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(CNN) -- English Premier League side Liverpool were beaten by two penalties in Lisbon as Benfica came from behind to grasp the advantage in their Europa League quarterfinal.
The Portuguese club suffered a nightmare start when Daniel Agger put the visitors in front after just nine minutes with a neat back heel from Steven Gerrard's free kick.
But just after the half hour mark Liverpool were reduced to ten men when Ryan Babel clashed with defender Luisao after he had fouled Spanish striker Fernando Torres.
Babel appeared to put his hands in Luisao's face and the referee produced a red card.
It took Benfica less than 30 minutes to press home their advantage when Liverpool defender Emiliano Insua brought down Pablo Aimar inside the box and conceded a penalty.
Oscar Cardozo converted the spot kick and was given the chance to put his side into the lead when the referee adjudged Jamie Carragher had handled in the area on 79 minutes. Again Cardozo made no mistake from the spot.
The return leg is at Anfield next Thursday.
Fulham vanquished seasoned European opponents again as they defeated German champions Wolfsburg 2-1 at Craven Cottage.
Striker Bobby Zamora gave the English side the lead on 59 minutes with a precise curling shot from the edge of the area.
Irish winger Damien Duff made it 2-0 just four minutes later as he converted Zamora's pass.
But in the final minute Wolfsburg scored a vital away goal as Alexander Madlung emphatically headed home Zvjezdan Misimovic's cross.
After the game Fulham manager Roy Hodgson told ESPN television: "Wolfsburg are a good team but tonight I thought we made them look reasonably ordinary."
The all-Spanish tie between Valencia and Atletico Madrid finished 2-2.
Uruguayan striker Diego Forlan put Atletico in front on 59 minutes but Manuel Fernandes equalized shortly after for the home side.
Atletico struck again through Antonio Lopez only for Spain forward David Villa to rescue a draw for Valencia.
In the evening's other match Hamburg beat Belgian side Standard Liege 2-1 in Germany.
A strike from Deiudonne Mbokani gave Liege an early advantage but goals from Mladen Petric and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy secured Hamburg a lead to take into the second leg.
|
4cd41b674b0e48cb90eab96989e6b50e
|
What's the score between Valencia and Atletico Madrid ?
|
[
"2-2."
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- More than 200 former fighters and other members of the Maoist People's Liberation Army -- including minors -- were discharged from a Maoist camp Thursday in line with Nepal's ongoing peace process, officials said.
Those being discharged were part of a group deemed "disqualified" by United Nations findings in 2007, which identified at least 4,008 such combatants -- including 2,973 minors.
The "disqualified" status applied to anyone under the age of 18 who was serving in the liberation army, and those who joined the Maoist group after its 10-year insurgency to abolish the country's monarchy ended in 2006.
More than 15,000 died in the fighting and more than 100,000 people were displaced, according to the United Nations Web site.
Nepal became a republic in 2008 following elections in which the people voted to abolish the monarchy.
"Those who left the Sindhuli camp today are no more members of the [Maoist] People's Liberation Army," Nanda Kishore Pun, commander of the Maoist People's Liberation Army, told CNN in a phone interview from Sindhuli, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Kathmandu.
The discharge process is expected to end in about a month.
As part of the rehabilitation package for the disqualified combatants, the United Nations has offered to provide vocational skills training and education up to high school to those who want such opportunities, but Pun said that these offers are still being discussed.
The process of the discharge is seen as in important part of the Nepal's ongoing peace process. The Maoists and other political parties in the country are discussing ways to integrate the 19,602 verified Maoist combatants into Nepal's security forces -- a move that made up part of the peace deal signed in 2006 to bring the peace process to a conclusion.
Once the minors remain out of the command and control of the Maoist military structure for six months to a year, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) can be considered for removal from the list of parties that recruit and use children, which is included in the annual U.N. Secretary-General's report on Children and Armed Conflict.
As the discharge and rehabilitation process began, about a dozen of the disqualified combatants were listed as being under the age of 16 and about 500 were under the age of 18. Though called combatants, the United Nations said the minors were used as messengers, cooks and porters during the fighting.
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2d42b51a756a459f8a4ffecd56afd48f
|
Who were they deemed disqualified by
|
[
"United Nations findings in 2007,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- The wait is over ... it's a boy for Sarah Drew!
The "Grey's Anatomy" star, 31, delivered son Micah Emmanuel Lanfer at 6:21 p.m. Wednesday, January 18 in Los Angeles, her rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.
"She and her husband, Peter Lanfer, are in love with him!" the rep says of the couple's new baby boy, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 oz and is 19 inches long.
"I thought it would be a good idea to wait to find out because I am a control freak by nature," Drew explained of their decision to be surprised at the birth.
"I'm about to walk into a chapter of my life where I have no control over anything anymore, and I figured I'd ease myself into it by not allowing myself to plan for the sex of the baby. It's good training for me!"
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
|
201a1b24446e4f9781157669f2eb5877
|
Who is Sara Drew?
|
[
"\"Grey's Anatomy\" star,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Four of O.J. Simpson's accomplices in the 2007 robbery at a Las Vegas hotel were given suspended sentences Tuesday by Nevada District Judge Jackie Glass.
District Court Judge Jackie Glass sentenced four O.J. Simpson codefendants to probation on Tuesday.
The four -- Charles Cashmore, Charles Erlich, Michael McClinton and Walter Alexander -- all turned on Simpson and cooperated in the case against him.
Simpson was sentenced last week to at least nine and as many as 33 years in prison in the case. Glass called him "arrogant" and "ignorant."
Before announcing the suspended sentences Tuesday, Glass said the actions of Cashmore, Erlich, McClinton and Alexander were "stupid but also criminal" when they accompanied the former football star to the Palace Station Hotel and Casino on September 13, 2007.
But she praised them for taking responsibility for their actions and for cooperating with the state's case against Simpson.
Should they violate the terms of their probation, the four could face prison time ranging from 12 months to 84 months, depending on the specific charges against them.
The four apologized to the state and the victims in the case before their sentences were read in court Tuesday.
Simpson, a former Heisman Trophy winner and record-setting NFL running back, had enlisted the help of Cashmore, Erlich, McClinton and Alexander, along with Clarence "C.J." Stewart, in an effort to get sports memorabilia items that Simpson claimed belong to him from dealers Bruce Fromong and Al Beardsley.
The six men confronted the dealers in a hotel room, brandishing weapons but not firing them.
Stewart received a sentence similar to Simpson's but will be eligible for parole in 7½ years. Watch how Simpson's conviction came down »
Glass ordered Fromong removed from the courtroom Tuesday after he made a comment during the sentencing of McClinton, who admitted brandishing a gun in the hotel room.
Glass still has to decide restitution in the case a schedule a hearing on that for Friday morning.
The four men sentenced Tuesday walked meekly from the courtroom to report to law enforcement officials and get details on their probation.
On Friday, Simpson was led from the courtroom in shackles. He'll remain jailed while an appeal is pending.
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a96af3f74bdd4622bd44e665be5d5a3e
|
What must the judge in the case decide?
|
[
"restitution"
] |
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|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A neighborhood in east London was getting back to normal Saturday after British Army engineers detonated a large World War II bomb unearthed this week on a building site, officials said.
Army engineers covered the bomb with sand to minimise the risk of an explosion.
An Army bomb disposal team carried out a controlled explosion on the 2,200-pound German warhead at 5:55 p.m. (12:55 p.m. ET) Friday, London's Metropolitan Police said. Video of the blast showed brown dirt, debris and black smoke shooting into the air when the bomb went off.
There were no reports of any injuries or damage to surrounding property after the blast, the police and Ministry of Defense said. The public was allowed back into the industrial neighborhood by Friday night, authorities said.
Two subway lines and a rail line in the area, which were shut down after construction crews discovered the bomb Monday, were running normal service Saturday, transportation officials said.
London's transit authority, Transport for London (TfL), said the police and army gave permission for its engineers to check the tracks less than an hour after the controlled explosion. The tracks were clear of debris and damage and services resumed at 7:13 p.m. (2:13 p.m. ET), TfL said.
Contractors preparing a waterway near the site of the future Olympic Park discovered the bomb Monday. The Ministry of Defense said the bomb, which measured four feet by two feet, was the largest one found in the capital since 1975.
The bomb was "enormous," said Simon Saunders, a spokesman for the British Army's London district.
At one point during the week the bomb started ticking, which suggested a timing device, Saunders said. Disposal experts put strong magnets next to the bomb to shut down the clockwork and the ticking stopped, he said.
It's not uncommon for World War II-era bombs to be unearthed in Europe. In London, which suffered the aerial bombardment of the Blitz, bombs are uncovered two or three times a year, Saunders said.
The London Blitz lasted from September 1940 until May 1941. German bombers attacked the city every day or night for the first two months, but the worst night was the last -- May 10, 1941, when 3,000 people were killed in London, according to the Museum of London.
Much of the Blitz focused on east London.
In all, more than 20,000 people were killed in the Blitz, short for "Blitzkrieg," the German word for "lightning war."
|
b347b93252dd4c80a7c98d7808b6863c
|
Where was the bomb detonated?
|
[
"A neighborhood in east London"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani security forces say they have killed at least 16 militants overnight in the country's volatile tribal region.
Pakistani security personnel patrol the Buner district.
This appears to be separate from the hostilities in the military's week-long crackdown in northwestern Pakistan against a Taliban militant advance in the country's North West Frontier Province.
However, this reflects the tensions in the region and could signal a spread of fighting resulting from the crackdown.
The Pakistani offensive started in the province on Sunday and it came after Taliban militants moved into Buner district last week, a move that alarmed U.S. and Pakistani officials.
In this latest incident, about 100 militants attacked a Frontier Corps checkpost in the Mohmand Agency, an area where militants hold great sway. Troops returned fire and killed the 16 militants, the military said.
Mohmand is in the country's Federally Administered Tribal Areas that borders a volatile region in war-torn Afghanistan and Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.
The military on Saturday released details about other incidents in the province that occurred over the last 24 hours.
Troops conducted a successful operation against militants in the district, in the Ambela-Daggar area in the Buner district. They secured a key road and cleared roadside bombs, the military said.
In the province's Upper Dir district, militants abducted and then released 10 troops and seized their weaponry and ammunition. And two civilians were wounded when militants lobbed hand grenades.
In the province's Swat district, militants attacked a security forces checkpost on Khawazakhela Bridge and Sambat Ridge. In Langer, security forces and militants exchanged fire and forces found military uniforms that militants were using for terrorist activity. Three Afghan nationals were among five militants arrested while planting a roadside bomb.
Earlier this year, Pakistan entered into an agreement with militants, allowing them to enforce Islamic, or sharia, in parts of Swat Valley in exchange for ceasing violence. The Swat Valley is a broader area that includes several provincial districts, including Chitral, Swat, Shangla, Malakand, Upper Dir, and Lower Dir.
But Pakistani officials say the armed militants' advance into Buner district violated the agreement and briefly halted peace talks between both sides in North West Frontier Province.
Representatives from Pakistan's government and the Taliban restarted their negotiations on Friday and were planning to have another session soon, a provincial spokesman said.
The Pakistani government has been criticized for not cracking down on militants along its border with Afghanistan. As a result, the U.S. military has carried out airstrikes against militant targets in Pakistan, which have rankled relations between the two countries.
|
314b071fcd3f466e89351385ff9d771c
|
how many killed
|
[
"at least 16"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Former South African rugby World Cup winner Ruben Kruger has passed away following a long battle with brain cancer.
The ex-Cheetahs and Bulls flanker was first diagnosed with the illness during the early 2000s at the end of a successful career that saw him earn 36 Springboks caps.
Kruger, who was just two months short of his 40th birthday, made his debut against Argentina in Buenos Aires during 1993 and was named South African Rugby Player of the Year in 1995 -- the year the country lifted the World Cup.
"Ruben Kruger was the epitome of the Springbok flanker, tough, indomitable and with an outstanding work ethic," Oregan Hoskins, president of the South African Rugby Union (SARU), told reporters.
"When Ruben was on the field you always knew that the Springboks would not be beaten without a tremendous battle.
"Our prayers have been with him through his battles against illness and it is very sad to hear of his early passing. Our thoughts are with his young family and we extend to them our sincerest condolences."
Kruger made his final appearance in the green and gold against New Zealand in 1999.
|
abdb77f9f91249878d43f07fd729d8eb
|
Who was named the player of the year?
|
[
"Ruben Kruger"
] |
NewsQA
|
London, England (CNN) -- A British soldier who went absent without leave rather than return to fight in Afghanistan was jailed Friday for nine months by a military court, officials said.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed that Lance Corp. Joe Glenton had been convicted by a military judge at a court martial in Colchester, southeast England,
Glenton, who completed a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2006, became an outspoken critic of British military operations in the country during his absence, frequently appearing at anti-war rallies and on television.
In an interview last July, the 27-year-old told CNN that he was not a conscientious objector, but was refusing to return because he felt the 2001 invasion and subsequent conflict against Taliban militants was not a legitimate use of force.
"The situation in Afghanistan and our involvement is further antagonizing the Muslim population of the world," Glenton said.
"I think the conflict has become part of the problem, not part of the solution."
|
e90da09865524d4caf2b5e79d8e0c099
|
What was not legitimate?
|
[
"use of force."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The Marine Corps has dropped charges against the commander of the Marine company involved in the 2005 killings of Iraqi civilians in Haditha, Iraq.
Camp Pendleton's commanding officer ordered charges dropped against Capt. Lucas McConnell.
Capt. Lucas McConnell, who had been charged with dereliction of duty, was also granted immunity to ensure he cooperates with the investigation, the service said Tuesday.
McConnell was one of four officers charged with failing to properly investigate and report the civilian deaths.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the Marine commander in charge of the corps' units in the Middle East, ordered the charges dismissed last week.
"Lt. Gen. Mattis determined that administrative measures are the appropriate response for any errors or omissions allegedly committed by McConnell," according to a statement from the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton in California.
Four Marines from McConnell's unit were charged with murder in connection with the deaths of up to two dozen civilians in Haditha in November 2005. Charges have been dropped against two of them -- one in exchange for his testimony and the other after a hearing officer decided he acted in accord with the rules of engagement.
Two other officers -- Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, the battalion commander, and 1st Lt. Andrew Grayson -- also face charges related to their response to the killings.
Haditha, located along the Euphrates River northwest of Baghdad, was the target of several Marine campaigns aimed at rooting out insurgents from 2004 through 2006.
Prosecutors accused the Marines of going on a rampage after a roadside bomb killed one of their comrades, 20-year-old Lance Cpl. Miguel Terrazas, on November 19, 2005.
A statement from the Marine Corps originally blamed the deaths on the roadside bomb, triggering a parallel investigation into how commanders handled the incident. E-mail to a friend
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2d7784ddc15d4ac7aa52148c1ed88106
|
What is the captain's name?
|
[
"Lucas McConnell,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- On a videotape released Sunday, American al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn renounces his U.S. citizenship, destroys his passport and cites U.S. President Bush's upcoming trip to the Middle East.
"American jihadist" Adam Gadahn, originally from California, in a video released in September 2006.
The 50-minute tape -- titled "An Invitation to Reflection and Repentance" -- was released by As Sahab, al Qaeda's video production wing and was provided to CNN by www.LauraMansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism.
In it, Gadahn renounces his citizenship to protest the imprisonment of Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, a blind Egyptian Muslim leader serving a life sentence for his role in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center; and John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001, and others.
Gadahn displays his passport to the camera, rips it in half and says, "Don't get too excited -- I don't need it to travel anyway."
Though Gadahn speaks mostly in English, he references Bush -- who is to travel this week to the Middle East -- only in Arabic.
"We raise an urgent appeal to our mujahedin brothers in the Muslim Palestine, the Arabian Peninsula in particular, and the region in general, to be prepared to receive the crusader butcher Bush on his visit to Muslim Palestine and the occupied peninsula at the beginning of January," he said. "They should receive him not with roses and applause, but with bombs and booby-traps."
The video also refers to the Annapolis Conference, indicating it was produced after last November 27, when the conference was held.
National Security Council Spokesman Gordon Johndroe said the U.S. president would not be deterred.
"His comments are indicative of an al Qaeda ideology that offers nothing but death and violence," Johndroe told CNN in a written statement.
"President Bush will travel to the region to stand with the mainstream governments who want liberty and justice for their people."
The self-proclaimed American jihadist, also known as Azzam the American, is on the FBI's Most Wanted List, with a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to his capture.
Gadahn was indicted in 2006 on charges of treason and offering material support for terrorism, the first American charged with treason since World War II.
Gadahn, who grew up in rural California, embraced Islam in the mid-1990s and moved to Pakistan. Since October 2004 he has appeared in at least eight al Qaeda videos in which he speaks in English and praises the terrorist network. E-mail to a friend
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4845a68e0a4448f98e13475417c49989
|
When did this occur?
|
[
"September 2006."
] |
NewsQA
|
DINGLE, Ireland (CNN) -- Fewer tourists and relatively warm temperatures may be reason enough to put Ireland on your list of winter travel destinations, especially Dingle Peninsula, once ranked by National Geographic Traveler as "the most beautiful place on Earth."
Winter offers tourists a chance to explore Ireland's west coast unhindered by bothersome crowds.
The peninsula, on Ireland's west coast, includes the oceanside town of Dingle, which boasts more than 1,000 full-time residents.
Winter visitors will avoid the area's hundreds of thousands of summertime tourists.
Boats crowd Dingle's popular marina, bringing fresh seafood catches of the day.
Some of the marina vessels also will ferry visitors to see Fungie, a locally famous dolphin who has lived in the waters outside town since 1984. See breathtaking photos of Dingle »
Outside Dingle, numerous vacation cottages are available to rent, including homes in the village of Dunquin. In winter, rates are drastically cut, and rental period dates may be more flexible.
Most shops and restaurants have shorter hours during winter, and traditional music is found in some of the pubs on the weekends.
As with most of Ireland, pubs abound, even in the smallest villages. A beer (preferably Guinness) and some hearty pub grub are a perfect way to cap a day of exploring the wintry sights of the peninsula.
Because Ireland sits near the warm waters of the Atlantic Gulf Stream, the Emerald Isle has an average temperature of 46 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius) during December, January and February.
But pack smart and bring layers of clothing, including warm sweaters and jackets, because winter weather often means rain on Ireland's western shore.
|
99ef9af476144bc89be923e3f1e3926c
|
whats the average winter temperature?
|
[
"46 degrees Fahrenheit (7 Celsius)"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Iraq has banned all Turkish flights from landing in the country in response to a dispute over millions of dollars owed by an Iraqi government oil company to Turkey.
Iraqi transportation ministry spokesman Karim al-Nuri said the decision to block Turkish planes from Iraq, including the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, was in response to a similar ban in Turkey against Iraqi flights. However, a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.
The official did say that Turkey warned that if Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) does not pay the $3 million owed to his country, then the country would ban Iraqi aircraft.
"They owe the money and they wish to freeze Turkish flights ... Talks are ongoing. But the way out is for SOMO to pay its debts," the Turkish official said.
Al-Nuri said Baghdad did not make "a political decision."
"Iraq will reverse its decision if Turkey reverses its decision, too," al-Nuri said.
After years of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines was one of the first international companies to begin direct flights to Baghdad. Increasingly, Turkey has grown as a major international gateway for commerce and travel to and from its Iraqi neighbor.
|
2859c0f8d0f74863a87a702c8c697af0
|
What company owes the money?
|
[
"Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO)"
] |
NewsQA
|
Baghdad (CNN) -- The last U.S. troops to occupy Camp Victory, once one of the largest and most high-profile American military bases in Iraq, left Friday afternoon as the Iraqi government assumed control of the sprawling complex near Baghdad's main airport.
The United States signed over control of the base on Thursday and it became effective on Friday, Col. Barry Johnson, a U.S. Army spokesman said. No high-profile ceremony marked the transition, he said.
