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MOSCOW, Russia -- President Obama arrived in Moscow on Monday for a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev aimed at trying to "reset" the U.S.-Russian relationship. But he also may have a less publicized goal: figuring out who's really in charge here.
President Obama, right, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev walk by an honor guard in Moscow on Monday.
When Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush, engaged in his first summit with his Russian counterpart, things took an odd turn. Bush said -- now infamously -- that he looked into then-President Vladimir Putin's eyes and saw into his soul, and basically found he was a good guy that Americans could do business with. Oops. The Bush-Putin relationship ended up getting pretty chilly, which is why the new U.S. president is now trying to warm things up.
Obama gets his first shot at literally looking into Putin's eyes Tuesday, when he has a sitdown with the man who is now prime minister of Russia, a post that many international analysts believe allows Putin to continue to pull the strings behind the scenes.
Obama's outreach to Medvedev started sooner, their first meeting coming back in April at the G-20 summit in London, and it's been bearing some fruit for Obama. Russia recently signed on to sanctions against North Korea, and this week both sides will officially announce that Russia has agreed to let U.S. military equipment headed for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory. Watch Obamas arrive in Russia »
Both sides are also hoping to announce significant cuts in nuclear arms, though there are still major hurdles to clear, such as Russian suspicions about U.S. plans for a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. In an interview with The Associated Press late last week, Obama seemed to be trying to work through the sticking points by driving a bit of a wedge between Medvedev and Putin.
"The old Cold War approaches to U.S.-Russia relations is outdated and that it's time to move forward in a different direction," said Obama. "I think Medvedev understands that. I think Putin has one foot in the old ways of doing business and one foot in the new."
Ouch. If he wants to accomplish some key goals in Moscow, such as winning Russian cooperation in dealing with Iran's nuclear program, why would Obama fire a rhetorical shot like that at Putin -- if, in fact, he's really in charge here?
It could be that Obama is trying to flex his muscles a bit for American domestic political consumption to show he's not rolling over to Russia, amid Republican charges that he's soft on foreign policy. It's a move Putin knows well, having perfected the art of flexing his muscles at then-President Bush as a way of asserting Russian nationalism in recent years. Watch Russian students talk about Obama's visit »
Whatever the intention of Obama's words, the back and forth with Putin is a reminder of the high stakes here. Of course, the president's second stop in Italy for the G-8 summit will be important too, with a packed agenda including Iran, the financial crisis, climate change and eradicating world poverty. The first African-American president's third and final stop at the end of the week in Ghana will also get wide international attention.
But it's this first stop where Obama will get a big diplomatic test as he juggles, among many issues, who's really in charge here.
|
[
"Who will President Obama be meeting with on Monday?",
"who is dimitry medvedev",
"Where will the meetings take place?",
"who meets president obama",
"Obama meets with whom on Monday?",
"Where will Obama be traveling?"
] |
[
"Dmitry",
"Russian President",
"Moscow",
"Dmitry",
"Medvedev",
"Moscow"
] |
question: Who will President Obama be meeting with on Monday?, answer: Dmitry | question: who is dimitry medvedev, answer: Russian President | question: Where will the meetings take place?, answer: Moscow | question: who meets president obama, answer: Dmitry | question: Obama meets with whom on Monday?, answer: Medvedev | question: Where will Obama be traveling?, answer: Moscow
|
MOSCOW, Russia -- Russia declared an end Thursday to its 10-year anti-terror "operation" in the autonomous republic of Chechnya.
Russian forces have been operating in Chechnya since Boris Yeltsin's order in 1999.
The end to the offensive could see the withdrawal of thousands of troops from the Muslim-majority region, where Russia has fought two wars since the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991.
The head of the Federal Security Service "canceled the decree declaring a counterterrorist operation in the territory of the republic as of midnight of April 16," Russia's anti-terror committee said.
It said it did so to create "the conditions for the future normalization of the situation in the republic, its reconstruction and development of its socio-economic sphere," it said in a statement.
The late president Boris Yeltsin ordered the counter-terrorist operation in 1999. Since then, the region has been relatively stable.
|
[
"How long has the anti-terror operation continued?",
"Who ordered the counter-terrorist operation?",
"When did Yeltsin order the operation?",
"who declared the end to 10-year anti-terror \"operation",
"who ordered the counter-terrorist operation in 1999",
"What number of troops may be withdrawn?",
"How long has the anti-terror operation been going on?",
"How many troops could be withdrawn?"
] |
[
"10-year",
"Boris Yeltsin",
"1999.",
"Russia",
"Boris Yeltsin",
"thousands",
"10-year",
"thousands of"
] |
question: How long has the anti-terror operation continued?, answer: 10-year | question: Who ordered the counter-terrorist operation?, answer: Boris Yeltsin | question: When did Yeltsin order the operation?, answer: 1999. | question: who declared the end to 10-year anti-terror "operation, answer: Russia | question: who ordered the counter-terrorist operation in 1999, answer: Boris Yeltsin | question: What number of troops may be withdrawn?, answer: thousands | question: How long has the anti-terror operation been going on?, answer: 10-year | question: How many troops could be withdrawn?, answer: thousands of
|
MOSCOW, Russia -- UEFA have confirmed that Slovakian referee Lubos Michel will take charge of Wednesday's Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea in Moscow.
Michel refereed the 2003 UEFA Cup final when Jose Mourinho's Porto beat Celtic.
Michel, 40 last week,is remembered by Chelsea fans for controversially awarding a goal to Liverpool against the Londoners in the semifinals of the 2005 competition.
Chelsea's manager at the time Jose Mourinho always insisted that Luis Garcia's shot did not cross the line.
Michel is regarded as one of the top referees in the world and officiated at Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, including the tense Germany v Argentina game in the first knock-out round. He also refereed the 2003 UEFA Cup final when Mourinho's Porto triumphed over Celtic.
Michel speaks English, Russian, German and Polish as well as his native language.
Michel will be supported at the Luzhniki Stadium by the assistant referees who have partnered him at major tournaments - Roman Slysko (34) and Martin Balko (36). The fourth official will be Vladimir Hrinak (44), also from Slovakia.
Meanwhile, senior police officers from Manchester traveled to Moscow on Monday to help prevent fan violence from marring the final.
Manchester police will serve in an advisory role as Russian authorities prepare for Wednesday's match.
"A number of my officers and I have flown out to Moscow to meet local police and help draw up arrangements to police the fixture," said chief superintendent Janette McCormick.
"Although GMP officers have no powers of arrest abroad and ultimate responsibility for policing the game lies with the Russian authorities, we have been gathering intelligence on potential and known troublemakers and GMP officers will be in Moscow in an advisory role," McCormick added.
As Manchester United flew out on Monday, plain-clothed intelligence officers were stationed at Manchester Airport to target known or potential troublemakers from heading to the Russian capital.
Ban orders imposed on fans with soccer-related convictions will be rigorously enforced in the next two days to prevent them from flying to Moscow.
"As with all operations like this, we are sending out a clear message to people intending to travel to commit violence to think again," said police chief inspector Robert Tinsley, who is based at the airport.
The airport is expecting 20,000 more passengers than usual to be flying to Moscow.
The British embassy in Moscow have announced that their consular section will stay open on May 21 and 22 to help English fans arriving for the final.
"The consular department will extend their working hours on Wednesday and Thursday to support English citizens coming here to watch the Champions' League final," the embassy press service said.
The press service report added that a 24-hour telephone "hot line" would be organized by the embassy.
|
[
"Who will be the fourth official at the Manchester Utd v Chelsea clash?",
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"what lubos michel will referee?",
"what will lubos michaels do at the finals",
"Who is the fourth official at the Manchester Utd v Chelsea clash?",
"Who are the two assistants?",
"who Vladimir Hrinak is?",
"what Fellow-Slovakians Roman Slysko and Martin Balko will be?",
"what will roman slysko do",
"Who is Lubos Michel?",
"what will vladimir hrinak be doing"
] |
[
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"Roman Slysko",
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"assistant referees",
"be supported at the Luzhniki Stadium",
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] |
question: Who will be the fourth official at the Manchester Utd v Chelsea clash?, answer: Vladimir Hrinak | question: What is the referee's name who will referee the Champions League final match in Moscow on Wednesday?, answer: Lubos Michel | question: what lubos michel will referee?, answer: Champions League final | question: what will lubos michaels do at the finals, answer: referee | question: Who is the fourth official at the Manchester Utd v Chelsea clash?, answer: Vladimir Hrinak | question: Who are the two assistants?, answer: Roman Slysko | question: who Vladimir Hrinak is?, answer: The fourth official | question: what Fellow-Slovakians Roman Slysko and Martin Balko will be?, answer: assistant referees | question: what will roman slysko do, answer: be supported at the Luzhniki Stadium | question: Who is Lubos Michel?, answer: Slovakian referee | question: what will vladimir hrinak be doing, answer: referees
|
MOSCOW, Russia -- Zenit Saint Petersburg have clinched their first Russian title in the post-Soviet Union era with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Ramenskoye on Sunday.
Zenit captain Anatoly Timoshuk kisses the Russian Premier League trophy after their victory at Ramenskoye.
The win means Zenit finish top of the table with 61 points, two points ahead of second-placed Spartak Moscow, who beat city rivals Dynamo 2-1. CKSA Moscow finished third on 53 points.
Zenit went ahead in the 15th minute when Radek Sirl's shot from the edge of the box deflected off a Ramenskoye defender and beat goalkeeper Antonin Kinski.
After the interval, the hosts poured forward seeking an equalizer and created several chances -- but Zenit held firm to secure their first championship since 1984 and make a hero out of Dutch coach Dick Advocaat.
Nine-times champions Spartak took the lead midway through the first-half.
Russian international striker Roman Pavyuchenko netted the opening goal in the 24th minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the six-yard box after a mix- up in the Dynamo defence.
Brazilian striker Soares Welliton made it 2-0 seven minutes after halftime, heading home Pavlyuchenko's precise cross. Dynamo reduced the arrears in the 71st minute, when Spartak midfielder Radoslav Kovac scored an own goal.
Meanwhile, Rostov and Krasnodar were relegated fronm the Premier League. E-mail to a friend
|
[
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"What was the score?",
"What player clinched the league title?",
"When did they last win the league?",
"since when the zenic did win a title?",
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"which team was beaten 1-0?",
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"1984",
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] |
question: who won the title?, answer: Zenit Saint Petersburg | question: Who clinched the Russian Premier League title?, answer: Zenit Saint Petersburg | question: What was the score of the match at Ramenskoye?, answer: 1-0 | question: What was the score at Ramenskoye?, answer: 1-0 | question: Who won the russian premier league?, answer: Zenit Saint Petersburg | question: What was the score?, answer: 1-0 | question: What player clinched the league title?, answer: Radek Sirl's | question: When did they last win the league?, answer: 1984 | question: since when the zenic did win a title?, answer: 1984 | question: when was Zenith;s last win?, answer: 1984 | question: What year did Zenit win the first title?, answer: 1984 | question: which team was beaten 1-0?, answer: Ramenskoye | question: When was Zenit's last title?, answer: 1984
|
MOUNT KENYA, Kenya (CNN) -- For as long as anyone cares to remember, the pastoralists of Kenya's Rift Valley have fled with their herds to the fertile slopes of Mount Kenya when times are tough.
Hundreds of dead cattle litter the slopes of Mount Kenya, fatally weakened by long treks to the region.
When the rains failed this year they set off once again in search of water and pasture -- but they found only despair.
"I could have stayed home, or I could have come here, but it is all the same. All that you find is death," said Peraguan Lesagut, an aging pastoralist who came five months ago with his herd.
After years of persistent drought Lesagut left his two wives and 16 children and drove 200 cattle to the foothills of Mount Kenya -- Africa's second highest summit. Now, only 40 are left; the rest succumbing to cold, disease and exposure.
Across the folds of this mountain everyone has the same story. Hundreds of dead cattle dot the forests, young herdsmen try to coax ailing calves onto their feet, knowing that if they don't get up, they will die.
"I am hopeless because I have seen almost all of my animals die," Lesagut said. "If the rains are delayed for even another week two, then I will lose everything."
Millions of Kenyans are facing the same stark reality. The World Food Program (WFP) says that, together with the Kenyan government, they will need to feed 3.8 million people across the country.
Successive years of failed crops, drought and erratic rains caused by climate change have all had an impact. Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti all face similar crises. Despite this, the U.N. agency says that its emergency programs are facing massive shortfalls.
"We are facing a really difficult situation. We realize that the world economic crisis has affected the amount that countries can give to us," says WFP spokesperson Gabrielle Menezes, "But at the same time we are seeing an awful situation in Kenya. If we don't start feeding people now, things are only going to get worse."
For many Kenyan farmers, the situation is already bad enough. Eunice Wairimu has seen four successive crops fail. This is harvest time in Kenya but her corn plants barely reach her knees and she will have to use her meager harvest as animal feed.
"I don't even like to go to my farm because I become very upset," she said. "There is nothing for me to get there for my family."
Wairimu used to sell her surplus, but now she depends on food rations. She accepts them grudgingly.
"According to our tribal culture, we aren't used to being given food. We have always been willing to work hard. If it is the will of God to bring rain, he will bring rain. But he also brings drought."
|
[
"Who warns situation will get worse?",
"What are countries face starvation?",
"what countries also face similar crises?",
"Who also faces similar crisis?",
"What is the warning from the WFP?",
"Who is at risk of starvation?"
] |
[
"WFP spokesperson Gabrielle Menezes,",
"Somalia, Ethiopia",
"Somalia, Ethiopia",
"Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti",
"If we don't start feeding people now, things are only going to get worse.\"",
"Millions of Kenyans"
] |
question: Who warns situation will get worse?, answer: WFP spokesperson Gabrielle Menezes, | question: What are countries face starvation?, answer: Somalia, Ethiopia | question: what countries also face similar crises?, answer: Somalia, Ethiopia | question: Who also faces similar crisis?, answer: Somalia, Ethiopia and Djibouti | question: What is the warning from the WFP?, answer: If we don't start feeding people now, things are only going to get worse." | question: Who is at risk of starvation?, answer: Millions of Kenyans
|
MUGELLO, Italy -- Italian Valentino Rossi's resurgence continued on Saturday, as the five-time MotoGP champion took pole position at his home race in Mugello.
Rossi gives the thumbs up after taking his first pole position of the season at his home race in Mugello.
The 29-year-old has struggled since winning his last title in 2005 but is back at the head of the field this season on his Fiat Yamaha and has won the last two races.
A lap of one minute 48.130 seconds was enough to see him take his first pole position of the season ahead of Dani Pedrosa in second and fellow-Italian Loris Capirossi in third -- the 50th pole of his career and 40th in MotoGP.
"For sure we will try to keep this winning streak going. I was quite worried after practice because we had some problems but the team modified the bike and it is faster now," said Rossi.
"My last pole position was a long, long time ago -- I can't even remember when it was, so I am very happy. Loris is behind me and with two Italians on the front row the crowd will be very special here."
Rossi is three points ahead of Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa and his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo going into Sunday's race with reigning champion Casey Stoner a further 28 points back on his Marlboro Ducati.
Rossi's time bettered the previous record pole time by Spaniard Sete Gibernau by more than 0.8 seconds, and that marker was posted two years ago on a more powerful bike.
In fact, the top seven finishers all beat Gibernau's lap, achieved on a 990cc bike as opposed to the 800cc versions of today.
|
[
"What lap time did Rossi get?",
"What was his time?",
"Who has first pole of the season?",
"Who claims the pole position?",
"Who claimed pole position at Italian MotoGP?",
"Who is Rossi three points ahead of?",
"Where is the MotoGP?",
"Who is ahead of Dani Pedrosa in standings?"
] |
[
"one minute 48.130 seconds",
"one minute 48.130 seconds",
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"Valentino Rossi's",
"Valentino Rossi's",
"Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa and his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo",
"MUGELLO, Italy",
"Valentino Rossi's"
] |
question: What lap time did Rossi get?, answer: one minute 48.130 seconds | question: What was his time?, answer: one minute 48.130 seconds | question: Who has first pole of the season?, answer: Valentino Rossi's | question: Who claims the pole position?, answer: Valentino Rossi's | question: Who claimed pole position at Italian MotoGP?, answer: Valentino Rossi's | question: Who is Rossi three points ahead of?, answer: Repsol Honda rider Pedrosa and his team-mate Jorge Lorenzo | question: Where is the MotoGP?, answer: MUGELLO, Italy | question: Who is ahead of Dani Pedrosa in standings?, answer: Valentino Rossi's
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- In the U.S., the film "Slumdog Millionaire" barely escaped going straight to video before it caught the eye of moviegoers and critics alike, becoming a sleeper hit and best picture nominee. It's viewed by many observers as the film to beat at the 81st annual Academy Awards.
Danny Boyle, left, celebrates with actor Anil Kapoor, right, at the Mumbai premiere of "Slumdog Millionaire."
In the city where the movie was shot, Mumbai, India, the recognition came much quicker and more enthusiastically.
The Mumbai premiere had all the makings of a scene from a Bollywood blockbuster: Musicians banged on traditional Indian drums as the cast and crew broke into dance on the red carpet in recognition of the 10 Academy Award nominations the film received Thursday.
"It feels like a million nominations," said director Danny Boyle, who earned one of the nominations. Watch scenes from the Mumbai premiere »
Bollywood legend Anil Kapoor, who stars as the host of the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" in the movie, said he was with Boyle when the nominations were announced. "Danny had tears in his eyes, and I couldn't control myself," Kapoor said. Watch Kapoor rave about the film »
But not everyone was celebrating.
The film, about a Mumbai orphan seeking fame and love through the "Millionaire" game show, has stirred strong emotions among some Indian critics. They found the word "slumdog" in the title insulting and complained that the movie romanticizes poverty in India.
Film critic Meenakshi Shedde said she was disappointed with the movie. "What saddened me and annoyed me about the film is that it's a laundry list of India's miseries," she said. "The poverty, the child labor, the beggary, the prostitution, that part of it was just banal, I thought."
According to the Press Trust of India, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan -- who once hosted the Indian version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" -- recently cleared the air with Boyle regarding Bachchan's reported criticism of the Golden Globe-winning film.
Such negativity was forgotten at the Mumbai premiere, which was attended by several Bollywood celebrities. They said the event marked a proud day for Indian cinema.
Loveleen Tandan, who was the film's casting director, said the entire cast was exhilarated by news of the Academy Award nominations.
As for her whether she believed "Slumdog Millionaire" had a chance at the Oscars, she expressed confidence.
"Now I can say it openly, I have high hopes," she said. "I am sure there's a statue waiting for A.R. Rahman [who composed the film's music and received three nominations] to bring home."
CNN's Mallika Kapur contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who was a specific person associated with the movie mentioned in the reading?",
"How many Academy Awards awards was the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, nominated for?",
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"What film debuted in Mumbai?",
"What movie did the cast and crew celebrate the Mumbai premiere of?",
"What country is the movie based from?",
"What is the movie's subject?",
"What movie got the most Oscar nominations?",
"Amount of Oscars the film Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for?",
"In what country did people criticize \"Slumdog Millionaire\"?",
"How many Academy Awards was \"Slumdog Millionaire\" nominated for?"
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[
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question: Who was a specific person associated with the movie mentioned in the reading?, answer: Danny Boyle, | question: How many Academy Awards awards was the movie, Slumdog Millionaire, nominated for?, answer: nominations | question: What are some in India crictical of about the film?, answer: They found the word "slumdog" in the title insulting and complained that the movie romanticizes poverty in India. | question: What film premiered in Mumbai?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire." | question: What film debuted in Mumbai?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire" | question: What movie did the cast and crew celebrate the Mumbai premiere of?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire" | question: What country is the movie based from?, answer: India, | question: What is the movie's subject?, answer: a Mumbai orphan seeking fame and love through the "Millionaire" game show, | question: What movie got the most Oscar nominations?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire." | question: Amount of Oscars the film Slumdog Millionaire was nominated for?, answer: 10 | question: In what country did people criticize "Slumdog Millionaire"?, answer: India. | question: How many Academy Awards was "Slumdog Millionaire" nominated for?, answer: 10
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor has been catapulted into the global spotlight for his award-winning performance as creepy quiz show host Prem Kumar in the smash hit movie "Slumdog Millionaire."
Anil Kapoor: "Slumdog Millionaire is like my story."
Kapoor talks to CNN's "My City, My Life" about "Slumdog", his hometown of Mumbai, his own rags to riches rise to stardom and how the recent terror attacks affected the city.
CNN: - Did you grow up in Mumbai?
Anil Kapoor: I was born in Mumbai, in a suburb named Chembur. In my neighborhood the kids never wore shoes, we always had bare feet. I remember my parents asking me to wear shoes to go and play, but usually I would forget.
Usually kids say they want to be doctors or engineers, pilots or businessmen, but I just wanted to be an actor. My father was an assistant director for an Indian film maker and then from being an assistant he became a secretary to one of the big stars.
In my childhood I was surrounded by films, actors, film makers, directors and film talk. I would bunk school to watch movies, old English films and Hindi films -- that's how I spent my childhood. And playing cricket!
CNN: Mumbai is the home of Bollywood movies -- was that an influence?
Anil Kapoor: The influence of the film industry is tremendous over here. Every kid dreams of becoming either an actor or a cricketer. In India, we love film and everybody wants to get into films.
"It's in our bloodstream -- film making, songs, music, everything connected with cinema -- people just love it.
"It's the cheapest form of entertainment and recession or no recession, people just flock to the theaters to watch our movies."
CNN: Tell me about "Slumdog Millionaire."
Anil Kapoor: Slumdog is like my story. I also started from scratch, went from rags to riches. I started in Chembur and I slowly climbed -- God has been kind in that way.
CNN: Do you think the film is an accurate portrayal of Mumbai?
Anil Kapoor: It's a fairytale -- the story is basically a love story, but shot in a very realistic way and it is very authentic. If there is a traffic jam, he [Danny Boyle] has not created a traffic jam, he has actually shot the traffic jam. If he has gone into the slums it is not choreographed at all. The film is very natural -- whatever you see in "Slumdog" is very real -- nothing is exaggerated and nothing is downplayed.
Watch Anil Kapoor take CNN on a tour of Mumbai. »
CNN: Is the portrayal of the slums realistic?
Anil Kapoor: It is -- you'll see from the way "Slumdog Millionaire" has been shot, it's not portraying misery. You see there is a lot of hope in the kids, a lot of fun and a lot of innocence. There's not a single portion where you feel it has been sensationalized. There is nowhere in the film where you feel they are trying to show misery or poverty.
Mumbai is growing and it's a commercial city and you can see that things are changing. These are the realities and we have to face it. We are confident enough to face it, we are not ashamed.
CNN: What reaction have you had from family and friends?
Anil Kapoor: People are very proud of this film. Generally, the public is happy, the whole country is very happy. It's an Indian story with Indian content and it's great.
There are a lot of friends from Britain and USA who want to come to Mumbai, after seeing this film. I happened to talk to Tom Cruise at the Golden Globes and he is very keen to come to Mumbai and visit India.
CNN: How have the terror attacks affected the city?
Anil Kapoor: The whole country was stunned. Mumbai was coming to
|
[
"In what movie did Anil Kapoor play quiz show host Kumar?",
"Which actor played the quiz show host in Slumdog Millionaire?",
"What movie did Anil Kapoor play a quiz show host?",
"Who went from rags to riches?",
"Who said that \"Slumdog Millionaire\" is a real story?",
"Who played Kumar?",
"Who lives in Mumbai?",
"In what city does Anil Kapoor live?",
"Where does Kapoor live?",
"Who said slumdog is real?",
"What is exaggerated or downplayed in the film?",
"Kapoor says what about Slumdog Millionaire?",
"What was Kapoor's role in Slumdog Millionare?",
"Where does Anil Kapoor live?",
"Who says that Slumdog is like his story?",
"Who played the quiz show host?"
] |
[
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] |
question: In what movie did Anil Kapoor play quiz show host Kumar?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire." | question: Which actor played the quiz show host in Slumdog Millionaire?, answer: Anil Kapoor | question: What movie did Anil Kapoor play a quiz show host?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire." | question: Who went from rags to riches?, answer: Anil Kapoor: | question: Who said that "Slumdog Millionaire" is a real story?, answer: Anil Kapoor: | question: Who played Kumar?, answer: Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor | question: Who lives in Mumbai?, answer: Anil Kapoor | question: In what city does Anil Kapoor live?, answer: Mumbai, | question: Where does Kapoor live?, answer: Mumbai, | question: Who said slumdog is real?, answer: Anil Kapoor | question: What is exaggerated or downplayed in the film?, answer: nothing | question: Kapoor says what about Slumdog Millionaire?, answer: "Slumdog | question: What was Kapoor's role in Slumdog Millionare?, answer: creepy quiz show host Prem Kumar | question: Where does Anil Kapoor live?, answer: Mumbai, | question: Who says that Slumdog is like his story?, answer: Anil Kapoor: | question: Who played the quiz show host?, answer: Anil Kapoor
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Bollywood's recent financial growth has been as dizzying as the swirling dancers, colorful costumes and pulsating music that typify the industry's films.
Mumbai's once booming flamboyant Hindi-language film industry is hit hard, as overseas investment dries up.
Foreign money has poured into Mumbai's flamboyant Hindi-language film industry, which churns out more than 1,000 films each year. Twice as many films as Hollywood -- and for a fraction of the cost.
But a financial drama has arrived on the movie sets and production suites of India's largest city courtesy of the world economic downturn and a producer's strike -- fewer films are being made; less tickets are being sold and money is suddenly tight.
"It's become more difficult now to green light films; to be able to think of developing films," Nikhil Advani of People Tree Films who works as both a producer and a director told CNN.
"Today you think twice how you're going to be able to put that thing together before you commit any money to it."
It's the new reality: Money that was gushing into the market from abroad to finance films a year and a half ago is now just trickling in.
Production of Bollywood movies has only just resumed, having ground to a halt for seven weeks due to a producer's strike. The strike is finally over, but money is still tight and this is affecting the number of films going into production.
"The number of movie projects has come down by almost 30 percent," Farokh Balsara, a partner at business consultants Ernst & Young told CNN. Balsara heads Ernst & Young's media and entertainment division in Mumbai and looks at trends in the market.
What's more, after several years of fast-rising film revenues due to India's exploding middle classes who were willing to spend, Bollywood finds itself back on a budget.
If you don't have a solid financial plan these days, getting funding for a film is nearly impossible. Throwing around a known filmmaking family name and getting a star signed up won't cut it anymore. "The easy finance is a thing of the past," Balsara told CNN.
Some producers are asking big name talent to take a cut in their pay or at least get paid on the "backend." In other words, waiting until the movie releases -- if it does well you get a piece of the pie; if not, you eat it.
In some cases, accountants are actually on movie sets crunching numbers daily to make sure the budget is on target. "They are getting into daily audits," Balsara said.
The thought of an accountant on set might make some producers shudder, but many believe the slowdown has done Bollywood a favor.
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" says Advani of the changes the slowdown has forced on the way he produces upcoming films. "I think it's a very good [thing]."
He currently has several in the works: an animated film in post-production called "Ab Dilli Door Nahin" and a gritty action-packed thriller "Basra," named after the Mumbai street term for heroin.
The slowdown has made Bollywood focus on making better, not more movies, according to Advani: "I don't call it a credit crunch, I call it a credit correction.
"I think what has happened is it's corrected itself, because I think Bollywood or the Indian film industry was going absolutely crazy last year."
Mairi Mackay contributed to this story.
|
[
"What is happning to money going into the Mumbai film industry?",
"Where is foreign money pouring into?",
"What factors have hit Bollywood financially?",
"What are accountants doing daily?",
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] |
[
"is now just trickling in.",
"Mumbai's flamboyant Hindi-language film industry,",
"overseas investment dries up.",
"are actually on movie sets crunching numbers",
"\"It's become more difficult now to green light films; to be able to think of developing films,\""
] |
question: What is happning to money going into the Mumbai film industry?, answer: is now just trickling in. | question: Where is foreign money pouring into?, answer: Mumbai's flamboyant Hindi-language film industry, | question: What factors have hit Bollywood financially?, answer: overseas investment dries up. | question: What are accountants doing daily?, answer: are actually on movie sets crunching numbers | question: What are some producers saying about Bollywood?, answer: "It's become more difficult now to green light films; to be able to think of developing films,"
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Dressed in fancy clothes, she applies eye liner, dabs her nose with a powder puff and the director shouts, "Silence, rolling!"
Avika Gor, who plays child bride Anandi in the popular but controversial show.
On cue, the star of the show delivers her lines. Meet Anandi, the main character of "Balika Vadhu," an Indian television serial. Twelve-year-old Anandi is a child bride who was married off at the age of eight. She now lives with her husband and in-laws, bound by customs and traditions in their home.
The daily soap is just over a year old and already one of India's most highly rated TV shows. An estimated 74 million people watched it in July.
The CEO of Colors, the channel the show airs on, says viewers love it because it's based on reality.
Rajesh Kamat said: "There is enough research on child marriage, the evils of child marriage. We've based our storyline on that."
Kamat added the concept the show was based on is very much real and most of the incidents depicted in the program still happen in parts of India.
Even though the Indian legal age for marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys, the law is often ignored.
Since it's an illegal act, it's very hard to find a record of how many child marriages take place -- but according to UNICEF, 40 percent of all child marriages in the world take place in India.
Critics of "Balika Vadhu" say the premise -- that child marriage takes place in India -- is the only real aspect of the show.
The driving force behind child marriage is poverty, says Puja Marwaha, of the children's charity Child Rights and You. She says child brides are often illiterate, malnourished, considered a burden on their parents -- and their lives bear no resemblance to the glossy images seen on TV.
According to Marwaha, the serial glorifies child marriage. "To show it as harmless, is a problem."
"Poverty is not pretty so the child is not going to be wearing party frocks and looking pretty, contented and happy because that's not what really happens. What really happens is the child is forced into adult responsibilities too early. Whether it's the responsibility of motherhood or whether it's linked to abuse, as is the case many times."
That, according to Marwaha, is the reality of child marriage.
The people behind the show say its goal is not to glamorize child marriage -- but to highlight its dark side.
Kamat said: "Have we depicted it in a way that is entertaining? Yes. Is the evil of child marriage highlighted? Yes. Are the evils associated with it highlighted? Absolutely."
In between takes on the set of the show just outside Mumbai, Avika Gor, who plays Anandi, does her part to educate the audience.
"I feel very bad about what's happening to Anandi. Child marriage is very, very, very, very, very, very, very bad."
Some Indian lawmakers argued the show violated the Indian Constitution and demanded the show be banned.
The government looked into it and gave it a clean chit, so the cameras continue to roll on the sets, and the show goes on.
|
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"\"Balika Vadhu,\"",
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question: What are the India's most watched TV shows?, answer: "Balika Vadhu," | question: what is one of indias most watched shows?, answer: The daily soap | question: What is the legal age for marriage in india?, answer: boys, | question: What is soap's central character?, answer: Anandi, | question: What is the legal age for marriage?, answer: 18
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Inside the blacked-out Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, hallways were littered with bloodied bodies.
A commando in disguise give details of what went down in the Taj hotel when commandos went in.
Terrorists were still holding 200 people 33 hours after the assault began.
Knowing next to nothing about what they might encounter in the dark recesses of the hotel, Indian Army commandos decided to go back in -- and were met by terrorists firing mercilessly, throwing grenades and continuously switching positions.
The sound of gunfire and explosions reverberated throughout the hotel's atrium, making it impossible to pinpoint the origin of the shots.
Through it all, the commandos walked down pitch-black halls, trying to navigate the damaged hotel without knowing the layout.
A commando spokesman, his face and hair swathed in a black scarf and wearing dark glasses to hide his identity, revealed these details of the mission inside the Taj at a news conference Friday.
At 6:30 a.m. Friday, the battle at the Taj came to a head with a final firefight at the room holding the 200 hostages, he said. Watch what it was like inside the hotel for commandos »
When the gunfire stopped, commandos -- known as the Black Cats -- entered the room and freed all 200 hostages.
Their difficulties had been apparent from the beginning, he said.
"We did not know the layout of the hotel," the commando told reporters. "There was one person on the hotel staff who was helping to guide us around."
They entered the hotel for the first time essentially blind to what was ahead. They had no idea what kind of people they would encounter, what kind of weapons might be pointed at them, and whether they might be blown up by explosives. Learn more about the Taj's past and future »
"Then we heard gunshots on the second floor and we rushed toward the fired shots," he said. "While taking cover we found that there were 30 to 50 bodies lying dead. At that point we also came under fire. The moment they saw us, they hurled grenades."
When the shots stopped, the commandos moved toward the source of the gunfire. See the first photos from inside the Taj Mahal hotel »
"At that time, they vanished ... they had gone elsewhere," the commando said.
The attackers had a clear advantage, commandos said, because it was apparent from their movements they knew the hotel's layout.
Some tourists rescued from the hotel said the building's large dome and a massive atrium made the sounds of gunfire and explosions reverberate endlessly. It was impossible to pinpoint where the shooters were.
Because of the darkness, commandos could not tell how many terrorists were there -- were there many, or only a few who continued to change positions?
At one point, commandos believed some of the terrorists were hiding on the eighth floor. As the commandos approached one of the rooms, attackers opened fire at them and said all the people in the room were dead.
"We fired at them and they fired at us, but because the room was absolutely dark and we had just gotten [inside] it made it difficult for us," the commando said. Watch commandos talk about fighting the attackers »
During the fight, two commandos were shot. They decided to flush out the terrorists by blocking entry and exit routes. But the attackers knew all the doors, he said.
When they made it inside the room, the terrorists had disappeared again.
Inside that room, commandos found AK-47 ammunition rounds, including seven magazines fully loaded, and 400 other rounds for other weapons. They found grenades, credit cards, U.S. notes, foreign money and bags of dried fruit, which they believed helped sustain the attackers during the siege.
During the three-day assault, the attackers fired indiscriminately. But the commandos were forced to use caution.
"Let me tell you one thing," the commando said. "Within the first exchanges of fire, we could
|
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question: How many people were rescued from Tah Mahal Hotel?, answer: 200 | question: According to the commando, what did rescuers enter?, answer: Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, | question: How many people were rescued from Taj Mahal Hotel?, answer: 200 | question: What did the attackers know well?, answer: layout of the hotel," | question: How many were rescued from a hotel by commandos?, answer: 200 | question: How many people did the commandos rescue?, answer: 200 | question: How many hours after the sieged were they rescued?, answer: 33 | question: How many people did commandos rescue?, answer: all 200 hostages. | question: Which hotel did the commandos save the people from?, answer: Taj hotel | question: How long after the siege did the resuce occur?, answer: 33 hours | question: Amount of people rescued from the Taj Mahal Hotel?, answer: 200 hostages. | question: Where were the people rescued from?, answer: Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, | question: How many people did the commandoes rescue, answer: 200
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- On Sunday night, Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali were in Hollywood, California, getting celebrity treatment as eight Oscars were awarded to the movie they starred in, "Slumdog Millionaire."
Rubina Ali, who starred in "Slumdog Millionaire," is greeted by crowds in Mumbai, India, on Thursday.
Thursday night, the two children were sleeping at home in Mumbai, India. Azharuddin sleeps under a plastic sheet in a shantytown beside a railway track, where the smell of urine and cow dung lingers in the air. Rubina sleeps with her parents and siblings in a tiny shack beside an open drain.
The slum they live in put on a Bollywood-style welcome for the two young stars. There were music, dancing, sweets, garlands, security -- tears and tantrums -- and paparazzi.
Mumbai's Garib Nagar area, which translates literally into "poor district," put on a robust show for two of its own. Watch the children get happy, chaotic reception »
Rubina and Azharuddin have lived in a Mumbai slum all their lives. They were handpicked by the producers of "Slumdog Millionaire" for parts in the movie, which tells the rags-to-riches tale of a young boy who grew up in a Mumbai slum.
Following the film's spectacular success around the world, the producers decided to include the two young actors in the movie's Oscar experience.
The children made their first journey on a plane when they were flown to Los Angeles, California, to attend the awards ceremony. "The plane was so big," said Rubina. "I'd only seen [planes] in the sky earlier and it used to look so small."
"America was just fantastic," Rubina gushed, visibly excited after she made a dramatic entry into the slum on her father's shoulders on Thursday afternoon. "I was so excited to be on stage at the Oscars. Everyone was crying."
Red-carpet formalities done, the children were given a whirlwind tour of Los Angeles. The highlight -- a trip to Disneyland. "I loved all the rides, especially the fast ones," said Rubina.
The trip to the United States did have some drawbacks though. "The food is different over there," said Rubina. " I didn't like it. I missed Indian food."
They'll have plenty of that now that they're back home. The first thing Azharuddin did when he returned to Garib Nagar was to dig into a plate of biryani, a traditional Indian meal of meat and rice, at a restaurant. His mother, who accompanied him to Los Angeles, spoke to reporters at home -- a makeshift shelter under a tree, with a torn plastic sheet for a roof. See where the children live »
She said she hoped the "Slumdog Millionaire" experience would change things. "It would be nice to get a proper home." She says she has heard rumors the government may provide her family with one, but no one has confirmed any plans for a new home. "I've been praying for a new home for so long. It's all up to Allah now."
Returning to their slum, Azharuddin and Rubina were excited -- and exhausted -- by media attention that was sometimes a little overwhelming. Azharuddin burst into tears while eating lunch, leaving his biryani unfinished, his every move caught on camera.
Hoping to secure a future for Azharuddin and Rubina, the film's producers have enrolled them in a school and set up a trust fund to ensure their welfare.
"We thought long and hard about how best can we benefit them and we decided to put in place an education plan for them," said Danny Boyle, the movie's director. iReport.com: One iReporter's personal 'slumdog' experience
"We put them in school, a very good school, which they're paid for to stay in until they're 18. If they stay in school until they're 18, a substantial sum of money is released to them then
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question: Where were the child actors from?, answer: Mumbai, India. | question: What did Rubina say?, answer: "America was just fantastic," | question: Where did the child actors who attended the cermony return home to?, answer: Mumbai, India. | question: What film earned 8 Oscars?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire." | question: What did Rubina dislike?, answer: "The food | question: Who directed "Slumdog Millionaire"?, answer: Danny Boyle, | question: What is the name of the film that won eight Academy Awards?, answer: "Slumdog Millionaire." | question: Which child actors returned to India?, answer: Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali | question: Who else was in the movie alongside Rubina Ali?, answer: Azharuddin Ismail | question: How many Academy Awards did "Slumdog Millionaire" win?, answer: eight Oscars
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- Shweta Gupta knows exactly what kind of groom she wants: he should be educated, well settled and live in a good location --- one that must be in India.
