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(CNN) -- Basketball legend Michael Jordan has caused a furor at the President's Cup golf tournament after the former Chicago Bulls player was snapped smoking a cigar at the Harding Park course in San Francisco.
Michael Jordan smoking a cigar at the Hardin Park golf course.
Jordan -- who is acting as the honorary assistant captain for the U.S. team at the event -- puffed while playing a practice round despite the city's ban on smoking at public golf courses.
Pictures were published in the San Francisco Chronicle of the 46-year-old flouting the rules, a move which prompted city officials to request the PGA Tour to remind Jordan of the law.
"It was sort of a gentle nudge reminding them that smoking is illegal and that we would appreciate their support," Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg told the Chronicle.
The breaking of the smoking ban carries a $100 fine, however, Matt Dorsey, the spokesman for City Attorney Dennis Herrera, told the newspaper: "Just don't expect me to ask him for it."
Fred Couples invited Jordan to be an honorary assistant captain at the Presidents Cup, and the Hall of Famer spoke to reporters on Monday about his smoking.
"I heard this is a public place, so they limit what you can smoke, but this was a practice round and no one said anything," he told the gathered media.
British Open champion Stewart Cink backed Jordan despite the outcry suggesting the cigar was unlit: "The tobacco usage did become a little bit of a story out there, because I saw Michael with a cigar in his mouth that was unlit.
"He's trying to set a good example for the rest of the people who see on TV what we are doing out there, just try to set a good example and try to chew his tobacco instead of smoke it."
|
bc54af007eb7439eb79d677b33d04a00
|
what its Illegal under San Francisco?
|
[
"smoking"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Peruvian soccer star Paolo Guerrero has been punished with a record fine by his German club Hamburg for throwing a water bottle into the face of a fan who he claimed had insulted him.
The striker made a public apology on Monday, but could face further disciplinary action from the German Football Association on Tuesday.
The incident happened at the end of Hamburg's 0-0 draw with relegation-threatened Hannover on Sunday, a result which dented Guerrero's team's hopes of qualifying for European competition next season.
"I had a blackout," the 26-year-old told Hamburg's official Web site. "I was insulted and I over-reacted. "I am incredibly sorry. I hope that I get the opportunity to apologize personally to the spectator concerned.
"I have already done so to HSV. Of course I will accept any punishment from the club. I made a big mistake."
Chairman Bernd Hoffmann said Guerrero's behavior was "absolutely unacceptable."
"Something like that is not allowed to happen. Paulo will be heavily fined by us. He has assured us believably how sorry he is."
The amount of the fine has not been disclosed, but Hoffman told German football magazine Kicker that it would be "the like of which there has never been in the club."
Ralf Bednarik of the Hamburg Supporters' Board told the club's Web site that fans should accept Guerrero's apology.
"Players have to deal with criticism," he said. "But Paolo Guerrero has apologized for his behavior. Now it's up to us all to reappraise the things and to jointly look into the future."
Guerrero has played 24 times for his country, but missed many of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers after suffering injuries and being handed a six-game suspension for abusing a referee. Peru finished bottom of the South American group.
He moved to Hamburg in 2006 after beginning his Bundesliga career at Bayern Munich, and played as a second-half substitute against Hannover after recently returning to action following seven months on the sidelines with a knee injury.
|
f418ab9953ec4f1fb7e128b9c950313a
|
Peruvian striker apologizes?
|
[
"Paolo Guerrero"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth celebrates her 82nd birthday Saturday with a parade and military ceremony known as "Trooping the Color."
Britain's Queen Elizabeth attends the Derby Festival at Epson Downs horse race course on June 7.
The queen's birthday is actually April 21, but she officially celebrates it every year on a Saturday in June when good weather is more likely, according to Buckingham Palace.
During the ceremony, which is open to the public, the queen inspects the troops. They then march past the queen, who rides in a carriage back to the palace.
The Royal Air Force then conducts a colorful fly-past over Buckingham Palace while the queen and her family watch from the balcony.
The queen has attended Trooping the Color every year of her reign except for one -- 1955, when a national rail strike canceled the event, the palace says.
The ceremony gets its name from a tradition where colors of the battalion were carried, or "trooped," down the ranks so they could be seen and recognized by the soldiers, Buckingham Palace says.
|
84656e18d30d4394b1f97206a0099c5c
|
When is the Queen's birthday celebrated?
|
[
"every year on a Saturday in June"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- An explosion outside a Starbucks on the Upper East Side of Manhattan sent frightened people running into the street early Monday.
Police investigate an explosion in a Manhattan Upper East Side neighborhood.
The explosion blew out the windows of a Starbucks coffeehouse at East 92nd Street and Third Avenue at 3:25 a.m., according to New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
A "low-order improvised explosive device" exploded after being left on a wooden bench in front of the coffeehouse, Kelly said. The blast could be heard many blocks away, according to CNN affiliate WABC-TV of New York.
Seven people were briefly evacuated from the building above the Starbucks, Kelly said, but no one was injured. The interior of the Starbucks sustained no damage.
It's too early to tell whether Monday's incident is connected to other minor explosions in New York City in recent years, including ones at the British and Mexican consulates and another in Times Square, Kelly said.
He did note one immediate similarity between the detonations: All occurred at roughly the same time of night. He said the police would continue to analyze other similarities.
However, Kelly also noted that Starbucks has been the target of low-grade explosions in other cities.
Police plan to examine surveillance cameras for information that could lead investigators to the perpetrator, he said.
|
8302f7f01b274543b03a34c3795d6f27
|
What connections are the police investigating
|
[
"other minor explosions in New York City in recent years,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Uga VII, the University of Georgia mascot whose deeply furrowed face was a fixture at the school for more than a year, died early Thursday, the university said. He was 4 years old.
The purebred English bulldog died of heart-related causes in Savannah, Georgia, according to its owner, Frank "Sonny" Seiler.
Fans knew Uga VII had arrived when the white dog, sporting a spiked collar and red Georgia University jersey, made his short strides along the football field's sidelines. He made his first appearance at the August 30, 2008, season opener, when Georgia faced off against Georgia Southern, the university said. He was nearing the end of his second season with the team, the university said.
He was preceded by his father, Uga VI, the university's winningest mascot, who died of congestive heart failure.
"This is a very sad day for the Seiler family but also for all Georgia people," said Damon Evans, University of Georgia director of athletics in a university news release. "Just as his ancestors, he had captured the hearts of college football fans everywhere as the country's No. 1 mascot. He had been truly embraced by all those who follow the Georgia Bulldogs across the country. We will miss him dearly."
Uga VII's given name was Loran's Best, the university said. His death was unexpected.
"We are all in a state of shock," Seiler said in the release. "We had no warning whatsoever."
A wreath will be placed on Uga VII's doghouse on the sideline, the university said. There won't be a live mascot to take his place at Saturday's game against Kentucky.
Officials have not decided who will replace the white bulldog, but the decision is expected next year, Seiler said.
Until then, fans and Seiler will mourn the loss of the school's favorite pooch.
"He was 10-3 last year, which is not bad for a freshman," Seiler said. "Uga VII was not as active or mischievous as his father but more distinguished. He realized his role when he put his shirt on. He was well-behaved and always appreciated the significance of his role."
|
fb0290b4b0b941c79b39f99bda4dddd7
|
Uga VII was which university's mascot?
|
[
"of Georgia"
] |
NewsQA
|
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexican federal police have arrested a fugitive on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list, Mexican authorities said.
Jorge Alberto Lopez Orozco allegedly murdered his girlfriend and her two young sons.
Jorge Alberto Lopez Orozco is wanted in Elmore County, Idaho, on charges that he shot and killed three people, the FBI said. The charred remains of a woman and her sons, ages 2 and 4, were found inside a burned-out vehicle on August 11, 2002, it said. Each victim had been shot in the head or chest.
The FBI was still working Friday to confirm the identity of the man in custody, said Debbie Dujanovic, a spokeswoman in the agency's Salt Lake City, Utah, field office. The Salt Lake City office has jurisdiction in the case.
An extradition order was issued in January 2007, the Mexican attorney general's office said in a news release Thursday.
A reward of up to $100,000 was being offered, the FBI said.
Lopez, 33, was captured in Zihuatanejo, a city northwest of Acapulco on the Pacific Coast in southern Mexico, the Mexican attorney general's office said. Zihuatanejo is in Guerrero state, but Lopez was transferred to a jail in neighboring Michoacan state, officials said.
The arrest came about after investigation and intelligence work by Mexican authorities, the attorney general's office said.
According to the FBI, Lopez abducted his girlfriend, Rebecca Ramirez, and her two young sons from her father's house in Nyssa, Oregon, on July 30, 2002. The car he had been driving was found nearly two weeks later on a rural road near Mountain Home, Idaho, officials said. It had been torched with the three bodies inside.
The suspect's brother, Simon Lopez Orozco, and Simon's wife, Maria Cruz Garcia, have been charged with accessory to first-degree murder, the FBI said. Garcia was arrested in California three years ago, but Simon Lopez Orozco is believed still at large.
Mexican officials captured another FBI Top 10 fugitive on July 17. Emigdio Preciado Jr. was wanted in connection with the shooting of two Los Angeles County, California, sheriff's deputies in September 2000. He had been charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, attempted murder of a police officer.
|
b239449b2fb147348f08efedbbbba837
|
What was found in August 11 2002?
|
[
"The charred remains of a woman and her sons, ages 2 and 4,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Singapore's economy shrank by 4.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said Thursday, as it forecast the economy would contract between 2 and 5 percent this year.
Boats ply under a bridge near the financial district of Singapore.
Compared to a robust growth of 7.8 percent a year earlier, the economy grew by 1.1 percent for the whole of 2008, the ministry added.
It called Gross Domestic Product growth prospects for 2009 "weak ... on account of the pessimistic global economic outlook."
All major sectors, except for construction, business services and information and communications, saw contractions, the ministry said.
The ministry cited a decline in private sector investments and private consumption expenditure for dragging down total domestic demand.
Declines in global demand for electronics products, pharmaceuticals and chemicals were also likely to weigh on the manufacturing sector.
|
81fc4fbf676e4db4813a9c5de1c55864
|
What will shrinks in the fourth quarter?
|
[
"economy"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani security forces say they have killed at least 16 militants overnight in the country's volatile tribal region.
Pakistani security personnel patrol the Buner district.
This appears to be separate from the hostilities in the military's week-long crackdown in northwestern Pakistan against a Taliban militant advance in the country's North West Frontier Province.
However, this reflects the tensions in the region and could signal a spread of fighting resulting from the crackdown.
The Pakistani offensive started in the province on Sunday and it came after Taliban militants moved into Buner district last week, a move that alarmed U.S. and Pakistani officials.
In this latest incident, about 100 militants attacked a Frontier Corps checkpost in the Mohmand Agency, an area where militants hold great sway. Troops returned fire and killed the 16 militants, the military said.
Mohmand is in the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas that borders a volatile region in war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
The military on Saturday released details about other incidents in the province that occurred over the last 24 hours.
Troops conducted a successful operation against militants in the district, in the Ambela-Daggar area in the Buner district. They secured a key road and cleared roadside bombs, the military said.
In the province's Upper Dir district, militants abducted and then released 10 troops and seized their weaponry and ammunition. And two civilians were wounded when militants lobbed hand grenades.
In the province's Swat district, militants attacked a security forces checkpost on Khawazakhela Bridge and Sambat Ridge. In Langer, security forces and militants exchanged fire and forces found military uniforms that militants were using for terrorist activity. Three Afghan nationals were among five militants arrested while planting a roadside bomb.
Earlier this year, Pakistan entered into an agreement with militants, allowing them to enforce Islamic, or sharia, in parts of Swat Valley in exchange for ceasing violence. The Swat Valley is a broader area that includes several provincial districts, including Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Malakand, Upper Dir, and Lower Dir.
But Pakistani officials say the armed militants' advance into Buner district violated the agreement and briefly halted peace talks between both sides in North West Frontier Province.
Representatives from Pakistan's government and the Taliban restarted their negotiations on Friday and were planning to have another session soon, a provincial spokesman said.
The Pakistani government has been criticized for not cracking down on militants along its border with Afghanistan. As a result, the U.S. military has carried out airstrikes against militant targets in Pakistan, which have rankled relations between the two countries.
|
91063e2488a545afb4789f7d98660ab3
|
What did 100 militants attack?
|
[
"Frontier Corps checkpost in the Mohmand Agency,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Actress Sharon Stone said in a statement Saturday that she "could not be more regretful" of her comments this month regarding the earthquake in China, in which she suggested that the quake was an act of "karma."
Sharon Stone made the controversial remarks before she hosted a charity auction at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Yes, I misspoke," said the statement released by Stone's publicist and entitled "In my own words by Sharon Stone."
"I could not be more regretful of that mistake. It was unintentional. I apologize. Those words were never meant to be hurtful to anyone," Stone said. "They were an accident of my distraction and a product of news sensationalism."
Stone said Saturday that she was issuing the statement to set the record straight about the comments she made to a reporter at the Cannes Film Festival.
The statement drew fire from citizens and government officials.
"There have been numerous reports about what I said in Cannes. I would like to set the record straight about what I feel in my heart and end all of the understandings," she said.
"They're not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a friend of mine," Stone said on camera at the time, discussing the Chinese. "And then all of this earthquake and all this happened and I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice, that bad things happen to you?"
Qin Gang, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, said Stone "should do more to promote understanding and friendship between nations."
French fashion house Christian Dior said it would drop Stone from its advertisements in China after her May 22 remarks.
"We absolutely disagree with her hasty comments, and we are also deeply sorry about them," Dior said in a statement from its Shanghai, China, headquarters.
But Stone said she was "deeply saddened by the pain that this whole situation has caused the victims of the devastating earthquake in China."
As of Friday, the death toll from the May 12 magnitude-7.9 quake stood at 68,858, with another 18,618 missing.
|
a9f47f2e2534495ba83804c0cf57198b
|
What did the actress issue?
|
[
"statement"
] |
NewsQA
|
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Fay made landfall in southwestern Florida early Tuesday, coming ashore at Cape Romano just south of Marco Island, the National Hurricane Center said.
Satellite image shows Tropical Storm Fay along Florida's southwest coast at 11 p.m. ET Monday.
Forecasters immediately dropped hurricane warnings for the storm as it never reached the 74 mph threshold necessary for hurricane status.
It was the third landfall for the storm, which came ashore in western Cuba Sunday night and then again over Key West Monday afternoon.
Voluntary evacuations were urged Monday evening on Marco Island, a community of about 12,000 people near Naples on southwestern Florida's coast. However, a CNN crew reported many people seemed to be staying and few had boarded windows there.
At of 5 a.m. ET Tuesday, the storm was moving north-northwest at 9 mph (15 km/hr) and was on the Florida coastline at Cape Romano, or about 55 miles (90 km) south of Fort Myers.
Maximum sustained winds were near 60 mph (95 km/hr), with higher gusts, and forecasters expected some strengthening prior to landfall. Tropical storm force winds extended up to 125 miles (205 km). iReport.com: Are you there? Share photos, video
Fay is expected to continue in a north-northeasterly direction throughout the day, passing near Orlando, and entering the Atlantic as a tropical depression off the coast of northeastern Florida early Wednesday. Watch wind, rain batter Key West »
A tropical storm warning wraps around the bottom of the Florida peninsula from Longboat Key on the Gulf Coast to Flagler Beach on the east. The Florida Keys from Ocean Reef to the west end of the Seven Mile Bridge are also included in the warning.
Rainfall amounts up to 10 inches are expected across portions of southern and east-central Florida, with 4 to 8 inches elsewhere along the storm's path.
Isolated tornadoes are possible over the Florida Keys and the southern Florida peninsula, the center said.
|
98ef581359b342889a897f59e06075e0
|
When did the storm come ashore?
|
[
"early Tuesday,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A key investor with convicted swindler Bernie Madoff drowned in his swimming pool Sunday afternoon, police said.
Jeffry Picower, 67, was found unconscious in his pool at his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Palm Beach police said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police said they are investigating his death using "standard operating procedure in any drowning."
Picower invested with Madoff, who was convicted of operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding thousands of investors. Madoff pleaded guilty in March to 11 counts, including fraud, money laundering and perjury, and was sentenced to 150 years in prison.
Prosecutors have said it was the largest investor fraud ever committed by a single person, totaling billions in losses to investors.
Picower's Picower Foundation of Palm Beach announced it was shutting down early this year because of Madoff losses, CNN Money reported. Picower's 2007 tax return valued its portfolio at $955 million.
But there were also suggestions that Picower benefited from Madoff's swindle. Citing an unnamed source, Fortune magazine said in April that Frank DiPascali, the chief lieutenant in Madoff's secretive investment business, was "prepared to testify that he manipulated phony returns on behalf of some key Madoff investors," including Picower.
Picower also allegedly "extracted billions of dollars from Madoff's fund before it collapsed," according to Forbes magazine.
|
db1a37c8eee94da88d620138780da2de
|
Who did the patient invest money with?
|
[
"Bernie Madoff"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Sen. Tom Daschle will be announced Thursday as President-elect Barack Obama's nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, a Democratic source said Wednesday.
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, shown with his wife, Linda, says he will write Obama's health care plan.
CNN has previously reported that the 61-year-old former Senate majority leader from South Dakota would be Obama's choice, but not the announcement date.
In November, Daschle said he was excited about the possibility of serving as point person in Obama's effort to change the nation's health care system.
Daschle is on the health care advisory group of Obama's transition team and said he plans to write the health care plan that Obama submits to Congress next year.
"I hope to have the plan enacted by next year, and then it will take several years to implement," Daschle said last month.
Daschle said reforming health care in the United States must be a priority in the current economic climate.
"We can't afford not to do it," he said. "If we do nothing, we'll be paying twice as much on health care in 10 years as we do today."
Daschle served as Democratic leader in the Senate from 1995 until he lost a re-election bid in 2004.
Representing South Dakota, he was first elected as a congressman in 1978 and served in the House until he was elected to the Senate in 1986.
He recently wrote a book on health care titled "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health Care Crisis."
In the book, he pushed for universal health care coverage to reach 46 million uninsured Americans by expanding the federal employee health benefits program to include private employer plans together with Medicaid and Medicare.
Most Republicans oppose any such plan, saying it would give too much power to the government. They've also questioned Daschle's recent work for a Washington lobbying firm.
His wife, Linda Daschle, is a registered lobbyist for a firm that includes health care clients. But a source close to Daschle told CNN that Linda Daschle would be leaving the firm at the end of the year to set up her own company focusing on transportation lobbying in order to clear any potential conflicts of interest.
CNN's Candy Crowley and Ed Henry contributed to this report.
|
5a7e9bf86c3f445da94b7e32b73218e2
|
Who else is on the "transition team"?
|
[
"Tom Daschle"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced cautious optimism regarding the situation in Iraq Wednesday, noting greater stability and decreased violence as U.S. troops continue to cede control to their Iraqi counterparts.