The last group of service members stationed at Camp Victory began moving off-base around 12 p.m., he said. Within two hours, no U.S. troops remained, he said.
The base -- formally known as Victory Base Complex -- once housed as many as 40,000 service members. It includes lavish palaces built by Saddam Hussein, some of which were used as barracks or dining facilities.
Hussein, the country's leader until the U.S. invasion in 2003 deposed him, was among prisoners held in a maximum security prison on the base.
The transition leaves the United States with five military bases in Iraq as it continues to draw down its forces there in preparation for a complete withdrawal by the end of the year.
President Barack Obama ordered U.S. forces out of Iraq in October after the two countries were unable to reach an agreement on a continued presence of troops.
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65a1fcfc844b4c73b9fe6267a3d8f15e
|
What was the camps size in the high of the war?
|
[
"40,000"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Jose Mourinho has extended his contract at Serie A champions Inter Milan by 12 months until June 2012, killing off speculation that he could be on his way to Real Madrid.
Coach Mourinho has signed an extended deal ending fears he could wave goodbye to Inter Milan.
Former Chelsea supremo Mourinho took charge at Italian giants Inter a year ago following the departure of Roberto Mancini and has just guided the club to their fourth straight scudetto.
They also won the Italian Super Cup, but were eliminated by defending champions Manchester United in the first knockout round of the Champions League.
A statement on the Inter Web site read: "In response to the wish of the coach to continue the project started together a year ago, a wish welcomed with pleasure by the club as a sign of attachment and winning spirit, FC Internazionale announces the extension of Jose Mourinho's contract until 30 June 2012."
Mourinho had promised the fans more titles would be on the after lifting his first Italian title, but the eal issue refused to go away until Monday's statement.
When asked about the chance he could leave Inter, Mourinho had earlier told the club Web site: "There is still a 0.01% (chance). But for me this is not an important number, it just means that I am closer to Inter than to Real.
"I am satisfied with the relationship with the fans and with my players. I repeat, I am closer to staying at Inter than going elsewhere."
Those comments failed to impress Inter president Massimo Moratti, but the extended contract has settled any differences.
Mourinho made his mark at Porto in 2004 when he led the Portuguese team to the Champions League title, beating Monaco 3-0 in the final, before moving to Chelsea.
At Stamford Bridge he claimed the Premier League title in each of his first two seasons and the FA Cup the following campaign, but left the club in September 2007.
Not all Inter fans have warmed to the Portuguese since his arrival in Milan last summer.
He has been involved in several disagreements with the Italian media and his style of play has has not endeared him to parts of the Nerazzurri faithful.
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0fe4f5d1714f4d3ba8c19209568db6e6
|
When does Jose Mourinho's contract now expire?
|
[
"30 June 2012.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- Texas terrorism suspect Hosam Smadi recorded a seven-minute video message for al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden before his arrest on charges of plotting to blow up a Dallas building, an FBI agent testified Monday.
Hosam Maher Husein Smadi said through his lawyer that he understood the charges Friday.
No details of the message were provided in court. But FBI Special Agent Thomas Petrowski said the video was recorded in a hotel room with the assistance of undercover FBI operatives and Smadi intended for it to be delivered to or seen by bin Laden, the fugitive leader of the terrorist network behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian living in the United States illegally, is charged with plotting to set off a bomb at the base of the 60-story Fountain Plaza office tower in downtown Dallas. He was arrested September 24 after federal agents said he tried to trigger an improvised bomb attached to a vehicle at the base of the building.
At a brief hearing in Dallas on Monday, Magistrate Judge Irma Ramirez ordered Smadi bound over for future hearings. Peter Fleury, the public defender representing Smadi, told reporters that his client remains held under immigration law, with no bail set.
Fleury called his client "a scared 19-year-old kid held away from his family," who could face additional charges from a grand jury. Prosecutors don't have to share the evidence against Smadi until after a grand jury acts, so lawyers don't know the full extent of the case against him, Fleury said.
"We have got a lot of work to do," he said. "They have had the case since March. We just got the case. We're way behind them."
Friends in the town of Italy, Texas, about 45 miles south of Dallas, said Smadi was outgoing and friendly -- but one told CNN last week that the teen started showing signs of depression about six months ago, around the same time the FBI started believing he was serious about carrying out a bomb plot.
CNN's Tracy Sabo contributed to this report.
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6b925ba92b29408499b8d30d15f9bc0e
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What did the FBI say about the suspect?
|
[
"he was serious"
] |
NewsQA
|
GARUT, Indonesia (CNN) -- The people of Indonesia's Java Island still follow wedding traditions passed down centuries ago by their ancestors.
Cucu and his bride, Yati Supriyatna, plant two saplings during their wedding ceremony.
Family members gather for an all-day ceremony that begins with the groom bringing a gift to the bride's house.
On a hot and sticky morning in a village near Garut, 26-year-old Cucu carries a sapling to give to his bride. The young tree is not exactly a unique gift; it's part of a government initiative to bring back the Garut province's devastated forests.
Newly married couples must plant 10 trees under the program. If they divorce, they must plant 50 others.
Cucu and his bride, Yati Supriyatna -- both dressed in all white -- headed to a mosque in the foothills of West Java's mountains, where they carefully planted two saplings, a symbolic gesture.
The young couple met in school three years ago and began dating last year. Watch as Indonesia tackles deforestation »
"We're just meant to be," said 18-year-old Yati, giggling in her white flower-adorned veil.
They will plant the other saplings -- eucalyptus, avocado and mahogany -- at the sleepy village about an hour outside Garut where they plan to settle, for now.
Indonesia's landscape has been devastated by massive deforestation. Though not a heavily industrialized nation, Indonesia is behind China and the United States as the world's third largest producer of greenhouse gas emissions.
That is largely the result of the removal of its trees, which cut down the absorption of carbon dioxide.
While Garut province is not the country's worst offender, a Garut forestry official said he can no longer ignore the damage.
"Most people here work in agriculture which is of course highly dependent on the fertility of the soil," said Eddy Muharam of Garut's forestry department. "The fertility is decreasing now because of deforestation and intensive use of soil."
Forestry officials have identified "critical land" in Garut, which has been overfarmed and needs to be reforested. The overfarming leads to erosion, which can cause major flooding.
Environmental officials estimate that 50 million trees are needed in Garut alone to reverse the harm done by overfarming.
Indonesia's government does not have the funds to pay for such an initiative. So they hope the trend of planting saplings will catch on among other newlyweds in Indonesia.
"It's sacred and a once in a lifetime moment, so we thought that it would be a good time to encourage people's participation," Muharam said.
CNN's Andy Saputra contributed to this report.
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81d483043eb34a14b3d40b3d19e4bd9c
|
How many trees do couples plant when they marry?
|
[
"two"
] |
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- "Guiding Light" will go dark in September after 72 years and 16,000 episodes, CBS announced Wednesday.
Gina Tognoni is one of many performers who have appeared on "Guiding Light" over the years.
The daytime soap opera's declining viewership led to the decision, according to a CBS spokeswoman.
The show, which the Guinness Book of World Records lists as the longest-running television drama, first aired on NBC radio in 1937 as a 15-minute serial, the spokeswoman said. It moved to television on the CBS network in 1952.
The last episode is set to air on September 18, she said.
The show is produced in New York.
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dd26bc656fcf4dc799d57ee5cf4e65a9
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In which radio station?
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[
"NBC"
] |
NewsQA
|
(PEOPLE.com) -- Sixteen days after her December 8 Las Vegas wedding to boyfriend Barry Herridge, Sinead O'Connor is ending the marriage, the "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer announced Monday on her website.
"Dear friends," O'Connor 45, writes, "I had for reasons u will all understand, wished to keep this private but have been told today it is to be leaked in the next few days despite my best efforts. So I must now leak it myself so as the record is straight."
She blames pressures placed upon him by "certain people in his life" not to be with her based on press reports about her.
"Within 3 hours of the ceremony being over the marriage was kyboshed by the behaviour of certain people in my husband's life. And also by a bit of a wild ride i took us on looking for a bit of a smoke of weed for me wedding night as I don't drink," she writes. "My husband was enormously wounded and very badly effected by that experience and also by the attitude of those close to him toward our marriage. It became apparent to me that if he were to stay with me he would be losing too much to bear."
She adds, "A woman wants to be a joy to her husband. So.. U love someone? Set them free."
She also says, "He is a wonderful man. I love him very much. I'm sorry I'm not a more regular woman. I truly believe though it is painful to admit, we made a mistake rushing into getting married, for altruistic reasons, and weren't aware or prepared for the consequences on my husband's life and the lives of those close to him. He has been terribly unhappy and I have therefore ended the marriage. I think he is too nice to do so. And too nice to trap."
O'Connor, who has four children from her previous relationships, wed music producer John Reynolds in 1989 and journalist Nicholas Sommerlad in 2001. This past April, she split from longtime friend and collaborator Steve Cooney.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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ff39a92148994ffdbb47ab5bcecaff86
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What did the apology say
|
[
"I'm sorry I'm not a more regular woman."
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- The long-running Carlos Tevez affair was finally brought to a close on Monday as West Ham and Sheffield United reached an out-of-court settlement.
Tevez scored a crucial winning goal at Manchester United on last day of the 2006-07 season.
West Ham will be paying United an undisclosed compensation fee to settle the dispute, meaning an independent tribunal chaired Lord Griffiths will not reconvene to rule on the controversy.
A statement from Blades chairman Kevin McCabe and West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury released to the Press Association said: "Both clubs are pleased to announce that a satisfactory settlement for compensation has been reached which brings the dispute between Sheffield United and West Ham to an end.
"The tribunal will not be resuming."
The Tevez controversy began in 2006 when the Argentina international and his fellow-countryman Javier Mascherano were signed by West Ham under third party ownership deals which contravened Premier League rules.
Mascherano was later loaned to Liverpool, but Tevez stayed at Upton Park and played a crucial role as West Ham narrowly avoided relegation.
He scored the winning goal as the Hammers beat Manchester United on the last day of the season to send Sheffield United down.
Tevez later joined Premier League champions Manchester United, but the row lingered on with Sheffield United continuing to insist that West Ham had gained an unfair advantage.
The affair has sparked three separate inquiries, the first of which led to a $8 million fine for West Ham, but crucially no points deduction.
But United refused to give up and in September 2008 an independent arbitration ruled in their favor in a claim for compensation from West Ham.
The Premier League and the Football Association promptly announced another fresh inquiry, but the out-of court settlement looks set to bring the affair to an amicable conclusion.
West Ham, whose Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson has been hard hit by the global economic downturn, were reported by Sky Sports News to be paying the compensation fee, which could rise to $35 million, in installments.
The money will certainly be welcomed by Sheffield United, who are pressing for promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. "We are two clubs with a fantastic footballing history who now want to move on and focus on the business of playing football -- hopefully for us against the Hammers in the Premier League next season," said McCabe.
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3ef1d10f7816492a8f665b0a9830dd35
|
Who does Tevez play for?
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[
"Manchester United,"
] |
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|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is expected to ask the Obama administration for additional troops and equipment, according to a senior U.S. military official familiar with Gen. Stanley McChrystal's thinking.
Gen. Stanley McChrystal's report on the war's status will be delivered in August, the source says.
The request will be for troops and equipment for conducting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as more assets to deal with roadside bombs and explosives, said the official, who declined to be identified because McChrystal's request has not been formally transmitted to the Pentagon.
The request could be made in coming weeks after McChrystal completes a "troop-to-task review" to calculate whether there are enough U.S. troops in Afghanistan -- and the right mix of troops -- to carry out the military's war plan at an acceptable level of risk, the official said.
The review could also lead to a request for additional troops for either combat or training of Afghan forces, but the official emphasized McChrystal has not made a decision on that. The military already has tasked an additional 4,000 troops to train Afghan forces.
The official said McChrystal is likely to submit his recommendations to Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a series of options, with each option having a level of risk attached to it.
"This will start the discussion" within the highest levels of the administration about whether to send a significant number of additional troops, the official said.
Gates has signaled he would be open to sending more troops if it could be demonstrated they are needed. But he also has expressed caution that the United States not send so many troops that it has too heavy a footprint in the country.
The troop-to-task review will follow McChrystal's assessment of the war, due 60 days after he took command in mid-June. That report is expected to be sent to Gates and NATO's secretary general by August 14, the official said.
It will discuss a detailed strategy for success of the counterinsurgency mission, such as the need for U.S. and Afghan forces to conduct more integrated operations and the need to focus on population centers. It is also expected to call for an increase in the number of Afghan security forces.
"This will be a really frank and honest discussion of how things are, and what it takes to get the job done," the official said.
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9c057f6c59f7445cb28a2c07a8d1562f
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What is needed to deal with roadside bombs ?
|
[
"more assets"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- The parents of a 15-year-old Massachusetts high school student who committed suicide after being bullied by her classmates received a nearly quarter-million-dollar settlement, according to documents made public after a months-long attempt to uncover details of the agreement.
The settlement was reached with the town of South Hadley in November of 2010, but it was only made public Tuesday after a reporter successfully sued to gain access to the records.
The reporter, Emily Bazelon from Slate Magazine, filed the public records lawsuit on December 2 with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union, after first requesting the documents in May.
Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup on Friday ordered the settlement be made public, adding that Bazelon "demonstrated that she, in her role as a news reporter, and the public have a First Amendment right to access the information contained in these settlement documents."
The agreement centers around the case of Phoebe Prince, whose body was found last year hanging in the stairway leading to her family's second-floor apartment.
On the day she died, Prince had endured a torrent of verbal abuse that began at the school library and continued as she walked home from school in tears, according to prosecutors.
Her parents, Anne O'Brien and Jeremy Prince, received the $225,000 settlement sum after filing a complaint with the state's Commission Against Discrimination in 2010, arguing that South Hadley Public Schools failed to address hazing that preceded their daughter's death.
The settlement prohibits Prince's parents from again suing the town over Prince's suicide, but it also binds them to a confidentiality agreement that prevents publicizing details of the agreement.
In a letter written to the Slate reporter on May 9, town officials pointed to a confidentiality clause in the agreement as reason for keeping the record sealed.
"I did not want to violate the trust of the people who entered into it with that confidentiality clause in it," town counsel Edward J. Ryan Jr. told CNN.
Civil rights advocacy groups have since hailed Friday's decision.
"A public document does not become private because the government inserts a confidentiality clause or a nondisclosure clause," said Newman.
According to the court order, public records are defined as "all books, papers, maps, photographs, recorded tapes, financial statements" and other items "made or received by any officer or employee of any agency."
|
25bc7813287c4489a67569d9693f24c9
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Who was the reporter who sued the town?
|
[
"Emily Bazelon"
] |
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|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced cautious optimism regarding the situation in Iraq Wednesday, noting greater stability and decreased violence as U.S. troops continue to cede control to their Iraqi counterparts.
President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki talk Wednesday at the White House.
"I have no doubt that there will be some tough days ahead," Obama said during a joint appearance of the leaders at the White House.
"There are still those who want to foment sectarian conflict. ... But make no mistake, those efforts will fail," he added.
The president said he is committed to moving forward with a pledge to remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010, as well as all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.
Al-Maliki promised the Iraqi government would step up its efforts to prevent a return of widespread sectarian violence.
"Those who thought that the Iraqi forces [would] be incapable of imposing peace and security [have been] proved to be wrong," he said. Watch al-Maliki speak about "strategic friendship" with U.S. »
In addition to meeting with Obama, al-Maliki is scheduled to sit down with Vice President Joe Biden. He will also meet with the secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury, and with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Some foreign policy experts have expressed concern that as the United States pivots from Iraq to Afghanistan, Iraq and its problems will be ignored.
Responding to that criticism, one senior administration official said this week, "Our goal is, in fact as we formalize the relationship, to concentrate on other areas," but he suggested that Iraq would remain a U.S. priority.
Hours before the two leaders met, at least five Iranian pilgrims were killed and dozens more wounded earlier Wednesday in an attack northeast of Baghdad.
The violence came a day after a spate of bombings left at least 22 Iraqis dead and about 150 wounded.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Dan Lothian contributed to this report.
|
ca7c923618ef48d48637dc728d33d156
|
What goal has President Obama restated for 2011?
|
[
"he is committed to moving forward with a pledge to remove all American combat brigades from Iraq by the end of August 2010, as well as all U.S. troops by the end of"
] |
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Jon Hamm has a confession to make: He hates his hair.
Jon Hamm poses with his partner, Jennifer Westfeldt, at the premiere of "The Day the Earth Stood Still."
That may come as a surprise to fans of the actor, whose slick-backed hair is part of his signature look on "Mad Men" -- the show that just earned him another Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a TV drama.
In the new movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still," Hamm sports a slightly different 'do, with his bangs combed rakishly over one eye. It was in the context of promoting the sci-fi remake that Hamm revealed his tonsorial frustration.
"It's the bane of my existence. Goofy hair," he said in a self-deprecating interview with CNN. "It never looks good ... It's a pain."
Hamm says he's always worn his hair long, but had to cut it for AMC's TV series, in which he plays a 1960s Madison Avenue ad executive. He says stylists on the show, armed with hair spray and blow dryers, mold his coiffure into a hard shell. Helmet hair has come in handy at work.
"I've had a piece of the set fall on my head and my hair didn't move," he said. "I had seven stitches in my head and my hair didn't move. That's impressive."
Whether it's his hair, good looks, acting chops or a combination thereof, Hamm's star is on the rise in Hollywood. Apart from his co-starring role in "The Day the Earth Stood Still," Hamm recently completed work on the murder mystery "The Boy in the Box." He hosted "Saturday Night Live" this fall, he's due to play Tina Fey's love interest on "30 Rock" and he continues to receive accolades for his work on "Mad Men" (nominations for an Emmy and a Golden Globe so far).
How does that make Hamm feel?
"Exciting is the right way to say it. It's been a good year. It's very exciting," he said. "I get to read a lot more scripts. I get to meet interesting people. I get to work with interesting people ... It's fun to be sort of invited to the party."
|
20859e95d9b34e91874b34ba54278397
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who said hair is a pain?
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[
"Jon Hamm"
] |
NewsQA
|
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A judge has ordered the children of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to meet in their capacity as the sole shareholders of the corporation that manages their iconic father's estate.
Dexter King has denied taking "substantial funds" from his parents' estates.
King's children were in Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court Monday in a dispute over their parents' estates.
Two children of the civil rights icon are suing their brother, accusing him of wrongfully taking money from their parents' estates.
The Rev. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III allege Dexter King took "substantial funds" out of Coretta Scott King's estate and "wrongfully appropriated" money from their father's estate.
Dexter King has publicly denied the accusations.
It was unclear what outcome having a shareholder meeting for the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr., Inc. would have on the dispute. The three siblings have not held such a meeting since 2004, corporation attorney Luke Lantta said. The removal of Dexter King as the estate's administrator is unlikely because that would require a meeting of the board of directors.
Judge Ural Glanville on Monday also ruled in favor of dismissing some of the allegations against Dexter King, but left the question of whether he failed to act in the best interest of his father's incorporated estate to a jury. A trial on the allegation of breach of fiduciary duty could happen as early as next month.
The lawsuit reveals a very public fissure in an iconic family that has always professed unity, particularly as questions have swirled around some of their financial dealings.
Martin Luther King III and Bernice King were in the courtroom Monday, but Dexter King was not. He had been injured in an accident in California and did not make the trip to Georgia.
Dexter King had filed a counter claim against his sister, asking the court to force her to hand over to the corporation some items that belonged to Martin Luther King Jr.
In a special hearing Monday, the court ruled that the items, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s Nobel Peace Prize and his love letters to Coretta Scott King will be turned over to the court to hold until a resolution is reached.
The courtroom was packed with supporters of the King family.