Indian brides and grooms from the Adivasi tribe take part in a mass marriage ceremony.
Love may be recession proof in India, but arranged marriages are not.
One of the casualties of the global economic slowdown is the Non Resident Indian (NRI) groom. They were once considered premium marriage material. After all, these were the men who had typically studied hard, gotten top jobs in the West, earned big bucks and could whisk their wives away to better opportunities in the West.
Not anymore.
"Yeah, I hate to say it but the NRI man seems to be out of favor with the Indian woman," said Gaurav Rakshit of Shaadi.com, a matrimonial search engine used by 14 million people globally.
He has seen demand for NRI grooms drop by around 20 to 30 percent since the recession hit. Why?
Shweta Gupta, a 23-year-old student, has an answer.
"Many Indians working abroad have come back due to recession hitting foreign countries and I don't think recession has affected India that much," said said.
She believes there is greater job security in India, so would prefer her husband to be based here. Her mother, who is involved in finding a suitable man for her daughter, agreed.
"Suppose there is no job security, then again he would have to come to India, then again he would have to find a job for himself, so I would prefer both of them to be here. Plus, I want my daughter to be close to me," said Shraddha Gupta.
Arranged marriages are still the norm in India and parents play an active role in choosing a life partner for their children. Traditionally, parents will let friends know that they are on the lookout for a partner for their child. Sometimes, they go to a marriage broker -- a middleman who keeps a stash of resumes and photos of eligible men and women whose families have registered with them.
As Indians get more tech savvy, more people are taking their search for partners online. Matrimonial Web sites are popular since they offer a much bigger pool of potential life partners.
Shweta Gupta is currently pursuing an MBA in Mumbai and is confident of getting good job offers in India --- another reason she would not want to risk that by going abroad.
"As the woman finds her voice in Indian society, a part of the trend is defined by her unwillingness to compromise on where she grew up, the kind of person she wants to be with, the value system she wants to associate with," Rakshit said.
Women in India are comfortable with the opportunities they have at home and don't feel they need to go abroad to have a better life.
As a result, NRI men are out. So, who is in? Well, government employees, who are typically thought to hold more stable jobs. Shaadi.com said demand was up around 45 percent since last year for men with these jobs.
Also in favor now: working wives --- a departure from the tradition of Indian men choosing only homemakers.
Anish Sapra, 27, has been looking for a bride for around ten months --- and he wants a working woman.
"It will be a help -- more than a help -- to have a working partner," he said. "Not just for financial reasons," he added noting that he believes he would have more in common with such a wife.
A wife with a job could help pay off some of the wedding bills, too. Indian marriages are typically large and flamboyant affairs, though the slowdown means they are somewhat subdued these days.
That is one tradition Shweta Gupta won't give up. She is holding out for a grand wedding with lots of singing and dancing -- she just has to find Mr. Right.
"My marriage should be fun, it should be remembered by all people,
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question: Arranged marriages are still the norm in which country?, answer: India | question: What kind of marriages are still norm in India?, answer: Arranged | question: What are still the norm in India?, answer: Arranged marriages | question: What are women in India more comfortabe with?, answer: the opportunities they have at home and don't feel they need to go abroad to have a better life. | question: Who was considered good marriage material to Indian families?, answer: (NRI) groom. | question: Who are more comfortable today with opportunites at home?, answer: Women in India | question: what are still the norm in India?, answer: Arranged marriages | question: what is hitting the West hard?, answer: recession | question: What is the norm in India?, answer: Arranged marriages | question: What are still a norm in India?, answer: Arranged marriages | question: who was typically good marriage material?, answer: One of the casualties of the global economic slowdown is the Non Resident Indian (NRI) groom. They were once considered premium | question: Who are sought as good marriage material/, answer: government employees,
|
MUMBAI, India (CNN) -- The lawyer for the main suspect in last year's deadly terrorist attack in Mumbai was removed Wednesday, delaying the high-profile trial that was set to begin.
Soldiers patrol in Mumbai on the eve of the trial of a key suspect in last year's attacks in the Indian city.
The trial start for Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 21, is expected to be moved to Thursday as officials scramble to settle the lawyer issue. Kasab is thought to be the only one of 10 gunmen to survive the three-day siege, which killed more than 160 people in November.
As the trial was to begin, the judge removed attorney Anjali Waghmare because she also was representing a witness in the case. Waghmare argued that she had no idea that the person was a witness in the terror case, and she was representing this person in a different case. But the judge declared that it was a conflict of interest.
An Indian court appointed Waghmare two weeks ago to represent Kasab, and it was unclear who would replace her.
Kasab demanded that his attorney be replaced with a Pakistani lawyer. But the judge denied that request and said that a Pakistani lawyer may be able to be brought in as a consultant from outside the courtroom.
Kasab, a Pakistani national, faces more than a dozen charges, including murder, conspiracy to wage a war against the nation and terrorism.
During the proceedings Wednesday Kasab seemed relaxed and smiled many time at the large crowd of journalists in the courtroom. Kasab also requested newspapers to be brought in so that he could see what the media was writing about him.
Prosecutors last month accused him of trying to delay the trial by insisting that the 11,000-page document detailing the charges against him -- which was written in English and the local Marathi language -- be translated into Urdu, the official language of Pakistan. The court rejected his request.
Wednesday's trial was to take place in a makeshift court set up in a jail where Kasab -- who has been communicating with the judge via videolink -- is being held.
Indian authorities have long blamed the Mumbai attacks on Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, a Pakistan-based militant outfit, but the group has denied responsibility. The violence initially heightened tensions between the two nuclear states.
India has urged Pakistan to destroy what it calls terrorist infrastructure in that country. The two nations are longtime rivals that have fought three wars since their independence from the British, and conducted countering nuclear weapons tests in 1998.
CNN's Sara Sidner contributed to this report.
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question: what age is Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, answer: 21, | question: What is the age of the accused?, answer: 21, | question: when will the trial start, answer: Thursday | question: In what month did the attacks occur?, answer: November. | question: How many victims?, answer: 160 | question: Will Kasab be charged ?, answer: faces more than a dozen charges, including murder, conspiracy to wage a war against the nation and terrorism. | question: What day does the trial start?, answer: Thursday | question: Who does the lawyer represent?, answer: Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, | question: Who is being accused?, answer: Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, | question: What month was the siege in?, answer: November. | question: When was the trial due to start?, answer: Wednesday, | question: When did the siege take place ?, answer: November.
|
MUMBAI, India (Reuters) -- A newborn Indian baby found abandoned with 26 stab wounds has survived, doctors said on Wednesday, despite a cracked skull and exposed intestines.
The baby boy, who doctors said was aged between one and two days, was discovered soaked in blood at a garbage dump in India's financial capital of Mumbai on Tuesday, they said.
His intestines were hanging out from a deep wound on his back and he had dirt and garbage stuck on him.
"When he was brought in he looked pale from blood loss," said Ramesh Hatti, a doctor at a city hospital.
"He is still in a lot of pain but is now stable."
Police have not been able to trace the baby's parents or establish a reason for the attack.
Babies are sometimes abandoned by unwed Indian mothers, who fear severe social repercussions for having a child out of wedlock. E-mail to a friend
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question: who survived stabbing?, answer: A newborn Indian baby | question: What part of the baby was fractured?, answer: cracked skull | question: How many stab wounds did the baby suffer?, answer: 26 | question: what did doctors say, answer: newborn Indian baby found abandoned with 26 stab wounds has survived, | question: How many days old was the baby?, answer: between one and two
|
MUNICH, Germany (CNN) -- Alleged Nazi camp guard John Demjanjuk had no choice but to bring Jews to their deaths in extermination camps, Demjanjuk's defense argued Monday as his long-awaited trial got under way.
Demjanjuk, 89, faces charges of being an accessory to about 27,900 murders during World War II.
But his defense attorney, Ulrich Busch, said Monday the court was imposing a "moral and judicial double standard."
The retired auto worker from Cleveland, Ohio -- a native Ukrainian -- was a prisoner of war during the conflict, and would have been killed had he not done what the Nazis ordered, the defense team argued.
The defense line that Demjanjuk was forced to help the Nazis represents a change for the defendant, who has denied in the past that he was a camp guard.
The guards forced to help the Nazis were "victims, not culprits -- survivors, not murderers," defense lawyer Busch said.
Higher-ranking German SS officers in a similar situation have been found not guilty of war crimes, the defense argued.
The Munich state prosecutor brought the charges against Demjanjuk for his alleged role at the Sobibor death camp in Poland, where the Nazis and their accessories killed at least 167,000 people, according to the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum.
About 30 relatives of victims have joined the prosecution case. In Germany it is possible for the families to join the prosecution case as co-plaintiffs, representing named individuals who died in the death camps.
If Demjanjuk is found guilty, it will not be only for 27,900 anonymous murders, but for the murders of victims specifically named by the co-plantiffs.
There are very few remaining survivors of Sobibor.
Demjanjuk's defenders say he was a Soviet prisoner of war at the Trawniki camp, where Nazis trained prisoners to assist with the extermination of about 2 million Jews in occupied Poland. Those prisoners of war had no choice but to assist, the defense said.
Demjanjuk was brought into the court in a wheelchair, accompanied by medical personnel and a German-Ukrainian translator. He did not speak in the opening phase of the trial, and had his eyes shut most of the time.
The trial is expected to last until May of next year.
He was deported in May from the United States to Germany.
The German court originally accused him of complicity in about 29,000 murders. The prosecutor's office said it revised the number because some of those who had allegedly died in the camp when Demjanjuk was there were already dead during the transport to Sobibor.
Demjanjuk lost a U.S. Supreme Court case against his deportation. His lawyers had asked the high court to consider their claims that he was too ill and frail to be sent overseas. They also raised human rights and other legal issues.
The Munich State Court ruled earlier this year he was fit to stand trial.
But doctors have restricted the time he can be tried each day to two sessions of 90 minutes each, said Anton Winkler, Munich state prosecutor.
The accusations against Demjanjuk date to the late 1970s, when the U.S. Justice Department accused him of being a Nazi guard known as "Ivan the Terrible." His U.S. citizenship was revoked in 1981, and he was extradited to Israel in 1986.
Demjanjuk was convicted in an Israeli court in 1988 and sentenced to death, but that conviction was overturned in 1993 amid evidence that someone else was "Ivan the Terrible."
A federal court restored Demjanjuk's citizenship, ruling the government withheld evidence supporting his case.
But his citizenship was revoked again in 2002 after a federal judge ruled his 1952 entry into the United States was illegal because he hid his past as a Nazi guard.
CNN's Diana Magnay contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who is Demjanjuk?",
"What does Demjanjuk claim?",
"what does he say he was during the conflict?",
"He says he was a prisoner of war, not what?",
"who denies any role in the Holocaust?",
"what does he say he was not during the conflict?"
] |
[
"Alleged Nazi camp guard",
"he was too ill and frail to be sent overseas.",
"prisoner of war",
"camp guard.",
"John Demjanjuk",
"a camp guard."
] |
question: Who is Demjanjuk?, answer: Alleged Nazi camp guard | question: What does Demjanjuk claim?, answer: he was too ill and frail to be sent overseas. | question: what does he say he was during the conflict?, answer: prisoner of war | question: He says he was a prisoner of war, not what?, answer: camp guard. | question: who denies any role in the Holocaust?, answer: John Demjanjuk | question: what does he say he was not during the conflict?, answer: a camp guard.
|
MUNICH, Germany (CNN) -- Juliane Koepcke is not someone you'd expect to attract attention. Plainly dressed and wearing prescription glasses, Koepcke sits behind her desk at the Zoological Center in Munich, Germany, where she's a librarian.
Juliane Koepcke fell more than 3kms after the plane in which she was traveling broke up in midair.
Yet this unassuming middle aged woman has one of the most exciting and unbelievable stories of tragedy and survival to tell.
It was Christmas Eve, 1971, when Koepcke, then aged 17, and her mother boarded a Lockheed Electra turboprop for a flight from Lima, Peru, to Pucallpa in the Amazonian rainforest. Her parents, both famous zoologists, ran a research station in the jungle studying wildlife.
The airline, LANSA, had already lost two aircraft in previous crashes. "We knew the airline had a bad reputation," Koepcke told CNN, "but we desperately wanted to be with my father for Christmas, so we figured it would be alright."
The flight was supposed to last for less than an hour and for the first 25 minutes everything was fine, Koepcke recalled.
"Then we flew into heavy clouds and the plane started shaking. My mother was very nervous. Then to the right we saw a bright flash and the plane went into a nose dive. My mother said, 'This is it!'"
An accident investigation later found that one of the fuel tanks of the Lockheed Electra had been hit by a bolt of lightning which had torn the right wing off.
"We were headed straight down. Christmas presents were flying around the cabin and I could hear people screaming." Watch Koepcke tell her dramatic survivor's story »
As the plane broke into pieces in midair, Koepcke was thrust out into the open air:
"Suddenly there was this amazing silence. The plane was gone. I must have been unconscious and then came to in midair. I was flying, spinning through the air and I could see the forest spinning beneath me."
Then Koepcke lost consciousness again. She fell more than three kilometers (two miles) into the jungle canopy but miraculously survived with only minor injuries. Ninety-one other people aboard Flight 508 died.
Koepcke says she is not a spiritual person and has tried to find logical explanations for why she survived.
"Maybe it was the fact that I was still attached to a whole row of seats," she says. "It was rotating much like the helicopter and that might have slowed the fall. Also, the place I landed had very thick foliage and that might have lessened the impact."
In any case she survived with only minor injuries. Her collarbone was broken, her right eye swollen shut, she was suffering concussion and had large gashes on her arms and legs.
"I didn't wake up until nine o'clock the next morning. I know this because my watch was still working. So I must have been unconscious the whole afternoon and the night. When I came to I was alone, just me ... and my row of seats."
Her ordeal was far from over. Rescue planes and search crews were unable to locate the crash site and Koepcke was stranded in the jungle alone. But she had spent years on the research station with her parents and her father had taught her how to survive in the rainforest -- she knew how to cope in that environment.
""He said if you find a creek, follow it because that will lead to a stream and a stream will lead to a bigger river and that's where you'll find help."
The day after the crash she found a creek and started to wade down stream, but it was tough going. The only food she had was some candy she had found at the crash site and her wounds were quickly infested with parasites.
"I had a cut on my arm and after a few days I could feel there was something in it. I took a look and a fly had laid her eggs in the hole. It was full of maggots
|
[
"What was the survivor's name?",
"how many dead there were",
"Who was the only survivor?",
"How far did Koepcke fall?"
] |
[
"Juliane Koepcke",
"Ninety-one",
"Juliane Koepcke",
"3kms"
] |
question: What was the survivor's name?, answer: Juliane Koepcke | question: how many dead there were, answer: Ninety-one | question: Who was the only survivor?, answer: Juliane Koepcke | question: How far did Koepcke fall?, answer: 3kms
|
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (CNN) -- A Zimbabwean court ordered a senior opposition politician back to jail Wednesday to await his trial, set to begin next week.
Roy Bennett talks to the press in March 2009, a few moments after being released on bail.
"I commit the accused to prison," Magistrate Lucy Mungwari said as she announced the ruling in Roy Bennett's case to a packed courtroom in Mutare, about 185 miles southeast of the capital, Harare.
Bennett, a Movement for Democratic Change politician and an ardent critic of President Robert Mugabe's policies, was arrested on February 13 -- just before he was to be sworn in as deputy agriculture minister in the new power-sharing government. He faces charges of possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism.
Initially he had been charged with treason.
Immediately after the ruling, prison guards whisked away a visibly shocked Bennett, clad in khaki trousers, brown shoes and a checked shirt.
"We are really worried by this development," said Bennett's lawyer, Trust Maanda. "We are trying all possibilities to have him released. We will be at the high court this evening to seek his liberty."
State prosecutor Chris Mutangadura said the development was a "natural effect of the law."
"It is procedural," Mutangadura said. "He had to be indicted to the high court, and that means he loses his liberty until the trial resumes."
"If there is any defect in the process, the accused should raise it with the high court," said the magistrate, Mungwari.
A spokesman for Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said the premier has tried to meet with Mugabe since hearing that Bennett was sent back to jail.
Tsvangirai has not been granted access by Mugabe's employees, said spokesman James Maridadi.
"The prime minister has suspended the council of ministers' meeting he chairs on Thursdays," Maridadi said. "... He is meeting his party leadership first thing on Thursday."
The arrest of Bennett, a white coffee grower whose property was expropriated under the country's controversial land reform laws, came as other ministers where being sworn into the coalition government formed by Mugabe and Tsvangirai.
The action almost derailed the power-sharing deal, which had been brokered by the regional Southern African Development Community after a hotly disputed election won by Mugabe last year.
Bennett spent about a month in jail before the country's Supreme Court ordered him released on bail in March.
Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa called Wednesday's ruling "a ridiculous and extraordinary development."
He said it was a "serious abuse of the law, which will affect the coalition government," and added, "We are not going to sit and watch this abuse go on."
|
[
"What charges is Bennett facing?",
"He was arrested before he was going to be sworn in as what?",
"PM was trying to meet with who about the latest development?",
"Who is a Movement for Democratic Change politican?",
"What is Bennett's first name?",
"What kind of politician is Bennett?",
"In what country was he to serve as agriculture minister?",
"How many charges does he face?",
"What position was Bennett to be sworn into?"
] |
[
"possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism.",
"deputy agriculture minister",
"Mugabe",
"Bennett, a",
"Roy",
"a senior opposition",
"Zimbabwean",
"possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism.",
"deputy agriculture minister"
] |
question: What charges is Bennett facing?, answer: possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism. | question: He was arrested before he was going to be sworn in as what?, answer: deputy agriculture minister | question: PM was trying to meet with who about the latest development?, answer: Mugabe | question: Who is a Movement for Democratic Change politican?, answer: Bennett, a | question: What is Bennett's first name?, answer: Roy | question: What kind of politician is Bennett?, answer: a senior opposition | question: In what country was he to serve as agriculture minister?, answer: Zimbabwean | question: How many charges does he face?, answer: possessing weapons for sabotage, banditry and terrorism. | question: What position was Bennett to be sworn into?, answer: deputy agriculture minister
|
MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) -- After earning a reputation as a killer in Haiti, Tropical Storm Hanna amounted to little more than a windy rainstorm along the Atlantic Coast on Saturday.
Water almost covers the dock at the Marine Corps Air Station marina near the New River in North Carolina.
No states have "expressed any damage that they couldn't handle," said Glenn Cannon, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's assistant administrator for disaster operations.
He said there were some concerns about flooding near rivers and in low-lying areas.
"We're monitoring Hanna, but it seems to be a heavy rain event," he said.
According to the Associated Press, Hanna did cause one death in a traffic accident on Interstate 95 in Maryland.
Many people in Huntington, Virginia, about 8 miles northwest of Virginia Beach, voluntarily evacuated Saturday afternoon because of concerns about flooding, Fairfax County public information officer Merni Fitzgerald said. The area, which has flooded in the past, was receiving heavy rain, she said.
She could not provide an exact number of people who had evacuated.
The storm drenched the Carolinas and Virginia with heavy rain pushed by 55-mph winds as it zipped northward near 30 mph (48 kph), the National Hurricane Center reported at 11 p.m. ET Saturday.
At that hour, the center of the storm was 90 miles (145 kilometers) west-southwest of Long Island, New York, and about 135 miles (220 kilometers) southwest of Providence, Rhode Island. Hanna would travel the coast all the way up to Canada's Maritime Provinces by Sunday night, forecasters said.
Hanna came ashore at 3:20 a.m. ET near the North Carolina-South Carolina state line.
It caused a surge of 1 to 2 feet of water along the shore and was expected to deliver 4 to 6 inches of rain, with some areas getting more.
Flooding, wind damage and power outages were minor across the Carolinas, according to emergency officials. View a map of Hanna's projected path »
"It's actually going fairly well, with some reports of minor flooding," said South Carolina Emergency Management spokesman Derrec Becker.
About 10,000 South Carolina homes were without power Saturday morning, mostly in the Myrtle Beach area, Becker said. He also said 444 South Carolina residents were staying in 15 shelters.
In North Carolina, nearly 12,000 homes had no electricity, mostly in the counties near where Hanna came in, said State Emergency Management spokesman Mark Van Sciver. See what impact Hanna had on Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina »
No deaths were reported, flooding was limited, and no highways were closed, Van Sciver said.
Nearly 1,500 residents sought refuge Saturday in 49 emergency shelters in North Carolina, Van Sciver said.
The storm snarled some travel plans. It triggered delays for arrivals to Philadelphia International Airport in Pennsylvania and departures from Newark International Airport in New Jersey and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Delays at JFK airport averaged about four hours, the FAA said.
Hanna's eye made landfall near Little River Inlet at the South Carolina-North Carolina line, according to CNN meteorologists. Watch wind whip a South Carolina beach »
Pounding waves flattened some sand dunes on the beaches at Oak Island, North Carolina, just east of the storm's landfall.
The island's Ocean Crest pier, rebuilt after Hurricane Floyd destroyed it nine years ago, held up under Hanna, but the American flag flying above it was in tatters and barely attached to its pole by sunrise.
By Saturday afternoon, the hurricane center had discontinued a tropical storm warning southward from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
A tropical storm warning covered much of the East Coast from Cape Hatteras to Merrimack River, Massachusetts, about 31 miles north of Boston.
The warning included all of Chesapeake Bay, Washington, New York Harbor and Long Island Sound, as well as popular vacation islands Martha's Vineyard, Block Island and Nantucket.
The warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within the warning area within the next 24
|
[
"Where were the residents evacuated voluntarily?",
"Residents of which city evacuated due to flooding?",
"What did FEMA say about help?",
"How much rain is expected to fall along the Atlantic Coast?",
"How many states did FEMA say requested help?",
"How much rain is expected on the Atlantic Coast?",
"What caused the residents to be evacuated?"
] |
[
"Huntington, Virginia,",
"Huntington,",
"\"We're monitoring Hanna, but it seems to be a heavy rain event,\"",
"4",
"No",
"4 to 6 inches",
"Tropical Storm"
] |
question: Where were the residents evacuated voluntarily?, answer: Huntington, Virginia, | question: Residents of which city evacuated due to flooding?, answer: Huntington, | question: What did FEMA say about help?, answer: "We're monitoring Hanna, but it seems to be a heavy rain event," | question: How much rain is expected to fall along the Atlantic Coast?, answer: 4 | question: How many states did FEMA say requested help?, answer: No | question: How much rain is expected on the Atlantic Coast?, answer: 4 to 6 inches | question: What caused the residents to be evacuated?, answer: Tropical Storm
|
MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) -- The top three Democratic presidential candidates face off in a Monday night debate in South Carolina, with the hearts and minds of African-American voters on the line.
Sen. Barack Obama addresses Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached.
Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina share the stage at Myrtle Beach's Palace Theatre as the nation honors the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a federal holiday.
The debate, put together by CNN and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute, comes five days before the Democratic primary in South Carolina, where almost half of the Democratic primary voters are African-Americans.
These voters will be crucial to the outcome of Saturday's primary in South Carolina. They now appear to be leaning heavily toward Obama, who if elected, would become the country's first black president.
Having a debate on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in South Carolina "is very fitting," said David Bohrman, CNN senior vice president and Washington bureau chief, who is executive producer of the debate. "Perhaps a debate on Martin Luther King Day in South Carolina should be made a must-stop on the road to the White House every four years."
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Friday suggested that nearly 60 percent of black registered Democrats were backing Obama as the presidential nominee, with 31 percent supporting Clinton. That's a major shift from October, when African-Americans backed Clinton over Obama, 57 percent to 33 percent.
What appears to have changed is Obama's electability.
"There's been a huge shift among African-American Democrats from Clinton to Obama. African-American Democrats used to be reluctant to support Obama because they didn't think a black man could be elected. Then Obama won Iowa and nearly won New Hampshire. Now they believe," Bill Schneider, CNN's senior political analyst, said.
"Obama's lead over Clinton among black men is more than 50 points, and among black women, once a Clinton stronghold, Obama has an 11-point advantage," said Keating Holland, CNN's polling director.
Entrance polls from Saturday's Nevada Democratic caucuses match what appears in the CNN poll. Eighty-three percent of black voters questioned before they entered the caucuses said they were backing Obama, with 14 percent supporting Clinton, who if elected, would become the country's first woman to win the presidency.
These kinds of numbers could spell trouble in South Carolina for Clinton, who's coming off victories in the New Hampshire primary and the Nevada caucuses. But Clinton holds a special relationship with many in the black community, thanks to her efforts in support of civil rights and to the popularity of former President Clinton with African-Americans.
Both Democratic front-runners were reaching out to African-American voters Sunday. Obama, who often refers to King in his speeches, spoke at Atlanta, Georgia's Ebenezer Baptist Church, where the late civil rights leader once preached. Watch Clinton, Obama reach out to black voters »
Obama recalled the legacy of discrimination against African-Americans but challenged the audience at the historic black church to take a look at a few lingering prejudices among some within the community.
"And yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of our hands are entirely clean. If we're honest with ourselves, we'll acknowledge that our own community has not always been true to King's vision of a beloved community," Obama said, citing homophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant sentiment.
Obama told the congregation Sunday morning that if King could forgive his jailers, "surely we can look past what divides us in our time."
Obama's visit to the city coincided with his endorsement Sunday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which cited his "appeal across many of the lines that have divided America," adding that "both Clinton and Obama would make very good presidents, [but] Obama is the person; this is his
|
[
"Who picks up pastor's endorsement at Harlem church?",
"Where was Hillary Clinton?",
"What is CNN hosting?",
"Whose church did Obama visit?",
"Where did Clinton go?",
"What city is the former church of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. located in?",
"Who is hosting the debate?",
"Where did Obama go?"
] |
[
"Obama",
"South Carolina,",
"Monday night debate",
"Ebenezer Baptist",
"South Carolina,",
"Atlanta, Georgia's",
"David Bohrman,",
"Atlanta, Georgia's Ebenezer Baptist Church,"
] |
question: Who picks up pastor's endorsement at Harlem church?, answer: Obama | question: Where was Hillary Clinton?, answer: South Carolina, | question: What is CNN hosting?, answer: Monday night debate | question: Whose church did Obama visit?, answer: Ebenezer Baptist | question: Where did Clinton go?, answer: South Carolina, | question: What city is the former church of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. located in?, answer: Atlanta, Georgia's | question: Who is hosting the debate?, answer: David Bohrman, | question: Where did Obama go?, answer: Atlanta, Georgia's Ebenezer Baptist Church,
|
MacDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida (CNN) -- No piece of equipment is more crucial to a soldier in the field than his rifle. And America's most elite troops are about to get a new series of rifles designed for their unique and dangerous missions.
CNN was given an exclusive look at two new rifles for an elite group of U.S. troops.
"The difference is, I'm gonna have a weapon that's gonna fit the situation," an Army Ranger staff sergeant said.
Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is about to start training its SEALs, Green Berets and other Special Operations troops in the use of Mark 16 and Mark 17 rifles.
Within a year, the new rifles should be in action against terrorists and insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan and hot spots the public may never hear about.
The usually secretive SOCOM gave CNN an exclusive chance to see and even fire the new weapon recently at its headquarters near Tampa, Florida. Watch a preview of the new weapons »
The contractors working with SOCOM to develop the weapon say it is more versatile and more accurate, jams less and lasts longer than the current rifle used by many Special Operations troops, the M-4.
The Mark 16 (Mk16) fires a 5.56 mm round, the same size used for decades in M-16s and M-4s. The Mk17 fires a larger 7.62 mm round that is used in some U.S. military machine guns, but it's not the same round as in the AK-47, the world's most widely used assault rifle.
Both of the new rifles are designed to kill regardless of the situation.
"Whether that's a soft target, a guy without body armor, or whether that's an enemy force within a vehicle that you need to shoot through a window or the side of the vehicle and you want to ensure that round is not deflected," said Tucker Campion, a retired Navy SEAL who now is a civilian contractor working on the new rifles. "We want a round that, when it hits the enemy soldier, provides the maximum amount of damage."
Even though they fire different-size bullets, each rifle is largely interchangeable with the other. By changing only a few parts, including the bolt and the barrel, a soldier can switch from a gun that fires the lighter 5.56 mm round to one that shoots the heavier 7.62 mm round in a matter of minutes.
That's just one example of the rifle's versatility. Each gun comes with three interchangeable barrels, and each gives the troops a specific advantage.
"If you were going to clear an urban environment, buildings, rooms, you'd probably throw the short barrel on there," the staff sergeant said.
CNN is honoring the Ranger's request not to identify him, because in battle, anonymity is crucial for Special Operations troops.
"If you're in Afghanistan and you're walking in the mountains and the hills and all that, and your distance is going to be a lot greater to the enemy, and you're probably going to want to throw the longer barrel on there so you get that extra reach," the Ranger said.
Even though the rifles fire the same bullets as existing weapons, they are designed to be much more accurate.
"If you look at a current inventory assault rifle, you get 350 to 400 meters," Campion said of their range of accuracy. "Put a long barrel in (the new rifle), and now you're at 6 to 7 (hundred meters). So we're extending the standoff between us and the enemy." A longer standoff means an American can shoot an enemy soldier from farther away; thus, the American is safer.
One of the main goals was to design a gun that lasts longer. Campion says the M-4 is designed to fire 6,000 rounds over five years. But the Mk16 and Mk17 were designed for Special Operations, who are likely to fire 6,000 rounds in less than one year. The new rifles are designed to handle the greater rate of use and last twice as long.
The design changes
|
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"what will the military do",
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"what are The new rifles designed for",
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"What kind of rifles were designed for dangerous missions?"
] |
[
"start training its SEALs, Green Berets and other Special Operations troops in the use of Mark 16 and Mark 17 rifles.",
"a new series of rifles designed for their unique and dangerous missions.",
"the greater rate of use",
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"Mark 16 and Mark 17",
"SOCOM",
"Mark 16"
] |
question: what will the military do, answer: start training its SEALs, Green Berets and other Special Operations troops in the use of Mark 16 and Mark 17 rifles. | question: what does the elite group have?, answer: a new series of rifles designed for their unique and dangerous missions. | question: What are the new rifles designed to handle?, answer: the greater rate of use | question: what are The new rifles designed for, answer: unique and dangerous missions. | question: what type of rifles?, answer: Mark 16 and Mark 17 | question: Who gave CNN an exclusive look at the situation?, answer: SOCOM | question: What kind of rifles were designed for dangerous missions?, answer: Mark 16
|
Macon, Georgia (CNN) -- Bettye Webb-Hayes won't ever forget the day her son posed a question that stopped her in her tracks.
"Mom," the fourth-grader asked, "am I white?"
It was a question she had never asked her own parents. It was something you didn't talk about in the days of the segregated South -- especially when your mom was white and your father was a mix of African-American and Native American. She went to the black schools of Macon, Georgia. Now, her son was asking probing questions.
"Why would you ask me that?" she said.
"Because everybody at school calls me a honky," said the young Cordell, a light-skinned African-American.
Twenty-seven years have passed since that conversation. Bettye and her son recently traveled back to Macon to face something that's been omnipresent their whole lives: the coming together of white and black.
They returned for a one-of-a-kind 50th high school gathering. The classes of 1959, once segregated by race as well as gender, sat down together for the first time in history.
Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes arrived two hours early for the festivities. She didn't sleep the night before.
"It's like waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. I'm so excited," said Mayes, who drove more than 330 miles from Tennessee to attend.
Mayes went to Ballard-Hudson High, the city's black high school, whose most famous students include singers Otis Redding and Little Richard. She came this day "to celebrate and commemorate."
"I could not pass this event up," she said. "I never dreamed of this moment -- just the realization of knowing that we had come together, at last."
As the 1959 graduates arrived, they welcomed one another. Many first greeted people of their own race. Some hadn't seen particular classmates in the 50 years since they earned their diplomas. Gradually, they began mixing and mingling.
There was a commonality -- a need to come together for their children, their grandchildren and the generations to follow. Discuss the past, while moving forward in the present.
Separated now by 'personal choice'
It sometimes takes a son to see things in a new light.
The idea for the meeting began four years ago, when a son told his father: "Dad, think about how many friends you missed getting to know."
Those were the words of Wyatt Johnson, a public school teacher in Santa Cruz, California. He and his father, Tom Johnson, were enjoying a father-son trip to Macon in 2005 to rediscover their roots.
Tom Johnson is the former head of CNN and was once the publisher of the Los Angeles Times. He's traveled the world and left his own mark along the way. Yet despite all his accomplishments, there was something he'd never done: reach out to the African-Americans of Macon from 1959, the ones he never knew because of segregation.
An idea was born. He wrote to graduates of the black school, Ballard-Hudson; the white girls' school, Miller; and the white boys' school, Lanier. "We all have deep personal memories of our high school experiences that will remain with us forever," he wrote. "We had lived in a separate black and white world in Macon. ... It is a different world today. We no longer are separated, except by personal choice."
One white graduate responded with hate mail, a reminder that racism still exists.
But on a day in early October, more than 200 people gathered at a Goodwill banquet hall. There was no shouting, none of the in-your-face name-calling seen in recent health care town hall meetings across the country.
Here, there were tears, hugs and handshakes. Often, talk of grandkids took center stage at the 16 roundtables. They talked about race and the segregated past that prevented such
|
[
"Where did students from former segregated schools unite?",
"What did Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes say?",
"Who reunited in Macon, Georgia?",
"Who said \"I never dreamed of this moment\"?"
] |
[
"Macon",
"\"It's like waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. I'm so excited,\"",
"the 1959 graduates",
"Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes"
] |
question: Where did students from former segregated schools unite?, answer: Macon | question: What did Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes say?, answer: "It's like waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. I'm so excited," | question: Who reunited in Macon, Georgia?, answer: the 1959 graduates | question: Who said "I never dreamed of this moment"?, answer: Ruby Dean Dupree Mayes
|
Madison, Wisconsin (CNN) -- Republicans retained four of the six state Senate seats that were in jeopardy in Tuesday's recall elections in Wisconsin, news media in the state reported.
Democrats won two seats but needed three to take control.
The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which certifies election results, said official results will begin to come in Thursday and will be certified that day at the earliest. The unofficial results released Wednesday were collected by The Associated Press and distributed to newspapers, television and radio stations.
The recall election stems from the bitter battle last winter that saw pro-union protesters camping out in the state Capitol and Democratic senators fleeing the state in an unsuccessful attempt to halt legislation by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that some felt was anti-union.
Democrats were angling to win GOP-held seats to capture control of the upper chamber. Before the election, Republicans held a 19-14 majority in the state Senate. With a victory, Democrats had hoped to build momentum for a planned effort to recall Walker.
Walker, who was elected in November with strong support from tea party activists, can't be recalled until after he serves a year in office.
Republicans have countered with their own recall attempts against three Democrats. One of them survived a challenge in July, while two others will be on the ballot next week.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus applauded the results of the Tuesday vote.
"Today, Wisconsin voters rejected the reckless spending of Wisconsin Democrats and the downgrade-inducing policies of their Washington counterparts. They have given their seal of approval to Republicans' successful efforts to balance the budget and ensure a healthy economy," he said.
Priebus also said the vote was an affirmation of Walker's policies.
Walker set off a firestorm in January when he moved to curtail the collective bargaining rights of most state employees. With majorities in both houses of the Legislature, Walker and his GOP allies voted to limit raises for public employees except police and firefighters to the rate of inflation, bar unions from deducting dues from workers' paychecks and force them to hold a new certification vote every year.
Republicans insisted that the legislation was necessary to control skyrocketing public employee benefit costs and close a budget shortfall, while Democrats called it an attempt to gut public-sector labor unions, one of their core constituencies. The state Supreme Court upheld the legislation in June.
While Democrats would not have been able to roll back the union restrictions with control of only one chamber of the Legislature, they would have been able to block any of Walker's other initiatives.
Tea Party Express chief strategist Sal Russo said he was pleased about the vote.
"The importance of those achievements cannot be overstated," Russo said. "Wisconsin has set an example that the nation as a whole should follow."
CNN's Ted Rowlands, Gabriella Schwarz, Paul Steinhauser and Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
|
[
"What can't be overstated",
"What is an affirmation",
"Whose policies does the vote affirm",
"What did Tea Party Express member's say?",
"What reason were there for recalls",
"How many Republican senators faced recall votes on Tuesday?",
"How many senators faced a recall"
] |
[
"importance of those achievements",
"the vote",
"Walker's",
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"stems from the bitter battle last winter that saw pro-union protesters camping out in the state Capitol and Democratic senators fleeing the state in an unsuccessful attempt to halt legislation by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that some felt was anti-union.",
"six",
"six"
] |
question: What can't be overstated, answer: importance of those achievements | question: What is an affirmation, answer: the vote | question: Whose policies does the vote affirm, answer: Walker's | question: What did Tea Party Express member's say?, answer: pleased about the vote. | question: What reason were there for recalls, answer: stems from the bitter battle last winter that saw pro-union protesters camping out in the state Capitol and Democratic senators fleeing the state in an unsuccessful attempt to halt legislation by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker that some felt was anti-union. | question: How many Republican senators faced recall votes on Tuesday?, answer: six | question: How many senators faced a recall, answer: six
|
Madrid (CNN) -- Spain's royal family publicly revealed its finances for the first time Wednesday, as the nation faces an economic crisis and corruption allegations bring increased scrutiny to the monarchy.
King Juan Carlos receives 292,752 euros ($382,743) annually, the royal palace said in a statement. Prince Felipe, next in line to the throne, receives about half that amount
Queen Sofia, Princess Letizia, Infanta Elena and Infanta Cristina received a combined total of 375,000 euros for royal duties ($490,274) in 2011, the palace's statement said.
The announcement comes as a corruption investigation reportedly involving the king's son-in-law has fueled public criticism of the royal family.
Authorities are investigating whether a foundation headed by Inaki Undangarin improperly used public funds, according to media reports. No charges have been filed against Undangarin, a former Olympic handball player who married Infanta Cristina in 1997.
Urdangarin's attorney, in an interview with Europa Press earlier this month, said his client was innocent.
The palace pledged its commitment to austerity and transparency in its statement Wednesday.
Spain faces an economic crisis that has brought thousands of protesters to the streets and sparked sharp government austerity measures.
