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NewsQA
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(EW.com) -- On "A Very She & Him Christmas," professionally adorkable "New Girl" star Zooey Deschanel reunites with Portland folkie M. Ward, this time wrapped in holly and (mostly) good cheer.
While some covers feel dreary -- ''Silver Bells'' is less tinkly than dirgelike -- Deschanel's unfussy voice puts a charming spin on yuletide chestnuts ''Blue Christmas'' and ''Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.''
The self-penned ''Christmas Day,'' with its gingerbread-spicy surf licks, is sweet enough to cure an eggnog hangover. B
See full article at EW.com.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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e316971d787048cda5f34f28ccf30376
|
What TV programme is metioned
|
[
"\"New Girl\""
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England -- A mother is seeking to have the womb of her severely disabled daughter removed to prevent the 15-year-old from feeling the pain and discomfort of menstruation.
Doctors in Britain are now taking legal advice to see if they are permitted to carry out the hysterectomy on Katie Thorpe, who suffers from cerebral palsy.
But a charity campaigning for the disabled said on Monday the move could infringe human rights and would set a "disturbing precedent."
Andy Rickell, executive director of disability charity Scope, told the Press Association: "It is very difficult to see how this kind of invasive surgery, which is not medically necessary and which will be very painful and traumatic, can be in Katie's best interests.
"This case raises fundamental ethical issues about the way our society treats disabled people and the respect we have for disabled people's human and reproductive rights. Watch why the surgery is so controversial »
"If this enforced sterilization is approved, it will have disturbing implications for young disabled girls across Britain."
Katie's mother Alison Thorpe, who lives in Billericay, southern England, said the operation was in her daughter's best interests.
"First of all, this is not about me. If it was about me, I would have given up caring for Katie a long, long while ago," she told GMTV.
"It is about quality of life and for Katie to not have the associated problems of menstruation adds to her quality of life. It means she can continue with the quality of life we can give her now.
"Katie wouldn't understand menstruation at all. She has no comprehension about what will be happening to her body. All she would feel is the discomfort, the stomach cramps and the headaches, the mood swings, the tears, and wonder what is going on."
Thorpe said an operation would be best for Katie, despite the initial pain it would cause.
She added: "The short-term pain and discomfort we can manage with painkillers. We will be able to manage that pain much better than menstruation once a month, when Katie cannot tell us 'I'm in pain.'" E-mail to a friend
|
3cc4115d73754475acb118118dca7672
|
what are the human rights this would infringe?
|
[
"disabled"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Forty-three soldiers suffered heat-related illnesses Friday during a 12-mile road march at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, an Army spokesman said.
The march was the culmination of a week of "expert field medical badge training," during which soldiers are tested on their medic and general soldier skills in order to receive an "expert" badge, Fort Bragg spokesman Benjamin Abel said.
Sixty soldiers were on the march, which started at 6 a.m., and they were carrying backpacks, helmets, weapons and other combat gear, Abel said.
About an hour and a half into the march, the people running the event noticed some personnel "were having difficulties," and medical transports were begun, he said.
Eighteen of the soldiers were transported to Womack Army Medical Center, and one was admitted to the intensive care unit, he said.
Humidity levels Friday morning were higher than expected, but "this is odd, out of the norm, to have this many people treated," Abel added.
The expert field medical badge is deemed by the Army as "the utmost challenge to the professional competence and physical endurance of the soldier medic," Fort Bragg officials said in a statement earlier this week.
"It is the most sought-after peacetime award in the Army Medical Department, and while the combat medical badge is the 'portrait of courage' in wartime, the expert field medical badge is undoubtedly the 'portrait of excellence' in the Army all of the time," officials said.
"To wear the EFMB means you passed a grueling series of hands-on-tests on communications, common skill tasks, emergency medical treatment, evacuation of the sick and wounded, litter obstacle course, day/night land navigation courses, comprehensive written test, 12-mile foot march, CPR, physical fitness test, and weapons qualification," the base said.
In June 1965, the Department of the Army established the badge as a special skill award for the recognition of exceptional competence and outstanding performance by field medical personnel.
|
a72970b02b5740b2bec6e87616700e1f
|
How many soldiers were being tested?
|
[
"Sixty"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II unveiled a new medal Wednesday to honor the families of British service personnel killed while serving their country.
The Elizabeth Cross may be given to family members of service personnel who have died since 1948.
The Elizabeth Cross will be given to the next of kin of armed forces personnel killed on operations or as a result of terrorism "as a mark of national recognition for their loss," the Defense Ministry said.
It is the first time the name of a reigning monarch has been given to a new award since the queen's father, King George VI, instituted the George Cross in 1940. That medal recognizes acts of bravery of both civilians and military personnel.
The most prestigious medal, the Victoria Cross, was introduced by Queen Victoria in 1856 for acts of gallantry by the armed forces.
"This seems to me a right and proper way of showing our enduring debt to those who are killed while actively protecting what is most dear to us all," the queen said in a message to the armed forces. "The solemn dignity which we attach to the names of those who have fallen is deeply ingrained in our national character. As a people, we accord this ultimate sacrifice the highest honor and respect."
The Elizabeth Cross is a sterling silver emblem in the shape of a cross over a wreath. In the center is the queen's monogram, EIIR, which stands for Elizabeth II Regina, or Queen Elizabeth II.
At each of the four tips of the cross are floral symbols: a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Northern Ireland, and a daffodil for Wales.
The reverse of the cross will be engraved with the name of the person who died. The name will also be written on a scroll signed by the queen, to be given to family members along with the medal, the Defense Ministry said.
The award may be given to family members of all service personnel who have died since 1948.
Charles Mosely, the former editor in chief of Debrett's, an authority on etiquette, said the Elizabeth Cross is a good way to recognize the sacrifice made by members of the military and their families.
"It seems very praiseworthy and very overdue," he said.
It makes sense for the medal to be named after the reigning monarch, he said, because she is head of the armed forces.
"They have personal allegiance to the sovereign, a personal loyalty," he said.
|
d8b3bf5fd0dd41c2bb7a1e2da31f1f8d
|
what is the medal made out of?
|
[
"sterling silver emblem"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two of Turkey's main political parties are pushing for a constitutional amendment to lift bans on headscarves at public universities, a move that has caused concern among Turkey's secular population.
The lifting of the ban on headscarves has caused concern among Turkey's secular population.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan initiated the move, saying it would create equality in Turkey's higher education.
The constitutional commission will discuss the proposal -- submitted by the AKP and MHP parties -- in the coming days before sending it to the floor for a vote.
If approved, it would need President Abdullah Gul's approval, which is expected.
Under the proposal, veils, burqas or chaddors -- all of which cover a woman's face -- would not be allowed.
Bans on headcoverings were imposed in the early 1980s by Turkey's universities because they were seen as political symbols and conflicted with Turkey's secular governing system.
The proposal to change Turkey's constitution sent chills through Turkey's secular population. Women's groups went to parliament Tuesday to voice their rejection.
"This is a direct threat to the republic and its foundations," said Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's main secular party, CHP.
Another CHP lawmaker said she fears that if the proposal is enacted, parents will feel pressure to have their daughters wear headscarves, even in elementary school.
Mustafa Akaydin, head of Turkey's Higher Education Commission, is against the proposal. He said that allowing headscarves would be a rejection of Turkey's secular system of government.
"It is an attempt to create a counterrevolution," Akaydin said. "It will be a breaking point."
He said a majority of female high school students at one school were wearing headscarves during last weekend's entry exams -- a rarity in Turkish schools.
The Higher Education Commission will meet Friday in Ankara to discuss the proposed changes. E-mail to a friend
|
a231604897264a5687afbdf25fe693d0
|
When was the ban introduced?
|
[
"early 1980s"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The company owns The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Sands Macau in The People's Republic of China's Special Administrative Region of Macau, as well as Venetian Macau Limited, a developer of additional multiple casino hotel resort properties in Macau.
The first phase of the Venetian Casino Resort opened in May 1999, which originally consisted of 3,036 suites though the number of suites was reduced over time to 3,014 based on renovations and remodeling.
Since it's opening, the property has received recognition as revolutionizing the Las Vegas hotel industry, and has been honored with architectural and other awards naming it as one the finest hotels in the world.
In 2003, The Venetian added the 1,013-suite Venezia tower -- giving The Venetian 4,027 suites, 18 world-class restaurants, and a retail mall with canals, gondolas and singing gondoliers.
In May 2004, Las Vegas Sands opened the Sands Macau, located on China's southeastern coast. The Sands Macau includes approximately 163,000 square feet of gaming facilities, luxury suites, specialty restaurants and an International VIP club.
In December 2004, in one of the year's most anticipated initial public offerings, Dr. and Mr. Adelson rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange and with it shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. began trading. The price of the Sands stock rose 61 percent on its opening day, becoming the largest opening day of any American-based initial public offering in the last two years.
The Venetian Casino Resort is one of the most productive properties on the Strip, having an occupancy rate of 98.3% and an average daily room rate of $219 during the nine months ended September 30, 2004. E-mail to a friend
|
fe53d64d4bdf49289067dfa5915a63f9
|
Who owns three major casinos?
|
[
"Las Vegas Sands"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Jonny Wilkinson, who enshrined his name in rugby history with his match-winning drop-goal in the 2003 World Cup final, has announced the end of his international career.
The flyhalf struggled to regain the giddy heights of that day in Sydney, when England won the sport's biggest prize for the first time, as he suffered frustrating injury setbacks in the following years.
The 32-year-old was one of many England players to struggle at this year's tournament, which ended in a quarterfinal exit to France and the subsequent departure of his 2003 teammate Martin Johnson as manager following a series of controversies among the squad and the ruling body.
"To do so fills me with great sadness, but I know that I have been blessed in so many ways to have experienced what I have with the England rugby team," Wilkinson said on his website on Monday.
"To say I have played through four World Cups, two Lions tours, 91 international games and a ridiculous number of injuries and other setbacks gives me an incredibly special feeling of fulfillment. But by now I know myself well enough to know that I will never truly be satisfied."
A perfectionist in his approach on and off the pitch, perhaps best illustrated by his painstaking goalkicking style, Wilkinson was twice rugby's record points scorer before the mantle was retaken by New Zealand's Dan Carter this year.
He totaled 1,246 in all internationals for England and the British & Irish Lions, and has a record 277 scored at World Cups -- helping beat Australia 20-17 in extra-time eight years ago, then losing to South Africa in the 2007 final.
Wilkinson started his career at Newcastle in 1997, but joined Toulon in 2009 and will continue his career with the French club.
Stuart Lancaster, who has taken over as England's interim head coach, said Wilkinson was one of the nation's greatest players.
"He will of course be remembered for that drop-goal but he is more than that, a model sportsman -- down to earth and hard working, who has never stopped trying to be the best that he can," said England's head of elite player development.
"Everyone who has played with, coached and watched Jonny play should feel privileged to have had an involvement with him. Not only has he been a world-class player but he has inspired thousands to play and watch the game of rugby.
"He will continue to do great things with Toulon and I would like to go and see him in France to learn from his vast knowledge and experience of 13 years at the very top of the international game."
|
fbd206f2e32844a7b3d2b333fbb50fd0
|
What was the sport?
|
[
"rugby"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Indian authorities Tuesday filed a police complaint against Continental Airlines for frisking a former president of the country as he was to travel to New York in April.
Former president APJ Abdul Kalam was exempt from body checks, officials said.
Civil aviation officials in New Delhi accused Continental of gross violation of Indian security rules that prohibit pre-embarkation body checks on certain dignitaries like a former president.
The police complaint followed a probe that had established that APJ Abdul Kalam was subject to frisking before he boarded a flight from New Delhi to New York on April 21, the Indian civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also alleged the airline did not respond to its show-cause notice in connection with Kalam's body checks.
In its police complaint, Indian civil aviation authorities accused the airline staff of "willful violation" of their directions on exemptions from pre-embarkation frisking.
Continental, however, insisted it followed standard American air-safety procedures.
"TSA (Transportation Security Administration) requirements impose a final security check in the aerobridge just before boarding the aircraft.
"This procedure is followed by all carriers flying to the U.S. from most of the countries in the world and there is no exemption to this rule," it said in a statement.
|
785022cbbef14a70a5e08672292c2d25
|
What is the name of the former president?
|
[
"APJ Abdul Kalam"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday.
An aerial view of the scene shows the Dallas Cowboys logo amid the ruins of the indoor practice facility.
Rich Behm, 33, was one of three Cowboys staffers seriously hurt when the storm struck their practice facility Saturday afternoon.
Behm's spinal cord was severed by a fractured vertebrae, paralyzing him from the waist down, the team said in a written statement.
"To the Behm family, we extend our love, comfort and the full support of every person and resource within the organization," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
"Rich is a courageous member of our family and someone for whom we care deeply. We ask for all friends and fans of the Dallas Cowboys to join us in embracing him and his family with their thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time," Jones said.
A total of 12 people were hurt when a severe thunderstorm knocked down the air-supported, metal frame structure that covered the team's practice field. About 70 people, including more than two dozen of the team's rookies, were in the facility when it was blown down.
Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis had a fractured cervical vertebra, while assistant trainer Greg Gaither had two broken bones in his leg, the team said. Watch CNN's Don Lemon with update on conditions of those injured in collapse »
A line of heavy thunderstorms was moving through the Dallas area at the time, but no other damage to buildings was reported, said Mike Adams, a dispatcher for the Irving, Texas, Fire Department. Watch the roof collapse on players, coaches »
Arnold Payne, a photographer for WFAA, was shooting the Cowboys' practice session Saturday when rain began falling "tremendously hard."
"I noticed the walls started to waver ... and then I noticed that the lights that were hanging from the ceiling started to sway, and it wouldn't stop," Payne told CNN. Shortly after that, he said, "It was as if someone took a stick pin and hit a balloon." Watch Payne describe being inside when structure collapsed »
Payne said Cowboys staff photographers were up in the metal framework beneath the canopy to film the practice session and "actually rode the building down with the storm."
"There was nowhere for them to go, and it fell so fast -- it just collapsed as if it was being imploded," Payne said.
CNN's Matt Smith contributed to this report.
|
1254112e54834e258a8bec42df64c8ba
|
What collapsed during a thunderstorm?
|
[
"Dallas"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Dallas Cowboys scouting assistant suffered a broken back and has been permanently paralyzed after the collapse of the team's practice canopy during a heavy thunderstorm, the Cowboys announced Sunday.
An aerial view of the scene shows the Dallas Cowboys logo amid the ruins of the indoor practice facility.
Rich Behm, 33, was one of three Cowboys staffers seriously hurt when the storm struck their practice facility Saturday afternoon.
Behm's spinal cord was severed by a fractured vertebrae, paralyzing him from the waist down, the team said in a written statement.
"To the Behm family, we extend our love, comfort and the full support of every person and resource within the organization," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
"Rich is a courageous member of our family and someone for whom we care deeply. We ask for all friends and fans of the Dallas Cowboys to join us in embracing him and his family with their thoughts and prayers at this very difficult time," Jones said.
A total of 12 people were hurt when a severe thunderstorm knocked down the air-supported, metal frame structure that covered the team's practice field. About 70 people, including more than two dozen of the team's rookies, were in the facility when it was blown down.
Cowboys special teams coach Joe DeCamillis had a fractured cervical vertebra, while assistant trainer Greg Gaither had two broken bones in his leg, the team said. Watch CNN's Don Lemon with update on conditions of those injured in collapse »
A line of heavy thunderstorms was moving through the Dallas area at the time, but no other damage to buildings was reported, said Mike Adams, a dispatcher for the Irving, Texas, Fire Department. Watch the roof collapse on players, coaches »
Arnold Payne, a photographer for WFAA, was shooting the Cowboys' practice session Saturday when rain began falling "tremendously hard."
"I noticed the walls started to waver ... and then I noticed that the lights that were hanging from the ceiling started to sway, and it wouldn't stop," Payne told CNN. Shortly after that, he said, "It was as if someone took a stick pin and hit a balloon." Watch Payne describe being inside when structure collapsed »
Payne said Cowboys staff photographers were up in the metal framework beneath the canopy to film the practice session and "actually rode the building down with the storm."
"There was nowhere for them to go, and it fell so fast -- it just collapsed as if it was being imploded," Payne said.
CNN's Matt Smith contributed to this report.
|
819502f23355486ca30c2183953a5226
|
Who was hurt on Saturday?
|
[
"three Cowboys staffers"
] |
NewsQA
|
BREMEN, Germany -- Carlos Alberto, who scored in FC Porto's Champions League final victory against Monaco in 2004, has joined Bundesliga club Werder Bremen for a club record fee of 7.8 million euros ($10.7 million).
Carlos Alberto enjoyed success at FC Porto under Jose Mourinho.
"I'm here to win titles with Werder," the 22-year-old said after his first training session with his new club. "I like Bremen and would only have wanted to come here."
Carlos Alberto started his career with Fluminense, and helped them to lift the Campeonato Carioca in 2002.
In January 2004 he moved on to FC Porto, who were coached by José Mourinho, and the club won the Portuguese title as well as the Champions League.
Early in 2005, he moved to Corinthians, where he impressed as they won the Brasileirão,but in 2006 Corinthians had a poor season and Carlos Alberto found himself at odds with manager, Emerson Leão.
Their poor relationship came to a climax at a Copa Sul-Americana game against Club Atlético Lanús, and Carlos Alberto declared that he would not play for Corinthians again while Leão remained as manager.
Since January this year he has been on loan with his first club Fluminense.
Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart said on Sunday that they would sign a loan agreement with Real Zaragoza on Monday for Ewerthon, the third top Brazilian player to join the German league in three days.
A VfB spokesman said Ewerthon, who played in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund from 2001 to 2005, was expected to join the club for their pre-season training in Austria on Monday.
On Friday, Ailton returned to Germany where he was the league's top scorer in 2004, signing a one-year deal with Duisburg on a transfer from Red Star Belgrade. E-mail to a friend
|
43791e36561e4abd8b85b0ff9dc628ac
|
In what year did Carlos Alberto win the Champions League?
|
[
"2004,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The dramatic developments in Gaza over the past three days have driven Arab citizens to the streets, where they have displayed anger directed first and foremost at their own governments.
A Yemeni protester rips through an Israeli flag in the capital, Sanaa, on Sunday, December 28.
In Yemen, thousands of demonstrators gathered in the capital, Sanaa, shouting slogans in support of Gaza and its residents and burning Israeli and U.S. flags.
They cried out against the League of Arab States, which delayed discussion on the crisis.
One demonstrator told the Al-Jazeera network, "The Arab League is worthless. ... They're all worthless leaders, and they should all go home." Al-Jazeera is based in Doha, Qatar.
Israel has been conducting airstrikes in Gaza for three days, in what they say is retaliation for repeated rocket attacks into southern Israel by Hamas. Hundreds of people have died, mostly Hamas militants, according to Palestinian security forces.
In Sudan, the scene was similar. A woman wearing a Hamas banner around her forehead told Al-Manar TV, "Where are the Arab leaders? Where are their actions? Enough condemnation and finger-pointing. Show Gaza your support."
Students at the University of Qatar boycotted their classes and demonstrated their support for Gaza. Watch a report from CNN's Octavia Nasr »
One student spoke about what he saw as his moral responsibility: "Our ancestors claimed that the news about the Palestinian disaster reached them late in 1948. We have a responsibility to our children and the future generations. We can't tell them we heard about the Gaza disaster of 2008 but didn't do anything."
Jordan's parliament held a special session in solidarity with Gaza. But one parliamentarian defied the speaker's orders and burned the Israeli flag before stepping on it in the middle of applause from some of his colleagues.
The images played repeatedly on Arab media.
Egypt has been the recipient of much criticism in this crisis. Hamas supporters say Egypt has sold the Palestinians out by being too close and friendly with Israel and the United States.
From Egypt, political analysts retaliated, blaming Hamas for ending the Egyptian-brokered cease-fire, thus inviting the Israeli airstrikes.
One expert speaking to the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya blamed Hamas for "presenting Gazans on a silver plate to the Israeli monster."
He then blamed Syria and Iran for not taking military action to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.
|
547ec5532d5f4f98801af886b8e789ff
|
What is Yemen's capital city?
|
[
"Sanaa,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Vladimir Putin spent the Russian New Year boogying to the hits of ABBA after spending $30,000 to fly a tribute band to a lake town north of Moscow.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin flew an ABBA tribute band to Russia for a private concert.
