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NewsQA | MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- A Spanish judge has indicted three suspected former Nazi concentration camp guards Thursday on charges of genocide and ordered their arrests.
Visitors mark 60th anniversary of liberation Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 2005.
Two of the suspects, Johann Leprich and Anton Tittjung, each 84, are thought to live in the United States, while the third, Josias Kumpf, also 84, is believed to live in Austria, according to a copy of the court order viewed by CNN.
They are accused of serving in the Nazi SS. Leprich and Tittjung were armed guards at the Mauthausen concentration camp and Gross Raming subcamp, while Kumpf served at the Sachsenhausen camp, the court order said.
In addition to Jews and other types of prisoners, the Spanish judge said there more than 7,000 Spaniards held prisoner at Mauthausen, of whom 4,300 died.
Some Spaniards arrived at the Sachsenhausen camp, in convoys from France, the document said.
The order, including international arrest warrants, was issued by Judge Ismael Moreno of Spain's National Court, which investigates genocide and crimes against humanity involving Spaniards.
The 18-page document cited prior judicial investigative work from other countries regarding the backgrounds of the three alleged ex-Nazi guards and their suspected roles in the notorious Nazi death camps during World War II. | f73085aa3b1e42c1aec52b8ec5789a40 | How many suspects were indicted? | [
"three"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A British-owned cargo ship on Monday became the latest vessel to be seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
International naval patrols have been stepped up in the Gulf of Aden following increased pirate attacks.
The 32,000-tonne Malaspina Castle was taken early on Monday and was believed to be heading towards Somalia's pirate-infested coast, the European Union's Horn of Africa maritime security center said.
"Few details are known at this stage, but the mixed-nationality crew is believed to be safe," a statement on the London-based organization's Web site said.
The vessel, which is operated by an Italian company, carried a crew of 24, from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia and the Philippines, Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported.
"There have not yet been communications from the Malaspina Castle that we are aware of, so information is limited," said Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers' Assistance Program in quotes carried by the Telegraph.
He added: "It is likely to be taken towards the Somali coast and negotiations will begin soon."
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that a Taiwanese fishing boat, with a crew of 29, was also hijacked Monday approximately 260km (160 miles) from the Seychelles.
The latest attacks follow a string of incidents in the pirate-plagued waterway off Somalia at the weekend, with a French yacht, a Yemeni tugboat and a German ship also reported to have been seized.
Last year, pirates attacked nearly 100 vessels and hijacked as many as 40 off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
In response, a number of countries have deployed warships from their navies to the region, including the United States, China and Japan.
Monday's seizure of the Malaspina Castle was immediately condemned by the UK ship masters' union Nautilus, which has long urged governments to take stronger action to deter piracy.
Nautilus assistant general secretary Mark Dickinson told the British Press Association: "Over the last 10 years, most governments have not really done very much about this.
"More recently they have been motivated to act and there is an EU naval coordination force patrolling off the Gulf of Aden."
He added: "I'm not sure that this is going to be a long-term thing and I'm also worried that the pirates will start seizing ships well away from the areas being patrolled.
"In Somalia, piracy is like a big, successful industry and the authorities there need to act. The pirates are treated like local heroes. People look up to them and girls want to marry them. They are seen by some locals as good people but they are ruthless." | 49fcf0269b0c4e238f301837f974b02f | what was taken on monday? | [
"British-owned cargo ship"
] |
NewsQA | Orlando, Florida (CNN) -- An autopsy report released Wednesday confirmed that a SeaWorld trainer killed after a 12,000-pound killer whale pulled her underwater died of drowning and traumatic injuries to her body, including her spine, ribs and head.
Dawn Brancheau, 40, was working with a whale named Tilikum in knee-deep water at SeaWorld in Orlando on February 24 when the animal grabbed her by the ponytail and pulled her underwater in front of shocked onlookers at the park's Shamu Stadium.
The autopsy report by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner's office says Brancheau's spinal cord was severed, and she sustained fractures to her jawbone, ribs and to a cervical vertebra, in addition to the drowning.
Rescuers were not immediately able to reach Brancheau because of the "whale's aggressive nature," the county sheriff's office said. SeaWorld staff members recovered Brancheau after Tilikum was coaxed into a smaller pool and lifted out of the water by a large platform on the bottom of the smaller tank, authorities said.
Video shows Tilikum performing before attack
A source at SeaWorld told CNN in February that after seizing her, the whale dove deep underwater. Brancheau's body was recovered about 40 minutes later.
Tilikum has been linked to two other deaths. He and two other whales were involved in the drowning of a trainer at a Victoria, British Columbia, marine park in 1991. The trainer fell into the whale tank at the Sea Land Marine Park Victoria and was dragged underwater as park visitors watched.
In 1999, Tilikum was blamed for the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found floating in a tank at SeaWorld, the apparent victim of a whale's "horseplay," authorities said then. The Orange County Sheriff's Office said the man apparently hid in the park until after it closed, then climbed into the tank.
Because of Tilikum's history, as well as his size, trainers did not get into the water with him and specific procedures were in place for working with him, SeaWorld officials have said.
Two days after Brancheau's death, the head of SeaWorld said Tilikum "is a wonderful animal" and "will remain an active and contributing member of the team despite what happened."
"He's a very special animal that requires special handling," said Jim Achison, president of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. "Obviously, the procedures that we've had in place are something we're revisiting at this point."
Tilikum's size and weight -- 12,000 pounds, compared with 6,000 to 9,000 pounds for the facility's other killer whales -- were one reason separate procedures were in place for him at the Orlando facility. | c09b499d033743c6b91f945e70512a50 | What prevented rescuers from reaching trainer? | [
"the \"whale's aggressive nature,\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Dozens of people died as heavy rain caused flooding and mudslides in Brazil this week, officials said Tuesday.
A mudslide early Monday in Sapucaia, Rio de Janeiro, killed at least 13 people, city officials said in a written release.
One person died in Laje do Muriae, Rio de Janeiro, city officials said.
In the neighboring state of Minas Gerais, at least people 15 died amid the rain as 116 cities have declared a state of emergency, the state-run Agencia Brasil reported.
Officials at the site of the mudslide in Sapucaia estimated Tuesday that at least nine people were still buried.
Seven cities in the metropolitan Rio de Janeiro area were under a state of emergency.
January is traditionally a month with heavy rain. A year ago, more than 800 people died because of floods in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
CNN's Shasta Darlington contributed to this report. | 804385472f6a42db91fa86d4a57058c0 | How many people are killed in a mudslide in Rio de Janeiro? | [
"13"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A militia killed a ranger in a Democratic Republic of Congo park where authorities are trying to protect endangered gorillas threatened by civil war, the park said.
Safari Kakule, a ranger at Virunga National Park, was killed Thursday in an attack by a militia, the park says.
A Mai Mai militia attacked a ranger station in the Virunga National Park on Thursday night and killed ranger Safari Kakule, according to a news release from the park. Another ranger was wounded in the attack, and one of the rebels was captured, the statement said.
The Mai Mai are community-based militias without specific political objectives, often involved in banditry and looting, the park statement said.
"It is not clear why the group attacked [the ranger station] but the attack went on for several hours during Thursday night and the rangers were heavily outnumbered," the statement said.
Seven rangers were at the station when the attack happened, according to the statement.
That area of the park is home to an isolated population of 18 endangered Eastern Lowland gorillas. The park also is home to about 200 of the world's estimated 700 mountain gorillas, the park has said.
The Virunga park's Web site said 15 additional rangers have been sent to the park, where they will be "strengthening the position, which we cannot abandon."
"Because of the arrest that the rangers were able to make, we have several leads on the perpetrators of the attack, who will be brought to justice," a statement on the Web site said.
More than 100 rangers returned to the park's gorilla sector late last year after hundreds of rangers fled the area in 2007 because of fighting involving ethnic Tutsi rebels, the Congolese army and militias.
Rangers and scientists were out of contact with the park's endangered gorillas for more than a year until rangers returned late last year, the park said. | ea09cff3184449febd502bfc25007127 | What is the Park in Democratic Republic home to? | [
"endangered gorillas"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A California jury Wednesday recommended the death penalty after convicting a man on murder and arson charges in the deaths of five U.S. Forest Service firefighters who died in a 2006 blaze outside Los Angeles.
Smoke rises over a flag flying at half-staff for fallen firefighters October 27, 2006, in Banning, California.
Raymond Lee Oyler of Beaumont, California, was convicted on five counts of first-degree murder, including two special circumstances -- that the murders were committed during an arson and that multiple murders were committed -- making him eligible for the death penalty.
Oyler was also convicted of 11 counts of arson and 10 counts of use of an incendiary device in those arsons.
Sentencing is set for June 5.
Firefighters Mark Loutzenhiser, 44; Jess McLean, 27; Jason McKay, 27; and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, died October 26, 2006, during a blaze called the Esperanza fire when the wildfire, fueled by Santa Ana winds, enveloped their engine.
The fifth firefighter, Pablo Cerda, 23, died October 31, 2006, at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, where he had been taken after sustaining burns over 90 percent of his body.
Days before being charged in Esperanza Fire, Oyler had been arrested and charged with two counts of arson in a June 2006 fire in the Banning Pass area.
The 41,173-acre Esperanza fire outside Los Angeles destroyed 34 homes and 20 outbuildings, mainly in the Twin Pines and Poppet Flats areas, which had been under mandatory evacuations.
The firefighters died trying to protect a partially built house in Twin Pines, a rural mountain community. | e7b7edab223440c9ae70006026b941da | How many firefighters died? | [
"five"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A bird struck an Arkansas hospital's helicopter Saturday, tearing a hole into the aircraft's nose and prompting the pilot to land early, according to officials and pictures taken after the landing.
A medical helicopter landed near Forrest City, Arkansas, on Saturday after striking a bird.
The chopper's pilot made a "safe landing" in that state after hitting a bird while returning to Baptist Health Center in Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital spokesman Mark Lowman said.
"I think the pilot just made a judgment call to set it down," Lowman said of the landing, which happened at 6:15 p.m. Saturday near Forrest City, Arkansas.
Video footage taken by CNN affiliate WREG showed a bird hanging out of a hole torn into the paneling on the chopper's nose. Part of the helicopter's windshield also was broken.
The pilot was slightly injured during the landing, and the other two crew members on board were uninjured, Lowman said.
Federal aviation officials are investigating, and the helicopter is not expected to be grounded for long, he said.
The helicopter was returning from a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where the crew had taken a patient.
The incident came two days after a US Airways jetliner was forced to land in New York's Hudson River, apparently after striking a flock of birds.
Shortly after the jet took off from New York's LaGuardia airport on Thursday, the crew reported seeing a flock of birds. Seconds later, the cockpit voice recorder captured the sounds of loud "thumps" and both of the plane's engines failed.
The pilot, C.B. "Sully" Sullenberger, landed the Airbus A320 in the Hudson, where all 155 people aboard were rescued. | 0c692e2a0c294e32a9276fc66b1b9b99 | What hit the hospital helicopter? | [
"bird"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Croatians voted Sunday in support of their country's bid to join the European Union, paving the way for the southern European nation to become the alliance's 28th member.
According to official results, posted on a government website, about 66% of voters backed Croatia's entry into the EU and 33% sided against the move. Turnout was about 44%.
Already a member of NATO, Croatia is now poised to join an EU bloc that includes its neighbors Slovenia and Hungary. It is one of five nations listed as "candidate countries" on the European Union's website.
Last December, Croatian leaders signed an accession treaty paving the way for the nation's entry.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso called that signing "an outstanding moment for the European Union -- and for Croatia."
"Today, we all acknowledge the hard work Croatia has done and its crowning success," Barroso said in a December 9 statement. "Croatia is the best proof of how strong and successful the transformative power of our enlargement policy can be."
Years after initiating its bid, Croatia is on pace to "rightly join our union" on July 1, 2013, the European Commission president said.
In that statement, Barroso alluded to the economic crisis affecting much of the eurozone, including bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal. But he insisted that these issues should not halt the European Union's expansion.
"Enlargement, provided that all the relevant conditions are met, will ... continue to serve as an anchor of stability, a driver of democracy and the rule of law," he said. "We should therefore not let the economic crisis overshadow this very important European policy." | 88140a63c21b43bda7228367f37f1dfa | What number would Croatia become? | [
"28th"
] |
NewsQA | BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Lebanon on Sunday to pledge U.S. support for the country and its push for free elections.
Lebanon President Michel Sleiman greets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday.
"The people of Lebanon must be able to choose their own representatives in open and fair elections, without the specter of violence or intimidation, and free of outside interference," Clinton said during an unannounced visit to Beirut.
It was Clinton's first time visiting the country since taking office.
Lebanon is preparing for legislative elections in June that analysts say could bring the militant group, Hezbollah, to power.
The Obama administration backs the unity government of Sleiman, while Syria is allied with Hezbollah.
"Both of us are committed to supporting President (Michel) Sleiman's efforts to build a peaceful, prosperous, sovereign and democratic Lebanon."
Clinton is expected to meet with Sleiman and lay a wreath at the tomb of former Lebanon Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who was killed in a bomb attack in 2005.
Many Lebanese, as well as the United States, accused Syria of orchestrating the assassination of Hariri, an outspoken opponent of Syria. Damascus denied responsibility.
But massive popular protests after Hariri's death led to the pullout of thousands of troops that Syria maintained in Lebanon from the 1970s.
A senior state department official said Clinton's visit is intended to reassure Lebanon that the United States will not forgo its support of the country as it opens dialogues with Syria and Iran.
"Beyond the election, we will continue to support the voices of moderation in Lebanon, and the responsible institutions of the Lebanese state they are working hard to build," Clinton said.
CNN's Jill Dougherty contributed to this report. | 6b63b97630644347a77778fb77f6f80b | What did Clinton offer Lebanon? | [
"U.S. support for the country and its push for free elections."
] |
NewsQA | Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- An explosion outside the home of Afghanistan's former vice president killed at least eight people Tuesday, government officials have said.
The explosion was near the Kabul residence of former vice-president Ahmad Zia Massoud, Afghan President Hamid Karzai told reporters.
Massoud was not harmed in the attack.
Among those killed were one of Massoud's guards and an assistant, the former vice president's aide said. Forty others were wounded in the blast.
The explosion broke windows in a hotel a few blocks away.
Tuesday morning's explosion occurred as the Afghan president was at a nearby anti-corruption convention.
Karzai issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it inhumane and cowardly. The president called for a full scale investigation.
Massoud is a notable figure in Afghan politics. Not only was he a vice president of the county under Karzai, but his brother the late Ahmed Shah Massoud was heralded as a leader in the fight against the Taliban.
Ahmed Shah Massoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance, the Taliban's main opposition, was killed September 9, 2001, by a bomb inside a video camera during an interview at his headquarters with Tunisian al Qaeda operatives posing as journalists.
Meanwhile the International Committee of the Red Cross visited three Afghan security forces being held captive by the Taliban for the first time, the agency said Tuesday.
The two visits occurred in late November in Badghis province in northwestern Afghanistan, the agency said. "This is the first time since the beginning of the current conflict that the ICRC has visited people detained by the armed opposition," said Reto Stocker, head of the ICRC's delegation in Kabul.
"We plan to conduct and repeat visits in other regions, and hope to visit people held by other armed opposition groups, with the aim of ensuring that everyone detained in relation to the armed conflict is treated humanely."
The ICRC says it regularly visits detained people in conflict zones to assess their conditions and treatment.
The agency say it currently currently visits 136 places of detention in Afghanistan.
-- CNN's Tim Schwarz and Fred Pleitgen contributed to this report | ba8a95e814484597a8c47542a3bdd2fc | When did the blast hit? | [
"Tuesday,"
] |
NewsQA | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- While automakers lay off staff and shut down plants in response to the economic downturn, one automaker announced Thursday that it will open a manufacturing plant in the United States, potentially creating hundreds of jobs in the area eventually chosen.
Tesla unveils its Model S sedan, with a base price of $57,400. The manufacturing plant will be in California.
Tesla Motors, maker of a high-end electric sports car, says it will build an all-electric sedan in Southern California.
Thursday's announcement was made in Hawthorne, California, where Tesla unveiled the Model S sedan at a base price of $49,900, after a federal tax credit of $7,500.
That's less than half the price of its first model, the Roadster.
Started in 2003 and bankrolled by PayPal millionaire Elon Musk, Tesla has attracted investments from the Silicon Valley elite, among them Google founder Larry Page.
It is widely believed that the Model S sedan will be built near the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation facility in Hawthorne. That aerospace company, more commonly known as SpaceX, was founded by Musk in 2002.
SpaceX recently won a NASA contract to deliver cargo to the international space station when the space shuttle program is retired next year. That contract, worth $1.6 billion, was won over such industry mainstays as Boeing and Lockheed.
The promise of a high-performance, all-electric vehicle became a reality with the startup's first model, the Tesla Roadster, a car with the look, speed and price tag -- a steep $109,000 and up -- that rivals other high-end, high-performance vehicles.
Recently though, the economic downturn has forced Tesla to delay production of their would-be flagship Model S until 2011. They've also had to lay off more than 80 workers, which is about 25 percent of the company's staff.
Nonetheless, Tesla predicts it will manufacture 20,000 Model S vehicles a year. That would make it more of a mass-market vehicle than the Roadster; only 1,200 of which are produced yearly.
The company faces many challenges, the foremost of which is convincing consumers to pay almost $50,000 for an all-electric sedan when they could pay thousands less for another brand of upmarket sedan or a gas-electric hybrid. | 198762a69ec345e4929859fadee6f536 | Who hopes to make 20,000 sedans? | [
"Tesla"
] |
NewsQA | PANAMA CITY, Panama (CNN) -- Ricardo Martinelli, the multimillionaire owner of a supermarket chain, was inaugurated as president of Panama on Wednesday.
Ricardo Martinelli is a pro-business conservative who defeated a candidate from the ruling center-left party.
National Assembly President Jose Luis Varela performed the swearing-in and placed the presidential sash on Martinelli, a pro-business conservative who defeated a candidate from the ruling center-left party in May.
The citizens of Panama "want things to be done differently," Varela said at the inauguration. "An attitude of change starts today."