President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki talk Wednesday at the White House.
"I have no doubt that there will be some tough days ahead," Obama said during a joint appearance of the leaders at the White House.
"There are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict. ... But make no mistake, those efforts will fail," he added.
The president said he is committed to moving forward with a pledge to remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010, as well as all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.
Al-Maliki promised the Iraqi government would step up its efforts to prevent a return of widespread sectarian violence.
"Those who thought that the Iraqi forces [would] be incapable of imposing peace and security [have been] proved to be wrong," he said. Watch al-Maliki speak about "strategic friendship" with U.S. »
In addition to meeting with Obama, al-Maliki is scheduled to sit down with Vice President Joe Biden. He will also meet with the secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury, and with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Some foreign policy experts have expressed concern that as the United States pivots from Iraq to Afghanistan, Iraq and its problems will be ignored.
Responding to that criticism, one senior administration official said this week, "Our goal is, in fact as we formalize the relationship, to concentrate on other areas," but he suggested that Iraq would remain a U.S. priority.
Hours before the two leaders met, at least five Iranian pilgrims were killed and dozens more wounded earlier Wednesday in an attack northeast of Baghdad.
The violence came a day after a spate of bombings left at least 22 Iraqis dead and about 150 wounded.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Dan Lothian contributed to this report.
|
2b60b494bb8d49f1956bf602d15b61b4
|
How many Iranian pilgrims died in the Baghdad attack?
|
[
"at least five"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British police are reviewing the death of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, 40 years after the hard-living rocker was found dead in a swimming pool.
An autographed photo of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones who was found dead in July 1969
Police in Sussex, in southern England, have confirmed they are examining documents given to them by an investigative journalist who has been researching events surrounding Jones' death.
Scott Jones, who is not related to the musician, has spent four years reviewing the evidence and speaking to key witnesses in the case.
In an article published in the Daily Mail in November 2008, Jones wrote, "I'm convinced Brian Jones' death was not fully investigated. The only question that remains is why?"
Brian Jones' body was found in the swimming pool after a party at his home in Cotchford Farm, East Sussex in July 1969. He was 27.
An inquest returned a verdict of death by misadventure, despite post mortem results showing he had not taken illegal drugs and had only consumed the alcoholic equivalent of three and a half pints of beer.
One of the most popular conspiracy theories that followed was that Jones was murdered by his builder, Frank Thorogood.
The theory gained credence after Thorogood allegedly confessed to the killing before his death in 1993. The storyline formed the basis of the 2005 film "Stoned."
Sussex police told CNN they could not say how long it would take to review the new material, nor whether it could lead to a full investigation.
There have been repeated calls for closer examination of the case since Jones' death, which came just three weeks after he left the Rolling Stones.
His drinking and drug-taking had taken a toll on his health and the band, and in 1969 Jones announced he was leaving.
In a statement he said, "I no longer see eye-to-eye with the others over the discs we are cutting."
Last year, Scott Jones published an article containing contents of an interview he conducted with one of the people present at Jones' home on the night of his death.
In the article, published in the Daily Mail, Jones' said Janet Lawson, the girlfriend of Rolling Stones tour manager Tom Keylock, gave him a version of events that contradicted her official police statement.
She is reported to have called her original statement, "a pack of lies... total rubbish."
Lawson's revised version of events is among the documents Jones has supplied to Sussex police. It is also believed to include previously unseen files released by the Public Records Office.
Lawson died of cancer soon after telling Scott Jones her new sworn testimony.
|
ff16b3408e084b3ebf04dc9747e57df6
|
What did the inquest find?
|
[
"death by misadventure,"
] |
NewsQA
|
MOGADISHU, Somalia (CNN) -- Gunmen attacked a convoy Sunday in Somalia and took several hostages, including two foreign aid workers from the group Doctors Without Borders.
Medecins San Frontieres workers, shown here, were abducted and released in March in Sudan.
Local staff said a three-car convoy was traveling from Rabbure to Hudur in southwestern Somalia, escorted by local bodyguards, when gunmen seized the group.
The district commissioner of Rabbure said the only people released were elders accompanying the staff, with the local and international staff kept as hostages.
Doctors Without Borders, widely known by its French name Medecins Sans Frontieres, did not immediately release the identities or nationalities of the hostages. MSF is an international medical group that works in more than 60 countries. It says it helps people "threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe."
Michel Peremans, international coordinator for operational communications for MSF Belgium, which operates in the region, confirmed that the organization had lost contact with two of its staff in Somalia.
Rabbure is in the Bakole region, which is under the control of the group al-Shabaab, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
Al-Shabaab was once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union, which took over most of southern Somalia in the second half of 2006. The United States says the group is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network, and the U.S. backed an Ethiopian invasion that drove the ICU from power in 2006.
The ICU's former leader, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, became president after Ethiopian troops withdrew in January. Al-Shabaab rejected the peace agreement that led to the Ethiopian withdrawal and is now fighting Sheikh Ahmed's government.
Attacks on aid workers in the region are common, and U.N. staff came under attack this year.
In Sudan, on the other side of Ethiopia, four workers from Medecins Sans Frontieres were abducted in March and released a few days later.
All four -- an Italian doctor, a Canadian nurse, a French coordinator and a Sudanese guard -- worked for the Belgian section of the humanitarian organization Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Sudan last month ordered 13 major aid groups to leave the country after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing him of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
CNN's Mohammed Amin and Carol Jordan contributed to this report.
|
44259389257948a88c1eb58cdf27884a
|
Workers from which organization were abducted?
|
[
"Doctors Without Borders."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday he is cutting all ties with Colombia as long as Alvaro Uribe remains its president.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe withdrew his support for the Venezuelan leader's mediation efforts with the FARC.
"I say before the world, while President Uribe is president of Colombia, I will not have any type of relation with him or with the government of Colombia," Chavez said in an address broadcast on national television. "I can't, I can't, I can't."
Chavez noted that Uribe had asked him to help secure the release of hundreds of hostages being held by the leftist rebel group Armed Revolutionary Front of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
"I went with my heart in my hand, and I was ready," Chavez told a group of supporters in the southwestern state of Tachira. "I was prepared to go to the most dangerous forest in the country to help."
But last Thursday, Uribe ended Chavez's participation, citing his direct communication with Uribe's top general, a move that Uribe said broke protocol.
"When we were at the point of succeeding, Uribe comes and, without telling me anything, he didn't even call me on the phone or send me an emissary, just sent me a letter saying he was ending my mission," Chavez said. "That was a kick."
Without being specific, Chavez accused Uribe of having lied. "That's real ugly," he said. Chavez also accused Uribe of having bowed to pressure from Washington "to get rid of Chavez."
But the firebrand Venezuelan president, who has called U.S. President George W. Bush "the devil," said his arms are open to the Colombian people. E-mail to a friend
|
7430fff48fe143459e5d263092f91ccb
|
who says that uribe asked him to help secure the releas of hostages
|
[
"Chavez"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- More than 150 people have abandoned a sinking cruise liner that collided with an iceberg in Antarctic waters, a Chilean navy captain told CNN.
The ship sent out a distress call at around 10 p.m. ET Thursday.
Passenger ship Explorer reported problems near the South Shetland Islands, south of Argentina. The area is in a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom.
Capt. Carlos Munita of the Chilean navy said they received a distress call from the Explorer, saying the vessel had hit an iceberg around 10 p.m. ET Thursday.
He added a Norwegian rescue ship had arrived at the scene.
Tour companies describe the Explorer as a passenger ship which runs tours between South America and Antarctica.
Some 154 people are reported to be on board ship, which carries a Liberian flag, including 100 passengers. However the nationalities of those on board is not yet known.
Passengers and crew have been evacuated onto lifeboats, but the captain and the first officer are reported to have stayed on board.
"The great majority of people, including all the passengers, have been safely taken off the Explorer and are now being recovered by the first of the vessels to arrive on scene in response to the distress call," Dave Jardine-Smith, head of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) search and rescue team in England said.
"The passengers and crew from the Explorer have not been in lifeboats very long," Jardine-Smith said. "They should be, hopefully, in good condition. We are told that there are no injuries."
Earlier, Mark Clark, a spokesman for the MCA told the Press Association five ships were on their way to help the sinking vessel.
"She hit something and is taking on a serious amount of water, that is all we know."
The temperature in the area is said to be at around minus 5C, with a sea temperature at around minus 1C, forecasters told the Press Association.
Stephen Davenport, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, said:"It wouldn't take long for hypothermia to set in at that kind of temperature in the sea.
"They do get very bad storms down that way, and gale force winds especially, because there is no land in the way," he told PA.
Lt. Matt Alex from the US Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center said the boat is owned by Gap Adventures, based in Toronto, Canada. E-mail to a friend
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e0d863a774414212be22739581754e16
|
what was the amount o passengers that passengers evacuated from a ship after it struck object in Antarctic waters?
|
[
"More than 150"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least 14 people were dead and four missing in the Philippines a day after Typhoon Mirinae roared through the heart of the country, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said Sunday.
Mirinae was the fourth typhoon to affect the archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in a month. It quickly dissipated after Saturday's landfall, becoming a tropical storm. Mirinae was forecast to weaken further before hitting Vietnam on Monday, forecasters said.
The hardest hit areas were the Southern Luzon and Bicol regions, the Philippines News Agency reported. Civil Defense administrator Glenn Rabonza said more than 13,000 people were affected by the storm.
The storm brought at least 85 millimeters (3.3 inches) of rain to Manila. The city of Daet, on the eastern coast, received 149 millimeters (5.8 inches) of rain, and Virac, which sits on an island that juts into the Pacific, received 72 millimeters (2.8 inches) of rain.
The first of the four typhoons to threaten the Philippines happened in late September, when Ketsana drenched the island nation with its heaviest rainfall in 40 years. Eighty percent of Manila flooded and more than 420 people died.
Are you there? Share photos, video of the weather
Flooding from Ketsana has lasted well into October and tens of thousands of people are still in evacuation centers, according to the disaster coordinating council.
Typhoon Parma made landfall on October 3 in a rural region of fishermen and farmers in Luzon, the largest of the Philippine islands. It destroyed 55,000 houses and killed more than 430 people.
Last week, a third typhoon, Lupit, narrowly missed making landfall, but brought lots of rain to the Philippines.
|
cd810b2056604c68a33ecbfe2383a8dd
|
wich is the last storms that hit the region?
|
[
"Mirinae"
] |
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.
|
b5a26dc252784c1b80e7a8d3ef5a0d23
|
How many people were injured in the accident?
|
[
"two"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Yahoo! announced Monday that the search is on for the Internet giant's next CEO.
Jerry Yang, Yahoo! co-founder, speaks at an electronics show in Las Vegas in January.
The new CEO will replace Yahoo! co-founder, Jerry Yang, who assumed the position in June 2007 and has since come under fire for failing to turn around the company.
Yang will step down when a replacement is selected.
Just two weeks ago at the Web 2.0 Summit, Yang was asked if he was the right guy to lead the battered portal.
Yang dodged the question by defending his passion for the company he co-founded 13 years ago.
"I didn't make the decision of being the CEO lightly," he said. "I wanted to make a change at Yahoo! that I believe I can make ... That's a dream that I felt I could achieve by being CEO and that's still the dream today."
Now, Yang plans to return to his former role as "Chief Yahoo" and will still have a seat on the board, Yahoo! said.
During his short tenure, Yahoo! has had two major rounds of layoffs and has seen its search market share shrink significantly while a series of reorganizations led to the departure of senior executives.
Wall Street and shareholders criticized Yang for falling short of reaching an agreement to sell the company to Microsoft.
Yang also was taken to task when Google pulled out of a controversial ad agreement earlier this month that would have boosted Yahoo's revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Yahoo! said the search for a new CEO will encompass both internal and external candidates.
"Over the past year and a half, despite extraordinary challenges and distractions, Jerry Yang has led the repositioning of Yahoo! on an open platform model as well as the improved alignment of costs and revenues," said Chairman Roy Bostock.
"Jerry and the Board have had an ongoing dialogue about succession timing, and we all agree that now is the right time to make the transition to a new CEO who can take the company to the next level."
|
19c2d16c15374e8a8d75871fd0f4919f
|
Who was criticized for not reaching a deal to sell Yahoo?
|
[
"Yang"
] |
NewsQA
|
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (CNN) -- Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said Friday that government prosecutors are trying to determine who put microphones and video cameras in the presidential palace.
Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom: "Organized crime" may be behind cameras found in the presidential palace.
"It's a serious allegation, it has never happened before in Guatemala," he told CNN en Español.
He said he did not know who was responsible for the breach of security, but added, "One of the possibilities is organized crime."
He said "a lot of people" had access to the palace and his office.
Colom noted that Mexican President Felipe Calderon's anti-narcotrafficking efforts may have pressured drug cartels to move their smuggling to other countries, including Guatemala.
Calderon said in June that his campaign against drug traffickers was working. Mexico has seized more cocaine and money from drug cartels than anywhere else in the world and this summer Mexican authorities seized at least 16,000 arms, including more than 1,000 grenades.
Colom said Friday that he has already taken measures to ensure his security and that of his family.
The president said that the discovery of the microphones and cameras explain, to him, some strange experiences he's had recently.
He said he was in his office when the Guatemalan military called him and asked permission to seize a plane suspected of carrying illegal drugs.
Within moments of approving the action, the plane disappeared. He is convinced the call was being monitored.
Colom took office in January and is Guatemala's first leftist president in 53 years.
CNN's Claudia Palacios contributed to this report.
|
de2c6d94f6244de29851d51f68e846de
|
where might have the anti-trafficking campaign pushed criminals
|
[
"other countries, including Guatemala."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A judge subpoenaed the Spanish king's son-in-law Thursday in a corruption case that has drawn increased scrutiny to the royal family.
Inaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma de Mallorca, must testify on February 6, a Spanish court said in a statement.
The case, widely reported in Spanish media for weeks, has fueled public criticism of the royal family. Thursday's statement from the Balearic Islands Superior Court of Justice formally named Urdangarin as a defendant, but did not specify charges against him.
According to media reports, authorities have been investigating whether a foundation headed by Urdangarin improperly used public funds.
Mario Pascual Vives, an attorney representing Urdangarin, told reporters Thursday that his client is "absolutely innocent."
Vives said Urdangarin, who lives in Washington, was on a skiing trip in the United States and had not spoken with him about the case since the court's announcement Thursday.
Urdangarin, a former Olympic handball player, married the Spanish king's youngest daughter in 1997.
The corruption allegations have brought increased scrutiny to the monarchy as Spain faces a nationwide economic crisis.
The court's announcement came a day after Spain's royal family publicly revealed its finances for the first time in an effort to boost public confidence and transparency.
An announcement by the royal palace that Urdangarin will not participate in official family activities during the investigation and remarks by King Juan Carlos in his Christmas Eve speech that "justice is equal for everyone" have deflected public criticisms of the royal family, according to Gerardo Correas of the International School of Protocol in Madrid.
A large round of applause greeted the king at an inauguration ceremony for the new legislature earlier this week, Correas said.
But many Spaniards were still buzzing over the political scandal -- with some asking whether other members of the royal family were connected to, or aware of, Urdangarin's business dealings.
"The debate continues in the street and will continue for a long time," Correas said.
CNN's Ana Maria Luengo-Romero and Miguel Angel Antonanzas contributed to this report.
|
87044989ec4e47d091deaea9370fa360
|
Urdangarin is a former what?
|
[
"Olympic handball player,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Portugal have confirmed that captain Cristiano Ronaldo will not be fit for the World Cup playoffs against Bosnia-Herzegovina, thus ending a growing club-versus-country row.
The Portuguese Football Federation had insisted that the world's most expensive player travel home to be assessed, despite his Spanish club Real Madrid insisting that he could not play due to his ongoing ankle problems.
Coach Carlos Queiroz had selected the forward in his squad for Saturday's match in Lisbon and the return leg in Zenica four days later despite the objections of the Spanish club.
Real at first refused to release the 24-year-old, having sent him to see Dutch specialist Niek van Dijk, but relented on Tuesday to allow the Portuguese medics to make their own verdict.
"After clinical evaluation and imaging, it was concluded that the player is not physically able to integrate the preparation stage of the national team for these games," read a statement on the Portuguese FF's Web site on Tuesday night.
"The Portuguese Football Federation wish the player a good and quick recovery."
Ronaldo has been sidelined since October 10, when he aggravated an ankle problem playing for Portugal in a qualifier that he had suffered on club duty the previous month.
Real do not expect him to be fit for at least another two weeks, but Portugal had hoped he could help them qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
Queiroz defended his decision to make Ronaldo travel home to be assessed.
"Based on the rules and principles governing clubs and associations, we have put Cristiano in the squad," he said.
"I was coach of Real. The club deserves respect. I know the medical team, president and CE,. I have every respect for that club. This fact cannot compel me to put any club below or above the others. All clubs and players deserve equal treatment."
|
eb570b7a2f104202942befdd5cee060f
|
Who will not be fit for the Wold Cup playoffs?
|
[
"captain Cristiano Ronaldo"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two photographs of Madonna set to appear in a Christie's auction next month will probably sell for at least $10,000 each, according to estimates posted on the company's Web site.
Christie's will auction a nude photo of Madonna (partially shown above) taken by Lee Friedlander.
One, a full-frontal nude black-and-white photograph of the singer, was taken in 1979 by celebrated American photographer Lee Friedlander for a series of nudes he was working on, said Milena Sales, a spokeswoman for the auction house.
Madonna was about 20 when the photograph, one of several, was taken.
A handful from the shoot appeared in Playboy magazine in 1985, Sales said. Christie's put price estimates for the photograph at $10,000 to $15,000.
The second photograph of Madonna was taken in the 1980s by Helmut Newton.
In the Newton photograph, which is in color, Madonna is wearing a short dress and black stockings with garters. The circumstances behind the photo shoot were not immediately clear.
The auction will take place in New York on February 12.
|
8e88635857d74e2c8c0be1432d343872
|
what was taken?
|
[
"a nude photo of Madonna"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a routine medical examination at a hospital in the Indian capital on Tuesday, his spokesman Tenzin Taklha told CNN Sunday.
The Dalai Lama with French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on a recent visit to France.
The check-up in New Delhi is likely to take several hours, but the Dalai Lama will not be admitted to the hospital, the spokesman said.
The Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in the north Indian hill town of Dharamsala, will travel to the Indian capital on Monday.
The 73-year-old Tibetan leader was hospitalized in Mumbai in August for abdominal discomfort.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will undergo a routine medical examination at a hospital in the Indian capital on Tuesday.
|
d59ee79d8df94fe6b5c4de32c08e32e8
|
How long will the check up take?
|
[
"several hours,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The sponsor of a proposal to rein in aggressive celebrity photographers is meeting resistance from Los Angeles' top cop, who says the law is not needed when celebrities just behave.
Photographers swarm a car carrying Britney Spears after a Los Angeles court appearance in October 2007.