According to Bjorn Again founder, Rod Stephen, Putin disco pointed to the ABBA classics "Super Trouper" and "Mamma Mia" at a gathering of only eight guests.
Stephen said he received a phone call from the Kremlin prior to Christmas.
"It was pretty mad. It was the type of phone call everyone gets everyday from Moscow. I thought someone was taking the piss."
Stephen said an agent in Moscow then set the gig up, and he was told it was for Russia's "number two."
He said the band were flown to Moscow and then had a nine-hour bus trip to Lake Valdai -- where Putin has held high-level meetings in the past -- on January 22 (the traditional date of Russian New Year's eve).
"The band and crew were searched at checkpoints by people with appropriately sized weapons," Stephen said.
He said the band played behind a heavy gauze curtain, which made it hard for them to see the audience.
However, the could make out Putin's profile and that of the other seven guests.
Stephen said it was initially "roaring" at the venue.
"When the band started people were sitting on sofas. But then Putin was up and dancing to Super Trouper and Mamma Mia, pointing fingers up and down."
The band played for an hour before being shown out as the guests went to watch a fireworks display.
Stephen said they were paid $30,000 and their expenses covered.
He described it as the "weirdest" gig the band had done.
"I've had phone calls from the agency saying 'don't talk to anyone else we are getting grief from the Kremlin,' but there was no non-disclosure contract."
|
0b4920ef3afd49a99245de1e5308786c
|
What does Putin love?
|
[
"ABBA"
] |
NewsQA
|
GEROLSTEIN, Germany -- Mineral water company Gerolsteiner have decided to drop their sponsorship of the German ProTour cycling team, which expires at the end of the 2008 season.
German rider Stefan Schumacher is a member of the Gerolsteiner team.
Gerolsteiner, who have been team sponsors since 1998, said there was a change in marketing strategy.
Gerolsteiner has invested around $12 million annually in the team, which includes riders Stefan Schumacher, Fabian Wegmann, Markus Fothen and Robert Foerster.
Gerolsteiner said on Tuesday they were no longer reaching their targeted audience through cycling because it was changing from being solely a producer of mineral water to a supplier of nonalcoholic drinks.
Gerolsteiner team chief Hans-Michael Holczer was deeply upset by the news.
"There were tears in my eyes," said Holczer.
The German Cycling Federation (BDR) said they would help the team to find a new sponsor.
"It is not an entirely unexpected decision. After such a long collaboration, you notice changes in your partner," said Holczer, who will begin the hunt for a new sponsor.
"We have one of the best teams on the market with a national and international reputation."
The T-Mobile cycling team has fired rider Lorenzo Bernucci after his positive doping test at the Tour of Germany last month.
Bernucci violated the team's code of conduct and was removed from T-Mobile's roster at the Spanish Vuelta, the team said on Tuesday.
He tested positive for a non-amphetamine appetite suppressant.
Bernucci is licensed by the Monaco cycling federation, which will be responsible for further investigation and possible additional sanctions, T-Mobile said.
He tested positive on August 15 for the substance sibutramine, an appetite suppressant sold under various brand names, such as Reductil and Ectiva. The world governing body of cycling, UCI, informed T-Mobile of Bernucci's positive test.
Bernucci told team management that he had been using Ectiva for four years and had purchased it over the counter at a pharmacy in Italy, not knowing it been added to the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency, T-Mobile said.
According to UCI rules, a first violation for sibutramine -- if it is determined that it was not intended as a performance enhancer -- can result in anything between a warning and a one-year suspension.
"We do not know if this was an attempt at performance enhancement or just poor judgment," T-Mobile team chief Bob Stapleton said.
"But we know it is unacceptable that riders take any medication without the approval of the team doctor. It's a clear violation of our code of conduct and we act now on that basis." E-mail to a friend
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28dccb4df68c4b31a978f38d820b3986
|
They have been team sponsors since when?
|
[
"1998,"
] |
NewsQA
|
MADRID, Spain -- Atletico Madrid recovered from their painful recent defeat by Barcelona to crush European rivals Real Zaragoza 4-0 in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
Luis Garcia celebrates his first Atletico Madrid goal in their superb 4-0 victory over Real Zaragoza.
Luis Garcia's first goal for the club, a double from Argentine Maxi Rodriguez and a Diego Forlan strike clinched a comfortable win as Atletico moved up to sixth in the table.
It was also sweet revenge for Atletico as Zaragoza beat them home and away last season to beat them to sixth place and the final UEFA Cup spot.
Atletico went ahead in the 10th minute when Forlan picked out a precise pass for Garcia who made no mistake with a calm side-footed finish.
Forlan then got on the scoresheet himself with a first-time lob on 34 minutes for his third goal of the season, before Rodriguez stole the show with two more goals.
Getafe registered their first win of the season with a 2-0 victory over Murcia.
Substitute Kepa, who was later sent off, opened the scoring in the 54th minute and Francisco Casero added a second five minutes later to clinch the points.
Elsewhere last season's second division champions Valladolid continue to struggle in the top flight, crashing to a 2-1 defeat against Athletic Bilbao.
Artiz Aduriz scored twice for Bilbao after eight and 31 minutes to leave Valladolid second from bottom with promoted Levante, who have a meagre one point, propping up the table. E-mail to a friend
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6bac4bba3a124454ab7b1135462ee369
|
Who scored twice?
|
[
"Maxi Rodriguez"
] |
NewsQA
|
Vacaville, California (CNN) -- You might think green eggs are only found in a Dr. Seuss classic. But at a small, family-run and highly regarded chicken farm on the outskirts of the San Francisco, they're a relatively common sight.
"Isn't that beautiful?" said Soul Food Farm owner Alexis Koefed as she held one of the green gems. "The thing about farm eggs is, once you've had them you can't go back to the store and buy eggs again," she said.
Chickens at the Soul Food Farm roam freely around the farm's 50 acres. They enjoy vast fields of natural grass and generally live a stress-free life, feasting freely. It's a philosophy unlike that of the industrial chicken farm, and Koefed and her loyal customers believe it produces better eggs and chicken.
Soul Food Farm's rise to popularity wasn't limited to locals and the farmer's market regulars. Instead, Koefed's methods attracted the attention of many of the Bay Area's top restaurants and their celebrity chefs, including Alice Waters of the nationally renowned Chez Panise in Berkeley.
But an overnight fire in September 2009 raced down the rolling hills surrounding the farm nearly put an end to it. By the time it was extinguished, much of the farm and some 1,200 chicks had perished.
With the existence of Soul Food Farm at stake, determined friends, neighbors and loyal customers of the Koefeds came to the rescue.
"It was so inspiring and heartwarming, Koefed said. "It was a wonderful feeling to know that people cared about the farm as much as I did."
Friend Bonnie Powell organized a fundraising effort of raffles, silent auctions, and dinners. She helped raise $30,000 to build new coops and replace the chicks killed in the fire.
"You can't hear something like that and just go, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this thing you have worked so hard for is done and there's nothing anyone can do about it,'" Powell said.
Through the intrepid determination and loyal commitment of a true community, Soul Food Farm is back on the map.
|
0321d5c493904cc7b5058b72d77475a8
|
How much did friends raise to help save farm?
|
[
"$30,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- The reputed leader of the Zetas drug cartel in the Mexican state of Veracruz was killed in a gunbattle with federal authorities, the Mexican attorney general's office has said.
Braulio Arellano Dominguez, also known as "El Gonzo," "Zeta 20" or "El Verdugo," was mortally wounded when federal police and sailors went to search a house in the city of Soledad de Doblado, the attorney general said in a release Tuesday.
Arellano Dominguez opened fire with a .38-caliber revolver and was wounded in the firefight, officials said. He died while being transported to a hospital.
Three other suspects were arrested.
Officials said they confiscated five cars, four motorcycles, a submachine gun, a hand grenade, four pistols, more than 150 rounds of ammunition, communication equipment, three bags containing unspecified powder and pills, 74,900 pesos ($5,655) and $107 in U.S. currency.
Veracruz is in southeastern Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
Los Zetas, formed by former Mexican elite commando-type soldiers, consists mostly of ex-federal and local police. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the group among the most advanced and violent of Mexico's drug cartels.
Originally formed as the Gulf drug cartel's enforcement wing, the Zetas increasingly have branched out on their own.
More than 12,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels after taking office in December 2006. He has deployed thousands of military personnel and federal police in his battle against the drug traffickers.
|
149c5186cfac4e80a69e0153185ec30d
|
What is one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels?
|
[
"Los Zetas,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- A body was found in the landing gear bay of an airplane that arrived at Tokyo's Narita Airport Sunday, the airport announced.
The dead man was not carrying a passport or personal belongings, airport police said.
The man was of dark complexion and dressed in blue jeans and a red and dark blue long-sleeved shirt, police told CNN.
Police said he possibly froze to death and suffered a shortage of oxygen at high altitude, but did not provide a definite cause of death pending an autopsy.
A mechanic found the body in the landing gear bay, which was impossible to enter from the cabin, the airport said.
The Boeing 777, Delta Flight 59, which departed New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport at 12:53 p.m. ET Saturday arrived at Narita at 4:46 p.m. local time Sunday, the airport said.
"Delta is fully co-operating with the Japanese authorities, and there is (an) on-going investigation which is being led by the Japanese authorities. The airline has not issued an official statement at this time," a Delta representative told CNN.
CNN's Junko Ogura and Ayesha Durgahee contributed to this report.
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4af06f95699244729c4dc2b79e6a09ff
|
Did he have any belongings?
|
[
"was not carrying a passport or personal"
] |
NewsQA
|
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Arrest warrants have been issued for another nine people associated with a fire at a day-care center in northwestern Mexico in June that killed 48 children, the state-run Notimex news agency said Saturday.
Two girls lay flowers during a funeral of one of the 48 children who died in the day-care fire.
The warrants are for the owners and legal representatives of the ABC day-care center in the city of Hermosillo in Sonora state, which burned down June 5, Notimex said.
Officials have determined that the fire started at an air-conditioning unit at a government-owned warehouse in the same building as the day-care center. Fourteen children remain hospitalized, Notimex reported earlier.
The latest arrest warrants are the third group to be issued since the fire.
On Wednesday, the Mexican federal attorney general's office ordered the arrest of nine public officials from the Mexican Institute of Social Security, which owned the day-care center, as well as private individuals connected to the facility.
Two weeks earlier, Mexican officials announced they had ordered the arrests of 14 people who worked at the warehouse.
Parents of the dead children and others have held demonstrations in Hermosillo and Mexico City to protest what they see as foot-dragging by authorities in punishing the responsible parties.
|
cef2dbebd6394244a04cb134475e41b1
|
How many remain hospitalized?
|
[
"Fourteen children"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Massachusetts grand jury has indicted a 98-year-old woman, accused of strangling her 100-year-old nursing-home roommate, on a second-degree murder charge.
Prosecutors say Laura Lundquist killed centenarian Elizabeth Barrow, a resident of Brandon Woods Nursing Home in Dartmouth, after the two women had an argument over a table Lundquist had placed at the foot of Barrow's bed.
Barrow was found dead September 24 with a plastic shopping bag tied loosely around her head, according the Bristol County district attorney's office. An autopsy indicated Barrow had been strangled.
Barrow complained that the table obstructed her path to the bathroom, authorities said. When a nurse's aide moved it, Lundquist punched the aide and grumbled that her roommate "might as well have the whole room," prosecutors said.
District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter said Barrow repeatedly complained that Lundquist was making her life "a living hell" in the weeks leading up to the woman's death, and that Lundquist remarked that she would outlive her roommate.
A nursing home spokesman said the facility twice presented Barrow with the chance to change either rooms or roommates, but she declined each time. He compared the pair to "sisters," saying they took "daily walks together ... ate lunch together every day, and were heard at night saying, 'Good night, I love you,' to each other."
Lundquist's attorney, Carl Levin, contends his client was not involved in Barrow's death, saying, "We maintain her innocence."
A superior court judge granted a motion to send Lundquist to a state hospital for a competency evaluation. An arraignment will be held only if Lundquist is found competent to stand trial.
|
46006f14a2b44be786373ada62e18d5e
|
What is the name and age of the alleged strangular
|
[
"98-year-old"
] |
NewsQA
|
OAKLAND, California (CNN) -- A former police officer for the Bay Area transit system pleaded not guilty Thursday in the New Year's Day shooting of a passenger at an Oakland rail station.
Former transit officer Johannes Mehserle is charged with homicide in the death of Oscar Grant III.
Johannes Mehserle, 27, appeared in a packed Alameda County courtroom, with his supporters separated by a courtroom aisle from relatives of shooting victim Oscar Grant III and other spectators. Mehserle is charged with shooting Grant, 22, in an incident that spurred violent protests in Oakland after being captured on video.
Mehserle resigned his job as a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer days after the shooting, and he was arrested in Nevada earlier this week. Thursday's proceedings took less than five minutes, with Mehserle appearing behind heavy windows in an enclosure out of view of all but a handful of spectators.
Superior Court Judge Robert McGuinness ordered the ex-officer held until his next hearing, scheduled for January 26.
BART police had been called to Oakland's Fruitvale station January 1 after passengers complained about fights on a train.
Officers pulled several men, including Grant, off the train when it arrived at Fruitvale, and video taken by witnesses showed Mehserle shooting Grant in the back as another officer kneeled on the man.
Investigators have not said whether Grant was involved in the fight.
The shooting spawned public outrage and a string of protests that led to more than 100 riot-related arrests. Watch some of the recent rioting in Oakland, California »
Thursday's proceedings drew an overflow crowd to the courthouse, with some would-be spectators grumbling that they could not get into the hearing.
Vicki Behringer contributed to this report for CNN.
|
1224cad3067542aea3765048ec2101b9
|
Who was arrested in Nevada earlier this week?
|
[
"Johannes Mehserle,"
] |
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.
|
4c3ffa37bd2f44518876885c4fbb8b23
|
Who came back to score for 2:0 on win vs. Bolton?
|
[
"Cesc Fabregas"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least four people died when a tour bus crashed Tuesday on the Pacific Coast Highway, California Highway Patrol spokesman Brian Wiest said.
The crashed bus is on its side across the southbound lanes.
"There were people ejected," Wiest said.
Highway 101 near Soledad, California, was closed in both directions for about 2½ hours after the crash, which injured 38 people, authorities said.
The highway patrol later opened the northbound lanes, using one for northbound traffic and the other for southbound traffic.
The crashed bus was on its side across the southbound lanes. The bus belongs to Orion Pacific, a charter service that provides trips "across the USA and around the world," according to its Web site. No one answered CNN's call to Orion Pacific.
At least some of the passengers on the bus were French, said Jacques de Noray, spokesman for the French consulate in San Francisco.
The Soledad Fire Department said 12 ambulances and seven helicopters were dispatched to the scene.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash took place at about 3:23 p.m. while the bus was en route from San Francisco to Santa Maria, about 230 miles down the coast. Soledad is about halfway between the two cities.
The cause of the crash had not been determined.
|
e127fc4b716b40f681a189ab687f2da0
|
How many people died?
|
[
"four"
] |
NewsQA
|
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Thirty people convicted of drug and other criminal charges will be hanged on Sunday, Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency reported Saturday.
A convicted Iranian drug dealer is hanged from a crane in the southern city of Shiraz in September.
The 30 had their cases tried by the highest judicial authorities and were found guilty of the charges brought against them, Iran's judiciary said in a statement.
The verdicts are final, and the sentences will be carried out Sunday, according to Fars.
According to Amnesty International, Iran executed 317 people last year, second only to China's 470. The U.S. executed 42 people in 2007, according to Amnesty International.
The Iranian judiciary's statement said that all 30 were convicted of crimes including murder, murder in commission of a crime, disturbing public safety and security, being a public nuisance while drunk and being involved in illegal relationships -- relationships between men and women who are not married to each other.
Kidnapping and using weapons while committing a crime were among the charges.
The statement said that 20 of the people were convicted of drug and alcohol dealing, armed robbery and smuggling arms.
The judiciary said it will provide more details later as to the crimes committed by those condemned and added that the hangings should serve as a warning to those who are contemplating committing such crimes.
Others are awaiting trial, and their sentences will be carried out as soon as the verdicts are pronounced by the courts, the judiciary said.
The judiciary asked the public to notify the authorities if they have any information that might lead to arrest and convictions of criminals.
Iran's government launched a campaign March 20 to increase public security and bring the crime rate down.
Police cracked down on drug dealers, whom they called criminal gang members, and habitual criminals who use guns in the commission of their crime. Alleged weapons smugglers and people who break social and religious laws, including adulterers, were also targets.
National television showed scenes of what were described as criminals being paraded in chains as a deterrent to others. The wave of arrests has subsided, as officials are now prosecuting the suspects and sentencing those convicted.
Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.
|
b9e5808dbc434851a12a65a1f2282d3d
|
Iran executed how many people in 2007?
|
[
"317"
] |
NewsQA
|
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- Amanda Knox will testify Friday in an Italian courtroom to defend herself against charges that she took part in the killing of her roommate two years ago, her lawyer said.
American college student Amanda Knox, 21, is expected to take the witness stand Friday at her Italian murder trial.
Knox, 21, an American college student from Seattle, Washington, will be questioned by her attorneys first and her testimony could continue Saturday, said Luciano Ghriga, one of her lawyers.
The trial against Knox and her Italian former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, 24, began January 16 in Perugia, a university town about 185 kilometers (115 miles) north of Rome.
They are charged with murder and sexual assault in the November 2007 slaying of Knox's roommate, British exchange student Meredith Kercher, who died in what prosecutors called a "drug-fueled sex game" with the couple.
A third person, Rudy Hermann Guede, from the Ivory Coast, was convicted of murder in October and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Kercher was found dead in her bed, half-naked, with a knife wound to her neck. In court papers, prosecutors stated that Sollecito held Kercher by her wrists while Knox poked at her with a knife and Guede sexually assaulted her.
Prosecutors say they have physical evidence placing the defendants at the scene, and that they gave investigators confusing and contradictory statements about their whereabouts the night Kercher died.
Knox first said she was at the house she shared with Kercher, then changed her story, according to court records. Sollecito, meanwhile, said he was never at the house, but was at his apartment, watching a movie on his computer with Knox. Later, he told investigators he did not remember whether Knox was with him the entire night.
Defense lawyers are expected to argue that the physical evidence was tainted by sloppy police work.
The case is being heard by a panel of eight judges. The trial has drawn more than 140 journalists from 86 news outlets to the courthouse in Perugia, Italy.
The presiding judge in the case, Giancarlo Massei, has barred cameras from the courtroom and said he could completely close portions of the trial dealing with the most graphic sexual assault allegations.
|
6c6d8316bb5d44118b23649bab076916
|
what is the name of British student?
|
[
"Meredith Kercher,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Japan has long been the world leader in robotics research, but in recent years it's also been leading the way when it comes to cutting-edge medical technology.
A prototype "Finger Rehabilitation Glove," designed to aid recovery from paralysis.
From robot nurses that can lift hospital patients in and out of their beds, to intelligent toilets that can dispense medical advice, Japanese researchers are developing radical new approaches to health care.
While many of these technologies are still at the prototype stage, it may not be long before they turn up in a hospital near you.
|
a0267150fc6b4d199f557c1c29389fd3
|
What can the Intelligent Toilet do?
|
[
"dispense medical advice,"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- For the first time since media coverage was banned in 1991, the return of the body of a fallen member of the U.S. armed forces was opened to news outlets late Sunday.
A transport plane carries caskets of U.S. servicemen in this photo the Pentagon released in 2005.
The U.S. Air Force informed media on Sunday that the family of Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers consented to allowing coverage of his casket being returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Myers, 30, of Hopewell, Virginia, was a member of an engineering unit based in Britain.
He died Saturday in a roadside bombing in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military reported.
In February, President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates overturned a policy that dated back to the first Persian Gulf war.
They agreed to allow reporters to observe the remains of American troops being returned to the U.S. military mortuary at Dover, as long as families agreed.