Among those in attendance were the Rev. Joseph Lowery and former Ambassador Andrew Young, friends of Martin Luther King Jr. who worked with him during the civil rights movement.
CNN's Aaron Cooper contributed to this report.
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d4f0c091676b4d7eb99291e06bc4ce3c
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Did Dexter King admit the claims?
|
[
"has denied"
] |
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(CNN) -- A 400-year-old minaret collapsed Friday on worshipers in Meknes, Morocco, killing 36 and injuring 71, the official news agency Maghreb Arabe Presse reported, citing the Interior Ministry.
The collapse occurred as hundreds of people were gathering in Bab Berdieyinne mosque in Meknes, a town in northern Morocco located 140 km (87 miles) southeast of Rabat, it said.
"We were in the middle of prayers" when the structure collapsed, said one victim told Morocco TV from his hospital bed.
The incident occurred after several days of unrelenting rain, the television station reported. It broadcast video showing dozens of people inside the mosque carrying survivors out of the damaged structure to waiting ambulances.
King Mohammed VI has ordered that the mosque be rebuilt as soon as possible and that its original architecture be preserved, it said.
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dda76b15d57f4cd8897f66c1ba357d7c
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What did the king order?
|
[
"the mosque be rebuilt as soon as possible and that its original architecture be preserved,"
] |
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(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.
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b5798a717d2c4e2a8122410c214f0880
|
What is live for the first time?
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[
"\"American Chopper\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning writer and director of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, was knighted in his native New Zealand.
The knighthood was conferred on Jackson on Wednesday for his services to film at a ceremony at the Premier House in Wellington.
New Zealand's head of state Gov. Gen. Sir Anand Satyanand honored Jackson in place of Queen Elizabeth II. New Zealand's knights and dames are sanctioned by the queen, the country's official head of state.
"The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy, which won 17 Academy Awards, including best director, adapted screenplay and best picture for Jackson for the final chapter, "The Return of the King," was largely filmed in New Zealand and showcased the country's natural scenery. The project broke box-office records around the world and prompted a spike in tourism to New Zealand.
Jackson grew up in Pukerua Bay on the North Island of the country.
Jackson is currently working with Mexican director Guillermo del Toro on "The Hobbit," a two-movie prequel to "The Lord of the Rings." "The Hobbit" is based on a book by author J.R.R. Tolkien.
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a2cfa461e8724042803b31a144cd14bf
|
Who has been knighted in New Zealand?
|
[
"Peter"
] |
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|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- "Why do I find it hard to write the next line?" If you recognize the lyric then brace yourself for some good news.
Spandau Ballet, pictured aboard HMS Belfast, on Wednesday.
Twenty years since their acrimonious split, Spandau Ballet -- the pin-up boys who helped shaped the sound of 1980s glam pop -- have announced the first dates of what band members say will be a full world tour.
The Tony Hadley-fronted band, who enjoyed worldwide success with hits such as "True" and "Gold," will launch their comeback in Dublin, Ireland, on October 13 before playing seven dates across the UK.
Wednesday's announcement took place onboard HMS Belfast, a retired Royal Navy moored in the Thames that was the scene of a key early gig by the band in 1980 that launched them on the road to global stardom.
"It is impossible to stress too highly how achingly fashionable Spandau Ballet were in the winter of 1979 and the summer of 1980," GQ magazine editor Dylan Jones writes in a biography of the band.
Formed at a London school in 1979, Spandau Ballet went on to sell 25 million records worldwide, emerging out of the post-punk "New Romantic" music scene.
Along with fellow British band Duran Duran, their sound, style and attitude came to define an era dominated by ostentatious glamour, gold lame suits and big hair.
"Not only did their albums sell by the millions, but their look and style impacted on the fashion world and beyond," said a press release, summing up the band's influence on the decade.
"They created their own style, combining creativity with entrepreneurship and the 'can do' spirit of early 80s youth at a time of crisis and upheaval eerily reminiscent of 2009. Spandau Ballet are both commercially and culturally enormous."
Following the band's split in 1989, several members including Hadley unsuccessfully sued main songwriter Gary Kemp for a larger share of songwriting royalties.
Since then, Hadley has appeared in the London production of the hit musical "Chicago" and also won an 80s revivalist reality TV show "Reborn in the USA." Several other members of the band have carved out moderately successful acting careers.
|
87de040fe53d4e67b300723ba3cf255b
|
who will reform for world tour
|
[
"Spandau Ballet"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Search crews have recovered the bodies of the flight captain and a steward from the Air France flight that crashed off the coast of Brazil.
A Brazilian diver floats on wreckage of Flight 447 earlier this month. The search for more debris continues.
The two flight members are among the victims that have been identified, Air France said in a statement Thursday.
About a dozen victims have been identified among roughly 50 bodies recovered from the crash of Flight 447, which killed 228 people on June 1, authorities in Brazil said this week.
Crews continue to search for bodies, wreckage and flight-data recorders that apparently rest deep on the ocean floor. Data from the recorders may be crucial in helping investigators determine what caused the plane to crash. Watch more wreckage recovered from crash »
Autopsies conducted on some of the 50 bodies found so far show they suffered broken bones, including arms, legs and hips, Brazilian authorities have told French investigators, according to Paul-Louis Arslanian, head of the French accident investigation board.
Such injuries suggest that the plane broke apart in midair, experts have said.
Asked about that theory, Air France Chief Executive Pierre-Henri Gourgeon told France's RTL radio this week that he would not go that far.
"What I know is that the investigators would like to know the causes of death," Gourgeon said. "That knowledge of causes of death will better clarify what exactly happened. Were the victims killed before the impact, or during impact?"
Searchers have found dozens of pieces of debris in the water and think they know the general location of the wreck, but Arslanian said this week that there is a chance the entire aircraft may never be found.
Air France plans to pay relatives of the victims an initial compensation equivalent to about $24,500, or 17,500 euros, for each victim, Gourgeon has said.
The airliner said this week that it has been in touch with about 1,800 relatives of the people who died when the Airbus A330 crashed, but that it has been difficult tracing the relatives of all 228 victims.
"The modern world is different and we often have only a cell phone, and as you can imagine, this cell phone is unfortunately in the aircraft," Gourgeon said. "So we probably (will put in) more hours to access all the relatives."
The company is also providing families with counseling, he said.
The were 32 different nationalities present on Flight 447.
|
2549fde2c5a44bfd9cd129ea6ce36fa2
|
search crews recover whose bodies?
|
[
"flight captain and a steward from the Air France"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Acoustic rocker John Mayer has bowed out of a series of concerts after suffering from "something next to my vocal cords called a granuloma," he said in a statement released Friday.
The singer and songwriter said he had undergone months of monitoring, but the condition -- a small area of tissue inflammation that most often occurs in the lungs -- had prevented him from going ahead with the performances.
"I'm bummed to have to bow out of both the iheartradio Music Festival in Las Vegas and an appearance with Tony Bennett in Los Angeles," he said in the statement. "I know there were people depending on me to be there and I'm sorry that I can't be on those stages."
Mayer's soon-to-be-released album "Born and Raised" also will be delayed.
It's "complete as far as music recording, song selection, and in some cases mixing," he said. "But because of this condition I couldn't finish singing on several of the tracks."
The album, as a result, will be released next year "instead of this fall or winter."
"This is a temporary setback, though I'm not sure how long or short a period of time it will be," he said. "I've got the best doctors in the country looking after me and I will be singing and touring again as soon as I get the all clear."
Mayer said he plans to spend the down time writing and composing, and "kicking an empty soup can around the West Village."
|
bbcabf295a7440b8b52eec487e8b8764
|
What is the album title?
|
[
"\"Born and Raised\""
] |
NewsQA
|
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (CNN) -- Antiviolence protesters stretched out 16,000 coconuts on Brazil's world-famous Copacabana beach Saturday, each one representing a victim of urban violence.
Protesters used dummies to represent victims of violence on Brazil's Copacabana beach this week.
Activists from ONG Rio de Paz led a protest march Saturday morning that included residents and tourists who usually can be found on the beach on weekends.
The protesters strung up a sign on the sand that said "Shame" in Spanish, Portuguese, English and French.
They finished with a minute of silence for the victims of violence.
Rio de Paz said the coconuts represent victims of violence, homicides, dead police officers and those who have been shot in gunfights between authorities and gangs of narcotics traffickers.
The figure itself was obtained from official information from the Rio de Janeiro governmental Institute of Public Security.
It was the second protest staged this week on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach by the group Rio de Paz.
On Tuesday, the group created a mock cemetery in the sand with mannequins representing 9,000 people who Rio de Paz says have been slain and secretly buried since January 2007.
Rio de Paz President Antonio Carlos Costa said he believes that about 6,000 of the missing people were killed, many by drug traffickers fighting for territory in Rio's slums and poor neighborhoods. Others, he said, were killed by hit squads and police acting on their own.
"In general, they are assassinated by police -- police acting outside of their regular work hours," Costa said Tuesday.
"They are also assassinated by narcotraffickers. The bodies are disposed of in secret cemeteries in the metropolitan Rio de Janeiro area or incinerated alive by narcotraffickers in what they call 'microwaves.' "
To illustrate the point, demonstrators also constructed facsimiles of the "microwaves" that narcotics traffickers and death squads reportedly use to cremate remains of those they have abducted.
CNN's Fabiana Frayssinet contributed to this report.
|
2f256690651d46c792615fcf563f4867
|
What word was written in four languages
|
[
"\"Shame\""
] |
NewsQA
|
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's attorney general will indict former President Moshe Katsav on charges of rape and sexual assault of a number of his employees, the country's justice ministry said Sunday.
Israel's ex-President Moshe Katsav will face rape and sexual assault charges, Israel's Justice Ministry said.
Katsav will also be charged with obstruction of justice, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said in a statement.
Katsav had agreed in 2007 to plead guilty to lesser charges and pay a fine in order to avoid jail time, but pulled out of the deal when it came time to enter his plea.
The plea bargain caused a public storm in Israel, mainly because it did not include charges of rape, contrary to what had been suggested by Mazuz in a draft indictment. Watch more on the expected indictment »
Katsav, of the center-right Likud Party, was president of Israel from 2000 to 2007. He was minister of tourism before that. The charges stem from allegations made against him in both jobs.
He resigned the presidency in June 2007 over the sexual assault allegations.
CNN's Shira Medding contributed to this report.
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78110624abf341bbb9e8f0e90d3eb9b6
|
Who is indicted?
|
[
"former President Moshe Katsav"
] |
NewsQA
|
MONTE CARLO, Monaco -- Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva has broken her own world record in the women's pole vault with a leap of 5.04 meters as she warmed up for her Olympic defense.
Isinbayeva broke her own women's pole vault world record on her third attempt in Monaco.
The record came at the Monaco Grand Prix on Tuesday on her third and final attempt at the height.
Her previous record of 5.03 meters was set in Rome on July 11.
Isinbayeva is the reigning Olympic and world champion.
Asafa Powell claimed his third 100 meters success inside a week when he raced clear in his season-best time of 9.82 seconds.
Powell shaved 0.06sec off his previous season-best of 9.88, set last Tuesday in Stockholm, where he saw off fellow Jamaican and world record holder Usain Bolt.
On Tuesday Powell was too hot for Davis Patton of the U.S. (9.98) and Nesta Carter of Jamaica (10.02), the fourth best time of the season all the more impressive given the calm conditions.
"I am very happy," said Powell. "I feel great, very fresh. I've got a world record in my legs. I am very confident. My goal is to be consistent."
A tough headwind had compromised Powell's attempts to have a tilt at Bolt's mark although he still cruised to a weekend victory at the London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace in 9.94sec.
Other Tuesday highlights saw Jamaica's Melaine Walker set a year mark in the women's 400m hurdles in clocking 53.48 sec.
Walker, who shattered her own personal best of 54.14 in the process, will hope her performance augurs well for the Beijing Games, where Aussie two-time world champion Jana Rawlinson will not be competing owing to a toe injury.
Kenyan Daniel Kipchirchir Komen also set a year best mark in the 1500m, crossing the line in 3 min 31.49sec to take 0.08sec off compatriot Augustine Kiprono Choge's June 1 showing in Berlin.
The 23-year-old's win tempered the disappointment of missing out on an Olympic berth.
Britain's Martyn Rooney also improved his personal best in the 400 meters for the second successive race, following up his win in the London Grand Prix with victory in 44.72 seconds.
The Monaco Grand Prix was the last major international track and field meeting before the Beijing Olympics which start on August 8.
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b768da4e290e40629da99824264ce7af
|
Where was the record broken?
|
[
"Monaco Grand Prix"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The world's population is forecast to hit 7 billion in 2011, the vast majority of its growth coming in developing and, in many cases, the poorest nations, a report released Wednesday said.
Riders cram into a train last month in New Delhi, India. India's population is expected to be 1.7 billion by 2050.
A staggering 97 percent of global growth over the next 40 years will happen in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the Population Reference Bureau's 2009 World Population Data Sheet.
"The great bulk of today's 1.2 billion youth -- nearly 90 percent -- are in developing countries," said Carl Haub, a co-author of the report. Eight in 10 of those youth live in Africa and Asia.
"During the next few decades, these young people will most likely continue the current trend of moving from rural areas to cities in search of education and training opportunities, gainful employment, and adequate health care," Haub continued, calling it one of the major social questions of the next few decades.
In the developed world, the United States and Canada will account for most of the growth -- half from immigration and half from a natural increase in the population -- births minus deaths, according to the report.
High fertility rates and a young population base in the developing world will fuel most of the growth, especially in Africa, where women often give birth to six or seven children over a lifetime, the report says. The number is about two in the United States and 1.5 in Canada.
A stark contrast can be drawn between Uganda and Canada, which currently have about 34 million and 31 million residents, respectively. By 2050, Canada's population is projected to be 42 million, while Uganda's is expected to soar to 96 million, more than tripling.
"Even with declining fertility rates in many countries, world population is still growing at a rapid rate," said Bill Butz, president of the bureau. "The increase from 6 billion to 7 billion is likely to take 12 years, as did the increase from 5 billion to 6 billion. Both events are unprecedented in world history."
By 2050, India is projected to be the world's most populous nation at 1.7 billion, overtaking current leader China, which is forecast to hit 1.4 billion. The United States is expected to reach 439 million for No. 3 on the list.
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40d40c8a13114d299c17d13087ef5dae
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What India projected to overtake China?
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[
"world's most populous nation"
] |
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(CNN) -- FIFA president Sepp Blatter claimed on Wednesday he has apologized enough for remarks he made last week regarding on-field racism in football, with the Swiss saying he now considers the matter "closed."
The head of world soccer's governing body was heavily criticized for comments he made in an interview with CNN, where he suggested racism between players on the pitch could be settled with a handshake.
Blatter, speaking at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters in Malaysia, reaffirmed his stance against discrimination, saying he was hurt by the accusations which were leveled against him.
"I can only say this item for me is closed," the 75-year-old told a press conference. "There is no tolerance (of) racism. I have been interpreted as such and I have made my apologies. I cannot say anything more.
"There is no discrimination in my feelings, there is no racism, nothing at all. This matter for me is over. We go forward. There is zero tolerance (for) racism, zero tolerance (for) discrimination in all activities in the field of play and outside the field.
"[I was] very much hurt by these comments because it touched me in my conscience and my determination to go against racism."
It has been a turbulent 18 months for FIFA, with allegations of bribery and corruption surrounding the presidential election which saw Blatter voted in unopposed for a fourth term as the organization's chief in June.
Former AFC head Mohammad Bin Hammam was due to be one of Blatter's opponents in the ballot, but the Qatari has since received a lifetime ban from football for alleged corruption during his presidential campaign.
Bin Hammam is challenging his ban in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and Blatter declined to comment on whether there was a way back into FIFA for the former executive committee member.
"We will wait for the outcome of the next step," said Blatter.
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f9a8015a7e1f4c8c840c7f9f81a7d618
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What Blatter said?
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[
"reaffirmed his stance against discrimination, saying he was hurt by the accusations which were leveled against him."
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate was called to order for 11 seconds on Wednesday as the last political scuffle of the year between the White House and the Democratic-led Congress played out.
Democratic senators will hold short "pro forma" sessions over the holiday break to prevent recess appointments.
Nearly all the senators left the Capitol for the Christmas holiday last week, but Democrats are keeping the Senate in session to block President Bush from making any recess appointments -- a constitutional mechanism that allows the president, during congressional recesses, to fill top government posts for up to one year without Senate confirmation.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, opened and then immediately gaveled the Senate session to a close. He spent 57 seconds in the chamber.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, announced December 19 that he would keep the Senate open with a series of "pro forma" sessions through mid-January.
Talks had just broken down with the White House on a deal that would have allowed the president to make dozens of those appointments if he agreed not to appoint one controversial official, Steven Bradbury, as the permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.
Bush declined to accept the Democrats' offer, and Reid refused to approve Bradbury because of concerns about his involvement in crafting legal opinions for the administration on interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects.
Similar sessions were conducted over the Thanksgiving recess.
Webb also did the duty Friday, but he won't be the only senator tasked with presiding over the shortened sessions. Other Democrats -- including Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Chuck Schumer of New York -- will share the duty. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Ted Barrett and Vandana Kilaru contributed to this report
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2b55ddb693c2438baa1f673b5fd4d70e
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Who is meeting?
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[
"The U.S. Senate"
] |
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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- It was supposed to be a pleasant surprise, but turned into the shock of a lifetime.
A woman scours a garbage heap in Tel Aviv for her mother's missing mattress.
A woman in Tel Aviv, Israel, gave her elderly mother a new mattress as a surprise gift, throwing out the old tattered bed her mother had slept on for decades. The gesture ended up bankrupting Annat's mother, who had stuffed her savings of nearly $1 million inside her old bed for decades, Annat told Israel Army Radio.
A massive search is under way at the city dump, where security has been beefed up to keep out treasure-seekers who have heard Annat's story in Israeli media.
Annat, who did not want to reveal the rest of her name, told Israel Army Radio that she woke up early Sunday to get a good deal on a new mattress as a surprise for her mother.
Sound off: Which bizarre places have you hidden money?
She fell asleep that night, exhausted after lugging up the new mattress and hauling down the old one to be taken out with the trash.
When her mother realized the next day what her daughter had done, she told her that she had been using the mattress to stash away her life savings and had nearly $1 million padding the inside of the worn-out mattress. Watch more on the mattress search »
Annat ran downstairs, but it was too late. The garbage truck had already taken away the money-stuffed mattress.
Annat alerted the two major dump sites in the Israeli city in an effort to locate the bed, but so far she has had no luck. Yitchak Burba, one of the dump site managers, told Army Radio that he and his men are working relentlessly to try to help Annat find the million-dollar mattress among the tons of garbage at the landfill.
The publicity has triggered a wave of people also trying to find the mattress and its contents for themselves. Burba has increased security around the dump to keep them out.
Annat told Army Radio that when her mother realized her queen-sized bank had been tossed, she told her to "'leave it.'"
"'The heart is crying but you know we could have been in a car accident or had a terminal disease,'" Annat said her mother told her.
Annat is also taking the situation in stride.
"It's a very, very sad story but I've been through worse," she told Army Radio. "It's a matter of proportions in life ... people need to know how to accept the good and the bad in life."
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f9606a5ff7584e8e86ed9ac6f77fb721
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what was increased at the dump
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[
"security"
] |
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(CNN) -- Venus Williams is looking forward to a continuing her winning run after retaining her Abierto Mexicano Telcel title in Acapulco on Sunday.
The American followed up her victory at the Dubai Tennis Championships the previous weekend to win both tournaments for the second year in a row, taking her up to equal 10th on the all-time women's list of WTA Tour wins.
Top seed Williams had to come from behind against first-time finalist Polona Hercog on the red clay before triumphing 2-6 6-2 6-3.
