the show: Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones and Taye Diggs.
The last episode is set to air on September 18, the spokeswoman said. The show is produced in New York.
|
8803992004ff4583928fc76cc2168331
|
What was the length of the serial?
|
[
"72 years"
] |
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