subset
stringclasses 1
value | context
stringlengths 101
3.1k
| qid
stringlengths 32
32
| question
stringlengths 14
704
| answers
listlengths 1
1
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
NewsQA
|
(EW.com) -- What mischief is Phil about to get into now?
EW has learned exclusively that Kevin Hart ("Little Fockers") has signed on for a guest-starring role on "Modern Family."
He'll play Andre, a new neighbor of Phil Dunphy who happens to be a physician. The 32-year-old comedian will see a familiar face when he begins production on the ABC comedy: He co-starred opposite Sofia Vergara in the 2004 movie "Soul Plane."
Recently, Hart and his Hartbeat Productions notched an unexpected victory at the box office with his debut standup film "Laugh at My Pain," which follows his recent national tour run and a stop in his hometown of Philadelphia. It debuted inside of the box office top 10 ranking and pulled in nearly $2 million, in just 97 theaters, for an impressive per-location gross of $20,619. The film only cost $750,000 to make.
Hart has appeared in several Comedy Central specials and hosted the 2011 BET Awards. His other film credits include the movies "Krod Mondoon" and the "Flaming Sword of Fire," "Death at a Funeral," and "Epic Movie."
See the 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.
|
9732d57e26cf441995391ca3de768524
|
what Kevin Hart will play?
|
[
"Andre, a new neighbor of Phil Dunphy who happens to be a physician."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson says U.S policies are partially responsible for Haiti's economic problems.
In a CNN "Newsroom" interview with Ali Velshi, Jackson declared: "Our agricultural policy ... allowed the Riceland Rice company to drop rice on Haiti, drive Haiti farmers out of business, and then raise the price of rice and have rice riots."
Jackson's comments echo a 2005 report by the international relief agency Oxfam International, which said U.S. policies hurt Haitian farmers and helped Arkansas-based Riceland Foods, the world's largest miller and marketer of rice.
"Riceland's profits jumped by $123 million from 2002 to 2003, thanks in large part to a 50 percent increase in exports, primarily to Haiti and Cuba," the report said.
CNN was unable to obtain any immediate response from Riceland Foods, which said publicly its sales to Haiti have declined over the years, but a CNN Fact Check suggests that U.S. policies have indeed played a role in Haiti's problems.
In a 2006 report, the Cato Institute, a nonprofit Washington-based research foundation, called rice "one of the most heavily supported commodities in the United States," and argued that several countries including Haiti "could all plausibly claim that the U.S. rice program has driven down global prices to the detriment of their citizens."
"Until the 1980s," the Washington Post recently reported, "Haiti grew almost all the rice that it ate. But in 1986, under pressure from foreign governments, including the United States, Haiti removed its tariff on imported rice."
The subsidized U.S. rice was cheaper than Haitian rice, and soon, it became a staple of the Haitian diet.
Many Haitian rice farmers were driven out of business, fleeing to the slums of Port-au-Prince.
Later, the price of rice began to rise. It doubled in a little over a year, sparking food riots in Haiti in 2008.
At least six people died before President Rene Preval announced plans to subsidize rice.
|
0e0ef931720040e09f629d39fb07f153
|
What could countries "...plausibly claim" about the U.S. rice program?
|
[
"has driven down global prices to the detriment of their citizens.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Anyone who doubts Roland Burris' qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments.
Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the words "Trail Blazer," Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state's first African-American attorney general and the state's first African-American comptroller.
The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959.
There appears to be enough room to add "U.S. senator" to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington.
A Senate Democratic aide told CNN on Wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent Burris from being seated in the Senate.
After Blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint Obama's successor, Senate Democrats praised Burris but said they could not accept any appointment by Blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges earlier this month. Federal prosecutors say he conspired to "sell" Obama's Senate seat for campaign donations and other favors.
|
f6dd47e672144b098288ba1361d5f136
|
What did Roland Burris erect?
|
[
"mausoleum"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Georgia man accused of screaming racial slurs while beating an African-American female Army reservist outside a restaurant was released from jail on bail Wednesday, Clayton County, Georgia, authorities said.
They said Troy Dale West Jr. was released on a $320,000 bond.
Attorney Kip Jones, who represents alleged victim Tashawnea Hill, said a judge Tuesday ordered West placed under house arrest, and he was fitted with an ankle monitor.
He also was told to surrender his passport, have no contact with Hill and stay out of Clayton County, where Hill lives, the lawyer said.
West, of Poulan, Georgia, faces one count of aggravated assault, two counts of battery, two counts of disorderly conduct, false imprisonment and cruelty to children for allegedly beating Hill outside a Cracker Barrel restaurant September 9, according to a Clayton County Court online docket.
Hill was with her 7-year-old daughter when the alleged incident occurred at the entrance to the restaurant, which is in Morrow, Georgia.
West, 47, was arrested on misdemeanor charges after the incident, but Clayton County District Attorney Tracy Graham Lawson took the case to a grand jury asking for more serious charges.
Hill, 35, said the attack occurred after she warned West to be careful, after almost hitting her daughter with the restaurant door as she was leaving.
West, according to a police report, admitted striking Hill "after she spit on me and accused me of trying to hit her daughter with a door."
Hill denied the accusations, saying she did nothing to provoke the alleged attack.
Hill told police that West, who is white, yelled racial epithets at her during the attack. Police said witnesses confirmed her account.
Morrow is a racially diverse city in the southeast suburbs of Atlanta, with a population of about 4,900, according to the 2000 census.
CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report.
|
5097b5b4a9c1462bb376edd07f888fac
|
How much was the bond?
|
[
"$320,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- British military investigators interviewed a woman who claimed to have met a man from another planet while she was walking her dog, newly released Ministry of Defence files have revealed.
The woman said she had been approached by a man with a "Scandinavian-type accent" dressed in a flying suit-style outfit while out walking on a sports field near Norwich, eastern England, in 1989.
She claimed to have been "completely terrified" during the 10-minute encounter. Running home, she said she had then seen a large glowing object rising vertically from behind some nearby trees.
The woman called a local military base to report the encounter the following day. A cover note on the file of the incident describes it as "one of our more unusual UFO reports."
The incident is just one of around 1,200 sightings recorded by investigators between 1987 and 1993, according to the files released by the National Archives on Sunday.
On another occasion, military officials took the unusual step of briefing ministers about an unidentified flying object photographed in the sky over Scotland alongside an RAF fighter jet.
Witnesses claimed to have seen the large diamond-shaped object hanging in the air for about 10 minutes before it ascended vertically at high speed. Fearing intense media interest, investigators also commissioned detailed drawings of the object.
The files also reveal that the Ministry of Defence abandoned plans to build a computer database of sightings out of fears of a public relations disaster should details of its existence ever be revealed.
"I personally doubt that the the MoD would lose much if we filed UFO reports in 'WPD' (the waste paper basket)," one unnamed official wrote of the project.
|
318acc886b09447b9ec173063801c2f1
|
What plans were abandoned?
|
[
"build a computer database of sightings"
] |
NewsQA
|
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Nearly 3 million gallons of sewage spilled into San Francisco Bay when a pump failed at a waste treatment facility, the Marin County Sheriff's Department told CNN on Friday.
Attempts are being made to contain Thursday night's 2.7 million-gallon sewage spill.
The 2.7 million-gallon spill occurred Thursday night.
A pump failed at the South Marin Sanitation District's waste treatment facility in the town of Mill Valley, said Lt. Doug Pittman.
The waste was released into Richardson Bay, an inlet of the large bay on the east shore of Marin County, he said. See the spill from the air »
The sewage and storm water was partially treated, according to Greg Renick of the California Office of Emergency Services.
In addition to the pump failure, he said, an alarm that would have alerted workers at the facility to the spill also failed.
The accidental release occurred between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a statement from Marin County's emergency operations center. But the Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin didn't report it to the state until 11:16 p.m., Renick said. The state Office of Emergency Services notified local offices in the bay area within an hour of receiving the report, he said.
The Marin County Department of Environmental Health was conducting tests Friday to determine how far the contamination had spread, Pittman said. Boaters were being warned to avoid the Richardson Bay area, and residents were told to avoid contact with the water.
The California Department of Fish and Game has had a boat and personnel on the water since early Friday, and has found no sign of sick or distressed wildlife resulting from the spill, agency spokesman Steve Martarano said.
Marin County is just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Chuck Afflerbach contributed to this report
|
07b692b293e34a95929083b6e5d7b3ae
|
Who was advised to avoid Richardson Bay area?
|
[
"Boaters"
] |
NewsQA
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Jaleel White most notably played geeky, annoying neighbor Steve Urkel on the '90s sitcom "Family Matters" -- but since then, the actor, who has portrayed Bruce Lee, Elvis Presley and a member of the opposite sex, doesn't feel recognized for his ability to take on a variety of roles.
"I'm very versatile, but somehow I didn't earn the tag of being called a versatile actor," White, 34, tells PEOPLE. "I'm still chasing that one Vanity Fair tag that says, 'This guy's a versatile actor.' I accept it. It's fine. But for me, it's like what do I have to do to get that [acknowledgement]?"
White, who says he gets "recognized everywhere I go," isn't big on reminiscing about the days of playing the character who made him a household name.
"I don't [miss playing Urkel]," he says. "I really don't. I'm not trying to get away from it or anything like that, but I don't miss the role at all -- really. I just want to work. I want my daughter to say, 'I know what Daddy does,' not 'what Daddy did."
White -- who most recently played an inmate on Fox's House, M.D. earlier this year -- guest stars as a scheming wealthy director on the season premiere of fellow former child star Tatyana Ali's latest sitcom, Love That Girl!. The actor says it's "cool" sharing a screen with Ali, who he hasn't filmed with since his small stint on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air many years ago.
The episode, which airs Monday night at 8 p.m. on TV One, is the first of many more roles to come, predicts White.
"I just want people to know I haven't gone anywhere," he says. "The passion was gone for awhile, but I've got my mojo back."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
93613a75bf2e4c7ca00a2cdee312ccfb
|
what person says they get regonized everywhere they go
|
[
"Jaleel White"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The number of child abuse reports in Jamaica increased dramatically in 2008, the nation's Office of Children's Registry reported Saturday.
The office received 3,784 child abuse reports last year, up from only 425 complaints in 2007, a significant increase for a nation with a population of about 2.8 million.
OCR Registrar Carla Edie told the Jamaican government news service, JIS, that the people of Jamaica have become "increasingly mindful of their legal responsibility to report such incidents," and are increasingly concerned about child safety, given a recent trend of violence against minors in the country.
According to JIS, a police report issued late last year said that, between January 1, 2008 and November 1, 2008, 73 children were murdered and 383 cases of carnal abuse were reported.
Flogging and other forms of physical abuse are a part of Jamaican culture, Justice Minister Dorothy Lightbourne told JIS in an interview.
"There are many parents who even threaten to 'murder' their children, even some as young as two years old," Lightbourne said.
Regarding official child abuse reports, Edie also said that the large increase can be attributed to growing awareness that the Office of Children's Registry is the department responsible for tracking and acting on such information, and not other government and police agencies that handled those reports in the past.
In addition, "if someone has information of suspected child abuse and fails to make a report to the Registry, that person can be charged a maximum fee of $500,000 or-and six months imprisonment," Edie told JIS.
In response to increased demand, the OCR will increase its operating hours and staff.
|
2448d813c2074ef89eaddb87e6769f28
|
Has child abuse in Jamaica risen or declined?
|
[
"increased dramatically in 2008,"
] |
NewsQA
|
BIRMINGHAM, England -- Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele broke the two-mile world record at an international indoor meeting in Birmingham on Saturday.
Bekele shaved 0.34 seconds off the record held by Gebrselassie.
The reigning Olympic 10,000 meters champion, on the same track where compatriot Haile Gebrselassie achieved the previous fastest time, shaved 0.34 seconds off his fellow Ethiopian's mark with a time of 8 minutes 04.35 seconds.
The women's 3,000 meters was won by another Ethiopian, front-running Gelete Burka, in 8:31.94 - the third-fastest time in history.
Britain's Commonwealth champion Phillips Idowu warmed-up for next month's World Indoor Championships in Valencia by winning the triple jump with 17.21 meters.
Olympic champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia set a world indoor record in the women's pole vault by clearing 4 meters 95 centimeters in Donetsk.
She beat her own mark of 4.93m which she set last year at the same venue.
It is the third consecutive year in which 25-year-old Isinbayeva, who has leaped 5.02 outdoors, broke the indoor mark in Donetsk. E-mail to a friend
|
e375437d85434235b8c94a5fa3863ed7
|
Who broke the world two-mile record?
|
[
"Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A court hearing is scheduled Thursday in the case of a northern California couple accused of abducting Jaycee Dugard and holding her captive for more than 18 years in a ramshackle backyard compound.
Phillip Garrido, 58, and his wife, Nancy, 54, are charged with 29 felony counts in the kidnapping of Dugard, who was 11 when she was snatched in 1991 from the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California.
The couple has pleaded not guilty.
The hearing, scheduled for 1 p.m. (4 p.m. ET) at the El Dorado County Superior Court, is a procedural matter about witnesses in the case.
Authorities say the Garridos held Dugard in a hidden compound behind their home for 18 years.
She was 29 when she was found in August at the Garridos' home in Antioch about 120 miles from her house.
Garrido, a registered sex offender on parole at the time of his arrest, is accused of fathering two daughters with Dugard during her captivity.
Dugard now lives in seclusion with her mother, Terry Probyn, and Dugard's two daughters.
Earlier this month, Judge Douglas Phimister denied a request by the Garridos to be able to see each other while they remain jailed.
Instead, the judge ruled, the couple can have one five-minute phone conversation this month and in June. He also said that officials can monitor the calls.
The judge did not offer a reason for denying the request. The prosecution had opposed the motion on security grounds.
Authorities maintain Dugard does not want to speak to Garrido or his attorneys and have tried to keep her location a secret.
In March, Dugard made her first public statement since the arrests of her alleged captors.
"Hi, I'm Jaycee. I want to thank you for your support, and I'm doing well," Dugard said in a home video released exclusively to ABC News.
"It's been a long haul," said Dugard, "but I'm getting there."
The video showed Dugard baking cookies with her mother and playing with her dogs.
"We released this video so that you can see that we are happy and well -- when we have more to share, we will," Probyn said in the home video.
"As a mother I am pleading for our privacy in this very public story."
|
a7e9b671276842a0972131ee151b92ff
|
What did Judge earlier ruled ?
|
[
"denied a request by the Garridos to be able to see each other while they remain jailed."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An American human rights group documenting widespread sexual violence against Darfuri women in Sudan and Chad has called for "vigorous prosecution of rape as a war crime."
Sudanese women in a refugee camp in southern Chad in March.
Physicians for Human Rights, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, issued a report Sunday "documenting the scope and long-term impact of rape and other sexual violence" experienced by women who fled the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur and now live as refugees in neighboring Chad.
The report -- titled "Nowhere To Turn: Failure To Protect, Support and Assure Justice for Darfuri Women" -- is based on interviews with 88 female refugees living in Chad's Farchana refugee camp. The study was done with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
"Many Darfuri women refugees live in a nightmare of memories of past trauma compounded by the constant threat of sexual violence around the camps now," said Susannah Sirkin, the physician group's deputy director.
"Women who report being raped are stigmatized, and remain trapped in places of perpetual insecurity. There's no one to stop the rapes, no one to turn to for justice for past or ongoing crimes, and little psycho-social support to address their prolonged and unimaginable traumas."
Dr. Sondra Crosby, a Physicians for Human Rights consultant and expert in refugee trauma, said "the atmosphere of intimidation was palpable as we listened to women describing their profound suffering and fear, and their yearning to return safely and with dignity to their former lives."
Of those refugees interviewed, "32 reported instances of confirmed or highly probable rape" -- 17 in Darfur and 15 in Chad, the group said.
"Among the instances of rape reported in Chad, the vast majority (10 of 11 confirmed reports) occurred when women left the camps to gather firewood." And just over half of the 88 women interviewed -- 46 of them -- live in fear of sexual assaults around the refugee camp.
The group supports the issuing of International Criminal Court warrants against the Sudanese perpetrators.
The group also called for "legal reforms in Chad to end impunity for sexual violence," and for "effective psychosocial support to survivors." And it said increased protections are needed by police and peacekeepers, including "effective firewood patrols."
The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 after rebels in the western region of Sudan began attacking government positions. Sudan's government responded with a fierce military campaign that has led to some 200,000 deaths and forced 2 million people to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.
|
89f50cfbaac24525b8e8ae6befeff395
|
How many Darfuri women were interviewed?
|
[
"88"
] |
NewsQA
|
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A meeting between the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan was canceled Friday when bad weather prevented Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari from traveling to the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari (pictured) has met Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai before.
An official in Pakistan's Foreign Office said the meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and top government officials will be rescheduled for the near future.
The visit was to have taken place amid ongoing warfare and tension along the Afghan-Pakistan border and was to have focused on the nations cooperating in the fight against terror.
Some of the Taliban militants conducting attacks in Afghanistan have been based in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and nearby tribal regions.
The group's resurgence has prompted U.S. commanders and the incoming Barack Obama administration to put more of a focus on confronting militants along the volatile border.
In the past, Afghan and Pakistani leaders have blamed the other for the security problems in the region.
Zardari was to have been accompanied on the trip by the governor of North West Frontier Province, as well as his foreign minister and adviser on internal affairs.
The two presidents also planned to discuss the expansion of bilateral relations and trade.
Both men have met before, when Karzai visited Pakistan in September to attend Zardari's swearing-in ceremony.
|
bc7b7a8daeab483b8752736648433f9d
|
Who is attacking Afghanistan from Pakistan's North West Province?
|
[
"Taliban"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEWARK, New Jersey (CNN) -- The most "far-flung and exotic fugitive investigation ever conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service" ended early Sunday with convicted child molester Alan Horowitz in custody on U.S. soil.
Alan Horowitz was convicted in 1991 on 34 counts of child molestation.
Officers from the U.S. Marshals service arrested the 60-year-old at Newark Liberty International Airport after a 15-hour flight from New Delhi, India.
The ordained Orthodox rabbi and former child psychologist was arrested on May 22 at a seaside resort in Mahabalipuram, India, according to parole officer Robert Georgia.
An agent from the Diplomatic Security Service escorted him aboard the Continental Airlines flight, authorities said.
He is being held at a correctional facility in New Jersey and will appear before an extradition judge on July 16th before being taken to New York to face a parole violation charge there.
He also faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Watch Horowitz in custody at Newark airport »
A number of Internet tipsters in India were responsible for alerting the Marshal's service to Horowitz's whereabouts, said U.S. Marshal Gary Mattison, who was assigned to track down Horowitz last year.
Horowitz served 13 years of a 10-20 year sentence for child molestation and was released on parole in 2004, authorities said. In June 2006, he fled the country shortly after meeting with his parole officer, setting off the manhunt that involved the Indian police, agents from the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Marshals, U.S. Marshals told CNN.
Horowitz's 1991 conviction was on 34 counts of child molestation in Schenectady, New York.
A dual citizen of the United States and Israel, Horowitz has also been convicted of "perverted sexual practices" in Maryland, where he was found guilty of abusing one of his patients, federal marshals said.
During the 1980s, while he was living in Israel, he was the subject of a police investigation into charges he was sexually abusing his second wife's children, according to the U.S. Marshal service.
