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NewsQA
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(CNN) -- The reality television show personality who accused football player Shawne Merriman of choking her over the weekend has denied that she was drunk during the incident, her Twitter page said Monday.
Shawne Merriman is accused of restraining reality TV star Tila Tequlia as she tried to leave his home, police say.
"I am allergic to alcohol," said the posting for Tila Nguyen, 27, who goes by Tila Tequila.
"It has been publicly known for years. That is how I got the name Tila 'Tequila' cuz the irony. I can't drink."
The incident began at 3:45 a.m. Sunday, when authorities responded to a disturbance call from Nguyen, the San Diego (California) County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.
"Nguyen told deputies she had been choked and physically restrained by Merriman when she attempted to leave his residence," it said.
Merriman, 25, was taken into custody on suspicion of battery and false imprisonment, the statement said.
Deputies saw no physical injuries on Nguyen, who is described on her Twitter page as 4 feet, 11 inches tall and 93 pounds, but she asked to be taken to a hospital, said sheriff's spokeswoman Jan Caldwell. Watch Caldwell talk about the incident »
The San Diego Chargers linebacker released a statement Sunday noting that no charges had been filed and saying he had done nothing wrong.
"I was concerned about her welfare given the intoxicated state she appeared to be in and I encouraged her to stay until safe transportation could be provided," Merriman said. "I in no way caused any harm to Ms. Nguyen, however, paramedics were called and she was examined but no injuries were reported."
Merriman said he was looking forward to clearing his name of the "false accusations."
Merriman's lawyer, Todd Macaluso, said Sunday that more than a dozen other people were at the house at the time, and "witness after witness after witness will back up his story 100 percent."
In a statement posted on the Chargers' Web site Sunday, team General Manager A.J. Smith said, "It is disappointing to hear about the issue involving Shawne Merriman.
"We'll continue to monitor the situation and let the legal process run its course," Smith said.
The 6-foot, 4-inch 265-pounder is entering his fifth year with the Chargers. The team begins its 2009 NFL regular-season campaign September 14 in Oakland, California, for a game against the Raiders.
Merriman, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, recorded at least 10 sacks in each of his first three seasons, but he was limited to one game last season because of a knee injury that required surgery.
|
5e75669f95924684be02ba17d6b10452
|
What does Nguyen say on Twitter?
|
[
"\"I am allergic to alcohol,\""
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Russian energy monopoly Gazprom on Wednesday said it would stop natural gas deliveries to Ukraine over a dispute about payments.
Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller accused Ukraine of using the issue as "a political bargaining chip."
Gazprom chief Alexey Miller said talks with Ukraine have been "unproductive" and accused Ukraine of using the issue as "a political bargaining chip."
"The talks with Ukraine haven't brought any concrete result ... Gazprom hasn't received any money from Ukraine as payment for the supplies of Russian gas," Miller said in a statement on the Gazprom Web site.
The state-controlled Gazprom said supplies to its other European customers would not be affected by Ukraine's cut-off, which the company said would take place at 10 a.m. Thursday (2 a.m. ET).
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko also assured the European Union that there would be no disruptions in deliveries, the Kiev Post reported.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko called "for every effort to be made for the earliest possible signature of an agreement with Russia," Yuschenko energy security commissioner, Bohdan Sokolovsky, told the Russian news agency Interfax on Wednesday evening. Watch a report on Gazprom's threats to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine »
It is the second time in three years Gazprom has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine. The company made good on its threat on January 1, 2006, but turned the spigots back on a day later.
Russia, the world's biggest producer of natural gas, supplies Europe with more than 40 percent of its imports -- mainly via pipelines that cross the former Soviet republic of Ukraine.
Ukraine owes Gazprom about $2 billion for past natural gas deliveries. Ukraine's state-controlled energy company, Naftogaz Ukrainy, initially denied it owed the payment to Gazprom, but later retreated from that claim.
The Kiev Post reported Tuesday that Naftogaz said it had paid $1.5 billion toward the debt, but Gazprom said it had not received the payment.
Also at issue is Gazprom's contract for 2009 deliveries. Gazprom had wanted to more than double Ukraine's payments, but on Wednesday offered a much lesser payment of $250 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. Ukraine, which currently pays about $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, balked at that figure.
"We have heard a negative reply to the offers from the Russian side on the favorable terms of gas supply to Ukraine in 2009, and we are getting the impression that there are political forces in Ukraine which have a strong interest in the gas standoff between our two countries," Miller said.
|
449783b124ca4755a4a99d991bd7e152
|
Amount that Ukraine owes to Gazprom?
|
[
"$2 billion"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The World Health Organization announced Tuesday it is still considering increasing its pandemic alert level to phase 6 because of growing worldwide cases of the H1N1 virus, or swine flu.
WHO considers raising the pandemic alert level to 6 as cases of H1N1 increase worldwide.
"Globally, we are at phase 5, but we are nearing phase 6," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO's Assistant Director General. "As this continues to spread internationally, some countries are moving from isolated to sustained community spread."
Phase 6 is a declaration that many member countries have long feared could mean economic disaster. It is the highest on the WHO's pandemic alert system, and is described by the organization as a global pandemic.
Fukuda was quick to remind journalists that the designation does not reflect the severity of the disease, but how widespread it is.
"Our overall assessment of severity is moderate," he said, "because although the overall number of serious and fatal cases is relatively limited ... we really don't have a full handle on the number of people with serious illness."
Fukuda said nearly 19,000 cases of the H1N1 virus have been reported in 64 countries, resulting in 117 deaths.
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debefa254fbd478cbbcd91dbb0ba62f0
|
Which level did the pandemic alert level rise to?
|
[
"phase 6"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- The family of a British soldier serving in Afghanistan has been forced from their home after a poisonous spider hitched a ride back with him and apparently killed their pet dog.
The camel spider's bite is not deadly to humans but can kill small animals.
Lorraine Griffiths and her three children, aged 18, 16, and 4, moved out of their house in Colchester, southeast England, and are refusing to return until the spider is apprehended, the UK Press Association reported.
Griffiths told the East Anglian Daily Times that the spider appeared after her husband, Rodney, returned from a four-month tour of duty in Helmand province, the arid southern Afghan frontline in the fight against Taliban extremists.
"My son Ricky was in my bedroom looking for his underwear, and he went into the drawer under my bed, and something crawled across his hand," she told the paper.
She said their pet dog Cassie confronted the creature, which they identified on the Internet as a camel spider, but ran out whimpering when it hissed at her. Watch the family that has been terrorized by the spider »
"It seems too much of a coincidence that she died at the same time that we saw the spider," she said.
The desert-dwelling camel spider, actually an insect rather than an arachnid, can run up to 25 kilometers (15 miles) an hour and reach 15 centimeters (6 inches) in length. Its bite is not deadly to humans but can kill small animals.
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ed9a2f40cdc84f888f7cff96e2ca93f8
|
Who is forced from their home?
|
[
"family of a British soldier"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Dick Cheney will serve as acting president briefly Saturday while President Bush is anesthetized for a routine colonoscopy, White House spokesman Tony Snow said Friday.
Bush is scheduled to have the medical procedure, expected to take about 2 1/2 hours, at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, Snow said.
Bush's last colonoscopy was in June 2002, and no abnormalities were found, Snow said.
The president's doctor had recommended a repeat procedure in about five years.
The procedure will be supervised by Dr. Richard Tubb and conducted by a multidisciplinary team from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Snow said.
A colonoscopy is the most sensitive test for colon cancer, rectal cancer and polyps, small clumps of cells that can become cancerous, according to the Mayo Clinic. Small polyps may be removed during the procedure.
Snow said that was the case when Bush had colonoscopies before becoming president.
Snow himself is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer that began in his colon and spread to his liver.
Snow told reporters he had a chemo session scheduled later Friday. Watch Snow talk about Bush's procedure and his own colon cancer »
"The president wants to encourage everybody to use surveillance," Snow said.
The American Cancer Society recommends that people without high-risk factors or symptoms begin getting screened for signs of colorectal cancer at age 50. E-mail to a friend
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a4d648b5ed5c47f89a7fc609ef2b9928
|
When did he last have this procedure?
|
[
"June 2002,"
] |
NewsQA
|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- A top official in Pakistan's troubled Swat Valley was kidnapped Sunday -- a day after a cease-fire between the government and Taliban militants was supposed to go into effect.
Girls study this week in Pakistan's Swat Valley, where education fhas been an issue in peace talks.
Kushal Khan was on his way to take up his new post as the District Coordination Officer when unknown gunmen kidnapped him and six members of his security guards near Mingora, the valley's main city, officials said.
Khan was nabbed a day after the provincial government declared a permanent cease-fire agreement with Taliban militants in the valley.
Yet, hours after the announcement, Maulana Fazlullah -- the Taliban commander in the area -- was playing down the agreement with aggressive rhetoric in a radio broadcast. Fazlullah said militants will continue their fight to impose Islamic law, or sharia, in the region. Watch cease-fire deal with Taliban »
Swat Valley, located in North West Frontier Province, was once one of Pakistan's biggest tourist destinations. It is situated near the Afghanistan border and about 186 miles (300 km) from the capital city of Islamabad . Watch what sharia law requires
The valley boasted the country's only ski resort until it was shut down after militants overran the area. The area was also a draw for trout-fishing enthusiasts and visitors to the ancient Buddhist ruins in the area.
In recent months, however, militants have unleashed a wave of violence that has claimed hundreds of lives across the North West Frontier Province.
The militants want to require veils for women, beards for men and ban music and television.
The fighting has displaced nearly half of Swat's population, officials said.
The central government has long exerted little control in the area, but it launched an intense military offensive in late July to flush out militants.
As retaliation for the military presence, the Taliban carried out a series of deadly bombings, beheadings and kidnappings -- and said the attacks will continue until the troops pull out.
On Saturday, the government of the province said it had reached a deal with the Taliban for a permanent cease-fire.
It marked a major concession by the Pakistani government in its attempt to hold off Taliban militants.
The agreement means boys' schools will reopen on Monday and camps will be set up for Swat residents who have fled the fighting or whose homes had been destroyed. Watch what sharia law requires »
CNN's Zein Basravi contributed to this report
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b580ddacacd6475c87425a4f4b84243f
|
Who launched the offensive?
|
[
"central government"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court has blocked further consideration of a federal law designed to keep sexual material from underage users of the Web.
The justices without comment Wednesday rejected an appeal from the federal government to reinstate the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), passed by Congress in 1998. The high court and subsequent federal courts said the law -- which has never taken effect -- had serious free speech problems.
The Bush administration was a strong supporter of the law and the Justice Department led the fight in court to revive it.
The justices issued their ruling a day after all nine were on hand for the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor also attended the ceremony.
The case tested the free speech rights of adults against the power of Congress to control Internet commerce. The Supreme Court twice ruled against COPA, arguing that it represented government censorship rather than lawful regulation of adult-themed pornography businesses. The law would have prevented private businesses from creating and distributing "harmful" content that minors could access on the Internet.
Free speech advocates said adults would be barred access to otherwise legal material and that parental-control devices and various filtering technology are less intrusive ways to protect children.
The high court in 2004 upheld a preliminary injunction against the law and sent the case back to lower courts for consideration of the arguments. In their opinion at the time, the 5-4 majority concluded COPA "likely violates the First Amendment."
"The government has not shown that the less restrictive alternatives proposed ... should be disregarded," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the 2004 decision. "Those alternatives, indeed, may be more effective" than the law passed by Congress. "Filters are less restrictive" he said, and thus pose less risk of muzzling free speech. "They impose selective restrictions on speech at the receiving end, not universal restrictions at the source."
He added, "There is a potential for extraordinary harm and a serious chill upon protected speech" if the law takes effect."
In reconsidering the law, a federal appeals court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, again ruled the law unconstitutional.
|
3cf50c71bedf4c798b7a5a6e8897f5d8
|
Did justices appeal on the COPA?
|
[
"rejected an"
] |
NewsQA
|
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- The world will soon see an "explosion" of swine flu cases as the H1N1 virus spreads rapidly around the world, a top World Health Organization official said Friday.
Spread of the H1N1 virus is entering an "acceleration period," WHO official says.
Spread of the virus is entering an "acceleration period" and it is certain that there will be more cases and more deaths, said Dr. Shin Young-soo, the organization's regional director for the Western Pacific.
"Most countries may see a doubling of cases every three to four days for two months until peak transmission is reached," he said at a symposium in Beijing, China. "At a certain point, there will seem to be an explosion in case numbers. I believe it is very likely that all countries will see community-level transmission by the end of the year."
More than 1,490 people around the world have died from the virus since it emerged this spring, Shin said.
Swine flu is the first influenza pandemic in more than 40 years. So far, it has caused mostly mild illness, but Shin warned "the virus has a sting in its tail" because it is very infectious and "has the potential to cause more serious disease."
Any widespread resistance to antiviral drugs, expected to be available this fall, could make the situation worse, he said.
The virus so far has shown itself to be unpredictable, Shin said, so the public needs to be prepared. He called for accurate and timely public health messages and early treatment of severe cases.
The public needs to comply with these health messages, and everyone needs to be able to recognize symptoms early and get timely medical care, he said.
"We will only be safe when we have applied these lessons in every country dealing with this virus," Shin said. "We need to learn quickly since, as I believe, it appears that this pandemic will get worse before the situation gets better."
|
2ddf1c16124f46cc8c86678d4838971e
|
How many people died from the virus since last spring?
|
[
"More than 1,490"
] |
NewsQA
|
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen was murdered as she was driving through Beverly Hills, California, in a random "robbery gone bad," by a man who killed himself last week, according to preliminary findings in the Beverly Hills police investigation.
Speculation that Chasen was targeted by a professional hit was shot down Wednesday by investigators who said much of what has been reported by the media since her killing three weeks was untrue.
Harold Martin Smith, 43, was apparently riding his bicycle when he shot Chasen several times as she was on her way home from a Hollywood movie premiere party, police said.
Smith later committed suicide with the same gun that was used in the Chasen killing, Beverly Hills Police Chief David Snowden said Wednesday. Smith shot himself in the head last week as police approached him for questioning as "a person of interest" while he was at his Hollywood apartment building.
A preliminary ballistics test showed that Smith's gun was used in the slaying of Chasen, 64, said Beverly Hills Detective Sgt. Mike Publicker.
"With Mr. Smith's background, we believe most likely it was a robbery gone bad," Publicker said. "We believe it was a random act."
Publicker said it appeared no connection existed between Chasen and Smith prior to slaying.
"The detectives were able to do numerous interviews and through the information obtained in the interviews, it appears that he did act alone," Publicker said. "We believe his mode of transportation was by bicycle."
Authorities said the investigation, which is 60% to 70% complete, remains ongoing.
"There are additional interviews to be conducted, but this is our belief at this time," Publicker said.
"Carjackings are not unusual in Los Angeles, but "in our city it's more than exceedingly rare," said Chief Snowden of Beverly Hills. "It's non-existent."
"We don't believe it was a professional hit, and this is an open and ongoing investigation," Snowden said.
Smith, an ex-convict, pulled a handgun and shot himself as Beverly Hills detectives approached him at Hollywood's Harvey Apartments last Wednesday.
The television show "America's Most Wanted" put police in touch with a tipster who will likely received a $125,000 reward, Publicker said.
|
9d13cb21543f4b779ee9cf0bcf327bcf
|
who is harold martin smith
|
[
"an ex-convict,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- Ten million Americans a year are victims of identity theft. It's a growing problem in the United States, but fighting it doesn't appear to be a priority, a new report says.
A report by the Justice Department Inspector General released Tuesday cites the wide-ranging costs and dangers of ID theft. Although the report has no new numbers, the financial losses are believed to be substantially higher than the $15.6 billion documented in 2005.
Inspector General Glenn Fine found the effort to combat the problem, however, has lagged since the President's Task Force on ID Theft was established in 2007.
"We found that to some degree identity theft initiatives have faded as priorities," said Fine. He said the Justice Department has not developed a coordinated plan to combat ID theft and that some recommendations of the President's Task Force have not been addressed. No one has been appointed to oversee the efforts, the report says.
The report says "the specific crime of identity theft is not a top FBI priority." However, the report adds that the FBI often addresses the issue through the Cyber Division's criminal intrusion program, which is a priority of the agency.
Similarly, ID theft investigations are often part of larger federal criminal investigations into health care fraud, mortgage fraud and credit card fraud.
"Identity theft can also be a significant element of violent crimes, such as domestic abuse, and even terrorism, and a significant number of ID theft-related crimes originate overseas," the report said.
|
763678f121844ab99e71b81518b61650
|
what does the report say?
|
[
"crime of identity theft is not a top FBI priority.\""
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A lot of people like Adam Sandler.
Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen star in "Funny People," the new film from Judd Apatow.
The box office earnings for many of his films are testament to his drawing power. Sandler's biggest comedic blockbusters include "Big Daddy," "The Waterboy" and "The Longest Yard," each of which has earned well over $150 million domestically.
He has seven other titles that have also passed the coveted $100 million mark.
The thing all these films have in common is that they are all comedies. So, it's likely safe to assume there are more than a few Hollywood execs nervously biting their knuckles right now, wondering how Sandler's latest big-screen offering, the dark comedy "Funny People" -- written and directed by his longtime friend Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") -- will fare.
Though hilarious at times, the film's overall story of a world-famous comedian's brush with a terminal illness is decidedly serious. Watch Apatow and Sandler react to a doctor with an accent »
Much of the movie's personality can be summarized in one scene in particular in which Sandler and co-star Seth Rogen are sitting in a doctor's office receiving very bad news that they somehow turn into laughter. Sandler and Rogen talked to CNN about what went into creating that scene.
|
873ea5c3bdd94ee5bc2518da80dd58a1
|
Who is the director of "Funny People"?
|
[
"Judd Apatow."
] |
NewsQA
|
KAMPALA, Uganda (CNN) -- At least 21 people were killed and more than 80 others injured during three days of rioting here last week, a police spokeswoman said Monday.
Ugandan police ride past a burning barricade in the Natete suburb of Kampala on Friday.
Police spokeswoman Judith Nabakooba said 663 people had been arrested and 86 people had been injured.
President Yoweri Museveni is to address the violence in a speech to parliament slated for Tuesday afternoon.
Though the mood on the streets in the capital city was calm Monday, tensions between Museveni and the Buganda kingdom -- headed by King Ronald Mutebi II, the ruler of the Baganda tribe -- have intensified in recent years. They erupted into violence last Thursday, when the government said it would not allow the king to travel to an area inhabited by a renegade rival group.
Kings in the east African nation are limited to a ceremonial role overseeing traditional and cultural affairs. Government officials and the Buganda kingdom have been at odds for years, sparring over land, sovereignty and political power.
After the travel ban, mostly young Bagandans took to the streets, stealing ammunition from a police station and confronting officers, accusing them of harassment.
"The government is wrong to undermine cultural institutions, which are the backbone of Uganda's heritage," said Mzamiru Balidha, a resident of Kampala. "Cultural leaders must be left alone since they are not interfering in politics."
Rioters burned tires and cars, set buildings afire and looted stores. Streets in the capital were strewn with debris over the weekend, including torched cars and burned tires.
By Sunday, police and the army were patrolling deserted streets as residents tried to return to normalcy after the protests.
"I'm happy to see that there is peace now," said Harry Sagara of Kampala. "Now people can return to work."
A government official said Sunday that the two leaders have pledged to meet and address their differences.
"Both the central government and the king are still working out details of the meeting," said Daudi Migereko, the minister of parliamentary affairs.
In Washington, the U.S. State Department cautioned Americans in Uganda about the potential for more violent demonstrations this week.
"U.S. citizens should be aware that even peaceful gatherings and demonstrations can turn unexpectedly violent," the State Department travel alert states.
Bagandans are the dominant ethnic group and one of four ancient kingdoms in the nation.