City Councilman Dennis Zine wants to require photographers to stay a safe distance from celebrities.
His proposed ordinance is nicknamed the "Britney Law" for the hordes of paparazzi that swarm around pop star Britney Spears, sometimes costing the city thousands of dollars for escorts and other enforcement.
"They act like a pack of wolves stalking their prey, creating havoc in the streets, and are nuisances to innocent bystanders," Zine said at a task force hearing he convened Thursday. Watch how paparazzi spy on Hollywood stars »
The proposal gained exposure last month when officials from around Southern California asked former independent counsel Kenneth Starr -- whose investigation of former President Clinton spawned its own share of tabloid headlines -- to help craft a law that would protect celebrities without infringing on freedom of the press. iReport.com: Share your celeb stories and photos
Critics of the plan include Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who argues that it would be difficult to enforce. He also says existing laws can keep unruly packs of photographers in check.
The chief said the city's tabloid darlings could help by providing photographers less to work with.
"If celebrities behave themselves, that solves about 90 percent of the problem," Bratton said. "Britney, the last couple of days, has started wearing clothes again. The paparazzi are leaving town because she's not as interesting when she's not running around without her underwear on."
He said actress Lindsay Lohan "evidently found a new love life, so she's probably in New York hanging out" and that "God knows" where billionaire heiress Paris Hilton had been.
"She's thankfully disappeared from the scene," Bratton said.
At the hearing, members of the paparazzi also said the law would be impossible to enforce.
"Unless every celebrity has a chaperone of a police officer with a 6-foot tape measure, how are you going to enforce it?" said photographer Nick Stern.
Those attending included musician John Mayer, actor Eric Roberts, sheriff's officials, representatives of the Screen Actors Guild and officials from West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Malibu.
CNN's Kareen Wynter contributed to this report.
|
baa22b3ebb9e4c29b5d37a0e89a7aaac
|
What does the Law entail?
|
[
"would protect celebrities without infringing on freedom of the press."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A woman accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter and dumping her body in Galveston Bay in Texas has pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence in the case.
Kimberly Dawn Trenor is scheduled to go on trial for murder next week in the death of her daughter.
But Kimberly Dawn Trenor, 20, pleaded not guilty to the capital murder charge, her lawyer said Wednesday.
Trenor and her husband, Royce Clyde Zeigler II, 25, both were charged with tampering with evidence and capital murder in the case of Riley Ann Sawyer, whose body was found in a large blue plastic container on an uninhabited island in Galveston Bay, Texas, in October 2007.
The charge of tampering with evidence accused the couple of concealing the child's remains.
Trenor was arraigned Tuesday in Galveston, Texas, said her lawyer, Tom Stickler. Jury selection for her trial on the capital murder charge begins Wednesday. The trial will begin in earnest on January 27, he said.
The jury also will sentence Trenor on the evidence tampering charge, which carries a penalty of two to 20 years in prison, The Houston Chronicle reported.
Zeigler, who is being tried separately, has not been formally arraigned, Stickler said.
Both remain in jail. The Houston Chronicle reported bail had been set at $850,000 each.
Riley Ann's case garnered national headlines after a fisherman found her body on the island in the bay. Authorities were unsure of her identity, and police dubbed her "Baby Grace." Police distributed composite sketches of the girl nationwide, and Sheryl Sawyers, the girl's paternal grandmother, contacted police from her Ohio home to say the drawing resembled her granddaughter. DNA testing confirmed the child's identity.
According to an affidavit, Trenor told police Riley had been beaten and thrown across a room and that her head was held underwater before she died on July 24, 2007. She said the couple hid the girl's body in a storage shed for one to two months before they put it in the plastic container and dumped it into the bay.
A medical examiner said Riley's skull was fractured in three places, injuries that would have been fatal.
A cross has since been erected on the island where the child was found, which was named Riley's Island in her honor, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Trenor moved to Texas from Ohio with the girl in May 2007 to be with Zeigler, whom Trenor had met on the Internet.
While in custody, Trenor gave birth this summer to another child, who is now in the care of relatives, Stickler said.
|
a417e5e44d0346bc89285939c122bcf6
|
Where is this suspect from?
|
[
"Galveston, Texas,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Another Hollywood marriage is ending -- but this one was no flash in the pan.
Robin Wright Penn and Sean Penn had been married 11 years.
Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn are divorcing, according to their representative, Mara Buxbaum. People magazine first reported the split Thursday night.
The actors began dating after they met making the 1990 movie "State of Grace." They married in 1996, and have two children, Dylan Frances, 16, and Hopper Jack, 14.
Previously, Penn was married to Madonna for four years, while Wright was married to actor Dane Witherspoon for two years.
In addition to "State of Grace," Penn and Wright appeared together in 1997's "She's So Lovely" and 1998's "Hurlyburly," and both are set to appear in Barry Levinson's next film, "What Just Happened?," due out in 2008.
Penn, 47, won a best actor Oscar for 2003's "Mystic River," and was nominated for best actor for "Dead Man Walking," "Sweet and Lowdown," and "I Am Sam." His latest directorial effort, "Into The Wild," has received four SAG Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.
Wright, 41, is best known for her title role in "The Princess Bride" and for starring opposite Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump." E-mail to a friend
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866ff4c2a18c4c8da5b5a3c7618d541c
|
How many children does the couple have?
|
[
"two"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An employee at a New Jersey chocolate processing plant died Wednesday after falling into a vat of hot chocolate, according to a spokesman for the Camden County Prosecutor's office.
Vincent Smith II, 29, was dumping raw chocolate into the vat for melting when he fell in from a nine-foot high platform. He suffered a fatal blow to the head from the vat's agitator, a paddle-like mechanism used for stirring the chocolate.
According to the Camden County prosecutor's office, three other people were on the platform at the time. One was able to shut the machinery off quickly, but it was too late to save Smith.
The facility, owned by Cocoa Services Inc., is managed and operated by by Lyons and Sons.
The rectangular vat, which was 8 feet deep, 14 feet long and 6 feet wide, was churning a batch of chocolate for Hershey's when the accident occurred, the prosecutor's office said.
CNN's Jesse Solomon contributed to this report.
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992639ceefb141acbb9e80348172d667
|
Who fell from a 9-foot high platform?
|
[
"Vincent Smith II,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Rosie O'Donnell and spouse Kelli Carpenter "are working through their issues" and "nothing else will be said" about rumors the couple is splitting, according to O'Donnell's publicist.
Rumors have been swirling that Kelli Carpenter, left, and Rosie O'Donnell are splitting.
Online buzz about the Carpenter-O'Donnell marriage grew louder this week after O'Donnell did not give a clear-cut denial in a USA Today interview on Tuesday.
The former talk show host's publicist echoed her non-denial in a statement to CNN Wednesday.
"They are a family and will remain a family forever and are working through their issues," publicist Cindi Berger said in an e-mailed response. "Nothing else will be said."
O'Donnell and Carpenter were married in a private ceremony in San Francisco, California, Mayor Gavin Newsom's office in February 2004.
The city of San Francisco issued the couple a marriage license two weeks after Newsom said his mayoral responsibility not to discriminate trumped a state law banning such marriages.
O'Donnell said on her wedding day that she was inspired to make her longtime relationship with Carpenter official by "vile and vicious and hateful comments" made by President George W. Bush that week.
Then-President Bush announced that week that he would seek a Constitutional amendment to mandate that same-sex couples not be allowed to marry.
O'Donnell and Carpenter are also business partners. They started R Family Vacations, which organizes cruises tailored for gay couples.
Their family includes four children. The three oldest -- Parker, 14, Chelsea, 12 and Blake, 9 -- are adopted. Six-year-old Vivienne -- conceived through a sperm donation -- was born to Carpenter.
|
9e01a3052af540bf878f6dbc3d061908
|
When were the two married ?
|
[
"February 2004."
] |
NewsQA
|
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- A magnitude 4.2 earthquake shook the San Francisco area Friday at 4:42 a.m. PT (7:42 a.m. ET), the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake left about 2,000 customers without power, said David Eisenhower, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Light.
Under the USGS classification, a magnitude 4.2 earthquake is considered "light," which it says usually causes minimal damage.
"We had quite a spike in calls, mostly calls of inquiry, none of any injury, none of any damage that was reported," said Capt. Al Casciato of the San Francisco police. "It was fairly mild." Watch police describe concerned calls immediately after the quake »
The quake was centered about two miles east-northeast of Oakland, at a depth of 3.6 miles, the USGS said. Oakland is just east of San Francisco, across San Francisco Bay.
An Oakland police dispatcher told CNN the quake set off alarms at people's homes. The shaking lasted about 50 seconds, said CNN meteorologist Chad Myers.
According to the USGS, magnitude 4.2 quakes are felt indoors and may break dishes and windows and overturn unstable objects. Pendulum clocks may stop. E-mail to a friend
|
71da48086918407d92a0435f0d776b2a
|
What was the magnitude of the Oakland quake
|
[
"4.2"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Swedish diplomat in Iran was arrested and accused of participating in Iranian protests during observances surrounding the Muslim holy day of Ashura, two semi-official news agencies reported Sunday, citing members of Iran's parliament.
Sweden denies that the diplomat was involved in the protests.
Swedish officials and the Mehr news agency reported that the diplomat was subsequently released.
"Based on the law and international norms, diplomats cannot be detained or arrested," Alaedin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian parliamentary National Security Committee, told Mehr. "But since this person was among those who were disturbing the peace, he was initially arrested but then he was released when it was determined he was a diplomat."
The Swedish Foreign Office confirmed the arrest, but said the diplomat -- who was not named -- was not taking part in demonstrations.
"A Swedish diplomat was arrested in Tehran about two weeks ago and detained overnight for between 10 and 20 hours before being released," said Anders Jorle, spokesman for the Foreign Office. "He was arrested after he was found to not be carrying ID, which is not required but is recommended in Iran."
"He was not taking part in a protest," Jorle said. "He was passing one of the places where a protest had taken place, but the protest was not ongoing at the time of the arrest.
"In hindsight, we would say that he should have been carrying ID," Jorle said. "As far as we're concerned, the matter is closed and there is nothing further to say."
The Fars news agency quoted Zohreh Elahian, a member of the security committee, as saying the Swedish chargé d'affaires was arrested on the day of Ashura, December 27. He was arrested by Iranian officials who considered his presence at the demonstration to be an interference in international affairs, Elahian told Fars.
"According to witnesses and evidence, several foreign embassies in Tehran played a role behind the scenes and were represented [on the scene on that day] by their chargés d'affaires and other diplomats," Elahian said.
Ashura is the major Shiite Muslim holy day. It marks the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, as a martyr. Shiites commemorate the death of Hussein each year, climaxing on Ashura, after a 40-day mourning period.
Its observance in Iran was marked by anti-government protests. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad downplayed the reports, calling them "a theater play by the Zionists and the Americans," according to state media.
An Iranian media blackout made it difficult to verify accounts of that weekend's violence, but videos that found their way west depicted bloodied and, in some cases, apparently dead protesters.
CNN's Jonathan Wald contributed to this report.
|
37106059f55b4659b9268655ebd5083a
|
Which diplomat was arrested?
|
[
"\"A Swedish"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Arsenal moved to within three points of leaders Chelsea at the top of the English Premier League after Cesc Fabregas inspired them to a 2-0 victory at Bolton to spoil new manager Owen Coyle's first match in charge.
Captain Fabregas produced an impressive display on his return from a hamstring injury and scored his 10th league goal of the season in the 28th minute after a neat one-two with Eduardo.
His surging run then led to substitute and fellow-Spaniard Fran Merida scoring the second 12 minutes from time as former Wanderers player Coyle's reign at the Reebok Stadium got off to a losing start.
With these two teams due to meet in the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, Arsene Wenger's side could well take over at the top of the table in the next few days.
Bolton remain second from bottom, with Coyle having swapped one relegation battle with Burnley for another.
Earlier in the day, Blackburn captain Ryan Nelsen put the seal on his side's long-awaited return to winning ways as they overcame Fulham 2-0 at Ewood Park.
Nelsen applied the finish to Benni McCarthy's 54th-minute free-kick to put Rovers within touching distance of their first three-point haul since November.
Defender Chris Samba had earlier settled the home side's nerves with a fortuitous 24th-minute opener after he ricocheted home an attempted clearance by former Blackburn winger Damien Duff.
In the day's other match, Aston Villa failed to cash in on slip-ups by their Champions League-chasing rivals after being held 0-0 at home by West Ham.
Villa could have closed the gap on the top four after Manchester City, beaten at Everton, and Tottenham, held at home by Hull, both dropped points on Saturday.
But a combination of a below-par performance and some fine saves by Robert Green meant they had to settle for their first goalless draw of the league campaign.
|
6b48188eab4a42808a250ea940749e48
|
Which team tops the Premier League?
|
[
"Chelsea"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An Ohio distributor is recalling about 6 million Chinese-made tire valve stems after concluding that some of them were improperly made and could increase the risk of accidents.
An Ohio distributor is recalling 6 million Chinese-made car tire valve stems.
Tech International, the part's Johnstown, Ohio-based distributor, estimates that just 8,600 of roughly 6 million of those valves are defective.
The valve is a replacement snap-in tire valve -- Model No. TR413 -- manufactured between July and November 2006.
It was imported by Tech International from manufacturer Shanghai Baolong Industries Co. in Shanghai, China, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to the recall, the rubber part of the valve may crack after being in use for about six months, causing a gradual loss of tire pressure.
Continuing to drive on underinflated tires can cause them to burst, possibly leading to crashes.
Tech International told the NHTSA that the company doesn't have records of the final purchasers of the valve stems.
According to the company, the defect was identified after "a small number" of the valves were reported by customers and one distributor to have failed.
The samples were shipped to China, and, in March, Baolong concluded that some valves could be defective.
"The cause of the defect is likely improper mixing of the rubber compound in the manufacturer's facility," Tech International wrote in a letter to the transportation safety authority.
|
6f32ffe5094e4f3fb8cab965b7f16816
|
What can cause tires to burst?
|
[
"underinflated"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Air India took two pilots and two cabin crew off-duty over allegations that they had a fist fight during an international flight with 106 passengers aboard, the state-run airline said Monday.
Faced with tough competition from private carriers, Air India has struggled with financial and image crises.
The scuffle allegedly took place on flight from the United Arab Emirates to New Delhi, while the plane flew over Pakistan.
An investigation had been launched into what Air India spokesman Jitender Bhargava called "charges and counter-charges."
In a police complaint made on landing Saturday, a 24-year-old flight attendant alleged a molestation attempt.
But pilots Ranbeer Arora and Aditya Chopra alleged that the molestation claim was an attempt to deflect attention from misbehavior by a male purser. Have you ever experienced poor crew behaviour on a flight?
"All the four have been de-rostered and an inquiry committee is examining versions of each of them," Bhargava said.
Faced with tough competition from private carriers, Air India has struggled with financial and image crises.
Rats have been spotted on two Air India international flights in less than a month, according to news reports.
An investigation in May revealed that the carrier had loaded a flight three passengers beyond capacity. Several employees were de-rostered as a result.
"Privatize Air India before it's too late," warned a column in the Hindustan Times newspaper Sunday.
"As long as the government runs Air India, it will continue to strangle it," columnist Vir Sanghvi wrote.
|
60bd50110b3d47fc8fcc7b7d0f117777
|
who alleged a molestation attempt
|
[
"a 24-year-old flight attendant"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- At least 43 civilians were killed Sunday when they were caught in the crossfire between Pakistani forces and Taliban militants, a Pakistani military official said.
The official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the incident happened in Charbagh, a district of Swat Valley in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
The mountainous Swat Valley region used to be a popular destination for tourists and skiers, but today it is a Taliban stronghold.
The Pakistani government and the army have come under criticism in recent weeks for allowing the security situation in Swat to deteriorate in the past few months. Islamabad has said there are plans for a new strategy to fight the Taliban, but they have yet to offer details.
The Taliban are imposing their strict brand of Islamic law in the region -- banning music, forbidding men from shaving, and not allowing teenage girls to attend school. Watch a report on civilians killed in crossfire »
Government officials say the Taliban have torched and destroyed more than 180 schools in the Swat region. Many families have fled the area, and have been followed by many Pakistani police officers who are too scared to take on Taliban forces, a Pakistani army spokesman told CNN last week.
The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in 1996 -- harboring al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden -- and ruled it until they were ousted from power in 2001 after the September 11 attacks on the United States. Since then, the Taliban have regrouped and are currently battling U.S. and NATO-led forces.
U.S. President Barack Obama has called Afghanistan the "central front" in the war on terror and has promised to make fighting extremism there, and in neighboring Pakistan, a foreign policy priority. He is expected to send as many as 30,000 additional U.S. troops to battle Taliban forces.
Richard Holbrooke, the administration's new envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is scheduled to make his first trip to the region this week.
|
bd1a08ee5b5d4f599600b8b20284d0fb
|
Who is imposing their strict brand of Islamic law in the region?
|
[
"Taliban"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Last week's "balloon boy" incident is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, an agency representative said Tuesday.
The Heene family -- including Falcon, second from right -- on CNN's "Larry King Live" last week.
Richard and Mayumi Heene, whose son Falcon was thought for several hours to have flown away in a homemade balloon, are facing a number of local charges, a Colorado sheriff said this week.
The Fort Collins couple could be charged with conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and attempting to influence a public servant, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said Sunday. The family also probably will be charged with filing a false police report, which is a misdemeanor, Alderden said.
Their lawyer, David Lane, said the sheriff was overreaching and that the family deserves the presumption of innocence. Watch the Heenes' friends talk about the incident »
FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere confirmed Tuesday that the agency was "investigating the circumstances" of the incident, in which police and military scrambled to rescue the 6-year-old boy, who later turned out to be hiding in his family's attic.
A source familiar with the investigation said no record has been found indicating that Richard Heene called the FAA. The agency does not record all of its calls, and the search for a record of any call is continuing, the source said.
The Heenes may have violated FAA regulations barring people from flying balloons or kites within 5 miles of an airport, an FAA official said. The official declined to be named because the case is under investigation.
The giant silver balloon was apparently not visible on radar, the official said, and the FAA is relying on pilot reports to determine its approximate flight path during the roughly three hours it was aloft Thursday.
CNN's Mike M. Ahlers in Washington contributed to this story.
|
aac6f2f16e6642e882e5d47a41985911
|
What does the Heene family deserve?
|
[
"the presumption of innocence."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Chastity Bono, gay-rights activist and child of performer Cher and the late entertainer and politician Sonny Bono, is in the early stages of transitioning from a female to a male and will be known as Chaz, his spokesman said Thursday.
Activist Chastity Bono is transitioning from female to male and will be known as Chaz.
"Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity," Howard Bragman said in a written statement.
"He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago."
Someone's decision to transition does not necessarily mean they are undergoing gender reassignment surgery, and in many cases they do not, said Mara Keisling, executive director of the Washington-based National Center for Transgender Equality.