In his first speech as president, Martinelli promised a smaller government budget but raises for public workers.
Public safety, an issue that the outgoing administration of Martin Torrijos struggled to maintain, will be a priority, Martinelli said.
"Our prisons will be rehabilitation centers, not schools for criminals," he said.
Panama will also work with Mexico and Colombia to combat drug trafficking in the region, Martinelli said.
Among the dignitaries at the inauguration was deposed Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted in a military-led coup Sunday. The Organization of American States has condemned the coup, and Zelaya has continued to carry out his presidential duties.
The son of Italian immigrants, Martinelli, 57, is a self-made businessman who is chairman of the Super 99 supermarket chain, one of the largest private companies in Panama.
The U.S.-educated president previously served as minister and chairman of the board of directors of the Panama Canal Authority and formerly was director of social security for Panama, according to his Web site.
Martinelli won the presidency with 60 percent of the votes in a race against ruling-party candidate Balbina Herrera. | 9790a879de33470eaf753908b21e64fe | Ricardo Martinelli owns what? | [
"supermarket chain,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- In compiling a new George Harrison greatest-hits collection, the idea was to focus on the flow, his widow, Olivia, told CNNRadio Monday.
George Harrison, shown here in 1992, had hits with "My Sweet Lord" and "All Those Years Ago," among others.
"It's a collection that spans his career, and we put them together in a way we thought they would just kind of flow, you know, musically, into one another," she said of "Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison," out Tuesday. "But, it's all George, you know."
In 1970, the Beatles broke up. Harrison burst out of the palace with "All Things Must Pass," a monster three-record set that featured friends like Eric Clapton, Leon Russell and former bandmate Ringo Starr. Critics and fans agree the album is among the best solo offerings from a former Fab.
Although five cuts from "All Things" got the nod on this package -- the title track, "Isn't it a Pity," "What is Life," "The Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp" and, of course, "My Sweet Lord" -- this look back displays Harrison's solo work throughout his career.
The 19-cut CD extends all the way through "Brainwashed," his final album, featuring that album's chirpy "Any Road" and the hypnotic instrumental "Marwa Blues."
The Beatles are present too. Three live Harrison songs from "The Concert for Bangladesh" -- "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" -- sound as good today as they did on that August date in 1971 at Madison Square Garden.
And, of course, his bouncy, tongue-in-cheek "When We Was Fab," from his 1987 release "Cloud Nine," shows Harrison looking back without anger.
"I think that there is an underlying thread that he always expressed, always a bit of humor, always a bit of longing," said Olivia Harrison. "You know, I don't like to overuse the word spirituality, but, you know, he was interested in things not of this world."
Harrison is a two-time inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, once as a Beatle and once as a solo artist. | 2e0c66e7597546b79584b28d155f1787 | Who is George Harrison? | [
"two-time inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- About 10 men armed with pistols and small machine guns raided a casino in Switzerland and made off into France with several hundred thousand Swiss francs in the early hours of Sunday morning, police said.
The men, dressed in black clothes and black ski masks, split into two groups during the raid on the Grand Casino Basel, Chief Inspector Peter Gill told CNN.
One group tried to break into the casino's vault on the lower level but could not get in, but they did rob the cashier of the money that was not secured, he said.
The second group of armed robbers entered the upper level where the roulette and blackjack tables are located and robbed the cashier there, he said.
As the thieves were leaving the casino, a woman driving by and unaware of what was occurring unknowingly blocked the armed robbers' vehicles. A gunman pulled the woman from her vehicle, beat her, and took off for the French border.
The other gunmen followed into France, which is only about 100 meters (yards) from the casino, Gill said.
There were about 600 people in the casino at the time of the robbery. There were no serious injuries, although one guest on the Casino floor was kicked in the head by one of the robbers when he moved, the police officer said.
Swiss authorities are working closely with French authorities, Gill said. The robbers spoke French and drove vehicles with French license plates.
CNN's Andreena Narayan contributed to this report. | 10731249506a4e73800b4c9a8e010de5 | wher did the raiders go to | [
"off into France"
] |
NewsQA | (EW.com) -- Disappointing news for fans of "All My Children," which was supposed to earn a second lease on life next year when it was supposed to resurface via The Online Network in January.
The company that bought it from ABC may hold off premiering it for at least a few months and focus on getting "One Life to Live" back to fans, instead, according to Variety.
Prospect Park, a media and production company founded in 2009 by Jeffrey Kwatinetz and former Disney Studios head Rich Frank, bought "AMC" and "OLTL" last July after ABC canceled them. ("AMC" ended in September; "OLTL" goes away in January).
The hope was to bow new installments of "AMC" online starting in January, but that was before Prospect started having a tough time securing stars from the longtime serial (here's looking at you, Susan Lucci!).
So far, only Cameron Mathison (Ryan Lavery) and Lindsay Hartley (Dr. Cara Castillo Martin) have agreed to continue with "AMC" once it goes online.
In contrast, "OLTL"'s Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord), along with Ted King (Tomas Delgado), Michael Easton (John McBain) and Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), among others, will stay in the fictitious town of Llanview for Prospect's new venture.
Along with the soaps, The Online Network is supposed to feature entertainment and lifestyle shows.
See the full article at EW.com.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | 98a89fcb028c477688d77a323db8f828 | what is the focus | [
"getting \"One Life to Live\" back to fans,"
] |
NewsQA | (PEOPLE.com) -- Michelle Duggar, star of TLC's "18 Kids and Counting," was rushed to an Arkansas hospital over the weekend -- but her pregnancy with Baby No. 19, not due until spring, wasn't the reason for her dash to the doctor.
"This weekend, Michelle Duggar was admitted to an Arkansas hospital due to gallbladder issues," said a network rep.
"The pain from a gallstone was generating some contractions. Just to be safe, she was airlifted a Little Rock, Arkansas, hospital, so that in the unlikely event that she had to be delivered early, she would be close to a NICU center," the representative said. "Though there were some fears that the baby was in trouble initially, it soon was discovered to be solely the gallstone causing the discomfort. Michelle is resting comfortably, and the baby is doing fine."
For now, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's brood of 18 kids will have to get by without Mom at home.
"Doctors want to observe Michelle in the hospital for the next couple of days," said the rep, "but it would appear that the pain medication they have given her for the gallstone has worked, and there is no need for immediate surgery. The hope is that any necessary surgery can be delayed until after she delivers."
The physician attending Duggar, Dr. Curtis Lowery of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, told PEOPLE, "We have every reason at present to expect that mother and baby will proceed with a healthy pregnancy. Mrs. Duggar is in good spirits and feeling much better."
© 2010 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | df890bc0c1ec47398ab1d7977551c052 | what was the cause of the pain | [
"gallstone"
] |
NewsQA | HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Thousands gathered in the Cuban capital on Sunday to pay their respects to one of Cuba's few remaining original revolutionaries, Juan Almeida, who according to state media died of a heart attack Friday evening.
Cubans wait Sunday at Havana's Revolution Plaza to pay respects to deceased Cuban revolutionary Juan Almeida.
A single column of people stretched around Havana's Revolution Square in a well-coordinated show of solidarity and remembrance during what state media reported as a national day of mourning.
President Raul Castro and other top government officials were reportedly on hand, though elder brother and former Communist leader Fidel Castro -- not seen in public since abdominal surgery in 2006 -- did not make an appearance.
Almeida, 82, fought alongside Fidel Castro and was among only a handful of surviving Cuban leaders who still bore the title "Commander of the Revolution." Watch as Cubans remember Juan Almeida »
Widely admired among Cuban nationals, Almeida participated in the failed attacks on the Moncada army barracks in 1953. He was aboard the famed yacht "Granma," that carried the small group of Cuban rebels who would later topple U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.
A vice president and member of the Communist government Central Committee, Almeida was among only a few black leaders in top government posts.
"This shows how we're all participants in our revolution and there is nothing that sets you apart," said Havana resident Fernando, who declined to give his last name. "Not color, nor religion," he added.
Almeida's death underscores the mortality of an aging cast of Cuba's revolutionary leaders.
Widespread speculation surrounding the health of Fidel Castro grew in 2006 after he underwent abdominal surgery and later ceded the presidency to his younger brother, Raul.
The elder Castro recently surfaced in a series of photos and video looking healthier, though he has not appeared in public in over three years. | e65060b55c46442881561a61b5f13ec0 | what did juan almeida die from | [
"heart attack"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The man accused in the brutal killing of Arkansas television anchor Anne Pressly will appear next Thursday in Pulaski County Circuit Court, where he will enter a plea in the high-profile case.
Anne Pressly, 26, was a news anchor at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Curtis Lavell Vance, 28, was formally charged Thursday with capital murder, rape, residential burglary and theft, Prosecutor Larry Jegley said Friday.
Neither he nor police would discuss details of the case because of a gag order imposed by the judge.
Jegley hasn't said whether he will seek the death penalty.
Jegley said Vance, who denies he was in Little Rock, Arkansas, when Pressly was killed, was being held at the Pulaski County Regional Detention Facility.
Vance was linked to the killing through DNA testing.
Lt. Terry Hastings, spokesman for Little Rock police, told CNN in December that investigators are "110 percent" certain Vance killed Pressly, 26, who was the morning news anchor for KATV, a CNN affiliate.
Pressly was found unconscious in her home October 20 and died five days later at a hospital.
"She fought for her life. She fought her attacker. Her left hand was broken from trying to fight this man off," Pressly's mother, Patti Cannady, told NBC.
"Six weeks ago this morning, I found my daughter beyond recognition with every bone in her face broken, her nose broken, her jaw pulverized so badly that the bone had come out of it; I actually thought that her throat had possibly been cut. Her entire skull had numerous fractures from which she suffered a massive stroke."
Hastings told CNN that DNA evidence also ties Vance to a rape in April in Marianna, Arkansas, about 90 miles east of Little Rock.
The affidavit related to the Pressly case, from Little Rock detective Tommy Hudson, said police made contact with Vance at his home in Marianna.
Hastings said investigators have found no link between Pressly and Vance, and they do not believe Pressly's being on TV had anything to do with the killing.
"I think he saw her someplace, probably followed her home with intention of robbing her. And then went from there."
The killer also took Pressly's purse, Hastings said. | 590b26642ab54d0089c2c2e3bd29a511 | Who killed Anne Pressly? | [
"Curtis Lavell Vance,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Ukraine's Security Service launched a raid on the country's state-run gas company Wednesday, searching for documents related to a gas deal with Russia, a spokesman for the company said.
Ukrainian security service agents let employees leave a room at Naftogaz's headquarters.
A group of about 30 gunmen wearing masks and carrying machine guns entered the offices of Naftogaz and took control of every floor of the company's building in the capital of Kiev, Naftogaz spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky said.
Operatives from the security service then began a search for various company documents, including those pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine gas deal signed in January to end a weeks-long gas dispute, Zemlyansky told journalists, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.
The Security Service opened a criminal case on Monday into alleged misappropriation of 6.3 billion cubic meters of transit gas worth over 7.4 billion hryvnia ($880 million) by a group of Naftogaz officers, Interfax reported.
Taras Shepitko, a deputy chief of an Energy Regional Customs division under the State Customs Service, was detained as part of the case.
Ukrainian Security Service operatives confirmed to Interfax that the operation was related to that criminal case.
The armed troops were there simply to protect the investigators, the service told Interfax, citing attempts to hinder the investigation.
Naftogaz called police when the armed men stormed in but the police retreated soon after they arrived, Zemlyansky said.
CNN's Maxim Tkachenko in Moscow, Russia, contributed to this report. | 3911219514ee4371b9445b2958bd4d59 | What is the gas company called? | [
"Naftogaz"
] |
NewsQA | UNITY, New Hampshire (CNN) -- The day began with a kiss.
Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama leave Washington on Friday for a rally in New Hampshire.
Sen. Barack Obama, on the tarmac at Reagan Washington National Airport, reached out to shake Sen. Hillary Clinton's hand and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
It went on from there. Wearing a tie that matched her suit, he put his hand on her back, guiding the way up the plane steps.
They sat side-by-side for the flight up to Manchester, New Hampshire, chatting amiably. One overheard conversation was about the plane. Clinton had used it during the primary season.
They hopped on a souped-up bus for the 1½-hour ride to Unity, New Hampshire.
The honorary mayor of Unity introduced the pair, admitting that he was a Republican who voted for John McCain in the primary. He didn't seem so sure about the general election.
They walked onstage to the tune of "Beautiful Day."
Arms around each other's waists, they smiled and waved at the crowd.
Every camera angle had UNITY signs, big and little, in the backdrop.
She said she wants to help elect him president. He gave an ode to Hillary: "She rocks." Watch more from Unity »
One woman stood at the back, periodically yelling, "Hillary for VP!"
A few others, older women, stubbornly held up tattered Hillary For President placards.
But the vast majority cheered her, "Thank you, Hillary!" and him, "Yes, we can!"
They held new signs for the new times: "UNITY FOR CHANGE."
As the dynamic duo glowed onstage, a Clinton staffer circulated through the press corps with word that Hillary and Bill Clinton had gone online to give the maximum contribution allowed by law to the Obama for President campaign.
It was the picture-perfect day of togetherness that Barack Obama had wanted.
It was not entirely believable, but politics is the art of pragmatism. | 91176f1d75f447fc9920962bef9958fc | Where did Clinton and Obama hold the unity rally? | [
"New Hampshire."
] |
NewsQA | Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq has appointed its first ambassador to Kuwait in two decades, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Ulum was appointed to the post, the ministry said.
While Iraq has had an embassy and a chargé d'affaires in Kuwait since the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein fell in 2003, it has not had an ambassador there since Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
That invasion resulted in the United States' launching Operation Desert Storm, its first Iraq war, in 1991.
Kuwaiti's Kuna state news agency also reported the appointment, saying, "Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations have been developing since the fall of the Baath regime, with both nations expressing desires to develop bilateral relations."
In February 2009, a Kuwaiti envoy made his country's highest-level visit to Iraq since the invasion. Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, Kuwait's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, said at the time that Kuwait wanted to strengthen and develop ties between the two nations, and congratulated Iraq on its recent provincial elections.
"This is Iraq which we have wagered on and we congratulate the Iraqis for this," al-Sabah said, according to Kuwait's official news agency.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who met with the delegation during the trip last year, said in a statement he told the Kuwaitis that the Hussein regime "harmed Arab relations."
"Some Arabs still view Iraq the same way they did under Saddam, but we tell them Iraq today is built on a constitution and on democracy," al-Maliki said at the time. | ce0399dbf2d94bac8a58a5aa2df93624 | What led the U.S. to launch Operation Desert Storm? | [
"Iraq invaded Kuwait"
] |
NewsQA | Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel declared himself impressed after road testing the new Pirelli tires that are to be used for the 2011 season.
The Red Bull driver was back at the Abu Dhabi circuit where he clinched his first ever drivers' championship crown last weekend, after edging out teammate Mark Webber and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
The Yas Marina track played host to all 12 Formula One teams as they began a two-day tire test on the Pirelli rubbers, set to replace Bridgestone from next year. A total of eight sets of tires are available to teams during testing.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa, who finished a disappointing sixth in the drivers' standings, was quickest in the unofficial timings on Friday, with Vettel in second.
"I think the tires behaved well, better than expected given the short amount of time Pirelli have had and they've done a good job," Vettel told the official Formula One website.
"Pirelli are obviously in the middle of their development and what we used today is not what we will race with, but it was a good start."
Massa was three-tenths of a second faster than Vettel, and completed 94 laps of the circuit using two different types of tires.
"It was a positive start to begin to understand the behavior of the Pirelli tires. I felt at ease right from the start and there were no unpleasant surprises," Massa added.
"We acquired a lot of data which will be useful for the Italian company to develop the tires still further for the start of the 2011 season.
"On the harder tires, there were some difficulties over a long run while the softs worked well both on the very first lap and also after they had done a larger number of laps."
McLaren test driver Gary Paffett claimed third place while Kamui Kobayashi of BMW Sauber was fourth.
"We have to hand it to Pirelli, the tyres are already on a good level and we feel it was a very positive day," said BMW Sauber technical director James Key.
"We feel we learned a lot about the way the tyres are behaving and responding to different set-up changes." | fb1da8cc82224952a8483ed033e28839 | What number of laps did the world champion complete? | [
"94"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The FBI was investigating after a dead newborn baby was found onboard a Carnival cruise ship, authorities said Sunday.
The baby was found by a Carnival Dream crew member Wednesday morning in a guest cabin, said Special Agent Dave Couvertier, spokesman for the FBI field office in Tampa, Florida. Carnival personnel reported the discovery to Dutch authorities on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where the ship was docked.
Dutch authorities took custody of the infant's body and interviewed the 20-year-old mother, an American passenger, Couvertier said in an e-mail. The FBI was coordinating with Carnival Cruise Lines, he said, adding the company has been "fully cooperative."
The FBI's Evidence Response team was activated Saturday when the ship returned to Port Canaveral, Florida, he said. Agents processed and searched two guest cabins and interviewed crew members and passengers.
"Due to the international and jurisdictional aspects involved with this incident, we are still working on obtaining facts and specific details," Couvertier said. "No one has been charged as we are still working on obtaining facts and gathering any available evidence. As a result, no information has been released regarding any suspect at this time."
The baby's mother remained in St. Maarten and is expected to return to the United States within the next 24 hours, Couvertier said Sunday. The FBI was coordinating with Dutch authorities.
-- CNN's Kara Devlin contributed to this report. | a0df32ae1fe04db695dbafbe33e8f75a | Where did the ship return to ? | [
"Port Canaveral, Florida,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Manchester City have sent representatives to Brazil in the hope of persuading Ronaldinho to sign for them.
A move to City could make Ronaldinho the Premier League's highest paid player.
City chairman Garry Cook told BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday that Ronaldinho's Spanish club Barcelona had given City permission to speak to the player about a move to Eastlands.
"We have people in Brazil," said Cook.
"We are nowhere near completing a deal It's a tenuous stage and I don't want to give too much away, but Barcelona gave us clearance to talk to him.
"Ronaldinho wants to show that he is one of the greatest footballers in the world. The Manchester City fans would love to see him kick off the new season with us and I am holding out hope on that happening."
