paragraph
stringlengths 101
4.6k
| questions
list | answers
list | questions_answers
stringlengths 40
2.61k
|
|---|---|---|---|
(CNN) -- Insurgents locked in a standoff with U.S. Marines tricked them by dressing up as women to escape, a task force spokesman said Monday.
U.S. Marines scan the site of a blast that hit a U.S. vehicle in southern Afghanistan.
Women and children had been caught in the standoff between the armed groups, but some of the women were not what they seemed, according to task force spokesman Capt. William Pelletier.
After the Marines began taking fire from insurgents in the town of Khan Neshin, in south Afghanistan near the Helmand River, the militants ran into a multiple-room compound, the U.S. military said.
Unsure of whether civilians were inside the compound, the Marines had an interpreter talk to the insurgents, said an official who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly. After some time, a number of women and children left the compound, the military official said.
The released hostages told the Marines that there were no more civilians inside the compound, Pelletier said. But the Marines held their fire anyway, the official said. About 4 p.m. (7:30 a.m. ET), in the midst of the standoff, another group of women and children emerged from the compound, the official said. The Marines continued to hold their fire and wait out the insurgents, the official said.
Finally, a screaming woman emerged from the compound with a bullet wound to her hand, Pelletier said. Then, another group of women came out, covered from head to toe according to custom, he said, with a couple of children in tow. The Marines attended to the wounded woman while the others walked away.
When the Marines went into the compound, they discovered that it empty, Pelletier said. That's when they realized the fighters had dressed up as women to escape, he said.
"Apparently these were tall, rather broad-shouldered women with hairy feet," Pelletier said.
The Marines' restrained approach differs from previous hits on compounds when airstrikes were readily called in, the official said.
Under a new tactical directive for forces in Afghanistan, some of which was unclassified Monday, forces must protect civilians soldiers and must be sensitive to Afghan cultural norms regarding women.
Pelletier said that during the standoff, "the Marines didn't have any female forces to do any searches, and they weren't going to violate cultural norms by patting down these women."
The standoff in the town of Khan Neshin was especially significant because it has been a Taliban stronghold for several years, and the U.S. military reported that the Afghan government regained control of the town Monday.
Coalition forces began talks with local leaders several days ago and have moved about 500 Marines into Khan Neshin, a U.S. military news release said. The government takeover of Khan Neshin marks the first time coalition forces have had a sustained presence so far south in the Helmand River valley, the release said.
The mission to secure Khan Neshin coincides with "establishing secure conditions" for August elections in Afghanistan, according to the release.
Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a six U.S. soldiers were killed Monday by two roadside bombs, a representative for NATO forces said. Four were killed in Kunduz province in northern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Two soldiers were killed in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Forces said.
CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
|
[
"Against whom did Marines face off against in Khan Neshin?",
"Which group claimed responsibility for attack on U.S. military vehicle?",
"What Marines surrounded compound?",
"How many U.S. soldiers were killed by roadside bomb?",
"What was the cause of the clash between marines and insurgents?"
] |
[
"insurgents",
"The Taliban",
"U.S.",
"six",
"a blast that hit a U.S. vehicle"
] |
question: Against whom did Marines face off against in Khan Neshin?, answer: insurgents | question: Which group claimed responsibility for attack on U.S. military vehicle?, answer: The Taliban | question: What Marines surrounded compound?, answer: U.S. | question: How many U.S. soldiers were killed by roadside bomb?, answer: six | question: What was the cause of the clash between marines and insurgents?, answer: a blast that hit a U.S. vehicle
|
(CNN) -- Intensifying violence, food shortages and widespread drought are driving an increasing number of Somalis to seek asylum in Yemen, the United Nations' refugee agency said Tuesday.
A man brandishes a knife while others carry old notes during a demonstration against record-high inflation.
More than 15,000 refugees have arrived in the Yemeni port city of Aden since January, compared with 7,166 people in the first four months of 2007, according to a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Many of those seeking asylum brave treacherous boat trips across the Gulf of Aden. Consequently, the number of boats landing in Aden has jumped from 60 to 361 since January while the number of fatalities has remained constant, according to UNHCR.
The agency attributed the surge to strife in Somalia, where riots continued in the capital city of Mogadishu for the second day Tuesday. According to news reports, Somali soldiers killed at least two people Monday during the protests over rising food prices. Watch protesters take to the streets »
Somali refugees pay as much as $150 to cross the Gulf of Aden in search of asylum. Because of its proximity to the war-torn country, Yemen is a common destination for Somalis fleeing economic hardship, famine and war.
Yemen is also an attractive location because Somalis receive automatic refugee status in the fellow Muslim country. New smuggling routes across the Red Sea have also led to increased numbers of refugees in Yemen, according to the UNHCR.
Refugees often die before reaching Yemen because of dangerous sea conditions and overcrowded vessels. Others die at the hands of their smugglers, who order the passengers to jump overboard when the Yemeni coast guard approaches the vessel.
Yemen's coast guard stepped up patrols of its coastline this year in an attempt to deter smugglers, according to the UNHCR, which operates shelters and reception centers for refugees in Yemen. The coast guard has also seized boats and given them Somali fishermen affected by the 2004 tsunami.
|
[
"What sea leads to Yemen?",
"What in Somalia is causing more refugees?",
"Month the refugess have been coming since?",
"What has been contributing to the increase in numbers?",
"Where have refugees gone since January?",
"Number of refugees that have come to Aden?",
"What does the agency attribute to a surging number of refugees in Yemen?",
"What is a major port city in Yemen?",
"What country did many of the refugees come from?",
"How many refugees came to Aden?",
"What is the surge of refugees to Yemen attributed to?",
"What is the number of refugees that have come to Aden?",
"Where have the refugess come to?",
"How many refugees have come to port city of Aden?",
"To what does the agency attribute a surging number of refugees?",
"How many refugees have come to Aden since January?",
"What else has contributed to increase of refugees to Yemen?",
"What kind of new routes are contributing to the increase?",
"What is also contributing to the increase?"
] |
[
"Red",
"violence, food shortages",
"January,",
"violence, food shortages and widespread drought",
"Yemeni port city of Aden",
"More than 15,000",
"violence, food shortages and widespread drought",
"Aden",
"Somalia,",
"15,000",
"Intensifying",
"More than 15,000",
"Yemen,",
"More than 15,000",
"violence, food shortages and widespread drought",
"More than 15,000",
"New smuggling routes across the Red Sea",
"smuggling",
"violence, food shortages and widespread drought"
] |
question: What sea leads to Yemen?, answer: Red | question: What in Somalia is causing more refugees?, answer: violence, food shortages | question: Month the refugess have been coming since?, answer: January, | question: What has been contributing to the increase in numbers?, answer: violence, food shortages and widespread drought | question: Where have refugees gone since January?, answer: Yemeni port city of Aden | question: Number of refugees that have come to Aden?, answer: More than 15,000 | question: What does the agency attribute to a surging number of refugees in Yemen?, answer: violence, food shortages and widespread drought | question: What is a major port city in Yemen?, answer: Aden | question: What country did many of the refugees come from?, answer: Somalia, | question: How many refugees came to Aden?, answer: 15,000 | question: What is the surge of refugees to Yemen attributed to?, answer: Intensifying | question: What is the number of refugees that have come to Aden?, answer: More than 15,000 | question: Where have the refugess come to?, answer: Yemen, | question: How many refugees have come to port city of Aden?, answer: More than 15,000 | question: To what does the agency attribute a surging number of refugees?, answer: violence, food shortages and widespread drought | question: How many refugees have come to Aden since January?, answer: More than 15,000 | question: What else has contributed to increase of refugees to Yemen?, answer: New smuggling routes across the Red Sea | question: What kind of new routes are contributing to the increase?, answer: smuggling | question: What is also contributing to the increase?, answer: violence, food shortages and widespread drought
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan are through to the semifinals of the Champions League after Wesley Sneijder's first-half free-kick gave them a 1-0 victory at CSKA Moscow, for a 2-0 aggregate win.
Dutchman Sneidjer scored the only goal of the game in the sixth minute when his low-free-kick deceived goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev after his defensive wall jumped in unison -- allowing the shot to go underneath them.
Following their 1-0 defeat at the San Siro last week, that meant the Russian champions needed to score three times to advance to the last four stage for the first time in their history.
But their mission became impossible three minutes after the interval when substitute Chidi Odiah was sent off for a late challenge on Samuel Eto'o, resulting in a second yellow card.
From then on, Italian champions Inter Milan were always in control.
Sneijder and Dejan Stankovic both had shots well saved by Akinfeev, while the goalkeeper produced a superb save to keep out Diego Milito when the Argentine international went through on goal.
The home side rarely threatened after being reduced to 10 men and Inter comfortably held on to reach the last four of the competition for the first time since 2003.
|
[
"Who scored the only goal as Inter defeat CSKA Moscow 1-0?",
"who scores only goal",
"The 2-0 aggregate victory means Inter reach the last four for first time since when?",
"who is through to the semi-finals",
"Who went to the semifinals of the Champions League?",
"who scored the only goal",
"who reached the last 4"
] |
[
"Dutchman Sneidjer",
"Dutchman Sneidjer",
"in their history.",
"Milan",
"Milan",
"Dutchman Sneidjer",
"Inter Milan"
] |
question: Who scored the only goal as Inter defeat CSKA Moscow 1-0?, answer: Dutchman Sneidjer | question: who scores only goal, answer: Dutchman Sneidjer | question: The 2-0 aggregate victory means Inter reach the last four for first time since when?, answer: in their history. | question: who is through to the semi-finals, answer: Milan | question: Who went to the semifinals of the Champions League?, answer: Milan | question: who scored the only goal, answer: Dutchman Sneidjer | question: who reached the last 4, answer: Inter Milan
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan came from behind to win for the second time in a week to keep their Italian title hopes alive with a 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Atalanta on Saturday.
Jose Mourinho's team followed up the stunning midweek victory over European champions Barcelona to move two points clear of second-placed Roma, who host Sampdoria on Sunday.
But key Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder is in doubt for the second leg of the Champions League semifinal in Spain on Wednesday after coming off at halftime with a thigh injury.
Atalanta, third from bottom with three matches to play, took a shock fifth-minute lead through Simone Tiribocchi but Inter hit back with three unanswered goals as they did against Barca.
Argentina striker Diego Milito scored his 20th Serie A goal of the season to level with a lob in the 24th minute, then Kenyan midfielder McDonald Mariga scored his first for the defending champions with a shot that deflected in off teammate Sulley Muntari.
Cristian Chivu, playing at left-back in a revamped defense due to absent Brazilian right-back Maicon's dental problems, sealed victory with 13 minutes to play with a super long-range shot to extend the Nerazzurri's unbeaten home run to 40 league games.
The Romanian was delighted after scoring his first goal for Inter following his move from Roma in 2007.
"We're pleased with the victory. It wasn't easy because we were behind, but we knew how to react," he told the club's Web site.
"It was an important goal for me and the team: for me because it hasn't been an easy period for me, and for the team because we have to keep winning until the end. Roma's game tomorrow? I won't watch it. The last time I watched Roma, they won.
"From tomorrow we will start thinking about Barcelona. It's a historic moment for us. We have to give our all."
Third-placed AC Milan crashed to a 3-1 defeat at European hopefuls Palermo in Saturday's late match, and now trail their city rivals by nine points with three matches to play.
Palermo moved above Sampdoria into fourth spot after going 2-0 up in the first 18 minutes with goals from defender Cesare Bovo and Uruguayan striker Abel Hernandez.
Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf pulled one back for the visitors 10 minutes after halftime, but striker Fabrizio Miccoli restored the Sicilians' two-goal cushion on 66.
|
[
"Who came from behind?",
"Who was second placed?",
"Who came from behind with goals?",
"Who is in doubt about Wednesday's trip to Barcelona?",
"Who was in doubt?",
"Who was in doubt on a trip?"
] |
[
"Milan",
"Roma,",
"Milan",
"Wesley Sneijder",
"Wesley Sneijder",
"Wesley Sneijder"
] |
question: Who came from behind?, answer: Milan | question: Who was second placed?, answer: Roma, | question: Who came from behind with goals?, answer: Milan | question: Who is in doubt about Wednesday's trip to Barcelona?, answer: Wesley Sneijder | question: Who was in doubt?, answer: Wesley Sneijder | question: Who was in doubt on a trip?, answer: Wesley Sneijder
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has been accused of "physical and verbal aggression" towards a journalist after Sunday's 1-1 Serie A draw at Atalanta.
The Italian Sport Union of Journalists (USSI) condemned Mourinho's alleged actions against Corriere dello Sport's Andrea Ramazzotti.
A statement from the USSI urged Inter president Massimo Moratti, and the country's governing sporting bodies to investigate.
It read: "The physical and verbal aggression of Inter coach Jose Mourinho towards our colleague Andrea Ramazzotti marks one of the lowest and alarming moments in the relations between football and sporting press.
"Mourinho was already cited, prior to the Champions League game with Rubin Kazan, for his uneducated and disrespectful tone that he used towards certain colleagues.
"This aggression marks an irresponsible and unacceptable escalation. USSI expresses not only its indignation, but a strong concern for gestures and the unspeakable behavior that only increases tensions and controversies.
"It asks president Moratti to intervene energetically so that a member of his club (Mourinho) adapts to the great tradition of civility of the club and of the Moratti family.
"It asks as well of the FIGC (Italian Football Federation) that the sporting justice panel intervenes to examine the behavior of Mourinho for eventual sanctions."
Mourinho watched Sunday's game from the stands as he served a one-match touchline ban.
Reports in Italy have claimed a heated argument took place between Mourinho and Ramazzotti outside the team bus.
Mourinho has not commented on the incident but Moratti told the club's official Web site: "For the moment I don't want to comment as I still don't have all the facts, but I'm sorry.
"I will talk to the head of the union to find out what he means by energetic action."
|
[
"What is the Inter coach accused of?",
"Where did the confrontation happen?",
"What is the name of the Inter coach?",
"What does the acronym USSI stand for?",
"What did the union condem?",
"What was Jose accused of?"
] |
[
"\"physical and verbal aggression\"",
"Atalanta.",
"Jose Mourinho",
"The Italian Sport Union of Journalists",
"Mourinho's alleged actions against Corriere dello Sport's Andrea Ramazzotti.",
"\"physical and verbal aggression\""
] |
question: What is the Inter coach accused of?, answer: "physical and verbal aggression" | question: Where did the confrontation happen?, answer: Atalanta. | question: What is the name of the Inter coach?, answer: Jose Mourinho | question: What does the acronym USSI stand for?, answer: The Italian Sport Union of Journalists | question: What did the union condem?, answer: Mourinho's alleged actions against Corriere dello Sport's Andrea Ramazzotti. | question: What was Jose accused of?, answer: "physical and verbal aggression"
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho has played down the threat posed by Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi as two of European football's giants face off in the Champions League semifinal on Tuesday night.
Messi has been in scintillating form all season, scoring all four goals in Barca's quarterfinal second leg victory over Arsenal.
The Argentine will spearhead the Barcelona attack in the first leg clash at Milan's San Siro stadium, but Mourinho sees the 22-year-old as just one part of a formidable team.
"What we know is that he is an important player but football, for me, is not about marking man to man, Mourniho told reporters at a pre-match press conference in Milan.
"It is not one against Messi and 10 versus 10, it will be 11 v 11, although he deserves special attention."
Mourinho is charged with plotting a path past the reigning European, Spanish and World Club champions who are seeking to become the first team to defend the European Cup since AC Milan in 1990.
Inter drew 0-0 at home with Barca in the group stage of this season's competition and were beaten 2-0 in Spain.
"Barca deserved to win in November," said Mourinho, who worked as a translator at Barcelona in the 1990s before becoming a manager and leading Porto to the Champions League trophy in 2004.
"They are as strong now as they were then, but we are much stronger. I don't mind if the football world considers them favorites, I think we have a 50% chance of playing in the final."
Barcelona arrived in Milan on Monday evening after being forced to travel for 14 hours by road because of the volcanic ash cloud hovering over Europe.
"It is not the ideal situation for us to travel 14 hours by coach after a league game and before a semi-final against Inter, but you cannot stop a volcano, can you?," said Barca coach Josep Guardiola.
"We decided to use two buses to have more space and I didn't travel with the players because I think it's better for them not to always have their coach with them."
Guardiola is wary of the threat posed by a side who knocked out English Premier League leaders Chelsea in the last 16 and have won the Italian league title the last four years.
"They're a very strong team and we'll need to play well twice. We'll play our game and try to score as many goals as possible," he said.
"But we could lose because we're playing against one of the best teams in Europe."
|
[
"How long did Barcelona's journey take?",
"Who are the defending champions?",
"Who arrived in Milan on Monday?",
"What does Mourinho play down?",
"Who played down the threat posed by Barcelona?",
"When did Barcelona arrive?",
"When will the semi-final take place?"
] |
[
"14 hours",
"Barcelona",
"Barcelona",
"threat posed by Barcelona superstar Lionel",
"Milan coach Jose Mourinho",
"Monday evening",
"Tuesday night."
] |
question: How long did Barcelona's journey take?, answer: 14 hours | question: Who are the defending champions?, answer: Barcelona | question: Who arrived in Milan on Monday?, answer: Barcelona | question: What does Mourinho play down?, answer: threat posed by Barcelona superstar Lionel | question: Who played down the threat posed by Barcelona?, answer: Milan coach Jose Mourinho | question: When did Barcelona arrive?, answer: Monday evening | question: When will the semi-final take place?, answer: Tuesday night.
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho will be banned for the next three Italian Serie A games following a gesture he made during Saturday's controversial 0-0 draw against Sampdoria.
League leaders Inter had two players sent off, while Sampdoria also had a man dismissed in a fiery encounter at the San Siro.
Is your boss a "Special One?"
Former Chelsea coach Mourinho was seen to cross his arms in the manner of being handcuffed -- a gesture aimed to suggest that Inter were being victimized by match officials -- after the first-half dismissals of defenders Ivan Cordoba and Walter Samuel.
Mourinho, who has also been handed a $55,000 fine for the gesture, is now bannded from the touchline for the matches against Udinese, Genoa and Catania as Inter try to hold off the challenge of a rampant Roma side at the top of the table.
To add to Inter's problems, Esteban Cambiasso and Sulley Muntari were handed two-game bans for their behavior towards match officials after the game, joining Samuel and Cordoba on the suspended list.
The controversy comes just 48 hours before Inter host Mourinho's former club Chelsea in the last 16 of the Champions League -- the first time he has come face-to-face with the Londoners since his dismissal in September 2007.
|
[
"Who is the Inter Milan Coach?",
"What was the score during the draw with Sampdoria?",
"What gesture did he make?"
] |
[
"Jose Mourinho",
"0-0",
"Jose Mourinho"
] |
question: Who is the Inter Milan Coach?, answer: Jose Mourinho | question: What was the score during the draw with Sampdoria?, answer: 0-0 | question: What gesture did he make?, answer: Jose Mourinho
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan have won the Italian Serie A title for a fifth successive season -- and the 18th time in their illustrious history -- after Diego Milito's goal gave them a 1-0 win at Siena on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho's side needed nothing less than a victory to secure the Scudetto and they achieved that feat in the 57th-minute when striker Milito collected a pass from fellow-Argentine Javier Zanetti, before firing home a shot with the outside of his right foot.
A draw would have allowed second-placed Roma to snatch the title with a win at Chievo and Claudio Ranieri's side kept up their side of the deal with a 2-0 success.
Mirko Vucinic volleyed home Daniele De Rossi's through-ball in the 39th minute and Italian international De Rossi added a second on the stroke of half-time with a superb long-range strike.
With only 45 minutes remaining of the season, Roma were in pole position to win their first title since 2001 -- but Milito's strike ensured Inter became the first team since Juventus in the 1930's to win five titles on the bounce.
The result, which condemned Siena to relegation to Serie B alongside Atalanta and Livorno, also means Inter Milan will now face Bayern Munich in next weekend's Champions League final in Madrid with both sides bidding for a unique treble.
"This is an incredible joy, a reward for all the hard work we've put in over the year," Milito told reporters. "From tomorrow we will think about that great Champions Lague final."
Like the Bavarian giants, Inter have now added the league title to their domestic cup triumph -- and Saturday's Bernabeu showdown now ensures one of the two teams will secure a rare treble of trophies this season.
For Mourinho, who has overseen Inter's last two Scudetto wins, there is the added incentive of joining a select band of coaches to have won the Champions League with two different clubs, following his success with Porto in 2004.
|
[
"How many years did he win the title?",
"Who won the Italian Serie A title?",
"Who scored the only goal?",
"What did Inter Milan win?",
"who won the Italian Serie A title for a fifth successive year ?",
"in what positon do Rome finish?",
"who scores the only goal ?"
] |
[
"18th",
"Milan",
"Diego Milito's",
"Italian Serie A title",
"Milan",
"second-placed",
"Diego Milito's"
] |
question: How many years did he win the title?, answer: 18th | question: Who won the Italian Serie A title?, answer: Milan | question: Who scored the only goal?, answer: Diego Milito's | question: What did Inter Milan win?, answer: Italian Serie A title | question: who won the Italian Serie A title for a fifth successive year ?, answer: Milan | question: in what positon do Rome finish?, answer: second-placed | question: who scores the only goal ?, answer: Diego Milito's
|
(CNN) -- Inter Milan kept their seven-point lead at the top of Serie A with a 2-0 win over Fiorentina in the San Siro in Sunday's late match in Italy.
Ibrahimovic powers home a 30-meter free-kick in stoppage time at the San Siro.
Inter showed no signs of their Champions League disappointment at Manchester United as Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck in each half.
Ibrahimovic scored the opener after 11 minutes but Inter had to survive some nervous moments against a committed away side before he sealed victory in stoppage time with a thumping free-kick.
Title rivals Juventus had won 4-1 at Bologna on Saturday evening to put the pressure on Jose Mourinho's men.
Inter's arch-rivals AC Milan also enjoyed an important win on Sunday with a 5-1 thrashing of Siena to stay third.
Veteran striker Filippo Inzaghi scored twice, including his 300th career goal in the away victory.
David Beckham, who shrugged off an injury to play, set up Inzaghi for his first goal and the side's second.
Andrea Pirlo scored the opener from the penalty spot, while Alexander Pato also netted twice, as Milan proved too strong for their opponents -- for whom Massimo Maccarone was on target.
Roma lost further ground in the race for the fourth Champions League place as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Sampdoria.
Julio Baptista gave the visitors a seventh-minute lead but Giampaolo Pazzini headed home an equalizer before the same player put the home side ahead after a mistake from goalkeeper Doni.
But Baptista leveled from the spot after Marco Padalino was penalized for fouling Max Tonetto -- the player who missed the decisive spot-kick in the midweek Champions League defeat by Arsenal.
|
[
"What nationality is Zlatan Ibrahimovic?",
"Who reached 300 career goals?",
"Who scored twice for the leaders at the San Siro?",
"What Swedish player scored two times?",
"What was the score of AC Milan versus Siena?",
"Who achieved 300 goals?",
"Who did Inter Milan defeat?",
"What number of career goals did Filippo Inzaghi reach?",
"Who defeated Fiorentina?"
] |
[
"Swedish",
"Filippo Inzaghi",
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic",
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic",
"5-1",
"Filippo Inzaghi",
"Fiorentina",
"300th",
"Milan"
] |
question: What nationality is Zlatan Ibrahimovic?, answer: Swedish | question: Who reached 300 career goals?, answer: Filippo Inzaghi | question: Who scored twice for the leaders at the San Siro?, answer: Zlatan Ibrahimovic | question: What Swedish player scored two times?, answer: Zlatan Ibrahimovic | question: What was the score of AC Milan versus Siena?, answer: 5-1 | question: Who achieved 300 goals?, answer: Filippo Inzaghi | question: Who did Inter Milan defeat?, answer: Fiorentina | question: What number of career goals did Filippo Inzaghi reach?, answer: 300th | question: Who defeated Fiorentina?, answer: Milan
|
(CNN) -- Inter extended their lead at the top of Serie A to nine points after beating AC Milan 2-1 in a thrilling San Siro derby on Sunday, dealing a fatal blow to their city rivals' Serie A title hopes in the process.
Dejan Stankovic celebrates scoring Inter's second goal in the superb 2-1 victory over city rivals AC Milan.
Jose Mourinho's side, who were the home team in the 150th league meeeting between the two Italian giants, should have taken an 18th minute lead when a fine flowing move resulted in Esteban Cambiasso crossing from the left for Dejan Stankovic to score.
However, the Serbian midfielder just delayed his shot on goal, allowing Masssimo Ambrosini to come back and produce a goal-saving challenge in the area.
Inter did eventually take the lead in the 29th minute, but the goal was shrouded in controversy. Maicon's cross from the right was met by the head of fellow-Brazilian Adriano, but the effort clearly brushed off the striker's arm before finding its way into the net.
Milan were struggling to cope with the pace of Inter's attacks and it was no surprise when the league leaders doubled their advantage two minutes before half-time.
A long free-kick out of defense was headed down by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Dejan Stankovic was on hand to crack home a superb shot on the half-volley.
Inter were inches from making it 3-0 in the 47th minute when Milan again failed to deal with a long ball. Georgian defender Kakha Kaladze slipped over when trying to deal with the danger, allowing Adriano a free run on goal. However, the striker fired just wide with Ibrahimovic unmarked in the area begging for the ball.
David Beckham had a quiet match for Milan and the England midfielder was eventually substituted in the 55th minute for Filippo Inzaghi, seemingly holding a hamstring injury.
The chances kept coming for Inter. On the hour mark the superb Ibrahimovic was denied by a brilliant reflex save from goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
However, against the run of play, Milan gave themselves hope with a 71st minute strike. Ronaldinho produced some Brazilian magic to lay a delightful ball through for Marek Jankulovski on the left -- and the Czech layed a simple pass square for Alexander Pato to find the corner of the net.
That goal brought Milan to life. Inzaghi had a shot well saved by goalkeeper Julio Cesar and the same player then headed home a Pato cross, but the linesman correctly flagged for offside.
The longer the game went on, Pato began to have more influence, and the teenager nearly levelled for Milan in the 78th minute but Cesar did well to save with his feet.
Then, in the final minute, Inzaghi again went desperately close, producing another fine save from Cesar as Inter held on for a classic and vital victory.
Meanwhile, Juve's title hopes were dealt another blow as they were held to a 1-1 home draw by Sampdoria -- meaning Claudio Ranieri's side have now won just one of their last four matches.
The visitors took a 10th minute lead when Giampaolo Pazzini was left unmarked to score from a pass from Antonio Cassano.
The home side dominated proceedings but could only score once when Amauri headed home a Sebastian Giovinco cross in the 62nd minute.
Despite plenty of chances, the hosts could not find the winning goal, with Pavel Nedved (twice) and Alessandro Del Piero hitting the woodwork.
Elsewhere, Fiorentina held on to fourth spot and the final Champions League qualifying position as they remarkably came back from 3-0 down at Genoa to snatch a 3-3 draw with Adrian Mutu's equalizer deep into injury time.
Roma, who had won 10 of their previous 13 matches, drop to sixth after they were well beaten 3-0 at Atalanta, for whom Cristiano Doni scored twice.
|
[
"Where did Juventus play to a 1-1 draw?",
"What team hopes to take another blow?",
"Who defeated AC Milan 2-1?",
"Who defeated AC Milan?"
] |
[
"San Siro",
"Inter",
"Inter",
"Inter"
] |
question: Where did Juventus play to a 1-1 draw?, answer: San Siro | question: What team hopes to take another blow?, answer: Inter | question: Who defeated AC Milan 2-1?, answer: Inter | question: Who defeated AC Milan?, answer: Inter
|
(CNN) -- Interim Honduran President Roberto Micheletti installed himself as leader of a new unity government late Thursday, a move that drew condemnation from ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya.
Making a late night public announcement, Micheletti said his entire cabinet had resigned to clear the way for a reconciliation cabinet to be named.
"This cabinet is a result of an ample participation of different sectors of civil society as well as the political parties," he said. "Tonight with this new government, we're answering the call for the unity of all people of Honduras."
He did not identify any of the new cabinet members.
Representatives for Micheletti and Zelaya signed an agreement October 30 to form a reconciliation government that would rule until a new president, to be chosen in a November 29 election, takes office in January. The deal included the possibility of Zelaya's reinstatement to the presidency, but contained no guarantee.
The pact called for the unity government to be named by Thursday. The agreement also stipulated that the nation's congress, in consultation with the supreme court and other institutions, would vote on whether Zelaya would be returned to power.
That vote did not occur Thursday.
Zelaya told local media that Micheletti's actions violated the accord, which he called "a dead letter." The reconciliation government, he said, must be led by the democratically elected president of Honduras.
"How can a person who has not been elected by anyone lead a government?" he said.
Zelaya was flown out of the country by the country's military June 28 but secretly returned to Honduras on September 21, obtaining refuge in the Brazilian Embassy.
Micheletti sent Zelaya a letter earlier this week asking him for the names of people the deposed president would like to have in the unity government. Zelaya did not answer the letter.
Micheletti said Zelaya's refusal to answer gave the interim president the right to name all the members of a new government.
"With this agreement, we have made an important step to strengthen our democracy," Micheletti said. "Despite the fact that Mister Zelaya did not send any of his representatives ... we're still looking for an opportunity for these citizens of Honduras to be integrated in the government of reconciliation."
The Organization of American States, the United Nations, the European Union and the United States condemned the coup and demanded that Zelaya be reinstated. The United States and others imposed economic sanctions, which some analysts say have started to hurt Honduras.
Many nations, including the United States, also said they would not recognize the winner of this month's presidential election if the vote is held under Micheletti's rule.
The United States seemed to shift that position after last week's accord.
Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, told CNN en Español this week that the United States would recognize the winner of this month's presidential election even if Zelaya is not returned to power beforehand. Shannon played a key role in obtaining last week's agreement.
The political crisis stemmed from Zelaya's desire to hold a referendum that could have changed the constitution to allow longer terms for the president.
The country's congress had outlawed the vote and the supreme court had ruled it illegal.
Micheletti and his supporters say Zelaya's removal was a constitutional transfer of power and not a coup.
|
[
"What kind of government was formed?",
"What did the Interim President Roberto Micheletti announce?",
"where is the unity government formed",
"What did Zelaya call last week's accord?",
"Who is the interim president?"
] |
[
"unity",
"his entire cabinet had resigned",
"Honduras.\"",
"\"a dead letter.\"",
"Roberto Micheletti"
] |
question: What kind of government was formed?, answer: unity | question: What did the Interim President Roberto Micheletti announce?, answer: his entire cabinet had resigned | question: where is the unity government formed, answer: Honduras." | question: What did Zelaya call last week's accord?, answer: "a dead letter." | question: Who is the interim president?, answer: Roberto Micheletti
|
(CNN) -- Internet attacks shut down the social networking site Twitter for about two hours on Thursday morning and caused glitches in other sites like Facebook and LiveJournal, a blogging site.
Some Twitter users expressed near-panic that the site was not working properly Thursday.
It's unclear if the attacks were coordinated against the social media sites.
Twitter says its site's blackout was caused by a "denial of service attack," which likely means a hacker used a herd of infected computers to send bad information to the site to overwhelmed it.
A post to Twitter's blog said its Web site was back online before noon ET, but the site's users still were reporting problems.
"We are continuing to defend against and recover from this attack," the message from the company says.
Facebook and other social networking sites appeared to be affected by Twitter's shut-down, too. Twitter runs applications through those sites and there was speculation that the glitches were related.
"Earlier this morning, we encountered issues within our network that resulted in a short period of degraded site experience for some visitors," said Facebook spokeswoman Kathleen Loughlin.
"No user data was at risk, and the matter is now resolved for the majority of users. We're monitoring the situation to ensure that users continue to have the fast and reliable experience they've come to expect from Facebook," she said.
Twitter's site went down around 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday and was back online by about 11:30 a.m.
It's unclear who plotted the attack against Twitter and what their motives may have been. Internet attacks sometimes hit Web sites as they become popular. Security experts say financial motives often are behind modern cyber-attacks. Watch Mashable's Adam Ostrow on the Twitter outage
Twitter -- a micro-blogging site where users post 140-character messages to their followers -- has soared in popularity in recent months. According to comScore, a Web tracking firm, the site had 44 million unique visitors in June.
Thursday's incident highlights the degree to which people depend on online social networks to feel connected to the world.
Some Twitter and Facebook users expressed near-panic that the sites were not working properly. Others reacted with ambivalence.
This is not the first time Twitter has been hit with a cyber-attack. Last month, a hacker broke into the personal Google accounts of Twitter employees, stealing personal information and company financial reports and posting them online.
In an e-mail to CNN.com, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone said that incident is not related to Thursday's security breach.
"There's no indication that this attack is related to any previous activities. We are currently the target of a denial of service attack," Stone said in the e-mail.
"Attacks such as this are malicious efforts orchestrated to disrupt and make unavailable services such as online banks, credit card payment gateways, and in this case, Twitter for intended customers or users. We are defending against this attack now and will continue to update our status blog as we defend and later investigate."
Don DeBolt, director of threat research at CA, a computer security company, said it's too early to tell who or what may be behind the Twitter attack.
But he said denial-of-service attacks target specific Web sites.
"To be effective, [these attacks] need to be focused on a Web site or a series of Web sites," he said. "It's not going to be something where malware (harmful software) is going to be deployed and then randomly attacks Web sites."
John Harrison, a researcher with Web security firm Symantec, said it is very difficult to learn the identity of the attacker, or attackers, as they could be anywhere on Earth and the infected network could span several countries.
Logging on to sites such as Twitter while they are under attack only makes the situation worse because it adds to the overloading of the system, he said.
The U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team says it's impossible for Web developers to fully
|
[
"who says attack is not related to a recent breach in Twitter security?",
"What kind of attacks hit Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal?",
"How long was Twitter down?",
"What happened Thursday morning?",
"Is it clear who caused the attacks?",
"what hit Thursday morning with denial-of-service attacks?",
"How long was Twitter shut down by the attack?",
"what The attack shut Twitter down for at least two hours?"
] |
[
"Biz Stone",
"Internet",
"two hours",
"attacks shut down the social networking site Twitter",
"unclear",
"Twitter",
"two hours",
"Internet"
] |
question: who says attack is not related to a recent breach in Twitter security?, answer: Biz Stone | question: What kind of attacks hit Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal?, answer: Internet | question: How long was Twitter down?, answer: two hours | question: What happened Thursday morning?, answer: attacks shut down the social networking site Twitter | question: Is it clear who caused the attacks?, answer: unclear | question: what hit Thursday morning with denial-of-service attacks?, answer: Twitter | question: How long was Twitter shut down by the attack?, answer: two hours | question: what The attack shut Twitter down for at least two hours?, answer: Internet
|
(CNN) -- Internet giant Google has been stopped from gathering images in Greek cities for its Street View service until it provides further guarantees about privacy.
One of Google's Street View camera cars capturing images in central London.
Launched in the U.S. two years ago, Street View provides users with access to 3-D "pedestrian's-eye" views of urban areas by zooming into the lowest level on its Google Maps and Google Earth applications.
It has since been rolled out in more than 100 cities in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Italy, Britain and the Netherlands.
The images are obtained from cars specially-fitted with cameras that drive around towns and cities taking panoramic 360 degree shots of everything from pedestrians in the street, to customers sitting in street cafes.
Despite pledging to recognize local privacy laws, Google has come under fire from privacy campaigners who fear the application could be abused by criminals or even snooping government agencies. Do you agree? Share your thoughts below
In April, a group of villagers in a picturesque English village chased away one of the search engine's camera cars as it attempted to photograph their homes. Fearing the appearance of their well appointed properties on the Web site would attract criminals scouting for burglary targets, villagers in Broughton, north of London, summoned the police after blocking the car.
A month earlier, the BBC reported that Google was forced to pull a number of images from Street View after receiving complaints about pictures that included a man entering a London sex shop, and a drunken reveler being sick at a bus stop.
The search giant has now run into trouble in Greece after being blocked by the country's privacy watchdog from expanding its service there. The Hellenic Data Protection Authority wants further clarification from Google about how long it will store images for and the measures in place to make people aware of privacy rights.
In a statement, a Google spokesperson told CNN: "Street View has not been banned in Greece. We have received a request for further information from the Greek DPA and we are happy to continue discussing these issues with them and provide information they request.
"Google takes privacy very seriously, and that's why we have put in place a number of features, including the blurring of faces and license plates, to ensure that Street View will respect local norms when it launches in Greece.
"We believe that launching Street View in Greece will offer enormous benefits to both Greek users and the people elsewhere who are interested in taking a virtual tour of some of its many tourist attractions."
|
[
"What do the residents of a UK village say it will help?",
"Who is the Greek watchdog?",
"Who wants more information about Google's privacy measures?"
] |
[
"Street View camera cars",
"The Hellenic Data Protection Authority",
"The Hellenic Data Protection Authority"
] |
question: What do the residents of a UK village say it will help?, answer: Street View camera cars | question: Who is the Greek watchdog?, answer: The Hellenic Data Protection Authority | question: Who wants more information about Google's privacy measures?, answer: The Hellenic Data Protection Authority
|
(CNN) -- Internet sensation Susan Boyle came up short, coming in second during "Britain's Got Talent" finale on Saturday.
Fans cheering on Susan Boyle react after she comes in second during "Britain's Got Talent."
Boyle was upset by winner Diversity, a 10-person dance group from Essex and East London, England, ranging in age from 12 to 25 years old. The group won 100,000 British pounds ($161,000) and will perform for Queen Elizabeth II in the Royal Variety Show.
"The best people won," Boyle said.
The dancers appeared shocked Saturday when it was announced that they had won.
The group was formed in 2007, and in the same year won the United Kingdom Dance Championships.
The group's choreographer "tries to create a dance style that is eye-catching and entertaining" and uses films such as 2007's "Transformers" for inspiration, the show's site said.
Boyle wowed the crowd Saturday night with an encore performance of the song that first made her so famous around the world -- "I Dreamed a Dream," from the musical "Les Miserables."
After her performance Saturday, the crowd and judges gave Boyle, who wore a floor-length gown, a standing ovation. Boyle finishes second »
"You had the nerve to come back here tonight, face your critics and beat them," judge Simon Cowell told her. "You did it."
Boyle had vowed to leave the television show before the finale, after a hectic week, but recanted and performed at the finale Saturday.
The 48-year-old Scottish singer wowed audiences and judges during her audition in April when she belted out "I Dreamed a Dream." Her performance earned her a string of global television appearances.
During the semifinals Sunday, she started off by missing the first note of her performance of "Memory" from the musical, "Cats." Watch Boyle's semifinal performance »
She redeemed herself to earn a standing ovation and a spot in Saturday's finale.
The global fame and the "odd bit of negative press" in the past week have been too overwhelming for her, judge Piers Morgan told CNN's "Larry King Live" on Friday.
"She's just had a pretty rough week because I think the full enormity of what has happened to her is beginning to hit home," Morgan said.
"Earlier this week, she had a lot of tears. ... At one stage, she was going to leave the show. So, fortunately, we've calmed everything down." Watch how Boyle may be feeling the pressure »
Boyle said that that she has put the tumultuous week behind her and is getting ready for the finale.
"It's all I've been thinking about," she said on the show's Web site. "I'm not going to throw away my big chance now."
"Britain's Got Talent" defended Boyle on its Web site, saying that media reports of an emotional outburst "have been taken out of context."
The unemployed charity worker has inspired millions in the face of pop music's penchant for pre-processed princesses.
Before she sang during her audition, the unassuming single woman with a loose mop of curly hair drew snickers from the audience, including notoriously hard-to-please judge Simon Cowell.
The scowls and eye-rolling were replaced by wild cheers as soon as she sang the first line.
Cowell later apologized for poking fun at her during the auditions stage.
"You are one special lady," he said last week. "You really are."
Reporters made their way to her quiet home in Blackburn, West Lothian, Scotland, much to Boyle's great surprise.
"I keep my feet firmly planted on the ground, because you have to," Boyle told CNN last month.
Asked what has been the most surprising change since her audition, she responded simply -- "The way everyone seems to have embraced me. The way they seem to
|
[
"What show is Piers Morgan a judge on?",
"What dance group won Britain's Got Talent?",
"Who is a show judge on Britain's Got Talent?",
"Who came in second?",
"What is the name of the dance group that won Britain's Got Talent?",
"How many people are in the dance group Diversity?",
"What did Diversity win?",
"Who came in second to the dance group Diversite?"
] |
[
"\"Britain's Got Talent.\"",
"Diversity,",
"Piers Morgan",
"Susan Boyle",
"Diversity,",
"10-person",
"\"Britain's Got Talent\"",
"Susan Boyle"
] |
question: What show is Piers Morgan a judge on?, answer: "Britain's Got Talent." | question: What dance group won Britain's Got Talent?, answer: Diversity, | question: Who is a show judge on Britain's Got Talent?, answer: Piers Morgan | question: Who came in second?, answer: Susan Boyle | question: What is the name of the dance group that won Britain's Got Talent?, answer: Diversity, | question: How many people are in the dance group Diversity?, answer: 10-person | question: What did Diversity win?, answer: "Britain's Got Talent" | question: Who came in second to the dance group Diversite?, answer: Susan Boyle
|
(CNN) -- Investigators are pursuing several new leads in the case of a missing 5-year-old girl in Florida, they said Tuesday.
Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, 5, who vanished a week ago, may have been abducted, police say.
The Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Monday night searched the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, who vanished a week ago. Deputies also searched surrounding neighborhoods.
Authorities said the girl may have been abducted.
Officials wouldn't release any details on the leads.
"Those leads, like I said, are as a result of doing the neighborhood canvass last night, and we will be following up on those leads today," said Capt. Steve Rose of the Putnam Sheriff's Office.
Since opening the case a week ago, authorities have received more than 1,200 tips about the missing girl, 500 of them since Monday, Putnam County Sheriff Rick Ryan said.
Tuesday afternoon, the sheriff's office announced they have changed the Amber Alert they originally put out for the little girl, saying they changed the description of the clothing.
"What we need people to focus on is the face, because we do not know at this time what the clothing was at this point," said Dominick Pape with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Rose said investigators also conducted a checkpoint in the area last night.
Ronald Cummings' girlfriend, 17-year-old Misty Croslin, told police she was watching Haleigh when she went missing sometime before dawn February 10. Watch why police now question the sitter's story »
Cummings shares his double-wide mobile home with Croslin, daughter Haleigh and a 4-year-old son in Satsuma, east of Gainesville. He has said that when he returned home at 3 a.m. ET, he was surprised to see Croslin awake and asked her why she was up.
Croslin waited until Cummings came home to phone 911 about the girl's disappearance, though it's unclear how long that wait was, authorities said. Police said last week that Croslin had tucked the girl and her brother into bed at 8 p.m. before going to sleep at 10. The girl, boy and Croslin usually sleep in the same bed.
Officials said they originally thought Haleigh may have wandered outside on her own but are now certain that she was abducted.
Investigators are looking into various angles of the case, including finding out the location of 44 registered sexual offenders who live within a 5-mile radius of the Cummings home, said Lt. Johnny Greenwood of the Putnam Sheriff's Office.
A nationwide Amber Alert said the girl was last seen wearing a pink shirt and underwear.
|
[
"Who changed the description of missing girl's clothing in Amber Alert?",
"What did the Sheriff's do?",
"where do they search",
"who won't give details",
"What is the name of the girl?",
"Who disappeared from home last week while in teenager's care?",
"What was searched?",
"what did the sheriff change to"
] |
[
"sheriff's office",
"searched the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings,",
"the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings,",
"Officials",
"Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings,",
"Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings,",
"surrounding neighborhoods.",
"description of the clothing."
] |
question: Who changed the description of missing girl's clothing in Amber Alert?, answer: sheriff's office | question: What did the Sheriff's do?, answer: searched the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, | question: where do they search, answer: the neighborhood of Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, | question: who won't give details, answer: Officials | question: What is the name of the girl?, answer: Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, | question: Who disappeared from home last week while in teenager's care?, answer: Haleigh Ann-Marie Cummings, | question: What was searched?, answer: surrounding neighborhoods. | question: what did the sheriff change to, answer: description of the clothing.
|
(CNN) -- Investigators are searching property that once belonged to one of five members of a Missouri family arrested on multiple child sexual abuse charges for "a body or bodies," the Lafayette County sheriff said Wednesday.
Sheriff Kerrick Alumbaugh said his department and other law enforcement agencies investigating the case are seeking witnesses and more possible victims.
"I believe that there is, and I believe every investigator here, after seeing the evidence, believes there's more victims," Alumbaugh said. "Pedophiles don't stop at one."
Burrell Edward Mohler Sr., 77, and his sons Burrell Edward Mohler Jr., 53; David A. Mohler, 52; Jared Leroy Mohler, 48; and Roland Neil Mohler, 47, are being held in the Lafayette County Jail with bails ranging from $30,000 to $75,000.
Six children, who are siblings, came to law enforcement authorities with stories of sexual performances, mock weddings, rape with various objects, and a forced abortion, according to court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KSHB in Kansas City.
The documents provide graphic details of the alleged abuse, provided by one of the children, whose names are being withheld. All of the charges stem from those documents, Alumbaugh said, adding that he expected additional charges based on other victim statements.
Read story from CNN affiliate KMBC
Alumbaugh said investigators were also searching several properties for glass jars that some of the victims may have buried containing notes detailing the alleged abuse.
Read story from CNN affiliate KCTV
The alleged abuse took place from the mid-1980s until 1995 and possibly beyond, the sheriff said. Additionally, he said, investigators are following other leads as well.
Read story from CNN affiliate Fox4KC.com
"There has been indications there are a body or bodies in various locations," Alumbaugh said.
Investigators have been working the case since August, he said, when the first of the now-grown children came forward.
|
[
"When did the abuse allegedly start?",
"What was the property searched in relation to?",
"What are officials searching for?",
"what does the Sheriff said about the officials?",
"At least, until when did the alleged abuse continues into?",
"What was Missouri family linked to?",
"what was the reason behind the investigators search property?",
"What did sheriff said?",
"on what year does the alleged abuse started according to the Sheriff?"
] |
[
"mid-1980s",
"\"a body or bodies,\"",
"\"a body or bodies,\"",
"are seeking witnesses and more possible victims.",
"1995 and possibly beyond,",
"multiple child sexual abuse charges",
"for \"a body or bodies,\"",
"his department and other law enforcement agencies investigating the case are seeking witnesses and more possible victims.",
"mid-1980s"
] |
question: When did the abuse allegedly start?, answer: mid-1980s | question: What was the property searched in relation to?, answer: "a body or bodies," | question: What are officials searching for?, answer: "a body or bodies," | question: what does the Sheriff said about the officials?, answer: are seeking witnesses and more possible victims. | question: At least, until when did the alleged abuse continues into?, answer: 1995 and possibly beyond, | question: What was Missouri family linked to?, answer: multiple child sexual abuse charges | question: what was the reason behind the investigators search property?, answer: for "a body or bodies," | question: What did sheriff said?, answer: his department and other law enforcement agencies investigating the case are seeking witnesses and more possible victims. | question: on what year does the alleged abuse started according to the Sheriff?, answer: mid-1980s
|
(CNN) -- Investigators continued their search Tuesday for a 7-year-old girl who was reported missing after her mother was found dead in Oklahoma.
"We've got to find that little girl," Special Agent Ray Homer of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said. "We're doing what we can."
The girl -- Aja Daniell Johnson -- was reported missing from Geronimo, Oklahoma, late Sunday, the bureau said. Her 37-year-old mother, Tonya Hobbs, was found dead inside a parked RV.
They also are trying to find the dead woman's estranged husband, Lester William Hobbs, 46, the bureau has said. Lester Hobbs and Aja are presumed to be in Hobbs' car -- a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag No. 577-BPW, police said.
Police were looking for Hobbs and Aja in Oklahoma and Texas.
Authorities were working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children on Tuesday to set up a toll-free phone line and put Aja's photo on a Web site of missing children, Homer said.
They have had no communication with Lester Hobbs or anyone else that would indicate Aja's location, he said.
Tonya Hobbs and her daughter visited Lester Hobbs at his sister's home, the bureau said. Lester Hobbs is not Aja's biological father, police said.
Texas authorities also issued an Amber Alert, Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lisa Block said. Authorities believe Hobbs has connections to Rockport, Texas, and the alert was issued preemptively, she said.
Tonya Hobbs and her daughter were last seen Saturday night. Authorities did not say how Hobbs died, but the bureau said investigators believe someone killed her.
The RV belonged to Lester Hobbs and was parked at his relatives' home, Richard Goss, agent in charge of the bureau's Lawton, Oklahoma, office, told reporters.
Hobbs' relatives became suspicious Sunday after they did not see Tonya Hobbs or Aja. One of them pried open the RV door and discovered Tonya Hobbs' body, he said. Lester Hobbs and Aja were gone, Goss said.
The Hobbses were separated, but apparently Tonya Hobbs was visiting Lester Hobbs in an attempt to reconcile, Goss said. The couple had been together for about five years.
The Comanche County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's Office said Aja has a medical condition that requires medication.
"Our main concern at this time is to find the little girl," Comanche County Sheriff Kenny Stradley told reporters. "We know that she does need some medication," and authorities were checking leads regarding that, he said. He did not specify Aja's medical condition.
Goss said Lester Hobbs has an extensive criminal history, but did not elaborate. The sheriff's office said he had prior felony convictions.
Lester Hobbs was supposed to appear in court in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, on a DUI charge, Goss said, and did not appear, so a warrant has been issued for him.
Aja's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City. At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with Aja and keep the girl away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.
Aja is 4 feet tall and weighs 59 pounds, Goss said. She has brown eyes, and her hair is brown with the ends dyed black.
Lester Hobbs is about 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The agency released a picture of him and said he has a mustache but no longer has a goatee.
Geronimo is about 12 miles south of Lawton, Oklahoma, in the south-central part of the state.
|
[
"what did the sheriff's office say about the girl's medical condition",
"where was the girl's mother found",
"Who do authorities think man has connections with?",
"What was the man travelling in?",
"what vehicle are the girl and man traveling in",
"who is sought for questioning?",
"Who was found dead?",
"where was the girls mother found dead?"
] |
[
"requires medication.",
"Oklahoma.",
"Rockport, Texas,",
"white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag No. 577-BPW,",
"a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag No. 577-BPW,",
"Lester William Hobbs,",
"Tonya Hobbs,",
"inside a parked RV."
] |
question: what did the sheriff's office say about the girl's medical condition, answer: requires medication. | question: where was the girl's mother found, answer: Oklahoma. | question: Who do authorities think man has connections with?, answer: Rockport, Texas, | question: What was the man travelling in?, answer: white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag No. 577-BPW, | question: what vehicle are the girl and man traveling in, answer: a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag No. 577-BPW, | question: who is sought for questioning?, answer: Lester William Hobbs, | question: Who was found dead?, answer: Tonya Hobbs, | question: where was the girls mother found dead?, answer: inside a parked RV.
|
(CNN) -- Investigators discovered four more bodies Tuesday at the Cleveland, Ohio, home of a convicted rapist -- making a total of 10 since last week, Police Chief Michael McGrath said Tuesday.
Authorities on Tuesday charged Anthony Sowell with five counts of aggravated murder after unearthing the bodies of women at his home last week, police said.
Sowell, 50, also was charged with rape, felonious assault and kidnapping, police said. His arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
Police arrested Sowell on Saturday, two days after discovering the decomposing bodies of five females inside his home and another woman's body outside the house.
Earlier Tuesday, a source close to the investigation had told CNN that a seventh body had been found in the home. The source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, did not reveal the gender of the seventh body found at Sowell's home. The source did not say exactly where the body was found at the residence.
Authorities found the first two bodies last week while trying to serve an arrest and search warrant on Sowell related to a sexual assault investigation, and an intensive search began. Sowell was not home at the time; officers found him after a tipster told them of his whereabouts.
The decomposing bodies of the first six women, all of whom were African-American, could have been lying where they were found for "weeks, if not months or years," Cuyahoga County Coroner Frank Miller III told CNN on Saturday.
All six deaths were ruled homicides, Lt. Thomas Stacho of the Cleveland Police Department said Monday, with five of the deaths due to strangulation.
About a month ago, a woman accused Sowell of rape and felonious assault, Stacho noted last week. Investigators obtained the warrants that set off the search after the "cooperation of the victim," he said.
Officers serving the warrants Thursday discovered the badly decomposed remains of two bodies on the third floor of the house, he added. A subsequent search revealed what appeared to be a freshly dug grave under the stairs in the basement. On Friday, investigators returned to the house, dug up the grave and found a third body, Stacho said.
A further search of the house and property found two more bodies in a crawl space and a sixth body in a shallow grave outside the home.
Five different burial methods were used on the victims, and the bodies were in varying states of decomposition, said Miller, which made it difficult to determine the ages of the victims.
Stacho said Sowell makes his living as a "scrapper."
"He walks around and picks up scrap metal and takes it to junk yards to make a few pennies," he said.
Sowell was convicted of a 1989 rape and was imprisoned from 1990 to 2005, Stacho said.
CNN's Karan Olson contributed to this report.
|
[
"Where were the bodies found?",
"How many bodies have been found?",
"What is he charged with?",
"How many more bodies were unearthed?",
"Who killed them?",
"What is the total number of bodies found?",
"Where are the bodies located at?",
"What total of bodies was there?",
"How long could the bodies have been there for?"
] |
[
"Cleveland, Ohio, home of a convicted",
"10",
"five counts of aggravated murder",
"four",
"charged Anthony Sowell with five counts of aggravated murder",
"10",
"Cleveland, Ohio,",
"10",
"\"weeks, if not months or years,\""
] |
question: Where were the bodies found?, answer: Cleveland, Ohio, home of a convicted | question: How many bodies have been found?, answer: 10 | question: What is he charged with?, answer: five counts of aggravated murder | question: How many more bodies were unearthed?, answer: four | question: Who killed them?, answer: charged Anthony Sowell with five counts of aggravated murder | question: What is the total number of bodies found?, answer: 10 | question: Where are the bodies located at?, answer: Cleveland, Ohio, | question: What total of bodies was there?, answer: 10 | question: How long could the bodies have been there for?, answer: "weeks, if not months or years,"
|
(CNN) -- Investigators expanded their search into Texas Monday for a 7-year-old girl who was reported missing after her mother was found dead in Oklahoma Sunday night.
Authorities also are trying to find the dead woman's estranged husband, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement.
The girl -- Aja Daniell Johnson -- was reported missing from Geronimo, Oklahoma, late Sunday, the bureau said.
Her mother, Tonya Hobbs, 37, was found dead inside a parked RV Sunday night, the bureau said. Hobbs and her daughter were visiting Hobbs' estranged husband, Lester William Hobbs, at his sister's home, the bureau said.
Lester Hobbs, 46, and Aja are missing and are presumed to be in Hobbs' car, said investigators who issued an Amber Alert to try to find her. Lester Hobbs is not Aja's biological father, police said.
Texas authorities also issued an Amber Alert, Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Lisa Block said. Authorities believe Hobbs has connections to Rockport, Texas, and the alert was issued preemptively, she said.
Tonya Hobbs and her daughter were last seen Saturday night. Authorities did not say how Hobbs died, but the bureau said investigators believe someone killed her.
The RV belonged to Lester Hobbs, and was parked at his relatives' home, Richard Goss, agent in charge of the state bureau of investigation's Lawton, Oklahoma, office, told reporters Monday. Hobbs' relatives became suspicious Sunday after they did not see Tanya Hobbs or Aja, and one of them pried open the door and discovered Tanya Hobbs' body, he said. Lester Hobbs and Aja were gone, Goss said.
The Hobbses were separated, but apparently Tanya Hobbs was visiting Lester Hobbs in an attempt to reconcile, Goss said. The couple had been together for about five years.
A medical examiner was performing an autopsy, the bureau said, and police want to question Lester Hobbs about the death.
He and the girl are believed to be traveling in his car, a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with Oklahoma tag number 577-BPW. The two-door car has no hubcaps, and the rear passenger window is covered in plastic, the bureau said.
The Comanche County, Oklahoma, Sheriff's Office said Aja has a medical condition that requires medication.
"Our main concern at this time is to find the little girl," Sheriff Kenny Stradley told reporters. "We know that she does need some medication," and authorities were checking leads regarding that, he said. He did not specify Aja's medical condition.
Goss said Lester Hobbs has an extensive criminal history but did not elaborate. The Sheriff's Office said he had prior felony convictions.
Lester Hobbs was supposed to appear in court in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, on a DUI charge, Goss said, and did not appear, so a warrant has been issued for him.
Aja's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with Aja and keep the girl away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.
Aja is 4 feet tall and weighs 59 pounds, Goss said. She has brown eyes, and her hair is brown with the ends dyed black.
Lester Hobbs is about 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The agency released a picture of him and said he has a mustache but no longer has a goatee.
Geronimo is about 12 miles south of Lawton, Oklahoma, in the south-central part of the state.
|
[
"What was issued as authorities extend search into Texas?",
"Who was believed to be traveling in a white 1992 Toyota Paseo?",
"where in the authorities extend search",
"Who are the authorites looking for?",
"Who was found dead Sunday night?",
"What was issued after authorities extend their search?"
] |
[
"Amber Alert,",
"Lester William Hobbs,",
"Texas",
"a 7-year-old girl",
"her mother",
"an Amber Alert"
] |
question: What was issued as authorities extend search into Texas?, answer: Amber Alert, | question: Who was believed to be traveling in a white 1992 Toyota Paseo?, answer: Lester William Hobbs, | question: where in the authorities extend search, answer: Texas | question: Who are the authorites looking for?, answer: a 7-year-old girl | question: Who was found dead Sunday night?, answer: her mother | question: What was issued after authorities extend their search?, answer: an Amber Alert
|
(CNN) -- Investigators have arrested a third suspect in the killing of a prominent doctor near Houston, Texas.
Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was found dead at his ranch last month, police say.
The Texas Rangers arrested Misael Sotollo, 18, Tuesday evening in a Houston apartment, the Austin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Sotollo and two others -- brothers Cristobal Galvan Cerna, 23, and Moises Galvan Cerna, 18 -- are charged with murder in the death of Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez. Bail has been denied for all three, according to authorities.
The doctor was chief of the critical care section at Houston's Methodist Hospital and "a pulmonary medicine leader," according to the hospital system's Web site.
Gonzalez was found dead August 22, after deputies responded to a 911 call of a burglary in progress at his weekend ranch, in a rural and isolated area outside Bellville, Texas, authorities said. Bellville is about 50 miles west of Houston.
The suspects were already at the home when the Gonzalez family arrived around noon, law enforcement officials said. The doctor was able to enter his home and obtain a handgun in an attempt to defend himself and his family, authorities said. Gunshots were exchanged, and the doctor died at the scene, they said.
Also wounded in the shooting was ranch hand Noel Galvan Cerna, who worked for Gonzalez and is the brother of two of the men in custody in the killing. Sotollo is their cousin.
An officer responding to the Gonzalez home on the robbery report was met by vehicles leaving the location, Austin County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Paul Faircloth said, and a person in one vehicle fired on the officer. Neither the officer nor his patrol car was struck, and the officer did not return fire, Faircloth said. The officer was able to provide a detailed description of the vehicles, he said.
The officer found Gonzalez' wife and toddler unharmed inside the home.
|
[
"what do police say?",
"who was found shot dead",
"who was killed in the gunfire",
"who was injured in the attack?",
"where was Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez found shot to death?"
] |
[
"Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was found dead at his ranch last month,",
"Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez",
"Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez",
"Noel Galvan Cerna,",
"at his ranch"
] |
question: what do police say?, answer: Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez was found dead at his ranch last month, | question: who was found shot dead, answer: Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez | question: who was killed in the gunfire, answer: Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez | question: who was injured in the attack?, answer: Noel Galvan Cerna, | question: where was Dr. Jorge Mario Gonzalez found shot to death?, answer: at his ranch
|
(CNN) -- Investigators have found the bodies of three small children and the father who allegedly abducted them from their home in Columbus, Georgia, two weeks ago, the FBI said Wednesday.
Eddie Harrington threatened to kill his children before disappearing with them, police say.
"It is my sad duty to report that deceased bodies of these children and Eddie Harrington were located this afternoon," said FBI Special Agent Gerald Green.
A coroner would confirm the identities, he added.
The remains were discovered in a wooded area of Columbus by a person walking nearby, Green said. Watch the FBI say the bodies were in a car »
Eddie Harrington, 28, whom police described as depressed, took the children March 5, police said.
Before he left, Harrington sent a letter indicating his intent to kill his twin 23-month-old girls, Aliyah and Agana Battle, and his son, Cedric Harrington, 3, officials said.
The day before Wednesday's grisly discovery, the children's mother told CNN's Nancy Grace that Harrington had threatened them before.
"He's just told me he'll do anything to keep me at that time, and he said that he was going to take them and ... kill himself and the kids," Agena Battle said.
"But then later on, he told me that it was just to prove to me that, you know, what he'll do for me."
Battle also described the moment earlier this month when she knew something was wrong.
"I got home and I realized that the kids weren't there, and Eddie wasn't there either, and when I looked on the dresser and read the note, that's when I realized that my kids are in trouble," she said.
A week ago, a tearful Battle publicly begged her boyfriend not to harm the children.
"I am asking the public to please help me. I want my children home where they belong, with me," she said at an FBI news conference.
"Please, if you see Eddie, the car or the children, please call 911. Please help me and keep them in your prayers." Watch the mother's tearful plea »
A child abduction alert was issued in Georgia after the children disappeared. "We have great concern for the safety of these children," Green said at the time. It was unclear what sparked Harrington's decision to take the children, authorities said. E-mail to a friend
|
[
"When was the last time Harrison was seen?",
"Where was she last seen?",
"Who threatened the kids before?",
"What was Harrington's whereabouts?",
"What are the children's ages?",
"What did the children's mother say?",
"What did Harrington threaten to do?",
"Where was Harrington seen?",
"Where was Harrington last seen?",
"Who has threatened the kids before?",
"Who did he kidnap from their home?"
] |
[
"two weeks ago,",
"their home in Columbus, Georgia,",
"Eddie Harrington",
"The remains were discovered in a wooded area of Columbus",
"23-month-old girls, Aliyah and Agana Battle, and his son, Cedric Harrington, 3,",
"that Harrington had threatened them",
"kill his children",
"Columbus, Georgia,",
"Columbus, Georgia,",
"Eddie Harrington",
"three small children"
] |
question: When was the last time Harrison was seen?, answer: two weeks ago, | question: Where was she last seen?, answer: their home in Columbus, Georgia, | question: Who threatened the kids before?, answer: Eddie Harrington | question: What was Harrington's whereabouts?, answer: The remains were discovered in a wooded area of Columbus | question: What are the children's ages?, answer: 23-month-old girls, Aliyah and Agana Battle, and his son, Cedric Harrington, 3, | question: What did the children's mother say?, answer: that Harrington had threatened them | question: What did Harrington threaten to do?, answer: kill his children | question: Where was Harrington seen?, answer: Columbus, Georgia, | question: Where was Harrington last seen?, answer: Columbus, Georgia, | question: Who has threatened the kids before?, answer: Eddie Harrington | question: Who did he kidnap from their home?, answer: three small children
|
(CNN) -- Investigators have heard a signal from the flight data recorders of the Yemenia Airways plane that crashed last week, they announced Sunday.
Search parties continue their operation to locate the Yemenia Airbus A310 off the Comoros Islands Saturday.
"A signal was picked up from two acoustic transmitters from the plane's flight data recorders during a sea search to locate the data recorders this morning," the French air accident investigation agency, known as the BEA, said in a statement.
Commonly known as "black boxes," the data recorders should contain information to help determine what caused the crash.
The Yemenia Airways Airbus 310 crashed into the Indian Ocean early Tuesday, carrying 142 passengers and 11 crew members. It originated in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, and went down just miles from Moroni, the capital of the Comoros Islands.
One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari, who lives in Marseille, escaped with cuts to her face and a fractured collarbone. Watch teen survivor from crash »
The teen's father, Kassim Bakari, told a French radio network that his wife and daughter were flying to Comoros to visit relatives.
"When I had her on the phone, I asked her what happened and she said, 'Daddy, I don't know what happened, but the plane fell into the water and I found myself in the water... surrounded by darkness. I could not see anyone,'" Bakari told France Info.
The head of the rescue team in the Comoros told French radio RTL that the teenager beat astonishing odds to survive.
"It is truly, truly, miraculous," Ibrahim Abdoulazeb said. "The young girl can barely swim."
Another rescuer told France's Europe 1 radio that the girl was spotted in the rough sea, among bodies and plane debris in darkness, about two hours after the crash.
The Airbus 310 plane tried to land at the airport in Moroni, then made a U-turn before it crashed, Comoros Vice President Idi Nadhoim said soon after the accident.
A French official said the nation had banned the plane after it failed an aviation inspection in 2007.
"Since this check-up, we have not seen the plane reappearing in France," said Dominique Bussereau, the transport minister.
But Yemenia Airlines was not on the European Union's list of banned airlines, he added.
Passengers on the flight included 66 French citizens, 54 Comorians, one Palestinian and one Canadian, according to Yemeni and French officials. The crew was made up of six Yemenis, two Moroccans, one Ethiopian, one Filipino and one Indonesian.
The Comoros Islands are between the east African country of Tanzania and the island nation of Madagascar.
|
[
"who are helping to search for debris and bodies?",
"who is the suvirvor from the crash?",
"Who is searching for debris from the plane",
"Where are the Comoros Islands?",
"what Data recorders should contain information to help determine?",
"when was the crash?",
"Who was the only person to survive the crash?"
] |
[
"parties",
"One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari,",
"Search parties",
"the Indian Ocean",
"caused the crash.",
"early Tuesday,",
"13-year-old French girl,"
] |
question: who are helping to search for debris and bodies?, answer: parties | question: who is the suvirvor from the crash?, answer: One person, a 13-year-old French girl, survived. Bahia Basari, | question: Who is searching for debris from the plane, answer: Search parties | question: Where are the Comoros Islands?, answer: the Indian Ocean | question: what Data recorders should contain information to help determine?, answer: caused the crash. | question: when was the crash?, answer: early Tuesday, | question: Who was the only person to survive the crash?, answer: 13-year-old French girl,
|
(CNN) -- Investigators have named Casey Anthony a suspect in the mid-June disappearance of her toddler daughter, Caylee, Florida authorities said Wednesday.
Casey Anthony had been called a "person of interest" in her daughter's disappearance.
Police had previously labeled Anthony -- who authorities said didn't report the 3-year-old child's disappearance until mid-July -- a "person of interest" in the case.
"Casey is a suspect," said Orange County Sheriff's Department Capt. Angelo Nieves. "She has been uncooperative, leading investigators down the wrong path and lying to them. She has not provided any credible information about the last time she saw her or where she was left."
Casey Anthony of Orlando, Florida, was arrested July 16 on suspicion of telling detectives lies about Caylee's disappearance. She was released on bail after that arrest and subsequent arrests on unrelated theft charges.
Authorities said weeks ago that evidence suggests Caylee is dead. Investigators found evidence of human decomposition in the trunk of Anthony's car, authorities have said.
Law enforcement sources also suggested that a strand of hair found in the trunk of the car was Caylee's. Watch Nancy Grace speak to Casey Anthony's "babysitter" »
Authorities also have said they found traces of chloroform in the car Anthony drove and Internet searches of chloroform Web sites on her computer.
Anthony and her daughter have garnered national headlines and served as fodder for nightly crime shows. Protesters have held vigils outside Anthony's home pleading with her to give police more information about Caylee's whereabouts.
In connection with her July arrest, Anthony was charged with child neglect, making false official statements and obstructing a criminal investigation.
CNN's Andrew Iden and Natisha Lance contributed to this report.
|
[
"What was the name of Casey Anthony's daughter?",
"Who was reported missing aa month after her disappearance?",
"Who was reported missing a month after her June disappearance?",
"What state did the investigation take place?",
"What was Caylee Anthony's age when she went missing?",
"What state was Caylee Anthony from?",
"When did Caylee Anthony go missing?",
"Who suggests the Florida toddler is dead?",
"Who has been leading investigators down the wrong path?",
"Police have said that evidence suggest Florida toddler is what?"
] |
[
"Caylee,",
"Caylee,",
"Caylee,",
"Florida",
"3-year-old",
"Florida",
"mid-June",
"evidence",
"Casey Anthony",
"Caylee is dead."
] |
question: What was the name of Casey Anthony's daughter?, answer: Caylee, | question: Who was reported missing aa month after her disappearance?, answer: Caylee, | question: Who was reported missing a month after her June disappearance?, answer: Caylee, | question: What state did the investigation take place?, answer: Florida | question: What was Caylee Anthony's age when she went missing?, answer: 3-year-old | question: What state was Caylee Anthony from?, answer: Florida | question: When did Caylee Anthony go missing?, answer: mid-June | question: Who suggests the Florida toddler is dead?, answer: evidence | question: Who has been leading investigators down the wrong path?, answer: Casey Anthony | question: Police have said that evidence suggest Florida toddler is what?, answer: Caylee is dead.
|
(CNN) -- Investigators on Tuesday released the identities of eight people who were killed in a mobile home in southeastern Georgia.
Guy Heinze Jr. faces drug charges and is accused of evidence tampering and making false statements.
A ninth person remains in critical condition, the Glynn County Police Department said.
Police identified the victims as Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; Russell D. Toler Jr., 20; Chrissy Toler, 22; Joseph L. West, 30; Russell D. Toler Sr., 44; Guy Heinze Sr., 45; and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49.
They were found dead Saturday in Brunswick, Georgia, about 300 miles southeast of Atlanta, on the Atlantic coast.
Police said autopsies were completed Monday, but they did not offer any information about the findings.
Authorities did not identify the hospitalized victim.
A man who found the bodies called 911 Saturday to report in an anguished voice that he had arrived home to find "my whole family's dead." Hear the frantic 911 call reporting the slayings »
"I just got home," a man identified as Guy Heinze Jr., 22, tells the emergency dispatcher in the call, released Monday. "I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody's dead. ... My whole family's dead. It looks like they've been beaten to death.
"I don't know what to do, man," an emotional Heinze tells the dispatcher. "My dad, my mom, my uncle, my cousin. .... My dad, he's laying there dead. That was my dad."
A neighbor placed the call and put Heinze on the phone as well as the mobile home park's maintenance man. The park manager also called 911, sobbing as she told dispatchers, "Please hurry."
Officers found seven people dead in the residence at the New Hope mobile home park. An eighth person died Sunday.
Heinze was arrested Saturday night and faces charges of having a controlled substance and marijuana as well as evidence tampering and making false statements to a police officer, Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said.
According to an arrest warrant, Heinz provided "investigators with false and misleading information about his whereabouts and involvement in the circumstances leading up to him calling 911 to report the deaths of his family members."
No further details were available.
The arrest warrant also said that he removed a shotgun from the residence and hid it in the trunk of his car.
He had Darvocet, a narcotic painkiller, and marijuana in a pill bottle in the center console of his car, according to the arrest warrant.
Doering said Heinze has been cooperative. He stopped short of naming him a suspect in the deaths.
"We're still looking for anybody and everybody that may be related to this," he said Sunday. "That naturally includes [Heinze]. Of course, we're looking at him."
Heinze's attorney, Ron Harrison, said his client, who has a bail hearing Wednesday, denies any involvement in the killings.
The arrest warrant, he said, alleges that his client took a shotgun from the house and hid it in his car.
Asked how Heinze was doing, Harrison said, "Not well. Not well at all. You come across this murder scene, you call 911, and then you end up in jail."
Police have said they have "no known suspects" in the case. "We are not looking for any known suspects," Doering said. "That doesn't say that there are no suspects. They're just not known to us."
The 911 call paints a picture of violent chaos.
At one point, while the maintenance man, known only as Mike, talks to dispatchers, Heinze goes in the mobile home and reports that his cousin, identified as Michael, is breathing. The maintenance man said that Michael is a "young man with Down syndrome." Heinze reports the youth's "face is smashed in," he said.
Heinze
|
[
"How many people were found dead?",
"What was happend in Glynn County?"
] |
[
"eight",
"eight people who were killed in a mobile"
] |
question: How many people were found dead?, answer: eight | question: What was happend in Glynn County?, answer: eight people who were killed in a mobile
|
(CNN) -- Investigators released photographs Wednesday showing a man wanted in the case of a slain woman and her missing 7-year-old daughter.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation released images taken by a security camera of 37-year-old Tonya Hobbs and her estranged husband, Lester Williams Hobbs, as they shopped for food just hours before Tonya Hobbs was killed.
Police have charged Lester Hobbs with murder in his estranged wife's death. They also have charged him with kidnapping Tonya Hobbs' daughter, Aja Daniell Johnson, the bureau said Wednesday.
"These new pictures show the suspect car that is now missing as well as what the suspect, Lester Hobbs, looks like and the clothes he may be wearing now," a bureau spokeswoman, Jessica Brown, said in a statement.
Investigators have asked anyone with information about Hobbs or Aja to call a new hotline number at 1-800-THE-LOST.
The images released Wednesday were taken about 5:15 p.m. Saturday at a store in Lawton, Oklahoma. Shortly after that, the couple and Aja apparently went to the home of Lester Hobbs' sister to eat, police said.
Hobbs was found dead in a parked RV the next day in Geronimo, Oklahoma. Her daughter has been missing since then.
"We've got to find that little girl," Special Agent Ray Homer of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said this week.
The girl has a medical condition that requires medication, police have said, though they declined to elaborate.
Lester Hobbs, 46, and Aja are presumed to be in Hobbs' car -- a white 1992 Toyota Paseo with an Oklahoma tag number 577-BPW, police said.
Police have searched for them in Oklahoma and Texas.
Lester and Tonya Hobbs were separated, but apparently Tonya Hobbs was visiting her estranged husband in an attempt to reconcile, Richard Goss, agent in charge of the state bureau of investigation's Lawton, Oklahoma, office, told reporters this week.
Lester Hobbs is not Aja's biological father, police said. He has an extensive criminal history, Goss said, without elaborating.
Aja's biological father was awarded emergency custody of her in November, according to Oklahoma County District Court documents obtained by CNN affiliate KWTV of Oklahoma City.
At a hearing, Tonya Hobbs -- identified as Tonya Dunkin in the documents -- and the girl's father, John Johnson, agreed that she would have supervised visitation with Aja and keep the girl away from Lester Hobbs, the documents said.
|
[
"who are on store security photo before her death?",
"What does the girl need according to the Sheriff's Office?",
"Where was Tonya Hobbs found dead at?",
"What do security pictures show?",
"Who is sought for questioning?",
"what is the age of the girl missing?",
"Who was found dead?"
] |
[
"Tonya Hobbs",
"medication,",
"in Geronimo, Oklahoma.",
"Tonya Hobbs",
"Lester Williams Hobbs,",
"7-year-old",
"Tonya Hobbs"
] |
question: who are on store security photo before her death?, answer: Tonya Hobbs | question: What does the girl need according to the Sheriff's Office?, answer: medication, | question: Where was Tonya Hobbs found dead at?, answer: in Geronimo, Oklahoma. | question: What do security pictures show?, answer: Tonya Hobbs | question: Who is sought for questioning?, answer: Lester Williams Hobbs, | question: what is the age of the girl missing?, answer: 7-year-old | question: Who was found dead?, answer: Tonya Hobbs
|
(CNN) -- Investigators searching for a missing 8-month-old boy began an intensive excavation and search effort Tuesday at a Texas landfill.
"Let me say this, that we do remain hopeful that baby Gabriel is alive," William McManus, chief of the San Antonio Police Department, said at a news conference at the landfill.
"We are, however, conducting both a missing persons investigation as well as a homicide investigation," he said, adding that aspects surrounding Gabriel Johnson's disappearance involve elements of a possible homicide.
Gabriel has been missing since December 26 and was last seen in San Antonio, with his 23-year-old mother, Elizabeth Johnson, who has refused to disclose information on his whereabouts.
She told Gabriel's father she killed the boy and has also said she gave him away to a couple in San Antonio, police say. Johnson drove Gabriel to San Antonio from Tempe, Arizona, and she went to Florida a week later, according to investigators.
Johnson was arrested in Florida and extradited to Maricopa County, Arizona, where she remains behind bars, charged with kidnapping, custodial interference and child abuse.
A lead prompted investigators to focus on the landfill, which is owned by Republic Services, a waste and environmental services company based in Phoenix, Arizona. The part of the landfill that will be searched has been pinpointed, according to McManus.
First, it will take at least six days to remove 45 feet of garbage that has piled up since the time investigators believe evidence may have been dumped in the area.
"Once we have removed the debris and have searched our target area, we will begin the arduous task of sifting through layers in the search for possible evidence," McManus said.
"This phase will be a long and repetitive cycle. Search teams will be looking for anything of evidentiary value."
Cadaver dogs will assist the search teams in the effort, which will be conducted weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., McManus said. He estimated more than 20 people will be involved.
Rain would not compromise any evidence but could cause dangerous toxic runoff, which Fire Department and hazardous materials experts would work to contain.
San Antonio police have been working with the FBI and Tempe police. They have been looking at every lead and "chasing them down very, very vigorously," McManus said.
"We are doing everything that we can to try to track down baby Gabriel, and hopefully we will find that baby alive."
|
[
"Who said that she had killed him and that she gave him away?",
"What cities police are excavating the landfill ?",
"What say his mother?",
"Who has been missing since December 26?",
"Who killed the baby?",
"Who is excavating landfill?"
] |
[
"Elizabeth Johnson,",
"San Antonio",
"She told Gabriel's father she killed the boy and has also said she gave him away to a couple in San Antonio,",
"8-month-old boy",
"Elizabeth Johnson,",
"Investigators"
] |
question: Who said that she had killed him and that she gave him away?, answer: Elizabeth Johnson, | question: What cities police are excavating the landfill ?, answer: San Antonio | question: What say his mother?, answer: She told Gabriel's father she killed the boy and has also said she gave him away to a couple in San Antonio, | question: Who has been missing since December 26?, answer: 8-month-old boy | question: Who killed the baby?, answer: Elizabeth Johnson, | question: Who is excavating landfill?, answer: Investigators
|
(CNN) -- Iran could see widespread protests this weekend, as a day of mourning for the most prominent cleric to oppose the regime coincides with the major Shiite holy day of Ashura.
Iran -- whose regime exists as an explicitly Shiite Muslim leadership -- may find it politically and culturally difficult to put a lid on the marking of Ashura this year.
It falls on Sunday -- which happens to be a week to the day since the death of Grand Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, a key figure in the 1979 Iranian revolution. Montazeri, who went on to become one of the government's most vocal critics, died December 20.
The seventh day after a death is a traditional time for mourning in Islam, giving Iran's opposition two reasons to demonstrate on Sunday, both with impeccable religious justification.
But what exactly is Ashura and why does it draw such passionate crowds, some of whom beat themselves until they bleed?
The holy day commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, who died in 680 fighting to lead the religion based on the teachings of his grandfather, the Prophet Mohammed. The battle is one of the defining points in the split between the two main branches of Islam, the majority Sunnis and the minority Shiites.
Hussein was badly outnumbered when he was killed fighting Yazeed near the city of Karbala, in modern-day Iraq.
Shiites commemorate the death of Hussein each year, climaxing on Ashura -- the 10th day of the month of Muharram -- after a 40-day mourning period.
While Shiites are a minority among Muslims worldwide, they are the majority in Iraq and Iran, where the day sees tens or even hundreds of thousands of faithful out on the streets.
Some of the most dramatic scenes take place in Karbala itself, as Shiites congregate to do symbolic penance for failing to come to Hussein's aid in his uprising against Yazeed.
Believers chant, beat their breasts, cut themselves with daggers or swords and whip themselves in synchronized moves.
In Iraq under Saddam Hussein, the marking of Ashura was banned for 30 years. (The former dictator was a Sunni.) The first public Ashura demonstrations in Karbala after his fall, in 2004, came under attack by Sunni militants.
|
[
"in what year its revolution?",
"What may Iran find difficult this year?",
"What falls one week to the day after the death of Grand Ayatollah?"
] |
[
"1979",
"put a lid on the marking of Ashura",
"Ashura."
] |
question: in what year its revolution?, answer: 1979 | question: What may Iran find difficult this year?, answer: put a lid on the marking of Ashura | question: What falls one week to the day after the death of Grand Ayatollah?, answer: Ashura.
|
(CNN) -- Iran has detained six documentary filmmakers on accusations that they worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation's Persian service, activists said on Monday.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran urged authorities to end the "ongoing intimidation and arrest of filmmakers and journalists" and called on diplomats and journalists in New York to press President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his country's rights record during his reported visit to New York this week.
"These arrests prove yet again that President Ahmadinejad and his intelligence apparatus have no tolerance for independent filmmakers and journalists," Aaron Rhodes, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement.
"If the president expects the international community to respect his right to speak in New York, then he should be forced to explain why filmmakers and media are subject to repression in Iran," he added.
Citing sources, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said the six documentary filmmakers were detained over the weekend and taken to prison.
It said a pro-government news agency accused the filmmakers of working for BBC Persian and spying for the service.
The BBC said Monday that no one works for the Persian service inside Iran and noted that the arrests came one day after the service broadcast a documentary on Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The documentary was an in-house production and none of the detained filmmakers worked on it, the BBC reported.
In a news story posted on its website, the BBC quoted its language service chief, Liliane Landor, as saying the arrests are part of the "ongoing efforts by the Iranian government to put pressure on the BBC."
Also Monday, the Iranian minister of culture and Islamic guidance told the semiofficial Iranian Students' News Agency that the intelligence ministry is responsible for providing details on the filmmakers' case.
"BBC Farsi was a major actor in the disturbances during and after the elections," Seyed Mohammad Hosseini told the agency, referring to the 2009 presidential elections.
"It agitated and guided the people in the hopes to create problems for the country. This is why the representative office of the BBC was shut down in Tehran at that time. Those who are working legally in Iran must now pay close attention and be very careful. We do not plan on supporting a network that engages in anti-Iran activities and works against the interests of the country," he said.