Journalist Samson Ntale in Kampala, Uganda, contributed to this report.
|
c7a869456b8049789202906e34bea2bf
|
What is the death toll after three days of rioting?
|
[
"At least 21 people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(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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db8d2a642a094b8a8aef17f8cac9c095
|
What position did Griffin Bell hold?
|
[
"attorney general in the Carter administration,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison in a deadly bank robbery plot -- described by the judge in the case as "incredibly bizarre" -- in which a pizza deliveryman died when a bomb affixed to his neck exploded.
This device held a bomb to the neck of Brian Wells during a 2003 bank robbery in Erie, Pennsylvania.
At the sentencing in Erie, Pennsylvania, prosecutors repeated their contention that the pizza deliveryman was involved in planning the robbery attempt but wore a live bomb only after being threatened by his co-conspirators.
Kenneth Barnes, 55, of Erie, was sentenced Wednesday after he pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit bank robbery and using a destructive device during a crime of violence.
Prosecutors said Barnes and three co-conspirators -- one of whom was pizza deliveryman Brian Wells -- planned to rob a PNC Bank on the outskirts of Erie, and Wells, 46, carried out the robbery on August 28, 2003. Authorities said Wells walked into the bank with a pipe bomb locked to his neck and passed a note demanding money to a teller.
The robbery netted about $8,700.
Wells died when the bomb exploded as he sat in a parking lot after being stopped by police shortly after the robbery.
The case drew national attention and was the subject of intense investigation and questions about whether Wells was a willing participant or a murder victim.
Prosecutors said after Barnes' sentencing that Wells was involved in planning the robbery but balked when he realized that the bomb he was supposed to wear was real. He was threatened with a gun to make him wear the bomb, according to prosecutors.
U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan called the sentence "appropriate and just," and said the contentions of Wells' family that he was not involved in the plot are "overwhelmingly" countered by evidence of meetings with Wells, Barnes and the other two co-conspirators before the robbery.
One of the alleged co-conspirators is now dead and the other one, Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong, is undergoing treatment at a federal facility in Texas after the judge in the case found her mentally incompetent to stand trial. Her case will be re-examined by the court next year, said Margaret Philbin, spokeswoman for Buchanan's office.
In sentencing Barnes, U.S. District Judge Sean J. McLaughlin said, "To me, the callousness and complete lack of regard for human life is, in a word, chilling. This case represents the unhappy combination of incredibly bizarre and sadly tragic."
|
09674bfbe1e94e24aff40d85bd27dc2d
|
What killed the deliveryman?
|
[
"a bomb affixed to his neck exploded."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- World record holder and Olympic champion Usain Bolt added yet another title to his tally after racing to victory in the Bupa Great CityGames 150 meter sprint in a new best time in Manchester on Sunday.
Usain Bolt smashed the world 150m record in his first race of the season in Manchester on Sunday.
The Jamaican, who broke both the 100m and 200m records before anchoring his country to the 4x100m relay title in Beijing, clocked 14.36 seconds -- smashing the previous world's best by 0.39 seconds.
Bolt, in his first competitive outing of the season, finished well ahead of Britain's Marlon Devonish, who ran 15.07.
The 22-year-old, who was only passed fit on Monday after a car crash which required minor surgery on his foot just over a fortnight ago, was given a bye into the final.
But he did not disappoint and the breakdown of times in his sprint were staggering.
He covered the first 100m in 9.90, which although well short of his record-breaking 9.69 in Beijing, was still impressive on a very damp temporary track constructed in the city center.
Even better was his speed over what is termed "the flying 100" -- from 50-150m -- which he covered in just 8.72 seconds.
It all added up to a run which eclipsed the previous best of 14.75 by American Tyson Gay, whose time was recorded during a 200m race and not a straight 150m sprint.
"It is one more to the tally," Bolt told reporters when told of his world-best time. "I thought I would just go out there and run a good time. I am not in the best shape and I still have a lot of work to do but I am getting there," he added.
Debbie McKenzie Ferguson of the Bahamas won the women's race in 16.54 seconds ahead of Olympic and world 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu, who finished in 17.10.
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e6881fb9c63e448cae3eb4402bec0a26
|
What record did Usain Bolt shatter?
|
[
"150 meter sprint"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- A French Mirage 2000 jet fighter collided with a Lithuanian plane during a training mission Tuesday in Lithuania, the French Defense Ministry said.
No one was hurt during the training exercise at an air force base in Siauliai, Northern Lithuania, military officials from both countries said.
Two French jet fighters and and a Lithuanian jet trainer were in the air when one of the jet fighters collided with the Lithuanian plane, officials said.
Both pilots of the Lithuanian L-39 Albatross ejected and are safe. Their plane crashed.
The French jet landed, Lithuanian officials said.
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1df59894988d4dafbb3d6aa9bb3e99ae
|
What collided with a Lithuanian plane ?
|
[
"French Mirage 2000 jet fighter"
] |
NewsQA
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(CNN) -- A Marine who survived being burned over more than 95 percent of his body in Iraq and established a charity to help burned children has died, the military has announced.
Sgt. Merlin German was 22.
He was severely wounded February 21, 2005, en route to Camp Ramadi when his Humvee hit a roadside bomb.
He was not expected to survive, but he was transported to Germany and then to Brooke Army Medical Center in Texas, which has the U.S. military's top burns unit.
He spent nine months in intensive care and underwent more than 100 operations.
German moved out of the hospital into his own home after 17 months of treatment.
He founded Merlin's Miracles, a charity that aims "to assist burned children and their families to take vacations, trips, outings or anything the families needed to make life a little easier," according to its Web site.
German died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center of complications after surgery.
"He beat all odds and then on top of that continued to serve as an inspiration and motivator for others," said Dr. Evan Renz, a critical-care surgeon who treated German.
"It is very difficult to describe the sense of loss. He endeared himself to all he came in contact with. It's really impossible to describe, except to say: Imagine the loss of dear family or friend."
Renz remembers being impressed with German from the start.
"This young man was clearly showing us signs he was going to fight through this from the very first minute," he said.
"There was consensus he was going to be a someone who would probably break some of the previous expectations about survivability. If someone was going to survive, he was going to be that individual." E-mail to a friend
CNN's Barbara Starr and Larry Shaugnessy contributed to this report.
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16a519fdf9fd4247bd20a83529f4d91a
|
what caused the burned?
|
[
"roadside bomb."
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- A U.S. missile defense test failed Sunday when a long-range missile missed its target because of radar problems.
The Defense Department said a target missile was launched from an Army test site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands at 7:40 p.m.
Six minutes later, a second missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, to find the first one and destroy it.
Both missiles flew successfully, but missed each other because of a problem in the sea-based X-band radar, the department's Missile Defense Agency said.
The X-band radar sits atop a modified floating oil platform and provides information about incoming missiles so military officials can launch a response.
"Both the target missile and ground-based interceptor performed nominally after launch. However, the sea-based X-band radar did not perform as expected," the agency said.
Officials intend to investigate the cause of the interception failure.
|
9698484d88a24f2d902a2a4c5cf30e78
|
What was led to test failure?
|
[
"radar problems."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Somalia's transitional president has resigned amid a power struggle with the African nation's prime minister and parliament, sources told CNN on Monday.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed tried to fire his PM this month but later lost a confidence vote.
Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed announced his resignation Monday before parliament in Baidoa.
Ahmed's resignation is the latest turn in the political crisis in Somalia, which is already struggling with an Islamist revolt, a refugee crisis and rampant lawlessness that has fueled a wave of piracy off the Horn of Africa.
Somalia has been without an effective central government since 1991. The U.N.-backed transitional government has the support of Ethiopian troops that ousted an Islamist government at the end of 2006, but it controls little of the country outside the southwestern city of Baidoa.
Ahmed attempted to fire his prime minister, Nur Hassan Hussein, earlier this month for being ineffective. But Hussein said the president did not have the power to fire him, and the vast majority of members of parliament backed Hussein in a vote of confidence.
Kenya -- a major player in international efforts to stabilize Somalia -- warned that the government crisis endangered peace efforts and singled out Ahmed over his attempt to sack Hassan.
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d63a4a11818a40b8b28e05115c16a8a4
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Which country's transitional president resigns amid power struggle with PM, parliament?
|
[
"Somalia's"
] |
NewsQA
|
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) -- More than 160 people have been arrested in connection with the massacre earlier this month of scores of people in central Nigeria, a national police spokesman told CNN Monday.
Of the 163 arrested, 41 will be charged with homicide, said spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu. The other 122 will be charged with rioting, arson and possession of firearms, he said.
More than 200 people died in the March 7 massacre, according to some estimates. They took place in predominately Christian towns near the city of Jos, where about 150 people, mostly Muslims, were reported killed in January.
The region lies on a faith-based fault line between Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria and the mainly Christian south.
Ojukwu said the ethnic backgrounds of those arrested are mixed, but they are all from the area near Jos.
Human Rights Watch said the attacks by Muslims with guns, machetes and knives apparently were in retaliation for the previous attacks against Islamic communities and the theft of cattle from herdsmen.
Last week, at least 11 more people were killed in a predominantly Christian village.
Choji Gyang, special adviser on religious affairs to the governor of the Nigerian state of Plateau, has said the attackers were Muslim herdsmen, some dressed in military uniforms. They also stole about 120 cattle from the village, he said.
The violence has put much of oil-rich Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, on edge. Authorities in Lagos took the unusual step of sending a text message to residents earlier this month to try to put them at ease.
The violence often pits Christians and Muslims against each other. But John Onaiyekan, Roman Catholic archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo have said that the violence is fueled more by other factors: ethnic, social and economic problems.
"If you have one group or a community that has land that's been encroached upon by another community or even by itinerant cattle farmers, then the people who lay claim to the land will fight back," Obasanjo recently told CNN. "If there are job opportunities in an area, and persons believe they are indigenous to that area, and (are) not getting enough out of the jobs that are available, they will fight those who are getting the jobs."
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36c7eadb54c14873ae0026fa76104a53
|
how many people where slain on march 7?
|
[
"More than 200"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Scientists have discovered the remains of a rodent the size of a small car which used to forage the South American continent. The 1-ton creature is believed to have been about 3 meters in length and 1.5 meters tall.
The fossilized skull of the new giant rodent
The giant rat's skull, which measures an impressive 53 centimeters in diameter was found by Andrés Rinderknecht and Ernesto Blanco, two scientists from Montevideo, Uruguay.
The two paleontologists stumbled upon the fossilized remains in a broken boulder in San Jose along the coast of Uruguay.
By looking at the size ratios of the skulls and bodies of existing rodents, scientists determined the bodyweight of the rodent must have approached 1,000 kilograms or a ton, making it the world's largest rodent to have been discovered to date.
The relatively small size of its teeth however, suggests it fed mainly upon soft vegetables and fruit.
"We can give an educated guess that the rodent would have been 3 meters long -- assuming that it was similar to a Capybara (the largest rodent alive today) and taking it into account that large mammals generally have relatively smaller heads. It's tail probably was closer to the one of capybara or guinea pig (very short) and not like a rat," Ernesto Blanco says.
The scientists believe the rodent, named Josephoartigasia monesi, roamed the earth about four million years ago at the same time as other giant creatures, such as terror birds, saber-toothed cats, ground sloths and giant armored mammals.
During this period, the now arid region was forested and rich in vegetation. The largest living rodent is the capybara, a 50 kilogram guinea pig found in South America. E-mail to a friend
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6bd798a3cf2744e29e11d850bc25bd3c
|
where Rodent the size of small?
|
[
"car"
] |
NewsQA
|
TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Typhoon Melor roared into central Japan on Thursday, leaving two people dead and lashing the region with heavy rain and gusty winds.
Utility poles lie buckled in the wake of Typhoon Melor.
The storm stayed west of Tokyo, but still caused enough trouble to shut down trains for a time and snarl commuter traffic. Numerous flights were canceled and delayed at the city's two major airports.
In western and northern Japan, Melor tore roofs off homes, downed power lines and flooded roads.
The storm contributed to the deaths of a 54-year-old newspaper delivery man in Wakayama, who ran into a fallen tree, and a 69-year-old man from Saitama, who was crushed by a tree.
By late Thursday, Melor had weakened to a tropical storm and was heading out to sea.
-- CNN's Kyung Lah contributed to this report.
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4eff0a7671ab4f108c8ca3909594ea9d
|
Where did the storm avoid?
|
[
"Tokyo,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Somalia needs international help to fight Islamist extremists battling for power in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, the country's moderate Islamist president said Monday.
Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president.
"I am calling on the international community to help Somalia defend against foreign militants who have invaded the country," President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said.
Speaking at a news conference in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, Ahmed called several times for international help in fighting foreign militants whom he claims are the same fighters who have fought the "international community" in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Wherever they come, they fuel violence," the president said. "The Somali people cannot and should not accept that their countries should be a launching pad for these militants to attack."
Ahmed told local journalists that he feared these foreign fighters would turn Somalia into another Iraq or Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are fighting Islamic extremist groups.
He also praised local militias in the two regions of Hiiran and Middle Shabelle for struggling against the foreign militias.
Last week, al-Shabab militants advanced to the presidential palace in Mogadishu, sparking sporadic fighting and shelling in the Somali capital. The recent fighting has killed more than 40 civilians and wounded about 150 others, according to sources at the scene.
Al-Shabab -- once the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union -- has been designated as a terrorist group by the United States, which says it is affiliated with the al Qaeda terrorist network.
Ahmed participated in seizing control of Mogadishu in 2006 along with the Islamic Courts Union before it was ousted by Ethiopian forces later that year.
He has since split from Somali jihad movements and was recently appointed Somalia's transitional president through a process shepherded by the United Nations.
Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.
|
6205c8c8aeb54309b5b1e28518fa8035
|
Who are the Al-Shabab Militants affiliated to
|
[
"al Qaeda terrorist network."
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- An engine problem forced passengers -- including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- to evacuate a United Airlines flight at Dulles International Airport on Wednesday, officials said.
Flight attendants shouted "everyone get out" after passengers spotted smoke coming from the plane's right engine and notified the crew, according to one passenger who was onboard. Passengers slid down the plane's emergency slides onto the airport's tarmac, officials said.
"I am shaking ... People were screaming," passenger Jodi Gersh wrote in a Twitter post after evacuating.
"Attendants opened (the) rear door to see where smoke was coming from," she wrote in another post. "They then very loudly started yelling 'everyone get out.' Very scary."
Ginsburg was on the flight and was not injured, a Supreme Court spokeswoman said.
Passengers evacuated from the Boeing 757 onto the tarmac just after the aircraft left the gate, said Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. There were 179 passengers and six crew members onboard, United spokesman Mike Trevino said.
Yingling said an engine problem caused the evacuation. The Federal Aviation Administration said there was a report of a fire onboard. Trevino said the airline was investigating the incident, but did not confirm whether there had been an engine problem or a fire.
Video from CNN affiliate WUSA showed firefighters at the scene.
Flight 586 was scheduled to fly to San Francisco, Trevino said. Passengers will head to San Francisco on a different plane scheduled to leave Dulles later Wednesday, he said.
Dulles is located in Chantilly, Virginia, about 25 miles from downtown Washington.
CNN's Lindy Royce-Bartlett, Bill Mears and Carol Cratty contributed to this report.
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50f8c827a16a45be991fbc6a8b08e78d
|
Where was the plane scheduled to land?
|
[
"San Francisco,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal ended the Paris Masters run of defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday to help fellow-Spaniard Fernando Verdasco book his spot at the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Tsonga needed to retain his title to deny Verdasco a place at the prestigious eight-man tournament later this month, but found Nadal far too consistent and fell to a 7-5 7-5 quarterfinal defeat.
The world number two struggled in his first two matches, saving five match points against Nicolas Almagro before edging out Tommy Robredo, but his form was much improved on Friday.
Tsonga dominated much of the first set with his blistering groundstrokes but could not take advantage of five break points and gradually Nadal took the sting out of his opponent before breaking in the 11th game.
The second set took on a similar pattern, although the errors were more frequent from the home favorite and Nadal again broke at 5-5 thanks to a poor game from Tsonga.
The 23-year-old confidently served out for victory and will now face third seed Novak Djokovic in a superb semifinal showdown on Saturday.
Djokovic was a 6-4 1-6 6-3 winner against Robin Soderling, who would needed to reach the final in Bercy to have a chance of reaching the London finals.
The Swede dominated the second set and created 14 break points on his opponent's serve during the match, but took only three of them.
Serb Djokovic admitted he was not at his best and was relieved to reach the last four after a fifth successive victory over Soderling.
He told Sky Sports: "I'm very pleased to go through, it was a big struggle for me. Mostly I was fighting myself. In the second set I was not moving well and I was letting him control the match but in the end I managed to hold the nerves and focus."
Nadal and Djokovic have met 19 times, with the Spaniard holding a clear lead at 14-5. However, Djokovic won their last encounter in Cincinnati in August for the loss of only five games.
|
a3066798ab5049f7b646994257726942
|
Who did Djokovic beat?
|
[
"Robin Soderling,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- The U.S. Army on Wednesday will report that while the number of suicides in the active-duty force declined in 2010, the number of suicides in the Army Reserve and National Guard increased, a senior Army official said.
The increase in Reserve and National Guard suicides is among troops who are in the United States and not activated for duty. The senior Army official said more than half of those troops were never deployed to a war zone.
The official said one possible explanation for the increase in suicides is economic pressure and rising unemployment, but he emphasized that the Army simply does not have answers.
The official noted that for Guard and Reserve personnel who live as civilians back in their communities, the Army is not able to provide the same type of suicide awareness and prevention programs that are available to active-duty personnel.
The decline in active-duty suicides, even though slight, may be initial evidence that those awareness and prevention programs are helping, the official said.
|
570650dfaa6746feae91d0add2576524
|
What is the reason for the increase given ?
|
[
"economic pressure and rising unemployment,"
] |
NewsQA
|
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesia will withdraw from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries at the end of the year, the country's energy minister told foreign journalists Wednesday.
Indonesia has become a net importer of oil due to declining production levels.
Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the move follows declining oil production levels in Indonesia that have left the country a net importer of oil.
"In the future, if our production (comes) back again to the level that gives us a status as a net oil exporter, then I think we can go back to OPEC again," he said. "But today we decided that we are pulling out of OPEC."
It was not immediately clear what effect Indonesia's decision will have on global oil prices. However the move was not unexpected.
Indonesia, which joined OPEC in 1962, is the only southeast Asian country in the 13-nation oil cartel. Oil production there has steadily decreased in the last decade because of disappointing exploration efforts and declining production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Since 1996, total production has dropped by 32 percent. The country's current output quota for crude oil as set by OPEC is 1.45 million barrels a day -- well above its production capacity. In 2006, Indonesia imported more oil than it exported.
CNN's Kathy Quiano contributed to this report
|
40921209be5c47d99ce96b890e70175e
|
What does Purnomo Yusgiantoro say?
|
[
"the move follows declining oil production levels in Indonesia that have left the country a net importer of oil."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An internationally renowned paleontologist will plead guilty to stealing dinosaur bones from federal land, his attorneys said in a court filing.
Paleontologist Nate Murphy is expected to plead guilty to stealing fossils from federal land.
Nate Murphy, whose famous finds include Leonardo, one of the best-preserved dinosaurs in the world, will make that plea in federal court in Billings, Montana.
Earlier this month, Murphy pleaded guilty to state charges of stealing a fossil from private land in order to sell it. An expert cited in that case said Murphy's find was worth between $150,000 and $400,000.
The self-taught dinosaur expert, who is director of vertebrate paleontology at the Judith River Dinosaur Institute, could face jail time.
Murphy and his attorney did not immediately respond to phone messages Friday from CNN.
Jessica Fehr, lead prosecutor in the case, said the U.S. Attorney's Office would not comment until after the plea is entered.