The policy was supposed to take effect on Monday, and no reason was given why reporters were allowed to view the proceedings on Sunday. Watch report on lifting of the ban »
|
5053a15b2119420abe67f40a9eab585e
|
Where will his body first come to?
|
[
"Air Force Base in Delaware."
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Marine commander on Wednesday warned of a "growing" insurgent threat in Afghanistan, but he said forces would have to be cut in Iraq to send more Marines to Afghanistan.
Marines could be pulled from Iraq's Anbar province, Gen. James Conway said Wednesday.
"To do more in Afghanistan, our Marines have got to see relief elsewhere," said Gen. James Conway in a briefing for Pentagon reporters.
Conway said the Corps' two regimental combat teams -- about 10,000 Marines -- in Iraq's Anbar province could be removed as there are only two or three insurgent attacks a day in what was once the hotbed of the Iraqi insurgency.
The U.S.-led coalition is scheduled to hand over security control in Anbar to Iraqi troops next week.
Despite the progress, Conway said, he doesn't expect any decisions on troop withdrawals until Gen. David Petraeus -- the head of the U.S. military in Iraq -- makes his recommendations on troop deployment in Iraq to President Bush and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
There are more than 3,000 Marines in Afghanistan, and Conway said that the Marine Corps would be willing to help bolster the fight against the Taliban in that country.
"I think that a battalion of Marines in Afghanistan count for more than a battalion of Marines in Iraq, if you will, just in terms of the impact that they can have," he said.
|
df19521a194c4c0e818f1b409befa0e6
|
What did Gen. James Conway say about attacks?
|
[
"forces would have to be cut in Iraq to send more Marines to Afghanistan."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Don Henley, a founding member of "The Eagles," is suing a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, claiming the candidate is misusing two of his popular songs.
Don Henley performs at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival on May 2, 2008.
The suit filed Friday in federal court in California claims Charles DeVore is using Henley's hit songs "The Boys of Summer" and "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" without authorization.
The suit comes from two campaign videos that DeVore posted on YouTube that used Henley's music, according to the lawsuit.
In one of the videos, DeVore's campaign changed the words of "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" to lyrics that attacked Sen. Barbara Boxer, the lawsuit alleges.
Mike Campbell, who co-wrote "Boys of Summer," is also named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
"Don Henley and Mike Campbell brought this action to protect their song, 'The Boys of Summer,' which was taken and used without their permission," Henley's spokesman said. "The infringers have vowed to continue exploiting this and other copyrighted works, as it suits them, to further their own ambitions and agenda. It was necessary to file a lawsuit to stop them."
DeVore, a member of the California State Assembly, is running against Boxer, a Democrat, in the 2010 election, according to his Web site.
DeVore mentions Henley's legal actions on the Web site.
"We're responding with a counter-claim, asserting our First Amendment right to political free speech," the site said. "While the legal issues play out, it's time to up the ante on Mr. Henley's liberal goon tactics. By popular request, I have penned the words to our new parody song."
DeVore then posted the lyrics of a song he called "All She Wants to Do Is Tax."
CNN's Denise Quan contributed to this report.
|
260e10cf973444bc8cc339252a55dbbc
|
Who is DeVore running against?
|
[
"Sen. Barbara Boxer,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The widow of an Internal Revenue Service employee killed when a disgruntled taxpayer flew his plane into a seven-story building in Austin, Texas, last week is suing the pilot's wife, according to court documents.
Valerie Hunter, the wife of Vernon Hunter, is accusing Sheryl Stack, wife of Andrew Joseph "Joe" Stack III, of negligence, alleging she knew or should have known that her husband was a threat to others and, thus, could have prevented the attack, according to the lawsuit filed Monday in Travis County District Court.
"Stack was threatened enough by Joseph Stack that she took her daughter and stayed at a hotel the night before the plane crash. [She] owed a duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid a foreseeable risk of injury to others including [Vernon Hunter]," the suit says.
The lawsuit also seeks to bar the release of Vernon Hunter's autopsy report, saying that, if made public, it would cause Hunter's family to suffer "severe and irreparable emotional distress."
Hunter was killed February 18 when, authorities say, Stack flew his Piper Cherokee PA-28 into a northwest Austin building that housed nearly 200 IRS employees.
Authorities say Stack set fire to his $230,000 home in Austin before embarking on his fatal flight.
Police have said Sheryl Stack spent the previous night in an Austin-area hotel but did not say why. Police said they had received no calls of domestic violence from the house. The only calls to police were made a couple of years ago and concerned barking dogs, officials said said.
A 3,000-word message on a Web site registered to Stack railed against the government, particularly the IRS.
"I saw it written once that the definition of insanity is repeating the same process over and over and expecting the outcome to suddenly be different," the online message said. "I am finally ready to stop this insanity. Well, Mr. Big Brother IRS man, let's try something different; take my pound of flesh and sleep well."
Sheryl Stack issued a statement after the attack expressing "sincere sympathy to the victims and their families."
|
6e70dd121aab40bfa9b741ad1385066b
|
what happened to Hunter's husband when Andrew joseph flew a plane into a building?
|
[
"killed"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A biker who posted videos of himself on YouTube performing stunts and speeding at up to 210 kph (130 mph) has been jailed after inadvertently confessing his misdemeanors to police.
Sandor Ferenci posted video of himself online performing high-speed stunts.
Sandor Ferenci, 28, was approached by police after a motorist saw him speeding on his powerful motorcycle and noted his registration number.
When they called at his house in Oxfordshire, England, he unwittingly asked if they had seen his YouTube video -- prompting officers to search the Internet, where they found uploaded video of his hazardous riding.
Ferenci was Monday sentenced to 12 weeks' jail after admitted two counts of dangerous driving at Oxford Crown Court.
Judge Terence Maher told Ferenci that he had carried out "lunatic and grossly irresponsible maneuvers at considerable speed," according to CNN affiliate ITN.
Ferenci's video footage, filmed by a friend from various angles including a footbridge, was shown to the court.
In it the biker is seen performing wheelies, tire-smoking wheelspins and skids on his Yamaha R6 road bike as well as high speed undertaking maneuvers.
Prosecutor Brian Payne said it was impossible to gauge Ferenci's exact speed in the video, but police estimated he was driving up to 210 kph, ITN reported.
|
ee9832c1dedc4a23a663d86626985d42
|
Why was the biker jailed for 12 weeks?
|
[
"two counts of dangerous driving"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden assured Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday that the incoming Obama administration will continue to support Pakistan's efforts to strengthen democracy and combat terrorism, according to Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden meets Pakistani officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday.
Biden told Zardari that the new U.S. administration would also help Pakistan "meet its socio-economic requirements and capacity building," the ministry said in a written statement.
The vice president-elect "assured the Pakistani leadership" of the United States' "continued assistance to Pakistan," the statement said.
No additional details were provided.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, accompanied Biden on the trip.
Biden "described Pakistan as an incredibly valued U.S. ally and said that the U.S. recognized Pakistan's important contribution and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism," the ministry said.
Zardari, who took office in September, said "Pakistan needed the support and understanding of the international community in this effort," according to the statement.
Pakistan's government is waging a bloody battle against Taliban and al Qaeda militants in its tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan. The United States has provided Pakistan with billions of dollars in aid for those counterterrorism activities.
Last year, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed a bill authorizing $7.5 billion in non-military aid over the next five years.
The measure is sponsored by committee chairman Biden and the ranking Republican on the panel, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana. It would provide money for developments such as schools, roads and medical clinics, and it conditions security aid on State Department certification that Pakistan is making efforts against the Taliban and al Qaeda.
The bill has not come before the full Senate.
Biden also said he was hopeful that India and Pakistan could resolve their conflicts, according the ministry.
"The U.S. vice president-elect expressed the hope that both Pakistan and India will be able to overcome the current tensions and would resolve their differences peacefully," the ministry's statement said.
November's attacks in Mumbai, India, fueled tensions between Pakistan and India, longtime rivals that have fought three wars since independence and conducted tit-for-tat nuclear weapons tests in 1998.
India has said Islamic militants trained in Pakistan were behind the three-day siege of India's financial capital. Pakistani officials have promised to cooperate with the investigation but have insisted that India show it the evidence supporting its case.
On Wednesday, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the sole surviving suspect in the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people, is a Pakistani national, state-run media reported.
|
e814033de4af4b81b03e0277c4013873
|
did the bill pass?
|
[
"passed a"
] |
NewsQA
|
YUSUFIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- Female suicide bombers, who often slip through security checkpoints untouched because of cultural norms, are taking a more deadly toll than ever across Iraq.
A female suicide bomber struck northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16.
But the U.S. Army has created a solution with "Daughters of Iraq," a program that trains Iraqi women to find female suicide bombers.
Women carried out eight bombings in all of 2007, according to the U.S. military. Halfway through 2008, the number of female suicide bombers is 20. A suicide attack carried out by a woman on Sunday in Baquba killed at least 16 people and wounded another 40.
"Daughters of Iraq" is a spinoff of "Sons of Iraq," which employs Iraqi men to run checkpoints and is credited with taking much of the steam out of the insurgency.
The goal of the women's program is twofold: to protect against female suicide bombers, and to provide much-needed income to Iraqi women with few chances for employment.
In the town of Yusufiya, southwest of Baghdad, some 30 women are being trained to search other females at security checkpoints -- something men are forbidden to do under Iraqi cultural norms.
In mid-May, a female suicide bomber killed an Iraqi army officer in this town.
"When he came out to meet her to help her with a problem she was having, she detonated the vest and killed him and injured some of his soldiers," said Michael Starz, a U.S. Army captain.
The women will work two or three days a month, making up to $300, an Iraqi military officer explained to applicants. In a community, where families struggle to survive, that's good money. Watch how "Daughters of Iraq" works »
The women come from small farming communities. Many of them are widows with numerous children and almost no income.
Such is the story of Fawzia, who has six children to support. Her husband was shot to death when his car broke down.
"I am ready (to work) as long as it helps me financially," she said. "I have five children in school."
Having women work in this tradition-bound society is a social revolution, according to Fatima, a volunteer leader, told CNN's Jill Dougherty.
"Many women would like to do it but their parents would not agree because it's a rural society and it's shameful for girls to go outside the home."
|
ae6977fff914474984442f9ff49210cd
|
What amount are they paid?
|
[
"up to $300,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Mount Redoubt, the Alaskan volcano expected to erupt at any time, is getting a bit more edgy.
Dark areas show a mudflow from the peak of Mount Redoubt earlier this week.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory said in a statement Friday "volcanic tremor" has increased in "amplitude."
The activity on the 10,197-foot peak is "more energetic than that of the previous several days. However, it is still less vigorous than that observed last weekend," the observatory said.
Peter Cervelli, a research geophysicist with the observatory, told CNN that "every indication is that we're heading toward an eruption."
Cervelli said scientists don't know exactly when it will happen, but if it does happen, it could be days or weeks -- or even hours.
"I would not be surprised to see it erupt at anytime," Cervelli said. "We're going to know it when we see it." Learn more about Redoubt and its history »
Scientists raised the alert status Sunday to a "watch" level, the second-highest, based on seismic activity detected January 23.
The peak is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, the state's most populous city.
Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago, in December 1989, and that eruption lasted until April 1990. Geologists think there could be an eruption "similar to or smaller than the one that occurred in 1989-90." PopSci.com: Predicting eruptions
That eruption spread ash in Kenai and Anchorage, where it disrupted air traffic operations. Cervelli said the ash plumes caused engine failure on a jet.
The 1989-90 eruption also spurred volcanic mudflows, or lahars, that flowed east down the Drift River. The ash fall was seen as far away as Fairbanks and the Yukon Territory border. PopSci.com: Prehistoric explosions wiped out ocean life -- and created petroleum
The observatory has set up a Web camera near the summit of the volcano and another within Cook Inlet. It plans to do continuous visual surveillance, measure gas output and analyze satellite and weather-radar data.
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d51c2e44d34346718bf22f2867542c99
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What is increasing in amplitude?
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[
"\"volcanic tremor\""
] |
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(CNN) -- Thierry Henry scored twice as Barcelona booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a 5-2 second leg victory against Lyon at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi, left, and Thierry Henry celebrate as Barcelona reach the last eight of the Champions League.
Former winners Porto joined them at the next stage after their return leg against Atletico finished goalless in Lisbon -- the 2-2 draw in the first leg in Madrid sending them through on the away goals.
Spain's Primera Liga leaders Barcelona strolled into a 4-0 first half lead on their way to a 6-3 aggregate success with Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o building on Henry's double.
Jean Makoun pulled one back just before half-time and Juninho struck three minutes after the restart, but the French champions never looked like disturbing Barca's path to the March 20 draw.
Lyon's hopes suffered another blow when Juninho was given his marching orders after picking up a second yellow card in time added on and Seydou Keita took full advantage by snatching another in the final seconds.
Having conceded an away goal in a 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Stade Gerland, Lyon had to score to stand any chance of progressing.
After a fairly even opening, a quickfire double from Henry dictated the outcome of the tie.
After 25 minutes he latched onto a ball from Rafael Marquez, beating the offside trap to slide the ball under Hugo Lloris. Two minutes later Henry doubled the lead when he slid the ball in at the near post past the advancing Lloris.
Messi showed his class in the 40th minute. The Argentina star collected the ball on the right touchline, before embarking on a mazy run past three Lyon defenders. He then exchanged a one-two with Eto'o, before firing a low shot home.
Eto'o was desperate to get on the scoresheet himself as he stormed into the box from the left, only to see his shot saved by Lloris from point-blank range. Within a minute, though, he had made amends as he popped up in the box, side-stepped his marker and smashed the ball home.
A minute from the break, Makoun made it 4-1 as he headed home Juninho's corner. And the former Brazil midfielder got on the scoresheet himself three minutes after the break following a cross from Cesar Delgado.
Any thoughts of a comeback failed to materialise as Barca continued to create a raft of chances.
As the game moved, into stoppage time, Juninho picked up a second booking for dissent and moments later Mali midfielder Keita made it five for Barca.
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994dfef45e71434595a5b1ecfd5eac2f
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What was the score of the Barcelona game?
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[
"5-2"
] |
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MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexican police have arrested a "highly dangerous" U.S. citizen wanted on weapons charges, the Michoacan state attorney's office said.
Robert Hamlin Wainwright, 66, was arrested in tMexico at the request of the U.S. Marshal's Office.
Robert Hamlin Wainwright, 66, was arrested in the city of Zamora at the request of the U.S. Marshal's Office in Tucson, Arizona, the Mexican authorities said. He faces deportation.
A January 27 notice by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wainwright, who has a prior felony conviction, was being investigated by the Indiana Environmental Task Force when firearms and ammunition were found at his home and business. He was tried and found guilty of firearms violations and was awaiting sentencing when he fled to Mexico, the EPA said.
Wainwright, a convicted child molester, also faces charges of discharging a pollutant into Indiana waters.
Mexican officials also announced Tuesday the arrest last month of a Canadian citizen on child pornography charges.
According to the federal Secretariat of Public Security, Arthur Leland Sayler operated 36 child pornography Web sites in the United States and Mexico.
Officials said they confiscated 29 DVDs that could house about 4 million photographs, 25 disc drives, two flash cards, nine floppy disks, 96 CD-ROMS, mobile telephone SIM cards and two Web servers.
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f8c515ed3d77412c804930772940889b
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Who was wanted on weapons charges?
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[
"Robert Hamlin Wainwright,"
] |
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Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- As the death toll climbed Monday from flooding in Southeast Asia, officials beefed up flood prevention measures to protect Thailand's capital from rising water.
Millions have been affected by the flooding in Thailand and Cambodia, which has been hit by an above-average monsoonal rainy season. As of Monday, 269 people were dead in Thailand and four were missing, according to the country's Flood Relief Operations Command. Another 207 people were dead in Cambodia, according to the country's state-run news agency AKP.
Patients in two hospitals in Thailand's Ayutthaya and Nakhon Sawan provinces had to be evacuated after water reached the first floor, the flood operations command said.
Multiple tropical systems have moved over the area in recent weeks, enhancing monsoon rains and leading to the flooding. Another low pressure system is forecast to move into Southeast Asia on Tuesday and Wednesday, said Brandon Miller, senior meteorologist for CNN International.
On Monday, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered canal dredging and reinforcement of flood-prevention embankments to protect Bangkok, state-run news agency MCOT reported. In addition, three new flood-prevention walls were being built at two locations in Rangsit, in northern Bangkok, and in Taling Chan, in the western part of the city.
The government needs another 1.5 million sandbags, MCOT reported. The prime minister called on the private sector to supply them, but said the government will buy all the needed sandbags by Wednesday, the news agency said.
The Rojana Industrial Park has halted operations for the time being, director Amara Charoengitwattanagun told MCOT, and the facility may be further damaged if the flooding worsens. One plant in the park, Single Point Parts, evacuated all workers from the premises and built flood prevention embankments around its building, according to MCOT.
Meanwhile, Honda Thailand said on its website Monday that its plants in the Rojana park are flooded and will be closed until at least until the end of the week.
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1813115b8048489eaa9b1b934db7ccad
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what are the causes of death?
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[
"flooding"
] |
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BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- The wife of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Thailand Tuesday morning to face corruption charges, promising to fight the accusations, her attorney said.
Pojamarn Shinawatra with her husband Thaksin Shinawatra.
According to Pichit Chuenban, Pojamarn Shinawatra was presented with an arrest warrant shortly after arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport and was escorted by authorities to the Supreme Court.
"She intends to fight all charges through judicial system," Pichit said.
Greeted by about 50 well-wishers, Pojamarn arrived at court accompanied by her three children. She faces charges stemming from a Bangkok land deal and a stock concealment plan that could put her in jail for up to eight years, according to the Thai News Agency.
The court released her on 5 million baht (about $168,000) bail and ordered her not to leave the country.
On Monday, Thaksin's attorney Noppadon Pattama said the former prime minister would return from exile in mid-April to answer to the same charges his wife faces. He was deposed by a military junta in Sept. 2006 and fled to London. He plans to return after Thailand's new government is in place.
In December's parliamentary elections, supporters of Thaksin, the People Power Party, won nearly half the seats in the lower house and will lead the ruling coalition.
PPP leader Samak Sundaravej said a new parliament controlled by his party would pass an amnesty law to allow Thaksin's return and amend the constitution to let Thaksin get back into politics.
Thaksin said he would not re-enter politics when he returned to Thailand. He said that he and his family had "suffered enough" but that he wanted to face the charges against him and prove his innocence.
Thaksin is a 58-year-old telecommunications tycoon who owns the English Premier League Manchester City Football Club. Thaksin's party won two landslide victories before he was deposed. E-mail to a friend
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6f22e6748e274754afd9dff677ffd275
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who is Thaksin?
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[
"ousted Prime Minister"
] |
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ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Sixty-four cases of measles have been diagnosed in the United States this year, the most in seven years, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles is a respiratory disease whose familiar symptom is red blotches on the skin.
In all but one of the cases, the people who contracted measles had not been vaccinated. Some were too young to have gotten the shots, which are administered from 12 to 15 months of age.
The CDC released the statistics Thursday to "serve as a reminder that measles can and still does occur in the U.S. Ongoing measles virus transmission was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but the risk of cases and outbreaks from imported disease remains," the organization said in a news release. Interactive: More about measles »
In 54 of this year's cases the victims imported the measles from other countries, the CDC said.
Dr. Anne Schuchat, the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said many of the imported cases came from European nations and Israel. Watch more on the measles outbreak »
"Many people have forgot about measles in the United States," she said Schuchat at a news conference Thursday. "It is very important for travelers heading off to Europe to make sure their immunizations are up to date."
The cases were reported in nine states, it said, and cases are being treated in Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan and New York.
Measles is a viral disease that can be deadly if not treated. The 64 patients ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years. Fourteen patients were hospitalized but no deaths were reported. E-mail to a friend
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7e09e51b31cd468a99514b49845429cc
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What does the CDC claim?
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[
"Sixty-four cases of measles have been diagnosed in the United States this"
] |
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MARANA, Arizona (CNN) -- I've been privileged in the past to witness Tiger Woods out on a golf course. And I can tell you, it's a painful, frustrating process.
Golf fans flocked to Arizona to see Tiger make his long-awaited return to the tee.
Not because the golf he produces isn't spectacular and at times utterly dazzling but it's the sheer volume of people he attracts that help convince me each and every time golf has to be one of the worst "out on the course" spectator sports going. That's just my opinion though.