That office of the BBC was reopened and remains open.
CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report.
|
[
"Which news service were the filmmakers accused of working for?",
"What did rights activists say?",
"What does the BBC say?"
] |
[
"British",
"has detained six documentary filmmakers on accusations that they worked for the British",
"no one works for the Persian service inside Iran"
] |
question: Which news service were the filmmakers accused of working for?, answer: British | question: What did rights activists say?, answer: has detained six documentary filmmakers on accusations that they worked for the British | question: What does the BBC say?, answer: no one works for the Persian service inside Iran
|
(CNN) -- Iran is to send a female skier to the Winter Olympics for the first time at next year's Games in Vancouver, Canada, the head of the Islamic Republic's ski federation told state media Monday.
Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari, competing at last month's World Ski Championships, in France.
The chosen competitor will ski in "full Islamic dress," Iran's National News Agency reported.
Three women Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari, Mitra Kalhor and Marjan Kalhor are vying for the place on the national team alongside three male skiers, said Iranian Ski Federation head Isa Saveh-Shemshaki.
Trials for the team will be held in December, two months ahead of the event. Iran has sent male athletes to every Winter Games since 1956.
Skiing is hugely popular in Iran with some of the region's best slopes in the Zagros Mountains just a two-hour drive from the country's capital Tehran. At weekends during the seven-month ski season it is common to see long queues of traffic on routes to resorts.
With a growing ski tourism industry, the price of the sport has steadily increased. But with fewer social restrictions on the pistes than in other areas of Iranian life, the sport remains a popular pursuit for the country's youth.
Until recently, many slopes were strictly segregated with men and women skiing on different sides of the mountain. But while it is still illegal to travel in the same chair lift or gondola, the country's strict religious laws are visibly more lax at 3,000 meters.
Iran took just three women among 53 athletes to last year's Beijing Olympics but the choice of 19-year-old female rower Homa Hosseini to carry the flag during the opening ceremony infuriated strict Islamists.
Current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who faces an election this year, was forced to back down from an initiative ealry in his current term to encourage female participation in sport because of criticism from the country's religious leaders.
One mullah reportedly said that women should not ski because the movement of their knees looked "more like dancing than sport."
|
[
"what country does she represent",
"What is hugely popular?",
"who is going to the olympics"
] |
[
"Iran",
"Skiing",
"Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari,"
] |
question: what country does she represent, answer: Iran | question: What is hugely popular?, answer: Skiing | question: who is going to the olympics, answer: Fatemeh Kiadarbandsari,
|
(CNN) -- Iran on Sunday released on bail four journalists and a retired professor whom it had held for two months, the semiofficial Iran Labour News Agency reported.
The five prisoners had been held since they were arrested during a December 27 protest, according to ILNA.
The journalists are Abdolreza Tajik, Mashallah Shamsolvaezin, Behrang Tonkaboni and Mohammad Javad Mozafar, who is also a prisoners' rights activist, ILNA said. The news agency reported that the retired professor is Mohammad Sadeq Rabani.
Separately, ILNA reported that Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Doulatabadi said Sunday that "detainees of recent unrest will be released due to the upcoming Iranian new year," which falls on March 21.
At the same time, ILNA quoted Doulatabadi as saying that those arrested on the Muslim holy day of Ashura, when the five prisoners freed on bail Sunday were rounded up, could face stiff penalties later. "The judiciary will imply more strict policies, and those who were arrested on Ashura Day will be confronted heavily by the judiciary," he said.
Mozafar and Tajik were released on $100,000 bail, according to Parleman News, the Web site of the minority reformists of the parliament. It did not mention the bail amount for the other two journalists. CNN was not immediately able to independently verify the bail amount.
The protests around Ashura were Iran's deadliest clashes since protests broke out last summer after incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed more than 62 percent of the vote in national elections.
At least seven people were killed and hundreds were arrested on Ashura, witnesses said. The Iranian government has denied that its security forces killed anyone, blaming reformists for the violence.
Doulatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, said Sunday that the judiciary and police forces will be on high alert near the Iranian new year. The judiciary and police will "confront those who disturb the norms of society with high explosives," he said.
The five prisoners were released Sunday from Tehran's Evin prison. ILNA did not release the professional affiliations of the journalists, but they were listed on opposition Web sites.
According to some main opposition Web sites, Tajik is an editor for Farheekhtegan, a weekly magazine, and a freelance journalist.
Shamsolvaezin has edited many of post-revolutionary Iran's first independent newspapers, including Kayhan, Jame'eh, Neshat and Asr-e Azadegan, according to opposition sites. Many of those have been closed down.
Tonkaboni is the editor of the magazine Farhang va Ahang, or Culture and Music, according to opposition sites.
Javad Mozafar is publishing director of Kavir, a publishing house, and vice president of the Committee for the Defense of Prisoners' Rights, according to opposition sites.
Sadegh Rabbani is a retired science professor at the University of Tehran, according to opposition sites.
|
[
"On what date did the protests take place?",
"for what reason wer they held",
"Who was released on bail",
"Who was held since arrest",
"What did the prosecutor suggest would happen to the detainees?",
"what were they protesting",
"How many journalists were released on bail?"
] |
[
"December 27",
"protest,",
"four journalists and a retired professor",
"The five prisoners had been",
"will be released",
"Ashura",
"four"
] |
question: On what date did the protests take place?, answer: December 27 | question: for what reason wer they held, answer: protest, | question: Who was released on bail, answer: four journalists and a retired professor | question: Who was held since arrest, answer: The five prisoners had been | question: What did the prosecutor suggest would happen to the detainees?, answer: will be released | question: what were they protesting, answer: Ashura | question: How many journalists were released on bail?, answer: four
|
(CNN) -- Iran should release seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage because it does not have any evidence against them, their lawyer Shirin Ebadi told CNN on Saturday.
Attorneys Abdolfattah Soltani, left, and Shirin Ebadi, shown in Tehran in 2004.
"In the files, in the case basically, there is nothing, no reason that basically convicts them," said Ebadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The trial will begin Tuesday despite the fact that one of their lawyers is behind bars and Ebadi is outside the country.
Other attorneys can be appointed, Hassan Haddad of the Prosecutor's Office in Tehran told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
But the court must recognize the replacements, who are colleagues of Ebadi at her Tehran-based Defenders of Human Rights Center, not appoint other lawyers, Ebadi said.
The imprisoned lawyer, Abdolfattah Soltani, is a well-known advocate with the human rights center. He was arrested in the aftermath of Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election and is being held at Evin prison, the same place where his clients are detained, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights.
He is being held on charges of taking "measures against national security," Ebadi said. "Mr. Soltani is completely innocent."
Soltani had an opportunity to leave prison, but under conditions he chose not to accept, Ebadi said.
Along with not giving any interviews after his release, Soltani would also have to end his work with the human rights center and no longer support Ebadi, she said.
In another attack on the law firm, a lawyer was arrested after agents entered the center with guns, searched each room and then declared that they found opium on the premises, Ebadi said.
That lawyer, whose family had been harassed by police, accused the agents of planting the opium, she said.
Ebadi was on a speaking tour when Soltani was arrested and has not returned to Iran.
The firm founded by Ebadi took up the case of the seven Baha'is last year. They are accused of spying for Israel, spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic and committing religious offenses. The Baha'i International Community, which has a delegation to the United Nations, denies the allegations.
The evidence against the defendants includes communication from Israel, but that is because the Baha'i World Center has its headquarters in Israel, said Kit Bigelow, director of external affairs at the American Baha'i Community. Prosecutors are calling that communication espionage, she said.
Human rights groups have demanded the release of the prisoners and accused the government of targeting them because of their religious beliefs.
The Baha'i faith originated in 19th-century Persia, and while modern-day Iran does not recognize it, the government denies any mistreatment of the members of the largest non-Muslim religious minority.
The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran has reported a rise in persecution of Baha'is in recent years, including cemetery desecration, arbitrary detention, home raids, property confiscation, work expulsion and denial of basic civil rights.
The case of the seven Baha'is has drawn global attention. Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist freed from Evin prison earlier this year, spoke on their behalf, as have Human Rights Watch and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent bipartisan federal commission.
The defendants face the death penalty if convicted.
Six of the defendants were arrested in May 2008 at their Tehran homes, and one was arrested in the eastern city of Mashad in March 2008, said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations. The defendants were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration, she said.
The investigation into the charges against the prisoners concluded months ago and the trial was initially scheduled to start in July. Iran has continued to hold them in Evin prison without access to their lawyers and with minimal contact with their families, Ala'i said.
CNN's Moni Basu contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who is to go to trial on Tuesday in Iran?",
"What are the Baha'is accused of?",
"What day will the prisoners go to trial?",
"Where are the defendants' attorneys?",
"Where are the defendants?",
"What has drawn global attention?",
"Who is accused of spying for Isreal?",
"What case called the world's attention?",
"How many are accused of espionage?",
"Case of the seven Baha'is has drawn what?",
"What are seven Baha'i prisoners been accused of",
"Seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage to go on trial when?"
] |
[
"seven Baha'i prisoners",
"espionage",
"Tuesday",
"at",
"were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration,",
"The case of the seven Baha'is",
"seven Baha'i prisoners",
"of the seven Baha'is",
"seven",
"global attention.",
"espionage",
"Tuesday"
] |
question: Who is to go to trial on Tuesday in Iran?, answer: seven Baha'i prisoners | question: What are the Baha'is accused of?, answer: espionage | question: What day will the prisoners go to trial?, answer: Tuesday | question: Where are the defendants' attorneys?, answer: at | question: Where are the defendants?, answer: were held under solitary confinement for the first five months of their incarceration, | question: What has drawn global attention?, answer: The case of the seven Baha'is | question: Who is accused of spying for Isreal?, answer: seven Baha'i prisoners | question: What case called the world's attention?, answer: of the seven Baha'is | question: How many are accused of espionage?, answer: seven | question: Case of the seven Baha'is has drawn what?, answer: global attention. | question: What are seven Baha'i prisoners been accused of, answer: espionage | question: Seven Baha'i prisoners accused of espionage to go on trial when?, answer: Tuesday
|
(CNN) -- Iran tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles Sunday, the state-run Press TV said.
A short-range missile is test-launched during war games in Qom, Iran, south of Tehran, on Sunday.
Earlier, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had said it would stage missile exercises beginning Sunday to promote the armed forces' defense capabilities.
The tests, which are expected to last until Monday, are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4," Press TV said.
The missiles, fired at targets around the country Sunday, included the Fateh-110, a short-range ground-to-ground missile, and Tondar-69, a short-range naval missile, the station said. Several models of medium-range Shahab missiles were tested at night, Press TV reported. Watch Iranian missile tests »
The final stage of the tests will be held Monday morning, when Iran plans to test the long-range Shahab missile, the station said.
In May, Iran said it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.
At the time, a White House official said actions in Iran were noteworthy.
"Of course, this is just a test, and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed. But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran's capacity to deliver weapons," said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation.
The latest test follows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disclosure Friday that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility. Watch analyst's view on missile tests, nuclear tensions »
The United States and Israel believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program.
Iran has denied the allegation.
|
[
"Where can the missile reach?",
"What are the code names of the tests?",
"What has Iran admitted?",
"What did Iran do?",
"Who is testing several types of missiles?",
"What has Iran fired?",
"When did the tests take place?",
"What did Iran admit?",
"What is the code name for the missile tests?",
"who tested the missiles?",
"What type of missiles is Iran test firing?",
"In which month did Iran test surface-to-surface missiles able to reach Europe?",
"Which country are the surface-to-surface missiles capable of reaching?",
"what is the code name of the tests?",
"What type of range missiles has Iran included in their tests?"
] |
[
"capable of reaching parts of Europe.",
"\"Payghambar-e Azam 4\"",
"tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.",
"tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles",
"Iran",
"short- and medium-range missiles",
"Sunday,",
"it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.",
"\"Payghambar-e Azam 4\" or \"The Great Prophet 4,\"",
"Iran",
"medium-range",
"May,",
"parts of Europe.",
"are code-named \"Payghambar-e Azam 4\" or \"The Great Prophet 4,\"",
"short- and medium-range"
] |
question: Where can the missile reach?, answer: capable of reaching parts of Europe. | question: What are the code names of the tests?, answer: "Payghambar-e Azam 4" | question: What has Iran admitted?, answer: tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe. | question: What did Iran do?, answer: tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles | question: Who is testing several types of missiles?, answer: Iran | question: What has Iran fired?, answer: short- and medium-range missiles | question: When did the tests take place?, answer: Sunday, | question: What did Iran admit?, answer: it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe. | question: What is the code name for the missile tests?, answer: "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4," | question: who tested the missiles?, answer: Iran | question: What type of missiles is Iran test firing?, answer: medium-range | question: In which month did Iran test surface-to-surface missiles able to reach Europe?, answer: May, | question: Which country are the surface-to-surface missiles capable of reaching?, answer: parts of Europe. | question: what is the code name of the tests?, answer: are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4," | question: What type of range missiles has Iran included in their tests?, answer: short- and medium-range
|
(CNN) -- Iran will not send its partially enriched uranium abroad to be turned into material for medical research, its foreign minister said Wednesday, rejecting a key plank of a deal designed to ease international fears that Tehran aims to build nuclear weapons.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iran might allow its nuclear material to be reprocessed inside Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.
The deal hammered out last month with the help of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb.
Tehran denies that it wants to do so, saying its nuclear program is to produce civilian nuclear energy and do medical work.
The watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency said Wednesday that it could not confirm or deny that Iran had rejected any part of the proposal.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "This is the IAEA's proposal, and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA, and that's what we're waiting for. That's what the IAEA is waiting for."
But, he said, "until the IAEA gets the response and formally says this is ... Iran's response, I don't consider a statement to the press necessarily a response."
On October 1, the IAEA proposal "was accepted in principle by all the parties including Iran," Kelly said. "And there was also an agreement that each of the parties would provide a written response to the proposal.
"Russia, France and the United States have provided a written response," he said. "We expect Iran to provide a written response. And we expect the IAEA to pronounce on that response. So we will wait for the IAEA to make a formal response to this."
In a report published Monday, the IAEA expressed concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
The Islamic republic's disclosure of a previously secret nuclear facility near Qom raised questions about the existence of other such facilities, and its delay in acknowledging the facility "does not contribute to the building of confidence" in Tehran, the IAEA said in the report.
Tehran has not convinced the agency its nuclear program isn't military, said the report, published on the Institute for Science and International Security Web site. A source with direct knowledge of the report confirmed its authenticity to CNN.
Tehran shocked the international community in September by revealing the existence of the nuclear enrichment facility.
On Monday, Kelly said in a statement that the report "underscores that Iran still refuses to comply fully with its international nuclear obligations."
IAEA inspectors visited the newly revealed facility last month, according to the report.
During a meeting in Tehran, Iranian officials told the inspectors that construction of the site had begun during late 2007, the report said, and it would not be operational until 2011.
However, the IAEA inspectors told Iran that "it had acquired commercially available satellite imagery of the site indicating that there had been construction at the site between 2002 and 2004, and that construction activities were resumed in 2006 and had continued to date," the report said.
IAEA member states also allege that design work on the facility, the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, began in 2006, the report said.
Iranian officials told inspectors that the nation has no other undisclosed nuclear facilities either under construction or in operation, the report said, and promised that any future facilities would be disclosed. A letter sent this month asks Tehran to confirm that it has not decided to construct or authorized construction of any undisclosed facility, the report said.
Iran remains bound by the terms of a 2003 agreement under which it must provide information to the IAEA regarding nuclear facilities as soon as the decision to build is made or construction is authorized.
"Even if, as stated by Iran, the decision to construct the new facility at the Fordow site was taken in the second half of 2007, Iran's failure to notify the agency of the new facility until September 2009 was inconsistent with its obligations," the IAEA said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has
|
[
"who says proposal \"was accepted in principle by all parties including Iran\"?",
"what Proposal was key part of deal brokered by U.N.?",
"Who is the EU concerned will develop nuclear weapons?",
"What does the US say about the proposal?",
"Which countries are concerned about Irans intentions?",
"What is used for medical research?",
"Which country won't send partially enriched uranium abroad?",
"who says it won't send partially enriched uranium abroad for medical research?"
] |
[
"U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly",
"aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb.",
"Iran",
"and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA,",
"\"Russia, France and the United States",
"partially enriched uranium",
"Iran",
"Iran"
] |
question: who says proposal "was accepted in principle by all parties including Iran"?, answer: U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly | question: what Proposal was key part of deal brokered by U.N.?, answer: aimed to reduce the amount of raw material Iran has to build a nuclear bomb. | question: Who is the EU concerned will develop nuclear weapons?, answer: Iran | question: What does the US say about the proposal?, answer: and Iran has to give their response to the IAEA, | question: Which countries are concerned about Irans intentions?, answer: "Russia, France and the United States | question: What is used for medical research?, answer: partially enriched uranium | question: Which country won't send partially enriched uranium abroad?, answer: Iran | question: who says it won't send partially enriched uranium abroad for medical research?, answer: Iran
|
(CNN) -- Iran's parliament on Thursday approved the Cabinet nominations of a suspected terrorist and the first woman minister in the Islamic republic's 30-year history.
Iran's first woman minister Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi. She will head the health ministry.
Lawmakers approved the nomination of Ahmad Vahidi for its defense minister post. He is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and one of six former and current Iranian officials sought by Interpol for the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago.
Of those Cabinet choices approved by parliament, Vahidi won the highest number of votes. Argentina's Foreign Ministry has deplored the nomination of Vahidi, who is accused of working with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants in carrying out the 1994 attack.
Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi was approved as the nation's health minister. She is the first female minister since the Islamic republic was founded.
Iranian lawmakers gave their votes of confidence to 18 of the 21 nominees proposed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- who entered a second term of office after a disputed presidential election.
Two of those who failed to get the required majority votes enabling them to start work officially were female nominees: Sousan Keshavarz for the education ministry and Fatemeh Ajorlou for welfare and social security.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets for more than two weeks to protest the June 12 election results, calling them fraudulent after Ahmadinejad was declared the overwhelming winner. More than 1,000 people were arrested in a government crackdown, and Iran said at least 30 people were killed in post-election violence.
|
[
"What is the name of the Islamic Republic's first woman minister?",
"Who is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard?",
"Which post was Ahmad Vahidi nominated for?",
"What is Vahidi suspected of?",
"Who also approved nomination of Ahmad Vahidi?",
"Who appointed it's first ever woman minister?"
] |
[
"Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi.",
"Ahmad Vahidi",
"defense minister",
"bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago.",
"Lawmakers",
"Iran's"
] |
question: What is the name of the Islamic Republic's first woman minister?, answer: Marzieh-Vahid Dastjerdi. | question: Who is a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard?, answer: Ahmad Vahidi | question: Which post was Ahmad Vahidi nominated for?, answer: defense minister | question: What is Vahidi suspected of?, answer: bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center 15 years ago. | question: Who also approved nomination of Ahmad Vahidi?, answer: Lawmakers | question: Who appointed it's first ever woman minister?, answer: Iran's
|
(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader on Sunday blasted U.S. plans to overhaul the setup for a missile defense shield in Europe, calling the Obama administration's intentions "anti-Iranian," state-run media reported.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says the U.S. president is following "anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian" policies.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also called Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions -- which Tehran says are only for energy purposes -- "purely a fabrication by the United States," according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
"This is something that is in the doctrine of anti-Iranianism, since the policy and the 30-year-old history of the Islamic Republic has proven that Iran wants to live in peace and under the spirit of equality and fraternity, with its Muslim neighbors and the rest of the world," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.
On Thursday, President Obama said the United States is significantly overhauling Bush-era plans for a missile defense shield in Europe, based partly on the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities.
The "new missile defense architecture in Europe" will be ready faster, work with existing technology and provide better missile defense than the program proposed by former President George W. Bush, Obama said.
Obama said the change of gears was based on an "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles. The Islamic republic's "short- and medium-range" missiles pose the most current threat, he said, and "this new ballistic missile defense will best address" that threat.
Khamenei, speaking on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, a festive end to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, countered by comparing Obama to his predecessor.
"America, under its former president, spared no efforts against the Muslim world as well as against Iran," Khamenei said. "Even the current administration -- with the apparently friendly words and messages -- follows that same anti-Islamic and anti-Iranian policy of the past."
The Bush-era proposal called for the United States to set up a radar site in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland to counter the threat of Iran launching long-range missiles at America's allies in Europe. The new system will have "hundreds" of missile interceptors instead, a Pentagon official said last week.
It also will have mobile radars, including some in space, "that can move to wherever the threat actually emanates and wherever we feel we need to defend ourselves," said Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
|
[
"What did Obama say change is based on?",
"What was change based on?",
"What did Khamenei say is a fabrication by U.S.?",
"What did Khamenei say about Western concerns?",
"What is the full name of the organization with the initials \"IRNA\"?"
] |
[
"the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities.",
"\"updated intelligence assessment\" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles.",
"Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions",
"\"purely a fabrication by the United States,\"",
"Islamic Republic News Agency."
] |
question: What did Obama say change is based on?, answer: the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities. | question: What was change based on?, answer: "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles. | question: What did Khamenei say is a fabrication by U.S.?, answer: Western concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions | question: What did Khamenei say about Western concerns?, answer: "purely a fabrication by the United States," | question: What is the full name of the organization with the initials "IRNA"?, answer: Islamic Republic News Agency.
|
(CNN) -- Iran's supreme leader took verbal jabs at the United States Saturday in his first public reaction since the United States accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei labeled the allegations "meaningless and absurd."
"They (the U.S.) want to isolate Iran," Khamenei said over chants of "down with America" in a speech before thousands in the western Iranian city of Gilangharb.
Also, an Iranian official said claims by the United States that a high-level U.S. diplomat had met Wednesday with an Iranian counterpart over the plot were untrue.
"There were no kinds of negotiations between the two countries, and there was not such a contact," said Alireza Miryousefi, press secretary for the Iranian Mission to the United Nations.
The United States had reported having had "direct contact with Iran" about the alleged plot.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland disclosed the contact to reporters. A senior administration official told CNN it occurred Wednesday and was initiated by the United States.
Two State Department officials said U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice met with Mohammad Khazai, Iran's permanent representative to the United Nations.
Ahead of Saturday's rebuttal of the claims of diplomatic contact, Iranian officials had previously declined to confirm the meeting.
U.S. authorities have accused Iran of being involved in a plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, in spring 2012.
The alleged scheme involved a connection to the Quds Force, a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, which formally answers to Khamenei.
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, and Gholam Shakuri, an Iran-based member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are accused of conspiring to hire hit men from a Mexican drug cartel to bomb a restaurant, where the ambassador would have been.
Authorities developed the case against the suspects with the help of an undercover informant posing as an associate of a Mexican drug cartel, according to officials and an FBI agent's affidavit.
Reza Aslan, a religious scholar and author, told CNN on Saturday that the described plot "just does not fit the Quds Force's M.O. (modus operandi)."
Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas, he said.
"It's sloppy. It's uncharacteristic," said Aslan. "It really does not serve Iran's interest in any legitimate way."
Iran could more easily target Saudi diplomats in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere, Aslan said. "Doing so on U.S. soil is unmistakably an attack on the United States, not on Saudi Arabia."
CNN's Mitra Mobasherat and Hala Gorani contributed to this report
|
[
"What does the U.S. allege?",
"Scholar says plot does not fit what?",
"Does Iranian diplomat say claims are true?",
"Ayatollah Khamenei calls the U.S. allegations what?",
"What does Khamenei think about the allegations?",
"The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in what?",
"What does scholar say?"
] |
[
"accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.",
"the Quds Force's M.O.",
"untrue.",
"\"meaningless and absurd.\"",
"\"meaningless and absurd.\"",
"plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.",
"Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas,"
] |
question: What does the U.S. allege?, answer: accused Iran of plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. | question: Scholar says plot does not fit what?, answer: the Quds Force's M.O. | question: Does Iranian diplomat say claims are true?, answer: untrue. | question: Ayatollah Khamenei calls the U.S. allegations what?, answer: "meaningless and absurd." | question: What does Khamenei think about the allegations?, answer: "meaningless and absurd." | question: The U.S. alleges Iran was involved in what?, answer: plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington. | question: What does scholar say?, answer: Using a drug cartel would be risky and a Quds Force agent would be more reliable than Arbabsiar, a used-car salesman in Texas,
|
(CNN) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday that a new Middle East -- one "without Zionists and without colonialists" -- was quickly emerging as regional bonds grow stronger by the day.
The hard-line leader made the comments after a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Thursday.
"The whole world should know that Iran will stand behind the Syrian nation to the end," Ahmadinejad said in remarks aired on Iran's state-run Press TV. "Regional bonds are very strong."
His comments came during a two-day visit to Damascus that follows efforts by the United States to weaken ties between Iran and Syria.
President Obama recently nominated veteran diplomat Robert Ford to be the new ambassador in Damascus, ending a five-year diplomatic hiatus there and sparking talk of a renewed relationship. But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran.
"No one has enlightened her to comment on regional issues," Ahmadinejad said, slamming Clinton's statements as interfering. "The whole U.S. government has no impact whatsoever on regional relations."
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen over Iran's nuclear program, which Iran insists is intended for civilian use but the United States believes is intended for developing weapons.
Assad voiced strong support for Iran and brushed off U.S. sentiment.
"I find it strange how they talk about Middle East stability and at the same time talk about dividing two countries," he said.
The meeting between Assad and Ahmadinejad sparked a harsh reaction from Israeli President Shimon Peres.
"The time has come to speak the truth," he said in a written statement. "The problem in the Middle East is not the Palestinians. The Palestinian problem will be resolved through the peace process in Israel. The central problem in the Middle East is Iran's attempt to reach hegemony over the Arab lands."
"The source of the problem is Ahmadinejad's megalomania. Assad must choose what he wants -- to join the Iranian camp of evil and terror or to make peace with Israel," he said.
He called on Assad to sit down with Israel to reach a peace agreement.
|
[
"Who is interferring?",
"What did Clinton do?",
"Who has pledged support?",
"Where did U.S. recently send ambassadors?",
"What does Assad say about U.S. policy?",
"Where did the US send its ambassador?"
] |
[
"Hillary Clinton",
"tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran.",
"Assad",
"Damascus,",
"Middle East stability and at the same time talk",
"Damascus,"
] |
question: Who is interferring?, answer: Hillary Clinton | question: What did Clinton do?, answer: tempered the thawing of relations by saying that Washington remains concerned with Syria's close ties to Iran. | question: Who has pledged support?, answer: Assad | question: Where did U.S. recently send ambassadors?, answer: Damascus, | question: What does Assad say about U.S. policy?, answer: Middle East stability and at the same time talk | question: Where did the US send its ambassador?, answer: Damascus,
|
(CNN) -- Iranian authorities confiscated the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize given to human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, Norway said Thursday.
"The medal and the diploma have been removed from Dr. Ebadi's bank box, together with other personal items. Such an act leaves us feeling shock and disbelief," Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store said in a written statement.
Norway did not explain how it had learned of the alleged confiscation, and there was no immediate reaction from Iran.
Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a written statement that it "has reacted strongly" and summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires on Wednesday afternoon to protest the move.
During the meeting with the Iranian charge d'affaires, State Secretary Gry Larsen also expressed "grave concern" about how Ebadi's husband has allegedly been treated.
"Earlier this autumn, he [Ebadi's husband] was arrested in Tehran and severely beaten. His pension has been stopped and his bank account has been frozen," the statement from Norway said.
Store said in the statement that it marked the "first time a Nobel Peace Prize has been confiscated by national authorities."
The peace prize is one of five awarded annually since 1901 by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. The other four prizes are for physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Starting in 1969, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel also has been awarded.
While the other prizes are awarded by committees based in Sweden, the peace prize is determined by a five-member panel appointed by the Norwegian parliament.
Ebadi received the prize for her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.
A statement from the Nobel committee at the time said, "As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond its borders."
|
[
"What was removed from Dr. Ebadi's box?",
"Who received a prize for their focus on human rights?",
"Who did not explain how they learned of the alleged confiscation?",
"Did Norway provide an explanation?",
"What has been removed from the bank box",
"Who received a prize for her focus on human rights",
"What did ebadi get the prize for?"
] |
[
"\"The medal and the diploma",
"Ebadi,",
"Norway",
"not explain",
"\"The medal and the diploma",
"Ebadi",
"her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children."
] |
question: What was removed from Dr. Ebadi's box?, answer: "The medal and the diploma | question: Who received a prize for their focus on human rights?, answer: Ebadi, | question: Who did not explain how they learned of the alleged confiscation?, answer: Norway | question: Did Norway provide an explanation?, answer: not explain | question: What has been removed from the bank box, answer: "The medal and the diploma | question: Who received a prize for her focus on human rights, answer: Ebadi | question: What did ebadi get the prize for?, answer: her focus on human rights, especially on the struggle to improve the status of women and children.
|
(CNN) -- Iranian media outlets have "systematically stirred up" widespread contempt toward the country's 300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority, the group says.
The Baha'i International Community issued a report Friday entitled "Inciting Hatred: Iran's media campaign to demonize Baha'is."
The report "documents and analyzes more than 400 media items over a 16-month period." The result, the Baha'is say, is an "insidious state-sponsored effort" to discredit the Baha'is with "false accusations, inflammatory terminology, and repugnant imagery."
Iranians officials at the United Nations and in Tehran could not be reached for comment.
Among "recurring themes" in media coverage about Baha'is, the report said, is that they are "anti-Islamic," a "deviant" and "cult-like" sect, agents of Zionism, spies for Israel and the West, morally corrupt and an influence in the shah's government, toppled in 1979.
New themes have emerged in recent months, the report says.
The report says the Baha'is have instigated opposition to the regime, influenced "anti-regime" Iranian human rights activists, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, controls or influences foreign broadcasters, such as the BBC and Voice of America, and helped plan and participated in the 2009 Ashura protests against the presidential elections earlier that year.
The group also said the media "uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith," and "security attractive young women to lure converts."
"This anti-Baha'i propaganda is shocking in its volume and vehemence, its scope and sophistication," said Bani Dugal, Principal Representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"It's all cynically calculated to stir up antagonism against a peaceful religious community whose members are striving to contribute to the well-being of their society," she said. "The parallels between the campaign of anti-Baha'i propaganda in Iran today and other state-sponsored, anti-religious campaigns of the past are undeniable. History shows us that such campaigns are among the foremost predictors of actual violence against religious minorities -or, in the worst case, precursors of genocide."
The Baha'i faith, founded during the 19th century in Iran and now with 5 million to 6 million adherents worldwide, is a monotheistic religion that focuses on the spiritual unity of humanity.
But Iran's Shiite Muslim ruling ayatollahs regard the faith as blasphemous because its founder, Bahaullah, declared himself to be a prophet of God. Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed was the last prophet of God.
The group said the anti-Baha'i messages are "originates with and are sanctioned by the country's highest levels of leadership, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei."
Iran, however, claims that international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy.
Those claims are "both ludicrous and funny, if it wasn't so sad," said Mohamed Abdel Dayem, the program coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists' Middle East and North Africa program.
"Any international media outlet that carries news that is not identical to the Iranian government's line is accused of being an agent of fill in the blank: The Baha'is, the Americans, the Mossad."
The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom -- an independent, bipartisan federal agency -- regularly documents the Iranian regime's actions toward the Baha'is.
A USCIRF official said the Iranian government's media campaign to denigrate and vilify the Baha'i community is part of its long-standing policy to not only incite violence against Baha'is but also to seek a slow death of the community's very existence in the country.
"The longer you wear down a community by demonizing them, intimidating them, depriving them, and arresting and imprisoning them - the hope is that you achieve your goal of total eradication," said Dwight Bashir, deputy director for policy and research at USCIRF.
The Baha'i report cities more than 200 "specious and misleading articles" by the semi-official Kayhan newspaper. USCIRF also singles out Kayhan.
"Among those responsible for this media initiative has been Hossein Shariatmadari, managing
|
[
"Whose faith is blasphemous?",
"what is the media impact?",
"Who said the Iranian media are demonizing them?",
"who is being demonized?",
"What do they believe?",
"What do Iran's rulers believe"
] |
[
"The Baha'i",
"\"systematically stirred up\" widespread contempt toward the country's",
"300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority,",
"Baha'is.\"",
"the media \"uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith,\" and \"security attractive young women to lure converts.\"",
"international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy."
] |
question: Whose faith is blasphemous?, answer: The Baha'i | question: what is the media impact?, answer: "systematically stirred up" widespread contempt toward the country's | question: Who said the Iranian media are demonizing them?, answer: 300,000-strong Baha'i religious minority, | question: who is being demonized?, answer: Baha'is." | question: What do they believe?, answer: the media "uses brainwashing to entice Muslims away from their faith," and "security attractive young women to lure converts." | question: What do Iran's rulers believe, answer: international media are an arm of a Baha'i conspiracy.
|
(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.
|
[
"who won the election",
"who lost in the election",
"What does reformist newspapers report?",
"Who did Moussavi lose to?",
"What did Moussavi's loss lead to?",
"Who is to be sworn in?",
"What sparked a mass protest?"
] |
[
"Ahmadinejad",
"Moussavi",
"leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at",
"Ahmadinejad",
"form a new political party",
"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad",
"Iran's disputed presidential election"
] |
question: who won the election, answer: Ahmadinejad | question: who lost in the election, answer: Moussavi | question: What does reformist newspapers report?, answer: leader Mir Hossein Moussavi plans to form a new political party aimed at | question: Who did Moussavi lose to?, answer: Ahmadinejad | question: What did Moussavi's loss lead to?, answer: form a new political party | question: Who is to be sworn in?, answer: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad | question: What sparked a mass protest?, answer: Iran's disputed presidential election
|
(CNN) -- Iranian student Puyan Mahmudian scored the sixth highest marks in his year group in his entrance exam, but was rejected for a Masters degree in chemical engineering at Amirkabir University in Tehran.
The problem was not his academic record, but his political background, according to human rights groups, which note that Mahmudian had previously been jailed for being editor of a student magazine that was critical of the government.
Mahmudian, now 25, believes he is one of hundreds of so-called "starred students," whom campaigners claim are denied access to university or expelled because of their religious or political beliefs.
A report called "Punishing Stars" by the non-governmental organization International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran names 217 students who it says have been deprived of education because of their religion or political activism in the last five years. It says the real number is much higher as many did not want to be named.
Many of those listed are members of the Baha'i Faith, the largest religious minority in Iran, with around 300,000 members, according to the official website of the faith in the United States. It says Baha'is have been persecuted in Iran since the faith started there in the mid-19th century. The conservative clergy considers followers of the Baha'i faith to be part of a wayward sect and apostates.
Other "starred students" are human rights activists, supporters of women's rights, members of the political opposition and student journalists, campaigners claim.
Now, a grassroots campaign, which began in Germany and has spread to other countries around the world, is drawing attention to alleged denial of education in Iran.
The campaign, called "Can You Solve This?" publicizes a QR code which, when scanned by smart phones, directs people to a website with an animated video.
The QR code has been printed on flyers, banners, pavements and t-shirts in coffee shops, streets and university campuses. In Germany, the QR code was used without any other information to build up mystery around the campaign.
Ruha Reyani, a second generation Iranian living in Germany and one of the architects of the campaign, said: "We are at the start of the university year and there's a big push from the Iranian government to use denial of education as a tool of persecution.
"We want people to come to take action by sending letters to their political leaders." Events to support the campaign have already been held in Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India and the Netherlands, and are planned for Canada, the United States, France, Italy and other countries.
Esra'a Al Shafei, founder of Mideast Youth, one of the organizations supporting the campaign, said: "It's a creative and dynamic campaign that appeals to young people everywhere. The video has had more than 70,000 views and more than 5,000 letters have been sent through the website."
Mahmudian, now living in Germany, was arrested and jailed in 2007 while editor of a student magazine at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran.
In a case highlighted at the time by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Committee to Protect Journalists, Mahmudian and seven other students were arrested, accused of defaming Islam in their publications.
Mahmudian said the members of the information ministry had circulated forged editions of their publications containing offensive articles.
Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a press release at the time: "The Iranian authorities are using the flimsiest of pretexts to arrests student journalists and activists.
"Even the Judiciary has admitted that these students had nothing to do with the forged publications."
Mahmudian said: "I spent more than 50 days in solitary confinement. They used physical and mental torture. I went on hunger strike for 11 days to be allowed to make one phone call to my mother to tell her I was okay.
"After 80 days of extreme pressure they got a videotaped confession from us inside prison. We apologized to the president and were released and allowed to go back to university."
It was after his undergraduate studies finished
|
[
"What is the name of the campaign?",
"What is the student's name?"
] |
[
"\"Can You Solve This?\"",
"Puyan Mahmudian"
] |
question: What is the name of the campaign?, answer: "Can You Solve This?" | question: What is the student's name?, answer: Puyan Mahmudian
|
(CNN) -- Iraq has banned all Turkish flights from landing in the country in response to a dispute over millions of dollars owed by an Iraqi government oil company to Turkey.
Iraqi transportation ministry spokesman Karim al-Nuri said the decision to block Turkish planes from Iraq, including the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, was in response to a similar ban in Turkey against Iraqi flights. However, a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.
The official did say that Turkey warned that if Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) does not pay the $3 million owed to his country, then the country would ban Iraqi aircraft.
"They owe the money and they wish to freeze Turkish flights ... Talks are ongoing. But the way out is for SOMO to pay its debts," the Turkish official said.
Al-Nuri said Baghdad did not make "a political decision."
"Iraq will reverse its decision if Turkey reverses its decision, too," al-Nuri said.
After years of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Turkey's flagship carrier Turkish Airlines was one of the first international companies to begin direct flights to Baghdad. Increasingly, Turkey has grown as a major international gateway for commerce and travel to and from its Iraqi neighbor.
|
[
"What is the dispute over?",
"Does Turkey admit to banning flights?",
"Where all flights to all Turkish cities banned?",
"Which flights did Iraq say that Turkey banned from landing?",
"What kind of company's debts have caused the dispute?",
"What company owes the money?",
"Which country has banned Iraqi flights from landing?",
"How much money does the company owe?"
] |
[
"millions of dollars",
"a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes.",
"Iraq",
"Iraqi",
"Iraqi government oil",
"Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO)",
"Turkey",
"$3 million"
] |
question: What is the dispute over?, answer: millions of dollars | question: Does Turkey admit to banning flights?, answer: a Turkish government official denied that Ankara blocked Iraqi planes. | question: Where all flights to all Turkish cities banned?, answer: Iraq | question: Which flights did Iraq say that Turkey banned from landing?, answer: Iraqi | question: What kind of company's debts have caused the dispute?, answer: Iraqi government oil | question: What company owes the money?, answer: Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) | question: Which country has banned Iraqi flights from landing?, answer: Turkey | question: How much money does the company owe?, answer: $3 million
|
(CNN) -- Iraq scored in injury time Friday to beat 10-man China 1-0 and all but end their opponent's hopes of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup finals.
The Asia Group A match in Doha was a mirror image of the side's earlier clash in China a month ago, with Younis Mahmoud, who scored the only goal in Shenzhen, coming up trumps again in injury time.
China were handicapped by a red card for Zhang Linpeng and paid for missed chances.
Iraq, coached by former Brazil legend Zico, have moved into a strong position in the qualifying section, which is led by Jordan, who confirmed their place in the second stage by beating Singapore 2-0.
Jose Camacho's China would have to win their final two games and see Iraq lose by a heavy margin to Jordan and Singapore to claim an unlikely second in the group.
"China played bravely, but we won the match and the result has almost guaranteed our place in the last ten," Zico told the official FIFA website.
"The game went as we predicted. We knew China would attack, so we focused on defending in the first half before sealing victory late on."
Japan and Uzbekistan joined Jordan in clinching qualification Friday, continuing their domination of Group C.
Japan routed Tajikistan 4-0 and Uzbekistan beat North Korea 1-0 with Timur Kapadze scoring the only goal of the match for the hosts.
The big surprise of the day was the 1-0 defeat for Group D leaders Australia in Oman with Amad Ali scoring the winner in the 18th minute.
Australia will still be expected to progress after four earlier wins, with Frank Rijkaard's Saudi Arabia moving into second in the group after a 3-0 win over Thailand.
In Group B, South Korea stayed top by beating the UAE 2-0 and Mahmoud El Ali grabbed the only goal of the game as Lebanon shocked hosts Kuwait 1-0 to move into second.
Iran held on to top spot in Group E but needed an injury-time equalizer from Mojtaba Jabari to scramble a 1-1 draw in Bahrain.
Iran lead Qatar, who recorded a 4-0 home win over Indonesia, on goal difference.
In the first round of African qualifying, the outstanding result Friday was 3-1 win for the Congo DR in Swaziland with Togo held 1-1 in Guinea Bissau. Totttenham's Emmanuel Adebayor is set to return for Togo in the second leg next Tuesday.
A star-studded Argentina side were held to a disappointing 1-1 home draw by Bolivia in their third match of qualifying from South America.
Argentina, boasting the likes of Lionel Messi and Gonzalo Higuain, found the visitors hard to break down and even fell behind as Martins Moreno scored in the second half.