"The whole media fixation on surgery is kind of misplaced," she said. "Almost no transgender people ever have surgery. We don't have any idea how many do." iReport.com: Do you have a transgender story?
An estimated one-quarter to one-half percent of the American population is transsexual, however, Keisling said. "It's sort of a general term that encompasses both or either a social transition or a medical transition."
Keisling said she was unaware of the specifics in Bono's case, but speaking generally, a transition means that he will now want to be "known, seen, viewed" as a male.
"The actual details depend on his needs and wants and his doctor's needs and wants," she said.
Bragman asked that the media "respect Chaz's privacy during this long process, as he will not be doing any interviews at this time."
Now 40, Bono as a little girl made regular appearances on her parents' show, "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour." As an adult, he has been a longtime gay-rights advocate and been closely associated with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. See more photos from Chastity Bono's life »
Bono's father, Sonny Bono, was a U.S. representative from California when he was killed in a skiing accident in January 1998.
|
c95a38957b764076accbe3a769b8f138
|
What type of activist is Bono?
|
[
"gay-rights"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- This month the U.S. government has introduced major changes that will affect millions of travelers to the U.S. who do not need a visa.
Instead of filling in the green visa waiver form en route, short-term visitors must register their details online at least three days before they depart.
The measure is designed tighten security and make it harder for terrorists who are citizens of the participating countries to easily obtain entry to the U.S.
The new system, known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), does not become compulsory until January 12, 2009. But travelers are urged to prepare for the new rules in advance.
ESTA applies to citizens from the 27 Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries that includes most of western Europe in addition to New Zealand, Japan, Brunei and Australia.
Visitors are recommended to submit applications no later than 72 hours before departure in case further inquiry is necessary. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has assured travelers that the system can handle last-minute and emergency requests.
Applications can be made at any time, even if travelers have no specific travel plans. And if itineraries change, information can be easily updated on the ESTA Web site.
Once travelers are authorized, they can travel for up to two years or until their passport expires, whichever comes first.
From mid-January, travelers who have not received approval may be denied boarding, delayed processing, or denied admission at a U.S. port of entry.
Passengers must submit the same information that is currently required in the I-94 immigration form. This includes biographical data, travel information as well as questions regarding communicable diseases, arrests and convictions.
Registration is possible through the U.S. government ESTA Web site. In most cases, eligibility for travel will be approved immediately. Applicants who receive an "Authorization Pending" response will need to check the Web site for updates. Applicants whose ESTA applications are denied will be referred to Travel.State.Gov for information on how to apply for a visa.
ESTA does not change the rules for citizens from countries that require visas. But the U.S. is due to extend the visa waiver program and has signed agreements with eight countries including the Czech Republic, Hungary and South Korea.
Travelers are advised that ESTA does not guarantee entry into the United States. The final decision rests with the immigration official at the port of entry.
|
702d2ed3fcc143aeaaf18c1a44021dcc
|
How many hours can the process take?
|
[
"72"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Doctors removed five small polyps from President Bush's colon on Saturday, and "none appeared worrisome," a White House spokesman said.
The polyps were removed and sent to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for routine microscopic examination, spokesman Scott Stanzel said. Results are expected in two to three days.
All were small, less than a centimeter [half an inch] in diameter, he said.
Bush is in good humor, Stanzel said, and will resume his activities at Camp David.
During the procedure Vice President Dick Cheney assumed presidential power. Bush reclaimed presidential power at 9:21 a.m. after about two hours.
Doctors used "monitored anesthesia care," Stanzel said, so the president was asleep, but not as deeply unconscious as with a true general anesthetic.
He spoke to first lady Laura Bush -- who is in Midland, Texas, celebrating her mother's birthday -- before and after the procedure, Stanzel said.
Afterward, the president played with his Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, Stanzel said. He planned to have lunch at Camp David and have briefings with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten, and planned to take a bicycle ride Saturday afternoon.
Cheney, meanwhile, spent the morning at his home on Maryland's eastern shore, reading and playing with his dogs, Stanzel said. Nothing occurred that required him to take official action as president before Bush reclaimed presidential power.
The procedure was supervised by Dr. Richard Tubb, Bush's physician, and conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the White House said.
Bush's last colonoscopy was in June 2002, and no abnormalities were found, White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
The president's doctor had recommended a repeat procedure in about five years.
A colonoscopy is the most sensitive test for colon cancer, rectal cancer and polyps, small clumps of cells that can become cancerous, according to the Mayo Clinic. Small polyps may be removed during the procedure.
Snow said on Friday that Bush had polyps removed during colonoscopies before becoming president.
Snow himself is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer that began in his colon and spread to his liver. Watch Snow talk about Bush's procedure and his own colon cancer »
"The president wants to encourage everybody to use surveillance," Snow said.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people without high risk factors or symptoms begin getting screened for signs of colorectal cancer at age 50. E-mail to a friend
|
607b4b7d99304427a62464f5510de937
|
What is a colonoscopy?
|
[
"the most sensitive test for colon cancer, rectal cancer and polyps, small clumps of cells that can become cancerous,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The skeletal remains of two infants were found underneath a rural Texas trailer, police said Monday, in the same area where another set of infant remains was found last year.
The skeletal remains of two infants were found near a Texas trailer, police said Monday.
Authorities were called about 3:30 p.m. Sunday to the trailer south of Kennedale, about 15 miles southeast of Fort Worth, Texas, in rural Tarrant County, said Terry Grisham, spokesman for the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office. There is a group of about five mobile homes there, he said, that are leased by the property owner.
One of the mobile homes had recently become vacant, and the owner was cleaning it up, Grisham said. The owner pulled back the metal "skirt" around the bottom of the mobile home and was "digging around in there," and found a plastic bag, Grisham said.
When the man opened it up, he found a box, and inside the box he found the "bones of a very young infant," Grisham told CNN. He continued to look, and found another plastic container with more remains inside, of a "similar-aged infant," before calling 911, Grisham said.
In 2008, the same man called police to report that he had found a suitcase in the same area, in an overgrown field a distance away from the mobile homes, while dumping leaves. When he used a knife to cut into the suitcase, a set of infant bones were found, Grisham said. The medical examiner's office was unable to determine a cause of death because the remains were skeletal, although no bones were broken, he said.
"We worked the thing as best we could, without any more to go on than we had," but the investigation stalled, Grisham said.
Police have contacted the two people -- a brother and sister -- who recently moved out of the trailer, he said. The two have been cooperative with authorities, he said. They were interviewed separately, but both told police they had no idea the remains were there, Grisham said.
Authorities and the medical examiner's office remained at the scene Monday, Grisham said, and plan to use cadaver dogs at the site Monday afternoon in an effort to determine whether more remains were present.
"This ground is pretty brushy and overgrown," he said. A county work crew was brought in to carefully cut down the brush to aid the search, he said.
CNN's Ashley Hayes contributed to this report.
|
ebbb06c612f14ac785a4a3e648805cdb
|
What became vacant?
|
[
"One of the mobile homes"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO turned top John McCain aide, said she doesn't think Sarah Palin is qualified to run a major corporation. For that matter, Fiorina said, McCain, Obama and Biden aren't capable of that kind of job either.
Ex-Hewlett-Packard CEO and McCain adviser Carly Fiorina said Sarah Palin could not run a major company.
The Republican presidential candidate has been trying to portray himself as someone who can fix the country's economic woes. But that is a far different task than running a Fortune 500 corporation, Fiorina told MSNBC Tuesday.
Democratic candidate Barack Obama's camp immediately circulated copies of her words -- which didn't exactly paint their candidate in a soft light, either.
"Well, I don't think John McCain could run a major corporation, I don't think Barack Obama could run a major corporation, I don't think Joe Biden could run a major corporation," Fiorina said.
"It is a fallacy to suggest that the country is like a company. So, of course, to run a business, you have to have a lifetime of experience in business, but that's not what Sarah Palin, John McCain, Joe Biden or Barack Obama are doing."
Fiorina was president of Hewlett-Packard until her high-profile ousting in 2006 after the company's unfavorable performance.
"If John McCain's top economic adviser doesn't think he can run a corporation, how on Earth can he run the largest economy in the world in the midst of a financial crisis?" said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor. "Apparently, even the people who run his campaign agree that the economy is an issue John McCain doesn't understand as well as he should." Watch Fiorina says Palin isn't ready for big business »
Fiorina made similar comments earlier Thursday to a St. Louis, Missouri, radio station. She was asked if she thinks Palin is qualified to run a company like Hewlett-Packard.
"No, I don't," Fiorina answered. "But that's not what she's running for. Running a corporation is a different set of things."
|
c615781b3a094c2b9cf5223d43cac5aa
|
Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard is now adviser to who?
|
[
"John McCain"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A small plane crashed Friday near an Ohio-area high school during a football scrimmage.
Spectators at a high school football scrimmage watch as a plane goes down Friday in Ohio.
Spectators at a practice game at Harrison High School watched from the bleachers as the plane went down at 8:08 p.m. ET, said police officer Jennifer Coyle, who witnessed the incident.
Two people on the plane died at the crash scene, authorities said.
According to CNN affiliate WLWT, witnesses said the plane was heading toward the football field when it suddenly dropped, crashing in a gravel pit near the school.
"It looked like he was going straight for the boys on the field, but then just did a straight nosedive," Mindy Brinson told WLWT.
It is not yet known what caused the plane to crash. Harrison is in the southwest corner of Ohio.
CNN's Dave Alsup contributed to this report.
|
294c969b81c94eb297eb679505ca54c2
|
What type of school did the crash occur?
|
[
"high"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A sandy stretch in the tony Hamptons topped 2010's best beaches list, compiled each year by a coastal scholar known as Dr. Beach.
Coopers Beach, the main beach in the village of Southampton on the east end of Long Island, New York, took top honors this year on the 20th annual list released by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University.
Coopers Beach's sandy shoreline is dotted with historic mansions and the picturesque St. Andrews Dune Church.
Sarasota, Florida's, Siesta Beach took the second spot on the list, followed by Coronado Beach in San Diego, California.
Leatherman uses 50 criteria to evaluate the nation's beaches, including water quality, sand quality, beach width and environmental management.
The full list includes coastal recreation spots from Hawaii to Massachusetts:
1. Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York
2. Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida
3. Coronado Beach in San Diego, California
4. Cape Hatteras in the Outer Banks of North Carolina
5. Main Beach in East Hampton, New York
6. Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki, Oahu, Hawaii
7. Coast Guard Beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
8. Beachwalker Park in Kiawah Island, South Carolina
9. Hamoa Beach in Maui, Hawaii
10. Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne, Florida
|
b313650f7e604cadb5683bb0f1928a52
|
Which beach is in the top of the 2010 beaches list?
|
[
"Dr."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A man who told Maryland State Police that his wife was killed by a carjacker early Friday morning has been charged in her death.
Ryan Holness, 28, was charged with first- and second-degree murder in the death of Serika Dunkley Holness, 26, according to Maryland police.
Her body was found about 6 a.m. Friday in a field in Crumpton, Maryland, police said.
Holness was arrested after inconsistencies surfaced in his story, according to investigators.
Holness said that he and his wife were carjacked by a man armed with a knife and a gun on the New Jersey Turnpike while returning to Maryland from New York on Thursday night, police said.
"He told investigators that he was assaulted by the suspect and forced to drive to Crumpton," said Gregory Shipley of the Maryland State Police. "He said the suspect bound his feet and hands with duct tape before attacking his wife who had tried to flee the scene."
Police interviewed various people and launched a nationwide search for the carjacker and Holness' 2007 blue Honda Accord, Shipley said.
"Information provided by Holness throughout the day Friday did not match information developed through witnesses and evidence at the scene," Shipley said.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, Holness' car was located by a D.C. police officer on a Washington street.
"Maryland State police homicide detectives have taken custody of the car," Shipley said.
State police are not yet sure how the car got to Washington.
|
40ab6156326f4016a1eec42acfe094ec
|
Who told police?
|
[
"man"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An armed airman who allegedly barricaded himself inside a building on a Colorado air base is awaiting sentencing on unrelated charges and will likely face additional charges, the base said Tuesday.
Airman 1st Class Nico Cruz Santos, 21, surrendered to authorities late Monday night after an hours-long standoff with authorities at Schriever Air Force Base. No one was injured.
"While there are lessons to be learned from every situation, by and large yesterday's incident was resolved with the best possible outcome," said Col. James Ross, 50th Space Wing commander, in a Tuesday statement. "Our law enforcement and community partners worked together to ensure the security of our mission and people while helping this airman through a troubling situation."
The airman -- who belongs to the base's 50th Security Forces Squadron -- locked himself around 10 a.m. inside a building where personnel get paperwork and equipment before being deployed, said Lt. Marie Denson, a spokeswoman at the Colorado Springs base.
Soon thereafter, that building and the surrounding area was evacuated. Law enforcement units and other first responders from the Schriever base, nearby Peterson Air Force Base and the El Paso County, Colorado, Sheriff's Office SWAT team rushed to the scene, Lt. Col. Harold Hoang said.
The man was armed with a personal handgun, authorities said.
He also had his cell phone, which he had been using -- along with a land-line phone -- to communicate with military officials outside. Mental health professionals were also on site, Denson said.
The airman "is currently facing legal action in a civilian court as well as disciplinary action and possible discharge from the Air Force," Hoang said.
The base said in a statement Tuesday that Santos is awaiting sentencing in Gilpin County on unrelated charges earlier this year.
"It is expected that once the investigation of yesterday's incident is complete that additional charges may be filed in either the military or civilian court systems," the statement said. The incident remained under investigation Tuesday.
Santos was being held in a Teller County detention facility, the base said.
Schriever Air Force Base is also home to the Space Innovation and Development Center, the Missile Defense Agency, 310th Space Wing and other units and groups, according to its website.
CNN's Larry Shaughnessy, Greg Botelho and Ashley Hayes contributed to this report.
|
0a8a6511daee408893ce79253603171a
|
what is expected against Airman 1st Class Nico Cruz Santos?
|
[
"additional charges"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Texas Rangers fan who fell over a railing while trying to catch a ball will have a place at Rangers Ballpark next season after the team erects a statue in his memory.
Shannon Stone, a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood, Texas, fell to his death July 7. His 6-year-old son Cooper witnessed the accident.
"The statue, which is tentatively to be named Rangers Fans, is expected to be in place for the 2012 season," the Texas Rangers announced in a statement Monday. It will depict Stone and his son attending a Rangers game.
"The full-size bronze statue is likely to be located outside the home plate gate of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington," the Rangers said.
The tragedy took place in the second inning of the ill-fated game. Star outfielder Josh Hamilton tossed a souvenir ball into the stands after a batter hit a foul ball. Stone stuck out his glove and reached for the ball, but lost his balance and flipped over the railing of the outfield seats. He fell about 20 feet and crashed head-first into an area near a scoreboard.
Stone died of blunt-force trauma, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.
Rangers President Nolan Ryan, a Hall of Fame pitcher, has said the club would review the height of railings at the stadium, even though they already exceeded the city's code limits.
The team has set up an account accepting donations in Stone's honor with the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. Donated money has been earmarked to help the Stone family. The Rangers have donated an undisclosed sum, according to the team's website.
Stone's widow, Jenny, said she appreciates Ryan and the Rangers during the family's time of loss.
"Shannon and Cooper had a special relationship, and we are touched and grateful that it will be memorialized at one of their favorite places," she said in the statement. "Our hope is that this statue will not be a symbol of our family tragedy but rather a reminder of the importance of a family's love -- love of each other, love of spending time together, and love of the game."
CNN's Sara Pratley contributed to this report.
|
fd1d41357a1d47a3966279e89ad34288
|
When did Shannon stone die?
|
[
"Rangers Ballpark"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- An Oscar-winning songwriter was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting women whom he would fly in to New York under the impression they were auditioning for movie roles, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office said Tuesday.
Songwriter Joe Brooks is best known for writing "You Light Up My Life" and directing the movie.
Joseph Brooks, 71, faces multiple charges including rape, criminal sexual act, sexual abuse, forcible touching, assault, grand larceny and criminal mischief. The charges involve 11 women, authorities said.
Brooks won the Oscar for best original song for the 1977 song, "You Light Up My Life." He also directed the movie, which is about a director who has a one-night stand with an actress.
"I'm flabbergasted," said actress Melanie Mayron, who starred in "You Light Up My Life."
Mayron said she did not stay in contact with Brooks over the years but described him as a "lovely man."
In the indictment, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau alleges that Brooks would fly women in from California, Florida and Oregon for private auditions.
He would serve the women one or two glasses of wine, said Lisa Friel, assistant district attorney.
The women described feelings that suggest a date-rape drug was used, she said, but added that toxicology results were unclear.
Shawni Lucier, Brooks' personal assistant, was also charged with criminal facilitation in connection with arranging some of the encounters.
Brooks pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. Bail was set at $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash.
The suspect agreed to the terms and left the courthouse. He is set to return Thursday morning and meet the bail agreement, said Jeffery C. Hoffman, his lawyer.
Hoffman said some of the women who made the accusations were trying out for a role in a screenplay Brooks wrote.
None of the girls was chosen for the part and may feel "upset about that fact," the lawyer said.
Hoffman said he is looking forward to proving his client's innocence.
"All I can say is, my client is anxious to clear his name of these false charges," he added.
|
a65eafcd5d584e5ca9f06fb14561fe12
|
Who was the songwriter of "You Light Up My Life"?
|
[
"Joe Brooks"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The operation on Ronaldo's injured left knee "went well" but the Brazilian striker faces a lengthy rehabilitation as he bids to save his football career.
Ronaldo leaves the field in agony after suffering his latest injury blow against Livorno.
Ronaldo had surgery in Paris on Thursday, the two-hour operation perfomed by Dr. Eric Rolland with Dr. Gerard Saillant, who carried out a similar repair to his right knee in 2000, in attendance.
"The operation went well," said Saillant. "The intervention was of the same type as the one in 2000. The healing period should last nine months," he said in sports paper L'Equipe.
Ronaldo was injured playing for AC Milan in a 1-1 draw with Liverno on Wednesday night and teammate Clarence Seedorf gave CNN a graphic description of the incident.
"It was like a film I already saw," said the Dutch star who was on the pitch when Ronaldo suffered his previous serious injury.
"I saw his reaction, I was frozen by the reality, a bad, bad thing. My heart went out to him because it was his second injury. I hope he has the will to come back," added Seedorf.
Ater the two-hour operation at Pitie-Salpetriere hospital, the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year is likely to need about 10 days of physical therapy, L'Equipe said.
Ronaldo, 31, has battled serious injuries throughout his career, and has played sparingly since joining Milan from Real Madrid in January 2007.
Wednesday's match was only his fifth in Serie A this season after injuring his thigh during preseason training on July 31. He returned in November, but has been in and out of the team due to a series of recurring problems. E-mail to a friend
|
51a53834e9854afb817ff58cd7be84c3
|
Where did he get injured?
|
[
"left knee"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. border officers found a wire between two fences along the U.S.-Mexican border that, when stretched taut, could have seriously harmed or even decapitated Border Patrol agents, Congress was told Wednesday.