Try telling that to the legions who got themselves to Arizona this week once they heard the world's top player was making his return to the game after more than eight months.
Woods' first competitive slice of action in the best part of a year wasn't due to get under way until around lunchtime here though judging by the fans already out on the course you'd have thought his tee-time was more like 7am. Even those jostling for position to catch a glimpse of him on the range or putting green were taking no chances and ensuring they arrived in plenty of time.
Remember all of this was before he even teed off!
The scene on that first hole was as expected bustling to say the least. The small gantries were packed anyway due to the whole array of talent on show through this week, but it got even more frenzied when the Woods-Jones match- up was announced.
Mayhem to say the least! Those seated in the stands were the lucky ones, it was the unfortunate spectators trying to stand and strain every sinew to catch a glance of that first shot from the world number one I felt for.
Even us media suffered! With seconds to go before the American struck his drive, one television camera crew, which really should have known better, blatantly blocked us from getting that prized shot. Only quick last-gasp thinking from our cameraman John saved the day.
In case you were wondering that Woods drive was just majestic and he would go on to win the first two holes in fine style.
When he strode off down the first fairway, there was a stampede with those looking to brave the soaring temperatures here in Arizona and follow him every step of the way. The Woods 'wow factor' is still very much alive and kicking. The question is will the so-called bionic knee hold up in the weeks and months to come?
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9851cb311c634fe6a91c1257ff2e70a4
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How long has he been out of the game?
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[
"more than eight months."
] |
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(CNN) -- A woman and three children were killed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when a suspected robber fleeing in a car jumped a curb and struck them, police said Thursday.
Four people were killed after a car fleeing police struck a home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday.
"He literally cut a tree in half," Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey said, "then hit the 1-year-old, [who] was in a stroller. The other individuals were on the front porch of their own home. He struck with such force that it knocked the concrete steps loose."
Latoya Smith, 22, died Thursday from injuries in the crash, which occurred shortly after 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Fentonville area of north Philadelphia, police Capt. James Clark said.
Smith's daughter, Remedy Smith -- who would have turned 1 on Friday -- died at the scene, as did Alicia Griffin, 6, and Gina Rosario, 7, Clark said.
Video of the scene showed a crumpled silver Pontiac on the sidewalk, pushed up against the front steps of a house and wedged against a tree. Watch police commissioner describe carnage »
Donta Cradock, 18, the alleged driver of the gray Pontiac, faces charges for theft of a motorcycle, the crime that allegedly triggered his flight, police said.
Other charges are pending approval from the district attorney's office, police said.
"We're hopeful that it will be four counts of murder," Clark said.
Cradock and an alleged accomplice, Ivan Rodriguez, 20, stole a motorcycle at gunpoint around 7:30 p.m., he said.
Rodriguez fled the scene on the motorcycle, while Cradock drove away in the Pontiac, Clark said.
An unidentified person told a traffic police officer in the area about the alleged robbery and pointed out the Pontiac, he said.
The police officer followed the car and tried to stop it at a traffic light, Clark said.
"At that point the Pontiac fled at a high rate of speed," he said.
The officer followed the vehicle, but lost sight of it, Clark said. The officer was not close enough to chase the car, police said, but eventually came across what Clark called a "horrific accident."
Cradock was thrown from the Pontiac and is in the hospital, Clark said. He said a gun was recovered on the suspect.
Rodriguez was arrested at his home, Clark said, and faces a theft charge.
Both men have "very extensive criminal histories," Ramsey said.
Bench warrants were out on them at the time of their arrest, Clark said.
It was not immediately clear if the two had retained attorneys.
CNN's Mark Norman contributed to this report.
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9c99b6d908b44ad8918b25648c174838
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What killed Latoya Smith and 3 kids?
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[
"a car fleeing police struck a home"
] |
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(CNN) -- Federal regulators announced $7.1 million in fines against American Airlines on Thursday over maintenance issues and problems with its drug- and alcohol-testing programs.
American Airlines was fined for allowing aircrafts to fly while they knew they needed repairs.
"The FAA believes the large total amount of the fine for these violations is appropriate because American Airlines was aware that appropriate repairs were needed, and instead deferred maintenance," the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement announcing the decision. "In intentionally continuing to fly the aircraft, the carrier did not follow important safety regulations intended to protect passengers and crew."
American can still appeal the fines, the FAA said.
The FAA also found the airline maintained inadequate drug- and alcohol-testing programs and failed to inspect safety lighting on a "timely" basis.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier said Thursday evening that it disagreed with the findings and called the penalties "excessive."
"In accordance with FAA procedures for handling these matters, we have requested to meet with the FAA after we have had time to thoroughly review their findings, so that we may discuss the issues," the airline said in a written statement. "Since these matters are ongoing with the FAA, we will not have any further comment at this time."
Nearly $4.5 million of the proposed fines stem from American's continued operation of two MD-83 jetliners in December 2007 after pilots reported problems with the autopilot systems, the FAA said.
The two planes were flown a combined 58 times before the problems were corrected -- and one flew 10 times after an FAA inspector notified the airline that it had wrongly deferred needed repairs.
In one incident, the autopilot disconnected during a landing on December 21, the FAA said. "American technicians did not check for the actual problem, and instead deferred maintenance using an inappropriate MEL (minimum equipment list) item. The plane flew another 36 passenger-carrying flights during December 21-31."
The problem was later traced to a piece of radio gear separate from the autopilot, the FAA said. Meanwhile, a different MD-83 flew four flights without a fully functioning autopilot after American mechanics put off repairs. Regulators also accuse American of operating planes without timely inspections of their emergency lighting systems.
In April, American canceled more than 3,000 flights to conduct inspections of wiring bundles in wheel wells of its 300 MD-80 jets, snarling air traffic for five days.
The FAA ordered American and several other airlines to examine the wiring, which had the potential to start fires or cause landing gear to malfunction.
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f3a1050804614559b2158340aeed887e
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What is accused of not having timely inspections?
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[
"American Airlines"
] |
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(CNN) -- Manchester United and their city rivals Manchester City both made embarrassing exits from the European Champions League on Wednesday.
United were beaten 2-1 in Basel to leave the Swiss side and Benfica as the qualifiers from Group C, while City beat Bayern Munich 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium but went out as Napoli won 2-0 at Villarreal.
It left Bayern and the Italians to go through from Group A to complete a chastening first experience of Europe's top club competition for Robert Mancini's expensively assembled side.
But it was the exit of last year's runners-up United which was the biggest upset, needing only a draw to ensure their passage to the last 16, goals from Marco Streller and Alexander Frei sent them crashing.
Real Madrid to topple Barca in 'El Clasico' clash?
Phil Jones pulled one back in the 89th minute to set up a frantic finale but they could not force the equalizer.
Streller's goal after nine minutes came as a result of defensive uncertainty with goalkeeper David De Gea parrying out a cross which fell invitingly for the scorer.
Wayne Rooney wasted United best chance to level and Markus Steinhofer belted the ball against his own crossbar in the second half before Frei nipped in to head home the crucial second goal in the 84th minute.
It was the first time Alex Ferguson's men had failed to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for six years and only the third time in 16 years.
"Of course we're disappointed, there's no other way you can feel," Ferguson told Sky Sports.
"It's part of football. You have to deal with the disappointment, and this club has used it as motivation many times.
"These young players will feel disappointed tonight but they'll have to cope with it and go on with their careers."
Oscar Cardozo scored the crucial goal after seven minutes for Benfica in their 1-0 win over Otelul Galati which left them top of the group.
English Premier League leaders Manchester City eased to victory against their understrength Bavarian visitors as David Silva and Yaya Toure struck either side of halftime.
But it all proved academic as Napoli left Villarreal pointless after goals from Gokhan Inler and Marek Hamsik inflicted a sixth straight group defeat on the Spaniards.
It was the first time Napoli have qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
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db7d3c000a204022b2bbdafc6763ca98
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what city exited the european champions league
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[
"Manchester"
] |
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(CNN) -- It's been a big tourism year for the Big Apple.
New York expects to draw more than 50 million visitors by the end of 2011 -- a record for the city, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday.
"While playing host to the world isn't new for us, the number of visitors we're welcoming in recent years is new," Bloomberg said during a ceremony in Times Square, while surrounded by cheering tourism officials.
"That means more guests in our hotels, more shoppers in our stores, larger audiences in our museums and theaters, more diners at our restaurants."
The city reached the milestone a year ahead of schedule, Bloomberg said. Throughout 2011, New York was the No. 1 city and overseas destination in the United States, his office added.
To celebrate, the mayor named newlyweds Craig and Lucy Johnson from Lichfield, England, as the honorary 50 millionth visitors to New York and presented them with a "golden ticket" to the city.
The couple will receive thousands of dollars' worth of gift cards from New York retailers and tickets to a Broadway show.
The Johnsons were among the 10.1 million international visitors to come to the city this year. Another 40.1 million tourists came from within U.S. borders.
Tourism is a huge moneymaker for the city, generating $32 billion in visitor spending and $48 billion in economic impact, Bloomberg's office said.
"New York City's quality of life has contributed to this great success, and we are confident we will sustain the success of our tourism industry in the months and years ahead," Bloomberg said.
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7acaf909960d4058835848f7a87283f8
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What city expects to draw 50 million visitors by the end of 2011?
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[
"New York"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Barack Obama painted a bleak economic picture of the country Saturday, hours before he met with his economic team.
President Obama delivers his weekly radio and Internet address, which focused on the economy.
"We begin this year and this administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action," he said in his weekly radio and Internet address.
"Just this week, we saw more people file for unemployment than at any time in the last 26 years, and experts agree that if nothing is done, the unemployment rate could reach double digits," Obama said.
The president pleaded for urgent action, saying, "If we do not act boldly and swiftly, a bad situation could become dramatically worse." Watch Obama's weekly address »
Obama's remarks came as he is lobbying for quick congressional passage of an $825 billion stimulus package to pump up the economy. Watch the partisan politics involved »
The president revealed more details of his stimulus package, which he said would add more than 3,000 miles of electric lines to transport alternative energy across the country.
Obama also said the plan would save taxpayers $2 billion by making three-quarters of federal buildings more energy efficient and would "save the average working family $350 on their energy bills by weatherizing 2.5 million homes."
The White House also released a report on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, which calls for greater investment in Pell Grants for college students, a $2,500 college tax credit for 4 million college students and the tripling of the number of fellowships in science to help spur innovation.
Obama promised full accountability for government spending. After a stimulus bill is passed, a Web site, www.recovery.gov, will show taxpayers how their money is being spent, he said.
In the Republicans' response, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers criticized the Democratic plan. Watch the GOP radio address
"The $800 billion plan largely ignores the fact that we cannot keep borrowing and spending our way back to prosperity," said McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington.
"Instead of letting American families keep more of their hard-earned tax dollars, this plan proposes to spend additional money -- billions -- on such programs as new government cars, global warming studies and a billion extra dollars for the U.S. Census."
Balancing the budget and enacting tax cuts "are central to moving our economy forward," she said. Watch what Republicans want »
The president is calling for the plan, which he hopes will create up to 4 million jobs over the next two years, to be passed by Congress and at his desk for signing by February 16, which is Presidents Day.
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4dc92a5fb0e94db496defca5c98cef4c
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which website would tell government spending?
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[
"www.recovery.gov,"
] |
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Fred Hassan is chairman of the board and CEO of Schering-Plough Corporation.
Fred Hassan, chairman of the board and CEO of Schering-Plough
Prior to joining Schering-Plough in April 2003 and assuming his current position, Hassan was chairman and CEO of Pharmacia Corporation. He joined the former Pharmacia & Upjohn in May 1997 as CEO and was elected to the Board of Directors. In February 2001, Hassan was named chairman of the Board of Pharmacia, the company created through the merger of the former Monsanto and Pharmacia & Upjohn companies.
Previously, Hassan was executive vice president of Wyeth, formerly known as American Home Products, responsible for its pharmaceutical and medical products business. He was elected to Wyeth's Board of Directors in 1995. Earlier in his career, Hassan spent 17 years with Sandoz Pharmaceuticals (now Novartis) and headed its U.S. pharmaceuticals business.
Hassan received a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the Imperial College of Science and Technology at the University of London and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Hassan is the past chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and is the immediate past chairman of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey. He is currently president of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of Avon Products, Inc.
(www.schering-plough.com) E-mail to a friend
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9ae12f7495814e1099a354f445c3e4ad
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Where is the health care institute located?
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[
"New Jersey."
] |
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- The regional airline involved in a fatal February plane crash outside Buffalo, New York, contested a report Monday alleging the pilot did not have the training to handle the emergency that brought the plane down, and that he might have been fatigued on the night of the crash.
Debris is cleared from the scene of Flight 3407's crash near Buffalo, New York, in February.
Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by regional carrier Colgan Air, plunged into a house in Clarence Center, New York, on the night of February 12, killing all 49 on board as well as one man in the house.
In a story Monday, The Wall Street Journal cited investigators as saying the crash resulted from pilot Marvin Renslow's incorrect response to the plane's precarious drop in speed: He overrode an emergency system known as a "stick pusher," which sends the plane into a dive so it can regain speed and avoid a stall.
The Journal's report said Colgan had not provided Renslow with hands-on flight-simulator training for a stick-pusher emergency.
Colgan, in rebuttal, issued a statement saying Renslow had received classroom instruction for such an emergency. Watch a Colgan official respond to questions »
The company also emphasized that the Federal Aviation Administration does not require pilots to receive a stick-pusher demonstration in a flight simulator.
"The FAA generally trains to standards of routine line operations. They don't focus on the edges of the envelope," stall recovery expert Doug Moss told CNN.
Colgan further admitted that during his career, Renslow failed five "check rides" -- occasional tests of pilot proficiency -- including two that Colgan said he did not disclose on his application with the airline. His most recent failed check ride occurred 16 months before the crash.
"In the cases while with Colgan, he received additional training and successfully passed the check rides," the airline said.
Colgan stressed that despite his performance on check rides, Renslow nonetheless ultimately passed his pilot exams and had "all the training and experience to safely operate the Q400," the airplane involved in the crash.
Colgan further insisted that pilot fatigue was not a factor in the crash, noting that Renslow had "nearly 22 consecutive hours of time off before he reported for duty on the day of the accident."
In its statement, Colgan did not specifically address potential illness-related fatigue in 24-year-old co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, who, according to The Wall Street Journal report, said before takeoff that she probably should have called in sick.
The National Transportation Safety Board begins a three-day hearing on the crash on Tuesday. Renslow's history as well as pilot training broadly will be examined.
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141374febc4b4795aa232e040b71bcbf
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What was the flight number?
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[
"3407's"
] |
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(CNN) -- After her crowning in January, Katie Stam, Miss America 2009, went from beauty queen to traveling machine -- within minutes. "The moment they put that crown on my head I started work...literally," she told CNN.
Miss America Katie Stam is constantly on the road.
The Indiana native will spend a year crisscrossing the country promoting her platform of community service. "I change locations every two or three days, and that's exactly how it's going to be all year," Stam says.
From visiting children in hospitals in Pennsylvania to flipping pancakes for charity in California, Miss America lives a life on the road. And with such a hectic schedule, she has picked up a few tips on how to stay sane while traveling.
"The most important tip I could offer anybody who does a lot of traveling is to stay as organized as possible," Stam says. To keep from losing items on the road, Stam keeps everything in the same place in her suitcase, including her crown. "It's really funny, but it helps me kind of keep a clear mind," she explains.
She also unpacks a little as soon as she arrives in her hotel room. "You realize when you get on the road, and that's your life, your hotel becomes your home," Stam says. "And so you really need to feel that you're coming home to your room, to your place where all of your things are."
Stam also stresses the importance of a good night's sleep. "It's absolutely essential to get a full night's rest or at least quality rest," she says. However she also acknowledges the difficulties of sleeping a full eight hours while traveling.
But the ever chipper Miss America has a trick for getting around the wonky work hours: "If you know you only have 10 minutes, you take a quick 10 minute nap."
With airplanes being her primary mode of transportation, the beauty queen also has advice for the frequent flyer on how to stay fresh while on the go. "It's tricky," she says. "A lot of people lose their luggage and stuff. So I always keep my makeup with me, put on a little powder before I go somewhere."
And when you're Miss America, somewhere could be anywhere.
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51486f7062614edb8aa7a0e41a5aad9f
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Where is Miss America spending a year?
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[
"crisscrossing the country promoting her platform of community service."
] |
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(CNN) -- Florida prosecutors on Thursday revealed a list of reasons they're seeking the death penalty against Casey Anthony, who is charged with killing her daughter, Caylee.
Under Florida, law, prosecutors need to raise only one of 15 possible aggravating factors to support their decision to seek the death penalty. Assistant State Attorney Jeffrey Ashton cited five circumstances, according to a document obtained by CNN affiliate WESH and other Orlando, Florida, media outlets.
In death penalty cases, jurors are asked to weigh aggravating circumstances that make a crime especially heinous against mitigating factors that favor mercy, such as a lack of prior offenses.
Among the legal reasons cited: Caylee's death occurred during aggravated child abuse, was especially "heinous, atrocious, or cruel," and was committed in a "cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification," according to the document.
Caylee was also under 12 years old, and Anthony "stood in a position of familial or custodial authority over her," the document states.
Karen Levey, the court public information officer, could not confirm that Judge Belvin Perry Jr. received a copy of the notice. As of Thursday evening, defense attorney Jose Baez said he had not been served with the notice.
In a hearing this week, Perry ordered the State Attorney's Office to disclose the aggravating factors they intend to cite in a penalty phase if Anthony is convicted of premeditated murder.
Anthony, 24, is accused of killing 2-year-old Caylee, who disappeared in June 2008. Her body was found that December in a vacant lot near her grandparents' home in Orlando.
Defense lawyers have said that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty to bankrupt the defense and prevent Anthony from having the attorney of her choice.
The defense said that prosecutors had originally said they would not seek death in the case but reversed that position in March 2009 when they learned that Anthony had $205,000 for her defense.
The bulk of the money came from ABC News for the licensing of photos and videos, Baez testified during a previous hearing.
Anthony's trial is scheduled to begin May 9, 2011.
|
02613a6245084e17a588156837c35c67
|
What did the document say about the death?
|
[
"was especially \"heinous, atrocious, or cruel,\" and was committed in a \"cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Three inmates were shot and wounded by guards Friday during an escape attempt at a Livingston, Texas, prison, officials said.
The incident started about 9 p.m. (10 p.m. ET) when inmates were leaving a church service at a gymnasium in the prison, said Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
While walking back from the church service, five inmates jumped an interior fence in an attempt to flee, officials said.
Guards opened fire, wounding three of the inmates. All five were captured and the wounded inmates were taken to a hospital, Clark said.
CNN's Leslie Tripp contributed to this report.
|
f0d959d0711c4ea4a6107cf5c56d6449
|
How many inmates tried to escape?
|
[
"five"
] |
NewsQA
|
Berlin (CNN) -- An opossum that gained worldwide fame for its comedic cross-eyed looks has been put to sleep after its health deteriorated, Leipzig Zoo said Wednesday.
The female opossum, called Heidi, became a German media sensation after her picture was published in late 2010 and had more than 330,000 fans on Facebook.
According to the zoo's website, she and a sister were probably born in May 2008. The pair were found as orphans and raised in a wild animal sanctuary in North Carolina before moving to a zoo in Denmark and eventually arriving in Leipzig in May last year.
Leipzig Zoo released a statement saying: "Heidi, our cross-eyed opossum, has closed her eyes forever today. She passed away having shown typical symptoms of her old age and having severely suffered from arthrosis.
"This illness has made it painful for her to move over the last couple of weeks and Heidi was treated with vitamins and other medicine. Following a short-lived improvement of her condition, her general state of health deteriorated over the last days despite continuous efforts by the veterinarians."
Heidi had to be put to sleep avoid her suffering pain, in accordance with animal welfare guidelines, the zoo said. Arthrosis is a degenerative joint disease.
The cause of Heidi's profoundly crossed eyes remains a mystery, although the zoo's website suggests the way she was fed when she was hand-reared in the United States may have played a role -- as well as the fact she was overweight, which led to "fatty deposits behind the eyes which are pressing the eyeballs slightly out of the eye sockets."
