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(CNN) -- From the time she was an 11-year-old, blue-eyed, freckle-faced blonde until she was a 29-year-old woman with two children, Jaycee Dugard was kept locked away in a backyard compound of sheds and tarps by a couple who police say abducted her. Jaycee Dugard was locked in a shed tucked under a blue tarp in her alleged captor's backyard. She was more than 160 miles from home, and her family had no idea where she was. Nobody else knew she was there except the couple who snatched her off the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California, in 1991, and took her straight to the soundproof shed, police said. Dugard's pocket of Phillip and Nancy Garrido's backyard in Antioch, California, was so overgrown no one even knew it existed. The details about Dugard's time in captivity emerged Thursday after one of Northern California's most enduring mysteries was solved and the Garridos were arrested and accused of her kidnapping. Anyone who came across the couple's backyard, littered with garbage cans and a dishwasher, would assume that it ended at a 6-foot fence. Watch aerial images of the backyard compound » "You could walk through the backyard and never know there was another set of living circumstances," said Fred Kollar, undersheriff of El Dorado County. "There was nothing that would cause you to question it. You can't see it from either adjoining property. It was presumably well arranged." But tucked away beyond the tangle of bushes, high grass and trees was a blue tarp that concealed the only world Dugard had known since her abduction. Kollar said the property had "a hidden backyard within a backyard." It included several sheds no taller than 6 feet, two tents and several outbuildings, "where Jaycee and the girls spent most of their lives." It also held a vehicle that matched the description of the car used in Dugard's kidnapping, Kollar said. The "secondary" backyard was inside the first and was "screened from view." One of the sheds was soundproof, he said. In it were sheds and tarps, a makeshift bathroom and shower, along with electricity supplied by extension cords. Kollar compared the primitive conditions to camping. Dugard lived for several years there by herself. The sheds were locked from the outside. She grew up and had her captor's children there, and raised them there. "None of them have ever been to school, they've never been to a doctor," Kollar said. "They were kept in complete isolation in this compound, if you will, at the rear of the house," he said. "They were born there." The children, both girls, are now 15 and 11. "They are all in good health," Kollar said in response to a question about how Dugard and her children are doing. "But living in a backyard for the last 18 years does take its toll." | [
"What authorities said about this case?",
"Where were they kept?",
"What did authorities have to say?",
"How long was Jaycee Dugard held captive?",
"How long was she held captive?",
"For how long Jaycee Dugard has been locked in sheds?",
"Did Dugard have children during captivity?",
"Where was Jaycee Dugard locked in?"
] | [
[
"Nobody else knew she was there"
],
[
"locked away in a backyard compound of sheds and tarps by a couple who police say abducted her."
],
[
"Nobody else knew she was there except the couple who snatched her off the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California, in 1991, and took her straight"
],
[
"18 years"
],
[
"18 years"
],
[
"18 years"
],
[
"two"
],
[
"in a shed tucked under a blue tarp"
]
] | NEW: Neighbor says he once called police after seeing children in backyard .
Jaycee Dugard locked in soundproof sheds in alleged captor's backyard for 18 years .
Compound of sheds, tarps equipped with makeshift bathroom and shower .
Authorities: Dugard was "kept in complete isolation in this compound" |
(CNN) -- From the time she was an 11-year-old, blue-eyed, freckle-faced blonde until she was a 29-year-old woman with two children, Jaycee Dugard was kept locked away in a backyard compound of sheds and tarps by a couple who police say abducted her. Jaycee Dugard was locked in a shed tucked under a blue tarp in her alleged captor's backyard. She was more than 160 miles from home, and her family had no idea where she was. Nobody else knew she was there except the couple who snatched her off the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California, in 1991, and took her straight to the soundproof shed, police said. Dugard's pocket of Phillip and Nancy Garrido's backyard in Antioch, California, was so overgrown no one even knew it existed. The details about Dugard's time in captivity emerged Thursday after one of Northern California's most enduring mysteries was solved and the Garridos were arrested and accused of her kidnapping. Anyone who came across the couple's backyard, littered with garbage cans and a dishwasher, would assume that it ended at a 6-foot fence. Watch aerial images of the backyard compound » "You could walk through the backyard and never know there was another set of living circumstances," said Fred Kollar, undersheriff of El Dorado County. "There was nothing that would cause you to question it. You can't see it from either adjoining property. It was presumably well arranged." But tucked away beyond the tangle of bushes, high grass and trees was a blue tarp that concealed the only world Dugard had known since her abduction. Kollar said the property had "a hidden backyard within a backyard." It included several sheds no taller than 6 feet, two tents and several outbuildings, "where Jaycee and the girls spent most of their lives." It also held a vehicle that matched the description of the car used in Dugard's kidnapping, Kollar said. The "secondary" backyard was inside the first and was "screened from view." One of the sheds was soundproof, he said. In it were sheds and tarps, a makeshift bathroom and shower, along with electricity supplied by extension cords. Kollar compared the primitive conditions to camping. Dugard lived for several years there by herself. The sheds were locked from the outside. She grew up and had her captor's children there, and raised them there. "None of them have ever been to school, they've never been to a doctor," Kollar said. "They were kept in complete isolation in this compound, if you will, at the rear of the house," he said. "They were born there." The children, both girls, are now 15 and 11. "They are all in good health," Kollar said in response to a question about how Dugard and her children are doing. "But living in a backyard for the last 18 years does take its toll." Dugard's presence behind Garrido's home apparently went unnoticed by many in the neighborhood, where homes on one-fourth to one-half-acre lots typically sell for less than $200,000. Watch neighbors react » "My dad said he never saw a young woman," said Kathy Russo, whose father has lived two houses away from the Garridos for 33 years. She said the one-story house's backyard was obscured by trees and ringed by a wooden fence. Her 94-year-old father considered Garrido to be a "kind of strange, reclusive, kind of an angry kind of guy," Russo said. But one man who lives in the neighborhood told CNN that he called the local sheriff's department a few years ago after seeing what he thought were several children living in the backyard. The man said authorities came out and had a brief conversation with the Garrido family, but nothing ever happened. | [
"How long was Jaycee Dugar in captivity?",
"How long had Jaycee Dugard been locked in soundproof sheds?",
"What was found in the shed?",
"What did authorities say about Dugard?",
"What did the neighbor say he did after seeing children in the backyard?",
"What did authorities say was Dugard's living condition?"
] | [
[
"18 years"
],
[
"the time she was an 11-year-old, blue-eyed, freckle-faced blonde until she was a 29-year-old"
],
[
"Jaycee Dugard"
],
[
"Nobody else knew she was there except the couple who snatched her off the street in front of her house in South Lake Tahoe, California, in 1991, and took her straight to the soundproof shed, police said."
],
[
"called the local sheriff's department"
],
[
"\"They were kept in complete isolation in this compound,"
]
] | NEW: Neighbor says he once called police after seeing children in backyard .
Jaycee Dugard locked in soundproof sheds in alleged captor's backyard for 18 years .
Compound of sheds, tarps equipped with makeshift bathroom and shower .
Authorities: Dugard was "kept in complete isolation in this compound" |
(CNN) -- From the world's biggest manufacturer of mobile phone batteries to a car company with global pretensions, BYD is a Chinese company that has roared onto the international stage energized by its workaholic founder Wang Chuanfu. Building his own dreams: Wang Chuanfu has turned BYD into an international company in less than 15 years. Wang's hands-on approach to running a business with 130,000 employees -- he still eats in the company canteen and lives in a BYD-owned housing complex -- isn't too far removed from how he built the company from scratch in 1995 when he was 29 years old. Wang trained as an engineer and studied the patents of other companies' mobile phone batteries, even taking them apart to see how they were made. He raised some start-up capital from a relative to create his own mobile phone battery-making business in Shenzhen, the special economic zone just north of Hong Kong. BYD's business approach differed from the likes of Sony and Sanyo by substituting an automated system for one of China's biggest resources, physical labor. Employing thousands of people was cheaper than installing expensive robotic assembly lines, and by 2000 BYD had become the biggest mobile phone battery maker in the world. Wang bought a failing Chinese car company in 2003 to enter the automobile market, and BYD now has a number of models available in China, including a plug-hybrid car cheaper than the market-leading Toyota Prius. The success of BYD has attracted plenty of attention from industry analysts and investors from the West, including Warren Buffet. The billionaire American has invested $250 million in BYD, making even more people in the West sit up and take note of the company. Wang isn't content to just compete in the hybrid and electric car market in China; he aims to keep BYD's meteoric rise going and make it the world's biggest car maker by 2025. "It is a big ambition. In January and February 2009 China was the world's biggest automobile consuming market for those months. So based on this, China can sell more than 10 million automobiles this year. So maybe China can exceed the USA and become the biggest market in the world," Wang told CNN. BYD stands for "Build Your Dreams" and Wang is trying to fulfill the aspiration among many in China of creating a national champion; a brand with international respect and reputation of quality. Wang believes the electric car can be that product, and BYD the company to do it. "For new energy vehicles...China is on the same level or even leading other countries. In the field of new energy cars, China hopes that Chinese companies can catch up with the rest of the world and catch up with the pace," said Wang. But the term "Made in China" still has a stigma attached to it. The scandals of tainted milk and toys that had to be recalled rocked China in 2008 and diminished the reputation of Chinese products abroad. "This kind of 'Made in China' is different from other types of 'Made in China.' Our products have never been recalled, unlike many of our competitors. Judging from that, products made in China are sometimes better that those made elsewhere. As long as there are high-standards, Chinese manufacturing companies can definitely meet those standards," said Wang. China also has acute environmental problems. It is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and Wang is aware that being an entrepreneur also means having an eye on the environmental impact of his business. "As an entrepreneur, I think I have to consider both aspects. One part is the creation of a new business mode, or the revelation of new business competition. The other is that it's for social responsibility, making our Earth bluer. "Urban pollution, reliance on petroleum and emission of carbon dioxide are three problems that entrepreneurs have to consider for basic social responsibility," said Wang. | [
"What are company BYD's claims?",
"Who was the founder?",
"When did Wang Chuanfu start the company?",
"How much was invested?",
"How much money has Warren Buffet invested in the company?"
] | [
[
"Our products have never been recalled,"
],
[
"Wang Chuanfu."
],
[
"in 1995"
],
[
"$250 million"
],
[
"$250 million in BYD,"
]
] | Founder of car and battery company BYD that aims to be world leader .
Wang Chuanfu started the company in 1995 when he was 29 years old .
Made mobile phone batteries then expanded into car manufacturing .
Billionaire Warren Buffet has invested $250 million in the company . |
(CNN) -- Gabon's President Omar Bongo, Africa's longest-serving ruler, died Monday morning, the country's prime minister said, settling conflicting reports from government and media accounts. Gabon's President Omar Bongo, who died Monday, was Africa's longest-serving ruler. Calm was reported after the announcement, but Gabon's Ministry of Defense nonetheless announced it was closing all of the country's land, air and sea ports, according to a ministry statement. The statement, which was broadcast on state television and radio, said that in "the best interest of the nation, the Ministry of Defense calls on the population to increase their vigilance and patriotism during this difficult and painful time the country is facing." In a statement, Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong said Bongo suffered cardiac arrest at a hospital in Barcelona, Spain. "He dedicated his political life to his country and the Gabonese people, always cultivating the unity and cohesion of the Gabonese toward a true peace," Ndong said. The government declared a 30-day national period of mourning. Bongo, 73, had been receiving treatment for intestinal cancer at the Quiron clinic in Barcelona, Spain, according to the Gabonews agency. Earlier in the day, the prime minister strongly refuted initial French news reports of Bongo's death. He had vowed to lodge a protest with the French authorities about "repeated leaks in the French press." Shortly afterward, hospital officials reported Bongo's passing to Gabonese officials. Bongo took power in 1967, seven years after the West African country's independence from France. He imposed one-party rule a year after succeeding the country's first president, who died in office. He allowed multiparty elections after a new constitution in 1991, but his party has retained control of the government since then. President Obama said Bongo "played a key role in developing and shaping the strong bilateral relationship that exists between Gabon and the United States today." "President Bongo consistently emphasized the importance of seeking compromise and striving for peace, and made protecting Gabon's natural treasures a priority," Obama said in a statement Monday. "His work in conservation in his country and his commitment to conflict resolution across the continent are an important part of his legacy and will be remembered with respect." CNN's Per Nyberg and Al Goodman contributed to this report. | [
"What year did Bongo take power?",
"What was Bongo being treated in Spain for?",
"how long closed ports",
"What id the Defense Ministry closing?",
"Which country was Bongo the leader of?",
"When did Bongo take power?"
] | [
[
"1967,"
],
[
"intestinal cancer"
],
[
"30-day"
],
[
"all of the country's land, air and sea ports,"
],
[
"Gabon's"
],
[
"1967,"
]
] | NEW: Defense Ministry closing all of the country's ports after leader's death .
Bongo took power in 1967, seven years after Gabon's independence from France .
At the time of his death, he was being treated in Spain for intestinal cancer .
Earlier Monday, there had been conflicting reports about the state of Bongo's health . |
(CNN) -- Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head during a shooting rampage in January, appeared in her first television interview late Monday night, clearly understanding the questions put to her but able to respond only in simple words.
"I cried," she told ABC's Diane Sawyer in response to a question about how she felt when her husband told her what had happened.
"Died," she said.
"Sad," said her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.
"Sad," Giffords agreed. "I cried. A lot of people died."
She said she has no memory of the incident.
"That day is gone?" Sawyer asked.
"Gone," Giffords replied.
Giffords also doesn't remember the next 13 days at a hospital in Tucson before she was flown to Houston. She said she remembers the flight "a little bit."
"She said she felt like a --" Kelly said.
"A zombie," Giffords said, finishing the sentence.
Giffords also said she never got angry about what happened.
"No," she said. "No. No. No."
She paused.
"Life," she said, then shrugged. "Life."
Jared Loughner, 23, is accused of wounding Giffords and 12 others and killing six people in the shooting at a meet-and-greet event for the congresswoman outside a Tucson, Arizona, shopping center.
Giffords, a Democrat, posted an audio message to her constituents Tuesday on her Facebook page, saying she missed them and Tuscon: "The mountains, the blue skies, even the heat.
"I'm getting stronger, I'm getting better," she says, adding that she wants to go back to work.
She sat with her husband on a couch for the ABC interview, wearing a lime green jacket. She wore her hair short and smiled often.
When Sawyer asked Giffords how she feels, the congresswoman responded, "Pretty good."
Sawyer asked Giffords if it was painful to move her right arm. Giffords said it was not.
"Difficult," she said twice, then grinned and swung her left arm.
"Strong!" she said, getting a laugh from Sawyer. "Strong, strong!"
Giffords was shot in the head, with the bullet passing through the left side of her brain, which controls the right half of the body.
Her right arm lay unused on her lap during the interview.
But before the interview began, she leaned over to fix Sawyer's hair with her left hand.
Giffords has made what doctors call a miraculous recovery since the shooting.
Her neurosurgeon, Dr. Dong Kim, told CNN Tuesday that Giffords' thought process is normal -- a remarkable feat for someone with the kind of injuries she suffered.
As a sign of her stunning recovery, Kim told CNN's Elizabeth Cohen that Giffords recently spoke two sentences in a row to him. "Wow, you have a suit on today," she said to him when he walked in to see her. Then she added, "What's with the necktie?"
The ABC report showed Giffords in therapy, struggling to come up with a word when asked what she would use to tell time.
"W....," the therapist prompts.
"Wwwwwwatch!" Giffords says, to the delight of the therapist.
She and Kelly told Sawyer she did two hours of therapy a day in their home.
Giffords has clearly retained a sense of humor; her husband teases her when Sawyer asks what she loves by interjecting: "Football! Gabby loves the NFL."
"No, no, no," she giggles. "Stinks!"
Loughner is in mental health treatment and will be re-evaluated early next year to determine his competency to stand trial. | [
"what happened to giffords",
"who is charged with wounding her",
"what Jared Loughner is charged with ?",
"who felt like a \"zombie\"?",
"who doesn't remember the shooting?"
] | [
[
"was shot in the head during a shooting rampage"
],
[
"Jared Loughner,"
],
[
"wounding Giffords and 12 others and killing six people"
],
[
"Gabrielle"
],
[
"Giffords"
]
] | NEW: Giffords doesn't remember the shooting, she says .
NEW: Giffords felt like a "zombie" on the flight to Houston .
NEW: Her neurosurgeon describes the stunning recovery to CNN .
Jared Loughner is charged with wounding her and 12 others and killing six . |
(CNN) -- Garrison Keillor, author and host of the folksy radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," was being treated Wednesday for a minor stroke he suffered over the weekend, a hospital spokesman said. Author Garrison Keillor attends an event in New York on November 18, 2008. Keillor, who turned 67 last month, was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, on Sunday night, spokesman Karl Oestreich said in a news release. "He is up and moving around, speaking sensibly, working at a laptop, and it's expected he'll be released on Friday," Oestreich said. "He plans to resume a normal schedule next week." The live variety show "A Prairie Home Companion" is aired on Minnesota Public Radio. Keillor launched the program on July 6, 1974, in a St. Paul, Minnesota, college theater before an audience of 12 people. According to a "Backstage Chat" on the show, Keillor got the idea for it from watching the Grand Ole Opry. Keillor, also a storyteller and satirist, has written 11 books, including three for children. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1994. | [
"Who was admitted to the hospital on Sunday?",
"Who was admitted to a hospital?",
"Who will resume a normal schedule?",
"When does be plan to resume to normal schedule?",
"Who is expected to be released fom hospital on Friday?",
"What is Garrison's age?",
"Who was admitted to a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, on Sunday?",
"When will he be released?"
] | [
[
"Author Garrison Keillor"
],
[
"Garrison"
],
[
"Garrison Keillor"
],
[
"next week.\""
],
[
"Garrison"
],
[
"67"
],
[
"Garrison Keillor"
],
[
"Friday,\""
]
] | Garrison Keillor, 67, was admitted to a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, on Sunday .
Spokesman: "He plans to resume a normal schedule next week"
Keillor is expected to be released from the hospital on Friday . |
(CNN) -- Gas prices across the Southeast and Midwest soared over the weekend, and while many would blame Hurricane Ike, human nature may be a more likely scapegoat. iReporter Stacy Haynes said this Harriman, Tennessee, station was selling regular gas at $5.09 a gallon Saturday. Experts say that when a perception exists that gas is limited -- warranted or not -- consumers flock to the pumps even if officials implore them to stay calm. It's a combination of fear, desire, distrust and protectionism, experts say. "When you have a perceived scarcity of any product, research shows the attractiveness of that product goes up," said Dr. Rao Unnava, marketing professor at Ohio State University. Grocery and department stores are keenly aware of the phenomenon, Unnava said, which is why sale flyers often declare things like, "limit three items per customer" or "price valid only through Friday." Research shows that such advertisements can actually double or triple sales of a product, Unnava said. "People don't feel comfortable with scarcity," he said. With gasoline, scarcity is a false perception, Unnava said. There is ample gas in the United States, even after Ike delivered 110-mph winds to Galveston and Houston, an area that's home to a significant portion of the nation's oil refineries. Gov. Rick Perry announced Monday that Texas' oil and gas industry "dodged a bullet" and that "some of those refineries are actually back in operation as we speak." This isn't to say human nature alone drove the spike in gas prices; the oil market's supply side certainly played its part. Refineries, pipeline and oil platforms are still being assessed after Ike, but the damage apparently isn't as severe as predicted, said Gregg Laskoski, spokesman for the southern region of the American Automobile Association. Despite the rosier-than-expected outlook, prices spiked all over the nation after Ike struck the Gulf Coast -- about 6 cents a gallon Saturday, another 6 cents Sunday and about 5 cents Monday. Particularly hard hit was the central and eastern United States. From Sunday to Monday alone, 23 states saw the average price of gas jump about a nickel or more a gallon, according to AAA. iReport.com: Send, see photos of gas prices In Tennessee, the price jumped about 17 cents to $4.12 Monday. In Georgia, the price climbed about 14 cents to $4.16. Michigan saw an almost 13-cent increase, and Indiana's gas went up 12 cents a gallon. See gas prices state by state » Several factors drive these fluctuations, Laskoski said, including the method in which gasoline is delivered to a state. In Florida, he said, the price went up nominally (about 5 cents) from Sunday to Monday because the Sunshine State relies more heavily on gas shipped on boats out of Louisiana and Mississippi, he said. Though Georgia abuts Florida, it doesn't have as many ports and relies more on tanker trucks to deliver gas from the Galveston-Houston area, Laskoski said. Hear how man ran out of fuel looking for gas in Atlanta, Georgia » Another factor, Laskoski said, is that Ike prompted many oil companies to shut down operations ahead of the storm. It could take up to two weeks to get some refineries operational again because it's not as simple as flipping a switch, he said. The hiatus in oil production has ripple effects, and retailers often raise prices in anticipation of gas shortages. Gas station owners earn only a few pennies of profit on each gallon of gas, Laskoski said, explaining that proprietors essentially use gas to lure consumers into convenience stores to buy cigarettes, beer and potato chips -- items that draw better profits. When supply is low and retailers are uncertain when they'll receive their next gas shipment, some proprietors actually raise their gas prices so they can keep their gas supply longer and maintain profits from their snacks and sundries. But while diminished refinery capacity helps drive prices upward, there is also an element of "consumer behavior that goes beyond | [
"What is the name of the hurricane?",
"What made gas prices spike all over the nation?",
"What sent more people to the pumps?",
"What caused gas prices to spike?",
"Where did Hurrican Ike hit?",
"What event caused a spike in gas prices?",
"What perception drives people to the pumps?",
"What do expertcs claim sends more people to the pumps?",
"What makes people more likely to go to the pumps?"
] | [
[
"Ike,"
],
[
"Hurricane Ike,"
],
[
"a combination of fear, desire, distrust and protectionism,"
],
[
"Hurricane Ike,"
],
[
"Gulf Coast"
],
[
"Ike struck"
],
[
"that gas is limited"
],
[
"when a perception exists that gas is limited"
],
[
"perception exists that gas is limited"
]
] | Perception of limited gas sends more people to the pumps, experts say .
Gas prices spiked across the nation after Hurricane Ike hit Gulf Coast .
Reduced supply after storm plays part, but so does consumer rush .
Professor: Consumers' fears, TV coverage lead to "a vicious cycle" |
(CNN) -- Gas prices dropped nearly 33 cents in the past two weeks, dipping below $2 for the first time since March 2005, a national survey said Sunday. This station in Rio Vista, California, had gas prices below $2 on November 19. The average price of self-serve, unleaded gasoline on Friday in the United States was $1.97, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey. The last time the price was below $2 was on March 4, 2005, she said. The all-time high average was $4.11, set on July 11, according to Lundberg, and prices have been dropping ever since. "The rate of decline has slowed somewhat, but it is still dramatic at 33 cents in two weeks," she said. Diesel prices averaged $2.93 on Friday, slumping under $3 for the first time since September 2007, she said. Lundberg attributed the price reductions to a drop in crude oil prices and demand, and also because of low refining margins. Watch thrilled customers enjoy cheaper gas » "Crude oil remains [the] main driver," for the decline, she said, noting that crude oil futures settled on Friday below $50. Demand is always low in November, she said, but the weakening economy is reducing it further. However, Lundberg said that if crude oil prices do not fall further, "then the end of this [gasoline] price crash is either here or near." The Lundberg Survey is based on responses from more than 5,000 service stations nationwide. On Friday, drivers in St. Louis, Missouri, paid the least at the pump -- $1.61 -- while drivers in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Anchorage, Alaska, paid the most, at $2.81. Here are average prices in other cities: • Detroit, Michigan -- $1.76 • Houston, Texas -- $1.78 • Atlanta, Georgia -- $1.88 • Boston, Massachusetts -- $2.01 • Chicago, Illinois -- $2.10 • Washington -- $2.19 • Los Angeles, California -- $2.22 | [
"What is the average price in the US?",
"When was the all time high set?",
"What commodity is being discussed, specifically?",
"What was the all time high?",
"What is the all-time high average price in the US for the commodity that is being discussed?",
"What was the all time high average?",
"What sank below $2 for the first time in years?",
"What prices are finally below $3?",
"What amount has it dropped in the past 2 weeks?",
"What record high price was set a few months ago?"
] | [
[
"$1.97,"
],
[
"average"
],
[
"Gas"
],
[
"$4.11,"
],
[
"$4.11,"
],
[
"$4.11,"
],
[
"prices"
],
[
"Diesel"
],
[
"33 cents"
],
[
"$4.11,"
]
] | Average price in U.S. is below $2 for first time since March 2005, survey says .
All-time high average -- $4.11 -- was set four months ago .
Average price dropped 33 cents in the past two weeks .
Survey: Diesel prices are under $3 for the first time since September 2007 . |
(CNN) -- Gasoline prices set a record for the 16th consecutive day Wednesday. A gallon of gas cost an average of $3.62, according to AAA, and much more in some markets. Shell Oil Co. President John Hofmeister says a boost in U.S. production would startle the world market. All three presidential candidates have weighed in on the issue, and President Bush on Tuesday addressed it during a news conference. John Hofmeister, president of Shell Oil Co., the U.S. division of Royal Dutch Shell, addressed rising gasoline prices during an interview Wednesday with John Roberts on CNN's "American Morning." ROBERTS: What do you say to people who are in this budget crunch of trying to fill up the family car? HOFMEISTER: I say we need more gas to be produced in this country. I've been saying that for three years, ever since I took this position [as president of Shell]. If the U.S. set a goal to produce 2 to 3 million barrels more a day in this country, we would send a shock around the world that would immediately say to the speculators, hey, U.S. is serious. President [Bush] said something yesterday about this. I didn't hear him, but I think that's good news. But we should set a specific target. The presidential candidates should be out there on the postings saying let's increase domestic production by 2 to 3 million barrels a day. That would be something that would put money back into this country, jobs back into this country, and it would bring more supply toward the Americans who need it. ROBERTS: The president is advocating more drilling on U.S. territory. Isn't it true that globally we're starting to reach a peak in production and that within maybe a decade or two oil production will begin to decrease? HOFMEISTER: Well, I think there is some argument [that] with convenient, easy oil we will peak sometime in the next decade. I think Shell sees that coming, but in terms of total oil supply to the world, we're a long way from reaching peak oil because it doesn't take into account unconventional oil. I think the president brings up a good point in that we could, we have the available domestic supplies off the coast of Alaska as well as [the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge]. Shell has won $2 billion worth of high bids for the Chukchi Sea -- that's a few years off before we could begin production. But let's remember there's more than 100 billion barrels of untouched oil and gas in this country that is subject to a 30-year moratorium. Now, there's only one body in this country that can set a 30-year moratorium, and that's the U.S. government. ROBERTS: Sen. Hillary Clinton wants to slap you with a 50 percent tax on what she calls windfall profit, profit above a certain level. Is that a good idea? HOFMEISTER: Look at our revenues and our income for the last quarter. If we had made $7.8 million on $114 million of revenue, nobody would call that excessive, because that's 7½ percent. We made $7.8 billion profit on $114 billion revenue -- same 7½ percent. So to me that is not an excessive number when banks and pharmaceuticals and IT companies earn a whole lot more. Watch Hofmeister defend Shell's profits » ROBERTS: Would it hurt you if she put in place this tax on the windfall profits? HOFMEISTER: Sure it would. It would slow down investment. Taxing the oil companies was tried in the '80s. It drove us to do imports, which is exactly the problem we have today. ROBERTS: Where is the top of all this? How high can the price of a barrel of oil go? How high will the cost of a gallon of gasoline go? HOFMEISTER: I heard somebody say the other day it's as long as a piece of string. We don't know. ROBERTS: The president of OPEC said $200 a barrel. HOFMEISTER: Yeah, well, there are some countries out there subsidizing | [
"What country should produce 2-3 million more barrels of oil a day?",
"What is plenty of waiting to be drilled by unconventional means?",
"what US should produce?",
"what is waiting to be drilled by unconventional means?",
"what company president says?",
"What company had $7.8 billion profit?"
] | [
[
"U.S."
],
[
"oil."
],
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"2 to 3 million barrels more a day"
],
[
"oil."
],
[
"a boost in U.S. production would startle the world market."
],
[
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]
] | U.S. should produce 2 million to 3 million more barrels a day, says John Hofmeister .
Plenty of oil waiting to be drilled by unconventional means, he says .
Shell's $7.8 billion profit not excessive, company president says .
Executive says he can't predict how high price of oil will go . |
(CNN) -- Gay and lesbian groups are attacking a decision by the archdiocese of Denver, Colorado, not to re-enroll a child in a Catholic school in Boulder, Colorado, next year because the child's parents are lesbians.
The issue centers on the Sacred Heart of Jesus School, where the pre-schooler is currently enrolled.
"The Archdiocese of Denver has acted very unjustly in singling out this child for exclusion," said DignityUSA Executive Director Marianne Duddy-Burke in a written statement Monday. "Until every student's parents are tested on Catholic teaching, this action by Catholic officials cannot be understood as anything other than discrimination on the back of a child. At a tender age, this child has learned that Catholic officials are willing to inflict pain on children and families."
The decision was made public last week.
"These actions by the Denver Archdiocese harm the student by taking the child away from friends, teachers and community," said Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "It's deeply troubling to see any school remove a child from their educational program simply as the means of rejecting that child's parents."
But the archdiocese defended its decision.
"Parents living in open discord with Catholic teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment," it said in a statement posted on its Web site. "To allow children in these circumstances to continue in our school would be a cause of confusion for the student in that what they are being taught in school conflicts with what they experience in the home.
"We communicated the policy to the couple at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School as soon as we realized the situation. We discussed the reasons with them and have sought to respond in a way that does not abruptly displace the student but at the same time respects the integrity of the Catholic school's philosophy."
In a posting of his sermon, the Rev. Bill Breslin, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, supported the move.
"The issue is not about our not accepting 'sinners,' " he said. "It is not about punishing the child for the sins of his or her parents. It is simply that the lesbian couple is saying that their relationship is a good one that should be accepted by everyone; and the Church cannot agree to that."
About 30 opponents of the move -- "mostly hetero allies of the gay community" -- protested Sunday outside the church during Mass, said Dave Ensign, board president of Boulder Pride, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community center and services organization.
Ensign handed out flyers to the protesters and then joined the parishioners as they listened to the sermon defending the church's move. "I was disappointed, but it was pretty much what I was expecting to hear," he said.
He added that the larger community's reaction has been positive, saying, "When people hear about this, they speak up, and I think that says a lot about our community."
The child has not been identified publicly. No one at the archdiocese or at the school immediately returned calls Monday seeking comment. | [
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"who says decision \"respects the integrity of the Catholic school's philosophy\"?"
] | [
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"teaching in areas of faith and morals unfortunately choose by their actions to disqualify their children from enrollment,\""
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] | Gay and lesbian groups call the decision "discrimination on the back of a child"
Archdiocese says decision "respects the integrity of the Catholic school's philosophy"
About 30 opponents of the move protested Sunday outside the church during Mass . |
(CNN) -- Gay slurs hurled by three figures in professional sports in the last month are more than just testosterone-fueled temper tantrums, some say.
The behavior, they say, is symptomatic of a deeper problem and should be used as an opportunity to tackle homophobia in professional sports.
"Kobe Bryant, Joakim Noah and Roger McDowell are not any different from many people in our society who use offensive language like that on a daily basis," said Jarrod Chin of the Society for the Study of Sport in Society at Boston's Northeastern University. "These incidents provide a real opportunity for the NBA and MLB to take a strong stance against homophobia."
In April, a frustrated Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant laced a referee with an epithet that gays find offensive.
Bryant quickly apologized and was fined $100,000. Bryant was apparently angry that the referee penalized him for a technical foul.
In early May, Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell made national headlines for tossing anti-gay slurs at a group of fans in San Francisco. He also made crude gestures at the fans, in full view of children who were in the crowd.
After a short suspension, an emotional McDowell apologized at a news conference.
And last week, bombastic Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was captured by television cameras lobbing a similar slur at a fan after his second foul in the game. Noah apologized right after the game and was slapped with a $50,000 fine.
"When sports stars use slurs, it is especially damaging because their increased public profile means many more people are exposed. These people seem to have lost sight of the fact that in their prime, in pivotal moments in games, they are one of the most influential people in the world," said former NBA player John Amaechi.
Amaechi knows all too well about homophobia in sports. He is credited as being one of the few professional stars to admit he is gay.
But Amaechi came out of the closet after he retired. He said he did not feel comfortable disclosing his orientation during his 5-year NBA stint.
Amaechi says he still remembers the pointed response from NBA star Tim Hardaway that followed his disclosure.
"First of all, I wouldn't want him on my team," Hardaway told a radio host in 2007. "You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don't like gay people and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States."
Hardaway later apologized for his statement -- but the sentiment persists among many athletes, Amaechi says.
"Sports stars need to remember that being a positive role model is as much a part of their job as making lay-ups, hitting home runs or scoring touchdowns," he said.
Rick Welts, president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns, says he had kept his sexual orientation secret throughout his long career.
Welts came out when the Kobe Bryant epithet caused a stir. He said Bryant's slur solidified in his mind that he needed to go public.
"Well, the irony of the timing is it was the day before that I had been sitting in David Stern, the (NBA) commissioner's office, to kind of discuss this with him. And then the next night, Kobe went off," Welts told CNN's Eliot Spitzer. "You know, I think it reinforced that probably it was time, because I think that will probably be remembered as a teaching moment."
While his disclosure has been received positively for the most part, Welts says is apprehensive about his future and feels that he is in uncharted territory.
"I don't know what my future is. I don't know where my career is going to go," he said. "I think that's part of the big problem with players. There's no example out there. No one has ever done it. No one really knows what's going to happen."
The | [
"How much was Joakim Noah fined?",
"What did John Amaechi say?",
"What did an expert say sports leaders can do?",
"What team does Joakim Noah play for?",
"For what was Joakim Noah fined $50,000?",
"Who was fined $100,000 for his statement?",
"How much was Kobe Bryant fined?"
] | [
[
"$50,000"
],
[
"\"When sports stars use slurs, it is especially damaging because their increased public profile means many more people are exposed."
],
[
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],
[
"Chicago Bulls"
],
[
"lobbing a similar slur at a fan"
],
[
"Bryant"
],
[
"$100,000."
]
] | "It is especially damaging because of their increased public profile," says John Amaechi .
Sports leaders can "turn these negative events into a positive teachable moment," expert says .
Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for his statement .
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah was fined $50,000 for his slur . |
(CNN) -- Generations of standup comedians never saw this coming. John Heffron is one of an increasing number of comedians joining Twitter. To succeed in the industry these days, you don't just need to be good on stage and screen. You also have to nail the art of sending out mini-messages to Twitter "followers." But if your humor is based on storytelling, persona and, you know, the way you say stuff, how can you get hilarious in 140 characters or less? For the pros, it's a challenge and an opportunity. CNN's Josh Levs spoke with two successful standup comics who are diving into the Twitterverse. John Heffron is a winner of "Last Comic Standing." Craig Shoemaker won the award for funniest comedy routine on XM Satellite Radio. Watch Heffron and Shoemaker mix it up » And we want to hear from you. Send the funniest tweets you've ever seen to Levs via Twitter (@joshlevscnn) or post them on Facebook. The following is an edited version of the interview. Craig Shoemaker: I'm on the information super-cul-de-sac. I mean, I'm not so great at this; I'm learning. And I have no friends. I had more friends at my house yesterday for dinner than I have on Twitter. And (Heffron) is the king. CNN: How did you build up your fan base, John? How did you build up this number of followers on Twitter? John Heffron: I try to be funny; I try to be entertaining; I try to do stuff that hopefully gets re-twitted. Is that the word? Sure. CNN: All right, let's take a look at some of your popular tweets here. You have a section called the original last tweets. And you have one here: "Guy who always gets killed on Star Trek. Last tweet: 'Got my uniform. The rest of the landing party wearing a different color. Weird!' " And then my favorite one: "Married man's last tweet: 'About to go into the champagne room, wish me luck.' " Heffron: Those are the things that end up, people start passing around and then that's what gets people to go, "Who is this guy?" CNN: And Craig, is this what you're chasing? The same idea, those one-liners that get tossed out? Shoemaker: Yeah, I'm a storyteller, so it's not so great for me. I'm still working on this under-140 characters thing. CNN: I did pull out one of yours that I liked too. You wrote, "Up late in my Pittsburgh hotel, just read a USA today article about how Twitter is no good for intimacy. No worries. I'm alone." Shoemaker: I don't know if anybody's laughing at the jokes. I tweeted that last night. We'll see how that goes. CNN: Is that part of what's hard about Twitter? When you're doing this, you don't have that kind of instant feedback. You know, if you're doing standup somewhere, you've got the laughter. How do you know? It's like doing this in an echo chamber. Shoemaker: It's the replies. To me, I judge by the replies. Heffron: I've had zero replies. So apparently, I got to work on my tweeting. The whole thing is, when you write, though, it's different. It doesn't have the nuance or things like that. Like I put something about my ex-wife that I got divorced and "tonight's show is a benefit show and all proceeds go to my ex-wife." And people are writing back, "Oh, I feel so sorry for you," and I go, "No, it's a joke." Shoemaker: Yeah. Criss Angel was on my flight, so I tweeted "Criss Angel is on our flight | [
"What are comedians sending out on Twitter?",
"Who notes that nuances are lost in translation?",
"Who trie to be funny and entertaining?",
"Who is Craig Shoemaker?",
"Who is John Heffron?",
"Who said he is trying to be funny and entertaining?",
"What did Heffron say?"
