subset
stringclasses 1
value | context
stringlengths 101
3.1k
| qid
stringlengths 32
32
| question
stringlengths 14
704
| answers
listlengths 1
1
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
NewsQA
|
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Deadly blasts targeting foreign nationals in the Afghan capital Friday killed at least 17 people and wounded many others.
Authorities were trying to determine how many people died and the nationalities of those slain.
Kabir Al-Amiri, an employee at Kabul hospital, said eight Indians and one Pakistani national were among the dead. Afghan Interior Ministry officials said an Italian was killed, and the Indian Embassy said four Indians were killed in the attack.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks near the Safi Landmark Hotel in the neighborhood of Shahr-E-Naw, where there are a number of government buildings and U.N. offices as well as supermarkets, banks, diplomatic facilities and villas for well-to-do Afghans.
The force of the first explosion -- at about 6:30 a.m. (9 p.m. Thursday ET) -- shook parts of the Afghan capital as windows shattered and smoke billowed. The sound of gunfire filled the air.
The attack started with a suicide car bomb and four suicide bombers with explosive-laden vests, said Taliban spokesman Zaidullah Mujahid. Three of the bombers were killed, he said.
About 20 minutes later, a second large explosion occurred.
Afghan police blocked off roads leading to the area of the blasts.
CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report
|
6d1ce5a42f73421cafe0d2e7b3b14c73
|
How many were killed in attacks in Kabul?
|
[
"17"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Muggles will have another opportunity to slip into Harry Potter's magical world at a new Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Universal Parks CEO Tom Williams promises the planned Southern California attraction will be "every bit as spectacular" as the first Harry Potter park, which opened in 2010 at Universal Orlando in Florida. That successful Harry Potter theme park will be significantly expanded, Williams also announced Tuesday.
Hogwarts Castle, which houses the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry featured in the "Harry Potter" series, will be the Hollywood park's centerpiece, as it is in Orlando. Details on the timing of the new park and expansion have not been released.
The new California park is likely to bring millions of tourist dollars.
"It's a huge win for the Los Angeles tourism industry," said Mark Liberman, CEO of the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a statement.
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. estimates the Harry Potter park will produce $147 million in spending in the county for every one million additional visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood.
The Orlando Harry Potter attraction's opening brought an immediate boost to Universal Orlando. Wizarding World's opening halfway through 2010 boosted overall paid admissions to Universal's Orlando parks by 20% in 2010 over 2009, according to financial documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
|
785579e3def14b81a5b0f008bfdf7f7c
|
Where is Univeral Hollywood located?
|
[
"Southern California"
] |
NewsQA
|
ZURICH, Switzerland (CNN) -- As I watched Cristiano Ronaldo receive the FIFA World Player of the Year award in Zurich, I couldn't help feeling a deep sense of satisfaction, as the 23 year-old Portuguese international once again proved all his doubters wrong.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows emotion after being named the FIFA World Player of the Year for 2008.
Especially the ones in England.
In the days leading up to the awards ceremony, there were various rumors circulating that the Manchester United star was going to be pipped by Leo Messi on Tuesday night.
I was asked several times in London whether I really thought Ronaldo was going to win. Whether he really deserved it.
It was as if many in the British press didn't want him to take home another award.
Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo is shown enough respect? Tell us in the Sound Off box below.
The fierce attack on his lifestyle by the tabloids after he crashed his Ferrari last week just accentuated the fact that in the UK, he still has earned little respect.
Never mind that he was about to become the first Premier League Player to win this prestigious award. Never mind he has been the competition's biggest ambassador and promoter overseas. Too many in the English media, he was still a diver on the field, and a petulant rock star off it.
Now I am not going to sit here and say that my compatriot Cristiano is perfect. He isn't and he makes mistakes. But the same can be said about Wayne Rooney or any of the other English internationals.
When Rooney charges down the referee and shouts obscenities in his face without even being booked, as was the case in last weekend's match against Chelsea, is he called arrogant or petulant? No. When he goes seven or eight matches without a goal, is he suddenly branded overrated? No.
So all I am asking for here is a little respect. If Ronaldo was English, I am sure in the eyes of the British press he would be virtually untouchable, but although he's not, just give him a break. After all, he had an incredible 2007/2008 season which saw him score 42 goals in 49 matches and win virtually every major trophy on offer.
And he's a great ambassador for the game.
Pedro Pinto is a CNN sports correspondent based in London.
|
16ce4bce60734efe85300026b08a914b
|
Who won the FIFA Player of the Year for 2008 in Zurich on Monday?
|
[
"Cristiano Ronaldo"
] |
NewsQA
|
PARIS, France -- AC Milan's Brazilian midfielder Kaka has been named European player of the year, lifting France Football's Ballon d'Or award.
Kaka has already claimed all of the game's major prizes.
His success comes two years after his fellow countryman, Barcelona's Ronaldinho, claimed the award
The 25-year-old Kaka was a major factor in AC Milan's triumphant Champions League campaign.
The runner-up was Manchester United's Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo with Barcelona's Argentinian midfielder Lionel Messi finishing third.
"This is very special for me - it culminates an astonishing year for me," Kaka said.
"It's the top prize around and the only way to win something like this is to play for a team like AC Milan. It's great to be part of a team that wins."
At 25 years old, he has already won all the game's major prizes, individually and collectively.
He was part of Brazil's 2002 World Cup winning squad, although he was limited to just 19 minutes as a substitute against Costa Rica.
He was top scorer in last season's Champions League, helping Milan to avenge their loss to Liverpool in the 2005 final.
He won the Italian domestic title in his first season at Milan having joined from Brazilians Sao Paulo for$ 8.5 million, a sum that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi then described as peanuts. E-mail to a friend
|
c78a0f6ceeda4afebf14f171c8d8a730
|
What team does Kaka play for?
|
[
"AC Milan's"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- On Inauguration Day, there's one scene at the White House that won't be playing out exactly as it has during past transitions: the traditional moving of the outgoing first family's belongings.
President Bush walks out of the White House Oval Office on January 10.
Anita McBride, chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, tells CNN that the Bushes have moved almost all of their belongings out of the White House ahead of schedule.
"There won't be ... the moving trucks for the Bushes coming here," McBride said, adding, "The only things really left for President and Mrs. Bush are their personal belongings and luggage that they'll take that day."
McBride said Mrs. Bush directed residence staff early -- in the summer of 2008 -- to prepare the White House for the personal transition.
"It's probably the librarian in her," McBride said of Mrs. Bush, a former librarian. "Maybe we've got a bit of a Dewey Decimal system of move-out process, but that certainly made it easier for the residence staff, and they very much appreciate it," McBride said.
The actual clearing out of the Bushes' belongings began over the summer, McBride says, when many items were packed and taken to Crawford, Texas. Then, during the Christmas holiday, the Bushes moved their personal things out of Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, according to McBride.
That means on Inauguration Day, while President Bush and Mrs. Bush, along with President-elect Obama and his family, are at the Capitol, staff in the White House residence will have more time to unpack and prepare the Obamas' personal belongings.
"They have rehearsed this over the last few weeks, everyone has their marching orders, it will be all hands on deck," said McBride.
"The residence staff will be here that morning, and they know what their jobs are when the moving truck for the Obamas' move-in arrives," she said, adding, "Their things will be unpacked, and their clothes will be in their rightful place, and whatever furniture that they may have selected from the White House furniture collection will be in the place that they want it to be."
|
a6edb9d37cc8420cb25a441bb6c8d2a1
|
When did the Bush Family start moving?
|
[
"summer of 2008"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Switzerland's Lara Gut made history on Saturday when she became the youngest-ever winner of a women's World Cup race when claiming victory in the super-G at St Moritz.
Gut holds the Swiss flag aloft after becoming the youngest skier to win a women's World Cup race.
Cheered on by the local supporters, the 17-year-old finished ahead of compatriot Fabienne Suter with Italy's Nadia Fanchini -- the winner of the opening super-G in Lake Louise, Canada, finishing third.
Gut gave a clear indication of her immense talent on Friday when finishing fifth in the super-combined and she produced a near flawless run of 57.38 seconds to finish well clear of her rivals.
Suter, who finished third on Friday, moved up one place on the podium with a time 00.63 secs behind Gut.
World Cup leader Lindsay Vonn failed to finish on a piste that had been considerably shortened to deal with poor visibility caused by falling snow.
American Vonn, the defending overall champion, was one of many racers caught out by a bump in a fast section after a sharp right-hand turn.
Vonn said Gut's maiden win was not a surprise. "She has been skiing well all season so far," said the 24-year-old. "She has got a lot to learn still, but on a day like today, going first, it was a perfect chance for her. She definitely executed and seized the opportunity."
Gut added: "I was really nervous as I wasn't used to being the leader, but gradually I began to realise that in fact I had skied really well especially when I saw that Nadia and Fabienne were behind me."
|
fcd79e0ac2694551b2bc5d0f8d22105d
|
What did Lara Gut win?
|
[
"women's World Cup race"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Police are examining grainy hotel surveillance video and following up on new leads, including a reported sighting, in the case of a 17-year-old girl who traveled to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for spring break last week and then disappeared.
Brittanee Marie Drexel's mother says she thought her daughter was at a beach in New York, not South Carolina.
The possible sighting of Brittanee Drexel was on a bus Wednesday morning in the Myrtle Beach area, according to police, who later showed photos of her to passengers.
As investigators try to build a timeline of the events leading to Brittanee's disappearance Saturday night, they are also scrutinizing hotel security video for signs of a young woman in distress, or other clues.
Brittanee's mother, Dawn Drexel, told HLN's Nancy Grace that she had forbidden the Rochester, New York, high school junior from going to Myrtle Beach, a popular destination for high school and college students on spring break.
Although they stayed in touch by phone and spoke on Saturday, Drexel said she believed the girl was in Rochester when she actually was in Myrtle Beach.
"I didn't have any idea that she was going to do this," Drexel said. "I do trust my daughter, and she needed to cool down a little bit because she was upset that I wasn't going to let her go."
Drexel said her daughter rode there in a car with several friends. She thinks Brittanee used money she had earned and borrowed to finance her trip.
|
d74cb8aa43dd4da5967606e62f0c8cb8
|
Where did Brittanee go without her mothers permission?
|
[
"Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,"
] |
NewsQA
|
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- At least 59 people were killed in a fire that broke out early Thursday at one of Bangkok's most upscale nightclubs, where about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year, Thai police said.
Rescue officials work at the scene of the fire in Thailand.
Most of the dead were Thai, but foreigners have been identified, among them from Australia, the Netherlands, Nepal and Japan, police said.
Another 100 people were believed injured.
The fire, at a club called Santika, started at about 12:35 a.m. (1735 GMT), police told CNN.
The blaze started near a stage where fireworks were being used as part of a performance, according to authorities. Watch the fire engulf the building »
Most of those who died in the building suffered smoke inhalation or were trampled in a rush to get out of the club, they said.
British citizen Andrew Jones said he was celebrating in the area when he walked up on the fire.
He said he saw victims being rushed out of the fire on stretchers and spoke to witnesses, including a fellow Briton who saw fireworks being lit onstage.
"He immediately ran out of the building, but immediately when he'd done that the lights went out and he couldn't see," Jones said.
The club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts. Its Web site features images of bands and DJs performing on both indoor and outdoor stages, and says that it "innovatively blends the comfort of nature with the excitement of the Bangkok nightlife."
The site advertises the club's new year's party, which was named "Goodbye Santika."
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.
|
1ba0ea5a8fc34b48b20942b68167f99e
|
What caused people to die?
|
[
"fire"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- In a move that could improve security and keep airport lines moving, the Transportation Security Administration early next year will begin testing machines that match a traveler's boarding pass with his or her government-issued ID, while verifying that both documents are authentic.
The machines will assist the TSA "travel document checkers," who now conduct checks assisted only by ultraviolet flashlights and magnifying loupes.
In 2006, an Indiana University doctoral student created a website allowing people to create fake boarding passes to demonstrate how a known terrorist on the "No Fly" list could use a fake boarding pass to get past a checkpoint. Once on the other side, the terrorist could use a real boarding pass acquired under an alias to board a plane.
And in June, a Nigerian man was arrested after he flew across the country allegedly with a false boarding pass. Authorities said they found several other phony boarding passes in his luggage.
The new technology would authenticate government-issued IDs by comparing written information on the card with information encoded in the ID's bar codes, magnetic strip or computer chip. It would also match the ID to the boarding pass.
The system will alert screeners if either document does not pass validation. If the issue is easily rectifiable, such as misspelling of the passenger's name, the TSA may allow the person to proceed. If not immediately resolved, the passenger will be directed to a TSA supervisor.
"This technology will help facilitate risk-based security, while making the process more effective and efficient," TSA Administrator John S. Pistole said.
The TSA has awarded contracts of $79 million each to three companies: BAE Systems Information Solutions, NCR Government Systems and Trans Digital Technologies, LLC. Each company will provide 10 machines for testing at U.S. airports. The TSA has not disclosed which airports will get the machines.
In August, the TSA's chief privacy officer issued a report saying the machines have minimal privacy implications because only a limited amount of personal information is collected by the machines and because this information "is deleted after use."
A TSA spokeswoman said earlier versions of the technology were tested at two Washington-area airports in 2009.
|
dce94caffd1a4dcaae6c594018e8d8f4
|
What kind of machines will the TSA test?
|
[
"\"travel document checkers,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A bomb inside a van exploded in northeastern Madrid Monday, after a warning call by the Basque separatist group ETA. The blast caused damage but there were no immediate reports of injury.
Policemen inspect the area after a van loaded with a bomb exploded in northeast Madrid.
The Red Cross received a call at 7:37 a.m. (1:37 a.m. ET), in the name of ETA, warning of the bomb. The Red Cross immediately contacted police, who cordoned off the area, a Red Cross spokeswoman told CNN.
The blast occurred shortly after 9 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) outside the building of a construction company, CNN partner network CNN+ reported.
The company, Ferrovial Agroman, is involved in building a high-speed train line in the Basque region, which ETA opposes.
The attack came just hours after Spain's Supreme Court declined to allow two new leftist Basque parties to compete in the March 1 Basque regional elections in northern Spain. Authorities allege the new parties are simply new names for other leftist Basque parties already outlawed for their links to ETA.
"What ETA did this morning ratifies the Supreme Court decision last night," Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba told reporters, at the scene of the explosion.
At least 30 vehicles parked in the street were damaged, as well as the construction company offices, the Spanish police said in a statement. The bomb, it added, was placed in a van stolen last night in the Madrid area.
Exactly four years ago, on Feb. 9, 2005, ETA placed a bomb in the same Madrid neighborhood that was hit on Monday. That attack caused dozens of injuries, and damaged a different glass-façade office building.
ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its long fight for Basque independence. It is listed as a terrorist group by the European Union and the United States.
|
bf53d4476d624f22b0c2ebe50d8fe4fe
|
Was the previous bombing in the same neighborhood?
|
[
"Madrid"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- It seems the world of the golf cart is changing if certain industry manufacturers are to be believed. By shedding their normal surroundings, improving their dowdy image and hitting the streets -- "pimped up" carts may increasingly be seen away from the course.
Celebrities have been queuing up to jump on the buggy-wagon. The most recent purchase was by pop star Cheryl Cole, who bought husband and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole a "Mini-Hummer" buggy as a gift, spending $8,000 customizing the cart with gold-plated hub caps, Swarovski crystals and a trunk for his golf clubs.
Dominik Jackson, owner of Mini-Hummer says demand for the vehicles has rocketed since 2006: "It started as a glorified golf buggy, but since adapting the look we've had demand from all over Europe and even from royal families in the Middle East." The carts are already on the roads in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and the company are planning to launch a new fully enclosed Mini-Hummer in London next year.
While Europe is catching up with the trend, there has been a big market for "pimped" golf carts in the United States for some time. "I'd say about 99% of our sales these days are for individual use," says Randy Hopper, owner of Sick 'N' Twisted Designs, one of the largest bespoke golf cart manufacturers in California. "We build customized golf carts to the specific requirements of the customer - we pretty much do everything."
And this really means everything. Modern carts are now built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes - street, lifted, off-road and even Limo carts.
Sick 'N' Twisted customer Dave Johnson is having his golf cart pimped and modified to match the color of his boat: "It's going to be burgundy with 12-inch wheels, full sound system and air-bags that adjust the height of the cart." Dave insists that in his neighborhood, golf carts are more of an everyday than a luxury item: "They're practical, affordable and it's nice to cruise around and see your neighbors."
So is this a case of keeping up with the Joneses? "There's no official competition on our street, but people take notice of things like that. It's definitely seen as a status symbol."
While the golf cart remains a staple on the fairways, the souped-up street version is no longer just par for the course.
|
33430bc8a95f482da7e739d122339c36
|
Where are the carts growing in popularity?
|
[
"United States"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Cyclist Chris Hoy has been knighted in the United Kingdom New Year Honors list, while every British gold medallist from the Beijing Olympic Games has also been rewarded.
Hoy completes a remarkable year by being knighted in the United Kingdom New Years Honors list.
In a move that breaks with tradition, triple-gold medallist Hoy will be knighted while still competing and will take part in London 2012 as Sir Chris.
The 32-year-old told PA Sport: "To become a knight from riding your bike, it's mad. It is an amazing honor and is also great for the sport."
Hoy, who was made an MBE after winning his first gold in Athens in 2004, was also voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year earlier this month.
The Scotsman was one of 10 Olympic cyclists to be honored, while a number of Olympic coaches and officials were also recognised.
Rebecca Adlington, the 19-year-old swimmer who won two Olympic golds -- the first British woman to win an Olympic swimming gold for 48 years -- receives an OBE (Order of the British Empire) .
Adlington said: "I'm absolutely delighted to receive and accept the OBE -- it is fantastic to be recognised in the New Year Honors List. There are so many amazing names on the list, it's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life."
Christine Ohuruogu, the only British athlete to win a track and field gold in Beijing when she claimed the 400m title, has been given an MBE (Member of the British Empire).
"It is nice to be called the Olympic, world and Commonwealth champion and now to be made an MBE is extra special," said Ohuruogu.
Away from the Olympics, Lewis Hamilton receives an MBE after becoming the youngest ever Formula One world champion.
"It is a massive honor and incredible privilege. It is the most amazing culmination to what has been quite a year for me," said Hamilton.
|
819850114f6342ddb9b1de1344c9e155
|
How many golds did Hoy garner in Beijing?
|
[
"triple-gold"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince William has helped the U.S. Coast Guard bust a drug smuggling boat carrying cocaine worth a minimum of $80 million.
Prince William has helped bust a speed boat smuggling $80 million worth of cocaine.
William, who is serving in the Royal Navy, helped make the bust last weekend when he spotted a speedboat found to be carrying nearly a ton of cocaine in the Atlantic Ocean, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Wednesday.
William, 26, was one of the crew members aboard a helicopter attached to the frigate HMS Iron Duke who spotted the ocean-going speedboat hundreds of miles northeast of Barbados, the defense ministry said
The 50-foot-long power boat raised suspicions because it was a small vessel far out to sea and resembled a "go-fast" boat commonly used for drug smuggling, the ministry said. The boat's location suggested it was en route to Europe or North Africa, it said.