Her sister, named Naira, is also cross-eyed but the zoo's third opossum, a male called Teddy, lacks their distinctive looks.
Opossums, a type of marsupial found in North and South America, have a maximum life expectancy of four to five years, the zoo's website says.
CNN's Brian Walker and Stefan Simons contributed to this report.
|
0c8ede3a49b54705b36c3b3133d91272
|
where did heidi move to last year?
|
[
"Leipzig"
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq awarded a lucrative oil contract to BP and China National Petroleum Corp., government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Wednesday, while rejecting other companies' offers for other oil fields.
BP and China National Petroleum Corporation have won a lucrative oil contract in Iraq.
The joint BP-CNPC bid was for the al-Rumeila oil field, one of the largest in the world. The energy companies are expected to increase production at the oil field by 50 percent, to 285,000 barrels a day, for a service charge of $2 for each additional barrel produced, al-Dabbagh said in a statement.
The Iraqi government rejected bids for five other oil fields and a natural gas field because the bidders did not agree to the service charge set by the Ministry of Oil, he said.
The Ministry of Oil rejected the idea that the failure to award more than one contract made the much-anticipated auction a flop.
Iraq did not say how much the BP-CNPC bid was worth. It runs for 20 years.
Oil Minister Hussein Shahrastani chaired the government-sponsored auction for the oil and natural gas field contracts Tuesday, after a day's delay due to a sandstorm.
Much of the auction was broadcast live on state television, which Ministry of Oil spokesman Assem Jihad told CNN was a sign of the transparency of the process.
He said the government was satisfied with the auction, even though only one contract was awarded, because the contract was for Iraq's largest oil field.
Iraq plans to open bidding this year on 10 more oil fields and one natural gas field, all of which are undeveloped, Jihad said.
The companies whose bids were rejected Tuesday have been given time to review their offers, he said.
Iraq has some of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 115 billion barrels -- tying Iran for second place, behind Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels, according to estimates from the Energy Information Administration in the United States.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad contributed to this report.
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37a54a91b6d447ac930629f9bf7c704f
|
How much do energy companies expect production to increase by?
|
[
"50 percent,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday extended permission for hundreds of pilots to carry firearms -- just hours before their certification to carry the weapons was to expire, according to an organization which represents the pilots.
"A few hundred" Federal Flight Deck Officers -- or FFDOs -- were to lose their certification to carry firearms effective midnight on New Year's Eve, said Mike Karn, executive vice president of the Federal Flight Deck Officer Association.
The loss would have come at a time of heightened concern about air security because of the attempted bombing of Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day.
But Karn said the DHS's Federal Air Marshal program notified him Thursday afternoon that the pilots' certification would be extended.
A Transportation Security Administration official confirmed that certifications had been extended for six months "in light of recent events." The official said that "due to an internal miscommunication, scheduled notifications to these officers were prematurely issued," but he offered no further explanation.
FFDOs are commercial pilots who volunteer to undergo training so they can carry weapons to protect their aircraft. They undergo initial training at federal law enforcement training academies and must re-qualify with firearms every six months, and undergo a two-day recurrent training every three to five years.
"I'm grateful [for the extension] because that will keep the most cost-effective last line of defense [of aircraft] in place," Karn said. "But I'm still concerned that such a limited budget has been approved for this program, and volunteers who want to protect the American public will be turned away."
Karn said the budget for the program has not increased since 2003, effectively capping the number of armed pilots.
The exact number of FFDOs is classified, but government officials have said in the past the number greatly exceeds the number of federal air marshals -- plain-clothed officers who fly in the cabin of the plane to protect aircraft.
Several FFDOs contacted by CNN said DHS has made getting recurrent training onerous for pilots, limiting the number and sizes of classes. Pilots also must pay for their own hotels and food during training -- "our own time and our own dime," said one pilot -- placing a further burden on them.
Had the loss of certification occurred, it would not have affected the pilots' flight clearance, only their ability to carry weapons.
|
2c29053220df4c5cb26b64650dbaa60f
|
What could be the effect of the limited budget?
|
[
"capping the number of armed pilots."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Iraq's presidency council Thursday approved the U.S.-Iraq security agreement -- the final step for the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government, a council spokesman said. The pact allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.
U.S. soldiers gather at the "Crossed Swords" in Baghdad's secure Green Zone on Tuesday.
The three-member presidency council -- Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi -- approved the agreement unanimously a week after the Iraqi parliament passed the measure.
Under the Iraqi constitution, unanimous approval by the presidency council is required for ratification of a law or agreement.
The security pact will replace a U.N. mandate for the U.S. presence in Iraq that expires at the end of this year.
The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns. The date for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.
The agreement -- which stresses respect for Iraqi sovereignty -- "requests the temporary assistance" of U.S. forces, but severely restricts their role.
The pact says that all military operations are to be carried out with the agreement of Iraq and must be "fully coordinated" with Iraqis.
A Joint Military Operations Coordination Committee will oversee military operations.
Iraq has the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. forces "for grave premeditated felonies," the agreement says. Suspects can be held by U.S. forces but must be available to Iraqi authorities for investigation or trial.
Iraq also will have the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. contractors and their employees under the agreement.
Also, the pact says that "Iraqi land, sea and air shouldn't be used as a launching or transit point for attacks against other countries."
The presidency council also approved a U.S.-Iraqi bilateral pact called the strategic framework agreement, which covers a wide range of bilateral cooperation efforts and which was approved by the Iraqi parliament last week.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, issued a statement welcoming the council's ratification of the measures.
"We look forward, under these agreements, to the continued reduction in U.S. forces and the normalization of bilateral relations as two sovereign and co-equal nations," the two said in their statement.
"We will undertake initiatives to strengthen our cooperation in the fields of economics, energy, health, the environment, education, culture, and law enforcement. The United States will support Iraq's request to the U.N. Security Council to continue protection of Iraqi assets," the statement said.
|
52c972e1920041ed9145f2d1b2c288b8
|
What does the agreement do?
|
[
"allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The women's draw at the Indian Wells Masters event has been thrown wide open after second seed Jelena Jankovic and third-seeded Elena Dementieva were both beaten on Saturday.
Pavlyuchenkova celebrates her victory over Jelena Jankovic in the Indian Wells Masters.
Serb Jankovic, who ended 2008 as number one in the world but has now dropped to third in the rankings, slumped 6-4 6-4 to Russian 17-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Meanwhile, Russian Dementieva ran out of steam in the final set to go down 7-6 2-6 6-1 to Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska -- ensuring only 17 of the 32 seeded women failed to make it out of the second round.
Fifth seed Ana Ivanovic, the defending champion defeated Anastasiya Yakimova of Belarus 6-4 6-3 and now joins top-seeded Russian Dinara Safina as the tournament favorite.
Also through is seventh-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska, who fought back from dropping the opening set to beat Australian Samantha Stosur 3-6 6-3 7-5.
|
b654111c1c204290bf517b18ade0ea6f
|
Who defeated the second-seeded player?
|
[
"Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A one-of-a-kind bicycle belonging to U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong was stolen from a team truck in California just hours after he rode it Saturday on the first day of a nine-day race.
Lance Armstrong is racing in the California Amgen Tour as he attempts a comeback after retiring in 2005.
Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong is racing in the Amgen Tour of California this week as he continues his latest comeback after retiring from the sport in 2005.
Armstrong's first comeback came in 1998, two years after he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him a less than 50 percent chance of survival.
Armstrong announced the bike theft on his Twitter account Sunday morning and posted a photograph.
"There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," the Texan wrote before going out and finishing fifth in Sunday's testing first stage won by Spain's Francisco Mancebo.
Swiss Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara, who started the day in the yellow jersey after winning Saturday's time-trial prologue, pulled out midway through the stage feeling unwell.
Armstrong improved from 10th to fifth overall, one minute five seconds adrift, with Astana teammate Levi Leipheimer, the two-time defending champion, in second place behind Mancebo.
"Holy hell. That was terrible," commented Armstrong who had a puncture. "Maybe one of the toughest days I've had on a bike, purely based on the conditions. I'm still freezing."
The bicycle that was stolen is not the one that Armstrong rides every day during the race. The stolen bike is used only for time trials, a race in which cyclists ride individually at staggered intervals over a set distance and try to get the best time.
The thieves took four bikes from a truck Armstrong's Astana team had parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. The other three bicycles belonged to team members Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych, Astana said.
Armstrong, 37, won the Tour de France, considered the premiere bicycle race in the world, a record seven times from 1999-2005.
The 750-mile Amgen Tour of California ends Sunday. It is the second major race in which Armstrong has participated since announcing his comeback in September. He raced last month in the Tour Down Under in Australia, finishing 29th.
Armstrong said he is aiming for another Tour de France victory this summer and was not expected to contend in the Australian race, which he used to gauge his fitness level after more than three years out of the saddle.
|
c320d581251a4a3bbd72b3e07d7f292b
|
Who is first in Amgen Tour of California?
|
[
"Mancebo."
] |
NewsQA
|
Below is an essay written by Steven Stanton's son Travis after he learned that his father was going to become a woman. The story of his father's transformation can be seen on "Her Name Was Steven" at 8 and 11 p.m. ET Saturday on CNN.
Throughout my whole life, I thought my dad was a really tough guy.
He went out with the cops and busted bad guys. He shot guns, fought fires, he was an aggressive driver, and he liked football and lots of sports.
Then, one day my thoughts changed about him when we had a family meeting and he told me how he felt about himself.
He said he felt like a woman on the inside and was going to change into one. He said he tried his best to be a manly guy, but he couldn't stop his feelings to become a girl.
I was very surprised to hear this.
At first, I thought I was in a dream.
It was very hard to believe such a thing. I thought he was a 100% manly man, like more manly than most guys. After a few days, I thought about it.
I knew he was making the right choice to become a girl.
Although I can't relate to his feelings, it must be really hard to hide something like that. It would be like having one million dollars and not being able to spend it. After just so long, your feelings would take over and spend it.
Now, though, I am very proud of my dad. Read Travis' response to some viewer questions about his father
After I saw him, and saw that inside he was the same dad as he always was: he still likes football, he still likes to be an aggressive driver. He is still the same person, but just different on the outside.
I am very happy for him now that he is who he wants to be.
I think that everyone should be who they are and not try to be the same as other people.
If you ask me, this has got to be the manliest thing he has done in his whole life.
It takes a real man to come out of your shell and say, "hey, I am who I am" and take the responsibility of doing that.
In conclusion, I thought my dad was a man, like, gender wise, but now he is who he is meant to be.
He is himself.
|
520cc8d56ec14caf90b2503c10f83429
|
Who is son of Susan Stanton?
|
[
"Travis"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Venezuelan world lightweight boxing champion Edwin Valero committed suicide in his prison cell after being arrested for the murder of his wife, according to the World Boxing Council (WBC).
The 28-year-old had confessed to stabbing his wife Jennifer Carolina Viera de Valero in a hotel in the city of Valencia on Sunday before taking his own life, police confirmed.
Valero was found in his cell hanged by his own clothes and though he showed some signs of life he later died, police chief Wilmer Flores Trosel told state television.
"A prisoner nearby heard noises inside the cell and told officials, who immediately went and found the boxer Valero hanging with his own clothes," he said.
The WBC said Valero is the only fighter in 300 years of the sport who can boast a 100 percent knock out rate from his 27 fights.
Valero, nicknamed "The Inca," had recently gone into alcohol rehabilitation and was detained in March for mistreating his wife, according to media reports.
He had a distinctive tattoo on his chest of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and defeated Mexican Antonio DeMarco in his most recent fight, in February this year.
A statement on the WBC's official Web site read: "Jose Sulaiman, World Boxing Council President, and all the members of the organization, are deeply saddened, moved and in sorrow due to the tragedy that took place regarding the case of WBC Lightweight world champion, Edwin Valero, who committed suicide in his cell after having killed his wife.
"Valero was very close to the World Boxing Council President and many of its members, who witnessed the happy years of the fighter when he won his Lightweight world title on April 4th, 2009, and when he defended such title last February 6th, in Monterrey, where he was joined by his wife and two little children for two weeks, showing a behavior and a humanitarian sense that were very far from what happened.
"The World Boxing Council declares today, April 19th, 2010, a day of world mourning, as well as it informs that the organization will begin analyzing a plan to set up a way in the creation of a fund for the education of his two little children, who were left alone in life after the passing away of both of their parents."
|
233b666c64dd4af6b05c01e96f2fa301
|
Who is the Venezuelan lightweight boxing champion?
|
[
"Edwin Valero"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- An actor who played a wannabe mobster in "The Sopranos" was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for a botched burglary that left an off-duty New York police officer dead.
Lillo Brancato Jr. appeared on "The Sopranos" and played alongside Robert De Niro in "A Bronx Tale."
The Bronx County District Attorneys Office had sought the maximum of 15 years for Lillo Brancato Jr., who was convicted last month of attempted burglary stemming from a fatal encounter with police officer Daniel Enchautegui.
Before the sentencing, Enchautegui's sister addressed the court to deliver a victim impact statement.
Enchautegui, 28, was shot in the chest when he interrupted an alleged break-in at a neighbor's home in the Bronx but managed to shoot both suspects multiple times before dying.
Brancato was cleared in Enchautegui's death, but his accomplice, Steven Armento, 51, was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
During the trial, lawyers for Brancato argued that there was not a break-in. Brancato testified that he knew the owner of the home, a Vietnam veteran who had given him permission to enter the house and take painkillers or other pills whenever he wanted.
Brancato testified that he and Armento, 51, were drinking at a strip club when they decided to go hunt for valium. He admitted breaking a window at the home but said it was strictly because he was going through intense heroin withdrawal that night and was trying to wake up his friend to get drugs.
Brancato appeared on six episodes of the hit HBO series "The Sopranos" in 2000. As a teen, he starred alongside actor Robert De Niro in "A Bronx Tale."
|
386e1f1ff7dd4385ba5082e1db4b05b0
|
What role did Brancato play on "The Sopranos"?
|
[
"wannabe mobster in"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A motorized parachute crashed into a crowd at a Labor Day festival in Hooper, Utah, injuring at least six people, including children, authorities said.
Spectators scatter as a motorized parachute plummets Monday in Hooper, Utah.
The parachute was operated by a man and his son who were on the aircraft, but neither was injured when it dropped to the ground amid spectators.
Scores of people had gathered Monday for what was to have been a candy drop from the motorized parachute, according to Lt. Lonnie Eskelson of the Weber County, Utah, Sheriff's Department. Video from the incident showed the small craft in the air, approaching the crowd, when it quickly lost altitude and came down as spectators ran for safety.
Spectator Damon Martin said the crowd was waiting for the scheduled candy drop when the wind picked up. Watch vehicle slam into crowd »
The motorized parachute "gets just over the field, they start dropping the candy and all of a sudden he starts to descend real quick. He guns it to get it back up and goes straight down into the crowd," said Martin, who shot video of the incident.
The crowd parted "like the Red Sea, but they just couldn't move fast enough," he said.
Six people were taken to area hospitals, including two sisters, 4 and 5 years old, authorities said.
The 5-year-old was being treated Monday night at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, for a leg fracture, Eskelson said, while her sister was treated and released. A 3-year-old also was being treated at the center Monday night.
The other injured spectators were treated and released, Eskelson said.
CNN's Amanda O'Donnell contributed to this report.
|
489d6722cd3a40acb1a7d89b57843cb2
|
In what state did a crowd await the candy drop on Labor Day?
|
[
"Utah,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Fate, police say, saved baby Grace from being tossed out with the trash.
Baby Grace was born aboard a Pacific Blue flight to New Zealand from Samoa.
Were it not for a cleaning lady who chanced upon the newborn waving a feeble arm from a blue trash bag in an airplane bathroom, Grace would have met the fate her mother apparently intended for her, authorities said.
On Wednesday, police in New Zealand charged the 29-year-old woman with abandonment and assault -- for giving birth to the child on an international flight and then leaving her, without alerting anyone, in a toilet bin amid bloodied paper towels.
The woman, whose name was not released, faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
The case has made headlines in the island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
The woman is a kiwi fruit picker who was returning from Samoa when she walked off a Pacific Blue flight in Auckland on Thursday, reported the New Zealand Press Association, a cooperative of the country's newspapers. Watch more on incident
About 20 minutes later, a cleaning lady discovered the baby in a restroom inside the Boeing 737. Her fellow custodians wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her to authorities.
About the same time, police spotted the mother in the airport, "looking pale and bloodstained" after she said she had mislaid her passport, said TV New Zealand, a CNN affiliate.
Su'a William Sio, a Kiwi lawmaker of Samoan descent, said cultural stigma and the shame of bearing a child out of wedlock were two reasons why a mother might abandon her child.
"This is mostly derived firstly by fear," he told the New Zealand Herald newspaper. "Fear that they've done something wrong and fear of shame of the 'unmarried' mother bringing to the family."
Grace did not suffer significant injuries or long-term damage, police told reporters. She is in the care of government officials who are looking at long-term arrangements that would be best for her.
|
e7c3c5d92b12417c8ab8d4e6aab4770b
|
What happened to the baby?
|
[
"tossed out with the trash."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Four Virginia men were arrested Tuesday on allegations of bribery and kickbacks in what prosecutors describe as an elaborate scheme thought to involve hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts connected to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The suspects include two long-time Corps employees charged in an alleged conspiracy involving more than $20 million in bribes and kickbacks, as well as a plan to try to steer a $780 million contract to a favored contractor, the U.S. Justice Department reported. Another of the defendants is director of contracts for a company that did business with the federal government, the Justice Department said.
Corps employees Michael Alexander, 55, and Kerry Khan, 53, as well as Khan's son, Lee, 30, and Harold Babb, 60, were all indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit bribery and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and aiding and abetting, according to a Justice Department statement.
Both Kerry Khan and Alexander also face one count each of receipt of a bribe by a public official. If convicted, both men could each face a maximum 40-year sentence behind bars.
Babb, meanwhile, also was handed a charge related to unlawful kickbacks, and could face up to 35 years in prison. He was director of contracts at Eyak Tek, an Alaska Native-owned small business based in Dulles, Virginia.
Lee Khan, who controlled a consulting company with his father, faces a sentence of up to 25 years if convicted, according to the Justice Department.
All four men pleaded not guilty in federal court in Washington Tuesday afternoon.
Thought to have used their positions within the Corps, the elder Khan and his colleague Alexander are suspected of having funneled more than $45 million in payments by way of a federal contract that they oversaw, according to the indictment.
About $20 million in fraudulent expenses were built into those invoices, which were then diverted to all four defendants, prosecutors say..
Authorities are in the process of seizing funds in 29 bank accounts, as well as three luxury vehicles and seven high-end watches, and are pursing a forfeiture allegation against 16 real properties financed in whole or in part with proceeds from the alleged crimes, the Justice Department said..
It was not clear Tuesday whether the suspects have retained legal counsel.
|
9060f069cc28457aad0556f7d770e7ab
|
The two defendants are employees of what?
|
[
"Corps"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A close aide to Pakistan's Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud said he is breaking ties with him and confirmed reports that Mehsud was behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007 at a campaign rally.
Qari Turkestan Bhitaini, a self-proclaimed right-hand man of Mehsud, said Mehsud was behind the December 27, 2007, assassination of Bhutto, Pakistan's Express TV reported.
Bhitaini said he is breaking ties with Mehsud because he blames the Taliban chief for killing scores of innocent Muslims in recent attacks in Lahore.
The Pakistani government and CIA officials have said in the past that Mehsud was responsible for Bhutto's death.
Bhutto, 54, was heading the opposition to then-President Pervez Musharraf when she was assassinated during a campaign rally in Rawalpindi ahead of parliamentary elections.
The Pakistani government, who has struggled to control terrorism, is waging a military offensive against the Taliban in the country's North West Frontier Province.
|
0e1959a3a4744d88b974fd69a418f6a8
|
Who was responsible for Benazir Bhutto's slaying?
|
[
"Baitullah Mehsud"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Thousands of people gathered Tuesday in Marrowbone, Kentucky, to lay to rest nine people who were killed in a crash in central Kentucky last week.