In court papers, federal prosecutors say Murphy knowingly took fossils from federal property between about August 2006 and August 2007. The "paleontological resources" were said to be worth at least $1,000.
In the state case, Murphy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft. As part of the plea, the state recommended Murphy's sentence be deferred for five years.
Douglas Erwin, president of The Paleontological Society and curator of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, said "theft of fossils from pubic lands has long been a problem."
In a written statement sent to CNN on Friday, he said such thefts "can often result in the loss of important scientific information and the disappearance of specimens that belong to the public.
"At the same time, however, fossil collecting, particularly of common invertebrate fossils, has been a pastime enjoyed by many for decades, and is an important way of connecting people with their natural heritage."
An omnibus public lands bill, which the U.S. Senate passed Thursday, includes penalties for fossil theft from public land.
|
5b55189229114e088b02a659c3a9a8bd
|
A well-known paleontologist will plead guilty to stealing what?
|
[
"dinosaur bones from"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two people were executed Tuesday in China for their part in a tainted milk scandal that killed at least six babies and sickened about 300,000 others, state-run media reported.
Zhang Yujun was executed for endangering public safety and Geng Jinping was executed for producing and selling toxic food, the Xinhua news agency said.
The tainted formula came to light in September 2008, after several babies fell ill from drinking formula that contained melamine. Melamine is commonly used in coatings and laminates, wood adhesives, fabric coatings, ceiling tiles and flame retardants. Some Chinese dairy plants added the chemical to milk products so they would appear to have a higher protein level.
The tainted milk caused kidney stones and urinary tract problems in hundreds of thousands of children.
The 22 Chinese dairy producers that made the formula have offered compensation to victims' families.
In all, 21 people were tried and sentenced in January for their roles in the scandal, Xinhua reported. Among them, Zhang and Geng were sentenced to death, and most others received at least 15 years in prison.
|
f2215f4af3d84e34b8ca68c708740421
|
How many people were sentenced?
|
[
"21"
] |
NewsQA
|
London, England (CNN) -- Formula 1 will continue to take place in Britain for the next 17 years after a deal was struck between Silverstone's owners and the sport's chief Bernie Ecclestone.
Monday's announcement by the track's owners means the oldest venue on the F1 calendar keeps its place.
Silverstone's comeback took place despite rival track Donington Park being awarded the contract to host the British Grand Prix from 2010.
However, that circuit lost out after failing to secure the $200 million needed to fund redevelopment plans. That had led to fears Ecclestone would look to move the race abroad.
Silverstone managing director Richard Phillips told the Press Association: "We've always had five-year deals and never been able to get the investment we needed to redevelop.
"But 17 years gives us the ability to invest and move forward. We've always had the belief the British Grand Prix was an important cornerstone of Formula One but, with Bernie, you're never quite sure.
Phillips described the deal as "peace in our time" between the circuit's owners, the British Racing Drivers Club (BRDC), and Ecclestone.
"The relationship with Formula One Management has been improving," added Phillips. "There's a good working relationship with him now and we don't have any issues."
Applauding the negotiating team, BRDC president and 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill told the Press Association: "It's not easy to enter into an agreement of this magnitude. It's a big commitment.
"But the BRDC felt we wanted this relationship to continue, and we were prepared to back the negotiating team, with the level of risk satisfactory for the deal to go ahead.
"This announcement is tremendous news. It really does cement Silverstone as a motor sport venue and is incredibly satisfying for the BRDC to cement its relationship with F1."
|
89f50e0d4cb347c59695b490a97ad18e
|
Who was to host British Grand Prix?
|
[
"Donington Park"
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. government has charged an international arms dealer with conspiring to sell a rebel group millions of dollars in weapons "to be used to kill Americans in Colombia," federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Viktor Bout is accused of selling missiles, rockets and other weapons to FARC, a Colombian rebel group.
Viktor Bout, who was recently captured in Thailand, had agreed to sell the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) surface-to-air missiles, armor-piercing rocket launchers, "ultralight" airplanes, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other weapons, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
There was no immediate public response from Bout, who remains in custody in Thailand.
Federal authorities unsealed an indictment charging Bout with four terrorism offenses: conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, conspiracy to kill U.S. officers or employees, conspiracy to acquire and use an anti-aircraft missile, and conspiracy to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization.
FARC is designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
Justice Department officials said they are seeking Bout's extradition to the United States.
The indictment alleges that Bout made agreements with FARC between November 2007 and March of this year.
In their news release, federal prosecutors said Bout agreed to sell weapons "to two confidential sources" working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who had "represented that they were acquiring these weapons for the FARC, with the specific understanding that the weapons were to be used to attack United States helicopters in Colombia."
The news release also refers to a "covertly recorded meeting in Thailand on March 6, 2008."
"With the unsealing of this indictment, we are one step closer to ensuring Bout has delivered his last load of high-powered weaponry and armed his final terrorist," DEA Acting Administrator Michele M. Loenhart said in the news release.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey last month singled out Bout as a leading example of a new breed of organized crime leaders who operate across international boundaries to amass wealth without regard to political ideology.
"Viktor Bout has long been considered by the international community as one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers," U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said in the news release Tuesday.
Bout's assets in the United States were frozen in 2004 after he allegedly shipped weapons to Liberia in violation of U.S. government restrictions.
|
b14278c0a1654775b1c4fc427e4d021b
|
Who offered to sell surface-to-air missiles and rockets to FARC?
|
[
"Viktor Bout"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A third minute goal from Gonzalo Higuain gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Valencia, coach Juande Ramos' first Primera Liga win since taking charge of the Spanish champions.
Gonzalo Higuain is congratulated after scoring Real Madrid's only goal against Valencia.
The win ended Madrid's run of three straight league defeats and moved them up to 29 points, nine behind leaders Barcelona -- who visit Villarreal on Sunday.
With captain Raul Gonzalez only on the bench befcause of the flu, Higuain played alone in attack, and he soon made his mark with the early goal -- the Argentine collecting Arjen Robben's pass to fire home his 11th goal of the season.
Valencia almost fell two goals behind in the 16th minute when Rafael van der Vaart struck the post with a curling drive.
Higuain had a chance to double Madrid's tally in the second-half, but his close-range shot struck the bar.
The visitors' hopes were effectively ended when captain Carlos Marchena was sent off after picking up his second yellow card, for a foul on Robben.
The defeat, only Valencia's second of the season after also going down to Barcelona, leaves them on 30 points, just one above Madrid.
|
78c51281c01942ceb7a08fd34c2215b0
|
Who scored the only goal?
|
[
"Gonzalo Higuain"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Anyone who doubts Roland Burris' qualifications to serve as the next senator from Illinois may want to head to Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
Roland Burris has erected a mausoleum listing his accompishments in Chicago's Oak Woods Cemetery.
There, Burris, whom embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed to succeed President-elect Barack Obama in the Senate on Tuesday, has erected a granite mausoleum listing his many accomplishments.
Under the seal of the state of Illinois and the words "Trail Blazer," Burris, 71, has listed his many firsts in granite, including being the state's first African-American attorney general and the state's first African-American comptroller.
The memorial also notes that Burris was the first African-American exchange student to Hamburg University in Germany from Southern Illinois University in 1959.
There appears to be enough room to add "U.S. senator" to the memorial, but Burris may never get a chance to serve in Washington.
A Senate Democratic aide told CNN on Wednesday that plans were in the works to prevent Burris from being seated in the Senate.
After Blagojevich made the surprise move to appoint Obama's successor, Senate Democrats praised Burris but said they could not accept any appointment by Blagojevich after his arrest on corruption charges earlier this month. Federal prosecutors say he conspired to "sell" Obama's Senate seat for campaign donations and other favors.
|
3584ba971ab44ce1aeb7c988c379a2a5
|
What position does Rod Blagojevich have?
|
[
"Illinois Gov."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Former champion Maria Sharapova has been seeded for next week's Wimbledon championships.
Sharapova powers a forehand during the WTA tournament in Birmingham last week.
The Russian has only recently returned to action after a serious shoulder injury, but despite performing solidly in the French Open and reaching the semifinals of the WTA grasscourt event in Birmingham last week, she remained 59th in the rankings.
But Wimbledon, who are alone among the grand slams in not sticking entirely with the official rankings of the ATP and WTA in deciding the seedings, have given Sharapova the 24th berth.
World number one Dinara Safina of Russia is top seed, followed by Serena Williams and defending champion Venus Williams, who is elevated to third because of her prowess on grass.
Rafael Nadal, who remains a slight injury doubt to take his place in the draw, is the top seed in the men's tournament, with the top six spots in the list following the ATP rankings list.
The defending champion will test his injured knees by playing in two exhibition matches on grass at the Hurlingham Club in London later this week, organizers announced Wednesday.
The Spaniard will play Lleyton Hewitt of Australia on Thursday and Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland on Friday.
Five-time champion and pre-tournament favorite Roger Federer is second seed at Wimbledon as he bids to set a record of 15 grand slam wins after his French Open triumph.
Home hope Andy Murray, who won the Queen's Club tournament on Sunday, is seeded third with Novak Djokovic of Serbia in fourth.
Eighth-ranked Fernando Verdasco of Spain gets the seventh seed spot ahead of Frenchman Gilles Simon.
Outside of the top seeds, Marat Safin of Russia has been elevated to 15th from his world ranking of 23.
Former world number one Safin reached the semifinals at the All England Club last year.
Big-serving Croatian Ivo Karlovic is lifted to 23rd from 31st.
The third grand slam of the year starts next Monday with the all-important draw being made on Friday.
In the pre-Wimbledon warmup action on Wednesday, top seed Dinara Safina of Russia beat Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3 6-3 in the Ordina Open in the Netherlands.
But Amelie Mauresmo of France was beaten 7-6 7-6 by Russian Ekaterna Makarova at the WTA tournament in Eastbourne.
|
3ae6ec78fff14c038d109fbc926b8ffe
|
Who injured their knees?
|
[
"Rafael Nadal,"
] |
NewsQA
|
Rome, Italy (CNN) -- The Italian government plans to participate in the international troop buildup in Afghanistan by sending 1,000 more troops there next year.
The Italian Defense Ministry confirmed the troops would be deployed in the second half of 2010, a complement to the nearly 2,800 Italians already in the western part of the country.
Italy is one of 43 countries serving under the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Based in Herat, the Italian military is the lead nation in ISAF's Regional Command West. 22 Italian service members have been killed in the Afghan conflict.
The Italian escalation would be part of the troop buildup of 5,000 extra non-U.S. service members ISAF intends to commit to the country.
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that new troop pledges could be announced at a conference of NATO foreign ministers Thursday and Friday in Brussels, Belgium, where the alliance is based.
There are currently 42,000 non-U.S. NATO troops in Afghanistan at present. 28 NATO allies and 15 non-NATO members are contributing to the U.S.-led coalition.
The added NATO troop deployment would complement the nearly 100,000 Americans expected to be in the fight once the 30,000 troops U.S. President Barack Obama announced Tuesday night are in place.
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2d953881819a4906b569ffab4eddb6d7
|
Where are there currently 42,000 non-U.S. NATO troops?
|
[
"Afghanistan"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- Homegrown terrorism will be part of the United States' National Security Strategy for the first time, according to President Barack Obama's chief counterterrorism adviser, who called it a new phase of the terrorist threat.
When the Obama administration unveils its National Security Strategy on Thursday, it will be the first time any president "explicitly recognizes the threat to the United States posed by individuals radicalized here at home," National Security Adviser John Brennan said Wednesday.
The strategy acts as a blueprint for how a White House administration intends to protect Americans. In the past, it has focused mostly on international threats. But a spate of terror-related plots in the United States recently prompted the Obama administration to include homegrown terrorism in the document, Brennan said.
Earlier this month, Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad was charged with trying to detonate a car bomb in New York's bustling district of Times Square.
U.S. Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan is suspected of fatally shooting 13 people at Fort Hood in November.
Colorado resident Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan national, pleaded guilty in February for conspiring to detonate explosives in the New York subway system.
And David Headley, an American citizen from Chicago, Illinois, is accused of providing surveillance in the Mumbai, India, terrorist attacks that killed 160 people.
"We've seen an increasing number of individuals here in the United States become captivated by extremist ideology or causes," Brennan said. "We have seen individuals, including U.S. citizens armed with their U.S. passports, travel easily to extremist safe havens, return to America, their deadly plans disrupted by coordinated intelligence and law enforcement."
Brennan, who made his comments at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that as the United States has strengthened its defenses against massive attacks like 9/11, al Qaeda has shown itself to be a "resilient, resourceful and determined enemy."
Brennan said al Qaeda is recruiting individuals with little training, attempting relatively unsophisticated attacks and seeking people living in the United States to launch such attacks.
"They are seeking foot soldiers who might slip through our defense," Brennan said. "As our enemy adapts and evolves their tactics, so must we constantly adapt and evolve ours."
Brennan did not provide any specific details about the president's strategy for combating al Qaeda and its affiliates, but said it "will require a broad, sustained and integrated campaign that harnesses every tool of American power, military and civilian, kinetic and diplomatic."
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d0951723a9054eefb7f2f3fc08a018bf
|
What acts as blueprint?
|
[
"The strategy"
] |
NewsQA
|
SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- A 16-year-old girl was found dead and another girl was found unconscious in an Army barracks at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington, during the weekend, a base spokesman said Monday.
"Neither of the two women had any outward signs of trauma on them," said Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek.
He said that an Army solider who was "allegedly an acquaintance" of the two 16-year-olds was questioned by investigators, but no arrests had been made.
The spokesman said the name and rank of the soldier who had been questioned was not being released.
According to an Army news release, the names of the two girls "are not being released due to their ages, their civilian status, and the nature of the ongoing investigation."
The Fort Lewis Criminal Investigation Division is trying to determine why the two girls were in the barracks, where soldiers live, and what led to their conditions when they were found.
Emergency personnel from the base responded to a 911 call about 3:30 a.m. Sunday and found the two girls in one of the barracks. A doctor declared one of the girls dead on the scene, and the second girl was transported to Madigan Army Hospital, where she was in stable condition Monday.
The Office of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy, Piek said, and it will be at least a week before results are complete.
Both girls are from the nearby South Puget Sound area but were not related to anyone living on base, Piek said. Both girls' families had been notified, he said.
Although Fort Lewis is not open to civilians, they can be escorted in by a soldier living there if they have identification and a reason for coming onto the facility.
The circumstances of how the girls came unto the base are under investigation, Piek said, but there was no evidence that security had been compromised.
About 30,000 military personnel are based at Fort Lewis. Barracks where soldiers live are usually split into rooms for one to three soldiers, Piek said. Details about the barracks where the girls where found were not released.
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7b272e074f5f46a2919f3f0bda38c960
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What did the spokesman say?
|
[
"A 16-year-old girl was found dead and another girl was found unconscious"
] |
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|
ZURICH, Switzerland (CNN) -- As I watched Cristiano Ronaldo receive the FIFA World Player of the Year award in Zurich, I couldn't help feeling a deep sense of satisfaction, as the 23 year-old Portuguese international once again proved all his doubters wrong.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows emotion after being named the FIFA World Player of the Year for 2008.
Especially the ones in England.
In the days leading up to the awards ceremony, there were various rumors circulating that the Manchester United star was going to be pipped by Leo Messi on Tuesday night.
I was asked several times in London whether I really thought Ronaldo was going to win. Whether he really deserved it.
It was as if many in the British press didn't want him to take home another award.
Do you think Cristiano Ronaldo is shown enough respect? Tell us in the Sound Off box below.
The fierce attack on his lifestyle by the tabloids after he crashed his Ferrari last week just accentuated the fact that in the UK, he still has earned little respect.
Never mind that he was about to become the first Premier League Player to win this prestigious award. Never mind he has been the competition's biggest ambassador and promoter overseas. Too many in the English media, he was still a diver on the field, and a petulant rock star off it.
Now I am not going to sit here and say that my compatriot Cristiano is perfect. He isn't and he makes mistakes. But the same can be said about Wayne Rooney or any of the other English internationals.
When Rooney charges down the referee and shouts obscenities in his face without even being booked, as was the case in last weekend's match against Chelsea, is he called arrogant or petulant? No. When he goes seven or eight matches without a goal, is he suddenly branded overrated? No.
So all I am asking for here is a little respect. If Ronaldo was English, I am sure in the eyes of the British press he would be virtually untouchable, but although he's not, just give him a break. After all, he had an incredible 2007/2008 season which saw him score 42 goals in 49 matches and win virtually every major trophy on offer.
And he's a great ambassador for the game.
Pedro Pinto is a CNN sports correspondent based in London.
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2917deafc2c6496bac721a1811589e6d
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Who is a great ambassador for the game?
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[
"Cristiano Ronaldo"
] |
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DENDERMONDE, Belgium (CNN) -- Authorities have charged a 20-year-old man with murder and attempted murder in a stabbing rampage at a Belgian nursery school that left two children and a staff member dead and a dozen others wounded.
A family pays tribute Friday evening outside the nursery school in Dendermonde, Belgium.
The regional prosecutor's office identified the man, who has been in custody since Friday, as Kim D., and would not release his last name. They said he lives alone in Sinaai, a city about 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside of Dendermonde.
He has no police record and is unemployed, the office said.
Authorities allege the man, whose face was painted white with black rings around his eyes, entered the Fabeltjesland (Fable Land) nursery school midmorning Friday and began stabbing those inside.
He entered the building through a side door, typically only used by parents who are late in arriving to pick up their children from the school, authorities said. Once inside, he went through several rooms in the center.
The dead included the head of the nursery, a woman in her 60s who was well known in the town, residents said. The other victims were young; the nursery cared for children up to the age of three. Watch report on attack »
Authorities caught up with him about an hour-and-a-half later after the attack ended, the ministry said. At the time of his arrest, he had on him a knife, an ax and a fake pistol. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest, authorities said.
Two other knives were found at the nursery school, but it has not been confirmed whether they were used in the attack.
Kim D. has said nothing to authorities regarding the attack, the prosecutor's office said.
Authorities have searched his home, but they did not release any information from the search. Watch description of what happened »
The suspect, who is being held in jail, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning. The judge has assigned three doctors to monitor him, authorities said. Earlier, authorities said he was not registered with any psychiatric institution.
Dendermonde, about 16 miles northwest of Brussels, is a tight-knit community of about 40,000 people, residents said. Fabeltjesland lies off a park and is not easy to find from the road.
On Saturday, the nursery stood quiet and boarded up, with tributes of flowers, cuddly toys and cards left outside.
|
d74aa0ef80eb49898fea2ae0c467a030
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who killed the children and adults?
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[
"Kim D.,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The son of a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander was found dead in a Dubai hotel room -- with his father's website calling the death "suspicious," though police insisted it was not.
Numerous Iranian media on Sunday reported the death of Ahmad Rezaie inside Hotel Gloria, a four-star hotel in the coastal United Arab Emirates city.
Khalil Ebrahim Al Mansouri, head of the Dubai police's criminal investigations department, said there is no criminal suspicion surrounding the man's death. Al Mansouri, quoting the dead man's brother, added that Ahmad suffered from epilepsy.
Yet Tabnak, a website owned by the dead man's father, Mohsen Rezaie, claimed that Ahmad "was killed under suspicious circumstances."
The same site noted that the death was "concurrent with the martyrdom of Mohsen Rezaie's comrades in arms" on Saturday, referring to an explosion at a military base near Tehran.
At least 17 people were killed in that incident, after a munitions depot accidentally caught fire, lawmaker Hossein Garousi told state media. Lt. Gen. Ramezan Sharif reiterated Sunday that the blaze was accidental and dismissed the possibility of sabotage.
The Tabnak report did not elaborate on what connection, if any, existed between Ahmad Rezaie's death and the deadly explosion.