] | [
[
"mini-messages"
],
[
"Heffron:"
],
[
"John Heffron:"
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[
"won the award for funniest comedy routine on XM Satellite Radio."
],
[
"a winner of \"Last Comic Standing.\""
],
[
"John Heffron:"
],
[
"I try to be funny; I try to be entertaining; I try to do stuff that hopefully gets re-twitted. Is that the word? Sure."
]
] | A number of comedians joining Twitter, sending out jokes .
John Heffron: I try to be funny and entertaining .
Heffron, Craig Shoemaker note that nuances are lost in translation . |
(CNN) -- Genetic screening techniques that allow parents to choose their children's gender are now more accurate than ever and are becoming increasingly mainstream, but experts are divided over whether the technology should be used in this way.
A technique called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was originally developed two decades ago to allow embryos to be tested for genetic disease. It requires parents to use in vitro fertilization, where eggs are fertilized outside the womb.
With PGD, the embryos are tested for genetic disorders and only those that are free of disease are transferred to the mother's uterus. It means that parents who carry genetic defects can ensure they don't pass on a genetic illness to their children.
But PGD also can also be used to allow people undergoing in-vitro fertilization to select the gender of the embryo implanted in the mother's uterus.
Click on the flags above to watch people around the world answer the question, "Would you choose your child's gender?"
Using PGD for gender selection is banned in most countries, but it is legal in the U.S., where the procedure costs around $18,000, including in-vitro fertilization.
Los Angeles fertility expert Dr. Jeffrey Steinberg uses PGD for gender selection. He told CNN's Vital Signs program that many of his American clients already have children of one gender and are trying to achieve "family balancing."
He added that 70 percent of his patients are from countries where the procedure is banned.
Critics question the ethics of gender selection, and some argue that it could lead to a gender imbalance, particularly in societies with a traditional preference for boys.
"If anything, there's a slight preponderance for females, and this is contrary to everything that is publicized, and clearly it varies by country," said Steinberg.
"China is strongly in favor of boys, as we would suspect. India, strongly in favor of boys. But when you look at the world in general, it's 50-50"
Dr. Mark Hughes, who pioneered PGD, he has concerns about its use for non-medical purposes. He told CNN, "It definitely is an expanded reproductive choice. The question is, is it medicine? Is it something that doctors should be involved in?"
But Steinberg argues that it's wrong to limit scientific capabilities. "I say to critics that the last thing in the world that you want to do is put the handcuffs on science.
"We've been giving women expanded reproductive choices for 50 years. This is another choice."
Although the technology for gender selection is becoming more widespread, it remains controversial. Some feel that it's "playing God," while others welcome having more choice in family planning.
Would you choose your child's gender? Sound Off below. | [
"whats Technology that lets parents choose their children's gender is becoming more mainstream"
] | [
[
"Genetic"
]
] | Technology that lets parents choose their children's gender is becoming more mainstream .
Some experts believe that it's wrong to use such technology for non-medical purposes .
CNN asked people around the world if they would choose their child's gender . |
(CNN) -- Gennaro Gattuso has ended speculation over his future by signing a new AC Milan contract, the Serie A club have announced. Gattuso has been linked with moves to the English Premier League in recent weeks as he was said to be unhappy with his first-team opportunities after battling injury. But the club have confirmed he will be remaining in Milan for the next three years. "Milan announce that Rino Gattuso has extended his contract with the club until 30 June 2012," said a statement on the club's official Web site. Gattuso, who turns 32 next month, has spent the last decade with Milan after spells with Perugia, Glasgow giants Rangers and Salernitana early in his career. He also has 70 caps for Italy and was a member of the World Cup-winning squad in 2006. | [
"Who signed a new contract with AC Milan?",
"Where will Gattuso be remaining for the next three years?",
"He will be remaining in Milan for how many years?",
"Gattuso had been linked with moves to what League?",
"What has Gattuso been linked with in recent weeks?"
] | [
[
"Gattuso"
],
[
"Milan"
],
[
"three"
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[
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[
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] | Gennaro Gattuso has ended speculation over his future by signing a new contract at AC Milan .
Gattuso has been linked with moves to the English Premier League in recent weeks .
But the club have confirmed he will be remaining in Milan for the next three years . |
(CNN) -- George Sodini, the man who killed three women and wounded nine others before killing himself Tuesday at a Pennsylvania fitness center, showed in his writings typical characteristics of a mass murderer, experts say. George Sodini failed at every relationship but couldn't blame himself, experts say. "What distinguishes the mass murderer who takes his own life afterwards from the person who just commits suicide is the externalization of blame," said James Alan Fox, a Northeastern University professor of criminal justice and author of six books on mass murder. "If you blame yourself for your problems, then maybe you direct your violence inwardly. If you blame other people for your failures, like Sodini did, you go after those people." Sodini's blog vents his frustration and rage at the lack of relationships and sex in his life, and he blames all women for letting him down. Although Sodini expressed intense hatred for his brother and father, "it also didn't surprise me in this case that he made some derogatory comments about his mother," said Dr. J. Reid Meloy, a forensic psychologist and clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego. "A lot of times, when there's this level of hatred against women, there's also a very antagonistic relationship with the mother, but it gets shifted onto other women." Watch what Sodini reveals about himself on video » Sodini did not target specific women who had hurt him but all women, Fox said. "He had an issue with women who were not giving him the time of day -- all these young, beautiful, attractive, healthy, fit women at the health club," Fox said. "And so he specifically chose the health club, not just some random spot, to go after the people he blamed." Mass killers feel that they have been victimized and that their actions are justified, Fox and Meloy said. "They've been victimized by someone at work, by someone in the family, by the world in general; they've been dealt a bad hand," Fox said. "And ... they feel at the very end they can stand up -- with a gun -- and restore that power imbalance. They often see the gun as the great equalizer. "This act, this final act of murder, is a way to leave this world feeling some degree of satisfaction of, in the end, being the last one to have the best and last laugh," Fox said. See a timeline of mass shootings since 2005 » "The concept here is really, really hard for most people to grasp, and that is the sense of entitlement, that 'I have a right to murder all of these women because of my personal frustration,' " Meloy said. "It's absolutely astonishing that a person can come to that mind-set." Neither expert treated Sodini, but both noted that Sodini's act, like most mass murders, was anything but spontaneous. "His blog is a striking example of how mass murders are planned, relatively carefully planned, over the course of days, weeks or, in this case, months," Meloy said. "There's this myth that mass killers just snap and go berserk and suddenly, without warning, shoot indiscriminately," Fox said. "Well, he had been thinking about this for some time. He had originally planned to commit the mass murder in January [but] 'chickened out,' as he said. But this shows a lot of methodical planning, thinking." That hesitation, as well as his possible hesitation on the day of the killings, is unusual, Meloy said. "Typically, as these guys are doing it, they have no ambivalence," he said. "The have made the decision to maximize casualties and to also kill themselves, as he did." Often some humiliating event "starts the clock" and sets long-laid plans in motion, Meloy said, but he didn't see evidence of such an incident in the | [
"What does his writings reveal?",
"Which psychologist spoke?",
"What did psychologist say about mass murderers?",
"What is George Sodini famous for?",
"Who is George Sodini?"
] | [
[
"typical characteristics of a mass murderer,"
],
[
"Dr. J. Reid Meloy,"
],
[
"\"A lot of times, when there's this level of hatred against women, there's also a very antagonistic relationship with the mother, but it gets shifted onto other women.\""
],
[
"killed three women and wounded nine others"
],
[
"killed three women and wounded nine others before killing himself"
]
] | George Sodini's writings reveal typical characteristics of mass killers, experts say .
Shooter shifted blame for self-induced problems onto others .
Mass murderers feel violence is appropriate response, psychologist says .
Attack was result of meticulous planning, not a spontaneous outburst . |
(CNN) -- Georgian authorities foiled an attempted army mutiny that they believe was designed to disrupt planned NATO exercises in the former Soviet republic, the country's interior ministry said Tuesday. Georgian troops take part in military exercises in January. They are to participate in NATO maneuvers this week. About 500 troops at a military base outside the capital, Tbilisi, were involved in the rebellion, said Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili. He said it was quickly brought under control, and the government reported a few hours later that the base was calm. Initial investigations suggest that Russia, Georgia's northern neighbor and former ruler, may have had a hand in the mutiny, Utiashvili said. Russia denied involvement in the incident. "Tbilisi has pulled yet another anti-Russian prank. ... This is not the first time we are so vocally blamed for interfering. It is typical that each time the charges become more ridiculous," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Utiashvili claimed that Georgia had secret recordings of the mutineers saying they had "full Russian support." "We know Russia is against the planned NATO exercises in Georgia. We know they have increased the troops at the border. We don't have 100 percent evidence right now, because the investigation is ongoing," he said. But, he added, until the investigation is complete, officials won't point a finger at Russia. On Tuesday afternoon, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili called on Russia to stop "provocative maneuvers" in Georgia, according to Georgia's English-language Prime News. Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war in August over the breakaway Georgian province of South Ossetia, the first time Russia sent troops abroad in anger since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. NATO is expected to launch month-long military exercises this week in Georgia. The move has angered Russia, which accused the alliance of "muscle-flexing." "All kinds of things have been said," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "But it has never before been claimed that Russia is trying to overthrow the Georgian government with the help of the Georgian armed forces. In this regard, we once again reiterate that Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of Georgia on principle. We do not believe in scripts imposed from the outside." NATO said it had no comment on the incident because it did not independently confirm the event. However, a NATO spokeswoman in Brussels said Tuesday that exercises planned for Wednesday are "still on" and that "nothing has changed" after the attempted mutiny. "The timing chosen by Tbilisi for its latest action is telling: the day before the start of NATO exercises in Georgia," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "We strongly warned our partners that the exercises were absolutely inappropriate in the current highly charged atmosphere within Georgia and the region. Our warnings were not heeded." Georgia's Utiashvili said the rebelling soldiers were heard saying they were "unhappy with the political situation in the country." One person was arrested, and authorities are looking for another in connection with the attempted mutiny, Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs said. The person in custody, Gia Ghvaladze, served as a major in the Special Forces Department at the now-disbanded Ministry of State Security, Georgian officials said. He is being held on charges of organizing a military mutiny. In an undercover tape released by Georgian officials, a man is heard saying, "Russians will come. About 5,000 men, two battalions. Can you imagine? Five thousand men. Do you know how big this is?" CNN could not confirm the authenticity of the tape, but the Georgian government said it implicates Ghvaladze. Authorities said they are looking for the second man, Koba Otanadze, who is wanted for his role in organizing the mutiny. Otanadze helped lead a military mutiny at the same base in May 2001, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said. A third person -- Zaza Mushkudiani, the head of the Georgian ranger battalion -- was also being investigated, the ministry said | [
"Who released a recording of a man saying 'Russia will come'?",
"what was the mutiny's intentions",
"What organization does Russia disagree with?",
"Which country denies involvement?",
"who denied involvement",
"What did the Georgian authorities release?"
] | [
[
"Georgian officials,"
],
[
"planned NATO exercises"
],
[
"NATO"
],
[
"Russia"
],
[
"Russia"
],
[
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] | NEW: Georgian authorities release recording of man saying "Russia will come"
Russia denies involvement, accuses Tbilisi of "yet another anti-Russian prank"
Authorities believe mutiny intended to disrupt NATO exercises this week in Georgia .
Russia says it disagrees with NATO plans to conduct exercises . |
(CNN) -- Georgian leaders may be blaming Russia for the conflict raging in South Ossetia, but former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev said Thursday "there is no doubt" that Georgia provoked the clash. Mikhail Gorbachev told CNN's Larry King that Russia called extra troops into Georgia to stem violence. Gorbachev told CNN's Larry King that Russia moved additional forces into South Ossetia in response to "devastation" in the South Ossetia city of Tskhinvali. "This was the use of sophisticated weapons against a small town, against a sleeping people. This was a barbaric assault," said Gorbachev, the last president of the former Soviet Union. But Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who also appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday, said he was "profoundly shocked" that Mikhail Gorbachev would use a television appearance "for basically vindicating lies and deceptions." Last week, Georgia said it launched an operation into South Ossetia after a cease-fire was broken with artillery fire from Russian separatists that killed 10 people including civilians and peacekeepers. It accused Russia, which also has peacekeepers in the region, of backing the separatists. Hours later, the Russian news agency Interfax reported that Russian authorities said 10 Russian peacekeepers had been killed and 30 wounded in an attack by Georgians. "Western television didn't show what happened in Tskhinvali," Gorbachev said. "Only now they're beginning to show some pictures of the destruction. So this looks to me like it was a well-prepared project. And with any outcome, they wanted to put the blame on Russia." Watch Gorbachev discuss "barbaric assault" » He called Georgia's claims that Russia is attempting to dismantle its democracy "all lies from beginning to end." In response, Saakashvili expressed disappointment with the sentiments from Gorbachev, who he said he once respected. "This is the man, Mr. Gorbachev, who helped to, you know, bring down KGB kingdom. And he is the one who is, you know, justifying what the KGB people are doing right now in my country," Saakashvili said. "Shame on him. Shame on you, Mr. Gorbachev, for perpetuating the very regime you helped to defeat and you fought against as the head of the Soviet Union." Gorbachev also said the United States is jeopardizing its fragile relationship with Russia by backing Georgia. Watch Gorbachev discuss U.S.-Russia relations » "There is a chance for our two countries to develop a new agenda for cooperation so as to promote both U.S. and Russia interests, and the interests of other countries, and the interests of stability, particularly in the hotspots in different continents," said Gorbachev, who won the Nobel Peace Price in 1990. | [
"Who did Georgia say Russia backed?",
"What did Gorbachev say?",
"What did the former president say about the U.S.?",
"Who did the Georgian president criticize?",
"Who criticized Gorbachev?",
"Where is the violence occurring?",
"What happens if the US backs Georgia?",
"What were the forces called up in response to?"
] | [
[
"the separatists."
],
[
"\"there is no doubt\" that Georgia provoked the clash."
],
[
"the United States is jeopardizing its fragile relationship with Russia by backing Georgia."
],
[
"Mikhail Gorbachev"
],
[
"Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili,"
],
[
"South Ossetia,"
],
[
"jeopardizing its fragile relationship with Russia"
],
[
"\"devastation\" in the South Ossetia city of Tskhinvali."
]
] | NEW: Georgian president criticizes Gorbachev for "vindicating lies and deceptions"
Gorbachev says Russian called up forces in response to violence in Tskhinvali .
Georgia says Russia backed separatists who broke cease-fire and sparked violence .
The former president says U.S. is jeopardizing ties with Russia by backing Georgia . |
(CNN) -- Gerardo Naranjo's "Miss Bala" is one of these films that comes along every so often that captures the imaginations of the critics and has most of us dancing around singing "Hallelujah."
Every time this happens, however, there are one or two critics of otherwise sound mind who have a less than enthusiastic reaction. This time it's my turn.
Not to say that "Miss Bala" isn't an entertaining, well made and thought provoking film. It is. It also boasts some exceptional acting work from its lead, Stephanie Sigman, as well as a chilling turn from Noe Hernandez, as the menacing gangster who insinuates himself into her life. It's just that I wasn't blown away and while we critics don't exactly have a hive mind, when you come across a film that is worshiped by many colleagues who you respect that you simply "like," you wonder if only for a moment, whether there's something wrong with you.
Laura (Sigman) is a stunningly beautiful young woman in her early 20s living in Tijuana, Mexico, who dreams of winning the Miss Baja title. The day before she is to audition for the pageant, Laura and her friend Suzu (Lakshmi Picazo), also an aspiring beauty queen, end up in a seedy nightclub populated by dangerous men and the women who love them (which includes Suzu).
A victim of "wrong place at wrong time" syndrome, Laura ends up being the only living witness to a massacre perpetrated by Lino (Hernandez) the local drug kingpin and his gang, as they storm the nightclub. While searching for Jessica the next morning, Laura makes the mistake of trusting a local traffic officer with her story and things go markedly downhill from there.
Lino takes an immediate shine to Laura (who wouldn't?) and rather brazenly begins to use her in his criminal endeavors, including running cash across the border for weapons, all in exchange not only for the safety of her father and brother, but also so Lino will fix the beauty pageant. It's like watching the fastest case of Stockholm Syndrome on record.
Laura comes across as a weak and superficial woman and while this isn't a problem in and of itself, it can be frustrating to watch such a character repeatedly make what, to me, were obvious mistakes. Then again, I have never been in her situation.
I guess you could say I had a failure in my ability to suspend disbelief.
The film is expertly shot, however, and director Naranjo does a great job creating dread, building suspense and pacing the film as things get darker and darker for Laura. Alas, along the way she makes mistake after mistake. "Miss Bala" is based on the true story of former Miss Sinaloa, Laura Zúñiga, who was arrested in 2008 for being part of an international drug trafficking ring.
All in all, there is enough suspense, quality acting and truly harrowing scenes in "Miss Bala" but I felt like I should like it more than I did.
"Miss Bala" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It's extremely violent with contact gunbattles and contains an upsetting but non-graphic scene of rape. | [
"\"Miss Bala\" is based on the true story"
] | [
[
"of former Miss Sinaloa, Laura Zúñiga,"
]
] | "Miss Bala" is based on the true story of former Miss Sinaloa, Laura Zúñiga .
Laura (Stephanie Sigman) is a beautiful woman who dreams of winning the Miss Baja title .
The film is expertly shot and director Naranjo does a great job creating dread . |
(CNN) -- German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich have confirmed Mark van Bommel as their captain for the new season, with Philipp Lahm named as vice-captain. Bayern Munich captain Van Bommel will be hoping to lift more trophies for the Bavarian giants this season. The Dutch midfielder was given the captain's armband by Jurgen Klinsmann last season after Oliver Kahn retired. However, the arrival of Anatoliy Tymoschuk from Zenit St Petersburg seemed to suggest that Van Bommel's place in the Bayern team was no longer guaranteed, but new coach Louis Van Gaal has decided that his compatriot will indeed be one of the first names on his team sheet next season. "We have been observing his behavior on and off the field over the last four weeks and the influence he has on the club and on the squad," explained Van Gaal's assistant Andries Jonker on Bayern's official Web site. Tymoschuk must now fear for his place in the Bayern team after being told he is only second-choice behind Van Bommel. And, since Van Gaal has made it clear that he wanted to choose a captain who will play every week, Tymoschuk may have to spend much of his first season in Bavaria sitting on the substitutes' bench. "He cannot play in his best position in our system," admitted Van Gaal. "That is where Van Bommel plays. He could play on the right, but I have chosen Hamit Altintop for there. Every player is compared to his rivals and the coach makes the decisions." Meanwhile, Bayern's French midfielder Franck Ribery has been declared fit to resume training after a summer spent battling tendonitis in his knee. Ribery missed the pre-season Audi Cup tournament involving Manchester United, AC Milan and Boca Juniors and is not likely to make Saturday's opening Bundesliga home match against Hoffenheim. But the France international, who was Monday called into his country's squad for the World Cup qualifier with the Faroe Isles in Torshavn on August 12, will be ready to train on Wednesday, | [
"Who is the captain of Bayern Munich for the new season?",
"Who was battling tendonitis in his knee?",
"Who gave the Dutchman the armband?",
"What was Frank Ribery declared to do?",
"What was the Dutchman given?",
"Who is the new captain of Bayern Munich?",
"What did Bayern Munich just confirm?",
"What was Franck Ribery suffering from?",
"Where is Mark van Bommel from?"
] | [
[
"Mark van Bommel"
],
[
"Franck Ribery"
],
[
"Jurgen Klinsmann"
],
[
"resume training"
],
[
"the captain's armband"
],
[
"Mark van Bommel"
],
[
"Mark van Bommel as their captain for"
],
[
"tendonitis in his knee."
],
[
"Dutch"
]
] | Bayern Munich confirm Mark van Bommel as their captain for the new season .
The Dutchman was given armband by Jurgen Klinsmann after Oliver Kahn quit .
Franck Ribery declared fit to stary training after battling tendonitis in his knee . |
(CNN) -- German Bundesliga side Schalke have announced Huub Stevens as the replacement for recently-departed coach Ralf Rangnick, on the same day that former Danish international Michael Laudrup left his role as coach of Spanish club Real Mallorca.
Rangnick, 53, guided Schalke to the semifinals of the European Champions League last season but left the Veltins Arena earlier this month, citing fatigue as his reason for leaving the club.
Dutchman Stevens, 57, previously spent six years as Schalke coach between 1996 and 2002, guiding the Gelsenkirchen outfit to a UEFA Cup triumph against Italian giants Inter Milan in 1997.
Stevens, who has also had spells in charge of Hertha Berlin, Hamburg and PSV Eindhoven, has signed a two-year deal.
"Huub Stevens, who coached the Royal Blues from 1996 to 2002, has returned to his former stomping ground with immediate effect," read a statement on the club's official website. "Stevens has put pen to paper on a contract to 30 June 2013."
Schalke currently sit fifth in Germany's top division, having won four and lost three of their opening seven matches.
As Schalke appointed a new coach, Laudrup ended his one-year tenure in charge of Mallorca.
Laudrup, who represented Denmark on 104 occasions, announced his decision to leave the club at a press conference on Tuesday.
The former Spartak Moscow coach made the decision due to his relationship with club owner Lorenzo Serra Ferrer becoming damaged beyond repair.
"This situation cannot continue like this," Laudrup, 47, said. "From now on, Mallorca will be whatever it is Serra Ferrer wants."
Laudrup guided Mallorca to a 17th-place finish last season as the one-time Copa del Rey winners avoided relegation by just one point.
The club sold star midfielder Jonathan de Guzman to Spanish rivals Villarreal in August and Laudrup saw his assistant Erik Larsen sacked on Monday.
"Yesterday one of my assistants was fired," he said. "Once again, it is very difficult -- if not impossible -- to find the peace required to work here.
"The team is hurt by this situation. What we need is calm and I cannot go home every night, angry, disappointed. I have a family."
Laudrup's final game in charge was a 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday, and his former charges travel to Osasuna on Saturday. | [
"Where was Stevens previously?",
"Who is the Dutch coach?",
"Which player has left Real Mallorca?",
"who left the spanish outfit Real Mallorca?",
"who has left Spanish outfit?",
"Which player resigned after disagreement with club owner?",
"who is Stevens?",
"who returned to Schalke?",
"Who has returned to Schalke?"
] | [
[
"Schalke coach"
],
[
"Huub Stevens"
],
[
"Michael Laudrup"
],
[
"Michael Laudrup"
],
[
"Michael Laudrup"
],
[
"Michael Laudrup"
],
[
"the replacement for recently-departed"
],
[
"Huub Stevens"
],
[
"Huub Stevens"
]
] | Huub Stevens hass returned to Schalke after departure of Ralf Rangnick .
Dutch coach Stevens previously had a six-year spell in Gelsenkirchen .
Michael Laudrup has left Spanish outfit Real Mallorca .
Laudrup resigns after disagreement with club's owner . |
(CNN) -- German billionaire Adolf Merckle, one of the richest men in the world, committed suicide Monday after his business empire got into trouble in the wake of the international financial crisis, Merckle's family said Tuesday in a statement.
Merckle, 74, was hit by a train in the southwestern town of Ulm, police said.
His family said the economic crisis had "broken" Merckle.
He was number 94 on the Forbes list of the world's richest people. He had fallen from number 44 on the Forbes 2007 rich list as his fortune declined from $12.8 billion to $9.2 billion in 2008.
Merckle's business empire included interests as diverse as cement-maker HeidelbergCement and generic drug-maker Ratiopharm. But he lost hundreds of millions of dollars, including company capital, betting against Volkswagen stock last year.
The state government of Baden-Wuerttemberg rejected his petition for financial assistance, and he entered bailout talks with several German banks.
"The financial troubles of his companies, induced by the international financial crisis and the uncertainty and powerlessness to act independently which the financial problems brought about, broke the passionate family business man, and he took his own life," his family wrote in the news release.
An employee of Germany's railroad company found the body on the tracks at about 7 p.m. Monday and notified authorities. Merckle's family had already reported him missing earlier in the day after he walked out of the house and did not return. Authorities are currently conducting DNA tests to confirm his identity.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Germany and Alysen Miller in London, England, contributed to this report. | [
"What did his family say?",
"Where did Merckle die?",
"what was his profession?",
"who is Adolf Merckle?",
"What is Merckle's net worth?",
"where is he from?",
"What nationality is Merckle?",
"When was he killed?"
] | [
[
"economic crisis had \"broken\" Merckle."
],
[
"Ulm,"
],
[
"cement-maker HeidelbergCement and generic drug-maker Ratiopharm."
],
[
"billionaire"
],
[
"$9.2 billion"
],
[
"German"
],
[
"German"
],
[
"Monday"
]
] | Adolf Merckle was No. 94 on Forbes list of world's richest people .
Merckle's net worth estimated to be $9.2 billion .
Billionaire was killed by a train in German town of Ulm .
Family says financial woes "broke the passionate family business man" |
(CNN) -- German car manufacturer BMW has announced it is to pull out of Formula One at the end of the current season after a "landmark" decision to restructure the group's motorsport activities was made by the company's board in a meeting on Tuesday. BMW Sauber have opted to pull out Formula One at the end of the 2009 season. A statement on the BMW Sauber F1 Team's official Web site stated that "the Formula One campaign is [no longer] a key promoter for us" and that "current developments in motor sport" had resulted in the decision. Dr Norbert Reithofer, chairman of the BMW board of management, said: "Of course, this was a very difficult decision for us. But it's a resolute step in view of our company's strategic realignment." The team currently lie eighth in the constructors' world championship with eight points after 10 rounds and of their two drivers -- Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld -- Heidfeld sits a lowly 13th in the drivers' championship with just six points. BMW are the second manufacturer to pull out of F1 in a further blow to the sport after Honda's withdrawal before the start of the 2009 season. CNN's analysis of BMW's exit from Formula One. » However, since Wednesday's announcement, rival German car manufacturer Mercedes have reconfirmed their commitment to the sport. "We regret the withdrawal of BMW from Formula One. This decision will not have the slightest influence on our commitment to Formula One," a spokesman for the company told AFP. Motorsport's world governing body, the FIA, reiterated their belief that the move was an indication of how the global economic downturn was affecting the sport. In a statement on their official Web site, they said: "The FIA regrets the announcement of BMW's intended withdrawal from Formula One but is not surprised by it. It has been clear for some time that motor sport cannot ignore the world economic crisis. "Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer. This is why the FIA prepared regulations to reduce costs drastically. "These measures were needed to alleviate the pressure on manufacturers following Honda's withdrawal but also to make it possible for new teams to enter. Had these regulations not been so strongly opposed by a number of team principals, the withdrawal of BMW and further such announcements in the future might have been avoided," the statement added. BMW entered Formula One with a takeover of the Sauber F1 team in 2005 and finished fifth in the constructors' championship in their debut campaign, before racing under their own name in 2006. With an aggressive aim of winning the world championship within three years, the team came close in 2007 finishing second to Ferrari, thanks largely to the exclusion of McLaren-Mercedes from the manufacturer's points standings. In 2008, the team captured third, thanks in part to a first win in the Canadian Grand Prix for Polish driver Kubica. The statement continued: "It only took us three years to establish ourselves as a top team with the BMW Sauber F1 team. Unfortunately, the team were unable to meet expectations in the current season." The car-builder was also unable to "quantify redundancies" that may come from the move which follows the exit of Honda in December. The Japanese manufacturer -- who according to FIA president Max Mosley were spending $500m a season to compete in the sport -- cited the "sudden contraction of the world economies" as their reason to end racing. This led to Mosley spearheading an FIA plan to enforce controversial cost-cutting measures on the teams for the 2010 season. The Formula One furor explained. These measures, which split opinion within the sport, are expected to be adopted in a watered-down form and could eventually save $60 million from the cost of running a team, according to Mosley. However, the FIA were prompted by BMW's exit to warn again that if the | [
"In what year did BMW enter the sport?",
"What reason does BMW give for leaving?",
"what did BMW announce?",
"When did BMW enter Formula One?",
"What does BMW announce?",
"When is BMW leaving Formula One",
"what is the current porpuse of German motor manufacturer?"
] | [
[
"2005"
],
[
"\"the Formula One campaign is [no longer] a key promoter"
],
[
"it is to pull out of Formula One at the end of the"
],
[
"2005"
],
[
"it is to pull out of Formula One at the end of the"
],
[
"at the end of the 2009 season."
],
[
"restructure the group's motorsport activities"
]
] | BMW announce that they are to leave Formula One at the end of 2009 season .
The German motor manufacturer blame "current developments in motor sport"
BMW entered the sport in 2005 with takeover of the Swiss-based Sauber team .
The F1 team are currently lying eighth in the constructors' world championship . |
(CNN) -- German logistics giant Deutsche Post said Monday it was cutting 9,500 jobs as part of a major program to restructure its loss-making DHL delivery service in the United States. DHL's restructuring is expected to result in heavy job losses. Deutsche Post said it would discontinue its U.S. ground and air delivery operations based out of Wilmington, Ohio, following an outsourcing agreement with UPS. DHL Express will continue to operate between the United States and other nations, the company said in a statement. DHL's 9,500 job cuts are on top of 5,400 job cuts announced earlier this year. The statement said DHL was shutting down all ground hubs and reducing its number of stations to 103 from 412. The company said it was making the cuts to improve profitability and "to prepare the company for the economic challenges ahead." DHL Express is owned by the German company Deutsche Post World Net. Officials in Ohio had been hoping to prevent layoffs. State senator Sherrod Brown sent a letter Sunday to DHL Express Chief Executive Officer John Mullen and urged employment officials in Washington for emergency funds to assist workers and communities affected. In May, Deutsche Post announced plans to outsource air services with UPS. Brown says the plan would mean shutting down DHL's hub in Wilmington and cutting at least 8,000 jobs. Brown testified at two congressional hearing this year that centered on the proposal. Prior to the announcement, Wilmington Mayor David Razik said he was preparing for the worst. "Given the state of the economy and the world wide economic collapse we know it can't be good news," he told CNN Sunday night. "Freight is down significantly, DHL is losing customers, they have laid off sales personnel in other locations. We really think it's certainly not going to be good for Wilmington." | [
"How did the officials in Ohio approach prevention of job loss?",
"How many jobs are beng cut at DHL?",
"Where did most of DHL's job cuts occur?",
"What state's officials hope to avoid job losses?",
"What had officials in Ohio hoped?",
"What is winding up at Deutsche Post?",
"Who had hoped to prevent job losses?",
"What did the owner of Duetsche Post say?",
"How many job cuts were announced?",
"What operations are going to wind up?",
"How many job cuts are planned by German owners of DHL?",
"What is the number of job cuts?",
"How many jobs are being cut?",
"What operations are concluding, according to Deutsche Post head?",
"What did Deutsche Post say?",
"What company does the owner own?",
"What state's officials hoped to prevent lost jobs?",
"What company owns DHL?",
"What do officials in Ohio hope to prevent?",
"What was the job cut total announced by DHL?",
"What did officials in Ohio hope to do?",
"What nationality are the owners of DHL?",
"How many job cuts did the owners of DHL announce?"
] | [
[
"emergency funds to assist workers and communities affected."
],
[
"9,500"
],
[
"hub in Wilmington"
],
[
"Ohio"
],
[
"to prevent layoffs."
],
[
"U.S. ground and air delivery operations based out of Wilmington, Ohio,"
],
[
"Officials in Ohio"
],
[
"it was cutting 9,500 jobs"
],
[
"9,500"
],
[
"ground and air delivery"
],
[
"9,500"
],
[
"9,500"
],
[
"cutting 9,500"
],
[
"U.S. ground and air delivery"
],
[
"it was cutting 9,500 jobs"
],
[
"DHL"
],
[
"Ohio"
],
[
"Deutsche Post"
],
[
"layoffs."
],
[
"9,500"
],
[
"prevent layoffs."
],
[
"German"
],
[
"9,500"
]
] | German owners of DHL announce 9,500 job cuts .
Owner Deutsche Post says U.S. air and ground operations to wind up .
Officials in Ohio had hoped to prevent job losses . |
(CNN) -- German sailors foiled an attempt by pirates to hijack an Egyptian cargo ship off the coast of Yemen, the German Defense Ministry said. Pirates like these threaten the Somalian coast. The German navy frigate Karlsruhe responded to an emergency call from the Wabi Al Arab Thursday morning, sending helicopters to the stricken vessel. When the helicopters arrived, the pirates broke off the attack, the ministry said. A crew member on the Wabi Al Arab was wounded when the pirates attempted to board the vessel. He was flown by helicopter for treatment aboard the Karlsruhe, the ministry said. The German sailors captured the pirates and disarmed them, destroying the weapons, the ministry said. The German government in Berlin later ordered the Somali pirates released because they were not caught while harassing German interests, according to BBC. The Karlsruhe joined the fight against the pirates on Tuesday from Djibouti, the defense ministry said. On Wednesday a top Japanese official said the country was considering sending vessels to join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia, a key shipping route that sees around 20,000 oil tankers, freighters and merchant vessels each year. China said Tuesday that two destroyers and a supply ship from its navy would set sail for the region on Friday to protect Chinese merchant ships. Watch why China's dispatch of forces is significant » The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last week aimed at combating piracy along the Horn of Africa by allowing military forces to chase pirate onto land in cases of "hot pursuit." The Security Council resolution, which passed unanimously, expands upon existing counter-piracy tools, including a stipulation that would allow for national and regional military forces to chase pirates onto land -- specifically into Somalia, where many of the pirates have their bases. Over 124 incidents -- attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful hijackings -- have been recorded to date this year, according to Kenyan Seafarers Association. | [
"Number of vessels that use the key shipping route?",
"What did the BBC report?",
"How many vessels travel in the shipping route?",
"What did a top official say?",
"What was Japan considering doing?",
"What country ordered the pirates to be released?",
"How many vessels travel near Somalia yearly?",
"What is a key shipping route?",
"Who ordered the pirates to be released?",
"Who later ordered the pirates released?",
"Japan was considering what?"
] | [
[
"20,000"
],
[
"The German government in Berlin later ordered the Somali pirates released because they were not caught while harassing German interests,"
],
[
"20,000"
],
[
"the country was considering sending vessels to join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia,"
],
[
"sending vessels to join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia,"
],
[
"Berlin"
],
[
"20,000"
],
[
"the waters off Somalia,"
],
[
"The German government in Berlin"
],
[
"The German government in Berlin"
],
[
"sending vessels to join U.S., Russian, NATO and Indian vessels in the waters off Somalia,"
]
] | German government later ordered pirates released, according to BBC report .
Japan was considering sending vessels, a top official said Wednesday .
Waters off Somalia is a key shipping route that sees 20,000 vessels each year . |
(CNN) -- German zookeepers in Nuremberg will bottle-feed a four-week-old polar bear and rear it away from its mother after concerns the mother would eat her cub, officials said Thursday. Zookeepers fear the unnamed polar bear cub could be at risk of being eaten. The cub, which doesn't yet have a name, was being cared for at Nuremberg City Zoo, where it was resting under heat lamps and is drinking formula. "It's gaining weight, it's very hungry, it drinks a lot of milk," said Alexandra Foghammar, a spokeswoman for the city. The zoo announced Thursday that the cub is female. Wednesday, the zoo said keepers decided to take the cub away from its mother, Vera, because the mother was showing signs of being upset and confused, taking her baby in and out of the animals' enclosure. "We were 100 percent sure that the baby was going to die if we didn't take it away from her," Nuremberg zoo director Dag Encke told Time magazine. "This would have been a death verdict for the cub." The zoo confirmed earlier this week that its other female polar bear, Vilma, had eaten her two offspring. The zoo said it feared Vera would do the same, so it took her cub away as a precaution. Since then, the cub is thriving in the care of humans, but Vera seems to miss her cub, Foghammar said. Watch how zoo has faced criticism over polar bears. » "The mother is a little bit nervous," she said. "She walks around and is searching for the baby, but the responsible persons for the zoo say this is normal. It will continue for three or four days. It's a normal situation." The zookeepers are pondering whether to bring another adult bear, possibly the cub's father, Felix, to the zoo to help Vera overcome her loss, and are seeking another small bear to serve as a companion for the rescued cub, Time reported. The zoo said a keeper entered Vilma's enclosure Monday and noticed that her two cubs were nowhere to be found. The zoo said it assumes Vilma ate her young because she believed the cubs were sick, though zookeepers say the cubs were last seen on Sunday and appeared in good health. But Foghammar told Time that the separation of the bears was bad for the "principle of wildlife conservation" at the zoo: "Now the cub will not grow up to act in a natural way, just as the mother lacked the experience to bring up a cub." The plight of the cub follows the case last year of Knut, a cub rejected by its mother at Berlin Zoo who became the focus of a media frenzy after animal rights campaigners called for it to be killed, claiming it had become too dependent on humans. E-mail to a friend | [
"What did the zoo's other polar bear do?",
"where is this zoo?",
"Where is the bear?",
"What did the zookeepers say?",
"What signs was the mother showing?",
"What was separated from its mother?",
"Did the baby polar seperate from its' mother?",
"What is the name of the zoo?"
] | [
[
"eaten her two offspring."
],
[
"Nuremberg"
],
[
"Nuremberg City Zoo,"
],
[
"\"We were 100 percent sure that the baby was going to die if we didn't take it away from her,\""
],
[
"being upset and confused,"
],
[
"a four-week-old polar bear"
],
[
"the zoo said keepers decided to take the cub away"
],
[
"Nuremberg City"
]
] | Four-week-old polar bear separated from mother amid fears she would eat it .