"I don't want to stop here -- hopefully next year I can win this one three times," former world No. 1 Williams told the WTA Tour Web site.
"I definitely expected her to play tough. She didn't miss too many shots and I have to give her credit, not just for today but for her whole week. Even though she was playing well, I had to find a way to make my game better.
"Hopefully I'll win more and more this year. I love winning titles, I love seeing that number go up. It feels good. There is no limit. Who wants to have a limit on titles? Not me."
Hercog did, however, win her first senior title in the doubles, as the Slovenian world No. 60 teamed up with Barbora Zahlavova Strycova of the Czech Republic to defeat Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in three sets.
In the men's final, third seed David Ferrer beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3 3-6 6-1 to avenge his defeat by his fellow Spaniard in last weekend's title match in Buenos Aires.
Former world No. 1 Ferrero had been seeking his third title of the four-week South American leg of the ATP Tour, having also won in Costa do Sauipe in Brazil.
There are no individual top-level men's tournaments this week as the focus switches to the opening round of the Davis Cup, with defending champions Spain hosting Switzerland and runners-up the Czech Republic away to Belgium.
Croatia, beaten in the last four by the Czechs, are at home to promoted Ecuador while fellow semifinalists Israel travel to Chile.
Other World Group matches see France take on Germany, the United States visit Serbia, Russia at home to India and Sweden against Argentina.
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1a7f6138905b4900a8508ef80969c988
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Who won the second tournament in a row
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[
"Venus"
] |
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MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- A moderately strong earthquake rocked Mexico City on Friday afternoon, shaking the earth in the sprawling capital.
People in Mexico City stream into the street as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hits.
The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.7, and placed the epicenter near the city of Puebla, about 85 miles southeast of Mexico City. It hit at 2:24 p.m. local time.
The Mexican seismological service measured the quake at 5.9.
People in the city reported the earth and buildings shaking. Thousands of panicked people streamed into the streets as stopped cars snarled traffic. Parts of the city were without electricity Friday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Earthquakes are a frightening experience for the 20 million residents of Mexico City, where thousands of people perished in a massive quake in 1985. The city, built on volcanic ash and clay, is particularly vulnerable to temblors.
Aldo Pontecorvo of the humanitarian agency World Vision said the shaking lasted about 20 seconds. It came out of nowhere and "without any warning," said Pontecorvo, who said he was in his office when the quake struck.
Earlier this month, a moderate earthquake was measured off the coast of Mexico's western Baja California peninsula.
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ee681c8a6fca42329a09b924371480cf
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What did people do?
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[
"streamed into the streets"
] |
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(CNN) -- Actor Gary Coleman, who had suffered from intracranial brain bleeding and was on life support in the intensive care unit of a Utah hospital, has died, a hospital spokeswoman said Friday.
Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated, Janet Frank said.
Coleman, 42, fell ill at his Santaquin, Utah, home Wednesday evening and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, the spokesman said in a statement released Friday.
He was then taken to another hospital -- Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo -- later Wednesday night, the spokesman said.
Coleman one of TV's brightest stars in '70s and '80s
The former child actor was "conscious and lucid" Thursday morning, but he "was slipping in and out of consciousness and his condition worsened," the spokesman said.
Coleman became unconscious and was placed on life support Thursday afternoon, the statement, which was released by the hospital, said.
Coleman is best known as the wisecracking youngster Arnold Drummond on TV's "Diff'rent Strokes" from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.
"In recent years Gary Coleman has had difficulties, not only with health issues, but also with his personal and public life," his spokesman's statement said. "At times, it may not have been apparent, but he always has had fond memories of being an entertainer and appreciates his fans for all their support over the years. At this critical moment, we can only ask for your thoughts and prayers for Gary to make a speedy and full recovery."
CNN's Brittany Kaplan and Jack Hannah contributed to this report.
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8b5e0df1ab6d49f6a2d599cb7a10c04f
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where he was placed Coleman?
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[
"life support"
] |
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(CNN) -- The wife of al Qaeda's second-in-command has purportedly issued a message urging women to raise their children to love holy war and defend Muslim lands.
The message from Omaima Hassan Ahmad Mohammad Hassad, wife of Osama bin Laden advisor Ayman al-Zawahiri, said that since women could not fight, they should dedicate themselves to so-called holy warriors, or mujahedeen.
"I ask you to raise your children to obey Allah and love jihad [holy war] and to defend the Muslim lands," she said, in a message released by As-Sahab Media -- al Qaeda's production company.
"Fighting is not easy for women because they need a male guardian by their side. ... But we can place ourselves in service of the mujahedeen and do what they ask of us. We can help by supporting warriors with money or information or even by a martyrdom operation."
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the document, which appeared on multiple radical Islamist Web sites.
Hassan also asked that Allah grant her and her Muslim sisters "patience and persistence until death," especially in the Palestinian Authority, and in Iraq, Chechnya, Afghanistan and Somalia.
CNN's senior editor for Middle East affairs, Octavia Nasr, said it is not a usual practice for women linked to al Qaeda to release messages.
"It signals that al Qaeda seems to be aggressively reaching out to the female population, whereas in the past their focus was mainly on men," she said.
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3ad1cee823444c029417a24366b64f35
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What the CNN analyst said?
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[
"it is not a usual practice for women linked to al Qaeda to release messages."
] |
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Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- The most coveted property on Hong Kong island is called "The Peak," overlooking the city's stunning Victoria Harbor.
But these days, the prices are what is taking people's breath away -- a modest apartment here now can go for $30 million. Recently what is claimed to be the world's most expensive apartment -- a 6,200-square-foot duplex -- sold for a record $57 million.
While an implosion of property prices sparked the financial crisis in the United States, property prices in Hong Kong are booming in part because of mainland cash pouring into the city.
China's superrich are purchasing homes and sweeping luxury brand items off the shelf here.
"There would be no good turnover of luxury brands in Hong Kong if it wasn't for the Chinese shopper," said Francis Guten, a luxury brand consultant in Hong Kong.
Although total retail sales have dropped 4 percent this year, luxury brands are doing brisk business thanks to mainland shoppers.
"They come to Hong Kong because Hong Kong was always the first window on the world for luxury goods for the Chinese," Guten said, adding that the purchase of "genuine" luxury goods -- rather than the fakes that proliferate the mainland -- is actually cheaper in Hong Kong because of lack of sales taxes or tariffs.
And how are they purchasing these goods? "With cash," Guten said. "Because they have the cash."
The real estate boom by mainlanders is a way for China's rich to diversify their investments close to home.
"If you look at the history of China, despite the fact that the economy is very strong on a global basis right now, there's been a very volatile period," said Francis Cheung of CLSA. "(If) you have 100-percent wealth in China, you just naturally want to diversify."
They are not only buying property and Gucci bags, but stock -- the Hang Seng stock exchange is up 50 percent this year. Research firm CLSA expects the market to rise another 20 percent in 2010.
CNN's Andrew Stevens and Eunice Yoon contributed to this report.
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4711e25c6ee04fe7907b08d3940a664c
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Hang Seng stock exchange expected to rise what percent next year?
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[
"20"
] |
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David C. Novak became chairman of the board at Yum! Brands on January 1, 2001, and chief executive officer on January 1, 2000.
Yum! Brands's CEO, David Novak talks to CNN's Maggie Lake in The Boardroom.
He also serves as president of Yum, a position he has held since October 21, 1997.
Mr. Novak previously served as Group President and Chief Executive Officer, KFC and Pizza Hut from August 1996 to July 1997, at which time he became acting Vice Chairman of Yum.
He is a director of J.P. Morgan Chase. Novak is a member of the Yum! Brands Executive committee.
In his spare time Novak is a keen golfer and has even played a round with golf legend Tiger Woods. E-mail to a friend
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2c2b4b4672884bc090b5645e7d26620b
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What pro golfer has Novak teed off with?
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[
"Tiger Woods."
] |
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London, England (CNN) -- Sherlock Holmes the movie has already made more than $300 million at the box office worldwide and British tourism officials are hoping it means money for them too.
Britain's tourism board has been promoting films for the past 15 years, so they know just how lucrative a movie like "Sherlock Homes" can be.
"To give you an example of a typical blockbuster film, it is normally seen by about 120 million people in the first three weeks of opening," Visit Britain official Laurence Bresh told CNN.
"Even if a small percentage of those come to visit Britain as a result of this particular film, that's going to have a huge boost in some of those tourism attractions featured in our promotion."
As much of "Sherlock Holmes" is set in London this means big business for museum officials and gift shop operators.
The Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street is the address where the fictional detective lived, according to the stories by Conan Doyle.
Nearby, a nine-foot statue of Holmes greets visitors at the Baker Street Underground station.
Inside the museum, visitors can check out Holmes' study, sit in his armchair by the fireside, examine his calabash pipe and observe his chemistry equipment.
"I think Hollywood has put its magic touch on the legend, and they've put, as it were, a magnifying glass over the character and of course things you could say are slightly exaggerated, but that's the wont of Hollywood and that's what makes these blockbusters successful," John Riley, Assistant Curator of the Sherlock Holmes Museum said.
"So any new perspective, any new angle always just helps to perpetuate the legend of Sherlock Holmes. And that indirectly will obviously benefit the museum."
About 70,000 visitors a year stop by the Victorian lodging house, though officials are expecting a spike of interest fueled by the new movie.
While thousands of tourists flock to visit the museum, many of its visitors are unaware that Sherlock Holmes was actually not real person.
"A few people do think he is a real character, particularly with the tour of his house on 'Baker Street' adding fuel to the fire so to speak," Mark Di-Toro from Visit Britain said.
"That is just testament to Doyle's brilliant writing with his true to nature locations in the books meaning tourist can really relate and visit all the fantastic locations."
A. Pawlowski and Phil Han contributed to this report.
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1fb0025637034926a837453b4bb59217
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What is the new movie called?
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[
"Sherlock Holmes"
] |
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Washington (CNN) -- Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer made clear Tuesday she's not worried about a potential legal challenge from the Obama administration over her state's controversial immigration law.
"We'll meet you in court," Brewer told CNN' when asked how she would respond if President Barack Obama's Department of Justice decided to challenge the law. "I have a pretty good record of winning in court."
The American Civil Liberties Union is currently leading a court challenge. Attorney General Eric Holder, who met with a delegation of police chiefs from Arizona and elsewhere this week to discuss the law, has yet to indicate whether the federal government would file a legal challenge.
Obama, who has called the law "misguided," will meet with Brewer at the White House on Thursday, a White House official told CNN. It will be the first one-on-one meeting between the two since Brewer approved the law in April.
The new immigration law, implemented last month, allows police officers to check the residency status of anyone who is being investigated for a crime or possible legal infraction if there is reasonable suspicion the person is an illegal resident. Critics, including Holder, have said the law will promote racial profiling.
But Brewer said Tuesday the law does not target an individual's specific race. She also made clear driver's licenses are not sufficient to prove citizenship.
"It wouldn't matter if you are Latino or Hispanic or Norwegian," she said. "If you didn't have proof of citizenship and the police officer had reasonable suspicion, he would ask and verify your citizenship. I mean, that's the way that it is. That's what the federal law says. And that's what the law in Arizona says."
Brewer strongly defended the law, saying she would not suspend it even if Obama sharply increased the number of U.S. troops at the Mexican border.
iReport: Share your view on the Arizona law
The Arizona governor also said the White House has not adequately communicated with her about Obama's recently announced plan to dispatch 1,200 National Guard troops to the border.
"I'm sitting here with no good information. It would be very helpful, I might say, if somebody would give me something in writing telling me what they're sending to Arizona, how will it be distributed?" she said.
CNN's Alex Mooney and Ed Henry contributed to this report
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82a18b5fa8c347619f84acd2504c45e1
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What does Jan Brewer defend?
|
[
"immigration law."
] |
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(CNN) -- The spotlight will soon shine on three granddaughters of South African and global icon Nelson Mandela, as the women become focal points of a new reality TV show.
The program possibly will air in the United States starting in January, said David Manaway, who is married to one of Mandela's granddaughters involved in the production. It hasn't been announced on what channel it will appear, with Manaway saying only "negotiations" are ongoing.
The show came about after Zaziwe Dlamini-Manaway -- 34 and the oldest granddaughter being featured -- managed to arrange a meeting with Dr. Robert Rey, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon who is the subject on an E! reality show, when he came to South Africa.
Dlamini-Manaway, her sister and a cousin met Rey's executive producer, Rick Leed, according to information provided Thursday by Cutting Edge Communications, which is working with two South Africa-based production companies on the program. Leed also is known for feature films including "Where the Heart Is" and "Company Man."
The sisters and cousin -- all granddaughters of Mandela and all raised in Boston -- set up Leed with two South African companies, New Vision Pictures and Out of Africa Entertainment. They discussed crafting a reality show following the trio's personal and professional lives.
"The pieces of the puzzle just fitted, the decision was fast, one Skype call and the rest, as they say, is history," said Leed.
Dlamini-Manaway, described as the "mother figure," is the child of Mandela's daughter, Zenani, who was born to Mandela's second wife, Winnie.
Dlamini-Manaway is married to David Manaway, an American businessman she met while studying psychology at Clark Atlanta University, and has a 10-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. Her third child is due in January.
Her 32-year-old sister Swati Dlamini is a single mother with a 3-year-old daughter. She works in the communications field, as well as in setting up a charitable foundation focused on housing, education and health, according to show producers.
The youngest granddaughter to be showcased on the show is Dorothy Adjoa Amuah, 27, whose grandmother was the South African leader's first wife, Evelyn. She has a law degree and recently earned her master's in business administration -- specializing in luxury management -- from a school in Monaco, according to show producers. Described as sociable and fun, she lives with her brother and dog, Pan.
The description of the show describes all three women as "refreshingly authentic" and "positive role models to women all over the world." The Mandela family supports "the right for their children to choose their own destiny and their own path," the Cutting Edge release said.
CNN's Nadia Bilchik contributed to this report.
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aec607d1806c4ab0a64972365720fc06
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whats Two sisters and a cousin, ages 27 to 34, will be showcased on the program?
|
[
"granddaughters of Mandela"
] |
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Beijing (CNN) -- Money rewards are coming in for a woman who rescued a bleeding toddler left for dead last week by multiple passersby in southern China.
Two hit-and-run drivers rammed into Wang Yue, 2, one after another, as she walked on a narrrow street in Foshan.
More than a dozen people walked, cycled or drove past as she lay bleeding in a busy market, sparking a global outcry on the state of morality in a fast-changing society.
Wang is in critical condition, her brain showing little activity despite earlier subtle movements in the lower body, said her mother, Qu Feifei.
But despite the many villains in the story, it has also turned the spotlight on an unlikely hero: A 58-year-old scavenger.
In the video that has sparked outrage globally, Chen Xianmei moves the baby to safety, becoming an instant symbol of understated decency in a nation analysts say is obsessed with climbing the economic ladder.
"I didn't think of anything at the time," Chen said Sunday. "I just wanted to save the girl."
Two government offices in Guangdong province, where the hit-and-run occurred, offered the Good Samaritan a total of 20,000 yuan (US $3,135), according to state-run Xinhua news agency.
Wang's mother has said she does not understand the behavior of the passersby, but wants to focus on the positive.
"Granny Chen represents the best of human nature," she said of her daughter's rescuer. "It's the nicest and most natural side of us."
On Sina Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter, the story continued to be the No. 1 topic after generating more than 4.5 million posts along with a "stop apathy" online campaign.
As the outrage over morality continues, a steady procession of well-wishers pours in, offering gifts, money and support to the toddler's family.
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6273b78b9543493d966701a725d81784
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Who moved the baby to safety?
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[
"Chen Xianmei"
] |
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(CNN) -- Griffin Bell, who served as attorney general in the Carter administration, has died, according to the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 90.
Griffin Bell is sworn in as attorney general in January 1977.
Former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement saying that he and former first lady Rosalynn Carter were deeply saddened by Bell's death.
"A trusted and enduring public figure, Griffin's integrity, professionalism, and charm were greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations," Carter said.
"As a World War II veteran, federal appeals court judge, civil rights advocate, and U.S. attorney general in my administration, Griffin made many lasting contributions to his native Georgia and country. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
The son of a south Georgia cotton farmer, Bell passed the Georgia bar exam while still a student in law school, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. He went on to help build the prominent Atlanta law firm King and Spalding, and then to serve as the nation's top legal officer.
He was a chairman of John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, and Kennedy appointed him to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1961. As a federal judge, Bell was involved in desegregation rulings in the 1960s, and he became known as a moderate legal voice in the South.
Fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter nominated Bell as attorney general in 1976. He was confirmed shortly after Carter's inauguration but only after sometimes difficult Senate hearings.
Bell's memberships in private segregated clubs and some of his decisions as a federal judge became issues. He was confirmed in January 1977 by a Senate vote of 75 to 21.
Bell's tenure as attorney general followed the Watergate era, and he was credited with helping restore public confidence in the Justice Department during the late 1970s.
Bell resigned as attorney general in 1979 to return to private law practice in Atlanta with King and Spalding.
He resurfaced in the public eye periodically, including in 2004 when he was listed among Georgia Democrats who endorsed President George W. Bush for re-election.
Also in 2004, he co-authored an independent study ordered by FBI Director Robert Mueller of the FBI's internal disciplinary procedures.
The report sharply criticized the FBI and called its methods for determining punishments for its agents "seriously flawed."
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771ef31ca4a149b9822aa3e1381b65c0
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Who nominated Griffin Bell?
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[
"Jimmy Carter"
] |
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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Six Italian men were shot dead in the German city of Duisburg on Wednesday in an execution-style killing linked to a mafia feud.
Police remove a body from the scene.
Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato said the shootings appeared to be linked to a feud between two mafia clans in the southern region of Calabria, home to the 'Ndrangheta organized crime group.
Here are some key facts about the group:
ORIGINS:
-- The Calabrian "Honored Society", known as "'Ndrangheta", in the Calabria region of south Italy is the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia.
-- 'Ndrangheta began as a defense network for impoverished rural peasants against aristocratic landlords. Members emigrated to Canada and the United States, and were discovered running an intimidation scheme in Pennsylvania mining towns in 1906.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
-- They are known as "The Honored Society", Fibbia or Calabrian mafia. Instead of the pyramid structure of bosses used by other mafia, The 'Ndrangheta" uses families based on blood relationships, inter-marriages, or being a Godfather. Each group is named after their village, or after the family leader.
TWENTIETH CENTURY EXPANSION:
-- When Calabria began the process of industrialization and urbanization in the late 20th century, the 'Ndrangheta became interested in drug trafficking, weapons sales and public works and construction.
THE PRESENT:
-- In 2004, authorities uncovered an international drugs trafficking network involving gangs in South America, Australia, and Europe. Drugs from Colombia were destined for countries such as Greece and Bulgaria.
-- Italian officials estimated at the time that 80 percent of Europe's cocaine had arrived from Colombia via Gioia Tauro's docks in Reggio Calabria.
-- Italian anti-organized crime agencies have estimated that the 'NDrangheta earns about $30 billion annually, mostly from illegal drugs, but also from ostensibly legal businesses such as construction, restaurants and supermarkets.
-- There are believed to be about 100 'Ndrangheta families in Calabria, who have become more successful than their Sicilian counterparts because their family ties are closer. E-mail to a friend
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73c17a4536754547b728b891ada77a7f
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what happened to them
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"shot dead"
] |
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Nadya Suleman, who gave birth to octuplets in January, will star in a reality television series about her family, a TV executive said.
Nadya Suleman will star in a "quasi-reality TV series," says a TV executive.
The Eyeworks executive, who asked not to be named, confirmed a Us magazine report that quoted Suleman's lawyer, Jeff Czech, saying a deal has been reached after months of negotiations.
The "quasi-reality TV series" would be "an arrangement whereby several events in the children's lives would be filmed in a documentary series," Czech told Us.