About 5 million people in the country are jobless. Spain has an overall unemployment rate of 21.5%, but it youth unemployment rate is a staggering 45%.
Conservative prime minister sworn in
Economic protests surged across Spain over the past year, fueled by young people known as "indignants," who criticized government officials and financial institutions.
When he took office last week, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said pulling the nation out of its deep economic crisis would be his top priority.
CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet, Ana Maria Luengo-Romero and Al Goodman contributed to this report.
|
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question: what is the king's income, answer: 292,752 euros ($382,743) annually, | question: what kind of crisis facing Spain, answer: economic | question: who is next in line to the throne?, answer: Prince Felipe, | question: what did the investigation report, answer: Authorities are investigating whether a foundation headed by Inaki Undangarin improperly used public funds, | question: what King Juan Carlos receives annually?, answer: 292,752 euros | question: What research has been released by the Spanish media, answer: Authorities are investigating whether a foundation headed | question: how many euros receives annual, answer: 292,752 | question: what is fueling criticism of the royal family?, answer: a corruption investigation | question: who is next in line, answer: Prince Felipe,
|
Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish court Wednesday convicted five men accused of Islamic terrorist activities that included aiding fugitives from the Madrid train bombings of 2004 and planning other attacks.
The five men include three Moroccans, an Algerian and a Turk. Their sentences, on charges of collaborating or belonging to an Islamic terrorist group, range from five to nine years in prison, according to a copy of the court order viewed by CNN.
The court acquitted four other defendants, all Moroccans, on similar charges.
"During the years 2004 and 2005, the group provided cover and economic support and facilitated the flight from Spain for individuals who had roles" in the train bombings, the court said.
The group was based in a Barcelona suburb, Santa Coloma de Gramenet, before police made arrests in June 2005, officials said.
Some in the group also were involved in trafficking in weapons or explosives, or preaching violence for indoctrination of new militants, ruled a three-judge panel at Spain's high-security National Court.
The Madrid train bombings -- coordinated attacks on four morning-rush commuter trains -- killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800.
Spanish courts previously had convicted 14 Islamic militants for their roles in the train bombings. Among them were four Spaniards convicted of trafficking in the explosives used in the attacks.
|
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"Where were five men convicted?",
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"How many years in prison are the 5 men sentenced to?",
"What number of people died in the bombing?",
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question: Where were five men convicted?, answer: A Spanish court | question: How many people were killed in the Madrid train bombings?, answer: 191 | question: How many years in prison are the 5 men sentenced to?, answer: five to nine | question: What number of people died in the bombing?, answer: 191 | question: What are the five men convicted of?, answer: Islamic terrorist activities | question: When were the Madrid train bombings?, answer: 2004 | question: Which court convicted the men?, answer: Spanish | question: Where did the train bombing occur?, answer: Madrid | question: How many men were convicted?, answer: five
|
Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish court convicted 11 Islamic militants Monday of membership in a terrorist group, but acquitted them of a "specific" conspiracy to carry out an attack on Barcelona's metro subway system, as prosecutors alleged.
The court instead said there was a more general decision by the group, linked to al Qaeda, to use explosives against Barcelona's metro, but that a specific date and place had not been determined, nor had a sufficient amount of explosives been assembled, according to a copy of the sentence viewed by CNN.
The judges ruled the alleged Barcelona plot had "not advanced sufficiently" to constitute a crime of conspiracy under Spanish law.
The alleged plot in January 2008 had raised alarm bells in Europe because Spanish authorities said there were to be a series of attacks, starting with suicide bombings on the Barcelona metro, and then other attacks in Spain, Germany, France, Portugal and Great Britain, if successive demands from a Pakistani Taliban leader and al Qaeda were not met.
The trial against 10 Pakistani men and an Indian national was held last month. All proclaimed their innocence and many refused to answer prosecutors questions.
The three-judge panel at the National Court ruled on Monday that all 11 belonged to a terrorist group. Two of the 11 also were convicted of possession of explosives, but nine others were acquitted on that charge. The 11 face prison terms of eight to 14 years.
But Jose Maria Fuster-Fabra, a private prosecutor representing victims in the case, told CNN the sentence sets a precedent in Spain because the 11 defendants were convicted for terrorist group membership almost solely on the basis of a key police informant, known as F1 to protect his identity.
F1 testified he was selected by the group's leader to be a suicide bomber, and that he quickly made a secretive call from a bathroom at a Barcelona mosque to warn a friend in France about an impending terrorist attack. Hours later, police swooped to make arrests in January 2008 in Barcelona.
The protected witness denied on the stand that he worked for French or any other secret service.
Defense lawyer Jacobo Teijelo, on the team representing all 11 defendants, said the sentence lacked judicial merit and he vowed to appeal to Spain's Supreme Court.
About 30 members of Barcelona's large Pakistani community watched the trial almost daily in a bulletproof basement courtroom at the high-security National Court in central Madrid. A community leader told CNN the defendants were innocent and that the Pakistani community in Barcelona was hardworking and law-abiding.
More than 300 suspected Islamic extremists have been arrested in Spain since the Madrid commuter train bombings that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800 on March 11, 2004, Spain's interior minister has said.
|
[
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question: What did the judge rule?, answer: the alleged Barcelona plot had "not advanced sufficiently" to constitute a crime of conspiracy under Spanish law. | question: How many militants were convicted?, answer: 11 | question: Judges ruled alleged Barcelona plot what?, answer: "not advanced sufficiently" to constitute a crime of conspiracy | question: When did the plot occur?, answer: in January 2008 | question: What have 11 Islamic militants been convicted of?, answer: group, | question: What raised alarm bells in January 2008?, answer: The alleged plot | question: Courts convicts 11 Islamic millitants because of?, answer: group, | question: What raised alarm bells with Spanish authorities?, answer: The alleged plot in January 2008
|
Madrid, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish fishing boat repelled an attack by suspected pirates Sunday morning in the Indian Ocean off the African coast, Spain's ministry of defense said.
The Spanish Ortube Berria fishing vessel was in waters southwest of the Seychelles when pirates aboard two skiffs opened fire on the ship with light arms and a grenade shot from a launcher, according to a defense ministry news release. The Seychelles are a group of islands located north of Madagascar and southeast of Somalia, whose coastal waters have become known for piracy.
The attack happened at about 5:40 a.m., the ministry said.
A private security company aboard the fishing vessel returned fire and thwarted the attack, the statement said.
No one was injured, and the ship did not suffer any material damage.
Following the attack, the Ortube Berria was sailing southward away from the area, the defense ministry said.
Pirates have captured more than 50 ships this year off Somalia and are currently holding 11, according to information from Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon.
Earlier this month, the crew of another Spanish fishing boat, the Alakrana, was released by Somali pirates after 47 days in captivity.
The Alakrana was hijacked off the coast of Somalia.
On Sunday, the commander of a European Union anti-piracy operation, deployed a Portuguese frigate based in the area toward the site of the attack, Spanish authorities said.
CNN's Per Nyberg contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who returned fire?",
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question: Who returned fire?, answer: A Spanish fishing boat | question: How many ships have pirates capture?, answer: 50 | question: Where were the fishing boats from?, answer: Spain | question: In what ocean did the attack occur?, answer: Indian | question: Where was the attack?, answer: Indian Ocean off the African coast, | question: How many ships have been captured?, answer: 50 | question: From what nation was the fishing boat?, answer: Spain
|
Malibu, California (CNN) -- Many people are struggling just to provide the basics these days. The big question is, how do you find joy and fulfillment during lean holiday times like these?
For the answer, I look back upon the philosophy by which my mother, Mieke Frankenberg, led her life, through both its brightest and darkest hours. Her philosophy originated during World War II through her experiences as a prisoner of war in a Japanese concentration camp in Indonesia. She had lived in that country with an abusive husband, whom she left before the war broke out and the Japanese captured her.
Through the bleakest times, she reached out to her fellow prisoners to provide them with comfort and care. The lack of medical supplies meant care wasn't much more than holding someone's hand or sharing some of her starvation rations. While not a nurse, she gave of herself and drew a sustaining love in return.
Returning to England after the war, my mother remarried and started a family, which grew to include me and my two sisters. With the camp behind her, my mother's philosophy remained to always keep an open heart. She volunteered with the Red Cross and regularly provided emotional support for friends. She found that when love flows with no boundaries from an open heart, love also finds its way back in. She gave and gave, and received love in return.
This "open heart" philosophy has sustained me, as well, through the most difficult of times, including a painful divorce about 20 years ago that left me near penniless. At that point in my life, I attended a fundraiser for ChildHelp USA. I donated some of the last money I had, and in return, I secured a session where an artist drew a picture of my two children at the time. At that sitting, the artist saw potential in some finger paintings I'd made for my children and offered to give me free painting lessons.
As I started painting, I discovered my emotional outlet. I began creating images of hearts that were always open, never closed. These hearts may have appeared unfinished in a way. But they brought me back to the lessons of my mother, a reminder to live as she lived -- openhearted.
Soon, I changed from a frantic, terrified and angry person into someone who was able to let go of the past. I began to let other people into my life and to give back emotionally. Around that same time, I landed the TV role of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" and was back on my feet. I now embody my mother's belief that only when you can love yourself and keep your heart open can you best give and receive love.
My family continues my mother's tradition at Christmas, when we open our home to relatives, neighbors, my six children and even their friends -- extending our family to include those unable to head home for the holidays. Some years, there are as many as 50 people at the dinner table.
Living with an open heart can be a path to rewarding holidays for many people this year, even if budgets tighten and troubles mount. The holiday table may be less bountiful. There may be fewer presents under the tree. But an open heart can bring a wealth of love, hope and inspiration. You might think these are shaping up to be your gloomiest holidays ever. But remember, as my mother taught me, someone is always worse off than you.
Find a way to give, even if you're in need yourself. Find the place where you can provide comfort, care or love. Volunteer at a food bank or a shelter. Reach out to elderly neighbors to find out how you might make their lives a little easier.
By opening your heart to others, good things will come to you, too. With that approach, I hope you'll find that 2009 could become the most fulfilling of holiday seasons.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jane Seymour.
|
[
"Who said \"People should find a way to give, even if they are in need themselves\"?",
"What philosophy leave Jane's mother?",
"What Jane Seymour says about her mother?",
"Who formed Jane Seymour's philosophy?",
"What allows love to flow freely between people?"
] |
[
"Jane Seymour.",
"always keep an open heart.",
"someone is always worse off than you.",
"Mieke Frankenberg,",
"an open heart."
] |
question: Who said "People should find a way to give, even if they are in need themselves"?, answer: Jane Seymour. | question: What philosophy leave Jane's mother?, answer: always keep an open heart. | question: What Jane Seymour says about her mother?, answer: someone is always worse off than you. | question: Who formed Jane Seymour's philosophy?, answer: Mieke Frankenberg, | question: What allows love to flow freely between people?, answer: an open heart.
|
Managua, Nicaragua (CNN) -- Nicaragua's election officials have officially declared President Daniel Ortega's victory, but opponents are protesting the results.
A report from the Organization of American States indicated "irregularities in the elections," but supported official results saying that Ortega won re-election after garnering more than 62% of votes.
"A process is legitimate if the people feel that there wishes were respected, and that is what we are experiencing here," said Roberto Rivas, president of Nicaragua's election authority.
But protests and clashes throughout the country after the November 6 elections have left at least four people dead and dozens injured, police said.
According to a report presented by the Organization of American States' election observers, irregularities during elections included problems providing identification card to vote, problems in the accreditation of observers and imbalances in political parties present at polling stations.
For opponents of Ortega, the report shows evidence of fraud.
"Obviously here transparency is missing. They didn't take a series of legal steps that they should have," said Eduardo Montealegre, a representative from the opposition Independent Liberal Party.
The Organization of American States says its vote count echoes the official election results.
But one local pro-democracy group says the problems the organization identified would equally impact their own tallies.
"It's not that the results changed on the way (to be counted), it's that the absolute power of the councils overseeing the polls did not allow any challenges," said Roberto Bendana, president of We Make Democracy.
Last week U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland weighed in over reports of procedural irregularities and voter intimidation.
"Frankly, if the Nicaraguan government had nothing to hide, it should have allowed a broad complement of international monitors," she told reporters in Washington.
Disputes over the results have caused confrontations between protesters and authorities, said Marcos Carmona, executive secretary of Nicaragua's Permanent Human Rights Commission.
"We have reports from different citizens about aggression on the part of the National Police," he said, including the deaths of a father and two sons.
Last week a National Police spokesman said the three had died during clashes with supporters of Ortega's Sandinista party, adding that protesters had provoked clashes with police.
"As the National Police, we reiterate our call to the activists and directors of the different political parties, to not use violence and to express their positions through civic means, respecting, above all, the lives of others," police spokesman Fernando Borge said.
Ortega was first elected as Nicaragua's president in 1984, and ran unsuccessfully in 1990, 1996 and 2001 before being elected again in 2006.
He is known as an ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and was a public supporter of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi during the Libyan uprising.
But recently he has reached for the middle, making overtures to the business class and promising to lure foreign investors into the country.
His third term is scheduled to begin January 10. But opposition representatives say they plan to dispute election results before international organizations.
Journalist Samantha Lugo and CNN's Fernando del Rincon contributed to this report.
|
[
"Protests and clashes have left at least how many dead",
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] |
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"four",
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question: Protests and clashes have left at least how many dead, answer: four | question: By the officials, by what percentage Ortega won reelection?, answer: 62% | question: What percentage of votes did Ortega win with?, answer: 62% | question: What was Ortega's winning margin?, answer: more than 62% of votes. | question: What Police said about damage and injuries at protests?, answer: least four people dead
|
Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Hours before the first primary vote of 2012, Republican front-runner Mitt Romney tried to recover from a potential stumble Monday as his presidential rivals intensified their attacks against him.
Voters in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary begin choosing their GOP candidates as early as 12 a.m. Tuesday in two small towns -- Dixville Notch and Hart's Location -- while polling stations in the rest of the state open at 6 a.m. and close as late as 8 p.m. ET.
The final day of campaigning saw Romney under fire for a comment about health insurance that quickly became fodder for criticism.
Asked about the issue in Nashua, New Hampshire, Romney said he wanted a person to be able to own his or her own policy "and perhaps keep it the rest of their life."
"That means the insurance company will have the incentive to keep you healthy. It also means if you don't like what they do, you can fire them," he said.
"I like being able to fire people who provide services to me," Romney added. "If someone doesn't give me the good service I need, I want to say I am going to get somebody else to provide that service to me."
Rival candidate Jon Huntsman immediately seized on the comment as an indication of Romney's political nature.
"It has become abundantly clear over the last couple of days what differentiates Gov. Romney and me," Huntsman said in Concord. "I will always put my country first. It seems that Gov. Romney believes in putting politics first. Gov. Romney enjoys firing people. I enjoy creating jobs."
The Democratic National Committee released a derisive Web video and called Romney "out of touch," while the campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry looped Romney's words to make a cell phone ring tone that quickly went viral.
Romney spent much of the rest of the day clarifying what he meant. At one point, Romney said he expected the comment to be taken out of context to try to hurt him, and his campaign issued a statement emphasizing he was talking about firing an insurance company, not people.
"Our opponents are taking Gov. Romney's comments completely out of context," said a statement by Gail Gitcho, the campaign's communications director. "Gov. Romney was talking about firing insurance companies if you don't like their service. That is something that most Americans agree with."
The latest twist in the GOP presidential race came on the eve of the first primary election a week after Romney won the Iowa caucuses by just eight votes over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.
With Romney in front in polls in New Hampshire and South Carolina, the site of the first Southern state primary on January 21, rivals stepped up their attacks by questioning the former Massachusetts governor's business background and electability.
In Manchester, former House speaker Newt Gingrich tore into Romney's record in the private sector at the helm of Bain Capital.
Though Romney has said his work at the Boston-based private equity firm ultimately led to the creation of 100,000 jobs, Gingrich said Romney's pursuit of wealth exacted a huge cost.
"What you have to raise questions about is, somebody goes out, invests a certain amount of money, say $30 million, takes out an amount, say $180 million -- six to one return -- and then the company goes bankrupt," Gingrich said. "Now, you have to ask a question: Is capitalism really about the ability of a handful of rich people to manipulate the lives of thousands of other people and walk off with the money? Or is that, in fact, a little bit of a flawed system? And so I do draw a distinction between looting a company, leaving behind broken families and broken neighbors, and leaving behind a factory that should be there."
Romney fired back that Gingrich and others were joining President Barack Obama in attacking the free enterprise system.
"As we'll find out, free enterprise will be on trial," Romney said. "
|
[
"who expects comment to be taken out of context?",
"what is the polling for?",
"who has to go negative?",
"Who is Mitt Romney?"
] |
[
"Romney",
"GOP candidates",
"Mitt Romney",
"Republican front-runner"
] |
question: who expects comment to be taken out of context?, answer: Romney | question: what is the polling for?, answer: GOP candidates | question: who has to go negative?, answer: Mitt Romney | question: Who is Mitt Romney?, answer: Republican front-runner
|
Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Republican presidential candidates faced off twice in 11 hours on Saturday and Sunday in debates ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary. While both debates were staged in the Granite State, it was clear that the rivals intended for their messages to go beyond New Hampshire.
Here are five things we learned from the weekend.
Romney's debating skills on display
Neither debate did much to change the state of play in New Hampshire. Front-runner Mitt Romney's rivals went after him in both debates.
Even when other candidates slighted Romney -- Rick Perry referred to an "insider from Wall Street," and Gingrich went after Romney's private-sector record by repeatedly citing an article by The New York Times -- the jabs were either veiled or dispassionate.
And using The New York Times to back up an argument probably won't excite the conservative base.
Romney's opponents did step up their attacks between Saturday and Sunday, but then they seemed to back off. CNN.com Opinion contributor Todd Graham, an award-winning college debating coach, speculated that Romney's rivals dropped the direct attacks because they were "worried about overcorrecting, appearing rude, and alienating voters (Gingrich came close when he told Romney to 'drop the pious baloney') -- or in the heat of the moment, they forgot their coaching once the second debate was under way."
Graham concluded that between Romney's polished debating skills and sometimes poor debating by his rivals, he has only solidified his position.
Looking ahead to the general election?
Over the past few years, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movement has made strides, and many question whether someone who is not a supporter of the movement could win a general election in 2012.
Such rights played a role in both debates. Rick Santorum, who has run on a predominantly social values platform, offered perhaps his strongest statement of homosexual support to date, saying he would not repudiate a son who told him he was gay.
He was careful, however, not to say that he would fight for gay individuals, instead saying he would be an advocate for "every person in America" and would make sure people are treated with "respect and dignity."
On the same topic, Romney said he has hired gay staffers in the past and would never discriminate against gays or attempt to take away their rights.
Are these two men looking ahead to a general election, where strong social conservative values may not play as well?
Social issues played a big role in Iowa and will do so again in South Carolina. Santorum's answer may have been a good middle-of-the-road response and a reminder of a phrase often used by Christian conservatives: Love the sinner, hate the sin.
That may be a message to which conservative voters in South Carolina can relate.
Message received?
Americans have made clear their disdain for Congress, partisan politics and theatrics bringing government to a standstill.
Both Gingrich and Romney touted their records of working with Democrats to hammer out legislative deals.
Gingrich, who is best known for battling President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, highlighted that he struck deals with the Democratic president even though he wanted to make him "a one-term president."
And Romney noted that when he was running Massachusetts, the state legislature was 85% Democratic but that he found "common ground," adding that he's proved he can "work with Republicans and Democrats who are willing to work together."
Santorum touted his ability to gain support among voters of both parties in his former Pennsylvania district, and Huntsman said that serving one's country should always trump party loyalty.
But before candidates can work on uniting the party, they will have to triumph over their rivals as the bruising GOP primary plays out this winter.
Huntsman's last stand?
Since former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is placing all his chips on a strong finish in New Hampshire's Tuesday primary, the debates were his last, best chance to make his case.
Saturday's lukewarm
|
[
"who stepped up their attacks over the weekend",
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"what will play a large role in South Carolina",
"Where will social issues play a large role?"
] |
[
"Romney's opponents",
"Gingrich and Romney",
"Social issues",
"Iowa"
] |
question: who stepped up their attacks over the weekend, answer: Romney's opponents | question: who touted their bipartisan efforts, answer: Gingrich and Romney | question: what will play a large role in South Carolina, answer: Social issues | question: Where will social issues play a large role?, answer: Iowa
|
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- A Filipino-American woman abducted in July in the Philippines was found Sunday on an island stronghold of the Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf, police said.
Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann, 43, was found at Suba Kampong township on the Philippine island of Basilan after her captors released her, said Bienvenido Latag of the Philippine National Police.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila on Monday confirmed Lunsmann's release in Basilan after she was held hostage by a still unidentified group of bandits.
Latag did not say why Lunsmann was released, but the mayor of the town where Lunsmann was taken after she was released said she was freed following negotiations between her husband and her abductors.
Mayor Cesar Lobregat, head of a Crisis Management Committee in Zamboanga City, declined to confirm whether officials paid a ransom.
Fourteen gunmen snatched Lunsmann in July while she was vacationing with her family on the island of Tictabon, authorities said. The gunmen also took hostage Lunsmann's 14-year-old son, Kevin, and her 19-year-old Filipino nephew, Romnick Jakaria, they said.
Authorities said the abductors forced Lunsmann and her family to board awaiting boats, which then sped off in the direction of Basilan.
It was not immediately known whether the captors are still holding Lunsmann's son and nephew.
Lunsmann was adopted by Americans when she was 9 and grew up in Virginia. She eventually married a German citizen. Both she and the son, Kevin, are U.S. passport holders.
Police at the time of the abduction said they suspected the son attracted attention because of his distinctive mixed-race looks in an area with few foreign tourists.
Basilan serves as a base for Abu Sayyaf, which wants to establish a separate state for the Philippines' minority Muslim population. The U.S. State Department considers the group a terrorist organization and says it is linked to al Qaeda. The Philippines government has been fighting to contain the militants.
Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for several terrorist attacks in the Philippines, including the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that left about 130 people dead, as well as past kidnappings.
|
[
"Was she abducted alone?",
"When was she abducted?",
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"when was she taken?",
"what island was she released on?",
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] |
[
"The gunmen also took hostage Lunsmann's 14-year-old son, Kevin, and her 19-year-old Filipino nephew, Romnick Jakaria,",
"July",
"Philippines",
"July",
"Suba Kampong township",
"declined to confirm whether officials"
] |
question: Was she abducted alone?, answer: The gunmen also took hostage Lunsmann's 14-year-old son, Kevin, and her 19-year-old Filipino nephew, Romnick Jakaria, | question: When was she abducted?, answer: July | question: where were they abducted from?, answer: Philippines | question: when was she taken?, answer: July | question: what island was she released on?, answer: Suba Kampong township | question: They paid ransom for the liberation of women?, answer: declined to confirm whether officials
|
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- A second typhoon in a week pounded the Philippines over the weekend, weakening Sunday only after prompting evacuations, causing severe flooding and contributing to one death.
Typhoon Nalgae, known locally as Quiel, had lost some strength by Sunday morning. But it still had maximum sustained winds of 130 kph (80 mph), with gusts recorded 30 kph stronger, according to a 4 a.m. Sunday advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Administration. At that point, its center was 200 kilometers (124 miles) west of Baguio City.
The storm follows Typhoon Nesat, which left at least 52 people dead and caused damage in 34 provinces since it hit Tuesday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.
The two typhoons will or have already affected about 3 million Filipinos, the nonprofit World Vision group estimated in a news release Saturday.
The second typhoon -- Nalgae -- made landfall in Dinapigue, in Isabela province, on Saturday morning, the disaster council said. It is expected to have moved past the east Asian island nation by Sunday, forecasters said, after having brought rain of 15-25 millimeters per hour (0.6-1 inch) in many locales.
Over the course of the weekend, the storm had made several roads impassable in the cities of Calasiao and Dagupan on Luzon island, according to the state-run Philippines News Agency. Affected residents are being evacuated from those communities and others, including Santa Barbara.
The disaster council, in a Sunday morning update, said that a 35-year-old man was killed and a 22-year-old woman injured in landslides triggered by the storm the previous day. At least 850 families, or roughly 3,500 people, in the provinces of La Union and Pangasinan have been directly affected by flooding, according to the council.
Also Saturday, the San Roque Power Corporation opened two gates at one of its dams along the Agno River in north Luzon, due to high waters there related to the storm, the news agency said.
Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte earlier Saturday urged residents of low-lying and mountainous areas that could be hit hard by the storm to evacuate, the state news agency said, citing an interview conducted on a government radio station.
World Vision, the Christian humanitarian organization, said Saturday that it had to postpone some of its relief efforts due to Nalgae, with two of three emergency teams set to deploy once the storm passes. Another team is in Bulcan province, most of which is "still submerged" because of Nesat.
The group is focusing its post-Nesat efforts on two communities in Manila and three in the northern Isabela and Zambales provinces. Vouchers are being distributed so people can buy needed items, some emergency supplies are being given out directly to citizens and 3,000 Manila children will receive school supplies.
Sherbien Dacalanio, a CNN iReporter in the Philippines, described one area of Manila as being devastated by Nesat.
"The damage is shocking. It's like a damage brought by earthquake and tsunami," Dacalanio said.
CNN's Ivan Cabrera and journalist Arlene Samson-Espiritu contributed to this report.
|
[
"At what speed are the winds of Nalgae blowing?",
"How many people died?",
"What was the name of the typhoon which killed at least 52?",
"What was the windspeed once the typhoon weakened?",
"Whats the typhoons name?",
"How many people were killed by Typhoon Nesat?",
"What is the number of people killed by the landslide?",
"Whar speed did the rain fall?",
"How many people were affected?"
] |
[
"130 kph (80 mph),",
"at least 52",
"Nesat,",
"130 kph (80 mph),",
"Nalgae,",
"at least 52",
"one",
"15-25 millimeters per hour",
"about 3 million"
] |
question: At what speed are the winds of Nalgae blowing?, answer: 130 kph (80 mph), | question: How many people died?, answer: at least 52 | question: What was the name of the typhoon which killed at least 52?, answer: Nesat, | question: What was the windspeed once the typhoon weakened?, answer: 130 kph (80 mph), | question: Whats the typhoons name?, answer: Nalgae, | question: How many people were killed by Typhoon Nesat?, answer: at least 52 | question: What is the number of people killed by the landslide?, answer: one | question: Whar speed did the rain fall?, answer: 15-25 millimeters per hour | question: How many people were affected?, answer: about 3 million
|
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- The Philippines government has increased security in the southern region of Maguindanao after gunmen kidnapped and killed at least 22 people, according to military officials and the country's national news agency.
Some of the bodies were beheaded, according to Filipino media. The details suggest the daytime abductions were politically motivated, and the military said the gunmen were loyal to the province's incumbent governor.
Those killed include a gubernatorial candidate's wife and one of his sisters, according to two of his family members who spoke on local television. The death toll also included at least 12 journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders, a media freedom organization.
Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu wanted to run for governor of Maguindanao province in May but had received threats he would be kidnapped if he filed the candidate nomination papers himself. He sent his wife and sisters to file the papers, thinking "that women would have some protection," journalist Maria Ressa told CNN.
"It was supposed to be a media event," Ressa said, "[to] let the public know that this politician would run for governor."
Army officials said 100 gunmen surrounded the group of about 40 people -- many local journalists and women among them -- and ordered them out of their vehicles. They took the hostages to a mountainous region, officials said.
Some of the women were raped and tortured, according to media reports.
The military confirmed finding 22 bodies, some of them reportedly beheaded.
"Never in the history of journalism have the news media suffered such a heavy loss of life in one day," Reporters Without Borders said of the 12 journalists reported dead.
The military has said the gunmen are loyal to Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan, who has held control of the area for the past decade and is a longtime ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Neither Ampatuan nor his advisers have commented on the allegation.
Maguindanao is a province in Mindanao, a Muslim autonomous region out of the control of the central government. The Philippines government said it increased security in the region after the attacks.
Jesus Dureza, an adviser to Macapagal-Arroyo, called the slayings "a gruesome massacre of civilians unequaled in recent history."
Dureza, Macapagal-Arroyo's adviser on Mindanao affairs, has asked the government to place Maguindanao province under a state of emergency.
Elections in the Philippines have long been marred by violence, but Monday's abductions and killings shocked the nation. Macapagal-Arroyo condemned the killings and ordered more Filipino troops to the region to bolster security, according to the Philippines News Agency.
She also ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines "to conduct immediate and relentless pursuit of the perpetrators [and] to secure the affected areas," the agency reported.
Military checkpoints are being set up as part of the security effort, state media reported.
Aid agencies operating in the region have long complained about a climate of fear in the region, where the government has little control and private armies operate freely.
Reporters Without Borders said it has been outspoken in criticizing "the culture of impunity and violence in the Philippines, especially Mindanao."
"This time, the frenzied violence of thugs working for corrupt politicians has resulted in an incomprehensible bloodbath," the organization said. "We call for a strong reaction from the local and national authorities."
Journalist Maria Ressa contributed to this report.
|
[
"What occurred in Philipines?",
"How many journalists are dead?",
"how many died?",
"Whose wife was killed?",
"Where did the kidnappings occur?"
] |
[
"gunmen kidnapped and killed at least 22 people,",
"at least 12",
"at least 22 people,",
"gubernatorial candidate's",
"of Maguindanao"
] |
question: What occurred in Philipines?, answer: gunmen kidnapped and killed at least 22 people, | question: How many journalists are dead?, answer: at least 12 | question: how many died?, answer: at least 22 people, | question: Whose wife was killed?, answer: gubernatorial candidate's | question: Where did the kidnappings occur?, answer: of Maguindanao
|
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- The son of a Philippines provincial governor is voluntarily turning himself in for questioning in the massacre of at least 57 unarmed civilians, a CNN affiliate reported Thursday.
Andal Ampatuan Jr. -- who is the mayor of Datu Unsay and the son of Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan -- has agreed to face questioning, reported Patricia Evangelista of ABS-CBN.
Ampatuan was not identified by authorities as a suspect in the killings in the southern Philippines, though victims' survivors and local media reports had done so.
Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo "is enraged by these barbaric acts," spokesman Cerge Remonde said. "She has literally thrown the full force of the law and has mobilized the security and police forces of the state to go after the perpetrators."
Philippines authorities had disbanded a paramilitary force in the southern Philippines suspected of playing a role in the massacre, the country's state-run media reported Wednesday.
Remonde said the deaths were the result of a political clan war, not Muslim secessionism in that troubled region of the country.
"So far as this case is concerned, this is a limited clan political rivalry, which has been going on for some time now," Remonde said.
The death toll grew Wednesday after 11 more bodies were recovered from a rural area of Mindanao and buried. Arroyo has declared Wednesday a national day of mourning.
Arroyo's government is under intense pressure to find those responsible for planning and carrying out the abduction and killing of the group of about 60 politicians, lawyers and journalists -- and reportedly some bystanders.
Suspicion has fallen on the Ampatuan family, key allies of the Arroyo administration in the Maguindanao region of the southern Mindanao province.
Ampatuan family members have not commented on the slaying allegations.
Remonde appeared to blame the Ampatuan clan, adding: "There is, however, a move now by the administration party to expel the suspected clan."
Those killed include the wife and two sisters of a local politician who plans to run for the spot vacated next year by Maguindanao's governor, Andal Ampatuan.
While the investigation is ongoing, a spokesman for the country's national police has said that Andal Ampatuan Jr. has been linked to the crime, according to local media reports.
"According to the initial reports, those who were abducted and murdered at Saniag were initially stopped by a group led by the mayor of Datu Unsay," National Police spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said, according to ABS-CBN News.
The massacre is the worst politically motivated violence in recent Philippines history. On Monday morning, in daylight, a group of about 100 gunmen stopped a convoy carrying supporters and family members of local politician Ismael "Toto" Mangudadatu, witnesses and officials say.
Mangudadatu had sent his wife and sisters to file paperwork allowing him to run for governor of Maguindanao in May after he had been threatened and told not to file the papers himself. He said the threats came from allies of Governor Ampatuan.
The number of people kidnapped and killed was still unclear, as recovery continued at the mass grave site in Maguindanao.
A car traveling behind the convoy was mistaken for being a part of the politician's contingent, a local official told the Philippines GMA News Network.
The car was instead heading to a hospital, according to Tom Robles, head of the Tacurong City Employees Union, who spoke to GMA News. The driver and four passengers -- including a government employee who had suffered a mild stroke and his wife -- were rounded up and killed along with the members of the convoy ahead of them, Robles said.
A police official confirmed that the car and the bodies of three of the passengers were among those recovered at the grave site, GMA reported.
The state-run Philippines News Agency said the ruling Lakas-Kampi-CMD (Christian, Muslim, Democrats) was to meet Wednesday to discuss whether to remove the Ampatuan clan members in Mindanao from the party as a result of the killings.
"In our opinion, they were not able to fulfill their obligations to the party," said
|
[
"Was Ampatuan identified as a suspect?",
"Where did authorities disband force?",
"What did the mayor's group do?",
"Who did authorities not identify as a suspect?"
] |
[
"by authorities as a",
"southern Philippines",
"has agreed to face questioning,",
"Andal Ampatuan Jr."
] |
question: Was Ampatuan identified as a suspect?, answer: by authorities as a | question: Where did authorities disband force?, answer: southern Philippines | question: What did the mayor's group do?, answer: has agreed to face questioning, | question: Who did authorities not identify as a suspect?, answer: Andal Ampatuan Jr.
|
Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Washi moved away from the southern Philippines early Monday, but not before leaving behind a wake of destruction and at least 652 people dead, according to the Philippine Red Cross.
There were no public storm warnings for the East Asian island nation Monday morning, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
Yet authorities and residents still had the considerable task of cleaning up from the devastation and mourning those killed by what the state-run Philippines News Agency noted was the 19th tropical system to hit the nation this season.
A report released Monday morning by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council noted that the storm had affected more than 135,000 people, nearly 47,000 of whom were in evacuation centers.
President Beningo Aquino plans to visit the region Tuesday.
The Red Cross noted that hundreds are missing after entire villages were swept away, suggesting the death toll could rise further. The stench of death permeated the air as aid workers scrambled to help survivors.
The disaster has left heartbreaking scenes of families with children looking for ways to get by during the festive Christmas season.
"Do we still have Christmas, mother?" one crying little girl asked her mother, according to the Red Cross. "Will I get my toys and my new pair of shoes you promised?"
"Of course you will," the mother replied. "Christmas will always be around."
Military and disaster officials said the vast majority of the dead were found in the port cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, many of them swept away as they were sleeping. Water-logged bodies from washed-away villages floated at the shoreline, on the northwestern coast of Mindanao island.
Five people were killed in a landslide, but virtually all the others died in flash flooding after Tropical Storm Washi, which is called Sendong locally.
Survivors in the hardest-hit areas are contending with no electricity or clean drinking water. One woman in Cagayan de Oro collected murky brown floodwater in a bucket, just meters away from where a destroyed vehicle was submerged.
Flash flooding overnight Friday -- following 10 hours of rain -- fueled the devastation. As much as 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours in some areas.
December generally brings about 60 millimeters of rain (a little over 2 inches) to the region, CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri reported.
Overflowing rivers and tributaries compounded the disaster for low-lying areas, and officials said floodwater reached roof-level in the middle of the night.
The destruction left cars, furniture and parts of houses in mangled heaps, partly immersed in squalid floodwater.
The storm moved into Cagayan de Oro -- a densely populated, urbanized city -- during the overnight hours when people were asleep. A half dozen vehicles there looked like littered toy trucks, with some on their sides or roofs.
Many people trudged through knee-high water and packed into evacuation centers.
An estimated 100,000 people are displaced, according to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The national disaster council noted that about 377 passengers -- on four ships -- were stranded as of Sunday night, due to the storm. In addition, nine sections of roads and bridges were seriously damaged.
While the tropical storm had passed off-shore, some unrelated thunderstorms threatened to dump even more water on the region, Javaheri said. The weather was warm, with temperatures of up to about 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit),
Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon will travel to the stricken region Monday to assess the damage, the organization said.
"Certainly this is a very severe humanitarian crisis going on," Gordon said Sunday.
Authorities have started distributing food rations for some 10,000 families affected by the storm, while also handing out thousands of blankets and mosquito nets, the Red Cross said.
The aid agency is appealing for drinking water, food and dry clothes, and officials have asked for volunteers to pack food to send to those who have been displaced.
Some Philippine residents called the disaster unprecedented.
|
[
"How many people are affected?",
"When will Aquino visit the region?",
"which tropical storm passed the Philippines?",
"Where has the tropical storm passed?",
"what did a crying young girl ask?",
"which person plans to visit the region on Tuesday?"
] |
[
"more than 135,000",
"Tuesday.",
"Washi",
"off-shore,",
"\"Do we still have Christmas, mother?\"",
"President Beningo Aquino"
] |
question: How many people are affected?, answer: more than 135,000 | question: When will Aquino visit the region?, answer: Tuesday. | question: which tropical storm passed the Philippines?, answer: Washi | question: Where has the tropical storm passed?, answer: off-shore, | question: what did a crying young girl ask?, answer: "Do we still have Christmas, mother?" | question: which person plans to visit the region on Tuesday?, answer: President Beningo Aquino
|
Marietta, Georgia (CNN) -- In this tough economy, a steady paycheck is a big blessing. With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Americans are finding new ways to help each other out. For many, it's through their faith.
"We did say our prayers," Patricia Mulroney said. "I pray to St. Joseph even now. He is our patron of workers. I still pray to him every day."
Yet believers like Mulroney are doing more than praying. They're getting help in their job searches from houses of worship. And religious institutions are answering the call: Houses of worship nationwide have offered job-finding help.
Mulroney has looked for help in finding a job through a network created at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Marietta, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.
The church has reviewed résumés and arranged meetings between job-seekers and company representatives. It also has hosted speakers who have discussed financial planning and interview techniques.
Similar programs have received attention in places such as Arizona, California and Michigan.
St. Joseph's started helping unemployed members last year after a priest contacted Art Eyzaguierre, a parishioner with a background in career management.
Eyzaguierre says the priest told him, "we've been getting a lot of phone calls from people that are unemployed and really hurting ... and we'd like you to come to a council meeting to talk about what we should do."
By May of last year, St. Joseph's Career Community Network was born. "When you're helping people ... they're getting what they need," Eyzaguierre said. "They're getting jobs, the hope they need. ... I feel replenished."
Patrick Brennan, another founding member, found himself out of work in the early part of 2009. His involvement with the Career Community Network paid off, literally, with a job.