The wire was about 4 feet high when pulled tight, or about neck level for an agent on an ATV, officials say.
"It was configured in a way so that, if it was pulled, it would take off the head of a Border Patrol agent riding in an open car," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said at a House budget hearing.
The wire was discovered Saturday when authorities monitoring a surveillance camera saw two people on the north side of the border east of the San Ysidro Port of Entry, in the San Diego sector.
Border Patrol agents sent to the area found a thick metal wire tied to a secondary fence.
The wire stretched across the border road and led into Mexico through a hole in the primary fence, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
When pulled tight, the wire would be about 4 feet high -- about neck level for an agent riding on an all-terrain vehicle, CBP said.
Officials said they suspected that drug or illegal immigrant smugglers were involved.
No arrests were made on either side of the border. The wire was removed, and no injuries or damage took place, CBP said. E-mail to a friend
|
8e0a0117bf7b4b2aa977f3319de73e84
|
What number of arrests were made
|
[
"No"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Twenty-four people, including eight children, were injured in an apparent gas explosion at a Harlem apartment building, the New York Fire Department said.
The explosion blew out some of the windows in the five-story building.
John Rodgers, a spokesman for New York-Presbyterian Hospital, said Sunday that four of the eight children were from the same family.
The conditions of all those injured were not immediately known.
One child was in critical condition and the three others were in serious condition, New York Fire Department Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said.
All four had burn injuries. One of the injured is an infant.
A firefighter was also injured, but was in stable condition Saturday evening. He apparently was struck by falling debris, Scoppetta said. About 200 firefighters responded to the scene of the blast on West 119th Street in Harlem.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited the five-floor building after the explosion.
The 4 p.m. ET blast blew some of the building's windows out, according to firefighters. Watch rescue workers tend to injured » Although the blast was still under investigation, Scoppetta said the cause appeared to be a gas leak. New York police said the blast was at the rear of the structure.
Residents who assisted in pulling the injured out of the building said some kind of restaurant was being operated on the bottom floor of the building. Scoppetta refused comment on those reports, citing the ongoing investigation.
An emergency room worker at Harlem Hospital Center said the facility received five to six people from the explosion about 4:30 p.m., but would not provide an update on their conditions.
The building, which has 20 apartments, was evacuated, as were apartment buildings on both sides, Scoppetta said. Building inspectors will examine them to determine their structural integrity. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Caleb Silver, Jim Acosta and Richard Davis contributed to this report.
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8d45951ab1e64669bbbce2734f5eaa02
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who was injured
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[
"Twenty-four people,"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Coast Guard planes and ships were searching Friday for a Japanese balloonist who disappeared off the Alaska coast while flying from Japan to the west coast United States.
Missing Japanese balloonist Michio Kanda (R) with Naoki Ishikawa.
Friends of balloonist Michio Kanda, who was on a solo flight, last heard from him via satellite phone at 9 a.m. Alaska time (6 p.m. GMT) Thursday, said USCG Petty Officer Levi Read.
When he missed three subsequent scheduled calls over the next six hours, they called the Coast Guard, Read said.
Read said two Coast Guard C130 Hercules planes conducted searches Thursday 435 miles south of Adak, Alaska, the balloonist's last known position. The searches continued Friday and are ongoing, Read said.
Two Coast Guard cutters are also headed for the area, but both are at least a day away, he said.
Read said the balloonist, who was heading for Portland, Oregon, is equipped with provisions and a survival suit.
Kanda holds the world record for the longest-duration balloon flight, with a time of 50 hours and 38 minutes, according to the World Air Sports Federation.
In that January 1997 flight, he and Hirosuke Takezawa flew from the Canadian provionce of Alberta to the U.S. state of Montana, according to the federation. E-mail to a friend
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7f49785d3e1a407db0bda3baed129913
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What was Michio Kando's world record?
|
[
"balloon flight, with a time of 50 hours and 38 minutes,"
] |
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(CNN) -- The Billings, Montana, City Council will take up the issue of regulating medical marijuana on Monday night in a meeting expected to be intense in the wake of the firebombings of two of the city's medical marijuana storefronts in the last two days.
The southern Montana city's dispensaries legally provide marijuana to medical patients who use it for maladies from glaucoma to nausea to lack of appetite. In the latest incidents, the phrase "Not in our town" was spray-painted on the businesses, police say.
Police Sgt. Kevin Iffland said Big Sky Patient Care was hit early Sunday morning and Montana Therapeutics was the target early Monday. Both had a rock thrown through the front door, followed by a Molotov cocktail. In both cases, Iffland said, the fire was put out swiftly and damage was not extensive.
Iffland said Billings police are working with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and that the two firebombs are being handled as felony arsons carrying sentences of up to 20 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
The attacks on the storefronts come as the Billings City Council considers a moratorium on licensing new dispensaries while it works up a regulatory ordinance.
Sixty-two percent of Montanans voted in 2004 to allow caregivers to grow marijuana for qualified patients, but the state law said nothing about distribution. In that absence, municipalities and county governments began licensing the establishments on their own.
But, Iffland said, Billings was ill-prepared for the number of applications and has very little regulation in place. Billings, he said, is a town of about 100,000 and has had nearly 90 applications for medical marijuana storefronts -- and some residents are angry. He fully expected a heated council meeting.
Meanwhile, investigators are still reviewing evidence in the firebombings and are working with one of the businesses that has surveillance video but is reluctant to hand over the tape because of privacy concerns.
While the investigation is ongoing, police have stepped up patrols in the areas where the medical marijuana storefronts are located, Iffland said.
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fa1de9229085434e87d3923c933d6be3
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What did the police say?
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[
"\"Not in our town\" was spray-painted on the businesses,"
] |
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(CNN) -- Costa Rica's first female candidate held a two-to-one lead in the country's presidential election, as the second-place candidate, Otton Solis of the Citizen's Action Party, conceded defeat.
If the PLN -- the Spanish acronym for the ruling National Liberation Party party -- wins, Laura Chinchilla would become the nation's first female president.
Polls showed Chinchilla garnering 47.3 percent of the vote, with 24.9 percent of election sites reporting. Solis had 23.3 percent, while Otto Guevara of the Libertarian Movement had 21.9 percent.
Before noon Sunday, all three leading candidates had cast their votes in events broadcast live by local media.
If none of the candidates gain 40 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be used to select the next president.
In addition to president, Costa Ricans also cast ballots Sunday for two vice presidents, 53 congressmen and 495 councilmen.
Video footage showed flag-waving supporters of the main presidential candidates dressed in their respective campaign colors throughout the country.
International observers interviewed on CNN affiliate Teletica compared the election scene to a festival.
The festivities included election sites where children could vote in a mock presidential vote. The educational outreach let the children pick their candidate on a digital ballot not unlike the ones the rest of the electorate cast their votes with.
Some 2.8 million Costa Ricans are eligible to vote.
The legacy of outgoing President Oscar Arias -- a Nobel laureate who leaves office a popular, if polarizing leader -- has in many ways shaped the presidential race.
Although he has given Costa Rica a larger role in foreign affairs through his involvement in seeking resolution to the political crisis in Honduras, but his style has rubbed some the wrong way.
After casting his vote Sunday, Arias called the electoral process transparent and trustworthy.
"I would like to thank the Costa Rican people for filling the streets with color," he said.
CNN's Roberto Pazos contributed to this report.
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e83fa507439c478aa45e02db499cb5c8
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Who represents ruling National Liberation Party?
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[
"Laura Chinchilla"
] |
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(CNN) -- At least 51 people have died and at least 21 others are missing after torrential rains and subsequent flooding pummeled the Philippines on Saturday, the government said.
Filipino pedestrians in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, brave Tropical Storm Ketsana's floodwaters.
Tropical Storm Ketsana spawned the flooding, which caused at least six of the deaths in Manila, the nation's capital.
Manila and the nearby province of Rizal bore the brunt of the downpour, said Gilberto Teodoro, secretary of national defense and chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
Two of the dead in the capital city were victims of a wall that collapsed, he said.
Five thousand people were rescued without boats, and another 3,688 were rescued with boats, he said.
Another governmental official reported four injuries.
"My neighborhood rarely gets a bad flooding and I guess this is the worst," said CNN iReporter Jv Abellar from Quezon City, Philippines.
"Traversing through the flood is like walking through rapids."
In all, 41,205 people had sought refuge in 92 evacuation centers, Teodoro said.
By 8:30 a.m. Sunday (8:30 p.m. Saturday ET), the torrential rains ended and slight rainfall was reported.
Some roads in the capital metropolitan area had reopened, but "we do not encourage people to travel these roads," Teodoro told CNN in a telephone interview.
"They can be a hindrance to efficient relief and rescue operations."
The federal government began massive relief efforts to aid the local governments, and set up aid centers addressing pressing problems such as sanitation and water purification.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered pay parking lots at malls in Manila to be opened so motorists can leave their cars there without charge, Teodoro said. iReport.com: Share images of Philippines flooding
Manila's Nino Aquino International Airport and nearly all of the country's other international airports had reopened, he said.
Though the Philippines is no stranger to floods, Saturday's downpours approached a record, with 341 mm (13.4 inches) falling between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., he said.
The average rainfall for the entire month of September is 391 mm (15.4 inches), he said.
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4a7a5d2e69434a13bb7f41947190b8de
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How many people were rescued without boats?
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"Five thousand"
] |
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(CNN) -- BUPA is an international health and care company with bases on three continents and more than eight million customers.
BUPA began as The British United Provident Association in 1947 to preserve freedom of choice in health care.
It believed that with a National Health Service being introduced a year later, there would still be a need for a complimentary service enabling people from all walks of life to afford the benefits of choice in where, when and by whom they were treated.
Led by the growing public demand for health care and a lack of quality private accommodation BUPA initiated the Nuffield Homes Charitable Trust - later renamed Nuffield Hospitals.
BUPA's biggest and original business is health insurance in the UK, both for individuals and corporations that want to look after the health of their employees. More than half of the UK's top companies are BUPA customers.
The company's UK care homes offer specialist care to residents who include the elderly, the mentally ill, young people with physical or learning disabilities and people with conditions such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.
BUPA is a leading healthcare company in the UK, Spain, Australia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malta and Saudi Arabia. BUPA International supplies health cover to expatriates in over 180 countries.
Sanitas, the BUPA business in Spain, has one million insured customers who have access to a network of 18,000 medical professionals and 450 medical centres. E-mail to a friend
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c0ffe3c759144cdd93e8bfe2c31928cf
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What was founded in 1947?
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"BUPA"
] |
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(CNN) -- The Grand Ole Opry House is closed for repairs after record amounts of rain sent water 2 feet above its historic stage, damaging instruments, memorabilia and archival tapes at the country music landmark.
Gaylord Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Colin Reed said he did not know how long the facility will be closed. The neighboring Gaylord Opryland Resort, a 2,881-room hotel, also is closed for restoration but will be open before the end of 2010, he said.
"We're going to do everything in our power to restore the stuff that's been damaged by water," Reed said Friday.
He said that quick thinking by Opry management Sunday saved much of the memorabilia there.
Shows scheduled at the facility will move to other Nashville venues during repairs, he said.
Massive flooding has caused more than $1.5 billion in property damage in the Nashville area, city officials said Friday. Investigators were still searching for two people reported missing and surveying the damage in the city and surrounding Davidson County.
The flooding damaged at least 1,952 residential properties, city officials said in a statement. Cleanup crews have collected about 80 truckloads of debris from flooded neighborhoods.
Most of the water that inundated several neighborhoods in Nashville receded by Friday, seven days after heavy rain swelled the Cumberland River.
One of the city's main water treatment plants remained closed because of the flooding Friday, prompting officials to tell residents to put off washing dishes and to limit toilet flushing.
Last weekend's storm system devastated Tennessee and neighboring states, leaving at least 31 people dead in three states, authorities say.
Twenty-one people have been confirmed dead in hard-hit Tennessee. One person died in a tornado in Hardeman County that was spawned by the storms, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The same storm system killed six people in Mississippi and four in Kentucky, emergency management officials said.
The death toll could rise as rescue crews continue to search for several people who have been reported missing, including two kayakers in Kentucky and several people in Tennessee, officials said.
"Nashville has obviously been hard-hit, and it's a well-known city, but there are so many other counties in the state and areas ... that have been hit very hard as well," Gov. Phil Bredesen said Thursday morning.
"A lot of people who didn't have flood insurance, because they never thought floodwaters would ever come anywhere near their home, are really looking at a total loss of their home," he said. "It's very tough on a lot of people right now."
The federal government has declared 27 Tennessee counties disaster areas.
CNN's Martin Savidge contributed to this report.
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324d2d231ef0460dab5fb5d9120bcf28
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What records were broken?
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[
"amounts of rain sent water 2 feet"
] |
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(CNN) -- A man shot and killed seven patients and a nurse at a Carthage, North Carolina, nursing home Sunday before being wounded during a shootout with a police officer, authorities said.
Relatives of the nursing home's patients gathered at a nearby church, where they learned details of the shooting.
Three other people, including the police officer and a visitor to the nursing home, were wounded in the attack, Carthage Police Chief Chris McKenzie said. The police officer was treated and released, McKenzie said.
The slain patients ranged in age from 78 to 98, Moore County District Attorney Maureen Krueger said. The man accused of carrying out the attack, 45-year-old Robert Stewart, was in custody, and his condition was unknown Sunday night, McKenzie said.
Stewart was not an employee of the Pinelake Health and Rehab Center, and he did not appear to have been related to any of the patients, she said.
"There is still more to be uncovered as far as his purpose in being there," she said.
A witness told CNN affiliate WRAL-TV that Stewart was armed with a rifle, a shotgun and other weapons. The officer who stopped him, Justin Garner, "acted in nothing short of a heroic manner" and probably stopped the carnage from being worse, Krueger said. Watch stunned community react »
Jerry Avant Sr. told WRAL that his son, Jerry Avant, a 39-year-old registered nurse, was the employee who was killed in the shooting. He said a doctor told him that his son had been shot more than two dozen times. Watch father of slain nurse and ex-wife of suspect react »
The doctor "said he undoubtedly saved a lot of lives," Avant Sr. said, speaking of his son.
Stewart faces eight counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony assault on a police officer, and other charges are pending, she said.
Carthage is about 60 miles southwest of Raleigh. See map showing Carthage, Raleigh »
Sunday's slayings were the latest in a series of high-profile in March, including the killings of 10 people by an Alabama man who was then killed by police. In addition, a man shot and killed a pastor in a southern Illinois church and stabbed two parishioners, and a 17-year-old in Germany killed 15 people in two small towns before dying in a shootout with police.
In Carthage, crisis counselors were setting up in the town's First Baptist Church to aid survivors of the latest killings.
"I don't know the emotion entirely has set in," McKenzie said. "This is a small community built on faith, and faith will get us through."
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d3146f38bbc14e91ba46be500c71a8f4
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what happened to the man suspected of carrying out the attack
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[
"was in custody, and his condition was unknown"
] |
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(CNN) -- Energetic, infectious and combative, the music of Nigerian musician Femi Kuti has moved audiences around the world. But the man is just as passionate about getting people to change their world as much as move their feet.
Son of Afrobeat pioneer and political activist Fela Kuti, Femi inherited his father's zeal for both music and activism.
Kuti was signed to Motown Records in 1994 and his music blends Afrobeat with more current soul, R&B and jazz. He's worked with rappers Mos Def and Common and continues to explore his music and collaborations.
While the music matters, the man himself remains just as politically motivated as his father. Kuti's nightclub in Lagos, the New Afrika Shrine, had become a Mecca for West African music and creative expression, until it was closed by the authorities earlier in the summer.
It was also homage to his father and continued his legacy of using music to inspire, change and motivate.
Kuti recently told a reporter for All Africa Global Media that the Shrine was a place of worship where people can honor "great black people, who fought for the emancipation of Africa through music."
Freeing the "Shrine" from being under lock and key is just one of his crusading missions, as with his band, The Positive Force, Kuti remains outspoken about Nigeria, corruption and the positive changes that Africa can achieve.
Watch Femi Kuti on African Voices on Saturday, October 31, 12.30 and 18.30 GMT; Sunday, November 1, 18.00 GMT.
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1d8ee9896da045bab9363fc6bb81d5e7
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Who inherited his father's passion for music?
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"Femi Kuti"
] |
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NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A Pakistani man using "colonel" as a title is one of about three dozen people wanted over November's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, but his connections with the Pakistani army have not been established, Indian prosecutors say.
Police patrol in New Delhi last year following warnings of possible attacks using hijacked aircraft, officials said.
"This is all a matter of investigation," special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told CNN Thursday when asked if India thought he had links to the Pakistani army.
Neither is it clear whether the "colonel" belonged to the Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which is blamed for the Mumbai siege, Nikam said.
But India, the public prosecutor added, had "ample evidence" of his involvement in the November attacks.
Authorities say Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving suspect accused of taking part in the Mumbai siege, faces a multitude of charges, including murder and attempted murder.
Speaking outside Qila Court in Mumbai, Nikam said Kasab didn't attend the hearing for security reasons. The next hearing is set for March 9.
A 21-year-old Pakistani, Kasab was one of 10 men accused of participating in the coordinated sieges on buildings such as the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower and Oberoi-Trident hotels, Mumbai's historic Victoria Terminus train station and the Jewish cultural center, Chabad House.
Indian forces killed nine suspects. More than 160 people, including many foreigners, died during the three days of attacks that began November 26.
Authorities said Kasab was trained by Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which was banned in Pakistan in 2002 after a terrorist attack on India's parliament. The group denied responsibility.
Nikam said on Wednesday that the 50-page document describing the charges against Kasab also contains the names of 35 other suspects being sought in the crimes, many of whom are thought to be members of Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.
The prosecutor said his office hopes to finish the trial for Kasab in three to six months. He has been in police custody since November 28.
Also charged Wednesday were two men accused of helping to plan the violence, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, according to the prosecutor.
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77cf2d01506a46cfab4f659e75ba3b54
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How many suspects did the Indian forces kill?
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"nine"
] |
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(CNN) -- Anyone who doubts Roland Burris' qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments.
Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the words "Trail Blazer," Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state's first African-American attorney general and the state's first African-American comptroller.
The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959.
There appears to be enough room to add "U.S. senator" to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington.
A Senate Democratic aide told CNN on Wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent Burris from being seated in the Senate.
After Blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint Obama's successor, Senate Democrats praised Burris but said they could not accept any appointment by Blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges earlier this month. Federal prosecutors say he conspired to "sell" Obama's Senate seat for campaign donations and other favors.
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310d94fd654c4e9cbaac302114d2fc1c
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Who picked Burris?
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"Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich"
] |
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CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- An Illinois man was charged with possession of a potentially deadly neurotoxin commonly found in puffer fish after the FBI led a raid at his home Monday.