Eyeworks' British division will produce the show, the Eyeworks executive said.
"There is a story to be told" about the family, he said.
"They might be several shows aired during a year. There are all kinds of possibilities. It really depends on what the networks want," Czech was quoted as saying.
Though he said the show has not been named, Suleman has sought to trademark her media nickname -- Octomom -- for a TV show and a line of diapers.
Suleman has six other children. All 14 were conceived through in-vitro fertilization.
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f0884e55fdd94eef8310e4fc8094aa61
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Who gave birth to ocutplets in January?
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[
"Nadya Suleman,"
] |
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London, England (CNN) -- British Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced a public inquiry Wednesday into allegations that Iraqis were killed and abused after a firefight more than five years ago in the southern part of the country.
The allegations center around the aftermath of a fight in May 2004 at the so-called Danny Boy checkpoint in Maysan Province.
Former detainees and the family of a slain Iraqi contend at least 20 people were killed and others were abused at Camp Abu Naji after a fight between British soldiers and Iraqi insurgents.
That claim has been denied by the UK Ministry of Defence -- which says the 20 people died in battle and people detained were not mistreated.
The probe is called the Al Sweady inquiry -- named after the family of the dead Iraqi. Thayne Forbes -- who retired from the High Court Bench last year -- will chair the inquiry into allegations.
The inquiry will look into allegations of "unlawful killings" and the "ill-treatment of five Iraqi nationals detained at Camp Abu Naji." Even though the probe will focus on five detainees, attorneys claim nine people were detained and abused.
The defense ministry disputes those allegations.
"We have found no credible evidence that those detained, as a result of the attack on British troops and the prolonged firefight at Danny Boy checkpoint, were mistreated," the defense ministry said in a statement.
The release of a photo published in British media and obtained by CNN about the incident shows an armed soldier standing near four people face down on the ground with their hands bound behind their backs and their faces covered.
Attorneys for the men say they were beaten and evidence shows a breach of the Geneva Conventions prohibiting humiliating and degrading treatment of prisoners. But, the defence ministry disputes that.
"It is important to remember that our first priority at the end of such attacks is to protect our personnel from further threats," the ministry said.
CNN's Atika Shubert and Per Nyberg contributed to this report.
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b0e67889d6e045eb950b740c1801afe9
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In what province is Southern Iraq?
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[
"Maysan"
] |
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(CNN) -- The long-running Carlos Tevez affair was finally brought to a close on Monday as West Ham and Sheffield United reached an out-of-court settlement.
Tevez scored a crucial winning goal at Manchester United on last day of the 2006-07 season.
West Ham will be paying United an undisclosed compensation fee to settle the dispute, meaning an independent tribunal chaired Lord Griffiths will not reconvene to rule on the controversy.
A statement from Blades chairman Kevin McCabe and West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury released to the Press Association said: "Both clubs are pleased to announce that a satisfactory settlement for compensation has been reached which brings the dispute between Sheffield United and West Ham to an end.
"The tribunal will not be resuming."
The Tevez controversy began in 2006 when the Argentina international and his fellow-countryman Javier Mascherano were signed by West Ham under third party ownership deals which contravened Premier League rules.
Mascherano was later loaned to Liverpool, but Tevez stayed at Upton Park and played a crucial role as West Ham narrowly avoided relegation.
He scored the winning goal as the Hammers beat Manchester United on the last day of the season to send Sheffield United down.
Tevez later joined Premier League champions Manchester United, but the row lingered on with Sheffield United continuing to insist that West Ham had gained an unfair advantage.
The affair has sparked three separate inquiries, the first of which led to a $8 million fine for West Ham, but crucially no points deduction.
But United refused to give up and in September 2008 an independent arbitration ruled in their favor in a claim for compensation from West Ham.
The Premier League and the Football Association promptly announced another fresh inquiry, but the out-of court settlement looks set to bring the affair to an amicable conclusion.
West Ham, whose Icelandic owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson has been hard hit by the global economic downturn, were reported by Sky Sports News to be paying the compensation fee, which could rise to $35 million, in installments.
The money will certainly be welcomed by Sheffield United, who are pressing for promotion from the Championship to the Premier League. "We are two clubs with a fantastic footballing history who now want to move on and focus on the business of playing football -- hopefully for us against the Hammers in the Premier League next season," said McCabe.
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0f23c69712604ff2942f50865a15bb33
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Who was relegated?
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[
"Sheffield United"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Going to the prom is a highlight in many teenagers' lives. But attending a prom isn't always an option for some young people, including those with special needs.
Alex Gonzales passes under the Marines' sword arch Saturday in Washington as he arrives at the prom.
That's where Helen McCormick comes in.
"We are dreaming for children who are excluded from their proms, and ... you're going to see people walk through the doors who are going to be just absolutely mesmerized," said McCormick, president of a Virginia-based nonprofit called The House, Inc.
For the past four years, McCormick has organized a prom specifically for children with special needs.
This year's prom, dubbed "The Cinderella Ball," was held Saturday night at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington. More than 150 teens attended the gala, where they were greeted by 41 Marines. Each one of the teens went down a red carpet, under a Marine Corps sword arch, before being seated for dinner. Watch scenes from the spectacular prom »
"The children that will be coming are various disabled children with kidney (ailments), children that are literally terminally ill, children with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism," McCormick said before the event.
Norman Gonzales brought his 13-year-old son, Alex.
"Their social life is very limited at school and outside school as well, so something like this is very good because they come to a place where they find themselves with people that they can relate to," Gonzales said.
This was Alex Gonzales' first prom and he said he had a great time. "Coming to an event like this -- I think it's a great experience," he said.
The entertainment for the evening was 2007 "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks.
"I think it's so amazing with all the kids that they get to have their prom. They get to dress up and feel really beautiful and have this night dedicated to them," Sparks said.
Most of the teens attending the prom were accompanied by a parent or friend. Some of them brought dates. It was a night many of them said they wouldn't forget anytime soon.
Victor Padgett attended the festivities with his daughter, Dede. He said events like these prove that the human spirit is alive and well.
"There is hope. There is love, and there is compassion for everyone," he said.
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6ab68198b0964d3fa7c77a1f086314e6
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Who gets to attend prom of their own?
|
[
"children with special needs."
] |
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(CNN) -- Police have arrested a 33-year-old man accused of killing his brother and five other people, including two children, at a Memphis, Tennessee, home.
Jessie L. Dotson, who was recently released after serving 14 years in prison for murder, was captured Friday night.
He faces six counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Cecil Dotson, his 30-year-old brother; Hollis Seals, 33; Shindri Roberson, 20; Marissa Rene Williams, 26; and two children, said Memphis Director of Police Larry A. Godwin at a news conference Saturday.
Dotson will also be charged with the attempted murder of three other children -- ages 7, 4 and 10 months -- who received stab wounds and blunt force trauma, Godwin said.
Dotson's brother Cecil was the father of all the children, The Associated Press reported. Those who survived the attack were under police custody at a hospital, according to the AP.
The March 2 killings followed an argument between Jessie and Cecil Dotson, Godwin said.
Jessie Dotson shot his brother dead and went on to kill the others to try to cover up the crime, he said.
"[Dotson] thought everyone in the home was dead," Godwin said. "But as we all know, by the grace of God, three children had survived."
Prosecutors said they are considering seeking the death penalty against Dotson. E-mail to a friend
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87a49373b2c2439aa00b9d53ba988e30
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What was Dotson in prison for?
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[
"murder,"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Serving a 36-year-old government-issue cake at an Army retirement ceremony sounds like a classic bureaucratic mistake, but there was no mistake about it.
Retiring Army Col. Henry Moak uses a vintage P-38 to break the seal on government cake saved since 1973.
Retiring Army Col. Henry Moak served it up himself -- at his own ceremony.
Moak had saved the cake since 1973, when he got it while serving in Vietnam, and had long-standing plans to open it upon his retirement.
Pound cake served in a can was standard fare in military C rations back then. Moak said it was his favorite, and he could not get enough of it.
"I would eat it any chance I could get, but not all of the meals came with pound cake," he said before opening it.
In front of friends and family who attended his retirement ceremony Friday at the Pentagon, Moak eagerly opened the can.
Answering the question of whether the anticipation was the same now as back then, Moak said, "Yes, even more!"
"I won't eat it if it's black and moldy," he told onlookers.
"You can hear the pop of the air coming out," he said referring to the vacuum seal on the can.
To most people's surprise, the opened can revealed a still-edible yellow cake. The ceremonial sword used to cut Moak's real retirement cake was also used to dig into the can and cut out the cake.
Moak took a bite and put up his thumb, "It's good, it's still kind of moist," he declared.
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20693f30f9d7481692a74d1976a3043a
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What did Moak say?
|
[
"\"I would eat it any chance I could get, but not all of the meals came with pound cake,\""
] |
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia is no stranger to bombings such as the one that rocked two luxury hotels in Jakarta on Friday.
Indonesian counter-terrorist police commandos secure the damaged Ritz-Carlton hotel in Jakarta.
As authorities sift through the rubble of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels, which were struck by bombs that killed at least eight people, some could not help but think about past bombings in the Southeast Asian country.
In 2002, a bombing at two night clubs on the island of Bali killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.
More than 300 people -- many of them young Australians on vacation -- were wounded by the massive blasts in the town of Kuta. Dozens of victims were burned beyond recognition or blown to pieces.
The bombing was blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah -- a terror group with ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist network. The group is suspected in other bombings. Many of those convicted in the plot were sentenced to death or life in prison.
In August 2003, the same JW Marriott Hotel that was attacked Friday was bombed, killing 12.
The Australian Embassy in Jakarta was targeted in 2004. A powerful car bomb shook Jakarta's central business district, blowing a hole through the embassy's security gate, killing at least eight people and wounding about 168.
A year later, three suicide bombers targeted two tourist spots on the resort island of Bali. The bombings -- two at the cafes near Jimbaran Beach and one at a restaurant in Kuta's main square -- killed 19 people and wounded at least 132, according to hospital officials.
Despite the string of bombings, presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said Indonesia has made strides in addressing terrorist groups. Watch an eyewitness report of the blasts »
"We have made significant progress in curbing the activities of terrorists," the spokesman said. Watch a report on suspects behind the blasts »
"In recent years, we have several preventative successes in arresting terrorist cells just before they were able to make their attacks. And we have not had an attack since the Bali bombing several years ago. But this is a blow. This is a blow to us. But we will find out the perpetrators."
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45bc8452e2c24ce2b2f0e48b0d3d7418
|
What does the spokesman say?
|
[
"\"We have made significant progress in curbing the activities of terrorists,\""
] |
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|
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) -- An elections board certified Kasim Reed on Saturday as the winner of the Atlanta mayoral runoff election by a margin of 620 votes.
Barry Garner, director of Fulton County's elections board, told CNN on Saturday that former state senator Reed was declared the winner of last Tuesday's runoff election against City Councilwoman Mary Norwood.
Garner said Reed received 42,348 votes compared with Norwood's 41,728.
Norwood has until 5 p.m. Tuesday to request a recount, Garner said. He said if a recount is requested, it will begin Wednesday morning.
In the initial vote among eight contenders, Norwood received 45 percent of the votes to Kasim Reed's 37 percent. Lisa Borders came in a distant third with 14 percent of the vote, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
A candidate needs 50 percent plus one vote to avert a runoff.
CNN's Greg Morrison contributed to this report.
|
20942bc35fd24767989e175cbd419f1d
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How long will Norwood have until Tuesday?
|
[
"5 p.m."
] |
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SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- The chairman of the Samsung Group announced his resignation Tuesday, just days after his indictment amid an investigation into allegations of corruption.
Chairman of the Samsung Group Lee Kun-hee has been indicted for tax evasion and breach of trust.
"I sincerely apologize and will do my best to take full legal and moral responsibility," said Lee Kun-hee, who was indicted last week on charges of tax evasion and breach of trust. "It grieves me for I still have many things to do."
At least four other executives will leave their jobs at Samsung, which has annual sales of nearly $160 billion and accounts for 18 percent of South Korea's economic output.
Samsung also outlined several reforms Tuesday.
Investigators started looking into the conglomerate in January, after a former company lawyer said the company created slush funds worth $200 million.
The probe led prosecutors to indict Lee and several other executives, but the prosecutors said an investigation found no evidence to support an allegation that the company bribed government officials and prosecutors.
Samsung's exports -- valued at about $70 billion -- account for a fifth of all South Korean exports.
The conglomerate outlined several reforms it plans to implement.
"We do not think that Samsung's renovation is complete with what we have declared, and known that this is just the beginning," Samsung said in a statement.
"If there are any other things we should mend, we positively will." E-mail to a friend
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370332e777084e708d4520324373ebb8
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What was Lee Kun-hee's big announcement?
|
[
"his resignation"
] |
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- President Obama mixed policy discussion with personal reflections on his daughters and, yes, a few jokes in an appearance on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman."
President Obama jokes with David Letterman in New York in an interview taped Monday afternoon.
It was the first time a sitting president has been a guest on the popular late-night entertainment show, according to the CBS Web site. It was taped Monday afternoon.
After taking the stage to a huge ovation, Obama teased Letterman about being surprised to see the event on his daily schedule, saying: "That's one of those where you ask your advisers, 'Who's responsible for this?' "
Later, when talking about summer activities of daughters Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8, Obama said that they "goofed off," which he added was something he couldn't do. Letterman quickly quipped: "Well, others have," prompting a big laugh from both the audience and the president.
On topical issues, Obama promised to ask "tough questions" before deciding whether to send additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, saying it was necessary to have a clear strategy in place before deploying resources. Watch Obama talk with Letterman »
He said his "No. 1 job" is to make sure the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks can never harm the United States again.
Asked about the economy, Obama called the $787 billion economic stimulus package passed in his first month in office a "tourniquet" that prevented the recession from getting worse. Complete economic recovery will take time, he warned, but added that the situation appeared to be getting better.
On the hostile debate over his push to overhaul the nation's health care system, Obama disagreed with the analysis by some that the public anger against him is fueled by racism.
He drew a big laugh by pointing out he was black before he became president, then noted that his election by the American public "tells you ... a lot about where the country is at."
"I think that what's happened is that whenever a president tries to bring about significant changes, particularly during times of economic unease, then there is a certain segment of the population that gets very riled up," Obama said.
Previous presidents including Franklin Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan also generated emotional opposition, Obama said.
"This is not untypical," he said. "One of the things you sign up for in politics is, folks yell at you."
|
b5cd454bfb89475384df9844d1838c2c
|
Who was the first sitting-president to be a Letterman guest?
|
[
"President Obama"
] |
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Khartoum, Sudan (CNN) -- A major Darfur rebel leader and some of his top commanders have been killed, a Sudanese army spokesman announced on state-run radio Sunday.
"Our armed forces were able to destroy the renegade Khalil Ibrahim, who died along with members of (his group's) leadership that was with him," said Alswarmi Khalid, the army's spokesperson.
Khalid said Ibrahim and members of his group were surrounded and killed in the Wad Banda area -- along the border between North Darfur state and North Kordofan state -- as they attempted to escape to South Sudan.
Fighting between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese army broke out days ago in North Kordofan, as rebels announced an assault on Khartoum.
Ibrahim was the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), considered the most powerful Darfur rebel group. The JEM had refused to join the Doha Darfur peace document, signed between the Sudanese government and another rebel group, the Liberation and Justice Movement, this year.
A statement posted on JEM's website confirmed Ibrahim's death, but told a different narrative of events.
"JEM announces the martyrdom of its chair and head of its armed forces and offers its condolences to all Sudanese people," the statement read.
The JEM said Ibrahim was attacked from air by an unknown plane that hit with "with accuracy unusual for the regime's army's fighters which led to his martyrdom ... which points to the involvement of and a conspiracy by some in the regional and international circles with Khartoum's genocidal regime."
The rebel group reconfirmed its commitment to remove the government from power.
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bdba8f94196f4163a00b1b2c6f1973f0
|
members of who's group leadership were killed
|
[
"Justice and Equality Movement (JEM),"
] |
NewsQA
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Ercis, Turkey (CNN) -- The death toll from the massive earthquake that shook eastern Turkey over the weekend rose to 535 Thursday, up from 471 the day before, but crews have been able to rescue 185 people alive from the rubble, Turkish officials said.
In addition, about 2,300 people were injured by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Sunday, according to the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Relief Agency.
Meanwhile, crews rescued 18-year-old Imdat Padak alive from the rubble of an apartment building in Ercis almost 100 hours after the earthquake, the semi-official Anatolian new agency reported.
After teams from Azerbaijan retrieved him, Padak was taken to a hospital for initial treatment, and then was airlifted by helicopter to Van.
Padak appeared not to have any significant trauma, but was suffering dehydration. He is reported to be a student from the village of Kiziloren and was taking courses while preparing for university entrance exams.
Earlier in the week, crews pulled a 2-week-old baby, Azra Karaduman, alive from the debris.
The developments came as there were reports of a moderate earthquake in the country's south.
A 5.2 earthquake hit about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of the center of Sunday's quake, near the border with Iraq, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the latest quake.
Padak was the latest of several people found alive in the rubble days after Sunday's quake. On Wednesday rescuers pulled two people from collapsed buildings.
Britain has pledged emergency tents for more than 5,500 people whose homes were destroyed, Home Secretary Theresa May said during a visit to Turkey Thursday.
CNN's Diana Magnay, Yesim Comert and Michael Martinez contributed to this story
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5297b0a1e50c46af8216b59b0df199cb
|
How many people died?
|
[
"535"
] |
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|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- A law allowing same-sex weddings took effect Thursday in Mexico City, one day after the second same-sex marriage was performed in Argentina.
The Mexican measure also allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has said officials will be prepared to implement the new city law.
The Mexican Institute for Sexology, a private educational institution founded in 1979, held a workshop last month for the 60 Civil Registry judges who will perform the weddings, said Juan Luis Alvarez-Gayou, the institute's founder and director. Workshops are being held this week for 120 civil court judges who may have to rule on domestic issues after the weddings, Alvarez-Gayou said.
The Catholic Church has been opposed to the law, but officials have accepted the measure, the institute director said.
"We haven't had any problems with the judges," Alvarez-Gayou said.
The Mexico City law comes amid the beginning of wider acceptance for same-sex unions in Latin America.
In Argentina, Damian Bernath and Jorge Salazar were married Wednesday in a civil ceremony in the nation's capital, Buenos Aires, the official Telam news agency reported. Judicial measures had prevented gay marriage in Buenos Aires, but a judge issued a ruling last week allowing the two men to marry.
It was the second same-sex marriage in Argentina. The previous wedding took place in Tierra del Fuego after two men were denied a permit in Buenos Aires.
In that case, a Buenos Aires court had ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was illegal and ordered the proper authorities to grant the couple a marriage license if they applied for one. On the eve of their December 1 wedding, however, another court filed an injunction, halting the nuptials.
In many Latin American jurisdictions, the issue of same-sex marriage is decided on the local and state level.
|
75997a37d27b496a87b78b9b88229182
|
what can same sex couples now do
|
[
"adopt children."
] |
NewsQA
|
Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Cuba is wrapping up its biggest military exercises in five years, saying it wants to be prepared in the event of a U.S. invasion.
Under the watchful eye of Cuban President Raul Castro, the armed forces is ending four days of extensive maneuvers, war-room strategy sessions and military parades across the island.
"This is a necessity of the first order," Gen. Leonardo Andollo Valdez said on state television.
"The political, military situation, which characterizes the confrontation between our country and the empire, can go from a relatively normal situation to a much more urgent, confrontational, aggressive one in a month, a week, or even in a night," he added.
Cuban television broadcast images of camouflaged troops firing from trenches and fighter aircraft dropping bombs. Many of the images are from exercises in previous years.