Nuremberg City Zoo's other polar bear ate its own two offspring earlier this week .
Mother was showing signs of being upset and confused, zookeepers said . |
(CNN) -- Germany captain Michael Ballack is used to the huge pressure soccer can bring after a long career competing for major honors on the domestic and international stage.
The midfielder has won four league titles in Germany, three while at Bayern Munich, and can boast two English Premier League successes and two FA Cup's with current club Chelsea.
Yet there is one thing missing from Ballack's impressive CV: success with his national team.
The 33-year-old was in the German team beaten to the trophy by Brazil at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, then on home soil in 2006 his side were knocked out in the semifinals by eventual winners Italy.
Ballack also skippered Germany to second place at the European Championships in 2008, losing 1-0 to Spain in the final.
But, as he told CNN Sport's Alex Thomas, he is hoping to lead his side to glory in South Africa in what will be his last World Cup.
CNN: There have been so many great German footballers down the years, it must be hard when you become first of all an international, and then captain of your country. It's not the same as being captain of a smaller country -- Germany has such a record, do you feel that extra weight and pressure?
Ballack: To be honest it's not a pressure, it's an honor to be captain of Germany and when I became it in 2004 I was really proud that I could make the step to be captain after Oliver Kahn. There were so many good captains during the years, we have such a great history in the country and to be part of this makes me proud. Also it's pressure because you have to have success, you have to win games, you have to win titles and that's what it's all about in our country because it has a great history. Hopefully we can carry on.
CNN: Does it make you laugh, you play your football in England now and we're always up in arms if England make it to a quarterfinal or a semifinal, and Germany seem to make it to the final every time. It's completely different.
Ballack: Not every time, but most of the time we can do it. A lot of people in England ask me how can you do this with your country because sometimes we go into a tournament and we are not the favorites but we can always do well, and that's a quality we have. I don't know where it comes from, maybe the history, but we can be really concentrated during the tournament, and especially in the big events most of the time we've done really well.
CNN: You're coming up to your third World Cup, how has the experience in 2002 and 2006 affected how you will approach the next one?
Ballack: Experience is always important. I played in 2002 and 2006, once I finished second, once I finished third, so one place improvement maybe. When we get into a tournament it's always step by step, we have to think from round to round. Obviously it's the last one I will play so it gives me big, big motivation to play a good tournament this year. I think it's a bit similar to the past that when we go in the tournament we have a good team. We played a good qualification, but we are not one of the top favorites so maybe it plays a little into our hands. We have quite a young team, and if there is not too much pressure on the team maybe it will help the team a little bit.
CNN: You've had two great honors now, or you will have. You've had playing a World Cup on home soil in Germany and we're coming up to the first World Cup to ever be held in Africa -- you've been lucky with how your career's been timed.
Ballack: Yeah, absolutely. To play a World Cup in your own country as a captain is not normal. When we saw the draw in 2001 or 2002 that we had | [
"Who plays midfield for Germany?",
"The Chelsea star will represent his country in what?",
"Which club does Ballack play for?",
"Who talked to CNN Sport about World Cup 2010?"
] | [
[
"Michael Ballack"
],
[
"World Cup."
],
[
"Chelsea."
],
[
"Michael Ballack"
]
] | Germany midfielder Michael Ballack talks to CNN Sport about the 2010 World Cup .
The Chelsea star will represent his country in the finals in South Africa .
Ballack will reach the 100-cap mark for his country during the month-long tournament . |
(CNN) -- Germany striker Miroslav Klose struck just four minutes from time to give Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich a 1-0 win at Karlsruhe -- their first victory in four league games.
Klose scored a vital goal for Bayern as they claimed a 1-0 Bundesliga victory at Karlsruhe.
Klose converted Massimo Oddo's cross on 86 minutes to give Jurgen Klinsmann's side three league points for the first time this month despite another unimpressive performance.
Bayern last picked up three points in a Bundesliga game on September 13 when they hammered Cologne 3-0.
Since then the gloss on Jurgen Klinsmann's first season in charge has faded badly after Werder Bremen hammered his side 5-2 at home on September 20 and then slumped to a 1-0 defeat at minnows Hanover the following week.
Cries of "Klinsmann out!" were first heard around Munich's Allianz Arena in their previous league game on October 4 when a poor Bochum side were allowed to score two goals in the last 10 minutes to poach a 3-3 draw.
Despite their first-half domination in Karlsruhe, Bayern could not break down the home defense and lost striker Luca Toni, the league's top scorer last season, who limped off after 40 minutes to be replaced by Lukas Podolski.
And another of Munich top attacking options from last season was substituted on 59 minutes when Klinsmann switched France midfielder Franck Ribery for Germany's Tim Borowski.
With Karlsruhe unable to create any chances and Bayern unable to convert theirs, it looked like the game was heading towards a 0-0 draw until Klose struck.
But Klinsmann's side will need to do much better against Fiorentina in Tuesday night's Champions League game in Munich.
Promoted Hoffenheim went top of the table with a flurry of late goals to seal a 5-2 victory at 10-man Hanover which put them level with Hamburg but leading the table on goal difference.
Two goals from Hoffenheim's Vedad Ibisevic led the charge and made the Bosnian and Herzegovina striker the league's top scorer with nine so far this season. However, Hamburg have the chance to recapture top spot when they host Schalke on Sunday.
Also on Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen moved up one place to third place thanks to their 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt. Striker Patrick Helmes scored his eighth league goal of the season when he converted a penalty after just six minutes and a 61st minute header from Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal sealed the win.
Stuttgart drop from third to sixth in the table after losing 2-1 at Hertha Berlin while Wolfsburg picked up their first league win for nearly a month as midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic netted first-half goals in a 4-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld to put Felix Magath's side fifth in the table.
Ten-man Energie Cottbus lost 1-0 at Cologne to stay in the bottom three while Dortmund scored in injury time to seal a 3-3 draw at Werder Bremen. | [
"Who scored the only goal?",
"What was the final score between Hoffenheim and Hanover?",
"What happened at Hanover?",
"What country are these teams from?",
"Who scored the only goal at the game in Karlsruhe?",
"Who scored the goal?",
"What was the score of the game?",
"How many minutes into the game did Klose score?",
"When did Klose score a goal in the match?",
"What team does Miroslav Klose play for?",
"When was Klose's strike?"
] | [
[
"Miroslav Klose"
],
[
"5-2"
],
[
"Werder Bremen hammered his side 5-2"
],
[
"Germany"
],
[
"Miroslav Klose"
],
[
"Miroslav Klose"
],
[
"1-0"
],
[
"86"
],
[
"86 minutes"
],
[
"Germany"
],
[
"86 minutes"
]
] | Miroslav Klose scores only goal to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 win at Karlsruhe .
Klose's 86th minute strike is enough to end German champions' win drought .
Hoffenheim top of table with flurry of late goals to seal a 5-2 victory at Hanover . |
(CNN) -- Germany underlined their impressive credentials ahead of Euro 2012 with a 3-0 thrashing of arch-rivals the Netherlands on Tuesday in Hamburg.
The Germans, who will be among the favorites next year in Ukraine and Poland, swept aside the 2010 World Cup runners-up with veteran striker Miroslav Klose inspirational.
He set up Thomas Muller to put the home side ahead in the early stages before helping himself to the second goal and his 63rd for Germany in the 26th minute.
It left him just five short of the legendary Gerd Muller's all-time record.
The 33-year-old Lazio striker then worked in Real Madrid's Mesut Ozil for a close range strike in the 66th minute as Germany sealed their first win over the Dutch since 1996.
"The whole team made the match a lot of fun to play in," Ozil told AFP.
Meanwhile, world and European champions Spain needed two goals in the final seven minutes to rescue a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica in their friendly clash.
Just three days after a 1-0 defeat to England, Vicente Del Bosque's Spain fell behind on 31 minutes in San Jose when forward Randall Brenes capitalized on an error from goalkeeper Iker Casillas to clip a shot over defender Carles Puyol and into the empty net.
It was a nightmare moment for Real Madrid's Casillas, who was celebrating making his 127th appearance for Spain and becoming their most-capped player.
It got worse for Spain three minutes before half time when Lorient striker Joel Campbell, who is on-loan from English Premier League side Arsenal, doubled Costa Rica's lead.
Spain pressed in the second half, eventually breaking the home team's resistance with seven minutes remaining when Manchester City playmaker David Silva finished after a neat exchange with midfielder Andres Iniesta.
Barcelona's David Villa spared Spain's blushes as the match entered stoppage time, stooping to head home his 51st international goal and rescue a draw for the visitors.
Elsewhere, England made it two wins in five days at Wembley with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sweden.
England made several changes from the side which beat Spain 1-0 last Saturday, but were largely in command for much of the match against their fellow Euro 2012 qualifiers.
It was England's first win over Sweden in 43 years and captain John Terry, recalled to the team despite being under investigation for alleged racial abuse, said he never had any intention of sitting the match out because of the controversy.
"No chance," he said. "I'm very passionate, very confident being England captain and very proud to be, also."
England's only goal in the first half, their 2,000th in internationals, was originally given to midfielder Gareth Barry, but his header took a final touch off Sweden's Daniel Majstorovic.
Debutant Jack Rodwell missed a glorious opportunity for his first goal for England and Manchester United youngster Phil Jones also went close as the home side might have added further to their tally against a below-par Swedish side who rarely threatened.
Meanwhile in Rome, Sebastian Fernandez scored the only goal of the game as Uruguay beat Italy 1-0 win in the Olympic Stadium.
Mario Balotelli went close for Italy before former Juventus fullback Martin Caceres crossed for Fernandez to help the ball home. | [
"Who beat the Netherlands?",
"Who had a draw with Spain?",
"What was the score of Netherlands vs Germany?",
"Who defeated Sweden?",
"Who beat Sweden?"
] | [
[
"Germany"
],
[
"Costa Rica"
],
[
"3-0"
],
[
"England"
],
[
"England"
]
] | Germany beat the Netherlands 3-0 in international friendly in Hamburg .
Spain score two late goals to rescue a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica .
England beat Sweden 1-0 at Wembley for second straight friendly win .
Uruguay edge Italy 1-0 in Olympic Stadium in Rome . |
(CNN) -- Germany's much-loved model train manufacturer, Maerklin, has filed for bankruptcy, leaving fans around the world wondering whether it's the last stop for the company's toy business.
This Maerklin train has a video in the front so users get a driver's view.
Maerklin has been building toy trains for nearly 150 years and its railroads made their way into countries as far away as Australia and New Zealand.
The company said it applied for insolvency proceedings Wednesday after talks to secure credit from banks broke down. Despite intensive negotiations, the commercial banks did not extend their lines of credit, Maerklin said.
"It is sad," shopper Frank Steen, 39, said at London's famous Hamleys toy store. "With fewer older brands around, all we're left with is Japanese plastic."
Although Maerklin generated a turnover of around $165 million in 2008, it struggled to obtain a credit extension beyond January 31, it said.
Despite financial difficulties, the company still planned to set up its stall Thursday at the Nuremberg Toy Fair.
Railway devotees will have plenty to look forward to after Maerklin boss Dietmar Mundil promised to bring 400 new products to the show. | [
"Who is filing for bankruptcy?",
"What fair is the company attending?",
"What type of toys did the company make?",
"What was its turnover in 2008?",
"What has it failed to secure?"
] | [
[
"Maerklin,"
],
[
"Nuremberg Toy"
],
[
"model train"
],
[
"$165 million"
],
[
"credit"
]
] | Maerklin toy train firm files for bankruptcy .
Company says it failed to secure extension of credit lines from banks .
Maerklin generated a turnover of around $165 million in 2008 .
Company still plans to attend this week's Nuremberg Toy Fair . |
(CNN) -- Getting arrested for stealing cars after his 16th birthday may be the best thing that ever happened to Terrence Barkley. Serving time in Missouri's juvenile justice system set Terrence Barkley on the path to college. It got him out of gangs and headed to college. While in one of Missouri's juvenile facilities, Barkley became editor of its student newspaper, captain of the football team and made the honor roll. "I wanted something different for myself or I'd end up in Kansas City doing nothing. I knew I could do something," said Barkley, who is the first in his family to go to college. Now he's a sophomore studying criminal justice at the University of Central Missouri. Barkley wasn't scared straight. He wasn't packed away in a crowded facility with steel bars and razor wire. He wasn't under the constant guard of uniformed officers with billy clubs or locked down with hundreds of other juveniles. Instead, he was sent to Waverly Regional Youth Center, one of Missouri's 32 residential facilities where he wore his jeans and T-shirts. He slept in his own bunk bed in a room that looks more like a dorm than a jail cell. He received counseling and schooling. While America's juvenile system is often criticized for corruption and abuse, Missouri state officials say its juvenile justice solution has saved billions of dollars and reduced the number of repeat offenders. In the last four decades, the state has transformed its juvenile system into one that defies the traditional prison model. Known as the Missouri model, the program focuses on therapy, comfortable living conditions and an emphasis on job training and education. Missouri's facilities are serving thousands of young offenders, and they are receiving national acclaim. Each offender is placed in a small group of 10 to 15, assigned a case worker and sent to school during the day. Offenders also put on Shakespeare stage productions and play sports. They learn about teamwork through camping and rock climbing. "Young people are really turning their lives around and becoming productive citizens," said Tim Decker, director of Missouri Division of Youth Services. "We've redefined what's possible in the juvenile justice system." Several states including New Mexico, Louisiana, California and Virginia are trying to emulate the Missouri model. Washington's troubled juvenile detention center, Oak Hill Youth Center, which once housed some of the most serious teen offenders, was shut down in 2009 and rebuilt to copy the Missouri model. Missouri has changed, too. The state once relied on a punitive system that warehoused offenders in harsh conditions. For nearly a century, the Missouri Training School for Boys in Boonville was a dark place known for beatings, rapes and even deaths. At one point, it was crammed with 650 offenders. Even judges hesitated sending children to Boonville. It was closed in 1983 and transformed into an adult prison. "We had a dysfunctional system and we had to change our mindset on how to best work with these kids," said Mark Steward, who helped pilot the Missouri model in the 1970s. Steward heads the Missouri Youth Services Institute, a consulting agency that helps other states implement the Missouri model. Under the Missouri model, juveniles who commit minor crimes such as skipping school or trespassing are placed in low-security, renovated houses or cottages with 10 other kids. The small group size allows staffers to work more effectively with individual offenders. Delinquents who commit violent crimes are placed in gated facilities that hold a maximum of 50 offenders but offer the same small group atmosphere and focus on rehabilitation. These offenders are broken into smaller groups and also receive counseling and go to school on site. Most juveniles work on community service projects during their stay. Instead of serving sentences of weeks, months or years, a juvenile in Missouri can win release through good behavior and demonstrated progress. Missouri officials say the small group size may be the reason why there hasn't been a suicide in their residences in 25 years. The federal government has reported hundreds of suicide incidents involving juveniles in confinement. Critics argue | [
"What don't the juvenile residents have?",
"What does the group use to treat the offenders?",
"What is the Missouri model?",
"What does the Missouri model use?"
] | [
[
"constant guard of uniformed officers with billy clubs"
],
[
"rehabilitation."
],
[
"the program focuses on therapy, comfortable living conditions and an emphasis on job training and education."
],
[
"therapy, comfortable living conditions and an emphasis on job training and education."
]
] | The Missouri model uses small, therapeutic groups to treat juvenile offenders .
Juvenile residences don't have barbed wire or require uniforms .
A handful of other states are trying to replicate the Missouri model .
Studies show only ten percent of Missouri's youth re-offend . |
(CNN) -- Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac has selected captain Michael Essien and defender John Mensah in his preliminary 29-man World Cup squad despite the duo still recovering from injuries.
Midfielder Essien has not played for his English club Chelsea since December, when he suffered a hamstring injury before breaking down with a knee problem at the Africa Cup of Nations the following month.
Mensah, who also plays in England on loan with Sunderland, has been sidelined with a calf injury arising from a physical complication which has plagued him in recent years.
Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, who also plays in England, was named by the Serbian coach on Tuesday despite still waiting for his nationality switch to be approved.
Blog: "Dynamite" Drogba will explode at World Cup
The Portsmouth player was born in Germany, who he has represented at under-21 level, but has a Ghanaian father and his uncle has played for the Black Stars.
Rajevac has recalled Inter Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari, who was dropped for the Africa Cup of Nations in January after deciding not to play in a friendly against Angola.
New Ivory Coast manager Sven-Goran Eriksson named a predictably talent-laden 30-man squad, with his side favored to be the continent's best prospect in South Africa.
The Elephants, who face Brazil, Portugal and North Korea in Group G, can call upon the English Premier League's top scorer Didier Drogba and his teammate at champions Chelsea, Salomon Kalou.
The midfield ranks include Barcelona's Champions League winner Yaya Toure, Hamburg's Guy Demel and Cheick Tiote of Dutch champions FC Twente.
Former England and Mexico coach Eriksson, who took over from Vahid Halilhodzic after a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations campaign, also has England-based defenders Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Abdoulaye Meite and Steve Gohouri.
Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen has given Rigobert Song the chance to appear at his fourth World Cup after naming the 33-year-old defender in his 30-man squad.
Veteran midfielder Geremi, who also plays in Turkey, may play at his second tournament while Benoit Assou-Akotto is recalled after missing the Africa Cup of Nations through injury and his fellow Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong is included too after being omitted for the Angola event by the Frenchman.
Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o will continue as captain, having replaced Song when Le Guen took charge last year.
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira named Benni McCarthy in his 29-man squad after the striker was dropped by predecessor Joel Santana and has struggled with injury since moving to English club West Ham in January.
The Brazilian picked 10 Europe-based players, including captain Aaron Mokoena and midfielders Kagisho Dikgacoi and Steven Pienaar, but Nasief Morris of Spanish club Racing Santander missed out.
Nigeria coach Lars Lagerback has given Nwankwo Kanu the chance to earn his third World Cup appearance despite the 33-year-old striker's limited opportunities with English club Portsmouth this season.
Kanu's clubmate John Utaka has been recalled in the 30-man squad after being dropped by the Swede's sacked predecessor Amodu Shaibu, while midfielder Jon Obi Mikel is included despite missing the end of Chelsea's season due to minor knee surgery.
Goalkeeper Bassey Akpan and Peter Suswan were the only Nigeria-based players selected.
Algeria coach Rabah Saadane had yet to name his squad. | [
"What is the name of the Cameroon defender?",
"who is sven goran ericksson",
"Has Michael Essien suffered an injury?",
"Who is Sven-Goran Eriksson?",
"How many World Cups has Rigobert Song played in?"
] | [
[
"Rigobert Song"
],
[
"New Ivory Coast manager"
],
[
"a hamstring"
],
[
"New Ivory Coast manager"
],
[
"fourth"
]
] | Ghana captain Michael Essien included in 30-man provisional World Cup squad despite injury .
New Ivory Coast boss Sven-Goran Eriksson makes no surprises in his selection .
Cameroon defender Rigobert Song the chance to appear at his fourth World Cup .
Nigeria striker Nwankwo Kanu in contention to earn his third World Cup appearance . |
(CNN) -- Ghana international Michael Essien has followed goalkeeper Petr Cech in agreeing a new five-year contract with English Premier League side Chelsea.
Michael Essien has made a big impression on new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari.
The midfielder, who is in China for the start of the club's pre-season tour, is now tied to the London outfit until the summer of 2013.
The 25-year-old has made 143 appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge from French club Lyon in a $49 million transfer in August 2005, scoring 14 goals in total and helping Chelsea win the league title that season.
Essien's decision to commit his long-term future to the club is a boost for new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who allowed veteran holding midfielder Claude Makelele to join Paris St Germain on Monday.
"I have not been here long but it is clear to me that Michael Essien is one of the best midfield players in the world," Scolari said. "I have always admired him and it is good news for me and for Chelsea that he signs for so long."
The Accra-born Essien, who started his career in France with Bastia in 2000 before moving to Lyon three years later, was also pleased with the deal.
"I am really pleased to have extended my career with Chelsea," he said. "I am very happy here. We have a great team and fantastic fans who have always made me welcome.
"With the addition of the new manager, I am feeling very positive about the season ahead."
Chelsea announced on Monday that Czech Republic goalkeeper Cech signed a new five-year deal, while England full-back Wayne Bridge committed himself to four more years last week.
Scolari is still seeking to keep England midfielder Frank Lampard, who has ended talks over a new deal and now appears to be resigned to waiting until his contract runs out before joining Inter Milan following the upcoming season.
The Brazilian has so far added only Portugal playmaker Deco to his midfield ranks.
His first match in charge will be Wednesday's friendly against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, one of the three games the team will play in China.
Striker Didier Drogba, who has been linked with moves to AC Milan and Barcelona, is not among the touring squad due to a recurring knee problem.
Khalid Boulahrouz, meanwhile, completed his transfer from Chelsea to Stuttgart on a four-year contract with the Bundesliga club.
The Netherlands central defender was released Monday by Chelsea and arrived in Stuttgart's training camp in Austria shortly before midnight after passing a medical exam in Stuttgart.
The deal between Stuttgart and Chelsea was completed Tuesday. Details were not given.
The Dutchman played for Hamburger SV for two seasons before going to Chelsea in 2006. He was loaned to FC Sevilla last season.
Boulahrouz's departure came a day after 35-year-old former France international Claude Makelele signed a two-year deal with Paris-Saint Germain after joining from Chelsea on a free transfer. | [
"Who signed a five-year contract with Chelsea?",
"How long is the contract for?",
"What team did Michael Essien just sign with?",
"How many appearances has Michael Essien made since joining from Lyon in 2005?",
"What ethnicity is Khalid Boulahrouz?",
"What did Wayne Bridge recently do?",
"What position does Michael Essien play?",
"Who just signed a five-year contract with Chelsea?",
"Name of the dutch defender?",
"Who left Chelsea for Stuttgart?",
"Number o appearances the 25 year old has made?"
] | [
[
"Michael Essien"
],
[
"five-year"
],
[
"Chelsea."
],
[
"143"
],
[
"Dutchman"
],
[
"committed himself to four more years"
],
[
"midfielder,"
],
[
"Petr Cech"
],
[
"Khalid Boulahrouz,"
],
[
"Khalid Boulahrouz,"
],
[
"143"
]
] | Ghana international Michael Essien signs new five-year contract with Chelsea .
Midfielder follows Petr Cech and Wayne Bridge in agreeing long-term deals .
The 25-year-old has made 143 appearances since joining from Lyon in 2005 .
Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz leaves Chelsea for Stuttgart on 4-year deal . |
(CNN) -- Ghana international Michael Essien has followed goalkeeper Petr Cech in agreeing a new five-year contract with English Premier League side Chelsea. Michael Essien has made a big impression on new Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. The midfielder, who is in China for the start of the club's pre-season tour, is now tied to the London outfit until the summer of 2013. The 25-year-old has made 143 appearances since moving to Stamford Bridge from French club Lyon in a $49 million transfer in August 2005, scoring 14 goals in total and helping Chelsea win the league title that season. Essien's decision to commit his long-term future to the club is a boost for new manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, who allowed veteran holding midfielder Claude Makelele to join Paris St Germain on Monday. "I have not been here long but it is clear to me that Michael Essien is one of the best midfield players in the world," Scolari said. "I have always admired him and it is good news for me and for Chelsea that he signs for so long." The Accra-born Essien, who started his career in France with Bastia in 2000 before moving to Lyon three years later, was also pleased with the deal. "I am really pleased to have extended my career with Chelsea," he said. "I am very happy here. We have a great team and fantastic fans who have always made me welcome. "With the addition of the new manager, I am feeling very positive about the season ahead." Chelsea announced on Monday that Czech Republic goalkeeper Cech signed a new five-year deal, while England full-back Wayne Bridge committed himself to four more years last week. Scolari is still seeking to keep England midfielder Frank Lampard, who has ended talks over a new deal and now appears to be resigned to waiting until his contract runs out before joining Inter Milan following the upcoming season. The Brazilian has so far added only Portugal playmaker Deco to his midfield ranks. His first match in charge will be Wednesday's friendly against Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, one of the three games the team will play in China. Striker Didier Drogba, who has been linked with moves to AC Milan and Barcelona, is not among the touring squad due to a recurring knee problem. Khalid Boulahrouz, meanwhile, completed his transfer from Chelsea to Stuttgart on a four-year contract with the Bundesliga club. The Netherlands central defender was released Monday by Chelsea and arrived in Stuttgart's training camp in Austria shortly before midnight after passing a medical exam in Stuttgart. The deal between Stuttgart and Chelsea was completed Tuesday. Details were not given. The Dutchman played for Hamburger SV for two seasons before going to Chelsea in 2006. He was loaned to FC Sevilla last season. Boulahrouz's departure came a day after 35-year-old former France international Claude Makelele signed a two-year deal with Paris-Saint Germain after joining from Chelsea on a free transfer. | [
"When did he join the team?",
"Who left Chelsea?",
"Whom does he follow?",
"Who signed the contract?",
"who is the 25-year old?",
"Who signed new contract?"
] | [
[
"summer of 2013."
],
[
"Khalid Boulahrouz,"
],
[
"Petr Cech"
],
[
"Michael Essien"
],
[
"Michael Essien"
],
[
"Michael Essien"
]
] | Ghana international Michael Essien signs new five-year contract with Chelsea .
Midfielder follows Petr Cech and Wayne Bridge in agreeing long-term deals .
The 25-year-old has made 143 appearances since joining from Lyon in 2005 .
Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz leaves Chelsea for Stuttgart on 4-year deal . |
(CNN) -- Gian Piero Gasperini has paid the price for Inter Milan's poor start to the season, being sacked as coach following the 2010 European champions' 3-1 defeat by newly-promoted Novara on Tuesday.
The 53-year-old took charge in June, but under his guidance the 18-time Italian Serie A titleholders earned just one point from their opening three league matches to languish in 17th position in the table -- one place outside of the relegation zone.
Inter also lost to arch-rivals AC Milan in the Italian Super Cup in August and to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor in their opening European Champions League match.
"F.C. Internazionale announces that this morning's training session at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti in Appiano Gentile was run by [assistant coaches] Daniele Bernazzani and Giuseppe Baresi," Inter's website reported on Wednesday.
"The club would like to thank Gian Piero Gasperini for the dedication he has shown in his work and regret having to end the relationship with the coach."
Inter slump to defeat against Novara
Inter president Massimo Moratti appeared to confirm that Gasperini faced the ax when questioned about the former Genoa boss on Wednesday before meeting with the coach.
Asked if Gasperini would remain with the Nerazzurri, Moratti replied: "I don't think so. We'll decide what to do today but he seems to be in a very difficult situation, whichever way you look at it."
On Tuesday's defeat, Inter's second in three league matches, Moratti said: "When you lose in such a way, there's nothing you like."
Gasperini replaced Brazilian coach Leonardo at Inter, having been sacked by Genoa in November 2010.
During a four-year spell with Genoa, Gasperini led the club to a fifth-place finish in Serie A in 2009 and qualification for the Europa League.
"Results are what decide everything, I'm very disappointed," he told journalists on Wednesday, AFP reported.
"I had a great relationship with the directors and it's a shame that it's had to come to an end. Everyone feels regret."
Inter, whose solitary point this season came from a 0-0 draw against Roma, face a trip to Bologna on Saturday before traveling to Russia to take on CSKA Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday. | [
"He lost how many of his matches?",
"Who was defeated in the Italian Super Cup and Champions League?",
"What age is he"
] | [
[
"three"
],
[
"Inter Milan's"
],
[
"53-year-old"
]
] | Gian Piero Gasperini's reign at Inter ends after just three months .
The 53-year-old lost two of his first three Serie A matches in charge of Inter .
Former Genoa coach also tasted defeat in the Italian Super Cup and Champions League . |
(CNN) -- Giant jellyfish descend on the Sea of Japan, causing untold devastation to coastal villages and leaving a trail of destruction and human misery behind. A diver attaches a sensor to a Nomura's jellyfish off the coast of northern Japan in October 2005. Sounds like a great sci-fi flick. But it's not. It's real and a nightmare for Japanese fishermen. The massive sea creatures, called Nomura's jellyfish, can grow 6 feet (1.83 meters) in diameter and weigh more than 450 pounds (204 kilos). Scientists think they originate in the Yellow Sea and in Chinese waters. For the third year since 2005, ocean currents are transporting them into the Sea of Japan. Monty Graham, a marine biologist at Alabama's Dauphin Island Sea Lab, said the jellyfish grow to an enormous size as they are transported by ocean currents. He said they stay together in packs and as they drift northward, they get caught in fishermen's nets. The giant jellyfish are one of about 200 species of coastal jellyfish or large jellyfish that exist around the world. But Nomura's stands out because of its enormous size. "The sheer size of them, individually, makes them fairly spectacular," Graham said. Spectacular, perhaps, to scientists, but perilous to villagers along the Japanese coast who have seen the destructive habits of these colossal creatures in the past. They had giant-jellyfish invasions in 2005 and 2007, and because they've recently been spotted in the Sea of Japan, they're bracing for another, potentially harmful wave this summer. The jellyfish destroy fishermen's nets, getting trapped in them, tearing holes and ruining catches. Fishermen often use expensive mazelike nets that stretch for hundreds of kilometers. When swarms of giant jellyfish tear them, the result is devastating. "Communities of fishermen and these fishing villages own these nets," Graham said. "When these nets get wiped out, it actually has this economic devastation for an entire community." The good news is that previous attacks have prompted Japan to put in place a warning system for fishermen. While they still risk losing a big catch, they can, at least, save their pricey nets from the invasion of the giant jellyfish. It's not clear why waves of Nomura's jellyfish have made it to the Sea of Japan in recent years. Some have speculated that overfishing, pollution or rising ocean temperatures may have depleted the kinds of fish that prey on Nomura's jellyfish in the polyp stage. However, no one is certain, Graham said. | [
"Where is the jellyfish being seen>",
"Where was the jellyfish seen?",
"What do the Nomura's jellyfish do to nets?",
"What was seen in Sea of Japan?",
"What is the largest a Nomura's jellyfish can get?",
"What can tears in nets do?",
"What is the largest they can grow to?",
"What is causing tears in the nets>",
"What is the jellyfish called?"
] | [
[
"off the coast of northern Japan"
],
[
"Sea of Japan,"
],
[
"getting trapped in them, tearing holes and ruining catches."
],
[
"jellyfish"
],
[
"grow 6 feet (1.83 meters) in diameter and weigh more than 450 pounds (204 kilos)."
],
[
"ruining catches."
],
[
"6 feet (1.83 meters) in diameter"
],
[
"swarms of giant jellyfish"
],
[
"Nomura's"
]
] | Nomura's jellyfish seen in Sea of Japan for third year since 2005 .
Species can grow 6 feet (1.83 meters) in diameter, 450 pounds (204 kilos)
Tears in expensive nets can devastate communities . |
(CNN) -- Giant rocks came tumbling down a snowy Colorado mountainside early Monday, punching gaping holes in the interstate below, the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
The rock slide at Glenwood Canyon halted travel on Interstate 70 between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero, about 18 miles east, according to the department. Glenwood Springs is about 120 miles west of Denver. It is unclear when construction crews will complete enough work to open at least part of the roadway.
About 20 boulders struck the interstate shortly after midnight, the transportation department said. They ranged from 3 feet to 10 feet in diameter, with the largest weighing an estimated 66 tons, the department said on its Web site.
About eight holes or dips were left on the interstate. Road underwiring was exposed and rock crumbles surrounded the damage, the department said. The largest hole measured 20 feet by 10 feet -- bigger than a full-size SUV.
Rocks were scattered over a 100-yard stretch of the road. A steel guard rail and median barrier were also damaged. The damage resembles a major rock slide in the area back in 2004, the department said. | [
"How many boulders rolled down mountain shortly after midnight?",
"What halts travel on I-70?",
"What was the number of boulders which rolled down mountain?",
"What size were the rocks?",
"How many holes or dips were left on the interstate?",
"What halted travel on the I-70?"
] | [
[
"About 20"
],
[
"rock slide"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"They ranged from 3 feet to 10 feet in diameter,"
],
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"eight"
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[
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] | Rock slide at Glenwood Canyon halts travel on I-70 between Glenwood Springs and Dotsero .
It's unclear when crews will complete enough work to open at least part of the roadway .
Transportation department: About 20 boulders rolled down mountain shortly after midnight .
Rocks were from 3 feet to 10 feet in diameter; about 8 holes or dips left on the interstate . |
(CNN) -- Gillette said Saturday it was "limiting" golfer Tiger Woods' role in its marketing programs to give him the privacy he needs to work on family relationships after disclosures of his "infidelity."
In a statement, the Boston, Massachusetts-based body grooming company said it supports Woods' decision to take "an indefinite break" from professional golf. On his Web site Friday, Woods admitted to infidelity and said he was taking a break from the sport to focus on his family.
"In the midst of a difficult and unfortunate situation, we respect the action Tiger is taking to restore the trust of his family, friends and fans," Gillette spokesman Mike Norton said in the statement. "We fully support him stepping back from his professional career and taking the time he needs to do what matters most. We wish him and his family the best.
"As Tiger takes a break from the public eye, we will support his desire for privacy by limiting his role in our marketing programs," Norton said.
Woods' Friday posting said: "After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father and person."
"I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children," Woods' statement said. "I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I've done, but I want to do my best to try."
Woods, 33, who tops the sport's world rankings, crashed his car outside his Florida mansion late last month. Authorities issued a citation for careless driving, and he was given a $164 fine.
Woods was not required to talk to police about the wreck and declined to talk with investigators on several occasions.
In the week following the crash, Woods apologized for "transgressions" that let his family down. The same day, US Weekly published a report alleging that Woods had an affair with Jaimee Grubbs, a 24-year-old cocktail waitress.
US Weekly's report followed a National Enquirer article before the crash that the athlete was having an affair with New York nightclub hostess Rachel Uchitel, an assertion she vigorously denied, according to The New York Post.
It was not immediately clear how Woods' hiatus would affect his other sponsorships, which include Nike, Gatorade and Electronic Arts.
"He is the best golfer in the world and one of the greatest athletes of his era," Nike spokeswoman Beth Gast said in a statement. "We look forward to his return to golf. He and his family have Nike's full support."
The statement did not elaborate on whether Woods' announcement would impact his business relationship with the sports company, which has worked with him for more than a decade.
Woods has won three U.S. Open titles and the Masters tournament and the PGA tournament each four times. The PGA Tour said it supports Woods and looks forward to his return to the game.
"We fully support Tiger's decision to step away from competitive golf to focus on his family. His priorities are where they need to be, and we will continue to respect and honor his family's request for privacy," the PGA Tour said in a statement Friday. "We look forward to Tiger's return to the PGA Tour when he determines the time is right for him."
EA Sports, the company that makes Woods' video game, also said it is standing behind the golfer.
"We respect that this is a very difficult and private situation for Tiger and his family. At this time, the strategy for our Tiger Woods PGA TOUR business remains unchanged," said David Tinson, a company spokesman. | [
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"who support woods",
"What did Woods ask for?",
"Who pledged their support to Woods?",
"What did Woods admit to?"
] | [
[
"professional golf."
],
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[
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] | Grooming company cuts back on Tiger Woods' time after admission of "infidelity"
Woods admits to cheating on wife, plans "indefinite break" from golf .
Woods: "I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness"
Nike, EA Sports, PGA Tour pledge support to Woods . |
(CNN) -- Going into the eighth season finale of "American Idol," Adam Lambert looks like the favorite against competitor Kris Allen. But should Lambert even be on the show, since he has performed professionally in the national Broadway tour of "Wicked"? Former 'American Idol' runner-up Diana DeGarmo says it's getting harder for the average person to get on the show. Diana DeGarmo, runner-up in the third season of "American Idol," spoke with HLN's Mike Galanos on Prime News about whether or not an amateur stands a chance on the show. The following interview has been edited for brevity and clarity: Mike Galanos: What were the stipulations as to your past history before you joined "American Idol"? How much could you do before they'd say, "You aren't an amateur anymore. You're more of a professional"? Diana DeGarmo: Each contract for each show has gotten a little stronger and a little stronger. Prior to me doing "American Idol," I had done things like theater, but at that point nowhere near on a professional level. The cool thing is they keep it fair by having little things in the contract about how you can't release a record nationally with a record label -- things like that. But people who have been signed prior can, of course, be on the show. Galanos: Do you think the "rags-to-riches" story is lost and we are going to get more and more people who have more and more experience? DeGarmo: I think people now realize that "American Idol" is such a launching spot for anyone's career. People that maybe would have not done it a few years ago, saying, "Oh, I'm too professional," maybe take a little bit of a second glance at the show because they realize it's such a launching pad. But I do think it's a little harder for the everyday Joe to get in it. Galanos: Do you think Adam has an unfair advantage since he was an understudy for the Broadway tour of "Wicked"? DeGarmo: Not really, because it's all about performing. So it's just about what you are doing at that exact moment up there on the "American Idol" stage. I think Kris and Adam are just two totally different performers, but I think they are pretty even when it comes down to the end of the day. | [
"What is it more about?",
"what did degarmo say about everyday jow?",
"Who is competing in the season finale?",
"What show is this talking about?",
"Who competes in the final season?",
"What did DeGarmo say?"
] | [
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"all"
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] | DeGarmo: It's harder for the "everyday Joe" to get on "American Idol"
It's more about what you're doing on the 'Idol' stage, she says .