He also faced another sexual misconduct investigation while living in North Carolina, authorities say. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Katia Porzecanski contributed to this report.
|
c2b7f1a787704dd682360136fbbbbb3a
|
What is the destination of the flight?
|
[
"Newark Liberty International Airport"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A single mother who chose taking care of her infant over deploying to Afghanistan has been discharged, the Army said in a statement.
When her unit deployed to Afghanistan in November, Alexis Hutchinson was missing from the plane. Her lawyer said she refused to go because there was no one to take care of her then 10-month-old son, Kamani, and she feared he would be placed in foster care.
But the Army contended that the young mother and now former Army specialist had plenty of time to sort out family issues and said she could face court-martial.
The issue was resolved this week, the Army said in a statement Thursday from Fort Stewart in Georgia, where Hutchinson was training.
"The soldier will not be tried by court-martial and therefore is not at risk of receiving a federal conviction," the statement said. " She is, however, reduced to the lowest enlisted rank, private, and subject to losing other military benefits from the Army and the Department of Veterans Affairs to which soldiers who serve honorably are entitled."
Before shipping overseas, every soldier must sign military Form D-A 53-05, which states that failure to maintain a family care plan could result in disciplinary action.
Hutchinson's attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said the soldier informed the Army that her family care plan had fallen through and that there was no one to take care of her son.
She was granted a 30-day extension to deal with the issue but still was not ready to deploy after the extension had expired, the Army said.
"The investigation revealed evidence, from both other soldiers and from Private Hutchinson herself, that she didn't intend to deploy to Afghanistan with her unit and deliberately sought ways out of the deployment," the Army statement said.
Hutchinson could not be immediately reached for comment.
|
e439bd757ba3460d959cce25837389ad
|
Did the army believe that Hutchinson was given enough time to find care for her infant?
|
[
"plenty of"
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An American soldier in Iraq has been sentenced to two years in military prison on child pornography charges, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
At a general court-martial Monday at Baghdad's Camp Victory, Army Pvt. James R. Bickerstaff pleaded guilty to attempted possession of child pornography and communicating indecent language to a child under 16.
Bickerstaff also received a bad-conduct discharge.
The soldier was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, in August 2006 when he "engaged in a discussion with a 12-year-old girl in an attempt to initiate physical contact of a sexual nature," the military said.
In April and May, he downloaded pornographic videos to a personal laptop and an iPod and attempted to download child pornography, the military said.
Bickerstaff is with Charlie Company, 1-16th Infantry Battalion, 787th Combat Service Support Battalion, 507th Corps Support Group, at Al Asad Air Base. E-mail to a friend
|
2ab5fdbcfc074f2abc955accaeebf0c4
|
How many years does the soldier get?
|
[
"two"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Sandra Herold, the owner of a chimpanzee that was involved in a vicious attack on her friend last year, has died, her attorney said Tuesday. She was 72.
Herold suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm Monday night, Roger Golger said.
Herold "had suffered a series of heartbreaking losses over the last several years, beginning with the death of her only child, then her husband, then her beloved chimp Travis, as well as the tragic maiming of friend and employee Charla Nash," Golger said.
Nash lost her nose, upper and lower lips, eyelids and both her hands in the attack in February 2009, as well as the "bony structures in her mid-face," according to doctors.
More than a year later, numerous surgeries and therapy sessions have helped Nash regain some mobility.
Her family filed a lawsuit against Herold shortly after the attack, seeking $50 million in damages. Criminal charges were not filed, however, because authorities ruled Herold was not aware of the risk her pet posed.
"This past year was particularly difficult for Sandy," Golger said. "She hated living alone in a house where she faced constant reminders of the vibrant and happy life she once led with her family and friends. The stress of defending a multimillion-dollar lawsuit and all that it entailed also weighed heavy on Sandy. In the end, her heart, which had been broken so many times before, could take no more."
The attack occurred February 16, 2009, when Herold called Nash for help in getting Travis back inside her house after he used a key to escape. When Nash arrived at the Stamford, Connecticut, home, the chimp, who had been featured in TV commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her. Police shot Travis to halt the attack and he later died of gunshot wounds.
The mauling has raised questions about whether exotic animals should be kept as pets. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has said that primates and crocodiles should be added to a state list of animals that citizens are not allowed to own.
Nash was discharged from the famed Cleveland Clinic, where doctors performed the nation's first face transplant, earlier this month. She is continuing her recovery at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where doctors have said she is a candidate for a face transplant.
CNN's Stephanie Gallman contributed to this report.
|
71aac6c827f0485d8fd08bfbc632db0b
|
Who died on Monday?
|
[
"Sandra"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new bill into law Sunday that will fine paparazzi for taking photos that invade a celebrity's right to privacy. The law also targets media outlets who purchase the photos.
Singer Britney Spears' run-ins with paparazzi took center stage a few years ago when she took an umbrella to a photographer's SUV.
Throngs of photographers often jockey to get the perfect shot of a celebrity, but that doesn't mean it's welcomed. Britney Spears famously had enough one night, taking an umbrella to a photographer's SUV.
In 1998, Schwarzenegger himself had his car swarmed by paparazzi while he was picking up his child from school.
Jennifer Aniston received $550,000 and an apology from a photographer who used a high-powered telephoto lens to shoot her in the backyard wearing only panties. Watch how stars impact paparazzi »
While paparazzi may get a bad rap for their methods, celebrity columnist Ben Widdicombe said things are not always what they seem.
"A lot of times the shot you see in the magazine is actually orchestrated by the celebrity themselves," said celebrity columnist Ben Widdicombe. "Celebrities like Britney Spears, for example, are infamous in the industry for letting their assistants tell the paparazzi when they'll be leaving the gates."
Celebrity photos can be big business, especially when it comes to major milestones. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher reportedly pocketed $3 million from OK for their 2005 union. Eva Longoria and Tony Parker received $2 million from OK for photos of their lavish Paris, France, wedding.
Expectant celebrities can also rake in big bucks. People magazine reportedly paid $14 million for the first pictures of the Brad Pitt-Angelina Jolie twins.
The new California law makes it a crime to take and sell unauthorized photos of celebrities in "personal or familial activity." Violators face fines up to $50,000. The anti-paparazzi amendment takes effect in January.
|
015fe9f98561421fb9e4e0d95e6359c3
|
who use photos could also be subject to fines
|
[
"media outlets"
] |
NewsQA
|
VATICAN CITY, Vatican (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI called for peace in the Middle East and an end to the exploitation of children in the homily he delivered early Thursday during the annual Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
Pope Benedict XVI calls for a "conversion of hearts" to help children.
He later delivered the traditional Christmas address in St. Peter's Square, sending Christmas greetings in languages including English, Spanish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Slovak and many others. The address is known as "Urbi et Orbi" -- Latin for "To the City and the World."
Benedict, 81, called for the faithful to pray for peace to come to "the land in which Jesus lived, and which he loved so deeply."
"Let us pray for mutual understanding, that hearts will be opened, so that borders can be opened," he said.
The pontiff also called for special consideration for suffering children who are homeless, forced to serve as soldiers or exploited in pornography "and every other appalling form of abuse."
"The Child of Bethlehem summons us once again to do everything in our power to put an end to the suffering of these children; to do everything possible to make the light of Bethlehem touch the heart of every man and woman," he said. Watch Pope Benedict deliver his message during midnight Mass »
"Only through the conversion of hearts, only through a change in the depths of our hearts can the cause of all this evil be overcome."
Thousands heard the pope, in white and gold robes, speak inside the basilica at St. Peter's -- although Vatican cameras captured some sleeping children who had been unable to stay awake for the late ceremony.
Those who could not get inside watched on giant television screens outside in the square.
As Benedict was leaving down the main aisle, someone wearing red jumped the barrier. The person was swiftly tackled by security.
The pope appeared to slow his step momentarily and take a slight step back as the action took place, but he quickly resumed the processional, waving to the audience. Watch as security steps in »
Vatican spokesperson Father Federico Lombardi told CNN she did not appear to pose any risk.
|
88bfa1e38d4c456d8ecb54126041c84e
|
What did Pope Benedict XVI call for?
|
[
"exploitation of children"
] |
NewsQA
|
NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- Pirates on a seized Saudi-owned oil supertanker are delaying release of the ship despite receiving a ransom because of a fatal drowning accident that killed four of their colleagues, a journalist who spoke with one of the pirates told CNN.
A small aircraft is observed by the U.S. Navy flying over the Sirius Star during a seeming ransom payment Friday.
The pirates had been expected to release the Sirius Star, which they've held since November 15, after a ransom payment was parachuted onto the ship.
The journalist told CNN that the pirate who spoke said four pirates drowned after a skiff carrying leaving the Sirius Star capsized due to rough seas. Sea charts showed that waves in the area were reaching 5 to 7 feet at the time.
There were five pirates in the skiff and one survived, the journalist said. The bodies of the other four were recovered, he said, adding that this will delay the exit of the pirates still remaining on board the ship and thus affect the ship's release after payment of the ransom.
The tanker was carrying two million barrels of crude oil worth about $100 million when pirates hijacked it off the coast of Somalia.
Pirates seized the Sirius Star more than 450 nautical miles off the African coast in one of their most audacious hijackings to date.
The pirates told another journalist that they received $3 million in ransom money, but lost part of it when the skiff capsized. The remaining ransom money is still aboard the ship with the rest of the pirates.
The U.S. Navy took photographs and observed as an apparent ransom payment was parachuted aboard the tanker. The pirates aboard the supertanker have equipment to check for counterfeit bills, authorities said.
"While the potential release of the Sirius Star is undoubtedly excellent news, we must not forget that nearly 300 other merchant mariners (on other ships) are still being held captive," said Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy Combined Maritime Forces commander.
Hijackings off East Africa are a cause of growing international concern, spurring a number of international navies to patrol the pirate-wracked Gulf of Aden. See how pirate attacks peaked in 2008 »
Dozens of ships have been attacked in the gulf by pirates based in a largely lawless Somalia in recent months. See a map of the region »
The area involved, off the coast of Somalia and Kenya as well as the Gulf of Aden, equals more than 1.1 million square miles. That is roughly four times the size of Texas, or the size of the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined.
|
6c586b39d438480187ae7d9a4869fc5f
|
What did the U.S. Navy do?
|
[
"took photographs"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Parenting.com) -- Brace yourself for yet more stark economic news: babies may be suffering from more diaper rash in this down economy, reports Advertising Age, which is labeling "America's baby bottoms" as the "economy's latest casualty."
Yes, that's right: tiny heinies as the latest economic indicator, according to Ad Age.
Here are the hard numbers: the Centers for Disease Control reported that the number of babies ages 2 and under fell 3% last year while disposable diaper sales slipped a whopping 9%. And yet, there was a 2.8% increase in diaper rash cream, despite fewer babies.
Parenting.com: How to potty train in one week
The inverse relation between diaper and rash ointment sales started in 2009 but has intensified in the last year, according to data from Deutsche Bank.
The average American baby bottom sees 6.3 diapers a day, and with parents shelling out an average of $1,500 a year for diapers, it's easy to see why some might turn a blind eye to a slightly damp diaper (especially when disposable diapers are so absorbent nowadays).
Parenting.com: Our favorite cloth diapers
And of course, parents are doing everything they can to meet their families' needs with less money, but is it really at the expense of their tots' tushes?
We wouldn't be surprised if other explanations beyond parents skimping on diaper changes included folks making the switch to increasingly popular cloth diapers, others pushing potty training earlier, which Pampers marketer Procter & Gamble suggested, and even just more aggressive marketing efforts on the part of diaper cream makers and retailers.
Parenting.com: Huggies debuts new camo designer diapers
Has the economy caused you to change your diapering strategy in any way?
Get 2 FREE YEARS of Parenting magazine - Subscribe Now!!
|
a38775dbb68a43ecba29775f5cfae2fd
|
Was there an increase in diaper rash creams?
|
[
"2.8%"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A former Mexican senator was reported missing on Saturday, Mexico's attorney general's office said.
The case has rocked Mexico, with President Felipe Calderon saying he is closely monitoring the investigation into the disappearance of the former official, Diego Fernandez de Cevallos Ramos.
The attorney general of the state where Fernandez de Cevallos was reported missing said that authorities have no clues as to his whereabouts.
Fernandez de Cevallos was last seen on the ranch of his home in Pedro Escobedo, in central Mexico's state of Queretaro, the country's official Notimex news agency reported.
The attorney general's office said that Fernandez de Cevallos' vehicle was located on his ranch and that "in the place where the car was located, some of his belongings were found and there were traces of violence."
Queretaro attorney Arsenio Duran said the former legislator had arrived alone at his La Cabana ranch, as he usually did, at approximately 11 p.m. Friday (midnight ET Saturday) and that it was presumed that he was kidnapped in the driveway of his property, Notimex reported.
Duran said that around 7 a.m. Saturday (8 a.m. ET) relatives of the former legislator noticed that the door to his truck was open, Notimex reported. Outside the vehicle were discarded glasses, pens and scissors; inside were traces of blood.
The federal attorney general's office has declined to call the case a kidnapping.
Queretaro authorities are investigating the case, the attorney general's office said.
A statement on the Mexican president's website said that Calderon "from the first hours of the morning, has been in constant communication with the attorney general and with the secretaries of Interior and Public Security," about the investigation.
The statement said that Calderon has "communicated with one of the two children of Fernandez de Cevallos, who is facing this difficult situation with integrity, to offer his solidarity and the necessary backing to successfully locate Fernandez de Cevallos."
The missing legislator was a senator from PAN, Mexico's National Action Party, and is a former presidential candidate. The statement on Calderon's website called Fernandez de Cevallos "a key politician in the Mexican democratic transition."
CNN's Esprit Smith contributed to this report.
|
3c5dd71551924aedbc7ae86ea7292f8d
|
What were found inside the ex-Senator's car ?
|
[
"some of his belongings"
] |
NewsQA
|
Vancouver, British Columbia (CNN) -- Thousands of Canadians turned the streets of Vancouver into rivers of red on Sunday in jubilant celebration of the country's Olympic gold-medal win in men's ice hockey.
Canada defeated the United States 3-2 in overtime, with national hero Sidney Crosby scoring the winning goal in the hard-fought game.
The win capped off a historic Winter Olympics for the host nation just hours before the closing ceremonies. The country took home a record 14 gold medals -- the most in Winter Olympics history.
Fans spilled out of the exits at Canada Hockey Place after the medal ceremony, "clanging cowbells and screaming like madmen," according to Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn.
"I'll remember this day for the rest of my life as will all Canadians who are here tonight," one fan at a Vancouver viewing told CNN affiliate CTV in Canada.
Watch fans celebrate in a sea of red and white
Police told liquor stores in Vancouver to close early at 2 p.m. -- about an hour before the game ended -- ahead of the celebrations. Lines of people were seen at one store 30 minutes before the game even started.
In Toronto, officials were forced to close down streets due to swelling masses of revelers waving Canadian flags and standing shoulder-to-shoulder in some of the city's main intersections, video showed. And in downtown Vancouver, people swamped the city's main Robson Square.
Strangers high-fived each other in the street and fans were seen jumping onto cars, hugging each other, singing the country's national anthem and chanting "Ole!" and "This is our game."
The celebrations were the culmination of a Winter Games that got off to a rocky start, with warmer-than-usual weather that forced delays in some early contests, and the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during a training run hours before the opening ceremony.
The feeling of celebration and resiliency was being carried into the night's closing ceremonies. Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette -- whose mother died of a heart attack just days before her bronze-medal-winning performances -- was set to carry the nation's flag before thousands in attendance at BC Place.
CNN's Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
|
be610359381a425084cf5257ef8e2c73
|
What happen in Vancouver and Toronto?
|
[
"celebration of the country's Olympic gold-medal win in men's ice hockey."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The company was founded in 1985 by seven communications industry veterans -- Franklin Antonio, Adelia Coffman, Andrew Cohen, Klein Gilhousen, Irwin Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi and Harvey White.
One of Qualcomm's first products was OmniTRACS, introduced in 1988, which is currently the largest satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry.
Today, Qualcomm's patent portfolio includes approximately 6,100 United States patents and patent applications for CDMA and related technologies. More than 130 telecommunications equipment manufacturers worldwide have licensed QUALCOMM's essential CDMA patents.
Qualcomm is among the members of the S&P 500 Index, Fortune 500, and a winner of the U.S. Department of Labor's" Secretary of Labor's Opportunity Award."
The company has been listed among Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For in America" for nine years in a row and the magazine's list of" Most Admired Companies."
Qualcomm's Annual revenue for 2006 was $7.53 billion, with a net income of $2.47 billion. E-mail to a friend
|
cbd1ac2c57374a2394717643132a93dc
|
the company has become huge in what
|
[
"satellite-based commercial mobile system for the transportation industry."
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama will deliver the eulogy Thursday at the funeral of civil rights leader Dorothy Height, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday.
Height's funeral is set for 10 a.m. ET Thursday at Washington National Cathedral.
Height died last week at the age of 98.
The lasting impact of her life was reflected Tuesday evening by the hundreds of people who came out to pay their respects at her viewing at the National Council of Negro Women, an organization that she served as national president for 41 years. People lined three city blocks in Washington to attend the viewing and praised Height as a leader.
"To me she's a part of history for women's rights and the civil rights movement," Delores Levalle said while waiting to enter the building.
Many of the people attending the viewing emphasized how inspirational she was as a woman and as a leader of the civil rights movement, a woman who stood beside Martin Luther King Jr. during his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Patricia Green, who worked with Height in the 1970s, said she believes "this outpouring of affection for her is an understanding of the unique contribution she has made not just to African-American history, but to American history in general."
CNN's Hunter Burgarella contributed to this report.
|
25b1f4fc6d234f46b1a44ed9ac438f49
|
How many blocks were lined?
|
[
"three"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney said Sunday he supports the Obama administration's decision to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military -- a move that was staunchly opposed by most top Republicans.
"I think the decision that's been made with respect to allowing gays to serve openly in the military is a good one" Cheney told CNN's Candy Crowley on "State of the Union." "It's the right thing to do."
The policy, first enacted during the Clinton administration, was officially repealed on September 20. Over 14,000 people were kicked out of the military due to "don't ask, don't tell."
The controversial repeal of the policy became a focal point of a GOP presidential debate last month when members of the audience booed a gay soldier who asked about the decision. President Barack Obama criticized the Republican presidential contenders on Saturday night for failing to rebuke the audience.
"We don't believe in standing silent when that happens," Obama told attendees at the annual National Dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that promotes equality for gays and lesbians.
If "you want to be commander-in-chief, you can start by standing up for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States even when it is not politically convenient," Obama said.
Cheney responded to Obama by noting that he's "a little bit leery of the notion that somehow we ought to go hammer the Republican candidates because they didn't respond to booing in the audience."
"When you're in a political campaign and debates, people boo a lot of things," Cheney told CNN. "I'm not sure that it was all focused specifically on that particular issue."
After the debate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said he hadn't heard the booing when the question was asked. Santorum was being asked the question when the incident occurred.
|
9793d550e5f64a588f88fb399df56f07
|
Which people boeed the soldier?
|
[
"the audience.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets in January, will star in a reality television series about her family, a TV executive said.
Nadya Suleman will star in a "quasi-reality TV series," says a TV executive.