"It's through these different networking opportunities ... through your churches ... you get to meet people ... and potentially get positions," Brennan said. "That happened to me, where I was networking and actually found a position ... as a result of meeting people through the career network."
Brennan says church-based career networks like his reach out in both a spiritual and practical sense for the unemployed, the under-employed and those seeking to re-enter the work force.
"We offer review of résumés ... the opportunity to meet with department leaders or heads of companies ... discuss with them where individual career goals can go," he said. "We also have featured speakers who help with financial planning, retirement funds, health benefits and also interviewing techniques ... looking at different market shares."
Caroline Rittenhouse helps organize biweekly sessions. When she signed on, Rittenhouse was a stay-at-home mom looking to re-enter the work force. She's now employed and using her job skills in training and instructional design to help others find work.
"My motivation was seeing how tough the job market was and how many people across every industry, every income level, were feeling the job loss and the unemployment situation," Rittenhouse said.
She says networking opportunities, like those offered through St. Joseph's Career Community Network, are key, and houses of worship may offer a more comfortable environment. "There is something about going to a church," Rittenhouse said. "Personally, I feel like it's more welcoming."
Americans overwhelmingly support government funding for religious groups to provide social services like job training.
Nearly nine years after former President George W. Bush unveiled his faith-based initiative, 69 percent of Americans say they favor the idea, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Sixty-eight percent believe that people providing the services through houses of worship would be more caring and compassionate.
Mulroney not only supports the idea, she got involved a few months ago at St. Joseph's as both a volunteer and a job seeker.
"My last position, I was in for seven years and not really comfortable with networking, so I
|
[
"Where are unemployed getting help from in finding jobs?",
"Where in the Career Community Network?",
"More unemployed arr getting what?",
"Who has Career Community Network?"
] |
[
"houses of worship.",
"St. Joseph's Catholic Church",
"help in their job searches from houses of worship.",
"St. Joseph's"
] |
question: Where are unemployed getting help from in finding jobs?, answer: houses of worship. | question: Where in the Career Community Network?, answer: St. Joseph's Catholic Church | question: More unemployed arr getting what?, answer: help in their job searches from houses of worship. | question: Who has Career Community Network?, answer: St. Joseph's
|
Marjah, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Twelve Afghan civilians were killed Sunday when two rockets fired by coalition forces in southern Afghanistan missed their intended target, as the Taliban showed stiff resistance to the NATO assault against the militant group.
"We deeply regret this tragic loss of life," U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, said in a statement. "The current operation in Central Helmand is aimed at restoring security and stability to this vital area of Afghanistan. It's regrettable that in the course of our joint efforts, innocent lives were lost."
Coalition forces fired two rockets with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at insurgents firing upon Afghan and ISAF forces, but they struck about 300 meters off their intended target, ISAF said.
The incident happened in the Nad Ali district of Helmand province, where NATO forces have launched Operation Moshtarak, a huge offensive by an international coalition of 15,000 troops including Afghans, Americans, Britons, Canadians, Danes and Estonians.
McChrystal conveyed his apologies to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the statement said.
Coalition forces have also suspended use of the HIMARS pending a review of Sunday's incident. The intended target was an insurgent compound from where coalition forces were taking direct fire, ISAF said.
NATO, which launched the effort Saturday, announced the offensive before it started so that citizens could get out of harm's way. Karzai on Saturday had urged Afghan and international troops to exercise "absolute caution" and ensure civilian safety.
Helmand is a bastion of pro-Taliban sentiment and awash with the opium used to fund the insurgency. Marjah, a region known as the heroin capital of Afghanistan, is where the Taliban has set up a shadow government.
The Moshtarak operation also includes securing Kandahar and providing support to the government and police there, British Maj. Gen. Gordon Messenger said in a news release Sunday. The Taliban has had increasing influence in Kandahar.
Officials said Sunday they did not know how many Taliban fighters remained in the Marjah region of Helmand province, but think they may be in the hundreds -- some of whom are holed up in civilian compounds.
Taliban forces tried to overrun, successfully in some cases, several positions that coalition forces had secured inside the city, U.S. Marines told CNN.
In one instance, three suspected suicide bombers breached a secure military area near Koru Chareh Bazaar, throwing three or four grenades inside the compound, Marine officials said. The insurgents were killed before they could detonate their bomb vests.
The sporadic firefight continued throughout the day, with an average of two to three Taliban fighters being killed in each battle, the Marines said.
"It is not unusual for the Taliban to melt away to regroup. The threat is still present in the area that they might come back, and our troops are well aware of that," Messenger told CNN.
"The troops are fighting in very open terrain, especially now during the winter," he said. "This is a very complex operation but it has worked extremely well."
Messenger emphasized the cooperation with the Afghan nationals as a key element in both preparing and executing this operation.
"The atmosphere among the locals remains positive, largely because elders on the ground knew about the operation ahead of time," he said. "The sense is genuinely that the population is prepared to give this a go."
Provincial spokesman Dawoud Ahmadi said 27 Taliban fighters have been killed. Afghan and international force also discovered a total of 2,500 kilograms (5,500 pounds) of explosives during the operation.
The Taliban spokesman for the Marjah area claimed six Taliban casualties, saying militants had killed 192 Afghan and coalition troops.
In the past, the Taliban has often inflated casualty figures.
"NATO forces have not captured any areas in Marjah from the Mujahadeen," said Qari Yousif Ahmadi, the Taliban spokesman.
Soldiers on Sunday found a weapons cache in the Nad Ali district that included two 155 mm artillery rounds, four pressure plates, blasting caps and batteries, according to ISAF.
In another incident, coalition forces shot a man who refused
|
[
"ISAF commander apologizes after what?",
"how many civilans killed?",
"What type of soldier was killed?",
"What does ISAF commader apologize about?"
] |
[
"innocent lives were lost.\"",
"Twelve",
"Taliban fighters",
"Twelve Afghan civilians were killed Sunday when two rockets fired by coalition"
] |
question: ISAF commander apologizes after what?, answer: innocent lives were lost." | question: how many civilans killed?, answer: Twelve | question: What type of soldier was killed?, answer: Taliban fighters | question: What does ISAF commader apologize about?, answer: Twelve Afghan civilians were killed Sunday when two rockets fired by coalition
|
Marjah, Afghanistan (CNN) -- U.S. Marines fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan achieved a main objective Tuesday -- taking over the police headquarters in the center of the Taliban stronghold of Marjah.
CNN correspondent Atia Abawi, embedded with the Marines, said troops didn't receive any resistance when they took the station, but gun battles broke out in the area a few hours later.
There was an engagement for 15 to 20 minutes, with constant gunfire coming from different directions, and there have been "sporadic battles," Abawi said.
Unlike previous days, there was fighting in the evening, with Taliban militants trying to attack Marine locations with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. One of the grenades hit close to one of the U.S. positions and a fire broke out.
About 15,000 Afghan and NATO forces are taking part in Operation Moshtarak, which focuses on the town of Marjah and surrounding areas in Helmand province. Set in a region known as the country's heroin capital, Marjah is where the Taliban established a shadow government.
The military says the goal of Operation Moshtarak is to provide security, governance and development, and authorities hope fighters choose to reject the insurgency and join the government's reintegration process.
Clearing out poppy fields is a key part of the push, the biggest since the Afghanistan War started in 2001. The Taliban finances its activities in part through the illegal opium trade.
One of the biggest challenges facing the NATO mission in Afghanistan is attacking the Taliban while limiting civilian casualties. On Sunday, 12 civilians died in a rocket attack by coalition troops. Three other Afghan civilians were killed by NATO in separate incidents on Sunday and Monday.
On Tuesday, Abawi spoke to one civilian whose property had been destroyed in the initial push by Marines. Despite that, he said he was happy to see Americans arrive and noted that Marines promised to pay for the damages to his home.
He said Afghans have suffered under the Taliban, who he said had beheaded some people and forced their way into people's homes for food.
|
[
"What do the militants try to use to attack Marine locations?",
"What illegal trade does the Taliban use?",
"What is the name of the operation?",
"Who tried to attack Marine locations?",
"what does the taliban have",
"What broke out hours later?",
"Who has a shadow government?"
] |
[
"small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.",
"opium",
"Moshtarak,",
"Taliban militants",
"small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.",
"gun battles",
"the Taliban"
] |
question: What do the militants try to use to attack Marine locations?, answer: small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. | question: What illegal trade does the Taliban use?, answer: opium | question: What is the name of the operation?, answer: Moshtarak, | question: Who tried to attack Marine locations?, answer: Taliban militants | question: what does the taliban have, answer: small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. | question: What broke out hours later?, answer: gun battles | question: Who has a shadow government?, answer: the Taliban
|
Maryland's attorney general said Wednesday that the state may legally recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.
The 45-page opinion from Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler was addressed to state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr.
"You have asked whether those marriages may be recognized under state law. The answer to that question is clearly 'yes,'" Gansler wrote.
He noted that his opinion is "not itself the law of Maryland in the same sense as a statute enacted by the Legislature or court decision elaborating the common law or construing a statute." Rather, it is an interpretation of law intended to guide courts and government agencies, he said.
"Thus, what we say in this opinion is a prediction, not a prescription, as to the how the court would approach this issue under current law," Gansler wrote.
His office said that he cannot direct the actions of state agencies.
But Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said Wednesday afternoon that the state "will be guided by the attorney general's thorough analysis and legal advice on this matter."
He added, "I am confident that the attorney general and his office will provide all necessary advice to state agencies on how to comply with the law, and I expect all state agencies to work with the attorney general's office to ensure compliance with the law."
Further details were not immediately available, and the governor's office did not return phone calls seeking clarification.
It was unclear what the immediate ramifications of Gansler's opinion would be in Maryland.
One state representative, Del. Emmett Burns -- who sponsored a bill earlier this year that would have barred the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states and other countries -- said the attorney general's opinion "muddles the waters."
Burns' bill failed in committee.
Referring to the opinion, Burns said, "I don't think it's worth a bucket of warm spit. ... I don't think it's something that is going to make that big of a difference."
He said the issue is likely to be decided through legislation or in a court case. He noted that state Sen. Norman Stone is sponsoring a bill that mirrors Burns' failed one. Also, he said, the House Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would allow same-sex marriage.
"It's going to be going pandemonium on the House floor" if that bill makes it out of committee, he said. He added he believes there is much opposition in both the state House and Senate to same-sex marriage.
"I believe that the concept is going to have be settled through [public] referendum," he said. "If it were to go to referendum, my side will win."
Maryland state law from 1973 says that only a marriage between a man and a woman is valid in the state. However, there are no laws or court cases regarding recognition of marriages legally performed in other places, the attorney general's office said.
Madaleno said in a statement released through Equality Maryland that the opinion is "welcome news" for same-sex couples legally married in states where the practice is allowed, and "nothing in the attorney general's opinion changes the fact that same-sex couples cannot obtain marriage licenses in Maryland."
Media reports said Madaleno had asked the attorney general in May whether Maryland may legally recognize same-sex marriages.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire and Iowa allow same-sex marriage. The District of Columbia has also passed a law allowing same-sex marriage, although it has not yet taken effect.
CNN's Taylor Gandossy contributed to this report.
|
[
"What do representatives say Gansler's opinion does?",
"What should Maryland recognize?",
"How many state allow same sex marriages?",
"What should Maryland recognise?",
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"Whose opinion muddles the waters?"
] |
[
"\"muddles the waters.\"",
"same-sex marriages performed",
"Iowa",
"same-sex marriages",
"Iowa",
"the state may legally recognize same-sex marriages performed",
"Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler"
] |
question: What do representatives say Gansler's opinion does?, answer: "muddles the waters." | question: What should Maryland recognize?, answer: same-sex marriages performed | question: How many state allow same sex marriages?, answer: Iowa | question: What should Maryland recognise?, answer: same-sex marriages | question: How many states allow same sex marriage currently?, answer: Iowa | question: What did Douglas Gansler say?, answer: the state may legally recognize same-sex marriages performed | question: Whose opinion muddles the waters?, answer: Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler
|
Mecca, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- The Hajj, an obligatory pilgrimage for Muslims, began this year on Wednesday with two twists: thinner crowds and heavy rain.
A rare rainstorm inundated pilgrims in the city of Mina, flooding tents and making conditions miserable for the 2.5 million pilgrims performing the ancient rituals, according to Isha Sesay, CNN's correspondent there.
The tents, where pilgrims plan to spend the night in prayer and contemplation, were leaking and flooding, giving rise to fears of disease, Sesay reported.
She said, however, that the several hours of rain was not likely to stop any of the pilgrims from performing the rituals.
"They've saved for years to get here," Sesay reported. "This is a blessing. They're not going to let rain get in the way."
iReporter witnesses heavy rain near his home
She said no incidents had been reported among the dimished number of pilgrims.
Officials said the swine flu could be keeping pilgrims from the fifth pillar of Islam, which requires devotees to journey to the holy city of Mecca at least once in their lifetime.
Saudi's Hajj Ministry said Wednesday that 40 percent fewer Saudi pilgrims are participating in the ancient rituals this year, largely due to fears of disease, though a greater number of international visitors had come.
"Concerns about the spread of H1N1 may have affected the turnout but we are confident of all measures in place to increase monitoring of cases and awareness about how one can protect himself or herself," said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabbeeah, the Saudi health minister.
A teenager and three elderly people have died of the H1N1 flu virus at the Hajj.
The victims were a 17-year-old Nigerian female and a Sudanese man, an Indian man and a Moroccan woman who each were 75 years old.
Many of the 2 million pilgrims have been arriving days and weeks ahead of the Hajj, which coincides with flu season. The rituals of the five-day event began Wednesday.
But with fewer visitors, businesses are feeling the pinch this year.
Shopkeeper Fahmi al-Rashidi said he has slashed prices of the gold he sells in Mecca's Al-Ghaza market.
"Business is lower than last year," he said. "I think swine flu fears combined with high gold prices are turning people away from spending."
Another merchant, Fahd al-Qraishi, said a normal 20 percent profit has dropped to 5 percent.
Hajj observed in Second Life
The Hajj Ministry reported, however, a 17 percent increase in the number of international pilgrims, some of whom are enjoying discounted rates at hotels including the Hilton Makkah.
Then there was the real damper.
Mecca resident Khaled Nemary said he had not seen so much rain in a quarter-century.
And the forecast? Showers through Friday.
CNN's Amir Ahmed and Daniela Deane contributed to this report.
|
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question: Huge downpours flood where?, answer: pilgrims in the city of Mina, | question: There are how many fewer percent pilgrims this year?, answer: 40 | question: What happened to them, answer: A rare rainstorm inundated pilgrims | question: Who reported less buisness?, answer: Shopkeeper Fahmi al-Rashidi | question: Where were the downpours?, answer: city of Mina, | question: Did Pilgrims report any incidents?, answer: no | question: What incidents were reported ?, answer: leaking and flooding, giving rise to fears of disease, | question: What did the fewer Saudi pilgrims do?, answer: are participating in the ancient rituals this year, | question: What percentage fewer Saudi pilgrams are there this year?, answer: 40 percent | question: What did the downpours flood?, answer: tents
|
Mecca, Saudi Arabia (CNN) -- Chanting "Allahu Akbar" -- God is Greater than any -- more than 2 million pilgrims crossed new pedestrian bridges Saturday to perform one of the last rituals of the Hajj season.
Jamarat is a re-enactment of an event when Prophet Abraham stoned the devil and rejected his temptations, according to Muslim traditions.
The ritual stoning of three pillars, which occurs in the tent city of Mina -- about two miles from Mecca, was the scene of stampedes and many deaths in the 1980s and 1990s as pilgrims passed a crowded bottleneck area leading to the small pillars on the ground.
But this year the Saudi government completed a new project that avoids past congestion at the site. The government has erected three massive pillars and completed a $1.2 billion, five-story bridge nearby where pilgrims can toss stones. Authorities and pilgrims say it's a roomier atmosphere and more efficient way to accommodate the faithful.
"Everything went fine so far," Col. Khakled Qarar Mohammadi, head of the emergency forces at Jamarat, told CNN.
"It is an immense responsibility that we had to deal with. About 3 million pilgrims move in a small geographic area at the same time wanting to do the same ritual. So we have been preparing for this for years now."
Irtiza Hasan, a pilgrim from the United States, said all went well at the ceremony.
"The only incident I saw was that there were some handicapped women who were turned away in fears that they get hurt."
But Mohammadi said, "There are 10 vans on the second floor especially designated to serve the elderly and handicapped. Each van can take up to 14 pilgrims."
As a measure to alleviate harm, according to Muslim traditions, the elderly and the handicapped can appoint someone else to stone for them.
The five-story Jamarat bridge is air-conditioned at 19 degrees Centigrade, or 66 Fahrenheit, throughout the day and backed by water sprinklers that can reduce the temperature to about 29 degrees C, or 84 F. The bridge is designed to allow the addition of seven more levels to hold as many as 5 million pilgrims in the future if the need arises.
According to authorities, the bridge is 950 meters (1,039 yards) long and 80 meters (87 yards) wide. Each floor is 12 meters (13 yards) high with three tunnels and 12 entrances and 12 exits in six directions. It has a helicopter pad for emergencies.
According to Mohammadi, the project has 509 advanced closed-circuit television cameras monitoring pilgrims' movements. Those cameras feed into the main operations room, which oversees the Jamarat Bridge and the surrounding areas -- all screened by dozens of security officers on 72 monitors at the operation room.
The stoning ritual is done over at least two days, where pilgrims stone three pillars at Mina -- believed to be where the Prophet Abraham stoned the devil when he tried to dissuade him from obeying God's orders to slaughter his son. According to tradition, the event was a test from God, who gave Abraham a ram to slaughter instead.
The last ritual that marks the end of Hajj is when pilgrims go from Mina to Mecca to make a last visit to al-Masjid al-Haram, Islam's holiest site, before going back home.
The ritual is called Tawaf al-Wada'a -- or farewell circumambulation in the holy mosque. It's where pilgrims go around the black cube seven times counter-clockwise asking that their Lord accept their pilgrimage and grant them another visit to the holy city.
|
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|
Mecca, Saudi Arabian (CNN) -- A teenager and three elderly people in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage have died of the H1N1 flu virus, the Saudi Health Ministry said.
The victims of the virus were a 17-year-old Nigerian female and a Sudanese man, an Indian man and a Moroccan woman who each were 75 years old.
"These cases were discovered too late," said Dr. Khaled Al-Marghalani, the ministry spokesman. "Some were old, and the others had pre-existing chronic conditions."
Al-Marghalani said the Sudanese man initially went to a doctor who treated him, but not for H1N1.
"So when his doctor sent him to the hospital, and he was treated for H1N1, it was too late," he said.
The annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is required of Muslims at least once in their lives, and millions of people around the globe make the trek to attend. This year, the hajj begins Wednesday, and many pilgrims have been arriving days and weeks ahead of the event, which coincides with flu season.
When Arab health ministers met in Cairo, Egypt, a few months back, it looked like several groups might even be banned from this year's event because of the flu. They were children under 12, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses.
The Saudis didn't ban anybody from coming and left the responsibility to the pilgrims' countries of origin. In effect, officials issued guidelines only for people at risk.
Two days ago, Saudi Arabia's health minister, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, gathered representatives to discuss efforts to detect the ailment.
"It would be nice to have more time to prepare [for the possibility of H1N1 spreading in Saudi Arabia] ahead of the hajj, but I am very satisfied with all the measures taken and have great confidence," he said before the meeting.
Al-Marghalani said the "safe weapon" for the kinds of H1N1 cases that resulted in the deaths is Tamiflu, the drug used to fight influenza.
"If we lose Tamiflu, we will lose the war. But Tamiflu is only effective in the first 48 hours of when the symptoms appear," he said.
|
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question: Who did the virus kille?, answer: A teenager and three elderly people | question: Who have Saudis left responsibility to?, answer: the pilgrims' | question: Who did the Saudi's leave responsibility to?, answer: the pilgrims' countries of origin. | question: What do the Arab ministers want to bar?, answer: children under 12, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses. | question: Who is considering barring groups from the event?, answer: Arab health ministers | question: Who is left the responsibility?, answer: the pilgrims' | question: What killed a teenager?, answer: H1N1 flu virus, | question: What killed the teenager and three elderly people?, answer: H1N1 flu virus, | question: What are the Arab ministers considering for this year's event?, answer: several groups might even be banned from
|
Melissa Harris-Lacewell is associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University. She is the author of the award-winning book "Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought" and writes a daily blog titled The Kitchen Table.
Melissa Harris-Lacewell says African-Americans remain skeptical about racial progress in the U.S.
PRINCETON, New Jersey (CNN) -- America was proud of itself for electing Barack Obama. The pride was not just partisan and ideological; it was also specifically and clearly racial.
The morning after Obama's win, The New York Times declared "Racial Barrier Falls in Decisive Victory." The Los Angeles Times asserted that "for the first time in human history, a largely white nation has elected a black man to be its paramount leader."
Some black commentators openly wept on election night, thrilled with witnessing the election of our first black president. Even Sen. John McCain, conceding defeat, pointed to the greatness of the American promise fulfilled in the election of his opponent. Obama's victory offered the possibility that the scars of America's racial legacy were healed or, at least, that they were less raw.
For many African-American citizens, the election of the first black U.S. president was cause for celebration and open-mouthed wonder about an outcome that seemed so unlikely just two years earlier, when Obama announced his bid.
Despite this joy, many black citizens were dubious that his victory represented the destruction of any particular racial barrier.
African-Americans were both proud of and excited about Obama, but in the 45 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act, black Americans had seen doors to power, influence and wealth open just enough to admit just a few without fundamentally altering opportunities for the majority.
Indeed, responses to a recent CNN/Essence Magazine/Opinion Research Corp. survey indicate that black enthusiasm about Obama exists side-by-by side with deep skepticism about America's racial progress.
This atmosphere of both enthusiasm and doubt has sparked discussion about whether we have entered a post-racial era in American politics.
It is a difficult debate, because the term "post-racial" is not clearly defined. Race itself is a slippery idea. Typically, we treat race like a fixed, unchanging, biological category. But race is none of these things.
Race is a social construct. Though it is based in physical traits, race is a category developed through social practice, law and history. As a nation, we made blackness through our politics, developing a category of people who could be enslaved and later segregated.
So when we talk of a post-racial America, we are not pointing to the massive demographic shifts that are unalterably changing the racial, ethnic and linguistic landscape of America. Instead, "post-racial" is an expression of social and political longing.
For most, this means an America free of racism and discrimination, but others seem to hint at a society entirely free of racial identity or recognition.
The idea of a post-racial America has been upheld as an achievable ideal where people would receive equal treatment and fair outcomes regardless of their race.
It has been critiqued as an impossible dream unlikely to exist in a nation with a history of slavery and legal discrimination.
It has been denounced as an unworthy goal that would require black Americans to reject their cultural specificity and unique social and political concerns.
Undoubtedly, the 2008 election broke formerly entrenched racial trends. Obama was elected just as the depth and breadth of the American economic crisis was becoming clear. Some suggested that his victory could be explained by the nation's fiscal difficulties because he was the candidate of the out-party, which often wins when times are hard. But this analysis forgets the cross-cutting history of race.
When the economic pie shrinks, Americans rarely form multiracial political coalitions led by minority candidates. Obama's victory countered the trend toward racial balkanization more typical in tough economic times.
The changing dynamics of racial politics were further evidenced when Obama won both Virginia and
|
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question: does she feel issues of race are still significant, answer: says African-Americans remain skeptical about racial progress in the U.S. | question: What is the name of the person being quoted?, answer: Melissa Harris-Lacewell | question: What did the election represent?, answer: the possibility that the scars of America's racial legacy were healed or, at least, that they were less raw. | question: what did harris-lacewell say about obama's election, answer: racial progress in the U.S. | question: What is the name of the person who won the election?, answer: Barack Obama.
|
Memphis, Tennessee (CNN) -- The leader of a Memphis-based YMCA group said he felt "gut-punched" by a televised report in which two men alleged a former coach with that organization had sexually abused them as boys.
Keith Johnson, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Memphis and the Mid-South, said he first heard of the allegations against Robert "Bobby" Dodd while watching ESPN's "Outside the Lines" program on Sunday.
He said the sports network didn't contact him in advance of the piece. As of Monday, several days after Memphis Police Director Toney Armstrong announced his department would investigate the claims against Dodd, Johnson said that law enforcement had not touched base with his YMCA organization.
In the ESPN report, Dodd's accusers said he sexually abused them in hotel rooms during tournaments when they were 12 to 16 years old.
CNN has not been able to reach Dodd, 63, for comment on the allegations. ESPN said it also had been unable to reach him.
On Monday afternoon, Memphis police Deputy Chief Dave Martello said the investigators' options are limited given that no one has filed a formal complaint against Dodd.
"A person is going to have to actually come to the police and report this," Martello told reporters. "The fact they go on TV and make these accusations is not notifying the authorities."
Martello said police are still trying to determine "where (the alleged crimes) happened, when they happened and who was involved." But if a person doesn't offer details directly to police, there are only "going to be a lot of baby steps," he said.
Dodd, who is not a direct relative of the late former Georgia Tech football coach of the same name, was a basketball coach affiliated with the Memphis YMCA in the 1980s, Johnson confirmed. Two now grown men alleged in the ESPN report that Dodd abused them during that time.
The allegations were made amid child sex scandals at Penn State and Syracuse universities and The Citadel. Both men accusing Dodd told ESPN the publicity from the scandals prompted them to act.
The YMCA said Dodd left in 1992 "to pursue AAU sports full-time," including founding an organization called the YOMCA, which stands for Youth of Memphis Competitive Association and is unrelated to the YMCA. He eventually became president and CEO of the Amateur Athletic Union, a position he held until his dismissal on November 14.
Johnson came to Memphis as head of the Fogelman Downtown YMCA a year after Dodd left. In his time with the organization, including over the last decade as an executive for the regional YMCA, Johnson said he had never heard complaints regarding the former coach.
Martello said that Memphis police began looking into the case after the AAU gave them information last Friday. AAU spokesman Ron Sachs had also said that his organization kick-started the child sex abuse criminal probe -- although the group has varied as to whether it claims to have contacted authorities last Thursday or Friday -- telling CNN that the organization provided the identities of three of Dodd's accusers, including not brought up in the ESPN report.
This disclosure followed a nearly monthlong investigation ordered by the AAU, Sachs said Sunday.
The AAU got "cryptic, brief" e-mails, signed only as "shrimp breath," on November 7, 8 and 9 that "alleged, in a very general way, that Bobby Dodd engaged in child sexual abuse," Sachs said. On November 9, the organization got two brief voice-mails along the same lines. There was no name or contact information left in either case.
Those messages were sent to the AAU's compliance and general counsel office, and AAU officers were notified on November 11. The board members, several of whom flew into Orlando, convened the next Monday, November 14, "to confront then-President Bobby Dodd," said Sachs.
In that meeting, Dodd said he had gotten similar phone messages and said he was innocent, according to Sachs, who said he had spoken with several AAU officers who
|
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question: who is making accusations, answer: two men | question: who is accusing him, answer: Both men | question: Is going on TV and making accusations a good way to notify police?, answer: not notifying the authorities." | question: What was the accused'd job?, answer: basketball coach | question: Who is the accused?, answer: Robert "Bobby" Dodd | question: What was Robert "Bobby" Dodd accused of?, answer: sexually abused | question: Whad did the Memphis police say about their probe being challenging?, answer: options are limited given that no one has filed a formal complaint
|
Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV), but not syphilis, according to a study of adult African men published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but they've been on the decline.
The finding adds to the evidence that there are health benefits to circumcision. It was already known that circumcision can reduce the risk of penile cancer, a relatively rare disease. In a previous study, the same research team found that adult circumcision could reduce the risk of HIV infection.
Efforts to increase the practice of male circumcision in areas with high rates of sexually transmitted infections, including Africa, could have a tremendous benefit, say the study's authors. Genital herpes has been associated with an increased risk of HIV, and HPV can cause genital warts as well as a higher risk of anal, cervical (in women), and penile cancers. Health.com: Is your partner cheating? How to protect yourself
In the United States, infant circumcision is declining. About 64 percent of American male infants were circumcised in 1995, down from more than 90 percent in the 1970s. Rates tend to be higher in whites (81percent) than in blacks (65 percent) or Hispanics (54 percent).
Some opponents say the removal of the foreskin is an unnecessary surgical procedure that may reduce sexual sensitivity in adulthood. In Jewish and Muslim cultures, young or infant boys are routinely circumcised for religious reasons. Circumcision rates have traditionally been higher in the U.S. than in Europe, but the American Academy of Pediatrics currently says that the medical benefits are insufficient to recommend circumcision for all baby boys.
In the new study, a research team at the Rakai Health Sciences Program in Uganda -- in collaboration with researchers from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, and Makerere University in Uganda -- conducted two clinical trials involving 3,393 uncircumcised men ages 15 to 49. All the men were negative for HIV and genital herpes (also known as herpes simplex virus type 2); a subgroup of men also tested negative for HPV.
Roughly half of the men underwent medically supervised circumcision at the start of the trial, while the other half were circumcised two years later.
Overall, circumcision reduced the men's risk of genital herpes by 28 percent (10.3 percent of uncircumcised men developed genital herpes compared with 7.8 percent of circumcised men) and HPV infection by 35 percent (27.8 percent of uncircumcised men were infected with HPV compared with 18 percent of circumcised men). Circumcision did not, however, protect against syphilis. (About 2 percent of men in both groups contracted syphilis.) Health.com: A sexual risk taker comes to terms with drinking, depression, and STDs
Study coauthor Thomas C. Quinn, M.D., professor of global health at Johns Hopkins University, says that choosing circumcision, whether it's the parents of an infant or an adult male for himself, is and should remain an individual decision.
"But the critics need to really look at the benefits versus the risks," he adds. "By now a large body of evidence has shown that the health benefits clearly outweigh the minor risk associated with the surgery. In our study, we didn't see any adverse effects or mutilation. We're recommending supervised, safe, sterile environments -- not circumcision out in an open field with rusty instruments."
Increasing circumcision rates in Africa may not only help men, but would likely protect women too, possibly lowering the rates of female cervical cancer, the authors say. Ronald H. Gray, M.D., professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University and study coauthor, says that the researchers plan to look at whether male circumcision reduces the transmission of HPV to female sexual partners. Health.com: 10 questions to ask a new partner before having sex
Even in the United States, this study has relevance, says Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (which funded one of the trials).
"In this country, circumcision for
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|
Metropolis, Illinois (CNN) -- Superman will not be saving Lois Lane this time, but the residents of Metropolis are hopeful his fans will.
Metropolis, Illinois wants a companion statue for Superman, but the economy may block its efforts.
The villain is the economy. Despite being about $70,000 shy of the funding needed to cast a figure in the image of the fictional "Daily Planet" reporter, this town of 6,000 residents says it's going forward with a ground breaking. Metropolis wants its Lois Lane statue.
There are no skyscrapers here. If you search the local telephone book you won't find any familiar names. There's no Lex Luthor or Perry White. The closest Jimmy Olsen lives in Aledo, Illinois. If you call the nearby nuclear plant and ask about kryptonite they won't take you seriously. Most days of the year you can walk about town without seeing anyone in a cape or leotard.
Very little about Metropolis, Illinois, resembles the metroplex made famous in "Action Comics," except for the constant presence of Superman. His statue stands 15-feet tall outside the Massac County Courthouse and 50 yards away is the county justice center.
In 1972, DC Comics, the current owner of the character, declared the town the official home for Superman. Since then, it's residents have fashioned a monument, a museum, and an annual festival around the superhero.
"We've had groups from as far away as Japan and Australia," said Karla Ogle, one of the festival organizers. "There's a family that comes every year from Canada."
And each year Noel Neill is honored. She's the original Lois Lane. Neill starred opposite George Reeves in the 1950s "Adventures of Superman" television series and it's her image the local chamber of commerce wants to immortalize in a statue.
The town first came up with the idea of a companion statue for Superman in 2005. A lot has changed since then, primarily the economy.
"We've been affected pretty heavily because most of our revenue comes from the casino," said Mayor Billy McDaniel. The Harrah's Casino is the closest thing this little burgh has to a tall building. "Their revenue has been down as much as 30 percent," noted McDaniel.
And the Metropolis budget is not bulletproof either. The town has not been replacing some workers as they retire, because of the lower tax receipts.
What about the prospects for Lois Lane? "If there's any money out there we're going to find it," said the mayor.
Metropolis has agreed to foot half the statue's bill, if the Illinois Board of Tourism provides a matching grant. Private donations have raised only $9,000 in four years, not even enough to pay for the monument's base.
"They were good initially, but slowed down to a trickle," said Clyde Wills with the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce. "We're committed to the project," despite the economy.
The city plans to break ground for the statue on June 11, during the opening night of their annual Superman festival, even though the state is months away from a decision on their grant request.
Lois Lane's fate, like in most issues of the comic, is "to be continued ..."
|
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question: who plans to go through with groundbreaking?, answer: Metropolis | question: Where was the Lois Lane statue to be?, answer: Metropolis, Illinois | question: when Illinois town came up with idea for Lois Lane statue?, answer: Metropolis | question: Who came up with the idea for the Lois Lane statue?, answer: Metropolis, Illinois
|
Mexico City (CNN) -- A 14-year-old accused of ruthless killings on behalf of a Mexican drug cartel boss is a U.S. citizen, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said Monday.
Gini Staab would not provide any further information.
"We have confirmed the boy's U.S. citizenship but can't say anything more about the boy's situation in the absence of a (provisional arrest warrant) signed by at least one of the parents," Staab said.
Earlier, Staab said that the boy, once his citizenship was confirmed, would be given "all appropriate consular assistance, just like we would for any U.S. citizen arrested and incarcerated overseas." Assistance would include prison visits, information on local attorneys and checks on his welfare, she said.
The teen -- reportedly carrying a birth certificate issued in San Diego -- and two of his sisters were detained Thursday at an airport in central Mexico after an anonymous tip alerted authorities he was heading to Tijuana, Mexico, local media reported.
A spokeswoman for the Mexican attorney general's office said authorities detained the 14-year-old Thursday evening on suspicion of working as a drug-cartel hit man, but declined to provide details.
But the boy faced a battery of questions from reporters after he was detained, answering questions point-blank as camera flashes lit his face.
"I slit their throats," he said, describing what he said was the killing of four people.
The teen told reporters after his capture Thursday night that he was an orphan who joined the Pacifico Sur drug cartel when he was 12. He said Julio "El Negro" Padilla, one of the group's alleged leaders, threatened him.
"I either work or he'll kill me," the 14-year-old said.
With his hands shoved into the pockets of his cargo pants, the 14-year-old told reporters that he was paid weekly in dollars and pesos. But in answering questions about whether he knew what he was doing when he allegedly participated in the killings, the teen said he was under the influence of drugs and unaware of his actions.
"No, I didn't know," he said.
Troops standing beside the teen while the youth was interviewed wore masks to hide their faces -- a common sight in Mexico, where clashes between authorities and cartels have intensified since President Felipe Calderon announced a crackdown shortly after he took office in 2006.
But the teen's face was clearly visible.
Martin Perez, director of Mexico's Children's Rights Network, said late Friday that authorities should not have given television cameras and newspaper photographers access to the 14-year-old.
"It was completely inappropriate, the form of presenting him in front of the media," he said.
"Everyone has the right to be presumed innocent," he said. "Also, it could put his life at serious risk. We have to remember that this is a fight between criminal organizations."
CNN's Claudia Dominguez, Rey Rodriguez, Nick Valencia and Krupskaia Alis contributed to this report.
|
[
"What did the hit man say?",
"What did he say about drug cartel boss?",
"was the boy a citizen?",
"What was confirmed by the state dept?",
"What did he do?",
"Who was accused?",
"What did the accused hit man say?"
] |
[
"\"I slit their throats,\"",
"\"I either work or he'll kill me,\"",
"U.S. citizenship",
"the boy's U.S. citizenship",
"slit their throats,\"",
"14-year-old",
"\"I slit their throats,\""
] |
question: What did the hit man say?, answer: "I slit their throats," | question: What did he say about drug cartel boss?, answer: "I either work or he'll kill me," | question: was the boy a citizen?, answer: U.S. citizenship | question: What was confirmed by the state dept?, answer: the boy's U.S. citizenship | question: What did he do?, answer: slit their throats," | question: Who was accused?, answer: 14-year-old | question: What did the accused hit man say?, answer: "I slit their throats,"
|
Mexico City (CNN) -- A Mexican mayor campaigning for the president's sister in a gubernatorial race was fatally shot in the southeastern state of Michoacan, the state attorney general's office said.
The killing of La Piedad Mayor Ricardo Guzman Romero on Wednesday is the latest in a number of mayoral killings dating to last year. According to CNNMexico, 18 mayors have been killed in 2010 and 2011.
But Guzman's death garnered extra attention because he was killed in President Felipe Calderon's home state, and because he was campaigning for the president's sister, gubernatorial candidate Luisa Maria Calderon. She is running as a candidate for the National Action Party, or PAN, the same party to which the president belongs.
The attack came just 11 days before the state elections, where in addition to a governor, 40 lawmakers and 113 mayors will be chosen.
Guzman was elected mayor in 2008, and his term was to end in January.
"At the moment, the federal authorities and military are in charge (of the case)," Michoacan attorney general's office spokesman Armando Soto La Marina said.
According to authorities, Guzman was participating in a campaign event, walking down one of his town's boulevards, when a black vehicle approached and a gunman shot from inside.
The shooter escaped, and the mayor was taken to a hospital, where he died, authorities said.
Luisa Maria Calderon said she was saddened by the killing, but that "we're not going to stop our fight for Michoacan."
Michoacan has long been a center of drug cartel violence. It was where President Calderon initiated his campaign against the cartels in 2006.
Last year, the PAN and an allied party declined to run candidates in at least 20 mayoral races in Michoacan because of insecurity.
|
[
"How many mayor's have been killed since 2010",
"Who was he campaigning for",
"What day of the week was Ricardo Guzman Romero killed",
"Since 2010 how many mayors have been killed",
"When was Romero killed",
"Who was killed on wednesday",
"When have 18 mayors been killed since"
] |
[
"18",
"the president's sister",
"Wednesday",
"18",
"Wednesday",
"La Piedad Mayor Ricardo Guzman Romero",
"2010 and 2011."