Shahram Gilabadi -- a spokesman for Iran's Expediency Council, of which Mohsen Rezaie is secretary -- told Tabnak, "The death is currently being investigated."
The semi-official Mehrs News Agency reported that Ahmad Rezaie died from an electric shock.
Mohsen Rezaie served for years as head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard. In 2009, he ran -- unsuccessfully -- as a conservative candidate along with others against incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
He continues to play a leading role with the Expediency Council, which mediates between the parliament and the non-elected Guardian Council led by Ayatollah Khamenei.
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22dcd57f90a54f6ea719edf81720c7f9
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Who was found dead?
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[
"Ahmad Rezaie"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- A man authorities want to question in the slaying of a 7-year-old girl, whose body was dumped in a landfill, appeared in a Florida court Wednesday on child pornography charges after being extradited from Mississippi.
Jarred Harrell, 24, faces 29 counts of possession of child pornography in Clay County, Florida.
Clay County Sheriff Rick Beseler has said Harrell is also sought for questioning in the abduction and murder of Somer Thompson, but has not said why.
Harrell was arrested in Meridian, Mississippi, by federal agents earlier this month, and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist asked Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour to extradite him. The arrest followed a search of Harrell's residence, Clay County authorities said.
Somer Thompson was last seen in the Clay County town of Orange Park on October 19. Her body was found in a landfill in Folkston, Georgia, about 55 miles north of there. Authorities have not said how she was killed.
Somer's 10-year-old sister told police that Somer had been in a fight with another girl at school earlier that day and that she brought up the subject while she and her brother walked Somer home from school. Somer ran off, apparently upset. The sister said she lost sight of Somer in a group of other children leaving the school, according to a police report.
Police said in October that witnesses including several children reported seeing her that day on a sidewalk in front of a vacant house that was being renovated following a fire.
At Wednesday's hearing, a judge continued Harrell's $1 million bond.
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41c68e348ed34d02be0a8717a606a3a5
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Who faces 29 counts of possessing of child pornography?
|
[
"Jarred Harrell,"
] |
NewsQA
|
To: Interested Parties From: John King Re: Monday Memo
Egyptain President Hosni Mubarak will visit the White House on Tuesday.
(CNN) -- Health care remains, without a doubt, President Obama's top priority, though the week ahead will bring more of a public focus on international and security issues.
One key dynamic to keep an eye on is the reaction among leading House Democrats to the latest indication the White House is prepared to accept a health care bill that lacks a robust "public" or government insurance option.
"Not the essential element," is how Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius described the public option to us on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.. "Very difficult," is how veteran House Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas told us when asked how hard of a sell a health care bill absent a robust public option would be in among House Democrats.
This might be a good time for Obama and former President Clinton to swap notes about 1993-94.
Out of the box on Monday in Phoenix, Arizona, Obama addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention. It's a platform to share his views on the escalation of the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan just as U.S. forces begin to quicken their pace of withdrawal from Iraq.
Back in Washington on Tuesday, a White House meeting with longtime Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will turn attention to the Middle East, where the administration and traditional Arab allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia are unhappy with the lack of discernible movement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
And Thursday's national elections in Afghanistan will keep a spotlight on the international stage and the uncertainties facing the Obama administration. It's safe to say the White House has profound worries about President Hamid Karzai's commitment to fight corruption and lead aggressively, but it's also safe to say the White House expectation is another Karzai term.
The market closed down at the end of last week because of doubts the worst was over. This week offers a few interesting tests:
• Earnings reports on tap from companies that offer key glimpses of consumer spending -- among them Home Depot, Lowe's Target and Hewlett-Packard.
• The Labor Department's Producer Price Index is released on Tuesday, along with Commerce Department figures on new housing starts.
• And the report on economic leading indicators comes Thursday morning.
And, finally, a few political notes for the week ahead:
• Fred Thompson and Bill Clinton will be lighting birthday candles on Wednesday.
• Southern governors gather in Williamsburg, Virginia, with the economy and health care topping the agenda.
• Mike Huckabee's political action committee gathers this week, through a series of house parties.
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f8336c7444dd460089298f5ed8635652
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When are Afghanistan's elections?
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[
"Thursday's"
] |
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|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Police arrested a man near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday after he drove up to one of the building's barricades with a rifle in his vehicle and told officers that he had a delivery for President Obama, a Senate spokesman said.
A man drove to the Capitol with a rifle and said he had a delivery for President Obama, police said.
Sgt. Kimberly Schneider identified the man as Alfred Brock, 64, of Winnfield, Louisiana. She said Brock was charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition.
Brock drove up to the north barricade at the Capitol late Tuesday afternoon, saying he had a delivery for the president, Schneider said.
After further questioning, he admitted he had a rifle in his truck. He was arrested and taken to police headquarters for processing, she said.
A search of his truck turned up several rounds of ammunition, Schneider said. Police also checked the area around the barricade, but found nothing hazardous.
Threats against Obama have led to arrests in previous cases.
In one, federal prosecutors concluded that three people arrested with drugs and weapons in a suburban Denver, Colorado, motel posed a "true threat" to Obama during the Democratic National Convention.
In the second, a Florida man was charged with threatening bodily harm against the then-candidate in August. He has pleaded not guilty.
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79fc88509a43444f94e6cb8ee5e05f8f
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What did Brock tell police that he had for the president?
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[
"a delivery"
] |
NewsQA
|
CRANWELL, England (CNN) -- Britain's oldest man and the oldest living veteran of World War I was celebrating his 112th birthday Friday with a party and a fly-past at an air force base.
Henry Allingham at a 90th anniversary celebration of the Royal Air Force this year.
Henry Allingham is the last surviving member of the Royal Naval Air Service, which he joined in 1915. He saw action at the Battle of Jutland off Denmark the following year, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Allingham is also the last surviving founding member of the Royal Air Force, which was created in 1918, nine months before the end of the war. He left the service a year later, the defense ministry said.
Friday's events were happening at the Royal Air Force base in Cranwell, England, about 120 miles north of London. Friends of his at the base said Allingham, who arrived in a wheelchair, was looking "fresh."
After a birthday lunch, aircraft from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, an aerial display team, planned to fly overhead, the base said. Members of the Falcons Parachute Display Team then planned to drop in and present Allingham with a birthday card from the chief of Britain's air staff.
Allingham is Britain's oldest man and the oldest surviving member of the armed forces, according to Guinness World Records.
The former aircraft engineer still travels and makes public appearances at military events and commemorations.
In July, Allingham had a private audience with Queen Elizabeth and attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace. In November, he laid a wreath in St. Omer, France -- where he was stationed during the war -- to celebrate Armistice Day, the end of World War I.
Allingham said last year that he remains active to emphasize the importance of remembering the conflict.
"I don't do these things because I enjoy doing them but to keep the memory alive of all my comrades who fought and died in the First World War," he told the Ministry of Defense.
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5289687dd2a04410a7b7b36f66b30264
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When was the Royal Air Force formed?
|
[
"1918,"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- Portugal declared three days of national mourning Monday amid fears the death toll from devastating floods and mudslides on the island of Madeira could rise above 42.
Search teams have been working to find more victims after floodwaters caused by heavy rains swamped the capital Funchal, unleashing a torrent of mud that swept away homes, roads and trees. At least 120 people were injured.
Rescuers were trying to drain a two-story undergound car park at a shopping center where many people are thought to have become trapped.
Rescuers feared were that when rains started on Saturday many people may have rushed to retrieve their cars, but ended up trapped in the car park, CNN's Portuguese affiliate, RTP state TV, reported.
Flags were flying at half staff on government buildings in Lisbon in respect of the victims. European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barroso was due there later Monday to give a news conference describing what assistance the European Union can offer to Portugal.
Madeira-born footballer Cristiano Ronaldo also paid tribute to the victims as his team Real Madrid played Villarreal on Sunday. He lifted his jersey after scoring a goal to reveal a white T-shirt with "Madeira" written on it.
Ronaldo wrote on his blog later that he was "incredulous, shocked and dismayed" by the disaster, and offered his assistance.
The mayor of Funchal, Miguel Alburquerque, has warned it was "very probable" the toll will rise.
"Our main concern is for the damaged and flooded homes, the cars buried and swept away by water, where we fear we will find new bodies," he told the Jornal de Madeira newspaper, according to Agence France-Presse.
Rescuers were still hunting for other people believed missing in the deluge as efforts to clear up got under way.
Authorities said about 250 people had been evacuated to military bases and other safe locations.
Pedro Barbosa of the Civil Protection Agency told CNN all the damage occurred in just a few hours Saturday morning due to "very concentrated, very intense" rains that sparked flooding and mudslides.
The mudslides and flooding damaged roads and homes in Funchal, and in Ribeira Brava, which are both on the southern portion of the Atlantic island.
Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, is a popular resort destination. There have been no reports of any dead or missing tourists.
Barbosa said Saturday's heavy rains were the worst in Madeira since 1993, when a storm killed eight people.
Madeira is one of the Madeira Islands, an archipelago about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) southwest of the Portuguese mainland.
CNN's Al Goodman contributed to this report.
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fd16469947da495c8624451790ef38b6
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What number of people were injured?
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[
"120"
] |
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|
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan has indefinitely blocked travel for convoys, carrying food and military supplies to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, through a key mountain pass.
Armed militants pose next to a captured armored vehicle near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
But in a statement, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan said, "We do not expect any impact on ISAF's ability to carry out operations."
The decision to suspend travel through the Khyber Pass in northwest Pakistan was taken due to security concerns, said Gula Jan, a security official in Khyber Agency, on Sunday.
The mountain pass links Pakistan to its neighbor, Afghanistan. It is in the Khyber Agency, one of seven semiautonomous tribal agencies along the Afghan border.
Because Afghanistan is landlocked, many supplies for NATO-led troops fighting Islamic militants there have to be trucked in from Pakistan. Officials said militants aligned with the Taliban and al Qaeda have carried several attacks there.
The Pakistani central government has little control in the area, and the area is believed to be a haven for militants.
On Tuesday, as many as 60 to 70 armed militants launched back-to-back assaults on convoys.
The militants seized 13 trucks -- 12 carrying wheat into Afghanistan as part of a World Food Programme convoy, and one transporting Humvees to the U.S.-led coalition, Khyber Agency officials said.
Jan said the decision to suspend travel came after local leaders met with representatives of some of the shipping firms. He said trucks will be allowed through the pass once the security situation improves, but did not specify a date.
Dozens of trucks idled by the side of roads Sunday in the Khyber Agency and in Peshawar waiting for the green light.
In its statement, ISAF said it has "multiple, robust and complementary lines of support."
It added that for security and geographical reasons, "the movements of civilian convoys destined for ISAF are coordinated with Pakistani authorities and border crossing points. The current temporary adjustments in convoy movements are as a result of this coordination."
CNN's Reza Sayah contributed to this report.
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8c4fa4c2cb0044b6a00ee66bc08f320b
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Militants seized what?
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[
"13 trucks"
] |
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|
(CNN) -- Three Palestinians, including two sick children, have died recently while waiting for resettlement from Iraq, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday.
UNHCR goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie visits the Al Waleed refugee camp in August.
About 2,000 Palestinian refugees are stranded in camps along the Syrian border and face difficult living conditions, including limited medical care, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said.
The agency has appealed for the resettlement of "vulnerable and sick" children in Al Waleed refugee camp at the Iraqi-Syrian border.
One of those who died in the camp was a 3-year-old Palestinian boy who was suffering from rickets and pneumonia. He died a few days ago in a Ramadi hospital and then was buried in Al Waleed. The other was a 14-year-old suffering from Hodgkin's disease who died in Baghdad last week.
A 50-year-old man who was waiting to be resettled died earlier this month in Al Waleed.
The agency says seven people, including three children, have died at the camp since refugees fleeing attackers began arriving at the border in March 2006.
About 30 to 40 people arrive at the Al Waleed camp each week, the UNHCR reports.
The agency has been pursuing medical resettlement.
"UNHCR has helped resettle one family of eight with several sick children from this camp to Norway last August. Another 11 medical cases submitted for resettlement are awaiting approval," the agency said, which is working to identify other medical cases.
And it is urging the resettlement of the entire group.
"UNHCR has sought solutions for the whole group since last year and has only received positive indications from Sudan and Chile," the agency said.
Thousands of Palestinians have lived in Iraq, with some going there when Israel was formed and others born there.
The UNHCR notes that some got "preferential treatment" under the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. But they have been the targets of violence since he was toppled. E-mail to a friend
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13e626d068ea4f00a7fc5278c5ea7971
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Who appeals for medical resettlement of Palestinians in Iraq camps ?
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[
"U.N. High Commissioner"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A man coolly and calmly approached the screening area outside the Pentagon Thursday evening and opened fire, grazing two Pentagon police officers before they returned fire, critically wounding him, officials said.
The incident happened at 6:40 p.m., when the man wearing a coat -- with "no real emotion in his face" -- approached the officers outside the Pentagon Metro station, said Pentagon Police Chief Richard S. Keevill.
"As the officers started to ask him for his pass to get into the Pentagon, he drew a weapon from his pocket and started shooting immediately at the officers" from a few feet away, Keevill told reporters.
"He drew a gun and just started shooting immediately."
The two Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers returned fire with their semi-automatic Glock .40-caliber weapons and the suspect, thought to be a U.S. citizen, was critically wounded, Keevill said. He praised the police officers for acting "quickly and decisively to neutralize him as a threat" without hurting anyone else.
Asked how many shots were fired, he said, "Many."
Keevill would not identify the man.
The Pentagon Force Protection Agency is the Pentagon's police department.
Pentagon entrances were locked briefly but all were reopened with the exception of the Pentagon Metro entrance, the Pentagon said in a statement.
Lisa McDonald, a spokeswoman for George Washington Hospital, said three people were being treated there -- both officers and the suspect.
The Pentagon police department, the Arlington County Police Department, U.S. Secret Service and the FBI were all involved in the investigation, Keevill said.
The Pentagon is one of the largest office buildings in the world with three times the floor space of New York's Empire State Building, according to its official Web site.
Some 23,000 military and civilian employees work there.
Are you there? Send images, video
Though it contains 17.5 miles of corridors, a person can walk between any two points in the World War II-era building in no more than seven minutes.
CNN's Mike Ahlers, Larry Shaughnessy and Jeanne Meserve contributed to this story.
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881edb886e4a411da2833a81c36560bb
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How many people are being treated at George Washington Hospital?
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[
"three"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Entertainment Weekly) -- Neither the magic of Harry Potter nor the combined star power of Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler was enough to keep a crew of wise-cracking guinea pigs from scurrying to the top of the box office this weekend.
Disney's family comedy "G-Force" made an estimated $32.2 million in its debut.
Disney's family comedy "G-Force," produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Will Arnett, and Penelope Cruz as a team of world-saving rodents, made an estimated $32.2 million in its debut.
Despite opening hot on the heels of the one-week old "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," the animation/live action hybrid pic was a hit with young audiences, pulling 55 percent of its viewers from the under-18 crowd.
But Potter's box office magic hasn't worn off just yet: The series' sixth installment landed in the number two spot its second weekend with $30 million, bringing its total to $221.8 million.
After just 12 days in theaters, 'Half-Blood' is already the fifth biggest hit of the year domestically, not to mention overseas, where the powerhouse has raked in an additional $236 million.
There was plenty for adults to enjoy at the box office, too. "The Ugly Truth," a raunchy R-rated rom-com that pits Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in a battle of the sexes, scored an impressive $27 million bow, a career best for both Heigl and director Robert Luketic ("Legally Blonde").
The weekend's other wide release, Warner Bros' creepy "Orphan" -- starring Peter Sarsgaard and Vera Farmiga -- pulled in $12.8 million from an audience that was 55 percent female.
Lower down on the chart, Fox Searchlight's "(500) Days of Summer" (at number 11 with $3 million) is still building momentum. The quirky rom-com posted a hefty $19,176 per-site average and a 95 percent increase over its debut last weekend.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
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a512dbde47d34e7cb29d4722eae158b9
|
How much money did the Disney film make?
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[
"$32.2 million"
] |
NewsQA
|
Washington (CNN) -- Greenhouse gas emissions pose a threat to public health and welfare, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said Monday.
"The overwhelming amount of scientific studies show that the threat is real," she said.
The announcement stems from a Supreme Court ruling which ordered the agency to determine the impact of carbon emissions not only on the environment, but on public health.
iReport: Share your thoughts on climate change
"These long-overdue findings cement 2009's place in history as the year when the United States government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution and seizing the opportunity of clean energy reform," Jackson said.
Immediately after the announcement, Jackson was leaving for Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate in the Copenhagen Climate Conference ahead of President Obama's appearance at the end of the week.
Her statement could provide evidence to the conference that the agency and the Obama administration are taking global warming seriously.
However, Jackson said that Monday's announcement does not require any immediate regulatory action.
The Obama administration is pushing for comprehensive energy legislation from Congress that puts a price on carbon emissions, a so-called "cap and trade" policy that uses market forces as an incentive for businesses to reduce carbon emissions.
Jackson said carbon dioxide emissions go beyond damaging the environment -- they also endanger public health.
The agency made the announcement because it is required to issue an "endangerment finding" -- evidence that carbon emissions are dangerous to the public health -- before it can regulate carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act.
The EPA said in April that it would likely make such a ruling regarding carbon emissions and public health. The agency completed a public-comment process before making the announcement.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux contributed to this report.
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b63a6a28e2dc47199879d2f1501e8e50
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What shows the greenhouse gas threat is real?
|
[
"scientific studies"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Militants who control parts of Somalia's capital city are beating women in broad daylight for violating their radical brand of Islamic law, according to local officials and witnesses in Mogadishu.
"Just today, Al-Shabaab dispatched men with whips to the streets around Bakara market and they are flogging any woman who is found not wearing socks," according to a female maize trader at the Mogadishu market, who spoke Thursday.
She did not want to be named for security reasons.
In the past two days, more than 130 people, including women who were not wearing headscarves and men chewing dried khat leaves, have been detained for violating Al-Shabaab's interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, according to witnesses and officials.
Hooded Al-Shabaab gunmen rounded up 50 women on Wednesday from Mogadishu's Bakara market for not wearing the veil that is required for women under some interpretations of Islamic law, according to the maize trader.
"Most of these women were vegetable traders, so they are poor and can't afford to buy veils for 600,000 shillings [about $23 U.S.]," she said.
She said she saw more women being detained Thursday.
Another 80 Somali civilians were detained in the southwestern town of Luuq, near the Kenyan and Ethiopian border, "because they turned deaf ear to orders we imposed on the town," said the local Al-Shabaab commander Sheikh Hussien al-Iraqi.
Al-Shabaab is considered a terrorist organization by the United States because of its ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
It has been imposing stricter rules on Somali civilians living in the areas it controls.
Earlier this month, Al-Shabaab militants whipped women for wearing bras in an area of northern Mogadishu that they control, shocking residents who have been besieged by the ongoing insurgency. The militants believe the female undergarments are a deception to men.
|
9538f257a6ed4d4a9fb6c1856b3d2f99
|
what Militant group Al-Shabaab imposes strict interpretation?
|
[
"sharia,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- The pilot who made a treacherous crash-landing on New York's Hudson River look like a routine maneuver got a hero's welcome Saturday in his California hometown.
Chesley B. Sullenberger was honored Saturday with a celebration in his hometown of Danville, California.
Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger put his US Airways jetliner down on the Hudson minutes after both engines failed, then walked the length of the drifting Airbus A320 twice to make certain that all 155 people on board got off safely.
He was greeted by several thousand cheering people gathered around the town square in Danville, California, for a celebration in his honor.
Mayor Newell Arnerich presented Sullenberger with a ceremonial key to the city, an upscale suburb near San Francisco. Sullenberger, who has avoided public comment since the January 15 incident, made very brief remarks.