The Eyeworks executive, who asked not to be named, confirmed a Us magazine report that quoted Suleman's lawyer, Jeff Czech, saying a deal has been reached after months of negotiations.
The "quasi-reality TV series" would be "an arrangement whereby several events in the children's lives would be filmed in a documentary series," Czech told Us.
Eyeworks' British division will produce the show, the Eyeworks executive said.
"There is a story to be told" about the family, he said.
"They might be several shows aired during a year. There are all kinds of possibilities. It really depends on what the networks want," Czech was quoted as saying.
Though he said the show has not been named, Suleman has sought to trademark her media nickname -- Octomom -- for a TV show and a line of diapers.
Suleman has six other children. All 14 were conceived through in-vitro fertilization.
|
25cb219e374c4467bf3fdc7b4ad6261e
|
Who gave birth to octuplets?
|
[
"Nadya Suleman,"
] |
NewsQA
|
DOVER, England (CNN) -- As the ferries dock at the Port of Dover after crossing the English Channel, the trucks pull in at a steady rate. Afghanistan's opium harvest can be traced right back to some of those trucks.
Afghanistan is the world's biggest supplier of illegal opium, which is made from the seed pods of poppies.
"The routes are many and varied, the concealments are many and varied, we see body [concealment], we see what you call stuffers and swallowers, internal concealments," says Steve Coates, deputy director of Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency.
"They're one step ahead of us and we're desperately trying to get one step ahead of them and I think it's a long game," he said.
Coates has spent almost 25 years tracking the heroin pipeline. But he says the approach over the last few years is more intelligence-led.
"If we seize the powder, the commodity, they very quickly replace it. The financial flow is much more important. If you can hit the gangs, the proceeds of crime, you really are affecting them, you're reaching right into them and actually impacting them," says Coates. Watch how the Afghan drug pipeline is difficult to stop »
A new United Nations report confirms the status of the lawless and fertile lands of southern Afghanistan as the world's biggest supplier of illegal opium, the addictive narcotic that is made from the seed pods of poppies.
The drug is ravaging the young, poor and vulnerable in Afghanistan, and its proceeds are the lifeblood of the Taliban. It also is spreading on a drug trail that spans the world.
While Western governments have for years debated how to stop the lucrative drug trade in Afghanistan, the business has only grown. The U.N. report notes that for years, the counternarcotics strategies around the world have failed to have any real effect on addiction or drug trafficking. In some countries, heroin is 10 times cheaper now than it was 30 years ago.
"We've been very good in the past at playing cops and robbers, but did [that] make a difference? No it didn't," concedes Coates.
The key now, say law enforcement officials, isn't wiping out the poppies, scanning every truck or locking up the small-time dealers, but rather gathering intelligence that follows and then destroys the lucrative money trail.
Britain's Serious Organized Crime Agency says it is now committed to taking a collaborative approach not just with its own national partners, but by working intelligence links through the world.
|
23138192e7dd45528c5dcd72e6a552ac
|
What is the name of the port?
|
[
"Dover"
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S.-led forces captured two men believed to be senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders, including one suspected of planning the 2006 kidnapping of U.S. journalist Jill Carroll, a military statement said.
Jill Carroll, seen here in an interview following her 2006 release, was held for nearly three months in Iraq.
Coalition forces captured the suspects in Baghdad on August 11 and 17, according to the statement.
The suspects were identified as Salim Abdallah Ashur al-Shujayri, also known as Abu Uthman, and Ali Rash Nasir Jiyad al-Shammari, also known as Abu Tiba.
Abu Uthman is suspected of masterminding Carroll's abduction, the statement said. Carroll, a freelance reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, was abducted in January 2006 and freed unharmed in March of that year.
Both men are suspected of overseeing car or suicide bombings targeting Iraqis with the intent of inciting sectarian violence, the statement said.
Abu Tiba is suspected to have been in charge of as many 15 al Qaeda in Iraq "attack cells," providing them with money, weapons and explosives, according to the statement.
The men were also suspected of being connected to other kidnappings, the statement said.
"The capture of Abu Tiba and Abu Uthman eliminates two of the few remaining experienced leaders in the AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] network," the statement said.
|
e79749774fb74471b120cd0b550712e6
|
who was kidnapped?
|
[
"U.S. journalist Jill Carroll,"
] |
NewsQA
|
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Even before one reaches the front door of Canon's headquarters in Tokyo, one can sense the virtual stampede of employees pouring out of the building exactly at 5:30 p.m.
Japan's birth rate of 1.34 is below the level needed to maintain the country's population.
In a country where 12-hour workdays are common, the electronics giant has taken to letting its employees leave early twice a week for a rather unusual reason: to encourage them to have more babies.
Japan is in the midst of an unprecedented recession, so corporations are being asked to work toward fixing another major problem: the country's low birthrate. Tell us what you think
At 1.34, the birthrate is well below the 2.0 needed to maintain Japan's population, according to the country's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
Keidanren, Japan's largest business group, with 1,300 major international corporations as members, has issued a plea to its members to let workers go home early to spend time with their families and help Japan with its pressing social problem. Watch more on this story
One reason for the low birth rate is the 12-hour workday. But there are several other factors compounding the problem -- among them, the high cost of living, and social rigidity toward women and parenting.
In addition, Japan's population is aging at a faster pace than any other country in the world.
Analysts say the world's second-largest economy faces its greatest threat from its own social problems, rather than outside forces. And the country desperately needs to make some fixes to its current social and work structures, sociologists say.
The 5:30 p.m. lights-out program is one simple step toward helping address the population problem. It also has an added benefit: Amid the global economic downturn the company can slash overtime across the board twice a week.
"It's great that we can go home early and not feel ashamed," said employee Miwa Iwasaki.
|
f292db03ef0843fabd1bb275ac8c4d1a
|
What is Japan's birthrate?
|
[
"1.34"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- After deliberating for only 45 minutes, a jury convicted an Alabama man Thursday of throwing his four children off a Gulf Coast bridge in January 2008, according to prosecutors.
Lam Luong, 38, admitted throwing the children, who ranged in age from 3 years to 4 months, off the Dauphin Island bridge south of Mobile, according to CNN affiliate WKRG.
Charged with five counts of capital murder, he changed his plea to guilty last week. However, Alabama law requires that all capital cases go before a judge and jury, WKRG said.
The sentencing phase of Luong's trial will begin Friday, the Mobile County District Attorney's office told CNN.
Jurors will decide whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison without parole. A judge is not bound by the jury's decision, however, and Alabama law requires an automatic appeal in capital cases.
Luong and his wife were having marital difficulties, prosecutors said.
WKRG reported that during opening arguments in the trial, prosecutors told jurors Luong threw the kids off the bridge so he could see the look on his wife's face.
Luong was on crack at the time, and he told investigators they could charge him if they found the children's bodies before breaking into laughter, jurors were told.
The defense called no witnesses, but told jurors Luong was intoxicated at the time and was incapable of forming the necessary intent to be convicted of a capital offense, asking them to convict him of manslaughter, WKRG said.
During the trial, jurors heard about the search for the children's bodies and saw graphic video of the bodies floating in the water, the station reported.
A commercial fisherman recording rough weather off the coast of Venice, Louisiana, found one body, while two duck hunters and a Mississippi marine officer found the other three, according to WKRG.
Luong looked down, away from the overhead screens, when the photographs of the children's bodies were shown.
CNN's Divina Mims contributed to this report.
|
0e9e96c7b0454d63be0abb6651d2ae40
|
trash so he could see the look on wife's face The four children ranged in age from 3 years to 4 months The sentencing phase of Luong's trial will begin Friday
|
[
"of"
] |
NewsQA
|
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- A Sri Lankan government minister narrowly escaped injury Thursday when a suicide bomber in a car detonated explosives, police said.
File image of Maithripala Sirisena taken in May, 2007.
Two of the minister's bodyguards were hurt in the blast, which occurred in a southern suburb of the capital city, Colombo.
The minister, Maithripala Sirisena, heads the agriculture department. He is also the secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, a partner in the ruling coalition.
Authorities blamed the attack on Tamil Tigers rebels.
The fighting in Sri Lanka pits government forces in a country dominated by the Sinhalese ethnic group against rebels from the Tamil minority.
The rebels, formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, are fighting for the creation of an independent nation, citing discrimination by the Sinhalese.
On Monday, a suicide bombing blamed on rebels killed at least 27 people, including a prominent politician and his wife. Another 60 were wounded.
That bombing took place in Anuradhapura, the capital of Sri Lanka's North Central province.
|
1e6ed85a117d405da046df7f72beb16b
|
who heads the agriculture department
|
[
"Maithripala Sirisena,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The last of six Texas A&M University mariners who went missing in the Gulf of Mexico was found dead Sunday afternoon, the Coast Guard said. The other five crewmates were rescued earlier in the day.
Members of the Texas A&M Offshore Sailing Team are shown in this photo from the team's Web site.
The deceased mariner was identified by the university as Roger Stone, the vessel's second safety officer.
The survivors -- four university students and a safety officer -- told the Coast Guard they were forced off their sailboat after it took on water and capsized.
"The flooding was so fast that the thing flipped over," Coast Guard Capt. William Diehl told CNN.
The sailboat, named Cynthia Woods, was one of about two dozen boats heading from Galveston, Texas, to Veracruz, Mexico, for the annual Veracruz Regatta race, which began on Friday.
Diehl said the boat was well-stocked with safety equipment -- including emergency radio beacons, life rafts and ring buoys -- but the crew could only manage to find four life jackets after the boat tipped over.
"The survivors told us that [when] they went into the water, they had four life jackets among the five, and they huddled together and they exchanged the life jackets among them so that they could stay afloat," Diehl said.
Communication with the boat was lost about midnight Friday, and the boat missed its 8 a.m. radio check the next morning, the Coast Guard reported.
A sailboat matching the description of the missing 38-foot boat was found overturned about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
The five survivors were found several hours later about 23 miles south of Freeport, Texas, according to the Coast Guard's press release. They were lifted to safety by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter around 2 a.m. local time and taken to University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for treatment.
The search for the missing crew member involved two Coast Guard helicopters, a Falcon jet, a Marine Corps C-130 -- which has night-vision capabilities -- and the Coast Guard cutter Manowar.
All of those on board the capsized sailboat were experienced sailors, Diehl said.
"They were very well trained," Diehl said. "Obviously [they were] the more senior cadets at the university here, and they had very experienced safety people on board."
When rescuers retrieved the capsized boat's hull, Diehl said the keel was missing.
"That's the part that keeps the sailboat balanced in the water," he said. "And from talking to the survivors this morning, that's where the flooding started for them."
The 725-mile Veracruz regatta began on Friday and boats are expected to arrive in Veracruz on Wednesday and Thursday.
|
d292e9f1f81d45cea79a23480f6c22a5
|
where is galveston
|
[
"Texas,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi is pregnant with her first child, her publicist confirmed to CNN on Thursday.
Padma Lakshmi will be eating for two on Bravo's "Top Chef."
Lakshmi, 39, has not identified the father. Her representative told US Weekly that the television personality conceived after a long battle with endometriosis.
"Model, author, and Emmy-nominated Padma Lakshmi confirms that she is carrying her first child after years of struggling with endometriosis, a cause for which she has co-founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America," the representative told the magazine.
Endometriosis is a medical condition where the uterus' lining grows in other areas of the body. The often painful condition can cause women to have irregular bleeding and possible infertility.
Lakshmi's publicist also told US Weekly that "As a result of her condition, this pregnancy has been referred to by her physician as nothing short of a medical miracle, and due to its delicate nature, we ask/implore the press to respect Ms. Lakshmi's privacy at this time."
Lakshmi is the ex-wife of famed author Salman Rushdie. She has hosted Bravo's hit show "Top Chef" since its second season and is herself a noted cookbook author.
|
f24f46ef009f404eaa74bdb8a63ccefe
|
What had Lakshmi suffered from
|
[
"endometriosis,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Lighthouse keeper J.A. Eckerman was the last person to see World War II Soviet submarine S-2 before it sank in January 1940 between Sweden and Finland.
A team of Swedish and Finnish divers had been searching for the Soviet submarine S-2 since 1999.
As the submarine dove near the island of Market, northwest of Aland, Eckerman heard a loud explosion and saw smoke rise from the water.
The long-lost wreck was missing for 69 years until a team of Swedish and Finnish divers -- including Eckerman's grandson Ingvald -- discovered it this year.
What remains of the sub was found between the Swedish coast and the Finnish island of Aland, northeast of Stockholm, in late February, the divers announced Tuesday.
The submarine was very badly damaged by the explosion, said Marten Zetterstrom, one of the divers. The front gun is still there, and a torpedo is still in one of the tubes, but about 20 meters (about 65 feet) of the vessel is missing.
The search had been going on for nearly 10 years, the divers said in a news release.
The sub had a crew of 46 and four passengers when it sank.
Sweden and Finland claim credit for sinking the submarine with mines. Russia has contacted Swedish and Finnish authorities to clarify what caused the submarine to sink, the divers said.
Finland was at war with the Soviet Union at the time the sub sank. A deal between Germany and the Soviets had put the Nordic nation within the Soviet "sphere of influence," and Soviet troops had invaded Finland late in 1939.
The fighting was mostly confined to Finland's eastern border. Just two months after the submarine's sinking, a temporary peace agreement was reached.
Sweden remained neutral in World War II.
CNN's Per Nyberg contributed to this report.
|
df55f786ff304e65be5a07dfb772eb7c
|
Which countries claim to have sunk it?
|
[
"Sweden and Finland"
] |
NewsQA
|
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South African fast bowler Dale Steyn took a career-best five for 34 as the Proteas took a tight grip on the first test against New Zealand in Johannesburg.
Steyn's career-best 5-34 was his fourth five-wicket haul in 14 tests.
New Zealand were bowled out for 118 in reply to South Africa's 226 and the home side piled on the agony by reaching 179 for two in their second innings.
Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis shared an unbeaten stand of 159 as South Africa stretched their lead to 287.
South Africa's bowlers excelled to bring their side back into the game after their disappointing first innings.
They snapped up five wickets in the morning session when the Kiwis could only muster 56 runs.
Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming made 40 but the next best score was new cap Ross Taylor's 15.
Fleming was struck on the right forearm by Steyn and did not field during the afternoon. Coach John Bracewell said he had gone for precautionary X-rays but there was only bruising.
New Zealand, 41 for two overnight, lost nightwatchman Shane Bond, bowled by a Steyn yorker, before Makhaya Ntini claimed the crucial wicket of Fleming, who was well caught by AB de Villiers diving to his left at third slip.
Scott Styris and Taylor scraped 19 runs in 10 overs before more wickets tumbled.
Steyn's figures bettered his previous best of five for 47 against the same opponents at Centurion two seasons ago. It was his fourth five-wicket haul in 14 tests.
Ntini took three for 47 and Kallis two for 11.
South Africa made an uncertain start to their second innings with openers Herschelle Gibbs and captain Graeme Smith out cheaply, but Amla and Kallis blunted the attack and then took charge.
They batted together for 205 minutes, Amla facing 230 balls and hitting 13 boundaries in his 85 while Kallis hit 12 fours off 122 deliveries in reaching 76.
The Kiwis were left to regret Brendon McCullum's failure to hold a chance from Amla off Shane Bond, when the batsman had only scored two.
"The ball was hard and new and we were trying to get momentum. It cost us a lot," said coach John Bracewell. E-mail to a friend
|
12b486cd69874827910e59893aaadb3e
|
What team is Dale Steyn on?
|
[
"Proteas"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Human remains found buried under recently added concrete at a home in Plant City, Florida, are likely those of missing lottery millionaire Abraham Shakespeare, police said Thursday.
Deputies made the discovery after a tip came in, suggesting investigators would find a body near a home in Plant City, according to CNN affiliate WFTV.
Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said the body was slowly being uncovered. They are awaiting positive identification.
However, Gee said their investigation and information specifically led them to the area after they began to believe he might be dead because of "sinister means and motives."
"Our indications were it would be there," Gee said during a news conference Thursday night.
Police on Wednesday had scanned the newly finished concrete slabs near the home on Wednesday and removed it. On Thursday, Gee said they discovered the remains buried five feet below the surface, and it appeared the remains had been there for awhile.
Shakespeare, a 43-year-old truck driver, won a $31 million Florida lottery prize in 2006. A year later, he won a court challenge from a fellow trucker who accused Shakespeare of snatching the winning ticket out of his wallet while the two were delivering meat to Miami restaurants.
Shakespeare's family reported him missing on November 9, telling the Polk County sheriff's office they hadn't seen him since April.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said when their investigation began, they had hoped to find Shakespeare alive "and he truly had just wanted to hide from those who were asking him for money."
"As our investigation continued, the information we developed led us to believe he may very well have ended up with an untimely death," Judd said.
Both Judd and Gee said they would not comment on whether anything else was found inside the manmade grave, or whether a previous person of interest was connected to the area. The home, according to WFTV, belongs to the boyfriend of a person of interest in the disappearance of Shakespeare.
While they await identification of the remains, police said they would begin to shift their focus to a murder investigation.
"It's painfully obvious he didn't get there by himself," Judd said.
Gee said police from Polk and Hillsborough counties were already working with prosecutors on the case and hope to bring to justice the person responsible for what they believe is clearly cold-blooded murder.
"Somebody put that body in that hole," Gee said. "This isn't by any means just where we find someone on the side of the road. Somebody has obviously put him there."
|
3da8fd668f73411aa6eb920d4aeccac9
|
Where were remains found?
|
[
"buried under recently added concrete at a home in Plant City, Florida,"
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France (CNN) -- Interpol on Monday took the unprecendented step of making a global appeal for help to identify a man from digitally reconstructed photos taken from the Internet that it said showed him sexually abusing underage boys.
This moving image shows how police used software to unscramble the image. (Source: Interpol)
The man's face was disguised by digital alteration, but the images were capable of being restored, according to a bulletin from Interpol -- the international police agency based in Lyon, France.
Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the pictures have been on the the Internet for several years, but investigators have been unable to determine the man's identity or nationality.
"We have tried all other means to identify and to bring him to justice, but we are now convinced that without the public's help this sexual predator could continue to rape and sexually abuse young children whose ages appear to range from six to early teens," Noble said.
He said there is "very good reason to believe that he travels the world in order to sexually abuse and exploit vulnerable children."
Interpol has determined the photos were taken in Vietnam and Cambodia.
"The decision to make public this man's picture was not one which was taken lightly," said Kristin Kvigne, assistant director of Interpol's Trafficking in Human Beings Unit.
The suspect's photo and more information can be seen online at Interpol's Web site. E-mail to a friend
|
ca25c1ebafc544b3ab7742603b272c84
|
Where did the abuse take place?
|
[
"Vietnam and Cambodia."
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France (CNN) -- A plane with seven people aboard crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday, a French regional government official told CNN.
A New Zealand Airbus 320 flying into Auckland from France, from a file picture taken in 2003.
The Airbus A320 jet was on a training flight when the crash occurred about 5 p.m. (4 p.m. GMT), said the official at the Maritime Prefecture in Toulon, France.
There were no immediate reports of survivors, but rescue efforts involving French navy vessels and a helicopter were launched. Floating debris had been located, the official said.
Airbus confirmed the crash in a written statement, saying the jet was owned by Air New Zealand and operated by XL Airways Germany.