John and Sadie Esh were killed when a tractor-trailer crossed the median on Interstate 65 and smashed into their van as they traveled to Iowa for a wedding. Four of the couple's children -- Leroy, Rachel, Rose and Anna -- were also killed, according to the Rev. Leroy Kauffman with the Marrowbone Christian Brotherhood. Leroy's wife, Naomi, and a baby the couple adopted were also killed, as was Rachel's fiance, Joel Gingerich, he said. A family friend, also in the van, was killed as well. The driver of the tractor-trailer also died.
Two boys, age 3 and 5, whom Leroy and Naomi adopted, survived.
"They have lived their lives, God seemed fit to take them home, and we rest in that," said Michael Kauffman, a member of the Mennonite community. He said family and friends had traveled from all over the United States to attend the funeral.
CNN affiliate WBKO, quoting a media liaison at the services, said about 3,000 people attended.
"The amount of people who came is overwhelming to say the least," Kauffman said. "We have been very blessed with the amount of people who are here."
The nine were to be buried in a grassy spot where John and Sadie's son Johnny was buried. He died while on a mission trip in the Ukraine three years ago, Leroy Kauffman said last week.
"I have not been to the grave site, but I feel like it's the way it should be," Michael Kauffman said.
The family was traveling to the wedding of a woman who was on the mission trip with Johnny, Leroy Kauffman said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. No cause has been given.
|
a2993a979987490b89adfe1335d48eb3
|
Who survived the crash?
|
[
"Two boys,"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Indian police swiftly handled a "security scare" at New Delhi's major airport early Friday amid heightened concern in the wake of last week's terror attack in which gunmen killed 179 people in Mumbai.
An Indian soldier joins the beefed up security detail at New Delhi airport.
New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said police responded to reports of gunfire at Indira Gandhi International Airport but found no casualties or damage. Bhagat said there was "no terror threat."
"And there's no cause of panic," he added.
Uday Banerjee, the head of India's Central Industrial Security Force, told reporters at the airport that something sounding like gunshots was heard, but no one saw anything and no bullet casings were found.
Indian authorities stepped up security at the nation's airports on Thursday after receiving intelligence reports that terrorists might be planning an air attack.
At Indira Gandhi, four armed police stood guard at each entrance, and people waiting for arriving passengers were not allowed inside. Watch what triggered the security scare there »
"There have been intelligence inputs about some terrorist activity, and therefore security has been tightened (at airports)," civil aviation spokesperson Moushmi Chakraborty told CNN. Watch heightened anxiety after the attacks »
Police beefed up security at all airports including in the capital New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore, Chakraborty said.
A spokesman for the Indian Navy, Cmdr. Nirad Sinha, also confirmed to CNN that security officials had received warnings about an airborne attack. Watch more on increase in security »
The Press Trust of India, a nonprofit newspaper cooperative, said that reports had suggested that terrorists could have sneaked into the country to carry out strikes on the anniversary of the Babri mosque demolition. The mosque -- one of the largest in the Uttar Pradesh state -- was destroyed on December 6, 1992, by Hindu nationalists who believe it was built on the site of an existing temple.
On Wednesday India's defense minister met with the chiefs of the army, air force and navy and discussed what the ministry in a news statement called "possible terror threats from air."
The officials also discussed the country's coastal security plans and how to tighten security along the military line of control dividing the disputed region of Kashmir between India and Pakistan to "prevent infiltration of terrorists," the statement said.
India ranks among the countries where terrorism is most common, according to the U.S. State Department.
CNN's Harmeet Shah Singh and Sara Sidner contributed to this report.
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3707ff4a5b9545328c62f19c3ecb1a87
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Who reported that there might be an attack on Dec 6?
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[
"Press Trust of India,"
] |
NewsQA
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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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c49692abb9024b90ae122c78de36741f
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What does BUPA do?
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[
"international health and care company"
] |
NewsQA
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BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China surpassed the United States in 2008 as the world's top user of the Internet, according to a government-backed research group.
Nearly 91 percent of China's Internet users are surfing the Web with a broadband connection.
The number of Web surfers in the country grew by nearly 42 percent to 298 million, according to the China Internet Network Information Center's January report. And there's plenty of room for growth, as only about 1 in every 4 Chinese has Internet access.
The rapid growth in China's Internet use can be tied to its swift economic gains and the government's push for the construction of telephone and broadband lines in the country's vast rural areas, the report says.
The Chinese government wants phone and broadband access in each village by 2010.
Nearly 91 percent of China's Internet users are surfing the Web with a broadband connection -- an increase of 100 million from 2007. Mobile phone Internet users totaled 118 million by the end of 2008.
While China's Internet usage has been growing in leaps in bounds, the government limits the Web sites its citizens can visit. Learn more about China's Internet censorship »
Earlier this month, China released a blacklist of 19 major online portals and Web sites, including Google and Baidu, that it claims provide and spread pornographic or obscene content. The move came as several Chinese government agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security, launched a month-long campaign to clean up the Web, according to the state-run Xinhua news service.
China has come under criticism for restricting Web access to ordinary citizens as well as on local and foreign media covering last year's summer Olympics in Beijing. The U.S. State Department noted in a 2008 report that China had increased its efforts to "control and censor the Internet, and the government had tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and the domestic press" and bloggers.
In an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria in September 2008, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said, "the freedom of Internet in China is recognized by many, even from the West."
"Nonetheless, to uphold state security, China, like many countries in the world, has also imposed some proper restrictions. That is for the safety, that is for the overall safety of the country and for the freedom of the majority of the people."
CNN's Yuli Yang contributed to this report.
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155e59acf72f45229dfecfc13fa3e4df
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Does the Chinesse gorvernment censor their internet?
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[
"the government limits the Web sites its citizens can visit."
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- After a dramatic end to a year-long qualifying campaign, the 16 teams competing in the 2012 African Cup of Nations have learned their group stage opponents after the draw for January's tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea was made.
The two-yearly tournament will be without some of African football's most successful teams, with seven-time winners Egypt and 1980 and 1994 champions Nigeria both failing to qualify for the showpiece competition.
Cup of woe: Why have African football giants fallen short?
In their place will be a trio of tournament debutantes, with Equatorial Guinea, Niger and Botswana all making their first appearance in the competition.
The first match will see Henri Michel's Equatorial Guinea host Libya in Bata on January 21, with the final set to take place at the Stade d'Angonde in Libreville on February 12.
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095ae5d79f5542a8b10e1a79b5810b95
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Who will host the final?
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[
"the Stade d'Angonde in Libreville"
] |
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PARIS, France -- France lock Sebastien Chabal has been cited for a dangerous tackle on England's Simon Shaw during Saturday's World Cup semifinal in Paris.
Simon Shaw offloads despite being tackled by Raphael Ibanez, left, and Sebastien Chabal.
The Sale Sharks forward will face a disciplinary hearing on Monday after his tackle on opposite second-rower Shaw was noted by citing commissioner Dennis Wheelahan.
Chabal started the match on the substitutes' bench, but was brought on in the 26th minute to replace the injured Fabien Pelous during hosts France's 14-9 defeat.
If he is suspended, then Chabal will miss Friday's third and fourth-place play-off match at the Parc des Princes.
Meanwhile, France coach Bernard Laporte said that the defeat was tougher to take than England's 24-7 win in the 2003 semifinals.
"In 2003, they were better then us. In fact they were better than everyone," said Laporte, who is leaving his role to take up the post of junior sports minister in the French government.
"They were like the New Zealand of this tournament - the favorite, except they went all the way. This time it's harder because yesterday it was 50-50."
Meanwhile, England -- seeking to become the first nation to defend the World Cup title -- revealed that star kicker Jonny Wilkinson again had problems with the match balls during the semifinal.
The fly-half, who voiced his concerns after struggling with the boot against Australia, rejected a ball before kicking a vital three-pointer against France.
"We didn't say it last week but a non-match ball got onto the field in Marseille which Jonny kicked," director of rugby Rob Andrew said. "He didn't think about it while he was kicking it.
"The match balls are marked, numbered one to six. Last night they had 'World Cup semi-final England vs France' written on them. On match night, Jonny was vigilant when kicking for goal that they were actually match balls he was kicking.
"The practice balls lose pressure and shape. The whole issue last week, the organizers accepted all six match balls should be used by both sides on the Thursday before game." E-mail to a friend
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12fff7a2a4ef4c6f8cd4abdc8fd93e2a
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which team were France playing?
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[
"England"
] |
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(CNN) -- Two teachers at a Baltimore, Maryland, high school say they were attacked by students, and one says such assaults are commonplace, according to CNN affiliate WBAL.
"No learning place should be this violent," art teacher Jolita Berry said of the school where she teaches.
The school district says it is investigating and will take appropriate action, but both art teacher Jolita Berry and English teacher Marc Standish say the administration has failed to protect and support them.
"I looked over, and her friends were cheering her on. And before I knew it, she hit me in the face," Berry told WBAL. She showed the station a cell-phone video depicting what she said was a student beating her last Friday.
Individuals in the video are difficult to identify, and no charges have been filed, WBAL reported.
Berry said her principal told her she brought the attack on herself. "On one hand, she told me that she is sorry that this happened to me," Berry told WBAL. "But then she turned right around and told me that telling a student that I was going to defend myself was a trigger word. I triggered them."
Berry called the administrative response frustrating.
"Too many times this has happened at this school and at other schools, and nothing's being done. No learning place should be this violent," she said.
Baltimore City Schools public relations department said it would have no comment beyond a statement issued by Bennie Williams, the district's chief of staff, that says the district has "a fundamental commitment" to keep schools safe.
"We take any disruption of the learning environment extremely seriously and respond immediately and forcefully to any disruption. ... We are currently investigating the specific incident at Reginald F. Lewis High School to determine appropriate action. ... We are treating this incident with the utmost seriousness," the statement said.
But the problem goes beyond one incident, Standish said. He told WBAL that students regularly issue "very visceral threats" against him. "I just had a couple last week, and it's just everyday routine," he said. Standish said he has filed a grievance with the district through the teachers union.
Union President Marietta English met with about 20 principals Wednesday evening to discuss teacher safety. "We really want to implement some policies that principals can follow [so] that teachers won't be having to be afraid to come in their classrooms or come into their schools," she told WBAL. E-mail to a friend
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bef44c4618d8478b9dfe6fbd71341664
|
What happened to the teacher ?
|
[
"they were attacked by students,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Disgraced former NFL star Michael Vick declared that "I am not the bad person or the beast I've been made out to be" in a letter to a judge asking for leniency.
Michael Vick wrote he was "forever a changed man."
"I have been talked about and ridiculed on a day to day basis by people who really don't know Michael Vick the human being. They only knew the football player which is unfair," Vick said in a handwritten letter released this week.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson sentenced Vick on Monday to serve 23 months in prison for financing a dogfighting ring and helping to kill pit bulls that did not fight aggressively.
Vick wrote the judge that he had accepted responsibility for his actions, would pay restitution and never again use "a single dollar that I have earned for anything but to help people." Read letters from Vick, his mom, sports stars »
The former Atlanta Falcons quarterback said he grew up not knowing the severity of the crime of dogfighting and asked Hudson for "a second chance."
Other letters supporting Vick were sent by his mother, his seventh-grade teacher and children he had met since becoming a star and one of the NFL's most highly paid players.
Brenda Vick Boddie said her son fell victim to friends who took advantage of Vick's inability to "say no."
"PLEASE Your HONOR give my baby Michael another chance. [H]e's never been in trouble with the law before, PLEASE! PLEASE! one more chance," she pleaded in her own handwritten letter.
Former Falcons teammate Warrick Dunn, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and two sporting legends -- former home-run king Hank Aaron and former two-time boxing heavyweight champion George Foreman -- also wrote letters on Vick's behalf. E-mail to a friend
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425c0afbcc4844709f50fd40f391b0c7
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Michael Vick wrote a letter to the judge seeking what?
|
[
"leniency."
] |
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Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- Actor Dennis Hopper died at his home in Venice, California, Saturday morning, his wife said. He was 74.
Hopper, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2009, was surrounded by his children when he died, Victoria Hopper told CNN.
While funeral arrangements have not been decided, Hopper's wish was to be buried in Taos, New Mexico, his wife said. She said Taos was "his heart home."
Hopper and his wife were involved in a highly public and bitter divorce fight in the last months of his life.
The actor made his last public appearance on March 26, when his star was dedicated on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
"I just want to thank you," Hopper said, as he smiled broadly."That's all I can do."
With his 6-year-old daughter, Galen, by his side, Hopper waved and bowed to hundreds of fans lining a barricade along Hollywood Boulevard.
Hopper's lawyer argued in the divorce case that his estranged wife's presence was hampering his fight with cancer, but the judge allowed her to continue living in the family's Venice compound with their 6-year-old daughter, Galen.
His lawyer said Hopper was too ill to attend a divorce hearing, but his older children, an 18-year-old son and two adult daughters, sat in a back row of the courtroom.
iReport: Hopper became honorary mayor in 2009
Hopper's acting career has spanned almost six decades. In the 1950s, he had roles in several TV shows and films, including "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955) and "Giant" (1956). He became a Hollywood sensation for "Easy Rider," the 1969 film he directed and co-wrote in which he played a dissolute, counter cultural biker. He was twice nominated for Oscars.
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e0c5195f7dd44af8ad3909d7e70965f2
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What did Hooper wish for?
|
[
"to be buried in Taos,"
] |
NewsQA
|
GLASGOW, Scotland -- Jean-Claude Darcheville and Nacho Novo both scored twice to fire leaders Rangers to a 4-0 win at Hearts, their 10th consecutive Scottish Premier League victory.
Jean-Claude Darcheville scored two first-half goals as Rangers cruised to a 4-0 victory at Hearts.
Hearts found themselves ripped apart by a rampant Rangers side, who sent out a clear message to rivals Celtic by maintaining their four-point advantage at the summit.
Darcheville claimed the opener after 25 minutes, cutting inside from the left and squeezing his shot inside the far post from a tight angle.
The same player added a second two minutes before the break, scoring from close range after a Barry Ferguson corner was not cleared.
Darcheville was withdrawn for Novo at the interval, but if Hearts thought the departure of the Frenchman meant some much-needed respite, they were sadly mistaken.
Novo was on the pitch for seven minutes when he helped himself to a goal of his own. Charlie Adam set up the shot with a low ball across goal and all that was required from the striker was to bundle home from close range.
The same two players combined again to supply Rangers with their fourth goal with 69 minutes gone. Adam was again the provider and this time Novo produced a cheeky back-heel finish from five meters.
Meanwhile, goals by Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras gave Celtic a hard-fought 2-1 win at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Australian international McDonald's 25th goal of the season right on the interval gave the champions the lead and his Greek team-mate bulleted an Aiden McGeady cross past goalkeeper Michael Fraser on the hour mark.
But the final minutes were needlessly fraught for Celtic after Caley striker Marius Niculae took advantage of Scott Brown's misplaced pass to pull a goal back in the 70th minute. E-mail to a friend
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239d9cb0dae54aa288887c6fba62509d
|
Who won the match at Hearts?
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[
"Rangers"
] |
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(CNN) -- The death toll from severe storms in northern Arkansas has been lowered to one person, emergency officials said early Saturday.
Officials had initially said three people were killed when the storm and possible tornadoes walloped Van Buren County on Friday.
The number of injuries in the county was also less than previously reported, said Rene Preslar, a spokeswoman for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
There were 10 people injured in the county instead of the 25 previously reported, Preslar said.
"We are still looking at a number of damages, but fortunately the human impact is lower than previously thought."
A total of 23 people were injured statewide, Preslar said.
CNN's Patty Lane contributed to this report.
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1d86d440a5d44625a40021efd650b57f
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How many people were killed Friday?
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[
"three"
] |
NewsQA
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Spiritual leaders of New York's African-American Muslim communities lashed out Friday at a purported al Qaeda message attacking President-elect Barack Obama and, using racist language, comparing him unfavorably to the late Malcolm X.
Ayman al-Zawahiri said Obama was the "direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X.
The imams called the recorded comments from al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri "an insult" from people who have "historically been disconnected from the African-American community generally and Muslim African-Americans in particular."
"We find it insulting when anyone speaks for our community instead of giving us the dignity and the honor of speaking for ourselves," they said in a statement read during a news conference at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial, Educational and Cultural Center.
The al Qaeda statement, an 11-minute, 23-second audio message in Arabic with subtitles in English, appeared on the Internet on Wednesday. Its authenticity has not been confirmed.
The message said Obama represents the "direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X. Watch al Qaeda official criticize Obama »
The speaker also said Obama, former and current Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice and "your likes" fit Malcolm X's description of "house slaves."
An English translation of the message used the term "house Negroes," Malcolm X's term for blacks who were subservient to whites. The term refers to slaves who worked in white masters' houses. Malcolm X said those slaves were docile compared with those who labored in the fields. iReport.com: Should Obama react to comments?
Malcolm X, the fiery African-American Muslim activist from the 1950s and 1960s, was an early member and leader of the Nation of Islam. He left that group in 1963 over disillusionment with its then-leader, Elijah Muhammed, but remained a Muslim.
After months of death threats, he was assassinated in 1965 by members of the Nation of Islam, who shot him 16 times at close range. The three men who were convicted of the crime have been paroled.
On Friday, Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid, recalling Malcolm X's legacy, said that he "stood for human rights and the principle of self defense ... international law. He would have rejected, and we who are Muslim African-Americans leaders reject, acts of political extremism."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations also condemned Zawahiri's comments in a statement issued Thursday.
"As Muslims and as Americans, we will never let terrorist groups or terror leaders falsely claim to represent us or our faith," the statement said. "We once again repudiate al Qaeda's actions, rhetoric and world view and re-state our condemnation of all forms of terrorism and religious extremism."
|
2f0b6b04e5704579991e51827d24e3b0
|
Who fit Malcolm X's definition of house negro?
|
[
"Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice"
] |
NewsQA
|
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Searchers looking for a woman believed to have fallen from a cruise ship off the Yucatan coast of Mexico have seen no sign of her, a U.S. Coast Guard spokesman said Friday afternoon.
The Norwegian Pearl is on a seven-day Caribbean cruise.
Lt. Matt Moorlag, based in Miami, said crews would work into the night to find 33-year-old Jennifer Feitz, whose husband reported her missing aboard the Norwegian Pearl about 3:40 a.m. Friday.
Ship personnel called the Coast Guard for help when they couldn't locate Feitz.
Moorlag said he had not spoken with the woman's husband.
The search was centered about 15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico, in the Caribbean Sea, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen, a Coast Guard spokesman.
"Initial reports indicate the guest may have gone overboard while the ship was at sea, east of Cancun," a spokeswoman for the Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement.
AnneMarie Mathews said the ship left Miami on Sunday on a seven-day western Caribbean cruise.
The Coast Guard dispatched an Air Station Miami HU-25 Falcon jet crew, and a C-130 fixed-wing aircraft crew from the Air Station in Clearwater, Florida, also was headed to the site, Ameen said.
The Mexican government was aiding the search with a helicopter crew and three water- and ground-surface crews.
|
34c5579e154a4213b7e9d6c7f4a0c127
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where they seek the missing woman?
|
[
"15 miles east of Cancun, Mexico, in the Caribbean"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Heavy rains and hurricane-force winds that surpassed 70 miles per hour in places toppled trees, left more than half a million people without power, and suspended travel throughout much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region Saturday night.
Four inches of rain fell in parts of the region, and the National Weather Service extended storm and flood warnings for much of the area into Sunday.
"This storm is such a slow mover that it's not going to pull out probably until Monday," said CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. "There's another whole day to get through with heavy rain and strong winds."
Some areas will see an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain by Sunday, Jeras said, though winds are expected to die down to a maximum of 30 miles an hour.
Power outages darkened much of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
New Jersey's PSE&G electric company said 136,000 customers were without power Saturday night, while Long Island Power Authority said close to 190,000 customers lacked electricity.
"The ground is so wet from all the snow we've had this winter, it's helping the trees to topple over, as well as our utility poles," said Long Island Power Authority president and CEO Kevin Law. "The conditions are still too terrible to get crews out there."
Law said that some customers will likely go without power until early next week.
Con Edison reported 97,000 customers without power in New York City and Westchester County, while other electric companies in the region reported tens of thousands more were in the dark.