The exercises come amid a slight thaw in relations between the Cold War enemies.
President Obama has lifted restrictions on Cuban-American travel and remittances, and the two countries have resumed immigration talks. Obama recently said the United States has no intention of invading the communist island just 90 miles off its coast.
But the fear of an attack has been a constant concern here, and not without reason. In 1961, Washington backed an invasion by Cuban exiles bent on overthrowing Fidel Castro, the brother of Raul Castro and former president of Cuba.
They were defeated at the Bay of Pigs, but the United States has maintained an economic embargo, and Fidel Castro has survived numerous attempts on his life.
The massive military exercises began in 1980 and have been repeated every few years. The latest maneuvers, called "Bastion 2009," are the first since Raul Castro succeeded his brother and Obama assumed the White House.
Preparations for the exercises began in 2004, before either was in office. The exercises end Saturday, and on Sunday, Cuba will celebrate Day of Defense.
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51f08dff9c9f4638a9e722c72a86f9f1
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What did Cuban TV show?
|
[
"images of camouflaged troops firing from trenches and fighter aircraft dropping bombs."
] |
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|
(CNN) -- German logistics giant Deutsche Post said Monday it was cutting 9,500 jobs as part of a major program to restructure its loss-making DHL delivery service in the United States.
DHL's restructuring is expected to result in heavy job losses.
Deutsche Post said it would discontinue its U.S. ground and air delivery operations based out of Wilmington, Ohio, following an outsourcing agreement with UPS.
DHL Express will continue to operate between the United States and other nations, the company said in a statement.
DHL's 9,500 job cuts are on top of 5,400 job cuts announced earlier this year.
The statement said DHL was shutting down all ground hubs and reducing its number of stations to 103 from 412.
The company said it was making the cuts to improve profitability and "to prepare the company for the economic challenges ahead." DHL Express is owned by the German company Deutsche Post World Net.
Officials in Ohio had been hoping to prevent layoffs.
State senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter Sunday to DHL Express Chief Executive Officer John Mullen and urged employment officials in Washington for emergency funds to assist workers and communities affected.
In May, Deutsche Post announced plans to outsource air services with UPS. Brown says the plan would mean shutting down DHL's hub in Wilmington and cutting at least 8,000 jobs. Brown testified at two congressional hearing this year that centered on the proposal.
Prior to the announcement, Wilmington Mayor David Razik said he was preparing for the worst.
"Given the state of the economy and the world wide economic collapse we know it can't be good news," he told CNN Sunday night. "Freight is down significantly, DHL is losing customers, they have laid off sales personnel in other locations. We really think it's certainly not going to be good for Wilmington."
|
8375a046e9c1469ab980e6428a7709e9
|
What had officials in Ohio hoped?
|
[
"to prevent layoffs."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The driver of a charter bus that overturned on a Minnesota freeway, killing two women, may have had a medical emergency, a spokesman for the State Patrol said Thursday.
"One factor being considered is whether the driver suffered a medical episode while behind the wheel," Patrol Capt. Matt Langer said.
The driver, 52-year-old Edwin Erickson of Elgin, was hospitalized in serious condition, authorities said. Langer said he had a valid driver's license.
The women who died, both from Minnesota, were identified Thursday as Rhonda Hill, 52, of Plainview and Pamela Holmquist, 56, of Kasson.
The accident happened Wednesday after the bus left a casino in Rochester, Minnesota, headed for Northwood, Iowa, Langer said.
Watch video of tour bus crash site
Erickson and 21 passengers were injured when the bus went out of control outside Austin, Minnesota, authorities said. They said two people were in critical condition, and one person was unhurt.
Andy Skoogman, spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, said the bus was eastbound on Interstate 90 when it veered across a median and westbound lanes before overturning and landing in a ditch on the side of the road. The wreck happened three miles west of Austin.
No other vehicles were involved.
Authorities said weather conditions didn't appear to be a factor in the accident.
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80944f27c112454f82ac83248c25c078
|
How many were on board?
|
[
"Erickson and 21 passengers"
] |
NewsQA
|
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nneka and Chimezie Ononaku unwittingly poisoned their own four-month-old son Chinonso.
A television image of Chinonso Ononaku, who died after being given the medicine "My Pikin."
Giving him what they thought was a baby teething medicine, they were in fact dosing him with anti-freeze.
The bottle had been contaminated with a toxic chemical called diethylene glycol.
More than 30 Nigerian children are thought to have died recently after taking the medicine.
Nneka is angry.
"It's not easy carrying a pregnancy for nine months, [and] after that getting a drug from a pharmacy to kill your own child," she says.
When Nigeria's Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) tested the medicine, "My Pikin," the results were terrifying.
It found the medicine contained almost 90ml of diethylene glycol per 100ml.
"It's a bottle of poison," the NAFDAC laboratory said.
The "My Pikin" factory's managing director and eight others have been charged with negligence. The company could not be reached for comment.
Nigeria is on the frontline in the global fight against counterfeit drugs.
Undercover NAFDAC officers have taken to the streets in order to combat unregistered and often harmful drugs. Hawkers are charged with selling counterfeit drugs and forced to pay a fine. Watch more on the poisonings »
NAFDAC claims most of the counterfeit drugs come from India and China.
And it's big business -- America's Centre for Medicines in the Public Interest predicts counterfeit drug sales will reach $75 billion in 2010.
NAFDAC's director-general Dora Akunyili warns counterfeiting is not just a Nigerian problem.
"These criminals are cooperating, so we too need to cooperate if we can face them. Not only in Nigeria but internationally, because drug counterfeiting involves a trans-national criminal network and can only be dismantled through international co-operation."
|
75dec8691ce846bfaf057805706ee793
|
What is predicted to reach $75 billion in 2010?
|
[
"counterfeit drug sales"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- One Australian soldier, three civilians and Taliban militants were killed early Friday during heavy fighting in southern Afghanistan, according to information from Australian and NATO officials.
Four Australian troops have now died in the conflict in Afghanistan.
The incident occurred in Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, where Taliban militants killed an Australian commando, the Australian Defence Ministry said.
The 26-year-old commando -- Pvt. Luke Worsley of Sydney -- served with the Special Operations Task Group. This is the fourth Australian troop to die in the Afghan conflict.
"The action in which Private Worsley died only concluded in the last few hours and was characterized by heavy, close quarter fighting. The SOTG was conducting an operation to clear an identified Taliban bomb making facility in Uruzgan province, when the soldier was hit by small arms fire," Chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force said "a significant number of Taliban insurgents were killed or captured as part of the operation. Taliban insurgents initiated the firefight which lasted several hours."
Gen. Carlos Branco, ISAF spokesman, said it is not known how the civilians, two women and a child, died.
"However, we do know that the insurgents fired upon ISAF soldiers from the compound in which the Afghan civilians (two women and one child) were found after the fight. ISAF makes all effort to prevent losses of innocent civilian lives." E-mail to a friend
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f79498018bcd4fd9b3898bc9053569e8
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How many soldiers have died?
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[
"Four"
] |
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(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."
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1e859454fac6464191999afca3c4b93a
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what is he charged with?
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[
"murder"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will decide this week whether to allow gays and lesbians who are not celibate to serve as clergy members and lay leaders, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Current Evangelical Lutheran Church policy allows gay and lesbian clergy, lay people to serve only if celibate.
Spokesman John Brooks said the church's 1,045 voting members, who are at a weeklong Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, will vote Friday on whether to change its policy regarding gay clergy members.
The policy allows gays and lesbians to serve as clergy members and lay leaders if they are celibate, Brooks said. Heterosexual clergy are allowed to have sex within marriage.
The new policy would allow gays and lesbians in "publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships," to serve as clergy and lay leaders, according to the proposal.
Lay leaders are people other than clergy members who are on the professional rosters of the church.
A simple majority will decide the vote, Brooks said. He said there is a "wide range of opinions" on changing the policy.
The body is also scheduled to vote Wednesday on a social statement on sexuality that has been eight years in the making, he said.
"It's important for us because it informs the basis for policy," he said.
According to its Web site, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has 4.6 million members.
The church is not the only denomination that has dealt with the issue of gay clergy.
Last month, the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops voted by a wide margin to allow gays and lesbians to become bishops, Episcopal Life reported.
In April, the Presbyterian Church (USA) voted against allowing openly gay pastors to serve, according to the Presbyterian News Service.
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a4c9696bb34d44018ad565afdd031e63
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Are gays and lesbians allowed to serve as clergy?
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[
"only if celibate."
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A man at the center of a mysterious case of exposure to the deadly biological agent ricin has been arrested, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Wednesday.
Ricin was found in a room in this Las Vegas, Nevada, extended-stay hotel in February, police say.
Roger Bergendorff was taken into custody Wednesday morning in Las Vegas, Nevada, Kolko said.
Bergendorff, 57, was hospitalized with what was diagnosed as ricin exposure after the agent was discovered in his hotel room off the Las Vegas Strip.
Tests conducted by the FBI determined that the substance contained 2.9 percent active ricin. Its preparation was characterized as "crude," according to the U.S. attorney's office in Las Vegas.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice office, a search of Bergendorff's hotel room turned up "an 'Anarchist's Cookbook,' a collection of instructions on poisons and other dangerous recipes, including instructions on the preparation of ricin," two semiautomatic pistols, a rifle and a pistol with a silencer.
"FBI searches of Salt Lake City [Utah] storage units rented by Von Bergendorff resulted in the discovery of castor beans, various chemicals used in the production of ricin, a respirator, filters, painter's mask, laboratory glassware, syringes and a notebook on ricin production," the Justice Department release said.
Bergendorff is charged with possession of a biological toxin, possession of unregistered firearms and possession of firearms not identified by serial number, according to the U.S. attorney's office. If convicted of all charges, he would face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $750,000.
Bergendorff is scheduled for an initial court appearance at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
It is illegal under federal law to possess a biological agent and toxin unless it is used for bona fide research or other peaceful purpose, U.S. Attorney Gregory Bower said in a written statement.
Bergendorff's cousin, Thomas Tholen of Riverton, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City this month, accused of failing to report production and possession of ricin.
Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste of castor bean processing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It can come in the form of a mist or pellet and can be dissolved in water or weak acid, the agency said.
Bergendorff was hospitalized February 14 in Las Vegas after he complained of difficulty breathing. He slipped into a coma and awoke March 14.
Bergendorff, 57, is an artist who neighbors said had lived in his cousin's basement before moving to Las Vegas. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Kevin Bohn, Karan Olson and Carol Cratty contributed to this report.
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c11c428be0834f6e8c33a12b4a564f12
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Where was ricin found?
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[
"Las Vegas,"
] |
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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The United Nations has condemned Friday's rocket attack on Israel from southern Lebanon, and urged both sides "to exercise maximum restraint."
Italian soldiers with UNIFIL and Lebanese security forces inspect a rocket site in Qlayleh, Lebanon, on Friday.
Israel's military fired between 12 and 18 artillery shells into southern Lebanon Friday shortly after the rocket attack on northern Israel, according to the Israeli military and a Lebanese army official.
There were no casualties in either incident.
Rockets fired from Lebanon struck open spaces in the western Galilee region of northern Israel, an Israel Defense Forces spokesman said. There were no reports of damage.
Israel retaliated by firing toward the source of the rocket fire, the IDF spokesman said. The shells landed near the southern Lebanese village of Qlayleh around 3 p.m. (8 a.m. ET), a Lebanese army official said.
The IDF spokesman said the Israeli military considers the rocket-fire incident to be serious and holds Lebanon's government and military responsible.
Israel Radio reported one rocket struck near the northern town of Nahariya and another landed near Gesher Haziv, a kibbutz, or collective community.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said residents near Nahariya heard several explosions, and the remnants of at least one rocket were found.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a statement through his spokeswoman, condemning the attack. He said the United Nations mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, "is investigating the circumstances of the incident in close cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces."
There are an estimated 30,000 rockets in southern Lebanon, all under the control of Hezbollah militants.
Israel fought a war against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon three years ago that is widely regarded as having empowered the Shiite militia.
CNN's Michal Zippori in Jerusalem and Nada Husseini in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report.
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07a080976a91468187557d38b270d2a5
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Where does Israel claim the Lenanese rockets struck?
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[
"open spaces in the western Galilee region of northern"
] |
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(CNN) -- A recall has been issued for enoki mushrooms produced by Phillips Mushroom Farms in Pennsylvania.
The recall covers 3.5-ounce packages of enoki mushrooms bearing UPC 33383 67540.
The mushrooms were packed in clear plastic bags with blue or green graphics and sold from January 13 to 30. Enokis are long, thin white mushrooms, often used in Asian cuisines.
Preliminary test results showed potential listeria contamination, but no illnesses have been reported, according to Phillips Mushroom Farms.
Listeria can cause flu-like symptoms, including fever and muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It affects primarily the elderly, pregnant women, newborns and people with weakened immune systems.
Retailers are asked to remove the mushrooms from their shelves, pending further instructions.
Consumers are asked to return the mushrooms to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Visit http://www.phillipsmushroomfarms.com/ or call 800-722-8818 for more information.
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c3dbb39f3ffa47469035f366254cf0e9
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When did it occur
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[
"January 13 to 30."
] |
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|
(CNN) -- Ground-to-air missiles at the 2012 Olympic Games? It's not a new sport added to the London line-up, but proof that Britain's government is taking security seriously.
Defense secretary Phillip Hammond has confirmed that such weapons will be at the disposal of those tasked with ensuring public safety at the UK capital's summer showpiece.
He told parliament that a full range of options would be available for protecting the Games, which kick off on July 27.
Hammond was asked by his predecessor, Liam Fox, to confirm if a "full range of multilayered defense and deterrents" would be on hand, including surface-to-air missiles.
"I can assure him that all necessary measures to ensure the security and safety of the London Olympic Games will be taken including -- if the advice of the military is that it is required -- appropriate ground-to-air defenses," Hammond replied.
Earlier on Monday, British newspaper The Guardian had claimed the United States was planning to send 1,000 security personnel, including FBI agents, to the Olympics after developing concerns about arrangements.
The paper said that the UK government is having to field more and more questions on security from its U.S. counterpart, with one source saying of the White House: "They are being very demanding."
It also claimed the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has decided to more than double the amount of security guards protecting the 32 Olympic sites across the country to 21,000 from 10,000.
The Guardian quoted the UK Home Office, responsible for home security, as saying its Olympic planning was "on track" and that the funding was in place.
"The government is committed to delivering a safe and secure Games that London, the UK and the world can enjoy," a spokesman said.
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2aa6cc32389b44af959c8ae502ee246d
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Who is the defence secretary?
|
[
"Phillip Hammond"
] |
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LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) -- Nigeria's television survival show has been suspended after a contestant drowned in preparation for the program, said Dutch brewer Heineken's local unit which is sponsoring the show.
Anthony Ogadje, 25, and nine other contestants had gone to Shere Hills Lake in Nigeria's hilly Plateau State to prepare for the "Gulder Ultimate Search," which sets a variety of physical challenges for participants.
A statement from Nigerian Breweries on Monday said Ogadje died suddenly and he was thought to have drowned.
"All attempts to revive him by the attendant medical team and the lifeguards, including his fellow contestants, failed," said Nigerian Breweries, which is majority-owned by the Dutch giant. Broadcasting had been due to start on Thursday.
In the show, the weakest contestants are evicted one by one until a winner emerges. The prize money is a big attraction in a country where most people live in extreme poverty and benefit little from Nigeria's oil wealth.
The winner was to get 5 million naira (about $39,000) in cash, a four-wheel drive jeep and another 500,000 naira (about $3,900) to buy clothes. The winner could also have expected to become an instant celebrity, attracting sponsorship deals.
The Ultimate Search, which started in 2004, gets high ratings. E-mail to a friend
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26abf24f8a994c4596ea803263c206b7
|
What show was he preparing for?
|
[
"\"Gulder Ultimate Search,\""
] |
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(CNN) -- New Zealand warmed up for their Tri-Nations decider against Australia with a 101-14 rout of Samoa in a one-off rugby union Test on Wednesday in New Plymouth, running in 15 tries.
Conrad Smith touches down for one of his two tries in the All Blacks win.
Fullback Mils Muliaina scored three tries in the first half, center Conrad Smith and winger Richard Kahui touched down twice and nine other players added their names to the New Zealand scoresheet as the All Blacks beat a weakened Samoan team by a record margin.
New Zealand led 47-7, seven tries to one, at halftime and added eight tries, including a penalty try, in the second spell to surpass their highest score against Samoa.
The All Blacks had a 26-0 lead after 16 minutes and set their record score against Samoa -- surpassing the 71-13 in 1999 -- despite being held scoreless for periods of 18 minutes in the first half and 10 minutes in the second.
It was the fifth time New Zealand had reached 100 points in a match, with the All Blacks' record being the 145-17 win over Japan at the 1995 World Cup.
Samoa was forced to pick a severely under-strength side because many of its leading and most-experienced players are involved with European club sides.
Most of the players who took the field Wednesday were young and Samoa-based and playing against the All Blacks for the first time.
Although outgunned by an All Blacks team which overwhelmingly controlled territory and possession, Samoa played with great spirit and scored a try in each half.
Flyhalf Uale Mai scored and converted his own try after 28 minutes and flanker Alafoti Faosiliva touched down off a break by Uale Mai four minutes before fulltime.
"What can you say? 100 points," Samoa captain Filipo Levi said. "It shows the All Blacks are on fire at the moment. They've showed in the Tri-Nations competition that they're a very consistent team.
"For some of our boys it was a big step up from playing club rugby in Samoa but, having said that, it was a big learning curve."
Flyhalf Daniel Carter converted six of the All Blacks' first-half tries, surpassing 2,000 points in first-class rugby, and his replacement Stephen Donald scored his first Test try and converted seven of New Zealand's eight second-half tries.
The match was scheduled to help the All Blacks bridge the three-week gap between their most recent Tri-Nations clash with South Africa and their next, against Australia, at Brisbane on September 13.
The Brisbane match will decide the outcome of the Tri-Nations tournament.
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75d47a06764545d2a654b6549fd0b14c
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When is the decider?
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[
"September 13."
] |
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(CNN) -- A long-hidden message has been discovered inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch, the Smithsonian's Museum of American History announced Tuesday.
The message in the watch differs slightly from what the watchmaker later said he wrote.
Watchmaker Jonathan Dillon was repairing Lincoln's watch in April 1861 when he heard about the attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, and wrote a short message on the metal inside the watch, the Smithsonian said.
There it remained, unseen for almost 150 years, it said.
In a 1906 interview with The New York Times, Dillon reported that as soon as he heard the news about the first shots of the Civil War, he unscrewed the dial of the watch and wrote on the metal, "The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try."
The actual message that the museum found differs from the watchmaker's recollection. It says, "Jonathan Dillon, April 13-1861, Fort Sumpter [sic] was attacked by the rebels on the above date J Dillon, April 13-1861, Washington, thank God we have a government, Jonth Dillon."
According to the Smithsonian, it was not unusual for professional watchmakers to record their work inside a watch.
"Lincoln never knew of the message he carried in his pocket," said Brent D. Glass, director of the National Museum of American History.
The museum decided to open the watch after being contacted by the watchmaker's great-great-grandson, Doug Stiles, who had heard about the message Dillon said he had inscribed and wanted to see if it was really there.
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edf2cf0f154443908486f1f443b5c7b0
|
Watchmaker left what?
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[
"long-hidden message has been discovered inside Abraham Lincoln's pocket watch,"
] |
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(InStyle.com) -- How many closets does it take to make a "Desperate Housewife" happy? Just one, if it's anything like Parker's. We got a guided tour--and learned a lot more about the fashion-savvy star than her taste in shoes.
"I love my new name. In Texas people are formal, so now it's 'Mrs. Parker.' I feel old! But I love it."