City owner Shinawatra Thaksin is thought to be ready to provide £50 million ($98.47 million) for new manager Mark Hughes to sign players, with around $29.5 million set aside to bring in Ronaldinho, who could well become the English Premier League's highest paid player.
Shinawatra, who sent previous manager Sven-Goran Eriksson packing at the end of last season, despite a marked upturn in the team's fortunes, said last week: "Ronaldinho - you know, he is a great player. Whatever the club in your heart, you would want to see this player in England, wouldn't you?
"It is not a risk. Sponsors will contribute. It will not damage our wage structure."
New manager Hughes knows that he will be expected to produce instant results. Shinawatra said: "I am 59 next birthday, so I am not a man who can wait for many years to see my dreams come true."
Ronaldinho had a poor season in Spain but City's owner said:"Ronaldinho is 28. He has much still to offer, he is a star. You need a combination of new players, existing players, quality, young and old.
"I admit also you need a player who is more than just winning the match. You need a star who can play on the pitch, but who can achieve much more for the club. Ronaldinho is that player.
"I am hearing good things about his hunger. I have spoken to his brother (and agent). Ronaldinho wants the new challenge, the chance to play his best football again, to return to the days when he was really, really famous. The magic is still in his boots. Let us hope we can bring him."
City also expect to snap up another top Brazilian, striker Jo from CSKA Moscow, within the next seven days. | c3924a300f5042a1b7607c4e1a6ca437 | Which other player do they want to sign? | [
"striker Jo from CSKA Moscow,"
] |
NewsQA | BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A Bangkok Airways plane crashed at an airport at a resort island in Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring 37 people Tuesday, aviation officials said.
Rescue workers inspect the Bangkok Airways plane at Samui airport on Thailand's Ko Samui.
The plane carrying 68 people and four crew members skidded and then crashed after landing at Koh Samui airport, officials with the civil aviation department said.
The ATR-72 turboprop had taken off from the town of Krabi on the west coast Thailand for its trip to the resort island of Koh Samui.
Air traffic control warned the pilot of volatile winds before the plane landed, aviation officials said.
Seven people were seriously injured and emergency officials were working to free the plane's co-pilot who was trapped in the plane, officials said.
CNN's Dan Rivers contributed to this report. | 2ae8a77d5b084867ae059d6d53f12257 | What happened to the passengers on the plane that skidded at Koh Samui airport? | [
"injured"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Two beloved giant pandas left the United States for their new homes in China on Thursday.
Three-year-old Mei Lan left Zoo Atlanta in Georgia early Thursday morning and was flown to Washington aboard a FedEx 777 christened the "Panda Express."
In Washington, the plane picked up Mei Lan's 4-year-old cousin, Tai Shan, who left Washington's National Zoo.
The pandas, which were on loan from China, are being repatriated to help replenish the endangered species' numbers. They will eventually take part in a breeding program in China. The National Zoo estimates that 1,600 giant pandas are left in the wild.
See photos of Tai Shan's departure
Kathleen Ryland of Highland, Maryland, brought her children to say goodbye to the Washington giant panda.
"We watched him as he grew up, and it's kind of sad to see him go," Ryland said.
iReport: National Zoo says goodbye to Tai Shan
The flight from Washington to China will be about 15 hours, said Dave Bronczek, president and CEO of FedEx.
A panda breeding center that one of the pandas was heading to was preparing, according to the newspaper China Daily.
Officials at the center were searching for a boyfriend for Mei Lan, the paper reported.
They were also searching for a Chinese language teacher so that Mei Lan could be taught to understand when she is told in Chinese to return to her cage.
"Mei Lan has been living in the United States since she was born, and she must be unfamiliar with Chinese, especially the Sichuan dialect," Huang Xiangming, a director of the breeding center, told the paper.
Tai Shan is headed to a different facility in China's Sichuan province. | e1af33ff0f89470ea16d2bd4f1c3ce09 | What language will the pandas learn? | [
"Chinese"
] |
NewsQA | (EW.com) -- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" features one of the more soul-destroying death orgies in Fantasy-lit history, with a whole cavalcade of Potter supporting players winding up as casualties in the climactic wizard battle.
The series never shrank from death -- Books 4 through 6 each end with a major character dying, and the whole saga begins with Harry as a newly orphaned baby. But in a new special feature on the "Deathly Hallows 2" DVD, author J. K. Rowling notes that she'd planned one fatality that would have probably scarred a generation of young readers.
As reported by the Guardian, Rowling says, "I did seriously consider killing Ron." Apparently, she briefly thought about killing off Harry's red-headed sidekick around the middle of the series, when she "wasn't in a very happy place."
It's an interesting piece of what-might-have-been trivia. In some ways, it reminds me a little bit of the mythic notion that Han Solo was supposed to die in Return of the Jedi -- an idea which was supported by original Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz and Harrison Ford. Kurtz told the Hollywood Reporter that Solo lived because George Lucas didn't want to kill off any of his main characters. It's hard to accuse Rowling of any such anxiety, given the "Deathly Hallows" bloodbath.
Still, it's fun to speculate on how such a major change would have altered the book series. Rowling doesn't specify in what context she was picturing Ron's death, but it's easy to imagine that he might have bit the dust relatively early. Lots of people were shocked when Rowling killed off Cedric Diggory in "Goblet of Fire," but Diggory was a minor character who, in hindsight, was always kind of a handsome readymade corpse -- think of how much freakier the latter Potters would have felt without good ol' Ron around to relieve the tension.
Conversely, imagine if Ron had sacrificed himself in Deathly Hallows' climax. It certainly would have changed the tone of the ending, which was a pretty upbeat Happily Ever After, all considering.
See the full article at EW.com.
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | d3a1faf2b95b4c50a84867207a9a82eb | Who considered killing Ron? | [
"Rowling"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Suspected Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier Wednesday with 22 crew members aboard, according to the European Union's Naval Force for Somalia.
MV Filitsa was seized in the early morning about 460 miles (740 kilometers) northeast of the Seychelles as it headed toward Durban, South Africa, according to a news release from EU NAVFOR Somalia.
The Marshall Island-flagged carrier -- with three Greek and 19 Filipino crew members -- "has now turned around and is heading north," it said. The bulk carrier has a deadweight of more than 23,000 tons.
There have been more than 100 pirate attacks and at least 39 hijackings off the east Africa this year, according to EU NAVFOR.
In late October, Somali pirates seized a private yacht in the Indian Ocean, taking Paul and Rachel Chandler hostage. They have demanded a $7 million ransom for the British couple's release, but the government has refused to pay as a matter of long-standing policy.
Two vessels were attacked the day after the Chandlers set sail. One of them -- a cargo ship -- was successfully boarded and seized off the Seychelles, while the other fought off its attackers near the Kenyan coast.
Pirates are still holding a Spanish fishing boat, the Alakrana, which they seized on October 2 off Somalia's coast. Days later, they transferred three of the fishing boat's 36 crew members to land.
Two pirate suspects had left the Alakrana in a small vessel heading toward land, authorities said, and the Spanish military swooped in to stop them on the high seas. They were later brought to Madrid, where a judge has charged them with piracy and kidnapping.
The pirates holding the crew have demanded Spain release the two suspects.
Spain is part of the European Union task force against piracy in the Indian Ocean off Somalia. The Spanish parliament last January agreed to increase Spain's presence with up to 395 troops and assets, including a frigate and aircraft.
CNN's Al Goodman contributed to this report | 1abd2cd34c744404a10ebe3bdcc8d496 | How many people on the crew? | [
"22"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Paul Schaefer, a former Nazi who fled Germany in 1961 and founded a cult-like commune in Chile, died Saturday in a prison hospital.
He was 88.
Schaefer was serving a 20-year sentence at the national penitentiary in Santiago for sexually abusing children at the notorious commune known as Colonia Dignidad (The Dignity Colony).
The commune in southern Chile, also called Villa Baviera, was created as a place to safeguard Germanic traditions. Under Schaefer's rule, contact with outsiders was largely forbidden.
Some of Schaefer's crimes date to the 1970s and 1980s, during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who had visited the commune.
Former members of the colony have admitted that human rights violations and sexual abuse of children occurred there, saying in a 2006 letter published in a leading Chilean newspaper that they were led by Schaefer's influence.
Schaefer had been in prison since 2006 when he was extradited to Chile from Argentina, where he had been living in hiding.
Schaefer died Saturday morning of cardiopulmonary arrest, the penitentiary said.
CNN Chile's Christian Pino contributed to this report. | 9425b2b0ba344c39ac02ac03a5af41f5 | How far does Schaefer's crimes date back to? | [
"1970s and 1980s,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The search continued Tuesday for as many as 67 people missing after a boat carrying about 200 Haitians capsized, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted this crowded boat last week and repatriated its occupants to Haiti.
The boat overturned Monday off Turks and Caicos, a British territory about 550 miles southeast of Miami, Florida.
Searchers aboard boats and aircraft have rescued 118 passengers and found 15 bodies, said Petty Officer Jennifer Johnson, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, on Tuesday morning.
The Coast Guard described the boat's occupants as migrants from Haiti. The overcrowded vessel was believed to have set sail from the Haitian port of Cap Haitien, the Turks and Caicos Sun newspaper reported.
The search resumed at dawn Tuesday after being suspended because of darkness Monday night, Johnson said.
The Coast Guard is contributing one boat, the 210-foot cutter Valiant, and three aircraft to the search, Johnson said. The aircraft are a Falcon jet out of Miami, an HH-60 helicopter and a slow-flying C-130 cargo plane out of Clearwater, Florida. Watch Coast Guard rescue Haitians after boat capsizes »
"If the weather and conditions are right, [the C-130] can fly really low," Johnson said. "It makes a fantastic search aircraft."
Turks and Caicos authorities are using small boats in the search, she said.
About 70 people were plucked Monday from a reef near the island group, authorities said. Four other bodies were found, though it was unclear which authorities located them.
A nurse at Myrtle Rigby Hospital in the Turks and Caicos said that about 70 people were brought there, including four who had died.
Five people were admitted to the hospital, and the others had minor injuries, the nurse said.
The Coast Guard said it intercepted another "grossly overloaded" boat, with 124 Haitians aboard, late last week in the same region. Those migrants were returned to Cap Haitien on Monday.
Overloaded vessels can quickly lose stability and capsize, sending migrants into the water, a Coast Guard release said.
CNN's Jim Kavanagh and Lateef Mungin contributed to this report. | e30f6d86710c4e75a93053418d3ef9b1 | How many are dead? | [
"15"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- DJ and pop star Boy George has been denied a visa to enter the United States, his Web site said Tuesday.
In 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of New York to fulfill a community service sentence.
U.S. immigration authorities denied the visa because George, 48, faces trial in November in London on charges of false imprisonment relating to an April 2007 incident, according to a statement from Boy George's management, posted on his site.
"George is astounded at the decision and is having his lawyers here in the States look at it in the hope that someone will change their mind," the statement read.
Boy George, whose real name is George O'Dowd, was charged in London last November with false imprisonment following a complaint from a 28-year-old man, police said. The incident happened in East London the previous April, police said.
George is free on unconditional bail and is not barred from traveling as he awaits trial, his management said. His upcoming schedule includes a series of U.S. club dates in July and August.
George is best known as the singer of '80s pop group Culture Club, with hits including "Karma Chameleon" and "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" He quit the band in 1987 and embarked on a short solo career before reinventing himself as a club DJ and launching a fashion label, B-Rude.
In August 2007, George spent five days cleaning the streets of Manhattan to fulfill a community service sentence for falsely reporting a break-in at his New York home. George's management said the denial of his U.S. visa had nothing to do with that case. | 574495dcce6b4a7891de0315647a5820 | When does he play shows? | [
"July and August."
] |
NewsQA | KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Nepal's government ordered the country's army chief of staff fired Sunday, touching off street protests and a split in Nepal's Maoist-dominated ruling coalition.
General Rookmangud Katawal gestures after inspecting the guard of honour in New Delhi on December 12, 2007.
But Gen. Rookmangud Katawal has refused to accept his dismissal, and Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav -- the constitutional commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces -- has told Katawal to remain in office, a presidential spokesman said.
Nepal's Cabinet voted to dismiss Katawal after the military refused the government's order to stop recruiting about 3,000 new soldiers to fill vacant positions when it has yet to take in former Maoist rebels, as a 2006 peace deal required.
The move prompted the Maoists' largest coalition partner to quit the government, the party's leader said.
"Without consensus, the ongoing peace process will not reach its logical conclusion and the drafting of the new constitution will not be possible," said Ishwor Pokharel, general secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist). "The consensus that existed so far has come to standstill."
Supporters of both sides in the dispute took to the streets for demonstrations Sunday. Despite sporadic clashes between the two factions, there were no serious injuries reported.
The Maoists laid down their arms and won power in 2008 elections after an agreement that ended a decade-long insurgency. Under the deal, more than 19,000 former insurgents were to be integrated into the country's security forces.
But two weeks ago, the government asked Katawal to explain why he went to the Supreme Court to challenge the government's refusal to extend the tenure of eight brigadier generals in March. Government spokesman Krishna Bahadur Mahara said Sunday that the government was not satisfied with Katawal's explanation and fired him -- three months before his scheduled retirement -- in a meeting that the Maoists' coalition partners boycotted.
Pokharel said his party urged the Maoists not to fire Katawal without a consensus in the country's parliament. He said the Maoists, led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, ignored that advice.
"We do not like the way the Maoists' way of functioning," Pokharel said.
The Maoists hold 238 of the 601 seats in parliament, while Pokharel's party has 109. The Maoists could continue to hold power with the support of smaller parties, but Pokharel said his party is working to form a new ruling coalition.
The Cabinet named an interim army chief, but presidential spokesman Rajendra Dahal told CNN that 18 parties in Nepal's parliament asked Yadav to keep Katawal on the job. There was no immediate reaction from the government on the president's decision. | 26a163c4c5bf4c3288433276c9f3751b | who did government fire? | [
"Gen. Rookmangud Katawal"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Emergency teams on Sunday were assessing damage from deadly storms that devastated parts of Missouri, Kentucky and West Virginia this weekend -- even as the threat of more severe weather continued.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin tours Mingo County to assess damage caused by extensive rain and flooding.
The storm that tore through Madison County, Kentucky, on Friday was a category EF-3 tornado, the National Weather Service said Sunday.
An EF-3 is the third-strongest category of tornado, with winds of 136 to 165 mph, strong enough to destroy large buildings and lift cars off the ground.
At least one person was killed by that storm, with several other serious injuries. A waste water treatment plant was destroyed, two fire departments sustained major roof damage and some manufacturing facilities were damaged, local authorities said.
Three people were killed in southern Missouri during high winds, thunderstorms and flash floods. A couple was killed when a tree fell on their car on a highway near Poplar Bluff. A man died of a heart attack near Springfield when winds tossed him and his wife into an open field, officials said.
A weekend of storming in West Virginia destroyed as many as 400 buildings and severely damaged an additional 1,000, said Rob Jelacic of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services.
"We are in recovery mode," Jelacic said Sunday.
There were no known deaths in West Virginia from the storms.
After the storms came floods. On Sunday, parts of the Meramec and Big rivers were rising feet above flood levels, causing residents already hit by the storms to seek higher ground.
Forecasters expected the Meramec to crest Monday 4 to 8 feet above flood state in St. Louis County. The big river was expected to crest a half-foot higher on Monday than it did Sunday. | 290037ebec994391be1f31574c8ca58d | What weather conditions has southern Missouri been experiencing? | [
"deadly storms"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (PES) has a tough task on its hands. Not only does FIFA look good, it plays well too -- and gameplay was always the area where PES had the edge.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is the cover star of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009.
If you've played a PES game before you'll know what to expect, which is both a plus and a minus, depending on your point of view.
The ball pings around nicely, the weight of pass remains just about right and long passes are much improved. It mostly feels like a game of computer football should.
The game plays fast and given shots from distance almost never fly in, scoring is still a challenge and goals still get you punching the air.
For a series that's always short on official team and league licenses -- leading to silly-sounding approximations of players' names (Ryan Gills anyone?) and daft team titles -- PES gains the UEFA Champions League, which is a small coup.
Read our FIFA 09 review here.
Game modes are much the same as before, including the venerable Master League, but the new addition of Be A Legend, where you try to take one player to the top, does not feel finished.
The graphics are serviceable, with some player likenesses uncanny and others way off. The sound is no better than average and the commentary remains hit and miss. And it's not unfair to say the game menus and their annoying and repetitive music are badly in need of a revamp.
Online play is not great and given the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are built for broadband multiplayer, PES is lagging -- literally.
You might say the game needs revolution rather than evolution and for next season's release publishers Konami must up their game.
Nevertheless, PES' reputation is built on a fun offline two-player experience and nothing has changed there.
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 might not be cutting-edge in its presentation and options, but you still can't beat a 10-minute match with a mate beside on you on the sofa. | 38a90b07315d4dd39574c559597dcf34 | who reviews Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2009? | [
"FIFA 09"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The New Zealand All Blacks gave their nation double reason for cheer with a 20-6 win Italy before a massive crowd at the San Siro in Milan.
With their football counterparts qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals with a win over Bahrain earlier on Saturday, it was left to Graham Henry's men to complete the double.
But they were given a tough fight by underdogs Italy, who were inspired by an 80,000 crowd in a stadium normally reserved for Serie A giants Inter and AC Milan.
Henry fielded a largely second-string team after last week's 19-12 defeat of Wales in Cardiff.
Italy briefly led as former Australian rugby league international Craig Gower kicked a penalty.
But New Zealand pulled ahead with two Luke McAlister penalties and Corey Flynn put them further ahead with the only try of the game after 25 minutes.
McAlister landed another penalty before halftime to send the visitors into the break with a 14-3 lead.
After the interval he kicked two further penalties with Gower getting his second for Italy.
The All Blacks next play England, who saw off Argentina 16-9 at Twickenham in a poor quality match in difficult conditions.
A late try by Matt Banahan gave Martin Johnson's men the edge and his sixth win from 13 games in charge.
Fly-half star Jonny Wilkinson provided all of England's points in the first half, with a drop-goal and two penalties as the scores were tied at 9-9 at the half.