The chopper's crew informed the ship's captain about the boat, and U.S. Coast Guard personnel who were on the frigate then boarded the boat. They found 45 bales of cocaine weighing a total of 900 kilograms (just under a ton), the defense ministry said.
The cocaine has a minimum street value of $80 million, the ministry said.
The bust went smoothly with no violence, defense officials said. Navy crew detained the five men on the boat, which was in poor condition and later sank.
William is in the middle of a two-month attachment with the Royal Navy as part of his continued experience with various branches of the military. The prince, who is called sub lieutenant Wales in the navy, is also expected to spend time aboard a mine hunter and submarine during his attachment, which ends August 1.
William's vessel, the Iron Duke, is a patrol boat which supports overseas British territories in the event of a hurricane and carries out counter-narcotic operations.
William completed a four-month attachment with the Royal Air Force earlier this year and received his pilot's wings on graduation in April. He learned to fly three different aircraft during the attachment and is known as Flying Officer Wales within the RAF.
William is already a second lieutenant in the British Army, where he serves in the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry.
The attachments are designed to give the prince, who as king will be the head of the armed forces, experience with the military.
|
aecf247d75e64a1a91830ff4defe71a5
|
What was the boat carrying?
|
[
"cocaine"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Somalia needs international help to fight Islamist extremists battling for power in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, the country's moderate Islamist president said Monday.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president.
"I am calling on the international community to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country," President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said.
Speaking at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, Ahmed called several times for international help in fighting foreign militants whom he claims are the same fighters who have fought the "international community" in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Wherever they come, they fuel violence," the president said. "The Somali people cannot and should not accept that their countries should be a launching pad for these militants to attack."
Ahmed told local journalists that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups.
He also praised local militias in the two regions of Hiiran and Middle Shabelle for struggling against the foreign militias.
Last week, al-Shabab militants advanced to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, sparking sporadic fighting and shelling in the Somali capital. The recent fighting has killed more than 40 civilians and wounded about 150 others, according to sources at the scene.
Al-Shabab -- once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union -- has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, which says it is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network.
Ahmed participated in seizing control of Mogadishu in 2006 along with the Islamic Courts Union before it was ousted by Ethiopian forces later that year.
He has since split from Somali jihad movements and was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president through a process shepherded by the United Nations.
Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.
|
f4de3d7212aa464c8421fdc1bf2df2e5
|
Who is speaking at a conference in Mogadishu?
|
[
"Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Lawmakers in Ukraine scuffled with each other, throwing punches and eggs, as parliament met Tuesday to ratify a treaty with Russia that extends the latter's navy presence in the Ukraine's Crimean peninsula until 2042.
The ruling Regions party eventually ratified the treaty but not before howls of protest from the opposition.
Someone set off a smoke bomb inside the building, while Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn sought refuge behind an umbrella as he was pelted with eggs.
During a rally attended by thousands on Saturday, opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko -- the former prime minister who lost to Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential election run-off in February -- said the ratification must be prevented at all costs.
She claimed that Yanukovych is "selling out" Ukraine, has "openly embarked on the path of destruction of (Ukraine's) national interests, and has actually begun the process of eliminating the state's sovereignty."
The deal was signed last week by Yanukovych and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Tymoshenko said it violated part of the Ukrainian Constitution, which forbids the country from hosting foreign military bases after 2017.
The deal extends Russia's lease of a major naval base in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol for an additional 25 years, in exchange for a 30 percent cut in the price of natural gas that Russia sells to Ukraine.
The agreement may bring an end to years of disputes over natural gas prices, which culminated in Russia turning off the pipeline to Ukraine.
The dispute affected not only Ukrainians, but many Europeans who depend on Russian gas pumped through Ukraine.
The two countries had been at odds ever since the "Orange Revolution" swept Yanukovych's fiercely anti-Russian predecessor Viktor Yushchenko to power in 2005.
Throughout his time in office, Yushchenko repeatedly threatened to expel Russia's Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol. The Russian military lease there was scheduled to expire in 2017.
Yanukovych said the new deal added a "concrete and pragmatic dimension" to centuries of relations between Ukrainians and Russians.
Opposition groups in Ukraine, however, were quick to denounce the agreement. Yuschenko's "Our Ukraine" party said the treaty would lead to the "Russification" of Ukraine.
|
27b1b040ecda477183b6a9442bff3694
|
Which factions were fighting in the Ukraine parliament?
|
[
"The ruling Regions party"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- One thing Saudi people should not have to worry about is money.
Oil money is paying for Saudi Arabia's growth but it is also the main cause of rising prices
The kingdom is awash in cash which keeps pouring into the world's largest oil producer as prices rise. Last year alone, Saudi is estimated to have raked in about $200 billion from oil.
It is this influx of money which is paying for Saudi Arabia's economic growth -- but it is also the main cause of rising prices across the country.
"There is no free lunch. If you want to grow at that base, you have to swallow a price every once in a while in the form of high inflation," said Abdulrahman Al Harithi, CEO of investment bank, MENA Financial Group.
Saudi people are certainly paying the price. Inflation is currently running at 9.6 percent -- a 30-year high.
At the beginning of the year, rental costs went up nearly 17 percent. In March, the cost of fuel and water increased almost 16 percent and other everyday staples also saw double digit gains.
The kingdom's business community is also concerned about the adverse effects of inflation.
A recent survey of Saudi Arabia's business confidence by financial services company, SABB, found that while confidence remains robust, over half of respondents were concerned that inflation would lead to rising business costs.
Prices in the kingdom will continue their upward trend, according to the analysts at SABB.
What's more, there is not much the Saudi government can do to combat it. The riyal, like many other Gulf currencies, is pegged to the U.S. dollar and while the Gulf is booming, the U.S. is heading towards recession.
As the economic fortunes of the two countries continue to diverge it is hard to see what can be done to combat inflation.
The main problem is that whenever the U.S. Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, like it did this week, the kingdom must follow suit.
In a booming economy like Saudi's, low interest rates push prices through the roof.
The government is studying whether remedies like a minimum wage could ease the pain but some in the kingdom, like Al Harithi, say there is no quick solution.
"Honestly, I don't' think there is an answer for such a question. I don't think there is a magical formula that could fix this issue," he told CNN. E-mail to a friend
|
404254b8e4a74704b6e3473376c3e36d
|
what was saudi arabia's gross oil sales last year
|
[
"about $200 billion"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Up to 1,000 human rights campaigners demonstrated Saturday in front of No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, calling on the British government to demand that full democracy be restored in Pakistan.
Jemima Khan, center, ex-wife for former Pakistani cricket star Imran Khan, joins protesters in London.
Protesters waved placards and chanted in support of the resignation of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, a week after he imposed a state of emergency in the country.
The crowd of demonstrators massed behind barriers and included Jemima Khan, the ex-wife of former Pakistani cricket star turned politician Imran Khan.
The demonstrators carried placards saying "Free the innocent" and "End Musharraf's Regime" and waved Pakistani flags.
Imran Khan, who heads the the Movement for Justice Party, has been under house arrest since the emergency declaration.
His ex-wife delivered a petition to a doorman at Downing Street, calling on Britain to use its influence to ensure that all institutions are in place well in advance of Pakistani elections originally scheduled for early next year. The petition also demands that Pakistan restore democracy and the judiciary and calls on Musharraf to release all political prisoners, including lawyers, journalists and opposition politicians. E-mail to a friend
|
538c71048a574b02b22a034ef17256cc
|
In what country were they protesting?
|
[
"London."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A single-engine plane crashed Saturday outside a bank in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, seriously injuring the five people on board, authorities said.
A damaged airplane lies on the ground Saturday next to a busy road in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The pilot reported engine problems shortly after leaving the city's Wiley Post Airport, about a mile away from the crash site, at midmorning, said Lynn Lunsford, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The plane hit two trees as it came down, and video showed the damaged Beechcraft Bonanza resting on the grass near a busy thoroughfare in the northwest section of the city.
Fire Department Deputy Chief Cecil Clay said the two men and three women on the plane were taken to hospitals. Lunsford said they suffered multiple injuries. Watch footage of the plane at the crash site »
The plane was headed to Enid, Oklahoma, about 100 miles north of Oklahoma City. The pilot tried to return to Wiley Post Airport after he recognized the engine trouble, Lunsford said.
"I heard what I thought was a Dumpster being unloaded in the complex," said Shaddy Ahmad, who manages the U-Haul business across the street from the bank.
He said emergency responders used special equipment to extricate the people from the plane, the top of which was peeled back.
"They were very lucky because this is a high-traffic area," Ahmad said. "You have the expressway, the bank and stores in the area. They were blessed to land how they did."
|
bfbdeef95e1e4034ba519e652a41cf1d
|
Where were fliars headed?
|
[
"Enid, Oklahoma,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Manchester United are now just one point behind leaders Chelsea at the top of the English Premier League, after a double from in-form Wayne Rooney helped them to a comfortable 3-0 home win over West Ham on Tuesday evening.
England striker Rooney, who is enjoying the best goalscoring run of his career, has now scored 27 goals this season, as well as finding the net in United's last six league matches at Old Trafford.
Former England striker Michael Owen added a late third goal, to ensure that United head into Sunday's League Cup final against Aston Villa at Wembley in good heart.
Rooney opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time, superbly converting a diving header from Antonio Valencia's cross.
And the 24-year-old doubled his advantage in similar vein in the second half, again finding space to head home another pin-point Valencia cross.
West Ham arrived at Old Trafford on the back on consecutive victories that had seen them move away from the relegation zone, but they were always second best here and their fate was sealed when Owen netted his eighth goal of the season from a Paul Scholes through-pass.
|
be24d4559d5e4d3a8487d062b8acbb2b
|
How many goals did Rooney score?
|
[
"scored 27"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Governors in three Eastern Seaboard states Friday called on National Guard troops to help evacuate people from flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida.
Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power.
Ida lost momentum but not the ability to generate winds and rain as it made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast earlier this week, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service had flood advisories in effect Friday for areas of coastal Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
At least 160 National Guard troops were deployed in sections of Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey to evacuate residents in high-water areas as well as provide cots, sandbags and potable water, according to the Pentagon's National Guard Bureau.
"About 40 members of the Delaware National Guard have provided support to civilian emergency relief agencies in Kent and Sussex counties," the bureau said.
The New Jersey National Guard sent 18 guardsmen with trucks to help with evacuations in the Cape May and Atlantic counties, where the governor Thursday declared a state of emergency due to flooding, Guard officials reported
Almost 100 guardsmen with high-water vehicles were helping firefighters in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency, saying the remnants of Ida had combined with another storm to cause dangerous conditions in some areas. By early afternoon, at least 155,000 customers were without power in the state -- mostly in and around Norfolk, according to the Dominion Power Web site.
"With the National Weather Service indicating that eastern Virginia could experience flooding and storm surge comparable to the effects of a Category 1 hurricane, it's critical that Virginians make the necessary preparations," Kaine said. "While we will continue to monitor conditions, the commonwealth is preparing for a period of coastal flooding through at least Friday evening."
|
1da946cad4804e3a86e4fe5b5c280047
|
How many have been left without power?
|
[
"at least 155,000 customers were"
] |
NewsQA
|
AUGUSTA, Georgia -- Children will be admitted to the Masters for free starting in 2008 and the Par-3 contest will be televised, said Augusta National Golf Club chairman Billy Payne.
Children will have the chance to see Tiger Woods in action at the Masters for nothing next year.
The aim is to boost youth interest in golf and Payne said they were the first initiatives of a multi-year plan to use the Masters to promote the sport worldwide.
"We want to inspire the next generation of golfers now. We're serious about exposing youngsters to golf and the Masters," Payne said.
"These initiatives are important first steps and a great kickoff to our ongoing mission of growing the game."
Children aged eight to 16 will be admitted free to Augusta National for tournament rounds starting next year, but only when they are accompanied by an accredited ticket holder, one whose name appears on the badge application.
A new television deal to show the Wednesday Par-3 event on ESPN will give the world a chance to see someone play themselves out of winning the first major championship of the year, if tradition holds.
No winner of the Par-3 competition has ever captured the Masters in the same year since it began in 1960. It is played over a par-27 layout measuring 1,060 yards on the Augusta National grounds.
"The Par 3 Contest is fun and exciting for the entire family. It's an event everyone enjoys and we think it will demonstrate to kids just how fun golf can be," Payne said. E-mail to a friend
|
fb3d7926d6cb43bd88b73b154ae75b06
|
Is the Masters on television?
|
[
"ESPN"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- After the gloom of December's postal strikes, Britain's Royal Mail has started the new year in the right tune with the launch of 10 stamps which feature iconic album covers.
And who better than guitar shaman Jimmy Page to give it the official stamp of approval? The Led Zeppelin guitarist launched the new set of stamps in London which went on sale Thursday.
The special New Year stamps feature classic album sleeves from the last four decades.
One of the 10 selected albums was Led Zeppelin's 32 million-selling album, "IV," which Page helped design. It shows a painting of an unknown faggot-bearing man which is said to have been found by Robert Plant in a Reading junk shop. It is not known who the painter was.
"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," said Page in a media statement released by Royal Mail.
"That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time," he added.
It was after extensive research into lists and polls and trawling through thousands of album covers that the final list of 10 was agreed upon, the Royal Mail said.
They added that key factors in choosing the covers were the art and album design and not necessarily the music.
"For decades, the album sleeve has been the canvas for some of the most imaginative graphic artists in the world, and this issue celebrates this unique art form and some of its greatest examples," said Juliette Edgar, Head of Special Stamps at Royal Mail in the statement.
Other chosen album covers include The Rolling Stones' 1969 album "Let It Bleed," which features a cake on the cover baked by a then unknown Delia Smith, Pennie Smith's photography for The Clash's "London Calling" and a bent chrome pipe on the cover of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells."
|
edebfcc7508e4c11a751e9964b4dac0b
|
Who heped design Zeppelin's album cover "IV"?
|
[
"Page"
] |
NewsQA
|
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) -- The light from the cell phone screens allowed surgeons to complete an emergency appendix operation during a blackout in a city in central Argentina, reports said on Saturday.
Leonardo Molina, 29, was on the operating table on July 21, when the power went out in the Policlinico Juan D. Peron, the main hospital in Villa Mercedes, a small city in San Luis province.
"The generator, which should have been working correctly, didn't work," a hospital spokesman, whose name was not given, told TN television news station.
"The surgeons and anesthetists were in the dark... A family member got some cell phones together from people in the hallway and took them in to provide light," he said.
Ricardo Molina, 39, Leonardo's brother, told La Nacion newspaper that the lights were out for an hour and his brother's anesthesia was wearing off. E-mail to a friend
|
6ffe56355586472bab3c7e36aab5a722
|
What didn't work?
|
[
"\"The generator,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Entertainment Weekly) -- In "Marley & Me," it doesn't take long to learn why Marley, an incorrigibly frisky golden Labrador retriever adopted by Florida newspaper writers John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston), is the "world's worst dog."
In "Marley & Me," Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston's characters welcome a dog into their lives.
He's friendly and lovable, but he devours everything in sight -- drywall, socks, big chunks of furniture (no, he doesn't just chew on them, he eats them).
As a dog owner, I can testify that "Marley & Me," based on the real John Grogan's smash 2005 memoir, is the single most endearing and authentic movie about the human-canine connection in decades. As directed by David Frankel ("The Devil Wears Prada"), though, it's also something more: a disarmingly enjoyable, wholehearted comic vision of the happy messiness of family life.
John and Jenny share an existence that, from the standpoint of our current economic times, already looks like paradise. He's a reporter who gets refashioned, by his testy editor (Alan Arkin), into a lifestyle columnist (only to keep complaining about it -- poor guy!). She's a feature writer who becomes a stay-at-home mom.
As the kids come along (three of them), the Grogans move into bigger and bigger houses, yet they have thwarted ambitions, fights that go on for days, and a general attitude of wistful loss toward all the freedoms they have given up to become parents.
"Marley & Me" celebrates two ordinary people as they try to fit love, work, children, and one volcanically misbehaved pooch into a single space. Marley may be the dog from hell, but we're meant to see that the Grogans, in their hearts, wouldn't have it any other way. Marley stands in for all the unruliness that can never be domesticated out of life.
You can domesticate Owen Wilson, but the shock is how good the role of beleaguered breadwinner looks on him. He and Aniston forge a nimble connection (they even get mad in style), and Wilson has a scene near the end with Marley that's the most wrenchingly tender acting of his career.
Using his scratchy, lackadaisical warmth to voice a testament to family, and to where dogs fit into it, he makes you feel like it's a wonderful life indeed.
EW Grade: A-
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
|
4b2195ab27e949fb8c310287932018f0
|
What is the comedy about?
|
[
"two ordinary people as they try to fit love, work, children, and one volcanically misbehaved pooch into a single space."
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five American security contractors were detained in connection with the killing of another American contractor last month inside Baghdad's Green Zone, sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Saturday.
The body of James Kitterman was found in a car in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone.
Iraqi and U.S. personnel took the five into custody in an operation inside the Green Zone before dawn on Friday, according to an Iraqi official involved in the investigation into the killing of James Kitterman. The five, who have not yet been charged, were being held by Iraqi security forces Saturday at a jail inside the heavily protected zone, he said.
The troops also confiscated weapons during the raid on the suspects' firm at about 4 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The names of the suspects and the company they work for were not released. The U.S. military declined comment and referred questions to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Embassy officials did not immediately respond to request for comments.
Kitterman was found bound, blindfolded and fatally stabbed in a car in the district, formally known as the International Zone, on May 22. The 60-year-old Houston, Texas, resident owned a construction company that operated in Iraq.
The five suspects knew the victim, a source inside the Green Zone familiar with the investigation said. Both the Iraqi and the Green Zone sources noted that the FBI has been involved in the investigation from the start.
Once the suspects are charged and referred to trial, the case would be sent to Iraq's Central Criminal Court, the Iraqi official said. If that happens, it would be the first time U.S. citizens were tried in Iraq since the United States returned the country's government to the Iraqis.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Alan Duke contributed to this report.
|
9a7020a3c3de4c84ba492c7ba2f8cee8
|
Who found bound, blindfolded and fatally stabbed?
|
[
"James Kitterman"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A court has ordered pop singer Britney Spears to give up custody of her children effective Wednesday at noon.
Kevin Federline and Britney Spears, here during happier times, have two children.
Spears' former husband, Kevin Federline, is to retain custody of their two sons "until further order of the court," according to a ruling by Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon.
It was not clear what led to Monday's decision awarding Federline full custody. A transcript of the court proceedings was ordered sealed.
Last month, a judge ordered Spears, 25, to submit to random drug tests after finding she engaged in "habitual, frequent, and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol."
That order, also by Gordon, provided no details and did not name any drugs.
The former couple has been embroiled in a bitter custody fight over their sons, Sean Preston and Jayden.
The parents had split custody 50-50, but Federline then asked for the arrangements to be shifted to 70-30 in his favor. Watch how Spears became user of -- and prisoner to -- fame »
In addition to ordering the twice-weekly drug tests, Gordon ordered Spears to spend eight hours per week working with a "parenting coach," who was to observe her interactions with her children.