He thanked the crowd for an "incredible outpouring of support."
"Circumstance determined that it was this experienced crew that was scheduled to fly on that particular flight on that particular day," Sullenberger said. "But I know I can speak for the entire crew when I tell you we were simply doing the jobs we were trained to do. Thank you." Watch Sullenberger address the crowd »
Sullenberger's wife, Lorrie, fought back tears as she spoke of her husband.
"I have always known him to be an exemplary pilot. I knew what the outcome would be that day, because I knew my husband," she said.
"Mostly for me, he's the man that makes my cup of tea every morning."
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board continue to piece together details from the double engine failure that hit the plane after it took off from New York's LaGuardia Airport for Charlotte, North Carolina.
The jet's left engine, which apparently tore away from the plane on landing impact, was raised from the bottom of the Hudson on Friday.
Sullenberger reported to air controllers that his plane had hit birds shortly before both engines shut down.
On Saturday, the NTSB said a preliminary examination of the left engine found evidence of "soft body impact damage," the same kind of damage reported on the right engine.
An NTSB spokesman said that there was no evidence of organic material such as a dead bird in the left engine but that was not surprising because the engine had been under water for a week.
Although the NTSB has not officially confirmed reports of a bird strike, the agency's findings and statements have not done anything to discount the bird-strike reports.
Both engines will be shipped to the manufacturer in Ohio, where NTSB investigators will tear them down completely for examination.
|
82593929fb3845b687dca0a673028126
|
who greet US airways pilot?
|
[
"by several thousand cheering people"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- An internationally renowned paleontologist will plead guilty to stealing dinosaur bones from federal land, his attorneys said in a court filing.
Paleontologist Nate Murphy is expected to plead guilty to stealing fossils from federal land.
Nate Murphy, whose famous finds include Leonardo, one of the best-preserved dinosaurs in the world, will make that plea in federal court in Billings, Montana.
Earlier this month, Murphy pleaded guilty to state charges of stealing a fossil from private land in order to sell it. An expert cited in that case said Murphy's find was worth between $150,000 and $400,000.
The self-taught dinosaur expert, who is director of vertebrate paleontology at the Judith River Dinosaur Institute, could face jail time.
Murphy and his attorney did not immediately respond to phone messages Friday from CNN.
Jessica Fehr, lead prosecutor in the case, said the U.S. Attorney's Office would not comment until after the plea is entered.
In court papers, federal prosecutors say Murphy knowingly took fossils from federal property between about August 2006 and August 2007. The "paleontological resources" were said to be worth at least $1,000.
In the state case, Murphy pleaded guilty to a felony charge of theft. As part of the plea, the state recommended Murphy's sentence be deferred for five years.
Douglas Erwin, president of The Paleontological Society and curator of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, said "theft of fossils from pubic lands has long been a problem."
In a written statement sent to CNN on Friday, he said such thefts "can often result in the loss of important scientific information and the disappearance of specimens that belong to the public.
"At the same time, however, fossil collecting, particularly of common invertebrate fossils, has been a pastime enjoyed by many for decades, and is an important way of connecting people with their natural heritage."
An omnibus public lands bill, which the U.S. Senate passed Thursday, includes penalties for fossil theft from public land.
|
ca0ef9868a8a4bffa1745da0c822dc08
|
Who has made major fossil finds?
|
[
"Nate Murphy"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Three Americans rescued last week from captivity in the Colombian jungle left a medical center for their homes Saturday, hoping for some time out of the spotlight as they reconnect with loved ones.
Left to right, Thomas Howes, Keith Stansell and Marc Gonsalves address reporters before flying home Saturday.
Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Thomas Howes -- hostages of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia for more than five years -- left the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
"There's family members that are waiting for us, and just imagine if you hadn't seen your family in 5½ years," Stansell said, asking the media to allow the former captives some space. "Let us go home and be family men again."
"We're going to come out and we're going to talk, but right now, what we want to do is rest," Gonsalves said.
All three were headed home to Florida, and Stansell and Howes flashed their new Florida driver's licenses before they boarded a plane.
The three men had been undergoing a reintegration process at the medical center. FARC had held the three U.S. government contractors since February 2003 after their plane went down in a remote region of the South American country.
They and former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt were among 15 hostages rescued on July 2 in a Colombian military operation. The three Americans arrived at Brooke Army Medical Center later that day.
The three Americans urged the media not to forget the hundreds of other hostages still held by FARC.
"Don't forget the people that are still there," Stansell said. "There are fellow hostages that are still there. Some have 10 years [as a hostage]," he said. "Right this minute, they're in chains, looking for food, and they're on the run. And their families haven't seen them in 10 years."
It is estimated that FARC holds some 750 hostages.
The leftist rebel group took up arms in 1964 and grew from a rag-tag band of 48 fighters to a self-styled "people's army" of more than 21,000 combatants in 2001, according to Colombian government figures.
The government now estimates the FARC fighting force has dwindled to around 8,000 after a wave of desertions.
On Saturday, the rescued Americans talked of looking forward to spending time with their relatives.
"We're going to go home now. We're going to rest, we're going to unwind for about a month and a half," Gonsalves said.
|
16cef4b727594afc85ce0ddb950094fb
|
When did the hostages leave the Texas medical center?
|
[
"Saturday,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- This year's Forbes Rich List is notable for the absence of Bill Gates at the top. After 13 years as the world's richest man, he has finally been toppled by his friend Warren Buffett who has an estimate fortune of $62bn.
The Middle East's richest man: Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud
The list -- which is a run down of the 1,125 richest people on the planet -- estimates a person's total net worth in US dollars based on the closing stock prices of the stock exchanges on which their company is listed.
The Middle East's richest man is Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud, the 51 year old Saudi who has an estimated net worth of $21bn. He ranks 19th in the list and is considered to be the most active and successful investor in the Middle East. He took his investment vehicle, Kingdom Holding, public on the Saudi stock exchange in July 2007.
The company contains investments in well-known global companies such as Citigroup and News Corp. In the early 1990s, Alwaleed made a risky bet on Citigroup that paid off massively and has in recent years accounted for nearly half his fortune.
Kuwaiti construction heir Nasser Al-Kharafi is the next richest in 46th place with an inherited fortune of $14bn. He heads M.A. Al-Kharafi & Sons, one of the largest diversified conglomerates in the Arab world.
Americana, the company's lucrative food division is extremely successful and has exclusive franchise rights in the region for Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays and other big global brands. Faiza, his sister was the first woman president of Kuwait University.
Naguib Sawiris, the eldest son of telecoms billionaire and Orascom Telecom founder Onsi Sawiris ranks next in 60th place with a net worth of $12.7bn.
In addition to Orascom Telecom, his assets -- via European holding company Weather Investments -- include Italian phone company, Wind and leading Greek telecom companies Wind Hellas and Tellas. His brother, Nassef is in 68th place, with an estimated worth of $11bn and his father Onsi who serves as chairman of Orascom comes in at 96th place with $9bn. E-mail to a friend
|
c628ea6dea334c52b8c79fb82bb0af6c
|
Who is the middle east riches man?
|
[
"Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- After 34 years of invitations, the "Boss" finally said yes to the National Football League.
Bruce Springsteen was first asked to play the Super Bowl in 1975, his bandmate says.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band headline the Super Bowl XLIII halftime show in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday.
E Street guitarist Nils Lofgren promises it will be "a very cool thing," but would only hint at what four Springsteen songs the band will play.
"One of them has to be 'Born to Run,' but he's got over 400 great songs," Lofgren said.
The song list, in fact, is subject to change "knowing Bruce, since what we do is so improvisational," he said
"We've got the best bandleader in the business and whatever we decide to do, we'll be able to do it well and I'm sure it will be a great ride," he said.
Lofgren said the NFL first asked Springsteen to play at the Super Bowl in 1975, but he declined.
"They keep offering it to him and he keeps turning them down," he said. "So, we were thrilled that he had a change of heart and decided to do it."
Springsteen is taking the E Street Band on tour a world tour beginning April 1 to support the band's latest album, which was released January 27.
The new album -- "Working on a Dream" -- sounds "very fresh and in your face," Lofgren said.
Singer-actress Jennifer Hudson will deliver the National Anthem before the start of Sunday's game, her first public performance since her mother, brother and nephew were found shot to death in October.
Faith Hill will sing "America the Beautiful" during the pregame show at Raymond James Stadium.
The 2009 Super Bowl will be broadcast February 1 in 230 countries and territories, the NFL said. More than 148 million American viewers watched the 2008 game, the NFL said.
CNN's John Lorinc contributed to this report.
|
db43fdbfca2d4e5e8cbef4980319f786
|
What did Nils Lofgren say?
|
[
"promises it will be \"a very cool thing,\" but would only hint at"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Piracy is expected to pick up in the high seas off Somalia after a lull caused by monsoon season, maritime officials warned Monday.
Suspected Somali pirates sit behind bars during the first hearing in their trial at Aden port court on July 15.
The Combined Maritime Forces urged crews to take up safety measures, including using recognized transit corridors in the Gulf of Aden and reporting to the European Union's security center before transit.
"The prior preparation and vigilance of merchant mariners at all times of day and night is more important now than ever," said Rear Admiral Caner Bener of the Combined Task Force.
International forces made up of more than 30 ships and aircraft from 16 nations will continue patrolling the waters to help fight pirates, according to officials.
"While our ability to deter and disrupt attacks has improved over time, we are constantly adapting the way we do our business as the pirates adapt and modify their tactics," Bener said.
The waters off Somalia are rife with pirate activity, despite increased measures by military forces and shipping companies to ward off attacks. Heavily armed pirates have struck the busy Indian Ocean shipping lanes and the Gulf of Aden, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. They have captured dozens of vessels and hundreds of hostages, making off with millions of dollars in ransom.
It was unclear whether a ransom was paid.
The Gulf of Aden, off northern Somalia, has the highest risk of piracy in the world.
|
4ef241f0a6a04be99dabd984bab29392
|
Where is the Gulf of Aden located?
|
[
"off northern Somalia,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(Entertainment Weekly) -- Actor Jude Law is expecting his fourth child, his spokesperson said.
Actor Jude Law's publicist confirmed he is expecting his fourth child.
In a statement released to Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, the single actor confirmed that he will once again become a father.
"Jude Law can confirm that, following a relationship last year, he has been advised that he is to be the father of a child due in the fall of this year," the statement said.
"Mr. Law is no longer in a relationship with the individual concerned but he intends to be a fully supportive part of the child's life. This is an entirely private matter and no other statements will be made."
The statement was released exclusively to Entertainment Weekly, whose site broke the story on Wednesday.
Law, 36, has three children with ex-wife Sadie Frost.
The handsome British actor known for appearing in movies such as "Cold Mountain" and "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and headlines a few years ago after an alleged fling with his children's caregiver and a broken engagement with actress Sienna Miller.
He is scheduled to appear in "Hamlet" on Broadway in October and will star opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the movie "Sherlock Holmes" slated to open Christmas Day.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
|
9e03c2b30fd9461a8e25b4a1847642b1
|
What did entertainment weekly say?
|
[
"Jude Law is expecting his fourth child,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Tests detected low levels of radioactivity on 17 U.S. Navy helicopter crew members when they returned to the USS Ronald Reagan after conducting disaster relief missions in Japan, the military said Monday.
No further contamination was detected after the crew members washed with soap and water, the Navy said.
In addition, the Navy said the U.S. 7th Fleet has temporarily repositioned its ships and planes away from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after detecting low-level contamination in the air and on its planes in the area, the Navy said.
One ship was operating about 100 miles northeast of the power plant when "airborne radioactivity" was detected, the Navy said.
The Navy's statement, however, provided some perspective, noting that the maximum potential radiation dose received by personnel when the ship passed through the area was "less than the radiation exposure received from about one month of exposure to natural background radiation from sources such as rocks, soil, and the sun."
On Sunday, the USS Ronald Reagan started delivering aid in the coastal regions of Japan's Miyagi prefecture.
Crew members, in conjunction with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Forces, conducted 20 sorties delivering aid pallets.
Eight U.S. and Japanese helicopters were used to distribute the pallets, according to Sgt. Maj. Stephen Valley of U.S. Forces Japan.
Workers are scrambling to cool down fuel rods and prevent a full meltdown in three reactors at the earthquake-hit plant. Radioactive steam has been released, intentionally to lessen growing pressure in the reactors.
|
16cea919213f4cc4a3c5cc0867b42f7a
|
How many miles away was it plant?
|
[
"100"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Texas police on Friday released a composite sketch of a man they believe broke into the homes of four former members of the same sorority, then sexually assaulted them.
No name has been given for the suspect in the alleged break-ins and attacks, which took place between November 2010 and October 2011, according to a timeline from the Plano police.
Detectives, however, do have "a definite DNA profile on the suspect" after a crime lab report, the police statement noted.
Plano police in October released a video -- dated in April -- showing a man with a distinctive swagger who they believe is responsible. Snapshots from that video were distributed Friday.
The alleged assaults occurred in the cities of Plano, Coppell and Corinth, all suburbs of Dallas.
The alleged victims -- all females in their mid-50s to mid-60s -- were alumnae of the same predominantly African-American sorority: Delta Sigma Theta, according to police.
They offered similar descriptions of their assailant as being a black male in his late 30s to mid-40s, weighing from 275 to 300 pounds and standing between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall.
"He made it obvious to our victims that he knew information ... about them personally," Plano police spokesman Andre Smith said this fall, adding that none of the women believes they knew their attacker in advance.
According to Corinth Police Capt. Greg Wilkerson, all the assaults occurred in "residential settings" between 9:15 p.m. and 4 a.m. when the victims were alone. The alleged attack in his city, 35 miles northwest of Dallas, took place on October 14.
The late-night setting, the fact the victims were often asleep and the alleged assailant's "attempts to conceal his identity" make it challenging to definitively identify the attacker, said Wilkerson.
Wilkerson said that the nature of the assaults suggest the alleged assailant was "possibly suspecting surveillance, spending some time around the areas ... prior to the attacks."
The police captain said authorities do not know how the suspect learned details of the victims, speculating it may have been over the Internet, by accessing an old directory or noticing would-be victims with Delta Sigma Theta jewelry, placards or other paraphernalia out in public.
Delta Sigma Theta President Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre this fall issued a statement urging members in the Dallas area to take precautions.
"To think that our members are being targeted is disturbing and extremely disheartening," she said.
|
5a18bca921a04dc48b80c4a058ff1842
|
What was the description of the attacker?
|
[
"black male in his late 30s to mid-40s, weighing from 275 to 300 pounds and standing between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall."
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Dozens of people died as heavy rain caused flooding and mudslides in Brazil this week, officials said Tuesday.
A mudslide early Monday in Sapucaia, Rio de Janeiro, killed at least 13 people, city officials said in a written release.
One person died in Laje do Muriae, Rio de Janeiro, city officials said.
In the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, at least people 15 died amid the rain as 116 cities have declared a state of emergency, the state-run Agencia Brasil reported.
Officials at the site of the mudslide in Sapucaia estimated Tuesday that at least nine people were still buried.
Seven cities in the metropolitan Rio de Janeiro area were under a state of emergency.
January is traditionally a month with heavy rain. A year ago, more than 800 people died because of floods in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
CNN's Shasta Darlington contributed to this report.
|
77edeed8431e40959098c37d04f7beb0
|
How many people remain buired?
|
[
"nine"
] |
NewsQA
|
Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- A U.N. maritime task force was scouring the stormy waters off the coast of northern Lebanon Friday, searching for survivors from a livestock carrier that sank the night before.
"The operation that commenced last evening continued through the night in difficult weather conditions," said a statement from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
As of 3:15 p.m. local time Friday, rescuers had found 42 survivors and four bodies, according to a release from UNIFIL. Four of the survivors were sailors who were picked up by other ships.
The Lebanese navy said there were 83 people aboard the cargo ship that was packed with sheep and other livestock.
The Panamanian-flagged carrier, the "Danny F II," sank about 12 miles off the coast of Tripoli.
The Lebanese navy sent a distress signal to UNIFIL indicating the ship had capsized Thursday night, the U.N. task force said.
"UNIFIL Maritime Task Force immediately responded to the location with three ships, the frigate 'Zeffiro' (Italy), mine hunter 'Laboe' (Germany) and supply ship 'Mosel' (Germany), that have since been engaged in the search and rescue operations in collaboration with the Lebanese Navy," Friday's statement said.
Searchers said the survivors, who are of different nationalities, received medical treatment on board UNIFIL ships before being taken ashore.
CNN's Nada Husseini contributed to this report
|
4bc746de5f244911b416f6720cd39bf3
|
How many people did the Navy say were on board?
|
[
"83"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Some legendary names in music and art are voicing their support for the Occupy movement, with a music compilation record called "Occupy This Album," the album producers say.
David Crosby, Jackson Brown, Devo, Third Eye Blind, Yo La Tengo, Lloyd Cole, The Guthrie Family and filmmaker/activist Michael Moore have signed on to the project, the producers said in a press release.
The album was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and will "provide an anthem and rallying cry for the protesters involved in the uprising," producers say.
Graham Nash, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and former member of the band Crosby, Stills and Nash has also signed on to help with the project, according to the press release.
"The Occupation movement is really the voice of the people, it's an idea that's been a long time coming. I fully support their non-violent protests against a system that is carefully crafted in favor of the rich one percent," Nash is quoted as saying.
Producers of the album say all of the proceeds will benefit the Occupy movement. 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the Occupy Wall Street General Fund. The other half of money generated will be distributed evenly among the major occupations across the country, according to Jason Samel of Music for Occupy, who is producing the album.
According to the press release, "Occupy This Album" is supposed to be released this winter.
|
81c007cb03da4afa9f0e9df3cd24c2d9
|
The album is inspired by who?
|
[
"the Occupy Wall Street movement"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Despite some high-profile bombings in recent days, Iraq's security forces are ready to take over for U.S. forces this week to stabilize the nation's major cities, the U.S. commander in Iraq told CNN on Sunday.
Except for soldiers in advisory roles, all U.S. combat troops will leave Iraqi cities and towns by June 30.
Army Gen. Ray Odierno said he's seen a "constant improvement" in both the security situation and governance in Iraq to prepare for the June 30 deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from major cities.
"They've been working for this for a long time," Odierno said on CNN's "State of the Union."
In a separate interview on "Fox News Sunday," Odierno said all U.S. troops already were out of Iraq's major cities before Tuesday's deadline.
"We have already moved out of the cities," Odierno said. "We've been slowly doing it over the last eight months. And the final units have moved out of the cities over the last several weeks." Watch CNN's Michael Ware on the U.S. withdrawal »
The shift is part of the security agreement that former President George W. Bush's administration signed with Iraq.
In the CNN interview, Odierno blamed the recent violence in Iraq on "extremist elements using the timeframe and date to gain attention to themselves and divert attention from the success of Iraqi security forces."
The 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq still will "maintain full coordination with Iraqi forces inside the cities" and continue to have intelligence capacity, Odierno said. With approval from the Iraqis, they also will carry out operations in major cities as necessary, he said.
Odierno said his goal is to help provide security that allows Iraq to hold planned national elections leading to the eventual removal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.
He said his biggest worry is a breakdown in stability such as a "consistent increase in violence" or a situation that Iraqi forces can't handle.
"I don't see that" happening, Odierno said. "I think we're on the right path."
Odierno also said Iran continues to "interfere" in Iraq, including training insurgents and paying surrogates. But he said his mission is limited to providing security within Iraq, no matter the provocation from Iran or elsewhere.
"I'm not authorized to do anything outside the borders of Iraq," he said.
Iran's government has repeatedly denied fomenting violence inside Iraq.
|
a60ab55949f64f62b6a463ba6a6d9f12
|
What does Gen. Ray Odierno see in security?
|
[
"\"constant improvement\""
] |
NewsQA
|
NEW DELHI (CNN) -- India's Tata Motors Monday announced it would begin delivery of the Nano, billed as the world's "cheapest car", in July.