Center Martin Rodriguez, one of a trio of Argentina debutants, kicked three penalties from five attempts to keep them level until the late home try.
In other international action, former England coach Andy Robinson led his new Scotland team to a 23-10 win over Fiji.
Johnnie Beattie and Graeme Morrison went over for tries for Scotland at Murrayfield.
On Friday night, France shocked world champions South Africa 20-13 in Toulouse.
The Tri-Nations champions paid the price for ill-discipline as Julien Dupuy kicked four penalties and Morgan Parra one.
Winger Vincent Clerc capped a fine performance for the home side with a try.
South Africa's points came from Morne Steyn with a penalty and drop-goal as well as converting a fine try by captain John Smit. | f469fd81701e4becb3a83cb824957db3 | Were there a lot of people in the stadium? | [
"80,000 crowd"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Malawi welcomed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for a regional trade meeting Thursday over the objections of the International Criminal Court and human rights activists.
Al-Bashir is wanted by the court in The Hague, Netherlands, for alleged war crimes. He arrived in Malawi for the annual summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Human Rights Watch had urged Malawi authorities to arrest al-Bashir or ban his entry into the country. Malawi ratified the Rome Statute, which created the court, and as such, it is obliged to arrest him.
"Al-Bashir is an international fugitive wanted on charges of genocide and other heinous crimes committed in Darfur," said Elise Keppler, international justice senior counsel at Human Rights Watch. "As an International Criminal Court member, Malawi should arrest him, not host him."
The court issued a warrant for al-Bashir for alleged crimes in the troubled region of Darfur in March, 2009.
Human Rights Watch said a number of al-Bashir's anticipated visits to both member and non-member countries have been canceled following public outcry.
However, last year, Kenya allowed al-Bashir into the country to attend the signing ceremonies for Kenya's new constitution.
The government defended its decision not to arrest al-Bashir by saying Kenya's first obligation was to the African Union, not the International Criminal Court.
The European Union foreign policy chief also expressed concern over the visit.
"The European Union is a staunch supporter of the ICC and the fight against impunity," Catherine Ashton said in a statement Friday. "The Court is a valuable instrument of the international community to ensure that there is no impunity for the most serious crimes of international concern; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes must not go unpunished and their prosecution must be ensured by measures at both domestic and international level." | 0be2879cb8b04af9a84c078fa117f01c | who urged malawai to arrest al-bashir? | [
"Human Rights Watch"
] |
NewsQA | BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A suicide bomber killed at least 40 people and injured 70 -- many of them women -- during a Shia pilgrimage in northwestern Baghdad Sunday, Iraqi officials told CNN.
Pilgrims, pictured above, have gathered to celebrate the Shia holy period of Ashura.
The dead included at least 16 Iranians who had come to mark the Shia holy period of Ashura, which commemorates a central event in the history of the movement. At least 32 Iranians were among the wounded. The other casualties were Iraqi, an Interior Ministry official said.
The bomber was a woman wearing an abaya, a robe-like dress, said Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, military spokesman for Fardh al-Qanoon, an interagency domestic security body. She seems to have been targeting women, Atta and an interior ministry source said. The Interior Ministry official declined to be identified.
The attack appears to be the single deadliest suicide bombing in Iraq since a bomber killed 47 people in Kirkuk in December 11.
It took place in Baghdad's Kadhimiya neighborhood, not far from the Imam Moussa al-Kadhim holy shrine.
Hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims are expected in Baghdad and the southern Iraqi city of Karbala for Ashura, which falls on January 7 this year. Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. He was killed in battle in Karbala in 680, one of the events that helped create the schism between Sunnis and Shiites, the two main Muslim religious movements.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq in Baghdad contributed to this report. | d06f646526764b9985ce469695b75f52 | What is the gender of the bomber ? | [
"woman"
] |
NewsQA | MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- A federal judge on Tuesday approved the extradition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France, where he faces a 10-year sentence on a conviction in absentia on money-laundering charges.
Manuel Noriega, in a 1989 file photo, leaves his headquarters in Panama City, Panama.
Magistrate William Turnoff agreed with the government's case for extraditing Noriega to France and issued a "certificate of extradability."
Noriega's lawyer, Frank Rubino, said he would continue to fight the extradition. He had said Noriega hoped to return to Panama to be closer to his family.
The issue has emerged because Noriega is scheduled to complete his Florida prison term on September 9.
The former Panamanian strongman was captured in the 1989 U.S. military invasion of Panama and was convicted in 1992 of racketeering for accepting bribes to allow drugs to be shipped through Panama destined for the United States.
His attorneys had argued that his status as a prisoner of war meant he should be returned to Panama, but a separate court ruling last Friday rejected that argument.
"This court never intended for the proclamation of defendant as a POW to shield him from all future prosecutions for serious crimes he is alleged to have committed," Senior U.S. District Judge William Hoeveler wrote in Friday's 12-page opinion. "It appears that the extradition proceedings should proceed uninterrupted."
Hoeveler noted that Noriega "has not always sought repatriation," and had, at one time, asked to be allowed to go to a third country.
Noriega also faces possible prison time in Panama, where he is accused of kidnapping, extortion and the murder of political opponents.
Though the charges are more serious, if the 69-year-old Noriega is convicted of murder, he would likely serve much of his sentence under home detention in Panama.
Panamanian law provides home detention for anyone 74 years old or older.
The Panamanian constitution would also forbid his extradition to France.
Next month, Noriega will have served nearly 17½ years of an original 40-year sentence in the United States. The sentence was later reduced to 30 years, and further shortened for good behavior. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Patrick Oppmann in Miami and Jim Bittermann in Paris contributed to this report. | b5396fcbdb0644fe8f4ead284d5e88fd | What have his lawyers argued? | [
"status as a prisoner of war meant he should be returned to Panama,"
] |
NewsQA | New York (CNN) -- Evelyn Lauder, a member of the Estee Lauder cosmetic company who helped create the pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer awareness, died Saturday in New York City.
She was 75.
Lauder died from complications of ovarian cancer at her home with her family by her side, the company said.
The Vienna, Austria, native fled Nazi-occupied Europe with her parents, eventually settling in New York City.
As a college freshman, she was introduced to the man she would marry, Leonard A. Lauder, the son of Estee and Joseph Lauder, who co-founded the cosmetics company.
Lauder joined the family business and rose to be senior corporate vice president and head of fragrance development worldwide.
Perhaps best known as an advocate for women's health, Lauder helped to create the pink ribbon, the now ubiquitous symbol for breast cancer awareness.
She is survived by her husband, two sons and five grandchildren.
"My mother carried the torch of our company heritage and the values that were passed to her by my grandmother, Mrs. Estee Lauder," her son, William Lauder, said in a statement.
"My mother and father were life partners as well as business partners. They nurtured the culture and growth of the Estee Lauder companies, and as we grew, my mother was our creative compass and pillar of strength. Together my family and the company celebrate the beautiful person she was." | 8bc4f7725869403186582abb6d383047 | When did Evelyn Lauder die? | [
"Saturday"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Embattled former Detroit, Michigan, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was released from jail early Tuesday.
Kwame Kilpatrick appears for his sentencing October 28, 2008, in Detroit, Michigan.
Kilpatrick, his beard overgrown and bushy, was escorted out of Michigan's Wayne County jail as he dodged a crowd of reporters before getting into a car and was driven away, according to television footage from CNN affiliate WXYZ.
Kilpatrick spent 100 days in jail as part of a plea agreement connected to a sex scandal that rocked Detroit and caused the city council and governor of Michigan to push to impeach him.
Kilpatrick also agreed not to run for public office during his five years of probation.
He was expected to immediately leave the state for a job interview, WXYZ reported.
Kilpatrick pleaded guilty in September to two felony counts of obstruction of justice stemming from his efforts to cover up an extramarital affair.
He also pleaded no contest to charges of assaulting a police officer attempting to serve a subpoena on a Kilpatrick friend in that case.
He was accused of blocking a criminal investigation into his office and firing a police deputy to cover up the affair. | ac7c67297b2042d9ace9966406299e2a | Who pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice? | [
"Kilpatrick"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The "vast right-wing conspiracy" that attacked him during his presidency has been weakened, but continues to operate against President Obama, former President Clinton said Sunday.
Former President Clinton said Republicans won't see a 1994-like surge at the polls in 2010.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Clinton was asked about the term his wife Hillary Clinton, now secretary of state, famously coined. "Is it still there?" host David Gregory asked.
"Oh, you bet. Sure it is. It's not as strong as it was, because America's changed demographically, but it's as virulent as it was," the former president replied.
"I mean, they're saying things about him [Obama] -- you know, it's like when they accused me of murder and all that stuff they did," Clinton said, in an apparent reference to conspiracy theories surrounding the suicide of White House deputy counsel Vince Foster.
"It's not really good for the Republicans and the country, what's going on now," Clinton said. "I mean, they may be hurting President Obama. They can take his numbers down, they can run his opposition up. But fundamentally, he and his team have a positive agenda for America."
The nation needs "a credible debate about what's the right balance between continuing to expand the economy through stimulus and beginning to move back to fiscal balance," Clinton said. "We need a credible debate about what's the best way to get to universal [health care] coverage."
Clinton was asked whether he is concerned that the 2010 midterm elections could resemble those of 1994, when Republicans took control of the House and Senate two years into his first term.
"There's no way" that could happen, Clinton said, adding that "the country is more diverse and more interested in positive action." Also, he said, Republicans had control of Congress for several years under President George W. Bush, "and they know the results were bad."
And, he said, "the Democrats haven't taken on the gun lobby like I did."
"Whatever happens, it'll be manageable for our president," Clinton said. | f104b5b1379b4d2b937f16fed7d9c1f4 | What is not as strong as it once was? | [
"The \"vast right-wing conspiracy\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Botswana has been hailed as one of Africa's success stories and a beacon for democracy on the continent. It's home to Africa's longest continuous multi-party democracy and has remained politically stable since gaining independence in 1966.
President Ian Khama took office in April 2008 promising steady progress.
At its helm is President Ian Khama, the country's former vice president and son of Botswana's founding president.
The diamond trade and disciplined government have helped to transform Botswana from one of the world's poorest nations to a middle-income country. But there are still large problem facing the country, including the world's second high level of HIV infections, according to the World Bank, and a slowing of the countries economic growth.
The 56-year-old Khama took over office in April 2008, succeeding Festus Mogae who had been in power for 10 years, promising no radical departure from his predecessor's policies.
Khama was born in southern England and trained at the UK's Sandhurst Military Academy before returning to Botswana and later becoming the commander of the Botswana Defence Force.
He left the military in 1998 to take up the position of vice president. As the son of Botswana's most popular former president, political analysts inside the country have expected Khama to unite the factions in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and continue steady economic and political progress.
While Khama has only been in power for 11 months, there has been some criticism that his style is too authoritarian.
Citing Afrobarometer, an independent research group, Botswana's newspaper Sunday Standard recently wrote that there was a growing public perception that Khama has issued more directives compared to his predecessors.
One area in which he has taken a definite line is on his policy towards neighboring Zimbabwe, publicly opposing the government of President Robert Mugabe and declaring it illegitimate.
A general election is set for October 2009, with the BDP expected to win. No other political party has held power in Botswana and some commentators fear the emergence of a political dynasty that would affect Botswana's democracy. | 718c4a9f6b0b4cecaae6782138a18166 | what is the presidents name | [
"Ian Khama"
] |
NewsQA | LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) -- Nigeria has set its sights on making multibillion-dollar oil deals with China amid peace moves with militants.
Hundreds of militants have laid down their weapons in exchange for a pardon and a job.
Lawmakers in the west African country -- one of the world's top producers of oil -- are crafting new money-making changes for its state oil corporation, as officials negotiate multibillion-dollar oil deals with China. At the same time, the government is brokering peace with bandits whose attacks have cost the oil industry millions.
Nigeria's minister for state of petroleum, Odein Ajumogobia, talked this month about the developments.
The changes aimed at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation will address allegations of corruption and mismanagement, he said.
"Some of the excesses we've seen in the industry are as a result of the lack of regulation," Ajumogobia said. "We are going to make sure that the petroleum directorate, for example, where the minister will reside, is going to be manned by professionals who understand the industry and have the experience."
Nigeria welcomes China's recent interest in investing in Nigeria's oil industry, Ajumogobia added. The state-run China Daily reported in September that the China National Offshore Oil Corporation was negotiating with Nigeria over a $30 billion oil deal.
The talks are part of China's oil-buying binge this year. Its government-controlled oil companies have closed or floated a slew of deals all over the world, including billion-dollar deals with Russian oil company Rosneft and Brazil's Petrobras.
The Nigerian minister offered few details about negotiations with China.
"There is no deal yet," he said. "We all know the appetite of the Chinese for energy -- a huge population and so on -- and they're looking for oil and Nigeria has a lot of it."
Oil bandits have plagued Nigeria for years, attacking pipelines and cutting production by over 1 million barrels of oil a day. But many of those attacks might end, thanks to a cease-fire with the militant group MEND, or the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. The truce was negotiated in the summer and was extended in September.
MEND has demanded a fairer distribution of oil wealth in the Niger Delta and wants oil revenue reinvested in the region, instead of enriching those whom the militants consider corrupt politicians.
Last week, the group said it was calling off the truce, but there have not been renewed attacks.
Nigeria hopes to leverage the fragile peace to reap big dollars from its oil industry, Ajumogobia said. | 9ff2a88f60204c6fb1ae0940d9562b41 | Who aims to make huge oil deals with China? | [
"Nigeria"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The Georgia company whose peanut products have been blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak shipped some products even though they had tested positive for the bacteria and no other tests indicated they were safe, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
The FDA confirmed Friday the Peanut Corp.'s Blakely, Georgia, plant shipped tainted product without retesting.
Previously, Peanut Corporation of America had said it shipped products only after subsequent tests on them came back negative. Items made with its peanut products have been linked to more than 500 cases of illness, including eight deaths.
The agency said the company's management told FDA inspectors last month during an inspection of the plant that they shipped products that first had tested positive for salmonella, but only if they later had tested negative.
But, it said, "FDA determined that certain information provided by PCA management during the inspection was not consistent with the subsequent analysis of the company's records."
As a result, the agency amended its report Thursday.
"In some situations the firm received a positive salmonella test result, followed by a later negative result, and then shipped the products," said the FDA report, which was included in an e-mail to CNN. "In some other situations, the firm shipped the products [which had already tested positive] before it had received the [second] positive test results." Watch Senate hearing on food safety amid peanut recall »
In some cases, it said, "no additional testing appears to have been done."
No one from the company returned a call seeking comment.
Federal authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the company. | d93cc3150ae744169f33e79929b15211 | what has the PCA said | [
"it shipped products only after subsequent tests on them came back negative."
] |
NewsQA | JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Palestinian militants fired more rockets into Israel on Friday as a tenuous six-month truce between Hamas and Israel expired.
Palestinian children look at a blast crater following an Israeli airstrike over southern Gaza on December 18.
Two Qassam rockets were fired Friday morning from Gaza into separate Israeli communities, the Israel Defense Forces said. Earlier, Palestinians in Gaza shot at Israeli farmers working in their fields in Kibbutz Nirim, the IDF said.
No one was hurt in the attacks and one car was damaged, it added.
Islamic Jihad sources claimed responsibility for firing the rockets.
Under the Egytian-brokered truce, which began June 19, the Hamas government in Gaza agreed to end militant attacks from Gaza on Israel. The pledge applied to all militant groups in the coastal territory, including Islamic Jihad.
In return, Israel agreed to halt raids inside Gaza and ease its blockade.
The truce held well for the first four months but began to fall apart in October, when there was a marked increase in the number of rockets fired from Gaza into Israel -- estimated at 200. Israel resumed airstrikes in Gaza as a result. Watch what may follow the end of the truce »
Israel has said a major military operation in Gaza may be unavoidable if daily rocket fire from the territory continues.
However, both sides have expressed a desire not to see the situation worsen.
Islamic Jihad said it planned a rally in Gaza City in the afternoon, after Friday prayers, announcing the end of the truce but also calling for a lifting of the Israeli siege.
Israel has tightened its restrictions on border crossings and the flow of goods into the impoverished territory, making life extremely difficult for residents.
Gaza depends on Israel for 90 percent of its imports, according to the U.N. Development Program.
-- CNN's Ben Wedeman and Michal Zippori contributed to this report. | 923c54ed100d44bda2a1c50ecc4e653a | Who claimed responsibility for firing rockets? | [
"Islamic Jihad sources"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England -- Chelsea are waiting on the fitness of John Terry ahead of Wednesday's Champions League match with Valencia, but Frank Lampard has been ruled out.
John Terry tries out his protective mask during training for Chelsea on Tuesday.
Center-back Terry suffered a broken cheekbone during Saturday's 0-0 draw with Fulham, and Chelsea manager Avram Grant will see how he fares during training on Tuesday before making a decision on his availability.
Terry trained at Valencia's Mestalla stadium with a face mask on after surgery on Sunday.
"John Terry wants to play which is very good. Now we need to wait for training and then we will speak with the medical department and decide," said Grant.
Grant has confirmed that Lampard will definitely sit the game out though as the midfielder continues to recover from his thigh injury.
Midfielder Michael Essien, who scored a last-minute winner for Chelsea to knock Valencia out of last season's Champions League, has also been battling a leg injury but he took part in training on Tuesday and is expected to play. E-mail to a friend | 4b0b0eae046f40bdad4437225368369e | Chelsea waits for whom? | [
"John Terry"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Two high-profile political officials linked to Guinea-Bissau's recently assassinated president were killed Friday, according to a statement from the West African country's interim army chief. The killings raised fears that a military coup may be under way.
Guinea-Bissau Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr, left, and interim President Raimundo Pereira are currently out of the country.
The military confirmed the killings of former Defense Minister Helder Proenca and presidential candidate Baciro Dabo, saying the men were killed because they were plotting a coup against the current government.
The military said several members of the ruling party have been arrested on allegations of taking part in the plot, which included a plan to assassinate the current prime minister and the interim president, according to the statement from interim army chief Zamora Induta.