Gordon also told both parents to avoid alcohol or "other non-prescription controlled substances" 12 hours before taking custody of the children.
He also barred the exes from making "derogatory remarks about the other party and the other party's family or significant other" during the case.
And he ordered the parents to go through "joint co-parenting counseling" and barred them from using corporal punishment on the boys.
Spears and Federline were married for two years before their divorce became final in July.
Monday's order comes amid a career freefall for Spears, whose new album is due to be released November 13.
After her September 9 "comeback" performance on the MTV Video Music Awards, critics derided her singing and dancing as lackluster and said she appeared overweight in her sequined two-piece costume.
Her former divorce lawyer, Laura Wasser, resigned last month as her legal representative after telling reporters the singer "just wants to be a mom."
Spears' management company, the Firm, recently quit after representing the singer for little over a month. E-mail to a friend
|
f28f8f3ea04e45ea8c85c497b7c3ce66
|
When did Spears and Federline get divorced?
|
[
"July."
] |
NewsQA
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- The reputed leader of the Zetas drug cartel in the Mexican state of Veracruz was killed in a gunbattle with federal authorities, the Mexican attorney general's office has said.
Braulio Arellano Dominguez, also known as "El Gonzo," "Zeta 20" or "El Verdugo," was mortally wounded when federal police and sailors went to search a house in the city of Soledad de Doblado, the attorney general said in a release Tuesday.
Arellano Dominguez opened fire with a .38-caliber revolver and was wounded in the firefight, officials said. He died while being transported to a hospital.
Three other suspects were arrested.
Officials said they confiscated five cars, four motorcycles, a submachine gun, a hand grenade, four pistols, more than 150 rounds of ammunition, communication equipment, three bags containing unspecified powder and pills, 74,900 pesos ($5,655) and $107 in U.S. currency.
Veracruz is in southeastern Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
Los Zetas, formed by former Mexican elite commando-type soldiers, consists mostly of ex-federal and local police. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the group among the most advanced and violent of Mexico's drug cartels.
Originally formed as the Gulf drug cartel's enforcement wing, the Zetas increasingly have branched out on their own.
More than 12,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels after taking office in December 2006. He has deployed thousands of military personnel and federal police in his battle against the drug traffickers.
|
fd64e2b2744946558724bde1cac03752
|
Who died in firefight with authorities?
|
[
"Braulio Arellano Dominguez,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An Islamic militia took over two strategic towns in Somalia Tuesday in a territory grab by the strengthening insurgency, a regional commander told CNN.
Islamist fighters from Al-Shabaab group in Somalia display their flag.
The al-Shabaab militia seized the cities of Bulo Marer and Quryoley from the U.N.-backed government and its Ethiopian allies. The move gives the group a strategic base in central Somalia, where it also controls Kismayo, the country's third-largest city.
Al-Shabaab is an offshoot of an Islamic party that ruled much of the country in the second half of 2006 and aims to impose Islamic sharia law in Somalia.
Nur Shekoy Jabril, the commander of government forces in Quryoley, said his troops withdrew from the two towns after they faced being overwhelmed by the al-Shabaab force.
He said al-Shabaab forces were moving toward Merka, another major town in the region where the Untied Nations uses an air strip to fly in supplies for the World Food Programme.
Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since 1991, is in the throes of an Islamic insurgency which is battling for control of the country and the ouster of Ethiopian forces.
A cease-fire between the some of the Islamic fighters and the Somali transitional government takes effect on Wednesday.
The agreement was brokered by the United Nations and the African Union and signed late last month in Djibouti.
It calls for Ethiopian forces -- who are supporting the transitional government forces -- to withdraw starting on November 21.
It is unclear if the cease-fire will hold as it has already been rejected by Al Shabaab.
Somalia's lawlessness also spilled onto the seas off the Horn of Africa, where international vessels are routinely hijacked by suspected Somali pirates who demand large ransoms.
|
4a97af8b6ea74a26af755d0c9ec6fe16
|
The move gives what?
|
[
"a strategic base in central Somalia,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Farrah Fawcett, the actress known worldwide for her beauty and her role on "Charlie's Angels," is reportedly seriously ill and may be close to death after a long battle with cancer.
Farrah Fawcett, seen here in 2004, is featured in a documentary about her fight with cancer.
A documentary, which airs Friday night on NBC, will feature an intimate look at her life since being diagnosed with the disease.
On Thursday, Larry King talked with Candy Spelling, a close friend of Fawcett. Her husband, the late Aaron Spelling, produced "Charlie's Angels." Spelling talks about her relationship with Fawcett and why she believes she did the documentary.
The following is an edited version of the interview.
Larry King: Did you first meet Farrah in connection with getting that part?
Candy Spelling: Yes. Actually, she did a lot of small, little parts in the movies for Aaron starting around 1973. So it's been, my God, 36, 37 years since I, you know, first met her. Watch Candy Spelling talk about her friendship with Farrah Fawcett »
King: So you knew her well during all that time?
Spelling: Yes.
King: Did you know about her getting picked to be on "Charlie's Angels?"
Spelling: I remember. She did some small roles. I think the one that Aaron really decided he was really going to use her was this American beauty pageant and, also, it was like "Murder on Flight 502." He did the 90-minute versions.
King: Movie of the week?
Spelling: Right. Movie of the weeks.
King: When did you know she had cancer?
Spelling: I found out about a year -- when I first heard, I don't know if it was a year or two years ago when we first heard, and I contacted her. I hadn't talked to her in a while. She said, "I'm going to be all right, Candy. Everything is going to be all right."
King: Why do you think, Candy, she did the documentary?
Spelling: I think that she wanted to give other people courage that, you know, are fighting this kind of thing. I know how, you know, devastating the press, you know, was with Aaron when he had cancer. And it's just so difficult. And I mean, you know, it's hard to have a private life at that point.
King: Why do the tabloids get so tough on someone in such pain?
Spelling: It's news. It's kind of a sad thing. I'm always so sorry to see it. But, you know, people believe what they see, and a lot of times, we don't know how true it really is.
|
c450117f89464e528e69fdafc177985d
|
What does Candy Spelling talk about?
|
[
"her relationship with Fawcett and why"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Four people, including a 12-year-old, died when an Amtrak train hit their car in Hardeeville, South Carolina, an official said Tuesday.
The accident occurred Monday night near the South Carolina-Georgia state line, not far from the intersection of South Carolina 46 and U.S. 17.
"It appears that the vehicle tried to go around the gate arms ... to beat the train across the tracks," said Ted Felder, Hardeeville's interim city manager.
The Jasper County, South Carolina, coroner has not released the names of the dead.
The car became wedged onto the front of the southbound train, which pushed it for a mile down the track, Felder said. The Hardeeville Fire Department received a call shortly before 9 p.m. ET Monday, but teams from various agencies reportedly were unable to detach the car until about midnight.
Felder said no one on the train was injured, and once the car was detached, a bus took passengers to the Amtrak station in Savannah, Georgia.
The train was en route from Charleston, South Carolina, to Savannah when the crash occurred.
|
15b362f7e8ac48c083f87f9301b9071f
|
Where was the car hit?
|
[
"in Hardeeville,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday proposed a $2.9 million fine against American Eagle Airlines for allegedly conducting more than 1,100 flights using planes with landing-gear doors that had not been repaired as prescribed by the FAA.
The proposed fine comes just weeks after the FAA proposed a $2.5 million fine against the airline for allegedly operating flights without adequately ensuring that the weight of baggage was properly calculated.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based American Eagle -- a regional affiliate of American Airlines -- flew four Bombardier regional jets on more than 1,100 flights between February and May 2008, with main landing-gear doors that had not been repaired as ordered by the FAA in August 2006, the FAA said.
"Following Airworthiness Directives [repair orders] is not optional," FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt said in a statement. "The FAA does not hesitate to levy fines if maintenance standards are violated."
American Eagle responded that it was disappointed in the FAA's actions, saying the airline did not endanger the public and it considered a fine unwarranted.
The repair order required airlines to inspect landing-gear doors and take necessary action, fixing the doors or replacing them with new ones. In this case, American Eagle found damage on four aircraft, but rather than removing the doors as required, the airline repaired them while they remained on the planes.
American Eagle said it self-disclosed to the FAA that repairs were performed while the landing-gear doors remained on the aircraft, a process that the FAA and the aircraft manufacturer subsequently approved, the company said. American Eagle subsequently removed the landing-gear doors on each of the affected aircraft and repaired them in accordance with the Airworthiness Directive.
The airline said it will meet with the FAA to discuss the matter.
The proposed fines are the latest in a string of multimillion dollar fines the FAA has proposed against airlines for failing to follow repair orders. In October, the FAA proposed to fine US Airways $5.4 million and United $3.8 million for other maintenance violations.
In March, Southwest Airlines agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a complaint that it flew unsafe planes.
|
390fdccab06945f091978d57129e8fc3
|
What was the fine proposed?
|
[
"$2.9 million"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Several thousand barrels of North Slope crude oil spilled into a containment area along the Alaska pipeline Tuesday when an open valve at a pump station allowed oil to overflow a tank, the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company said.
Alyeska said the incident took place about 10:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. ET) during a planned pipeline shutdown while the company was conducting fire command and valve leak testing at the pump station.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said a battery failed to control the valve when power was switched from the main grid during Alyeska's tests. The valve has been closed, shutting off the flow, the department said, but the pipeline remains shut down.
The department said the next steps would be to clean up the oil in the containment area, determine the cause of the problem and restart oil flowing in the pipeline. No oil has been reported outside the containment area.
Mark MacIntyre, a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle, Washington, said two EPA coordinators would arrive on the scene from Anchorage on Wednesday and have a report in the afternoon.
The pump station is near Delta Junction, about 100 miles south of Fairbanks. Ayleska said the lined containment area that took the spill has a capacity of about 104,500 barrels.
Ayleska also said there were no injuries and the pump station was evacuated. An incident management team and other responders were dispatched.
CNN's Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
|
b422e7f85b144416b742e5caac1bc379
|
In what state did the oil spill take place?
|
[
"Alaska"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Commercial office space, warehouses or factory facilities are not required to launch a successful business.
At-home enterprises have turned many business people into full-fledged celebrities.
Grammy award-winning musicians OutKast started in a basement recording studio in Atlanta, Georgia. Apple, Google and Microsoft all were born at home-based facilities. See more famous businesses that started at home »
Culinary queen Paula Deen started her media empire by making bag lunches in her own kitchen.
|
4842e99d93684799ac9e990b3a4a33e6
|
Who's kitchen bag-lunch operation led to her media empire?
|
[
"Culinary queen Paula Deen"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Troubled pop star Amy Winehouse spent the night in a London hospital after suffering a reaction to a medication she was taking at home Monday night, according to her spokeswoman.
Amy Winehouse's husband was recently jailed for 27 months.
Tracey Miller said she could not say what medication was involved.
A statement from University College Hospital said Winehouse had been kept in overnight for observation.
She had a comfortable night and was released Tuesday morning, the statement said.
London Ambulance Service said it transported the singer after being notified of "an adult female taken unwell."
Winehouse's spokesman in London, Chris Goodman, told the British Press Association that he had not been told what was wrong with the 24-year-old singer, who is well known for her song "Rehab," describing the singer's reluctance to enter a clinic.
The pop singer was investigated this year after a London tabloid made public a leaked home video that showed her smoking something in a glass pipe minutes after she was heard saying she had just taken six tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Valium. Police declined to file charges.
The singer has battled drug addiction and spent about two weeks in a rehabilitation clinic in January.
Winehouse won five Grammy awards this year -- three for "Rehab" as well as Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
Winehouse's Grammy winning album, "Back to Black," is still a big seller, recently charting at No. 12 in the UK more than 19 months after its release. Madame Toussaud's London wax museum recently unveiled a wax statue of Winehouse alongside Madonna, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce and other musicians in the museum's "Music Zone" exhibit.
On July 21, Winehouse's husband was jailed for 27 months. He admitted to brawling with a pub manager and then offering him $400,000 to not talk about the incident.
|
905e9ca6e6034831bd1b2ef268bea51f
|
What has the singer struggled with?
|
[
"battled drug addiction"
] |
NewsQA
|
Norfolk, Virginia (CNN) -- Two of three Navy SEALs accused in the alleged assault of an Iraqi suspected of orchestrating the 2004 killing and mutilation of four U.S. contractors in Falluja will have their cases heard in Iraq, a judge ruled Monday.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Jonathan Keefe, 25, is charged with dereliction of duty and impeding an official investigation surrounding the Iraqi's detention last September.
Petty Officer 1st Class Julio Huertas, 28, faces similar charges. The Iraqi suspect, Ahmed Hashim Abed, complained to investigators he was punched during his detention.
The case against the Navy SEALs has sparked outrage that the sailors are being tried at all for handling a suspect in the contractors' murders, one of the most notorious incidents in the Iraq war.
The killings got widespread news coverage when the burned bodies of two of the contractors were paraded through the streets of Falluja and hanged from a bridge as their captors cheered.
At a preliminary hearing in military court the judge, Cmdr. Tierney Carlos, announced he wants the cases of Keefe and Huertas moved to Camp Victory in Iraq to give them the ability to question the alleged victim in court.
"It doesn't make sense to me that the alleged victim is available for deposition and not available for trial," Carlos said in making his ruling for Keefe. "In order to prevent prejudice to the accused, this case should be tried in Iraq."
Keefe's attorney had requested that the alleged victim be brought to the United States for questioning.
"This deposition will not be a substitute for the alleged victim's appearance," the judge said.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, the other SEAL, is accused of assaulting the detainee and punching him in the stomach. He faces a special court martial Wednesday.
The charges against all three are the equivalent of misdemeanors in civilian court.
If found guilty, the SEALs face a maximum sentence of a year in a military prison, demolition to the lowest Navy rank, a cut in pay, and a bad conduct discharge. "Their military careers would be over," one of their attorneys told CNN.
|
42aaffd120474b8a9a8f4bb498bbe567
|
What is the Iraqi suspected of?
|
[
"orchestrating the 2004 killing and mutilation of four U.S. contractors in Falluja"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A football team from southern Italy is hoping for entry into the Guinness World Records because all their players have the same surname, according to a media report.
The entire squad of Team De Feo, an amateur side from the town of Serino, have "De Feo" as their surname -- as does the coach, doctor and club secretary and sponsors, British newspaper The Independent reported.
The club's ground even sits on Via Raffaele De Feo. A tourism Web site for Serino shows that the mayor's name is Gaetano De Feo.
According to The Independent, the team was established by former Serie A player, Maurizio De Feo, who says he founded the team in a bid for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. The name De Feo is very common in the region.
A Guinness World Records spokesman told CNN there did not appear to be any active categories that the team's identical surnames would fit in to -- but that new ideas were always welcomed.
If the team was to submit a claim to Guinness World Records, the idea would be considered and a new category could potentially be created, the spokesman said.
|
db1ad58b71804dcdbd3494e939202592
|
Who founded the team?
|
[
"Maurizio De Feo,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Investigators looking for the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to tomatoes will focus on farms in Mexico and Florida, federal health authorities said Friday.
Since April, more than 500 people have contracted the same strain of salmonella, linked to raw tomatoes.
The tracebacks "have taken us from point of consumption all the way back to certain farms in Mexico and Florida," said Dr. David Acheson, associate commissioner for foods at the Food and Drug Administration.
The agency will send teams of investigators to farms in both locations this weekend as well as to the pathways from those farms in an attempt to determine where the contamination occurred, he said.
The tomatoes may not have been contaminated on a farm, he stressed; the contamination could have occurred in a packing shed, warehouse, supplier chain or distribution center.
"We are going to all of those places to see if there are any problems that could indicate how or why these tomatoes got contaminated," he said.
The reported advance in the investigation came as the toll mounted, with 552 people identified as having contracted the strain of Salmonella Saintpaul since April in 32 states and the District of Columbia. It is one of the biggest outbreaks of tomato-caused illness in history, officials said. See where the cases have been reported »
Though the number of reported victims has risen dramatically in recent days, that does not signify a large number of new infections, Acheson said.
Instead, he credited improved surveillance and laboratory identification of previously submitted strains for the increased number.
The bulk of the new reports were in Texas, which tallied 265 cases, according to Ian Williams, chief of the OutbreakNet Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 53 of the victims, whose ages range from 1 to 88 years, have been hospitalized. The victims are almost evenly split between males and females.
Though no deaths have been officially attributed to the outbreak, a man in his 60s in Texas who had cancer also had the infection, which may have contributed to his death, Williams said.
The outbreak began April 10, and the latest case was reported June 10.
|
3d6576546b7b4890aa66d53cb5b09fe7
|
What caused a salmonella outbreak?
|
[
"tomatoes"
] |
NewsQA
|
Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Thousands of anti-riot police were in the streets of Bangladesh's capital city Thursday as the opposition alliance launched a day-long general strike in protest of a fuel price hike.
The strike, occurring all over the country, paralyzed daily life as road communications were heavily disrupted and schools and business establishments remained closed on Thursday, the last working day of the week.
The usually busy streets of the capital, Dhaka, looked almost deserted as most means of public and private transportation remained off the roads.
The opposition group Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies, mostly Islamic parties, called the strike after the government raised the price of petroleum fuels and compressed national gas on Sunday.
Dhaka's police chief, Benazir Ahmed, said his department deployed 13,000 policemen alone in the capital to break up any opposition protests, and the home ministry also initiated mobile courts to try protesters summarily on the streets.
Police said that the strike was mostly peaceful apart from a few incidents of violence, but the opposition parties said the police and the ruling party men beat up their activists wherever they had tried to bring out a procession.
Police said they had arrested some 200 people from different parts of the country, but the opposition claimed that the number was at least 400.
The BNP acting secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, said, "The government has increased fuel prices at a time when people's suffering has already peaked due to high inflation." But the government said it was an "issueless" strike.
The general secretary of the ruling Awami League, Syed Ashraful Islam, said it was illogical as the prices of fuel oils were still lower in Bangladesh (a liter of gasoline costs US$ 1.06) than in the international market.
"If the prices of fuel oils increase in the global market in the future, the government will increase the prices again because the government will need to pay huge subsidies otherwise," he added.
The fuel price hike, the second such rise in four months, triggered protests also by transport owners.
|
4162a57c570b4136a1a2a0703acc2767
|
how many were arrested?
|
[
"200 people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Older siblings often want to help with baby names, but their choices sometimes aren't the most desirable.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are learning this as they prepare for their third child -- and are getting an avalanche of suggestions for names from daughters Violet, 6, and Seraphina, 3.
"Our girls are working on names. At first they were definitely Disney. It was like, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse Affleck," the "Butter" star, 39, said Wednesday on "The Tonight Show."
"And then they've moved on. Then it was Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Smee."
With those character names not really cutting it, the girls moved on to other strategies.
"They're coming up with lists, and coming in and saying, 'Let's have a baby-naming contest! Let's have a baby-naming poll!'" Garner, who's due in the spring, says. "They ask everyone, cause they just want to know. But we're not telling."
Garner knows the sex of the baby, but declined to reveal it on the show. Asked if her husband wants a boy, Garner -- who has said she wants a third girl -- said she actually didn't know.