Best dress
A "gorgeous 1950s-style cocktail dress by Gustavo Cadile is my absolute favorite. It's fun, but classic too," says Parker.
Treasured keepsake
A clutch that belonged to her aunt: "She was the glue of our family. It's so beautiful and so impractical -- nothing fits in it." Watch what else is in her closet »
First Christmas gift from Tony Parker
A necklace designed by Monique Lhuillier. "It's his Spurs number. I love it."
Loves, but doesn't know what to do with
A "quirky lip-shaped purse by Judith Leiber. I can't figure out how to wear it!"
Fashion faux pas
"One time, my mom and aunt Didi were helping me clean out my closet. Aunt Didi had taken off her jacket. I grabbed it and was like, 'What is this? Who would give me this ugly thing?' And she was like, 'That's mine!' "
Go-to outfit
"A thermal top, a scarf, and I'm not just saying this because she's my friend, but I love my Victoria Beckham DVB jeans. She sent me three pairs--they're perfect."
First splurge
"I'd always wanted Uggs, but I always had the impostors--the Muggs, the Thuggs, the everything but. I still wear [them]."
Owns in multiples
"Christian Louboutin espadrille wedges. They're so high! I have them in every color. I've sprained my ankle walking on the cobblestones in Paris wearing them. They're a beautiful pain."
Cool freebie
"Richard Tyler mules. I did a photo shoot and they said I could keep them. I simply could not believe someone would give me a $300 pair of shoes. I was fascinated!"
Most expensive item
"My hot-pink crocodile Hermès Birkin bag. Robert Verdi, my stylist, told me, 'Wear it with everything--even to bed. This is going to be handed down in your will.' " E-mail to a friend
Get a FREE TRIAL issue of InStyle - CLICK HERE!
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bc903d19d62c4bb5afb4b4a676af5936
|
Eva Longoria's most expensive item is what?
|
[
"hot-pink crocodile Hermès Birkin bag."
] |
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Jerusalem (CNN) -- Two barrels filled with explosives washed up on beaches in Israel on Monday, according to Israeli authorities.
Authorities disposed of both without injury.
Islamic Jihad, the Fatah Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades issued a leaflet in Gaza claiming responsibility for sending three explosive devices to Ashkelon and Ashdod.
A large barrel filled with explosives was found on a beach in the Ashkelon area Monday morning. The beach was closed.
Policemen and bomb disposal experts neutralized the explosives, according to police spokesman Miki Rosenfeld.
A second barrel filled with explosives was discovered later in the day on the shore of the city of Ashdod.
Authorities conducted a controlled explosion on the second barrel. Police were combing the beaches, and nearby areas were closed to the public. Authorities have not discussed a third device.
The Israel Defense Forces, in a statement Monday, said several Palestinian groups had claimed responsibility January 29 for a maritime terrorist attack after the detonation of two sea-born explosive devices about two kilometers (1.24 miles) off the coast of Gaza.
Hamas, the movement controlling Gaza, has been vowing retaliation since one of the founding members of its military wing, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, died last week in Dubai.
Al-Mabhouh's brother, Fayek al-Mabhouh, said that preliminary results of Hamas' investigation of the death showed his brother was killed by electrocution and strangulation with a piece of cloth.
Hamas officials accused Israel of assassinating Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. Israeli officials have not responded to those charges.
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67c6ea3be7d8480b8d2a2b56c29ff259
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what do Authorities dispose of ?
|
[
"Two barrels filled with explosives"
] |
NewsQA
|
SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A 66-year-old woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer became the first person to use Washington's assisted suicide law, a nonprofit organization announced Friday.
Compassion & Choices, an organization that says it advocates choice for the terminally ill, said Linda Fleming of Sequim, took her prescribed medication and died Thursday evening at home with her family, her dog and her physician.
She had been diagnosed a month ago with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and was told she was "actively dying," Compassion & Choices said in a written statement.
"The pain became unbearable, and it was only going to get worse," Fleming said, according to the organization.
It said Fleming had worked with the organization's volunteers to consider her choices. "I am a very spiritual person, and it was very important to me to be conscious, clear-minded and alert at the time of my death," she said, according to Compassion & Choices. "The powerful pain medications were making it difficult to maintain the state of mind I wanted to have at my death. And I knew I would have to increase them."
Washington's law was approved by about 60 percent of voters in November. A similar law in Oregon passed in 1994.
Oregon says 401 people have died under the terms of its law.
|
dbc9e6acea9f44808ae9e96617e32879
|
what Woman wanted to be "clear-minded and alert at the time of my death"?
|
[
"Linda Fleming"
] |
NewsQA
|
BOGOTA, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombia will freeze prices for gasoline and other petrofuels through March, the government has announced.
Hernan Martinez Torres, in a photo from September, says gas prices will be frozen in Colombia through March.
The freeze takes effect Thursday and sets prices at December levels, the minister of mines and energy said Monday.
The measure will be funded through a $170 million Fund for the Stabilization of Prices for Combustibles, which goes into effect January 1, a release on the Colombian president's Web site says.
"All this is being done to give consumers a clear signal of stability," Minister of Mines and Energy Hernan Martinez Torres is quoted as saying in El Pais newspaper.
Gas prices also will not decrease, although there has been a significant drop in crude oil prices in the past few months, Martinez said.
The price freeze pertains to gasoline, biogasoline (oxygenated gasoline), a product called ACPM (combustible oil for motors), and the mix of ACPM and biodiesel.
For the time being, El Pais said, only propane will see a decrease in price, with the price going down 25 percent. It's the second price drop for propane, which decreased 10 percent in November.
|
46fa262061694ac3a91f571c1ffc0013
|
The price of what is being froen?
|
[
"gasoline and other petrofuels"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- When Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, the wish list that has been building abroad may have grown longer than he or anyone else can deliver.
The world's newspapers marked Barack Obama's election win. Now, world governments want him to act.
There are the apparently eternal conflicts of the Middle East and Kashmir, between India and Pakistan, that have already reared their ugly heads almost as a warning even before Obama took office. Between them, they engulf most of the grievances and violence that shape the Islamic world and its relations with the United States.
Intense U.S. involvement will be needed to help resolve both of the conflicts. This will require imagination, creative out-of-the-box diplomacy, and the courage to see it through both from the United States and leaders on the ground. Going back even to the status-quo ante will no longer be sufficient.
The 30-year-old rupture in relations between the United States and Iran is also expected to be addressed as a key priority by the new administration. Both the president-elect and his secretary of state-designate have said they want to abandon the silent treatment and isolation of previous administrations and try engaging Iran, as a way of resolving difficult issues such as its nuclear program and its influence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Watch Amanpour talk about world views of Obama »
The United States remains bogged down in hot wars in both of those countries. While the Obama administration plans to increase troops and nation-building in Afghanistan, it is also signaling it will not give President Hamid Karzai's government the "free ride" he is thought to have received from the Bush administration. Karzai will be expected to root out corruption and better address the needs of the Afghan people.
The new administration will also try to revive nuclear arms agreements that have been abandoned over the last eight years and try to forge a more constructive relationship with Russia, while persuading that country to meet its international obligations too.
While many allies -- and adversaries -- welcome the new U.S. administration's declaration to use diplomacy and soft power, the question remains: Will Washington's allies also pull their weight in helping set their common agenda?
Many nations and governments say they welcome America's vital global leadership, and the question at the start of the Obama administration is: Will they rise robustly to the occasion, and not just carp from the sidelines? While much is expected from Obama, much, too, will be expected from his allies.
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3a362e65ee384ed296ea404f953874a2
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What will need creative diplomacy and courage?
|
[
"both of the conflicts."
] |
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(CNN) -- Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo will miss the final race of 2011 MotoGP season in Valencia this weekend as he continues to recover from a finger injury.
The Yamaha rider required plastic surgery to repair a damaged ring finger on his left hand after a crash in Australia three weeks ago.
Lorenzo, 24, is guaranteed second place in the world championship due to the 48-point lead he holds over third-place Honda rider Andrea Dovizioso. Australian Casey Stoner has already secured this year's world championship.
Japanese test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga will replace the 2010 world champion for Sunday's race in the Spanish port city.
"Lorenzo continues to make good progress in recovery following plastic surgery to repair damage to the ring finger of his left hand sustained in Phillip Island three weeks ago," read a statement on the sport's official website.
"The Mallorcan's injuries require further recovery time to allow him to ride at a competitive level."
This weekend's race will be the first since Italian rider Marco Simoncelli was tragically killed in a crash in Malaysia on October 23.
A 16-meter wall bearing the 24-year-old's racing number of 58 has been erected at the circuit for fans to leave their own personal tributes to the Italian.
In addition, riders will gather on track prior to Sunday's season-ending race to their own tribute to Simoncelli -- who raced for the Honda team.
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c753aa2e0333436a82dca845057aa146
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What is the first since the death of Marco Simoncelli?
|
[
"race"
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The regional airline involved in a fatal February plane crash outside Buffalo, New York, contested a report Monday alleging the pilot did not have the training to handle the emergency that brought the plane down, and that he might have been fatigued on the night of the crash.
Debris is cleared from the scene of Flight 3407's crash near Buffalo, New York, in February.
Continental Connection Flight 3407, operated by regional carrier Colgan Air, plunged into a house in Clarence Center, New York, on the night of February 12, killing all 49 on board as well as one man in the house.
In a story Monday, The Wall Street Journal cited investigators as saying the crash resulted from pilot Marvin Renslow's incorrect response to the plane's precarious drop in speed: He overrode an emergency system known as a "stick pusher," which sends the plane into a dive so it can regain speed and avoid a stall.
The Journal's report said Colgan had not provided Renslow with hands-on flight-simulator training for a stick-pusher emergency.
Colgan, in rebuttal, issued a statement saying Renslow had received classroom instruction for such an emergency. Watch a Colgan official respond to questions »
The company also emphasized that the Federal Aviation Administration does not require pilots to receive a stick-pusher demonstration in a flight simulator.
"The FAA generally trains to standards of routine line operations. They don't focus on the edges of the envelope," stall recovery expert Doug Moss told CNN.
Colgan further admitted that during his career, Renslow failed five "check rides" -- occasional tests of pilot proficiency -- including two that Colgan said he did not disclose on his application with the airline. His most recent failed check ride occurred 16 months before the crash.
"In the cases while with Colgan, he received additional training and successfully passed the check rides," the airline said.
Colgan stressed that despite his performance on check rides, Renslow nonetheless ultimately passed his pilot exams and had "all the training and experience to safely operate the Q400," the airplane involved in the crash.
Colgan further insisted that pilot fatigue was not a factor in the crash, noting that Renslow had "nearly 22 consecutive hours of time off before he reported for duty on the day of the accident."
In its statement, Colgan did not specifically address potential illness-related fatigue in 24-year-old co-pilot Rebecca Shaw, who, according to The Wall Street Journal report, said before takeoff that she probably should have called in sick.
The National Transportation Safety Board begins a three-day hearing on the crash on Tuesday. Renslow's history as well as pilot training broadly will be examined.
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00955a572d8744a3a504081f9a1f58a9
|
Where did flight 3407 crash?
|
[
"near Buffalo, New York,"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Delta Air Lines and American Airlines announced Thursday the cancellations of hundreds of flights so the companies can conduct inspections on bundles of wires in some of their jets.
Delta cancellations will affect flights up until early Friday, according to a statement from the airline.
The cancellations will affect flights through Friday, according to statements by both companies.
A spokeswoman for Delta earlier said 325 flights would be canceled Thursday, but later said 275 flights were cut.
"Delta apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause and is working to proactively contact and reaccommodate affected customers. Customers should call ahead to check flight status," a Delta statement said.
Wednesday, American Airlines canceled 318 flights, said company spokesman Tim Wagner. The airline canceled 132 of its estimated 2,300 flights scheduled for Thursday, Wagner said, about 6 percent of the daily schedule.
The cancellations forced dozens of people to spend the night in the atrium of Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. They slept wherever they could -- on couches, on the floor, some on non-moving baggage carousels.
Kelly said the airline rebooked flights and covered the cost of hotel and food for passengers on canceled flights.
It was initially believed that Delta's MD-90 planes were part of the inspection but it was determined that the MD-88 planes were the only ones that needed to be inspected, a spokeswoman said. The airline said the checks are voluntary and are expected to be completed by week's end. American Airlines, meanwhile, is examining wiring secured to its MD-80 aircraft.
In Atlanta, the cancellations caused grousing among passengers who missed job interviews, connecting flights and the comfort of their beds, CNN affiliate WXIA reported.
"They told us 6:45 (p.m.). Then they told us 7:30. Then 8, so on and so forth and they just canceled," passenger Fred Billizon told WXIA. "So they had about 200 people just waiting on flights. And that's not a lot of happy people."
This latest round of inspections was prompted by questions raised by the FAA and American safety officials about how a certain bundle of wires is secured to the MD-80 aircraft.
The MD-80 is the workhorse of the American fleet. American's Web site says the aircraft accounts for 300 of the airline's fleet of 655 jets.
The jet debuted in 1980 from McDonnell-Douglas, which was purchased by rival Boeing in 1997. Boeing discontinued production of the aircraft in 1999. E-mail to a friend
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2b6c264a135e428caf69bc26a3c3d4e1
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What was the amount of Delta canceled flights on thursday?
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[
"275"
] |
NewsQA
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- Police in Belgium arrested 14 Muslim extremists on Friday after uncovering a plot to free an al Qaeda suspect from prison using weapons and explosives.
Nizar Trabelsi appeared before a correctional court in 2005 for assault and battery against a prison warden.
Security across the small European state was stepped up in the wake of the alleged conspiracy, a spokeswoman for Belgium's federal prosecutors told a news conference.
Lieve Pellens said the conspirators planned to liberate Nizar Trabelsi, a Tunisian terrorist suspect who has been in custody since his arrest two days after the September 11 attacks on New York in 2001.
Trabelsi, a former professional soccer player in Germany, was jailed for 10 years in 2003 for planning to blow up a NATO military base in Belgium that housed American soldiers.
The 37-year-old admitted planning to drive a car bomb into the canteen at Kleine Brogel, an air base where about 100 American military personnel are stationed.
Trabelsi, who testified to a Belgium court that he intended kill American soldiers, claimed to have met Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan after joining anal Qaeda group.
Pellens said most of the arrests were in the capital Brussels.
In the wake of the arrests, she said extra police were being deployed on transport networks, at railway stations and airports and commercial centers to guard against a terrorist attack over the busy holiday period.
"Since it is not excluded that this group developed other projects and because the state of emergency in this period of the year is higher, the federal prosecutor and the examining magistrate decided to take no risks and intervene in the biggest possible way," Pellens told the news conference that was broadcast on Belgium television.
On its Web site, the U.S. Embassy in Brussels issued an alert to American citizens in Belgium to maintain a high level of vigilance, especially in crowded public places.
However, it said it had "no information to indicate that U.S. citizens or facilities are an intended target." E-mail to a friend
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63163e49a6a44adeb36b0b4ccbfc1d45
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Belgian officials arrested how many men?
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[
"14"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- Nearly a month after false rumors on Twitter about school attacks caused car crashes when parents panicked on the streets of Veracruz, Mexico, state lawmakers there approved new regulations Tuesday making disturbing the peace a crime.
The new law could mean that imprisoned suspects previously accused of "terrorism" for their online posts could face significantly less time behind bars.
Now, those convicted of disturbing the peace could face up to four years in prison. State laws allow for a punishment of up to 30 years in prison for those convicted of terrorism.
Authorities say two suspects are behind false statements on Twitter and Facebook that fueled a chaotic scene in the Mexican port city of Veracruz last month.
One post claimed that five children were kidnapped. One mentioned bomb threats. Another described a helicopter was firing gunshots at an elementary school. "Remain calm. I think that the children should be in their homes. Go get them," another post warned.
Gov. Javier Duarte initially accused those behind the messages of "terrorism." But he proposed the new regulations amid a firestorm of criticism from activists and human rights groups, who said the terrorism accusation -- and the possible punishment -- didn't fit the crime.
In a debate in the state's congress Tuesday, opposition lawmakers called on Duarte to retract the initiative, arguing that the document was designed to help two people but could have a much broader impact.
A lawyer representing suspects Maria de la Luz Bravo Pagola and Gilberto Martinez Vera said his clients would not use the new provision in Veracruz state's penal code to defend themselves.
Instead, attorney Fidel Ordonez Solana said he planned to make the case that they should be set free before a federal judge at a hearing Friday.
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0989fb00ec6b4c94ade149e1b29dc1c2
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What is the maximum sentence?
|
[
"30 years in prison"
] |
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(CNN) -- A body found in a wooded area Tuesday is believed to be that of 11-year-old William McQuain, who went missing more than two weeks ago, Montgomery County, Maryland, police said.
Search dog handlers found the body of a young African-American male in Clarksburg, Maryland, just after 9 a.m. Tuesday, police said in a statement.
The scene was still being processed Tuesday morning, and police spokeswoman Rebecca Innocenti had no information on when a positive identification would be made.
An Amber Alert was issued for the boy after his mother, Jane McQuain, 51, was found dead in the bedroom of her Germantown home October 12. She had been stabbed and beaten, according to police.
Her son was not there, and her Honda CRV was gone, but police later recovered it.
Police said the boy was last seen September 30 at his home. Authorities said Jane McQuain had been dead for about 10 to 12 days when her body was found. The discovery was made after a friend contacted police and said he had not been able to contact her and was concerned.
Curtis Lopez, 45, was arrested last week in Charlotte, North Carolina, in connection with Jane McQuain's death. He waived extradition to Maryland on Monday. Police said Lopez was McQuain's husband and was often at her residence, although he did not appear to live there. Witnesses reported seeing him loading items into McQuain's vehicle recently, police said.
Authorities obtained a surveillance tape from the morning of October 1 showing Lopez "entering and re-entering" a storage unit in Germantown with the boy, the police statement said. "At that time, William McQuain appeared to be in a playful mood and showed no signs of distress."
"The clothing that William McQuain was wearing in the video is similar to the clothing found on the body that was located," the statement said. The body is believed to have been in its location since October 1, authorities said.
CNN's Devon Sayers contributed to this report.
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6b712ef507c04035a7a66393e936ac5f
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Who found the remains?
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[
"Search dog handlers"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Air Force is grounding more than 100 planes used to support ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan because of fatigue cracks in the wings, Air Force officials said Friday.
Aircraft like this A-10 Warthog provide close support to ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The officials said 127 A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, including some used in the United States, will be grounded until they are each inspected for the cracks.
"The inspections are a necessary step in addressing the risk associated with A-10 wing cracking, specifically with thin-skin wings. This risk is of great concern to the Air Force and is representative of a systemic problem for our aging Air Force fleet," the Air Force said.
The A-10 Thunderbolt II, nicknamed the "Warthog" because of its unique un-aerodynamic look, is one of the Air Force's older aircraft, having first been delivered to the service in 1975. The average age of the A-10 fleet is now 28 years, but the entire Air Force fleet has an average age of 25 years, according to Air Force statistics.
The Air Force has more than 400 A-10s in its fleet. The cracks in the older A-10 A-models and A-10 C-models were discovered at Hill Air Force Base in Utah during routine maintenance.
No A-10 has had an accident because of the cracks just discovered, according to Air Force officials.
The inspection of the 127 planes will give priority to the planes in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters of battle, officials said.
The plane was designed as a tank killer, with a front-mounted Gatling gun that fires 30-mm armor-piercing ammunition capable of destroying a tank.
The planes are now primarily used in Iraq and Afghanistan to protect ground troops in close combat situations, flying low and slow and with the ability to target individuals hidden on mountainsides or rooftops.
Last year, the Air Force grounded hundreds of F-15 fighter jets after one fell apart during a training mission.