Kris Allen and Adam Lambert compete in the season finale . |
(CNN) -- Going to the beach has become a lot like looking for hotel accommodations: If it has a one-star ranking, you know you're in for nothing but trouble. A new report released today by the Natural Resources Defense Council ranked the water quality of 200 U.S. coastal beaches using a five-star guide, and the results are far from a day at the beach. Laguna Beach in Orange County, California, is one of the NRDC's five-star beaches for water quality. "Nationwide, 7 percent of beach water samples are so contaminated with human or animal waste that they're not conducive for swimming," said Nancy Stoner, co-director of the NRDC's water program and lead author for the report. "For the fourth year in a row, NRDC found that there were more than 20,000 beach closings last year because of human or animal waste in the water." Pollutants found in beach water are frequently the result of storm water or sewage overflow, and it's not something to take lightly, especially if small children, pregnant women or the elderly are spending time in the surf. Swimming in polluted water can lead to ear infections and stomach viruses, as well as more serious diseases like meningitis and hepatitis, Stoner said. The Environmental Protection Agency sets a standard for beach water quality, and when water quality tests reveal that pollution has exceeded that standard, the beach is closed. "The problem," Stoner said, "is that it does take 24 hours or longer to produce test results," meaning if the beach was contaminated on Thursday, you won't know about it until Friday. And once those results are produced, there's no guarantee that the cause is identifiable. While storm water and sewage are often the culprit for closures, for 62 percent of the 20,000 beach closures that occurred last year, the cause of the pollution was unknown. But with precious few weeks of beach season left, now is not the time to avoid sand and surf like the plague. Thankfully, not all beaches are polluted equally -- the NRDC hands out five stars to beaches that meet health standards more than 95 per cent of the time and quickly notify beach goers with signs and Internet alerts when there's a potential problem. Standout states include Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia, which boast having pristine, nearly pollution-free shores. Virginians however should take note: Fairview Beach in King George County is certainly not one of those. According to Stoner, this beach is considered to be one of the worst offenders, particularly because it consistently fails more than 25 percent of its water quality tests. Hands down, one of the best beaches is Ocean City, Maryland, which does well year after year because of its clean water and strict water quality monitoring, two factors that earned the popular East Coast beach five stars. In nearby Delaware, Dewey and Bethany beaches also earned a stamp of approval from the NRDC. Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are two of California's five-star beaches, but stay away from Doheny Beach and Avalon Beach, which both failed more than 25 percent of their water quality tests in 2008. If you're in the Great Lakes region and looking for quality beach time, strongly consider booking a trip to one of the coasts. "From 2005 to 2008, the Great Lakes consistently tested the dirtiest. In 2008, 13 percent of beach water samples violated public health standards," Stoner said. But no matter which beach you frequent, five-star or not, you should always take precautions by avoiding beaches with obvious sources of pollution, like nearby open pipes and trash. Wait at least 24 hours after a heavy rain before hitting the waves again, allowing potential pollutants to dissipate. To see how your closest beach stacks up, visit http://www.nrdc.org/. | [
"What does the study say?",
"Where has best water?",
"How many beaches were ranked in the study?",
"Where has the worst water?",
"Which city ranks as one of the best for water quality?"
] | [
[
"\"Nationwide, 7 percent of beach water samples are so contaminated with human or animal waste that they're not conducive for swimming,\""
],
[
"Laguna Beach in Orange County, California,"
],
[
"200"
],
[
"Laguna Beach in Orange County, California,"
],
[
"Laguna Beach in Orange County, California,"
]
] | New study ranked 200 U.S. beaches according to water quality tests .
Delaware, New Hampshire and Virginia have the cleanest beach water .
Ocean City, Maryland, consistently ranks as one of the best for water quality .
Fairview Beach in Virginia consistently ranks as one of the worst . |
(CNN) -- Goldendoodle? Bernese Mountain Dog? Irish wolfhound? Chihuahua? Gina Goodman says a Pomeranian would be a good pet because they're like a stuffed animal come to life. After selecting a chief of staff, President-elect Barack Obama quickly turned to the more pressing issue of finding the perfect puppy for his girls, Sasha and Malia. "We have two criteria that have to be reconciled. One is that Malia is allergic, so it has to be hypoallergenic," Obama said Friday in Chicago, Illinois. "On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog. But, obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts, like me." CNN asked iReporters to weigh in on what kind of dog he should get and what to name it. The response was tremendous. After all, everyone's got an opinion about which pooch will be the Obamas' best friend. Gail Hurson, who lives outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, shared the opinion of many iReporters who want the Obamas to get a shelter dog. She says these pups appreciate having loving owners and a place to call home. iReport.com: What do you think the Obamas should pick? "Mr. Obama, I say give your girls both a puppy of their own to care for, and give those dogs a second chance, like this country is going to get now that you've been elected to lead us back on track," Hurson said in her iReport. Although there was a mix of monikers for the First Dog, many iReporters believe that Hope would be a good name. "I really believe that with a new president in the White House, there will be hope," Teri Satterlund said. The Troutdale, Oregon, resident wants the dog's name to reflect Obama's message of change. Barbara Martinez remembered that Malia is allergic to dogs, so she suggested that Obama get a Goldendoodle or a Labradoodle. Both breeds are hypoallergenic and have a sweet temperament, perfect for a family with children, she said. See some of the more popular hypoallergenic breeds » America's Yankee Doodle Dandy would make for a great name, Martinez said. Of course, it's a mouthful, but "Dude," "Doodle" or "Dandy" could work as nicknames. Finding a name that would celebrate Obama's African heritage was what led Don Belgard to the name Ubuntu. The Pittsfield, Maine, resident said Ubuntu is an African philosophy that promotes "peace, harmony and good will." Because Dale Jacquef shares a birthday with Obama -- August 4 -- he jokes that he is qualified to give some puppy advice. The San Jose, California, engineer says his Alaskan Klee Kai is a big hit with everyone. "All my daughter's friends go crazy over him, so I thought it would be a good one for the Obamas." Elizabeth Shumway of Geneva, New York, envisions the Obamas having a fluffy Bernese Mountain Dog. These "big, cuddly pieces of fur" take a while to grow up, maintaining their puppy playfulness, Shumway said. "I could picture them standing in front of the White House with this big, beautiful dog." Huguette Rainforth raised Irish wolfhounds on her farm outside Montreal, Canada, for seven years and thinks the Obamas should get one, too. Rainforth thinks Obama and an Irish wolfhound would make a fine pair because of their comparable personalities. "I think it's a very noble dog. It's very loyal, trustworthy," she said. "I just felt it was the dog for him." A Pomeranian would be the perfect pooch for Obama, according to Gina Goodman, who runs a petsitting service out of her home in Malvern, Pennsylvania. "They would be ideal for the sweet little Obama girls because they would be like having their stuffed animals come alive for play," she wrote in her iReport. Paris Pujol's pet Rocco died a month ago, but she will always remember him for being a great pup. The white Chihuahua loved to zip | [
"What did readers say Obama should do?",
"What did many say?",
"What animals ranked on the top of the list?",
"What did CNN.com readers suggest?"
] | [
[
"get a shelter dog."
],
[
"get a shelter dog."
],
[
"Goldendoodle or a Labradoodle."
],
[
"kind of dog he should get and"
]
] | CNN.com readers suggest the perfect presidential pet .
Labs, Pomeranians and a llama top the list .
Many said the Obamas should pick a mutt from the shelter .
Tell us what you think at iReport.com . |
(CNN) -- Golf was considered a sport of the capitalist elite and banned in Eastern Europe under the rule of communist regimes -- but in the 20 years since the Berlin Wall has fallen there has been a renaissance of the game in the region. Gary Player has overseen the development of two courses on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria. With rising disposable income and an increasing interest in leisure pursuits, a growing number of courses, more television coverage and availability of EU funds, the future of the industry in Eastern Europe is bright. Bulgaria is one country where the sport is on the up. Eight years ago there were no golf courses but --to fulfil the increasing domestic demand and as a means to attract tourists to the region -- the country could be set for a boom in golf development. Kancho Stoychev, vice president of Bulgarian Golf, believes that despite there being only 200 registered players in a country whose population is eight million there is set to be an explosion of interest in the sport. See CNN's Justin Armsden's report on the development of golf in Eastern Europe. » "It is an absurdly low figure, but now I believe that there'll be a switch because we have six nice golf courses," Stoychev told CNN. "We can already see there is a high increase in interest and it'll evolve quite quickly. "We have some advantages in Bulgaria. We have an excellent coastlines, we are a small country but very diverse, so the country is geographically and naturally perfect for golf." The potential in Eastern Europe has also been recognized by golf legend Gary Player, whose course design company has been working on projects in the region. Having just opened a course in Poland, Player's design company is building two more in Bulgaria - BlackSeaRama which is already open, and Thracian Cliffs which is scheduled to be finished by July 2010. Player told CNN: "You want to take golf to new areas, like Poland, you want to bring it to Bulgaria, where people never thought that they could play golf where people associated golf with just rich people. "You can play down here along the ocean and ten minutes up the mountain you have a links course, which is the complete opposite, people who love golf will be in for a golfing treat." The knock-on effect of the presence of a high-profile name such as Player in the region ensures it has caught the eye of influential figures within the industry. Ryan Lauder, director of marketing at TaylorMade added: "Eastern Europe is coming along, although there is still not the number of golfers or golf courses that we have in Western Europe, looking to the future it is a great opportunity for us." | [
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"where has 6 courses opened",
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"Gary Player"
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] | Golf has made progress in Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism .
Developments in Bulgaria have seen six courses open in the past eight years .
Gary Player has designed courses in several Eastern European countries .
The region has a great potential for development of golf in the future . |
(CNN) -- Golf's $10 million jackpot is well and truly up for grabs this weekend after the FedExCup series pacesetters faltered in Friday's second round.
Five players are guaranteed to take home the loot if they can claim the Tour Championship's additional $1.44 million first prize on Sunday, but it was Adam Scott who moved into pole position at the halfway stage.
The Australian started the week 19th in the PGA Tour's standings, but a five-under-par 65 at East Lake gave him a one-shot tournament lead and catapulted him into top spot in the end-of-season playoffs.
Webb Simpson, who leads the FedEx standings, was tied for 19th after his 70 -- which dropped him below Scott in the projected points. He bounced back from four early bogeys with a late birdie and an eagle.
"I've got to win and I imagine Webb must have to finish pretty low to give me a chance," Scott, who birdied the last two holes for the second day in a row, told the PGA Tour website.
"I just figured if I win this week, I'll be happy no matter what. I'll finish what I think has been a really good season, moving in the right direction with everything, and look forward to next season."
Veteran Korean K.J. Choi matched the resurgent Scott, who has bloomed since taking on Tiger Woods' former caddy Steve Williams.
Choi went into the weekend on seven-under 133 to be one shot clear of another in-form Australian, Jason Day, and world No. 1 Luke Donald.
"You never know what can happen in the next two days," said Choi, who regularly donates part of his winnings to charities.
"You know, if I were able to win that money ... I could put the money to good use through my foundation. But there's still two days left, so all I can do is try to finish it out and hope for the best."
Donald was the best of the top five as the Englishman carded 68, one shot worse than Day.
Big-hitting Bubba Watson burst into contention with a 64 to be tied for fifth with first-round leader Keegan Bradley, Bill Haas (67) and Hunter Mahan (68).
Bradley, who won his first major at nearby Atlanta Athletic Club six weeks ago, followed up his opening 64 with a 71.
Fellow American Jason Dufner, who he beat in a playoff at the PGA Championship, was another shot back on 136 after a 70.
No. 2 Dustin Johnson suffered two double bogeys in his 73 to fall to a tie for 26th in the 30-man field to a projected fourth overall.
England's No. 3 Justin Rose was in a group of three at the bottom of the heap after a 75 dented his hopes. | [
"what did shoots five-under 65 to move one clear of Korea's K.J. Choi?",
"What tour is taking place?",
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"what did leads at the halfway stage ?",
"Who leads at the halfway stage?"
] | [
[
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[
"PGA"
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[
"Korean K.J. Choi"
],
[
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],
[
"Adam Scott"
]
] | Adam Scott leads at the halfway stage of the Tour Championship in Atlanta .
Australian shoots five-under 65 to move one clear of Korea's K.J. Choi .
He also takes top spot in FedEx Cup points projections from Webb Simpson .
Simpson one of five players who will claim $10 million with victory on Sunday . |
(CNN) -- Golfer Tiger Woods Tuesday addressed a racially-tinged remark made by his former caddy, telling reporters Steve Williams apologized and is not a racist.
"It was a wrong thing to say, something that we both acknowledge," Woods said, speaking at the Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, site of this week's Australian Open, according to his website.
Woods and Williams met earlier in the day, and shook hands after Williams apologized, the website reported.
Williams -- who was fired by Woods in July -- was being presented with a satirical award Friday night at an awards dinner in Shanghai, China, for comments he made after his new boss, golfer Adam Scott, defeated Woods at the Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio in August.
Should Williams be punished for his remarks?
According to media reports, when asked about those comments during his acceptance speech Friday night, Williams said: "I wanted to shove it up that black a--."
Shortly afterward, the New Zealander issued a contrite statement on his website.
"I apologize for comments I made last night at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner in Shanghai," the statement said. "Players and caddies look forward to this evening all year and the spirit is always joking and fun.
"I now realize how my comments could be construed as racist," Williams' statement said. "However I assure you that was not my intent. I sincerely apologize to Tiger and anyone else I have offended."
Woods said Tuesday that Williams "did apologize. It was hurtful, certainly, but life goes forward."
But he said he does not believe Williams is a racist. "There's no doubt about that," Woods said, according to his website. "It was a comment that shouldn't have been made and certainly one that he wished he didn't make."
Both the PGA Tour and the European Tour condemned Williams' comment, but he will not face sanctions.
Scott said earlier he had discussed the matter with Williams and accepted his apology. "There is absolutely no room for racial discrimination in any walk of life, including the game of golf," Scott said, according to the article on Woods' website.
Williams said in July he was shocked and disappointed that Woods had severed their 12-year relationship, especially after he remained loyal to the golfer during the sex scandal in which he was embroiled for several months.
"Given the fact of my loyalty and the way that I stood by this guy through thick and thin ..." Williams told CNN affiliate Mediaworks in New Zealand at the time. "And the timing of it is very poor, from my perspective."
Williams said the sex scandal had caused him to lose respect for Woods.
"Well, I think when you're great friends with somebody and a situation like this occurs, you obviously lose some kind of respect," Williams said.
In announcing he would no longer be working with Williams, Woods said it was "time for a change."
"Stevie is an outstanding caddy and a friend, and has been instrumental in many of my accomplishments," Woods said in July. "I wish him great success in the future." | [
"Who did Woods play?",
"Who said he was sorry?",
"What started the incedent?",
"What did Woods say?",
"What is Tiger Woods famous for?",
"Where did they meet?",
"What was Williams's comment?"
] | [
[
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],
[
"Golfer"
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[
"Lakes Golf Club in Sydney,"
],
[
"\"I wanted to shove it up that black a--.\""
]
] | Tiger Woods met with Steve Williams and the two shook hands .
"It was a wrong thing to say," Woods said about Williams' comment .
Williams issued an apology shortly after the Friday night remarks . |
(CNN) -- Google said Tuesday's widespread Gmail outage occurred when the company took some servers offline to perform routine maintenance, causing its remaining routers to become overloaded with traffic. Many Gmail users encountered this error message when trying to access their e-mail Tuesday. "We know how many people rely on Gmail for personal and professional communications, and we take it very seriously when there's a problem with the service," wrote Ben Treynor, a Google vice president of engineering, Tuesday in a 9:59 p.m. ET post on the Gmail blog. "Thus, right up front, I'd like to apologize to all of you -- today's outage was a Big Deal, and we're treating it as such," Treynor wrote. Gmail, Google's popular free e-mail service, was inaccessible to many of its tens of millions of users for about 100 minutes Tuesday afternoon, prompting widespread chatter on Twitter and other social networks. Gmail's problems were a top trending topic on Twitter, with users trading updates and posting links to blogs such as Mashable, which published a post called, "5 Things to Do While Gmail is Down." (No. 1: "Immediately flood Twitter with tweets alternately proclaiming 'Gmail is down!' and inquiring 'Is Gmail down?' ") "When something like this used to happen, you would wonder if it was just you," Rachel Sklar, editor-at-large of Mediaite.com, told CNN. "Here, it was immediate that you knew what was going on because of Twitter, and you knew that everyone had the same problems." People couldn't access Gmail via the Web interface Tuesday because their requests couldn't be routed to a Gmail server, Treynor explained. He said Google's engineers are compiling a list of things they intend to fix or improve as a result of their investigation into the outage. "We've turned our full attention to helping ensure this kind of event doesn't happen again. Some of the actions are straightforward and are already done -- for example, increasing request router capacity well beyond peak demand to provide headroom," he wrote. Gmail had 36.9 million U.S. users in June, according to ComScore, a company that measures Internet use. Gmail remains the third-most popular Web-based e-mail service, after Yahoo! Mail and Microsoft's Hotmail. CNN Audience Interaction Producer Eric Kuhn contributed to this story. | [
"For what reason did outage occur?",
"What Google service experienced widespread outage Tuesday afternoon?",
"What did Google say happened to the remaining routers?",
"How long did the outage last?",
"When were widespread outages experienced?",
"What day did the widespread outage take place?",
"When did the Gmail outage occur?"
] | [
[
"company took some servers offline"
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[
"Gmail"
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[
"overloaded with traffic."
],
[
"100 minutes"
],
[
"Tuesday."
],
[
"Tuesday's"
],
[
"Tuesday."
]
] | NEW: Gmail outage occurred when some servers were taken offline for maintenance .
NEW: Google says its remaining routers became overloaded with traffic .
Google's free e-mail service suffered widespread outage Tuesday afternoon .
Google said Gmail outage lasted about an hour and 40 minutes . |
(CNN) -- Gordon Gekko-inspired suspenders may have faded from Wall Street and lunch isn't for wimps anymore, but if there's one thing that hasn't changed in the last two decades it's this: greed is good.
With his new film director Oliver Stone is back to exposing financial chicanery, this time showcasing how complex and unfettered the system has become since his 1987 hit film "Wall Street."
What did he find when he returned to the scene after more than two decades? After years of bank deregulation, Wall Street "got ridiculous, and I mean it's insane. It became a financial casino," he told CNN.
That outrageous environment serves as the backdrop for "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," a follow-up film which, amid massive bank bailouts, sweeping financial reform in Washington and investigations into the practices of Wall Street's leading firms, couldn't be more timely.
In the movie, Michael Douglas reprises the role of corporate shark Gordon Gekko. Fresh out of prison, he finds himself in a new financial era dominated by complex products and securities.
"Money Never Sleeps," which is slated for release in September, is a "bookend" rather than a sequel, to the 1987 film, Stone says.
Stone, whose father worked on Wall Street as a broker, set out to tell a morality tale about excess in the original film, with Gekko positioned as the bad guy.
But judging by the recent financial crisis, not many Wall Streeters took Stone's message to heart. Instead of being seen as a villain in the 1980s, Gekko became a paragon of success for a generation of traders and business school graduates.
Douglas, who won a Best Actor Oscar for the first "Wall Street," said he's always surprised at the reaction MBA students have to Gekko, the suspender-sporting character out to win at all costs.
"They would come up to me and say, 'Hey Gordon, he's the man,'" he told CNN at Cannes, where the film premiered earlier this month. "And probably a lot of those guys...are heading up investing banking companies now," he said.
In the follow up film, Gekko is looking to get back into the Wall Street game and finds a way through his estranged daughter's boyfriend, a young investment banker played by Shia LaBeouf.
Joining the cast, which includes Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin, was like "stepping into a cage of lions," LaBeouf said. "I felt like an underdog coming onto this set. I'm the 'Transformers,' kid. It's just like, it's daunting."
LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan, who plays Gekko's daughter, play a young couple with ideals. (The couple has also been linked together offscreen.) But their integrity is tested and "everybody has double motives," Stone said.
A director known for offering provocative viewpoints, particularly in political films like "W," "JFK" and "Nixon" -- his next film, "South of the Border," is about Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez -- Stone initially wasn't interested in telling another story about Wall Street.
When the producer of the original film and 20th Century Fox made a deal for a follow up film, Stone wasn't on board. "I didn't event want to do a sequel and I turned them down," he said.
What changed? The financial meltdown of 2008, which unleashed the worst crisis since the Great Depression and caused the economy to suffer in Stone's words, a "triple bypass heart attack."
The financial crisis "was an event of monumental importance socially, economically, for the United States," he said. "It wasn't a perfect storm, it was a systematic breakdown that was due because it's the way the system is run."
While the director certainly harbors strong feelings about the financial system, he also had his fun with the film. He appears briefly, as does Charlie Sheen, who | [
"what is oliver stone's hit film?",
"Who plays Gordon Gekko?",
"what is happening with wall street",
"what is micharl douglas's role?",
"what will michael douglass do",
"who plays role of ideal investment banker?",
"who will shia labeouf play",
"\"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps\" is the follow up to what Oliver Stone film?"
] | [
[
"\"Wall Street.\""
],
[
"Michael Douglas"
],
[
"It became a financial casino,\""
],
[
"Gordon Gekko."
],
[
"reprises the role of corporate shark Gordon Gekko."
],
[
"Shia LaBeouf."
],
[
"a young investment banker"
],
[
"Street.\""
]
] | "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" is the follow up Oliver Stone's 1987 hit film "Wall Street"
Stone discovered a "ridiculous" and "insane" system in Wall Street when making the sequel .
Michael Douglas reprises his role as corporate raider Gordon Gekko .
Shia LaBeouf plays the role of a young, ideal investment banker . |
(CNN) -- Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia delivered the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday night. Here is a transcript of the speech. McDonnell: Thank you very much. Thank you. Good evening. I'm Bob McDonnell. Eleven days ago, I was honored to be sworn in as the 71st governor of Virginia. I'm standing in the historic House Chamber of Virginia's Capitol, a building designed by Virginia's second governor, Thomas Jefferson. It's not easy to follow the president of the United States. And my 18-year-old twin boys have added pressure to me tonight by giving me exactly 10 minutes to finish before they leave to go watch "SportsCenter." (LAUGHTER) I'm joined by fellow Virginians to share a Republican perspective on how to best address the challenges facing our nation today. We were encouraged to hear President Obama speak this evening about the need to create jobs. All Americans should have the opportunity to find and keep meaningful work, and the dignity that comes with it. (APPLAUSE) Many -- many of us here tonight -- and many of you watching -- have family or friends who have lost their jobs. In fact, 1 in 10 Americans is unemployed. That is unacceptable. Here in Virginia, we've faced our highest unemployment rate in more than 25 years, and bringing new jobs and more opportunities to our citizens is the top priority of my administration. Good government policy should spur economic growth and strengthen the private sector's ability to create new jobs. (APPLAUSE) We must enact policies that promote entrepreneurship and innovation so America can better compete with the world. What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class. It was Thomas Jefferson who called for "a wise and frugal government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned." He was right. Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much. Last year, we were told that massive new federal spending would create more jobs immediately and hold unemployment below 8 percent. In the past year, more than 3 million people have lost their jobs, and yet the Democratic Congress continues deficit spending, adding to the bureaucracy, and increasing the national debt on our children and our grandchildren. The amount of debt is on pace to double in five years and triple in 10. The federal debt is now over $100,000 per household. This is simply unsustainable. The president's partial freeze announced tonight on discretionary spending is a laudable step, but a small one. The circumstances of our time demand that we reconsider and restore the proper limited role of government at every level. (APPLAUSE) Without reform, the excessive growth of government threatens our very liberty and our prosperity. In recent months, the American people have made clear that they want government leaders to listen and then act on the issues most important to them. We want results, not rhetoric. We want cooperation, not partisanship. (APPLAUSE) There is much common ground. All Americans agree that we need health -- health care system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality. But most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government. Republicans in Congress have offered legislation to reform health care, without shifting Medicaid costs to the states, without cutting Medicare, and without raising your taxes. And we will do that by implementing common sense reforms, like letting families and businesses buy health insurance policies across state lines and ending frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals that drive up the cost of your health care. And our solutions aren't 1,000-page bills that no one has fully read, after being crafted behind closed doors with special interests. In fact, many of our proposals are available online at solutions.gop.gov, and we welcome your ideas on Facebook and Twitter. (LAUGHTER) All Americans | [
"What was Gov. Bob McDonnell's response to State of the Union speech?",
"What he said about what American`s want?",
"What McDonell said about GOP?",
"Who has serious concerns about Obama's terrorist policy?",
"Who has concerns about Obama's terrorist policy?",
"Bob McDonnell is the governor of which U.S. state?",
"Did Gov. Bob McDonell responds to State of the Union speech?"
] | [
[
"Thank you very much. Thank you."
],
[
"government leaders to listen and then act on the issues most important to them."
],
[
"We were encouraged to hear President Obama speak this evening"
],
[
"Gov."
],
[
"Bob McDonnell."
],
[
"Virginia"
],
[
"McDonnell of Virginia delivered the Republican response"
]
] | Gov. Bob McDonnell of Virginia responds to State of the Union speech .
Americans don't want to turn health care over to government, he says .
McDonnell: GOP has serious concerns about Obama's terrorist policy . |
(CNN) -- Governments and charities have spent billions to try to wipe out poverty, but award-winning economist Esther Duflo says we really don't know if that money has been well spent.
But as a result of Duflo's pioneering work, we may be getting some answers to that question. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor has led the way in showing how the scientific method can be applied to determining what policies actually work.
Duflo last month won the John Bates Clark Medal, which is awarded to an American economist under the age of 40 who has made the "most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge."
In her talk at the TED2010 conference in Long Beach, California, Duflo pointed out that Africa has received a great amount of development aid, but the African economies have not made a lot of progress in improving their gross domestic product.
"If we don't know whether we are doing any good, we are not any better than the medieval doctors and their leeches. Sometimes the patient gets better, sometimes the patient dies. Is it the leeches? Is it something else? We don't know."
Read more about Esther Duflo on TED.com
In three areas, Duflo said her research techniques can help answer vital questions:
• Giving away bed nets treated with insecticide to prevent the spread of malaria works, despite fears by some that free nets would not be valued by recipients and might be used instead as fishing nets.
• If you want to enhance the effectiveness of the educational system in a developing country, you can sometimes have a great impact by indirect means. For example, if the nation is one where children suffer from intestinal worms, spending $100 on deworming the children can be many times more effective in getting them educated than simply spending the $100 on paying for teachers, school meals and other school expenses.
• In the Indian state of Rajasthan, Duflo found that by creating a monthly camp and giving away kilo-sized bags of lentils, there was a significant increase in the number of parents who brought their children to be immunized with potentially life-saving vaccines.
Duflo said, "It's not the Middle Ages anymore. It's the 21st century. And in the 20th century, randomized, controlled trials have revolutionized medicine by allowing us to distinguish between drugs that work and drugs that don't work. And you can do the same randomized, controlled trial for social policy. You can put social innovation to the same rigorous, scientific tests that we use for drugs." | [
"Duflo received an award for what?",
"What can the scientific method determine?",
"What did Duflo say?",
"What award did Duflo receive?",
"Where did the money come from?",
"What scientific method can determine the outcome of the policies on poverty?",
"What is the name of the award?",
"what method can determine which policies work?"
] | [
[
"\"most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.\""
],
[
"policies actually work."
],
[
"we really don't know if that money has been well spent."
],
[
"John Bates Clark Medal,"
],
[
"and charities"
],
[
"randomized, controlled trial"
],
[
"John Bates Clark Medal,"
],
[
"scientific"
]
] | Esther Duflo: We don't know if billions in aid to fight poverty actually worked .
She says scientific method can determine which policies work .
Duflo received award as most accomplished American economist under the age of 40 . |
(CNN) -- Governors in three Eastern Seaboard states Friday called on National Guard troops to help evacuate people from flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida.
Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power.
Ida lost momentum but not the ability to generate winds and rain as it made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast earlier this week, forecasters said.
The National Weather Service had flood advisories in effect Friday for areas of coastal Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
At least 160 National Guard troops were deployed in sections of Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey to evacuate residents in high-water areas as well as provide cots, sandbags and potable water, according to the Pentagon's National Guard Bureau.
"About 40 members of the Delaware National Guard have provided support to civilian emergency relief agencies in Kent and Sussex counties," the bureau said.
The New Jersey National Guard sent 18 guardsmen with trucks to help with evacuations in the Cape May and Atlantic counties, where the governor Thursday declared a state of emergency due to flooding, Guard officials reported
Almost 100 guardsmen with high-water vehicles were helping firefighters in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency, saying the remnants of Ida had combined with another storm to cause dangerous conditions in some areas. By early afternoon, at least 155,000 customers were without power in the state -- mostly in and around Norfolk, according to the Dominion Power Web site.
"With the National Weather Service indicating that eastern Virginia could experience flooding and storm surge comparable to the effects of a Category 1 hurricane, it's critical that Virginians make the necessary preparations," Kaine said. "While we will continue to monitor conditions, the commonwealth is preparing for a period of coastal flooding through at least Friday evening." | [
"When did the storm happen?",
"What has left no power?",
"Where could flood happen?",
"What number had no power?",
"Where did the storm occur?",
"What did the National Guard do?"
] | [
[
"Friday"
],
[
"Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm"
],
[
"Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey."
],
[
"155,000"
],
[
"U.S. Gulf Coast"
],
[
"evacuate residents in high-water areas as well as provide cots, sandbags and potable water,"
]
] | Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power.
Flood advisories were in effect Friday in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
National Guard Bureau: At least 160 troops were deployed to assist in high-water areas .
Dominion Power: By early afternoon, at least 155,000 in Virginia had no electricity . |
(CNN) -- Governors in three Eastern Seaboard states Friday called on National Guard troops to help evacuate people from flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida. Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power. Ida lost momentum but not the ability to generate winds and rain as it made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast earlier this week, forecasters said. The National Weather Service had flood advisories in effect Friday for areas of coastal Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. At least 160 National Guard troops were deployed in sections of Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey to evacuate residents in high-water areas as well as provide cots, sandbags and potable water, according to the Pentagon's National Guard Bureau. "About 40 members of the Delaware National Guard have provided support to civilian emergency relief agencies in Kent and Sussex counties," the bureau said. The New Jersey National Guard sent 18 guardsmen with trucks to help with evacuations in the Cape May and Atlantic counties, where the governor Thursday declared a state of emergency due to flooding, Guard officials reported Almost 100 guardsmen with high-water vehicles were helping firefighters in Portsmouth, Virginia. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency, saying the remnants of Ida had combined with another storm to cause dangerous conditions in some areas. By early afternoon, at least 155,000 customers were without power in the state -- mostly in and around Norfolk, according to the Dominion Power Web site. "With the National Weather Service indicating that eastern Virginia could experience flooding and storm surge comparable to the effects of a Category 1 hurricane, it's critical that Virginians make the necessary preparations," Kaine said. "While we will continue to monitor conditions, the commonwealth is preparing for a period of coastal flooding through at least Friday evening." | [
"how many people haven't electricity?",
"what is causing problems in delaware",
"where was flood advisories?",
"Where were flood advisories in effect for?",
"How many troops were deployed?",
"How many have been left without power?"
] | [
[
"at least 155,000 customers"
],
[
"flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida."
],
[
"coastal Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey."
],
[
"areas of coastal Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey."
],
[
"At least 160 National Guard"
],
[
"at least 155,000 customers were"
]
] | Strong winds and rain from the powerful storm have left thousands without power.
Flood advisories were in effect Friday in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey.
National Guard Bureau: At least 160 troops were deployed to assist in high-water areas .
Dominion Power: By early afternoon, at least 155,000 in Virginia had no electricity . |
(CNN) -- Grace, Kara and Trichelle were created to fill a void for young black girls who for so long have been playing with dolls that don't look like them. Stacy McBride-Irby, creator of the new Barbie, poses with the dolls. The new black Barbies released by Mattel have fuller lips, curlier hair and other features that the company says more accurately represent African-American women. Some have cheered the new dolls. Others jeered them, saying they're not black enough. "I love the black Barbie. It's about time," Jua Simpson said on CNN's iReport, a user-generated news community. "But the hair is still a step backwards, since most of our hair is not straight and light brown." Others disagree with critics who say the dolls should have had more natural black hairstyles, such as afros or braids. "Many people have criticized the dolls for either having hair that's too long or too straight, but I have long, straight hair that I straightened. But it's my hair and a part of me," said Tanisa Zoe Samuel, an African-American iReporter from the Turks and Caicos, in the Caribbean. "Black women come in all shades, shapes and varieties that there is just no way to capture everyone with three dolls." iReport.com: Samuel shares her thoughts on the new Barbie The dolls were created by Stacy McBride-Irby, an African-American who watched her daughter play with dolls and wanted to create a doll that looked more like her. McBride-Irby said she has heard the criticism, but she also has received many kudos. "They mean so much to me because they did come from a positive place," McBride-Irby said. "My daughter loves the dolls. I've had dads thank me for creating this line of dolls that represent their little girls. These dolls are for girls all over the world." This is not the first time Mattel has released an ethnic doll that drew criticism. See photos of the black Barbie dolls » In 1997, Mattel collaborated with cookie maker Nabisco to create Oreo Fun Barbie. The black version of the doll, which sported an Oreo-shaped purse, was criticized by some who noted that "Oreo" is a derogatory term in the black community. The word is used to describe someone who is perceived as black on the outside and white on the inside. For some, the talk about dolls is not just child's play. Some think early play with dolls can affect a girl's self-esteem later in life. Actress Nia Long, who appears in comedian Chris Rock's new documentary, "Good Hair," recently talked about the issue on CNN. "Historically, the Afrocentric features have not been celebrated," Long said. "This makes us question the integrity of our beauty standard for ourselves." | [
"What did CNN iReporter Jua Simpson say ?",
"What have fuller lips?",
"Who said \"I love the black Barbie. It's about time,\"?",
"what has been the reaction about dolls?",
"What makes the new black Barbies different?",
"who has fuller lips, curlier hair, more African-American features?"
] | [
[
"\"I love the black Barbie. It's about time,\""
],
[
"The new black Barbies released by Mattel"
],
[
"Jua Simpson"
],
[
"Some have cheered"
],
[
"released by Mattel have fuller lips, curlier hair and other features that the company says more accurately represent African-American women."
],
[
"The new black Barbies"
]
] | New black Barbies have fuller lips, curlier hair, more African-American features .
Some have cheered the dolls; others have criticized them for being unrealistic .
"I love the black Barbie. It's about time," said CNN iReporter Jua Simpson .
iReport.com: Share your thoughts on the new black Barbie . |
(CNN) -- Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend will perform at "CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute," airing on Thanksgiving on CNN. John Legend will sing "If You're Out There" from his just-released album "Evolver." Hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper, the program honors the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. The show will be broadcast globally on CNN, CNN International and CNN en Español at 9 p.m. ET/PT November 27 (0200 GMT November 28). Each of this year's top 10 CNN Heroes will be honored in a documentary tribute and introduced by a celebrity presenter. Actors Cameron Diaz, Salma Hayek, Forest Whitaker, Meg Ryan, Terrence Howard, Lucy Liu, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Selena Gomez are among the stars participating in the event. See photos of the presenters » In addition, actor Hugh Jackman will present People magazine's 2008 Heroes Among Us award to six recipients honored by the magazine this year. People is partnering with CNN for this portion of the telecast. Keys will perform "Superwoman" from her hit album "As I Am." Legend, backed by the Los Angeles-based Agape Choir, will sing "If You're Out There" from his just-released album "Evolver." The evening will culminate with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year, chosen through a six-week online poll that generated more than 1 million votes. Viewers were asked to select the CNN Hero who inspired them the most from among the top 10 CNN Heroes selected by a blue-ribbon panel. The Hero of the Year will be awarded $100,000 in addition to the $25,000 that each of the top 10 CNN Heroes receives. Voting for the CNN Hero of the Year has now closed. Watch a close-up look at the CNN Hero Award » Award-winning producer-director Joel Gallen returns to executive produce this year's program. Among his credits, Gallen produced telethon events supporting victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, winning an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for "America: A Tribute to Heroes." Kodak Theatre is a 3,400-seat venue that opened in November 2001 and is best known as the first permanent home of the Academy Awards. | [
"What winners are performing at CNN Heroes event?",
"Who will the show honor?",
"When does the program air?",
"When will the program be broadcast?",
"What event will feature Grammy winners?",
"When will the show air?",
"Who selected the 10 CNN Heroes?",
"On what date will the show air?",
"Who will perform at the CNN Heroes event?"
] | [
[
"Alicia Keys and John Legend"
],
[
"the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008"
],
[
"9 p.m. ET/PT November 27"
],
[
"p.m. ET/PT November 27"
],
[
"\"CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,\""
],
[
"on Thanksgiving"
],
[
"Viewers"
],
[
"Thanksgiving"
],
[
"Alicia Keys and John Legend"
]
] | Grammy winners to perform at CNN Heroes event .
The show will honor the top 10 CNN Heroes, as selected by a distinguished panel .