] |
question: How many mayor's have been killed since 2010, answer: 18 | question: Who was he campaigning for, answer: the president's sister | question: What day of the week was Ricardo Guzman Romero killed, answer: Wednesday | question: Since 2010 how many mayors have been killed, answer: 18 | question: When was Romero killed, answer: Wednesday | question: Who was killed on wednesday, answer: La Piedad Mayor Ricardo Guzman Romero | question: When have 18 mayors been killed since, answer: 2010 and 2011.
|
Mexico City (CNN) -- A US Airways flight attendant was found dead in his hotel room in Mexico City, company spokeswoman Tina Swail said Saturday.
Authorities are investigating the circumstances of Nick Aaronson's death, she said.
A spokesman for the attorney general in Mexico City said authorities were called in the early morning to the Hilton Hotel, where they found the body of a man, estimated to have been between 30 and 35 years old.
His body indicated he had been struck several times, Rene Hernandez Cueto said.
Investigators are collecting evidence in the case, he added.
Preliminary reports do not indicate a safety breach at the hotel, according to a statement from the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) Council 66.
"Therefore, we do not believe our crew members are at risk. However, until this matter is resolved, layover crews will be temporarily relocated to an alternative location," said the union.
Deborah Volpe, president of AFA Council 66, described Aaronson as "very popular" and a "much-loved flight attendant."
"This was a very tragic event and it has affected us all. Right now, we are focusing on taking care of our crew members," she said.
CNN's Krupskaia Alis, Carloo Perez and Helena DeMoura contributed to this report.
|
[
"who did Reports do not indicate a safety breach at the hotel?",
"What happened to his body?",
"who is Nick Aaronson?",
"What do the reports indicate?",
"Who is remembered?"
] |
[
"the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) Council 66.",
"struck several times,",
"A US Airways flight attendant",
"not",
"Aaronson"
] |
question: who did Reports do not indicate a safety breach at the hotel?, answer: the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) Council 66. | question: What happened to his body?, answer: struck several times, | question: who is Nick Aaronson?, answer: A US Airways flight attendant | question: What do the reports indicate?, answer: not | question: Who is remembered?, answer: Aaronson
|
Mexico City (CNN) -- Authorities found two severed heads along a highway in Mexico City on Monday morning, the city's attorney general said.
The heads were inside a car near the border dividing the city from neighboring Mexico state, Attorney General Miguel Mancera told reporters. The nation's defense ministry was also nearby.
A lengthy message was left beside the heads, Mancera said, detailing that a drug gang known as "The Hand With Eyes" was responsible.
"It ends saying that the territory of 'The Hand With Eyes' is so extensive that it has reached the metropolitan area and hasn't disappeared," Mancera said.
Police in Mexico City arrested the gang's suspected leader, Oscar Osvaldo Garcia, also known as "The Hand With Eyes," in August.
Mancera said Monday that authorities remained committed to tracking down members of the gang and stopping its growth.
Authorities were still working Monday to identify the victims.
Beheadings have become a signature sign of the brutally violent turf battles between drug cartels that have plagued cities across Mexico.
Last week authorities in the beach resort city of Acapulco made a similar discovery, finding five severed human heads inside a small wooden crate, Guerrero state authorities said.
But such violence is rare in the country's capital.
"Mexico City has been surprisingly calm in the midst of the turbulence of this conflict with organized crime, while other major cities are experiencing major upturns in violence," said Eric Olson, a security expert at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. "It hasn't exploded the way it has (elsewhere). There's always that fear of that happening, because there's nothing to guarantee that it won't."
CNN's Krupskaia Alis, Rene Hernandez, Rafael Romo and Catherine E. Shoichet, and CNNMexico.com contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who claims responsibility?",
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"who left the message?"
] |
[
"\"The Hand With Eyes\"",
"two severed heads",
"along a highway in Mexico City",
"is",
"Mexico City",
"such violence",
"drug gang known as \"The Hand With Eyes\""
] |
question: Who claims responsibility?, answer: "The Hand With Eyes" | question: What was found near the border between mexico city and mexico state?, answer: two severed heads | question: where were found the heads?, answer: along a highway in Mexico City | question: Are turf battles rare in the capital, answer: is | question: what cities were the heads found, answer: Mexico City | question: What is rare in the capital?, answer: such violence | question: who left the message?, answer: drug gang known as "The Hand With Eyes"
|
Mexico City (CNN) -- On the eve of a meeting of Mexico´s top prosecutors and judicial officials in Veracruz state, authorities Wednesday were still trying to determine who left 35 bodies in a busy thoroughfare there -- and why.
Investigators said a video may hold clues to how unidentified men managed to drive two open-back trucks filled with corpses through rush-hour traffic and then abandon them, blocking traffic as stunned onlookers watched.
Police in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz found the abandoned trucks and the bodies near a shopping mall in the municipality of Boca del Rio on Tuesday. Mexico´s state prosecutors and court presidents are scheduled to meet there Thursday.
Photos of the scene showed the two trucks with their back gates open, the bodies falling out onto the street. People on a nearby overpass looked down on shirtless bodies piled on top of each other.
¨This is a way of making yourself known, and saying, ´We have the power, we can do this with impunity,´¨ said Jose Reveles, a security analyst. "'We do it at five in the evening, in a heavily traveled avenue. We drive two trucks loaded with cadavers, and nobody stops us.'"
Drug-related violence has been on the rise in Veracruz as cartel members battle over territory.
But the large toll gripped headlines across Mexico and drew attention from peace activists gathering in a conference in the nation´s capital Wednesday.
"They were left like trash in the street," said Edgardo Buscaglia, president of the Institute of Citizen Action for Justice and Democracy.
Buscaglia, an expert on organized crime, told audience members that the bodies found in Veracruz are a reminder that Mexicans must not become desensitized to violence, even if authorities say the victims had criminal histories.
"The value of a human life does not decrease because it has a criminal background or not," he said.
The dead included 12 women and 23 men.
The video may show that the two trucks were guarded by other cars that could have doubled as getaway vehicles, Veracruz Attorney General Reynaldo Escobar Perez said Wednesday in a radio interview. He did not say where the video came from.
Investigators also are looking into whether police colluded with the people who discarded the bodies, he told W Radio.
As of Wednesday, morning, 95% of the bodies had been identified through databases, Escobar Perez said.
Most of them had criminal records, he said. One of them was identified as a local policeman who disappeared about 15 days ago, he said.
In another interview, the attorney general said that the victims died of suffocation. Only one had a bullet wound, he said. The state of the bodies led investigators to deduce they died shortly before being abandoned, Escobar Perez said.
The attorney general on Tuesday described the grisly discovery as "unprecedented."
"It hasn't happened before in the state of Veracruz," he said.
The two trucks were abandoned in the middle of the highway, witnesses said. Their gates were open and bodies had fallen out.
Hours later, bloodstains remained on the road as troops stood guard.
Boca del Rio is in Veracruz state's most populated area. It has become a frequent site of clashes between armed groups as drug-related violence grows.
Earlier Tuesday, 32 inmates escaped from three prisons in Veracruz, authorities said. At least 14 of them have been apprehended.
Escobar Perez said none of the bodies that had been identified by Tuesday night appeared connected with the prison breaks.
Government figures indicate that more than 34,600 people have been killed in drug-related violence since Mexican President Felipe Calderon began a crackdown on cartels in December 2006. Other reports estimate that more than 40,000 have died. The latest government figures were released in January.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, Calderon decried the violence caused by drug trafficking and called on fellow leaders to put a stop to the burgeoning weapons trade and rampant drug consumption fueling it.
¨Today we must be aware that organized crime today is killing more people and more youth than all
|
[
"Who said there is a video of the scene?",
"Which state were the bodies found?",
"Where were the bodies found?",
"Which country has criminals that are showing their power?",
"Who are expected to meet nearby?"
] |
[
"Investigators",
"Veracruz",
"near a shopping mall in the municipality of Boca del Rio",
"Mexico",
"Mexico´s state prosecutors and court presidents"
] |
question: Who said there is a video of the scene?, answer: Investigators | question: Which state were the bodies found?, answer: Veracruz | question: Where were the bodies found?, answer: near a shopping mall in the municipality of Boca del Rio | question: Which country has criminals that are showing their power?, answer: Mexico | question: Who are expected to meet nearby?, answer: Mexico´s state prosecutors and court presidents
|
Mexico City (CNN) -- The helicopter crash in Mexico that killed Interior Minister Jose Francisco Blake Mora and all seven other people aboard shows no evidence of an explosion, a Mexican official said Saturday.
"In visual and preliminary investigations of the crash site, the remains of the aircraft do not show evidence of any kind of damage from an explosion or fire," said Dionisio Perez-Jacome, minister of communication and transportation.
"It is worth mentioning that according to the available information up until this moment, present at the place and time of the incident were layers of clouds and reduced visibility," Perez-Jacome said.
His announcement on government television came as Mexico began a day of grieving for the eight killed Friday in the helicopter crash in a rural area just south of Mexico City.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon and his wife were among the government officials at a public funeral in Mexico City on Saturday afternoon.
The eight caskets were each draped with the Mexican flag on the vast green grounds of Campo Militar Marte where Calderon led a tearful ceremony of handing portraits of the eight helicopter victims to their respective families and children. A military band played sorrowful dirges, as did a drum and bugle corps at other points in the funeral.
"Here, in the earth, their example and memory will endure forever," Calderon told the black-attired mourners in the galleries and grandstand, all on their feet during the ceremony.
"These are difficult times for the government and for the nation, but it is also a time to show the strength to overcome these adversities," Calderon said.
The Friday incident -- which occurred 2.5 miles south of the town of Santa Catarina Atoyzingo in the municipality of Chalco -- evoked comparisons to a 2008 plane crash that also killed the country's then-interior minister.
That crash, in a luxurious Mexico City neighborhood, was later determined to be an accident caused by turbulence. The Learjet carrying the minister and others was following a commercial airliner too closely, authorities said.
Calderon on Friday called Blake Mora "a great Mexican who deeply loved his country and served until the last moment of his life."
Analysts said that the crash puts renewed attention on the president's controversial efforts to fight the nation's notorious cartels because the interior minister oversees domestic security.
"The national mood is such that even before this, people are alarmed" about cartel violence, said Stephen Zamora, professor at the University of Houston Law Center who's an expert on Mexican law and U.S.-Mexico relations.
"Calderon is in the last year of his presidency, so Mexico is entering a presidential election year just as the United States is. President Calderon has been criticized because the number of persons killed has escalated during his presidency and so people see him as failed. I think that's a harsh judgment," Zamora said.
"He inherited a country, especially in the northern states, that is being destabilized by the drug cartels. He's started employing the army, which hasn't been used much domestically, to fight the drug cartels," Zamora said.
While Blake Mora was well regarded by U.S. officials, his loss won't devastate the Calderon administration, said Pamela K. Starr, associate professor of international relations at the University of Southern California.
"I think there's an inevitability that there will be speculation that organized crime was involved in this, but it seems highly unlikely to me that indeed will be the case," Starr said, noting how the helicopter crashed under foggy conditions in a remote area.
"He was very highly thought of both within Mexico and with his counterparts in the United States," Starr said of Blake Mora. "With that said, he has not been one of the central figures in the battle against drug cartels in Mexico. The lead has been taken more by the federal police and the president himself, along with the military and the prosecutor's office."
The helicopter went down in the Xochimilco area south of Mexico City, government spokeswoman Alejandra Sota said.
Two other government officials were killed in the crash:
|
[
"Which area did the crash happen?",
"What type of aircraft was involved?",
"How many other people died?",
"Who is the president?",
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] |
[
"just south of Mexico City.",
"helicopter",
"seven",
"Felipe Calderon",
"\"Here, in the earth, their example and memory will endure forever,\"",
"Jose Francisco Blake",
"helicopter"
] |
question: Which area did the crash happen?, answer: just south of Mexico City. | question: What type of aircraft was involved?, answer: helicopter | question: How many other people died?, answer: seven | question: Who is the president?, answer: Felipe Calderon | question: What did the president say?, answer: "Here, in the earth, their example and memory will endure forever," | question: What was the Mexican minister called?, answer: Jose Francisco Blake | question: What type of aircraft was it?, answer: helicopter
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- The reputed leader of the Zetas drug cartel in the Mexican state of Veracruz was killed in a gunbattle with federal authorities, the Mexican attorney general's office has said.
Braulio Arellano Dominguez, also known as "El Gonzo," "Zeta 20" or "El Verdugo," was mortally wounded when federal police and sailors went to search a house in the city of Soledad de Doblado, the attorney general said in a release Tuesday.
Arellano Dominguez opened fire with a .38-caliber revolver and was wounded in the firefight, officials said. He died while being transported to a hospital.
Three other suspects were arrested.
Officials said they confiscated five cars, four motorcycles, a submachine gun, a hand grenade, four pistols, more than 150 rounds of ammunition, communication equipment, three bags containing unspecified powder and pills, 74,900 pesos ($5,655) and $107 in U.S. currency.
Veracruz is in southeastern Mexico on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
Los Zetas, formed by former Mexican elite commando-type soldiers, consists mostly of ex-federal and local police. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration considers the group among the most advanced and violent of Mexico's drug cartels.
Originally formed as the Gulf drug cartel's enforcement wing, the Zetas increasingly have branched out on their own.
More than 12,000 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels after taking office in December 2006. He has deployed thousands of military personnel and federal police in his battle against the drug traffickers.
|
[
"what is the name of the cartel?",
"what country is the group based in?",
"What was the leader of Los Zetas doing?",
"Who died in firefight with authorities?",
"Who was reported to be in a gun battle?",
"in what way the leader die?",
"Who is considered a violent drug cartel?",
"Who died in a firefight?",
"What is one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels?"
] |
[
"Zetas",
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"Braulio Arellano Dominguez,",
"Arellano Dominguez",
"Los Zetas,"
] |
question: what is the name of the cartel?, answer: Zetas | question: what country is the group based in?, answer: Mexico | question: What was the leader of Los Zetas doing?, answer: killed in a gunbattle with federal authorities, | question: Who died in firefight with authorities?, answer: Braulio Arellano Dominguez, | question: Who was reported to be in a gun battle?, answer: Braulio Arellano Dominguez, | question: in what way the leader die?, answer: gunbattle | question: Who is considered a violent drug cartel?, answer: Braulio Arellano Dominguez, | question: Who died in a firefight?, answer: Arellano Dominguez | question: What is one of Mexico's most violent drug cartels?, answer: Los Zetas,
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- A law allowing same-sex weddings took effect Thursday in Mexico City, one day after the second same-sex marriage was performed in Argentina.
The Mexican measure also allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has said officials will be prepared to implement the new city law.
The Mexican Institute for Sexology, a private educational institution founded in 1979, held a workshop last month for the 60 Civil Registry judges who will perform the weddings, said Juan Luis Alvarez-Gayou, the institute's founder and director. Workshops are being held this week for 120 civil court judges who may have to rule on domestic issues after the weddings, Alvarez-Gayou said.
The Catholic Church has been opposed to the law, but officials have accepted the measure, the institute director said.
"We haven't had any problems with the judges," Alvarez-Gayou said.
The Mexico City law comes amid the beginning of wider acceptance for same-sex unions in Latin America.
In Argentina, Damian Bernath and Jorge Salazar were married Wednesday in a civil ceremony in the nation's capital, Buenos Aires, the official Telam news agency reported. Judicial measures had prevented gay marriage in Buenos Aires, but a judge issued a ruling last week allowing the two men to marry.
It was the second same-sex marriage in Argentina. The previous wedding took place in Tierra del Fuego after two men were denied a permit in Buenos Aires.
In that case, a Buenos Aires court had ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage was illegal and ordered the proper authorities to grant the couple a marriage license if they applied for one. On the eve of their December 1 wedding, however, another court filed an injunction, halting the nuptials.
In many Latin American jurisdictions, the issue of same-sex marriage is decided on the local and state level.
|
[
"Workshops were held for who?",
"How many judges had to go to workshops?",
"Mexico City law comes as what?",
"What will the measure allow?",
"Where did the civil ceremony take place?",
"how many judges made the ruling",
"what can same sex couples now do"
] |
[
"60 Civil Registry judges",
"120",
"amid the beginning of wider acceptance for same-sex",
"same-sex couples to adopt children.",
"Mexico City,",
"120",
"adopt children."
] |
question: Workshops were held for who?, answer: 60 Civil Registry judges | question: How many judges had to go to workshops?, answer: 120 | question: Mexico City law comes as what?, answer: amid the beginning of wider acceptance for same-sex | question: What will the measure allow?, answer: same-sex couples to adopt children. | question: Where did the civil ceremony take place?, answer: Mexico City, | question: how many judges made the ruling, answer: 120 | question: what can same sex couples now do, answer: adopt children.
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- An American jailer was the target in the shooting deaths of three people with ties to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexican officials said.
The jailer, Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez, were killed in a drive-by shooting in Juarez earlier this month. Enriquez was an employee of the U.S. Consulate in that city.
Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, 37, the husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate, was also killed at around the same time as Redelfs and Enriquez.
A suspect arrested in the case gave new details on the high-profile killings, Mexican federal authorities said in a statement late Tuesday. Ricardo Valles de la Rosa, a member of the Aztecas gang, was arrested Friday based on military intelligence, the statement said.
According to federal officials, de la Rosa told interrogators that he was a lookout for the operation that killed the two Americans.
He said he got to know many leaders of the Aztecas, a street gang affiliated with the Juarez cartel, while imprisoned in El Paso County, Texas. Although he was born in Juarez, de la Rosa lived in El Paso for 30 years.
One of the Azteca leaders called and ordered him to find where consulate employees were having a children's party and to follow the white sport utility vehicle belonging to Redelfs, a jail guard in El Paso, authorities said.
The call came days in advance of the killings, the statement said.
De la Rosa followed Redelfs' vehicle down a Juarez avenue, until being told to fall back because the shooters had the vehicle in their sights, the statement said. A few moments later, de la Rosa heard shooting.
According to federal authorities, de la Rosa drove by the scene and saw that in addition to Redelfs, his wife, who was four months pregnant, was also dead. An infant in the back seat was uninjured.
De la Rosa also admitted to involvement in four other homicides involving members or rival gangs, authorities said.
No additional arrests have been made in the case. De la Rosa remains imprisoned pending the outcome of the investigation.
Ceniceros' wife was not traveling with him, but two of their children in the car were wounded. His white SUV looked very similar to the one Redelfs drove.
|
[
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] |
[
"three",
"The jailer, Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez,",
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"new details on the high-profile killings,",
"Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez,",
"Ricardo Valles de la Rosa,",
"Lesley Ann Enriquez,"
] |
question: How many people were killed?, answer: three | question: Who was killed in drive by shooting?, answer: The jailer, Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez, | question: Where were they killed?, answer: Juarez | question: Who was the suspect?, answer: Ricardo Valles de la Rosa, | question: What did the suspect arrested in case give?, answer: new details on the high-profile killings, | question: Who were killed?, answer: Arthur Redelfs, and his wife, Lesley Ann Enriquez, | question: What was the suspect?, answer: Ricardo Valles de la Rosa, | question: Who was killed in the drive by?, answer: Lesley Ann Enriquez,
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- At least two car bombs exploded Friday near the television studios of Televisa in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas state in northeastern Mexico, authorities said.
One blast occurred outside the TV station while the second happened next to the municipal transit service offices, said the state attorney general's office.
No fatalities or injuries were reported. The nearly simultaneous blasts occurred shortly after midnight.
The explosion in front of Televisa, a CNN affiliate, damaged the building and knocked out power on the block, the station said. The station also was knocked off the air locally, Televisa said.
Images of one of the blasts show the carcass of a car, the explosion leaving only the vehicle's mangled frame but not causing much damage to nearby buildings or trees. The wreckage lies next to a wooden street pole that is slightly tilted and holds a stop sign.
The car that exploded in front of the television studio was a red Chevrolet Corsica with Texas license plates, the attorney general's office said in a news release. The car in front of the transit office was a white Mazda, also with Texas license plates, officials said.
Tamaulipas is the state where authorities discovered 72 bodies this week on a ranch believed to be used by narcotraffickers. Authorities are investigating whether the 58 men and 14 women, who were migrants from Central and South America, were killed by the Zetas cartel.
Televisa previously came under attack August 15 when a grenade damaged apartments near the TV station's office in the city of Monterrey in neighboring Nuevo Leon state. There were no reports of injuries in that attack.
A similar attack occurred the previous day, when a grenade was launched against the Televisa offices in the city of Matamoros, in Tamaulipas. The building was damaged but there were no reports of injuries.
It was not clear Friday why Televisa is being targeted.
Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon have become a bloody battleground between the Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, which ended an alliance earlier this year. The Zetas used to be the armed branch of the Gulf Cartel but have split off into a separate drug-trafficking organization.
Journalists have come under increasing attack in Mexico, as drug cartels try to limit the information being distributed about their activities.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, nonprofit organization, criticized this month's grenade attacks against Televisa.
"No journalist is safe in Mexico when criminal groups feel free to wage grenade attacks on a national broadcaster," said Carlos Lauria, the organization's senior program coordinator for the Americas. "Drug traffickers are increasingly terrorizing the press and defining what is news and what isn't. We urge the Mexican authorities must fully investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice."
Eight journalists were killed in Mexico in 2009 and another eight have been killed so far this year, the Committee to Protect Journalists said this month.
In total, 54 journalists and media workers have been slain in Mexico since 1992, the group said.
Car bombings by Mexican cartels are a new phenomena. Among the first was a July 15 explosion in Ciudad Juarez that killed four people.
|
[
"Where did the attacks occur?",
"What else was discovered in the same state?",
"Where were no fatalities or injuries reported?",
"What was a target of a car bomb?",
"How many bodies were discovered?",
"What targeted Televisa, a CNN affiliate?",
"Where was Televisa was previously attacked?",
"What was previously attacked two weeks ago in Monterrey?",
"How many bombs targeted Televisa?"
] |
[
"in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas state in northeastern Mexico,",
"72 bodies",
"in Ciudad Victoria,",
"Televisa",
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"two car bombs",
"near the TV station's office in the city of Monterrey",
"Televisa",
"two"
] |
question: Where did the attacks occur?, answer: in Ciudad Victoria, the capital of Tamaulipas state in northeastern Mexico, | question: What else was discovered in the same state?, answer: 72 bodies | question: Where were no fatalities or injuries reported?, answer: in Ciudad Victoria, | question: What was a target of a car bomb?, answer: Televisa | question: How many bodies were discovered?, answer: 72 | question: What targeted Televisa, a CNN affiliate?, answer: two car bombs | question: Where was Televisa was previously attacked?, answer: near the TV station's office in the city of Monterrey | question: What was previously attacked two weeks ago in Monterrey?, answer: Televisa | question: How many bombs targeted Televisa?, answer: two
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Authorities believe assassins targeted a pregnant woman and two other people connected with a U.S. consulate who were killed in drive-by shootings over the weekend, Ciudad Juarez Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz said Monday.
The killings were carried out by a local gang, known as Los Aztecas, that is allied with the Juarez Cartel, Reyes told CNN. No arrests had been made by Monday afternoon.
"We know that the U.S. citizens were targeted," Reyes told CNN, saying a police officer saw gunfire from a car directed at the Americans' car. "We know they were chasing them. We know they wanted to kill them."
Two of the victims were a four-months-pregnant employee of the consulate in Juarez and her U.S. citizen husband who was a jailer in nearby El Paso, Texas, U.S. and Mexican officials said. The couple's 10-month-old child, who was in the vehicle, was not injured, Reyes and other officials said.
The child has been turned over to U.S. consular officials, Reyes said. The couple lived in El Paso, the State Department said.
The third victim, found dead in a separate vehicle, was identified as the husband of a Mexican employee of the consulate. His wife was not traveling with him, but two of their children in the car were wounded, officials said.
All the victims had left a birthday party at the consulate Saturday before they were attacked, Reyes and State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Monday. The slain couple, Arthur Redelfs, 34, and Lesley Ann Enriquez, 35, were on their way home to El Paso, Crowley said.
Redelfs was a 10-year veteran of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, according to Jesse Tovar, a spokesman for the department.
Reyes said the attackers may have been confused because both groups of victims were traveling in similar-looking vehicles.
Redelfs and his wife were in a white late-model Toyota RAV4 SUV. The third victim, Jorge Alberto Salcido Ceniceros, was driving a late-model white Honda Pilot, the mayor said.
Salcido, 37, was a state police officer who was married to a Mexican employee at the U.S. consulate, Reyes said.
His two children, ages 4 and 7, were wounded and transported to a hospital, the attorney general's office said. Salcido's wife was traveling in another vehicle, which was not attacked, Reyes said.
In Washington, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed their anger.
"The president is deeply saddened and outraged by the news of the brutal murders of three people associated with the United States Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement Sunday. "He extends his condolences to the families and condemns these attacks on consular and diplomatic personnel serving at our foreign missions. In concert with Mexican authorities, we will work tirelessly to bring their killers to justice."
Clinton said the "safety and security of our personnel and their families in Mexico and at posts around the world is always our highest priority."
"I have spoken with our ambassador in Mexico, and we are working with the government of Mexico to do everything necessary to protect our people and to ensure that the perpetrators of these horrendous acts are brought to justice," she said.
In response to the shootings, the U.S. State Department authorized the temporary relocation of employees' families working in border-area consulates.
"These appalling assaults on members of our own State Department family are, sadly, part of a growing tragedy besetting many communities in Mexico," Clinton said in a statement Sunday night. "They underscore the imperative of our continued commitment to work closely with the Government of [Mexican] President [Felipe] Calderon to cripple the influence of trafficking organizations at work in Mexico."
The families of employees at U.S. consulates in Tijuana, Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros are allowed to leave for 30 days "in response to an increase in violence along the Mexican side of its border with
|
[
"Who was targeted?",
"How many people were killed?",
"What happened in Juarez over the weekend?",
"What is the killings linked to?"
] |
[
"a pregnant woman and two other people",
"a pregnant woman and two other",
"assassins targeted a pregnant woman and two other people",
"Los Aztecas,"
] |
question: Who was targeted?, answer: a pregnant woman and two other people | question: How many people were killed?, answer: a pregnant woman and two other | question: What happened in Juarez over the weekend?, answer: assassins targeted a pregnant woman and two other people | question: What is the killings linked to?, answer: Los Aztecas,
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Four suspected drug cartel members have been arrested in connection with the slaying of a family in what authorities call an act of revenge for the death of a drug baron, a state attorney general said Wednesday.
The shootings early Tuesday that led to the deaths of four family members of 3rd Petty Officer Melquisedet Angulo Cordova was an act of revenge carried out by Los Zetas, a drug cartel allied with the Beltran Leyva cartel, said Rafael Gonzalez Lastra, attorney general for the southern Mexican state of Tabasco.
The suspects were arrested Tuesday night, he said.
Cordova was killed in the December 16 shootout that resulted in the death of Arturo Beltran Leyva, nicknamed the "boss of bosses," during a raid by a Mexican navy contingent at an upscale resort condo in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Angulo Cordova was hailed as a hero by President Felipe Calderon and laid to rest in his home state of Tabasco.
Early Tuesday, gunmen entered the family's home and opened fire, killing Angulo Cordova's mother, sister and aunt. Angulo Cordova's brother was injured in the shooting and later died in a hospital.
The Zetas, the protection arm of the Gulf cartel that also operates as its own trafficking organization, carried out revenge killings because of an alliance between them and the Beltran Leyva group, Gonzalez Lastra said.
Two of the arrested cartel members were responsible for the payments for the killings, and two acted as lookouts during the incident, he said.
The suspects were identified as Julio Acosta Saucedo, Yesenia Hernandez Valencia, Azael Jesus Garcia Reyes and Julio Acosta Vargas.
Gonzalez Lastra said authorities know the identities of the shooters as well as the vehicles used in the attack.
Some local police officers were also involved, he said.
|
[
"How many of the arrested were responsible for payout?",
"How many detainees were?",
"Whose family members were killed?",
"Who carried out acts of revenge?"
] |
[
"Two",
"Four",
"3rd Petty Officer Melquisedet Angulo Cordova",
"Four suspected drug cartel members"
] |
question: How many of the arrested were responsible for payout?, answer: Two | question: How many detainees were?, answer: Four | question: Whose family members were killed?, answer: 3rd Petty Officer Melquisedet Angulo Cordova | question: Who carried out acts of revenge?, answer: Four suspected drug cartel members
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Heavy flooding in central Mexico in the past week has killed at least 33 people and left thousands homeless, the government said Monday.
Schools remained closed in five cities in Mexico's Michoacan state, where the flooding has killed at least 22 people and left more than 3,500 residents homeless, the state government said on its Web site.
Another 83 people still were missing Monday in Michoacan, a state in western coastal Mexico that has been beset by drug violence in the past few years.
A mudslide Saturday killed at least 11 people near the small town of Temascaltepec, in neighboring Mexico state.
Uncharacteristic heavy rain throughout Mexico also has led to flooding in the nation's capital, Mexico City.
Up to 35,000 people nationwide could have been affected, published reports said.
On Sunday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon toured Valle de Chalco, a city in Mexico state.
In Valle de Chalco, on the eastern outskirts of the Mexico City area, officials announced that contaminated water from a sewage network that overflowed Friday will continue to flood the town for at least another 48 hours. The number of affected houses in the city grew from 2,000 on Friday to about 3,000 on Monday, the government said.
Mexico state is bordered on the west by Michoacan and adjoins Mexico City on three sides -- north, east and west.
In Mexico City, officials announced the reopening Monday of 165 of the 174 schools that were closed Friday because of the heavy rain and flooding.
Calderon and other Mexican officials have vowed to help displaced families, including offering them food, medicine, shelter and cash allowances to buy new furniture.
|
[
"How many schools were closed in total?",
"What number were killed?",
"How many people were affected by flooding?",
"What number of schools closed?",
"How many schools were closed?",
"What has the flood done?",
"How many people are dead?",
"How many schools will reopen monday.",
"How many people were killed?"
] |
[
"174",
"33",
"35,000",
"174",
"174",
"killed at least 22 people and left more than 3,500 residents homeless,",
"33",
"165",
"33"
] |
question: How many schools were closed in total?, answer: 174 | question: What number were killed?, answer: 33 | question: How many people were affected by flooding?, answer: 35,000 | question: What number of schools closed?, answer: 174 | question: How many schools were closed?, answer: 174 | question: What has the flood done?, answer: killed at least 22 people and left more than 3,500 residents homeless, | question: How many people are dead?, answer: 33 | question: How many schools will reopen monday., answer: 165 | question: How many people were killed?, answer: 33
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Leaders of more than 30 Latin American and Caribbean nations are meeting in Mexico from Monday to launch a group that will serve as an alternative to the Organization of American States.
The main difference between the OAS and the yet-to-be-named organization will be that the United States and Canada will not be members.
Leaders of Latin American countries have been meeting almost every year since 1986 when the Rio Group was created by countries including Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. This year's summit is intended to take the Rio Group to a new level by creating the organization.
Among the main topics to be discussed at the summit is whether to recognize Porfirio Lobo as the legitimate president of Honduras.
Lobo, who took office in late January, was elected under a de facto government that resulted from a coup in June against then-president Manuel Zelaya. The ousted leader was then forced out of the country.
Other topics on the agenda include the creation of a long-term plan to help Haiti recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and Argentina's conflict with Great Britain over oil drilling offshore from the Falkland Islands.
The Unity Summit of Latin America and the Caribbean will be held in Cancun.
|
[
"how many nations meet?",
"from how many nations did the Leaders took place at the regional summit in Cancun?",
"what will be discuss?",
"What is the objective of summit?",
"Who meet at regional summit in cancun?",
"what will the Summit discuss about?"
] |
[
"30",
"more than 30",
"whether to recognize Porfirio Lobo as the legitimate president of Honduras.",
"to take the Rio Group to a new level by creating the organization.",
"Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela.",
"whether to recognize Porfirio Lobo as the legitimate president of Honduras."
] |
question: how many nations meet?, answer: 30 | question: from how many nations did the Leaders took place at the regional summit in Cancun?, answer: more than 30 | question: what will be discuss?, answer: whether to recognize Porfirio Lobo as the legitimate president of Honduras. | question: What is the objective of summit?, answer: to take the Rio Group to a new level by creating the organization. | question: Who meet at regional summit in cancun?, answer: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela. | question: what will the Summit discuss about?, answer: whether to recognize Porfirio Lobo as the legitimate president of Honduras.
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Mexico City, the country's capital, is one of the world's important cultural centers -- showcasing Latin America's rich history and traditions.
"I love its uniqueness," CNN's Armando Talamantes said of the city where he lives and works. "The weather is never too hot and never too cold."
What's just right is the city's endless supply of music, local food and art museums. With a population of 8.8 million people, Mexico City is one of the most densely populated areas in the country and one of the richest cities in the world. It's also a huge attraction for soccer fans and bullfighting enthusiasts.
From eating out any time of the night to enjoying a day in the "Mexican Venice," or Xochimilco, to visiting the pyramids just outside the city, Talamantes says Mexico City is a constant surprise and delight. Here, he offers some insider tips on traveling to his hometown:
Where can you get the best view of the city?
If you're downtown, go to the top of Torre Latinoamericana. It was the tallest skyscraper in Mexico City for many years. Now, it's kind of old but keeps its charm.
If you're on Reforma, Mexico's most beautiful avenue, try to step into Piso 51 in Torre Mayor, the tallest skyscraper in Latin America. Beware: It is a private club, and you will be asked to join.
Which restaurant would you take your loved one to for an anniversary or other special occasion?
Taberna del León in Plaza Loreto offers traditional Mexican cuisine in a cozy environment. It's managed by Mónica Patiño, the famous Mexican chef.
Where is the best place to people watch?
Try barrio La Condesa -- its streets are full of bars and restaurants attracting a very interesting crowd, especially on nights and weekends. Also, you can go to Emilio Castelar, a street in Polanco full of life and good-looking people.
What is your favorite neighborhood? Why?
Colonia Roma is becoming the "Mexican Soho," with lots of galleries, restaurants, bars, boutique hotels, fountains and squares. It is antique, so you can find old buildings, but it's also transforming into a more modern area.
It is close to La Condesa, which is also a very cool place, full of young people.
What's the biggest misconception about your city?
You won't believe how many trees are in the city. And the robberies aren't that common, either.
Where do you go to relax?
Espacio Escultórico at the UNAM, Mexico's biggest university campus, offers a collection of sculptures by famous artists. That is a little farther south of the city. If you're not willing to travel that much, go into Bosque de Chapultepec's audiorama, where you can sit on a bench and listen to some good music.
What essential thing should visitors see or experience if they have only a few hours?
Go inside Museo de Antropología, which showcases the very DNA of Mexico. If you don't want to step into a museum, go downtown to see El Zocalo (Mexico City's main square) and Templo Mayor, the remains of an ancient Aztec temple.
What's the biggest tourist trap? Is there a "tourist trap" that's actually worth seeing?
The biggest tourist trap is Plaza Garibaldi, were the mariachis are awful and you can get mugged. A trap that could be worth seeing is the area called Xochimilco, often called "Mexican Venice" because of a series of canals.
Where was your most memorable meal? Where's your favorite place to spend a night out on the town?
Zinco bar, on Cinco de Mayo Street in downtown, has great jazz music and a very cheerful crowd.
Are there local specialty dishes or drinks that visitors must try?
Not really. Just stick to the tacos and tequila as if you were any place in Mexico. If you want something fancy, try duck enchiladas in Izote restaurant on Avenue
|
[
"Espacio Escultórico has a collection of what items?",
"Zinco bar is on what street?",
"What kind of music is played at the Zinco bar?",
"Zinco bar has great what kind of music?",
"On what street is the Zinco bar?"
] |
[
"sculptures",
"Cinco de Mayo",
"jazz",
"jazz",
"Cinco de Mayo"
] |
question: Espacio Escultórico has a collection of what items?, answer: sculptures | question: Zinco bar is on what street?, answer: Cinco de Mayo | question: What kind of music is played at the Zinco bar?, answer: jazz | question: Zinco bar has great what kind of music?, answer: jazz | question: On what street is the Zinco bar?, answer: Cinco de Mayo
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- Shootouts between drug suspects and the military in the Mexican northeastern border state of Tamaulipas have left seven dead and 11 wounded, the government reported.
One of the dead and the 11 wounded were Mexican military who were ambushed while on patrol late Thursday night in the cities of Miguel Aleman, Mier and Valadeces, the Notimex news agency reported, citing the nation's National Defense Department. The cities are along the U.S. border, near McAllen, Texas.
The cities also are near Reynosa, Mexico, where the United States closed its consulate Thursday because of recent increased drug violence.
The U.S. Consulate also issued a warning "to advise U.S. citizens of recent gun battles in Reynosa, Mexico, and cities surrounding Reynosa in the last week."
Thursday night's firefights were the latest in a string of confrontations that some residents say have been going on for at least 10 days.
Earlier this week, local news reports said, gunmen in as many as 20 vehicles clashed with members of the Mexican military and municipal police in Ciudad Mier, just west of Reynosa. The daytime gun battle Tuesday reportedly resulted in the abduction of 10 municipal police officers.
Video from the scene showed abandoned police sport utility vehicles with bullet holes and broken windows. Shattered glass covered the street against a backdrop of palm trees. A damaged red truck with the insignia CDG -- the Spanish acronym for the Gulf Cartel -- was shown being towed from the shooting scene.
In Reynosa, residents told CNN on Thursday that banners purportedly placed throughout the city by the rival Los Zetas drug cartel announced there would be a gunfight at 8 p.m. Residents reported hearing gunshots as early as 7:30 p.m.
After Thursday night's gunfire, officials say they confiscated 14 vehicles, 29 firearms, 10 hand grenades and more than 1,700 rounds of ammunition of various caliber.
On a tour of the border cities, Tamaulipas Gov. Eugenio Hernandez Flores sought to reassure residents that the government is committed to controlling the mayhem.
Violence throughout Mexico has exploded since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug cartels shortly after assuming office in December 2006. More than 16,000 people have been killed in drug violence since then.
Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas, is the most violent city in Mexico and one of the deadliest on earth. The rival Juarez and Sinaloa cartels are fighting for control of the lucrative drug routes into the United States as well street sales within Ciudad Juarez. The cartels also are fighting the Mexican army and federal, state and local police.
Mexican officials point out that most of the deaths involve criminals; few civilians have been killed.
In Juarez earlier this month, however, 10 teenagers and five other people were gunned down at a party. Officials said the gunmen belonged to the Juarez cartel and mistakenly believed the partygoers were members of a gang affiliated with the Sinaloa cartel.