However, the move by the military has raised fears that the military itself is plotting to take over the government, particularly since the arrests and killings took place while Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Jr., interim President Raimundo Pereira, and defense minister Artur Da Silva are out of the country.
President Joao Bernardo Vieira, 69, was assassinated on March 2 during an attack on the presidential palace. The attack happened a day after Gen. Tagme Na Waie, chief of Guinea-Bissau's military, was killed in a bomb explosion in his office.
The army and Guinea-Bissau's president clashed in the months prior to Vieira's assassination. Guinea-Bissau, a former Portuguese colony, has a history of military coups. | d2a98bbfeeef4cea97bd2e0674b0e492 | When did it occur? | [
"Friday,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- On "Amanpour" this Thursday, Christiane Amanpour sits down for an exclusive live interview with the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe talks to CNN's Christiane Amanpour Thursday.
In Mugabe's first interview with a major Western network in years, Christiane will explore the historic power-sharing agreement with the unity government there, and get the president's thoughts on the highly-emotive issue of land redistribution.
As Mugabe prepares to take center stage at the United Nations on Friday, Christiane will take the opportunity to ask if the power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe is really working, if international sanctions are responsible for his country's economic and political turmoil, and what kind of engagement he is looking for from the international community.
In this rare interview, Christiane will also address signs of optimism emerging in Zimbabwe; sky-rocketing inflation stabilizing, basic goods returning to store shelves, and a loosening of restrictive media laws.
"Amanpour" is CNN International's new live global interview program, which launched on September 21, 2009 as the centerpiece of its new evening line up.
Live interview airs 2100 CET Thursday 24 September. | 22ffba7fcbcf4bcab15fb3378684ef3a | Who will Christiane Amanpour interview? | [
"President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe."
] |
NewsQA | LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Drug Enforcement Administration agents searched a Beverly Hills pharmacy Friday in connection with the investigation into the death of Michael Jackson, an agency spokesman said.
Dr. Arnold Klein denied in a CNN interview last month that he had given Jackson dangerous drugs.
The agents executed a federal search warrant at the Mickey Fine Pharmacy and Grill, and were expected to seize pharmacy records, said DEA spokesman Jose Martinez.
The pharmacy is in the same building as the office of Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein. Shortly before his death, Jackson visited the building several times to see Klein.
The store remained open for business, giving journalists who chose to dine at its lunch counter an unusually close look at the searchers at work.
Several DEA agents crowded behind the pharmacy counter, shuffling through paper documents, while pharmacy employees stood by to answer questions.
Jackson had been sued by the pharmacy, which claimed the pop singer had not paid a $100,000 bill, but the dispute was later settled.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office visited Klein's office. "We wanted some additional information and they provided it," said Ed Winter, coroner's spokesman. He said Klein's staff and attorneys cooperated with the requests.
The coroner's office said more than a week ago that a "thorough and comprehensive" report into the death of Michael Jackson is complete, but police have requested that it not yet be released because of the ongoing criminal investigation.
The coroner's office said it would abide by the request that "the cause and manner of death remain confidential," and referred all questions to Los Angeles police.
The DEA search did not involve detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department, although Martinez said the federal agents would share their findings with them.
Jackson's June 25 death is also the focus of an investigation by Los Angeles police and the state attorney general's office.
Klein, who treated Jackson for decades, denied in a CNN interview last month that he had given Jackson dangerous drugs.
CNN's Ted Rowlands contributed to this report. | 371a3357f4ef4c6ab7550132085e2697 | Which pharmacy is next door to Dr. Arnold Klein's office? | [
"Mickey Fine"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Allegations that Blackwater USA -- whose operations were suspended after 20 Iraqi civilians were shot to death last weekend -- was "in any way associated or complicit in unlawful arms activities are baseless," the company asserted Saturday.
Blackwater employees patrol Baghdad by air in a February 2005 photograph.
Federal prosecutors are investigating allegations that employees of Blackwater illegally purchased weapons and sold them in Iraq, according to U.S. government sources.
A U.S. government official has said the U.S. attorney's office in Raleigh, North Carolina, is in the early stages of an investigation that focuses on individual company employees, and not the firm.
Blackwater, which is based in Moyock, North Carolina, is a security firm hired by the State Department to guard U.S. staff in Iraq.
"The company has no knowledge of any employee improperly exporting weapons," the Blackwater statement said. "When it was uncovered internally that two employees were stealing from the company, Blackwater immediately fired them and invited the ATF to conduct a thorough investigation." Watch a report on Blackwater's response to the allegations »
The first public hint that an investigation was under way came earlier this week in a statement from State Department Inspector General Howard Krongard after he was accused of blocking fraud investigations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Krongard said the State Department has been cooperating with the prosecutors in the Blackwater probe.
"In particular, I made one of my best investigators available to help assistant U.S. attorneys in North Carolina in their investigation into alleged smuggling of weapons into Iraq by a contractor," Krongard's statement said.
Blackwater resumed normal security operations in Iraq on Friday, the State Department said, after a brief hiatus following the lethal incident last Sunday.
The Iraqi government was outraged by the shootings and disputes the U.S. and Blackwater's claim that the guards were responding to an attack. E-mail to a friend
CNN's Elise Labott and Kelli Arena contributed to this report. | 67703f2513fe41ba911465cde9c2f035 | whats the atf gonna do? | [
"conduct a thorough investigation.\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" hit thousands of theater screens across the country at midnight Wednesday.
Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter develop a romance in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."
Since then, fans have been buzzing about some of the film's most impressive scenes -- including one called "I killed Sirius Black."
In the scene, Potter is confronted by Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, who is creating mischief for both the boy wizard and his latest crush, Ginny Weasley. (Death Eaters are followers of the series villain, Voldemort.)
Exhilarating for some, but frustrating for others, this particular scene from the franchise's sixth installment is a cinematic creation, as it never occurs in the J.K. Rowling novel. Watch the excitement of "Potter's" scene »
That aside, it includes pyrotechnic explosions, blazing fires, a massive chase sequence and the use of dark arts -- the Harry Potter version of black magic.
In this week's "The Scene," actors Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter; Bonnie Wright, who stars as Ginny Weasley; and director David Yates comment on the action. | d1d1bd9f99e540f5bd5955e6819cff2b | was the scene from the book | [
"it never occurs in the J.K. Rowling novel."
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Werder Bremen continued their continued their domination of SV Hamburg with a 2-0 win which dents their northern neighbors' hopes of Champions League football next season.
A dejected Paolo Guerrero and Ivica Olic walk off after Hamburg's defeat.
The defeat leaves Martin Jol's men sixth in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Wolfsburg with only three games remaining and four adrift of third-placed Hertha Berlin.
It was the second meeting of the two teams in four days, with Werder winning a thrilling second leg 3-2 to go through to the UEFA Cup final on Thursday on away goals.
Werder also put Hamburg out of the German Cup and their win came after a pair of goals by Hugo Almeira.
In Sunday's other match, Borussia Moenchengladbach boosted their Bundesliga survival hopes with a 1-0 win at home to Schalke 04.
Substitute Roberto Colautti scored in the last minute to spare the blushes of teammate Marko Marin, who had seen a penalty saved by Manuel Neuer in the first half.
The win lifted Borussia out of the relegation zone into 15th place, but it is still tight with Arminia Bielefeld and Energie Cottbus only below them on goal difference.
Schalke, who will have current Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath in charge next season, were suffering a second straight defeat to stay seventh.
Wolfsburg were beaten 4-1 by Stuttgart on Saturday to throw open the title race with champions Bayern Munich joining them on 60 points with Hertha one point back and Stuttgart on 58. | d157c7ac9bfd494c8565c763c31973f5 | Who beat Schalke? | [
"Borussia Moenchengladbach"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The last of six Texas A&M University mariners who went missing in the Gulf of Mexico was found dead Sunday afternoon, the Coast Guard said. The other five crewmates were rescued earlier in the day.
Members of the Texas A&M Offshore Sailing Team are shown in this photo from the team's Web site.
The deceased mariner was identified by the university as Roger Stone, the vessel's second safety officer.
The survivors -- four university students and a safety officer -- told the Coast Guard they were forced off their sailboat after it took on water and capsized.
"The flooding was so fast that the thing flipped over," Coast Guard Capt. William Diehl told CNN.
The sailboat, named Cynthia Woods, was one of about two dozen boats heading from Galveston, Texas, to Veracruz, Mexico, for the annual Veracruz Regatta race, which began on Friday.
Diehl said the boat was well-stocked with safety equipment -- including emergency radio beacons, life rafts and ring buoys -- but the crew could only manage to find four life jackets after the boat tipped over.
"The survivors told us that [when] they went into the water, they had four life jackets among the five, and they huddled together and they exchanged the life jackets among them so that they could stay afloat," Diehl said.
Communication with the boat was lost about midnight Friday, and the boat missed its 8 a.m. radio check the next morning, the Coast Guard reported.
A sailboat matching the description of the missing 38-foot boat was found overturned about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
The five survivors were found several hours later about 23 miles south of Freeport, Texas, according to the Coast Guard's press release. They were lifted to safety by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter around 2 a.m. local time and taken to University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston for treatment.
The search for the missing crew member involved two Coast Guard helicopters, a Falcon jet, a Marine Corps C-130 -- which has night-vision capabilities -- and the Coast Guard cutter Manowar.
All of those on board the capsized sailboat were experienced sailors, Diehl said.
"They were very well trained," Diehl said. "Obviously [they were] the more senior cadets at the university here, and they had very experienced safety people on board."
When rescuers retrieved the capsized boat's hull, Diehl said the keel was missing.
"That's the part that keeps the sailboat balanced in the water," he said. "And from talking to the survivors this morning, that's where the flooding started for them."
The 725-mile Veracruz regatta began on Friday and boats are expected to arrive in Veracruz on Wednesday and Thursday. | feaf3952dcaa4f65a174bcfc8630a6c4 | What is the count of rescued sailors? | [
"five"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A search is under way for a pregnant 20-year-old Marine who has been missing from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, since December 14.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach was eight months pregnant when she went missing on December 14.
Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach could give birth at any time, Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown told the Jacksonville, North Carolina, Daily News on Monday.
The sheriff's department said Lauterbach's mother said that her daughter, of Montgomery, Ohio, had witnessed an incident at Camp Lejeune and was to testify about it.
Sheriff's department officials said evidence causes them to be concerned about Lauterbach's disappearance, WITN reported.
The Marine's car was found Monday at Jacksonville's bus station, Brown told the Daily News, and her cell phone had been found at Camp Lejeune's front gate on December 20.
Her mother reported her missing on December 19, and told the sheriff's department "that she was very suspicious that something bad may have happened to her daughter," the department said in a news release. Watch Lauterbach's mom say what raised her concerns »
Investigators told the Marine Corps Times that a withdrawal from Lauterbach's bank account was made on December 14 and said there was "suspicious activity" on the account 10 days later. December 14 was also the last time Lauterbach's cell phone was used, authorities told the Marine Corps Times.
The Raleigh News and Observer, citing Brown, reported that the woman's mother said her daughter phoned home or her relatives up to 12 times a week and the mother became concerned when she did not hear from her daughter for five days.
A Facebook page established to help find Lauterbach says she was last seen December 14 in Jacksonville. "Call mom!!! You know the number," the page says. "All of us love you and we miss you. Please come home!"
The page contains pleas for contacts from fellow Marines and friends of Lauterbach in Ohio.
Lauterbach is a personnel clerk assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps said. She joined the service on June 6, 2006. E-mail to a friend | 9e44148ef1fe4872b75ff854637213ae | when did mother report Marine was missing? | [
"December 19,"
] |
NewsQA | BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The trial of an Iraqi journalist charged with throwing his shoes at U.S. President George Bush has been postponed, Iraq's Council of Ministers and one of the journalist's lawyers said Tuesday.
Amman protesters support Muntazer al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist held for throwing his shoes at President Bush.
Muntadhir Al-Zaidi was due to go on trial Wednesday, but the Criminal Court postponed it pending an appeal filed by his lawyers with the Federal Court of Appeal, a spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council, Abdul Sattar Bayrakdar, said.
Dhiya al-Saadi, who leads Al-Zaidi's 25-member legal team, confirmed the postponement.
Al-Zaidi threw both of his shoes at Bush two weeks ago during a news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Baghdad.
Neither shoe hit the president, and others in the room quickly knocked Al-Zaidi to the ground before security officials arrested him.
Many Iraqis hail Al-Zaidi, who faces a prison term if convicted, as a hero. More than 1,000 lawyers have volunteered to defend him, al-Saadi said.
The lawyers' appeal asked the Federal Court to change Al-Zaidi's case from assaulting Bush to insulting him. If Al-Zaidi is convicted of the former, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, al-Saadi said.
The lawyers are trying to persuade the appeals court that Al-Zaidi did not want to harm Bush by throwing the shoes, but simply wanted to insult him. By tradition, throwing a shoe is the most insulting act in the Arab world.
Al-Saadi said he met with his client several days ago but was having difficulty meeting with him again. He did not give the reason he was not allowed to see Al-Zaidi but said many lawyers have trouble meeting with detainees in Iraqi or U.S. custody.
It will take at least two weeks for the court to set a new date for Al-Zaidi's trial, legal expert Tariz Harab said.
CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. | b0b4407e362042cea12d576ab1bffa01 | Trial of who is delayed? | [
"Muntazer al-Zaidi,"
] |
NewsQA | Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared to endorse talks between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the opening of a Taliban liaison office in Qatar.
Karzai's announcement Wednesday followed news a day earlier from the Taliban that it tentatively agreed to open an office in Qatar's capital city of Doha to facilitate talks on the Afghan conflict.
It appears to be the first time the Taliban -- who ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when they were ousted in a U.S.-led invasion -- have offered talks without the condition of an American withdrawal from the country.
"Afghanistan, to save the country from war, conspiracies, the killing of innocent Afghans and to reach peace, agrees with the talks between United States of America and Taliban that will end up in establishing an office for Taliban in Qatar," Karzai said in a palace statement.
In the statement, Karzai appeared to broadly endorse peace negotiations for a country that has been embroiled in more than 30 years of war.
It was unclear what, if any, outcome there would be in talks between the United States and the Taliban as Karzai, top Afghan peace officials and the Americans have all previously said that talks had to take place between Afghans.
"The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan with an emphasize on its firm position yet again, believes that talks and negotiation are the only way to reach peace and to come out of the atmosphere of war and imposed violence on Afghan nation," the palace statement said.
Recent media reports have said the United States and other foreign governments with a stake in the Afghan war may try to strike a separate deal with the Taliban.
The Washington Post reported in December that the Obama administration reached a tentative deal with Taliban negotiators that would have included the transfer of five Afghans from Guantanamo Bay, and the Taliban's public renunciation of international terrorism.
The deal collapsed, the Post said, because of Karzai's objections.
Any talk of a peace process slowed in September, when suicide bombers killed senior Afghan peace negotiator and former President Burhannudin Rabbani.
Ismail Qassemyar, a member of Afghanistan's High Peace Council has called peace talks "an Afghan process" and warned against the United States or other nations trying to strike their own peace deal with the group.
Qassemyar said a Taliban office in Qatar would by no means legitimize the Islamist group.
Karzai told CNN in December that the government cannot hold talks until the Islamic militia identifies a representative with the authority to negotiate. | b04b5b2393e5447ba4b51ac2754404b5 | What Karzai says? | [
"\"Afghanistan, to save the country from war, conspiracies, the killing of innocent Afghans and to reach peace, agrees with the talks between United States of America and Taliban that will end up in establishing an office for Taliban in Qatar,\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A Virginia judge on Tuesday approved an $11 million settlement from the state to the families of victims killed or injured in last year's Virginia Tech shootings.
Parents of wounded Virginia Tech students comfort each other on Tuesday.
The 24 victims included in the settlement were among the 32 killed by Seung-Hui Cho's April 16, 2007, shooting rampage. The settlement also compensates 18 people injured.
"The commonwealth has endeavored to meet the needs and concerns of the victims, including family members, through both monetary and non-monetary provisions," said Chief Deputy Attorney General William C. Mims.
Of the remaining eight deceased victims, families of two chose not to file claims and two other claims are unresolved. The other four will be brought forward at a later date, Mims said.
The settlement also includes provisions that allow the families to occasionally meet with the governor and Virginia Tech officials to review legislation and improvements made at the campus in response to the tragedy.
The families had pursued wrongful death and personal injury claims against the state after an August 2007 report by an independent panel concluded that more timely and more specific information from university officials might have saved lives.
University officials were criticized for not immediately warning students and staff after two students were found dead in a dormitory at 7 a.m. on the day of the killings.
Police said they initially believed the two had been involved in a romantic dispute, but later determined they were Cho's first victims. It was almost 9:30 a.m. before authorities sent an e-mail to students and staff notifying them of the shootings and warning them to be cautious.
About 9:50 a.m., Cho, 23, began shooting people in Norris Hall, an engineering and classroom building.
While criticizing the university response, the panel -- which included former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge -- also said quicker action by school officials may not have made a difference.
The report also noted that campus and state agencies might have taken a different approach to Cho had his middle- and high-school records followed him to Virginia Tech.
Problems with Cho reportedly began to surface well before the shootings. The records detailed his mental health issues, including a tendency to react to depression with violence. | 3ffab05987604812840d156c33bbabba | Who killed 32 people? | [
"Seung-Hui Cho's"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Hours after a security breach forced the closure of a terminal at the Newark, New Jersey, airport Sunday, authorities were still searching for a man who went the wrong way through a checkpoint exit.
The incident happened at about 5:20 p.m. at Terminal C, when an individual walked from the public side to the secure "sterile" side for passengers who had cleared screening, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
No flights were allowed to leave from Terminal C Sunday evening and thousands of other travelers who had reached the sterile area after going through checkpoints were moved back to the public area to be re-screened, the TSA said.
Authorities are reviewing video from airport cameras. They are not sure whether the man was once on the sterile side and went back, or if he never went through screening, TSA spokeswoman Anne Davis said.
Watch more about the situation in Newark
The incident caused arrival delays and mainly affected Continental Airlines, which is the airport's largest tenant.