It airs globally at 9 p.m. ET November 27 (0200 GMT November 28)
The program culminates with the announcement of the CNN Hero of the Year . |
(CNN) -- Grammy-winning trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, a leading figure in jazz during a five-decade career, has died at age 70, about a month after suffering a heart attack, his publicist said Tuesday. In the 1970s, Freddie Hubbard made a series of funk- and fusion-oriented albums, such as the 1970 hit "Red Clay." Hubbard died Monday morning in Sherman Oaks, California, outside Los Angeles, after a long battle with heart disease, spokesman Don Lucoff told CNN. He had been hospitalized since suffering a heart attack the day before Thanksgiving and took a turn for the worse last week, Lucoff said. "Freddie Hubbard, in terms of the advent of modern jazz, the birth of bebop, was probably among the five greatest trumpet players that has ever lived ... He's really right up there with Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Roy Eldridge, an innovator and great composer," Lucoff said. A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Hubbard moved to New York in the late 1950s. By the mid-1960s, he was playing alongside such major jazz figures as Art Blakey, Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. In the early 1970s, he made a series of funk- and fusion-oriented albums, such as the 1970 hit "Red Clay" and 1972's Grammy-winning "First Light." "The thing that set Freddie Hubbard apart was he played rapidly, he played soulfully and he really set the pace for a lot of the trumpet players who have come after him in the last 20 or 30 years," Lucoff said. Hubbard was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006. He is survived by wife, Briggie, and son Duane. | [
"How old was Hubbard at the time of this article?",
"What kind of music did Hubbard play?",
"What health condition did Hubbard have?",
"Who did Hubbard play with?",
"When was Hubbard named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master?",
"In what year was Hubbard named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master?",
"What are Art Blakely and Herbie Hancock known for?",
"What was Hubbard named?",
"What award did the trumpeter win?",
"Who fought heart disease?",
"Name of the award winning trumpeter?"
] | [
[
"70,"
],
[
"jazz"
],
[
"heart disease,"
],
[
"Art Blakey, Oliver Nelson, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter."
],
[
"2006."
],
[
"2006."
],
[
"jazz"
],
[
"National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master"
],
[
"Grammy-winning"
],
[
"Freddie Hubbard"
],
[
"Freddie Hubbard,"
]
] | Grammy-winning trumpeter long fought heart disease, spokesman says .
Hubbard played with major jazz figures including Art Blakey and Herbie Hancock .
Hubbard was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006 . |
(CNN) -- Greece international central defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos has completed his transfer to English Premier League side Liverpool after signing a two-year contract with the club. Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has turned to Kyrgiakos because of defensive injury worries. The 30-year-old has passed a medical to finalize his switch from AEK Athens, and will go straight into the squad for Monday's home match against Aston Villa at Anfield. He is likely to partner Jamie Carragher in the heart of Liverpool's defense, taking the place of teenager Daniel Ayala who made his full debut in Wednesday's 4-0 win over Stoke. Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is without two key defenders through injury. Danish center-back Daniel Agger will have an operation on his back in Germany on Tuesday, and will be out for six weeks while Martin Skrtel is still struggling with a damaged jaw, sustained at Tottenham last weekend, and is not expected to be fit to face Villa. Benitez has been searching for defensive cover for weeks, having tried to sign Stoke's Ryan Shawcross and Hull's Michael Turner. He was also linked with West Ham's England defender Matthew Upson. But Liverpool's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are believed to have put the block on any further major signings, meaning that Benitez has had to search for the cheaper options. He has snapped up Kyrgiakos for just $3.3 million and Benitez said of his latest signing: "He has had experience in Scotland with Rangers and in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt as well as with the Greek national side. Benitez told Liverpool's official Web site: "He is strong and good in the air, and we were looking for experience and he is the perfect answer." Kyrgiakos, who has been capped 50 times by Greece described his decision to move to England as "the biggest challenge of my career". The tough-tackling defender moved back to Greece in 2008 after one season at Rangers and two with Eintracht Frankfurt. | [
"What does Kyrgiakos do?",
"Who is Kyrgiakos?",
"Where is Kyrgiakos from?",
"Who moved to Liverpool?"
] | [
[
"central defender"
],
[
"international central defender"
],
[
"Greece"
],
[
"Sotirios Kyrgiakos"
]
] | Greece international central defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos moves to Liverpool .
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez swoops because of recent defensive injuries .
Kyrgiakos, 30, likely to make Liverpool debut against Aston Villa on Monday . |
(CNN) -- Greece is in a state of political turmoil sparked by Prime Minister George Papandreou's call earlier this week for a referendum on the latest bailout package from Europe.
A confidence vote in his government is scheduled for Friday night -- in the meantime, uncertainty rules.
The crisis is unfolding as leaders of the G-20 group of nations meet in Cannes, France, for economic talks, amid fears that a debt default in Greece could send shock waves through the global economy.
So what could come next for Greece? Analysts see several potential scenarios.
The vote of confidence in Papandreou's government is expected to go ahead as planned, despite discussions Thursday on the formation of an interim coalition or national unity government.
If he wins the confidence vote, he could claim a fresh mandate for his ruling Socialist PASOK party -- although even some within his party think its days in charge are numbered.
Senior PASOK lawmaker Tilemachos Chytiris told Greek state TV channel ERT that ideally Papandreou would win the vote, but a national unity government would then be formed.
If he loses the vote, the government would go into caretaker status until early elections can be held, said Heather Conley, senior fellow and director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state.
"What's a foregone conclusion is that Papandreou would have to step down and allow a technocratic government that would receive the full support of parliament to be that caretaker," she said.
In another scenario, the leader of the main opposition New Democracy party said Thursday that his party could enter a coalition government with the PASOK party, as an interim stage leading to new elections.
Papandreou's office said he is prepared to enter a national unity government with the opposition, but rejected the condition that early elections be held.
Opposition leader Antonis Samaras later Thursday said Papandreou should step down and called for snap elections within six weeks.
Under Greek law, a vote cannot be held until at least 30 days after elections are called, meaning that the Greek people would go to the polls in early December at the soonest.
In that case, it would be likely that the conservatives would win the most votes but would not have a parliamentary majority, forcing them to form a coalition government, said Kostas Gemenis, an assistant professor of politics at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
That coalition could include far-right parties or PASOK, but with the New Democracy lawmakers in the driver's seat.
The conservatives have said Greece needs to bargain harder with Europe on any deal.
Another scenario is that PASOK and the conservatives join in a longer-term grand coalition, or unity, government.
That option would give greater stability, as it would avoid elections, and could ensure that Greece stayed in the euro and the European Union, said Gemenis.
As for the planned referendum, the likelihood of it taking place appears to be diminishing.
Papandreou told his Cabinet Thursday he was backing off from a referendum vote because the opposition New Democracy party had agreed to the need to pass austerity measures required by the bailout.
And the office of Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said Friday he had confirmed to the European Commission that the referendum had been scrapped.
That news would certainly come as a relief to Europe's leaders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned Papandreou in Cannes Wednesday that Greece would have to leave the euro zone if voters rejected the bailout plan.
But Greece could find it hard to put the cat back in the bag now it's been allowed out, Conley said.
Although some observers say the referendum will not survive if Papandreou does not, she foresees a scenario where the Greek people demand a say in decisions that will affect them, and their country, for decades.
She warns it could also lead to the governments of other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Italy, facing calls for difficult decisions to be put them to a referendum.
The recent crisis has prompted talk of a "democracy deficit," she | [
"When did George Papandreou face a confidence vote?",
"What does Greece need to accept to remain in the eurozone?",
"What do some in Papandreou's party say is needed?",
"Who feels a national unity government is needed?",
"What is Papandreou facing on Friday?"
] | [
[
"Friday night"
],
[
"bargain harder with Europe on any deal."
],
[
"referendum on the latest bailout"
],
[
"Tilemachos Chytiris"
],
[
"A confidence vote in his government"
]
] | NEW: Some in Papandreou's party say a national unity government is needed .
PM George Papandreou faces a confidence vote late Friday .
The main opposition leader calls for him to resign and for snap elections .
Greece has to accept tough bailout terms if it wants to stay in the eurozone . |
(CNN) -- Greece's economic turmoil threatens to topple the eurozone, shake the global financial markets and bring down the protagonist in the political drama: embattled Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Papandreou has been at the center of the financial storm in Europe, with his political future on the line after a turbulent day of political wrangling between the government and opposition.
As the 59-year-old comes under fire for his call for a referendum on the latest bailout package from Europe, the world is anxiously watching.
And uncertainty looms for a man surrounded by power from an early age.
Born in Minnesota and educated in the United States, Sweden and several other countries, Papandreou has seen the world as a student and a diplomat.
The son and grandson of former leaders, Papandreou is a product of Greece's political establishment. His grandfather served as prime minister in the 1960s, a position assumed about two decades later by his father after he founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, or PASOK party.
During his first run for Greece's top job in 2004, Papandreou did not shy away from touting his family legacy.
"I am very, very honored to have such a name," he said at the time. "It is a heavy responsibility, but it is the Greek people in the end who make the decision."
While his name is a political institution in the South European nation, his rise to power was hardly preordained -- considering he was born more than 5,000 miles from Athens, on June 16, 1952, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
His father, Andreas, joined the University of Minnesota faculty five years earlier as an associate economics professor, rising later to full professor before leaving in 1955 for a post at the University of Berkeley in California.
"He was a most charismatic character: His eyes seemed to burn with zeal," Scott Maynes said of the elder Papandreou in a University of Minnesota economics department newsletter.
"It bothered me that he seemed to see the CIA under every bed ... But what impressed me most of all about Papandreou was the strong commitment he inspired."
The prime minister's mother, Margaret Chant, graduated with a journalism degree in 1946, from the Twin Cities university.
Six years later, the same year her son was born, she earned her master's degree in public health.
In a letter in the 1972 edition of the University of Minnesota alumni news magazine, Margaret Chant Papandreou explained how her family left the United States in 1959 and settled into "political life" in Greece.
She wrote then that she initially spoke little Greek, though her children -- young George included -- "attended Greek schools." Her friends, she said, tended to be educated in England or the United States. And she particularly bristled at what she deemed Greece's "machismo" culture, and the tendency of men in authority to demean and unfairly punish women who spoke out.
"They detested me," Chant Papandreou recalled of those aligned against her and her husband. "I had 'mingled too much in politics,' they declared... If I weren't in the fight for the liberation of Greece, I'd surely be in the fight for the liberation of Greek women."
The Papandreou family's lives turned upside down following a military coup in April 1967, leading to a globe-trotting existence evident in the schools the prime minister attended including in Illinois, Stockholm and Toronto.
Papandreou also attended Amherst College, a small and prestigious liberal arts institution in central Massachusetts where he roomed with Antonis Samaras, according to Amherst's news office.
Samaras would later become his primary political rival as the leader of Greece's conservative New Democracy party. He has described the prime minister as untrustworthy and demanded he resign and call for snap elections in six weeks.
After attending schools in far-flung cities, he eventually returned to Greece and immersed himself in politics. He first won election to parliament in 1981 and within a few years, he was a key figure in his father's PASOK's party.
While still a parliamentary | [
"When did he first run for top job?",
"who was born in Minnesota?",
"Where was George Papandreou born?"
] | [
[
"2004,"
],
[
"Papandreou"
],
[
"Minnesota"
]
] | George Papandreou was born in Minnesota .
He is the son and grandson of former Greek prime ministers .
During his first run for top job in 2004, he did not shy away from touting his family legacy . |
(CNN) -- Greek physician Hippocrates was the first to use the words "carcinos" and "carcinoma" in 400 BC to describe tumors, which led to the term "cancer" being coined. Greek physician Hippocrates was the first to use the words "carcinos" and "carcinoma" to describe tumors, which led to the term 'cancer." Since his day, medical advances in the treatment of cancer have evolved significantly. Below we chart some of the key moments in the battle against cancer. 1890 -- William Stewart Halsted, the first professor of surgery at Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Yale, performs the first mastectomy to treat breast cancer. 1895 -- Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers X-ray radiation, which makes the detection of tumors in the body much easier and non-invasive. Later in 1899, Tage Anton Ultimus Sjogren becomes the first person to successfully treat cancer with X-rays. 1896 -- Removal of the ovaries is performed for the first time to treat breast cancer. 1898 -- Marie and Pierre Curie discover radium and later use it to treat tumors. 1900 --Thor Stenbeck cures a patient with skin cancer using small doses of daily radiation therapy. This technique is later referred to as fractionated radiation therapy. 1900s -- Dr. George Papanicolaou invents the Pap smear test after his findings suggest that vaginal cell smears reveal the presence of cancer. 1943 -- The first electron linear accelerator is designed for radiation therapy. Today, it is widely used for treatment of cancer. Late 1960s -- Lars Leksell develops the Gamma Knife -- a radiosurgical tool that uses a high dose of radiation to eradicate cancerous cells. 1964 -- The Epstein-Barr virus is linked to human cancer for the first time. 1974 -- Dr. Lawrence Einhorn finds a cure for advanced testicular cancer. This changes the cure rate from 5 percent to 60 percent. 1975 -- Scientists Georges Kohler and Cesar Milstein develop tailor-made antibodies in large quantities in a laboratory, leading to ways of attacking cancer and diagnosing disease. They go on to win the Nobel Prize in 1984. 1976 -- Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus discover oncogene, a gene that, when mutated or expressed at high levels, helps turn a normal cell into a cancer cell. They win the 1989 Nobel Prize. 1980s -- Anti-nausea drugs are developed to suppress the side effects of chemotherapy. 1991 -- The U.S. Human Genome project begins. The first gene transfers in humans also take place in that same year. 1998 -- Tamoxifen, a drug that helps reduce the risks of breast cancer by half in women is approved for wide use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 2004 -- The FDA approves Avastin, a monoclonal antibody that restricts tumor growth by blocking the formation of new blood vessels for the treatment of metastatic cancer. 2007 -- The FDA approves Nexavar, an oral inhibitor for liver cancer. This is the only drug approved for liver cancer. 2008 -- German scientist Harald zur Hausen wins a Nobel Prize for his research that found that oncogenic human papilloma virus, or HPV, causes cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women. He made the discovery in the early 1980s. Sources: Emory University, Cure Today, Britannia.com CNN intern Priyanka Deladia contributed to this report | [
"When was X-ray radiation discovered?",
"Who developed the Gamma Knife?",
"what was the prize for",
"what is the gamma knife",
"Who developed the Gamma Knife in 1960s?",
"Who discovered X-ray radiation in 1895?",
"In which decade were anti-nausea drugs to suppress chemotherapy side effects created?",
"Name the person that won the Nobel Prize"
] | [
[
"1895"
],
[
"Lars Leksell"
],
[
"research that found that oncogenic human papilloma virus, or HPV, causes cervical"
],
[
"a radiosurgical tool that uses a high dose of radiation to eradicate cancerous cells."
],
[
"Lars Leksell"
],
[
"Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen"
],
[
"1980s"
],
[
"Michael Bishop"
]
] | Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovers X-ray radiation in 1895 .
Lars Leksell develops the Gamma Knife in 1960s .
Anti-nausea drugs to suppress chemotherapy side effects created in 80s .
German scientist Harald zur Hausen wins a Nobel Prize in 2008 for HPV work . |
(CNN) -- Greek voters will go to the polls to elect a new government two years early, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced Thursday. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis says he wants to enact reforms in response to the international financial crisis. He called the early elections in response to pressure from the opposition Socialist Party, which threatened to block the election of a president in February if there was no general election first. Karamanlis is also seeking a mandate from the voters for reforms in response to the international financial crisis, he said. "It's up to the citizens to decide who has the right plan to govern and face the economic challenges," he said in a speech to the country. "We have two very difficult and critical years ahead of us," he said in the speech on Wednesday. "There is only one path that offers hope and potential: We take -- without delay, without procrastination -- take all necessary measures to address these problems. By design and desire. We need to build the solid foundation that will ultimately get us out of this crisis stronger." He said the country needs "stringent control on public spending," "war on tax-evasion" and "bold structural reforms." The new elections will be held October 4, Karamanlis announced Thursday after meeting President Karolos Papoulias, who officially dissolves parliament. Karamanlis' term was not due to expire until September 2011. But Socialist party leader George Papandreou insisted on new elections before the end of Papoulias' term as president in February. The Greek constitution requires the two major parties to agree on the election of a president, giving either party an effective veto. Karamanlis called Papandreou's stance "blackmail." Parliament will be dissolved on September 7, Karamanlis said on his Web site. Karamanlis' conservative New Democracy party suffered a sharp setback in European elections in June, when the Socialists matched New Democracy's tally of eight seats, with 36 percent of the vote. That election was seen as a litmus test for Karamanlis at a time of political and economic uncertainty with the economy shrinking and the country staring at a recession after nearly 15 years of high-profile growth. CNN's Efty Katsareas and Christine Theodorou contributed to this report. | [
"What did the PM call for?",
"Name the prime minister that announced elections on Thursday",
"Who announced elections Thursday?",
"Which country is Kostas Karamanlis the Prime Minister of?",
"He called early elections in response to pressure from which opposition party?",
"What did the Prime Minster call a war on?",
"PM called for war on what type of evasion?",
"Which party was responsible for the pressure placed on the Prime Minister to call early elections?",
"When were the elections announced?"
] | [
[
"early elections"
],
[
"Kostas Karamanlis"
],
[
"Kostas Karamanlis"
],
[
"Greek"
],
[
"Socialist"
],
[
"tax-evasion\""
],
[
"tax-evasion\""
],
[
"Socialist"
],
[
"Thursday."
]
] | Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced elections Thursday .
Called early elections in response to pressure from opposition Socialist Party .
PM called for "stringent control on public spending ... war on tax-evasion" |
(CNN) -- Griffin Bell, who served as attorney general in the Carter administration, has died, according to the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 90. Griffin Bell is sworn in as attorney general in January 1977. Former President Jimmy Carter issued a statement saying that he and former first lady Rosalynn Carter were deeply saddened by Bell's death. "A trusted and enduring public figure, Griffin's integrity, professionalism, and charm were greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations," Carter said. "As a World War II veteran, federal appeals court judge, civil rights advocate, and U.S. attorney general in my administration, Griffin made many lasting contributions to his native Georgia and country. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family." The son of a south Georgia cotton farmer, Bell passed the Georgia bar exam while still a student in law school, according to the New Georgia Encyclopedia. He went on to help build the prominent Atlanta law firm King and Spalding, and then to serve as the nation's top legal officer. He was a chairman of John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign, and Kennedy appointed him to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1961. As a federal judge, Bell was involved in desegregation rulings in the 1960s, and he became known as a moderate legal voice in the South. Fellow Georgian Jimmy Carter nominated Bell as attorney general in 1976. He was confirmed shortly after Carter's inauguration but only after sometimes difficult Senate hearings. Bell's memberships in private segregated clubs and some of his decisions as a federal judge became issues. He was confirmed in January 1977 by a Senate vote of 75 to 21. Bell's tenure as attorney general followed the Watergate era, and he was credited with helping restore public confidence in the Justice Department during the late 1970s. Bell resigned as attorney general in 1979 to return to private law practice in Atlanta with King and Spalding. He resurfaced in the public eye periodically, including in 2004 when he was listed among Georgia Democrats who endorsed President George W. Bush for re-election. Also in 2004, he co-authored an independent study ordered by FBI Director Robert Mueller of the FBI's internal disciplinary procedures. The report sharply criticized the FBI and called its methods for determining punishments for its agents "seriously flawed." | [
"What did his nomination restore confidence in the 1970s?",
"When was he listed?",
"Who did the Georgia Democrats endorse in 2004?",
"What did Carter say?",
"Who did Jimmy Carter nominate in 1976?",
"Who nominated Bell for attorney general?",
"What position did Griffin Bell hold?",
"What state is Jimmy Carter from?",
"Who did Bell endorse in 2004?",
"Who nominated Griffin Bell?"
] | [
[
"Justice Department"
],
[
"2004"
],
[
"President George W. Bush"
],
[
"\"A trusted and enduring public figure, Griffin's integrity, professionalism, and charm were greatly valued across party lines and presidential administrations,\""
],
[
"Bell"
],
[
"Jimmy Carter"
],
[
"attorney general in the Carter administration,"
],
[
"Georgia"
],
[
"President George W. Bush"
],
[
"Jimmy Carter"
]
] | President Jimmy Carter nominated Griffin Bell as attorney general in 1976 .
Bell credited with helping restore confidence in Justice Department in late 1970s .
His "integrity, professionalism, and charm" valued across party lines, Carter said .
In 2004, he was listed among Georgia Dems who endorsed Bush for re-election . |
(CNN) -- Grocery store shelves are bare. Food left in refrigerators has rotted in the absence of electricity. Houston and Galveston are hungry. Ashia Turner and her family, from Galveston, wait at a shelter for a bus that will take them to a hotel on Tuesday. The Houston Food Bank is "utterly overwhelmed with people asking for help," its president, Brian Greene, said Tuesday. The food bank needs 500,000 pounds of food a day for the next six weeks to satisfy the "staggering" needs of Texans who have no food or water after the storm, he said. "People don't grasp just how many people live here," said Greene, who was executive director of New Orleans' Food Bank when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. He lost his home in Katrina, and lived at the New Orleans food bank for weeks using a garden hose as a shower. Most of the Houston food bank's volunteers' homes were damaged and they don't have power. "It's a very similar situation that I saw following Katrina: when the caregivers themselves [are] victims, it just becomes difficult on a far larger scale than you would think," he said. iReport.com: How are you getting by after Ike? He pointed out that while Katrina's devastation was spread over a greater area, more people have been affected by Hurricane Ike. Greene said the food bank normally distributes aid through local charities, churches and other faith-based organizations. But many were wiped out by the storm or are unable to function because of the lack of electricity or phone service. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said several times that they are constantly shipping two days' worth of food every day to make sure supplies do not wane. FEMA has established at least 60 distribution sites across the region to give away water, ice and food. There are long waiting lines at those stations crowded with thousands of people. iReport.com: Long lines for help Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday issued an emergency order that authorized public utilities to lay temporary power lines to restore electricity to 1.5 million customers. Houston Mayor Bill White spoke at a 9 p.m. news conference about food distribution. "If we could figure out how to get a big block of ice on your doorstep, we'd do it," he said. The city is working to get people refrigerated food, but he cautioned, "There's a limited number of [FEMA] trucks" that contain supplies. Fuel is being shipped back to the region, he said. Motorists should stop topping off their tank and only pump the amount of gas they need. Thousands of people remain in shelters throughout the state. FEMA said it was instituting a transitional sheltering program, allowing some evacuees who are unable to return home to stay in hotels or motels. FEMA will pay for the lodging directly to hotels and motels, the agency said. iReport.com: Ike evacuees get help in Austin Galveston was so ravaged that city officials told the 15,000 to 20,000 people who stayed on the island during Ike to leave. For those who evacuated, the message was: Stay away. There's not enough clean drinking water and if people came back it would result in a "downward spiral" that officials cannot handle right now, Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc said Monday. "Sometimes the aftermath of the storm is worse than the storm itself," Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas said Monday. "There's nothing to come here for right now. ... Please leave." Watch how Ike wiped out neighborhoods » In Houston, a curfew remained in place, banning citizens from the streets from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. iReport.com: Shattered Houston buildings A bottled or boiled water advisory for the Houston area was not lifted as had been hoped -- with the exception of Bellaire, which gave the OK for its tap water Tuesday. Houston city officials said water in one location was being retested. Harris County, which includes Houston, said it had crews working to clear roads in downtown Houston, and said most streets were | [
"How many Texans are without power?",
"How many people are still in shelters?",
"Who needs 500,000 pounds of food a day for the next 6 weeks?",
"How many are without power?",
"What is the name of the hurricane?",
"What hurricane caused damage in Galveston?",
"How much food is needed per day by the food bank?"
] | [
[
"1.5 million"
],
[
"Thousands of"
],
[
"Houston"
],
[
"1.5 million customers."
],
[
"Katrina"
],
[
"Ike."
],
[
"500,000 pounds of food a day"
]
] | Houston food bank needs 500,000 pounds of food a day for next 6 weeks .
Thousands still in shelters, 1.5 million without power in Texas .
President inspects hurricane damage in Galveston, promises help .
Floodwaters rising on Missouri, Mississippi rivers from Ike's weekend deluge . |
(CNN) -- Ground-to-air missiles at the 2012 Olympic Games? It's not a new sport added to the London line-up, but proof that Britain's government is taking security seriously.
Defense secretary Phillip Hammond has confirmed that such weapons will be at the disposal of those tasked with ensuring public safety at the UK capital's summer showpiece.
He told parliament that a full range of options would be available for protecting the Games, which kick off on July 27.
Hammond was asked by his predecessor, Liam Fox, to confirm if a "full range of multilayered defense and deterrents" would be on hand, including surface-to-air missiles.
"I can assure him that all necessary measures to ensure the security and safety of the London Olympic Games will be taken including -- if the advice of the military is that it is required -- appropriate ground-to-air defenses," Hammond replied.
Earlier on Monday, British newspaper The Guardian had claimed the United States was planning to send 1,000 security personnel, including FBI agents, to the Olympics after developing concerns about arrangements.
The paper said that the UK government is having to field more and more questions on security from its U.S. counterpart, with one source saying of the White House: "They are being very demanding."
It also claimed the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games has decided to more than double the amount of security guards protecting the 32 Olympic sites across the country to 21,000 from 10,000.
The Guardian quoted the UK Home Office, responsible for home security, as saying its Olympic planning was "on track" and that the funding was in place.
"The government is committed to delivering a safe and secure Games that London, the UK and the world can enjoy," a spokesman said. | [
"Who is Phillip Hammond?",
"Who is the defence secretary?",
"What is available to protect London 2012?",
"Which country is claimed to be unhappy with the level of security?",
"What are available to protect London 2012?",
"Who is the British defence secretary?",
"What will protect London in 2012?"
] | [
[
"Defense secretary"
],
[
"Phillip Hammond"
],
[
"\"full range of multilayered defense and deterrents\""
],
[
"U.S."
],
[
"missiles"
],
[
"Phillip Hammond"
],
[
"missiles"
]
] | MP tells British parliament ground-to-air missiles available to protect London 2012 .
Defense secretary Phillip Hammond says a range of security options are available .
British newspaper had claimed the U.S. was unhappy with planned level of security . |
(CNN) -- Growing up in a small Sri Lankan fishing town, cricket changed Sanath Jayasuriya's life. But his association with the game and humanitarian work has also helped transform the lives of many others. Jayasuriya's stature and shot-making led to comparisons with India's Sachin Tendulkar. "Without cricket I would have a small job in my home town. My mother is happy to say my name," he told CNN in Hong Kong. His mother's pride in his success has an extra poignancy as Jayasuriya's fame in some part helped his mother survive the south Asian tsunami on December 26, 2004. She was swept away by the first wave and only by calling out to get attention, saying she was Jayasuriya's mother, did a rescuer manage to spot her among the debris and destruction and pull her to safety. Thousands of others, including many of Jayasuriya's friends and neighbors, were not so fortunate, and the impact that the disaster had on Jayasuriya's hometown of Matara and many other parts of Sri Lanka is still felt today. "Even now when many people hear the word (tsunami), they are still scared. When my mother hears it, she still can't run," he said. After nearly 20 years of international cricket, the 39-year-old is now just as happy to put bowling attacks to the sword as well as working as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. "Coming from Sri Lanka you need to do a lot of charity work and help in anyway you can. People love cricket and they look to cricketers, so as a team Sri Lanka also does a lot for charity. It's a personal commitment," he told CNN. On the pitch he has always been just as committed to helping his team. Making his international Test match debut in 1991, he captained the Sri Lankan team for four years until 2003 and hit memorable centuries against every other Test side, bar the West Indies and New Zealand. He retired from the five-day version of the game in 2007. However it was in the one day game that the all-rounder has really made his mark. As part of the Sri Lankan team that won the World Cup in 1996, he played an explosive innings of aggressive shot-making that has been credited with revolutionizing the way in which batsman play the game. In 2005 he became only the fourth batsman to reach 10,000 runs in one-day matches and his current stats stand at 12785 runs from 421 one-day internationals. Having made his name in the 50-over version of the game he's still involved in cricket's latest revolution; the even shorter Twenty20 game that is being touted as the future of popularizing the sport. "Cricket has changed all over the world. For the public to watch this game we need for it to change. You can now enjoy all that in around 3 hours (with Twenty20). The Indian Premier League (IPL) is good for cricket and good for cricketers. The one-day game will be phased down." Throughout his career he's shown his own resilience adapting to changing circumstances on the cricket pitch as well as off it. Before the 2003 World Cup he took the decision not to sign a contract with the Sri Lankan cricket board, citing the loss of potential earnings it would mean for him and fellow players. Despite not being a confrontational personality, the tension between himself and the Sri Lankan cricket board led to his resignation from the captaincy in 2003. With no Test cricket to play this year, Jayasuriya found himself omitted from the Sri Lanka squad for 2008 series one-day series against the West Indies. However his fine form while playing in the IPL -- he ended its inaugural season as the third highest run scorer with 514 runs and hitting 31 sixes -- convinced the selectors to pick him for the upcoming one-day series between Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. "Looking back I could never have thought I would have come this far. Buddhism helped me a lot. It says that you should take the | [
"what country is the cricketer from?",
"who won the game",
"What country's cricketer became a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador?",
"`where were the games held",
"what organization is he an ambassador for?",
"what was the sport played",
"Which cricketer will be a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador",
"Who is the highest run scorer in Test matches?",
"What is the Sri Lankan cricketer doing?",
"He is the first cricketer to be a what?"
] | [
[
"Sri Lankan"
],
[
"Sri Lankan team"
],
[
"Sanath Jayasuriya's"
],
[
"Sri Lanka"
],
[
"UN Goodwill"
],
[
"cricket"
],
[
"Sanath Jayasuriya's"
],
[
"Sachin Tendulkar."
],
[
"working as a UN Goodwill Ambassador."
],
[
"UN Goodwill Ambassador."
]
] | Sri Lankan cricketer recognized as changing the way one-day cricket is played .
The first cricketer to be a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador .
Sri Lanka's highest run scorer in Test matches and one-day internationals . |
(CNN) -- Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has declared a state of national calamity because so many citizens do not have food or proper nutrition. Sisters Vidalia, left, and Maribel Agustin, who suffer from malnutrition, sit at a shelter in Guatemala in August. Speaking in a nationally televised address late Tuesday, Colom said his declaration will make it easier to get food to the thousands of Guatemalan families who are in dire need. "This will help us access resources from the international community that are generously offered for this type of situation and to mobilize national resources more rapidly," he said. The United Nations' World Food Programme says Guatemala has the fourth highest rate of chronic malnutrition in the world and the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Chronic undernutrition affects about half of the nation's children under the age of 5, the U.N. agency said. Colom said the nation's food problems are the result of a drought this year, global warming and the effects of the international economic crisis. He also cited the Central American nation's "history of unfairness that has made Guatemala live since long ago with high and shameful poverty levels, extreme poverty and undernutrition." According to the World Bank, about 75 percent of Guatemalans live below the poverty level, which is defined as an income that is not sufficient to purchase a basic basket of goods and basic services. Almost 58 percent of the population have incomes below the extreme poverty line, which is defined as the amount needed to purchase a basic basket of food. "This is the cause of the food and nutritional crisis that this country is going through," Colom said. "There is food. What we don't have are the financial means so that those who are affected can buy the available food. ... Let's not wait until we have a famine to act." Poverty is more pronounced among indigenous populations and those who live in rural areas. In the nation's highlands, where many indigenous people live, seven of 10 children under age 5 are malnourished, the World Food Programme says. About 40 percent of the nation's more than 13.2 million citizens are indigenous Mayans, according to the CIA World Fact Book. | [
"What does Colom blame the problems on?",
"Who is receiving aid from the international community?",
"What will the declaration make easier?",
"What country welcomes aid?",
"What did President Colom say?",
"Declaration makes what easier?",
"What does Colom blame for food problems?",
"What country has the highest malnutrition in Latin America?"
] | [
[
"a drought this year, global"
],
[
"Guatemalan families who are in dire need."
],
[
"to get food to the thousands of Guatemalan families who are in dire need."
],
[
"Guatemala"
],
[
"his declaration will make it easier to get food to the thousands of Guatemalan families who are in dire need."
],
[
"to get food to the thousands of Guatemalan families who are in dire need."
],
[
"drought"
],
[
"Guatemala"
]
] | Declaration will make it easier to get food to those in need, president says .
President Alvaro Colom says Guatemala welcomes aid from international community .
Guatemala has highest rate of malnutrition in Latin America, U.N. says .
Colom blames food problems on drought, global warming, economic crisis . |
(CNN) -- Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom should leave office during the investigation into whether he was connected to three recent slayings, his 2007 presidential opponent said Thursday. Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has said he has no intention of giving up power over the slayings inquiry. Retired Gen. Otto Perez Molina, who lost to Colom in a runoff, said Guatemala is suffering its worst crisis since the democratic process began in 1985 after years of civil war. Demonstrations will continue and anger will mount unless Colom temporarily steps out of the way to allow an unblemished probe, he said. "We want an impartial investigation, a transparent investigation," Perez told CNN. "The president must leave his post." The crisis started Monday with the surfacing of a video in which Guatemalan attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg said Colom, the president's wife and a top aide would be responsible if something happened to the lawyer. Rosenberg was gunned down Sunday while riding his bike in Guatemala City. He had recorded the video last week. Rosenberg was being threatened with death, he said, because he had blamed Colom and his associates for the April slayings of a prominent businessman and his daughter. Rosenberg had represented the businessman. They were killed, Rosenberg said, because they had refused to participate in acts of corruption as the president wanted. "It's the time-honored tradition in Guatemala that if someone gets in your way, there's likely to be a violent outcome," said Donald J. Planty, the U.S. ambassador to Guatemala from 1996 to 1999. Colom took to the airwaves Monday night to vehemently deny that he, his wife or the aide had any connection to the slayings. He promised a full investigation and said he would accept international help, asking the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to become involved. A Guatemalan newspaper reported Thursday that an FBI agent had arrived in the country in connection with the investigation. But Rosenberg supporters say they don't believe the Guatemalan government can carry out an impartial and thorough investigation and want Colom out. Perez said Vice President Jose Rafael Espada could take over until the investigation is complete. "We are only asking that the state be strengthened," Perez said. "If he doesn't do this, we believe the situation will get worse." Colom said in an interview Tuesday night with CNN en Español that he has no intention of resigning or otherwise giving up power. He blamed the deaths on unnamed people who want to bring down his government. "It is evident that [Rosenberg's video statement] was written by someone who has been in on this plan to destabilize the government and for reasons that I don't know, because I don't know why Mr. Rosenberg mentions us in that video," Colom said. For Perez and other critics, that's not good enough. "The president has not wanted to confront this and has given evasive answers," Perez said. "Until the president confronts this, indignation will increase." Some analysts say Colom needs to get the nation under control immediately. "It's a very worrisome situation," said Planty, the former U.S. ambassador. "The country is in very serious trouble." There were rumors two to three weeks ago that the military might stage a coup, Planty said. "The security situation is out of control," he added. Heather Berkman, a Latin America analyst with the Eurasia Group consulting firm, calls it "a major political scandal." Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, a Washington policy institute, agrees with that assessment. "It's very damning for the president. Very damning," he said. Fernando Carrera Castro, a fiscal analyst and executive director of the Instituto Centroamericano de Estudios Fiscales, said the upheaval could further tear apart a poverty-ridden nation trying to heal from a deadly civil war. The three recently slain Guatemalans -- Rosenberg, businessman Khalil Musa and his daughter -- came from the upper economic class. As a result, Carrera said, many wealthy Guatemalans are being "radicalized" | [
"What does the President blame the deaths on?",
"Who was killed Sunday?",
"Who does president blame for deaths?",
"Who was killed on Sunday?",
"Who does the president blame for deaths",
"For what reason should the president step aside",
"Who does the President blame the death on?",
"Who was killed Sunday",
"Who was killed on Sunday?",
"The presidnt blames who for the deaths"
] | [
[
"Colom and his associates"
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"Rodrigo Rosenberg"
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[
"Rosenberg"
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[
"want to bring down his government."
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[
"want to bring down his government."
],
[
"Rosenberg"
],
[
"Rosenberg"
],
[
"unnamed people"
]
] | Lawyer who blamed Guatemala's president for two slayings was killed Sunday .
In video released after his death, lawyer says to blame president if he is slain .
President should step aside during inquiry, says man who lost '07 presidential race .
President blames deaths on people he says want to bring down his government . |
(CNN) -- Guinea-Bissau will hold a runoff presidential election Sunday, five months after the leader of the West African nation was assassinated by a group of soldiers. Supporters of former president and current candidate Malam Sanha rally in Bissau. The race is between two former heads of state, Kumba Yala and Malam Sanha. The candidates won the most votes in the first round of balloting June 28. Analysts hope the new president will usher in an era of stability to the nation of 1.5 million. The former Portuguese colony has had a history of military coups since its independence in 1974. President Joao Bernardo Vieira became president in 1980 after a military coup. He was accused of purging political rivals and suppressing dissent, but several coup attempts in the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. He was finally ousted in 1999 -- and re-elected in 2005. Vieira was killed in March to reportedly avenge the death of the country's military chief a day earlier. Yala, who took office in 2000, was unseated in a military coup after three years. Sanha served as interim president for a few months before his opponent's term. The conflicts have ravaged the nation's infrastructure and economy, leaving it among the poorest in the world. Guinea-Bissau has been battling a booming drug trade and is considered a major transit point for smuggling cocaine into Europe. U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, who urged voters to be peaceful, said he hoped the election would provide a clean start. "The secretary-general hopes this election will mark a clear step forward for Guinea-Bissau in achieving political stability and security, and in fostering the social and economic conditions necessary to consolidate peace and fully realize human rights," Ban's representative said in a statement. A 1998 conflict led to the closure of the U.S. Embassy, which operates from neighboring Senegal. | [
"Who is Ban-Ki Moon?",
"What is being urged?",
"Where are the elections taking place?",
"What are the names of the candidates?",
"Who urges them to vote peacefully?",
"How many months have passed since the assassination?",
"Who are the candidates?",
"What is there a succession of?"