It needed an equalizer from Ezequiel Lavezzi to salvage a point, with Argentina booed from the field.
|
[
"What country was booed off the field in South America?",
"Who got booed off field?",
"Who was last gasp winner to beat china?",
"what was iraq's score",
"Who clinched places in second round?",
"who took the second place",
"What country did Iraq beat?",
"who scored 3-1",
"What countries had places in the second round of Asia qualifying?"
] |
[
"Argentina",
"Argentina",
"Iraq",
"1-0",
"Japan and Uzbekistan",
"Saudi Arabia",
"China",
"Congo DR",
"Jordan,"
] |
question: What country was booed off the field in South America?, answer: Argentina | question: Who got booed off field?, answer: Argentina | question: Who was last gasp winner to beat china?, answer: Iraq | question: what was iraq's score, answer: 1-0 | question: Who clinched places in second round?, answer: Japan and Uzbekistan | question: who took the second place, answer: Saudi Arabia | question: What country did Iraq beat?, answer: China | question: who scored 3-1, answer: Congo DR | question: What countries had places in the second round of Asia qualifying?, answer: Jordan,
|
(CNN) -- Iraq's presidency council Thursday approved the U.S.-Iraq security agreement -- the final step for the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government, a council spokesman said. The pact allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.
U.S. soldiers gather at the "Crossed Swords" in Baghdad's secure Green Zone on Tuesday.
The three-member presidency council -- Kurdish President Jalal Talabani, Shiite Vice President Adel Abdul Mehdi and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi -- approved the agreement unanimously a week after the Iraqi parliament passed the measure.
Under the Iraqi constitution, unanimous approval by the presidency council is required for ratification of a law or agreement.
The security pact will replace a U.N. mandate for the U.S. presence in Iraq that expires at the end of this year.
The agreement, reached after months of negotiations, sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. combat troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns. The date for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.
The agreement -- which stresses respect for Iraqi sovereignty -- "requests the temporary assistance" of U.S. forces, but severely restricts their role.
The pact says that all military operations are to be carried out with the agreement of Iraq and must be "fully coordinated" with Iraqis.
A Joint Military Operations Coordination Committee will oversee military operations.
Iraq has the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. forces "for grave premeditated felonies," the agreement says. Suspects can be held by U.S. forces but must be available to Iraqi authorities for investigation or trial.
Iraq also will have the "primary right to exercise jurisdiction" over U.S. contractors and their employees under the agreement.
Also, the pact says that "Iraqi land, sea and air shouldn't be used as a launching or transit point for attacks against other countries."
The presidency council also approved a U.S.-Iraqi bilateral pact called the strategic framework agreement, which covers a wide range of bilateral cooperation efforts and which was approved by the Iraqi parliament last week.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military official in Iraq, issued a statement welcoming the council's ratification of the measures.
"We look forward, under these agreements, to the continued reduction in U.S. forces and the normalization of bilateral relations as two sovereign and co-equal nations," the two said in their statement.
"We will undertake initiatives to strengthen our cooperation in the fields of economics, energy, health, the environment, education, culture, and law enforcement. The United States will support Iraq's request to the U.N. Security Council to continue protection of Iraqi assets," the statement said.
|
[
"What does the agreement do?",
"What pulls out troops?",
"U.S. officials welcomed what country for approval of pact?",
"What was the council's approval the final step for?",
"When are all US Forces scheduled to entirely exit Iraq by?",
"U.S. troops will pull out of Iraqi cities by what date?",
"What did officials welcome?",
"U.S. forces will exit Iraq fully by what date?"
] |
[
"allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years.",
"the U.S.-Iraq security agreement",
"Iraq",
"the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government,",
"December 31, 2011.",
"December 31, 2011.",
"the council's ratification of the measures.",
"December 31, 2011."
] |
question: What does the agreement do?, answer: allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years. | question: What pulls out troops?, answer: the U.S.-Iraq security agreement | question: U.S. officials welcomed what country for approval of pact?, answer: Iraq | question: What was the council's approval the final step for?, answer: the agreement to be ratified by the Iraqi government, | question: When are all US Forces scheduled to entirely exit Iraq by?, answer: December 31, 2011. | question: U.S. troops will pull out of Iraqi cities by what date?, answer: December 31, 2011. | question: What did officials welcome?, answer: the council's ratification of the measures. | question: U.S. forces will exit Iraq fully by what date?, answer: December 31, 2011.
|
(CNN) -- Ireland --- once Europe's 'Celtic Tiger' -- was last year felled by its black hole of a banking sector, and forced to tap Europe's bailout fund.
The country continues to live off bailout funds -- yet in September internet giant Twitter announced its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin. It will join Facebook and Google, which both have their headquarters in the Irish capital.
The move suggests Dublin could again become a major player in the technology industry, despite the country's financial woes.
According to Noel Ruane, head of Dogpatch Labs Europe -- which likens itself to a 'frat house for geeks' -- the city has enough of an internet community to rival Silicon Valley.
Dogpatch Labs was created by the U.S.-based venture capital company Polaris Venture Partners, and provides a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people.
The center has also chosen to call Dublin its European home, with Ruane as its entrepreneur in residence.
Ruane believes Dublin is a good base for emerging companies, despite their consumers being located elsewhere. Many companies are web based, and don't need to be near their customers, he says.
He acknowledges language barriers can prove more difficult for companies in Europe than in other parts of the world, such as the U.S.
"There is a localization requirement; we don't have one homogenous market like the U.S. where there are 300 million plus people that companies can target." But he says the nature of the web means businesses can be successful from wherever they're located, including Dublin.
But while Dublin's reputation as an internet hub is growing, many developers are still honing their skills in the U.S first before establishing themselves in Europe.
"I meet companies all the time where the founders have returned home after perhaps graduating from Stamford University and spending some years with the large internet companies in Silicon Valley," explains Ruane. "They have all that experience so that they can set up business back in Europe."
CNN's Emily Smith contributed to this story.
|
[
"Who can Dublin rival?",
"Where are headquartered Google and Facebook?",
"What companies have their headquaters in Ireland?",
"What provides Dogpatch Labs Europe?",
"Who already has headquarters in Ireland?",
"Who provides space for entrepreneurs?",
"What did Twitter announce?"
] |
[
"Silicon Valley.",
"Dublin.",
"Facebook and Google,",
"a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people.",
"Facebook and Google,",
"Dogpatch Labs",
"its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin."
] |
question: Who can Dublin rival?, answer: Silicon Valley. | question: Where are headquartered Google and Facebook?, answer: Dublin. | question: What companies have their headquaters in Ireland?, answer: Facebook and Google, | question: What provides Dogpatch Labs Europe?, answer: a space for aspiring entrepreneurs to brainstorm with like-minded people. | question: Who already has headquarters in Ireland?, answer: Facebook and Google, | question: Who provides space for entrepreneurs?, answer: Dogpatch Labs | question: What did Twitter announce?, answer: its intention to set up headquarters in Dublin.
|
(CNN) -- Ireland opened the defense of their Six Nations rugby title with a 29-11 victory at home to Italy, while England repelled the challenge of Wales to win 30-17 in Saturday's other match.
Ireland, who won all five matches last year to complete a Grand Slam, led 23-8 at halftime in Dublin but could not run away with victory against a determined visiting team.
Recalled flyhalf Ronan O'Gara became the first player to score 500 points in the tournament as he was successful with all six kicks at goal, while Jamie Heaslip and Tomas O'Leary crossed for first-half tries.
Italy's only try came just before halftime, despite the sin-binning of center Gonzalo Garcia meaning coach Nick Mallett's team were reduced to 14 men, after a charge-down of Rob Kearney's kick by Kaine Robertson.
"It's not easy to click immediately having only been together for two weeks and not having played together since November," Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll told reporters.
"There is plenty to improve on. It's the first one and job done. We'll take the positives out of it and move on. We showed an ability in the first half to turn defense into attack and the amount of lineout ball we won was a big plus.
"We made some good line breaks but didn't finish them off. Maybe we need to improve our support play."
England flanker James Haskell scored two tries to lift the pressure on head coach Martin Johnson, as Wales paid the price for Alun-Wyn Jones' sin-binning with 17 points conceded while the lock was off the field at Twickenham.
The match was level at 3-3 when Jones was yellow-carded for leg-tripping England hooker Dylan Hartley, and the hosts subsequently scored a penalty and two converted tries, Haskell's first in Tests and another five minutes after halftime by scrumhalf Danny Care.
Wales battled back to 20-17 down with eight minutes left as Jones made some amends by setting up prop Adam Jones for a try and then James Hook crossed for another.
But four minutes later Haskell went over again thanks to Delon Armitage's interception, and then Jonny Wilkinson kicked his third penalty, this one from the halfway line to give the flyhalf 15 points for the match.
Wales coach Warren Gatland was furious after Jones' indiscipline cost his side dear.
"We are frustrated and disappointed. We felt that was a game that has slipped from our grasp," the New Zealander told reporters.
"The yellow card has cost us 17 points -- it was one of those things, stupid. It was massive. Sometimes those things are very, very costly, and it was for us today.
"We had stressed discipline over the past two weeks and talked about giving nothing soft away, and it is frustrating we have done that. He has made an impulsive decision, and hopefully it is a learning experience for him and he doesn't do it again."
France travel to Scotland for the opening round's other match on Sunday.
|
[
"Who is Dylan Hartley?",
"Who defeated Italy?",
"Who defeated Wales 30-17 at Twickenham?",
"What was the score between England and Wales?",
"Who was the first player to score 500?",
"Who was the first player to score 500 points in the tournament?",
"What team won the Six Nations rugby title?",
"Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara becomes first player to do what?",
"Did England defeat Wales?"
] |
[
"England hooker",
"Ireland",
"England",
"30-17",
"Ronan O'Gara",
"Ronan O'Gara",
"Ireland",
"score 500 points in the tournament",
"win"
] |
question: Who is Dylan Hartley?, answer: England hooker | question: Who defeated Italy?, answer: Ireland | question: Who defeated Wales 30-17 at Twickenham?, answer: England | question: What was the score between England and Wales?, answer: 30-17 | question: Who was the first player to score 500?, answer: Ronan O'Gara | question: Who was the first player to score 500 points in the tournament?, answer: Ronan O'Gara | question: What team won the Six Nations rugby title?, answer: Ireland | question: Flyhalf Ronan O'Gara becomes first player to do what?, answer: score 500 points in the tournament | question: Did England defeat Wales?, answer: win
|
(CNN) -- Ireland upset the Australian Wallabies 15-6 at Eden Park Saturday to top Pool C of the Rugby World Cup.
It was Ireland's first win over Australia in five attempts at the global showpiece and puts them securely on the path to the quarterfinals after two victories from two matches.
Inspired defense in wet conditions frustrated their more fancied opponents, who trail them by three points with two games to play.
"We were mentally in a place where we felt we owed ourselves a big performance as much as we owed the Irish public one," Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll told AFP.
"The Irish played more intelligently, they put us under a lot of pressure and profited from that, particularly in our end of the ground," Wallabies' coach Robbie Deans said.
Australia were ahead early through a James O'Connor penalty in the 11th minute, but Jonathan Sexton's leveled for the Irish with a penalty of their own before putting them 6-3 ahead with a drop goal.
O'Connor put Australia back on level terms before the break, but after the interval Sexton gave Ireland a lead they never relinquished with his trusty boot.
Ronan O'Gara came off the bench to kick to further penalties, taking his Irish points tally to a record 1,039 and they almost added a late try as winger Tommy Bowe was pulled up by O'Connor five meters from the try-line.
Meanwhile, South Africa made it two wins out of two in the defense of the title with a commanding 49-3 victory over Fiji on Saturday.
After their narrow 17-6 win over Wales in their Pool D opener, the Springboks were far sharper and scored tries through center Jaque Fourie, Gurthro Steenkamp, Frans Steyn, Morne Steyn, Tendai Mtawarira and Danie Rossouw.
Morne Steyn kicked 16 points with a Frans Steyn penalty the other score. Seremia Bai scored a sole penalty for Fiji, who beat Namibia 49-25 in their opener, but were outclassed here.
In the other World Cup match played Saturday, Argentina scored their first win, after a narrow opening defeat to England, with a 43-8 victory over Romania in Pool B, running in six tries.
|
[
"Who kicked Ireland's points?",
"Who beat the Australian Wallabies?",
"Who secured a victory over Romania?",
"Who kicked points to give the Irish their victory?",
"Who topped Pool C of the Rugby World Cup?",
"South Africa thrashed Fifi by what score?",
"What team did Ireland shock?"
] |
[
"Jonathan Sexton's",
"Ireland",
"Argentina",
"Ronan O'Gara",
"Ireland",
"49-3",
"Australian Wallabies"
] |
question: Who kicked Ireland's points?, answer: Jonathan Sexton's | question: Who beat the Australian Wallabies?, answer: Ireland | question: Who secured a victory over Romania?, answer: Argentina | question: Who kicked points to give the Irish their victory?, answer: Ronan O'Gara | question: Who topped Pool C of the Rugby World Cup?, answer: Ireland | question: South Africa thrashed Fifi by what score?, answer: 49-3 | question: What team did Ireland shock?, answer: Australian Wallabies
|
(CNN) -- Ireland's government-backed "bad bank" is taking on 16 billion euros ($21.5 billion) in debt from five troubled Irish banks -- a first step toward buying 81 billion euros ($109 billion) in bad loans, the government announced.
The National Asset Management Agency, as the "bad bank" is officially known, will pay 8.5 billion euros ($11.4 billion) for the first 16 billion euros in debt, it said Tuesday.
The move takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank. The first two banks' debts were taken over on Monday and the other three institutions' bad loans should be transferred by early April, NAMA said.
Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan gave a sobering assessment of the banks' health Tuesday.
"I understand why many want us to close" Anglo Irish Bank, which lost huge sums in property lending, he told lawmakers. "I understand the impulse to obliterate it from the system."
But, he said, "the sums required to rescue the bank are enormous but the costs of winding it down are even greater."
The government has already replaced the management of the bank.
Lenihan hinted broadly that the government will take over Allied Irish Bank, which he said must raise "additional equity capital of at least 7.4 billion euros ($9.9B) by the end of the year."
"If sufficient private capital is not available, it is probable that the state will have a majority shareholding in Allied Irish Bank as a listed entity, but this is much more preferable than an under-capitalized or only adequately-capitalized entity," he said.
The government is seeking to sell Irish Nationwide or merge it with another entity as soon as possible, after having taken it over earlier, he said.
The Bank of Ireland "expects to be able to raise private capital and is well advanced in its actions to address its capital needs," and EBS is in talks with "a private party" about raising market capital, he added.
The move is part of an Irish government response to the global financial crisis, which hit Ireland particularly hard.
The government expects to complete the purchase of the 81 billion euros in debt by February of next year, a deadline set by the European Union, NAMA said.
Borrowers whose loans have been acquired by NAMA will be required to submit a comprehensive business plan in accordance with NAMA's template within one month outlining how they propose to honor their loan commitments, NAMA chief executive Brendan McDonagh said in a statement.
If the plans are not submitted or not approved, "NAMA will take whatever actions it considers necessary to protect the interests of the taxpayer," he said.
CNN's Jim Boulden and Eve Parish contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who will purchase debt in february?",
"what does move do?",
"What does the move do?",
"How much debt will be purchased?",
"When will debt be purchased?",
"How many loans will be taken off?"
] |
[
"The National Asset Management Agency,",
"takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank.",
"takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank.",
"81 billion euros ($109 billion)",
"by February of next year,",
"1,200"
] |
question: Who will purchase debt in february?, answer: The National Asset Management Agency, | question: what does move do?, answer: takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank. | question: What does the move do?, answer: takes 1,200 loans off the books of Irish Nationwide Building Society, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland, Allied Irish Banks and Anglo Irish Bank. | question: How much debt will be purchased?, answer: 81 billion euros ($109 billion) | question: When will debt be purchased?, answer: by February of next year, | question: How many loans will be taken off?, answer: 1,200
|
(CNN) -- Ireland's top Catholic cardinal is using the "Nuremberg defense" in the face of public outrage at his role 35 years ago in investigating one of the country's most notorious child-abusing priests, an activist said Tuesday.
Cardinal Sean Brady has been under fire over the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth.
The latest scandal comes on the heels of a huge government-backed report that found the Archdiocese of Dublin and other Catholic Church authorities in Ireland covered up child abuse by priests from 1975 to 2004. Child sexual abuse was "widespread" then, the report found.
Brady's office said Tuesday that the cardinal, then a priest and teacher with a doctorate in canon law, had been asked to investigate two complaints against Smyth in 1975, but had no decision-making power. He reported his findings to Bishop Francis McKiernan, his office said, and McKiernan recommended Smyth get psychiatric help.
But John Kelly, the founder of Irish Survivors of Child Abuse, said Brady should not have remained silent about what he learned in the course of investigating Smyth, who was later convicted of dozens of counts of child abuse in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. He died in prison.
"He's basically using the Nuremberg defense, he was carrying out orders," Kelly said, in reference to the justification many Nazis used in their war crimes trials after World War II.
There has been particular outrage over the revelation that two boys who filed complaints against Smyth were asked to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation.
The oaths of secrecy were "to avoid potential collusion" between the two boys as church officials investigated the case, Ireland's Catholic Communications Office said Tuesday.
Despite his criticism of Brady, Kelly said it would not necessarily do any good for the cardinal to resign.
"He's lost all moral authority to lead, but by replacing him, it won't resolve the problem," he said, arguing that the Vatican would "just replace guys with other guys."
The best solution, he said, would be for the Roman Catholic Church to let secular authorities deal with accusations of abuse, rather than trying to handle them itself.
"They have to accept secular authority, and they can get on with the business of religion," Kelly said. "It would be in the church's own interest. Resignations in themselves aren't the answer."
Four Irish bishops tendered their resignations in the wake of the government-backed report, and Pope Benedict XVI is expected to make a formal statement, or pastoral letter, on the Irish abuse issue by Easter.
The pope himself has been under fire since it was revealed that a priest suspected of abusing children was allowed to move into his diocese when he was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in Germany in 1980.
The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising said in a statement Monday it must have been clear at the time that the priest, whom multiple sources identified to CNN as Peter Hullermann, was coming to get therapy for allegedly molesting children. He was convicted of abuse in 1986, after Ratzinger moved to Rome. Hullermann was suspended on Monday.
Hundreds of allegations of sexual or physical abuse of children by Catholic clergy have come to light in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands this year.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Berlin, Germany, contributed to this report.
|
[
"How many boys filed complaints?",
"What did Brady investigate?",
"Who was the cardinal that was fired?",
"what has sean brady been under fire for",
"What is the number of those who complained?",
"Who were complaints filed against?",
"What is the name of the cardinal?",
"what were two boys asked to do"
] |
[
"two",
"Rev. Brendan Smyth.",
"Sean Brady",
"the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth.",
"two",
"Rev. Brendan Smyth.",
"Sean Brady",
"to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation."
] |
question: How many boys filed complaints?, answer: two | question: What did Brady investigate?, answer: Rev. Brendan Smyth. | question: Who was the cardinal that was fired?, answer: Sean Brady | question: what has sean brady been under fire for, answer: the investigation into the Rev. Brendan Smyth. | question: What is the number of those who complained?, answer: two | question: Who were complaints filed against?, answer: Rev. Brendan Smyth. | question: What is the name of the cardinal?, answer: Sean Brady | question: what were two boys asked to do, answer: to sign confidentiality statements as part of Brady's investigation.
|
(CNN) -- Is she hurt? Is she getting help? Is she even alive?
Those were the jumbled thoughts that raced through Sereth Hosty's mind in her Long Island, New York, home as she tirelessly scoured the news and Web for clues to the whereabouts of her elderly mother in Haiti.
Since an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 struck Tuesday, Augusta Thervil, 83, was among the growing number of people who had gone missing in the Port-au-Prince area. And her daughter was among those living in limbo.
"I check. I check. I check," Hosty said earlier this week. She had spent two days trying to reach her mother, neighbors and family friends by phone. She even placed a posting on CNN.com's iReport with her mother's picture.
With phone lines and electricity down, people with family and friends in Haiti are struggling to live with uncertainty.
"To not know and be waiting is one of the most difficult situations to be in," said Therese Rando, clinical director of the Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss.
The waiting finally came to an end for Hosty on Thursday evening when she heard through a cousin that her mother was alive. And though she hasn't been able to speak with Theravil directly, she's sleeping again.
"I know there are other problems that are coming with food and water, but I feel relief that she's not dead," Hosty said. "My cousin said my mommy is OK."
The toll of the quake is not yet known, but government officials said deaths may exceed 100,000. Emergency crews have already arrived in the Port-au-Prince area, but there are no indications when communication lines will be restored. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, with a weak infrastructure even before the earthquake.
The panic, anger and sadness since the quake are similar to the responses seen after the September 11 attacks, Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Those unexpected disasters claimed many lives and left family members who suffered losses to grieve for years, psychology experts say. Many are still grieving today.
After 9/11, families frantically drove into New York City, trying to display their loved ones' photographs to the public in hopes of recovering the person -- or their body. Unable yet to travel to Haiti, families are using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to search and connect. Several hundred submitted photos to iReport, asking for help in identifying their missing loved ones.
See the "Looking for loved ones in Haiti" page on iReport
"In every moment, the level of emotional anguish ratchets up, and there's nothing anyone can say to make them feel better," said Russell Friedman, director of The Grief Recovery Institute, a counseling organization in California that helps people deal with deaths and natural disasters.
The grieving process for someone waiting to learn if a loved one has survived can be incredibly traumatic, Friedman says. They may feel more frustrated than those on the ground because they cannot help, he said.
Mayka Cadet, 22, experienced these emotions Tuesday night in her Glendale, Maryland, home. She hasn't heard from five of her family members who live in Port-au-Prince. Her phone calls don't go through. There isn't even a ring.
She especially misses her Uncle Sergo Cadet, who has always been her mentor. Cadet, who owns a construction business, taught her to work hard in school.
"It's just really hard for me because I'm really close to them," said Cadent, who posted an iReport looking for her family members. "They come visit us every summer."
After their initial reaction to the news, people will find different ways to cope, psychologists say. Those who have missing relatives will feel sadness, anger, shock or confusion. Some may feel confused about their emotions, or struggle to even know what they are feeling.
For those who learn their family members have died, the grieving process can progress,
|
[
"What do the psychologists say?",
"From where did the woman find out her mother is still alive?",
"What are families using to find people?",
"who is using social media to find people affected by the earthquake?",
"what are psychologists saying?",
"How many years old was the girl's mother?"
] |
[
"After their initial reaction to the news, people will find different ways to cope,",
"through a cousin",
"Facebook, Twitter and YouTube",
"Sereth Hosty's",
"people will find different ways to cope,",
"83,"
] |
question: What do the psychologists say?, answer: After their initial reaction to the news, people will find different ways to cope, | question: From where did the woman find out her mother is still alive?, answer: through a cousin | question: What are families using to find people?, answer: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube | question: who is using social media to find people affected by the earthquake?, answer: Sereth Hosty's | question: what are psychologists saying?, answer: people will find different ways to cope, | question: How many years old was the girl's mother?, answer: 83,
|
(CNN) -- Islamist fighters battling for control of Somalia have threatened to close Mogadishu's only airport, warning all airlines to stop flights into the Somali capital by early Tuesday.
African Union peacekeepers keep guard recently at the international airport in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
"Any plane which uses or lands at the airport, we will consider it a military plane and we will not be held responsible for what happens to it," the Al-Shaabab militia said in a Web posting. The statement said the airport would be closed at 1 a.m. Tuesday (6 p.m. ET Wednesday).
The statement was posted on www.kataaib.net, a Web site frequently used by Al-Shaabab. A graphic posted along with the statement shows a plane about to land at Mogadishu's international airport. As the plane approaches, a man with a shoulder-fired missile appears and a red-circle target is placed over the plane. The Somali word for "Warning!" flashes at the same time.
Nairobi, Kenya-based Daallo Airlines, which operates flights four times a week into Mogadishu, is "monitoring the situation," the company's chief executive officer told CNN.
"We haven't received any warning directly," Howard Leedham said. He said he was made aware of Al-Shaabab's warning through the local media, and would not say if any of the four weekly flights would be canceled or rescheduled as a result.
"All I can say is we're monitoring the situation very closely," Leedham said. "We have employees down there, and so we're monitoring the situation."
Maj. Barigye Ba-Hoku, a spokesman for African Union forces in Somalia -- many of whom are based at Mogadishu's airport -- said he has not received an official warning from Al-Shaabab about the airport's closure, but "we take the warning seriously."
"We have taken precautionary measures, but that's all we can do," Ba-Hoku told CNN.
Al-Shaabab is an Islamic militia that has launched a bloody battle to seize control of Somalia and oust Ethiopian forces, which are helping Somali government forces try to rout the Islamic fighters.
It is a splinter group of the Islamic Courts Union, which pushed out Somalia's transitional government in 2006. The ICU was deposed in December of that year following Ethiopia's military intervention.
In its statement, Al-Shaabab said it has been forced to shut down the airport because it is being used by a variety of "infidel forces," including Ethiopia, Burundi, and Uganda. Burundi and Ugandan forces make up the bulk of the AU mission in Somalia.
Al-Shaabab also said U.S. and Israeli security officials "regularly" land at the airport.
"So based on all these issues, we -- Al-Shaabab fighters -- are notifying all business people in Mogadishu, particularly to those of the airlines, that the airport is officially closed from the date on 16th September," it said.
Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.
|
[
"What is the Al-Shaabab group seeking to do?",
"What has Africal Union forces spokesman say he's not received?",
"Who threatened flights?",
"What does the airline CEO say?",
"What forces does the Al-Shaabab group want to oust?",
"Who said that the situation is being monitored?",
"The CEO of what airline says the situation is monitored?",
"Where does the Al-Shaabab group seeking to oust Ethiopian forces from?",
"What is the name of the CEO who refrained from commenting?"
] |
[
"seize control of Somalia and oust Ethiopian forces,",
"an official warning from Al-Shaabab about the airport's closure,",
"Islamist",
"is we're monitoring the situation very closely,\" Leedham said. \"We have employees down there, and so we're monitoring the situation.\"",
"Ethiopian",
"company's chief executive officer",
"Daallo",
"Somalia",
"Howard Leedham"
] |
question: What is the Al-Shaabab group seeking to do?, answer: seize control of Somalia and oust Ethiopian forces, | question: What has Africal Union forces spokesman say he's not received?, answer: an official warning from Al-Shaabab about the airport's closure, | question: Who threatened flights?, answer: Islamist | question: What does the airline CEO say?, answer: is we're monitoring the situation very closely," Leedham said. "We have employees down there, and so we're monitoring the situation." | question: What forces does the Al-Shaabab group want to oust?, answer: Ethiopian | question: Who said that the situation is being monitored?, answer: company's chief executive officer | question: The CEO of what airline says the situation is monitored?, answer: Daallo | question: Where does the Al-Shaabab group seeking to oust Ethiopian forces from?, answer: Somalia | question: What is the name of the CEO who refrained from commenting?, answer: Howard Leedham
|
(CNN) -- Islamist fighters in Somalia have made significant gains in the country, according to the latest statement purportedly from al Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, pictured here in 2006, also spoke about Yemen, Gaza, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The 25-minute audio recording, titled "From Kabul to Mogadishu," focuses primarily on the "important developments" in Somalia, which al-Zawahiri called "a step on the path of victory of Islam."
CNN cannot authenticate the message, which was released on Sunday and was interspersed with television news reports and statements from various al Qaeda-linked commanders. CNN analysts who listened to the recording say the voice is consistent with his intonation and accent.
This is the third message from al-Zawahiri espousing the views of the al Qaeda terror network in 2009; the other two focused on Israel's recent military operation against Hamas leaders in Gaza.
In addition to Somalia, al-Zawahiri also addresses the situations in Yemen, Gaza, and Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Al-Zawahiri praised Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia who recently seized control of Baidoa, where the U.N.-backed transitional government had been based. He warned the newly installed government, under President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, not to squander those gains by submitting "to American demands" and not abiding by sharia, or Islamic law.
"I call on my Muslim brothers in beloved Somalia ... to not be deceived by those who agree to the secularist constitutions which vie with the sharia in its right to rule," he said.
Al-Zawahiri also addressed the "awakening" in Yemen, where many suspected al Qaeda militants wanted in neighboring Saudi Arabia are believed to have fled. That group includes several former detainees of the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The al Qaeda leader accused Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Salih and his government of being "servants and slaves" to the United States by allowing Yemen to be used as "a supply center ... against Muslim countries."
"How can you agree to let the ruling authority in Yemen be the CIA?" al-Zawahiri asked the people of Yemen.
Al-Zawahiri spent the last eight minutes addressing the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Gaza.
His focus on Somalia and Yemen -- which accounted for more than 17 minutes of the 25-minute address -- is a departure from the topics of his previous messages. CNN terrorism analyst Peter Bergen suggested that is a reflection of al Qaeda's recent losses as a result of U.S. missile strikes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
"There were three in 2007 and 34 in 2008 by my count," Bergen said. "These strikes are causing al Qaeda leaders to consider their options."
Al Qaeda has considered relocating its base to Somalia or Yemen, according to a former U.S. official who is familiar with the intelligence.
Other analysts have suggested that it would be difficult for al Qaeda to gain a stronghold in Somalia because its radical agenda is unpopular in the moderate Islamic country.
John Prendergast, who studies the Horn of Africa for the Center for American Progress think tank, said he expects Al-Shabaab's overseas ties to dry up after the recent withdrawal of Ethiopian forces, which was its only basis of support in Somalia. J. Anthony Holmes, director of the Africa program for the Council on Foreign Relations, said it is unlikely Somalia will emerge as "a breeding ground for terrorism" because of its clan-based society.
But Bergen noted that both Somalia and Yemen lack a strong central government and "therefore (are) attractive locations for al Qaeda."
"Al Qaeda also has had an on-and-off presence in Somalia since 1992 and even earlier in Yemen," he said. "As we have seen also, Yemen's weak government and permissive attitude to jihadists have made it an increasingly attractive venue for Saudi members of al Qaeda."
Bergen said that is most likely why al-Zawahiri chose to focus more than half of his latest message on Yemen and Somalia.
|
[
"How long is the recording?",
"Where are they considering relocating to?",
"How long was the audio?",
"Where were they considering movine base to?",
"Who does Ayman al-Zawahiri praise?",
"Who are the voices?",
"Where did Al Qaeda consider relocating the base to?",
"Which person is the voice supposed to be of?",
"Which contry's fighters are being praised in the recording?"
] |
[
"25-minute",
"Somalia or Yemen,",
"25-minute",
"Somalia or Yemen,",
"Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia",
"al-Zawahiri",
"Somalia or Yemen,",
"Ayman al-Zawahiri,",
"in Somalia"
] |
question: How long is the recording?, answer: 25-minute | question: Where are they considering relocating to?, answer: Somalia or Yemen, | question: How long was the audio?, answer: 25-minute | question: Where were they considering movine base to?, answer: Somalia or Yemen, | question: Who does Ayman al-Zawahiri praise?, answer: Al-Shabaab fighters in Somalia | question: Who are the voices?, answer: al-Zawahiri | question: Where did Al Qaeda consider relocating the base to?, answer: Somalia or Yemen, | question: Which person is the voice supposed to be of?, answer: Ayman al-Zawahiri, | question: Which contry's fighters are being praised in the recording?, answer: in Somalia
|
(CNN) -- Israel has issued a rare statement of "regret" for the recent deaths of several Egyptian security personnel, hours after Egypt said it was recalling its ambassador.
Egypt's government posted a statement Saturday saying its ambassador would be withdrawn until Israel conducted an investigation into what it called "indiscriminate shelling" that led to the deaths of at least three security forces in its Sinai region on Thursday. Later in the day, the statement was taken down without explanation.
Top-level Israel security officials met Saturday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who quickly issued a statement vowing that Israel would conduct a military investigation, followed by a joint examination with the Egyptian military, of the incident.
"We regret the deaths of members of the Egyptian security forces during the terror attack on the Israeli-Egyptian border," Barak said. "The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty has great importance and much strategic value for the stability of the Middle East."
The tense situation between Israel and Egypt comes amid heightened tensions in the region following Israeli strikes in Gaza after a series of attacks in southern Israel on Thursday that targeted buses, cars and soldiers. An Egyptian military official said Israeli forces may have been targeting militants near Egypt's border with Gaza when they struck and killed the Egyptian security personnel.
On Saturday, the Mideast Quartet -- the United Nations, the United States, Russia, and the European Union -- condemned Thursday's "premeditated terrorism" attacks on Israel, and warned that it remains concerned about the situation in Gaza. It also expressed concern about the security situation in Egypt's Sinai peninsula.
"Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important, and the Quartet encourages the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution to the issue of Sinai security," it said.
No one in Israel's armed forces intentionally acted to harm Egyptian security personnel, Amos Gilad, a defense official involved in maintaining Israel's relationship with the Egyptian military, told Israeli Radio on Saturday. He also stressed the strategic importance of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries.
Outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, hundreds of demonstrators gathered Saturday to protest the killings and demand Egypt sever its ties with Israel.
Egyptian state-run TV showed protesters burning Israeli flags and chanting "Egyptian blood is not cheap."
Israel believes that the attacks had their roots in Gaza, but were coming out of the neighboring Egyptian region of Sinai.
"The Egyptian control over Sinai is weakening and this is probably the reason that this attack that originated in Gaza has made it all the way down here," Barak said Thursday.
The Egyptian claims of Israeli forces killing three of its security members and injuring four surfaced Thursday, the same day Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza.
Senior Egyptian military and security forces told CNN that two members of the Central Security Force and one military officer were killed in clashes east of Ras Al-Naqab, 13 kilometers north of Taba.
At the time, an Israeli helicopter was in the area chasing militants in the aftermath of the attacks on Israelis, said Gen. Saleh Al Masry, head of security in North Sinai Province.
"The Israeli ground troops engaged with armed militants 200 meters from the Egyptian border which may have also led to casualties on the Egyptian side," said Lt. Col. Amr Imam, the Egyptian army spokesman. "We have reinforced our border guards and raised the level of alert."
The rising tensions also come as questions are being raised in Israel about the Egyptian military presence in the demilitarized zone in Sinai, which was created under the terms of the Camp David Agreement signed in 1978 between Egypt and Israel.
Since the overthrow of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, the security situation in Sinai has deteriorated.
Senior Egyptian officials said several weeks ago that more than 23,000 prisoners escaped from prisons in Egypt in late January and February because of the breakdown in regime authority.
Additionally, travel between Egypt and Gaza has become much easier since the Military Council reopened the border crossing at Rafah in late May.
|
[
"What does the quartet say?",
"when is Egypt posted a statement saying it would recall its ambassador?",
"What did Egypt post?",
"who is Israeli defense minister?",
"What did Israel issue?"
] |
[
"\"Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important, and the",
"Saturday",
"its ambassador would be withdrawn until Israel conducted an investigation into",
"Ehud Barak,",
"a rare statement of \"regret\""
] |
question: What does the quartet say?, answer: "Recent commitments by the Egyptian government to address the security situation in the Sinai are important, and the | question: when is Egypt posted a statement saying it would recall its ambassador?, answer: Saturday | question: What did Egypt post?, answer: its ambassador would be withdrawn until Israel conducted an investigation into | question: who is Israeli defense minister?, answer: Ehud Barak, | question: What did Israel issue?, answer: a rare statement of "regret"
|
(CNN) -- Israel may have to retire its title as the only democracy in the Middle East. With Sunday's free and fair national election, Iraq joins the honor roll as one of the very few Islamic democracies.
Other Middle Eastern countries hold elections too, of course. But those elections fall into two broad categories. The first category is the blatantly rigged: Iran, most spectacularly, but also Algeria, Egypt, and Yemen, among others. In the second category, elections are more or less honest -- but fail to exert much control over the actions of the government: Lebanon, Morocco, and Jordan.
In Iraq, despite violence, votes are honestly counted. Once counted, votes decide who rules. For all the country's well-known problems, that record is a remarkable achievement.
The brave Iraqi democrat Nibras Kazimi posted this firsthand account on his important blog, Talisman Gate:
"I voted. It felt great, but the greatest thing about it was how normal it felt; elections have become a ho-hum, commonplace occurrence. That's quite a feat for a country with Iraq's past and current challenges. The voting procedure itself was very well organized and speedy. The election site had seven polling stations, with about 400 registered voters allowed to vote there. Everyone's name was posted outside, along with information about what polling station they were supposed to use. Once inside, IDs were checked against name lists, and one had to sign next [to] one's name to indicate that this name has voted. All in all, there are reasonable mechanisms in place to contain incidents of fraud. ...
"The Western media is hyperventilating about mortars and katyushas. ... This was a logistical failure for the jihadists; hardly any successful suicide bombers or sniper attacks near the polling stations. Lobbing mortars indiscriminately around Baghdad is BS intimidation. It certainly didn't deter voters.
"The fact that the security authorities allowed vehicular traffic around 11 AM was both surprising and bold. It showed confidence in their security precautions, and the fact that there were no car bombs shows that they were right."
Iraq's elected government has consolidated power over the whole country, including the formerly Iranian-run southern city of Basra. It has presided over a remarkable decline in violence.
The Brookings Institute's Iraq index estimates that there were 34,500 Iraqi civilian casualties in 2006. In 2009, 2,800 Iraqi civilians died violently.
Attacks on coalition forces have dwindled from almost 2,000 per week at the end of 2006 to a little over 100 per week.
Iraq is not yet a stable place -- but a future of stability seems at last at hand. Maybe the surest sign of success is that those who once opposed the surge are now scrambling to grab credit for it. Iraq "could be one of the great achievements of this administration," boasted Vice President Joe Biden to CNN's Larry King last month. Next we'll hear how we owe the Marshall Plan and the Panama Canal to the Obama administration. Well, that's not how those who were there remember it.
A stable Western-oriented Iraq at peace with itself and its neighbors would be a great prize. If that future does take hold, we'll learn the answer to another great question.
Speaking on the eve of war in 2003, President George W. Bush told the guests at the American Enterprise Institute's annual dinner that he discerned "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. Arab intellectuals have called on Arab governments to address the 'freedom gap' so their peoples can fully share in the progress of our times.
"Leaders in the region speak of a new Arab charter that champions internal reform, greater politics participation, economic openness, and free trade. And from Morocco to Bahrain and beyond, nations are taking genuine steps toward politics reform. A new regime in Iraq would serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region."
Will he be vindicated?
In the January issue of the Journal of Democracy, Larry Diamond offers grounds for hope
|
[
"What did Bush say about the area?",
"Which country had a free election?",
"What did President Bush say about the election?",
"What could Iraq become for the Arab world?",
"Where did election happen"
] |
[
"discerned \"hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East.",
"Iraq",
"\"hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. Arab intellectuals have called on Arab governments to address the 'freedom gap' so their peoples can fully share in the progress of our times.",
"dramatic and inspiring example of freedom",
"Iraq"
] |
question: What did Bush say about the area?, answer: discerned "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. | question: Which country had a free election?, answer: Iraq | question: What did President Bush say about the election?, answer: "hopeful signs of a desire for freedom in the Middle East. Arab intellectuals have called on Arab governments to address the 'freedom gap' so their peoples can fully share in the progress of our times. | question: What could Iraq become for the Arab world?, answer: dramatic and inspiring example of freedom | question: Where did election happen, answer: Iraq
|
(CNN) -- Israel said Wednesday it may expel Venezuela's top diplomat from the country in a tit-for-tat gesture after the South American nation ordered the Israeli ambassador to leave over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called the Israeli army "cowards."
The decision on whether to expel Venezuela's charge d'affaires will be taken later Wednesday, said Yigal Palmor, the spokesman for the Israeli foreign ministry.
On Tuesday, Venezuela expelled Israel's ambassador to Caracas and accused Israel of attempting to carry out "genocide" against the Palestinian people.
"In this tragic and indignant hour, the people of Venezuela manifest their unconditional solidarity with the heroic Palestinian people, share in the sadness that overcomes thousands of families through the loss of their loved ones, and extends to them a hand by affirming that the government of Venezuela will not rest until it sees those responsible for these criminal atrocities severely punished," the Venezuelan foreign minister said in a statement read by an anchor on state television.
The statement added that the government "condemns strongly the flagrant violations of international law" by Israel and "denounces their planned utilization of state terrorism."
"For the above-mentioned reasons, the government of Venezuela has decided to expel the ambassador of Israel and some of the personnel of the Israeli Embassy in Venezuela," it added.
In a news conference broadcast by state-run Venezuelan television, President Hugo Chavez blasted the Israeli military.
"They are cowards," he said. "It's as though a boxing professional were to come here and challenge you to box. Well, how courageous! How courageous is the Israeli army!"
It said that Chavez "makes a fraternal call to the Jewish people throughout the world to oppose these criminal policies of the state of Israel that recall the worst pages of the history of the 20th century.
"With the genocide of the Palestinian people, the state of Israel will never be able to offer its people the perspective of a peace that is both necessary and long-lasting."
Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, was unswayed.