"I would have thought so. At first I think I really thought so," she said. "And then he kind of said, 'Well, we have girls. We know how to do girls. My girls love me. I'm the big guy in the house.' So, now I'm not sure."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
9a4dcb629b2e4486bb6b9021d873bcb2
|
Did Jennifer reveal the gender of the baby?
|
[
"declined to"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- This week on Inside Africa
It's one of the most sacred acts of the Zulu people. We take you inside an ancient wedding ceremony played out in modern times.
Africa gains two seats on the United Nations Security Council, but should those seats be permanent, and what will Nigeria do with this two-year opportunity?
Plus, Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys takes us on her eye-opening trip to Africa and talks about how the experience changed the way she wrote her next album.
Alicia Keys in Africa
She's traveled the world on tour but for singer Alicia Keys nothing spoke to her like a visit she once took to Africa. It moved her to help create a charity and influenced her next album.
CNN's TJ Holmes sat down with the singer to find out what caused the profound effect.
Liberia Photo Exhibit
Tim Hetherington is a photographer who has witnessed the violent life behind rebel lines in Liberia's 2003 civil war. He takes us through photos he took during his time there, now on display in London.
World Food Prize
There is a weed so powerful in sub-Saharan Africa that it can destroy hundreds of thousands of hectares of crucial crops. It's a problem that has puzzled researchers for ages. But now, thanks to one man, a breakthrough is on the horizon. We reveal why Dr. Gebisa Ejeta is the recipient of this year's World Food Prize.
Interview with Ojo Maduekwe
The United Nations has recently voted in its newest members to the Security Council, the new five out of 15 who will serve for the next two years. Nigeria and Gabon received the two African seats, making this the third time Gabon has served on the council and the fourth time for Nigeria.
CNN's Isha Sesay spoke with Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe about what he'd like to accomplish in the next two years and how it felt to be the one to bring this success to Nigeria.
Traditional Wedding
A view of ancient times. These were images sent in by an iReporter of one of the most sacred acts of the Zulu people: a traditional wedding. Our correspondent Errol Barnett caught up with the iReporter behind these photos.
|
7e50e72d6e064c7fa7e68e4343dc4ff8
|
What is Inside Africa reporting on?
|
[
"an ancient wedding ceremony played out in modern times."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Pop star Madonna and her adopted son met with the young boy's biological father in Malawi as the singer awaited a court decision on whether she could adopt a girl from the same country, her publicist said Tuesday.
Madonna holds her adopted Malawian son, David Banda, in 2007.
Liz Rosenberg said in a statement that Madonna and her son David met Monday with David's birth father, Yohanne Banda, for the first time since the young boy was adopted in 2006.
"Madonna is committed to maintaining an ongoing relationship with David's Malawian roots," Rosenberg said.
The publicist also confirmed, in the first public acknowledgment of what has been reported for weeks, that Madonna has filed an application "to adopt Mercy James, a 3-year-old girl Madonna met two years ago in an orphanage that she visited."
A spokeswoman for Malawi's attorney general told CNN that the singer appeared Monday in court in that country, one of the poorest nations in the world, for a hearing on whether she would be allowed to adopt the girl.
Madonna is to return to court Friday to hear the judge's decision in the matter, spokeswoman Zione Ntaba said.
The child's family will have to give their permission for the adoption to proceed, according to Martin Geissler, a reporter for the ITN television network who is in Malawi.
Madonna has been involved with Malawi for several years. She made a documentary, "I Am Because We Are," which highlighted poverty, AIDS and other diseases devastating that country's children. She also helps run a nonprofit, Raising Malawi, which implements initiatives to help the needy in the southeastern African nation.
|
16d70648f4ee4149960b6eb722ef1e82
|
Who will the singer adopt?
|
[
"Mercy James, a 3-year-old girl"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Former first lady Barbara Bush was moved out of the intensive care unit of a Houston, Texas, hospital into a regular room Thursday after surgery to repair and seal a perforated ulcer, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Ex-first lady Barbara Bush has been moved out of ICU and into a regular room.
Bush, 83, was in good spirits and was joking with hospital staffers, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman said. She was being fed intravenously.
Her doctor said earlier she will be allowed no food by mouth for about a week, to avoid possibly stretching her abdominal area.
The former first lady showed up at Methodist's emergency room Tuesday night complaining of severe abdominal pain, Dr. Patrick Reardon, who performed the surgery, told reporters Wednesday.
Doctors determined Bush had a perforated ulcer in her duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine after the stomach, he said.
In the operating room, doctors thoroughly cleaned her abdominal cavity of any contaminants that had leaked through the hole, described by the hospital as being one centimeter in diameter.
Then, doctors repaired the ulcer and sewed a piece of the fat tissue in the abdomen, on top of it to seal it, Reardon said.
Bush's husband, former President George H.W. Bush, was with her Thursday morning, but was leaving to attend Thanksgiving dinner with his son Neil, the Methodist Hospital spokeswoman told CNN.
The ulcer was biopsied and is benign, Reardon said Wednesday. He suggested it might have been caused by anti-inflammatory medications.
CNN's Sean Callebs contributed to this report.
|
135caa8746ff4df6a3904246a6f31afb
|
What was the result of the biopsy?
|
[
"benign,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigeria has set its sights on making multibillion-dollar oil deals with China amid peace moves with militants.
Hundreds of militants have laid down their weapons in exchange for a pardon and a job.
Lawmakers in the west African country -- one of the world's top producers of oil -- are crafting new money-making changes for its state oil corporation, as officials negotiate multibillion-dollar oil deals with China. At the same time, the government is brokering peace with bandits whose attacks have cost the oil industry millions.
Nigeria's minister for state of petroleum, Odein Ajumogobia, talked this month about the developments.
The changes aimed at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will address allegations of corruption and mismanagement, he said.
"Some of the excesses we've seen in the industry are as a result of the lack of regulation," Ajumogobia said. "We are going to make sure that the petroleum directorate, for example, where the minister will reside, is going to be manned by professionals who understand the industry and have the experience."
Nigeria welcomes China's recent interest in investing in Nigeria's oil industry, Ajumogobia added. The state-run China Daily reported in September that the China National Offshore Oil Corporation was negotiating with Nigeria over a $30 billion oil deal.
The talks are part of China's oil-buying binge this year. Its government-controlled oil companies have closed or floated a slew of deals all over the world, including billion-dollar deals with Russian oil company Rosneft and Brazil's Petrobras.
The Nigerian minister offered few details about negotiations with China.
"There is no deal yet," he said. "We all know the appetite of the Chinese for energy -- a huge population and so on -- and they're looking for oil and Nigeria has a lot of it."
Oil bandits have plagued Nigeria for years, attacking pipelines and cutting production by over 1 million barrels of oil a day. But many of those attacks might end, thanks to a cease-fire with the militant group MEND, or the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. The truce was negotiated in the summer and was extended in September.
MEND has demanded a fairer distribution of oil wealth in the Niger Delta and wants oil revenue reinvested in the region, instead of enriching those whom the militants consider corrupt politicians.
Last week, the group said it was calling off the truce, but there have not been renewed attacks.
Nigeria hopes to leverage the fragile peace to reap big dollars from its oil industry, Ajumogobia said.
|
79fcbb93e098416186bde31c03982ca2
|
Government brokers peace with who?
|
[
"militants."
] |
NewsQA
|
(EW.com) -- Huge news for "American Chopper" fans: Jesse James is returning to the network that made him famous to compete head-to-head against the Teutuls on "American Chopper."
Marking his first appearance on Discovery Chanel in five years, the former "Monster Garage" star will guest star on "Chopper" across two nights in December. Not only that, but "American Chopper" is going live for the first time -- pitting James, Paul Teutul, Senior and Paul Teutul Jr. in a bike-building battle at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.
The face-off airs December 5 and 6 at 9 p.m. both nights. The first night is the regularly scheduled "American Chopper." You'll see Senior, Junior and James building the bikes, and viewers will vote for their favorite. The second night is a live show from Las Vegas where the winning bike will be revealed.
For "Chopper" fans, this is the stuff of online message-board wish fulfillment. Jesse James' documentary "Motorcycle Mania" helped launch the whole cable reality motorcycle craze back in 2000, whereas relative later-comer "American Chopper" helped bring the genre to a greater level in popularity. James then left Discovery and went on to other ventures, including his short-lived Spike TV series "Jesse James is a Dead Man" (and drawing international headlines for his divorce from Sandra Bullock).
Though James and the Teutuls respective motorcycle garage shows overlapped during James' years at Discovery ("Monster Garage" ran from 2002-06; "Chopper" has aired since 2003), this event marks the first time the combustible personalities have gone head-to-head on one of the programs.
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.
|
b092fa3823564dea9f9d937418a92889
|
Who will be in a bike-building battle?
|
[
"James, Paul Teutul, Senior and Paul Teutul Jr."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Somalia is facing life-threatening food and water shortages leaving millions at risk for starvation, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday.
A growing percentage of Somalia's population has become dependent on humanitarian aid.
"The Somali people are going through unbearable hardship," said Pascal Hundt, head of the ICRC's delegation for Somalia, in a written statement. "We are witnessing the worst tragedy of the past decade in Somalia."
Somalia's last severe famine, from 1991 to 1993, devastated crops, killed between 240,000 and 280,000 people and displaced up to 2 million, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Humanitarian workers view Somalia's food crisis as one of the worst in the world. With winds ripping though the country, hundreds of thousands of Somalis are finding their crops as dry as the surrounding landscape, preventing harvests, killing livestock and leading to a mass risk of starvation.
The continual armed conflicts in central and south Somalia have aggravated the situation, hindering people from accessing shelter and medical attention.
A growing percentage of the population has become dependent on humanitarian aid. The ICRC, World Food Program and CARE plan to deliver four months worth of food to 435,000 Somalis within the next few weeks.
International donors are being asked by the ICRC to provide some of the emergency money. Aid includes giving blankets, kitchen sets and other shelter supplies to 150,000 people.
The WFP will be increasing the amount it spends in Somalia to $163 million in food assistance, the group said at a U.N. conference in Rome Wednesday.
In addition to drought and armed conflict, high inflation on food and fuel have also exacerbated the situation. Similar factors have affected other developing nations in Africa and other parts of the world.
Ethiopia's food crisis has affected 4.5 million people, said the United Nations Children's Fund.
As a result of widespread food shortages and little rainfall, an estimated 126,000 children are in need of medical assistance to combat severe malnutrition, while the WFP projects $193 million will be needed for urgent food distributions.
|
f58e894475f941d48d18ec6700c03435
|
What tension has contributed to the problem in Somalia?
|
[
"continual armed conflicts"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least 16 people were killed by security forces across Syria Saturday as unrest there continued, a human rights organizations said.
Three people were killed in the city of Homs, where a strong military presence was reported, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Another three were killed in Hama province.
The Local Coordination Committee of Syria reported that Syrian security forces were storming the Damascus suburb of Zabadany and were shelling housing and positioning snipers. The group also announced, in a separate incident, the killing of Dr. Ibrahim Nahel Othman, who they described as "one of the most important physicians in the Syrian Revolution." He was killed by gunfire near the Turkish border, the group said.
Another group, the Coalition of Free Damascus for Peaceful Change, said that the doctor was a wanted man because he performed many surgeries on wounded protesters.
The reported deaths came amid tensions in Homs -- a center of regime arrests -- as military troops manned more than 60 checkpoints inside the city and surrounded it, according to the Syrian National Council, a leading opposition movement.
A feared full-scale crackdown did not happen Saturday, but activists posted a video Saturday that they said showed the military harassing residents of Homs.
Mourners on Friday went to bury a 10-year-old boy, Maher al-Husseini, who was allegedly killed by a sniper's bullet in his own home.
The video shows the boy wrapped in a white sheet and carried by men in street towards a cemetery. Some of the men chant "The martyrs blood will not be lost in vain," as the lifeless boy is carried.
As the men walk towards the cemetery, gunfire can be heard. They get to the cemetery and start digging as gunfire continues to ring out.
CNN could not independently confirm what was depicted in the videos. Western networks are not allowed inside the embattled country.
The United Nations said last week that more than 4,000 people have died in Syria since a government crackdown against protesters erupted in mid-March. The regime's actions have outraged world powers and sparked sanctions by the Arab League, Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
The council said the Bashar al-Assad regime is "driving violent sectarian incidents to justify this potential murder." More than 30 corpses -- all thought to be victims of sectarian violence -- were found Monday in Homs.
The city of Homs is in a province of the same name.
|
72053c2d82fc487da786675e04093d4a
|
Where the video comes from?
|
[
"activists"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama visited military personnel and their families enjoying Christmas dinner at a Marine Corps base in Hawaii Thursday during his holiday vacation.
President-elect Obama shakes hands with troops having Christmas dinner at a military base in Hawaii.
Obama went to Marine Corps Base Hawaii Kaneohe Bay on Oahu where he mingled with Marines and sailors. Obama and the troops also had a traditional dinner including turkey, roast beef, ham and trimmings.
Obama, dressed casually in a blue polo shirt and dark khaki trousers, chatted casually, shook hands and posed for photos with men and women in the dining hall, which had been decorated with Christmas trees and Santa figurines.
Shortly before Obama entered the room, a Marine shouted to the crowd scattered across 25 tables, "You need to take you seats, the president-elect is going to be coming."
Obama, who spent about an hour at the Marine base, worked his way around the room, table by table.
"Just wanted to say, 'Hi, hey guys,'" Obama said at one point while reporters were allowed in the room.
"Hey guys, Merry Christmas," he said to another group.
Obama also highlighted the service of the country's military men and women now overseas in a holiday message to be broadcast on radio this Saturday.
"As we celebrate this joyous time of year, our thoughts turn to the brave men and women who serve our country far from home," he said in the message, which was posted online Wednesday.
"Their extraordinary and selfless sacrifice is an inspiration to us all, and part of the unbroken line of heroism that has made our freedom and prosperity possible for over two centuries." Watch Obama's holiday message »
More than 140,000 soldiers are currently serving in Iraq, as well as roughly 30,000 in Afghanistan.
In the broadcast message, Obama also called on Americans to "renew a sense of common purpose and shared citizenship."
"These are also tough times for many Americans struggling in our sluggish economy," he said.
"Now, more than ever, we must rededicate ourselves to the notion that we share a common destiny as Americans -- that I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper. ... We must all do our part to serve one another; to seek new ideas and new innovation; and to start a new chapter for our great country."
Obama said that notion "will guide my administration in the New Year. If the American people come together and put their shoulder to the wheel of history, then I know that we can put our people back to work ... and reach the promise of a brighter day."
|
04798ae91067477cb2af3b5c3bd9e54f
|
What does obama call on americans to do
|
[
"\"renew a sense of common purpose and shared citizenship.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Pharmaceuticals giants Merck and Schering-Plough are planning to merge their operations under the name Merck in a deal worth $41.1 billion.
Merck chairman and CEO Richard T. Clark will head the combined company.
Under the terms of the agreement, Schering-Plough shareholders will receive just over half a Merck share and $10.50 in cash for each Schering-Plough share they own. Each Merck share will automatically become a share of the combined company.
Merck shareholders are expected to own approximately 68 percent of the combined company, and Schering-Plough shareholders are expected to own approximately 32 percent.
Merck Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Richard T. Clark will lead the combined company.
"We are creating a strong, global healthcare leader built for sustainable growth and success," Clark said in a media statement Monday. "The combined company will benefit from a formidable research and development pipeline, a significantly broader portfolio of medicines and an expanded presence in key international markets, particularly in high-growth emerging markets.
"We look forward to joining forces with an outstanding partner we know well and that shares our commitment to patients, employees and the communities where we work and live."
Merck added that its 2009 outlook has not changed, and it is committed to keeping its annual dividend at its current level of $1.52 per share.
Both drug-makers reported better-than-expected quarterly results in early February, but announced steep job cuts. On a conference call with investors on February 3, Clark said the drug-maker was open to a takeover of a large pharmaceutical company.
|
5c280d11c4b84e2b8d64a39aea3344d0
|
What percentage of the company are Merck shareholders expected to use?
|
[
"68"
] |
NewsQA
|
Japan has long been the world leader in robotics research, but in recent years it's also been leading the way when it comes to cutting-edge medical technology.
A prototype "Finger Rehabilitation Glove," designed to aid recovery from paralysis.
From robot nurses that can lift hospital patients in and out of their beds, to intelligent toilets that can dispense medical advice, Japanese researchers are developing radical new approaches to health care.
While many of these technologies are still at the prototype stage, it may not be long before they turn up in a hospital near you.
|
dff1deb036d741a982772ca211043e76
|
Japan is leading the way with advances in what?
|
[
"cutting-edge medical technology."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A man with a pistol killed one person and wounded three others at a cafe in the Dutch city of Rotterdam on Saturday morning, a police spokesman said.
Police officers stand next to the body of the victim killed by the cafe gunman in Rotterdam.
Patrons at the cafe managed to capture the shooter, a 45-year-old man, and hold him until police arrived, Rotterdam Police spokesman Gerde Jung told CNN.
Police arrested the man and recovered his weapon, Jung said.
The shooting was probably the the result of a quarrel the man had earlier, but details of that argument were unclear, Jung said.
All of the victims were male, he said.
|
849d8ccd720349e7b97abb9d75261d1b
|
where was the shooting?
|
[
"Rotterdam"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has tagged two great white sharks off Cape Cod in an area where shark sightings have been reported, state officials said Sunday.
A great white shark is tagged Saturday off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Shark sightings closed nearby beaches.
The first tagging Saturday marked the first time a great white shark had been successfully tagged in the Atlantic Ocean off the U.S. coast, the division said in a statement. A second shark was tagged Saturday afternoon, officials said.
The taggings took place in the waters near Chatham, Massachusetts, two days after Greg Skomal, shark expert for the Division of Marine Fisheries, reported as many as five large sharks were seen near Monomoy Island, a National Wildlife Refuge off the southern elbow of Cape Cod. The island is about a mile away from Chatham's Lighthouse Beach, a public swimming area.
Chatham's beaches were closed to swimmers after the sightings, Skomal said. CNN affiliate WCVB reported that all of Chatham's east-facing beaches were closed after three sharks came within 75 yards of the coastline. Watch who is making money from sharks »
The beaches will be off-limits to swimmers until the middle of the week, officials told WCVB.
After the sightings, Skomal and other biologists set out to identify the species, the division statement said. Skomal identified a great white shark on Friday, and then the two were tagged Saturday.
"The tags, which use satellite-based technology to record where a shark travels, allow scientists to better understand migratory patterns," the division statement said.
Great white sharks are relatively rare in New England, the division statement said, but have been seen feeding near seal colonies.
Massachusetts has recorded only four shark attacks since 1670, two of which were fatal. The last fatal shark attack in Massachusetts happened in 1936.
Researchers have also tagged great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.
|
6b6ca3b756834802a084200f56ec9985
|
What species taggings are the first in the Atlantic Ocean?
|
[
"great white sharks"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A source close to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now confirms that Pelosi was told in February 2003 by her intelligence aide, Michael Sheehy, that waterboarding was actually used on CIA detainee Abu Zubaydah.
Source says Nancy Pelosi didn't object about waterboard usage because she wasn't personally briefed about it.
This appears to contradict Pelosi's account that she was never told waterboarding actually happened, only that the administration was considering using it.