Edward F. Bachner, 35, of Lake in the Hills, was charged with one count of illegal possession of a toxin, according to a federal complaint filed in U.S. district court. Bachner is listed as the corporate secretary of Rosetta Wireless Corp. in Naperville, in suburban Chicago.
Bachner was arrested after accepting a small amount of tetrodotoxin delivered by an undercover federal official at his home, the FBI said.
Tetrodotoxin is a neurotoxin that in large doses can cause paralysis and death. It's often linked to consumption of puffer fish, a delicacy from the Indian and Pacific oceans that can prove fatal if not prepared properly, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Bachner, using the alias Edmond Backer, attempted to purchase 98 milligrams of tetrodotoxin through the Web site of a New Jersey chemical company, according to the FBI. Bachner claimed he was a doctor working for Illinois-based EB Strategic Research, which does not exist.
The quantity of the toxin requested alarmed an employee at the chemical company, who alerted authorities, the FBI said.
Bachner appeared before a magistrate judge at the federal court in Rockford and is being held without bond until his next court appearance.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Calls late Monday to Bachner's home and business went unanswered.
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25d4b737e353457e9212c806c83c861c
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What was he arrested for?
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[
"possession of a potentially deadly neurotoxin"
] |
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Jerusalem (CNN) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has fired his chief of staff despite an inquiry into a sex scandal that cleared the second-in-command of wrongdoing.
Rafiq Husseini was accused of using the power of his office to extract sex from a female job seeker.
The scandal erupted in February after a video was made public allegedly showing Husseini undressing in a bedroom and calling for a woman to join him in bed.
The president fired Husseini on Tuesday at the recommendation of a committee that Abbas created to look into the allegations.
The report clears Husseini of corruption and sexual misconduct charges. But because its content was not made public, it was not immediately clear why the committee recommended that the aide be let go.
"I was exonerated from the main accusations of abusing my power in office for personal gain and sexual favors," Husseini said Wednesday. "But at the same time, the committee found that I committed personal error outside the realm of my work."
The controversy began after Israel's Channel 10 aired the grainy surveillance footage of Husseini.
The footage shot in 2008 was provided to Channel 10 by Fahmi Shabaneh, a former agent in the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Department.
Shabaneh said he released the tape to the media to expose ethical and financial corruption within the Palestinian Authority.
Shabaneh said he had brought evidence of both sexual and financial wrongdoing to Abbas before going public, but that he was ignored.
He said received permission from his superior officer to make the clandestine recording of Husseini after a Palestinian woman approached him complaining that Husseini was trying to "sexually blackmail her."
The tape was made in cooperation with the woman who had brought the allegations, he said.
In a news conference in February, Husseini denied the allegations.
He told reporters that he had been framed by a gang "working for the interest of Israeli intelligence" and said the tape was "dubbed."
On Wednesday, Husseini said he accepted the committee's recommendation.
"I am satisfied, and know that I paid a price after all," he said. "I refuse to be blackmailed and I stood up to the black mailers even when that meant that I would lose my job over it."
CNN's Kareem Khadder contributed to this report.
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dac0330c0a384035800a6c895ac9359e
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Of what is Husseini accused?
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[
"using the power of his office to extract sex from a female job seeker."
] |
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ROME, Italy -- Italy national coach Roberto Donadoni has left Cristiano Lucarelli in his squad for next Saturday's crucial Euro 2008 qualifier in Scotland.
Lucarelli keeps his place in the Italian squad after scoring twice against South Africa.
The Shakhtar Donetsk striker is in fine form and has been rewarded for his inspiring performance in last month's friendly against South Africa, when he scored twice in the world champions' victory.
While Donadoni has again left out veteran forwards Filippo Inzaghi and Alessandro Del Piero, he has handed Juventus striker and Italy under-21 international Raffaele Palladino his first call-up to the senior squad.
Donadoni's squad is also boosted by the return from suspension of captain Fabio Cannavaro,
Italy go into the clash in Glasgow third in Group B, two points behind leaders France and one point below Scotland.
Italy end their qualifying campaign by taking on bottom side the Faroe Islands in Modena on November 21.
Italy squad:
Goalkeepers: Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Gianluca Curci (Roma)
Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Daniele Bonera (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Fabio Grosso (Lyon), Massimo Oddo (AC Milan), Christian Panucci (Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)
Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini (AC Milan), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
Strikers: Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Juventus), Cristiano Lucarelli (Shakhtar Donetsk), Raffaele Palladino (Juventus), Fabio Quagliarella (Udinese), Luca Toni (Bayern Munich) E-mail to a friend
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e20ed584d0914a61ab7c938ef9d38c21
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Who was the Juventus striker?
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[
"Raffaele Palladino"
] |
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(CNN) -- Brendon Pelser said he saw pure terror in the faces of his fellow passengers after an engine fell from a wing as it took off from Cape Town, South Africa, Wednesday.
Men were sweating profusely, women were crying.
"There was fear on their faces," Pelser said. "Everyone started panicking."
But the pilot of Nationwide Airlines' Boeing 737 Flight CE723 was able to fly long enough to dump fuel and make an emergency landing at Cape Town International Airport.
Including crew, 100 hundred people were on the plane that departed at 3:50 p.m. on an hourlong flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. No one was injured.
The jet had only been in the air about 10 minutes before the engine fell.
"We heard something crash and bang, the plane veering left and right. A person on the right side said the engine was missing -- had broken clean off," said Pelser. Watch Pelser describe how the flight crew told passengers to "prepare for the worst" »
"They flew us in very slowly. We were all prepared for the worst. We went into the fetal position, head between the legs," he said. "Then we hit the runway."
"I did kind of pray. I didn't want to die. I'm not really ready to die," the 33-year-old said.
An object had been sucked into the engine as the nose wheel lifted from the ground and officials are trying to identify it.
The engine-to-wing supporting structure is designed to release an engine "when extreme forces are applied," to prevent structural damage to the wing, Nationwide said on its Web site.
The airline described the incident as a "catastrophic engine failure."
As the nose wheel lifted from the ground, "the captain heard a loud noise immediately followed by a yaw of the aircraft (sideways slippage) to the right," the airline said in a news release.
The flight instruments showed the No. 2 engine on the right side had failed, it said.
Pelser said he spent the night in Cape Town, then flew back to Johannesburg where he lives, on the same airline.
Nationwide said the engine had undergone a major overhaul in March 2005 at "an approved Federal Aviation Authority facility in the U.S.A." and had flown only 3,806 hours since then.
"These engines typically achieve 10,000 hours between major overhauls," Nationwide Airlines' press release stated. E-mail to a friend
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4566c56417a448aeabb89f0e0c4fda6a
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Who was on the plane?
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"100 hundred people"
] |
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(CNN) -- Torrential rains and flooding since June have affected 600,000 people in 16 West African nations, the United Nations reported Tuesday.
People walk in the flooded streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, last week.
The worst hit have been Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana and Niger, said Yvon Edoumou, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. So far, 159 people have died, he said. Sierra Leone has also been hard hit, according to the U.N.
Edoumou said removing water from flooded areas is a top priority, but powerful pumps are in short supply.
"Some people refused to leave their homes so they are living in floodwaters," he said.
The United Nations has not yet received reports of waterborne diseases, but Edoumou said a real threat exists of diarrhea or, worse, cholera.
The U.N. World Food Programme said Tuesday it has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of homeless flood victims.
WFP has set a goal of feeding 177,500 people, mainly in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, where 150,000 people have been affected and key infrastructure -- including a central hospital, schools, bridges and roads -- has been damaged.
The flooding in Burkina Faso is the worst in 90 years, WFP said.
Many of those in Ouagadougou most needing help were already receiving aid from WFP, but those rations were lost in the floodwaters, the U.N. reported.
"It is always the poor and vulnerable who suffer the most from floods like these as their few remaining assets are swept away, leaving them hungry and destitute," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said.
Roads and buildings have been ruined from Mauritania to Niger, the U.N. reported. In Agadez, Niger, a town about 458 miles (738 km) north of the capital, Niamey, close to 988 acres (400 hectares) of vegetable crops and hundreds of livestock were washed away.
Herve Ludovic de Lys, head of OCHA in West Africa, said natural disasters have a lasting effect that unravels years of progress against poverty.
"The situation is very worrying," he said in an OCHA statement issued Tuesday.
The rainy season in West Africa begins in June and continues through late September. In 2007, 300 people died and 800,000 were affected by the storms.
This year, fears abound that more heavy rain will fall in already waterlogged areas.
Despite the misery, Edoumou said the rains are a mixed blessing for countries dependent on agriculture. The harvest this year will be more bountiful, he said.
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03c8849af39d4ec3b6a39a4f84e38b0e
|
Which people suffer the most from floods?
|
[
"the poor and vulnerable"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Investigators have heard a signal from the flight data recorders of the Yemenia Airways plane that crashed last week, they announced Sunday.
Search parties continue their operation to locate the Yemenia Airbus A310 off the Comoros Islands Saturday.
"A signal was picked up from two acoustic transmitters from the plane's flight data recorders during a sea search to locate the data recorders this morning," the French air accident investigation agency, known as the BEA, said in a statement.
Commonly known as "black boxes," the data recorders should contain information to help determine what caused the crash.
The Yemenia Airways Airbus 310 crashed into the Indian Ocean early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands.
One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari, who lives in Marseille, escaped with cuts to her face and a fractured collarbone. Watch teen survivor from crash »
The teen's father, Kassim Bakari, told a French radio network that his wife and daughter were flying to Comoros to visit relatives.
"When I had her on the phone, I asked her what happened and she said, 'Daddy, I don't know what happened, but the plane fell into the water and I found myself in the water... surrounded by darkness. I could not see anyone,'" Bakari told France Info.
The head of the rescue team in the Comoros told French radio RTL that the teenager beat astonishing odds to survive.
"It is truly, truly, miraculous," Ibrahim Abdoulazeb said. "The young girl can barely swim."
Another rescuer told France's Europe 1 radio that the girl was spotted in the rough sea, among bodies and plane debris in darkness, about two hours after the crash.
The Airbus 310 plane tried to land at the airport in Moroni, then made a U-turn before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said soon after the accident.
A French official said the nation had banned the plane after it failed an aviation inspection in 2007.
"Since this check-up, we have not seen the plane reappearing in France," said Dominique Bussereau, the transport minister.
But Yemenia Airlines was not on the European Union's list of banned airlines, he added.
Passengers on the flight included 66 French citizens, 54 Comorians, one Palestinian and one Canadian, according to Yemeni and French officials. The crew was made up of six Yemenis, two Moroccans, one Ethiopian, one Filipino and one Indonesian.
The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar.
|
edcf6d3132374d4384ad092b6b4548fe
|
who is the suvirvor from the crash?
|
[
"One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari,"
] |
NewsQA
|
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.
|
fb70183e75b74ea5acf1a151f016718c
|
who apologized
|
[
"the archbishop"
] |
NewsQA
|
CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (CNN) -- Attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq with bombs believed linked to Iran -- known as explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) -- have risen sharply in January after several months of decline, according to the top U.S. commander in Iraq.
Explosively formed penetrators are more sophisticated and deadlier than typical improvised explosive devices.
Iraqi and U.S. officials indicated just a month ago that Iran was using its influence to improve security in Iraq by restraining cross-border weapons flow and militia activity. The U.S. military had said in recent months that the number of EFP attacks had gone down.
Gen. David Petraeus disclosed the reversal to reporters after a meeting with President Bush who was visiting troops in Kuwait.
"In this year, EFPs have gone up, actually, over the last 10 days by a factor of two or three, and frankly we're trying to determine why that might be," Petraeus said.
Petraeus did not say how many American troops have been killed or wounded by EFPs in recent days.
The U.S. military announced nine troop deaths from bombings in the first 11 days of January, but the death announcements did not specify if EFPs were involved.
EFPs are more sophisticated and deadlier than the typical improvised explosive devices (IED) used by insurgents as roadside bombs to attack convoys and foot patrols until last year. EFPs use components manufactured in Iran and militants are trained in Iran to use them, the U.S. military has said.
President Bush, in remarks to reporters in Kuwait, said: "Iran must stop supporting the militia special groups that attack Iraqi and coalition forces, and kidnap and kill Iraqi officials."
The Bush administration and the military have long maintained that Iranian agents, particularly the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- have been arming and training Iraqi insurgents. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Emily Schultz contributed to this report
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cede27ad8f34437c992dc09d9ae46870
|
Where are the bomb increases linked to?
|
[
"Iran"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal investigators at the Nestle USA plant in Danville, Virginia, have found evidence of E. coli bacteria in an unopened package of raw chocolate chip cookie dough, two sources at the Food and Drug Administration told CNN Monday.
A Nestle spokeswoman says the tainted product was in a 16.5-ounce package and read "best before 10 JUN 2009."
Researchers were testing the bacteria to determine if it bears the same genetic fingerprint as the E. coli linked to an outbreak of illness that has affected at least 69 people in 29 states.
The tainted sample was manufactured last February 10 at the Nestle Plant in Danville, said the sources, both of whom requested anonymity.
All of the infected persons had been confirmed as having the outbreak strain of E. coli 0157:H7, the CDC said Monday.
Those affected range in age from 2 to 65, however 64 percent are less than 19 and 73 percent are female.
Thirty-four people have been hospitalized and nine developed a kidney disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome. No deaths have been linked to the outbreak.
A spokeswoman for Nestle said the company's baking division was informed Monday of the finding. She said the tainted product was in a 16.5-ounce package that had a day code of 9041 and a "best before 10 JUN 2009" on the package.
The plant where the dough was produced has been shut since June 18.
|
202923e25ca7401c93d8ffbb11f49c32
|
Was the company's baking division informed of the finding?
|
[
"Monday of the"
] |
NewsQA
|
Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- As Tehran approaches the 30th anniversary of the Iranian hostage crisis, in which dozens of Americans where held against their will for 444 days, the Islamic republic is firmly warning against reformists taking to the streets to protest the government.
Still reeling from the massive demonstration that followed the country's disputed presidential election, Iran on Wednesday will commemorate November 4, 1979, when a group of Islamist students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 53 hostages and effectively ending diplomatic relations with the United States.
While the government will allow the "faithful" to celebrate the anniversary of the embassy seizure, those who "intend to gather illegally and spread lies among people who gather to peacefully participate ... will be held responsible for their actions," said Ahmad Reza Radan, head of Iran's security forces, according to the semi-official Iran Student Correspondent Association.
The government of Iran arrested more than 1,000 people in a massive crackdown after the June 12 election, in which incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner.
In the aftermath of the fallout, the government accused several reformists, including opposition candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein Moussavi, of spreading anti-government propaganda and fueling the anger among the public.
Despite warnings from Iran's hardline leaders, the reformists have largely refused to back down. They released the names of 72 protesters they say were killed in the unrest that followed the election -- more than double the government's official number.
Karrubi, a former parliamentary speaker, has been especially vocal about the claims of detainee rape. He publishing a firsthand account of one alleged victim on his Web site last month. He has been scorned by government hard-liners, whose credibility and legitimacy have been publicly questioned since the elections.
On Wednesday, Islamic authorities tried to pre-emptively silence anti-government demonstrations and rhetoric.
According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, Hossein Sajedinia, deputy of operations for Iran's security forces, said, "The police will not allow a handful [of individuals] to disrupt the organization and safety of this day, by fooling people and the youth."
|
2ea7838fcbde415b937675fd66bf13bd
|
what is it an anniversary of
|
[
"Iranian hostage crisis,"
] |
NewsQA
|
KARBALA, Iraq (CNN) -- A female suicide bomber apparently targeting Shiite worshippers killed at least 40 people and wounded at least 65 in Karbala on Monday, according to an Interior Ministry official.
Iraqi security forces gather around the site of a car bomb explosion in Baghdad on Monday.
The incident occurred one-half mile from the Imam Hussein shrine of Karbala.
Karbala is a Shiite holy city, and the Imam Hussein shrine is one of Shiite Islam's holiest locations. The shrine marks the burial spot of Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, who was killed in battle nearby in 680.
No more information was immediately available about the blast southwest of the capital city, Baghdad.
Earlier Monday, in Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol, killing one officer and wounding another, the Interior Ministry told CNN.
A short time later, another roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol on Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad, wounding four bystanders, a ministry official said.
The first attack took place about 8:30 a.m. in the upscale Mansour neighborhood, where law enforcement officials have come under frequent attacks in recent weeks.
Also Monday, two American soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad, officials said.
The incident occurred about 12:20 p.m. as the soldiers were "conducting a route-clearance combat operation north of Baghdad," according to a news release.
The names of the soldiers were not immediately released.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in the Iraqi capital Monday on an unannounced visit.
Cheney told reporters that the five years in Iraq since the war's start has been "well worth the effort."
He said he met with top Iraqi officials. He appeared at a news conference with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to the country.
Cheney began a trip to the Middle East on Sunday with an official itinerary that listed stops in Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel and the West Bank, according to the White House. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
|
8516ec701e854b569f45c22f7123a062
|
Who is behind the bombings and explosions?
|
[
"A female suicide bomber"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Four minor boys are facing felony assault charges after a 13-year-old boy accused them of sexually assaulting him in the locker room of a Tampa, Florida, middle school, authorities said Friday.
The alleged victim told school officials he was assaulted with a broomstick and hockey stick at Walker Middle School, in southern Tampa, on April 30, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.
Linda Cobbe with Hillsborough County Schools said police were contacted Wednesday afternoon after the boy reported the incident.
The four teenagers, 14 and 15 years old, were arrested at school Wednesday and charged with sexual assault and false imprisonment, the sheriff's office said. The victim said two boys held him down on the ground while the other two sexually assaulted him, the sheriff's office said.
The alleged victim had been "continually picked on and harassed by the suspects" before the incident, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
All four suspects have been suspended from school, Cobbe said.
On Thursday, the school's principal, Kathleen Hoffman, contacted students' parents through a recorded message, telling them the four would not be allowed to return to school "unless their legal issues are resolved."
Cobbe said the 13-year-old is back in classes at the school.
CNN's John Couwels contributed to this report.
|
2ea9be47a97c40f1bd637d761e5a0356
|
who faces felony charges
|
[
"four teenagers, 14 and 15 years old,"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- The death toll from an outbreak of hepatitis B in India's western Gujarat state reached 38 on Sunday as authorities prepared to begin a vaccination drive against the disease.
Hepatitis-B patient Mahir Husain, center, is comforted at a hospital in Ahmedabad.
Malayappan Thennarasa, the top administrator of the affected Sabarkantha district, told CNN the toll had climbed to 38 and that shots would be administered free of cost starting Monday.
Health officials have recorded 125 cases of the infection in two weeks. Authorities were carrying out raids at medical stores for bogus drugs and recycled syringes.
Police have so far arrested five medical practitioners. One of them was charged Sunday with attempted murder. The doctor is accused of reusing syringes, Thennarasa said.
Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease resulting from infection with the hepatitis B virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It usually spreads through blood, semen, or other bodily fluids, often through sexual contact or sharing needles or syringes with an infected person.
The disease can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, chronic illness resulting in long-term health problems or death, the CDC said.
|
38e4a751188f4b27a0f91968ff6828ea
|
what was contagious?
|
[
"hepatitis B"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is asking parents to immediately stop using a series of inflatable floats for babies in swimming pools, announcing a voluntary recall of about 4 million floats Thursday.
The Squirtin' Tootin' Tugboat is among the floats covered by the recall.
The items -- which inflate to seat babies and toddlers as they float on water -- are manufactured by Massachusetts-based Aqua Leisure Industries.
The company has voluntarily recalled 14 models because the leg straps in the seat of the float can tear, causing children to slip into the water, posing a drowning risk, the commission said in a statement.
There have been 31 reports of float seats tearing, though no injuries have been reported, the commission said.
The floats were sold from December 2002 through June 2009 at retailers nationwide, including Target, Toys "R" Us, Wal-Mart, Dollar General, Kmart, Walgreens, Ace Hardware and Bed, Bath & Beyond.
The commission is asking consumers to stop using the floats and to send them back to the company.
Aqua Leisure officials could not be immediately reached for comment, but the company's Web site has posted the commission's recall advisory.
CNN's Gerri Willis contributed to this report.
|
e1b8dcb9b6454429bfa68532c92619d2
|
How many models did Aqua Leisure recall?
|
[
"14"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The raging wildfires that killed hundreds of Australians earlier this year could not kill Sam the Koala.
The plight of Sam the Koala became a huge hit on video-sharing Web site YouTube.
But an illness endemic in the country's koala population did.
Sam, the 4-year-old Koala who became famous after he was injured and rescued from the historic wildfires, died Thursday, an Australian wildlife shelter said.
"It is with great sadness today that TressCox Lawyers on behalf of the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter announce that Sam the Koala has lost her latest fight for survival," the shelter said in a statement. "Sam became a symbol of hope and determination across the nation for both survivors of the black Saturday bush fires and all those that fought and lent support throughout the community."
Sam was catapulted into fame in February when a photograph surfaced showing a firefighter, marked with soot, holding her injured paw and pouring water into her mouth.
As firefighters continued to battle the brush fires that killed more than 200 people and torched 2,000 homes, Sam was taken to Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter to heal from burns on her paws.
Reporters flocked to the wildlife shelter to do update stories on Sam. One story by Australian local television revealed that Sam, short for Samantha, had quickly gained a boyfriend, a Koala named Bob.
Her paws healed but soon she developed ovarian cysts associated with chlamydia, an ailment that affects 50 percent of Australia's koala population, the shelter said.
"Sam had severe changes in her urinary and reproductive tract that was non-operable and unfortunately had to put Sam to sleep," the statement said.
"The changes were consistent with the Chlamydia infection. It was so severe that there was no possible way to be able to manage her pain."
|
2a23215001924924988bf9823fa148a7
|
Where was Sam taken to after the fires?
|
[
"Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter"
] |
NewsQA
|
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Travelers to China who display flu-like symptoms may be randomly quarantined over concerns of the swine flu virus, the U.S. State Department warned.
A child traveling with his parents wears a face mask after they arrive at the Beijing, China, airport.
There have been cases of children being separated from parents after either tested positive for the virus, also known as H1N1, a travel alert said Friday.
Chinese officials may give medications to minors in such cases without consulting their parents, according to the alert.
"Although the proportion of arriving Americans being quarantined remains low, the random nature of the selection process increases the uncertainty surrounding travel to China," the alert said.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs transmitted to humans and caused by type A influenza virus. Symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing.
There have been about 48,000 confirmed cases worldwide, including 519 in China, according to the World Health Organization.
The Chinese government has taken measures to stop the spread of the virus. They include placing passengers who have fever or flu-like symptoms on a seven-day quarantine, the alert said.
Others facing quarantine include those sitting close to travelers with symptoms, those with elevated temperatures and those from areas where virus outbreaks have occurred.
A 15-year-old from Topeka, Kansas, told CNN on Monday that she was quarantined in Beijing for a week.
"Apparently, I was sitting too close to a man who had a fever on the 14-hour plane ride," Kaitlin Hannigan said, adding that she initially thought she had a fever, but her temperature was fine when officials checked it.
A day after she arrived in Beijing with an educational group, government officials showed up at her hotel.
"They were wearing quarantine suits, goggles and masks and, like, full body suits and gloves, and said I had to be quarantined for seven days because I came in contact with that guy," Hannigan said.
Earlier in June, New Orleans, Louisiana, Mayor Ray Nagin was quarantined in Shanghai after possible exposure to the virus.
Nagin was headed to Australia on an economic development trip when he was quarantined for four days after sitting beside a passenger who was being treated for suspected swine flu symptoms. Nagin showed no signs of illness.
State officials warned Americans traveling to China that they have to follow local quarantines procedures.
"The U.S. Embassy will be unable to influence the duration of stay in quarantine for affected travelers," the statement said.
The travel alert expires in September.
|
eebc6c8caa9a48f88680e088505a6b00
|
How long is the quarantine?
|
[
"seven-day"
] |
NewsQA
|
London, England (CNN) -- Spanish banking giant Santander on Monday began its campaign to rename hundreds of Abbey and Bradford and Bingley bank branches across Britain.
The banking group acquired Abbey in 2004, before it purchased Bradford & Bingley and the Alliance & Leicester in 2008.
The first of 300 official Santander branches in the south-east of England was launched in London Monday morning by Banco Santander Chairman Emilio Botín, with a further 700 branches across the UK expected to follow suit by the end of January.
In a statement Botin said: "This is a historic day for Santander as its name is firmly established on the UK high street.
"When Santander acquired Abbey in 2004, there were some who doubted we could make it a success. Today, there can be no doubts.
"Over the last five years we have transformed our UK business into one of the most successful banks in the country. The decision to become Santander will put us in an even stronger position the UK."
António Horta-Osório, Chief Executive of Santander UK, added: "The success of our UK business has given us the confidence to move to the Santander name now and with it deliver the next phase of our transformation program and make 1,300 branches available to our 25 million customers in the UK.
"I am confident that this is a very positive move - both for our customers and our employees."
Over the next few years, Santander says it aims to increase the number of products each of its customers hold through increasingly competitive and market-leading products to its customer base.
At the end of 2008, Santander, which was founded in 1857, was the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization and third in the world by profit. It has has 90 million customers, around 14,000 branches -- more than any other international bank -- and over 170,000 employees.
|
40fea0fd669d476eb2f009014ceb3f7a
|
who is Bradford and Bingley?
|
[
"bank"
] |
NewsQA
|
(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 »
|
eb9f1774f2ad4d0aabe7011794d7175d
|
What did Obama do in regards to Cuba?
|
[
"as well as"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Entertainment Weekly) -- In the first truly shocking box office result of the year, "Fast & Furious" sped away from expectations to gross a humongous $72.5 million, according to early estimates from Media by Numbers.
Paul Walker stars in "Fast & Furious," which exceeded expectations after taking in $72.5 million.
That result is effectively double what most industry observers had predicted for the debut of the fourth feature in Vin Diesel's car franchise, and it left in the dust a number of notable records:
- Best April opening ever, beating "Anger Management's" $42.2 million.
- Best Universal Pictures opening ever (three-day), beating "The Lost World: Jurassic Park's" $72.1 million.
- Best F&F franchise opening ever, beating "2 Fast 2 Furious'" $50.5 million.
- Best opening yet in 2009, easily beating the bows of the more-buzzed-about "Monsters vs. Aliens" ($59.3 million) and "Watchmen" ($55.2 million).
- Best opening ever for stars Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster, as well as for director Justin Lin.
Oh, and let's not forget that it was the best opening ever for a car-themed movie! (Beating "Cars'" $60.1 million.) This outcome is impressive, indeed, something that has caught Hollywood by surprise and has the potential to really change things up -- like when summer-esque blockbusters are released (rarely does one open so early in the year) and like, you know, what everyone thinks of Vin Diesel.
The film did it all on the strength of a solid A- CinemaScore review from an audience that was 57 percent male and 59 percent over age 25. Like the jaw-dropping early-year debuts of "The Passion of the Christ" and "300" before it, this is a history-making premiere that you may well be hearing about for a long time to come.
So, yeah, I almost forgot to mention: "Fast & Furious" was the No. 1 movie at the box office this weekend.
Coming in strong at No. 2 was "Monsters vs. Aliens," which dropped a respectable 44 percent to earn $33.5 million. In 10 days, the 3-D extravaganza has banked $105.7 million.
"The Haunting in Connecticut" (No. 3 with $9.6 million), "Knowing" (No. 4 with $8.1 million), and "I Love You, Man" (No. 5 with $7.9 million) rounded out the top five. And the weekend's other big new release, "Adventureland," struggled with $6 million at No. 6.
Overall, the box office was up a monstrous 68 percent from the same frame a year ago, when holdover 21 outplayed a number of weak new movies, none of which had Vin Diesel ... whom you're going to start hearing a lot about, once again.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
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6e9b0aedbf5f488eb2de8e8a12b82b90
|
what is the best opening ever for universal
|
[
"\"Fast & Furious\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo lifted martial law in the country's south, which she declared after the massacre of 57 people last month, Philippine news outlets reported Saturday.
The order lifting martial law was due to be effective at 9 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) Saturday, the Philippines News Agency (PNA) and CNN affiliate ABS-CBN said.
Military troops will remain in Maguindanao province to keep the peace despite the move, said Victor Ibrado, chief of staff of the Philippine armed forces, PNA said.
Arroyo imposed martial law December 4 but lifted it Saturday after deciding it had achieved its objectives, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said, according to PNA.
Local government was now back in power and the justice system was functioning again, he said.
Authorities have said the November 23 massacre in Maguindanao province was a politically motivated attempt to keep an opponent of the politically powerful Ampatuan family from running for governor.
Thirty journalists were among those killed.
The martial law allowed arrests without warrants, and at least six members of the Ampatuan family -- including a local mayor -- were arrested, according to ABS-CBN.
Authorities raided a warehouse and ranch belonging to the family last weekend and confiscated firearms, ammunition and vehicles, Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, deputy of operations for the eastern Mindanao command, told CNN.
Ermita said Saturday that three charges of multiple murders were filed in court, and that 24 people were charged with rebellion. The Philippine National Police has referred nearly 900 other cases to the Department of Justice, he said.
Violence in the run-up to elections is not uncommon in the Philippines. The Maguindanao massacre, however, is the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippine history, according to state media.
The victims included the wife and sister of political candidate Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu, who had sent the women to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao. He said he had received threats from allies of Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., the father of the accused mayor, saying he would be kidnapped if he filed the papers himself.
Maguindanao is part of an autonomous region in predominantly Muslim Mindanao, which was set up in the 1990s to quell armed uprisings by people seeking an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Christian Asian nation.
|
286201e42608477b8e3a850b5588ce23
|
Maguindanao is in what region?
|
[
"Philippines."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Werder Bremen continued their continued their domination of SV Hamburg with a 2-0 win which dents their northern neighbors' hopes of Champions League football next season.
A dejected Paolo Guerrero and Ivica Olic walk off after Hamburg's defeat.
The defeat leaves Martin Jol's men sixth in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Wolfsburg with only three games remaining and four adrift of third-placed Hertha Berlin.
It was the second meeting of the two teams in four days, with Werder winning a thrilling second leg 3-2 to go through to the UEFA Cup final on Thursday on away goals.
Werder also put Hamburg out of the German Cup and their win came after a pair of goals by Hugo Almeira.
In Sunday's other match, Borussia Moenchengladbach boosted their Bundesliga survival hopes with a 1-0 win at home to Schalke 04.
Substitute Roberto Colautti scored in the last minute to spare the blushes of teammate Marko Marin, who had seen a penalty saved by Manuel Neuer in the first half.
The win lifted Borussia out of the relegation zone into 15th place, but it is still tight with Arminia Bielefeld and Energie Cottbus only below them on goal difference.
Schalke, who will have current Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath in charge next season, were suffering a second straight defeat to stay seventh.
Wolfsburg were beaten 4-1 by Stuttgart on Saturday to throw open the title race with champions Bayern Munich joining them on 60 points with Hertha one point back and Stuttgart on 58.
|
27f3d376669b4247acc1cca27efc5e2b
|
What was the score between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Schalke?
|
[
"1-0"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A major nor'easter is expected to bring blizzard conditions to interior New England and heavy rain and near-hurricane-force wind gusts to Northeastern coastal areas Wednesday through Friday.
Little, if any, snow will fall in Boston, Massachusetts, while Washington, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, could see as much as 5 inches of snow with locally higher amounts, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said.
Record snowfall totals of 30 inches or more will be possible across upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, Morris said. Very strong winds will combine with the heavy snow to produce dangerous white-out conditions and widespread power outages.
Share your winter weather videos and pics
Hurricane-force wind gusts combined with heavy rain are likely to cause significant flight delays and cancellations at all major airports along the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday and Friday, Morris said.
Another storm was bringing heavy, wet snow Wednesday morning from Connecticut to Massachusetts. The National Weather Service predicted the weight of the snow would bring down tree limbs and power lines, causing scattered power outages.
Scattered outages already were being reported in parts of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, where snowfall totals in the Berkshire Mountains could reach 24 inches by Wednesday night, the weather service said.
Meanwhile, central Texas was digging out from up to 4 inches of snow after setting records with more than a foot less than two weeks ago.
Sunshine was predicted for Wednesday, but CNN iReport contributor Robert Huntington of Austin, Texas, said the snow was falling hard in his neighborhood Tuesday.
"[They're] really big flakes, I mean, unusually large flakes," he said. "It's Texas. Everything's bigger in Texas."
CNN's Jim Kavanagh, Sean Morris and Mallory Simon contributed to this report.
|
52bf3800db114ab69a701d8c778b594a
|
Which area will get little snow?
|
[
"Boston, Massachusetts,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Staffers at a federal prison in central Florida fired shots to break up a large-scale fight that sent eight inmates to hospital emergency rooms Sunday afternoon, officials said.
Eight inmates were injured Sunday in a fight at Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida, officials said.
Authorities did not say what led to the fight at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Sumter County.
A statement from the prison said one inmate suffered a gunshot wound, but did not say whether the person was struck by a prison staff member's bullet.
The other seven were "stabbing/shooting victims," said a spokesman for Orlando Regional Medical Center, where the inmates were taken. The hospital did not elaborate.
No prison staffers were seriously hurt in the incident, which the FBI is investigating, said Charles Ratledge, spokesman for the prison.
The fight broke out in the recreation yard of the United States Penitentiary No. 2, a high-security facility, about 2:20 p.m.
The Coleman complex consists of four institutions. The other three facilities -- another U.S. penitentiary, a medium-security and a low-security facility -- were not affected, said Bureau of Prison spokeswoman Traci Billingsley.
"The inmates ignored staff orders to stop their assaultive behavior, and shots were fired by institution staff to prevent possible loss of life," Ratledge said.
Five medical evacuation helicopters -- three from the hospital -- landed at the prison and transported the injured inmates on the 15- to 20-minute flight to Orlando Regional, hospital spokesman Joe Brown said.
The prison complex is in near Coleman in Sumter County, about 50 miles northwest of Orlando, Florida.
The community was never endangered by the fight, U.S. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney said.
CNN's Nick Valencia, Susan Candiotti and Terry Frieden contributed to this report.
|
6d7c0e1a38894327874191c3de4374dd
|
What is the name of the prison?
|
[
"Coleman Federal Correctional Complex"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A $15.5 million payout made by oil giant Shell to settle a lawsuit brought against it by relations of executed Nigerian writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and other activists will allow the families of the victims to move on with their lives, Saro-Wiwa's son has told CNN.
Saro-Wiwa said the settlement would allow the families of the victims to draw a line under the past.
The New York lawsuit -- brought to court by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of Saro-Wiwa's family and others in 1996 -- accused Shell's Nigerian subsidiary of complicity in the writer's 1995 hanging and the killings or persecution of other environmental activists in the Niger Delta.
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.
"It enables us to draw a line under the past and actually face the future with something tangible, some hope that this is the beginning of a better engagement between all the stakeholders in this issue," Ken Saro-Wiwa Jr. told CNN.
Shell said it "had no part in the violence that took place" but called the settlement "a humanitarian gesture to set up a trust fund to benefit the Ogoni people."
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.
Saro-Wiwa said the case set a precedent for oil companies operating in regions such as West Africa by demonstrating that they could "be brought to trial in America for human rights violations in Africa." Watch Saro-Wiwa discuss how he hopes the case will set a precedent »
"Justice is always hard won... It took 13 years to go through the legal process but clearly before we started this corporations throught they could almost operate with impunity but now the legal landscape has changed," he said.
Roughly half of the settlement will go into a trust fund to help the people of Nigeria's Ogoni region, according to court papers.
|
e8088fb5d49f45a6801599d2eb3a0dc3
|
What region's people will be helped?
|
[
"Nigeria's Ogoni"
] |
NewsQA
|
Barcelona's recent defensive problems have increased further with the news that French international Eric Abidal faces up to two months out of action because of an injury to his left leg.
Abidal collected an abductor muscle problem in training, meaning he joins fellow-defenders Rafael Marquez, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and midfielder Yaya Toure on the sidelines for the Primera Liga trip to Atletico Madrid this weekend.
Barcelona confirmed the news on their official Web site, with a statement adding: "After medical tests, which were carried out in Barcelona, the medical team confirmed that Abidal was suffering a disinsertion of the adductor in his left leg."
As well as Saturday's match, Abidal will be absent from both legs of the Champions League last 16 showdown against Stuttgart, while he will also miss a host of key Spanish league fixtures.
Marquez and Pique are banned this weekend after their recent dismissals against Getafe, while Alves is suffering from a calf injury.
Toure is sometimes deployed by Barca coach Pep Guardiola as an emergency defender, but the Ivory Coast international has a leg injury which will rule him out of action for two weeks.
|
90630aded9484b9e84f20340b1646658
|
who is eric abidal
|
[
"French international"
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France -- AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka has been named European player of the year, lifting France Football's Ballon d'Or award.
Kaka has already claimed all of the game's major prizes.
His success comes two years after his fellow countryman, Barcelona's Ronaldinho, claimed the award
The 25-year-old Kaka was a major factor in AC Milan's triumphant Champions League campaign.
The runner-up was Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo with Barcelona's Argentinian midfielder Lionel Messi finishing third.
"This is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me," Kaka said.
"It's the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like AC Milan. It's great to be part of a team that wins."
At 25 years old, he has already won all the game's major prizes, individually and collectively.
He was part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning squad, although he was limited to just 19 minutes as a substitute against Costa Rica.
He was top scorer in last season's Champions League, helping Milan to avenge their loss to Liverpool in the 2005 final.