] | [
[
"U.N. chief"
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[
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[
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] | West African state holds elections five months after president assassinated .
Runnoff candidates Kumba Yala, Malam Sanha are both former heads of state .
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon urges Bissau-Guineans to vote peacefully .
Guinea-Bissau has suffered succession of coups since independence from Portugal . |
(CNN) -- Guitarist Carlos Santana signed on as the first rock 'n' roll resident artist at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's new concert hall, The Joint.
Santana will not play any other shows west of the Mississippi River over the next two years.
The two-year deal calls for Santana to play 36 shows a year, starting May 27, the hotel said.
The Joint, which holds 4,000, opens next month with Paul McCartney in a show that sold out earlier this month in just seven seconds.
Santana said his show -- "Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits" -- will "mix up a little practical spirituality with a rebel-from-the-street vibe, and with lots of incredible music."
"My wish is for it to be a night that will move you to dance, to cry, to laugh and to feel the totality and fullness of being alive," Santana said.
Santana, who has sold 90 million records over the past 40 years, is credited with blending American rock with Latin jazz.
Santana's deal is exclusive, meaning he will play no other shows west of the Mississippi River over the next two years, according to the news release announcing it.
Santana's residency is produced by AEG Live, the same company that brought Celine Dion, Elton John, Bette Midler and Cher to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
"Now we are setting the standard for rock 'n' roll residencies with this new deal," said John Meglen, AEG Live president. | [
"When is the first Satana show?",
"What are they setting the standard for?",
"How many shows will Santana play in a year?",
"What concert hall holds 4,000 seats?",
"What amount of shows will Santana play?",
"Who is setting the standards for rock 'n' roll residencies?",
"How many shows will Santana play?",
"Where is the Hard Rock Hotel?",
"How many seats are in the new concert hall?"
] | [
[
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"36"
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] | Guitar player Santana to play 36 shows a year, starting May 27 .
Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's new concert hall holds 4,000 seats .
AEG Live president: "Now we are setting the standard for rock 'n' roll residencies" |
(CNN) -- Gulf Coast chefs and fishing advocates claim, "Come on in; the water's fine!" but find themselves facing a public awash in apprehension over potentially oil-tainted seafood.
When New Orleans, Louisiana, chef John Besh recently urged people to choose U.S. shrimp over imports during an interview about the state of seafood in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico spill, commenters responded negatively, writing, "What's a little tar or mercury in your system anyways?!" and "I hope you enjoy the petrol in your fish."
Another commented, "You eat the fish from down there, don't complain to anyone when you get cancer in 10-15 years. I can't even believe a responsible human being would advocate for eating seafood slathered in oil first."
A tweet in their response to CNN's query about diners' feelings on New Orleans seafood declared all post-spill offerings "a no-geaux." Similar sentiments abound online, despite authorities' assurances as to the safety of seafood currently on the market.
Maps and apps track spill
The supply of Gulf Coast food -- and the cost of it -- fluctuates on a daily basis, with the NOAA Fisheries Services map of safe and affected fishing waters constantly being redrawn. ABC reports that in light of the reduced amount of seafood on the market, "Fish that normally sold for $2.50 a pound were going for $3.25."
On Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a commercial fisheries failure to trigger aid for commercial fishermen from the Economic Development Administration.
In a letter to Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, the governor wrote, "The waters offshore Louisiana's coast supply nearly one-third of all commercial seafood harvested in the lower 48 states, with values in excess of $2.85 billion annually. As the largest provider of domestic seafood in the continental United States, protection of Louisiana's fisheries, habitats and catch are critical to our nation's economy and food supply. In addition to the potential biologic and ecologic impacts in these coastal communities, we must not overlook the crippling effect that this event will have on the commercial and sport fisheries in Louisiana. The seafood industry is not only a large economic driver, but a defining element of the unique culture, and a crucial tourist draw to the state."
While the impact of the Gulf Coast oil spill on the future of shellfish harvesting is unknown, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals is closely monitoring conditions and sampling water at oyster beds and fishing docks to determine whether the haul is suitable for public consumption. It has the authority to order closures of areas that are deemed unsafe.
The department's daily assessments and harvesting closures are distributed to restaurants and seafood purveyors, and agency Secretary Alan Levine has released a statement declaring, "Oysters exposed to the spill will not be permitted to be harvested, and thus are not available for consumer purchase. DHH stands by the quality of Louisiana seafood as a healthy and delicious choice for consumers."
On the other side of the Gulf, groups like the Florida Sea Grant, which operates as a partnership between the Florida Board of Education and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, echo that sentiment.
Steve Otwell, a seafood specialist with the Florida Sea Grant College Program, writes in an Oil Spills and Seafood Safety FAQ on the group's website, "All seafood sold in Florida retail stores, supermarkets and restaurants will remain safe to consume prior to and during any potential exposure to contamination from the pending oil spill."
Michael Herdon of the Food and Drug Administration backed that claim in a statement, writing, "The FDA is closely monitoring the developing situation in the Gulf Coast region to help ensure that seafood potentially impacted by the oil spill is not making its way into commerce. Fish and shellfish harvested from areas unaffected by the closures are considered safe to eat. There is no reason to believe that any contaminated product has made its way to the market."
For the proprietor of several New Orleans restaurants and author of the award-winning cookbook "My New Orleans," Besh's | [
"What do chefs and fishermen fear?",
"who heads to louisiana",
"What are experts sampling?"
] | [
[
"oil-tainted seafood."
],
[
"chef John Besh"
],
[
"water"
]
] | Chefs and fishermen fear customers will refuse safe Gulf seafood .
Experts sampling water at oyster beds, fishing docks to see if haul is OK to eat .
Celebrity chefs head to Louisiana in show of support and to attend fundraisers . |
(CNN) -- Gunmen killed three police officers in Acapulco, Mexico, early Monday morning in attacks on two police stations, the state news agency Notimex reported. Suspected gang members are handcuffed after a gunbattle in Acapulco, Mexico, on Saturday. The attacks came two days after a ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead, including two soldiers. Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters kept watch over the resort town Monday. Along with swine flu fears, the uptick in violence threatens the tourist economy of Acapulco and other popular resort areas. Witnesses told police that just before 6 a.m., gunmen armed with AK-47s stepped out of two luxury vehicles, walked toward the police station in the Ciudad Renacimiento neighborhood and began shooting. Acapulco officers Gilberto Reducindo Salazar and Arturo Tonala Aguilar were killed in that incident, according to Notimex. Shortly afterward, at a second local police station, attackers fatally wounded officer Andres Guzman Casiano, Notimex said. A fourth officer was injured. The Guerrero attorney general's office said the attacks could have been conducted by the same people, as there was a 30-minute gap between them, the state agency reported. It was unknown whether the attacks were connected with Saturday's shootout, which started when soldiers went to a location called Avenida Rancho Grande in Acapulco on an anonymous tip. They were met by gunfire, according to a statement from Mexico's Ministry of Defense. Five people were arrested in connection with the shootout. Sixteen gunmen and two soldiers were killed, and nine soldiers were wounded, the statement said. After that incident, authorities seized 36 large-caliber weapons, 13 small-caliber weapons, two grenade launchers, 13 fragmentation grenades, 3,525 rounds of various caliber ammunition, 180 charges and eight vehicles, the ministry said. | [
"Who kept watch over Acapulco?",
"When did the attacks occur?",
"What city did the Mexican soldiers watch over?",
"How many people were left dead?",
"How many soldiers were wounded?",
"How many people were arrested?",
"How many people were left dead after gun battle?",
"How many soldiers were killed?",
"how many soldiers",
"How many days after ferocious street gunbattle did the attacks come?",
"What do Mexican soldiers keep watch over?",
"who kept watch over?",
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[
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[
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[
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[
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] | Attacks came 2 days after ferocious street gunbattle that left 18 people dead .
2 soldiers, 16 suspected gang members killed; 9 soldiers wounded Saturday .
Five people arrested in connection with shootout; authorities seize weapons .
Mexican soldiers, in trucks and helicopters kept watch over Acapulco on Monday . |
(CNN) -- Gunmen shot and killed a food monitor for the United Nations' World Food Program on Thursday, the second killing of a WFP humanitarian worker in Somalia in three days, a spokesman for the agency said Thursday. Mohamud Omar Moallim, a food monitor for the United Nations, was killed in Somalia on Thursday, the U.N. says. Peter Smerdon said Mohamud Omar Moallim, 49, was shot by unidentified gunmen while distributing food to displaced people at Daynile, 6 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Mogadishu. The gunmen put Moallim's body in a WFP vehicle and drove away, then pushed the corpse from the vehicle and drove on, Smerdon said. Moallim joined WFP in 1993 and worked until 1995 as a logistics assistant. He rejoined the agency in May 2006 as a food monitor. He was abducted in September 2008 for 16 hours outside Mogadishu. He leaves two wives and 11 children. Colleagues said Moallim was calm, extremely hard-working and highly responsible and was often consulted for advice and support by other staff members. On Tuesday, three masked men shot and killed 44-year-old Somali national Ibrahim Hussein Duale while he was monitoring food distribution at a school in Yubsan village, near the Gedo regional capital of Garbahare, the WFP said. Witnesses say the gunmen approached Duale while he was seated, ordered him to stand up and then shot him, according to the account on the WFP Web site. Duale leaves a wife and five children. He joined WFP in 2006 as a food monitor in the Gedo region, which borders Kenya and Ethiopia. | [
"Who was the aid worker shot while distributing food?"
] | [
[
"Mohamud Omar Moallim,"
]
] | U.N. aid worker shot by unidentified gunman while handing out food, U.N. says .
Attackers threw body in car, drove off, then dumped body, says U.N. spokesman .
Another aid worker shot on Tuesday while distributing food at a school, U.N. says .
Both the slain humanitarian workers leave behind families . |
(CNN) -- Gunpowder, fireworks and attention-grabbing installations mark Cai Guo-Qiang as one of the world's biggest and brightest artists. Cai's fireworks will be seen by millions during the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. The Chinese artist is about to show the world what he can do with a spectacular pyrotechnics display at the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing. Despite not having lived in China since 1986, Cai has been selected to be the Director of Visual and Special Effects for both the opening and closing ceremonies at the Games. For the 51-year-old contemporary artist, whose work has previously caused controversy in China, the politics that have been swirling around the Games are secondary to the event itself. "In any country, in any city, there will be political influence on what is said, what kind of images are to be projected and, yes, of course artists can be and are influenced by politicians," he told CNN. "But what I also think is that our leaders at the very highest level want artists to be able to be free, to be creative and to show this other side of China that is vibrant." While some of his art is politically charged, Cai has established his reputation as much as a director of the spectacular, with his work often providing a visceral and visual bang. He studied stage design at the Shanghai Drama Institute between 1981 and 1985 before moving to Japan a year after graduation. Now residing in New York, he gained wide-spread international recognition at the Venice Biennale in 1999, winning the Golden Lion prize. However, the work he displayed -- Rent Collection Courtyard, a replica of famous Chinese socialist-realist sculpture -- upset artists of the original piece in Shanghai who believed it diminished the sentiment behind the original work. Born in Fujian in 1957, Cai's father was also an artist, but had a much more traditional outlook than the one Cai developed. "He and his friends always lamented about the good days and, that there's no vitality in today's art and culture. So, I really rebelled against that. I felt that what they were talking about had very little to do with how our lives were like at that moment," he said. Cai began using gunpowder in his work after moving to Japan. Detonating large trails of it on his two-dimensional pieces, creating small mushroom-clouds, or lighting enormous firework displays, explosions have been a continuous theme of his work. "I have always been a coward as a child. I am not very brave. I am very aware of the fact that I am not very gutsy. So, I am always trying to do things to kind of boost my own sense of courage a bit. So maybe that is why I use gunpowder," he told CNN. Cai has proffered different explanations for different projects that feature the same motifs. Perhaps that is not surprising when his influences come from a myriad of sources that include Taoism, Buddhist philosophy and UFO-observations. Recently exhibited at New York's Guggenheim Museum, "Inopportune: Stage One" is a set of 9 cars suspended above each other with illuminated shards shooting out. Cai has previously said it denotes Chinese craftiness in stealing western technology, while arrows piercing the life-sized stuffed tigers of "Inopportune: Stage 2" are also about the aesthetics of pain. "For me cars are tigers, they are all bodies of the human form and it is a human form I am working with through this medium. For the cars the energy goes inward out and for the tiger piece the energy flows in," he told CNN. Meanings and interpretations then can be fluid, but as well as the explosions and visual excitement, there is a common social theme in his work. The most connected to this ethos is "Reflection-A Gift from Iwaki 2004." The skeleton of a wooden boat found off the coast of Iwaki, Japan, that spills delicate pieces of porcelain from its hull is recreated piece by piece by the people | [
"Spectacular large-scale pieces will be achieved by using what?",
"What will be used to create spectacular large-scale peices",
"International recognition was gained by winning the Golden Lion in which year?",
"An artist from which country will curate Olympic Games' opening ceremony pyrotechnic display?",
"What will the Chinese artist do?",
"Who will curate the pyrotechnics for the opening ceremony",
"What was won at Venice Biennale in 1999"
] | [
[
"Gunpowder,"
],
[
"pyrotechnics display"
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[
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[
"Cai Guo-Qiang"
],
[
"spectacular pyrotechnics display"
],
[
"Cai Guo-Qiang"
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[
"Golden Lion prize."
]
] | Chinese artist will curate Olympic Games' opening ceremony pyrotechnic display .
Uses gunpowder and fireworks to produce spectacular large-scale pieces .
International recognition winning Golden Lion at 1999 Venice Biennale . |
(CNN) -- Haiti's earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees," something that will pose a challenge for Haitian society for years to come, experts say.
The 7.0 earthquake resulted in thousands having their limbs crushed as Haiti's ramshackle buildings fell on top of them.
The number of amputees created by the disaster is hard to measure, but Handicap International estimates it is at least 2,000 and growing. Dr. Mitra Roses of the Pan American Health Organization said some hospitals were performing between 30 and 100 amputations a day after the earthquake.
At one small hospital in the capital that is now functioning under a tent, doctors say they are performing more and more amputations on children.
"We're having a generation of amputees," said one medical worker. She had just discovered that a 2-year-old girl cannot feel her left foot and may need an amputation. "It's heartbreaking."
Amputations in Haiti are especially difficult for patients because so many people get around on foot or by bicycle. Sidewalks and roads are poor and wheelchairs, crutches and canes are few.
"What I fear is that if I can't walk, I can't go to school and I can't go to church," said a boy who lost his foot in the earthquake. Without his foot, he said, he can't pedal the bike he normally takes to church and to school.
"It's not an environment which is conducive to mobility for people who are not able to walk for a variety of reasons," Stephanie Stuart, director of Handicap International UK, told CNN.
Amputees may have trouble getting to work, she said, and the problem is compounded if those people perform manual labor, which requires greater use of their limbs.
"Their circumstances are pretty dire, because an amputee in Haiti is highly disadvantaged in terms of being able to be mobile, have a job and look after family," said Eric Doubt, executive director of Healing Hands for Haiti International, which provides treatment and rehabilitation to people with disabilities.
Young amputees face different issues, said Stuart. Like the boy who lost his foot, they may not be able to go to school, putting them at risk of losing education.
They also can't play with their friends or enjoy the activities they used to, and they may be too young to understand why, Stuart said.
Even if those children make it to school, they may have trouble adapting to an able-bodied environment.
"A lot of children, if they couldn't manage to go to the loo (toilet) in schools, would they feel they wanted to spend the day there?" Stuart said.
Parents of children with lost limbs may also find it hard to adapt, she said.
"However much they love them, are (parents) still going to be able to support them and help their education and well-being as much as they could with an able child?"
The Pan American Health Organization said disabilities can cause significant and long-term economic and mental health problems for earthquake survivors.
With so many earthquake victims having had or facing the prospect of amputations, Haiti's government should prioritize the issue of disability and support for disabled people, Stuart said.
Before the earthquake, Haiti had only one facility that produced prosthetic limbs. It survived the earthquake but will not be able to meet current needs, Doubt said.
"They actually are able to start fabricating but ... they're very small, and the need is much greater," Doubt told CNN by phone from the organization's offices in Georgetown, Ontario. Even before the earthquake, he said, "we were only really touching the need at the time."
There were about 800,000 Haitians with handicaps and disabilities before the earthquake, Doubt said.
"Handicapped in Haiti have been largely unattended to or abandoned by their governments, and there are very few medical organizations who attend to them or provide a focus on them, so it was a very large job to begin with," he said. | [
"What can cause long-term economic and mental health problems?",
"what do experts say",
"What obstacles do they face",
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] | [
[
"disabilities"
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[
"earthquake is creating \"a generation of amputees,\" something that will pose a challenge"
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[
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[
"disabilities"
]
] | Experts say Haiti's earthquake is creating "a generation of amputees"
Disabilities can cause long-term economic and mental health problems .
Amputations in Haiti are difficult because people get around on foot or by bicycle . |
(CNN) -- Haiti's orphanages have become targets for people desperate for food, water and medical supplies in the aftermath of the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake.
On Wednesday night, Maison de Lumiere, an orphanage caring for 50 orphans, came under attack from a group of 20 armed men, aid workers told the Joint Council on International Children's Services.
A neighboring orphanage sheltering about 135 children has been robbed several times over the past few days, they said.
Meanwhile, aid workers said a third orphanage caring for 17 orphans reported that townspeople are trespassing and tapping into the water supply that is reserved for the children.
"It was calm at first, but the situation is getting more desperate," said David Beck, pastor at Child Hope International, the nonprofit that oversees Maison de Lumiere. No shots were fired in the attack on the orphanage, and security guards were able to drive off the marauders, he said. But one orphanage worker was hit in the head with a rock, he said.
"If people think you have food, then they will come after it," Beck said. The orphanage is rationing what food and water it does have, he said.
Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, and experienced high rates of poverty and disease even before the quake. The quake has made the situation far more desperate.
Looting is becoming a big concern for the orphanages as fear and frustration mount and help is slow to arrive, said Tom DiFilipo of the Joint Council on International Children's Services, a U.S.-based advocacy group for children in need of families.
To protect the children, some orphanages are on lock-down, according to volunteers working with the relief agencies.
"When bringing in supplies to an orphanage, you can only bring in a day or two day's worth," said DiFilipo. "If you bring more than that, the locals come in."
This week's raids are included on a growing list of difficulties facing orphanages that is being compiled by the Joint Council on International Children's Services. DiFilipo said he expects the challenges of food, medical aid and security to continue affecting the orphanages for weeks.
For every Haitian orphan brought to safety in the United States and elsewhere, thousands more are left behind to face the primitive conditions resulting from last week's earthquake. There is no accurate count of how many orphanages have experienced looting and other attacks.
Since the quake, the Joint Council on International Children's Services has received dozens of phone calls, text messages and e-mails from orphanages reporting problems ranging from food shortages to security threats.
The agency is in touch with about 50 orphanages in Haiti and the reports are updated daily. The group is also working with members of Congress, the Red Cross and other aid agencies to relay the messages.
Before the quake, Haiti had 380,000 orphans, according to UNICEF. It is still too early to determine how many children were orphaned by the quake.
The people of Haiti have grown desperate for food, water and assistance since the quake decimated the capital last week, toppling buildings, cutting power, contaminating water supplies and ravaging roads.
The conditions for children in Haiti are bleak, aid officials said. Orphans are sleeping outside or in makeshift tents. Facilities are running low on food, water and medical supplies. Some orphanages have already reported deaths.
Ruuska Village, an orphanage in the Bon Repos section of Port-au-Prince, was looted several times during the first few days after the quake, said volunteer Cherie Shropshire.
Security was inadequate after 80 percent of the building was damaged, she said. The locks were broken and people stole food, clothes and supplies, but the orphanage was able to keep its generator protected, Shropshire said.
"Another aftershock that woke us so roughly on Wednesday morning and a wall tumbling down on our heads, children starving, the orphanage being looted as the frustration continues to grow regarding the delay in distributing supplies, children dying from sickness. ...," wrote an American adoption service provider in Haiti in a | [
"Where is the orphanage located?",
"Where was the orphanage?",
"What is the number of men who attacked?",
"What type of place did they attack?",
"How many people attacked Maison de Lumiere?",
"How many men attacked Maison de Lumiere?"
] | [
[
"Haiti's"
],
[
"Haiti's"
],
[
"20"
],
[
"orphanages"
],
[
"20 armed men,"
],
[
"20"
]
] | 20 men attacked Maison de Lumiere, an orphanage in Port-au-Prince, aid workers say .
A U.S. advocacy organization is tracking attacks on Haiti's orphanages .
Getting food, medical supplies and security top challenges faced by orphanages .
"If people think you have food then they will come after it," one official says . |
(CNN) -- Haiti's top prosecutor on Friday denied reports that charges have been dropped against nine of the 10 American missionaries accused of kidnapping children after a devastating earthquake hit the nation in January.
Attorney General Joseph Manes was responding to news from the office of U.S. Sen Jim Risch, R-Idaho, whose staff on Thursday said the charges had been dropped against all but one of the Baptist missionaries. Group leader Laura Silsby remains in a Haitian jail. Risch spokesman Kyle Hines said the senator had been contacted by officials at the U.S. State Department, confirming that the kidnapping charges against the other nine were dropped.
However, Manes said that information was "absolutely incorrect." He said that under Haitian law, all charges against the 10 Americans stand until the examining judge, Bernard Saint-Vil, renders his final decision on whether to proceed to trial.
Risch's communications director, Brad Hoaglun, said: "We are standing by what we were orginally told by the State Department. We did, however, ask the State Department to reconfirm for us, and we are waiting that response."
A senior State Department official told CNN Friday the charges were dropped, but deferred questions to Haiti's government, saying "this was a Haitian decision."
On Thursday, Saint-Vil could not be reached for comment and Manes declined to respond to CNN's questions until he could do so in person on Friday.
Authorities in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, accused the group, many of whom belong to a Baptist church in Idaho, of trying to kidnap 33 Haitian children after an earthquake in January leveled much of the capital and surrounding areas.
The Rev. Clint Henry of the Central Valley Baptist Church said the missionaries were notified by a State Department e-mail that the charges were dropped and no other charges were pending.
Meanwhile, Manes said his office received the documents pertaining to Saint-Vil's investigation and that his staff has five days to derive an opinion, which will remain confidential, on whether to move forward on a trial or dismiss the charges. At that point the case will be returned to the judge for a final decision.
The 10 Americans have said they were trying to help the children get to a safe place after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake.
Haitian authorities stopped the group on January 29 as they tried to cross the border with the children without proper legal documentation. The group said it was going to house the children in a converted hotel in the Dominican Republic and later move them to an orphanage.
Silsby originally claimed the children were orphaned or abandoned, but the Haitian government and the orphans' charity SOS Children say that all have at least one living parent. Some said they placed their children in Silsby's care because that was the only way they knew to ensure a better quality of life.
Eight of the missionaries were released from custody in February and a ninth, Charisa Coulter of Boise, Idaho, was released in March.
One of the missionaries told CNN affiliate KTKA on Thursday that the news of charges being dropped against him and the others was bittersweet.
"It's partial good news," Drew Culberth said. "It's good for me but not good news for [Laura] Silsby."
CNN's Lonzo Cook contributed to this report. | [
"What did missionaries say they were doing?",
"What was dropped?",
"What day did a U.S. senator say the charges were dropped?",
"Who is the group's leader?",
"What event happened?",
"How many charges were dropped?",
"Where is Laura Silsby",
"Who still has to decide the status of charges?"
] | [
[
"trying to help the children get to a safe place after the magnitude-7.0 earthquake."
],
[
"kidnapping charges against the other nine"
],
[
"Thursday"
],
[
"Laura Silsby"
],
[
"missionaries accused of kidnapping children after a devastating earthquake hit the nation in January."
],
[
"nine"
],
[
"Haitian jail."
],
[
"Bernard Saint-Vil,"
]
] | U.S. senator said Thursday he'd been told charges were dropped against 9 of 10 .
Haiti official says judge still has to decide status of charges .
Missionaries say they were trying to help children after massive earthquake .
Group's leader, Laura Silsby, remains in Haitian jail . |
(CNN) -- Half a million homes remained without power across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic region on Sunday, as rain continued to pound states from West Virginia to Connecticut for a second day. The rain caused flooding and airport delays across the region, even as Saturday's high winds -- reaching hurricane force in some areas -- waned dramatically on Sunday. "High winds are over, but the rain and flood threat remain in Mid-Atlantic and Northeast," CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras said. "There are major travel delays -- and more expected on Monday." Some coastal areas have received up to six inches of rain since Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Flood warnings remained in effect in parts of the Eastern Seaboard into Sunday night, including much of New England. Flooding in West Virginia caused one death there, authorities said. Con Edison reported more than 100,000 customers without power in New York City and Westchester County on Sunday, while the Long Island Power Authority said that 150,000 of its customers were without electricity. "The ground is so wet from all the snow we've had this winter, it's helping the trees to topple over, as well as our utility poles," said Long Island Power Authority president and CEO Kevin Law. "The conditions are still too terrible to get crews out there." Law said that some customers will likely go without power until early in the week. Roughly 100,000 New Jersey customers saw their electricity restored Sunday, along with 30,000 PPL Electric Utilities customers in Pennsylvania. But tens of thousands of other homes in New Jersey and Connecticut were still without power on Sunday. iReport: Share photos, video of storm damage The outages were mostly due to power lines downed by Saturday's winds, which toppled trees and utility polls. Wind speeds reached 75 miles per hour at New York's JFK International Airport -- as strong as a Category 1 hurricane -- and 72 miles per hour in Atlantic City, New Jersey. New York-area airports reported delays of at least two hours on Sunday, while Boston's Logan International Airport averaged 40 minute delays. In the Midwest, meanwhile, flooding continued on Sunday because of snow melt, rains and ice jams. Farther west, North Dakota's Red River is expected to reach major flood stage around Fargo and Moorhead on Tuesday. | [
"what reached hurricane-force levels in recent days?",
"How many houses are without power?",
"which regions are most affected?",
"how many homes remained without power?",
"What continues to be a threat?",
"What levels did winds reach?",
"What remains a threat?",
"who is dealing with their own flooding problems?"
] | [
[
"high winds"
],
[
"Half"
],
[
"Northeast and mid-Atlantic"
],
[
"a million"
],
[
"rain and flood"
],
[
"75 miles per hour"
],
[
"the rain and flood"
],
[
"West Virginia"
]
] | Half a million homes remained without power across Northeast, mid-Atlantic region .
Winds reached hurricane-force levels in some places .
Winds dying down, but flooding remains a threat .
Midwest, North Dakota dealing with their own flooding problems . |
(CNN) -- Hall of Fame football linebacker Lawrence Taylor was charged Thursday with rape and patronizing a prostitute in a case involving a 16-year-old girl, police in Ramapo, New York, said.
Taylor's attorney said the former New York Giants star denied the charges and will fight them.
"My client did not have sex with anybody. Period," Arthur Aidala said, adding: "Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody."
Taylor appeared at an afternoon court hearing where a judge set bail at $75,000. Taylor was not asked to enter a plea and left the courthouse after posting bail.
Seeing television cameras outside the courthouse, Taylor said, "I'm not that important" as he walked away.
Taylor, 51, was arrested in a Holiday Inn room a few hours after the alleged rape took place, according to Christopher St. Lawrence, the town supervisor and police commissioner in Ramapo, about 30 miles northwest of New York City.
Police Chief Peter Brower said Taylor was charged with third-degree rape, a felony, for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with someone younger than 17. Taylor also was charged with third-degree patronization for allegedly paying the underage victim $300 to have sex, Brower said.
According to Brower, the rape charge carries a possible four-year prison term, and the patronization charge, a misdemeanor, could bring up to a year in prison.
Asked whether Taylor knew that the victim was underage, Brower said "ignorance is not an excuse" for having sex with a minor.
Aidala said after the bail hearing that Taylor "is denying and preparing to fight each and every one of those charges."
Aidala said that "no violence, no force, no threat, no weapons" was involved in the case. He noted that the rape charge against Taylor was for consensual sex with a minor and said Taylor denied it.
St. Lawrence and Brower said the alleged victim, since March a runaway from New York's Bronx borough, was allegedly brought to Ramapo by a pimp on Wednesday night.
When the pimp and the girl returned to New York early Thursday, she texted an uncle who notified the New York police, St. Lawrence said.
New York police arrested the pimp and called Ramapo police, and Taylor was arrested in his hotel room at around 4 a.m., according to St. Lawrence.
The alleged victim had facial injuries that police determined occurred before she entered the Holiday Inn room, St. Lawrence said.
Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said police knocked twice on Taylor's hotel door and identified themselves before entering the room. Weidel and St. Lawrence said Taylor was cooperative with authorities.
Taylor was a 10-time All-Pro linebacker for the New York Giants from 1981 to 1993 after earning All American honors at the University of North Carolina.
A punishing tackler and pass rusher known by his initials "L.T.," he was on two Super Bowl champion teams and was inducted into the National Football League's Hall of Fame, which noted that he "redefined the way the outside linebacker position was played."
However, Taylor was twice suspended by the NFL for substance abuse and battled a cocaine addiction long after retirement, resulting in several arrests and a downward spiral that he chronicled in a 2003 autobiography.
After kicking drugs, he worked as a sports commentator and appeared as a contestant on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" in 2009. Taylor and his dance partner on the program, Edyta Sliwinska, were eliminated in the seventh week of competition.
Brower said that police found a bottle of alcohol in Taylor's hotel room but that Taylor showed no sign of inebriation. Brower said that no drugs were found in the room.
Mark Lepselter, Taylor's agent, said Taylor was very upset about the charges against him.
"He's worked very hard over the last 12 years to change perceptions about him," Lepselter said.
CNN's Ross Levitt and Alan Chernoff contributed to this story. | [
"What are his charges?",
"What team did Taylor play for?",
"Who was charged?",
"What's the Bail?",
"What was Taylor charged with?",
"What was the amount of the bail?"
] | [
[
"rape and patronizing"
],
[
"New York Giants"
],
[
"Lawrence Taylor"
],
[
"$75,000."
],
[
"rape and patronizing"
],
[
"$75,000."
]
] | Taylor leaves courthouse after posting $75,000 bail .
Lawyer says former New York Giant Lawrence Taylor denies charges .
Former linebacker charged with rape, patronizing prostitute .
Police investigating accusations involving 16-year-old runaway . |
(CNN) -- Hamburg have moved up to fourth place in the Bundesliga, only behind Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg on goal difference, after a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Energie Cottbus on Sunday. Ivica Olic celebrates his opening goal for Hamburg as they remain in touch near the top of the Bundesliga. Croatian striker headed Hamburg into a 32nd-minute lead while a free-kick from winger Piotr Trochowski seven minutes later secured the points for the home side. The result lifts Hamburg above Hoffenheim onto 45 points, with leaders Hertha Berlin remaining top of the table on 49 points following their 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday. Sunday's other match saw Werder Bremen pick up their first league win of 2009 with a 4-0 victory over Stuttgart, the first defeat in 10 matches for new Stuttgart coach Markus Babbel. Sweden striker Markus Rosenberg struck twice for the home side who lie 10th in the table, while Stuttgart remain sixth, 10 points behind leaders Hertha Berlin. | [
"Who remains in the hunt?",
"Who is four points behind Hertha?",
"Who scored for Hamburg in their 2-0 win?",
"Who remains in the Bundesliga title hunt?",
"Who did Stuttgart lose to?",
"What place is Hamburg in after the victory?",
"Who suffered their first defeat?",
"What lifts Hamburg?",
"Who suffered their first defeat under Markus Babbel?"
] | [
[
"Hamburg"
],
[
"Hamburg"
],
[
"Ivica Olic"
],
[
"Ivica Olic celebrates his opening goal for Hamburg as they"
],
[
"Werder Bremen"
],
[
"fourth"
],
[
"Stuttgart"
],
[
"The result"
],
[
"Stuttgart,"
]
] | Hamburg remain in Bundesliga title hunt following 2-0 win over Energie Cottbus .
The win lifts Hamburg into fourth in the table, four points behind leaders Hertha .
Stuttgart suffer first defeat under Markus Babbel, losing 4-0 at Werder Bremen . |
(CNN) -- Hamburg have put one foot in the UEFA Cup final after a header from Germany winger Piotr Trochowski proved enough to give them a 1-0 win at Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen in the first leg of their semifinal.
Piotr Trochowski celebrates the only goal as Hamburg took a major step towards the UEFA Cup final.
Martin Jol's side scored the only goal of a pulsating match in the 38th minute when Trochowski, the smallest player on the pitch, rose superbly at the back post to head Guy Demel's right-wing cross past goalkeeper Tim Wiese.
Both side had countless half-chances to score but Hamburg wasted the best of them on the hour mark when Bayern Munich-bound striker Ivica Olic broke through in acres of space, but fired his shot straight at Wiese.
Hamburg's victory puts them on line for their first European final since 1983, when they beat Juventus 1-0 to win the European Cup.
This was the second of four matches in quick succession between the north Germany neighbors -- who met each other in the German Cup last week and will play the return leg of the semifinal next Thursday before a Bundesliga clash on Sunday May 10.
And the result was sweet revenge for Hamburg, who saw Wiese save three penalties in last week's shoot-out as Werder knocked their rivals out of the German Cup, also at the semifinal stage.
The eventual winners will play either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev in May's Istanbul final. | [
"What was the final score?",
"The eventual winners will face who in the Istanbul final?",
"when Eventual winners will face Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo?",
"Who is Winger Piotr Trochowski?",
"Who is in line for first European final?",
"Who did the team defeat?"
] | [
[
"1-0"
],
[
"either Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev"
],
[
"in May's Istanbul final."
],
[
"the smallest player on the pitch,"
],
[
"Hamburg"
],
[
"Werder Bremen"
]
] | Hamburg in line for first European final since 1983 after defeating Werder 1-0 .
Winger Piotr Trochowski heads in the only goal of their UEFA Cup semifinal .
Eventual winners will face Shakhtar Donetsk or Dynamo Kiev in Istanbul final . |
(CNN) -- Hanny van Arkel was poring over photos of galaxies on the Internet in August 2007 when she stumbled across a strange object in the night sky: a bright, gaseous mass with a gaping hole in its middle. Hanny van Arkel made her discovery by poring over images of galaxies on an astronomy Web site. "It looked a bit like an irregular galaxy, but I wasn't sure what it was," Van Arkel said. So she posted a query on the Web site of the Galaxy Zoo project, which encourages members of the public to join in astronomy research online. Van Arkel is a 25-year-old schoolteacher in Heerlen, The Netherlands, not an astrophysicist. But her startling find -- a mysterious and unique object some observers are calling a "cosmic ghost" -- has captivated astronomers and even caught the attention of the people who run the Hubble Space Telescope, who have agreed to take a closer look next year. "This discovery really shows how citizen science has come of age in the Internet world," said Bill Keel, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Alabama and a Galaxy Zoo team member. "There was a time when I spoke pejoratively of armchair astronomers. And I've gotten up at a star party and publicly apologized for that." Not so long ago, the term "amateur astronomer" conjured images of stargazers peering through backyard telescopes. But today's are as likely to be analyzing reams of sophisticated data collected by observatories and posted on space-related Web sites. Armchair observers like van Arkel increasingly are making significant contributions to science, said Steve Maran, spokesman for the American Astronomical Society, a group of 6,500 professionals. Amateurs have been invited to present papers at recent AAS conferences, "which wouldn't have happened years ago," he said. A successful example of amateur-professional collaboration, the Galaxy Zoo project was launched last year by Yale University astrophysicist Kevin Schawinski and Chris Lintott at the University of Oxford in England. The pair were looking for help in cataloging archived photographs of galaxies -- one million images -- taken by the robotic Sloan Digital Sky Survey telescope in remote southern New Mexico. Knowing that the human eye is sometimes more sensitive than a computer at picking out unusual patterns -- and that they didn't have time to do all the work themselves -- Schawinski and Lintott posted the images on the Galaxy Zoo Web site last summer. The professors then invited amateur astronomers, with the help of a brief online tutorial, to classify the galaxies as spiral, elliptical or something else. Online galaxy-sorting might not sound as fun as, say, surfing YouTube, but it was an immediate hit. "We were overwhelmed by the response. It completely melted the server," Schawinski said. "People tell us it's addictive. Some of [the volunteers] are professional astronomers, but most of them are not. They're just regular people who got excited about the project." During the past year, more than 150,000 armchair astronomers from all over the world volunteered their time, submitting more than 50 million classifications. The public's collective wisdom -- the same principle that guides jury trials or Wikipedia -- proved remarkably astute, Schawinski said. For example, if 33 of 36 volunteers thought a galaxy appeared elliptical, then astronomers could be confident the classification was correct, he said. Van Arkel had been classifying photos on Galaxy Zoo for about a week when she came across the image that quickly became known as "Hanny's Voorwerp," Dutch for "object." The primary school teacher does not own a telescope -- "my [astronomy] background doesn't really go further than looking at the stars when walking outside in the evening," she said -- but when she posted her finding August 13 on the Galaxy Zoo forum, the astronomers who run the site began to investigate. They soon realized van Arkel might have found a new class of astronomical object. The Galaxy Zoo team asked scientists working at telescopes around the world to take a look at the mysterious Voorwerp. Their best guess: The Voorwerp | [
"What did the teacher find?",
"What does the Galaxy Zoo project encourage the public to do?",
"What group is going to look at the object closer?",
"What does Galaxy Zoo project do?",
"Who has discovered strange object?",
"What does the finding show?",
"What did a Dutch schoolteacher discover using the Web?",
"Who is contributing to science based on this example?"