"I haven't heard the details yet, but you know the regime in Venezuela has been one of the few countries in the world that gives automatic support to the Iranian extremists, and it doesn't surprise me that they have affinity with groups like Hamas and Hezbollah," he told CNN.
He predicted that other countries would not follow suit, even in the Middle East.
"I think, even in the Muslim and Arab countries, there is a fair amount of understanding for what Israel has had to do here," he said.
|
[
"What did Chavez call the Israeli army?",
"Who called Israeli army 'cowards\"?",
"Why was the ambassor for Israel ordered to leave?",
"Who may be expelled?",
"What did Hugo Chavez call the Israeli army?",
"Why did Venezuela expel the Israeli ambassador?",
"Who is the president of Venezuela?",
"Who may be expelled in tit-for-tat gesture?"
] |
[
"\"cowards.\"",
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez",
"over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza.",
"Venezuela's top diplomat",
"\"cowards.\"",
"the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza.",
"Hugo Chavez",
"Venezuela's top diplomat"
] |
question: What did Chavez call the Israeli army?, answer: "cowards." | question: Who called Israeli army 'cowards"?, answer: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez | question: Why was the ambassor for Israel ordered to leave?, answer: over the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza. | question: Who may be expelled?, answer: Venezuela's top diplomat | question: What did Hugo Chavez call the Israeli army?, answer: "cowards." | question: Why did Venezuela expel the Israeli ambassador?, answer: the increasingly bloody ground war in Gaza. | question: Who is the president of Venezuela?, answer: Hugo Chavez | question: Who may be expelled in tit-for-tat gesture?, answer: Venezuela's top diplomat
|
(CNN) -- Israel was founded on democratic principles with the Jewish state's declaration of independence in 1948 including a commitment to the "complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex." It has remained a continuous democracy ever since.
The 120-seat Knesset is the Israeli seat of government.
The seat of Israeli government is the Knesset, the country's national parliament, located in Jerusalem, which Israel claims as its capital. The Knesset's 120 lawmakers are elected by universal suffrage with all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 entitled to vote.
Knesset seats are divided according to each party's proportion of the overall vote. But parties must poll at least two percent nationally to gain a seat.
Participation in elections, including among Arab Israelis who constitute around 20 percent of the population, has traditionally been high at around 80 percent turnout, according to Israeli government figures. Israel currently has around 5.3 million eligible voters.
Israel usually holds national elections every four years. But this year's poll on February 10 was called early -- less than three years since the last vote -- by Israeli President Shimon Peres following the resignation of prime minister Ehud Olmert amid allegations of corruption and his Kadima Party successor Tzipi Livni's failure to form a coalition. Olmert has continued to serve as caretaker prime minister in the interim.
Coalitions of two or more parties are common in Israel; in fact no party has ever won enough votes to form a government by itself. Those remaining outside the ruling coalition make up the opposition.
Thirty-four parties will participate in the 2009 elections, including major parties such as Kadima, Likud and Labor and also three Arab parties.
The task of forming and leading a government is charged by Israel's president to the Knesset member and party leader considered to have the best chance of forming a viable coalition.
The prime minister-designate then has 28 days, extendable by 14 days, to build a coalition commanding the support of at least 61 Knesset members.
Officials results are due to be published on February 18 with the new Knesset convening on March 2.
|
[
"How many eligible voters are there in Israel?",
"Number of eligible voters in Israel?",
"How many eligible voters does Israel have?",
"How many parties are bidding?",
"When does Israel go to the polls?",
"How many eligible voters are there?",
"When does Isrel go to the nation polls for the election?",
"How many parties are there?",
"How many seats are there in the Knesset?",
"What is Israel going to the polls for in February?",
"What position did Ehud Olmert formerly have?"
] |
[
"5.3 million",
"5.3 million",
"5.3 million",
"Thirty-four",
"February 10",
"5.3 million",
"February 10",
"Thirty-four",
"120-seat",
"national elections",
"prime minister"
] |
question: How many eligible voters are there in Israel?, answer: 5.3 million | question: Number of eligible voters in Israel?, answer: 5.3 million | question: How many eligible voters does Israel have?, answer: 5.3 million | question: How many parties are bidding?, answer: Thirty-four | question: When does Israel go to the polls?, answer: February 10 | question: How many eligible voters are there?, answer: 5.3 million | question: When does Isrel go to the nation polls for the election?, answer: February 10 | question: How many parties are there?, answer: Thirty-four | question: How many seats are there in the Knesset?, answer: 120-seat | question: What is Israel going to the polls for in February?, answer: national elections | question: What position did Ehud Olmert formerly have?, answer: prime minister
|
(CNN) -- Israel's Shahar Peer continued her superb run at the Dubai Open by beating Li Na of China to reach the semifinals of the WTA Tier One tournament on Thursday.
Peer progressed to a match-up with Venus Williams as Li, who reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, retired with a back injury when trailing 5-7 0-3.
Peer, who was refused entry to the United Arab Emirates for last year's tournament, is posing a security problem for organizers, who have scheduled her matches on an outside court with restricted access.
With tensions high after last month's assassination of a senior Hamas official in Dubai, placing Peer on the 5,000 capacity Center Court for her last four clash is a step they may be unwilling to take.
Peer, who has been in fine form in 2010, beat top seed Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarterfinals and said after the match that despite the controversies in the past she was receiving a good reception.
"I get really amazing treatment here and they are so nice to me, all the people around me that are taking care of me," she told the official WTA Tour Web site.
Against world number 10 Li, she was always on top as she headed for her fourth straight win in the tournament and her first over the highly-rated Chinese player.
Defending champion Venus Williams showed her liking for the venue with a straight sets 6-3 6-4 win over promising young Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in their quarterfinal later on Thursday.
In other quarterfinal action, seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland saw off Russian qualifier Regina Kulikova in three hard-fought sets, 3-6 6-4 6-3.
She will play fourth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belaus who brushed aside Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-1 6-3 to reach the last four.
|
[
"What is the tournament called?",
"Who will now face Peer?",
"Who played all her matches on a restricted access outside court?",
"Who reached the semi finals?",
"Which country is the championship in?",
"Who reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship?",
"Who reached the semi finals of the Dubai tennis championship?"
] |
[
"WTA Tier One",
"Venus Williams",
"Peer,",
"Shahar Peer",
"United Arab Emirates",
"Shahar Peer",
"Shahar Peer"
] |
question: What is the tournament called?, answer: WTA Tier One | question: Who will now face Peer?, answer: Venus Williams | question: Who played all her matches on a restricted access outside court?, answer: Peer, | question: Who reached the semi finals?, answer: Shahar Peer | question: Which country is the championship in?, answer: United Arab Emirates | question: Who reached the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship?, answer: Shahar Peer | question: Who reached the semi finals of the Dubai tennis championship?, answer: Shahar Peer
|
(CNN) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres said he had an amicable phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a day after Erdogan stormed offstage during an angry exchange with Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves the stage Thursday, as Israeli President Shimon Peres sits, left.
Peres said he and Erdogan did not take the spat personally.
"I called him up and said, yes, it's nothing against you, nothing against Turkey. We consider you as a friend," Peres said. He said Erdogan reciprocated.
Although there was no mention of an apology, Peres said there was a polite exchange between the two leaders.
"I didn't take it personally. I didn't go for a personal fight. I answered unfounded accusations. It was my duty. And they didn't change my mind," he said. Watch Shimon Peres on the Gaza conflict »
Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation, has long been the Jewish state's closest military and economic partner in the region, and Turkey recently mediated indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria.
But many Turks have been incensed with Israel over its three-week military operation that ended there earlier this month.
And in Davos, Erdogan was angered after Peres said that Israel is committed to peace and blamed Hamas for the fighting in Gaza, where Israel staged a three-week military operation that ended earlier this month.
When Erdogan began responding, a moderator cut him off, saying the debate had run over its allotted time. Erdogan patted the moderator on the arm until he was granted one more minute to respond. Watch commentary on Erdogan's angry exchange »
"I know the reason behind raising your voice is because of the guilty psychology," he said to Peres. "My voice will not be that loud. You must know that. When it comes to killing -- you know killing very well. I know how you hit, kill children on the beaches."
He then left the stage, complaining that Peres was receiving preferential treatment.
"From now on, Davos is finished for me," Erdogan said. "I will not come back. You won't let people talk. You gave him 25 minutes, but you gave me 12 minutes. This is not right."
Erdogan had described the military campaign against Hamas fighters in Gaza as "barbaric" and accused Israel of using excessive force.
He said: "The Palestinian Territories are like an open-air prison, isolated from the world. I have always been a leader who said anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity. But so is anti-Islamism."
Peres had said Hamas was responsible for the "tragedy," accusing the Islamist militants of creating a "dangerous dictatorship."
"Israel left Gaza completely -- no occupation," Peres said. "I want to understand why they throw rockets at us."
On Friday, after his outburst, Erdogan returned home to a hero's welcome. Thousands of people lined up at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, cheering and waving signs. A large banner read, "You Will Never Walk Alone," and smaller signs bore phrases including "Davos Conqueror." People also were seen waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and throwing flowers on the road leading to Erdogan's home.
Despite the glowing response at the airport, there has been some criticism in the Turkish media of Erdogan's exchange with the Israeli president.
CNN Turk's Deniz Bayramoglu said the issue was still "hot" with Erdogan's secularist political opponents speaking out against the prime minister.
"They also say that Israel's behavior in Gaza is unacceptable but they are very critical of Prime Minister Erdogan's behavior," Bayramoglu said.
"Some are saying they are really proud of Prime Minister Erdogan and some are saying it is a diplomatic scandal."
Erdogan explained whom he was directing his anger at during a news conference at the airport. "My words were only to the Israeli government, not the Israeli people,
|
[
"What city did it take place in?",
"Who is the Israeli president?",
"During which debate was the Turkish Prime MInister angered?",
"Who got a hero's welcome?",
"Did Peres and Erdogan take the spat personally?",
"Who was angered during debate on Gaza?",
"Who called Israel's Gaza campaign barbaric?"
] |
[
"Davos,",
"Shimon Peres",
"World Economic Forum",
"Erdogan",
"not",
"Erdogan",
"Erdogan"
] |
question: What city did it take place in?, answer: Davos, | question: Who is the Israeli president?, answer: Shimon Peres | question: During which debate was the Turkish Prime MInister angered?, answer: World Economic Forum | question: Who got a hero's welcome?, answer: Erdogan | question: Did Peres and Erdogan take the spat personally?, answer: not | question: Who was angered during debate on Gaza?, answer: Erdogan | question: Who called Israel's Gaza campaign barbaric?, answer: Erdogan
|
(CNN) -- Israeli President Shimon Peres said he had an amicable phone conversation with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a day after Erdogan stormed offstage during an angry exchange with Peres at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan leaves the stage Thursday, as Israeli President Shimon Peres sits, left.
Peres said he and Erdogan did not take the spat personally.
"I called him up and said, yes, it's nothing against you, nothing against Turkey. We consider you as a friend," Peres said. He said Erdogan reciprocated.
Although there was no mention of an apology, Peres said there was a polite exchange between the two leaders.
"I didn't take it personally. I didn't go for a personal fight. I answered unfounded accusations. It was my duty. And they didn't change my mind," he said. Watch Shimon Peres on the Gaza conflict »
Turkey, a predominantly Muslim nation, has long been the Jewish state's closest military and economic partner in the region, and Turkey recently mediated indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria.
But many Turks have been incensed with Israel over its three-week military operation that ended there earlier this month.
And in Davos, Erdogan was angered after Peres said that Israel is committed to peace and blamed Hamas for the fighting in Gaza, where Israel staged a three-week military operation that ended earlier this month.
When Erdogan began responding, a moderator cut him off, saying the debate had run over its allotted time. Erdogan patted the moderator on the arm until he was granted one more minute to respond. Watch commentary on Erdogan's angry exchange »
"I know the reason behind raising your voice is because of the guilty psychology," he said to Peres. "My voice will not be that loud. You must know that. When it comes to killing -- you know killing very well. I know how you hit, kill children on the beaches."
He then left the stage, complaining that Peres was receiving preferential treatment.
"From now on, Davos is finished for me," Erdogan said. "I will not come back. You won't let people talk. You gave him 25 minutes, but you gave me 12 minutes. This is not right."
Erdogan had described the military campaign against Hamas fighters in Gaza as "barbaric" and accused Israel of using excessive force.
He said: "The Palestinian Territories are like an open-air prison, isolated from the world. I have always been a leader who said anti-Semitism is a crime against humanity. But so is anti-Islamism."
Peres had said Hamas was responsible for the "tragedy," accusing the Islamist militants of creating a "dangerous dictatorship."
"Israel left Gaza completely -- no occupation," Peres said. "I want to understand why they throw rockets at us."
On Friday, after his outburst, Erdogan returned home to a hero's welcome. Thousands of people lined up at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, cheering and waving signs. A large banner read, "You Will Never Walk Alone," and smaller signs bore phrases including "Davos Conqueror." People also were seen waving Turkish and Palestinian flags and throwing flowers on the road leading to Erdogan's home.
Despite the glowing response at the airport, there has been some criticism in the Turkish media of Erdogan's exchange with the Israeli president.
CNN Turk's Deniz Bayramoglu said the issue was still "hot" with Erdogan's secularist political opponents speaking out against the prime minister.
"They also say that Israel's behavior in Gaza is unacceptable but they are very critical of Prime Minister Erdogan's behavior," Bayramoglu said.
"Some are saying they are really proud of Prime Minister Erdogan and some are saying it is a diplomatic scandal."
Erdogan explained whom he was directing his anger at during a news conference at the airport. "My words were only to the Israeli government, not the Israeli
|
[
"What country is Istanbul in?",
"Who is the Israeli president?",
"What did the Israeli president say about the spat?",
"Who called Israel's Gaza campaign barbaric?",
"Erdogan called what country's campaign barbaric?",
"What did Recep Tayyip Erdogan call the Gaza campaign?",
"Who was angered during the debate on Gaza?",
"Who is Shimon Peres?",
"Where did Erdogan go for a hero's welcome?",
"Where was the World Economic Forum held?",
"The prime minister of what country was angered?"
] |
[
"Turkey.",
"Shimon Peres",
"personally.",
"Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan",
"Israel",
"\"barbaric\"",
"Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,",
"Israeli President",
"Istanbul,",
"Davos, Switzerland.",
"Turkey"
] |
question: What country is Istanbul in?, answer: Turkey. | question: Who is the Israeli president?, answer: Shimon Peres | question: What did the Israeli president say about the spat?, answer: personally. | question: Who called Israel's Gaza campaign barbaric?, answer: Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan | question: Erdogan called what country's campaign barbaric?, answer: Israel | question: What did Recep Tayyip Erdogan call the Gaza campaign?, answer: "barbaric" | question: Who was angered during the debate on Gaza?, answer: Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, | question: Who is Shimon Peres?, answer: Israeli President | question: Where did Erdogan go for a hero's welcome?, answer: Istanbul, | question: Where was the World Economic Forum held?, answer: Davos, Switzerland. | question: The prime minister of what country was angered?, answer: Turkey
|
(CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel could accept a peace agreement with a "demilitarized Palestinian state" as its neighbor.
Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he would agree to peace with Palestinians.
In his first speech accepting the concept of a two-state solution for the Middle East conflict, Netanyahu set rigid conditions for moving forward. Among them: unequivocal Palestinian recognition of Israel as the Jewish national state with Jerusalem as its capital, and full demilitarization for a Palestinian state -- no army, no rockets or missiles, no control of airspace.
"I say this in a clear voice -- if we receive a guarantee of this demilitarized unit, we will be prepared to reach agreement to a demilitarized Palestine side by side with the Jewish state," Netanyahu said, according to a direct translation of his speech at Bar-Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Initial Palestinian reaction was negative, with Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouti saying Netanyahu was calling for creation of a ghetto state.
"He is proving there is no partner for peace in Israel," Barghouti told CNN.
Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat said Netanyahu "left us with nothing to negotiate as he systematically took nearly every permanent status issue off the table."
"He announced a series of conditions and qualifications that render a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state impossible," Erakat said.
"This speech fell far short of every single one of the benchmarks required of Israel in line with international law and existing agreements," he said, including the 2003 Roadmap for Peace.
Netanyahu's speech, billed as a major statement on the peace process, follows President Obama's recent high-profile speech to the Muslim world and a visit to the region by Obama's Middle East envoy, former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell.
Obama welcomed Netanyahu's speech as "an important step forward" and said the president remained committed to a two-state solution that would ensure Israel's security and provide the Palestinians "a viable state," according to a White House statement.
Obama pledged to continue working with all parties "to see that they fulfill their obligations and responsibilities," the statement said.
Netanyahu, of the center-right Likud party, previously refused to endorse a two-state solution.
Netanyahu sounded themes popular with his conservative followers, repeatedly referring to Israel as the Jewish national homeland and demanding recognition of that by all Arab foes, including the Palestinians, for any chance at a peace agreement.
He prompted applause with his statement that "the land of Israel is homeland to the Jewish people, and that is the basis of our right to it."
"The Palestinian leadership must rise up and say in a very straight way that we are tired of this conflict, we will recognize the right of the Jewish people to have a national homeland in this part of the world," Netanyahu said, according to the direct translation.
He said Jerusalem would remain the capital of Israel -- refusing to yield on a sensitive issue for Palestinians -- and that a Palestinian state would have to be fully demilitarized to ensure the safety of Israel.
Obama, in his June 4 speech in Cairo, Egypt, endorsed a two-state solution and urged compromise between "two peoples with legitimate aspirations." He repeated his call for both Israel and the Palestinians to fulfill all obligations under the 2003 Roadmap for Peace, including a halt to any expansion of West Bank settlements by Israel.
Obama called America's bond with Israel "unbreakable" but said Palestinians have suffered in pursuit of a homeland. He also called for an end to Palestinian incitement against Israel and greater security in Palestinian territories.
On Sunday, Netanyahu acknowledged the suffering on both sides from the continuing Middle East conflict, but insisted the roots of the conflict came from the Arab world's refusal to accept Israel's right to exist.
|
[
"Who endorsed a two-state solution",
"Before Sunday what had Netanyahu had not endorsed?",
"What did Palestinian legistlator accuse Netanyahu of?",
"What can a demilitarized state not do?",
"President Obama calls Benjamin Netanyahu's speech what?",
"Who's speech was called an important step forward?",
"Palestinian legislator accuses Netanyahu of what?",
"Demilitarized state could not have army or control what?"
] |
[
"Benjamin Netanyahu",
"a peace agreement",
"calling for creation of a ghetto state.",
"no army, no rockets or missiles, no control of airspace.",
"\"an important step forward\"",
"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu",
"calling for creation of a ghetto state.",
"airspace."
] |
question: Who endorsed a two-state solution, answer: Benjamin Netanyahu | question: Before Sunday what had Netanyahu had not endorsed?, answer: a peace agreement | question: What did Palestinian legistlator accuse Netanyahu of?, answer: calling for creation of a ghetto state. | question: What can a demilitarized state not do?, answer: no army, no rockets or missiles, no control of airspace. | question: President Obama calls Benjamin Netanyahu's speech what?, answer: "an important step forward" | question: Who's speech was called an important step forward?, answer: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | question: Palestinian legislator accuses Netanyahu of what?, answer: calling for creation of a ghetto state. | question: Demilitarized state could not have army or control what?, answer: airspace.
|
(CNN) -- It all sounds eerily familiar. A new iPhone. Massive sales. Then, an apparent glitch that, while it doesn't affect everyone, is prevalent enough to irk customers and catch the eyes of tech journalists everywhere.
Poor battery life on the iPhone 4S, released on October 14 to great fanfare and record sales, has been the new model's Achilles' heel in the minds of many users.
While complaints about the perceived problem haven't reached the fevered pitch that last year's iPhone 4 release saw about its so-called "death grip" problem, they don't seem to be going away.
There were, of course, the expected number of early-adopter quibbles with the phone: from troubles with new carrier Sprint, to a sometimes slow-moving camera, to limits on the voice-activated Siri "personal assistant" outside the United States.
But as most of those gripes either got sorted or users got used to the limitations, complaints about the phone's battery life have persisted.
A post on the Apple support forums, begun on October 15 to discuss battery problems, was still active Tuesday -- two weeks and 185 pages worth of comments later.
"I purchased what I thought was a top-of-the-line product only to be terribly disappointed," one user wrote Tuesday. "This is my first iPhone and may well be my last."
Battery life was a frequent complaint about the iPhone 3GS, but concerns about the phone's short battery life seemed to have been addressed on the next-generation iPhone 4.
According to Apple's official specs, the iPhone 4S should have enough juice in the battery for up to eight hours of talk time, six hours of Internet surfing, 10 hours of video viewing and 200 hours on standby. (All activities on a 3G connection -- 2G and wireless have different figures).
All of those numbers are within an hour or so of the iPhone 4, except for one. The older phone's specifications promise 300 hours of standby power: a full 50% more than the 4S.
Users complaining on the Apple forum and elsewhere say that their phones aren't lasting anywhere near even that reduced length of time. Various independent tests of the new phone have suggested that some phones have problems with poor battery life, while others don't.
The general consensus among tech-inclined owners is that the problem may not lie with the battery itself, but with the way the phone utilizes Apple's latest mobile operating system, iOS 5.
Specifically, the theory goes, its location-based services are a power drain. If the phone is constantly trying to pinpoint where it is, it will suck power even when the user isn't actively doing something with the phone. (For a comparison, think about how quickly your battery drains when you forget to turn off Wi-Fi searches while you're driving.)
The new phone also has a more powerful processor -- the same one that's in the iPad 2. That could cut battery life, even though Apple CEO Tim Cook specifically said that it wouldn't during the iPhone 4S unveiling event last month.
Apparently, reading from the well-worn Apple playbook, the company has not commented publicly about the battery complaints. Messages and e-mails to Apple seeking comment on these complaints were not returned.
It's unclear whether the company acknowledges there's a battery problem (although there have been reports that Apple is contacting iPhone 4S users to try to get to the bottom of it).
And while it's too early for direct comparisons, the extended silence looks remarkably like the public-relations two-step that was Apple's handling of the iPhone 4's antenna issues. (As you may recall, Consumer Reports and others said the iPhone 4 had antenna problems that caused it to drop calls. People dubbed the situation "Antennagate.")
First, the company refused to publicly acknowledge the issue. Then, there was a software patch apparently aimed at fixing it (although Apple never explicitly said so
|
[
"How many pages of comments are on Apple's support forums?",
"What was people complaint about iphone?",
"What was the battery problem?",
"What have the complaints focused on?",
"What do some iPhone users say?",
"What version of the iPhone has complaints about battery life?"
] |
[
"185",
"Poor battery life",
"Poor",
"Poor battery life",
"their phones aren't lasting anywhere near even that reduced length of time.",
"4S,"
] |
question: How many pages of comments are on Apple's support forums?, answer: 185 | question: What was people complaint about iphone?, answer: Poor battery life | question: What was the battery problem?, answer: Poor | question: What have the complaints focused on?, answer: Poor battery life | question: What do some iPhone users say?, answer: their phones aren't lasting anywhere near even that reduced length of time. | question: What version of the iPhone has complaints about battery life?, answer: 4S,
|
(CNN) -- It arrived in Rich Stevens' mailbox a few weeks ago: the notice that Citibank had "rate-jacked" the Visa cards belonging to him and his wife.
Some credit card holders have seen their interest rates go up dramatically, a practice called "rate-jacking."
"In my case, from 9.5 percent to 16.99," the 54-year-old nurse from the Long Island hamlet of Merrick, New York, told CNN. And his wife's rate zoomed from 7.95 percent to 16.99 percent, he said.
Stevens said he did not know why the rates had soared; his credit rating is great.
But, like thousands of other credit card customers around the nation, he has been notified his rate is skyrocketing.
"It almost borders on loan-sharking, from my perspective," he said.
In the blogosphere, writers are livid at the instant rate hikes -- called "rate-jacking."
Citigroup seems to be the target of most bloggers' venom -- partly because Citigroup issues so many credit cards and partly because Citi began sending the notices at about the same time it was getting a $20 billion, taxpayer-financed government bailout.
No one at Citigroup would talk on camera to CNN about the matter. Instead, the company issued a written statement, which said: "To continue funding in this difficult credit and funding environment, Citi is repricing a group of customers."
Citi told CNN that anyone unhappy with the new rates can opt out and continue paying the lower interest, but they must close their account when their card expires. It's all in the fine print.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-New York, said she is sick of the fine print.
She agreed that credit card companies get away with whatever they want, as long at they put their desires into the fine print.
"They have this provision that says they can raise the rate -- any time, any reason," she said.
In September, Maloney got the House to pass by an overwhelming margin of 200 votes the "credit card holders' bill of rights," which would have stopped rate-jacking and the imposition of other fees by banks.
But the bill has languished in the Senate since September. "There's a lot of pushback from the financial industry," she said. Watch how card companies are trying to woo customers »
Critics say that pushback is linked to donations from the banking industry to the politicians responsible for regulating credit cards.
The chairman of the Senate Banking Committee is Christopher Dodd. His staff said the Connecticut Democrat has his own credit card bill containing tough language to stop things like rate-jacking and shortening of billing cycles -- two issues that anger consumers.
But even Dodd's own bill has failed to gain traction -- it has sat since July.
Dodd himself received more than $4 million from the financial sector during the last campaign, according to campaign records. His office did not respond to CNN's questions about that.
It did say that he has tried repeatedly to protect consumers, but added, "legislation has been met with stiff opposition by the credit card industry."
On Thursday, the Federal Reserve is expected to vote on its own new rules regarding credit cards, rules in the works for four years that could clamp down on rate-jacking.
Whatever is passed, Maloney said, probably would not take effect until 2010.
|
[
"What kind of company is Citigroup?",
"Who is target of blogger's ire?"
] |
[
"credit cards",
"Citigroup"
] |
question: What kind of company is Citigroup?, answer: credit cards | question: Who is target of blogger's ire?, answer: Citigroup
|
(CNN) -- It certainly isn't your average help wanted ad.
A publication in Denver, Colorado, is looking for a journalist to review marijuana dispensaries.
"Do you have a medical condition that necessitates marijuana? Do you have a way with words? If so, Westword wants you to join the ranks as our freelance marijuana-dispensary reviewer."
The local "burgeoning medical marijuana scene" in Denver, Colorado, is growing and the weekly publication Westword wants to be on the forefront, said Joe Tone, the paper's Web editor. "We want someone who can get in and relay to our readers what it is like inside these dispensaries."
It's not exactly like a food critic job. The online-only reviewer won't be showing up anonymously and sampling the wares.
"They are to review the places, not the weed," Tone said.
"We can't have our reviewer be stoned all the time," he quipped.
But, he said, the ideal applicant should have "the ability to write and be in the position of holding a state medical marijuana card." The reviewer, he said, should know his or her way around dispensaries and be "passionate about the issue of medical marijuana."
Colorado is one of 14 states where medical marijuana is legal by state law -- federal law still bans its use. But this week, the Obama administration announced a new policy loosening the rules regarding prosecuting criminal activity associated with medical marijuana.
The Justice Department now says that prosecutors can go after traffickers but not medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Though Westword is no longer accepting applicants for its dispensary reviewer position, they are actively working through the 120 they received and have culled the list down to under 20. The applicants run the gamut of 20-something stoners to well-educated engineers in their 50s.
Some have even offered to work for free, Tone said, adding "We won't accept that." The pay is "meager," he said, but it's legitimate.
|
[
"How many states have legalised medical maijuana?",
"What does the paper want to cover?",
"In how many states is medical marijuana legal?",
"Where is weekly publication Westword found?",
"where medical marijuana legal",
"What does federal law say about marijuana?"
] |
[
"14",
"marijuana dispensaries.",
"14",
"in Denver, Colorado,",
"Colorado is one of 14 states",
"still bans its use."
] |
question: How many states have legalised medical maijuana?, answer: 14 | question: What does the paper want to cover?, answer: marijuana dispensaries. | question: In how many states is medical marijuana legal?, answer: 14 | question: Where is weekly publication Westword found?, answer: in Denver, Colorado, | question: where medical marijuana legal, answer: Colorado is one of 14 states | question: What does federal law say about marijuana?, answer: still bans its use.
|
(CNN) -- It doesn't matter that they can be feverishly hot. Or that crowds make for long food lines or the tickets may be hard to come by.
Bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding performed at this year's New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Music festivals worldwide attract thousands of fans wanting to hear their favorite artists live or discover under-the-radar musicians.
Each major festival has its own special twist, specific to the event and city that hosts it.
From the notorious mud baths at Glastonbury, England, to the breath-taking mountains surrounding Fuji Rock in Naeba, Japan, these are events that festival-goers wait for all year. Experience the New Orleans Jazz Fest »
Our guide prepares music fans worldwide for the best festivals this summer and later in the year.
GLASTONBURY, Somerset, England June 24-28 ($255)
Glastonbury has been around since dairy farmer Michael Eavis first held a free two-day festival on his farm in 1970, and it's long been the festival in England for seeing the biggest and best bands in the world. It also may be the muddiest -- heavy rain in several years, most notably 1997, turned Glastonbury into a muddy bog. Everyone from Radiohead to Jay-Z has headlined the festival, and with more than 700 acts each year, there is something for everybody. Some of the proceeds from the festival go to Oxfam and Greenpeace. This year's headliners include Franz Ferdinand, Blur, and Bruce Springsteen.
ROCK AL PARQUE, Bogota, Colombia June 27-29 (free)
The Rock al Parque festival, launched in 1995, has become South America's biggest rockfest in recent years -- some 320,000 people traveled to Simon Bolivar Park in 2006 for a weekend of Colombia's top rock bands and renowned international headliners. Funded by Colombia's culture secretary, the free festival has included some of rock's biggest names, including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Manu Chao, and Bloc Party. In the days leading up to Rock al Parque, the festival organizers host a series of panel discussions on music production, management, and the recording industry.
ROSKILDE, Denmark July 2-5 ($220)
Since 1971, the rock festival in Roskilde has hosted the top names in music, from Bob Marley to Bob Dylan. It is the biggest summer festival in northern Europe, and the "Arena" stage boasts a 17,000-capacity tent, the largest in Europe. The festival has a daily newspaper and a 24-hour live radio station and is also home to the annual "Naked Run," where the first naked person to cross the finish line receives a free ticket for next year's festival. Some 80,000 will travel to Roskilde to see headliners including Coldplay, Oasis and Nine Inch Nails.
EXIT, Novi Sad, Serbia July 9-12 ($105)
Created in 2000 by three university students as a protest against former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, the electro-focused festival in the heart of Serbia was named Europe's best festival in 2007 by fans voting in the UK Festival Awards. Over 200,000 people attended Exit last year, dancing at all-night raves in the gorgeous surroundings of Petrovaradin Fortress, an 18th-century castle near the Danube River. Some of techno's biggest names will be on hand to celebrate Exit's 10-year anniversary, including Moby, Kraftwerk, and The Prodigy.
THISDAY, Abuja/Lagos, Nigeria Dates tba
The THISDAY festival in Nigeria -- launched in 2006 by the editor-in-chief of Thisday newspaper, Nduka Obaigbena, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the end of slavery -- is the biggest music and fashion festival in Africa. According to Obaigbena, the festival is meant to highlight the positive progress being made in Africa, and find sustainable solutions for the continent's problems. The theme of last year's festival was "Africa Rising," and it showcased some of the world's best-known artists including Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Usher. Stay tuned for this year's lineup.
FUJI ROCK, Naeba, Japan July 24-26 ($410)
|
[
"Where is the castle?",
"What can people enjoy in Bonnaroo, Tennesee?",
"Where can you dress to kill?",
"What can you dance all weekend with?",
"Where are the festivals held?",
"What is the competition"
] |
[
"near the Danube River.",
"the best festivals",
"New Orleans Jazz Fest.",
"Music festivals",
"New Orleans",
"New Orleans Jazz Fest."
] |
question: Where is the castle?, answer: near the Danube River. | question: What can people enjoy in Bonnaroo, Tennesee?, answer: the best festivals | question: Where can you dress to kill?, answer: New Orleans Jazz Fest. | question: What can you dance all weekend with?, answer: Music festivals | question: Where are the festivals held?, answer: New Orleans | question: What is the competition, answer: New Orleans Jazz Fest.
|
(CNN) -- It has become a commonplace that it is hard to comprehend the disaster in Haiti.
If so, and if we hope to provide Haitians with anything like the help that they need, then we must understand where our minds fail us.
One problem that we do not yet face is having our compassion numbed by the sheer magnitude of the calamity. Indeed, it has evoked a deep visceral response, as we see graphic images of individual suffering on a background of mass devastation. When our local tea store is devoting 20 percent of sales to relief and cell phone donations keep pouring in, the scope of the tragedy is mobilizing, not paralyzing.
The threat to our compassion comes, rather, from feeling ineffective. We risk that failure if we cannot grasp the realities facing Haiti. Here, we face two deep mental challenges.
One is that we must struggle to comprehend how many interdependent threads of Haiti's social fabric have been ripped apart. People lost family, friends and communities in an instant. Children were orphaned in a nation already struggling to care for many orphans.
Hospitals, factories and government agencies disappeared. Essential aid organizations lost brave people and resources. Communications and transportation were ruined, including the port that brings almost all goods into the nation.
Here, imagining ourselves in the Haitians' plight might help. Can we imagine trying to recover, if our country faced the most massive disaster in its history, without work, food, medicine, transportation, commerce or government?
The second challenge is that our minds also struggle to reason quantitatively about events beyond our normal experience. Here, a back-of-the-envelope calculation might help.
Assume, plausibly, that everything that 3 million Haitians need must be brought in from outside their country for a period of time. Assume that each Haitian needs 5 pounds of goods per day (food, water, medical supplies, soap, cooking fuel, the gasoline needed to distribute these supplies and more).
Assume that everything must be flown in (at least until the port can be reopened). That means 15 million pounds (7,500 tons) of airfreight per day. If a cargo plane can carry 75 tons, then that means 100 flights per day, or one plane landing every 15 minutes, then having its goods unloaded and distributed to victims across the country.
One way to understand what those numbers mean is by analogy. The Berlin Airlift was another crisis that required a massive mobilization to supply an isolated population in desperate need.
Berlin was cut off by a hostile power, rather than by an ocean. It was devastated by war rather than by an earthquake. Its 2 million citizens needed roughly 5,000 tons of goods per day, delivered through limited entry points, over distances comparable to those of Haiti's island neighbors.
The airlift required an unprecedented logistics operation, which Soviet and East German authorities believed impossible. It encountered serious organizational problems in coordinating American forces among themselves and with our allies. It drew resources from other military theaters. It was enormously expensive, in both money and the lives of aviators.
In some ways, supplying Haiti is easier. Technology is vastly improved and the world much wealthier. But in other ways, supplying Haiti is even more difficult than the Berlin Airlift. Berlin was occupied territory, under Allied military rule; while Haiti has little functioning government, and those trying to help are struggling to work out their division of labor.
If we are not thinking in terms of an effort as massive and risky as the Berlin Airlift, then we have not gotten our minds around the problem. Unless we grasp the complexity and magnitude of the task, then we may be expecting brave, dedicated relief workers to do the impossible -- and be disappointed when they cannot do it all. As a nation, we may fail to support our leaders in providing the sustained resources that the mission requires.
If our collective imagination and our sense of history fail us, then we will not achieve the results that our compassion demands -- and will fail Haiti and its people in their long,
|
[
"What has been devastated in Haiti?",
"What is difficult to conceive?",
"Where was the earthquake?"
] |
[
"social fabric",
"supplying Haiti",
"Berlin"
] |
question: What has been devastated in Haiti?, answer: social fabric | question: What is difficult to conceive?, answer: supplying Haiti | question: Where was the earthquake?, answer: Berlin
|
(CNN) -- It has been 20 years since best-selling crime writer Patricia Cornwell began work on her first novel in the series chronicling the cases of forensic analyst Dr. Kay Scarpetta.
Now, both have found celebrity. Cornwell's latest novel, "The Scarpetta Factor," places her enduring heroine in a role the author knows all too well, a pop culture celebrity sought-after for her expertise. In an interview with CNN.com, Cornwell discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie "White Chicks."
CNN: The title of your new book, "The Scarpetta Factor," has many meanings. Can you tell me about some of them?
Cornwell: On the one hand, it's a very direct reference to the fact she's the chief forensic analyst for CNN in this book. But while she's doing the on-air spots, they decide they want her to have her own show and that's what they call it, "The Scarpetta Factor," which is a reference to a cliché that's beginning to float around, that there's one element that she can add that will solve the case like she's Sherlock Holmes.
This becomes very upsetting to her, first of all, because it's a cliché and the scientist in her doesn't think she has a special factor, she's a scientist. It begins to pose problems for her because even some colleagues and friends start to wonder if she's begun to believe her own legend and make mistakes.
With her years of experience and high level of visibility and exceptional grasp of the criminal world, she would be asked to be on major shows. When someone like Michael Jackson dies or Caylee Anthony disappears, that's the obvious thing that would happen. People would say, I wonder what Scarpetta has to say. I'm trying to put her in the world we live in.
CNN: Why did you choose CNN?
Cornwell: It would make perfect sense that she would sit on the set with Anderson Cooper or Wolf Blizter and be asked relevant questions from a hard news angle. It's one [network] she would go on and there's lots she wouldn't go on.
CNN: How have things changed since you published your first novel?
Cornwell: When I was shopping my first book around, it was rejected by the major publishing houses and that was because a lot of people didn't think morgues and labs were interesting, and that's a huge statement about how things have changed. I remember one time, I called my literary agent at that time, and I said I was in a toxicology lab, and she said, I hate talking to you because you're always in these awful places. Forensic science was not viewed as cool, as it is today.
CNN: Are there any on-air personalities we might recognize in "The Scarpetta Factor?"
Cornwell: When she is up at CNN for a scene when she's on a fictitious show, she walks past posters of Nancy Grace and Lou Dobbs and Wolf Blitzer because she's up on that floor, so I do make real references to people, but the characters, the producers, none are real and they're not based on anybody I met or know.
CNN: How much of yourself do you see in Kay Scarpetta? Over the years, have you grown into her or has she grown into you?
Cornwell: Only insofar as we have the same values and sensibilities and perhaps the same approach to solving cases. I'm imposing the way my mind works in terms of connecting the dots, but beyond that, there are huge differences between us.
She's a standalone character. I would feel very self-conscious and bored if she was a projection of me. I have certain things in common with all my characters. Like Marino, I can be a slob and sometimes say stupid things and rush to judgment.
CNN: You're known for doing a lot of research on the ground to give your
|
[
"What is Patricia Cornwell's job?",
"What is Patricia Cornwell's book character called?",
"What is the name of the main character?",
"What is Kay Scarpetta's job?",
"What is the name of the author?",
"In the books by Partricia Cornwall what is the name of her main character",
"What does Cornwell say?",
"What does author Patricia Cornwell talk about?",
"In the latest book, who is CNN's chief forensic analyst?"
] |
[
"best-selling crime writer",
"Dr. Kay Scarpetta.",
"Kay Scarpetta?",
"forensic analyst",
"Patricia Cornwell",
"Dr. Kay Scarpetta.",
"discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie \"White Chicks.\"",
"discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie \"White Chicks.\"",
"Dr. Kay Scarpetta."
] |
question: What is Patricia Cornwell's job?, answer: best-selling crime writer | question: What is Patricia Cornwell's book character called?, answer: Dr. Kay Scarpetta. | question: What is the name of the main character?, answer: Kay Scarpetta? | question: What is Kay Scarpetta's job?, answer: forensic analyst | question: What is the name of the author?, answer: Patricia Cornwell | question: In the books by Partricia Cornwall what is the name of her main character, answer: Dr. Kay Scarpetta. | question: What does Cornwell say?, answer: discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie "White Chicks." | question: What does author Patricia Cornwell talk about?, answer: discussed the challenges of staying fresh, the need for happy endings and the merits of the History Channel and the movie "White Chicks." | question: In the latest book, who is CNN's chief forensic analyst?, answer: Dr. Kay Scarpetta.
|
(CNN) -- It has been a piece of Berlin history for 80 years, a symbol of Nazi power but also of Germans' desire for freedom after World War II.
The giant Tempelhof Airport in Berlin will shut it doors for good on Friday.
Friday, Berlin's Tempelhof Airport will shut its doors for good.
Tempelhof was where American and British pilots touched down after the war when Soviet Forces blockaded West Berlin. The allied pilots flew in millions of tons of food, fuel and medication for an ailing population, earning themselves the title "candy bombers," for dropping candy as they flew over the city.
"Through Tempelhof, we stayed alive," said Hedi Koenig, 83, who lived near the airport in West Berlin after the war. Without the air drops, she said, the people would have starved to death.
The airport rapidly became Berlin's only hub for supplies, eventually carrying almost 2.5 million tons of goods into the city.
Tempelhof's massive main building -- originally designed to represent Nazi Germany to visitors -- remains one of the largest structures in the world. The U.S. Army later built a basketball court and firing range at Tempelhof, and hid an entire command center in the vast network of tunnels under the buildings.