The culprit was a fatigued longeron, a part that holds the fuselage together. Numerous F-15s flying in Iraq and Afghanistan also were grounded until they were inspected, forcing the service to fly other aircraft in their place. The Navy was also asked to help cover the F-15 missions during the weeks they were grounded.
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08a319b6dcf4420cac95025b5ca4b372
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what are the planes?
|
[
"A-10 Thunderbolt IIs,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Oklahoma State University women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed when their plane crashed on the way to a recruiting trip in Arkansas, university officials said Friday.
Former Oklahoma state Sen. Olin Branstetter and his wife, Paula, also died in the crash Thursday, university spokesman Gary Schutt said.
"It's a terribly sad day," he said.
The crash occurred in Perry County, Arkansas, leaving no survivors.
The plane, a Piper Cherokee PA-28, according to FAA records, crashed under "unknown circumstances" in a wooded area about four miles south of Perryville, Arkansas, about 4:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, agency spokesman Lynn Lunsford said Friday.
No additional information about the crash was immediately available.
The National Transportation Safety Board has sent investigators to the crash site, the agency said Friday.
Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip to Little Rock, Arkansas, the university said.
"For any coaching community to lose bright stars like Kurt and Miranda is tragic," NCAA President Mark Emmert said in a statement. "This is a profound loss for the Oklahoma State women's basketball family, the entire university and future women's basketball players as well."
University officials credited Budke for turning the school's women's basketball program around, culminating with a top-10 national ranking and an appearance in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season. He was in his seventh season with the school.
"Kurt was an exemplary leader and a man of character who had a profound impact on his student-athletes," Oklahoma State President Burns Hargis said. "He was an outstanding coach and a wonderful person. We send our deepest sympathies to his wife, Shelley, and their children, Sara, Alex and Brett."
Serna was also in her seventh season with OSU after coming to the school to work for Budke from Louisana Tech, where they both previously worked. She served as the program's recruiting coordinator, according to the school.
Hargis called her "an up-and-coming coach and an outstanding role model for our young ladies."
"Its our worst nightmare," he added.
The school called off games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and grief counselors were on hand for athletes and staff, the university said.
Jim Littell, the team's associate head coach, will take over as interim head coach, according to Mike Holder, OSU vice president for athletics.
The crash is the second fatal plane crash to strike the OSU basketball program in nearly 11 years.
Ten people, eight of them associated with the university's men's basketball program, died when their plane crashed in a Colorado snowstorm on January 28, 2001.
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834a782fe5da46e8b4b70bdbaabdd34e
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Are the games on?
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[
"called off"
] |
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(CNN) -- Rwandan troops have crossed into the Democratic Republic of Congo to prepare for a joint operation with Congolese forces against a Hutu militia, the United Nations said.
At least 800,000 people are thought to have died during 100 days of violence in Rwanda in 1994.
"We can tell you there are Rwandan soldiers here, but I cannot confirm the numbers," said Madnodje Mounoubai, spokesman for the U.N. mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Rwandans will team up "with the Congolese forces," he said Wednesday. "The Rwandan forces are in a meeting with Congolese forces and the understanding is that in the meeting they are preparing a joint operation against the FDLR," or the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda.
The Rwanda News Agency reported that Rwanda has dispatched 1,917 soldiers.
Rwanda and Congo traditionally have been on different sides of the conflict in eastern Congo.
The struggle pits ethnic Tutsis, supported by Rwanda, against ethnic Hutu, backed by Congo.
The conflict is effectively an extension of the Rwandan genocide dating back to the early 1990s, when hundreds of thousands of Rwandans were killed in ethnic battles between minority Tutsi and majority Hutu.
According to a statement issued last week by the Rwandan government, the joint military operation is aimed at driving out the FDLR and former members of the Interhamwe militia, "remnants of those who spearheaded the 1994 genocide against Tutsis."
Michael Arunga, a Kenya-based spokesman for the World Vision aid organization, said his colleagues in Goma -- a city in eastern Congo -- told him that Rwandan troops arrived Tuesday morning in the village of Ishsha, outside of Goma.
Arunga said he had no knowledge of Rwandan troops being in Congo before.
A U.N. statement said the FDLR has been involved in clashes since late August mainly in North Kivu, "where the national army, the mainly Tutsi militia -- known as the CNDP -- and other rebel groups ... have fought in shifting alliances, uprooting around 250,000 civilians on top of the 800,000 already displaced by violence in recent years." See photos from Mia Farrow's trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo »
A report by a U.N. Security Council panel last month said Rwanda and Congo were fighting a brutal proxy war for territory and precious natural resources in eastern Congo, and all parties involved in the conflict were using execution, rape and child soldiers as tools of war.
The report, filed by a panel of U.N. experts, "found evidence that Rwandan authorities have sent officers and units of the Rwanda Defense Forces" into Congo in support of Congo rebel leader Laurent Nkunda's fighters.
CNN's Carolina Sanchez contributed to this report.
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eedbe3e92aff4dbcb0d78a11dce86d5e
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What country supports Hutu?
|
[
"Congo."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Nearly eight years later, Connie Chung still remembers being surprised.
"Stonewalling is what gets politicians in trouble, when they ... try to cover up," Connie Chung says.
It was one of those television moments that linger in the national consciousness, like Barbara Walters sitting down with Monica Lewinsky, Dan Rather with Saddam Hussein, or Jay Leno asking Hugh Grant what the hell he had been thinking.
Chung was with ABC then, and she got the "get" -- the first interview with Gary Condit, the California congressman at the center of the Chandra Levy media frenzy.
The former Washington intern, you'll recall, had been found murdered in Rock Creek Park, and law enforcement sources let it be known that the married Condit had been having an affair with her.
In an interview airing Sunday on "Reliable Sources" (10 a.m. ET, during CNN's "State of the Union with John King"), Chung says she was surprised when Condit refused to acknowledge the romantic relationship.
"Stonewalling is what gets politicians in trouble, when they stonewall or they try to cover up," she says.
"I think that the general public and the news media wanted him to be honest, and if he could be honest about that part of the story, then he could be -- then he would be believed when he was answering other questions as to whether or not he had anything to do with her disappearance."
I often focus on media excess and media mistakes on the program, but we also try to highlight good journalism. The segment includes two Washington Post reporters, Sari Horwitz and Scott Higham, who cracked the Levy mystery in a 13-part series last year. They did what the D.C. police could not: They identified Ingmar Guandique, an illegal Salvadoran immigrant, as Levy's likely killer. Authorities issued an arrest warrant for the imprisoned suspect this week.
But Horwitz and Higham talk about how they were roundly criticized for resurrecting the case and accused of sensationalizing it. It's clear that Levy's case became a huge deal in 2001 because of the Condit connection.
At the same time, Chung says, "The news media had changed. This was the gradual evolution of what the news media was doing. There was flavor of the week, the story du jour."
The Levy frenzy became the precursor for the missing-women TV melodramas that followed: Laci Peterson, Stacy Peterson, Natalee Holloway. The stories of women who were not celebrities, whom no one had heard of before, became national soap operas because they drove cable and morning show ratings.
At least, in Levy's case, the soap opera appears to be drawing to a close.
|
e9dee1bf526a4f77b7262d952821973b
|
who woul not admit the affair
|
[
"Gary Condit,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Chile's Supreme Court has ruled that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori can be extradited to Peru on five corruption and two human rights abuse charges.
Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori has denied all allegations, calling them politically motivated.
Alberto Chaigneau, a court judge, made the announcement about the order on Chilean TV on Friday.
Gabriel Zaliasnek, Fujimori's defense attorney, later said that the "decision of the Supreme Court should be respected and will be respected."
It is not known when the extradition will take place. But the wheels for extradition were set in motion a couple of months ago.
A Chilean prosecutor in June recommended that Fujimori be extradited to Peru to face the charges.
He was then placed under house arrest in his home in the suburbs of the Chilean capital, Santiago while awaiting a Supreme Court ruling.
Before moving to Chile, Fujimori had fled Peru for Japan, where he holds dual citizenship, as his decade-long presidency neared its end in 2000.
Japan refused to honor Peru's request to return him for trial, saying its nationals should be subject to Japanese law and pointing out the two countries have no extradition treaty.
He attempted to resign from the presidency by fax from Japan, but Peru's congress refused to accept it, instead declaring him morally unfit to govern.
He arrived in Chile in 2005, in what some saw as a possible attempt to return to Peru and seek office there in 2006. He was under house arrest for six months in Chile, but authorities lifted the restriction last year on the condition he not leave the country.
Peru has alleged Fujimori ordered death-squad killings and participated in various acts of government corruption. He has denied all the allegations, calling them politically motivated. E-mail to a friend
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b870896a38a14c24893618f74e009a0a
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Who is ccused of ordering death squad killings, corruption?
|
[
"Fujimori"
] |
NewsQA
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New York (CNN) -- One wily coyote traveled a bit too far from home, and its resulting adventure through Harlem had alarmed residents doing a double take and scampering to get out of its way Wednesday morning.
Police say frightened New Yorkers reported the coyote sighting around 9:30 a.m., and an emergency service unit was dispatched to find the animal. The little troublemaker was caught and tranquilized in Trinity Cemetery on 155th street and Broadway, and then taken to the Wildlife Conservation Society at the Bronx Zoo, authorities said.
"The coyote is under evaluation and observation," said Mary Dixon, spokesperson for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Dixon said the coyote is a female, between 1 and 2 years old. She said the Department of Environmental Conservation will either send the animal to a rescue center or put it back in the wild.
According to Adrian Benepe, New York City Parks Commissioner, coyotes in Manhattan are rare, but not unheard of.
"This is actually the third coyote that has been seen in the last 10 years," Benepe said.
Benepe said there is a theory the coyotes make their way to the city from suburban Westchester.
He said they probably walk down the Amtrak rail corridor along the Hudson River or swim down the Hudson River until they get to the city.
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c73c71bc8adc4bc89e1a810ac31d717f
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where was the coyote caught?
|
[
"Trinity Cemetery on 155th street and Broadway,"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- As part of an effort to share the best practices of modern business among organizations across the globe, CNN is talking to some of the world's top executives.
In line with this, CNN will be hosting three events looking at modern strategies in today's business arena.
The first of these master classes will be based at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai and will be aired November 10 and 11.
One of the guests at the event will be Howard Schultz, chairman of the international coffee shop chain Starbucks. He will be part of a live discussion at the master class and will take questions that you, the CNN audience, put to him.
As the head of a coffee empire that now boasts over 12,000 stores and recorded revenues in 2006 of $7.8 billion, Schultz is well equipped to tackle questions on the best ways to succeed in today's business world.
The CNN Boardroom Master classes will take place in the homes of the world's largest stock markets -- Shanghai, New York and London. It airs on November10 at 2115 and November 11 at 0115 & 1615 HKT. E-mail to a friend
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fa90d9d0e8bd4fd0a4a3f5389e46b225
|
Who will the first event feature?
|
[
"Howard Schultz,"
] |
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BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- U.S. officials urged American citizens in Germany to keep a low profile and remain wary of their surroundings after the terrorist organization al Qaeda posted a video message threatening attacks in the country.
German special police patrol in Berlin last month during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu.
A State Department travel alert, issued Wednesday, remains in effect until November 11 -- two weeks after Germany holds its federal elections on Sunday.
Al Qaeda posted its video threat on the Internet on September 18, vowing attacks if the elections do not come out the way it wants.
The same day, the German government reacted to the video by raising its own alert level and heightening security.
The British Foreign Office has also issued an advisory to its citizens living and traveling to Germany.
The State Department travel alert asks Americans to keep abreast of news reports and consider the security procedures in place when they visit public places or pick hotels and restaurants.
Germany's interior ministry said earlier this month that the country has noted an increase in threats by al Qaeda and other Islamist groups since the beginning of the year.
In the nearly 26-minute video statement, a man identified as Bekay Harrach, using the pseudonym Abu Talha and speaking in German, said that, if the September 27 elections vote into power parties that do not pledge to pull German troops from Afghanistan, there will be a "rude awakening."
The speaker called on Muslims living in Germany to stay away from public life during the first two weeks after the elections, implying that any attacks would take place then.
The speaker repeatedly criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also criticized Merkel's rivals, the Social Democrats, but offered the possibility of a "peace offer."
"If the German people vote for peace, then the Mujahedeen will choose peace with Germany as well," he said. "And with the withdrawal of the last German soldier from Afghanistan, the last Mujahed will also leave Germany. Al Qaeda gives you their word."
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646cfdac3a7b4b7ea7d24bfedc7278c1
|
Who does the message criticize?
|
[
"German Chancellor Angela Merkel"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Cervelo's Xavier Tondo won the toughest stage of this year's Paris-Nice cycling classic as Alejandro Valverde finished second to ratchet up the pressure on race leader and their fellow Spaniard Alberto Contador.
It was the biggest victory of Tondo's fledgling career and reward for a solo break with just under 40km remaining of the 220km ride from Peynier to Tourrettes-super-Loup.
The whittled down chasing bunch closed fast in the final kilometers but Tondo had five seconds to spare with Valverde leading the charge to claim six bonus seconds.
It left him 14 seconds adrift of reigning Tour de France champion Contador ahead of a difficult final day in the south of France.
Young Slovakian Peter Sagan, who claimed his second stage win of the race in dramatic style pm Friday, finished third to retain the green jersey of points leader.
Tondo was delighted to win in his debut year for Cervelo, with his main duties this season set to be as a helper for Carlos Sastre in the Giro d'Italia and other major tours.
He felt he was ready to challenge on Friday, but suffered bad luck with a mechanical problem, dropping over two minutes to lose his chance for the overall crown.
"It gave me a chance to go in the breakaway today and I felt very good on the climb," he told the official Web site www.letour.fr.
"It's incredible for me, in my first year with Cervelo. It's my 10th victory as a pro, but in the past I only rode for small teams," he added.
Sunday's final leg is a 119km stage based around Nice with several tough climbs where Contador has predicted he will seal his final victory.
Meanwhile, last year's winner Michele Scarponi claimed the fourth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico to take the overall lead.
Scarponi was in a small elite group who forged clear about 4km from the finish of the 243-km route from San Gemini to Chieti.
He now leads Benoit Vaugrenard of France by 18 seconds in the overall classification.
|
23abd990251f4a07a17505c39da09384
|
Who finished in second place?
|
[
"Alejandro Valverde"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has been asked to investigate whether Panama tortured an Ecuadorian citizen who was being held as an illegal immigrant, an official hemispheric human rights organization said.
Jesus Tranquilino Velez Loor was arrested November 11, 2002, and deported to Ecuador on September 10, 2003. During that time, he was held without receiving procedural guarantees, the right to be heard and the right to present a defense, said the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
"The case also involves the lack of investigation of complaints of torture presented by Mr. Velez Loor before the Panamanian authorities, as well as the inhumane conditions of detention under which he was held in several Panamanian penitentiaries," the human rights commission said in a release Tuesday.
The human rights panel, which is part of the 35-nation Organization of American States, said it referred the case to the court last week because Panama did not adopt sufficient measures to address issues raised in a previous commission report.
Velez Loor "was sentenced to a prison term for having repeatedly entered Panama illegally. ... Panamanian law provides that foreign nationals, who repeatedly enter Panama, without the necessary papers, will be imprisoned for two years and then deported," Panama said in a 2006 report.
Velez Loor admitted he had gone into Panama without proper papers or visas.
The commission said it received an e-mailed complaint from Velez Loor on February 10, 2004, "in which he claims to have undergone torture, forced isolation, and mistreatment at the hands of Panamanian police officers at two Panamanian detention centers without being given the opportunity to defend himself, without the benefit of any court of law, without being allowed to make a telephone call and while being deprived of all medical care."
Panama denied those allegations in the 2006 human rights commission report.
Officials at the Panamanian embassy in Washington did not return a telephone request Tuesday from CNN for comment on the latest development.
The human rights commission consists of seven members who act in a personal capacity, without representing any country, and who are elected by the OAS General Assembly.
|
95289a13c18b4e16b0a05fef63d093b7
|
What was Loor sentenced to prison for?
|
[
"having repeatedly entered Panama illegally."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The man who accused pop star Michael Jackson of molesting his son in 1993 killed himself in his New Jersey condo earlier this month, police said.
Evan Chandler, 65, was found by the building's concierge November 5 after a doctor, who was treating him for cancer, said he missed an appointment, the Jersey City, New Jersey, police report said.
Chandler was "extremely ill" with cancer, the report said.
He was working as a dentist in Beverly Hills, California, in 1993 when he said his son, who was 13 at the time, told him that Jackson had molested him. His son revealed it, he said, when he put him under anesthesia to pull a tooth.
The Los Angeles County district attorney did not pursue criminal charges against Jackson, but Chandler and his son reached a confidential financial settlement with the singer after filing a lawsuit. Reports at the time said the Chandlers got between $16 million and $20 million from Jackson's insurance company.
The Chandler accusation became a key part of the prosecution's case when Jackson was tried and acquitted of molestation a decade later in Santa Barbara County, California.
The elder Chandler was found "on his bed in a lifeless state with a gun in his hand," the investigator's report said. "The victim had a silver revolver in his right hand which was pressed against the right side of his head," Officer J.S. Sielski wrote.
Chandler, who was estranged from most of his family, owned the .38-caliber pistol he used to kill himself, Jersey City spokesman Stan Eason said.
No suicide note was found, Eason added.
Chandler's brother -- a lawyer in Santa Barbara County -- told CNN in 2003 that Chandler feared for his life because of threats made by angry Jackson fans.
"There's a hard-core group, there was and probably still is, of fanatical fans who see him as a deity," Ray Chandler told CNN's Larry King. "Some of them will go to any lengths that, you know, there's some who will just go as far as threatening, there's some who will go -- who will be violent, and you know, you never know how far it is going to go."
Ray Chandler has not responded to calls from CNN for comment about his brother's death.
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fe7029da2de14350806547b9fb709377
|
What illness did Chandler have?
|
[
"cancer,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Grammy-winning rapper Coolio was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, according to a spokeswoman for the airport.
Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" was used in the movie "Dangerous Minds."
Coolio, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey Jr., was taken to the Van Nuys Division station for booking, the spokeswoman said.
A source at the airport's public relations division confirmed the arrest but declined to be named.
Coolio is best known for his 1995 hip-hop hit "Gangsta's Paradise."
Efforts to reach his publicist were unsuccessful.
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711be046b9fa4371bbdc2c5a3fa56e67
|
What is his best known hit?
|
[
"\"Gangsta's Paradise.\""
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- An explosion destroyed a home in suburban Pittsburgh on Wednesday, killing an elderly man and severely injuring his grandchild, authorities said.
A house exploded Wednesday, killng one person and injuring a second, in the Pennsylvania borough of Plum.
The explosion was reported about 1:30 p.m. on Mardi Gras Drive in Plum Borough, about 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Several neighboring homes were damaged, fire officials said.
Richard Leith, 64, was babysitting his grandchild in the home, according to John J. Smith, an investigator with the Allegheny County medical examiner's office. Both were transported to local hospitals, though Leith died later in the afternoon.
The condition of the child, who was treated at Children's Hospital, was unknown, Smith said. Leith's autopsy would be conducted on Thursday, he added.
It is unclear what caused the explosion.
Dave Heiser, a neighbor, told CNN that he was home when he heard the explosion. "I thought my house blew up. My windows were blown out. I went outside and debris was falling from the sky," he said. Watch the neighbor describe hearing the blast »
He said he ran three houses down and saw a woman running with a little girl and screaming.
"The little girl was apparently in the house when the explosion happened and was blown outside," Heiser said. "That house was leveled to the ground. There is nothing left."
Several families who were displaced by the explosion were directed to Red Cross officials to make arrangements for shelter Wednesday night, authorities said. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Ninette Sosa contributed to this report.
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fd5491205928484b90a2b098beea85f0
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what happened to 64 yr old Leith?
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"died"
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