"The aircraft was operating a local technical flight from Perpignan, France," the company said. The Airbus statement did not say how many people were thought to be on board. See a map of where the flight originated »
The twin-engine plane involved in the accident had accumulated about 7,000 flying hours, Airbus said. Learn more about the Airbus A320 »
"At this time, no further factual information is available," Airbus said. "In line with international convention, Airbus will provide full technical assistance to the authorities of France, who will be responsible for the investigation into the accident. A team of five specialists from Airbus is being dispatched to the site."
People in a civilian vessel saw the crash take place off the coast near Perpignan, the French government official said.
"The investigation remains the entire responsibility of the relevant authorities, and it would be inappropriate for Airbus to enter into any form of speculation into the cause of the accident," the Airbus statement said. "The concerns and sympathy of the Airbus employees go to the families, friends and loved ones affected by the accident."
|
0b01944b8b464c70b5eab9d7f0371229
|
What did rescue efforts find?
|
[
"Floating debris"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan stayed on course for the treble after beating Lazio 2-0 on Sunday to open up a two-point gap over Roma in the Serie A title race.
It completed a superb week for Inter, who reached the final of the Champions League with an aggregate win over Barcelona on Wednesday.
They also face Roma in the Italian Cup final next Wednesday having leapfrogged the capital side with their latest victory.
Lazio, fighting a relegation battle, were no match for Jose Mourinho's high-flyers, who are bidding for a fifth straight league title.
Argentine defender Walter Samuel headed in the opener just before halftime from a Wesley Sneijder cross.
Inter continued to press after the break and Thiago Motta scored the second from a Maicon corner in the 70th minute.
Roma had briefly led Serie A after their 2-1 win at Parma on Sunday with both teams now having two matches left to press their title claims.
Earlier, Sampdoria and Palermo both won to stay locked in the battle for the fourth and final Champions League qualifying place.
Sampdoria, who lead Palermo by two points, beat already relegated Livorno 2-0 while the Sicilians beat Siena 2-1.
The defeat sends Siena down.
In other games, Napoli and Juventus booked Europa League places.
Napoli won 2-1 away to Chievo while Juve dropped to seventh, but secured their spot with a 1-1 draw at Catania.
At the other end of the table, Bologna drew 1-1 with Atalanta to improve their chances of surviving the drop.
In the Netherlands, FC Twente sealed the Dutch title with a 2-0 win over NAC Breda to leave them one point ahead of Ajax, who beat NEC Nijmegen 4-0.
It is a remarkable triumph for a side managed by former England boss Steve McClaren who could not match the spending power of their Amsterdam rivals.
Bryan Ruiz and Miroslav Stoch scored the Twente goals to clinch the championship and a Champions League place.
|
086700a4b5704323b7fa2ab752e8906a
|
who beat lazio 2-0?
|
[
"Inter Milan"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A former hospital worker systematically shot and killed four people in upstate New York on Saturday, authorities in two counties said.
Former hospital worker Frank Garcia, 34, has been accused in the shooting rampage.
Frank Garcia, 34, was arrested Saturday afternoon. Garcia knew all four victims, police said, but they didn't reveal details about the relationships.
"The individuals who were shot were known to the suspect. It was not necessarily a random act," Monroe County Sheriff Patrick O'Flynn said.
The first two victims -- Mary Sillman, 23, and Randall Norman, 41 -- were fatally shot before 5 a.m. at Lakeside Memorial Hospital in Brockport, where Garcia was once employed, O'Flynn said. Another woman was wounded and is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital, he said.
The second shooting happened at a house in nearby Ontario County on Saturday afternoon.
Christopher Glatz, 45, and his wife, Kim, 38, were killed "execution-style" while their two teenagers were in the suburban Rochester home, Ontario County Sheriff Philip Povero said.
The teens were not wounded, but it is unclear whether they witnessed the event.
Povero said neighbors reported Garcia went door-to-door looking for the Glatzes' home.
"He was in fact looking for the residence," Povero said. "He was saying different things to different people, but he was clearly looking for that home."
Ballistic evidence has connected the two crime scenes, Povero said. Investigators found the matching brass cartridges from a pistol found on Garcia when he was arrested, he said.
Garcia was arrested at a restaurant Saturday afternoon, CNN affiliate R-News in Rochester reported.
Garcia was to be arraigned Saturday night in Monroe County, where the first shootings occurred, on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the second degree, O'Flynn said.
Sillman was a certified nursing assistant at Lakeside's long-term care center, hospital officials said.
"During Mary's brief time within the system, those who worked closest with Mary described her as warm, kind and compassionate toward the residents of Lakeside Beikirch Care Center," Lakeside interim CEO Michael Stapleton said in a statement.
Garcia likely will face similar charges in Ontario County, Povero said.
"This certainly speaks to a tragedy that is enormous, not only the taking of the lives that were taken, but the people that were left behind, the person in Brockport and the two teenage children who were present when their mother was systematically murdered," Povero said.
|
9b156f1793f44c1faffd89f225b7d923
|
What did the suspect do?
|
[
"shot and killed four people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Skybus Airlines announced Friday it is shutting down its passenger flights -- becoming the third airline this week to cease operations.
Skybus Airlines joins ATA and Aloha Airlines, which announced shutdowns earlier this week.
The low-cost carrier couldn't overcome "the combination of rising jet fuel costs and a slowing economic environment," the company said Friday. "These two issues proved to be insurmountable for a new carrier."
Skybus, an Ohio-based airline founded in 2004, will cease operations effective Saturday.
Earlier in the week, ATA Airlines and Aloha Airlines announced they would shut down flights as both companies work through bankruptcy filings.
ATA, an Indiana-based low-cost charter airline, filed for Chapter 11 status Wednesday as a result of financial problems "following the loss of a key contract for our military charter business," the company said. The company started operation in 1973.
Hawaii-based Aloha Airlines announced Sunday it would shut down its passenger operations this week after filing for bankruptcy protections last month, concluding 61 years of service.
In its bankruptcy filing, Aloha said it was unable to generate enough revenue from its inter-island passenger flights because of below-cost fares by competitors Mesa Air Group's go! airline. The company said it was forced to match the competitor's fares during an unprecedented increase in the cost of jet fuel.
Skybus said all flights Friday would be completed; passengers with reservations for Saturday and beyond were told to seek refunds from their credit card companies. E-mail to a friend
|
ecff406b5d134be9af0f4196e8324835
|
What companies are closing after bankruptcy filings?
|
[
"Skybus Airlines"
] |
NewsQA
|
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Three bomb blasts rocked the southern Thai border city of Sungai Kolok, leaving at least four people dead and 118 wounded, officials said.
The explosions happened Friday night in Thailand's Narathiwart Province, according to the country's Ministry of Public Health.
Authorities believe the bombs were planted in a car and motorcycle, and detonated with some form of coordination, according to military spokesman Col. Prinya Chaidilok.
He said the incident was carried out by "drug gangs" retaliating after a narcotics crackdown by authorities last week.
Sungai Kolok, which borders Malaysia in southern Thailand, is a popular tourist destination for Thais and Malaysians.
|
4631a37893bb410a8fac2ae9f0a26d5f
|
What is Sungai Kolok known as?
|
[
"popular tourist destination"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Southern California bank robber dubbed the "geezer bandit" has struck again, possibly knocking off his 11th bank, the FBI said.
The suspect held up a Bank of America branch in Temecula on Thursday.
"During (the) robbery, the robber approached the victim teller and presented a demand note for cash," a statement from the FBI said. "The robber carried a leather case which contained a small caliber pistol that he threatened to use, if the teller did not comply with his demands."
The FBI believes the suspect is responsible for robbing 10 banks in San Diego County and one in Riverside County.
The "geezer bandit" has carried a weapon in at least two of the robberies and should be considered dangerous, authorities said.
"In these types of crimes, the potential for violence is significant," April Langwell, spokeswoman for the San Diego office of the FBI, said in May. "The last thing we want to happen is an employee of the bank or a customer to be injured as a result of one man's greed."
The robber has been described as between 60 and 70 years old. However, there has been some suggestion that he may be wearing a mask to conceal his real age and make him appear much older than he is, Langwell said.
He is approximately 6 feet, 190 pounds, of average build and has been known to wear prescription eyeglasses and various hats and caps, including a blue baseball cap with a script style "P" on the front.
CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report.
|
3c2ec62d50ac47b8b5172e522faace83
|
what is the age of the robber
|
[
"between 60 and 70 years old."
] |
NewsQA
|
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Women's boxing will be included at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, the president of the International Olympic Committee announced Thursday.
Germany's Ina Menzer, left, fights American Franchesca Alcanter during a WIBF and WBC featherweight bout in May.
The decision came during a two-day IOC Executive Board meeting in Berlin, at which board members also decided to propose golf and rugby for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games.
"I can only rejoice about the decision of inclusion of women's boxing," IOC President Jacques Rogge told reporters.
"I think it's a great decision. Boxing was the sole (Olympic) sport with no women involved. "The sport of women's boxing has progressed a lot, a tremendous amount, in the last five years and it was about time to include them in the Games." Have your say - should women's boxing be included?
A men's class will likely be axed to make room for three women's weight categories at London 2012, the UK Press Association reported.
Women will compete in the flyweight 48-51kg class, lightweight 56-60kg and middleweight 69-75kg, the agency said.
When the IOC dropped baseball and softball from the 2012 Olympic program several years ago, it said it would consider adding new sports that had a clean reputation and a wide appeal.
Rogge pointed out that women's boxing has around 200 athletes who could potentially compete in 2012, while softball has only around 120. As a result, he said, the IOC considered women's boxing to be more popular.
Women's boxing has boomed in Britain since 2005, with the number of registered female fighters rising from 50 to 600, PA reported.
Softball and baseball were considered for inclusion in the 2016 Games along with squash, karate, roller sports, golf and rugby, but the board decided to consider only the last two.
Blog: IOC has picked the wrong sports, says CNN's Paul Gittings
The IOC has not yet selected the host city for 2016, but its board members will submit golf and rugby to the full IOC session for a final decision at its meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October.
"Golf and rugby scored high on all the criteria," Rogge told the IOC's official Web site. "They have global appeal, a geographically diverse line-up of top iconic athletes and an ethic that stresses fair play."
The International Golf Federation has proposed two four-day strokeplay tournaments for men and women, with 18 holes per round and medals awarded to the three players in each with the lowest scores.
The International Rugby Board has proposed men's and women's Sevens tournaments, with 12 teams in each being divided into two pools before semifinals and finals.
|
2f04301ce8ab4dc6869b7c6041d195fa
|
Which sport will be included in the games?
|
[
"Women's boxing"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Forbes' list of the world's wealthy has named Warren Buffett the richest person on the planet, surpassing his friend and philanthropic partner Bill Gates who had held the title for 13 consecutive years.
American investor Warren Buffett has been named world's richest person.
The American investor and philanthropist is worth an estimated $62 billion, up $10 billion from a year ago thanks to surging prices of Berkshire Hathaway stock, according to Forbes magazine's annual ranking of the world's billionaires.
Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, is now ranked as the world's third richest person. At $58 billion, his net worth is up $2 billion from a year ago. Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu was named the world's second richest man, with a net worth of around $60 billion, up $11 billion since last March.
For the first time, Forbes' rich list named more than 1,000 billionaires from around the world, with 226 newcomers. The total net worth of the group is $4.4 trillion, up $900 billion from 2007. Watch who's up and who's down »
This year's survey finds an increasing number of the world's richest coming from emerging markets, including China, India and Russia.
Two years ago, 10 of the top 20 billionaires were from the United States. This year, there are only four. India is now home to four of the 10 richest people in the world, the highest number for a single country.
But the United States still holds the top spot as the country with the most billionaires -- Americans account for 42 percent of the world's billionaires and 37 percent of the total wealth, according to Forbes.
With 87 billionaires, Russia is now in second place, overtaking Germany, with 59 billionaires, which had held that position for six years.
It is also a record-breaking year for young billionaires, with Forbes listing 50 billionaires under the age of 40. Check out the youngest billionaires »
Over half of them are self-starters, including Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, and India's Sameer Gehlaut, who started online brokerage Indiabulls. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, age 23, was called "quite possibly the world's youngest self-made billionaire ever." E-mail to a friend
|
fcbf3156a0a649799515b42fea8282df
|
Who did Forbes crown as the world's richest person?
|
[
"Warren Buffett"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Are airports equipped for the crunch of tech-savvy holiday travelers? Not really, according to a report from the folks at PCWorld, who say that only a fraction of the country's airports are ready for takeoff when it comes to meeting passengers' electronic needs.
"Overall, I would give the top 40 airports a C grade for accommodating tech-savvy travelers," senior editor Mark Sullivan said. "The airports, together, offer an average of 5.5 outlets per gate. When you consider that most people are now carrying devices that need wireless service and battery charge-up, this number is woefully low."
Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) tops the magazine's "20 Best U.S. Airports for Tech Travelers" list released this week. The airport got decent marks across all categories, and its Wi-Fi and cellular signals helped it edge out the competition.
Following close behind is New York's JFK International (JFK), whose $800 million Terminal 5 wowed researchers. Delta Air Lines' terminals 2 and 3 at JFK also impressed them, with restaurants that had iPad kiosks to take your order in the gate area and have your food delivered there. Overall, the airport offered more electrical outlets than any other and "decent" free Wi-Fi.
The country's busiest airport, Georgia's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), came in third place. The electrical outlets available to passengers totaled 1,377, an average 8.1 per gate.
No. 20 on the "best" list? Oregon's Portland International, which managed to rate in all categories despite what PCWorld called its "painfully slow (but free) airport Wi-Fi."
PCWorld researchers visited 3,300 gates, testing more than 17,000 electrical outlets, 5,000 USB ports and 1,350 charging stations during an audit of the 40 busiest airports in the United States. Auditors also conducted hundreds of tests of airport Wi-Fi and cellular broadband service.
Among the airports that didn't make the top 20 list, Denver International came in last, at No. 40.
The exhaustive study took nearly four months and examined the features, or lack thereof, that were common frustrations for tech-savvy travelers. These included the average number of electrical outlets, USB ports, charging stations, Internet kiosks and workspace available per airline gate.
"I believe this feature to be the largest and most complex undertaking in the magazine's 28-year history," senior editor Mark Sullivan said.
The bottom line? Even among the winners, PCWorld¹s researchers concluded that there's plenty of room for improvement.
|
2f089e7f86ec4c2b8a497d4073059348
|
who says u.s airports does not fulfill electronic needs?
|
[
"PCWorld,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Thailand's floodwaters inched toward downtown Bangkok Saturday, threatening some subway stations as leaders urged residents not to open defenses set up to divert the waters from the capital.
At least six subway stations are on the floodway, authorities said.
Residents have threatened to open the defenses to drain water from their flooded neighborhoods, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said.
"The main problem of solving flood is no longer technical but people," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said during the weekly radio address.
The flooding has killed 442 people, the Interior Ministry said. Of Thailand's 64 provinces, 25 have been affected.
Bangkok's central business district is still dry but other parts of the bustling metropolis of 12 million people are inundated.
The flooding has had an enormous business impact as many factories and offices have been under water for more than a month. Affected businesses include Hi Tech Industrial Park, where Canon and Sony own assembly plants.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.
|
5916e42b561b415d889931d80f9ce319
|
what is the name of the area where flood happened?
|
[
"Bangkok"
] |
NewsQA
|
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexico has fired more than 700 customs agents and replaced them with better-trained and educated workers who officials hope will be less likely to give in to the temptation of bribery and other crimes.
Cars cross the border into Mexico at the customs post in Tijuana on Monday.
The new agents were trained by the army to detect the smuggling of weapons, drugs, pirated products and other items, which has increased in recent years due to corruption. But Mexican Department of Customs officials were quick to point out that the military is not taking over at the nation's 49 customs posts.
"They are not military," said Customs Chief Juan Jose Bravo. "They are practically professional, most of them in outside commerce, in similar careers, who are qualified to work in customs matters."
All the new agents underwent psychological exams, drug screenings and background checks, Mexican officials said.
The new recruits are between the ages of 18 and 30; 65 percent are men and 35 percent are women.
Authorities also want to improve the Customs Department's image. The department is part of the Federal Mexican Government Ministry of Commerce and Industrial Development.
"Of course, the outside perception held by many about officials, and particularly this group, was of high corruption," Bravo said. "We did this, fundamentally, because we wanted to professionalize new training with a new plan."
But some security experts believe that replacing the customs agents will not resolve the problem of corruption.
"It's been perfectly demonstrated that that changing people can be absolutely futile if the structures keep functioning the same way," said Ernesto Lopez Portillo, executive director of the Institute for Security and Democracy. "Because the structures, the protocols, the systems are what allow people to comply with regulations."
|
95fa7b4204ce47d2a6ca6d7c940559ae
|
What do officials want to do?
|
[
"improve the Customs Department's image."
] |
NewsQA
|
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish judge has indicted three suspected former Nazi concentration camp guards Thursday on charges of genocide and ordered their arrests.
Visitors mark 60th anniversary of liberation Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 2005.
Two of the suspects, Johann Leprich and Anton Tittjung, each 84, are thought to live in the United States, while the third, Josias Kumpf, also 84, is believed to live in Austria, according to a copy of the court order viewed by CNN.
They are accused of serving in the Nazi SS. Leprich and Tittjung were armed guards at the Mauthausen concentration camp and Gross Raming subcamp, while Kumpf served at the Sachsenhausen camp, the court order said.
In addition to Jews and other types of prisoners, the Spanish judge said there more than 7,000 Spaniards held prisoner at Mauthausen, of whom 4,300 died.
Some Spaniards arrived at the Sachsenhausen camp, in convoys from France, the document said.
The order, including international arrest warrants, was issued by Judge Ismael Moreno of Spain's National Court, which investigates genocide and crimes against humanity involving Spaniards.
The 18-page document cited prior judicial investigative work from other countries regarding the backgrounds of the three alleged ex-Nazi guards and their suspected roles in the notorious Nazi death camps during World War II.
|
ced37c0edf5d4c52bffaa8c0150a1b2c
|
What position did the people hold at the camps?
|
[
"guards"
] |
NewsQA
|
DECATUR, Georgia (CNN) -- One falling tree saved John Kiefer from another.
Windstorms in Atlanta, Georgia, uprooted several trees, including this one that fell through John Kiefer's home.
Kiefer was sitting on his sofa Monday morning while a brief but intense windstorm blew through the Atlanta, Georgia, area, including Decatur. He heard a tree crash in his backyard and got up to investigate.
That tree knocked down a chain-link fence, and Kiefer was getting worried about several other large backyard trees that were swaying in the wind.
"And as I'm watching those move and sway, this crashed down," he said.
"This" was a 50-foot red oak in the front yard that fell onto his living room, splitting his house in half and coming to rest a few inches above where he had been sitting on the couch.
"Yeah, it's a mess," he said as he surveyed the tangle of broken wood beams, plaster, bricks and gray insulation.
Curiously, Kiefer's electricity was still on, and cable TV was still playing less then 10 feet away from the massive tree trunk in his living room. An ancient upright piano and various collectibles on it were unharmed.
Kiefer had been away over the weekend, visiting a son in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his three dogs were still at the kennel where he boarded them. They'll be staying there a bit longer.