These days, however, its runways are too short for most modern civilian aircraft. City officials said the airport was not profitable and needed to be shut down as Berlin builds a major new airport, Berlin-Brandenburg International.
Moves to close Tempelhof have sparked protests from residents and aviators who thought more should have been done to preserve such an important part of the city's history. See archive photos of the airport
"The people want it, private enterprise wants it, all national arguments are in favor of it," Friedbert Pflueger, a local opposition leader, said last year.
More than 100 private pilots staged a "fly-in" in September 2007 to protest the plans.
Koenig said Berliners were still angry with city officials who allowed the closure. She blamed business leaders for putting pressure on the city to close the airport by arguing it cost too much and didn't make enough money.
"For business people, the airport doesn't mean anything," said Koenig. She said they were too young to remember how important Tempelhof has been for the city.
Koenig is among many who believe the airport should be turned into a cultural memorial.
A memorial already exists outside the airport to remember the candy bombers, dozens of whom died flying in during bad weather or after being harassed by Soviet fighter planes.
"The success of the airlift made sure that the communist ideology lost its impetus, lost its thrust, because people began to realize that democracies can defend their way of life," said Helmut Trotnow of the Berlin Allied Museum.
The allied pilots, Koenig said, were responsible for saving the city amid the Russian blockade.
"The Russians tried with all their might to break us," she said.
Koenig snuck into West Berlin from the East after the war. That meant she didn't have a visa and couldn't receive official food rations, so she literally scraped by during her night job at a bakery.
Koenig said she cleaned the pans and would try to scratch off whatever food remained stuck to the sides. Her boss would check to make sure she wasn't eating any of the remnants, but Koenig said she did it anyway, whenever her boss wasn't looking.
Tempelhof's beginnings date to September 4, 1909, when American aviation pioneer Orville Wright flew an engine-powered plane for a few minutes on the airfield there. It ushered in the era of aviation in Germany, and Tempelhof eventually became Berlin's central airport and the biggest hub in Europe.
The airport also became the home of Lufthansa, which was founded in Berlin in 1926.
Civilian traffic declined during the second world war and the Soviet Army occupied the airport. The Americans took it over in July 1945.
The Soviet blockade of West Berlin began in May 1948 as an attempt to force the
|
[
"where is the airport located",
"what is to close",
"When was the Tempelhof Airport built?",
"What was the Tempelhof Airport used for?",
"what size is the airport",
"when is it going to close"
] |
[
"in Berlin",
"The giant Tempelhof Airport in Berlin",
"September 4, 1909,",
"American and British pilots touched down after the war when Soviet Forces blockaded West Berlin.",
"giant",
"Friday."
] |
question: where is the airport located, answer: in Berlin | question: what is to close, answer: The giant Tempelhof Airport in Berlin | question: When was the Tempelhof Airport built?, answer: September 4, 1909, | question: What was the Tempelhof Airport used for?, answer: American and British pilots touched down after the war when Soviet Forces blockaded West Berlin. | question: what size is the airport, answer: giant | question: when is it going to close, answer: Friday.
|
(CNN) -- It has been a rough couple of months for Netflix. The company that virtually defined online movie rentals was swamped by an unprecedented wave of customer ire two months ago when it raised prices for both its DVD mailing and online streaming services.
Netflix announced this week that it's splitting itself in two and rebranding its movies-by-mail service as "Qwikster." Based on initial online responses, this latest effort didn't make things much better. In fact, it seems to have, in the best cases, re-opened old wounds and, in the worst, given customers a whole new set of issues to be angry about.
"Reed, thanks for reminding me that I should go somewhere else for my DVD rentals. It was an insult enough that you raised the price on me last month, right in the middle of the biggest recession since the Great Depression, but now instead of a sincere apology, all we get is excuses and a flimsy new name."
That's from a customer named Jonathan Ortega and it's one of more than 23,000 comments on a blog post by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings explaining the latest changes. In the post, Hastings announced that the service that made Netflix famous, mailing DVDs in those iconic red wrappers, is being spun off and renamed Qwikster, while Web streaming video will continue to be called Netflix.
Not all the posts took the same flamethrower approach as Ortega's. But even some of the more evenhanded messages raised questions.
"While I appreciate the explanation (and e-mail) and I guess I understand your reasoning for doing this, the thing I'm having the hard time about is the separation of websites," wrote a user named Tellier Killaby Booth. "I don't understand why I will now have to go to two separate websites to manage my queues. The only reason that I have both services is because half the things I watch aren't available yet on streaming."
Chris Taylor of Mashable (a CNN content partner), questioned whether the spin-off of Qwikster was "the worst product launch since New Coke."
"As any marketer will tell you, there are some truly awful times to launch a new product -- like August, when few potential customers are paying attention, or January, when they're all shopped out from the holidays," Taylor wrote. "And then there's launching your new product in the 10th paragraph of an apology for some previous poor communication, as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings did late Sunday with Qwikster. ..."
Taylor, who says he has met and interviewed Hastings several times, calls him "one of the smartest and most amiable minds I've ever met." But he lays out a laundry list of problems, from the odd spelling of Qwikster to creating unnecessary confusion for customers who keep both streaming and DVD service.
And, yes ... that name. Plenty of folks were chiming in about that name -- from its lack of savvy (who's going to remember how to spell that?) to the fact the Twitter handle is already taken to simply mocking yet another random-seeming, oddly-spelled tech startup title.
"It is as though Hastings and the Netflix crew sat in a room and brainstormed the dumbest possible names they could think of and knew they were really onto something truly stupid when they came up with Qwikster ... ," said Huffington Post writer Jason Gilbert in what can only be described as an aggressively snarky post. "My first reaction, when I heard the news, was, "Hey Qwikster, 1991 called, it wants its radical new company name back."
The Internet wasn't unanimously down on Netflix's move, however.
Venture capitalist Mark Suster, who focuses on early stage tech companies, had a more positive take, calling Hastings' explanation "simply brilliant." (Worth noting: His company, GRP Partners, does not list Netflix as one of its investments.)
"[M]any short-termists will think it's a bad idea. Indeed, my Twitter stream tells me so,
|
[
"how many customers commented?",
"What is Netflix's DVD by mail going to be called?",
"How many customers commented about the changes?",
"what is Responses to latest changes ?"
] |
[
"23,000",
"\"Qwikster.\"",
"23,000",
"Netflix announced this week that it's splitting itself in two and rebranding its movies-by-mail service as \"Qwikster.\""
] |
question: how many customers commented?, answer: 23,000 | question: What is Netflix's DVD by mail going to be called?, answer: "Qwikster." | question: How many customers commented about the changes?, answer: 23,000 | question: what is Responses to latest changes ?, answer: Netflix announced this week that it's splitting itself in two and rebranding its movies-by-mail service as "Qwikster."
|
(CNN) -- It has been more than 65 years, but for 93-year-old Anthony Snetro, the image of a Japanese torpedo bomber closing in on him will never go away.
Snetro still has vivid memories of the day his life flashed before his eyes.
"Our ship was starting to swing around," Snetro softly recalls. "All of a sudden, here comes a Jap torpedo bomber all aflame right at my eye level. I could have reached out and touched the wing."
Snetro joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and was immediately assigned to serve aboard the USS Boston in the South Pacific. He hoped enlisting in the Navy would prevent his younger brother from being drafted.
"Let him stay home to help the family," Snetro recalls. "That's why I joined the Navy, I was 25 years old. But finally near the end, they drafted him. He was wounded in Germany but made it home OK."
Snetro was a machinist in the Navy during World War II. Although he had experienced many terrifying moments during his four years in the service, nothing compared to that October night during the Battle of Formosa in 1944.
Up until now, the World War II veteran has shared the experience of that frightening night with only one other person, his son.
"Plainly, I saw the pilot and the gunner in there," Snetro explains as his voice gets louder. "The plane was afire. Good thing we were swinging. It just missed us and went along and crashed in the ocean and exploded."
Two other cruisers, the Canberra and the Houston, had already been aerial torpedoed the previous two nights.
"I know one thing, I was really scared there," Snetro recalls, slowly shaking his head as his eyes grow wider. "I couldn't do anything. I was stupefied. I was frozen."
iReport and Facebook team up to honor veterans
The four years that Snetro served were extremely stressful, he says. The heavy cruiser would be at sea for months at a time before finally pulling into port for supplies. When out at sea, there was always a concern, especially during war time.
"We never knew how close we came to being torpedoed, " Snetro says. "The engine room was down below the water. You get hit with a torpedo and you're done."
Snetro realized he needed something to help cope with the dangers of war. He decided to turn to a sport he had been playing since age 10.
"We'd get a few hours off on the beach," Snetro says. "We had equipment, softballs, bats, different things. A bunch of guys would get together and we'd start a little game. It was just for fun. You got a little relaxed."
Playing ball helped him during the unnerving days of World War II and it has helped him ever since. Snetro hopes to continue playing ball for at least a couple more years.
"I enjoy playing ball. It makes me feel good. Seeing my age, I can still run around." he says, smiling. "I can't play like I used to, but I get a hit once in a while."
"Baseball was something that you could keep playing. Just my luck, I came down here (Coral Gables, Florida) and they had a team and I've been playing ever since. It's been great! Otherwise, I'd be sitting at home in a rocking chair!"
|
[
"What helped Snetro to cope with stresses of war?",
"What image is still haunting Snetro?",
"Where Anthony Snetro was during World War II?",
"Snetro is still haunted by what image?",
"What war did he serve in?",
"What was Anthony Snetro?",
"What does Snetro turn to?",
"Which branch of the military was he in?",
"What did Snetro turn to?"
] |
[
"\"Baseball",
"torpedo bomber closing in on him",
"South Pacific.",
"torpedo bomber closing in on him",
"II.",
"machinist in the Navy during World War II.",
"Playing ball",
"U.S. Navy",
"\"Baseball"
] |
question: What helped Snetro to cope with stresses of war?, answer: "Baseball | question: What image is still haunting Snetro?, answer: torpedo bomber closing in on him | question: Where Anthony Snetro was during World War II?, answer: South Pacific. | question: Snetro is still haunted by what image?, answer: torpedo bomber closing in on him | question: What war did he serve in?, answer: II. | question: What was Anthony Snetro?, answer: machinist in the Navy during World War II. | question: What does Snetro turn to?, answer: Playing ball | question: Which branch of the military was he in?, answer: U.S. Navy | question: What did Snetro turn to?, answer: "Baseball
|
(CNN) -- It has been nearly 20 years since Poland's Solidarity movement defeated the Communist Party in an historic election that prompted the fall of communism across central and eastern Europe.
Solidarity leader Lech Walesa takes the oath in front of Poland's National Assembly on December 22, 1990.
CNN International marks this significant anniversary with "The New Poland," a week of programming examining the transformation of Poland from 1989 to where it sits today on the world stage.
The combination of daily live programming and special reports from CNN correspondents in cities across Poland culminates June 4 with "Autumn of Change, an in-depth documentary that takes a retrospective look at the events leading up to the election exactly 20 years ago.
Reflecting the tumultuous year of 1989, which changed Europe forever, "Autumn of Change" will mix live programming and documentary programming, unforgettable historical images with interviews past and present, and a huge online audience initiative through Poland, Hungary, Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania, in a comprehensive narrative of events that have helped to shape the Europe of today.
"CNN's combination of historic footage, comprehensive reporting and access to Poland's key figures puts us in an unparalleled position to set the scene for how Poland was the catalyst for the Europe of today," said Mike McCarthy, vice president of coverage and feature programming for CNN International.
"In step with the anniversaries of the events themselves, CNN will invite viewers to take part in our ambitious account of how Europe has changed over the last 20 years and what the future may hold."
About the programming:
Just eight months after reporting from Poland for the week-long "Eye on Poland" special, Fionnuala Sweeney returns to the country to anchor the network's live coverage for "The New Poland."
She will report on the various commemoration and celebration ceremonies throughout the week from cities across Poland including Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk.
In addition to Sweeney's live reports, CNN correspondent Frederik Pleitgen will take viewers inside the Poland of today looking at the political, cultural, social and economic changes that have taken place in the past 20 years.
The programs include:
-- Gdansk Today: CNN explores the city of Gdansk, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement. We visit the main shipyard and spend the day with a foreman who has been working there for more than 30 years. He talks about the transformation since Solidarity was born and the challenges the shipyards face three decades on. Finally, CNN heads out to sea with a polish yacht maker and finds out how they are dealing with the economic crisis.
-- Catholicism in Poland: CNN looks at the Catholic Church in Poland and the challenges it faces. We visit Religia TV, a new project that aims to attract Catholics as well as viewers from other religions.
-- Business in Poland: Solidarity transformed Poland from a communist state into a capitalist economy eventually capable of becoming a democratic member of the EU. During the last 20 years, its economy developed at a thriving pace, but even today there are remnants of the old system. CNN speaks to a family-run business on the local economy. We also visit Poland's biggest copper mining and refining company. We find out how the global market place is impacting the global economy and Polish business.
-- Polish Cuisine: CNN speaks to Krakow's top celebrity chef and historian Robert Maklowicz about Polish cuisine and the recent trend to return to its roots.
-- Poland's Film School: CNN visits Poland's largest film production Centrex, the National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz, and finds out what makes this school so unique.
About the documentary: By combining narratives from key players within the Solidarity movement, the Communist leadership, CNN reporters who covered the events and Polish civilians who lived through it all, Autumn of Change charts the individuals, relationships and astonishing chain of events that shook eastern Europe to its foundations.
About the online coverage: CNN's television coverage will be complemented by a full interactive companion site. This special site will feature a number of
|
[
"How long has it been since the Communist Party was defeated?",
"How many years has it been since the solidarity movement?",
"What is The New Poland?",
"Who will anchor?",
"Who will anchor CNN's live coverage from Poland?",
"What does New Poland culminate in?"
] |
[
"nearly 20 years",
"nearly 20",
"a week of programming examining the transformation of",
"Fionnuala Sweeney",
"Fionnuala Sweeney",
"\"Autumn of Change,"
] |
question: How long has it been since the Communist Party was defeated?, answer: nearly 20 years | question: How many years has it been since the solidarity movement?, answer: nearly 20 | question: What is The New Poland?, answer: a week of programming examining the transformation of | question: Who will anchor?, answer: Fionnuala Sweeney | question: Who will anchor CNN's live coverage from Poland?, answer: Fionnuala Sweeney | question: What does New Poland culminate in?, answer: "Autumn of Change,
|
(CNN) -- It has been nearly a year since Haiti held elections, but it was not until late Tuesday night that the troubled nation finally was able to form a new government.
Garry Conille, a United Nations development specialist and aide to Bill Clinton, was ratified by the Haitian Senate after debate that lasted more than seven hours.
President Michel Martelly, who took office in May, congratulated his new prime minister, saying that the installation of new leadership was a step forward in implementing change in Haiti.
Martelly's two former prime ministerial nominations -- businessman Daniel Rouzier and lawyer Bernard Gousse -- were rejected by the Senate. The inability to form a working government had raised concerns about Haiti's ability to move forward after a devastating earthquake in January 2010.
However, Conille was welcomed in many corners as someone knowledgeable on development challenges and someone who had experience in working with the global community.
Conille, 45, a gynecologist, earned a master's degree in health administration from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He worked for the United Nations Development Program and was a protege of economist Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University.
"You need someone like Garry Conille who understands the international community because this is a country which depends on the largesse of the international community," said Garry Pierre-Pierre, editor and publisher of the New York-based newspaper The Haitian Times.
Most recently, Conille served as chief of staff for former President Clinton, the special U.N. envoy in Haiti. In that role, he was involved in international aid delivery to Haiti.
Martelly and Conille have a tough road ahead. Critics say post-quake progress in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, has not been swift enough. Thousands of people remain displaced from their homes, many still in vulnerable makeshift camps. The new government has to take on recovery.
Pierre-Pierre said it will be important for Haiti to choose a finance minister who has experience in the private sector, whose partnership with the government will be key to Haiti's future.
"I just hope (Conille) is able to bring in someone who is as high-powered in the financial world as he is the development world," Pierre-Pierre said. "Too often in Haiti, we have loaded the government with good bureaucrats (and) not enough people with private sector experience."
|
[
"who was ratified as Haiti's next prime minister?",
"who did conille serve as an aide to?",
"Who was Clintons aide",
"Who is the next prime minister"
] |
[
"Garry Conille,",
"Bill Clinton,",
"Garry Conille,",
"Garry Conille,"
] |
question: who was ratified as Haiti's next prime minister?, answer: Garry Conille, | question: who did conille serve as an aide to?, answer: Bill Clinton, | question: Who was Clintons aide, answer: Garry Conille, | question: Who is the next prime minister, answer: Garry Conille,
|
(CNN) -- It has long been the final destination for terminally ill patients who want to end their lives, offering what many consider to be a dignified way out of their suffering.
But now, Switzerland is proposing legislation that would limit the practice of assisted suicide to people who are terminally ill -- or ban it altogether.
If either proposal is adopted, people suffering from a chronic illness or who have a mental illness could no longer legally take advantage of assisted suicide.
The Swiss Federal Council says it doesn't necessarily want to end the country's liberal laws, which allow someone to assist a suicide as long as they are not motivated by their own interests.
But the council says organizations that provide assisted suicide in Switzerland -- such as the well known Dignitas clinic -- are increasingly testing the boundaries of the law, requiring the government to lay out specific guidelines and restrictions.
Recent cases have drawn more attention to "suicide tourism," in which people who can't legally seek assisted suicide in their home countries travel to Switzerland, where it is allowed.
Dan James, a 23-year-old British rugby player, ended his life at a Swiss assisted suicide clinic last year. He had been paralyzed from the neck down in a rugby accident. His illness was chronic but not terminal.
James' case drew headlines when his parents, who accompanied their son to Switzerland, returned home to questions from police. In the end, the Jameses were not prosecuted.
Multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy won a high-profile battle in June to have Britain's law on assisted suicide clarified. Purdy, who has said she wants the option of assisted suicide if her condition deteriorates, wanted to know at what point her husband might be prosecuted if he accompanied her to an assisted suicide clinic.
Purdy's case went all the way to the Law Lords, Britain's highest court, who ordered the director of public prosecutions to issue a new policy on assisted suicide. He did so last month.
Multiple sclerosis is chronic disease and some times can be terminal, leaving open the question whether Purdy might qualify if the new Swiss proposals are approved.
At least 117 Britons have traveled abroad for an assisted suicide since 2002, at an average of two a month, according to Dignity in Dying, which advocates giving terminally ill adults the option of assisted suicide.
Switzerland's Parliament is now considering two proposals from the federal council, the seven-member cabinet that heads the government. Consultations on the proposals will last until March.
The first option would ensure that the person committing suicide is doing it of their own free will, and that the person assisting them is not driven by personal gain. It would also make assisted suicide an option only for those suffering from a terminal illness -- not for those suffering from a chronic or mental illness.
The suicidal person would have to declare that he has given "long and proper consideration" to his decision," according to the council. That is intended to prevent spur-of-the-moment decisions that have not been thought through, the council says.
Patients must also present two different doctor's certificates from two different doctors, one stating that they have the legal capacity to decide their options for themselves, and the other stating that they suffer from an incurable physical illness that will result in death within a short period.
For those with chronic or mental illnesses, the council said it supports "comprehensive treatment, care and support, in the sense of palliative medicine" rather than suicide.
Those assisting with suicide face criminal charges if they don't make sure of these steps, the council says. They must also discuss alternatives to suicide with the patient, and must not accept payment for their services that would exceed the costs and expenses of the suicide.
"This provision ensures that those assisting a suicide are not driven by personal gain, and that their prime motivation is to help the person who wishes to die," the council says.
"The Federal Council firmly believes that, by determining these duties of care, the negative aspects and abuse
|
[
"What country has lax laws on assisted suicide?",
"Where do tourists go for assisted suicide?"
] |
[
"Switzerland",
"Switzerland"
] |
question: What country has lax laws on assisted suicide?, answer: Switzerland | question: Where do tourists go for assisted suicide?, answer: Switzerland
|
(CNN) -- It has now been certified officially: Germany is special, at least in the eyes of ratings agency Standard & Poor's.
According to Standard & Poor's, Germany is the only country in the eurozone which still deserves the prized AAA rating with a stable outlook. Nine other countries, together accounting for more than half the euro area's GDP, were downgraded at least one notch. Given that these countries also provide more than half of the financing of the eurozone bail out fund (the European Financial Stability Facility) it was only logical that this institution also lost its AAA rating.
One could be tempted, following the downgrades, to conclude that most euro countries just cannot get their fiscal houses in order. But the opposite is closer to reality.
The average fiscal deficit for the euro area was only about 4% of GDP in 2011. This is projected to fall to about 3% in 2012. This is much lower than the double digit figures for the U.S. and UK fiscal deficits for 2011, which are expected to persist through this year.
Italy -- hit with a two-notch downgrade -- is actually expected to structurally balance its 2012 budget. "Excessive" deficits are thus unlikely to be the root cause of the problem (at least apart from Greece). The motivation for the downgrades given by Standard & Poor's actually cites the excessive attention given to fiscal austerity as one principal reason for the downgrading of a whole swath of euroland.
Greek debt talks to resume
So why the downgrade? Is there really such a lack of capital that the remaining deficits, which look modest in comparison to other developed countries, cannot be financed?
The answer is surely no. There are enough savings within the monetary union area to finance all public deficits of the eurozone's members. This is because euro area savers are usually loath to invest in foreign currency; and most regulated intermediaries such as investment fund have little choice but to invest in government securities in euro.
Further, Europe's investment funds and insurance companies cannot all put their money in a bank account where yields are close to nothing. This is a key reason why reaction in the markets was so muted after the downgrades.
So what is Standard & Poor's afraid of? One major problem is Europe's regional split of savings habits.
Those in the north -- Germany and the Netherlands, for example -- have an excess of savings. But the area's investors dare not cross the Alps to spend their money in the southern countries such as Italy, Spain and Greece (and maybe soon France).
This is why Italian funding costs have gone up so dramatically while the same time, the German government can collect money from investors when it issues short term paper.
The collection of savings within national pools means the capital markets have ceased to function in the euro area. The European Central Bank is the only institution able to recycle northern European savings through the euro area. The ECB has thus become the "central counterparty" to most north-south lending in Europe. By doing so it has prevented a collapse of the banking system. But the ECB has its limits too.
The ECB cannot single-handedly substitute for all private cross border lending. The downwards spiral will continue until these markets begin to function again. This should be the main priority of Europe's leaders. The fiscal compact might be useful to prevent the next crisis a generation down the road, but this will not be very useful if the euro does not survive the present one.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Daniel Gros
|
[
"What is one of the key problems in the crisis?",
"Who thinks eurozone's public finances are still in shape?",
"What is one of the key problems?"
] |
[
"Europe's regional split of savings habits.",
"Standard & Poor's,",
"Europe's regional split of savings habits."
] |
question: What is one of the key problems in the crisis?, answer: Europe's regional split of savings habits. | question: Who thinks eurozone's public finances are still in shape?, answer: Standard & Poor's, | question: What is one of the key problems?, answer: Europe's regional split of savings habits.
|
(CNN) -- It has the curves of a Lamborghini, looks like something an astronaut might take into space and weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Amazon's Kindle e-reader is wireless and can hold about 200 books, plus newspapers and magazines.
Amazon.com's electronic Kindle reader -- a device meant to remove the paper from the page and make reading both more convenient and eco-friendly -- is celebrating its first birthday.
Released in November 2007, the Kindle has sold more than a quarter million units. Its texts account for 10 percent of Amazon's book sales despite the fact that 200,000 titles -- a tiny fraction of the books offered on the site -- are available in digital form.
While exact sales figures are hard to come by, recent estimates have put the Kindle's sales on par with other high-profile mobile devices in their first year. Amazon.com says that the Kindle is currently sold out due to heavy demand.
So what has spurred its success? After all, electronic books have been around, in small numbers, for about a decade. Even Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO, has admitted that the book is "elegantly suited to its purpose. It's hard to improve on."
One thing that's helped the Kindle is marketing. Where other readers failed to connect with consumers, the Kindle has excelled. The media-savvy Bezos has hardly been publicity shy, gaining his electronic toy a level of exposure most CEOs couldn't begin to fathom.
"You can't discount the prominence of having Amazon behind this," says Paul Reynolds, technology editor at Consumer Reports. "Jeff Bezos is respected for what he's done with Amazon, and if he feels this is a future product in media, people are willing to trust him."
Second, the gadget has been heralded by Oprah Winfrey, whose influence in the publishing world is immense. It's also been embraced by some prominent writers, including Nobel laureate Toni Morrison and best-selling thriller author James Patterson.
Third, with more and more consumers accustomed to reading text on their cell phones and BlackBerrys, the world finally may be ready for an electronic version of a book.
"I checked it out on Amazon and thought it was an intriguing idea, a great way to have a lot of books that don't take up a lot of space," says Emily Branch of Florida, who was moved to buy a Kindle after seeing the hosts of "The View" chatting about it.
"I figured if I didn't like it I could return it within 30 days," Branch says. "There wasn't a chance of that happening once I got it in my hands though."
One clutter-killing Kindle can hold about 200 books. And while other e-readers such as Sony's Reader must connect through a USB port to upload content, the Kindle is a wireless device, thanks to Whispernet, which is powered by Sprint's high-speed data network.
"I think the Whispernet is what sets the Kindle apart from all the other e-readers on the market," says Leslie Nicoll of Portland, Maine, who co-authored "The Amazon Kindle F.A.Q." book after her tech-loving teenage daughter urged her to get a Kindle.
Like Branch, Nicoll says she likes the Kindle's low-impact effect on her bookshelves. "I don't have to worry about giving it to someone else, reselling it on Amazon or finding a place to store it in my house," she says. "For the enjoyment and convenience, it has given me in the past seven months, I consider that it has paid for itself already."
Readers can visit Amazon's online store and upload a new book right to their Kindle. Subscribers also can have electronic versions of The New York Times and other newspapers and magazines delivered automatically to their Kindles in time for reading with their morning cup of coffee.
"The large and tightly interacting collection of Kindle features, that go far beyond those of any other previous e-Book attempt, will cause
|
[
"How many books does the device hold?",
"Do any famous people like using the Kindle?",
"What is Kindle celebrating?",
"How many Kindle readers have been sold?"
] |
[
"200",
"Oprah Winfrey,",
"first birthday.",
"more than a quarter million units."
] |
question: How many books does the device hold?, answer: 200 | question: Do any famous people like using the Kindle?, answer: Oprah Winfrey, | question: What is Kindle celebrating?, answer: first birthday. | question: How many Kindle readers have been sold?, answer: more than a quarter million units.
|
(CNN) -- It is midday and Geoff Lawton is hard at work at Zaytuna Farms in New South Wales, Australia. But the real work, he says, is going on inside the center of the compost.
Geoff Lawton says that permaculture "revs up" systems of soil creation.
"There's lots of things breeding in there," Lawton says.
Compost may not seem a sexy subject, but within this steaming pile, life is being created.
"There's organisms breathing and dying and reproducing very quickly," he says. "It's all very hot and steamy."
That rich soil lays the groundwork for Lawton's revolutionary method of food production. It's called permaculture.
Lawton's friend and mentor, Bill Mollison, developed the process back in the 1970s. Since then he and Lawton have traveled the globe preaching the value of permaculture and its aim to create harmony between the landscape and the people who live on it.
"Nature exists in an incredibly rich form, and enriching form and does so without any energy inputs from mankind," Lawton explains. "Permaculture does the same thing."
"We've taken the systems of soil creation and soil life and we've revved them up. We've speeded up nature itself and we've improved the system." Watch Geoff Lawton at work »
So what does it take to improve the system?
Lawton says it's about rehabilitating areas that have been damaged by pollution or overuse by recycling nutrients and energy back into the soils.
Permaculture also takes all the things we need -- our housing, energy sources, food and water supplies -- and tailors them to fit into the natural rhythms of the ecosystem. The idea is to work with, not against, nature.
Lawton says that during the first few weeks and months you don't see the real benefits, but after a year to 18 months you really start to see the difference.
"Within two or three years you can see a system that is really something that's got great opportunities and possibilities," he said.
The gardens at Zaytuna Farms bear fruit and vegetables of all that hard work. The real measure though isn't how it works, but where.
Lawton claims this permaculture method can work anywhere in the world, including the desert.
"Almost all the deserts on earth at one point were forested," he said. "They all have different types of oasis systems. What you're doing is picking different points in the desert and turning them into a rich oasis."
On a DVD created by the Permaculture Research Institute of Australia, Lawton shows us what happened when he took this method to places like Morocco and Jordan -- just 80 kilometers from the Dead Sea.
"People were amazed to see an area that was salty, sandy ground, turn into a lush green forest, that had mushrooms growing from the soil," Lawton said.
The ability to "green" the desert is not only having an impact on the communities where these gardens are grown. Interest is also sprouting among young people.
Dozens come to Zaytuna Farms every year to learn about the permaculture method.
"I've only been doing it a year and once you hit upon the principles it's basically observations," said intern Jonathan Chan.
"You have to look at the land and which way the wind is blowing and see where the sun angles are and design around that and it does seem quite simple."
For Chan it's as much about cultivating a new way of life as it is about cultivating the land.
"I think people are getting to the point where they have to make change and permaculture is a good direction to go," he said.
Still, permaculture isn't without its critics. They argue the method is time-consuming in the early stages and that makes the system hard to get off the ground in many places.
It can be made even more difficult if the people living around the site aren't familiar with the process.
But Lawton
|
[
"Who is using renewable natural resources?",
"what can pemaculture do",
"when was the technique developed",
"When did Bill Mollison develop the technique?",
"What are effects of permaculture?",
"When was this technique developed?"
] |
[
"Geoff Lawton",
"work anywhere in the world,",
"1970s.",
"back in the 1970s.",
"\"revs up\" systems of soil creation.",
"1970s."
] |
question: Who is using renewable natural resources?, answer: Geoff Lawton | question: what can pemaculture do, answer: work anywhere in the world, | question: when was the technique developed, answer: 1970s. | question: When did Bill Mollison develop the technique?, answer: back in the 1970s. | question: What are effects of permaculture?, answer: "revs up" systems of soil creation. | question: When was this technique developed?, answer: 1970s.
|
(CNN) -- It is the role that every fan of the beautiful game counts on but which few people envy. The much-maligned position of the football referee is a job that attracts criticism, controversy and castigation on an almost weekly basis with little glory in return.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is the latest to add his voice to the deafening boom of dissent so often aimed at various men in black around the world.
Despite a 5-1 victory for his side against Murcia in Spain's Cop del Rey, the Portuguese boss let rip at the referee Paradas Romero's record of showing more then six yellow cards per match. Romero added to this with a red card for Mourinho himself, after the 47-year-old told the official to "Go f*** himself" during the game, according to the ref.
The incident follows similar controversy in Britain where Manchester United's game against English title rivals Tottenham last month ended in farce when Mark Clattenburg allowed Portugal winger Nani to score despite his clear handball in the build-up.
Should referees be relegated too?
Clattenburg's clanger came hot on the heals of referee Dougie McDonald's blooper in Scotland where he awarded a penalty to Celtic against rivals Dundee United, before overturning his own decision before the kick was taken.
In honor of all of the above, Fanzone takes a look at the best moments of on-pitch gaffes from soccer's finest:
Brazilian ball boy scores equalizing goal
Silvia Regina de Oliveira was the first woman to ever referee a match in the Brazilian National Championship, and went on to handle games at the 2004 Olympics.
But her career went into decline two years later when she inexplicably awarded Santacruzense a late equalizer against Atletico Sorocaba in a Paulista Football Federation Cup clash.
One of the home team's players had fired a shot into the outside of the net, and the waiting ball boy took the chance to cheekily evade the visiting goalkeeper and tap a shot over the goal-line.
De Oliveira did not see the incident, but noticed the ball was in the net, so consulted with her linesman and awarded a goal -- sparking scenes of mayhem as the Atletico players protested.
Despite the video evidence, the result of the match was allowed to stand. "I should have trusted my own vision," De Oliveira later admitted.
Three yellow cards equals one red
Top English referee Graham Poll sabotaged his hopes of controlling a World Cup final in 2006 when he made a massive blunder in Australia's 2-2 draw with Croatia in a group-stage game in Germany.
Poll booked Josip Simunic after an hour and then in the final minute of regulation time -- but forgot to send the Croatian from the pitch. He had the chance to compound his error in time added on when he handed Simunic a third yellow card.
It was third time unlucky for Poll, who had correctly dismissed Croatia's Dario Simic and Australia's Brett Emerton after giving the duo their second respective bookings just minutes earlier.
Poll, who later admitted putting Simunic's first yellow card against Australia defender Craig Moore's name in his notebook, was widely mocked as the video spread around the Internet, and the 42-year-old's house was blockaded by media.
"It opened my eyes as to who my real friends are and how much my family meant to me," he said.
Fabiano one-ups Maradona with double handball
French referee Stephane Lannoy was left with egg on his face after allowing Luis Fabiano to clearly handle the ball twice before scoring his second goal in the 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast at the 2010 World Cup.
Lannoy was pictured laughing with the Brazil striker when he questioned him about how he had controlled the ball.
"I wasn't sure if it was the elbow, the upper arm or the chest. So I decided to have a talk with him, he said it was chest. Thereafter, I could do nothing but allow the goal. It was after the match I realized that Fabiano had been dishonest," Lannoy told L'Equipe newspaper.
|
[
"who got the goal",
"Where was the incident?"
] |
[
"De Oliveira",
"Britain"
] |
question: who got the goal, answer: De Oliveira | question: Where was the incident?, answer: Britain
|
(CNN) -- It may have a fairy tale ending -- a story of perseverance and second chances that's playing out live on the public stage of online networking.
Brianna Karp's trailer now sits outside a friend's home near Los Angeles
But 24-year-old Brianna Karp's story started as a nightmare.
In a rocky economy, Karp was laid off from her Irvine, California, job as an executive assistant in July 2008.
She got by for a while on temp jobs and unemployment benefits. But when her savings dried up, she was no longer able to afford her rent.
The only answer she saw then was a trailer she'd inherited from her father -- a man she barely knew who had recently committed suicide.
"I was left with a truck and this camper, which I was going to sell but coincidentally this happened to me," she said. "I thought, 'Well, I have this.' "
Karp, who writes that she is also estranged from her mother, ended up camped in a Los Angeles-area Walmart parking lot.
"The first night, I think, in the Walmart parking lot was the scariest," she told CNN. "I was panicking, and I was just afraid."
For comfort, she had her mastiff named Fezzik. And she had her laptop computer.
As she spent five months looking for jobs and blasting out resumes, often spending hour after hour at a coffee shop to take advantage of its free Wi-Fi connection, she also started blogging. The result, the Girl's Guide to Homelessness, chronicled the ups and downs of her new life.
She reminisced about adopting her dog, named for a character from the movie "The Princess Bride," and mulled the pros and cons of having a pet while homeless. She recounted details from failed job interviews and offered tips for other homeless women.
"I was trying to stay positive and cheerful," Karp said. "I started writing the blog in a tongue-in-cheek way to kind of laugh about my circumstances, keep them chronicled. I didn't think anyone would actually read it." Watch CNN's Ted Rowland's report on Brianna. »
But people did, including Matt Barnes, formerly homeless himself and running a Web site about his own homelessness issues in Scotland.
He asked her to write for his site and would eventually become Brianna's boyfriend.
Another big break came through a shot at the weird world of reality television.
Karp applied for a show that would offer contestants the chance at a job with Elle magazine advice columnist E. Jean Carroll.
She was granted an audition for the show and, by her own account, totally botched it.
"I went back and blogged about bombing the interview and made fun of myself," she said.
On a lark, she then wrote to Carroll via her column.
"Dear E. Jean: I'm currently homeless and living in a Wal-Mart parking lot," her e-mail began. "I'm educated, I have never done drugs and I'm not mentally ill. I have a strong employment history and am a career executive assistant. The instability sucks, but I'm rocking it as best as I can."
She told Carroll about her poor interview for the show and finished the note with the question, "How does one get another shot when one screws up a job interview? -- Homeless, but Not Hopeless."
Carroll said she was floored by the note.
"[The phrase] 'I'm living in a Walmart parking lot' hooked me," she said. "I thought, she's so ready to work, obviously she can write, she's got some skills."
Her response appeared in the August issue of Elle -- she offered Karp an internship and a chance to write a fashion blog for the magazine.
"I think she's a new voice," Carroll said. "She's a voice we haven't heard, and
|
[
"What is her blog about?",
"The 24-year-old went from being what?",
"Who lived in Walmart parking lot?",
"Where did Karp live"
] |
[
"Girl's Guide to Homelessness,",
"an executive assistant",
"Brianna Karp's",
"camped in a Los Angeles-area Walmart parking lot."
] |
question: What is her blog about?, answer: Girl's Guide to Homelessness, | question: The 24-year-old went from being what?, answer: an executive assistant | question: Who lived in Walmart parking lot?, answer: Brianna Karp's | question: Where did Karp live, answer: camped in a Los Angeles-area Walmart parking lot.
|
(CNN) -- It may take a lot of frequent-flier miles, a penchant for cold places, a tolerance of taxes and regular doses of chocolate, but happiness could be within reach. However, it's not where most people might expect.
Journalist Eric Weiner says he wanted to explore the relationship between place and happiness.
Just ask Eric Weiner, who made it his mission to find the most content places around the globe, uncovering lots of surprises along the way.
Hungering for a tropical paradise? A warm climate doesn't necessarily make a happy nation, Weiner said.
Thinking of moving to a wealthy state? Money can degrade happiness, he found.
Weiner, who wrote the book, "The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World," began his quest for very personal reasons.
"I'm an unhappy person, so it's kind of what prompts a hungry person to search for food," he said.
Weiner spent 10 years as a foreign correspondent for National Public Radio, a job that took him to some of the least happy places in the world.
It was enough to send him on a yearlong journey to look for just the opposite.
Weiner mapped out his quest with a combination of scientific and personal methods, choosing some countries because they traditionally score high on happiness surveys and selecting others to see how factors like money play a role.
A world map of happiness, based on 100 different studies and produced by Britain's University of Leicester in 2006, listed Denmark as the world's happiest nation.
But for Weiner, the place where he felt the most bliss was a toss-up between Bhutan and Iceland, countries that ranked eighth and fourth, respectively, on the happiness map. Weiner's list of favorites also included Thailand, India and Switzerland. See photos of his favorites and listen to him explain why they're happy »
His top two picks, though very different countries, have unconventional paths to happiness, he said.
"Bhutan is probably the closest thing on Earth to Shangri-La, that fictional paradise," Weiner explained.
He pointed out that while other countries focus on their gross domestic product, the Himalayan kingdom proudly touts its policy of "gross national happiness."
"The Bhutanese very much believe that happiness should be part and parcel of every government decision," Weiner said.
Cold place, warm relationships
Thousands of miles away, Weiner found happiness in a very different environment, marveling at the creativity and "coziness" of Iceland.
"Everyone in Iceland is a poet," Weiner recalled.
He visited the country during winter and said he found a certain beauty in the cold and the darkness. Such a chilly climate usually encourages warm relationships, Weiner found.
"The cold inspires people to cooperate, traditionally. If you go back a few hundred years, people in cold climates have to cooperate or they die together. It's that simple," he said.
Weiner found a different flavor of happiness in Switzerland, where he discovered people are content partly because everything runs like clockwork. Simple pleasures like trains arriving on time contributed to national happiness, he said.
But there may be a much sweeter reason why Switzerland is a happy place.
"The Swiss eat a lot of chocolate, and let's not forget that," Weiner said.
He was also impressed with how the Swiss view money.
"Their attitude is that if you've got it, hide it. While our attitude is if you've got it, flaunt it," Weiner said, comparing the Swiss to Americans.
Weiner called the United States, which came in at No. 23 on the University of Leicester's world map of happiness, a nation that "is not as happy as it is wealthy."
The impact of wealth and taxes
The relationship between money and happiness took Weiner to the Middle East and Qatar, a country with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world, thanks to oil and
|
[
"what did Self-described \"grump said about chocolate?",
"what did the grump say",
"who spent a year looking for the world's happiest countries?",
"what did the journalists do",
"who says Bhutan is probably the closest thing on Earth to Shangri-La?",
"what did he say"
] |
[
"\"The Swiss eat a lot of",
"\"I'm an unhappy person, so it's kind of",
"Journalist Eric Weiner",
"explore the relationship between place and happiness.",
"Eric Weiner,",
"he wanted to explore the relationship between place and happiness."
] |
question: what did Self-described "grump said about chocolate?, answer: "The Swiss eat a lot of | question: what did the grump say, answer: "I'm an unhappy person, so it's kind of | question: who spent a year looking for the world's happiest countries?, answer: Journalist Eric Weiner | question: what did the journalists do, answer: explore the relationship between place and happiness. | question: who says Bhutan is probably the closest thing on Earth to Shangri-La?, answer: Eric Weiner, | question: what did he say, answer: he wanted to explore the relationship between place and happiness.
|
(CNN) -- It says something about the popularity of "Dancing With the Stars" that the show's professional dancers have become almost as famous as the celebrities they're paired with.
Mark Ballas and Shawn Johnson celebrate after winning last season's "Dancing With the Stars."