Amtrak suspended trains between New York and Philadelphia because of issues with overhead wires and power outages. About 10 Amtrak trains were affected.
New Jersey Transit stopped train service for the majority of its system, including the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coastline, Raritan Valley, and Atlantic City Rail lines. A New Jersey Transit spokeswoman said many trees have fallen on overhead wires.
Boston's Logan International Airport diverted flights due to weather and there were reports of major delays at airports throughout the Northeast.
Across the region, trees and utility poles crashed onto houses and cars. Part of a crane collapsed at a construction site in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The New York police department brought in additional 911 operators Saturday to handle the surge in emergency calls.
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6ec93bd72e01421b8f456e49e8486ab7
|
What warnings extended into Sunday?
|
[
"storm and flood"
] |
NewsQA
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Piracy off the coast of Somalia can't be stopped until there is some authority to bring pirates to justice, according to the commander of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.
U.S. Vice Admiral William Gortney: Need to hold pirates off Africa's east coast accountable.
Because there is no working government in Somalia and no country is willing to take captured pirates, bring them to trial and detain them, there is no deterrent for pirates to stop attacking ships, Vice Admiral William Gortney said at a Pentagon briefing Thursday.
"The problem is there's not a way to -- until we have a mechanism [to hold them] accountable and try them for their actions, there's no way to -- to finish the problem," Gortney said.
The United States is making a deal with a country in the eastern Africa region to hold and try pirates captured by the U.S.-led Combined Task Force 151, a new maritime anti-piracy mission started earlier this month.
He said an official announcement would be made after the deal with the country is official.
In the past three months, piracy attacks have averaged about 12 to 14 a month off the east coast of Africa. As of mid-January, the attack numbers are already at the average of the past three months, according to Gortney.
"That [number] should tell you that we're not -- we're not being 100 percent successful on the deterrence of the attempt. And that's where we have to go after," Gortney said.
The United States is expecting other nations to join the anti-piracy task force, but at the moment, the United States is the only country in the task force with just three ships off of the waters of Somalia.
There are ships from some European and Asian countries patrolling the waters independently as well, primarily guarding cargo ships from their own countries.
Pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 in the waters off the coast of Somalia in 2008, according to the International Maritime Bureau. See how pirate attacks peaked in 2008 »
Pirating off of Somalia has increased during the past four to five years as fishermen from Somalia realize that pirating is more lucrative than fishing. Additionally, pirates are able to get away with the crimes because of the lack of government and overall lawlessness in the country.
Gortney said statistically the chances of ships being pirated off of Somalia less than one percent, but it won't be stopped until piracy is "disincentivized."
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fa8f4b40dccb4030a806965bcf95b051
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Who are currently the only nation with anti-pirate task force?
|
[
"United States"
] |
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BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Bombs in Baghdad and Baquba killed four people, two police officers among them, and wounded seven others Sunday morning, an Interior Ministry official said.
A wounded Iraqi woman cries at a Baquba hospital after being caught in a blast Sunday at a police building.
One death came about 9 a.m. when a parked car bomb detonated near the Buratha Shiite mosque in northwestern Baghdad.
The blast apparently targeted a convoy belonging to an endowment that manages Shiite mosques in the war-ravaged nation. Three people were wounded in the explosion.
A roadside bomb attack an hour earlier struck a police patrol in western Baghdad's Mansour district, the Interior Ministry official said.
Two police officers were killed and four others were wounded, he said.
In another attack targeting authorities, a suicide car bomber slammed into the emergency police headquarters in central Baquba about 9:30 a.m., a Baquba police official said.
Twelve people were hurt in the blast, including three police officers. The blast also damaged the police headquarters and three civilian automobiles, the police official said.
The suicide bomber was the only person killed in the blast.
The U.S. military told CNN it has no evidence of a reported attack by al Qaeda in Iraq militants on an Iraqi village near Baquba on Saturday.
A Baquba police official said at least 10 people were killed when the AQI insurgents raided the village of Adwaila -- home to both Sunni and Shiite Iraqis -- who have opposed al Qaeda, making the village a target.
"CF [coalition forces] and IA [Iraqi army] searched the area by air and by ground for several hours and found no evidence of this attack," Task Force Iron spokeswoman Maj. Peggy Kageleiry told CNN in an e-mail sent on Sunday.
"An IA team that was called to investigate the alleged incident was attacked by small arms fire and not anywhere on the scale described in the original report from the media."
The police official said al Qaeda in Iraq insurgents launched mortars into the village north of Baquba and then sent in dozens of fighters with small arms to storm the village. The police officials aid at least five homes were burned and destroyed. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
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7cafa8da478e4eb584f13beac12603f0
|
Who dies after slamming into Baquba police building?
|
[
"The suicide bomber was the only person killed in the blast."
] |
NewsQA
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New York (CNN) -- Evelyn Lauder, a member of the Estee Lauder cosmetic company who helped create the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer awareness, died Saturday in New York City.
She was 75.
Lauder died from complications of ovarian cancer at her home with her family by her side, the company said.
The Vienna, Austria, native fled Nazi-occupied Europe with her parents, eventually settling in New York City.
As a college freshman, she was introduced to the man she would marry, Leonard A. Lauder, the son of Estee and Joseph Lauder, who co-founded the cosmetics company.
Lauder joined the family business and rose to be senior corporate vice president and head of fragrance development worldwide.
Perhaps best known as an advocate for women's health, Lauder helped to create the pink ribbon, the now ubiquitous symbol for breast cancer awareness.
She is survived by her husband, two sons and five grandchildren.
"My mother carried the torch of our company heritage and the values that were passed to her by my grandmother, Mrs. Estee Lauder," her son, William Lauder, said in a statement.
"My mother and father were life partners as well as business partners. They nurtured the culture and growth of the Estee Lauder companies, and as we grew, my mother was our creative compass and pillar of strength. Together my family and the company celebrate the beautiful person she was."
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2b7118b856f942b3ad3606b62dc0da05
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what does evelyn lauder die from?
|
[
"complications of ovarian cancer"
] |
NewsQA
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(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.
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87239795c5e34b1b90c9aca9b8e775ed
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The skeletal remains of how many infants were found?
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[
"two"
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Several hundred Sri Lankan Tamil protesters shouted slogans at the British Parliament for a second day Tuesday, urging it to act to end the "genocide" against their people in Sri Lanka.
Police clash with Tamil protesters outside the Houses of Parliament.
"Stop the genocide!" they shouted. "Stop the war!"
They waved the red flag of Tamil Eelam, the Tamils' traditional homeland in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The flag is emblazoned with a yellow roaring tiger.
Most of the protesters slept overnight on the streets around Parliament Square after beginning their unauthorized protest Monday afternoon. At one point, the protesters blocked the street leading to Westminster Bridge over the River Thames, police said.
That led to road closures around Parliament.
By Tuesday morning, a solid ring of police had hemmed the protesters in Parliament Square across the street from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Roads were open again, but the protest and police presence caused traffic congestion in the area.
Hariram Shan, 24, is a Sri Lankan Tamil who said he has lived in Britain for six years. He said the protesters hope the British government will intervene to stop Sri Lanka's crackdown on Tamil Tiger rebels, which he said harms civilians.
"They can force economic sanctions," Shan told CNN.
Dushyanthy Sukumar, 47, said the Sri Lankan government is retaliating against innocent civilians.
"The Sri Lankan government has now cornered the rebels, the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), and what they are doing is killing the people," she said.
Sukumar, who said she has lived in Britain since leaving her homeland in 1987, said she is angry at the British government for supporting Sri Lanka.
"The Sri Lankan government is doing their dirty work through this government," she said.
The Sri Lankan military said Sunday that it had captured the last rebel stronghold and killed five rebel leaders after three days of gunbattles.
It said more rebels could still be hiding in a 20-square-kilometer "safety zone," but that it would not enter the area because it is home to some 50,000 people.
The Tamil Tigers have fought since 1983 for an independent homeland for the country's ethnic Tamil minority. The civil war has left more than 70,000 people dead.
|
1c631804a12643239434de26a4783e31
|
How many Tamil protesters?
|
[
"Several hundred"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Lionel Messi produced a performance of stunning brilliance, scoring all four goals as holders Barcelona beat Arsenal 4-1 to reach the semifinals of the Champions League 6-3 on aggregate on Tuesday.
Messi turned on the style in the Nou Camp with one of the most devastating individual displays the competition has ever seen, as an injury-ravaged Arsenal side were torn apart.
The match started started brightly for the Londoners who actually took a shock 18th-minute lead.
Theo Walcott's pace had troubled Barca in the 2-2 first leg at The Emirates and the England winger created the opener with a break down the right.
His pass inside for Nicklas Bendtner was a poor one, but somehow the Dane managed to pounce at the second attempt to stab his shot past Victor Valdes in the Barca goal.
Arsenal's lead lasted barely three minutes before Messi began his one-man show. Mickael Silvestre failed to clear the ball on the edge of the area and it fell to Messi, who curled home a superb equalizer.
Messi added his and Barca's second on 37 minutes. Eric Abidal's cross from the right was cut out by Thomas Vermaelen.
However, the rest of the Arsenal defense were slow to react and Pedro found Messi, who smashed his shot past Manuel Almunia.
The striker completed his stunning hat-trick four minutes before the break when he raced onto a header from Abidal to sprint clear of the Arsenal defense before superbly chipping the ball over Almunia.
By now, Arsenal needed two goals to go through and, in truth, they never looked likely to get them.
Bendtner struck the post with a fierce header from Gael Clichy's cross, but he was flagged offside, and Tomas Rosicky fired over the bar when in a great position.
Messi completed the job three minutes from time, beating two defender on the left hand side of the area before firing the ball through Almunia's legs.
The result means Barcelona will now face Italian champions Inter Milan, who they were drawn against in the group stages, in a mouth-watering semifinal clash.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was full of praise for Messi's performance. "For me, he is the best player in the world, and by a distance," he told Sky Sports.
"When he's in the game, he's really dangerous. Once he is on the run with the ball, he is unstoppable.
The Frenchman added: "I believe that we lost against a team that is better than us and have the best player in the world."
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d13aaa053a4d42e5a84f6615061bd2a8
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What was the score of the semifinal?
|
[
"6-3"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- The text messages address various issues and come from all over the African continent.
President Obama greets people Saturday during breakfast at Osu Castle in Accra, Ghana.
From the personal: "Obama, as a young lady I dream of being the president. U r a huge encouragement."
To cries for help: "Dear president, Darfur firing again...waiting for peace through the change u promised."
To calls for intervention: "Encourage African leaders to improve the quality and access to education for citizens."
The messages, from Ghana, Sudan and South Africa respectively, were among more than 5,000 sent to Barack Obama during his first visit as president to sub-Saharan Africa.
Obama, accompanied by his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters arrived in Ghana on Friday night, sparking excitement in the west African nation. Watch how Ghana is celebrating Obama's visit »
Despite being home to some of the world's poorest nations, Africa has a vibrant cell phone market, considered by industry analysts as among the fastest-growing worldwide.
Administration officials said they set up different numbers across the continent for citizens to communicate with Obama, whose father was from the east African nation of Kenya.
"Over the past week, we have been collecting questions, comments and words of welcome for President Obama via SMS, Twitter, Facebook and from newspapers across Africa," the White House said on its Web site.
Three journalists from South Africa, Senegal and Kenya will vet the questions and provide a few to Obama, who will address them on African radio stations and via a Web video Monday, the White House said.
Peter Kimani, a senior associate editor for a Kenyan daily, The Standard, is one of the three.
"The U.S. Embassy picked and vetted the journalists, and we are getting the questions, then it is up to us to determine what questions we will forward to the president," Kimani said. "It is our judgment call on what to pick."
Most of the text messages were coming from South Africa, according to a log on the White House Web site.
Obama's one-nation visit has generated envy among Ghana's neighbors, who considered it a message from the White House to governments that have poor records of stability.
Citizens of Nigeria, Africa's most populous nations, and Kenya were the most vocal in their concerns over the choice of Ghana.
"We r disappointed that you have not chosen Nigeria as your first African point of call," one text said.
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581979ce3c6343bf9e630def1556544b
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What type of market is vibrant in Africa?
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[
"cell phone"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Mourners packed into a church in Illinois Monday to remember a woman whose death made headlines worldwide.
At the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago, a funeral was held for Dawn Brancheau, a SeaWorld trainer who died last week after a killer whale dragged her underwater at Shamu Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
A memorial service for the 40-year-old will take place in Orlando, Florida, at a future date, according to the Blake Lamb Funeral Home.
Brancheau had wanted to be an animal trainer from the time she visited SeaWorld as a 9-year-old, her sister Diane Gross said last week.
"It was her dream job," Gross said. "She loved the animals like they were her own children. ... She loved what she did."
Brancheau was pulled underwater Wednesday at SeaWorld Orlando, when a 6-ton killer whale named Tilikum grabbed her ponytail. A source at SeaWorld said the whale dove deep underwater after seizing Brancheau. Trainers had to wrangle the animal into a smaller pool before they could retrieve her body about 40 minutes later.
The same whale was linked previously to two other human deaths.
Tilikum and two other whales were involved in the 1991 drowning of a trainer at a marine park in Victoria, British Columbia. The trainer fell into the whale tank at Sealand of the Pacific and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched.
In 1999, Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld, the apparent victim of the whale's "horseplay," authorities said then.
Labor Department spokesman Mike Wald said the safety and health agency is looking into whether Occupational Safety and Health Administration workplace standards were violated in Brancheau's death. The agency will complete a report within six months, he said.
If workplace infractions are found, OSHA will propose financial penalties, Wald said. If that happens, the company could accept the penalties and make needed workplace changes or appeal the penalties before an OSHA review commission.
Inspectors also are looking into the incident from an animal-welfare perspective, said David Sacks, an Agriculture Department spokesman.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service wants to know whether federal standards were violated in the exhibiting of warm-blooded mammals.
SeaWorld shows with killer whales resumed on Saturday.
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a2587ee7a52249809d225721ea4c0793
|
when did the animal trainer die?
|
[
"last week"
] |
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|
BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- The Lebanese army has arrested 10 suspected members of a terrorist network who the military believes were planning to attack targets abroad, the army said.
The army claims suspects planned to create cells to monitor and attack UNIFIL troops, among other things.
Most of the suspects are not from Lebanon, said the army, which does not identify the network in the statement it released. Officials also don't say when or where the suspects were captured.
"As a result of intensive investigation by the Lebanese army intelligence directorate in following up on radical terrorist networks, the directorate was able to arrest ten persons of one of these networks, belonging to different Arab nationalities," the statement said.
According to a military probe, some of those arrested had used their jobs in private companies as a cover for surveillance and monitoring operations.
The army urged private employers to verify the legal status of their employees or job seekers and report any suspicious information.
The army claims the terrorists in custody were planning to:
• Smuggle wanted terrorists from the Palestinian refugee camp Ein el-Hilweh, located south of Beirut, to other countries. One of the network's members was to bring them fake documents and money for their trip.
• "Harbor radical elements" from the terrorist group Fatah al-Islam and give them fake documents to help them enter the Ein el-Hilweh camp.
• Create terror cells to monitor the Lebanese army and UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, to carry out attacks against them.
• Carry out surveillance of money exchange centers and jewelry stores as possible robbery targets to help finance their operations.
|
b6e14712c75a47a088df5307075dab66
|
What did the military probe show?
|
[
"some of those arrested had used their jobs in private companies as a cover for surveillance and monitoring operations."
] |
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(CNN) -- An Austrian man who participated in a Nazi massacre of Jews during World War II and later gained U.S. citizenship has been deported to Austria, U.S. officials said.
The Sachsenhausen concentration camp just north of Berlin where the U.S. says Krumpf worked as an SS guard.
Josias Krumpf, 83, lived for years after the war in Racine, Wisconsin. The United States revoked his citizenship in 2005 after the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice sought to denaturalize him.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Rita Glavin announced Krumpf's deportation Thursday. It was not clear when he arrived in Austria, and representatives of the Austrian Justice Ministry were not immediately available for comment.
"His court-ordered removal from the United States to Austria is another milestone in the government's long-running effort to ensure that individuals who participated in crimes against humanity do not find sanctuary in this country," Glavin said.
The United States removed Krumpf because of his participation in that and other Nazi-sponsored acts of persecution during the war, Glavin said.
Krumpf admits standing watch on November 3, 1943, as SS guards at the Trawniki Labor Camp in Poland shot and killed 8,000 Jews, including women and 400 children, in pits. Glavin said Krumpf said he had orders to shoot any prisoners who survived.
Krumpf also served as an SS guard at the Nazi-run Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp in Germany and at slave labor sites in Nazi-occupied France, where prisoners under his watch built launching platforms for German missile attacks on England, Glavin said.
The November 1943 shooting was part of a larger Nazi operation called "Aktion Erntefest," or "Operation Harvest Festival," that led to the deaths of 42,000 Jews at three camps in eastern Poland in two days, the Justice Department said.
At Trawniki, Krumpf said, he was assigned to watch for victims who were still "halfway alive" or "convulsing" and prevent their escape by shooting them to death, the Justice Department said.
Krumpf, who was born in Serbia, immigrated to the United States in 1956 and became a U.S. citizen in 1964.
His removal to Austria is part of an effort by several U.S. government departments and law enforcement agencies to identify and prosecute participants in Nazi crimes of persecution who live in the United States, the Justice Department said.
The Criminal Division's Office of Special Investigations (OSI) started the operation in 1979 and has since won cases against 107 alleged Nazi criminals, the Justice Department said.
The OSI also has a watch list for World War II war criminals that has prevented the entry of more than 180 people into the United States, the Justice Department said.
|
50a58f29b1d24649ae0bd605462d81c6
|
who are being prosecuted?
|
[
"participants in Nazi crimes of persecution"
] |
NewsQA
|
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- International troops in Afghanistan endured another deadly attack Tuesday, a day after 10 NATO-led troops were killed in that country.
The body of a U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan arrives in the United States on Monday.
A U.S. coalition service member "died as a result of injuries" on Tuesday afternoon in a roadside bombing attack on a convoy in western Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.
This follows 10 NATO-led deaths on Monday, the highest single-day total in Afghanistan in nearly a year, according to NATO and U.S.-led coalition numbers.
Seven Americans, two Canadians and one Briton died in four separate incidents Monday.
On August 18, 2008, 10 French soldiers were killed when about 100 insurgents attacked a patrol in Kabul Province, and a British soldier was killed in southern Afghanistan when insurgents attacked a patrol with a roadside bomb.
A month before that, 10 American troops were killed in two separate incidents on July 13, 2008.
The latest deaths came as U.S. troops cranked up their fight against the Taliban, a push that includes a major Marine-led offensive against the militants in the southern province of Helmand.
Roadside bombs Monday killed four Americans in the northern province of Kunduz and two in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
A seventh American died in an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, ISAF confirmed.
Two Canadian air crew members and a British soldier were killed when a helicopter crashed during takeoff in Zabul province, the Canadian and British defense ministries said.
|
047e5b09e5964545999ddda5c37f8c06
|
which is the number of canadians killed
|
[
"two"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Honduras' de facto president said Thursday that he is willing to resign and let ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya back into the country, as long as Zelaya gives up his quest for leadership.
Ousted Honduras leader Jose Manuel Zelaya may be allowed to return to his country under certain conditions.
The new proposal calls for the person next in line, as required by the constitution, to succeed de facto President Roberto Micheletti. Under terms of the proposal, Zelaya could return as a private citizen, but not be allowed to resume his post.
Presidential elections held after both resigned would be monitored by international observers such as the Organization of American States and the European Union, according to the proposal.
Zelaya did not immediately issue a response to the offer.
Until now, Micheletti has made clear that Zelaya would be arrested if he returned.
The offer comes two months after Zelaya was seized by the military in his pajamas and forced to leave the country.
Micheletti has insisted that Zelaya was not overthrown and was replaced through constitutional means.
The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya's plan to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution and allowed longer term limits. The country's congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court had ruled it illegal.
The Organization of American States sent a delegation to Honduras on Tuesday to promote the so-called San Jose Accord, which seeks an end to the political turmoil and the return of Zelaya to office. Micheletti's government declined to sign the agreement.