CNN's Alina Cho, who arrived at the airport Saturday night on a flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, described the hectic scene: "For the people who are hoping to fly out of Newark this evening, there is not a lot of movement."
She said many passengers who had already boarded outgoing flights had to get off planes to be re-screened.
"I just saw one woman pleading with a gate agent, saying that she had two small children and a heart condition -- that she simply could not take this," Cho said. "But of course, there will be no exceptions."
Flying Continental? Important company notice
Newark Liberty International Airport, which is about 15 miles from Manhattan, is the second-largest hub for Continental.
The airport handles about 35 million passengers a year.
CNN's Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt contributed to this report. | d63566a1b7004a59ba979c7d64445fae | What was affected by the incident? | [
"Airlines,"
] |
NewsQA | Editor's note: Campbell Brown anchors CNN's "Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull" at 8 p.m. ET Mondays through Fridays. She delivered this commentary during the "Cutting through the Bull" segment of Monday night's broadcast.
CNN's Campbell Brown says nonemergency legislation needs time to be read by the public and Congress.
(CNN) -- Whether by omission or commission, both the White House and Congress get a dose of blame for not living up to the new era of transparency promised by President Obama.
The president's old campaign Web site still has this commitment there for all to see:
"As president, Obama will not sign any nonemergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days."
Well, the president broke that promise barely a week after taking office when he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Bill dealing with equal pay for men and women.
A good bill, and certainly one that could have survived a five-day comment period. So, maybe the White House folks just forgot?
But then there is Congress and the Stimulus Bill. How fast could you get through it?
According to the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, lawmakers had just 13 hours to read 1,100 pages of material that would cost the American taxpayer $787 billion.
That's less than a minute and a half per page, with no time for bathroom breaks. No wonder so many of our lawmakers didn't seem to notice that last-minute exemption clearing the way for bailed-out companies like AIG to pay out big bonuses.
So, the House tried to clean up the mess last week by rushing through another bill -- a tax on AIG bonuses. That bill was just 11 hours old before it went on the floor to be argued and then quickly approved.
And the list goes on well before the president took office.
The bank bailout got all of 29 hours, the rescue of Fannie and Freddie was only available for 19 hours. This is how bills could literally become, to borrow a phrase, too big to fail -- and too fast to stop.
The Sunlight Foundation is calling on Congress to allow the American people three days, 72 hours, to read a nonemergency bill online before debate begins. We strongly agree.
And yes lawmakers, you can have three days to read it over, too, before taking a stand. As for President Obama's promise of a five-day public review once a bill leaves Capitol Hill headed for his desk, it would be nice if he kept his word on this going forward.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Campbell Brown. | acd8545b15254b639c8373f80c0b4ac3 | What bill did he break the promise with? | [
"Lilly Ledbetter"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- New Zealand warmed up for their Tri-Nations decider against Australia with a 101-14 rout of Samoa in a one-off rugby union Test on Wednesday in New Plymouth, running in 15 tries.
Conrad Smith touches down for one of his two tries in the All Blacks win.
Fullback Mils Muliaina scored three tries in the first half, center Conrad Smith and winger Richard Kahui touched down twice and nine other players added their names to the New Zealand scoresheet as the All Blacks beat a weakened Samoan team by a record margin.
New Zealand led 47-7, seven tries to one, at halftime and added eight tries, including a penalty try, in the second spell to surpass their highest score against Samoa.
The All Blacks had a 26-0 lead after 16 minutes and set their record score against Samoa -- surpassing the 71-13 in 1999 -- despite being held scoreless for periods of 18 minutes in the first half and 10 minutes in the second.
It was the fifth time New Zealand had reached 100 points in a match, with the All Blacks' record being the 145-17 win over Japan at the 1995 World Cup.
Samoa was forced to pick a severely under-strength side because many of its leading and most-experienced players are involved with European club sides.
Most of the players who took the field Wednesday were young and Samoa-based and playing against the All Blacks for the first time.
Although outgunned by an All Blacks team which overwhelmingly controlled territory and possession, Samoa played with great spirit and scored a try in each half.
Flyhalf Uale Mai scored and converted his own try after 28 minutes and flanker Alafoti Faosiliva touched down off a break by Uale Mai four minutes before fulltime.
"What can you say? 100 points," Samoa captain Filipo Levi said. "It shows the All Blacks are on fire at the moment. They've showed in the Tri-Nations competition that they're a very consistent team.
"For some of our boys it was a big step up from playing club rugby in Samoa but, having said that, it was a big learning curve."
Flyhalf Daniel Carter converted six of the All Blacks' first-half tries, surpassing 2,000 points in first-class rugby, and his replacement Stephen Donald scored his first Test try and converted seven of New Zealand's eight second-half tries.
The match was scheduled to help the All Blacks bridge the three-week gap between their most recent Tri-Nations clash with South Africa and their next, against Australia, at Brisbane on September 13.
The Brisbane match will decide the outcome of the Tri-Nations tournament. | b4cce90dc2534208b3cfffd090f5f735 | who rout samoa? | [
"Australia"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Security forces aboard a U.S. naval vessel fired warning shots toward two approaching small boats off the Somali coast Tuesday, the U.S. military said Wednesday.
The USNS John Lenthall is one of 14 fleet refueling ships operated by Military Sealift Command.
The rounds landed in the water, prompting the boats to turn around, and no casualties were reported, the military news release said.
It is unclear whether the boats were trying to attack the 41,000-ton USNS John Lenthall, the military said.
"It is clear they were not following the international rules of the road observed by mariners around the globe," it said.
The release noted that the location of the incident, the types of boats involved and the maneuvering were all "consistent with reports from previous attacks on merchant vessels in the region."
The USNS John Lenthall is one of 14 "fleet replenishment oilers" in the Military Sealift Fleet Support Command, according to a U.S. Navy Web site. Oilers refuel Navy ships at sea and any aircraft they may be carrying.
Attacks by pirates have increased dramatically off the northern coast of Somalia in the past year, prompting the United States and other nations to step up patrols in the region.
In May, the U.S. Navy warned merchant ships to stay at least 200 miles off the Somali coast. But the U.S. Maritime Administration warns that pirates sometimes issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore.
The pirates are often armed with automatic rifles and shoulder-fired rockets, according to warnings from the agency. | 722acf443a2c4f618c32eefa8448c4d5 | What do pirates do? | [
"issue false distress calls to lure ships closer to shore."
] |
NewsQA | (PEOPLE.com) -- Get ready to feel old.
Jonathan Lipnicki, the inquisitive tyke who charmed Tom Cruise's "Jerry Maguire" with his oversized glasses and musings on bees' ability to smell fear in the 1997 film, turned 21 Saturday.
The actor is celebrating the milestone birthday in Las Vegas with his parents, his sister, an aunt, three cousins and an assortment of friends.
The Lipnickis celebrated Friday with a dinner at Tao before arriving a little after midnight at the Surrender Nightclub at the Encore, where he enjoyed vodka cocktails with his buddies late into the night.
The party continued Saturday with a cake and dinner at Lavo.
Virtually unrecognizable since his days starring in films like "Stuart Little" and "Like Mike," Lipnicki has spent a bulk of his time since graduating high school three years ago studying and fiercely working out, spending six days a week weightlifting and training in jujitsu.
"I live in Hollywood," Lipnicki, who clocks in at 5'7" and 150 lbs., told PEOPLE in September. "Go three feet and you will run into someone more cut and better looking than me. For me working out is more about keeping my temperament great. Jujitsu and lifting keep me very even."
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | 8086f1a0a099460e86069157ef58b733 | Where was the dinner? | [
"Tao"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The Georgia company whose peanut products have been blamed for a nationwide salmonella outbreak shipped some products even though they had tested positive for the bacteria and no other tests indicated they were safe, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.
The FDA confirmed Friday the Peanut Corp.'s Blakely, Georgia, plant shipped tainted product without retesting.
Previously, Peanut Corporation of America had said it shipped products only after subsequent tests on them came back negative. Items made with its peanut products have been linked to more than 500 cases of illness, including eight deaths.
The agency said the company's management told FDA inspectors last month during an inspection of the plant that they shipped products that first had tested positive for salmonella, but only if they later had tested negative.
But, it said, "FDA determined that certain information provided by PCA management during the inspection was not consistent with the subsequent analysis of the company's records."
As a result, the agency amended its report Thursday.
"In some situations the firm received a positive salmonella test result, followed by a later negative result, and then shipped the products," said the FDA report, which was included in an e-mail to CNN. "In some other situations, the firm shipped the products [which had already tested positive] before it had received the [second] positive test results." Watch Senate hearing on food safety amid peanut recall »
In some cases, it said, "no additional testing appears to have been done."
No one from the company returned a call seeking comment.
Federal authorities have initiated a criminal investigation into the company. | 7c4c420a96e24aa7a2623e93585f4ae0 | What were the results of the tests? | [
"positive for the bacteria"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A U.S. serviceman was among six victims of an early morning shooting at a Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, strip club Wednesday, officials said.
Unidentified gunmen entered the Amadeus club in the border city across from El Paso, Texas, just after midnight and fatally shot six men, Chihuahua state attorney general's office spokesman Arturo Sandoval said.
An additional person was injured, he said.
Two of the victims were identified as employees of the strip club, a waiter and a security guard, the spokesman said.
Another was identified as an American citizen and member of the U.S. Air Force, Sandoval said.
A statement from Holloman Air Force Base, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, confirmed that the airman was based there, and identified him as Staff Sgt. David Booher, 26.
The gunmen appeared to have targeted the victims, Sandoval said.
"Everything indicates that these people were looking for these men," he said.
Investigators recovered more than 30 shells from the scene.
Because of drug-related violence, particularly in border cities, Juarez is considered off-limits for the U.S. military. At Fort Bliss in El Paso, for instance, a memorandum prohibits its soldiers from traveling into the Mexican state of Chihuahua, where Ciudad Juarez is located.
More than 2,000 killings have been recorded in Juarez this year.
CNN's Mayra Cuevas-Nazario, Mike Mount, Dave Alsup and Mariano Castillo contributed to this report. | bc64c0a568424f34bcd8332497468d76 | Gunmen appeared to have what? | [
"targeted the victims,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Iran tested a missile-launching system and several types of short- and medium-range missiles Sunday, the state-run Press TV said.
A short-range missile is test-launched during war games in Qom, Iran, south of Tehran, on Sunday.
Earlier, the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had said it would stage missile exercises beginning Sunday to promote the armed forces' defense capabilities.
The tests, which are expected to last until Monday, are code-named "Payghambar-e Azam 4" or "The Great Prophet 4," Press TV said.
The missiles, fired at targets around the country Sunday, included the Fateh-110, a short-range ground-to-ground missile, and Tondar-69, a short-range naval missile, the station said. Several models of medium-range Shahab missiles were tested at night, Press TV reported. Watch Iranian missile tests »
The final stage of the tests will be held Monday morning, when Iran plans to test the long-range Shahab missile, the station said.
In May, Iran said it tested a surface-to-surface missile that is capable of reaching parts of Europe.
At the time, a White House official said actions in Iran were noteworthy.
"Of course, this is just a test, and obviously there is much work to be done before it can be built and deployed. But I see it as a significant step forward in terms of Iran's capacity to deliver weapons," said Gary Samore, special assistant to the president on nonproliferation.
The latest test follows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disclosure Friday that Iran was building a second uranium enrichment facility. Watch analyst's view on missile tests, nuclear tensions »
The United States and Israel believe that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program.
Iran has denied the allegation. | 0abebf55c85e406d9f5d71482e5aaa82 | Who is testing several types of missiles? | [
"Iran"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A Delaware pediatrician pleaded not guilty Wednesday to 471 felony counts in the alleged child abuse of his patients, according to a spokeswoman for the state Department of Justice.
Dr. Earl Bradley, 56, was arrested in December on charges that include rape, sexual exploitation of a child, endangering child welfare and assault. Bradley, who had a practice in Lewes, Delaware, is accused of victimizing 103 children -- all girls except for one boy.
Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden has said the charges are based on "video and digital evidence" seized from Bradley's home and medical practice in December.
Bradley also has medical licenses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. Authorities have said they have contacted officials in those states.
The next step in the proceedings is a case review May 17, according to Kerry Angell, a spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Justice. | b94a916633014762b0f4b1511024dd3c | What are the charges based on? | [
"\"video and digital evidence\""
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Obama declared Monday that his stimulus plan is "starting to work" and that 2,000 transportation projects -- costing much less than expected -- are under way.
President Obama on Monday says the transportation projects will help create or save jobs.
"Competition for these projects is so fierce, and contractors are doing such a good job cutting costs, the projects are consistently coming in under budget," Obama said Monday.
The president gave a rapid-fire list of savings: a bid for road work in Connecticut is $8.4 million less than the state budgeted; Louisiana has a project coming in $4.7 million less than expected; projects in Colorado are averaging about 30 percent under the state forecast; and some bids in California are nearly half of what the state projected.
The administration said those savings will stretch the agency's $48 billion stimulus budget.
"Our recovery dollars can go further, and we can do more projects," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. "This is great news."
LaHood hosted the president and vice president at his department's headquarters in Washington for the announcement. Officials did not give an overall estimate of money saved from competitive bids.
The three leaders also claimed a victory in the amount of transportation work approved so far, saying the agency has approved its 2,000th infrastructure project as part of the stimulus.
"Some may have thought it would have taken months to get to this point," Obama said, "but we have approved these projects in just 41 days." Watch as Obama says projects are coming in ahead of schedule »
The stimulus bill was signed February 17, but transportation dollars did not begin flowing until later.
The president said the 2,000th transportation project to receive stimulus funds is one to widen and add an overpass to a stretch of Interstate 94 near Portage, Michigan. Vice President Joseph Biden plans to attend the groundbreaking in June.
Obama said the highway projects from the stimulus bill will create or save 150,000 jobs by the end of next year.
He pointed to the aggressive contractor interest in transportation projects, along with tax cuts going to millions of families from the stimulus plan, and implied it marks a turning point in the economic recovery effort.
"Today, I think it's safe to say that this plan is beginning to work," the president said. | 938ec264165646b5ab76dbdefc6e26fe | How many transportation projects have stimulus dollars funded? | [
"2,000"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A terrorist group might be planning attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, Singapore's navy warned Thursday.
"The terrorists' intent is probably to achieve widespread publicity and showcase that it remains a viable group," said an advisory issued by the Singapore Navy Information Fusion Centre (IFC).
"However, this information does not preclude possible attacks on other large vessels with dangerous cargo," the advisory said.
The IFC recommended that ships strengthen security measures.
It did not name any groups or indicate how the tip was obtained.
Located between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the Strait of Malacca links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean and is the shortest sea route between Persian Gulf oil suppliers and Asian markets, according to the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration.
The agency estimates that more than 15 million barrels of oil are transported through the strait every day.
At its narrowest point, the strait is only 1.7 miles wide, which creates a natural bottleneck and makes it vulnerable to terrorist attack.
The IFC warned tanker crews to be on the lookout for smaller vehicles -- including dinghies, sampans and speedboats -- which have been used to launch successful attacks on tankers in the past. | e38b747f06224a1a9c2a497af482dedf | What is linked by the Strait of Malacca? | [
"links the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A Navy training jet crashed in a north Georgia forest on Monday, killing at least three people aboard and setting more than 10 acres of woodland ablaze, local and federal authorities said.
A fourth person aboard the jet was unaccounted for Monday night, said Harry White, spokesman for the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. The cause of the crash was under investigation.
FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the crash of the twin-engine T-39N trainer caused no injuries on the ground. It went down just north of Morganton, Georgia, about 80 miles north of Atlanta, Fannin County Sheriff's Maj. Keith Bosen said.
"We got reports that it was flying pretty low," Bosen said. The plane had flown north-northeast over the nearby town of Blue Ridge before it went down about 4:40 p.m., he said.
The mountainous area is ringed by national forest land, and the crash set the surrounding woods on fire.
"We have about a 10- to 15-acre fire still working at this time," Bosen said.
The T-39N took off from Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida, about 400 miles south of Morganton, Bergen said. The jet is a military version of Rockwell's twin-engine Saberliner executive aircraft.
CNN's Nick Valencia, Devon Sayers and Larry Shaughnessy contributed to this report. | b99adbfe3add4d2f842da9b91336593a | Where does Navy jet go down ? | [
"in a north Georgia forest"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in a rare television interview Tuesday, shed some light on who might eventually take over leadership of the country.
Kim Jong Nam, 35, in southern China's casino haven of Macau on January 30, 2007
Kim Jong Nam told TV Asahi in Macau that he does not care about politics or succeeding his father.
"Personally, I am not interested in this issue (succession)," he said in an interview with the Japanese television network. "Sorry, I am not interested in the politics."
The rules governing transfer of power in the secretive communist nation are unclear.
Kim Jong Il rules without challenge and has built a cult of personality around himself and his family.
He is widely reported to have suffered a stroke in August and has been absent from many public functions in recent months.
In April, he named his son Kim Jong Un and brother-in-law, Jang Song Thaek, to the country's powerful National Defense Commission, suggesting his third son may be his heir.
"I hear that news in the media," Kim Jong Nam said. "I think it's true ... however, it is my father's decision. So once he decides, we have to support him." iReport.com: How should the U.S. approach North Korea?
There has been speculation that Kim Jong Nam would defect from North Korea and that a purge of his supporters was under way. He told Asahi he saw no reason for leaving his homeland. | c2bd0b3b356e45f48d743852dfac8f59 | Who has no interest? | [
"Kim Jong Nam"
] |
NewsQA | NEW YORK (CNN) -- A crude bomb made from a water bottle was used in an explosion that damaged a Starbucks coffee shop on New York's posh Upper East Side, New York police said.
Monday's explosion shattered glass at the Manhattan Starbucks coffee shop. No one was injured.
The Memorial Day explosion damaged the shop, but no one was injured and no motive has been identified for the bombing.
"We believe it to be ... a six- to 10-ounce water bottle that was wrapped in black tape," New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told CNN on Wednesday.
He said the bomb's powder may have come from fireworks components, including a fuse. The powder was placed inside the bottle in a way that made it "more powerful," Kelly said.
He said a forensics unit is working on finding fingerprints.