Tata Motors expects to begin delivery of the Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car, in July.
The four-door Nano is currently being built in "limited numbers" at a company plant in the north Indian hill state of Uttrakhand.
Tata Motors, however, aims to make 350,000 Nanos a year from 2010 at another unit elsewhere in the country, a company statement said.
"It is to the credit of the team at Tata Motors that a car once thought impossible by the world is now a reality. I hope it will provide safe, affordable, four-wheel transportation to families who till now have not been able to own a car. We are delighted in presenting the Tata Nano to India and the world," company chief Ratan Tata told a news conference in Mumbai to announce the "commercial launch" of the $2,000 car. Watch more on the Nano »
Tata Motors said the Nano would initially be available through bookings or reservations filed on a request form priced around $6, or Rs 300. Tata will accept the bookings from April 9 to April 25.
Within 60 days of the closure of bookings, Tata Motors will process and announce the allotment of 100,000 cars in the first phase of deliveries, through a computerized random selection procedure, it added.
"Deliveries will commence from July 2009," said the company statement.
|
a9b99216d6424818a66dd908686d18a7
|
What will begin?
|
[
"delivery of the Nano,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Trading two children for a bird landed three people in jail in Louisiana, authorities say.
The biological mother, who was not involved in the alleged trade, is to be interviewed by authorities Friday. Investigators seek further details about a case that they say unfolded this way:
Paul and Brandy Romero advertised that they were selling their pet cockatoo for $1,500.
A woman named Donna Greenwell responded and said she wanted to buy the bird. Greenwell then told the Romeros that she was taking care of three children whose biological parents were going through a separation.
Greenwell proposed selling two of the couple's children to the Romeros for $2,000, saying that her job as a truck driver made it hard to take care of the children, said Capt. Keith Dupre of the Evangeline Parrish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana.
The parties allegedly negotiated a trade involving the two kids, the bird and $175.
An anonymous tipster contacted authorities after the children began living with the Romeros.
As a result, Greenwell and the Romeros were arrested February 21 and charged with aggravated kidnapping, Dupre said.
The children were well taken care of when they were with the Romeros, who badly wanted children, according to Dupre.
Greenwell said she needed the cash for a lawyer to handle adoption paperwork, authorities said.
She had placed the third child with another Louisiana couple, Dupre said, but he didn't know whether bartering was involved.
The two children were ages 4 and 5, according to CNN affiliate WGNO.
Police did not identify the biological parents, and no other information was available. The children have been placed in foster care.
-- Sean Nottingham contributed to this report.
|
cc1a5dc264c94cb886a70e29fad0db96
|
What did Donna Greenwell offer for this bird?
|
[
"two children"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Justine Henin booked her place in the third round of the Australian Open after she claimed a 7-5 7-6 (8-6) victory over fifth seed Elena Dementieva in Melbourne on Wednesday.
The Belgian, who won the tournament in 2004, came through an enthralling clash which lasted two hours 50 minutes at the Rod Laver Arena.
Henin, who is playing in her first Grand Slam event since she ended her 20-month retirement from tennis, took the first set but Russian Dementieva hit back in an enthralling second set to take a 4-2 advantage.
Wildcard Henin then broke back to take the next three games and the match went to tie-break but Dementieva was unable to take the match into a third set as Henin clinched victory with a fierce volley.
After the match Henin admitted it was exactly the kind of match which vindicated her decision to return to competitive tennis.
"It's great feeling. It's magical to win this kind of match in this kind of atmosphere," Henin told reporters in the post-match press conference.
"It was a great match. It was very emotional for me on the court at the end because there was so much intensity. To play this kind of match in the second round, for me, after two years off in a Grand Slam, it's just the kind of situation that I needed,
"The crowd gave me so much. So respectful at the end. It was a special night tonight. That's why I probably came back on the tour, was to live this kind of matches."
Blog: Belgians lead the way in Melbourne
Henin will now play another Russian in 27th seed Alisa Kleybanova with a potential quarterfinal on the horizon against compatriot Kim Clijsters who came through in straight sets - 6-3, 6-3 - against Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn.
Fellow Belgian Wickmayer continued her recent good form by knocking out Italian 12th seed Flavia Pennetta 7-6 (7-2) 6-1.
Elsewhere, third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova recorded a 6-2 6-2 victory over fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova while Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki overcome a nervy first set against Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak to win 6-4 6-2.
Seventh seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus cruised to a routine 6-2 6-0 victory over France's Stephanie Cohen-Aloro while Russian Vera Zvonareva eased past Slovakian Kristina Kucova by the same margin.
|
dfa59bc5d79d40958b5cc43b817f221e
|
Who came through in straight sets in her clash with Thai?
|
[
"Kim Clijsters"
] |
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(CNN) -- Torrential rains and flooding since June have affected 600,000 people in 16 West African nations, the United Nations reported Tuesday.
People walk in the flooded streets of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, last week.
The worst hit have been Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ghana and Niger, said Yvon Edoumou, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. So far, 159 people have died, he said. Sierra Leone has also been hard hit, according to the U.N.
Edoumou said removing water from flooded areas is a top priority, but powerful pumps are in short supply.
"Some people refused to leave their homes so they are living in floodwaters," he said.
The United Nations has not yet received reports of waterborne diseases, but Edoumou said a real threat exists of diarrhea or, worse, cholera.
The U.N. World Food Programme said Tuesday it has begun distributing food to tens of thousands of homeless flood victims.
WFP has set a goal of feeding 177,500 people, mainly in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, where 150,000 people have been affected and key infrastructure -- including a central hospital, schools, bridges and roads -- has been damaged.
The flooding in Burkina Faso is the worst in 90 years, WFP said.
Many of those in Ouagadougou most needing help were already receiving aid from WFP, but those rations were lost in the floodwaters, the U.N. reported.
"It is always the poor and vulnerable who suffer the most from floods like these as their few remaining assets are swept away, leaving them hungry and destitute," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said.
Roads and buildings have been ruined from Mauritania to Niger, the U.N. reported. In Agadez, Niger, a town about 458 miles (738 km) north of the capital, Niamey, close to 988 acres (400 hectares) of vegetable crops and hundreds of livestock were washed away.
Herve Ludovic de Lys, head of OCHA in West Africa, said natural disasters have a lasting effect that unravels years of progress against poverty.
"The situation is very worrying," he said in an OCHA statement issued Tuesday.
The rainy season in West Africa begins in June and continues through late September. In 2007, 300 people died and 800,000 were affected by the storms.
This year, fears abound that more heavy rain will fall in already waterlogged areas.
Despite the misery, Edoumou said the rains are a mixed blessing for countries dependent on agriculture. The harvest this year will be more bountiful, he said.
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7c7baeff7b8d42f3b6607423f57aea90
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what the officer said?
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[
"\"The situation is very worrying,\""
] |
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(CNN) -- Researchers have raised the alert status at Mount Redoubt, a volcano in southern Alaska, after another increase in seismic activity.
Seismic activity at Alaska's Mount Redoubt again has scientists watching for an eruption.
"Shallow earthquake activity under the volcano has been as high as 26 events per 10-minute period," officials at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said Sunday in a statement announcing that the alert level was raised to "watch" status.
Although no eruption has occurred, the scientists said the increase in seismic activity "likely represents either the upward movement of magma or pressurization of the system."
"It is possible for unrest at the volcano to change rapidly, and seismic activity or other signs of unrest could escalate culminating in an eruption within days to weeks," the statement concluded.
An increase in seismic activity at the same volcano prompted a "watch" level last Monday.
In the U.S. Geological Survey's color-coded alert levels, the orange "watch" level means the volcano "is exhibiting heightened or escalating unrest with increased potential of eruption" or that "eruption is underway with no or minor volcanic-ash emissions." The next level is red, meaning an eruption is imminent or underway.
Bill Burton, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, said since January there have been increases in seismic activity at Mount Redoubt followed by periods of quiet.
The 10,197-foot peak is about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, the most populous city in Alaska.
Mount Redoubt last erupted nearly 20 years ago, in December 1989. That eruption lasted until April 1990.
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9a3b6db2e34d4e4fbe78887e6da27efd
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Mount Redoubt is southwest of what city?
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[
"Anchorage,"
] |
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(CNN) -- The number of uprooted people across the world dropped slightly last year, but new displacement this year in conflict zones like Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka so far "has already more than offset the decline," the U.N. refugee agency said Tuesday.
Pakistani displaced battle severe winds and dust at Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar.
"Today, we are seeing a relentless series of internal conflicts that are generating millions of uprooted people," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a news release.
This is one of the main points in Global Trends, an annual report by the U.N. agency on developments regarding refugees, internally displaced people, asylum seekers and stateless people.
The number of "uprooted people worldwide" in 2008 was 42 million, a drop of about 700,000 from 2007, according to the report.
"In 2009, we have already seen substantial new displacements, namely in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Somalia," Guterres said.
"While some displacements may be short-lived, others can take years and even decades to resolve. We continue to face several longer-term internal displacement situations in places like Colombia, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. Each of these conflicts has also generated refugees who flee beyond their borders."
The number of refugees and internally displaced people who returned home in 2008 was around 2 million, a decline from 2007, the report said.
Refugee repatriation, which was 604,000, was down 17 percent. Displaced people's returns were down by 34 percent at 1.4 million people.
"Traditionally the largest durable solution for refugees, it was the second-lowest repatriation total in 15 years," the report said. "The decline in part reflects deteriorating security conditions, namely in Afghanistan and Sudan."
The report listed other statistics and trends in 2008:
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4bbde3ca6c6c4245b25603374d0b36fe
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To what did the global refugee numbers decline?
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[
"2 million,"
] |
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London, England (CNN) -- The death of a British soldier on an explosives-clearing operation in Afghanistan has pushed the British death toll there past that of the 1982 Falklands War, the Ministry of Defence announced Tuesday.
The soldier's death brings to 256 the number of British troops killed in Afghanistan since operations there began in 2001, the defense ministry said. The British death toll from the Falklands conflict was 255.
The soldier, from the 36 Engineer Regiment, died Monday from an explosion in the Nad-e-Ali district of Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province. He was part of a task force to clear roadside bombs.
"He was leading a team conducting route-clearance operations at the time, making the way ahead safe for others to follow," said Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, a spokesman for Task Force Helmand. "His indomitable courage and fortitude, the hallmark of his profession, will not be forgotten."
The Ministry of Defence did not release his name, but said his next of kin had been informed.
Two soldiers from The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed by an explosion Monday, also in Helmand Province, the defense ministry said. The deaths of those soldiers, whose names were not released, meant the total death toll matched that of the Falklands.
"Sad milestones such as this naturally attract attention in the UK, but in theater our people continue resolutely and courageously with the task of assisting Afghans to build their own future," said Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, chief of the British Defense Staff.
"We should not forget that each and every death of a member of our armed forces is a tragedy of equal proportion," British Defense Secretary Bob Ainsworth said. "Our thoughts at this time lie firmly with the families and friends of all the brave men and women fallen in Afghanistan, and we should all remember that every one of them has given their lives in defense of their -- and our -- country."
The Falkland Islands are a British territory located 670 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the coast of Argentina. Argentina has claimed sovereignty over the islands since they were occupied by the British in 1833.
Argentine troops invaded the islands in April 1982, sparking a two-month war with intense land and sea battles. Argentina surrendered June 14, having lost nearly 650 troops.
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866a0ab1f2754341b6c8535d9f7abe4a
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How many dead are in the UK?
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[
"256"
] |
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LONDON, England (CNN) -- A 47-year-old charity worker who says she has never been kissed is now a YouTube sensation after a singing performance that wowed the notoriously harsh talent judge Simon Cowell.
The YouTube video of Susan Boyle's performance has had more than 5 million hits.
Susan Boyle, from West Lothian in Scotland, appeared on the television show "Britain's Got Talent" last weekend with an inauspicious start.
Slightly plump and with short brown curly hair, Boyle stood somewhat uncomfortably in the middle of the stage wearing a gold lace sheath. She told the judges and the audience of the show that she was single, she lived with her cat, Pebbles, and she had never been kissed.
"I'm trying to be a professional singer," Boyle asserted, as the audience laughed. "I'm going to make that audience rock."
When she added that she wanted to be as famous as Elaine Paige, who's been called the "first lady of British musical theater," some members of the audience snickered and rolled their eyes.
But after Boyle sang the first few notes of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables," the audience erupted in wild cheers and applause, and two of the three judges' jaws dropped.
The applause lasted the length of her performance, which ended with the crowd on its feet.
Cowell, who also serves as a judge on "American Idol" and who's known for his stinging criticism of those he deems to have no talent, said Boyle's performance was fantastic.
"I knew the minute you walked out on that stage that we were going to hear something extraordinary," he proclaimed.
His fellow judge, Piers Morgan, said it was "the biggest surprise I have had in three years on this show."
"When you stood there, with that cheeky grin, and said, 'I want to be like Elaine Paige' everyone was laughing at you. No one is laughing now. That was stunning. An incredible performance," Morgan said, adding he was reeling from shock.
Amanda Holden, the third judge, had tears in her eyes and described Boyle's singing as "a privilege to hear."
A clip of her performance on YouTube.com has had more than 5 million hits, and many fans say they were moved to tears by the story.
Boyle said after the show that she felt "bloody fantastic."
Each of the three judges voted "yes" to Boyle's return to the actual competition round of the show. The performance this weekend came during the auditions.
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e3214fa834574dec89db24d1d2fc74f3
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Where was Boyle from?
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[
"West Lothian in Scotland,"
] |
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BARCELONA, England -- Ronaldinho has been recalled to the Barcelona squad for Tuesday's Champions League match against Rangers in Glasgow.
Ronaldinho was dropped from the Barcelona squad on Saturday for returning late from international duty.
The Brazilian was omitted from the squad that lost 3-1 to Villarreal on Saturday after returning late from international duty, but he has been named in an 18-man party for the trip to Scotland.
Barca will be without Deco for that match though, after the Portuguese suffered a thigh injury against Villarreal that will keep him sidelined for around five weeks.
Also missing are Samuel Eto'o, Yaya Toure, Gianluca Zambrotta, Edmilson and Rafael Marquez as the Catalans travel to Scotland in a battle between the two sides with 100 per cent records in Group E.
Barcelona squad: Valdes, Jorquera; Puyol, Thuram, Sylvinho, Oleguer, Abidal, Milito; Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Messi, Xavi, Giovani, Crosas; Henry, Ezquerro, Gudjohnsen, Bojan. E-mail to a friend
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13277a28739f4943a717dab40ba339e5
|
what is barca squad?
|
[
"Valdes, Jorquera; Puyol, Thuram, Sylvinho, Oleguer, Abidal, Milito; Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Messi, Xavi, Giovani, Crosas; Henry, Ezquerro, Gudjohnsen, Bojan."
] |
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(CNN) -- Rosie O'Donnell and spouse Kelli Carpenter "are working through their issues" and "nothing else will be said" about rumors the couple is splitting, according to O'Donnell's publicist.
Rumors have been swirling that Kelli Carpenter, left, and Rosie O'Donnell are splitting.
Online buzz about the Carpenter-O'Donnell marriage grew louder this week after O'Donnell did not give a clear-cut denial in a USA Today interview on Tuesday.
The former talk show host's publicist echoed her non-denial in a statement to CNN Wednesday.
"They are a family and will remain a family forever and are working through their issues," publicist Cindi Berger said in an e-mailed response. "Nothing else will be said."
O'Donnell and Carpenter were married in a private ceremony in San Francisco, California, Mayor Gavin Newsom's office in February 2004.
The city of San Francisco issued the couple a marriage license two weeks after Newsom said his mayoral responsibility not to discriminate trumped a state law banning such marriages.
O'Donnell said on her wedding day that she was inspired to make her longtime relationship with Carpenter official by "vile and vicious and hateful comments" made by President George W. Bush that week.
Then-President Bush announced that week that he would seek a Constitutional amendment to mandate that same-sex couples not be allowed to marry.
O'Donnell and Carpenter are also business partners. They started R Family Vacations, which organizes cruises tailored for gay couples.
Their family includes four children. The three oldest -- Parker, 14, Chelsea, 12 and Blake, 9 -- are adopted. Six-year-old Vivienne -- conceived through a sperm donation -- was born to Carpenter.
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d542ff7a3b584e6abdc14b4ac4e4298e
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When was O'Donnell married?
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[
"February 2004."
] |
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MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- A Russian serial murderer dubbed the "Chessboard Killer" was given the maximum sentence of life in prison Monday and ordered to undergo psychiatric therapy for a string of at least 48 murders that terrorized Moscow for years.
A Moscow jury convicted Alexander Pichushkin last week of 48 murders and three attempted murders. Pichushkin claimed he had actually committed 60 murders, though prosecutors were unable to find evidence to prove that.
Pichushkin earned the nickname "Chessboard Killer" for saying he had intended to kill one person for each of the 64 squares on a chessboard.
In ordering Pichushkin to receive compulsory psychiatric therapy, the judge said the defendant has a mental disorder but is still sane and cannot avoid responsibility for his crimes.
Throughout his trial, Pichushkin gloated over his crimes and ridiculed the police case against him.
"I was dismayed my work had been attributed to others," Pichushkin said. "In one week, I killed two people. If they hadn't caught me, I would have never stopped. Having caught me, they saved many lives." Watch video report on serial killer Alexander Pichushkin
For years until his arrest in June 2006, Pichushkin kept Moscow on edge, stalking the heavily forested Bitsa Park on the city's southern outskirts and preying on the homeless and elderly. Pichushkin claimed to have committed all but one of his murders in the park.
He lured his victims with the promise of alcohol and, after getting them drunk on vodka, he beat them to death and dumped their bodies in the park. It led Russian media to give Pichushkin his other nickname, the "Bitsa Maniac."
Over the years, Russian police recovered dozens of corpses, some with sticks and vodka bottles rammed into their skulls.
But the crucial lead came in 2005, when a woman Pichushkin worked with at a vegetable store was found dead. She had left a note at her home saying she was going for a walk with him.
Pichushkin said he had been aware of the note but killed her anyway. E-mail to a friend
CNN Correspondent Matthew Chance contributed to this report.
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e0987c05485045b38d814ffddb7839c1
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What was Alexander Pichushkin found guilty of?
|
[
"48 murders and three attempted murders."
] |
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(CNN) -- Former Olympic champion Angel Matos of Cuba faces a life ban after kicking a referee flush in the face during his taekwondo bronze medal match in Beijing.
Matos reacted in extraordinary fashion to being disqualified by Chelbat.
Matos, who took gold in Sydney in 2000, was winning 3-2, with just over a minute left in the second round, when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov.
Matos lay down, awaiting medical attention, but was then disqualified by referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden for taking too much injury time.
A furious Matos reacted by pushing a judge, then pushed and kicked Chelbat in the face.
It left the Swede with blood pouring from his lip while Matos spat on the floor and was then escorted out of the arena.
"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said World Taekwondo Federation secretary general Yang Jin-suk.
"I am at a loss for words," he told the Associated Press.
Matos' coach, Leudis Gonzalez, is also in hot water for his angry reaction and claiming the Kazakhs had tried to fix the match.
"This is an insult to the Olympic vision, an insult to the spirit of taekwondo and, in my opinion, an insult to mankind," Yang added.
Although the arena announcer said Matos and his coach were banned effective immediately, Yang said due process must be followed before officially banning the two.
It was not the only controversial moment in the four-day taekwondo competition, which was marred by several protests against judging decisions.
Earlier Saturday, China's double gold medalist Chen Zhong crashed out in the quarterfinals after initially being declared the winner.
She was fighting Britain's Sarah Stevenson, who scored with a clear head kick -- worth two points -- in the final seconds of their bout.