] | [
[
"a mysterious and unique object some observers are calling a \"cosmic ghost\""
],
[
"join in astronomy research online."
],
[
"next year."
],
[
"encourages members of the public to join in astronomy research online."
],
[
"van Arkel"
],
[
"how citizen science has come of age in the Internet world,\""
],
[
"a strange object in the night sky: a bright, gaseous mass with a gaping hole in its middle."
],
[
"Armchair observers like van Arkel"
]
] | Using the Web, a Dutch schoolteacher has discovered a strange astronomical object .
The find illustrates how more amateur astronomers are contributing to science .
The Galaxy Zoo project encourages the public to join in astronomy research online .
Hubble Space Telescope has agreed to take a closer look at the object next year . |
(CNN) -- Happy birthday, Catherine Zeta-Jones. You are turning 40 this month, joining an exclusive club of women in show business who are marking the same milestone this year. Catherine Zeta-Jones arrives at a Hollywood event earlier this year. She turns 40 on September 25. Think big names like Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Cate Blanchett. It's a birthday many actors -- but especially female stars -- in Hollywood would once dread, hide and agonize over. At an age where men could comfortably play heroes and lovers in the prime of their life -- and could do so for many years to come -- women often found themselves starting to be cast in different roles. (One example: "The Graduate," where 36-year-old Anne Bancroft played a frustrated "older woman" trying to seduce Dustin Hoffman, who was just six years younger than she at the time.) No wonder some stayed mum about their age, but this generation of 40-something female entertainers is different. They're holding birthday bashes, embracing the big four-oh and staying as busy and famous as ever. Their faces grace magazine covers, their bodies are the envy of women decades younger and their careers seem to be going strong. See photos of stars who are 40 and still hot » Zellweger herself has said she hasn't noticed good parts getting scarce. "I don't see it. I don't know. I'm so spoiled with respect to the experiences I've had and the opportunities I've had that I don't see it," she said, according to published news reports. So has anything changed for women hitting 40 in a business obsessed with youth? Industry observers say stars like Zeta-Jones, Zellweger and Aniston have more options than ever to have long, distinguished careers thanks to independent films and television, but opinions are mixed on whether they can sustain a big Hollywood presence. "These women are still among the most bankable, biggest stars in the industry and turning 40 isn't going to change that," said Kathy Heintzelman, entertainment director for More, a magazine geared toward women over 40. Watch a report on the most rich and famous women over 40 » Importance of box office But others argue that the opportunity to land lead roles in major studio films for actresses like Aniston, Zeta-Jones and Zellweger is running out. It's all about the global box office for Hollywood, which right now is most interested in making comic book movies or big-action, special-effect films in which women are mostly decorative, said Leah Rozen, film critic for People magazine. That often leaves few lead roles in big-budget Hollywood films for established female stars as they get older. "They're going to work, but the entire movie will not be built around them. It will not be a Renee Zellweger vehicle or a Catherine Zeta-Jones vehicle, unless it's an indie film," Rozen said. "I'm not saying anything about the quality of the movies they're making or their validity as actresses," Rozen said. "I am saying that viewed as box office -- or can they open a movie? -- the answer would be no right now." Zellweger's most recent project, "My One and Only," which Rozen called a "very sweet little film," has grossed less than $1 million since it premiered last month (it opened in wide release last Friday.) Earlier this year, her film "New in Town" grossed about $16 million domestically, according to Boxofficemojo.com. Zeta-Jones' last big Hollywood role was in the 2007 movie "No Reservations," which earned $43 million in the United States. Aniston has had a better run. Last year's "Marley & Me" took in $143 million domestically and more recently, "He's Just Not That Into You" earned $93 million. Men are viable as box office leads far longer than most women, Rozen | [
"What actresses turned 40 this year?",
"What gives actors more options?",
"Which actors have turned 40?",
"What provides more option to actors than ever?"
] | [
[
"Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer"
],
[
"long, distinguished careers thanks to independent films"
],
[
"Catherine Zeta-Jones."
],
[
"independent films and television,"
]
] | Renee Zellweger, Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett have turned 40 this year .
Stars appear to be going strong in an industry famously obsessed with youth .
Some doubt Hollywood is interested in making 'vehicles' for top female stars .
Television, independent films offer more options than ever for actors . |
(CNN) -- Harold Pinter, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter whose absurdist and realistic works displayed a despair and defiance about the human condition, has died, according to British media reports. He was 78. The much-honored Harold Pinter received the French Legion d'honneur in 2007. Pinter's wife, Lady Antonia Fraser, confirmed his death. Pinter, who had been suffering from cancer, died on Christmas Eve, according to the reports. Fraser told the Guardian newspaper: "He was a great, and it was a privilege to live with him for over 33 years. He will never be forgotten." Pinter was known for such plays as "The Birthday Party" (1957), "The Homecoming" (1964), "No Man's Land" (1974), "Mountain Language" (1988), and "Celebration" (2000). The works caught a linguistic rhythm -- the legendary "Pinter pause" -- and an air of social unease that resonated throughout the English-speaking world and in myriad translations. His movie credits, like his plays, span the decades and include "The Quiller Memorandum" (1965) and "The French Lieutenant's Woman" (1981). Pinter also wrote the screenplay for his 1978 play "Betrayal," the story of a doomed love affair told backward, which was made into a 1983 film with Ben Kingsley, Jeremy Irons and Patricia Hodge. He received the Nobel Prize in literature in 2005. Pinter's later plays were more overtly political, with works such as "One for the Road" (1984) and "The New World Order" (1991) focusing on state torture. In commentaries, he became a blistering critic of the United States, writing in his Nobel lecture that the country "quite simply doesn't give a damn about the United Nations, international law or critical dissent, which it regards as impotent and irrelevant. It also has its own bleating little lamb tagging behind it on a lead, the pathetic and supine Great Britain." But Pinter could also be a man of great humor. In 2006, he recounted a story about a fall that had landed him in the hospital a year earlier. "Two days later, I woke up to find that I'd been given the Nobel Prize in literature," he said. "So life is really full of ups and downs, you see." Harold Pinter was born in London on October 10, 1930. He was the son of Jewish immigrants, his father a dressmaker, his mother "a wonderful cook," he once recalled. In 1948 he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, then as now one of Great Britain's most renowned drama schools. But the RADA didn't take; Pinter hated the school and dropped out after two terms. He became an actor and turned to playwriting with his first work, "The Room," in 1957. Later that year he wrote "The Birthday Party," a "comedy of menace," in the words of one critic, that helped make Pinter's reputation -- though, in an irony he could appreciate, after it closed in London due to scathing notices. Ensuing Pinter plays, including "The Dumb Waiter" (1957) and "The Homecoming," made him Britain's most famous playwright, as influential to "late 20th-century British theater [as] Tennessee Williams is to mid-century American stages," CNN.com's Porter Anderson wrote in 2006. "What's generally meant as a 'Pinter play' in the purest sense usually revolves around one or more characters who are imposing on themselves a constricted, even deprived existence in order to hold off a presumed but uncertain threat," Anderson wrote. Pinter's plays featured sparse dialogue, often spiced with paranoia or simple befuddlement. In "The Birthday Party," a boardinghouse resident is accosted by two malevolent visitors who insist it's his birthday; in "The Homecoming" -- which won the Tony Award for best play when it premiered on | [
"When did Harold Pinter die ?",
"Who died on Christmas Eve?",
"Harry Pinter was how old when he died?",
"What did Pinter win for Literature in 2005?",
"Who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005 ?",
"What was Pinter suffering from?",
"In what year did he win the Nobel Prize for Literature?",
"Who had been suffering from cancer ?",
"Who was suffering from cancer?",
"Who die on Christmas Eve?",
"Who died on Christmas Eve?"
] | [
[
"Christmas Eve,"
],
[
"Harold"
],
[
"78."
],
[
"Nobel Prize"
],
[
"Harold Pinter"
],
[
"cancer,"
],
[
"2005."
],
[
"Harold Pinter"
],
[
"Pinter,"
],
[
"Pinter,"
],
[
"Pinter,"
]
] | Harold Pinter died on Christmas Eve, his wife tells British media .
Pinter, 78, had been suffering from cancer .
He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005 . |
(CNN) -- Hashim Amla compiled his first double century after Jacques Kallis again fell short of the landmark as South Africa continued to punish India's bowlers on day two of the first cricket Test in Nagpur. Amla was unbeaten on 253 when the tourists declared on 558-6 in the final session on Sunday, then India safely reached stumps at 25-0 in a clash between the top two teams in the five-day format. It is the highest score made by a South African No. 3 batsman, and the highest by any from his country against India. Amla extended his third-wicket partnership with Kallis to a South African record of 340 before his senior partner fell for 173, having added just 14 to his overnight tally in a subdued second part of his innings. It was the first time any pair have put on a triple century in any matches between the two nations. Kallis edged a delivery from off-spinner Harbhajan Singh onto his pads, and Murali Vijay took the catch at short leg to end a 351-ball knock that put the all-rounder into third equal on the all-time Test century-scoring list with 34. Amla then added another 108 with A.B. De Villiers, who made a brisk 53 off 88 deliveries, and rode his luck as he was dropped twice on 149, as they broke South Africa's record for the fourth wicket in matches between the two teams. De Villiers fell to part-time bowler Virender Sehwag and then Harbhajan removed J.P. Duminy for just nine to have the Proteas 476-5, but then Mark Boucher contributed 39 to a stand of 78 with Amla before becoming Zaheer Khan's third victim, and captain Graeme Smith called the innings to a close with 40 minutes left in the day. India openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag survived four overs from pace bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel with some positive batting, and will start Monday's play on 12 and nine respectively as they seek to make inroads into a massive first-innings deficit. They will do well to take the lead of Amla, who was steady throughout his 473-ball innings, hitting 22 boundaries and scoring 55, 45 and 38 in Saturday's three sessions. While India relied heavily on Harbhajan and Amit Mishra, who on a helpful pitch bowled only six maidens between them in 99 overs for combined figures 2-306, Smith has only one specialist spinner in Paul Harris plus all-rounder Duminy, with the medium pace of Kallis backing up Steyn, Morkel and rookie fast bowler Wayne Parnell. Meanwhile, Australia crushed the West Indies by 113 runs in the opening match of their one-day series in Melbourne on Sunday. Batting first, the hosts reached 256-8 in their 50 overs as opener Shane Watson top-scored with 56 in his 100th match, while captain Ricky Ponting made 49. All-rounder Kieron Pollard took 3-45 for the Windies, while seamer Ravi Rampaul claimed 2-43. The tourists then slumped to 143 all out in just 34.2 overs as opening bowler Ryan Harris and spinner Nathan Hauritz claimed three wickets each. Doug Bollinger also snared two early victims, including the key scalp of big-hitting captain Chris Gayle, as the West Indies were left reeling on 12-3. Pollard, signed for $750,000 in the Indian Premier League auctions last month, top-scored with 31 from 35 deliveries. | [
"The third wicket partnership lasted for how many runs",
"Where did Hashim Amia compile a double centry",
"What sport are they playing?",
"Who is winning?"
] | [
[
"340"
],
[
"Nagpur."
],
[
"cricket"
],
[
"South Africa"
]
] | Hashim Amla compiles his first double century as South Africa declare on 558-6 in Nagpur .
Hosts India reach 25-0 at stumps on the second day of the opening Test of the series .
Amla extends third-wicket partnership to 340 with Jacques Kallis, who falls for 173 .
He then adds 108 with A.B. De Villiers and 78 with Mark Boucher, being unbeaten on 253 . |
(CNN) -- Havana has a thriving cultural scene and is the setting for world-class ballet and film festivals. But it's also a city of music, sunshine and rum, and Havana knows how to throw a damn fine party. Here are some of the city's biggest and best annual events. Dancers parade along the Malecon for the Havana Carnival. May Day (May 1) Hundreds of thousands of cheering people march through Havana to celebrate International Workers' Day. This quintessentially Cuban event offers a fascinating insight into a country where politics is woven into every aspect of daily life. Marching Cubans carry placards past images of communist heroes like Marx and Lenin in Plaza de la Revolucion square. The fact that the whole occasion is carefully stage managed by party officials adds to its uniquely Cuban air. Havana Carnival (August) One fiesta just isn't enough for a city like Havana, so the Cuban capital has two annual carnivals. There's the smaller event in February, which is well worth checking out, but to experience the real deal you're better off waiting until summer. Crowds pack the Malecon in the final two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August to hear some of the island's finest musicians performing al fresco. The final weekend sees a colossal parade make its way from Habana Vieja to the Malecon in a swirling mass of conga lines, skimpy outfits, music and dancing -- accompanied by lashings of rum. Look out too for the "Munecones", huge satirical figures of various famous faces, accompanied by the "faroleros", dancers who twirl brightly colored standards as they parade along the Malecon. See Carlos Acosta's Havana » The International Havana Ballet Festival ( October/November, every other year) This festival brings together international stars and prestigious companies from around the world, as well as showcasing the renowned National Ballet of Cuba, which has produced the likes of Alicia Alonso and Carlos Acosta. The festival has showcased more than 200 world premieres and performances range from classics like Swan Lake to challenging modern pieces. One of the highlights of the festival is the choice of venues, ranging from the faded grandeur of the Gran Teatro de La Habana, the city's opera house, to open-air performances in Old Havana, where the subtly-lit facades of colonial palaces provide a wonderfully romantic backdrop. What do you think are Havana's seasonal highlights? Let us know below. Havana Jazz Festival (Winter) Cuban music has played a huge role in the development of jazz, with musicians like Chano Pozo exporting Cuban rhythms to the U.S. to create the fusion known as Latin Jazz. Cuban jazz maestro and five-time Grammy winner Chucho Valdes organizes the festival and is a regular performer, along with a host of international names. Past events have featured the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach and the present-day lack of U.S. stars is more than made up for by an impressive contingent of Latin American talent. There are performances at The Hotel Rivera, Casa de la Cultura Plaza, Teatro Nacional de Cuba, Teatro Amadeo Roldán and various smoky clubs. Although the jazz festival is usually held in December, the 2009 event took place in February, so if you're planning a visit be sure to check the dates well in advance. The Festival of New Latin American Cinema (December) This 10-day festival is one of the biggest events in Latin American film, which is currently producing some of the finest cinema in the world. Movie buffs from all over the island flock to see an impressive selection of movies, ranging from Spanish-language blockbusters to obscure art flicks. Even if your Spanish isn't good enough to fully understand the films being shown, the festival still offers the chance for a bit of celeb spotting. Past attendees have included the likes of Robert de Niro, Robert Redford, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg and Pedro Almodovar. | [
"Where was the Havana Carnival held?",
"What event was on the Malecon seafront promenade?",
"What jazz maestro played in Havana?",
"When did the march take place?",
"Who is attracted by the Ballet Festival?",
"Where did crowds pack?",
"When did people march through Havana?"
] | [
[
"Malecon"
],
[
"Havana Carnival."
],
[
"Chucho Valdes"
],
[
"May Day (May 1)"
],
[
"international stars"
],
[
"Malecon"
],
[
"(May 1)"
]
] | Hundreds of thousands march through Havana on International Workers' Day .
Crowds pack the Malecon seafront promenade for the Havana Carnival .
The International Ballet Festival attracts world-famous dance stars to the city .
Legendary jazz maestro Chucho Valdes brings jazz to the Cuban capital . |
(CNN) -- Hazardous materials teams are still cleaning up a toxic chemical spill from a train derailment in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Saturday that forced 3,000 people from their homes. Lafayette Police Sgt. Billy Soileau carries Ke'Iveion Solomon 2, as he helps evacuate children Saturday. "Hazmat says that clean up is moving quickly and on track," Lafayette police said Sunday in a statement. Two train cars leaked highly corrosive hydrochloric acid after the six-car train jumped the tracks Saturday about 2:30 a.m. CT (3:30 a.m. ET), according to police. The chemical spill caused a toxic cloud to form above the site. Lafayette authorities evacuated about 3,500 homes and businesses -- including a nursing home -- within a mile of the derailment location. Watch traffic detoured from cloud » The Red Cross opened a shelter at Carencro High School for residents to stay Saturday night, while another 40 to 50 families were put up at hotel rooms, police said. Residents will be allowed to return home once the spill is contained and no longer dangerous, said Joe Faust, a spokesman for BNSF Railway, which operates the train cars. Hydrochloric acid is a clear, colorless solution of hydrogen chloride in water often used in metal cleaning and electroplating. Exposure to it can irritate the skin, said Lt. Craig Stansbury of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. People exposed to the substance are urged to seek medical attention. Residents outside the evacuation area were advised to close windows and doors and turn off air conditioning to avoid any contamination. Lafayette is about three hours west of New Orleans. | [
"What happened from the chemical spill?",
"What happened because of the derailment?",
"WHat can irritate skin?",
"What leaked acid?",
"Is the chemical safe?",
"What leaked from the train cars?",
"What did authorities evacuate?",
"Where did the cloud form?",
"What does exposure to the chemical do?"
] | [
[
"caused a toxic cloud to form above the site."
],
[
"toxic chemical spill"
],
[
"Hydrochloric acid"
],
[
"Two train cars"
],
[
"spill caused a toxic cloud to form above the site."
],
[
"highly corrosive hydrochloric acid"
],
[
"about 3,500 homes and businesses"
],
[
"above the site."
],
[
"irritate the skin,"
]
] | Train cars leaked corrosive hydrochloric acid after a Saturday derailment .
Chemical spill caused a toxic cloud to form above Lafayette site .
Exposure to the chemical can irritate skin .
Lafayette authorities evacuated about 3,500 homes and businesses . |
(CNN) -- He armors himself, keeps other people guessing and likes to wear a mask. Christian Bale is known as a hard worker who immerses himself in his characters. Batman? Try Christian Bale. Though in his case the armor and mask are metaphorical, the 34-year-old "Dark Knight" star likes to keep his personal life as shadowy as a superhero's back story. He's been known to keep a low profile -- "You will never see me at a party," he told the Times of London -- and delights in concocting stories about his life. "I make up [things]," he told Details magazine earlier this year. "Absolutely. I'm an actor -- I'm not a politician. I always kick myself when I talk too much about family, or personal things. I'll enjoy chatting now and then later I'll regret it." But with the explosive impact of "The Dark Knight" -- the film has set box office records in the 10 days since its release, becoming the fastest film to reach the $300 million mark in history -- and the forthcoming release of the fourth "Terminator," which will star Bale, he may find his privacy limited. ("The Dark Knight" is a Warner Bros. film. The studio, like CNN, is a unit of Time Warner.) "Can he stand the glare of the spotlight?" a rival studio executive asked Entertainment Weekly. "Being put in major roles and major films?" Already there are signs that Bale has made the jump from actor to movie star. Last week, news of an alleged hotel-room tussle between the actor, his mother and his sister made headlines around the world. Bale, who has denied the allegations, described the incident as "a deeply personal matter" and asked the media to "respect my privacy in the matter" at a press conference. Watch the latest on the incident » In general, he's been successful at making sure his personal matters are off-limits. Though willing to do interviews about his films -- the Internet is filled with them -- he usually sticks to talking about their production and his performances, reluctant to bring up his personal life. A few facts are well established: Christian Bale was born January 30, 1974, in Wales. His father, a former RAF pilot, once served as a film double for John Wayne; his mother was a one-time circus performer. (After divorcing his mother, Bale's father later married women's-rights advocate Gloria Steinem.) The family moved often, with Bale estimating he lived in 15 different places in his first 15 years. He started his acting career while still a child. He received his first acting break appearing opposite Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean") in the London stage show "The Nerd" in 1984, followed by two British TV miniseries. At 12 he was plucked from 4,000 hopefuls to star in Steven Spielberg's 1987 film "Empire of the Sun." (According to the Times of London, he was recommended by Spielberg's then wife, Amy Irving.) Even then he disliked dealing with the press: he abruptly walked out of a Paris press conference for "Empire" while promoting the film. "Empire" was followed by an eclectic filmography: Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare adaptation "Henry V" (1989); the musical "Newsies" (1992); the historical drama "Swing Kids" (1993); and the 1994 version of "Little Women," which made him a sex symbol to a group of "Baleheads." (He was one of the first stars to have a fan site devoted to him.) Through the latter, he also met his future wife, Sandra Blazic, a onetime assistant to "Little Women" star Winona Ryder. The two have been married for eight years, and have a 3-year-old daughter. By the late '90s, he was acting in a number of independent films, including "Metroland" (1997) | [
"The success of which work of fiction has resulted in the spotlight shining more brightly on him?",
"Who has been known to make up stories about himself?",
"What movie of Christian Bale's was successful?",
"Who prizes his privacy?",
"What was a success?"
] | [
[
"\"The Dark Knight\""
],
[
"Christian Bale"
],
[
"\"The Dark Knight\""
],
[
"Christian Bale."
],
[
"\"The Dark Knight\""
]
] | Christian Bale prizes his privacy .
Actor has been known to make up stories about himself .
With success of "Dark Knight," he may find spotlight shining more brightly . |
(CNN) -- He came out on court wearing a Halloween mask, but Novak Djokovic had to overcome a fright of his own before winning his comeback match in Switzerland on Tuesday.
The world No. 1, playing his first ATP Tour tournament since winning the U.S. Open six weeks ago, survived a second-set scare against Xavier Malisse before beating the Belgian 6-2 4-6 7-5 at the Swiss Indoors event.
Djokovic suffered a recurring back injury in Serbia's Davis Cup defeat by Argentina just days after beating Rafael Nadal in an epic final in New York.
He missed tournaments in Asia, including the Shanghai Masters, but has returned to action in Basel where he was champion in 2009 and runner-up to Roger Federer last year.
"I'm only just back from the biggest injury of my career," Djokovic said after extending his record this year to 65-3. "It was a big ask for me to have played really well.
"I could do nothing for four and a half weeks, I've only been hitting for a week and a half. That's not enough to play at my best. I've lost rhythm.
"I had too many errors and too many double-faults. But I'm happy just to be playing tennis again. I hope to build on this performance."
As top seed, he is in the opposite half of the draw from Federer and new world No. 3 Andy Murray, who could meet in the semis.
The 24-year-old will next play either Poland's world No. 59 Lukasz Kubot or 91st-ranked German Tobias Kamke, who both came through the qualifying draw.
Fifth seed Mardy Fish's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals suffered a blow when he was forced to retire with a hamstring injury against fellow American James Blake after winning the opening game.
Fish holds the last of the eight places on offer for the London showpiece but could be overhauled if he has to miss the penultimate tournament in Paris starting next week.
Blake will next play Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin, a lucky loser from qualifying who upset American wildcard Donald Young in his opening match.
Stanislas Wawrinka, a semifinalist in 2006 and the Swiss No. 2 behind Federer, beat Croatia's Ivan Dodig 6-4 6-4 to set up a match with either Murray or Dutchman Robin Haase, who meet on Wednesday.
Federer's next match is against Jarkko Nieminen, after the Finn beat Brazil's Thomaz Belluci 6-7(5-7) 6-4 6-3.
Tomas Berdych had the sixth finals place ahead of his clash with Japan's Kei Nishikori, but the Czech failed to earn any ranking points after losing 3-6 6-3 6-2.
Seventh-ranked Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga closed to within five points of Berdych by winning his opening match at the Valencia Open on Tuesday.
Tsonga had to battle before beating 19-year-old Spanish wildcard Javier Marti 4-6 7-5 6-2 to secure his 12th win in 14 matches and set up a second-round clash with American Sam Querrey -- who defeated Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4.
Top seed David Ferrer is one of the five players already qualified for London, and he overcame fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-3 6-2 in his opening match to set up a meeting with Canadian qualifier Vasek Pospisil.
French third seed Gael Monfils went through with a 6-3 6-1 win over Albert Montanes, but Ukrainian seventh seed Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. was eliminated by another Spaniard, Marcel Granollers. | [
"whats Serbian beats Belgium's Xavier Malisse in three sets, but complains of being rusty?",
"Who beats Xavier Malisse in three sets?",
"Where Novak Djokovic wins his first match in six weeks?",
"What happened to Mardy Fish?",
"What was the score of the winning match?",
"Where did Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have an opening win in the ATP World Tour?"
] | [
[
"Novak Djokovic"
],
[
"Novak Djokovic"
],
[
"Switzerland"
],
[
"forced to retire with a hamstring injury"
],
[
"6-2 4-6 7-5"
],
[
"Valencia Open"
]
] | World No. 1 Novak Djokovic wins his first match in six weeks at Swiss Indoors event .
Serbian beats Belgium's Xavier Malisse in three sets, but complains of being rusty .
Fifth seed Mardy Fish suffers injury blow ahead of the climax to the men's season .
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga closes on ATP World Tour finals place with opening win in Valencia . |
(CNN) -- He felt lonely, said he hadn't had a girlfriend since 1984. He said his father didn't love him. And he detailed plans to kill young women. The gunman, George Sodini, apparently left behind an online diary that detailed his loneliness. George Sodini, the 48-year-old man police blame for killing three women and wounding 10 others in a suburban Pittsburgh gym, left behind an online diary that is as shocking in places as it is profane in others. It offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a suspected killer who police say walked into an aerobics class, turned off the lights and fired more than 50 rounds from multiple handguns. "Why do this?? To young girls? Just read below. I kept a running log that includes my thoughts and actions after I saw this project was going to drag on," the diary begins. Watch how Sodini may have targeted a woman » It seems almost formatted, like a résumé, with Sodini's date of birth and date of death. The date of death is listed as Tuesday, the day of the shootings at an LA Fitness center outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Read an edited version of the diary (PDF) A law enforcement source who identified the shooter said Sodini was a member of the gym. The source provided a month and year of the suspect's birth that matches the month and year listed for Sodini in the online diary. The Web site where the diary appears is registered to George Sodini of Pittsburgh. It lists an address in or near Scott Township; the law enforcement source said Sodini lived in Scott Township. Throughout the log, Sodini refers to a shooting that he is planning as an "exit plan." His first entry is November 5, 2008. "Planned to do this in the summer but figure to stick around to see the election outcome," it says. The December 22 entry says: "Time is moving along. Planned to have this done already. I will just keep a running log here as time passes. Many of the young girls here look so beautiful as to not be human, very edible. After joining this gym, started lifting weights and like it." Two days later came an entry about loneliness. "Moving into Christmas again. No girlfriend since 1984, last Christmas with Pam was in 1983. Who knows why. I am not ugly or too weird. No sex since July 1990 either (I was 29)." By December 26, the writer seems to have picked a date. "I will shoot for Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at maybe 8:15. I have list of to-do items to make." In an entry dated January 5, he laments, "Every evening I am alone, and then go to bed alone. ... Why should I continue another 20+ years alone? I will just work, come home, eat, maybe do something, then go to bed (alone) for the next day of the same thing. This is the Auschwitz Syndrome, to be in serious pain for so long one thinks it is normal. I cannot wait for tomorrow!" Then he loses his nerve. "It is 8:45PM," reads an entry dated January 6. "I chickened out! [Expletive] I brought the loaded guns, everything. Hell!" A May 5 entry outlines a technique. "To pull the exit plan off, it popped into my mind to just use some booze," the entry reads. "After the gym, I stopped at Shop N Save and got a fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels." The diary recounts a failure with women and a growing anger. "There are 30 million desirable women in the US (my estimate) and I cannot find one," a May 18 entry reads. "Not one of them finds me attractive. These problems have gotten worse over a 30-year period. I need to expect nothing from me or other | [
"How many women were killed?",
"What number of people were killed?",
"What is Sodini accused of?",
"Which drinks did he purchase?",
"What was purchased in May?",
"Who is accused of killing?"
] | [
[
"three"
],
[
"three"
],
[
"killing three women and wounding 10 others in a suburban Pittsburgh gym,"
],
[
"fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels.\""
],
[
"fifth of vodka and a small bottle of Jack Daniels.\""
],
[
"George Sodini,"
]
] | George Sodini, 48, is accused of killing three women, himself at gym .
Online journal called "a running log that includes my thoughts and actions"
Diary says of January attempt to pull off "exit plan": "I chickened out!"
Jack Daniels, vodka purchased in May to pull off plan, journal says . |
(CNN) -- He had a 1966 Volkswagen bus, scraggly beard and a penchant for the arts. She had blonde hair and liked the Grateful Dead. That was all they needed.
Craig Rutman poses poolside with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir before a 1997 show in Reno, Nevada.
"I knew right away she was not like other girls, other girls," muses Mark Goldfarb of Woodstock, New York, quoting the Grateful Dead song, "Scarlet Begonias."
On a fateful day 28 years ago, Goldfarb began a shaggy odyssey of love at a Grateful Dead concert when he literally bumped into his future wife, Diane. Over the years, he has been to more than 125 Grateful Dead concerts. The band literally changed his life.
Goldfarb, who now makes moccasins for a living, is excited about the Grateful Dead's new tour.
The surviving members of the band will be reuniting for 19 shows this year. He went to see them during their last organized tour five years ago.
"What was special about the Dead is you had a group of highly talented musicians who were able to get a sense of the audience," Goldfarb said. "When the audience was off, the band would be off. There was a lot of back-and-forth energy."
Back in the late '70s and well into the '80s, Goldfarb traveled the West Coast in a Volkswagen van playing music for a belly-dancing troupe at Renaissance festivals. Along the way, he went to Grateful Dead concerts whenever he could.
He sent a photo of his now short-haired self to show the "then and now" contrast. Though he lives now in Woodstock, New York, he missed the two large music festivals in his town. A businessman now, Goldfarb says he feels he's grown up in a lot of ways. The old bus is gone, but he dreams of getting another. iReport.com: See the before-and-after contrast of this Deadhead
"I was a huge fan, I still love the music, but like I said times change. Interests change," he says.
Readers across the board said the band has stood the test of time because of the personal connection they brought to the music they played. iReport.com: What does the Grateful Dead mean to you?
Indeed, the revival has Craig Rutman of Apex, North Carolina, excited to revisit his past. His brother, a caterer, often provided food for the band and this gave Rutman access to members of the band. He has seen more than 200 shows and been backstage to meet the band.
He and his young daughter Laura met bandmember Bob Weir poolside in Reno, Nevada, in 1997. Rutman said Weir is always cordial and friendly.
"Whether it was backstage or poolside, whenever I saw him, Bobby always took the time with whoever came by to talk, share a joke or sign an autograph," Rutman said.
After the pool-side meeting, the Rutmans attended what would be the toddler's first show. iReport.com: See photos poolside with Weir and at the concert later that day
"I sat way in the back of a general admission show to keep her from the crowd and the loud music, but we had a wonderful time nonetheless," Rutman said.
Steve Maaske of Omaha, Nebraska, said one of his fondest memories is seeing the band in East Troy, Wisconsin, on the "Wave the flag" tour. He even plans to make the Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado, stops on the current schedule. It's a good year for a new Dead tour, he says.
"We have a new 'just off the shelf' president in Barack Obama, some clear optimism for the future of this country, and hey, gas prices for that VW bus are lookin' pretty good about now." iReport.com: See a picture of a colorful Volkswagen bus at the show
Greg Sarafan, 19, of Suffern, New York, last saw the band at a summertime | [
"How many shows has Craig seen?",
"Where did Mark Goldfarb meet his wife?",
"Who drove the VW bus?",
"How many shows has Craig Rutman seen?",
"What year will the tour take place?",
"What band is planning a new tour?"
] | [
[
"125"
],
[
"Grateful Dead concert"
],
[
"Goldfarb traveled the West Coast in a Volkswagen"
],
[
"more than 200"
],
[
"this"
],
[
"Grateful Dead's"
]
] | iReport.com: Grateful Dead tributes shared as band plans new tour in 2009 .
Mark Goldfarb met his wife at a Dead concert and drove a Volkswagen bus .
Craig Rutman has seen more than 200 shows and met the band members .
Steve Maaske says now is the perfect time for a tour after the historic election . |
(CNN) -- He had a rough life during the Ice Age, walking around with a couple of broken ribs and a possibly cancerous lesion on his jaw before dying at a young age.
Assistant lab supervisor Trevor Valle discusses the teeth and lower jaw of Columbian mammoth fossil "Zed."
Now, at least 10,000 years later, visitors in Los Angeles can see the remains of "Zed," a Columbian mammoth whose nearly intact skeleton is part of what is being described as a key find by paleontologists at Los Angeles' George C. Page Museum.
Zed was discovered at a construction site in the heart of Los Angeles. An earth mover helping to build an underground parking garage near the L.A. County Museum of Art uncovered the mammoth's skull, according to project director Christopher Shaw.
"The skull was hit and shaved off ... by a scraper," Shaw told CNN Thursday. "We don't know just how smashed up it is, but it's fairly intact because it's a huge jacket we put it around."
The mammoth's fossil was found along with 16 other deposits at the site that paleontologists "tree-boxed" along with the surrounding dirt, creating 23 massive crates weighing between 5 and 53 tons that were then lifted out intact. Zed's remains were encased in a plaster jacket.
The construction was being monitored by a consulting firm because the site is so close to the La Brea tar pits -- a site that has yielded between 3 million and 4 million fossilized bones.
Construction on the parking garage began in 2006 but it took two more years for all the recovered materials to be handed over to researchers at the Page Museum, who began analyzing the various fossils in June, Shaw said.
"It's very exciting for us because each one of these ... could be different ages in the past 10,000 to 45,000 years," Shaw said.
John Harris, the head curator of the Page Museum, publicly announced the finding of "a whole new treasure trove of fossils" on Wednesday. He described it as "the most important discovery" for the museum "of the last 90 years."
Shaw said the announcement was made to "create interest" in the museum's discovery.
Among the most interesting items is likely to be Zed, who is believed to have died in his late 40s. Mammoths are thought to have had an average lifespan of about 60 years.
Not all of Zed's remains have been cleaned off and analyzed.
"Right now we have opened the plaster jacket of four sections that were excavated, including vertebrae and ribs and pelvis, one tusk and the lower jaw," Shaw said. "It will take another six to 12 months to open everything."
Shaw said both of Zed's tusks were found intact, which is very rare.
"Previously, we've found mammoths but the tusk material was very poorly preserved," Shaw said. "It's very exciting to us to have these two complete, beautifully preserved tusks."
The excitement generated by Zed and the rest of the paleontological find could help boost the Page Museum's attendance and funding, which is key as many museums are seeing their attendance dry up during the recession.
"The cleaning of Zed can be viewed inside the museum inside the 'fishbowl' -- a windowed area -- as parts of his bones are being cleaned," Shaw said. "So people come to see us and we've constructed small exhibits. It will attract a lot of people and that will help our funding situation."
Researchers hope to have the entire skeleton on display by next year.
Shaw said it is unique to have such a major fossil find in the heart of an urban center like Los Angeles.
"I've always said we're kind of spoiled here in Rancho La Brea," he said. "It's not like going to the Gobi Desert where you can't take a shower for weeks."
While the process of cleaning and analyzing the fossils is very intricate and time consuming, Shaw said it is a rare experience | [
"What was found at an LA construction site?",
"What animal was found?",
"What was found at a construction site?",
"What part of the animal was especially interesting?",
"Where can you find the La Brea tar pits?",
"What was found in Los Angeles?",
"Where was the skeleton unearthed?",
"Where was it found?",
"What was a rare occurrence?",
"What did they call the most important?",
"What is the disconvery called?"
] | [
[
"Zed"
],
[
"Columbian mammoth"
],
[
"\"Zed,\" a Columbian mammoth"
],
[
"two complete, beautifully preserved tusks.\""
],
[
"Los Angeles"
],
[
"Columbian mammoth fossil \"Zed.\""
],
[
"a construction site in the heart of Los Angeles."
],
[
"Los Angeles."
],
[
"Zed's tusks were found intact,"
],
[
"\"a whole new treasure trove of fossils\""
],
[
"\"Zed.\""
]
] | Nearly intact skeleton of mammoth found at Los Angeles construction site .
Columbian mammoth's skeleton was unearthed near the La Brea tar pits .
Discovery called the museum's most important in almost a century .