Take Mark Ballas, who last season waltzed and tangoed his way to a first-place finish with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson -- his second mirror ball trophy since he joined the hit series in 2007.
At just 23, Ballas is already recognized on the street, he's in a band with fellow "Dancing" pro Derek Hough, and he's thinking about branching out into acting.
For the new season of "Dancing With the Stars," which begins Monday, Ballas is paired with Melissa Joan Hart, best known for her roles in the television series "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" and "Clarissa Explains It All."
Ballas spoke to CNN about his new celebrity partner, his training routine and whether former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul could find a new home on the show.
The following is an edited version of that interview.
CNN: What is Melissa Joan Hart like as a dancer?
Mark Ballas: She's doing really well so far. I think she's going to shock a lot of people, and I think they will love her personality. She's really bright and bubbly.
CNN: Does she have any dancing experience?
Ballas: No, she's never danced before. I mean, she took a couple of ballet classes when she was a child, but everyone's done that. She's never danced like this before, so it's been a bit of a learning curve for her, but hopefully she'll smooth it out.
CNN: Did you know who she was before you were matched?
Ballas: Oh, yeah. I used to watch her shows all the time when I was younger. I would watch "Clarissa Explains It All" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" after school.
CNN: Do you get any input in what celebrity you are paired with?
Ballas: No, we get no choice whatsoever. It's basically [dependent on] whether they think our personalities will be compatible and also on height. You have to be the right height, because if someone is 6 feet and your partner is 5 feet, it won't work out.
CNN: How do you choreograph dances? Do you like to use certain routines over again?
Ballas: I start fresh every time. Having a good song is definitely helpful, and when you get a new song, it's really inspiring and makes you want to move, and that's the fun of it. You always want to keep things fresh, and I always keep challenging myself, like how can I outdo what I did last time?
CNN: The facial expressions seem so important in ballroom dancing. How do you teach that to your celebrity partners?
Ballas: That's something you can't teach. Obviously, you explain what the dance is and how you have to act and what you should be thinking, but you don't choreograph facial expressions. That's got to come from the heart and the soul, and you just have to feel it.
CNN: If you have a celebrity partner like Kim Kardashian, who was criticized for being wooden on the dance floor, is there anything you can do?
Ballas: The best thing to do is to make them feel comfortable. Kim got very shy when the cameras were on, and she would always dance a lot better off camera. But sometimes, dancing just isn't for certain people. Kim and I had a great time together and still are good friends to this day. But dancing wasn't her thing, she just didn't take to it.
CNN: Do you keep in touch with your former partners?
Ballas: Yes, I talk to Shawn [Johnson] and Kristi Yamaguchi all the time; I talked to Kim Kardashian about an hour
|
[
"Who is mark ballas paired up with this season?",
"Who finds her \"bright and bubbly\"?",
"who finds her bright and bubbly?",
"Who is paired with Mark allas?",
"Who is paired with Melissa Joan Hart?"
] |
[
"Shawn Johnson",
"Ballas:",
"Mark Ballas:",
"Shawn Johnson",
"Mark Ballas,"
] |
question: Who is mark ballas paired up with this season?, answer: Shawn Johnson | question: Who finds her "bright and bubbly"?, answer: Ballas: | question: who finds her bright and bubbly?, answer: Mark Ballas: | question: Who is paired with Mark allas?, answer: Shawn Johnson | question: Who is paired with Melissa Joan Hart?, answer: Mark Ballas,
|
(CNN) -- It seems no-one in South Africa can fail to be gripped by World Cup football fever.
The running, tackling, shooting, offside-appealing proof comes with a clutch of grannies who have been playing in a fiercely competitive league around the Nkowankowa township, 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg.
A squad of 35 nans down domestic duties twice a week to take to the field for their team Vakhegula Vakhegula, and compete against seven other teams in the region. Some of them even credit the beautiful game as having turned their lives around.
"I like to play soccer because it helps," said Nari Baloyi, who at 47-years-old, clocks in as one of the youngest players. "We were sick, but now our temperatures, our blood pressures... have gone down ...even our doctors are amazed when we go for a check-up."
One of the more elderly members, Nora Makhubela, is convinced that football has given her a new lease of life following the setback of suffering six strokes.
"My life has really changed...if I were to run with you I would beat you even though I'm much older," she said, throwing down the gauntlet to the likes of Ronaldo, Messi et al.
"My life has improved because of the football. I wish God could bless the person who came up with this great idea."
The women contribute around $1 a month each for footballs, kit, and travel to the bi-annual regional tournament.
Dozens of noisy fans cheer on the players, with the distinctive sound of the vuvuzelas -- a South African trumpet -- creating an atmosphere that would be welcome at any European Champions League tie.
Makhubela is hoping her new-found love of the game extends long enough for her to be able to watch some of the matches when the World Cup begins in June.
"I pray every day to God to keep me alive until 2010. I would really love to watch the games," she said.
The team was formed three years ago to offer older women a chance to exercise and come together as a group, says community worker Beka Ntsanwisi.
"Some of them couldn't even walk properly and if they did something in their free time they would be knitting or sewing and sitting all the time...here they run, shout, fight with you...it keeps them young," she said.
David Maake said his job coaching the team is the best he's ever had. "With young boys you need more money to achieve many things...here, I may come with my stress...but I will laugh so much until I forget everything," he said.
The team have even suggested they play a curtain raiser for the main event itself, a brainwave the footballing authorities have said they will give serious thought to.
If the women do manage to take part as an hors d'oeuvre to the World Cup proper one thing is for sure, what they lack in skill they will make up for in enthusiasm.
|
[
"What are the Grannies playing?",
"Who has taken up football?",
"Who may play a match as a curtain raiser to the tournament?",
"What inspired the women?",
"Where are the Grannies located?",
"What tournament?",
"What has inspired the women?"
] |
[
"football",
"older women",
"Vakhegula Vakhegula,",
"soccer",
"the Nkowankowa township, 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg.",
"World Cup football",
"World Cup football"
] |
question: What are the Grannies playing?, answer: football | question: Who has taken up football?, answer: older women | question: Who may play a match as a curtain raiser to the tournament?, answer: Vakhegula Vakhegula, | question: What inspired the women?, answer: soccer | question: Where are the Grannies located?, answer: the Nkowankowa township, 600 kilometers north of Johannesburg. | question: What tournament?, answer: World Cup football | question: What has inspired the women?, answer: World Cup football
|
(CNN) -- It seems the world of the golf cart is changing if certain industry manufacturers are to be believed. By shedding their normal surroundings, improving their dowdy image and hitting the streets -- "pimped up" carts may increasingly be seen away from the course.
Celebrities have been queuing up to jump on the buggy-wagon. The most recent purchase was by pop star Cheryl Cole, who bought husband and Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole a "Mini-Hummer" buggy as a gift, spending $8,000 customizing the cart with gold-plated hub caps, Swarovski crystals and a trunk for his golf clubs.
Dominik Jackson, owner of Mini-Hummer says demand for the vehicles has rocketed since 2006: "It started as a glorified golf buggy, but since adapting the look we've had demand from all over Europe and even from royal families in the Middle East." The carts are already on the roads in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, and the company are planning to launch a new fully enclosed Mini-Hummer in London next year.
While Europe is catching up with the trend, there has been a big market for "pimped" golf carts in the United States for some time. "I'd say about 99% of our sales these days are for individual use," says Randy Hopper, owner of Sick 'N' Twisted Designs, one of the largest bespoke golf cart manufacturers in California. "We build customized golf carts to the specific requirements of the customer - we pretty much do everything."
And this really means everything. Modern carts are now built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes - street, lifted, off-road and even Limo carts.
Sick 'N' Twisted customer Dave Johnson is having his golf cart pimped and modified to match the color of his boat: "It's going to be burgundy with 12-inch wheels, full sound system and air-bags that adjust the height of the cart." Dave insists that in his neighborhood, golf carts are more of an everyday than a luxury item: "They're practical, affordable and it's nice to cruise around and see your neighbors."
So is this a case of keeping up with the Joneses? "There's no official competition on our street, but people take notice of things like that. It's definitely seen as a status symbol."
While the golf cart remains a staple on the fairways, the souped-up street version is no longer just par for the course.
|
[
"What are modern cats built to have?",
"what is growing in popularity",
"What is growing in popularity in Europe?",
"What are pimped carts seen as?",
"What are built with leather seats, airbags and iPod players?",
"How many % are for individual use in the USA?",
"what are modern carts built with",
"Where are 99% of sales?",
"Who is buying the carts?",
"Where do most sales occur?",
"What do modern carts have?",
"What are adapted golf carts?",
"What type of seats can the carts have?",
"Where are the carts growing in popularity?"
] |
[
"leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting",
"golf cart",
"glorified golf buggy,",
"a status symbol.\"",
"Modern carts",
"99%",
"leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags,",
"California.",
"Celebrities",
"United States",
"leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags,",
"built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes",
"leather",
"United States"
] |
question: What are modern cats built to have?, answer: leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting | question: what is growing in popularity, answer: golf cart | question: What is growing in popularity in Europe?, answer: glorified golf buggy, | question: What are pimped carts seen as?, answer: a status symbol." | question: What are built with leather seats, airbags and iPod players?, answer: Modern carts | question: How many % are for individual use in the USA?, answer: 99% | question: what are modern carts built with, answer: leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, | question: Where are 99% of sales?, answer: California. | question: Who is buying the carts?, answer: Celebrities | question: Where do most sales occur?, answer: United States | question: What do modern carts have?, answer: leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, | question: What are adapted golf carts?, answer: built with leather seats, wooden dashboard, surround-sound systems, iPod players, lower lighting and air bags, in a variety of themes | question: What type of seats can the carts have?, answer: leather | question: Where are the carts growing in popularity?, answer: United States
|
(CNN) -- It started with sinus congestion for Shawna Coronado. Then the splitting migraines came. Coronado soon discovered the furry causes: Harrington and Kalamazoo.
Shawna Coronado endures headaches and congestion to keep her 30-pound pug, Harrington.
Her 30-pound pug and orange tabby scattered dead skin flakes around the house, triggering Coronado's allergic reactions. Her two daughters are also allergic, but their reactions are less severe.
Like the 10 million American pet owners with allergies, the Coronados faced a dilemma: Can human and dog co-exist in the same house?
"We love them," said Coronado about her family's pets. "They're adorable. They're really our babies. They're part of the family. We could never live without them."
Allergies can cause itchy eyes, hives, sneezing, congestion or even asthma. To keep animals around, allergic pet owners get shots, pop antihistamines, squeeze eyedrops, squirt nasal spray, use inhalers or just deal with it. Others try to find a dog that won't trigger the symptoms.
President-elect Barack Obama's family has said his family is seeking a "hypoallergenic dog," because of his eldest daughter, Malia's, allergies.
Unfortunately, there's no such thing.
The belief that certain breeds are hypoallergenic is "a complete misconception," said Dr. Robert Wood, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "You can't predict by type or breed, or length of hair."
Pet allergies are not caused by dog hair, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology noted in a recent statement.
"The allergen is produced in saliva, urine, dander-- it's not just hair," said Dr. Wanda Phipatanakul, an allergist at Children's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. "Even with a hairless dog, there are still allergens."
For their next pet, the Coronados are considering a poodle. Although poodles, bichon frises and Malteses are often touted as hypoallergenic dogs, these breeds all produce allergens. There hasn't been sufficient research to determine whether certain breeds are more allergy-friendly, said Dr. Clifford Bassett, an assistant clinical professor of medicine at The Long Island College Hospital in New York.
"There is not a lot of research in this area," he said. "There are differences between breeds, but we don't have research to definitively say. They all produce allergens."
The key factors are the animal's size and the volume of hair. The fur can collect pollens, mold spore and allergens and bring them indoors, triggering reactions. Even so, reactions vary widely, because everyone's body is different, doctors say.
Before committing to a pet, make an arrangement to bring the animal to the home for a trial period to see how the person with allergies fares.
"It's always going to be trial and error," Wood said. "Someone might be allergic to one breed, but the main dog allergen that people are allergic to is present in all dogs."
It is also possible for someone to develop dog allergies months or years after bringing the animal home.
If symptoms arise, doctors recommend getting tested to be certain that the allergy is coming from the animal. Allergic reactions could come from other irritants, such as pollen or dust.
A person's allergies can also inexplicably change over time. In the same way that some people outgrow food allergies, there is a rare possibility that pet owners could outgrow their allergies to animals, experts said.
Pills and medications are available to treat the symptoms, but the best remedy, said Philatanakul, is to not have pets.
"There's nothing that can be done except for avoidance," she said. "There's no cure. You're exposing yourself to high levels of allergens in your home. We generally recommend they should not have a pet. It's not recommended."
For many families, having a loving, furry companion outweighs the runny noses, wheezing and water eyes.
|
[
"how many pet owners have allergies",
"are medications available",
"How many American pet owners have allergies?",
"What is the best remedy?"
] |
[
"10 million",
"shots, pop antihistamines, squeeze eyedrops, squirt nasal spray, use inhalers",
"10 million",
"is to not have pets."
] |
question: how many pet owners have allergies, answer: 10 million | question: are medications available, answer: shots, pop antihistamines, squeeze eyedrops, squirt nasal spray, use inhalers | question: How many American pet owners have allergies?, answer: 10 million | question: What is the best remedy?, answer: is to not have pets.
|
(CNN) -- It takes seven minutes to execute a death row inmate, according to the state of Texas.
Mike Graczyk poses outside the Texas death chamber prior to an execution in January.
At that rate, Mike Graczyk has spent about 40 hours of his life watching men -- and a few women -- die.
Graczyk, a correspondent for The Associated Press, is believed to hold a macabre record. He's almost certainly watched more executions than anyone else in the United States.
"I can't possibly imagine there's been someone present at more than Mike," said Michelle Lyons, the spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which uses lethal injection at its execution chamber in Huntsville.
Since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, no state has executed more inmates than Texas. And no one has witnessed more of them than Graczyk.
He's on the witness list for 315 of the state's 439 executions -- more than any other reporter, prison employee or chaplain -- and no records were kept for another 80. Interactive map: See how Texas compares with other states »
In his early days, he kept count. But he eventually stopped. He didn't want to know.
"In one circle, I was perceived as putting notches on my gun belt," the 59-year-old reporter said. "I didn't like that."
Prison regulations in Texas require The Associated Press to be given one of the five designated media witness passes for each execution.
Graczyk works in the AP's Houston bureau -- it's closest to the state's execution chamber in Huntsville. Since the early 1980s, he's made the hourlong drive north almost every time an inmate has faced the needle.
The first was March 13, 1984, for the execution of James "Cowboy" Autry, convicted of shooting a female store clerk between the eyes with a .38-caliber revolver while arguing over a six-pack of beer.
She died, along with a former Catholic priest that Autry killed at the crime scene.
"The first time definitely leaves an impression on you," Graczyk said.
There are others that stand out along the way.
Graczyk remembers Bob Black, convicted of killing his wife and trying to collect the insurance money.
"I walked into the death house, and he was strapped to the table and he said, 'Hey Mike, how are you doing?' It threw me for a loop."
Graczyk said it's normal for him to know the name of the condemned and not uncommon for the reverse to be true. There have been others who greeted Graczyk by name with a needle in their arm.
Once, while waiting to be let into the death house, a prisoner phoned him in the media holding area.
It was the inmate whose execution Graczyk was about to witness.
"He said, 'I just wanted to call and make sure you were OK.' I was flabbergasted."
Over the years, the inmate's name has slipped from Graczyk's memory, but not the unexpected phone conversation.
"I don't think he had any family to call," he said.
There was Ponchai Wilkerson, who once nearly escaped from death row and, years later, coughed up a handcuff key as he lay dying from his injection.
There was the "Candy Man," Ronald Clark O'Bryan -- convicted of poisoning his child's Halloween candy with cyanide -- and the gauntlet of college students wearing Halloween masks who showed up to cheer.
And Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since the 1800s. He remembers a network correspondent crying after her death -- and another blow-drying his hair.
Of the entire death chamber ritual, Graczyk said, it's the final statements that stick in his mind. Some have been confessions. Others were denials.
Poetry. Prayers. Bible verses. Curses. Emotions ranging from defiance to resignation.
There was Jonathan Nobles, an electrician who stabbed two people to death. He sang "Silent Night.
|
[
"who was covered executions in texas?",
"what did Graczyk not want?",
"How long has the Texas reporter covered executions for?",
"who didn't want notches on his belt",
"what does the texas reporter cover"
] |
[
"Mike Graczyk",
"In his early days, he kept count. But he eventually stopped. He didn't",
"40 hours of his life",
"Mike Graczyk",
"executions"
] |
question: who was covered executions in texas?, answer: Mike Graczyk | question: what did Graczyk not want?, answer: In his early days, he kept count. But he eventually stopped. He didn't | question: How long has the Texas reporter covered executions for?, answer: 40 hours of his life | question: who didn't want notches on his belt, answer: Mike Graczyk | question: what does the texas reporter cover, answer: executions
|
(CNN) -- It took about 110 years and some delicate surgery on his most private parts, but Henry -- a lizard-like creature from New Zealand -- is now a dad.
Henry, the oldest tuatara to mate at Southland Museum, enjoys a cold shower in his home in New Zealand.
Henry, a tuatara who, as far as curators at Southland Museum in New Zealand know, had never mated before, hooked up with Mildred, a younger woman of about 80, in March.
In July she laid 11 healthy eggs and, this week, all 11 of them hatched -- the last one on Wednesday.
"Eleven out of eleven," curator Lindsay Hazley said Friday morning. "Bloody brilliant. We had a champagne breakfast to celebrate."
Henry was the oldest tuatara ever to mate at the museum, on New Zealand's South Island, Hazley said.
Tuataras are the only living descendants of an order, related to dinosaurs, that flourished 200 million years ago. They're endangered, only living on a handful of islands in New Zealand, which makes Henry's happy news all the more important to supporters of the species.
But it didn't come easy.
Until about six years ago, Henry was a nasty, irritable fellow who showed no interest in mating and would attack females when they were introduced. Hazley, who has been breeding tuataras for the past 35 years, eventually had to put him in "solitary confinement."
But in 2002, veterinarians discovered that a lump in Henry's nether regions was a cancerous tumor. They removed it and, over the next few years, his mood -- and interest in the ladies -- improved.
Now, Henry lives peacefully with Mildred and two other females. Breeders are hoping he'll show interest in Lucy, who is about the same age as Mildred, later this year. Female tuataras only lay eggs every two or three years, so Mildred likely won't be interested. Watch a curator take care of the reproducing dinosaur kin »
Henry's newfound libido does have some limits, however. Hazley said Juliet, a youthful 22 year old, appears to be too hot to handle for the centenarian -- who could live to be 200 years old if he stays healthy.
"I think he's a bit shy to mate with such a young woman," Hazley said. "After a bit of experience with Mildred and Lucy, maybe he'll be interested in Juliet next year."
Maxing out at about two-and-a-half feet long, tuataras are much smaller than their ancestors.
The word "tuatara" is derived from a Maori word meaning "spiny back." In Maori legend, they are messengers of Whiro, the god of death and disaster, and they were featured on one side of a New Zealand five-cent coin that was phased out in 2006.
It's been a baby boom at Southland Museum lately. Hazley said another 10 babies were born to another couple recently -- swelling the ranks of the 50 or so tuataras that were already there.
Friday morning, Hazley was working to install a camera so Henry's international fan base can watch him and other tuataras on the Internet. But they shouldn't expect any images of the proud dad playing with his batch of hatchlings.
"If it's small and it moves, it's food," Hazley said. "He'd have them for lunch."
|
[
"what did henry have removed",
"How many eggs did Henry and his near 80 year old mate Mildred produce?",
"What did Henry and Mildren produce?",
"how many eggs did henry and mildred produce",
"What did Henry do for the first time in forty years?",
"what is the name of henry's mate",
"What changed things for Henry?"
] |
[
"cancerous tumor.",
"11",
"11 healthy eggs",
"11",
"mated",
"Mildred",
"cancerous tumor."
] |
question: what did henry have removed, answer: cancerous tumor. | question: How many eggs did Henry and his near 80 year old mate Mildred produce?, answer: 11 | question: What did Henry and Mildren produce?, answer: 11 healthy eggs | question: how many eggs did henry and mildred produce, answer: 11 | question: What did Henry do for the first time in forty years?, answer: mated | question: what is the name of henry's mate, answer: Mildred | question: What changed things for Henry?, answer: cancerous tumor.
|
(CNN) -- It turns out going to the moon is a tough act to follow.
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
For all their Buck Rogers, "Right Stuff," history-making achievements, the question for many of the 12 astronauts who walked on the lunar surface starting four decades ago ultimately became "one giant leap to where, exactly?"
"You have your peak experience at 38 or 39," says space historian Andrew Chaiken, summing up their collective experience, "and [they] have a hard time coming up with something to do for an encore."
Apollo 11 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on July 16, 1969. Four days later, the first two humans walked on the lunar surface; 10 more Americans followed by the end of 1972.
In the 40 years since the Apollo program first took humans to the moon, the astronauts' lives have taken diverse paths.
Almost all had been military test pilots before joining NASA; in later life, they found themselves ministers, politicians and conspiracy buffs. Some struggled with common issues: Many of their marriages fell apart and alcoholism affected at least one.
In possibly the most extreme case of post-Apollo readjustment, Buzz Aldrin -- the second human being to set foot on the moon -- became a car salesman in Texas.
"Not very successfully," the 79-year old Aldrin quickly acknowledges.
The Apollo 11 lunar module pilot's post-flight battles against depression and alcoholism have been well-documented, most recently in his own memoir, "Magnificent Desolation."
As for a brief stint hawking Cadillacs in the late 1970s, Aldrin told CNN Radio, "Most people who have received a degree of public recognition find themselves financially pretty well off. Doesn't happen to be the case with astronauts."
Others took more existential, even spiritual, approaches to dealing with their lunar experiences.
Apollo 15 Lunar Module Pilot Jim Irwin left NASA and became a Baptist minister. Apollo 14 crewman Edgar Mitchell spent years investigating possible extraterrestrial life; in April, he went public with claims of a government cover-up.
Apollo 12 moonwalker Alan Bean, now 77, has spent the intervening decades since his 1969 landing putting his impressions of the lunar experience on canvas. "That's How It Felt To Walk on the Moon" is the title of one his paintings, which now fetch starting-prices of $20,000.
"These paintings are the only paintings in history from anywhere else but this Earth," Bean told CNN.
Not all the Apollo astronauts' post-flight journeys have been so ethereal.
America's first man in space, Alan Shepard, who later walked on the moon in 1971's Apollo 14 mission, became a millionaire businessman.
Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt -- a geologist at the time, and the only scientist to make the lunar journey -- served a term as U.S. senator from New Mexico, but was defeated in a run for re-election in 1982.
Apollo 11 command module pilot Michael Collins served as a top official at the Smithsonian Institution and its National Air and Space Museum.
And the first man to leave footprints in the lunar dust, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong -- aside from geologist Schmitt, the only other civilian in the collection of moonwalkers -- later sat on several corporate boards and the presidential commission that investigated the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster.
Armstrong is also known for a series of disputes over autographs, which he long ago stopped signing because he discovered his signature was being sold for profit.
He also sued Hallmark in 1994 for featuring his famous "One small step" quote in a space-themed Christmas ornament. News reports say the suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
Armstrong's haircuts also became famous. In 2005, he threatened legal action after learning his longtime barber had sold a lock of his hair for $3,000.
All part of the territory, says Chaiken.
His book "Voices From the Moon" is based upon interviews
|
[
"How many men have walked on the moon?",
"Where did Buzz Aldrin briefly work?",
"when Buzz Aldrin briefly worked as a car salesman in Texas?",
"Who sued Hallmark?",
"Who walked on the moon?"
] |
[
"12",
"became a car salesman in Texas.",
"late 1970s,",
"Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong",
"Buzz Aldrin"
] |
question: How many men have walked on the moon?, answer: 12 | question: Where did Buzz Aldrin briefly work?, answer: became a car salesman in Texas. | question: when Buzz Aldrin briefly worked as a car salesman in Texas?, answer: late 1970s, | question: Who sued Hallmark?, answer: Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong | question: Who walked on the moon?, answer: Buzz Aldrin
|
(CNN) -- It used to be called "the love that dare not speak its name" -- particularly in Hollywood, where the revelation of homosexuality was believed to be a career-killer.
Clay Aiken recently announced he was gay on the cover of People magazine.
Now, out gays and lesbians are as casually visible as the cover of People magazine, which has recently run stories on Ellen DeGeneres' wedding to Portia de Rossi and Clay Aiken's decision to discuss his sexuality.
So, in a time when self-declared bisexual Tila Tequila can have a highly rated MTV show on looking for a partner of either sex, Lindsay Lohan talks about her relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson and "Star Trek's" George Takei can have a very public wedding with his longtime partner, is coming out still a big deal?
Publicist Howard Bragman, author of the forthcoming "Where's My Fifteen Minutes" (Portfolio), says that it is.
"Every person that comes out is another barrier coming down," Bragman, who is openly gay, told CNN.com. Acceptance by the mainstream public, he observes, is easier but by no means automatic, particularly when issues such as gay marriage are at stake. "I look at it as a long-term process. The revolution is over -- now it's an evolution." Watch "American Morning's" Lola Ogunnaike look at changing attitudes »
Bragman was around when a performer revealing his or her homosexuality could still shock. He helped guide Dick Sargent when the "Bewitched" star came out of the closet in 1989, and remembers when it was difficult to get support for movies such as "Philadelphia," the 1993 film that won Tom Hanks an Oscar as a lawyer dying of AIDS.
Now, he observes, there are gay actors -- "How I Met My Mother's" Neil Patrick Harris may be the most notable -- playing straight roles, something that would have been almost unthinkable even a few years ago, since studios have often been nervous casting known gay performers in straight roles.
" 'We'll buy Hanks as a gay man but not the opposite,' " Bragman describes the industry thinking.
Indeed, there are now more gay characters in prime-time television than ever. Shows such as "Ugly Betty," "The Office" and "Grey's Anatomy" feature gay or bisexual characters, and this fall, five more will hit the airwaves, bringing the total to 16, according to a study by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
"It's certainly positive that there is such a dramatic increase," GLAAD's president, Neil Giuliano, told CNN. "Number one, it reflects society, and the fact that we are more visible, and it also makes good television. Portrayals are almost more honest and real."
Peter Sprigg, vice president of policy for the conservative Family Research Council, doesn't agree.
"I'm convinced that for the most part, these characters are placed on television for propaganda purposes, in order to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct," he told CNN. "In that sense, the result for society is likely to be negative."
But Bryan Batt, the gay actor who plays the closeted Salvatore Romano on the Emmy-winning "Mad Men," says that viewers are more accepting of gay characters today, though concerns linger.
"Yes, I did think maybe this going to hurt me career-wise [to come out], but I come from Broadway and a lot of theater background. So, you know, no one really cares ... you don't have to be straight to act straight. You don't have to be gay to play gay," he told CNN. Watch Batt talk about the challenges of a gay actor »
But, he adds, "There is, I think, a little bit of homophobia. I do believe that through education and seeing good, honest, positive gay role models, it will just educate. I think we are
|
[
"Where are gay characters more prominent than ever?",
"what do gay characters do",
"what did clay aiken do",
"Who admitted to being gay?",
"what is more prominent on tv ?"
] |
[
"Hollywood,",
"are placed on television for propaganda purposes, in order to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct,\"",
"announced he was gay",
"Clay Aiken",
"gay characters"
] |
question: Where are gay characters more prominent than ever?, answer: Hollywood, | question: what do gay characters do, answer: are placed on television for propaganda purposes, in order to persuade people to be more accepting of homosexual conduct," | question: what did clay aiken do, answer: announced he was gay | question: Who admitted to being gay?, answer: Clay Aiken | question: what is more prominent on tv ?, answer: gay characters
|
(CNN) -- It was an odd sight in Ethiopia's capital this week: a standing ovation for Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the man whom Ethiopian forces had removed from power in neighboring Somalia two years ago.
Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's new president, answers questions at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa.
He once led the Islamic Courts Union, which ruled much of Somalia in 2006 before it was routed by the Ethiopians. Now, Ahmed is the leader of Somalia's U.N.-backed transitional government -- and two days after his election to the post of president, he was welcomed with open arms at an African Union summit in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.
Two years after the invasion and the guerrilla war it provoked, Somalia has in some ways come full circle. Islamist militias control the country's capital and other key cities; the transitional government is trying to establish a foothold from outside the country; and Ahmed -- commonly known as "Sheikh Sharif" -- is in a position of power.
But several analysts who have studied the region say the new government is in a much stronger position to establish itself inside Somalia and restore order to a country that has been mired in chaos for the past two decades.
"The ascendancy of Sheikh Sharif provides an opportunity to create an inclusive coalition governing from the center outwards," said John Prendergast, co-chairman of the Enough Project, who studies the Horn of Africa for the Center for American Progress think tank.
The transitional government is currently stranded in Djibouti, unable to return to Somalia after its base in Baidoa was seized last week by Al-Shabaab, a radical Islamist militia with ties to al Qaeda. Ahmed now stands at a crossroads between quelling the militia, which once was aligned with the ICU, and including more moderates in his future government, Prendergast said.
"The fulcrum for change is in the hands of Sheikh Sharif's government," he said. "If he is able to put together an inclusive government -- even if it's only on paper, even if it's only in Djibouti -- I think it will quickly defuse any fervor of support for Shabaab." See a list of Somalia's key players »
Rise of Al-Shabaab
Al-Shabaab fighters took control of Baidoa hours after the remaining Ethiopian forces withdrew under a June 2008 cease-fire deal. Rashid Abdi, a Somalia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said the loss of Baidoa is "a clear indication that the transitional federal government has lost any grip -- whatever grip it had -- in Somalia."
But Prendergast said the radical Islamist militia will most likely lose support among Somalis now that its "rallying cry" of getting the Ethiopian forces out of Somalia is gone.
"What the Islamists did was, they wrapped themselves up in the mantle of Somali nationalism and, for the last two years, they have hitched their star to throwing the Ethiopians out," he said.
Prendergast predicted that Al-Shabaab fighters "will sustain themselves for awhile and temporarily expand, but I don't envision it to be a long-term prospect at all."
Last year, the United States put Al-Shabaab -- which means "The Youth" -- on its list of terrorist groups. Analysts say Al-Shabaab models itself after the Taliban's puritanical Islamic rule. See a timeline of recent events in Somalia »
Stig Jarle Hansen, a Nairobi, Kenya-based expert on Somalia for the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, said Al-Shabaab fighters have been trained in Afghanistan, and the group has "clear connections" to al Qaeda.
There has been evidence that the group has extended its reach into the United States, as well.
The FBI is investigating what appears to be a massive recruitment effort by Al-Shabaab in the United States' Somali communities, particularly in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where more than a dozen young men of Somali descent have gone missing in recent months.
One member of Minneapolis' Somali community, Shirwa Ahmed, 27, blew himself up in an apparent suicide bombing in
|
[
"Who still controls parts of Somalia?",
"What did Islamists lose?",
"Who is the new leader?",
"Who is the new leader of war-torn Somalia?",
"Who will lose their rallying cry?",
"Radical Islamists lose rallying cry when who departed?",
"What groups are fighting in Somalia?",
"What event de-energized radical Islamists?"
] |
[
"Islamist militias",
"support among Somalis",
"Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,",
"Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,",
"the radical Islamist militia",
"Sharif Sheikh Ahmed,",
"Ethiopian forces",
"Ethiopian forces out of Somalia is gone."
] |
question: Who still controls parts of Somalia?, answer: Islamist militias | question: What did Islamists lose?, answer: support among Somalis | question: Who is the new leader?, answer: Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, | question: Who is the new leader of war-torn Somalia?, answer: Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, | question: Who will lose their rallying cry?, answer: the radical Islamist militia | question: Radical Islamists lose rallying cry when who departed?, answer: Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, | question: What groups are fighting in Somalia?, answer: Ethiopian forces | question: What event de-energized radical Islamists?, answer: Ethiopian forces out of Somalia is gone.
|
(CNN) -- It was described by evangelical pastor Jerry Falwell as "obscene trash."
High schools and public libraries banned it, while teenagers -- male and female -- hid it under their beds like a dirty magazine.
Women across the country passed it to their friends, their sisters, their neighbors. They read chapters about rape in closets with flashlights. They gaped in dorm rooms at the photos of childbirth.
The landmark women's health handbook was filled with sometimes graphic information about the most intimate aspects of women's lives. It was revolutionary in its candid discussions -- and depictions -- of the specifics of sex, birth control, childbirth, lesbianism and other formerly taboo topics.
In 1971, the first "Our Bodies, Ourselves" book sold 250,000 copies. Today, it is available in 25 languages and has sold more than 4 million copies.
It's hard to believe it all began in Boston with just 12 women.
They met during a women's liberation conference in 1969. At the time, fewer than 10% of doctors were women, and topics like sexuality, pregnancy and abortion were rarely discussed. But a long conversation after a workshop on women and their bodies prompted this small group to launch the beginning of the women's health care movement.
"Many of them had had very bad experiences around their health and medical care, around their encounters with physicians," "Our Bodies, Ourselves" executive director Judy Norsigian remembered. "You lived in an era then where, if you went to a physician, and you were a married woman, and you (were diagnosed with) gonorrhea, your physician would tell your husband and not you."
The next year, their work came to fruition: a 193-page booklet printed on newsprint titled "Women and Their Bodies" that sold for just 75 cents.
"Part of why (the booklet) got off the ground is because women wanted to change this kind of environment in which what women had to say, where what women reported about their own experiences, could be so readily discarded," Norsigian said.
In August, Time magazine named "Our Bodies, Ourselves" one of the best nonfiction books since 1923. This year, the organization behind the book, the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, celebrates its 40th anniversary with a new edition.
Norsigian was the youngest member of the 1971 editing team and still plays a big part in editing the text. Norsigian spoke with CNN about the controversial book, the strides in women's health care since then and the one thing she hopes readers take away. The following is an edited version of that interview:
CNN: Describe yourself in the early 1970s. What were you doing, and what were you wearing?
Norsigian: In the early '70s, I was just out of college. The year after I graduated ... I lived on a farm as part of a small commune and learned a tremendous amount about organic gardening. This is before it came in vogue.
I met through mutual friends the women who had produced the newsprint edition of "Our Bodies, Ourselves." I was acutely aware of the lack of good information out there for women of all ages, so I was very excited about being a part of this effort.
You can't ask me what I wore, because I can't remember. ... I probably had a bell bottom or two in those days.
CNN: What were some of the most controversial issues covered in the first book?
Norsigian: Well, there's no question about that. I would say there were three things that drew fire from various sources. One is the lesbian chapter; it was called then "In Amerika they call us dykes." That was obviously going to be very controversial because there was huge resistance to the idea of homosexuality. When people tried to ban the book in schools, they often pointed to this chapter as "filthy trash."
The second, of course, is the abortion chapter (which was still illegal at the time) ... and the third -- can you
|
[
"How many copies were sold?",
"when was the first book published?",
"What was another book Time magazine named as best?",
"What was a taboo topic?",
"Who authored the book \"Our Bodies, Ourselves\"?",
"how many doctors were women?",
"what did Time Magazine name the book?",
"What topics were taboo?",
"What book won the award?"
] |
[
"more than 4 million",
"1971,",
"\"Our Bodies, Ourselves\"",
"sex, birth control, childbirth, lesbianism",
"the Boston Women's Health",
"fewer than 10%",
"\"Our Bodies, Ourselves\"",
"sex, birth control, childbirth, lesbianism",
"\"Our Bodies, Ourselves\""
] |
question: How many copies were sold?, answer: more than 4 million | question: when was the first book published?, answer: 1971, | question: What was another book Time magazine named as best?, answer: "Our Bodies, Ourselves" | question: What was a taboo topic?, answer: sex, birth control, childbirth, lesbianism | question: Who authored the book "Our Bodies, Ourselves"?, answer: the Boston Women's Health | question: how many doctors were women?, answer: fewer than 10% | question: what did Time Magazine name the book?, answer: "Our Bodies, Ourselves" | question: What topics were taboo?, answer: sex, birth control, childbirth, lesbianism | question: What book won the award?, answer: "Our Bodies, Ourselves"
|
(CNN) -- It was just after midday on a cold December Monday in South Korea's capital when news of Kim Jong Il's death filtered through.
Though the reclusive North Korean leader had been plagued with health problems in recent years, the announcement was greeted with general astonishment in Seoul, according to a journalist from the country's largest newspaper.
"The initial reaction was shock, quickly followed by speculation about what was going to happen next," said Woosuk Ken Choi, assistant editor with The Chosun Daily.
For its part, the South Korean military responded by raising its alert level, while the country's media went into overdrive trying to predict how this oblique and erratic state would respond.
But Choi said most ordinary Koreans were remaining calm.
North Korea: Should we fear change?
"There was no rush to supermarkets to buy up food," he said in an interview with CNN. "The South Korean public seems confident that the country will be able to manage this. Many see the North Koreans as like us, people we need to care for and help."
Outright conflict is not something many would expect, he added.
"There is a little tradition in Korea that when someone passes away in a family you stop fighting.
"We're on high alert not because we want to do something but because some renegade North Korean unit might cause some trouble. But no one really thinks the North Koreans will launch an attack.
"Nothing happened in 1994 when Kim Il Sung died and it will be the same this time."
The architect of what became known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948 after the Korean peninsula was divided between U.S. and Soviet occupation forces, Kim Il Sung was an autocratic leader who presided over a policy of Juche, or self-reliance, which did much to foster the Communist country's isolation.
When Kim Jong Il, his oldest son, succeeded him, North Korea was crippled economically, having lost one of its main trading partners when the Soviet Union collapsed. Kim largely ignored the massive problems at home and focused on shoring up the regime's position and investing in the military as a bulwark against the wealthy, U.S.-backed south.
What military hardware does North Korea have?
But with Kim dead, Choi believes many in the south will see this as an opportunity to improve relations with their dysfunctional neighbor, perhaps even paving the way for reunification.
"Most people, whether left or right on the political spectrum, hope this is the case," he said.
"However a large chunk of South Koreans do worry about the financial burden of reunification, citing the case of West and East Germany in the early 1990s.
"Others argue the cost of living together will be a lot less than living separately in the long run. I also believe a whole host of issues could be resolved with reunification."
But Choi said each generation in South Korea has its own viewpoint when it comes to relations with the north.
"Those in their teens and 20s have a real fear of military conflict, as they are the ones who have to complete their compulsory military service," he said.
"Many people in their 30s and 40s worry about the financial cost to them of reunification, while those in their 50s and 60s back a united Korea whatever the cost."
If reunification is a pipe dream for now, Choi says there is a difference of opinion in South Korea about the dynastic succession in the north.
"Many people believe the transfer of power to a third generation is absurd, totally anachronistic and not what the world is about today," he said.
"But those who believe in a policy of engagement with North Korea say it doesn't matter whether it is third or fourth generation, they're still our people and we need to talk to them to try and resolve the situation."
Another view, according to Choi, is "the Great Successor" will not last long.
"He's simply too young," he said. Kim
|
[
"Who was greeted in Seoul?",
"What happened in 1994?",
"What was the reaction of South Korean military?",
"Who died in 1994?",
"When did Kim II Sung die?",
"Who says most people in the south are calm about the situation?",
"What level was raised?",
"What was the reaction in Seoul?",
"There was general astonishment where?"
] |
[
"the announcement",
"Kim Il Sung died",
"raising its alert level,",
"Kim Il Sung",
"1994",
"Woosuk Ken Choi,",
"alert",
"astonishment",
"Seoul,"
] |
question: Who was greeted in Seoul?, answer: the announcement | question: What happened in 1994?, answer: Kim Il Sung died | question: What was the reaction of South Korean military?, answer: raising its alert level, | question: Who died in 1994?, answer: Kim Il Sung | question: When did Kim II Sung die?, answer: 1994 | question: Who says most people in the south are calm about the situation?, answer: Woosuk Ken Choi, | question: What level was raised?, answer: alert | question: What was the reaction in Seoul?, answer: astonishment | question: There was general astonishment where?, answer: Seoul,
|
(CNN) -- It was the best of times in 2004, when attorney Dave Dineen graduated from Boston University School of Law and landed a job at a top Massachusetts corporate firm, Foley Hoag LLP.
Attorney Dave Dineen at his new job at Greater Boston Legal Services.
By 2007, the National Association for Law Placement was reporting the most promising year in two decades. Nearly 92 percent of graduating attorneys were employed, and the median starting salary at private practices had increased by $13,000 --to a total of $108,500 a year.
But times have changed.
In the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legal industry is taking an unprecedented beating from the sputtering economy and housing meltdown. Dineen, 37, lost his job as layoffs and salary freezes have spiked at law firms across the country during the past three months.
Rather than just hand out a severance package with the pink slip, Foley Hoag gave Dineen an option. He could work for Greater Boston Legal Services, a legal aid group serving people living in poverty. The firm agreed to pay Dineen about a quarter of his former salary for a year. Dineen, who needed to support his wife and a newborn daughter, accepted.