Sheehy attended a briefing in which waterboarding was discussed in February 2003, with Rep. Jane Harman, D-California, who took over Pelosi's spot as the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
This source says Pelosi didn't object when she learned that waterboarding was being used because she had not been personally briefed about it -- only her aide had been told.
The source said Pelosi supported a letter that Harman sent to the administration at the time raising concerns. The source asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of matters discussed in classified intelligence briefings.
Pelosi admits attending one briefing in September 2002, but at a news conference last month, she was adamant that she did not know waterboarding was used.
"At that or any other briefing, and that was the only briefing that I was briefed on in that regard, we were not -- I repeat, we were not -- told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation methods were used, " Pelosi said on April 23.
Some Republicans have called for Pelosi to testify at congressional hearings.
The number two House Democrat -- Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland -- said Tuesday, "I think the facts need to get out" regarding what members of Congress had been told about harsh interrogations.
But when asked whether Pelosi testifying would be appropriate, Hoyer did not directly answer the question, saying, "The issue is what was done. If you don't have the facts pounded on the table, they (Republicans) are pounding on the table, or they are pounding on Speaker Pelosi. Take your pick. But they are doing so as a distraction, as a distraction from what was done in this case."
|
576fd446c75140509b5faec1d7e5b0fa
|
Who has been previously adamant?
|
[
"Pelosi"
] |
NewsQA
|
KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A British soldier was killed on New Year's Day by an explosion in southern Afghanistan, Britain's Ministry of Defense said Friday.
A British unit on patrol in Helmand province's Garmsir district, where another soldier has died.
The soldier, who served with the 6th Battalion The Rifles, had been taking part in a routine patrol in the Garmsir district of Helmand province when he was killed, the ministry said.
"It is deeply saddening to confirm the loss of a British soldier who died while helping to provide security in southern Helmand," said Commander Paula Rowe, a spokeswoman for Task Force Helmand. "His family, friends and all those who knew and worked with him will mourn his loss -- our heartfelt sympathies go to them all at this terrible time."
Britain suffered its worst year of losses in Afghanistan in 2008, with 51 British troops killed. It was more than in any other year since the mission began in October 2001, the defense ministry said.
|
84e6db599a8d437aa2059eb8321a78e1
|
Where is the Garmsir district?
|
[
"Helmand province"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- He says it's true. She says it's not.
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, in 2004.
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey says he and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, used to engage in sexual relations with his ex-aide and driver, Teddy Pedersen.
Dina Matos McGreevey has denied the allegation.
The New York Post and New Jersey's Star Ledger reported online Sunday that Pedersen said he had sexual relations with the McGreeveys in the late 1990s during the couple's courtship, and after the McGreeveys' marriage in 2000.
In the article, Pedersen describes trysts during which he and Jim McGreevey would both have sex with Dina Matos McGreevey, but says that, in his opinion, "me being part of their sexual relationship enhanced it for both of them."
Pedersen described regularly sharing a hotel room with the McGreeveys during out-of-town business trips.
In a statement issued Monday, Dina Matos McGreevey acknowledged that Pedersen had long had a "close relationship" with her former husband, but called his sexual claims "completely false."
"This all has to do with the publicity I have received since [New York] Gov. [Eliot] Spitzer resigned," her statement said, alluding to her recent New York Times op-ed piece on Silda Wall Spitzer and her recent discussion of betrayed political wives on CNN's "Larry King Live."
"Jim has enlisted one of his cronies in trying to distinguish that situation from his own, and to discredit me in the media," she said.
In August 2004, she stood silently beside her husband while he publicly declared himself "a gay American," admitted to having an office-compromising affair with another man -- later identified as a staff member -- and announced his intention to resign.
They are in the process of divorcing.
Jim McGreevey Monday confirmed Pedersen's claims.
"This happened, this happened in the past, and now, we need to move on with our lives," the former governor said in a written statement. "For all our sakes, particularly our daughter, we need to close this chapter and look toward the future."
The statement went on to say he had removed references to the incidents Pedersen describes from an early draft of his book.
"I still hope Dina and I can resolve our issues privately," it concluded.
After Dina Matos McGreevey issued her refutation, Pedersen stood by his story, telling the New York Post, "Dina is still in denial. It's time for her to face the truth." E-mail to a friend
|
51fecc59e74f42bab740368f3e916737
|
What does Jim McGreevey confirm?
|
[
"Pedersen's claims."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Kids dig in the sand at the beach all the time, but the fun nearly turned fatal for an 11-year-old Pennsylvania boy this week.
The 11-year-old was given CPR and revived before being taken to a local hospital.
The boy was digging a tunnel with friends on a beach in Ocean City, Maryland, on Tuesday when part of it collapsed on top of him, authorities said.
Lifeguards rushed to pull him out, but it first appeared that they were too late. The boy was not breathing, and he had no pulse, Beach Patrol Capt. Butch Arbin told CNN on Wednesday.
But rescue crews revived the boy by performing CPR, said Arbin, who was at the scene.
There was a lot of emotion on the beach when the boy's pulse came back, he said.
"He basically went from dead to life," Arbin said, adding that the boy's mother called the rescue a "miracle."
As he was being rolled into an ambulance on a stretcher, the boy -- perhaps not realizing the trauma he had just survived -- complained to his mother that he had sand in his eyes, Arbin said.
The child, whose family did not want to be identified, was initially taken to Atlantic General Hospital and later flown to the A.I. DuPont Hospital for Children in Delaware, he said.
He's recovering there and probably will be released later Wednesday, Arbin said.
|
1c776394bd71486badb809b1a407d7cb
|
What did the Beach Patrol captain say?
|
[
"The boy was not breathing, and he had no pulse,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Air accident investigators are to resume the search for the flight data recorders from an Air France airliner that mysteriously crashed off Brazil six months ago, according to media reports Sunday.
Flight 447 went down in stormy weather in the Atlantic Ocean while flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France in June.
Investigators have not yet established the cause of the crash which killed all 228 passengers, and large parts of the plane -- including both flight recorders -- have never been found, despite an extensive search operation that included a French navy submarine.
Jean-Paul Troadec, director of the Investigation and Analysis Bureau, told reporters that a new search, approximately 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off Brazil's northeast coast, will begin in February, according to Agence France-Presse.
The new underwater sweeps will last a maximum three months and involve sonar and robot submarines, he said.
Troadec was in Rio de Janeiro to speak to the relatives of the 58 Brazilians who were on board, AFP said. "We tried to convince the families that we are conducting the investigation with the full intention of getting to the truth," he said.
Troadec added that an upcoming report about the fatal crash contained "no surprises" but did set out "new details, notably in terms of safety recommendations."
Tests have already brought into question the performance of pitot tubes, which are used to measure the pressure exerted on the plane as it flies through the air, and are part of a system used to determine air speed.
Flight 447 sent out 24 automated error messages before it crashed that suggested the plane may have been flying too fast or too slow through the thunderstorms, officials have said.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued a directive in late August requiring airlines to replace pitot tubes manufactured by Thales Avionics on Airbus A330s and A340s. It said airlines should replace them with other Thales tubes and those manufactured by Goodrich.
|
c78d30b425ed4a85812212eb1c7f76a6
|
where did the plane go down
|
[
"Atlantic Ocean"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Family members of Phillip Markoff visited him in jail Friday for the first time since his arraignment on murder charges connected to the slaying of a woman he may have met through a Craigslist online ad.
The parents, brother and sister-in-law of accused killer Philip Markoff visited him in jail on Friday.
Markoff's parents, brother, and sister-in-law visited him Friday, having to get through a throng of media members who gathered near the Boston, Massachusetts, jail.
Richard Markoff and Susan Haynes arrived early in the afternoon, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. Markoff's parents stayed at the jail for about two hours and left without making any comments to media, the affiliate reported.
Markoff's brother and sister-in-law also visited him on Friday, the affiliate reported.
John Salsberg, Markoff's attorney, addressed the crowd of reporters Friday and said he was speaking on behalf of the family.
"They love their son very much. They are supportive of him, that's what they would say if they were speaking themselves," he said.
It is not yet known if Megan McAllister, Markoff's fiancee, would visit him in jail, but in an e-mail sent to ABC News, she said police have the wrong man and "was set up."
"Unfortunately, you were given wrong information as was the public," she wrote. "All I have to say to you is Philip is a beautiful person inside and out and could not hurt a fly!"
Markoff, 23, a second-year student at Boston University's School of Medicine, is charged with killing Julissa Brisman, who lived in New York, April 14 at Boston's Copley Marriott Hotel.
Police have said Brisman, a model, advertised as a masseuse on Craigslist, a popular online classifieds service. They say Markoff may have met her through the online site.
Prosecutors say Brisman sustained blunt head trauma and said the she was shot three times at close range. One of the bullets passed through her heart, killing her, prosecutors said.
Markoff is also charged in connection with the April 10 robbery of Trisha Leffler, 29, at a Westin Hotel in Boston, another woman he allegedly met on Craigslist.
Leffler was robbed of $800 in cash and $250 in American Express gift cards, police reports said. Prosecutors said she was bound and held at gunpoint.
Brisman's mother, Carmen Guzman, released a statement Friday about her devastation.
"The feeling of losing my daughter in this way and the pain she must have felt will haunt me for the rest of my life," Guzman said. "She won't live to see her dreams. We will hold Julissa in our hearts every day."
|
4707ec19b83d4a7981c3fadc4da09a90
|
who is in jail?
|
[
"Phillip Markoff"
] |
NewsQA
|
New York (CNN) -- The son of actor Michael Douglas apologized to a federal judge before being sentenced to a five-year prison term Tuesday, promising to follow "the true right path" when released.
Cameron Douglas, 31, pleaded guilty to distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and cocaine in January.
"I apologize to the court for my decisions and actions that put me in front of you today," Douglas said in a trembling voice. He added, "I have developed, in my mind, the idea that I want to take the right path, the true right path."
U.S. District Judge Richard Berman rebuffed pleas by defense lawyers for a more lenient sentencing, telling the spectators that prison may be Douglas' "last chance."
Cameron Douglas is the son of the two-time Academy Award winner and his first wife, Diandra Luker, both of whom attended the sentencing. As Cameron Douglas spoke, his mother was crying and his father appeared to be fighting back tears.
Douglas, who was arrested in July 2009 at a Manhattan nightclub, asked Berman "for opportunity to be a role model to my younger brothers and sisters."
"I believe, your honor, things will be different this time," he added. If given a second chance, he said, "I will never squander that opportunity."
Berman acknowledged that numerous letters sent on the defendant's behalf by celebrities and others, but said some of the letters implied that he should not make an example of Douglas because he is the son of a famous actor.
"None acknowledged appropriately the numerous impacts to victims of society for dealing drugs," the judge said.
|
e4a9ef8ed5244848bb759c3f07b9695f
|
Who are Cameron Douglas' parents?
|
[
"Michael"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The suspect in the September attack on a woman that led to the discovery of 11 bodies at his Ohio home pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that he raped and choked the woman.
Bail for registered sex offender Anthony Sowell was set at $1 million on the rape charges. Bail had already been set at $5 million on five murder charges related to the grisly discovery of the bodies at his home in Cleveland.
"I don't think a $1 million bond is unfair under the circumstances," Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge John O'Donnell said at Friday's hearing.
Sowell was arraigned Friday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on multiple charges, -- including attempted murder, rape and kidnapping -- connected to the September 22 assault on the 36-year-old woman.
Sowell said he could not afford a lawyer, and O'Donnell appointed one.
The victim encountered Sowell while walking in his Cleveland neighborhood, and he took her back to his home, where he became violent and raped her, Cuyahoga County prosecutors said.
"While raping her, he strangled her with a cord until she lost consciousness," the prosecutors said in a written statement. "When she regained consciousness, he led her out of the house."
Police investigating that case searched Sowell's home and yard, finding the 11 bodies.
Sowell, 50, is charged with five counts of aggravated murder, rape, felonious assault and kidnapping in connection with those deaths.
He served 15 years in prison for a 1989 attempted rape. He was released in 2005.
Neighbors and police have told CNN that other women were seen at Sowell's home from time to time, and that he would offer them beer and other alcohol. Police say he also might have offered them drugs.
Neighbors on October 20 reported seeing a naked woman fall from the second floor of the home. Firefighters and police responded and later notified police. But the woman told officers she fell off the roof while she was at the home "partying," and no charges were filed.
CNN's Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.
|
53effb0079634bd98df7ec7ce3cedd95
|
Sowell is a registered what?
|
[
"sex offender"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Violent crime in the United States declined in 2008, due in part to a significant drop in the number of murders, according to the first available FBI figures covering the entire year.
The decline would be the third straight year-to-year drop in violent crime in the United States.
The preliminary figures for 2008, released Monday, show that overall reported crime dropped 2.5 percent nationally from the previous year, including a 4.4 percent decline in murders.
Although crime statistics varied sharply from city to city, the overall number of reported murders declined 9.1 percent in cities with populations of 100,000 to 250,000. However, murders increased 5.5 percent in towns of fewer than 10,000 residents.
Overall, the number of aggravated assaults declined 3.2 percent, forcible rape decreased 2.2 percent, and robbery decreased 1.1 percent.
The Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report historically provides a strong indication of the final figures that will be compiled and released later in the year. The statistics are based on a compilation of crime reports provided to the FBI by the more than 12,000 law enforcement agencies in the nation.
The report shows a small increase in violent crime in the second half of the year. Figures for the first half of 2008, which were released in early January, showed that overall violent crime through the end of June had declined 3.5 percent, compared with the 2.5 percent decline for the entire year.
Other results in the year-end figures were a 1.6 percent drop in reported property crimes from 2007, including a 13.1 percent decline in motor vehicle thefts.
Violent crime in the United States has largely been on the decline over the past two decades. In 2005, however, a surprising increase prompted headlines of an end to the drop in violence.
Monday's figures show that the downward trend has resumed. After the 2005 violent crime increase of 2.3 percent, the figures increased only 1.9 percent in 2006 and then dropped 0.7 percent in 2007 before the decline of 2.5 percent in the preliminary 2008 figures.
|
22238e1d7f7b4087a7ac8aef06a9c978
|
What would be third consecutive year-to-year decline?
|
[
"violent crime in the United States."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Croatians voted Sunday in support of their country's bid to join the European Union, paving the way for the southern European nation to become the alliance's 28th member.
According to official results, posted on a government website, about 66% of voters backed Croatia's entry into the EU and 33% sided against the move. Turnout was about 44%.
Already a member of NATO, Croatia is now poised to join an EU bloc that includes its neighbors Slovenia and Hungary. It is one of five nations listed as "candidate countries" on the European Union's website.
Last December, Croatian leaders signed an accession treaty paving the way for the nation's entry.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called that signing "an outstanding moment for the European Union -- and for Croatia."
"Today, we all acknowledge the hard work Croatia has done and its crowning success," Barroso said in a December 9 statement. "Croatia is the best proof of how strong and successful the transformative power of our enlargement policy can be."
Years after initiating its bid, Croatia is on pace to "rightly join our union" on July 1, 2013, the European Commission president said.
In that statement, Barroso alluded to the economic crisis affecting much of the eurozone, including bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal. But he insisted that these issues should not halt the European Union's expansion.
"Enlargement, provided that all the relevant conditions are met, will ... continue to serve as an anchor of stability, a driver of democracy and the rule of law," he said. "We should therefore not let the economic crisis overshadow this very important European policy."
|
81a8ee1d71284cda8c3f2293f0cb3c51
|
What month was the treaty signed?
|
[
"December,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Troubled singer Amy Winehouse has been admitted to a London hospital after suffering a bad reaction to medication, her representative said Tuesday.
Amy Winehouse has undeniable talent, but has become better known for her wild behavior.
Winehouse, 25, went to the private London Clinic on Sunday, said her spokesman, Chris Goodman. He said Winehouse's medication made her ill and her doctors asked her to come in so they could investigate.
Goodman did not disclose what type of medication was involved, saying only it is part of her "ongoing treatment." It was not clear Tuesday whether she had been discharged.
Yesterday Winehouse's husband Blake Fielder-Civil lost his appeal against his 27-month jail term for assault and perverting the course of justice.
Earlier this month he was moved from prison to a drug rehabilitation unit.
The Grammy-winning Winehouse has suffered a string of health problems in recent years, many related to her battles with drug addiction.
She spent two weeks in a drug rehabilitation clinic in January. See a timeline of Winehouse's career »
One of her biggest hits is the song "Rehab," describing her reluctance to enter a clinic.
Another bad reaction to medication prompted Winehouse to enter a London hospital in July, but she was discharged the next day.
Winehouse won five Grammy awards earlier this year -- three for "Rehab," as well as Album of the Year and Best New Artist.
|
83332b2c2fd948a7accdb407a1e23d5e
|
What did Amy Winehouse have a bad reaction to?
|
[
"medication,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama spoke with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Saturday about the violence in Gaza, which has left as many as 225 people dead, two transition aides told CNN.
Barack Obama's approach to the Middle East as president will be the subject of much scrutiny.
"The president-elect appreciated the call and the information from Secretary Rice," one aide said, adding that Obama initiated the eight-minute phone call. "He will continue to closely monitor these and other global events."
Israeli airstrikes pounded targets in Hamas-ruled Gaza on Saturday and continued into the night, retaliating against Palestinian militants who have been escalating rocket attacks against southern Israel. The fighting ignited eight days after a six-month Egypt-brokered cease-fire between Hamas and Israel expired.
Obama has pledged to make Middle East peace a priority from the beginning of his presidency. Arabs are calling for a more even-handed approach than the Bush administration, but Israel is expecting Obama to stay true to the pro-Israel posture he showed during the campaign.
But one analyst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict cautioned against putting "dangerously high" expectations on the incoming administration.
"I think the tone of American politics will change: You're going to get a serious effort on behalf of the new administration," said Aaron David Miller, a public policy scholar at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center and a former adviser to six secretaries of state on Arab-Israeli relations.
But, he told CNN, "the fact is that unless the Israelis and Palestinians are prepared -- which they're not right now -- to take the political decisions required to overcome the gaps and to sell an agreement to their respective constituents, there's not much a new president, no matter how bold or charismatic he may be, is going to be able to do about that."
CNN's Ed Henry contributed to this report.
|
662ceecdb4844bdc88712300e6b3c705
|
Who promised to make peace in the region a priority?
|
[
"Obama"
] |
NewsQA
|
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- In an attempt to re-create the experience of a manned mission to Mars, an international team of researchers will lock themselves up in a windowless capsule for about a year and a half -- time required for a round trip to the Red Planet.
Starting Thursday, an all-male "crew" of six -- three Russians, a Frenchman, an Italian-Colombian and a Chinese -- will spend 520 days in the cramped and claustrophobic conditions of a special facility in Moscow and will follow a strict regimen of exercise and diet.
Organizers at the European Space Agency and Russia's Institute of Biomedical Problems hope the project will shed light on the physical and psychological effects of the long isolation that future Mars astronauts will experience.
"This study is not useful only for Mars, but also for life on Earth," 27-year-old Diego Urbina, the Italian-Colombian participant, said in a news release.
The researchers will communicate with mission control via the internet, with occasional disruptions and a 20-minute delay to imitate the effects of space travel.