CNN's Mariano Castillo and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
|
[
"How long have the firefights lasted?",
"Did any Mexican soldiers die?",
"for how many days have their been firefights?",
"Who was ambushed by drug suspects?",
"What closed on thursday?"
] |
[
"10 days.",
"One",
"at least 10",
"Mexican military",
"consulate"
] |
question: How long have the firefights lasted?, answer: 10 days. | question: Did any Mexican soldiers die?, answer: One | question: for how many days have their been firefights?, answer: at least 10 | question: Who was ambushed by drug suspects?, answer: Mexican military | question: What closed on thursday?, answer: consulate
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- The Mexican government has apologized to the families of two students killed early Friday who officials initially said were drug gang members.
Jorge Antonio Mercado Alonso, 23, and Javier Francisco Arredondo Verdugo, 24, were mechanical engineering graduate students at the Technological Institute of Higher Learning of Monterrey, the Mexican Interior Ministry said Sunday in its apology for the shootings.
Mexican soldiers chasing criminals who had fired on an army patrol shot and killed the students, the Interior Ministry said. Some of the criminals had fled onto the college campus.
"The Mexican government expresses its most deeply felt condolences to the families," the Interior Ministry said in a release on its Web page.
The federal government will intensify its investigation to find out what happened, the ministry said.
On Friday, Mexican officials had said the two dead men were part of the criminal gang that shot at the soldiers. University officials also said Friday that all students were safe.
That account changed Saturday, when Mercado's mother tried to call him after finding out about the campus shootout. When she couldn't reach him, she traveled to Monterrey, where she identified her son's body, said the campus rector, Rafael Rangel Sostman.
"I'm certain he is with God," said the mother, Rosa Elvia Mercado Alonso.
The school's rector blamed himself for the mix-up in identities.
"I offer a public apology and take responsibility for having given information that ended up not being correct," Rangel said. "I want to offer my most deeply felt condolences to the family of our two students and offer them our support in this difficult situation."
Both men were scholarship students, the college said.
Monterrey is in Nuevo Leon, one of two states in northeastern Mexico where drug cartel members blocked roads with hijacked vehicles Thursday and Friday to prevent military reinforcements from arriving. The criminals also set up roadblocks in neighboring Tamaulipas state.
Three presumed gang members and one soldier were killed in various skirmishes over the two-day period, officials said.
The area, which borders Texas, has seen bloody fighting between the Zetas and Gulf cartels after a recent gangland slaying. Hours-long gun battles are common, and U.S. officials were recently forced to temporarily close the consulate in the city of Reynosa.
Mexico has been gripped in massive drug-related bloodshed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the cartels shortly after coming into office in December 2006. Much of the violence has taken place around Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas.
There are no official government tallies, but more than 16,000 people are estimated to have died in the drug wars. The vast majority of the deaths are among reputed criminals, with some police and military also being killed. Relatively few of the deaths have been civilians.
Even so, the United States and Canada have issued travel warnings, particularly along the border area. The Texas Department of Public Safety took the unprecedented step this year of recommending that students on spring break not go to border areas inside Mexico.
News of the violence and the travel warnings apparently have had an effect. Mexicans say tourism along the border has declined significantly this year.
|
[
"Where did the criminals flee to?",
"What were soldiers chasing?",
"Where did this take place?",
"Where did they flee?"
] |
[
"onto the college campus.",
"criminals who had fired on an army patrol",
"Technological Institute of Higher Learning of Monterrey,",
"Some of the criminals had fled onto the college campus."
] |
question: Where did the criminals flee to?, answer: onto the college campus. | question: What were soldiers chasing?, answer: criminals who had fired on an army patrol | question: Where did this take place?, answer: Technological Institute of Higher Learning of Monterrey, | question: Where did they flee?, answer: Some of the criminals had fled onto the college campus.
|
Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- The death toll from heavy floods and mudslides in Mexico increased Tuesday to 41, a government agency announced.
Most of the deaths -- 30 -- have occurred in eastern Michoacan state, on the central Pacific coast. The state attorney general's office released a list of the deceased Tuesday.
Another 12 people are missing after mudslides from two large hills, Michoacan Gov. Leonel Godoy said Tuesday.
The remaining 11 deaths resulted from a mudslide Saturday near the small town of Temascaltepec in neighboring Mexico state.
Interior Secretary Fernando Francisco Gomez Mont has declared a state of natural disaster for the Michoacan cities of Angangueo, Ocampo, Tiquicheo de Nicolas Romero, Tuxpan and Tuzantla. The declaration makes those cities eligible for money from the federal natural disaster fund.
The death toll in Michoacan had been 27 until three additional bodies were discovered Tuesday.
Godoy said officials are focusing on three tasks: searching for anyone who is alive, recovering bodies and removing boulders and downed trees. Officials are under pressure to act quickly, he said, because another cold front with more possible rain is expected within the next few days.
More than 3,500 Michoacan residents are homeless, the state government said on its Web site.
In addition to Michoacan and Mexico states, unusually heavy rain in the past week also flooded parts of Mexico City, the nation's capital.
Up to 37,000 people nationwide have been affected, government officials said.
On Sunday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon toured Valle de Chalco, another city in Mexico state on the eastern outskirts of the Mexico City metro area.
National Water Commission Director Jose Luis Luege said Tuesday that contaminated water from a sewage network there that overflowed Friday will continue to flood the town for at least another 48 hours. The break in the sewage pipe had been fixed, but it burst again.
Officials also built two dikes to contain the sewage but were unable to use them out of concern that they would burst under the intense pressure from the floodwaters, Luege said.
"It's a very complicated operation," he said.
More than 3,000 homes in Valle de Chalco were flooded.
Mexico state is bordered on the west by Michoacan and adjoins Mexico City on three sides -- north, east and west.
|
[
"Where was most of the deaths",
"are any people missing",
"How many people nationwise are affected by the floods?",
"How many people were missing after the mudslide",
"where did most deaths occur",
"How many people are missing?",
"In what Mexican state were most of the deaths?"
] |
[
"eastern Michoacan",
"12",
"Up to 37,000",
"12",
"eastern Michoacan state,",
"12",
"eastern Michoacan"
] |
question: Where was most of the deaths, answer: eastern Michoacan | question: are any people missing, answer: 12 | question: How many people nationwise are affected by the floods?, answer: Up to 37,000 | question: How many people were missing after the mudslide, answer: 12 | question: where did most deaths occur, answer: eastern Michoacan state, | question: How many people are missing?, answer: 12 | question: In what Mexican state were most of the deaths?, answer: eastern Michoacan
|
Miami (CNN) -- A defunct satellite plummeting toward Earth is expected to re-enter the atmosphere between 11:45 p.m. Friday and 12:45 a.m. Saturday ET, NASA reported late Friday evening.
"During that time period, the satellite will be passing over Canada and Africa, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote," the space agency said.
The United States is once again an unlikely but potential target for the 26 pieces of the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, expected to survive the descent. Those pieces, made of stainless steel, titanium and beryllium that won't burn, will range from about 10 pounds to hundreds of pounds, according to NASA.
"There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States," NASA headquarters said, "but the possibility cannot be discounted because of this changing rate of descent."
Mark Matney of NASA's Orbital Debris team in Houston said there's no way to know exactly where the pieces will come down.
"Keep in mind, they won't be traveling at those high orbital velocities. As they hit the air, they tend to slow down. ... They're still traveling fast, a few tens to hundreds of miles per hour, but no longer those tremendous orbital velocities," he explained.
Because the satellite travels thousands of miles in a matter of minutes as it orbits -- even just before it begins re-entry -- it will be impossible to pinpoint the exact location the pieces will come down. On top of that, Matney said, the satellite is not stable.
"Part of the problem is, the spacecraft is tumbling in unpredictable ways, and it is very difficult to very precisely pinpoint where it's coming down even right before the re-entry."
Because water covers 70% of the Earth's surface, NASA has said that most if not all of the surviving debris will land in water. Even if pieces strike dry land, there's very little risk any of it will hit people.
However, in an abundance of caution, the Federal Aviation Administration released an advisory Thursday warning pilots about the falling satellite, calling it a potential hazard.
"It is critical that all pilots/flight crew members report any observed falling space debris to the appropriate (air traffic control) facility and include position, altitude, time and direction of debris observed," the FAA statement said.
The FAA said warnings of this sort typically are sent out to pilots concerning specific hazards they may encounter during flights such as air shows, rocket launches, kites and inoperable radio navigational aids.
NASA says space debris the size of the satellite's components re-enters the atmosphere about once a year. Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell noted that the satellite is far from being the biggest space junk to come back.
"This is nothing like the old Skylab scare of the '70s, when you had a 70-ton space station crashing out of the sky. So, I agree with the folks in Houston. It's nothing to be worried about," McDowell said.
Pieces of Skylab came down in western Australia in 1979.
The only wild card McDowell sees is if somehow a chunk hits a populated area.
"If the thing happens to come down in a city, that would be bad. The chances of it causing extensive damage or injuring someone are much higher."
NASA said that once the debris hits the atmosphere 50 miles up, it will take only a matter of minutes before the surviving pieces hit the Earth.
CNN's Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.
|
[
"What craft is undergoing re-entry?",
"How many pieces are expected to survive?",
"When is reentry expected?",
"Where will the remnants land?",
"What time will reentry happen?",
"What happens to the pieces during re-entry?",
"What did NASA say?",
"What time is re-entry expected?"
] |
[
"defunct satellite",
"26",
"11:45 p.m. Friday and 12:45 a.m. Saturday ET,",
"in water.",
"between",
"land in the United States,\"",
"\"There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States,\"",
"between"
] |
question: What craft is undergoing re-entry?, answer: defunct satellite | question: How many pieces are expected to survive?, answer: 26 | question: When is reentry expected?, answer: 11:45 p.m. Friday and 12:45 a.m. Saturday ET, | question: Where will the remnants land?, answer: in water. | question: What time will reentry happen?, answer: between | question: What happens to the pieces during re-entry?, answer: land in the United States," | question: What did NASA say?, answer: "There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States," | question: What time is re-entry expected?, answer: between
|
Miami (CNN) -- Kris Rakowski put the dog out late Friday and looked to the skies above his Maple Grove, Minnesota, residence.
He saw lights -- a bunch of them.
"They almost looked like fireballs or fireflies, strobing," Rakowski told CNN Saturday.
The art director, 35, who first began looking for possible signs of a plummeting U.S. satellite around 10 p.m., grabbed his camera.
He's pretty sure the photos he submitted to CNN's iReport were pieces of the satellite, which entered the Earth's atmosphere around that time. "It was a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said.
NASA said the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite's debris fell to Earth between 11:23 p.m. ET Friday and 1:09 a.m. ET Saturday.
The satellite passed over Africa and North America and likely landed off the West Coast of the United States, NASA said.
"The precise re-entry time and location of debris impacts have not been determined," NASA said. "Twenty-six satellite components, weighing a total of about 1,200 pounds, could have survived the fiery re-entry and reach the surface of Earth. However, NASA is not aware of any reports of injury or property damage. "
NASA officials said it's possible the satellite pieces hit the Pacific Ocean. Initial reported sightings of the disintegrating satellite had not proved credible because they were not near the proper track, the agency said.
Reports of suspected sightings emerged from San Antonio, where a TV photographer caught images of bright objects darting rapidly in the night sky, and from Hawaii, where Robert Jeffcoat saw what he believed were two chunks from the satellite.
Jeffcoat was running errands when the first flying object left a thick, white trail that lingered in the sky for about 20 minutes, he said. A second object followed the same path and was "massive," he said.
"It was like a comet, but smoke," he said. "I'm guessing it landed in the ocean, the way it was going."
Mark Matney of NASA's Orbital Debris team in Houston said before the rubbish fell that there was no way to know exactly where the pieces would come down.
"Part of the problem is, the spacecraft is tumbling in unpredictable ways, and it is very difficult to very precisely pinpoint where it's coming down even right before the re-entry," Matney said.
NASA said space debris the size of the satellite's components re-enters the atmosphere about once a year. Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell noted that the satellite is far from being the biggest space junk to come back.
"This is nothing like the old Skylab scare of the '70s, when you had a 70-ton space station crashing out of the sky," McDowell said.
Pieces of Skylab came down in western Australia in 1979.
Jeffcoat said he was amazed his home of Paia, Maui, seemed to be an ideal place to watch hunks of a satellite rain from the sky.
"Of all the places in the world where it could hit, here it was, in Maui," he said. "It was quite weird."
CNN's John Zarella, Holly Yan, Phil Gast and Mike Ahlers contributed to this report.
|
[
"Where was the man located that thinks he saw pieces fall from the sky?",
"How many pieces are expected to survive?",
"Who saw pieces fall from the sky?",
"Where have the pieces landed?",
"What did the man in Hawaii say?",
"About how many pieces were expected to survive re-entry?",
"What is the location of the debris?",
"Where is the debris located?"
] |
[
"Minnesota,",
"\"Twenty-six",
"Kris Rakowski",
"off the West Coast of the United States,",
"\"It was like a comet, but smoke,\"",
"\"Twenty-six satellite components,",
"off the West Coast of the United States,",
"Maui,\""
] |
question: Where was the man located that thinks he saw pieces fall from the sky?, answer: Minnesota, | question: How many pieces are expected to survive?, answer: "Twenty-six | question: Who saw pieces fall from the sky?, answer: Kris Rakowski | question: Where have the pieces landed?, answer: off the West Coast of the United States, | question: What did the man in Hawaii say?, answer: "It was like a comet, but smoke," | question: About how many pieces were expected to survive re-entry?, answer: "Twenty-six satellite components, | question: What is the location of the debris?, answer: off the West Coast of the United States, | question: Where is the debris located?, answer: Maui,"
|
Miami (CNN) -- NASA's Inspector General's Office says an investigation is under way after a white powdery substance found at the Kennedy Space Center tested positive for cocaine.
"Law enforcement personnel field tested the substance, which indicated a positive test for cocaine," said Renee Juhans, an executive officer with the office.
"The substance is now at an accredited crime lab for further testing," she said.
Juhans said that 4.2 grams of a white powdery substance was found in a NASA facility March 7. She could not confirm where, at the Kennedy Space Center, the drug was found.
"A NASA Office of Inspector General investigation is ongoing," she said.
NASA has a zero-tolerance drug policy. All employees may be randomly tested. It is not known whether any employees have been asked to submit to drug testing in this investigation.
"We have no further comment," Juhans said.
In January 2010, about 200 Kennedy Space Center workers were tested when a small bag of cocaine was found inside a space shuttle processing facility where Discovery was being readied for flight. That case was closed, and there were no arrests.
|
[
"Who has a zero tolerance drug policy?",
"How many grams of the substance were found?",
"What is the reason for the investigation?",
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"When was the substance discovered?",
"to what has nada zero tolerance",
"what found the nasa"
] |
[
"NASA",
"4.2",
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"zero-tolerance",
"March 7.",
"March 7.",
"drug policy.",
"white powdery"
] |
question: Who has a zero tolerance drug policy?, answer: NASA | question: How many grams of the substance were found?, answer: 4.2 | question: What is the reason for the investigation?, answer: substance found at the Kennedy Space Center tested positive | question: What kind of drug policy does NASA have?, answer: zero-tolerance | question: When was it discovered?, answer: March 7. | question: When was the substance discovered?, answer: March 7. | question: to what has nada zero tolerance, answer: drug policy. | question: what found the nasa, answer: white powdery
|
Miami (CNN) -- Rapper Rick Ross suffered medical emergencies aboard two separate flights, forcing both back to the ground, officials said Friday.
Ross was taken to a Florida hospital after he suffered an unidentified medical emergency on a Delta flight to Memphis a law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN.
A Broward County Sheriff's Office fire rescue team met Delta Flight 1310 at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, said the source, who was not authorized to speak to the media.
"Ross was breathing and conscious and alert when we reached the passenger on the plane," said the source. "He was conscious on transport. He was assessed and transported to Broward General Medical Center."
The rapper later wrote on his Twitter account that he was headed to Memphis and posted a video with him on a plane, getting ready to take off.
His flight, however, was diverted to Birmingham, Alabama, according to CNN Memphis affiliate WMC.
The station reported that Ross had suffered a seizure and was hospitalized.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital confirmed that it had an emergency room patient under the name of William Leonard Roberts.
Ross, born William Leonard Roberts II, is famous for songs such as "9 Piece."
He was scheduled to perform Friday night in Memphis, at the FedExForum, for the "Memphis Madness" event. The rapper missed that appearance, according to WMC.
CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who reportedly suffers a seizure?",
"How many medical emergencies has he had",
"Where did this happen?",
"What does the event mark?",
"What did the source tell cnn",
"Who suffers seizures",
"Who was alert?",
"Who has had a seizure?"
] |
[
"Rapper Rick Ross",
"two",
"a Delta flight to Memphis",
"\"Memphis Madness\"",
"Ross was taken to a Florida hospital after he suffered an unidentified medical emergency",
"Rapper Rick Ross",
"Rick Ross",
"Ross"
] |
question: Who reportedly suffers a seizure?, answer: Rapper Rick Ross | question: How many medical emergencies has he had, answer: two | question: Where did this happen?, answer: a Delta flight to Memphis | question: What does the event mark?, answer: "Memphis Madness" | question: What did the source tell cnn, answer: Ross was taken to a Florida hospital after he suffered an unidentified medical emergency | question: Who suffers seizures, answer: Rapper Rick Ross | question: Who was alert?, answer: Rick Ross | question: Who has had a seizure?, answer: Ross
|
Miami (CNN) -- The 4-year-old girl sobbed as rescuers rushed her ashore. In the boat behind her, the faces of her fellow survivors were painted with "a thousand-yard stare," one witness said Monday.
That girl and three others spent 20 hours stranded in stormy water after their 22-foot boat capsized off the Florida Keys over the weekend. They were picked up Sunday afternoon by Coast Guard rescuers.
A few hours earlier, David Jensen was maneuvering the Snap Shot, his fishing charter boat, from Duck Key to the open sea when he and others "saw a big object floating in the distance."
"The closer I got, I could see a guy waving," Jensen said.
They found three men clinging to part of what had been their boat. One charter customer quickly jumped in to help, while others threw life jackets to the men, only one of which could muster the energy to swim over, Jensen said.
Once aboard, a language barrier -- the rescued men were Spanish-speaking -- and raw emotions made it difficult to ascertain exactly what had happened. One who did speak English was very upset: "He lost his mother," Jensen explained.
Officer Robert Dube of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Monday that a son had tried to hold onto his 79-year-old mother in the hours after their ship went down around noon Saturday. But she slipped away into the rough waters, Dube said, before rescuers could reach her.
This victim, later identified as Zaida San Jurjo Gonzalez, and the men had clung to the capsized boat's hull. But four others -- three women and the young girl -- couldn't hold on, and drifted off, Jensen said, based on his conversations with the survivors and authorities.
The charter boat captain contacted the Coast Guard after learning others were unaccounted for, and he took his boat out five miles in the direction where the four had drifted away.
He saw no signs of them. But rescuers did come upon the four Sunday morning, bringing them aboard near Marathon, which is roughly halfway between Key Largo and Key West, according to a Coast Guard statement
Authorities later learned that the three women, wearing life jackets, had held tight to a floating cooler and took turns holding the girl through the afternoon, night and next morning.
"That definitely saved their lives," Dube told CNN. "It could have been a lot worse situation."
Wayne Crosby of Captain Hook's Marina and Dive Center said he watched rescuers bring the four to a dock in Marathon on Sunday. They handed the girl off the boat first, he told CNN affiliate WSVN.
"They had her all wrapped up. ... She couldn't stop crying. She was panic-stricken," Crosby said.
At the dock, rescuers scrambled to tend to all the victims.
"They just had that look on their face, like a thousand-yard stare," Crosby told WSVN.
The group had suffered multiple jellyfish stings over the course of their ordeal, Dube said. And by Monday, the 4-year-old had been treated for mild hypothermia and exhaustion. But the wildlife officer added that, by then, she appeared to be "in very good spirits."
Ernie Perroncello, owner and operator of Sea Tow in Marathon, said weather in the area Saturday when the boat went down was terrible.
"You can get yourself in trouble real quick " on the area's water, said Perroncello, whose company salvaged the capsized boat.
CNN's Suzanne Malveaux and Dave Alsup contributed to this report.
|
[
"What was one of the men upset about?",
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"How many men was the chapter captain talking about?",
"Who found the capsized boat?",
"Who were clinging to the boat?",
"What did the witness say?",
"How many were rescued?",
"How many others did the coast guard rescue?",
"What could the girl not stop doing?"
] |
[
"\"He lost his mother,\"",
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"three",
"crying."
] |
question: What was one of the men upset about?, answer: "He lost his mother," | question: What did one survivor lose?, answer: his mother," | question: How many men was the chapter captain talking about?, answer: three | question: Who found the capsized boat?, answer: David Jensen | question: Who were clinging to the boat?, answer: three men | question: What did the witness say?, answer: faces of her fellow survivors were painted with "a thousand-yard stare," | question: How many were rescued?, answer: girl and three others | question: How many others did the coast guard rescue?, answer: three | question: What could the girl not stop doing?, answer: crying.
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- He wanted to sit outside for a while and enjoy the night air, then took a shower and curled up on the couch to watch a cartoon movie.
A boring night by many teenagers' standards. But 15-year-old Michael Brewer, who suffered burns over 65 percent of his body in October -- allegedly at the hands of a group of youths he knew -- reveled in it, his mother told reporters Wednesday. Being out of a hospital burn unit, she said, was "the only thing he wanted for Christmas."
"He's really looking forward to spending Christmas with his family," Valerie Brewer said of her son, who was released from the University of Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center on Tuesday. "We hope everybody has as wonderful a Christmas as we're going to have."
Three teens -- Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16 -- are accused of being in a group that poured alcohol over Brewer and set him ablaze October 12 in what police said was a dispute over $40, a video game and a bicycle. All three teens are charged as adults with one count of attempted murder. Each has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, each could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.
The family did not return to their Deerfield Beach, Florida, home, and does not plan to, Valerie Brewer said. Instead, they went to "a safe place" -- both so they can have privacy and so Michael Brewer can feel secure.
"He doesn't feel safe going back to the neighborhood," she said. "The families of the boys live within five blocks of us. He does fear for his life going back there. ... He doesn't want to go back and I don't blame him. We're looking forward to moving on and having some peace." She told CNN in an interview later Wednesday the family is looking for another home.
Brewer, who suffered second- and third-degree burns over about two-thirds of his body, has "a long road ahead of him," Dr. Louis Pizano, associate director of the burn center, said Wednesday. He faces hours of physical therapy five days a week, Pizano said -- a painful process both because of the burns and because of muscle atrophy resulting from the recovery process. Therapists are working to help him walk more easily and regain a range of motion in his arms and legs, Pizano said.
Doctors are hopeful Brewer will not require any more skin grafts, he said.
Valerie Brewer told CNN in a later interview Wednesday that her son managed to shower "all by himself" Tuesday night. Showers can be excruciating for him, she said, as it hurts when the soap and water hit his open wounds. Plus, she said, he must take a piece of gauze and wipe his wounds to get any dead skin off. "He's very courageous for doing it by himself."
Besides his painful treatment and recovery, Brewer suffered an emotional toll, his mother said.
"He really doesn't talk about it with me or with his father," Valerie Brewer said. "He talks to the therapists about it because he doesn't want to upset us."
He takes medication to help with night terrors, she told CNN, but "he wakes up every night with nightmares." She said she sleeps about three or four hours a night, depending on how many times her son wakes up in pain or with a nightmare.
Detectives say eyewitnesses told them that Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Jarvis poured alcohol over him. Bent allegedly encouraged the attack, police said. Brewer jumped into a pool at his apartment complex to put out the flames.
Authorities have said Mendez admitted setting Brewer on fire. According to an arrest transcript, the boy said he made a "bad decision."
Pizano said Wednesday he would have predicted a six-moth hospital stay for Brewer. While he said it is "miraculous
|
[
"What did doctors say to describe Brewer's recovery?",
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"What was Brewer's age?",
"at what age is the boy",
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] |
[
"has \"a long road ahead of him,\"",
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"are hopeful Brewer will not require any more skin grafts,",
"15-year-old",
"15-year-old",
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] |
question: What did doctors say to describe Brewer's recovery?, answer: has "a long road ahead of him," | question: what did his mother say, answer: "the only thing he wanted for Christmas." | question: what did the doctors say, answer: are hopeful Brewer will not require any more skin grafts, | question: What was Brewer's age?, answer: 15-year-old | question: at what age is the boy, answer: 15-year-old | question: What happened to Brewer?, answer: suffered burns over 65 percent of his body in October
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- A 15-year-old boy who was burned over 65 percent of his body in October, allegedly by a group of teenagers he knew, has been readmitted to a Miami hospital after he had trouble breathing, a hospital spokeswoman said Monday.
Michael Brewer "had complications with his breathing and is now back in the ICU," said Lorraine Nelson, spokeswoman for Jackson Memorial Hospital. Brewer was admitted to Jackson Memorial's Holtz Children's Hospital on Sunday night and is in serious condition, she said.
It was not known whether Brewer's condition was related to his severe burns. He was released from Jackson Memorial's burn unit December 22, more than two months after the October 12 incident.
"He had been doing very well. He had been going to physical therapy and doing well, but things happen," Nelson told CNN.
At the time he was discharged from the burn unit, Dr. Louis Pizano, associate director of the burn center, told reporters, "From what happened in the beginning, we would have predicted probably six months, at least, in the hospital. And it is miraculous."
Brewer had three skin graft surgeries during his stay in the burn unit and was on a ventilator for almost the entire first month.
Three teenagers have been charged as adults with attempted murder in connection with the incident. Detectives said eyewitnesses told them that 16-year-old Jesus Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Denver Jarvis, 15, allegedly poured alcohol over him, and that Matthew Bent, also 15, allegedly encouraged the attack. Detectives said Mendez admitted that he set Brewer on fire and that he made a "bad decision," according to an arrest transcript.
The three face a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Two other boys who were allegedly involved, a 13-year-old and 15-year-old, have not been charged in the attack.
A court-appointed psychologist who examined two of the five boys allegedly involved in the attack told CNN they are competent to proceed and assist their attorney.
Detectives believe that Brewer owed Bent $40 for a video game. When Brewer did not pay, police said, Bent stole Brewer's father's bicycle, then was arrested when Brewer reported him to the police.
The next day, police believe, the group sought out Brewer. Witnesses reported the group called him "a snitch" as they set him on fire.
Witnesses have said Brewer jumped into a pool to put out the flames.
|
[
"What percentage of his body was covered?",
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"who was charged with the crime",
"who had trouble breathing"
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[
"65",
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question: What percentage of his body was covered?, answer: 65 | question: What were the teens charged with?, answer: attempted murder | question: What was Michael Brewer having trouble doing?, answer: breathing, | question: when was he burned, answer: October, | question: who was charged with the crime, answer: Matthew Bent, | question: who had trouble breathing, answer: Michael Brewer
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- A 15-year-old boy who was set on fire, allegedly by a group of youths he knew, told police he remembered "cold stuff all over my clothes and ... burning."
"Somebody poured something on me and lit me on fire," Michael Brewer tells police from his hospital bed in the audiotaped interview conducted November 23, six weeks after the October 12 incident. "I started running."
Broward County, Florida, prosecutors released the interview, along with other audio, video and documents, to media outlets including CNN on Monday and Tuesday.
Three teenagers have been charged as adults with attempted murder in connection with Brewer's burning. Detectives said eyewitnesses have told them that 16-year-old Jesus Mendez used a lighter to set fire to Brewer after Denver Jarvis, 15, allegedly poured alcohol over him, and that Matthew Bent, also 15, allegedly encouraged the attack.
Detectives said Mendez admitted that he set Brewer on fire, and that he made a "bad decision," according to an arrest transcript. Interviews with the suspects were not part of the evidence released this week.
Detectives believe that Brewer owed Bent $40 for a video game. When Brewer did not pay, police said, Bent stole Brewer's father's bicycle, then was arrested when Brewer reported him to the police. The next day, police believe, the group sought out Brewer.
In the interview, Brewer speaks in a soft, labored voice and sounds breathless. He can be heard inhaling and exhaling on the recording.
He told police that Bent "came to my house and he tried to take my dad's bike. He threatened me. He threatened my sister."
He said Bent wanted him to buy something that he didn't want to buy, but he couldn't remember what. "I think it was stolen," Brewer said.
He said he saw Jarvis pour the flammable liquid on him, and told police he was walking away from the others when it occurred.
When the teens approached him, he said, one told him, "Nobody's going to hit you." Instead, he recalled "cold stuff all over my clothes and ... burning."
Bent, Mendez and Jarvis face a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Two other boys who were allegedly involved, a 13-year-old and 15-year-old, have not been charged in the attack.
After he was set on fire, "I'm like, run. Run," Brewer said. "I ... jumped the fence and jumped into the pool."
"This guy comes running out and tries to pull me out of the water, and I said, 'Leave me, leave me,' 'cause my skin was, like, hanging," he said.
"I got out of the pool, and ... in a chair. And then they put me on a stretcher, and they strapped me, and then they put me on the helicopter."
A videotaped interview with an eyewitness to the incident is also among the pieces of evidence released.
In it, the teenager recalls hearing Bent, who is known as Zeke, tell Jarvis to pour the flammable liquid on Brewer. "Zeke's like, 'Yeah, yeah, pour it on him,'" the witness says, estimating the pouring lasted three to five seconds.
Asked if a lot of fluid was poured on Brewer, the boy said it soaked his entire back.
Brewer was released from Jackson Memorial Hospital's burn unit on December 22 after more than two months. During that stay, he had three skin-graft surgeries and was on a ventilator for a month.
He was readmitted to the hospital earlier this month after experiencing trouble breathing, but was re-released after three days. Doctors have said he faces a long recovery and rehabilitation process.
Brewer is recovering at an undisclosed location. His mother, Valerie Brewer, has said he will be home-schooled once he has recovered enough to resume his
|
[
"Who is charged with attempted murder in the incident?",
"who is michael brewer",
"What age is Brewer?",
"What interview do police release?",
"who was charged as adults"
] |
[
"Matthew Bent,",
"was set on fire,",
"15-year-old",
"audiotaped",
"Three teenagers"
] |
question: Who is charged with attempted murder in the incident?, answer: Matthew Bent, | question: who is michael brewer, answer: was set on fire, | question: What age is Brewer?, answer: 15-year-old | question: What interview do police release?, answer: audiotaped | question: who was charged as adults, answer: Three teenagers
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Commercial air service resumed Friday morning from the United States to Haiti.
An American Airlines flight from Miami to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, left at 7:36 a.m. ET after about an hour's delay, according to the airline's Web site. The flight landed at 9:22 a.m. ET in Haiti, the company said.
An Insel Air flight also left Miami on Friday morning with passengers bound for Haiti, including relief workers, said Heerem Zeen of the airline's international office.
Commercial air service from the United States to Haiti had been suspended since the January 12 earthquake. The Haitian government says at least 212,000 people died in the magnitude-7.0 quake.
The quake damaged many of the country's buildings, including some at Toussaint Louverture International Airport in the Haitian capital.
Full coverage of the Haiti earthquake and aftermath
American has said it plans three flights a day from Florida to Haiti.
"This is that crack in the dam that we so badly needed and our passengers so badly wanted, to start moving regularly scheduled traffic into and out of Haiti," spokesman Tim Smith recently said.
"We'll start out with three main flights a day from South Florida, two from Miami and one from Fort Lauderdale. Then we'll also fly a JFK New York flight into Haiti four days a week."
Haitian customs officials will work out of a cargo facility because of damage at the main terminal, Smith said.
"These flights serve as major milestones toward helping the country rebuild," Peter Dolara, American's senior vice president for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a recent news release.
"With commercial air service restored, we can better connect loved ones and provide consistent transportation to and from Haiti."
Also beginning March 12, American Eagle -- American's commuter affiliate -- will commence new service into Port-au-Prince from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and daily flights from the Dominican Republic cities of Santo Domingo and Santiago.
"We have begun our journey to recover from the catastrophic earthquake, but with support from companies like American Airlines, we hope it won't be nearly as long," said Ralph Latortue, consul general of Haiti in Florida
American has served Haiti since 1971 and employs more than 100 people in Port-au-Prince, according to the airline.
Since the day after the earthquake, American Airlines and American Eagle have continued flying into and out of Haiti, carrying relief workers, medical personnel, humanitarian aid and evacuating hundreds of people.
Representatives of Spirit Airlines and Delta Air Lines said this week that they were working to restore air service to Haiti.
CNN's Alden Mahler Levine contributed to this report.
|
[
"What has been suspended?",
"Who plans to have three flights?",
"What do the flights serve as?",
"What has been suspended from U.S. to Haiti?",
"What do flights serve as?",
"How many daily flights are planned?"
] |
[
"Commercial air service from the United States to Haiti",
"American",
"major milestones toward helping the country rebuild,\"",
"Commercial air service",
"major milestones toward helping the country rebuild,\"",
"three"
] |
question: What has been suspended?, answer: Commercial air service from the United States to Haiti | question: Who plans to have three flights?, answer: American | question: What do the flights serve as?, answer: major milestones toward helping the country rebuild," | question: What has been suspended from U.S. to Haiti?, answer: Commercial air service | question: What do flights serve as?, answer: major milestones toward helping the country rebuild," | question: How many daily flights are planned?, answer: three
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Five Florida men convicted of plotting terrorist acts with al Qaeda were sentenced Friday to long prison terms, the Department of Justice announced.
Seven suspects were arrested in June 2006 for allegedly conspiring to blow up buildings, including the 110-story Sears Tower, the nation's tallest building, in Chicago, Illinois; the FBI's Miami office and others.
Five were convicted in May, their third trial after juries failed to reach a verdict on two previous attempts. The sixth was found not guilty. A seventh was found not guilty earlier.
The suspected ringleader, Narseal Batiste, 35, was sentenced to 13½ years in prison plus 35 years of supervision after his release.
He was the only defendant found guilty earlier this year of all four conspiracy charges, including conspiring to incite a rebellion against the United States, supplying materials to a terror organization and terrorists, and conspiring to destroy buildings with explosives.
Another defendant, Patrick Abraham, 30, was sentenced to 9 years, 4-and-a-half months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervision. He was convicted of two counts involving supplying materials to terrorists and terror groups, and of conspiring to destroy buildings with explosives.
Stanley Grant Phanor, 34, Burson Augustin, 24, and Rotschild Augustine, 26, were convicted of supplying materials to terrorists but acquitted of the other charges.
Phanor got eight years, Augustin got six and Augustine seven. All will be supervised for 10 to 15 years after release.
The sixth defendant, Naudimer Herrera, 25, was acquitted on all four counts.
The prosecution of the men "helped make our community safer by rooting out nascent terrorists before they could carry out their threats," Acting U.S. Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman of the Southern District of Florida said in a statement announcing the sentences Friday.
Lawyers for two of the men said they intended to appeal when the verdict was announced in May.
The terror trial in Miami was the third held for the defendants, a group of homeless men initially known as the "Liberty City 7," for the Miami neighborhood where authorities say they operated.
In the first trial, a mistrial was declared after nine days of deliberations in December 2007, although a seventh defendant was acquitted. The jury in the second trial deadlocked in April 2008 after deliberating for 13 days.
The first two juries could not determine whether the defendants were seriously plotting with al Qaeda -- as the prosecutors alleged -- or if they were simply struggling young men who were looking to con an FBI informant out of money, as the defense alleged.
Authorities have said the men did not have explosives or weapons and that their plans appeared "more aspirational than operational." The investigation began after an Arabic speaker contacted authorities and said Batiste approached him about waging "jihad" in the United States.
Investigators then planted among the group an undercover informant, who claimed to be an al Qaeda member who helped plan the attack on the USS Cole in 2000. A federal raid on the group's Liberty City warehouse in 2006 revealed a receipt for purchase of a gun, as well as ammunition, marijuana, two credit cards, 10 euros, three machetes, two swords, an ax, uniforms and a flight suit.
On a surveillance videotape played during trial, Batiste could be heard saying he was "very grateful" to Osama bin Laden and "loved" the al Qaeda leader's work. He also said he respected bin Laden and wanted to meet him someday.
In other excerpts, Batiste told the informant his people needed training, and they discussed going to Chicago because the city has underground trains and tunnels.
CNN's John Couwels contributed to this report.
|
[
"How many suspects were arrested?",
"what is liberty city 7",
"who is narseal batiste",
"who was arrested in 2006",
"Who is the suspected ringleader?"
] |
[
"Seven",
"group of homeless men",
"suspected ringleader,",
"Naudimer Herrera,",
"Narseal Batiste,"
] |
question: How many suspects were arrested?, answer: Seven | question: what is liberty city 7, answer: group of homeless men | question: who is narseal batiste, answer: suspected ringleader, | question: who was arrested in 2006, answer: Naudimer Herrera, | question: Who is the suspected ringleader?, answer: Narseal Batiste,
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- From the custom-made, hand-beaded white dress to silver-studded high-heeled shoes, diamond jewelry and tiara, Jenny Ferro is preparing for a day she's dreamed about since she was 3 years old.
"I'm really excited," says Jenny, eagerly nodding her head. "Really, really, a lot!"
She isn't getting married. The 15-year-old is preparing for her quinceañera, a coming-of-age ritual in Latin culture, marking a young girl's entrance into womanhood. The centuries-old tradition began as a ceremony to introduce girls to society on their 15th birthday and signified that they were ready for marriage. Today, many quinceañeras have become much more elaborate.
Jenny and her mother, Marlene Ferro, have worked out every detail of the party well in advance, from the rehearsal to the reception to the flower girl and the music. The theme of the party is bedazzled.
First, there is the dress, which Marlene had designed specially for her daughter. It cost about $800. Then there are the shoes, high-heeled and silver to match the dress. During the party, the high heels will be ceremoniously slipped onto her feet to replace her flat shoes -- a symbolic transition of her journey from childhood to womanhood.
"It makes her look like a princess," gushes Marlene Ferro.
Quinceañeras are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. One reason for their popularity is a greater acceptance of Latin culture in America, according to Michele Salcedo, author of "Quinceañera!" a comprehensive guide to the celebration.
"The 15th birthday, culturally, is a milestone. It doesn't have to be celebrated with a party at all, but it is generally marked by something quite special," Salcedo says.