Both of mammoth's tusks were discovered intact -- a rare occurrence . |
(CNN) -- He has been at the center of Asia's biggest sex scandal, but now actor Edison Chen has broken his silence on the public episode that has ended careers and caused him to face at least one reported death threat. Internet sex photos of Edison Chen and starlets caused a huge media storm and fall from grace for many. Talking exclusively to CNN on his return to Hong Kong, where he had been forging a career in the movies, Chen reveals his side of the scandal that broke in early last year when hundreds of sexually explicit photos of Chen with other celebrities turned up on the Internet. "There's been a lot of talk through the past year and a half about this or that and a lot of rumors, a lot of hearsay, and I feel, you know, I've kept quiet just to kind of respect everyone and respect the law," Chen told CNN. A Hong Kong computer technician was sentenced to more than eight-and-a-half months in jail for dishonestly obtaining access to the intimate photos when Chen sent his computer in for repairs. But it is still unclear exactly how the images made their way to the web. Watch the full exclusive TV interview with Edison Chen online » The photographs caused shock in Hong Kong and across Asia, with around 1,300 salacious images fueling front page news for tabloids for weeks. There was also a huge public backlash against the 28-year-old who has been one of the rising young stars of Asia cinema. After the scandal broke, Chen, who admitted taking the photos, announced his retirement from Hong Kong's entertainment business and fled to his native Canada. Added to the media attention, Chen says he faced death threats. A bullet was sent to a TV station in Hong Kong earlier this year warning the entertainer to stay out of the limelight. While Chen issued his own apology for any hurt or embarrassment caused soon after the photos surfaced, he maintains he suffered as well. "I believed I was a victim. I believed that I was hurt by this a lot. I believed that...I knew that I had nothing to do with the spreading of these photos," he told CNN in the exclusive interview. "I can't say I didn't do anything wrong. I've admitted that I was wrong, and I wouldn't say sorry if I wasn't wrong. But I also believe that at the same time that I wasn't the perpetrator, and I had suffered a lot from this as well." Chen has suffered a spectacular fall from grace and some of the starlets in the photos have endured public disgrace in this culturally conservative region. For some, careers have been left in ruins. Chen says he has not spoken to any of the women identified in the photos since the scandal broke. "Initially it was because I couldn't find them. Secondly, it was because I didn't really know how to approach and really what to say to be honest with you," Chen told CNN. Cecilia Cheung was one of the actresses identified in the photos and in a recent interview, she had strong criticism for Chen. "I wasn't allowed to talk to her in the initial because of the police request and they were investigating me...I had so much things on my mind," said Chen. "I'm not trying to say that that justifies any wrongdoing that she thinks I've done to her. But I hope that she can understand, and I hope that she can forgive me either today or one day, and she'll understand that I had my difficulties, and I really, really never wished this to happen upon anyone, and I still respect her." Watch the full exclusive TV interview with Edison Chen online. » Chen talks at length to CNN's Anjali Rao about the women involved in the photographs, why he took the images, the effect the scandal had on his health, his family and others. | [
"What is the name of the actor?",
"What was the scandal about?",
"In which channel gave the interview?",
"What is the name of the actor being interviewed?",
"What kind of threats did Chen receive?",
"What type of scandal is he involved in?",
"Where returns the actor?"
] | [
[
"Edison Chen"
],
[
"sex"
],
[
"CNN"
],
[
"Edison Chen"
],
[
"death"
],
[
"sex"
],
[
"Hong Kong,"
]
] | Actor gives exclusive interview with CNN on the sex scandal that rocked Asia .
Chen faced death threats; careers of some girls in explicit photos ruined .
Returns to Hong Kong to explain his side of scandal and its effects .
Watch even more from the interview in exclusive online only footage . |
(CNN) -- He has met the United States' former First Lady, and an audience with Barack Obama awaits, but the American that world champion boxer Amir Khan really wants to face next is proving a bit more elusive.
The British fighter has set his heart on becoming the planet's best pound-for-pound pugilist, and for him that means taking on the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- who, as a five-division champion, once laid claim to that coveted crown.
Khan, 24, unified the WBA super and IBF light welterweight world championship belts in July by defeating American Zab Judah in Las Vegas in July, while Mayweather recently returned to the ring after a 16-month absence.
Six-time world champion Mayweather has won all of his 42 fights as a professional, 26 by knockout, and emerged victorious from a controversial contest with Victor Ortiz on September 18.
But the fight many boxing fans want to see is Mayweather against eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao -- the Filipino rated by Ring Magazine as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
"Floyd Mayweather pound for pound is probably one of the best fighters in the world," Khan, who won an Olympic silver medal in the lightweight category at the Athens Games in 2004, told CNN.
"Me and Manny both want to fight him, but that will never happen because at the moment he doesn't want to fight either of us. But it will come to a stage when the pressure will be so much on Floyd Mayweather that he'll have to take the fight."
Khan doubts that a match-up between his Golden Boy stablemate Mayweather and Top Rank's Pacquiao will ever happen, with disagreements over drug-testing and money having previously prevented the fight.
"You've got two different promotion teams, and for them to agree on terms for a fight is very difficult," he said.
"Firstly, you've got Mayweather saying that Manny has to take so many drug tests and blood tests, then Manny talking about the purse. But that fight will generate about $100 million each, so it's a lot of money to say no to."
Mayweather, 34, and Pacquiao, 32, have both occupied the position of best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and Khan is aiming to emulate the success enjoyed by the decorated duo.
"I want to be known as a legend in the sport and I want to win everything. I want to be a pound-for-pound champion of the world, and every morning when I wake up that's what drives me to the gym to train hard," he said.
"When I'm tired in the gym, that's what pushes me, because I want to be the best there is. And, I'm nearly there. I'm only 24, I'm the unified champion, I'm a two-time world champion, and I've done it so young. But I want to achieve more."
Khan has seen his international profile increase in the last 18 months, having fought in the U.S. on three occasions since making his American bow against Paulie Malignaggi at New York's Madison Square Gardens in March 2010.
It would now appear even politicians are starting to sit up and take notice of the Bolton-born fighter, with Khan having recently met U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and now being lined up for an audience with President Barack Obama later this year.
"I was invited to go to the state building," said Khan. "Hilary Clinton invited me and my team. It was an honor to be part of that event. It was about the Muslim sportsmen who were influential and who do good things in the Muslim community.
"I enjoyed it and they want me back over there in December probably to meet Obama, so it's good times.
"When they first got talking about it, I thought they were just pulling my leg, but they were quite serious about it, and I thought 'Wow'. I | [
"Khan has set his sights on becoming world's best what?",
"Who does boxing champion Amir Khan want to face?",
"when he will meet with President Obama?",
"Who will the 24-year-old will meet later this year?",
"Who is Khan going to meet later on this year?",
"What does Khan have his sights set on becoming?",
"Boxing champion Amir Khan wants to face who?",
"who never faced against Mayweather?"
] | [
[
"pound-for-pound pugilist,"
],
[
"Floyd Mayweather Jr."
],
[
"later this year."
],
[
"President Barack Obama"
],
[
"President Barack Obama"
],
[
"planet's best pound-for-pound pugilist,"
],
[
"Floyd Mayweather Jr."
],
[
"Manny Pacquiao"
]
] | Boxing champion Amir Khan tells CNN he wants to face Floyd Mayweather .
The Briton says he doesn't think Mayweather will ever face Manny Pacquiao .
Khan has set his sights on becoming world's best pound-for-pound fighter .
The 24-year-old will meet U.S. President Barack Obama later this year . |
(CNN) -- He is perhaps the most recognizable man in fashion, almost never seen without his dark glasses, a silver ponytail and fingerless gloves. And while the German-born fashion designer has been the creative force behind fashion house Chanel for more than a quarter of a century, he's still thriving on new ideas, designs and what the future may hold. "I don't look back... Life is not something made by order, we have to fit in the pattern of what life is all about now, and I'm a person who fits easily into this kind of situation because I like change," he told CNN in Shanghai. While his own image is enduring, he is the creative force of the Chanel fashion house, whose eponymous designer, Coco Chanel created some of the most iconic outfits of the 20th century. He may have upset the traditionalists when he first took over the reins, but for the forward-thinking Lagerfeld, it was not a concern. "My job is to put in people's brain the idea what Chanel was all about, even if it was not about such a large choice of things... I pushed [Coco Chanel's] symbol, like the change of pearls, in a way much more than she did herself. I could play with everything and mix it with everything that's going on in fashion because fashion is about that. It's not retrospective, it has to be something you want to wear now," he said. As for the notoriously harsh world of fashion, Lagerfeld sees it merely as a reflection of the way the world works. "This is a world with no pity or that you can complain, 'I couldn't do it because things are against me.' No, things are against nobody, if you have something to offer, or if you can be something," he said. "If you want to be successful in the fashion world, as well as the movie world and music world, it's something else that you need, but you cannot decide that you have it. It's up to you to sew it, but it's up to the others to use it. In a way it's the worst of worlds, but if you made in the world, it's beyond pleasant." Confident and unabashed Lagerfeld is looking forward to more creative inspiration and hard work. His contracts with Chanel and Fendi are for life. "Chanel died doing her last collection in her 90s, so I have time. I don't think like this. It's my projection, always six months, six months, six months. I don't know. People laugh at me to disappear but I'm not ready for that one. "I am born for the battlefield. Competition is healthy you know. Some people would like the idea of no competition so they can keep the position for the rest of their lives, but no, there has to be a kind of danger all the time. I think it's very healthy, it makes you better." Watch the full Talk Asia show with Karl Lagerfeld on CNN from Wednesday, December 23. | [
"Does the fashion designer believe competition is healthy?",
"Who is one of the most recognizable figures in fashion?",
"How many years has the German-born fashion designer been the creative force behind Chanel?"
] | [
[
"is"
],
[
"Lagerfeld"
],
[
"more than a quarter of a century,"
]
] | German-born fashion designer is one of the most recognizable figures in fashion .
Has been creative force behind Chanel for over 25 years .
Told CNN he thinks little of the past, successes or failures, focused on the present .
"I am born for the battlefield. Competition is healthy," he told CNN . |
(CNN) -- He never told a lie, as the story goes. So maybe if he were alive today, President George Washington could tell a New York City library what he did with two books he checked out 221 years ago.
The two books -- weighty discourses on international relations and parliamentary debates -- were checked out on October 5, 1789.
They were due on November 2, 1789, but weren't brought back.
Since then, they've been steadily collecting a fine of a few cents each day, adding up to more than $4,000 by the New York Society Library's informal estimate.
"I'm sorry, math is not my thing at all," said Jane Goldstein, the assistant head librarian when asked to hazard a guess.
The fine at the time was 2 pence a day. Now, it's 15 cents -- "It's really gone up, hasn't it?" she quipped.
One of the librarians, Matthew Haugen, guessed the fine to be in the region of 3,000 British pounds, or about $4,577.
"He stuck with the pence concept," Goldstein said.
The library first learned of the missing books when it discovered a yellowed ledger in its basement
It listed all the people who had checked out books from the city's oldest library between July 1789 and April 1792.
Next to the works "Law of Nations" and the 12th volume of "Common Debates" was the name of the person who checked them out: "President."
At the time, New York was the capital of the United States, and the library was the only one in town.
Soon after, the capital was relocated to Philadelphia and then Washington D.C.
The New York library, a subscription library that was New York's first library open to the public, has known about the missing books since the 1930s. The matter came up again recently because the library is capturing the ledgers in digital form to preserve the records.
Library officials cross-checked the books mentioned in the ledger with the ones in their collection.
"Volume 12 (of "Common Debates") was still missing," as was the other book, Goldstein said.
The library is not so concerned about the fine as it is about each book.
"We don't know where it is," she said. "We have tried to find it and we can't," she said. | [
"Who racked a growing fine?",
"How long has the library known about the missing books?",
"How many books overdue?",
"Who has racked up a fine?",
"what was never returned?",
"How long as the library known about the missing books?",
"What library would like to track down the books?"
] | [
[
"President George Washington"
],
[
"since the 1930s."
],
[
"two"
],
[
"President George Washington"
],
[
"two books"
],
[
"since the 1930s."
],
[
"New York City"
]
] | George Washington has racked up a growing fine on two overdue books from NYC library .
The discourses on international relations, parliamentary debates were never returned .
New York Society Library would like to track down the books .
The library has known about the missing books since the 1930s . |
(CNN) -- He was a cold, calculating, "morally depraved" man who spent the last years of his socialite and megaphilanthropist mother's life bilking her fortune to line his pockets. That's one way to see Anthony Marshall -- and it's the only way, according to the prosecutors who secured a conviction against him for grand larceny and scheming to defraud his mother, Brooke Astor. Now as the 85-year-old son prepares to be sentenced Monday for his crimes, another portrait of him has emerged -- thanks to close friends and celebrity acquaintances (including Al Roker and Whoopi Goldberg) who sent letters to the court in hopes of saving him from a lengthy prison sentence. The man prosecutors described during the trial is apparently unrecognizable to many of Marshall's friends and acquaintances. He was a loyal churchgoing man, a Purple Heart recipient wounded in Iwo Jima during World War II and a son who tried mightily but could never live up to the high ideals of his socialite mother, according to letters friends submitted to the court. And now, they say he is a frail and sickly man who has faced extreme humiliation and would essentially be given a death sentence if a judge hands down the maximum sentence allowed. It will be up to Judge A. Kirke Bartley Jr. to decide how to reconcile the two portraits of Tony Marshall. He faces a minimum 1 to 3 years, or as much as 8 to 25 years in state prison. The drastically differing views have only further heightened interest in the case, which during the trial stage was a tabloid feeding frenzy, fostering headlines such as "Bad heir day," "Mrs. Astor's disaster" and "DA's kick in the Astor." The witness list was a virtual "Who's Who" of New York's social elite -- including Henry Kissinger, Graydon Carter, Barbara Walters, Vartan Gregorian and Annette de la Renta. During the case, prosecutors and witnesses portrayed Marshall as an only son preying on his physically and mentally ill 101-year-old mother. Assistant District Attorney Joel Seidemann called the case "disturbing," and said the trial told the story of "how a son, an only son, would stoop so low to steal from his own mother in the sunset years of her life in order to line his own pockets and the pockets of his wife." His only goal, they said, was to selfishly tap her fortune -- money that prosecutors said Astor intended to donate to ordinary New Yorkers who needed help after she died. He was convicted of the most serious charges against him -- first-degree grand larceny and scheming to defraud. One of the most serious convictions involved Marshall giving himself a $1 million-a-year raise for handling his mother's affairs, Seidemann said. During trial testimony, Marshall's lawyers called no character witnesses to come to his defense. So the new letters from friends are the first attempts by those who know him to share what they believe is his true character. Whoopi Goldberg told a judge in her letter that she met Tony Marshall and his wife Charlene 10 years ago when Goldberg moved into a building on the Upper East Side with Frank Langella. Unlike other residents who turned their nose up at her, Goldberg said she became quick friends with the Marshalls. Her interactions with Tony, she wrote, gave her an insight into his relationship with his mother, and in turn taught her about how fame can affect family dynamics. "I also understand what it must be like for my own daughter to be around my fame," she wrote. "I am not comparing myself to Mrs. Astor, but I've seen how you can be dismissed as not being good enough, or hip enough, and seeing it happen to Tony made me make sure that it didn't happen to my own daughter." The humiliation and ugliness of the trial was punishment enough and a prison sentence would be unjust, friends argued in the letters. Marshall's cardiologist, Kenneth W. Franklin, also wrote to urge the judge to consider his age and health in sentencing. A | [
"Who is asking for a compassionate sentence?",
"What are reasons for advocating a lighter sentence for Marshall?",
"What is Marshall's age?",
"What is Marshall's minimum sentence?",
"Who was convicted of bilking his mother?"
] | [
[
"close friends and celebrity acquaintances"
],
[
"he is a frail and sickly man who has faced extreme humiliation and would essentially be given a death"
],
[
"85-year-old"
],
[
"1 to 3 years,"
],
[
"Anthony Marshall"
]
] | Whoopi Goldberg, Al Roker among those asking for a compassionate sentence .
Tony Marshall convicted of bilking mom Brooke Astor of money before her death .
He faces a minimum 1 to 3 years, or as much as 8 to 25 years in state prison .
Friends cite Marshall's age of 85, deteriorating health, among reasons for light sentence . |
(CNN) -- He was known as the Wizard of Westwood, the architect of a dynasty at UCLA that will never be equaled. But John Wooden leaves behind a legacy much larger than victories on a basketball court.
Wooden died Friday of natural causes at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He was 99. His 100th birthday would have been October 14.
Wooden's children, Nan and Jim Wooden, issued a statement asking that donations be made in his name to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or another charity of choice.
"He has been, and always will be, the guiding light for our family. The love, guidance and support he has given us will never be forgotten," the said. "Our peace of mind at this time is knowing that he has gone to be with our mother, whom he has continued to love and cherish."
Wooden had been admitted to the hosptial on May 26. Funeral services will be private, but the family said there would be a public memorial at a later date, with a reception for former players and coaches.
"There will never be another John Wooden," said UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. "While this is a huge loss for the Bruin family, Coach Wooden's influence reaches far beyond Westwood. Coach was a tremendously significant figure.
"This loss will be felt by individuals from all parts of society. He was not only the greatest coach in the history of any sport but he was an exceptional individual that transcended the sporting world. His enduring legacy as a role model is one we should all strive to emulate."
"This is a sad day at UCLA," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "Coach Wooden's legacy transcends athletics; what he did was produce leaders."
Wooden was born on a farm in Martinsville, Indiana, in 1910 and learned to play basketball on an iron hoop that his father had forged and attached to the barn.
He went to college at Purdue, winning All-America honors three times and leading the Boilermakers to the 1932 national collegiate championship.
After marrying his high school sweetheart and life-long love Nell following his graduation, Wooden coached at the high school level and at Indiana State before being hired by UCLA in 1948. His coaching methods, like his upbringing, seemed like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting: Simple, yet elegant.
"If there's anything you could point out where I was a little different, it was the fact that i never mentioned winning," he once said.
In 27 years at UCLA, his Bruins won an unprecedented 10 national championships in 12 years, including seven straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA also captured 19 conference titles and set an NCAA record with 88 consecutive wins over four seasons, but Wooden was more proud of his players accomplishments off the court.
"I think that's the factor from which i have received the greatest satisfaction and pleasure. The fact that practically all of my players did get their degrees and practically all of them have done well in whatever their chosen profession might be," he said.
Wooden retired from UCLA in 1975, following his 10th national championship but would occasionally take in a Bruins game from the stands.
Former Cal coach Pete Newell once said, "John was a better coach at 55 than he was at 50. He was a better coach at 60 than at 55. He's a true example of a man who learned from day one to day last."
Wooden is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame both as a coach and as a player -- one of only two men to attain that honor -- and many of the men he coached went on to stellar careers as well. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor), Gail Goodrich and Bill Walton all landed in the Basketball Hall of Fame beside their college coach, while others played in the NBA or even returned to UCLA later in Wooden's footsteps.
But Wooden's legacy extended beyond his basketball expertise -- he coached leadership. He frequently recited what he termed his father's | [
"how many national championships",
"How many consecutive games were won over four seasons?",
"where did wooden coach"
] | [
[
"10"
],
[
"wins"
],
[
"UCLA"
]
] | NEW: UCLA AD: "There will never be another John Wooden"
NEW: Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" guided daily living .
Wooden's UCLA teams won 7 straight national titles from 1967 to 1973 .
Teams won 88 consecutive games over four seasons .
Coach retired in 1975 after 10th national championship . |
(CNN) -- He was not able to fulfill his childhood dream of being a pilot, but Ghanaian scientist Dr. Ave Kludze has arguably gone one better: developing and flying spacecrafts for NASA. The moon, Mars and beyond: All are in the sights of Dr. Ave Kludze. The 43-year-old didn't enter orbit when controlling a NASA rocket to launch the Calipso environmental satellite in 2006, instead piloting it from the control center on the ground. Nevertheless from growing up in Ghana to being an astronautical engineer and strategist for NASA, he has had a similarly stratospheric rise to the top. Growing up in Accra, Kludze was fascinated by science and how things worked. "I was a very curious kid and I always questioned lots of things, and most of my friends I grew up with, they knew that. And my parents, they were a little bit concerned because sometimes I would take apart a lot of things they would not want me to touch," he told CNN. When he realized he could not become a pilot because of his eyesight he channeled his energies into studying engineering, moving to the U.S. to complete a course in electrical engineering at Rutgers University. On graduating Kludze initially planned to return to Ghana to develop solar technologies, but then NASA came calling in 1995. "I never did dream of working for NASA. I admired what they did, but it never did cross my mind. I did not see how a kid like me could work for NASA," he said. He commanded his first spacecraft from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and has gone on to develop an extra-vehicular infra-red camera as well as other projects for the space agency. While he didn't return to Ghana as he originally planned, he still believes that his work -- and NASA's -- has had some benefits to his native country and more down-to-earth lives. "Well, NASA has done a lot for Africans. Maybe Africans they no know that. They have cell phones, glasses, anti-scratch and all those things. We have portable water system that NASA has developed for Africa. They're using it," he said. "And one thing people often forget, NASA doesn't only develop space technology, we also develop aeronautical technology. So when the planes they fly and other flying objects, NASA's technology has been involved in that." Kludze is also keen to pass on the message that for young Africans, the sky is the limit in terms of what they do with their lives. "I've learned that being given the freedom to think and think openly helps bring in new ideas. So in community, like in an African communities, I think younger generations and both the old and the young should freely share ideas and break those old barriers. "So I believe that with some determination and some hard work most of the younger generation can get whatever they want to. They can even go into space, they can do anything." | [
"In which country did he study?",
"What year did he join NASA?",
"Who can follow in his footsteps?",
"Where did they grow up?",
"Who is one of the top strategists?",
"Where did this strategist go to school at?",
"What is the engineer's whole name?",
"Did he want to work for NASA as a child?",
"Where did he grow up?"
] | [
[
"U.S."
],
[
"1995."
],
[
"young Africans,"
],
[
"Ghana"
],
[
"Dr. Ave Kludze."
],
[
"Rutgers University."
],
[
"Ave Kludze"
],
[
"never"
],
[
"Ghana"
]
] | American-Ghanaian engineer is one of NASA's top strategists .
Grew up in Accra before studying in U.S.; joined NASA in 1995 .
Has remotely piloted space craft; believes other Africans can follow in his footsteps . |
(CNN) -- He's been decorated with awards and called one of the world's most influential people. He's addressed packed auditoriums and waved to crowds who line streets just to catch a passing glimpse of him. He's shaken the hands of countless global dignitaries and earned a fan base following on Facebook that might rival that of Hollywood stars.
He is His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the 74-year-old spiritual leader of Tibet and the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, India. And though he describes himself, according to his Web site, as "a simple Buddhist monk," the love so many Americans and others have for him has, no doubt, bestowed on him iconic status -- whether he sees it that way or not.
"I'd love to be in his presence. I'd love to be in an audience where he speaks," said Jerilee Auclair, 55, of Vancouver, Washington, who has yet to have that pleasure. "I yearn for it. I watch his schedule to see if/when he'll be in my area. ... I love what he stands for. His inner peace inspires me to find mine, daily."
She's far from alone in her admiration.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday, the same day the Dalai Lama visited the White House, showed that 56 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of him, putting him "in the same neighborhood as other major religious figures," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "Favorable ratings for the pope, at 59 percent, and Billy Graham, at 57 percent, are virtually identical."
Not bad for a guy who lives on the opposite side of the globe, is entrenched in a decades-old political and cultural struggle many don't understand, and lives according to a tradition few Americans follow. Less than 1 percent of Americans identify themselves as Buddhist, with less than 0.3 percent of those being Tibetan Buddhist, according to The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
But what he represents resonates with Americans who may need a figure like the Dalai Lama to look to, said Ganden Thurman, executive director of New York City's Tibet House, an organization dedicated to preserving Tibetan culture and civilization.
"He stands for achieving peace by way of peace, and since Gandhi and Martin Luther King aren't around, he's a placeholder for that kind of position," he said. "He says he's a 'simple monk,' but that's wishful thinking. He's a monk that's been saddled with the responsibility of shouldering the hopes and dreams of millions of Tibetan people. ... He's doing the best he can with that, and frankly, these are the kind of people we admire."
Not that Thurman, 42, always treated the Dalai Lama with this kind of reverence. His father, Robert Thurman, co-founded the Tibet House, is an Indo-Tibetan Buddhist studies professor at Columbia University and holds the first endowed chair in Buddhist studies in the West, according to the university's online biography. The older Thurman, who also happens to be the father of actress Uma Thurman, was a personal student of the Dalai Lama, and it was through this relationship that his son first met the spiritual leader.
"My earliest memory of meeting him, I was around 4. I was a pretty rambunctious 4-year-old," he said with a laugh, guessing that he probably jumped on His Holiness and grabbed at the man's glasses. "Diplomatic protocol wasn't high on my list of priorities."
Tenzin Tethong has known the Dalai Lama since he was a child. He worked in the exile government and served as the spiritual leader's representative in New York and Washington during the 1970s and 1980s. Now the president of The Dalai Lama Foundation, a Redwood City, California, organization that promotes peace, Tethong said he organized the Tibetan leader's first visit to the United States in 1979, 20 years after he had gone into exile
He recalled not being | [
"Who has a broad base of fans",
"Who filled the symbolic placeholder left by Gandhi and MLK?",
"Who does 56 percent of Americans view him favorably?",
"Who has broad base of fans in America?",
"What inspires people",
"What percentage of Americans view him favorably?"
] | [
[
"Dalai Lama,"
],
[
"Dalai Lama,"
],
[
"Dalai Lama,"
],
[
"Dalai Lama,"
],
[
"His inner peace"
],
[
"56 percent"
]
] | The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, has broad base of fans in America .
His sense of peace inspires; 56 percent of Americans view him favorably, poll shows .
He fills symbolic placeholder left by Gandhi and MLK, Tibet House executive says .
Buddhism helps him avoid trappings of fame, by not allowing ego to take over . |
(CNN) -- He's been described as the Richard Branson of Asian airlines. And he certainly knows a thing or two about building a brand. Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia, spoke to CNN's Andrew Stevens in The Boardroom. In just five years, Tony Fernandes has built Air Asia from a bankrupt local carrier to the region's biggest budget airline -- 18 million passengers will fly the airline this year. CNN's Andrew Stevens talked to Fernandes in Macau to find out why, at the age of 37, he would leave a comfortable job in the music industry to start a new business in the cut-throat, not to mention high risk, aviation industry. Fernandes: Well there's a fine line between brilliance and stupidity, so the second point in a statement that Richard Branson's made is how to become a millionaire, start with a billion and start an airline. Now I was the other way around, I didn't have a billion. So I think that was one of the things, that I didn't have a lot to lose. And I thought I was young enough. I got tired of the corporate life, I got tired of corporate politics. And I saw a business opportunity. Everyone likes to fly. And I think the key number that got me going was only six percent of Malaysians flew. I started looking at the prices of tickets, and to travel from one part of Malaysia to another it was almost someone's one month salary. So that drove me. But I didn't want to be there, you know, at 55, and say I should've done it. Life is about risks, life is about not being afraid to fail. Stevens: But at the time, airlines were going into bankruptcy, oil prices were going through the roof, people were too scared to fly globally, didn't you think, "oh my god I've made the worse decision of my life?" Fernandes: No, I knew Malaysians very well. You put a price low enough, they'd risk their lives. I think also when you start a business the most important thing is does the market want it. And I knew the market wanted it. If that's there, everything is surmountable because people power is strong. Stevens: You like to pluck people from all different walks of life, from all different professions. How do you meld them all together? What's the philosophy underlying this? Fernandes: Well I think, first is that everyone plays a part. There is no hierarchy. Everyone is valuable. I make all my senior management carry bags and things so they appreciate that. Stevens: Do they? Fernandes: Oh yes, they do. Some try to shirk their duties, but it's very hard when they see the CEO doing it -- they have to do it. The second is that everyone's got ability, it's how you bring the best out of them. And that's a very motivating thing. If you see someone who's carrying a bag suddenly flying a plane. That's a very powerful motivator. You can do all the theory and books and promise people the world but when they see it in reality, boy that's a powerful thing to see. Stevens: When Air Asia started, you were known to go down, roll up your sleeves, and really get in with your staff at all levels, do you still have time to do that? Fernandes: I have less time, but I still do it. I think it's fundamental to running my company, because, unless you get down to the floor and see what's happening, you won't make effective decisions. I do it for two reasons. One is, to see what's going on, and to make sure if I'm making the right decisions. And the second thing is, I still want to discover these raw diamonds. Stevens: What's the best piece of business advice you've ever been given? Fernandes: Focus and discipline. | [
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] | Tony Fernandes, CEO of Air Asia, talks to CNN's Andrew Stevens .
He turned Air Asia into the region's biggest budget airline .
Fernandes is known for joining in with staff at all levels . |
(CNN) -- He's gone from being a backup dancer to the biggest thing in Asian pop culture, an actor and singer who has sold millions of albums. The 27-year-old South Korean has even faced down U.S. comedian Steven Colbert in a spoof dance-off. The comedy skit came about after Rain placed higher than him in Time Magazine's 2008 online poll of the 100 Most Influential People. As well as a sense of humor and dance moves that shook Colbert out of his satirical posture to praise, Rain is also known as one of the hardest working men in the entertainment business. Rain, real name Jung Ji-hoon, broke into the notoriously tough world of South Korean show business with JYP Entertainment when he was just 18 years old. He made his first mark in Hollywood last year with a role in "Speed Racer" appearing alongside Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox. As a singer with five albums to his name, he's faced thousands of screaming fans at concerts across the world, and recently he faced your questions. Watch the show and find out what makes Rain tick. | [
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] | Korean pop culture sensation will be on Talk Asia later this month .
27-year-old has gone from backup dancer to appearing in Hollywood films .
Rain will be appearing with answers to your questions . |
(CNN) -- He's the man who helped make "Slumdog Millionaire" an international hit, scoring the soundtrack of the Oscar winning film. Despite his performance at the Oscars ceremony and being caught up in all the glitz and adulation, Rahman is a reluctant star. Feeling like a millionaire: AR Rahman picked up two Oscar's for best original song and best score. He's worked on films since he was a teenager, taking over the role of family breadwinner after his father died and followed in his footsteps as a composer. While he had stints writing advertising jingles in India, composing for films has been his life's work so far, yet from his studio in Chennai he admitted to CNN he didn't want to score films. "I kept saying next year I'll quit, next year I'll quit. And finally because I was sucked into it more and more, now I have the Oscars" he said. His Oscar performance and acceptance speech was one of the most memorable at this year's awards. "I thought if I get it I'll be quiet, if I don't get it I'll be quiet, so I was training my mind not to get over-emotional. So when I first got it I didn't feel it at all, it was like a rehearsal for me. When I finished my performance then I felt at ease and then I became very philosophical as you know, and I chose love over hate and all this stuff," he told CNN. Feted by many in media, his hit "Jai ho" was covered by the Pussy Cat Dolls, but the softly spoken Rahman doesn't find it hard to remain grounded. Rahman runs a music school in Chennai, the KM Music Conservatory that keeps him motivated and reminds him that music has a potency that can transform lives. "Music can do so many things. I have my foundation, I have my music school. I have people teaching, kids are learning, so I take this as an advantage, the popularity and taking that and putting it into good things, which motivated me to work harder," he said. As well as working on more Hindi films, Hollywood beckons, if only for a new experience. There have also been rumors he may score the next James Bond film. "I have a couple of offers from Hollywood. Pure American movies which I thought for the heck of it let's do it and a couple of other surprises that you'll know very soon if it works out. Big surprises I think," he said. | [
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] | Oscar-winning composer scored the soundtrack for 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Began work as a 13-year-old to support family after his father died .
Will continue to score films in India and Hollywood; runs music school in Chennai . |
(CNN) -- Health care reform should mean all Americans can get coverage while allowing doctors to heal patients instead of being bureaucrats, President Obama told the American Medical Association on Monday. The AMA agrees with Obama on the need for health care reform but not how to go about it. In a speech to the 158th annual meeting of the doctors' advocacy organization, Obama called an overhaul of the ailing health care system the most important issue for the nation's long-term economic stability. He acknowledged the concerns of doctors that reforms could bring a government-heavy system that would dictate how patients get treated and how much physicians get paid. But he called such thinking wrong. Obama urged all players -- doctors, patients, insurance companies, drug companies and the government -- to contribute to a workable system that would provide coverage for the 46 million uninsured Americans while reducing costs and increasing efficiency. "You did not enter this profession to be bean-counters and paper-pushers," Obama said to a standing ovation at the conference in Chicago, Illinois. "You entered this profession to be healers, and that's what our health care system should let you be." Obama has made health care reform a top priority of his young administration, and Congress will consider at least three proposals in coming weeks to address an issue that deeply divides Democrats and Republicans. Watch Sen. John McCain discuss health care reform » The AMA represents a powerful constituency of U.S. physicians, and its support is considered important in getting a bill through Congress. Dr. J. James Rohack, president-elect of the AMA, welcomed Obama's speech for acknowledging the challenges facing doctors, including excessive bureaucracy, the threat of malpractice lawsuits and medical students' debt burdens. The president's 50-minute speech detailed the problems of the U.S. health care system and presented his plans for confronting them. He blamed some of the spiraling costs on a reimbursement system that he said pays for the number of tests and services provided, regardless of what is needed. "It is a model that rewards the quantity of care rather than the quality of care; that pushes you, the doctor, to see more and more patients even if you can't spend much time with each; and gives you every incentive to order that extra MRI or EKG, even if it's not truly necessary," Obama said. "It is a model that has taken the pursuit of medicine from a profession -- a calling -- to a business." He also cited unnecessary tests and procedures as part of a "defensive" medicine culture created in part by the risk of medical malpractice lawsuits. To loud applause, he said ending unnecessary procedures could require restrictions on malpractice liability to protect doctors. "I'm not advocating caps on malpractice awards, which I personally believe can be unfair to people who've been wrongfully harmed, but I do think we need to explore a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first, how to let doctors focus on practicing medicine, how to encourage broader use of evidence-based guidelines," Obama said. Watch the Health and Human Services chief talk about the administration's plan » Rohack called for a "safe harbor" for doctors to determine treatment, warning that "unless we have protection in a courtroom for not ordering a test, we're going to order that additional test." Obama's speech advocated an end to health care insurance providers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, with an emotional reference to his mother's battle against cancer amid concerns of whether her treatment would be covered. "Changing the current approach to pre-existing conditions is the least we can do -- for my mother and every other mother, father, son and daughter who has suffered under this practice, who've been paying premiums and don't get care," he said to another ovation. Any health care bill must include measures to modernize record-keeping with an electronic system that reduces paperwork and increases efficiency, and to emphasize preventive treatment to reduce overall illness and chronic conditions that sap the health care system, | [
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] | NEW: AMA official welcomes speech, calls for malpractice protection for doctors .
President calls for insurers to stop denying coverage for pre-existing conditions .
He also wants modernized record-keeping, cut in paperwork, increased efficiency .
AMA agrees nation needs health care reform, is unsure about public option plan . |
(CNN) -- Health officials say the H1N1 virus, commonly known as the swine flu, is likely to cause more illnesses and deaths in the United States, even though much of the initial anxiety has eased. A researcher investigates swine flu at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported higher levels of flu activity than the average for mid-May and an unusual number of outbreaks in schools. Some clinics reported high numbers of respiratory diseases more commonly seen during the peak of flu season. "We do think that the way the virus is spreading in the U.S., we are not out of the woods, and the disease is continuing," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for science and public health program at the CDC in a news conference this week. In the United States, six deaths have been linked to the swine flu, although it's unclear whether these were caused by the virus or pre-existing conditions. Nationwide, at least 5,123 cases of H1N1 flu have been reported, although the actual number of people affected may be higher. New data released by the CDC Tuesday showed that the majority of the 30 patients who were hospitalized with H1N1 in California had other medical conditions, such as chronic heart and lung disease, suppressed immune system, diabetes, and obesity. None of the patients died. They had fevers, coughs, vomiting and shortness of breath, according to the CDC report that examined the patients. Six of them were admitted to the intensive care unit and four required mechanical ventilation. See an explanation of H1N1 flu » Five of them were pregnant -- two of the fetuses did not survive. Earlier this month, Judy Dominguez Trunnell became the first U.S. resident to die from complications of the H1N1 flu. Her daughter was delivered via emergency Caesarean section. Dominguez Trunnell felt body aches and numbing in the left side of her face and went to the hospital, her husband, Steven Trunnell, told CNN's Larry King. Watch the interview. » Trunnell has filed a wrongful death claim against Smithfield Foods, a pork and meat producer, alleging that the company's actions may have contributed to the virus' creation. "She was a healthy, pregnant woman who was eight months pregnant until she contracted the virus," he said. "She became acutely ill, but she was never diagnosed with any major medical complications of any kind." Health officials have said repeatedly since the outbreak's beginning that the virus cannot be contracted from eating pork. Pregnancy increases the risk of certain medical problems and creating complications from the flu, Schuchat said. "There is some immunosuppression that occurs during pregnancy," she said. "There maybe also a role of the mechanical effect of pregnancy in decreasing the lung capacity that maybe you're not easily able to handle lung infection or respiratory problems." Early steps toward an H1N1 vaccine are being taken. The process could take between five and six months from the time the virus appeared to when the vaccine would be available to the public, officials have said. Tom Skinner, a CDC spokesman, said the agency has sent H1N1 strains to roughly seven labs around the world to use in the first steps of vaccine development. The CDC expects to get the viruses back from the institutions by the end of the month and "if we do go in the direction of producing a vaccine, we could see the production of pilot lots, and clinical trials, beginning as soon as late June." Though the initial surveillance of the California cases indicates that most healthy patients recovered and were discharged after short hospital stays, those with other medical conditions had greater complications. "Our best estimate right now is that the fatality [with the H1N1] is likely a little bit higher than seasonal influenza, but not necessarily substantially higher," Schuchat said. The seasonal flu kills 36,000 people every year. While people of all ages get the seasonal flu, its complications more severely affect older people or those with weakened immune systems. | [
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"higher levels of flu activity than the average for mid-May and an unusual number of outbreaks in schools."
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],
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"higher levels of flu activity than the average for mid-May"
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] | CDC reported higher levels of flu activity than the average for mid-May .
Health officials warn disease is likely to continue and contribute to more deaths .
Initial data shows hospitalized patients had underlying medical conditions . |
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