The homemade bomb, which went off around 3:30 a.m., shattered glass, but no one was injured. The store was not open. Police have said the device was planted under a wooden bench outside the coffee shop.
"We have a witness who believes he saw two young people he describes as teenagers, both white males," the commissioner said. One is described as blond, wearing a red shirt, and the other had brown hair and wore a gray shirt.
Kelly said the witness saw the two approach the Starbucks, then looked away. After the witness heard the blast, he said he saw the two young people run away from the building.
Kelly said that for now, it's impossible to say whether the bombing was politically motivated.
"We don't know if they were a corporate target or somebody had a problem [with] what was going on on that corner, in general ... we're not ruling anything out."
In 1999, a Starbucks in Seattle, Washington, was vandalized during a world trade conference. In February 2008, a Vancouver Starbucks and another restaurant were damaged by an overnight explosion.
New York police say they're aware of both incidents, but Kelly says it is too early to draw any conclusions. "In the past, they [Starbucks] sort have been identified with the globalization movement. ... We're not saying that this is the case in this matter." | d7e63f5d8a2248a8a93a91fb446b03ef | what time did the blast take place | [
"3:30 a.m.,"
] |
NewsQA | Tokyo, Japan (CNN) -- Four American teenagers, all children of U.S. military personnel, have been arrested on charges of attempted murder after a woman was knocked off her motorbike with rope strung across two poles, Japanese police said.
The four suspects -- two 15-year-old boys, a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man -- were taken into custody on Saturday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department said.
They are accused of causing a severe head injury to a 23-year-old restaurant employee by stringing a rope between poles across a road.
U.S. Forces Japan was informed of the August incident in late October, a public information officer said. There was no clear explanation for the delay in the handover of the suspects to police, other than it involved rules between Washington and Tokyo covering U.S. forces and their dependents in Japan.
The U.S. military presence and its impact on Japanese residents have been a thorny issue over the years.
Most recently, residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa, where the U.S. maintains a large military presence, have blamed American troops for crime and noise.
In 2008, a 14-year-old Okinawa girl alleged that a Marine had raped her. The prosecutor released the Marine after the girl decided not to pursue charges. In 1995, a 12-year-old girl was gang-raped by three servicemen. A Japanese court convicted all three men.
Both incidents caused a furor in Japan. Then-Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda called the 2008 incident "unforgivable ... It has happened over and over again in the past and I take it as a grave case."
It is unclear what, if any, role the military can take in the case. The 1960 Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Japan gives Japan jurisdiction over "the members of the United States armed forces, the civilian component, and their dependents" in cases of offenses committed in Japan and punishable under Japanese law.
The agreement also says the United States must cooperate in investigating such offenses.
CNN's Kyung Lah and Yoko Wakatsuki contributed to this report. | 311cebe76759481599f91981102285b6 | where was this located | [
"Tokyo, Japan"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Twenty-three suspects, including nine American Airlines employees, were arrested Tuesday for allegedly transporting nearly $20 million worth of cocaine on flights into and out of Puerto Rico, federal authorities said.
Manuel Santiago-Alvarado, an American Airlines control crew chief, is among the suspects arrested Tuesday.
Most of the commercial flights carrying suitcases stuffed with illicit drugs came into San Juan, which was a transshipment point for drugs bound for cities on the U.S. mainland, authorities said.
The drug trafficking organization headed by defendant Wilfredo Rodriguez Rosade had been operating since 1999, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI, which participated in the long-running investigation.
In a September 9 indictment unsealed Tuesday, Justice Department officials also moved to seize $18 million worth of property owned by the suspects, including seven homes, three businesses and an apartment complex.
All but one of the arrests occurred in Puerto Rico. The lone arrest on the U.S. mainland was in Miami, Florida.
Drug Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Javier Pena said the airline industry cooperated in the investigation.
"By denying the drug traffickers alternate smuggling routes, we disrupt the flow of drugs into Puerto Rico and discourage the use of the island as a transshipment point in the Caribbean," he said in a news release.
The agency said that if they are convicted, the defendants taken into custody would face sentences ranging from 10 years to life in prison and personal fines of up to $4 million.
American Airlines issued a statement confirming some employees had been arrested, but could not confirm the number because of its privacy policy, spokesman Tim Wagner said in an e-mail. The airline has been working with authorities, he said.
"As a company, we hope that the actions of a few employees don't reflect negatively on the tens of thousands of ethical American Airlines employees who work hard to serve the public daily," Wagner wrote. | 3024c5b08135482ba3c9a874ce9cad82 | When had the operation been running since? | [
"1999,"
] |
NewsQA | (PEOPLE.com) -- Despite not appearing at Wednesday's 38th annual People's Choice Awards, Katy Perry was the big winner of the night.
Perry, whose 14-month marriage to Russell Brand ended last month, was honored in five categories, as favorite female artist, tour headliner and for song of the year for "ET" with Kanye West, music video for "Last Friday Night" and TV guest star for "How I Met Your Mother."
In a Twitter message earlier in the week, Perry said she wouldn't attend but told fans, "I want to thank u all for voting for me, fingers crossed!"
The biggest ovation at the event, which was broadcast on CBS, went to Betty White, who is celebrating her 90th birthday. On stage with her costars from the best cable comedy show winner "Hot in Cleveland," she modestly told the crowd, "I haven't done anything."
Among the other winners in the 43 categories, "Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2" took four awards -- favorite movie, action movie, book adaptation and ensemble movie cast, although no stars from the film attended.
Other honorees included Ellen DeGeneres, Lea Michele and Demi Lovato, as well as favorite movie actress and actor Emma Stone and Johnny Depp.
See the full article at PEOPLE.com.
© 2011 People and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | c082140051744fe998b7fa5fbfceb378 | How many categories was Katy Perry honored in? | [
"five"
] |
NewsQA | LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Prince William went hiking Friday with a group of homeless teenagers on a picturesque peak in northern England to raise awareness for two charities he patrons, spokespeople for the prince and one of the charities said.
Prince William, right, joined a group of homeless teams on a mountain climb in the UK.
William, 27, was joined by six teenagers from Centrepoint, a charity for homeless young people, as they walked up Helvellyn, a mountain in the Cumbria region of northeastern England.
Leading the group were members of Mountain Rescue, a volunteer-run charity. Prince William is the patron of both charities.
The aim of the walk was to provide some of Centrepoint's homeless teens with a memorable and challenging day, and also to have an event that both charities could participate in together.
Each teenager was paired with a Mountain Rescue volunteer as they climbed the mountain, said Andy Simpson, a spokesman for the charity who was on the walk.
After days of spotty storms, the group got lucky with the weather and had sunshine and big, billowy clouds for much of the two-hour climb, Simpson said.
He described Helvellyn as a moderate mountain that requires a certain level of fitness.
The prince, however, did very well -- not surprising, given his military training.
"He's a very fit bloke," Simpson said. "I had trouble keeping up with him."
The location of Friday's hike was kept a secret until the last minute. That meant other climbers on Helvellyn had no idea they would encounter royalty on an otherwise-normal day out.
"One or two of the people were quite surprised, to say the least, to see the future king of England coming the other way," Simpson said.
William stopped to chat to the people he met, he said.
"It was nice to see him engaging with so many members of the public. They just happened to be out for a walk and it's just made their day," he said.
Partway up the mountain, by a lake called Red Tarn, the prince flew a flag for the London 2012 Olympics, Simpson said. Monday marks three years until the Opening Ceremony of the Games. | 7549add8b9c14e04b1a828d909416052 | What is the age of Prince William? | [
"27,"
] |
NewsQA | BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A 12-year-old girl died Monday after she was struck by a warning shot fired as a vehicle accelerated toward an Iraqi police station, said the U.S.-led military coalition.
The incident occurred in Hurriya in Nineveh province, according to a news release from Multi-National Corp-Iraq. A vehicle accelerated as it approached the Hurriya police station, where coalition forces and Iraqi police were conducting security operations, it said.
"The coalition forces and Iraqi police waved and yelled for the vehicle to stop," the news release said. "After the vehicle failed to stop, coalition forces fired two warning rounds."
The girl, who was standing about 100 meters (about 328 feet) behind the vehicle, was hit by one of the rounds, the release said. Troops attempted to treat her at the scene, but she died while being transported to a hospital.
The incident was under investigation, the release said, adding that Col. Gary Volesky, commander of U.S. forces in Nineveh province, "expresses his condolences to the girl's family for the unfortunate accident."
The news release did not say what happened to the vehicle. | bafc410cc18545a5bd60cabac08b99e3 | Where was the 12 year old? | [
"Hurriya in Nineveh province,"
] |
NewsQA | TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- A Swiss diplomat was released from jail Thursday after being arrested on a sex charge, the Iranian media reported.
The first secretary of the U.S. Interests section of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran had been in an "indecent sexual relation" with an Iranian woman in his car, Iran's Press TV reported, citing Iranian police.
Police spotted the car with diplomatic plates in a parking lot and caught the diplomat. The woman was "improperly dressed and in an obscene situation," Press TV said.
The "sexual relation" occurred after the diplomat, who was not named, promised he would marry the woman, Press TV reported. Both were released on bail. It was not clear what charges were filed against the woman.
Press TV said it had contacted the deputy head of the U.S. Interest Section in Tehran, Elizabeth Bucher, but she would not comment on the report.
The suspect is a Swiss diplomat who represents the United States in Iran in the absence of a U.S. presence. The United States and Iran have not had full diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution. | 45f2c8945d7d48a59bd2ebf43a20c32e | What did diplomat promise? | [
"he would marry the woman,"
] |
NewsQA | ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An angry, naked man commandeered a school bus full of teenage students Thursday in Atlanta, police said.
The man drove the bus for less than a mile before a student confronted him and the bus crashed into a wall off the road, according to police.
The incident started Thursday afternoon when the bus stopped to let students out, said Atlanta police officer James Polite.
Arris Pitmon, 23, darted toward the bus and hoisted himself in through an open window, Polite said.
Pitmon took control of the bus as the frightened driver ran to the back of it, the officer said. While the bus was moving, the man abandoned the steering wheel and walked toward the back of the bus, Polite added.
A student then ran toward the steering wheel, prompting the man to fight the student. The unmanned bus continued until it left the roadway and crashed.
Students fled the bus, many using the back door emergency exit, and onlookers subdued the man until police arrived.
Some students were taken to area hospitals. Their conditions weren't available Thursday night.
Chiquita Rogers told CNN affiliate WXIA that the man had tried to hit some of the students, including her 16-year-old, Donte.
"He pushed my son, and that's when my son hit him. I guess everybody started swinging, and everybody just started out the back door, jumping. I'm just grateful that my son is still alive, because it could have been worse."
Onlooker Corey Turner told WXIA, "Children were jumping out the emergency door ... jumping off the bus. ... They were saying, 'Help, help, help! ... Somebody hijacked the bus.'" | bcab08a88f944e1d9acf75464e7c7b3e | Who took control of the bus? | [
"Arris Pitmon,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The French spend more time eating and drinking than anyone else among the world's wealthy nations, a new study reveals.
The study, by the Paris-based Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), found that the average French person spends nine hours sleeping every night, and spends two hours a day eating.
On the other end of the spectrum, the average Japanese gets seven hours of sleep and also spends longer at work -- and getting to work -- than on leisure activities.
And when it comes to food, Mexicans spend the least time: just over an hour a day.
The survey looked at 18 countries among the organization's 30 members to see how people use "that most fundamental of resources:" time. The results were released Monday.
Among the organization's findings:
The lowest obesity rates? South Korea and Japan with less than 4 percent of the population exceeding a BMI of more than 30. | d30b2ae8743541d9a6638c10bf6b7d74 | How many countries does the survey look at? | [
"18"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Police in Glendale, Arizona are investigating the stabbing deaths of a husband and wife who were found dead on the grounds of Luke Air Force Base.
Their bodies were found Sunday night inside a post office on the base, according to Glendale police Detective Jeff Doukas, who said more details are expected to be released Monday morning.
A knife was found at the scene, said Capt. Carla Gleason, a base spokeswoman. "There is no indication that there is a threat to any military personnel or families," said. | f0527d1d7426453683891d904d689979 | Who said there is no threat to military personnel? | [
"Capt. Carla Gleason,"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A British couple kidnapped by Somalian pirates in the Indian Ocean have issued another desperate plea, saying they are being badly treated and need urgent help.
Paul and Rachel Chandler, from Kent in southern England, were taken by pirates from their yacht, the Lynn Rival, on October 23, just days after setting sail from the Seychelles islands for Tanzania.
The couple was brought ashore and are being held in separate locations in central Somalia.
Their captors initially demanded a ransom of $7 million, but the British government -- in line with longstanding policy -- has refused to pay.
In a video filmed on Thursday in Somalia by the French news agency AFP, Rachel Chandler begged the British government to help secure the couple's release.
"Please help us, these people are not treating us well," she said. "I'm old, I'm 56 and my husband is 60 years old. We need to be together because we have not much time left."
A doctor was shown examining Paul Chandler, 60, who appeared to be in a better state than his wife. The medic found Rachel Chandler in poor mental health, calling out for her husband, AFP reported.
"She is sick, she is very anxious, she suffers from insomnia," Dr. Mohamed Helmi Hangul told the agency. "She's very confused, she's always asking about her husband -- 'Where's my husband, where's my husband?' -- and she seems completely disorientated."
Paul Chandler said his conditions were poor and also pleaded for help. "Please help us, we have nobody to help us, we have no children... We have been in captivity for 98 days and we are not in good condition," he said, also on Thursday.
Hangul said Paul Chandler "had a bad cough and seemed to have some fever."
A spokesman for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office told CNN on Sunday: "We are monitoring the situation very closely and doing everything we can to help secure a release.
"We remain in regular contact with the family and are providing support. We call for the safe and swift release of Paul and Rachel."
Pirates have been very active off the east coast of Africa in the past several years, operating out of lawless Somalia.
Earlier this month, pirates attempted to hijack an Indian crude oil vessel 105 nautical miles from Somalia, the EU's anti-piracy naval force said. The pirates opened fire on the ship and were later arrested.
Piracy on the high-seas reached a six-year high in 2009, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors shipping crimes.
CNN's Per Nyberg contributed to this report. | 9886133e89164ba6bcc3e8ac726709ad | What Paul and Rachel Chandler say? | [
"\"Please help us, we have nobody to help us, we have no children... We have been in captivity for 98 days"
] |
NewsQA | WASHINGTON (CNN) -- It isn't clear whether the United States will ever be able to declare victory in Iraq, the top U.S. commander there said Thursday.
Army Gen. Ray Odierno speaks to reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday.
"I'm not sure we will ever see anyone declare victory in Iraq, because first off, I'm not sure we'll know for 10 years or five years," Army Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters at the Pentagon.
About 123,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq now, and President Obama says all combat forces will be gone by the end of August 2010, leaving as many as 50,000 noncombat troops to advise and train Iraqi forces before leaving by the end of 2011.
Odierno has said he wants to draw down the U.S. forces at a faster rate than planned if the security situation allows it. On Thursday, he said he expected the number of U.S. troops to drop to 120,000 by the end of October, and to as few as 110,000 by the end of 2009.
"What we've done here is we're giving Iraq an opportunity in the long term to be a strategic partner of the United States, but more importantly, be a partner in providing regional stability inside of the Middle East," Odierno said.
Odierno also highlighted continuing security issues inside the country, saying Iraqi security forces have recently seized several "very large" caches of Iranian-made rockets and armor-piercing munitions known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs.
"If you're training people ... in Iran to come back into Iraq, and you're providing them rockets and other things, I call that significant because it still enables people to conduct attacks not only on U.S. forces but on Iraqi civilians," Odierno said.
At a congressional hearing Wednesday, Odierno said the main threat to stability in Iraq are Arab-Kurd tensions, adding there has been difficulty bringing the two sides together for possible joint patrols.
"We've had some very good meetings," he said. "But we still have some ways to go on that." | 6c63937607ec4f3f83024420fb02f7d7 | What did Iraqi security forces recently seize? | [
"several \"very large\" caches of Iranian-made rockets and armor-piercing munitions"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- South Korean star Park Ji-sung has signed a two-year contract extension at English Premier League champions Manchester United.
The 28-year-old Park has been handed a contract extension at Manchester United.
The attacking midfielder is now tied to Old Trafford until 2012 as reward for his dogged displays for United since joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2005.
"I am so pleased to have a new contract," Park told www.manutd.com.
"We have achieved great success over the last four years and won many trophies."
Park has had to work hard to establish himself as a regular member of United's starting line-up and was devastated to be left out of the squad for their 2008 Champions League final success against Chelsea.
But last season he was a key figure as United completed a hat-trick of Premier League titles.
Park also gained selection for the Champions League final against Barcelona, becoming the first player from Asia to play in the European club showpiece.
His popularity in his home region is undoubted and United have been able to capitalize with two highly-profitable visits to the continent with Park a key draw.
Park, who will be a driving force in South Korea's World Cup challenge in South Africa next year, has played 127 times for United, scoring 12 goals.
"We are always pleased to secure the future of our star players and Ji-Sung has proved himself to be a fantastic professional as well as an important versatile player in our squad," said manager Alex Ferguson.
Park has been rewarded with an improved deal worth a reported $5.9 million per year. | 4de88fc97c4d40acb4eb1337f38e31a0 | How many appearances has Park made since joining Man Utd | [
"127"
] |
NewsQA | BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S.-led forces captured two men believed to be senior al Qaeda in Iraq leaders, including one suspected of planning the 2006 kidnapping of U.S. journalist Jill Carroll, a military statement said.
Jill Carroll, seen here in an interview following her 2006 release, was held for nearly three months in Iraq.
Coalition forces captured the suspects in Baghdad on August 11 and 17, according to the statement.
The suspects were identified as Salim Abdallah Ashur al-Shujayri, also known as Abu Uthman, and Ali Rash Nasir Jiyad al-Shammari, also known as Abu Tiba.
Abu Uthman is suspected of masterminding Carroll's abduction, the statement said. Carroll, a freelance reporter for The Christian Science Monitor, was abducted in January 2006 and freed unharmed in March of that year.