That would have put Stevenson ahead and into the semifinals, but the judges ruled Stevenson's kick wasn't solid enough for points, and Chen was declared the winner 1-0.
After Britain protested, the result was changed to put Stevenson in the semifinal. She lost that to jeers from the partisan Chinese crowd, but later won a bronze medal match.
It was the first time a match result has been overturned since taekwondo became an official Olympic sport.
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5addba54cd6f4de2803d506143745c3b
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where did the Matos kick referee?
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[
"face"
] |
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(CNN) -- A three-day manhunt ended when officials caught a murder suspect who escaped from a southeastern Louisiana jail with three other inmates, a police news release said.
Timothy Murray, 29, who is charged with murder, has been recaptured, authorities in Louisiana say.
Police found Timothy Murray at about 1 a.m. Sunday in a wooded stretch in the Folsom area of St. Tammany Parish, the release said.
Police returned Murray to the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington, north of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Murray, 29, is charged with murder, said Capt. George Bonnett of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office.
Three other escapees were rearrested Friday, Bonnett said.
Thursday night's escape by Murray and the three others prompted a massive search using dogs, three helicopters and more than 100 officers, Bonnett said.
Bonnett said he could not speak to how long it took to plan the escape, but that "it clearly was a situation where there appeared to be a great amount of planning and forethought."
The inmates captured Friday were Gary Slaydon, 27; Eric Buras, 30; and Jason Gainey, 27. Slaydon is charged with attempted murder, and Buras is a murder suspect. Gainey has been convicted of murder.
They were found in a wooded area about a mile from the jail, Bonnett said.
The men escaped about 9 p.m. Thursday, Bonnett said, and the escape was not discovered until a resident and Covington police reported seeing what appeared to be inmates in jail uniforms walking down a street.
About the time those calls came in, jailers were doing a routine head count and found the four men missing, Bonnett said.
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5d9d921705d14ea59c291294d14c8ec2
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How many days was the manhunt?
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[
"three-day"
] |
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(CNN) -- Pele has denied saying that Manchester City striker Robinho had taken drugs.
Pele's alleged quotes about striker Robinho (above) have caused a sensation in Brazil.
The Brazilian legend was quoted as saying that Robinho and former world footballer of the year Ronaldo used recreational drugs at a private party in Sao Paolo.
The comments have caused a sensation in Brazil, where Ronaldo is still revered and Pele's word is taken as gospel, and led to Robinho's representatives demanding an official retraction.
However, Pele insists he said no such thing. "Robinho is our son and left Santos with our supervision," he told TV Globo.
"What happened was a misunderstanding because I never said anything like that, they gave him wrong information.
"I know what the people who need to sell newspapers are like. When there's a story like this you need to ask for the recording to hear what was really said."
Pele's advisor went into further detail about the exact nature of the misunderstanding. "There's nothing to this, Pele never said that Robinho had problems with drugs," he told Terra.com.
"His answer was distorted. Pele was asked about problems in football, and said that the problems are few compared to other sports.
"He said that in football only Maradona, Ronaldo and Robinho had really had problems, but he never talked about drugs at any moment."
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6ae57057e0c24272a020d40eff3a6593
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What nationality is Pele?
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[
"Brazilian"
] |
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Iran has condemned the kidnapping of one of its diplomats in northwest Pakistan on Thursday, calling it an "act of terrorism," an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said.
Pakistani policemen inspect a bullet-riddled car of a kidnapped Iranian diplomat on Thursday.
"Pakistan should do its best to protect foreign diplomats and their residential places," the spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said, according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
At least four gunmen abducted Heshmatollah Attarzadeh near his home in Peshawar as he headed to work at the Iranian consulate, according to Pakistani police and Iranian diplomatic officials.
His bodyguard, a Pakistani police officer, was shot and killed when the two men tried to resist, a Peshawar police official said.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also "strongly condemned" the attack, and informed Iran that the government "will take all necessary measures for his safe and early recovery."
Attarzadeh is a commercial attache for the Iranian consulate in Peshawar. It is the second attack targeting a foreign worker in Peshawar in two days.
An American aid worker was shot and killed outside the Iranian consulate in Peshawar on Wednesday.
Stephen Vance worked for a non-profit foundation funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development that helped find jobs for people in Pakistan's tribal regions, according to a statement from his employer, the Cooperative Housing Foundation International.
"Stephen had fully immersed himself in the community in which he worked," the statement said. "He dressed traditionally and even sent his children to local schools."
Vance, 52, a native of California, is survived by his wife and five children -- all of whom lived with him in Peshawar -- CHF International official Bill Holbrook told CNN.
The attacks come less than three months after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying the senior U.S. diplomat in Peshawar, Lynne Tracy. She escaped unharmed.
Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province, an area rife with Islamic extremists and the site of recent clashes between security forces and militants.
In late June, Pakistan's military launched an offensive in the province -- the biggest push against extremists in the tribal region since the civilian government took power in March. Islamic militants vowed to retaliate.
Since then, militants have launched several deadly attacks.
Pakistan's new government has tried to negotiate a deal with militants as part of its efforts to bypass military might and achieve peace through talks.
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7f76f40f5a694037b6197d53bfd4e901
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Who was kidnapped?
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[
"Iranian diplomat"
] |
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(CNN) -- A jury in Arkansas convicted evangelist Tony Alamo on Friday of 10 federal counts of taking minors across state lines for sex, according to the court in the Western District in Arkansas.
Evangelist Tony Alamo was convicted of all 10 counts against him and will be sentenced later.
Authorities in September charged Alamo, the 74-year-old founder and leader of Tony Alamo Christian Ministries, and raided his 15-acre compound near Texarkana, Arkansas.
Jurors reached the verdict after more than eight hours of deliberations. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Between March 1994 and October 2005, Alamo transported five girls younger than 18 across state lines for sex, according to the indictment.
The criminal complaint included accounts from three of the girls, two of whom were 17 when the complaint was filed last year and one who was 14. All three said Alamo sexually abused them.
Alamo, whose real name is Bernie Hoffman, had denied all wrongdoing. In a phone interview last year with CNN, he called the accusations a hoax.
"They're just trying to make our church look evil ... by saying I'm a pornographer. Saying that I rape little children. ... I love children. I don't abuse them. Never have. Never will."
Asked why authorities were searching the property, Alamo compared himself to Christ.
"Why were they after Jesus," he asked. "It's the same reason. Jesus is living within me."
Alamo also has compounds in Oklahoma and New Jersey.
The Southern Poverty Law Center says Tony Alamo Christian Ministries is anti-Catholic and a cult.
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4511cdf0e96a4119bb939ff222d1b949
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Tony had how many counts against him?
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[
"10 federal"
] |
NewsQA
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HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- President Obama misinterpreted Cuban President Raúl Castro's offer to start talks with the United States, Castro's brother Fidel said Wednesday, appearing to dismiss the U.S. leader's call for Cuba to release political prisoners.
Fidel Castro appears with Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, left, and brother Raúl Castro in a photo released in June.
In an essay published in state-run newspapers Wednesday, the ailing revolutionary leader said the people Washington calls political prisoners are "in the service of a foreign power that threatens and blockades our homeland."
Fidel Castro's comments come after signs of a thaw in the decades-old impasse between the United States and the communist-ruled island to its south.
Obama lifted all restrictions on visits and money transfers between American citizens and relatives in Cuba this month, while Raúl Castro said Cuba is prepared to talk with the United States about "everything -- human rights, freedom of the press, political prisoners."
Speaking at a conference of inter-American and Caribbean leaders Sunday, Obama said the Cuban leader's declaration was "a sign of progress."
He added that the Cuban government could send a much clearer, more positive signal by releasing political prisoners or reducing fees charged on remittances Americans send to relatives in the country.
But Fidel Castro wrote Wednesday, "There is no doubt that the president misinterpreted Raúl's statements."
"When the president of Cuba said he was ready to discuss any topic with the U.S. president, he meant he was not afraid of addressing any issue," Castro wrote. "That shows his courage and confidence on the principles of the revolution."
He said Cuba would be willing to release prisoners held since a 2003 crackdown on dissidents if the United States would release five Cubans convicted of spying in 2001.
And he criticized Obama for not doing more to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba, imposed in 1962.
"Should we wait for so many years before his blockade is lifted?" Castro asked. "He did not invent it, but he embraced it just as much as the previous 10 U.S. presidents did."
Castro ceded power to his brother in 2006 before undergoing surgery for a still-undisclosed intestinal condition. But he remains head of the Communist Party, and his essay raises the question of who would be calling the shots in any talks with Washington.
"Who's in charge?" one Havana man asked Wednesday. "Raul -- ah, Fidel -- ah, Raúl."
But a woman who spoke to CNN said, "The president is Raúl. He's the one you have to listen to now."
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47743bfd21d0476d9b1d866e5cafb823
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who responded to raul castro?
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[
"President Obama"
] |
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(CNN) -- Myanmar is facing a food shortage largely due to last year's deadly Cyclone Nargis, which destroyed nearly all the rice crops in the fertile Ayeyarwaddy delta, the United Nations said Wednesday.
A young farmer ploughs a field in preparation to grow rice in Dalla, about 20 kms south of Yangon on July 9, 2008.
Rice production in the cyclone-affected areas of Ayeyarwaddy and Yangon, the largest city and former capital of Myanmar, is expected to be 50 percent of last year's, according to the report issued by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP).
Rat infestation in western's Myanmar's Chin State has also contributed to the food shortage, the report says.
"Access to food remains the critical challenge for the poorest people and for vulnerable populations in remote areas of Myanmar," Chris Kaye, WFP's representative for Myanmar, said in a written statement. "And for many of those affected by Cyclone Nargis, who are engaged in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, the limited delta harvest means they will continue to rely on assistance to meet their food needs." Watch Paul Risley of the WFP discuss the food crisis »
Although rice production is expected to be adequate this year because of strong crops in other areas of the country, access to food remains a serious challenge to Myanmar's poor, especially in the delta region, the report said.
More than 5 million people fall below the food poverty line and emergency food aid is still needed in cyclone-affected areas, the report said. The cyclone also hurt the cattle and fishing industries, contributing to the food crisis.
"Humanitarian assistance has not restored the production capacity of small to medium-sized farms," He Changchui, FAO's Asia-Pacific regional chief, said in a written statement.
"Farmers and fishers are unlikely to self-finance their needs this year, thus entering into a spiral of pauperization of the delta."
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76e30ad40e7540729a88bb39cbeac212
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What destroyed nearly all the rice crops?
|
[
"Cyclone Nargis,"
] |
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Hundreds of refugees on Wednesday blocked a main road in northwest Pakistan, to protest living conditions for some of the 1.5 million Pakistanis forced to flee their homes in the past three weeks.
The refugee situation in Pakistan could be a bigger threat than fighting with Taliban, U.N. says.
"The government has been making big promises, but none of those were ever fulfilled," said Hazrat Bilal, a protester and refugee whose family has taken up temporary residence in a primary school.
The refugees had blocked the main road in Pakistan's Mardan district since 8 a.m. Wednesday, Bilal said by telephone. The demonstrators were demanding food, water and other government services, he said.
Mardan is a main transit point for the large numbers of Pakistanis fleeing the Swat Valley, the site of fierce fighting between Taliban militants and Pakistani soldiers. The first pictures from the fighting »
The refugee crisis could pose a bigger threat to stability in Pakistan than the war itself, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres told CNN while touring a refugee camp in the nearby Swabi district last week.
The Pakistani government has been working with international aid agencies to establish camps for refugees, where tents, food, water and basic medical services are provided. But the scale and speed of the displacement -- said to be the worst since the Rwandan genocide in 1994 -- have overwhelmed aid workers, Guterres said.
"The scale of the problem is such that all our resources combined cannot cope with it. And it's very important for this population not to feel abandoned," Guterres said.
"Without massive support of the international community for the Pakistani people, this will become a very dramatic problem, and not only a humanitarian problem."
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced $110 million in humanitarian aid for Pakistani refugees. She also unveiled a system that lets Americans donate to the U.N. refugee effort, by sending a text message on mobile phone, including the word "Swat."
Meanwhile, Pakistan's military said it was continuing the assault on Taliban militants.
Pakistani forces have targeted regional Taliban commander Maulana Fazlullah and Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan, but have "no information about whether we have been successful," said the spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas.
He said 80 "terrorists" were killed Tuesday night in "intense fighting" in the town of Sultanwas, located in Buner district. One Pakistani soldier was also killed in recent fighting, Abbas said.
|
66b11a4184294a8bb2c804970c45e2ff
|
What did the un say?
|
[
"The refugee situation in Pakistan could be a bigger threat than fighting with Taliban,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LONDON, England (CNN) -- DJ and pop star Boy George has been denied a visa to enter the United States, his Web site said Tuesday.
In 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of New York to fulfill a community service sentence.
U.S. immigration authorities denied the visa because George, 48, faces trial in November in London on charges of false imprisonment relating to an April 2007 incident, according to a statement from Boy George's management, posted on his site.
"George is astounded at the decision and is having his lawyers here in the States look at it in the hope that someone will change their mind," the statement read.
Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was charged in London last November with false imprisonment following a complaint from a 28-year-old man, police said. The incident happened in East London the previous April, police said.
George is free on unconditional bail and is not barred from traveling as he awaits trial, his management said. His upcoming schedule includes a series of U.S. club dates in July and August.
George is best known as the singer of '80s pop group Culture Club, with hits including "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" He quit the band in 1987 and embarked on a short solo career before reinventing himself as a club DJ and launching a fashion label, B-Rude.
In August 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of Manhattan to fulfill a community service sentence for falsely reporting a break-in at his New York home. George's management said the denial of his U.S. visa had nothing to do with that case.
|
ee53515af9a848b3ba2fce8cdae435e6
|
George was freed on what type of bail?
|
[
"unconditional"
] |
NewsQA
|
San Francisco, California (CNN) -- Repair work on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will continue nonstop into the weekend and the bridge may reopen Monday, but officials were making no promises Friday.
"Commuters are going to need to check back with us over the weekend," said Bart Ney, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation. "We're going to do everything we can to get the bridge open for the Monday morning commute, but safety is the priority for us right now."
Repair work has not stopped since it began Tuesday night when two steel rods and a steel crossbeam plummeted from the bridge, landing on the roadway and forcing the span's closure. The same section had been the site of repairs over Labor Day weekend, when crews fixed a crack.
On Friday, workers were grinding the areas where there was the potential for steel-on-steel connection, Ney said. "We want them to be very smooth."
The rods' alignment has not been completed to the point where workers could begin stressing them, he said.
Once that work is complete, a third-party group will look at how the system handles vibrations, he said, adding, "There is still a lot of work to be done."
Transportation officials had said Thursday night that repairs of the bridge, which carried about 280,000 vehicles per day, would be complete by late Friday morning, but Ney said contractors were still working on custom-fitting steel for the structure.
Crews worked Friday to replace four steel rods. One of those had failed and caused the problems, Dale Bonner, California's secretary of business, transportation and housing told reporters Thursday. Engineers also will make sure the rods are centered and will strengthen the welds to ensure stability, Bonner said.
Vibrations in the rods, affected by strong winds, caused the break, officials said.
In the wake of the bridge's closing, commuters flocked to the Bay Area's rail system.
On Thursday, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) said, the system carried the most passengers ever, breaking a record set the day before.
About 442,000 people took BART, 24 percent more than on an average Thursday, the agency said in a news release.
|
fa1beea9103a43c7b78228cd4c030249
|
what does BART stand for
|
[
"Bay Area Rapid Transit"
] |
NewsQA
|
(EW.com) -- In response to Netflix's recently released list of the "Top 10 Movie Rentals of All Time," BitTorrent has release its own -- albeit utterly illegal -- list of the "Top 10 Most Pirated Movies" of all time.
The usual suspects were there, with "Avatar" (21 million downloads) taking top (dis?)honors, and "The Dark Knight" tying for second place with "Transformers" at 19 million downloads apiece. And, yes, of course there's a "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment on there. It's only right.
Still, there is surprisingly little overlap between the lists (only "Inception" and "The Departed"). Apparently Netflix users favor Oscar bait while Internet thieves go for tentpole popcorn movies, with the Venn Diagram overlap between those two strangely being Leonardo DiCaprio. So what other movies made the list, and which were the most head scratch-inducing? See the full list after the jump.
1. Avatar (2009)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. Transformers (2007)
4. Inception (2010)
5. The Hangover (2009)
6. Star Trek (2008)
7. Kick-Ass (2010)
8. The Departed (2006)
9. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
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© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved.
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ad913afda016406983857b7aac3885ba
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What is Avatar winning?
|
[
"\"Top 10 Most Pirated Movies\""
] |
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|
(CNN) -- Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009, beating out more than 80 other contestants during a pageant held Sunday night in Nassau, Bahamas.
Venezuelan Stefania Fernandez was named Miss Universe 2009 on Sunday night.
The 18-year-old was crowned by another Venezuelan, Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008, marking the first time that two contestants from the same country have won the title in consecutive years.
As Miss Universe, Fernandez will have the use of a New York City apartment for the year of her reign, and will receive living expenses. Other prizes include a two-year scholarship at the New York Film Academy; a vacation for two in the Bahamas; and a wardrobe, including evening wear, swimsuits and jewelry.
The competition involves swimsuit, evening gown and interview phases, which a 12-member panel judged.
Miss Dominican Republic, Ada Aimee De La Cruz, was named first runner-up and would assume Fernandez's duties if she couldn't complete her term.
|
69174b4486ac4942b878012afdaad700
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around how many contestans competed during the pageant
|
[
"80"
] |
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(CNN) -- At least 30 people died and 70 were wounded in shelling on a marketplace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu Thursday, according to journalists and emergency services.
Members of Islamist militia Al-Shaabab patrol Bakara Market in Mogadishu, Somalia, earlier this month.
A local journalist called the rocket fire on Bakara market "unprecedented."
"This was the most brutal shelling," according to an ambulance service representative who said they had picked up 61 wounded, but expect the number to climb. Other victims were being brought to hospitals by family and friends.
The source of the shelling could not immediately be determined.
Journalists saw shell fire coming from AMISOM -- the African Union Mission in Somalia -- strongholds in a fortified district of the capital and from near the airport. AMISOM is the only force in the area believed to have the firepower capable of such an intense attack. However, AMISOM denied any involvement in the incident.
The African Union has a 3,400-member peacekeeping force in Somalia, made up of troops from Burundi and Uganda. It operates under a U.N. mandate to support Somalia's transitional federal government.
The peacekeeping force is charged with protecting key government and strategic installations in Mogadishu, including the port, airport and presidential palace. It is the de facto military force of the weak, transitional Somali government.
African Union forces have been battling an al Qaeda-linked Islamist militia in Somalia called Al-Shaabab.
The United States is supporting the Somali government's fight against the insurgents, including providing weapons to government forces. Al-Shaabab is on the U.S. list of terror organizations because of its ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.
The United States is concerned that Somalia's weak government could fall to the Islamist insurgency, as it did in 2006 before Ethiopian forces ousted the militants from power in early 2007. Ethiopia invaded Somalia with the support of Somalia's weak transitional government.
Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.
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56599dd740df4767896dd21eef74d36f
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did they deny any involvement
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[
"denied"
] |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Navy released nine of the 16 suspected pirates it was holding on a ship for the last few weeks, according to defense officials.
The U.S. Navy apprehends suspected pirates February 12 in the Gulf of Arden.
The pirates were released because the Navy did not have enough evidence to hand them over to Kenya for prosecution in court, in accordance with a recent agreement between the United States and Kenya, the officials explained.
The nine were brought into Somali waters and then handed over to the Puntland coast guard. Puntland is the self-proclaimed Somali state that includes the point of the horn of Africa.