They will perform tasks similar to astronauts at the international space station, such as maintenance and scientific experiments, but for a longer period of time. They will follow a seven-day week with two days off, except when special and emergency situations are simulated.
The latest isolation test is the last and longest part of the Mars500 experiment that began in 2007. The first phase was a 14-day simulation that mainly tested the facilities and operational procedures. The second phase followed in 2009, when four Russian and two European crew members were shut into the facility for 105 days.
Missions to the Red Planet have thus far been unmanned. In January, NASA told CNN Radio that the agency was close to a deal to merge its Mars program with the European Space Agency's, a big step toward manned missions.
In the meantime, NASA is preparing for the launch of its newest robotic space exploration vehicle, the Mars Science Laboratory, late next year. It weighs roughly one metric ton and is about the size of a small automobile.
|
cfbc805511b14c06bb97082aed47c133
|
organizers hope project will do what?
|
[
"shed light on the physical and psychological effects of the long isolation that future Mars astronauts"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A second person has died during construction for Madonna's upcoming concerts in Marseilles, France, authorities said Friday.
Firefighters leave the Stade Velodrome stadium in Marseille after the accident on Thursday.
The second fatality was a 32-year-old British citizen, the British Foreign Office and a high-ranking police official said. It was not clear whether the person was a man or woman, but the next of kin had been informed, the Foreign Office said.
A 53-year-old French man was killed Thursday when a crane collapsed at the venue, a fire department spokesman in the southern French city said.
A third person was in critical condition, said Alexandre Lanzalavi, a spokesman for Marseille Hospital. Two other people were in hospital and required surgery, and seven others were treated and released, Lanzalavi said.
Madonna said Thursday that she was "devastated" to hear about the death.
"My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families, along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news," Madonna said in a statement issued by her representative, Liz Rosenberg.
At least one Madonna show had been canceled, Rosenberg told CNN.
The accident happened when a crane collapsed while lifting a large metallic truss -- a structure from which lights hang -- into place, Lt. Thierry Delorme of the French Navy told CNN. In Marseille, the fire department is a part of the Navy.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the collapse, he said.
Some 27 fire engines and 80 firefighters responded to the emergency when the accident occurred about 5:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m. ET).
Madonna was to play the first of five concerts for her "Sticky and Sweet" tour at the 60,000-seat Stade Velodrome on Sunday.
The singer was in Udine, Italy, when she heard the news, Rosenberg said.
Flora Genoux in Paris, France, contributed to this story for CNN.
|
2408574bfe4146ee903b62dd47588862
|
Who was going to play in the concerts?
|
[
"Madonna"
] |
NewsQA
|
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's former trade minister, who resigned this month amid accusations of corruption, was arrested by security forces as he was trying to leave the country, officials confirmed to CNN.
Abdul Falah al-Sudani resigned as Iraq's trade minister under allegations of corruption.
Abdul Falah al-Sudani was aboard a flight to Dubai from Baghdad International Airport when police contacted the pilot and told him to fly back to the airport, Sabah al-Saedi, chairman of Iraq's parliamentary integrity committee told CNN.
Al-Sudani -- arrested on a warrant issued in Samawa on Saturday -- was seized after the plane landed, al-Saedi said.
Lawmakers and government officials have raised questions with al-Sudani about Trade Ministry issues: the importation of goods intended for distribution in government food rations but rejected as unsuitable for human consumption; missing shipments of food; a missing $39 million; and obstruction of justice.
Al-Sudani acknowledged that his ministry has had problems with corruption but denied he was personally involved.
Al-Saedi said al-Sudani didn't know that a warrant would be issued, but he was well-aware of the corruption accusations against him and had been told by lawmakers and officials not to leave Iraq.
|
e2d8f1a88d5548e7b30b50201f53c411
|
What was the reason for Abdul Falah al-Sudani resigning?
|
[
"accusations of corruption,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The search for the data and voice recorders from the Air France plane that crashed more than a month ago off Brazil's coast is entering a new phase, according to France's accident investigation agency.
Searchers have discovered hundreds of pieces of wreckage from Air France Flight 447.
All 228 people aboard the plane were killed in the June 1 crash.
The flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder, commonly known as black boxes, stop giving out acoustic broadcasts after 30 days. But investigators decided to continue listening for the "pings" for 10 days after that.
Now, the two U.S. naval vessels and a French Navy submarine will halt their search for the recorders which investigators hope will shed light on exactly how the plane crashed.
The second phase of the search will involve France's oceanographic ship "Pourquoi Pas?" which carries specialized exploration and intervention vehicles, according to the French air accident investigation agency known as the BEA.
The French vessel will conduct new searches using diving equipment and towed sonar, the BEA said.
Finding the recorders is of "capital importance," and "no effort must be spared in achieving this end," Air France has said.
"We want to stress that for the sake of the families, we hope that the search for the black boxes will be successful," an Air France representative said.
This month, investigators revealed that the plane bellyflopped intact into the Atlantic Ocean. Investigator Alain Bouillard said it was still not clear what caused the crash, the deadliest in Air France's 75-year history.
The mountainous ocean floor in the search area ranges from 3,280 to 15,091 feet, BEA officials have said, making the search for the recorders -- and the rest of the plane's debris -- difficult.
"It is as if it fell in the Andes," said Olivier Ferrante, chief of the BEA search mission.
Flight 447 went down in stormy weather while flying from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France.
Brazil called off the search for bodies June 27, having found 51 of the 228 people who died, according to the military.
Investigators have also found more than 600 parts and structural components of the plane, along with luggage, Bouillard said.
|
17fdda8eea684eb088c1be51f10048db
|
How long did the data recorders keep broadcasting?
|
[
"30 days."
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Financing for DreamWorks Studios' partnership with one of India's richest men was finalized Monday, giving Steven Spielberg and partner Stacey Snider money to resume making movies.
From left to right, Steven Spielberg, Anil Ambani, Stacey Snider and Amitahb Jhunjhunwala.
The deal with Anil Ambani, chairman of India's Reliance BIG Entertainment, provides Spielberg's DreamWorks Studios with $875 million, coming from Ambani, the Walt Disney Co. and loans made by a syndicate of banks.
Disney will distribute and market about six DreamWorks Studios films around the world each year, with the exception of India, where Reliance will have those rights.
Spielberg and Snider found themselves in need of financial partners last year when he cut ties with Paramount Pictures and began rebuilding DreamWorks into an independent studio.
Although the deal, which was announced last year, has been characterized in some reports as "Hollywood meets Bollywood," Spielberg and partner Stacey Snider will have creative control over productions.
"This will allow us to move ahead quickly into production with our first group of films," Snider and Spielberg said in a joint statement.
Reliance BIG Entertainment is part of the Reliance group controlled by billionaire Ambani.
"Our partnership with Stacey and Steven is the cornerstone of our Hollywood strategy as we grow our film interests across the globe," Ambani said. "Given our faith in the business plan that they presented to us and despite the current economic climate, we were always confident that this day would come. Now Stacey and Steven can focus on producing more of the great films for which they are renowned."
Ambani, whose company owns hundreds of theater screens across South Asia, has also invested development money this year with other Hollywood production companies, including those owned by actors Nicolas Cage, Tom Hanks, George Clooney and Jim Carrey.
A DreamWorks announcement said that J.P. Morgan brought together the syndicate of banks to provide about $325 million in funding. The banks include Bank of America, City National Bank, Wells Fargo, Comerica, Union Bank of California, SunTrust, California Bank & Trust, and Israel Discount Bank.
One of the first movies to go into production will be "Harvey," an adaptation of the play that won a Pulitzer for playwright Mary Chase. The tale about a man and his invisible bunny friend was first made into a movie, starring Jimmy Stewart, in 1950.
Spielberg's long career as a screenwriter, director and producer has included classic blockbusters "E.T.: The Extraterrestrial," the "Indiana Jones" series and "Saving Private Ryan."
|
b34bf700548b4036852b2dee5dc4beb6
|
How much money was provided for Dreamworks?
|
[
"$875 million,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of former Iranian president, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, was sentenced to six months in prison for making anti-government statements, semi-official Mehr News Agency reported Tuesday.
Hashemi was arrested last year for taking part in anti-government protests, and the announcement of her sentence comes as parliamentary elections near.
Her father, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, is a powerful cleric and former parliament speaker. In the past, Rafsanjani has been one of the government's most vocal critics.
Rafsanjani served two terms as president from 1989 to 1997, and is still widely believed to be one of the wealthiest and most politically powerful men in Iran.
He had long been a staunch critic and bitter political rival of Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Weeks after the 2009 elections, Rafsanjani condemned the regime's violent crackdown against the opposition movement and spoke out for the people's right to peacefully protest in a speech delivered at Tehran's Friday prayers.
In recent months, Rafsanjani had toned down attacks and made statements of apparent support of the regime and the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Last March, Rafsanjani was replaced as head of Iran's Assembly of Experts, a powerful committee charged with electing and removing the leader of the Islamic Revolution and supervising his activities.
|
a176472b5c194a10a7a066a01ca99492
|
Who is Faezeh Hashemi?
|
[
"the daughter of former Iranian president, Akbar"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An ancient race that lived 2,700 years ago in the Gobi Desert may have been among the first to use cannabis for medical or religious purposes.
Researchers believe an ancient Gushi shaman may have consumed or burned pot for medical or religious purposes.
Nearly two pounds of the plant was found stashed in the tomb of a Gushi shaman. It was high in the chemical compounds that provide its psychoactive properties.
"It had evidence of the chemical attributes of cannabis used as a drug," said Dr. Ethan Russo, an author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany. "It could have been for pain control. It could have been for other medicinal properties. It could have been used as an aid to divination."
The Gushi people were a Caucasian race with light hair and blue eyes who likely migrated thousands of years ago from the steppes of Russia to what is now China. A nomadic people, they were accomplished horsemen and archers.
Chinese archaeologists excavating a network of 2,500 tombs near the town of Turpan in the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region unearthed the shaman's grave, which contained the cannabis, along with a trove of artifacts such as bridles, archery equipment and a rare harp.
The shaman is thought to have been about 45 years old when he died. Many of the bodies recovered in the area were found in an incredibly well-preserved, almost mummified condition. The shaman, however, was a skeleton.
"The deceased was laid out on the bottom of this tomb on a little bier," Russo said. "This individual seemed to be very high status because of the variety and quality of the grave goods, including the equestrian equipment, the archery equipment and the large amount of cannabis."
Russo said no pipe for smoking the cannabis was found in the shaman's tomb. Researchers think he might have eaten the cannabis or possibly put it on a burning fire to create fumes.
They don't think it was used to make hemp clothing or rope, as some other early cultures did. Genetic analysis of the plant suggests it was cultivated rather than gathered from the wild.
This find is not the first or the oldest example of ancient people using cannabis, but it may be the best studied.
"There may have been older finds of cannabis, but not with this level of scientific investigation attached to them," Russo said.
|
4e2f98495e5748f1810c030b9280d6ce
|
Amount of tombs that the shaman was among?
|
[
"2,500"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Lillo Brancato Jr., an actor who appeared in "The Sopranos," was acquitted of the 2005 killing an off-duty New York City police officer but found guilty of attempted burglary.
Lillo Brancato Jr. appeared on "The Sopranos" and played alongside Robert De Niro in "A Bronx Tale."
Brancato, 32, was also acquitted of two counts of burglary, but could face three to 15 years in prison on the attempted burglary charge. He has already served three years, according to his attorney, Joseph Tacopina.
Police officer Daniel Enchautegui, 28, was killed trying to break up a burglary attempt at his neighbor's house in the Bronx in December 2005.
During the trial, Brancato said there was not a break-in. Brancato said he knew the owner of the home, and that he and friend Steven Armento, 51, were drinking at a strip club when they decided to go hunt for valium.
Brancato told the jury that the owner, a Vietnam veteran, gave him permission to come to his house and take painkillers or other pills whenever he wanted.
Brancato admitted to breaking a window at the home, but said it was strictly because he was going through intense heroin withdrawal that night and he said he was trying to wake up his friend to get the drugs.
When Brancato and Armento entered the home, the next door neighbor -- Enchautegui -- came outside to investigate.
That's when prosecutors said Armento shot the officer through the heart with his .357 Magnum.
Armento was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in November. The jury in that trial took less than six hours to convict Armento.
Enchautegui was shot in the chest by Armento when he interrupted the alleged robbery, but managed to shoot both suspects multiple times before dying.
"This jury spoke loud and clear, that Lillo had nothing to do with the murder of this police officer," Tacopina said.
Brancato appeared on six episodes of the hit HBO series "The Sopranos" as a wannabe mobster in 2000. As a teen, Brancato starred alongside actor Robert De Niro in "A Bronx Tale."
|
eeb0744b3e004f66b639920eeb85adf4
|
What did he do as teen with Robert De Niro?
|
[
"appeared on \"The Sopranos\" and played alongside"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A woman who gave birth to a stillborn boy was left distraught after she discovered his body was kept in a jar for four years by the hospital.
Jo-Ann Burrows believed for years that her son had been cremated before making the grim discovery about his fate.
The mother-of-five is now taking legal action against the hospital authorities in Hampshire, southern England, the UK's Press Association reported Thursday.
PA reported that Ms Burrows had daughter Ellie in April 2004 at the Hythe Birthing Centre, in Hampshire, but gave birth to the stillborn twin two days later at home.
She said that an ultrasound scan taken the previous December had not revealed that she was carrying a twin, according to PA.
After the stillbirth, Ms Burrows, 44, was taken to the Princess Anne maternity hospital in Southampton, also in southern England, where she gave her consent for the body to be cremated.
PA reported that she has spent the past four years asking for the funeral papers and ashes.
The 44-year-old is now organizing a naming ceremony and funeral for the stillborn, whose twin sister survived.
Ms Burrows was quoted in her local newspaper, the Southern Daily Echo, as saying: "This experience has made me suicidal, if it wasn't for my friends and family I wouldn't be here.
"I kept asking for my baby's funeral papers because I was always worried that he might be in a jar somewhere. I still couldn't believe it when I found out."
She was informed through her solicitor in February that the hospital still had the baby and has now filed a medical negligence claim against Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust.
It claims the Trust failed to "exercise reasonable care and skill when performing the ultrasound and also focuses on Ms Burrows' repeated requests for confirmation of the cremation," PA reported.
A Trust spokeswoman told the news agency: "Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust confirms that legal proceedings have been brought against it by Ms Jo-Ann Burrows.
"The chief executive has already written to Ms Burrows apologizing for shortcomings in the treatment provided to her and, in particular, for the circumstances which led to Ms Burrows' second twin not being cremated in 2004 as they had previously advised and for the distress this discovery may have caused."
|
5dcb7b9679684749a6d3d7b308a79f51
|
what did the hospital keep in the jar
|
[
"stillborn boy"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Police in San Mateo, California, said Monday that "a potentially very drastic event" at a high school was averted when school personnel subdued a former student who walked into the school armed with pipe bombs, a chainsaw and a 2-foot-long sword.
At least 1,200 students and faculty were evacuated from the northern California school.
"It had the potential to be a catastrophic incident," said police Lt. Mike Brunicardi, describing the incident in which two pipe bombs exploded and at least 1,200 students and faculty were evacuated from the Northern California school.
No one was injured in the incident, police said.
Brunicardi said a 17-year-old former student wearing a nylon vest packed with 10 homemade pipe bombs entered Hillsdale High School in San Mateo about 8 a.m. Monday. He detonated two devices, with smoke setting off the school's fire-alarm system, before two teachers confronted him.
"The suspect was quickly wrestled down by a teacher who, with the help of the principal and another teacher, were able to hold him down until police arrived minutes later," Brunicardi said.
The suspect's intentions were not clear, police said.
"He's being interviewed right now, but we don't have his specific motives at this time," Brunicardi said, adding that while the explosive power of the pipe bombs was not immediately known, the teachers who subdued the suspect put themselves in jeopardy.
"We are relieved that no one was injured and it's fortunate that we were able to apprehend the student before he hurt himself or anyone else," said San Mateo School District Associate Superintendent Kirk Black said.
Authorities said the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, had been a student at the school in 2008.
CNN's Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
|
4b483c590ba249a5ab382c098cd883a9
|
Which police say they do not know suspect's motive?
|
[
"in San Mateo, California,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Starting Tuesday, many "robocalls" from telemarketers will be illegal.
A new ban on automated telemarketing calls goes into effect Tuesday.
Businesses that try to push products on consumers with automated and unsolicited calls will face fines of up to $16,000 per call, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
"American consumers have made it crystal clear that few things annoy them more than the billions of commercial telemarketing robocalls they receive every year," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a news release.
Calls from politicians, public service announcements and "informational" calls will be exempt from the new rule. A call alerting a traveler that his or her flight has been delayed would still be allowed, for example.
Banks, telephone carriers and most charitable organizations are also excluded from the ban, the FTC says.
The FTC asks people to report questionable robocalls by visiting its complaint Web site or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP.
"If consumers think they're being harassed by robocallers, they need to let us know, and we will go after them," Leibowitz said.
The ban on many pre-recorded calls was approved by the FTC in August of 2008 and is the last of a series of amendments to go into effect, said Lois Greisman, the FTC's associate director of marketing practices.
She said the ban applies only to pre-recorded calls and encouraged consumers to sign up for the federal "do not call" registry for additional protections.
Robocalls to mobile phones already are illegal, she said.
People still will be able to receive telemarketer calls if they give companies written permission to contact them.
Nate Anderson, a blogger at Ars Technica, a technology site, cheered the amendments but said many calls are illegal even without the new amendments.
"Most of the robocalls received by people in the office here are already illegal to do begin with -- pitches for time shares and bogus car warranties top the list of such calls," he wrote.
|
aa94d10ed2d74583be7af81afe4e7f7c
|
What was the FTC ban on?
|
[
"telemarketing calls"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Suspected Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier Wednesday with 22 crew members aboard, according to the European Union's Naval Force for Somalia.
MV Filitsa was seized in the early morning about 460 miles (740 kilometers) northeast of the Seychelles as it headed toward Durban, South Africa, according to a news release from EU NAVFOR Somalia.
The Marshall Island-flagged carrier -- with three Greek and 19 Filipino crew members -- "has now turned around and is heading north," it said. The bulk carrier has a deadweight of more than 23,000 tons.
There have been more than 100 pirate attacks and at least 39 hijackings off the east Africa this year, according to EU NAVFOR.
In late October, Somali pirates seized a private yacht in the Indian Ocean, taking Paul and Rachel Chandler hostage. They have demanded a $7 million ransom for the British couple's release, but the government has refused to pay as a matter of long-standing policy.
Two vessels were attacked the day after the Chandlers set sail. One of them -- a cargo ship -- was successfully boarded and seized off the Seychelles, while the other fought off its attackers near the Kenyan coast.
Pirates are still holding a Spanish fishing boat, the Alakrana, which they seized on October 2 off Somalia's coast. Days later, they transferred three of the fishing boat's 36 crew members to land.
Two pirate suspects had left the Alakrana in a small vessel heading toward land, authorities said, and the Spanish military swooped in to stop them on the high seas. They were later brought to Madrid, where a judge has charged them with piracy and kidnapping.
The pirates holding the crew have demanded Spain release the two suspects.