On Thursday, the United States said it was considering cutting off all aid to Honduras. Washington froze its assistance to Honduras after Zelaya was removed from office and stopped issuing visas in the Central American country earlier this week. Further steps could choke off as much $200 million in additional aid dispensed by the Millennium Challenge Corporation, funded by the U.S. government.
The United Nations and the European Union also have said that they do not recognize Micheletti's provisional government.
|
bdb68af536f34a3c9bf4caf642cc1e69
|
Who considers cutting off aid to central american country?
|
[
"United States"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A barn fire that killed two men and dozens of horses in Ohio on Saturday shows no sign of criminal intent, authorities said.
The Ohio State Fire Marshal said the cause of the fire, at the Lebanon Raceway near Cincinnati in southwestern Ohio, is undetermined.
"However, investigators have ruled out criminal intent," it said in a written statement.
The ages and identities of the men are not yet known. Initially, officials reported that 65 horses perished, but later put the number at 43.
The state fire marshal said that preliminary information from the men's autopsies may be available by Sunday.
The fire began in the northwest corner of the barn, according to the state fire marshal's office. It would not release the specific origin of the fire because of the investigation.
The Warren County Fair Board -- which operates the track -- confirmed the men's deaths and the destruction of the barn, but couldn't say how many horses were killed. It said in a statement that harness racing scheduled for Saturday night has been canceled.
Firefighters from 11 departments, which received the call just before 5 a.m., cleared debris and extinguished hot spots during the day.
For more than 50 years, the Warren County Fair Board has been operating the county fair grounds, which includes "a harness racing track and supporting facilities that are leased for harness racing meets to two harness racing clubs," according to the statement issued by a fair board attorney, Bill Schroeder.
Schroeder said the fire was first noticed by a neighbor and that the barn, harness-racing carriages, and other racing equipment have been destroyed.
Firefighters kept the flames from spreading to other barns, officials told CNN affiliate WHIO-TV. State and local fire officials are working to determine what sparked the fire.
Follow CNN affiliate WHIO's local coverage
Follow CNN affiliate WLWT's local coverage
Another barn fire at the fairgrounds killed 35 horses in 1988, Warren County Commissioner Pat South said, according to the Springfield (Ohio) News-Sun newspaper.
|
ef3e7951879540a9b12b845081f3a487
|
What did the Ohio State Fire Marshal announce?
|
[
"said that preliminary information from the men's autopsies may be available by Sunday."
] |
NewsQA
|
(Entertainment Weekly) -- In what feels like a box-office weekend from "The Twilight Zone," a low-budget and critically acclaimed movie with no stars and an unknown director managed to top the charts.
"District 9," the alien action pic produced by Peter Jackson, crushed the competition grossing $37 million.
"District 9," the alien action pic produced by Peter Jackson and directed by the 29-year-old Neill Blomkamp ? who shot the film in Johannesburg, South Africa, of all places -- crushed the competition by grossing $37 million, according to early estimates.
Audiences clearly enjoyed what they saw too: "District 9" has already soared to No. 78 on IMDb's top 250 movies list, although it'll obviously drop some as the initial euphoria wears off.
Second place went to "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," which dropped 59 percent in its second weekend but still managed to recruit $22.5 million. The $175 million action movie should pass $100 million domestically by Monday.
"The Time Traveler's Wife" materialized into third place with $19.2 million in its debut weekend, proving that there is a market for watching Eric Bana disappear. Rounding out the top 5 were "Julie & Julia" (No. 4 with $12.4 million) and "G-Force" (No. 5 with $6.9 million), respectively.
Also opening wide was a trio of movies that failed to make a significant dent on the box office. "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," a cars-salesmen comedy starring Jeremy Piven, barely registered on the mercury thermometer by earning $5.4 million.
"Ponyo," the 10th film by Japan's animation auteur Hayao Miyazaki, grossed $3.5 million on 927 screens. While that amount represents Miyazaki's best opening weekend in America, it's still fish feed compared to "Ponyo's" worldwide gross of $187 million.
The music comedy "Bandslam" won't be getting any requests for encores after making only $2.3 million from more than 2,000 screens ? even the promise of seeing the "Taylor Lautner takes off his shirt" trailer of The "Twilight" Saga: New Moon couldn't save the Vanessa Hudgens movie.
In limited release, the Jimmy Page/The Edge/Jack White music documentary "It Might Get Loud" opened promisingly, grossing $101,000 from just seven theaters. And "500 Days of Summer" continues to cement its title as "the indie breakout of the summer" by charming $3 million more from moviegoers, bringing its total to $18 million so far.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
|
185fb60eb258401096a403794c05153e
|
Which movie is in third place?
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[
"\"The Time Traveler's"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Australian Open champion Serena Williams has pulled out of next week's Paris Indoor Open due to a leg injury.
The world No. 1 picked up the problem on the way to winning the opening Grand Slam tournament for the fifth time last month, the French event's organizers said on Saturday.
Seventh-ranked Elena Dementieva will take the American's place as top seed, with Italian No. 12 Flavia Pennetta second and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium third.
Williams has won the Paris title twice, beating former world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo in the final both times. The Frenchwoman won it for a record third time last year but has now retired.
Meanwhile, last year's losing finalists the United States made a strong start without Williams in their Fed Cup first-round clash with France in Lievin on Saturday.
Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated Alize Cornet 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 for her first singles win in the women's teams tournament, while Melanie Oudin beat debutant Pauline Parmentier 6-4 6-4 in the second rubber.
The winner of the tie will play either Serbia or Russia in the semifinals, with reverse singles on Sunday before the possibly decisive doubles.
Svetlana Kuznetsova gave Russia, beaten by Italy in last year's semifinals, a 1-0 lead when she defeated former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1 6-4.
But Jelena Jankovic, another ex top-ranked player, came from behind to level the tie by beating Alisa Kleybanova 4-6 6-4 6-0 as she won the last 11 games in a match lasting two hours and 18 minutes.
Pennetta helped defending champions Italy to end the day level 1-1 with Ukraine, beating Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5 6-3 after Francesca Schiavone lost the opening match 6-1 6-4 to the elder Bondarenko sister Alona in Kharkiv.
Alona's win was the Ukraine's first at World Group level.
The winner of the tie will face either the Czech Republic or Germany in the last four, with that clash also tied at 1-1.
Anna-Lena Groenefeld put Germany ahead in Brno with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Lucie Safarova, but Petra Kvitova leveled for the hosts with a 6-4 6-4 win against Andrea Petkovic.
|
d96f79d209e04e90a62c67850cc32166
|
What does she pull out of?
|
[
"Paris Indoor Open"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Saudi lawyer who represented a woman kidnapped and raped by seven men said his license to practice has been reinstated.
A protest appeared in India in November against the Saudi sentence.
Lawyer and human rights activist Abdul Rahman al-Lahem told CNN's Nic Robertson that the Justice Ministry has reinstated his license.
Al-Lahem had previously told CNN that the Saudi judge revoked his license as punishment for speaking to the media about his client's case, which attracted international attention.
His client, an engaged teenager, was raped by seven men who found her alone with a man unrelated to her. She has said she was meeting with the man to retrieve a photograph. The attack took place in Qatif in March 2006.
The seven rapists were sentenced to two to nine years in prison but she also was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison for having violated the kingdom's strict Islamic law by being alone with an unrelated man.
The woman's sentence provoked outrage in the West and cast light on the treatment of women under Saudi Arabian law.
Under Saudi law, women are subject to numerous restrictions, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man's permission to travel or have surgery.
In challenging what he said were his suspension and disbarment, al-Lahem said he had received threats on his life from the religious right.
Last month, Minister of Justice Abdallah bin Mohammed al-Sheikh, in a phone call to a Saudi Television newscast, said the lawyer's license had never been revoked.
"Such decisions are made through institutions in the kingdom," he said. "The punishment of the lawyer or any lawyer does not come from a reaction; it comes from a carefully examined procedure within a special council in the ministry."
He said the council charged with deciding law license revocations had not issued any decisions in the case. E-mail to a friend
|
8a8d4b12d99b4f2f8abea9a14610d224
|
Who was the rape victim convicted of being with?
|
[
"an unrelated man."
] |
NewsQA
|
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A Zimbabwean court ordered a senior opposition politician back to jail Wednesday to await his trial, set to begin next week.
Roy Bennett talks to the press in March 2009, a few moments after being released on bail.
"I commit the accused to prison," Magistrate Lucy Mungwari said as she announced the ruling in Roy Bennett's case to a packed courtroom in Mutare, about 185 miles southeast of the capital, Harare.
Bennett, a Movement for Democratic Change politician and an ardent critic of President Robert Mugabe's policies, was arrested on February 13 -- just before he was to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister in the new power-sharing government. He faces charges of possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism.
Initially he had been charged with treason.
Immediately after the ruling, prison guards whisked away a visibly shocked Bennett, clad in khaki trousers, brown shoes and a checked shirt.
"We are really worried by this development," said Bennett's lawyer, Trust Maanda. "We are trying all possibilities to have him released. We will be at the high court this evening to seek his liberty."
State prosecutor Chris Mutangadura said the development was a "natural effect of the law."
"It is procedural," Mutangadura said. "He had to be indicted to the high court, and that means he loses his liberty until the trial resumes."
"If there is any defect in the process, the accused should raise it with the high court," said the magistrate, Mungwari.
A spokesman for Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the premier has tried to meet with Mugabe since hearing that Bennett was sent back to jail.
Tsvangirai has not been granted access by Mugabe's employees, said spokesman James Maridadi.
"The prime minister has suspended the council of ministers' meeting he chairs on Thursdays," Maridadi said. "... He is meeting his party leadership first thing on Thursday."
The arrest of Bennett, a white coffee grower whose property was expropriated under the country's controversial land reform laws, came as other ministers where being sworn into the coalition government formed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
The action almost derailed the power-sharing deal, which had been brokered by the regional Southern African Development Community after a hotly disputed election won by Mugabe last year.
Bennett spent about a month in jail before the country's Supreme Court ordered him released on bail in March.
Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa called Wednesday's ruling "a ridiculous and extraordinary development."
He said it was a "serious abuse of the law, which will affect the coalition government," and added, "We are not going to sit and watch this abuse go on."
|
e58d79f5e67848d9840371c23ddd010c
|
He was arrested before he was going to be sworn in as what?
|
[
"deputy agriculture minister"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has blocked further consideration of a federal law designed to keep sexual material from underage users of the Web.
The justices without comment Wednesday rejected an appeal from the federal government to reinstate the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), passed by Congress in 1998. The high court and subsequent federal courts said the law -- which has never taken effect -- had serious free speech problems.
The Bush administration was a strong supporter of the law and the Justice Department led the fight in court to revive it.
The justices issued their ruling a day after all nine were on hand for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor also attended the ceremony.
The case tested the free speech rights of adults against the power of Congress to control Internet commerce. The Supreme Court twice ruled against COPA, arguing that it represented government censorship rather than lawful regulation of adult-themed pornography businesses. The law would have prevented private businesses from creating and distributing "harmful" content that minors could access on the Internet.
Free speech advocates said adults would be barred access to otherwise legal material and that parental-control devices and various filtering technology are less intrusive ways to protect children.
The high court in 2004 upheld a preliminary injunction against the law and sent the case back to lower courts for consideration of the arguments. In their opinion at the time, the 5-4 majority concluded COPA "likely violates the First Amendment."
"The government has not shown that the less restrictive alternatives proposed ... should be disregarded," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the 2004 decision. "Those alternatives, indeed, may be more effective" than the law passed by Congress. "Filters are less restrictive" he said, and thus pose less risk of muzzling free speech. "They impose selective restrictions on speech at the receiving end, not universal restrictions at the source."
He added, "There is a potential for extraordinary harm and a serious chill upon protected speech" if the law takes effect."
In reconsidering the law, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, again ruled the law unconstitutional.
|
9a900257f88f4660b3d152a4175c4972
|
What would COPA have kept business from?
|
[
"underage users of the Web."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Police said they are pursuing leads in the death of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu, whose body was found Monday stuffed into a suitcase in a dairy-farm pond near her Tracy, California, home.
Sandra Cantu, 8, disappeared March 27. Her body was found at a dairy-farm pond near her Calilfornia home.
"We are heading in a direction," Tracy police Sgt. Tony Sheneman told reporters. "To comment on that would compromise the investigation, and I can't do that."
A search warrant was executed at the Tracy mobile home park where the girl lived, and a related search was to be conducted Tuesday at a nearby church, he said.
He implied more than one person may have been involved in the death of Sandra, who had been missing since March 27.
"Investigators are looking at additional information they received since yesterday and, hopefully, that will lead us to Sandra's killers," he said.
Asked if his use of the plural meant police were looking for more than one person, he responded, "We have no specific suspects, ma'am."
Sheneman also implied the killer likely was familiar with the location where the body was found.
He said he himself was unfamiliar with the location where the girl's body was found, despite having lived in the community for nearly 12 years.
"Someone would have to be familiar with that area to know to go there," he said. Watch how the suitcase was found »
Sheneman said police had no one in custody, despite having interviewed hundreds of people regarding the case.
"Everyone that we speak to right now is being considered a person of interest," he said. "We're not eliminating anyone."
The autopsy was being conducted Tuesday, but it was not clear when the report would be available. "It's going to be some time before we hear from the coroner," Sheneman said. "I can't tell you when that's going to be."
More than 10 search warrants have been executed as part of the investigation and "a lot" of evidence has been recovered, Sheneman said.
The day Sandra was last reported seen, she returned home from school, kissed her mother and left to play with a friend who lives nearby. A short time later, wearing a pink Hello Kitty T-shirt and black leggings, she left to go to another friend's home, according to a family spokeswoman.
Police said Monday the girl's clothing helped them identify the body.
|
b6717842c60241579737752868c8e0a0
|
Since when was Sandra missing?
|
[
"March 27."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Brazilian authorities detained the wife of former world boxing champion Arturo Gatti as a suspect in his killing, according to local reports.
Arturo Gatti pictured during the final fight of his career, a knockout defeat by Alfonso Gomez in 2007.
Gatti was found dead Saturday in a hotel in Brazil, where he was taking a vacation with his wife, Amanda Carina Barbosa Rodrigues, and their young child.
The 37-year-old Canadian, who was born in Italy and made his name as a fighter based in New Jersey, was staying in the northeast seaside resort of Porto de Galihnas.
Rodrigues, 23, was being held in a police station in the city of Recife in connection with the killing, a police official in Porto de Galihnas told CNN.
Police official Osmar Silva Santiago confirmed local reports that Gatti's body was found Saturday morning in his hotel room with strangulation marks.
"This crime is being investigated by our homicide experts and we hope to have more answers tomorrow," Santiago said.
Police recovered a blood-stained purse strap from the scene, according to media reports.
Rodrigues became a suspect because of inconsistencies during her interrogation, local reports quoted homicide task force chief Josedith Ferreira as saying.
Gatti made his name in a series of three fights against "Irish" Micky Ward, losing the first but triumphing in the other two.
He held the IBF super-featherweight and WBC light-welterweight titles, and he also won the WBC junior welterweight belt but lost it to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2005.
Gatti retired in 2007 after suffering a knockout defeat by Alfonso Gomez in his comeback, ending with a record of 40 wins and nine losses.
He grew up in Montreal, Quebec, after leaving Italy at an early age, and returned to the city following his retirement.
According to Gatti's official Web site, the Italian-born pugilist won "Fight of the Year" for three consecutive years.
CNN's Helena de Moura contributed to this report.
|
2a1a78b1c8694ac080443166474dc87a
|
what had inconsistencies?
|
[
"interrogation,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Scientists in Colombia have unearthed the remains of a true prehistoric monster believed to be the biggest snake ever to have lived on Earth.
An artist's impression of what Titanoboa cerrejonensis would have looked like.
Named Titanoboa cerrejonensis, the snake would have weighed 1,140 kilograms (2,500 pounds) and measured 13 meters (42.7 feet) nose to tail tip -- dwarfing the largest modern pythons and anacondas which can grow to 6 meters (19.5 feet).
Scientists believe it slithered around the planet between 58 and 60 million years ago.
Geologist David Polly, who identified the position of the fossil vertebrae which made a size estimate possible, said in a statement Wednesday: "At its greatest width, the snake would have come up to about your hips. The size is pretty amazing.
"But our team went a step further and asked, how warm would the Earth have to be to support a body of this size?"
Titanoboa's fossilized remains were discovered at a coal mine in the tropical Cerrejon region of northern Colombia by an international team of scientists.
"Truly enormous snakes really spark people's imagination, but reality has exceeded the fantasies of Hollywood," paleontologist Jonathan Bloch, who co-led the expedition, told reporters.
"The snake that tried to eat Jennifer Lopez in the movie 'Anaconda' was not as big as the one we found."
Based on the snake's size, the team was able to calculate that the mean annual temperature in equatorial South America 60 million years ago would have been about 91 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10 degrees warmer than today, Bloch said.
"Tropical ecosystems of South America were surprisingly different 60 million years ago," said Bloch. "It was a rainforest, like today, but it was even hotter and the cold-blooded reptiles were all substantially larger.
"The result was, among other things, the largest snakes the world has ever seen...and hopefully ever will."
According to Nature.com, snakes are poikilotherms (cold-blooded) that, unlike humans, need heat from their environment to power their metabolism. Therefore research suggests that at the time the region would have had to be no less than 86 to 93 degrees Fahrenheit for the snake to have survived.
Most large snakes today live in the tropical regions of South America and south-east Asia, where the high temperatures allow them to grow to impressive sizes.
Meanwhile, Carlos Jaramillo -- who was also part of the expedition -- said the tropical rainforest at Cerrejon appeared to have thrived at these temperatures.
"This data challenges the view that tropical vegetation lives near its climatic optimum, and it has profound implications in understanding the effect of current global warming on tropical plants," he said.
|
5d86be360f98402788c221bfbf650b2b
|
what kind of snake was it
|
[
"Titanoboa cerrejonensis"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A new smartphone application allows users to carry out a virtual dissection of a human body.
The iPhone app, "Anatomy Lab," allows the user to move between 40 body layers to enable dissection.
The iPhone app, called "Anatomy Lab," has been developed by researchers from the University of Utah and provides images of a real human cadaver.
Utah professor Mark Nielsen told CNN that the application is aimed at medical and anatomy students who might not have the opportunity to dissect a real human body, but it's also proving a hit with medical practitioners.
"A lot of medical professionals, especially in physical therapy and rehabilitative medicine, are using it to educate patients and show them the body parts they're discussing," Nielsen told CNN.
"Anatomy Lab" lets the user move between 40 separate body layers, zoom in to view different structures and rotate them to get different view points.
It started out as a computer program showing the dissection of a cadaver, beginning with the skin and moving on to subcutaneous tissue, nerves, veins, and muscles. See some of the best health monitoring apps »
Nielsen said the iPhone's touch screen is perfect for the interactive nature of the application.
"The program's so logically set up for the iPhone -- you can pinch the screen to rotate and enlarge, and tap on things to identify them," he said.
Nielsen's son, Scott Nielsen, a physics major at the University of Utah, wrote the code for the iPhone version, which has so far sold more than 3,000 copies.
The app also comes in a cheaper, scaled-down version called "My Body," aimed at the curious amateur.
"Anatomy Lab" is the latest in a line of iPhone apps either aimed at medics, or with health benefits.
|
f85ba6e063ac48eeaf92407cf4c576fd
|
How many copies has the app sold so far?
|
[
"more than 3,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pop star George Michael was cautioned by police in London after being arrested in public toilets on suspicion of possessing drugs, the UK's Press Association reported.
George Michael has talked candidly about drug use in the past.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said a 45-year-old man had been arrested in the Hampstead Heath area of London on Friday. He was later released with a caution for possession of class A and class C drugs.
The statement did not name Michael, but other sources confirmed his identity.
Reports Sunday said Michael had been arrested following a tip-off to police from a suspicious toilet attendant, PA said.
The 45-year-old, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide, has talked openly about his use of drugs in the past.
In an inteview with the BBC last year he admitted: "I'm a happy man and I can afford my marijuana so that's not a problem."
Last May he pleaded guilty to driving while unfit through drugs and was banned from driving for two years after being found slumped behind the wheel of his car.
|
2087d21ad1824aebb6fa2a04febb77b3
|
Where was Michael arrested?
|
[
"London"
] |
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