The suspected pirates were detained by the Navy after the captain of the Indian-flagged ship Premdivya broadcast a distress call to all ships in the area that it had come under attack by a small boat.
The Navy saw a small boat meeting the description given by the Premdivya, and the occupants were detained and moved to the nearby USS Vella Gulf, where they were held.
|
cddafe86fae342459f74bb63a27979a8
|
What did the navy not have?
|
[
"enough evidence to hand them over to Kenya for prosecution in court,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- New Mexico authorities have identified seven of 11 slain women whose remains were discovered several months ago in shallow graves in west Albuquerque, but have yet to identify a suspect in their killings, police told CNN on Thursday.
The bodies of Candelaria, Chavez, Elks, Marquez, Nieto, Romero and Valdez were all ID'd by New Mexico police.
A dozen victims -- 11 women and the unborn child of one of them -- were found on a 92-acre parcel west of the city in February, police said.
Albuquerque police spokesman John Walsh said Thursday that police were considering all the deaths homicides, and believe they are linked because of the proximity of where the bodies were buried and how they were buried.
"It's ... likely that the same individual committed the same crimes," he said, "But we have to leave all possibilities open."
The victims were linked through drugs and prostitution, he said.
Police identified the women as Victoria Chavez, Michelle Valdez, Veronica Romero, Cinnamon Elks, Julie Nieto, Doreen Marquez and Monica Diana Candelaria.
Walsh said authorities estimate that the killings occurred somewhere between 2001 and 2004.
"We have to leave it wide at this point," Walsh said of the time frame.
In February, a woman walking her dog on the property -- which had been graded in preparation for development -- discovered a bone, police said. The office of the medical investigator determined that it was human.
The bodies were discovered afterward.
The killings have been featured on "America's Most Wanted," Walsh said. A task force in Albuquerque has been assigned to the cases, he added.
|
f46cb1fbe42442bd82fb0d3d0c208d6f
|
Are there any suspects yet?
|
[
"to identify a"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A man in northern Idaho says he has seen a massive hand of God in his life, and he is willing to share it with the highest bidder.
Paul Grayhek says the "Hand of God" appeared in his backyard in March.
Paul Grayhek, 52, listed the rock formation he dubbed the "Hand of God Rock Wall" on the online auction Web site eBay. The highest bid was $250 early Sunday, with three days left to go in the auction.
The hand-like formation, approximately 9 feet tall and 4 feet wide, appeared in Grayhek's backyard after a rockfall during Lent on March 8, he said.
The Coeur d'Alene resident said he faced tough times after losing his job, and believed the rock was a sign.
"I prayed between licking my wounds and looking for a job," he said. "We rarely get rockfalls and this formation is 20 feet from my house. It's definitely a symbol of the hand of God in my life."
However, the winning bidder on eBay should not start clearing out his backyard. Grayhek is not planning to part with the formation.
The buyer will "basically be buying the rights, complete and exclusive rights" to the rock, including literary and movie rights, according to Grayhek.
Grayhek said he plans to use the money from the sale to pursue an unpaid internship in counseling when he graduates with a master's degree in social work in two years.
"People think I'm some holier-than-thou person trying to get rich. I'm not," Grayhek said. "The purpose is to spread the story of God and eBay is just a vehicle."
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8a221c835c9e4cfc8d99f41b1c457dab
|
What did an Idaho man do?
|
[
"listed the rock formation he dubbed the \"Hand of God Rock Wall\" on the online auction Web site eBay."
] |
NewsQA
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Power-driven wheelchairs are costing Medicare and its beneficiaries nearly four times what suppliers pay for them, and competitive bidding could have reduced those costs, according to an inspector general's report released Wednesday.
Competitive bidding would have cut costs on a standard power wheelchair by nearly $1,000, the report says.
A standard power wheelchair costs the federal health insurance program for seniors an average of $4,018 to lease, compared with $1,048 for suppliers to buy, the Department of Health and Human Services' internal watchdog reported.
"Medicare and its beneficiaries paid suppliers an average of $2,970 beyond the supplier's acquisition cost to perform an average of five services and cover general business costs," the report found.
The difference was not as dramatic for more advanced wheelchairs used for physical rehabilitation patients, but at an average lease of $11,507, those chairs still cost Medicare about twice as much as the $5,880 paid by suppliers, the report found.
More than 173,000 Medicare beneficiaries received power wheelchairs in the first half of 2007, at a cost of about $686 million, the report said. The cost could have been reduced considerably had Congress not delayed a planned system of competitive bidding for what Medicare classifies as "durable medical equipment," such as wheelchairs and oxygen tanks, the report said.
Competitive bidding would have cut Medicare's average cost of a standard power wheelchair by nearly $1,000, the inspector general found.
"Medicare and beneficiary payments under the Competitive Bidding Acquisition Program would have decreased by an average of 26 percent across all included categories of [durable medical equipment], saving up to an estimated $1 billion annually," the report found. "However, Congress delayed the program and exempted complex rehabilitation power wheelchairs from future competitive bidding."
Medicare's annual budget for 2008 was $444 billion. In January, it cut its payments to suppliers by 9.5 percent to make up for what it thought competitive bidding would have saved taxpayers, according to the report.
In July, a CNN investigation found that a patient and taxpayers were billed about $1,200 over four years for a nonmotorized chair, while a nearly identical chair could be bought from the same supplier for $349.
The issue has become controversial as the Obama administration tries to overhaul the U.S. health care system and rein in the cost of Medicare.
Administration officials want to require competitive bids for items such as wheelchairs. But the American Association for Homecare, which represents many in the durable equipment industry, said the bidding program would reduce patient choice, limit access to home medical care and drive up Medicare costs by requiring more hospital stays.
|
d21dd1bc088348909344265decd273cb
|
what will be the cost
|
[
"average of $4,018 to lease,"
] |
NewsQA
|
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Thirty-eight years ago, Joseph McGinty Nichol was a boy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, playing with toy robots.
Many of the robots in "Terminator Salvation" are real machines, which increased realism, the cast says.
Today "McG," as he is better known, builds and blows up real robots.
The prominent filmmaker is the driving force behind one of the season's summer blockbusters, "Terminator Salvation," which is filled with very expensive and very explosive robots. The choice to use real robots when possible, instead of CGI (computer generated images), was deliberate, McG said.
According to the director and the film's stars, the decision to use real machines was a testament to the growing sophistication of the moviegoing public, whom they believe can "feel" the difference between actors standing in front of a green screen versus actors interacting with the real thing.
It was also done in honor of the legendary special effects supervisor, four-time Oscar winner Stan Winston ("Jurassic Park," the other "Terminator" films), who passed away during filming last year. Watch the robots in action »
The director and three of his cast members -- Christian Bale, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anton Yelchin -- took a time out with CNN to explain why gravity and singed eyebrows both played a role in "Terminator Salvation."
Bryce Dallas Howard: That was something that was really important to McG ... when an audience member sees this film, that they can actually feel what's occurring.
I think that audiences are very savvy now. We can feel when something is CGI and that's no disrespect to CGI -- we couldn't do this movie without it -- but, whenever possible, in the tradition of Sam Winston, he wanted to build the robots. So a lot of what you see is real.
McG: And if you drop something, we've spent our whole lives watching physics in play, and if you say, just have the CGI do that, people can tell something's off, and it releases you from being involved in the picture. So, we built all the robots, we built all the sets, we blew them up for real, a great many of us lost our eyebrows!
Christian Bale: It was kind of comical at times because something that's meant to be so intimidating was actually surrounded by five guys with these kind of puppet rods I had to blank out or I would start laughing. But, the end result is something really formidable and you know, really iconic in movie history.
Anton Yelchin: Now I'm obsessed with the robots! I'm so [annoyed] that this guy or whoever it is that's in charge of it wouldn't let me have one!
|
f9e5d0d6a9564f6f83f053fcc97e0a9b
|
Who decided to use many real robots?
|
[
"Joseph McGinty Nichol"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- A car bomb exploded outside a British army base in Northern Ireland early Monday, injuring one person.
The blast went off about 12:30 a.m. (7:30 p.m. Sunday ET) outside the Palace Barracks in the Belfast neighborhood of Holywood where Britain's MI5 intelligence service has its regional headquarters.
The incident occurred just 30 minutes after police powers were transferred from London to Belfast.
According to a statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the bomb was placed in a stolen taxi which had been hijacked late Sunday in North Belfast.
The taxi driver was held by three males for almost two hours before being told to drive his silver Skoda to the base. Police added that security staff at the facility were made aware of the abandoned vehicle just before midnight and commenced evacuation procedures.
One elderly male, who was walking past the barracks at the time of the explosion, sustained minor injuries after the bomb detonated.
There was no immediate report of a claim of responsibility for the blast, though the BBC reported that the Real IRA, a republican splinter group, admitted being behind the attack.
"Clearly the people responsible for this showed absolutely no regard for human life," said local police commander, Chief Superintendent Nigel Grimshaw.
"There is no question in my mind, this was designed for one thing and one thing only -- to kill or cause serious injury to people and that's exactly what it would have done were it not for the actions of my officers and military colleagues in the Barracks and the community themselves working together.
"Thankfully we were able to evacuate people from the immediate area of the explosion.
"The people responsible for this cowardly attack refuse to accept that Northern Ireland is moving on and that peace is working here. They are callous criminals who simply want to drag everyone back to the past to suit their misguided objectives."
Recent attacks in Northern Ireland have been blamed on dissident Irish republicans who reject the 1998 Good Friday accords, which sharply reduced violence in the British-ruled province.
Northern Ireland was wracked for decades by violence between pro-British unionists and republicans who wanted Northern Ireland to join the rest of Ireland.
About 3,000 people died in the "Troubles," as the violence was known, before the tenuous peace agreement was hammered out.
There has been sporadic violence since then. A booby-trapped car exploded on January 8, severely injuring Constable Peadar Heffron. A car bomb partly exploded outside the headquarters of the Policing Board of Northern Ireland on November 21, and another under-car booby trap exploded on October 22 in east Belfast, injuring a woman, the PSNI said.
|
47bd89b7ec4a4bb085624748626190bd
|
other recent attacks were blamed on who?
|
[
"dissident Irish republicans"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Iranian opposition leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at reining in the power of the Islamic Republic's leadership, a leading reformist newspaper reported Sunday.
Mir Hossein Moussavi is reportedly seeking to form a new political party in Iran.
Moussavi told supporters the party will be focused on upholding "the remaining principles of the constitution," according to Etemad-e Melli, a newspaper aligned with fellow opposition candidate Mehdi Karrubi.
He is expected to file papers with Iran's Interior Ministry to establish the party before hard-line incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is sworn in for a new term, the newspaper reported.
The announcement comes after weeks of protests over Iran's disputed presidential election and an attempted clampdown by Iran's clerical leadership.
The clerical leadership has declared Ahmadinejad the winner of that vote. Moussavi, a former prime minister, was the leading challenger to Ahmadinejad in the June 12 balloting.
The official results showed Ahmadinejad winning with more than 62 percent of the vote. Moussavi and Karrubi have consistently rejected those results as fraudulent and demanded a new vote.
Their supporters turned out in crowds estimated in the hundreds of thousands to demand the results be overturned.
Iran's Guardian Council, which oversees the elections, has declared the official count will stand.
|
53c5645dc715457db90d5799ab55ca72
|
What sparked a mass protest?
|
[
"Iran's disputed presidential election"
] |
NewsQA
|
LA PAZ, Bolivia (CNN) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales nationalized the Chaco petroleum company Friday, taking over the BP subsidiary with the military on standby.
Bolivian leader Evo Morales speaks before parliament Thursday in the capital, La Paz.
"With this decree," Morales said in a nationally televised address from an oil field in Cochabamba, "we nationalize all the petroleum business in Chaco for all Bolivians."
Chaco is jointly owned by Pan American Energy and the Bolivian Pension Fund, each with a 50 percent stake, BP spokesman David Nicholas said from Great Britain. BP owns 60 percent of Pan American Energy, and Bridas Corp. owns the other 40 percent, Nicholas said
Nicholas declined comment on the nationalization.
"We are aware of the presidential decree but cannot comment," he said. "We support Pan America's energies with any discussions they have with the Bolivian government."
Morales wore a white safety helmet with the words "Chaco nationalized" printed on the front when he made his announcement. The Bolivian president guaranteed the petroleum workers that their jobs will be safe.
Formed in 1997, Chaco employs about 90 Bolivians, the company says on its Web site.
Chaco is dedicated to the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, BP says.
Morales decreed in 2007 and 2008 that the government should nationalize various petroleum companies.
His actions Friday came less than 48 hours before Bolivians vote Sunday on a new constitution that would give the central government more power and control.
|
9cf0150e1d964c59b1e8ab6cfcde16d4
|
What is the name of the Bolivian President?
|
[
"Evo Morales"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Two monorail trains at Walt Disney World collided early Sunday, killing a 21-year-old driver.
A 2 a.m. ET monorail crash at Disney World killed one person, a park spokesman said.
A witness said one of the trains rammed into the back of a stationary train about 2 a.m. at the resort's Ticket and Transport Center.
There were eight people on board at the time, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.
A second employee was taken to a hospital to be checked; the six guests -- members of a single family -- were evaluated by paramedics at the scene and released. Disney World officials said none of the seven was injured.
Authorities identified the driver as Austin Wuennenberg, a senior at Stetson University studying computer science.
"It's a terrible day for us," said Mike Griffin, Disney's vice president for public affairs. "Our hearts go out to Austin and his family."
A statement from Wuennenberg's family said, "He always enjoyed his work at Disney, and especially enoyed his work as a monorail pilot. He has many great friends who he has positively influenced; everyone will truly miss this dynamic young man."
The theme park is working with county authorities and the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the investigation.
"The safety of our cast and our guests is legendary and it's our top priority," Griffin said. Disney World calls its employees "cast members."
The monorail was shut after the accident, Griffin said.
Images from the scene showed the front car of a train badly damaged where it hit the other train at a station.
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0bf0d6915db7481a85b2caa246563ba2
|
When did the crash happen?
|
[
"Sunday,"
] |
NewsQA
|
(CNN) -- Actor Robert Pattinson dropped the f-bomb and singer Justin Timberlake grabbed the breasts of co-star Mila Kunis, who returned the favor by grabbing the pop singer's crotch.
And so went the 2011 edition of the MTV Movie Awards, where the outrageous and often sophomoric antics of the ceremony's featured performers tend to grab, so to speak, more attention than the awards themselves.
Between the gropes, the profanities and the off-color humor at Sunday night's 2011 version of the annual awards show, actors dispensed trophies to other actors.
"Eclipse," the third installment in the teen vampire saga "Twilight," carried the night with five awards.
That included honors for Best Picture as well as the Best Male and Female Performance awards, which went to co-stars Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. The movie also carried MTV's Best Fight and Best Kiss awards.
Meanwhile the award for best villain went to Tom Felton for his seventh outing as the churlish, bad boy wizard Draco Malfoy in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
Ellen Page claimed the dubious Best Scared-As-(expletive) Performance prize for a supporting role in "Inception," and Emma Stone took top honors in the comedy category for her role in "Easy A."
MTV gave actress Reese Witherspoon, who at 35 was likely the most senior award recipient of the bunch, a "Generation Award," in recognition of her career in movies.
However, the moment was marred or immortalized -- depending on your point of view -- by an apparent failure of impulse-control by presenter Pattinson.
Pattinson, who played Witherspoon's lover in "Water for Elephants," told the audience "I did (expletive) you," uttering a profanity broadcast over the air without a bleep.
Pattinson didn't stop there. Moments later he quipped that that Witherspoon might be "33 percent lesbian."
Witherspoon wasn't the only celebrity to get ribbed for her fictional or real-life romantic pursuits.
Awards host Jason Sudeikis told the audience that actress and singer Selena Gomez had already swallowed three of boyfriend Justin Bieber's baby teeth while kissing the teen singing star.
Bieber, by the way, won Best Jaw Dropping Moment Winner for his biopic movie, "Never Say Never."
Other awards recipients included: Chloe Grace Moretz, who took the award for Best Breakout Star Winner for her performance as a vulgar child superhero in "Kick-Ass."
|
579f4b6691d9460ebce8d2642e60b158
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who is pattison
|
[
"Actor"
] |
NewsQA
|
MARANA, Arizona (CNN) -- I've been privileged in the past to witness Tiger Woods out on a golf course. And I can tell you, it's a painful, frustrating process.
Golf fans flocked to Arizona to see Tiger make his long-awaited return to the tee.
Not because the golf he produces isn't spectacular and at times utterly dazzling but it's the sheer volume of people he attracts that help convince me each and every time golf has to be one of the worst "out on the course" spectator sports going. That's just my opinion though.
Try telling that to the legions who got themselves to Arizona this week once they heard the world's top player was making his return to the game after more than eight months.
Woods' first competitive slice of action in the best part of a year wasn't due to get under way until around lunchtime here though judging by the fans already out on the course you'd have thought his tee-time was more like 7am. Even those jostling for position to catch a glimpse of him on the range or putting green were taking no chances and ensuring they arrived in plenty of time.
Remember all of this was before he even teed off!
The scene on that first hole was as expected bustling to say the least. The small gantries were packed anyway due to the whole array of talent on show through this week, but it got even more frenzied when the Woods-Jones match- up was announced.
Mayhem to say the least! Those seated in the stands were the lucky ones, it was the unfortunate spectators trying to stand and strain every sinew to catch a glance of that first shot from the world number one I felt for.
Even us media suffered! With seconds to go before the American struck his drive, one television camera crew, which really should have known better, blatantly blocked us from getting that prized shot. Only quick last-gasp thinking from our cameraman John saved the day.
In case you were wondering that Woods drive was just majestic and he would go on to win the first two holes in fine style.
When he strode off down the first fairway, there was a stampede with those looking to brave the soaring temperatures here in Arizona and follow him every step of the way. The Woods 'wow factor' is still very much alive and kicking. The question is will the so-called bionic knee hold up in the weeks and months to come?
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865fcda9dd2743e1a017ea9bffb78ec2
|
Who has been out of the game for eight months?
|
[
"Tiger Woods"
] |
NewsQA
|
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Gunmen on motorcycles fired Friday on a campaign office for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wounding two adults and a child, according to a report by Iran's state-run news agency.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was not present at the time of the attack.
The shooting happened about 5 p.m. in front of the entrance to the campaign office, campaign representative Mohammed Reza Zahed Shaikhi told IRNA.
Ahmadinejad, who is running for a second term in office, was not present. Iran's presidential election will take place on June 12.
The attack happened in Sistan-Balochistan province in southeastern Iran, the same province where a Shia mosque was bombed Thursday. Several suspects have been arrested in connection with Thursday's attack in the town of Zahedan, which killed between 15 and 20 people, according to Iranian media reports.
No group publicly accepted responsibility for the mosque attack, but the provincial governor, Ali-Mohammad Azad, blamed a terrorist group that he said would be unveiled to the public once the suspects have been interrogated, IRNA reported.
Zahedan is about 1,100 km (700 miles) southeast of Tehran, near Iran's borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sistan-Balochistan province -- which shares a border with Pakistan -- is the site of frequent clashes involving Iranian police, drug dealers and armed groups. The province is located on a major narcotics-smuggling route between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Azad said information on the arrested terrorist group would be unveiled to the public once interrogations were complete.
"The terrorists and notorious gang planned to stir order and security in the province on the eve of (the June 12 presidential) elections, using ongoing insecurity in our eastern neighbors," he said Thursday.
Several days of mourning were reported to be under way for victims of the explosion.
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a hard-line cleric who led Friday prayers in Tehran, said there were signs that the United States and Israel were involved in the mosque bombing, IRNA reported. The cleric, who put the death toll at 25, condemned the bombing before a congregation on the Tehran University campus.
CNN's Shirzad Bozorghmehr contributed to this report.
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Who was absent?
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"President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad"
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