Spain is part of the European Union task force against piracy in the Indian Ocean off Somalia. The Spanish parliament last January agreed to increase Spain's presence with up to 395 troops and assets, including a frigate and aircraft.
CNN's Al Goodman contributed to this report
|
683538b5f2904cac94112b4c9f794d58
|
how many people aboard?
|
[
"22"
] |
NewsQA
|
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Former Cuban President Fidel Castro says he is open to the idea of meeting with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.
Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has largely been out of the political scene since falling ill in 2006.
"With Obama, one can talk whenever he wants, because we're not preachers of violence or war," the communist leader wrote in an essay published Thursday on a state-run Web site. "He must be reminded that the carrot-and-stick theory cannot be applied in our country."
Friday's missive marked the second time in recent weeks that a Cuban leader has said he is open to meeting with Obama.
In the latest issue of The Nation, actor Sean Penn writes of his recent conversation in Havana with Raúl Castro, who took over as president this year from his ailing brother.
According to Penn, Raúl Castro told him, "Perhaps we could meet at Guantanamo. We must meet and begin to solve our problems, and at the end of the meeting, we could give the president a gift. ... We could send him home with the American flag that waves over Guantanamo Bay."
Obama has called for the U.S. detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay naval base on the island of Cuba to be closed.
Despite the indications that the Cuban leadership is open to warmer relations with its neighbor to the north after 47 years of a U.S.-imposed trade embargo, some in Havana expressed skepticism that the impending change in leadership in the United States will translate in to a changed Cuban policy.
"Obama is a product of the American empire," Carlos Pose said.
But Elisany, a high school student, said she's hopeful. "We've got to wait and see. I hope things change."
|
7d0c614f36f74576a6bc93d027fbd633
|
What are some in Havana skeptical about?
|
[
"impending change in leadership in the United States will translate in to a changed Cuban policy."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A fire at a refinery in Washington state killed four people and injured three, a spokeswoman for a medical center said Friday.
The company that owns the refinery, the Tesoro Corp., earlier had announced three deaths from the fire. A fourth person, a 29-year-old woman, died from her injuries at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, said medical center spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson.
Three others -- a 36-year-old woman, a 34-year-old man and a 41-year-old man -- remain in critical condition at the medical center with major burns, Gregg-Hanson said.
None of the dead were identified.
The fire at the Anacortes, Washington, refinery occurred shortly after midnight at the naphtha unit of the refinery while maintenance work was being performed, the Tesoro Corp. said.
The fire was contained around 2 a.m. Friday and affected units have been shut down, Tesoro said on its Web site.
CNN affiliate KCPQ reported that three workers were missing, and that a search was under way.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. KCPQ said that people reported feeling an explosion as far as five miles away.
"This is a very sad time for our organization," said Bruce Smith, Tesoro's chairman, president and chief executive officer.
"Everyone in the Tesoro family appreciates the impact that this will have on the families involved, and we are responding quickly to ensure the safety for our employees, contractors and the neighboring community," he said.
Tesoro did not immediately return phone calls requesting further information.
Tesoro Corp. is an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products, according to its Web site. Through its subsidiaries, it operates seven refineries in the Western United States with a combined capacity of approximately 665,000 barrels per day.
Anacortes is about 80 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia.
|
7ee38bc7375e4ad79427fa902bbbe08f
|
Who owns the refinery?
|
[
"Tesoro Corp.,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Liverpool have secured the biggest sponsorship deal in the English Premier League club's history after they announced a four-year deal with Standard Chartered Bank.
Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish and managing director Christian Purslow confirm the new sponsorship deal.
The Reds have confirmed that the bank will replace current sponsors Carlsberg at the start of the 2010-11 season, ending a 17-year association with the Reds, for the beer maker.
The figure for the sponsorship has not be disclosed but reports in British newspaper The Guardian suggest the deal is worth $133 million.
Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow spoke of his delight on sealing the sponsorship agreement for the Anfield-based side.
"I am tremendously excited - it's a hugely important day in the history of Liverpool FC," he told the club's official Web site.
"This is the largest commercial agreement we have ever entered into. To have attracted a partner of the caliber of Standard Chartered Bank says everything about where we are trying to take this football club.
"They operate in a number of markets around the world where we have a long term plan to increase the family of Liverpool fans and this agreement will be very helpful to us in doing that."
Purslow added: "Many branches in these countries will effectively be a shop window for Liverpool FC and a means of attracting more supporters to the cause.
"We aspire to be the best at what we do on and off the field. This is the first commercial agreement the club has entered into which can truly be described as the best of its kind in world football.
"I hope this tells everyone, especially our fans, what we are trying to do with this football club in the future."
The move follows Liverpool's American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, concluding a deal in July to re-finance a $380 million bank loan they took out to buy the club in 2007.
Plans to develop a new 60,000-seater stadium at a cost of $580 million were shelved due to the recession in 2008 by the club, despite planning permission being granted by the local city council.
|
3bd2e1d5903b42c8ae8ce1755452fe8c
|
How long did carlsberg sponsor the team for
|
[
"17-year"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Suspected Taliban militants blew up a government-run school Monday in Pakistan's violence-plagued Swat Valley, bringing to 183 the number of schools destroyed since fighting began in the area six months ago, officials said.
Students gather outside a destroyed school on January 17 in Kundar in Pakistan's Swat Valley.
A day earlier, radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah threatened to kill more than four dozen government officials if they did not appear before him for opposing the Taliban.
Local newspapers on Monday printed the list of 50 government officials and tribal elders whom Fazlullah has threatened with death.
The boy's high school that was destroyed was located in Mingora, the valley's main city, said Sher Afzal Khan, an education officer for Swat. The attack occurred early Monday and no one was wounded.
Swat Valley, located in North West Frontier Province, was once Pakistan's biggest tourist destination. It is situated near the Afghanistan border and about 186 miles (300 km) from the capital city of Islamabad.
The valley boasted the country's only ski resort and was a draw for trout-fishing enthusiasts until it was overrun by militants, led by Fazlullah. He has launched a violent and deadly campaign to enforce Taliban-style fundamentalist Islamic laws throughout the province.
The militants want to require veils for women and beards for men, and to ban music and television.
The central government has long exerted little control in the area, but it launched an intense military offensive in late July to flush out militants.
As retaliation for the military presence, the Taliban has carried out a series of deadly bombings, and has said the attacks will continue until the troops pull out.
Elsewhere in the North West Frontier Province, a blast killed five people and wounded 15 others Monday morning, officials said.
The bomb, planted on a bicycle, went off in the town of Dera Ismail Khan, said Mohammad Riaz of the province's police force. It killed shopkeepers and pedestrians, added the town's police chief, Abdul Rashid.
CNN's Zein Basravi contributed to this report.
|
fe75bea3601e4998941bb25e72d1f32e
|
How many people have been killed in the wave of violence?
|
[
"five"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader took verbal jabs at the United States Saturday in his first public reaction since the United States accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled the allegations "meaningless and absurd."
"They (the U.S.) want to isolate Iran," Khamenei said over chants of "down with America" in a speech before thousands in the western Iranian city of Gilangharb.
Also, an Iranian official said claims by the United States that a high-level U.S. diplomat had met Wednesday with an Iranian counterpart over the plot were untrue.
"There were no kinds of negotiations between the two countries, and there was not such a contact," said Alireza Miryousefi, press secretary for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
The United States had reported having had "direct contact with Iran" about the alleged plot.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland disclosed the contact to reporters. A senior administration official told CNN it occurred Wednesday and was initiated by the United States.
Two State Department officials said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice met with Mohammad Khazai, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations.
Ahead of Saturday's rebuttal of the claims of diplomatic contact, Iranian officials had previously declined to confirm the meeting.
U.S. authorities have accused Iran of being involved in a plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, in spring 2012.
The alleged scheme involved a connection to the Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, which formally answers to Khamenei.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of conspiring to hire hit men from a Mexican drug cartel to bomb a restaurant, where the ambassador would have been.
Authorities developed the case against the suspects with the help of an undercover informant posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, according to officials and an FBI agent's affidavit.
Reza Aslan, a religious scholar and author, told CNN on Saturday that the described plot "just does not fit the Quds Force's M.O. (modus operandi)."
Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas, he said.
"It's sloppy. It's uncharacteristic," said Aslan. "It really does not serve Iran's interest in any legitimate way."
Iran could more easily target Saudi diplomats in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, Aslan said. "Doing so on U.S. soil is unmistakably an attack on the United States, not on Saudi Arabia."
CNN's Mitra Mobasherat and Hala Gorani contributed to this report
|
abcee1e89cf14e5fabac09f4c6517bf4
|
The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in what?
|
[
"plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Authorities in Azerbaijan recently uncovered a radical Islamic terror plot against the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Baku, prompting the facility to close its doors to the public Monday, Azerbaijan and U.S. officials told CNN.
The Bibi Heybat Mosque, just outside the capital Baku.
As a precaution, Britain also shut its embassy in Baku to the public on Monday "following security concerns nearby," Britain's Foreign Office said.
The terror plot was unraveled after a weekend raid outside Baku that netted several suspected members of the radical group, two U.S. officials who asked not to be identified and a spokesman for Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry told CNN.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stressed that the details "are still unfolding," and the threat "may or may not be" linked to the Saturday raid.
"There were some specific and credible threat information concerning the embassy and plans by militants to in some way do harm to individuals in and around the U.S. Embassy there," McCormack said, noting that no specific individuals were targeted.
Several days ago, an Azerbaijani army officer who had connections to a radical Islamic group seized four assault rifles, a machine gun and 20 hand grenades from his military unit and hid them in the outskirts of Baku, the ministry spokesman and U.S. officials said.
Government security forces tracked down the group and arrested several members during a sweep on Saturday in the village of Mastaga, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Baku, the spokesman said.
One suspected member of the militant group resisted arrest and was killed in the sweep, the spokesman said. Several others are still at large, he added.
He said the terror plot also targeted Azerbaijani government buildings.
The U.S. Embassy in Baku issued a warden message warning Americans in Azerbaijan to take precautions.
"While there is no information at this time that other American or Western interests in Azerbaijan are being targeted, the U.S. Embassy encourages Americans to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to bolster their own personal security," it said.
Azerbaijan is a former Soviet republic that borders the Caspian Sea, and lies just north of Iran.
McCormack said U.S. authorities are working closely with their counterparts in Baku and will determine when normal embassy operations will resume. He said he expects the embassy to limit its operations on Tuesday, as well. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Igor Malakhov in Moscow, Zain Verjee in Washington and Roger Clark in London contributed to this report
|
0c66bc5d9de84efeb23e599eb32b312d
|
What location were radical Islamic terrorists plotting against?
|
[
"Embassy in the capital, Baku,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Fantasy author Terry Pratchett has admitted that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease -- but says he plans to continue writing his multi-million selling Discworld books.
Terry Pratchett, whose books have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide in 33 languages.
Pratchett, 59 -- whose books have, according to his Web site, sold more than 45 million copies worldwide in 33 languages -- suffered what he called a "phantom stroke" earlier this year.
In a statement titled "an embuggerance" on the Web site of Discworld illustrator Paul Kidby, Pratchett says that he has been diagnosed with what he terms "a very rare form of early onset Alzheimer's."
"I would have liked to keep this one quiet for a little while, but because of upcoming conventions and of course the need to keep my publishers informed, it seems to me unfair to withhold the news," says Pratchett, who has a strong following among fans of fantasy fiction.
"All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers," he continues.
"Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet."
Pratchett adds that work is continuing on his next book "Nation" and that the "basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals."
In a P.S. he adds that "I would just like to draw attention to everyone reading the above that this should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else.
"I know it's a very human thing to say 'Is there anything I can do', but in this case I would only entertain offers from very high-end experts in brain chemistry."
Pratchett's Discworld novels, of which 36 have been published to date, are set in a fantasy universe through which the author satirizes modern-day life.
He says in a statement on his own Web site that the series "started out as a parody of all the fantasy that was around in the big boom of the early '80s, then turned into a satire on just about everything, and even I don't know what it is now."
Pratchett, who began writing while a provincial newspaper journalist in the 1960s, received the Order of the British Empire "for services to literature" from the Prince of Wales in 1998. E-mail to a friend
|
e7fdd7c565844ea29bb151bcc14008ca
|
what award was received
|
[
"the Order of the British Empire \"for services to literature\""
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- President Obama returned to the United States on Monday morning after an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, where he met with his Afghan counterpart and reiterated the need to wipe out terror networks.
Obama slipped into Bagram Air Base near Kabul under the cover of darkness Sunday.
He met with about 2,000 troops at the U.S. base and told them their work is significant to security at home.
"I know it's not easy," he said. "If I thought for a minute that America's vital interests were not served, were not at stake here in Afghanistan, I would order all of you home right away."
The United States has made progress in the fight against al Qaeda and its allies, Obama said.
"All of that makes America safer, and we are going to keep them on the run," he said. "Because that is what is going to be required in order to ensure that our families back home have the security that they need."
Earlier, Obama met with President Hamid Karzai to discuss progress by the Afghan government in strengthening its ability to run the country and provide security for its people.
After the 30-minute meeting, Obama said he wanted to send a "strong message" that the partnership between the nations would continue.
Related: Afghanistan Crossroads
Karzai thanked the United States, pointing out that American taxpayers have helped rebuild his country.
During his trip, the president made clear that the visit was to encourage the roughly 80,000 U.S. troops in the country.
"The United States of America does not quit once it starts on something. ... We keep at it," he told the troops. "We persevere. And together, with our partners, we will prevail. I am absolutely confident of that."
Before his departure, Obama also met with U.S. Ambassador Karl Eikenberry and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the commander of allied troops in Afghanistan.
The trip began in secrecy, with the president leaving his Camp David retreat. He flew to Afghanistan on Air Force One, landing at Bagram Air Base at 7:24 p.m. Sunday.
Obama then flew on a helicopter to the Presidential Palace to meet with Karzai.
The U.S. president landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland shortly before 9 a.m. ET.
|
4322cb2c62d949c1a6d4b265b180f26b
|
Where did President meet with troops?
|
[
"Bagram Air Base"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- In focus: OPEC quota cuts
OPEC, which pumps 40 percent of the world oil, is set to announce this week plans to cut its output when it meets in Oran, Algeria.
CEO Naguib Sawiris is expanding his mobile phone services into North Korea, an area where few businessmen venture.
The cut in crude is hoped to stabilize prices and will be the third cut in quotas since September. So what's behind the supply cuts? Is it just a matter of price stability? Or is OPEC trying to protect the cost of future investments?
Facetime with Naguib Sawiris, Chairman and CEO of Orascom Telecom
Amidst the economic downturn, one company is venturing into markets where others fear to tread. Orascom launches its mobile phone services in North Korea this week.
CEO Naguib Sawiris tells MME about the company's ambitious expansion plans and the effects of the international financial crisis.
Watch the show this week at the times (GMT) below:
Friday: 0915, 1945 Saturday: 0645 Sunday: 0815
|
45bdce7f773a4d42a60d7350ca96957d
|
What is the name of the CEO?
|
[
"Naguib Sawiris"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The coming summer and fall could be an "active to extremely active" hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted.
There is a 70 percent chance that three to seven major hurricanes will swirl in the Atlantic in the six months following the start of the hurricane season on June 1, according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.
"If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record," said Jane Lubchenco, the under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA's administrator.
The forecast predicts between 14 and 23 storms with top winds of 39 mph or higher, the threshold for tropical storm status.
It predicts eight to 14 of those will become named hurricanes, with winds topping 74 mph or higher, and three to seven of those will become major ones, meaning Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Category 3 storms have sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Forecasters have said that El Nino conditions will dissipate by summer and that unusually warm tropical Atlantic surface temperatures will persist, leading to favorable conditions for hurricanes to develop and intensify.
A report released in April by Colorado State University's forecasters William Gray and Phil Klotzbach also said that this year's hurricane season could be difficult, but they predicted only 15 named storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes.
Gray and Klotzbach will issue a revised forecast next Wednesday.
A typical season has 11 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes, according to NOAA. The hurricane season ends November 30, although later storms have been known to happen.
Last year's hurricane season was below average, with only nine named tropical storms, three of which were hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center said it was the lowest number of tropical storms for the Atlantic basin since 1997.
|
98dad2ba378041a1bd4665c5e360d40d
|
How many major hurriances did NOAA predict?
|
[
"14 and 23 storms"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Authorities in Azerbaijan recently uncovered a radical Islamic terror plot against the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Baku, prompting the facility to close its doors to the public Monday, Azerbaijan and U.S. officials told CNN.
The Bibi Heybat Mosque, just outside the capital Baku.
As a precaution, Britain also shut its embassy in Baku to the public on Monday "following security concerns nearby," Britain's Foreign Office said.
The terror plot was unraveled after a weekend raid outside Baku that netted several suspected members of the radical group, two U.S. officials who asked not to be identified and a spokesman for Azerbaijan's National Security Ministry told CNN.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack stressed that the details "are still unfolding," and the threat "may or may not be" linked to the Saturday raid.
"There were some specific and credible threat information concerning the embassy and plans by militants to in some way do harm to individuals in and around the U.S. Embassy there," McCormack said, noting that no specific individuals were targeted.
Several days ago, an Azerbaijani army officer who had connections to a radical Islamic group seized four assault rifles, a machine gun and 20 hand grenades from his military unit and hid them in the outskirts of Baku, the ministry spokesman and U.S. officials said.
Government security forces tracked down the group and arrested several members during a sweep on Saturday in the village of Mastaga, about 20 miles (32 km) northeast of Baku, the spokesman said.
One suspected member of the militant group resisted arrest and was killed in the sweep, the spokesman said. Several others are still at large, he added.
He said the terror plot also targeted Azerbaijani government buildings.
The U.S. Embassy in Baku issued a warden message warning Americans in Azerbaijan to take precautions.
"While there is no information at this time that other American or Western interests in Azerbaijan are being targeted, the U.S. Embassy encourages Americans to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to bolster their own personal security," it said.
Azerbaijan is a former Soviet republic that borders the Caspian Sea, and lies just north of Iran.
McCormack said U.S. authorities are working closely with their counterparts in Baku and will determine when normal embassy operations will resume. He said he expects the embassy to limit its operations on Tuesday, as well. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Igor Malakhov in Moscow, Zain Verjee in Washington and Roger Clark in London contributed to this report
|
f08d8d956ecd4665a0297640bffb50b0
|
What did authorities uncover a plot against?
|
[
"radical Islamic terror"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday welcomed its newest inductees:Jimmy Cliff, ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies and the Stooges.
Other inductees this year include individual recipients of the Ahmet Ertegun Award -- record executive David Geffen and songwriters Jeff Barry, Otis Blackwell, Ellie Greenwich, Barry Mann, Mort Shuman, Jesse Stone and Cynthia Weil.
The induction ceremony was being held Monday night at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.
The inductees "represent a great cross-section of artists that define the broad spectrum and history of rock 'n' roll and people that have contributed immeasurably to our business," Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said when they were named last year.
The inductees were chosen by a voting committee of the foundation. Artists are eligible 25 years after their first recording is released.