Three years of drought in Georgia have weakened trees' root systems, and recent heavy rains loosened the soil around them, said Kiefer, who works at a plastics recycling company in nearby Stone Mountain. The windstorm brought down hundreds of trees in the area, including one that crushed a car, killing the person inside, and one that fell on a nursing home, where no one was hurt, CNN affiliate WGCL reported. Service was disrupted on Atlanta's MARTA rail transit system, according to WGCL.
Power and traffic signals were out in many areas. Watch CNN report about dangerous storms »
Despite having a tree lying across his living room, Kiefer seemed remarkably calm, but that was a new development.
"Couple of hours ago my knees where shaking pretty good," he admitted. But, he said, God was looking out for him.
"Actually, he saved my life," Kiefer said. "When I came outside to investigate that noise, that was my warning to get up off that couch. And then, not to go back in the house when it got real windy, but to stand right there where that tree stopped. There are no coincidences."
|
9cbd7ce872be46c5b71c8820b62f0c42
|
What fell on a nursing home?
|
[
"trees"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least 40 bodies -- all of them wearing uniforms identifying them as army officers -- have been found in a mass grave inside the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles paramilitary in the capital, Dhaka, authorities said Friday.
Bangladeshi army soldiers gather near the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in Dhaka Thursday.
The discovery brings to at least 62 the number of army officers who have been found dead after mutinous paramilitary forces took dozens of superiors hostages at the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) headquarters on Wednesday.
The Rifles laid down their arms after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina agreed to grant them amnesty.
The bodies were found in a grave behind the mortuary building inside the BDR compound in the Pilkhana area of Dhaka, said Cmdr. Abdul Kalam Azad with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite internal security team that is helping with the recovery effort.
"It's a bad scene," Azad said. "You can only see their legs. We're carrying away only as many as we can fit in ambulances. Then we're going to go look for more."
Earlier, 22 bodies had been recovered from the Buriganga River after the rebelling troops dumped them down a sewer during the standoff, authorities said.
The Rifles took their superiors -- all military men -- hostage Wednesday morning after a rebellion they said was spurred by years of their grievances not being addressed.
Discontent had been bubbling for years among the ranks of the BDR troops, a 65,000-strong paramilitary outfit primarily responsible for guarding the country's borders. Watch how the paramilitary revolt spread »
The recruits complained their army superiors dismissed their appeals for more pay, subsidized food and opportunities to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations.
Bangladesh and its South Asian neighbors contribute the most troops to such U.N. operations. And the pay is far greater than the meager salary the jawans -- as the BDR troops are called -- make.
|
9324e031a663474581061a837ea82a69
|
How many officers were killed in this incident?
|
[
"at least 62"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- An Indian woman accused of being a witch was tied to a tree and beaten by a mob, with television footage of the incident aired in India on Friday.
Villagers tied the woman to a tree after a man accused her of practicing black magic.
Nishant Tiwari, a police official in northeastern India, said a journalist who filmed the beating called him Thursday to report the incident, which took place in the village of Dumaria in central eastern Bihar state.
He arrived to find the woman tied to a tree, her hair partially cut and her complexion ruddy from being slapped. She had no serious injuries.
"I was appalled at what I saw because people should be more socially responsible than to do this," Tiwari said.
Authorities arrested six people, including the man who admitted to hiring her services as a witch. They were due to appear before a magistrate on Friday.
Ram Ayodhya, who could face up to seven years in prison for his role in the attack, told police he was justified in beating the woman, Tiwari said. Graphic content warning: Villagers beat woman »
Ayodhya said he paid her to use magic and prayer to improve his wife's health.
When his wife's condition deteriorated, Ayodhya accused her of performing black magic, Tiwari said, and a crowd soon gathered and tied her to the tree.
The woman seen being attacked is expected to testify when the suspects appear before the magistrate.
Tiwari said he was disturbed by the fact that a journalist filmed the incident before contacting authorities.
"The media filmed the incident, then called the police -- instead of the police first," Tiwari said.
CNN's partner network, CNN-IBN, reported that the incident took place close to the local police station.
It reported that there had been other such occurrences of mob justice in the state.
In Bhagalpur district in August 2007, a man caught trying to snatch a woman's chain was beaten up, with police looking on, and later tied to a motorcycle and dragged around by a police officer.
In September, in Lucknow's Wazirganj area, an angry mob beat a man to death after a 2½-year old girl was allegedly found sexually assaulted and murdered in his house. E-mail to a friend
|
a959532dd4f84a0c9a7463e59b4415e1
|
Who admitted to hiring her services as a witch?
|
[
"Ram Ayodhya,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- One person died and six were injured when a cargo train derailed, causing an explosion and massive fire in Illinois, a fire chief said Saturday.
A train carrying chemicals derailed and burned for hours, forcing the evacuation of about 600 homes
Crews were still fighting the blaze at midday, but expected to have it fully contained in the afternoon, said Rockford Fire Chief Derek Bergsten.
"It's under control and we're taking every precaution not to harm firefighters or residents," Bergsten said, adding that federal and state environmental officials were on scene monitoring air and soil samples.
The fatality was a woman, said Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia. The cause of death had not been determined because Fiduccia was unable to get close enough to examine the body.
Bergsten said six people were injured, and all train workers were accounted for.
The train was carrying chemicals that burned for hours, forcing the evacuation of about 600 homes in the town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Chicago, authorities said.
Officers were called to the scene near Rockford about 8:30 p.m. Friday, a city police spokeswoman said. The derailment involved automobiles, but it was unclear whether they were on the tracks, she said.
Three motorists who were stopped at a train crossing were burned, one severely, Bergsten said.
One of the victims, who tried to run from the blaze, suffered second-degree burns on his hand while trying to shield his neck from flames, according to Bergsten.
At least 14 cars of the 114-car train caught fire after the derailment, officials said.
The rest of the Canadian National Railway train -- including 70 cars carrying ethanol, a colorless, highly flammable liquid -- was disconnected and moved away from the blaze, Bergsten said.
CNN's Greg Morrison and Shawn Nottingham contributed to this report.
|
50a4cb9538d14448b786929eec8642c8
|
What happened in Rockford?
|
[
"person died and six were injured when a cargo train derailed, causing an explosion and"
] |
NewsQA
|
SINGAPORE (CNN) -- Hundreds of customers flocked to the Singapore office of troubled insurer American International Group Inc. (AIG) on Wednesday, many hoping to pull their investments and policies from the company.
People in Singapore queue outside the office of AIA, a subsidiary of AIG.
The crowd formed just hours after the U.S. Federal Reserve Board authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to lend $85 billion to a crumbling AIG. In return, the federal government will receive a nearly 80 percent stake in the company.
One person who lined up in Singapore, retired teacher Wong Yoke Inn, said she was going to pull her investments from AIA even though it would cost her about $3,000 -- the equivalent of about $2,000 in the United States.
She joined an orderly crowd whose members were each given a number and a time to return to meet with a representative of AIA Singapore -- AIG's division in the island nation.
AIA tried to allay investors concerns in a statement distributed outside the Singapore office and posted on the company's Web site.
"AIA Singapore has more than sufficient capital and reserves ... to meet our obligations to policyholders," the statement said.
"The funds maintained in Singapore are segregated from American International Group, Inc. (AIG) and are held specifically for the purpose of meeting our obligations to policyholders."
The U.S. government announced Tuesday night that it would act to save America's largest insurer from filing for bankruptcy. Such a move almost certainly would have further roiled world markets already reeling from the bankruptcy filling of Lehman Brothers and the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America.
AIG has $1.1 trillion in assets and 74 million clients in 130 countries.
|
61b16700cfdf4fc0bb0ab3c81adb2365
|
Who tried to ease worries of policy holders?
|
[
"AIA"
] |
NewsQA
|
ROME, Italy (CNN) -- A U.N. report says hunger is on the rise globally and blames higher food prices.
Populations within conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of Congo are particularly vulnerable.
The Food and Agriculture Organization has issued preliminary estimates classifying 963 million people as undernourished -- an increase of 40 million people over the past year.
"One out of seven people -- about 15 percent -- suffer chronically of not having enough to eat," said Mark Smulders, an FAO economist.
The hunger report -- titled "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2008" -- said the world's financial and economic problems could throw more people into poverty.
The number of hungry had been increasing over the years before the rise in food prices, with warfare and political instability continuing to be among the factors causing poverty.
The preliminary estimates lack a firm country breakdown, but last year's figures are an accurate measure of where the problems are.
About 907 out of 923 million undernourished people in 2007, or 65 percent of the hungry, live in India, China, the war-wracked Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
Smulders said about 27 percent of the world's hungry live in India and 15 percent in China. The other countries each represent 4 to 5 percent of the world's total.
There has been progress in fighting hunger in the Asian nations of Thailand and Vietnam, and in the sub-Saharan African nations of Ghana, Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Mozambique and Malawi, the report said.
Food prices have declined from their peak earlier in the year, but they are staying high compared to other years, the agency said. The Food and Agriculture Organization's food price index was 28 percent higher in October than it was two years before.
"Prices of major cereals have fallen by over 50 percent from their peaks earlier in 2008 but they remain high compared to previous years," the FAO said.
The agency said the "rural and urban poor, landless farmers and female-headed households are the worst hit by high food prices."
-- CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report.
|
202711d653a448ac932650eb9ad175f4
|
What is to blame for an increase of hunger according to UN?
|
[
"higher food prices."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Dozens of flights were delayed at India's New Delhi airport Monday after lizards, birds and jackals strayed on to a runway to seek refuge from the monsoon rains.
Kids play cricket through a downpour in New Delhi as monsoon rains came early to the area this week.
Animal rescuers rounded up the critters and moved them to habitats outside airport property. But the operation delayed several flights and shut down the runway for some time, airport spokesman Arun Arora said.
Kartick Satyanarayan of the conservation group Wildlife SOS said the animals descended on the runway in search of dry ground.
His group works with the airport to move wildlife from airport property to a sanctuary on the outskirts of the capital.
"It's been raining cats and dogs the last two days. And when it rains like this, water goes in and fills the burrows of these animals," he said.
"The runway," he added, "is the only safe area. So they come out."
While monsoon rains typically sweep across the subcontinent in early June, they usually do not reach the capital city of New Delhi and other regions in northern India until early July. Watch how Indians cope with monsoon waters »
They came about two weeks early in the northern part of the country this year, killing at least 20 people in landslides, home collapses and floods.
The airport sits on more than 2,000 acres that, over the years, have become home to jackals, porcupines, dogs, cats and a variety of birds.
Arora would not say how many flights were delayed during the rescue operation. The airport handles 13,000 domestic and 9,500 international passengers a day.
"(The) numbers are speculative as it is difficult to attribute delays to bad weather, strong winds, birds or animals," Arora said.
In the past, animals on the runway have disrupted flights at the airport -- particularly during the monsoon season, Satyanarayan said.
"The monitor lizards -- they look frightening but they are harmless animals," he said. "But they can grow about three to four feet long. And at the velocity a plane lands, the [lizards] can still cause damage."
|
795e782352874c6badd864a92858a22a
|
For what purpose animals take the track?
|
[
"in search of dry ground."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- As European consumers shift their drinking habits away from bars and into their homes, industry giants such as Heineken are looking at ways to adapt.
Beer sales in bars and restaurants - traditionally the primary outlets for the Dutch brewer's products - have fallen sharply across the continent in recent years. As a result, Heineken recorded a 4.6% drop in sales in 2010, down to €7.89 billion ($11.3 billion).
Didier Debrosse, president of Heineken's Western Europe division, is now looking for way to reflect consumer's changing needs as the company looks to arrest the drop.
He has helped to implement a strategy he hopes will align the brewing giant with the demands of modern European consumers.
A key component of the transition so far has seen Heineken move away from its traditional focus on bars and restaurants as primary points of sale.
A series of partnerships and promotions with supermarkets such as France's Carrefour have been established - providing direct access to the home consumer market.
Initial results of the link up are promising. Heineken recorded sales 3% higher at Carrefour stores than at any other outlet in the last year. The key is products which are easier to consume at home, such as a can to drink on the terrace, or a bottle to have with a meal. The aim, Debrosse said, is "to cover all the consumer moments."
Debrosse is careful, however to maintain a long term definition of success. "It is a journey," he says. "It takes time to build a brand."
CNN's Eoghan Macguire contributed to this report
|
c245bf25e11b4de3941b2f543261d17a
|
Have beer sales in European bars and restaurants increased recently?
|
[
"fallen sharply"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- North Korea vowed Wednesday that it "will take every necessary measure to protect its sovereignty" in the midst of 12-day U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises.
South Korean soldiers move into a building during a joint military exercise with U.S. troops in Pocheon Tuesday.
"These war exercises were kicked off by the U.S. and the South Korean puppet war-like forces across South Korea at a time when the inter-Korean relations have reached the worst phase and the situation has grown so tense that a war may break out (at) any moment due to the reckless policy of confrontation pursued by the South Korean conservative authorities," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said.
Referring to "war maneuvers" and "nuclear war exercises," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were "designed to mount a preemptive attack on the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in terms of their scale and contents from A to Z," according to KCNA.
South Korea has defended the joint exercises.
"We have said several times that the U.S.-South Korean military exercises are annual defensive exercises," said Kim Ho-nyun, a Unification Ministry spokesman, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Monday.
"We again urge North Korea to maintain the agreed stance of mutual respect and to stop its verbal attacks and actions that are raising tensions on the Korean peninsula," he said.
Tensions have ramped up in recent days, as North Korea threatened retaliation in the event of an interception of its "satellite" launch.
U.S. and South Korean officials have said that North Korea appears to be preparing to test-fire its long-range missile, the Taepodong-2, under the guise of launching a satellite into space. The missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers), which -- if true -- could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii.
On Saturday U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth said he wanted dialogue with North Korea, but he also spoke against North Korea's move to go forward with a launch, saying it would be "ill-advised."
|
381f106733e642819e449516a65b56e3
|
The North Korean Foreign Ministry calls exercises what?
|
[
"\"war maneuvers\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- For some people, owing $11 million in back taxes to the IRS and facing foreclosure may be no laughing matter, but Chris Tucker is not one of them.
In a stand-up performance in Miami recently, the "Rush Hour" star, 39, cracked a few jokes about his financial struggles.
"That's the last time I let Wesley Snipes help me out with my taxes," Tucker quipped, according to the Miami New Times, referring to the actor whose failure to file returns landed him a three-year prison sentence.
Tucker even used his interactions with bill collectors as fodder for his act.
"They calling you acting like you owe them the money personally!" he said, according to the paper. "I don't owe you s---! This is between me and the company!"
Tucker is also quoted as making a crack about being so bad with money that he bought two houses next to each other and then had to ask neighbors to borrow a cup of sugar.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
5415ab88fa724b51bf295c680463dd96
|
What movie did the person star in?
|
[
"\"Rush Hour\""
] |
NewsQA
|
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- So much for Southern hospitality.
The attack took place on April 27 at Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta, Georgia.
When Pearl Jam -- the Seattle, Washington-based grunge rock band -- was in the Atlanta area late last month, bass guitar player Jeff Ament and a band employee were mugged outside a recording studio, a police report shows.
According to the DeKalb County Police Department, Ament and Mark Anthony Smith were attacked shortly before noon on April 27 when they arrived at Southern Tracks Recording.
Southern Tracks is the home base of producer Brendan O'Brien, with whom the band has worked before. According to Rolling Stone, the band is recording a new album with the producer.
Three men reportedly emerged from a nearby wooded area wearing masks and brandishing knives. They smashed windows of the rented Jeep Commander, snatched a BlackBerry phone and other belongings, and demanded money, the police report shows. The suspects allegedly got away with more than $7,300 in goods and cash.
Ament jumped from the passenger side of the vehicle and started to run, but he was chased by a suspect and knocked to the ground, said Mekka Parish, a public information officer with the police department. Watch surveillance video of the attack »
She said he "suffered some lacerations" on the back of his head and was treated at the scene. His backpack was also snatched, she said, and included inside was Ament's passport.
"At this time detectives believe the victims were not specifically targeted," Parish said. "But they believe the suspects were familiar with the studio because of its isolated location."
Though surveillance cameras captured the incident, the masks worn by the attackers have made identifying suspects difficult.
Witnesses reported seeing the suspects flee through the woods and hop into a waiting black Maxima, Parish added. Anyone with leads on this case is encouraged to call 770-724-7850.
|
6050e47695d64a77a000e8fbbf5bc468
|
what did ament suffer
|
[
"some lacerations\" on the back of his head"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- As part of an effort to share the best practices of modern business among organizations across the globe, CNN is talking to some of the world's top executives.
In line with this, CNN will be hosting three events looking at modern strategies in today's business arena.
The first of these master classes will be based at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai and will be aired November 10 and 11.
One of the guests at the event will be Howard Schultz, chairman of the international coffee shop chain Starbucks. He will be part of a live discussion at the master class and will take questions that you, the CNN audience, put to him.
As the head of a coffee empire that now boasts over 12,000 stores and recorded revenues in 2006 of $7.8 billion, Schultz is well equipped to tackle questions on the best ways to succeed in today's business world.
The CNN Boardroom Master classes will take place in the homes of the world's largest stock markets -- Shanghai, New York and London. It airs on November10 at 2115 and November 11 at 0115 & 1615 HKT. E-mail to a friend
|
54302d6c9cfa4dff8215fcef95ad74dd
|
What will the first event feature?
|
[
"modern strategies in today's business arena."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least three tornadoes caused massive damage in Virginia and injured more than 200 people on Monday, officials said.
This Suffolk, Virginia, house was destroyed by an apparent tornado Monday.
At least 200 were injured in Suffolk where a twister destroyed several homes and businesses, said Bob Spieldenner of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
The storm hit the 138-bed Sentara Obici Hospital, though Spieldenner said the facility was still operational and accepting patients.
A second tornado struck Colonial Heights -- about 60 miles northwest, near Richmond -- injuring at least 18 people, he said.
A third twister damaged several homes near Lawrenceville, about 70 miles south of Richmond, said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, which confirmed all three tornadoes.
Gov. Tim Kaine declared a Virginia-wide state of emergency as hazardous weather continued through the central part of the state.
The Suffolk twister touched down just before 4 p.m. ET and plowed its way east into Norfolk, damaging scores of homes, stores and cars and downing dozens of trees and power lines, Jackson said. Watch as a witness describes the tornado form »
Video footage from the scene showed roofs torn off homes, cars flipped over, trees snapped in two and a caved-in section of a newly constructed shopping center.
Furniture, fences and mounds of other debris were tossed in streets, parking lots and lawns. Watch the storm's massive destruction from the air »
A tornado warning over the area remained in effect Monday evening.
Jeff Judkins, the city's emergency management coordinator, said there also were reports of people trapped inside cars. It's the worst damage he's seen in the area, he said.
An emergency shelter will be established by Monday night, Suffolk spokeswoman Dana Woodson said.
Officials initially reported a fatality, but later determined that it was unrelated to the storm, she said. E-mail to a friend
|
7a64339b5ea14b13a42aa5add0970671
|
what caused the injuries
|
[
"three tornadoes"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- After huffing and puffing up 354 steps to the newly reopened Lady Liberty crown, Aaron Weisinger figured it was time to pop the question to his girlfriend, Erica Breder.
Aaron Weisinger proposes to Erica Breder on July Fourth inside the crown of the Statue of Liberty.
"The Fourth of July has always been a favorite holiday, so that was part of it, " Weisinger said.