He won the Italian domestic title in his first season at Milan having joined from Brazilians Sao Paulo for$ 8.5 million, a sum that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi then described as peanuts. E-mail to a friend
|
59816568bef441aebc9231dac94f40b3
|
Who finishes third?
|
[
"Lionel Messi"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Arsenal and Hull City were charged with failing to control their players by the English Football Association (FA) on Wednesday after their fiery Premier League match on December 19.
The match at the Emirates Stadium, won 3-0 by title-chasing Arsenal, became heated just before halftime when Arsenal's Samir Nasri clashed with Hull's Richard Garcia.
Stephen Hunt then had a confrontation with Nasri and a mass brawl ensued, with home goalkeeper Manuel Almunia running the length of the field to get involved.
Referee Steve Bennett had to battle to get things under control and then showed yellow cards to both Hunt and Nasri.
The clubs have until January 13 to launch any appeal.
In other Premier League news on Wednesday, Liverpool could give Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani his full debut for the crucial Boxing Day clash with Wolves.
Aquilani, a big summer signing from AS Roma, has yet to start a league game for Liverpool, having battled to recovery from an ankle injury.
Manager Rafael Benitez has been criticized for his reluctance to play Aquilani, but with the player recovering from a calf injury which kept him out of last weekend's match all the indicators are that he will take his place at Anfield.
Premier League champions Manchester United have been clearance to play Senegal striker Mame Biram Diouf after he was granted a work permit.
United signed Diouf from Molde in July before loaning him back to the Norwegian club.
He scored 16 goals in 29 games in Norway and with Senegal failing to qualify for the African Cup of Nations, United have pressed to get him the proper clearances.
|
007efb00583142639aedffdecf937761
|
who got a work permit clearance?
|
[
"Mame Biram Diouf"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headed to Luanda, Angola, on Sunday on the third leg of a journey that is taking her to seven African nations in 11 days.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton poses with residents of South Africa on Saturday during her 11-day trip to Africa.
The State Department has described Angola as a nation with "enormous economic potential."
The African country is one of the largest energy producers south of the Sahara Desert and is a major supplier of petroleum and liquefied natural gas to the U.S. market.
Clinton flew to Angola after a two-day stop in South Africa, where she met with the country's new leader, President Jacob Zuma, and the foreign minister.
She ended the South African trip Saturday with a visit to a housing project on the outskirts of Cape Town, where she and daughter, Chelsea, laid the first bricks 12 years ago.
Clinton opened her Africa trip in Kenya. She will also travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Liberia and Cape Verde.
"In each nation, she will emphasize Africa as a place of opportunity, built on an ethic of responsibility," said Ian Kelly, state department spokesman.
"She will underline America's commitment to partner with governments, the private sector, nongovernmental organizations and private citizens to build societies where each individual can realize their potential."
|
22ce37e86d06417bbcbd719e7d86d2a5
|
What is Angola known for being a major supplier of?
|
[
"of petroleum and liquefied natural gas to the U.S. market."
] |
NewsQA
|
San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) -- The father of a 7-year-old girl abducted and killed near her north Georgia home this month said Sunday he is "relieved" to have his daughter back in Puerto Rico, where she will be buried this week.
A funeral for Jorelys Rivera will be held Monday in Penuelas, her father, Ricardo Galarza, said. The burial will take place Tuesday, he said.
Services were held Saturday for mourners in Georgia before her body was flown to Puerto Rico.
Galarza told CNN last week that he last saw his daughter two years ago, when she visited for the summer. She was supposed to visit for Christmas this year, Galarza said.
Jorelys disappeared December 2 near a playground at a Canton, Georgia, apartment complex. Searchers found her body in a trash bin three days later. Authorities have accused 20-year-old Ryan Brunn -- a maintenance worker at the complex -- of killing her.
Jorelys died of blunt force trauma to the head and was stabbed and sexually assaulted, according to authorities.
A date for Brunn's arraignment has not been set. David Cannon Sr., one of Brunn's court-appointed attorneys, has said that his client will plead not guilty.
|
b4161434681b4efea42c6545790f8a43
|
What age was the girl?
|
[
"7-year-old"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- In Focus -- Gulf football interests
News of an English football deal sent the British media into a frenzy this week, when a private Abu Dhabi group announced a planned takeover of Manchester City.
Sheikha Hanadi al Thani talks about the real estate bubble in Qatar
With the likes of Emirates, Etihad and Saudi Telecom, the Gulf has long had an interest in English football. Are they sound investments or a matter of prestige? MME investigates.
Facetime with Sheikha Hanadi Al Thani, CEO, Al Waab City Real Estate Development
Since 2005 when the World Economic Forum named her the "Young Global Leader of the Year," Sheikha Hanadi al Thani has become an inspiration to women across the Arab world.
She founded the first firm in Qatar to conduct investment banking and is now the CEO of Al Wa'ab City, a property development that's set to open in 2010. She talks to MME about the real estate bubble in Qatar and being a businesswoman in the Gulf.
Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below: Friday: 0815, 1845 Saturday: 0545 Sunday 0715
|
ef28e3fab42c4d08bd838858b3641372
|
What will be featured on this week's MME?
|
[
"English football deal"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Criminal charges will not be filed against the 18-year-old college freshman who falsely accused five men of raping her in a dormitory bathroom at Hofstra University, an official said Friday.
Instead, Danmell Ndonye must participate in a year-long psychiatric program and spend 250 hours in community service for lying to police about what was a consensual sexual encounter with four of the five accused men, Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice said in a written statement.
Ndonye said she did not engage in sexual activity with Rondell Bedward, the only one of the men who attends Hofstra University. He has returned to classes.
Rice said she retains the option of filing criminal charges against Ndonye if she fails to complete the course of therapy or community service.
Rice added that filing criminal charges might have made any future false accuser reluctant to recant and tell the truth, possibly leading to an innocent person serving a lengthy prison sentence.
Authorities dropped charges and freed the four men they had taken into custody after their accuser changed her story about having been tied up and sexually assaulted in a dormitory bathroom.
The woman recanted after authorities told her that part of the incident was recorded on a cell phone video, Rice said.
"That was when she began to tell the truth," she said.
It is against the law to report a crime when there was not one, the district attorney said.
"Her actions and her demeanor depict a very troubled young woman in need of much help," Rice said.
Hofstra University has suspended Ndonye.
|
4dffa9c64afe43e7b632f5081e00249e
|
Was she suspended from her school?
|
[
"Ndonye."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two crew members were taken to a hospital after a FedEx cargo plane crashed on landing Tuesday morning at the Lubbock, Texas, airport, officials said.
A damaged FedEx ATR-42 lies beside a runway early Tuesday at the Lubbock, Texas, airport.
The injuries appeared to be minor, said James Loomis, director of Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport.
There was a small fire on the plane, the Federal Aviation Administration and FedEx spokeswoman Sandra Munoz said. Munoz said she was not sure about the extent of the damage.
The plane is an ATR-42 twin-turboprop aircraft and landed short of the touchdown zone at 4:37 a.m. CT (5:47 ET), Loomis said.
Munoz said the plane had been traveling from Fort Worth Alliance Airport and skidded off the runway amid light freezing rain. iReport.com: Are you there? Send photos, video
Neither official could immediately say what caused the accident, and Munoz didn't know why parts of the plane caught fire.
The plane was operated by Empire Airways, which is under contract with FedEx Corp., based in Memphis, Tennessee.
|
e63fd64b5de748b8980c796de3641c08
|
what airline was involved
|
[
"Empire Airways,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Swedish diplomat in Iran was arrested and accused of participating in Iranian protests during observances surrounding the Muslim holy day of Ashura, two semi-official news agencies reported Sunday, citing members of Iran's parliament.
Sweden denies that the diplomat was involved in the protests.
Swedish officials and the Mehr news agency reported that the diplomat was subsequently released.
"Based on the law and international norms, diplomats cannot be detained or arrested," Alaedin Boroujerdi, a member of the Iranian parliamentary National Security Committee, told Mehr. "But since this person was among those who were disturbing the peace, he was initially arrested but then he was released when it was determined he was a diplomat."
The Swedish Foreign Office confirmed the arrest, but said the diplomat -- who was not named -- was not taking part in demonstrations.
"A Swedish diplomat was arrested in Tehran about two weeks ago and detained overnight for between 10 and 20 hours before being released," said Anders Jorle, spokesman for the Foreign Office. "He was arrested after he was found to not be carrying ID, which is not required but is recommended in Iran."
"He was not taking part in a protest," Jorle said. "He was passing one of the places where a protest had taken place, but the protest was not ongoing at the time of the arrest.
"In hindsight, we would say that he should have been carrying ID," Jorle said. "As far as we're concerned, the matter is closed and there is nothing further to say."
The Fars news agency quoted Zohreh Elahian, a member of the security committee, as saying the Swedish chargé d'affaires was arrested on the day of Ashura, December 27. He was arrested by Iranian officials who considered his presence at the demonstration to be an interference in international affairs, Elahian told Fars.
"According to witnesses and evidence, several foreign embassies in Tehran played a role behind the scenes and were represented [on the scene on that day] by their chargés d'affaires and other diplomats," Elahian said.
Ashura is the major Shiite Muslim holy day. It marks the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, as a martyr. Shiites commemorate the death of Hussein each year, climaxing on Ashura, after a 40-day mourning period.
Its observance in Iran was marked by anti-government protests. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad downplayed the reports, calling them "a theater play by the Zionists and the Americans," according to state media.
An Iranian media blackout made it difficult to verify accounts of that weekend's violence, but videos that found their way west depicted bloodied and, in some cases, apparently dead protesters.
CNN's Jonathan Wald contributed to this report.
|
447a8e91e7b44df4a571d35d11b3bde6
|
What did the two news reports say?
|
[
"diplomat in Iran was arrested and accused of participating in Iranian protests during"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Security forces have arrested 11 al Qaeda suspects in the Yemeni capital, the nation's official news agency reported Thursday.
One man was killed in the operation, according to a security source cited by SABA.
Yemeni authorities have threatened punishment for people who harbor suspected terrorists. The warnings are part of a crackdown on alleged al Qaeda hideouts since the attempted bombing of an American airliner in December, according to SABA.
The suspect in the failed attack, Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab, spent time in Yemen and is said to have acquired the explosive device from someone in that country. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has claimed responsibility for the plot.
The Obama administration has recognized the risks posed by Yemen becoming a failed state and voiced support in its struggles against terrorism.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also has pressed Yemen to implement key reforms and shore up its faltering economy.
"Yemen's challenges are not going to be solved by military action alone," she said at a recent meeting of Western powers and Arab nations.
"Progress against violent extremists and progress toward a better future for the Yemeni people ... will also depend on fortifying development efforts."
|
e96d163b85284f99aa44ed94d741df0d
|
What has Yemen threatened?
|
[
"punishment"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The race for line honors in the annual Sydney-Hobart yacht race is developing into a thrilling battle between three giant maxi yachts.
Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo was leading after the fleet emerged from the first night, but less than five nautical miles separated the New Zealand 100-footer from British entry ICAP Leopard, skippered by Mike Slade, and four-time line honors winner Wild Oats X1, with Australian Mark Richards at the helm.
Light winds have ruled out a realistic chance of any of the contenders breaking the race record set by Wild Oats in 2005 of one day, 18 hours and 40 minutes, but the three-way tactical battle is the closest for several years.
The official race Web site www.rolexsydneyhobart.com reported that the three leaders were traveling at just over 11 knots with an east-south east wind as they headed to the finish in the Tasmanian capital.
100 yachts started the 628-nautical mile "Bluewater Classic" from Sydney Harbor on Boxing Day and it made for the usual impressive spectacle.
Four retirements had taken place by daylight, with Alan Brierty's Limit, representing the organizing club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, going out due to rigging problems.
Limit was one of the favorites for overall victory on handicap.
The annual race was first held in 1945 and has been hit by severe weather conditions in previous years.
In 1998, six competitors died and several boats were lost during a fierce storm on the first night.
Two years ago the fleet was also hit by similar conditions and eight yachtsman had to abandon a sinking craft.
The forecasted light winds are expected to favor the bigger yachts who can use their giant spinnakers to good effect as they head for Constitution Harbor in Hobart.
|
f8569ce624cb44c98cbaa6581d62739e
|
How long is Alfa Romeo?
|
[
"100-footer"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Arctic reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia are getting a view from space to help them look after their herds as the region copes with climate change.
Snow worries: Satellite maps of snow coverage and melt can help reindeer herders.
Using satellite-based snow melt maps supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA) backed program Polar View, herders are able to view the depth of snow and judge where the best foraging spots are to take their reindeer.
"Snow is of paramount importance for reindeer herding, because its quality determines whether reindeer are able to access the pastures that lie beneath it for much of the year," Anders Oskal, the Director of the International Center for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR) told the ESA.
"Detailed circumpolar snow information is, thus, becoming increasingly important following the recent changes in the Arctic climate."
Oskal is working with Sámi reindeer herders in Finnmark, Norway, to help them maintain and develop sustainable reindeer husbandry.
According to Oskal, Finnmark is the area of Norway that is predicted to experience the largest temperature increases, raising concerns about whether ice layers will form over pastures preventing reindeer from foraging.
Under the Polar View initiative, Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) have been providing snow melt maps for Norway and Sweden, as well as snow cover maps for Eurasia, for the last 18 months.
The ICR partnered with Polar View in a trial of the maps to examine how satellite observations could help by gathering information on snow change in a timely manner for such vast circumpolar regions.
"The experience so far has definitely been positive, and the reindeer herders are extremely interested in the future utilization of Polar View products that can relate important information about local snow conditions," said Oskal.
"These products could have important consequences for herders' decisions regarding winter pasture quality and potential migration routes."
In addition to climate change, reindeer herders also have to face a loss of pastures because of infrastructure development, such as roads, hydroelectric power dams and cabin resorts.
The same technology would help the ICR to monitor the different forms of land-use change over time.
|
b73499dafa084fcb824368cf1c4c9087
|
What else could technology be used for?
|
[
"help the ICR to monitor the different forms of land-use change over time."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The mother of a Virginia Tech junior who disappeared Saturday night during a Metallica concert says she helped her daughter choose an outfit for the show that same morning.
Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech student, disappeared at a Metallica concert Saturday night.
Morgan Harrington, a 20-year-old education major, went to the concert at the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville with several girlfriends but disappeared from their sight around 8:40 p.m., according to police, who are calling it a missing person case.
"She was excited about the concert and she brought home three outfits that she tried on for me," Gil Harrington, said Tuesday on HLN's "Nancy Grace."
"We chose one and she said, 'Mama, it is a rock concert so it is probably not what you would choose, but is this one OK?'" Harrington said she told her daughter, 'That will do fine.' "You know you have to give your kid wings," Harrington said. Watch mom describe daughter's excitement »
Morgan Harrington had been so excited about the concert, according to her mother, that she posted the tickets on the refrigerator six months ahead of time.
Metallica posted a message about Harrington's disappearance on their Web site under the heading "One of our fans is missing."
"We are deeply concerned about the disappearance of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington, who was last seen while attending our concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA, on Saturday night," the message said.
The message described Harrington and asked that anyone with information contact Virginia State Police or University of Virginia police.
"Our thoughts are with Morgan and her family for her safe return," the message concluded."
Harrington, who lives off-campus, was reported missing Sunday afternoon when she did not show up at her parents' home to study for a math exam with her father.
"It's important to us as police officers to realize that people do come up missing," said Lieutenant Joe Rader of the Virginia State Police in a news conference on Monday.
"However, it's very, very unusual that we have not heard anything, either, from her friends or from her family regarding her whereabouts. That is the biggest concern currently -- her whereabouts and her welfare."
Harrington is 5'6", 120 pounds, has blond hair, blue eyes and was wearing a black Pantera T-shirt, black mini skirt, black tights and black boots.
|
c40661e8c4804bf789daeaa0e39fd711
|
Where was the student last seen?
|
[
"disappeared at a Metallica concert"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An outbreak of the deadly ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted neighboring Angola to close its border with that country, Angola's state news agency reported Tuesday.
Angolan Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem announced the "suspension of migratory movements" at the country's north-eastern border Sunday, the Angop news agency reported.
The World Health Organization reports 41 suspected cases of the deadly fever in Congo since November 27. Thirteen people have died, and 183 cases are under observation. Two people are being held in quarantine.
The handling of dead monkeys may be the source of the outbreak, the WHO suspects, according to Angop.
Diosdado Nsue-Micawg, the WHO representative in the Angolan capital of Luanda, said the health agency does not know the source of the virus, but fears that hunters and women who visit the forest might have been in contact with infected monkeys.
The outbreak is centered in the western Kassi province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been reporting intermittent cases of the disease since 1976, according to Angop.
|
81dfbf34ff6f4f3c8dca8e21667d58fa
|
What are there 41 suspected cases of?
|
[
"ebola"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- 10-man Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by Liverpool at Anfield Sunday but have a five-point lead the top of the English Premier League.
City were forced to play the closing moments a man short after second half substitute Mario Balotelli was shown red for a second bookable offence.
It nearly proved costly as Liverpool's late substitute Andy Carroll saw his header brilliantly saved by City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
It preserved his side's unbeaten start to the EPL season and they have 35 points from 13 games, leaving city rivals and defending champions Manchester United trailing in second spot.
Tottenham Hotspur, who won 3-1 at WBA Saturday, are seven points adrift but have played a game less.
Wales manager Gary Speed found dead at home
Vincent Kompany headed the leaders in front from a David Silva corner in the first half, but Liverpool were soon level as a Charlie Adam shot took a huge deflection off Joleon Lescott for an own-goal that left Hart wrong-footed.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was delighted by his team's performance as they stretched their unbeaten run to 10 games to stay in a challenging sixth spot.
"I don't think you could have asked for much more in terms of effort and commitment from the players. I think they were fantastic," he told Sky Sports.
Swansea and Aston Villa played to a goalless draw in Sunday's other EPL game, both of which were overshadowed by the tragic death of Wales manager Gary Speed.
In Germany's Bundesliga, there was a shock 3-2 defeat for Bayern Munich at Mainz Sunday, a result which leaves the Bavarian giants third in the table with reigning champions Borussia Dortmund on top.
A draw for Bayern would have seen them return to the summit but they were always struggling once Austrian midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz put Mainz ahead after 11 minutes.
Bayern defender Daniel van Buyten equalized on 56 minutes, but Mainz took a two-goal lead as Marco Caligiuri and defender Niko Bungert scored.
Van Buyten then grabbed his second, but Bayern could not salvage a point.
In Italy's Serie A, Luc Castaignos scored a late winner as Inter Milan continued their revival with a 1-0 win at Siena.
Following their 2-1 home win over Cagliari last weekend, it lifted Claudio Ranieri's men to 14 points, but just one win adrift from sixth-placed Roma.
|
b68e6621ca2c4eada66f91e51da78bea
|
Who did Manchester City draw with?
|
[
"Liverpool"
] |
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