An exhibit featuring all the inductees opened Monday at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, in Cleveland, Ohio. Their stage outfits, instruments, handwritten lyrics, photographs and more will be on display through March 14, 2011.
The museum -- which says it "exists to collect, preserve and interpret the impact the Rock has made on our world" -- features seven floors of exhibition space, spanning 150,000 square feet.
|
7eec4c6bbfa84234ba8569e5dc0d8533
|
Who chose the voting commitee?
|
[
"committee of the foundation."
] |
NewsQA
|
Beijing, China (CNN) -- The Shanghai court trying an Australian Rio Tinto executive on charges of bribery and theft of commercial secrets will deliver its verdict on Monday.
Australian consular officials will be in court when it renders its decision on the fate of Stern Hu, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether the court will also announce on the same day the verdict against three other Rio Tinto employees who were tried on the same charges.
The three-day trial of the four employees of the mining giant ended Wednesday.
Charged in the case were Stern Hu, an Australian citizen of Chinese origin who was the general manager of Rio Tinto's Shanghai office.
Hu has been in detention for nine months, along with Rio Tinto's three Chinese employees -- Liu Caikui, Ge Minqiang and Wang Yong.
Rio Tinto, a British-Australian company, is one of the largest mining companies in the world. The case has raised fears of a government crackdown on foreign companies doing business in China.
When is a gift considered bribery?
The trial was closed to foreign news organizations, hindering independent confirmation of developments.
Australian consular officials were allowed in the Shanghai courtroom for the bribery phase of the case, but were barred from witnessing the theft portion.
Hu is accused of receiving two bribes: one for 1 million yuan ($146,490) and another for 5.3 million yuan ($790,000). The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said he "made some admissions concerning these amounts," but did not elaborate.
The Chinese government initially accused the four of stealing state secrets when they were first detained, but the charges were reduced to theft of commercial secrets several months ago.
Hu and the others were detained in July. China says the four bribed executives from 16 of the nation's major steel mills to obtain industry information.
In China, obtaining commercial secrets carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Rio Tinto has called the allegations surprising and said it was not aware of any evidence.
The detentions took place about a month after Rio Tinto broke off an investment deal with China state-owned Chinalco, a resources company, that was worth more than $19 billion.
The deal with Chinalco was signed in February 2009 and was awaiting a review by Australia's foreign investment board.
The deal soured as opposition party members in Australia ratcheted up their disapproval, saying it would put Australian resources at strategic risk.
Others saw the deal as an alliance that would further link resource-rich Australia with the commodities-hungry Chinese market.
|
cff988eb813e479f94349d1575d5a029
|
How many others were charged?
|
[
"three"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The name is already taken, but "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" might be a fitting title for a new interactive view of the Milky Way unveiled this week by the European Southern Observatory.
Hundreds of photos taken with a regular digital camera, along with computer crunching, formed this panorama.
The 800-million-pixel panorama shows an edge-on view of the plane of our galaxy, complete with points of interests such as the 12-billion-year-old, star-packed globular cluster Omega Centauri and the beautiful, reddish Rosette Nebula.
Want to stay closer to home?
The panorama also points out familiar landmarks such as Jupiter, noting it's the third-brightest object in our night sky after the moon and Venus.
For a bit of a head-rush, you can choose to zoom in and click on "Tour Destinations," which will take you on a trip from one end of the galaxy to another, stopping at your selected point of interest.
Users can explore the image in magnificent detail, uncovering millions of individual stars forming a dustlike haze, or superimpose a map of the different constellations in the sky.
The beautiful panorama is the first to be released as part of the GigaGalaxy Zoom project, which seeks to "link the sky we can all see with the deep, 'hidden' cosmos that astronomers study on a daily basis," according to ESO.
The image is composed of almost 1,200 photos, which were taken by French astrophotographer Serge Brunier with a regular digital camera from ESO observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile and from one of the Canary Islands.
"I wanted to show a sky that everyone can relate to, with its constellations, its thousands of stars, with names familiar since childhood," Brunier said.
The images were then crunched into the single panorama using special software, an effort that took about 340 computing hours to finish, according to the ESO.
You can chart your own trip across the Milky Way at GigaGalaxyZoom.org.
The next GigaGalaxy Zoom image will be released Monday.
|
7668fd6dee264c438e629cb85a704f65
|
What is the project called?
|
[
"GigaGalaxy Zoom"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- At least two bombs were dropped near the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan, resulting in an undetermined number of casualties, the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday.
"We are very concerned that these bombs were dropped in an area where there are thousands of refugees who have gathered after fleeing the violence in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states," the spokesperson said in a statement.
"It is essential that both parties immediately take all steps to protect civilian lives."
In Washington, the office of the White House press secretary said in a statement that the United States "strongly condemns the aerial bombardment by the Sudan Armed Forces of the town of Yida," where more than 20,000 refugees who have fled conflict in the Sudanese state of Southern Kordofan are living.
The Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile State and Nuba Mountain regions straddle Sudan and South Sudan's geographical and political lines. Although these territories are geographically part of Sudan, its population has faced "exclusion, marginalization and discriminatory practices that have resulted in their opposition to the Sudanese government," according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"This bombing of civilians and humanitarian workers is an outrageous act, and those responsible must be held accountable for their actions," the statement said.
The attack follows other bombardments by the Sudan Armed Forces on November 8 near the border that increase the potential for confrontation between Sudan and South Sudan, it said.
"The United States demands the Government of Sudan halt aerial bombardments immediately," the statement said. "We urge the Government of South Sudan to exercise restraint in responding to this provocation to prevent further escalation of hostilities."
It called for a resumption of negotiations by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North.
President H.E. Saliva Kiir Mayardit has said he will not support armed opposition forces fighting against the government of Sudan, the South Sudan government website said.
Kiir said Sudan was threatening the sovereignty of South Sudan "through military invasion."
Liberation army members have clashed with the military of South Sudan, which separated from Sudan and became independent in July. Led by former officers of the southern army that fought neighboring Sudan in a 22-year civil war, the militias have taken up arms against their former comrades and become a challenge for the world's newest nation.
|
5763abe19a4142b3a1ad3580b9fea5ad
|
Who accuses Sudan?
|
[
"the United States"
] |
NewsQA
|
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (CNN) -- The case of Mychal Bell, a black teenager accused of beating a white classmate in Jena, Louisiana, will be heard in juvenile court, Louisiana's governor announced Wednesday.
Mychal Bell, 17, is accused with five others of beating Justin Barker in a school fight.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that she discussed Bell's case with LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters on Wednesday, and that Walters agreed not to challenge a state appeals court ruling that dismissed Bell's battery and conspiracy convictions.
The court ruled that Bell, who was 16 at the time of the beating, should have been tried in juvenile court instead of having the case transferred to adult court.
Blanco made the announcement with civil rights leaders Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton.
Last week, they led about 15,000 marchers to Jena, a town of 3,000, to protest how authorities handled the cases of Bell and five other black teens accused of beating white high school student Justin Barker.
Many said they are angry the students, dubbed the "Jena 6," are being treated more harshly than three white students who hung nooses from an oak tree on high school property.
The white students were suspended from school but did not face criminal charges. The protesters say they should have been charged with a hate crime.
Prosecutors originally charged all six black students with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy
The black students now face charges of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy in the schoolyard beating.
The altercation was the culmination of racially tense events in the town, including two fights sparked by the hanging of the nooses. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Eric Marrapodi contributed to this report.
|
ab5e22423a9647e8894fc3e0c19aff6c
|
what did the beating follow
|
[
"racially tense events in the town,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- British billionaire Richard Branson's dream of space travel that thousands of people can afford took a leap toward reality with the maiden flight of the world's first commercial spacecraft over California's Mojave Desert.
Branson's company Virgin Galactic announced Monday that the VSS Enterprise had successfully completed what it called a captive carry flight attached to a carrier plane.
The spacecraft's developer called it a "momentous day."
"The captive carry flight signifies the start of what we believe will be extremely exciting and successful spaceship flight test program," said Burt Rutan, founder of Scaled Composites, which built the spacecraft.
The VSS Enterprise remained attached to its carrier aircraft for the duration of the 2-hour, 54-minute flight, reaching an altitude of 45,000 feet, according to a statement from Virgin.
Eventually, the 60-foot long rocket plane will be taken 60,000 feet above the Earth by its carrier and fire rockets to propel itself into space.
The test-flight program is expected to continue through 2011, going first to a free glide and then to a powered flight before commercial flights begin.
"Seeing the finished spaceship in December was a major day for us but watching VSS Enterprise fly for the first time really brings home what beautiful, ground-breaking vehicles Burt and his team have developed for us," Branson said.
"Today was another major step along that road and a testament to U.S. engineering and innovation," he said.
Virgin Galactic has envisioned one flight a week, with six tourists aboard. Each will pay $200,000 for the ride and train for at least three days before going. About 80,000 people have placed their names on the waiting list for seats.
"What we want to be able to do is bring space travel down to a price range where hundreds of thousands of people would be able to experience space, and they never dreamed that [they] could," Branson said last year.
He has said he hopes the technology will lead to a new form of Earth travel, jetting people across oceans and continents faster through suborbital routes.
|
dd1bbc2b3b264f1ebb24e3854b3f7e49
|
What was the name of the vessle attached to the aircraft?
|
[
"VSS Enterprise"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A dilapidated building collapsed in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people who had defied orders to vacate the structure, a police spokesman told CNN.
Rescue workers clear away debris after a building collapsed Wednesday in Mumbai, India.
Another 26 people were injured and hospitalized, the spokesman said. Mumbai city officials had told residents living in the old building to leave it because of structural concerns.
The chief minister of Maharashtra state, Vilasrao Deshmukh, visited the building hours after the collapse to pay his respects to the victims.
Last July, another building collapse in Mumbai -- formerly Bombay -- killed 26 people.
|
cb7edc0a3a4143c88d2a6edb4c98a21f
|
What were officials warning people about?
|
[
"had told residents living in the old building to leave it because of structural concerns."
] |
NewsQA
|
CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- Authorities arrested a man accused of secretly taping ESPN sports reporter Erin Andrews in the nude and posting the videos on the Internet, the FBI said Friday.
ESPN reporter Erin Andrews claims someone videotaped her while she was nude and posted video online.
Authorities arrested 48-year-old Michael David Barrett at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Friday. Barrett faces a charge of interstate stalking, the FBI said.
Barrett is accused of taping Andrews while she was nude in two hotel rooms. He then made eight videos that he posted on the Internet, the FBI said.
Barrett allegedly filmed seven of the eight videos at a hotel room in Nashville, Tennessee, in September 2008. FBI agents said they found evidence that a peephole to the door of Andrews' hotel room had been altered.
The FBI learned that Barrett checked into the same hotel at that time and asked for a room adjacent to Andrews using his home address to register for the room.
According to a criminal complaint, Barrett tried to sell the videos to celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com. Employees at the Web site also helped in the investigation providing Barrett's information to Andrews' attorney.
Andrews works as a sideline reporter traveling around the country covering college football games.
Barrett will have his first court appearance in Chicago at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. ET) Saturday, authorities said.
The maximum penalty for the charge of interstate stalking is five years in federal prison, the FBI said.
CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report.
|
35c6a34ee3af4017a99fdfceeb9daa75
|
What was the Chicago man guilty of?
|
[
"interstate stalking,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The world has a new alliance to save vanishing frogs, toads and salamanders.
A frog swims in a pond in Munich, Germany, in June.
A coalition of organizations established the Amphibian Survival Alliance this month to conserve species threatened by deadly fungus, habitat loss, pollution, pesticides and climate change. The scientists said amphibians are the world's most threatened group of animals.
Though they thrived on Earth for more than 360 million years, one in three of the 6,000 recognized amphibian species are now at risk of extinction and as many as 122 species have gone extinct since 1980, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's amphibian specialist group.
"The world's amphibians are facing an uphill battle for survival," said James Collins of Arizona State University, co-chairman of the group.
He said the new alliance, formed at the Amphibian Mini Summit at the Zoological Society of London, will focus efforts on the biggest threat to amphibians: infectious disease and habitat destruction. The group includes amphibian specialists working in the wild as well as those in zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens worldwide.
"Amphibians have so much to offer humans," said amphibian specialist Simon Stuart. "Many have an arsenal of compounds stored in their skin that have the potential to address a multitude of human diseases."
But as amphibians die out, so do opportunities to develop new medicines, he said. The southern gastric brooding frog, for instance, could have led to the development of a treatment for human peptic ulcers had it not gone extinct, Stuart said.
"We simply cannot afford to let this current amphibian extinction crisis go unchecked," he said.
Andrew Blaustein, who began documenting amphibian declines two decades ago, said the loss of species was part of an overall biodiversity crisis.
"Amphibians seem to have been hit the hardest of all vertebrate species," said Blaustein, a professor of zoology at Oregon State University. "The long-term ecological repercussions of their decline could be profound, and we have to do something about it."
|
89673884f4284258887f31a664da0c55
|
What does the Amphibian Survival ALliance want to save?
|
[
"vanishing frogs, toads and salamanders."
] |
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.
|
a3ecd57bf241477fad536e071a434126
|
What was the starting city of the regatta?
|
[
"Galveston, Texas,"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States fears recent weapons purchases by Venezuela could fuel an arms race in South America, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday.
Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez met and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington on Tuesday.
"They outpace all other countries in South America and certainly raise the question as to whether there is going to be an arms race in the region," Clinton said about Venezuela's arms deals, after a meeting with Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez.
The Russian government Monday extended $2.2 billion in credit to Venezuela to finance arms purchases, including 92 Soviet-era T-72 tanks and short-range missiles with a reach of 55 miles (90 kilometers).
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also said his nation will purchase an anti-aircraft weapons system with a range of 185 miles (300 kilometers).
The planned arms purchases come at a time when Venezuela is at odds with neighboring Colombia over negotiations that would give U.S. troops access to Colombian military bases.
Chavez has said his military buildup is in response to the growing U.S. presence in the region, which he calls threatening and dangerous to Latin America.
The United States is also concerned about deepening ties between Venezuela and Iran. In addition to ongoing military cooperation, Chavez said in Tehran last week that the Iranian government would help Venezuela develop nuclear technology.
In exchange, Venezuela has offered to export gasoline to Iran, which would give Tehran an out if Western nations impose petroleum sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. Senior administration officials say Venezuela's attempt at "sanctions busting" is alarming.
Clinton urged Venezuela to be transparent about its weapons purchases.
Venezuela, she said, "should be putting in place in procedures and practices to ensure that the weapons they buy are not diverted to insurgent groups or illegal organizations like drug trafficking gangs and other criminal cartels."
Vazquez voiced concern that an arms race in South America would divert funds from badly needed development in poor countries.
"We should devote our energies and resources to fight against the real scourges of our societies ... such as drug trafficking and terrorism," he said. "Instead of spending it in weapons, spending it in housing, good housing for our people, and to further deepen investment, especially in the field of education."
|
4347808a3c8a400b9242f2e1d3e92c74
|
Russia extends how much in credit to Venezuela to finance arms purchases?
|
[
"$2.2 billion"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Paul Schaefer, a former Nazi who fled Germany in 1961 and founded a cult-like commune in Chile, died Saturday in a prison hospital.
He was 88.
Schaefer was serving a 20-year sentence at the national penitentiary in Santiago for sexually abusing children at the notorious commune known as Colonia Dignidad (The Dignity Colony).
The commune in southern Chile, also called Villa Baviera, was created as a place to safeguard Germanic traditions. Under Schaefer's rule, contact with outsiders was largely forbidden.
Some of Schaefer's crimes date to the 1970s and 1980s, during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who had visited the commune.
Former members of the colony have admitted that human rights violations and sexual abuse of children occurred there, saying in a 2006 letter published in a leading Chilean newspaper that they were led by Schaefer's influence.
Schaefer had been in prison since 2006 when he was extradited to Chile from Argentina, where he had been living in hiding.
Schaefer died Saturday morning of cardiopulmonary arrest, the penitentiary said.
CNN Chile's Christian Pino contributed to this report.
|
13bca2bdfd994a7dbdee4c8c887e5ba4
|
What caused the death of Paul Schaefer?
|
[
"cardiopulmonary arrest,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Pharmaceuticals giants Merck and Schering-Plough are planning to merge their operations under the name Merck in a deal worth $41.1 billion.
Merck chairman and CEO Richard T. Clark will head the combined company.
Under the terms of the agreement, Schering-Plough shareholders will receive just over half a Merck share and $10.50 in cash for each Schering-Plough share they own. Each Merck share will automatically become a share of the combined company.
Merck shareholders are expected to own approximately 68 percent of the combined company, and Schering-Plough shareholders are expected to own approximately 32 percent.
Merck Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Richard T. Clark will lead the combined company.
"We are creating a strong, global healthcare leader built for sustainable growth and success," Clark said in a media statement Monday. "The combined company will benefit from a formidable research and development pipeline, a significantly broader portfolio of medicines and an expanded presence in key international markets, particularly in high-growth emerging markets.
"We look forward to joining forces with an outstanding partner we know well and that shares our commitment to patients, employees and the communities where we work and live."
Merck added that its 2009 outlook has not changed, and it is committed to keeping its annual dividend at its current level of $1.52 per share.
Both drug-makers reported better-than-expected quarterly results in early February, but announced steep job cuts. On a conference call with investors on February 3, Clark said the drug-maker was open to a takeover of a large pharmaceutical company.
|
57ca5a6c0faf41899dd47547d5795f37
|
What is the amount that SP shareholders are going to get?
|
[
"just over half a Merck share and $10.50 in cash for each Schering-Plough share they own."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Philippine Commission on Elections approved fraud charges Friday against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and several other former officials, state media reported.
Arroyo is charged in connection with the alleged manipulation of results during 2007 Senate elections, according to the Philippines News Agency.
The former president has denied any wrongdoing.
Arroyo was stopped from leaving the country Tuesday as she was trying to board a plane at Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport, hours after the country's Supreme Court overruled government-imposed restrictions on her travels. The Supreme Court again Friday rejected the government's travel ban, saying she was free to leave as long as she posted a bond and met other requirements, said Jose Midas Marquez, a court spokesman
Arroyo was reportedly boarding the flight to seek medical treatment abroad for her bone disease diagnosed earlier this year, following three unsuccessful spinal operations in the Philippines. She arrived at the airport in an ambulance and was transported to the departure gate in a wheelchair while wearing a neck brace.
Arroyo's lawyer, Raul Lambino, said the former first couple was "subjected to indignity and embarrassment at the airport," calling the government's defiance of the Supreme Court order "abhorrent and in violation of the rights of the individual guaranteed by the (Philippine's) constitution and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
But presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda described the situation as "all high drama," according to media reports. "They (the Arroyos) want the public to sympathize with them," he added.
He said that while the Arroyo couple would be treated with dignity, the government would be "firm in our decision not to allow them to leave the country." Arroyo's husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, is also accused of corruption.
The Supreme Court, which is mostly staffed by judges hired under Arroyo, defied current President Benigno Aquino's state mandate of investigating allegations of corruption during Arroyo's 2001-2010 presidential term.
CNN's Karen Smith and Journalist Winona Cueva contributed to this report
|
d06aa76ce0f74103a7eed894a48a4bab
|
who is Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?
|
[
"former President"
] |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.