The couple flew to New York from San Francisco, California, after managing to be among the first 240 people to snag the tickets to the Statue of Liberty crown for its reopening after September 11, 2001.
Weisinger got down on one knee inside the narrow, 8-foot-long deck inside the Statue of Liberty's crown, asked Breder to be his wife and offered her a sizeable diamond ring.
"I believe I was silent for several minutes. I was so excited," Breder said.
Then she said "yes."
Both said their families came to the United States via Ellis Island.
"My great-grandparents immigrated [from Russia and Hungary]," Weisinger said. His fiance's relatives arrived from Hungary.
"The thoughts behind the statue and freedom and liberty allowed our parents and great-grandparents before us to have the wonderful lives that we do," Weisinger added.
Breder said she was thrilled to make the long climb up a steep spiral staircase to stand inside Lady Liberty's crown.
"It was fantastic, much smaller than we had anticipated. The view's fantastic," the newly engaged Breder said.
New safety measures include double handrails, glass stairwell partitions and careful crowd control, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Now, only three groups of 10 visitors per hour are guided up to the crown by a National Park Service ranger. That means only about 87,000 will be able to visit each year.
In the past, it took visitors at least an hour and a half to climb from the base to the crown. Now, it takes only about 15 to 20 minutes.
A new engineering study showed that there had to be changes to make it easier to exit the crowded staircase.
Crown tickets can now be reserved online up to a year in advance, but the statue will close again in two years for additional renovations.
|
78d98555a24f44eca31841891aa37df5
|
whom did he propose to
|
[
"Erica Breder"
] |
NewsQA
|
Colombo, Sri Lanka (CNN) -- Sri Lanka's former army chief appeared before a military court Tuesday, on charges that he says are designed to remove him from politics.
Retired Army Gen. Sarath Fonseka faced a panel of three military judges, who are to decide whether he is guilty of participating in politics while still in uniform.
Fonseka's spokesman Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the former military commander's lawyers raised two objections: that the judges are biased and that a military court can no longer rule on Fonseka's case, because he left the army more than six months ago.
The court will reconvene on April 6 to rule on the objections, according to government spokesman Maj. Gen. Prasad Samarasinghe.
However, Fonseka must return to court Wednesday to face separate charges of violating military procurement procedures.
Fonseka says the charges against him are false and politically motivated.
The man credited with the military campaign that defeated a quarter-century-long insurgency by the Tamil Tiger rebel movement was arrested last month. He was dragged from his office by armed military police during a meeting with his supporters, they said.
He has since been detained at naval headquarters in Colombo, where the military tribunal is convening.
Fonseka and President Mahinda Rajapaksa were allies and heroes of last year's battle against the Tigers, but they drifted apart.
Fonseka's supporters say the former general was seen as a threat to the government and his arrest was ordered to prevent his participation in parliamentary elections April 8.
The former military commander challenged Rajapaksa in January's presidential elections, but lost by a wide margin and accused the government of election fraud.
The Fonseka family has challenged his arrest in Sri Lanka's supreme court. Those arguments are to be heard April 26.
His wife, Anoma Fonseka, called the legal proceedings against her husband a joke.
Journalist Amal Jayasinghe contributed to this report.
|
7703f381b82f4f16b5826d987333c6b4
|
What do supporters say about Fonseka and his role with the government?
|
[
"Fonseka's supporters say the former general was seen as a threat to the government and his arrest was ordered to prevent his participation in parliamentary elections April 8."
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The head of Britain's intelligence services has warned that children as young as 15 are becoming involved in terrorist-related activity.
Jonathan Evans, the chief of MI5, also said that at least 2,000 people in Britain pose a threat to the country's security because of their support for al Qaeda-inspired terrorism.
"As I speak, terrorists are methodically and intentionally targeting young people and children in this country. They are radicalising, indoctrinating and grooming young, vulnerable people to carry out acts of terrorism," he told a gathering of newspaper editors in Manchester.
Evans said the figure of 2,000 -- an increase of 400 since November 2006 -- only included those the intelligence services knew about and that the actual number could be double.
He said there had been 200 terrorist convictions in Britain since the September 11 attacks.
The MI5 head added that over recent years much of the command and inspiration for attack planning in the UK had come from al Qaeda's remaining core leadership in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
However, he said in the last 12 months terrorist plots on British soil were increasingly inspired by al Qaeda cadres in other countries, including in Iraq and East Africa.
"There is no doubt now that al Qaeda in Iraq aspires to promote terrorist attacks outside Iraq. There is no doubt that there is training activity and terrorist planning in East Africa -- particularly in Somalia -- which is focused on the UK," he told the Society of Editors meeting.
According to Evans, there had been "no decrease" in the number of Russian covert intelligence officers operating in Britain since the end of the Cold War.
He said that resources that could be devoted to counter-terrorism were instead being used to protect Britain against spying by Russia, China and others.
"A number of countries continue to devote considerable time and energy trying to steal our sensitive technology on civilian and military projects and trying to obtain political and economic intelligence at our expense," he said. E-mail to a friend
|
47b439b01e31444aba7ce930fac57c90
|
Who said that at least 2,000 people in Britain who pose threat to security?
|
[
"Jonathan Evans,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A marijuana bust along the U.S.-Mexico border revealed 30 pounds of the drug stuffed into framed pictures of Jesus Christ, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency said Wednesday.
"This is not the first time we have seen smugglers attempt to use religious figures and articles of faith to further their criminal enterprise," said William Molaski, port director of the agency's office in El Paso, Texas, in a statement.
"What some might find offensive or sacrilegious has unfortunately become a standard operating procedure for drug smugglers. This would include using religious symbols, children and senior citizens in their attempts to defeat the CBP inspection process."
Authorities said a 22-year-old woman in a Jeep from Juarez, Mexico, told federal border patrol officers that she had nothing to declare besides the framed art. The officers checked out the vehicle with Cesar, a federal drug-sniffing dog, who alerted them to three framed pictures of Jesus in the vehicle.
The officers pulled the backing of the pictures and found numerous bundles, authorities said. The woman was arrested.
The bust was one of three marijuana seizures made Tuesday at the El Paso point of entry. Officers said they seized 214 pounds of marijuana in the two other busts.
|
f7fd28cad67a4b0997fd3b150ed1b29c
|
What was the dog's name?
|
[
"Cesar,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Thailand and Cambodia have called for dialogue as tensions continued to escalate over an ancient border temple on disputed land.
Cambodian soldiers stand guard near Preah Vihear temple, close to the Thai border.
The countries agreed to meet Monday even as each side deployed more troops to the site of the Preah Vihear temple, the national Thai News Agency reported Thursday.
Both Cambodia and Thailand lay claim to the 11th century temple, which sits atop a cliff on Cambodian soil but has its most accessible entrance on the Thai side.
The International Court of Justice awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but the 1.8 square mile (4.6 sq. km) area around it was never fully demarcated.
Last week, the United Nations approved Cambodia's application to have the temple listed as a World Heritage Site -- places the U.N. says have outstanding universal value.
The decision re-ignited tensions, with some in Thailand fearing it will make it difficult for their country to lay claim to disputed land around the temple.
Opposition parties in Thailand used the issue to attack the government, which initially backed the heritage listing. Watch Thai villagers block anti-government demonstrators »
A Thai court overturned the pact, prompting the resignation of Thailand's foreign minister, Noppadon Pattama. He had endorsed the application.
Cambodia, meanwhile, is preparing for general elections on July 27. And Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been in power since the mid-1980s, has portrayed the U.N. recognition as a national triumph.
The current flare-up began Tuesday, when Cambodian guards briefly detained three Thais who crossed into the area. Once they were let go, the trio refused to leave the territory, the Thai News Agency said.
The Cambodian state-run news agency, AKP, said that Thailand sent troops to retrieve the men and gradually built up their numbers.
Thailand denies the charge, saying its troops are deployed in Thai territory.
The standoff continued Thursday, with each side asking troops to withhold fire unless they are fired upon, the news agencies said.
Thailand has put its Air Force on standby to evacuate its nationals from Cambodia if tensions worsen, TNA said.
So far, the only casualty has been a Thai soldier who was injured Tuesday by a landmine -- possibly left over from the time the Khmer Rouge occupied the area.
The Khmer Rouge, a radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979, won power through a guerrilla war. It is remembered for the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Cambodians.
|
bfe592cdd5a34810a9a950d629ad001b
|
To what country did the International Court of Justice award the temple?
|
[
"Cambodia"
] |
NewsQA
|
Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish court Wednesday convicted five men accused of Islamic terrorist activities that included aiding fugitives from the Madrid train bombings of 2004 and planning other attacks.
The five men include three Moroccans, an Algerian and a Turk. Their sentences, on charges of collaborating or belonging to an Islamic terrorist group, range from five to nine years in prison, according to a copy of the court order viewed by CNN.
The court acquitted four other defendants, all Moroccans, on similar charges.
"During the years 2004 and 2005, the group provided cover and economic support and facilitated the flight from Spain for individuals who had roles" in the train bombings, the court said.
The group was based in a Barcelona suburb, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, before police made arrests in June 2005, officials said.
Some in the group also were involved in trafficking in weapons or explosives, or preaching violence for indoctrination of new militants, ruled a three-judge panel at Spain's high-security National Court.
The Madrid train bombings -- coordinated attacks on four morning-rush commuter trains -- killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800.
Spanish courts previously had convicted 14 Islamic militants for their roles in the train bombings. Among them were four Spaniards convicted of trafficking in the explosives used in the attacks.
|
6b8bb0fb53c046dabcdec75148126679
|
What number of people died in the bombing?
|
[
"191"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Vietnamese woman caught cooking a tiger carcass was sentenced to two and a half years in jail, state media reported Thursday.
There are reportedly only about 100 tigers, prized by so-called medicine men, left living in Vietnam.
A Hanoi court convicted Nguyen Thi Thanh, 41, for "violating regulations protecting rare wild animals."
She was arrested last September after police raided a house that she rented in the capital city of Hanoi and found dead tigers, bear arms, monkey bones and elephant tusks.
Officers found Thanh and three accomplices cooking tiger carcasses, the Thanh Nien daily reported. The three men received suspended sentences, ranging from 24 to 30 months, the daily said.
The woman told police she sold the animals' bone marrow for 6.5 million Vietnamese dong ($400) per gram to traditional medicine men, according to reports at the time.
Such medicine men think tiger bones and other parts can cure arthritis and other joint ailments, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Tigers are universally threatened, with only about 100 still living in Vietnam, the World Wildlife Fund said.
The southeast Asian country has banned trafficking in endangered animal parts.
Last year, the Vietnamese government unearthed 38 cases of illegal trafficking that involved 503 endangered animals, local media said at the time. E-mail to a friend
|
38b5a704dec24020852cfbd2140285ae
|
Who was caught cooking a tiger?
|
[
"Vietnamese woman"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- Tibetan exile leaders, meeting in northern India to debate a potential new approach to Tibet's decades-long struggle for autonomy, have voted to stay with the Dalai Lama's current "middle way approach," according to a spokesman for the spiritual leader.
Some have sought Tibet's independence from China, but the Dalai Lama has sought autonomy.
"The majority of the people have spoken and have requested his holiness the Dalai Lama to continue with his middle way approach," said spokesman Tenzin Taklha.
The meeting was called after the Dalai Lama acknowledged he had failed in his efforts to convince China to restore the territory's autonomy. He did not attend the week-long conference in Dharamsala, a town in the hills of north India where he lives in exile. He called the meeting, he said, to offer the exiles an opportunity to discuss "the best possible future course of action" for Tibet.
Takhla said the Tibetans demonstrated that the Dalai Lama was their undisputed leader, and they hoped China would recognize him as such and negotiations toward a realistic solution could be held.
There was a small minority who said they wanted to demand Tibet's independence, Takhla said.
The "middle way" approach with Beijing is one in which Tibetans want a level of autonomy that will allow them to protect and preserve their culture, religion and national identity. In exchange, China could continue to claim Tibet as part of its territory.
Some in Tibet have advocated independence from China, but the Dalai Lama has long called for genuine autonomy.
Tibet is technically autonomous from the central Chinese government, but the Dalai Lama and others have said they favor real autonomy and resent the slow erosion of their culture amid an influx of Han Chinese, the largest ethnic group in China. Learn about Tibet's history of conflict »
The resentment spilled over in March, when Buddhist monks initiated peaceful anti-Chinese protests in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The demonstrations began March 14, the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Beijing's rule that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.
The protests soon turned violent, with demonstrators burning vehicles and shops. Some protesters advocated independence from China, while others demonstrated against the growing influence of the Han Chinese in Tibet and other regions of China with ethnic Tibetan populations. The subsequent crackdown left 18 civilians and one police officer dead, according to the Chinese government. Tibet's self-proclaimed government-in-exile put the death toll from the protests at 140.
China blamed the Dalai Lama and his followers for the March riots -- a charge he has consistently denied.
|
d51123b7510d4ec5aac5f1f950f5bff9
|
What do the Tibetan exile leaders back?
|
[
"the Dalai Lama's current \"middle way approach,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Nearly a week after the bloody weekend crackdown on Iranian protesters, the issue is still generating thousands of posts on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.
CNN's Iran desk is analyzing dozens of Internet videos of the violent demonstrations on Dec. 23-24 in which at least seven protesters were killed.
Hundreds of "tweets" are still being posted onto Twitter every hour.
Each day, thousands of people are joining a Facebook page dedicated to supporting the anti-government protesters, called "100 Million Facebook Members for Iran."
Here is a rundown of the latest social media trends that CNN has compiled:
Twitter: Most Shared Articles on Iran
• U.S. Iran standing in its own way with nuke plan
• Iran gives West one-month ultimatum to accept uranium swap
• Total wealth of Khamenei and family $36 billion
• Iranian opposition grows beneath surface
• Shah's son urges international protest over Iran
Most Popular Iran Hashtags on Twitter
#iran
#iranelections
#ashura
#hhrs
#news
#iranprotests
#sharia
#united4iran
#protests
#Tryant
#VivaLiberty
#Strike
#freedom
#protest
#Mousavi
#HumanRights
#Neda
Most popular Facebook accounts on Iran
• 100 Million Facebook Members for Iran
• Mir Hossein Moussavi personal page
|
5f543e7bded34954ac456cc9935a7dc1
|
Who is analysing dozens of video posts?
|
[
"CNN's Iran desk"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- North Korea vowed Wednesday that it "will take every necessary measure to protect its sovereignty" in the midst of 12-day U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises.
South Korean soldiers move into a building during a joint military exercise with U.S. troops in Pocheon Tuesday.
"These war exercises were kicked off by the U.S. and the South Korean puppet war-like forces across South Korea at a time when the inter-Korean relations have reached the worst phase and the situation has grown so tense that a war may break out (at) any moment due to the reckless policy of confrontation pursued by the South Korean conservative authorities," North Korea's official KCNA news agency said.
Referring to "war maneuvers" and "nuclear war exercises," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said they were "designed to mount a preemptive attack on the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in terms of their scale and contents from A to Z," according to KCNA.
South Korea has defended the joint exercises.
"We have said several times that the U.S.-South Korean military exercises are annual defensive exercises," said Kim Ho-nyun, a Unification Ministry spokesman, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Monday.
"We again urge North Korea to maintain the agreed stance of mutual respect and to stop its verbal attacks and actions that are raising tensions on the Korean peninsula," he said.
Tensions have ramped up in recent days, as North Korea threatened retaliation in the event of an interception of its "satellite" launch.
U.S. and South Korean officials have said that North Korea appears to be preparing to test-fire its long-range missile, the Taepodong-2, under the guise of launching a satellite into space. The missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles (6,700 kilometers), which -- if true -- could give it the capability of striking Alaska or Hawaii.
On Saturday U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth said he wanted dialogue with North Korea, but he also spoke against North Korea's move to go forward with a launch, saying it would be "ill-advised."
|
58ba1aecd573457c9fa650bd96e1338e
|
What does South Korea call exercises?
|
[
"annual defensive exercises,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Real Madrid moved six points clear in Spain after winning a fiery derby match against nine-man Atletico on Saturday and then seeing defending champions Barcelona suffer a shock first La Liga defeat this season.
Real marched to a 13th successive victory in all competitions, while Barca lost 1-0 at lowly Getafe -- who had won just once in seven games.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties as Jose Mourinho's side came from behind to win 4-1 at the Bernabeu, with Atletico having teenage goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois sent off in the 23rd minute for bringing down Karim Benzema when the French striker tried to go around him.
The 19-year-old was replaced by substitute keeper Sergio Asenjo, whose first job was to pick the ball out of the net after being beaten by Ronaldo.
Angel Di Maria made it 2-1 four minutes after the break when Ronaldo's intended pass to Benzema fell in his path, and fellow Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain pounced on a mistake by Diego Godin in the 65th minute.
Godin was also sent off for an 81st-minute foul on Higuain, who had been put through by Ronaldo's clever pass -- and the Portugal forward sent Asenjo the wrong way from the spot to make it 4-1.
Atletico had not beaten Real for 12 years, but started the match promisingly as Adrian finished off a fine move to give the mid-table visitors the lead in the 15th minute.
Barcelona, seeking to win the league for the fourth season in a row, succumbed to a 67th-minute header from Getafe defender Juan Valera after being caught napping at a corner.
The Catalan side poured forward in search of a last-gasp equalizer, but Lionel Messi had an injury-time effort ruled out when substitute Seydou Keita was judged to be offside and then the Argentina star hit the post as he failed to match Ronaldo's leading tally of 16 league goals.
Pep Guardiola's team will be hoping to reduce Real's lead in the first Clasico clash in the league this season in Madrid on December 10.
Third-placed Valencia bounced back from last weekend's home defeat by Real by winning 2-1 at mid-table Rayo Vallecano.
Brazilian striker Jonas put Valencia ahead in the 21st minute and Argentine midfielder Tino Costa made it 2-0 on 56, while Raul Talmudo scored a late consolation.
The win left Valencia one point behind Barca after 13 rounds.
|
b840f0dfd2994ef7b7e2f787a17717a2
|
Who did Madrid defeat?
|
[
"Atletico"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Five days of gunbattles between the Indian army and separatist militants in Indian-administered Kashmir have left at least 25 dead -- eight Indian army troopers, including one officer, and 17 militants, the Indian military said Tuesday.
An Indian army soldier lays a wreath during the funeral of a slain soldier, northeast of Srinagar on Tuesday.
Defense Minister A.K. Antony, meeting with India's military chiefs in Delhi, reviewed the situation in the Himalayan region and told the Army to deal with the situation in the Himalayan region with "utmost firmness."
Kashmir has been in the throes of a violent separatist campaign for nearly two decades during which authorities say 43,000 people have been killed. However, various NGOs and rights groups put the number of dead at twice the official count.
In Srinigar, Kashmir, Army spokesman Lt. Col. J.S. Brar told CNN the Army was moving against the militants "based on sound intelligence inputs as well as human intelligence provided by our own sources."
The battles in the Shamsbhari forests of north Kashmir Kupwara district have caused "minimum collateral damage to property," Brar said.
The spokesman denied media reports that helicopter gunships and heavy weapons had been used by the army during these operations against the militants.
This month's encounter between the Indian Army and the militants is the second longest in Kashmir this year. In January, a fierce encounter raged for seven days in the Poonch district of Jammu region of Indian-administered Kashmir. Two soldiers, a policeman and four militants were killed in that encounter.