Experts believe the quinceañera is rooted in Mayan, Aztec and European traditions. Today, many coming-of-age ceremonies resemble lavish "Sweet 16" celebrations. Beyond the elaborate apparel, food and festivities, modern quinceañeras often feature a court of 15 people, typically consisting of family and friends. As the event continues to grow in popularity, the makeup of the court has also changed.
"It has gone beyond Latinos, so that a lot of Latino girls will have not only family members in court but they will reach out to non-Latino friends," says Salcedo. "So it's a way of reaching out and extending social ties and bringing people in who might not otherwise have an opportunity to know a Latino family and to know the culture."
Family plays the largest role in the quinceañera, leading up to and during the party. Mothers, fathers, grandparents and godparents can spend years preparing a night to remember for the young girl. The tradition is just as important to the family as it is to the young woman. The large, extravagant celebrations often symbolize a family's hard work and success.
How has America changed Latinos?
Marlene Ferro, who emigrated from Cuba as a child with her parents, says Jenny's quinceañera was a gift to both of them. The 43-year-old, single mother of three, saved for years and estimates that she spent at least $20,000 on her daughter's quinceañera.
"I was able to accomplish something that I had been looking forward to for 15 years," says Marlene Ferro.
The parties can be as big and expensive as a family can imagine and costs can escalate into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Salcedo. She recommends that families manage expectations before the party planning even begins.
iReporter Alexis Fernandez's quinceañera was a big event in Alaska
"Sometimes people go way overboard and [spend] much more on the celebration than they can afford and that's the downside of the quinceañera," says Salcedo. "Because when it's done right it can be a beautiful family celebration and a celebration of a milestone that a young girl goes through."
Quinceañeras have changed over the years. Even though her tiara was taller than her daughter's
|
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question: How long has Jenny been preparing for her celebration?, answer: since she was 3 | question: how much did Marlene Ferro spend?, answer: $20,000 | question: How much will be spent on Jenny's celebration?, answer: $20,000 | question: What is a quinceanera?, answer: a coming-of-age ritual in Latin culture, | question: when did Jenny Ferro start preparing?, answer: since she was 3 years old. | question: What happens to girls at age 15?, answer: womanhood. | question: what is the name of the 15th birthday celebrations?, answer: quinceañeras | question: What age are Quinceañeras celebrated at?, answer: 15th birthday | question: How much did Marlene ferro spend, answer: $20,000 | question: What marks a girl's transition to womanhood?, answer: quinceañera, | question: Who has been preparing for her celebration since she was 3?, answer: Jenny Ferro | question: Since what age has Jenny Ferro been preparing for her Quinceañera?, answer: 3 years old.
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Growing up, Jean-Manuel Beauchamp attended no ball games with his grandfather. No barbecues, either, or bedtime stories.
Beauchamp, now 20, was 4 months old when the United States invaded Panama and seized his grandfather. Noriega was later convicted on drug charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison, reduced to 17 for good behavior.
Now, three years after the end of his prison term, Beauchamp's grandad -- former Panamanian military dictator Manuel Noriega -- remains behind bars pending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's decision whether to sign extradition documents.
That outcome will likely come sooner rather than later. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down Noriega's request for a new hearing, setting the stage for his extradition to France, where he has been convicted in abstentia on money laundering charges and faces a new trial.
"It's all up to Hillary now," Beauchamp said. "There's not much hope in the courts any longer."
President Obama has a role to play as well, Beauchamp said, but he held out little hope that the president would intercede.
"I don't think he's being informed about this case, and it's still being ignored, just like the Bush administration did," he said.
"I'm trying not to let this affect me. I just got off the phone with my grandfather. He was adamant about making this injustice known," he said.
Noriega's Miami attorneys plan to send Clinton a letter Friday asking that the former Panamanian strongman be returned to his home country of Panama. Noriega's trial judge declared him a prisoner of war after his drug and money laundering conviction in 1992. Because of that status, he and his attorneys believe he should have been returned to Panama -- where he would face murder charges -- when his sentence ended in 2007.
But the federal courts have ruled against him, and he has remained in prison south of Miami.
"He was adamant about staying in Miami this whole time," said Beauchamp. "His attitude now is 'whatever happens happens.' "
Noriega is charged in France with depositing drug money in French banks and using drug money to buy apartments in Paris. He faces up to 10 years in prison there, but his attorneys believe France would not honor his status as a prisoner of war. He faces 20 years on murder and human rights abuse charges in Panama, but Panamanian law would allow him to serve his sentence under house arrest because of his age.
The United States holds his fate and must decide whether to honor France's extradition request or send Noriega home.
"They must also consider the seriousness of the charges," said Jon May, Noriega's appellate attorney.
"Noriega is wanted for murder in Panama. We're not asking for sympathy from Secretary Clinton, but to recognize there are larger issues," he said.
Further, he said, "Panama made the request first, and he is a citizen of Panama, not France."
Beauchamp also believes that Panama's case should come first, but he is willing to go with his grandfather wherever he's sent.
"I told him I will follow him to be with him there, in France, but he said, no, I should stay and work on my studies," said Beauchamp.
Beauchamp is a film student in New York. He says that he doesn't know anything about his grandfather's past or the drug charges that put him in prison.
He was far too young to hear the stories about how Manuel Noriega was once on the CIA's payroll.
"When I was a kid, I didn't grow up knowing he was in prison. I thought he was in school," said Beauchamp.
The two have spent quite a bit of time talking both in person and on the phone. Beauchamp said they talk about the present, not the past, and his famous grandfather has motivated him, helping him learn from his own experiences.
"I've spent quality
|
[
"Who wanted Noriega returned to Panama?",
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"What charges do Noriega face in Panama?"
] |
[
"Miami attorneys",
"Miami attorneys",
"depositing drug money in French banks and using drug money",
"murder and human rights abuse"
] |
question: Who wanted Noriega returned to Panama?, answer: Miami attorneys | question: Who is pushing for Noriega to be returned to Panama?, answer: Miami attorneys | question: What does France want Noriega to stand trial on?, answer: depositing drug money in French banks and using drug money | question: What charges do Noriega face in Panama?, answer: murder and human rights abuse
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- He lies in a bed on a balloon-type mattress, to reduce pressure on his burned body. He is covered with bandages; a ventilator breathes for Michael Brewer because he can't do it for himself.
He's hooked up to the marvels of modern medicine that are trying to give the 15-year-old burn victim a chance to be a kid once again.
Sixty-five percent of his body is covered with second- and third-degree burns.
"People are writing horror stories ... but people just can't imagine the kind of sickness we're talking about," said Dr. Nicholas Namias, medical director of the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Burn Center in Miami.
"I've been to movies like everyone else, and Hollywood hasn't even thought of something like this," Namias said.
Brewer is heavily sedated, and the ventilator does not allow him to speak. His open wounds are covered by bandages, which are changed daily. It's a four-hour process.
He has not been able to speak with police since his desperate fight for life began October 12, when police say five teenage friends, including a 13-year-old, doused Brewer with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire.
The attack occurred after Brewer reported to police that one of the youths had stolen his father's bicycle. Police say the bicycle was stolen because Brewer did not pay one of the boys $40 for a video game.
According to police, witnesses said the teens called Brewer "a snitch" as they used a lighter to set him ablaze.
Namias explained how Brewer's organs are not functioning the way they should be, but that is expected at this early stage of recovery.
"He's still on the ventilator and advanced modes of mechanical ventilation. We are breathing for him. His contribution to the breathing is trivial," Namias said.
Namias also explained that in burn cases, words must be chosen carefully when talking about patients and their condition because so much is at risk and so much can change quickly.
"When you say he's doing OK, in this situation it means he's alive and responding to treatments," Namias said. "We're still dealing with the respiratory failure. We're dealing with infection now and the need to supply the massive amount of nutrition that this person needs to survive."
On Monday, the five teens who are accused of taking part in the attack appeared separately before judges in Broward County, Florida.
State prosecutors were granted additional time to build their case. Formal charges are expected later this month. For now, all five teens are being held in custody.
Four of the boys, all 15 years old, could be charged as adults. The 13-year-old also could be charged as an adult but under Florida law only if Brewer dies.
Michael Brewer's parents, Valerie and Michael Brewer Sr., issued a written statement through the hospital last week. They are not granting interviews.
"The recovery process will be baby steps, but eventually he will be whole again," they wrote.
But their son's injuries enter the realm of medicine and science that has no guarantee.
"There's no evolutionary mechanism to survive a 65 percent burn," Namias said.
"Surviving is a miracle of modern medicine and about the technology and the things we do. This is not like a gunshot and you come out of the [operating room], and say everything's going to be OK," he added.
"We never give up, and we never predict it. ... Our expectation is survival."
Across the hospital floor in the burn unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital, six other people's lives also are at stake: all victims of various accidents, all with burns similar to Michael Brewer's. They, too, are trying to regain at least a part of what they used to have.
"It's understandable that people can be burned in accidents," Namias said.
"
|
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question: What did teens do to Michael Brewer?, answer: with rubbing alcohol and set him on fire. | question: What age is Michael Brewer?, answer: 15-year-old | question: What percentage of his body is covered in burns?, answer: Sixty-five | question: What did Michael Brewer report before the attack?, answer: that one of the youths had stolen his father's bicycle. | question: When did the teen suspects appear before judges?, answer: Monday, | question: What do police say Michael Brewer was doused in?, answer: rubbing alcohol | question: When was he attacked?, answer: October 12, | question: What is 65 percent of Brewer's body is covered in?, answer: second- and third-degree burns. | question: When did the suspewcts appear in court?, answer: On Monday, | question: At what age was Michael Brewer at the time of the attack?, answer: 15-year-old | question: How much of Brewer's body was covered in burns?, answer: Sixty-five percent | question: How many boys were arrested for the attack on Michael Brewer?, answer: five | question: how much percent of Brewer's body is covered in second-, third-degree burns?, answer: Sixty-five | question: who doused Michael Brewer?, answer: five teenage friends, | question: What percent of Brewer's body is covered in burns?, answer: Sixty-five | question: what is the age of Michael Brewer?, answer: 15-year-old | question: Who doused Michael Brewer in alcohol?, answer: five teenage friends, | question: In which state did this occur?, answer: Florida.
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Marie, a Haitian mother, couldn't have been more grateful. "Thank you God for TPS," she recently told an attorney helping her fill out forms that will protect her from deportation. She was referring to temporary protected status, which will allow her to work legally, help Haiti and support her two young children. It's the sentiment that we hear most these days.
As longtime advocates, we at Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center were gratified when the Department of Homeland Security granted temporary protected status to unauthorized Haitian immigrants after the catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. Temporary protected status will allow perhaps 100,000 Haitians to legalize their status for the next 18 months.
They'll be able get work permits and driver's licenses and send more money to loved ones struggling in Haiti's ruins. Such people-to-people help is one of the best forms of foreign aid. Remittances encourage Haitians to stay and rebuild Haiti, rather than attempt treacherous sea voyages that more often than not end in tragedy.
Today, Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center and other pro bono groups are working furiously to help Haitians apply for temporary protected status and warn them away from "raketè," scammers who will rip them off. It's a mammoth job in South Florida, home of the nation's largest Haitian-born population.
The six-page temporary protected status application includes complicated questions and must be translated for non-English speakers. Many Haitians also need help filling out work-permit and fee-waiver forms. Without a waiver, applicants ages 14 to 65 must pay $470 in fees and $50 for a younger child.
Frankly, temporary protected status is the least our government can do after decades of denying Haitians just immigration treatment. No previous administration had granted temporary protected status to Haitians despite numerous occasions when deportees would have been unsafe due to political conflict or natural disasters, conditions that typically trigger temporary protected status. Indeed, we had been actively pushing for temporary protected status since four killer storms demolished 15 percent of Haiti's gross domestic product in late 2008.
The history of discriminatory treatment goes back much further. Since Haitians started coming to U.S. shores nearly 50 years ago, they routinely have been denied the fundamental protections promised to refugees of virtually every other nationality.
Finally more attention is being paid to the need to help the Haitians. As a key neighbor, the United States needs to prepare for a long-term commitment in which U.S. Haitians play a key role.
Many of these Haitians wish to travel to support relatives in Haiti and contribute to reconstruction. But for Haitians with temporary protected status, those trips could lead to dire consequences. Though they may travel legally, some may face problems coming back home and, thus, should consult with an attorney before leaving.
Many U.S. citizen and resident Haitians also are trying desperately to bring relatives here from Haiti, but some face daunting delays because of archaic immigration processes. Given the substantial moral and material help that Haitians in our country offer Haiti, Homeland Security should find solutions to permit travel and expedite relative reunification.
We are hopeful, too, that Homeland Security will address concerns regarding Haitians who have arrived here since the earthquake with no or improper visas. One glaring example is the dozens of Haitians who were flown here on military planes after the earthquake, only to be detained. Many lost their parents, siblings and children; one of our clients lost his twin 9-year old daughters. Virtually all had U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident relatives awaiting their release.
Their prolonged detention only exacerbated the terrible trauma they suffered before fleeing Haiti. During their detention, most showed signs of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Yet Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center's attempts to get permission for a psychotherapist to meet with the Haitians were repeatedly rebuffed.
When everyone in the world was offering to help the Haitians, Immigration and Customs Enforcement kept our clients in detention for more than two months. They only released them after a front page New York Times story ran and the Haitians agreed to be deported whenever ICE wants.
Haitian orphans also
|
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question: She says such status was not granted when?, answer: deportees would have been unsafe due to political conflict or natural disasters, | question: what would help haiti, answer: temporary protected status, | question: what was not granted, answer: temporary protected status | question: Further immigration changes would aid Haiti's effort to recover from what?, answer: catastrophic earthquake
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Romel Joseph calls it his second life.
"When I came here, I said I was 99.9 percent dead, and I am leaving here 85 percent alive," he said.
The blind violinist who was trapped for 18 hours after Haiti's earthquake in January was released from a Miami, Florida, hospital over the weekend after what doctors say is an amazing recovery.
The powerful January 12 quake leveled his five-story music school in Port-au-Prince, and he was pinned beneath the debris.
His friends were able to remove him from the rubble of the New Victorian School, and he was airlifted out of Port-au-Prince by the American Embassy to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami.
Joseph suffered severe injuries, including a fractured hand and two crushed legs.
To get through the painful ordeal, Joseph prayed and let his mind drift to thoughts of every concerto he had ever played.
"I didn't think I would be alive ... I thought my time was up," Joseph said. "But my time is not up yet, so God will provide and show me how to fulfill my dream."
Joseph plans to return to Haiti at the end of the month to start rebuilding the New Victorian School, where he is the director.
He hopes to have a makeshift structure up within two weeks so children can begin attending the dual purpose music and academic school by mid-April.
The temporary structure is estimated to cost $35,000. It will take another two to three years to build a permanent school, one that Joseph said will be earthquake-proof.
During Joseph's last physical therapy session, the Juilliard-trained violinist played classical numbers and hymns as part of his treatment.
To the delight of patients around him, Joseph stuck chord after chord on the violin stretching and strengthening his hand that was badly fractured.
"I couldn't put my fingers on the strings at first and gradually I was able to play little one or two notes and now I can play, not great but it's a blessing," Joseph said modestly.
Doctors had initially feared that he might never play violin again.
The violin wasn't the only instrument helping Joseph repair his shattered hand during the 18 hours of physical therapy he received each week.
A keyboard donated by musician Steve Wonder has helped Joseph regain the strength in his fingers.
Wonder, who is also blind, had heard Joseph's story on CNN and said he was moved to act.
"What better way to express God's love than to give something that is special to you to someone else who is in need," Wonder said. "So that's why I did what I did."
Joseph hopes to return playing professionally by October, when he would like to have a debut concert with Wonder.
"I would like to play with him and thank him in person for helping in my recovery."
|
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question: Where was the earthquake?, answer: Haiti's | question: who was released from the hospital, answer: Romel Joseph | question: What does Joseph plan to rebuild?, answer: the New Victorian School, | question: In what country was Joseph inured?, answer: Haiti's | question: Who donated a keyboard?, answer: Steve Wonder | question: What instrument does Joseph play?, answer: violin
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- The parents of an injured baby girl who was flown to Florida for treatment after Haiti's earthquake have been told what they already know: They are the biological parents of the little girl.
The International Red Cross notified Nadine Devilme and Junior Alexis in Haiti that DNA testing proves that the infant is theirs, said Mark LaPoint, an attorney representing the baby.
Rescuers dubbed her Patricia, but her parents call her Jenny.
On Wednesday morning, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman decided that Jenny's parents will get to take her back to Haiti after doctors and nurses in Florida finish treating her.
"This is a case where these were really good parents, and I can't wait for these parents to be reunited with their baby," the judge said. "This is one happy day."
Federal authorities have pledged to help Devilme and Alexis travel from Haiti to the United States to reunite with their daughter, though the timing of that trip has not yet been determined, said Bob Martinez, an attorney for the parents.
The baby still has a hard time closing her left hand and needs some medical therapy, LaPoint said in court Wednesday.
The judge scheduled a hearing for April 7 to get an update on the baby's condition.
Jenny was 4 months old when the January 12 earthquake destroyed large swaths of Haiti. Her mother was knocked unconscious in the 7.0-magnitude temblor and taken to a hospital. When she awoke, she urged her husband to go home to search for their baby.
Alexis searched through the broken rubble for four days, but found nothing. The couple says that on the fifth day, January 16, witnesses saw a cleanup crew rescue Jenny from the rubble. She reportedly was found in the arms of her baby sitter, who was dead. The witnesses got word to Devilme, who was in the hospital with her own injuries.
Rescuers apparently assumed the baby was an orphan and whisked her away to a different hospital in Port-au-Prince, one run by the University of Miami and Project Medishare, where a team of pediatricians worked desperately to keep her alive.
Read more about the couple awaiting the baby's return
With several broken ribs, the baby was having trouble breathing. The doctors stabilized her, and a few hours after the baby's rescue, a United Nations truck took her to a plane that was minutes away from leaving for Miami, Florida.
"I told the ambulance driver if she got there in time, we'd name the baby after her," says Dr. Arthur Fournier, a University of Miami physician working at the hospital.
The driver, Patricia, did make it on time, and thereafter, doctors at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami referred to the infant by that name.
Devilme says the friend who told her of Jenny's rescue didn't know where the baby had been taken. By the time she found out , the baby had already been flown to Miami, Devilme says.
Devilme and Alexis say it was "God's will" that Jenny went to Miami, as she might not have survived if she'd stayed in Haiti.
Jenny was discharged from the hospital and is living in foster care in Florida. Her parents are living in a tent city in Port-au-Prince and recently had the DNA testing needed to prove the baby is theirs.
The DNA tests have taken more than a month because of logistical difficulties getting the test to Haiti and because of a legal dispute over whether the baby should become a ward of the state of Florida or a ward of the U.S. government, says Mark Riordan, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Children and Families.
|
[
"Where can jenny go back to ?",
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question: Where can jenny go back to ?, answer: Haiti | question: What caused her injuries ?, answer: Haiti's earthquake | question: When will her parents trip be ?, answer: after doctors and nurses in Florida finish treating | question: What did Floriday Judge say regarding Jenny?, answer: I can't wait for these parents to be reunited with their baby," | question: The child suffered injuries from what?, answer: earthquake | question: what is not set, answer: the timing of that trip
|
Miami, Florida (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Paula pushed across western Cuba Thursday evening with wind gusts just under hurricane strength in some places, bringing heavy rain and high winds to the island nation, forecasters said.
The storm is gradually weakening and is expected to become a tropical depression Friday, the Miami, Florida-based National Hurricane Center said
As of 8 p.m. ET, the center of Paula was about 25 miles (45 kilometers) east of Havana, the center said. It was moving east at 14 mph (22 kph).
Paula passed just south of the Cuban capital around 6 p.m. Thursday -- with sustained winds of 41 mph (67 kph) and a gust of 54 mph (87 kph) recorded in Havana -- after making landfall at about noon near Puerto Esperanza.
The storm's maximum sustained winds have weakened to 55 mph (90 kph), the center said Thursday night, but wind gusts of 68 mph had been recorded earlier near Puerto Esperanza. Stronger gusts were confined to a small area near the storm's center, the center said.
Paula's tropical storm-force winds have expanded to 70 miles (110 km) outward from the center, altering the landscape of a storm that has been roughly half that size for most of its duration.
Forecasters said the storm was likely to stick to an east to east-northeast track, moving across western and central Cuba Thursday night and Friday.
The hurricane center said that tropical storm force winds should continue to spread eastward across western and central Cuba Thursday night, primarily along the north coast.
The center discontinued an earlier tropical storm watch also was for the Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas.
Emergency management officials in the Keys said Wednesday they were keeping an eye on the progress of Paula and expected some gusty winds and rain, but no protective actions had been initiated. Forecasters predict the center of Paula will remain south of the Keys.
Paula is likely to dump an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain over portions of western and central Cuba over the next two days, the National Hurricane Center said. Total maximum amounts could be 10 inches in some areas. Heavy rain could trigger flash floods and mudslides, forecasters said. The Florida Keys could see between 1 and 2 inches of rain.
In addition, a storm surge is forecast to raise water levels by 2 to 4 feet above normal tide levels along the coast of western Cuba, accompanied by "large and destructive waves," the hurricane center said.
|
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question: What are the maximum sustained winds?, answer: 55 mph | question: What day might Paula become a tropical depression?, answer: Friday, | question: Where is Storm Paula pushing across?, answer: western Cuba | question: Where is Tropical Storm Paula?, answer: western Cuba | question: What is the maximum sustained windspeed?, answer: 55 mph (90 kph), | question: What could the storm brng to Florida Keys?, answer: tropical depression
|
Milwaukee, Wisconsin (CNN) -- Arthur Budzinski wiped away the tear running down his cheek.
He had just returned from the basement, where he was talking to Gary Smith, a longtime friend and former classmate.
The two men, both deaf, feverishly gestured to one another in sign language over a videophone, discussing the recently released documents relating to a Milwaukee priest molesting students -- the same priest they said had molested them.
The New York Times reported the documents showed top Vatican officials, including the future Pope Benedict XVI, had failed to discipline the now-deceased Milwaukee priest, the Rev. Lawrence Murphy. According to the report, Murphy abused as many as 200 deaf boys in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1950 to 1974. Read the article
Back upstairs, Budzinski, 61, sat next to his daughter, Gigi, who translated his story. Her father, she said matter of factly, was abused three times by Murphy while a student at St. John's School for the Deaf in St. Francis, a suburb of Milwaukee nestled on the banks of Lake Michigan. Timeline of Father Murphy's case
Budzinski said he was 12 the first time it happened.
"It was in the closet. I asked for a confession, and then he molested me," he said, adding the abuse occurred once a year for three years. "I was wondering ... 'You're a man from the church, why are you molesting me?'"
He was unable to tell his story at the time, because his parents did not know sign language.
For years, he blocked out the memories of the abuse, until they came flooding back when he was in his 20s. It was during the 1970s that Budzinski, Smith and another friend and classmate, Robert Bolger started sharing their experiences with each other.
"If you don't tell people, it gets worse, and it will happen more and more," Budzinski said. "You need to speak out and be open."
The three friends found strength in numbers. It was time to tell their secret and put an end to the sexual abuse against deaf boys by Murphy, Budzinski said.
They held public protests where they circulated "Wanted" fliers with Murphy's image. They went to the Milwaukee County district attorney's office and the St. Francis Police Department to file complaints against the priest. Murphy denied the allegations, and no criminal charges were filed.
"Robert Bolger always said 'It's the three of us,'" Budzinski said. Bolger died in 2006. "I'm sad that Robert's gone, but I am in his place fighting, because Robert was the leader."
Budzinski has been sharing his story since the 1970s, but now the world is aware. The headlines from the March 25 New York Times story had circled the globe.
"I fought for 37 years, it finally broke open, I'm surprised," Budzinski said. "What's next, I don't know. But something should happen."
Days after the Times' report, the archbishop of Milwaukee apologized repeatedly for the way his archdiocese handled the priest. He also defended the Vatican, which has come under fire for not disciplining or defrocking the man.
"Mistakes were made in the Lawrence Murphy case," said Archbishop Jerome Listecki at the end of a special Holy Week mass at St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee. "The mistakes were not made in Rome in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The mistakes were made here, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, by the church, by civil authorities, by church officials, and by bishops.
"And for that, I beg your forgiveness in the name of the church and in the name of this Archdiocese of Milwaukee."
The Vatican said it did not know about the allegations until 20 years after civil authorities investigated and later dropped the case. Murphy died in 1998.
The Holy See has criticized The New York Times' coverage of Murphy's case
|
[
"Which media recently reports the priest abused up to 200 children",
"Arthur Budzinski was abused by who as a child"
] |
[
"The New York Times",
"Rev. Lawrence Murphy."
] |
question: Which media recently reports the priest abused up to 200 children, answer: The New York Times | question: Arthur Budzinski was abused by who as a child, answer: Rev. Lawrence Murphy.
|
Minneapolis (CNN) -- Jared Pettingill's parents wanted a safe place for their son to attend school where he wouldn't be harassed for being gay.
They found that place in the Minneapolis Public School district.
"It's just been really accepting in my experience," says Jared, a high school junior. He says he's "never really dealt with bullying issues" in middle school or high school.
"The amount of positive reaction to LGBT issues is really amazing."
Minneapolis Public School administrators admit that by no means has bullying been eradicated from their schools. However, they firmly believe that they are leading the way in creating a safe environment for all students.
In January, the school board unanimously passed a unique resolution instructing administrators to track bullying incidents related to the harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. The measure also requires all staff to be trained on LGBT issues. It injects LGBT topics into the curriculum, which includes adding an LGBT component to sex ed. They will eventually add an elective high school course on LGBT history.
Just a few miles away, another Minneapolis-area school district has attracted national attention for its policy that deals with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students much differently.
Neutral or not?
The Anoka-Hennepin School District, just outside the Twin Cities, made headlines in recent years after seven students committed suicide between November 2009 and May 2011. Parents and friends say four of those students were either gay, perceived to be gay or questioning their sexuality. They say, at least two of them were bullied because of their sexuality.
The school district says there is no evidence that the suicides were linked to bullying. Nevertheless, it stirred public debate over the school's sexual orientation curriculum policy.
The district's curriculum policy, adopted in 2009, bars teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom and says such matters are best addressed outside of school. It's become known as the neutrality policy. Anoka-Hennepin, which encompasses the Twin Cities' northwestern suburbs and is the state's largest school district, is the only Minnesota school district known to have such a policy.
In July, gay rights advocates filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of a group of students challenging the neutrality policy. The Southern Poverty Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights told CNN that the lawsuit is currently in mediation.
While the school district refrained from commenting on specifics in the lawsuit, it issued a statement in July noting that "Anoka-Hennepin has been recognized as a pro-active leader in the state of Minneosta on bullying prevention."
The school district is also in the middle of a federal investigation into "allegations of harassment and discrimination in the Anoka-Hennepin School District based on sex, including peer-on-peer harassment based on not conforming to gender stereotypes," according to a district memo.
Superintendent Dennis Carlson says the neutrality policy -- which has attracted just as many local supporters as it has critics to heated school board meetings -- is a reasonable response to a divided community.
"It's a diverse community," Carlson told CNN earlier this year, "and what we're trying to do, what I'm trying to do as a superintendent, is walk down the middle of the road."
The school district has a separate, comprehensive bullying prohibition policy, and Carlson said there is no link between the suicides and bullying.
"We have no evidence that bullying or harassment took place in any of those cases," the superintendent said.
Carlson emphasized students need to report bullying, and he acknowledged "gay students in our district struggle with bullying and harassment on a daily basis."
Damon Fietek, 16, knows that all too well. He says he was a target for bullies because his father, a middle school teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin school district, is gay.
Damon's story
Jefferson Fietek had adopted Damon just before he started high school. The bullying began immediately.
"It upsets me a great deal," says
|
[
"What is happening with another district?",
"What did his parents want to make sure?",
"What does the policy bar?",
"What has the public school done?",
"What did Jared Pettingill's parents want to make sure he wasn't bullied for?",
"What is Jareds parents concern?",
"What had the public school taken steps for?",
"What does the neutrality policy bar?"
] |
[
"curriculum policy, adopted in 2009, bars teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom and says such matters are best addressed outside of school. It's become known as the neutrality policy.",
"a safe place for their son to attend school",
"teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom",
"instructing administrators to track bullying incidents related to the harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.",
"being gay.",
"he wouldn't be harassed for being gay.",
"creating a safe environment",
"teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom"
] |
question: What is happening with another district?, answer: curriculum policy, adopted in 2009, bars teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom and says such matters are best addressed outside of school. It's become known as the neutrality policy. | question: What did his parents want to make sure?, answer: a safe place for their son to attend school | question: What does the policy bar?, answer: teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom | question: What has the public school done?, answer: instructing administrators to track bullying incidents related to the harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. | question: What did Jared Pettingill's parents want to make sure he wasn't bullied for?, answer: being gay. | question: What is Jareds parents concern?, answer: he wouldn't be harassed for being gay. | question: What had the public school taken steps for?, answer: creating a safe environment | question: What does the neutrality policy bar?, answer: teachers from taking a position on homosexuality in the classroom
|
Mission Viejo, California (CNN) -- When Marty Kubicki received a text message that his wife, Aahmes, and two teenage daughters, Olivia and Alexis, were alive in Haiti, he was overwhelmed with relief.
"I felt like an enormous burden had been placed off me, but at the same time I knew that they were OK. I always felt they made it," he said. Groups of church members have been volunteering at an orphanage for nearly six years, since church members Bill Manassero, his wife Suzette, and Jim Duggan opened the center.
But by Friday there was chaos at the Maison De Lumiere Orphanage in Haiti as 11 American missionary volunteers were trying to find a way to leave after severe shortages of food, water and medicine sparked anger in people they had been trying to help.
"People are becoming hostile at the missionary workers and we now find ourselves desperately trying to get them out," said Mike Maiolo, senior pastor of the volunteers' home church in Mission Viejo. He said he had received urgent messages from Haiti that everyone wanted to leave.
The Kubickis and the others from Mission Viejo Christian Church arrived in Port-Au-Prince a week ago to help assist nearly 100 abused and abandoned children at the orphanage.
The facility sustained heavy damage in the earthquake but no one was killed, he said.
Within hours of the quake, the volunteers became de facto nursing assistants after word spread that Maison De Lumiere was serving as a makeshift triage center.
"Lots of doctors and nurses have been coming by the facility because word's gotten out, so there's all these people being pulled out of rubble and they're assisting and attending to the injured as best as they can," Marty Kubicki said.
Judy Beltis left her husband, six daughters and five grandchildren in California when she came to Haiti on January 8. Moments after the walls and shelves around her collapsed, she found herself attending the injured and working to save lives, said her husband, Paul.
"This is a mom who couldn't put a Band-Aid on her kids when they had a cut finger because she was so squeamish, and now she's dealing with whatever needs to be done," he said.
On Thursday, the family was assured that Judy Beltis was safe and protected. "I'm going to urge her at some point to come back and get a little rest and restoration, but I know she'll want to head right back," said daughter Jaime.
But that was before Maiolo received the urgent messages late Thursday.
He said the situation had deteriorated to the extent that no one felt safe going outside the compound. Contact with his missionary members in Haiti has been limited to occasional text messages, Internet streaming and e-mail, he said, and his volunteers have not been able to reach U.S. State Department officials.
"The world around us is in such need when something like this happens and we've got to be there for them, but at the same time, there must be a quick way to get them out when there is nothing more to give," Maiolo said.
|
[
"where are they from",
"where are the volunteers",
"Where did they come from",
"What changed everything",
"how many american volunteers",
"Where are Volunteers from?"
] |
[
"California",
"Maison De Lumiere Orphanage in Haiti",
"Mission Viejo Christian Church",
"a text message",
"11",
"Mission Viejo Christian Church"
] |
question: where are they from, answer: California | question: where are the volunteers, answer: Maison De Lumiere Orphanage in Haiti | question: Where did they come from, answer: Mission Viejo Christian Church | question: What changed everything, answer: a text message | question: how many american volunteers, answer: 11 | question: Where are Volunteers from?, answer: Mission Viejo Christian Church
|
Mojave, California (CNN) -- Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson on Monday unveiled the winged rocket his company developed to give paying customers a brief taste of space.
The 300 people who have given Branson's Virgin Galactic $20,000 deposits toward the $200,000 space-ride tickets were invited see SpaceShipTwo in its Mojave, California, hangar. CNN was given an early peek.
The first flight in 2011 -- after 18 months of testing -- will launch from a spaceport under construction in New Mexico, Branson said.
Another aircraft will carry the 60-foot-long SpaceShipTwo to 60,000 feet above the Earth, where "they will drop away and they will then go to 2,000 miles per hour in 10 seconds, where they get propelled into space," Branson said.
Its hybrid rocket motor -- still under development -- will reach a suborbital altitude high enough to reach the edges of space and weightlessness, according to Branson.
"Once in space, [passengers] will unbuckle their seats," he said. "There are enormous windows, which no spacecraft has had before, for them to look back at the Earth. They can float around and become astronauts."
The cabin, which seats six paying passengers, is 90 inches -- nearly 8 feet -- in diameter, which provides "lots of room for zero-G fun," Branson's Web site said.
The first voyage will carry Branson, his wife, mother and children, the entrepreneur said. "Actually, that's my mum on the side -- a younger version of my mum on the side of the spaceship," he said.
After just a few minutes of space tourism, SpaceShipTwo will glide back to Earth, landing where it began the trip in New Mexico, he said.
About 80,000 people have placed their names on the waiting list for seats on SpaceShipTwo and its successors.
"What we want to be able to do is bring space travel down to a price range where hundreds of thousands of people would be able to experience space, and they never dreamed that [they] could," Branson said.
He said he hopes the technology will lead to a new form of Earth travel, jetting people across oceans and continents faster through suborbital routes.
"We would love at some stage, obviously subject to government approval, to take the engineers and start looking at shrinking the world," Branson said.
The spacecraft was based on the technology and carbon-composite construction developed for SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X Prize in 2004 for the first privately funded human flight to the edge of space.
The reusable spacecraft is a joint effort by aviation designer Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic, a space tourism venture that is a subsidiary of Branson's Virgin Group.
|
[
"When will the first flight into space launch?",
"What did Richard Branson unveil?",
"Who unveils spacecraft?",
"How many people does Virgin Galactic have deposits from?",
"What does Branson say about first flight?",
"How many people have given a deposit?",
"Where the first flight will take place?"
] |
[
"2011",
"the winged",
"Richard Branson",
"300",
"will launch from a spaceport under construction in New Mexico,",
"300",
"New Mexico,"
] |
question: When will the first flight into space launch?, answer: 2011 | question: What did Richard Branson unveil?, answer: the winged | question: Who unveils spacecraft?, answer: Richard Branson | question: How many people does Virgin Galactic have deposits from?, answer: 300 | question: What does Branson say about first flight?, answer: will launch from a spaceport under construction in New Mexico, | question: How many people have given a deposit?, answer: 300 | question: Where the first flight will take place?, answer: New Mexico,
|
Moncks Corner, South Carolina (CNN) -- Every day, before sunrise, Zubaidah Gibbs wakes to pray, then spends hours more singing praises to God under a tree outside her home. She reflects on the setting and thanks God for the beautiful environment around her in this small Southern town.
But this Muslim woman wasn't always at peace with herself, or her religion.
Her 55 years have been a journey from wanting to be white to being proud to be black; from the urban North to the rural South; from studying religions to finding a community in Islam.
As a young girl in the 1960s, "I would have done anything in the world to be white with blue eyes and blonde hair with small lips," Gibbs said. "I didn't hang out with girls who were dark like me, because I felt like they were ugly like me."
She became more comfortable with her race as a teenager, when she heard a different message: James Brown singing "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud!"
"I was, like, 'Wow, this is interesting,'" she said. "I started getting rid of [my relaxed hairstyle] and accepting my hair natural, and I was a little bit more comfortable with myself."
But her pride in her roots didn't fill the void she felt in her heart. She was still searching for connections that transcended ethnicity. Her mother, a Christian, encouraged Gibbs to visit various churches around her home in New York, some led by Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics.
She was 17 when a blind date with a Muslim man ended at a mosque.
"I heard the adhan [call to prayer] playing, and I saw the people with their long garbs on, and the sisters -- and I just didn't want to leave," she said.
That same year, she embraced Islam, attracted to the message of peace and its disregard for color.
"Islam helped me to identify with the beauty within as well as outside. ...It balanced me out because now I understand who I am as a human," Gibbs said.
Gibbs' spiritual journey had only begun. At age 42, she moved from New York to South Carolina to escape the crowds of the city with her four children. She didn't know of a mosque in the little town where she'd settled, Moncks Corner, but was reluctant to go 30 miles south to Charleston. So, she prayed about it.
One day, Gibbs said, she saw men in kufis, traditional African skullcaps, building what looked like a little house on what had once been known as the "whites-only" side of Moncks Corner. She discovered it was to be a mosque, just as she'd prayed for.
Today, the mosque, Masjid Muhajarun Wal Ansars, is a small white brick building whose members are mostly African-American. They practice mainstream Islam, like 2.45 million other American Muslims, not Nation of Islam, a separate religious tradition associated with black Muslims. Here, they marry Islamic ritual, racial understanding and traditional southern culture.
At the mosque, Gibbs met a spiritual mentor, Sheikh Harun Faye. Faye was born in Thies, Senegal, and came to South Carolina in 1994 after marrying an American.
"I belong to a very large family, and generation after generation all we have done is to lead people to the way of God," Faye said. "So, when I got here, the first thing I wanted was a mosque where I can call the people to God and teach them Islam. And that is what I do."
He opened the mosque in 1996, with five people. The congregation now consists of more than 150 members.
Gibbs was among its first members. She was initially attracted to the mosque's welcoming nature, open-door policy and community outreach. Over the last 14 years, the mosque has assisted thousands of people in need, many of them homeless and ex-convicts.
|
[
"Where was the mosque she joined?",
"What did Gibbs struggle with?",
"Who struggled with race and religious identity ?",
"How many members did the mosque have?",
"who struggled with her race and religious"
] |
[
"Moncks Corner,",
"herself, or her religion.",
"Zubaidah Gibbs",
"150",
"Zubaidah Gibbs"
] |
question: Where was the mosque she joined?, answer: Moncks Corner, | question: What did Gibbs struggle with?, answer: herself, or her religion. | question: Who struggled with race and religious identity ?, answer: Zubaidah Gibbs | question: How many members did the mosque have?, answer: 150 | question: who struggled with her race and religious, answer: Zubaidah Gibbs
|
Montcoal, West Virginia (CNN) -- I am West Virginia born and raised, and I come from a long line of coal miners. My father, grandfather, brothers, husband and son-in-law either are or were coal miners.