"This gave me a chance to do something different with my legal career, and help out people who generally don't have access to public service," said Dineen, who now works on foreclosure cases helping victims of predatory lending.
Foley Hoag is among many megafirms across the country using the economic slump as an ideal time to lend a hand to cash-strapped public interest and legal aid firms. The massive corporate layoffs and program cuts could redirect thousands of young graduates and experienced attorneys from corporate firms into the public sector, legal experts say.
Once insulated, law firms are shedding young and mid-career associates at extraordinary rates. This is especially true at large corporate firms that overestimated their growth and extended too many offers to associates last fall.
White & Case LLP, a leading global firm with headquartes in New York, made a second round of cuts last week. In addition to about 70 associates laid off in November, the firm last week let go of another 400 people, including 200 attorneys. Other well-known firms such Heller Ehrman LLP and Thelen Reid & Priest LLP on the West Coast have gone bankrupt in recent months.
At least 2,149 attorneys have been laid off in 2009, bringing the total to 3,045 since January of last year, according Lawshucks.com, an industry Web site tracking the slump. Hundreds more associates set to start jobs this fall are bracing themselves for rescinded offers and deferred start dates. Some students are finding their summers wide open as law firms like Luce Forward, based in California, have canceled internship programs.
Amid all this dark news, there might be a silver lining. It could transform the legal profession.
"There is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming out of a difficult situation," said Esther Lardent, president of the Pro Bono Institute in Washington D.C., who began discussions this month with at least 15 corporate firms nationwide about placing unemployed attorneys in public interest firms. The project will get under way in a few months, she said.
Other firms have already encouraged attorneys to go into the public sector. Just last week, one of the largest firms in the country -- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- announced it will pay deferred associates graduating in 2009 a $5,000 monthly stipend for one year if they secure a job in the public interest field.
International law giants Latham & Watkins LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP offered incoming associates who defer employement until October 2010 a $75,000 compensation package. While working in public service isn't mandatory for Latham & Watkins associates, the firm said there was a "sincere hope" the deferred associates would "use the intervening period to pursue a community service or other public advocacy projects of their choosing."
Such deferral plans can save the companies about $100,000 per associate, and law experts expect the list of firms enacting deferral
|
[
"According to Lawshucks.com at least how many attorneys have been laid off in 2009?",
"How many attorneys were laid off in 2009?",
"One firm will pay deferred associates how much to work in the public sector?",
"Where are private firms trying to place unemployed attorneys?"
] |
[
"2,149",
"At least 2,149",
"$108,500 a year.",
"public sector,"
] |
question: According to Lawshucks.com at least how many attorneys have been laid off in 2009?, answer: 2,149 | question: How many attorneys were laid off in 2009?, answer: At least 2,149 | question: One firm will pay deferred associates how much to work in the public sector?, answer: $108,500 a year. | question: Where are private firms trying to place unemployed attorneys?, answer: public sector,
|
(CNN) -- It was the best of times in 2004, when attorney Dave Dineen graduated from Boston University School of Law and landed a job at a top Massachusetts corporate firm, Foley Hoag LLP.
Attorney Dave Dineen at his new job at Greater Boston Legal Services.
By 2007, the National Association for Law Placement was reporting the most promising year in two decades. Nearly 92 percent of graduating attorneys were employed, and the median starting salary at private practices had increased by $13,000 --to a total of $108,500 a year.
But times have changed.
In the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the legal industry is taking an unprecedented beating from the sputtering economy and housing meltdown. Dineen, 37, lost his job as layoffs and salary freezes have spiked at law firms across the country during the past three months. See the law firm layoffs for the past year »
Rather than just hand out a severance package with the pink slip, Foley Hoag gave Dineen an option. He could work for Greater Boston Legal Services, a legal aid group serving people living in poverty. The firm agreed to pay Dineen about a quarter of his former salary for a year. Dineen, who needed to support his wife and a newborn daughter, accepted.
"This gave me a chance to do something different with my legal career, and help out people who generally don't have access to public service," said Dineen, who now works on foreclosure cases helping victims of predatory lending.
Foley Hoag is among many megafirms across the country using the economic slump as an ideal time to lend a hand to cash-strapped public interest and legal aid firms. The massive corporate layoffs and program cuts could redirect thousands of young graduates and experienced attorneys from corporate firms into the public sector, legal experts say.
Once insulated, law firms are shedding young and mid-career associates at extraordinary rates. This is especially true at large corporate firms that overestimated their growth and extended too many offers to associates last fall.
White & Case LLP, a leading global firm with headquartes in New York, made a second round of cuts last week. In addition to about 70 associates laid off in November, the firm last week let go of another 400 people, including 200 attorneys. Other well-known firms such as Heller Ehrman LLP and Thelen Reid & Priest LLP on the West Coast have gone bankrupt in recent months.
At least 2,149 attorneys have been laid off in 2009, bringing the total to 3,045 since January of last year, according to Lawshucks.com, an industry Web site tracking the slump. Hundreds more associates set to start jobs this fall are bracing themselves for rescinded offers and deferred start dates. Some students are finding their summers wide open as law firms like Luce Forward, based in California, have canceled internship programs.
Amid all this dark news, there might be a silver lining. It could transform the legal profession.
"There is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming out of a difficult situation," said Esther Lardent, president of the Pro Bono Institute in Washington, who began discussions this month with at least 15 corporate firms nationwide about placing unemployed attorneys in public interest firms. The project will get under way in a few months, she said.
Other firms have already encouraged attorneys to go into the public sector. Just last week, one of the largest firms in the country -- Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- announced it will pay deferred associates graduating in 2009 a $5,000 monthly stipend for one year if they secure a job in the public interest field.
International law giants Latham & Watkins LLP and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP offered incoming associates who defer employement until October 2010 a $75,000 compensation package. While working in public service isn't mandatory for Latham & Watkins associates, the firm said there was a "sincere hope" the deferred associates would "use the intervening period to pursue a community service or other public advocacy projects of their choosing."
Such deferral plans can save the companies about $100,000 per
|
[
"What kind of attorneu's have been laid off?",
"how many attorneys?",
"Who can become a lawyer?",
"What are private firms trying to do?"
] |
[
"associates",
"92 percent",
"Dave Dineen",
"lend a hand"
] |
question: What kind of attorneu's have been laid off?, answer: associates | question: how many attorneys?, answer: 92 percent | question: Who can become a lawyer?, answer: Dave Dineen | question: What are private firms trying to do?, answer: lend a hand
|
(CNN) -- It was the first house she looked at upon arriving in the small town in central Italy that would be her home for a semester abroad.
But Amanda Knox immediately knew it was the one for her.
The University of Washington student had been in Perugia for just a few hours on a hot summer day in 2007 with her younger sister, Deanna, who saw a poster that included the word "appartamento."
They followed the girl who had posted the ad to a charming, four-bedroom villa near the University for Foreigners of Perugia overlooking a small valley where figs grew.
The sisters chatted for hours in the kitchen with the two friendly Italian girls who lived there and made plans with them to tour the town the next day.
To the wanderlust-driven young American, who had been hitting the books hard and working multiple jobs since high school so she could study abroad, it was a dream come true.
"She didn't need to see any other place, she didn't need to see any other listings, she was set," says her sister.
British exchange student Meredith Kercher moved into the house shortly after Knox settled in. The two foreigners became fast friends, Knox's friends and family say, as they explored Perugia together.
None of them had any way of knowing that just weeks later, the home would be the scene of a grisly stabbing that would leave Kercher dead and Knox branded her cold-blooded killer.
Prosecutors in Perugia said Knox directed then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito and another man infatuated with her, Rudy Guede, to hold Kercher down as Knox played with a knife before slashing Kercher's throat.
Knox and Sollecito were convicted in 2009. Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Sollecito is serving a 25-year sentence. Guede, a drifter originally from the Ivory Coast, was tried separately and is serving a 16-year sentence.
Knox and Sollecito are awaiting a ruling on their appeal against conviction.
Media paints two portraits of Knox
The sordid saga has played out in worldwide media long enough to have broken into dual narratives.
Some journalists have portrayed Knox as an overly trusting college student who some believe was railroaded by the Italian justice system. Other media paint her as a licentious, manipulative young American still trying to get away with murder, despite an alleged confession, which she quickly recanted, and a conviction.
To Knox's friends and family, it's a no-brainer. They grimace at the description prosecutors painted of Knox as a resentful American so angry with Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sexual misadventure.
Nothing in her past indicated she had the desire or capacity to kill anyone, let alone a friend, they say. One friend told CNN she was the kind of person who would pick up a spider and take it outside rather than kill it.
More than anything, they say, her life had been all about immersing herself in new experiences and creating opportunities to travel abroad.
Easy daughter
Growing up in Seattle, Washington, Knox was an easy daughter from the start, says Edda Mellas, Knox's mother.
She was a child who never had to be told to do her homework or go to bed on time. She maintained a balance between a life indoors, where she studied regularly and read for pleasure, and a passion for outdoor activities and sports, in particular gymnastics and soccer.
Knox's desire to study foreign languages and experience different cultures also became apparent early on, Mellas says.
She took Latin in middle school and began expressing a desire to travel abroad. Even though her parents told her they couldn't afford a private high school, she applied on her own and was accepted with a substantial scholarship.
She learned Japanese in high school and spent time in Japan as part of her studies, her mother says.
"She loved learning languages. She thought about being an interpreter. She really wanted to be a writer and I said, 'Maybe you need to get a day job while you're trying to make money being a writer
|
[
"what is Knox's expected prison term",
"how long was she sentenced to?",
"where did the crime occur?",
"who is the charged murderer?",
"what did the prosecutor paint knox as",
"how long will knox be serving in prison",
"what did prosecutors paint knox as",
"what does amanda knox's past suggest"
] |
[
"26 years",
"26",
"Perugia",
"Knox and Sollecito",
"as a resentful American so angry with Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sexual misadventure.",
"26 years",
"resentful American so angry with Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sexual misadventure.",
"Nothing in her"
] |
question: what is Knox's expected prison term, answer: 26 years | question: how long was she sentenced to?, answer: 26 | question: where did the crime occur?, answer: Perugia | question: who is the charged murderer?, answer: Knox and Sollecito | question: what did the prosecutor paint knox as, answer: as a resentful American so angry with Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sexual misadventure. | question: how long will knox be serving in prison, answer: 26 years | question: what did prosecutors paint knox as, answer: resentful American so angry with Kercher that she exacted revenge during a twisted sexual misadventure. | question: what does amanda knox's past suggest, answer: Nothing in her
|
(CNN) -- It was the kind of phone call military families dread receiving from Iraq and Afghanistan -- not from Texas.
Peggy McCarty's daughter called Thursday afternoon to say she had been wounded by a gunshot in her left shoulder. Keara Bono, 21, assured her mother that she was OK, but McCarty's heart skipped.
She knew she had much to fear when Bono, an Army specialist, arrived at Fort Hood to prepare for an early December deployment to Iraq. But McCarty never thought she would have to worry about her child getting wounded on American soil.
"I thought I was more worried about her going over to Iraq than here, just doing training in Texas. She just got there yesterday," McCarty told CNN affiliate KSHB-TV in Kansas City, Missouri.
Bono was one of 30 people hurt when a soldier opened fire on a military processing center at Fort Hood, the place where soldiers report before they head to war. They get medical and dental checkups there. They settle finances and even make out their wills.
Thursday, the center turned into a killing field, and 13 lives were abruptly cut short.
America watched in horror the news of the shootings, the deadliest ever on a military base. Some of the victims, such as Bono, were preparing to head to Iraq or Afghanistan. They were felled instead in the place they called home.
When the shouts of "Shots fired! Shots fired!" started, one soldier pushed and shoved people to get out the back of the readiness center. And run.
The soldier, who did not want to be identified, heard more screaming.
Soldiers were dragging bodies away from the shooter. They snatched tablecloths off tables, cut up their own sage-green digital combat uniforms, even their tan undershirts, and turned them into tourniquets and pressure bandages. Everyone tried to render CPR and medical aid. Some were medical personnel. Others were simply friends helping friends.
They were soldiers, after all, and trained as combat lifesavers, though they could not have imagined having to use their skills at home.
But soldiers never abandon wounded comrades on the battlefield.
Most of the injured were awake and alert, witnesses recalled. They just weren't talking.
About a mile away at Darnall Army Medical Center, Army medic Spc. Eric Blohm waited for mass casualties. If the emergency rooms filled up, Darnall would put victims in rooms where usually babies are brought into the world.
It felt too much like Blohm's tour of Iraq.
"I'm pretty shocked and bewildered," he told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "Going to war and experiencing combat overseas and then ... to have your sense of security shattered, that's just kind of unreal."
Watch Blohm describe the scene
The shooting suspect, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, was a psychiatrist who had an office at Darnall. Now, the hospital was taking in the doctor's alleged victims.
Sirens, installed after the September 11, 2001, attacks, sound routinely at Fort Hood during emergency drills. Pam Stephenson, the wife of a Judge Advocate General officer, was used to the blaring noise.
Early afternoon, she was about to make a quick trip to the grocery with Megan, her 5-year-old who stayed at home sick on Thursday. But then she heard the whirring of choppers overhead and warnings on the loudspeakers: "Take cover. Stay away from windows. Lock your doors."
Her husband called and told her not to leave the house. She turned on the television and learned the grim news. The gunman, she discovered, was a soldier.
"When you hear it's soldiers gone crazy -- you don't know what kind of ammunition or guns they have," she said.
She wanted to fetch Patrick, 2, stuck at day care, but the sprawling post was under lockdown. No one knew then if there were killers on the loose.
The streets were deserted. A mass of cars, waiting to get out, piled up at the gates
|
[
"Parents worry about dangers where?",
"Where do parents worry about dangers?",
"Mother worries about what?",
"What do soldiers use on home soil?",
"Parents worry about what?",
"What organization is covering the shootings?"
] |
[
"Iraq",
"Iraq and Afghanistan",
"her child getting wounded on American soil.",
"their skills",
"child getting wounded on American soil.",
"(CNN)"
] |
question: Parents worry about dangers where?, answer: Iraq | question: Where do parents worry about dangers?, answer: Iraq and Afghanistan | question: Mother worries about what?, answer: her child getting wounded on American soil. | question: What do soldiers use on home soil?, answer: their skills | question: Parents worry about what?, answer: child getting wounded on American soil. | question: What organization is covering the shootings?, answer: (CNN)
|
(CNN) -- It was the late 1960s and Tom Repasky was in a fog.
H. Michael Karshis owns thousands of albums but Steely Dan's "Can't Buy a Thrill" holds a special place in his heart.
"I was trying to discover who I was, what I was and what I was doing here," he said.
In 1963, at age 14, Repasky was on a field trip with his seminary when he and another student accidentally fell down a steep ledge while throwing rocks at upperclassmen. A tree broke his friend's fall, but Repasky was not so lucky.
Repasky awoke in the hospital, but says he was unable to remember even the smallest detail of his past. "It was as if I didn't exist before that time," he said.
This experience scarred him, to the point that he was asked to leave the seminary by the end of the year. "I clearly was not the same person," he said. "After my near-death experience, there was this prolonged period of not being able to relate to reality very well."
Several years after his accident, Repasky first heard the Moody Blues song "Nights in White Satin." "After I heard these lyrics, I thought, 'They know what I'm feeling.' "
He sought out their album "Days of Future Passed." He was particularly drawn to the lyrics from their song "Dawn is a Feeling:" "You are here today; no future fears; this day will last 1,000 years, if you want it to."
Repasky, who now lives in Danville, Pennsylvania, and is an artist, often goes back to this album. "When I hear the music, it brings me to the point of realizing that I had experienced life and I could be alive, and it brings me great joy in knowing that." The part of "Nights in White Satin" where the words "I love you" are repeated always moves Repasky, even 40 years later. iReport.com: Watch Repasky tell his story
Repasky is one of many iReporters who shared the album that first hooked them and has stayed with them throughout their lives.
H. Michael Karshis owns about 3,200 albums, but one holds a special place in his heart: "Can't Buy a Thrill" by Steely Dan.
Even though his mother worked in a record store in 1973 (which helps explain the number of albums he owns), "Can't Buy a Thrill" was the first one he bought with his own money, at the age of 12. "Reelin' in the Years" was the song that hooked him.
"It's almost an ode to a distant past," he said. "I remember listening to that before I was 17 and thinking about how old 17 was. It has a different connotation and meaning the older you get, but it's still a poignant, relevant song."
Whenever Karshis moves into a new home, one of the first things he does is to crank up the stereo and play the album.
"It's just one of those timeless albums and it's hard to describe how it affects me."
Karshis, who works as a graphic artist in San Antonio, Texas, thinks the cover of the album has influenced his artwork. "I'm not saying I got it all from the Steely Dan cover, but it's amazing how it permeates everything I do now." iReport.com: Karshis talks about one album in his massive collection
Sal Steels of Denver, Colorado, first rocked out to Van Halen's album "1984" about 20 years ago, and hasn't stopped since. In fact, he demonstrated the way he feels when the song "Panama" starts in a video for iReport.com.
For Steels, "1984" is "one of those you have in the car. It's one you make a backup CD for." He listens to it constantly and considers "Panama" his favorite song of all time. iReport.com: Sal Steels rocks out
|
[
"Who is H. Michael Karshis's favorite band?",
"What band it an iReporter through near- death experience?",
"What are iReporters sharing?",
"Who owns thousands of albums?",
"Who loves Steely Dan the most?",
"What is the favorite band of Karahis?",
"Who does Karshis love the most?"
] |
[
"Steely Dan's",
"Moody Blues",
"the album that first hooked them",
"H. Michael Karshis",
"H. Michael Karshis",
"Steely Dan's",
"\"Can't Buy a Thrill\" by Steely Dan."
] |
question: Who is H. Michael Karshis's favorite band?, answer: Steely Dan's | question: What band it an iReporter through near- death experience?, answer: Moody Blues | question: What are iReporters sharing?, answer: the album that first hooked them | question: Who owns thousands of albums?, answer: H. Michael Karshis | question: Who loves Steely Dan the most?, answer: H. Michael Karshis | question: What is the favorite band of Karahis?, answer: Steely Dan's | question: Who does Karshis love the most?, answer: "Can't Buy a Thrill" by Steely Dan.
|
(CNN) -- It was two years late and billions of dollars over budget, but this week the Singapore Airline-owned A380 completed its maiden passenger journey between Singapore and Sydney.
Making history: the first double bed on a commercial jet
On board were nearly 500 passengers who had bid thousands of dollars for the historical experience. This was a turning point in aviation history as Airbus' superjumbo became the world's largest aircraft. And the time had finally come for it to receive some admiration.
Singapore Airlines' CEO, Chew Choon Seng named the jetliner the "queen of the skies". Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus said he would like to celebrate his 25th wedding anniversary on one of its double beds. And CNN's Richard Quest, who was on board the maiden flight, said there was "nothing quite like it". The luxury on board, he said, sets a new standard for air travel.
It's the quietest large passenger jet ever built (inside and out), it has a low fuel-burn to reduce fuel use and emissions, it can carry 40 percent more passengers than other large aircraft and in greater comfort. But the feature that has attracted greatest interest on the Singapore Airlines A380 is its ''beyond first class" cabins.
Behind the sliding doors of the Singapore Airlines Suites, the well-heeled can luxuriate in a private cabin designed by leading French yacht designer, Jean-Jacques Coste.
There's a wide leather seat and alongside that, a standalone bed. This is two meters long with Givenchy duvets and cushions. And for couples traveling, the beds on the middle two suites can be converted into double beds.
From bed or chair, travelers can catch a movie on a 23-inch widescreen LCD. Laptops can be plugged into an in-seat power supply and business travelers with just a thumb drive can plug this into a USB ports and access a suite of office tools on Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system.
Celebrity chefs including Britain's Gordon Ramsay and Georges Blanc were behind the first class menu that can be eaten off Givenchy tableware.
Unlike other airlines, that have considered offering casinos, gyms and showers on their future A380s, Singapore Airlines has opted instead for a configuration that, whilst offering luxury, also makes money.
As Chew Choon Seng, CEO of Singapore Airlines reminded reporters last week, the first Boeing 747s soon ditched the lounges and bars on the upper decks in favor of seats that could generate cash.
Behind the 12 luxury suites there are 399 economy seats, ranked 10-abreast on the upper and lower decks, as well as 60 business class seats that are the biggest yet at 87 centimeters wide.
Singapore Airlines has ordered 19 superjumbos for an estimated price tag of $5.7 billion. The second is due to arrive next February with further deliveries later in 2008.
Tickets for the A380's first return commercial flight between Singapore and Sydney were sold at auction on eBay. One passenger paid $100,000 for the experience, with the majority paying between $1,500 and $5,000. The $1.4 million raised has gone to charities in Singapore, Sydney and a global humanitarian organization.
From Sunday 28 October, Singapore Airlines will commence its scheduled service between Singapore and Sydney on one of the three daily flights in each direction. The jetliner to be delivered next spring will be used on one of the three daily flights between Singapore and London's Heathrow Airport.
It's been a long road to this point for Airbus, but the journey is by no means over. The airline has a tough delivery schedule ahead to fulfil its 185 orders to 15 customers (see figures below). Next year it plans to deliver 13, a further 25 in 2009 and 45 in 2010.
Tom Enders, Airbus' CEO doesn't underestimate the scale of challenge ahead. "This is not a piece of cake," he told CNN, "but we have learned our lessons and we are very confident today that we can deliver to our customers."
It hasn't just been Airbus that has been frantically preparing for the A380 launch
|
[
"What cabin has leather seats and double beds?",
"Which Singapore Airlines plane completed its historic maiden flight?",
"what Singapore plane made its maiden flight",
"What are in first class cabins",
"What trip did one passenger pay $100,000?",
"What superjumbo completed it's historic maiden flight?",
"what is the price for the trip?",
"What is that luxury first class cabins have?",
"Which flight completed its historic maiden flight?",
"What amount of money would a passenger pay for a first flight from Singapore to Sydney?",
"have the first class doubles beds?",
"was the A380 superjumbo completes the flifht?"
] |
[
"''beyond first class\"",
"A380",
"A380",
"There's a wide leather seat and alongside that, a standalone bed. This is two meters long with Givenchy duvets and cushions. And for couples traveling, the beds on the middle two suites can be converted into double beds.",
"A380's first return commercial flight between Singapore",
"A380",
"between $1,500 and $5,000.",
"23-inch widescreen LCD. Laptops can be plugged into an in-seat power supply and business travelers with just a thumb drive can plug this into a USB ports and access a suite of office tools on Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system.",
"Singapore Airline-owned",
"between $1,500 and $5,000.",
"on the middle two suites can be converted into",
"completed its maiden passenger journey"
] |
question: What cabin has leather seats and double beds?, answer: ''beyond first class" | question: Which Singapore Airlines plane completed its historic maiden flight?, answer: A380 | question: what Singapore plane made its maiden flight, answer: A380 | question: What are in first class cabins, answer: There's a wide leather seat and alongside that, a standalone bed. This is two meters long with Givenchy duvets and cushions. And for couples traveling, the beds on the middle two suites can be converted into double beds. | question: What trip did one passenger pay $100,000?, answer: A380's first return commercial flight between Singapore | question: What superjumbo completed it's historic maiden flight?, answer: A380 | question: what is the price for the trip?, answer: between $1,500 and $5,000. | question: What is that luxury first class cabins have?, answer: 23-inch widescreen LCD. Laptops can be plugged into an in-seat power supply and business travelers with just a thumb drive can plug this into a USB ports and access a suite of office tools on Singapore Airlines' in-flight entertainment system. | question: Which flight completed its historic maiden flight?, answer: Singapore Airline-owned | question: What amount of money would a passenger pay for a first flight from Singapore to Sydney?, answer: between $1,500 and $5,000. | question: have the first class doubles beds?, answer: on the middle two suites can be converted into | question: was the A380 superjumbo completes the flifht?, answer: completed its maiden passenger journey
|
(CNN) -- It wasn't Tibet's subzero temperatures that nurse practitioner Arlene Samen found so chilling on a 1997 medical trip, but the haunting stories she was told about mothers and newborns on the brink of death after childbirth.
Arlene Samen, right, helps provide childbirth education and equipment to those in need through One H.E.A.R.T.
"When I came to Tibet I heard of so many tragic stories of women dying -- no access to care in remote areas, no history of trained birth attendants, and no knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth," Samen recalls.
It is a problem that stretches well beyond Tibet's borders. According to the World Health Organization, more than 500,000 women worldwide die each year as a result of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and nearly 7 million babies are either born dead or die within 28 days of their life. Almost all these deaths occur in the developing world.
Upon her return from Tibet, and in association with the University of Utah Health Services Center, Samen, 54, created One H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education And Research in Tibet) to combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world.
Through One H.E.A.R.T., Samen's mission is to reach remote areas where women have limited access to a safe delivery, distribute the organization's training model, and debunk any fears toward safe, sanitary birthing practices.
"It's not uncommon for babies to die from basic things like not cleaning their mouth out to breathe," says Samen. "In surveys we've done, more than 50 percent of babies that died were born alive. This is due to lack of education." Watch Samen talk about the organization's work »
Since 1998, One H.E.A.R.T has worked to set up centers that teach and educate local nurse practitioners, villagers and expectant mothers on how to deliver and care for newborn babies. A huge part of the organization's instruction includes hands-on birthing demonstration and distribution of community-tailored birth kits.
"I witnessed deliveries where the infant did not even have a blanket," says Samen. "I put a kit together with very simple items and anyone, anywhere can use this kit to keep infants and mothers alive during and after childbirth." Watch home video of Samen in Tibet, where she delivered a baby »
The birth kit typically includes a sterilized razor blade, a clean sheet, three towels for the baby, three fleece blankets, a string to tie around the umbilical cord, gloves for the person delivering the baby and soap for hand washing.
Over the last 10 years, Samen's team has supplied more than 3,400 safe birthing kits to pregnant women and has trained more than 1,000 people in life-saving techniques.
For 2008, One H.E.A.R.T.'s education outreach program has targeted Nayarit, Mexico, a mountainous terrain in Mesoamerica and the native land of more than 50,000 indigenous Cora and Huichol Indians.
This past February, accompanied by a team of doctors and translators, Samen spent three days embedded within Nayarit's Santa Theresa communities, using an instructional newborn doll for childbirth training sessions and discussing safe birthing techniques and procedures.
"The traditional birth attendants told us they don't like to bring the women to the hospital because there's a fear of C-section and complications. [The women] would rather die than to come in and get help," Samen says. Watch Samen describe the rigors of bringing a child birthing center to a remote area of Mexico »
"I found that really astounding and would like to look into that further to see if there's ways that we can cross that barrier and really help them so that they don't have that kind of fear."
Samen lives in Salt Lake City, but currently spends several months of the year in Tibet. Future plans for One H.E.A.R.T. include training local partners on the ground in Nepal and Ecuador. E-mail to a friend
|
[
"What is H.E.A.R.T?",
"Where is the group working this year?",
"what can one heart do",
"what is the group working on",
"what did the nurse do",
"Where does the Utah nurse practitioner help fight high childbirth mortality?",
"What is the name of the nurse practitioner?",
"What part of Mexico?",
"Who conducts birthing demonstrations and distributes birth kits?",
"What does One H.E.A.R.T. distribute?",
"Where is the nurse practitioner from?"
] |
[
"(Health Education And Research in Tibet)",
"Tibet.",
"H.E.A.R.T has worked to set up centers that teach and educate local nurse practitioners, villagers and expectant mothers on how to deliver and care for newborn",
"combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world.",
"created One H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education And Research in Tibet) to combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world.",
"Tibet",
"Arlene Samen",
"Nayarit,",
"One H.E.A.R.T",
"community-tailored birth kits.",
"Samen lives in Salt Lake City,"
] |
question: What is H.E.A.R.T?, answer: (Health Education And Research in Tibet) | question: Where is the group working this year?, answer: Tibet. | question: what can one heart do, answer: H.E.A.R.T has worked to set up centers that teach and educate local nurse practitioners, villagers and expectant mothers on how to deliver and care for newborn | question: what is the group working on, answer: combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world. | question: what did the nurse do, answer: created One H.E.A.R.T. (Health Education And Research in Tibet) to combat the high infant and maternal mortality rates in Tibet and around the world. | question: Where does the Utah nurse practitioner help fight high childbirth mortality?, answer: Tibet | question: What is the name of the nurse practitioner?, answer: Arlene Samen | question: What part of Mexico?, answer: Nayarit, | question: Who conducts birthing demonstrations and distributes birth kits?, answer: One H.E.A.R.T | question: What does One H.E.A.R.T. distribute?, answer: community-tailored birth kits. | question: Where is the nurse practitioner from?, answer: Samen lives in Salt Lake City,
|
(CNN) -- It will take NATO-led military forces "another 25 to 30 days to secure that which needs to be secured" in Afghanistan's Helmand province, and a further three months after that to be sure insurgents are being kept out of the area, British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter said Thursday.
But Operation Moshtarak has reached "the end of the beginning," he said in a briefing from Afghanistan broadcast by the Pentagon Channel. "The insurgent was entirely dislocated within 24 hours" of the insertion of troops by helicopter, he said.
The Nad Ali district is "broadly secure," he said, but there is still Taliban resistance in Marjah.
"It will be some days before we can be completely confident that Marjah is secure," he said.
Ten civilians were killed on the second day of the operation, he said. Reports at the time said 12 were killed.
More coverage on Afghanistan Crossroads blog
|
[
"how much need wait to be sure?",
"What has Afghan offensive reached?",
"How many days do NATO troops need to secure areas in Helmand province?",
"What the Afghan offensive reached?",
"What do they need three more months for?",
"How long will it take to be sure insurgents stay out ?"
] |
[
"a further three months",
"\"the end of the beginning,\"",
"30",
"\"the end of the beginning,\"",
"to be sure insurgents are being kept out of the area,",
"\"another 25 to 30 days"
] |
question: how much need wait to be sure?, answer: a further three months | question: What has Afghan offensive reached?, answer: "the end of the beginning," | question: How many days do NATO troops need to secure areas in Helmand province?, answer: 30 | question: What the Afghan offensive reached?, answer: "the end of the beginning," | question: What do they need three more months for?, answer: to be sure insurgents are being kept out of the area, | question: How long will it take to be sure insurgents stay out ?, answer: "another 25 to 30 days
|
(CNN) -- It would be hard to claim surprise at the array of sanctions which were finally imposed on the Syrian regime in the last weeks, following months of seemingly endless warnings from friends and foes alike. Yet, judging by the reaction of various officials in Damascus, the regime does seem stunned by this shock to its system, having been living in denial about the evolving situation it created.
From the apex of its fortunes only a couple of years ago to the most severe isolation modern Syria has ever witnessed, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad regime has single-handedly managed the feat which no other detractor achieved: bringing the entire country, and of course the regime itself, to a dead-end from which it can no longer extricate itself.
While accustomed to U.S. sanctions since 1979, Syria had never been simultaneously cut off from Europe, Turkey and the Arab world, while also facing the most determined popular uprising the Arab world has yet seen. For refusing to stop its mass military campaign of repression throughout the country, which none of the neighbors or friendly nations could continue to ignore while urging for the proverbial promised reforms, the Syrian regime is now faced with a heavy bill it has no way of paying.
Taken separately, the various sets of sanctions could have been manageable, even if the hardships would still be passed on to the population under the usual empty slogans of sovereignty and resistance in the face of a global conspiracy. In response to the first set of EU sanctions, in fact, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem had told a press gathering that Syria would "forget that Europe was on the map" and turn eastward for its business. When the sanctions reached the oil sector, the Syrian regime boasted it would sell its crude to China, India and other "non-aligned" countries. However, with the increasing difficulties of dealing with a Central Bank under sanctions, even countries sympathetic to the Syrian regime have been unwilling to go through so much trouble just to acquire Syrian oil, which, to boot, is mostly a low-grade crude needing special refineries.
With Europe wiped off the map, the 150,000 barrels per day output which used to be exported across the Mediterranean will be difficult to sell, with very significant financial repercussions for the regime - and that was before the Arab League finally decided to tighten the screws.
It is possible that repeated warnings followed by recurring extensions of deadlines convinced the Syrian regime that Arab countries were bluffing, and that the legendary impotence of the Arab League would prevent real pressure from materializing; this could explain al-Assad's bloody intransigence, and his erroneous interpretation that he really still had a carte blanche to kill, literally, the growing popular uprising which was now supplemented by armed resistance from an increasing number of defected soldiers, grouping themselves to form the Free Syrian Army.
When the announcement of sanctions finally fell on November 12, even with additional deadlines allowing the regime to accept a set of conditions (including Arab monitors) which could save it from isolation, al-Assad and his advisers seemed unprepared. Instead of astutely accepting the offer to avoid greater seclusion, they decided to retreat into the usual conspiracy rhetoric while trying to buy time with complaints about protocols: this merely allowed the Arab League to ensure near unanimity in its decision to isolate al-Assad.
All that remained was for Turkey to close the loop, and to carry out its own promise to punish the Syrian regime if it did not desist in what the UN has since described as crimes against humanity. As of this week, the Syrian regime is completely isolated, politically and financially. Even the reluctance of Lebanon and Iraq to apply full sanctions will be unlikely to make a big difference in Syria's fortunes, especially as international pressure continues to mount.
The impact of this isolation cannot be exaggerated. While powerful allies such as Iran and Russia will try, for the time being, to pull their weight as they attempt to save the regime from its own folly, perhaps lending it limited financial support, a solid geographical reality imposes itself, cutting off Syria from most of the
|
[
"On what purpose was the ban?",
"The regime is now isolated politically and economically?"
] |
[
"save it from isolation,",
"the Syrian"
] |
question: On what purpose was the ban?, answer: save it from isolation, | question: The regime is now isolated politically and economically?, answer: the Syrian
|
(CNN) -- It would be no exaggeration to say that we spend the 89 minutes of "Paranormal Activity 3" waiting -- taut with tension -- to see a face.
Not just any face, mind you. A face of nightmare terror and shivery awe, one that will shoot a scary volt of revelation right through us. We're never entirely sure if that face is going to arrive, but the anticipation is everything. The movie sets us up for it early on, with an amazing shock as a closet door is opened.
Of course, we're also waiting because, with two other "Paranormal Activity" films behind it, "Paranormal Activity 3" implicitly understands that we've been through enough tricks in these movies -- the doors that open and slam shut, the thuds and booms and scratchy skitters on the soundtrack, the kitchen utensils that fall with a crash, the spectral shapes that you can almost make out -- to now want to see something more. "Paranormal Activity 3" features variations on every one of the tricks I just mentioned, and a few additional ones (they all work), but more than the first two films, it tweaks our desire to put a face on evil.
The movie is a prequel, set in September 1988, though it doesn't exactly look like an '80s period piece. The spacious, high-ceilinged Carlsbad, California, tract home in which it takes place looks a lot like the one in the more contemporary "Paranormal Activity 2," with tastefully bland furniture that might have come out of the Raymour & Flanigan suburban-gothic collection.
This time, the family consists of Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith, who's like a skinny young Gary Dell'Abate), a wedding videographer who has banks of monitors and editing equipment in his home studio; his big-haired sexy wife, Julie (Lauren Bittner); and her two preteen daughters from a previous marriage.
They are Katie (Chloe Csengery), who will grow up to be the Katie Featherstone character in the first film, and angel-faced Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown), from "Paranormal Activity 2," here an enigmatic child who can communicate with the spirit world. It's one of this haunted-house movie's best jokes that the ghost on hand is Kristi's invisible friend, ''Toby,'' whom she talks to with a mixture of intimacy and intimidated formality.
As soon as the family begins to hear mysterious sounds in their new home, Dennis insists on rigging up a handful of video cameras as makeshift surveillance devices. We get time-coded views of the parents' and kids' bedrooms -- and, most cleverly, there's a camera mounted on the base of a rotating fan that pans back and forth, with fearful deliberation, from the kitchen, with its pristine white cabinets, to the living room, with its creepy looped lamp in the foreground.
The directors, Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, are the fascinatingly deadpan pranksters who made "Catfish," last year's is-it-a-documentary-or-a-rigged-stunt? investigation into the fake identities that people can forge on the Internet. They turn out to be the perfect filmmakers to create a banal surface reality that's just warped enough to keep us on tenterhooks.
The bottom line, for me, is this: I don't scare easily at horror films (that's one of the reasons I tend to pan them), but I watched "Paranormal Activity 3" in a state of high anxiety. Schulman and Joost have fun with the archetypal image of a white-sheeted costume ghost, but mostly what they're aces at is timing. They know just how to thread a handheld camera up the stairs, down a hallway, and into the scattered bric-a-brac of a middle-class children's bedroom, settling at just the right moment upon a talking teddy bear that plays as a joke, even as a part of you momentarily thinks: Is that bear possessed?
They also make terrific use of characters like Dennis's
|
[
"Is the movie a prequel?",
"What movie understands that we've been through enough tricks?",
"What is the name of the movie",
"Who is in the movie",
"Who will play Katie Featherstone in the film?"
] |
[
"is a",
"\"Paranormal Activity 3\"",
"\"Paranormal Activity 3\"",
"(Lauren Bittner);",
"(Chloe Csengery),"
] |
question: Is the movie a prequel?, answer: is a | question: What movie understands that we've been through enough tricks?, answer: "Paranormal Activity 3" | question: What is the name of the movie, answer: "Paranormal Activity 3" | question: Who is in the movie, answer: (Lauren Bittner); | question: Who will play Katie Featherstone in the film?, answer: (Chloe Csengery),
|
(CNN) -- It's Sunday night during TNT's coverage of the NBA playoffs, and announcer Kenny Smith, aka "The Jet," is doing push-ups.
TNT's Kenny Smith tries to connect personally with NBA fans through his Twitter feed.
Not on camera, but on Twitter.
"Hawks look hot! CWebb, my boy Fabian and I doing 30- pushups P90X style every commercial.. getting summeer [sic] ready," writes Smith to his followers on Twitter, the microblogging site where you can "tweet" brief messages of up to 140 characters.
Five hours later, Smith (@TheJetOnTNT) tweets a follow-up: "Man, i think im gonna be sore." By Monday morning, though, he seems raring to go again: "Im not sore today! the workout didnt kill me... Im back!!"
Welcome to today's intersection of sports and social networking, where college athletes, professional players and even broadcasters use tools like Facebook and Twitter to share their thoughts and experiences with fans.
"Sports personalities are tweeting now. They are giving fans a reason to tune in to see their comments," says Adam Ostrow, managing editor of Mashable, a blog devoted to online social media.
Ostrow believes social networking sites like Twitter allow athletes to connect directly with fans without the filter of the traditional media. And while many athletes and teams have blogs and Facebook profiles, Twitter allows for a more personal connection between fan and sports, he says.
NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal (@THE_REAL_SHAQ) is both a prolific scorer and a prolific twitterer. His more than 700,000 followers get his tweets about everything from his diet to his recent trip to Graceland.
Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) has more than 650,000 Twitter followers for such updates as "Eating pizza at home w/ the family. Good test today, kids go home tomorrow (sad), and a hellacious week of training coming up."
Hockey players also are getting into the act. Washington Capitals ace Alex Ovechkin (@ovi8) was on Twitter during the NHL All-Star game in January, tweeting about the festivities and responding to fan questions and comments.
One athlete, Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva (@CV31), even got into hot water after tweeting during halftime of a game last month. Villanueva's entry read: "In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up."
He did. Villanueva finished with a team-high 19 points, and the Bucks won.
Now sports announcers are using Twitter to talk to fans about everything from game action to what they do when the cameras are off. Fox Sports (@MLBonFox) baseball commentators and reporters are using Twitter to share tidbits from players and behind-the-scenes moments that the normal fan may not even think about.
Fox play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, one of the network's wittier twitterers, shared this recent tender moment from the broadcast booth: "Joe Buck: Cold in the booth in STL. Tim [McCarver] and I are bundled up. And snuggling. Hard to type. I think hypothermia is starting to set in!"
TNT is using the same approach to connect with basketball fans during the current NBA playoffs. Eleven members of the network's broadcast team have joined Twitter to provide insight into games, offer nuggets from players and solicit fan opinions.
"TNT is an interesting experiment if they add analysis they don't give on TV," said Ostrow of Mashable. "More interesting if they give more non-basketball info."
And they are. When Kenny Smith started on Twitter, he wasn't really sure what it was or how it would work. So he just answered the default question on his page: What are you doing?
"I want to have some fun with it," Smith told CNN. "I love scavenger hunts. I
|
[
"what Sports announcers use Twitter to share behind-the-scenes?",
"what do pro athletes use to share their thoughts?",
"Which sports use twitter?",
"Who are some prolific twitterers?",
"Who uses twiter?"
] |
[
"Kenny Smith",
"tools like Facebook and Twitter",
"baseball commentators and reporters are using",
"Lance Armstrong",
"TNT's Kenny Smith"
] |
question: what Sports announcers use Twitter to share behind-the-scenes?, answer: Kenny Smith | question: what do pro athletes use to share their thoughts?, answer: tools like Facebook and Twitter | question: Which sports use twitter?, answer: baseball commentators and reporters are using | question: Who are some prolific twitterers?, answer: Lance Armstrong | question: Who uses twiter?, answer: TNT's Kenny Smith
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.