Kashmir has been the source of bitter dispute and two wars between India and neighboring Pakistan. Both control parts of the region which is predominantly Muslim.
|
375c6bcfe2ca48fdaf369d74252b5a60
|
Who were the Indian troops fighting?
|
[
"separatist militants"
] |
NewsQA
|
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- Space shuttle Discovery was scheduled to launch early Tuesday morning for a mission to deliver equipment to the international space station.
Discovery rests on launch pad 39A at Cape Canaveral on Monday evening.
The seven-member crew was boarding the orbiter Monday night on Cape Canaveral's launch pad 39A.
Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Kevin Ford will guide Discovery to the space station after launch, scheduled for 1:36 a.m. ET Tuesday, NASA said. Forecasters gave the Cape an 80 percent chance of acceptable weather conditions at launch time.
One of Discovery's seven astronauts, Nicole Stott, will remain on the space station as a flight engineer, replacing astronaut Timothy Kopra, who will return home aboard Discovery as a mission specialist, according to the NASA Web page for the mission.
Also on board: The Leonardo logistics module, science experiments and the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT), named for Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."
Earlier this year, NASA conducted an online poll to name the space station's newest compartment, asking voters to choose one of four given options or offer their own suggestion. Colbert urged his viewers to suggest "Colbert," which won.
But Colbert and the space agency compromised to give the moniker to the treadmill instead. The new module was given the name Tranquility.
"I'm so proud my treadmill will be going into space to help trim down those famously fat astronauts. Lay off the Tang, Chubby!" Colbert said in a statement last week.
The mission will be Discovery's 37th to space, and the 30th shuttle mission dedicated to international space station assembly and maintenance, NASA says.
|
8b29ec6628444b51b5761b932525cc2f
|
what will Nicole Stott be doing at the space station
|
[
"flight engineer,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The U.S. Postal Service has just entered "The Twilight Zone."
"The Honeymooners" is one of 20 classic TV stamps that will soon find its way on the corner of envelopes.
The classic show appears on one of 20 stamps released this week, featuring 1950s hit television shows.
The first-class stamps include images of "Dragnet," "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Honeymooners," "I Love Lucy," "Lassie," "The Lone Ranger," "Ozzie and Harriet" and "Perry Mason."
"All of the classic television shows represented on these stamps represent the collective memory of a generation well deserving of entertainment," said James C. Miller III, a Postal Service board member. "It was a generation that survived the Great Depression and fought World War II. They were pioneers -- creative geniuses -- who brought television shows of the 1950s into our homes, breaking new ground to provide entertainment for everyone."
The retro-style stamps, featuring black-and-white images of the shows, were designed by Carl Herrman, an artist from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Postal Service releases several commemorative stamps annually. This year's releases have included civil rights pioneers, President Abraham Lincoln and author Edgar Allan Poe.
|
241f4ee669224984bd04785660482639
|
What age of tv will the new postage stamps commemorate?
|
[
"1950s"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- More than two years after her death, Carol Anne Gotbaum's children are expected to receive a $250,000 settlement from an insurance company on behalf of the city of Phoenix, Arizona, and its police department.
Carol Gotbaum, shown in an undated family photo, died accidentally, a medical examiner said.
The 45-year-old Gotbaum accidentally strangled herself while in police custody after behaving erratically in a terminal at Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport when she missed her connecting flight, according to both family and police accounts.
Gotbaum, the stepdaughter-in-law of New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, was traveling alone and unescorted on her way to an alcohol rehabilitation center in Tucson, Arizona.
Gotbaum's family had originally sought $8 million but subsequently reduced that to $5.5 million. They accused the city and its police department of negligence in leaving Gotbaum chained and unattended in an airport police cell.
Her three children, all still under age 10, will be the beneficiaries of the settlement once it is approved by a New York surrogate court, whose duties are to deal with issues concerning the deceased.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, its insurance carrier had spent $500,000 so far on the case and anticipated spending another $750,000 in litigation. It was a financial decision by the insurance carrier to settle in order to minimize further costs, the department said.
Witnesses reported that Gotbaum may have been drinking on her flight and had been drinking heavily in an airport bar just before the altercation with police. She had missed her connection and was bumped from another one after airline personnel would not allow her to use a boarding pass given to her by another passenger. She grew incensed, threw her phone and started running down the concourse yelling, "I am not a terrorist," according to witness accounts.
Police said they had no information regarding her physical or psychological state when they responded to a call from gate agents. In a security video she is seen struggling with officers as they drag her down a concourse.
An internal police investigation and one by the city found that the police did not violate any laws. But Gotbaum's husband, Noah, filed suit claiming the officers were negligent in leaving her unattended in a disoriented state.
|
6e1f57de9c5a424a9bc49e581b86eee2
|
What happened in custody?
|
[
"accidentally strangled herself"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Manchester City have sent representatives to Brazil in the hope of persuading Ronaldinho to sign for them.
A move to City could make Ronaldinho the Premier League's highest paid player.
City chairman Garry Cook told BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday that Ronaldinho's Spanish club Barcelona had given City permission to speak to the player about a move to Eastlands.
"We have people in Brazil," said Cook.
"We are nowhere near completing a deal It's a tenuous stage and I don't want to give too much away, but Barcelona gave us clearance to talk to him.
"Ronaldinho wants to show that he is one of the greatest footballers in the world. The Manchester City fans would love to see him kick off the new season with us and I am holding out hope on that happening."
City owner Shinawatra Thaksin is thought to be ready to provide £50 million ($98.47 million) for new manager Mark Hughes to sign players, with around $29.5 million set aside to bring in Ronaldinho, who could well become the English Premier League's highest paid player.
Shinawatra, who sent previous manager Sven-Goran Eriksson packing at the end of last season, despite a marked upturn in the team's fortunes, said last week: "Ronaldinho - you know, he is a great player. Whatever the club in your heart, you would want to see this player in England, wouldn't you?
"It is not a risk. Sponsors will contribute. It will not damage our wage structure."
New manager Hughes knows that he will be expected to produce instant results. Shinawatra said: "I am 59 next birthday, so I am not a man who can wait for many years to see my dreams come true."
Ronaldinho had a poor season in Spain but City's owner said:"Ronaldinho is 28. He has much still to offer, he is a star. You need a combination of new players, existing players, quality, young and old.
"I admit also you need a player who is more than just winning the match. You need a star who can play on the pitch, but who can achieve much more for the club. Ronaldinho is that player.
"I am hearing good things about his hunger. I have spoken to his brother (and agent). Ronaldinho wants the new challenge, the chance to play his best football again, to return to the days when he was really, really famous. The magic is still in his boots. Let us hope we can bring him."
City also expect to snap up another top Brazilian, striker Jo from CSKA Moscow, within the next seven days.
|
717707861bc246b99621e0d806c82949
|
Where will they visit?
|
[
"Brazil"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Chinese authorities were explicit: Tear down the nation's first sex-themed amusement park before it gets going full steam.
Visitors catch a glimpse of Love Land, billed as China's first-ever sex theme park, in southwest China.
Love Land had not opened its doors yet, but authorities in the city of Chongqing -- a sprawling metropolis on the banks of the Yangtze River -- got all hot and bothered over the park's plans to display naked human sculptures, giant replica genitals and a photo gallery on the history of sex, the state-run China Daily reported.
Lu Xiaoqing, park manager, told the newspaper he got the idea for building Love Land after a visit to a sex park in Jeju, a popular destination in South Korea.
Love Land would include sex-technique workshops and sex education to help adults "enjoy a harmonious sex life," Lu said.
"Sex is a taboo subject in China, but people really need to have more access to information about it," he told the newspaper. "We are building the park for the good of the public."
Whatever Lu's intentions, the newspaper said Chinese officials saw it another way: "vulgar, ill-minded and misleading."
The park was to open in October but was demolished over the weekend -- thongs, replicas of derrieres and all.
Reactions posted on the Internet were varied, according to the China Daily. Some thought sex was best left behind closed doors, while others argued that a real need for sex education existed in China.
"Sex is a matter of privacy. It is not for publicity," said Xia Xueluan, a sociology professor at Beijing University.
The officials in Chongquing apparently agreed.
|
4cabbbd0bfde41d8abb1b42688d64f02
|
What were reactions posted on the internet?
|
[
"varied,"
] |
NewsQA
|
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNN) -- Hundreds of Christians packed the Church of the Nativity on Thursday for a midnight Mass in what is thought to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
A worshipper touches a star at the point where tradition says Jesus Christ was born in the Church of Nativity.
The standing-room-only service included singing and organ music.
There were also large crowds outside the church, one of the most sacred places in Christianity.
So many people had flocked to the area this Christmas season that there were no rooms left at the inns and hotels in Bethlehem.
Some took this as a sign that tourism in Bethlehem was on the upswing.
Christmas is the one time of year when the West Bank's small, shrinking Christian communities show everyone else that they are still there.
Before the midnight Mass, Palestinian scout groups representing Christians throughout the West Bank did as they always do on this day -- they marched, banging their drums loudly and, in a way, trying to make a point. Watch Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations »
The drumbeat has been heard by more and more people, locals say, as tourism has skyrocketed this year.
"This year, tourism is much better than last year -- we reached 1,250,000," said Victor Batarseh, the mayor of Bethlehem. "All our hotels are full around Christmastime. We have 30,000 tourists coming in."
Tourists in record numbers were on hand this year, braving an unusually cold, gray and windy day to watch the parade of drums and holiday songs.
"It's kind of neat to see it in the Middle East, and they're playing Christmas carols and the songs we know," said one American tourist.
"I'm loving it, it's just been an incredible atmosphere and just a wonderful learning experience," said another.
The Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem also came to the birthplace of Jesus, as he does every Christmas Eve, allowed through normally tightly shut gates by Israeli troops.
The heavy security is a testament to ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
"My Christmas wish is that we will have real peace, based on justice and freedom," said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian parliament member. "My Christmas wish is that the justice that Jesus Christ gave his life for will happen sometime in his birthplace in Palestine."
CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.
|
2957fc5f97794628af47757641d640fe
|
What did Christians do?
|
[
"packed the Church of the Nativity"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Peruvian President Alan Garcia left Singapore on the eve of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit after reports surfaced that an air force officer was accused of spying for the Chilean government, Peru's foreign minister said Saturday.
"We do consider, from the information that have received, that we need an explanation and sanctions to those involved," Foreign Minister Jose Antonio García Belaunde told CNN en Espanol Saturday.
He added that he does "not have all the elements of the story here in Singapore," but confirmed that the suspect is "under arrest and in the hands of the judicial power in Peru."
Garcia and his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet had planned to attend a workshop Saturday with other world leaders, but the Peruvian leader canceled his agenda to return to Lima. However, there were no plans for a bilateral meeting between leaders from both countries, Belaunde said, dismissing reports that there had been such a session scheduled for Sunday.
Belaunde said he has spoken to Chilean Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez Amunategui about the case, but that his counterpart would not have information until he returns to Santiago.
Meanwhile, a Chilean spokeswoman dismissed the espionage allegations.
"Chile does not spy," Carolina Toha, spokeswoman for Chile's Interior Ministry. "Chile takes international relations as a serious matter."
APEC's 21 member nations -- ranging from Thailand to United States, Chile to China -- represent more than half of the world's economic output. The forum sees its goal as "facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region."
Chile and Peru have a history of animosity, having fought in the War of the Pacific from 1879 to 1883. Hard feelings linger to this day.
The two nations nearly came to war in 1975 when left-wing Peruvian leader Juan Velasco, who was backed by Cuba, wanted to invade Chile, which was led by right-wing Gen. Augusto Pinochet. The invasion was called off and Velasco was deposed in a coup a short while later. Tensions rose again when Peru discovered a Chilean spy mission, but war was averted.
More recently, tensions between the two South American nations flared in December after the revelation that Peru's top army general said at a party that Chileans in neighboring Peru would be sent back in coffins or body bags.
At the time, Peruvian Defense Minister Antero Flores-Araoz said relations between the two nations will be repaired, calling the incident involving Peruvian Gen. Edwin Donayre "a bump in the road." Bachelet had made similar assertions.
Also last year, the World Court agreed to look at an issue concerning Peruvian claims to a disputed maritime area.
|
4ab5c009f1034cadbe6f2a1354a0cdde
|
Who was accused of spying for Chile?
|
[
"air force officer"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A tsunami watch issued for five nations after a 7.6-magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean was canceled about two hours later.
A tsunami watch in effect after an earthquake in the Indian Ocean has been called off.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had issued the watch for India, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Bangladesh after the quake, which struck at 1:55 a.m. Tuesday (3:55 p.m. Monday ET).
Its epicenter was about 163 miles (262 km) north of Port Blair in India's Andaman Islands, and 225 miles south-southwest of Pathein, Myanmar, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The earthquake's focus was about 20 miles below the Earth's surface. In general, earthquakes centered closer to the Earth's surface produce stronger shaking and can cause more damage than those further underground. Watch where the earthquakes hit »
"Sea level readings indicate that a significant tsunami was not generated," the warning center said in a bulletin. "Therefore, the tsunami watch issued by this center is now canceled."
According to the geological survey, a 6.4-magnitude quake struck near the south coast of Honshu, Japan, 12 minutes after the Indian Ocean quake. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory following that quake, but said that the expected wave would be under 2 feet.
CNN's Augie Martin contributed to this report.
|
4bae6dbf5cdc41ab9b21e896492a1f07
|
What strength was the earthquake?
|
[
"7.6-magnitude"
] |
NewsQA
|
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales arrived Monday in Iran on his first official visit to the country, the Iranian Press TV reported.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, right, greets Bolivia's leader, Evo Morales, on Monday in Tehran.
Morales is expected to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "review issues of mutual interest" between the Islamic republic and the leftist South American nation, according to the national news agency IRNA.
The Bolivian leader arrived in Tehran from Libya, where he met with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.
Morales has described Iran and Bolivia as "two friendly and revolutionary countries," Press TV said. "The two countries are both energy producers and are staunchly opposed to U.S. hegemony."
Morales, a former labor organizer and the country's first indigenous president, was elected in 2005.
Like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, with whom he maintains strong ties, Morales has sought to improve his relationship with Tehran.
|
035815a8206848bc976e29941b5fcf82
|
Who will the Bolivian leader review issues with?
|
[
"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. government has charged an international arms dealer with conspiring to sell a rebel group millions of dollars in weapons "to be used to kill Americans in Colombia," federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Viktor Bout is accused of selling missiles, rockets and other weapons to FARC, a Colombian rebel group.
Viktor Bout, who was recently captured in Thailand, had agreed to sell the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
There was no immediate public response from Bout, who remains in custody in Thailand.
Federal authorities unsealed an indictment charging Bout with four terrorism offenses: conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
FARC is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
Justice Department officials said they are seeking Bout's extradition to the United States.
The indictment alleges that Bout made agreements with FARC between November 2007 and March of this year.
In their news release, federal prosecutors said Bout agreed to sell weapons "to two confidential sources" working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who had "represented that they were acquiring these weapons for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons were to be used to attack United States helicopters in Colombia."
The news release also refers to a "covertly recorded meeting in Thailand on March 6, 2008."
"With the unsealing of this indictment, we are one step closer to ensuring Bout has delivered his last load of high-powered weaponry and armed his final terrorist," DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Loenhart said in the news release.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey last month singled out Bout as a leading example of a new breed of organized crime leaders who operate across international boundaries to amass wealth without regard to political ideology.
"Viktor Bout has long been considered by the international community as one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in the news release Tuesday.
Bout's assets in the United States were frozen in 2004 after he allegedly shipped weapons to Liberia in violation of U.S. government restrictions.
|
702ad33c59a6482d836992be8268a262
|
What is Bout an example of?
|
[
"new breed of organized crime leaders"
] |
NewsQA
|
Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) -- The effort to rescue hundreds of trekkers stranded for six days in a town near Nepal's iconic Mount Everest due to bad weather continued Monday.
With weather conditions improving Monday, the process of transporting the tourists to the nation's capital was fully under way, the tourism ministry said.
"The target is to transport 1,500 tourists to Kathmandu today," Hari Basyal, spokesman of the Nepal Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation told CNN.
More than 2,200 tourists have been stranded in the village of Lukla since last week where food supplies are limited, Basyal said.
Lukla, a popular starting point for people on their way to the world's tallest peak, is located in northeast Nepal.
Stranded tourists took 48 flights and helicopter rides out of Lukla on Monday. A day earlier, at least 500 trekkers were flown to the capital.
Last week, some of the tourists began a four-day walk to the town of Jiri to take buses to Kathmandu.
|
a010dffa9d124f81b7e784fd5e545232
|
what is Nepal's capital?
|
[
"Kathmandu,"
] |
NewsQA
|
SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A man at a Fort Lewis army post on Wednesday fatally shot a woman before turning the gun on himself, military authorities said.
The shootings on Wednesday occurred outside the main post exchange at Fort Lewis in Washington state.
The man, who was hospitalized earlier in the day, was pronounced dead late Wednesday, Fort Lewis spokesman Joe Kubistek said.
The man shot the woman and then shot himself in the head, said Maj. Mike Garcia. He said the shootings occurred outside the main post exchange, as retail stores at military installations are called.
Garcia said the 59-year-old shooter was a retired soldier. The woman he shot, Garcia said, was a civilian who worked as a vendor in the store. Neither was identified.
Kathy Johnson had taken her elderly mother to shop at the store when shots rang out. "I heard five to six shots and hit the floor," Johnson said, "I was hiding under a clothing rack and people were yelling that we were being taken hostage."
Eventually, Johnson said, customers were told over the store intercom that it was safe to leave the store. Outside military police had surrounded the store and were posted on nearby rooftops, she said,
It was not immediately clear what the relationship between the man and woman was, Garcia said. He said since the shooting took place on a federal installation, the FBI would lead the investigation into the shootings.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann contributed to this report.
|
cfb71c6de7f84175bb6865da887e3f13
|
Who was the victim?
|
[
"vendor in the store."
] |
NewsQA
|
HARARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- Some of Zimbabwe's children are "wasting away" as political turmoil and economic crisis have caused a severe food shortage, according to a report from Save the Children.
Children sleep in rough conditions on the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The number of acute child malnutrition cases has risen by almost two-thirds in the past year, the report from the UK-based agency said in its appeal to world donors for help.
"There is no excuse for failing to provide this food," program director Lynn Walker said. "The innocent people of Zimbabwe should not be made to suffer for a political situation that is out of their control."
Five million Zimbabweans -- out of a population of about 12 million -- are in need of food aid now, the report said. The group is appealing for 18,000 tons of food for next month.
"We have already been forced to reduce the rations of emergency food we are delivering because there isn't enough to go around," the report said. "If, as we fear, the food aid pipeline into Zimbabwe begins to fail in the new year the millions of people who rely on emergency food aid will suffer."
Zimbabwe is facing its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain 28 years ago. There is an acute shortage of all essentials such as cash, fuel, medical drugs, electricity and food.
President Robert Mugabe blames the crisis on the sanctions imposed on him and his cronies by the West for allegedly disregarding human rights. But Mugabe's critics attribute the crisis to his economic policies.
As the economy has faltered for almost a decade now, a cholera epidemic is raging, fueled by the collapse of health, sanitation and water services in Zimbabwe. The epidemic has claimed more than 1,100 lives and infected more than 20,000 people since its outbreak in August.