My husband spent 35 years as an underground union coal miner and he died of black lung. I live near Coal River Mountain and my community is experiencing a tragedy.
The situation here, before this disaster, had already compelled me to become an environmental activist, committed to doing everything I can to stop the destructive practice of coal extraction known as mountaintop removal. I am not trying to stop all coal mining. I believe coal mining will be with us for a very long time, considering our enormous thirst for energy and our slow transition to renewable energy.
Throughout Appalachia, 2,000 miles of headwater streams have been destroyed and over 500 mountains have been decapitated by mountaintop removal. I stood by and did nothing until Massey Energy brought this fight to my door.
Three years ago, Massey applied for a permit to blow the top off the mountain behind my house. The company plans to level 6,600 acres of Coal River Mountain and turn it into a moonscape where no living, breathing thing can survive. I believe a higher and better use for this mountain is the Coal River Wind Project.
On Monday, April 5, an enormous explosion went off at the Upper Big Branch mine at Performance Coal Co., a subsidiary of Massey Energy. Thirty-one men in our community didn't come home that day.
We don't yet know the names of all of the deceased and I dread the day when the list is read and we, at last, know our connection to those who didn't make it.
I felt extremely blessed when I knew that my family members who worked at this mine were home and safe. I know many friends and neighbors will be among those we lost and I grieve for all of the families involved.
On April 6, many heartbroken and terrified families kissed their loved ones at the door and sent them off back to work underground. These very brave men enter these mines knowing their fate will probably be the same as their friends' on April 5 or the same as my husband's.
Now, although these very proud, brave and strong men make about $70,000 a year, if they had a choice, many of them would never go underground again. The problem is that we live in a mono-economy and there are no choices. The coal industry has a death grip in the state of West Virginia and we have some of the best politicians money can buy.
We also have some very honest, good and environmentally friendly politicians. Their numbers are small and it is considered to be political suicide to do anything in West Virginia that appears to be anti-coal.
Many of our representatives have tunnel vision and refuse to advocate for job diversity in the coal fields. Coal is a finite resource, and no matter when you think, it will eventually run out -- someday we will have harvested all of the economically feasible coal.
When that day comes, how will the people we love support their families? I live at ground zero for mountaintop removal and because of the stand that I and many other people have taken to stop it, tensions run high in the coal fields. We are all being used by an outlaw industry and corrupt politicians and we are all driven by fear.
The men who work in surface mining are terrified they will lose their jobs. I am terrified that my granddaughter will not have clean drinking water when she is of child-bearing age if we don't stop this.
Massey Energy's record speaks for itself. With an enormous amount of violations and previous deaths at this mine, I will leave it to you to decide if this company puts profits before the safety of its workers or views its employees as a disposable commodity.
We are coping with this enormous tragedy, and sometimes tragedy brings communities together. I can only hope that something good will come out of all
|
[
"Where does Scarbro come from?",
"What is Scarbro fighting for?",
"What did Scarbro's husband die of?",
"What happened to the husband of Lorelei?"
] |
[
"West Virginia",
"coal miners.",
"black lung.",
"he died of black lung."
] |
question: Where does Scarbro come from?, answer: West Virginia | question: What is Scarbro fighting for?, answer: coal miners. | question: What did Scarbro's husband die of?, answer: black lung. | question: What happened to the husband of Lorelei?, answer: he died of black lung.
|
Montevideo, Uruguay (CNN) -- A court sentenced former Uruguayan President Juan Maria Bordaberry to 30 years in prison on Wednesday for the coup that consolidated his power in 1973 and for human rights violations.
Judge Mariana Mota convicted Bordaberry of violating the constitution, nine counts of "forced disappearance" and two counts of political homicide.
Bordaberry, 81, had already been under house arrest since 2007 for the killings of two opposition legislators in 1976.
Bordaberry assumed office in 1972 following an election that has since been questioned. In 1973, he backed a military coup that kept him in power, and dissolved congress and suspended the country's constitution. The military pushed him out in favor of another leader in 1976.
Journalist Dario Klein contributed to this report for CNN
|
[
"When did Bordaberry come to power?",
"When was Bordaberry pushed out?",
"What did the judge convict him of?",
"Who backed a military coup in 1973?",
"What action helped him retain power in 1973?",
"What kept him in power?",
"Who assumed presidency in 1972?"
] |
[
"1973",
"1976.",
"violating the constitution, nine counts of \"forced disappearance\" and two counts of political homicide.",
"Uruguayan President Juan Maria Bordaberry",
"backed a military coup",
"he backed a military coup",
"Bordaberry"
] |
question: When did Bordaberry come to power?, answer: 1973 | question: When was Bordaberry pushed out?, answer: 1976. | question: What did the judge convict him of?, answer: violating the constitution, nine counts of "forced disappearance" and two counts of political homicide. | question: Who backed a military coup in 1973?, answer: Uruguayan President Juan Maria Bordaberry | question: What action helped him retain power in 1973?, answer: backed a military coup | question: What kept him in power?, answer: he backed a military coup | question: Who assumed presidency in 1972?, answer: Bordaberry
|
Montevideo, Uruguay (CNN) -- Jose "Pepe" Mujica, a former Marxist Tupamaro guerrilla fighter, won Uruguay's presidential runoff election Sunday, exit polls showed.
Exit polls had Mujica defeating former president Luis Alberto Lacalle by a margin of 4 to 8 percentage points.
Current Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez confirmed the projection to reporters Sunday evening, and Lacalle conceded in a speech.
The streets of the South American country's capital were filled with Mujica's supporters, who cheered and honked their horns.
Mujica belongs to the same Broad Front Party as Vazquez, who is popular. Both men are considered leftists.
Lacalle is considered more conservative.
In a victory speech, Mujica said his administration will continue the policies of Vazquez.
"Tomorrow, the commitment continues," he said.
Mujica, 74, was imprisoned for 14 years and released in 1985 when democracy was restored to Uruguay after a 17-year dictatorship. He was minister of livestock and agriculture from 2005 to 2008 and is now a senator.
Mujica has played down his connection with the Tupamaros, who were defeated in 1973.
In his victory speech Sunday, Mujica called for unity and asked his followers not to offend those who voted for other candidates during the first and second rounds of voting.
His administration may make mistakes, but it will never turn its back to the problems facing the country, Mujica said.
"He is the man who talks and dresses austerely," analyst Gabriel Pereyra said of Mujica. "He is the man who communicates and talks the language of the people."
Analyst Rosario Queirolo describes Mujica as "a person who somehow lives what he preaches and is an antipolitician in another way."
"He doesn't very well fit the image of a president we have in Uruguay," Queirolo said.
Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America, about the size of Washington state. But it is also considered one of the most economically developed.
Located on South America's southeastern coast, the country has a population of 3.5 million, 92 percent of whom live in urban areas.
CNN en Español's Dario Klein and CNN's Arthur Brice contributed to this report.
|
[
"Who is the former president?",
"Where is Mujica from?"
] |
[
"Luis Alberto Lacalle",
"Montevideo, Uruguay"
] |
question: Who is the former president?, answer: Luis Alberto Lacalle | question: Where is Mujica from?, answer: Montevideo, Uruguay
|
Montgomery, Alabama (CNN) -- Alabama's attorney general questioned Wednesday whether the federal government has the legal right to ask for data from school districts in the state, which has recently passed controversial legislation intended to reduce illegal immigration.
In a letter sent Wednesday, Attorney General Luther Strange said he was "perplexed and troubled" about a request from the Justice Department for information about Alabama's schools.
The Justice Department issued the letter Tuesday to Alabama school districts to ensure they are complying with federal law, which declares that a child may not be denied equal access to schools based on his or her immigration status.
Strange's letter noted that the law was still being litigated.
Strange set a Friday noon deadline for Thomas Perez, assistant attorney general for DOJ's civil rights division, to provide the legal authority for his request.
Last spring, the Alabama legislature passed the law known as HB 56 relating to illegal immigration and a federal judge allowed most of its provisions to go into effect, including a mandate for public schools to ask about the immigration status of students enrolling in the system. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit granted the Justice Department's request for an emergency injunction for that section of the law but allowed other controversial parts to continue being enforced.
Justice urges Alabama schools' compliance on immigrant laws
The Alabama Department of Education sent a memorandum to school districts recommending they wait for resolution of the issue between the state attorney and Justice Department before responding to the DOJ request.
In the days following the implementation of HB 56, the number of Latino students skipping class spiked.
Malissa Valdes, communication manager for the Alabama Department of Education, said the number of Latino absentees has since leveled off but remains several hundred higher than normal.
The Department of Education also released enrollment numbers for the current school year showing an overall decrease in the student population but a 2.8 percent increase in Latino students, who represent some 35,000 of the state's 740,000 students.
Valdes said the state tried to inform the districts of possible changes related to HB 56 while stressing that no student should be denied enrollment regardless of legal status.
"If everyone sticks exactly to what the law asks from them and they don't go beyond, then there should not be any danger to the education of all students that are welcomed, no matter what," Valdes said.
Allison Neal, the American Civil Liberties Union's legal director in Alabama, said she is happy the Justice Department is asking state educators to do what they can to prevent Latino students from becoming discouraged about attending school.
"We want to make sure students have the right to their education," Neal said.
Valdes said the state sent letters to the schools and to students' parents before and after the law was enacted to prevent confusion.
The ACLU declined to comment on Strange's response to the DOJ request.
Officials at Birmingham City Schools have tried to encourage parents to keep their children in our schools and have told them their children would not be affected by the immigration law, said Michaelle Chapman, the schools' director of communications, in a statement. "On the heels of the court decision allowing the law to go into effect, we sent an automated call to all parents explaining that no information would be collected regarding children who already were enrolled. The call went out in Spanish to our Latino families."
The Montgomery School District sent Spanish-speaking teachers to areas with large numbers of Latinos to encourage the families to continue to send their kids to school.
At Evergreen Estates, a mobile home park on the outskirts of Montgomery, parents awaiting the return of their kids from school said they were not aware that some parents were keeping their children home out of fear of the law.
A Guatemalan woman in the United States without legal papers said she had left from Georgia with her eighth-grade son when the state started talking about a similar law and was considering leaving Alabama, too.
"I hear they are looking for farm workers in Florida," she said.
But, she added, she had
|
[
"What to Feds want?",
"What did Alabama pass?",
"What does Attorney General Luther Strange say?",
"Who says being \"Perplexed and concerned\"?",
"Who is perplexed?"
] |
[
"reduce illegal immigration.",
"the law known as HB",
"he was \"perplexed and troubled\" about a request from the Justice Department for information about Alabama's schools.",
"Attorney General Luther Strange",
"Attorney General Luther Strange"
] |
question: What to Feds want?, answer: reduce illegal immigration. | question: What did Alabama pass?, answer: the law known as HB | question: What does Attorney General Luther Strange say?, answer: he was "perplexed and troubled" about a request from the Justice Department for information about Alabama's schools. | question: Who says being "Perplexed and concerned"?, answer: Attorney General Luther Strange | question: Who is perplexed?, answer: Attorney General Luther Strange
|
Montgomery, Alabama (CNN) -- Gabriela Vazquez maneuvers through piles of clothes and toys while trying to control her two small children.
"They never stop," she says, while pulling a pair of pants from an almost-empty drawer and deciding whether to toss the pants to the "keep" or "leave" pile. The decision is not an easy one.
Vazquez is attempting to pack five years of her life in the United States into only a handful of bags.
"I crossed over into the U.S. with nothing but my clothes, so I'm taking nothing, only my clothes and my kids," she says.
Vazquez began packing moments after a federal judge in Birmingham, Alabama, last week allowed most of the state's controversial law, known as HB56, against illegal immigration to go into effect.
Judge refuses to block law during appeal
The law allows police officers to check the legal status of people when suspicions exists, detain them and turn them over to federal authorities. It is described by both its supporters and its opponents as the strictest state immigration law in the nation.
Law's enactment spooks immigrants
"We expected the judge to rule like the other judges who blocked the laws in Arizona and Georgia," Vazquez says, referring to similar anti-illegal immigration laws approved in those states, with federal judges subsequently blocking the more severe parts of those bills.
"Now, they can take me away from my children anytime," Vazquez says.
Her journey began five years ago when she and her husband left the Mexican state of MIchoacan and headed north in search of jobs.
"In Mexico, it is hard to find a job. I'm 35 years old, and the ads seeking help say they want people between the ages of 18 and 35," Vazquez says.
"It wasn't easy coming over. We left our parents, our siblings, our family, and they didn't know what was going to happen to us."
The couple entered the United States illegally and headed for Montgomery, where they had relatives. They first rented a room in a mobile home with other families until they found jobs. Vazquez's husband, Marco, became a carpet installer while she jumped from job to job in restaurants, hotels and grocery stores.
Deportations will set record in 2011, Napolitano says
They managed to save enough to move into their own place. Along the way, she gave birth to a boy, now 4 years old, and a girl, now 2.
"I was not planning on having kids, but here they are," Vazquez says with a smile.
A year ago they bought a mobile home that they renovated themselves. Vazquez proudly shows pictures of the transformation of the dwelling, and points out the kitchen cabinets she sanded and repainted. She also brags about her husband's work replacing the floor and walls, and the brand-new electric range the couple bought after the old gas one that came with the mobile home exploded during the renovation.
"There was a small leak and the thing just blew up," she says.
The final product is a two-bedroom house fully furnished for a family of four. A large wrap-around sofa fills the living room in front of an old model big-screen TV set.
A desktop computer sits on a breakfast bar that divides the living room from the kitchen, where a glass table for six can be found. All those belongings will be left behind unless they find a buyer soon.
Vazquez apologizes for the mess she says is caused by her efforts to pack as soon as possible.
The freshly painted walls have few pictures on them but the nails where many portraits hung a few days ago are still visible.
When her husband arrives from work, the two kids are happy to see their father, especially the little girl, who doesn't want to leave her mother's side.
Marco Vazquez is a reluctant participant in his wife's plan, which calls for her to return to Mexico with the kids
|
[
"who entered illegally in us",
"What does the new law state",
"How many children did they have",
"What did the new law state?",
"Who entered the us illegally",
"Who entered the US illegally five years ago?",
"Where did they make their home at?"
] |
[
"Gabriela Vazquez",
"allows police officers to check the legal status of people when suspicions exists, detain them and turn them over to federal authorities.",
"two",
"allows police officers to check the legal status of people when suspicions exists, detain them and turn them over to federal authorities.",
"Gabriela Vazquez",
"Gabriela Vazquez",
"Montgomery, Alabama"
] |
question: who entered illegally in us, answer: Gabriela Vazquez | question: What does the new law state, answer: allows police officers to check the legal status of people when suspicions exists, detain them and turn them over to federal authorities. | question: How many children did they have, answer: two | question: What did the new law state?, answer: allows police officers to check the legal status of people when suspicions exists, detain them and turn them over to federal authorities. | question: Who entered the us illegally, answer: Gabriela Vazquez | question: Who entered the US illegally five years ago?, answer: Gabriela Vazquez | question: Where did they make their home at?, answer: Montgomery, Alabama
|
Moscow (CNN) -- Ireland's expulsion of a Russian diplomat over spying allegations is "clearly an unfriendly step that will not go unanswered," Russia's deputy foreign minister said Wednesday, according to a report.
Vladimir Titov's remarks were reported by the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency. The ministry press office told CNN it was not aware of the comment and could not elaborate.
Ireland on Tuesday rebuked Russia for "completely unacceptable" behavior and expelled a diplomat after an investigation found that the Russian intelligence services had forged Irish passports, the government said.
An investigation by the Garda Siochana police force found the Russian intelligence services made "false documents based on the acquisition of details of six genuine passports belonging to Irish citizens," and effectively stole the identities of six Irish people, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The probe -- launched after last year's discovery of a Russian espionage operation in the United States -- found "an entirely persuasive picture" of such activities, the statement said.
The department's secretary general met with the Russian ambassador and informed him that it is "not the behavior the government would expect from a country with which we have friendly relations," the statement said.
"The ambassador was also told that the accreditation of a named member of his staff with diplomatic status is to be terminated. ... The individual in question has been asked to leave this jurisdiction by a specified date."
The statement added, "It is hoped that it will be possible to move on from this disturbing incident and to develop further the relationship between Ireland and the Russian Federation which is fundamentally strong and which has significant potential."
CNN's Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this report.
|
[
"What does deputy minister say?",
"What has the Deputy Minister said?",
"What did the deputy minister say?",
"When was investigation launched?",
"What was disturbing?"
] |
[
"Ireland's expulsion of a Russian diplomat over spying allegations is \"clearly an unfriendly",
"step that will not go unanswered,\"",
"step that will not go unanswered,\"",
"last year's",
"incident"
] |
question: What does deputy minister say?, answer: Ireland's expulsion of a Russian diplomat over spying allegations is "clearly an unfriendly | question: What has the Deputy Minister said?, answer: step that will not go unanswered," | question: What did the deputy minister say?, answer: step that will not go unanswered," | question: When was investigation launched?, answer: last year's | question: What was disturbing?, answer: incident
|
Moscow (CNN) -- President Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order dismissing longtime Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, the Kremlin reported Monday on its website.
The state-run RIA-Novosti news agency said Kudrin had resigned amid a dispute with Medvedev.
The announcement came shortly after Medvedev had given Kudrin until the end of the day to decide whether to quit. "You need to make a decision quickly and tell me about it today," Medvedev told Kudrin during a session of the modernization commission in Dimitrovgrad.
Medvedev urged that Kudrin to "make up his mind about his political future," according to the non-governmental, Moscow-based Interfax news agency.
The president was reacting to a comment Kudrin is reported to have made in Washington. Citing differences with Medvedev, particularly related to defense spending, Kudrin said that he would not remain in a government led by Medvedev, Interfax said.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced Saturday he plans to return next year to the presidency and to name Medvedev as prime minister.
Kudrin, 50, had served as finance minister since 2000, during which time the government had paid off most of its foreign debt and created oil wealth funds that helped the nation weather the global economic problems of recent years, RIA-Novosti said.
-- Maxim Tkachenko contributed to this story
|
[
"Who has already signed the order dismissing Kurdin?",
"what has been credited?",
"The Finance Minister stepped down over differences with who?",
"Who has been credited with helping Russia weather the global downturn?",
"What has Medvedev already signed?",
"who steps down?",
"what does medvedev signed?"
] |
[
"President Dmitry Medvedev",
"most of its foreign debt",
"Medvedev.",
"Kudrin,",
"Kudrin,",
"Kudrin",
"an order dismissing longtime Finance Minister Alexei"
] |
question: Who has already signed the order dismissing Kurdin?, answer: President Dmitry Medvedev | question: what has been credited?, answer: most of its foreign debt | question: The Finance Minister stepped down over differences with who?, answer: Medvedev. | question: Who has been credited with helping Russia weather the global downturn?, answer: Kudrin, | question: What has Medvedev already signed?, answer: Kudrin, | question: who steps down?, answer: Kudrin | question: what does medvedev signed?, answer: an order dismissing longtime Finance Minister Alexei
|
Moscow (CNN) -- President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday he had ceded his presidency bid to the country's powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin because the latter is a more popular politician in Russia, who has higher chances to be elected.
"Prime Minister Putin is definitely the most authoritative politician in our country and his rating is somewhat higher (than mine)," Medvedev said in a taped interview with Russia's national TV networks.
Public opinion polls in Russia have invariably indicated that Putin has been ahead of Medvedev in popularity ever since they constructed their ruling tandem almost four years ago. According to the most recent poll, conducted by independent Levada Center, the approval rating of Medvedev stood at 62 per cent in September, compared to Putin's 68 per cent.
In his Friday television interview Medvedev said that he and Putin belong to "the same political force" and have "very close positions on all strategic and tactical issues" and therefore shouldn't compete or quarrel.
"Can we possibly imagine, for instance, (U.S. President) Barack Obama competing with (Secretary of State) Hillary Clinton?" Medvedev asked. "Both of them were bidding for the presidential nomination ... Both were from the Democratic Party, and (the party) finally decided which of them should run to gain the best election result. Our decision was the same," Medvedev said.
"We want to achieve a political result, to win the elections -- the parliamentary elections in December and the presidential elections in March -- not to be nursing our ambitions," Medvedev said. "Any responsible person's ambition is to serve his country, and I insist on that," he said.
Commenting on the statements made by some people that the outcome of the Russian presidential elections is "predetermined", Medvedev said, "I consider such statements absolutely irresponsible, deceitful, and even provocative."
"The decisions made at the congress are only recommendations to the party to support two people in the elections, no more than that," he said.
Last Saturday Medvedev called on the ruling United Russia party to endorse Putin for president in 2012. Putin in turn suggested that Medvedev should take over the role of prime minister if the party wins parliamentary elections in December, in what would be a straight swap of their roles.
The announcement ended more than two years of speculation about whether Putin or Medvedev, his hand-picked successor, would seek to run for a second term.
Putin had stepped down as president in 2008 because the Russian constitution at that time limited the office to two consecutive four-year terms.
Under amendments to the constitution that came into force on December 31, 2008, the presidential term was extended to six years.
This means that if Putin is elected in March 2012 for six years, he would be eligible to run for another six-year term after that, potentially keeping him in charge until 2024.
|
[
"Who does Medvedev say has a better chance of being elected?",
"who is Medvedev ?",
"What did Medvedev say?",
"Who has Putin suggested take over as prime minister?",
"Who has Putin suggested take over?",
"What does Putin belong to?"
] |
[
"Prime Minister Vladimir Putin",
"President",
"powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin because the latter is a more popular politician in Russia, who has higher chances to be elected.",
"Medvedev",
"Medvedev",
"\"the same political force\""
] |
question: Who does Medvedev say has a better chance of being elected?, answer: Prime Minister Vladimir Putin | question: who is Medvedev ?, answer: President | question: What did Medvedev say?, answer: powerful Prime Minister Vladimir Putin because the latter is a more popular politician in Russia, who has higher chances to be elected. | question: Who has Putin suggested take over as prime minister?, answer: Medvedev | question: Who has Putin suggested take over?, answer: Medvedev | question: What does Putin belong to?, answer: "the same political force"
|
Moscow (CNN) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused U.S. drones and special forces of involvement in the death of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in comments Thursday.
He also attacked U.S. Sen. John McCain over a warning that Russia might follow the same path as Libya, suggesting McCain was not of sound mind following his time as a prisoner during the Vietnam War.
Putin's comments were prompted by a question during his traditional year-end question-and-answer program, broadcast live by state media.
Responding to a question about McCain purportedly predicting Putin would meet the same fate as Libya's leader, the Russian prime minister described the televised images of Gadhafi's final moments as "horrible, disgusting scenes" and pointed to U.S. involvement in his death.
"Is that democracy? Who did this? Drones, including those of the U.S., struck his motorcade and then commandos, who were not supposed to be there, called for the so-called opposition and militants by the radio, and he was killed without an investigation or trial," Putin said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta acknowledged the day after Gadhafi's death that "it was a U.S. drone combined with the other NATO planes that fired on the convoy" in which the Libyan leader was traveling outside the city of Sirte. But the Pentagon has denied that any U.S. forces were on the ground in a combat role in Libya.
When asked about McCain, Putin said he had met the senator from Arizona, but said the questioner's description of him as the prime minister's friend was "exaggerated."
He then questioned the mental state of McCain, who ran for U.S. president in 2008, saying he "was taken prisoner in Vietnam, and was held not just in jail, but was put in a pit where he was kept for several years -- any person under those circumstances would hardly remain mentally sane."
Shortly afterward, McCain himself jumped into the row via Twitter, posting: "Dear Vlad, is it something I said?" and linking to a news story headlining the Russian prime minister calling McCain "nuts."
The senator's earlier Twitter posts had linked to news stories suggesting Russia might be in line for its own version of the "Arab Spring" but did not appear to suggest Putin would meet the same fate as Gadhafi.
Putin's attack may be a response to critical comments made by McCain in the U.S. Senate last week.
McCain said his statement was a response to "the flawed Duma election that just occurred this weekend, and in light of my strong belief that the growing demand for dignity and uncorrupt governance that has defined the Arab world this year may impact Russia as well."
McCain highlighted "the unfortunate issue of Russia's continued back-sliding on human rights and democracy" and said the post-election protests were unsurprising given "the pattern of corruption and abuse that the Russian government has perpetrated over many years."
He also criticized Russia's "absolutely shameless" blocking of U.N. Security Council action on President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, despite widespread concerns over human rights abuses there.
"The demand for dignity, and justice, and democracy that is shaking the Arab world to its foundations will not be confined to that one region alone," he said, but will spread and demonstrate that change is possible. "And it appears that message may be resonating with people in Russia," he added.
In his televised remarks, Putin suggested that criticism of Russia was linked to its pursuit of "an independent foreign policy."
While his country had more friends than enemies in Europe, he said, "some would like to sideline Russia so that it doesn't get in the way of those wanting to dominate the globe."
Putin's latest comments come a week after he blamed the United States for encouraging opposition protests in the wake of Russia's parliamentary elections.
He said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had criticized the elections as "neither fair not free -- even before receiving reports from international observers."
This had sent a signal to opposition figures
|
[
"what did mccain tweet",
"who critized russia",
"Who's death did Putin suggest the US had a role in?",
"Who did Putin question when it came to being sound of mind?",
"Who does McCain think is backliding on human rights?",
"what did putin suggest"
] |
[
"\"Dear Vlad, is it something I said?\"",
"McCain",
"Moammar Gadhafi",
"U.S. Sen. John McCain",
"Putin",
"McCain was not of sound mind"
] |
question: what did mccain tweet, answer: "Dear Vlad, is it something I said?" | question: who critized russia, answer: McCain | question: Who's death did Putin suggest the US had a role in?, answer: Moammar Gadhafi | question: Who did Putin question when it came to being sound of mind?, answer: U.S. Sen. John McCain | question: Who does McCain think is backliding on human rights?, answer: Putin | question: what did putin suggest, answer: McCain was not of sound mind
|
Moscow (CNN) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin blamed the United States Thursday for encouraging opposition protests that have broken out since parliamentary elections Sunday.
His accusation followed comments by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week on Russia's election in which she called for a "full investigation" of apparent irregularities.
The United States had "serious concerns about the conduct of the election," she said, at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (OSCE) in Europe Tuesday.
Speaking on state TV, Putin said Clinton had criticized the elections as "neither fair not free -- even before receiving reports from international observers."
This had sent a signal to opposition figures, Putin said, who "with the support of the U.S. State Department" then began "active work."
He told representatives of his All-Russian People's Front movement there was a difference between criticism from within the country and by outside players, and he said Russia should defend itself against "foreign interference."
Demonstrators have been protesting against what they describe as electoral fraud in Sunday's national vote, which kept Putin's United Russia party in power but significantly decreased the number of seats it holds in Parliament.
More than 20,000 people have signed up via Facebook for a protest in Moscow called "Saturday in Revolution Square." If it goes ahead as foreseen, it would be one of the largest opposition protests in the Russian capital in years.
Rallies are also being planned via Facebook in more than 90 other Russian cities Saturday, as well as in London, New York, Kiev, Ukraine, Paris, Geneva, Switzerland and Stockholm, Sweden.
In his remarks, Putin said that "if people are acting within law, they should be given a right to express their opinion," but he said the authorities should take action "by legal means" if they do breach the rules.
Speaking in Europe Thursday, Clinton stood by her comments, while recognizing the value the United States places on its relationship with Russia and the "real progress" made in a number of areas.
But, she added: "At the same time, the U.S. and others have a strong commitment to democracy and human rights, it's part of who we are, our values, and we expressed concerns we thought were well-founded about the conduct of the elections and we are supportive of the rights of the Russian people to realize a better future for themselves."
The OSCE also raised concerns over the conduct of the election in a preliminary report, saying some political parties had been prevented from running and the vote was "slanted in favor of the ruling party."
A draft report by the organization's election-observer mission detailed alleged attempts to stuff ballot boxes, manipulate voter lists and harass election monitors. The group, which monitors and promotes democracy and human rights, cited the lack of an independent body running the election or impartial news media.
There was also "undue interference of state authorities" in the vote, the 56-nation organization said in a statement.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton gave her backing to the OSCE observers' findings in a statement Wednesday, and she said she expected Russia to act on them.
She also voiced concern about the detention of hundreds of protesters following the election and "reports of police violence against activists, journalists and bystanders."
Criticism of the electoral process has also come from within Russia.
Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, called Wednesday for new parliamentary elections in Russia over concerns about vote fraud.
Spokesman Pavel Palezhchenko told CNN Gorbachev was "very concerned about how the situation in Russia is developing" and that the Russian people did not believe their will was reflected in the results.
But Margot Light, professor emeritus of international relations at the London School of Economics, said it was highly unlikely that any notice would be taken of Gorbachev's call.
"They won't re-run the election," she said, suggesting the Russian authorities would instead probably run a case-by-case investigation where there have been specific
|
[
"Who said that the US values its relationship with Russia?",
"How many people have signed up via Facebook for a protest in Moscow this Saturday?",
"Putin says Secretary Clinton's words sent a signal to who?",
"Putin thinks who sent a signal to opposition leaders?",
"How many people have signed a protest in moscow?",
"Clinton says the U.S. values its relationship with who?",
"How many people signed up on Facebook for a protest in Moscow?",
"When is the moscow protest?"
] |
[
"Clinton",
"More than 20,000",
"opposition figures,",
"the United States",
"20,000",
"Russia",
"20,000",
"\"Saturday"
] |
question: Who said that the US values its relationship with Russia?, answer: Clinton | question: How many people have signed up via Facebook for a protest in Moscow this Saturday?, answer: More than 20,000 | question: Putin says Secretary Clinton's words sent a signal to who?, answer: opposition figures, | question: Putin thinks who sent a signal to opposition leaders?, answer: the United States | question: How many people have signed a protest in moscow?, answer: 20,000 | question: Clinton says the U.S. values its relationship with who?, answer: Russia | question: How many people signed up on Facebook for a protest in Moscow?, answer: 20,000 | question: When is the moscow protest?, answer: "Saturday
|
Moscow (CNN) -- Russian election authorities officially registered Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Monday as a candidate for president in next year's election, they announced on their website.
Putin will represent his United Russia party, the Central Election Commission said.
The move is the latest step toward Putin's reclaiming the presidency after switching to the prime minister's office because of a law barring him from serving more than two consecutive terms as president.
Russia's third-richest man, the billionaire New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, announced this month that he will run against Putin for president.
Many ordinary Russians suspect the Kremlin put Prokhorov up to it to give the impression the contest is fair.
Last week, Putin brushed off widespread criticism that the December 4 parliamentary elections in Russia were falsified.
He said their results "reflect the actual line-up of forces in the country, as well as the fact that the ruling force -- the United Russia party -- has lost certain positions."
Tens of thousands turned out to protest the election results that returned Putin's United Russia party to power, but with a smaller majority.
Police estimated crowds in Moscow on December 10 at 25,000, while organizers said the total was 40,000, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. Either figure would make the protests the largest in the Russian capital in 20 years.
Claiming the results of parliamentary elections were rigged, protesters chanted "Putin out."
They also braved freezing temperatures in other Russian cities to demonstrate against what they said was vote fraud.
Putin said in his question-and-answer session that protesters were positioning themselves for the presidential vote in March.
"It is obvious to me that the attacks on the latest election are secondary; their primary goal is the next election, the Russian presidential election," Putin said December 15.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation said in a preliminary report that some political parties had been prevented from running and the vote was "slanted in favor of the ruling party." Its election-observer mission detailed alleged attempts to stuff ballot boxes, manipulate voter lists and harass election monitors.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said the United States had "serious concerns" about the election and called for a "full investigation" of apparent irregularities.
|
[
"Who says he will run against Putin?",
"who will run against putin?",
"What number of Russians demonstrated against election results",
"Who is angling to return to the office?",
"What man is angling to return to the office",
"What billionaire says he will run against Putin",
"what does putin deny?",
"Who claim the results were falsified?"
] |
[
"Mikhail Prokhorov,",
"Mikhail Prokhorov,",
"Tens of thousands",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Vladimir Putin",
"Mikhail Prokhorov,",
"that the December 4 parliamentary elections in Russia were falsified.",
"ordinary Russians"
] |
question: Who says he will run against Putin?, answer: Mikhail Prokhorov, | question: who will run against putin?, answer: Mikhail Prokhorov, | question: What number of Russians demonstrated against election results, answer: Tens of thousands | question: Who is angling to return to the office?, answer: Vladimir Putin | question: What man is angling to return to the office, answer: Vladimir Putin | question: What billionaire says he will run against Putin, answer: Mikhail Prokhorov, | question: what does putin deny?, answer: that the December 4 parliamentary elections in Russia were falsified. | question: Who claim the results were falsified?, answer: ordinary Russians
|
Moscow (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of people took to the streets Saturday in Moscow, braving bitterly cold weather to demand fair elections after what they claim were rigged results earlier this month that returned Vladimir Putin's party to power.
The protest, organized primarily through social media and word of mouth, comes on the heels of an announcement by President Dmitry Medvedev of sweeping political reforms, an effort to address discontent following the December 4 parliamentary elections.
The latest mass protest follows one earlier this month, when tens of thousands of people across Russia turned out to protest the election results that kept Putin's ruling United Russia party in power, albeit with a smaller majority. Police estimated crowds in Moscow at 25,000, while organizers said at least twice as many participated.
The protests were considered -- among analysts and political observers -- the largest in Russia in the past two decades.
Turnout at Saturday's protests was even greater, organizers said.
Besides blasting election results, demonstrators spoke about the presidential vote scheduled next year, repeating a popular refrain: "Russia without Putin."
Dozens of protesters were detained across Russia on Saturday, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. Ten activists were held in St. Petersburg, 22 in Nizhny Novgorod, and about 20 in Barnaul, it said.
Police put the number of protesters in central Moscow at 29,000, but organizers and RIA Novosti correspondents estimated the real number was several times higher, the news agency reported.
Speaking this week before the newly elected parliament members in the Kremlin's St. George Hall, Medvedev proposed that Russia return to direct elections of regional governors; simplify the registration of political parties and presidential candidates; and establish a new editorially independent national public TV channel.
Medvedev also called for lifting many of the political restrictions imposed in the past several years by his predecessor, Putin, Russia's current prime minister and a candidate in the March 2012 presidential elections.
He also announced a number of new anti-corruption measures and called for the redistribution of power and financial resources from the federal government to local governments across the country.
At the same time, he rejected widespread public criticism of the parliamentary elections, which critics say were marred by fraud and other irregularities, and blamed anti-Kremlin opposition figures for their "attempts to manipulate the people and foment social discord."
"We will not allow instigators and extremists to involve society in their reckless schemes, nor will we tolerate interference in our internal affairs from the outside," Medvedev said.
"Russia needs democracy, not chaos. We need to have a faith for the future and justice. It is a good sign that society is changing, and citizens are expressing their position more actively, setting legitimate demands to the authorities. It is a sign that our democracy is growing more mature."
Protest organizers said Medvedev, who announced the reforms during his fourth and final state-of-the-nation speech Thursday, failed to address what authorities are planning to do about the recent alleged voting fraud, as well as whether fair and free elections are guaranteed in the future.
|
[
"who are detained",
"What do the demonstrators want?",
"What election results will be announced?",
"What was the number of protesters?",
"where is calling for fair elections",
"when was the mass protest",
"What amount of protesters were detained?",
"How many braved the cold in Moscow to call for fair elections?"
] |
[
"Dozens of protesters",
"fair elections",
"parliamentary",
"29,000,",
"Moscow,",
"Saturday in Moscow,",
"Dozens",
"Tens of thousands"
] |
question: who are detained, answer: Dozens of protesters | question: What do the demonstrators want?, answer: fair elections | question: What election results will be announced?, answer: parliamentary | question: What was the number of protesters?, answer: 29,000, | question: where is calling for fair elections, answer: Moscow, | question: when was the mass protest, answer: Saturday in Moscow, | question: What amount of protesters were detained?, answer: Dozens | question: How many braved the cold in Moscow to call for fair elections?, answer: Tens of thousands
|
Moscow (CNN) -- Two policemen were killed by a suicide car bomber in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the Dagestani Interior Ministry said on its website Monday.
The ministry said the officers were patrolling the town of Kizilyurt in a minivan around midnight when an unidentified bomber sitting in a parked Lada car set off an unidentified explosive device in his car as the police minivan was passing by.
The explosion left a crater 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide and 15 centimeters (6 inches) deep, the ministry said. The police minivan was burned out, the ministry said.
Dagestan has been hit by a series of deadly attacks recently, including fatal bombings and shootings.
It is the largest and most volatile of the five Northern Caucasus regions. Rebels continue to stage frequent attacks on security forces, police and civilians.
In August, the head of the Federal Security Service Alexandr Bortnikov told the Russian president that in the first six months of this year, 169 terrorist acts were committed, of which 110 took place in Dagestan.
In recent years, Dagestan has faced ethnic friction, spillover from the discord in neighboring Chechnya and attacks on government officials by militant Islamists, the International Crisis Group has said.
|
[
"who is the largest and most volatile of the five Northern Caucasus regions?",
"What happened while the officers were on patrol?",
"who leaves a crater 1.5 meters wide and 15 centimeters deep?",
"What size is the crater it left?",
"What left a crater 1.5 meters wide?",
"When did the bomb go off?",
"Where is Dagestan?",
"where was officers?"
] |
[
"Dagestan",
"an unidentified bomber sitting in a parked Lada car set off an unidentified explosive device",
"The explosion",
"1.5 meters (5 feet) wide and 15 centimeters (6 inches) deep,",
"The explosion",
"around midnight",
"Russia's North Caucasus republic",
"patrolling the town of Kizilyurt in a minivan around midnight"
] |
question: who is the largest and most volatile of the five Northern Caucasus regions?, answer: Dagestan | question: What happened while the officers were on patrol?, answer: an unidentified bomber sitting in a parked Lada car set off an unidentified explosive device | question: who leaves a crater 1.5 meters wide and 15 centimeters deep?, answer: The explosion | question: What size is the crater it left?, answer: 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide and 15 centimeters (6 inches) deep, | question: What left a crater 1.5 meters wide?, answer: The explosion | question: When did the bomb go off?, answer: around midnight | question: Where is Dagestan?, answer: Russia's North Caucasus republic | question: where was officers?, answer: patrolling the town of Kizilyurt in a minivan around midnight
|
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