Both men are suspected of overseeing car or suicide bombings targeting Iraqis with the intent of inciting sectarian violence, the statement said.
Abu Tiba is suspected to have been in charge of as many 15 al Qaeda in Iraq "attack cells," providing them with money, weapons and explosives, according to the statement.
The men were also suspected of being connected to other kidnappings, the statement said.
"The capture of Abu Tiba and Abu Uthman eliminates two of the few remaining experienced leaders in the AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] network," the statement said. | 3ceb3e5fcde048638b6e78dcc8616b31 | Who was abducted? | [
"Jill Carroll,"
] |
NewsQA | Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- The beating of 12-year-old boy by a group of classmates at a Southern California middle school may be linked to a Facebook posting encouraging kids to target redheads, authorities say.
The redheaded boy was beaten up by a group of seventh and eighth graders at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas in two separate incidents Friday, according to a statement released Sunday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
A Facebook page stating that Friday was "Kick a Ginger Day," referring to redheads and possibly inspired by an episode of the "South Park" series, may have sparked the injuries at the middle school, authorities said.
The boy's injuries were not serious, and no one has been arrested, authorities said Sunday. | c63d250e3cde41e585a6517f89cd134e | Attacks may be linked to postings where? | [
"Facebook"
] |
NewsQA | (EW.com) -- In response to Netflix's recently released list of the "Top 10 Movie Rentals of All Time," BitTorrent has release its own -- albeit utterly illegal -- list of the "Top 10 Most Pirated Movies" of all time.
The usual suspects were there, with "Avatar" (21 million downloads) taking top (dis?)honors, and "The Dark Knight" tying for second place with "Transformers" at 19 million downloads apiece. And, yes, of course there's a "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment on there. It's only right.
Still, there is surprisingly little overlap between the lists (only "Inception" and "The Departed"). Apparently Netflix users favor Oscar bait while Internet thieves go for tentpole popcorn movies, with the Venn Diagram overlap between those two strangely being Leonardo DiCaprio. So what other movies made the list, and which were the most head scratch-inducing? See the full list after the jump.
1. Avatar (2009)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. Transformers (2007)
4. Inception (2010)
5. The Hangover (2009)
6. Star Trek (2008)
7. Kick-Ass (2010)
8. The Departed (2006)
9. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly
© 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved. | 4e0124193fba45efa2377865314987ab | Who is in second place? | [
"\"The Dark Knight\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- North Korea on Monday proposed replacing the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War with a formal peace treaty, a step it said would pave the way for breaking the international impasse over its nuclear program.
But the communist state said international sanctions imposed after a series of nuclear weapons and missile tests should be lifted before it returns to the negotiating table, a suggestion the United States quickly dismissed.
The cease-fire that ended the three-year Korean War never led to a permanent peace treaty, leaving the North Korean-South Korean border the world's most heavily militarized frontier.
In a statement carried by the official news agency KCNA, North Korea said that a final settlement of the conflict is "essential" to talks aimed at persuading it to dismantle its nuclear program.
"When the parties are in the state of war where they level guns at each other, distrust in the other party can never be wiped out, and the talks themselves can never make smooth progress, much less realizing the denuclearization," it said. "Without settling such [an] essential and fundamental issue as war and peace, no agreement can escape from frustration and failure as now."
Pyongyang has refused to return to the talks, which also involve the United States, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan, insisting that it wants to talk directly with the U.S. government. But Washington says it will not lift sanctions or normalize relations with the North until it takes irreversible steps toward dismantling its nuclear program.
"We're not going to pay North Korea for coming back to the six-party process," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Monday. | 965fef12e6b44cb6a3dcbea59d784f7b | What did the armistice do? | [
"ended the Korean War"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Best known for its luxury massage chairs, Osim opened its first commercial outlet in the Philippines in February 2003.
Osim considers itself a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products.
Just two months later it launched iSymphonic, the world's first massage chair synchronized to music, voted "Invention of the Year" by Time magazine. In January 2007 it launched uPilot, a designer massage chair featuring ROBO-Stic technology for extensive personal massage control. Other pioneer products include iDesire, iMedic, iSqueez, iSense and iTango.
Today Osim considers itself a global leader in branded healthy lifestyle products, offering more than 100 innovative products covering its four focuses of health, hygiene, nutrition and fitness, from massage chairs and air purifiers to health supplements and treadmills.
Listed in the Singapore Stock Exchange, Osim operates an international point-of-sales network of over 1,100 outlets in more than 360 cities in over 28 countries in Asia, Australia, Africa, Middle East, United Kingdom and North America.
Osim has also invested in the communities in which it operates. It has set up an ongoing endowment fund with the NUS Business School (National University of Singapore) called the Osim Professorship in Branding and Innovation. In Hong Kong, it involved celebrity Andy Lau to lift Hong Kong residents' spirits during the critical SARS period. In 2004, it helped raise funds for victims of the Asian Tsunami. Osim also supported The Healthy Walk Event in Taiwan, as well as major cultural events in Malaysia in 2005 and 2006.
Osim was Awarded the Most Transparent Company Award (Commerce) in SIAS Investors' Choice Awards 2004 and 2005. E-mail to a friend | faa1d7aa44564eff9b0e0b4ed2b39334 | Where does Osim operate? | [
"the Philippines"
] |
NewsQA | Beijing (CNN) -- A train collision in a tunnel in Shanghai's subway Line 10 last month was caused by human error, said state media, with 12 people disciplined over the incident.
Xinhua News Agency, quoting a report released by the investigation team, reported that Tang Zhihua, chief dispatcher of the Line 10 operation control center, was removed from his post. Eleven other managers and workers of the operation control and power supply sections also received penalties, including job reassignment and demotions.
The two subway trains collided on September 27 in downtown Shanghai, injuring 295 passengers, 70 of whom are still receiving treatment in hospital, according to the report.
"The signal system failed to operate because of power failure. The dispatchers issued a number of erroneous orders which finally led to the crash," Xinhua added.
The accident happened as concerns and criticism mount over China's railway safety and its fast development of rail systems.
On July 23, two high-speed trains crashed in China's coastal Zhejiang province, leaving 39 dead and 192 injured, making it one of China's deadliest rail accidents in recent years. | 9556146cadb7400990e2cad6ca03993f | How many people were injured in the accident? | [
"295"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A man went over Niagara Falls and survived Wednesday afternoon, one of the few people to ever survive the plunge unprotected, authorities said.
It is unclear whether the man chose not to aid in his rescue or was physically unable to do so, officials say.
The man was seen entering the icy water just above Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side, and apparently jumped in about 2:15 p.m, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Fire Chief Lee Smith said.
Smith said the unidentified man was in the near-freezing water for "40-plus" minutes before he was rescued by Niagara Parks Police and Niagara Falls firefighter Todd Brunning.
Brunning, who was tethered to shore, swam about 60 meters (nearly 200 feet) into the river and was able to get hold of the man and bring him to shore.
Niagara Parks Police initially used a helicopter from a private company, Niagara Falls Helicopters, to attempt a rescue of the man. When that failed, they used the wind from the chopper's rotors to push the man closer to shore, Smith said. Watch chopper hover over man in icy water »
He said the man was "being rotated in a cyclic fashion" by the river's very strong currents.
The man did not aid in his rescue, officials said, though it was not immediately clear whether he was physically unable to or he did not want to do so.
Niagara Falls Fire Capt. Dave Belme said the man was not wearing any clothes when he was rescued, but he added that it's not unexpected for a person to lose things while being washed down the falls.
The man's "chances of survival without the quick response would be lessened," Smith said.
All of the agencies train for situations like this, he said, and they are put to the test about a dozen times a year. Still, he called Wednesday's rescue "amazing." | f71071859a374b5f9ce4cf9a8a5a1047 | What is the temperature of the river? | [
"near-freezing"
] |
NewsQA | OXFORD, England (CNN) -- You might expect Oxford and Cambridge universities to ask prospective students to compare the works of Chaucer to Boccaccio or to explain the theory of relativity.
Cambridge students may have to field questions in the application process that would baffle some observers.
Instead, Oxford wants to know: "Would you rather be a novel or a poem?"
Cambridge asks applicants: "What would you do if you were a magpie?"
The idea, say administrators at the two ultra-prestigious schools in England, is to see how well prospective students can think, not just how much they know.
"What we're trying to do is move students out of their comfort zone," said Mike Nicholson, Oxford University admissions director. "Many students will have a body of knowledge, and they may be expected to be trusted on that in the interview. What we want to do is take them beyond that point and get them to start thinking for themselves." See examples of the application questions »
In the United Kingdom, 90 percent of students are educated at state schools. But 53 percent of Oxford University's students come from state schools. That seems to indicate that wealthier students who can afford private schools have an advantage.
Tutoring company Oxbridge Applications -- founded by Oxford graduates in 1999 -- says 68 percent of the 35,000 clients it has helped are state-funded students. It costs $300 for a day of mock interviews or $1,500 for a full weekend course. Oxbridge says 47 percent of its clients get into one of the elite colleges. The overall success rate for all applicants to the two schools -- commonly referred to as Oxbridge -- is 24 percent, the tutoring company says.
"At Oxbridge Applications, we have a network of 500 former tutors and former admissions tutors as well," said company founder James Uffindell. "And we take the people that have been there and done it and help supply that information back to the people that want to go there."
Still, some of the questions seem a bit odd to the casual observer. Watch people on the street react to some brainteasers »
"It's totally out there really," said one passer-by interviewed on the street. "Are they on drugs, these people in Cambridge?"
Some of the questions seem downright sinister: "How would you poison someone without the police finding out?" Cambridge asks.
Others are perhaps downright practical: "Instead of politicians, why don't we let the managers of Ikea run the country?" | 58237e7b7f8e42e383bc848cf4e034a0 | What's the school's objective? | [
"to see how well prospective students can think,"
] |
NewsQA | JENA, Louisiana (CNN) -- Charges against Bryant Purvis, one of the six black students accused of being involved in beating a white student, were reduced to second degree aggravated battery during his arraignment Wednesday morning.
Bryant Purvis says he is focusing on his studies and practicing basketball.
Purvis, who was facing charges of second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy, entered a not guilty plea to the reduced charges in the LaSalle Parish Courthouse in Jena.
Charges have now been reduced against at least five of the students in the racially charged "Jena 6" case. Charges against Jesse Ray Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he's a juvenile.
Civil rights leaders Martin Luther King III and Al Sharpton led more than 15,000 marchers to Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- in September to protest how authorities handled the cases against Purvis and five other teens accused of the December 2006 beating of fellow student Justin Barker.
After the arraignment, Purvis said he has moved to another town to complete high school. He said he is focusing on his studies and practicing basketball, which he hopes to play in college.
Mychal Bell, 17, is the only one of the "Jena 6" teens still in jail. Although he was released in September after his adult criminal conviction for the beating was overturned, he was ordered two weeks later to spend 18 months in a juvenile facility for a probation violation relating to an earlier juvenile conviction.
A district judge tossed out Bell's conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, saying the matter should have been handled in juvenile court. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles, Louisiana, did the same with Bell's battery conviction in mid-September.
Prosecutors originally charged all six black students accused of being involved in beating Barker with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy. E-mail to a friend | 3e78b59c888c408da268c1bf6322ba44 | What case drew national spotlight during the September protest? | [
"\"Jena 6\""
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- The expulsion of a U.N. official from Sri Lanka is final and he has to leave the country by September 21, the government has told the agency.
James Elder, spokesman for UNICEF in Sri Lanka has until September 21 to leave the country.
Officials with the United Nations Children's Fund met with Sri Lankan officials on Monday in hopes of keeping James Elder inside the country.
But Sri Lanka stood firm in its decision, and has issued UNICEF an expulsion notice for Elder, said Sarah Crowe, the agency's spokeswoman for South Asia.
The Sri Lankan government has accused Elder of spreading propaganda supporting Tamil rebels.
Ann Veneman, UNICEF's executive director, said the agency was "extremely concerned and disappointed" with the decision.
"Through Mr. Elder, UNICEF has consistently spoken out against the suffering of children on both sides of the intense hostilities earlier this year and called for their protection. UNICEF unequivocally rejects any allegation of bias," she said in a statement Monday night.
Elder has often spoken to the media about the agency's concerns about children caught up in the country's civil war and the conditions they endure at camps for the displaced.
"Mr. Elder's role for UNICEF was to reflect how the conflict gravely impacted upon children," Crowe said. "He did this based on concrete information that the United Nations attained and verified."
Crowe called Sri Lanka's allegations regarding Elder "outrageous" and "contradictory." "They are bordering on the ludicrous," she said.
The Sri Lankan military finally defeated the Tamil Tigers earlier this year, after a conflict that began in 1983. The rebels -- formally known as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- were waging war for an independent state for minority Tamils in Sri Lanka. As many as 70,000 people were killed in the conflict.
In February, Elder told CNN that children as young as 4 months old were being treated in hospitals for shrapnel injuries and other wounds of war. The fighting created a "nightmarish" situation for civilians in the conflict zone, Elder said at the time.
CNN's Saeed Ahmed contributed to this report. | d7a32b142d654959ae4c903880a9ffb4 | Elder has often spoken about UNICEF's concern for who? | [
"children caught up in the country's civil war"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A wildfire continued its rampage through the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California on Monday, but the U.S. Forest Service said fire crews were gaining ground.
The Sheep Fire in Southern California has burned thousands of acres and left this bus a charred ruin.
"Firefighters have made very good progress against the Sheep Fire. It's currently at approximately 7,500 acres with 20 percent containment," U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Robin Prince said Monday.
The fire, which was reported Saturday afternoon in the Lytle Creek area, quickly grew to 3,500 acres by early Sunday and forced about 4,000 people in the community of Wrightwood from their homes.
"People are going to have to hold off on getting back to their homes until we get a little better containment lines on the fire, but things are looking really good," according to Prince.
More than 1,200 firefighters were battling the blaze, and numerous firefighting aircraft have dropped water and retardant on the wildfire. Back fires have been set to protect homes at the eastern edge of Wrightwood, authorities said.
The weather was cooperating Monday, unlike over the weekend when a high-wind warning remained in effect and gusty winds helped fan the flames.
"There's very little smoke. There's a few flare ups here and there, but if the winds pick up, we could still have some problems. So that's why we're holding off on letting people go back into the mandatory evacuated area," said Prince.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino County on Sunday so the state can mobilize agencies and equipment to help fight the fire. | 11c8770e608a4aebac8665f520061366 | How many people were forced out? | [
"4,000"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- A third minute goal from Gonzalo Higuain gave Real Madrid a 1-0 victory over Valencia, coach Juande Ramos' first Primera Liga win since taking charge of the Spanish champions.
Gonzalo Higuain is congratulated after scoring Real Madrid's only goal against Valencia.
The win ended Madrid's run of three straight league defeats and moved them up to 29 points, nine behind leaders Barcelona -- who visit Villarreal on Sunday.
With captain Raul Gonzalez only on the bench befcause of the flu, Higuain played alone in attack, and he soon made his mark with the early goal -- the Argentine collecting Arjen Robben's pass to fire home his 11th goal of the season.
Valencia almost fell two goals behind in the 16th minute when Rafael van der Vaart struck the post with a curling drive.
Higuain had a chance to double Madrid's tally in the second-half, but his close-range shot struck the bar.
The visitors' hopes were effectively ended when captain Carlos Marchena was sent off after picking up his second yellow card, for a foul on Robben.
The defeat, only Valencia's second of the season after also going down to Barcelona, leaves them on 30 points, just one above Madrid. | 77ba643a9a124843856c486982035b93 | Did Juande Ramos had any prior successes in the Primera Liga? | [
"first"
] |
NewsQA | Vero Beach, Florida (CNN) -- Louis Schacht's family has been growing citrus in Vero Beach, Florida, for 60 years, contributing to a multibillion-dollar industry. But this year, he's worried.
The winter weather blasting much of the country has made it to Florida, and the cold front now moving through is expected to last longer than usual. That could prove disastrous for Schacht and his fellow growers at the peak of the picking season.
A chill can enhance the taste of the oranges and grapefruit that the Schacht family business grows and ships around the world. But if the temperature drops to 28 degrees Fahrenheit or below and stays there for four hours, fruit across Florida could be frozen and the crop destroyed.
"If it stays just above freezing, it can really help sweeten the fruit, but it's a fine line to walk. If it gets too cold, you can definitely have some damage," Schacht said.
He has flooded his 280-acre grove in a bid to protect his fruit, as have larger growers across the state.
"What that does is create a little layer of warmth, usually about 20 to 25 feet from the surface, which is all we really need," Schacht said.
And Schacht said that's just about all he can do. He said the fate of his fruit is now out of his hands.
"We've basically done what we can do," he said. "You say a prayer and go to bed."
CNNMoney.com: Will prices rise for orange juice?
Schacht ships directly to customers around the world. "As a small grower, you try to sell everything that you can, direct to the consumer," he said.
His crop contributes to Florida being the No. 1 producer of oranges in the country. "The citrus industry has a 9 billion-dollar annual economic impact," says Florida Citrus Mutual spokesman Andrew Meadows. | 3af5d340c61d45259669b4fba1b571ef | What event does Lous Schacht fear?i | [
"winter weather"
] |
NewsQA | (CNN) -- Two photographs of Madonna set to appear in a Christie's auction next month will probably sell for at least $10,000 each, according to estimates posted on the company's Web site.
Christie's will auction a nude photo of Madonna (partially shown above) taken by Lee Friedlander.
One, a full-frontal nude black-and-white photograph of the singer, was taken in 1979 by celebrated American photographer Lee Friedlander for a series of nudes he was working on, said Milena Sales, a spokeswoman for the auction house.
Madonna was about 20 when the photograph, one of several, was taken.
A handful from the shoot appeared in Playboy magazine in 1985, Sales said. Christie's put price estimates for the photograph at $10,000 to $15,000.
The second photograph of Madonna was taken in the 1980s by Helmut Newton.
In the Newton photograph, which is in color, Madonna is wearing a short dress and black stockings with garters. The circumstances behind the photo shoot were not immediately clear.
The auction will take place in New York on February 12. | edbbc85410504fda99d6e810c09a316b | who is auctioning | [
"Christie's"
] |
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