Health experts have warned that the water-borne disease could infect more than 60,000 unless its spread is halted.
The political crisis rose to a boil in this year when the opposition party claimed that it won the presidential election, but Mugabe's government refused to recognize the result. Instead, the race was thrown to a runoff, which was boycotted by the opposition.
Mugabe signed an agreement with the opposition in September to form a unity government, but a bitter dispute over the division of cabinet seats has prevented its formation.
Inflation is so severe that the government was forced to print $10 billion currency notes last week, with each expected to buy just 20 loaves of bread.
|
284aa7fd2cec420281d89dc94c724ffa
|
Who warns malnutrition is on the rise?
|
[
"Save the Children."
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Sasha and Malia Obama had front row seats for Monday night's Kids' Inaugural Concert, but jumped on stage when the Jonas Brothers invited them up.
Michelle Obama and her daughters pose with actress Keke Palmer at the Kids' Inaugural.
Their mother -- incoming first lady Michelle Obama -- declared the show "pretty cool."
Thousands of kids -- mostly children of military families -- danced and yelled in Washington's Verizon Center as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Bow Wow, the Jonas Brothers and others performed.
"Are we fired up in here?" Michelle Obama asked as she took the stage halfway through the two-hour show. "Are we ready to go?"
Obama called on the young people to play a part in their country's future now, in activities such as volunteering at shelters for the homeless, visiting elderly neighbors or writing letters of support to troops overseas.
"We all have something incredible to contribute to the life of this nation," she said, adding, "And kids, this means you, too, right?"
Sasha, 7, kept her camera ready, getting photos of her favorite teen stars.
While the Obama daughters have met many of the stars along the campaign trail in the past year, it was their first time to meet singer-actress Keke Palmer, a presenter at the show.
Palmer, 15, said Michelle Obama told her "she was really proud of me."
Most of their backstage talk was about Palmer's movies and TV show, she said.
Like the Obamas, Palmer is a Chicago, Illinois, native.
|
7ab99b19576a468ea8408c345c3134e7
|
What does Michelle Obama urge young people to do now?
|
[
"play a part in their country's future"
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 6,000 Christians have fled the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in the past week because of killings and death threats, Iraq's Ministry of Immigration and Displaced Persons said Thursday.
A Christian family that fled Mosul found refuge in the Al-Sayida monastery about 30 miles north of the city.
The number represents 1,424 families, at least 70 more families than were reported to be displaced on Wednesday.
The ministry said it had set up an operation room to follow up sending urgent aid to the displaced Christian families as a result of attacks by what it called "terrorist groups."
Iraqi officials have said the families were frightened by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face death.
Fourteen Christians have been slain in the past two weeks in the city, which is about 260 miles (420 kilometers) north of Baghdad.
Mosul is one of the last Iraqi cities where al Qaeda in Iraq has a significant presence and routinely carries out attacks. The U.S. military said it killed the Sunni militant group's No. 2 leader, Abu Qaswarah, in a raid in the northern city earlier this month.
In response to the recent attacks on Christians, authorities have ordered more checkpoints in several of the city's Christian neighborhoods.
The attacks may have been prompted by Christian demonstrations ahead of provincial elections, which are to be held by January 31, authorities said.
Hundreds of Christians took to the streets in Mosul and surrounding villages and towns, demanding adequate representation on provincial councils, whose members will be chosen in the local elections.
Thursday, Iraq's minister of immigration and displaced persons discussed building housing complexes for Christian families in northern Iraq and allocating land to build the complexes.
Abdel Samad Rahman Sultan brought up the issue when he met with a representative of Iraq's Hammurabi Organization for Human Rights and with the head of the Kojina Organization for helping displaced persons.
A curfew was declared Wednesday in several neighborhoods of eastern Mosul as authorities searched for militants behind the attacks.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
|
14e2349d9cd44e738a47695030f2ba4f
|
Who was displaced?
|
[
"1,424 families,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The sponsor of a proposal to rein in aggressive celebrity photographers is meeting resistance from Los Angeles' top cop, who says the law is not needed when celebrities just behave.
Photographers swarm a car carrying Britney Spears after a Los Angeles court appearance in October 2007.
City Councilman Dennis Zine wants to require photographers to stay a safe distance from celebrities.
His proposed ordinance is nicknamed the "Britney Law" for the hordes of paparazzi that swarm around pop star Britney Spears, sometimes costing the city thousands of dollars for escorts and other enforcement.
"They act like a pack of wolves stalking their prey, creating havoc in the streets, and are nuisances to innocent bystanders," Zine said at a task force hearing he convened Thursday. Watch how paparazzi spy on Hollywood stars »
The proposal gained exposure last month when officials from around Southern California asked former independent counsel Kenneth Starr -- whose investigation of former President Clinton spawned its own share of tabloid headlines -- to help craft a law that would protect celebrities without infringing on freedom of the press. iReport.com: Share your celeb stories and photos
Critics of the plan include Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, who argues that it would be difficult to enforce. He also says existing laws can keep unruly packs of photographers in check.
The chief said the city's tabloid darlings could help by providing photographers less to work with.
"If celebrities behave themselves, that solves about 90 percent of the problem," Bratton said. "Britney, the last couple of days, has started wearing clothes again. The paparazzi are leaving town because she's not as interesting when she's not running around without her underwear on."
He said actress Lindsay Lohan "evidently found a new love life, so she's probably in New York hanging out" and that "God knows" where billionaire heiress Paris Hilton had been.
"She's thankfully disappeared from the scene," Bratton said.
At the hearing, members of the paparazzi also said the law would be impossible to enforce.
"Unless every celebrity has a chaperone of a police officer with a 6-foot tape measure, how are you going to enforce it?" said photographer Nick Stern.
Those attending included musician John Mayer, actor Eric Roberts, sheriff's officials, representatives of the Screen Actors Guild and officials from West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Malibu.
CNN's Kareen Wynter contributed to this report.
|
f2b4aa399bc841bba563308ac2d19f77
|
What would make the law unnecessary?
|
[
"impossible to enforce."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been quarantined in China after possible exposure to the H1N1 virus, his office said Sunday.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin flew to China as part of an economic development trip, his office said.
Mayor Ray Nagin, who traveled to China on an economic development trip, flew on a plane that carried a passenger being treated for symptoms suspected to be from the virus, commonly known as the swine flu virus, the mayor's office said in a statement.
Nagin, his wife and a member of his security detail have been quarantined in Shanghai, China, though all three are symptom free, the statement said.
"The mayor is being treated with utmost courtesy by Chinese officials," the statement said.
Ceeon Quiett, the mayor's director of communications, told CNN that Nagin had been sitting beside a passenger who "exhibited the symptoms of H1N1," but Nagin showed no signs of illness.
"We have talked with him and he is in good spirits," Quiett said, adding that there was no indication how long the quarantine would last.
While not confirming identities, the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention said three Americans are being quarantined in a hotel called the Jinjiang Inn in the Nanhui district of Shanghai.
|
2be976bacde148328fb150c8353eedf6
|
Who is being treated with utmost courtesy by Chinese officials?
|
[
"Mayor Ray Nagin,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Montevideo, Uruguay (CNN) -- A court sentenced former Uruguayan President Juan Maria Bordaberry to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for the coup that consolidated his power in 1973 and for human rights violations.
Judge Mariana Mota convicted Bordaberry of violating the constitution, nine counts of "forced disappearance" and two counts of political homicide.
Bordaberry, 81, had already been under house arrest since 2007 for the killings of two opposition legislators in 1976.
Bordaberry assumed office in 1972 following an election that has since been questioned. In 1973, he backed a military coup that kept him in power, and dissolved congress and suspended the country's constitution. The military pushed him out in favor of another leader in 1976.
Journalist Dario Klein contributed to this report for CNN
|
f9b6ab24c9d941698f33787c677dbe41
|
What kept him in power?
|
[
"he backed a military coup"
] |
NewsQA
|
Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took a short tour of Tahrir Square in the Egyptian capital on Wednesday.
During the anti-government demonstrations that eventually led to the ouster of long-time Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the square was a rallying spot for protesters who transformed it from a bustling urban center into a fortified campground.
The walking tour lasted about 10 to 12 minutes, with crowds of people stopping her to shake her hand. She later met with Prime Minister Essam Sharaf.
"To see where this revolution happened and all that it has meant to the world is extraordinary for me," Clinton said. "It's just a great reminder of the power of the human spirit and universial desire for human rights and democracy. It's just thrilling to see where this happened."
On Tuesday, Clinton issued a strong statement of praise for Egypt's political revolution, declaring she was "deeply inspired" by the dramatic change and promising new assistance for America's longtime Middle East ally.
Clinton pledged $90 million in emergency economic assistance during a meeting in Cairo with Foreign Minister Nabil Al-Araby. She is the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Egypt since the overthrow of Mubarak.
"The United States will work to ensure that the economic gains Egypt has forged in recent years continue, and that all parts of Egyptian society benefit from these gains," a State Department statement noted.
While in the region, Clinton is also scheduled to visit neighboring Tunisia to express support for that country's revolt.
|
f9f9d5700fbf4b96aa39ef697e5bcca7
|
what is home to the demonstrations that led to the ouster of long-time Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak?
|
[
"Tahrir Square"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Bangladeshi military has revised the number of army officers missing after last week's bloody uprising, from 72 down to six.
Bangladeshi soldiers carry a coffin during a funeral Monday for victims of last week's mutiny.
The earlier number was based on "assumptions," said Lt. Gen. Sina Ibn Jamali, the army chief of general staff.
"The numbers we are giving now are grounded in facts," Jamali told reporters Sunday night.
Authorities said confusion arose because no one knew for sure how many officers were inside the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters when paramilitary troops, or jawans, staged a bloody revolt and took dozens of them hostage Wednesday.
Search crews have recovered 73 bodies from a river, sewers and three mass graves inside the Rifles compound in the Pilkhana area of the capital, Dhaka.
Of those bodies, 53 were confirmed as those of army officers.
Meanwhile, an army investigation into the 35-hour rebellion began Monday.
The police have filed murder charges against more than 1,000 Rifles, and soldiers were out in full force throughout Bangladesh looking for them.
The 65,000-strong Rifles is a border security force -- distinct from the army, but whose commanders are career army officers.
The jawans had complained for years that their army superiors dismissed their appeals for more pay, subsidized food and the opportunity to participate in U.N. peacekeeping operations, which pay far more than what they make at home.
The two-day standoff ended after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina promised the jawans amnesty if they laid down their arms.
She has backtracked since, saying the government will not show mercy to those who killed, looted or committed arson.
|
d8c845823a5b47a2aa2896cb5e50f1ba
|
What is the number of army officers missing after the mutiny?
|
[
"six."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- South Africa inflicted the first home series defeat on Australia in almost 16 years as they wrapped up a nine-wicket win over the world's number one ranked Test nation in Melbourne on Tuesday.
South African captain Graeme Smith led from the front with 75 as his team wrapped up victory.
Captain Graeme Smith hit a fluent 75 as his side successfully passed a modest victory target of 183 on the final day at the MCG to take an unassailable 2-0 lead.
It was the South African's first-ever Test series triumph in Australia and victory in the third and final match in Sydney will see them leapfrog the home side at the top of the global rankings.
Hashim Amla (30 not out) scored the winning runs shortly after lunch as South Africa became the first team to overcome Australia at home since the West Indies in 1992-93.
South Africa were never under any pressure in their run chase and did not lose a wicket until just before lunch when the inspirational Smith was trapped leg before wicket by Nathan Hauritz.
Smith had dominated a 121-run opening stand with Neil McKenzie, hitting 10 boundaries.
McKenzie struggled to a half century and survived strong lbw shouts from Brett Lee, who was bowling despite an injured foot that will keep him out of the Sydney Test.
South Africa's victory was set up by a brilliant maiden Test century from JP Duminy, who shared a stunning 180-run ninth wicket partnership with pace bowler Dale Steyn.
It gave the tourists a priceless 65-run lead on first innings before man of the match Steyn worked his magic with the ball as Australia were bowled out on the fourth day for 247 in their second innings.
The pugnacious Smith was virtually lost for words in his victory speech.
"It has been such a special moment for all of us, it has been an incredible team effort," he said.
"I have been smiling non-stop since we hit the winning runs.
"To be 2-0 up after this game was something we only dreamt of."
South Africa won the first Test in Perth from an unlikely position, chasing 414 for victory for the loss of only four wickets.
|
71f24675033c4de9b02d68ffd496a44e
|
Victory gives them what lead?
|
[
"2-0"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Andrea Agnelli will become the new president of Juventus at the end of the current season -- the Italian giants confirmed on their official Web site.
The 34-year-old, who will replace Jean-Claude Blanc in the position, continues in his family's long-standing links with the Turin-based club -- and comes 48 years after his father, Umberto, was president.
It is the second presidential change Juventus have made this season after Blanc replaced Giovanni Cobolli Gigli in October.
Blanc will revert to the position of chief executive when Agnelli takes over at the end of the season.
Agnelli told www.Juventus.It: "I think I can give an important contribution to the development of this club.
"It is a complicated route, which first and foremost will see the strengthening of the structure on all levels, both as a company and as a sports club.
"The history of my family is linked to this team and began 84 years ago. My father was president nearly 50 years ago,
"I do now want to make any comparisons with those times. We must think of tomorrow. I am proud to give my contribution."
Meanwhile, German Bundesliga strugglers Bochum have sacked coach Heiko Herrlich, who has paid the price for a run of 10 matches without a win.
Assistant coach Dariusz Wosz will take charge for the final two games of the season, starting with the dauting trip to Champions League finalists Bayern Munich on Saturday.
|
5cc5f4d0c7a849d99efb113647e8c19d
|
Who is Agneli taking over for?
|
[
"Jean-Claude Blanc"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Mashable) -- "What would people most like to see in 3-D? Probably a naked lady."
Those are the words of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, whose magazine will soon include a centerfold playmate photographed naked and in 3-D.
The 3-D centerfold will appear in the June issue, which hits newsstands this Friday. The subject of the photos is 51st Playmate of the Year Hope Dworaczyk.
Consider this a grab for attention more than anything; Playboy editorial director Jimmy Jellinek was quoted byMSNBC saying, "In today's print environment you have to create newsstand events." The environment he's talking about is one in which Playboy circulation has dropped almost 60 percent in just four years.
Though the magazine's gimmick is obviously inspired by the increasing popularity of 3-D films like "Avatar," Hefner said that the appeal of 3-D movies is lost on him personally. That might not be true of his readers, though.
Hefner actually commissioned a Chicago photographer to take 3-D photos of naked women back in the 50s, but he decided against running the images when he realized how expensive it would be to include 3-D glasses with each copy of the magazine, MSNBC claims.
This time, HBO is promoting its sexy Southern vampire TV show "True Blood" by sponsoring the glasses.
© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.
|
a25f6f2443964ee1af80fd2ce361350c
|
Which months issue will be released?
|
[
"June"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Mashable) -- It was speculative before given the lack of independent confirmation, but now apparently Apple has gone on record to confirm that the original deal signed with AT&T for iPhone exclusivity back in 2007 was a five-year deal.
That means at least some legal hoops would need jumping through if we're ever going to see that oft-rumored Verizon iPhone before 2012.
Engadget reports that court documents filed by Apple in a California class-action suit confirm the original AT&T exclusivity deal had a five-year duration. The suit, ongoing since 2007, claims that Apple and AT&T were exerting a monopoly over iPhone service by surreptitiously locking iPhone buyers into renewing contracts with AT&T once their initial two years was up.
On the flip side, there are a number of reasons such a contract might be amended or canceled, so it's not exactly a total given that the iPhone won't appear on another carrier before 2012. But given the original terms, it could require some tricky negotiation or legal fancy footwork to get there.
Moreover, the class-action suit also alleges an illegal monopoly over the iPhone App Store, which the court ruled substantial enough to move forward.
On both fronts then -- consumer market and legal proceedings -- it will be fascinating to watch for further details on when the AT&T iPhone exclusivity curtain might drop or even be forcibly struck down.
Do you think we'll see the iPhone come to another carrier before 2012?
© 2010 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.
|
fbc251bc4aed45ae877c6768099b1980
|
What do lawsuits claim?
|
[
"illegal monopoly over the iPhone App Store,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A car bomb exploded outside a British army base in Northern Ireland early Monday, injuring one person.
The blast went off about 12:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Sunday ET) outside the Palace Barracks in the Belfast neighborhood of Holywood where Britain's MI5 intelligence service has its regional headquarters.
The incident occurred just 30 minutes after police powers were transferred from London to Belfast.
According to a statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the bomb was placed in a stolen taxi which had been hijacked late Sunday in North Belfast.
The taxi driver was held by three males for almost two hours before being told to drive his silver Skoda to the base. Police added that security staff at the facility were made aware of the abandoned vehicle just before midnight and commenced evacuation procedures.
One elderly male, who was walking past the barracks at the time of the explosion, sustained minor injuries after the bomb detonated.
There was no immediate report of a claim of responsibility for the blast, though the BBC reported that the Real IRA, a republican splinter group, admitted being behind the attack.
"Clearly the people responsible for this showed absolutely no regard for human life," said local police commander, Chief Superintendent Nigel Grimshaw.
"There is no question in my mind, this was designed for one thing and one thing only -- to kill or cause serious injury to people and that's exactly what it would have done were it not for the actions of my officers and military colleagues in the Barracks and the community themselves working together.
"Thankfully we were able to evacuate people from the immediate area of the explosion.
"The people responsible for this cowardly attack refuse to accept that Northern Ireland is moving on and that peace is working here. They are callous criminals who simply want to drag everyone back to the past to suit their misguided objectives."
Recent attacks in Northern Ireland have been blamed on dissident Irish republicans who reject the 1998 Good Friday accords, which sharply reduced violence in the British-ruled province.
Northern Ireland was wracked for decades by violence between pro-British unionists and republicans who wanted Northern Ireland to join the rest of Ireland.
About 3,000 people died in the "Troubles," as the violence was known, before the tenuous peace agreement was hammered out.
There has been sporadic violence since then. A booby-trapped car exploded on January 8, severely injuring Constable Peadar Heffron. A car bomb partly exploded outside the headquarters of the Policing Board of Northern Ireland on November 21, and another under-car booby trap exploded on October 22 in east Belfast, injuring a woman, the PSNI said.
|
e6f81cee6e7841b9bb6c60b057c11878
|
It occurred 30 minutes after what?
|
[
"police powers were transferred from London to Belfast."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Game show host and comedian Howie Mandel's irregular heartbeat scare is over, his publicist said Tuesday.
Howie Mandel had an irregular heartbeat, but he did not have a heart attack, his publicist said.
"Howie has been released from the hospital and will be back at work tomorrow," said Lewis Kay. "He appreciates everyone's concern."
Mandel, 53, checked into a Toronto hospital Monday so doctors could monitor his condition, Kay said.
He was in Toronto, filming segments for a new show "Howie Do It." The hour-long prank show debuted on NBC Friday.
Mandel is the host of the American version of the game show "Deal or No Deal," which has brought huge ratings for NBC.
|
cfbf00c442874ab299a15b589292f4c7
|
What was the host of "Deal or No Deal" admitted to hospital with?
|
[
"irregular heartbeat,"
] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.